Rogue was breathing heavily as she ran through Bayville. Despite how uncomfortable it felt to be out here at this time of the night in nothing but her pajamas, she had to get away. So she ignored her own shivering as she continued on. She needed to hurry, for if she got her hands on her, then it would be all over.

"Oh, sugar, where are you?"

A sudden chill went down her back as she could hear that she was close. Sprinting down an alleyway, the southern belle tried to escape, only to meet a dead end. Looking over her shoulder, she screamed.

"Did you think you were gonna get away that easily?" Came the voice of the monster. Standing over 100 feet tall with her flowing, flaming hair was Rogue's future self. The future woman was leaning over a building as if it were a kitchen counter as she looked over the city for her target.

Rogue immediately dove down behind some trash cans as the woman's eyes, which were shooting out a green light that was acting like a kind of flashlight, scanned the city of Bayville. The young woman felt the light pass over her and was about to make a run for it when the trashcan tipped over. The sound alerted her pursuer, who locked onto Rogue's position. The future ghost gleamed with sadistic joy as she spotted Rogue and reached out a hand to grab her.

"Come to mama." Her dark voice, although sounding somewhat soothing, couldn't stop the hairs on Rogue's arms from rising as she stood there petrified.

Before Rogue's ultimate enemy could lay a finger on her, a blur slammed into her by the side, causing her to crash into a building.

The southern hybrid gasped at who her rescuer was. Another behemoth, but this one bore a striking resemblance to her ghost half. Her glowing green eyes held a sense of protection.

With a snarl, the future ghost rose up and glared at her foe.

"It's too late. She's mine now." She tried to make another move towards Rogue, only for the other giant to tackle her as they battled and argued.

"She still has a chance!" Her ghost half declared.

"No. Her fate is sealed." Pushing her rival off, the malevolent ghost then grabbed Rogue, who was using the distraction of the fight to try and flee.

"Let go of me!" Rogue demanded as she tried to break out, only for her future self to shake her head at the futile action.

"So weak. You never could handle the power. But, alas, the past is the past. And with you out of the way, nothing can stop me." She then brought Rogue closer as she opened her mouth to devour the poor girl when-

"Aaahhhh!" Rogue shot up from her bed and frantically looked around, only to calm down as she realized that she was still in her room.

'Vampira, did you see that?' She asked her ghost half.

"Of course. I was there fighting that bitch." Her other half stated.

Rogue sighed as she glanced at Kitty, who was still sleeping peacefully, much to her envy. After the whole fiasco with the trial, she had been having these nightmares of her future self hunting her down.

'When is this gonna stop?' After her encounter with Carnage, she thought there could never be something as evil as he was, only to be proven wrong by the classic statement, "You're your own worst enemy." And ever since then, she could never fully forget it.

"Rogue, you just found out that you became a monster in another timeline." Vampira pointed out. "You don't get over things like that very quickly. But give it some time, and I'm sure these bad dreams will fade away."

'You're right. I just need to give it some more time. Thanks.'

"Anytime. Now, after a nightmare like that, I think you know what we need to do, don't you?"

Rogue held back a giggle. "I certainly do." She then quietly got out of bed, phased through the door, and floated down the hallway. Phasing through her boyfriend's door, she saw both Scott and Danny asleep. Although she tried to be silent, she couldn't help but let out an unladylike snort at seeing Jean cuddling with Scott in his bed.

'Guess Mr. and Mrs. Little Goodie Two Shoes aren't as squeaky clean as they like to be.'

Turning her attention away from them, she got in bed with Danny, who, although still asleep, could sense Rogue joining him and wrapped an arm around her, much to her pleasure.

'There we go.' Rogue thought as she got into a sleeping position she liked. 'Much better.'

The next day, Danny and Rogue were enjoying a nice competitive game of racquetball against Jean and Scott. Though both teams gave it their all, it was the hybrids that came out on top.

"Whoo! You whupped us good." Scott admitted as he and Jean began to pack up their gear.

Danny had a sense of deja vu at those words as he looked at Rogue in concern. From what he learned in the other timeline, this should be when Rogue's powers should start acting up, but much to his relief, Rogue didn't seem to have any trouble at all concentrating on the game.

"Want a re-match tomorrow?" Rogue asked the couple only for them to shake their heads.

"Sorry, but Scott and I have a date tomorrow." Jean said.

"Oh, the concert?" Rogue asked.

"Yeah, you two going as well?" Scott replied.

"Nah. I'm not really a fan of the Descanso Rivets. Also, I don't feel comfortable being in a big crowd, you know?"

"Understandable." Jean said. "You two doing something else instead?"

Rogue turned to her boyfriend, who pushed aside his worry to give her a knowing smirk, making her blush. "Guess it's a surprise." She said to the couple.

"Well, that's nice." Jean picked up her bag. "Anyway, have fun, you two."

"You too." Rogue waved goodbye as Scott and Jean left. "You okay?" She asked her boyfriend. "You seemed a little deep in thought while we were playing."

"Have you been feeling okay lately?" He asked, making her frown.

"What?"

Danny sighed. "Look, long story short, on my little trip through time, I saw that around this time, you started losing control of your mutant powers. The personalities that you absorbed started fighting for control. Have you been experiencing anything like that?"

Rogue thought it over. The idea of the people in her head trying to take over was scary, but that was nothing compared to her nightmares. "To tell you the truth, no. Though I have been having... nightmares about her."

Danny looked at her in sympathy, knowing what it was like to get over something like that. He thought he was over him, but he still had the occasional bad dream from time to time.

Still wondering why her mutant powers weren't acting up, he thought it over before looking down at her hands and coming up with a theory. "Maybe it's not happening because you haven't absorbed too many people yet."

"Now that you mention it, I haven't used these powers that much since getting my ghost ones." Rogue admitted, and she could see why. While she had the potential to take any power, she had to make direct skin contact, leaving her open for an attack from an enemy. Besides, the ghost powers were more fun, and she didn't have to worry about anyone taking over her head.

"If something like that happens, just tell me, and I'll help you." Danny replied, making Rogue smile at him as she placed a hand on his cheek.

"You're so cute when you get protective." She then took his and pulled him out of the room. "Now come on, I'm thirsty."

This made Danny guffaw. "Are we that far in our relationship to be doing that?"

"I'd say yes." Vampira chimed in.

Rogue's cheeks reddened. "Not that kind of thirsty, you perv." She slapped him on the shoulder playfully, making Danny laugh.

"It was a fair question." He said as they reached the kitchen, where Wanda was having some lunch.

"How's it going, Wanda?" Danny greeted as he got a water bottle from the fridge and chugged it down.

"I'm doing okay." Wanda placed her plate in the sink. "You two going to the concert tonight?"

Rogue shook her head. "No, Danny has something special planned instead."

"Good for you." The daughter of Magneto said, trying to hide her envy.

"What about you?" Her fellow goth inquired. "You got any plans?"

Wanda had a look of embarrassment on her face. "Yeah, I got... well, I sort of have a date for the concert."

The two stopped what they were doing as they stared at Wanda, who was a bit offended at their silence. Was it so unbelievable that she could get a date?

"Who?" Both hybrids replied as they had different thoughts about this.

Rogue was happy to see that her friend had found someone, and she was a bit relieved to know that she would be able to stop worrying about Wanda's crush on Danny.

"About time she learns she's not getting our man." Vampira said.

Danny, on the other hand, was happy for her, but he was jealous. He didn't know why. Maybe it was because he felt a bit protective of her. She had had a hard life since childhood, and he didn't want to see her get hurt.

"Jamie." Wanda answered as she avoided eye contact with them.

"Jamie?" They repeated as they realized that the twelve-year-old who could duplicate was going out with Wanda. The two started laughing, making Wanda cross her arms, not amused by their reactions.

"Hey, I only said yes so he would stop pestering me, okay?" She replied defensively. "Besides, it's not like I have anything else to do tonight."

"Didn't know you preferred them that young, Wanda." Danny joked as the two half-ghosts laughed again, making Wanda roll her eyes.

It was evening, and a limo was driving slowly around the bad part of town. The vehicle stopped as the window went down, revealing Irene to be the passenger. She looked out to see a cat sitting on a set of steps across from her. Hopping in, the feline took its seat as it morphed into Mystique.

"I'm here. Now tell me, Destiny, what is so important?" She asked, slightly annoyed at being called here right now when she had important work to do.

"I've come to warn you, Mystique." Irene said, cutting to the chase. "I've had disturbing visions about Rogue."

"Explain."

"You're still trying to kill the boy, aren't you?" Irene inquired, as Mystique's silence was enough of an answer. "Raven, I think it'll be in our best interest to back down."

"What are you talking about?" The shapeshifter replied incredulously. "We can't leave her with him."

Irene sighed. "Why do you hate him so much, Raven, besides the fact that he's dating her and is destined to marry her? Is it because he's on Xavier's side? Or is it because he isn't a mutant? Or is it because, deep down, he's a living reminder of your failures with both her and Kurt? And that you envy him because he can give her what you never could."

Mystique growled. "Don't go there, Irene. And why are you suddenly at his defense, hmm?"

Here, Irene's guarded look became one of confusion and a slight bit of fear. "Because, ever since we've encountered him, I've tried looking into his future, but the only things I could squander up were..." She shuddered as the memories of the orgy came back to her. "You know."

The blue woman had a look of disgust on her face at that boy touching Rogue. "Don't remind me."

"But any other time I try to look into his destiny, I am unable to." She explained as every time she tried to peer into his future, it all went black. "It's as if he isn't restrained by fate." This fact was scaring her, as she had never seen anything like this. And it frightened her that she didn't know what was in store for him besides marrying Rogue and Wanda.

And who could forget the sudden pain and headaches that she would receive when she kept pressing further? It was as if she was warring against something else, something that didn't want her to know.

But the worst were the nightmares where she would find herself in her room, seeing two figures standing above her bed. A male and a female, both with heads of fire and red eyes, would peer down at her with ominous looks. These nightmares would always end with her waking up screaming.

"We are playing with forces beyond our comprehension." Irene continued. "That Fenton boy is more than just a kid with ghost powers."

Mystique, however, was unwilling to let this issue go. "It doesn't change the fact that he isn't completely invulnerable. I had him at my complete mercy. I could've ended it right then and there." She narrowed her eyes as she recalled how Danny managed to get away. "But I won't make the same mistake again." She pulled out something and placed it in Irene's hand.

Irene felt it; it was some kind of rose. "What is this, some kind of flower?"

"It's called a Blood Blossom." Mystique smirked. "In the 1600s, they were commonly used to keep spirits at bay. Even the very vapor they produce can bring a ghost to its knees."

"You're gonna try to kill him again, even after everything I've just told you?" Irene asked in what appeared to be exasperation.

"Irene, you told me that the girl would play a key role in our future, but not how." Mystique recalled. "We've spent all these years raising that girl to figure out what her role is. Perhaps she is the key to mutant superiority or the key to unlimited power. Whatever it is, I'm not letting some animated corpse ruin it all."

The seer frowned at Mystique's stubbornness. "Very well, but know this: I can't tell you what will happen next. So you'll be on your own. I can't help you."

"I understand. But I'm confident we will look back on this as the night that Danny Fenton died. Permanently." She took back the Blood Blossom and admired it. "You know it's funny. This very flower was discovered by his ancestor, John Fentonightingale. How ironic that he found the very thing that would end his last descendant."

The next morning, Rogue was brushing her hair. She was in good spirits. She didn't have a nightmare last night, and she would be having a nice date with her boyfriend tonight. Opening her closet door, the young woman took a look at the dress she was bringing. It'd be sure to leave Danny with his mouth wide open.

"Who's a sexy bombshell?" Vampira asked playfully.

'We are.' Rogue replied as she giggled while admiring herself in the mirror before changing to her ghost form. As she continued to appraise her appearance, her reflection grinned back, showing her fanged teeth, which made the real Rogue take a step back in surprise. Getting unnerved, Rogue moved her hand up and side to side, only to freeze at seeing her reflection staying perfectly still.

The reflection let out a laugh and winked her eye at Rogue as her face slowly grew pale blue and her hair ignited. With her transformation complete, she let out a roar that startled Rogue.

"Rogue?" Danny's voice called as he knocked on the door, making her look away from the mirror. Blinking in shock for a moment, she looked back at her reflection and saw that everything was normal.

"Rogue?" Danny called again.

Opening the door, she greeted her boyfriend. "Hi, what's up?"

"You okay?" Danny frowned in concern. "I heard you scream."

"Sorry about that. I thought I saw something." She said lamely as Danny gave a hesitant nod.

"I see. You know, if you're not feeling up to our date tonight, we can always reschedule."

"No!" Rogue said forcefully—a little too forcefully, she realized as she calmed herself down. "I mean, no." She said, trying to play it cool. "I think we both need this. Especially after everything we've just been through and learned."

"If you change your mind, let me know." He told her. "So you ready for school?"

Rogue chuckled as she picked up her bag. "Am I ever?"

Much to her relief, the school day went by normally. Well, as normal as it could go for someone like her with all the dirty looks and others muttering slurs behind her back, although she did find the face Duncan made at seeing Danny back in school pretty funny. But it was nothing compared to the fuming expression that Kelly had.

All in all, it was an okay day, which soon passed by quickly, and Rogue was now in her room getting ready. Hearing a knock at her door, she smiled and opened it. Leaning against the doorframe showing off her red dress, she said in her best impression of Sigourney Weaver, "Are you the keymaster?"

Danny, who was wearing a nice suit and holding flowers in his hand, rolled his eyes. "A ghostbusters reference? Like I haven't heard that one before."

Rogue giggled as she took the flowers. "They're lovely; thank you." She placed them in a vase with water before grabbing his hand. "So what do you have planned?"

The supernatural X-Man smirked. "You'll see."

The two headed out, passing Wanda on the way, who looked on solemnly before she continued to get ready for the concert.

At the garage, Danny pulled out the keys to Scott's car.

"Ooh, Scott's car." Rogue grinned. "Did you have to overshadow him to get him to give it to you?"

Danny snickered. "Nah. He and Jean are heading to the concert in her car. So I talked him into letting me borrow his." He opened the passenger door. "My lady."

"Oh, thank you, sir." She rubbed his chin. "Such a gentleman."

After a nice smooth ride, the two half-ghosts arrived at a restaurant that had Rogue look at her boyfriend in disbelief.

"Elysium?" She said the name of the restaurant they were standing outside of. "You got us reservations at Elysium? How? This place is so expensive."

The black-haired boy smirked. "Blackmailed Fruit Loop into giving me one of his credit cards."

"You never cease to amaze me, sugar." Rogue complimented as they entered the establishment.

The reservationist raised an eyebrow at the young couple. "Reservations?"

"Yeah, they're, uh, under Fenton."

"Fenton?" The reservationist narrowed his eyes at the name, making Danny sigh internally as he realized things were gonna get ugly. Since his hybrid status has been revealed, he has been getting even dirtier looks compared to the ones his friends got.

The pompous man glared at the pair. "We don't serve your kind. Now get out."

"Hey, we-" Just as Danny was about to lay into this guy for his prejudice, Rogue calmed him down.

"Don't worry, Danny." She said as she turned to the reservationist as her eyes glowed. "I got this." With a sudden lunge, she phased into the man and overshadowed him as his eyes glowed green for a brief moment before returning to normal.

"My apologies." Rogue said through the man's body. "I'll get you two a private table so you won't be disturbed." She then exited his body and he led them to their table.

"Nice job." Danny praised.

"Thanks; I've been practicing that power lately." Rogue replied.

"With who?" He inquired. Whenever he tried to teach Rogue how to overshadow someone, he could never find a lot of willing volunteers. The only ones who allowed it were Logan, who knew the importance of training one's powers, and Beast, who wanted to know what it was like to be overshadowed (for science, he would say).

Rogue smiled mischievously.

"Hey, Rogue." Kitty greeted. She was sitting on her bed, reading a magazine, when she saw her roommate come in. "What's up?"

Rogue stared at her for a moment before asking, "Can I borrow your body?"

"What?"

"By the way, you're taking her driving. Only way I got her to agree." Rogue said as they approached their table.

"Can't wait." He said sarcastically before pulling out Rogue's chair.

"How sweet." She kissed him on the cheek in thanks. The two then looked at the menus. "You know I don't want to leave a hole in your pocket, but since this is cheesehead's money we're using, how about we order the most expensive things on the menu? What do you say?"

"You read my mind."

The waiter came and took their orders, and as the half-ghost couple continued to chat, the server placed the order into the kitchen before sneaking into a storage closet when no one was looking.

Smirking, the attendant morphed into Mystique, who pulled out the Blood Blossom and gazed at it with excitement. Soon, she would be rid of Danny Fenton forever. Putting her plan into action, she turned into a sous chef and joined all the other cooks in the kitchen. When it came to the order for the half-ghosts, she picked off one of the flower's petals and dropped it into Danny's soup.

'Enjoy your last meal, Fenton.' She thought darkly as she watched the dish leave the kitchen. With her work done, she slunk out of there.

After enjoying their appetizers, they were brought their main courses. As Rogue was chowing down on the steak she ordered, Danny was examining his soup. For some reason, he felt a bit uneased by the scent of the soup. A part of him contemplated putting it aside, but in the end, he shrugged. He ordered the thing, so he may as well give it a try. And who knows, maybe it might actually taste good.

He took a spoonful, and it took him all his strength to not throw it up as it was rancid.

"How's the soup?" Rogue asked as she looked up from her meal to see her boyfriend sporting a look of disgust on his face as he swallowed it down.

"Gross." He uttered. "Really gross."

"That bad?" She questioned before looking down at it. "Here, let me try it. She grabbed a spare spoon and was about to taste it for herself when she caught the smell which was making her eyes watery. Deciding that she was better off not trying it, she put down the spoon. "You know, I think I'll take your word for it."

"Smart choice." Danny said as he drank some water to get the taste out.

"Well, I guess you can say you're ready for dessert then, huh?" She joked, eliciting a weak chuckle from Danny.

Meanwhile, at the concert, the crowd was going wild as the Rivets were performing.

"Whoo! Rivets!" Kurt cheered next to Amanda. "Yeah, that's what it's all about!"

While everyone was having a good time, a certain witch was restraining the urge to roll her eyes due to the requests of her "date."

"Come on, Wanda." Jamie held out a corsage for her. "Just wear it for a while."

"I said no, Jamie." Wanda said with a tone of finality as they walked through the crowd, passing by Scott and Jean.

"Whoa." Scott took note of Jamie's attire. The little boy was wearing a nice, fancy suit that stood out in the casual air of the crowd. "Jamie, aren't you a little overdressed?"

"Roberto lent me his suit." The twelve-year-old explained. "He wants a full report."

"Jamie!" Wanda let out in indignation as she dragged the boy away from the others and to a nearby corner where no one she knew could see her. The whole energy of the crowd just didn't mesh with her, whether it was due to not liking being in a large crowd or the fact that she wasn't that much of a fan of the Rivets she didn't know.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jamie asked, seeing that she was being closed off. Well, more than usual.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. It's just-"

"You wish you were here with Danny, don't you?" The young man finished, making Wanda dart her head toward him; her eyes widened in shock and a bit of fear.

"How do you know?" She demanded.

"Everyone knows you like him." Jamie explained. "Well, everyone but him."

"Oh." She let out an internal sigh of relief that her crush didn't know. That would've been awkward as hell. "Well, I guess." She answered Jamie's earlier question before looking over at him and seeing him look at the corsage sadly. "But I don't mind being with you, though." She added with a smile.

Jamie thrust the corsage into her face. "So does that mean you'll wear it?"

"Don't push your luck, kid." Wanda said as the two stopped speaking and listened to their music. Gazing up into the sky, the daughter of Magneto could've sworn she saw fireworks. Must've been her eyes playing tricks on her.

"Alright, now watch this one." Danny fired another ecto-blast into the sky as it exploded into a set of fireworks. The two were standing on top of one of the towers of the Bayville Bridge in their ghost forms. They had originally come there to watch the stars when Danny got the idea to use their powers to make the sky light up.

Rogue snorted at her boyfriend's attempt. "Oh, please, I can do better; watch." Using both of her hands, she sent a series of energy blasts up into the sky, making a spectacular display for anyone who happened to be looking up.

With a dopey look, Danny replied by saying, "It's not about the power you put into it but how refined you make it. Observe." He threw another blast into the air, which exploded, creating the shape of a heart.

"That's so cliche, you know that?" Rogue tried to say, but Danny could see her cheeks redden as he placed his arms around her, bringing her closer.

"I think it's an accurate representation of how I feel about you." Danny whispered into her ear, making Rogue let out a giggle.

"Well, I can't argue with that."

And so the two lovers embraced in a kiss, with the full moon in the distance shining a light that conveyed a bright future between them. A future together.

Too bad it all had to go to hell right now.

Danny separated from Rogue as he let out a scream as he clutched his stomach. He was wheezing as it was getting harder to breathe. His body was twitching rapidly as it felt like it was on fire as his shrieks increased in volume.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Rogue tried to help him, but he pushed her away.

"It hurts!" He cried. "It hurts so much!" He fell on his back as he started to spasm around as Rogue watched on helplessly, making it look like he was having a seizure. It continued on for a few moments before he let out one final shout and passed out.

"Danny? DANNY!" She tried to shake him awake, but to no avail. "Come on, wake up, damn it!" She started to pump his chest and give him CPR but it was pointless as he refused to stir.

"What's wrong with him?" Vampira demanded.

"I don't know." Rogue started to tap him on the cheek, but he would not awaken. "Danny, I swear, if this is some kind of sick joke." She tried to threaten, but she knew this was anything but a prank. "Don't leave, please. Please don't leave me." Picking him up in her arms, she flew back to the institute to get help, passing by a nearby raven perched on one of the towers that had a wicked glint in its yellow eyes.

The rest of the X-Men returned from the concert to find Roberto and Ray whispering to each other in the foyer with worried expressions.

"What's wrong?" Scott asked, wondering what had shaken up those two.

"You both look as if someone died." Jean asked, making the two flinch. "What? What is it?"

Wanda stormed down to the infirmary, with Scott and Jean close behind, along with Kitty and Kurt. As they reached their destination, they all felt their fears increase at the scene before them.

Danny was passed out on a bed as Beast was trying to figure out what the problem was while Rogue stood by his side in ghost form with her features locked in terror.

"What happened?" Wanda interrogated.

The professor, who was watching his student in concern, turned to Wanda. "We don't know."

"He just started screaming out of nowhere and passed out." Rogue explained.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Scott asked fearfully, not wanting to lose his brother.

"I don't know." Beast was working fast to try and help the hybrid when he shot out of bed, startling everyone. His eyes were bloodshot red as he puked on the floor, eliciting looks of disgust from everyone present before falling unconscious again.

It was worse for Rogue, who was right next to the pile when a red vapor came from the vomit, and as she breathed it in, she started coughing before falling to her knees as she felt her lungs react violently.

Beast followed the trail of the vapor with his eyes and saw that it was coming from a petal in Danny's throw-up. Using tweezers, he picked it up and placed it in a vial, causing the vapor to vanish and Rogue's pain to stop.

"What the hell was that?" Rogue gasped out as she took in breaths of air to calm down.

"I believe this is the cause of Danny's infliction." Beast presumed as everyone gathered around to observe it.

"I got hurt just by being near it." Rogue revealed as she looked at the little petal in horror.

"It's as if it's a ghost's kryptonite." Vampira commented.

"What kind of flower is able to do that?" Logan asked as Storm's eyes widened in recognition.

"It can't be." She snatched the vial from Beast and examined it.

"What is it?" Jean queried.

"A Blood Blossom." Storm answered. "They're very rare in this day and age, but I remember reading about them once in one of my books on agriculture. It was said that they were often used to ward off evil spirits."

"A flower that hurts ghosts." Logan said. "Alright, I can believe that, but how did Danny end up eating it?"

Rogue immediately thought back to their date and the horrible-smelling soup.

"It was slipped into his food." She said. "Someone must've followed us and placed it into his soup."

"But who?" Scott brought up. "You think it was Plasmius? He would probably know about Blood Blossoms."

The female half-ghost thought it over. It would probably be likely that it was Vlad. Sure, he wanted Danny to join him, but maybe his fear of being exposed prompted him to try and assassinate her boyfriend to cover his tracks.

"But wouldn't the flower also hurt him if he tried to use it?" Vampira brought up.

'He could've had something to use to protect him from it.' Rogue argued.

"Or it was someone else." Vampira theorized. "After all, who else do you know could've been able to gain access to something that hurts ghosts and wants Danny dead?"

'He's had several ghostly enemies in the past. Maybe it was one of them.' Rogue suggested as she thought over their date, trying to visualize every detail to find some sort of clue to the identity of Danny's poisoner.

When it came to the part where she was flying him back home, she thought back to the raven. Wait... raven.

Raven.

"It was Mystique!" Rogue exploded out of realization before her entire soul became consumed in fury. And she could feel Vampira clamoring around in her head, shouting out imprecations at their continual stalker. Their shapeshifting tormentor had finally done it.

"Mystique." Wanda snarled as the room started to slowly be twisted by her powers before the shouts of the others made her snap out of it. Rogue was also trying her best to hold back her rage as her eyes glowed a furious red.

"Ororo, do you know if there is a way to reverse the effects of the Blood Blossom?" Xavier asked.

"I don't think there is a way, Charles." Storm replied as she looked at Danny with concern as Beast slipped a breathing mask on the boy.

"I think the only thing we can do is wait." The furry mutant said sadly. "I've done all I could."

The group all traded solemn glances with each other as they saw their friend in his pitiful state.

"There must be some way to counter the flower's poison." Xavier hypothesized as he wheeled his way out, determined to help his student. "And I'm not going to rest until I do."

"I'll join you." Storm said.

"And I'll scout out town for any trace of Mystique." Logan growled, eager to make her pay for messing with one of his runts.

"We'll join you." Scott said to the senior X-Man, with Jean, Kitty, and Kurt nodding in agreement.

"You coming, Rogue?" Logan asked Rogue, who shook her head.

"No. I'm not leaving his side."

The X-Men understood and respected her wishes as they went off to accomplish their separate goals, leaving both Wanda and Rogue alone with Danny.

"I'm gonna go look at my books and see if I can find anything to help him." The daughter of Magneto said as she left to do her own research.

Rogue didn't say a word or look at her as she held Danny's hand as tears poured.

A couple of hours later, Rogue hadn't moved a muscle, still staying by her man's side. She didn't move her gaze from his face, not even when she heard the footsteps of Wanda.

"Find anything?" Rogue asked, still not taking her eyes off her boyfriend.

A sigh of defeat came from Wanda. "No. I looked through everything. There's nothing about how to stop it."

The southern goth tried to hold back a sob. "I almost lost him once; I can't bear to lose him for good. There's got to be someone who knows how to help him!"

Wanda thought it over. There weren't many experts on the supernatural they could talk to. The GIW were obviously knowledgeable about ghosts, but that was obviously out of the question. So was Plasmius. Even if he did know what to do, considering his expertise with ghosts, it wasn't likely he would be willing to help Danny. If only there was a ghost that could help them...

A lightbulb went off in the sorcerer's head.

"I got it." Wanda claimed as she got an idea. "We can't ask someone on this plane of existence for help, but we can ask someone from a different one."

Here, Rogue turned around to give Wanda a weird look. "What are you talking about?"

"We can ask a ghost if there's a way to save Danny."

"And how are we supposed to do that?"

"I've got just the thing." Wanda soon took off into a sprint, leaving the infirmary.

'Should we go after her?' Rogue asked her ghost half.

"I hate to admit it, but her idea might have some merit. It'd be best to help her instead of staying here and just hoping for Danny to suddenly wake up."

Giving Danny a kiss on the cheek, she took off to assist Wanda in any way that she could.

"Are you sure this will work?" Rogue asked as she sat crisscrossed across from Wanda. The two were in a circle of candles that Wanda was currently lighting.

"I've received results before." Wanda assured her as she lit the last candle.

"What results?" Rogue demanded suspiciously.

Wanda looked away. "I may have once used a ritual to try and track down Magneto. Only once." She added the last two words after seeing Rogue narrow her eyes. "But the point is, if I manage to get a lead on Magneto with this, then there's a chance we can find someone who knows how to help us."

The half-ghost was feeling reluctant. This ritual seemed like the equivalent of leaving your front door wide open, allowing anyone to come inside. But it was too late to back out now.

Wanda soon said the incantation before calling out for assistance from the great beyond. "Spirits. We come for guidance. Answer our call."

A sudden wind blew through the room, putting out the candles and leaving the two girls in darkness.

"Did it work?" Rogue couldn't help but wonder.

"I'd say so." A voice stated, making both goths curse out in shock and surprise.

"It's you again." Wanda said apprehensively, remembering meeting this ghost. Though she kept her tone polite, deep down she cursed because she wished someone else had answered. Though this spirit was helpful, it still made her feel uneasy.

"You were expecting someone else?" The spirit replied.

"No." Wanda answered a bit quickly, not wanting to offend the presence. "I just didn't think I'd meet you again; uh, you know, I never did get your name."

"Not important." The ghost responded tersely. "Now, who is your guest?"

Rogue tried to stop herself from showing fear, as she felt like something was staring at her, scrutinizing her very image when she finally answered.

"Rogue."

There was a moment of silence before the spirit spoke again. "And why have you come before me, Rogue?"

"It's about my boyfriend; he's a half-ghost who-"

"Danny Phantom." The spirit interrupted, already knowing the answer.

"How do you know?" Rogue questioned warily.

"Who doesn't know about the great Danny Phantom, the half-ghost who defeated Pariah Dark, the former ghost king?" The unseen specter said in a mocking voice. "In my world, he's famous or infamous, depending on who you ask."

Rogue nodded at this information. Danny had once told her of that battle and how it almost killed him all the way. Meanwhile, Wanda was surprised to learn that the boy she liked was a celebrity in the Ghost Zone.

The mutant half-ghost continued. "He's hurt real badly. He was poisoned by a Blood Blossom."

"I see."

The two girls jumped a bit at hearing a mighty growl come from the spirit, making them both wonder if calling him was such a good idea.

"Is there a way to save him?" Rogue inquired, hoping to find some information that she could use. "Please, I can't lose him." She begged. "I love him!"

"Under normal circumstances, there isn't. But I do have the power to heal him."

"You can?" For the first time since this happened, Rogue smiled as her eyes lit up with hope, along with Wanda doing the same.

"For a price."

And just like that, Rogue's face fell as she contemplated what she would have to pay to see her man get better, only to ignore that hesitation as she was willing to give anything to have him back.

"What do you want? I'll give you anything. Anything! Just tell me what you want."

"Oh, so eager." The spirit drawled. "But be careful, for what I require is something very special. Something that isn't easily acquired. What I want in exchange for saving his half-life is a soul."

Both girls exchanged looks with each other. A soul?

Rogue closed her eyes. She knew the stories and how things like this usually go. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if this was the devil himself talking to her. But the bigger question was: was she willing to pay?

"You want my soul, don't you?" Rogue said as she processed this information.

"Why our soul?" Vampira whined. "Why not Wanda's?"

"Oh, you misunderstand. I don't want your soul. I want the soul of Mystique."

"Mystique?" The girls exclaimed. Were they even able to give her soul to...whatever this thing was?

"Correct. Kill the shapeshifter, and her soul will be mine. And I will bring your boyfriend back to full health."

"Kill her?" Rogue looked down at her hands. Hands that would have to get dirty to save Danny. But could she really go through with it?

Don't get her wrong. She had plenty of excuses to hate Mystique's guts, from manipulating her back when she first got her powers to torturing Danny right before their trial. The morphing mutant always seemed all too eager to give Rogue another reason to want her to drop dead, so she certainly had just cause to end her life. But there was one thing that popped into her mind at the thought of murdering her.

"I will never turn into that ever, I promise."

Her obsession and her promise to him warred with each other in her subconscious, each trying to fight the other in order to gain what they wanted, leaving Rogue conflicted.

Wanda, on the other hand, while somewhat unsure given the fact that she had just finally managed to get over her need for revenge on her father, was a little more favorable to the idea. It just made sense to her. Get rid of a bad person (though the word "bad" did not do enough justice to describe Mystique) to save a good person.

"So do we have a deal?"

"I-"

"Why do you hesitate?" Their otherworldly guest demanded brusquely. "It's simple, isn't it? Take out the person who's been making your life hell to save the one who's made it worth living."

"He's got a point, Rogue." Vampira agreed. "After everything Mystique has done to us and Danny, she's had it coming for a long time."

'Remember our promise, Vampira.' Rogue reminded her.

"I think it can be overlooked just this once." Her ghost half argued. "After all, it's to save our man."

"I'll ask again: why do you hesitate? Is it because you can't bear to see another mangled corpse after your encounter with Carnage?"

Rogue trembled as she recalled facing that maniac, thinking that no one could be that psychotic.

"Or is it because you're afraid of disappointing your dear, loving phantom by breaking your promise?"

Okay, this was just getting weird. How did, whatever this thing was, know these things about her?

"How do you know about that?" Rogue interrogated, feeling on edge.

"He has access to a lot of information." Wanda answered for her, remembering how he told her of Caliban.

"I'm sure he would understand. Hell, if the roles were reversed, he would accept with no hesitation. Aren't you willing to do the same? Or do you not love him enough?"

This set Rogue off. How dare this creature accuse her of not loving Danny? "Don't you ever imply that I don't love him with all my heart! You know nothing of what he and I share."

"No. I don't, and I'm grateful I never will. But what kind of girlfriend are you if you aren't willing to get rid of that bitch of an adoptive mother you have to save him?"

"WHAT?" Rogue cried out at that discovery. Mystique...adopted her? But she had never even met her until her powers had arrived. This couldn't be true; he had to be lying.

"Guess you didn't know about that part, did you? Well, it's true."

"Mystique adopted me." Rogue wasn't paying attention anymore to the ghost, as she was still focused on that. She was their adoptive mother. She immediately felt sick and unclean at the idea of her having any legal hold of her. Although there was the possibility that she was adopted illegally. It would fit right in with the type of person Mystique was.

"But why?" Vampira asked. "Why would she adopt us? It's not like she could've known that we were a mutant at the time. Could she?"

Rogue pondered that as well, while also wondering what happened to her birth parents.

"Do you know what happened to my mother and father?"

"Don't get your hopes up. Your mommy died squeezing you out, and daddy drank himself to death after putting you up for adoption. Mystique then took you when you were four and placed you with your aunt Irene."

"B-but why? Why did she adopt me?"

"Your aunt Irene is a mutant. A mutant with the power to see the future. She saw that you would play a key role in the future of her and Mystique. And so you became her next child."

"No wonder we could never get away from her." Vampira realized. "She's been there from the very beginning."

"Now you see the truth. Your fate and hers have always been connected, and always will be. She will never let you go, Rogue. She'll never stop sticking her nose into your life, taking away everything you care about. She needs to die. Not only to save Danny, but you as well. And Kurt."

"Kurt." Rogue whispered as she now realized that the fuzzy goofball was technically family. "He's...he's my adoptive brother." In a way, it seemed right to her, as he already felt like a younger brother to her, and it was the only good thing to come out of this whole mess.

"It won't be long until she tries to wedge into his life next. You saw what she did to Danny; you think she won't do anything horrible to Amanda as well? It doesn't matter if you two are happy without her. All that matters is what she wants. I've seen people like her before. They may somewhat care for the people they obsess over, but when it comes down to it, they'll put their needs over yours."

Rogue could see the ghost's point. Despite supposedly being Mystique's adoptive daughter, it didn't stop the shapeshifting mutant from lying and manipulating her. And who could forget the time she tortured Danny just for making her happy?

Still, despite her never-ending hatred for Magneto's former minion, it didn't distract from the even more horrible monster that she could become. And the spirit seemed to pick up on her thoughts as he continued to try to reason with her.

"You think Kurt would've been the same carefree boy if he was raised by Mystique?" The ghost challenged. "Huh, do you? And what do you think would've happened if you ended up joining her? I'll tell you that you would've become her personal weapon. She'd probably have had you put some poor soul into a coma."

The thought of using her mutant powers to hurt people was nightmarish itself. She could almost imagine herself draining someone's life force as Mystique watched on with a smile. These images were starting to push her closer down the dark path of her soul that had been slowly opening up ever since she found out about Mystique poisoning Danny.

She looked to Wanda, hoping for some support to keep her away from the path, but her contemplation only increased when she saw that the other girl seemed almost in favor of sacrificing Mystique. And sadly, Rogue couldn't blame her for thinking that, considering her own desires to make the woman pay.

"And who's to say you and Kurt are the only children she's screwed over? There's a chance that she had others. She's had a history of betraying and backstabbing people all her life. Hell, it lives on in her legacy decades after her death, with her name being synonymous with that of Judas."

"I...I..."

"But this isn't just about revenge. It's about saving the one you love. After everything he's done for you, doesn't he deserve to live? Why should the guilty be allowed to continue to prosper while the innocent are condemned?"

"Why do you even want her soul anyway?" Rogue demanded. Of all the people he could possibly ask for, he seemed dead set on Mystique for some odd reason.

"Because she's wronged me as well!" The spirit raged, making Rogue tremble a bit at the hate in his dark voice, but it didn't stop her curiosity as she wondered what Mystique could've done to piss this thing off. But then again, the bitch seemed to have a talent for making enemies. And now she wondered what this ghost's connection was to the shapeshifter.

"Is...is she your mother too?" He did mention that there was a chance Mystique had other children. Perhaps this was one of them.

The visitor started to chuckle at Rogue's question. "My mother was many things, but she wasn't blue. Though she did like to wear it."

Rogue sighed in relief. She could accept Kurt as a brother, but this thing. She dreaded the idea of it being in her family.

"You might think that killing her might set you down that path, but it won't. It's just one life. One itty-bitty life. And not even a life worth keeping. It's not like you're killing some innocent person. It's someone who deserves it. Someone who's made your life difficult and will continue to do so unless you put an end to it."

The spirit was now sounding desperate, as if it knew it was losing time.

"You're wrong if you think taking one life will make you a monster. Look at your friend Logan. It's obvious to anyone who's been in that man's presence that he's killed before. But is he a monster?"

The southern belle shook her head. "No."

"Do you fear him? Do you feel unsafe with him? Is there ever a time where you're afraid he'll stab you with his claws?"

"No." She repeated confidently.

"If you don't judge a killer like Logan, then why do you hold yourself back from taking out Mystique? How many lives must end before she meets hers? Put a stop to this. End her." The ghost urged her vehemently before continuing in a softer voice. "Danny will forgive you. He loves you, Rogue, and you love him just as much. So the question is, how much does that love mean to you? What are you willing to do for love?"

Rogue thought long and hard about that question as she replayed all of her memories with her boyfriend, from meeting him at that graveyard to making those fireworks. She thought back to all the fun, laughs, kisses, and tears. Danny had done many things for her, but the biggest thing was that he gave her control. She wasn't some pawn of Mystique or the Brotherhood; she was able to choose what she wanted to do with her life.

And what she wanted to do with her life was to be by his side forever, no matter what.

Mystique be damned.

And with that, Rogue looked up with teary, determined eyes and said, "I'd do anything for love."

"So then. Do we have a deal?"