Of course everyone heard about that fight within the hour.

But even Gambit could hardly blame Wally for blowing up, and he was the most anxious to do so.

"I'm sure they were frustrated," Rogue voiced it. "We'll just have to apologize and let it slide."

Xavier agreed and attempted to reason with Scott as to why he ought to bury the hatchet.

But Scott was still furious. He felt Wally had been out of line...and to be honest, Shine had scared him with her intensity at the end, and he didn't like that he'd been cowed by a much younger woman who wasn't even powerful enough to be a threat...at least to his knowledge.

Jubilee, who now knew they had powers, was conflicted. She'd sworn not to tell anyone, but she didn't know why.

She asked Kurt about it when she got the chance.

"Ah," Kurt said. "At first, I vas not sure either, but now I see vhy. They do not vish to receive special treatment for having their gifts. You saw--they are probably more powerful than most mutants vould be. It vould be easy to frighten people vith that. Like me, they prefer for people to feel comfortable around them, I think."

"But did they say that? Or do they just not trust us?" Jubilee said.

"They must trust you, Fraulein," Kurt said. "And the others they vill tell in due time-- they told me so. Ven they are ready. You must thank Gott that you are ready, and let them use their best judgment. They used their gifts to save our friends, that is all that matters, not vhy they have them, or how many, or if they let us know."

Jubilee was pacified enough to drop it. 

Shine waited for Wally to come back, and she looked so much like a pouncing tiger that no one had the nerve to talk to her.

"You know," Rogue commented to Storm. "I never would think someone would be that scary without having to say anything, but I'll be durned if I don't think she'd eat me alive if I tried to talk to her."

"She took the sleight against her husband very seriously," Storm said. "I don't blame her. It's a very serious thing in many cultures to insult someone's spouse. Many a woman in my tribe would have done worse."

"Oh, that's cute," Rogue said. "I like that, loyalty. We're just like that where I come from too--you don't talk bad about family to their face. It ain't right.... Between the two of us, Scott deserved to get what-for over that but I wouldn't tell him so to his face."

"Indeed," Storm agreed.

Wally finally did come back, and he seemed to have cooled off.

Shine hugged him tight for a minute. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine now," he said.

Since he was a guy, Shine took that at face value.

"Okay," she said. "But should we talk about this?"

"I'd rather not, just now," Wally said.

Shine nodded. "I can wait."

"Or do you need to talk about it?" Wally switched tactics because by now, he knew Shine usually did.

"I'll wait," Shine said.

"If you need to--" Wally began.

"Wally!" Shine said. "One of us had to make the unselfish decision here, and it's my turn, got it? You do it next time, and let's just settle it that way."

"Okay, if you say so." Wally made a goofy, confused expression at her bluntness.

Seeing Logan watching, he gestured at Shine. "This woman lays it all out for you, so you don't have to guess. Aren't I lucky?"

"Oh, very," Logan said sarcastically. "Between us, I'd have punched Scott's smug jawline."

"Well...uh...thanks?" Wally said.

"Got nothin' to do with you," Logan said, "just never liked him...but he's one of the team."

"And we'll endeavor to remember that," Shine said. "But I think we all have regrets."

Logan shrugged. "You two were right. Don't expect an apology over it, we're not the types. But you saved our butts. You can take that and do what you want with it."

"You know, I appreciate that," Wally said. "That does help a little."

"But before you said..." Shine began, then she shook her head. "I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Thank you, Logan."

Logan swallowed a little guiltily. "Maybe I was a little harsh.... You two pop out of nowhere and take people off guard, they're gonna get ugly. But it wasn't yer fault that they sprung a trap on us either. No-win situation."

"But how's Morph?" Shine asked, catching him off guard. "I'm sure you didn't just let him leave? I haven't seen him since Scott chewed us out."

"He's restin'," Logan replied. "But he'll probably be on his way.... I wish he'd stick around, but he's not ready."

Shine tugged her hair. "We should talk to him.... I'm good with PTSD, when the Spirit moves me."

"If ya want to take a crack at it, go right ahead," Logan said. "But don't expect much. Even the Professor hasn't been able to help him."

"Not the Professor," Shine said, "that's why.... Though controlling anger and fear is helpful. But you'd know all about that, Logan. And Morph is not just angry, is he? This was about him going out of control and becoming weak. It's hard on a man, most of all a hero, to be unable to endure the pressures of the job because of something that they couldn't control."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Yer point?"

"They blame themselves," Shine said, "and that makes it take twice as long to recover. Recovery takes years anyway, often. Gotta thank Sinister for exacerbating that problem..."

"That's not his actual name, is it?" Wally said.

"Not originally, but no one remembers his old name," she said. "Sinister it the one he chose.... Being on the nose was okay in the 80s."

"Ugh, that's worse than the She-Ra names..." Wally said. "Yikes."

"Well, you know, Batman is real subtle," Shine said.

"Okay...fair point," Wally said. "But it's a gimmick at least. Is this guy just really sinister all the time? How is that a title?"

Logan was giving them a look. "You two done, or do ya want his birth certificate?"

"Sorry," Shine said.

"Sinister did a number on 'im, but it was also how we abandoned 'im," Logan said, "which was Scott's fault...but it's done now. Still, Sinister couldn't have twisted his mind without that."

"No, Logan, he could have," Shine said. "To err is human, and Sinister could find enough fear to brainwash anyone, since he cheats at it. Morph's was just easy to pick out. But Morph would have known why you all left him there, if left to himself. I hate to say it, but it's not Scott's fault."

Logan sniffed. "Well, I didn't like it."

"I'm on your side there," Shine said. "I would not leave someone behind...not if I could help it. But it's too late now, isn't it? At least he got a convertible out of it."

That remark made Logan do a double take.

"Watch it, sister, those little fact drops of yers aren't so non-threatenin' as you think they are," he said.

"I'm keeping you on your toes," Shine said, "so you know never to underestimate me." She winked. "It was funny anyway."

Wally snickered. "Convertible..."

"I'd have kicked his tires on top of it," Shine added in a lower voice.

Logan gave her a weird look. "You're looney."

"You did it, not me," Shine said. "But I'm curious, is this softening up a sign you're ready to finally start working on what we came here to do?"

Logan extended a claw and looked at it.

"Not yet," he said. "I'm still gettin' used to this, and I need more time. You're focusin' on the Morlocks for now, just keep doing that. When I'm ready, I'll let ya know."

"But what would make you ready?" Wally asked.

"I don't know," Logan said. "Whatever you are, I don't know what to make of it, or if it's for me."

Shine leaned on Wally's shoulder, but kept her eyes on Logan.

"You're not the first to be unsure of how to take our help," she said. "But if it helps, we're very good at what we do. At least, I assume we are, since we keep getting new missions. Or we're so bad at it we need extra training."

Wally chuckled. "I really doubt it, but that would suck..."

"Anyway," Shine went on, "you've blown this way out of proportion, Logan. We're going to tailor our approach to your needs, speak your language. So if that makes it easier to be ready, then just think of it that way. It really won't be as bad as you think. We're not going to wear togas and go to a mountain top and mediate, unless that floats your boat, I guess. We can find a way to teach you within what makes sense to you. But you need help, if I may be so frank. You're not good at sticking to change, are you?"

Logan was silent but not disagreeing.

"We've paid close attention to you in the last 3 weeks," Shine went on, "and I think what I thought before: You're willing, but lack knowledge of how to make it happen. Growth isn't an accident, you know, it has to be intentional. You've tried many things, and nothing has stuck other than the X-men themselves. There's a very clear reason for that to us, who are supposed to be able to discern this stuff by our analysis and instinct. But you don't get it. Most people don't--introspection is a very hard thing to do correctly. So you need help, all of us do. I have had mentors, Wally has, and being mentors has made us realize that no one is simple, and no one is uniform, formula, or predictable at all times. So if you're willing to let us roll with it, then we'll try to be our best."

Logan thought about it.

"I still need more time," he said. "I'll think about it. That's all I'm promisin'."

"That's cool," Wally said. "I mean, we got plenty of stuff to do anyway, right?"

"Yeah...and more of it to do tomorrow," Shine said. "How about getting dinner and then calling it a night? I'm exhausted. Chasing X-men around the woods is not a light task, turns out."

She moved toward the kitchen.

"Ha," Wally said. "She has no idea. I've spent all day doing things like that. And that's a good day. You know how it is with your dumb friends get in trouble." He winked at Logan before following.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Dumb friends..." he muttered.

* * *

The next day Morph intended to be on his way, though everyone asked him to stay.

Shine asked if she could talk to him anyway. And she told Kurt to join her.

"Wally already knows the drill," she said, "but I want to see what you can do."

"I'm not much of a counselor," Kurt said.

"Oh, please, you're a natural," Shine said. "And what if we're not here and someone is freaking out? You might as well practice it more. Though I'm confident you'd be able to anyway."

"Your confidence is flattering, but I'm really not sure I'm gifted at this. I simply speak from the heart," Kurt said.

"Best kind of counselor," Shine said. "Come."

Kurt gave in.

Morph wasn't sure what the whole thing was about, until Shine explained that Logan had mentioned his situation, and that she was usually good with helping.

"I know I'm a total stranger," she said, "but I'd just like to help, if I can."

"That's kind," Morph said, nervously, "but I'm not sure.... Moira is helping me, but...I'm still skittish."

"Are you a religious man?" Kurt asked.

"Ah, no," Morph said.

"Is it all right if I tell you a bit about Gott's care for us?" Kurt asked humbly.

"Uh...sure." Morph seemed only to be polite.

"Ven things happen to us that don't make sense, it is easy to question Gott's love," Kurt said. "But Gott does not alvays explain things to us. He asks us to trust Him, because He knows what is best. And He gives us the strength to be able to bear it. I'm sure, if you asked Him for help, he vould."

Shine nodded.

"I...don't really think that's for me," Morph said. "No offense, but I didn't see much sign of God in what happened to me. If Gott's out there, I don't think he cares about me."

"But you're wrong--He does care," Kurt said.

"A lot of innocent people suffer and die," Morph said, "and God doesn't do a thing to stop it, so I just don't see it."

"Everyone dies," Shine said, "at least, most people will. God decides what time they have, and if He allotted them only a short time, it was long enough. He would know. But He doesn't like that anyone perishes. People die a lot of ways because of their own choices and other people's, not God's wishes. But God also sends people to intervene. He sent your friends to rescue you, even after Sinister took you. Not one person in a million has such loyal friends, usually. There is grace there."

Morph didn't look convinced.

"Do you have a better option?" Shine leaned on her hand.

That line wouldn't work on most people, but Morph seemed to actually think about it.

"Not a lot," he said.

"Is that our case?" Kurt asked Shine. "I don't think that's right. Gott is not just a last resort."

"Humans are foolish enough to think so," Shine said. "I daresay mutants are no different. And when we run out of our solutions is when most of us turn to God. I thought it was a fair question."

"Being out of options is not a reason to accept something," Morph said. "If that was true, I could just go back to Sinister." He shuddered.

"True enough," Shine said. "Many a desperate person does just that kind of thing. Worship doesn't have to be of the Real God. Look, Morph, there are many reasons to believe in God that I could lay out, scientific to rational to emotional to personal, but I feel like what you really want isn't that, it's some sign that He cares about you. How can He show that?"

Morph looked at her weirdly. "I don't know."

"Ve often don't know," Kurt said. "Ve don't know vat's best. I didn't understand Gott's love for a long time.... Vat I thought of as love vas all vrong."

"Me too," Shine said. "I didn't get love at all, growing up. I thought love meant I'd feel happy, because I wasn't, and it was true, my parents didn't show me a whole lot of love, but even when they did, my happiness was fleeting, and I was afraid of what would happen to it. I was born with problems, quite literally." She looked at her hands. "And the Word says man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. My trouble started from birth. One might wonder how that says God loves us...but I didn't die. I could have. I was never starving or un-cared for growing up. That was my blessing. Most importantly, I was taught what was right, and I was taught about God, something that got me through every dark time in my life, even depression, anxiety, and abuse."

She looked up. "I've heard stories much worse than mine, but we all have something that we struggle with. I know God doesn't tell us why others suffer the way they do. He offers us help, for us, in our struggles. Asking about their stories is no good to us. I know that no one gets out of suffering, not even God Himself. He makes our suffering matter, He doesn't stop all of it, because suffering is just part of life the way it is now, and if He took it away, He'd have to take away every human being who ever caused it. Which would include you, Morph, who hurt your friends."

Morph looked at her somberly.

"And me," Shine said.

"And I," Kurt added softly.

"Anyone," Shine said. "We all contribute, but we're still here because God shows mercy in letting us live even though we do those things. And here you are, because he loves you. You got helped because of that. I think people who ask, receive. Maybe not all the way we think, but even so. I believe God would show himself to you even more if you asked, but even this much is a miracle. It didn't have to be that way. No good thing has to happen, with so much evil in the world. It's shocking when it does. At least that's how I've felt."

"You know, my brothers like to say that everything is a miracle," Kurt said. "From nature, to human beings, to salvation. Ve're surrounded by vonders, if ve just had the eyes to see it."

Morph was still silent.

"Stay with us," Shine said suddenly. "Stop running. That's the only way to help you. Stay here, and you'll begin to see things a new way. Let your friends be your friends again. It takes a little faith sometimes to even think you are worth the effort to help.... And it would make Logan happy. Please."

"I--I couldn't," Morph said.

"But she's right," Kurt said. "This is your home. You've been avay for a long time. Vat better vay to show love than for you to return?"

"I can tell you, MacTaggert, for all she's a very nice lady, is not going to solve your problem," Shine said. "You need to walk it out. Like before...I think you gave up too soon. Stay, and you'll begin to see results."

[My pet peeve with this show was Morph's constant disappearance, because they clearly couldn't get the VA to stay--stupid reason to write it that way, if you ask me, but I guess they thought they had no choice.... If that's not the reason, then it was just silly.]

Morph was wavering. "I...don't know if it's the right time.... I'd like to be an X-men again..."

"Don't worry about that," Shine said. "You're their friend first. Just be their friend."

"This is gut advice," Kurt agreed. "Being vith your brothers is a great joy, especially ven they accept you as you are."

"'Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!'" Shine quoted.

"Psalm 133:1," Kurt said, smiling.

"I don't know if...The Professor would..." Morph hesitated some more.

"He would," Shine said. "And, think, it'd save so much on the flight tickets for visiting."

A weird pause before Morph kind of laughed at that. "That's true..."

"I don't understand," Kurt said.

"It's a joke," Shine said. "He hasn't really visited, but if he were to want to, it's expensive."

"Ah, I just stowed avay," Kurt said.

"I did that too," Morph said. "I posed as an airline worker.... But anyway...I suppose...I...well, there's really no reason I couldn't stay here.... As long as I didn't try to go on missions, it'd be okay, right?"

Clearly he wanted to. Living on Muir Island had to be lonely.

"Just ask them and see if they don't all agree," Shine suggested.

Morph ended up doing exactly that.

And all of them did agree. 

"But what changed yer mind?" Logan asked.

"That new girl and that blue-tailed guy." Morph morphed into them for a second and then back to normal. "They said it was a good idea, and I thought, why not? Maybe it's time.... They're very persuasive."

"How about that," Logan said flatly.

"With Creed, that makes two people we've rescued with their help," Rogue noted to the others. "I gotta say, I like this one better. I'm glad Morph is back...but what d'you think they said to 'im?"

"Knowing Kurt, it was something about his faith," Storm said. "I can't pretend to know what Shine said. She's apparently incredibly persuasive. First Sabretooth, then Callisto, and now Morph."

And perhaps Storm herself. She had been seriously considering Shine's suggestion to join them in their endeavors to aid the Morlocks.

"Let's just hope she never tries to talk one of us into doing something real embarrassing," Rogue said. "What if we said yes?"

She was mostly kidding, but since the whole thing with Shine's energy control was still bugging her, there was a serious note to it, and Gambit frowned like he didn't care for the idea.

[Morph being back ought to be real interesting.

A pattern I noted on the X-men show is that Xavier's numbers tend to dwindle over the course of it. No doubt funding or VA's leaving was part of the real reasons, but it also doesn't look good for his cause. Even the writing kind of reflected that.

But a pattern in my stories is Shine and Wally's ability to attract people. Their missions draw crowds. 

I thought an interesting way to use this would be to sort of gain back the X-men's loss by having Morph rejoin them. And he's an interesting character to work with anyway--solves a few too many problems in conflicts to be used a lot. I think that's why they did without him, but I think I can work around that.]

* * *

Shine got cornered by Rogue later that day while she was trying to read.

"All right, you gotta tell me--what did you do to me before?" Rogue burst out, like she just couldn't contain herself any longer. "And how?"

Shine wondered if she was ever going to get used to people freaking out when she did the simplest things with her gifts...though, if she considered how it'd look, she supposed it was kind of freaky.

https://youtu.be/sY48BqCiyzo

[Secrets-- One Republic]

"If it helped," she said, "why does it matter how I did it? I told you already, you just got my immunity."

"Yeah, but that don't make any sense," Rogue said. "I couldn't...not without gettin' the rest. You'd have been inside my head.... Your explanation was real detailed, but I've never experienced it like that before, and when I tried, it almost killed me to take your energy...so..."

"I didn't know it that time, so I had no time to prepare," Shine shrugged. "Do you really want the answer? Because I don't think you'd like it if I told you."

"Tell me," Rogue insisted.

She braced herself for something unsettling.

But Shine instead lifted her book. It was the Bible.

"When you really get into all this," she said, "and you learn how it works, and what we have to do about it, things like sharing your spirit with someone is easy.... In fact, we're supposed to. Not our minds, not like what you do, but spirit.... Spirit is contagious, if you read this book. People can be close to each other and catch it. Jesus could heal with just the hem of his garment. Someone once was healed by touching the bones of a prophet, or their shadow, or just getting close to them. It doesn't matter. I have a little God in me for my faith, and that's what you got, no doubt.... I told you you wouldn't like the answer."

Rogue stared at her.

"What I felt...that was God, you're sayin'?" she said blankly.

"Either that or I'm delusional," Shine said. "For most people, their spirit isn't the dominant force in their life. And I know it sounds pretty hokey. Perhaps if I said 'heart' it would make more sense, huh? Different words, same basic meaning...and anyway, those of us who are supposed to be born again and alive, it's different with us. God is what you're meant to see when you see us. I guess you could say that's close to the surface of my mine.... Even if you were to say it's just because I believe in it, so it dominates my thoughts and has no more mysterious explanation, it would still make sense that absorbing that calmness from me would have snapped you out of it, doesn't it? I don't want to scare you with any weird misconceptions of all this."

She was certainly giving her plenty to be weirded out by...but whether it was frightening or not was still to be determined.

Rogue rubbed her arm. "But how did you do it on purpose, Miss Shine?"

"Just Shine please.... I guess I have experience pushing certain things to the forefront of my mind. I call it self discipline...or self control. It's a gift." She turned a page thoughtfully. "I didn't voodoo or anything, but you're not superstitious, are you?"

"Well, I have seen some things that were mighty hard to explain..." Rogue said. "Magic and spirits and stuff. I wouldn't say I'm exactly a skeptic, but I don't know about organized faith like yours--and Kurt's, though I think it's real sweet how he treats people because of it."

Shine didn't miss that she wasn't included in the 'sweet.' Go figure. Kurt was much more likable right off the bat. But that was just the price of being a little too brutally honest.

Rogue actually didn't omit Shine on purpose so much as she was just remembering how that had gone. "So, maybe, I believe you..." She laughed nervously. "I know what Gambit would say."

"So do I," Shine said. She imitated his accent--half way decently, actually, "We on our own in dis world."

Rogue blinked. "How did you...? Ah, never mind."

"You know, I find it funny that he's the one who was in a weird cult with some swamp voodoo goddess, and he's the biggest skeptic out of this group," Shine commented wryly. "Maybe once bitten, twice shy applies here."

That was a little odd, now that she mentioned it.

"Well, that wasn't exactly a big God like yours," Rogue said. "I don't know what that was."

"Me neither," Shine said. "I've half a mind to go down to the Bayou and find out, but it's often best not to pick fights you don't have to pick. Can't get every evil out there."

She said that so casually, that Rogue did a double take. 

"Well, that'd be a bad idea. She was pretty powerful."

"Meh." Shine was unconcerned. "That's nothing."

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "A little too bold for someone without a power, ain't it?"

"I'm not afraid of witches," Shine said. "But that's not what we're talking about. I'm not one--I guess that was my point. I didn't put a spell on you, just the opposite, in fact. Hypnosis isn't that far off from magic, when you think about it. So don't you worry none." She imitated Rogue's accent now.

"You makin' fun?" Rogue said.

"Ah...sorry, I have Southern relatives," Shine said sheepishly. "At times I do just sort of lapse into it. Being around you reminds me of it too much. But who doesn't have Southern relatives in this country...? I'll swing back to California in no time."

"Shoot, I don't really care either way." Rogue shrugged. "Kind of funny though.... So I'm not gonna have any side effects."

"Not from that," Shine said cryptically.

"Oh..." Why did that sound a little less certain than it should have? "Is there somethin' else you're thinking of, Sugar?" Rogue added.

Shine bit her lip. "I don't want to put ideas into anyone's head. Just something I wondered about, but nothing is off, right? No signs of lasting damage."

"None," Rogue said.

"Then we're fine," Shine said. "Although there is one thing.... I can't be sure of this, but now that you've absorbed my energy twice, it's quite possible I'll have some sort of connection to you. Nothing to worry about, just maybe a sort of 6th sense about things. Or maybe not. Or it could work the other way. But I'm sure you're well aware of how that happens."

A little too aware.

"Yeah, well, it fades..." Rogue said. "But how did you get to be such an expert on my powers?"

Shine tilted her head. "I make it my business to study powers, and how they relate to other things. I guess it started as a hobby, but now it's part of how we operate. If I wasn't good at it, it'd be pretty dangerous to hang around highly powered people like the X-men. You gotta be quick and smart. Wally can handle himself anyway, but if I can't talk fast and think faster, I'd get hurt 9 ways from Sunday all the time."

"I guess that makes sense," Rogue said, moving away. "Well, I just wanted to know."

"Oh, and Rogue," Shine said as she was nearing the doorway, "just a thought--Gambit doesn't know everything. And neither does Xavier."

Rogue gave her a weird look.

"What does that mean?"

"There's more than one way to solve a problem," Shine said. "And we're not on our own. I know that for a fact. It's okay to be sure of something."

Rogue didn't know what she meant, so she just walked away. But it made her feel oddly unsettled, like it had struck some chord she didn't even know she had in her.