A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update. Most of the dialogue in this chapter is from New Mutants (2nd series) number 3.

Chapter 3: Savior

"I'm tellin' ya, Al," Fred, the owner of the junk yard, insisted. "I heard the dog barking over hear."

"Probably just saw a mouse," Al muttered.

"Nah, it's that kid. He's why I got the dog. Coming down here alla time, stealing my stu . . . " Fred's voice trailed off as his eyes fell upon Kevin who was crouched down on the ground over the dead, withered dog. "What the hell are you doing here, kid?"

"Look at what he did to Pickles."

"I'm sorry," Kevin cried, unable to look away from what was left of Pickles. "I'm sorry. He jumped at me . . . "

"What did you do to my dog?" Fred snarled at him. "What kind of monster are you? You a mutant?"

"Filthy mutant," Al spat, raising the pipe in his hand above his head, ready to strike. Fred stepped closer to Kevin.

"No, don't touch me, or I'll-" Kevin tried to warn them, starting to panic.

"You threatening me?" Fred cut him off just as Al slammed the pipe down onto Kevin's back.


Rogue walked into the small, run down building that stood in front of the junk yard only to find it empty. Taking a look out the back door, she spotted the thugs that ran the place standing over something that was blocked from her vision.

"Filthy mutant."

She didn't need to see him to know it was Kevin that they were attacking. One of them brought a pipe down onto Kevin, and Rogue started creep up behind them, pulling her gloves off.


"Not so tough against people, huh?" Fred kicked the kid in the stomach, the tip of his leather boot connecting with Kevin's bare skin. Fred staggered backward slightly, staring down at his foot. "What the hell? What'd you do to my boot?" He saw Al going for Kevin again. "Don't touch the kid! He is a mutant."

"Wasn't planning on touching him," Al said, raising the pipe once again. He didn't get a chance to hit Kevin with it before a warm, soft hand closed around his wrist.

Rogue stood motionless behind him latched on tight to both him and Fred, cringing as their thoughts and memories flooded into her mind. She held on just long enough to knock them out and quickly let go. She didn't want any more of them in her head than necessary. When she let go, she looked down to see Kevin staring up at her with wide eyes.

"You're like me," he stated.

"Yeah, I'm a mutant," Rogue told him, speaking without her usual southern drawl. She pulled her glows back on and crouched down near him. He flinched as she came closer to him. Rogue sighed, thinking he was afraid of her because of what she'd done to Fred and Al. She stood up and motioned for him to follow her.

"Come on, let's get you . . . " her voice trailed off as she saw the dog and all the pieces fell into place.


When they got back to his house, Kevin told Rogue what had happened to his father while she cleaned the cut on his arm. By the time he was done talking, tears were welled up in his eyes and his voice had trailed off. He stared at the floor.

"My powers manifested when I kissed a boy for the first time," she told him. "He ended up in a coma." Finished with his arm, she got up and went into his room. Kevin followed her and found her going through his closet.

"Not a lot here," Rogue said.

"Yeah, everything was falling apart, so eventually I gave up," Kevin told her.

"I think you need synthetic fiber." She pulled an intact shirt and pair of pants out of the closet and looked at the tags to see what they were made of. Throwing them to him, she watched his face as they didn't disintegrate. "I hope you don't mind polyester. Go put them on."

"Are you gonna take me to the police?" Kevin asked when he was finished getting dressed. "I killed my father."

"It was an accident, but that wouldn't matter to the police. I think we need to keep all this between us mutants."

"Where's your mother?" Rogue asked after a pause.

"She died when I was born," Kevin answered. "Guess there's no place for me."

"Actually, there is. Have you ever heard of the Xavier Institute?"


The cab pulled up to the gates of The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. Kevin still was staring out the window, eyes wide, as Rogue paid the fare and got out. She took his bag out of the trunk before she came around and opened his door.

"You can get a closer look if you get out of the cab," she teased him, and he finally moved to get out. He stayed silent while she led him toward the front door, taking everything in. The mansion was bigger than anything he'd ever seen before and the grounds seemed to go on forever. The place looked fit for a king.

Professor, I'm back and Kevin is with me, Rogue projected as she walked into the mansion, hoping Xavier was listening.

Thank you Rogue, bring him to the infirmary, Xavier instructed, and Rogue headed in that direction with Kevin closely following her. As she walked, she telepathically explained what she had found out about Kevin's abilities to Xavier. When they got to the infirmary, they found him waiting with Dr. Reyes, the woman who had taken over for Jean after Alkali lake.

"Hello Kevin, I am Charles Xavier," he introduced himself. "I'm pleased to see that you have chosen to come here."

"It was kind of a no-brainer," Kevin said. "I didn't have anywhere else to go. This place is fantastic, though. It's really big."

"This is our resident physician, Dr. Reyes," Xavier told him, gesturing to the woman next to him. "She is going to give you a brief examination. Hopefully it won't take long, so you may have a chance to explore the mansion and find more to like about it than its impressive size."


A/N: Anyone who is having issues with things surrounding Kevin's powers just chill out. I'm planning on fully explaining them in the next chapter. And just in case anyone isn't clear on this, Kevin is not my character. He's a character from the New X-men comics named Wither. I'm just integrating him into the movieverse.