Everyone crowded around Rogue, trying to catch a glimpse of what caused the stone-faced mutant to actually look excited. As soon as the onlookers made a circle around her, one boy asked, "What is it, Rogue?"

"God, Jamie. What does it look like?" Bobby retorted.

"Well, I can see what it is, but…."

"It's ok, Jamie. This, my friends, is a 1960 Gibson SG Les Paul. Any one of you so much as breathes near this baby, consider it a blessing if the authorities find any one of your body parts. Understood?"

Satisfied at the nodding of her fellow mutants, Rogue placed the guitar back in her case and brought it to her room. Unsurprisingly, an annoyingly perky girl followed her. "Like, wow Rogue! What a great guitar!"

"Like you know anything about guitars?" Rogue snapped at her former roommate. "And I thought the whole reason why I got my own room was for a little privacy."

"Yeah, well, guess you were like, mistaken. So, you, like, gonna play or what?"

"Kit, I haven't touched it in years."

"Your point?"

"It's horribly out of tune! Now scram, this is gonna take me a while."

"Okay, okay. Sheesh!" Kitty cried as she exited her best friends lair.

Ten minutes later, Rogue had her guitar somewhat in tune, much to the relief of Logan. His ears could hardly take anymore of the wretched sounds coming from Rogue's room. He walked up the stairs, and entered her chambers.

"Nice," he commented. Rogue gave him a questioning look. "I might not know a lot about guitars, but I know when I see a thing of beauty." Rogue smiled at him, finding a newfound respect for her favorite teacher. (that's not saying there wasn't any there before. But now, there's more. Oh, you get it!)

"Lemme guess. You want me to play something for you?"

"Don't matter to me, kid. Just make sure your door stays closed when you do, understood?"

"Of course Logan. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a guitar to break in. Again."

Logan stood up and made his way to the exit. "Oh, and Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favor and close the door?"

Smirking, the feral mutant followed through with the request.

On a whim, she looked into a pick pocket. She found a note folded, with her name on the front. It read

Dear Rogue,

Congratulations on this profound achievement. I can only imagine what this feels like to you. So please, accept this guitar as a gift to celebrate your success, and as a way to reconnect with your past.

-Irene

Brows knitted, she wondered why her foster mother mentioned anything about her past. She set the note down and picked up her guitar.

Before Rogue could start playing a real song, she received a mental call from the Professor. 'Everyone, please meet me in the foyer.' Grumbling, Rogue exited her room, taking as long as she possibly could.

Halfway down the stairs, Rogue saw everyone else already in a semi-circle. She caught the tail end of the prof's sentence, "-should be arriving any minute now."

Great. Another mutant. Cuz this "family" just ain't big enough as it is. "Ah, he has arrived," the Professor stated. The door opened, and the new mutant walked in. Rogue halted mid-stride, gawking at their latest member.

No way.

A.N.- MUAHAHAHAAAAAA! Hehe. I just love cliffhangers. Did I forget to mention I'm also a sadist? Anyways, review and you'll find out who the new guy is. But I dare you guys, go ahead and guess who it is. (I'll give you a hint. It's a trick question!)

Ok, now here's the review cubby! (b/c "corner" has been done already)

MidniteangelGoth: always good to see your name here. But alas, you will be disappointed. And that's all I'm gonna say. Thanks for the review!

Whylime: so glad you liked the convo between Rogue and Logan. Those two can say just about anything to each other and get away with it. Thanks for reviewing!

Grenwich: well, I think I'm gonna have to dodge those bows and arrows. Sorry, but I've now decided on what's going to happen with Rogue's love life. And I hope the whole respect thing makes up for your lack of liking the prev. chapter's convo between Rogue and Remy. Plus, I don't think this one is that bad, is it? Thanks for your review!

Swamp Rat's Chere and guildenlenny: I stand corrected. Thank you for pointing out Irene's correct name. I was just too damn lazy to check for myself. Thanks, guys!

Jinxeh: hooray for coffee! Sorry it's not a bad sex flick. But there's always time. I mean, Rogue can touch now…. Thank you muchly for review!

Abril4: now, I didn't say I was going to make it into a Romy. I was just asking for input. And I hope that you still read this!

Sarah Coldheart: yes, the random symbol thing is funny, isn't it? I couldn't decide on what to use. Thanks for reviewing!