That afternoon, in Westchester, New York, LOGAN - looking early 30s and with his hair done up as always in a mutton-chop style - stands on the back porch of the Xavier School for the Gifted (a.k.a. the X-Mansion). He puffs on a lit cigar in his mouth. Seated on a bench, near the basketball court, is PIOTR "PETER" RASPUTIN - 18 years old, Russian and with dark hair. The muscular Piotr is painting on a blank canvas. KATHERINE "KITTY" PRYDE - 18 years old with short brunette hair - walks down the back porch and over to Logan.

KITTY: "Mr. Logan?"

Logan turns around and notices Kitty standing beside him.

KITTY: "What're you doing out here?"

LOGAN: "Having a smoke. What does it look like?"

KITTY: "I thought you'd be grading papers."

LOGAN: "I am. Just needed a moment to clear my head."

KITTY: "Any reason why?"

Logan turns to Kitty, raising an eyebrow.

LOGAN: "How's that your business?"

A beat. Kitty shrugs. LOGAN SIGHS and calms down.

KITTY: "I heard noises in the kitchen last night. Rogue thought it was you."

Logan pauses and shakes his head.

LOGAN: "It was. Just been having weird dreams lately. Weird flashes in my head."

KITTY: "Do you know what it might be?"

LOGAN: "There a reason why you came looking for me?"

KITTY: "Actually, I was wondering if you knew where Bobby was."

LOGAN: "Knowing Bobby, he's probably with Rogue, now that she can touch him."

KITTY: "Mr. Logan, Rogue's the one who sent me to find him. She hasn't seen him anywhere."

Logan looks at Kitty in confusion and then he looks at the mansion.

In one of the hallways of the X-Mansion, ROGUE - 18 years old, Southern and with a white stripe in her long, brunette hair - walks down the hall, dressed in a tank top and pants. Rogue holds her text books under her arm, passing by other students in the hall. Rogue bumps into a boy in the hall, their bare arms bumping together. Rogue turns around to the boy.

ROGUE: "Excuse me."

The boy sneers at Rogue, turns and walks off. Rogue looks away and walks off to her locker. Rogue opens her locker door and sees a turtleneck sweater, pants and long gloves taped to her door. A note is pinned to the clothes and reads YOU SHOULD BE WEARING THESE INSTEAD. Rogue lowers her head a moment and then looks at the note. Rogue takes the note off and crumples it in her hands.

WARREN: "They're at it again, aren't they?"

Rogue turns around and looks at WARREN WORTHINGTON III - 25 years old with blond hair and dressed in a blue business suit. Two white feathered, angelic wings emerge from Warren's shoulder blades through the openings in the back of his clothes. Warren walks to Rogue and smiles at her.

WARREN: "Don't let them get to you."

ROGUE: "I'm not. It's okay."

Rogue turns around and puts up her textbooks in her locker. Rogue turns back to Warren and she smiles at him.

ROGUE: "So, I heard you're going to be teaching here now."

WARREN: "It seemed like the right thing to do. There are so many kids here that feel like they don't fit in, even here. I want to change that."

ROGUE: "I know you'll do a great job here. Has the other new teacher come by yet?"

WARREN: "I'm afraid not. I heard Miss Danvers arrives here later today. I believe she starts teaching tomorrow."

Warren puts his hand on Rogue's shoulder and looks at her in concern.

WARREN: "Just remember, Marie. My door is always open. If you ever want to talk, I'll be there to listen."

ROGUE: "I know. Thank you."

Rogue forces a smile and Warren turns, walking off. After Warren leaves, Rogue's smile fades and she turns around to the hallway. Several students are at their lockers, busy putting up books or taking out journals. Other students are looking at Rogue, sneering at her. Rogue looks away, upset, and takes a folder out of her locker.

Within the lower level of the X-Mansion is THE DANGER ROOM. The room is enormous, about half the size of a football field and individual blue tiles connected on top of and beside one another on the walls. ORORO MUNROE - 30 years old, African-American and with long white hair - stands in the room, wearing a black leather X-Men uniform and cape. Ororo, a.k.a. STORM, looks over at BOBBY DRAKE - 18 years old with blond hair and dressed in his own X-Men uniform with white piping shaped like icicles down the shoulders of his suit. Bobby looks over at Storm, as she nods at him.

STORM: "All right, Bobby. Show me what you can do."

Bobby nods and lets out a breath of icy mist.

BOBBY: "Right."

Bobby throws down his hands and creates an icy mist from his hands. Bobby aims his hands forward, extending the ice and it instantly solidifies after it is fired, making a track of ice. Bobby leaps onto the track of ice and slides forward on it. As Bobby slides along the icy track, he continues to fire his icy track forward, extending it out like a roller coaster track made of ice. Bobby slides on his ice slide and his body freezes the fired mist from his hands, his body and suit sheathed over in a coating of ice. Bobby, now as ICEMAN, turns to Storm as he rides on his ice track.

BOBBY/ICEMAN: "Go ahead."

Storm's eyes lose their pupils and turn white. Lightning sparks between her fingers and arches up to her fingertips. Storm aims her hands up in the air and fires an electric blast at Iceman. Iceman turns to his right and the track curves, making Iceman slide and curve with it. Iceman's turn makes him miss the lightning by inches. Storm fires another blast from one hand, but Iceman slides to his left and curves with the extending track made by the ice from his hands. Iceman slides up higher and higher off the ground, as he rides on his icy track.

STORM: "Good work, Bobby. Keep it up. Watch your balance. Just three more left."

Storm aims ahead and fires another lightning blast at Iceman's ice slide. Iceman leans back and misses the lightning blast by inches. Iceman leans down and slides down with his icy track. Iceman slides down and gets ever closer to the ground. Storm fires two electric blasts next, one from each hand, and right at Iceman. Iceman continues to slide down and then he turns to the left, sliding past the lightning and barely dodging it. Storm fires another blast and it barely misses the icy track of ice. On her last attempt, Storm fires another lightning blast and it hits the front of the icy track. Iceman slides off of the broken track and falls forward. Iceman quickly aims his hands to the ground and makes up a slide of ice from the ground up, making it instantly solidify. With the ice slide made, Iceman falls down onto it and slides down to the floor. Iceman lands on the floor and his icy form fades away, changing back to his normal form of Bobby Drake. Bobby sees Storm stand before him and she grins.

STORM: "Nice recovery."

BOBBY: "I still lost."

STORM: "Sometimes we learn more from failing than by winning."

ROGUE (O. C.): "Bobby?"

Storm and Bobby turn to the doorway, as Rogue walks into the room.

ROGUE: "There you are. I've been looking for you."

BOBBY: "What is it? Did something happen?"

ROGUE: "We were supposed to meet after class and we were going to hang out together, remember?"

BOBBY: "That's it? I thought I missed something important."

Rogue looks hurt at Bobby. He realizes this and looks awkward.

BOBBY: "That is... I just meant that... I didn't mean to forget."

ROGUE: "Well, we can still catch up. Was there something you wanted to do?"

BOBBY: "Actually, I'm still in the middle of training. Miss Munroe is trying to help me with my ice powers."

ROGUE: "Well, maybe when you're done..."

STORM: (interrupts) "Bobby, we're pressed for time. I have to go over Colossus' session later and I need the remaining time to help you uninterrupted."

Storm looks at Bobby sternly and then turns to Rogue. Rogue nods and steps back.

ROGUE: "Right. I'll just see you whenever you can make time, Bobby."

BOBBY: "We'll see. I have to get back to work."

Bobby turns to Storm and walks off with her down the room. Rogue looks at Bobby a moment, hurt, but he doesn't notice. Rogue turns and walks off to the doorway. The doors slide open and Rogue walks out.