XXX

Xavier forced his wheelchair to the elevators as fast as possible as the girls dashed up the stairs. As they reached the top landing, they could only see a trace of smoke as it settled in the hallway.

Rogue's door was slightly ajar as Scott, Jean, and Kurt also arrived on the scene and Scott cautiously pushed it open. He wasn't sure if Rogue would even be "Rogue," or if she'd just attack on sight...

"Rogue," he called. "It's Scott. Are you alright?"

Kurt suddenly pushed past the team leader and ported farther into his sister's room, scanning quickly. "Rogue? Where..."

"Geez! Rogue!" Scott yelled as he spotted their teammate lying face down on the floor next to her dresser. He and Kurt knelt down beside her and Jean was instantly at their side, putting a hand on the girl's back.

"She's breathing, but she's unconscious. I can't get into her mind at all." The redhead's brow furrowed in concern as Kitty and Tabitha stood at the doorway.

Kitty turned an angry glance to the blonde, "Just 'being Rogue' huh?"

Tabitha grimaced, now completely ashamed at her earlier outburst. There had been something wrong with the Southerner all along and she'd been too quick to judge to notice.

The girls turned to see Logan running toward them and quickly jumped out of the way. "What happened?!" he growled as he joined the others beside Rogue's prone form. He, too, placed a hand on her back.

"We don't know," Jean explained as she stood up to move out of the way. "We all heard an explosion and the Professor told us it was Rogue. No one saw what happened."

"Was anyone with her recently?" he asked gruffly, gently rolling the unconscious girl into his arms.

Kitty stuck her head into the room. "Tabitha and I were just downstairs with her less than five minutes ago." The brunette's eyes were still rimmed red from earlier and now new tears threatened to spill over.

Logan grunted. "You two come with me," he instructed as he hoisted Rogue up off the floor and carried her from the room. "Xavier's waiting in the med bay."

By this time the rest of the student body had gathered in the hallway to check out the scene. As Wolverine stormed by with the unconscious Rogue, everyone stepped back, exchanging worried and fearful glances.

Following closely behind Wolverine, Kurt looked around at the other students and forced himself not to snarl at the distrust written on their faces. He knew they had every right to be wary of Rogue - even on a good day she was a force to be reckoned with, but when her powers were out of control... Well, EVERYONE had a right to be afraid.

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Two days later Kitty and Amara shuffled down the halls after school. Katherine Pryde normally took great care in her makeup and overall appearance; however, the valley girl looked particularly unkempt at the moment. Her ponytail sagged against her neck as errant hairs poked out from the elastic band. Her normally crisp outfit was wrinkled and looked as if it had been lying on the floor all weekend. And, perhaps even more telling was her distinct lack of makeup. Instead of being lined with a neutral tone of shadow, her eyes were puffy and rimmed red.

Anyone could see the poor girl was miserable.

"I just," Kitty sniffled as Amara put a hand on her shoulder, "I just can't believe she's not awake yet, you know?"

"Kitty," Amara soothed, "You know there's nothing you could have done. The Professor already explained that."

"Yeah I know, but I, like, should have known something was wrong, you know? I should have let the Professor know she was acting funny. I should have..."

Amara sighed, frustrated, and stopped short in the nearly empty hallway, grabbing Kitty's arm.

"And SHE should have told someone there was a problem. You ASKED if she was okay and she blew you off. That's on her, not you. You beat yourself up all weekend about this, and you need to stop it."

Kitty started to protest, but the Brazilian princess held up a hand, cutting her off. "It's not your responsibility to know when she's having problems with her powers. It's hers."

Amara sighed and smiled sympathetically, ushering them along once more. "After all, I can't really expect you guys to run to the Professor for me every time I feel like I'm going to start spontaneously combusting, can I? Rogue's a big girl; she's got to learn how to ask for help when she needs it."

Kitty sniffled again and pushed a piece of hair away from her face. "I guess you're right," she admitted quietly.

"Now come on," the younger girl added cheerfully, "let's go get her homework - that's one thing she doesn't need to ASK for help on. Everyone knows it's not going to collect itself!"

As the girls finally walked into the empty English classroom, however, they were quite surprised to find that the opposite was true. Apparently, someone had already called the school asking for Rogue's homework for the entire week. And, in addition, they had dropped off all her other homework from the previous week.

The exact homework Rogue had been working on the day of the ... incident. Coincidently, it was also the same homework that had been stored in her book bag - a book bag that was now missing.

The girls practically ran to the office to see who had picked up and dropped off the assignments, but all the secretary could tell them was that it was a young man - someone she'd assumed to be from the Xavier house.

"ARGH!" Kitty yelled as the two girls left the office and headed outside. "I am getting FED UP with this secret admirer thing! Enough is enough already!"

Amara snickered. "Are you mad because he took the backpack, turned in her homework, AND collected the new assignments, or because you still don't know who it is?"

"Both!" Kitty stated facetiously, throwing her hands up in the air as she pushed open the heavy exterior doors of the high school. "I mean, the boys at Xavier's can't be THAT sneaky unless somebody else is helping them, and NOBODY there knows how to keep a secret..."

"Well someone sure does, 'cause no one seems to know who it is - not even Tabitha or Jean."

Kitty blew a hair out of her face as the two headed toward Scott's car where he and Jean were waiting for them.

"Pfft, not like Jean would tell us if she did know," the brunette announced loudly as they hopped in the backseat.

"If I did know what?" the redhead asked, turning a quizzical eye to Kitty and Amara.

Amara giggled. "If you did know who Rogue's secret admirer is. Kitty's in a tiff 'cause he already picked up and dropped off Rogue's homework."

"He dropped off her homework from last week?" Scott asked, looking into his rearview mirror as he pulled out of the school parking lot. "The stuff that's in her missing backpack?"

"Yes." Kitty huffed, folding her arms and slumping down in the seat.

"I thought you said it wasn't finished. Isn't that cheating?" Scott furrowed his brow and looked genuinely concerned until Jean raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" he asked defensively as Amara shook her head and Kitty sulked.

"Really Scott," Jean admonished. "Rogue's in a coma and you're concerned with someone doing her homework?"

Kitty and Amara instantly turned their attention to the redhead.

"Wh-what!?" Kitty stammered. "What do you mean she's in a coma? The Professor said she was just recuperating..."

Jean grimaced, and this time it was Scott's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Yes," the redhead tried to backtrack, "she is just recuperating. I just meant she's still unconscious and no one knows exactly when she'll wake up. I didn't mean a REAL coma, just ... like a coma. Besides, I'm sure she'll come around really soon. The Professor said she's getting stronger all the time. She could even wake up today."

XXX

Much to the chagrin of her friends, Rogue did not wake up that Monday. Nor did she wake up the entire rest of the week.

Professor Xavier spent hours on end with the unconscious teen, trying desperately to break into her mind and discover the source of her mental relapse.

"I just don't understand it Hank," Xavier confided in his friend and colleague. "I can SENSE a presence in her mind, but I cannot seem to find the source."

The two men were hunched over Dr. McCoy's desk in the medical lab, thumbing through various charts, test results and brain scans.

"Rogue is in there, somewhere, but it's like she's been trapped inside her own mind by someone else." Xavier leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling.

Beast examined the older man with an amused, yet downhearted smile. The Professor's body language was so uncharacteristic of him, and it spoke volumes toward his frustration. "The good news is her physical health charts are coming back completely clean," Beast said with more encouragement than he felt. "Sometimes patients who spend long periods of time unconscious begin to deteriorate, but she seems to be stable for now."

Beast's positive outlook was marred, however, by an angst-ridden sigh as he removed his glasses and placed them quietly on the table.

Xavier turned to the blue furred mutant. "And the bad news?"

Beast sighed again. "The bad news is that she won't remain like this for long. We've been keeping up her fluids and some nutrients intravenously, but they aren't meant to maintain an unconscious patient for long."

"Hank... please speak plainly," Xavier pleaded with a slight hint of irritation in his voice - just another sign of the wariness the Professor was fighting.

"We're going to have to find other ways to care for her - and soon. She's breathing fine on her own, so we don't need a ventilator, but things like catheters and feeding tubes are going to be necessary if she doesn't wake up soon."

Hank stood up, running a furry hand through his blue hair as he turned to gaze at Rogue's prone form through the glass window.

"I've been moving and aspirating her a few times a day to prevent bedsores, pneumonia, or other infections. Not that Logan couldn't take care of that instantly, but it makes me feel useful at least…" The blue doctor glanced down as Xavier joined him. "Things like waste removal and long-term nutrition need to be addressed. The methods I've been using aren't meant for a long-term, vegetative patient."

Xavier took a deep breath, closing his eyes and steeping his hands as he contemplated Hank's words.

"Jean and I will try one more time to reach her - tomorrow. Then I will speak privately with Kurt - he's her closest relative after all. How we proceed from there will ultimately have to be up to him."

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The following day brought one of the gloomiest Saturdays the X-Men could remember. A foreboding surrounded the mansion even though none of the students had yet been told about Rogue's condition or her grim diagnosis.

Jean and the other adults had gone down to the medbay first thing in the morning at the summons of Professor Xavier. All other visitors to the basement had been restricted and Wolverine had even cancelled a Danger Room session.

It had been hours since their departure, and the team was beginning to worry. It wasn't like the Professor to restrict access to any part of the building and it was DEFINITELY not normal for a training session to be cancelled.

Kurt was called down to the medbay shortly after two o'clock; it was approximately six hours after Jean had gone down, and she still had not returned. Kitty, Bobby, Scott, and Kurt had gathered just before Kurt had been pulled away by the Professor, and pretty soon a flood of students had joined them in the library.

By three o'clock all the students were about to break down the doors to the basement.

"Alright," Kitty declared to the room. "I'm phasing down there - I don't care what the punishment is!"

Kitty was met with a chorus of "me too's!" from practically everyone, when the double doors opened to reveal Professor Xavier, Beast, Storm, Wolverine, and Jean, with Kurt bringing up the rear.

The crowd instantly quieted and moved aside as the sudden energy in the room fizzled out.

"I..." The Professor began, but stopped momentarily, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting so anxiously, but I was in need of some time with Jean and Kurt, respectively. You see they have been... helping me... with some very tough, very mature problems."

Kitty sank into a nearby chair as she looked at Kurt. She knew by his blank, heartbroken expression that the Professor did not bear good news.

The Professor paused, glancing once to Kitty as her emotions cut through him. "As you all know Rogue had some sort of lapse within her mind and, though I've spent innumerable hours trying to reach her, I have been unsuccessful. Jean and I spent most of the morning using Cerebro to break into her mind, but the results were the same."

The library was deathly silent, poised almost for a funeral.

Xavier looked around at the stricken faces of the students and felt his own eyes grow warm. "I am still hopeful that Rogue will awaken on her own, but I fear that it may take much longer for her to do so than I initially thought."

He looked back toward Kurt, who was still standing sullenly in the doorway.

"As her brain activity has not changed at all in the last week, I'm forced to recognize that it may take weeks or even months for Rogue to wake up. I'm going to continue to work with her to shorten that time, but as Beast has reminded me, we need to prepare for the long-term.

"I requested Kurt's presence a short while ago to discuss these preparations and allow him some time to reflect without outside influences. While he has mostly determined a course of action, he would also like to include the rest of you in the decision making-process. Hank would you mind explaining? I ….need a moment."

The Professor propelled himself backward, allowing room for the doctor to step forward. Xavier himself touched a hand to his forehead in order to regain control of his mental blocks. The torrent of emotions swelling within the small room would drive him into the darkness as well if he didn't act quickly to restore his shields.

Beast cleared his throat and tried to find the best way to explain the scenario to the young group. He'd already gotten to practice quite a few times on the other adults, Jean, and Kurt, but such a large crowd was slightly more intimidating.

"Ahem," he began, "Rogue is currently in what we call a vegetative state. She is not cognizant - aware - of anything going on around her, and is completely unresponsive to all types of external stimuli."

Bobby saw the look of confusion on Jaime's face and translated. "It means she doesn't wake up when you poke her and stuff."

Realization and appreciation dawned on the young boy's face before the gravity of the new knowledge sunk in.

"Essentially, yes. Thank you Bobby," Beast commented before continuing. "When a person is unresponsive for long periods of time - when they won't wake up - certain measures must be taken to ensure that every day needs are taken care of.

"In a comatose state, Rogue cannot eat or drink by herself. For the most part, a majority of her muscles will not work on their own. She cannot swallow or do... other things that occur with normal bodily function. She's breathing fine and her heart is strong, but things like nutrition and fluids must be taken care of by machines."

Hank paused again, letting the information sink in. He gauged the reactions of the students, but was mostly met with shock.

"So, IV's and catheters and stuff, aye?" Rahne questioned.

"That's correct, yes," Beast replied, looking relieved that he wouldn't have to explain that aspect any further.

"So uh, what decisions did Kurt have t' make, if you don't mind mah askin'?" Sam raised his hand from the back of the room and stepped forward slightly. "Ah mean, if you're just gonna stick some tubes in her to keep her healthy and stuff, it don't sound like there's even a decision t' make."

"Yeah," Jubilee piped in, feeling more hopeful. "You usually only ask the next of kin to make decisions when a person could die."

The silent reactions of the adults brought the mood of the room to a new low, and many students quickly sat down as the realization struck.

"There is," the Professor spoke quietly as the tears began to well from nearly every student. "There is the possibility that Rogue... that she might not wake up. Whatever, or whomever is in her mind is completely blocking us out. I cannot get into Rogue's psyche, nor can she get out. And, until her mind can break free, she will not wake up." He took another deep breath to calm himself. He had to remain confident and upbeat for the sake of his children.

"We must consider that possibility and ultimately decide whether to continue assisting her body until she does awaken, or stop all interventions and..."

There was a pregnant pause as the Professor tried to find the best way to word the other scenario.

"... And let nature take its course."

He stopped a moment as the students registered his words.

"That is why I had to speak to Kurt first. I believe that if Rogue trusted anyone to make those types of decisions for her, it would be her brother."

"Well it certainly wouldn't be Mystique," Tabitha joked from the corner. The comment, though slightly off-color in such a somber situation, helped lighten the mood enough to garner a few watery chuckles.

Xavier smiled, grateful for the girl's timing. Even Kurt snorted derisively from his stance at the doorway.

"So, uh, why did you want to involve us, Kurt?" Kitty sniffled. "I mean, it sounds like everything is already figured out."

Kurt swallowed hard and tried to keep himself from porting out of the room. Asking for the others' opinions had seemed like a good idea at first, but now he felt stifled and terrified.

Xavier could sense his anxiety and spoke up for him.

"Kurt has... mixed emotions about the different courses of action," the Professor began, but soon Kurt himself stood up from the doorway and fully entered the room, standing next to Xavier.

"I..." he choked up a bit and Kitty, who sat very near him, reached out to hold his hand. He smiled gratefully at her and gave her hand a little squeeze.

"My religious views and vhat I vant for my sister are very different. On one hand, I was raised to believe zhat only God can choose your fate and zhat a life which was meant to end must not be dragged out.

"But she is meine schwester - my sister - and I... I don't want to give up on her. But, I don't want to see her suffer, eizer. I do not really know what to do and since zhe X-Men are as much Rogue's family as I am, I wanted to know vhat you all think as well."

Kurt glanced around the room as his friends and teammates each mulled over their own thoughts.

"I, uh, I had a cousin that was on life support for a long time," Berzerker spoke from where he sat on the floor. He was cross-legged and stared intently at his hands as he spoke. "He - he had leukemia and went into a coma. I guess he was still kind of awake, but he couldn't do anything for himself, you know. They gave him a feeding tube through his nose, and he didn't need a ventilator at first, but he just got worse and worse. It was..." he stopped for a moment, his voice cracking. "It was awful watching him suffer like that."

Kurt and a couple others nodded, their eyes filling with tears once again.

"That kinda sufferin' is terrible, Ray, and ah'm real sorry you an' your cousin had t' go through it," Sam Guthrie intervened, "but ah don't think Rogue's gonna have that problem. Sounds like she's fine physically and it's just her head that's havin' trouble."

There were a few quiet murmurs of agreement from the students.

"Ah mean, mah grandma got in a car accident a few years back and they thought she was a goner - bleedin' on the brain or something," Cannonball continued. "Mah folks decided to sign this 'do not resuscitate' card, expectin' her t' keel over with a few days or something. She was such a stubborn old gal though, she kept right on goin' and woke up on her own a couple a days later. Heck, she just went on vacation t' Fiji!"

More kids smiled this time and the sounds of agreement rose.

This time Scott spoke up. "I think that like any of us here, Rogue is a fighter. She never gave up when times got hard and I don't think she'd want to give up now. We may not know what'll happen if or when she does wake up, but we do know that she wouldn't just throw in the towel."

This time a few people even clapped, including Logan.

"Yeah, but she's MISERABLE," Tabitha argued quietly from where she stood in the back corner. When she looked around at all the deadly glares and downcast eyes, she threw her hands up in the air. "Hey don't shoot or anything, I'm just saying that she might... I don't know - welcome - a way out."

Even the Professor raised an eyebrow at Tabitha this time.

"Fine," The girl sighed and tapped her foot. "When my dad was making me... do stuff for him… I PRAYED for a way out. ANY way out. I was so desperate to get out of that life that I would have taken any possible exit handed to me. I got lucky that the Professor found me first, but I don't know. You see the misery she goes through and I can't help but think, if it were me, what would I want..."

"But that's like, assisted suicide or something," Bobby argued vehemently.

"Better than ACTUAL suicide, don't you think?" Tabitha shot right back. "Rogue may be strong, but she's not made of stone, you know. Life hands you enough hard knocks and pretty soon you don't want to answer the door..."

XXX

The arguments went on for what seemed like hours before the group finally came to a consensus that Rogue was one of the strongest members of the team, and therefore would not want to just give up, or be given up on.

By five o'clock, the dreary mood had turned to that of brotherhood and support. Xavier and the other adults were amazed by the maturity and insight of the young students and realized that these 'children' were much more grown up than they had thought.

Despite the new feelings of optimism that permeated the air, however, there was still the task of actually attaching all those tubes and wires to Rogue. The Professor doubted the good mood would last, especially since the most senior X-Men - including Scott, Jean, Kitty, and Kurt - all wanted to be present for at least SOME of the procedures.

As the group reached the medbay however, everyone (including Logan) nearly fainted at the sight before them.

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