One moment, one short moment, and it all made sense.

It was all her.

It was her mother.

It was that monster who played her- who betrayed her. It was her standing behind her confusion, her nightmares, her constant feeling of having no one she could trust.

But she does have people she could trust.

And one of those people just fell to his death due to the person she nearly pledged allegiance to, because she was supposed to be family.

She could see the despair on Raven's face as she sure realized that all those dirty lies cannot be denied anymore. That despair was the last thing she saw before the woman collapsed unconscious.

"Oh Scott" she turned towards the ledge with overwhelming regret. "I'm sorry…" she leaned over, trying to see down. And then she saw lighter spots in the dark. She couldn't make much of it, but having Raven's memory she knew that her night vision will prove better- and almost without a thought she shapeshifted into her. Now she could see the spots are fingers hooked on on the edge of a flat surface.

Suddenly full of hope and feeling agile in this body, she made the leap and landed safely on the flat stone. Shocked, Scott let go, but she was quick enough to grab his hands.

"Gotcha!"

The strain of holding his weight made her shift back into herself. But she was able to struggle him back to the ledge and help him enough so she could climb onto the flat with her.

"It's getting kind of hard to tell the players without a scorecard around here" he panted as she hooked him under the arm to help him stand up. "Thanks for the lift, Rogue."

At last that's when they noticed the odd sound above them and a couple pebbles that showered on them.

"Don't thank me yet, look!" Rogue's eyes widened as she saw a giant rock inching off the ledge just above them. Mystique's form merely appeared behind it for a moment before the rock completely dominated their view, quilting towards them so quickly that either of them barely had time to react. Both 19-year olds jumped off into the pit having no time to consider whether that would save them or barely postpone their inevitable doom by mere moments.

Their voices echoed off the underground canyon walls as they free-fell accompanied by smaller pieces of the stone scattered by the rock that nearly ended their lives all together.

Lucky for them the risky heat-of-the-moment decision to jump was rewarded as they splashed deep into the freezing water of a deep underground river flowing at the bottom of the pit. The impact sent them nearly to the bottom of it, but as soon as the bubbles of air cleared around them Scott seized Rogue's hand and pulled her up; She followed him onto the surface, but the current was so strong in nearly shoved them underwater again.

Still choking on water as they struggled to remain on surface despite heavy, damp outwear, they were carried along the stream, and Scott quickly realized they were nearing a waterfall. Thinking fast he removed his glasses for a moment, shooting blindly over the water and blowing into a pieces a part of stone wall ahead of them. It created a narrow space, sort of a shore of sorts, unfortunately one just at the edge of the fall.

"Hang onto me!" he shouted at the girl struggling right behind him. She didn't object, firmly wrapping her arms around his shoulders, both of them barely able to stay afloat.

They reached the dreadful fall and Rogue screamed as they angled over it, however Scott kicked his legs towards the cleared space and managed to get a hold of the edge of the stone. For a second they were suspended in the air, but he knew he won't be able to hold his and the girl's weight for more than a few seconds, so he swayed once and let go, jumping onto another flat surface of a stone about eight feet below. The landing was clean, but they both attempted to get up instantly and the stone gave in.

Ground just disappeared from under their feet, a large junk of it falling along with them. It scattered on another surface and fell into the water below just before they hit the ground as well. It was a long fall, by far not as clean as the jump before, and both teens dropped on the ground heavily and painfully.

Rogue felt her head pulsating as colors danced in front of her closed eyes. The impact of the fall resonated through her body and the soaked clothes made her shiver more than she could recall ever shivering. Wind was blowing, snow was hitting her face, they must be outside of the mountain now.

Although hurting and exhausted she opened her eyes; she saw was Scott sprawled on his back, groaning briefly before falling silent. Shuddering she forced herself up onto her knees and crawled towards him;

"S-Scott… Scott-t, lis-sten to me" her teeth were clashing from the cold. "J-just hang on. Yer gonna be ok-kay" she reached to his face to make him face her; she wasn't able to see if his eyes are open or not but he didn't seem conscious. A bad bruise started to form on his temple but minor scratches were barelystained with blood.

She lifted her eyes to asses the situation, and for a brief moment heat spread through her at the sight.

"Aw man… w-we're gonna die" she gazed down the naturally formed sort-of bridge connecting the two steep walls of the canyon. The only way to get off of it would be the 50-foot dive into another river of freezing water, and her limbs were getting numb enough as it is.

Scott's breath shuddered and he shifted slightly, clearly regaining consciousness. Rogue grimaced with worry and lifted his pale face off the cold stone. "Thanks for the pep talk" he said trying to smile which proved impossible with his cheeks freezing. "Rogue… thanks. You saved my life."

With the cold water and the freezing wind she could feel her own body giving up trying to fight back the cold, it was hard to breathe with her lungs shrinking and hurting sharply. And yet she managed to smile back.

"Ah owed it to ya" she then frowned apologetically, still holding his torso up against her laps. "Mystique had me pretty mixed up. H-her mind's a tortured mess… But Ah saw enough t' know that yer not my enemy."

And then, in the face of possible death, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to admit out loud what pained her the most about all of this;

"Ah really thought she cared 'bout me."

Scott grunted with pain trying to rise into sitting position. She helped him.

"H-hey… she probably does" he stated. "S-sometimes it's really hard t-... to un-understand adults. Th-they never s-seem to tr-trust us."

There was something very personal in his voice, something that made her feel that he knows it first hand. But before that thought gave her any comfort the boy's limping body awoke her fear. "Sc-Scott! D-don't pass out!" she desperately pulled her against herself. "C-c'mon! Wa-wake up!"

And the worst part was that she felt her own consciousness threaten to slip if she allowed herself to relax for a moment, she was so cold she was losing touch with her body and her thoughts were becoming fogged with exhaustion. Snow shoved in her back felt heavy now.

She was startled back into awareness when she heard a growl. Looking to the left she saw a big, gray wolf drop onto the end of the natural bridge, its sharp teeth bared. But there are no wolves in these mountains.

"It's Mystique!" she exclaimed immediately climbing to her feet and grabbing Scott by the back of his winter jacket. The unconscious 6'3'' boy was difficult to pull along with frozen muscles, and the worst part is that she could feel - and even hear - the threatening cracking of the stone as they moved towards the center of the bridge.

The wolf moved towards them, slowly but never ceasing to bare its teeth and grown loudly.

Rogue felt she can't carry Summers any further, but she seemed to jerk awake again. She dropped to her knees exhausted and heard him gasp low; "X-X-Men… they're- coming."

"What? 'Ey are?" she looked around at the blizzard obscured word. "Great!"

"T-they can't find us" he said frowning in pain and thought. He struggled to speak or even think. His consciousness was there only halfway and his body remained limp.

"Figures" she uttered more energy and pulled him backwards again. The wolf still continued towards them, but knowing it's Mystique Rogue didn't find it the real threat. Yes, she wanted to get away from her as far as she could right now, but she knew the cold will claim them before she does.

Unless the X-Men come to their rescue.

She let Scott's torso rest on the ground gently not even bothering to look up at the wolf. Those teeth and claws are empty threats, just like all the woman's promises ever been.

"We'll give 'em somethin' 'ey can find" she said and removed the boy's sunglasses. "Open yer eyes Scott!" she commanded shifting back. "Now!"

A red blaze shot from his eyes with uncontained force, beam brightly skyrocketing upwards through the blizzard. After a few seconds he closed his eyes again, the beam died down and Rogue replaced his glasses. By the sound of Summers' breathing it was easy to tell the performance added up to his already extreme exhaustion.

The girl didn't wait for any cues as she removed her glove and touched his forehead. They both gasped and a brief flash of lights played in front of the Southerner's eyes before she removed her fingers from his skin, now feeling the boy's ability surge through her.

She looked at the wolf still snarling at them, now a mare five feet away.

"Some friendly advice, teach" she climbed to her feet again. "DON'T, mess, with, the ROGUE!" she let the power come naturally, summoning the energy to her eyes she let the view become red like her anger. Following the instinct that came with it, she released the power, a quick beam hit the wolf and sent it a dozen feet back across the snow covered stone before it slid off the edge and disappeared from the view.

The impact damaged the bridge, it shuddered below them.

Rogue saw over it's edge how pieces of stone detach from the bottom. She also saw the scowling wolf turn into an eagle mid-air and circle back to return.

But a low hum brought her attention up, just as a black jet descented and hung in mid-air obscuring the bird from her view.

"Give it up, Mystique!" she heard a somewhat familiar hoarse voice. "Or you'll be tangling with the Wolverine!"

In the open door of the vehicle was the masked man with claws in his hands, extending them threateningly towards the bird. The eagle cried out like it wanted to say it'll be back, before it flew away quickly disappearing in the thick snow.

Rogue's attention returned to the bridge as it shuddered harder and cracks appeared all over the surface before them. Desperate, she grabbed Scott and pulled him another step back, but it wasn't going to help them if the bridge falls apart completely.

Hot air hit her intensely as the jet lowered to them and turned around so that the open door were at their side. The man - Wolverine - examined the situation momentarily before jumping onto the more solid part of the bridge. He scooped Scott off the ground like he weighed but a tenth of his actual weight, and then proceeded to wrap his other arm around the freezing girl.

He brought them both on board and the jet immediately lifted, hot air from its engines giving the stone bridge the final push as it scattered and fell into the water below with loud splashing.

Rogue hardly took time to examine the insides of the jet before slumping in the nearest corner and turning herself in a ball as small and tight as she could manage. The masked man put Scott on the ground in the middle of the cabin. The white-haired black woman - whom Rogue was also somewhat familiar with - immediately knelt down and started checking on him.

Meanwhile Wolverine left her to it and walked back over to Rogue;

"Where's yer allegiance, kid?" he asked. "Us or them?"

The girl was shuddering, now the cold numbness turning into sharp pain in her limbs. She looked at the still open door a few feet away. "I-if Ah don't say you" she stuttered with her frozen lips. "Will Ah get thrown out of this jet?"

"Nope, not our style" the man seemed almost slightly amused as he hit a button that closed the door. "We've either earned yer trust by now or we haven't."

He just waited now, not pushing her in any direction. For the first time Rogue felt that she actually has a choice and isn't subjected to a dictatorial rulings of her mother. And being of legal age, she knew that whatever choice she makes, stands.

She looked at the woman tending to Scott, she seemed genuinely concerned. And Scott if anything, saved her life despite all the reasons she gave him not to. But he continued to approach her with open arms no matter how many times she shrugged him off or put him in actual danger because she trusted the wrong people, while he trusted she would learn to see that.

Her eyes lifted to the masked man in front of her. "...You" she felt good saying it.

"Hm" a smirk appeared on the man's face. He leaned over her, offering a hand to help her get up. "Welcome to the X-Men."

Professor Xavier smiled in the pilot's seat.

xXxXxXx

When Fallen and Forge returned to the mansion that evening half past eight they barely noticed Jean's bright hair as they swung behind her at the end of the corridor and then she disappeared behind the corner. Then Kitty appeared from the other end and slightly slowed back at their sight to gesture at them. "Good timing guys, the Professor just returned!"

The two just glanced at each other and followed Pryde to the hangar where Jean and Evan already waited at the foot of the jet. The redhead's attention was on the lowering ramp, too focused to pay any attention to them as they stood a few feet behind her, Evan merely looked them up and down and nodded his greeting briefly.

As soon as the ramp lowered enough she climbed into the jet; "Scott?" her voice was worried as she disappeared inside.

Familiar 'bamf' sounded a few steps behind them as Kurt teleported into the hangar as well. Seeing Fallen and Forge he smiled brightly at them and approached, wrapping his arm around the girl's shoulders but not saying anything as all three of them kept their attention on the jet.

Jean walked down with her hand on Scott's back as the boy clutched a warm blanket around his shoulders and held a cold bag to his temple. He walked hunched and warily however his demeanor changed when he glanced the three people beside Kitty. He put more pride in his posture and hostility in his face.

"Scott, infirmary, now" Ororo ordered him before he acted on it.

Summers clenched his jaw but complied, walking along. "You've got a lot of explaining to do" he said under his breath as he passed them. Monroe urged him and Jean out of the hangar just as Logan appeared on the ramp and stopped halfway down, looking back.

Finally, with Professor Xavier behind her, Rogue appeared on top of the ramp, another warm blanket wrapped around her and a wet leather jacket folded in her arms. She looked at them hesitantly and examined the room with interest and worry.

Fallen smiled at Kurt as to say 'see, Rogue's here now just like you wanted'. The boy smirked back, his arm tightening around her briefly before his attention spanned to the goth at the jet's entryway. He let go and approached her and the Professor, Kitty taking that as a cue to give in to her curiosity was at his heels.

Before Wagner was able to make any sound Pryde bounced beside him excitedly; "Are you like, joining us?"

Rogue looked uncertain and didn't respond right away, but the Professor moved to her side and smiled encouragingly. The girl made a grimace that could be considered a smile and nodded her head ever so slightly, "Ah think Ah am" she told the two.

"Awesome!" what negative emotions Kitty initially had for the girl were clearly put aside.

Wagner's smirk turned into a full-on wide smile. "Welcome to the family, Rogue!"

"Is that a pun attempt?" Forge whispered to Fallen who snickered in response.

"It's been a difficult trip, you must be exhausted" Xavier addressed the girl. "You can take a break for now; we'll give you a tour and discuss details of your stay when you're rested and warmed up."

"Actually… If-" she cut off considering it nervously. "If Ah'm to stay here Ah should get mah stuff while Mystique's still away."

Whether the woman went back to impose as Paul Haits or decided to fly back as an eagle, she wasn't likely to make it back to Bayville in at least another hour or two. She didn't want to face this woman right now, and it felt like she wouldn't want to do it ever again.

Understanding this line of thought Xavier nodded. "It could be for the best. We'll have someone take you back home and bring your belongings right away."

"I can do that" Kurt volunteered waving his hand.

"Someone with an actual driving license could be a better fit" Charles smirked.

"Ah can drive" Rogue said low. "Just need someone to help with the luggage."

"See?" Wagner smiled again. "And if Mystique comes back and starts causing trouble I could have us out of there just like-" BAMF and he was behind Rogue who jumped nervously, "that."

His tail swayed excitedly as the Professor smiled with a sigh. "Alright. Kurt, you'll accompany Rogue. Kitty, or Fallen, can either of you lend some dry clothes for Rogue to change into before leaving?"

"Totally!" Pryde's eyes sparkled at the perspective of what she considered a small makeover.

"Easy there, Kitty-Kat, I think I'll step up for this one" Fallen chuckled as she unfolded her arms and nodded at Rogue. "Come on, I'll show you upstairs and we'll find something that isn't in bright colors."

"It's called fashion, you know!" Pryde stuck her tongue out at Harris.

Rogue seemed almost sheepish as she quietly descended onto the ground and fell a few steps behind Fallen. Harris waited at the door to let her out first and smiled at Kurt before following his oblivious sister out. She led her into the futuristic corridor and to the elevator without either of them saying a word.

"You'll probably be assigned to share a room with Kitty" Harris spoke up at last as the elevator reached the desired floor. "You know, the petite one you just saw?"

Rogue tipped her head in a slight nod. In fact she had all of the kids from Xavier's memorized, or at least those who attended Bayville High. She spent too many classes and lunch breaks observing them, and on top of that Mystique provided her with their names and brief descriptions of their powers; Fallen didn't have any as far as the woman was informed. Mystique also mentioned the faculty - head of the group, Professor Xavier, the muscular if short Wolverine, the weather witch Storm.

So Rogue was pretty familiar with their names, their faces, their powers. But the image of them that Mystique painted for her was that of terrible, manipulative and dangerous bunch united under one roof by selfish and immoral causes.

The ideology and goals that Professor Xavier laid out for her during the flight fell dead on the other side of the spectrum. He said Mystique's always been open to deceiving people into seeing an enemy in a sincere friend.

Removing that filter the woman put over her eyes made her feel strangely vulnerable.

"So this is really like a dorm school for all of ya?" she now needed to repaint the picture of a dictatorial organization that Xavier's Institute clearly wasn't.

"More like a dorm house, or a replacement home for some" the brunette replied leading her into one of the rooms that Rogue assumed belonged to the girl. It was big and spacious, furnished in a minimalistic but fancy fashion. Nothing like a dungeon she'd thought it would be. "As you know we attend Bayville High normally, but there are multiple types of trainings and more power-oriented education held inside the Institute. The Professor plans to take in a lot more students this year."

"All of them mutants?" she only then wondered if it's okay to ask the supposedly only non-mutant resident, but Fallen didn't seem to give that a second thought as she nodded;

"Yeah. Like Professor probably told you already, current goal is to help newbies learn how to control and use their powers. This way they get to advocate for everyone by showing the benefits of accepting mutants into society and pacifistic stuff like that. Here" she handed her a set of clothing and a clean towel. "Better get changed before you catch a cold."

The way Fallen spoke about it made it seem like she's a little disconnected from the ideology. It felt like it's not just about her not being a mutant and this it perhaps not being her cause, but there was an underlying doubt in her tone.

Accepting the clothes Rouge asked where the bathroom is and left to towel and change herself.

Rogue was taller than Fallen, but other than than their proportions were a lot alike and the leather-like pants and a long-sleeved shirt that the brunette offered the new recruitee fitted like perfectly fine. After Rogue changed and Fallen assured she'd take care of the wet clothes, the pale southerner wiped off the remainings of her ruined make-up and proceeded to fiddle with the dirty cotton pad in her bare hands.

"What now?" she asked nervously.

Fallen stepped to her side offering her own leather gloves to replace the wet set Rogue had on before. "Now we'll find Kurt so you can get your stuff."

xXx

"You seem really nervous" Kurt said.

Rogue twitched slightly as her eyes finally shifted from the road to the boy in passenger's seat. She spent the last few minutes trying to enjoy driving this nice terrain car and block out any actual thoughts on where she's headed.

Of course she was nervous. She needed to pick up her whole life and rearrange it into a completely different image. She was just headed to face one of her moms and inform her that she's decided not to come home again. She must deal with the reversed reality in which the people who were portrayed as her enemies were the only friends and the people she thought she could trust are the ones who she needs to be scared of.

But she wasn't scared. She was sad.

She was so fucking sad about it all.

"Ya need to mind yer own business" she responded in a clear but low mutter.

"Don't be nervous" he said not paying any attention to her hostile response. "It'll all be over soon. Mystique knows better than to make any major move when you're at Professor Xavier's."

She was surprised at his confidence in that, because she herself didn't feel confident believing anything at all about that woman. She attempted murder today, dropping that stone off the ledge at her and Scott, so who's to say she knows any boundaries? Maybe she used to, but not anymore.

She parked in front of the house, memories of her childhood vaguely danced in front of her eyes. Highlights of moments when Mystique - whom she then only knew as Ally - had her moments of humane tenderness. She was always strict and demanding, but she used to be a good parent, a good partner, an actual friend. Where did that go? How thick is the harsh layer of impenetrable ice that she enveloped herself in? At what point did her kinder side disappear behind it? Was it even real to begin with or was her tenderness always but an act of deceit?

She didn't realize how long she sat there clutching the steering wheel and staring blankly at the house until she felt the boy's warm hand on her shoulder. It didn't bring comfort, but caused her stomach to flip when for a moment she thought she'd absorb his mind and powers leaving him knocked out in this seat. But she exhaled sharply when she realized that the material of her borrowed shirt and the boy's fur was sufficient to keep that from happening.

Even still, she could feel tingling where his hand was planted; her skin was hungry to absorb him as much as she wanted to never absorb anyone ever again.

This power she had now, that scared her more than she wanted to admit.

She shrugged his three fingered hand off with a glare and brought the jacket - also borrowed from his girl - over her shoulders as she stepped out of the car with an intense stare probing the paved path leading up to the front porch. She dug the keys out of where she dropped them into the stranger's pocket and struggled the front door open with shaking hands. The boy hung back a few steps but followed her inside. She didn't look back but she heard him close the door quietly.

She flicked the lights in the corridor on and looked around nervously. Irene was in the kitchen sitting completely still like a statue, only the steam swayed lazily over the cup in her hand.

"Rogue" she spoke up in a concerned voice. "Who's with you?"

The boy who stopped beside her moved quietly almost like a ghost, but the ruffling of his clothes was a giveaway that didn't escape Irene's sharp attention. Rogue looked back at him, nearly ready to discard his presence by saying it's no one important, but the compassionate look in his holographic blue eyes stopped her.

"A friend" she responded low before turning to look at Irene again. The woman was solemn and completely still, but her brows were pulled the way Rogue knew meant, that she's wary and alarmed. "Ah- Ah'm here to get mah stuff and he's goin' to help meh. Ah'm- movin' out. Had enough" she shook her head.

"Moving out?" Irene's voice became louder now, but she didn't seem surprised or angry so much as disappointed. "Why, my child?"

Rogue felt her chin quiver and she fisted her palms to contain the emotions. "Ask Mystique. Unless she's always lyin' to ya like you both were to meh."

She spun on the heel of her booth and headed to her bedroom, or - what was now to be her ex-bedroom. Storming inside made her stomach turn again, it now felt like entering her old prison cell. The thought of leaving it behind brought some strange relief and she almost felt bad about it.

Almost. But the amount of lies and manipulation that kept her here made it irrelevant.

The relief turned into rage. She opened two suitcases and shoved her belongings inside savagely. It was like cutting the strings that made her a marionette in Mystique's hands. By the time the woman is back her little pupped will be long time gone, and she wasn't afraid to wreak havoc on her way out.

A lot of her belongings that woke her anger in the process ended up on the floor. She didn't even take a second to notice Kurt picking one of them up until he asked;

"Are you sure you don't want to take this with you?"

She snapped her head around to see him crouching down with a broken frame in his hands. She recognized it immediately - a photo of herself with Irene. Two years prior they sent a copy of it to Ally around Christmas along with a note expressing hopes she'd come spend the time with them. It was one of a very few photos where Rogue was actually smiling.

She abruptly snatched the photo away from him. "Yer so fuckin' nosey!"

Wagner grimaced with disagreement. "It's not being nosey if it landed at my feet."

"Ya were supposed to help with the bags" she zipped one of the suitcases and forced it into his arms. "So do that."

She didn't look back again but it took a few seconds before she heard him leave. Only then she paused her rage-fueled packing and looked at the photo. It used to rub her soft spot, now it rubbed her the wrong way as all she could see on it was a version of her that swallowed lies like a hungry nestling.

"What have she done, Rogue?" asked Irene's soft voice at the door. The woman was clearly sad, but somewhat compassionate, and it made Rogue angrier because it made her want to trust that Irene never meant to conspire with Mystique. But she knew that wanting to believe that is bound to make her vulnerable to more lies.

"Today? Just attempted to kill meh and a guy she lied 'bout" Rogue wanted to sound casual but her voice shook with nerves and anger. "But better tell meh when was the last time she was honest. Or ya know what? Don't. Ah don't care. Ya can tell 'er to never come near meh again" she hissed just as Kurt appeared behind the woman. "Take this" she held out another suitcase for him.

Irene shifted a bit, her face following the sound of the boy's movement as he walked past her and grabbed the bag. Rogue grabbed the last one.

"Let's leave" she whispered.

"Darling, please just-" Irene was interrupted;

"No" the girl shook her head. "Don't bother. Come on, Wagner."

Adler grimaced in surprise at the last name but it went unnoticed as the two teens walked past her and left the house.

xXxXxXx

Sitting in the living room that night Fallen watched all the people come together - Jean and Scott chatting, Summers having a bandage tightly around his forehead; Kitty wiggling her legs as she sat atop of the fireplace counter telling Kurt about her day; Evan joining in at last, and finally - also Rogue with her hands crossed as she watched everyone from where she nestled in corner of the cough. In front of them all was Professor Xavier, Ms Monroe and Logan. The entire team came together at last, crew became complete except for Doctor McCoy who so far only visited.

And now there was Fallen and Forge too, sitting at a table a few feet away from the couch around which everyone gathered.

Now that the last resident joined the Professor turned to face everyone and called for attention. "I asked all of you to gather here because I wanted to address the revelations that happened today. As you all heard by now, Principal Darkholme and Mystique are indeed the same person."

"But why do we only find out now?" Evan asked. "You should have been frank with us all along."

"The reason why I kept this from you was that I thought it would be easier for you to go about your life without worrying about a person you should look up to as your Principal in the school setting. No matter whom she is to us privately, I believe we should respect the fact that she remains professional at work."

"It's the same as lying to us" Jean responded. "We had the right to know who our principal really was."

"Yeah, totally!" Kitty agreed. Evan and Scott exclaimed in agreement as well.

"Man, we know better!" Daniels rested against the back of the couch where Rogue and Scott were sitting. "She wants to play like nothing's going down - so can we."

"It's like we're playing with fire and didn't even know it" Kitty said from top of the fireplace.

Professor Xavier gazed across the crew before stopping on the newest member. "Rogue?"

The goth looked away. "It's not my place" she said uncertain.

"Sure it is" Kitty smiled friendly. "You're part of the family now."

"Yeah girl, tell us what you think" Evan leaned over from back of the couch.

A faint smile appeared on her face. "I think- no. I've learned that honesty is very important between people you care about" she looked up at everyone. "At least it is to me."

Kurt stepped away from the fireplace to put hand on Rogue's shoulder. "You can always count on our honesty" he assured.

"Can she really?" Evan asked low enough only for Wagner to hear. The German looked back at him and was surprised at the hostile glare of the other boy.

"You're right, all of you" Professor Xavier continued looking up at Logan briefly. "I must apologize for keeping the secret from you, but please understand that there are many challenges in your future… Secrets, elements of surprise" he briefly looked at Scott. "Some - you are ready to deal with, and some - you're not. In the future I will try to do better knowing which is which."

"Thanks Professor" Summers stood up. "We're all in this together. It's nice to know we've all got something to learn. That's what makes us X-Men" as he said so Rogue and Kitty followed suit and now everyone was standing up in front of their mentor.

Everyone but Fallen and Forge still sitting aside. They were the two extra puzzles that weren't here before, but it felt like they began to find their fit in the picture and come to be a part of it. Fallen just realized that those of them living at the Institute right now are going to be the last (again, except for Hank) to fall under the 'X-Men crew' label in a long while, and considering how she grew up with the image of this group popping up everywhere, it felt special to be such an intimate part of it.

And yet the nearly uplifting image of the entire team standing up was stained. Evan was glaring in the two 'additional' members' direction like he expected them to do something, and they knew it was more than just standing up in this silent salute to the Professor. The unease was also clear on Kurt's face as he seemed to purposely step back to not be in Evan's line of sight.

"Since we're on the subject of honesty" Daniels picked up as Harris and Silvercloud stood up and approached the rest of the group with his eyes following them along. "Can we officially address a very… shady situation going on here?"

As soon as Summers looked back and saw who Daniels is looking at he followed suit and turned his gaze firmly towards Fallen. "Yes, Professor, shall we?" he turned his face the other way to look at Wagner now. "Because today morning Kurt turned out to know some very disturbing details from the near future and as far as I'm informed he's not clairvoyant."

"What do you mean, man?" Evan asked.

He told everyone how Kurt seemed to know beforehand that Rogue will come with us instead of Jean and that Mystique will tag along posing as Paul.

"He what?" Daniels frowned with surprise turning his eyes to the german who seemed to recoil nervously. "Are you working with her or something?!"

"What! No!" Kurt exclaimed. "Of course I don't!"

"Then how did you know?"

"He also tipped off where to look for Jean when Blob kidnapped her" Summers recalled in cold voice.

"Does it have to do with her bein' yer mother, kiddo?" Logan asked.

Everyone looked shocked and nearly in unison asked loudly; "WHAT?"

"No way!" Kitty covered her mouth.

"Mystique's your mother?!" Evan's fists clenched. "So you ARE conspiring with her?!"

"I already said I don't!" Kurt gesticulated with frustration.

"If he worked for her he wouldn't help us" Jean shook her head. "Are you spying for the Professor, Kurt?" she asked gently.

"That wouldn't explain why he knew how to fly the jet from the get go" Scott muttered.

"Wait wait wait, if she's yer mother, that would make ya- mah brother?!" Rogue stared at him with eyes wide open in shock.

"Technically adopted one but- Yes" Wagner grimaced nervously finding it hard to decide which angle of the situation to explain first.

"So what's going on here? You're talking about honesty and all- And yet you keep us in the dark about members of our own team" Scott turned to Xavier who watched them with somber eyes.

"It's- something you shouldn't concern yourself with" he responded.

"Shouldn't we?" Evan frowned growing really frustrated. "Because somethin' really stinks here, man! Not only Kurt knows things he shouldn't know but he also gets to bring his human girlfriend here when that clearly defys the purpose of this whole Institute, DOESN'T IT NOW?"

"You really need to calm down, Evan" Ororo frowned at her nephew.

"I will calm down when we get the answers we deserve!" he turned to the adults with furious expression. "If I get a girlfriend outside institute will she get to live with us too? WHY IS SHE HERE?!" he gestured angrily to Fallen who watched him with eyes slightly wide. "We know nothing about her! Her family, where's she from, how long she knows about mutants, nothing! You tell us nothing! NADA! All we get are excuses and lies! She's not your niece like you told us!"

"...You researched that?!" Fallen hissed with a deep frown.

"YES."

"Evan, don't yell" Professor reprimanded.

"BUT-"

"Evan" Ororo said firmly.

Daniels took a deep breath. "Fine. I won't yell. But for all we know she can go and sell us out to the government the second she has a fight with her 'boyfriend'" he marked quotation marks in the air. "What else could possibly keep her on our side? Do you know? Because I DON'T. She's not one of us, she shouldn't be here unless you can tell us what makes her any different from all those people you would not let join this team."

+Fallen's Point of View+

"And I'm thinking, perhaps he's right. Perhaps I shouldn't be here. With everything in my life that led me here usually it didn't feel like it's destiny as much as the precise reverse of it. Like being by Kurt's side and being at Professor Xavier's Institute were effects of me putting a constant fight against destiny. But despite having some doubts early on, I was now a firm believer that if anything, it's a manifestation of how we need to take responsibility for our fate because we do can affect it by far more than we're always told.

They say we're just elements, floating in the endless ocean of possibilities but not being able to direct the tide. We're going where waves take us. But no, I think we're sailors, and we get to choose when to put up our sails. We get to cherry pick the winds to a great extent, and most of us just never open up to doing so because they're afraid of facing the consequences. We'd rather go along to make it look like we're not to blame and it's the world surrounding us that forced us this and no other way.

I would know. With my drunken asshole of a father, indecisive quiet mother, computer addict brother and two-faced poisonous grandparents living up the stairs as I was growing up, with racist, homophobic and generally biased town folks who raged with need for vandalism and violence, with teachers constantly saying I'd be homeless and dead in matter of years because apparently freethinking means inevitable doom and shame upon your family, and with years of being told that me coming to Kurt's dimension is out of the question, I would know the last thing about going with the flow.

If I let the wind and waves direct me I'd be on the rock bottom, rotting in dungeons of deprivation and failure. Everything seemed to have been pulling my strings towards submission to expectations and learning to pass on false judgement, on both myself and the others. I could have grown into this life of pathology and mental abuse, but instead I pursued my goal, splashing my arms in the water to steadily move forth, and only putting up my sails when the winds were of desired direction. They predicted I would sink and many tried to make it a reality, but my focus was on the horizon and not their empty threats.

Do you know the saying, 'they wish you do well, but not better than them'? I guess that's why the moment you show that you've got more strength and will to go against the tide they try to pull you back by saying you could never make it. They simply wish you don't make it and try to enforce the thought in you as a sole truth. Jokes on them, because look at where I am now.

And because of that, because I refuse to stay within the lines and only see given variables, I think I may come at hand when we'll all be faced with the mutant-human issues. Even if just a little, I may help spread the mindset that I have and that should help create a relative pace – an awareness that there's not only black and white but an endless variety of greys in between. We don't need to label one race or kind as the better or worse, the stronger or weaker, the superior and the lesser. When more and more people learn to think outside of those labels we'll begin to judge individuals and not categorize based on something that doesn't reflect the reality in the long run.

But of course, at this point, when everyone's still undercover, some people don't understand it. Like Evan. He probably feels like I'm a threat to their safety. When you create a hideaway for mutants and then let a non-mutant – so one of the creatures they hide from – into the hideaway, it seems to defeat the purpose of staying anon. Evan had a really good point - for all he knows I could go and tell everyone about them the moment I'd have a fight with Kurt. To Evan and the others he is the only barrier between me keeping, and me spilling their secret.

Not knowing the whole story they have all the rights to feel this way.

Which brings me to the question; should I let them keep believing that the Professor broke this unspoken no-humans rule for mere romance? Should I let them keep question not only my purpose on them but also Professor Xavier's honesty toward them?

+3rd person's POV again+

"We all know something is going on here" Evan continued with anger. "Don't we deserve to know?"

Professor Xavier had a slight frown on his face. "I'm disappointed in your lack of trust in—"

"No…" Fallen cut in low, up until this point not sure if she wants to go there. She looked up, having brought everyone's attention to herself with this low interruption, she saw eyes of friends who gave a benefit of trust that she knew she ought to pay back. All her doubts melted away as she looked to the Professor. "He's right. They deserve to know. We can't assume that keeping a secret about me is any better than hiding truth about Mystique."

Along her line of sight she could see a little commotion caused by this statement. No wonder, comparison to the secret of Principal Darkholme should set the expectations high. They all knew or suspected she was hiding something, but for the first time she confirmed it.

She looked at everyone; their faces expressed curiosity and shock. Kurt stared at her with surprise; her eyes lingered on him before moving on to Professor Xavier. she searched silently for his approval, a telepathic agreement, a nod, a smile. Any sign that he's okay with what she was about to do. He, however, just kept looking at her solemnly.

When she started to tell the story, everyone's jaws became slightly loose. She was grateful that a few sentences in Kurt joined her side and helped her walk everyone through the details of his future trip to the other dimension and finding way back in time.

His arms remained tightly around her waist as Forge joined in with his point of view and scientific answers to the many questions and claims of disbelief.

xXx

It was middle of the night when everyone finally went to beds, their heads full of new and unbelievable information. Fallen made peace with the fact that after this intense conversation she won't be able to get a good night's rest and climbed up the stairway onto the open roof where she rested on the ledge.

She felt numb, but also nervous, and at the same time so much lighter with the secret out. One thing for sure, nothing would be the same now that the team found out the truth, and that thought made it impossible to sleep.

"So… the cat's out the box" she heard Kurt's voice behind her and looked back to see him leaning against the doorframe of the stairwell.

She opened her mouth to respond but found no words. she just lifted my arm towards him, the look on her face unlike her and miserably needy. He approached her, wrapping his arms around her as he sat down on the ledge too.

"I didn't know what's the right thing to do" the girl admitted burying her face in his chest. "But when I let it out it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders."

"You did do the right thing" Kurt assured starting to play with her hair. "We should have come clean right away."

"It felt risky" she turned her gaze towards the town in the distance. "They didn't know us and I didn't know them. But at this point we got to… it felt like there's more to lose if we keep up the charade. The trust, credibility, maybe more. I didn't want them to question it all any longer."

"They still will, we can't change that" he said.

She pulled away from his arms a bit to look up at his face. "But for different reasons. At least now they know the truth."

She rested back, her arms tight around his stomach.

"I just think you were right… hiding it any longer would have been a mistake" she whispered.

But it is too late to question whether it really would have been one.

"We've got nothing to lose except everything we have

I've got nothing to prove except just who I am

I'm not looking at the moon, I'm staring at the stars

These satellites overhead, I think I love this town

And I've got nothing to lose except everything you are"

Next time on X-Men: Revolution...

Is this really a good idea to record a document video in a school with so many secrets to keep? Evan didn't need to think twice because it was either that or failing Social Studies. Everything would be fine if not for an unexpected visitor happy to literally shred Wolverine into pieces, along with anyone who'd get in his way of doing so. Hm, on the other hand that could make for a good video material, wouldn't it now?

Look forward to episode 8.0: SpykeCAM