"I'm going stir crazy!" Kara complained. For the first week after her...resurrection...she had been satisfied with alternating between her rooms (Dr. Strange had moved her into a suite of rooms consisting of a kitchenette, bath, two bedrooms, and even a hot tub) and the gardens. The next week he had run her through test after test.

Sometimes he would be joined by Prof. Xavier or Reed Richards or both. Meeting the Richards had been a delight, more because of Sue than Reed. She had an instant liking for Sue but Reed, with his aloof, intellectual manner had taken some getting used to.

Yet even with all the activity, she felt she would have snapped had it not been for Rogue. Rogue had been a lifesaver. When Dr. Strange had introduced her and mentioned that she would be staying with them for a time, she was aware that the woman had been called in specifically to act as a companion. To help her get over her period of adjusting. Yet despite the reasons, both women had hit it off, becoming friends quickly.

It had been another week since the tests had ended and, for the past couple of days, neither of the girls had even seen Dr. Strange.

"Yeah," Rogue nodded, staring out the window, her chin propped by one hand. For reasons Kara did not know, Rogue always wore gloves.

Always. Though she had wondered, Kara had elected not to pry into Rogue's business. A fact for which Rogue was grateful. Prof. X had cautioned her not to reveal anything about herself nor to even broach the subject of meta-humans.

"Dammit, I have got to get out of here." Kara jumped up and began pacing, stopping occasionally to look out on the garden. "You know, I tried to find a gate out there yesterday. I couldn't even find a wall. No matter what direction I walked, I eventually wound up right out there, as if I had simply traveled a circle." She stooped and looked down at the seated Rogue. "And you know what else I have not seen in this place? A phone." She plopped down on the couch beside Rogue, shaking her head.

"Listen to me." She whispered. She looked down at her hands and then up at Rogue. "What the hell is wrong with me? I've faced villains that would make your hair curl. I've flown through distant parts of the galaxy, seen sights no one should ever have to see. And here I sit, allowing others to rule my actions."

"Chile, your jus' doing what the doctors tell ya to do."

Rogue broke in. "The both say that you are doing extremely well."

"If I'm doing so well, why can't I contact Kal?" Kara spat. "Are they afraid that I am going to go crazy? And Why can't I leave here? I need to get out, Rogue. I need to do something, anything!"

Rogue looked at the girl that had quickly become a friend and silently agreed with her. Prof. X had given her instructions on what she could and could not talk about, but no where had he said anything about...

"Honey, ah believe ah have the answer." She stood and pulled Kara up with her, a mischievous look in her eyes. "Let's go shopping!"

"How...." Kara was stunned as, after taking just a few moments to get ready, Rogue had led her straight to the front door. She had tried her best to find it and had never come close. Always ending up either in the garden or back in her rooms. Rogue ignored the question, not wanting to hurt the girls feelings by telling her that Strange had laid an enchantment that had kept her, specifically, from finding the door on her own.

"Come on," she said, pulling the door open. "My jeep is parked right out front."

Wong was not a happy person. Some how, the girls had gotten out with out him noticing. He placed a call to Pier Four, speaking with Sue Richards, and then waited. Dr. Strange would be returning anytime and he would have to inform him of his negligence.

Rogue realized her mistake the instant she stepped out side and turned to say something to Kara. The stunned look on her face stopped anything she might have said as she cursed her own stupidity. Prof. X had expressly told her not to talk about meta humans of any kind. She didn't know if Dr. Strange qualified, speaking strictly, yet she was sure that Prof. X had been speaking of any extra normal humans. And here she had thrown it up right into Kara's face. There was absolutely no way that she would consider a huge multi-room dwelling, complete with vast gardens under an open sky, all existing within the confines of a small brownstone, as being normal.

"How....what..."

Rogue placed a gloved hand on Kara's arm, waiting until she looked at her.

"Ah can't explain it right now." She hedged. "All ah can say is that Dr. Strange has some, uh, unusual abilities." Kara looked at her, clearly wanting a more in-depth explanation. After a moment, still stunned, she nodded. "Good." Rogue smiled again. "Now let's get going before that busy body Wong comes looking for us. Ah know

this great little shop......."

"She did what?" Sue Richards smiled as Reed's head and neck stretched out and over the equipment he was working on so that he could see and hear her better.

"I said, Rogue just left with Kara. She left a note for Wong. It appears they went shopping."

"Shopping?" Reed sighed. "Sue I can't leave right at the moment..."

"I'll go look for them." Sue waved at him. "Besides, I need a new bikini. The one I have is..."

"Sue!"

"Just teasing, Love." Sue laughed at the exasperated expression on her husband's face. "I'll call Prof. Xavier and fill him in. Then I'll take Johnny with me and get started looking."

"Pretty good, If ah do say so myself." Rogue looked at the outfit she was trying on in the mirror, turning to see at a different angles. Then she stepped out of the dressing room, to show it to Kara and get her thoughts on it. "Kara, what do...Kara? Kara?"

She looked round frantically then ducked back into the dressing room. She quickly changed back into her own clothes and charged out, stopping the first store person she came to.

"Hey, did you see where my friend went? About my height, long blond hair?"

"Why yes," The store clerk smiled. "She asked for directions to the nearest public phone. So I told here there was one just down the street on the corner." The clerk turned towards the front of the shop as several police cars screamed by, sirens wailing. "My goodness, those sounded like they stopped just up the street."

"Thanks." Rogue sprinted towards the front of the shop. "A phone. Damn."

Out on the sidewalk, Rogue looked both ways. She spotted the phone, the hand unit hanging by the cord. Beyond that, a crowd of people were gathered behind a hastily thrown up police line.

Rogue jogged up behind the crowd, tapping a man on the shoulder. "What's going on?" She asked, her eyes searching for a head of blond hair.

"A bank robbery!" The man answered. He stood taller than most of the people of the crowd and so could see over their heads. Rogue allowed herself to float upwards a few inches, trying to get a better view. "Looks like the crooks have a hostage." The tall man went on.

"One of them has a gun to the head of a young woman."

"What?" Rogue gave him her full attention, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Yep. A young woman. Blonde hair. Pretty good looking. She doesn't look scared, but man, does she look pissed."