A/N: Glad you liked the new chapter. It's quite hard to go back to a story you haven't written for a while and pick up the same style. Hope I managed ok.

There might have been some time discrepancies but for the good of the story we'll just ignore those and carry on with the plot. I've played with the characters a bit but hey authors prerogative! Also I'm going on holiday for 3 weeks (yay) so this will be the last update for 3 wks.

I don' own the characters or anything to do with X-Men. I'm making no profit from this story.

KiaOra.

Chapter Thirteen

Rogue made herself comfortable at the kitchen table and smiled mentally as she watched the two guilty perpetrators squirm. She was going to make them pay big time and it showed on her face. Knowing that they knew that, Rogue buried her nose in the folder Wolvie had left for his sessions. His notes were brief but they explained what each class was up to and had descriptions of each mutants strengths and weaknesses. All she had to do was run the right programmes and then work them hard. When they mucked up she'd yell gruffly and then make them do it ten more times. Easy. She was going to enjoy this.

Above her head the two boys exchanged worried glances. Rogue hadn't said a word as she'd re-entered the kitchen. And she was ignoring them as they read the stories. They were in trouble. Big time.

"Chere?"

"Yes Remy?"

Are y' alright, petite?"

"Course ah am."

"Then what's with the silent treatment?" John interjected impatiently.

"Not silent treatment. Ah'm busy." With that she rose and left the room.

The guys looked, frightened, at each other. They were definitely in trouble. And they had training tomorrow before they started their classes! John groaned, thinking of the beating that she was going to let them endure.

They missed Rogues grin as she strolled out for her first class.

"Maybe we should tell Xavier we can't teach cause we're both gonna be saddled in the Hospital?"

Remy snorted. "We could. But Remy got de feeling he would jus' send us back t' take de class anyway."

They both shuddered in horror and slowly resigned themselves to the revengeful fate they knew awaited them.

"Remind Remy t' never piss de Chere off again."

"I would, but I think this is going to be a normal occurrence for you. And me! I don't wanna even get started on what I'm going to have to go through. I mean I'm practically dating her!"

"But shouldn't dat make Rogue like y' more? What Remy means is dats de normal way it goes."

"Yeah, well this is Rogue we're talking about."

"True."

Upon reaching the Danger Room she found that her class of 10 had assembled, waiting, all dressed in their combat gear.

She watched as their eyes shifted nervously as she stalked down the corridor. As she got closer, she saw some of the more confident ones relax. She laughed quietly, knowing they were thinking they were going to get an easy workout just cause Wolvie wasn't here. Well, they had another thing coming. She increased her glare as she halted in front of them. She knew Logan had them warming up before he arrived. Why weren't they inside? She knew the door was unlocked.

Maybe it was the right time to start applying some of the things Mystique had taught her all those years ago. Logan never had to know, plus it wasn't as if she'd ever held back in what he'd taught her. It was true that most of what she'd been taught didn't apply to X-Men training, but X-Men teaching? That was a different matter all together.

She caught the eyes of the obvious leader and matched him stare for stare. He eventually ducked his head, hiding his eyes. She smirked in triumph and ran her eyes over the group. Sensing that none of the others were going to challenge her authority she motioned towards the doors and said, "Let's get this class started." She preceded them all through and hit the light switch, immediately illuminating the vast training space.

"Logan's left me concise instructions foh all of yah, so don' even begin tah entertain tha thought that yah can slack off. These sessions are goin' tah be run exactly tha way Wolvie runs them. Ah expect yah all tah so your best. And if yah don', there will be consequences." With a glare to validate her statement she separated the students into their training groups and explained the simulations.

"Today, Alpha group will be trying tah manoeuvre all of their troops tah the other side without anyone getting 'killed'. Sound simple? Add that Bravo team will be trying tah stop yah. And tha terrain will not be in your favour. When you've succeeded tha two groups will swap roles and tha terrain will be changed. Before we start Ah want 10 laps of tha room and your entire self-defence practise done. Yah all have 10 minutes." With that Rogue left them to it while she went to the Control Room to load the training simulation.

Ten minutes later, she arrived back down in the room. A bunch of raggedly breathing individuals faced her and she shook her head in disgust. She spoke, her voice full of scorn, "How do yah all expect tah take on Magneto and his goons if yah can't even do a few laps without dying of exhaustion?" She stalked over to the centre of the room and motioned them to follow her. They trailed after her, uncertainly forming a semicircle around her. She placed her hands very firmly on her hips as she looked around.

"This exercise is about teamwork. Leadership, trust. It's all very well and good that you're all mutants and can do individual damage. But can yah work as a team? Can yah entrust your lives tah a select few and hope that they do tha same tah yah? Can yah work together, helping, leading, and sacrificing yourselves? Well, can yah?" She looked expectantly around the thoughtful faces surrounding her. She grimaced as a few shrugged their shoulders but none were vocal.

"Today we're going tah learn if yah can. This isn't about killing tha enemy. This is about saving your teammates and innocents lives. What's the point of being a hero if every time yah go out some of your team mates die? Yah can all be assured that the enemy, Magneto in our case, does not train his men tah care bout tha others. That's what makes us different from them. We're not killing machines," She had everyone's attention now, their eyes rapt and focused on her, "We go out tah save people, not tah kill. But being able tah defend you and your teammates is important. So, today. Yah know your companions strengths and weaknesses. Ah want tah see teamwork and leadership, And trust me, if yah don't get it tahday, you'll be working on it until yah do." With the slight threat wavering in the air surrounding them, she stalked off to the side and gave them 5 minutes to plan before she started the simulation.

Half an hour later she faced the out of breath, heavily perspiring trainees with a sardonic smirk and an uplifted eyebrow.

"Well done Bravo team, you just massacred an entire X-Men force with no losses tah yourselves. That was a wonderful demonstration on how tah get yourself and everyone else killed, Alpha," She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, trying to control the urge to scream at them all, "That was selfish work out there. Tha point was TEAMWORK! What happened?" She waited, scowl firmly in place, for their excuses. When nothing but a few indistinct mumbles made their way to her ears she growled in disgust and snarled, "Bravo, you're now in Alpha's position. See if yah can bring one man out alive."

She turned to stalk away when a rebellious voice rang out.

"Yah can't really talk, Rogue."

Rogue froze and with narrowed eyes slowly turned around to face Sam Guthrie.

"What was that?"

"Ah said, yah can't really talk."

Rogues mouth twisted and she concentrated real hard on slowly stepping towards him. "And why would that be, Mister Guthrie?"

His chin came up defiantly and he fought not to step back.

"You're not exactly the best role model in teamplaying. So what can yah possibly teach us? Yah left tha X-Men at tha first sign of trouble. You're as solitary as Wolverine. Ah don't get why they've got people like yah teaching us. It's just hypocritical."

Rogue stopped half a metre away from him. When his eyes met hers he involuntarily took a step backwards. Her eyes were cold. Cold and hard. They looked like frozen emeralds.

"Have yah finished?" Her question came out with the force of her anger hidden behind a cold façade.

When he merely nodded she swept her eyes around the group and asked, "Anyone else have something tah add?" When no one responded she smiled bitterly.

"Let me tell yah all something yah all obviously haven't figured out foh yourselves yet. It's true ah'm a solitary person. Ah was raised that way. Ah didn't know any other way until ah came here. Neither did Logan. Ah'd rather be bah myself than be around a lot of people like you. But ah would never let my teammates die or be injured if ah could stop it. When yah are working in a team yah have tah let go of your normal attitude. It ain't gonna help yah any. There are sometimes circumstances where being yourself can help, but ah would never sacrifice anyone to satisfy mah own personality." She glanced around at them all standing there.

"And Sam, Ah think yah should know more about a situation before yah go spouting off about it. If anybody, Logan and Ah are the best ones tah teach yah'll about teamwork, because we have tah work so hard at it ourselves. We know tha hard way and we're tryin' tah teach yah'll the easy way. So all of you should shut up and appreciate what people have tah offer yah. None of you will appreciate what you've got here in your teams until yah lose somebody or the team dissipates. These will be the people that are your family. And yah should all be doin' yah damn hardest tah protect them. No-one wants tah see any of yah killed. So, learn what you're being taught. And if yah don' like what's being taught yah can go and talk tah the Professor about it." With her challenge firmly placed she looked each and every one of them in the eye.

"No? Then get into position. Bravo team, you're up." She spun around and walked to the side before restarting the simulation.

40 minutes later Remy stumbled back as the door he was about to open was flung violently forward and crashed into the wall. He watched, bemused, as 10 teenage mutants straggled out of the room, all in various states of exhaustion. Behind them Rogue strode out, a smug look gracing her features, making her eyes twinkle.

Remy took in the ragged group and shuddered in horror thinking of the session that he had early the next morning. He gave Rogue a somewhat dimmed version of his trademark grin.

"Was jus' comin' t' check up on y' petite, making sure de young uns hadn't run y' t' de ground."

Rogues grin widened. She fell into step with him and they meandered their way towards the kitchen.

"Ah don't think it's me yah had tah be worried about, Remy."

"Yeah, well Remy can see day. Now he's mostly worried about how he and Johnno are goin' t' fare t'morrow."

Rogue let loose a chuckle. "You'll both be fahne, just as long as yah are both there on time. By tha way, what is tha time?"

"Is about 7pm, chere."

Rogue stopped abruptly in the entrance to the kitchen and Remy, not noticing, collided into her.

"Why do yah call me that?"

"What?"

"Chere. 'Cause yah know ah'm not."

"Yeah, Remy knows. But it's better dan calling y' some vegetable." He smiled winningly at her, not wanting to have to give up his pet name for her.

Rogue sighed heavily. "Fahne. Jus as long as yah don get any ideas!"

Remy grinned and dipped his head so he could whisper in her ear as he passed her. "Remy knows y' belong t' Johnny."

With a wink he disappeared into the kitchen leaving Rogue openmouthed in the doorway. After a long stunned moment she followed the Cajun in, ready to defend that no one owned her, let alone some BOY!

Meanwhile..

"I think we're lost."

"We are not lost!"

Silence.

"I'm positive I've seen that bush before. And we've definitely passed that trees stump at least once."

"Bobby, do you know what lightning does to water? If you don't shut up you'll soon find out."

Silence.

"I'm hungry."

"I'm bored."

"I'm tired."

"Storm, are you listening to me?"

"No Bobby, it's something I generally try to avoid."

"Ouch, that hurt. Bigtime."

Mid sulk, Kurt stopped abruptly causing Bobby to slam into him. "Great, just what I needed. A mouth full of blue fur."

"Shh, I can hear somethingz."

"What could you possibly hear out here? Birds?"

"No. It iz voices!"

Storm stepped forward and motioned for silence. They then quietly made their way toward the human sounds. They stopped on top of a slight rise and crouched down, shielding themselves from sight. They peered over the top and the sight of a camp greeted them. They continued to watch as a pair of mutants battled in the middle of the clearing. A tall, lean male about 19 with white hair seemed to disappear and reappear at great speed behind the other guy, who shot spikes out of his arms at his opponent

Ororo looked around the camp and noticed 5 other mutants in various states of repose, watching the fight, idly. Occasionally one would yell out "Good move, Quicksilver," or "Nice shot, Spike."

All together she counted 9 mutants including Mystique and Sabertooth who were obviously there to train the younger mutants.

After surveying them for 5 minutes they moved back and grouped to quietly discuss their plan of attack.

"We're here to observe the new trainees and what Mystique is teaching them, so we'll split the group into three. We'll take 3 mutants each and watch them. Take mental notes or record them and send them to the Professor. Obviously Magneto isn't here so we won't worry about him. Hopefully the others will find out what he's up to. Everyone ready? Be careful and Keep in contact."

With that the 3 split up to learn about their mutants.