Chapter 5

At the Institute...

When the Kents walk into the sitting room they find the students have put up a 'Welcome Home' sign.

Jonathan thanks them.

"Bobby wanted to put up a 'Glad you're no longer brain-dead' sign," Tabby mentions with an overly sweet innocent smile.

Bobby glares at her for that.

Jonathan chuckles. He is so glad to be see them again.

"So CK. How's your brain?" Tabby asks in relation to his memory.

"Everything's a little jumbled," Clark replies.

"So do you remember that 10 bucks you owe me?"

Clark arches an eyebrow and folds his arms across his chest and looks at her. "Not that jumbled Tabby," he assures her. "I remember everything up until I left just fine."

"It was worth a try," Tabby defends herself with a shrug.

"So what do ya think of the new mansion?" Sam asks.

Jonathan and Clark really haven't had a chance to look around although both were very angry at being told Lionel tried to murder them all.

"It's nice," Jonathan says and from what he has seen so far it is.

"It's a vast improvement on living down in the lower levels," Ray mentions as to where they were forced to stay as the mansion was rebuilt.

"Yeah," Jamie says in agreement.

"Evan snores like you would not believe," Roberto adds.

"Dude I so don't!" Evan defends himself.

"Yeah. That was Amara," Bobby teases with a grin.

Amara gasps and glares at Bobby with all her regal grace.

"What?" Bobby asks innocently. It wasn't like he was going to say it was Wanda. He likes breathing.

"On the plus side when it was being rebuilt they put in extra bathrooms," Kitty mentions as that is her favourite alteration made during the rebuild.

"Oh thank god for small mercies," Clark says half-joking and half-meaning it because the queues for the bathrooms in the mornings before were horrendous.

"It was nearly as bad as living with my sisters," Sam mentions.

"How many do you have again?" Jamie asks Sam.

"3...maybe 4 in a few months. Ma's expecting," Sam reports.

"Poor bastard," Ray sighs with a shake of his head at that thought.

"Ray," Ororo chastises him for his language.

"Well it'll probably still be quicker than waiting on Roberto," Bobby says.

"What does that mean?" Roberto asks with a frown.

"Dude you have more beauty products than half the girls here," Evan argues.

"Nothing wrong with looking nice Evan. Maybe you should try it some time," Roberto retorts.

"Chicks dig me," Evan insists.

"I am so not commenting on zhat," Kurt says in a low whisper.

The Professor intervenes. "Ok I think that's enough. Lets allow Clark and Jonathan some time to settle back in shall we." And he means that in relation to everything. There was much to discuss about what happened but it can wait until tomorrow after Jonathan and Clark have reacclimatised themselves a bit. With that done the Professor leaves to see Bridgette off.

A few people start to drift off. Clark watches Rogue storm off. She wasn't talking to him still. On the flight back she ignored him. 'It's so good to be home,' he thinks sarcastically. He'll have to give her a few hours to cool off before he attempts to talk to her. He can tell that from how severe her mood is.

Wanda, who had been silent up to this point, and essentially waiting until Rogue was gone, wanders over to him. She of all people understood what it meant to be betrayed by someone you call your father. She regrets she couldn't save him as he saved her from Magneto. "So you not evil any more?" she inquires.

"Well technically I was brainwashed. Evil me...trust me when I say this Wanda. Evil me is not something you are ever likely to forget," he tells her referring to his red kryptonite induced alter ego. "So how was your summer?" he asks her.

Wanda shrugs, struggling with her emotions which in reality are overjoyed Clark is back and trying to forget how angry she is at Rogue which therefore she will not be mentioning. "Not much to say. The same except for being called a mutie freak, stared at, treated like dirt and occasionally spat on," she says with real anger at how mutants are treated.

Clark looks at her, his brow furrowed, not having any real idea about what mutants have been going through over the summer.

Domino comes up behind him for the save and places an arm across his broad shoulders. "To put it simply everything that is wrong with the world people blame mutants. We're dangerous, we don't look human, if you hang around us you'll become a mutant too, we're radioactive, we'll give your cancer," Dom lists off just some of the things mutants are accused of being.

"That's ridiculous," is Clark's response.

"Isn't it. Martin Luther King must be spinning in his grave," Dom remarks at what is nothing more than racial bigotry and prejudice.

"They're even trying to keep us from going back to school," Scott says having heard the conversation. "They already took all the trophies away Jean helped win because they accused her of using her powers to cheat."

"That's definitely ridiculous," Clark says forcefully. "Jean would never cheat."

"Thank you Clark," Jean says with a smile at his defence of her. "Now if only you could convince Principal Kelly and the school board of that," Jean says with hurt and anger and it did hurt. Jean has never cheated in her life. It was insulting. Scott, by her side, is instantly rubbing her arm in a supportive gesture knowing how much that hurt her.

"So they're really trying to keep us from going back?" Clark seeks to confirm.

"Well us as in mutants," Scott clarifies.

"Considering as far as everyone knows your human you'll probably still get to go," Jean points out.

"But I won't go to any school that unjustifiably bars my friends," Clark vows. He then looks around. "By the way where are Jubilee and Rahne?"

"Their parents took them back," Bobby answers that with a sour expression. He really really missed Jubes. Jamie has the same expression in relation to his best friend Rahne.

"Why?" Clark asks, puzzled.

"Apparently after being attacked by giant robots and having the mansion blown up their parents deemed this place was no longer safe for some odd reason," Domino says trying to be funny but knowing it isn't her best effort. "On the cheery side over the summer due to my vast experience and training I was made an instructor and now that you're back your shapely ass is mine Kent," Dom says with gleeful anticipation.

Many of the others shake their heads at what Clark will have to endure. In her own way Domino could be as bad as Logan as to what she puts them through although she always had a more chipper demeanour and was much much better to look at from a hormonal teenage boy perspective.

Clark turns to Kurt and having heard all this asks the following. "I should have stayed brainwashed right?"

Kurt nods. "It would probably have been better," he says in agreement meaning it in the same light-hearted tone Clark asked it in.

Later that day, it is well into the evening now, Jonathan knocks on the door to the room Sam shares with Ray looking for the Kentuckian native. He opens the door and finds Sam on the phone to home.

"No Paige," Sam says disagreeing with something his younger sister is saying. "It doesn't work like that. Ya can't just will it to happen no matter how cool ya think it is," he says with a roll of his eyes having had this conversation it seems like a hundred times. It is then he spots Mr Kent. "Look Paige ah have to go. One of the instructors is here to see me," he phrases it so he has a convenient excuse to cut this short. "Ah miss ya too. Ya take care of momma ok. Ah'll talk to ya soon," he promises before ending the call.

"Is everything ok?" Jonathan asks the blond haired teenager.

"Huh?"

"With your sister," Jonathan clarifies.

"Oh. Yes. She's fine. She just wants to be a mutant like me. She has it in her head that it would be cool to have powers and that ah'm a superhero or something," he says with a shake of his head. Obviously living out in rural Kentucky means Paige doesn't see or get what mutants have to put up with in terms of abuse.

"I see," Jonathan says understanding it in the sense younger siblings often look up to their elder ones.

"So what can ah do for ya Mr Kent?" Sam wonders what brings the older man here.

Jonathan steps into the room. "I was just looking around the grounds and noticed someone has been looking after the crops and vegetables I planted. Logan tells me you did a lot of it."

Sam did do a lot of it. First off his family are farmers so he knows how to do it and second off he has spent a lot of time helping Mr Kent out since the older man came to the Institute and has come to really admire and like the man. Looking after the crops while Mr Kent was in the coma was the least Sam felt he could do. "It was nothing," he tries to downplay it.

"It was not nothing Sam," Jonathan says not seeing any reason for the boy to be modest. "I deeply appreciate what you did. Thank you."

Sam appreciates that really. "So...uh...how are ya doing?" he asks after the man's health.

"Hank says I'm no worse than I was 3 months ago so I take that as good news."

"Ah don't mean ta pry but what actually happened to ya?"

Jonathan laughs a little bit. "That is the $64,000 dollar question. I don't have an answer and probably never will beyond there was some kind of link between me and Clark and when he was returned to normal so was I."

Sam has to say his life has gotten very strange since he came here. Just then Mrs Kent walks in. "Sam. Dinner is almost ready," she tells him so he can get washed up.

"Thanks Mrs Kent," he says politely and leaves to wash up.

Martha moves forward to her husband and gives him a kiss. "That goes for you too. You need to eat."

Jonathan kisses her back. "Yes ma'am."

"You need your strength."

"Yes ma'am."

Martha then leans in with a mischievous smile. "You'll definitely need it for when we test out that new bed," she promises sultrily.

Heat creeps into Jonathan's cheeks. "Yes ma'am."

Martha chuckles. "Just remember to lock the door," she reminds him because it has been 3 months and she does not want their 'reunion' to be disturbed.

SHIELD Hellicarrier...

Fury is sitting at his desk writing his report for his superiors who as soon as they see it will rake him over the hot burning coals for this disaster and then chew him out for good measure. The door to his office opens and Hill walks in and salutes.

"Give me good news Hill and tell me Luthor won't pull through," he says without looking up and he is meaning Lionel.

"Sorry sir. He'll live...as will the boy although he won't be lucid enough to extract information for a few days," Hill reports what the doctors told her.

Fury looks up. "Did you manage to get an identity on him?"

"Yes sir. His name is Douglas Ramsey. He's an American citizen. His parents are Phillip and Sheila Ramsey."

"I suppose they'll have to be contacted."

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea sir," Hill cautions.

Fury cocks his head to the side.

Hill explains. "His father comes up as a recently joined member of the Friends of Humanity."

Fury bows his head and almost wants to laugh. The father of the mutant boy in the infirmary is a member of that mutant hating garbage. "Have the parents even listed him as missing?"

"No."

"They've taken advantage of the fact he most probably ran away to conveniently sweep under the rug the fact they happened to have a mutant son."

"As you say sir," Hill says agreeing with Fury's assessment.

Ramsey will just have to stay for now until they get the information they want out of him. Once that is done Fury will consider the options as to what to do with the boy. For now Fury moves on. "Did you manage some retcon on Xavier's place?"

"Yes sir."

"Any sign of the Blur?" he asks in reference to the one who attacked them in the desert.

"We are not certain if he has returned to the Institute," Hill admits.

Fury nods in acceptance of that. However this was the 1st sign of the Bayville Blur in months and the Institute was his only link to him.

"Are we going in?" Hill wonders.

"Not in the terms you are thinking of. Not yet anyway." Hill is meaning are they going to storm the place, arrest the boy and search the institute top to bottom to find the stone. "Keep an eye on it and alter our course to put us over New York state by the morning, Fury instructs. "Make sure to keep my schedule clear and we'll pay them a friendly visit in the morning."

Hill frowns slightly but salutes and does what she is told.

After she leaves Fury stops writing his report and pauses just to think. Storming the Institute is not what he wants to do although if it comes to it he can and will do so. Xavier is not Magneto though. He is a more reasonable man. After today's disaster if Fury can resolve this situation with talk he'll take it. As for the future...

This operation against Magneto had been almost a total write-off. They had gotten almost nothing. Magneto escaped. The stone is not in their possession. Agents died and Fury has to write those horrible letters to their families expressing his regret. He hates that. He has written so many of those he has lost count.

Fury had originally authorised the Sentinel project because he knew conventional means would not contain people like Magneto. With mutants exposed he is simply gaining more and more followers. Soon he'll have an army and SHIELD's conventional methods are not going to cut it. That is what Fury has learned from this affray.

Fury open the drawer in his desk on his right and pulls out a folder relating to a particular project. He had never been fond of this idea until they could recreate the super soldier formula because otherwise it relied on civilians...untrained show jockeys who thought it was fun to go around and play hero but it seems clear he needs more firepower if he is to keep the world from falling apart.

Maybe it was time to reactivate the project...but the only person he would entrust to lead it is in a frozen coffin. Still it would take time to do the proper research into suitable candidates. He could order that done and still pull the plug if he isn't happy. Fury decides he will do that. He turns to the computer on his desk and inputs the commands to unlock the files. On the screen it says,

PROJECT AVENGER...REACTIVATED.

At the Institute...

After dinner Clark and Jonathan along with several others are sitting watching a recording of the documentary that was made here at the mansion.

"Ok how am I on this?" Clark asks at the image of himself on the television when in reality he was locked away wherever he was locked away. He still can't remember much about it.

"We were trying to protect you," Scott explains as to why they went through the effort of making it look like Clark was still around even when his heroic alter ego had vanished and Clark himself was wherever he was.

"I appreciate that Scott but I was meaning more along the lines of how did you do it?" Clark clarifies.

Kurt raises his hand. "It vas me, my holovatch and a voice synthesiser Forge created," he explains as to how Kurt could sound like Clark as well as look like him.

"Thank you Kurt but really you shouldn't have gone through that much effort. I'm sorry you had to."

"Then why did you?" Evan asks the question everyone it seems to him has been avoiding. "Why did you leave by yourself?"

"Because I had to Evan. Because if I hadn't Jor-El would have killed each and every one of you to sever my links to humanity. It was the choice he gave me."

"That's not a choice," Jean argues with an angry frown. "That's blackmail."

"It was also a fact Jean. He would have killed you and you couldn't have stopped him. I couldn't have stopped him," Clark admits what he sees as his failing.

"So you like handed yourself over to save us," Kitty summarises.

"Yes...and if I have to I would do it again."

"Will you have to?" Scott asks in case they have to be prepared for what Jor-El might try next.

Clark thinks for a moment. "I am not certain but I think for now Jor-El will leave me alone as long as I do...there is something I'm suppose to be doing...I can't remember except that it's important that I finish...finding...something...I think," he struggles with his memory.

"Gee that was enlightening," Evan mutters.

Kitty kicks Evan on the shin for that seeing that Clark is really struggling with whatever it is he means and he doesn't need comments like that. He needs support. "I'm sure it'll come to you Clark," she says being supportive.

Clark smiles. "Thanks Kitty."

At one of Magneto's bases...

Magneto has just finished allowing Sinister to examine his injuries after the confrontation with SHIELD. Amongst many things Sinister is he is an exceptional medical doctor.

"I would say you were lucky," Sinister remarks. "The injuries are superficial," he reports. "They will most likely ache for a day or three though."

A little pain Magneto can endure without much effort.

"Shame about losing the boy," Sinister says in reference to Cypher because it is the expected thing to say. Not that Sinister is actually expressing what he actually feels because the boy's power was an interesting curiosity to Sinister. That's all. In many senses that is all he sees the world and the people in it as. Curiosities.

"I still have his translations."

Sinister nods and secretly ponders if he could manage to get a look at those translations himself and therefore get this power for himself. "What if he survived?" he puts forward a possibility. "SHIELD could learn a lot," he cautions what could have been a mistake by Magneto not either rescuing Cypher or making certain he was dead.

"Even if Cypher survived he knows little. Where he managed to track us down to was always an expendable facility and he has no knowledge of the location of any other base," Magneto points out as when he brought Cypher here to translate the journal it was within one of his spheres. Cypher never knew where he was. The other facility Magneto ordered evacuated as soon as he returned from Libya and it was being cleared out as they speak. As for those injured in Libya Magneto had mutant healers who had joined him taking care of them although Sabretooth in reality just required time to heal. "How about your mission?" Magneto asks Sinister wanting to be brought up to date.

"I found them. They are 4 of Stryker's creations as I speculated."

"Useful?"

"They have a few months of training behind them. I believe I can shape them into an effective unit...with your permission of course," Sinister adds humouring Magneto. As if he needs permission to do anything.

Magneto nods and gives his permission. "Do we know how many others Stryker created?"

"We will probably never know precisely but from the 4 boys' minds I know of two others for certain. Rogue for one. It was why Stryker took her when he stormed the Institute." It can be handy being telepathic when you want to learn information.

Now isn't that interesting. Magneto would never have guessed that. It leads to an intriguing possibility he should investigate as regards to Rogue's possible parentage.

Sinister continues. "The other left the group and joined Xavier. Her name is Domino and she only possesses some minor probability altering powers," Sinister says distastefully because it wasn't much of a mutant power and certainly nothing that would really interest him. Rogue on the other hand. Sinister would love to study her.

With the medical examination over Sinister turns his attentions back to the 4 mutants he found. He has some work to do to 'condition' them to ensure their loyalty to him. Speaking of conditioning as he walks through Magneto's base he runs into a mutant he conditioned in such a fashion sporting a lump on his head where he was hit during the fight with SHIELD. "Ruckus. How's the head?" Sinister asks showing a modicum of concern for one of his creations.

Ruckus rubs it. "Painful," he says. "I wish I had your regenerative powers," he says enviously.

Sinister grins. "Well perhaps one day I'll oblige you if you earn it."

"So I heard about the new mutants. Does that mean we can quit this façade soon?" he wonders.

Sinister silently chuckles. The conditioning he placed on Ruckus' mind as far as Magneto knows makes him loyal to him when in fact Ruckus' loyalty is only to Sinister and he is simply keeping Magneto in the dark by allowing Ruckus to be an Acolyte. "For now this remains useful to me so the short answer is no."

"You're the boss."

"Yes. I am," Sinister says in such a tone to indicate this is the end of this discussion.

Gambit returns to his room, throws his coat off before sitting on his bed and blowing out a weary breath. He needs some sleep. He is just pulling his boots off when he feels the bed depress a little and two unmistakably feminine arms wrap around him from behind.

"Hi Remy," a voice coos in his ear.

Gambit smiles albeit a tired smile. He turns his head and plants a kiss on to her lips.

When Alicia pulls back she can see how tired her boyfriend is looking. She strokes his short brown hair. "Hard day?"

Gambit nods.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," Alicia says feeling guilty. "But mother is watching me like a hawk lately," she explains why she wasn't there. Mystique has been in full over-protective mother mode ever since mutants were revealed and barely ever lets her go on missions unless Magneto gives Mystique no choice or say on the matter. It means Alicia hasn't seen Gambit even a fraction as often as she would have liked. She has to teleport out when her mother thinks she is asleep in bed like now.

Gambit secretly smiles to himself. The danger of being caught by Mystique was what made this so much fun and as time past and Alicia gained more experience and confidence in herself that too brought benefits like right now as he watches Alicia's whole expression and demeanour change to sultry and seductive.

Alicia sits herself on Gambit's lap and wraps her arms around his neck. "So tell me. Is there anything I can do to make your day better?" she asks him, the glint in her eyes expressing all too well what she means.

"Oh I'm sure Remy can d'ink of something," he says as he captures her lips with his own.

In his room Colossus sits on his bed and looks at an old picture of his family. His parents, who had passed away, himself and Illyana when she was very small.

Piotr lets out a sad sigh. All this fighting was never what he wanted for his life. In reality all he wanted was to be back home on the farm with his sister. It was a simple life. Hard too but it was sufficient.

"Mother. Father. I am sorry," he says feeling he has failed them. The only hope he has is that if he obeys Magneto will at least let him see Illyana soon.

In her room Live Wire finds herself obsessively writing on the walls the same question over and over and over. The only question she wants answered at the moment.

'Who is Leslie Willis?'

A little later Sinister is in his lab just finishing up his initial tests on Ramrod, Hairbag, Slab and Gorgeous George. It was, as everything is to him, all just more data to add to the great puzzle he is trying to solve in how to create the perfect race.

"We done?" Ramrod asks.

Sinister looks up at the boy with wild black hair. "Indeed. You all seem in adequate health. Tomorrow we shall commence with your training so you may serve the mutant cause." More accurately serve him but they don't have to know that. "And also we can begin a search for your lost brothers and sisters," he tells them because Sinister is interested in finding Stryker's experiments and seeing what he can learn from them.

"You really know about them?" Ramrod asks.

"I know a great deal about Colonel Stryker and his experiments," Sinister tells them. Knows because he helped perform some of the earliest Weapon X experiments before he decided to move on to pastures new. "I know enough to help you grow beyond whatever Stryker thought he could make you into. You will be magnificent if you follow me."

"Hairbag sleepy," is the response Sinister gets to that from the hairy mutant who is yawning.

Sinister is not offended. "Of course. I'll have you shown to your rooms," he says as he presses a button on the table. A few moments pass and the door opens. In walks a teenage girl with green hair, dressed in a skin-tight outfit with a green and white swirl pattern upon it that covers everything except her right arm which is bare.

Sinister walks over to beside her. "Boys. Let me introduce your 1st lost sibling that I rescued earlier this summer," he says surprising the 4 male mutants with that revelation. "Be a dear and introduce yourself," he tells the girl.

"Of course Mr Sinister," she responds obediently. "Brothers," she greets them. "I am pleased to meet you. I am Vertigo."

Magneto had returned to his private quarters in the base to read over Cypher's translations. There was much to go over but for now he focussed on the information about second stone. The one supposedly in China Lionel Luthor could not find.

Lionel Luthor.

Magneto had thought he had seen the last of that man. SHIELD must have released him in exchange for information about the stones. It is the only explanation that makes sense as to how SHIELD showed up in Libya and why Lionel was with them. It's a race then about who can find the stones first. So be it.

As for regaining the stone Clark Kent took that is not Magneto's next action. That would result in a confrontation with the X-Men and any fight with them must be carefully planned. Magneto will undertake that task once he has gained possession of the other 2 stones he decides is the order of the actions he will take. Along with gathering more intelligence and information about the boy Magneto knows to be an alien. It is possible that Cypher was correct about the strange writings he couldn't translate being alien in origin. Perhaps they are the language of Clark Kent's people. That makes sense considering what he witnessed today. It is why he must gather more information about Clark Kent's current abilities and power levels before he is forced into a confrontation. Fighting anything as strong as Clark Kent is must be a battle that is thought through in detail in advance so as to exploit the boy's weaknesses to the maximum advantage.

Magneto continues to read Cypher's writings. What he finds is a possible lead. There is a reference to a long lost map Lionel was trying to find that was meant to show the exact location of the stone. If that is the case Magneto's next course of action is obvious. He has to find that map first.

At the Institute...

Domino is walking along the corridor to head for her room. It was getting late enough to be time for her to turn in. As she passes Rogue's room she finds Clark walking up to the door, raising his hand to knock only to pause, chicken out and turn away. "How long have you been trying to work up the nerve?" she asks him.

Clark turns his head to look at the young woman. He checks his watch. "Um...22 minutes and 47 seconds."

Domino knows she shouldn't find it funny but she does that someone so powerful can be so unsure of himself. "What did you do?" she has to know since Rogue was ecstatic when she was told Clark had been found. If she was in Rogue's position she would be making up for lost time and doing it like bunnies. Yet here Clark is afraid to even knock on Rogue's door. Rogue who has been silently steaming for hours and refusing to talk about it.

"I asked where Wanda was."

There is a sharp intake of breath and Domino shakes her head tutting at him. "Ooh shouldn't have said that."

"So I was told. What happened between the two of them?"

"That is the question," Domino remarks.

Clark cocks his head to side and looks at Dom puzzled.

Domino sighs. "I don't know," she admits. "It was just there was yelling and we ran to it to find Rogue and Wanda on the floor trying to strangle each other. Afterwards neither would say what it was about and believe me I have tried to get Rogue to talk about it but..."

"She's impossibly stubborn," Clark fills in knowing how Rogue is once she digs her feet in.

Domino smiles at him. He sure seems to get Rogue.

Clark sighs. "So I really didn't ask earlier. How have you been?" he asks her.

"Oh pretty good. Finally got that toenail fungal infection treated."

Clark makes a face.

"Too much information?"

Clark nods. "Little bit."

"Not much else to say really. Just argued with Logan a lot about training regimes. Just because he has happened to have lived a really long time doesn't mean his little regiments for you guys can't be improved...and I happen to have a talent for it," she says with a little pride in the fact she happens to be really good at it despite her comparative youth compared to Logan.

"Thanks for giving me something to look forward to there Dom," Clark says with a touch of sarcasm at possibly harder Danger Room sessions.

"You're welcome," she replies ignoring the sarcasm.

"So...uh...really how has Rogue been?" Clark asks after his girlfriend.

"Truthfully?"

Clark nods.

"She was hurt. You left her," Dom almost accuses him.

"I had to Dom. What Jor-El would have done...I couldn't allow that." Clark walks away a few paces and runs his hand through his hair before turning back to face Domino. "She deserves better than this. I know that. She deserves better than me," he says sounding very guilty at what he put Rogue through.

"You really think that?"

"How can I not."

"She's hurt. She's angry at you. I won't deny that. I also won't deny another truth. She loves you. The last 3 months haven't changed that. If you want an opinion she used your mention of Wanda as an excuse to unleash some of her anger at you but here's another truth for you Clark. This one she confessed to me. One of the reasons she fell in love with you is because you were the first person who didn't treat her like she was poison."

"Because she isn't," Clark replies confused why anyone would think Rogue is poison.

Dom smiles and moves to pat him on the shoulder in a congratulatory manner. That was exactly the answer she was hoping to hear. "That is why you need to knock on that door because you are exactly the guy she deserves. You are the guy who really sees her...and that is just my oh so humble opinion."

"Humble?" Clark questions that because Dom is many things. Humble is not really amongst them.

Don nods with a smile. "That's me to a tee," she says wryly.

Clark snorts a laugh.

Dom hits him.

"Sorry but..."

Dom points a finger at him warningly. "Quit it or I stop helping you with Rogue," she threatens him before pushing him back in front of Rogue's door. "Now stop stalling and use that farm boy charm of yours to make it up to her before I change my mind and decide you aren't good enough for my little sister."

Clark takes a deep breath and raises his hand to knock. Before he does he has to say, "Thanks Dom."

Domino smiles. "No problem."

Clark looks at her still standing next to him. "Um...this will probably go better if you're not standing over my shoulder," he tries to gently point out so as not to be offensive.

Domino gets it and wanders off down the corridor. Clark gently raps the door and waits a few moments. He can hear Rogue walk over to the door. It opens. She is dressed in her orange and green pjs, a sight that always makes Clark's mouth dry because she looked so damn sexy in them.

Rogue look and sees who it is at her door...and promptly slams the door shut in his face.

'Well. At least she didn't slap me,' Clark muses to himself trying to be humorous. He places his hand on the door. "Rogue," he says through it. "I know you're on the other side and that you can hear me."

Rogue is on the other side, her back leaning up against the door. She just can't deal with him right now.

Clark continues. "I know you must be angry at me but I had to do it. When I was in the cave before I was taken Jor-El threatened to kill everyone close to me if I didn't obey and nothing could have stopped him from carrying that out. I love you too much to let anyone hurt you. I never wanted to leave you just as I said in my letter. Even when Jor-El was stripping me of everything I was you were always in my thoughts. By the end you were my only and last thought."

The door opens and Rogue looks at him with a puzzled expression. "What do ya mean ah was your last thought?" she asks since it was that comment that made her open the door.

"It's hard to explain. I can't really remember much of what happened except to remake me Jor-El first had to strip me down to nothing. He had to purge me of everything that made me Clark Kent. I can remember a snippet of lying in this dark place with no idea who I was any more and no memory of anything except you. Your face was the last thing I managed to hold onto. It was probably why I recognised you in Smallville. The instant I saw you I just knew you were important to me. I had no memory of you really. It was just a feeling but when you have no memory all you can go on are your feelings and instincts."

Rogue looks at his sad yet almost desperately hopeful expression and steps back to let him in.

Clark enters the room and Rogue closes the door. "So...nice room," he says lamely.

"Thanks. Tha Professor decided ah could get mah own room," she explains which means she is no longer sharing with Kitty which is both good and bad. Kitty's tastes in music and style drove her nuts yet she misses her friend yet Rogue is thankful to finally have her own private space.

Clark takes a moment to summon up the bravery to ask this. "Rogue..." he pauses and starts again. "Anna," he says her name in a soft warm tone. "If our positions had been reversed what would you have done?" he asks her hoping he knows her well enough that she will give the answer he seeks.

"Are ya asking if ah would sacrifice mahself?"

"No...because I know you would for the people you care about. It is just normally I'm invulnerable. I really don't think about worrying about what can and cannot hurt me but Jor-El knows exactly what hurts me. I was...terrified of what he would do to you," Clark admits his fear. "That's why I had to do the one thing I knew would hurt you the most. That's why I left you because even if you never spoke to me again at least you would be alive."

Rogue moves and sits on her bed and Clark sits down next to her. Close to her but not quite touching, retraining himself no matter how much he desperately just wants to sweep her into his arms and kiss the life out of her.

"Ah promised mahself when ya got your memory back ah would kick your butt for running off on your own," she mentions. "Ah should have been there with ya," she tells him.

"You were there Rogue. You saved me. Your memory allowed me to hang on to the tiniest scrap of my humanity and when I was submerged under Kal-El you and mom found a way to reach me. I beat him for you you know. Your love gave me the strength."

Rogue looks at him, her heart and anger softening as he speaks. "Do ya remember anything else?"

"It's more jumbled rather than it's not there. I get disjointed flashes of being locked away in the dark and Jor-El speaking to me. After he released me it's a bit more coherent. I can remember most of the time in Smallville and you showing me around the mansion...but don't ask me to explain some of the things I said because I have no idea where they came from. When Kal-El took over that's when it becomes patchy once more. I can remember flying away from the mansion but where I went and what I did is blank right up until you and mom confronted me in the cave."

There is silence following that as both teens ponder what to say next. Clark shifts his hand to place it on Rogue's knee but she flinches away at that, gets to her feet and walks across the room with her back to Clark.

Clark stands up, moves up behind her and wraps his arms around her. "I'm sorry," he says. "I never wanted to hurt you. Not ever."

"Clark," Rogue says, her voice shaking with emotion. "It hurt Clark. 3 months without ya were lahke hell on Earth," she explains what it felt like to her. "Ah...ah don't think ah could survive it if ya left meh again," she says explaining what is really going through her mind. Her fear of losing him again and having to endure the pain. In a sense she already experienced it once when he flew off.

"You are the strongest person I know Rogue. Of course you could survive it but you'll never have to because I won't be leaving you again."

"Ya can't promise that."

"Yes I can," Clark says most assuredly. "I didn't make this promise before because I knew sooner or later I would have to face down Jor-El and now that I have I know something else. He's wrong. I can't remember about what exactly but I just know he's wrong about what he wants me to be and do. There will be no more bending to his will. I promise you that."

Rogue shuts her eyes. She wants to believe him. She should. Clark doesn't break his promises but if she gives in she is opening herself up to facing even the remote prospect of having her heart wretched out of her body again. "Ah'm sorry. Ah can't do this," she says in a tearful whisper.

Clark's heart constricts painfully. He wants to say something but his mind can't find the words. "Ok," he says and pulls away from her and moves to the door. He opens it and stops as some words come to him. "I just want to say I love you. I love that under your tough chick exterior is the most passionate person who would do anything for her friends. I love how strong and compassionate you are. You have a good heart and a pure soul. I love that when I'm with you I don't feel so alone any more...that I've found the piece of me that was missing. I even love that little twitchy thing your eye does when you're really angry."

Rogue can't stop the tiny smile coming to her face. Twitchy thing? God only Clark would say something like that.

"I also love your stubbornness. The way you don't accept the inevitable and fight for what you believe in and to hell with it if its hard or the rest of the world disagrees with you. I love that you don't let fear rule you despite the fear you live with everyday due to your powers. I just wanted to say that," he says before he turns and leaves leaving Rogue alone.

Rogue's arms wrap around herself and she draws in a deep breath. She turns round and looks around her room. Her eyes fall upon her bed. For 3 months all she wanted was to be able to crawl into that with Clark and know he was there with her. He was always there for her before they dated, when they started dating and didn't realise they could touch and that her powers didn't work on him.

That was a torture when they both wanted to kiss so badly they almost couldn't resist at times. Clark stood with her and she could always see in the soft gaze of his indescribably vivid and descriptive cerulean blue eyes just how much he cared. Anyone else facing that issue would have walked away but Clark didn't...until she just drove him away.

What is she doing?

That is the question. Clark's right. She doesn't give in just because something is tough. Yes she really doesn't think she could survive losing him again but he promised he wouldn't leave. That should be enough.

"Gawd dammit!" she curses herself. She is letting her fear risk ruining being happy when it is the one thing she promised herself never to give into. She stomps off after Clark in brisk wide paces. She walks into the hallway and turns to head towards the boy's wing.

"You had me worried there for a second."

Rogue stops, spins 180 and finds Clark leaning up against the wall exuding a quiet confidence she hadn't seen before. It makes him look if anything sexy.

Clark pushes off the wall and stands up straight.

"Ya knew I would come after ya," Rogue deduces from his expression and by the fact he is waiting for her.

Clark shrugs walks up to her gently places his hands on her hips. "You just needed a reminding of who you really are. The rest was all my faith and trust in you."

Rogue links her hands around Clark's neck as their bodies slowly mold together. "Ya think ya know meh so well don't ya."

"You're here aren't you," he counters that with.

"Smart ass."

"I choose to take that as a compliment," he says with that adorable goofy boyish grin of his. He lowers his lips until they are almost but not quite touching hers. "I love you," he says, almost choking on the depth of the emotion.

Rogue's heart throbs in her chest. For 3 months she bottled up her feelings. It was the only way she could cope. Now with him in her arms again she can't hold it in. "Ah love ya too," she says, her eyes brimmed with tears of happiness.

Their lips close the final distance and the two teens kiss slowly and exploratory at first but they soon give into their passion.

"Clark," Rogue gasps out as he places tiny little biting kisses on her neck. "Clark," she repeats his name as her hands run through his hair. "We're in tha hallway," she reminds him and therefore liable to get caught by someone even if it is late.

"I know," he says as he sweeps her up into his arms.

Rogue laughs a little as they kiss a lot more. "Clark. Take meh ta bed," she says softly having decided the last thing she wants tonight is to sleep alone...although how much sleeping they get done is not likely to be very much if the look in Clark's eyes is any indication and she has no wish to stop him.

Clark looks at her with a mixture of gentle tenderness and passion before he carries her back into her room and kicks the door closed behind them.

Poking her head around the corner Domino grins. Best big sister ever! That is what she is. She heads off toward her room with a skip in her step whistling a merry little ditty. She passes Jonathan and Martha's room and pauses when she hears some noises from inside.

It takes her a few moments to realise what those noises are and that the elder Kents are probably doing what Clark and Rogue are doing.

Ok there's a mental image she could do without. She needs a drink. Luckily she found where Logan's secret beer stash is weeks ago and the look on his face when he finds it gone...so totally worth it!

Author's Note: I took it from the comics that Cypher's father is a member of the FOH. I know in the comics Vertigo is a Savage Land mutate but I wanted to add her to the little group of the Nasty Boys mostly inspired by the 90s X-Men cartoon where she was part of the group. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Please if you haven't done so already go to my profile page and vote on the poll I have put up for this story about who gets possessed during my version of Spell. Next up: Fury pays a visit, Clark gets the missing 3 months of memories back and we catch up with a certain fiery redhead.