Buried thoughts

One Week Later...

PG was once again in Rogue's mind alongside the Southern beauty, observing every new detail that presented itself as they continued exploring. After some time, Rogue turned to Paige, a defeated look on her face.

"PG... Y'know, I really appreciate what y'all are trying to do here, but I don't think any o' this is gonna help," Rogue admitted. "I mean, this fancy mindscape explorin' is different, but there ain't anything here that Charlie, Jeannie, or Emma ain't seen before..."

"Be patient, Rogue. We're only scratching the surface here," PG assured her patient. "I've only just established a base here; now it's time to build off of it."

"All right... I just don't wanna waste any of your time," Rogue sighed.

"This isn't a waste of time, I promise you. Lilith and I will keep at this until we figure out how to help you gain control over your powers," PG said firmly. "As long as it takes."

Rogue was a little taken aback by PG's comment -- and her sincerity. She sounded as if she was determined to find a solution to Rogue's problem, and not just in a professional manner or as an accomplishment. She sounded like she genuinely cared about helping the X-Woman. "I... um... thanks, PG. I mean it," she said after a moment, touched by the Kryptonian's commitment. "That means a lot t'me."

"We'll figure this out, Rogue. Now, let's keep moving -- any idea what's behind that wall?" PG asked, gesturing towards an enormous stone structure in front of them.

Rogue looked at the wall in confusion, examining it closely. "No clue... but I doubt it's anything others ain't seen before."

"Only one way to find out..." PG replied, smashing the wall with a single punch.

"Huh. You ain't subtle, are ya?" Rogue remarked. "I guess with that Kryptonian strength ya got ya don't have to be."

"More of an old habit," PG admitted as she walked through the broken wall. "Physical strength really doesn't apply when walking through someone else's mind, but it's a form I'm used to."

"That makes sense. So, what're we lookin' at?" Rogue inquired, trying to see what they'd found.

PG peered into the new area they had stumbled into... and gasped in shock as she saw two naked women kissing deeply on a bed. She wasn't shocked at the image of two women together -- this was obviously a fantasy buried in Rogue's mind -- but at who was involved: it was Rogue and PG herself. Rogue gasped as well and blushed deeply upon seeing that the two women on the bed were her and PG, and quickly averted her gaze from the sex scene playing out in front of them.

"Damn... Paige, I'm sorry," Rogue stammered out awkwardly. "Ya probably shouldn't be seein' this, huh?"

"Actually, Rogue, this is exactly the kind of thing I should be seeing," PG assured her as she stepped forward for a closer look at the fantasy that Rogue's subconscious was indulging in. "Things like this might hold the key to you controlling your powers."

"Really? This ain't too awkward for ya?" Rogue asked nervously. "I mean, I definitely appreciate what y'all are tryin' t'do, but if ya gimme some time, I can uh... hide this real quick... I think."

"It's not a problem at all. It's actually beneficial to what we're doing," PG told her. In fact, as she watched the scene, where Rogue was excitedly kissing her very ample breasts, she found herself enjoying the spectacle quite a bit; in fact, she'd had similar fantasies herself, although now was not the time to admit it. Still, as much as she liked what she saw, she refocused on her priority, which was finding a way to help Rogue control her powers. She made a mental note that Rogue had, on some level, fantasized about her, and would mull over how that might be linked to Rogue's mutant abilities later with Lilith.

Rogue rubbed her arm nervously. "Uh, OK. So ya actually wanna see this stuff. I get it... it's just it's pretty embarrassin'."

"No judgement here. Trust me, I've seen much worse," PG assured her. "Still, if you're uncomfortable, we don't have to explore this. If you'd rather move on, we can do that."

Rogue took a moment to compose herself and then shook her head. If this somehow meant finding a way to control her powers, she was willing to do whatever it took. "No... no, I'm good. Still, this ain't a part of my mind I've shown to other people, or even really paid attention to myself..."

PG made note of Rogue's comment; she wasn't familiar with this part of herself? Did she suppress it for one reason or another? Or... was someone else suppressing it? The latter thought made PG uneasy; she'd felt like someone had been rooting around inside Rogue's psyche, and it wasn't one of her fellow X-Men...

The pair continued to explore more of this unknown part of Rogue's mindscape, where they'd discovered other fantasies she'd had, many involving her fellow X-Women: Jean, Psylocke, Storm and Kitty, among others...

Rogue nervously walked next to PG, trying to find the right words regarding this area of her mind. "I don't understand. I never really been into girls. Or guys, for that matter. Figured there weren't no point, since I couldn't even touch 'em."

PG looked at Rogue curiously. "You weren't consciously aware of these thoughts?" she asked.

"I don't think so. I mean, I notice good lookin' people an' all... but I can't recall ever havin' thoughts like this," Rogue answered honestly.

"They were obviously well hidden," PG observed. "Can you think of any reason you might have had to hide them?"

Rogue shook her head. "Nothin' comes t'mind. Honestly? This is a part a' my mind I didn't know existed... in all my sessions with Charlie, Jeannie n' Emma, none a' them ever saw anythin' like this."

"Not consciously, anyway," PG mused. "Then again, subconscious repression is not something totally unheard of for a mutant... and as you yourself said, you had no reason to indulge in these thoughts, so perhaps you pushed them deeper down than anyone could have expected. Or..."

"Or what?" Rogue pressed as PG trailed off.

"It's far less likely, but there's a remote possibility an outside influence that suppressed those thoughts." PG finished.

Rogue's eyes went wide. "Really? The only other people I've let into my mind're the other X-Men... but they wouldn't do anything like that to me... would they?"

"I very much doubt that. They'd have absolutely nothing to gain for it. Besides, they've been trying to help you for years, right?"

"Yeah, they have," Rogue said, shaking her head. "They've gone above an' beyond. But who's rootin' around in my head without me knowin', then?"

"Someone very powerful..." PG answered, a tinge of worry in her voice. "Still, it is unlikely. But it's something we might want to keep an eye on."

Meanwhile, on the Astral Plane, Amahl Farouk, known to the X-Men as the Shadow King, seethed with frustration. Years of subtle manipulation -- working in the shadows so masterfully that even the X-Men's most powerful telepaths hadn't picked up on his meddling -- and now, these two outsiders had come in and actually unearthed a part of Rogue's mind he thought he'd buried. Still, he reminded himself, he had the advantage. These newcomers still had no idea who he was. What he was capable of. This wasn't a major loss to him. A mere bump in the road. He'd reach his goal. He'd seize control of the mutant woman, and eventually, the X-Men. And if these strangers got in his way, he'd deal with them appropriately.