Rogue was extremely grateful that Todd didn't coddle her or make her take things really slowly. He wanted to push her as far as she could go, but not to her detriment, and he was willing to let her make that call as much as possible. It was similar to the way things had been with Charles, but her mentor had always had a tendency to assume he knew best with all things.

She lasted a little over an hour before she called for a stop for the night. After trying a variety of tactics, she'd found a particular method of focus that allowed her to hold her control for eight minutes while reading. Eight full minutes of touching him. And not once during the process did she suck the life out of him any more than usual. It was real progress.

Leaning back against the couch once the training session was declared over, feeling completely worn out, Rogue reached over and set her hand on Todd's arm, the barrier of his coat keeping him safe. "Todd, I know I keep saying this, and you're probably getting sick of hearing it, but I really mean it. Thank you for helping me like this."