A few days after Christmas, Erik wasted no time putting his plan into action.

 "We need him." Erik turned in his chair to face Shadow. "Sabretooth, go with him." They were in the new hideout Mystique had found on the coast of Massachusetts, hidden within a cave on a cliff wall. There he'd had his facilities customized. Mystique had followed his every instruction to the tee. He loved her for that, for her caution to details. "Are you sure we can count on his cooperation?" he asked Shadow.

 "Yes sir." The boy grinned. His friend would help in this charade of Magneto's. His friend was always looking for a way to help the mutant cause. He was more political then Shadow was. His friend believed in the "evolution of mankind to the superior level" mumbo-jumbo crap. He was an extremely intelligent individual as well.

 Shadow and Sabretooth left for Chicago that day, taking a private chopper Mystique had purchased. They would bring back this Vamp, as his friend was called, as well as two other passengers. Vamp's power, like a vampire, sucked the knowledge from people's minds. It left them either like a human vegetable, with selective memory loss, or with an incurable case of amnesia. This new man would help Erik's plan -- he was a key ingredient.

 He thought that if he couldn't change the political leaders into the brotherhood of mutants, he would hit the next biggest influence in politics: corporations. If he could genetically mutate the business elite, control would then shift back to the mutants and give them extreme wealth and power to influence government. All he needed was the mind of a few renowned scientists and the DNA of the corporate leaders. He'd mutate their DNA, clone them, and replace the leaders with his own puppets. He'd formulated diversion plans to distract Xavier if for some reason he caught on to his agenda.

 Cloning has proven successful to a certain point in this age. Animals and even a few humans have already been cloned. It was technically illegal to clone, with some exceptions by proper authorization from the government but he wouldn't let that stop him at all. He would take what had been done one step further. Was it possible? He would try. He would find the solution to speed up the cloning process and succeed.

 "You my dear, " he eyed Mystique, "will have to get ready for a party." She smiled and transformed herself into a tall, blonde woman in a red party gown.

 "He's not," Xavier replied. "You, Jean and myself will attend. With Magneto out there, I don't want to leave this school unattended. Storm and Logan will stay."

 "Good. I can't picture ape-man here in a penguin suit anyway."

 "I got more class then you ever could have, red-eye!" His claws were itching to break free.

 "I find that very hard to believe." The two children stood facing each other in a stand-off, waiting for the other to flinch or even blink.

 "Enough! Can't you two ever get along?!" Jean shouted.

 "She's right. Now is not the time to fight amongst ourselves," Xavier warned. Storm learned just to stay out of the whole mess. She felt sorry for Jean being the reason for their rivalry and being in the middle of the testosterone wars.

 "So why are you all going to this stuffy New Year's party anyway?" Logan asked more calmly.

 "We can't miss this opportunity to push for revoking the Security and Endangerment Act passed by the New York legislature," Xavier explained.

 "The party will be the perfect place to lobby. Many people will be there that feel the same way we do, including the mayor of New York City," Jean added.

 "Who else is coming?" Scott wondered.

 "Members of the legislature, congress, senators, the governor and members of the business community. The party is actually an informal gathering to talk about the protests and rioting and to find a solution if possible."

 "I don't see how anything can come out of a bunch of tightwads sipping champaign. These people don't live in the world you're trying to change," Logan added.

 "You may be right, but they are leading it," Jean hammered her point right back.

 "It's hard to change things, Logan. It takes time and not everything can be solved with fighting. These riots are only causing more problems," Scott stated.

 "At least they got the guts to fight back." Scott took it as a challenge against himself. Jean mellowed the situation.

 "Hey, Scott's right on this one. If we make a pull at the party, the law will be revoked the rioting will stop."

 "Don't count on it. Give any man any reason, he'll fight." Logan knew all too well from his adventures around the rough outback of Canada.

 "That's what we are trying to prevent, war." Xavier tried to reason with Logan on this issue. Logan still believed these mutants that were out fighting were not just going to stop on a dime. Stopping the hatred and prejudices is hard.

 "Good luck." He left the room to find Marie.

 He went down the hall and up the steps to her room. She was in there chatting on the computer. She liked chatting online. She could talk about whatever she wanted; no one saw her or knew her and she could be normal. It was a way to connect to the outside world. Logan popped in and knocked on her open door. Without turning around, she told him to come in. He laid down on the bed, holding Wolvie. "What are you up to?"

 "Just chatting with some people that live in the city. They're going to Times Square for New Year's. They go every year... Just once I'd like to be there." As if he knew she was hinting at something he answered... "Xavier said no. It's too dangerous. Too many wackos out there now."

 "Too many dangerous mutants and humans, you mean." She paused for a bit. "How do you reach out to people like that to make them stop hating each other."

 "I don't know. It ain't easy."

 Rogue went back to typing as an instant message appeared on her screen. She replied swiftly.

 "What if...what if we went with a chaperone?" She turned and looked at him with sad eyes and a hopeful grin.

 "Oh no -- sorry, short stuff. I'm not going anywhere near New York City, especially on New Year's. Besides, Storm's planning a party for all of you right here," he added. "It'll be fun," He didn't really think much of it and wasn't looking forward to babysitting as he saw it. It wasn't his thing.

 Rogue looked disappointed. "Would you consider taking us for a small trip before New Year's, to do some shopping or sightseeing?" She was pushing him.

 "I'm not going and Xavier said no! He's right on this one. The city is too dangerous -- there's likely to be an explosion any day now down there. It's just not safe."

 "Please? We can take the train in, see a museum or two and come right back. We don't have to go anywhere that's too shady a place and you can watch out for us. Please..." She was now begging on her knees, hands folded.

 Wolverine was wearing himself down. She wanted to go? Short trip, he'd watch out for her. Xavier said it would be too risky to have anyone venture outside and the city, well... he knew it could be okay in some areas but others he wouldn't even venture into. No...no, no, nope. "Sorry kid. I can take you out nearby, but not the city. Just wait -- I guarantee if you went, something would happen. I'm not going to risk any of your lives to go to a stupid museum." He wasn't going to budge on this issue, but neither was she. He wanted a cigar all of a sudden. He had the urge to smoke.

 She wanted to see the outdoor arts festival in Central Park. It would run up till New Year's. She'd try arguing again later, she decided as she crawled back to her desk. He may have won this battle but the war was far from over.

 A sneak attack plan would have to be implemented. Earlier she'd tried everyone else. Xavier said no, Scott said no, Jean said no, and Storm said she'd love to go too, but again, too dangerous. She was sick of being cooped up inside these walls. She wanted to go to this festival and she would too. Jubilee wanted to see the city and Bobby wanted to see the exhibit as well. Katherine sided with the professors. She didn't want to go anywhere near what she'd seen on the nightly news. She thought Rogue and Bobby were crazy for wanting to go. Gambit and St. John had their fill of the city already and the idea of spending time looking at art was not exciting to them.

 She went back to chatting online. Logan couldn't stay still any longer. He needed to get out of the house himself. "Come on, I'll get you out of here for a bit if you want."

 Boy, did she ever. "Sounds like a plan to me. Let's go shoot some pool."

 Logan and Rogue went down to the Tavern and he surprised her by buying two beers and giving one to her. She wasn't old enough to drink. "I don't follow all the rules," he said with a smile, letting her know he was still his own man, not ruled by the X-squad completely. She smiled. The beer wasn't that great but the Logan within her loved it and chugged it down.

 "Take it easy there, I don't want to have to explain why you're passed out later on." He lit his cigar.

 They played a few games and began wagering a little money here and there. Pocket change. He loved hanging out with her, talking with her. She wasn't like anyone else he knew. Fun, bit of an adventurer, curious and yet mature for her age. No wonder though, she had a lot of old guys in her head. She was also sensitive to others around her. She wasn't a kid but an equal who still she had her youth and innocence within her.

 After the money ran out, Rogue got an idea. She smiled at her devilish logic.

 "One more game for some new stakes? You've already cleaned me out of cash," Rogue said with a hidden grin under her poker face.

 "Sure. I win, you polish my bike for a week and...buy me, or give me money next week to buy, a case of beer, since you're technically not old enough yet to be having the one you got."

 "Sounds fair. And if I win...you take me, Bobby, and Jubilee into New York on Thursday." Saturday was New Year's so it would be before the big rush.

 No way was his first thought. Then his second was She's never beaten me at pool, so she won't win. Safe bet all around. He wouldn't back down from this challenge.

 "I shouldn't...but you got a deal," and they shook on it. She smiled. He loved to see her smile. It made his insides go all to mush. He got her another beer for the game. She really couldn't win if she couldn't see straight. He already noticed the first beer taking effect. What a friend he was, getting her drunk to win a pool game. He would look after her, though -- not to worry about that.

 They took their time and Rogue was matching Logan shot for shot. She was good. The more she drank, the better she shot. He suspected her to be a pool shark, hustling him. He began to actually worry he'd lose. Finally the final shot. His turn and the eight ball was perfectly lined up. Piece of cake for a guy like him. "Eight ball in the corner." He hit the cue and then the eight ball, rolled to the rim and hit the edge, knocking it aside and not going in. He stood in shock. Impossible -- it was a clean shot, it shouldn't have missed. "Damn it!"

 "Yes!" a shout came from behind him. He was in trouble now. It was all lined up for Rogue to try her luck. She tapped it in without scratching. She smiled in triumph. "Well be ready for the seven o'clock train on Thursday."

 He couldn't back out of his word now. But the other X-Club members would not be happy with him.

 "I know," Rogue said, a bit tipsy.

 "Are you drunk?" Bobby asked concerned.

 "Just a bit." She changed the subject back really quickly, turning to Jubilee to finish her story. "He thought he could beat me but I showed him." She was slurring her words a bit.

 "I can't believe he let you drink!" the responsible Katherine reprimanded.

 "Wolf Man ain't half bad then in my book," Gambit smiled.

 "Sorry, Gambit. You ain't Rogue -- Wolverine wouldn't give you jack," Jubilee pointed out to Gambit. "Only for Rogue," she added with a romantic touch. The rest laughed and picked on her a bit.

 "Leave me alone!" Rogue protested. She was not in the mood to be picked on. She didn't feel so well. "How much did you drink?" Katherine wondered.

 Rogue started to count; one, two, three...four? She shrugged, not knowing the answer. She laid down and Bobby got her some water to drink. She then crashed as her head hit the pillow on St. John's bed. "Guess this means I get to sleep with you, Katherine." He raised his eyebrows and grinned.

 "You got her drunk?!" Jean added. "What were you thinking?!"

 "I was there to make sure nothing happened. Besides, can you blame the kid? She's got me inside of her."

 "She wants to see the art festival, that's all. I think if Logan went it would be okay, and educational. I'd even want to go," Storm added to side with Logan. She was fifty/fifty on the issue and Logan liked counting on Storm when he needed her to back him up. She was there, purple hair and all.

 "I made a promise and I'm not going to back out of it now," Logan firmly stated.

 Xavier knew Logan would keep his word -- especially to Rogue -- no matter what he thought about the situation.

 "Logan, you and Storm can take them into the city on Thursday. Just be careful and avoid the crowded areas," Xavier said.

 "Thank you," Logan said with a sneer meant for Scott, and he left.

 Scott turned to Storm. "I feel better knowing at least one level head will be on this trip."

 "Don't worry so," Storm advised. As a leader, that was all he could do. Worry about his friends. He needed some aspirin.

 "I've been waiting for this a long time," he smiled.

 "You ain't the only one," Scott replied.

 Both got a stern look from Rogue. She knew Logan would misbehave but warned him anyway with a glance. Scott just let emotions fly when it came to Logan and not his head...

 They showed a few moves to the students using each other as examples; eventually they shook hands and training was over. This shocked Rogue a bit, but...she knew, deep down, the two guys really liked each other and were just afraid to admit it. It was a macho guy thing.

 St. John wanted to know when they would train with their mutant powers. Scott first wanted them to learn how to fight on their own and not rely on them. The Danger Room would be used later on in more advanced work.

 Rogue headed straight for the showers and then to get something to eat. She hadn't exactly been hungry when she'd woken up earlier that morning.

 She crept out of her bed so as not to wake her roomie. Jubilee and Bobby did the same with their roommates. There were each in a triple. With Rogue's powers a triple would be too cramped, so Katherine and her shared a spacious double. There weren't enough rooms for her to have her own. The younger kids got several bunks in just one room, creating the camping cabin look.

 Rogue went to get Logan and found Storm with him ready to go, sort of. Logan was not a morning person. "Grumpy is almost ready to go," Storm smiled as he was gathering his wallet and keys.

 From grumpy to happy, Logan greeted Rogue with a "Morning!"

 She smiled excitedly and shouted, "Mornin'!" kind of loud. Her happiness seemed to boil over inside of him, waking him up even more. He was going to make this a fun day for her, even if he was not thrilled about it. Bobby and Jubilee meet them out by the jeep and they went to the train station.

 Rogue had been to New York City a few times for fun days and class outings. With Logan sitting next to her it only reminded her of the last time they were on the train together. He'd promised to look out for her. He was keeping that promise now that he was back. He was her best friend -- she told him just about everything and vice versa. Age made no difference. Both older than they looked. She remembered that day's events in all her thoughts, Logan's and Magneto's. She was all three at once, feeling the swirl of emotions. Logan had broken his tough image and reached out to her, tried to protect her and himself from Magneto. He'd made her a promise he'd never break.

 "So, I didn't realize you were an artist person." Logan snapped her back into reality.

 "Well, the exhibit looked interesting and I think art is a good way to let others know how you feel, kind of like using music to say the right words when you can't think of them yourself. I hope I like it, otherwise I'd be wastin' the day and feel guilty about getting ya into trouble for nothin'."

 "You didn't get me into any trouble. I wouldn't call spending the day with my friends a waste by any means." He smiled at her.

 Rogue watched the scenery roll by. They would be in about ten o'clock. She hoped nothing would happen today in the city. Breakfast was served on the train but she didn't eat anything. Logan ate his and hers as well.

 When they finally arrived at Union Station it was crowded but they took the subway down to Central Park. So far it was uneventful, just the way Storm and Logan wanted it. Storm and Rogue got several glances for their hair but that was it. Jubilee was so excited every time she came to New York. It was her favorite city and she was taking every sight on the East Coast into her brain: from the street bums to the skyscrapers. It was a cold day and they were bundled up. It didn't make Rogue feel out of place in her clothes. Light snow was falling. Rogue thought it was beautiful. If it kept up, there would be enough for a snowball fight later on tonight.

 Near Central Park, Storm got everyone a hot chocolate or coffee to enjoy while walking around the outdoor exhibit. It was unusual to have an exhibit outside in winter but the artists requested it that way. Why?... She didn't care but just enjoyed it. Rogue looked at all the pieces. Logan followed looking at the finger paintings, as he called them, to try and see what made them art; also tilting his head at all angles to understand the pile of junk called a statue.

 Several of the paintings and sculptures caught Rogue's eyes. One was a still life of a mother wrapped up with her baby in her arms. They were poor on the street but it didn't matter -- they had each other. Holding each other, the mother caressing her son's scruffy, dirty face. It was beautiful. Logan watched Rogue as she looked at it. He knew what she was thinking, no need to ask. He kept silent, not wanting to take the effect of the painting away from her.

 Another was a more impressionistic scene, blending together events in someone's life. Some were violent with red, black, and blue and others romantic with soft colors, pastels. Over all there was one ray of light that shone though all of the pictures. It reminded her of her life; well, a mix of herself and those others inside of her. All those emotions and memories, blending together in a swirl of colors and scenes.

 Another painter was outside with his works of art. He was a mutant. You could visually tell his mutation; he was bald and had electric neon-green eyes and what Rogue thought to be gill-like vents on his neck. He was a peace painter. One piece had a crowd of normal people and normal-looking mutants and those not-so-normal-looking mutants together. In the middle was a DNA strand with one link colored differently then all the rest. The caption on the painting said, "See this? This is what makes you different then everyone other human on earth."

 He had a lot of other paintings with captions that Rogue thought were so true. One had two people that said "Can you tell me which one's the mutant?" or "What is a mutant?", "Aren't we all different?", and "What's considered normal?" Some went even more extreme and had written " Segregate the Nazi way." She moved on; these were depressing her a bit and she didn't need anymore worry in her life right now. She liked his work, though, and hoped many would take it to heart.

 Finally around two o'clock Logan suggested the group get some lunch. They'd walked around a great deal of Central Park already. He needed a break.

 "Well, well, the asshole returns," Vamp greeted his old friend while smoking a cigarette. They shook hands and Sabretooth steps up. "Got a pet dog, I see."

 Sabretooth growled at the man and shoved his way towards him ready to punch him out.

 "Easy." Shadow got in his way. "Magneto wouldn't be pleased if you killed him."

 "Trained too," Vamp laughed. Sabretooth got even angrier.

 "Now for some proper introductions. Vamp, this is Sabretooth -- Sabretooth, this is Vamp." They didn't shake hands, just glanced at each other.

 "So what have you been up to, pal?"

 "Pal? I'd be careful how you phrase that. Pay me back what you owe me and then I'll consider the pal thing."

 "Ouch! That's not nice, since I bring you a job offer."

 "What?" Vamp was curious. He mostly made his money though illegal activities; doing something new interested him.

 "Can we come in?" Shadow asked with a grin. Vamp escorted them in, closing the door behind them.

 As they walked the streets near the big department stores, Rogue felt terrible for those homeless in the cold. She understood them. She had lived that life, been on those same streets. Shunned by the world and thrown out to be ignored with no place to go. She'd gotten lucky; she'd found a home and friends. She took out two dollars and gave it a man just sitting there, freezing in the alley under a stack of newspapers.

 Logan would have stopped her for safety reasons but didn't catch her in time. It wasn't like Logan didn't want to help; but you never knew if you were helping to feed their stomachs or their habits. Cynical and a bit prejudiced. He thought he sounded like those anti-mutants, stereotyping everyone based on the actions of a few. He didn't want to be like that. He was just so used to looking out for number one but not so much anymore. There were others to look after in his life.

 Rogue did the right thing, as he saw the man smile at her and say "God bless you." The man's eyes filled with praise for the young angel before him. She gave him enough to eat with and needed no thanks in return. She wasn't afraid to trust the man. Logan was -- he trusted very few.

 The rest of the group was up ahead and finally stopped, realizing there were two stragglers. "That was a good thing you did back there," Logan said.

 "I just remember when I was just like him, looking for a friendly hand to help me." She smiled and nudged him a bit with her elbow. She was talking about him. He gave her shoulders a squeeze and they walked on back to the park for more art.

 They saw the whole exhibit and covered all of Central Park. It was a big winter event, and surprisingly the cold didn't keep the art critics and fans away. The city was rather quiet that day with the snow blanketing everything, muffling out the sounds. More stuff was going on downtown preparing for the New Year's celebration in a few days. Logan thought the day had gone well as they headed back to the subway station. He thought too soon.

 As they headed back to Union Station a crowd had formed outside one of the big law office buildings. There were humans and mutants together protesting. It was a peaceful demonstration with picket signs saying "Revoke the law" and "You side with hate." Other humans were across the street looking on. Logan knew that if this protest got out of hand it would be because of those youths on the corner. They were shouting obscenities from across the street at the protestors.

 Logan walked by in a hurry and moved the group along as well. Rogue could care less what the kids were shouting but the whispers from the other pedestrians who walked by made her blood boil. They were the hypocrites. Logan gave the youths an evil look and a growl as he passed. He didn't like people who were just out to start trouble.

 Bobby then saw something a block away in an alley. He ran across traffic, almost getting run over as the light changed and cars streamed back into the street. The rest had to wait for their opening to cross again but not Rogue. She yelled and flew after Bobby across the street, grabbing attention from all the pedestrians and those in their cars. It's not everyday they see Superwoman flying in the city.

 Bobby saw a group of about six people beating up on another middle-aged man. He wouldn't take any of that. The guys were calling him a mutie-lover and thought maybe the poor guy was a "freak" himself. They kicked him, punched him, even after he'd hit the ground. "Hey get off of him!" Bobby shouted. The six turned to face him.

 "He's a sad excuse for a human, loving muties. I suggest you walk away now while you can."

 "I don't think so."

 "You another mutie-lover?!"

 Rogue flew up unnoticed on the other side of the group. "We all are!" she said and they turned to see her.

 One of the big guys turned back to the blond-haired kid and started swinging at Bobby. Rogue got into the mix. Bobby froze one of the guy's clothes so he couldn't move. The guy screamed as his body reacted to being frozen in ice with shots of pain. Rogue used her fighting skills to fight off three men that attacked her. Two made contact with her face. It hurt them just as bad as her when their knuckles impacted on her bare flesh. Flashes of hate and memories that were fresh in their minds flowed into her. She wanted them to stop. She couldn't concentrate as another blow hit her in the stomach.

 The rest of the group ran across the street finally to join them, Logan leading the way. Jubilee took two of the guys down, flashing them with energy, rendering them immobile on the ground. Two of the guys went after Logan as he helped up Rogue from the ground. One pulled a knife out and stabbed him in the gut. He winced a bit, regaining his composure and then removing the long blade from his side. The guy was shocked to watch the wound heal itself rapidly before his eyes.

 "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with knives?" Logan was furious, wanting to run them through. He retracted his claws and the men ran away. Storm blew the last of them down the alley and the fight was over.

 Rogue looked at Wolverine's side. He'd be okay. So was everyone else. Bobby had a bloody nose and she hadn't fared much better. Logan looked at her red, soon to be black-and-blue, eye. "You okay?"

 "Yeah, thanks." Rogue smiled.

 Storm and the rest went over to the man still holding his side, leaning up against a wall. "You don't look so good," Bobby gave him the facts.

 "I'll be fine."

 "I think we should get you to a doctor," Storm added.

 "I can manage." The guy tried to get up without help and nearly fell. Logan grabbed him.

 They took him to the closest hospital and made sure he'd be okay. Rogue got her cuts disinfected and bandaged with great care from the nurse, and Bobby's nose was looked at. Finally they said their goodbyes and he was very grateful for all they did. The group headed home, just a bit later then expected.

 On the train back, the day's events were the buzz of talk. "It's not what a person is but who a person is that matters," Rogue said to the group.

 "Fear, hate, ignorance. It's a virus that spreads even when just a little common sense can stop it. That and love," Storm added.

 Rogue looked at the bloodstain on Logan's shirt. "How bad did it hurt?"

 "Like a knife piercing my side. What do you expect?" He was a bit snappy but he was tired and Rogue didn't take it personally.

 "How long...how long does it hurt before it heals usually?"

 "Not long." He was more calm. He even passed a smile to Rogue.

 "Sorry we got into trouble," Bobby added.

 "Nonsense, you did the right thing." Storm smiled at him. Logan nodded in agreement. Rogue was tired and leaned up against him. He let her sleep on the ride back, not wanting to move to disturb her. She was so peaceful and beautiful when she slept. He wish the black eye and the cut on her face would heal faster for her, though.

 Jubilee and Bobby leaned against each other as well and fell asleep, leaving poor Storm to sit next to the big snoring man, giving her no room to move. Logan smiled at her and mouthed a "Sorry." They had a good chuckle about it.

 They headed out of the crappy, rundown apartment with no hot water to northern Michigan. There they found Britsal Pharmaceutical Research Company. They needed to obtain some of their top researchers. Here they found Dr. Peter Feingold, leader in the field of molecular biology, and Dr. Diana Mareen, leader in DNA gene study. It was a simple snatch-and-grab operation.

 The three followed Dr. Feingold from work to his local residence. Once there, Shadow snuck in and revaporized behind him. He did it so quietly Dr. Feingold never knew what hit him. Shadow clobbered him over the head with a toaster, knocking him unconscious, and opened the door for Sabretooth. He dragged the man out while Vamp and Shadow made sure the house looked just fine when they left, even locked up. It was to look like he'd vanished, nothing more, Magneto said.

 Finally they did the same with Dr. Diana Mareen. "Easier then taking candy from a baby," Shadow replied.

 "Toad checked in," Mystique replied, "finally."

 "Good. Tell him he can get started building the incubation pods and follow the blueprints!"

 "It will be done." She moved around to play with the metal balls on his desk, clinking away with no strings attached. "Shadow and Sabretooth checked in. They are on their way with the three packages."

 "Excellent." He took her hand and kissed it formally. "Time for a new revolution to begin."

 Later on, Rogue couldn't sleep. The new thoughts were fresh in her head. They always took a while to sort themselves in and she tried especially hard to remove the hatred for mutants. It made her hate herself and her friends and she knew those thoughts weren't hers. She kept repeating that to herself so she wouldn't pick up a club and bash one of her friends. She was scared she'd hurt even herself. There were mutants out there who made them all look bad, like Erik and his allies for example. She didn't want this fear the two guys had, their anger and vengeance.

 She was crying over hot chocolate when Jean walked into the kitchen. Rogue thought she would be alone; too late to run now. "Rogue, what's wrong?" She went up and gave her a motherly hug. She made herself some hot chocolate and sat beside Rogue. "You don't have to talk about it...but if you want, I'm here."

 She was silent some more but Jean was patient. "Why do people have to hurt other people...and feel...feel good about it? When ever I hurt someone I feel terrible, even if they were trying to hurt me." She was pondering through the two men's thoughts and Magneto's a bit. "I feel so stupid. I don't understand why they hated me, the guy on the ground. Why do they hate for no reason? It scares me."

 Her voice got shaky and she started to cry even harder then before she felt like just releasing all this bad energy she felt inside. Going through their memories, she realized that whatever anyone would have said to them, they wouldn't have listened; there was no changing their minds. Were most people like this?

 Jean held on to her. "If anyone knew the answer to that question, they'd be rich. You just can't give up on people."

 "It's hard. I felt them today, all their hate, anger. I know what mutants hurt them but I didn't do it -- that guy didn't do it and they hurt him."

 "Have faith, Rogue. People will change, they will change...one day," she whispered. "You just have to keep looking for that ray of light and not give up. "

 Silence followed as the tears flowed and then slowed to a sniffle or two.

 "I heard what you did from Logan for the poor man on the street. You spread hope and gave that man a little bit of faith. We need more people like you. So hold on."

 "I'll try," she whispered.

 "It's late. New Year's is coming and you'll want to get plenty of sleep to store up for the big day."

 Jean gave her a final hug and left. Logan saw her as she passed by his door to go upstairs. She came in and said night and went to bed. Rogue washed her dishes and headed to bed herself. Logan could hear her coming and sniffling, crying a bit. He came out into the hall.

 "Need to talk?" he asked. She often did with him but Jean had been there this time, saying the words she needed to hear. "Thanks but I think I'll be okay." She forced a smile and went up and hugged him. She was cold and his body warmed hers.

 Logan felt her coldness as well. He hugged, not letting go. "I'm proud of you today. Your heart, it's got a lot of love in there and you shared it today with two people who needed it."

 Rogue knew he was right. She also shared it with him too, her heart. She nuzzled deeper into his chest. She hoped he needed her too, she needed him. Finally she said good night.

 "Night Marie."

 She snuggled in with Wolvie, who was nice, fuzzy, and warm. The white roses Logan had given her were hung upside down by the bed, drying to keep forever.

 Logan went to bed. He felt like holding her all night. She had Wolvie but he didn't have anything to hold on to. All the women he'd been with there was no connection, no one that would just hold him, lie next to him, give him a sense of comfort that being with Marie gave him. He had the smell of her hair in his head as he fell asleep.

 "We should be back by three," Xavier told Storm.

 "Have a wonderful time and good luck," she replied.

 "We'll do our best." Scott waved and Logan just stared right at Jean's butt as she walked out of the door. She was packaged in all the right places. He might not be free to touch but looking wasn't against the rules. Storm rolled her eyes at Logan and left him gawking.

 The kids piled into the TV room to watch specials and pig out on junk food. The groupies had their own private party in the guys room for bit. St. John did fake fortune-telling for the next year. He got out some tarot cards. He didn't believe in that stuff but they were a fun party game. He made up everything. Knowing he could get a rise out of Katherine, he predicted for her a horrible accident. That drove her into paranoia and took well over twenty minutes to get her to calm down and stop crying and fussing. Jubilee and Rogue smacked St. John for it and pounded him with pillows. He finally surrendered and told Katherine this was all fake and to relax. She still was shaking.

 He continued on with Rogue. For her, she'd find a Romeo and get terrible sunburn and not be able to move for a week. Jubilee added in her two cents, "Well we all know who she'd like to be her Romeo." Oooo's and kissy smacks went up around the room and she hid in her pillow with embarrassment.

 Finally St. John got everyone to quit picking on her and he moved on. Bobby, he would wind up having his weather watch break anyway. He was cursed with bad watch luck forever. He was bound to ask for the time for the rest of his life.

 Gambit would find luck by passing all his classes next semester. He then believed, jokingly, the he didn't have to study since he was going to pass anyway now and thanked St. John.

 Jubilee would wreck Scott's favorite Porsche and have her license revoked. "That's not far from the truth," Gambit said. Everyone roared in laughter. Jubilee didn't think it was funny.

 Finally St. John told his own fortune. "Well, would you look at that," he said as he flipped over the cards. "Health, wealth, and happiness with a possible explosion accident if I am not careful."

 The group chatted and played a few other fun games before finally descending upon the game room and den. They needed TV and food.

 "Welcome Xavier. And the lovely Dr. Grey," kissing her hand. "Mr. Summers, a pleasure." Senator Wilkins greeted them. Jean never smiled and argued so much in her life as she did that night with everyone. Some guests were in agreement with her and tried to help her out.

 "Sir, if New York revoked the law, other states will follow. The Supreme Court can't handle what it has now, it is time the individual states took action. This puts the power in your hands and it looks better then having the Supreme Court over rule New York or another state." Persuading wasn't her strong suit but she tried. Scott was trying so hard as well. He wasn't a political man but was shining tonight. Jean was excited. He was doing this for her, the political stuff he normally detested. She loved the man before her and everything he was. He would break away to be with her when he could that evening to save his sanity.

 Xavier was the talker -- he was doing well in securing the votes needed to revoke the law tonight and start the New Year off on the right track. Jean talked to so many people that their names and faces blended together in a blur. She was getting so exhausted. A lady in red caught her attention. She was someone Jean had not seen before. She seemed to be popular and know all the bigwigs in town. She even introduced herself to Xavier and Scott. She'd find out later who that woman was hanging onto her fiancé. Scott just turned away and looked at Jean with his loving eyes behind the glasses. She had nothing to fear.

 Mystique was enjoying her evening. She'd collected hair samples of DNA from some of the politicians and business CEOs. Others she used a little device that's like a pinprick to get blood. They'd be shocked but she'd apologize as if she accidentally scratched them. They didn't even know what hit them. She even introduced herself to Xavier and Cyclops.

 She wished the wolf man was there, even though he could smell her out. He was a challenging man and she'd love to fight him again. She'd enjoyed it, even if he did almost kill her. She smiled internally for a different reason then her outward expression. She was so close she could easily killed them...she realized how much damage she could do in this very room, so much.

 Midnight was almost here. She'd toast in the New Year, which would bring about changes for mutants everywhere. Then she'd race back to Erik's side, where she belonged.

 Storm passed out sparking nonalcoholic champagne for the kids to toast in the New Year. Logan grabbed a beer instead. Two minutes to go. Dance music was already on the stereo system. The older kids were taking over after midnight to dance and have fun. Noisemakers were in everyone's hands for the big moment. Another year passed and a new one coming. So fresh and filled with possibilities.

 "I wish to make a brief statement..." Silence fell over the crowd as the Governor of New York took the podium. "Damage has been done over the last few years, feeding on the hate and prejudices within the cities of this fine state. Turning back our civilization, a regression. Man can no longer go back. We must go forward. To do so we must put aside these differences between humans and mutants. We have let fear of the unknown drive us. We must undo what we've done before it's too late. Come Monday, legislative bill number 1840-C passed by the New York State Legislature will be revoked!"

 Cheers went up around the room. A few die-hard anti-mutants threw down their glasses and stormed out of the reception hall. "Hopefully now we can look towards the future and other states will follow. Time to start this new year off on the right track!"

 Jean was so happy she kissed Scott and Xavier. She was crying and Scott held her, feeling pride and satisfaction in her success and triumph. There was still a long way to go but there was no better way Xavier could think of to start the new year.

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 Confetti flew and balloons fell from the ceiling as it rained a rainbow of colors down on the party. It matched Jean's mood perfectly. Xavier was proud of the two X-Men that stood before him. He had done well in teaching them, watching them grow from children into the man and woman before him. So much had changed over the years at the mansion. In that school lay the hope for the future and continued success. He prayed every day he was teaching these kids the right path to travel down in life. Peace, cooperation and equality.

 All the students shouted and threw confetti. Hugs went around the room. Dance music was turned way up and everyone was having a good time partying. After about two hours things slowed down and the music slowed with it. The younger kids were in bed and a few remained, including the groupies. Storm and Logan even danced a little with the kids -- slow-danced that is. He made small-chat while dancing with Storm for one song.

 "So how did the she-devil convince you to do it?" He was talking about Storm's purple hair.

 "Not hard, really. Thought it would be a nice chance to bond with her a bit, and it was fun. A change every now and then never hurts."

 Finally, St. John was a schemer and snuck on Crash And Burn for Rogue. He knew she liked it because she played it all the time. "Would you like to dance?" she asked a bit shyly. Logan thought it was cute and accepted. After all, this was their little song. He felt a bit weird dancing with her. It was their first dance. He wondered if he should even be dancing with a "student" but then saw Bobby and Storm dancing as well. He felt a bit better about it. She was a pretty good dancer at that, too.

 This was special to Rogue and she didn't care what anyone else thought of her for it, even Logan. She knew he was a bit uncomfortable but danced with her anyway. He was sweet, always doing anything for her. She didn't know what it was between them, but when she looked up at him she noticed he looked at her with that same question in his eyes. There was something neither could describe but it was inseparable.

 After they heard the good news from Xavier, Scott, and Jean upon their return home, they wanted to party again. Storm busted open another bottle of the real stuff and toasted. Xavier gave it to the older students that were still up and even Logan had "the girly drink" as he called it. He didn't fancy the taste much but Rogue didn't understand how he could fancy the taste of beer either. Oh well. Finally at five a.m. they all went to bed.

 Rogue turned to Logan. "Did you make a New Year's resolution?"

 "Nope, never do. No one sticks to them and they get disappointed in themselves. I don't want to get disappointed either. Personally, I think they're stupid really."

 "True," she replied, "but I resolve that I will work hard to be the best X-Woman I can be for the team this year. That's a lofty goal don't you think?"

 Logan replied to that with "I think that's the first resolution I've ever heard that will actually come true."

 Erik thumbed through the names. "Time to create our new Brotherhood for a new year."