Warning: Painful flashbacks, a few bits of cannon. A few developments. Trigger warning for talk of anorexia and starvation and poor Mental health. Also, talk of understaffed care facilities, meant for the purpose of the story, not as a generalisation or statement of opinion. Also, I'm not a therapist by any means, so it is all fiction based.

Italics are for past events.

It wasn't easy, taking the psychiatrist's advice and putting it into practise.

As always, Charles was ready to hear any feedback from Rogue, whether it pertained to a school project, or something personal. He waited for her knock before offering a casual, "Come in".

He felt a great sense from her that the baggage travelled with, had become lighter. He knew of people who sensed 'auras' and prescribed identities based on non-scientific methods. It wasn't a method he wholly believed in but he would never deny someone their right to believe what they wanted.

"Have you got a minute?"

"Of course." He sensed a reluctance or lack of understanding, where to start. "How was your session?"

"That's what I wanted to talk about."

He motioned to a chair and smiled softly.

"Ah was talking to him about how we don't really have much in common."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, beside the whole 'save the humans, save the world' thing, we're really different. You're all calm in a crisis and Ah'm usually the crisis."

He laughed generously. "I may give that impression, but it's taken a long time to harness it."

"Really?"

"Like you, I struggled with my powers when they first manifested. Between the headaches and the voices, I was sure I was losing my mind."

"What did you do?"

"I had to learn control. I couldn't let my ability to read people's minds affect my day to day life. It wasn't easy. Despite my secrecy, rumours occurred. People began to question what I was. Besides that, not all the thoughts I heard were pleasant. The pieces I did hear, well, there are some horrible people in this world."

She nodded.

"Eventually, I learned the control I needed and forced myself to uphold my morals. It was and still is a constant challenge."

"But did you ever think, Screw it, who cares?"

"Of course there were moments but I had decided who I was going to be. What my life was going to look like. The type of person I wanted to be. I have met many people and I started thinking, there must be others like me. People who are struggling with acceptance. My family circumstances afforded me privileges that some could only dream of. I wanted to help them."

"That's impressive."

"I'm glad you think so." He paused. "You know, I often talked about my plans with your mother."

"You did?"

"Hmmm. I had yet to give her the full details of who I was but I had a feeling, she knew a little."

"Why do you say that?"

"She was a very astute woman. Her training and experiences in the Army would have added to that. Then of course, she was involved with my brother."

"What is he like?"

"Who?"

"Your brother?"

"My brother, or rather my step-brother, is a very angry and mis-understood man. He has never made it a secret of his dislike of me. That and he has a penchant for destruction."

"He's a mutant?"

"He'd never forgive anyone who calls him that. He has great strength and when he wears his helmet, his mind is completely closed to mine."

"So, he'd be protected against you?"

"Completely. Whilst my mind is powerful, the rest of me is not."

"Why does he hate you?"

"I've never understood it. I've always tried to be his brother, but he never wanted me. There's a darkness in him that fuels his emotions, his aggressions. He won't let that go."

"Where is he now?"

"He's in a secure location. I won't let him hurt you. You have my word."

She smiled softly. "Do you know why my mother never told you about me? There were times when I was younger, I felt she was on the run from someone. But it couldn't have been you?"

"Rogue, had I of known she was pregnant, I would have done anything in my power to protect her. She was the love of my life and I know she loved me."

"B-but?"

"There was another man. I did not know until it was too late. He'd learned about me. There was an altercation. By I woke up from my coma, I had lost the use of my legs. Your mother was long gone. I told myself that if I ever recovered the use of my legs, I would look for her, but that didn't happen. I wasn't the man I am today. I was very different altogether. It took a lot of patience from friends to set me back on the course I am."

"Who was it that helped you?"

"Eric Lensherr. But you'll know him as Magneto."

Rogue took a moment to process what had been said. "You were friends with him? He's a maniac!"

Charles sighed, patiently. "Now Rogue, I know you have had trouble but he was not always that way. His life experiences have made him bitter. He sees the world in black and white and sadly believes Mutants to be superior to the remaining homosapiens."

She couldn't match the man she knew as Magneto as the man her father spoke of. At best, they were two different entities residing in the same body. At worst, her father was a fool.

Finally, she looked up to say, coldly, "Well, we'll have to agree to disagree."

Charles saw no point in pressing the issue. While he couldn't blame her, he did hope that one day, she would have a more subjective view. "Yes."

"Did you find out who the man was? The one my mother was running from?"

"I did."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

He'd remained silent for so long, Rogue slumped in her seat. "It was my brother."

"Oh."

He dared ask, "Are you alright?"

Rogue felt a brief flare of rage hit her. 'Was she alright?' The man just said her mother had dated his brother who by all accounts was a no-good psychopath and he asks 'Are you alright?'

Outwardly, she replied, "I think I need a moment. It's a lot to take in."

"Take all the time you need. If you like, we can discuss it any time you need."

She shook her head. "Did she know you were related?"

"No, she knew I had a brother though."

That soothed her a little but not enough to tame the rage and confusion building within.

"Erm, Ah think Ah need a minute. Ah need to go."

Slightly dazed, she left the office, her head all mixed up with the implications.

XxX

Any hope of processing the things she had discovered vanished due to the events of the next few days.

Logan woke up at 4 am for the third day that week, to the sound of heavy breathing. He followed the sounds outside the mansion, noting that the alarm had been disabled and to hear someone's heavy panting.

The first night it happened, he had followed them at a distance as they ran laps around the estate. The person was running at a steady rate and didn't seem to be tiring.

The scent was a familiar mess of salt from sweat and a subtle hint of jasmine meshed with cherry blossom. Definitely female. The individual preferred to use the more exotic scents and locked them away rather than leave them out for general use. Not the the males of the school particularly wanted to smell like flowers but some of the females had remarked that they didn't mind using them.

"Y'all can find them at the mall. They're pretty regular."

"Oh, couldn't we try yours?"

"Ah spent a good deal of money on these. It's part of my therapy, having things that make me happy."

She didn't add, "Do you really want to deprive me that?" but the words hung in the air.

Now, he watched as she returned to the mansion and went to reset the code. He snuck in before the doors locked him out.

"Taking a pre-dawn run? The others will think I'm not working you hard enough."

She didn't respond. She didn't even look at him, only retraced her journey back to her room, walking upstairs, her fingers gently holding the banister, walking along the hall and to the room she shared with Kitty. Silently she removed her shoes and moved to change. He stepped away from the door but moments later, she was back in bed.

There was no mention of her run when the alarm sounded for the first danger room session of the morning. Rogue gave no sign of her earlier exertion. Nor was her focus affected.

He mentioned the incident to the Professor and both men checked the security footage. They saw her leave the mansion and traced her journey around the estate. There were no collisions either.

"This could be an isolated incident. We'll keep an eye on her."

All the same, Logan awoke the following morning as Rogue left the mansion in the same non-communicative state.

They were going to talk to her about it, when a call came through from one of the psychiatric hospitals Charles worked with in the capacity of a therapist. His patient was an angry and terrified individual who was also a mutant. Her father had her moved there after an incident nearly resulted in the death of another patient. This patient's father had insisted that the injured patient's identity remain classified, although recent events would have made the current arrangement, ill-advised and perhaps inappropriate.

No, it would be much better for everyone if the professor remained unaware.

XxX

The young girl had spent most of her life in psychiatric facilities. Most of them were awful, denying her the care and consoling she was desperate for. Those that run the places only took her in thanks to her father's substantial fortune.

He never visited.

She was shuffled from place to place, often medicated and strapped down out of fear as her mutant abilities developed. Influenced heavily by her emotions, which were also uncontrollable, she feared she was doomed to stay here for the rest of her life.

That is, until one day, when the constantly short-staffed facility were forced to take in a new patient. Roughly the same age as their 'fire-cracker' and suffering from extensive injuries and amnesia, they were charged with her care.

The two patients didn't meet straight away. In fact it was several weeks before that moment came. Neither of the girls were to be left un-supervised. So when one of the nurses spied the available 'Quiet room', she placed her charge in one of the chairs, before noting it was already occupied.

The newcomer was a quiet thing, confined to a wheelchair and left at the whim of her carers. Her head had been shaved prior to her being found and taken to hospital before moving here. She was painfully malnourished and had a gaunt expression. Some of the other patients in their care had dubbed her 'Professor Bones', but otherwise they tolerated her.

It was curious to know that her quiet nature had earned her a semblance of respect from her peers. They saw her as a confidante. They were usually the ones shut away from the world by selfish parents who didn't want their names tainted with Mental health. The girl was under speech therapy and physical therapy and was compliant enough, but on the occasion where she felt she couldn't handle being with a group of people, they left her in the 'Quiet' Room.

The carer decided to take the risk of staying in the room with her charge. So far, there had been no significant attention exchanged between the girls. In fact, their arrival had caused little more than a briefly raised head before the occupant returned to her book.

This was a first for Wanda Maximoff. Usually, her presence required more attention by the means of restraining, sedating and sometimes, soft voices.

Never had there been a time where she'd been in a room and been left unstimulated. Perhaps it was the state of shock which left the care-worker the option to let the girls linger more than they should but certainly after that timeframe, the carers had a new way of dealing with Wanda.

XxX

While the Professor was visiting, trouble was brewing with Jean Grey. Rogue had seen how tightly the girl wound herself in order to project perfection. From excellent attendance at school and athletic clubs to great focus in Danger Room sessions, Jean was the epitome of the American dream.

But if you looked up close, there were tiny imperfections to the visage. Sometimes items around her hovered above the surface. Her telepathy was playing up. Jean heard thoughts and reacted to them like they were conversations, leaving people to ponder at how it had happened.

Rogue spoke about it with Logan.

"Are you telling me this officially, as your instructor or as your friend?"

"Does it matter? Y'all tell me to speak up if Ah think something's wrong."

"We'll keep an eye on her. You did good Stripes. I didn't think you were overly keen on her."

"Which is why you need to do something about it!"

When the Professor returned, without any clear outcome of his trip, Logan filled him in on Rogue's suspicions. He arranged for an informal chat with Jean but the girl brushed his fears away. She was stressing due to mid-terms. And maybe things with Duncan. She'd be fine.

The Professor sent for Rogue and while he couldn't divest what had been said, Rogue picked up on the signs.

"You did well to raise your concerns, Rogue."

"You guys are rubbing off on me."

"I'm sure it's more than that. By the way, did you have any chance to think about our last conversation?"

She shrugged. "Honestly? No."

"Well, perhaps if you gave me an idea of what you're thinking we can go from there?"

"First off, Ah need you to know that Ah mean no disrespect. To you or Mom. Ah don't know what your impression of her was, outside of what you told me and whilst Ah know there are parts of her life Ah don't know, Ah don't want my opinion of her to change. She was my mom you know? She raised me. Cared for me when Ah gave her hell, cared for me when Ah hated myself. Sure she made mistakes but they all seem minor compared to mine."

The Professor nodded. "Of course, there's bound to be confusion. We can all be guilty of idolising our parents, even when there are moments of doubt."

Rogue nodded. "Ah understand, ah do. But there's one thing Ah can't forget. My mom was in the Army. She served in places most people would be frightened to think about, let alone visit. She worked in warzones. She was trained in Artillery. She wanted her life to mean something. She spent her life caring for others. She was strong and independent. And yet, she ended up with a guy like your stepbrother! How does that sort of thing make sense?"

He'd been with her through all the positive attributes. "It shows us all that humans are not invulnerable. They make mistakes. Our choices lead us to paths we can not always comprehend. The point is, we can learn to adapt. We learn to survive. There is always a way out, though it may not be so clear all the time."

"I still don't understand."

"You will though."

XxX

When Jean finally did lose control, the X-Men battled together to save her. Rogue offered her skill as a way of draining some of Jean's psychic energy, enough that she could access the psychic link she shared with the Professor.

The damage to the mansion was vast but everyone pitched in to help make reparation. However, none thought about the girl who had help Jean 'clear' the way. Rogue was left with a glimpse of the cracks that lingered in the visage Jean presented to the world.

She had seen that the popular girl was capable of baser instincts, such as jealousy. Envy. For while she was secure in her relationship with Duncan Matthews, she wasn't unaware of the attachment she held for Scott Summers. They'd been friends from the first day but lately, she'd been realising the impression Scott had on her emotions and hormones.

Envy was present in the way she viewed her female friends growing closer, or trying to grow close to Scott. She was wickedly pleased he rebuffed their advances, for she didn't want anything to come between her place in Scott's life.

There was something else too. Something lingering. A darkness that promised so much more, if one was only brave enough to reach out to it...

XxX

The third event was a training exercise arranged at a local facility. The Brotherhood were also in attendance. They were competing against each other for superiority but their time was cut short when they were informed that both Mystique and the Professor were under attack from an unstoppable force. They were forced to collaborate to save their respective mentors.

It had been the first time Rogue saw Mystique since she'd been taken in by Magneto. But she couldn't focus on that. The Professor, her father, needed her. The assailant was none other than the very man who had dated her mother, caused her father's accident and was now delighting in the wreckage he caused.

"We need to remove the helmet."

Her words carried among the group as they each played to their strengths.

Blob's brute strength, Quicksilver's pace, Toad and Nightcrawler's agility. Kitty's sneak attacks. Scott's aim. Jean's telekineses. Their combined quick movement as they undid the latches and knocked the helmet, right in time for the Professor's telepathy to knock out the man, leaving the team victorious.

Later, when Rogue was working on some exercise for Maths, Scott approached her. She'd been quiet after the chaos, slipping away when no-one was watching.

"Hey Rogue."

"Hey Scott."

"I thought you did really well today."

She shrugged. "Ah didn't do much."

He shook his head. "You assessed the situation, which put us on the right track, otherwise we could have been much longer taking him out."

"Oh."

"Are you feeling ok?"

"Just a lot on my mind."

"Care to talk about it?"

She shrugged. "It's nothing really."

He persisted. "Well clearly it's something if it's got you tongue tied."

"Ah guess it was weird, seeing that guy today."

"Yeah, it's not often we find someone that even Logan can't take down."

She shook her head. "It's not that, although it is weird."

"Then what?"

She didn't know if the Professor wanted his history made public, particularly that it was his step-brother that caused his injuries. "That man knew my mom."

"Knew as in, was friends?"

"No Scott. They were a couple."

"Oh."

"Ah've always known my mom was a strong woman, she had a hard time keeping me in line, but Ah never would have imagined she could get herself in a situation which caused her to doubt her own judgement."

"We all make mistakes Rogue."

"Even you?"

"Of course. You should have seen the damage I caused when my powers first manifested. It took a long time to get to this stage and I still have a way to go."

"You always seem so capable."

"I can promise you, some days are harder than others. Look Rogue, I'm really sorry about going off at you for the car thing. It wasn't my place to step in."

"Ah know you meant well. Ah have a habit of over-reacting."

"Even so, can we call a truce? I'd like you to know I'll do my best not to over-step my place."

"Well that sounds good and all, but I think we need to seal the deal."

"Seal, I don't know..."

"Relax Scott, I'm not going to say 'kiss'. I was thinking more like grabbing a burger."

"Oh? That's great, I mean that would be great."

"Should we say Saturday? After Logan's Danger room session? Ah have a feeling we'll need it."

Scott agreed, feeling he'd made the right move in approaching Rogue, whereas she, who hadn't even considered asking Scott out moments before, decided not to make too big of a deal about it.

XxX