I should apologise for the massive uploading fail. Again. It turns out that college is the invention of the devil, and the devil has no regard for fanfiction writers. I hope some people will still review. Especially as I'm getting into the plot now.

This is for Xanthiae. I think she probably knows why! Huge thanks to Xanthiae, pinkdrama, Twilighter1189, Dragongirl of the Stars, Capt_Mackenzie, nileena, Unread-Letters, and last, but not least, Forever-Frozen, for leaving such wonderful reviews.

Chapter 15

'Security is when everything is settled. When nothing can happen to you. Security is the denial of life.'

Rogue didn't think she'd ever made it from her room to the rec room so quickly in her life. Even crashing (literally) into Jubilee on the stairs hadn't slowed her down.

Once they'd both reeled back onto their own two feet, they'd thundered down the stairs, feet thumping in time, and probably made enough of a racket to wake the entire mansion. Not that anyone in the mansion would be asleep at just gone seven on a Sunday evening. But the point still stood.

Rogue would have felt stupid for being so eager, but despite her and Jubilee's feat of near superhuman speed they were still among the last to arrive at the meeting. That is, if the lack of floor space was anything to go by.

Apparently the rest of the X-Men were just as keen to hear the Professor's latest plan as she was. Much as she was loathe to admit it, the reason Rogue was so keen to know what was going to happen was because the weight this current situation held scared her just a tiny bit.

It wasn't as though the X-Men hadn't been through horrible, death-defying things before (Liberty Island and Alkali Lake were the two instances that sprung instantly to mind) but this current situation seemed more dangerous and less diffusible than anything Rogue had experienced thus far. She knew that there was a distinct possibility things could go wrong, and that if they did, they would go very wrong. Armageddon, whilst perhaps a tad dramatised, was actually a fairly apt description for what Rogue imagined could happen.

Which was why she, and the others, were gathered so eagerly in the rec room waiting to hear what clever scheme the Professor had come up with this time. Charles Xavier could always be relied upon to lever them out of tricky situations.

Rogue wove her way around the various mutants and items of furniture, and eventually sunk to the floor, legs crossed, in front of the armchair currently containing Kurt. Jubilee bounded over, and easily reassigned Bobby from one of the comfiest beanbag chairs to the floor, hazel eyes wide with innocence.

Allowing her eyes to scan the rest of the room, Rogue registered who else was present. Storm, Scott and Jean were sitting in a row on the sofa, Jean in the middle, wearing identical expressions of stress. Kurt, Hank, and Warren were sprawled in the three sagging armchairs; Hank in stripy pyjamas (and still resembling toothpaste), Warren shirtless, wings strapped neatly to his back, and Kurt in what resembled a complicated yoga position, his marked black skin glowing in the firelight. Kitty and Jubilee occupied the two beanbag chairs, with Bobby and Remy propped against the wall next to them and the Professor was in his wheelchair, staring serenely out of the window, as though the dark night outside was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.

All in all, there were only two things of particular interest to note. One was that Logan was missing. And the other was that the three of the newcomers were standing silently at the back of the room, resembling more granite pillars than mutants, and looking hugely tense. This, Rogue supposed, was not entirely unreasonable, given that what the Professor was about to tell them was likely to decide whether or not they'd live to see Christmas.

Perhaps she was being influenced by what she and Logan had inadvertently witnessed in the Danger Room, but Rogue couldn't help but notice that although Tia stood in the middle of the two men, Tendril's eyes kept flickering up to meet Marcus's, as though the two were communicating silently over Tia's head. All in all the three of them were radiating enough tension to freeze the equator.

Leyna however, was the very picture of a relaxed five year old girl. She was sprawled on her stomach on the rug in front of the fire, right in the centre of the room. Her brown hair was styled in bunches, although it stuck up on one side, and she wore multi-coloured candy-stripe pyjamas that would have put Jubilee to shame. She was twirling a finger through the strands of the rug, turning them different colours, and her other hand was resting, in a gesture Rogue was already recognising as automatic, atop Freddie's head. The wolf had his eyes closed, and was panting slightly, and if she were to hazard a guess, Rogue would have said he was probably very close to overheating, being directly in the sweltering path of the fire.

She also took a moment to wonder why a fire had been lit in the middle of July, but judging by the way Leyna's eyes returned again and again to the flames, as if transfixed, Rogue was guessing someone was pandering to the little girl's wishes.

Aside from Freddie's panting, and the crackle of flames, the room was entirely silent. After five or so minutes had passed, and Rogue was ready to start eating the sofa cushions just for a distraction, the Professor swung suddenly away from the window, looking slightly irritated.

'I know it's Sunday evening, but where on earth is…'

He stopped dead as the door swung open and Logan banged through.

'Sorry 'm late.'

The Professor inclined his head.

'Not a problem, Logan. I'm sorry to have disturbed your evening.'

Logan wove his way across the room, passing Rogue in the process, and took up a stance leaning against the fireplace. Rogue did her level best not to even look at him, not even when his denim-clad thighs passed within two inches of her nose. It was a feat she was rather proud of.

Leyna, who had as yet to even acknowledge anyone else's presence, was shifting over towards Logan, shooting him covert looks as though hoping he wouldn't notice her gradual progress across the room. Good luck with that, Rogue thought.

She returned her attention to the Professor as he clapped his hands.

'Okay everybody, thank you for gathering here at such short notice.'

This Rogue noticed, appeared to be aimed more at the three granite pillars at the back, rather than any of the X-Men.

'I'm sorry to interrupt your Sunday evenings, but I believe we need to discuss what is going to be done about our current situation.'

There was no movement at all in the room, apart from Leyna progressing another inch across the floor.

The Professor sighed, and continued.

'Now, I know that our current situation is a dangerous one, and among our numbers there are probably some who would rather we just did not get, or rather remain, involved.'

At this, Scott shifted slightly. This didn't really surprise Rogue. Whilst Scott was generally a staunch defender of those in need, he was far more defensive of everyone at the mansion, and had, like Rogue herself, probably analysed the situation and failed to see a way in which it could possibly end well.

The Professor coughed, as though to regain everyone's attention.

'However, this has never been our policy. For years now, this mansion has been a safe haven, a place for mutants to exist without fear of prejudice or harm. I do not intend to change that now. This decision is final. Alex, Marcus and Tia have come to us for help, and we will not turn them away, especially not when so much is at stake.'

'So what, exactly, are we going to do?'

It definitely wasn't Rogue's imagination – Scott sounded defensive, and more than a little edgy.

The Professor rubbed the back of his neck.

'There is no questioning the fact that Magneto will want Leyna back, or that he will be prepared to fight a war in order to achieve that. If we want to protect Leyna, then at some stage we will have to fight.'

Scott's jaw tightened visibly.

'That's suicide, Professor.'

Xavier inclined his head slightly.

'Yes, Scott, I do register your concerns. They are more than valid. However, I must ask you to consider what kind of a world this will become if we allow Magneto to regain control of Leyna. With the right training and control, she could make Magneto all-powerful with a single thought. You do not honestly expect that we would be allowed to escape unharmed if such a thing came to pass?'

Scott's jaw tightened further, but he didn't respond.

Jubilee spoke up.

'Lemme get this straight. The plan is, basically, to turn ourselves into sacrificial goats for the greater good?'

Remy jabbed her in the side. Jubilee glared at him.

'I'm not arguing, per se. I just wanted to get it straight.'

The Professor looked suddenly tired.

'Jubilee, no-one has said anything about sacrifice.'

Scott made a small sound of disbelief.

Rogue felt the sudden urge to support the Professor. It was a mark of how strained the situation was that Scott, his right-hand man, was arguing against him in front of the entire team. It must feel like betrayal, not that the Professor would ever be a poor enough man to even think that.

She spoke up.

'No, the Professor's right. Magneto has an army, but so do we right? There's no reason why we can't beat him.'

The Professor smiled at her.

'Precisely, Rogue. Magneto is powerful, as are a certain number of his followers, but we must not forget that two of his best fighters,' at this all eyes turned to DeathTouch and Tendril, 'recently deserted along with his greatest weapon. They have the advantage in numbers, but not necessarily in skill. We can beat them.'

Logan spoke up for the first time, and when Rogue finally made herself look in his direction, she had to suppress an inappropriate snort of amusement at the sight of Leyna leaning against his legs.

'So when and where do we fight?'

Abrupt and to the point, that was the Wolverine talking, Rogue thought.

The Professor smiled.

'Patience, Logan. Although numbers do not win a battle, they certainly help, and I have no wish for this to turn into a massacre. Skill is not our only advantage.'

There was a puzzled silence. Finally Bobby spoke up, the confusion clear in his voice.

'I don't get it. What have we got that they haven't?'

'We've got Leyna,' Warren replied, and as he spoke a low rumble went around the room, 'but…isn't it a bit unethical…'

'Yes, Warren, absolutely. We are not going to use a five year old child as a weapon.'

'Then what?'

The Professor smiled again.

'What are the three most important things in a war?'

'Numbers,' Storm said, 'and we've already established they have the upper hand. And skill, in which we're fairly evenly matched.'

There was a silence, in which the Professor patiently waited, before apparently deciding they needed a clue.

'Why,' he said, 'is it that when a battle is fought, high ground is always the most coveted?'

Logan shifted. Obviously there had been a light bulb moment.

'Yes, Logan?'

He shrugged.

'They want to fight us, not the other way around. If we don't go to them, then eventually they have to come to us. Means that we can plan strategy, avoid ambush, and fight on home territory, while they'll be playing blind.'

The Professor nodded.

'Exactly. We have the upper hand in this situation. I would rather not have to fight a battle at all, but if it necessary, and I am afraid it is, then at least let it be seen that we can fight a battle of our choosing. We can fight a battle we can win.'

There was a silence as everyone mulled this over. To Rogue, the Professor's logic did make sense, although like him, she'd far rather not have to fight a battle at all. Because even if they could win, what would be the cost?

She shoved that thought away, because entertaining it made the bottom of her stomach feel like it had been filled with adamantium. She trusted the Professor. If this was the only way, then they didn't have a choice.

Logan was the first to speak and break the silence.

'Yeah, okay. What do we do in the mean time? Just wait?'

The Professor shook his head.

'We prepare. We plan. And other than that, yes…we do nothing.'

Half an hour later, Rogue stood on the patio, leaning against the side of the house, and stared out across the dark garden, attempting to process some of what had been said earlier.

After the Professor had announced his plan, he had departed almost immediately, summoning Logan with him, and leaving behind a silent, more than slightly stunned team. The wind had even been knocked out of Jubilee's sails.

Rogue felt, if possible, worse than she had before. Before when she considered the outcome of their current situation she had pictured a bleak scenario, but there had been a tiny flicker of hope that the Professor would sort everything out as normal. Now that little flicker was gone, and everything she could see was just darkness.

Strange how a few days ago she'd been worried about the heat, and college, and about almost castrating her best friend. Now those seemed but minor troubles.

Rogue was so lost in thought that when she heard a familiar voice say her name from the shadows, she almost jumped out of her skin.

'Christ! Jeesh, Jubes you almost gave me a heart attack.'

'Sorry. You okay, chica?'

All Rogue could see were flashes of white teeth and the white of Jubilee's eyes, but she thought her friend looked worried.

'Yeah. Well, no. It's weird.'

Jubilee nodded.

'I know. And to think this morning I was worrying about breaking a nail.'

Rogue snorted in spite of herself.

'It's just horrible, knowing that we're going to have to fight them.'

Jubilee hummed an agreement.

'Weird thing is that I can't bring myself to resent the kid for it.'

Rogue sighed.

'I know. I keep thinking about what Magneto did and…I…'

'We can't let him do that again. He can't be allowed to use Leyna.'

'I know, Jubes. I just never expected the Professor to not know what to do. I certainly never expected him to tell us to fight.'

'To tell you the truth, chica, I think he's scared.'

'Scared?'

'Mmmm. Because there isn't another way out. And out of all the shit we've dealt with, there's never been no other choice but to fight.'

'The waiting's the worst. I don't want to sit here like a sitting duck and wait for Magneto to materialise outside my window.'

Jubes shuffled her feet.

'Neither do I. But I trust the Professor. If he says we can out-plan them, then I believe him. I think we can be ready for them.'

And even if we aren't, we don't have a choice.

Neither of them said the words, but as they stood in silence, Rogue was almost certain they were both thinking them.