I don't own X-men, but regardless the original characters that I'll be using in here do belong to me.

Chapter 43

There was three weeks until the hearing. The first while of which Naomi spent in the lower floors; most of the time unconscious with a high fever. She was given detention for the pure reason of threatening her own life. It was raining off and on during that week, Sparky spent as much time out in the lightning storms with her trainer to harness this outside force. Storm occasionally had pulled up lightning storms for her to practice with, but it was less conspicuous to just use the storms nature supplied. Beast was either downstairs with Naomi or off making sure they had everything they'd need for the hearing. Naomi had been put in the same room as Emily, Storm had put her there in case she needed anything Emily would be able to get someone's attention, fast.

The day that Ian and Paul came to see Naomi -under Beast's request- about her powers was the day Rune came down to inform her about the postponement of all detention until Wolverine got back. He and Bobbie had taken off some time earlier that day.

As the twins left the room Naomi asked, "What do those two have in common that they'd both leave?" She was sitting cross-legged on the bed in a long white shirt and a pair of spandex shorts. She was dying to leave the lower floors, but Storm was denying her that freedom until her body temperature returned to normal.

"It probably has something to do with Rogue." Rune said, he jumped up and sat on the bed with her. "So, what did the twins say about your powers?"

She shrugged, "That I am not meant to do what I did. I shouldn't be able to create a double of myself, that's why it made me that sick."

"Then how did you manage it?" Emily asked, "And why, cause you had an inkling that you shouldn't of been able to do it."

Naomi smiled and looked at her hands, "Siren told me with her powers that I could, so I believed that I could." She leaned back on her hands, "But, I don't think I'll be doing that, ever again."

"Good." Rune leaned over and kissed her cheek. "No more recklessness from you for at least two months."

She grinned sheepishly, then changed the subject. "So, who's Rogue?"

"That's right, you never met her. She moved out a few months after that whole shebang with 'the mutant cure' that was going on." Rune stated. "I never actually met her either, but she dated Iceman, and Wolverine is kind of her guardian. He found her and brought her here."

"Cure? What cure? Did she take the cure?"

"Yeah, Rogue's power was to borrow other mutant's powers for a short time, through touch." Rune shook his head, "From what Logan and Bobby say about it, she really hated it cause she'd always hurt people she came in contact with. The cure was something a group of scientists came up with from another mutant's DNA, you've seen him running around school I hope. Jimmy, he also goes by Leech, you can't make your powers work around him."

Naomi nodded, she'd run into him once or twice. She'd tried to portal around him and it hadn't worked. "So, they used him to make a cure?"

Rune nodded, "As far as anyone could tell it worked, for a while. It's been fading off on most mutants, that could be what's happening with Rogue."

"And it could be a very sad thing for some mutants who never learned to control their powers." Storm said from the door, "Visiting hours are over Rune, get to bed."

Rune quickly leaned over and stole a kiss before heading up and out of the room. "That's what this school's here for though." Naomi stated, "To help mutants."

Storm smiled and held out a thermometer, Naomi sighed and put it in her mouth. "Not all mutants want to get help from us, and that makes them dangerous." She looked over at Emily, "We're here to help those who want help though, we'll never close our doors to a mutant in need." She looked back to Naomi, "That's what Professor Xavier set up this school for, and that's how it will always be."

The thermometer beeped, Aurora took it from Naomi, "Well, if you behave yourself you should be able to get out of here tomorrow."

Naomi rejoiced.

The door slid open and Naomi was immediately awake. She lay motionless for a moment then sighed and rolled over when she recognized the shadow. "Cat, what are you doing down here?" She whispered softly.

The child scampered into the room and tried to climb up onto the bed beside Naomi, "I haded a nightmare..." she whispered through sniffling back tears. "That mean person took you, and -and Curse, and Siren all away."

"You mean my father?"

The girl shook her head, "I don't know who he was, but he, he took you away." She almost buried herself in Naomi's arms. "I don't want to be left alone."

Naomi sighed, "Want me to tell you a story?" The shapeshifter looked up hopefully, Naomi sighed and wrapped a blanket around the two of them. She thought to the fairytales she'd been reading lately and began, "Once upon a time, there was a young princess named..." She looked up at the ceiling, then back to Cat, "Celeste."

The story continued to weave itself through the air on Naomi's voice, it took her a moment to notice Cat's eyes were locked firmly on the ceiling. Naomi paused and looked up.

A wide expanse of stars covered the entire surface above them, she gaped for a moment then continued on at Cat's prodding. As she spoke the stars began to move, wide eyed she watched as the glimmering lights above them almost told the story as well. Stars glimmered, twisted and shot across the skies as Naomi's voice continued. It took her a moment to recognize it was the skies of her in-between.

Slowly the little tale began to wined down and the stars settled into various places, Cat was partially asleep in her arms but the girl yawned and pointed to a collection of stars. "Look its the lion princess in your story..." she said drowsily before falling into a slumber. Naomi looked at the girl then back to the stars, she stared at them until they slowly vanished entirely.

"...How did I do that...?" she whispered into the dark room.