9. I still want you

"Please, have a seat," the professor said and smiled at her and Rogue.

"Thanks," they mumbled and sat down in a chair each.

"I thought it wasn't more than right to tell you what happened after you passed out that night on Liberty island, what with the group of people on Ellis Island and all..." He looked from Cecilia to Rogue while he spoke.

There was a knock at the door and he looked at it briefly.

"Perfect timing, Scott," he said, and the very good-looking teacher stepped through the door. Rogue drew a breath, thinking Cecilia wouldn't notice, even though she did. She smiled at him, knowing he'd been the one to save her when she needed saving.

It had deffinetly warmed her up to him and the taste of rhubarb he left in her mouth. She'd grown to like what he imprinted on her, because there was more than the obvious and sour rhubarb. The sweet scent of vanilla and the fire that seemed to burn hot and hard, the fire that when contained and aimed, could be lethal. It was what made Scott Cyclops, that fire.

"I think it's best you take a seat too," the professor said. Scott nodded and sat down next to Cecilia. He smiled softly, quickly, and then focused on the professor.

"That night on Liberty Island, both of you were in grave danger, captives in your own bodies in many ways."

Cecilia remembered the steel against her wrists and, involuntarily, puts her hand on one of her wrists, wringing her hand around her wrist. She looks at the professor, very aware of the fact that Scott is looking at her moving hands.

"But both of you did extremely well – you have no training, so of course your strain was tremendous, but you fought back when you saw a chance." He looked at Cecilia. "Exhausting your powers was very unfortunate, since it set you back in so many was. But I am very proud of what you did, in ways of protecting your friend, and the innocent people." He changed his gaze to Rogue. "You had no choice, and I am glad that you weren't alone. I wish I could tell you there is some way to control your powers, Rogue, but I suppose you know by now that there really isn't." She nodded, looking kinda sad.

"Cecilia, when you told me to hold on to you, that you were going to faint, I had no idea what your true power was. I'd heard you were good with feeling things, knowing little something's about people, even seeing partial futures. But I had no idea you could stun someone like that."

"Numb," she whispered. "I numb them, make them feel nothing. I can do it—to just about anything, anyone. One sense, or all of them."

"What was it you did to me?" Rogue asked, her voice low.

"I shut you down. All of what made you into you, I turned that off. Even your powers, which made Magneto's powers useless since you only had access to them through your own." She looked up from Rogue, who looked scared, to Scott, who looked proud, to the professor, who was smiling.

"You mastered something that should have taken you years to perfect, Cecilia. I think it's time you think about picking your mutant name, if you want one."

"I'll think about it," she said and nodded.

"Now, on to why I really called you here," the professor sad. "Scott was there, so I think I'll let him tell his version."

And then, carefully, unravelled the story of what had really happened. He told them about leaving the school and finding them, the fight with Magneto's people and getting trapped, him without his glasses, facing Jean. Cecilia gasped at the story, even if she'd been there, this was new. Jean has risked herself, trusting her unstable powers to hold back the full force of Scott's and she'd come out on the other side the better for it – or so it seemed.

When they had gotten loose, he and Logan had gone their different ways to find the girls quicker.

"I think I found you a little too late, since they had dragged Rogue off already." He looked from one girl to the other and then took a deep breath. "But at least I found you before they had time to use you to what they had intended."

"What was that, anyway?" Rogue asked.

Cecilia shivered, and looked at the professor. She was thinking it at him, hoping he would save her from telling Rogue what Magneto's plan had been.

"Well, the reason as to why I called you here wasn't just to tell you what happened that night – it was to tell you what happened to Magneto afterwards." Cecilia let out a breath of relief. "Right now, Magneto is in prison. And not just any prison, it's made of plastic so he won't be able to get out. Now, I'm only telling you because I want you two to feel safe, always."

"Thank you, professor," Cecilia smiled, a real genuine smile.

"You're welcome, now, I think you should go back to you every days."

The girls nodded and got up. "Thank you," they said and closed the door behind them.

"Cecilia, what really happened there?"

Cecilia shook her head. "Believe me Rogue, you're better off not knowing."


Kitty was sitting on the floor where Piotr had left the puzzle and was pretty focused on the last few pieces. It should have been easier, but it seemed impossible since all the pieces were blue and purple

"Hey! Wow, you got a lot done," he said, sitting down beside her.

"Yeah. I did. Just the hard parts left."

He took one of the pieces and fitted it, then the rest followed easy for him.

"How did you do that?" she marvelled.

"It was easy. See, this piece goes between those and the tone there-" He was so close to her she could feel the heat come off of him. And he just stared at her.

"What?" she asked, wondering if something was wrong.

"Nothing. I just-" he started, smiling at her suddenly. "You are beautiful, do you know that Kitty? Even without the dress and all the make-up, you look like a princess."

Kitty looked at him, stunned into silence at his tender words.

"I would be honoured, if you, someday, would go out with me. Not dinner here, but out there, in the real world."

"I'd love to," she blurted out, a little to quick. "I mean, that'd be nice."

They smiled at each other and then packed the puzzle, finally having fit another piece of their own.


"Come on Celie, would you hurry up already? This photo isn't gonna take itself you know," her younger sister laughed. Her long curly hair reached way down her back, her face the same but so much older. Cecilia smiled on the inside, watching her sisters primp each other, fluffing hair and wiping away the extra eyeshadow.

"Hold on, I'm coming, I'm coming," she said, throwing the cardigan on the chair on her way over to her family. Her sisters were smiling and laughing. "Are you sure this dress looks good?"

"You look adorable," her mother said and put the camera to her face. "Now smile, that means you too Celie, crack a smile-"

The flash went off and blinded her. "Keep your eyes on us," she heard her sisters say, but she couldn't hold on. They were slipping away, she was losing them.

"NO!" Cecilia sat up straight in her bed, dripping of sweat. Her breath came quick and her eyes were hurting, they were so wide. She looked at the time. 5 am.

"Cecilia?" Rogue asked, groggy and tired.

"No, you're dreaming," she said.

"Oh, okay."

And then Rogue slept again, Kitty hadn't even woken up. Only thing was, Cecilia couldn't stay in ehr be or anoher moment. She needed air, to move, to feel. She got up from her bed and started out the door, closing it gently behind her. She stood against the door, breathing softly for a while, thinking were to go.

"John," she whispered.


He woke up from the soft knock on the door. He looked over at Bobby, who'd fallen asleep with his light on and the book on his pillow. He shook his head and got up from the bed.

He was pretty surprised to see Cecilia on the other side.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked softly, her arms wrapepd around her chest and her eyes blodshot.

He nodded and stepped out from the room. "Yeah, of course." They started walking down the hall in silence. "What's wrong, Celie?"

She flinched and looked at him with those scared eyes. "I just needed company," she said, and he knew she was lying to him.

He pulled out a chai and let her sit down in the living room, sitting down opposite her. "I know you're lying to me," he said sharply. The look in Ceclia's eyes turned a little darker than it had been.

"Don't pressure me John."

"Why not?"

"Look, I was—not nice to you yesterday, I know. But you just wouldn't listen-"

He looked at her, one eye raised. "I listened, I listened for hours as you cried and shut me out." He wanted an apology, and he was pretty sure she did too. Too bad, he thought. I'm not giving in, princess.

"I know you did, but you still wouldn't listen," she said, a little sharper.

"Okay, so what was I supposed to do? Actually go away and let you be alone in there, know that you were hrting like hell and just leave you the fuck alone? Would that have been better, huh? Tell me Celie, do you really think it would have been any better if i just elft you alone?"

She glared at him, seemingly starting to boil. "No," she spat. "But you could have backed off when I asked you too!"

"You know you didn't want me too, and you might just admit it!"

"Why?" she yelled at him, getting up from her chair so it turned over.

He stood up to look at her and their eyes locked as they continued to yell at each other. John was so mad he was almost jumping, the same look in her eyes as in his. They were so close, and emotions were flying all over the place, and one moment they were yelling at each other and saying they just about hated the other.

"Don't you ever talk to me again, you idiot!" Cecilia yelled, almost in his face.

"Fine by me!" he shouted back.

Then, as if by a stroke of magic, the look in her eyes changed and he felt his heart bubble over with heat and his lips found hers in a kiss filled with anger and passion. She closed her arms around his neck, roughly pulling him to her, and he pushed her back against the wall. His hands roamed down her sides, to the edge of her nightgown. She moaned against his lips, her hands tugging on his hair and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He gripped her butt and didn't want to take his lips from hers.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, the kiss breaking for only a moment.

"Me too," he said, out of breath before he went back to kissing her.


Rogue looked at him as she ate her breakfast. He was wearing tight black jeans and a fitted t-shirt that clung to his chest, the white t-shirt having a pattern filled with color and life. He looked amazing in the tight sleeves and the snug jeans and for a moment, rogue simply forget herself as she stare at Remy.

"Bonjour mon chere, ca va?" His voice was like a song and his french made her want to impress him, but she didn't know how to.

She smiled at him and nodded. "Ca va bien, Remy, merci. Et toi?"

"C'est tres bien, petite, tres bein. Merci beaucoup," he smiled as he sat down beside her. "Ton nome, petite, c'est ma couleur préféré."

"Non?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"Oui," he smiled again, touching her hair gently. "Parlez vous francais?"

"Comsi comsa," she said. "But not well."

"You did just fine, I didn't think people here spoke french. The only other person I've met was Kitty's brother."

"He's a real charmer, isn't her?"

"Yes, he is. And he uses the french to be even more charming, which makes all the girls go weak in the knees," he said, his Cajun accent thick and lovely to listen to.

She looked him in the eyes, his deep dark eyes. She almost forgot about Bobby, her boyfriend, as she did. She felt like she was sinking into his eyes and his heat. He reached out, and before she knew it, she felt a zap run through her and hen he touched her. His hand rested on her arm, the heat from his hand making her heart pound.

"Just remember, chere, not everyone is off limits to you and you won't hurt everyone. Even if you seem to think so." He removed his hand, before the skin even started crawling on him. She looked at him and she'd never been so stunned before.


She leaned against him, her head against his shoulder and their hands entangled just like their legs were. They were still fully dressed and were having the moment Cecilia had thought about since she realized she wanted a part of John. She still wasn't sure which part it was she was after, but the sweet and tender part of him that she was cuddling with now was a very nice part of him that she kinda wished she'd see more of.

He kissed her again, softly and barely, his hands holding onto hers a lot harder. She pressed her body against hs and their kisses still seemed filled with the powerful physical attraction they had discovered in the living room hours earlier.

"Hey, John?" Bobby started and then he just stopped in his steps as she saw Cecilia closely entangled with John. As comfortable as John still was, Cecilia suddenly felt the need to get up and run away. She looked at the expression on Bobby's face, ranging from anger to hurt to relief and then something came over him.

"I gotta go," Cecilia mumbled, caressing John's cheek quickly and then got up.


She was blushing deeply when she pushed past him and he looked after her like he'd just walked in on them in the middle of 'It'. And honestly, it felt like he had too. He looked at John, who was smiling a little, something soft on Johns face that Bobby hadn't seen before.

"What?" John asked him, staring at him a little confused.

"Uh – what?"

"You were about to ask me something, I think." John got up from his bed and stood up in front of him.

"Oh right yeah, but I think I just got the answer to why you weren't in your bed this morning..."

"What? Hey, hey, no, not- that, come on Bobby. Where would we do that?" he asked, like he was really asking.

"I have no idea what you two- Honestly I didn't realize there was anything between the two of you, John."

"We didn't either, until this morning when we were about to rp each other's throats out."

"Oh," he said, and John turned to walk out the door.

When he was left alone, there was something crushing down on him like a ton of water. He sat down on his bed and took deep breaths. She was going out with John. John was going out with her... Cecilia was with him now. He was wth Cecilia now. John and Ceclia were an item.

But why was it even bothering him? He and Rogue was supposed to be an item, they'd told remy they were – as well as every one else who was in the room at that time. He was sure it had spread. But had Cecilia heard? Was that why she'd turned to John? Or had there been something more there, that bobby hadn't know about?

Bobby fell back on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Well, this sucks," he mumbled and closed his eyes.