1. Chapter 1: Skillets

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: Eventual M – nothing bad in this chapter  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. I am not making any money off of this.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Better Summary: **This story is the author's take on what might happen to Magneto and Rogue when the Cure wears off. As their mutations return, they meet. Magneto attempts to reunite the Brotherhood; Rogue attempts to control her deadly skin. Life is not easy for Rogue and she discovers Magneto may be the only one who can help her. This story features a romance between Magneto and Rogue eventually, so if you're against that, read no further. This story also contains some of the best smut ever written on fanfiction dot net, if you're into that sort of thing. It's tastefully done too.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Creep" by Stone Temple Pilots. Erik feels like half the man he used to be.

**Notes: **This story contains spoilers for X-Men: The Last Stand. So if for some odd reason you have yet to see that movie, don't read this. This story follows movie canon, as I am mostly unfamiliar with the comics and cartoons. There are a few storylines from the comics weaved in, but I promise you'll understand them even if you are completely unfamiliar with the comics.

**Chapter One: Skillets**

Magneto:

At first, he had considered suicide. It had taken him several weeks to completely dismiss the idea from his head. It was beneath him to take the coward's way out. Still the prospect of facing the rest of his life as such a changed man was not appealing. He felt weak. He felt _human_. For the first time he felt his age. He knew he was no longer young. He knew he was getting older; the evidence greeted him every morning when he looked in the mirror. He was sixty-seven for heaven's sake. But he had never _felt_ old before.

It was difficult adapting. He had not returned to his fortress. It was too difficult to face what had once been the center of his power. _All that metal…_ He wasn't ready yet. Besides, how would he have opened the door to his own room? It was made of metal and he had purposefully never put a doorknob on it.

So he rented a small apartment in San Francisco and filled it with wooden furniture. He bought several cheap Ikea décor plastic lamps. He used only disposable Bic razors; the ones with the plastic handles and barely two blades to shave with. He even bought that ridiculous new age flexible plastic cookware. It was a nightmare to cook with. The red plastic skillet burned everything he made in it and it was a fight to remove the egg residue that stuck to it. Yet he never considered buying a good metal skillet.

He lived on as little money as could, hesitating to withdraw more than was necessary from his foreign bank accounts. He was still considered a wanted man to the U.S. government. Every so often, he would see his picture on CNN with the words "dangerous mutant terrorist" underneath it. He always laughed when it came on the screen. _If they only knew…_

He began making plans to settle in San Francisco. He considered taking a job as a guest lecturer at the University of San Francisco. Perhaps when enough time had passed from the battle at the Golden Gate Bridge he could get a full time job teaching there. He didn't dare lecture on Mutant Relations, though that was obviously a subject he felt passionately about and the one he knew best. He would surely be recognized as Magneto if he did. Instead, he talked with the school's Rabbi about doing a Holocaust lecture.

On warm days he would go to the park just to leave his apartment. Occasionally he played chess there, eventually playing against a man named Jonas. Jonas was very old, Erik guessed in his eighties and he never spoke aloud. Erik liked that. When he tried playing against other opponents they had annoyed him with their mindless prattle. They seemed so _human_. Erik could beat Jonas without much effort. He missed Charles terribly.

The loss of his closest friend weighed heavily on him. He was only now beginning to deal with his grief. As much as he had disagreed with Xavier's politics and as much as they had been enemies, it meant nothing to Erik. They had still been friends. They had had the type of friendship were no matter what came between them (the Statue of Liberty incident) and no matter how long they went without speaking (his plastic incarceration), they picked right back up again as though nothing had happened. Even though he could never accept his friend's peaceful placating methods, Erik never for one moment stopped caring about Charles. He found himself wondering if there was more he could have done to prevent his friend's death. The wolverine's accusation that he hadn't tried to save Xavier from the Phoenix struck a cord. _Perhaps, if he hadn't goaded Jean so much about unleashing her power? Or if he had tried to fight her with Charles? They could have…_ Magneto was not someone who second guessed himself or regretted a necessary sacrifice if it benefited his cause of mutant supremacy. But he wasn't Magneto anymore. He was only Erik Lensherr. And Erik had regrets.

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It started with a paper clip. It had moved away from him when he tried to pick it up. He thought for a moment it might be static electricity or his eyes giving out on him. But when his fingers had neared the paper clip again, it moved. He didn't feel the hum of metal around him and he could not move the paper clip towards him, only away, but it was a start.

A week later he could move the chess pieces around on the board in the park. He began to hope. It was three months after he had been stabbed with four doses of the "Cure" while on the Golden Gate Bridge. Eagerly he searched the net for information about mutants who had also taken the Cure. He found blogs by several mutants who were regaining their powers. Apparently, the glorious Cure had only brought temporary relief. It was said that Cure only lasted three or four months and then mutations returned in about another two months. He had had four doses and his immune system was older and slower to remove the drug from his system. He knew he was facing a long recovery.

But recover he would. For now he would bide his time and heal. Just the thought of no longer being weak made him feel years younger. Without his powers he felt exposed, defenseless. He had nightmares about the camps again and being unable to fight back. Now his thoughts strayed back to his abandoned cause. He began to dream again his old dreams of a separate land for mutants.

After another two weeks he could levitate small metallic objects and the faint hum in his mind of nearby metal had returned. He bought himself a $38 Kitchenaid iron skillet.

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**Notes: **This is my first fic I've posted on ff net and I haven't really been writing seriously for a while, so I'm probably very rusty. However, I'm currently living in an apartment that F. Scott Fitzgerald used to live in and it's inspired me to write again.

**Preview:** Next chapter we see how Rogue has been fairing now that she can touch. It turns out she is really ticklish.


	2. Chapter 2: Sunburn

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: Eventual M.  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. If you thought for a second I did, you're incredibly stupid. I'm not making any money off this, but I wish I was.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Touch Me" by The Doors. Rogue just wants to be touched.

**Chapter Two: Sunburn**

Rogue:

She had never expected Bobby's hands to be so clammy. Rogue had been so excited to finally be able to hold hands with Bobby only to find it wasn't the wonderful experience she had believed it would. For one thing Iceman had cold hands and when he was nervous his hands got really clammy.

When Rogue had returned to the mansion after taking the Cure, she hadn't known exactly what to expect. On the train ride back she began introducing herself to all the occupants in her train car just so she could shake hands without her gloves on for the first time. A week later she later got a nasty cold that was probably from one of the other passengers, but it was worth it all the same.

She had been extremely nervous returning to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters without her deadly skin. The mansion was a school for mutants and although they were family, Rogue had finished studying at the school and was no longer a mutant. How much longer could she realistically live there? She estimated a year or two at best while she finished up her college degree through the Harvard extension program.

Rogue remembered how she felt when she was hitchhiking to Canada. It was a jarring feeling of not belonging anywhere. She didn't belong with the mutants any longer. But would humanity ever except her with open arms now that she could hug them back? She knew she could never return to her family in Meridian, Mississippi. Her parents didn't seem too eager to forgive her for kissing a boy to death when they had sent her packing with only $300 dollars in cash and a bus pass.

Rogue had worried herself half sick on that train ride for no reason. She eased into life without deadly skin easier than she thought she would have. But the ramifications of her actions were subtle and slow coming. For the first month everything was great, she saved each touch like a new experience. Bobby and her held hands wherever they went. Logan had given her a back massage that made her blush. Jubilee had taken to tickling her whenever she could get away with it. And Rogue found that of all her new touch experiences, she didn't really like tickling, after living life without physical interaction tickling was a sensory overload that left her a little nauseas.

One of the quickest things to change was her clothes. The first day back Kitty had dragged her to the mall to update Rogue's wardrobe. Gone were her favorite black hoodies, opera gloves, and myriad assortment of scarves. She picked out the most revealing clothes she could find despite it being a cold, late September. She found spaghetti-strapped tops at Rampage, shorts at Abercrombie, and t-shirts from the Gap. Rogue had to stop herself from buying a shirt that only covered her breasts, had a sheer layer of fabric over her stomach and tied with strings in the back. The urge to show off her skin was overwhelming.

Of course, showing some skin had its draw backs. While, playing a soccer match with Kitty and Jubilee on the grounds of the mansion, Rogue had gotten both sunburn and a poison ivy rash that had taken a month to heal. Rogue hadn't enjoyed the painful sunburn, but she'd loved the color it gave her. She hadn't been tan in so many years she watched in amazement as her skin changed color from beige to red to a light golden shade.

She also noticed that some of the younger mutants gave her accusatory glances. She wasn't sure what to make of them, till Logan had explained they felt insulted that she had taken the Cure. He said they saw it as turning her back on them. "Kid," he had said, "You can't let them rain on your parade." Still, Rogue had spent the afternoon crying in her room after she heard that.

But the biggest effect the Cure had was on her relationship with Bobby. The craving to touch him had been irresistible. She had held his hand as often as she could, stealing kisses every time they were alone. They had made out the second night she was back; her tongue exploring Bobby's perfect teeth. The sensations had made her weak in the knees. It was all too much: his warm wet mouth, his tongue gliding over hers, his plump soft lips sucking her own. Then Bobby's hand had itched up her red t-shirt, moving slowing up her stomach to cup her breast and she had pulled away sharply.

They had set limits then, having a two hour long talk about what she was ready for and what she would be ready for soon. After spending four years being unable to touch another person, she wasn't as ready to be felt up as she had thought she would be. They would take it slow, sticking to first base for a month and then moving gracefully to second. Rogue looked forward to finally having a normal relationship and a part of her was silently thankful she wouldn't have to worry about Bobby and Kitty anymore. It was that jealous part of her that made her wonder how much her motivation for taking the Cure _was_ for a boy.

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Bobby had been kissing her, sucking at the delicate flesh where neck joined her shoulder when she had felt the first telltale tingle. None of his thoughts had been transferred, but he had felt it too. He stopped touching her and sat up on the bed saying, "My lips hurt."

Her mutation had returned in earnest. In a week, her skin was as deadly as it had ever been and she was digging through her clothing drawer to find her opera gloves, neglected at the bottom of a pile of camisoles. Rogue spent hours talking to Dr. McCoy about what could be done. She had made over $200 in cell phone calls to facilities around the country that had distributed the Cure. Every one had run out of the supply after the lab that had produced it had been destroyed in the X-Men's last battle with the Brotherhood of Mutants.

After being able to touch again, life without it was bleaker then ever. Kitty tried her best to cheer Rogue up, suggesting more shopping trips to the mall. Wolverine took her on a motorcycle ride, driving at 30 mph over the speed limit, something he knew she enjoyed. But Bobby didn't take it very well. He avoided her more and more, his eyes never meeting hers. It was an accident as she was eating popcorn bare-handed on the couch while watching a movie in the common room that finally made her snap. One of the younger mutants, Danielle had reached into the popcorn bag at the same time as her and their hands touched briefly, her thoughts pouring into Rogue as the young girl fainted from the pain.

Rogue bought a round-trip ticket to San Francisco that very night using the last of her dwindling savings. She figured her best bet for finding more of the Cure was at the facility that had produced it on Alcatraz. She knew it was reduced to rubble, but maybe, just maybe there might be a little of the wonder drug left behind. Maybe it would be there sitting in the wreckage. _No, not maybe, it had to be there._

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**Preview:** Next chapter Rogue arrives in San Fran and meets our favorite handsome, magnetic man.


	3. Chapter 3: Alcatraz

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: Eventual M.  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men. I might own the A-Men and maybe the O-Men. I definitely own the Z-Men.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Tears Don't Fall" by Bullet for My Valentine, since I wrote the first four chapters while listening to it.

**Chapter Three: Alcatraz**

Rogue:

San Francisco was one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in and it had cost Rogue $42 dollars for a cab ride from the airport to her hotel. She was in such a foul mood after her flight that she couldn't stand waiting for the hotel shuttle. The TSA screeners back at JFK had made her remove her gloves when she went through security and one of them had touched her hand as they gave her back her shoes. They notified the flight crew she was a mutant and several passengers seating arrangements were changed so no one would have to sit near here. Hours later the fearful, hateful looks of her fellow passengers sitting in the rows behind her still lingered in her mind. She had sat by the window during the flight and tried desperately to sleep, only once allowing herself the luxury of succumbing to tears for a few minutes in the plane's bathroom.

In some ways the incident with her flight was good for her. It solidified in Rogue's mind her resolve to get to the Alcatraz facility that night. Her resolve had begun to wane as she contemplated the logistical problems in her plan only days earlier. How was she to get to the facility? Was it still guarded by the FBI as a recent crime scene? And what about the night and day construction on what was left of the mighty Golden Gate Bridge?

Rogue laughed for a full ten minutes when she found out how wrong she was. It was unbelievably easy to get to Alcatraz; the city was still offering tours of the prison building. All Rogue had had to do was drift off from the tour group and hide in the bathroom, standing on the toilet seat when the historical building was closed for the night a few hours later.

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Magneto:

Once he could be sure that he could deflect a bullet fired at him with his magnetism, Erik knew it was time to stop being simply Erik Lensherr and become Magneto again. His feet thanked him when he began wearing his old black boots with metal in the heel again. He declined his invitation to lecture as a Holocaust survivor to a local Hillel group. Instead Magneto used a secure phone line to get a hold of Pyro, the only mutant who had returned to the island fortress after the events at Alcatraz.

He learned from the young man the dire straits the Brotherhood now faced. Without his leadership and after the crushing defeat at Alcatraz the Brotherhood was scattered and nearly dissolved, many of mutants deserting and going into hiding. Only two had jumped ship and tried to join the X-Men, but it was still a far cry from their largest roster that had once included 482 mutants. It would take a year easily to rebuild the Brotherhood to its former strength. The thought alone made Magneto tired.

The Brotherhood of Mutants was his life's work. He had never married nor had children. Instead he had poured all his energy into the cause. He had worked tirelessly for years trying to build both his strength and the Brotherhood's up so that they would be able to repel the violence that was sure to follow the hatred and fear that humans felt for mutants. Magneto had always been determined that this time, when they came for him, when they came for mutants, he would not go silently into submission. Mutants would fight back, they would resist, and because they were _homo superior_ they would win. There was no alternative in his mind. He could not bear to live through the prejudice and oppression again. The memories of the first time were still crystal clear and the present U.S. sentiments resembled the past German ones far too much.

The destruction of a landmark like the Golden Gate Bridge was the type of rallying cry mutant protesters had needed to go from the far right wing of society to being a mainstream viewpoint. The media at Fox News was comparing mutants involved in the destruction of the Golden Gate Bridge to Al Qaeda terrorists. Bill O'Reilly offered free t-shirts for anyone who gave tips about the location of dangerous mutants. There were round-the-clock protests on the Mall in Washington, D.C. A little mutant girl was denied entry into Disneyworld. A school in Alabama segregated mutants into a separate facility from human students. The tide was turning against mutants and Magneto knew his time to prepare for war was disappearing quickly. More than ever he needed to rally his fellow mutants around him. But what would it take to convince his followers to believe in him again? What could restore their faith in him?

_A cure for the cure. _

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Rogue:

There was still police tape around the Worthington Laboratory, but no one guarded the two-story high rubble. A Caterpillar bulldozer in one corner showed they had started to cart off the debris in barges from the island. There was still a huge area left to search and Rogue, never having seen the facility when it was running, didn't know where to begin.

She was cautious as she slipped under the yellow tape, climbing a fallen wall to approach the only side of the building that still stood. Reaching to move inside it, she slipped as the concrete beneath her shifted. With a "humph", she fell forward putting her arms out. Afterward, she caught her breath and checked herself for injury. Her left elbow was scrapped and her opera glove was torn where a piece of glass had caught it. She pulled her arm to close to her, cradling it against herself as she searched for the wound. The glass hadn't cut her somehow. The glove must have protected her skin. She moved to get up and continue her search when a large, black gloved hand appeared in front of her face.

"Hello Rogue."

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**Preview:** Oooh cliffhanger! Next chap we see Rogue confront Magneto. I know you all can't wait, because neither can I.


	4. Chapter 4: Leather

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: Eventual M.  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this. Although who really wants to own the remains of Worthington Labs, Alcatraz facility?  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Freedom" by Fleetwood Mac. It's haunting and describes Rogue's feelings of indecision, fear, and attraction to Magneto. It also mentions Magneto's fall from grace. Over all, Fleetwood Mac is a wonderful band and if you have yet to discover their music, please do so. You'll thank me.

**Chapter Four: Leather**

Rogue and Magneto:

"Hello Rogue."

Rogue looked uncertainly at Magneto's extended hand. She didn't grasp it, instead helping herself up and scrapping her opera gloves further in the process. _If he thinks I'm gonna let the likes of him help me, he's got metal on the brain._ Rogue backed up a few steps on the rubble to put distance between herself and the self-proclaimed Master of Magnetism. He was just over six feet tall and that was almost a foot taller than she was. She hated looking up into his ice cold blue eyes; their watchful gaze sent shivers down her entire body. Just seeing Magneto made her nerves tingle as she remembered the searing pain of fueling his machine on the top of the Statue of Liberty. She felt a little better when she took in his attire. He wasn't wearing his usual outfit: his cape or goofy helmet notably absent. Instead, he wore just plain blue jeans and a black track jacket. She felt her stomach tighten even further; there was a reason he was incognito.

_Foolish, stubborn girl_, he thought as Rogue backed away from him. She radiated fear, unconsciously standing in a defensive position, her big brown eyes watching him as though at any moment he would spring at her. Her fear was completely ill-founded. He could only move small amounts of metal with his mind and his aim was pitiful at best. The Cure had disrupted his ability to control his powers and it was slow returning. At that moment Rogue could easily best him in battle; she was much younger and more nimble than him. But Rogue didn't know this and Magneto had no intention of her finding out. He would use intimidation to keep her from realizing he was still weakened from the Cure. If he didn't use his powers much, maybe she would not be able to guess how diminished they were.

"Well I can see someone wasn't expecting company." He crossed his arms over his chest, wondering if it was possible to look intimidating wearing a black track jacket. He silently cursed himself for dressing so casually. He hadn't wanted the conspicuousness wearing a cape and custom made superhero suit brought. Rogue on the other hand wasn't wearing her X-Men suit and where there was no suit; there were no reinforcements and no X-Jet. He knew she had come alone.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." He looked directly into her eyes and Rogue's brown eyes yielded to his blue, breaking the stare, searching the rubble in the dark. "Let me guess. Your _Cure_ has worn off and your natural abilities have returned." He sneered out the word "Cure". He detested calling it a "Cure"; the word poison was better suited.

Rogue could think of no way to deny that he had guessed it right and so easily too. So she remained silent and refused to acknowledge him.

"You're looking to take more of that poison, only to find there's none left." He spit out the word poison. "Am I correct so far?"

Rogue refused to look at him and made no motion to reply.

"Rogue." She nodded her head after that and he continued.

"So you came here, the only place where there might be more of the Cure left." His empty blue eyes bore into her and she croaked out a "yes" in reply.

"Oh, Rogue, I'm disappointed in you. I never would have thought you would be so ungrateful as to rid yourself of the gift God gave you a second time. At the very least, the part of me you have in your head should have talked some sense into you."

"Yeah, well… not all-a-us have such great mutations like bein' 'Master of Magnetism'." She actually had the audacity to make quote marks in the air with her fingers as her accent leaked into her speech.

"I'd never thought you would be so naïve, Rogue. You always seemed like a smart girl." Magneto gave her a smile that chilled her as he moved a step closer; his movements unnervingly graceful over the broken concrete.

"What do ya mean?" She took a step backwards, playing with the fingers of her white satin opera glove.

"Do you really believe you're the first one to suffer because of your mutation?" He walked closer. _Of course, she didn't think that._ She edged backwards, taking tiny steps over the uneven rubble.

"I… ah-," was all she could manage to choke out as cut her off, moving two feet closer with each step.

"That you are the first mutant to live in fear because you can't control your mutation?" He could reach out and touch her now if he wanted; she tried to move backwards, only to find herself against one of the remaining Worthington Lab walls.

"No." She inched the glove off a little further.

"When my mutation manifested itself, I couldn't touch anything metal without warping it beyond repair. Coins, food utensils, even the steel in buildings; I couldn't control the magnetic fields I radiated. I was afraid to go outside, worried if I passed by a car I would destroy it."

"What happened?" She dared herself to look him directly in the eye to keep him distracting as she slowly moved the satin glove further down her arm.

"I learned to control my powers, not to let them control me. It took years but I learned to harness them and direct them at will." She should have remembered all this from his memories, but the Professor had done his best to lock up Magneto's presence in her mind. "Have you even tried to control your powers?"

"The Professor helped me to silence the voices in my head." Rogue offered. _Almost there, just a little more._ Her glove was almost off her hand.

"But did he teach you to direct your power?"

"No." She felt rather than saw the thin strips of metal encircle her wrists binding them together.

"A pity, you could be so powerful." She wrenched her wrists violently back and forth struggling in vain to free herself from the makeshift hand cuffs. _Why hadn't she seen that coming? _She refused to be so easily defeated by him. She stuck her jaw out and looked him squarely in the eye, defiant.

"Well, maybe the power to kill people so easily isn't as appealing to me as it is to you. I just want to live a normal life."

"A _normal_ life? Tell me Rogue, if you're mutation was more like Ms. Pyrde's ability to walk through walls, would you still be so eager to be rid of it?"

She felt him step even closer to her and could feel the warm heat of his body on the cool night. He was so much larger than her, the top of her head only reaching his chin. She would have to jump if she was to try to touch her cheek to his. He had broad shoulders and long arms; she began to wonder if she would be able to put up much of a fight against him with her hands cuffed and scarcely any of his skin exposed.

"Is it a desire to be _normal_, to be _human_ that drives you? Or is it a desire for touch?" With that his gloved hand reached out delicately stroking down the side of her neck. Rogue tried to move away, but gasped as the sensation of leather was smooth and soft across her skin. His touch was so light it felt almost ticklish and Rogue tried to resist how starved for touch she was. She had nearly enjoyed it.

"Tell me. Do you plan to keep taking that poison for as long as you can?" He grasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger tightly. The warmth and pressure of his fingers through the leather glove was even pleasant. She rejected the thought in her mind as soon realized it.

"I just want people not be afraid of me. I want to be able to touch people and not hurt them. I hate seeing all their thoughts, it's… it's like having two people in your head." Rogue rushed out, looking into the empty light blue gaze of Magneto above her. His eyes seemed to shine like beacons in the darkness of the night. She wondered why it felt so good to unburden herself to him. Maybe it was because she had never wanted to bother anyone at the mansion with her complaints.

"And why do you think you have to completely reverse your mutation to do so?" His hand moved from her chin to stroke languidly down her left shoulder and arm. It should have been a friendly caress, but to Rogue, it felt as though he was seeing her naked.

"Professor Xavier could control the voices in my head, but he never mentioned I could control the skin itself." She looked up at his face as it turned from cold to offer what must be his version of a warm smile. Rogue couldn't help but wonder what he would have looked like when he was young and unable to control his own powers. Something told her he must have been horribly handsome.

"Charles has always excelled in issues of the mind, my dear, but he knows little about controlling physical powers. I have mastered manipulation of fields of magnetism. I imagine your skin's pull isn't much different." With that he leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

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**Notes:** Haha, I'm a mean author, leaving off at such a good moment. I'm not sure how the dialogue worked in this chapter and if I wrote Magneto convincingly. Let me know, the more reviews, the quicker I update.

**Preview:** Rogue and Magneto continue their kiss and their discussion.


	5. Chapter 5: Share and Share Alike

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: Eventual M.  
Disclaimer: I am not making any money off Healing. I am only making reviews. So be a dear and do want comes naturally. Press submit review, please.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Mouth" by Bush. It's very dark and seductive, and really sets the mood if you're into that sort of thing.

**Chapter Five: Share and Share Alike**

Rogue and Magneto:

Rogue froze in shock as Magneto leaned down and kissed her firmly on the mouth, caressing first her upper then her lower lip with his tongue till she parted her lips and he moved deeper, his tongue penetrating her small mouth. She couldn't move. She didn't know what to think. Was he really _kissing_ her? She waited urgently for the pull of her power to begin, only to marvel that it wasn't working. His tongue began to circle her own and against her will she let out the smallest moan, praying he hadn't heard. His hands came up to wrap around her shoulders, lightly holding her. She was bowled over by the warmth of his body and the commanding way his mouth possessed hers. He shifted his head to kiss her from a different angle and her body unconsciously pressed against his.

When he finally pulled away, Rogue could only stare up at him dumbly. _His kiss had been…_ She didn't want to think about that. And where was her power when she needed it? Why hadn't she hurt him? She couldn't believe what had just happened. She couldn't get her mind around the idea of Magneto _kissing_ her! It was unbelievable! She wanted to slap him; she wanted to run away; she wanted to kiss him again.

"You should learn to control your powers, Rogue, not let them control you."

"How?" She looked up at him hopeful and scared as he stopped the magnetic pull holding her cuffs together and they fell to ground with a loud clink.

"When you're ready to learn, I would be happy to teach you." Rogue scanned his face, trying as hard as she could with the Magneto in her head to read his expression.

"You mean join the Brotherhood of Mutants, fight for you. You just want to use me again." Rogue's mouth twisted into an angry sneer as the thought took firm hold in her mind.

"I could teach you to control your powers; to live the _normal_ life you so crave. I could even teach you to become more powerful than Jean Grey ever was. But it would take time. During that time you would have to stay with the Brotherhood; if you choose to fight with us for mutant freedom that would be your choice."

"You're just gonna use me again. All you ever do is take advantage of other mutants." The words came out before she could stop herself. She could feel the tension rise in him as his spine locked and he stood taut in place.

"I have no hidden agenda here. If I make use of the mutants in my organization it is purely to further the cause of mutant kind. You of all people should know how honorable my intentions are." And that's what scared Rogue the most. No matter how unscrupulous his methods, Magneto's intentions were completely justified. It would have been bad enough to have a madman in her head. But having a madman whose ideas made sense was even scarier. She backed against the wall trying to put distance between her and the heat she felt from his warm body only inches from her own.

"Rogue, if you ever want to learn to control your mutation, you will have to come to me. If you plan to continue taking that abominable drug, you're out of luck. There's none left. This is the last of it." Magneto pulled a syringe with a broken needle out of his pocket, displaying it before her. "There's only one dose left." Rogue's eyes took in the sight of the lone syringe, looking so tiny in his big gloved hand. Her gaze wandered about the devastation wrought by the Phoenix to Worthington Labs and Rogue couldn't help but believe him when he said it was the only dose that had survived. She looked longingly at the syringe.

"You still want it, don't you?" Magneto's deep baritone filled her ears and Rogue couldn't keep the desperate tone out of her voice.

"Yes, please…Please, I-" She didn't know what to say, she just wanted it so badly, to touch again; to kiss Bobby again and have him erase Magneto's kiss from her mind.

"Fine." He produced two tiny vials from his jean pocket, filling each carefully with half of the glowing green liquid. To Rogue each vial looked like it held scarcely more than four drops. "You'll have to find a way to inject it yourself and it will only last two months." He gave Rogue a surprisingly kind look. "What will you do then my dear?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe Dr. McCoy could make more, or Worthington will start producing it again. I just can't continue hurting people all the time. I hate it." Magneto's face took on a look of sympathy and he gave her a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I understand Rogue. I once tried to deny my mutation. I tried to destroy my powers only to fail again and again. But you can't live in denial forever. When you want to learn to master your abilities, find me."

And with that he turned and walked away from her, leaving Rogue speechless in the rubble of Worthington Labs' Alcatraz facility.

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**Notes:** Okay, so I combined some comic book storylines here. In the Age of Apocalypse series, Magneto can touch by manipulating the magnetic fields around her. I like the idea that after the first movie and the events on the Statue of Liberty, Magneto would have wanted to find a way to stop Rogue's skin from being able to harm him. So he figured out a way to touch.

As I said, I am mostly unfamiliar with the comics, so I've made up my own cool background for Magneto. At first he didn't know how to control his powers and they caused him a lot of distress. This seems very plausible to me.

I don't like the idea that Rogue's power will always be something she can never control. Bobby doesn't walk around freezing everything he touches accidentally. Cyclops gets special glasses. Why is Rogue's mutation so unstoppable? I think there has to be a way for her to control its pull. So I've created one in this story, and I even supply ways she learns to use it and the good and bad effects this has on her.

**Preview:** The stage is set for Rogue, isn't it? Magneto sure knows how to make a tempting offer. In the next chapter our characters contemplate their first meeting and Magneto begins to rebuild the Brotherhood.


	6. Chapter 6: Lobster

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: Eventual M.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Magneto. If I did, I would be really happy because he's very sexy. Obviously I don't own the X-Men either.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Demons" by Guster it relates well to Magneto in this chapter.

**Chapter Six: Lobster**

Magneto:

As he left the remains of the lab on Alcatraz, Magneto walked across the remains of the great Golden Gate Bridge he had moved to allow his mutants access to the island. Even in the dark it was a magnificent red steel structure looming hundreds of feet in the air. The bridge was a testament to human ingenuity and it's destruction a testament to mutant resolve. Still he balked at seeing the consequences of his actions, the mighty bridge left in ruins, its cables snapped, the length stranded miles from its original stanchions. At the time his actions had been necessary, yet he hated viewing the aftermath. It would take years to salvage the bridge and rebuild it. With the rising tension between mutants and humans would he even live to see it span again across San Francisco Bay?

A year ago he never would have questioned his ability to wage war against humans and win. This doubt was new to him, a byproduct of being brought low by the Cure. The Cure had done more than just strip him of his power for a time; it had stripped him of his pride and dignity as well. And it had forever robbed him of his over-confidence. He would be more cautious now. The Cure had been a humbling and terrible lesson to learn, but it had been an important one. You can never take your strength for granted. _Even the great Magneto was fallible._ Erik smiled at that.

He reached out with his powers to feel the silent hum of the massive metal in the bridge. The bridge felt larger than before, heavier. Reaching as far as he could he pulled the metal toward him but was unable to budge it at all. Gone were his days when he could levitate the likes of the Golden Gate Bridge or a fleet of cop cars. He wondered if those days would ever return. Reaching out he managed to pull a 12in crow bar to him, but his aim was off and it clattered to the ground several feet to the left of him. _Oh, how the mighty have fallen… _

Perhaps more disturbing then the humiliation of the Cure was its ability to make him feel human again. Not only had it made him feel human again; it had made him _feel_. And he didn't like the fallout that was causing. Through the decades he had devoted himself to the cause of Mutant Liberation; his life had revolved around his work. All of his personal interactions were business related. When he slept with Mystique and other mutants through out the years; that too had been strictly business.

Now that he had had to live among humans again, as one of them, he began to remember parts of his youth, before the camps, when his family had lived simply in a small flat in Germany. As his powers returned and he fought to regain control of them, his mind drifted back to when Charles Xavier had helped him the first time around. After the death of his family, Charles was the only person Erik had allowed himself to love. Their brief, volatile relationship and later falling out had caused Erik to withdraw more and more from human society and become Magneto.

Just minutes ago when he had seen his own struggle mirrored in the eyes of young Rogue, something in him had compelled him to help her. He knew without the Cure's ability to dull her mutation she too would withdraw from those around her. She was already the most isolated of the X-Men; that was obvious to even a causal observer. He knew he could have left her there to search among the broken slabs of concrete, but he hadn't had the heart. Her white streak of hair only served as a visual reminder that she had many things in common with him.

After he had deceived her into believing he still had his powers with the hand cuffs, he shocked himself by offering to teach her. He still wasn't sure where that had come from, but he ran with the idea, realizing the benefits of a trained Rogue to his cause. _The kiss_… well, she was an attractive young woman and he had wanted to show off his ability to block her powers. He could relate to her struggle with her mutation. And it had been a number of months since he had been with Mystique before her capture. The kiss had seemed liked a smart idea at the time, but now he reflected that he had probably scared the poor girl from ever training with him.

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Having obtained the sample he needed of the Cure, Magneto made plans to leave San Francisco. He didn't get rid of his apartment, instead pre-paying the landlord for a year's worth of rent in advance. Logically, the reason he kept the apartment was to serve as another hideout in case he was ever on the run in the Western US. But privately he acknowledged that he kept the apartment full of wooden furniture to remind him of his frailty. He would not make the mistake of hubris again.

Plans to reunite the Brotherhood began in earnest. Magneto made several stops on his trip back to his island fortress, meeting with contacts in abandoned buildings and churches, tracking down the whereabouts of his former allies by word of mouth. Not for the first time Erik wished he had the mental ability to power Cerebro the way Charles had.

The first step had been to contact his most loyal mutants and convince them to return. At first they had been skeptical and hesitant. He couldn't blame them. He had used them unceremoniously in the fight at Alcatraz, knowing they would be facing the Cure, and still giving them no protection. The mutants had insisted on proof that he was still Magneto, that he was still a class four mutant worthy of leading them. He had replied by levitating the girl with super speed, Callisto, by her myriad piercings. It had taken every ounce of strength he had and afterward he had thrown up from the effort but they bought it all the same.

The first thing Erik had done returning to his island fortress in Maine was to get Pyro to cook him a lobster. Living off the coast of Maine had its advantages, fresh lobster being the only one. He had eaten the meal alone in his study, the metal door swinging open for him easily. A lesser man would have cried as the door swung neatly back in place with the use of his power, but Magneto contained himself. He was back, weakened, but back.

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**Preview:** Next chapter we see how Rogue spends her limited time being able to touch and learn why she cannot stay with X-Men.


	7. Chapter 7: A Kiss Is Just a Kiss

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M for Magneto  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. I did once in a dream though. Does that count?  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Cello" by Souls because it deals with Rogue's jealousy well. I have included some the lyrics at the end of this chapter. I did this because it is a rare song and you may never find them online. There's no chance of being sued over this as the record label has gone out of business and the CD is out of print. If you've never heard this song, it's extremely good and I can send it to you. Otherwise listen to Nine Inch Nails "Something I Can Never Have" or anything equally as dark.

**Notes:** This chapter is the chapter that sent the story in a new direction. It went from a short fic to bring Rogue and Magneto together, to the epic you see today. The chapters get much longer from here on out.

**Warning:** This chapter lives up to the rating. You have been warned. Do not read if you are young and impressionable or prudish.

**Chapter Seven: A Kiss is Just a Kiss**

Rogue:

Rogue didn't wait to get back to the mansion to inject her small vial of the Cure. She found a CVS near her hotel and under the diabetic drug supply section she found the necessary syringe and shot up in the bathroom of a deli around the corner. Clutching the bathroom sink in pain as the Cure took affect causing her skin to burn violently; Rogue prayed no one walked in on her. She felt dizzy from the pain and it took twenty minutes of sitting on the toilet till Rogue was sure she could walk steadily enough to leave the deli. On her way out she bought an Odwala shake and let her fingers touch the cashier's as she handed him the money. Nothing happened. She was safe. Safe for another two months.

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The night she arrived back at the mansion she slept with Bobby for the first time. She hadn't been too forthcoming when she mentioned that she had found more of the Cure and taken it. She didn't tell Bobby where she had found the Cure and she mentioned to no one that she had run into Magneto, let alone been kissed by him. And without the professor or Jean Grey as telepaths, Rogue was sure her secret would stay well hidden.

Her decision to sleep with Bobby had been a hasty one, formed on the flight back when she had again sat alone, her plane ticket being "flagged" in the system to say she was a mutant. Alone, starring out the window of the cabin, she realized she had limited time left to enjoy all the wonders of leading a normal life. Maybe she would be able to get more of the Cure after this, but she wasn't taking any chances. These two months could be her last two months being able to touch on Earth. She was determined not to waste them.

That first night with Bobby had been very awkward. Hanging out in his room at night they had begun making out after a strained conversation about her trip. Bobby's kisses were a wet and sloppy affair. His tongue lapping over every part of her he could reach, forcing its way into her mouth where it overstayed its welcome. Bobby didn't like it when she slipped her tongue into his mouth and he didn't come up for air very quickly or keep things interesting. Rogue was surprised at how _different_ two kisses could be. Magneto's kiss was so practiced and deft, knowing just what to do to leave her gasping for breath from excitement. Bobby's dripping tongue assault left her gasping for breath from oxygen depletion.

Rogue had been the one to try to move things forward, playing the aggressor. She had ran her hands up and down Bobby's back, even going so far as to move one of his hands to cup her breast. Bobby took the hint without any protest. After a few more minutes she pulled away and took her shirt off. Bobby looked a little hesitant, maybe scared, they had never petted without clothes on before. But Rogue fearlessly reached for Bobby's blue sweater, pulling it up and over his head.

"Rogue, are you sure you wanna do this?" Not feeling strong enough to answer Rogue's bare hand had shot forward to rub his erection through the rough material of his jeans. Bobby hadn't questioned her again. It was all over pretty quickly after that. She stumbled through the steps to put a condom on. Bobby had fumbled getting his penis into her, not knowing how to position himself and being so nervous his erection wasn't very hard. The pain had been a little worse then Rogue expected, having read online that it only hurt for a bit and then felt good. She had hurt the whole time as Bobby stretched her and she hadn't it enjoyed. But neither had Bobby. He had moved inside of her for a few minutes that felt like a lifetime to Rogue until he had pulled out and apologized and said it would be better next time.

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The next night Rogue ran into Logan in the kitchen and they had hugged warmly.

"I see you found what you needed in San Fran."

"Yeah, there wasn't much left; just enough to last for two months. After that I don't know what I'm gonna do." Rogue said starring at her hands imagining the gloves against her skin again. After wearing them 24 hours a day, it felt strange to feel open arm between her fingers.

"That's tough." Logan sniffed the air with his acute sense of smell. "You smell funny kid." He sniffed again puzzling out the change in her scent. His expression changed in a flash to anger. "Rogue, tell me you didn't."

"Didn't what suga?" Rogue hoped the innocent look and accentuated accent would be enough to charm Logan away from where his thoughts were heading.

"Rogue," he gave her that look that said he knew all along. "You slept with Iceman."

"Look Logan, I only got two months left of being able to touch. I don't know what happens after that. I don't know if I'll ever be able to lead a normal life and have a boyfriend, get married someday or have kids. For God's sake, I'm 21 and I never even had a real kiss before this year. I just-" She paused searching his expression to see if he understood. "I don't wanna take any of the time I have left for granted. I wanna do all the touching I can while I am still not a danger to anyone."

Logan looked away from her after that and Rogue couldn't tell if he understood her or he was disappointed in her. He got up from his stool, opened the refrigerator door and pulled out two of his longneck LaBatt Blue beer bottles. He placed one in front of her and flicked the cap off with a claw he had extended half way.

"Drink up Rogue." He gave her a smile and she picked up the cold beer bottle, sipping the bready, bitter beer slowly. It didn't have such a bad taste. The first sip was a little rough, but each taste was easier to take till she drank it without any repulsion. "I'm gonna have to stop calling you kid now."

"No you don't, Logan. I'm still the same as before, I'm just growin' up is all." She gave him a more confident smile than she felt at that moment.

"You shouldn't have to suffer like this Marie. It isn't fair." He smiled back and left the kitchen after that, taking his beer with him. Rogue sat their for the next twenty minutes, finishing her LaBatt Blue as tried to discern if she felt any different. Her hips hurt a little from being unused to bending like they had, but she didn't feel like a different person. She still felt like Rogue, like a woman cursed with deadly skin.

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As the weeks went by Rogue became more and more curious about how Magneto had been able to kiss her without any effect. She came up with all sorts of crazy theories like his mouth being coated in the Cure, and his having developed immunity after she touched him on the Statue of Liberty. She didn't know what to think, except that his offer of control intrigued her when she knew it shouldn't.

The whole encounter took on a surreal feeling as more time passed. It was positively unbelievable: to meet the man that tried to kill her only to be kissed by him in a ruined laboratory and then offered help with her mutation. The truth seemed stranger than fiction and she tried to forget the mixture of fear and excitement she had felt talking to him. She kissed Bobby as often as possible to erase the adrenalin heightened kiss Magneto had given her that still made her weak in the knees when she thought about it. The Magneto that had taunted her on X-Jet about her hair was not the Magneto she had met at Alcatraz. This man seemed both less ruthless and more frightening simultaneously. She didn't know what to make of him.

Rogue tried to push the entire event from her mind and forget it forever. She knew that behind Magneto's seemingly sincere offer of help was another scheme to take over the world and it probably involved that small vial of the Cure he had kept for himself. She felt sick to her stomach just thinking about how she had considered accepting it for a moment, curious to see if he could really help her with her mutation. No, it was better she hadn't it. She already had talked to Dr. McCoy about making more and he had begun to do some research for her. She would find a way around this obstacle, she assured herself. It was the 21st century, she was sure more of the Cure could be made, somehow, even if it took years to duplicate Worthington Labs work. Till then she would just have to take what she could get out of life. She had lived with her mutation since she was 16, and even though the failure of the Cure was a cruel blow, there was still some hope. Everything would work, she was sure of it.

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Rogue had slept with Bobby a few more times, but it hadn't improved much. Bobby gained confidence with each try and enjoyed himself, coming quickly every time. It stopped hurting for Rogue, but it didn't feel all that great. She wondered if something was messed up inside of her from her mutation that she couldn't orgasm and couldn't enjoy sex. She didn't talk about this theory with anyone.

Kitty, Jubliee, and Peter took her clubbing one Friday night. The four of them took a train into the City. The club had cost $20 in cover charge and $9 for each drink after that. Jubilee consumed two shots of Smirnoff Black Cherry Vodka before sketchy guys from the club began to buy her drinks. Peter bought Kitty a Sex on the Beach. Rogue missed Bobby's presence. He was still 20 and wouldn't have been able to enter the club.

Rogue accepted a '57 Chevy, a drink made with Southern Comfort, from a handsome boy with curly brown hair who was sitting at the bar with a couple of his friends. The drink was made too strong and it went to her head really quickly. After a few minutes of trying to talk over the booming base of Terror Squad's "Lean Back", Rogue accepted the boy's (she thought his name was Freddy, she couldn't be sure) offer of a dance. They grinded away on the dance floor, as other sweaty dancers bumped into them, spilling Rogue's orange-colored drink down the front of her brand new lavender beaded camisole.

The club left a lot to be desired as the night wore on. It was terribly hot and everyone began to sweat and it smelled like a locker room by midnight. The bouncers let in too many guests and the dance floor became so packed you couldn't move from one side of the room to the other in ten minutes. A series of increasingly drunk men danced with Rogue, their hips and obvious erections pressing into her pelvis as she strained to stay upright on her four inch pink stiletto heels. At 1am Jubilee had gotten sick and thrown up in the toilet of the club as a line of girls waited to use the bathroom after her. Rogue held her hair, while Kitty called the mansion to say that they would be coming back late.

Their curfew had been 1am and before they could sober Jubilee up to make the train ride home, Logan showed up in Scott's old car and literally pulled Rogue from club by her ear, as Peter helped Jubilee into the back seat of the car. Thinking of the gross gyrations of her dance partners against her during the ride back, Rogue mused that not _all _of the world of touch was something she would miss.

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It was six weeks to the date since she had taken the Cure when she caught Bobby kissing Kitty beside Storm's favorite white roses in the garden behind the mansion. Rogue had watched unable to look away as they made out for ten minutes, Bobby cupping Kitty's perfectly round butt in two hands as he blew icicles on her ear lobe.

It was late on a Tuesday and Rogue was supposed to finish a paper she was writing for her Harvard philosophy class on Nietzsche. But it took only two minutes to find Logan's secret stash of Canadian Hiram Walker Special Old Rye Whisky that hurt worse going down than when she had injected herself with the Cure. She gulped down what must have been four shots of it straight from the bottle, before she put it down and tried to reason out what she had just seen.

She knew that Bobby had been attracted to Kitty before she had taken the Cure for the first time. She had seen them ice-skating on the pond and she knew Bobby found in Kitty something he couldn't get from her: physical contact. And she knew Bobby's relationship with her had always been a little strained, but she had caulked that up to her crippling mutation. After taking the Cure, things had improved for a little while, but lately they had been as bad as ever. Sleeping with Bobby had only seemed to distance him more.

And now Rogue had to face the awful truth that even without her deadly skin, Bobby had chosen Kitty and not even had the respect to break up with her or stop sleeping with her before he stuck his slobbering, thick, fat tongue down Kitty's throat. Rogue almost couldn't believe it was true. Bobby and her were good friends; they were close. They had played two hours of Mario Kart on Bobby's Gamecube earlier that day. How had it happened?

The Rye Whiskey helped her to understand, soothing her anger into a mellow, drunken state where she convinced herself she had never cared for Bobby, Kitty had never been her best friend but always a lying bitch, and her skin mutation would return and attack everyone who hurt her.

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On Saturday of that week her mutation began to manifest itself while helping Logan repair his motorcycle. She had handed him a monkey wrench when the old familiar pull started in her mind. It was significantly weakened and Logan healed himself so quickly it was as though it never happened. But he stopped tightening a bolt and gave her a look that told her he had noticed. They didn't mention the touch, but it was there all the same. Rogue spent the afternoon reading Phantom of the Opera fan fiction stories online, trying to distract herself from thinking about her skin.

She had avoided Bobby all week. Inconspicuously refusing to talk to him at meals and leaving the common room if he sat on the couch next to her. She would have thought he got the hint, but he found her Saturday night, when she was in the basement doing her laundry, washing skirts and t-shirts she wouldn't be wearing again for a while.

He tried to ask her what was up, but Rogue didn't allow him to get out a full sentence. She used her bare right hand and slapped him hard in the jaw, leaving him there in the laundry room with a pile of her half folded clothes. Returning to her room, she rooted deep within her drawer till she pulled out her favorite pair of gray silk opera gloves and slid them on. She was used to typing in gloves and her fingers flew across her laptop's keyboard as she wrote a fanfic where the Phantom killed Christine for choosing Raoul over him.

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Souls – Cello lyrics

"I wonder where your tongue has been  
Before you tasted mine  
But you'll never let me know.  
I've done really bad things  
But I'll never let you know  
It's you that I love  
I wonder where your lips have been  
Before they tasted mine  
Where have your lips been tonight?  
You've wrapped a ring around my neck and  
You'll never let me go  
Do you think of me- do you think of me?  
Do you think of me when you are in me?  
I just want to know think I ought to know  
What you feel"

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**Notes:** You can tell I'm a good author in the style of Hemingway because I make an effort to describe what type of alcohol the characters are drinking in each scene. Kudos to me. This is turning dark really quickly for Rogue. In this chapter alone I feature drug use, sex, and alcohol. Unlike Trix, this is so not for kids.

**Preview: **Next chapter I promise we learn some of Magneto's plans for the Cure. We'll see how it turns out. Oh and I'm gonna stop writing if someone doesn't review more. Please, please review. Every time you review an author gets his wings. Or is that when a bell rings, I'm not sure.


	8. Chapter 8: BMW Z3

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M - Violence  
Disclaimer: I still don't own the X-Men. I do however own this story and it's really fun to write.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack: **I recommend the song "All Downhill from Here" by New Found Glory to introduce the character of Catalyst.

**Notes:** I introduce an OC here, called Catalyst. She's a mutant with a bit part to continue the story, don't worry. I'm not sure if there's a Marvel Comics mutant who could have been substituted, I'm only familiar with the movies. You are welcome to use her in your fics if you ask first. I will admit that in Hitchcock-style she is a bit of a self-insertion for the author, but if you read on you'll see she's only mentioned once or twice in the story to advance the plot. I needed someone with the Brotherhood who had an understanding of science and that's how she found her way into the story.

**Chapter Eight: BMW Z3**

Magneto:

Magneto knew it was only a matter of time till he met face-to-face with his favorite blue shape-shifter, but he had expected it would be in the middle of a pitched battle with her hands around his neck, not on his island fortress's security cameras asking permission to dock her launch. He'd granted it of course, knowing that if Mystique had wished him harm she never would have shown up as herself, but as Pyro, Spike, or one of the other mutants.

Without hesitation, he had waved the door open for her to enter his study, and waited patiently to see her to enter, knowing she would come to speak to him immediately. If Erik admitted it to himself, he had never thought he would see Mystique again. After she had been hit with the cure and her azure scales had faded away to reveal a fragile human woman, he had dumped her like yesterday's trash, a heroic sacrifice for the cause of mutant supremacy.

Later as he gathered his forces for the assault on Worthington Labs, he found out that she had begun leaking information to the authorities and he hadn't been surprised. He'd assumed she would and took measures to prevent any harm coming from it. After that he had forgotten about Mystique until he wound up lying on the asphalt of the Golden Gate Bridge with four syringes sticking out of his chest. He knew in that moment he had gotten his just deserts. Once his powers began to return he knew for certain that Mystiques' would have as well and Magneto found himself watching the eyes of strangers closely, waiting for the yellow gleam to signal his former lover's imminent revenge.

Yet here she was sauntering into his study her scales as beautiful and blue as ever, her red hair slicked back against her head, and her yellow eyes starring at him with a blank expression that revealed no emotion.

"I see you're healing well." She shifted on her legs. "I heard that the X-Men got you good at Alcatraz. Four shots was it?"

"Yes."

"How much of your powers are back?" Magneto felt no reason to lie to Mystique. She had been his second-in-command and was no dummy. She was only asking if she already knew the answer.

"I can lift this desk chair, but not easily, and I can only affect within a ten meter radius." In the last few weeks he had progressed to metal objects weighing between thirty and forty lbs. but it was still a far cry from former glory. He had posted a newspaper clipping of the stranded Golden Gate Bridge on the wall facing his desk as a reminder to himself what he was working towards.

"If you're planning on attacking me I won't put up much of a fight. I think you have the upper hand now, Raven." He turned in his chair to stare out his window at the wine-dark Atlantic Ocean crashing in white foam sheets against the rocks of his fortress.

"I'm not here to kill you Erik."

"Oh, is mild torture sufficient for you then?" She laughed at that recognizing his peculiar sense of humor.

"I'm here to continue my work for the Brotherhood." She said straight-faced and looking Magneto directly in his eyes; however he still wondered how seriously he should take that.

"You're not angry with me? I would be in a murderous rage if I had been left naked on the floor of an armored truck after risking my life for you. But that is just me."

"I was angry. I won't sugarcoat it; I hate you Erik. But the cause is still important to me." Her yellow eyes flashed at him when she had mentioned her anger and Magneto didn't doubt that he had made a formidable enemy in the blue woman before him.

"No thoughts of offing me and taking over yourself?"

"I considered it, but the cause needs you. Mutants look to you for guidance and I don't have the crowd appeal you do. For now the cause of Mutant Liberation still needs you."

"For now?" Magneto hadn't let her slip pass by unnoticed.

"For now." She met his gaze half way and they knew were they stood. "I'm here to do what is needed by the Brotherhood, but don't expect me to share your bed ever again Erik."

"I respect you too much to ask that Mystique." She stayed a moment, watching his expression which was softer than she remembered it, before she moved towards the door. Before she could open it Magneto spoke.

"I'm sorry." Mystique turned back to look at him, questions in her eyes, but left without another word. She had not been expecting an apology from him, Magneto knew that, nor had he expected himself to give one. There was no place in the Brotherhood of Mutants for humans, even humans who had previously been mutants. And if he had to do it over again he would have done the same. But his battle against the cure had softened him and he knew what it meant to be made low.

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He waited till Mystique settled into her old quarters before engaging her on the Brotherhood's latest work.

"Mystique, meet Catalyst." He introduced the blue woman to a small blond girl who looked like a teenager wearing a lab coat. Catalyst had a round, smiling face and green eyes. She shook Mystique's hand after taking off her green nitrile lab gloves and removing her plastic goggles. "Catalyst can change the rates of reaction between substances."

"What does that do exactly?" Mystique asked.

"She can speed up or slow down a reaction at will." Magneto offered.

"It's actually really useful for a lot of things. I can cook food in seconds, make seeds grow into plants in minutes, and I can slow the aging process to a rate where it is barely detectable." She cupped her hand over mouth in a mock stage whisper to Mystique, "I'm actually 45 years old." At that Mystique's eyes flashed with interest.

"Catalyst is one of the most successful chemists of our time. If there wasn't so much prejudice against mutants in the sciences she would have won a Nobel prize for her work in Organo-metallic Heck reactions." Catalyst blushed at the compliment.

"I was just continuing the work of other chemists. It's not a noteworthy as Erik makes it out to be."

"Catalyst show Mystique around the lab." Magneto watched as Catalyst pointed out the various expensive apparatus that had been acquired to produce the first rate laboratory. Catalyst pointed out her favorite items: the Krugelrohr they had had to make themselves and the NMR that Magneto had helped to charge with over 7 Telsa of magnetic fields.

"This is Magneto's favorite product so far." Catalyst held up a jar containing what looked like 30 grams of white snow.

"What does it do?" Mystique tried her best to remain interested in the science though her specialty lay elsewhere in espionage and intelligence.

"It takes the smoky smell out of Pyro's clothes." Mystique broke out in laughter.

"You really are a genius."

"Here we have our flagship project. This is the Cure." Catalyst held up a small green vial and Magneto watched as the shape-shifter moved away from the tiny vessel.

"And here we have the vaccine for the Cure. One shot and the Cure can never disable your mutation again. It's stable and safe for use. But we're still working on a way to make it water soluble for consumption through the water table." Mystique looked at Magneto.

"We're not going to be caught with our pants down again. Every mutant on the planet is going to get to this." Mystique smiled as Magneto said that and stuck out her arm for Catalyst to immunize her.

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"We enter here and you'll begin the pre-flight checks at o-seven hundred." Magneto pointed to a crew entrance to the Albany International Airport. "There should be no more than seven in your flight crew, you'll need to disable them in whatever way you see fit, and slide their bodies down the inflatable stairs; no hostages should be taken."

"Will your powers be returned enough by then to open the hanger doors?" It was a legitimate question, why then did it feel so insulting to Magneto. He had to restrain himself from snapping at his Lieutenant.

"They will be." He referred to the map again. "Pyro will be stationed here to take care of any security that tries to interfere with the plane's take off." The Brotherhood's next campaign required air transport and although Magneto was rich, he was not in any shape to legitimately buy a Bowing 747. So they would procure one by other means.

The jet fighters had been easier to get. Russia has sold them four MIG class fighter jets for about the price of a used BMW Z3 each. The pilots were even cheaper. Their services were bought for roughly $60,000 in American currency; which in Russia translated to a little over 1.6 million in spending power. God bless Russia's collapsed ruble.

"How long should the whole operation take?" Mystique asked him.

"No more than thirty minutes in and out if we can coordinate the flight schedules to leave us a clear opening." Thirty minutes was cutting it very close in his mind and he wasn't happy with the prospect of that being their best estimate. There was more security surrounding airports than anywhere else in America today and it would take an exemplary performance by every team member for the plan to go off without a hitch.

Mystique had to fly a plane she was mostly unfamiliar with despite spending the last few weeks training on Microsoft's Flight Simulator using what looked to be an eerily accurate mock-up. Pyro had to hold off what was bound to be a fleet of emergency vehicles looking to block the plane's path for the most part on his own. And Erik would have to use his mastery of magnetism to open the forty-foot high hanger doors, when he could just lift a six-foot drainage pipe at the nearby construction site.

Still, Magneto was looking forward to the day of the mission. He wanted to get it done with, even if it fell through and they weren't able to capture the jumbo jet. He was itching to do something physical to help the mutant cause. And he wouldn't feel like he was truly his old-self again till he was mentioned by Brian Williams on the 6:30pm Nightly News right next to Osama Bin Laden and Fidel Castro.

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**Notes:** Two years of chem lab experience went into the making of this chapter. I actually worked with cyanide during one step of my reaction. Not fun. All the chemistry mentioned in this chapter is true. There are Heck reactions and you can make a Krugelrohr at home out of a vacuum, a coffee maker, and a drill. Seriously, I worked in a university lab with that exact set up.

So obviously, it would cost more than a BMW Z3 to buy a Russian MIG, or at least I hope so. However, this is a story and well that little detail fit well I think. Also, Osama Bin Laden and Fidel Castro are terrible criminals and I think Magneto would be loathe to relate himself to them, however I believe he does want to be seen as threat to national security again. Remember it weighs hard on him that his powers are greatly diminished.

**Preview:** Next chap we get to see just how differently Xavier's school for Gifted Youngsters and the X-Men are without the Professor to supervise them. And Rogue finally gets fed up wearing the X-Men suit and takes a hard look at her future at the mansion.


	9. Chapter 9: An Academy Award Goes To…

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – Sex, Drugs, and Violence. C'mon you know you like it.  
Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine. I am borrowing them for this little trip and will return them mostly in one piece, except for Rogue; she's not doing so well.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "All These Things I Hate (Revolve around Me)" by Bullet for My Valentine because I wrote this chapter while listening to it.

**Notes:** Things at X-World are going downhill fast for our white and brown-haired heroine. In this chapter, I include references to Rogue turning to alcohol to deal with her problems. I choose this because Rogue is young, 21 years old in this story, and people that age often experiment with alcohol. Don't worry once life turns around for Rogue, she won't turn to drink any longer.

**Chapter Nine: An Academy Award Goes To… **

Rogue:

It was February 2nd and Rogue had been rooming with Jubilation Lee for exactly 3 weeks, 2 days, 6 hours and 4 minutes. Rogue knew exactly how long it had been because Jubilee's energetic, effervescent personality was driving Rogue to drink, literally.

She had moved in with Jubilee after discovering her former roommate, Kitty Pryde, was sneaking around behind her back with her then boyfriend Bobby. Having a cheating boyfriend wasn't bad enough; it had to be her closest friend at Xavier's who was an accomplice. To add insult to injury, Rogue's deadly skin mutation was back and it was deadlier then ever. All this left Rogue feeling anything but stable. It isn't hard to see why she might want to escape in drink.

It started with a night cap after Jubilee had spent two hours dissecting every interaction she had had with her latest crush Peter, also known as Colossus. Jubilee had spent over 45 minutes describing the way he had helped her wash the dishes the night she had kitchen duty. Jubilee, anything but tactful, had actually managed to avoid mentioning the blossoming relationship between Bobby and Kitty that everyone else at the mansion seemed thrilled to see. Everyone else but Rogue and Logan.

Logan had threatened to gut Bobby in less than 6 seconds with his claws. Rogue hadn't really wanted to tell him not to. She was spending more and more time with Logan now that she no longer on speaking terms with Bobby or Kitty. Logan was her closest friend at the mansion but he couldn't adequately replace Bobby and Kitty as someone to talk to. For one thing Logan was older, a guy, and never spoke in more than monosyllables unless forced to.

Seeing all the time Rogue spent around the Wolverine, Jubilee's overactive, boy crazy imagination flared out of control. Talking to Rogue that night, she had made pointed hints that now that Jean Grey was out of the picture, Logan might return her feelings. Feelings based on a crush that was almost four years old and had dissipated into a comfortable friendship. Rogue couldn't stand Jubilee insinuations.

She had excused herself and padded to the kitchen in her pajamas and white cotton sleep gloves. When she found no one in it (a rarity with so many growing, young men at the mansion), it had seemed harmless to fix herself a stiff one. It was a SoCo on the rocks, the way Janis Joplin used to like.

A week later she had progressed from night caps to after dinner drinks from a bottle of Maker's Mark Bourbon she had smuggled into the mansion and hidden in her closet inside the red duffle bag she had hitchhiked with. After a third week of Jubilee's continuous gossip, hurt looks from Kitty, and cold stares from Bobby, Rogue decided to start each day with a Screwdriver made from adding Stolichnaya Vodka to her morning orange juice before the other students woke up.

Rogue knew what she was doing was wrong and was increasingly worried Logan could smell the liquor on her breath, but she needed something to get through the days at the mansion which had taken a distinctive turn for the worse after the battle at Alcatraz.

Gone were the happy days when Professor X had kept a firm hand and ever vigilant mind over the school. With the loss of teachers like himself, Jean Grey, and Cyclops, subjects like European History had been temporarily cut and the younger students had bigger and bigger class sizes. Only Storm, Dr. McCoy, and Logan were left of the teachers Rogue had had when she had taken high school classes at the mansion.

Storm's time was consumed by the day-to-day logistics of running the school and shouldering the political and social mantle she had assumed by becoming its headmaster. Every time Rogue tried to meet with Storm, she was pulled away to discuss some issue with a donor or confirm a public appearance at a mutant tolerance rally.

Dr. McCoy carried much of the burden of teaching, his lectures spanning elementary school math to advanced biology. With all his time full, Rogue knew he wasn't able to devote much energy to helping to make more of the Cure for her. She didn't necessarily blame the Beast for his slow progress. However, she desperately wanted more of that glowing green liquid and she would occasionally day dream about trying to recreate it herself.

Logan, who once had the travel bug as badly as she did, had settled down as though he had intended to become a full time X-Men in the first place. The loss of the Professor and his love Jean Grey had had a big effect on him and he took the duty of filling their respective shoes seriously. Logan started teaching more classes than just P.E. and combat readiness. He completely took over the Danger Room sessions, moving effortlessly into his new role as chief inflictor of sore muscles and hard lessons learned as the younger mutants battled it out in simulated warfare.

The Wolverine's efforts to teach English classes on the other hand didn't meet with the same success. Logan could barely stand the British Romantic poets, let alone analyze their cultural significance. With all respect to her friend's well meant efforts, Rogue still believed Logan was the worst teacher she had ever seen. She could tell he really cared for his students, considered them like young cubs in his pack, but it was painfully obvious that Logan hadn't read a book in his entire life.

Rogue knew the time was coming when she would move from student to teacher at the mansion. Soon enough older students like herself, Bobby, Kitty, Jubilee, and Peter would have to step up and begin to contribute to the smooth running of Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. And with the position of teacher, came a position on the team of X-Men, complete with custom black acrylic X-jumpsuit.

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A week later Rogue had a meeting scheduled to meet with Storm, Beast, and Wolverine in the Professor's office. Every one still called it that even though the Professor would never spend another day inside its walls. His wheelchair rested respectfully in the corner, begging the question, "What would Professor Xavier have done, if he was still here?"

At first Rouge had worried she was in trouble, until Jubilee had pulled her aside to share the latest gossip which said that the three instructors were in there deciding the fate of the X-Men team. She approached the office slowly, not too eager to meet with Storm and Co. about her role in the X-Men after she had so recently been trying to destroy her mutation with the Cure.

As she neared the door, Rogue couldn't help but overhear Beast's loud voice as he said:

"Do we tell her that she won't be receiving anymore of the Cure?"

"Are you sure there's no hope, Doctor?" Storm's pleasant mezzo alto voice was more difficult to hear through the closed thick wooden door.

"There's a movement in Congress backed by the Mutant lobbyists and the administration to ban the Cure permanently as an illegal substance. The lobbyists claim it is a "Hate" drug designed by humans to eradicate mutants from the Earth. My sources tell me the administration wants to keep its formula under lock and key for itself to be used only under its auspices and its terms. They mean to keep it a controlled substance, where it could be used by them under a state of emergency."

"So they don't want to keep selling the Cure, but they're still pushing forward with the Mutant Registration Act?" Logan questioned the Beast.

"Yes. Magneto's destruction of the Golden Gate Bridge has made it almost certain to pass within this term. They've also added a provision to have registered mutants fitted with RFID transmitter tags so they're movements could be tracked by the Department of Defense."

"They can't allow that. That's a blatant violation of our constitutional rights." It was easy to hear the fear and anger in Storm's voice.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Munroe." There was a long pause. "Public sentiment for mutants has never been this bad before. I have to say things may get far worse before they get better." A longer pause followed that.

"But couldn't you get her a little more of the drug? Make it maybe?" Logan's tone was quiet and hopeful and Rogue waited with bated breath to hear the Beast's answer.

"It's not an easy drug to make. It took Worthington Labs ten years to create it. I can't imagine being able to produce more of it without detailed chemical lab procedures. I doubt we would be able to get our hands on those." Dr. McCoy must have moved because his voice came from a different angle behind the door. "Personally, I am against the Cure. But in cases like Rogue's…"

"Poor Rogue. She took the failure of the Cure really hard. And now her issues with Bobby and Kitty… How can we expect her to work with them on the X-Men?" Storm's words froze Rogue in place.

"The kid's a survivor. The three of them will work it out." Logan came to her aid and she silently thanked him.

"So it's settled she will fly the X-Jet?" the Beast said.

"Her powers only work at close range and she doesn't like to use them. She's a decent fighter in the Danger Room, because she's fast and smart, but she's too weak to be overpowering. I can never see her being a part of a strike force, except in some tactical sense." Logan offered his expert opinion.

"She's a liability to us in most fights." Beast said.

"Yes, her mutation isn't much of a help to us." Storm followed and Rogue fought back tears behind the closed door. "We'll train her to fly the X-Jet." Storm's voice was decisive as though the matter was a closed issue. Rogue fell against the wood-paneled wall of the mansion she had been leaning against. She was a _liability_ to them.

Even Logan felt that she would never be a strong enough combatant to be much help. Sure, she had considered the issue before and she knew she would never have Wolverine's strength, Bobby's long range ice-shooting abilities, or Kitty's transpirative defense, but she was doing her best to be useful. It wasn't too easy to train for combat when you had to keep your gloves on for fear of hurting anyone and if you "tagged" them, they had to freeze in place.

So now the truth came out. There wasn't a place for her on the X-Men team, except in the capacity of jet chauffeur for a team she would never truly be a part of. That team would include Bobby and Kitty, and Rogue would be forced to eventually put their differences aside. But she wouldn't do so unless someone physically forced her. Till then she wasn't on speaking terms with the Ice Prick. _He could shove it up his frost-cold ass for all she cared. _

Rogue laughed to herself in the hallway. She was a mutant, so she didn't fit in with humans. But she was such a weak mutant; the other mutants had rejected her. If God didn't have a cruel sense of humor, she didn't know who did. She couldn't help but wonder if Magneto had been pulling her chain about making her more powerful than Jean Grey. She shook her head. That's what you get for listening to the ravings of a madman. Soon she might become so desperate that she would begin to believe in them. _Perish the thought. _

After steeling her resolve a moment more, it still took all of Rogue's inner strength to walk to the large brass-handled door leading to the Professor's study and knock. She had been greeted by a friendly: "Come in" from Storm and Rogue had walked in and closing the door behind her, hoping her watery eyes didn't give away what she had heard. She tried to study the patterns on the rugs because she wasn't sure she could look them in the eyes and contain her anger.

"What y'all want?" She managed to get out after a moment of studying a grey elephant holding a log on the rug.

"We're here to discuss what courses you'd be interested in teaching here Rogue." Dr. McCoy's blue face looked kind but Rogue couldn't forget the words she had just heard him say a moment ago. _A liability_.

"We're giving the older students like you a chance to help teach our younger mutants. You're majoring in Philosophy at Harvard, right Rogue?" Ororo waited for her to give a nod. "Are there any subjects you'd most like to teach?" Rogue's eyes left the comforting curve of the palm tree next to the elephant on the Persian carpet. She answered with more strength in her voice than she had thought she had left.

"English, if Logan don't wanna teach it anymore. Otherwise, Ah'd like to work with the youngest mutants. The elementary level ones."

"I have my hands full with the Danger Room as it is. I'd love it if you wanted to take a class or two Marie." Logan gave a smile that Rogue couldn't discern. She guessed he must be happy to get out of struggling through the lectures.

"You're a favorite among the children Rogue, so I am sure they would love to have you as their teacher. How would you like to start with the 5-7 year olds in August?" Storm asked.

"That sounds just peachy." Rogue put on her best Southern belle smile, letting the Mississippi slip into her voice to cover the pain she felt must be as visible in her countenance as if she was wearing a big glowing neon sign.

"Thank you, Rogue. You understand how much work we have cut out for us to get the school back into shape." Storm said.

"Ah know." Rogue pretended in her mind she was Scarlett O'Hara wearing her mother's emerald green curtains to visit Rhett Butler in jail. If she didn't think about what she had just heard while ease dropping in the hallway, Rogue could act as if it hadn't happened. She tried to give her best performance.

"Now that you're a teacher, you're also going to be an official member of the X-Men. Congratulations Rogue." Dr. McCoy handed her a pin and an X-Men cell phone. She studied the bizarre object in her hand as if it would bite her any minute. Rogue noticed the Nextel symbol printed in the lower left corner, nearly eclipsed by the dark grey "X" faceplate. The pin was a thin black X outlined in silver and it looked cheaply made, not something she would ever wear on a dressy outfit.

"The pin is an emergency homing beacon. If you press and hold it for 30 seconds it'll send a signal to the mansion." Logan told her.

"Without Professor Xavier or Jean Grey to run Cerebro this is the best system we have managed to devise." The Beast informed her.

"Ah don't know what to say. Ah'm mighty flattered you guys think Ah'm ready." Rogue drawled out.

"Don't mention it Rogue. You're a valued member of this team." Storm had replied, absolutely straight faced. Rogue gripped the cell phone so tightly she was sure she would snap its stupid grey "X" shaped face plate in two. She smiled sweetly at Storm and said "Thank You" while inside her head she decided she should win an Oscar for this performance. _An academy award goes to Marie D'Ancanto for her performance as happy, obedient Rogue, the mutant who gets her hopes and dreams stepped on by everyone she has ever trusted and never says a word in complaint. _

"Hey kid, we were wondering if you were interested in learning to fly the X-Jet." Logan's face wasn't smiling like Storm or the Beast's. His tone was quieter and less gruff than usual.

"Um, sure Logan."

"Logan's going to take you for some piloting lessons over at the airport in Albany. Does Tuesday work for you?" Storm asked.

"Sure," Rogue replied as the spike was driven into her heart a little further.

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After the meeting Logan pulled her aside: "I smelled you the whole time outside that door, Marie."

"Why didn't you say something?" Rogue wouldn't meet his gaze, but she felt a little comforted just smelling the old cigar smoke on his worn leather jacket.

"I figured you had the right to hear a discussion about yourself." Rogue looked up at the Wolverine's bushy hair. Slowly she gave his cheek a stroke through the fabric of her black opera length gloves, feeling the bristles of his beard through the fabric.

"Thanks Logan. Ah appreciate it." Rogue took comfort in the idea she had at least one true friend in the older, hardly tame mutant. It appeared that Logan was the only one at the mansion these days who was sticking up for her. She prayed that Logan was here to stay for good this time and didn't get wanderlust again, leaving her for months on end. She wouldn't survive another month at the mansion without him.

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**Notes:** Some people have objected to my trash talking Logan here: mentioning it was unlikely he had ever read a book. Remember, he has little memory of his past and original education and that he doesn't particularly act like the type to curl up with a book. I could see him reading other things: like a newspaper, much more readily than any type of literature.

Also, I know that the X-mansion is much closer to NYC that Albany and it is unlikely that the X-Men who ever use that airport. But for the sake of the story ignore the little detail of distance and pretend that they might take flying lessons there.

I think Dr. McCoy took a position as ambassador to the UN at the end of the third movie, but for the sake of the story just assume he didn't. Also for the sake of the story, just accept that Logan, rather than Storm who knows how to fly, takes Rogue for flying lessons. Also ignore the idea that she could have trained on the X-Jet back at the mansion. You'll see why she needs to go to the airport in the next chapter.

**Preview:** Magneto and Rogue meet again at the Albany International Airport. Will Magneto succeed in his plan to steal a 747? Will Rogue and Magneto kiss again? Who knows!

Write reviews. Give suggestions. **Seriously, if I don't get four reviews for this chapter I'll hold off writing the next. **I'm serious. (Gives mean author stare). I know who you are. Click review now.


	10. Chapter 10: Aluminum Blinds

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – a little light smut, language  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. Except on Tuesdays. I do own them on Tuesdays, so be sure to return them to me if you borrow one of them.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "One Day I'll Fly Away" from Moulin Rouge because it fits fairly well with Rogue's need to escape the problems of her life with the X-Men. For the second half of the fic "It's No Good" either the Depeche Mode or Chevelle version is perfect.

**Notes:** This is a majorly important chapter plot wise and it is bursting with yummy Rogue and Magneto goodness. I hope you enjoy.

**Chapter Ten: Aluminum Blinds**

Magneto:

Pyro and Mystique had entered the airport in the normal way: walking through the front door and passing through the security checkpoint. Mystique had posed as a pilot and Pyro as your average passenger. Magneto, on the other hand, had had to sneak in hiding in the back of a Frito-Lay KC Masterpiece Barbeque Potato Chips truck. What was the old saying? _It was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for Magneto to pass a metal detector._

Magneto had known the coast was clear when he reached out with his magnetic fields and hadn't felt any metal moving around outside of the truck, signaling humans with their keys and cell phones. After climbing out the back, Magneto had checked his watch. 5:28AM. Mystique wouldn't begin pre-flight checks on the Bowing 747 till 7:00AM and Pyro wasn't scheduled to board his plane until 7:12AM. In a small airport like Albany International, Pyro would be allowed on the tarmac to board the plane, putting him in a position to fend off security with his fireballs. By 7:30AM their plane should be off the ground with Mystique, Pyro, and himself safely on board.

Albany International Airport had been chosen because of its close proximity to their Maine base and the wilds of Nova Scotia where they planned to hide the hijacked plane. Magneto had spent months researching airport security measures to be sure that Albany was the smallest, least technologically up-to-date airport that had jets as large as a Bowing 747 scheduled to take off from it. The airport offered a single weekly flight to Toronto on their only jet aircraft, a lone Bowing 747, housed in the very hanger bag Magneto currently stood in.

After take off, Mystique would fly the 747 to a hidden air strip that had been specially prepared for it in Nova Scotia about 100 miles from their island fortress off the coast from Bar Harbor, Maine. Thanks to the war in Iraq, the Stratton Air National Guard Base only 9 miles down the road from Albany International was running on a skeleton crew and had no pilots or planes available to send after them. If the authorities did manage to scramble jets to intercept them during flight, Magneto had the 4 Russian MIGs and their pilots waiting on standby to offer air support.

Magneto reviewed the facts of the mission in his head, ditching the Frito-Lay truck to find a hiding space among the crates in the back of the hangar. He would have to lay in wait until Mystique boarded the plane with her flight crew. It was his job to keep the hanger bay clear of airport personnel who could interrupt their carefully laid plans. Magneto also had to prevent the departure of any private aircraft that might block the runway when the 747 tried to make its getaway.

Magneto expended an inordinate amount of energy till he broke out in a sweat, moving the metal crates around with his mutation to offer himself a comfortable and strategically advantaged hiding place where he could watch the entire hanger. He took a seat and waited for the show to begin.

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Rogue:

5:00AM was an hour that shouldn't exist as far as Rogue was concerned. It was ludicrously early. Rogue's head hurt remembering watching the dawn from the back of Logan's motorcycle as he drove her to Albany International Airport. The Wolverine had woken her up at 5 so she could make it to the airport by 6AM for her first scheduled flying lesson. He had put out his cigar and handed her a small wrapped package when she had met him outside the mansion on that chilly February morning. When Rogue had opened the package she had been pleasantly surprised to find a pair of Churchill soft brown calves leather pilot gloves. She slipped them on and the pair was off driving on Highway 87 at 85 mph to the airport.

Rogue had felt sick to her stomach during the bike ride, not from the dangerous speeds Logan always drove at, but from the three shots of SoCo it taken to get to sleep the night before. Rogue knew this had to stop; she had to stop. But with each passing day her life seemed less and less like what she wanted it to be. She missed being touched by people. She missed how easy and simple life had been when she was on the Cure. She hadn't had to worry all the time about having an accident and hurting someone. She hadn't had to coordinate her ample glove collection by length and occasion with every outfit she wore.

Rogue missed touch even more after having experienced it so recently. She would kill for one just one more kiss, even one more of Bobby's lying, cheating, and slobbering kisses. The way Bobby had hurt her weighed heavily on her thoughts and when Rogue tried to relax reading fan fiction or working out in the mansion's gym she was never able to completely rid her heart of the leaden weight of betrayal. Kitty seemed the worse of the two offenders to Rogue. Kitty had listened every time Rogue had unburdened her feelings about how bad she felt that Bobby was not able to touch her. Kitty had known exactly how much Bobby's continued relationship with her, despite her mutation, meant to her. When Kitty had kissed Bobby, it was like her Mom had abandoned her at that bus stop in Meridian, Mississippi all over again.

Rogue had not been looking forward to her flight lessons. It wasn't the hellish hour they begin at; it was the entire idea of flying that was soured in her mind. Rogue could see how learning to fly might even be enjoyable. Flying the X-Jet at Alkali Lake had been under pressure and in a moment of crisis, however she felt that without the fear of not knowing how to operate the plane it might actually be fun. But any chance Rogue had of enjoying flying was gone when she overhead the conversation in the Professor's study a few days earlier. Learning to be the X-Jet's pilot was a subtle put down of her abilities and contribution to the X-Men team. Beast had even gone so far as to call her a _liability_. The word made her mouth turn sour. Three days later and she could still hear in Dr. McCoy's practiced cadence pronounce each syllable. _Li-a-bil-li-ty_.

So as Rogue stood beside Logan in the office of the flight instructor at Albany International arranging a practice schedule and the necessary FBI background checks, Rogue had trouble pretending to be enthused.

"It'll just be background information and instruments today. Until we get her cleared with security we can't let her get any air time." Flight Instructor extraordinaire Richard Mumfry who looked to be pushing sixty and was a retired Navy pilot told them.

"That's fine. Are you ready Rogue?" Logan gave her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder and Rogue couldn't help but put on a brave face for her friend.

"Ah guess Ah am."

"It'll be a two hour lesson. You're welcome to wait in the terminal, Mr.…?"

"Mr. Logan." The Wolverine replied to the man and then looked over at Rogue who was nervously twisting the fingers of her gloves. "I'll be in the terminal. Maybe get myself some breakfast. You want anything?"

"No Ah'll be fine. Thanks." Logan had given Rogue a light pat on the back and searched her eyes to see if she really meant it. After a moment he walked away, exiting the hanger bay through a hallway, headed to get a bite to eat. Rogue had starred with unseeing eyes at the Gulfstream 2 that would be her practice plane.

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Magneto:

Even with diminished powers, there were some things Magneto would never forget and one of those things was the high-pitched hum of pure adamantium. Adamantium was the strongest metal composition ever created. Once forged it could never be broken or reshaped. It had highly magnetic properties and was easy to manipulate despite its great density. Adamantium was a personal favorite of Magneto's but it was rare he ever encountered its peerless beauty. And unfortunately he only seemed to encounter it in the form of a wild Canadian mutant named Wolverine.

Feeling the adamantium, Magneto had been stirred from his hiding place and had watched as the Wolverine escorted the mutant known as Rogue into the Private Lessons office. He had waited patiently daring to look out between two crates as the Wolverine left the hanger to return to the terminal. He'd cursed then in German, enjoying the guttural way the profanity had rolled out of his mouth. The last thing he needed were X-Men spoiling his plans to capture the 747.

What were the chances the X-Men would show up to that very airport on that very day, when they had their own jet which rose up out of the basketball court? Magneto had felt safe; he had felt sure of his plan. What was he supposed to do now?

Magneto watched with hawk like eyes, waiting to see the other X-Men appear having been tipped off some how to his scheme (he considered the idea Mystique might have done just that). But no other X-Men appeared and Rogue sat listening as the flight instructor showed her a PowerPoint slideshow.

Not missing his opportunity, he sprang into action, leaving his hiding place behind the crates, pulling the aluminum window blinds down around the private lessons office, essentially blinding his enemy. He strode across the hanger quickly not to lose the element of surprise and threw the door of the office open without using his hands.

The shocked face of Rogue greeted him, but he moved past her to see her flight instructor. Glancing quickly about the room he noticed a Bankers' lamp with the distinctive brass base and green shade. He used two hands to make sure he could control it steadily. It hit its target without any problem and the flight instructor dropped to the ground with a bump already forming on his head.

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Rogue and Magneto:

"What are you doing here Rogue?" He advanced towards her, a white plastic table separating them. Rogue once again felt intimidated by his cold blue eyes and emotionless baritone speaking voice. She pulled her shoulders back instinctively.

"Ah could ask you the same question." She wouldn't take her eyes off him, afraid if she looked away his black gloved hands would be at her throat. The way his measured steps brought him nearer and nearer to her reminded her of Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs. His grey battle suit complete with maroon lined cape only added to her rising fear. She couldn't help but see flashes back to her time on top the statue of liberty fueling his dreadful machine.

"It would seem we are destine to meet in awkward situations, my dear." He raised one leather encased hand, palm up. "You first."

"Ah'm taking flying lessons." Rogue said standing behind the white table inching away from him toward the window behind. He chuckled softly, almost to himself.

"Do the X-Men underestimate you that much?"

"What do ya mean?"

"They are making you fly the jet, are they not?" Magneto said as though flying the jet was the same thing as playing first base on a baseball team. Rogue didn't answer his question; it didn't need one. She made to remove one of her new gloves only to remember her mutation would be no help against Magneto.

"You know what Ah'm doing here. Now what are you up to?" She was backed against the window and could go no further as he rounded the corner of the table coming toward her. She stiffened and stood tall.

"Taking over the world. It's my day job." Magneto said. He became disappointed when Rogue was too scared to see his joke. He continued: "I'm stealing a plane." _Why had he told her? Why had he wanted to tell her? Had it been that long since he had done anything exemplary that he felt the need to brag? _When Rogue didn't answer he moved closer to her. She thought he looked more like predatory animal in that moment that Logan ever did. Adrenalin began to flow through her limbs and she felt both numb and jittery at the same time.

"How did you enjoy your last dose of the Cure?" He smiled in a way that was scarier to Rogue than an angry scowl. It never reached his steel grey eyes. "Did you get to fuck your boyfriend again like you wanted?"

Magneto had hit too close to the mark and got Rogue in her sorest spot. Not for the first time in her life, her right hand came up of its own volition and slapped Magneto firmly in the mouth. The _smack_ reverberated loudly in the tiny room. All she could think was… _Oh my god I've just struck Magneto!_ He backed away from her and shook his jaw, opening and closing it a few times.

"Hmm." He tested his jaw again and took another step toward her. "You surprise me, my dear. You do have a backbone in you. From the way Charles manipulated you I got the impression you were nothing more than a pawn to be played with at will." Rogue's eyes shot daggers at him but she said nothing in her defense and so Magneto continued.

"You refuse my help because you say you don't want to be used. Yet, you let the X-Men use you everyday." He brought his hand up to brush the white lock of hair that was his doing. "Which is it Rogue? Are you as spirited as you've shown me or are you as cowardly as Charles told me you were?"

"Professor Xavier said Ah was a coward?" Rogue forgot her fear for a moment as she considered the possibility that everyone at the mansion had seen her only as a _liability_. Magneto moved his hand from her face and slipped off his glove.

"Only a coward would have let him put a psychic block preventing you from controlling your powers." Magneto removed Rogue's gloves from her hands. She made no move to protest.

"A psychic block?" Rogue pursed her lips together. "Ah don't believe you. Why would he do that?"

"He knew that like Jean Grey you are more powerful than either he or I could ever be. Jean Grey's abilities had to be kept from her because they made her unstable. But that is not the issue with your abilities." Magneto grasped Rogue's left hand in his and Rogue felt the pull began and then stop. Her nerves still stretched out seeking to suck his life force only to find nothing there. The air felt cold against her skin in that spot and she couldn't help but contain a shiver as the nerves in her hand were open and sensitive.

"Unlike telekinesis or magnetism, your abilities can only be used to hurt people Rogue. Not only are they powerful like Jean Grey's but they work quicker and are far deadlier. You know that already though." Magneto's thumb began to massage circles on her skin where she had so recently used her power. With the nerves on fire and her mutation seeking more life force, the sensation felt like a full body massage in her mind.

"When Xavier was helping you to contain the minds of the people you have touched he put a block on her power. He confined it to your subconscious so you could not actively control it." Magneto's right hand came up to lightly graze her neck. It felt like ice against her fevered skin. For a moment the mutation flared and died down again, making Rogue press against the window for support.

"Does that mean Ah can stop it? Ah should be able to turn it off?" _Was it really true? Could he speak the truth?_ She had to get back to the mansion. She would search the Professor's files. She wouldn't stop till she knew for sure.

"Not only can you stop it but you can direct it outward. You should be able to slow or speed it up at will; killing instantly or knocking unconscious as you choose." Magneto was now so close Rogue could feel her breasts press lightly against his chest when she breathed in.

"Tell me. Tell me how Ah can control it. Please." Rogue's every hope rested on this man whom she feared more than all others. Her head tilted up to look him in eye; he towered over her. "How can you touch me and not be hurt?"

"Patience Rogue. Why don't I show you?" His left hand dropped hers and wrapped itself around her lower back while his right dove into her soft straight brown hair and he took her mouth with his own.

His kiss was fierce, possessing. He did not yield, pressing her body to his, holding her head from behind as his tongue dove into her mouth and met her own. She felt her breasts compress against his chest as he held her to him, her head dropped back. He marveled in the feel of her tiny frame against his own and sucked her lower lip between his own before claiming her mouth again with his tongue. Rogue reveled in the feel of touch, the soft, warm press of his lips, the wet slippery silken stroke of his tongue against her own…till she felt the pull of her mutation again. It lasted only a few seconds but Rogue could see clearly in her mind an image from Magneto's viewpoint looking down at her and one thought attached to it: _delicious_.

Magneto pushed her against the window and Rogue felt the uncomfortable sensation of aluminum blinds pressing into her back. With her nerves on overdrive from the adrenalin rush of her power, Rogue boldly entered his mouth with her own tongue. She touched her hand to his cheek where the feel of his thin, creviced skin against her fingers was worth more to her than all the money in the world.

Rogue couldn't remember when she had felt something this good or if she ever had. She tried to remember what Bobby's kisses had felt like but her mind drew a blank as Magneto bit her lip lightly with his teeth, causing Rogue to moan deep in her throat. Magneto lost himself at that sound and his hands shifted to cup her bottom and press her hips into his own.

Neither noticed the door swing open.

"Rogue I bought you some coffee, thought you might like the Hazelnut-" Logan shifted two Styrofoam cups of coffee in his hand till he looked up to see Rogue and Magneto pressed together and the coffee went tumbling to splash on the concrete floor.

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**Notes:** **Flattery gets you everywhere. It will get you chapters faster. But you know that already. **

Oh and all the info in this chapter is correct. I actually researched airports in Albany and islands in Maine to give an accurate picture of Magneto's evil plans. He's got some more up his sleeve, but he hasn't told me all of them yet. Please no one act on the information contained in this story. I do not condone terrorism, not even mutant terrorism.

**scrambled eggs** - I hadn't really planned on Rogue taking revenge on Bobby and Kitty. But now that you suggest it, it might make an appearance. But it's several chapters away.

**Preview:** My first action chapter! The showdown between Airport Security vs. Mystique, Wolverine vs. Magneto, Pyro vs. two fire companies, Magneto vs. Rogue, and Magneto vs. a huge steel hanger door. Maybe even a battle between some U.S. F-14s and Russian MIGs. The next chapter will have a special effects budget rivaling Episode 3 of Star Wars.


	11. Chapter 11: Thank You Microsoft

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – violence and more violence in this chapter, swearing  
Disclaimer: I'm not making any money off this. But I will accept food donations. If you send the author food, she will update faster.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Forfeit" by Chevelle because everyone wants to fight in this chapter.

**Notes:** So far I've stuck to only telling Magneto's and Rogue's viewpoint but that's going to expand a bit so we get to see Mystique and Pyro fight. **And as you have all been waiting for, we'll see Wolverine's reaction to walking in on Magneto and Rogue. **

**Chapter Eleven: Thank You Microsoft**

Magneto and Rogue and Logan:

_Holy fuck!_ Logan had dropped the coffee forgetting about it instantly as his eyes roved over the strangest sight he had ever seen. And he had seen some strange ones; he was an X-Men. Magneto had Rogue pressed against one of the windowed walls of the office, his hands clutching her buttocks to his hips while Rogue's gloveless hands were running through his white hair. Their lips were pressed together.

It had looked a little odd at first, and Logan hadn't been expecting to see his least favorite mutant, Magneto, in the airport's office but he began to understand the sight before him. Magneto must have attacked Marie and she was trying to drop him with her power. But why hadn't she used her hands instead of her lips? Something was very wrong here. Logan sniffed the air. He didn't smell Rogue's fear as he suspected he would. He smelt something else instead: _lust_.

Rogue had jerked out of Magneto's arms at the sound of Logan's voice but she hadn't been quick enough. He'd seen them, she knew it. _Oh, God he's seen us all over each other. _

Magneto disentangled himself from Rogue with calm, steady movements. This could lead only one place with the Wolverine and he would have to be ready to block his attack. He would dwell on the disturbing implications of his seduction of Rogue later. Though he wondered what had come over him a moment ago. But the time for introspection was not now. Instead, he felt out with his power searching for metal objects in the room.

Logan's vicious, animal tendencies sprang into action at the vibrant smell of Rogue's pheromones. His claws extended without any conscious thought on his part; the guilty look on Rogue's face only adding to his growing fury. _He didn't know what was going on here, but he knew he was going to rip Magneto into pieces if it was the last thing he did._ As he lunged forward at the older, white-haired man he waited to feel the wall of his magnetism halt him, stopping him in place. The wall never came.

Rogue watched as Logan raced towards Magneto. _Why wasn't Magneto stopping him with his magnetism?_ Rogue knew Magneto always bested Logan in a fight. She didn't know if she should tell Logan not to fight Magneto or if she should join him in attacking the man who had once tried to kill her.

Magneto backed up into the filing cabinet at the rear of the office and held up his hand calling on adamantium in Wolverine's skeleton. He pushed his magnetic field out with every ounce of strength he had but it was not enough to repel the momentum of the charging Wolverine. He was only able to slow the man from a run to a fast walk.

Wolverine felt the resistance as he pressed forward. _Why didn't Magneto stop him like he always did?_ He slashed forward at Magneto, but the movement's speed was slowed enough to allow Magneto to twist away from him. As Wolverine wrenched his claws from the file cabinet that hadn't taken the place of Magneto, he cried out in pain. The Banker's lamp fell to floor after giving Logan a painful pounding to the back of his neck. He shook his head and waited for his regenerative power to alleviate the pain.

"You don't have all your powers anymore do you?" Wolverine's smile was accompanied by a satisfied sounding growl. "I got ya good on the bridge, didn't I?" With Magneto weakened, Logan knew he had a chance for once. The office they fought in was no more than 12ft by 12ft in size. It was a cage fight and Logan was very good at cage fights.

Rogue felt frozen in place as she watched the fight between Logan and Magneto continue. She couldn't believe Logan had come that close to getting Magneto with his claws. Magneto must still be under the effects of the Cure. Rogue couldn't believe that it was still affecting him. Without his magnetism, the fight would be over in seconds. Rogue had to stop Logan from killing the only man who could help her. She needed to know what Magneto knew about her mutation. But could she calm down the Wolverine when he was in one of his berserker rages?

Turning away from the filing cabinet, Wolverine faced his opponent from across the white plastic table between them. With a swipe of his claws, he flung it away from them and it crashed against the back wall of the office. Logan moved to confront Magneto again, only to have his movements slowed by the force of the man's magnetic fields. Wolverine pressed forward until a tall metal cart holding the slideshow projector rammed into him at high speed.

Magneto rammed the cart into the Wolverine easily. It had wheels and rolled with almost no effort on his part. The force of impact was enough to toss the powerful man to the floor. But the Wolverine sprang back up in no time, moving towards him again. Magneto searched the room desperately to find something that would slow his opponent even more.

Logan slashed with his right claws putting his weight into the move only to feel his claws rip through the white plastic projector screen as the metal ceiling fixture fell with great force on his head.

The projector's metal housing was thin but sharp and the pull of gravity added to Magneto's ability to speed its decent towards the Wolverine's head.

Rogue looked on in shock, her blood curdling as she watching the sharp metal bar cut deep into Logan's skull. She felt her body go numb as she heard Logan's anguished howl of pain. She _had _to stop this.

Logan felt the tremendous, blinding pain and knew his knees were buckling but couldn't stop them. He fell to the ground as his vision went white.

Magneto saw his opportunity as the Wolverine lay sprawled on the ground. He turned to address Rogue.

"Do not try to stop me, Rogue, if you ever hope to control your mutation and touch again." And with that Magneto fled from the room out the door.

It took Rogue a moment to process what had just happened. She moved to kneel down next to Logan's prone form, only to remember she didn't have her gloves on. She slid the brown gloves back in place, noticing that Magneto had left his larger black gloves on the floor next to her own. Her face heated at the memory of how those gloves had been shed. She picked them up and slid them into the back pocket of her jeans.

Logan came to a few moments later, his four inch long and two inch deep skull wound disappearing as though it had never been inflicted. He opened his eyes to see Rogue's concerned face regarding him as she clutched his injured head in her hands. As his strength returned he remembered the circumstances that had caused him to be lying on the floor in the first place. He picked himself up and rounded on her.

"What the hell is going on Marie!" His voice was sheathed in anger and he felt some guilt for attacking Rogue like that. Rogue, for her part, had no answer for him.

"Uhh-" She saw the way his eyes narrowed with contempt. "Magneto attacked my instructor. He says he knows a way to stop my mutation. Don't go after him Logan."

"Like hell I won't." Turning Logan extended his claws, and rather than use the door leading from the office, he cut himself his own ripping the walls of the office in two with three furious slashes.

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Mystique:

It was 7:10AM and things were about to get ugly very quickly. A heavy middle-aged man with the rosy cheeks of an Irishman approached the jet's stairway, following his flight crew. The front button of his pilot's suit jacket barely closed over his paunch. Mystique hated the way her she had to catch her breath after climbing the stairs into the plane. _How could a human let themselves go this badly? _

She waited as the flight attendants stowed their belongings, chatting and laughing over a pair of underwear they had found discarded in the airplane's bathroom after the last flight. When the co-pilot suggested a bet on whether a couple would join the mile high club on this journey, Mystique had jumped the air marshal. He went down with a bash over the head from her briefcase.

Mystique shifted forms then, enjoying the freedom of movement her lithe, blue body allowed her. Her arms shot out and she grabbed the two flight attendants heads and banged them into each other. They were stunned but not unconscious, so she round-house kicked one in the back of the head, dropping her flat. Mystique somersaulted over the other woman and kicked her. She knocked into the side of a row of seats and didn't get up.

The co-pilot had run into the cabin and swung the door closed behind him, rushing to bolt it, but Mystique was quicker. She kicked it wide open and entered the cabin her yellow eyes flashing with a twisted sort of joy.

"What are you?" The co-pilot cowered against the side of the cabin, his toupee dislodged and off-center from his run.

"Humanity's worst nightmare." The man's eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted dead away.

Mystique worked quickly to move the unconscious bodies off the plane via the emergency ramp. She knew that the airport security cameras would pick up on the unusual activity any minute now and she had to get the plane started before anyone else was alerted. Mystique sat down in the pilot's chair and smiled. The controls looked exactly as they had in the Flight Simulator game. _Thank you Microsoft._

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Pyro:

He had had to bribe the TSA screener to let him keep his lighter in his carry-on bag. He tried appealing to the women's sense of decency, describing how he was a chain smoker and would need the lighter the minute the plane landed, but she hadn't been buying that excuse; especially since he didn't have a single pack of cigarettes in his bag. But a discreetly slipped twenty dollar bill was all it had taken for her to turn a blind eye. _Man, they don't pay these people enough._

By the time his plane began boarding he could tell security had already been alerted. The police officer that he passed on his way onto the tarmac was holding his walkie talkie to his ear and listening intently. Pyro flicked his lighter opened and closed in his hand, eager to begin unleashing the flames that he could feel building inside him. His body felt on fire ready to bask in the searing heat of his mutation.

Walking onto the tarmac following the other passengers he stopped when he spotted the security SUVs pulling onto the landing strip. He veered away from the other passengers and dropped his carry-on bag, breaking out into a run towards the vehicles. He heard an officer shout from behind him to stop, and heard the gasps from the crowd but he paid no heed to either sound. With a flick, the lighter's tiny flame appeared and Pyro launched a mighty burst of fire towards the two Ford Explorers. The badly designed, Detroit-made vehicles exploded, leaping twenty feet into the air to land flipped over and on fire. A smile crept onto Pyro's face as he smelled the acrid scent of burning rubber.

The police officer behind him went down when Pyro shot a wall of flame toward the terminal behind him. The police officer leaped out of the way and the passengers began running in all directions screaming as Pyro could hear more sirens in the distance. The terminal caught fire without delay and Pyro harnessed his mutation to help the flames grow and race across the walls of the building, preventing anyone from following him.

He walked toward the opening to the hanger bay where the 747 would emerge from. It was on another airstrip and about a quarter mile from his current position. As Pyro walked he shot bursts of flames onto the terminal building, reveling in the beauty of the orange flames as they raced to consume the structure. As always, the sheer destructive power of his mutation was a joy to behold.

The sirens Pyro had heard moments ago grew louder and he discerned from the red dots in the distance that it was not more police cars approaching but two fire trucks. They had been alerted when he caused the terminal to catch on fire and the sprinkler system had kicked in. Pyro flicked the lighter and formed a fireball in each of his hands. _This should be fun. _

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Magneto:

Magneto exited the office to hear the 747's engines come to life, signaling Mystique had been successful in her mission to gain control of the airplane. Magneto had precious little time to open the doors of the hanger for her. He knew that security would be arriving any minute and the hanger's controller was probably already informed not to let the plane out. With a look at the forty foot tall and 50 foot wide hanger doors, each weighing over a ton, Magneto called on his magnetism, willing the doors to open. He pushed mightily, but they did not budge.

He walked closer and tried to sense the metal of the gears that controlled the doors opening mechanism and felt them begin to turn, very slowly. A ray of sunlight broke through as the doors lurching open. They stopped halfway from being fully open as Magneto felt the gears lock. He tried to force the gears again, straining from the effort till his head hurt, but something was blocking him. He looked toward the right of the vast hanger to see the controller watching him from his office.

Magneto eyed the man with his piercing gaze and stalked toward him. He got twenty feet before he was pushed to the ground as the Wolverine's body landed squarely on top of him. The wind was knocked out of Magneto and he couldn't dislodge the heavier man from his back.

Wolverine sat up, his hips holding Magneto to the ground and raised his claws to strike down at him. Magneto pushed the claws back with the most powerful magnetic field he could manage. The claws inched downward slowly towards Magneto's exposed neck. With each second Magneto prepared himself for the sharp pain that was sure to come as the adamantium claws cut clean through him.

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Rogue:

She ran out of the office following Logan who was unreachable in his current state as the Wolverine. She had seen him in this condition many times before and knew that when the animal inside him took control he wasn't responsible for his actions. Still the sting of his disapproval cut deep into her sense of self and she questioned how she had allowed Magneto's touch to affect her so.

Rogue caught sight of the pair on the ground twenty feet away from her, Logan's claws making their way toward Magneto's neck and a strange thing came over Rogue. She saw in her minds' eye all the times she had used her powers by accident and the horrible consequences that followed. Without Magneto's help to understand her mutation, other people would be hurt by her in the future.

She flung her gloves from her hands as she ran grasping Logan's neck when she reached the two men.

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Pyro:

The firefighter's leaped from the trucks after they stopped fifty feet from the burning terminal building. Although there faces were eclipsed by their helmets, Pyro could still see the fear in their eyes as he juggled the fireballs in his palms. The first company pulled a hose out of the side of their truck, but Pyro blasted them before they could turn it on. The firefighters leaped to cover behind their truck abandoning the burning hose on the ground.

The second company was faster and Pyro was pushed to the ground from the force of the water from its hose. He tried to get up only to be shoved back by the strong blast of water again. His lighter was knocked from his hand and he twisted on the ground to fight the force of the water on him.

Pyro's agony was over in a few minutes though. The fire company had only a small reservoir of water on board it, usually relying on hydrants to fuel its hoses. But the company hadn't had time to hook into the airports emergency water system. Pyro stood up slowly, his back aching and his clothes hanging soggily from him. He spotted his lighter a few feet away from him. Flicking it open, its tiny flame jumped up and Pyro's heart relaxed. _Thank God for Zippo. _

Out of water, the fire companies were no match for the mutant and his fire balls shot towards them relentlessly until their trucks were left smoldering and over turned.

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Magneto and Rogue:

Logan's strength rushed from his body and flowed into Rogue's. Her senses were assaulted by his thoughts and she started to swoon as she was suddenly able to smell things only Logan with his heightened senses could. The roar of the plane's engine grew to a deafening level as Wolverine's acute hearing became her own. Memories that were not hers flashed through her mind at lightening speed.

Magneto could feel through his magnetic field the weakening of the Wolverine's claws' downward momentum. He felt the once strong hold of the man's hips slacken and Magneto pushed him off of his back with a combination of his mutation and his own physical strength. He got back on his feet to see Rogue's uncovered hand on the Wolverine's neck.

"Good girl." He told her, but she was too lost in her mutation to hear him. Without a second glance he raced towards the controller's booth. The 747 was nearing the hanger's opening and Magneto had no time to loose. Reaching out his hand he called upon the metal of the controller's watch and moved his hand over the panel, releasing the locking mechanize. Another magnetic field moved the man's watch and hand to the button to open the doors. The grinding of the gears was music to Magneto's ears as the hanger's doors rolled open.

As Rogue felt the flow of life force from Logan slow down she forced herself to pull her hands away. It was not an easy task as her mutation had a mind of its own and with the control of it locked in her subconscious Rogue had to fight to control it. She scooted away from Logan's crumbled body lying lifelessly on the floor of the hanger bay and looked up to see the hanger doors roll open as Magneto made his way to board the plane by grabbing hold of the planes' stairs.

A huge ripping sound caused Magneto to look up only to see the left wing of the 747 hit a piece of scaffolding. The scaffolding toppled from its place near the ceiling of the hanger as the plane slowly rolled by. Magneto watched in horror to see past the airplane as the metal scaffolding came crashing down on Rogue and the Wolverine.

At the last moment Magneto's hand shot out and pushed the scaffolding in its fall to land only inches from the two. Rogue sat shaking a little, her eyes wide and glazed, as she looked between the metal scaffolding and Magneto. Magneto caught hold of the planes stairs as they rolled past him, but heard Rogue call out over the din of the 747's engines.

"Thank you."

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**Notes:** Poor Albany International Airport. I knew when Magneto picked it that the airport would suffer. But I didn't realize it was going to be completely destroyed. Sorry Albany.

**Preview:** Rogue and Logan return to the mansion. How does Rogue explain what happened between herself and Magneto to Logan and Storm, etc.? How does she explain it to herself? And what will she find when she searches Professor Xavier's records? Find out on the next episode of Healing: same time, same channel.


	12. Chapter 12: Always Blame Your X

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – lots of sexual elements here, swearing  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. I am not making any money off this. But I need to make some money soon, because my cabinets are pretty much bare and I have no food.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Red Flags and Long Nights" by She Wants Revenge for several reasons. The lyrics deal very well with Logan's thoughts being in Rogue's head and the song has a wonderful dark, sexual pulse to it. In fact every song by She Wants Revenge is great. I highly recommend them. **Also, the band name, _She Wants Revenge_, cannot be beat, since Rogue gets a little revenge of her own in this chapter.** "No Hard Feelings" by Bloodhound Gang can be used for the second half of the chapter. Be warned though, that the lyrics might be the most offensive ever written.

**Dedication:** I dedicate this chapter to **jerikojak** for the lovely review. Dear **jerikojak**, please give me your email so I can thank you personally. And to clear up any doubt as to why I am writing this story, let me say the following: For many years I have read fan fiction on ff dot net and it has always provided me with a blissful escape from the problems of real life. I always wanted to write and post some of my own, only to worry that my humble efforts could not compare to what others have written before me. I am writing this story to give back to all the authors who made me smile over the years. I ask, perhaps too insistently, for reviews only to know that I bring the same joy to others that you all have given me.

**Updates: **Yes,** Chica Fayme**, I rushed this chapter a bit in honor of a loyal reader who was going on vacation and wouldn't be around for several weeks. I've gone back and improved some bits where I felt more detail would be not only helpful but enjoyable. Notably changed scenes are: soundtrack recommendations, expanded confrontation with Storm and the X-gang, expanded Bobby fight, added confrontation scene with Logan, and added paragraph exploring Rogue's attraction to Magneto. All in all an extra **1260 **words.

Without any further ado…

**Chapter Twelve: Always Blame Your X**

Rogue:

T. S. Elliot once said that the world would end not with a bang but with a whimper. Rogue's world, on the other hand, had ended with a bang: the bang of the Bowing 747 lifting off from Albany International Airport at 7:26AM with Magneto, Mystique, and Pyro on board. As Rogue had sat on the frigidly cold concrete floor of the hanger bay and tried to make sense of how much her life had changed in the last hour, Logan had begun to stir. His body had lain at Rogue's feet, where he had succumbed to unconsciousness after Rogue had drained him nearly dry with her deadly mutation.

It had taken Logan 20 minutes to feel well enough to drive Rogue back to the mansion. Rogue was intimately familiar with Logan's phenomenal healing mutation and she knew that 20 minutes meant she had brought Logan right to the brink of death with her skin. Without a word, Logan had picked up the gloves he had given Rogue just that morning from the floor of the hanger where she had dropped them in her haste to stop him with her mutation. He had handed them to her without looking her in the eye and turned to walk out of the hanger bay. Rogue had followed him walking several steps behind, not eager to see the pain of betrayal in her friends brown eyes. They had raced away on the motorcycle immediately after that to avoid meeting with the Albany City Police Force, Department of Homeland Security, and Capital News 9, Albany's local TV news network; that had already begun to swarm the scene of destruction at the airport.

Rogue had clutched onto Logan for dear life on the ride back to the mansion as he pushed the bike to speeds as high as 98 mph. She knew she was the cause of his distress and she searched her mind to discern where she had begun to go wrong, why all this had occurred. She couldn't figure how things had gotten so out of hand, so quickly. And with Logan's thoughts and memories in the forefront of her mind, Rogue could see just how she and Magneto had looked when he had walked in on them. The sight of their passionate embrace was utterly damming. _There was no way she would be able to explain this away. _

The thirty minute drive had given Rogue time to think about the events of the last few months and examine the circumstances leading up to her self-destructive tryst with Magneto against the aluminum blinds in the airport's private lessons office. Rogue's desperate need to feel touch had driven her to do things she would have never thought herself capable of. She reflected back on her urgent, furtive search to find more of the Cure after her first dose had worn off and the lonely, ultimately ill-fated trip to San Francisco that had started her down the path of seeking help with her mutation from Magneto.

Rogue had dug her own grave with the frenzy she had entered into after learning she had only two months left to touch. She had been the cause of her own destruction, sleeping with Bobby, ignoring the problems in their relationship, partying without any thought to her responsibilities, and taking up a drinking habit to drown her brain that was screaming at her how wrong her actions were. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had sensed her impending doom, but only now did she see how inevitable it all had been.

How much of the ruin that her life had become was because Rogue wanted to make Bobby happy? The sad look on Bobby's face when she had been too afraid to kiss him had made her want to touch even more strongly if not for her sake, then for his. Rogue had stopped her introspection after that, afraid to look any deeper into the abyss of blame.

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Logan had held onto the left sleeve of Rogue's green nylon sweater as he escorted her directly to the Professor's study. The helplessness of knowing there was nothing she could do now to reverse her fate made Rouge feel as though she was a spectator rather than a participant in the events that followed. She had gotten the distinct impression she was back in elementary school and was being dragged to the Principle's office because she had touched a boy inappropriately.

As Logan gave Storm and Dr. McCoy a detailed account of what had gone down at the airport, Rogue had sat on the soft green leathered mahogany chair in the Professor's study with her hands neatly folded on her lap and her head bowed deep in thought wondering what the elephant on the Persian carpet would do with the log he held in his trunk. Rogue knew that Dr. McCoy and Storm had watched her with mistrusting gazes throughout Logan's speech, disbelieving that anything so unlikely had really occurred.

When the moment came for Rogue to explain herself, she found it easier facing her judges then she had believed it would be. She experienced a sudden relaxing wave of calm as she realized that she had nothing left to lose in the eyes of the three X-Men. They already thought so little of her and Rogue knew her days at Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters were numbered that their approval or disapproval no longer mattered to her.

With her honey-sweet voice, Storm had asked Rogue what she had to say for herself. Rogue had taken a moment to contemplate the vivid colors of the carpet before answering. She had not been able to look at the white-haired woman. Just seeing Storm's white hair reminded Rogue of Magneto's and made a guilty blush creep onto her cheek. Continuing to look at the patterns on the carpet, Rogue had related her earlier encounter with Magneto at Alcatraz. She made an unconscious decision not to mention their first kiss, skipping over that fact without really considering it. Rogue was already in the dog house and had no desire to infuriate the sensibilities of the trio before her anymore than she already had.

Speaking in a tiny, audibly ashamed voice Rogue then explained in detail Magneto's offer of help and his revelations about the hidden nature of her mutation. Rogue breezed by the make-out session Logan had walked in on, giving the excuse that she was so thrilled Magneto could touch her without being hurt she had gotten carried away. In her mind Rogue wasn't as sure that was the true reason she had kissed Magneto back but she feared the resulting conclusion of such a disturbing line of thinking.

She ended by requesting to be allowed to search the Professor's files for more information about the psychic block he had put on her brain. With an eye to improve their opinion of her, she had pointed out several advantages her improved powers could bring to the X-Men.

Storm had looked over at Dr. McCoy, a mixture of condemnation and reluctance on her face. Logan had his back to the two, still refusing to look at Rogue, he was starring out the window, and his head hung in abject disgust. She was reminded of the wretched expression a puppy develops if it has been cruelly abused by its owner. Logan's passive disappointment hurt Rogue worse then if he had taken his claws and drove them into her stomach repeatedly. With a deeply worrying pang, she wondered if her friendship with the Wolverine was unrecoverable.

After a moment of silence in which Rogue had suddenly known with blinding clarity her days at the X-Men were over, Storm explained that Rogue couldn't view the Professor's records. His files were stored on his computer but they were password protected and no one had been able to access them since his untimely death.

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Leaving the Professor's office, Rogue had walked the halls of the mansion as though it were her last time. She found herself studying the well-used carpet her feet tread on and examining the wooden paneling that she found so pleasant. With an attention to detail a person only experiences when they try to consciously record a memory, Rogue walked to the common room.

There she met with the sight of many of the school's mutants glued to the television watching the Capital 9 News Report of the "Mutant Terrorist Attack at Albany International". She had come in at the moment where the reporter was showing grainy black and white security camera footage of Pyro blasting two fire trucks in wild abandon. Rogue thought she ought to leave before the others noticed her presence, but a tap on the shoulder told her she was not quick enough. She turned around to face the last person she wanted to see.

"Is it true, Rogue?" Bobby asked his arms folded in front of his blue wool sweater. Bobby looked so handsome in that posture with his chiseled jaw and Ken doll-like face, Rogue wondered if he would have ended up becoming a model if he had not been born a mutant. Not for the first time his male beauty bothered Rogue in a way she could not explain.

"Is what true?" She didn't back down from his accusatory glare, no matter how cold it felt. Instead, she straightened her posture, squaring her shoulders and holding her head high. Her hands at her sides balled into fists.

"That you kissed Magneto." Rogue considered asking where he had heard the rumor or chastising him for believing it. She even decided for a moment to deny it and denounce it as a total fabrication. Just then Storm had entered the room with Logan and the Beast trailing behind her, presumably to watch the news report. Logan's well toned body walked with none of its usual swagger and Rogue studied him until his head finally rose and looked back at her. Seeing what might be tears' forming in Logan's eyes was too much for Rogue. She lost every ounce of composure she had and reeled on Bobby with a ferocity that was distinctively the Wolverine's. She decided she would mind her manners and try to be the more mature individual no longer.

"Yes, Ah did kiss him." She said loudly so the whole room could hear. Even to her own ears her voice did not sound like her own. It was imbued with a confidence and timber deeper than she had had before. "He's a much better kisser than you Bobby." There she had said it. But feeling on a roll she couldn't stop herself. "And you know what else? Magneto's gonna teach me to control my mutation so Ah'll be able to touch again. But Ah'm not gonna waste my touches by fucking you anymore Bobby. Not that it matters, you got Kitty for that now, don't you? Ah sure hope you're better to her then you were to me. You were a lousy lover and an even worse boyfriend. Not that Kitty deserves to be treated well, mind you." Rogue turned her gaze to eye her former best friend sitting on the sofa watching them with an expression that looked like she had just sucked a lemon bone dry. "Only the worst type of creature betrays a friend like she did."

Bobby backed away from her then, his lips tightly pursed and his eyes showing an anger that said he was not happy with her attempt to give him a comeuppance. Kitty looked as though she might melt into the floor she was so stunned. Turning on her heel then, Rogue had stuck her chin up and kept her head firmly facing forward, ignoring the shocked visages of her living companions that she could feel starring at her back. She took slow graceful strides as her boots making rhythmic clicks on the parquet floor. She waked from the common room to the kitchen, where she removed an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter and exited the room, leaving it so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

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Rogue had made it to the stairs when she felt a firm but soft hand touch her arm though her sweater's sleeve. It had been Logan who stopped her, his mouth hanging open as though he had forgotten to close it in shock. She did not speak first, instead only openly looking at him from eye level while she had paused on the first step of the stairs. Internally she had dared Logan to finally call her bluff.

"Magneto?" He said after a minute passed. The question could have referred to a million different things: was he really a better kisser, was she leaving to go to him, did she trust him, had he offered to help her. It didn't matter what the question was, there was only one answer to Rogue.

"Yes."

"You're leaving?" She had not entertained the option of staying since the airport. She had known she had to leave more resolutely than she had ever known anything in her life. However, Logan's pleading face had made her heart waver momentarily.

"Yes."

"Why?" He had heard the logical reasons in the Professor's study only shortly before, so Rogue knew he was asking for her personal ones.

"This ain't where Ah belong anymore." She could tell he disagreed with that. "Ah ain't appreciated here and no one tries to help me deal with my skin. Ya'll look at me as though Ah'm some sort of person to be pitied rather than to be accepted. Worse none of ya seem to want me around. Everyone thinks Ah'm good fur nuthin'. Ah can't be an X-Men anymore; this ain't the place Ah need to be right now."

Logan had no response for her. After a minute of absorbing what she had said, he embraced Rogue holding her snuggly to his chest.

"This is goodbye, then."

"Yes, suga."

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Rogue hadn't let the tears forming in her eyes deter her. She wiped them on her sleeve as they started to run vigorously down her cheeks. In the room she shared with Jubilee, Rogue began to pack her red duffel bag, removing the Maker's Mark Bourbon she had hid in it, leaving it out in the open on her dresser as she choose between her 30 pairs of gloves.

When she sat down to compare the respective advantages of her white opera gloves vs. her black ones, she remembered Magneto's black leather gloves she still had in her back pocket. Pushing her opera gloves to the side, she had pulled out the large gloves. They were a men's large and were made by Gucci, Rogue had discovered when she checked the tag inside. Feeling the soft, well-preserved leather in her hands, she had looked towards the open door of her room then; making sure no one would catch her.

With butterflies in her stomach she slid first her left hand into one and then her right. The gloves were far too large for her and Rogue's fingers didn't nearly fill them, there was at least two inches of extra room at the end of all ten digits. _My, he must have long fingers._ Rogue inhaled a deep, heady breath as her mind thought of other appendages. She began to pull the gloves off then, only to stop herself. She forced herself to continue wearing them alternating between feelings of repulsion for what they represented and a jarring sensation of heat that ran from her stomach to her toes.

It wasn't possible for Rogue to suppress the distressing thought that she was attracted to Magneto any longer. Ignoring the ethical dilemmas, it was still a very odd and unsettling development indeed. Magneto was many decades her elder, certainly a distinguished looking older man, but no equal to Bobby in looks. Rogue had never been the type of woman to seek a father figure, but she was none the less drawn to Magneto in an undeniable way. She felt as though her body was betraying her by its very attraction to a man who was a ruthless terrorist and who had come so close to killing her four years ago. Rogue abhorred the feelings Magneto produced in her even while she excitedly awaited her next chance to see him. Her abrupt need to wear his gloves represented all these mixed emotions.

She packed mostly clothes, a few toiletries and her laptop while wearing the oversized black gloves. She had stopped her efforts when she came to the part of her dresser that held her clothing from when she had been on the Cure. The camisoles and shorts were out of season and she couldn't possibly need them for several months in light of the fact it was still early February. She packed two of her favorite crushed velvet spaghetti-string camisoles and a pair of corduroy short-shorts.

Rogue wasn't going to give up on her dreams of touch anymore. No, now more than ever she believed that she would conquer her mutation.

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**Notes:** Wow, even I'm shocked by Rogue's behavior and I wrote it. Let me know if you think she went too far, I'm not sure it works for her character. The line were Rogue thinks _"Somewhere in the back of her mind she had sensed her impending doom, but only now did she see how inevitable it all had been."_ is basically a one line description of the last two years of my own life. The speech Rogue made to Bobby is very much based on my own failed relationship that ended under the same sort of terrible circumstances.

**Preview:** Magneto continues hatching his plans for world domination and mutant supremacy. Rogue shows up at the Brotherhood's headquarters.


	13. Chapter 13: Copper Plates

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – sexual situations  
Disclaimer: I own the X-Men. I've made millions of dollars off this story because it's just _that _good. Not.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Stealing My Heart" by the Rolling Stones to highlight Magneto's growing attraction to Rogue and because it is a light-hearted song which fits the tone of this chapter nicely.

**Chapter Thirteen: Copper Plates **

Magneto:

From the co-pilot's seat at 30,000 feet high, the United States had looked ripe for the taking. Or so Magneto thought as his stolen 747 flew over New Hampshire on its way to Nova Scotia. The different states of the U.S. flew by in a flash at 500 mph and Magneto regarded the country that had been his home since 1946. The United States had been his heaven on Earth then. It's seas of grain and purple mountain majesty had once stood for a land of freedom, liberty, and tolerance. But there was no land of tolerance Magneto knew. Oh, America had always been tolerant enough of its competing religions. But it had taken the United States its entire history to grow tolerant of different races. Suddenly it didn't matter so much if you were black, white, Hispanic, or Arab as long as you weren't a mutant. "Muties" as humans called them were hated with far more openness and distrust than any other group had ever been.

It made Magneto feel sick to his stomach. In order to avoid air sickness, he averted his train of thought to a happier subject. He was getting away with his Bowing 747 Scot free. Pyro had already dislodged the black box tracking system and Magneto had used his powers of magnetism to levitate it out the rear cabin door before the cabin depressurization could pull him out of the plane. As a precautionary measure, Magneto had radioed the Russian pilots he had hired to fly escort in their decommissioned MIG fighter jets, but they hadn't been necessary. No planes intercepted their flight path.

Catalyst and Multiple Man had stayed back at the Brotherhood's base on an island off the coast of Bar Harbor, Maine in order to execute the most critical part of the mission: scrambling the satellite feed so that no government agencies would pick up on the landing of the jet at a make shift air strip just outside of Kejimkujik National Park. From there the air craft would be taxied into a man made hanger that had been created to house it inside nearby Mount Tom.

_All in all, not a bad day's work_ Magneto thought to himself. And he hadn't just got away with a billion dollar aircraft; he had also made it to second base with a girl 46 years his junior. It would seem the world was becoming Magneto's oyster. _No, not oyster. Lobster. Definitely lobster. _But Rogue was still his pearl.

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Mystique had made a hell of a racket banging on the door to Magneto's study two days later. With a wave of his hand Magneto opened it allowing his irate former lover into his inner sanctuary.

"Tell me you're not planning what I think you're planning?" Mystique's left hand rested on her shapely hip and Magneto regretted two things. The first was treating the beautiful mutant so heinously in that truck prison and the second was opening the door to admit her only a second ago.

"And what pray tell do you think I'm planning?" He set his copy of the Wall Street Journal down. It was two days old as Juggarnaut had forgotten to pick up the mail from the main land when it was his turn on the schedule.

"I overheard Catalyst talking to Multiple Man about finishing the process of purifying weapons grade Uranium. You're not building a nuclear bomb, are you Erik?"

"I am."

"You're not crazy enough to use it are you?"

"It will be used to-" Mystique cut him off before he could finish.

"You're going to detonate it!" She yelled incredulously.

"Well technically yes-" Again, Magneto was cut off.

"Explain." It was not a question; it was a command. Magneto sat up straight in his stainless steel desk chair.

"Mystique need I remind you that I am still the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants and you agreed to follow my orders." He used the tone of command that he usually reserved for chastising Pyro for shooting fireballs at passing fishing vessels.

"Answer my question." Mystique's tone brooked no argument. She began to crack her fingers in a sign of warning and Magneto was reminded that at least for the time being Mystique was the more powerful of the two mutants.

"Well, since you are the picture of good manners I will let you in on my latest plan. Yes, Catalyst has been working on making weapons grade Uranium in order to produce a functioning atomic bomb. That bomb will be used as part of a threat against the government of Australia. It will be flown into Sydney on the Bowing 747, which will pose as a commercial passenger aircraft. We will alert the government of Australia to the bomb's presence on board and hope they meet out demands."

"Which are?"

"The complete surrender of the continent of Australia to be used as a land for Mutants." Magneto said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"And if they don't surrender?" Mystique's yellow eyes bore into Magneto her distaste for nuclear weaponry very evident.

"We will detonate the bomb." Mystique eyes went wide in disbelief. "But Catalyst will contain the explosion to a limited area to injure as few civilians as possible."

"You really believe this will work?"

"It has to. Humanity will never allow us to co-exist; so we must find a place where mutants can live separate from Homo Sapiens' prejudices. Where better than the island continent of Australia?" Mystique had shifted her weight and placed her right hand on her hip. She considered Magneto's words carefully before nodding at him once in a sign of approval. As she had turned to leave, Magneto called to her.

"Look here Mystique." He held up the newspaper for her inspection. "After our escapades at Albany International Airport I'm now listed as the FBI's Most Wanted fugitive. I even beat out Osama Bin Laden." Magneto let a big grin form on his face, his ice blue eyes filling with the warmth of happiness. "On your way out could ask Pyro to bring up some of the good champagne? I want to celebrate." Stealing the 747 had not been the same display of power as single handedly moving the Golden Gate Bridge. But it _was_ a start.

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The months of being deprived of his powers had caused Magneto to take up many hobbies he had neglected throughout the years. One of these was art. During the first bleak weeks without magnetism, he had used charcoals. As he grew to accept his fate, he moved on to oil paints. Now that his mutation had returned and he wasn't just holocaust survivor Erik Lensherr but mutant mastermind Magneto; he worked exclusively with copper and zinc plate etchings.

As he used his manipulation of magnetic fields to press the metal into the shape of a face he thought how Rogue would like these. The copper got an interesting relief effect when detail was added and it gave the metal great texture. He bet Rogue loved texture. Where had _that_ thought come from? Magneto continued to add features to the etching. It was engrossing work. His control of such precise and short range magnetic fields was tedious labor but he continued knowing it was good practice for rebuilding his power.

Magneto's dalliance with young Rogue was an issue of much concern to the aging super-villain. (Well, he actually he wasn't really aging anymore. Catalyst had taken care of that. But he certainly wasn't getting any younger.) Magneto attempted to rationalize his own behavior as he etched long hair to frame the face taking shape on the copper plate.

He had kept abreast of Rogue's progress through Charles for many years after the incident on the Statue of Liberty. Whiling away the hours in his plastic prison he had had ample time to develop a technique to shield him from the girl's deadly skin. The idea of conquering so powerful a product of nature was intoxicating in and of itself. But knowing what Charles had told him about the girl's untapped potential was even more attractive.

Magneto knew he wanted the girl for her powerful mutation. He would not squander the girl as the X-Men did; Rogue would be a key asset to the Brotherhood's quest for the continent of Australia. Magneto etched large almond shaped eyes with abundant lashes on the copper plate. But there was another side to his interest in the young girl. After Charles's death and his falling out with Mystique, Magneto had become a much lonelier man.

When he had seen Rogue slip in the wreckage of Alcatraz his heart had gone out to her. Something of the girl's spunky defiant attitude reminded him of his own and he had desired to help Rogue in her struggles with her mutation. He had heard from Charles some of the problems Rogue faced and how she wasn't accepted even by the other mutants. Erik had grown up a bisexual Jewish mutant. He was an outcast even among outcasts. He could relate easily.

What Magneto couldn't understand was the irresistible urge he felt to make love to Rogue. He wasn't sure if it was the fear she displayed towards him, her obvious sexual inexperience, or her youthful desirability, for she was very beautiful in his eyes; but he knew it was an all-consuming need. Alone in his bedroom at night when he finally released his mind to sleep, he would fantasize of Rogue's deadly skin bared for him; her round supple breasts bouncing as she rode him violently towards climax. He would wake each morning with a hard on as though he was a teenage boy and not a man at the end of middle age. He etched plump, thick, smiling lips onto the face in the copper.

Having resolved nothing, Magneto stopped and examined his artwork. The face on the plate had turned into Rogue. It wasn't a bad likeness of the girl. He would have to get Catalyst to put this in acid for him. Magneto amused himself by attempting to predict how long it would take Rogue to come to him. He stopped his ruminations when he heard a knock on the handless door of his study. He opened it with a wave of his magnetic fields, but didn't look up from his desk.

"Yes?" He asked, wondering what Pyro had "accidentally" destroyed now.

"Um…Hi." He looked up to see who had interrupted him. He smiled and put the etching into a drawer in his desk.

"Hello Rogue." Evidently it had taken Rogue less time than he would have guessed.

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Rogue:

It had been around noon when Rogue, carrying just her overstuffed old red duffel bag, had taken a cab, leaving the Charles Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters behind her forever. The cab had taken Rogue the 15 minute drive to the local subway station, Brewster Metro-North, where she had hopped on to the 656 train at 12:10PM which arrived at New York City's Grand Central Station at 1:33PM. From there, she had walked the 6 blocks West and 2 blocks South to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, stopping by the statue of Ralph Cramden from the Honeymooners TV show.

Rogue thought about delaying the next leg of her trip for a few days to explore some of what the city had to offer, only to dismiss the thought after she realized how compelling her need to see Magneto again was. She wondered if she should have gone to La Guardia and taken an airplane. She shuddered violently. She had no interest in entering an airport again any time soon. Besides Rogue's funds were quite limited.

Each month at the School the mutants had received a stipend of $150 from the interest earned on the school's generous endowment to use as they pleased. The girls often blew theirs on clothes and trips to the local movie theater, while the boys had bought sneakers and video games. Still even the youngest mutant managed to put some of the money away in his or her personal savings account Professor Xavier had set up for them. Mutant children were better at saving then human children. They understood instinctively the need to have some money available "just in case" there was a rainy day.

Rogue, however, had blown much of her savings on her trip to San Francisco to obtain more of the Cure. So taking a plane to Maine was not an option even if Rogue had wanted to fly there. Instead Rogue took a $100 four hour bus ride to Boston. From Boston, Rogue had had to wait two days before being able to get a spot on a tourist bus going straight to Acadia National Park with the Audubon Society. How had Rogue known to go to Bar Harbor, Maine where Acadia National Park was located?

She had phoned Pyro, of course. Rogue had kept Pyro's cell phone number stored in her cell phone from before he had left to join the Brotherhood of Mutants. Pyro like Rogue was only a few years past teenhood. And a teenager would sooner admit their parents knew best, than change their cell phone number. So it had been simple to call Pyro's cell and listen to the ringback tone of Metallica's "Fuel" and wait for Pyro to pick up.

"Rogue? What are you doing calling me?" Pyro had caller ID, so he knew before clicking the answer button it was his old friend from his X-Men days.

"Ah've left the X-Men."

"You mean they finally kicked you out for drinking all the chocolate milk and not replacing it?" Pyro's signal broke up a little as he spoke.

"Ah really left the X-Men, Pyro. Ah want to meet with Magneto. Where in Maine is his base?" The connection was silent for a moment and Rogue wondered if Pyro was asking someone for permission to tell her.

"Bar Harbor. Wait on the dock at the end of Sols Cliff Road. Call me again when you get there."

"Pyro?" Rogue had asked, but he had already clicked off.

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Magneto and Rogue:

"What are you doing here?" Magneto's keen eyes cut through the image of Rogue before him holding her big red duffel bag in both hands. Her eyes had bags under them and her brown long hair was pulled sloppily back into a pony tail; the two white streaks hanging limply down the sides of her face. She looked the picture of tiredness.

"Ah left the X-men." Magneto smiled and used the metal zipper on the duffel bag to levitate it from Rogue's hands and set it on the ground next to her. It landed softly and Magneto felt a pang of satisfaction that his control was returning. He moved a chair with his magnetism for Rogue to sit down in.

"Make yourself comfortable." He looked at his watch. 9:38PM. "Have you had dinner?"

Rogue shook her head no, her twin white streaks waving with the movement of her head.

"You must be hungry." Magneto touched a button on his desk to call Pyro. "Pyro." He spoke into the comm.

"Yes boss."

"Boil some lobster and bring it up with a bottle of white wine. Make it the 2004 Yellowtail Pinot Grigio."

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**Author's Notes:** So I just learned that the mansion is located in Salem Center, NY, which isn't as far upstate as I had hoped. There's really no way Rogue and Logan would have gone to Albany International Airport. They would have gone to Danbury Municipal Airport exactly 7.07 miles from their fictitious mansion, although I doubt Danbury has jets taking off from it. I picked an island off of Bar Harbor, Maine because I have once visited there and it's far enough North to be really no man's land which I think Magneto would want in a base.

Now before you get upset over Magneto's plan to invade Australia, remember he is a bad guy, he does have a worthy cause behind his actions, and Catalyst can contain the explosion to do minimal damage. You'll find out more about the Brotherhood's plans to establish a mutant homeland later in the story.

If you are unfamiliar with etching, acid is the finishing technique, so when Magneto says he is going to put the etching of Rogue in acid he is not destroying it, but staining it.

Oh and if you currently live in Australia, I would consider moving before Magneto puts his plan into action. Yellowtail is an Australian wine as any wine-lover will tell. It's a very popular vineyard. I am personally fond of the Pinot Grigio but they also make a lovely Shiraz.

**Preview: **Rogue and Magneto share a bottle of wine, get to talking, and doing who knows what else…


	14. Chapter 14: A Heaven Out of Hell

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – sexual situations, some swearing  
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but after 28,962 words I feel like I do.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "The Point of No Return" from the musical The Phantom of the Opera.

**Notes:** Every person who has responded to me has reiterated how lovely Yellowtail wine is. So in light of that fact I will make a shameless plug and tell you to pull up a chair, open a bottle, and have a glass with our characters. I know I am. It's all Rogue and Magneto here, you can thank me later.

**Chapter Fourteen: A Heaven Out of Hell **

Magneto and Rogue:

The island fortress had been just as Rogue imagined it would be: a metal monument to Magneto's mighty power. The island itself was a rocky barren strait about three miles wide and four long, a thirty minute boat ride from the main land. It had high cliffs at the North end that tapered off to a dismal sort of beach in the Southern. The hideout's interior was an inner closed series of metal rooms and hallways, some with cathedral ceilings, neatly organized and oddly aesthetically pleasing. Rogue was reminded of the crisp, clean style of Milan, Italy's designer fashion world. Everything had a smooth and graceful, unfettered sort of elegance from the sheen of the metal and monochromatic color scheme.

When Rogue had arrived on that frigidly cold February night, the fortress had seemed warm and inviting compared to the 12 degree below zero weather outside. Her moral compass balked at the thought of describing anything associated with Magneto as warm and inviting. It bothered Rogue how much she had wanted to get to see him as quickly as possible. On the 6 hour long bus ride all Rogue could do was stare aimlessly out the window counting down the miles left to Bar harbor as the highway mile markers passed by.

She had felt an unsettling sort of pleasure in the pit of her stomach at the thought that for once she had finally taken action to change her life for the better. Although Rogue had always carried a chip of pride about her ability to survive on the road hitchhiking to Canada after being kicked out by her mother that accomplishment had been born out of necessity. Her abrupt disassociation with the X-Men was Rogue's first step to healing the wounds in her soul her crippling mutation and its accompanying problems had created. She was through reacting to the obstacles life tossed at her; from now on she was making the first move.

And her first move was to travel to the white-haired man in the beige sweater and chino's before her. He was far less intimidating then he had been in the airport. When he wasn't wearing his black cape, she could imagine he was a distinguished professor or the CEO of a company; a man who demanded respect and was in a position of authority above her, but not a violent criminal who had once tried to kill her. And if she could get over her fear of him, Rogue could trust his statement that he would be the one to help her take back her life as her own.

The two stood watching each other, each evaluating the other for several silent minutes. Finally Magneto had taken a step closer to her and waved his outstretched hand towards her bag, pulling the zipper open.

"Give me all your gloves Rogue. You will not be needing them here." A frantic, panicked look colored her visage. _She couldn't not wear her gloves. She needed them more than anything else she had brought. She would hurt someone with out them. She wasn't ready yet to give them up._ Magneto seemed to be able to read all these thoughts and more from her face as she looked between her bag, her gloved hands, and the man before her.

"Fine you may keep one pair. The ones you are wearing will do." Magneto looked at her gloved hands to see they were covered by an almost comically oversized pair of black leather gloves that must have been two sizes too long for her. The gloves looked very familiar. "Those are my gloves, aren't they?"

_Shit, shit, shit._ She had forgotten to take off Magneto's gloves from when she had begun wearing them a few days earlier. Stupid girl, she should have guessed her illicit pleasure from wearing his gloves would eventually get her in trouble. She took them off and stood up to hand them back.

"No, you may keep them. But the rest please take from your bag now." He said, curiosity killing him to know why she wanted to wear his gloves. _Why hadn't she worn her own? _

Rogue had done as she was told. She was used to following order and he was not a man to be argued with. Handing him the eight pairs of gloves she had packed, she watched as he pawed through them for a few seconds. Then, he took the pile of gloves and with an underhanded throw to his left he threw them into the blazing fire in the fireplace of his study.

"No!" She yelled as she watched her favorite grey silk ones land on a large log in the midst of the roaring flames. But her displeasure was useless. The gloves turned black quickly but did not burn well and the room took on a mildly unpleasant odor from their combustion. Magneto smelled the stench as well, and thought of Catalyst's smoke-eating remedy. "Why did ya have to go and to do that for?" The South came out in her accusatory tone. The cost of those 8 pairs of gloves had been over a hundred bucks and it was all burning up in the fire.

"You need motivation. If you are serious about wanting to control your mutation, there will be no going back, Rogue." The light of fire danced across his features, causing his white hair to shine in the glow. He paused to make sure she was listening carefully. "There will be no more gloves, no more scarves, no more hiding. You will have to take responsibility for your mutation at all times. It will not be an easy task." His voice filled the room, its deep timber reaching into Rogue and commanding her attention. She was fearful then of what that responsibility would mean.

"If I begin to help you we will have to remove the psychic block from your mind. That means all Charles' hard work will be destroyed. You will have to deal with the memories of the people you have absorbed again. You will see the concentration camps again and feel the pain of the experiments on the Wolverine." Rogue felt her body shudder involuntarily. She remembered what it felt like to experience those memories; she knew what it felt like to be two people at once.

"I just want you to be aware of what you are getting into. There is no going back from this point, Rogue." She thought of the Phantom of the Opera and the scene where a different Erik seduces Christine in his opera "Don Juan Triumphant". She too was at the point of no return; the event horizon at which the black hole that was Magneto's offer would suck her in and she was powerless to escape its pull. _So be it. She wanted to fall._

"Ah understand."

"I wonder if you do." Magneto looked at the disheveled slip of a girl before him. She was so young in his eyes. No lines marred the delicate skin around her eyes; there was no haunted look behind her eyes that showed she had seen things no person should ever have to experience. He knew that if he removed the block she would see those things. She would remember the camps, the mass graves, the unspeakable atrocities…and the purity behind those eyes would die forever.

He made to say more, but a knock on the door stopped him. Pyro came in, bearing the tray with a bright red lobster on it and a container of left over Chinese food rice. Under his arm was the bottle of 2004 Yellowtail Pinot Grigio. Magneto got two wine glasses down from his shelves and the meal was laid before Rogue on the red carpet so she could eat in front of the fire, watching as her beloved gloves burned.

Pyro left them and Rogue ate the lobster and rice in silence for several minutes. It was very good and she didn't like seafood much. Finally Magneto asked her:

"Why don't you try the wine?" She took a sip. It tingled lightly on the tongue, crisp and tinged with oak. "Do you approve of it?" Magneto drank from his glass waiting for a response.

"Ah don't drink wine really."

"That's a pity. I'll have to teach you to appreciate its delicacies." They fell into silence again and Rogue drank more of her wine. It went down so easily compared to the stronger drinks she had made at the mansion with hard liquors. Yet it wasn't carbonated like beer. Rogue thought she could learn to like it.

"I've always wondered why you kept my white streak in your hair." Magneto was sitting on the couch across from her, looking down at her with his head propped up by his elbow on the couch's arm; his right hand holding his nearly empty wine glass. She was on display like a museum exhibit and he was pondering the meaning of her.

"Ah just came here to learn how to stop my mutation from hurtin' people." She said. His voice picked up an edge to it as he replied.

"I am doing a favor by teaching you Rogue. Humor me." She took the white strand in her hand after taking another gulp of wine. The hair of her white streak always felt softer than her normal hair. She wanted to touch Magneto's hair again to see if his was the same.

"It reminds me of how strong Ah am." She twisted it between her fingers and snorted out a laugh. "When Ah see it in the mirror Ah remember that Ah survived an attempt on my life from the great Magneto, and then my everyday problems don't seem so hard."

"Tell the truth Rogue."

"That's the God given truth, Ah swear." Magneto smiled at such a Southern turn of phrase. Rogue continued eating her meal as Magneto poured more wine into both their glasses.

"Why did you save me from the Wolverine in Albany?" Rogue looked up at him. The answer should be obvious.

"Ah wanna learn to stop my skin. If Logan had killed you, I'd never figure it out."

"No other reasons?" He looked at her hands wearing his large black leather gloves, clumsily holding the wine glass to her lips. Without taking a drink, she swallowed hard and looked at the fire burning flaring only feet from her. She had sat next to the blaze for twenty minutes, but only now did she realize how uncomfortably hot the room was.

"Nope." Magneto studied her.

"No wish to resume the activities we had been doing when we were so rudely interrupted?" She dropped her wine glass on the rug, the precious Yellowtail Pinot Grigio spilling onto the carpet. Neither made any move to clean up the mess. "Admit that you enjoyed yourself Rogue."

"Uh… Ah just was shocked is all. Ah was gonna push you off but-" She couldn't speak clearly. She didn't know what to say for herself.

"Hush now my dear. The truth shall set you free." His gaze bore into her and a heat rose through Rogue's body. Her body tensed in nervous longing. He had never looked as cruelly handsome as in that moment.

"I- I liked it,… a lot." She tripped over the words; it was a painful admission. She had to turn away from his satisfied, Cheshire cat smile. She could hardly breath the room was so hot. He could see her peaked nipples through her shirt. They said nothing else for many minutes and Magneto cleaned up her spilled wine. When Rogue felt the room cool perceptibly she gazed up at him from spot on the carpet. It was her turn to question him.

"Are you going to make me work for the Brotherhood while I'm here?"

"No. I told you before that if you help us, it will be of your own volition."

"You're not gonna make me use my mutation to hurt people?"

"How you use your powers will be up to you."

"But aren't you supposed to be an evil criminal mastermind and isn't this your secret lair?" It was her lame attempt at a joke to dissipate the sexual tension in the air that you could see like a haze around them.

"Only you can make a heaven out of hell and a hell out of heaven."

"That's a pretty quote, who said it?"

"I just did."

"No I mean-" He gave her a look saying that she was being rude and she stopped herself. It was an interesting thing to say. _Could one make a heaven out of hell?_ Rogue marveled that Magneto had a bit of the philosopher in him.

Later, as Rogue was shown to a room she could sleep in; she realized that at no time had Magneto made any move to touch her. He had made her so uncomfortable without laying a hand on her. And she had been looking forward to him touching her again, if only because he was the only one who could. In that moment she hated herself for wishing he would have kissed her again. She fell asleep with his gloves on her hands.

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**Author's Notes: **Your author is having trouble keeping Magneto and Rogue from just going at each other like rabbits. It's hard for her to resist the pressing urge to write smut. But I shall continue my sweet torture of you a little longer, putting off the good stuff for a few more chapters.

"Cruelly handsome" is my trademark Erik description. Remember, you heard it here first.

When I first wrote this I thought I had made up the quote (how full of myself am I?) but I had forgotten the quote was actually "The mind is it's own place, and in itself can make a heaven of a hell, a Hell of a heaven." I don't know who said it, but if someone knows, I'll be happy to give correct credit for it.

**Preview: **Things are heating up quickly between Rogue and Magneto. He begins to teach her to control her mutation. He teaches her a few other things too…


	15. Chapter 15: The Heisman Trophy

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – sexual situations, some swearing, light violence  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. I am not making any profit; except for the jubilant feeling posting these chapters gives me.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Good Behavior" by Plumb. This chapter was tailored unintentionally to accommodate the song as part of a fic challenge over at the lovely dementedallure live journal community. If this story has peaked your interest in all things Magneto X Rogue, I recommend you check it out.

**Notes:** I know even less about football then most American women do. I have only a cursory idea of how it is played and how awards and such are handed out. Any mistakes on my part are unintended. Please let me know, so that I might correct them.

**Chapter Fifteen: The Heisman Trophy**

Magneto and Rogue:

At 8:32PM on February 7th, 2007 an event occurred at which every American speaking many years later could relate where they were and what they were doing at that exact time and date. Rogue had been reclining on the maroon leather sofa in what served as the Brotherhood of Mutants common room. She and Pyro sat, munching on Tostitos' Taste of Lime chips and salsa, as they watched the forty-first annual Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns. Magneto watched from his Lazy-Boy recliner, with only mild interest, as he finished a Boston Globe crossword puzzle.

The Browns were ahead by only 7 points in the second half with only 2 minutes 24 seconds left on the clock. The Eagles and their star quarterback, Johnny Unitas Hepburn, were at the Browns 30-yard line, with a first down, and were in a position to score, when the referees' whistles blew, signaling an emergency time out. No one had known what was happening, and the announcers stumbled trying to explain what was going on down on the field. The referees huddled in a circle, breaking up after a few minutes to send one of their number to jog out to the Eagles' coach on the sideline. The coach and ref then approached the quarterback Hepburn, frozen in his spot several feet behind his linemen.

With a sinking feeling in Rogue's heart, she had watched as Hepburn was escorted off the field and replaced by the Eagles' back-up quarterback, a man of far less talent. The game played to completion; the score ending Browns 26 – Eagles 19. The back-up quarterback had thrown a pass that was easily intercepted and the Browns had run the clock down. Only after the game was over did the news break about why Johnny Hepburn had been pulled at the last moment. It was the lead story on every network, talked about by every radio DJ, and plastered on the front page of every newspaper.

Hepburn was a mutant and mutants were banned from playing in the NFL. Never mind that Hepburn was a farm-boy from Nebraska who could control the weather, much like Storm could, and this had never offered any advantage to him on the football field. A mutant was still a mutant, and the NFL had made an unwavering line in the sand on where it stood on mutant inclusion. Why his mutation had only been discovered in the middle of the Super Bowl was never disclosed, but the commissioner's office had acted swiftly to rectify the situation.

The Eagles loss was taken very hard by their fans and many blamed Johnny Hepburn for it. His teammates spoke out in the media about the terrible role model he made as a man who had lived a lie for so many years and deceived them with no discernable signs of regret. His wife, unaware he was a mutant and revolted by it, began divorce proceedings against him. The NCAA reclaimed his Heisman Trophy and rewarded it to the runner up from that year. His name was removed from the record books, including his phenomenal 5003 yds completed in 2003. When Hepburn got into a fight in a bar with a drunkard who was heckling him, a restraining order was placed against him and he lost the right to see his own children.

It would be this event that threw the nation into chaos.

There was rioting and looting on the streets of LA, NY, and several other major cities. A fight broke out among protesters on opposite sides of the Mutant Rights spectrum on the mall in Washington, D.C. and 34 people were trampled to death. The South suffered a string of KKK style mutant lynchings that caused Rogue to feel ashamed of her birth land. With a heavy heart, the President declared a state of emergency and threatened to incarcerate criminal mutants indefinitely under the Patriot Act. The war between mutants and humans had begun.

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Only two months later Rogue would get a chance to meet Johnny Unitas Hepburn in person when he came to visit Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants. Hepburn was a soft spoken man of few words with corn yellow hair and blue eyes that reminded Rogue of Magnetos'. He shook her hand and smiled down at her from his 6 ft 5in height, but his smile was a ruse. He was a broken man. Rogue could see it in his eyes. Without a word, he had let Magneto usher him into his office and close the door with his magnetism behind them.

Several hours later the two emerged and Hepburn was given a room to stay in for the next few weeks, although he kept much to himself during that time. Occasionally Rogue would pass by his room and hear what she thought was crying but she could never be sure. She felt as though she should try to comfort him but she was never able to think of the right thing to say. Magneto, for his part, showed him the utmost respect and kindness. It touched Rogue's heart how much he did for the ex-football star and Rogue's regard for her host Magneto increased tenfold. Over his stay with them, Hepburn seemed to gain a resolve that did him worlds of good. Magneto had given his life new direction as a crusader for Mutant Rights and recruiter for the Brotherhood. From that time on, Johnny Unitas Hepburn would be a frequent visitor to the island fortress in Maine as he traveled back and forth around the country recruiting mutants for Magneto's cause.

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Rogue's first night in the island fortress had been an enlightening one. Rogue had had trouble sleeping as the salty sea air pervaded every room through the ventilation system. She had tossed and turned in her bed, hearing always the distant sound of the waves breaking against the cliffs on which the fortress stood. Her mind racing with thoughts of Magneto's affect on her, she had known with clairvoyant knowledge that she would end up sleeping with him. Her own attraction to him, much to her dismay, was undeniable and he seemed intent to pursue her by whatever means necessary.

Rogue knew it was only a matter of time till the inevitable occurred. She threw out the idea of trying to consciously resist her lust for him, as it had already reached fever pitch. _Somewhere in her reckless abandon to live her life unparalyzed by her mutation, she had been driven by an invisible force into the arms of Magneto. _To young Rogue, her attraction to the debonair villain whose morals she questioned made no logical sense, but it was there all the same and it was growing with each moment she spent in his presence.

Over the next week as he began to teach her about her mutation and the psychic block preventing her control of it, she waited patiently for him to press his advances on her as he had done so in the past. But yet he made no move to touch her in anyway other then strictly for the instruction of her mutation. Her frustration was almost visible in her posture and agitated interactions with the other mutants residing in the fortress. _Was this the price for his good behavior?_ That she should lie awake in bed at night and think of his resonant baritone voice and cruelly handsome good looks till her hands housed in his black Gucci gloves moved unconsciously to pleasure herself.

On Valentine's Day Marie had woken to find a single long stem red rose resting on the unoccupied pillow next to hers and with a rage that was distinctively the Wolverine's she had broken it's stem into pieces and pulled off each of it's pedals while puncturing her fingers on it's thorns. After her anger wore off she looked at the red pedals and drips of her own blood on the bleached white sheets of her bed and she had collapsed into unfettered sobs. As the tears ran like rivers from her eyes she had gathered each pedal into a pile on her bed and with her injured fingers, brought them to her nose to smell the light bewitching scent they radiated.

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Their work on removing her psychic block was more difficult then either Rogue or Magneto had first anticipated. Magneto had no formal training in psychology, and though he was well-read on many subjects, he had always deferred to Charles Xavier in matters of the mind. It took several weeks of research and concentration to discover the mind map that the late Professor had assembled in Rogue's mind to prevent her from being drown in the memories of the people she had absorbed. The sessions between Magneto and Rogue consisted of Magneto's careful explanation of the theories and practices he believed would allow Rogue to overcome the block while Rogue concentrated with all her willpower to reach the part of her brain where it felt like she could feel the memories but not see them.

The mental effort left Rogue exhausted and plagued by a throbbing headache for several hours later. The success of their efforts was slowly but surely developing. As Rogue chipped away at the block, piece by piece, memories of lives that were not her own appeared. With each memory came the ability to block her skins life force draining effects for a few seconds longer.

David, the boy she had kissed so long ago in Meridian, Mississippi reappeared insecure and eager to learn about the world around him. Logan's own disjointed memories came out of sync but very potent; she had absorbed him twice and more recently than the others. Magneto's memories were the most intriguing to her, however. Immediately after the Liberty Island incident, Professor Xavier had installed the mental block and she had not had time to sift through most of the experiences of the man sitting before her. Over the weeks they worked together, she had grown closer to him through her recovery of the experiences of his life. This intimate understanding of him only fueled her desire for him more. It also gave her another desire: to call him by his given name.

"Magneto?" She had asked one day as they worked together. "Is it alright if Ah call ya Erik?" He had stopped his reading of the psychological textbook at her question and looked up, quite flabbergasted. It had not struck him that she might use the memories she had of his in anyway. Magneto had assumed she loathed the foreign experiences in her brain and tried her best to ignore them. He had not stopped to consider how intimate her thorough knowledge of his life made them.

"Yes, you may." He went back to reading.

"Ain't ya gonna ask me what my name is?" With a smack the book covers slammed together and he set the volume down. He gave her a glare, trying his best to restrain himself. Rogue realized she had made some mistake but she wasn't sure what she had done wrong. There was a stone cold silence for a few seconds and Magneto sighed, then through pressed teeth, he addressed her in a clipped manner.

"I have withstood this slaughter of the English language long enough. If you cannot learn to speak with some manner of decorum I will not continue to tolerate your company." He looked fearsome and Rogue wondered how she had conveniently forgotten that he was a dangerous killer.

She mutely nodded her head in reply. With slow grace, his long fingers opened the book he had pushed aside moments ago, flipping to the page he had been reading. He looked somewhat bewildered by his angry outburst.

"What is your human name Rogue?" His voice had held none of the fury that had filled it only seconds ago. She was taken aback by the change in him from brutal anger to calm concern. It took her a few seconds to answer.

"Marie. My name is Marie." Erik looked at her for a short time longer, testing the name to see if it fit the woman before him. He was curious how long it had been since anyone had called her Marie. He wondered if it would sooth her to hear it after so many years of being only a mutant with deadly skin, only Rogue, never Marie.

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A few days into her stay at the fortress, Rogue had walked into the kitchen to find Pyro controlling the flames on the burners of the stove as he ate ice cream straight from the container. She wasn't sure which act bothered her more: his blatant disregard for the other mutants who might want to eat ice cream after him or his dangerous display of power to relieve his boredom.

"Mind if I join you?" She had asked, opening the fridge up and rooting through it for an acceptable snack. Coming up with a bowl of left over chicken salad from the previous night's dinner, she had fixed herself a small snack and sat next to her old friend.

"If I did would it stop you?"

"Nope."

"So I guess its good I don't. Can't be making the Boss's girl angry, can I? What's between you and him anyway?"

"Nothing." Rogue looked down into her chicken salad and took several hurried bites.

"I've seen the way you two look at each other. It's freaky; there's what? 50 years difference between your ages."

"Pyro, do you have to be so..." She sounded impatient with his attitude.

"Say it."

"Do you have to be such a dick all the time?" He seemed to soften at the slur.

"Yeah, I can be a dick. I just… I just hate the way you X-Men always looked down on me. And now I'm the black sheep. I'm sick of feeling like a traitor." The powerful young mutant looked surprisingly vulnerable in that moment.

"Ah ain't an X-Men anymore, Pyro. Ah'm just like you now. And you ain't a traitor. Ah ain't a traitor." She hoped not at least. "The X-Men and the Brotherhood are like different sides of the same coin. We both want the same things, we just go about it real different, is all." This was Magneto talking, she was sure of it. Yet the sentence rang true in her mind. _Oh, my. His memories must be rubbing off on me_, she thought with internal derision. Pyro for his part seemed to contemplate the reassurances she had just given him.

"Pyro, why is Magneto always ordering you around? He treats you like his servant."

"It's not like that. I mean I follow his orders but it's different than being his servant. It's nice to be told what to do sometimes. I never grew up with parents like you did. I was always in and out of foster care. It sucked majorly. I was always acting up for attention, still am I guess. Even with the X-Men I didn't get much better because that place ran on an honor code. But with Magneto I can't screw up too much. He won't accept it. I like the discipline. It's good for me." Rogue was a bit shocked Pyro would reveal so much about himself to her so quickly. She missed the times they used to spend together in the mansion with Bobby, a carefree group of friends, before all that had come to pass sent them each separate ways.

"Okay I answered your question. You answer mine. What's with you and the master of magnetism?"

"Um… I guess he has the hots for me." Rogue forked her chicken salad uncomfortably.

"But it ain't one sided, right?" He prodded.

"Why do ya even want to know?" She snapped back rudely.

"I have a bet going with Multiple Man about it. He says you're not into Magneto; but I know you better than he does. Come on Rogue, which is it?"

"Well…" She began and she let out a big breath, readying herself to tell the painful truth. "It's crazy but I guess I'm a little attracted to the fact that he's the only one who can touch me without getting hurt."

"I knew it." Pyro's hand slapped the counter in triumph. Rogue and him had talked more after that, till she had padded away to go to her room, still wearing Magneto's ebony black gloves on her hands. Pyro had sat alone for a few more minutes till he too vacated the kitchen.

Hearing the kitchen door close again, Magneto hoped to find it empty. He had walked in then and opened the freezer door to remove a pre-chilled stainless steel martini glass. With practiced movements he poured himself 3 ounces of his $58 bottle of Belvedere Polish Vodka. He could not take much more of this infernal waiting. He wanted Rogue in his bed. _He wanted to take her now. Violently._ Every minute in his study alone with her was driving his need to unparalleled heights. The idea that she knew all that he had gone through in his long life only increased his interest in her. But he valiantly resisted, wanting her to come to him first. He would accept nothing less than her complete surrender of her fear. Erik wanted her to be his lover on equal terms.

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**Author's Notes:** I'm not sure if I explained well enough why Rogue is attracted to Magneto, but gosh it's so hot that she is. The mind map and Magneto's sessions with Rogue are based on very limited internet research. Anyone with knowledge of psychology is welcome to offer feedback about how to improve that section. I also don't know what Pyro's background is so I made one up. Pyro's conversation with Rogue may not be my strongest point. Tell me if it works.

Also thanks to **Jeri Kojak** for her recommendations on the accent scene. And a note on the **death threats** I have received. I will try to take them as a compliment and hope that you meant it in jest. I cannot promise to update with the same speed I have been keeping up till this point. I do, occasionally, have a social life. And this chapter would have been posted ten hours earlier if ff dot net, our beloved unstable behemoth of a site, did not crap out every other day.

**Preview: **Will Rogue sleep with Magneto in our next installment? That's for me to know and you, my dear readers, to guess.


	16. Chapter 16: Chateaubriand con Vino Brodo

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – sexual situations, some swearing, light violence  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. No money is being made from this; but why don't you sue me anyway just so you can find out little savings I truly have.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "H" by Tool. Almost any Tool song will do though.

**Notes:** So your author was confronted by her real life friends today who asked where she has been the last week. She replied: "I've been busy with some real important stuff," not knowing how to explain she was writing her magnum opus, and that it was (gasp!) about the X-Men, and (gasp!) about a pairing between Rogue and Magneto. Exactly how does one explain the irresistible urge to ship M/R to others? I certainly don't know. But this story has taken over my life. I need to stop writing, it takes up almost every minute of my day, but I've never been happier. In one week, I have written 37,192 words.

**Chapter Sixteen: Chateaubriand con Vino Brodo**

Magneto and Rogue:

Life with the Brotherhood of Mutants was not what Rogue had expected. She had been led to believe the Brotherhood was the heartless, militaristic version of the X-men, where all the warmth and camaraderie of her former school was replaced by pragmatism and the ruthless pursuit of mutant supremacy. However, this was not the case at all. Rather, the Brotherhood had an atmosphere much like the mansion, perhaps even more open and friendly. There was none of the competition and gossip that ran rampant throughout Xavier's School.

At the mansion, everyone had been trying to prove they were worthy to be X-men; whereas at the Brotherhood everyone seemed to know their place. Each member had their own jobs and areas of expertise. Rogue found they spent much of their day hard at work on some major plan of Magneto's that she purposefully avoided asking about. _If she didn't know what they were doing, she couldn't be an accomplice, right?_ She wasn't so sure. Mystique was the unofficial second in command, and when any one of them did not wish to disturb Magneto, which was often, they came to her. Magneto was looked upon with more than reverent fear and respect. He was their messiah, their savor. It was never spoken aloud but Rogue saw it in the way they worked so diligently; completely trusting his vision.

There was an odd dynamic to be living with the Brotherhood, but not part of the Brotherhood. When she was spending time with Magneto, there was never a question of what her place was or why she was there. She was there to learn how to control her mutation and he was helping her to do so. But why he was doing her such a favor was a topic of much curiosity throughout the Brotherhood. And when Rogue ate her meals with them or hung out in the common room she often felt their eyes on her. _What was their charismatic leader doing helping such a pitiful mutant?_ It didn't help matters that she walked around wearing his oversized black gloves everyday.

The Brotherhood's day to day life ran quite smoothly. The island fortress was far larger than she had first perceived it to be and she estimated there were over 30 mutants who lived somewhat regularly within its walls. Many more mutants came and left again; out to do Magneto's bidding throughout the country. Meals were served in a larger dining area off the kitchen. Catalyst prepared the meals, as she was able to cook them to completion in mere seconds. Occasionally, Pyro or Magneto would relieve her from kitchen duty; but Pyro's meals were a dissatisfying affair, as he tended to burn everything.

Magneto, on the other hand cooked a splendid meal a few weeks into her stay. He was a master with marinades and a sultan of sauces. His Chateaubriand con vino brodo had been a delight to behold and through out the meal Rogue had done her best to savor its succulent juices and complex spices that danced on her tongue. Dining with the Brotherhood's other members she had eaten dinner that night sitting next to Pyro with Magneto and Mystique across from her. The Brotherhood's meals were usually friendly and talkative, especially if Multiple Man was feeling like playing one of his pranks. But that evening no one had spoken. Everyone had been silent and sober. Rogue thought it was because of how delicious the meal was. And she couldn't help but wonder why no one thanked Erik for cooking it.

"Well, if y'all ain't gonna say it, Ah guess Ah oughta. This is a delicious meal Magneto. Thank you." Rogue realized as the words left her mouth she had made a terrible mistake. Everyone stopped in mid chew and looked at her. Even the mutants dining at other tables turned her way. Something was very wrong.

"What did I tell you about learning proper respect for the English language? Your blatant disregard for correct diction and pronunciation is an affront to the land of your birth and to me." Magneto had stood up from his seat at the table and glared down at her, his nostrils flared with wrath. Rogue was reminded of his harsh demeanor as he loaded her into the Machine. With uncontained fury, he commanded the chair she sat in to rise a few feet above the floor. His powers were returning nicely now and the chair, even with her weight in it, was no task to levitate.

"I will try to speak good – er, well." She corrected herself quickly fearing to upset him further. He had set her down after that and she had audible let out a sigh of relief.

"I was not going to include you in this, but you have given me no choice. Come everyone. We leave immediately." The mutants began to rise from their seats, leaving Magneto's wonderful meal on their plates and filing for the door. Rogue walked beside Pyro.

"What's going on? Where's he takin' us?" She whispered to him, fearful to speak.

"Haven't you heard?" Pyro said. Rogue shook her head in reply.

"We're going on a mutantitarian aid mission." Pyro told her. She looked confused. "Its like humanitarian but we're mutants." She understood then.

"Why is everyone in such a bad mood?" There was something wrong and she felt so horribly out of the loop.

"You'll see," was all Pyro said back to her. She felt her stomach tighten in a wave of anxiety. She was not sure she wanted to see what this mission entailed.

In the end, only five mutants loaded into the helicopter: Magneto, Mystique, Pyro, Juggarnaut, and herself. The mutants left at the fortress helped to ready the helicopter and prepare it for flight, including the stowing of several metal crates of equipment. Later, Rogue heard Multiple Man rallying information back and forth to Magneto who sat next to Mystique who was piloting the chopper.

Throughout the flight, Rogue listened to Juggarnaut whose barely contained fury had him uttering unfinished threats. They went as follows:

"When I get my hands on that guy…"

"Just wait till I rip him into pieces."

"I'll show him what…"

Rogue kept glancing at Pyro throughout the flight, hoping he would give her some clue as to what was going on, but he remained mute and looked away from her probing eyes. The flight lasted an undeterminable amount of time to Rogue. She felt it might have been two or three hours, but she could not be sure. They finally landed in what appeared to be a clearing surrounded by pine trees. She couldn't be certain it was pitch black out.

The small group dismounted from the chopper and proceed to trudge about two miles through the pine needle lain forest. They stopped when they saw lights in the distance. Rogue spotted and easily discerned the low lying rectangular shape of a mobile home. Their destination had been a trailer park and from what Rogue could see it was a very run down one.

The group approached it, moving closer stealthily until they were only a few feet from the trailer and Rogue could hear the TV blaring from inside. Magneto raised his hand and the trailer began to shake a little. She saw him close his eyes and clench his jaw. His hand shook violently as the trailer raised itself off of its foundation. She could him see him straining with the effort, and Rogue felt a pang of pity for the man who once levitated several cars with ease before her eyes. The trailer tipped over and the ground shook with a thunderous quake. Magneto began to crush the aluminum trailer like a tin can as Juggarnaut took off with pounding bounds to the trailer.

Lights came on in other trailers and shouts could be heard from neighbors who had been alarmed by the commotion. No one paid them any heed. Juggarnaut returned dragging a wiry, balding man of perhaps late thirties wearing nothing more than his bathroom behind him. When Magneto saw them return, he turned to Pyro and nodded. Rogue could see Pyro's wicked smile even in the dark as he flicked open his lighter and unleashed wave after wave of roaring flames onto the overturned trailer. They left it burning as they walked back into the woods; Juggarnaut roughly dragging the man behind him by his arm.

When they got back to the clearing, Rogue had to shield her eyes. She couldn't watch as Pyro systematically burned half of his body, while Juggarnaut pummeled the other with punches that dislocated the mans' shoulders. Rogue looked at Magneto with questions in her eyes but he said nothing to her, his gaze hard and unyielding. She listened as the man screamed and screamed into the black night and Rogue prayed that someone would hear and stop this torture. Just when Rogue thought the man could not possibly last any longer, Juggarnaut and Pyro stepped away from him. Magneto stood in front of the man and levitated a dagger she had not known he had above the man's prone form.

"For Carly." And Magneto commanded the dagger down to sink deep into the mans' crotch. His scream hit hard upon Rogue's hears and she felt tears stream down her eyes. They left him there in the field and boarded the helicopter again. Rogue thought she would vomit from the sight of the man's destroyed body left in taters in the field.

When she sat back down in the helicopter seat, she hugged herself and tried her best to stifle her sobs. Wordlessly, Magneto handed her a newspaper clipping. By the dim overhead light in the chopper, Rogue read about the rape and mutilation of an orphaned nine year old mutant girl by a man known as Gabriel Druckenmiller. Druckenmiller had several past offences against mutants, and the proof was overwhelming in the case. However, the police had gathered some of the evidence in the case without a warrant and he been let off without so much as a trial. The girl was beaten to within an inch of her life and was still recovering in a nearby hospital.

Only ten minutes later the helicopter landed again on a landing pad next to a small rural hospital. Mystique was the only one who stepped out. Rogue watched as she transformed herself into an older, breaded doctor complete with white lab coat. They waited about 15 minutes in the chopper for Mystique to return. During that time, Rogue felt the silence weighing upon her. She shifted in her seat till she could tap Magneto on the shoulder, he turned around to look at her tear stained face. She handed him back the newspaper clipping.

"Thank you," she said and Erik knew she understood. His eyes didn't seem as cold then, and she saw what she felt were tears in his eyes.

Mystique returned cradling a sleeping girl in her arms. Carly as Rogue knew the girl to be instantly, had curly dark brown hair and wore only a thin hospital gown. Mystique told Rogue to open one of the crates at the back of the copter and she did so. Rogue pulled out a thick fleece blanket and Mystique handed the sleeping girl to Rogue, who wrapped her tightly in it. During the flight back, Rogue held the girl in her arms, keeping her warm against her body. She studied the girl's young face, careful to make sure she did not come in contact with her deadly skin. Looking at how fragile and innocent Carly seemed Rogue felt a growing pang of maternal feelings.

As the helicopter began the long flight back to the Brotherhood's island fortress, Rogue thought about many things. She held Carly in her arms and began to wonder if her views about the Brotherhood were biased by her time spent as an X-Man. Yes, Magneto had nearly killed her for his dream, but she was beginning to understand desperate times called for desperate measures.

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Catalyst had taken Carly and kept her in her lab. She still needed medical treatment and Catalyst had promised to use her mutation to expedite the girl's natural healing process. Rogue was concerned for the young girl and checked on her often.

The next day saw Rogue in Magneto's study working on controlling her mutation again as though nothing had happened. She was waiting for him to break the tension between them; but he remained unwaveringly grave throughout their work. Finally, as she was getting up to leave and end their session; he stopped her.

"Here," he thrust a book into her hand. She looked at it as though it might bite her. The title read Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. "It is the play on which My Fair Lady is based. I thought you might appreciate it." Rogue knew this was Erik's way of asking for forgiveness for his outburst last night. She accepted the book with a tiny smile and walked back to the sofa.

Rogue reclined on the sofa and read the play straight through to the end as the roaring fire kept her warm. She must have fallen asleep at some point, because she awoke several hours later with a chenille blanket draped over her.

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**Author's Notes:** Congratulations to Kristina for being the 50th reviewer. I only thought I would get maybe 5 people to read this story since it features such an odd pairing. But your reviews keep me going and give me the strength I need to keep writing this. Let me know what you think of this chapter.

**Preview: ** Rogue is beginning to like the Brotherhood. Rogue is beginning to gain control over her mutation. Magneto is beginning to get all his powers back. Things are coming along quite nicely.


	17. Chapter 17:My Secret is Hidden Within Me

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – sexual situations – lots of them  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men; but don't you wish I did? I would have done such a better job on X3, don't get me started.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Nessun Dorma" from the opera Turandot by Puccini. If you are unfamiliar with that, play some opera or classical music.

**Dedication:** I was politely reminded by one of my favorite reviewers, **XChocolateChipX**, that I hadn't yet mentioned her kind reviews in my story. This chapter is for you. You'll notice the scene at the end where I weaved in your suggestion. And to everyone who has added me to their favorite authors or favorite stories lists: all I can say is I am very flattered and grateful. This story has been an epiphany for me. It has revitalized my love of writing and taught me to believe in my own ability. I have you all to thank for that.

**Chapter Seventeen: My Secret is Hidden Within Me**

Magneto and Rogue:

When faced with great suffering, the human soul has two options: it can overcome its pain or it can die. Rogue knew what it meant to be a survivor; she had dealt with the tramatization of her parents abandoning her. She overcame her suffering because she had to. One either went on and continued living life or one died. There was no in between. Carly had to learn the same hard truth.

At first Carly had been quiet and disoriented at suddenly finding herself in the care of the Brotherhood of Mutants. But Carly adapted quickly, finding easy friends in Rogue and Catalyst, both of whom had young faces and bright smiles that the girl liked immediately. As the months of her stay with the Brotherhood continued, the miraculous happened. She seemed to forget about her rape as an event of the distant past although it was still recent; as only children with their short memories are able to do.

Often Magneto thought of sending the girl to live with the X-Men; despite how much the idea disgusted him. He felt as though she should be around mutant children her own age. But he kept putting the date off in order to enjoy watching how well Rogue took to taking care of the young girl. They were inseparable and whenever Rogue was not working with Magneto on her mutation she spent her time playing with Carly. Rogue had even begun to tutor her in subjects like math and reading so that she would not fall behind in her school work. It would seem with or without the X-Men, Rogue had been destine to teach elementary school. Erik couldn't help but find Marie's behavior endearing.

Rogue was not alone in her love of Carly; every one at the fortress had taken to her as their little mutant princess. Catalyst was a second mother to the girl; looking out for her when Rogue was unavailable. Whenever she cooked a meal that Carly seemed hesitant to eat, she would slip back into the kitchen and return a few moments later with pizza, chicken fingers, or macaroni & cheese. Mystique made endless trips to the main land, at first for necessary items like clothes and school books; but later she was bringing the girl toys nearly daily. It was not an odd sight to find Barbie and Bratz dolls scattered around the common room and a disc of The Little Mermaid in the DVD player. Underneath all the muscle Juggarnaut had a heart of gold and became a favorite of the girl's because he was very good at squashing bugs.

Rogue was deeply touched by Erik's interactions with the girl. He acted like the girl's grandfather and even went so far as to let Carly play on his office computer which remained off limits to all including Rogue. Erik told Carly stories at night that he had created himself about a little mutant girl named Princess Cathleen. Princess Cathleen solved mysteries and saved her kingdom from destruction by evil humans countless times. Carly smiled throughout every story, drifting off to sleep to the sound of Erik's soothing voice. But when Rogue listened in one night, she started to cry. It was very touching to see a man who had once been imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp offer comfort to so young a sufferer of intolerance, abuse, and rape.

Rogue grew very attached to Carly; but it wasn't that much longer until they were parted. It was sad to see the girl go…but she couldn't have thought of a better home for her. When Johnny Unitas Hepburn came to visit, back from one of his recruiting missions, he fell instantly in love with the young girl. The two victims of mutant discrimination made a perfect pair. Hepburn had children of his own about Carly's age, though he wasn't allowed to see them anymore. Carly thought the 6 foot 5 inch tall ex-football star was a big teddy bear. It was a match made in heaven. Although sad to see her go, the Brotherhood relinquished Carly to Hepburn's care and the two traveled around the world together campaigning for mutant tolerance and preaching the Brotherhoods' message to the masses. In so many ways, it was Carly who gave Hepburn the foundation and love he needed after his life had been destroyed by mutant discrimination.

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Hepburn was a gift the Brotherhood could not possibly have done without. Magneto, despite all his charisma and savvy public speaking ability, could never have brought in the numbers of recruits Hepburn did. Mutants from around the nation and around the globe flocked to hear him speak. Suddenly, branches of the Brotherhood of Mutants were popping up all over the country. Magneto could hardly keep up with all the correspondence between their Camden, New Jersey branch and their Atlanta, Georgia branch, and their Missouri branch, etc. etc. The Brotherhood's numbers had swollen to over 10,000 members. Realizing one person alone could never possibly run all this, Magneto called upon a mutant friend of his named Professor Jeri Kojak.

Professor Kojak was a female mutant with abilities not much different from Charles Xavier's. She could pause time and read minds, but not at the level Charles had. Professor Kojak had been a political science theorist before losing her university chair because she was a mutant. She and Magneto had had a short-lived affair several years ago. Because of this, she was one of the few people Magneto trusted enough to organize the Brotherhood's fledgling branches.

Professor Kojak along with Multiple Man began to travel back and forth overseeing the start of several Brotherhood branches that began training mutants in earnest. Meanwhile Magneto began negotiations with the mutant dictator of Bangladesh. If he was going to successfully conquer and occupy Australia, he would need all the help he could get.

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Rogue had been reminiscing about Carly with Catalyst one night five months into her stay at the island fortress when she finally learned why Catalyst had joined the Brotherhood. Trying her best not to cry, Catalyst had described her human older brother's struggle with stage four stomach cancer. Although Catalyst was able to slow down the cancer's growth with her mutation, she couldn't cure it. So Catalyst had tried her best to develop an anti-cancer drug to target the tumor's cells. However, the scientific community is a tight-knit one. There are very few scientists in the world and it is an elite profession where peer review is given credence. When it became obvious Catalyst was a mutant, she had been unable to receive any more research funding. Magneto had stepped in and offered the required money out of his own pocket.

Rogue was learning that there was even more to Erik then his memories told her. He was so much more complex than he had seemed to her four years ago on top of the Statue of Liberty. Although she did not always agree with his methods, she was beginning to understand the passionate need behind them to help mutants everywhere. Often he took things to extremes, but after suffering so much persecution at the hands of the Nazi's Rogue couldn't help but forgive him his zealotry. Slowly, very slowly, the idea that the Brotherhood might be doing some good crept into Rogue's mind and she found the thought hard to dismiss.

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Sitting in Erik's study one day, Rogue called him out on where he had been sneaking off to early in the morning. His head rose from the charts he was studying and gave her a wide-eyed startled look.

"I don't know what you are talking about." He went back to his charts.

"You're not getting off that easily, Mister. I've heard you take the launch at six o'clock the last few days in a row. Where have you been sneaking off to?" Marie had the audacity to wave her index finger at him.

"If you must know," Magneto let out a sigh, "I have been going to a construction site on the main land to practice using my mutation to manipulate large quantities of metal." He didn't like admitting out loud the way the Cure had weakened him. Erik stared at the picture of the Golden Gate Bridge next to his bookshelf. Rogue for her part politely switched the topic of conversation, noticing how uncomfortable it made him.

"Do you mind if I switch the music that's playing?" She walked over to his Bose stereo, holding a pack of CDs Erik hadn't noticed before. She had brought them from her room that morning when she came to his study to work on her mutation control.

"I thought you enjoyed Puccini's Madame Butterfly, Marie?" Erik played either opera or classical music exclusively. He took great delight in introducing Rogue to cultural experiences the Southern girl had missed out on. She had never objected to his love of opera before. Rather Erik had often seen her smile at the graceful arias and rousing chorus numbers. She had asked him on a number of occasions to play his Mozart albums.

"I do. I never thought I would, but I do. But Erik… can't I play some of my own music for once?" It was not lost on Magneto how hard Rogue worked to say "I" and not "ahh". Her bright smile was impossible to resist and with a wave of his hand he used his power to pop open the CD tray and yielded the stereo to her. After a few moments the high strumming cords of country music began to play through the Bose's $300 speakers. Brad Paisley's soft crooning voice sang "Little Moments Like That" as Marie began to sing a female accompaniment with a twang that said her attempts to change her accent where purely for his benefit.

"I am willing to let you play music you pick Marie, but this," he motioned to the speakers, "is not music. If these cowboys are so depressed and heart broken over women why don't they just commit suicide or become gay like in Brokeback Mountain?" Clutching her stomach, Rogue dropped to the rug and rolled around caught in fits of hysterical laughter. Magneto begrudgingly realized he enjoyed making Marie happy. He wanted to hear her laugh like this often. Finally she was beginning to see his dark humor.

"Okay, you may play one hour and not one second more of your _music_ per day. The rest of the time we will listen to what I want. Is that acceptable?" From her spot on the carpet Rogue looked up at him sitting behind his desk. Her smile was infectious and Erik's eyes roved over her svelte form lying on display before him. The mounds of her breasts were clearly defined by her tight shirt covering them. He felt himself grow hard at the sight and almost missed Rogue nodding her head in acceptance.

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Rogue was eating some toast for breakfast a few mornings later in Magneto's study. They had been making steady progress controlling her mutation. Rogue found that stopping the pull of her skin was like trying to hold her breath. As she practiced she could do it for longer and longer each time. Magneto was unsure if she would ever be able to stop it permanently, but she could stop it long enough so that she would no longer accidentally harm those around her. Erik wondered why she still wore his gloves around when she hardly needed them anymore.

"Let's see how long you can control your mutation for today." Magneto said sitting next to Rogue on the couch. She set down her toast and pulled off the large black Gucci gloves, eager to test herself. Taking a few deep breaths, which were completely unrelated to controlling her mutation but helped to calm her, she took his hands in hers.

They held hands and watched the clock tick slowly by. At first Rogue showed no signs that stopping the pull was hard for her, but after the clock passed three minutes she clenched her teeth, willing herself not to give in to it. They continued to hold hands and Magneto waited for her resolve to falter. It didn't. Four minutes passed by. Rogue's forehead began to bead with sweat and her grip on his hands grew tighter. The two watched in silent excitement as the clock hand passed the five minute mark. Letting out a breath Rogue hadn't realized she was holding, she wrenched her hands away from his as the pull began strongly. She fell back against the couch, smiling as though she had just won a marathon. Magneto raised his magnetic shield back in place and smiled back at her.

This was the longest Rogue had ever controlled her mutation for and five minutes was a huge milestone. Her joy radiated from her and she leaped across the couch into his arms, hugging him tightly against her. It had been several months since their urgent tryst in the airport hanger and Rogue had begun to wonder if he was no longer interested in her in that way. But as she held him, feeling his cheek pressed against her own, she felt his erection grow hard against her stomach. She gulped, sucking in a hurried breath and pulled back from him, unable to meet his eyes. She had waited so long for him to acknowledge her attraction to him that she was afraid of his reaction now that she knew he at least somewhat felt the same way.

Desperate not to continue the awkward moment, she grabbed Erik's hand and pulled him from the couch.

"Come on, let's show the others. Pyro will be so happy!" She dragged him behind her running at full speed down the hallways of the island fortress till they found Pyro watching TV in the common room.

"Pyro I can stop it for five minutes now! Let me show you." Rogue took his hand in her own and stopped her mutation in the same manner she had done before. As the minutes ticked by Pyro echoed Rogue's excitement. After a few minutes he gave her a friendly hug. Rogue, effervescent in her happiness, squeezed him against her body and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

When she pulled away she caught the angry snarl Magneto was casting in Pyro's direction. It took her a while to realize her mistake and his jealousy made her heart leap in hope.

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A week later, Magneto lied to Rogue. He justified it in his mind as for the sake of the surprise he had planned for her. Still the words made his mouth turn sour in disgust. He didn't enjoy misleading her so completely. He told her he needed to attend a UN summit meeting in New York City that week and that he thought she should accompany him. As the tensions between humans and mutants had been steadily rising for the last several months, most of the Brotherhood including himself and Rogue had been cooped up in the island fortress. He wished to change that and give Marie a reward for how hard she had worked at learning to control her deadly skin.

Taking the helicopter, they set out on Friday morning and arrived in NY in the early afternoon. Rogue had stopped wearing his gloves as she no longer needed their protection. If someone touched her she could stop the pull of her mutation and no one would ever suspect she was a mutant. Rogue had looked over at Magneto as their taxi passed by the UN without stopping and headed South to the garment district. In front of a tiny shop that had bridal gowns in the window, he told the cabbie to pull over and wait, as he held the door open for her to step out. They entered the formal wear shop and Erik approached the counter and addressed the woman behind it.

"Do you have the order for Erik Lensherr ready?" The woman searched a rack behind the counter and pulled out two plastic garment bags.

"Yup, Mr. Lensherr. We have a men's tuxedo in size 38 and a woman's ball gown in size 4. Will you be needing shoes?"

"Yes. Size ten for me. And Marie?" Rogue was so taken aback it took her a few minutes to collect herself. _He wears size ten shoes…_

"What size shoes do you wear?" The woman asked.

"Size seven and a half." Rogue had no idea what was going on here. She kept glancing at Magneto but his calm, cool, collected demeanor gave nothing away. The woman handed them the bags and gave them shoes.

"We have changing rooms in the back." She pointed to the rear of the shop.

"Change into your dress Marie." Erik said as he put his arm on the small of her back and ushered her to towards the changing rooms. They each took one and Rogue opened the opaque garment bag to reveal a stunning floor length gown in an ivory cream color with a halter top and backless cut. There was no why she could possibly wear a bra with it, the strap would show plain as day. She got undressed and made to put the gown on, when the label caught her eye. It read "Donnatella Versace Original" and bore her signature in blue pen.

When she had finished she stepped out of the cramped room to see Magneto waiting outside for her, clothed in his black tuxedo. She loved the way black set off his white gray hair and she couldn't take her eyes off him. He looked regal, and Rogue wondered if he knew how handsome he was when he wasn't trying to look like Magneto, the terrifying mutant leader.

"Do you approve of it?" He asked.

"It's too stunning for words. I just wish I still had my opera gloves. They would have gone perfectly with this. If only _someone_ hadn't burned them." She raised one eyebrow at him saucily. Magneto was very serious when he replied.

"If I had my way Marie you would never wear a pair of gloves again."

They dined at The 21 Restaurant and throughout the meal the curiosity was killing Rogue to know why they had gotten so dressed up.

"I take it there ain't no UN meeting." She stated the obvious.

"Mind your accent Marie," and he pushed an envelope across the table to her. She opened it in her lap and out fell two tickets. They were going to the Metropolitan Opera Company's production of Puccini's Turandot. An hour later they were sitting in a box on the right side of the theater, no one suspecting there were two powerful and dangerous mutants in the audience. As the curtains opened Marie asked him what the plot of Turandot was because she was unfamiliar with it.

"Turandot is a princess of Peking, China. There is a magic spell on her that says she can only marry the Prince who correctly answers three questions. Princes who answer incorrectly have their heads chopped off. Finally one prince gets all the questions correct and is able to marry Turandot. But he sets a condition up for Turandot, who is known to be a cold unfeeling Princess. If Turandot can guess his real name before dawn, she will not have to go through with the wedding and instead the Prince will be killed like all the others before him."

"Why would he make such a condition? It only hurts his chances." Erik gazed at her, feeling his heart beat wildly in his chest. _Would she see the hidden meaning in taking her to see this opera? Would she understand what he meant to say by this?_ He was very scared of her rejection. He was an emotionally cold person, several decades older than her, and still weakened from his battle with the Cure. Could she understand his intentions and accept him despite his faults?

"Because the prince wants to be sure Turandot loves him and is not marrying him out of necessity." Rogue turned a little pale at this. She turned her head back to the stage before Erik could tell if she got his veiled hint.

The opera was well performed and Magneto's heart swelled as the tenor belted out the famous aria "Nessun Dorma" at the beginning of the third act. He looked over at Rogue to see her face wet with tears as she read the translation projected above the stage:

"No one sleeps, no one sleeps...

Even you, o Princess,

In your cold room,

Watch the stars,

That tremble with love

And with hope.

But my secret is hidden within me;

My name no one shall know, no, no,

On your mouth I will speak it

When the light shines,

And my kiss will dissolve the silence

That makes you mine.

Vanish, o night!

Set, stars!

At daybreak, I shall conquer!"

Rogue felt the tenor's strong voice vibrate in her chest and she knew in her heart what Erik meant to tell her. No words were needed between the two as they left the opera house and flew home in the helicopter. On the ride back Marie feel asleep on his shoulder.

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**Author's Notes:** As **Nathalia Potter** suggested to me: "_Every time you leave a review, an author's inspiration begins anew!_" That's so true. So be a dear and review.

The **Princess Cathleen** stories are real (though they never featured a mutant). My Dad used to tell them to me every night to go to sleep.

Thanks for comparing me to Shakespeare **KumaDaPuma**. That's what every writer dreams about.

Many asked to see **Johnny Unitas Hepburn **make a second appearance, so here he is. Hmm, where did I get the name for **Professor Kojak**'s character? From one of my most faithful reviewers and good friend of course. If you haven't yet figured it out the character of **Catalyst** is the author's attempt to write herself into the story. It's my Hitchcock appearance. I walk on the screen quick and then I'm off again. I lost two of my family members to stomach cancer and it is a terribly underfunded disease. I spent a summer researching anti-cancer drugs, although I did not make much of an impact.

The scene where Rogue eats toast: that goes straight to you **evilerk**.

And wow! So many good suggestions from so many loyal readers. I did not anticipate such lovely interest in my story. You guys make me blush. I love you all. Someone even called me the best fanfic writer ever. My heart is gushing. I cannot tell you enough. I love you all.

**Preview: ** Let me leave no doubt in your mind. The next chapter is what we have all been waiting for.


	18. Chapter 18: Tender is the Night

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – sexual situations – **LEMON**! OMG yes finally!  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. I am not making any profit from this. It is purely non-profit porn. The best kind of porn.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Tear You Apart" by She Wants Revenge. Play whatever music you would play during a seduction. I know each of you has a personal preference.

**Notes:** 41,188 words later it is time for our characters to get it on. I thought they would be sleeping together by chapter six. _Dumb author_. I really had no intention of writing anything this long. Boy did I get carried away.

**Warning:** This chapter contains **graphic sexual situations**. If this stuff offends you or you aren't interested in seeing Magneto and Rogue together **do not read any further**. Absolutely nothing is left to the imagination. As I boasted to my good friend **KumaDaPuma** a few days ago, "I promise to write **the hottest piece of smut ever to grace fanfiction dot net**". If you have not already figured it out, your author is no stranger to the baser elements of life. If you are a virgin or are generally not very experienced in the carnal world, this chapter may be very enlightening for you. But nothing in it is unrealistic or unattainable. You might find yourself a bit disappointed in your boyfriends and wonder where you can find a guy as skilled as I have portrayed Erik to be. They are few and far between. If you find a guy like this, hold on to him. They are a rare breed to be sure. **Another warning**: Do not read this at work. Do not read this in a public place. Do not read this with other people around you. Save this chapter till it is nighttime and you are in a room by yourself. You will thank me for it.

**Chapter Eighteen: Tender Is the Night**

Magneto and Rogue:

Rogue had worn sound dampening head phones during the flight back to the island fortress in Maine. They allowed her to sleep soundly, first leaning back in the co-pilot's seat, and then slumping lightly against Magneto's shoulder for the remainder of the flight. Using his magnetism, Magneto could control the operation of the helicopter without keeping his hand on the yoke, but only twice did he reach out to stroke the silken tresses of her long sepia shaded hair.

When the helicopter landed, Rogue remained asleep against Magneto's shoulder. He delicately removed the head phones from her head and the movement disturbed her slumber; yet she did not awaken. Using his mutation, he levitated her up till he could get his arms around her and carried her into the fortress, making the slow walk to her bedroom. As Erik made to set her down on her own bed to sleep, she stirred groggily in his arms.

"Mmhhmm. Not here. Your room." He regarded her face. Her eyes had remained closed the entire time she had spoken. Was she even aware of what she was saying?

"Marie?" He questioned her. If she was as asleep as he thought she was he would just set her down and let her go to bed. She opened her brown eyes, a peaceful smile on her lips. She looked like an angel in her white Versace gown.

"Take me to your room Erik. I want to sleep in your bed tonight." He looked at her. She was so young. So young compared to him. Her smile did not fade.

"So be it. Whatever you want, my dear, you shall have." His voice was a quiet whisper directed only towards her. He carried her to his bedroom, which was across the length of the fortress. They met no one in corridors as it was quite late. She had never seen his bedroom before.

Rogue woke up a little more with each step Magneto took towards his sleeping chamber. She wondered where the sudden confidence had come from to be so bold with him. She hardly believed the words that had come from her mouth. They could have only one meaning. But she did not regret them. No, they felt absolutely right.

The very idea of entering Magneto's bedroom excited Rogue. After so many nights of longing, she had imagined the moment a hundred times. She fantasized a thousand scenes between them and dreamed up hundreds of ways his bedroom could look. But finally seeing the real room was surreal. He had the largest chamber of the island fortress and as expected, there was metal everywhere. But what caught Rogue's eye and held it was the humongous king-sized bed with four brass posters in the center of the room. The bed spread was a rich dark crimson color and Rogue waited with baited breath till he set her down upon it. Her ivory satin dress silky and warm against her skin, but beneath it she could feel the tactile ribbed fabric of the comforter.

Leaving her for a moment he started to raise the thermostat against the cold night, but thought better of it. He got a fire started in the small fireplace opposite the bed. _Where was Pyro when he needed him?_ The fire blazed and warmed the room. It's heat filling a circle around it. He closed the screen around the fire, in case he forgot to tend it before he went to sleep. He knew he would forget to put out the fire. He knew he would forget everything else but the beautiful woman lying on the bed before him. _His Marie…_

Marie sat up on the bed and watched as he shrugged off his black wool coat that he wore over his tuxedo. He threw it onto a nearby chair. She remembered the rough way the fabric felt against her ungloved hands. Living for so many years without touch, she memorized every texture that her skin encountered. But none of it compared to the intoxicating feeling of another person's skin beneath her own. She said a silent prayer of thanks for Magneto's shield that allowed them to touch without adverse affect. She hoped it wasn't too much work for him to sustain it for long periods of time. She had never asked him what it felt like to maintain it.

Magneto sat down on the bed next to her and circled his arm around her, but she pulled away and resisted him.

"There's something I should tell you." Her right hand rubbed her left over and over as she spoke. "I slept with Bobby."

"Your boyfriend?" He asked gently.

"My ex-boyfriend. He's an X-Man." She continued rubbing her hands. Erik could only think of the play Macbeth by Shakespeare. She was like Lady Macbeth rubbing her hand and saying 'out out damn spot'.

"It is immaterial to me whether you have slept with one man or twenty." He told her, rubbing his hand down her back to comfort her.

"It- It wasn't very good." She admitted still unable to look at him.

"No one's first time is." He thought about telling her about his own, but there was no need. She had his memories and unbidden the experience came to her. He had been very young, only 13. He was in the concentration camp, not long before the war ended, though he did not yet know the end was in sight. An older girl of 15 had come to him and said she knew she would die in the gas chambers that day and she did want to die a virgin. Erik had accommodated the girl's request. Anything to alleviate another's suffering. The girl had not been sent to the gas chambers that day, but she had died several weeks later of starvation. She looked nothing like Rogue's soft curves. The only curves on the girl had been the curve of her pelvis bone poking through her malnourished body.

It was an unpleasant memory and Erik feared it had killed the mood. He searched the room, looking for something to take their minds off the past. He saw his jacket and the idea came to him.

"Why did you want to wear my gloves Marie?" He had hit the nail on the head. She blushed and stumbled over her words.

"I- my gloves were dirty, is all." It was a pathetic fib, but an attempt had to be made all the same.

"All eight pairs you brought with you?" He raised his eyebrow and looked down at her. She trembled against her will, loathing what she would have to admit, but knowing it no longer mattered.

"I liked wearing them. They reminded me of you. They smelled like your cologne and they were such a soft leather. And…" here she forced her eyes to meet his. His blue eyes appeared almost brown the pupils were so dilated. "And you have such long fingers, I couldn't help but notice. It- they- and I liked the thought of your long fingers, that you were the only one who could touch me. That you were the only one who believed in me. It made me- I liked it a lot." Between Rogue's broken musings it was not hard to find the message.

"Do you want me to wear them now?" She gulped and froze in place. It took her a moment to find her voice.

"Could you?" He retrieved a spare pair of size large black leather gloves made by Gucci from his dresser drawer. He sat back down on the bed and watched Rogue's face as he set the gloves on his lap. With the glove held in his right hand he slide his left into it, pushing his fingers out to the very end and enjoying the straining sound the leather made as he squeezed his hand into it. His movements were agonizingly slowly as he did the same with his right hand. Rogue felt her panties grow wet at the sight and a shiver ran down her spine.

With his gloved hand he moved her white streak away from her eyes and pushed it behind her ear. His gaze traveled over her stunned expression and he felt his need for her grow as he took in her flawless complexion and doll-like eyes. Her lipstick reddened lips formed a perfect 'O' as though she had forgotten to close her mouth. He did not neglect the opportunity she offered.

Moving his large leather enclosed hands down her back, he hugged her to him. The leather gloves producing a vicious affect against the frictionless satin. Rogue loved every second of it. As he held her, Magneto lowered his mouth on to hers and felt her arms encircle his back. At first she held them still, but emboldened by his movements, she made to rub concentric circles on his back with her left hand.

He kissed her soft full lips, his own exploring each ounce of flesh, each inch of folded red tissue. She relished the press of his lips against her own, an incredible sensation after months without any contact for them. His tongue begged entry to her mouth and she yielded to his invasion. With deft movements his tongue met her own, circling it. He pressed his tongue to the roof of her mouth and mimicked the circles she was tracing on his back with her hands. She moaned deep in her throat at the pleasure of the feeling.

As he kissed her, her hands explored his body, brushing against the fabric of the tuxedo and eventually losing themselves in his silver hair. His hair was thick and kept medium long. Rogue had often longed to compare its texture to her white streak and now she finally had the chance. Her fingers ran through it and disturbed his carefully styling. It had the texture of spun silk and the unreal feeling held her spellbound. She could not remember touching anything so glorious before.

She tried to memorize every inch of him; greedy for the press of his body against her own. She loved how he was so tall that he had to lean down to her. She loved his broad shoulders and his strong arms wrapped around her. It… well, it made her knees weak. Erik did not stop kissing her, but alternated between sucking and nibbling her lips until she pushed her tongue into his mouth. He waited for her tongue to begin dancing against his own till he let out a low growl of desire. The growl ran through her body and she trembled against him.

He moved his mouth to minister to her tiny, delicate ear. His tongue that had been so skilled in her mouth, made short work of her ear lobe, pulling it into his mouth and kneading it with his tongue. He increased the speed flicking his tongue back and forth across it till Marie moaned again, her breathing taking on a frantic urgency. When he thought she could take no more, he released her ear and blew against it with his hot breath. Her head dropped back of its accord.

Not wishing to be out done; Marie rose to the challenge. She pulled Erik's head around so that she could reach his ear with her mouth. She ran her small tongue against the outer lobe and then took his bottom ear lobe into her mouth sucking in earnest. Erik groaned against her imaging the exquisite feeling of her sucking another cartilage organ. He held Rogue's lithe satin clothed body against him and marveled at the feel of her breasts pressed against his chest. His leather gloved hands traced the hour glass shape of her figure to find her round soft derrière. He grew hard at the feel of her tiny waist and shapely bottom and drew her fiercely against him.

Marie stopped sucking on his ear and drew in a sharp breath. _Oh my… Uh, oh._ She felt his hardened erection hot and throbbing bear down on her stomach. It reached right below her belly button and when she moved against him it brushed against the tiny depression. He was not small. No, he was easily three inches longer than Bobby had been and significantly wider. _Would she…_, she looked nervously at the blazing fire, _would she be able to fit him? Would it hurt again? _

He shifted her in his arms till her head tilted back for him and he caressed the pulse point just below and to the left of the tip of her chin. As he felt with his tongue her pulse race wilding against it; he kneaded deep rotating motions into it, until she moaned almost continuously. He changed strategies to suck the sensitive flesh hard into his mouth and he only let up when he was sure she would carry a cherry red mark there the next day. His mouth moved to kiss the rest of her exposed flesh as Rogue trembled in his arms. _So many long years without touch. So many long years without touch like this._ She shook against him and cried out. He swept her hair back, pulling it roughly with his gloved hand as he bit her where her neck met her shoulders. It was just deep enough to draw blood and he untied her halter top to move the ivory material away from the small scarlet drops.

She felt herself come alive as she had never before. His every touch enthralled her and left her desperate for more. She ran her hands down the front of his chest, pushing aside the flaps of his tuxedo jacket, urgent to feel his own skin beneath her fingers. He helped her to remove the jacket, letting it fall crumpled to the floor beside the bed. His long finger made quick work of his cravat, loosening it as she pulled it away from his neck and flung it several feel away. Meanwhile he untied his cummerbund and threw it aside. Her fingers were nimble as they raced to unbutton his white shirt. She made short work of the offensive obstruction to his chest and parted it to reveal his chest. He was not a young man but he kept himself well toned and she traced the muscles lightly with her finger tips. The feel of his curly white chest hair was one of many palpable sensations that she reveled in that night.

She moved back from him slightly to bend her head forward and take one of his nipples in her mouth, sucking and playing with it softly. Erik's eyes rolled back in his head. If it was possible his erection strained harder against her and his vision began to dim slightly as more and more blood flowed lower in his body. He fought the compelling need to take her quickly, willing himself to make her first time with him languorous and tender. He pulled her hair to move her head back up and kissed her deeply again as he pulled the halter top of the Versace dress down to her stomach.

"It's my turn." He drank in the sight of her unrestrained perky breasts in front of him. Her areoles were a deep plum color, darkened from desire. His hands picked up the wobbly, watery weight of each breast and let out another groan as he clenched his teeth not to come that very second. He had been too long without a woman and his need was insistent. He played with her breasts enjoying the weight and shape of them in his hand till he gently pushed her down to lie on the bed. His pants felt painfully tight against his erection as he leaned down against her. His mouth found her left nipple and sucked rigorously as his other hand massaged her right breast with increasing speed. He nibbled on her with his teeth and flicked his tongue rapidly across her. His tongue burned wet and hot against her peaked nipple. When he heard her finally moan his name low and throaty into the comforter he switched and began the same on her right breast.

"Oh, Erik…" She moaned unable to contain herself. He stopped himself again when he felt the abrupt need to come welling within him. He moved away from her to resist its need.

"Take off that dress Marie before I rip it off you." His voice was deep and hurried and Rogue couldn't help but feel nervous. She had been a bit worried that he would be too large for her after seeing how long his fingers were and how big his gloves needed to be. His shoe size only added to her fears. And now having felt his organ against her she wondered if she could handle its length and girth. She swallowed as she stood up to slip the gown down her waist. Its shimmering fabric pooled at her feet and she stood before him in only her underwear and heels. Her long wavy brown hair mussed, her eyes dark with desire, her breasts swollen, their nipples twin peaks of unconcealed lust.

She knew what it felt like to have a man within her. But she did not know what it felt like to desperately want a man inside her. She was learning that feeling now. She felt it as his eyes devoured her. She wanted Erik inside her. Wanted to feel him hard within the cavity at the base of her. Wanted it so intensely she hurt inside.

Erik looked brazenly at her naked form, starring at the white cotton panties that were her only adornment now. Nothing could have made her seem more innocent than the thick white cotton bikini briefs she wore. He was captivated by the area they veiled. She kicked off her heels and he was reminded of his own shoes. He lifted his leg to untie them but she put out her hand to stop him.

"Let me." She kneeled at his feet and unlaced his black dress shoes. Marie massaged his feet tenderly as she rolled his socks off. At the same time, Erik freed himself from his shirt and discarded it. Rogue moved to take one of his toes in her mouth and stopped herself. On second thought she had a better idea. She took off the glove on his left hand and held his hand in both of hers. Continuing to kneel at his feet she took his long index finger in her mouth, sucking on it and rubbing her tongue against it. Erik imagined her mouth around another long appendage and he groaned loudly. His erection throbbed painfully.

"Marie you must stop that. I- I can't take it." He pulled his hand away from her and put the glove back on. Then, he undid the belt around his pants, desperate to free his fettered organ.

"You're really good at foreplay Erik. I lot better than Bobby." She realized looking at the straining of his penis against his pants that she should not be miffed by his rejection.

"Foreplay is the difference between a good lover and a bad lover." Magneto said taking long deep breaths as he took off his pants and underwear. "A great lover does not need foreplay at all. It doesn't surprise me Iceman left something to be desired. The better looking a man is the worse he usually is in bed. If he's good-looking he doesn't need to be talented."

"That's not true. You're incredible and I find you very handsome." Marie smiled shyly at him.

"Come here." His hand shot out and gripped her wrist and flung her on to the bed. She caught sight of his naked body then as he towered above her. There stood his erection perfect, pink, and ramrod straight sticking up and saluting her desirability. She found herself feeling beautiful and wanted. She loved to look at its unashamed testimony to her sexuality. It made her feel like she wasn't a cursed mutant with deadly skin, unable to touch others around her. It made her feel like a normal woman.

He hastily moved on top of her, kissing her lips again. He still wore the black leather gloves and now they traveled down past her breasts to rub her flat stomach with their warm finely corrugated material. As he deepened their kiss, he moved his gloved right hand to scoot beneath her white cotton panties and touch her. He felt her hips buck against his at the first gentle caress. With long strokes up and down he massaged her clitoris till she moaned against his mouth. Moving his hand lower he inserted one black gloved finger into her wet depths. He kissed her severely, pushing his tongue deep inside her as his black gloved finger did the same. He was incapable of caring that he was ruining such an expensive pair of gloves. Thoughts beyond bedding Rogue were too complex for his brain at that moment.

He continued to rub the nub at the joining of her legs and she whispered sweet nothings in his ear. Erik began to grow impatient and took off the gloves from his hand, using one hand to support himself above her, he massaged her swiftly sweeping his fingers in tight circles right at the threshold of her need. He used first one then two fingers to play with her. Sitting up freed his other hand to insert two fingers inside of her, feeling the soaking wet slickness that signaled how ready she was for him to take her. It was the fight of a lifetime to resist for even a few minutes longer.

Instead, he lowered his head between her legs and used his tongue to replace his fingers. He sucked on her core, nibbling once with his teeth, yet still she did not come. Rogue felt on fire, her left hand gripping Erik's back while her right had balled up the bed spread in her fist and held it for dear life against his expert attentions. Her toes curled with each second of delightful torture. Magneto raised his head.

"Hold your breath Rogue and do not let it out until you can't stand it anymore." She took a deep breath and felt her muscles contract and stiffen underneath his mouth. As she struggled to hold her breath his ministrations felt a thousand times more intense. When Rogue could resist no longer she released the breath with a cry and came that very instant. The intense feeling flowed through her every nerve and her body relaxed, sinking into the mattress. She had been holding herself taut and hadn't released it.

Magneto's rapid caresses did not wan. His tongue continued to massage her as he sucked her into his mouth till she was almost sore, while his two fingers moved in and out of her preparing her for his penetration. This time Rogue came easily moaning in utter ecstasy. Erik lost himself when she called out his name in the throes of yet a third orgasm and he repositioned himself to enter her with his shaft.

He drove into her knowing she was well ready for him and she lifted her hips off the mattress giving her a deeper angle of access. This was the culmination of so many long, lonely nights of fantasy for the two. Marie could hardly contain her sheer bliss at the long awaited gratification. To Erik, the feeling was severe, overwhelming euphoric agony. With steady upward strokes, he moved in and out of her barely able to contain himself after so long a build up. Marie hardly recognized the feelings of elation his movements produced within her and the uncomfortable memories of her times with Bobby as being the same act. They seemed so drastically different.

At first his rhythm was slow and unhurried and Marie found herself begging him for more with throaty unintelligible gasps and moans. He groaned and moved himself completely out of her, pausing a moment and then driving brutal and strong into her. Rogue cried out a panicked, wheezing "Erik" and came apart in his arms. He contained his sharp need no longer, relentlessly driving into her as she tightened her inner muscles against him, contracting and relaxing uncontrollably. Her pleasure rose higher and higher till his every plunge made her feel like she was orgasming over and over again. Finally he shook violently, pounding into her three last times and came hard with a groan that might have been the name "Marie" but was more an animal's roar then a spoken word. He collapsed in exhaustion on top of her and neither moved for a time, their loud panting breaths the only sound in the room.

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Sometime later she caught sight of his back. She had left marks on it from her finger nails. In a few places she had drawn blood. He would have bruises in the morning. _Had she pressed that hard?_

"I've hurt you." She smiled even as she said it. She couldn't stop smiling in fact. He looked over at her.

"A little. But it's good pain."

"Good pain? How can pain be good?"

"You like using your mutation, don't you? Yet it is a little painful when it starts." He said rolling back the covers and moving beneath them. She did the same.

"Yes."

"Under the right circumstances pain is very pleasurable, Marie. You should know that. The pain of change is a perfect explain." He turned off the light.

"What do you mean?"

"The pain of leaving the X-Men. They were your friends and Charles' mansion your home. Yet, was it not also pleasurable to you?" She thought of all that had happened to her since leaving the X-Men. She considered the way the island fortress had begun to indeed feel like home and the Brotherhood like family. Then her thoughts turned to the man beside her in bed.

"Yes, it was."

"Sleep well Marie." _Sleep well? He wanted her to sleep well!_ She wasn't sure she would ever wake up. She thought she must have died and gone to heaven. _So this is how one makes a heaven out of hell… _

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**Dedication:** This chapter goes out to that one special man. He knows who he is. And even though he will never read this. And even though he will never take me back. And even though I will never accept him if he did. He made this chapter possible. For being both the bane of my existence and the thing that makes life worth living, this goes out to you T.M.

**Author's Notes:** How did your author learn so much about sex? Many long nights and a lot of hard work. Persistence, determination, and dedication are her strong points. And yes, she is currently single. And very attractive if I do speak for myself.

Tender is the Night is a direct allusion to an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. Your author is living in his old apartment, how cool is that?

**Nacilme23** the pot has boiled over, hasn't it?

Tell me did the chapter fulfill its promise? Was it incredibly hot? Are you even able to think after reading it? My hope is that you won't be. You'll be too hot and bothered. 5,060 words of pure porn. I am so proud. This is the stuff I was born to write. There must be a reason I am so good at both writing and sex. This chapter is where my two passions finally merged.

**Wear a condom! **Even though our characters didn't is no excuse for unsafe sex_. Sex secrets for guys_: if you wear a condom, take deep breathes, and stop moving when you feel yourself about to come, you can last as long as Erik did. _Sex Secrets for girls_: Try clenching your inner muscles just like Rogue did. It's the way to have a vaginal orgasm. Its fun and it works if you practice enough, go try it.

**Preview: ** Will you still love me tomorrow? What will Mystique say when she finds out? Or Pyro for that matter. Or Logan and Bobby?


	19. Chapter 19: Tropical Punch KoolAid

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – sexual situations (gratuitous), violence, swearing, the works…  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. But I own this story, Healing, and aren't you jealous? It rocks!  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack: **I recommend the song "Coming Undone" by Korn.

**Notes:** 78 reviews! I feel so loved! From what I can tell about fanfiction dot net there are a lot of young people on this site who are probably too young to read any of this story. I filed it under M, but somehow I feel like that rating doesn't do it justice. Oh well, I guess its good the kids learn sometime. Be safe. And remember these are fictional characters I'm playing around with; don't try this stuff at home.

**Chapter Nineteen: Tropical Punch Kool-Aid**

Magneto and Rogue:

All good things must come to an end. Rogue didn't understand this. She was young despite the memories in her head and she was foolhardy. She should have known the blissful post-connubial euphoria would wear off sometime and she would have to face the bleak dissatisfaction of reality. But she postponed this event as long as possible. Rogue was a greedy girl. She wanted to take whatever joy she could whenever she was able. Rogue should have seen her fall coming; especially the morning after she slept with Magneto for the first time.

It was a good thing Magneto had a large king size bed because Rogue was not the type of girl to cuddle with. For one thing, Rogue had always been a loner, far too independent to want the mushy trappings of a relationship. Secondly, Rogue had a deadly skin mutation and Magneto could not keep up his protective shield while he slept. At one point in the night, she had rolled over onto him and her mutation had woken her up. She was able to stop it quickly, before it did Erik much harm, but the memory of the accident haunted her. She could never truly escape what she was.

Rogue woke up the next morning wondering how different things would seem in the light of day. She did not regret sleeping with Erik, not for one second. She had grown to respect him as a leader of the Brotherhood, even if his methods were often questionable. Also, it was hard to regret such a magnificent experience as last night had been. But she was worried the effect their sexual relationship would have. What if Pyro found out? Or worse Mystique? Rogue knew from her memories Magneto and Mystique had been lovers. Rogue remembered when Logan had found out about her and Bobby sleeping together. _God, what if Logan found out? _He would not be handing her a beer and sympathizing over this. No, Logan would kill her if he knew. But luckily, Logan was back at the school and there was no way he would ever learn. The thought comforted Rogue, but still her heart yearned for her friend. She had not spoken to him in months.

When Erik stirred awake he pointed to the bed stand next to her. There sitting on it was a morning-after pill and a pack of birth control. Next to those sat a glass of water. Rogue took the pill, wondering how she could have been so absent minded the previous night not to use protection. Rogue was not the type of girl to take such risks. She was the quiet, nervous type. The type that worried. What was happening to her?

"Where did you get these so quick?"

"I would rather not say." Rogue was half asleep and let the issue drop.

It was early when Rogue made the long walk of shame back to her room on the other side of the fortress. With each step she prayed that she wouldn't meet anyone in the corridors. She was disheveled; her white Versace dress badly wrinkled, hanging off her sloppily, her hair a rat's nest, and her make up from the previous evening was smeared where Erik had kissed her fervently. She looked like the Bride of Frankenstein.

Rogue was half-way to her room when she bumped right into a taller naked blue woman. Mystique had been carrying her morning coffee (she always took it black, Rogue knew) and in the collision it spilled, destroying Rogue's white satin dress in one fluid movement. In Mystique's defense, her spilling the coffee had been unintentional. But she had heard about Magneto's trip to New York City with Rogue and taking in her appearance, that early in the morning, it was not hard to draw the correct conclusions. Rogue swore as her dress was destroyed, the hot coffee dripping from her an almost pleasant sensation in the cold hall. But Mystique fixed her with her unyielding yellow gaze.

"Watch your step." She let her eyes wonder over Rogue's awful state and her mouth formed a queer little smile, half sneer half wicked grin. "Never fool yourself into believing he cares for you. The cause is his life. You're just a good time to him. Remember that." And she moved past Rogue returning to the kitchen to make more coffee. Rogue stood there dripping and smelling the Colombian for several minutes.

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Erik was happy. Far too happy, about the events of the previous evening and he realized it the minute he woke up. He had risen before Rogue, dimly conscious of the near-disastrous event in the night when Rogue's skin had accidentally come into contact with his. Although they both knew measures to prevent it, its deadly ability had not gone away and Erik realized what an act of hubris it was to sleep with the girl. There were many and myriad reasons why he had slept with her, not the least of which was his desperate attraction to her. But the reasons why he should have abandoned the idea were far larger and more imperative. She was much too young for him; she had deadly skin; and she did not share his vision of mutant supremacy. For God's sake she had been his enemy only a few short months ago. He had nearly killed her himself once. For all he knew she could be plotting his demise in her dreams.

What a dumb love-blind fool he had been? The cold harsh light of morning (and it was especially cold in a fortress in Maine) was just what Magneto needed to see the error of his ways and he took immediate action to correct them. First he had obtained the birth control from Catalyst, who had given him none-too-kind a talking to about what he was doing with Rogue. He had politely reminded her who did the funding for her research and she had responded by threatening him.

"How would you like to suddenly look _and feel_ like you're 90?" He had shut up then, apologized, and grabbed the pills like a guilty teenager in a drugstore buying condoms. The feeling was humiliating; he was too old for that sort of thing, it made him feel ridiculous. And that was only the tip of the iceberg when he thought of the negative consequences of his association with Rogue.

Looking back he could not understand the stupid compulsion that had drove him to take her to see that opera. He would admit he enjoyed making Rogue happy and introducing her to culture. But he had spouted the most asinine bull malarkey about wanting to know she cared for him before he took her to bed. It had been cleverly disguised by the plot summary of the opera, but it was there all the same. Had he lost his mind? Had he suddenly forgotten all the most vital aspects of his life? His devotion to the cause of Mutant supremacy and his want to achieve it by any means necessary. One of those means was avoiding relationships that prompted weakness and distracted him from his work.

He had missed a meeting with Catalyst to review her ability to control and specifically direct the explosion of the atomic bomb to go with Marie to the opera. _Marie! Dear god he was calling the girl Marie now! _He must have lost his mind the last few weeks to lust. For God's sake he had even let her play her country music! Had he gone insane finally? Perhaps someone had been manipulating his mind. Some telepath he was unaware of?

He had to get a grip on himself and nip this thing in the bud as quickly as he could. It was impossible to avoid seeing Rogue entirely. By necessity, they would meet at meals and to work on her mutation. But he could put an end to their bedroom activities. Love is a cancer that feeds on the brain and renders it incapable of logical thinking. The quicker it was destroyed the better. If his relationship with Rogue affected the Brotherhood's ability to wage war against humanity, he would never forgive himself.

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One look at Rogue's face during dinner had destroyed his resolve instantly. She had been eating some Italian pasta dish Catalyst whipped up and she had licked her spoon enjoying the sweet basil mushroom flavor of the sauce. Magneto had lost his control immediately. His erection had grown swift and rigid and he had excused himself from the table, feigning fatigue. Rogue had caught his glance on the way out and she had gotten up to follow him.

They never made it to a bed. He took her on the sofa in his office. They never even took the time to close the door. The next day he steeled his resolve again, only to see her swivel her hips as she sat down at lunch. By 1PM they had christened the floor of his bedroom. On the fourth day Magneto had caught her starring longingly at him during their morning drills to control her mutation. He had introduced her to the joys of spooning then. Realizing there was no point trying to begin his abstinence that day he had had a quickie with her that night.

By the fifth day he gave up. His lust for her was growing into an infatuation. In four days they had done it five times. His desperate want to resist her only seemed to fuel his need more. He was at a loss what to do. So he made a compromise with himself and said he would allow himself to have Rogue in his bed but not in his heart. He would never say anything to her to indicate the change. Instead, he would gradually withdraw the emotional component of their relationship. And most of all he would not allow himself to grow attached to her. Bad things happened to the people he came to care for: his parents, his falling out with Charles, and then Mystique's capture. No, it was for the best this way. It was much simpler. It was strictly sex, nothing more.

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Within a weeks' time, all he had to do was enter a room and look at Rogue and she felt herself grow wet from desire. She loved his eyes most. The cerulean orbs were capable of so many expressions each one unique and intricate. She could always tell when a glance was meant just for her. He could be giving a speech to the Brotherhood and he would make the slightest turn of his head and look in her direction. She would see the way his eyes took on a different gleam for a second and his right eyebrow arched in silent query. Her answer was always yes.

Whenever his eyes got that look it was between ten and twenty minutes before she would feel him gently pull her aside and usher her down the corridors of his metal fortress to his bedroom. Marie loved the way his need for her was so sudden and urgent. He could be on the phone discussing important business and if she stood up and deliberately held in her stomach and flexed the muscles in her butt he would pause in the middle a sentence. He would excuse himself, hang up the phone and rush to kiss her fiercely.

She began to revel in this strange power. It was so easy to manipulate him. And the results were so enjoyable. With every passing day Rogue began to feel more and more like an attractive woman; something her mutation had stolen from her before she ever had a chance to enjoy it. Now with her power under her control and a man in her bed, Rogue felt like she had regained some of what had been taken from her. She was more than her skin; she was a force to be reckoned with.

In between her newfound ability to control her mutation and her newfound ability to control Magneto, Rogue took to learning more about the Brotherhood. Too long had she roamed the metal fortress a spectator to the war they were waging. Feigning polite interest, she began to gather information about the Brotherhood's current projects, hoping to find an area where she could be useful. She was determined, here at least, never to be a liability.

Spending time with Catalyst proved to be the most enlightening branch of her quest. The blonde woman who appeared to be a teenager but was far older had one of the most important roles in the Brotherhood of Mutants. Her scientific inquiries spanned into several key projects that were at the heart of the Brotherhood's current pursuits. Catalyst was naturally chatty after being cooped up in her lab all day and it was no hard task for a charming Southern belle like Rogue to coax out of her the data she desired.

"Now that looks like a Kool-aid packet? What are ya doing with a Kool-aid packet?" Rogue pointed at the blue and red tropical punch packets lining the lab bench in front of Catalyst. In excitement over explaining her research, Catalyst forgot any restriction she might have had about dispelling the nature of her work for the Brotherhood.

"It is a Kool-aid packet. First I was trying to get the vaccine to be water soluble for whole sale dissemination and I decided to study the ingredients in Kool-aid that allow it to dissolve in temperatures below 1.7 degrees centigrade. I was able to finally get the vaccine to dissolve a few weeks ago, but the kool-aid gave me this great idea. To ship and transport the vaccine without it being recognized, why not disguise it as Kool-aid? After all, Kool-aid comes in every color under the sun, so since the vaccine for the Cure is a really unattractive shade of red, I thought no one would notice it, if it looked like Kool-aid"

"So this vaccine for the cure…why does Magneto want it to dissolve easy?" Rogue tried her best to look nonchalant, playing with her hair and letting her eyes wander the strange and odd shaped glassware set ups in Catalyst's lab.

"It has to dissolve well to be put into the water supplies for major cities. Magneto's had me working round the clock to get rid of the red color. It's caused by an inorganic iron-based complex impurity. I've been removing it with several different filtration methods, but only column chromatography has shown any promising results. It's a very slow process. But Magneto has assured me that by the time I have a large batch ready the pressure column he ordered will have arrived to speed up the clean up. We should be able to get the vaccine out to mutants around the world in a month." Between the science, Rogue understood enough to be shocked.

"He's just gonna put the vaccine for the Cure into the water? What about mutants who don't want to take the vaccine? Mutants who might want to use the Cure for one reason or another"

"Doesn't matter much anyway. The government has restricted its production so I don't see how any mutant who would want to take it could get it. If you ask me the government's stocking up on what's left of the Cure in case there is a war. They want to be able to control us. But Magneto's smarter; he won't let that happen"

"Thank you Catalyst for telling me all about this. Chemistry is so fascinating. Why just look at all the stuff they can do today. I'll see ya later at dinner." Rogue practically ran from the lab to Magneto's office.

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"You!" She screamed after he opened the door with his magnetism. He looked stunned and he arched his eyebrows.

"Me what?"

"You're gonna force all the mutants to take that vaccine." He had wondered how long it would be till she found out and how she would react when she did. "Don't you see how wrong that is? You're taking away their free choice."

"Am I? The government has taken away their choice to take the Cure willing so by giving them the vaccine am I really affecting them all that much? They have no ability to take the Cure. The vaccine prevents the government from using it as a weapon against us."

"But why not offer the mutants the vaccine, not force it upon them?"

"How long until humans force the Cure upon us?" He was livid now, rising from behind his desk, with voice growing loud in the same tone he used to give speeches to the Brotherhood. "How long until it is too late for mutants to get the vaccine? There are more mutants than you know about Rouge. Nearly one-eighth of the planet are mutants. The easiest way to get the vaccine out is to make it accessible through the water supply. Can't you see how critical this is?"

In that moment the Erik she knew disappeared and Rogue found herself starring at the ruthless leader Magneto in all his brutal glory. His charisma and his allure were formidable. They came partially from his logical truth and partially from the sheer power that he exuded. She felt a wave of fear fill her. To stand toe-to-toe with a man such as him in an argument could not end well.

Rogue hated him then. For being so dominant and for being so one-sided. Couldn't he see the pain he was causing mutants such as herself, who needed the Cure just to live in society? Didn't he care about her at all? Didn't he realize how something like this might affect her? He should have known she would be upset over the vaccine. Why was he disrespecting her so? It made her feel unimportant. It made her feel like she didn't matter. Like she was a liability. Like she was weak. And Rogue hated to feel weak.

"I hate you Magneto. You're not the man I thought you were. Not the man your memories say you are." She was fuming. She gestured wildly with her hands impassioned and incensed. Her long softly waved hair flowing down her back. Her eyes wide and deep brown bore into him as her curved body moved with each word. Magneto felt himself shutter with need at the sight.

"I hate you as well Rogue." He walked slowly towards her, his black military boots making loud steps across the floor. When he reached her he loomed over her both taller and larger than her fragile body and she shivered involuntarily. He grasped her hand in his long-fingered one and held it by the wrist tightly. "I hate what you do to me." He moved her hand to his hips where she felt his throbbing erection through the cloth of his pants. "This is what you do to me." His voice was haggard and throaty. He pressed her violently against him and let out a fearsome low growl as looked down into her frightened face. She squirmed against him, trying to back away; alarmed at the way their argument had turned into a completely different type of struggle. Her resistance, her very rejection of him, turned him on. He was sick, he told himself. But he was far beyond the time when he could stop.

"You will be my undoing." He said and with a firm push on her shoulders, he caused Rouge to slam forcefully into the bookshelves behind her. Books shaken from their places fell around them as Magneto's mouth assaulted Rogue, shoving his tongue into her without warning. She yielded, so startled she was incapable of doing anything to refuse him. His hands ran through her soft thick hair only to clutch it between his fingers and pull her head back painfully, giving him easier access to her flushed red lips.

Letting go of her hair, his hands felt her breasts through her t-shirt. He ground his penis against her crotch, seeing the way the pleasant stimulation made her move with him despite of herself. Her small but surprisingly strong hands grasped his shoulders and tried to push him off her. He longed to feel the heated skin of her breasts but two layers prevented him. With his powerful hands, it took only a second to rip her shirt clear off.

"Erik, don't!" She screamed in his ear but it was already too late. The fabric made a horrific tearing sound and snapped against her neck. The shirt gave way to reveal a dark red lace bra that drove him wild with longing. The shirt hung from her shoulders as he thrust the delicate bra up to clutch a breast in each hand. Grasping the swollen, malleable flesh of her bosom, he juggled them enjoying the way they shook and fell back into position from each of his movements. She cried out angry and outraged, shifting against him, trying to dislodge him and all control slipped away from him.

She wanted him, yes, but not like this. She hated feeling so powerless. She wanted to be the one in control. She hated the way he dominated her, doing to her whatever he wanted. Yet, she felt herself grow aroused in spite of her fury. No, not in spite of. Because of it. Her mind seemed to pull itself out of the scene around her and she felt herself fall to the dark violence of lust.

Her stomach was exposed to him and he loved its soft white flesh, his hands moved aggressively over it to hold her waist. He caught the dark desire in her eye and saw the raging fire that burned deep within her. In one move he had her skirt up past her belly to reveal the matching red g-string thong she had on underneath. No doubt meant for his enjoyment as the thing looked painfully uncomfortable. He took two of its cords awkwardly in his hands reaching below her and pulled with all his might. The throng snapped with a reverberating sound that echoed in the cavernous study. The pain of the strings biting into her when he had yanked on it caused tears to well in her eyes. Her grand purchase for him was destroyed and fell off her on to the floor.

He unzipped his pants and he entered her in one brutal thrust. She was already somewhat wet from desire, but she wasn't ready for him. It hurt them both. Not being properly lubricated his organ was abrasive. Not being fully turned on she wasn't entirely opened up and he felt huge inside her. The difference between this and his tender love-making of the previous week was something Rogue found herself bizarrely attracted to.

She felt so tight to him. So tight it hurt slightly to be in her. He began slow deep long strokes in and out of her. He loved how snug she was and how wrong this seemed. Every part of it seemed wrong but he kept going and the fantasy rewarded him. He plunged into her three or four times as she clenched with all her might against him willing herself to come. She did and the burning friction began to dissipate as she grew wetter and wetter for him. He leaned down to kiss her mouth only to take her bottom lip between his teeth and bite down. The bite bleed and red drops pleasantly sprang up on her mouth.

She shrieked at the abrupt agonizing pain. His penis pulsed with craving as she pushed her inner muscles with all her might and forced him out of her. The pressure was intense and Erik marveled at how strong she was. Rogue didn't like the angle against the wall and she looked at the soft leather of the study's couch. But Magneto would have none of that. Peeved by her ability to resist him, he was quick in reasserting his dominance.

He grabbed her by her thighs and hefted her over his shoulder as though she hardly weighed an ounce. Marie wondered if he was using his magnetism but couldn't be sure. He walked her over to his steel desk and with a sweep of his left hand and a magnetic field cleared it with a thunderous bang as his books and lamp crashed into the far wall. He threw her onto the desk and then flipped her over onto her stomach. Rogue's nipples grew hard as they lay on the freezing metal of his desk. The cold sensation against her bare skin was a heady and glorious feeling. With her legs hanging down off the desk, he took her from behind. It was much easier for him in this position and he pounded into her with vicious speed.

He was able to push deep inside her from this angle and Rogue enjoyed the feeling of his balls hitting her clitoris. His strokes his were fast and brutal and he showed no sigh of stopping. He reached so deep he struck her cervix and she cried out half from pain and half from pleasure as he conquered her. She came from the brutal thrusts as their speed made magnificent friction in all the right places.

With a finger he plunged into her anus, delving quickly and sliding out slowly. The action was so unexpected that Rogue tensed herself in shock and came with a loud cry. He continued the pain fast in, slow out, and fingered her as his hips shook back and forth plunging into her. She found the feeling of his finger horribly uneasy going in, but oddly enough she enjoyed the sensation of it sliding leisurely out of her. She came again clenching his erection tightly and called out his name with a yelp. But she didn't say Erik, she said Magneto and he enjoyed the difference.

Rogue was in awe of all the different sensations from the throbbing of her bitten lip to his finger in her. It was both painful and pleasurable. So this is what he meant when he said pain could be good. Rogue smiled and rubbed herself as Magneto thrust into her.

"What's going on in here?" Magneto stopped moving and looked toward the open door to see Pyro standing in it. He had heard the commotion and come to check out what was going on, curious if the fortress was under attack from all the loud crashing and screaming. Rogue's head shot up from the desk and she moved her hands to cover her bared breasts.

"Oh, God…um." Pyro backed against away from the door and turned and ran from the room. It didn't take a genius to understand the sight of Magneto giving it to Rogue until she screamed.

Rogue's face turned beat red and she pressed it against the cool metal of the desk. Erik finished quickly feeling both embarrassed and bizarrely turned on by the whole incident.

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Notes: I love my fans! If you review and leave suggestions you might see them show up in the story and if you leave a real nice review, you might see a chapter dedicated to you. (Gosh I am such a review whore, oh well).

XChocolateChipX: Sorry this took so long babe. I hope it was at least kinda hot to make up for it. Fanfiction dot net was really fussy about uploading it.

RG Marie: Oh there's bad news coming on the wind for our favorite heroine. One more big conflict before the end of the story.

Kristina: I just love when people sing my praises. What can I say, I'm a sucker for flattery. Thank you for your review. It made squee with joy.

I just realized there are a lot of spilled beverages in my story. First Rogue's drink gets spilled on her in the club, then Logan spills the coffee when he catches Magneto and Rogue making out. Then Rogue spills wine well Magneto is speaking to her. Not we have Mystique spilling more coffee. What an odd little theme I have developed?

If you like this story at all… you should thank KumaDaPuma. She has been my springboard for much of this and a major help urging me to continue writing. Through her lovely reviews I have made a dear friend and inspired a fellow author. Go check her out, she's written two lovely Magneto/Mystique pieces. I guarantee that if you like my writing, you'll like hers. So go check 'em out. KumaDaPuma

Also what do you guys think about starting a C2 community for Magneto fic?

Preview: Mystique gets jealous. She fights with Rogue. Rogue begins to work with the Brotherhood. Magneto makes an eventful phone call.


	20. Chapter 20: Unbottled War, Canned Love

**Healing**

Title: Healing

Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – in this chapter just violence and light sexual situations  
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I own Catalyst, but feel free to borrow her; she's a good time for all. I'm not making any money off this, but I should be. Compared to those self-indulgent chick-lit novels, this definitely deserves to earn money for the author.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought. 

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones as this is a very politically charged chapter.

**Dedication:** To **Miss Kilis Wale** for the lovely reviews she gave me for each chapter today.

**Notes:** Fanfiction dot net has really been giving me a lot of problems lately with uploading. I had to code the last chapter in html directly onto the site. That sucked. Hopefully, this chapter will go down more smoothly. I visited a wine store that sells only Australian wine in the making of this chapter. Who knew there were so many wineries in South Eastern Australia? Many thanks to my diligent editor **KumaDaPuma**. She helps make this story possible. Also, many thanks to **Ian McKellen** for being so damn hot. He makes me wish I was a guy and gay, just so I could have a shot with him. Why can't he be bisexual? But I digress.

**Chapter Twenty: Unbottled War, Canned Love**

Pyro:

Pyro was sure that he was scarred for life. He wished he had been born blind so he would never have seen the image of Magneto, his leader who he greatly respected, fucking Rogue on his desk. It was… _horrible_. He couldn't seem to erase vision of Rogue clutching her breasts and turning beat red as Magneto stood there stark still with his finger in her… Pyro threw up a little in his mouth. He was reminded of that lousy play Professor Xavier had made him read: "Oedipus" something where the guy is sleeping with his mother and then gouges out his own eyes in disgust. Pyro wished he could gouge out his eyes to erase the memory, but he knew it wouldn't help.

Pyro walked back into the kitchen where several of the Brotherhood's members were eating lunch and had wondered what the loud noises they heard were. Pyro had been the one sent to investigate. He returned with his mouth hanging open. He clutched the door frame for support.

"What was it?" Mystique asked over her BLT sandwich. Pyro's distant, glazed eyes turned to her and his mouth tried to form words only to give up and look down at the floor.

"Pyro?" Catalyst asked.

"Um… you don't want to know guys." The mutants who were eating lunch exchanged glances.

"Is everyone alright?" Callisto, the girl with super speed, asked.

"Yeah. Everyone but me." Pyro replied, picking his lighter out of his pocket and holding it tightly in his fist for moral support.

"If you're not going to explain, I'll just go have a look for myself." Mystique rose from the table and walked to the door where Pyro put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you." He looked her directly in her yellow eyes and willed her to understand.

"Why?" She asked.

"Those screams we heard…" Pyro hinted.

"Yes?"

"They were Rogue's. Only they weren't screams of pain. They were…" Pyro didn't want to finish this sentence but everyone starred back at him clueless. "They were going at it. Like rabbits."

"They?" Callisto asked.

"Magneto and Rogue." Pyro answered.

"Oh, dear god!" Catalyst had known the two were a couple but she couldn't believe those god awful screams could be from the two making love.

"No way." Multiple Man shouted.

"That's… that's… disgusting." Callisto said.

"You've got to be kidding. He's kidding. Right?" Juggarnaut asked.

"Nope. I saw them with my own eyes." Pyro told them.

"All the crashing and banging we heard?" Mystique asked hesitantly, not wanting to know the answer.

"It was rough. Real rough. They were on the desk." Pyro answered.

"Don't say anymore. I think I'm gonna throw up." Callisto said.

"I can't believe it. Rogue, that hot teen X-Men chick, and Magneto? Isn't he like 50 years older than her?" Multiple Man was still in disbelief.

"Yup." Pyro replied.

"And doesn't she have that skin thing?" Multiple Man asked.

"Yup."

"Okay, that's it. I can't eat lunch." Callisto got up and threw out her sandwich and walked out of the kitchen. Pyro watched her go, echoing her feeling. He knew he wasn't going to try to finish eating lunch now. He might not be up for dinner later either. As he left the kitchen he saw Mystique standing there, her hands on hips and her yellow eyes cold with fury.

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Pyro and Rogue:

Now that everyone in the Brotherhood of Mutants knew Rogue was sleeping with their leader, she got even more curious looks than she had before as the pathetic guest who couldn't control her powers. But she also got a bit of respect as well. Suddenly her presence made more sense, even if it did conjure up images that no one found pleasant. However, Rogue's growing friendship with Pyro was forever changed.

Pyro and Rogue continued to hang out together and be pals but there was an invisible wall between them that was Rogue's relationship with Magneto. It was never discussed and never brought up. Whenever Magneto was mentioned it was kept to a strictly professional basis. And whenever something about sex or love came up, both steered the conversation clear to make sure they were talking about other people, not themselves. Finally, Rogue couldn't take the strain this put on their friendship.

"Pyro, I'm sorry." She addressed him one day while they were watching re-runs of 'The Office' in the common room. "I'm sorry that you had to see what you saw." Pyro didn't turn to look at her but continued to watch Steve Carroll on TV.

"Don't worry about it. At least you weren't caught with boss Michael Scott like Jan was." He said referring to the characters on the show. Rogue laughed remembering the hilarity that ensued. "Besides before you it was Mystique and Magneto. But I don't think they ever had as much chemistry. Or at least I never walked in on them." Rogue appreciated Pyro's attempt to lighten the conversation but she couldn't shake the memory of Mystique's glaring yellow eyes warning her about Magneto.

"So any other romances going on at the Brotherhood?" She asked like a teen looking for the latest gossip.

"Well, Multiple Man is always dating several women. He cheats a lot. You can never be sure he's not screwing someone else. At exactly the same time." At that, Rogue and Pyro broke out into fits of laughter.

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Magneto:

The inevitable had happened and the war had begun. It started accidentally only five hundred miles from the Brotherhood's headquarters. In the city of Boston, policemen entered into a fire fight with a mutant gang of teens who had been going on a petty burglary spree. The exact details of what occurred are lost in history, but when the dust had cleared four policeman and two mutants' ages 14 and 16 were dead. Boston became the hotbed of the conflict between mutants and humans and every group on both sides rushed to the city.

Tempers were high when the fatal shot was fired. A mutant congressman by the name of Perry Gabrio was gunned down in cold blood by an anti-mutant extremist group called The Hand of God. The Hand of God was a right-wing conservative group that believed mutants were an abomination to god. They felt that mutants were a lesser race and that only humans had been created in the image of God. Rumors had it that The Hand of God was financed by powerful conservative evangelical ministers who had ties to the Bush Administration.

With the death of Gabrio, Boston became a battleground and there was constant battle between the US forces and mutants. The small presence of the badly diminished National Guard attempted to maintain control but their numbers were too small since the majority of their forces were still overseas in Iraq. As the battle in Boston grew larger, riots in other major cities gained momentum. Soon mutants planned gorilla strikes against military bases throughout the country. Congress passed the Anti-Mutant Registration Act but the law came as too little too late. President Bush declared a state of emergency throughout the country and raised the terror alert to Code Red. Talk began about intern camps for mutants and with each day America fell further into chaos.

Overnight the membership of the Brotherhood swelled to approximately 30,000 mutants. They came from every walk of life, from every state in the union to the doors of Brotherhood's branches throughout the country. Magneto had no way of accommodating all the new applicants and providing them with training. His work load multiplied and he spend more and more time working with Professor Kojak and several other newly appointed Lieutenants to develop training programs for the new mutants. He hand picked several new combat coordinators to undertake strategic missions to obtain military ordinance and equipment from the American Armed Forces.

Outside the US conditions were not nearly as bad for mutants and many fled the country. In the Europe Union for instance mutants were given equal rights under law. However, America's conflict was slowly spreading abroad and mutants in every country began to feel unwelcome. President Bush had negotiated with Prime Minister Tony Blair of England so that England was passing its own mutant registration act and war threatened to break out in the United Kingdom. Magneto had already received several offers from English mutants to help start Brotherhood branches there.

As Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants grew, he found himself thinking often of Charles' X-Men. The days when the X-Men could fight crime and spout a pacifist philosophy of mutant and human co-existence were numbered. Erik wondered how long it would be till the US Government shut the school down. He worried about Storm's ability to be a wartime leader. The X-Men could have greatly used Charles Xavier's exemplary persuasion skills. Without him, Erik wasn't sure how long they would last. He found himself very melancholy for his ex-lover and late friend.

Charles had told Erik he would always be there when he was in his plastic prison. What had gone wrong? Admittedly the return of Jean Grey was not something either of them had expected. Magneto had tried to make the best of the situation; tried to use Jean for his cause and get some purpose out of his friend's death. But in the end Magneto had been guilty of even more hubris than Charles. Magneto had been right about the war. But Charles had been right about Jean. And now where were they? Charles and Jean were dead. And Magneto had a war to fight that was quickly escalating out of proportion.

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Magneto and Rogue:

"No speaking until I have finished everything I have to say. Do you understand? Then you will get a chance to speak your opinion." Magneto knew after the incident over the vaccine that it was not smart to keep Rogue in the dark anymore about the Brotherhood's plans. So several weeks after the war began he sat Rogue down on the couch across from him in his study. He found he was nervous about what her opinion would be and he knocked the metal stress relief balls of his Newton's Cradle on his desk back and forth unconsciously with his powers.

"Yes, I understand." It had taken Rogue some time to come around to the idea of distributing the vaccine for the Cure. But their fight and subsequent make-up sex had helped to change her feelings on the matter. Again Rogue decided she would start to contribute to the Brotherhood. So she was trying to get herself used to following his orders and she replied back quickly.

"No matter what I say, absolutely no speaking until I am through." His crystal ice blue eyes bore into hers and Rogue remembered the way he spoke to her when she was his prisoner before the Statue of Liberty. She wondered momentarily if she was about to be placed in a similar situation.

"Okay"

"By 2050 mutants will make up 50 of the population. By 2060 more mutants will be born than humans. Did you know that?" Marie wasn't sure if she was supposed to answer or if the question was rhetorical. She shook her head no.

"With the war starting between mutants and humans it will be many years before our two groups can ever hope to coexist in peace. I am not sure if that will ever be possible. Mutants are the superior species and humans do not seem inclined to give up their hegemony over the Earth anytime soon. Mutants need a land they can call their own: a land away from intolerance, prejudice, and genocide. A land where they can be free to live without fear of oppression. A land where they can be free to live just as God created them and can be properly educated on how to use their powers safely. In this land Marie, you would never have had to go through the ordeals you did to learn to control your mutation."

He was a magnificent orator and here sitting only a few feet across from him his voice encircled her and flowed around her it's melodious syllables and crisp timber causing his almost lyrical words to have a hypnotic effect on Rogue. She wondered if he asked her to jump off a bridge if she would be capable of stopping herself. She knew if he had asked her to power the machine again, in this way, she would have been proud to do it.

"So I set out to find a place where such a land could be possible. It needed to be a place strategically defendable, large enough to house the growing mutant population comfortably and it needed to have a hospitable climate. At first I considered using California and having Avalanche finish dislodging it from the continental US. But after a serious discussion with other mutant leaders we decided no one really likes California." Rogue snorted out a laugh and Magneto gave her look that stopped her quickly.

"The only land that was of adequate size and isolation was the island continent of Australia. Australia has a relatively small population for a country of its size and natural resources: only 20 million residents. It has self-sustaining resources for industry and food production. Its climate is very hospitable and it is easily defendable with its Great Barrier Reef"

"So Australia, once the land where England's convicts were sent, was picked as the land for Mutants. Unlike the Jews and Israel we are unlikely to be given Australia by the United Nations. Instead we will have obtain it and hold it while expelling its native population. To that end, Catalyst and I came up with a plan to force the government of Australia to negotiate with us and hopefully to secede Australia without any bloodshed." Rogue couldn't help but see Erik in her memories when he tried to move to Israel after the holocaust only be denied residency because he was a mutant. She could tell how much this would mean to him.

"Catalyst has created an atomic bomb that will be stowed on the 747 we acquired and transported to Australia under the guise of a commercial airliner. The government of Australia will then be contacted and given an ultimatum to relinquish control of the country to the Brotherhood or the bomb will be exploded in the city of Sydney. Catalyst-" Rogue stood up, unable to contain her horror.

"That's mass homicide. You'll be as bad as all the people we're fighting against. This doesn't sound like you at all Erik." With unhurried movements Magneto rose from his seat on the couch and his expression changed to one of barely contained fury.

"What did I say about waiting to speak until I had finished?" Rogue remembered his stipulation too late. His eyes blazed with anger and he seemed about to strike her. She felt fear course through her body, turning her stomach into knots. She was sure he would hurt her for her disobedience. She cowered in front of him, waiting to feel the jolt of his hand hit her. She waited and waited her nerves on edge and her body taut with apprehension. She wanted to feel the pain. She wanted to hurt.

It didn't come. He had never struck her in a rage before but he was not opposed to reminding her who was in control. She felt two metal strips encircle her wrists and pull her arms around her back, where the metal bracelets stuck together and acted as a pair of handcuffs. With her arms held behind her back, Magneto used the metal to push her back down to a sitting position. Rogue felt herself shake with excitement at the fear he stirred in her. She was appalled by the strange feeling of helplessness and submission that flooded her senses and electrified her entire body.

"Now if I may be allowed to continue uninterrupted… I was going to explain that Catalyst has the ability to control and contain the nuclear explosion to target only defensive installations. It will be used only as a deterrent; however it should be sufficient enough to convince the Prime Minister of Australia to make concessions. From there the Brotherhood will ally itself with two other international mutant associations and the mutant dictator of Bangladesh to hold and defend Australia. It will be a land mutants can immigrate to similar to what the United States stood for to religious refugees. It is unlikely that either the U.S. government or the government of the United Kingdom will put up much of a fight to regain it as they are still stuck in the quagmires of Iraq and Afghanistan. With the Mutant Human Civil War in the US that may well spread to other nations, there will be no one to stop us."

Rogue didn't know what to say and did not offer any other arguments with Magneto about the plan. It sounded almost feasible and Rogue was still reeling from the experience of being bond in his formidable presence. She did not leave the couch or request for the cuffs to be removed for several minutes.

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Magneto and Rogue:

You notice little things about a person when you begin to sleep with them. Rogue didn't know if it was because she was spending so much time with Erik outside of their mentor student relationship or if it was because she was paying more attention. For instance, although Magneto had impeccable taste in food and was a fabulous chef, he had a weakness for canned foods. Rogue understood why from his memories. Not only were the cans made of his favorite material metal, but they were some of the first food the Red Cross got to him when he was rescued from Auschwitz.

Rogue noticed that every time Erik saw a can he would smile as though he was a child receiving a piece of candy for good behavior. His favorite canned food was Del Monte Fruit Salad in Extra Lite Syrup. Rogue knew he would sneak down after dinner two or three nights a week to the kitchen to enjoy the canned fruit alone. She followed him once and watched as he ate the contents of the can like it was his first decent meal in months. She found that eccentric trait of his oddly endearing and she made sure that Pyro and the other mutants never disturbed his canned fruit collection.

The more Rogue saw of Erik, the less she noticed his age. The wrinkles seemed less defined the grey hair was just a color, and a nice one at that. But this could be caused by her feelings for him that had been steadily rising with each wild climax he gave her. She didn't like how she was losing perspective. She didn't like how she eagerly awaited every second alone with him or how she found herself watching him at meals and having trouble paying attention to the other mutants when he was in the room.

But as time went by the nature of Rogue's relationship with Magneto changed. He had been increasingly absorbed by the running of the Brotherhood and the coordination of its efforts in the Mutant Human Civil War. Magneto skipped meals to check in with Catalyst on the status of her experiments. He would spend whole nights locked in his study with Professor Jeri Kojak working out the details of the interaction between the multiplying branches of the Brotherhood. Against her better judgment Rogue grew jealous of the tall, leggy auburn-haired woman. Professor Kojak had been Magneto's lover once, Rogue knew that from his memories, and she worried one of the those long evenings working together would lead to Rogue losing another man.

There is a saying in love: once broken never healed. And to an extent this was true of Marie. Bobby's cheating had broken her heart. And although Magneto's skillful hands and charismatic personality had done much to heal her wounds, the scars would never truly go away. So between Mystique's prophetic warning and Professor Kojak's long shapely legs, Rogue couldn't help but worry.

To abate her worries and her increased concern over the situation going on in the US for mutants, Rogue tried turning to her old crutch. But, she had trouble finding any alcohol in the fortress other than some beer Pyro had, that she felt guilty drinking and the bottle of expensive award winning Belvedere Vodka that she knew was Erik's favorite brand. Rogue refused to risk sneaking some, knowing that he would somehow figure it out and that he would not be as forgiving as Logan was about her drinking. A quiet tiny voice in her head told her to drink the vodka just to make him angry, just to make him discipline her again in that sexy, thrilling, and frightening way he had in his study. This voice stunned Rogue and she did her best to stifle it.

Instead, Rogue threw herself into doing work for the Brotherhood. She helped to organize and coordinate the campaign to distribute the vaccine for the Cure to mutants everywhere. Time was of the essence now, as the war had already begun. Meanwhile she began to work out aggressively at the gym taking out her frustrations on herself by pushing herself farther and farther on the treadmill till every muscle in her body screamed so loudly in her mind she was incapable of worrying. Her concerns faded away to the sounds of counting: miles left, minutes left, laps, pushups, sets, and weights. When the exertion at the gym wasn't enough she would find Magneto and initiate one of their frantic, passionate love-making sessions. The longer her concerns went unanswered the more the time she spent between the sheets trying to forget she had them.

As Rogue and Magneto's sex life heated up, there other interactions seemed to cool down. Gone was all the fun banter and joking that had once passed between them. Gone was the warm welcoming look in Erik's eyes when she interrupted his work. Gone were all his diatribes on why she should enjoy opera and old movies like "The Godfather". Gone were his corrections of her grammar. She would say "y'all" and "na ugh" just to try to get a rise out of him but he never seemed to notice. Marie began to wonder what had gotten to him. What had changed?

In bed he was the ultimate attentive lover, understanding just what she wanted and anticipating how she wanted it. From his memories, she knew the positions and moves he liked best and between the two they were perfectly matched. The minute they began to touch till they were breathing raggedly, collapsed against each other Magneto paid complete attention to her. She saw it in the way his eyes looked at her and the way he smiled at her. He was not distant from her in bed. But every where else he was hardly aware of her.

"Have you heard anything I just said?" She asked one day as he sat at his desk working on the Brotherhood's expense reports.

"Yes, you were talking about trying to get Storm to fix the ozone layer over Australia after we invade it." He didn't look up from the ledger.

"That was ten minutes ago. I was just asking you why you never pay attention to me anymore." She had her hands on her hips and her long hair flowed down in front of her shoulders. Magneto thought she looked beautiful when she was angry, but he would never tell her that.

"I have been occupied with waging a war Rogue. I am sorry if I have not had any free time for you lately." But he wasn't sorry. He had been doing it on purpose and he hated the look of hurt that formed on her pretty face.

"Couldn't you take just a few minutes each day to talk to me?"

"Do you mind? I need to balance these books now. Mutant supremacy doesn't come cheap." Magneto went back to his work. He had no way to answer her without letting her know that he had been trying to detach himself from her for weeks. She turned away from him and starred at the empty fireplace. No blaze occupied its chamber.

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**Notes:** Let me apologize to anyone I may have offended including but not limited to right-wing conservatives, Israel, evangelicals, and the inhabitants of Australia. No harm or insult is meant by this story. All the details of it were invented just to show an interesting and convincing story about Rogue and Magneto. I do not condone terrorism, invasion of Australia, or the taking of land that belongs to others. This is a fictional story and Magneto is a complex, troubled man whose people are being discriminated against and killed in acts of genocide. The events that happen in this story are purely fictional and purely for the advancement of plot and the writing of plausible smut.

My story has taken on a life all its own. It's like its own cult. As one fan told me it's her "anti-drug" and several others have expressed how much it has taught them about sex. It even inspired some fan fiction of it's own from **KumaDaPuma**. Wow, I never anticipated this from my humble little idea I had on a Thursday about two weeks ago. Amazing.

**Preview:** Smut time again. Marie likes it when Erik disciplines her. She likes it when he hurts her because she is hurting inside.


	21. Chapter 21: Cruelly Handsome

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – sexual situations (mad hot smut), violence (kinky), swearing  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. I am not making money. I am currently in between jobs. Please send money.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Airport Song" by Guster or maybe "Cry Little Sister" from The Lost Boys Soundtrack. I don't know; something dark and sexy. I'm running out of song ideas.

**Dedication:** To **Chica Fayme** for being my loyal reader since the very beginning. Thank you enjoying my new, improved Rogue. It's my goal that her character grows and changes for the better in this story. She's not there yet, but she's working on it. Also thanks to Sionnain, who was my first experience with D/s stories. And to a man I will only call B.G. Gracias B.G.

**Warning:** More Graphic Sex. But not just any **graphic sex**…this has a decidedly **Dominant/submissive** theme to it with a touch of sadomasochism. It's hopefully tasteful, but there's a smattering of light, well-justified violence, submission, dominance, and several light kinks.

**Notes:** I'm a bit new to the BDSM community. It's always been a big component in Rogneto stories so mine will include a little bit too. I have no idea if this will manage to come out hot or not. But as always, I do my best to write my smut as realistic and tactile as possible. Several days of research went into this chapter. Don't ask exactly what occurred, but I am now convinced that everyone in the world has a secret kinky sex life I was completely unaware of before. I learned to tie eight different types of knots, investigated at least half of all fetishes out there, and confronted my own fear of drowning. I have new respect for high heels, fire, ropes, PVC, leather, and people who are flexible, unlike me. I am also convinced there are a lot of people I know who could use a good spanking. I got so much material from my research I see a lot of hot little one-shots coming out of this story.

**Chapter Twenty-One: Cruelly Handsome, Painfully Sweet**

"Only the one that hurts you can make you feel better,  
Only the one that inflicts pain can take it away." – Madonna "Erotica"

Rogue:

Rogue awoke to feel the air hot against her skin. The smoky, crisp smell of oak wood burning in the fireplace assaulted her nostrils. She opened her eyes slowly to see the room was dimly lit, the fire the sole source of light. If she strained her head she could see the flames roaring in the fireplace a few feet from the bed. She heard the flames dance, crackling and snapping as several large logs and assorted kindling burned. She wanted to go back to sleep and tried to bury her face in the covers of the bed spread to find she couldn't fully turn in the other direction. She tried again, but to no avail. As she shifted she felt the metal restraints on her wrists. They were latched to one of the metal posters of Magneto's bed. She looked at them holding her in place. She had not gone to sleep with them on. Sometime while she was asleep he had restrained her and now she was caught. He must know. She would get it now for sure.

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It all started with her asking for him to go harder. To make her hurt. And then it spiraled out of control.

She had been in bed with Erik, unhappy and upset so she had asked him to be rough, fast, and in charge. She had wanted to feel something, anything, that wasn't his tender caresses, sweet kisses, and mild, soft strokes. It felt so wrong for him to make love to her body gently while he was so rough with her feelings. She wanted him to be harsh, coarse, and even cruel. It was easier.

Rogue had been growing increasingly agitated by Erik's withdrawal from her. He was still her lover, but he was so busy she rarely saw him for anything other than their physical interactions. They didn't even sleep in the same bed most nights. Rogue still had her own bedroom with its narrow twin bed on the opposite end of the fortress. There were no more roses on her pillow, no more days spent listening to opera music, and no more dinners in his study.

She missed the beginning of their relationship. Before, their foreplay had been talking, joking, and working together; now their foreplay was kissing, licking, and sucking, all leading to fucking. But she found the former more of a turn on. She tried to talk to him about it, but she had no real argument. Officially they weren't anything. The only thing official was that he was the leader of the most powerful mutant organization in the world.

Feeling powerless to change her relationship with Erik for the better, Rogue worked on controlling her powers, but her progress was nonexistent. With Magneto too busy to offer much help she was unable to learn how to project her mutation outward. She had accomplished her goal of being able to stop the deadly pull of her skin, at least for small quantities of time. However, that was almost a month ago. She worked on her precision using some of Catalyst's lab rats. She could control whether she caused a victim to pass out for a few hours or for a few days or die.

It had been more than a few months since Marie had spoken to Logan. More like seven months to be exact. She was afraid to contact him, less the government somehow track back the location of Magneto's island fortress from any outside communication. Instead, she hoped he understood, and hoped he didn't miss her too much. She missed him a lot. The Wolverine was a good friend, perhaps not the most insightful, nor the most calming one, but he was loyal to say the least. She thought of him often.

She didn't think of the X-Men too often. She couldn't imagine them missing her. She had been a liability to them. No help in a battle and no help in the leading of the school. After her breakup with Bobby and fight with Kitty, she had withdrawn from them so much, that she couldn't imagine they would miss her now that she was gone. Storm and Dr. McCoy had never been friendly to her. Bobby and Kitty and their posse of friends were her unspoken enemies. It had not been a good place for her. She was happy to leave it.

She was happy to be at the Brotherhood. With the war growing into a bigger conflict everyday the world was no longer safe for mutants. Maybe it had never been, but now mutants were not allowed to move freely. The Anti-Mutant Registration Act stated that every mutant needed to be fitted with an RFID tracking tag and to enter any public building their tag had to be scanned. If they didn't have the tag they were subject to incarceration as a mutant terrorist. And if they were found aiding the mutant supremacy cause, like Rogue was, they were immediately shipped off to internment camps for the "duration" of the war. Rogue wondered how the X-Men were enduring the changing political air.

Meanwhile, Marie endured training with Mystique and Pyro for combat readiness. She was well-versed in defensive maneuvers from the X-Men, but finally she got a chance to practice offense, sneak attacks, and gorilla warfare strategy and tactics. Her training was exhausting but enjoyable. All except for the extremely cold looks she got from Mystique (and Rogue thought Iceboy Bobby could give frigid stares). Mystique was not above tripping Rogue during training and an ongoing competition grew between them. Currently Mystique was the uncontested victor, but Rogue was determined to change that and she pushed herself to the limits trying. Training was a thinly-veiled battle for Erik.

She was beginning to battle for Erik on other fronts; including the front known as Kojak. The leggy Professor Jeri Kojak was Magneto's right hand mutant in charge of communication with the other branches of the Brotherhood and Rogue couldn't help but be jealous of the long hours they put in together "working". Rogue had no reason to suspect they were sleeping together again, but she never had any evidence Bobby was cheating on her until she caught him. Her over-active imagination conjured many plausible and jarring scenarios of them falling into each other's arms after their long hours spent together.

To compensate, Rogue put in long hours training, not only her body, but her sexuality. She wasn't gonna lose this one to some other girl. She was going to keep Erik.

She was going to make it so no other woman could satisfy him. To that end, Rogue learned as much as she could about all that she could. She bought lingerie from Victoria's Secret, she did Kegel exercises, and she read Cosmo magazine's endless series of articles on how to satisfy a man.

In some ways, this helped to satisfy Rogue. She had been excluded from the world of touch during her formative teen years and she had compensated by being overly shy. Even the most casual of touches, a handshake or a rub on her arm, still brought with it an immediate knee-jerk reaction of fear. She was still so afraid of hurting others, even though she was able to stop the pull of her mutation quickly enough that she didn't. Unlike the Cure, this was a permanent fix and Rogue was starting to relearn tactile sensations again. Pyro was a doll. He never shrunk back in fear of her. He even offered to give her back massages after particularly grueling training sessions. Rogue wondered if one day she would be able to keep her mutation under control indefinitely and she could have a normal life. She wasn't sure that dream would come true.

However, she was sure there was at least one way to please Erik. (Besides the cans of fruit cocktail she sometimes left on his desk). And that was to fight for him in the war against humans. Her training had been leading up to her role in helping to put the vaccine for the Cure into the water supply systems of major U.S. cities. Rogue was devoted to being the best soldier and tactical field commander she could be. Beyond her physical training, she tried to learn military tactics and strategy.

The strategy for getting the vaccine into the water supplies was a deceptively simple one. Mystique would pose as a grounds keeper or security guard for the water supply stations in several cities and accomplish the task quickly in the most important locations including: New York, Washington, and Los Angeles. But Mystique's time was precious and she was needed for other tasks. Rogue was to head the missions to Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Orlando, Las Vegas, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, and San Diego. Smaller cities and regions would be given to lower ranking Brothers.

Rogue's position of authority was for several reasons, although it helped to be sleeping with the boss. She was one of the best mutants when it came to stealth, as she was inconspicuous and quiet, she blended in perfectly with humans. These missions needed to be accomplished without humans becoming aware, so no loud display of powers was allowed. She would be the leader of the missions, her team consisting of Callisto and several local Brothers.

Rogue was to distract whatever security forces were around, if there were any, or create some kind of a diversion. Then Callisto would speed into the facility and treat the water supply with a highly concentrated dose of the vaccine. Several local brothers were around for help in reconnaissance, logistics, and backup if necessary. Rogue was eager to get started on her campaign, she longed to feel useful. The date for her first mission came and she and Callisto traveled to Boston.

Rogue's first mission went off smoothly and they managed to get the vaccine into the water supply until they caught the eye of a night watchman. He shouted for them to halt and Callisto took off in a blur. Rogue was left caught in the water treatment facility. She didn't want to call for backup as that would create exactly the type of scene she was supposed to avoid.

So she waited for the guard to reach her as her heart beat thunderously in her chest. When he tried to cuff her, she dropped him like he was hot. She over-pulled and she wasn't sure whether he would wake up or not. Her head hurt from the rush of his memories, and she felt dizzy from the pain of using her mutation and from her own frantic erratic breathing. She left him lying there, as she did her best to contain his memories in her brain and put them away in the mind map the Professor had made.

Rogue had been ready for this scenario. She knew she might have to drop someone on one of the missions. She knew it was inevitable. But she hadn't been ready for the overwhelming fear she felt as the guard approached her. She hadn't been calm enough, she hadn't been in control enough to use her mutation as precisely as she should have been. Her disappointment in herself was strong. This is exactly what she was supposed to be over.

Meanwhile in her head she could see the night watchman's memories replaying endlessly before the backs of her eyelids when she tried to sleep. He had a family and kids. She did her best to hide away the memories and ignore the guilt welling within her. However she couldn't shake the fear that this would happen again in the next city and the next and she would have to hurt others. She wasn't against knocking someone unconscious. But she was still too uncontrollable to be sure that she wasn't permanently harming them. The fear was so bad Rogue didn't know if she could keep doing her new job or if she would have to quit.

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Magneto:

Every time Marie left a can of fruit cocktail on his desk, Erik felt like a schmuck. He tried to tell himself his withdrawal from her was for the best; that it was for her safety. But he couldn't ignore the hurt he saw in her eyes. He felt so guilty when he looked into her fragile brown eyes that he just wanted to give up and give in to her. He wanted to hear her laugh again, he wanted to share things with her again. And some times, though he would never admit it out loud, he wanted to hear her country music playing through the speakers of his Bose stereo as she sang along with her soft soprano voice.

He knew just how unhappy she was when she asked him to be rough with her. He didn't believe she could possibly like it. Even the softest touch made Marie come, she was so sensitive to it. Erik feared the vicious, harsh moves that she wanted hurt her badly and caused her to fear him again. It had taken Erik months to slowly ease Rogue out of being afraid of him. They had such a troubled past and he wondered how often she thought of being strapped in the machine with him leaning over her. Not for the first time did he wished he had been kinder to her then. Not for the first time did he wish he had powered the machine himself just to spare her the pain.

Erik had difficulty seeing how Marie could enjoy the things they did in the bedroom. He thought for sure that when he dominated her, he must be fearsome to her. He was sure it must bring back unpleasant memories for Rogue. But she never complained, nay she seemed to enjoy it the harder he was to her. She surrendered herself with such grace to his every whim, whimpering and smiling all the way. The bolder he was with her, the happier she seemed cowering before him, following his orders to the letter. She came loudest when he hurt her, just a bit. And Erik surprised himself by enjoying the liberties he could take with her.

Erik had always been a gentle lover. Outside the bedroom he found necessity to be harsh, at times cruel, because the world was at times harsh and cruel. But in the bedroom that side of him had never appeared. It wasn't really him. It was a persona he had to assume. If he admitted it to himself, it gave him a malicious pleasure to have power over others. That stemmed from the experience of being a holocaust victim. It stemmed from being so powerless, so helpless, and unable to save his people, his family, and himself. Although as Magneto he lusted for power, as Erik, as a man, as a lover, he had never lusted for it before. His need for power was a part of Magneto, not Erik. And his craving for power had never ranged into the bedroom. Erik was never the one seeking control or authority. Erik liked being equals in the bedroom. But Magneto understood this bold new world and found a strange heady thrill in it.

And now… now, he would have to extend this façade of Magneto's authority over the person Erik loved most: Marie. He'd yelled at her before, he'd been harsh, he'd grown angry at her. But he had never had to punish her before this cruelly. He had never been this irate at her either. But that was because she had never done anything this bad before. He knew just what she had done and he couldn't let it go. He would have to teach her a lesson she would never forget.

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Magneto and Rogue:

As Rogue lay bound by the metal restraints to the bed post she was beset by nervous tension. It was agonizing to lie there, unable to shift to make oneself comfortable and wait for an undefined, indeterminable amount of time. She had no idea what he meant by this or what he intended to do with her. Rogue wondered if he would come back at all or if he would just leave her there. When she tried to move the metal made a pleasant scraping sound against each other as iron rubbed on steel. She enjoyed tugging on her chains to feel the limit of her reach. She could not sit up.

She was completely naked as that was how they generally slept together. So as she lay there unable to move, she was also unable to hide her nakedness. It was very a very strange feeling for Rogue who was so used to wearing layer upon layer of clothing to be so naked and sprawled out with no way of covering herself. It was slightly humiliating, slightly liberating and slightly nerve-wracking. Rogue was scared some one other than Magneto would come through the door. Someone like Pyro or the others and she would be accidentally found out again. But she should have known that after their last interruption, Magneto had gotten much more diligent at closing and bolting doors.

Rogue knew someone had entered the room when she heard the door slam shut. She strained to raise her head as her heart beat wildly. There in front of the door was Magneto in all his wrathful glory, looking cruelly handsome in his crimson shirt and black chinos. He had his metallic gray cape resting over one shoulder and his face held a heartless glower. Rogue tried to pull her eyes away from his well-defined pectoral muscles and toned chest that were clearly delineated through the thin silky fabric. She could make out the shift of his strong biceps as he walked closer to her. Her gaze stopped when she saw he was wearing the black leather gloves on his hands. She heard the loud 'clat-clat' of his knee-high black leather metal-soled military boots on the stainless steal floor.

"Like what you see?" His white gray hair was perfectly coiffed and combed and it glistened in the light of the fire. She felt her body respond to the sight of him as it always did and her desire to feel him deep inside her roared in her ears. Her eyes were bright with desire when she looked at him.

"You won't be seeing anything for a while, Marie." And with that he produced a black handkerchief from his pocket and tied it around her head, blocking the vision from her eyes.

"If it's too much just say my name and I will set you free." And she knew the name he meant was the one only she used. No one else called him Erik, as he wasn't Erik anymore. He was Magneto and he was waging his war against humanity. This wasn't Erik, her dear sweet Erik. This was Magneto. This was a man tormented by demons from his past. This was the Magneto from Liberty Island. This was a man whose people were being slaughtered. He was ruthless and cruel, condemning and judgmental. And now he was passing judgment on her for what she had done.

"Did you think I wouldn't find out? Did you think you could keep a secret from me?" His voice was cold but his black gloved hands were warm as he finished tying the handkerchief around her head. Rogue could smell his Drakkar Noir cologne on the black silk fabric. The very smell drove her into a near frenzy. She wanted him badly in that moment. The more he scared her the more she responded with need to him. Magneto's fingers lingered in her hair, enjoying the silky tresses, running them through his gloved fingers several times. Then with the back of his index finger he caressed the line of her jaw. His touch was kind and gentle but possessing considering the circumstances. All Marie could do was lie there as his hands traveled down her white creamy shoulders to her bosom. The warm leather massaged her nipples, pinching and circling them until they stood at attention for him. Then he massaged her breasts with his large hands letting her feel his delicate touch before becoming more insistent. He slapped her breasts lightly and continued playing with her raised nipples.

Under the black cover of the handkerchief Rogue reveled in the strange feelings her submission produced in her. She felt oddly absent in the proceedings. Even as she was under his care she had no active role and enjoyed the feeling of not having to make any decisions. Here in this bedroom, Magneto decided what to do and when to do it. She did not have to think. She just had to be. This was relaxing and objectifying at the same time, a release and a challenge.

"I know all about how you fouled up your second mission, how you broke down and were unable to do your duty. Now the chance of getting the vaccine into the water supplies is exponentially tougher. I can't let this go unpunished you understand."

A chill ran up Rogue's spine when he paid her attention like this. When he was affectionate but frightening and his black gloved hands stroked down her stomach, one of his fingers drawing teasing circles in and out of her belly button as his other hand found her womanhood. She was already quite wet for him and he had barely begun the evening. Magneto frowned in disappointment although the move was lost on Rogue.

"Tsk, tsk my dear. It's a bit early to be this ready. You're not going to be satisfied that easily." He withdrew his hands from her and moved them lower. He began to do something to her feet and Rogue tried to kick his hands away because it hurt, but she found she was securely restrained there as well. The pain was strange, annoying, but light and it took Rogue a moment to figure out he was tickling her and she hated to be tickled.

"If you are unable to perform your missions for the Brotherhood, you will be nothing more than a liability to us Rogue. You will be useless and unwanted. I'll be forced to make you leave and you'll be out on your own again."

He continued to tickle her and Rogue hated the sharp way her nerves responded to the delicate torture. Finally, when she could stand it no longer she screamed for him to stop and he did. Rogue felt the metal restraints drop from her ankles and she bent her knees a few times loosening the tension in them.

"You've let me down Rogue failing to complete that last mission. You've hurt the Brotherhood and now I will have to punish you for it." As he spoke to her Rogue heard the sounds of metal clicking into place. He had released the metal cuffs from the bed post but they still hung around her wrists.

"On your hands and knees." Wordlessly Rogue complied as his tone brooked no argument. She was crouching on her knees as he stared at her perfectly round butt. Her skin was fair and unblemished and he watched at she tried to rub her thighs together to alleviate the itch of desire between her legs. She couldn't relieve herself in that way and Magneto grew angry at her efforts to control her orgasms herself.

"No Rogue! You belong to me now. You're mine to do with as I see fit. From now on you come only when I say. You'll do only what I want you to do. You'll go on the missions I tell you to go on. And you'll kill when I tell you to kill. " With a wave of his hand a metal flat-backed hair brush that rogue used when staying the night in his room flew to his hand. He smacked her on the ass three times repeatedly and Rogue reveled in the feeling of her blood rising to the surface with a tingle, rising to meet each of his strokes.

It gave Erik a sick thrill to be able to hurt her, so powerful a mutant. It made Magneto feel powerful and dominant, something the cure had stolen from him. It healed him to control her; to see her powerless beneath him. This was Magneto's chance to conquer not only her deadly skin which had nearly been his undoing but several other things she represented. She was one of his failures and this was his revenge. She had been an X-Man, the bane of some many of his well-laid plans. And she was his weakness, his love, and he would not let that love control him.

Rogue fought back the urge to struggle against him. She felt safe under his strokes even as he caused her pain. Instinctively she trusted him never to hit too hard, never to hurt her more than she wanted to be hurt. She lived for the release. For that feeling right after the pain stopped but her nerves were still on fire and her body felt that sudden relief. It was an intense, irreverent feeling. A secret forbidden pleasure she could not resist.

"You're mine Rogue." He spanked her with his gloved hand on her right buttock, then her left. She felt her heart racing and all her muscles aflame as though she had just run a race on the tread mill. She was relaxed and awakened, nervous and comfortable; it was a heady intoxicating feeling that excited her greatly. She loved the way her whole body came alive in fear. Like no other activity did she fine this level of intense concentration required that willed her to give her all and to focus so much of her whole consciousness on it.

"You will be better off this way Rogue. Away from those silly X-Men and their silly illusions of peace and tolerance." He stopped hitting her and used his power to reshape the metal from her hair brush into and long, thin strip. Using his power he rubbed her between her legs with it. The metal stroked her, its movements flicking her inner lips open and rubbing her right at her center. She came quickly as the fear had turned her on with unprecedented speed.

He stopped after her first climax and denied her anymore. Instead he used his power to levitate her off her hands and lock her metal cuffs above her head.

"Stand up." She got off the bed and stood a few feet away from it, her hands still locked above her head.

Magneto stood behind her, his body only a few inches away from hers and Rogue could hear his heartbeat and feel the heat of his passion. He leaned down so that his mouth was against her ear and she could feel his breath against it. Rogue could feel his indecision, his own question about how best to proceed. Secretly, she wanted to feel a cool breeze around her ankles, telling her he'd walked away and ended this charade. She was afraid of this dark realm which yawned ahead. Marie had no idea where she was going. She was lost in a breathless moment of sitting on that fence, not knowing...not knowing. A moment still and silent in her memory, even days later.

Then she heard his whisper, close against her ear, close enough to hear his possession of her sexuality, her strength, her self.

"I am going to teach you this lesson once and for all."

She felt her whole body come alive in fear, every nerve on end. She had no idea what he planned to do to punish her. She could tell he was using his mutation to levitate her by the metal wrist cuffs across the room. Patterns of shifting light danced in front of her eyes, still blinded by the handkerchief. Her naked skin grew hotter and hotter as he moved her forward. He was taking her closer to the blazing fire.

"You belong to me now Rogue. To the Brotherhood. You're one of us. You can never go back to the X-Men." The heat raged against her body as he brought her closer still. The fire's heat felt lightning hot against her skin and she began to sweat furiously.

There was no initiation ritual to enter the Brotherhood, no rite of passage, no form to sign on the dotted line. The only criterion was to be a mutant, and then you were a Brother. But Marie wanted more than that.

"You're mine Marie? Do you hear me, mine?" He pushed her even closer to the fire using both his power and pressure on her back from the metal toe of his boot. The fire blazed closer and closer to her flushed pink skin. She had no idea of knowing how close she was to it.

She belonged to him now and it was nice to belong somewhere. She hadn't belonged in Mississippi with her fair-weather parents and her happy human home. She hadn't belonged with the do-good X-Men for whom she was only a liability. Logan had been like home. But only like. There were parts of her soul Logan could never see and never understand. Maybe it was because Logan had his own problems to deal with. Or maybe it was because Logan's emotional hang-ups were lost when he lost his memory. But to Marie, there were parts of herself, of her struggle with her mutation, of her struggle to find control over her life that Logan would never understand and she could never tell him.

What would he say if he saw her now, working for the Brotherhood? If he knew she had killed for the Brotherhood. No, not for the Brotherhood. For Magneto. For the man she loved. Even if loving him was suicide. Magneto and the brotherhood felt like home. Here they did not balk against touching her. Here they did not cower in fear. Here they helped to release her potential. Here they did not cover up the unpleasant aspects of the world with rose colored glasses and the Professor's vaunted ethics. Here the ugliness of life was on bare display and with it came the strength and courage to survive and prosper in a world that had never wanted her to fail.

"Can you ever go back to the X-men?" He asked as she was moved closer still to the flames. It was so hot she could barely stand it now. Slowly, he used his mutation to push her down onto her knees in front of the fire. She grew afraid he would take this too far.

"Well can you Rogue?" He sounded so angry and she wondered if he wanted to hurt her, burn her in the flames. She was so close now. She felt if he moved her just one more inch she would be in the fire.

"Can you?" This he shouted at her. And the sound of his terrifying voice snapped her out of her fear induced silence.

"No! No!" She yelled begging him to stop this torture. It was so hot this close to the flames Rogue felt sure her skin must be burning.

"No, you can never go back." He moved her back away then. And Rogue reveled in relative coolness of the rest of the room. She was levitated back to the bed where he restrained her again. This time her legs were parted wantonly, spread wide and she was open for him. She felt helpless as he ran a gloved finger up her leg slowly. She was without barriers and she could only submit to whatever whim he had.

"Thank you." She whispered so quietly she wasn't sure he heard her.

"Trust me dear you'll be better off this way." She heard rattling as Magneto removed an ice cube from a bucket he had prepared.

"Who do you follow now Rogue?" She first felt the cold wetness as he swiped the ice cube across her red supple lips. An involuntary 'burr' came from her mouth before she spoke, knowing the answer he wanted.

"I follow you." Then, she felt the ice cube run across her nipples and down over her stomach to the nub of her being. It's icy pain slowly rubbing over the folds of her nether regions to peek into her, the ice cube melting quickly as he inserted it inside her. Her legs kicked out against the sensation but he restrained them so she could not move.

"Who?" He asked again.

"Magneto. I follow Magneto." She said as he watched her. Magneto gloried in watching her squirm helpless beneath his touch.

Calling on his powers, he found metal from his bedpost and formed it into a tiny ball. Levitating the tiny steel ball, he brushed it against the warm skin of Marie's stomach and brought it to her wet folds. He flicked the ball across her back and forth and the metal warmed quickly against her skin. Magneto was able to control the ball with remarkable precision. It made delicate flicks across her folds one minute and hard penetrating circles the next. Rogue loved every second and gasped as the ball moved faster and faster across her wet desirous skin. Magneto caused the ball to move extremely fast making all sorts of patterns against her and Marie felt herself build to a nexus.

Erik watched her closely, watched how she arched into the caresses, and how her breathing quickened. She came so easily, so he would deny her that. Just as he knew she could take no more he pulled the metal ball back to his hand. Rogue tried to shift on the bed to finish the job herself, but the restraints prevented it. She whimpered and whined and Magneto waited several minutes before repeating the process. Bringing her to near orgasm again and denying her at the last possible second. It was exquisite torture not only for Rogue, but for Magneto to watch. When she bit her lower lip in frustration he nearly lost his control and took her right then.

But he resisted and pulled back again. As her whining grew incessant and pained he unleashed her from her metal restraints and let her relax for a few seconds. He removed the handkerchief from her head and their eyes met for the second time that evening. Then with graceful movements he shed his cape and draped it over her naked form.

"Don't resist." He warns her and he can contain himself no longer. His lips find hers in a greedy, insistent movement. His tongue meets her and circles it as his lips pucker over hers and his hands reach out to clasp hers as he lies on top of her naked form covered by the cape. His fingers slide through hers as he lets his magnetic shield down allowing her mutation to kick in. She tries to stop it, but remembers his warning.

His life force meets her own and his memories flood into her. Her lips and hands feel like they are burning and her whole body hurts down to her toes. She realizes after a second that it is not her body in pain, but his feelings of pain she is feeling. She stops the pull then and he slowly pulls back from her gasping. He sits up to catch his breath as Rogue feels the high that using her mutation always causes. She almost enjoys it when she absorbs someone whose memories interest her.

She searches through his recent memories and feelings with eager interest. One of Erik's thoughts stands out above all others: _how I am I ever going to wear that cape into battle again after seeing her sprawled naked underneath it_. She giggles unrepentantly as the metal hums around her. She can feel each piece in the room and its composition and approximate density as one would hear different instruments in a symphony playing different cords. Her mind focuses on piece of metal specifically. It is Erik's belt buckle and she clumsily uses her temporary power to slide it open. The steel buttons on his crimson shirt are next. She hasn't had much practice with manipulating metal and it is hard to move them, but she refuses to be dismayed.

He's regained his strength by the time she is slipping his shirt off his shoulders to reveal his toned chest. He laughs as she fumbles trying to open the metal buckles on his boots. He does not offer to help as he knows she enjoys using his power almost as much as he does. Instead he patiently waits an amused grin on his face as she tries to slide his chinos off him using the coins in one pocket.

In a few short minutes they are both naked and Erik leans down to kiss her again his shield back in place allowing him to take his time and kiss her properly. She's ready but impatient for him and her hips rub up against him as her legs wrap around his back. His erection is as hard as metal against her and she moves her hand to guide him but he reaches out and stops her.

"No Rogue. I have a better idea." He uses his mutation to find the metal restraints still around her ankles and pulls her legs up in front of him. Using metal from the canopy of his bed he creates two metal chains that latch onto the ankles and raise her legs spread wide into the air.

From this angle he bends down to kiss her thighs and her wet hot core, until she is whimpering again and making loud moans into the bedspread. He raises himself onto his knees and she is at a perfect angle for him. He enters her exceedingly slowly and she moans his name into the comforters. As he moves in and out of her, his hands hold her hips and he rocks her back and forth. She comes with a choked back scream barely able to contain herself as his gentle strokes become quickening slams. He varies his rhythms for several minutes between slow presses and quick sheaths as he rocks her back and forth in time. She loses count of the number of times she comes and her mind ceases to think. She forgets the world around her until she feels his hands squeeze her hips tightly and she hears him moan 'Marie' with a deep vibrating growl as he spills himself within her.

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"Can't stand?" He asked her as he saw her knees buckle and her legs wobble as through they were made of Jell-o when she tried to get off the bed to clean up.

"Was it that good?" She shook her head yes and collapsed back into the covers of the bed. "Marie?"

"Yes, yes Erik. It was…Thank you," was all she could get out with her breath still heaving in her chest. He hands her some tissues. They have made quite the mess on his cape; she got very wet near the end. Erik wonders how he will ever explain that stain to the dry cleaner.

"Was that what you had in mind?" He asks her as he moves about the room putting his clothes away and extinguishing the fire for the night.

"It was better. Wow, Erik. That's all I can say is 'Wow!'" He laughed heartily at her enthusiasm.

"It certainly was different. I think we could do that every so often if that's what you want." He looks at her face, her beaming smile the only answer he needs.

"Will you be ready to go on your second mission tomorrow?" He asked, climbing in beside her.

"Yeah." Rogue had needed this to calm herself down after her near-mishap during her first mission. This play had helped to prepare her, it had helped to scare her out of her anxiety and it had been so hot. Her hips still quivered with the memory of him inside her. Rogue slept very well that night and awoke in a very good mood. There was a skip in her step as she set out to Philadelphia to continue her work for the Brotherhood.

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**Notes:** Looking for more quality smut? Check out **KumaDaPuma**'s latest story: **Threesome**. It's a fan fiction loosely based on Healing. How cool is that? The phrase "hard as metal" was patented by **KumaDaPuma**, from her story Threesome. You need to check it out, it has more Erik smut of which I know you are all fans.

Let me know if I can write decent BDSM smut. I'm new. Was it strange but not sexy? Or did I get the dynamic right? Will someone make a submissive out of me yet? Or am I too dominant? Let me know.

One good smut deserves another. Write some good smut yourself. It's so fun.

Congratulations to **Aficionado** for being my 100th reviewer! You win a prize! It's not anything too exciting. But if you give me you're email you get one free suggestion that I'll try to add into the story. So figure what you want to see the most.

Thank you **XChocolateChipX**. You're encouragement got me to finish this chapter quicker. I hope you enjoy.

Thank you KumaDaPuma for the editing of this chapter. So many of it's concepts are your beautiful intuitive ideas such as the dual personality of Magneto/Erik. I can't take credit for that.

Writing this chapter was a disaster. It was so hard. It was like pulling teeth and I'm not gonna lie, but I actually lost part of a filling during its writing. The whole thing was painfully hard. I wrote almost every paragraph separately and then tried to cut and paste them together. I'm not sure there's one original idea in the entire chapter I think I garnered them all from my prolific research. If I stole something you came up with first I apologize and humbly ask forgiveness.

**Preview:** You're favorite X-Men are making a reappearance very soon. Mystique and Rogue's battle for Erik takes a strange and erotic twist. Much hilarity ensues.


	22. Chapter 22: Black Nike Sports Bra

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Eventual Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – sexual situations (comic smut), violence (hot girl on girl), swearing – yeah we've got all that  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. I don't own these characters. I do own a Magneto action figure though.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

**Dedication:** To **Evilerk** for suggesting one of the best scenes in this chapter. He's responsible for the oral sex scene between Erik and Marie. You had better thank him for it; he came up with the idea in the first place.

**Warning:** More **Graphic Sex**. New and different graphic sex, because y'all can't get enough.

**Notes:** There's so much shameless, plotless smut in this chapter I feel a little guilty. Enjoy.

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Black Nike Sports Bra**

Rogue, Mystique, Juggarnaut, Pyro, and Magneto:

The breaking point came when she insulted the South. It was one thing when Erik insulted her Southern Heritage, mocking her goodheartedly. But it was quite another when Mystique put the South down during one of their rigorous training sessions. No red-blooded Southerner would stand idly by as some uncouth Northerner degraded the South's glorious history and culture.

Rogue had been back from her series of missions to distribute the vaccine for the Cure for only a few days when she began to train for her next mission. It had taken over a month to get the vaccine out to the many cities on her tour. Rogue had never been to most of them before and she lamented the fact she was only able to stay for a night in each city. And then only while there were war zones and all the attractions were closed. When she had gotten back to the Brotherhood's base in Maine she had been eager to see Erik. However, he had gone on a business trip with Professor Kojak and was expected back momentarily. Meanwhile, Rogue occupied her time training, hanging out with Pyro, and helping Catalyst to send large shipments of the vaccine disguised as Kool-Aid to the Brotherhood's branches.

Rogue had been sparring with Mystique in the gym as Pyro took on Juggarnaut. Rogue's roundhouse kick had missed Mystique's face by only a few inches when she started taunting the younger woman.

"Your kicks are slower than my grandmothers. Come on, is that the best you got?" Mystique said gesturing with her hands in a 'come here' motion. Rogue was growing tired, they had been at it for almost an hour, and she took the bait. She lunged at Mystique, meaning to take her off balance by faking low. Mystique didn't fall for it and dodged Rogue with her usual uncanny grace.

"I know you Southerner's take life slow, but if you get any slower I'm going to sit this one out." Mystique turned her back on Rogue and started to walk away.

Rogue was sick of taking the blue woman's abuse. She had never been friendly to Rogue, but since she began to sleep with Magneto, Mystique had been openly hostile. She had gone after Rogue in training several times before, and Rogue's patience was growing thin. She launched herself at the blue woman's retreating back, but Mystique heard her coming and moved to the side. Rogue fell face first against the padded mats of the gym's dueling area. Mystique chuckled lightly to herself and Juggarnaut and Pyro stopped their match to see what was going on between the two women.

Rogue felt herself snap and it was much the same feeling as when she confronted Bobby at Xavier's. She was sick of this, she was fed up, and at this point she didn't care what happened. She was going to get this out in the open. From her position prone on the mat, she slammed her fist down and screamed in frustration, leaping to her feet.

"Fine you want a fight bitch? You got a fight." Rogue made the motion of wiping her hands off as Mystique turned around. Unbeknownst to the two women, Magneto had returned from his trip and entered the gym at that moment. Juggarnaut and Pyro looked on in eager interest.

"You can't be serious? I'm twice as good as you. You don't stand a chance," her blue hand on her hip as she looked Rogue up and down and found her lacking. Rogue was about four inches shorter than Mystique and had less than half the experience.

"We'll see about that." Rogue made a show of taking her sweatshirt off and throwing it off to the side. She stripped off her t-shirt, and was left standing only in her black Nike sports bra. She removed her sneakers and took off her sweat pants, so only her Fruit-of-the-Loom underwear was left to protect her modesty. She would fight in just her sports bra and her underwear, freeing as much of her deadly skin as possible. If Mystique landed a blow against Rogue, her mutation would drain her.

Mystique always fought in the nude. She did everything in the nude, so she scoffed out loud at Rogue's display of skin. However, internally she was a little scared. She had seen what that skin could do and was not in the mood to be left unconscious.

Juggarnaut removed his helmet to get a clean, unimpaired view of the action. The very thought of two basically nude women fighting had struck him dumb and he stared with his mouth wide open waiting for them to go at it.

Erik walked farther into the gym when he noticed the growing situation between Marie and Raven. He had worried about something like this happening but he had mistakenly believed they were too mature for this sort of behavior. However, if they weren't too mature to fight over him, who was he to ruin such a wondrous display. He stood next to Pyro to watch the fight, careful not to draw attention to himself and disturb them.

Erik licked his lips as Rogue shook off her T-shirt to reveal her black Nike sports bra. She was ten years younger than Mystique, but her breasts were rounder and fuller. _What? The two women were standing nude in front of him. You can't blame him for comparing the goods._

Pyro dropped his beloved Zippo lighter as he saw Rogue standing in just her underwear. She had always been so self-conscious of her mutation at the institute that Pyro had never even seen her wear a sleeveless shirt there. Even now that she was able to control her skin, she never wore anything revealing as it was cold as hell in Maine year round. For the first time Pyro saw how much of a woman his dear friend Rogue really was. Her round little ass and hourglass figure had Pyro hot and bothered before he could stop himself. It was bad enough seeing all of Mystique's curves right in front of his eyes on a day-to-day basis. Now he had to watch as Rogue's full boobs bounced up and down while she taunted Mystique.

Erik caught the way Pyro was eyeing his Marie and he called him on it.

"Watch yourself, John. She's mine." Pyro looked up at his fearless leader in shock. Magneto never called him John. Erik looked even more shocked at the words that had come out of his mouth. He had said that without thinking.

"He's only with you because I won't take him back." Mystique told Rogue, her eyes fixed on her. Neither woman noticed the crowd they were drawing as they studied each other waiting for who would attack first.

Pyro gave a low whistle but Magneto's angry glare shut him up quick.

"Oh, really? I don't think so. I'm the younger, improved version." Rogue hurled at Mystique. "And I'm better in bed too." That caught the shape-shifting mutant in a soft spot.

"You couldn't be! I'm the ultimate at role-playing." Mystique answered.

Pyro imagined in a flash all the women he would have Mystique pretend to be: Halle Barry, Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Johnny Depp (how had that slipped in there?) and maybe even Brad Pitt. His erection stiffened under his basketball shorts. He eyed Magneto out of the corner of his eye. He was growing jealous of the older gentleman quickly.

"Ever let him tie you up?" Rogue said a smile creeping on her face, feeling confident as she tried to plan out her first move.

"What? No." Mystique looked confused.

Juggarnaut started to drool imagining Rogue and then Mystique tied up during sex. Pyro looked up at Magneto.

"You like to tie her up? Damn, man. You got game." Pyro said with a thick fake ghetto accent. Magneto refused to dignify that with a comment but he smiled to himself remembering all the fun he had tying Rogue to the bedpost. He smiled despite himself, a crooked smirk on his face, and Pyro laughed beside him.

"Face it. He's mine now and there's nothing you can do." Rogue said standing up straight, her confidence building with each moment.

"Don't be so sure. Just wait till I'm through with you and see how he likes you when you can't walk. He dumped Charles because of that." Mystique did, indeed, look scary as she cracked her knuckles in preparation for cracking Rogue's neck.

Juggarnaut's eyes moved between Mystique's blue breasts and Rogue's rounder C-cup breasts bouncing in her Nike sports bra. Pyro jumped back from Magneto's side. "You dated Professor Xavier?" He said, as though such a thing was unspeakable. Magneto turned to him, a blank look on his face, indicating such behavior was juvenile.

"It was a long time ago. Before our different ideologies drew us apart."

"Wow." Pyro's jaw hung open. This was a day to remember.

"I got Erik's memories in my head and that ain't how it happened. Not that he would tell you about his past. He was just using you for sex." Rogue threw back what Mystique had thrown at her moments ago.

"That's all you are to him too. He's using you Rogue." Mystique said her steps light and quick as she circled Marie.

"I know his thoughts and I can assure you I mean more to him than you ever did." Mystique glared at Rogue. "Yes, even after you met him at the Lincoln Memorial that one time." She used her secret weapon against the shape-shifter.

Rogue had hit on Mystique's fondest memory and the blue woman could not contain her rage as she leaped at Rogue and drew up short. Rogue moved quickly and evaded her blow.

"Not so slow, am I now?" Rogue laughed at her as she recovered and continued circling her.

Juggarnaut's drool was forming a large puddle on the gym mats. Pyro's eyes shot back and forth between Mystique, Rogue, and Magneto. His lust for the two women was undeniable as they began their naughty, naughty catfight. But it was tempered by a growing respect for Magneto for banging both ladies.

"You have got to teach me how you got them both." Pyro said whispering to Magneto, who looked shocked to be addressed so. Pyro held his hand out, palm up, looking for a hand-shake. "You are way more than the Master of Magnetism. You are the Master Pimp."

Erik looked at Pyro's hand and was horrified at the lowly activities he was alluding to. Meanwhile, he fantasized about Mystique and Rogue fighting it out on top of his king sized bed as he watched them. They would be all over each other and then they would stop and motion towards him, inviting him to join them on the bed…

Erik stopped his train of thought and snapped out of it before his arousal could become visible.

"Really Pyro? Learn some manners." He said stiffly as he tried to think about engineering projects and ideas he had for improving the electricity generator on the island. He tried to think of anything to get his mind off of Mystique's blue body against Rogue's cream-colored one.

Rogue was circling Mystique, trying to guess where her next blow would come from when Mystique attacked her. Not only did Mystique have a height advantage she was unbelievably flexible and an expert in unarmed combat. Her lunge caught Rogue and the two women hurtled to the mats, falling hard against each other. Their bodies rubbing against each other as they rolled several times till Mystique was thrown clear. Mystique managed to knock the wind out of Marie, but not before her mutation drained Mystique of much of her energy. She was gasping for air as Rogue stood up.

Juggarnaut could do little more than say out loud, unaware of himself: "Oh, fuck, that's hot."

Pyro watched Magneto take several gulps of air as his upright posture faltered and his attraction became visible. Pyro laughed as his boss lost control of himself. He would dream about Mystique and Rogue together later, after he stopped laughing at Magneto's reaction.

Erik wanted to stop them. He wanted to tell them this was foolish, childish, and stupid but he couldn't pull his eyes away as their lithe bodies rubbed against each other and their breasts rubbed together. Rogue's right leg was caught between Mystique's long blue legs and Magneto came close to wetting himself at the very idea of the two women touching _there_. Mystique was thrown clear of Rogue and Erik tried to relax his breathing but couldn't do it. He felt the metal pen in his pocket and he bent it sharply with his mind trying to relieve his frustration.

Rogue came around behind Mystique and tried to catch her in a sleeper hold, but Mystique shot around and swept her foot at Rogue's knees. Rogue fell back to the mats landing on her butt, as Mystique tried to hit her quickly in the neck. Rogue caught Mystique's blow, deflecting it with her lower left forearm and drained the shape shifter more before she was able to extricate her hand.

Mystique was winded and exhausted as she got up from the mats, determined to strike Rogue so swiftly the next time her mutation would not be able to kick in. Rogue rose to her feet afterward, assuming a defensive position, waiting for her to make her next mistake.

"Erik, you're back." Mystique noticed him standing to the side with Pyro wearing his sexy red dress shirt. Rogue turned to see him as Mystique punched her in the stomach. Rogue backed away clutching her abdomen. Mystique executed a hurricane kick and dropped Rogue to the floor.

"Marie!" Erik called out worried about her, before he could contain himself. He wanted to go to her and make sure she was okay.

Pyro could barely contain his excitement, watching the scene play out. "I woulda chosen the shape shifter if I was you. That's so fucking hot." Juggarnaut's jaw had finally hit the floor and if anyone had made an attempt to communicate with him he would have been unable to respond intelligently.

Rogue just managed to roll out of the way of Mystique's next attack. She got to her feet as her opponent landed an elbow blow to the breast area. The black Nike sports bra protected Mystique from Rogue's mutation.

"Wow, your women fight dirty." Pyro said to Magneto who was lost in the fight. Erik imagined Mystique gently caressing Rogue's breasts rather than hitting it. He had trouble stopping his vivid imagination from continuing the thought. He saw Marie's pained expression and his stomach turned weak. He prayed she was okay.

It was several moments before Rogue could feel the throbbing in her chest. She hoped Mystique had not managed to break a rib. Rising to her feet again she felt that renewed sense of frustration with her tall, red headed opponent. Erik was watching them, Rogue was in pain, and Mystique was beginning to really piss her off. Rogue began to worry about who would win the contest. Mystique was the better fighter, if Rogue's skin could not deter her, she had no hope. Without thinking, her hand shot out.

"Dodge this you crayon blue bitch." And Rogue extended her skin's life force-draining power out to target Mystique, who dropped to the floor instantly, rendered unconscious by Rogue's formidable power.

Juggarnaut's huge fist punched into the air: "Yeah skin girl"

Pyro watched in amazement as Mystique fell to the mats helplessly. He looked at Magneto who seemed just as taken aback as him. "How did she do that?"

"I don't know." He said, his voice breaking on the three words. He was so stunned he sounded like a different person to John.

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Rogue:

In that way, Rogue learned she could extend her deadly skin's suction outward and drop any enemy before they laid a hand on her. With Magneto's patient help and a large supply of Catalyst's lab rats, Rogue learned to perfect her ability to extend her powers farther and farther and to control the amount they drained. Soon, she felt confident she could drop several enemies from more than ten meters away. Each day she worked on limiting the range, extending the range, and focusing the intensity so that she could be a better combatant.

Mystique recovered several hours after their fight ended. Other than wounded pride, she was uninjured and healed from a few sore muscles very quickly. Rogue's pride swelled every time she passed the redheaded, blue-skinned woman in the corridors of the Brotherhood's headquarters. For once in Rogue's life she felt like she could defend herself. Rogue was thrilled that her mutation had some long range capacity and she would now stand a chance in the battles that inevitably came with being a mutant. She thought back to all the Danger Room scenarios when she had had to stick close to Bobby or someone else and hope they could protect her.

As her abilities grew and she could drain more and more enemies with her mutation, Rogue knew she would never be called a liability again. From now on, Rogue was one of the most powerful mutants on the battlefield. It was so vindicating to finally be able to hold her own. Magneto had not lied to her when he told her she could be even more powerful than Jean Grey or the Phoenix ever was. Marie was so excited by her newfound abilities she ignored the problems that followed in the wake of them.

Begrudgingly, Rogue was forced to see that there had been some logic behind the Professor's suppressing her mutation to the unconscious level. She was used to dealing with the memories of the half a dozen people she had absorbed already. Logan, Erik, and her late boyfriend David were the only ones that had a strong presence in her mind. And despite the accompanying problems that came with having the accumulated experiences of several other people in your head, Rogue was able to sort them out and keep them contained to an extent they only bothered her occasionally. However, with the advent of her ability to project her mutation and the powerful uses such a skill might have, Rogue was going to be absorbing a lot more people soon. Although, Rogue's gift to incapacitate others was almost unbeatable in battle, the experience of using could cause Rogue as much harm as her enemies.

The more targets she drained the more memories, thoughts, and even physical characteristics she would absorb all at once. The rush was so quick she would grow dizzy and often faint as the foreign thoughts invaded her mind. Afterward, it would take hours for her to recuperate mentally. For the next couple of days she would be plagued by the disjoint thoughts and memories that weren't her own.

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Magneto:

When Erik caught her eating a slice of pizza with anchovies on it, he began to worry. Rogue hated anchovies; she liked pineapple and ham pizza. He remembered seeing a left over slice of her favorite kind in the freezer. Why was she eating the anchovies slice?

"Marie," He tapped her shoulder lightly. He spoke gently to her knowing she hadn't been feeling well after her latest use of her powers. "Did you absorb Juggarnaut recently?" Magneto had seen the humongous mutant eat two entire pizzas with anchovies in one sitting on one of Domino's 2 for Tuesday nights when Mystique had picked up a dozen pies for the Brotherhood.

Rogue had looked up from slice, a bite in her mouth, the tiny fin of the anchovy sticking out of her mouth as though she had no idea what he was talking about. Her voice was unnaturally deep and had a faint cockney accent when she replied.

"Buzz off. I'm just trying to eat here." She continued to devour the pizza lost in the mind set of the man known as Juggarnaut. Erik watched her, his brow furrowed in concern. As Magneto he was happy to make use of Rogue's astonishing abilities to help the Brotherhood's cause. But as Erik, he could not stand to see her slowly tumble into madness by their use.

He had to do something to help her. Erik tried to reason out the situation in his mind. He believed there must be someway to block her absorption of her targets memories while she was still draining their life force. Perhaps she could expel the life force she collected from them some how. He felt completely out his league trying to deduce the metaphysics of Rogue's mutation. He was the Master of Magnetism; he was the Supreme Commander of the Brotherhood of Mutants; he had a degree in engineering from Columbia University. If Rogue's problem had been one of physical needs, there was nothing he could not design to help her. He had the vast resources of the Brotherhood behind him and he wouldn't hesitate to use them fully if it could bring her some relief.

With that in mind, he had asked Professor Kojak to meet with Rogue and see if there was anything she could do for the girl. Professor Kojak was a telepath, but only a class 2 mutant. She was adept at the pausing and manipulation of time, but her telepath and telekinesis skills were modest at best. She looked into Rogue's mind with her permission, but reported only negative findings back to Erik.

"She's got too many memories as it is up there. If she absorbs anymore her mind may not be able to hold them all and she could start to lose some in the overflow. She might even lose her own memories as they make way for her target's." The Professor told him.

"Is there anything you can do to help sort through them? Could you block away or remove some?" He asked; his hands clutched together on top of his desk. He rubbed them aimlessly back and forth as he looked up at Kojak, his eyes betraying his deep concern for Marie.

"I'm not that strong a telepath. Charles Xavier would have been better at this sort of thing. I can read thoughts, but I don't know the first thing about manipulating people's minds and implanting thoughts or changing memory patterns. If only he was here. He was badass at that kind of thing."

"Yes, Charles was the expert in those fields." Erik said, eyeing the pile of Marie's CDs that sat by his Bose Stereo. He had trouble remembering his study before her presence lightened it.

"Maybe he kept some record of what he did to help Rogue the first time. If I knew what he did to help her I might be able to duplicate it." Professor Kojak recommended. Erik's head snapped up at her suggestion. Charles had always been thorough to the point of being obsessive compulsive. He certainly would have kept records of his work with the mutant children at his institute. Erik knew what he had to do to help Marie and Magneto would do it no matter what opposition stood in his way.

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Magneto and Rogue:

Erik had been giving Rogue some space as she took the time to learn how to use her mutations new abilities and sort through the strange feelings they gave her. They hadn't had sex in a week. Marie was hornier than a unicorn when she entered Magneto's study on Friday morning.

After absorbing some of Magneto's essence during their ardent love-making she knew that her worries about Erik cheating on her with Professor Kojak were totally unfounded. She even managed to gain some understanding of why he had been so cold to her lately, but she hadn't gotten enough of his thoughts to be completely clear. She knew he was doing it on purpose and that he had some reason for it other than tiring of her but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. His memories told her that he had some sort of feelings for her though Rogue couldn't say for sure what or how deep those feeling were.

However, the renewed confidence in Magneto's sincerity had given Rogue the impetus to take a look at some of his older memories, particularly his memories of his previous intimate encounters. It was hard to see Erik's memories from his relationship with Charles. Marie had trouble seeing her old Professor that way, but she learned more and more about what Erik liked and disliked in bed from them. Rogue had also recently acquired Mystique's memories. So she was able to see the blue shape-shifter's relationship with Magneto from both sides. Marie learned that Erik occasionally liked it when a woman came on to him.

Armed with this knowledge, Marie walked into Erik's study wearing her favorite maroon crushed velvet spaghetti-string camisole and a hip-hugging black pencil skirt. She made sure to close the door behind her as she tossed her flowing white streaked, wavy brown hair to one side.

"Hello suga." She said in her best rendition of a seductress's voice. Erik glanced up quickly, wrapped up in his phone conversation. He did a double take when he noticed how provocatively Marie was dressed.

Erik had called Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and was listening to the phone ring when Marie had walked in. He had dialed Charles' private line but no one was picking up. Every civil interaction Magneto had ever had with the X-Men had always been through his old friend Charles. With his death, Magneto had wanted to sever all ties to the peace-loving organization and leave them to their fate. However, he could not do that until he got access to Charles' files so he could help Rogue. And if he was going to pay the mansion a visit he might as well try his hand at getting access to Cerebro as well.

The ringing on the phone gave way to the gruff, cigar deepened voice of the Wolverine.

"What da ya want?"

"Are you always this amiable when you answer the phone?" Magneto said in his measured canter. Rogue had no idea who he was on the phone with and she just assumed it was some Brotherhood contact. She crossed the office trying to think of ways to distract him and get his attention focused on her and how hot she was.

"Yup." Logan answered gruffly into the receiver.

"Do you know who this is?" Magneto asked as Marie dropped to the floor and crept under his desk.

On the other end of the line, Logan sniffed the receiver only to remember that his impressive sense of smell only worked in person. He recognized the voice after a moment and his claws extended in response. The voice was that of his tormentor, his sworn enemy, and the man who had kissed his Marie. Logan's own voice became even more hostile over the phone then before.

"Yeah, you sick son-of-a-bitch. What the hell are you doing calling this line?" Magneto chuckled out loud both from angering the Wolverine and because Marie had removed his shoes and was sitting under his desk tickling his feet. Erik put his hand over the receiver.

"Marie I'm on the phone." He warned her, but that was just the response she hoped to get and it drove her on. She ran her hands up over his soft-weaved chinos, caressing and massaging his calf muscles with her strong, nimble fingers.

"Oh, testy today are we? I am calling on a matter of business." Magneto told Logan.

"The only business we have with the likes of you is trying to stop you." Logan's anger made his words come out as a low threat. Magneto ignored the tone. He found it harder to ignore Marie whose delicate ministrations had reached his hips and were sending shivers throughout his body. "I have a proposition for you." Erik's voice held steady until he felt Rogue's hands brush against his erect member through the cloth of his chinos. He let out a barely audible moan, but he was sure the Wolverine with his heightened hearing detected it. He waited silently to hear the reason for Magneto's out-of-the-blue phone call.

"It would be best if you put Ms. Munroe on the phone. She is the one currently in charge of the school?" Erik said with difficulty, trying to keep the want out of his voice. If Rouge had heard Magneto mention Storm's name, she didn't show it. She was too involved in the delicious naughtiness of having her way with Erik. She had figured out that the best way to get what she wanted was to take matters into her own hands. Literally. She unbuttoned his pants, unzipped his fly, and pulled his dick out from beneath the white cotton folds of his briefs. Erik always wore briefs.

On the other end of the connection Logan wavered between the desire to hang up the phone and the curiosity to hear what Magneto was up to. He gave in and picked up his X-Men cell phone and paged Storm, who was in the middle of teaching a class.

"Yeah. She's coming. She'll be here any second." Logan told Magneto.

Meanwhile Marie's soft, uncalloused hands grasped Erik's member. Using her left index finger and thumb she circled him and pumped him up and down, smiling in malicious glee and she watched his knee spasm in enjoyment. Rogue's long hair fell all over Erik's lap as she lowered her mouth to lick the circumference of him, wetting him so that her fingers slid over him furiously with ease.

With him wet, she took his penis slowly into her small feminine mouth. Her lips stroked the ring of the head of his penis first moving up and down across it several times. Then she lowered her mouth further as her hand continued to pump him. Marie used her tongue to lick his balls. Her tongue flicked back and forth across them and then she sucked them very gently into her mouth, careful of how intense such a sensation could be.

After she finished taking care of each ball, she moved her attention back to his iron hard erection. She enjoyed the feel of his hot thick girth between her fingers. She loved the hard yet spongy material of him in her mouth. She could not fit the entire length of him into her mouth all at once though. So she used her two hands to run her fingers around the base of his shaft to draw him up and down. As she did that her tongue massaged the vertical line at the end of his penis and flicked across the tip moving up and down for a few seconds and then left and right.

Then, she used her tongue to circle just the head of him while her mouth held only the tip. She focused her attention on the ring, rubbing across it several times till she felt ready to attempt to take the length of him. Hungrily she devoured him into her mouth, going as far down as she could, deep-throating him.

Erik's fingers gripped the edge of his desk, his mind falling blank at the overwhelming sensations running through him. Marie knew just what he liked from his memories and she put all the accumulated knowledge to good use. She was an expert; unabashedly skilled, unapologetically great. She moved up and down on him with wild abandon, sucking on him and licking simultaneously till those hilariously little popping sounds issued from her mouth.

Logan had waited for several minutes for Storm, the phone silent against his ear but he couldn't stand it any longer. He asked the question that had been on his mind for months.

"How is Rogue doing? Is she good?" His voice was no longer the threatening stiff one of before, but a troubled, worried hesitant one.

Erik felt incapable of speech. His mouth moved several times but nothing came out. His eyes rolled back in his head as Marie went down on him again and held her position for five seconds before she slowly raised her mouth, her tongue massaging the lower side of him as she went.

"You have no idea." Magneto moaned out in answer to Wolverine's query. Logan found the answer and the strange way it was spoken puzzling. Storm had yet to appear to take the call and Logan felt uncomfortable talking to his enemy as it was.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He growled into the receiver. Magneto willed himself to regain some control over the situation. It took a substantial amount of effort to keep his voice level.

"Perhaps Ms. Munroe could give me a call back when she is free. Till then." And he slapped the phone into its cradle as he moaned uncontrollably at Rogue's continued pleasuring. Her lips circled the ring of him again and he lost it, only to find her fingers had cut off the actual ejaculation although he came just the same. The sensation was unbelievable, but because he had yet to release himself he could keep going and he pulled her up from under the desk.

With fevered speed he pushed Rogue's skirt up to reveal a thong and matching garter belt holding on her stockings. His long fingers made clumsy work of the tiny latches holding the stockings on her.

"Where did this come from?" He asked as he helped to divest her of as much clothing as quickly as possible. She pushes his hands away and stands up from the chair. Magneto gives her a questioning look and moves to touch her, but she shoves him back into the chair. Erik wonders if the change in Rogue is due to Mystique's influence in her head. He doesn't much care, when she's acting so wildly.

"Victoria's Secret. I got it during the semi-annual sale." She answered him as she hurriedly took off his shoes, socks, and pulled his chinos off him. She rubbed her foot against his leg as she stood close to unbutton his Brooks Brothers Oxford style dress shirt. When he is naked and sitting before her she straddles his lap and takes him within her in one fluid downward motion. With her toes touching the ground she uses her hips to move herself up and down on him with blazing speed. They kiss as her rapid plunging onto him causes her to orgasm with a loud cry.

She continues the frenzied pace, heedless of his urge to slow her and she cries out as each strong orgasm wracks her body in quivering waves of pleasure. It is quite a while before she collapses against him, sweaty, gasping for breath and thoroughly satisfied.

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**Notes:** I wrote a one-shot story bases on Healing on called "**Bed Head**". Go read it, its cute funny fluff.

**Professor Kojak**'s character, although a great plot advancer in this and future chapters, is a blatant insertion of my dear friend **KumaDaPuma** into this story. She's been so much help to me, so she got her own character written in. KumaDaPuma always uses the phrase "badass" so I had her character use it too.

I went to an aquarium the day I wrote this chapter and checked out the Australia Exhibit they had. All I could think of the entire time was how I was soon going to have Magneto conquer Australia and all the cute lizards and kangaroos they had. It was fun in a "I feel like a supervillian" sort of way.

Again all the sexual knowledge contained within the chapter is accurate, possible, and quite fun. Be safe kids.

**Preview:** Rogue, Magneto, and the Brotherhood are headed to the X-Mansion for a meeting with our dearly beloved X-Men. Can this possibly go well? No, but it's gonna be awesome to read.


	23. Chapter 23: Chewy Eggs

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – The shit is gonna hit the fan real soon. In this chapter there's some gross violence a light sexual situations. Nothing too controversial though.  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. I don't own the moon. I don't own a home. All I got is a car and a computer.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Wasteland" by 10 Tears. It's time to break out the angst-ridden alternative again.

**Dedication:** To **Agent Silver **for being such a loyal and kind reviewer. You seem like one cool chick. I hope you find an Erik of your own some day.

**Notes: **This chapter advances the plot more and brings the Brotherhood to meet the X-Men. Sadly there's no smut in this one, but you'll love it anyway. Or at least I hope you will.

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Chewy Eggs**

Magneto:

Pyro brought her to him. She had been raving again about someone stealing all her cigars. She had blamed Juggarnaut and tried to attack him using claws she did not have. Luckily, Pyro had been there and stopped her before the situation got out of hand. Pyro was getting better at predicting when the other memories in her mind would take over. He knew when Rogue was Rogue and when she was someone else. Her eyes would glaze over for a second and then her whole posture would change. The change would be sudden and her symptoms would last any where from a few minutes to several hours.

Whenever Erik couldn't watch her Pyro would be with her. Marie didn't seem to understand what all the fuss was about. When one of the personalities in her head took over she never remembered anything she did. She was Logan frequently as he was one of the strongest presences in her head since she had absorbed him three times. Marie would be fine one minute and the next Magneto would see her sniff the air and scratch the back of her hand where claws that weren't there would have sprung from. It was unnerving.

It had been two weeks since he had talked to Professor Kojak and attempted to contact Storm to be allowed to visit the X-Men mansion. Professor Kojak had not been wrong, there were too many memories in Rogue's head and her condition was worsening. Magneto relieved her of her duties to the Brotherhood so she could rest and take it easy, but that only annoyed her more. She hated every minute she wasn't working and contributing. She hated not being useful and it caused her to wander aimlessly throughout the island fortress listless and bored.

The most unsettling incident occurred one morning at breakfast when several of the mutants were dining together in the room off the kitchen. Magneto sat across from Rogue has he always did, their relationship or whatever it was between them, was common knowledge and most of the mutants allowed them their space in respect to Magneto's position of leadership. Pyro was eating with them as he was a good friend of Rogue's and delighted in making Magneto feel uncomfortable. He would remind him through subtle hints of the day he had caught them together. Magneto wasn't sure exactly why he tolerated Pyro's presence or his persistent annoyance. It was most likely because he saw how much potential the boy had.

That morning they had been having omelets or what were supposed to omelets. They were really just scrambled eggs with assorted fixings. Catalyst was a fast cook but not an exemplary one. The eggs tasted fine but she never got over-easy or sunny-side-up to come out right. It was a small issue and no one ever called her on it. Rogue always liked her eggs spicy and added some salsa to them for the flavor. Pyro liked his eggs well-cooked and added generous quantities of pepper and Monterey cheese to them. Erik's were plainer. He only added several pieces of German bratwurst chopped into his eggs.

Rogue had been picking at her eggs, pushing them around her plate not very interested in eating them. She picked up her cup of orange juice and her hand stopped midway in bringing it to her lips. She paused for several seconds holding the juice and Erik and John watched her. Her brown eyes clouded over and she seemed to stare past them for a minute at something only in her mind. Erik tried to catch her before she got lost amongst the flotsam and jetsam of her mind.

"Marie. Rogue. Stay here. Please, Marie." He begged his hand reaching out to hold hers across the table.

When she moved again her whole demeanor changed. Her lips fell from their usual half smile to leave a somber frown in their place. Her eyes grew dark and deep with unseen tragedy. Her shoulders slumped and her posture assumed a subordinate, broken shape even as her eyes seemed to command with a knowing, fierce glare. She looked into the orange juice cup and then drank it, sipping slowly. She put it down and crossed her arms, rubbing her hands up and down them trying to keep warm. Then she went back to eating the eggs with a solemn slow pace.

Pyro and Magneto looked on knowing that she was not their friend in that moment but unsure who she had become. Rogue stopped eating, but starred at her food and then looked up at Erik, her eyes unnaturally cold and haunted. She motioned to her plate.

"It was nice of him to let us use him." She took another bite of eggs chopping it thoroughly as though the eggs were especially chewy. "There wasn't much meat on him but it should last us to Monday if the guards do not find his body." She cut the eggs using her knife, pressing hard into them, cutting around a bone that wasn't there. She had a guttural German accent that was several octaves deeper than her usual speaking voice. "If I go before you, you're welcome to eat me." She looked down at her own body. "I only wish I weighed a bit more so I might be a decent meal for everyone."

Erik looked on in abject horror remembering this conversation by heart from so many long distant years ago. He couldn't stand to watch her remembering just how the flesh of his friend had tasted in his mouth: chewy and difficult to swallow. Oh god, she was him, when he had been in the concentration camp at the end of the war. They had been beyond starving and had lived off of shoe leather for weeks until their numbers began to thin and the living started to eat the dead.

Erik stood up from the table swiftly half crazed from his own memory and half from knowing Marie was suffering under it as well. He moved so fast he knocked his chair over and disturbed the table's contents as he clutched Rogue's hands in his own. He looked at Pyro.

"John, help me! Please, please!" His voice cracked and it had none of its usual deep resonance. Erik's eyes were watering and Pyro felt his stomach sink as he remembered the numbers tattooed on his mentor's left forearm. He hugged Rogue around her waist and ushered her out of the room. The other dining mutants looked on stunned by the incident. It was dead silent as they left.

They helped Rogue to his study and laid her upon the couch where she shivered against a chill that was from over 60 years ago. Erik started a fire to try to warm her and Pyro got her a blanket but it was useless when she was lost like this in the memory.

"Get Professor Kojak on the phone. Tell her we need her help immediately." Pyro ran over to his desk and began dialing. Erik went to Rogue's side as she scratched her head to ease the itch of lice that did not exist. Erik held her against him, trying to comfort her, praying his presence, the feel of his body against hers would be enough to cut through the madness.

"Do you think my mother is alright? I talked to Greta through the fence yesterday and she said they were moving some of the older women to a new camp. Do you think my mother will be one of them?" Rogue held her hand up to cup her mouth as though whispering a secret. "I've heard rumors that they never take anyone to new camps, that they just…" Rogue's voice trailed off as she shook with anger in his arms, thrashing about while Erik tried to contain her.

"If they do that to my mother so help me, I will get them. I will not rest till I have killed every one of them. They will fear me. Everyone will fear me. They should you know. I…" Marie looked up at him, and her voice lowered till he could not hear her. He didn't need to as he remembered exactly what he had said next. "I can do things to metal. I'm not like everyone else. I'm not weak. They can't get away with treating my people like this. I will fight them. I'll fight them and I'll never stop."

Erik remembered that moment of his life perfectly in his head as though he was still there whispering to the man in the cot next to him. He remembered that moment so well because every day after that moment had been infinitely easier. Watching as his mother was torn from him, knowing she was going to die soon in the gas chambers that were dark rumors spreading around the camp had hardened him into the iron he so loved. In that instant he did not just start to love metal; he became it. He willed himself to be as tough and as unyielding as his love. He looked up at the iron bars of the camp's gate that had been replaced after he had twisted them and hardened himself so that like metal he would not bend to the Nazi's will. He would not allow himself to break. He would be metal. Everyday of his life after that fateful day when he ceased to be Erik Lensherr and began his life as Magneto was easier.

Pyro walked back to see Erik holding Marie's shaking form as sobs racked her body. She cried so hard she started into a coughing fit and began to cough up blood, just as Erik had done so long ago.

"She's coming. Professor Kojak'll be in a few hours she says. She's in Boston right now." Erik looked up at John and tears were streaming from his gray blue eyes. He had just relived the darkest moment of his life through the eyes of the woman he loved.

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Magneto and Storm:

While Professor Kojak had tended to Rogue and her over-burdened mind, Magneto wasted no time in calling Charles' School. If the only way to help Marie was to get the information from Charles' computer, he would get it so help him, if he had to tear the mansion apart by its steel frame. This time Ororo Monroe answered the phone.

"Hello, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Ms. Monroe speaking." Storm's voice was silky soft through the receiver. It grated on Erik's nerves. This had become an urgent matter and her calm bothered him.

"Hello, Ororo. It's Erik." _That_ caused Storm to sit up straight in her desk chair. She hadn't expected to pick up the phone and talk to Magneto, the man who had once been Erik Lensherr to her. Storm had spent much of her youth at the mansion and when she was younger Mr. Lensherr had lived there as well. His was a gruff but congenial presence. All that changed when he left to become Magneto and Storm would have preferred if she never had to see him again. Her voice reflected these sentiments.

"Why are you calling Magneto?"

"I have an important matter to discuss with you." He paused trying to figure out the best way to broach the subject so that she might agree with him. "It has to do with young Rogue."

"Okay, I'm listening." Storm did not sound too patient however, and Magneto hoped he would not have to do this the hard way.

"She needs information from her medical records. I know Charles used to keep such information in his private files. Is there a chance she may look at them?"

"I've told Rogue before the Professor's files are locked and no one can access them. What's this really about Magneto?"

"It is just what I have told you. Is no one able to access them or you won't let them?" Storm hesitated before answering him; she didn't believe him for one second.

"They are on his personal computer and its password protected. No one knows the password." Erik smiled. If he remembered correctly and Charles was as negligent about changing his password as Erik believed him to be…

"I do. I know it."

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Rogue and Magneto:

Storm had reluctantly agreed to let him have access to Charles' files on the condition that he unlock the computer so that she and her fellow X-Men could retrieve them as well. It had been horrendous trying to file a tax return for the institute without the Professor's financial records. Storm would have let Magneto take the X-Jet for a spin if it meant she didn't have to itemize their receipts again.

The next day found the mutants of the Brotherhood loading up the helicopter. Magneto, Rogue, and Professor Kojak were all going along with Mystique who would serve as their pilot. Pyro was tagging along. He never mentioned why he wanted to go but it was obvious to Rogue he missed the mansion and his old friends, particularly Bobby. Catalyst was coming to offer her medical opinion and Juggarnaut was accompanying them in case Storm reneged and Magneto had to do things the hard way. Also, with the growing war between mutants and humans it never hurt to travel with some extra muscle.

Rogue was feeling better that day. Like all the incidents before she had no memory of what had happened yesterday. All she remembered was waking up in Erik's arms on the sofa in his study to see tears in his eyes. She hated what was happening to her; the way all the memories in her mind were slowly bleeding out. She couldn't control when they took over and Rogue hated not being in control of her mutation. Just when she thought her mutation might finally be of use to her this had to happen. Marie was angry and forced herself to be angrier still. Being angry felt better then being afraid and she was very afraid she might be losing her mind for good.

Magneto remained concerned about Rogue despite Professor Kojak's repeated assurances that she would be able to help her. He watched Marie the entire flight waiting for the telltale sign of her eyes glazing over but it never appeared. She was herself today. If not for his dire need to help Rogue, Magneto never would have set foot in the mansion again. It brought back too many painful memories of his failed relationship and friendship with Charles. Then, there was the open animosity between the X-Men and the Brotherhood that he hated. Erik believed the two organizations should have been working together rather than fighting as they both had mutants' best interests at heart. However things had not worked out at all how Erik had planned.

Magneto hoped to gain access to the plans for Cerebro from Charles' computer. He had been integral in building it once and with Charles' knowledge of the psychological components he might be able to recreate it one day. Magneto could imagine many ways in which Cerebro could be beneficial to his campaign to take Australia. Even the lure of the plans for Cerebro on their own would not have been enough to cause Erik to visit the mansion. No, he was doing this for Marie, no matter how unpleasant the trip might be. Now that Marie was ill he regretted that he had tried to distance himself from her. It weighed badly on his conscience and he wished he could take back giving her the cold shoulder. Helping Marie to heal was the least he could do for her.

There were many reasons Erik did not relish the coming meeting with the X-Men. For one, he had no interest in seeing the Wolverine again. After their last encounter in the Albany International Airport hanger when Wolverine had caught Rogue and him in an embrace, Erik was not looking forward to facing again the man that had gone into a jealous rage over his actions. Erik and Marie's relationship had moved far, far, far beyond the juvenile make-out stage and he worried what the Wolverine's reaction would be this time if he was to find out. Although not the smartest individual, the Wolverine was not a fool. Something told Erik he would know exactly what was going on between Rogue and himself.

Worse, Erik worried what Marie's reaction would be if her former peers found out about her relationship with him. It was one thing for them to be so open at the Brotherhood, where his word was law, and they were respected because of his position of leadership. But what would the X-Men's reaction be should they find out? It was unlikely they would be tolerant and accepting of a relationship which on the surface seemed so bizarre and out of place. Erik wondered if Marie was ashamed of their relationship.

She had never done anything to indicate that she was. But they had not been very open with each other for some time. Again, Erik regretted trying to pull away from her. He knew that she was safer if he did; that it was better for the cause. But he felt like he was fighting an uphill battle. He wanted her to be more to him than just a lover; he wanted her to be his equal. Something about her, the striking contrast between himself and her, intrigued him and fascinated him. On the surface they had nothing in common, but underneath they both had been through the same struggles with their mutation and both had the same desire for power and for control. They understood one another; understood why they could not be content to accept their fate as outcasts, live by others' rules, or love simply.

If Rogue was embarrassed by their relationship it would hurt Erik. He secretly wanted her to be proud of it. He wanted her to defy convention for him. He had seen her rise to Mystique's challenge and it had given his heart a thrill to see her fight for him. Was it so wrong that he wanted her not to be ashamed to love him? He wanted her to stand up for their relationship despite all that stood against it. But if she was to ever do that, Erik knew he would have to do it first.

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Everyone:

The helicopter flew over the mansion and its grounds and Rogue could see the place had changed since she had left. Security had been heightened with the growing mutant human conflict; there was a barbed wire fence, lined with security camera encircling the grounds. The helicopter landed in a field past Storm's garden and the Brotherhood filed out of the helicopter to see Storm, Beast, and Wolverine waiting to greet them. Rogue could see many of the younger mutants' faces pressed against the window glass of the common room, watching their arrival.

Storm looked distrustful as she took in the sight of the hulky Juggarnaut. She felt a little better when she saw that Magneto did not have his full combat suit on; he was dressed in a dark grey business suit and his black fedora hat sat on his head. It comforted her to know that he was not wearing his helmet. However, she didn't know it sat waiting in the helicopter. Magneto was always prepared for the worst, if it should come to that. Beast attempted to be civil.

"Welcome, Magneto. Let me apologize that our last meeting was not on better terms." Magneto had to repress a scowl at Beast's words. He had been the one to stab him with four shots of the Cure.

"Do not worry. I am completely recovered," and Magneto strode past him to reveal the helicopter floating several feet above the ground. As the group made its way into the mansion he set it gracefully back down. The Wolverine refused to greet him and did not look at him. Logan only had eyes for Marie who came running to embrace him in a hug.

Logan looked exactly the same to Rogue as when she had left. His healing ability kept him from ever aging and his stubborn bad taste kept him from ever changing his hair style. Rogue, however, looked very different in Logan's eyes. Her ability to control her mutation had allowed her to permanently change her clothing style and she had on a pair of shorts and a sleeveless tank top with the words "IN THE HOOD" written across the chest.

Logan had spent the intervening months worrying about Rogue, at times so much he'd considered going after her. It never occurred to him that he had little chance of winning a fight with Magneto; that has never stopped him from trying before. He knew she had gone to seek his help with her mutation, but he had had a gut feeling Magneto was tricking her, lying to her. As the months went by with no word, he tried to imagine how she was doing. Nightmares of her joining the Brotherhood and facing him in battle played out in his head. Other times he dreamed that Magneto is using her, hurting her again and he had felt an irresistible impulse to try to rescue her. And then there are the unspeakable nightmares where he remembers Marie passionately kissing Magneto in the airport office and he imagined the price Magneto might charge for teaching her about her mutation. He is relieved to see her alive and in one piece, looking none the worse for wear. In fact, she looked better than before.

He took in the sight of her; her long two-toned hair flowing behind her as she ran to greet him. She has curves Logan hadn't remembered. All the time spent with Erik between her legs have made her more flexible and widened her hips from those of a teen to a woman. She now has an hourglass figure that Logan, as a man, cannot tear his eyes away from. He tells himself not to look at her like that. But it is impossible not to notice her ample breasts, her narrow waist, flat stomach, generous hips, and round butt. When she hugs him and presses her lithe figure into him he has to fight back an urge that has never existed before in their older-brother-younger-sister relationship. Logan is forced to acknowledge that his 'kid' may not be much of a kid anymore.

"Logan!" She says happily as she hugs him tightly, unafraid of hurting him. There would be no more light, cautious hugs between them now that Rogue could stop the pull of her powers. She stood on her tip-toes and gave Logan a kiss on the cheek, he waited to feel the pull but it didn't come. He looked at her as if she had grown two heads. He smiled and blushed after a few seconds.

"I can control it Logan! Erik taught me how. Isn't it great?" She is overflowing with joy, proud to share her happiness with him. Erik watches the two, momentarily jealous over Rogue's friendliness with the Wolverine. He dismisses it, in light of the pride she takes in explaining her newfound abilities. Logan wants to smile back but his mind catches on slight slip.

"Oh, so it's Erik now." He says, a stiff gruffness creeping into his voice. Marie has no way to explain this away; she looks off to the side for a moment and then changes the subject.

"I can't stop it forever, but I can keep from hurting someone for a full ten minutes now." She lets an enthusiasm fill her voice, trying to hide her discomfort from his previous statement.

"That's terrific, Marie. I'm happy for you. But is everything alright? Why do you need to see Wheels' old records?" She has anticipated this question and already knows she is going to lie to him. She doesn't want to worry him with the truth so she tells a small white lie.

"Magneto wants to help me get rid of all the extra memories floating around in my head. Ya know I got a lot of you in there. I think I know everything about you like three times over. I probably know more about you than you do." She laughs nervously, wondering if he can see the worry in her eyes. The question floats in the back of her mind: _what if Magneto can't help me to get rid of the memories? What if I can't stop the memories from taking over?_ Logan, however, looks convinced and takes her at her word.

"He's really trying to help you here. He's not manipulating you or using you? I'm sorry, Marie but I find it hard to believe."

"No, he's not. He's not like that. You should give him a chance Logan. He's…" Marie's voice trails off as she tries to think of the best way to phrase what she's about to say. Erik, from his position chatting with Storm and Beast looks over intent on hearing what she says to the Wolverine. He can hear his heart pound in his chest as he waits for her to finish. "Y'all should give him a chance. He's not what ya think he is. He's a good man; he just does things that ain't so good sometimes." Logan looked skeptical. Erik felt a wave of joy at Marie's defense. Logan sniffed the air around Rogue as the group began to file into the mansion and out of the August heat.

"You smell like Magneto. You're wearing the same cologne as him." He said, his eyes meeting hers with a knowing gaze.

"Do we?" She laughed nervously, looking away. "It must be from our clothes getting washed together."

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**Notes:** So I hope the cannibalism bit wasn't too much of a gross out. I was going for the shock value. I have no idea if that sort of thing went on in concentration camps, though I imagine the horrors in them were even worse then that.

I know Rogue should speak German while lost in Erik's memories, but I wanted Pyro to understand what she was saying so he would be upset too. Also ignore all the time inconsistencies. I made Erik 67 because Ian McKellen is that age. But if he was a young boy, say 11, during the Holocaust that would put him well into his late seventies by today and that didn't seem to fit his character.

Catalyst is tagging along just because the author wants to include her in the upcoming fight. Yeah, I am blatantly inserting myself but it's cute and fun, so shut up. And unlike my character, I can actually cook a good omelet. But I tend to just make scrambled eggs with fixings instead.

**XChocolateChipX**, my beloved R&R gal, did you notice how I wrote in your suggestion? Rogue's going to show Magneto just how much she isn't ashamed of their relationship soon.

**Preview: **They open the files on the Professor's computer. What do they contain? A bevy of secrets about our X-Men and the Brotherhood. Everyone's got something to hide, but it's not going to stay hidden much longer.


	24. Chapter 24: A Match Made by Mistake

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – mild cursing, revenge violence, and homosexuality. Oh, yeah it's gonna be good.  
Disclaimer: I am not making any money from this and I do not own the X-Men. I do own Ian McKellen. He's my love slave and you can't have him. Well, maybe I'll let Chip and Kuma borrow him.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Secret" by Madonna. It's a really appropriate song for Rogue and Magneto, but there are a lot of secrets revealed in this chapter. (And many more to come in future chapters).

**Dedication:** To **Niliathiel** for calling this story "among the greatest I've ever read on this site!" I'm a sucker for compliments like that. Thank you for making me smile with glee and run around all day in a fog of author happiness.

**Notes: **If you've read this far you've noticed there are some spelling and grammar errors and several textual inconsistencies scattered throughout my story. I promise to go back and fix all of them soon. But first I want to give you all another chapter chock full of Rogue and Magneto deliciousness.

**Chapter Twenty-Four: A Match Made by Mistake**

Everyone:

As the procession strolled down the halls of the mansion, Rogue could feel the eyes of the mutant students on them. Rogue saw several of the children, peaking through the doorways at such an unprecedented sight. It was not everyday the Brotherhood of Mutants came to visit the X-Men. Speculation was rampant about why they were here. A rumor circulated among the older students that Magneto was going to take over the institute now that there was a war between mutants and humans. Others remembered how Magneto had been caught kissing Rogue and wondered what was going on between them. Storm had not told them anything; she had canceled classes and instructed them that the X-Men had an urgent business matter to attend to.

Magneto, Storm, and Beast walked at the front of the group, eagerly striding towards the Professor's study, none of them wanting to prolong this experience anymore than was necessary. Catalyst, Professor Kojak, and Mystique followed them. Juggarnaut walked behind them, his footsteps shaking the mansion and causing the windows to rattle. Logan and Rogue trailed behind at the end. Logan turned to Rogue, speaking lowly in confidence.

"I had a strange conversation with Magneto a few weeks ago. He called up the mansion and I asked about you. I asked if you were good and he replied 'You have no idea.' He sounded real funny when he said it too. What was that all about?" Logan's question sounded suspicious but he said it so innocently Rogue was sure he had no idea what that referred to. Rogue battled valiantly but could not stop herself from blushing when unbidden the memory of her passionate welcome home fellatio with Erik came to mind. She hadn't realized he was on the phone with Logan at the time and it made her feel guilty she had acted so wantonly. Her mind scrambled for scenarios that might make that answer plausible without suggesting the awful truth.

"Oh, he was very angry with me. I had fouled up one of his schemes on purpose. I stopped him from kidnapping the Chairman of the Department of Defense by sapping Mystique of her powers." Rogue heard herself say the words, but scarce believed they had come from her mouth. Where had she learned to lie on the fly so well? Perhaps it was one of the personalities in her brain. Mystique had always been good at deceiving people.

"That's my Marie! I knew you weren't going to join him no matter what help he could give you." He patted her on the back and beamed proudly down at her. She felt like shrinking into a little ball of metal and flying to Magneto's hand. She hated the way it felt to lie to Logan whom she cared about deeply.

"He didn't mistreat you at all Rogue? You can tell me. You know I'll protect you." Rogue's heart sank as she saw how much Logan cared about her and how worried she must have made him. And how did she repay him? By lying to him.

"No. Pyro was there and he was a good friend and Magneto, he's… he's not so bad when you get to know him." Rogue was dying to tell him the truth, to just come out and say how wonderful Erik had been to her, but she couldn't imagine Logan ever understanding.

"Do you hear what you're saying Marie? This is Magneto we're talking about." Logan put his hand on Rogue's shoulder, turning her towards him, his mutton chop beard moving as he whispered to her. "He tried to kill you once and then what happened in that hanger… he forced himself on you, didn't he?" Logan sounded as though he was begging for that to be the reason she had kissed Magneto.

"No!" It came out loudly and Rogue lowered her tone quickly so as not to alert the others they were walking with to their private conversation. She stuttered a bit and her accent grew thicker as she spoke so softly he could barely hear. "No, I wanted him to…" She trailed off. They were walking into the Professor's study.

Logan watched her inquiringly as everyone gathered in a semi-circle around the Professor's desk. He was unsure what to make of her assertion, but he would have to finish the conversation later. Something in his gut told him things were not quite what they seemed with Rogue. He wanted to be happy for her, that she had found some measure of help with her mutation from Magneto; but the nagging feeling would not dissipate.

"How has the school been fairing the current hostility between mutants and humans?" Magneto questioned Storm as they moved around the Professor's desk to turn on his desktop computer. Magneto sat down in the Professor's chair, much to Storm's chagrin. Charles' computer was a Dell Optiplex that appeared to be several years old and took a while to boot up. Magneto was very surprised the school was still functioning and the government had not shut it down already. It would be more believable if Charles with his prevailing powers of persuasion was still alive; but with only Storm as headmaster he found it incredible.

"We're doing well enough." Storm's voice betrayed that she had not warmed to him. "They've tried to shut us down two times already, but they didn't bring enough troops." At that Ororo smiled over at Logan. Everyone turned to view the Wolverine, who took the credit.

"Beast helped. They won't come back without a full battalion next time." Logan said. Magneto looked up from the slowly loading "Dell" screen.

"A battalion is 300 troops. How many did you face before?"

"We think about 150, but a lot of them got scared and ran away after we plowed through 60 pretty quick." Logan told him.

"It was unfortunate that the U.S. Government felt the need to make such an attempt. I tried to dissuade the administration, but alas my efforts were futile and we were forced to use less dignified methods." Beast apologized for the violent scrimmage that had taken place on the school's grounds.

"It was fun kicking ass." Logan summed up his thoughts with brevity.

"Well done. You made impressive work of them." Magneto congratulated the two men. Dr. McCoy and Logan shared a glance that said they both felt uncomfortable receiving praise from the likes of Magneto. In fact, everyone in the room felt uncomfortable with the Brotherhood and X-Men meeting in any way that was not a pitched battle. The tension in the room was palpable.

The familiar blue Windows screen came on with a neat little overlay Charles must have added so that it read 'X-Windows'. Erik couldn't help but grin at his old friend's eccentricity. He typed in the password as Storm watched holding her breath. They waited a second; but the popup window returned asking again for the password. Storm eyed the suave, debonair older man sitting beside her warily.

"Were you lying Mr. Lensherr?" He typed another try that the computer rejected.

"Patience, my dear. Good things come to those who wait." Rogue snickered across the room. She couldn't help but remember when he had once said that to her in a completely different context in his bedroom. Several people including Mystique, Catalyst, and Professor Kojak looked at Rogue. But the rest didn't notice her laughter; they were watching to see if the computer would accept Magneto's third attempt to enter the correct password.

After he finished typing, he slowly moved his large fingers over to press enter. Seconds passed and everyone in the room waited to see what would happen. The familiar chimes of the Windows logon sounded and the Professor's wallpaper (a picture of the door to Cerebro) appeared.

"So, what was his password?" Storm asked Magneto. Rogue watched Erik's large hand engulf the mouse as he navigated the computer's start menu.

"Does it matter? I'll change it now so that it's something we all know." He opened the Control Panel and began the process. Storm grew irritated with him and the sky darkened somewhat outside.

"Tell me what his password was." Magneto reset the password using the User Accounts page.

"Oh, it was something silly. I think Charles would prefer if no one knew it. Here, I'm resetting it so it's 'xmen'." His fingers flew over the keyboard, pounding the keys relentlessly.

"Tell me." The sky was very dark now and the wind could be heard howling outside the long double pane windows of the mansion. The group looked on, unsettled by Storm's inability to control the effects of her anger. Beast's blue fur stood on end from the static electricity growing in the air with the sudden barometric pressure drop. He was used to this happening, as Storm often seemed to take out her emotions via the elements. Magneto did not seem phased at all though. It took quite a bit more than some rain clouds to scare a class 4 mutant.

"If you must know…" his voice lowered till it was too quiet to hear.

"What?" Storm said. Magneto let out a sigh.

"His password was 'erikNcharles4ever'. There are you happy now?" He said, his head bowing back down to scan through the Professor's folders to find the one pertaining to Rogue.

"Are you kidding?" Storm said, and leaned over him to see the computer screen.

"If you do not believe me try it for yourself." Magneto backed away in his chair and Storm typed in the code. It worked. Her jaw hung open in shock. The rest of the room, however, was incapable of any action. A full minute went by till Logan let out a snort.

"Wheels sure had a lot more to him than he let on." Logan said, cocking his head to the side, trying to imagine the Professor and Magneto as anything other than enemies. Although most of the Brotherhood was aware that their leader had had a romantic relationship with Professor Charles Xavier, this came as startling news to the X-Men. Storm seemed dazed and walked with unsure steps till she stood in front of an arm chair. She fell into it with a thump and starred straight ahead; then she turned her head to look at her second-in-command Dr. McCoy.

"I had no idea." Beast seemed somewhat offended by the proceedings. He was too proper to enjoy seeing a private matter between Charles and Magneto aired in such a manner. He had nothing against the Professor's homosexuality; in fact if he thought back it made quite a bit of sense and cleared up several mysteries. However, the idea that his past lover was Magneto… Hank could have done without knowing that. When the following thought occurred to him he spoke without thinking.

"Good heavens! I think the Professor may have made a pass at me. He made a few suggestive remarks regarding our relationship." His blue furry hand went to his chin as he thought back. "No, I'm sure of it now. I was completely unaware at the time." Dr. McCoy's face took on a worried look. He wondered if he was not as astute as he believed himself to be.

"I just can't believe it. The Professor was against everything you stand for Magneto." Storm's white hair surrounded her milk chocolate skin as she looked at the dashing older villain who sat behind Professor Xavier's desk. He looked at her with a taunting smile.

"Come now, Ororo. This cannot be much of a shock for you. I lived at the mansion with Charles for years while you studied here." He took a strange glee watching Storm squirm at the idea of the Professor whom she revered, screwing Magneto, whom she hated. Erik smiled his most wicked grin at her.

"Yes, but I thought you were just old friends-" Magneto cut off Storm.

"We slept in the same bedroom. Surely you must have realized…" He trailed off watching her.

"I thought you two were having a sleep over." She said, sounding like a scared child.

"Every night?" He asked and she nodded yes. "But as you got older you must have put two and two together." He looked at her but she shook her head no. Storm looked so distraught over learning this secret, Erik _almost_ felt sorry for her.

"You knew about this, didn't ya?" Logan asked Rogue, looking down at her. Her breath caught in her throat for a second. It was strange to hear her friend's voice after so long and see his familiar face. Even if the circumstances that brought them together were less than ideal, she was happy to see Logan again.

"Well, I do have all his memories. I know everything about their relationship. I know everything about all your past relationships too." She told him with a pert smile on her face. Catalyst looked over a little curious as to what some of the Wolverine's past relationships were like. Logan turned a smidge red when he thought about some of the memories Marie must have of him.

Everyone looked up when they heard those familiar words "You've got mail" blare from the computer's stereo speakers.

"Might as well open it." Magneto said as he clicked and opened Charles' Outlook program. With noticeable hesitation, Storm returned to her position looking over Magneto's shoulder at the computer monitor.

"It must be over a year old. We should honor the Professor's privacy and-" Dr. McCoy began, but was interrupted.

"This is… um, well… It's from you Hank." Storm said to Hank, her dark skin taking on a sudden white pallor that matched her hair. Outside hail broke out for a few seconds before she heard the noise the hail made, waved her hand and stopped it.

Beast lumbered over and squeezed in behind the computer, his large form engulfing the small space; still he kept his distance from the lithe Storm. Beast glanced at the screen and confirmed what he knew it would contain. His blue cheeks turned a pleasant pink in embarrassment. Storm read through the email and looked at her blue companion, her tiny mouth hanging open in shock.

"What does it say?" Logan asked, noticing the distressed visages on both Storm and Dr. McCoy.

"Why don't we take a short break? Let Storm and Beast have some time alone." Erik was courteous and moved away from the desk to usher the others out of the room. The members of his Brotherhood obeyed his suggestion unquestioningly. Logan stood for a few moments watching Storm and Beast stare into each other's eyes and then he looked at Magneto. Reluctantly, he swaggered from the room to leave the couple alone. Marie hung back waiting for Erik to leave. He came around and put his hand on the small of her back and walked her out of the room.

"What was in the email?" She whispered to him.

"The Beast was asking Charles for permission to court Storm."

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Everyone:

The group minus Storm and Beast wandered into the hallway. There was an awkward silence as everyone imagined what must be passing between the two that remained in the Professor's study. They stood for a few moments leaning against the wood-paneling. Mystique began to tap her unadorned blue foot against the dark green runner carpet. The action caught Logan's attention.

"You guys want some lunch? The kitchen's got food." No consensus was needed and he walked down the hall, leading the group behind him. When they entered the spacious kitchen with walnut wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances, they found a crowd of mutant students gathered eating the noon meal. Everyone looked up when the Brotherhood entered the room unexpectedly. Some were finishing preparing their lunch, while others ate around the counter and some sat at the long dinner tables in the adjacent dining room. The students' ages ranged from a few in elementary school to several high school graduates. It was the older students that Rogue noticed first.

Kitty, Bobby, and Jubilee were there which made Rogue feel immediately self-conscious. She knew that she would inevitably run into them while visiting the mansion. However, she was still at a loss as to how to address them. Her last action before she left had been to insult Bobby and Kitty in front of the entire school. Her outburst had not been without provocation, but at the same time she felt as though it had been uncalled for. She felt like she had come across as a crazed, jealous ex-girlfriend and her shoulders slumped as she tried to hide her face behind the mane of her white and brown hair.

Erik noticed the change in Marie as he walked beside her and he took her tiny hand in his own and gave it a firm squeeze. She looked up at him when she felt the comforting gesture. He smiled down at her with a wry half smirk, and she couldn't help but smile back; she thought the mischievous gleam in his eyes was so cute. She felt better then about facing her ex-friends. When Erik was with her, Rogue was unable to doubt that she was safe and that everything would work out somehow.

Logan was not the ideal host and entertaining was not his forte. On the contrary, Logan didn't know jack about what to do with the visiting Brotherhood gang, so he walked to fridge and decided this was exactly the sort of day that called for a big sandwich, a cold LaBatt Blue beer (despite it being noon), and a cigar or two. As he was layering roast beef onto two slices of rye bread he noticed Mystique and Juggarnaut standing there eyeing his sandwich hungrily.

"Just help yourselves. There's some cold cuts in the fridge and Rogue knows where the plates and stuff are." With that Logan moved to the counter, where he took a long swig of his beer. Rogue felt for him because she knew that this was no easier for him than it was for them. She moved about the kitchen then, helping her fellow Brotherhood members to procure something for lunch. Pyro, for his part, could not take his eyes off of Bobby and his old X-Men buddies. He gazed at Iceman, his posture stiff and antagonistic.

It was a comical sight to see Rogue asking each member what they wanted. Juggarnaut was implicit that he hated mayonnaise, which caused Rogue to dab a little on his sandwich when he wasn't looking. She was in the middle of taking Professor Kojak's order when she saw Bobby burst up from his seat. When he reached the kitchen his frigid blue eyes starred daggers into Rogue and Pyro.

"Traitors." He called them as he rushed out of the kitchen in a huff. He had seemed extremely pissed off and Rogue bowed her head feeling both guilty and relieved to see him walk out.

While Rogue and the others were busy obtaining lunch, Magneto slipped out of the room. He stepped back into the hallway and strode quickly to catch up to Iceman's retreating form. When he was a few feet behind the younger man he called out to him.

"Oh, Mr. Drake? May I have a word with you?" Erik was all gentleman as he stood behind Bobby in his impeccable Hugo Boss charcoal grey suit. Bobby stopped dead in his tracks at the unwelcome sound of _that_ man's voice. To Bobby, Magneto was more than a villain; he was a malicious, evil manipulator who might just be a better kisser than him. Needless to say Bobby despised Magneto with more than your usual arch enemy hatred. He turned slowly around to face him.

"Yes." Bobby's cold eyes were aflame with barely contained anger. He squared his shoulders letting his rage make him unafraid. Magneto would have none of that. His voice held all the warmth of lead.

"I believe you once dated Rogue. Am I correct?" Magneto's commanding baritone voice betrayed none of the effort he was taking to keep the anger out of his tone. His large hands were balled into fists and his jaw locked as he stood up straight; he was four inches taller than Bobby.

Bobby looked at Magneto with apprehension. He had no idea what this conversation was about, all he knew was the very presence of Magneto in Professor Xavier's school made his blood boil and as the Iceman, it took a lot to make his blood boil. He nodded affirmatively to Magneto's question, as his eyes roved over the older man trying to find some hint of why he had approached him.

"Hmmm," he said as his eyes became a steel grey blue and focused beyond Bobby. Erik had been expecting that answer and he felt his rage grow merciless inside him. He reached out with his power, searching for the nearest metal he could call to do his bidding. Palm out he moved a metal chair towards them, ripping and reforming the metal legs as he moved it. The legs became restraints that snapped around Bobby's limbs. With a flick of his wrist, Erik flung Bobby against the wall, smiling to himself as he heard the reverberating thump when Bobby hit into the wood.

Bobby's mouth hung open; he was caught unsuspecting but he tried to move his hand to blow ice onto Erik. Erik was ready with the remains of the chair shielding him well from the icy blast. Bobby hung helplessly against the wall trying to ice himself out of his predicament, when Erik launched one of the metal banisters from the stairs towards him. The banister hit Bobby between the legs and he howled in horrific pain; his ice attempts stopped as his eyes filled with tears and he released hissing, painful breaths.

"That was for your conduct with Rogue." With a small movement of his outstretched hand Erik sent the banister to clunk Bobby on the head. "And that was for your treatment of Pyro." With his magnetic fields, Erik changed the banister into a metal paddle and whacked Bobby twice more with it across his knees.

"I don't take it lightly when someone hurts my Brothers." The paddle came down especially hard across his chest and Erik continued. "However, I am going to show mercy this time only because your actions brought them to me."

"In the future," Erik opened Bobby's metal restraints and he dropped to the floor and curled up in the fetal position. "You may not be so lucky. It would pay to stay on my good side." With that, Erik strode away, a content smile on his face.

0000000000000

Everyone:

After a less than stellar lunch, everyone returned to the Professor's study to find Storm and Beast smiling like children at Christmastime. They seemed so happy Logan felt that just looking at them was giving him diabetes. The Wolverine had never been one for mush and now he feared he would be facing this on a daily basis. He was happy for Storm and Dr. McCoy, but he was reminded how nauseating it was to watch Jean and One Eye go all googily over each other.

Magneto was all business, pulling Professor Kojak to his side and together they began the pain-staking task of mulling over Charles' Xavier's excessive collection of files.

"Here's Rogue's. It will tell us how to reign in unwanted memories." Jeri Kojak pointed out, her hand holding Erik's arm familiarly. "However, we need to expunge some of the memories. There's still too many."

"We don't want to repeat what Charles' did otherwise Marie will lose control of her powers again." Erik had tried to remember to call Marie 'Rogue' exclusively while at the mansion, but he had slipped and it went unnoticed by him as he and Professor Kojak studied the Professor's files. The slip was not unnoticed by Logan however. Sitting on the couch next to Rogue he turned to her.

"He called ya Marie. I thought I was the only one that called ya Marie." Logan's face was a mixture of confusion and suspicion. Rogue didn't know what to say to him and gulped audibly. Logan didn't know what to make of his Rogue and he suddenly wanted a cigar and some fresh air to think. His muscular frame stood up with ease as he moved to leave the room.

"Logan. Wait!" Rogue was about to leave to follow him when Erik's voice called out to her.

"Rogue. We need you here. Please stay." His voice was stern and disciplinary and Rogue gave up any thought of leaving instantly. She turned around to meet his chilling, harsh blue eyes and she felt the thrill that ran down her spine whenever he chastised her. She sat back down on the couch and watched him work with Jeri. Erik looked atrociously elegant in his white dress shirt, his suit jacket slung casually over the back of the seat.

"Here are the Professor's lessons on thought manipulation. Oh and here's memory implantation. Perhaps that has a section on how to erase memories." Professor Kojak said as she worked to help Rogue keep her foreign memories from taking over.

"Why did the Professor keep so much written down?" Storm asked. She was sitting over on the loveseat her hand held between two of Beast's furry blue ones.

"To teach Jean most likely." Erik replied, never lifting his eyes from scanning Charles' extensive document collection. He and Jeri spent several more hours working to come up with a strategy to help Rogue. Kojak worked tirelessly with Rogue, but their progress was slow. By the time Jeri announced that she had succeeded with erasing some of the foreign memories in Rogue's mind it was well after dark. It looked as though the Brotherhood would have to stay the night at the mansion.

Storm offered everyone a place to sleep. The mansion was rather empty, quite a number of the mutant children had gone home to their parents when the mutant human conflict started.

"Are you sure we can't get a hotel?" Pyro asked, knowing the answer even before he spoke.

Certain this could only end badly; Magneto agreed that for the duration of Rogue's treatment, the Brotherhood would lodge with the X-Men.

0000000000000

**Notes:** Okay, I know that you can break into a PC even if you don't know the password in about 2 seconds. Or at least I personally can. However, lets' assume our X-Men are ethical and not as tech-savvy as us and they couldn't. Charles never wrote his password down, as he never expected to die suddenly.

Imagine how embarrassing it is to be dead and have another person go through your private files on your computer? Think of all the odd things they might find. _Like an erotic story featuring Magneto and Rogue from the X-Men._ I wonder what they'll think about you then.

I just checked it out and this story is longer than the book The Great Gatsby. By over 30,000 words. That's mind-boggling.

I don't think I ever wrote Magneto telling Rogue to be patient during sex. But I like the idea that he once said that to her in the bedroom.

**Lily**: You are so right about the Auschwitz thing. Let me apologize. I am not an authority on the Holocaust (obviously). And I wrote that part without doing the proper research. I'm gonna go back and change it. Do you know if the comics ever mention which concentration camp Magneto survived?

**Agent Silver**: I had no idea about the cannibalism. I just sort of made it up. Figuring in those horrible conditions it was possible. I was looking for something that would really hook the reader and grab their attention. I was looking for something so horrible it would be instantly repulsive but plausible. And luckily, I didn't slander history too much.

**Preview:** The Brotherhood has a sleep over with the X-Men. Logan and Marie spend a lot more 'quality' time together if you get my drift. Magneto becomes jealous.


	25. Chapter 25: The Crock Pot Debacle

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – cursing like a pirate, wicked sexual situations, a twisted mindfuck  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men. I kinda own this story, so ask my permission before you archive it. Or don't… it's not like I'll ever find out anyway. Really, I couldn't care less; I just hope you enjoy it.

Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Temptation" by The Tea Party. This one major temptation coming the way of our characters. And some one has lost all control. Another good song is "Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks. We'll see a scene that perfectly matches that song in new Rogue and Bobby section.

**Dedication:** To **PetiteDiable**. Thank you for being such a diligent reviewer, PetiteDiable. I don't know what I would do without my loyal readers like you; you guys keep me inspired to continue and finish Healing. You review every new chapter I send out. That's awesome of you.

**Notes: **Okay forgive me. I know I have taken a long time to update. Fear not. When I got to writing Chapter 25 I had so many good ideas it grew to be over 9,000 words long unfinished with several more scenes to add. So I decided to split it up. Here's the first chapter. It's disjoint because I didn't want to take away from the storyline of Chapter 26 too much. I promise Chapter 26 will be longer, at least 7,000 words.

**Updates:** **XChocolateChipX **you are so unbelievably brilliant! Your review gave me the idea I needed to fix what was wrong with this chapter. Everyone who's reading this a second time: I added a big scene in the middle between the two main scenes in this chapter. You'll want to read it. **Rogue finally confronts Kitty and Bobby.** Yup this is big stuff. Dark Dark Dark. I recommend breaking out your favorite snack food and a mixed drink with extra vodka. You'll need it.

**Chapter Twenty-Five: The Crock Pot Debacle**

Logan:

It was around 9PM when he knocked on her door.

"Rogue, darlin'. You in there?" Logan said eager to finally have some private time to catch up with his estranged friend. He stood waiting outside the wooden door but the voice he heard answer him wasn't his friend's. It sounded like Rogue's but not.

"Wolverine! Come in." Curious, Logan turned the knob and opened the door.

The sight that greeted him would stay in his memory for the rest of his life. It was even more shocking than seeing Magneto kissing Rogue and it would have far more lasting consequences.

Rogue stood next to the bed, not a scrap of clothing on. She was all creamy smooth white skin, save for the dark curls between her legs. Her feet were bare, her body unadorned, her breasts displayed before her without shame. Her hair was plated behind her head and she walked with languid graceful movements. She shifted her weight back and forth from one leg to another as she approached him. Her hips sauntered in an age old dance of seduction and sin. Logan was speechless; his feet nailed firmly to the floorboards.

"You're looking good Wolverine." Logan's mouth hung open. He tried to move his tongue to say something but he could not. Rogue came towards him slowly, her breasts jostling slightly with each step. The blood drained from Logan's face to enter a much lower organ. He was white as a sheet.

"Don't look so scared. It's been a long time since we've seen each other." Rogue's voice held none of the soft Southern drawl Logan was used to hearing in it. Instead it was hard and throaty with clipped words. She stood only inches in front of him and began to run her hands up and down his chest. She fingered the dog tags hanging around his neck. Her fingers interlaced with the metal chain. She jerked on the chain forward, pulling his mouth down so their lips met. She kissed him; her tongue bursting into his mouth, fighting his own. Logan took a step backwards and shoved Rogue three feet away from him.

"Marie! What! What's?" He was still incapable of full sentences. Rogue, however, would not be so easily deterred. She spun towards him in a blur, using a sophisticated move and sent him sprawling onto the nearby bed. Logan was so taken aback he lay there as she pounced on him. Her hips straddled him and she held down his arms as her tongue took possession of his mouth again. She was licking and sucking his lips with abandon, greedily taking what she wanted from him. She rubbed her lithe body vigorously against him and despite all the warning sirens in Logan's head his male body responded.

He fought himself to not to give in to the offer before him. He was appalled and breathtakingly turned on all at once. A moment of clarity in the fog of lust broke through when he caught sight of Rogue's big chocolate brown eyes. They had not her usual mixture of wariness and naivety. Instead they were relentless and driven. But they were still Marie's eyes and Logan pushed her off of him.

"I don't know what's got into you kid, but this…" he couldn't look at her curvaceous body as he spoke, "it's wrong."

"Okay." Marie froze in place for a second and her hair shook itself out of its plated look behind her head to flow freely around her in long smooth waves. Her eyes became bright and her lips pursed in a small, but knowing smile. "How about this? You always had a thing for Dr. Grey." Rogue moved across the bed from him and looked him squarely in the eye.

"Logan," her voice sounded just like Jean's had. "I was wrong. I'm not in love with Scott. He's not right for me. He'll never be right for me. I want the dangerous guy. I want you Logan." She moved closer to him again, her hand hesitant but affectionate as it reached out to stroke his beard. "I choose you."

Logan's breath caught as Rogue played out his personal fantasy in lurid detail. He imagined for a second it was Jean's lips who were kissing his. Jean's hands running through his hair and unbuttoning his shirt. Jean's hands on his bare chest. Jean's warm and willing body waiting for him to take her. He purred against her as he kissed and licked her neck. Jean tracing circles on his stomach with her manicured finger nails. Jean's hands found his belt and undid the buckle. When her hands brushed lightly against his straining manhood his mind suddenly shot back to reality and he shuddered away from her.

"Marie! What the fuck is going on here?" His voice was a furious scream but her face registered no shock.

"Well if Jean isn't to your liking…" she paused again and her hair straightened and fell over her chest as it usually did. Her posture slackened a bit but it only accentuated the full teardrop shape of her breasts. Logan wanted to run from the room and he wanted to grasp the pliable, yielding flesh of her bosom at the same time.

"Logan," her voice had the lilting Southern syllables again. "I'm so happy to be back. Ah couldn't wait to see ya again. Ah, ah missed you." Her cheeks blushed furiously. She whispered shyly, "Ah've always had a crush on you Logan. Ah… Ah just think you're mighty handsome and Ah've always hoped one day you'd return ma feelin's suga. Ah've wanted you so bad Logan, for so long. Ah just couldn't wait any longer. Please, ah know you only think of me as a kid, but if you'll give me a chance Ah'll prove to you that Ah can make all your fantasies come true."

Logan's head spun. He had often wondered if Marie might have a little teen crush on him. Nothing serious mind you. But when he heard her mention it in so plain terms all the pieces clicked in his head. Some tiny part of Logan that was capable of vanity was proud to know he had sparked her interest. That part of him responded by unconsciously flexing the muscles in his chest and arms to show them off to his best advantage. He preened before her and let out a growl so small it was more of a purr of satisfaction.

He put his hands on Marie's shoulders and brought her to him. Logan wasted no time claiming his prize kissing her full lips. They felt so small and delicate between his rough ones. He was sure his bristly beard must feel terrible rubbing on her cheeks and he was careful not to brush her with it. He held her tenderly in his strong arms as he massaged the roof of her mouth with his tongue. He moved his head to kiss the tender flesh of neck and the hollow of her shoulders. Only when he caught sight of her bared breasts did he remember how this tryst had started.

He stopped and starred at her, at a loss, what to make of all this and remained frozen in place on the bed. He looked at Rogue, yet not Rogue, before him. She was herself, but not. She reached around to pull him back to her and she hugged him and squeezed him tightly. These were typical Rogue actions. She looked like Rogue and sounded like Rogue again. Why then was his throbbing need only increasing? He had never been attracted to the half-pint kid before.

He bolted from the bed and turned to Rogue his entire body shaking from an emotion he could not identify.

"Stay here. Just stay here." Logan flew from the room then. He only stopped running when he had reached Storm's room on the other side of the mansion. He didn't wait to knock; rather he burst into the room. Beast jolted back from Storm's open arms. They were fully clothed but had obviously been kissing each other. Logan, however, hardly registered that he was interrupting something.

"You gotta come quick. Get Professor Kojak. It's Rogue, she's…" He didn't know what to say so he just left it at that and turned around running off again, claws extended. Something told Logan a wrinkly old super villain had something to do with this twisted mindfuck.

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Magneto and Logan:

Erik was getting ready for bed when he felt the large mass of metal hurtling towards him. He sent out a low wave magnetic field. _Adamantium…_ With a splintering crash Magneto heard Wolverine chop through the door and fly towards him. Magneto stopped his flight in mid air and pushed Logan back into the wall. Logan's metal skeleton crashed through the delicate dry wall leaving gaping holes in the wall were his elbows, heels, and head had hit.

Erik cringed when he realized that if he was to maintain the tentative cease-fire between the X-Men and the Brotherhood that he would have to deal fairly with the Wolverine and politely pay for the wall he had slammed him into. (First item on Magneto's bill). The Wolverine was growling and foaming at the mouth as he fought to break free of Magneto's magnetic fields. But Magneto's powers had returned to where any battle between the two mutants had only one outcome.

"Is there any good reason you attacked me or is this how you treat all your guests?" Erik asked after a few moments.

"What the fuck did you do to Rogue?" Logan hurled at him incessant and forceful.

"Nothing." Erik's breath caught in his throat. "Is Marie alright?"

"No. You must have done something to her. She's lost her mind." Erik forgot all about the Wolverine and ran out the door of his room in his bathrobe and slippers. He rushed towards Marie's room panic causing his heart to pound relentlessly in his chest. He dreaded what he would find.

The door to her room was open and Storm was holding Rogue down, a towel wrapped around her otherwise nude form. Rogue was thrashing about in Storm's arms and making acrobatic moves she would have been incapable of had her mind been her own. Erik recognized that she was Mystique instantly by the fire that burned behind her eyes.

"Erik get her off me." Rogue said in Mystique's voice. Erik's knees weakened as he watched his Marie fall victim to another one of the personalities in her head. He couldn't stand to see her suffer like this. Logan chose that moment to enter the room and Magneto turned to him.

"Get Professor Kojak. Hurry." When Logan didn't move, instead watching Marie struggle recklessly in Storm's arms, Magneto pushed him out the door with a wave of his magnetic fields.

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Everyone:

Professor Kojak stayed with Rogue for an hour. First settling her consciousness and then clearing some of Mystique's memories from her head. It was hard work for Jeri and she worried it would take over a week to clear Rogue's head of all her absorbed memories. It could take months after that to develop a way for Rogue to do so herself.

As Kojak worked with Rogue, the X-Men blamed Magneto for Rogue's lapse. The incident had attracted unwanted attention and mutants lingered in the hallways listening to Logan, Storm, and Beast grill Magneto.

"What happened Logan?" Storm asked when things had settled down. Logan was not settled however. He seethed with anger at Magneto and stalked petulantly about the room his eyes never leaving Marie's prone form on the bed.

"I came to see Rogue and when I walked in the room she was naked," he paused and twitched as he remembered, "and she wasn't her self. She was all over me… pretending to be Jean and later herself. She acted just like…" then it dawned on him. "Just like Mystique did at Alkali Lake."

"What's the meaning of this Magneto?" Storm was quick to accuse him.

"I told you Rogue's head is overflowing with the memories she has absorbed through her mutation. We brought her here so that Professor Kojak might help her to clear her mind." Erik's voice was a bit strained but it had its usual commanding cadence again.

"She wasn't like this before. What'd ya do to her?" Logan asked.

"Nothing. This is one of the unfortunate side effects of her powers."

"Bull shit." Logan said, his claws extending as he spoke. The Beast tensed up prepared to stop Logan from doing something stupid if he had to. Logan's tone broke Erik's composure.

"You think I want to see her like this?" He snapped at the Wolverine. Erik turned away from the group, unable to look at them as he remembered what had happened at breakfast only yesterday. And now Rogue had endured a far worse episode parading about as Mystique. Erik would do anything to spare her more suffering. He would even attempt to get along with the Wolverine. He took several calming breaths. "I want to help her as much as you do. That's why I brought her here. I would not have presumed upon your meager hospitality if I did not care about her welfare."

"What's happening to her?" Beast asked.

"There are so many memories in her brain that sometimes they invade her conscious thoughts and she believes she is the individual whose memory is replaying in her head. In this case she thought she was Mystique. She has believed herself to be me once. And on numerous occasions she has thought herself the Wolverine." That acquiesced Logan's anger somewhat with guilt. He hated to think of his Marie having to relive so many lives, particularly his own.

"Why doesn't her mutation take effect?" Beast asked noticing no one had been hurt from touching Rogue's very unclothed skin. Professor Kojak fielded that question from her place at Rogue's side.

"Her mutation is located in the conscious part of her brain. When the memories flood her conscious, they override the mutations ability to function and suppress it for the duration of her episode.

"Is she- Is she gonna be alright?" Logan asked, standing over Rogue's unconscious form on the bed.

"If Professor Kojak works with her. She should be herself again in a few minutes. She'll have no memory of what just happened. It would be better if you didn't mention it to her." Erik said, hoping Logan would spare Rogue the shame of her latest lapse.

Logan had no problem not telling Rogue. He was deeply ashamed of how much he had responded to her advances. He only wished he could forget the episode himself. But the image of a naked Marie seducing him replayed in his mind over and over again. His relationship with her could never be the same.

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Rogue:

Marie's room was just as she had left it the day she stormed out of the mansion to find Magneto. Only her old roommate Jubilee was gone, having moved into Kitty's room after Rogue's departure. Nothing else had been moved. The only thing she could tell was missing was the bottle of Maker's Mark Bourbon she had left out in the open on top of her dresser. She was happy they had removed that or she might have been tempted to take a sip or two.

All Rogue's stuff was just the way it had been and so were her problems with Bobby and Kitty. They hadn't changed. She still had a birthday card Bobby had given her pinned up on her photo board. It hung there faded from the sun just as she'd left it over six months ago. She took it down and read through it again, maybe for the hundredth time. She told herself to throw it out, but she couldn't bring herself to.

She wasn't still pinning after Bobby; she cared for Erik now. But she had dated Bobby for over two years and they had been close friends before that. Those feelings can't just die out over night. She wished with all her heart they could. She hated the way it pained her to find an old picture of them together, smiling brightly at the camera. If she remembered correctly Kitty had taken that picture.

Erik had done much to heal the wound Bobby had struck to her heart. Rogue could not thank him enough for how much he had helped her. He had repaired parts of her soul that Bobby and Kitty's betrayal had torn asunder. But not all of her broken heart could be healed by him. There were still issues she had to work out on her own.

She had yet to apologize to Bobby and Kitty. She wasn't quite sure if she owed them an apology or vice-versa but she knew she would have to talk to them eventually. Their interactions in the mansion were awkward with a capital A. Bobby's animosity was so palpable not only could you cut it with a knife, you could slice it up, take it home in a doggie bag and have it for lunch the next day.

She'd had enough of his stares and it was only the second day back at the mansion. Bobby gave her nothing but mean, hurtful glares whenever they were trapped in the same room. (Strangely, while Bobby was starring at her Logan had avoided making eye contact all day.) It made Rogue feel even more self-conscious of how badly things had become between them. His cold eyes and frosty demeanor made her burn with unspoken guilt and wounded pride. She hated the way he acted as though she was at fault. She hated that he made her feel uncomfortable in what had once been her home. She hated the way he could still make her hurt after so long. It gave Bobby power over her that he could still affect her with just a look. And Rogue hated that most of all.

Kitty, on the other hand, was so timid she would shrink back anytime she saw Rogue. Sometimes she would shrink back against the wall so fast she would phase right through it. Rogue felt as though Magneto had placed a magnetic field around her and it repelled Kitty away from her. Bobby might have called her a 'traitor' but Kitty's passive-aggression hurt worse. It had been a long time since Rogue had a close girl friend to talk to. There was a hole in Marie that Kitty, her ex-best friend, had once filled. And that hole ached with emptiness when Kitty fled from her presence.

It was inevitable that Rogue would eventually run into Kitty or Bobby and be unable to avoid the necessary conversation that stood between them. Her run in with Bobby came far too early for Rogue. It was around two in the afternoon when she was taking a quick break from working with Professor Kojak. She had walked out into the hallway, intent on getting something to drink from the kitchen when she saw Bobby's pretty boy face appear far down the corridor.

She couldn't very well dart into a room or run the other way down the hallway. How would that have looked? If only she was Kitty and she could have melted through the floor to get away from him. But if she was Kitty, she wouldn't need to run away; she would be his girlfriend. Her breath caught in her throat and Rogue squeezed her eyes shut a few times, stilling tears from forming in them. Bobby walked slower as he came closer. Rogue's steps had slowed till they were nearly imperceptible as movement. They looked at each other and for a second Rogue thought there might be hope they could settle things between them.

"Bobby." Her voice was wary but hopeful. It was stronger than she had assumed it would be.

"Rogue." He stressed the first syllable, saying the "Ro" in a way that made it sound like a curse. And to Marie, the problems of being the mutant known as Rogue were.

Neither knew what to say next and both stood there awkwardly shifting in place. Rogue pulled on the fingers of an imaginary glove covering her hand. She would never have to wear her gloves again, but old habits die hard.

"I'm sorry ah said what ah did when ah left." That was easy enough to say and Rogue was happy to get it over with. Bobby just looked at her for one moment, his hands at his side in ice cold fists. Rogue's departure was not a pleasant memory to him.

"You should be." Rogue pretended the tone of Bobby's voice wasn't as cruel as it felt to her.

"Ah was upset over how you treated me. Ah spoke without thinking." Rogue tried to keep from crossing her arms in front of him. She didn't want to seem hostile. She wanted this to be worked out between them.

"Without thinking?" He let out a snort. "You lost it, kissed Magneto, and went off to join the Brotherhood. You went crazy or something. But I hear you're even more unstable now." Rogue pulled back as though she had been struck by him. Of all the sensitive spots to kick her when she was down… he had to question her understandably questionable sanity.

"Bobby," She wanted to run from him. She wished she'd never attempted to talk to him. "You really hurt me when you- when you cheated on me with Kitty. Maybe our relationship never meant much to you, but it meant a lot," She repeated herself for emphasis. "A lot to me."

"You knew things weren't going well Marie. I had been thinking about breaking up with you for a few months before that, but what with you going through all your problems with the Cure… I didn't want to spring it on you then. Kitty and I just happened." Rogue knew she should be forgiving; she should try to be understanding but his words didn't help sooth her. It made her feel worse to know he had wanted to end their relationship and he had never even had the guts to just tell her. If he was really trying to save her the pain while she dealt with the Cure then he wouldn't have stuck his tongue down Kitty's throat.

Rogue wanted to lose her temper at him. She wanted to yell and throw a fit but the fight was gone in her. She felt tired; exhausted from all the pain he had caused her.

"Ah know things will never be the same between us. Ah know you're happy with Kitty now and I've found someone too." She thought of Erik, not wanting to sully his name by mentioning it in this pitiful conversation.

"I'm not dating Kitty anymore. I'm seeing Jubilee now." _That_ was news to Rogue. She looked at Iceman as though he suddenly burst into flames.

"Either way Ah want us to be friends or at least be able to live in the same house without bein' so, so well… like this." He turned cold again and Rogue felt the air chill around her.

"Rogue you're one of them now. You're in the Brotherhood. You're a traitor to the Professor's memory and a traitor to us."

"Bobby it's not what you think it is."

"No, Rogue it is. I can't be friends with you."

"Why not?"

"Maybe it's just too much to ask." He turned and left. He stopped when he had got halfway down the hall and called back. "And keep that psychopath Magneto away from me."

Rogue refused to cry, walking back into the Professor's office hoping Jeri's presence would keep her from braking down. Rogue tried to act like nothing had happened but Kojak read her thought waves like there was a neon sign glowing on her forehead.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked Rogue. Rogue had just shaken her head in reply. She sat down in the chair across from the tall woman and feeling so light-headed she felt she weighed no more than a pound.

"I could erase all your memories of him." Professor Kojak offered softly. Rogue declined however. As awful as Bobby had hurt her and as much as her memories pained her, she knew that it was important to remember the bad moments of life, so one can fully enjoy the good ones. It is the sum of your memories that make up who you are. And Rogue knew she wanted to be in full control of her memories and her mutation. Anything short of that was unacceptable to her.

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Everyone:

"Pyro you burned the beef stew. How could you burn something that's made in a crock pot?" Catalyst said her big green eyes irate and frustrated. She was helping Pyro clean up the disaster he made in the kitchen while trying to cook dinner for everyone at the mansion. She berated herself for ever letting him try. Obviously she was pretty out of it if she had let him near the kitchen.

"It was cooking too slowly. So I kicked things up a notch." Pyro said, attempting to clean out the burnt on grease and fat on the crock pot. It had once had a quaint pattern of ducks on the outside. The whole thing was a nice brown-black color now that the enamel coating had melted off. (Another item added to Magneto's bill).

"It's a crock pot you idiot. It cooks things slowly. Oh, dear god…" Catalyst said hitting the palm of her hand against her forehead. _Would Pyro never learn?_

Pyro had ruined the beef stew when he had flamed both it and the countertop. (Another item added to Magneto's bill.) They had had to order Chinese. Utter chaos ensued when 32 people were calling out a rash of numbers for different Chinese food dishes. Someone confused which restaurant they were ordering from and called out number 29 (cashew chicken) when they really meant number 41 (sweet and sour pork). Several orders were mismatched. Storm had to recall the restaurant and correct their order. An hour and $246 dollars later the Brotherhood of Mutants and the X-Men sat down to a meal together in front of the TV in the common room.

White Chinese food cartons changed hands in a flurry as everyone got settled. The younger mutants were delegated to the floors surrounding the couches. Bobby, Kitty, and Jubilee kept to themselves on one couch hogging all the spring rolls. Beast and Storm cuddled together on the loveseat sharing a quart of low mein. Catalyst and Professor Kojak sat together. Pyro and Mystique took the arm chairs. Juggarnaut sat on the other loveseat all by himself, no one wanting to disturb the eight orders of Chinese food he had arranged around him. That left Rogue sitting on the long couch with Magneto on her right and Logan on her left, all three sharing General Tzo's chicken.

Magneto had claimed the remote control using his magnetism and seemed loathe to give it up. He stared down anyone who suggested he change the channel. Storm was the leader of the X-Men and she was the first to speak up.

"I think we should all watch the Weather Channel. They have a brand new episode of 'Storm Stories' on now." That was met with a general boo. Bobby spoke then.

"I think they're showing ice skating on ESPN." Pyro jerked up from his armchair, spilling his can of soda on the carpet. (Another item added to Magneto's bill).

"Oh, no! We are not watching anything to do with ice. Let's watch Fear Factor." Jubilee let out a loud vomiting sound.

"We're trying to eat here, Pyro. I think we should watch Fashion Police on E!" No one liked Jubilee's idea. Kitty didn't have the guts to speak up. She was meek and quiet and chewed on her spring roll. So Juggarnaut spoke with a piece of shrimp hanging from his mouth.

"We have to watch RAW Wrestling. It's on HBO."

"We don't get HBO," Storm said.

"What! What kind of bloody mansion is this if there's no HBO?" Juggarnaut lumbered up, rising from the couch and in the process spilling the eight Chinese food cartons all over it. Soy sauce and horse radish sauce landed everywhere. (Another item added to Magneto's bill).

"Oh shut up you ingrate." And Magneto used his magnetism to shove a spoon in Juggernaut's mouth. That shut him up. Mystique, feeling more confident Erik would accept her request, went next.

"I want to watch Alias Erik." Magneto and everyone else voiced negative sentiments. The show really sucked this season. Catalyst went next.

"How about CSI or Cold Case Files?"

"They're not on right now."

"Yeah, but we can see them through TiVo."

"No TiVo either." Storm informed her.

"Man, no TiVo or HBO. Charles is cheaper than I remember." Catalyst said and nudged her friend Professor Jeri Kojak. "Anything you want to watch?"

"I hate TV."

"Any other ideas?" Catalyst asked her.

"Well I am up for a good Ian McKellen movie. I love watching those."

"I don't think we have any movies starring Ian McKellen." Storm told them.

"No Ian McKellen, no HBO, no TiVo. This place sucks." Jeri said.

"I agree," said Catalyst. Logan finally spoke up when he realized no one else had the guts to make any other recommendations.

"I say we watch some hockey. You like hockey, right Rogue?" He put his arm around Rogue. Magneto shot daggers at him with his steel gray eyes. Marie didn't hate hockey, but truthfully she'd watched it for years just to be near Logan.

"Actually Logan, I'd like to watch Smallville."

"Perhaps another time my dear." Erik said and rubbed her thigh affectionately. Logan noticed and his eyes narrowed to slits while his nostrils flared. Beast, sitting next to Storm, went next.

"I suggest we watch something educational for the kids. Like Animal Plant."

"I know something educational to watch." Magneto said. Everyone knew he would get his way in the end. It wasn't smart to piss off a mutant super villain while he was eating Chinese food. Besides everyone was too full from eating all the Chinese to really argue anyway. Magneto flipped to NBC channel 4 and it showed the Nightly News with Brian Williams coming on.

"We're going to watch the news and afterward we are all watching the History Channel's Modern Marvels whether you like it or not." The doors to the common room slammed shut with such force one of Storm's African tribal drums fell off the wall and broke apart. (Another item added to Magneto's bill). Erik leaned into Marie on the couch and she cuddled up against him instinctively. Logan waited till Magneto was distracted watching the news before he reached across Magneto and Rogue to get the Wonton soup spilling some on Magneto's lap "accidentally". (Another item added to Magneto's bill. His dry cleaning bill, duh).

Brian Williams perfectly tanned and immaculately dressed figure came on the screen.

"Our lead story tonight is some video footage released by the Department of Homeland Security recorded by the mutant terrorist Magneto. As you know, Magneto is the alleged leader of the strongest mutant liberation army, The Brotherhood of Mutants, and his whereabouts remain unknown. The FBI urges anyone who has seen this man or who knows any information about the Brotherhood to contact their local authorities." The clip aired and the aristocratic Magneto appeared on screen before them.

"My Brothers, hear me now, in this our time of strife. We did not ask for this war, but it has arrived. We wanted only to coexist with humans; to live amongst each other in freedom and prosperity. But that was not to be. Human hate mongers drove the country over the limits into war and any chance of peaceful cohabitation has become impossible." Magnetos image left the screen for a moment as images of anti-mutant groups and sound clips of anti-mutant sentiments played out.

"Humans no longer want us to exist. To that end they attempted to force the Cure on us and failed through our united efforts to resist. But humans did not stop there. They massacre us in our homes, slaughter us openly on the streets, and deny us our rights as Americans. We are treated worse than second class citizens by the Anti-Mutant Registration Act. We are treated as criminals. I say if they think of us as criminals, why not be criminals?"

"The time to sit idly by and watch genocide be committed against your fellow mutants is over. I urge those mutants who are watching this in their homes to take action. Perhaps you have escaped detection and are able to live in society as though you were human. I want all of you to ask yourself, in this country, a country that is threatening to lock all mutants away in detention camps, the country you want your children to grow up? Is this the way you want them to live? In hiding, denying who they are?"

"You should be proud to be a mutant. You should be able to live freely and without fear. We are _homo superior_. We are the next step in evolution. Over forty thousand years ago superior Cro Magnons took control of the planet from inferior Neanderthals. It is our destiny to inherent the Earth."

"I want to extend an open invitation to all mutants everywhere to join the Brotherhood and take a stand against our inferior human adversaries."

When Magneto's speech finished, Brian Williams returned to the screen and continued speaking but no one in the mansions common room heard it. The Brotherhood stood up and began clapping. Many of the younger mutants joined in, clapping and shouting that they wanted to join the Brotherhood. Storm did not seem as pleased to hear Magneto's elegant speech.

"I hope you didn't send that in from the mansion."

"It was sent a month and a half ago. It takes a while for my videos to clear Homeland Security and get released to the press."

"I did the lighting." Rogue popped up, cheerily taking credit for her help with the video.

"You look good Magneto. Less wrinkly than in person." Logan said. Catalyst sat up straight on her couch, displaying her bombshell figure and gave Logan a haughty look.

"I think Erik looks handsome in the video." Catalyst seconded her thoughts.

"Erik always looks sexy. I just wish he could have worn his red shirt." Jeri said.

"I do have to wash it sometimes, Jeri." Erik said to her.

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**Notes:** So yes all the TV shows would not be on around dinner time and wrestling probably isn't shown on HBO. But it's just an approximation. I wanted to make the scene as funny as possible.

If you have forgotten Catalyst is the character symbolizing your beautiful author and Professor Kojak is her friend. So we would both love Erik.

If you've already left a review and want to leave a new review of the updated chapter just review an old chapter you might have skipped reviewing. What do you think of the confrontation between Bobby and Rogue?

All my Bobby and Rogue interactions and relationship issues are adapted from real life situations between myself and someone I will call only T.M. You might remember him from the dedication in Chapter 18. So why is Rogue apologizing to Bobby and not the other way around? Try being broken up with. Somehow you'll find you are the one doing the apology. All's fair in love, and there's an unfortunate practice in our culture where if you aren't married, you really have no recourse when someone cheats on you. Because of that the person who was cheated and rankly used by their partner, although the wronged party, is supposed to just move on and get over it. Rogue didn't and she feels at fault for the tension between them.

**Preview:** Be prepared. You think this chapter featured a mindfuck for Logan. Just wait till you read the next chapter. It is going to be incredible. I know because I have half of it written already. Oh, and Magneto's bill for damage to the mansion continues to grow exorbitantly.


	26. Chapter 26: A Timex Wasted

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – sex situations, cursing, general mindfuckery, mild violence.  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. I am not making any money off of this. I think I am losing money actually. They say time is money, well then I have lost a lot of money. It doesn't help how poor I was to begin with.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Beautiful Child" by Fleetwood Mac is a really haunting song for Rogue and Logan. It focuses on how Rogue is no longer a child to Logan or to herself.

**Dedication:** To **Chica Fayme **who is joining the army. Good luck and stay safe.

**Notes: **Let me apologize. This chapter was hellish to write. What you previously read as Chapter 25 was sections I deleted from Chapter 26. I, then, promised you Chapter 26 would be finished quickly and failed to deliver. I especially apologize to you **XChocolateChipX**, you deserve better than to be left hanging. I then tried to finish the elusive Chapter 26 only to watch 6,000 words explode to 11,000. To give some idea, 11,000 words is longer than most ff net stories. Worse yet, those 11,000 were utter crap, unfit to line a bird cage. My darling **KumaDaPuma** called me out on it. And what you see before you is a revamped and improved first half of the second edition of chapter 26. Yes, so it's like a third edition. Oh my, what a gauntlet I have gone through to write this. Seriously, it hurt physically. I only pray my energy and time did not go to waste and you manage to enjoy this.

**Chapter Twenty-Six: A Timex Wasted**

Magneto:

The thought taunted Erik and kept him from sleeping. He mulled it over in his mind, tossing and turning in the itchy unfamiliar sheets. He was sequestered several doors away from Marie to keep up appearances. He had grown used to her nightly presence in his bed. The bed in the mansion felt foreign and large as he slept on the left side.

It was more a feeling than a thought, but it plagued him all the same. If he allowed himself to he could feel it in his bones, in the stiffness of his muscles, in the flowing iron of his blood. It screamed to him, more apparent and real than his own hand in front of his face. Yet no matter how entirely Erik could feel it, he did not allow himself to draw the obvious conclusions.

He has never been one to worry unnecessarily. He did not believe in intuition; he believed in logic, research, and careful analysis. He was a master strategist, always one step ahead of his opponent, outsmarting trouble before it could catch him. However, this time he felt, rather than knew, trouble was coming. It was bad enough he was sleeping with the enemy so to speak; it was the second night the Brotherhood slept at the X-men's mansion. Then, there was the matter of Rogue's illness and how it had manifested itself only the day before. The Wolverine had seen her nude and uninhibited under the disillusion she was Mystique. He could feel his anxiety was centered on Marie. But it wasn't just her illness that worried him. It was something else, something he refused to acknowledge, and something that was beneath him.

As he had drifted off to sleep he could hear the sound of Rogue and Logan's laughter filter through door from the hallway.

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Rogue and Logan:

She had found Logan after she finished working with Professor Kojak for the night. Kojak had labored diligently to clear Rogue's mind and prevent her foreign memories from taking control of her consciousness. Rogue was eager to see the memories released and to know that she would not lose her mind. However, this was only a temporary solution and if she absorbed too many people again, she would be back in the same predicament.

Rogue had specifically asked Jeri not to erase any of Erik's memories. Having her mind painstakingly freed from the plethora of personalities, left her exhausted and with a headache aspirin could not quell. She came upon Logan smoking a cigar and finishing a beer outside on the mansion's terrace. Logan liked to drink beer more than he should, but with his phenomenal healing rate, the beer was unable to ever make him drunk for long.

Rogue didn't know what to say to him. She felt distant from him because of all the time they had spent apart. He'd also been avoiding her since the first night she'd spent at the mansion and that bothered Rogue. She couldn't say for sure when the next time she would get to see her good friend was, and she didn't want to let their time together go to waste.

"Really something about Storm and Dr. McCoy, huh?" She asked, him casually sitting down next to him on the stone steps. Logan just took a swig of beer and grunted an affirmative.

"They have been working together a lot." He suggested. He didn't want to turn and look at Marie. The last thing Logan wanted to do was see her hauntingly beautiful form sitting beside him. Whenever he saw Marie he couldn't get the image of her naked, ready, and willing body responding to his from his mind. It was hard to even be in the same room as her. His body automatically thought of her as a potential mate and reacted to the smell of her.

"You know after Jean died, Ah thought there was something between you and Storm. You two seemed to understand one another real well." That caught Logan's attention and he looked over at Rogue in disbelief. He looked scruffy in his jeans and white ribbed wife beater. It was late and he was sweaty from the heat.

"Nah, Storm and I. Not likely. She's not my type and I'm not hers. Storm isn't into bad guys…" _the way Jean was._ Logan remembered his conversation with Jean at Alkali Lake. _Girls flirt with the dangerous guy but they don't go home with him…_ He wondered if Jean and he would ever have worked out. Not too likely either. Logan took another swig of beer, immersing himself in his inner thoughts for a few moments. Marie on the other hand, she understood him. She had his memories though. Perhaps when she didn't have them anymore, she wouldn't want him around either.

"I think you could be into bad guys." Logan said. He meant it as a joke, but he knew that Rogue had once had a heavy crush on him. Yes, she would be into his type. The beer continued talking: she would be into dangerous guys like him. He could tell. Something about the way she moved her hips now that she was back at the mansion. Like she was just asking for him to notice and do something about it.

"Oh, yeah I like bad guys. Powerful, dangerous ones too. Especially ones who can bend metal with their bare hands." She continued his joke, saying it sarcastically, but she was reminded of the man she was currently sleeping with. He was bad, dangerous, and very powerful. She wondered if Logan would get why she had agreed. She had been hinting at her relationship with Magneto.

"You better watch out. Dangerous guys are likely to get you in trouble." He said a wide smirk on his face as he looked at her. He was remembering Marie's shy confession of her crush and then her lusty, furious kisses.

Rogue had no memory of the incident in her bedroom. To her, Logan was still joking with her; he hadn't gotten that she had been referring to Magneto. _He was oblivious, like all X-men. No_, she rephrased that, _he was oblivious like all men_.

"Just what kind of trouble suga?" Rogue whispered low and conspiratorially.

"Well I've had a hankerin' to do something all day." He stood up and took her hand to help her up. "Come on."

Wolverine swaggered down the hallway with Rogue at his side. His smile stretched from sideburn to sideburn. The cigar and beer had helped his mood tremendously and it felt right to have Marie by his side again. Despite the unfortunate circumstances that had brought her back to the mansion, it was very good to see her happy and know that she was making some progress to control her mutation. He held her hand as they walked, just because he could.

"Somethin' about this guy bugs me." Logan said stopping in front of Juggarnaut's guest room at the mansion. Everyone else had gone to bed, and it was likely the large oafish man was asleep as well. "Wanna get into some trouble Rogue?"

"By all means." How could she possibly resist Logan when he was smiling? How could she resist Logan when his butt looked so tight and cute in his blue jeans? How could she resist Logan ever?

With Logan's help, she had crept into Juggarnaut's room then. The enormous man was sound asleep. She worried they might wake him, but his snores resembled a fog horn and if he could sleep through that, he could likely sleep through anything. They found his steel helmet resting reverently on the night stand next to his bed.

Rogue giggled infectiously as took the helmet down the hall and out to the garden surrounding the mansion. Logan and her were in a rowdy adrenalin high mood as she held the helmet up before him.

"Where we gonna hide it?"

"Right in plain sight. I got a good idea." His smile was devilish as he unleashed his claws. It was dark but the light from the mansion and the moon illuminated the grounds well. Logan kneeled in front one of Ororo's pink petunia plants. He clawed the ground furiously in a circle around the plant, then retracted his claws and pulled the plant and surrounding earth up. "Bring the helmet."

They stuck the helmet in the ground then, replanting the fuscia pink petunia inside it. Marie had missed Logan's playful side. There wasn't much time for playing around at the Brotherhood. Their work for the cause was too serious. But the school had always existed in a more insulated atmosphere from the realities of the mutant human situation. It wasn't such a good thing in reality but it had its advantages.

"It's good to have you back Marie." Logan said and brushed his dirty hand across the top of her head, messing up her hair.

"It's good to be back." She said against the side of his cheek as she hugged him.

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Magneto:

He had hoped that by some miraculous divine intervention his loyal Brothers might be able to coexist with the X-Men for the sake of Rogue's treatment. To that effect he had even given them a stern lecture to remain on their best behavior when they arrived at the mansion. Even Juggarnaut had tried to listen, though he was close to deaf in his steel helmet. Or at least, Erik hoped he was just unable to hear. At times Juggarnaut appeared so dense, he wondered if there was a brain inside the helmet at all.

The following morning he learned there wasn't. Juggarnaut had awaked to discover his helmet missing and run amuck through the school bullying young mutants to reveal its location. Juggarnaut without his helmet, managed to be dumber than Juggarnaut in his helmet, Magneto noticed quickly. It took the British man an astoundingly long time to guess that his sometime rival Wolverine was behind the helmet's disappearance. The Wolverine had taunted Juggarnaut to the point where he charged him. Wolverine was able to dodge him easily but Juggarnaut being unable to change direction once he picked up momentum went hurtling through the wall of the mansion. (Another item added to Magneto's Bill).

Now Magneto was left to apologize to Storm and pay for repairs to not only the mansion but Juggarnaut himself. Without his trusty helmet the buffoon had chipped a tooth crashing through the wall and suffered a concussion. The man was worse than a baby when hurting. He whined and complained so Catalyst and Dr. McCoy had to sedate him while they attempted to find him a dentist. When no dentist would agree to treat the huge mutant, Catalyst and Dr. McCoy had been forced to devise a dental procedure themselves. (Another item added to Magneto's bill. Custom dentistry is not cheap).

Magneto wondered why he put up with the British behemoth. Juggarnaut was only good in fights against humans; superior mutants always thought up a way to defeat him despite his formidable brawn. During fights Erik would often take guilty pleasure in watching Juggarnaut be cleverly routed. That was as long as his own life wasn't in danger and the man's defeat didn't hurt his cause. Juggarnaut was really just a pawn, certainly expendable and Magneto would gladly send him into the fray first.

Few of his mutants garnered special status in battles. There were those whose abilities were vitally useful to his cause: such as Callisto, Mystique, and Catalyst. Pyro was one of the few in whom Magneto saw great potential. Although Pyro was angry and defensive, a typical young man, he was smart and loyal to what he believed in and he now believed firmly in Magneto's cause. Magneto imagined that the boy could one day be an immense asset, perhaps even take over for him, should the event of his death ever occur.

And then there was Rogue. Putting aside Magneto's feelings for Rogue, and it was hard to do that, there was her vast power. She could take down almost any mutant or any human in a few seconds. She could absorb anyone's powers, learn anyone's thoughts. If Professor Kojak was successful at teaching Rogue to expunge the excess memories herself, Rogue could potentially steal someone's powers for good. This made Rogue one of the most deadly mutants on Earth. Although her current powers were not as useful as say his magnetism or Phoenix's telekinesis, she might one day be able to have any mutant's powers. This meant nothing was beyond her.

Erik only worried what absorbing another mutant might do to her. He had Kojak researching several things like how Rogue might be able to drain someone without receiving their memories, how she could clear the foreign memories herself and whether a full absorption meant she received the physical characteristics of her target. Rogue already had his white streak of hair, and he was rather partial to her keeping it. Still, Erik was concerned about her. He knew how much using her powers meant to Rogue but he wanted her safe. He would not be able to stand another episode like the one at breakfast four days ago.

To this end, Rogue worked with Professor Kojak much of the day as the rest of the Brotherhood stalked around the mansion wary of the fact they were hardly welcome. Erik noticed that in her free time Marie sought out the Wolverine. As the days past, they were always seen together, catching up on old times. When Erik wanted to find Marie she was inevitably with the hairy man laughing, listening to country music, out for ride on his motorcycle, or practicing in the danger room.

Erik began to get frustrated that all her spare time was given to the Wolverine. It was bad enough he had to endure staying at Charles' school and putting up with all the pacifist mutants, his dear Marie wasn't around to calm him. It was beginning to show too. He had been making a cup of Earl Grey tea in the kitchen when two young female mutants entered whispering. They underestimated his hearing because he could easily distinguish every word.

"Is that him?" The short haired Asian one had asked her friend. Erik believed it was Ms. Pryde, but he wasn't sure.

"Yup, he and the Professor used to be lovers." Her friend answered, whispering even lower, but Erik could still hear them.

"That's unreal. He's like a million years old." The Asian one replied trying hard to appear as though she wasn't starring at him, which she was. Erik stopped making tea and fought hard not to turn around and stare back at the girl.

"And evil too." Her friend looked her straight in the eye as they sat down by the counter. Her eyes betrayed her hatred and fear of Erik. She remembered what the scene at Alcatraz had been like.

"Who do you think was on top?" The Asian one asked giggling.

"Jubilee, that's just gross." Her friend forgot to whisper. Erik slammed the tea cup down and the metal spoon went flying into the marble countertop. Erik's magnetism had flung it with such force it lodged two inches deep into the marble.

"I was," he looked directly at them. They froze at the unexpected comeuppance. "It would behoove you to learn some manners."

He went back to making his tea; his hands shaking violently from rage. He needed his Marie to keep him calm and he needed this to end soon.

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Magneto:

Magneto told himself that he was putting up with the X-Brats so that Rogue would be able to use her powers for his cause. But Erik knew there was another reason. One which he was loathe to admit even to himself. Beyond the usual concern for a member of his Brotherhood, there were the growing feelings he had for Marie. He had tried to fight them, knowing how inconvenient, nay inappropriate they were. But he had lost.

When Charles had died, he had lost his oldest friend. Charles had been the only person Erik had left from his youth. But that loss had been cushioned by the entrance of Rogue into his life. She shared all his memories as though she had been there with him. She understood him as no one but Charles, the world's most powerful telepath, ever had. (Erik knew it said something about himself that he preferred lovers who were able to read his mind but he didn't want to ponder what).

However, all that was about to change. Professor Kojak would erase his memories from her mind and Erik couldn't help but wonder if his relationship with Marie would change as a result. Would she still understand him? Would she still want him as a lover without that bond between them? He wasn't entirely sure.

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Magneto and Rogue and Logan:

The next day Magneto caught them playing basketball late in the afternoon.

It was in the 90's and sweltering out. As Logan dribbled the ball it was so soaked with sweat it slipped out from under his fingers and rolled to the side of the court. Logan was as dripping wet as the ball. He took a quick sip of water from a nearby bottle and then pulled his wet white t-shirt off. Rogue gasped as she saw him standing in only his black basketball shorts. She should have been used to the sight of a half-naked Logan, she had seen it often enough. But his fantastic body never ceased to make her heart beat faster.

Erik had been standing in his room in the mansion, irritated by the whir of the central air conditioning that had disturbed his nap. Ignoring how much it would increase Ororo's electricity bill, he had walked over and opened his window. Immediately he was greeted by the sound of basketball dribbling. He had recognized the two figures on the basketball court easily. They were his Marie and the Wolverine. Curious as to what his Marie saw in the wild, uncouth mutant he was unable to turn away and stood their watching them undetected from above. It turned out one thing Marie saw in the Wolverine was his generous muscles. It hurt Erik to see the way Marie could not take her eyes off of Logan.

"No fair. I can't play without my shirt." Marie said, trying not to sound as winded as she was. And it wasn't just from the heat and exercise. Sometimes she swore Logan undressed in front of her just to torture her.

"No one said you had to wear it, did they?" He taunted her, greedily gulping down more water in mouthfuls. It was so fun to get Marie's gander up. Flirting with her was comfortable and came naturally.

"Ok then." She said. If he was going to dish it out she would make him take it too. She would not concede this battle. She took off her green Harvard t-shirt to reveal her black Nike sports bra.

Logan choked on his water. He hadn't expected her to take him up on his dare. He had just been playing with her, not… He hadn't wanted to see how beautiful she looked sweaty and panting hard. Her ample chest heaving up and down with the movements of her lungs as the sweat ran in rivers down her flawless newly touchable skin. Despite having seen far more of that skin, there was something about seeing it covered by the mere scrap of fabric of her bra that made Logan twice as aroused. He wanted to extend his claws and rip that bra off her. It was a test of his willpower for Logan not to act on the overpowering animal urge to take her right there on the asphalt of the basketball court. He had always been the one to protect Marie. Now she needed protection from him. It was driving him crazy that she made him think such thoughts.

Erik watched, taken aback, as Rogue threw off her sweaty green T-shirt. The incident with Juggarnaut's helmet had been inappropriate behavior but now Marie was prancing around in front of the Wolverine in nothing but a bra. It was bad enough that under Mystique's influence Logan had seen her even less attired. But Erik could excuse that, Marie was sick and needed treatment. This, however, was a willful act. She was wantonly flirting with the Wolverine. Erik felt his blood rise and he could feel the iron flow of it speed up as his anger rose. An architects' lamp skidded towards him across the desk in the far corner of his room.

Logan met Marie's wicked, triumphant grin as he dribbled the ball back to center court. Rogue was quick and nimble on her feet. She danced around him, blocking him and trying to make a swipe for the ball. Logan faked and turned past her, heading for the basket. He shot and the ball hit the backboard squarely. It should have gone in, but it bounced off the metal rim.

Rogue took the rebound, dribbling around Logan. He had longer arms then her and he blocked her shot effectively, stealing the ball away from her. She was a fighter and scrambled to block him from taking the shot. It was unnecessary. He must have rushed the shot because again it looked good, but failed to go past the metal rim.

Logan caught the rebound and began dribbling but his adamantium-filled fingers slipped on the ball again and it got away from him. Marie got possession and scored against him. She passed the ball back to Logan who held it in his hands.

"30 for me. 27 for you Logan." He must be getting old he thought. He was worse than usual. Marie smiled saucily at him and her flushed cheeks and lush red lips looked sinful. He wanted to kiss her then and moved forward.

Erik saw it. He saw Logan lean in for a kiss. _What was going on here? _Erik snapped his wrists and below him on the basketball court Logan's claws unsheathed, slicing the basketball to smithereens. Startled by what had happened Logan pulled back from kissing Marie at the last possible second.

Erik peered down and studied Marie's face to see that she looked momentarily disappointed. He could hardly believe what was happening. The minute Rogue was back at the mansion she was falling into the Wolverine's open arms! Perhaps once she got her gifts under control she wouldn't want him anymore. Perhaps that was the only reason she was ever interested in him. They certainly didn't have much in common. _Maybe she had just used him for help with her mutation and good sex_, he flattered himself. It wouldn't be the first time a mutant had done that.

The lamp on desk raced towards him and crashed into the near wall with a bang. Its glass light bulb shattered on impact. Its rotating lever arm lay in pieces. (Another item added to Magneto's Bill). Outside in the garden a copper sundial shook violently, beginning to rip from its foundations. (Another thing added to Magneto's Bill). Before he lost his temper entirely, Erik stepped away from the window.

In the relatively dim light of his room, he made a resolve. He would not let the incident bother him. No, he wouldn't. He was Magneto, the most powerful mutant in the world, after all. What did he have to worry about? And Rogue…She was just a member of his Brotherhood and _nothing more_ he told himself.

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Rogue and Logan:

Logan had unleashed his claws by accident, and sliced the basketball to smithereens. Rogue let out a frustrated sigh. That inevitably happened when she played against Logan.

"What's that the 19th basketball you've clawed against me?" She said kneeling to pick up the orange tatters.

"It's only the 18th. Sorry, Marie." He looked cute when he apologized.

"Nah, don't be. It happens." They gathered the remains of the basketball and brought it to the side of the court where their shirts and water bottles were. Rogue picked up her water bottle and took a long gulp. Then a second, just in case. Without warning she poured the rest on Logan.

"You smell worse than the inside of the Danger Room." He stood there dripping wet and Rogue realized her mistake. He looked more handsome than ever.

"Oh yeah? Well, kid you don't smell so good yourself." He picked up his water bottle.

"Oh no ya don't." She ran away from him and they chased each other erratically around the basketball court for several minutes until Logan managed to drench Marie. Then they collapsed onto the stone steps, exhausted but joyful and sat drying in the sun.

"Ah don't know Logan, but ah think you're out of shape. Ya never used ta let me beat you." Rogue's accent returned when she was with him. She enjoyed not having to watch her pronunciation carefully.

"Hey, you haven't been here to practice with. What was I supposed to do Marie?" Logan looked down at his damp T-shirt. He didn't particularly want to put the dirty shirt back on. He looked over at Rogue who had made no move to put her t-shirt back on. The itch of desire grew again in his lower stomach.

"I'm sorry Logan. Ah woulda left you if it hadn't been important. Ya know that, right?" He did. "It's not like you ain't left me before." She regretted her statement the minute she finished it. Logan's brown eyes looked hurt and he moved his head away from her.

"You know I'm sorry about that Marie. I-" She interrupted him.

"We've been through this. I know you are." They sat in silence for a moment, the air pregnant with thoughts they did not voice.

"Can ah tell you somethin' ah haven't told anyone else at the school?" She was hesitant to say this. She wanted to tell Logan everything, for there to be no secrets to stand between their friendship. But she couldn't tell him everything yet. She'd start small.

"Sure." He acted nonchalant but she could tell she'd peaked his interests. His ears always perked up like a puppy when she did. They twitched a little now.

"Not only did ah learn how to stop my skin from hurting people when I touch them…" She paused for dramatic effect. "But ah learned how to drain people from far away. Ah don't even have to touch them anymore. Ah can control it too. Ah can knock someone unconscious and read their thoughts from thirty yards away."

"Rogue that's…" Logan's voice trailed off. The gears turned in Logan's head. So that's why she had absorbed too many memories. Logan pieced the puzzle together and figured her new abilities were likely the cause of her current illness.

"Great. Ah know right?" She smiled, proud of how much work she had put into learning how to control and use her mutation. Her skin was no longer a curse to her. But it had taken a lot of work on her part to make it that way. She'd never need the Cure again, now that she had control of her own life.

"No, Marie. That's not great. That's… horrible." Marie's head snapped around to look at her friend. "Marie," Logan's eyes pleaded with her. "If you use your skin like that, to "drain" someone your hurting them. Badly. I can't believe you want to do that Marie. Is Magneto making you use your mutation like this?"

"No Logan. He's… I thought you'd be happy for me. I'm not a bad fighter anymore. I can take down anyone now. I'm not a liability anymore." Rogue tasted the salty tears on her lips before she realized she was crying.

"Rogue, unlike everyone else's powers yours are only good to hurt people. They only work on humans. They don't cut through metal or wood, pass through walls, or produce fog for cover. Your mutation aims at living things and sucks the life right out of 'em. You shouldn't want to use your mutation at all Marie." Logan didn't want her using her mutation if it was going to cause incidents like a few days ago. He'd rather she never used it.

"But Logan it doesn't kill people. It just drops them unconscious for a few hours or days. Depends how good my precision is. You know that things are terrible right now for mutants. Ah gotta have some way to defend myself. Ah ain't gonna be helpless in a fight no more Logan. Ah wanna be useful. Ah wanna help mutants."

"Magneto's gotten to you then. The old Rogue would have seen this was a bad thing." Rogue physically pulled back his words hurt her so. "Is that why you're here to look through the Professor's files? To learn more ways to kill?"

"No. I told you Logan. I have too many memories in my head. Professor Kojak is just helping me to clear them." Logan didn't look convinced in the slightest. He knew she was lying and it pained him to hear it.

"And Magneto put those memories there. Tell me Rogue how many helpless people did he have you absorb? That's why your mind's overflowin', ain't it?"

"No!" She was furious now. How could Logan twist everything out of proportion so? "Did it ever occur to you Ah can make my own decisions? Magneto didn't put me up to anything. Ah was the one who wanted to learn how to use my powers. Ah wanted to help him and the Brotherhood, Logan, because they are the ones standing up for mutants right now. Have you seen the news at all or are ya living in a bubble? There's a war on. The government's locking mutants away if they ain't registered. I don't know how they haven't closed the school yet." Rogue slowed her tirade, looking at her best friend, willing him to understand. "I don't want to be hurt again. I don't want to see anyone I love hurt again. I wanna be able to do somethin' for once. I wanna have some control over my life, Logan."

He sat there watching her for a few minutes, not happy about her new powers, but able to grasp why she wanted them. Rogue hadn't had it easy over the years and he could see the way it had affected the girl. He remembered how meek and scared she'd been when they'd introduced themselves in his old camper van. She'd come a long way from there. She stood up for herself now. She was a woman and not a girl anymore.

"No more flying lessons, I guess." He pulled her into a hug and she stopped her mutation as her head rested against his wet chest, her long brown hair sopping down her back. She breathed in the smell of cigars, sweat, and beer and felt at peace.

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Rogue and Logan:

Rogue knew the instant her work with Professor Kojak began to pay off. She felt better than she had for many weeks, a fact that became plain to her negatively--she did not feel ill. She stood for a moment under the shower and tried to remember her tenth birthday party and the piñata her parents had set up in the backyard. Her head didn't hurt. Not one bit.

Her first thought was to run and tell Erik. She did so after dressing but was disappointed not to find him in his room. Before she could search for him anywhere, she ran into Logan on the stairs and ran down, two stairs at a time, to embrace him.

"Logan!" She squeezed him as tightly as she could and the Wolverine let out an adorable "Humph." In a wave of joyous euphoria, she kissed him on the forehead, on the ear, on his cheeks. Then, she pulled back and giggled whimsically in delight.

"It's workin'! Clearin' my memories. It's workin'!" She told him in a rush. Logan's eyes lit up.

"That's terrific darlin'!" And he pulled Rogue back into a bear hug, lifting her up and carrying her down the stairs. At the base of the stairs, still hugging her, he spun her around in a circle only setting her down when she began to look dizzy.

When he set her down, she looked up at him, her world spinning from dizziness. Logan looked at her, his Marie, eyes glazed with happiness, face all aglow, standing like she could hardly touch the ground… and he kissed her. He scooped her up in his large, powerful arms; while he leaned down to press his lips against her own.

Rogue was so shocked her mutation kicked in for a second before she could stop it. He did not deepen the kiss, only letting his tongue dance delicately over her soft lips. He kissed her and twisted his head to lean to the right, shifting his lips. Finally ending the kiss he rubbed his left cheek against hers in an affectionate petting motion.

Rogue was stunned and her breath caught in her throat. Logan had kissed her! Logan! And from the pull of her mutation she had gained the knowledge of his attraction to her. She could scarce believe this was happening. How many years had she dreamed of how his lips would feel? How many nights had she imagined him taking her in his arms just like this? How many times had she hoped against hope that he would return her feelings? She had dreamed, imagined, and hoped for so long she had given up on Logan. She had conceded that he wanted Jean; she had grown to see him as only a friend. She had found Magneto. But now all those buried feelings rose from deep within her. Every second they gained ground in her mind, forming again all the old hopes, old fantasies, and old dreams.

When Marie looked up at Logan he was red from embarrassment, but she did her best to encourage him with a smile.

Unbeknownst to the couple, at the top of the stairs lay a Timex Chronograph stainless steel wristwatch warped beyond repair.

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**Notes: **So what mutant used Magneto for help with their mutation and good sex? You'll find out before the end of the story. It's just a funny joke storyline, nothing big.

Scenes were based on real events: Magneto watching from the window was. I awoke one sunny morning last summer to look out my window and catch my then boyfriend kissing my friend outside.

Okay there have been **250** hits to the last chapter of my story and only 9 people have reviewed. Obviously, more than **9** people read the last chapter, and thus my whole story. **Please, if you're lurking out there, leave a review.** If you like this and you're enjoying it, just leave a quick note. Otherwise if you're not enjoying it: how am I supposed to improve my writing if you never let me know what I've done wrong?

**KumaDaPuma**: I owe you everything for this chapter. I give you my undying gratitude and all the Magneto sex I can possibly write. If I knew Ian McKellen, I would kidnap him and give him to you as a present.

**Preview:** Your author takes revenge and it won't be pretty. Magneto, Rogue, Logan… they are all in for a bumpy ride.


	27. Chapter 27: Of Mice and XMen

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – be prepared: sex, jealousy, violence, rage, and tasteless humor.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Logan and Rogue and after this chapter I am happy I don't.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Think Twice" by Eve 6. This song is full of jealous, lustful, angry themes and I find that really sexy. It's Erik's theme in this chapter.

**Dedication:** To **LateOrliBloomer** for such thoughtful and well constructed reviews. Here's a chapter that's a little different from all my others. Hopefully it is more to your liking.

**Notes: **This chapter takes the story in a new direction. When I started writing it, it just felt so right I couldn't stop. Enjoy. And just a warning: your author is merciless, ruthless, and relentless. She pulls no punches in this chapter.

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Of Mice and X-Men**

Everyone:

All in all it had been a lousy day for Magneto. It was the fifth day of the Brotherhood's stay at the mansion and it was becoming increasingly clear that if they didn't leave soon, there would be no mansion to leave. First, Bobby and Pyro had had an altercation in the communal bathroom in the student wing. Pyro had flamed Bobby, who blasted ice in return. Pyro's fire had burned the shower curtain and several towels. Bobby's ice had melted, leaving large puddles of water that leaked out into the hallway, damaging the hardwood floor. None of the students had the good sense to clean up the mess and it soaked through the floorboards to damage the ceiling beneath, which is when Erik had noticed it. (Another thousand dollars worth of stuff to add to Magneto's bill).

Then, Dr. McCoy had come to him asking Erik if he would talk to Mystique. Apparently earlier that day in the gym, she had antagonized Kitty away from using the stair stepper when Mystique had wanted it. Now the young girl was afraid to be in the same room as the blue mutant. It had taken Erik only one eyebrow raise at Mystique for her to admit her guilt.

Catalyst, on the other hand, refused to admit her guilt when the Beast's skin turned green rather than his usual blue complexion after eating lunch that day. She categorically denied any responsibility, while being unable to control her giggles. Covering her hand to her mouth she had exclaimed, "Oh my god! Beast looks like 'the Hulk' now. This is so perfect." Magneto had threatened to crush her beloved silver jewelry collection and Catalyst had reluctantly turned Beast blue again.

Juggarnaut's practical jokes were far more costly and much less clever. He had sought revenge against Wolverine for stealing his helmet. However, being unable to think for long periods of time, all Juggarnaut could come up with was the idea of bashing into Logan when he least expected it. To this end he caught the mutant teaching a self defense class in the Danger Room. The thick steel doors of the Danger Room were locked, but that had never been a problem for Juggarnaut. He burst through the doors and assaulted Logan. A long, destructive fight ensued that left the Danger Room in need of repairs, Wolverine in need of healing for five minutes, and Juggarnaut in need of a lot of band-aids. (More repairs to the mansion added to Magneto's bill).

Wolverine had clawed Juggarnaut thoroughly, but without hurting him too badly. He wanted to rip into Juggarnaut more, but the temporary truce prevented it. Logan was surprised there hadn't been more casualties so far. In his mind, there had never been a dumber idea than the Brotherhood bunking with the X-Men. Except of course Juggarnaut himself; He was dumb everyday.

Juggarnaut's rampage of stupidity continued when he tried to heat a can of Progresso Chunky New England Clam Chowder in the microwave without taking it out of the can. First the can sparked wildly, till it caught fire (where was Iceman when you actually needed him), and finally it exploded from the pressure.

Magneto who had been in the kitchen at the time jumped in place. He clutched the counter with one hand for support, nearly slumping over. He brought a hand up to grasp the bridge of his nose, and then massaged his temples to dispel the throbbing pain.

"Aggghhh!" he shouted. "Do you have any idea what that feels like? What kind of blundering fool puts metal in the microwave? Dear god! Have you no brain inside that helmet?" And with that Magneto used his magnetism to send a 12in iron skillet hurdling towards Juggarnaut's helmeted head. Iron on steel resounded with a 'clang' and Juggarnaut dropped like a ton of bricks.

Logan, who had been watching the scene unfold while he had lunch, laughed uncontrollably. With his head still throbbing in pain, Magneto stepped over Juggarnaut's prone form, paying it no heed. He ignored the Wolverine's peels of laughter and opened all the kitchen cabinets till he found a bottle of aspirin. Taking the whole bottle with him, he exited the room.

"Who's gonna pay for the microwave?" Logan called after him. Erik didn't even flinch at this point. (Another item added to Magneto's bill.)

So far everyone had been responsible for some destruction of X-Men property save Professor Kojak, who was too busy trying to help Rogue. At this rate Magneto's vast fortune hidden in several Swiss bank accounts would be bankrupted by his followers own negligence.

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Magneto and Rogue:

The days at the mansion were loathsome to Erik. He was growing increasing frustrated with each passing day. He had to remind himself frequently why he was enduring its confines. Rogue's progress with Professor Kojak was slow but steady. She was learning how to rid her own mind of foreign memories, but she was a long way from being able to resist their absorption. Erik wished the Brotherhood could just take the information they needed and leave, but the X-Men were too wary to allow them unsupervised access to Charles' computer.

Everything about the mansion bothered him. He hated the sweltering heat that even the central air conditioning could not alleviate. Their island fortress in Maine never got above 75 degrees even on the sunniest day. He hated all the oak furniture and the wall-to-wall carpeting. Erik was compulsively reaching out to feel the steel structure underneath the mansion. The metal helped to sooth his nerves.

Also, he hated the food, shoddily prepared by some of younger mutants so they could learn culinary skills. In a moment of weakness, when 12-year-old Danielle had cooked a pork roast, Magneto, Catalyst, and Jeri Kojak had snuck out to go to the local Red Lobster. The concept of eating un-Kosher pork prepared by someone who had never heard of marinade was too much for Erik.

Most of all Erik was annoyed by the time away from his headquarters and the disruption of his leadership of the Brotherhood. All throughout the country branches of the Brotherhood were in the midst of vital missions and important gorilla strikes against the US government and humans in general. Meanwhile Magneto was stuck at the infernal X-mansion getting updates via email on his palm pilot from Multiple Man. Erik speculated that Jaime would be able to hold down the fort for approximately another two or three days before it became critical he returned to Maine.

And Erik was considering returning to Maine soon, whether or not Rogue's treatment was complete. The presence of so many Brotherhood members was disruptive to the school and all but Professor Kojak and Rogue were unnecessary. Most importantly his time was wasted here, and Magneto could not afford to be vacationing at such a critical moment in history. Then of course, there was his abhorrence to watching Rogue interact with the Wolverine. But that was a small reason, certainly not the reason he was contemplating departing the mansion as quickly as possible.

As it was Erik did his best to tolerate the X-Men. It was dinnertime and there was a mounting ruckus in the kitchen. It would appear Pyro had caused a viciously contested food fight to breakout. Not feeling particularly hungry, Erik had gone for a walk about the grounds of the mansion. He stopped unexpectedly at Charles' grave and paid a silent homage to his late friend.

It was approaching twilight and the fading sun shone sideways beginning its decent beneath the horizon. Erik watched the warm light fade away with a heavy heart. It cast long shadows from the graves across the lawn. Crickets buzzed in the distance, lightening bugs began their nightly light show, and the flowers at Charles' headstone swayed slightly in the breeze. The scene was a tranquil peaceful one bringing to mind Charles' state of rest, at peace with the world.

But Erik was not at peace. His heart whirled in the grip of a maelstrom. Remembering Charles' comforting smile, Erik picked up one of the stones someone had left atop the tombstone. Erik wanted to leave one, but looking down did not see any available. Feeling acutely somber, alone and old, Erik reached out with what had been the defining characteristic of his life, his magnetism. He was completely recovered from the Cure and it was a simple matter to locate the small 3- inch long spike, several feet away, holding down one of the concrete benches.

Bending it in his hand with his magnetism he let the memories wash over him like waves crashing against the rocks of his island fortress. He tried to only remember the good times, their youth, when they had lived together at this mansion. But it was impossible to forget their charged, caustic fights and their eventual parting. Then they saw much less of each other and always from across battle lines. Erik detested what had become of their love. He wished for the hundredth time he could go back and change everything between them, make it right.

But he couldn't any more than he could stop the sun from setting. And now he had lost Marie's love as well. But between Rogue and he there was nothing worth repairing, he told himself. He did not care for Rogue the way he had for Charles', no matter how much the pain he was feeling tried to tell him otherwise. Rogue was different; Rogue was – standing right beside him.

He had not heard her approach and he looked startled to see her. She was quiet, respecting his privacy to pay his respects to his late friend. He looked chillingly solemn to Rogue. It was a humid evening, yet Erik wore dress shoes, khaki chinos, and a navy blue button-down oxford shirt, top button undone, sleeves rolled up above the elbow. Rogue felt sticky and sweaty in her camisole and jean skirt, yet Erik had not one bead of sweat on him. He was immaculate as always. Well dressed yet looking surprisingly comfortable in his attire as only an older gentleman can. Rogue hated to disturb him.

"You loved him." She said, watching Erik bend the small piece of metal back and forth in his hand.

"Yes." He said, surprised Rogue had remembered even that much from his memories. A heavy silence fell between them, and Rogue felt it pull them down just as the setting sun was pulled below the horizon. She moved closer to Erik and put her hand on his shoulder as a motion of comfort.

Erik flinched away from her touch. Not here, in the presence of Charles, could he let the likes of her touch him. Rogue's look of empathetic consolation turned to one of suspicious hurt.

"Erik, is everythin' alright? You've hardly said two words to me in the last couple-a-days."

"Mind your accent, Rogue."

"Sorry, Ah – I forgot for a second." She was dismayed he had avoided the question. Before she could probe him further he walked away leaving the tiny metal object he had shaped atop Charles' grave.

Rogue wished she hadn't disturbed him. It had been wrong to bother him when he was reminiscing about Charles. She knew just how much his friend and ex-lover had meant to him and she should have known better. Looking down at the top of the tombstone, Rogue saw Erik had shaped the metal into a tiny 'X' with names Charles and Erik each embossed on one of the intersecting lines of the 'X'.

Magneto left the gravesite as quickly as he could before he lowered himself to doing something inappropriate on that hollowed ground. He would not give into his anger concerning Rogue, and he especially wouldn't on the site of Charles' resting place.

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Rogue and Logan:

"Ah knew Ah would find you here, suga." Rogue had snuck out of her room to find Logan in the common room watching TV late on a Saturday night. Magneto had enacted a curfew for the Brotherhood in hopes of curving the random, unintended acts of vandalism that were spreading like wildfire. Storm had, miraculously, agreed with Magneto and seconded his curfew for the X-Men. Ororo Munroe was in a foul mood because the Brotherhood's presence had disrupted the normal functioning of the school and classes had been sporadic for the whole week. She felt a curfew would be good for the young X-Men.

So Rogue had had to sneak out of her room on the second floor to try to see Logan that night. She felt the curfew was unfair as she had hardly done anything to deserve it. It was mostly Juggarnaut's fault, as usual.

Rogue sat down next to Logan and put her foot up on the coffee table, mimicking him. Slowly, but surely Logan wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. They fell into each other with familiarity.

"You still watch this show?" Rogue asked.

"Of course, it's the best thing on Canadian television. Besides it's the only Canadian TV we get in the states." Logan turned his attention back to watching the Red Green show, a slapstick comedy about middle aged men who have a hunting lodge in rural Canada. Currently Red Green himself was constructing a fishing boat equipped with a La-Z-Boy using nothing but abandoned parts and copious amounts of duct tape. Rogue remembered the show with fondness.

"So what are you doing up Marie?"

"Couldn't sleep, Ah guess. Ah donno. Ah just don't feel tired yet." Logan regarded her for a moment. Then got up from the couch and got them two cold beers from the fridge. He would have made some microwave popcorn, but you know what happened to the microwave.

"You still hide the beer in the vegetable bin, behind the broccoli Logan?" Rogue asked when he returned. This was a school after all. Even the Wolverine couldn't just keep alcohol where young children had access. No one, not even Storm, had found it behind the broccoli though.

"Yup darlin'. Sorry there's no popcorn. Microwave's broke." Logan said returning to the common room. He used his claws to pop the caps off both beers, handing Rogue one. She held it in her hand for a few minutes before taking a sip.

"Yeah sorry about Juggarnaut, he's not the brightest terrorist in the group."

"No need for you to apologize for him. Its bucket head who's responsible for the retard." Logan said swigging the LaBatt Blue beer down in gulps.

"You really shouldn't call him that." Marie said quietly.

"Who Jaggarnaut? I know 'retard' ain't P.C. anymore, but you know I'm not one to correct myself Marie. That man's hit his head into one too many walls."

"No, Logan Ah meant…" she drifted off. It was useless to censure his negative feelings for Magneto. Rogue recognized a lost cause when she saw it.

The two watched the end of the Red Green show, laughing together at the jokes as they drank their beers. When the show came to an end Logan flipped through the channels using the remote control (which was not long for this world). He stopped on USA network which was showing Spiderman 2 and set the remote down between them on the couch. Spiderman 2 had just started and both that it was as good to watch as anything. Logan got each of them another beer from the kitchen.

Rogue drank their beers as they watched Spiderman 2. It had been many months since Rogue had drank anything other than wine with dinner and she was not used to the creeping buzz of alcohol as it sneaks up on you, liberating thoughts that would otherwise not be considered. Alcohol lubricated the tongue to say with slurring words your innermost feelings that you dare not even share with yourself at night. Feeling like a million dollars, warm, and glowing and gorgeous and touchable all at once, Rogue's thoughts racing and her beer cold in her hand, she took a long slug before her eyes turned to Logan's lounging form, next to her on the couch.

_Damn that man looked good._ Every muscle was so defined. His shoulders so broad, waist so narrow and flat, his hips, oh, what wondrous hips snuggly encased by his rugged Levi Wrangler jeans. And what his jeans must hide. She flattered herself she could even make out his package and it looked just as scrumptious. She was made horny by the beer and lustful by a crush that had never fully run its course. She wanted him in that moment. She wanted to feel him up against her, his body hard and firm as adamantium against her soft one.

"Kid's a goddamn wimp." Logan said gesturing with the top of his beer bottle toward the screen. Marie looked startled; he had interrupted her internal reverie.

"I like Peter Parker."

"If he really wanted Mary Jane, he'd beat up that punk astronaut and tell her the truth, in front of all those people. Then he'd kiss, pick her up, and leave the room. Simple as that. She'd be so impressed I can't imagine her not enjoying that." Logan said referring to the scene where Peter is forced to take photos of his lady love Mary Jane's brand new engagement to an astronaut.

"Yeah, well most people who have crushes never have the guts to do that. It sounds so easy, but you try it. Try going up to the person who holds the key to your heart, who is your whole world, and tell them just how you feel. Wouldn't you be worried about rejection?"

"No Marie. Some things are worth taking risks." Rogue gulped. This conversation was hitting too close to home for her. The alcohol buzzed pleasantly in her head, emboldening her.

"Not if you know your crush thinks of you as just a 'kid'." Rogue felt the words slip out of her mouth as if someone else was saying them. She never should have said that. She looked anxiously at Logan for his reaction and remembered why she had sworn not to drink so much anymore.

"I don't think of you as a kid."

Rogue froze. She understood just what he meant by that comment. The look in Logan's eyes was powerful and Rogue's whole body flushed hot under his gaze. She could feel waves of sexual tension pour from Logan to drown her. This was dangerous territory. _Oh, god why can't he think of me as a kid again. It was so much safer then. This is… This is…_

He pulled her to him by her arm. Before she has time to think, she is wrapped in his strong arms, his lips kissing her ferociously. Her beer splashes before the bottle slipped from her hand unnoticed. (It spilled on the carpet another item added to Magneto's bill.) She wasn't kissing Logan and she was all at once. Her mind utterly blank in shock, Rogue felt Logan's lip against hers but can hardly distinguish his ardent yet tender kisses. She did not respond for a while; her mind virtually catatonic. _This wasn't happening. _

Logan was tender and kind as he worshiped her slowly, his whiskers brushing against her cheek. She found the sensation pleasant. The smell of Logan was pleasant as well. _Everything was so pleasant like…_ Rogue's mind returned to reality and she squirmed in Logan's arms trying to break the grasp. In the process her pelvis rubbed against his lap. She put her hands on his chest to push him away but her touch was gentle. Part of her doesn't want to and Logan misunderstood the motion becoming turned on with her perceived response.

His nostrils flared and his eyes glazed as the animal within him smells the pheromones Rogue was unleashing in the air. Pulling out of the kiss his eyes caught on her breasts and his need grew urgent.

"Marie," it was an animal's growl as he said it and his pupils darken with need. Only a second ago, she had not seen this change coming. He pulled her against him again, tighter and rolled on top of her on the couch. His knee hit something but he was beyond the point of caring. (The TV remote's short life came to an end as adamantium crushed it. Another item added to Magneto's bill). Logan pushed her arms above her head and licked her right ear than her left. He kissed her again but it was no longer tender. This was an animal laying claim to its mate. Rogue is terrified and turned on all at once.

He moved down to her neck, then her décolletage, fervently trailing kisses lower and lower down the length of her. He had wanted her only recently but he had cared for Marie for much longer. Somewhere in the back of his mind he acknowledged the forbidden attraction he had often experienced for her but had always suppressed himself from consciously feeling. Kissing her in this manner was a relief that Logan had wanted, no needed. It felt right to him, so right that the part of him that wasn't tame, that was wild and primitive felt the release as well and took over making his need for Marie desperate and overwhelming.

Rogue was horrified at her reactions to him. She wanted him and she wanted him to stop all at once. He moved to her breasts, ripping apart the top of her shirt with a flash of claws so fast she never saw them. He was dangerous; he was powerful. But so was Erik. She remembered him in an unbidden wave of guilt. She squirmed more, this time to make him stop.

With his hot breath raining down on her she called out against his mouth "Wolverine." He did not notice and continued his intensely satisfying attentions. "Logan," she said. He stopped then, raising himself up on his knees on the sofa, the cool air dispelling the animal lust that had consumed him. His face returned to normal and his pupils returned to their puppy dog brown ones. His hair was in disarray and looked as though he had it styled thick on the sides in a trapezoid formation where his usual pointy parts had fallen down. _Had her hands grabbed his hair?_ Perhaps she had. The whole incident was foggy in her mind. She doesn't feel like the girl Logan kissed was her. It was a surreal feeling.

"Marie. I…" He moved off her and walked across the room. He could not look at her. He knew not what to say and he moved to look out the long patio windows. It was black out and there was nothing to see. He stared at the blackness, regret flooding his brain. "I uh… I'm sorry."

"No Logan. It's… it's ma fault." Rogue stumbled over her words just as he had.

"No its not. I shouldn't have presumed…"

"Ah made ya think I still have a crush on you. That was a long time ago Logan. There's someone else." Logan looked at her then trying to guess who it might be. Not Bobby or she would have told him. It must be someone she met at the Brotherhood. Could it be Pyro?

"Who? John?" Logan asked, still facing out the window. He hadn't noticed anything different about the way Pyro and Marie acted when they were together.

Rogue was happy Logan wasn't looking at her, because her face turned bright red. She didn't want to lie to Logan. But she didn't want tell him the truth either. She remembered Logan's reaction to catching Erik and her together in the airport office. How would he react to knowing that they were lovers? Rogue cared for Erik because she saw the good in him. But she was afraid Logan would not be able to do the same.

"No," she told him.

"Then who?" Logan turned around. He felt like he had taken too long to finally realize what a great girl he was missing and he wanted to know to whom he had lost her to.

"Does it matter?"

"It does when they're dating my Marie." He said softly, barely above a whisper, but it was enough to make Rogue's breath catch in her throat. She had never stopped to think how her relationship with Erik might hurt Logan.

"Ah never meant to hurt you." Rogue looked down at her hands; her fingers were unconsciously playing with gloves she no longer wore. She blushed but it was too dark for Logan to see. "Ah used to like you somethin' awful. But that was when I was younger. You never seemed too interested in me so Ah moved on. He's a good man Logan."

He wasn't satisfied but he didn't have the heart to pry. He felt like an idiot for believing that Marie might feel the same way he did. Logan's shoulders slumped and he shuffled from the room with his head hung low.

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Magneto:

Erik had skipped dinner too distraught over the situation with Rogue, his frustrations with staying at the mansion, and his gnawing regrets over having failed Charles'. He had been in a reprehensible mood so he had showered and taken a nap and then conducted a long internet phone conversation with Multiple Man on the status of their operation to free mutants from the Allentown Federal Mutant Detainee Camp. It always helped him to throw himself into his work. It centered him. The Cause was everything. It was his life and as long as there was still work to be done he would go on.

However, by 11:30PM he was hungry and not quite ready to begin the task of reviewing the progress report on the liberation of Apache helicopters from Fort Bragg. So instead, he had redressed in his navy blue shirt and khaki chinos and journeyed to the kitchen for an evening snack. He had been hoping to find a can or two of fruit salad, or at least a can of pineapples. However, the X-Men's pantry was full of nothing but health food save for Logan's hidden supply of beer, which Magneto stumbled upon in search of lettuce.

He was in the middle of preparing a Caesar salad when he heard voices coming from the common room. No one was supposed to be awake; there was a curfew in effect. Magneto prepared himself for giving a stern lecture to some X-Brat, and walked towards the common room, but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a low growl of "Marie." With deft stealth, Erik peeked into the common room to see the Wolverine roll on top of Rogue and begin fondling her body and kissing her in obscene spots.

He didn't know why he continued to watch them. He was above this sort of behavior. It was undignified and common and Erik abhorred jealous men. He was personally too arrogant to ever question any of his lovers' loyalties before. Why now did he find himself watching Marie and Logan together with rapt attention? Perhaps it was the Cure and the way it had sapped his strength. The Cure had called his infallibility into question and Erik wondered if his old confidence would ever return in full.

He had seen it all. The way they kissed. The way the Wolverine's hands pawed over her. And most of all the way Marie had responded. Waves of magnetism flowed from him. He could not control himself and anything metal in the way warped in its path. Silverware, pots and pans, and aluminum cans in the recycling bin fell victim to his unintended wrath. (Lots more items added to Magneto's bill.)

It struck him like a blow. A powerful one. His heart shuddered. His pulse raced. His whole body screamed in agony, a palpable physical pain that raged through him. It was excruciating. He felt his heart fall into his stomach. His anger surged hotter and stronger then perhaps it ever had in his life. He lost all control of himself, swayed on his feet and stumbled out of the kitchen.

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Professor Kojak and Magneto:

Again, Jeri was up to all hours of the night. She rarely got a chance of sleep during her days at the mansion. Late that Saturday night she was scanning through page after page of Charles' records for something that could help Rogue. She'd been through much of his computer, her professional discretion dictating that she not mention the vast quantities of porn she had found. Or the scanned in pictures of Erik from the years they had lived together. Or the video labeled "Erik's Birthday Gift to Me 12-3-73". No she hadn't even looked at that.

Jeri was ready to give up for the night and so she packed up her files and walked out into the hallway. Immediately she saw Erik's tall form striding down the hallway in her direction. As he got closer she discerned the frightful, malicious look on his face. Kojak knew him well and could sense he was deeply troubled.

"Erik, is everything alright?" She asked him when he had come closer to her. Erik looked at her as though he had only just noticed her presence in the hallway. His eyes were full of a hollow rage; his mouth drawn into a vindictive sneer.

Like a hawk eyeing food he swooped upon her, kissing her mercilessly. His lips laid claim to hers, his hands holding her back in possession. His tongue was ruthless, forcing hers into submission with fearsome deft ovals drawn on the roof of her mouth. His kiss was brutal as he deepened it, sparing no part of her opening. His lips assaulted hers in a dance of spiteful, harsh ownership sucking them into his own with haste.

It was over too quickly but Professor Kojak's knees swayed all the same. She felt limp; it had been many years since Erik had kissed her.

Erik pulled away dazed, his mouth hanging open taken aback by his own unpremeditated actions. He did not seem well to Jeri.

"Erik?"

"Jeri, I…" and he mumbled an apology as he walked away down the hallway, gone just as quickly as he had come. Professor Kojak knew something was wrong with Erik. She wanted to go after him but she did not. Jeri knew Erik was a fiercely private man much like herself and she would respect that. Besides, she could hardly have walked a step if she wanted to. Erik had kissed her. For several minutes, Jeri stood rooted in place and lost herself remembering her brief but passionate affair with Magneto.

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Magneto:

Erik found himself walking outside before he realized it. The night was a dark one but it did not deter him. He was long past rational thinking; his spontaneous tryst with Jeri should prove that.

To Erik, the unthinkable had occurred. Never had he imagined that his worst fears might be founded. Never had he believed for a second that Marie could actually betray him. His thoughts raced for dominance in his mind. He could scarcely focus on one thing or the next. He had no destination and walked further and further into the night with paces so fast he was just short of running.

His fury fueled him as he walked, his mind turning over the facts. He had felt her slipping away. Every smile, every laugh with the infernal Wolverine drove her further from him. He couldn't figure out where he had gone wrong. He wondered if it was his age, and he felt deeply regretful that there was nothing he could do on that front. He wondered if it was Wolverine's physique, to which Erik's was no equal. The concentration camps had sentenced him to a life of thinness, the malnutrition affecting his growth somewhat.

He did not have the same cultural upbringing as Logan and Rogue shared. Perhaps there was never meant to be anything between Marie and him. Their time together seemed so pointless now.

He wanted, no he needed metal. And the largest, least easily missed metal object was the barbed wire fence surrounding the mansion. After walking to the edge of the estate's grounds he spotted its twelve foot steel wall stretching out into the night. Magneto's rage was nearly seething, and in his anger all his limbs were taut and tense.

Looking at the X-Men's fence reminded him of Charles' endless attempts to build bridges with the humans. He never would have encircled the property with the garish monstrosity that resembled something out of Erik's nightmares of Auschwitz. His fury rose from his memories. He was angry about Charles' death and his utterly foolish idea to try to use the Phoenix for his own means. If only he had been sensible and listened to his friend for once, he might be alive today. And then there was Rogue to think about and her philandering with the Wolverine.

He hurt anew just remembering the sight he had seen only minutes ago: Marie sweet face eclipsed by the back of Wolverine's head. Marie in throes of passion with a man barely worthy of being called civilized. The Wolverine was little more than dumb brute. It was all so vile for Erik. His entire body ached with jealousy and shame. Erik felt reduced to half the man he once was and this time it was not the Cure that had brought him low.

Reaching out with his magnetism he wrenched a steel stanchion of the fence from the ground as though it weighed less than a toothpick. It was so easy to crush it; to pull the anchors, the chain link fencing, the stanchions, and the barb wire piece by piece; to reshape them with his power. Because it was imprudent to take out his anger on the people involved, he would accost their property instead, the metal ripping and tearing in a beautiful cacophony of furious shrieks, bangs, and roars. When the fence was discombobulated to the point where Magneto lost interest in it he made to reshape it again and again.

He spent several hours that night twisting the metal. It had been a stab wound to watch her hug Logan. To see her kiss Logan cut him to the core. With each twist of metal, as it bent lovingly to his will, his mind imagined the scenarios that were soon to come: Rogue's tearful explanations of how she had reunited with Logan. Her serious discussion on how they were more suited for each other. Her regretful, quiet mention of how happy they were together.

He twisted the metal because it was one the one thing he truly loved. He loved the metal. It would never betray him. It would always see eye to eye with him. It would never leave him for another. He remembered the horrible feeling of being rendered powerless by the Cure. But that was behind him. He had taken the vaccine now. That would never stop him again. No nothing would stop him.

_He would not let this destroy him. He would never again tie his happiness to the love of another. Charles was gone; Rogue was dead to him. His only love now was metal and the Cause. He would never let anyone bring him down. He was more powerful than them. He was stronger. _

_If he believed in his Cause, or anything, whole-heartedly, he could not be defeated. No one could stop him. When he believed with all his heart, not even God himself could stop him. No one, not even God, not the law, or the government, or the X-Men, or even Charles had he been alive, no one. Because when he believed in something he believed with every fiber of his being, with ever particle from his head to his toes. He believed so thoroughly, so passionately, that no power in the world could dissuade him. And that unerring belief is the power he had sought his whole life. To believe that strongly is to be unstoppable. _

_He believed he would rise again, out of this dark moment of pain, stronger than ever, with a soul of steel, unstoppable and invincible._

Afterward, tired and panting with the effort, sweaty from the exertion, he sat down on the ground amongst the steel and aluminum debris. He shouldn't have done this. It had been un-wise to destroy the fence protecting the X-Men's estate as though that might have silenced his torment. When he had caught his breath, he walked back to the mansion.

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Rogue and Logan:

She had gone to Magneto's room and knocked on his door, needing to see him. But he wasn't there. Returning to her own room it was only a few seconds before Logan knocked on her door.

He entered the room slowly, holding something in his hands. He sat on the bed next to her. His large muscular frame looked even more formidable than usual in the tiny girlish space of her room.

"Marie, there's some thing I need to tell you." Logan's voice was rough and broken with emotion as he spoke. Rogue did not dare interrupt him. She didn't want to hear what she knew was coming, but she cared for him too much not to listen. He was solemn and pained as he spoke.

"You were always just a 'kid' to me. Not that ya ain't pretty Marie. I've always thought you were. It's just – I didn't see ya that way until recently. I know you used to look up to be, have a crush on me, whatever. That's in the past. All I know is you're my closest friend. Heck, maybe my only friend. The X-Men are stiff group, ain't they?" He laughed difficultly.

"We're good friends Marie. You know more about me than anyone. Even if that Kojak chick has erased my memories in your head I just want ya to know that ever since I first came across that skinny girl in Canada I've been partial to her ever since. You've always meant the world to me. I've never wanted to hurt you. You know that right?" She nodded.

"And I'm sorry if I did tonight. I've just gotten to thinking lately that maybe we might work well as more than just friends. I care about you Marie. More than I could ever say. And I find you very beautiful. Too beautiful for your own good if ya know what I mean. I'm not much for words, you know that darlin'. And I'll understand if you don't feel the same. But I have to try." He held out his hand, palm open to her. Inside sat his dog tags that she used to wear around her neck everyday. Her eyes said she wanted to take them but her hand pushed his fingers down, closing the hand for him.

Rogue knew that if she took the dog tags from Logan she was agreeing to change their relationship. It was something she had once wanted with all her heart. But it was many years since she had wished for Logan to love her. She had reckoned herself with his friendship. And the price to see what could happen between Logan and she was high. It was Erik. She wasn't sure she was ready to give up what she had with a man who had done her so much good. She wasn't sure she could just walk away from the strength she had found in Erik's caring attention.

"Logan Ah can't. Ah just can't." Tears streamed down her face and he left the room without protesting.

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Logan and Rogue:

Logan heard the knock on his door, but wouldn't open it. He couldn't decide if he wanted it to be Marie or if he didn't. Instead he kept flinging his meager possessions into the open suitcase on his bed. A few pairs of jeans, some shirts, a few pairs of boxers, his toothbrush, a bar of soap and his supply of Picante oscuro cigars; that was all there really was to his life. He was leaving again. X-men or no x-men, classes or no classes, Brotherhood visiting or not, he was leaving.

He only looked up when he saw her standing in front of him, having entered the room herself.

"Logan Ah made a mistake. Ah want to give us a try." Logan's breath caught in his throat and he froze in place. Time pasted as he tried to believe what he had just heard. Then he dropped the jeans he was folding on the bed and wrapped his arms around Rogue, hugging her close to him. He moved to kiss her, but the lit cigar in his mouth got in his way.

Rogue giggled up at him. She took his cigar between her lips and inhaled sharply. She remembered from one of her times being Logan how to inhale without coughing and she is shocked when the inhalation caused not only her lungs to perk up from the nicotine but other areas of her body as well. She felt suddenly aroused. She sucked on the cigar with lewd motions, moving it in and out of her mouth a few times as she puffed on it.

Her other hand wove fawning circles over Logan's chest, running up and down him, squeezing and massaging his shoulder when she reached it. Taking the cigar from her mouth she pressed her body into his and deliberately let her breasts jiggle against his ripped chest. She brought her mouth up to his, leaving no doubt in his mind how enthusiastic she was to experience the change in their relationship. She sucked and licked the cigar hoping he took the signal.

Logan almost had a heart attack as her red lips closed around the end of his cigar and sucked on it. He lost all control and kissed her as she tried to exhale. Unprepared for his sudden action she dropped the cigar to the floor where it singed the hardwood before sputtering out. (Another item added to Magneto's bill).

This time Logan held back nothing from his kiss. His hands roamed from her silky hair all the way down her back. When she followed his example, her hands taking in each sculpted curve and muscle, feeling him hard beneath her fingertips, Logan moved his hands to cup her butt. He held her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Logan was in the grips of intense happiness and desire. He smiled when he stopped kissing her and asked:

"How long can you hold off your mutation?"

"Ten minutes."

"We'll have to make it quick. But we'll figure something out." Logan put her down for a second scanning the room for objects that could help them. The only thing that came to mind immediately was the box of condoms he kept in a drawer. He found them and ripped open the box with his claws. He couldn't remember how long ago he had bought those condoms.

Having gotten a condom he looked at the bed, covered in his clothes and open suitcase. With a sweep of his hands he shoved everything off the bed and took Marie in his arms and flung her onto the bed roughly. This would have to be quick, not only because Marie's mutation would kick in, but because he was so afraid she would change her mind. He couldn't bare it if she did that.

Rogue could hardly contain herself. It felt so wrong it felt to be sleeping with Logan, so intensely and obviously wrong. Guilt rose inside of her and with it pleasure. Because sometimes you want to do the wrong thing. Sometimes you want to be a bad and irresponsible even though you know you won't get away with it and it will lead to nothing but trouble. You don't care. The wrongness of her actions turned Rogue on almost as much as the sight of Logan's removing his shirt.

Logan wasted no time; he had only ten minutes after all. He kissed her again before helping her undress. Rogue wasn't shy; maybe she remembered somewhere in her mind what had happened between them several days ago. Logan massaged her breasts, teasing the nipples and kissing each in turn. He could not linger over them; he could not pamper her as he wanted to. This had to be quick.

He ran his claws lightly down her stomach without scratching her, which was a huge turn on for Rogue. Then he kissed her as he retracted his claws so he could rub her between her legs. His pace was relentless and she was wet and ready for him in no time. With furious strokes he pounded into her, half animal as took her. She was warm and tight around him and Logan doubted he would be able to last long as squeezed him and occasionally used her hands to massage his shoulders.

She liked how he was nothing like Erik. He was not tender; he couldn't be in the time they had left. He used her as she used him. Logan's thrusts were so strong he shook the bed and pushed Rogue deep into it. Those divine caresses caused Rogue's eyes to roll back into her head as her sweaty body came alive, nerve endings firing wildly as climax neared.

She wrapped her legs around him, using her arms to push her hips further off the bed. Logan was surprised to find her so flexible and uninhibited in bed. It was an added bonus. He grunted out a growl that sounded almost like "I love you" as they came at the same time. Logan was quick to roll off her, so that his 300-lb adamantium skeleton did not crush her and her mutation did not zap him.

When they had finished panting, Logan wrapped a blanket around Rogue and held her next to him, as they cuddled and slept through the night.

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**Notes:** So Logan and Rogue watch Spiderman 2. Can a comic book movie watch another comic book movie or will the galaxy explode, like when matter meets antimatter?

How many scenes were based on real events? The 'metal in the microwave' scene was based on my own incredibly dense freshman roommate. Yes people can be that dumb and still go to college/University.

The Red Green Show is a real show! It's often shown on PBS. I highly recommend you watch it. It's almost as funny as Seinfeld.

Again this was a hard chapter to get just right. **KumaDaPuma** was a world of help and you owe it to her to check out some of her great stories. For laughs try **One Day at Magneto's** which trumps any paltry attempt I make at humor. And for smut (like you all love, admit it) try **Desperate Measures**.

**Preview:** So Healing has turned into a Rogue Logan story. They work better as a couple. Hope you're not disappointed. I changed the story because I think I can write them better as a couple. In the next chapter we see Rogue explain her change of heart to Magneto. It won't be pretty. Or will it?


	28. Chapter 28: Slow and Thorough

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – more smut than you can possibly imagine. Sex, sex, sex. This is porn masquerading as art and you're gonna eat it up.  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. I do own this story and I must say I prefer Healing over the canon because there's more sex here. A lot more sex.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac. I enjoy this song and find the beat really sexy. But you know the drill. Listen to some good love music.

**Dedication:** To **KumaDaPuma **and **XChocolateChipX. **Thank you Kuma, without you this fic would have ended many chapters ago. You have pushed me and challenged me to do my best and when my ego needed a good kick in the ass you have cut me down to size. Without your thoughtful, insightful, and intelligent suggestions this story would not be half as good as it is. But even more than your help I thank you for your friendship. Also thank you Chip, my R&R Gal for pushing me to write and responding with such enthusiasm to my humble efforts. It is a joy to write for an audience like you. I look forward to reading your reviews the way you look forward to reading my chapters.

**Notes: My apologies on leaving you waiting for so long. **This took longer to write than I thought. The sex part was easy; I have a knack for all things graphic and lewd, but the internal monologues, particularly Rogue's were extremely hard. It's very hard to finish up a story when you have so many loose plotlines hanging around and unfinished story arcs. The end chapters are much harder to write.

**This chapter takes place right after Logan leaves Rogue's room and before Rogue goes to Logan's room and sleeps with him. **

**Warning:** This chapter contains extremely graphic sex. Smut. Porn. **Better graphic sex than ever before. I am out doing myself here.** I'm trying to top Chapter 18 and Chapter 21. This will be the most wondrous thing you have ever read. My goal is that it's so hot, you find it more satisfying than real sex. (Okay, that's doubtful, but I am going to try all the same).

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Slow and Thorough**

Rogue:

_…I'm not much for words, you know that darlin'. And I'll understand if you don't feel the same. But I have to try." Logan said. _

_"Logan Ah can't. Ah just can't." Tears streamed down her face and he left the room without protesting._

Rogue sat on the bed in her room right after Logan left.

She wished it had never happened. She wished she had never flirted with Logan, kissed him, or tempted him as she had. It had been disarmingly enjoyable to receive his attentions with barely suppressed delight. She had sensed the change in him, her womanly intuition informing her about small details like the way he stared at parts of her anatomy, the pauses in his speech, the way he made eye contact and the times he didn't. It was obvious that he had begun to see her as more than a friend.

She ought to be flattered. She was flattered. Logan was a great guy. But something held her back from enjoying the compliment. She'd grown used to, even comfortable with Logan as her friend. He was a father figure in her life. Lord knows she'd needed one at times. And the idea of his role suddenly shifting from guardian to lover was hard for her to swallow.

She still wasn't sure why Logan had had a change of heart. What had happened while she was living with the Brotherhood to make him view her differently? Was it Shakespeare that said 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'? She didn't remember and it didn't matter anyhow. Her friendship with Logan had changed and she had mixed feelings about it.

She'd known when she left the mansion that she would change during her time with the Brotherhood; but she hadn't expected how much. Her time away from the hallowed halls of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters had shown her a world very different from the one she was taught about by the X-Men. The country was on the brink of collapse from the mutant human civil war. Storm had been careful to only mention areas where relations were improving.

She'd always thought that once she got her mutation under control she'd go back to the school and everything would be better. But now she realized she was foolish to think that. The X-men hadn't changed. Only she had. She'd been stupid to think she could go back. You can never go back. She understood that now. Her return to the mansion had made it painfully clear.

Rogue no longer fit in at the school and it was no longer accepting of her. Her peers viewed her as the enemy, part of the Brotherhood now. Bobby was outrightly hostile. This didn't bother Rogue greatly as she did not believe in the X-Men's passive philosophy any longer. Storm, Beast, and even Logan weren't happy with the new ways she could use her powers. Logan, who ought to have been most sympathetic, wanted her to never use her mutation to its full extent. It had cut deeply when Logan had reacted so negatively to something Rogue was proud of.

And then there were her difficulties with Logan. Kissing him had opened a Pandora's box Rogue wished she had kept the lid on. Had Logan asked her anytime before she'd gone to the Brotherhood her answer might have been quite different. But now as it was, how were they supposed to go on? How was she ever to tell Logan about Erik?

Although Rogue felt comfortable with Logan, she was closer with Erik. He was her boy- no, not boyfriend. Erik could never be anyone's boyfriend, but he was her lover and her friend. She had grown to care for him beyond their initial attraction. She respected him and found him ceaselessly interesting. He was so complex and guarded. It was intriguing to learn more about him, each little eccentricity of his spoke worlds about the hard life he had lived.

As terrorizing as he was to the world, as ruthless as his intention to use humans was, he was only a man beneath it all, Rogue knew. A common man no less, with little that separated him from the rabble but his magnetism and his determination. He was capable of horrendous acts, of measureless destruction, but none of that mattered. That was simply the expression of his determination to see his dream, his cause succeed. He was not a ruthless murder. He was an unscrupulous pragmatist.

The more time she spent around him the easier it was to see that the fearsome terrorist Magneto was a different and separate entity from Erik Lensherr. Erik was a sensitive, broken man who had been repeatedly torn from those he loved because of his status as a social outcast, both as a mutant and as a Jew. Magneto was a brutal and ruthless leader relentlessly pursuing his Cause of mutant supremacy at any cost. Marie did not love Magneto, however she did understand him. She loved Erik.

_She loved him?_ She had never admitted it to herself before. And why should she? Erik was not an easy man to love. He was distant and moody, untrusting and aloof. Yet Marie felt lucky to know him as well as she did through his memories. He was a remarkable man to have over come so much in his life. Rogue felt humbled to know him.

Looking at the wooden door leading from her bedroom, Marie thought of Logan who had so recently departed her. She wished it could have worked out differently between them. But it was too late.

She went to sleep remembering how cold Erik had been to her that afternoon. Rogue worried he had grown bored with her. Perhaps she was a fool. Perhaps she had thrown away a better chance at happiness when she refused Logan. For better or worse she had chosen Erik and she would accept the consequences.

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Magneto:

Returning from his foray against the estate's barbed wire fence, Magneto came back to the mansion calm and collected. He had a renewed sense of purpose and righteous determination not to let the situation with Rogue interrupt his work. The Brotherhood needed him; Rogue certainly did not. He was set on leaving the X-Men and traveling to Maine that very night. He had important work to be done. The helicopter could be sent back to pick up Rogue and Professor Kojak at a later date.

Packing his few belongings back into his leather Pierre Cardin carry-on satchel, Magneto caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Letting loose his anger through magnetism had wore on him. His navy blue button-down Oxford shirt stuck to his shoulders from sweat, his hair was disheveled, he needed a shave, and he had a cut on his cheek from where the metal he had manipulated had veered too close. Quickly he showered and cleaned himself up. It wouldn't do to look unpresentable for what he was about to do.

With diligent steps he walked towards Rogue's room. His affair with the girl was over. But because he was a gentleman he would give her the dignity of ending it in person. She would be free then to see whomever she chose. And it would not be Magneto who had to watch as she did so anyway behind his back.

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Magneto and Rogue:

His knock was insistent and urgent. He wanted this over with.

"What-uh." She had been fitfully tossing and turning, halfway between sleep and wakefulness when she heard the knock. Padding to the door, she let out an "oh" when she opened it to see Magneto standing there with a packed bag. She had been expecting Logan to make a plea for her again, not for Erik to show up.

He was used to her sleeping naked, so the long-sleeved white night gown she wore surprised him. She looked more angelic than she deserved to in his opinion.

"I apologize for disturbing you Rogue but I thought it best to inform you I will be leaving the mansion tonight. You and Professor Kojak will remain here until your work is completed. The rest of the Brotherhood has more important tasks to see to." He entered the room and closed the door behind him; however he stood only a foot from the door, ready to leave in a moment. Rogue took note of his business like demeanor and appearance.

"What? It's-" she looked around the room for a clock, finding none she continued, "the middle of the night. Why are ya leavin' now all-a-sudden?"

"Need I remind you there is a war to wage? I have allowed this vacation to stretch on long enough."

Rogue caught his use of the word vacation to describe her treatment and it puzzled her. Erik had been the one most concerned for her health and well-being throughout her illness.

"But Erik I thought you wanted to stay to see me get better." Rogue paused, rubbing her fingers where non-existent gloves would have covered them. She allowed herself to shy away from his penetrating steel blue gaze for a moment. "I'd like you to be here. I'd feel better if you were."

His breath lodged in his throat and he forced himself to swallow it down. This would be harder to do than he had calculated. His heart begged him to believe in her sincerity, but he knew better. His free hand unconsciously clenched into a fist. She still had an effect on him. All the better he was leaving immediately.

"I'm sure you can find someone else to keep you company. I believe you already have Marie."

"What are ya talkin' about? What's got into ya today Erik? Are ya alright?" Rogue's faux innocent tone grated on Magneto's already eviscerated nerves.

"I am absolutely fine. However, I will not be continuing our relationship. Feel free to see whomever you chose. " His voice had the effect of a cruel whip against her. She staggered back in amazement, her hand reaching out to grip the dresser for support.

"Why?" She looked about her old room in wonderment as if it held some reason for this unexpected turn. This was all happening so fast for Rogue. She had just woken up and she was to groggy to fully grasp what this meant. She wondered if she was dreaming, having some awful nightmare. "What happened?"

"Do not try to fool me. I know you can understand why I feel this way. Let us not continue this farce any longer than necessary. I will leave you now." Magneto's voice was practiced and smooth, no hint of emotion peaked through its iron will. He was good at presenting a façade to the world. However, when Marie began to shake and gulp back sobs, tears welling in her eyes, he abruptly found just how difficult it was to deny his feelings for her. He could not stand to see her, even cheater as she was, so wracked with pain.

"Is it someone else?" Her shaky voice squeaked out, full of accusation and riddled with fear.

"Please, Rogue. Let us try to keep this dignified. There is no need to deny your preference for…" he could not speak his rival's name without sneering and his voice broke as he said, "Logan."

"Logan?" Rogue shook her head confused. "What does he have to do with this?"

"I believe you know what I'm talking about." Magneto held no hint of kindness or decorum now. He voice was pitiless; his gaze lethal. He was not smiling. His face was tight. It was the face of an enemy. It was the face of the man who had nearly sacrificed her atop the Statue of Liberty. Only now in this moment did she reconcile that man with the kinder incarnation of Erik and realize that she loved them both.

Rogue thought back to her erstwhile kiss with Logan in the common room. Was Erik referring to that? Didn't he know they were just friends?

"We're just friends, nothing more."

"Please Rogue." He was derisive, unwilling to stand the insult of such obvious lies.

"Okay, so Ah might have had a crush on Logan before Ah met you. And Logan did kiss me today, thinkin' Ah still liked him. But Ah set him straight Erik, Ah did. He's just a friend. Ah could never give you up so easily."

Erik desperately wanted to believe her. He finally set his bag down, unable to hold it while he was in the grip of fighting his own heart. In the end, his head won out as it usually did.

"I know what we had was illogical. Now without you sharing my memories any connection we might have had is gone. I can understand how you might prefer someone closer to your age." He said with barely suppressed emotion. Rogue thought she heard a bit of forlornness in his voice.

"But Ah still have your memories. Ah never got rid of them. Ah kept yours."

She kept his memories. She kept them. Erik's replayed her words over and over again in his mind, scarcely able to believe she would make such a sacrifice for him. His memories were stuff of nightmares; a burden to anyone possessing them. He could not believe she would willingly keep them.

"You mean?"

"Yes, Ah kept them. Even your holocaust memories. Ah could never delete them. It would be like cutting you out of my life and Ah couldn't stand to do that. Ah love you."

"Marie. I…" Erik didn't know what to do or say. He flew to her and took her in his arms, clutching her with reverence. To her, it was like an act of hatred, like the cutting blow of a lash encircling her body, she felt his arms around her, she felt her legs pulled forward against him and her chest bent back under the pressure of his.

She shoved him away.

"Not now Erik." She has gone from distraught and defensive to angry. Erik eyed her curiously. Why was she rejecting his touch? Only moments ago she had told him she loved him.

"I'm fed up with you. You don't trust me. The minute something happens to cast doubt you don't ask me to explain you just jump to conclusions and think the worst about me. That hurts Erik." She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"I saw you kissing the Wolverine twice. You can understand how I might doubt you."

"No, I can't. I'm sick of this thing, this relationship between us, always bein' how you want it. What about what I want Erik?" Where had this Rogue come from? She was suddenly filled with violent self-assertion.

"I know I haven't been the best at expressing myself." Erik tried to take Marie's hand in his. She jerked her hand away. "But believe me I do care for you." With immediate clarity he knew that he cared for her deeply despite all his efforts not to.

"You don't love me. You never have. You might care for me. But it's not love. Ah'm not dumb. You're not capable of love you're heartless-"

"Careful. Before you jump to conclusions _yourself_, isn't it is always better to be sure you're correct, my dear?" Now Erik seemed self-protective and taunting, dishing out accusations just as Marie had.

"Ah am sure. You don't love me." He had never told he did. He never had time for her before she was ill. Wasn't it obvious? Theirs' was nothing more than affair between an older man and a younger woman. Both enjoyed it but neither deluded themselves it was long term.

"Dammit! I do." She watched his face and it held only sincerity. Could he love her?

"Really?"

"No, I'm heartless bastard." Marie laughed joyfully at his joke as Erik embraced her and said against her ear. "Of course I do you silly girl. I wouldn't be so upset about Logan if I didn't."

"I love you Marie." He whispered into her ear as he reeled from feeling the strange freedom of giving into emotions that had plagued him for months.

"I love you too Erik." Marie stood on her tip toes just to reach his tall height. However, she felt like she was floating off the ground in happiness.

He moved his head to kiss her, bending over her; he was much taller than her when she was barefoot. She returned his kiss fervently, opening her lips for him when he slid his tongue in, her own eagerly meeting his with a feeling of perfect rightness. Theirs was a strange love, but it felt true and right.

Erik's hands ran through Rogue's long brown hair, soft as silk sliding between his callused fingers. He affectionately stroked her white streaks, the outward symbol of their bond. She thrilled at his touch, pressing into it as his soft lips grazed hers in a dance of delectable tasting and teasing. Maybe it was wrong to love your former enemy but Marie was long past caring.

She ran her hands up and down his broad shoulders, feeling their strength beneath his black suit jacket. She massaged his shoulders affectionately as she kissed him, her tongue battling his for the space between their mouths. She pulled back slightly to run her tongue across his lips, then sucking on his upper and lower lips in turn, finally her tongue ran along his straight white teeth. Every part of Erik was kept immaculately groomed. It was one of Marie's biggest turn-ons.

Erik was very content to let her kiss him, straining as she was on her tip-toes just to reach him. He wanted to laugh how happy she made him. To ease her struggle his hands dropped from her hair and ran down her back, lower and lower till he found her cute-rounded bottom. It's soft plumpness unerringly erotic for him; he held her bottom and pulled her up against him. On instinct her legs wrapped around his waist, clutching against him and holding on tight.

She continued to kiss him, her lips eager and taking great joy in showing him how much she cared. She ran her hands soothingly up and down his back and she felt him soften into her touch. That is most of him softened; one part near her hips didn't. That part hardened. Marie ran her hands through his neatly combed hair messing it as she liked to do. With barely suppressed joy she let her fingers feel her every part of him. Touch meant so much to Rogue, so to touch the warm skin at the back of his neck, to feel the softness of his freshly shaved cheek was thrilling and rewarding.

Her fingers touched upon the new, thin cut on his right cheek.

"What happened here?" She stopped kissing him long enough to ask. He chuckled a bit shyly.

"Don't ask." He answered vaguely. Marie was dying with curiosity but held off considering the circumstances she was in, her legs wrapped squarely around his waist with his hot erection pressing up against her belly.

"Uh… Erik. We really shouldn't do this. Here I mean."

"Oh, of course. You prefer the bed." He walked them over to it. Rogue's hand tugging on his collar stopped him.

"No, Ah mean… we shouldn't do _this_ here at the school. What if someone hears? The walls are really thin." Rogue got a hearty chuckle that she could feel Erik make as a reply.

"You're acting very silly today Marie. I've made love at this school before. So have you I think. In this very room perhaps?"

"That's why Ah know how thin the walls are." He laughed again and she joined him, the feeling contagious.

"Do you really care if someone hears? What they'll think?" It didn't take long for her to think of an answer, what with him smiling at her and the very thought of his large, hard as steel member inside her made her grow wet with need. Did anything matter now that Erik loved her?

"Ah guess not. They already know I made out with you in Albany." Erik's mood had improved 100 and again he laughed jovially.

"The Wolverine told everyone about that?"

"No, Logan didn't. But they found out somehow."

"That could be quite embarrassing. No wonder you left immediately afterward."

"Yeah, well Ah don't like to kiss and tell." He kissed her then, taking his time to do it right. Her head swam a bit from the warm and fuzzy feeling he produced in her all the way to her toes. It might have been a little uncomfortable for Magneto to hold her up or for Rogue to lock her hips around him for so long but both were too happy to complain.

"You've got that atrocious accent of yours back." Erik told her.

"Sorry. _I'll_ try to stop it." It was hard for her to correct herself, the proper sound of 'I' strange on her tongue.

"Tonight I don't care." Erik told her and for once she saw his smile reach his cold blue eyes and fill them with warmth. The moments when Erik could be himself completely and cease to be Magneto and not be tortured by his painful past were few and far between. Rogue knew this. She felt privileged to give him one.

Erik set her down and shrugged off his black suit jacket careful to lay it across the dresser. Rogue found him again before he could get his shoes off; she could not keep her hands off him. _Erik loved her. He loved her. He was hers._ With a soft tap, Rogue pushed Erik to sit down on the bed and kneeled before him to take off his shoes. He knew she enjoyed undressing him, and she went at it tonight like a kid unwrapping a Christmas present. When she had his socks off she massaged his feet using the pads of her thumbs to rub the balls of his feet. Erik let out a soft groan.

"You don't have to do that."

"Ah know. But Ah enjoy it. Ah get a sick thrill out of torturing you." She deadpanned and Erik wondered what he was in for tonight. Marie was a woman of varied tastes in bed, anything was possible. After she had done a good job of kneading his feet, she undid his belt buckle, smiling up at him. Her progress was agonizingly slow. With Rogue's illness, it had been over two weeks since they had made love and Erik could have gone for a quick coupling. Marie, however, seemed intent to set the pace as slow and thorough.

She helped Erik out of his suit pants and folded them neatly on the dresser, resting atop his suit jacket. Kneeling down before him again she admired his fine, muscular legs. She knew how relentlessly Erik worked out to maintain his excellent form. Now she rubbed his calves and shins, massaging them as she had been taught to after hard Danger Room workouts. Erik relaxed back into the bed, enjoying the feel of her nimble, tiny, but surprisingly strong fingers. Rogue took satisfaction in pleasing him and in the feel of her sensitive skin touching his.

She massaged his thighs as well, leaving no spot on Erik untouched. Finally when she reached his throbbing erection, concealed in his white briefs, she let her hand brush delicately across it only once. Erik shuddered with need. The lines on his face pulled taut and put his arms on Marie's shoulders to pull her to him, but she pushed his hands away. She would be in control this time.

Her fingers made quick work of the buttons on his shirt, freeing him from its confines. Then she helped him out of his briefs. Now Marie paid attention to the urgent needs of his member, hard large and pulsating with desire. He was hot in her mouth as she licked him. When he was wet she slowly enclosed him with her tiny mouth, careful to tuck her upper lip over her teeth. She moved slowly up and down the shaft, refusing to be hurried even when he held her head by her hair.

Her hair was everywhere over his lap and she could not look up at him as she worked down and up the shaft slowly increasing the tempo. She alternated sucking and blowing as she rose and fell; her tongue able to lick and pulse at the same time. When she felt him approaching climax she stopped and lifted her mouth off his penis and blew her hot breath on the tip. She heard him cry out and she thought this was the sound she wanted to tear from him – this surrender through the shreds of his doubt.

It was invigorating to control him; to feel his hips buck at her every whim. Now she moved to his balls, which she had neglected at the beginning, giving them equal attention and art. Finally she cupped them lightly as she moved back and sheathed his iron hard member with her mouth. She took ceaseless pride in her new found fellatio skills and she moved up and down him with both aplomb and abandon. Again when she felt him draw near coming, she stopped and pulled off of him. Erik looked sorely disappointed and his eyes were all black pupils clouded over with lust; his look was one of barely contained fury.

"Do you trust me?" She asked.

"Of course, my dear."

"Good. Lower your magnetic shield." Erik watched her trying to discern her intent.

"Okay." Marie saw him blink and watched his shoulders shrug, the outward signs his magnetic shield was gone. She reached out and touched his bare chest, letting her mutation pull at him for only a few seconds before she stopped it. It was hard for her to stop it mid-stream. Like an addict she found it nearly irresistible to keep from letting it continue. It would be a test of will power then to do what she had in mind.

She rose from her knees to sit on the bed and leaned towards him, her hands running up and down his sculpted chest, her powers flickering on and off, stimulating Erik's nerves and causing him to feel tiny flashes of pain. She bent further and sucked and licked his nipples, her tongue flickering furiously over them. Well she felt he was ready she let her mutation pull through his left nipple and he arched off the bed into her.

She stopped it before she hurt him. His feelings of love and the even the memories of the recent blowjob she had given him entered her mind. He had been incredibly turned on and that feeling now entered Rogue. She felt herself grow wet in anticipation. Along with Erik's memories she absorbed some of his powers, which had been her design. Metal hummed around her and she could feel steel in the metal frame supporting her mattress. Using her borrowed magnetism she ripped shreds from the frame. The sound of metal ripping was loud in the otherwise quiet mansion and Marie wondered if they had been heard.

Erik was tired but not hurt from Rogue's use of her powers. He raised his shield again as he sat panting from the exhilarating feeling. Tired as he was, he didn't resist when he felt strips of metal clamp around his ankles and wrists. A magnetic field of Rogue's caused the metal restraints to pull him back and force him to lie down on the bed spread eagle. This was not the usual dynamic of their sex, but the sheer difference made it hot and exciting. He didn't know what to expect from her and watched her, waiting for her to move. She stood at the foot of the bed and stalked around him.

A final piece of metal flew to her hand and she shaped it into a sharp knife. Erik watched her with a mix of trepidation and longing. She took the knife in one hand and used her other to pull her skin tight white nightgown away from her stomach. She cut through the fabric easily and cut out a hole out of the side. She did the same on the right side. Using the knife she cut the floor length skirt to just below her knees. With the borrowed magnetism she kept him lying in place, as she sauntered around the room in her increasingly risqué outfit.

"You're making a lovely ruin of your gown."

"Ah know. It's an old one anyway. From before you helped me with my mutation." Marie's voice was a few octaves lower than he was used to hearing it. Unbidden Erik sucked in a breath. He was not usually so easily manipulated but Marie's cheerful sultry demeanor as she began her striptease had the effect of increasing his ravenous hunger for her.

She danced in front of him at times sitting on the bed and reaching to touch his erection but always pulling back, taunting him. Every few minutes she cut away more of the outfit. The skirt grew shorter and shorter revealing her thighs and hips. The sleeves grew shorter. Finally she cut away strips of fabric closer and closer to her supple, full, heavy breasts. The whole time she concentrated on Erik's reaction. Was he watching her movements? The way her hips shook, the gentle curve of her pelvic bone when she slid her hand down it. With only a few thin strips of fabric left covering her breasts, stomach and bottom she played with her teardrop shape breasts, rolling them up and down in her hands, letting them fall and knock into each other as she danced.

Erik could feel his heart pound in his erection. His glance was intent with that which resembled hatred and pain. He ground his teeth against the urge to satisfy himself. Several times he attempted to reach his erection and alleviate his suffering but the metal restraints held him in place firmly but gently. He had to use his magnetism to will blood away from his erection.

"My dear, is this really necessary?" He said through gritted teeth.

"Yes." She said breathily.

Then her hands left her breasts and trailed down her flat stomach to stop at the triangle where her legs met her torso. With deft, fast strokes she rubbed herself, losing herself in the abysmal pleasure seeking. Then her fingers moved down from her nub to delve deeper. Slowly her two fingers slid inside her and Erik kicked on the bed. This was cruel; he was not built to with stand this kind of torture. She had taken a good quantity of his powers and she now controlled the flow of blood to his crotch, increasing it and hardening his erection in turn.

She sent waves of magnetic energy to caress his body. This was a trick Erik had often used on Charles and he knew Rogue had used his memories to discover it. Still, the effect of the magnetic fields flowing over his stiffened organ was incalculable. He felt so near to release but each time she pulled his blood back and prolonged his suffering. He was so turned-on and unsatisfied his balls turned dark from need.

When Marie knew he could take no more, she let the magnetic field on Erik's restraints down. Like a panther he leaped from the bed and reaching her threw her back onto the bed. He did not use the knife but rather ripped the few remaining shreds of her nightgown away from her body. He kissed her then, not in the searching way that new lovers do, but with a deep certainty, and raw, bare need. She felt a tight pressure in her stomach in anticipation of Erik entering her. She savored the feeling; half dizzy her eyes seeing stars from desire.

He took her without delay, filling her completely. He pounded into her with short, frantic strokes. When he felt himself slipping towards the edge he pulled out, intent on giving her some of her own medicine. He jerked her head and kissed her again as if he was inflicting a wound. Using his fingers he pleasured her till it was excruciating and glorious and she choked on the perfection of it having come so hard it destroyed her sweeping over her body like a huge ocean wave pounding the sand raw, painful, powerful, and sudden. Such an orgasm is unparalleled and she felt her whole body gel into a state of perfect relaxation.

As she was still numb from her orgasm, Erik entered her again holding her legs far apart. He used one hand to rub her with his thumb as he began long deep strokes, pulling out completely before reentering. After a minute he could stand to be slow no longer and he abandoned her clit to rapidly plunge into her, twisting around in circles within her. Erik breathed heavily with effort as he felt her divinely warm and slick around him. The indecent glory of his love-making built quickly in Marie till she could not contain herself. Her head thrashed back and forth on the bed; her hands clenched around the only thing she could find the bed spread. She tried to take long breathes to calm herself but it was to no avail.

She let out a low moan and screamed his name. Seconds later, when the brutal joy of her orgasm had faded she realized what she had done. She had screamed Erik's name at the top of her lungs. Someone must have heard.

"Oh no. We've been heard for sure."

"Don't worry about it." He told her. Even if someone had been woken by her moans and screams they certainly wouldn't come to investigate. Magneto had taken care of that: using his magnetism he had locked all the doors on the hall. No one was going to interrupt them.

Again when Erik felt himself close to finishing he pulled away from Marie and pleasured her with his hands and mouth for a few minutes. He was insatiable that night, and Rogue did not falter. She was young and in love, and through she could scarce believe it, she was happier than she had ever been in her life. In the softly lit room, her pupils big and dark giving her eyes a sultry look, she ran her fingers through his perfectly coiffed silver hair. As his tongue slipped inside her, she gave him control of her blood and she felt it well in her vagina. With upwardly curved strokes his tongue hit on the magic button inside her and she clutched his white hair between her fingers in the agony of the ecstasy, peels of effervescent tingling wracking her body outwardly till her toes curled and her knees knocked in deference to it.

Only when Erik had calmed himself significantly did he flip her onto her side and enter her from behind. In the spooning position she felt unbelievably tight with her legs pressed together in front of his. Every one of Erik's strokes was mesmerizing, possessing, and luscious and Erik felt her shutter with an orgasm as her back pressed against his stomach.

Their love-making was building to a merciless crescendo and both felt it. He moved her to sit up and took her from behind. She stopped her muscles from pushing against him, letting him get deeper and deeper inside her till she felt the hilt of him against her. His strokes rubbed just the right spot. His balls hitting into her creating a strange joyous sensation. Now Erik began to move deeper within her in fast wide circles and she cried out unbidden. He would not yield and continued moving faster and faster, calling more blood to her clit region. This was too much, too much. He had to stop, she couldn't take it. It was too good.

Marie came and the slow release swept through every inch of her body, relaxing even her back and her arms that were engaged in holding herself up. She had trouble maintaining the position; it numbed her into a state where thought and action were distant and impossibly removed from her ecstasy. Sometime later, Marie had no concept of time, it could have been a few seconds or a few minutes, Erik followed her over the edge, groaning and pounding into her four times before stopping.

He was exhausted when they finished. But his good mood from knowing she loved him did not fade and gave him strength where he should have none. Using his magnetism, he brought himself to state of arousal, and as she was still gasping in the wake of her orgasms, he took her again.

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**Notes: **Is sex really this good? Are orgasms really that great? Yes, if it's done right. Don't let some misguided sex-ed program fool you. Sex is wonderful.

In this chapter Erik got blue balls. Yes this really exists. Girls this is a sign you have done a good job torturing a guy.

Was this chapter too cheesy and sweet? It might have been. But after 27 chapters our characters deserve some mushy romance, right? Let me know what you think.

**Preview:** So who did Rogue sleep with Erik or Logan? What's Logan going to say? What's Erik going to say? Is this a love triangle or a love rectangle? And what will happen the next morning? I predict a riot.


	29. Chapter 29: The XMen Live on Springer

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – violence, sexual situations, cursing, more violence  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. I am not making any money off of this. I'm unemployed so I am also not making money in general. Thus, suing me would not get you a lot.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "C'Mon C'Mon" by the Von Bondies because it makes a good fight song.

**Dedication:** To **Genkai Shihan** because she's from Pennsylvania like me and small town life in PA is unbelievably boring. I wish her all the luck in the world getting to France.

**Notes: **Okay, I hope my readers haven't abandoned me. If you're still with me and curious what exactly is going on between Logan and Rogue and Erik, keep reading to find out. I promise it'll all make sense and fit with the story soon.

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: The X-Men Live on Jerry Springer**

Logan and Rogue and Magneto:

When Logan woke up holding Marie in his arms he remembered what had passed between them the night before. He nuzzled her hair covered head with his nose affectionately, careful not to wake her up. Marie was beautiful as she slept and Logan smiled to himself, thinking how lucky he was to finally get things right between them. He loved her in an easy, relaxed fashion. They were friends first and that symbiosis lent an immediate intimacy to their relationship. For maybe the first time in his life, Logan felt like he had come home.

He had risen from the bed carefully then and donned a set of X-Men sweat pants and matching sweatshirt. He wanted to head down to the kitchen and get some breakfast, maybe even bring Rogue breakfast in bed. Sex made Logan hungry. Actually everything made Logan hungry, his fantastic healing ability took a lot of energy to fuel.

After dressing, he walked downstairs. The mansion was quiet and the halls were empty; it was very early in the morning. When he walked into the kitchen, he was shocked to see Rogue there, fully dressed, buttering a slice of wheat toast. He had just left her in bed.

"How did you beat me down here? I just left you asleep upstairs?" Logan asked. Only a minute ago Rogue had been asleep in his bed. She must have dressed really quickly and taken the back stairs to beat him. But she couldn't have gotten downstairs that quick, could she?

Rogue was preparing breakfast for herself. She and Erik had woken early after their vigorous and tiring night. Erik had snuck back to his room before anyone could realize they had spent the night together. She knew he loathed hiding but it was easier not to let the X-Men know about them. Despite getting little sleep, Rogue felt completely refreshed and she was smiling and whistling the beat of 'Good Good Lovin' by Brian McComas. She had no clue what Logan was referring to.

"What do ya mean just left me upstairs? Ah've been up for 20 minutes." Rogue said. She assumed Logan was still asleep and groggy. He wasn't making any sense. He must have had a rough night and had nightmares again. He had a glaring red scratch on his neck.

"No you haven't been. I just left you sleeping in my bed barely a minute ago." Logan eyed her suspiciously. Rogue stopped buttering her toast.

"Ah didn't sleep in your bed. Ah slept in my bed Logan. You must have been dreamin'." He walked closer to her, eyeing her as though she had suddenly sprouted a new mutation and turned purple and polka-dotted. He leaned real close to her and whispered intimately in her ear.

"Well, we didn't sleep much and it was like a dream. A very hot and wild dream Marie. Remember?"

Rogue's eyes went wide. What the hell was Logan talking about?

"What's gotten into ya? Ah didn't sleep in your bed and we didn't sleep together last night!" Rogue yelled at him. Logan pulled back and studied her, checking to see if she was herself.

"Are you alright? Are you lost in one of your memories again? We definitely slept together." Logan lowered his voice. "I told you I loved you. I ran my claws up and down your stomach. Does that jog any memories?"

Rogue was freaked out and she dropped the butter knife on the floor.

"I couldn't have slept with you last night. I was with-" Rogue stopped herself before she went too far. If she had said Erik's name, Logan would have flipped out.

"You were with who?" Logan growled at her lost between confusion and anger. What was going on here? Had Rogue lost her mind again? _Uh oh_, Rogue thought to herself, he had heard her slip. Before she could think of an answer a voice called from the hall.

"She was with me last night. So she could not have slept with you." It was Erik. He walked in, well dressed in a charcoal grey button down shirt and black Armani pants, fresh from the shower and recently shaved. He had heard their conversation from the hall. Erik was not one to enjoy lying and hiding secrets from others except when it served the benefits of his cause. So the cat might as well leave the bag as far as he was concerned. That and he didn't take lightly to Logan insinuating that his Marie had slept with him, when Erik knew very well she had not.

When Logan heard Magneto answer him and saw him enter the room a smug grin firmly entrenched on his face, he didn't know what to think. He looked back and forth between Magneto and Rogue, noticing Rogue's growing pink blush and Magneto's grin growing wider and wider. He unsheathed the claws on his right hand, more from perplexity than fear. He could not believe that what Magneto had hinted was true.

"Are you sayin' Marie slept with you last night?" Logan looked over at Rogue. "Did you?"

"Yes, but it's not what you think Logan." Rogue admitted, realizing she might as well confess to her crime. She was proud to be Erik's lover, but that didn't mean she had ever wanted Logan to find out. She knew she should tell her best friend, but she couldn't think of any way to do so where he wouldn't react, well, like this. Logan unsheathed his left claws.

"What do you mean it's not what I think?" His voice was a snarl and held barely suppressed ire. Magneto held up a palm and used a magnetic field to hold the Wolverine in place.

"Calm down and let Marie explain." He told the Wolverine in his usual commanding baritone that was unceasingly obeyed.

"I've liked Erik since Albany, Logan." She pleaded with her large doll-like eyes for him to understand. She didn't want him to think Erik had taken advantage of her. She wanted Logan to be happy for her. "When I went to the Brotherhood, I began to see more of him and I feel in love with him. He's not an evil man like you think he is. He's just misunderstood." It warmed Erik's heart to hear Marie defend him. However, it had the opposite effect on Logan's heart: it chilled it.

"If you slept with Erik, then who did I sleep with last night?" Logan said, chafing and shifting against Magneto's force field holding him back. Erik rubbed his chin and considered the issue.

"It must have been Mystique." He answered him.

"Wait, how do I know you're not Mystique?" Logan said gesturing with a nod of his head toward Marie.

"Rogue." Erik said pointedly and looked at her. She understood just what he meant. She walked over to Logan and touched his cheek with her bare, uncovered hand. Logan's eyes turned wide, but not from the pain of Rogue's mutation which sucked him for several seconds. No, Logan couldn't believe the other man Marie had mentioned the night before was Magneto. And the woman he had had sex with and confessed his love to was the imposter Mystique. This was plenty of cause for Logan to get angry and bashed against Magneto's restraint until Erik released him.

Despite Rogue's defense of Magneto, Logan could never trust a man who had once tried to kill his friend. The idea of the older Magneto and his beautiful Marie was enough to cause Logan to go into an attacking frenzy. However, there was still the fake Rogue sleeping soundly upstairs in his bed. For a moment, Logan looked back and forth between the kitchen entrance and Magneto, unsure whether Mystique or Magneto deserved his wrath first. Finally, with a growl worthy of a true wolverine he made his decision.

With his claws extended Logan ran out of the kitchen and bounded down the hall intent on catching Mystique.

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Mystique:

She woke up when she felt Logan shift on the bed. It had not been hard to keep her form as Rogue overnight. She had stayed in character several times in the past. It took a little mental willpower, and sleeping with one-eye open but it wasn't undoable. When Logan had left she got up and retrieved the clothes she had stolen from Rogue's room the night before when she had been asleep. Logan had been much easier to manipulate this time and Mystique reveled in her success.

She had not planned to have revenge sex with Logan. She wasn't even aware of her intense jealousy of Rogue until recently. When she had seen Erik's concern over Rogue's illness in contrast to his abandonment of her in that moving prison, something had snapped within her. Oh, it hadn't been easy before that living and working so close to her former lover. Despite their falling out there were still residual feelings for him that Mystique hated having. Just being around Erik brought them back and slowly as the months past and the pain of lying on that cold steel floor naked and human faded, she began to feel as though she could love him again.

It irked her to see Rogue as the new recipient of his affections. The younger mutant had securely taken her place as Erik's lover and it caused Mystique distress every time she saw the girl with her dear Erik's white hair interwoven in hers. Their fight in the practice room on the Island had been a long time in coming but it had not satisfied Mystique. She hated herself for her jealousy, for letting this bother her so much. Other than the Cause, all Mystique had ever had in life was Erik and life without him was bleak and dull.

So when she had arrived at the mansion, particularly resentful about the entire purpose of the trip, she had been predisposed to be on her worst behavior. She was a natural trickster; It was one of her few outlets for enjoyment. It was no secret between either the Brotherhood or the X-Men that Rogue had had a large, healthy crush on the Wolverine. She had thrilled to see Rogue gravitate towards Logan of her own volition and she had taken great delight in watching Erik's jealous reactions to Marie's friendship with the Wolverine. She had made a habit of watching the couple together, hoping with all her heart that what had happened last night might occur. She had wanted Logan to pursue Rogue and she had idly hoped Rogue would return Logan's affections.

Only when Mystique had seen the two kissing in the common room through the large windows that led to the veranda had she seriously considered playing a trick on Erik and Rogue. She had been out gazing at the stars, hoping to relieve some of her frustrations with being at the mansion when she had seen them. The mansion was a large building, but with so many occupants there was bound to be little privacy. Hadn't Wolverine and Rogue realized this? She had watched them embrace and kiss but when they pulled apart and started to speak to each other, she was unable to hear them. So she had gone back inside the mansion and walked towards the kitchen.

However, before she could reach the kitchen, she had seen Erik leave it. She knew him well enough to know when he was angry and last night he was furious. He must have seen them too, she thought to herself. Quickly a plan formed in her mind. Rogue had stopped before truly cheating on Erik and sleeping with Logan, but what if she hadn't? If Mystique pretended to be Rogue and slept with Logan no one would ever be the wiser. Erik would surely believe Rogue was guilty; he had just seen them kissing. Logan would believe that he had slept with Rogue as well. Only the true Rogue would know this wasn't true and what was her opinion worth? She had been crazy and acting weird for the last month now from all the memories in her head. No one would believe her if she denied it.

It was a genius plan and Mystique set about putting it into action immediately. She followed Logan up to his room, but he stopped by Rogue's room first. She waited patiently outside the door, listening into their conversation. She had hoped Rogue would chose Logan but Mystique was prepared when she didn't. It wasn't like the idea of seducing Logan was unappealing to her. He was incredibly handsome and she would have had to be blind not to be attracted to him. Plus, her ego was still smarting from when he had beaten her and stabbed her with his claws on Liberty Island.

No, it had been fun to carry out her plan. She had waited till Rogue was asleep to steel her discarded clothes that she had been wearing earlier that day. Then she had gone to Logan's room; he was so vulnerable it hadn't taken much acting to get him into bed. She had worried her lack of deadly skin would be discovered, but the whole thing had gone off without a hitch. And Logan, while not as good a lover as Erik, had been very enjoyable. He was different, far wilder in bed; it took some getting used to but was certainly fun. Mystique smiled to herself. All in all, not a bad night's work.

All that was left now was to return Rogue's clothes and head back to her own room, to innocently emerge as her beautiful blue self and watch Erik and Rogue's relationship fall apart. And then, when Erik was smarting from that tramp's betrayal, Mystique would be there to comfort him and everything would be back to normal.

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Everyone:

Logan found her in the hall still dressed and morphed as Rogue. His heart was pounding in anger. His blood was literally boiling. And much as the cliché says he was seeing red. Not particularly everything bathed in the harsh color, but rather it was more like tunnel vision. All he saw was Rogue/Mystique in front of him and everything else faded into the background.

He leaped towards her, trying to tackle her. He caught her easily, she didn't resist. They fell to the ground and he pinned her down. She only smiled at him.

"Are you ready to go again Logan?" She giggled lightly. "We really shouldn't do this in the hallway."

Her attempt to continue playing him incensed the Wolverine's wrath more. How did he manage to find such a cheating bitch sexy? Well he had the night before, when she had played his beloved Rogue as wild and uninhibited. And he had been a bit tempted by her seduction in the tent of Alkali Lake though he was loathe to admit it. Still his attraction to her now was eclipsed by his murderous rage.

He had believed Marie loved him. He had thought he was finally going to have a chance to see where this could go. Instead, he had been duped and made a fool of. His feelings crushed and his heart strings plucked for no reason. He vowed Mystique would pay.

He picked her up by her collar and threw her against the wall. As her back collided with the stiff wood paneling, she knew her game was up. The shock and pain that flooded into her caused her to morph back into her familiar blue scaly form. However, she still wore Rogue's camisole and jean skirt, though now they were ridiculously too short for her.

Mystique had unbelievably quick reflexes and flipped back up on her feet. Logan was on her quickly, but she dodged him with ease. She tried to kick him with her usual roundhouse, but the tight jean skirt restricted her. She had to distract Logan for a second to take it off. She dove between Logan's wide-spread legs and rolled behind him; this bought her enough time to ditch the skirt and top before Logan pummeled into her from behind.

She struggled with him as he held onto her wrists. She twisted around and brought her right foot down on his left. Then when he looked down she brought up her knee and kneed him where the sun doesn't shine. Wolverine let lose a horrific howl of pain. He backed away and fell to the ground in pain. Mystique ran down the hallway away from the prone Logan.

However his healing ability allowed him to recover from even such a painful blow blazingly quickly. He was able to stand up only a few seconds later, but Mystique was down the hallway. Looking for something to throw all Logan sighted was one of the straight-back walnut chairs the Professor had favored, which lined the hallway. Without thinking, Logan hurled the expensive chair down the hallway at Mystique and it caught her squarely in the back. She dropped to the ground and the chair broke apart. (Another item added to Magneto's bill).

Logan ran to get to Mystique's prostrate form but was unable to move after a few steps. Something was holding him in place: It was Magneto.

Magneto had followed Logan up the stairs to see the fight that was sure to ensue when the feral mutant found his target. He did enjoy watching his ex-lover Mystique being pummeled despite how she had overstepped her bounds this time. He could not allow the Wolverine to hurt his dear Mystique any longer, so he held the adamantium in his skeleton back and levitated Logan over to the hallway's wall.

"Control yourself Wolverine." Erik said, holding his right hand out in front of him as he held the mutant in place with a magnetic field.

"Stay away from Marie. You don't deserve her." Logan hollered. Magneto only sneered at him. Although he knew Marie loved him, Erik had no fond feelings for the Wolverine.

Logan strained and twisted trying to free himself, but as always he was hopelessly defeated my Magneto's magnetism. Finally he did the only thing he could think to do. He spit on Erik.

Erik wiped the spit off from where it landed on his cheek with the back of his sleeve. He seemed shocked and appalled by Logan's repugnant behavior. Erik was using his right hand to extend the magnetic field that was keeping Wolverine in place. Suddenly he spread his fingers apart in what resembled a Vulcan 'V' hand sign.

Wolverine's outstretched claws began to bend apart and Logan winced in dreadful pain.

"Stop! Don't hurt him Erik." Rogue shouted. She appeared at the top of the stairs and moved to Erik's side to try and prevent him from hurting her friend further.

Mystique, who had recovered from being hit in the back by the chair, now pulled herself up and confronted her rival. She scoffed at her.

"You don't really love Erik, do you? Taking Wolverine's side." That got Rogue's attention and she stared the blue woman down. "I saw what you did last night with him. Lusting after him like a dog in heat."

"I did not 'lust after him'!" Rogue cried.

"Really?" Mystique said, crossing her arms and daring Rogue to correct her assessment of her couch aerobics with Logan. Rogue, however, had had enough. Not only had Mystique insulted her; she'd tricked Logan and hurt his feelings.

Rogue lashed out and landed a side kick to Mystique's knee that dropped her to the floor of the hallway. Mystique, however, was an extremely well trained fighter and in her fall wrapped her foot and ankle around Rogue's legs and pulled Rogue down with her. Mystique leaped back up quicker than Rogue and seeing one the chair's broken legs lying around picked it up and swung it at Rogue. Rogue blocked the blow and tried to fight her way to a standing position.

"What's going on here?" Storm said. She had come running from her bedroom on the lower floor when she had heard all the commotion. She was dressed in a white satin chemise that she had slept in the night before. Storm was the first on the scene because she was the head disciplinarian and she was used to responding to fights between the younger mutants. She surveyed the scene before her: Magneto had Logan pinned to the wall and was twisting his claws into curls, while Rogue and Mystique fought tooth and nail against each other.

When no one seemed to notice her presence, Storm decided her first priority should be to break up the fight between Mystique and Rogue. So Storm tried to get in between the two women who were kicking and swinging chair legs at each other. Ororo had unfortunately miscalculated the animosity between the two mutants and before she could halt the fight she took a chair leg to the breast and let out a "Uewwfff". Her eyes watered from the pain.

Storm got caught in the fray between Mystique and Rogue, and she was less equipped without a chair leg to swing as a bludgeoning tool. The sky darkened outside and rain began to fall in earnest.

Beast had woken up when Storm had woken up. (Hint Hint) Despite it being summer, Dr. McCoy was properly attired in a long-sleeved pajama set covered by a red robe and slippers.

"I'll save you Ororo!" Beast yelled as he jumped into the fray between the two women. He slipped on his slippers and was caught between Mystique's spring kick and Rogue's stomp kick punch combination. For a few minutes the group was caught in a pretzel between the two combatants and the two peacekeepers. Everyone's punches and kicks hit someone other than their mark and no one seemed to make any progress.

"No one disturbs the Juggarnaut's sleep!" Juggarnaut appeared on the scene in his favorite Harry Potter boxer shorts. His room was close by and he was never one to miss a good brawl. And this was shaping up to be an excellent brawl, Brotherhood vs. X-Men, and every mutant for themselves. Picking a good opponent, he charged at Beast. Beast tried to dodge Juggarnaut's attack but he was stuck between Rogue, Storm, and Mystique in the cramped space of the hallway. He geared down in preparation for Juggarnaut's assault.

Juggarnaut drove Beast through the hallway wall that was behind him and unable to slow down, followed him through. A gaping hole appeared in the hallway wall. (Another item Magneto would have to pay for). More holes appeared as Beast and Juggarnaut battled each other; Juggarnaut running through the thin interior dry walls of the mansion and leaving holes like they were Swiss cheese. Furniture could be heard being hurled about as they fought: the genius mutant vs. the incredibly dense mutant. (Very expensive repairs added to Magneto's bill).

With Beast occupied, Storm gave up on trying to stop the fight between Mystique and Rogue. After she disengaged from the fray she saw that Magneto was still torturing Logan. Quickly what had begun as a minor squall turned into a Nor'easter complete with pouring rain. Lightening flashed frequently and was accompanied by the booms of thunder. Storm had to free Logan.

She prepared to use her mutant abilities to try to stop the formidable Magneto while he was distracted. Her eyes rolled white and she spread her hands out. In a wind that seemed to come from no where her hair blew around her. She summoned her lightening to her, though it would not work in an interior room like this with no windows. Now she razed gale force winds to assault the mansion and with a deafening sound of wood, metal, and stone ripping apart a section of the mansion roof flew off. It left the hallway and much of the second floor exposed to the elements. Magneto and his powerful magnetic fields were the perfect conducting rod and there would be no problem striking him with lightening now.

It was impossible not to notice Storm raising the roof off the mansion as she made ready to strike Erik with lightening. Rogue knew she had to stop her, so she decided she would use her mutation to its advantage. Putting out her hand, she extended her skin's deadly pull and dropped Storm like a bad habit.

Standing over Storm's prone form Rogue said, "That's what a liability can do."

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**Notes: **Let me apologize to all the fans that love the RogueXLogan or Rogan pairing.It was my first X-Men pairing and I have great respect for it. However, I'm a huge Ian McKellen fan and after reading several Rogue/Magneto stories I fell in love with how interesting the pairing proved to be. So the Rogan in this story was just a convenient plot twist and way to scare my dear readers. I'm betting you didn't see it coming, right?

I will try to write a mid-length Rogan story in the future to try to make all of you happy. But I do have a lot of other projects planned in the meantime.

It was extremely fun to write Mystique in this chapter. I am gearing up for a mid-length Magneto/Mystique story in the future. I'm slowly warming to her character and it's all KumaDaPuma's doing.

This chapter is such a Jerry Springer episode. There's confusion over who slept with whom, someone throws a chair, everyone fights, and there's a cat fight. I hadn't actually planned on it being that camp, but I think it works pretty well.

Leave a review and tell me whether or not you think the Rogue/Logan thing screwed up the entire story. Did I manage to scare you without turning off my readers? Do you understand the function of the chapter now?

**Preview: **The fight continues. You'll finally get to see the confrontation between Bobby, Rogue, and Kitty.


	30. Chapter 30: Bubblicious Bubble Gum

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – violence, sex talk, maybe some cursing. But you know by now it's all appropriate.  
Disclaimer: I own the X-Men. I am selling this story on Amazon and making thousands of dollars off of it. And if you believe that, I have some property in Florida to sell you…  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Emily" by Bowling for Soup because I am completely out of song ideas. I got stuck into doing this for every chapter because some one liked the song recs. I bet no one even reads this. If you do leave a better suggestion.

**Dedication:** To **Erin** for being a faithful reviewer through the two months I have spent writing. Also a shout out for all my readers who are enjoying reading this story but have been lurking and not reviewing. You know who you are.

**Notes: **Many people have requested seeing resolution between Rogue, Bobby, and Kitty. I hope this does that storyline justice. I'm not sure what the comic book storyline is but my Pyro is an orphan who lived in several foster care homes before joining the X-Men. Also, this is not a chapter for people who are fans of Angel.

There are some funny scenes in the beginning and then the story becomes serious and stays that way till the end.

**Chapter Thirty: Bubblicious Bubble Gum**

Everyone:

It had been inevitable (hadn't it been?) that the X-Men and the Brotherhood could not peacefully co-habit the mansion. After a week of brewing tension and minor altercations, the animosity had come to a boil.

By this time everyone had heard the terrible thunder storm that formed suddenly which was only now abating. They had heard the roof being torn apart and Juggarnaut and Beast's destructive battle. Mutants swarmed into the hallway to see what was going on only to be caught in the middle of an all out fight between combatants with grudges against each other. Swept up in the anger and furor like European football fans fights broke out between all the mutants, spurring a chaotic and ruinous scene. Mutants picking fights and mutants attempting to keep the peace were almost equally matched.

Angel arrived on the fight scene dressed in pajama pants holding his favorite teddy bear, but as his lengthy wingspan was useless in a cramped, crowded hallway he made an easy target for Pyro. John was and had always been a rapscallion at heart and he took pleasure in provoking the vapid Warren. He chased Angel around, letting out small fire balls that singed the mutant's wings. Angel had progressively less space to maneuver away from Pyro's blasts as the hallway crowded, his large wings giving him an extra difficult time.

"It's time to shake and bake the chicken!" Pyro called out as he chased Warren through the upstairs hallway.

"Stop right there John." An ice blast quelled Pyro's latest fireball. Bobby had entered the hallway and felt a responsibility to protect the docile and meek Angel.

To John, the time since he had left the mansion had served to further demonstrate the striking resemblance Bobby Drake had to the late Scott Summers. Meaning, Bobby was also a no fun tight-ass. Pyro missed the days when they had been roommates and Bobby had been more relaxed and receptive to mischief.

But that was three years ago and now the Iceman and Pyro were enemies and bitter rivals whose skills and powers matched each other's equally. Bobby's attempts to freeze Pyro in sheets of ice met with Pyro's own scorching flames. They charged about using their powers and combat skills to try to best one another as Bobby's melted ice left large puddles on the hardwood floor, while occasional flames from Pyro's charred various parts of the hallway. (Magneto's bill goes up as the mansion begins to go down).

This continued; the two oblivious to what was going on around them. Bobby's attempt to rescue Angel was thwarted as he became engrossed in battling his ex-roommate. Angel had become the target of a far cleverer mutant: Professor Jeri Kojak. Kojak was a mutant one would not suspect to have an advantage in fighting situations. After all her powers were of the mind: telepathic and telechronic (manipulation of time). However, her ability to pause time and other's perception of it was an unrivaled defense mechanism. If she saw a blow coming she could pause time, move out of the way and avoid it. No one ever landed a blow against Jeri. She was also adept at beating an opponent while time was paused, not giving her enemy even a second to fight back.

Jeri was not inclined to be sympathetic to Angel whose misguided father had been the cause of so much suffering for so many mutants when his "Cure" had caused a small war and then failed completely. Then, of course, there's was Angel's missing personality and formulaic angst-ridden insecurity that deeply grated on Jeri's nerves. She took malicious glee at playing a prank on him.

She paused time with a blink of her eye and went to the kitchen. There she grabbed several packs of Bubblicious bubble gum. She slipped a stick of gum into her mouth and began chewing, while returning upstairs. After the gum was wet and well-softened she took the piece out of her mouth and put it on one of Angel's gleaming white wings. The little piece of gum was very small compared to the long twelve foot wingspan.

_Damn, this was going to take a lot of gum._ Quickly Professor Kojak began chewing more and coated the wings in piece after piece. She rubbed the gum between the feathery tips sticking them together and then when she had dozens of pieces all over the wings, she pressed the two wings together, effectively gluing Angel's wings together with pink watermelon flavored bubble gum.

Eager to see his reaction she unfroze time.

Angel, unaware his wings had been bubble-gummed together, tried to flex them only to stretch out the pink gum that was stuck to each of him wings. He could move the wings about somewhat but they were covered in bubble gum. He tried to reach around to take off whatever was holding back his wings, but he was unable to stretch his arm around enough. However, Angel ran in circles furtively for a few minutes before realizing his arms could not reach that far back. Similar to when a child gets bubble gum in their hair, it was near impossible to remove from feathers. Angel was in for a very long day cleaning it off.

Professor Kojak snickered to herself as she watched him fret. It was probably wrong to torture him so, but it felt so right. He didn't even suspect it was her who had done it; her quiet, neat, scholarly demeanor working in her favor for once.

Jeri could hear the booms, crashes, and bangs that emanated from Beast and Juggarnaut's fight. It was giving her a headache. Seeing the opportunity to finally reprimand her large, odorous colleague Cain Marko for breaking the TV remote control back on the Island and generally being a bother, Jeri Kojak could not resist. She froze time again with a blink of her eyes and walked over to one of the bedrooms where the Beast and Juggarnaut where ripping each other apart.

She took out a pocket watch and partially unfroze Juggarnaut so that he was slowed down. Using the pocket watch she hypnotized Juggarnaut and made him believe he was a chicken, specifically a rooster. Then she stood back, blinked to unfreeze everyone and watched the fruits of her labor.

Juggarnaut, still clad only in his Harry Potter boxers, began cawing and pecking at the ground in an extremely realistic rooster fashion. The scholarly Beast was at a loss as to what to do. When Juggarnaut moved towards him, his head bobbing in rapid motion as though to peck him with a non-existent beak, Beast punched him so hard he flew backwards, struck a window, broke through and plummeted to the lawn below. There he got up and began pawing at the ground and flapped his arms back and forth. It was the early morning, and as far as Juggarnaut knew he was a rooster, so he began to ring in the new day with an impressive rendition of "cock-a-doodle-doo".

Beast was freed from his fight with Juggarnaut and walked back out into the hallway to see that the place had erupted into total chaos. It was a free for all and all the repressed animosity between the Brotherhood and the X-Men was finally out on the surface. Beast saw his fallen love Storm, who had been dropped by Rogue only a few minutes ago, and scooped her up in his arms. She was groggy and semi-unconscious from the zap of Rogue's powers. Beast laid her on the bed in one of the adjacent bedrooms that he and Juggarnaut had not trashed. She rested there. Beast returned to the hallway to have a serious talk with Rogue about her irresponsible behavior, when he was confronted by the cute, young, bouncy blonde girl Catalyst.

Why did Catalyst specifically pick on the Beast so much? Maybe it was because he was a scientist like her and her counterpoint on the X-Men. Or perhaps it was because he was blue and fuzzy and endlessly sappy in his relationship with Storm. But Catalyst believed it was because he sort of resembled Kelsey Grammar.

Catalyst's power to control the rates of reactions appeared to be a power with purely academic uses and she should have been no match for the brawny Beast. However, Catalyst was more intelligent than she looked. Using her powers she caused Beast's hair to grow rapidly till his usual longish blue mane was hugely overgrown stretching down to his feet. His beard and side-burns grew as well until Dr. McCoy was effectively trapped by all his blue hair. He tried to fight Catalyst but could not see in front of him past all that hair to strike her.

Now Catalyst decided to stop Beast in his tracks; to this end she caused a nearby potted fern to grow rapidly and encircle Dr. McCoy's waist and trap his arms. In a few short seconds the plant had snaked around the Doctor hundreds of times, encasing him in a leafy prison. Knowing she was safely protected from Beast's ferocious strength, Catalyst walked fearlessly up to the mutant and tapped him on the chest with her forefinger.

"That is for borrowing my lab goggles. You never borrow someone else's goggles, you know that." Catalyst was not a mutant to cross lightly.

0000000000000

Everyone:

Rogue had just dropped Storm and stopped her from attacking Erik. Beast collected Storm's fallen form and Erik still had Logan pinned to the wall using his magnetic fields. Rogue didn't want to see Logan hurt anymore than he had already been during the fight.

All Marie had to do was look at Erik, and he stopped torturing Logan. Erik straightened out the Wolverine's claws and used metal from the mansion's structure to restrain the furious Logan against the wall. Magneto took in the commotion going on throughout the mansion: Brotherhood vs. X-Men. The place was in chaos and everything was being torn to pieces as fights raged, a myriad of powers unleashed to settle old grudges.

"Come with me Mystique. Let us use this distraction as best we can." Magneto said, motioning to Mystique. She had been fighting previously with Rogue and glared at her with her saffron eyes, before descending the stairs behind Erik.

Meanwhile, Bobby and Pyro's vicious rivalry had attracted Rogue's attention.

"What's happened to you John?" Bobby yelled at Pyro as he dodged an orange-red flame thrown at him.

"Nothing 'happened' to me. I was just having a bit of fun with Warren over there." John motioned with his hand and all three of them turned to regard Angel who was trying to rid his wings of the distressing bubble gum. No one had expected to see Angel's wings singed _and_ covered in pink bubble gum. Iceman glared at Pyro who shared an astonished look with Rogue.

"You've become one of them: a criminal, a terrorist." Bobby said. There was no anger in his face; it fell in disappointment and his voice broke slightly on the words. It was hard for Bobby to accept the truth that his best friend had become the enemy. Unlike Rogue, he had never had a chance to say goodbye to John. He had met him in battle at Alcatraz but the reality of his switch in allegiance was only settling in now. His best friend had become his most bitter enemy.

"Don't call him that." Rogue defended Pyro. To Bobby, Rogue's betrayal was just more of the same. It made little sense to him and had shaken his world painfully. His ex-girlfriend of two years had run off to the enemy because that enemy, Magneto, a man who had tried to kill her, could touch her when no one else could. She had betrayed the Professor's memory just to satisfy her libido.

"You're no better than him."

"Hey, you wanna trash talk me, fine go ahead. But lay off Marie. She did what she had to do." Pyro said. Rogue noted he had stopped his annoying habit of flicking his lighter off and on in his hand. He held it still and did not flinch or fidget. In an instant, John had gone from acting like his usual immature self to standing up like a man. Rogue was impressed and proud of her friend.

"It's alright John. Ah know Bobby ain't ever gonna understand the choices I made." Rogue stood next to Pyro, in solidarity with him.

"I know I dumped you Rogue but it was no reason to-" Bobby said but Rogue interrupted him, her voice strained with anger.

"You didn't dump me Bobby you cheated on me. You didn't even have the decency to break up with me. You treated me like dirt and went behind ma back with ma best friend Kitty. Now you're dating Jubilee. Ah don't know what to think about you. You're not the Bobby Ah used to know." Rogue said.

To Bobby's credit his lips pursed and he looked strained and regretful.

"I didn't mean for that to happen. I was confused and scared." He turned away from Pyro's stare. John watched him knowingly. Bobby was quick to chance the subject.

"But what happened between us doesn't chance the fact that you ran off to join the Brotherhood."

"Guess not." Rogue said. She didn't feel like arguing with him or trying to explain herself anymore. She shouldn't have to.

"What about you John? Why did join Magneto at Alkali Lake?" Bobby had been curious why John left for over two years now. The two men stared at each other and Rogue felt like she was invading a private conversation for some reason.

"Because I believe in the Brotherhood's ideals." Pyro's eyes never left Bobby's and Rogue could tell they weren't talking about philosophy and mutant issues. There was something going on between the lines.

"Bull shit John." Bobby said slowly, pausing between every word, frost on his fingertips.

"Dammit, Bobby! Stop being such a dick." Pyro broke the stare and looked away under Bobby's intense gaze. He didn't like what his rival was implying.

"Stop acting like a child, Pyro." Bobby appealed to him, trying to get him to see the error of his ways. "You're a danger to everyone. You've become a criminal. You blew up that medical clinic, and then you helped Magneto to kill hundreds of servicemen with flaming cars, now you're singeing poor Angel's wings. Don't you have any decency?" Bobby threw at him his cold blue eyes hot with anger.

"Oh, really who's the child? I've taken a stand for the side I believe in while all you seem to do Bobby is pussy-foot around with the girls at the mansion. When are you going to stop acting like a boy and start being a man?" Pyro held an open flame in the palm of his hand and a wicked gleam in his eye. His anger flared at the idea that he had joined the Brotherhood for any reason other than ideological ones. Besides, Bobby was the one living in denial.

"Don't tell me you're blind to what's happening in the country? The Professor's methods don't work. Mutants have to fight if we're ever going to be free from oppression and prejudice." Pyro continued extinguishing his flames. Bobby's arms were crossed in front of him and none of Pyro's arguments seemed to move him. He sensed the real reason John had joined the Brotherhood had nothing to do with mutant oppression.

"You can make all the excuses you want John but what you're doing is still murder." Bobby intoned frostily.

"And you can date all the girls you want Bobby: Rogue, Kitty, Jubilee, but it won't change what we both know is the truth." John held Bobby's gaze. Bobby sucked in a breath, his fists balled, and took a step forward, holding out one already frozen hand ready at a moment's notice to hurl icicles at Pyro.

Pyro made no move to defend himself; instead standing confidently in place knowing that he spoke the truth and daring Bobby to try and deny it. He was sick of playing games around a fact they both knew to be true.

Rogue looked somewhat confused between the two men. Was Pyro implying what she thought he was? Could Bobby be gay? She thought back to when she had dated him but they were unable to touch because of her mutation. Bobby had never pressured her for holding hands, kissing, or sex. She remembered how he hadn't been very eager to explore their options for sexual expression with clothes on. And then there was her short term on the Cure when she had been able to touch him and he had slipped away from her to date Kitty. Could it be her mutation wasn't the thing that drove Bobby from her? Rather that he had never wanted a relationship where they were physically intimate because he wasn't interested in girls that way. She watched Bobby's reaction closely.

"That was a mistake John. An accident that was never meant to happen." He said an icicle, long and sharp forming in his right hand.

"Call it whatever you like. It's doesn't change that you liked." Pyro said. His voice steady and assured. Bobby's face twisted in anger. He hadn't wanted anyone to know. He had made Pyro swear never to tell… Bobby made to hurl the icicle at John who continued to stand defenseless and defiant before him.

"Throw that and Ah'll drop ya." Rogue said, holding up her unclad hand, though she could render him unconscious with just a thought. When she saw Bobby back down a bit she couldn't stop herself from asking what she needed to know. "What happened between the two of you?"

Bobby doesn't answer, his hands giving off a fog of frost as he crosses them over his chest. She turns to Pyro who is more forthcoming. He is eerily calm in a hallway of fighting mutants, as though he knew one day they would have this conversation. He had waited for a long time to see the day when Bobby would finally have to face the truth.

"Bobby and I were roommates back then, bout the time before the mansion was attacked and all that shit went down and I joined… you know. We were in our room, and Bobby had just beaten the guy who was ranked 25th nationally in Halo on X-Box online." John paused. "Am I right Bobby?"

Surprisingly Bobby didn't stop him; he only chimed in: "He was ranked 24th."

"Anyway so I had watched him beat the guy and we were both celebrating and jumping around. We sorta hugged each other and then it just happened. We rubbed against each other and I reached out and touched him and he touched me. You get the picture."

Rogue did. She wondered how far they had gone; how awkward it had been. She marveled how oblivious she had been. Never in her wildest dreams had she sensed something going on between her boyfriend and his roommate. Suddenly she understood how betrayed Bobby had felt when John had joined the Brotherhood.

"Afterward, Bobby regretted it. He felt guilty about you Rogue." Pyro turned to her and then looked back at his dear friend. Bobby's head was turned towards the ground; his face expressionless. He remembered that time two years ago vividly.

"And then everything went down. The mansion was attacked and we went to Bobby's house with Wolverine."

"And it hurt you to see Bobby with his family, because you're an orphan." Pyro stepped back a little. Rogue had hit very close to the mark.

"It did." Pyro admitted.

"Some family." Bobby scoffed his foot on the ground still not making eye contact. "When I told them I was a mutant my brother called the cops and my parents disowned me and told me never to come back."

"After that Bobby talked to me in the X-Jet. He wasn't ready to be both a mutant and homosexual. He told me that what we did was a mistake. That is was wrong and he didn't feel that way about me." Pyro's face, so often filled with juvenile anger and rebellion seemed very old when it showed pain. "But that was a lie, wasn't it?"

Bobby didn't answer.

"It was a lie." Pyro repeated. Rogue held her breath and waited for Bobby to answer. Everything was falling into place. All of Bobby's hesitation, his treatment of her, the reason he cheated on her with Kitty. Finally she knew the missing piece of the puzzle.

"Yes." Bobby answered and his head slowly rose. His eyes met Pyro's and the two shared a moment. For the first time in years the tension and animosity between them melted away just as John's flames so often melted Bobby's ice. "So that's why you left with Magneto on the helicopter."

"I knew you only liked Rogue as a friend. It hurt me that you wouldn't give us a chance. I hated to watch you live a lie. When Magneto talked to me on the X-Jet and showed me that mutants shouldn't be ashamed of what they were… Well, it was just what I wanted to hear."

Bobby smiled at John. They had come to an understanding. All of it was finally out in the open and both felt a weight lift off their shoulders.

Rogue felt a weight slam into her shoulders and knock her to the ground.

It was Jubilee. She and Kitty were involved in a very vicious cat fight and Jubilee had been pushed into Rogue. Kitty was winning. Jubilee leaped back off Rogue and used her fireworks to fill the hallway with smoke and sparkles.

When the smoke cleared Bobby was pulling Jubilee off Kitty.

"We need to talk." He told her and pulled her down the hallway. He turned back over his shoulder to smile at Pyro.

"So do we. After." John said to him as he retreated down the hallway. For a second John seemed contented and calm, then he turned around and Rogue saw a mischievous smile break out on his face. The boyish Pyro she knew was back. "But now I am going to bake some chicken." And John shot a fireball Angel's way.

Rogue laughed at him and felt a leg kick her.

"Hey!" It was Kitty. Kitty was in fighting stance. Adrenalin was coursing through her veins and she had just come off a fight with Jubilee. Everyone in the hallway, X-Men and Brothers alike, were fighting one another, she assumed Rogue would have a score to settle with her.

She moved to land another blow against Rogue's shoulder. Rogue blocked her.

"If you don't stop it, I'll drop ya." Rogue held up her ungloved hand in warning. She just wanted to talk to Kitty. There was a lot they needed to say to one another.

Kitty's heart was pounding and the idea of getting her life force sucked from her by Rogue was a scary one. She reacted on instinct and her foot shot out in a scissor kick to Rogue's midriff. Rogue recovered and pushed her mutation outward to drain Kitty.

Kitty phased and Rogue's powers went through her without affect. Rogue could not drop her. Rogue was surprised; this was the first person other than Erik who had some immunity to her new powers. She was caught off guard when Kitty broke out her kickboxing skills and tried to jab Rogue in the shoulder. Her punch landed and Rogue stumbled backwards. She dodged and rolled out of the way of Kitty's follow up left hook.

"Shadowcat. Kitty. Let's just talk this out there's no need to fight." Kitty did not back down and Rogue caught her next punch, turned and flipped Kitty over her back. Kitty, true to her name, landed on her feet and scrambled to stomp her heel down on the instep of Rogue's foot. Rogue let out an unhampered "Owww!" and backhanded Kitty across the face.

Kitty backed up a few paces and held her jaw in her hand. Rogue slapped pretty hard. She'd had a lot of practice. The pain of the blow brought Kitty back to her senses and her fight or flight instincts shut down.

"Ah'm not angry at you 'bout Bobby anymore." Rogue said when she saw that Kitty was done attacking her. Kitty was so shy and seemed to shrivel up on herself with guilt.

"You're not?"

"No. It was Bobby's fault for not breaking up with me before starting to hang out with you. And it turns out we're both been made a fool of: he's gay." Rogue said.

"What?" Kitty's eyes went wide. "But he dumped me for Jubilee. He's dating her now."

"Not for much longer. Him and Pyro." Rogue motioned to where Bobby was consoling a freshly dumped Jubilee down the hall.

"Oh, my gosh! I am so dense. How could I not see it? He's so good-looking he just had to be gay." Kitty slapped herself on the forehead.

"Ah know right. Ah can't believe we let him get between our friendship." Rogue genuinely smiled. Now that she knew the reasons why Bobby had treated her badly, her heart had mellowed to Kitty as well. Kitty, however, still felt a lot of guilt.

"I'm really sorry about that. I- I shouldn't have hung out with him knowing you two were still an item. I was just so excited that he liked. I'd been feeling pretty lonely and he was there for me."

"Ah understand. It's all so long ago and so much has changed since then."

"Yeah," Kitty said and twisted her shoe, surveying the fighting going on around them, before she could get the courage to turn back to Rogue. "Can we ever be friends again?"

"Ah think so. If ya don't mind me being with the Brotherhood."

"You're not really with them Rogue, are you?" Kitty didn't seem completely put out by it, but she was a hesitant.

"Ah am. But they ain't as bad as you think. They do a lot of good stuff and they're really helping to protect mutants with this war going on." Rogue said.

"You weren't there at Alcatraz. It wasn't pretty Rogue."

"No I wasn't. But I was at Liberty Island. I know what Magneto can do." Rogue said. Kitty noticed the way she shifted from the group to its leader curiously.

"You missed the fight at Alcatraz. Juggarnaut chased me through the lab facility. And Rogue he smells horrible. Like old anchovies or something." Kitty said. Rogue laughed.

"Oh, tell me about it. Ah have to live with the guy. You should smell the laundry room after he washes those leather pants. Gross!" The two girls laughed; their friendship regrowing with every giggle.

0000000000000

Everyone:

Storm came to on a bed in the student wing. She had been knocked unconscious by Rogue's mutation which could now zap a person from afar. Her head hurt badly as though she had been suffering from a migraine headache only moments before. When she made her way back out into the hallway the place was total chaos.

Mutants continued fighting amongst themselves; the younger students using it as an excuse to use their powers in ways that Storm had precisely forbid them from doing. The roof of the hallway had been destroyed by her hurricane strength winds. There were large gaping holes in the walls from Juggarnaut's ramming. Furniture lay in pieces. The carpet was on fire in some places; there puddles in others. And part of the mansion's steel structure was twisted around Logan.

Storm had to use tornado strength winds to pull Logan free. He was a bit dizzy when he landed after being spun in the tornado for several rotations. Magneto had hurt Wolverine somewhat, but his wounds were already well healed. Only his pride was still smarting from Mystique's trick.

"Where's Hank?" Storm asked Logan. It took him a few minutes to spot a huge blue furball entwined in a vicious looking house plant. Logan walked over and slashed his way through the plant.

"Look's like you really did turn into a giant blue furball McCoy." Logan chided him as he began cutting Beast's hair and fur back down to size using his claws.

"What happened to you Hank?" Storm watched on, overly concerned for her boyfriend.

"It was that indomitable Catalyst. I may not have followed proper lab etiquette once and she took it upon herself to upbraid me." Hank said, his fur and hair freshly cut so that he could see.

"What's going on here?" Storm said motioning to the free-for-all going on in the hallway.

"It's Mystique's fault." Logan said his teeth grating together at the memory of finding out about the cruel trick played on him.

"Figures." Storm said. She raised her hands, her pupils rolled white and three loud thunderous claps rang out. The mutants stopped their fighting and looked up. It was Storm, the head mistress, they were caught.

"How did all this start?" She asked them. She saw Pyro extinguish a fireball in his hand quickly. She gave him that evil teacher's gaze that said she knew exactly what he had done wrong.

Pyro turned to Rogue and whispered into her ear.

"Let me guess. Wolverine caught you and Magneto going at it like rabbits, the same way I did."

"Something like that." Logan said. His hearing was extra sensitive and he heard the whisper. Everyone looked expectantly at Logan to explain the situation. Logan looked at Marie and she nodded her permission. Storm turned her mean teacher gaze onto Logan to hurry him along.

"Um, well. It seems that when I thought I was romancin' Rogue, there. I was actually romancin' Mystique pretending to be Marie. And Rogue was with Magneto." Logan said.

"What!" Huge audible collective gasp from all the X-Men.

"What do you mean 'with' Magneto?" Storm asked. Logan didn't give her any hints.

"You're doing a lot more than kiss him now." Bobby said to her. There was still a little antagonism there and then of course there was the icky factor. She couldn't expect Bobby to understand how attractive a man like Erik could be. Or maybe she could, Bobby was gay after all, how could he miss how handsome and refined Magneto was?

"You better believe it." Pyro chimed in. He remembered catching them in flagrante delicto in Magneto's office.

Rogue blushed a bit. She was both embarrassed and proud to be exposed as Erik's lover, though she didn't expect the X-Men to understand their relationship. Heck, she hardly understood it herself. All she knew was that Erik loved her and she loved him.

"Is this true Rogue?" Storm asked. Rogue couldn't tell if she looked more shocked, disgusted, or incredulous.

"Yup." Rogue said proudly. "Erik and I-" Before she could finish Erik himself appeared at the top of the stairs, Mystique behind him. They had been trying to use the fight as a distraction to steal Charles Xavier's Cerebro files and the information on all known mutants.

"Quick. There's no time. We are about to be under attack." As if to underscore Magneto's point the whistling sound of a bond was heard followed by a thunderous explosion. Everyone ran to the windows to look outside.

There advancing around the perimeter of the estate grounds was the U.S. Armed Forces. They had encircled the mansion with troops and had two helicopters as air support. One of them had dropped an anti-personal bomb on the Brotherhood's Black Hawk Helicopter that was parked on the lawn.

The X-Men and the Brotherhood were under attack.

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**Notes: **What did you think of Catalyst's and Professor Kojak's powers? Kinda fun right?

I decided to introduce my side theme of Bobby and Pyro's relationship here. I hope everyone doesn't mind that I've made them gay. It was the only way I could justify Bobby being such a dick to both Rogue and Kitty in the movie. Isn't it obvious how badly he treats poor Rogue by emotionally cheating on her and then Kitty by leading her on? Then of course there's that great rivalry between Pyro and Bobby. There's got to be more to that friendship than meets the eye.

Tell me what you think.

**Preview: **Okay so what is the US army doing at the X-mansion? They're firing at the mutants so there will a fight coming. How can the mutants battle such an overpowering force? Will they be captured? Find out in the next installment of Healing.


	31. Chapter 31: Tempest Torn Asunder

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – violence on a large gratuitous scale.  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. But I do own Erik's skillet. Don't even think about using it in your fic without asking permission. Otherwise Magneto will bop you over the head with it.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Zombie" by the Cranberries, at **Genkai Shihan's **suggestion.

**Dedication:** To all those people who work to protect America and foil terrorists the world over. Because terrorists are bad people. Except Magneto and the Brotherhood of course.

**Notes: **From a physics standpoint I believe Professor Jeri Kojak's powers of pausing time make absolutely no sense. But who cares? This is the X-Men and everything is possible.

**Chapter Thirty-One: Tempest Torn Asunder**

Everyone:

The anti-personnel bomb fell from the specially equipped US apache helicopter to obliterate the Brotherhood's own stolen Black Hawk. It was destroyed from the force of the explosion, but Pyro did his best to contain the flames that shot up from the Black Hawk's wreckage.

From the windows of the mansion the Brotherhood and the X-Men spied the advancing lines of camouflaged infantry, armored tanks, and two hovering apache helicopters as air support. It was an impressive display of military might suggesting the US Armed Forces might have learned something from their two previous failed attempts to gain control of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters during the Mutant Human Civil War.

Uniformed infantry equipped with rapid fire assault rifles flooded through the large gap in the estate's barbed wire fence. Hundreds of troops were pouring through the opening and fanning out to surround the mansion.

"Dammit! They've got through our first line of defense. I thought that fence was supposed to have some sort of a trip sensor." Logan said. He unsheathed his claws preparing for another fight.

Erik felt a sinking sensation of guilt well in him. He had been the one to destroy the mansion's fence and security system. His loss of control had led to the X-Men having no warning of the impending attack. He pulled himself together quickly. Since he was the one at fault all the more reason to help the X-Men now in their hour of need. Also, the US government owed him a replacement helicopter and he thought the hovering Apaches looked like they would do nicely.

"Take the children, Storm and get them to safety. Wolverine, Beast, and Jugg-" Magneto looked around. "Where's Juggarnaut?" Erik spotted the guilty look on Jeri Kojak's face.

"Go snap him out of it Jeri." Erik commanded her. Jeri paused time and ran outside to collect the hypnotized Juggarnaut who believed for all the life of him that he was a rooster. She released him from the hypnotic thought and brought him back into the mansion and upstairs before Magneto. There she un-paused time.

"Wolverine, Beast, and Juggarnaut see what you can do with the mansion's defense system. When you've exhausted those options resort to what you do best." Magneto turned to Professor Kojak. "See if you can't buy us some more time before the troops advance any closer."

"Who put you in command?" Storm asked obviously hesitant to follow Magneto's orders and a bit put out to have her authority totally usurped.

"I did. Age before beauty Ororo." And with that Erik swept past Storm.

Professor Jeri Kojak used her powers to freeze time for the troops invading the school's grounds. The X-Men were unaffected but the ground troops paused in mid-step and the helicopters whirring blades froze.

"How long can you hold them?" Magneto asked Jeri.

"Not for more than a few minutes Erik. There must be over 300 hundred of them." Magneto could see the strain and tension in Jeri. It was a quite an effort to hold back the tide of time.

In the face of a common enemy the Brotherhood and X-Men united and forgot their previous differences and the fight that had ended only minutes before. Storm reluctantly followed orders, herding the younger mutants towards the safety of the basement levels.

"Can we use the tunnels to get out?" She asked the others.

"I believe they already have the mansion surrounded. Take the children and fortify yourselves in the Danger Room. Do not leave until I send word." Magneto told her.

"Help me round up the students Kitty. Make sure everyone is accounted for." Storm ushered the younger mutants to hurry to the basement while Kitty counted everyone and then ran through the walls of the mansion doing a quick bed check to make sure no one was left behind.

Meanwhile the X-Men including Wolverine, Beast, Angel, Iceman, and Colossuses went to the basement to suit up in their black leather X-Men gear. Magneto quickly changed into his grey battle suit complete with red satin lined cape. He was missing his helmet which had been lost in the destruction of the helicopter. Juggarnaut finished getting dressed; so did Pyro. Rogue didn't have a true fighting uniform, only a facsimile which consisted of long crimson leather/lyrca shorts and a matching sleeveless vest. The more skin exposed the easier it was for her to use her mutation.

Once everyone was suited up and prepared for battle they hurried to the Ready Room in the basement from whence the mansions security and defense system were operated. Magneto's guess had been correct. The Armed Forces had the estate surrounded. Stryker's invasion of the school two years ago had given the Government information about the secret escape tunnels and they would not be able to use them this time. They had no choice but to fight.

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Storm:

The task of calmly guiding the young mutants to their safe haven was one which was uniquely suited for her. Storm was naturally soft-spoken and even pitched. She inspired calm, confidence, and feelings of security; traits which should have made her an effective leader not only in times of peace but in times of war.

Professor Xavier had made her a leader, hand-picked her to be his successor. Yet she found her authority constantly appropriated by those around her. Usually it was Logan who was at fault. Wolverine's habit of being an impatient loner made him an unlikely but oddly effective leader. He led whether he realized it or not and the mutants followed him. They only seemed to view Storm as a headmistress; a glorified version of her previous role as instructor.

Now it was Magneto who had usurped her power with his effortless charisma and mesmerizing voice. _Damn him!_ She had seen him work his magic when he had broadcast that speech on the national evening news about a week ago. Everyone had watched in the common room and eaten Chinese food. The younger mutants, heck even some of the older ones who should have known better, had clapped for him when he concluded his speech. They clapped for Magneto! A killer! A terrorist! Rogue had even jumped ship to join his side under her watch.

The incident had cauterized Storm's pride. It hurt to see her authority and worth questioned and degraded yet again. She had been right to think that Magneto would steal her position out from under her: now he had her seeing to the children's safety rather than leading the battle like she should have been.

So that night, after seeing his speech broadcast, she had followed the advice of anchorman Brian Williams and called the FBI with a tip about the whereabouts of wanted fugitive and terrorist Magneto. She had bargained and made arrangements with the US Government to trade Magneto for the X-Men's immunity.

Storm wasn't blind. She had seen the two previous government raids on the mansion and knew that the X-Men could not exist openly during the Mutant Human Civil War without making some type of a bargain with Homeland Security. So in exchange for the most wanted mutant terrorist in the United States the government had sworn to leave the X-Men alone as long as they posed no threat to humans and submitted to close surveillance. Storm was just happy peaceful mutants would still have the mansion as an asylum during the conflict.

However, Storm had told them to send a small force, specially equipped. She had given them details on the extent of Magneto's powers and had promised not only the X-Men's compliance but active help in his capture. The Government wasn't supposed to send a major army assault battalion equipped with artillery and air support that was even now pummeling the above ground levels of the mansion.

When Storm had safely ensconced the children in the cement bomb shelter below the Danger Room, she had Kitty stay and watch over them. Storm took a moment alone to call her FBI contact using her Nextel 'X' phone.

"What's going on? I thought you were just going to send some Navy Seals or something." Storm whispered into the phone, lest another X-Men or Brotherhood member should over hear her.

"Plan's changed. We're not just after Magneto anymore. We are rounding up all non-registered mutant terrorists." The government considered any non-registered mutant (per the Anti-Mutant Registration Act) to be a terrorist.

"All non-registered mutants? I thought we had a deal." Storm grew quieter still as she angered over the realization that the US meant to take them all into custody.

"We don't negotiate with terrorists Ma'am. You should have known that." The FBI agent said before Storm clicked off the line.

_Darn it! She should have guessed this would happen._ Nothing had gone right for her since she had taken over as leader of the X-Men: Rogue had left to join the Brotherhood and war had broken out between mutants and humans. What would the Professor have done in this situation? Storm was at a loss.

She hurried to the Ready Room to help the others defend the mansion. She could not decide whether she was a good leader placed in difficult circumstances or a terrible leader who had caused the X-Men's downfall.

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Everyone:

Professor Kojak's ability to freeze the troops ran out and she joined the rest of the mutants in the basement security center. Dr. McCoy and Logan were experts at working the school's security system which included laser turrets and Danger Room-style combat robots. However these turned out to be of little effect against so large a force as was assembled against them. The system had been designed to repel covert operations by the likes of an organization such as the Brotherhood. They were no match against a traditional army with artillery and air support.

The army's guided ballistic launchers made short work of the turrets and robots which were not capable of fending off a force with such overwhelming numbers. After only a few short minutes it became obvious the X-Men and Brotherhood would have to head outside the mansion and meet the army head on, using their powers to resist capture.

Although the numbers were stacked against the mutants (there were 12 mutants vs. 300 plus troops) they did have Magneto whose powers helped to even the odds from impossible to only near impossible. So the X-Men and Brotherhood headed back up to the first level of the mansion, Magneto giving orders on the way.

"First, I'll take down the helicopters and artillery. Beast, Wolverine, Colossus, and Juggarnaut: you are in charge of wading through the troops. Pyro use your flames to soften them up. Storm you create cover for them. Jeri and Catalyst can help to slow down their advance. Iceman: See if you can freeze their advance around the perimeter of the mansion. We don't want them sneaking up behind us. Mystique: you pilot one of the helicopters as air support after I take control of it." Erik ordered as everyone gathered in the foray of the mansion, about to head out into combat. (Kitty was back guarding the young mutant children. Angel was unable to fight because of the bubble gum in his wings.)

"What am Ah supposed to do?" Rogue asked Erik after he was done speaking.

"You'll stick close to me." Erik said, avoiding her gaze.

"But Ah can fight. You don't need any support; I won't need to fight at all if I'm back with you."

"Precisely. I don't want you to use your mutation until I know you can do so safely." Erik recoiled at the idea of Marie's head being flooded with memories and personalities that were not her own. He would not see that happen to her again.

"But Erik-" She pleaded with him. Rogue hated to not be useful. She wanted to contribute more than anything.

"No 'buts' Rogue." Erik turned to her and said in a low voice the others could not hear. "I know how much this means to you. But you're not ready yet. Soon my dear."

He was tender to her and his blue eyes betrayed his concern for her. She gave in without more of a fight.

"Ah love you." She mouthed the words to him, so the others would not hear. He brushed the white streak back from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"Und ich liebe dich." He whispered back and Rogue who had all his memories understood him easily.

Without further hesitation, Magneto used his powers to push open the doors to the mansion and the united mutants burst into the fray.

Already, Storm had filled the skies with a vicious thunderstorm and rain was falling sporadically as what would have been a sunny morning turned dark and dangerous. Magneto made quick work of the circling Apache helicopters. He used his magnetism to pull the birds to the ground. The pilots tried to buck the helicopters against their downward trajectory but their efforts only resulted in slight damage to the choppers which landed on the ground near the mansion. Wolverine ran off with his claws out and took out the pilots and gunners in mere seconds. Mystique followed behind him and flew one of the copters back up into the air and turned its guns on the advancing troops.

Everything was going according to the mutants plans until Magneto attempted to crush the tanks that were slowly lurching towards the mansion. Erik kept extending his magnetic fields but he could not feel the hum of the metal in the machines that he saw hastening toward them. The tanks got off a round of ordinance that flew toward the mutants. Magneto raised his hand to stop the incoming ammunition but again he did not feel the hum of metal.

"I can't stop it. Take cover!" He yelled as one of the tank's 10in shells hurled towards his vicinity. Reacting quickly Rogue ran into Erik and pushed him out of the way. The two landed on top of each other as the shell streaked past them impacting with the front of the mansion and blowing a three meter wide hole in the entrance way.

Erik got back up and dusted off his cape and battle suit. Without his powers Erik was nothing more than an old man. Perhaps he did need Marie. He helped her up and directed the others.

"The tanks are made of plastic." Magneto extended his powers and searched the field of battle for the telltale of vibration of metal. He found little other than a few small pieces in the troop's apparel and the two aluminum helicopters. "It appears so is much of the ammunition, ordinance, and armor. My powers are useless against them." However, Erik was a master strategist for good reason. "Catalyst is there anything you can do with the explosives?"

"Like say explode them before they are fired?" Catalyst asked and Magneto nodded his affirmative. "Yeah, if someone gets me close enough."

Erik looked to his heavy hitters: Beast, Wolverine, Juggarnaut, and Colossus to clear the way for Catalyst. They knew what to do and set off wading into the enemy. Storm produced a low-lying fog to shield them. Her lightning bolts rained down on the enemy and hit several of the plastic tanks, but she could not direct her powers far enough to affect targets on the other side of the estate. Pyro's flames were useless against armored tanks, so he turned his attention to the advancing troops along with Bobby and together the two kept troops from nearing Magneto's location near the front of the mansion.

Magneto took metal from the mansions structure to fashion a small shielded area for them near the cement benches in the garden. Behind them the mansion continued to take hits from the plastic tank ordinance which Magneto was helpless to stop. Professor Jeri Kojak used her power to freeze time to slow down the advance of troops; however, she was only able to pause about ten at a time. She concentrated on the ones that were firing rubber bullets at the group.

"I don't understand how the government guessed I was here." Magneto said as he took cover with Rogue. "I made sure to keep our whereabouts a closely guarded secret."

Rogue noticed how Storm flinched as Magneto spoke and one of her lightning bolts missed its target. Marie said nothing.

"If they planned ahead to produce plastic tanks and armor, surely they'll be equipped with other anti-mutant measures." Erik finished and Rogue's eyes met him. That meant only one thing: They would be armed with the Cure.

Just then Storm let out an "Awwwarrrh!" and fell to the ground next to them. Rogue turned her over and found the Cure dart sticking three inches deep into Storm's stomach. Rogue pulled it out of her as quickly and painlessly as she could, but already Storm was twitching and shaking violently in her arms. Immediately the rain stopped and the darkened sky began to lighten. The fog lifted revealing all the mutants' locations. Storm's whitened eyes rolled back to their usual brown. She would be fine in a few minutes but her powers would be gone for several months.

"None of the X-Men have taken the vaccine against the Cure. They're all vulnerable." Rogue said to Erik.

"For that matter, neither have you." It was a sore point between them. Rogue had been against the distribution of the vaccine in the first place. Later she had come to see Erik's way of the thinking and even been critical in the vaccine's distribution. Yet she had never volunteered to take it herself. If she had taken the vaccine, she would never have been able to benefit from the Cure again. Rogue had not been ready to give up the freedom and hope the Cure had originally offered her.

Meanwhile, Wolverine, Beast, Juggarnaut, and Colossus had done their best to plow through the three hundred plus troops invading the school's grounds. They had been successful in punching a hole through the line of army troops and allowing Catalyst to explode a few of the plastic tanks' shells before they could be used against the mansion. Mystique, flying the stolen Apache, fired round after round into the troops making small but notable progress in thinning their ranks.

However once Storm went down and their fog cover was removed the five mutants came under intense fire. The military had come prepared and unleashed tear gas around them. Although it took down some of their own troops, it also proved very affective against all but Logan. Colossus was able to resist its effects temporarily when he shielded himself in his metal and he helped both Beast and Juggarnaut to safety.

Catalyst had not been expecting the tear gas and before she could slow it's absorption in her eyes she was already very affected by it. Logan, for whom almost every weapon proved useless against, picked up the fallen Catalyst and ran with her back to the shelter of the cement benches where Magneto, Rogue, Ororo, and Jeri were gathered.

Logan lay Catalyst down next to Storm. Immediately Jeri bent down to see to her friend who was coughing, her eyes blood red and tearing furiously. Juggarnaut and Beast were a little better off, although their eyes were tearing and they were having difficulty seeing.

"Logan you've been hit!" Rogue said as she saw the Cure dart sticking out of Logan's back. Logan's eyes went wide and he wrapped his arm around his back and pulled the dart out of quickly.

"I think I'm alright Marie." He said and extended his claws. Rogue watched closely as he sheathed them again. It was a little delayed but Logan's healing ability kicked in and closed the wounds in the skin of his knuckles. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your body heals so fast it doesn't give the Cure a chance to take effect before it processes and expels the foreign substance from your system." Beast explained, in between a few coughs.

Logan was happy to hear the news he was still able to fight but it was beginning to look as though that would not be enough. Magneto's powers were routed by the use of plastic; Catalyst and Storm were out for the count; Juggarnaut and Beast were at only half capacity from the tear gas. That left Wolverine, Colossus, Professor Kojak, Iceman, Pyro, Mystique, and Rogue to fight over 300 troops.

Although they tried to rally their powers, the X-Men were still greatly at a disadvantage. Only Iceman, Pyro, and Kojak had long range powers. Kojak paused troops in place for Wolverine or Colossus to take care of; while Pyro and Iceman kept the troops back with fire and ice. However, Mystique's pilot operated helicopter guns were useless against the plastic tanks and soon the artillery was lobbing a new type of ordinance in their direction: grenades.

The grenades had the effect of scattering the mutants and breaking their ranks. The tanks were able to fire the grenades with so little down time that it was impossible for the mutants to regroup, and soon they were each being separated and surrounded. Logan attacked the surrounding soldiers furiously, completely ensconced in his Wolverine bestial rage. He moved swiftly, his claws slashing with deft accuracy and fluid power. Still he took numerous rounds of rubber bullets and despite his healing ability, he was being worn down.

The others were in far worse circumstances, but Marie focused on Logan. If he was unable to hold his own in this battle they did not stand a chance. She had to do something. She had to contribute something. But what? What could she do? Unlike Logan, she was a just a whiff of a girl, small and not-particularly muscular. But she was a small girl with very deadly skin.

She stood up from behind the metal and cement shelter Magneto had fashioned, preparing herself to do the only thing she could think of to save her friends.

Erik grabbed her wrist, trying to pull her back down beside him.

"You can't go out there Marie. I don't want to see you hurt." He pleaded with her. But unlike usual his words held no sway over her. They rolled off of her; a quaint, sweet admonition from her lover, but far too late to be heeded. She knew what she had to do. Or at least that she had to try.

"Everybody get back!" She yelled as she cleanly pulled her wrist from Erik's grasp, slipping away before he had the mind to try to stop her. She stepped out from behind the shelter and walked as close as she dared to the raging battle.

"Fall back! You've got to fall back!" She called not wanting her powers to drain anyone of her friends. Her voice didn't carry over the loud battle surrounding her, but Professor Kojak heard her.

'Don't do it Rogue' Jeri voiced in her head, guessing what Rogue had planned.

"I'm going to try whether you help me or not." Rogue said her voice so steady and determined she scarcely recognized it as her own. Where had this new found resolution come from? When and how had she left her quivering, fearful teenage years behind to become a strong, forceful woman? She had little time to ruminate on such considerations; she was going to save her friends the only way she knew how.

Kojak acquiesced and used her telepathy to plant the thought in the head of all the mutants to pull back and regroup nearer to the mansion. Meanwhile Rogue crept farther and farther onto the field of battle. She had no clue if her idea would work, or if she would be able to pull it off, but she had to try.

When all the mutants were behind her she stood up and spread her unclothed arms wide. She knew how to control the pull of her skin now; how to pull with her mutation so intensely her power escaped her skin and began to suck from the air around her. She pulled harder and harder, willing her power to go further to search for sources to feed.

"No Marie!" She heard Erik call out from a distance that seemed like a million miles away.

"Wolverine you've got to stop her." Erik yelled to Logan. Logan saw what Marie was doing and moved as quickly as he could to stop the girl he loved. But it was too late. Rogue's powers had already found purchase.

As she willed her powers to pull from further and further away she encountered soldier after soldier and drained them, feeding off their life force. As their energy flowed back to her she consumed it instantly, using it to fuel the ever widening expansion of her powers. Magneto had told her could be more powerful than the Phoenix and for the first time she could feel that near infinite power coursing through her veins, strengthening her to continue what she was doing.

The more troops she drained the easier it became to push her powers to the limit. She could feel the soldiers hundreds of yards away and pull from them as though she had her hand on their skin. The harder she pulled the easier it was to get through materials the troops might have used to shield themselves. Even the soldiers occupying the tanks were vulnerable to her as she willed her power past the plastic.

The more men she drained the more energy poured into her and she felt her heart quicken rapidly and her breath come in fierce gasps. She felt like she was free falling, like she was standing at a cliff about to go over the edge, like everything was rushing at her, yet away from her at the same time. Somehow everything seemed more real for those few minutes. The ground beneath her, the air around her pressed heavy against her as her nerves sped in overdrive. Her mind flooded with images, feelings, emotions, and memories not her own. Yet the immense power she was controlling helped her to stem off the flood's drowning effect. She kept her consciousness above the tide of her victims and pulled with all her might.

Finally when she had reached so far across the battle field she could feel no other sources of energy, no other men, she stopped her pull. Without the extra energy flowing into her, she could no longer hold back the enormous obliterating ocean of memories that filled her head. Grasping helplessly at the remaining fragments of her consciousness she felt the ground sway beneath her and her vision blurred as colors brightened and then bled into blackness. She heard pounding and screaming ring in her eyes as she gave way to the assault.

Rogue collapsed to ground. Logan and Jeri were there instantly, the others followed behind running as quickly as they could to her side.

The battle was over; Rogue had drained the attacking troops and their fallen forms lay scattered around her.

Logan put his fingers on Marie's neck.

"She's not breathing."

Professor Kojak put her hands on Rogue's temples and tried to locate her consciousness.

"I can't find her in there. She's gone."

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**Notes: **You may not be too happy Storm tried to betray Magneto. But think about it, Storm completely disagrees with his philosophy and it must be loathsome for her to have him visiting at the mansion. So she does something stupid and turns Magneto in.

Translation: "Und ich liebe dich" is German for "And I love you." I hope I got that right; I used an online translator.

Lol, I had Logan carry Catalyst in his arms, because well Catalyst is my character and Logan is hot. I had to give poor Catalyst a little action ya know.

**Preview: **Rogue has sacrificed herself for her fellow mutants. What will her death do to Erik?


	32. Chapter 32: Snow White Fallen

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – violence, destruction  
Disclaimer: At this point, I don't think I need to disclaim anything.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Passive" by A Perfect Circle, because it fits very well Erik's devastation over seeing Rogue dead.

**Notes: **I worked so hard and did such a good job on chapter 31 I'm not sure I can top it with this chapter. Seriously, I'm a bit nervous to try. I struggled over almost every sentence of this chapter, desperate to make it as awesome as the last. Let me know what you think of it. I really want to improve my craft as a writer. So be harsh. Be critical.

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Snow White Fallen **

Everyone:

…_She's gone."_

Jeri Kojak had pronounced, kneeling over Rogue's body, her hands on the girl's forehead. Rogue's powers did not pull at her; a testament to the dormancy of the girls body.

Erik looked at Rogue. He did not believe it. He could not. Only seconds before she had been alive, healthy. She could not die like this. Not this quickly. Yet there she lay on the ground, perfectly still.

"No." He said.

Erik walked closer to Rogue. He was unable to believe she was gone. Only minutes before she had told him she loved him. Now her body lay spent and crumpled on the ground. An empty shell quickly growing cold.

Erik's shoulders and chest felt heavy and weighted down. His stomach turned over as his body responded to the sickening fear that gripped him. Fear that Marie was lost forever like a pawn captured in chess.

Logan was a mirror image of Erik. He sat by Marie unmoving, gripped by shock and disbelief.

Everyone was in agony. Rogue had been so much to so many. And her death had been sudden. A selfless sacrifice for them. Everyone rushed to Rogue's side.

"No." Erik said again. He bent down. He kneeled before her prone form. Tenderly he picked her head up. He pulled her into his lap. Holding her, he rocked back and forth. _She couldn't be dead. Any second now she would wake up. They would save her. There had to be some way to save her. There _had_ to be._

"Nooooo!" Erik erupted, screaming at the top of his lungs. Tears welled in his eyes.

As Erik screamed, his acute emotional pain translated itself into his magnetism. The parked helicopter was wrenched ten feet towards him. The steel frame of the mansion pulled closer to him. The mansion quaked under the brunt of his power. Pieces of the stone work fell to the ground.

The mansion had already been devastated by the army's assault. Now Magneto's despair rocked it to its core. The younger mutants taking shelter in the lowest, all-steel subterranean levels felt the walls vibrate intensely around them. They huddled together unaware of the drama that was playing on outside the mansion.

Those outside watched the mansion's trembling with fear. The mansion's massive size caused the ground to shake around them like an earthquake. Magneto's fearsome display of violent power was awe-inspiring and horrible. Raw pain became violence; anguish became destruction. He had no control over himself.

As his heart wrenched and his very world swayed in its devastation, Erik scarcely felt the waves of magnetism and the objects his magnetic fields affected. That was until one object moved from his power. Answering to the call of his magnetism was Marie's blood. Still, unmoving but warm inside her body, the iron in her hemoglobin hummed.

That could be the key to saving her. Erik wasted no time.

He restarted the blood's flow throughout her body, concentrating on making sure her brain did not go long without a blood supply. It had only been a few seconds since her collapse. He might be able to save her, before her brain began to die from lack of oxygen.

The blood, however, could not pump oxygen into itself. Erik could not get the heart beating or start Rogue's lungs breathing through his magnetism. But he did know that such life processes could be restarted.

"Beast!" Erik called. "Help her now. She needs CPR."

"I'm sorry but she's gone Magneto." Beast's voice was sympathetic to Erik's loss.

"No, she's not. Help her now McCoy!" Erik said as the mansion's steel frame oscillated severely. Part of the roof caved in on the second floor.

Magneto, in his rage, was not someone to second guess. His command demanded to be obeyed emphatically. This time Dr. Hank McCoy did as he was told. He bent besides Rogue. He rhythmically pumped her chest, breathing air into her lungs every several beats.

Oxygen flow was restored to Rogue's body. Her mutation kicked in again. Dr. McCoy checked to see if Rogue was breathing on her own. She wasn't.

Erik had to wrap Rogue in a magnetic shield so that Dr. McCoy could continue to perform CPR on her without her mutation draining his life force. Erik continued to move Rogue's blood as Hank checked periodically to see if Rogue was breathing on her own.

A minute went by as they worked on her. The others watched anxiously to see if their efforts could save her. Again, Dr. McCoy put his hand over Rogue's mouth to see if she was breathing on her own. Again, she was not.

"This is not working Magneto. She's gone." He said as kindly as he could. Erik, of course, did not take this well.

"She's not dead!" Again the mansion shook and the helicopter scraped across the grass as his magnetism shot out from him in uncontrolled waves. "She won't die. I will not _let _her die."

The others looked at each other, concerned and afraid what Magneto might do once he accepted the truth.

But Erik had no intention of accepting Rogue's death. Frantically he searched his mind for some way to kick start her heart beating on its own again. He trembled when he saw her blanched pale white face, still and serene in near death.

Then it hit him. He knew what could save her.

With his acute magnetic grip, Magneto ripped Logan from where he sat grieving straight to Marie's side. Erik pulled the Wolverine's hand up to touch Rogue, hoping to use his healing ability to save her. Logan did not resist. He had been watching the scene play out in shock, the surreal nature of it silencing him in disbelief. Now that he saw a way to save his beloved, Marie he sprung back into life.

Before Magneto could pull Logan's hand to touch Rogue, Professor Kojak stopped them.

"No, Erik!" She ran forward to join Erik, Beast, and Wolverine kneeling around Rogue. "You can't let Rogue absorb Logan's memories. The shock might kill whatever's left of her brain. It's already full."

"You can stop his memories from transferring while she pulls from him." Erik's steel grey eyes bore daggers into Jeri Kojak. It was not a question.

"I might be able to. I've never tried."

"You will." He said forcefully. Dr. McCoy continued to administer CPR and Magneto manipulated Rogue's blood as they spoke.

Logan touched Rogue of his own volition and felt the sharp, painful pull instantly. Logan was no stranger to pain and he spoke through gritted teeth to Magneto.

"You did this to her, you bastard. You never should have taught her to use her mutation."

"You imbecile, if I didn't love her, would I be working this hard to save her now?"

"You just want to use her again, like you did on Liberty Island. You nearly killed her then too."

"There is no incident I regret more."

Logan did not answer back. Instead, he roared in pain as Rogue's pull drained him. His wounds from the battle reopened. Logan would not last much longer. And Marie had not woken up. Jeri Kojak had been successful blocking Logan's memories from transferring along with his life force and healing mutation.

"Catalyst, can you speed up the Wolverine's healing so he can keep feeding Rogue?" Erik asked the girl who had control over all chemical processes.

"Of course Erik." Catalyst went to work and there were five mutants working on Marie's recovery. With Logan's borrowed mutation, Rogue's color returned. Her breathing evened out. Her heart beat steadied. When it looked as though she was fully physically healed, her eyelids closed. They did not reopen.

"Why isn't she waking up?" Erik asked as Logan pulled away from Rogue. Catalyst helped him to recover so he remained conscious. Jeri probed Marie's mind for the answer.

"She's still not in there." Jeri frowned and grabbed her head in pain. "There are hundreds of voices in her mind. I can't find hers."

Rogue looked as though she was sleeping, peacefully unconscious. Erik thought she looked like Snow White lying there, her dark luxurious hair spread out around her ashen white face.

"But you can clear her mind of foreign memories again?" Erik asked Jeri. Doubt had crept into his voice.

"Let me be honest Erik. I'm not that strong a telepath. There are about 300 voices in Rogue's head vying for control, 300 sets of memories other than her own. Before when I cleared out her mind there were 12. Humans and Mutants only use 10 of their brains and Rogue is using 100 right now as we speak. Her receptors are burning out. I can't even guarantee her memories and consciousness are still in there somewhere. I haven't been able to locate them. I don't know what to tell you but it doesn't look good."

At first Erik's hope had been boosted by Rogue's physical recovery. Now he despaired again. And with his despair came angry resolve.

"You'll continue to work on her." He did not give Jeri a chance to protest.

"How much did she drain from them? All of their memories?" Erik asked. He knew Rogue could control the pull in varying levels. No one had thought to assess this.

"I don't know-" Jeri started to say before Magneto cut her off.

"Find out."

Beast checked the pulses of the soldiers lying on the ground around them.

"She killed this one." He moved farther away to another.

"This one still has a pulse." He checked another further still.

"This one is alive as well." He called back to the group. "It appears she pulled the most from the ones closest to her. Most of the troops are only unconscious. There is no way to tell how much she took from them. They could reawaken at any moment."

It was a prognosis with very mixed blessings. It meant Rogue had absorbed fewer memories than originally thought. Her brain might be able to recover. But it also meant that the enemy soldiers could wake up and threaten them again.

"We have to leave here. The soldiers could recover and reinforcements could arrive any minute now." Storm said. She was still shaky from having been hit with the Cure. Now, she stood and surveyed the fallen soldiers. Their bodies lay on the grass still wet with morning dew. Behind her the graceful, old stone mansion lay in ruin. Bombed and shaken two of its walls lay crumbled, most of its roof collapsed.

"Can we move her?" Erik asked Kojak.

"I think so." Jeri said.

"She's physically healthy." Dr. McCoy said. "Mentally…" He let himself fade away into silence, not wanting to spell out how dire her mental state appeared.

Erik told himself Kojak would be able to save Rogue. She would come through. It would just take time. Time they did not have.

"Storm: prepare the X-Jet. Jeri and Wolverine: Put Marie on a stretcher and get her secured onboard. Beast: Gather the other mutants together. Mystique: prep the helicopter. Kitty will fly the other." Magneto said.

"Iceman: go and collect Kitty and the mutant children. Take Colossus with you to clear any debris so can reach the basement. Pyro and Juggarnaut come with me." Magneto commanded.

"Wait, shouldn't I salvage the things we'll need from the mansion while Colossus gets Kitty?" Bobby said. It was not a smart move on his part. He had misjudged Magneto's mood.

"You'll do as I say. Now." Magneto's tone was deadly quiet and it was blatant that he was doing his best to restrain himself from hurting the boy. The mansion quaked a little behind him.

After that everyone moved quickly to prepare for their escape fearful reinforcements could arrive any second once word of the Army's failed mission became known. Magneto went with Juggarnaut and Pyro into the ruins of the mansion. Between Magneto's magnetism and Juggarnaut's strength they were able to clear a path to the late Professor Xavier's office.

"Take Xavier's computer, Juggarnaut and load it onto the Jet. Pyro, gather all his important documents. Do not leave any for the US government to get their hands on." Magneto ordered.

Magneto oversaw the effort. When they were finished they returned outside to meet the others who were prepared for lift off. The whole evacuation had taken less than 20 minutes and even that was cutting it close. Doubtless the army's radio silence had been noticed already.

The X-men, Brotherhood, and mutant children were spread out between the X-Jet and two confiscated helicopters. Charles's documents and Rogue were loaded onto the jet which would travel significantly faster than the copters.

When they were about to close the jet ramp and lift off, Storm stopped everyone.

"We can't leave Cerebro behind. It's still intact. Remember how the government used it two years ago." The memory of a kidnapped, drugged Charles Xavier mentally hunting down mutants and killing them telepathically was not easily forgotten.

"They would need a telepathic mutant. It is unlikely they have found another." Hank admonished.

"Still it is too high a risk to take." Magneto said.

"Should we destroy it?" Juggarnaut asked itching to do what he did best: serious property damage.

"We? There's no time." Magneto said. "I… on the other hand," and with that a malicious gleam appeared in his otherwise steel grey eyes. His lips pressed firmly together. His brow furrowed. Magneto extended his right hand manipulating the magnetism that was his domain.

His Marie was lying unconscious in the jet and there was nothing he could do for her. He was helpless to free her from the prison of her mind. Anger and frustration over his limitations gripped him until he was mad with ferocious rage. The more wrath that welled up inside him the more invincible he felt. His body hummed with energy and he was able to detect metal miles away as his powers spread insatiably. In that moment he was capable of anything.

The government had taken Rogue from him, but it would not get Cerebro. No, he would make sure of that.

As he extended his magnetic fields, Storm and Beast looked at Magneto questioningly. Was it right to destroy something the Professor had taken years to build?

The Earth began to tremble and shudder beneath them. To their left, the stone patio and surrounding garden shook, until it began to give way. Rapidly the patio concrete and stone burst apart. The garden shrubbery was torn asunder and thrust away as a steel sphere rose from the bowels of the underground.

Cerebro was a sphere-shaped structure about one story underground. Its diameter was twenty meters in length. It was made with over fourteen tons of steel, aluminum, and adamantium. Magneto knew all this. Yet the structure came at his beck and call with ease. It ripped apart the earth atop it and rose into the air as though it were light as a feather. Magneto's face did not even show strain.

"How do you intend to destroy it?" Dr. McCoy said. His voice unrestrained, betrayed how impressed he was by Magneto's mighty feat. Cerebro, floating in the air like a giant steel ball bearing, was ten times the size of a person and it cast an enormous shadow over the lawn.

"Watch."

Magneto weaved and created magnetic fields only he could feel. To all he appeared in a trance as the huge steel Cerebro heaved and whipped around as though it was caught in a hurricane. With a thunderous "rruwwpp" the metal panels, casing, and hydraulic system ripped apart, clattering on to the lawn. Piece after piece of metal was ripped from the structure until only a pile of twisted debris was left of the machine.

Magneto was unaffected by the difficulty of controlling such strong magnetic fields. His powers had returned fully from his unfortunate stint with the Cure and now he was his old self again: a force to be reckoned with.

Filled with awe at Magneto's raw display of power, the mutants entered their respective transports and lifted off to leave the vicinity of the mansion as quickly as possible. Although there was hesitance on the part of X-men to leave their home, they had all been taught to evacuate quickly and did so with little dramatics.

During the flight both Logan and Erik stayed close to Rogue's side. Begrudgingly Logan acknowledged that Magneto, as odd as it might seem, did love Marie. His half mad, desperate effort to save her had won him a few Brownie points in the Wolverine's eyes. Yet there was still inherent tension in having two men keep vigil over her comatose form.

The flight was a quiet one. Professor Kojak continued her work to try to save Rogue's mind. Sadly this time the quantity of information Rogue had absorbed was so vast, Jeri was scarcely able to chip away it. Besides, the tragic figure of Rogue, there was Storm who had been hit by the Cure. Throughout the flight, Hank stayed by her side.

The jet began to pull away from the helicopters, its superior speed evident.

"The choppers need to know where we are headed before we lose radio contact with them." Hank said from the co-pilots seat. He automatically turned to Magneto, their unofficial leader.

"Northeast." Magneto informed him.

"Okay, the choppers are falling back."

"No, it would be best if they stuck close. We're safer as a group." Magneto said.

"They can't keep up with our speed and the jet can't go that slow." Storm explained.

"I will handle it. Inform the choppers." And handle it Magneto did. Another magnetic wave pulled the choppers along with the speed of the jet. The mutants watched from the windows at the effortless way Magneto was able to levitate the accompanying choppers on the side of the jet.

"We have something approaching on our radar. It's going about Mach 2." Storm watched the bleep trail behind them on the small screen.

"What does it look like?" Logan asked.

"I'm not sure yet." Storm said. But before anyone could inquire further the single bleep became several. And one of them fired a warning missile across the X-Jet's nose.

"Unidentified air craft: This is the US Air Force. Descend to 15,000 feet and cut your speed to 300 mph," the PA system blared. The planes were old F-14 fighter jets sent after them. There were six of them.

"It would appear the government has yet to learn their lesson." Magneto said and moved for the first time from Rogue's bedside to the front of the cabin to view the monitor.

When the X-Men did not comply with the orders another missile was launched.

"We're in trouble, we don't have Jean Grey with us like last time and Storm is…" Bobby drifted off.

Erik's lips curled into his trademark smirk, and with grace and confidence he rest his hand on Bobby's shoulder.

"Relax, dear boy. I can take care of this." Magneto's magnetic forces repelled the missile with ease.

However more followed. The six F-14s were joined by four more of the same squadron and when repeated warnings went unheeded, rockets and missiles were launched at the helicopters and X-jet.

"_Homo sapiens_ never learn." Erik repelled each of the rockets with his magnetism. He used his power to turn the missiles back on their owners. Two of the F-14s blew up in an impressive fireball.

The squadron must have radioed for reinforcements because a few seconds after the loss of two of their number, another six appeared flying in formation. They now numbered 14 in all.

"This is getting to be tedious." Erik said as he deflected more shots against them. "I believe it is time I put an end to this." Magneto reached his hands out and he erected a magnetic barrier against the fighter jets so that as they chased after the jet they could not advance past it.

Two more of the F-14s hit the barrier going full speed and crumpled against it as though the planes were aluminum cans in Magneto's hand. The other F-14s did not give up. Their patented swept wing design allowing them to stop in midair and reverse their course around the barrier. They kept up the chase.

Magneto then turned his attention to crashing one plane into another using his powers. He was able to defeat four more this way.

The X-Men watched in wonder as Magneto batted the F-14s around like toys with ease.

Erik was not able to keep up with the remaining 8 planes, their rocket and missile firings, and continue to keep levitating the helicopters. His powers were overtaxed. He was getting nervous as to whether he could continue the effort when four old Russian MIG class jets arrived on the scene.

"I called in the boys Erik. Hope you don't mind." Mystique's voice came over the com. The Brotherhood had acquired the jets with the pilots for their robbery of the 747 in Albany.

Between Magneto and the MIGs, the F-14s were toast. Soon, the mutants' aircraft were flying free and clear. They had escaped the threat of capture. For now.

"So where are we headed?" Logan gruff voice had a sad edge to it.

"I believe, unfortunately, the only place I can guarantee the X-Men's safety is at the Brotherhood headquarters. I owe it to Charles' memory to offer you refuge until you can find more suitable accommodations." Erik answered.

"That's…" Storm paused. "Very nice of you." She didn't sound as though she meant it. After all Ororo was not one of Erik's biggest fans and she was loathe to imagine her young mutant wards being corrupted by the Brotherhoods violent policies.

"There's no way we are going to stay with them." Bobby was irate. "Storm, Dr. McCoy, there has to be somewhere else we could go."

"It's not like we can go to a hotel. We're wanted fugitives now." Logan said.

"Join the club." Pyro quipped, trying to sooth Bobby by gently rubbing his hand up and down the Iceman's back.

"Naah, Uhh." He dislodged Pyro's hand. "I'm not going to stand for this."

A strip of metal, sharp and jagged tore from the cabin of the plane and pressed itself against Bobby's throat.

"You'll do as I say, when I say, or you'll never make another ice cube. Do I make myself clear?" Magneto retorted. "I have had enough of your sniveling righteous indignation for one day. Unless you have made it your goal to be a carbon copy of the late Cyclops, I suggest you be grateful that I am offering the X-men shelter at all; considering it must have been one of their number who betrayed my presence to the government."

A hush fell over the cabin. It was obvious Magneto was not to be messed with today. Bobby seemed to be blissfully unaware of the danger he now stood in.

It was several minutes before anyone moved. Finally, Erik released the make-shift metal blade and it clattered to the deck. His anger dissolved as quickly as it had formed. He knew he was losing control over his emotions, but Erik was unable to stop the downward swirl. Somewhere in between death and life, Rogue floated in limbo. Without her Erik was not himself.

The flight to the island fortress was notably devoid of conversation after that incident. Tension hovered in the X-Jet from Magneto's accusation that the X-Men had ratted him out. Everyone was silent and subdued when they finally landed.

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Everyone:

Two weeks went by in which time passed indeterminately. No one measured the flow of days into one another, the ticking by of seconds, the loss of hours. Surreal and dreamlike our heroes and heroines drifted about the fortress in a fog of barren purposelessness.

Adrift on the winds of fate the X-Men had found taking refuge with their enemies, the Brotherhood, in lieu of capture and arrest by the US government, their former allies. Many were dissatisfied with this situation. Beyond just Storm, Bobby Drake, and others who hated the Brotherhood and what it stood for, there was also the children whose lives and education had been harshly disrupted. The X-Men were homeless. Their mansion destroyed. Their personal effects currently crime scene evidence from the battle.

It had taken a lot of time and effort to find room and supplies for the displaced X-Men, X-Women, and X-Children. This time and effort was not put forth by either leader, Storm or Magneto. Rather, Mystique, Catalyst, and Beast did most of this work. Storm was occupied making phone calls to see if there were other mutant sympathizers who would take them in. She had quite a number of contacts. But there was issues of the Mutant Human Civil War and the government's crack down on mutant movements. It was not safe for so large a group to travel. And there were few places that had the facilities to take them in, save of course the Brotherhood, whose numbers now ranged in the 10,000s and who had 79 branches nationwide.

Well, Storm was busy trying to lead the X-Men away from the Brotherhood; Magneto was busy _not _leading the Brotherhood. Hopeless and depressed Erik saw no one and accomplished little. He had taken the loss of Rogue badly. When Multiple Man came to him with important issues about the running of the Brotherhood, Magneto turned him away. Mystique had to take up in mantle in the dark days that followed their return to the island.

Erik did not…no, could not think about his work. He could only think of Marie. And when his thoughts and fears drove him close to insanity, he pulled back from the edge by focusing on his anger over the Government's attack on the mansion. He knew he had to pay them back for what they had stolen from him. From what they had stolen from Charles' legacy. Magneto knew no forgiveness. And he certainly did not intend to offer them any.

But Magneto's thoughts of revenge never came to fruition. Instead there was only waiting. The awful, awful waiting. Waiting for Rogue to awaken from her coma; waiting for Professor Kojak to make progress in rescuing her consciousness. Waiting by her bedside.

Rogue was never left alone in the Brotherhood's sick bay, not even for a moment. She lay peacefully entombed among the wires and IVs and medical equipment beeping in quiet rhythm. Her blanket covered state, not unlike an open casket, enshrouded her. Lying in state, Rogue was dutifully attended by Professor Kojak, who labored over the gestalt of her mind. Logan and Erik, like mourners waked her, visiting in shifts. When one left the other took his place.

. In such a way, Erik waited impatiently for Rogue's return to life. But everyday she remained in a dreamless sleep, he became a little more depressed, a little darker, a little more despondent. Marie had been the last loss in a series for Erik. There had been Charles' death and Mystique's falling out. Erik felt alone and isolated. He began to feel his age again. He contemplated that great empty void of death that yawned before him. Stretching its cavernous mouth outward through age and war.

Erik did not know what to do with out Rogue. He still had his cause, and it meant more to him than ever. But he had nothing for the moments in between fighting. He had nothing to look forward to, and nothing to fight for. The wind had been ripped from his sails and he sat immobile like his island base.

Despair in his head and agony in his heart, Erik had stood watching the turbulent waves of the Atlantic when Pyro had knocked on the door of his study. He waved the door open and Pyro entered.

"You're never going to believe who's here." Pyro said and then stepped back to reveal the visitor.

"Hello Erik."

"Charles?"

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**Notes: **The opening scene where Erik screams over the fallen Rogue is adapted from the Godfather part 3 where Al Pacino's character screams over his dead daughter's body. Watch it, you'll recognize the similarity.

There are F-14s in this chapter, despite the fact that very few are still flying today, rather than the newer F-18. Why? My dad helped design the navigation system on F-14's (seriously) and I think they rock. So well, no F-18's.

**Preview: **Professor Xavier is back! So what has he been up to? Why'd it take him so long to show up in this story? Could he possibly help Rogue with his superior knowledge of the mind?


	33. Chapter 33: Trust Uncertainty

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M – everything, the works, the whole shebang, this is the finale!  
Disclaimer: At this point, I don't think I need to disclaim anything. I own all of it. Every last drop. I'm accepting payment right now for writing this. Yay, money!  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Precious" by Depeche Mode. Rogue has been through a lot in this story. She's come a long way.

**Dedication:** To everyone whose read this story. Thank you.

**Notes: **Sorry this took so long to complete. (Thank you for calling me on it **Rebecca**.)I admit I didn't really want writing this story to end. Endings are always sad, and I put off writing this last chapter to keep the magic alive.

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Trust Uncertainty**

Charles:

Perhaps he had not been thinking clearly. It hadn't been easy to. The Phoenix… no, he refused to call her that, Jean had levitated him out of his wheelchair. She had blocked all his attempts to get through to her and he began to wonder if he could. When Jean's formidable power tore at his very skin, ripping it away particle by particle, he had remembered something he had only believed possible in theory: transference of one's conscious into another. That is how he came to pull his own consciousness separate from his body, as Jean destroyed the crippled vessel that had been its home for nearly 68 years.

No longer confined to the physical world, he had watched helplessly as the Phoenix's powers made short work of him. Erik had seen fit to try to use Jean for his own ends. Charles knew beyond a doubt that the venture would not end well for his ex-lover. Bereft and unanchored, his spirit and thoughts had existed in a form more commonly known as a ghost for some time as he watched the X-Men retrieve his wheel chair and begin to mourn his departure. Only when he followed them and had seen the school that had been his life's work did he remember the ideal home for his soul.

Richard Troughdon had been 36 years old and had never spoken a word in his life, nor taken a single step. He had been born with no higher brain functions, no consciousness. His body was an empty shell. As far as scientists could tell he had never had a thought or even opened his eyes on his own. Troughdon's family was well-off and they did all they could for the boy, unable to accept that their son was born brain dead. They kept him alive in a series of hospitals while they tried every possible treatment therapy including stem-cell research and gene therapy. Doctors urged the Troughdon's to let their son be an organ donor, but the Troughdon's refused to give up hope. Eventually they got their son into a state-of-the-art genetic research facility on Muir Island run by leading genetics researcher Moira MacTaggert.

MacTaggert was checking on her patient some three months after her friend Charles Xavier's 'death' when her patient opened his eyes, turned to her and said "Hello Moira." She was so startled she dropped her clip board and backed into the heart rate monitor machine. She knew something extraordinary had happened. Even if her patient had been able to grow the synapses needed to have consciousness, the patient would not have known her name or known how to speak English anymore than a newborn baby would have.

When her patient, Troughdon, or whoever it was introduced himself as Charles Xavier she had been hesitant to accept it even knowing her friend's incredible mental abilities. But slowly as Charles gained more and more muscle control everyday and acted more like himself, she had no choice but to accept the unbelievable truth.

Charles was very angry with himself. When he had died and taken possession of Richard Troughdon's body, he had done it with the hope to continue being of help to his X-men and to have another chance to save Jean from the Phoenix. He had not been thinking clearly because once his consciousness situated itself in the brain of the late Troughdon it had taken him a month to build the synapses needed to think and run motor skills. A bedridden man, like Troughdon, had muscular atrophy, which meant his muscles had degenerated and could not move without extensive therapy. Two more months went by before Charles could move his jaw and tongue to speak the words "Hello Moira."

Once he had spoken to Moira, she had told him about the events in America: the battle fought at the Alcatraz lab, the defeat of Phoenix, and the Brotherhood's dissolution. He learned a few weeks later that Erik had been de-powered. It was a dark time for Charles. He regretted his foolhardy decision to take the body of Richard Troughdon. His action had done nothing to prevent Jean's death or to bring about a peaceful end to the conflict. Instead, he lay alive in a hospital bed, in a stolen body, months away from being able to sit-up or walk.

Charles, however, chose to make the best of the situation and went about his physical therapy with the same indomitable optimism he had always applied to the mutant-human conflict. The force of his willpower drove him through physical therapy at break neck speed and by eight months he was walking, a feat he hadn't done for over sixteen years. He was eager to rejoin his X-Men, especially when news came in about the delicate situation brewing between mutants and humans in America.

But one more major obstacle stood in the way of Xavier: Richard Troughdon's family was not ready to give him up, especially to a telepath who had taken control of his body. Motions were filed and a civil lawsuit was brought under very flimsy circumstances considering there was no legal precedent for the case. Muir Island, located off the coast of Scotland, became home to one of the strangest cases in British legal history. Troughdon vs. Xavier lingered for five months in the courts, as new evidence and dubitable 'experts' were brought in to testify. To add insult to injury anti-mutant sentiment swayed the case against Xavier from the beginning. It was doubtful Charles could win the case, and he feared the punishment the court would merit out would further delay his return to America to deal with the growing situation there.

So like the proverbial liar who is forced to lie again, Charles was forced to again use his powers in ways he disapproved of and downright abhorred. He swung the judge's finding in his favor and got off not-guilty. The verdict shocked the tiny island that had followed his case with baited breath. Recovered and free to leave, Charles bid goodbye to Moira and embarked on his journey back to the states.

When Charles returned to 1407 Graymalkin Lane there was already nothing to return to. The Charles Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters had been reduced to rubble only two weeks before in the tragic battle that had left Rogue in a coma. With subtle mind probes and a bit of sleuthing he learned that the X-Men had escaped with the Brotherhood of all people. The news shocked Charles, but it also gave him hope. His students were alive and with someone he occasionally trusted. Better yet, Charles knew where they were. He had read Erik's mind often enough to know the little island off the coast of Bar Harbor, Maine was the Brotherhood's headquarters.

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Charles and Erik:

This is how Charles Xavier came to stand before Magneto in the body of the late Richard Troughdon.

"Hello Erik." Charles had said. Although he was much younger, and now had brown hair, a beard, and could walk; his voice and accent were nearly identical to before. He also still dressed in the same expensive, high quality, custom-made suits as before. Erik had recognized his old friend's voice with ease and great incredulity.

"Charles?" He asked, half wondering if he was losing his mind and a ghost of his old friend was speaking to him. He held a cup of Earl Grey Tea shakily in his hand. The bearded Xavier answered him.

"Yes, it's me."

"How? How is it possible? I saw you…"

"Yes, Jean-" he corrected himself, "The Phoenix killed me. But I transferred my consciousness into the body of a brain dead man."

_Charles was alive! _ It was difficult for Magneto to believe, but he wanted it to be true. _Somehow Charles had come back from the dead. He had claimed the body of a brain dead man. Brain dead. Rogue! _The tea cup fell from his hand, splashing his desk in Earl Grey.

"Come with me. Hurry!"

Erik hastily strode out the door. Charles, without a clue as to what was going on, stood rooted in place. When he did not follow Erik, a magnetic field pulled him along by his wristwatch.

"What is this about Erik?" Charles preferred not to read his friend's mind unless he had to.

"Please, old friend. We haven't much time." Erik said, continuing to lead Charles to the medical lab.

"Tell me what is going on Erik or I'll have no choice but to read your mind." Charles said, but as soon as the words left his mouth they stepped into the medical lab where Rogue lay hooked up to several machines. Professor Jeri Kojak was at her side, laboring to clear her mind. Logan sat faithfully keeping guard over her comatose form.

"Who's this?" Logan stood up, protectively moving in front of Rogue. He sniffed the air to smell the unfamiliar stranger. The new Charles smelled nothing like the old Charles. Logan was wary of a stranger being around Marie while she was in such a vulnerable state.

_It's me, Logan. Professor Xavier._ Charles projected into the Wolverine's mind.

"Chuck?" Logan didn't know whether to believe it or not.

_I'll explain later._ Xavier assured him. "Hello, Professor Kojak."

"Good to see you are well, Xavier. I have missed you." Jeri and Charles were both telepaths and were familiar with each other from the annual Society of Telepathy conferences.

"What happened to her?" Charles managed to keep only a hint of anger from slipping into his voice. He was anything but happy to see one of his students injured. He wondered if she took part in the battle at the mansion or if Erik had been up to no good while he was out of commission. He hated to admit it, but he wouldn't put it past Erik to use his absence as an advantage. He had certainly done so in the past.

Jeri Kojak answered him. "She used her powers to save everyone by draining all the soldiers that attacked the school. But now her brain is overloaded with memories. I haven't been able to make much progress to clear them. She's been in a coma now for two weeks."

"Can you help her Chuck?" Logan asked warily. He trusted the Professor, if this was the Professor, to know how to save Marie.

Charles held off answering Logan. He probed the girl's mind shallowly and was hit by a barrage of personalities and memories jumbled together in a vortex. Rogue's memories, thoughts, and consciousness were no where to be found.

"There are hundreds of personalities in her mind. How was she able to drain this many soldiers?" Charles asked. But even as he asked the question he knew the answer.

"You removed the mental block and trained her to use the full existent of her mutation." Charles said. Erik recognized the anger in Charles' words.

"She came to me when the Cure failed her. I guided her, but the rest she learned on her own."

"I put that block in for a reason. You knew how dangerous her powers are; how destructive they can be."

"It was her decision to sacrifice herself. She did it to save us when my powers were thwarted by _plastic_." Erik spit the word out.

If Charles was curious what Erik had been doing at the mansion when it was attacked he did not ask. Charles remained gruffly disappointed but turned his attention back to his patient and put his hands near Rogue's temples, careful not to touch her skin.

"Can you save her?" It was Erik's turn to ask the question to which they all wanted to know the answer.

Charles was surprised by the way Erik's voice cranked with emotion. Hadn't Erik nearly killed this same girl five years ago for the cause of mutant liberation?

"Erik, Rogue's condition is very serious. I may not be able to help her."

Erik bowed his head, his fists balling at his sides in frustration. He had believed that Charles' return would be the key to Rogue's salvation. He tried not to lose hope, but it was difficult. The metal throughout the lab trembled: Rogue's bed frame, the machines monitoring her condition, and Catalyst's equipment. Again Charles was puzzled by Erik's reaction.

"It isn't like you to be this concerned over a mutant who has made a _necessary_ sacrifice." Charles tested Erik by reminding him how had once viewed Rogue when he had used her to power his machine.

"I feel responsible for her condition. I should have been able to prevent it." Erik answered. Charles knew that Erik particularly loathed when his enemies took precautions against his powers. Erik had always believed he ought to be near unstoppable. Charles wondered what the Cure must have done to him.

"It's more than that."

Erik's eyes locked with Charles and he barely hesitated before answering.

"Yes it is."

"What is between you and young Rogue?"

"It is none of your concern Charles."

"She is one my students."

When Erik made no move to answer Charles and his mental shields remained in place, Charles turned towards Logan who was watching the exchange. Logan hesitated, still undecided if he could trust the bearded and able-to-walk Xavier as the genuine article.

"They've got some kind of a twisted thing going. Marie says she loves him and he says he loves her, but…" To Logan no matter how untwisted two people both loving each other and returning that love should be, he could not help but view the relationship between Rogue and Magneto as anything but normal. The very idea of them together was demented in his view. Logan also wasn't entirely sure how much he believed their sentiments. Yet, he was impressed by how often Magneto came to sit at the girl's bedside.

_Is this true Erik?_ Charles projected the question into his friend's mind.

"It is a relationship of mutual admiration."

"You can understand how I might find this hard to believe." Erik looked away from Charles' gaze. He did not need to be a telepath to know Charles would be hurt he was again allowing someone other than him to fill his bed.

"Please. Do what you can to save her."

Erik knew Charles would not let the issue drop so easily. But for now, Rogue's ill health was a bigger concern. Erik watched as Charles sat down by Rogue's head, his movements still jerky and somewhat awkward from muscles that had only recently begun to comply with his wishes. Although it was jarring to picture the youthful, brown-haired and bearded man as his dear old friend it gave Erik hope. If Charles could return from the dead then so too could Marie.

Charles began his work by again placing his hands near Rogue's temples. He described his efforts out loud to satisfy Erik and Logan's tension, which to a telepath felt like a leaden blanket hanging over the room.

"I'm unable to locate her. But I'll clear some of the stronger presences first." Several minutes passed as Charles worked to zap foreign memories and quiet discordant voices begging for attention in Rogue's mind.

"Still nothing. There's so much here." Charles was a much stronger telepath than Kojak. Some even say Xavier is the strongest in the world. What would have taken Professor Kojak months to accomplish, Charles could do in mere minutes. He continued to cleanse Rogue's mind and recycle the memories lodged in portions of the brain that were usually dormant. Many of personalities and consciousnesses of her victims could be found in the cerebral cortex and it took Xavier twenty more minutes to remove them. He noticed her brain shifted as the strain on it eased and her mind relaxed slightly.

"There's been minor brain swelling." Charles pronounced, opening his eyes and taking a short break from his work. Erik knew enough about medicine to know that was a bad sign. "Professor Kojak, what have you done to relieve the swelling of her brain?"

"I've administered the drug manitol at 12 CC's an hour."

"Good." Charles nodded his head and went back to work. He could hear Logan and Erik's desperate desires and thoughts that he save Rogue. He even heard Erik praying in Hebrew, something Charles could only remember hearing once before, when he himself had been the patient.

Rogue's mind was now partially clear of the soldiers' memories but there were still several other sections of her mind engulfed by the foreign thoughts. The left hemisphere, a vast section of the brain, was filled with only the memories and personalities of a few men. Without a doubt, Charles knew Rogue must have killed them. She had their entire memories and personalities in graphic detail. When Charles tried to remove them, erasing the memories, the men fought back. They were dead in life, but had lived on for several weeks in Rogue's mind. Charles did not relish dislodging them and vanquishing their life force entirely, but he was forced to for Rogue's sake. When he finished he checked again to feel Rogue's familiar consciousness but she was still missing.

"I still can't find her."

"Dammit Charles! She can't be gone! She can't be." Erik slammed his fist down into his open palm and the metal walls of the room quaked. Logan who was no less upset stood by Magneto and recognized his own feelings in the man's outburst. Their eyes met and for a second a brief recognition of their mutual connection glimmered across their faces, then the two looked away embarrassed at the moment of understanding. Charles would have laughed if the cause wasn't so tragic.

He explored the right hemisphere of Rogue's brain erasing the personalities as he went, careful not to disturb the girl's own memories of sensory data. With the removal of foreign memories from her frontal lobe he had completed the task of restoring Rogue's mind to her own control and erasing all the soldier's memories. However, he was unable to feel Rogue's own consciousness, which he should be able to communicate with and see on the astral plane. He was puzzled by this and concerned Rogue's own personality might have been destroyed permanently. So he delved deeper, projecting his voice into her mind calling for her and hoping to draw her out.

Charles checked the other recesses of her mind plying through her parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and limbic system but still there was no trace of her. Some of Rogue's own memories surfaced, but her consciousness, her soul was not anywhere. He explored more regions of her brain which displayed themselves as long grey corridors to his mind. Images and memories would flint in front him as he traveled down impossibly long corridors at superhuman speeds searching for Rogue.

Finally he reached an area known as the pons. Only then did he see the first glimmer of hope. It was in the shape of Magneto's transparent plastic prison. The prison, an image in Rogue's mind, was reproduced perfectly. It's occurrence an influence of his memories no doubt. Except this time Magneto was not the prisoner inside the prison: it was Rogue herself. The prison represented the small organ the pons which when injured, often produces a "locked –in" effect on the patient, who despite being conscious cannot speak, move, or demonstrate that they understand. They are essentially 'locked-in' their mind. This was what had happened to Rogue.

Charles studied the damage to the synapses around the pons organ. He saw the incredible amount of raw strength Rogue must have had to use her power in such a way. He knew the engulfing flood of memories had fried areas of her brain and swallowed her own consciousness, sequestering it away beneath the recently acquired soldiers' memories.

Charles knew how to regrow damaged synapses from his own experience in Richard Troughdon's body. As he repaired the synapses in the physical world, Rogue's astral cage grew weaker and weaker, the plastic walls dissolving around her. Finally he was able to enter her cage where she lay on the cot, curled in a fetal position, her hands over her ears. In this mentally created world, Charles appeared as his older, familiar self.

_It's alright Rogue. You can come out._ The girl removed her hands from her ears.

_The voices…they're gone._ Throughout her coma Rogue had heard ceaselessly the soldiers' pleas and their memories, day and night.

_Yes, I cleared your mind and repaired the damage. _

_Thank you Professor. But I thought you were dead._

_I'll explain everything when you wake up._

_How long have I been out? Was it all a dream? Did you die? Was there a Cure? _

_Rogue._ He reprimanded her for letting her imagination run wild. _Concentrate on healing your mind and locating your own scattered memories. When you feel ready try to regain control of your body and wake up._

Slowly, Charles unfurled his mind from Rogue's and came out of the telepathic trance. Erik was quick to question him.

"Did you find her?"

"She should be alright in a few moments. There's no way to tell if some of her own memories have been destroyed, but I believe she should be able to regain control of her mind." Charles turned to specifically address Erik, as though he was responsible for her. "Her tremendous use of her mutation caused violent injury to her brain. She should be dead." He turned to Logan. "I imagine you had something to do with her recovery."

"I couldn't let anything happen to the kid. You know that."

"Yes. However, I am disappointed to learn how many inappropriate events occurred in my absence." Now Charles' gaze met Erik's. Erik did not back down; he had grown used to his friend's disapproval.

"Uhh…" a small moan came from Rogue's bed. Erik raced around Charles to be at her side. Rogue's head turned and she moaned again. Her eyelids fluttered.

When Rogue awoke the first thing she saw was Erik, who smiled down at her tenderly. His hand brushed the white streak of her hair pushing it behind her ear. Logan stood at the other side of the bed. He squeezed her hand through the bed sheet.

"Am I really awake? Is it really you, Erik?"

"Yes, my dear it's me." Erik kissed her forehead lightly and whispered to her. "Ich liebe dich."

"I should tell the others Rogue's woken up." Logan felt a little uncomfortable watching Magneto and Marie together. A part of him was also understandably jealous that she turned to him first when she woke up.

Charles gave Erik and Rogue a few moments together, before gently tapping his old friend on the shoulder.

"You should let her rest. She's had quite the ordeal."

0000000000

Everyone:

Erik and Charles left the medical lab where Jeri Kojak saw to Rogue's care and made sure she continued to rest. Outside, members of the Brotherhood and X-Men had gathered after hearing that not only was Rogue well, but Professor Xavier was alive.

"Is it true? Rogue's woken up?" Bobby asked. Pyro stood next to him. It was good to see the friends united again. One could tell from the change in Bobby's demeanor and posture how relieving it was for him to get his sexual feelings out in the open.

"Is she feeling better? I was worried about her." Kitty asked.

"Rogue should be fine. She just needs a few more days rest. She has woken up, but please keep visits short while she recovers." Charles answered. The group stared back at him, unsure who the bearded man was.

"I'm sorry. We haven't met. I'm Storm." She extended her hand politely as if to shake Charles' hand, unaware who he was.

_It's me Ororo. _

"Professor?" Storm's disbelief was shared by everyone else in the room who studied the thirty-something man in front of them. It was hard to reckon a walking, young man with a beard and a full head of hair with their crippled bald Professor of old. The fact that he dressed and sounded the same didn't help much. There was an audible gasp that found its way through the group.

"When the Phoenix killed me," Charles couldn't say Jean had killed him, he just couldn't. "I transferred my consciousness into the body of the brain dead man I had been telling you about as a case study in my ethics class. I had hoped I would be able to return and help Jean to control her powers."

"You heard about what happened to her?" Logan said, his arms folded across his chest as he leaned back against one of the walls. His head was bowed and he was looking at the ground. Everyone felt for Logan. They knew how much it had hurt him to do what he did.

"Yes, Logan. You did the right thing." It helped Logan to hear Chuck say it. "However, we have other problems now. I've seen what's left of the school."

The group's good morale from discovering their beloved Professor Xavier was still alive dropped when he mentioned their former home. The mansion was destroyed and not much was left of it. Worse, the government still had the estate cordoned off as a crime scene and was likely to keep control of the land for the duration of Mutant Human Civil War.

"We will rebuild." Xavier said. "We cannot let this destroy the X-Men and what we stand for. Relations between humans and mutants have dissolved greatly. I fear the current war will not end well for either side. It is our prerogative and the mission of the X-Men to do what we can to bring this war to a peaceful conclusion."

The X-Men took his words to heart. It felt good to have their leader back. With their school gone, Storm's powers "cured", and the current war even the most diehard of idealists, Bobby Drake, had begun to doubt the X-Men's future. For how long the X-Men would stay at the Brotherhood's island fortress and where they would go when they left were unknown. Whether they could reason with the U.S. government was not certain. If they would soon face their current hosts, the Brotherhood, in battle was for the future to decide. For now it was enough that the Professor was back, Rogue was healed, and they were together and safe.

00000000000

Magneto and Rogue:

A few days later found Rogue up and around feeling remarkably like her old self. She was in bed with Erik and they were about to go to sleep when she noticed his pensive look. He had been moody of late. Alternately blissful to have Rogue returned to health and then at times dark and morose.

"Erik, is something bothering you?"

He folded his hands in front of his lap and a minute passed before he answered.

"Do you trust me Marie?"

She did not hesitate. "Yes."

He nodded his head and a second later got up from the bed as if he had wordlessly decided something in his mind. Rogue watched him walk out the door of their bedroom. He returned a few minutes later holding a small stainless steel tumbler. He brought it over to her. Rogue looked down at the dark red liquid in the cup. It looked like red wine.

"Do you trust me Rogue?" Erik's tone was steadfast, but his blue eyes seemed immeasurably sad, almost conflicted.

He was asking her to drink the liquid in the cup. Her mind raced. Was it poison? Or just some wine? Was it a sedative or a drug? She couldn't imagine Erik poisoning her. But could it be the Cure or the vaccine for it?

"Yes, of course Erik." Rogue said and she moved to take the cup from his hand. He pulled his hand back at the last moment, causing some of the liquid to spill over the lip of the cup.

"No- No. I…" Erik muttered. Rogue was shocked by his indecisiveness. It wasn't like him. "It should be your decision."

"What should be?"

Erik turned and put the cup down on the metal nightstand. He took a seat next to Rogue on the bed.

"My dear, I have been considering your situation ever since your recovery. Even with your new found control of your mutation, its powers hurt you as much as your intended target. It was arrogant of me to promise you control and untold power. Perhaps it is for the best if you use the Cure to manage your skin."

Rogue was shocked. How could Magneto, a man violently opposed to mutant oppression, suggest she take the Cure to be rid of her mutation? Didn't he hate the Cure? Hadn't he fought a war to destroy it? Suffered under its effects? Labored to create a vaccine against it? And chastised her for wanting more of it at Alcatraz?

"Ah don't want to take the Cure again. How could you even suggest it? Ah've come so far! Ah don't have to wear gloves anymore or worry about hurting anyone. Ah'm not a liability anymore in a fight. Ah can actually contribute. Ah don't want to give up now."

"I cannot bear to see you hurt again Marie. Without a way to stop the absorption of memories into your mind, your mutation is equally as dangerous for you to use as it is for your target. I cannot let you use it again. I won't see your fragile mind ruined forever. You were so close to death, Marie…" Erik's face turned away from her, shadows playing across it from the dim lighting in the room. For the first time, Rogue realized that she had to think of two people from now on when she considered the consequences of her actions: both Erik and herself. They were a couple.

"Ah understand why you feel this way Erik, but Ah can't go back to that. Ah don't want to hide behind the Cure. Ah don't care how long it takes, Ah'm gonna control my mutation and make use of it. You taught me to respect myself for who Ah am. Ah am a mutant and it would be wrong for me to pretend to be somethin' else."

Erik seemed to ponder this for a moment as though he'd expected her to resist and react in just this way. His large wrinkled hands found her small, soft skinned ones. He smiled at her. Although he worried about her, he respected her decision. It would have been the one he would have made himself.

"Ah don't want to take the Cure Erik. Ah wanna take the vaccine for it."

"You understand once you take that, the Cure will never be able to help you again?"

"Ah know."

"Okay then. You shall have the inoculation tomorrow."

"Ah wanna take it right now. Please." _Before I lose my resolve._ She silently added in her mind.

"If that is what you want…" Erik obliged her wishes.

"It is."

They rose from the bed and Rogue was quick and nimble to grab the stainless steel cup holding the Cure drink. Before Erik had a chance to protest, she took it to the bathroom and poured it down the sink.

"That was the last dose available outside of government control." Erik informed her.

"Good riddance. That stuff is poison."

Erik let out a jubilant chuckle. How far young Rogue had come from when this had all began. He remembered vividly the frightened girl in the debris on Alcatraz desperate for even a drop of that poison. Never in a million years would he have predicted to find her a year later in his bedroom destroying it in an act of defiance.

Fate had a sense of humor.

00000000000

**Notes:** I blame Marvel and Fox for the complete biological implausibility of the above reappearance of Charles Xavier. Although I love Charles and am very happy to see him return and to make use of him in my story…come on! One, there's no way he could transfer his consciousness like that and two, no human can be born without higher brain functions and survive as a vegetable for that long. Seriously, bedridden people usually get a lot of diseases and don't last that long. The muscular atrophy alone would make the continued existence of the vegetable person doubtful. Not that I am doctor, or that I have taken a biology class since 9th grade, but my personal belief is no one would last that long.

I made up Richard Troughdon. If you happen to know the true name of this character, feel free to tell me. And yes in the comics Moira MacTaggert is Charles' ex-fiancé. But not here in my Healing Universe. Here Charles only true love is Erik and I refuse to change that. So too bad implausible, unbelievable comic book storylines, you have no power here.

I also managed to again butcher all known knowledge of neuroscience to suit my story's purposes. Oh well. Ignore anything read here. It's based on real neuroscience and then I just twisted it however I needed to.

**Preview:** The End Notes are coming! The End Notes are coming! Will there be a sequel?


	34. End Notes

**Healing**

Title: Healing  
Verse: X-Men movieverse  
Timeline: post X-Men: The Last Stand  
Author: AngelofSnow  
Pairing: Rogue/Magneto  
Rating: M  
Disclaimer: These are my own thoughts, so I kind of own them.  
Summary: The Cure is only temporary. While healing Rogue and Magneto find each other and realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

**Soundtrack:** I recommend the song "Drawing Board" by Mest because it's all about spending time trying to be creative.

**Dedication:** To **KumaDaPuma** for so many, many reasons.

**End Notes:**

Okay, so I figured you read 133,000 other words I wrote… you might enjoy reading about how it all got there.

It's no secret this is my first published fan fiction story. I've written fan fiction previously, but never posted and usually in different fandoms. I was inspired by the beautiful Magneto/Rogue fan fiction that **Sionnain** and **Willowaus** write to try writing some of my own.

At first I just intended to write a short story where Magneto and Rogue get together after X3, just to prove to myself I could finish something I started. Then out of nowhere my story took off with a life of its own and demanded a rich tapestry and deep character development. The plot expanded further and further past my original intention running away quickly to become a full fledged novel.

I'm extremely proud of this story. It's easily the longest thing I've ever written and probably the best, considering the time and effort I put into it. It is, however, by no means perfect. I have some major plot holes in it. I rushed the sexual tension to get to writing the smut. I hope to develop the Magneto/Rogue relationship and how exactly they got to where they were by chapter 18 through a few one shots.

I also did some pretty experimental stuff in this story. A lot of you were confused about Chapter 27, when "Rogue" sleeps with Logan. That was by design. It was meant to be the ultimate plot twist to scare the readers and keep them on the edge of their seats. I'm not sure it came out as well as I intended. But I hope you understand the reasoning behind it. Without the threat of Logan, Magneto never would have admitted his true feelings for Rogue.

This story was beta-ed by my best online friend **KumaDaPuma**. Her input, support, inspiration, and pep talks were invaluable to my writing this story. So much so the character of Jeri Kojak was named after her old screen name.

The best part about writing this story was all the wonderful friends I made. One can never have enough friends. I can't possibly describe how much these people mean to me. **KumaDaPuma**, **XChocolateChipX**, **GenkaiShihan**, **Niliathiel**, **evilerk**, **Agent Silver**, **Chica Fayme**, PyroMac, **PetiteDiable**, Christina, **roguepixie04**, Rebecca, Erin, et. all (If you're not on the list… I totally didn't mean to leave you off. I tried to get anyone who reviewed all the way through. Your name is bolded if it's your FFN screen name.)

I want to thank you all so much for reading my novel. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Look for the sequel to start around November, I think. If you want I can send you a private message to tell you about it. Or add me to your author alert list if you want to know whenever I post something new.

If you want to leave me any notes, find out what else I'm writing, etc check out my homepage in my penname bio. It's my Livejournal. Also if you like the Magneto/Mystique pairing **KumaDaPuma** and I have started a LJ community called **CruellyHandsome** where you can also post fanfic or find more to read. We would love to have you join us. If you love reading X-Men movieverse Magneto stories **KumaDaPuma** and I also started a C2 community known as **Magnetophile**. You can get to it through my penname.

Again thank you so much for reading my story and I want to thank you for all the support you've given me through your reviews.

**The End**


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