Notes: Yes, I am finally updating this fic-after a ridiculously long time I have a new laptop and have just managed to transfer fics from old to new laptop. So yay. Hope you like this chapter, we've got the introduction of the first side-plot, starring the ever so delicious Kar :)

Chapter Four

Rogue sighed and sat down on the hood of a police car. She needed to think, to figure out a plan, or she wouldn't be able to accomplish anything. First, she had to examine the crime scene, gather all the clues together. Then, she needed Sarah's statement. Then she needed the autopsy report. After that, she had the glorious task of putting it all together until it made sense. Yeah, that was a fucking great plan.

Shaking her head, she tugged her hair free of the ponytail and shook it out around her shoulders, running a hand through it. She shifted her shoulders, her gun digging into her side slightly, and the feel of it was comforting, hard lines and cold metal reminding her of her power, of her ability to get the job done. This was just a slightly differing job than what she was used to and she was nothing if not adaptable.

"Um, miss?"

She looked up to find one of the younger officers standing before her, barely a foot away. He never should've been able to get that close without her noticing. She scolded herself for the lapse, the fact that she was surrounded by cops luring her into a false sense of security. These cops, these men, could be just as dangerous as the next person, despite their badges.

"What?" she snapped. He flinched, but didn't back down.

"Um… your friend… she's a mutant, right?"

Rogue glared, wishing she had a drink nearby to steady her nerves and soothe her temper. Already she cold feel her contral fraying and now of all times, she needed to keep her cool. "Yes."

"Are there… many mutants… on your team?"

Rogue thought about how to answer that for a moment. No one outside the Agency and the President knew that it was made up solely of her Roses. Everyone had been lead to believe that it was a huge organisation made up of both humans and mutants. She wondered what the consequences would be of her divulging the little secret that only mutants worked for the Agency, and so far, they hadn't recruited a single person.

"Some," she answered briefly, her head beginning to ache from the politics of it all.

To her surprise, the officer gave her a weak little grin. "Cool." Rogue raised an eyebrow in question and his grin grew a little stronger. "My sister can talk to cats," he confided quietly. "And just so you know… Not everyone here is like Captain Marks, there's a couple of guys that are mutant-friendly, and most of the rest are neutral."

Rogue let a small, weary smile curl her lips. "Good to know. Thanks, kid."

He nodded and turned to leave before she called out to him again. "Your sister… she any good at fighting, guns or anything like that?"

The officer shook his head. "No, she's kind of a wuss."

Rogue chuckled, before frowning thoughtfully. "But she can talk to cats," she murmured. "Animal witness, not enough to stand up in court but if it leads us in the right direction…" she looked up again to find the officer watching her curiously. "Tell your sister that if she's interested in a job, she should pop in at our Agency, we might have a use for her."

The officer flashed her a wide grin and opened his mouth to speak, but a loud shout interrupted him. Rogue glanced towards the house and saw Kar standing in the doorway, waving at her. Rogue jumped off the car and walked briskly towards him, wondering what was causing that thread of urgency she read in his body.

"Look what we found," Kar said abruptly, shoving a fistful of papers into her hands. Rogue frowned and sorted them out, scanning the text. They were newsletters from the Humans Against Mutants group. Just reading a few of the hate-filled paragraphs made her stomach turn and she growled low in her throat.

"Fucking prejudiced pricks," she grumbled, scrunching the papers into a ball and tossing them away, not caring that she might be 'damaging the evidence'.

Kar shook his head, running a hand through his hair in a violent, jerky gesture. "Mutant hater, killed by mutants, who according to Michelle, felt justified in their actions." He snorted and shook his head again. "Can we say hate crime?"

"Yeah, and so can everyone else here, as well as the media. We need to contain this fast."

Kar didn't say anything to that, and Rogue looked at him quizzically. "What is it?" she demanded, knowing that he had something to say.

Kar hesitated, eyeing her closely before blowing out a heavy huff of air and shoving his hands deep in his pockets, tension thrumming through his body. "I'm just not so sure we should… I mean, yeah what happened to the bastard was bad but… I mean…" Sighing and shaking his head yet again, he licked his lips and levelled his leader with a hard, penetrating gaze. "Maybe he deserved it," he said quietly, his voice as hard as rock and completely lacking in mercy and pity.

Rogue blinked and looked at her friend for a moment before cocking her head to the side. "You don't think we should go after these people? I doubt they're gonna stop at just him."

"So? Rogue, these bastards would kill us all if they got the chance, they insult us at every opportunity, vandalise our homes and business, terrorise the younger ones… why shouldn't we just let these guys carry on? Maybe it will shock them enough that they'll leave us alone."

Rogue had to admit that it was a tempting thought, but her sense of duty wouldn't let her turn her back on the situation, no matter what her personal feelings. The Professor had taught her to look past prejudice and hate, to see the bigger picture beyond, and she didn't want to let his lessons go to waste.

"We have to stop them, Kar," she said quietly, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder and feeling how tense he was. "If we don't… we're no better than them."

Kar growled and jerked away from her touch, storming away from her and the crime scene. Rogue watched him for a second, wondering if she should stay or go after him. Sighing heavily, she lowered her head and walked back into the house. Even if she did want to talk to Kar, she had a job to do first.

(0)

Jamie closed her kit with a small click, letting out a soft breath of air and rolling her shoulders to ease the sting. She'd been crouched over the body for too long, her neck and shoulders were stiff and cramped, and she took a moment to heal herself, speeding up the relaxation of muscles until her body was once again loose and relaxed. Peeling off her bloody latex gloves, she tossed them to the floor and stood up, stretching a little and arching her back. She turned to see several police offers still watching her, though quite a few had been unable to stand the sight of the mutilated corpse, no matter how much they wanted to stay and gawk at her. she ignored them and went to give Rogue her final report before she took the body back to their place for the autopsy. She noted dryly to herself that it would probably be one of the shortest autopsies she'd ever performed-it wasn't as if there was much of a body left to examine further than what she'd already done.

She found Rogue in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and staring at the wall. Jamie could tell by the faint crease between her brows that she was thinking deeply, and waited a second before Rogue registered her presence.

"The press has arrived," she said abruptly. "We should probably make a statement before the idiot Captain does."

"Agreed."

Rogue hesitated a second before sighing. "I don't want to do it," she admitted. "I don't… I'd rather you spoke to them."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "They won't appreciate being spoke to by a little girl, and it will raise questions about our team."

"Then don't be a little girl."

Jamie bit back a sigh, knowing that she was going to do it anyway and there was no point in complaining about it. Closing her eyes, she focused on her body, feeling wisps of power spread through her veins as she sped up her ageing process. It was a decidedly weird experience, to feel yourself age years in just a few seconds, which was why she hated to do it. Thankfully, her feet remained small enough to fit in her shoes, but by the time she was just under twenty, her clothes were very tight. She was still a slim and small person, she took after her mother that way, but she did not look suitable to make a statement.

"Will you get me some fresh clothes from the van at least?" she asked, opening her eyes and trying not to notice how different her voice sounded.

Rogue smiled wearily and nodded silently before walking out. Jamie looked down at herself and sighed quietly, flexing her fingers as she tried to get used to her new body. She hated ageing herself, it always felt wrong somehow, though she was in perfect physical condition.

Rogue returned quickly with some jeans and a blouse and Jamie changed almost mechanically, already mentally preparing her statement, running over what words and phrases she would use, trying to predict questions and detailing diplomatic answers. She felt as if she were going into battle; which, she decided, was not an altogether absurd metaphor as this was the first time she, or any of the Roses, had been forced to speak to the media. So far, the media's knowledge of their team had come from other sources, the Roses themselves keeping to the shadows until things settled down.

Jamie's nimble fingers flew over the buttons of her blouse before smoothing it down. Because of her newly formed breasts, she was having to go without a bra and she hoped that it wouldn't show, plucking at the shirt so that it looked neat but still hung away from her skin slightly.

"I want someone with me," she announced suddenly. "Selene or Alistor. They won't talk, but I want them to stand beside me."

Rogue nodded, granting permission, but then frowned curiously. "Why? You don't need them there."

Jamie hesitated before smiling ruefully. "Yes, I do," she muttered. "For support." And with that she went to find Selene, quickly explaining the situation before leading her outside.