The silence after that was long.

 Shine sank into a chair and seemed to return to just being a normal woman who'd had a very long day, not the judge she'd been a moment ago.

"You all right there, Sugar?" Rogue asked.

"I never wanted to have to do that." Shine put her face in her hands. "I need a moment. I'm sorry."

Storm came up to put a hand on her should. "They left you no choice, Shine. They couldn't have stayed here."

Shine nodded silently.

"All in all, I see nothing much wrong with it," Xavier said. "It was the only solution...but you are very grave about it, which puzzles me."

"You don't understand." Shine looked up. "This is not just them leaving here--that would be nothing. They'd have done that anyway. I cannot go and help those people anymore."

"Ever?" Rogue said.

Shine shook her head. "Unless they were to bridge this gap themselves... It is one of our rules and one of the hardest. But people who spit at grace must be abandoned, until they come back themselves. If we chased them after this, we mock God and ourselves. God is no beggar for people's tolerance. Do you understand?"

"This sort of perspective in religious people has never made sense to me," Xavier said. "Is not your God one of love?"

"Would it be love to put a poisonous snake in among the good creatures?" Shine looked up at him savagely. "Would you give that to your own students, Xavier? We aren't making the rules up to suit ourselves. I understand those people were hurt...but they did a wicked thing, and that cannot be overlooked, or we all will suffer for it. Do not mock me right now by saying it is not loving."

"Indeed, Professor, is that really fair?" Storm asked.

"I...apologize." Xavier backed off. "I did not understand... The rest of you Morlocks, you are free to stay here as long as you wish, but if you want to go after your leader, it will not offend us. I am sorry it ended this way for them. But I urge you all, think carefully about what you will do. There's a place here for you if you want it."

"Does this mean no more visits to the sewers?" Storm asked Shine.

"Not if they are there," Shine said. "If they wish to go back to the grave they have made themselves, I cannot stop them..."

Mystique stared at her.

"All this on my account seems extreme," she said, much to the X-men's surprise.

"Oh, it's not on your account." Shine looked up. "They're our rules. It wouldn't have mattered who they attacked. Don't take it personally. I could have gone into that, but I find it hard to control myself when I do. I stuck to principle."

"On principle, you make all Morlocks pay for dis," Gambit said.

"Only if they want to, and how am I doing it?" Shine said. "It was their own leader who did this to them. What am I supposed to do, Remy? I'm not God. Can I pick and choose how these things happen? Even God is not one to force loyalty to Himself. If they don't want it, this is what happens. They are not dead and sent to an eternal abyss at least."

This response silenced Gambit quite effectively.

"It's bad," Rogue said. "They shouldn't have treated ya like that. All ya did was help 'em, and they went behind your back. Ya could have been rougher on 'em." She made a fist. "I'd like to fix 'em."

Shine laughed finally. "I'm sure you would, Rogue, but perhaps it's better to leave it where it is."

She got up. "I think I should rest now...after that..."

She walked out of the room.

"How upsetting," Kurt spoke. "I pity those Morlocks. They did not see the light when it vas right in front of them. They remind me of my brother..."

"It is all of a piece," Storm noted. "Human or mutant, being unwilling to let things go makes us all the same."

Mystique turned and left the room.

"She not even grateful," Gambit said.

"I don't think that's what that was," Morph said. "Wouldn't you be embarrassed if that happened to you?"

Gambit would have been.

"Well, it was her own choice to get involved with Apocalypse," he said.

"Aren't we past the point where that matters?" Storm said. "She can't go back and undo anything. Is that reason to let them have their petty revenge? It won't bring back their friends.... I am astounded that they even tried after before. I had thought we got through to them a little."

"Ah...Sugar." Rogue patted her arm. "Don't get down about it... See, a lot of them didn't do nothin'."

The remaining Morlocks were looking uncomfortable.

"Just a few bad eggs," Rogue went on. "A few in every carton, but ya don't throw the whole thing out, right?"

"Yes...yes, you are right, Rogue." Storm brightened finally. "It would not do to become discouraged."

So saying, they all decided to retire and try to settle down after that.

When Logan and Scott returned and heard this entire story, they were shocked.

Storm told Logan also that it had bothered the  X-men too.

"It reminded me somewhat of a few times when people have treated us the same," she said. "When even people we are supposed to be helping do not understand, it is easy to wonder why we do this at all."

"Not for them," Logan said testily. "Doin' it for a higher purpose now... I swear if I didn't think that, I'd go tear into those ungrateful wretches myself."

For Logan this was pretty forgiving.

Storm smiled.

"Well...I guess it's good that we have a higher purpose now," she said. "Even the Professor was shocked though...and what the other Morlocks will do now is a mystery."

* * *

Actually, Shine had an idea about that. She put it to Kurt.

"We have said what we can say," she said. "And just now, they will be wary of me. Wally is down for the count. Do you suppose you could speak to them?"

"I?" Kurt said.

"Who better?" Shine said. "They are all mutants like you; it is difficult for them to blend in. Who better can speak to them of what you have found, in God, and in people who are willing to look past that? Just now, Kurt, nothing we could say to them would matter. When it comes to needing courage for what comes next, a person who has walked that road already is the best help. It's not one I've walked...the feeling of being treated as inhuman...not like that."

She brushed her hair back. "Only by evil people. That won't help much."

"It is a shame that even you have had that experience at all," Kurt said sadly.

"Kurt, even Jesus did," Shine said. "What more can we hope for than to be like Him? I keep telling myself that...though I am not sure I have acted very Christ-like today. For some reason, I have found it hard to keep my temper." She looked somber. "I was yelling at the X-men earlier... I don't know, since I am not in charge of so many young kids, it's been easier to just let go of caution and be less self controlled."

"Miss Shine, even at your vorst, I have never known you to be cruel," Kurt said. "It is true ve must try to alvays be our best, but, if it helps, you on a bad day is still not much. All of us have had much vorse."

"To whom much is given, much shall be required," Shine quoted. "Those of us who are taught better from the start are expected to act like it, but you're right. It's comforting that whatever I feel on my own end, I can't possibly hurt those people as badly as they've been before...but it doesn't mean I should be careless. It's more sad to think that than comforting."

"I feel this vay also," Kurt admitted. "But ve are not perfect. Just start over again. I'm sure, also, it vas not easy to hear about Mother.... I begin to think it is a miracle she has lived this long."

"Don't you feel it, Kurt? As well as I do?" Shine said in a lower voice. "Something does not want her to live, does it? Call it what you will, but this has to be deliberate on the part of Evil. I believe she is getting too close. She has been quite the force for evil, almost world-ending evil, rather unwittingly usually, but she must have had an idea of it. It does not want her to switch over. The sheer amount of times she's almost been killed since we got her here is staggering. I've seen it before, and that person was always critical to our mission's ultimate success. My friend, Rumi, in the last mission, ended up turning the balance for another friend, who turned it for all of us. Without them, I don't think we'd have won."

Kurt was sober. "It is so that people who have important roles are often subjected to great hardship to get there. I vonder what the forces that be are so afraid she vill do."

"Perhaps just change, period," Shine mused. "That in itself would be enough to convince any mutants no one is beyond reach. But I suspect it's more. I have no idea what it could be, but this pattern has never proved me wrong, not once. It's a pity she doesn't see it."

"No, I vorry about vhat she does see," Kurt said. "Do you think she has blamed herself? For once, I do not believe vhat happened vas her fault, truly."

Shine tapped her chin. "Normally, I'd not peg her for such a fool as to think so, but things have been different lately. She is not a wise woman either. I'd almost prefer her old selfishness to this sort of self loathing she's been giving in to lately. It's blinding her to the obvious. But, then again, the Word says there is a veil over people's hearts until they finally receive the truth. It's not like we can make that miracle happen, Kurt. God works it in His own time. I think we have to be content to know that He has been working here, or we'd not be this far. Only He knows when and how it will finish."

"I admire your faith," Kurt said. "I for one have alvays struggled vith thinking anyone vill listen, though I try."

"Oh, we all feel that, Kurt," Shine snorted. "I just as much as you, every day. I'm more shocked than anyone when I get through to people, and I've heard from pretty much every teacher of the Word that that is how they feel. That's how we know it's not us--we're not so clever. I have no illusions about that. All your poignancy and all my wisdom, it's just a gift. The lens we use our grace through, but the grace is what matters, and God would bring it some other way if we didn't use our gifts."

"Very true," Kurt said. "Perhaps it is best. I vould not vish to start thinking I am clever enough to accomplish these things. I vould never be able to rest if I did."

"Speaking of rest, I think I need some." Shine rubbed her face. "It's been such a long few days.... Oh, so will you do what I asked?"

"I vill pray about it," Kurt said, folding his hands.

Shine left it at that.

* * *

Kurt spoke to the Morlocks later that day. They were all still quite stirred up and uncertain.

Kurt spoke well, about his experiences. He'd spoken of it before, when he visited, but somehow, hearing it up here, with more ability to see the world he was talking about, it hit different.

And perhaps also, with Callisto gone, they did not feel such pressure to say or do what she'd approve of.

In any case, several of them began to consider if they'd like to try living up top for a while.

"Kurt sure has a way with words," Rogue commented, after listening in.

"He give dem hope," Gambit said, not as if it was a good thing. "But ain't no tellin' what would happen if dey went out dere."

"Why're you so determined to think that?" Rogue said.

"It ain't jus' thinkin', Chere. We know what people do," Gambit said.

"I guess, but people don't always do what you'd expect," Rogue said. "Anyway, didn't ya get your miracle? Maybe they can get theirs."

Gambit didn't like her reminding him of that. He was sullenly silent.

Rogue didn't get why. Why wouldn't he be happy?

"Er, you're impossible." She stormed off.

She decided to look in on Wally, for lack of anything better to do.

He was feeling much better, with the proper care, and trying to read a comic book.

Had Rogue looked more closely, she might have recognized the people in it, but she didn't notice.

"S'up?" Wally looked up.

"Nothin', just checkin' in. That plague can be real bad," Rogue said. "Gambit got it once."

"Yeah, I heard." Wally put his comic down. "But I'm okay now...gave Shine quite a scare. But you know, mostly it's just for attention." Weak smile.

Rogue didn't find it that funny, though. But it sounded like something Gambit would say.

For some reason she found herself telling Wally what had just happened and what was on her mind.

"It's like it ain't never happened," she said.

But Wally was somber. "No, it's not like that," he said. "I think maybe we should have seen it coming. I feel sorry for him now."

"Why?" Rogue leaned forward. "What's wrong?"

"Not sure how much I should say, but I think...it's like this. Supernatural things make Gambit really uncomfortable. The Swamp Witch thing did, and what we have does too. To him, it doesn't matter whether ours is better or not--it's the other worldly thing itself he does't like. I guess he's one of those guys who likes hard facts and stuff he can see and hear and touch."

Rogue frowned. "See, hear, and touch," she said dully. "Yeah...well, that's probably true."

"I bet after serving that External for so long, he just hates anything like that," Wally mused. "I guess we didn't fix that, we just made him nervous about us... I guess it wouldn't cure your fear to see that. It's a shame. It was so cool how the others were impressed enough to take it seriously, but maybe that's not the way for Gambit."

"Is anythin' ever gonna be?" Rogue wondered.

"I guess you'd like it if he was on the same page," Wally noted.

"Well...would you?" Rogue said.

"Of course I would. But power doesn't do it for everyone... It didn't for me."

"No?" Rogue said.

"Nah." Wally rubbed his head. "Sure, it was cool and all, what Shine did, but I'd always seen power; that wasn't going to convince me. It was how and why, and it was the in-between stuff. I mean, what's drawing you? Is it really just because it's cool?"

"I guess I think those things are amazin'," Rogue said. "But there's more to it. I like the love and the mercy part too."

"No one else likes the part where you have to change," Wally said wryly.

"I don't much care for it, but I know it's important," Rogue said. "I don't think I knew how selfish I was before. All the studyin' makin' it worse too. I didn't know how much I wasn't cuttin' it till now...but I don't feel bad about it. More like it's fallin' together.... I wish Gambit would stop fightin' it so hard. He had a world of hurt in his life. This might help."

"Wow, Rogue, I think you've already changed a lot more than you think." Wally didn't realize that might have sounded a little offensive.

"Huh?" Rogue said.

"Oh...uh...well, I was just thinking, when we first got here, you didn't talk a whole lot about what would help everyone else--just yourself. But now you're worried about someone else, and you want them to have help. That's a really good sign this is working," Wally said.

"It is?" Rogue had no idea. "It just seemed natural...but no, you're right." She put her chin in her hands. "I never did think like this before... Amazin'. I was so lost in my own problems... I ain't never noticed how much. It was bad, weren't it?"

"I'm no one to judge. I was too," Wally said. "I thought I was an unselfish person before...but whoo boy, do you realize how selfish you are. It's another level. But it's kind of freeing, isn't it? Because realizing it means you're becoming less selfish."

"But on that note, what about Remy?" Rogue said.

Another good sign.

Wally thought.

"I don't have Shine's gift of knowing exactly what will help people," he said. "But, this is one time, I think maybe it's really kind of simple. Maybe he's just gotta see it's not all about power. It's about small stuff too, the stuff that really matters with people. Like you said, he's got a lot of painful memories. But if you guys are doing better with yours, that's gotta say something, right? I think you shouldn't push him. Just try to understand it and be patient, and he'll come around when he's ready."

"I guess I haven't been that patient," Rogue admitted. Yet another thing she'd never have realized before.

Wally thought to himself, She's way closer to being ready to start talking about dealing with her mutation than before...but I don't want to kill the moment by bringing that up.

He, like Shine, thought there were more important things than mutation. 

Rogue, amazingly, wasn't even thinking of it.

At what point she'd started to give what was inside just a little more importance, she didn't even know. It had happened so gradually she never noticed it till she'd been told.

"I think you just need to ease up," Wally said. "Gambit's a pretty chill guy, so I don't think he'd be sore over it, so not a lot to say there. Just know going forward."

"Ya think?" Rogue brightened.

"Yeah...well, I have this feeling Shine would have some things you could say," Wally said. "But for me, that's all I'd really expect. Girls are complicated."

"Men are complicated." Shine came in right then, carrying some more comics. "In a simple way-- and women are simple in a complicated way."

"That sounds backwards," Rogue said.

"Because people have it backwards." Shine handed Wally the comics. "For example, men will go off for hours about the complexities of one item, and women will wonder that anyone can talk about the same thing for that long. Women will talk for hours about a variety of items, comparing them to each other, and how it leads to even more things. And that's why we shop for outfits, and men shop for one article of clothing as they need it, but it has to be the brand they like, or the best brand, or one that's cheapest. Whatever measure they prefer. The idea that either gender is more easily pleased than the other is quite ludicrous. Men are just as picky as women, just in a different way."

"Way to over-analyze, babe," Wally said.

Shine ruffled his hair. "There are always exceptions. Just in general I think guys don't fake interest in things the way women do, so they have their hobbies, and woman have a lot of activities they like. But that's just a generalization."

"I don't know if that helps me," Rogue said.

"Well, I had no context for whatever it was you were talking about." Shine shrugged. "I was just commenting on men and women. Wally, I'm going to go lie down for a bit. Are you doing all right?"

"I'm totally fine, Shine. You're the one who's been going non-stop all day. Go to bed!" Wally shrugged.

"Oh, stop bossing me around," Shine said, half kidding. "I got enough of that from Scott." She shrugged. "Not that it should have surprised me. Oh...uh...I sent Callisto away."

Silence.

"Good," Wally said after a pause.

"It's a shame," Shine said.

"It is, but she was making trouble," Wally said. "I mean, I'm really sorry she had to go, but you did the right thing. Just wish I was more help."

"We got the horsemen because of you," Shine said. "And with any luck, they will soon be back to normal. Everyone has their role. But I won't try any more right now, too exhausting. See you later, Rogue." She kissed Wally on the forehead and walked back out.

"You guys are so cute," Rogue said wistfully. "I always wanted that kind of love..."

"Don't you have it?" Wally said, confused.

Rogue reddened. "Oh...no, it ain't that simple."

"It's not?" Wally said.

"I know how men are," Rogue said. "Don't try to spare my feelin's, Wally.... It's how it is." She rubbed her arm. "A gal ya can't touch ain't much good havin'."

"That's a really mean way to talk about yourself," Wally said.

"Would ya have been with Shine if ya couldn't touch her?" Rogue asked. "I mean...at all?"

Wally was quiet.

"Well," he said finally, "for a while it was kind of like that. When we met, Shine was jumpy around guys, even though she's pretty brave, but, you know, you can still have fears if you're brave."

Rogue knew.

"It wasn't a problem for me," Wally said. "I'm not very guarded. Once I started to understand why, though, I felt more bad for her, and I wanted her to be comfortable. Then she pulled away for a while over some other stuff, but I found her again, and we worked it out. I can say, once we committed, I don't think she ever looked back. She has to dip her toes in, but then she dives the rest of the way. And I think a lot of my best friends are people who are just a little hesitant to trust, because when you earn their trust, they don't change their minds as easy either. It was too much work. You get what I mean?"

"No," Rogue said.

"I guess you do have a problem," Wally admitted. "And it's not easy... It's kind of awkward for me to talk about it, actually, but I think you're not looking at what really matters. I can tell you, if I never could touch Shine ever again, I'd still want to spend the rest of my life around her. I don't love her just for that. She makes my life better. That's what matters. If you had that with someone, Rogue, I think the other stuff could go. Maybe it's not out of reach anyway, but even if it was, it's not like that's all that matters."

"To most men it is," Rogue said.

"Yeah, well...most men aren't what you want anyway, right?" Wally said. "Who wants 'most'? We want the one person for us. That's all you have to find, isn't it?"

Rogue hadn't thought of it that way.

"But it ain't fair," she said.

"Ok, but who says it has to be?" Wally said. "I heard once that fair isn't everyone getting what they want, it's getting what they need. Maybe people don't always need what they think they do. You shouldn't sell yourself so short. There's plenty of things about you that would be good. You're just picking out one thing that you don't think is. We all got stuff like that."

"Yeah, but I could put someone in a coma over mine," Rogue said.

"I guess, but I could run so fast I stop time," Wally said. "Or...stop it for me. At least, I've been afraid of that. I told that to Shine one time. You know what she said?"

"What?" Rogue asked.

"She said 'then I'll see you in Eternity'...which is her way of saying that wouldn't stop her. Nice thing about having a DJ for a girlfriend, they can kind of bend time a little, so I guess we're like a safety net to each other. I'm not as bothered as I used to be... I'm not that good with words. Is any of this making sense?"

"No, I think you're better than ya think," Rogue said. "You've giving me a lot to think about... I dunno if you're right, but...thanks." She got up. "It was...nice to hear that anyway. Sometimes other people try to tell me that, but I never believe it. I think they're just feelin' bad for me. But I don't think you are. You two don't see it that way."

"Guess not," Wally agreed. "Good luck, Rogue."

Rogue nodded and left.

* * *

The upshot of that little conversation, at least for Gambit, was that Rogue didn't bug him anymore about how he was taking things. She left it alone.

And, of course, there was something else to distract everyone, as Ryan was still there.

Xavier had found time to call his parents, and they were not happy, but then his mom said they'd been expecting something like this in a way, and they knew he was not happy, and if this was a better place for people like him, maybe he should stay.

"Well, he hasn't decided yet," Xavier told them. "Perhaps you'd like to talk to him first."

Ryan must have run up quite the phone bill talking to them for a long time.

But finally he rejoined the X-men.

"They left it up to me," he said. "I mean...I'm grounded for leaving and missing school, but other than that...so...yeah... Do you think this is a good fit for me?"

"Any mutant is welcome here," Xavier said. "But you would not have much trouble in the regular world either. Are you sure you want to live a life secluded, at least in part, from humans?"

"But you don't all the time, right?" Ryan said. "I just want to be somewhere where people won't pick on me for a while. I mean, I can't even relax anymore..."

"I know the feeling," Jubilee said wryly.

"Maybe later I can try again," Ryan said. "I just want a break. Is that bad?"

"I think it's reasonable," Xavier said. "If that is what you want, you're welcome to stay. We can pick up your personal belongings at your home, if you wish."

"Really? I can stay?" Ryan said.

"Yeah! Of course," Jubilee said. "It'd be nice to have another kid around here for a while."

"He behave himself," Gambit said.

"I think we can arrange things," Xavier said. "We still have plenty of room, and some of the Morlocks have left or will leave soon."

"And finally things might settle down," Gambit said.

[Don't bet on it, Remy.]