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Adaptation, Chapter Seven
Title: Adaptation
Pairing: eventually Magneto/Rogue
Summary: When all she knows is destroyed, Rogue must learn to adapt or die trying.
Rating: T
Thanks as always to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sionnain for Beta-ing and omaetoy for putting up with me.
The next few days moved by in a blur and Rogue was certain that if she was quizzed on anything that had occurred she would have failed miserably. The children had noticed the change in Bobby’s behavior by dinnertime and incessantly asked what had occurred. Their questions drifted away when they realized she wasn’t able to answer them and none of them wanted to see the sadness that clouded her eyes whenever his name was mentioned.
Bobby became less frequent at mealtimes, though she did notice that he had taken over making most of them. She figured he ate as he prepared and left before anyone entered. She wasn’t sure if not seeing him was better than when she did and endured his chilly demeanor.
Paige continued to sleep on Rogue’s floor each night, though, Rogue was unsure if it was because of the nightmares or to keep an eye on her. The little girl had become a permanent fixture at her side when there were no lessons or trainings occurring. The other children were growing restless, squabbles erupting between them more frequently. Rogue watched with trepidation as Magneto’s patience neared its breaking point.
Then, at dinner, with the splattering of mashed potato on the ceiling, a feat that Rogue still couldn’t comprehend, his calmness disappeared. Rogue watched as he slammed his fists onto the table, causing all other occupants in the room to jump slightly. He fixed a pointed look on all at his table. “Leave while I have a discussion with the children,” he told them, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Rogue looked at the youngsters, taking in their fear-filled eyes. They looked to her for reassurance. “That includes you as well, Rogue,” Magneto stated and she looked back at him, silently cursing the gloves on her wrist as he moved her from the chair with the flick of a wrist.
She was unceremoniously forced out of the room, glaring at him as the door shut in her face. “It’s not like they don’t deserve some kind of punishment,” Pyro commented, leaning against the doorway.
Rogue cringed, pressing an ear against the cool surface of the door in an attempt to listen. It was the type of punishment that concerned her. I can’t hear a thing. “They’ve been nothing but pains the last couple of days,” Pyro continued, repeatedly flicking his lighter open.
Rogue grabbed it from him, glowering at him in response. “Give it back, Rogue,” he growled, his eyes narrowing as he flexed his hands.
“No,” she replied, grasping the lighter securely in one hand.
He lunged towards her and she dodged his attack, keeping an eye on Avalanche’s form. The older mutant watched the two with amusement. Pyro charged her, this time effectively connecting with her body and toppling her to the ground. Rogue kept her grip on the lighter, swinging a punch towards his face. The doors opened and she felt the magnetic pull on her gloves as she was removed from underneath Pyro.
“I do not have time to deal with more children,” Magneto said, clearly agitated by what he saw.
Rogue ignored him, peering behind him to see the children, letting out a sigh of relief that all of them were unharmed and accounted for. “My lighter, leech,” Pyro snapped, holding out his hand for the object.
Rogue looked at him and dropped the lighter to the ground at her feet. “At least I don’t need something else to help me use my power,” she countered. “What do you do when you run out of fluid? Cry?”
Pyro snarled at her, his fists clenched at his side. “That is enough,” Magneto bellowed and the two looked at him. “I am not surprised that the younger ones have no concept as to how to behave properly when the two of you are their role models.”
Rogue and Pyro looked at their feet, shame running rampant through both of them. “I do not doubt that forcing the two of you to entertain one another’s company would result in nothing more than the destruction of this facility. Therefore,” Magneto stated, waiting for them to look at him again before continuing, “Pyro, you are in charge of the children for the next three days. If they disturb the peace of this fortress you will endure each and every consequence I can imagine. Are we clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Pyro replied, his jaw tight with anger.
“And you,” Magneto said, turning his attention to Rogue, “are to have no contact with them over the next three days.”
“What?” she exclaimed, her outcry chorused by the younger mutants.
He turned his attention back to them, his stare causing each of them to quickly close their mouths and sit in silence. “How exactly is that going to work?” Rogue demanded, unable to control the animosity in her voice. “Their rooms are right next to mine.”
“That can easily be remedied,” Magneto informed her. He raised a hand and she rose a foot off of the ground. “Pyro, you are in charge of them beginning now.”
Rogue watched as the doors closed, cutting off her view of the others. She loudly cursed Magneto as he pulled her along the hallway, finally stopping at her bedroom door. She heard Bobby’s door open and watched him look towards her.
“Rogue?” the young man asked, concerned with what was happening.
“This does not concern you, Iceman,” Magneto stated, glaring at him. “Your continued presence in this facility is already fragile.”
A loud crash reverberated through the hallway and Magneto’s jaw tightened in annoyance. “I advise that you go and help Pyro with the children,” he continued. “I expect them to be gone from the kitchen when I return.”
Bobby looked at her, worry evident in his eyes. “I’m fine,” she reassured him, her thoughts on what would happen to the children if Bobby didn’t help handle them.
She watched Bobby go before turning her attention back to Magneto. “You will learn, Rogue,” he stated.
She glared at him. “Learn what? That you have to be in control?” she asked, pleased when his eyes narrowed. “I know all too well why you need it.” Her gaze drifted towards his forearm. “Do their screams still keep you awake at night?”
The door behind her opened and Magneto deposited her inside. “You crave control,” she told him.
“You crave touch,” he stated, his hand gently caressing her cheek before tugging harshly on a strand of white hair.
She hissed at him. “I don’t crave your touch,” she told him, glowering as a pleased smile spread across his face.
The door shut and she frowned as she heard him lock the door, effectively cutting her off from anyone else. Out of the corner of her eye she saw his book lying on her bed. She picked it up and threw it to the floor, before plopping down on the bed, her anger growing each second.
***
Rogue had never been one to sulk, but at this moment it was all she could think to do. She lay on the bed, staring grumpily at the door, and thought of the various ways she could hurt Magneto. Her power was out and that made her scowl. It would have been bittersweet justice to drain his power from him again and not be harnessed to a machine, to be allowed to relish the melody of metal. Mostly, it was because she wanted to see the pompous smirk removed from his face. It’s not like he’d let you get close enough to use your power anyway, she told herself.
Her glare intensified as she created her mental list. Envelop him in plastic…somehow…I suck at being nefarious. She growled and flipped so that she lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. Metal, metal, metal. I hate metal. She turned her attention back to the door when she heard the sounds of the children returning to their rooms.
“Walk!” Pyro yelled exasperatedly.
She smiled at the thought of him having trouble controlling the children. Give him hell. Bobby’s voice carried through the hallway and she heard the rowdiness die down. There was a jostling on her door’s handle, followed by Paige’s voice, “I can’t get in.”
Rogue stared wide-eyed at the door for a second before moving to it. The little girl’s voice grew louder. “Rogue! Why can’t I get in?”
“Paige,” Rogue said, keeping her voice calm in an effort to comfort the girl. “Magneto locked the door. You can’t sleep here tonight.”
Her only answer was the sound of Paige’s fists hitting the door followed by her terrified cries for Rogue. The older mutant leaned her head against the doorway. “Paige, honey,” she said, mentally cursing Magneto. “You need to calm down.”
“No,” Paige screamed, her voice vibrating through the hallways. “Please don’t leave me!”
Rogue continued to speak softly to her and listened as both Bobby and Pyro tried to reason with the little girl. “What is going on?” Magneto demanded, the older two mutants became silent.
Paige continued her assault on the doorway. “We can’t get her to move,” Pyro informed him. “Every time we try to, the bit of skin we have a hold on just peels off.”
“Paige,” Rogue pleaded, fear filling her for what would happen to the girl. “Please go with Bobby. You can sleep in his room.”
“I don’t want to sleep in his room!” Paige yelled. “Please don’t leave me, Rogue.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Rogue replied, unsure how to make the alarmed girl understand.
“Paige,” Magneto said, his voice nearer than before.
“Don’t you touch her!” Rogue screamed, images of Paige hanging from the ceiling flashing in her mind.
Her door opened, the sound of metal ripping causing the younger mutants to cringe with fear. Paige threw herself into Rogue, wrapping her arms around Rogue. “Get her into Iceman’s room, now,” Magneto commanded.
Rogue looked up at him, taking a step back at the fury that was evident in his face. “Do not make me repeat myself,” he told her.
Rogue guided Paige towards Bobby’s room and used all her strength to pry the child’s arms from her and give her to Bobby. She watched as the door was closed, the image of Paige clawing at Bobby and trying to get to her the last thing she saw.
“Can’t you see that you’re hurting her?” Rogue pleaded, looking back at Magneto, the girl’s cries louder than before.
“It is you who are hurting her, Rogue,” Magneto stated as he used his powers to place her back in the room before locking her in.
She screamed every obscenity she knew at the doorway, hitting it like Paige had done a few moments before. The door was wrenched open again and she yelped as her body was thrown backwards onto the bed. She glared at the gloves on her hands and then at Magneto. “I suggest you stop or be prepared to suffer the consequences,” he informed her.
Her glare intensified and she defiantly opened her mouth and began to scream. “Fine,” he stated and she was lifted from the bed and pulled from the room.
“What was it like in that plastic prison?” she asked, goading him. “To not be able to use your powers? Did you feel helpless?”
He didn’t answer and as they started up the stairwell she had a pretty good idea where she was headed. “Did it make you feel as incapable as you did in Auschwitz?”
The doorway opened and she looked at the chair in the middle of the room. “Do not try these psychological games, little girl,” Magneto said as he placed her inside, locking her once again to the chair. “I am far more adept at them.”
“You forget I have you in my head,” she countered.
He smiled thinly at her. “Believe me, Rogue,” he replied. “I never forget that.”
She watched as he left the room, the screen turning on as soon as the door shut. This footage was different from the last time and she gripped the arms of the chair in trepidation. It was more home movie footage, but none of it showed the attack on the mansion. She blinked back tears as she watched her younger self playing the piano on the screen, her mother and father’s whispers discussing the piece she was attempting. As the video changed to show her sixteenth birthday, she let the tears fall, crying for the loss of her childhood, the loss of her family, the loss of her innocence.
***
She had drifted to sleep in the chair, her nightmares a mixture of both hers and others. The sound of the handcuffs unlocking woke her and she sat up quickly, groaning at the kinks in her neck. She spotted Magneto standing in the doorway and felt herself involuntarily move towards him as he began to walk.
“I can walk,” she snapped, glaring at his back.
He did not answer her nor did he stop using his power. She felt like a marionette and he was the puppet master, pulling her strings to his will. They stopped outside her bedroom door. “You have thirty minutes to shower and change, Rogue,” he informed her and she felt the gloves on her hands loosen.
“And if I’m not out in thirty minutes?” she asked as she tore the gloves off.
“I doubt you want me to break down the door and retrieve you,” he stated.
Rogue scowled and went into the room, throwing the gloves onto the bed, before making her way to the shower. She quickly showered and changed, not allowing her mind to wander to the video she had seen last night. The doors opened again and she saw Magneto standing on the other side. “Gloves,” he said, looking at the pair lying haphazardly on the bed.
“It’s not like my skin can hurt you,” she said, folding her arms at her chest.
“That is not why you wear them,” Magneto stated as the gloves hovered in the air before her.
She grabbed them and put them on, her eyes narrowing as she felt the metal rings tighten around her hands. A growl escaped her throat as she was once again pulled from the room and down the hallway.
Again he gave no reply and stopped at the kitchen. She saw Bobby at the stove, busily making pancakes. “How’s Paige?” Rogue asked, looking around for the girl.
“She finally fell asleep,” Bobby replied and looked back at the two of them. “I’ll check on her again when I’m done here.” His eyes were full of concern as he continued, “How are you?”
“Fine,” she reassured him.
Bobby nodded and cocked his head towards a tray that held two plates with pancakes, a cup of coffee and a glass of juice. “It’s all ready,” he informed Magneto.
“Good,” Magneto replied and the tray hovered in the air.
Rogue felt the invisible pull start again and she forced a smile on her face as she looked back at Bobby. Turning away, she looked dejectedly at her feet. Even though he hadn’t said a word, she knew what he was thinking. We never should have stayed.
***
Rogue sat down in one of the chairs, looking at the book beside her plate of pancakes. “Why are we eating in here?” she asked, sparing a glance at Magneto.
He sat across from her, reading one of the reports he had retrieved from his desk. “The others will be at breakfast now,” he informed her.
“And I’m not allowed contact with the children,” she muttered and speared a piece of pancake.
“No,” he replied before giving her a stern look. “Eat properly.”
She looked back at her plate and slowly ate the pancakes, wondering what the book was for. “The Prince,” she said, reading the title.
“Your assignment is to read it,” Magneto informed her without looking up.
“Why?” she asked, looking down at the hardback book. “Machiavelli?”
“I am not surprised you do not know of him,” Magneto replied. “Charles does not approve of his…way of thinking. Though, I believe he does carry copies of this book in the library. Or at least, he used to.”
That piqued her interest and she shook her head. Anytime the Professor didn’t approve of something her curiosity usually overcame her. Probably because of the Magneto in my mind, she thought and glared across the table at him. She opened the book and curled up in the chair, ignoring the satisfied expression gracing Magneto’s face as she began to read.
Time passed quickly and before she knew it, Magneto was tapping her shoulder to obtain her attention. “I can see why this appeals to you and not to the Professor,” Rogue told him and she closed the book.
“Oh?” he asked, leaning back in the chair.
“It disregards all morals and ethics,” she said, placing the book on the table. “That anything can and should be done to obtain power…or a goal.”
“I want this finished in three days,” Magneto told her and she nodded, looking away from him. “Is there something on your mind, Rogue?”
She looked back at him, a perplexed expression on her face. “How did you get those movies?” she asked.
“The home videos?” Magneto asked as he rose, though she knew he already knew the answer to that.
Rogue nodded. “Mystique obtained them before Liberty Island,” he replied.
“Why?”
“It is best to know ones prey, Rogue,” Magneto stated and she shivered at the thought of being his prey.
He exited the room. She smiled when she did not feel him use his power and was able to follow him without help.
***
The next three days went by slowly, reminding Rogue of exam time during high school. I think I’d rather be sitting through exams than this, she thought as she looked down at the bomb in front of her, desperately trying to remember the steps to defuse it.
“Boom!” Pyro shouted and she turned to glare at him.
Magneto frowned at her. “If that had been operational we would all be dead,” he informed her.
Rogue rolled her eyes. “If it was operational, you would have cleared it from this building the second you sensed it,” she retorted.
“I will not always be there to do so,” Magneto replied. “Begin again.”
She turned her attention to the weapon and began carrying out the steps she needed to defuse it. Unfortunately, she still wasn’t fast enough as was evident by Pyro once again yelling “Boom”.
“Better,” Magneto told her and the bomb was moved from her and placed in front of Pyro.
She watched with satisfaction as the young man was unable to defuse it in time either. “Boom,” she told him, smiling haughtily as he glared at her.
“Perhaps, Pyro, you need a refresher course,” Magneto stated, his voice cold.
Rogue looked at Pyro, feeling sorry for him. “I’ll stay behind and work on it, sir,” the young mutant said.
Magneto nodded and moved towards the doorway. “Are you coming, Rogue?”
Rogue scowled at Pyro’s snicker as she scampered after Magneto, meeting him in the hallway. “You should not allow him to anger you so easily,” Magneto told her.
She glowered in reply and followed him down the hallway. They stopped at the kitchen, a large smile gracing her lips as she saw the children sitting at the tables. She looked at Magneto and once receiving a nod went into the room. The children greeted her enthusiastically, overwhelming her with their urge to tell her all that had occurred in the previous three days.
She listened intently to Sam relay the fiascos that she had missed, her eyes drifting to his younger sister who hadn’t moved from her seat. Paige looked down at her shoes as she slowly approached her. “Hey,” Rogue greeted.
The girl wrapped her hands quickly around Rogue, burying her face in Rogue’s waist. “I missed you,” she mumbled.
“I missed you too,” Rogue told her, hugging the girl tightly. “I missed you too.”
***
Rogue groaned as she walked down the ramp, exiting the Brotherhood’s plane. She tried to ignore Pyro’s constant barbs, forcing herself to concentrate on her breathing or the noise of the air conditioning, anything besides his prattle. Don’t let yourself fall to his level.
“—they shouldn’t even be here,” Pyro continued. “They can’t use their powers properly.”
Her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. He’s goading you, she reminded herself. “They don’t do anything but whine and take up space,” he muttered to Avalanche. “They can’t help the cause. We should have left them.”
Rogue didn’t even think as she turned and punched him in the jaw. She moved to hit him again, growling as she felt her body be pulled away from him. “The two of you appear to have an unwarranted desire to constantly attack one another,” Magneto said, annoyance evident in his voice. “You have fifteen minutes to be in the gym. You will be training against one another today.”
Pyro smirked at her, flicking his lighter open and shut. She glared as she watched him pass, eyes lowering to focus on his prized possession, a dangerous smile gracing her lips. Following Magneto, she entered the gym, casting him a questioning glance. She felt the metal rings loosen and removed the gloves from her hands, handing them off to him before walking onto the gym floor.
Pyro entered and she didn’t give him a chance to flick open the lighter, launching herself at him in a move she had seen Logan use. She watched as the lighter flew through the air, landing a few feet away from them. Their eyes met and she saw his gaze flicker to the lighter, giving away what his intention was. I can’t let him reach it.
Rogue lunged and successfully caught his bare hand with hers, gripping it tightly. She felt the pull begin, his thoughts rushing into her, the unquenchable desire to burn engulfing her. Pyro sunk to his knees but she paid no attention, her mind focused on the call of the flame, trying to answer it.
“That is enough,” Magneto said gently as he left his place on the sidelines and pried Pyro’s hand from her.
Rogue looked at the lighter lying a few feet away and picked it up, flicked it open, and let the flame consume her, relishing in the glorious sensations that embraced her. A flame ignited from the lighter and with a flick of her wrist was hurled towards the other side of the gym. She laughed as she called it back to her, letting it hover above her hand. Her gaze moved to the doorway, widening in horror as she saw Bobby standing in the threshold, looking at her as though she was a monster.
“What are you doing?” he screamed and rushed towards them.
She looked down at Pyro, his eyes were closed and his breathing shallow. She watched Bobby try and determine how he was doing. Oh my god, what did I do?
“You could have killed him!” Bobby yelled his eyes narrowed in uncontained fury at her. “What were you thinking?”
“I...” Rogue began, her voice trailing off when she was unable to give a reason.
Dropping the lighter, she ran as fast as she could to her room and locked herself in the bathroom. Her tears fell fast and she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to erase the look on Bobby’s face from her mind.
Eventually, sleep ensnared her and she took comfort in the sleek feel of the metal floor against her cheek, soothing the fire that still burned within her.
Pairing: eventually Magneto/Rogue
Summary: When all she knows is destroyed, Rogue must learn to adapt or die trying.
Rating: T
Thanks as always to
sionnain for Beta-ing and omaetoy for putting up with me. The next few days moved by in a blur and Rogue was certain that if she was quizzed on anything that had occurred she would have failed miserably. The children had noticed the change in Bobby’s behavior by dinnertime and incessantly asked what had occurred. Their questions drifted away when they realized she wasn’t able to answer them and none of them wanted to see the sadness that clouded her eyes whenever his name was mentioned.
Bobby became less frequent at mealtimes, though she did notice that he had taken over making most of them. She figured he ate as he prepared and left before anyone entered. She wasn’t sure if not seeing him was better than when she did and endured his chilly demeanor.
Paige continued to sleep on Rogue’s floor each night, though, Rogue was unsure if it was because of the nightmares or to keep an eye on her. The little girl had become a permanent fixture at her side when there were no lessons or trainings occurring. The other children were growing restless, squabbles erupting between them more frequently. Rogue watched with trepidation as Magneto’s patience neared its breaking point.
Then, at dinner, with the splattering of mashed potato on the ceiling, a feat that Rogue still couldn’t comprehend, his calmness disappeared. Rogue watched as he slammed his fists onto the table, causing all other occupants in the room to jump slightly. He fixed a pointed look on all at his table. “Leave while I have a discussion with the children,” he told them, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Rogue looked at the youngsters, taking in their fear-filled eyes. They looked to her for reassurance. “That includes you as well, Rogue,” Magneto stated and she looked back at him, silently cursing the gloves on her wrist as he moved her from the chair with the flick of a wrist.
She was unceremoniously forced out of the room, glaring at him as the door shut in her face. “It’s not like they don’t deserve some kind of punishment,” Pyro commented, leaning against the doorway.
Rogue cringed, pressing an ear against the cool surface of the door in an attempt to listen. It was the type of punishment that concerned her. I can’t hear a thing. “They’ve been nothing but pains the last couple of days,” Pyro continued, repeatedly flicking his lighter open.
Rogue grabbed it from him, glowering at him in response. “Give it back, Rogue,” he growled, his eyes narrowing as he flexed his hands.
“No,” she replied, grasping the lighter securely in one hand.
He lunged towards her and she dodged his attack, keeping an eye on Avalanche’s form. The older mutant watched the two with amusement. Pyro charged her, this time effectively connecting with her body and toppling her to the ground. Rogue kept her grip on the lighter, swinging a punch towards his face. The doors opened and she felt the magnetic pull on her gloves as she was removed from underneath Pyro.
“I do not have time to deal with more children,” Magneto said, clearly agitated by what he saw.
Rogue ignored him, peering behind him to see the children, letting out a sigh of relief that all of them were unharmed and accounted for. “My lighter, leech,” Pyro snapped, holding out his hand for the object.
Rogue looked at him and dropped the lighter to the ground at her feet. “At least I don’t need something else to help me use my power,” she countered. “What do you do when you run out of fluid? Cry?”
Pyro snarled at her, his fists clenched at his side. “That is enough,” Magneto bellowed and the two looked at him. “I am not surprised that the younger ones have no concept as to how to behave properly when the two of you are their role models.”
Rogue and Pyro looked at their feet, shame running rampant through both of them. “I do not doubt that forcing the two of you to entertain one another’s company would result in nothing more than the destruction of this facility. Therefore,” Magneto stated, waiting for them to look at him again before continuing, “Pyro, you are in charge of the children for the next three days. If they disturb the peace of this fortress you will endure each and every consequence I can imagine. Are we clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Pyro replied, his jaw tight with anger.
“And you,” Magneto said, turning his attention to Rogue, “are to have no contact with them over the next three days.”
“What?” she exclaimed, her outcry chorused by the younger mutants.
He turned his attention back to them, his stare causing each of them to quickly close their mouths and sit in silence. “How exactly is that going to work?” Rogue demanded, unable to control the animosity in her voice. “Their rooms are right next to mine.”
“That can easily be remedied,” Magneto informed her. He raised a hand and she rose a foot off of the ground. “Pyro, you are in charge of them beginning now.”
Rogue watched as the doors closed, cutting off her view of the others. She loudly cursed Magneto as he pulled her along the hallway, finally stopping at her bedroom door. She heard Bobby’s door open and watched him look towards her.
“Rogue?” the young man asked, concerned with what was happening.
“This does not concern you, Iceman,” Magneto stated, glaring at him. “Your continued presence in this facility is already fragile.”
A loud crash reverberated through the hallway and Magneto’s jaw tightened in annoyance. “I advise that you go and help Pyro with the children,” he continued. “I expect them to be gone from the kitchen when I return.”
Bobby looked at her, worry evident in his eyes. “I’m fine,” she reassured him, her thoughts on what would happen to the children if Bobby didn’t help handle them.
She watched Bobby go before turning her attention back to Magneto. “You will learn, Rogue,” he stated.
She glared at him. “Learn what? That you have to be in control?” she asked, pleased when his eyes narrowed. “I know all too well why you need it.” Her gaze drifted towards his forearm. “Do their screams still keep you awake at night?”
The door behind her opened and Magneto deposited her inside. “You crave control,” she told him.
“You crave touch,” he stated, his hand gently caressing her cheek before tugging harshly on a strand of white hair.
She hissed at him. “I don’t crave your touch,” she told him, glowering as a pleased smile spread across his face.
The door shut and she frowned as she heard him lock the door, effectively cutting her off from anyone else. Out of the corner of her eye she saw his book lying on her bed. She picked it up and threw it to the floor, before plopping down on the bed, her anger growing each second.
***
Rogue had never been one to sulk, but at this moment it was all she could think to do. She lay on the bed, staring grumpily at the door, and thought of the various ways she could hurt Magneto. Her power was out and that made her scowl. It would have been bittersweet justice to drain his power from him again and not be harnessed to a machine, to be allowed to relish the melody of metal. Mostly, it was because she wanted to see the pompous smirk removed from his face. It’s not like he’d let you get close enough to use your power anyway, she told herself.
Her glare intensified as she created her mental list. Envelop him in plastic…somehow…I suck at being nefarious. She growled and flipped so that she lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. Metal, metal, metal. I hate metal. She turned her attention back to the door when she heard the sounds of the children returning to their rooms.
“Walk!” Pyro yelled exasperatedly.
She smiled at the thought of him having trouble controlling the children. Give him hell. Bobby’s voice carried through the hallway and she heard the rowdiness die down. There was a jostling on her door’s handle, followed by Paige’s voice, “I can’t get in.”
Rogue stared wide-eyed at the door for a second before moving to it. The little girl’s voice grew louder. “Rogue! Why can’t I get in?”
“Paige,” Rogue said, keeping her voice calm in an effort to comfort the girl. “Magneto locked the door. You can’t sleep here tonight.”
Her only answer was the sound of Paige’s fists hitting the door followed by her terrified cries for Rogue. The older mutant leaned her head against the doorway. “Paige, honey,” she said, mentally cursing Magneto. “You need to calm down.”
“No,” Paige screamed, her voice vibrating through the hallways. “Please don’t leave me!”
Rogue continued to speak softly to her and listened as both Bobby and Pyro tried to reason with the little girl. “What is going on?” Magneto demanded, the older two mutants became silent.
Paige continued her assault on the doorway. “We can’t get her to move,” Pyro informed him. “Every time we try to, the bit of skin we have a hold on just peels off.”
“Paige,” Rogue pleaded, fear filling her for what would happen to the girl. “Please go with Bobby. You can sleep in his room.”
“I don’t want to sleep in his room!” Paige yelled. “Please don’t leave me, Rogue.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Rogue replied, unsure how to make the alarmed girl understand.
“Paige,” Magneto said, his voice nearer than before.
“Don’t you touch her!” Rogue screamed, images of Paige hanging from the ceiling flashing in her mind.
Her door opened, the sound of metal ripping causing the younger mutants to cringe with fear. Paige threw herself into Rogue, wrapping her arms around Rogue. “Get her into Iceman’s room, now,” Magneto commanded.
Rogue looked up at him, taking a step back at the fury that was evident in his face. “Do not make me repeat myself,” he told her.
Rogue guided Paige towards Bobby’s room and used all her strength to pry the child’s arms from her and give her to Bobby. She watched as the door was closed, the image of Paige clawing at Bobby and trying to get to her the last thing she saw.
“Can’t you see that you’re hurting her?” Rogue pleaded, looking back at Magneto, the girl’s cries louder than before.
“It is you who are hurting her, Rogue,” Magneto stated as he used his powers to place her back in the room before locking her in.
She screamed every obscenity she knew at the doorway, hitting it like Paige had done a few moments before. The door was wrenched open again and she yelped as her body was thrown backwards onto the bed. She glared at the gloves on her hands and then at Magneto. “I suggest you stop or be prepared to suffer the consequences,” he informed her.
Her glare intensified and she defiantly opened her mouth and began to scream. “Fine,” he stated and she was lifted from the bed and pulled from the room.
“What was it like in that plastic prison?” she asked, goading him. “To not be able to use your powers? Did you feel helpless?”
He didn’t answer and as they started up the stairwell she had a pretty good idea where she was headed. “Did it make you feel as incapable as you did in Auschwitz?”
The doorway opened and she looked at the chair in the middle of the room. “Do not try these psychological games, little girl,” Magneto said as he placed her inside, locking her once again to the chair. “I am far more adept at them.”
“You forget I have you in my head,” she countered.
He smiled thinly at her. “Believe me, Rogue,” he replied. “I never forget that.”
She watched as he left the room, the screen turning on as soon as the door shut. This footage was different from the last time and she gripped the arms of the chair in trepidation. It was more home movie footage, but none of it showed the attack on the mansion. She blinked back tears as she watched her younger self playing the piano on the screen, her mother and father’s whispers discussing the piece she was attempting. As the video changed to show her sixteenth birthday, she let the tears fall, crying for the loss of her childhood, the loss of her family, the loss of her innocence.
***
She had drifted to sleep in the chair, her nightmares a mixture of both hers and others. The sound of the handcuffs unlocking woke her and she sat up quickly, groaning at the kinks in her neck. She spotted Magneto standing in the doorway and felt herself involuntarily move towards him as he began to walk.
“I can walk,” she snapped, glaring at his back.
He did not answer her nor did he stop using his power. She felt like a marionette and he was the puppet master, pulling her strings to his will. They stopped outside her bedroom door. “You have thirty minutes to shower and change, Rogue,” he informed her and she felt the gloves on her hands loosen.
“And if I’m not out in thirty minutes?” she asked as she tore the gloves off.
“I doubt you want me to break down the door and retrieve you,” he stated.
Rogue scowled and went into the room, throwing the gloves onto the bed, before making her way to the shower. She quickly showered and changed, not allowing her mind to wander to the video she had seen last night. The doors opened again and she saw Magneto standing on the other side. “Gloves,” he said, looking at the pair lying haphazardly on the bed.
“It’s not like my skin can hurt you,” she said, folding her arms at her chest.
“That is not why you wear them,” Magneto stated as the gloves hovered in the air before her.
She grabbed them and put them on, her eyes narrowing as she felt the metal rings tighten around her hands. A growl escaped her throat as she was once again pulled from the room and down the hallway.
Again he gave no reply and stopped at the kitchen. She saw Bobby at the stove, busily making pancakes. “How’s Paige?” Rogue asked, looking around for the girl.
“She finally fell asleep,” Bobby replied and looked back at the two of them. “I’ll check on her again when I’m done here.” His eyes were full of concern as he continued, “How are you?”
“Fine,” she reassured him.
Bobby nodded and cocked his head towards a tray that held two plates with pancakes, a cup of coffee and a glass of juice. “It’s all ready,” he informed Magneto.
“Good,” Magneto replied and the tray hovered in the air.
Rogue felt the invisible pull start again and she forced a smile on her face as she looked back at Bobby. Turning away, she looked dejectedly at her feet. Even though he hadn’t said a word, she knew what he was thinking. We never should have stayed.
***
Rogue sat down in one of the chairs, looking at the book beside her plate of pancakes. “Why are we eating in here?” she asked, sparing a glance at Magneto.
He sat across from her, reading one of the reports he had retrieved from his desk. “The others will be at breakfast now,” he informed her.
“And I’m not allowed contact with the children,” she muttered and speared a piece of pancake.
“No,” he replied before giving her a stern look. “Eat properly.”
She looked back at her plate and slowly ate the pancakes, wondering what the book was for. “The Prince,” she said, reading the title.
“Your assignment is to read it,” Magneto informed her without looking up.
“Why?” she asked, looking down at the hardback book. “Machiavelli?”
“I am not surprised you do not know of him,” Magneto replied. “Charles does not approve of his…way of thinking. Though, I believe he does carry copies of this book in the library. Or at least, he used to.”
That piqued her interest and she shook her head. Anytime the Professor didn’t approve of something her curiosity usually overcame her. Probably because of the Magneto in my mind, she thought and glared across the table at him. She opened the book and curled up in the chair, ignoring the satisfied expression gracing Magneto’s face as she began to read.
Time passed quickly and before she knew it, Magneto was tapping her shoulder to obtain her attention. “I can see why this appeals to you and not to the Professor,” Rogue told him and she closed the book.
“Oh?” he asked, leaning back in the chair.
“It disregards all morals and ethics,” she said, placing the book on the table. “That anything can and should be done to obtain power…or a goal.”
“I want this finished in three days,” Magneto told her and she nodded, looking away from him. “Is there something on your mind, Rogue?”
She looked back at him, a perplexed expression on her face. “How did you get those movies?” she asked.
“The home videos?” Magneto asked as he rose, though she knew he already knew the answer to that.
Rogue nodded. “Mystique obtained them before Liberty Island,” he replied.
“Why?”
“It is best to know ones prey, Rogue,” Magneto stated and she shivered at the thought of being his prey.
He exited the room. She smiled when she did not feel him use his power and was able to follow him without help.
***
The next three days went by slowly, reminding Rogue of exam time during high school. I think I’d rather be sitting through exams than this, she thought as she looked down at the bomb in front of her, desperately trying to remember the steps to defuse it.
“Boom!” Pyro shouted and she turned to glare at him.
Magneto frowned at her. “If that had been operational we would all be dead,” he informed her.
Rogue rolled her eyes. “If it was operational, you would have cleared it from this building the second you sensed it,” she retorted.
“I will not always be there to do so,” Magneto replied. “Begin again.”
She turned her attention to the weapon and began carrying out the steps she needed to defuse it. Unfortunately, she still wasn’t fast enough as was evident by Pyro once again yelling “Boom”.
“Better,” Magneto told her and the bomb was moved from her and placed in front of Pyro.
She watched with satisfaction as the young man was unable to defuse it in time either. “Boom,” she told him, smiling haughtily as he glared at her.
“Perhaps, Pyro, you need a refresher course,” Magneto stated, his voice cold.
Rogue looked at Pyro, feeling sorry for him. “I’ll stay behind and work on it, sir,” the young mutant said.
Magneto nodded and moved towards the doorway. “Are you coming, Rogue?”
Rogue scowled at Pyro’s snicker as she scampered after Magneto, meeting him in the hallway. “You should not allow him to anger you so easily,” Magneto told her.
She glowered in reply and followed him down the hallway. They stopped at the kitchen, a large smile gracing her lips as she saw the children sitting at the tables. She looked at Magneto and once receiving a nod went into the room. The children greeted her enthusiastically, overwhelming her with their urge to tell her all that had occurred in the previous three days.
She listened intently to Sam relay the fiascos that she had missed, her eyes drifting to his younger sister who hadn’t moved from her seat. Paige looked down at her shoes as she slowly approached her. “Hey,” Rogue greeted.
The girl wrapped her hands quickly around Rogue, burying her face in Rogue’s waist. “I missed you,” she mumbled.
“I missed you too,” Rogue told her, hugging the girl tightly. “I missed you too.”
***
Rogue groaned as she walked down the ramp, exiting the Brotherhood’s plane. She tried to ignore Pyro’s constant barbs, forcing herself to concentrate on her breathing or the noise of the air conditioning, anything besides his prattle. Don’t let yourself fall to his level.
“—they shouldn’t even be here,” Pyro continued. “They can’t use their powers properly.”
Her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. He’s goading you, she reminded herself. “They don’t do anything but whine and take up space,” he muttered to Avalanche. “They can’t help the cause. We should have left them.”
Rogue didn’t even think as she turned and punched him in the jaw. She moved to hit him again, growling as she felt her body be pulled away from him. “The two of you appear to have an unwarranted desire to constantly attack one another,” Magneto said, annoyance evident in his voice. “You have fifteen minutes to be in the gym. You will be training against one another today.”
Pyro smirked at her, flicking his lighter open and shut. She glared as she watched him pass, eyes lowering to focus on his prized possession, a dangerous smile gracing her lips. Following Magneto, she entered the gym, casting him a questioning glance. She felt the metal rings loosen and removed the gloves from her hands, handing them off to him before walking onto the gym floor.
Pyro entered and she didn’t give him a chance to flick open the lighter, launching herself at him in a move she had seen Logan use. She watched as the lighter flew through the air, landing a few feet away from them. Their eyes met and she saw his gaze flicker to the lighter, giving away what his intention was. I can’t let him reach it.
Rogue lunged and successfully caught his bare hand with hers, gripping it tightly. She felt the pull begin, his thoughts rushing into her, the unquenchable desire to burn engulfing her. Pyro sunk to his knees but she paid no attention, her mind focused on the call of the flame, trying to answer it.
“That is enough,” Magneto said gently as he left his place on the sidelines and pried Pyro’s hand from her.
Rogue looked at the lighter lying a few feet away and picked it up, flicked it open, and let the flame consume her, relishing in the glorious sensations that embraced her. A flame ignited from the lighter and with a flick of her wrist was hurled towards the other side of the gym. She laughed as she called it back to her, letting it hover above her hand. Her gaze moved to the doorway, widening in horror as she saw Bobby standing in the threshold, looking at her as though she was a monster.
“What are you doing?” he screamed and rushed towards them.
She looked down at Pyro, his eyes were closed and his breathing shallow. She watched Bobby try and determine how he was doing. Oh my god, what did I do?
“You could have killed him!” Bobby yelled his eyes narrowed in uncontained fury at her. “What were you thinking?”
“I...” Rogue began, her voice trailing off when she was unable to give a reason.
Dropping the lighter, she ran as fast as she could to her room and locked herself in the bathroom. Her tears fell fast and she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to erase the look on Bobby’s face from her mind.
Eventually, sleep ensnared her and she took comfort in the sleek feel of the metal floor against her cheek, soothing the fire that still burned within her.