Chapter 13

- - - - - - -

"You missed one."

"I did not!"

"I set up the course; I think I would know." Scott walked over to the puzzle board and picked up a red game piece that Jean had missed. He had scattered small, round game pieces across a sandpit in the school basement, and she was supposed to lift all the red ones from across the room while blindfolded.

"Damn it," she muttered, removing her blindfold and letting the pieces fall. Scott grinned at her cockily.

"Guess you're not perfect after all, huh?" This was the first exercise of his that she hadn't passed with flying colors, and he was gloating. Jean made a face at him.

"Guess not. That is why we're doing this, after all, isn't it?" He grew serious and walked over to her, taking her hand.

"Yes. And because you need to build up your strength and skill. We can't have you collapsing again like last time." Jean didn't like to think back on that. She had frightened herself by fainting after the City Hall battle. She couldn't overextend her powers like that ever again.

"I know," she said apologetically, squeezing his hand and, with a small thrill, feeling their rings clink against each other.

They were interrupted by the sound of a commotion outside the door. Glancing at each other in surprise, they hurried into the corridor to see Storm, Nightcrawler, and Logan, looking panicked.

"Rogue is missing," Logan said, sounding like he was gearing up for a serious smackdown. "We need you to find her, Jean." Jean instantly reached out for Rogue's mind, but before she could find her, Gambit joined the group.

"She's not missing," he said, sounding nonchalant but determinedly not meeting anyone's eyes. Jean noticed that he stood slightly in front of Logan, so that he wouldn't have to look at him. "She left me a note. She's gone to look for Mystique."

"What?" at least three people exclaimed. Even Jean looked to Gambit for explanation. He just shrugged.

"Don't ask me. She said she had a lot to learn from Mystique."

"You mean she's not going to fight her?" Storm asked, perturbed.

"No," Jean put in, having finally located Rogue. The young woman was sitting on a train heading West, on her way to a cabin she knew about from Gargouille's memories. "She's going to join her." An ominous silence fell over the X-Men. They all thought about Pyro, the last mutant they had lost to Magneto and Mystique. Would Rogue go the same way?

"It doesn't mean she wants to hurt humans," Storm said softly.

"Mystique is not Magneto," Nightcrawler added. He was thinking about the kindness Mystique had shown him, and the ring she had given him that allowed him to walk the streets unharrassed. "There is more to her than hatred."

"I don't like it," Logan practically growled. He was already wavering in his decision to strike off on his own. "Someone should go after her."

"You don't have to like it," Gambit snapped, whirling around to finally look at his rival. He had been waiting for an opportunity to start a fight. "It's none of your business, is it?" Logan took a step forward, always happy to engage. Unable to resist, Jean reached out to both of them and calmed them down. Their postures relaxed, and they turned away from each other.

"Remy is right," Storm said, now that the atmosphere had calmed slightly. "It's Rogue's right to go where she chooses. There's nothing we can do about it." That settled the issue, and although nobody was happy about it, the group slowly dispersed. Mumbling a quick excuse to Scott, Jean went after Logan and followed him upstairs. He was on his way to the garage.

"You're leaving now?" she called to him, stopping him in the hallway. He turned around and waited for her to catch up.

"That was the plan." He was frustrated, worried and guilty over Rogue, but determined as ever to dig into his own past. Jean wished she could help him, but she could only see what was now, not what had been.

"I'll keep an eye on Rogue. Figuratively speaking."

"Thank you." They looked at each other for a quiet moment. Jean wanted to ask him not to leave, but she didn't have that right; not when she knew how much he was hurting for her. Besides, he wouldn't listen, anyway.

"Be careful," was what she settled for. She tried not to feel his disappointment.

"Why should I?" he smirked. "I'm friends with an all-powerful mutant. She'll take care of me if I run into trouble." She smiled.

"Logan—"

"Tell your fiancé I took his bike," he said, pointing at her as he moved away.

"He'll want to know why I didn't stop you," she called.

"Tell him I fought you off," Logan said over his shoulder, and then he was gone. Jean laughed to herself as she listened to the roar of his motorcycle fade away.

As the Earth and all life on it ebbed and flowed, so did the X-Men. Its members came and went, squabbled amongst themselves, but always banded together in crisis. And every year there would be new players, former students who would take up the cause temporarily or permanently. Logan and Rogue would come back; someone else would leave, but the X-Men would always be there. Always keeping watch.

Jean felt the energetic movements of the students in their classrooms, the serenity of Storm and Professor Xavier in conversation, the varied activities of all the mutants that made up the life of this school. They were doing good work, and their collective energy calmed Jean and filled her with contentment. She walked downstairs to the training room.

"Scott, set up the course, would you?" she urged him. "Let's try again."

THE END