Red.

She has a love-hate relationship with the color red. Titian painted portraits of red-haired ladies that still draw crowds at museums today, hundreds of years later. Unfortunately, she's not a redhead.

Very soon, though, she will be.

With some help from Feria, Rogue will become a brand-new woman. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters is in for a shock.

You can't tell by looking at her, but Rogue is a woman on a mission.

Zebra -- that's what she sees when she looks in the mirror. A girl with plain brown hair and two white stripes. Boring. Certainly not any competition for the gorgeous -- redheaded! -- Jean Grey.

During Logan's time away, Rogue immersed herself in his thoughts and memories, learning everything she could about him. Even though he'd spent most of the time she'd known him lusting after Jean, Rogue knows he has deep feelings for her, not the redheaded doctor. Feelings that could easily grow from protective into passionate, if she plays her cards right. Given the right push, she thinks she can make Logan realize that what's between them is love, -- real, true love, not just a passing fancy or friendly companionship.

Hence the color change. In reviewing Logan's past affairs, she noticed a trend: he liked redheads. Jean is a redhead; you can see why this is a problem, right?

Keeping Logan away from Jean is proving more difficult than Rogue expected. Logan is a little dense -- he still treats her like a kid, even though she's grown up quite a bit, even in the year he's been back.

Mostly, she wishes she could just throw herself into his arms and kiss him passionately, like a heroine in a romance novel. Not going to happen, though -- not with her toxic skin -- so the first step in her new plan is to become a redhead.

Ororo, who has become a close friend in her two years at the mansion, helped her pick out the color -- "Chocolate Cherry."

Pulling the towel off, Rogue takes a look at her new, red hair, which shimmers with a deep, burnished glow in the dim light of the bathroom.

Quite nice, she thinks, nodding her head and luxuriating in the color.

~End~