Wow. So it's been 7 years. I never intended on coming back to this fic. I haven't written in such a long time. I've had a burst of inspiration though and come up with this. Writing style may be slightly different, it's been so long and I've changed and grown as a writer. We'll see how this goes and if responses are good I might make this into a little project.

As for now, enjoy. I enjoyed writing it.

Chapter Two: Calm After the Storm.

Everything was green. Intensely green. It invaded her visual senses and she didn't know why. Awareness of her whereabouts was trying to trickle through her sluggish mind. Her eyes darted around her through the jade haze. Everything was distorted and it became apparent that she was submerged in water. The realisation caused her to suck in a panicked breath, only to find she could breathe perfectly through the mask strapped to her face. Her feet kicked out experimentally to find that she couldn't find the floor. She was floating. Confusion turned to frustration and she could feel her knuckles flare up in anger. Her breathes increased to short puffs and she thrashed out wildly. Her knuckles exploded in a fierce heat as she cried out, bubbles emitting from her mouth. She launched herself forwards and herd the crack of glass before the cool air hit her skin. She was naked and kneeling on the metal grated floor. What the fuck was going on? Her knuckles continued to burn and she glanced down at them to find the source of irritation. Blades. Six of them, protruding from her skin. What the fuck was she? Her heart accelerated in fear. The sound of distant footfalls pricked at her ears. Glancing up she saw test tubes, monitors, and a scientist running through some automated doors; a look of pure terror on his face. Instinct kicked in. He did this to me. Rage unlike any other filled her chest and her heart pounded harder. More scientists arrived and she let loose. She roared. Standing up she charged them. She let the animal take over. Her shiny claws burrowed to the hilt in the man's chest...

Hands latched onto her shoulders. 'Rogue!'

What was rogue? Everything was dark. She was distantly aware of a girl sobbing, ragged breaths coming in bursts. Her heart was pounding. She couldn't breathe properly. She shook her head to try and clear it, only to feel something wet trail down her face. Where was she? Pieces of her memory started to fill her mind and come together. A glimmering emerald lab. A Thunderstorm. Kitty? Her eyes flew open to find Kitty Pride directly above her, her small hands pushing on her shoulders, and tears brimming on her lower lashes. It was all of a sudden very clear that the jagged breaths where emanating between her own lips. She choked back a sob. It was a dream she thought. No, a memory. Logan's memory. She squeezed her eyes together and sucked in a deep breath, attempting to calm her racing heart. She needed to be back in control.

'Hey it's OK' Kitty soothed, relaxing the hold on Rogue's shoulders but not letting go completely. 'You gave me quite the fright' she said, a nervous laugh creeping up her throat. The amusement didn't reach her eyes though. In fact her face was full of worry. Tears still clung to her lashes and her skin was deathly pale. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth and waited patiently for Rogue to calm down. She hated when this happened.

The deep breaths steadied Rogue's heart but she still kept her eyes scrunched up tight. This was embarrassing. She was well and truly on her way to falling apart. After her episode earlier she could think of nothing worse right now to top it all off.

'Ah'm sorry Kit' Rogue said eventually, her voice cracking in her raw throat. She brought up her hands and baled fists into her eyes to dry away her remaining tears. Kitty relocated her hand to Rogue's thigh and gave a firm squeeze as the X Girl pushed herself into a sitting position.

'You want to talk about it?' Kitty questioned; concern still present on her face. She knew Rogue hated talking about her feelings, but with her opening up earlier that day she thought she might want to get it out of her system.

For the first time Rogue looked directly at Kitty and she could feel her resolve break as she saw the worry in her eyes. A warmth filled her chest. She cared about her. This bubbly, chatty girl, who Rogue often found annoying, cared about how she was, and it was startling, yet heartbreaking at the same time. All of a sudden Rogue felt anguish towards her treatment of Kitty. All those times she tried to support her and Rogue pushed her away. All she did was care, and it was a lovely realisation.

The corner of her mouth twitched up and she reached a hand out to rest on Kitty's knee. 'Thanks Kitty, it means a lot that you're here'. She broke eye contact whilst she spoke, feeling somewhat vulnerable at her softer side emerging. 'Ah'm... ah'm alright. Nothin' ah can't handle' she said to her lap. She looked up again and saw Kitty's face relax slightly in relief, her anxieties not completely gone. She worried her lip again, as if in thought, studying Rogue's face in the dim light of the room. 'It scares me you know', said Kitty, 'when you have nightmares like that. It's terrifying to know that you're trapped in your mind, or someone else's, and there's nothing I can do other than watch and pray you'll wake up soon'. Tears were returning in her eyes and Rogue felt her heartstrings being pulled. 'To watch you twist and turn, and the things you say...' she trailed off. It was her turn to look at her own lap.

Rogue didn't know what to say. She didn't realise that Kitty was so affected by her nightmares. It never once crossed her mind. To now hear this girl confessing this, to hear this insight was somewhat crushing. She felt a frown forming over her face and she stared intently at the top of Kitty's head, her face hidden from view. 'Hey, come here' said Rogue, pulling back the covers. Her actions were clear; she wanted Kitty to join her in bed. As she glanced up Rogue could see a mixture of confusion and surprised on Kitty's face. Sure she didn't want her to...

'Seriously Kitty, get over here. Ah could do with a hug to be honest', she blushed at the admission and returned her gaze downwards. 'Ah promise not to suck out your soul'. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, she felt more comfortable making light of the situation.

Kitty stared at Rogue for a brief moment, gauging the situation. Something's changed in her she thought. This isn't a bad thing.

She shifted on the bed, placing herself next to Rogue and untangled the sheets so she could get in with her. Lying down on her side she looked expectantly at Rogue who looked somewhat out of her depth. A smirk appeared on Kitty's face and she decided to take control of the situation. She moved Rogue's arm and placed her head into the crook of her neck. She felt her tense up at her close proximity and her breathing came to a halt. Kitty placed her own arm over Rogue's stomach and whispered 'it's OK Rogue, nothing's going to happen'. She heard an intake of breath and felt Rogue's chest rise. She brought her arm around Kitty and gave her a quick squeeze.

'Thank you' she whispered back, relaxing comfortably into the mattress. She felt Kitty drawing lazy circles on her side as she replied with a 'no problem'. The sensation was foreign to Rogue, yet delightfully pleasant. She closed her eyes to focus on feeling. She didn't realise she was drifting asleep until Kitty asked 'are you feeling better now?' She twitched into full consciousness staring up at the ceiling. She felt her walls building up around her; she still wasn't comfortable talking about her feelings; good or bad. 'Yeah', she said simply. 'Just... let's not talk for now. Please?' She requested. She felt Kitty nod her head against her neck and she relaxed again.

She stayed awake this time, despite Kitty's wandering fingers. They eventually stopped, except for some unconscious twitches as Kitty slept against her. She'd never experienced so much comfort from another person before. As uncomfortable as she felt mentally, she had to admit to herself that it felt good. Maybe she could learn to accept being close to others; this wasn't so bad after all. She cleared her mind of Logan's memories and focused on Kitty's even breathing and it blew against her neck, allowing her conscious to be pulled down into darkness once again.

She slept soundly.