Meet the X-Men

Quiet fell over the city. Rogue snuck through the dark alleyways, bolder and more dangerous than most other versions of herself would have been. She had ditched Mystique fairly quickly; her own mother wasn't sure wether or not to believe her, and had needed a lot of time to calm down. Theoretically, since she was born of and raised by more than one mother, Mystique didn't even have parental obligations. Rogue preferred to think of it as that, at least while she was on the road.

Slowly she weaved around the familiar city. She'd been there maybe a week, sleeping under bridges and in abandoned construction sites, but Bayville had the Xavier mansion, so it was the place to be. If the X-men were near, Magneto's crew couldn't be far behind, and Rogue liked the idea of being able to intervene in either side without being noticed.

However, being in Bayville, New York, had it's disadvantages, too. Rogue might have had the minds of several adults, and then some, but as long as she had a teenage body, she still had to go to school. She had enrolled herself, via the phone and a couple of falsified documents that looked legal enough. Her address was that of a house-turned-restaurant on the border of the residential part of town, which she often took the mail from to make sure all of her mail wound up only in her hands.

Summer was barely over, and already there was a biting chill in the air and rainclouds on the horizon. Rogue sighed as a raindrop fell on her forehead. With no further warning, the clouds released a surge of rain, and Rogue was left running for shelter, again.

Rogue found it easily enough. Unfortunately, so did another couple she knew but hadn't met… at least, in her current dimension.

Jean and Scott stared at her, crowding together at the edge of the cover over the walkway in front of some bakery. Judging by their closeness and the redhead's dazed expression, they'd been on a date. The other one was looking at her strangely, like she was an absoloute stranger in his living room. Rogue just glared; she knew how she looked. She looked like a dangerous street rat.

Her body was a normal weight, but all of it was muscle. That meant her six-pack was visible through her form-fitting, but not tight, shirt. She was pale as the moon in the sky. Her hair, mostly a chestnut brown, fell in her face, where it was chalk-white. Her cheeks were sunken and her chin prominent, and on top of that, her eyes were a vivid, aware shade of emrald green. Her gloves and cloak were dirty from wear, and her jeans were almost worn through at the knees. She was also carrying a duffel bag that had seen more than its fair share of use.

Quietly Rogue shifted. Jean Grey looked over at her, as though confused, and Rogue shielded her mind quickly. Jean's probing telepathy never touched her, which startled Rogue. Scott looked at his girlfriend, and Rogue understood why; they were talking, and in a place where she couldn't eavesdrop.

The rain subsided, and the couple stood still, watching her as she ran off to find a decent shelter for the night. Rogue turned a corner and pulled her wallet out of her bag. She had about three hundred dollars, earned from her 'helpless orphan' sympathy card. It wasn't begging if she wanted a freelance job and used her abilities to, well, help it out a bit.

Quickly Rogue stopped by a fast-food restaurant and ordered a cheap meal. The lady at the register, noticing her bag, was slow to complete the transaction. She had just given Rogue her food when another group of X-men walked in.

Kurt, Kitty, Evan, and Tabbitha were accompanied by Ororo and Logan, of all people. Logan's snarl and gruff demeanor reminded Rogue strongly of the Logans she had known. Most of them were people she respected. She even respected Storm, but she hadn't really liked the woman as much as she could have.

Rogue groaned slightly, but set her things down at a small, two-person table in a corner instead of leaving like her instincts told her to. Logan sniffed the restaurant and looked around before his gaze settled on her. Ororo noticed him staring and grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him away to interrogate. He wrenched free of her grasp and strode over to Rogue's table. "You're the kid from the construction site by the bar."

It was a statement, not a question. It was a true statement, at that. "So what if Ah am?"

Logan grunted, and said, "You got spunk, I'll give ya that, kid."

Rogue bit her lip to keep from telling him how old she was. He just sniffed the room again and sat down.

"Ya don' smell right," Logan said, frowning. "I mean…"

"Ah ain't a kid," Rogue muttered under her breath, knowing he would catch it. He did, and smothered a smile. "Ah know you heard that, mistah supah-senses."

Logan's slight smirk dropped, replaced by a severe frown. He started to say something, but Rogue cut him off. "Don't bothah askin', Ah ain' gonna tell you nothin'. But Ah would lahke t' know some things…"

His head tilted a bit as he thought about what she was saying. "Are you suggestin' a trade of info?"

It was just a hint below a wisper, but Rogue caught it. "Yessir, Ah am."

Logan's eyes narrowed as he studied her closely, but apparantly didn't have any major problem with her. "Sundown, out in front of the Xavier Mansion."

Quietly Rogue nodded and unwrapped her burger, and started to eat.