AN: And here's a shameless plug for JayCee's Red Gold's X-Men the (Fan Fic) Series. If you guys haven't started reading this yet, I do recommend jumping on board. It's set up like a TV show and I've been helping JayCee with it just as she's been helping me with this story. Gambit's not in it yet (he will be later, promise), but Rogue is badass from scene one. Really, she's in scene one, and she's badass :D How can you possibly say no to that? ;)
JayCee's also updating weekly - FFnet updates are on Sundays, but you can read the episodes earlier and get extra stuff on her blog. Also, I'm working on a blooper reel for the series, bwahahaha.
Years since Rogue's powers returned: 1-2
Chapter 3: The Pawn Becomes a Queen
There was no real resolution to the invasion of Rogue's privacy. S.H.I.E.L.D. made no further attempts to reinstate their watch and no one brought it up again. Emma gave Rogue the go-head to start taking college classes again, and she enrolled in an online course for aerospace engineering, with the intention of getting her master's degree. She contemplated doing environmental as well, but decided she could always go back and do that one later; the course was an accelerated one so she saw no need to do more than one at a time and bite off more than she could chew in the process. Having something substantial to occupy and challenge her mind made Rogue's days a lot happier.
About a month after Rogue's return to college, she was surprised by Logan and Kitty both showing up at once. The pair were her most frequent visitors, and Kitty was the one person most likely to put on a hazmat suit and touch her. On the very rare occasions when Logan put on a hazmat suit, he always made a point of giving her a hug; in fact that was usually his whole reason for putting one on. Rogue suspected that Logan hated using the shared suits on account of the smell of the number of people sweating in them.
"So Rogue," said Logan as Kitty phased into the storeroom, "how'd you like to be a fully-fledged member of the X-Men again?"
Rogue stared at him in surprise. "Me? You want me to start training in the Danger Room and going on really short missions?"
"No reason why you can't train in the Danger Room," Logan said seriously. "It's airtight. You can get there in your hazmat suit, do a solo session without it, and come back the way you came."
"Oh, well, I guess that's true," Rogue said thoughtfully.
"No problem locking the door either," Logan went on. "No plans for missions for you at the moment, but I do have an important new responsibility for you."
"I'm listening," Rogue replied, feeling very excited about the idea of being useful again.
"Security," Logan said smugly. "Thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D., your little fort here is almost as impenetrable as the subbasement."
"That got broken into a few years back," Rogue pointed out with a slight smile, remembering Stryker's attack.
"That was before we increased security," Logan said. "Look, darlin', the point is you're in a perfect position to take care of security. You're always here—except for those Danger Room sessions—which mean you're always going to hear the alarm, and you'll be able to monitor the situation should something happen. If the team's away, you'll be able to contact us. If something goes wrong with a mission, you'll know straight away, because we'll be keeping you advised one way or another as it goes. You'll have the ability to manually turn on and off the automatic defences, and change which security alert we might be on. No one's breaking into this fort of yours short of a high yield bomb, and should one of them walk through the front door—"
"I don't even need to touch them to knock them out," Rogue finished quietly as Kitty emerged from the storeroom wearing a hazmat suit. "What about sabotaging the air and water systems? They're accessible from the outside."
"They are, and we'll be upgrading the security around them," Logan said with a nod while Kitty phased through the wall and entered Rogue's living room.
"Come to upgrade your system," Kitty said brightly to Rogue. "I could have done it remotely, except Remy was kind enough to stop people from being able to make changes to your computer like that. I still haven't figured out how he did that."
Rogue chuckled. "And you're studying what at college?"
"Shush you," Kitty said, batting at her, and then bounded over to the computer to start her work.
Logan grunted. "Security is Gumbo's speciality."
"Security?" Rogue asked. "He told me he was a courier?"
"Is that what he told you?" Logan asked with a snort.
"Well, he said he did lots of things, but mostly he delivered stuff to rich clients," Rogue said, eyeing Logan curiously. "You're saying he doesn't?"
"He delivers... Sure that's one way to put it," Logan said. He shook his head and went on before Rogue could query him further. "Alright, I'm going to organise you some regular DR sessions. Kitty'll refresh you on how to operate the system when she's done. Also, once you've familiarised yourself with the system, you and me will be designing some emergency drills. Welcome back to the X-Men."
As Logan intended, Rogue started being included in X-Men missions, if only as a contact at base. Most of the time Rogue just listened, but even if she didn't do much she was happy to feel like she was part of the team again.
Rogue started having four Danger Room sessions a week. One was defensive, and usually focused on hypothetical scenarios where her home was invaded. The second session was offensive. The third session was also offensive, only she trained in the hazmat suit. These sessions were the shortest, primarily because Rogue used up the air supply much faster under exertion. Nevertheless, she and Logan both agreed that she should know how to fight in the hazmat suit in case of emergency. Her fourth session was her choice.
"Computer: End program," Rogue said, stretching her arms above her head after finished one such session.
The holograms vanished around her and she ambled over to the side where she left her hazmat suit. Rogue reluctantly started putting it back on with the ease of someone who has done it a lot. Once secure, she unlocked the Danger Room door and stepped out.
As she made her way back home, she ignored the number of students who went out of their way to avoid coming near her. It stung a little, but she didn't know them, and they didn't know her, so she tried not to let it get to her. Her friends didn't give her a wide berth at all, and they were the ones that mattered. Nevertheless, she was relieved when she finally exited the mansion. After that, she had the long walk back to her home, and it was with some relief that she walked through the front doors. She couldn't wait to get the hazmat suit off.
Rogue was a little surprised when she walked into the vestibule and discovered a box about the length of her arm sitting on the table. She picked it up without looking at it, and dropped it down on the lounge the moment she stepped inside. The package was then promptly forgotten while Rogue got out of all her clothes and had a much needed shower after her work out. In fact, she did forget about it completely until she sat down on the lounge again later on with a book she was intending to read, and had to do a double take when she spotting it still waiting there.
The first thing that caught Rogue's attention about the box was that it was postmarked as coming from Paris, France. She was very much confused by this; she hadn't ordered anything online from France, nor did she know anyone living or visiting there. Then she noticed the sender's name: Remy LeBeau. Rogue chewed her bottom lip, not at all certain what to make of that. He had stuck out in her mind, and for that she hadn't forgotten him so much as she hadn't expected to hear from him again any time soon. Indeed, it had been the better part of a year since they met, so she had no idea why in the world he would be sending her something from France (or anywhere else).
Rogue retrieved a pair of scissors and sliced open the box. Inside was a cushion decorated with a picture of the Eiffel Tower with some hot air balloons floating around it. Also in the box was a short note:
In France again and thought of you. Hope you like the pillow.
Rogue stared at the note, and then at the cushion. Now she really didn't know what to think. He bought her something because he thought of her? They barely even knew each other! The fact that he had even been thinking of her at all made her feel incredibly giddy, and the little crush she thought she had gotten over resurged. She looked at the note again, front and back, and checked the box. There was nothing else, and after a moment's hesitation (and another to admire the cushion and give it a hug), Rogue picked up her phone and called Storm.
"He sent you a present?" Storm asked in surprise once Rogue had explained.
"Yeah," Rogue said happily. "I'll send you a picture. I was hoping that you might have his number? I'd like to call him and thank him, but he hasn't given it to me so..."
"Ah. Remy is a little...particular about who he gives his number out to," Storm replied slowly.
"Oh, well, don't worry about it then, I wouldn't want to get you into any trouble," Rogue said quickly, having a good understanding of the need for privacy. "Just, next time you talk to him, could you thank him for me?"
"I can certainly do that."
The end of the school year arrived, and with it came Kitty, Bobby, and Piotr's graduations. To celebrate, everyone gathered together for a celebratory dinner. Everyone, except Rogue.
In general, Rogue found that attempts to join in on parties and the like were not worth the effort. They usually went on longer than her air supply could last, and she couldn't eat, drink, or even go to the bathroom during the event. There had been a couple of attempts to include Rogue by putting a computer into the room for her to use remotely, but the downside to that was she couldn't move around to talk to people, and people often got so wrapped up in their own thing that they didn't think to include her in their conversations. It was worse than being the loner who sits in the corner, in Rogue's opinion, so she simply threw in the towel on that idea.
So while everyone else was busy enjoying themselves at their dinner party, Rogue was curled up in bed with a good book and a box of chocolates. The cushion she got from Remy was on the bed with her. Periodically she would get up and check security, but it was a quiet night as usual.
The morning after, Kitty burst into the visitor's lounge, rang the bell, and then bounced around excitedly while she waited impatiently for Rogue to answer. As soon as her friend appeared on the screen, Kitty practically flung herself at it.
"Pete proposed!" Kitty exclaimed before Rogue had a chance to even say hi. "We're getting married!"
Rogue stared dumbfounded at Kitty for a moment, then seemed to remember she should say something, and finally said: "Kitty, that's great news. Congratulations."
"Thank you!" Kitty said, beaming with joy. "He popped the question at dinner last night. Got on his knee and everything. It was so romantic."
"I'm sure it was," Rogue replied wistfully.
"And!" Kitty said empathically, shaking her finger at the screen. "You're not getting out of this one, nu-uh. You're my best friend and I want you at my wedding. Okay, so maybe the reception might not be feasible, but there's no reason why you can't come to the ceremony. And you're coming."
Rogue grinned. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Good," Kitty said, paused for just a moment, and then said: "Okay this just isn't good enough. I have to do something other than just waving my arms around like a madwoman."
Before Rogue could reply, Kitty phased through the door to the storeroom. As soon as she was done throwing on a hazmat suit, Kitty phased through the wall to Rogue's living room. Her eyes landed on Rogue, and in an instant her arms were around her, hugging her tight for all she was worth. Rogue hugged her back with just as much enthusiasm.
"I'm getting married," Kitty said excitedly. "I'm getting married, Rogue."
"I'm very happy for you, sugar," she replied. "I'm very happy for both of you."
With the end of the school year came the beginning of summer. Kitty took advantage of the break in her schedule to start working on wedding plans. She made a concerted effort to keep Rogue involved, not just because she wanted Rogue to be included, but also because she was quite conscious of how easy it was to exclude Rogue from things without even intending to. It wasn't very noticeable with work, but it was quite apparent in their social lives that Rogue was being more and more left out as time went by. Kitty was determined not to let a little thing like quarantine get in the way of their friendship.
Partway through the summer, most of the staff left to take the students who didn't go home for the holidays out for a few weeks vacation on the other side of the country. The Xavier estate was reduced to a skeleton population. Not all the students and teachers left, either out of lack of desire or other responsibilities. Rogue stayed and she took her responsibilities in security very seriously, not wanting things to get slack just because there weren't as many people there.
One hot Saturday night in the middle of July, Rogue was reading in her comfortably temperate room when an alert went off, signally that someone had opened the front gate without punching in a code. She was up like a shot and checked the respective camera to get a look. It was an older man with white hair and Rogue recognised him instantly: Magneto.
Rogue hit the silent alarm alerting the four other people on the premises to get to the Danger Room. None of them stood a chance against a mutant as powerful as Magneto. Rogue sent a quick message to the sole teacher on the campus, and another to Logan and Storm who were on a date. She hated to interrupt them, but she intended on confronting Magneto herself, and if things went to hell, someone needed to know what had happened.
Rogue changed quickly into her hazmat suit, a task she had become rather proficient at. She checked Magneto's position and growled under her breath at his audacity to walk right through the front door. When she did finally get out, she proceeded to curse Magneto under her breath; the hazmat suit and the hot day were not a good combination at all. She was sweating profusely by the time she got to the mansion and she suspected she was going to be quite dehydrated by the time this was all over.
When she found Magneto, his self-given tour of the school had taken him to the dining hall. He must have heard her arrival, for he turned towards her as she stepped through the door. He seemed surprised by the hazmat suit.
"Where is everyone? What has happened here?" Magneto demanded.
"Summer," Rogue retorted. "What the hell are you doing here, Magneto?"
Magneto didn't reply straight away, rather he studied her face through the helmet.
"Rogue?" he inquired.
"Aw you do remember me," Rogue replied cynically. "I'm just so flattered you remember your former pawn. You have two seconds to state your business before I find out for myself."
She put her hand to the catch for her helmet, half hoping he'd give her the excuse, and half hoping he wouldn't. Her voices were annoying, but far more manageable than they had been before, almost as if it was compensation for her increased absorption prowess. Magneto's eyes settled on her hand, and he muttered something about pawns and queens that the microphone on the outside of Rogue's hazmat suit didn't quite catch. Before she could ask him to repeat it, Magneto pulled out a piece of paper cut out from a newspaper.
"I understand that you're hiring," Magneto said, showing Rogue the advertisement Storm had put out for more teachers.
Rogue looked at the ad and then back up at Magneto. "You're seriously telling me you broke into our home because you want a job?"
"Break in? My dear, the door was open," Magneto replied.
"The door maybe, but not the front gates," Rogue said, glaring at him. "And have you ever heard of this thing call a phone? You know, you use it to ring up and arrange an interview."
"Yes, I have heard of them," Magneto said, and there was something loaded in his tone that Rogue couldn't quite put her finger on.
"Why would you want a job here anyway?" Rogue asked, the hot and stuffiness of her current situation making her uncomfortable and cranky. "Or are you really just looking to recruit a new Brotherhood?"
"This school was part of Charles Xavier's dream. I am here to honour his memory," Magneto said.
Again, Rogue was thrown off by his tone, and at that moment he seemed so very old. Belatedly, she remembered that the X-Men had stopped him at the Battle at Alcatraz by giving him the Cure, and for the majority of the people who took it, the Cure had been permanent. It was only then, up close, that Rogue really noticed the shabby clothing he was wearing. She began to wonder just what had he been doing these last few years. He was a man who likely relied on his powers for everyday life, and without them she could believe he may have been reduced to homelessness.
Perhaps it was against her better judgement, but Rogue couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy and compassion for the old man, too prideful to admit maybe he needed help. And having absorbed the man once, she could easily believe that his desire to honour the memory of his old friend was real. Still, it wasn't she that Magneto had to convince of his sincerity.
"Come," she said finally. "Storm and Logan will be back soon, and until then, I want you right where I can keep an eye on you. This way."
Taking Magneto back to her place probably wasn't the smartest thing to do in terms of overall security, but she needed to get out of the hazmat suit. Her home was probably the only place she could safely unsuit and keep an eye on Magneto at the same time.
"Welcome to my humble abode," Rogue said upon entry. "Make yourself at home. Tea and coffee is over there; I think there might be some cookies in the cupboard. Restroom is over there. And you'll be seeing me on that screen shortly. Do not enter the vestibule."
Rogue couldn't get into her living quarters fast enough. She had her helmet off as soon as the door sealed shut behind her, and continued pulling off the wretched suit as she hit the button that would active the communications between her living room and the visitor's lounge and secure-locked the main door so that Magneto couldn't leave. Once the suit was removed, she grabbed a bottle of water from her fridge and sipped it between switching off the silent alarm and alerting the residents that it was safe to come out. Finally she contacted Logan and Storm to advise them of the situation. They were already on their way back.
"Sorry to have spoiled your date," Rogue said apologetically.
"Ain't your fault, darlin'," Logan said. "You did the right thing."
With all that done, Rogue disappeared into her bedroom and stripped out of her sweaty clothes, replacing them with a pair of short shorts and a tank top. As she emerged, she poured some of the water from her water bottle over herself, desperate to try and cool herself off. She caught Magneto looking at her with something like surprise on his face when she sat down at the lounge, dripping a little water down her shirt in the process.
"Hey, it's a hot day, and I just had to go out in that in a hazmat suit, which aren't exactly known for their spectacular ventilation," Rogue said defensively, abruptly realising how her actions might be coming across to him. "This ain't a show for you, buddy."
Magneto didn't reply. Rogue poured a little water in under her hair and ran her fingers through it. She finally rubbed the excess water on her hands off onto her legs, and drank some more water before setting the bottle on the coffee table.
"Your powers came back stronger than before, didn't they?" Magneto stated.
Rogue shot a look at the man sitting on the lounge. He looked blandly back at her, a mug between his hands.
"What do you know about it?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
Magneto was quiet for a moment, then languidly replied with "Mystique" before taking a sip of his drink. Rogue raised her eyebrows and tried to figure out how an already talented shapeshifter could end up greater still. Perhaps she hadn't. Perhaps her shapeshifting had gone out of control.
"Well, yes, they did," Rogue replied, and decided not to bother elaborating. If he wouldn't, she wouldn't.
The wait for Storm and Logan was spent mostly in silence, but by the time Rogue got the call that they had arrived, she had finally cooled off enough to be comfortable again. She advised Magneto that they had arrived and unlocked the front door so they could come in. Storm and Logan were both still in the good casual clothes they'd worn on their date.
"Thought you could just break into our home and get away with it, eh bub?" Logan demanded, getting right in Magneto's face.
"As I explained to Rogue, the door was open," Magneto replied coolly.
"The gates weren't," Rogue insisted, glaring at him through the screen.
"I am simply here to offer my services as a teacher," Magneto went on, his eyes meeting Storm's. "I understand you're hiring."
"We are," Storm replied with her usual calm. "I am surprised you would be interested in working here, especially given our history."
"My history with Charles Xavier goes back far longer than yours ever did," Magneto replied. "His school is in need of teachers, and I wish to honour his memory."
Logan snorted in disbelief.
"I am aware of your long history," Storm said. "I am also aware that much of the later years of your lives were spent on opposite sides. Even when you professed to be on our side, during that business with Stryker's Cerebro, you still betrayed him by redirecting his focus to humans rather than mutants."
"Yes, I did," Magneto said without the slightest hint of remorse for his actions.
"Then you will forgive me if I believe our philosophical differences may come into conflict," Storm said.
"No doubt they will. Philosophical differences do not prevent me from being able to teach young mutants, however."
"No, they do not. But as a teacher you are in a position to influence the young minds under your care," Storm replied regarding Magneto quite seriously as she spoke. "I do not care for a second Brotherhood to grow within our ranks."
"This is true of all your teachers," Magneto answered. "You know where I stand. Are you sure you know where your current treachers stand? How can you be certain that a 'second Brotherhood' won't grow within your ranks without me?"
"We'll take our chances," said Logan, and gestured to the front door. "There's the door. Don't let it hit you on the way out."
"If I may have a moment to confer with my colleague," Storm said to Magneto, and then glanced at Rogue. "Is the vestibule secure?"
"Of course," Rogue replied.
"Join us." And on those words, Storm led an irate Logan into the vestibule. Rogue switched off the sound to the visitor's lounge and then activated the communications to the vestibule.
"You can't be seriously considering this," Logan demanded of Storm as soon as the door was sealed shut behind them.
"I find myself doing exactly that," Storm replied, looking around the vestibule and wondering whether she should have stayed out in the lounge and sent Magneto in there instead. "Magneto was Charles' friend. I know he would want us to give him a chance."
"If he's really so eager for a job, why didn't he call first?" Logan said.
"Perhaps he thought he was better off making his case in person," Storm said. "And on a hot day such as this, I can understand why he might let himself in."
"Maybe he couldn't call," Rogue said, and the couple turned to see her face on the small screen by her front door. "Public phones are pretty much extinct nowadays, and well, he's not exactly wearing his best clothes, now is he? I'm kinda wondering if he's homeless now."
"There is a bit of a smell..." Storm said thoughtfully, trying to concentrate on the matter on hand and not on how the walls of the vestibule felt like they were closing in on her.
"Maybe he is, but we can't go giving him a job here just 'cause we feel sorry for him," Logan insisted. "We've got the students to think about."
"On the bright side, if he is here, we can keep an eye on him," Rogue said.
"Since when are you on his side?" Logan said, glaring at Rogue, while simultaneously becoming aware of Storm's increase in heart rate.
"I'm not, I'm just..." Rogue trailed off and shrugged. "Playing Devil's Advocate, I guess. I'd probably be arguing the opposite if you were for him staying."
"I just feel," Storm said, fighting to keep her voice steady, "that this is what the Professor would want us to do. And if he is sincere, he could have a great deal to offer us."
"Fine," Logan snapped. "How does a probation period sound?"
Logan hated the idea himself, but he could see that Storm's claustrophobia was getting to her, and he could see that the only way to get her out of the vestibule was to end the 'discussion'. It was clear that he wouldn't be arguing her out of the insanity of hiring Magneto any time soon.
"Yes, that sounds like a good idea," Storm said.
"Good," Logan replied, and quickly headed back the way they came so that Storm could get out. His eyes focused coldly on Magneto. "Congratulations, you have a job on probation. Let me show you to your room. We can work out the details of what you're teaching tomorrow."
As most of the other residents of Xavier's were away, the next few weeks were spent in quiet anticipation of the storm yet to come when the rest of the X-Men found out. While Storm and Logan made their preparations to deal with it, Rogue only had to upgrade the security settings to Logan's requirements in case of "Magneto-related emergencies" but otherwise she went about her usual routine as normal.
A week and a half later, Rogue was having her hazmat training session in the Danger Room. Once she noted she was getting dangerously low on air, she took her helmet off and stopped the program. She took a few deep breaths and made an awkward attempt to wipe the sweat from her brow. As she walked over to the space near the door where she had left a spare air cylinder in a cart and a bottle of water, she heard Magneto's voice over the speakers:
"Tell me, Rogue, what are you trying to accomplish here? Asphyxiate yourself?"
Rogue was far too hot and short of breath to reply, and she drank some water before she finally responded.
"I don't see how anything I do here is any of your damn business," she said. Her voice was quiet, but she knew that the Danger Room microphones would have no issues picking it up.
"I believe it is, if you're doing an unsupervised solo session involving something that could easily get yourself killed," Magneto replied imperiously.
"Well, this is the Danger Room."
"Yes, but not the Stupid Room."
"Look," Rogue said, turning her head to glare up at the control room window. "I need to be able to defend myself in my hazmat suit, should the worst happen."
"I agree," Magneto said, looking down on her. "But hand to hand combat will only force you to exert yourself, thereby using up your air faster."
"Really? I never would have guessed that," Rogue replied sarcastically.
"Then why do you persist in this futile course of action? If you cannot take out your opponents quickly, you will use up all your air trying. All they have to do is keep you dancing, and you will take out yourself for them," Magneto informed her matter-of-factly. "And even if you succeeded, it would still take time for you to slow your breathing down, and you would still end up low on air, if not out of it completely. Add to that, your suit clearly isn't intended for this kind of work; it restricts your movement, and anyone with a knife or a bullet can put a hole in it, thus defeating the purpose of wearing it in the first place."
"Still not telling me anything I don't know," Rogue retorted. "Oh, and you also forget to mention that carrying around the weighty air cylinder is a hindrance and a weakness that can be used against me, and that the helmet kills my peripheral vision. Now, unless you have something worthwhile to say, I'd like to get back to my training in peace. This might not be the most ideal way to enter battle, and it's one I'd like to avoid, but I'd rather have some experience in fighting this way than none at all."
"There are other ways to fight in a hazmat suit without unnecessarily exerting yourself," Magneto said coolly.
"Oh yeah? Like what?" Rogue demanded.
"Computer: End current program and run Firing Range Three, authorisation Magneto Alpha 62," Magneto said.
The simulation switched to an outdoor firing range, with targets at one end, and a table full of ranged weapons behind the firing line. Rogue took another swig of her water and wandered over to the table.
"I didn't realise you had been given that kind of access to the Danger Room," Rogue said, taking in the number of potentially lethal weapons just lying around and realising that this was not a program that just anyone in the school would be permitted to run. "I don't want to kill anyone. That's a...talent...that comes far too easily to me nowadays."
She hadn't forgotten—couldn't forget—how she stripped the land of all life within a few weeks, up to and including about three or four feet below the surface. They weren't entirely certain how she managed that, but they suspected things like root systems, ant nests, and the like were what granted her powers access.
"All the more reason for you to learn how to shoot," Magneto replied. "An amateur shoots to kill and hopes to hit something. A master shoots to wound and knows they'll succeed. Besides, no one said you had to use a lethal weapon; I know how much you X-Men hate killing."
Rogue could practically hear Magneto rolling his eyes at that sentiment.
"I'm sure that a tranquilliser gun will serve you just as well," he said. "You do seem to have a talent for knocking people out."
"Oh very funny," Rogue said cynically, although she hadn't at all expected to hear Magneto make a joke.
There was no reply and when she looked up at the control room she didn't see him. She sighed and looked back down at the weapons. As much as it galled her to admit it, he was right; the hazmat suit was not suited to hand to hand combat, as much as she loved a good brawl. She reluctantly picked up one of the guns, not really inclined towards any kind of weapon—her fists were good enough for her—and put it back down again when she realised that the gloves made her fingers far too fat to use the trigger. She continued down the line of weapons until she found one she thought she would actually be able to use in the hazmat suit and began to practice.
There was no shortage of fussing when the rest of the X-Men found out that Magneto was now among their ranks. No one was happy about it, but Magneto—who preferred everyone to call him Erik Lehnsherr—didn't seem concerned by their opinions of him. He was rarely invited to socialise with them, but that didn't seem to bother him either as he rarely sought the company of others.
Unexpectedly, Rogue found herself to be the one person most likely to have his company. At first it just seemed like a natural consequence of neither party participating in group socialisation, but then Rogue found out that Magneto was an engineer. She didn't know why this revelation surprised her, as she had known that he built the machine that almost killed her and he also helped Professor Xavier build Cerebro. For whatever reason, Rogue imagined that he had simply been responsible for the 'grunt work' but then, Mystique had also known how to sabotage it. It got Rogue to wondering if he might have had a hand in designing and building the Danger Room as well, but she could never get him to say so one way or the other, and for whatever reason Rogue hadn't picked up on Magneto's engineering prowess when she absorbed him so many years ago.
In any case, Rogue hadn't realised how much she missed being able to talk about the nitty gritty details of what she was learning in college with others and in Magneto she found a kind of mentor. During their meetings they would converse over a game of chess, and Rogue found that she actually enjoyed his company. If anyone had told her five years ago that she would start playing chess with the man who once considered her death to be necessary collateral damage she would have laughed in their face.
Magneto was most put upon one day not long after the start of the school year when he was asked to take Rogue's mail to her "since you're going there anyway." Nevertheless, he left the package from Spain for Rogue on the table in the vestibule and then sat down for the game they had planned. Since she was already set up, Rogue was quick to retrieve the package, remembering what happened last time she got an unexpected delivery from overseas.
"I was right, it's from him," she said happily as she inspected the parcel.
"And who might that be?" Magneto inquired as he set up the chess pieces on the board.
"Oh, uh, a friend of mine," Rogue said, deciding if Gambit was going to send her presents, she should be referring to him as a friend rather than an acquaintance. "He travels a lot."
Magneto didn't reply and she opened up the box eagerly. Inside were five smaller boxes, each containing a figurine of a flamenco dancer with a different coloured dress: red, yellow, blue, fuchsia, and green. As before, there was a note:
It occurs to me I have no idea what your favourite colour is.
Rogue giggled at that. She opened up one of the boxes to take a better look at the figurine and marvelled at just how beautiful she was until Magneto informed her that he was ready to start.
Later that evening, long after her game with Magneto was over, Rogue received notice from the mansion that a Remy LeBeau was on the phone for her. Rogue couldn't answer the phone fast enough.
"Hi Remy!" she said, knowing that she probably sounded a little over-excited. "How are you? How's Spain? I got your presents. Well, both of them. I mean, the one from Spain and the one from France. I love both of them. Thank you sooooo much! I never expected you to get me anything, especially since we barely know each other."
Gambit chuckled lightly and Rogue thought it was the sexist laugh she ever heard. Later she realised that she really had it bad for Gambit, and suspected that her 'little' crush was never going to go away.
"You're quite welcome, ma chère," he said. "I figured since you can't go to the world, may as well bring the world to you, hein?"
Rogue laughed. "I won't complain."
"Spain was good, since you asked," Gambit went on. "I'm in Monte Carlo now."
"Just so you know, I'm completely jealous of you right now," Rogue informed him, laying back on the lounge with the phone to her ear.
"I can honestly say no one's ever said that to me before," Gambit replied, feeling rather satisfied for deciding to call. "Usually they're saying the opposite."
"Then they must be stupid," Rogue said, then rolled on her stomach. "Soooo got yourself a new lady friend?"
"Well, I did have a fascinating conversation with a lovely woman from Venice just this morning, but it turned out she was married so I don't think it'll amount to much," Gambit said, sounding amused.
"Aw. What about before today, while you were in France or Spain? Meet anyone interesting?" Rogue asked.
"There might have been a couple. Why do you ask?"
"I just love a good romance story."
"Does it have to be good?"
"Good is a relative term in this context."
Gambit chuckled. "Well, there was this woman in Madrid..."
Rogue listened intently while Gambit gave a brief account of his fling; how they met, the more G-rated things they did together, and then a romanticised variation of their parting. Rogue sighed happily at the end of it.
"And what about you?" Gambit asked. "Any romance in your life since we last spoke?"
"Nah, not unless Fabio counts," Rogue replied.
"Been hitting up the Harlequin, hein?"
"Hell yes," she said. "I'm just not even going to bother trying to date right now. I had a boyfriend while I was just untouchable and that was hard enough. I think it would be outright impossible when I can't even share the same air supply. So instead, I shall be living vicariously through everyone else's, whether real or fictional."
"Hmm, so in other words next time we speak I should have a story about my love life ready?" Gambit asked, sounding more amused than annoyed.
"Absolutely. Unless you think I'm prying, in which case feel free to tell me to mind my own business," Rogue answered cheerfully.
"Well, I don't at the moment, but I'll keep that in mind if things change," Gambit said, sincerely doubting that would ever happen. "So, how's things with you, anyway? College? X-Men?"
"College is good. It was a little weird doing everything by correspondence at first, but I'm mostly gotten used to it. I miss not being able to talk about the assignments with other students though," Rogue replied. "Oh, and I'm more-or-less second-in-command of security now, under Logan. They figure my little 'fort' is a secure enough place to consolidate security in case of emergency and all that jazz."
"Probably right there," Gambit said, wondering if Rogue would have actually admitted that if she knew what he really did for a living. Perhaps one day he'd tell her.
