Scene: A racquetball court.

Scott and Rogue are playing. Rogue slams the ball, and Scott fails to return.

Scott: You whooped me good.

Rogue offers him a rematch that night, but he says he's going to the concert, with Jean. Rogue isn't a fan of the band. They agree on a rematch next week. Scott leaves, and Rogue looks disappointed. She has sudden memories of Jean, and drops her racquet.

Scene: A street.

Irene is in the back seat of a car which stops in a seedy area of town. A cat jumps through the open window and turns into Mystique. Irene begins to talk about Rogue.

Irene: It's always been clear that she would play an important part in our future. But now, it all goes dim.
Mystique: Why?
Irene: Because she may not live long enough to fulfill it.

As they're talking, the scene fades back to Rogue. She slams the ball through the opposite wall. She has memories of Fred, and throws her racquet. That goes through the wall too.

Roll credits!

Scene: Rogue's room.

She's brushing her hair in front of the mirror. She thinks of Jean again, and puts her gloves on. Then she opens the door, just as Logan was about to knock.

Rogue: Logan! Is something wrong?
Logan: That's what I was about to ask. *holds up battered racquet* This look familiar?
Kitty: Rogue, come on! Jean's giving us a ride to school in her new SUV.

Scene: Institute garage.

Jean is shining her big silver tank...I mean, SUV. Then she gets in. Rogue and Kitty get in the back seat. They all have their seatbelts. ^_^

Kitty: So Jean, now that you've got wheels, how about carpooling to the concert tonight?
Jean: Um, I can't. I'm kind of going with Scott.
Kitty: Well, he won't mind. Unless you're...oh my gosh! Is this a date?
Jean: No, it isn't!
Kitty: Wow, you're going out!
Kurt: *teleports into the front seat* Who's going out?
Kitty: Jean and Scott!
Kurt (now suddenly wearing the seatbelt): Really? No way! About time!
Jean: We're not!
Kurt/Kitty: *laugh*
Rogue: Would you guys drop it already?

Scene: Bayville High.

Rogue is walking down the hall. Just as she gets to the bathroom, she thinks of Kitty and falls through the door.

Risty (apparently not noticing): Rogue! I've been looking all over for you!
Rogue: Risty? You totally disappeared on me.
Risty: Agh, stuck in England. My parents wouldn't let me come back, what with all the...fuss. I finally talked them into it.

They leave the bathrom, and Rogue goes to get a drink. As she bends over the fountain, she thinks of Ororo and the whole thing gets electric-y and the spout blows up or something.

Risty: Rogue, are you all right?
Rogue: I...I don't know! *runs away*

Scene: Outside Bayville High.

Rogue is sitting on a table. Risty comes up behind her.

Risty: Were those your...powers?
Rogue: Yes. No. I mean, sort of. It's too hard to explain!
Risty: If you don't want to talk about it, I understand. *starts to leave*
Rogue: No, wait. *gets up, takes off glove* If I were to touch you now, I'd probably put you in a coma. Your life-force, your memories, everything about you would flow into me.
Risty (jerks away): That's...freaky.
Rogue (sits down again): And, everyone I've touched stays in my head. It's getting kinda crowded.
Risty: Hey, let's go make fun of the geeks at the concert tonight.
Rogue (smiles) : Risty, I've kinda missed having you around.

Note: Despite 'learning' of Rogue's powers, Risty sits next to her. I mean, *next* to her.

Scene: The concert.

Well, the band is on stage making NOISE, but the lighting effects are cool.
Tabitha is getting her groove on.
Kurt and Amanda seem to be having a good time.
Kitty comes in, followed by Jamie.

Jamie: Come on, just wear it for a little while?
Kitty: I said no!
Jamie: *makes puppy dog eyes*
Kitty: Ugh, fine. *accepts corsage* But this does *not* mean we're on a date.
Jamie: It doesn't? But Roberto lent me his suit and everything. He wants a full report.
Kitty: Jamie! Everyone else was busy. And anyway, you're 12. Come on, let's get closer. [She means to the stage, Kimie-shippers.] And don't bump into anyone! *passes Scott and Jean*
Jean: Kitty's got a da-ate!
Kitty (sarcastically): You're a riot!
Scott: What was that?
Jean: Payback. She thinks we're on a, you know.
Scott: Just because we're together doesn't mean we're on a...
Jean: Yeah, can you believe it?
Scott: We do stuff together all the time. It doesn't mean anything.
Jean: Even if it did, it's none of their business.

The band starts a new song.

Scott: So, *is* this a date?

Rogue and Risty come in. Rogue sees Scott, and her eyes glow red for a minute.

Risty: Still have a thing for him, don't you?
Rogue: It doesn't matter. He and Jean are practically a couple.
Risty: Well, they deserve each other. And you, my girl, can do better.
Rogue: I think this was a mistake. I don't do well in crowds. I can't even move!
Risty: Relax, you're covered up enough.

The girl in front of them is sitting on some guy's shoulders. She falls backwards, managing to tear off Rogue's sleeve (she's in Season 2 clothes now). Rogue bumps a few people, then stumbles into Risty. They scream a lot, and Risty turns back into Mystique.

Commercial break!

Rogue absorbs Mystique's memories, and briefly takes Risty's form before collapsing to the floor. Then she thinks of Sabertooth, and morphs into him.
Rogue-as-Sabertooth charges forward, jumps on stage, and roars at the audience. Then she starts destroying stuff. Jean uses her powers to stop a bunch of amplifiers from falling on the audience. Kurt teleports on top of some large flying object, takes it elsewhere in the room, and 'ports away before it crashes into the wall.
Rogue-as-Sabertooth leaps at a random audience member. Kitty runs forward and phases the person. Some security people yell at Rogue to stop. Then Jamie jumps her, and accomplishes nothing other than making a few clones. Then Scott blasts her into the wall, and she gets buried under a mess of stuff.
Rogue thinks of Juggernaut and morphs into him. Kurt 'ports on top of the stuff.

Kurt: I think he's down for the count.

But he's wrong, because Rogue-as-Juggernaut blasts up through the stuff, runs across the arena like some insane bull, and goes through the other wall. Mystique runs after her.

Jean: Sabertooth *and* Juggernaut?
Scott: And Mystique makes three.
Kitty (half-carrying Jamie): This is huge. What are we going to do?
Scott: Let's regroup at the mansion.
Jamie (to Kitty): Hello. Enjoying yourself? Good. Let's do this again some time.

Scene: The street.

Rogue-as-Juggernaut is being chased by the police. She thinks of Magneto, turns into him, and pushes the police car away with her powers. Then she thinks of Pietro and turns into him. She starts to run, but is cut off by another police car. She thinks of Arcade and turns into *him* (seeing a pattern?), then walks away as Ordinary Civilian Not Being Chased by Cops.
In the back of another alley, she slumps to the ground and reverts to her true form.

Commercial break!

Mystique comes into the alley.

Mystique: Rogue...
Rogue: Go away!
Mystique: I know I hurt you, but I only posed as your friend so I could be near you.

Rogue takes Mystique's form, so now there's two blue women in bad outfits with Leet fighting skillz.

Note: Yes, that is a dangling participle. Deal with it; you know what I mean.

Rogue: You used me to spy on the X-Men!
Mystique: No! If you have my memories, then you *know* what our relationship is.
Rogue (turns back into herself): I don't know anything!
Mystique: Use the memories! I adopted you when you were four. You *are* my daughter.
Rogue: No! *runs away*

Rogue starts to cry, and teleports to the top of some building. She hears a motorcycle, and turns into Sabertooth again.
Logan is riding along, and he gets jumped. They roll through a newspaper stand. Logan attacks by knocking down a streetlight. Rogue is caught under it.

Logan (sniffs): Wait a minute. You're not Sabertooth.
Rogue: *gets up, swings pole, misses* Fight me!
Logan: Now I *know* you're not Sabertooth.

The X-Van pulls up. Scott and some others jump out.

Logan: Cyclops, no!

Scott shoots Rogue.

Scott (into walkie-talkie): We're near Grant and Tyler Boulevard. I just punched him through a wall. Now we're going to finish this.
Logan: Wait. That's not Sabertooth. It's Rogue.
Scott: What?
Kurt: How can that be?

Scott tells the others to stay behind. He and Logan go through the smashed wall into a warehouse.

Scott: Rogue? Are you in here? We want to help you!

Rogue reverts to herself, thinks of Scott, and takes his form.

Rogue: Better help yourself, bigshot. *blasts him*
Scott: Ugh...hurts more than I thought.
Logan: She's shape-shifting. She could be anybody. *room shakes*
Scott: Like Avalanche?

Note: Uh, didn't Scott get hit with his own blast in HeX Factor? Short male memories...

So, a bunch of stuff falls on them. Rogue appears as Lance, then goes back to herself. Scott and Logan dig themselves out.

Rogue: Help me...
Logan: We will. Just stay calm.
Scott: We're your friends.
Rogue (thinks of Risty): I have no friends!

Her eyes glow purple, and she turns into Ororo, using her powers to blow Scott and Logan out of the building. Her cyclone tears the roof apart, and she flies out.
Rogue turns back into herself, but is still using Storm's powers. Then she uses Scott's powers also. Jean floats herself, Scott, and Logan out of the way.

Jean: What's going on?
Scott: It's like every person she's ever absorbed is fighting for control.
Logan: Looks like she's got control of all the powers. And that's not a good thing.

The X-Jet comes speeding towards Rogue, and she diverts it with Magneto's powers.
Beast, Xavier, and the real Ororo climb out of the wreckage.

Scott: Jean, bring her down.

Jean pulls on Rogue with her powers, but Rogue gets control of the telekinesis and throws Jean back. She blocks Scott's blast with a psychic shield, then shoots him back with Bobby's (?) powers.

Kurt (teleports up to her): You're coming with me, Rogue!

He 'ports her away. A moment later she reappears in the same spot. Kurt falls out of his other dimension and rolls across the street.

Ororo: Charles?
Xavier: Go, Storm.

Note: What is this, Pokemon? Storm, use Gust now! Rogue, try a Thunderbolt! Geesh...

Storm flies up to face Rogue.

Ororo: I'm sorry, Rogue, but I can't let you hurt any more people.

She forms a cloud and directs a lightning bolt at Rogue. Rogue is hurt, but channels the energy and throws it back at Storm. Apparently more strongly, because Storm falls. Jean brings her down safely. Logan tells the others to retreat; he can take a beating.

Logan: Ice up, kid, *now*!

Bobby raises Logan on an ice pillar. Logan jumps off and tackles Rogue out of the air. They crash into someone's car and roll onto the ground. Rogue gets up and makes four clones.

Logan: Listen, Rogue, I know what it's like to not have sense in your own head. I've been there.

Rogue uses Magneto's powers to lift Logan by the bands on his arms. Her clones step forward and shoot him with Scott's powers. Then they charge after him, making strange noises. One turns over a car, while the others teleport to surround Logan. They lift him again with Jean's powers.

Logan: The other people inside you, you're letting them push you around! The Rogue I know wouldn't take that offa anybody.

Rogue concentrates, collects the clones into herself, and lowers Logan.

Logan: That's it, stand up to 'em!
Rogue: There's too many of them!

And she screams a lot.

Xavier (telepathically): Stop resisting me, Rogue. Together we can defeat them. One by one.

Rogue is down on the ground, still screaming. She begins to shift through everyone she's absorbed, in order, beginning with Cody and Kurt and ending with Beast and Juggernaut. And it's really weird, because she's mostly screaming in their voices. Then she falls into Logan's arms.

Note: I mean, the beginning is *really* weird. First of all, Kurt looks like he's having a tantrum. And then there's splits in his fingers, and he's pale, and his tail gets small, and wow, he's Pietro. Way beyond weird.

Logan: She's going to be okay, right Charles? Charles?
Xavier: I...I don't know yet.

Scene: Institute infirmary.

Logan is in with Rogue. Xavier is just outside the room. Scott walks in.

Scott: How long has he been in there?
Xavier: He hasn't left her side.
Scott: She's going to recover, right?
Xavier: I don't know. Driving out all those personalities has left her very fragile. And her hardest test still remains: coming to terms with who Risty really was, and who Mystique really *is*.

Logan (holding Rogue's hand): I won't lie to ya, kid. It ain't gonna be easy. Something about betrayal has a way of sticking with you. But you learn to move on, and you let your real friends be there for you.

Rogue's hand turns over. She's awake, and crying again.

Scene: Outside the Institute.

Mystique: What do your visions tell you now, Destiny? Is Rogue back in our future?
Irene: She is. But now a great darkness looms on the horizon, enshrouding you both.
Mystique: What kind of darkness?
Irene: An ancient mutant will return to walk the earth. Your fates - both yours and Rogue's - are in his hands.

The End

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