1. Prologue

Notes: Welcome to the sequel of The Dark Roses, wherein I throw my little playthings… er, characters… into a whole new slice of hell. And now for the warnings-this fic will contain: violence, blood, angst, adult language, mention of femmeslash, possibly some scenes of a sexual nature, and whatever else my muse comes up with. And the disclaimer-I don't own X-Men: Evolution, and am only borrowing most of the Roses. Jamie, Michelle, and the bad guys are mine, so leave them alone. And now that that's all taken care of, on with the fic!

Prologue 

Rogue walked slowly along the corridor, eyes flitting to the sides and keeping an eye out for any movement. Threads of unease tingled through her body, making her stomach feel like it had been turned to mush and her knees to jelly. She licked her lips, trying to calm down, but it was useless. Taking a deep breath, she stopped at a door and put her hand on the knob, hesitating only a moment before pushing it open and walking inside.

She fought the urge to collapse to her knees. It was just like she remembered it, but also vastly different-the beds were where she'd left them, the wardrobes and dressers in place. But the walls were a cold creamy colour, empty and lifeless. There were no posters on the wall, no makeup on the dresser, no clothes littering the floor. The beds were pristine and never slept in, the wardrobes empty and barren.

Rogue sighed and wandered over to the farthest bed, sitting down gingerly and smoothing her hands across the cool sheets. She remembered sleeping here, tucked up warm and listening to Kitty breathe. She remembered sitting here doing her homework, or reading a book. This had been her bedroom.

Smiling sadly, Rogue stood up and quietly left the empty bedroom, clicking the door shut behind her. She wandered further down the corridor, memory swirling up in her mind and telling her which doors led to which rooms. This was her home, taken from her once by her enemies, and now gifted to her again by a friend.

It had surprised her, when Cathryn told her that she was having the Institute rebuilt. She'd been so shocked, unable to believe that Cathryn would spend so much money and time on such a thing. She'd been uncertain as to whether or not she would accept the gift, Cathryn's betrayal still burning in her mind. But Cathryn had been so unsure, so worried, and it was so unlike her that for a second, Rogue forgot what had happened and comforted her. After that moment, she knew she couldn't turn down the gift. This was her home, this was where she belonged, and this was where her new family would live.


	2. Chapter One

Notes: So I have the worst timing in the world. Starting November 1st I will be doing NaNoWriMo and thus, won't be writing on this fic much. I'm trying to do a lot of writing now so I have a couple of chapters ready to post, but updates might slow down for a couple of weeks. Apologies for that.

Chapter One

The Roses looked up at the impressive Xavier Institute, now renamed the MCDA HQ. Envee kept joking that it sounded like she was reading an eye chart when she said that, but no one was laughing now. For three months, they'd been adjusting to their new lives and new situation, but now it was all suddenly real. They had a base of operations, they had state-of-the-art technology at their fingertips, they had everything they would ever need to do their jobs.

The door opened and Rogue emerged, walking quickly down the steps with a no-nonsense look on her face. "Let's get moving, guys," she said brusquely, "We've got a lot of stuff to unpack and I want it done as quickly as possible."

No one questioned her harsh attitude, they all knew what this place meant to Rogue and that she was dealing with it the only way she knew how-by brushing it off and ignoring it-but Michelle frowned thoughtfully and made a little mental note to have a talk with Rogue tonight. She'd been worried that this move would be a little too much, but she was never sure which way Rogue would go-sometimes, she'd be willing and open about new things, but other times, things would make her withdraw back into herself. She was a complicated person and Michelle sometimes felt like she was walking on eggshells-if she didn't have her empathic abilities, she was sure that she would've screwed up long ago, and even her powers could only help her so much. The rest of it was instinct and knowledge.

"Michelle, I said move it!" Rogue snapped, and Michelle blinked, realising that she'd been lost in thought for several minutes whilst everyone else had been carrying boxes inside. Smiling wryly, Michelle grabbed a rather lightweight box from the van behind her and carried it up the steps. It looked as if everyone was just dumping things in the lobby until they could sort out which box went in which room, so she let her box fall to the floor next to one marked 'Rogue's Weapons'.

"This is gonna take all bloody day," Kar grumbled, setting a box down and stretching his arms out in front of him, shaking his wrists and rubbing his shoulders.

"Yeah, but…but…"

Kar frowned, turning to look at Michelle. The blonde girl was staring blankly ahead of her, a small frown creasing her brow, and for a moment, she stood as still as if she'd been frozen in time. Then she blinked, opened her mouth, and let out a long, anguished scream of pure pain.

Collapsing to the ground, Michelle began to convulse violently, her body jerking as if someone were electrocuting her, banging her head against the floor and writhing around. Kar stared at her dumbfounded for a second, before his mind snapped into action.

"What the fuck? Guys! Help!"

Falling to his knees, Kar grabbed hold of Michelle's head and tried to hold it steady, fearful that she might do herself an injury. The others came running and immediately assessed the situation-all falling down to hold Michelle still. They didn't bother asking questions, just tried to keep a firm grip on their friend as she writhed and twisted and screamed, always screaming, filling the mansion with the sound of pain.

Jerking wildly, Michelle managed to free her right arm for a moment before Rogue grabbed it again, pinning it to the floor and gritting her teeth. Michelle wasn't usually this strong, but she was finding it difficult to keep the girl's arm on the ground. A glimmer of red caught her attention and she looked down to realise that Michelle was clenching her fists so tight she had cut into the palms of her hands with her fingernails. Rogue didn't bother trying to stop her, focusing on just keeping the arm pinned, stopping her from doing any serious damage. Her friend's ear-splitting screams rebounded off the walls and raced back to her, like waves clashing against the rocks, and she shut her eyes in a stupid attempt to some how block out the terrible sound.

It lasted for little more than two minutes, but it felt like an hour to the Roses, and neither of them was sure what to do when Michelle suddenly went limp beneath their hands, her chest heaving as she dragged in air. They looked down at her uncertainly, not quite willing to take their hands off her until they were sure whatever it was had passed. Questions circled soundlessly overhead, waiting to be voiced. Was it over? What had happened? What was going on?

"Jamie, is she hurt?" Rogue asked, carefully taking her hands of Michelle's arm and moving back, giving Jamie room to examine the empath.

"She'll have a couple of bruises in the morning," Jamie said quietly, running her hands over Michelle's body and pulling back her clothing to look at the skin beneath. "And she's cut into her palms pretty bad, I'll bandage them up in a minute. But there's no serious damage-nothing worth me healing. She's fine."

"What the bloody hell was that?" Kar demanded breathlessly, staring down at Michelle with wide eyes.

"Maybe some sort of psychic attack?" Envee guessed uncertainly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Whatever it was, she was hurting really bad," Alistor said. "Can we do anything to help her?"

Rogue shook her head. "Not until she wakes up and tells us what happened. Come on, let's get her to the infirmary."

* * *

Michelle groaned, her head rolling to the side as she struggled against the tide of unconsciousness, clawing her way back to the land of the waking. She felt pressure on her hand and she tentatively flexed her fingers, feeling soft cloth move against her skin. Bandages, she realised, having been patched up enough times to recognise the sensation. Her wrists and ankles hurt like hell, they were throbbing and aching, and she knew she was bruised. She managed to figure this all out before waking so she wasn't entirely surprised to open her eyes and find herself lying in a bed in their new infirmary.

Groaning again, she attempted to sit up but fell back with a loud 'oof' sound. Jamie was instantly by her side, checking her vitals and asking her a series of routine questions-did she know her name, her birthday, who the President was. Michelle answered robotically until it was over and Jamie nodded in satisfaction. Then Rogue appeared and Michelle sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"What happened, Michelle?"

Michelle closed her eyes, trying to push the images out of her mind-blood flying through the air, claws ripping into warm flesh, painful screaming, so much hatred, and fear, and pain…

Licking her lips, Michelle opened her eyes and looked up at Rogue seriously. "There's been a murder," she said quietly. "Messy, brutal… mutants."

Rogue blinked, digesting that information for a second. "Were they the attacker or the attacked?"

"I don't know. But… hate was involved, it was everywhere, like smoke… so much hate…" A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away, taking a deep, steadying breath. She had a job to do, she couldn't mourn over this yet, tonight maybe, but not now. "We need to monitor the radios, it'll be called in soon and when it does, we need to get there fast. The cops can't handle this, it's up to us."

Rogue sighed. "Great. I was hoping we'd have a little more time before we had to deal with something big. Jamie, find the police scanner, get it set up, and give me a shout when you hear something."

"Yes, ma'am."

Michelle watched Jamie leave before looking back at Rogue, attempting to sit up again and actually managing it this time. "I was hoping to have a talk with you tonight," she said, pushing the blanket off her legs, "But it doesn't look like we'll get the chance. So, how are you feeling right now?"

Rogue smiled mirthlessly. "Like I'm never gonna get a chance to rest," she said in a faintly bitter tone before walking out.


	3. Chapter Two

Notes: This is a bit of a short chapter but I thought two short chapters would be better than one really long one. Also, be warned for huge squickiness, the murder was very brutal and there's lots of descriptions. If you can't handle this chapter, you might want to reconsider continuing with this fic, as it will be just as bad further on. Enjoy and review!

Chapter Two

When the call was sent out on the police scanner, Jamie scribbled down the address and found the others. They were on their way in less than a minute and the mood inside the van was tense, no one speaking, each trying to prepare themselves for whatever it was they were about to encounter. Michelle was huddled up in her seat, legs tucked up to her chest and staring blankly out the window. She hadn't said much since she left the infirmary, but there were lines of worry marking her face and she was chewing almost constantly on her bottom lip. Occasionally she would shudder or make a small whimpering sound, but no one dared ask her what was wrong.

Rogue drove slowly around the corner until the right street came into view, and she sighed when she saw that the road was swarming with police cars, the lights flashing and painting blue and red splotches on the sidewalk and houses.

"Cops," Kar muttered darkly. "I fucking hate cops."

"And they hate us," Ivy growled, glaring out the window.

"We don't have to like each other, they just have to let us do our jobs," Rogue said, pulling up to the curb and shutting off the engine. "This is our first major crime scene, let's try to be professional-don't move anything unless the forensics guys have documented it and stuff, no starting fights, try not to use your powers. Has everyone got their badges and gloves?"

After a round of affirmative noises, Rogue nodded and pulled her own badge out of the glove compartment, hooking it onto her jacket pocket. She took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping out into the bright sunlight and hearing her team doing the same, though Michelle stayed in the car. Glancing around and taking note of where everyone was standing, Rogue walked towards the yellow tape with a confidence she didn't entirely feel.

She put her hand on the cool tape and was about to lift it up before someone's hand descended on her forearm. She bit back the urge to punch the person, and looked up coldly. He seemed to be a young officer, fresh to the job, and was looking at her with a faintly worried grin.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but you can't come through here-it's a murder scene."

Rogue rolled her eyes and held up her badge so that she could see it. "I'm Rogue Summers, with the Mutant Control and Defence Agency. We suspect mutant activity and have chosen to investigate. Now step aside."

The officer stared at her blankly for a moment before sweeping his eyes over her body. She knew that she didn't look like an official person-her attempt at being professional meant that she was wearing a rather wrinkled suit with the tie undone, and her now shoulder length hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, leaving one white strand hanging in front of her right eye. Envee said that she looked trendy, but she didn't really look professional.

After a minute of watching the poor officer try to decide what to do, Rogue took pity on him and suggested he go find the captain. After he had gratefully scurried away in search of his boss, Rogue and her team ducked under the tape and walked further down the street. No one else questioned their presence, assuming that if they'd been let under the tape then they had the right to be there, and they'd come within two feet of the right house before a voice shouted out for them to stop.

Rogue blew out a heavy breath and turned to see who had shouted. She was acutely aware of her friends shifting slightly, giving themselves more room to manoeuvre, and she thought briefly of telling them to relax but realised that she was doing the same thing.

The captain was a large, heavy man with a red face and a thick, bushy moustache. His suit was crumpled and he looked as if he'd been up for too many hours dealing with too much stress. Rogue found it hard to find any sympathy for the man and waited impassively as he strode towards her.

"Who the bloody hell do you think you are?" he demanded, glaring at her and deliberately invading her personal space. "You can't just waltz into my crime scene! This is police business and-"

"Actually it's _our _business," Rogue snapped coldly. "We suspect mutant involvement and we have the jurisdiction to investigate any crime where we suspect mutants are involved, that's the whole point of our job. So back off and if we find out that no mutants are involved, we'll leave. But until then, we're in charge, so shut up and deal with it."

Then Rogue turned and lead her team into the house, leaving the captain and various police officers staring at them in a mixture of emotions ranging from anger to bewilderment to mild amusement in a couple of cases. Kar grinned and winked at Envee, who smirked back at him, their faces hidden from the police. They heard various mutters and comments about Jamie, people wondering if they should stop her from entering, but that was stopped when Jamie merely looked down at the body and sighed before pulling on her latex gloves and kneeling down in a pool of blood.

It was barely recognisable as human now and it took a moment for Rogue to figure out just what she was seeing. It had been a man once, late thirties maybe, judging from the grey speckling his brown hair. His chest and stomach was just a huge red cave, the flesh ripped apart to reveal the organs, which had then spilled onto the floor. One of his lungs was still inside his body, and a few scraps of intestines, but everything else was gone. The thick stench of blood and meat and urine filled the air and Rogue automatically started taking quick, shallow breaths, helping to keep the smell at bay. The man's face was a gruesome mask of fear, his mouth open and his eyes staring in horror at the ceiling.

"Did a human do this?" Rogue asked quietly, not taking her eyes off the man's face. There wasn't an answer for a minute as Jamie prodded at the edges of the man's wounds, running her fingers along his shattered ribs and picking up a small piece of what liked his stomach.

"No," she eventually said. "This was done by claws, large and brutal. Someone dug their hands into his chest and literally ripped him open. This was a mutant."

Rogue turned her head to look at the captain, who was standing in the doorway watching them in sick fascination. "There you go-it's our crime scene now."


	4. Chapter Three

Notes: This might be the last chapter for a while-I've been having serious problems with my laptop and am going to send it off to get fixed, which means no internet for me, but please be patient :)

Chapter Three

Kar coughed quietly and tugged on Rogue's sleeve. She turned to look at him, but then noticed Ivy, who was standing near the living room door and staring at the man with a hungry gaze. Her breath was quick and shallow, not from trying to keep the smell out, but from trying to restrain herself.

"Shit," Rogue muttered angrily. "Kar, Ivy, search the outside. Selene, Alistor, Envee, you've got the inside."

Kar nodded and tugged on Ivy's arm, pulling her away from the body. She growled a little, but allowed herself to be led, and Rogue sighed in relief that she hadn't put up a fight. They were in a room full of cops, on edge because of a messy murder, who didn't like having a bunch of mutants come in and steal their jobs; the last thing they needed was for Ivy to shift into her animal state and try to eat the corpse.

A hand descended on her shoulder and she jerked away, stepping forward and turning around, hand going for her gun before she realised that it was the captain, still glowering at her.

"Look, missy, I don't know who you are or-"

"I've just told you," Rogue interrupted, feeling her rather tentative control over her emotions fray like a rope that's being slowly burnt up by a flame. "We are with the Mutant Control and Defence Agency-we have the authority to investigate any crime that involves mutants, and we have the authority to take over any investigation we see fit. If you don't like it, call the President, because he's the one that put us in charge. Now back off and let me do my job or I swear to God I will knock you out."

"Perhaps not the best thing to say right now, Rogue," Michelle said wearily, stepping past the captain and glancing down at the body. She swayed a little, raising one hand to press against her forehead, and Rogue was instantly by her side, steadying her.

"You alright?" she asked quietly, and Michelle nodded.

"Yeah," she whispered. "It's just… so much emotion right now. So much hate and fear… it's overwhelming."

"Maybe you should wait in the car."

Michelle shook her head and grimaced, swallowing thickly and instantly regretting it as the foul stench stuck to the back of her mouth and throat. "No," she muttered, "I'm part of this team, too. I won't let this stop me from doing my job. God, he was so scared."

"Can you sense anything else?"

Michelle frowned, stepping away from Rogue so that she could wander around the hall, gloved hands brushing against the walls. She walked slowly, not really looking at anything, moving as if she were half asleep. The cops automatically stepped out of her way, watching her curiously, and Rogue was thankful for that.

"There were lots of people here," Michelle murmured after a while. "Four or five, maybe. And they all… hurt. They've been hurt. They felt… what is that? What were you feeling?" She frowned harder, staring blankly at a wall. "Talk to me," she whispered, and then grimaced, shutting her eyes and jerking back a step. A hissing sound of pain escaped her and Rogue waited tensely as Michelle struggled to regain her control.

"They felt justified," she said, taking a deep breath and opening her eyes again. "This was… justice. God, they enjoyed doing this." A small sobbing sound escaped her and she shook her head, walking into the living room to sit down heavily on the sofa. Rogue looked at her for a moment, noting the tension in her body and the frown of pain creasing her brow, before turning back to Jamie. Apparently one of the police officers had brought her her kit, because she was busy taking various samples from the body and speaking quietly into a handheld recorder, detailing her findings as she went.

"What have you got so far?" Rogue asked, kneeling down and watching Jamie's small hands as they wandered over the body.

"Not much, I might've found a couple of bits of fingernail or claws in the chest cavity, I've done under his fingernails but I don't think he had the chance to fight back; I'll know more after I've done the autopsy."

"Did he have a name?"

"I didn't find a wallet on him, you'll have to ask the cops, they should know."

Rogue rolled her eyes and stood up, turning to the police officer behind her. "D'ya know his name?"

"Steve Vanderwelk, 38, divorced, no kids."

"Who called it in?"

"Next-door neighbour, Sarah Parker, she's outside. It was… quite a shock for her."

Rogue smiled mirthlessly. "Yeah, it would be. Thanks."

Walking outside, Rogue paused long enough to take a deep breath of clean, fresh air, before walking over to the ambulance. A woman was sitting in the back, a blanket thrown haphazardly around her shoulders. She was staring blankly at the ground and didn't look up when Rogue crouched down in front of her.

"Miss? Sarah? My name's Rogue, I'm sorry but I need to ask you a few questions."

Still no reaction and Rogue sighed. She was never good at this bit, it required a soft touch and gentle understanding that she just did not posses. Interrogate a suspect, sure, she was great at that, but interviewing a shocked and terrified witness… that was Michelle's territory.

"He's good at cars," Sarah mumbled suddenly, and Rogue looked at her with a frown. "He's… good. Car broke, wouldn't start. Wanted his help. Walked in and… and… oh God."

Sarah started crying then, wet, heavy tears splashing onto her pale cheeks, and Rogue stood up, deciding that she wasn't going to get anything good out of the woman for now. Looking around, she saw all the cops milling around, some of them talking quietly, some of them looking to her. They couldn't handle this, couldn't even begin to sort this mess out. It was all up to her, again. And she didn't know if she was capable. This wasn't what she did, she didn't solve crimes and decipher clues; she just found the bad guy and killed them. That's all she was good for, and now, standing in the middle of one of the most messy and sensational crimes of recent history, she didn't have a clue where to begin.

Rogue closed her eyes and quietly prayed for guidance. Because she knew, deep in her heart, that the trouble was only just beginning. She just hoped she could handle it, diffuse it, before something really bad happened.


	5. Chapter Four

Notes: Yes, I am finally updating this fic-after a ridiculously long time I have a new laptop and have just managed to transfer fics from old to new laptop. So yay. Hope you like this chapter, we've got the introduction of the first side-plot, starring the ever so delicious Kar :)

Chapter Four

Rogue sighed and sat down on the hood of a police car. She needed to think, to figure out a plan, or she wouldn't be able to accomplish anything. First, she had to examine the crime scene, gather all the clues together. Then, she needed Sarah's statement. Then she needed the autopsy report. After that, she had the glorious task of putting it all together until it made sense. Yeah, that was a fucking _great _plan.

Shaking her head, she tugged her hair free of the ponytail and shook it out around her shoulders, running a hand through it. She shifted her shoulders, her gun digging into her side slightly, and the feel of it was comforting, hard lines and cold metal reminding her of her power, of her ability to get the job done. This was just a slightly differing job than what she was used to and she was nothing if not adaptable.

"Um, miss?"

She looked up to find one of the younger officers standing before her, barely a foot away. He never should've been able to get that close without her noticing. She scolded herself for the lapse, the fact that she was surrounded by cops luring her into a false sense of security. These cops, these _men_, could be just as dangerous as the next person, despite their badges.

"What?" she snapped. He flinched, but didn't back down.

"Um… your friend… she's a mutant, right?"

Rogue glared, wishing she had a drink nearby to steady her nerves and soothe her temper. Already she cold feel her contral fraying and now of all times, she needed to keep her cool. "Yes."

"Are there… many mutants… on your team?"

Rogue thought about how to answer that for a moment. No one outside the Agency and the President knew that it was made up solely of her Roses. Everyone had been lead to believe that it was a huge organisation made up of both humans and mutants. She wondered what the consequences would be of her divulging the little secret that only mutants worked for the Agency, and so far, they hadn't recruited a single person.

"Some," she answered briefly, her head beginning to ache from the politics of it all.

To her surprise, the officer gave her a weak little grin. "Cool." Rogue raised an eyebrow in question and his grin grew a little stronger. "My sister can talk to cats," he confided quietly. "And just so you know… Not everyone here is like Captain Marks, there's a couple of guys that are mutant-friendly, and most of the rest are neutral."

Rogue let a small, weary smile curl her lips. "Good to know. Thanks, kid."

He nodded and turned to leave before she called out to him again. "Your sister… she any good at fighting, guns or anything like that?"

The officer shook his head. "No, she's kind of a wuss."

Rogue chuckled, before frowning thoughtfully. "But she can talk to cats," she murmured. "Animal witness, not enough to stand up in court but if it leads us in the right direction…" she looked up again to find the officer watching her curiously. "Tell your sister that if she's interested in a job, she should pop in at our Agency, we might have a use for her."

The officer flashed her a wide grin and opened his mouth to speak, but a loud shout interrupted him. Rogue glanced towards the house and saw Kar standing in the doorway, waving at her. Rogue jumped off the car and walked briskly towards him, wondering what was causing that thread of urgency she read in his body.

"Look what we found," Kar said abruptly, shoving a fistful of papers into her hands. Rogue frowned and sorted them out, scanning the text. They were newsletters from the Humans Against Mutants group. Just reading a few of the hate-filled paragraphs made her stomach turn and she growled low in her throat.

"Fucking prejudiced pricks," she grumbled, scrunching the papers into a ball and tossing them away, not caring that she might be 'damaging the evidence'.

Kar shook his head, running a hand through his hair in a violent, jerky gesture. "Mutant hater, killed by mutants, who according to Michelle, felt justified in their actions." He snorted and shook his head again. "Can we say hate crime?"

"Yeah, and so can everyone else here, as well as the media. We need to contain this fast."

Kar didn't say anything to that, and Rogue looked at him quizzically. "What is it?" she demanded, knowing that he had something to say.

Kar hesitated, eyeing her closely before blowing out a heavy huff of air and shoving his hands deep in his pockets, tension thrumming through his body. "I'm just not so sure we should… I mean, yeah what happened to the bastard was bad but… I mean…" Sighing and shaking his head yet again, he licked his lips and levelled his leader with a hard, penetrating gaze. "Maybe he deserved it," he said quietly, his voice as hard as rock and completely lacking in mercy and pity.

Rogue blinked and looked at her friend for a moment before cocking her head to the side. "You don't think we should go after these people? I doubt they're gonna stop at just him."

"So? Rogue, these bastards would kill us all if they got the chance, they insult us at every opportunity, vandalise our homes and business, terrorise the younger ones… why shouldn't we just let these guys carry on? Maybe it will shock them enough that they'll leave us alone."

Rogue had to admit that it was a tempting thought, but her sense of duty wouldn't let her turn her back on the situation, no matter what her personal feelings. The Professor had taught her to look past prejudice and hate, to see the bigger picture beyond, and she didn't want to let his lessons go to waste.

"We have to stop them, Kar," she said quietly, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder and feeling how tense he was. "If we don't… we're no better than them."

Kar growled and jerked away from her touch, storming away from her and the crime scene. Rogue watched him for a second, wondering if she should stay or go after him. Sighing heavily, she lowered her head and walked back into the house. Even if she did want to talk to Kar, she had a job to do first.

(0)

Jamie closed her kit with a small click, letting out a soft breath of air and rolling her shoulders to ease the sting. She'd been crouched over the body for too long, her neck and shoulders were stiff and cramped, and she took a moment to heal herself, speeding up the relaxation of muscles until her body was once again loose and relaxed. Peeling off her bloody latex gloves, she tossed them to the floor and stood up, stretching a little and arching her back. She turned to see several police offers still watching her, though quite a few had been unable to stand the sight of the mutilated corpse, no matter how much they wanted to stay and gawk at her. she ignored them and went to give Rogue her final report before she took the body back to their place for the autopsy. She noted dryly to herself that it would probably be one of the shortest autopsies she'd ever performed-it wasn't as if there was much of a body left to examine further than what she'd already done.

She found Rogue in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and staring at the wall. Jamie could tell by the faint crease between her brows that she was thinking deeply, and waited a second before Rogue registered her presence.

"The press has arrived," she said abruptly. "We should probably make a statement before the idiot Captain does."

"Agreed."

Rogue hesitated a second before sighing. "I don't want to do it," she admitted. "I don't… I'd rather you spoke to them."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "They won't appreciate being spoke to by a little girl, and it will raise questions about our team."

"Then don't be a little girl."

Jamie bit back a sigh, knowing that she was going to do it anyway and there was no point in complaining about it. Closing her eyes, she focused on her body, feeling wisps of power spread through her veins as she sped up her ageing process. It was a decidedly weird experience, to feel yourself age years in just a few seconds, which was why she hated to do it. Thankfully, her feet remained small enough to fit in her shoes, but by the time she was just under twenty, her clothes were very tight. She was still a slim and small person, she took after her mother that way, but she did not look suitable to make a statement.

"Will you get me some fresh clothes from the van at least?" she asked, opening her eyes and trying not to notice how different her voice sounded.

Rogue smiled wearily and nodded silently before walking out. Jamie looked down at herself and sighed quietly, flexing her fingers as she tried to get used to her new body. She hated ageing herself, it always felt wrong somehow, though she was in perfect physical condition.

Rogue returned quickly with some jeans and a blouse and Jamie changed almost mechanically, already mentally preparing her statement, running over what words and phrases she would use, trying to predict questions and detailing diplomatic answers. She felt as if she were going into battle; which, she decided, was not an altogether absurd metaphor as this was the first time she, or any of the Roses, had been forced to speak to the media. So far, the media's knowledge of their team had come from other sources, the Roses themselves keeping to the shadows until things settled down.

Jamie's nimble fingers flew over the buttons of her blouse before smoothing it down. Because of her newly formed breasts, she was having to go without a bra and she hoped that it wouldn't show, plucking at the shirt so that it looked neat but still hung away from her skin slightly.

"I want someone with me," she announced suddenly. "Selene or Alistor. They won't talk, but I want them to stand beside me."

Rogue nodded, granting permission, but then frowned curiously. "Why? You don't need them there."

Jamie hesitated before smiling ruefully. "Yes, I do," she muttered. "For support." And with that she went to find Selene, quickly explaining the situation before leading her outside.


	6. Chapter Five

Notes: Yeah, um, no idea where the whole Michelle twist came from, or the femmeslashy subtext between her and Selene. But I kinda like it. Anyway, enjoy and review!

Chapter Five

The media was pressing as close to the yellow tape as they could, shoving recorders into the faces of the officers standing guard. Jamie was relieved that none of them were attempting to answer, she didn't want to have to counteract whatever they said whilst making her own statement. They weren't noticed at first, probably because they weren't wearing uniforms, but then one reporter caught sight of their badges and shouted out a question, setting off a cascade of questions and demands.

Jamie paused a foot away from the tape, close enough to be heard but not touched, and waited with one hand held up until silence fell.

"My name is Jamie Phillips," she said clearly, watching as those few without handheld recorders scribbled down the name, "And this is Selene Andreomea. We are Agents of the newly formed Mutant Control and Defence Agency. There has been a murder here, though until the victim's family is notified we will not be releasing a name. We do suspect mutant involvement and are working with the police department to help bring the perpetrators to justice. We are, of course, very busy so I will only have time for a few questions before we get back to work."

Instantly the reporters began shouting again and Jamie randomly picked out a middle-aged man towards the front of the crowd.

"Jason Reed, Daily Tribune-is this the beginning of another war between humans and mutants?"

"We have no evidence that this is anything more than an isolated incident and until we find the perpetrators and uncover their motive, this is simply a homicide like any other."

One of the women in the back practically jumped up and down to be seen, waving her hand frantically. "But the victim was killed by a mutant power?" she demanded, trying unsuccessfully to push throw the crowd.

"We suspect so but we won't know for certain until the autopsy has been done." A minor white lie, but if she said that it was a mutant power, it would set off a chain of events that she wasn't sure she could predict or control.

"How many Agents are in your MCDA and how many will be working on the case?"

"Our Agency is new but we are nevertheless a very strong organisation and will have the majority of our Agents on the case. This is our first serious case and we wish to set an example-that we will act professionally and efficiently and quickly deal with any crimes involving mutants."

"You have some mutants on your taskforce-are they not morally conflicted in pursuing a mutant criminal?"

"All of our Agents are highly professional," Jamie repeated emphatically. "Whether the criminal is mutant or human is irrelevant. Whether the mutant involved is the innocent or guilty part, we don't care. We are a neutral party. We are merely here to keep the peace between the human and mutant communities. Now, we have to get back to work, excuse us."

Jamie turned and quickly walked back to the house, Selene falling into step behind her. "That was well done," she commented quietly, "Very diplomatic."

"I just hope nobody manages to twist my words into something sinister. The last thing we need right now is to battle the press. I'm almost certain I can counteract anything they say, but I don't want to have to divide my attentions."

"Does it really matter? They can't stop us from doing our jobs."

"Yes they can. They can start a smear campaign, get the public against us, hassle us wherever we go… we'll be so busy dealing with them that we won't have time to do our jobs. We need the media to be on our side, or at least netural. Everyone always underestimates the power of the press and that is a mistake we can't afford, especially now. If we screw up with this case… we won't get a second chance."

Selene sighed and flicked a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Do you ever miss the old days?"

Jamie was silent for a moment before shrugging slightly. "Every situation has pros and cons. Now, I have to take the body back to the lab."

Selene nodded and watched as Jamie continued walking into the house, quietly issuing commands to the two techs from the coroner's office. Envee was doing wonders with the girl, constantly working to try and get her to loosen up, under the quiet direction of Michelle. Then again, pretty much everything they did was under the quiet direction of Michelle. Thinking of their resident empath made her frown and she wandered into the house to check on her friend.

Michelle was curled up on the sofa, tucked into a tight ball and her eyes squeezed shut. Three police officers were in the room, watching her, and Selene waved them away irritably. Kneeling down ,she brushed a stray lock of blonde hair out of the way and brushed her knuckles against the girl's cheek.

"Hey, Michelle, you okay?"

"Not in the slightest," Michelle mumbled without opening her eyes. "I'm just trying to sort out the tangle of emotions in this place. It's hard enough separating what is from what was, but trying to divine any sense from the echoes is damn near impossible."

"Why don't you leave, or at least stop trying?"

"Because my place is here and it's pretty much the only job I can perform in my current state. If I must be affected so much, I can at least try to make sense of things. Maybe I can feel something that will give us a hint to one of the mutants' identities."

Selene sighed and placed one hand on Michelle's tightly clenched fists. "At least let me help you," she murmured, and Michelle's eyes flew wide, knowing what type of help Selene was offering.

"No, I-I won't do that, not to you."

"I want you to," Selene whispered, gently coaxing Michelle to open her fists, placing the blonde's hands on her face and looking seriously into her eyes. "It's alright."

Michelle closed her eyes, but desperation drove her to surrender. Scarcely a month ago, the path of her evolution had twisted in a way that none had foreseen. She was able to now feed from others, suck their emotions into her and use them to give her strength and clarity when she was weak and lost. Not since she had learnt to control it had she ever done it willingly, for the power was frightful and could potentially cause much harm. But Selene was willing, had offered this, so with only the smallest pang of regret did she spread her fingertips over her friend's temples and open her mind.

Happiness, anger, sorrow, joy, love, regret… it all flowed into her like wisps of smoke and she gasped, feeling the emotions rush through her body and sear across her heart. The fog enveloping her mind dissipated, spears of pure, emotion slicing through like the sunlight through clouds, and for the first time since her premonition of the attack did she feel like she could control the emotions around her.

It was only the concerned mutters of the police officers that brought her back to awareness. With a gasp, she opened her eyes and saw that Selene was looking grey and drawn, her skin stretched tight across her bones and her mouth open with a silent scream. Michelle sobbed, once, and forced her hands away from Selene's skin. The other girl collapsed forward, her shoulders heaving as she dragged in breath after painful breath. Cursing softly, she slid to her knees and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"I am so sorry, Selene," she whispered into her hair. "I'm sorry, please, God, forgive me."

Selene let out a burst of quiet, breathy laughter. "Hey, at least I can get out of this little slice of hell for the rest of the day."

Michelle smiled in wry amusement. "Trust you to think of that." Looking up, she found the policemen still staring at her and she cursed herself for not thinking to clear the room first. She just had to hope that none of them blabbed about this to the press. "Could you please go find Miss Summers for me?"

"Uh… sure."

Michelle nodded and helped Selene to sit on the sofa. The girl moved as if she were boneless, her body limp and clumsy. Michelle sighed and brushed Selene's hair out of her face.

"I'm really so sorry, Selene," she murmured, and the girl smiled wearily, struggling just to keep her eyes open.

"Hey, I offered this, remember? It doesn't feel so bad, I just need a really long nap. You'll be more use here than me."

"Selene!"

Michelle turned around at the shout and was rudely shoved aside by Alistor, who knelt down next to the sofa and gathered his girlfriend in his arms. Holding her close to his chest, he looked accusingly at Michelle.

"What the hell did you do to her?" he snarled, though it was fairly obvious what had happened.

"She-she asked me-"

"What the hell kind of friend are you to do this to her? I can't believe you fucking fed off her!" Shaking his head in disgust, he stood up with Selene cradled in his arms. "I'm taking her home, tell Rogue I won't be back."

Michelle nodded miserably and watched as Alistor carried Selene out of the house. It was too bad the press were still out there, Jamie would have to think up some excuse for it. Letting out a huff of breath, Michelle dragged herself to her feet and went to find Rogue.

"Today sucks," she muttered under her breath.


End file.
