MAGNETIC ATTRACTION

Part Thirty-Five

The most of the next day went by in a strange blur for Remy LeBeau and although theoretically things were going fantastic with Rogue, he had been on edge for most of the day since the moment he'd awakened. A brief training session on the obstacle course (now that most of the flooding had drained off) had done very little to clear his mind, and he'd decided to push ahead with the planned projects without Magneto's supervision, hoping that the work would keep him focused on the task at hand and not on the constant drama that seemed to surround him as of late.

With the majority of the mess from Wanda's destruction (and Pietro's outburst on Friday following his return from the hospital) cleared up now, the gymnasium project once again began. Remy, Piotr, Lance and Rogue worked hard throughout most of the day to replace the walls that had been destroyed.

Try as he might to be consumed by the work and not let thoughts of these terrible few weeks plague him, Remy could still not let his mind wander. Especially since Magneto had not called back since Pietro had returned.

As Remy stood writing a shopping list for the next run to the hardware store, he thought of how quiet Pietro had been. The boy had barely come out of his room today at all, and frequent checks had proved he'd decided to sleep off his misery for this moment in time.

I can't blame him, thought Remy, deciding against trying to coax the boy into doing some work in an attempt to take his mind off of his troubles. Work didn't help clear my head, it isn't going to do much for him.

As he calculated the rough estimate of the supplies they would need and what they were going to cost, he felt a hand touch the small of his back, and startled, he jumped. God, why are you so jumpy? He wondered as he turned to see Rogue standing near his back and slightly to the side. She was wearing one of his old plaid shirts, he'd allowed it since it seemed she had so very few clothes of her own and could find nothing suitable to wear for the work required. The thing was oversized, the sleeves were rolled up but still sagged, and the hem hung halfway down her thighs. Still he felt the thing looked much better on her than it ever had on him, even if it was paint splattered and slightly torn from long ago.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

He slipped the pencil behind his injured ear, which he'd forgotten about up until the thing grazed against the blistered scabs. He winced and pulled it out. "Yes...I'm fine..." he shook his head at himself.

"Doesn't seem like it," Rogue folded her arms casually and let her backside rest against the nearby table, "you've hardly said two words all day. You've been...distant."

"Sorry. Mind is elsewhere, I guess."

"You don't need to apologise for being preoccupied," Rogue gave a vague laugh, she shifted and sat upon the table, fully, her legs dangling over the edge.

"Sorry..." he said again, he rolled his eyes at himself. "Sooner I hear from Magneto the better...I can't settle until he gets in touch and I know what's goin' on exactly," Remy explained.

"So no word at all since yesterday?" she asked.

"Nothing, not a phone call, not a text message," Remy replied, he folded up the shopping list and slipped it into the back pocket of his jeans. "Startin' to wonder if maybe I should just...I don't know, go down there."

"Do you really want to do that?" Rogue asked carefully, her green eyes searching his.

"I don't know..." he touched his injured ear tentatively and winced at the pain. "I don't know if I even really want to see Wanda ever again after what she did to me, but..." he shook his head, "I don't know, I'd like to know what's going on...see if she's all right. Even if she is a crazy bitch."

Rogue chewed her lip, "you sure?"

"Yes. I have to know. I can't stop thinking about it," he sighed. "I know it's stupid..." he shook his head at himself, "caught somewhere between feelin' mad at the girl...but...feelin' sorry for her. Why the hell are my feelin's about this so fucking..." he trailed off and tried to find the word.

"Conflicted?" she asked.

"Exactly," he muttered, "conflicted. I can't just have one feeling about this, I have to have them all. I hate it. It's so fucked up," he sighed. "I just..." he frowned and sighed.

"You just what?" Rogue raised an eyebrow.

"I just wish I could go back to not giving a fuck about anything or anyone except myself," he stared into Rogue's eyes and realised there was no way that could ever happen again. Selfishness had flown out of the window, and in return waves of love, uncertainty and responsibility had flown back into take the place of it.

You should have never stayed, You should have just took off. Never should have let yourself feel a fucking thing for anyone, he thought unhappily as he looked away from Rogue, feeling almost guilty for wishing he'd never fallen for her. And Rogue? You honestly think you're ever gonna bring a day's happiness into this poor girl's life? You're kidding yourself, that's all you're doing.

"World would be a pretty lonely place if you thought that way," Rogue commented softly.

"I should have left a long fucking time ago. I should have never stayed this long," he shook his head, "none of this would have happened if I'd left."

Rogue took several moments to process this comment, then she queried, "so why didn't you?"

He looked around the room, wondering the same thing. "It's what I've done for as long as I could remember," he sighed. "I told you, I got nowhere to go. I'm not like you with your X-Men to fall back on. I got nothin'."

"The Guild wouldn't have you back?"

"I wouldn't want to go back..." Remy stared down at their hands as he twined his fingers with hers.

"Is it that bad?"

"Bein' Jean-Luc's slave, havin' my every move dictated for me? Havin' to watch the people I grew up with fall into the kind of lifestyle crime brings with it?" he asked. "Two guys I grew up with are on hardcore drugs, only stealin' to afford the next hit. One guy in my guild was a year younger than me and died four months ago from a heroin overdose. Another of them got so desperate for money he tried to steal a diamond necklace from the house of a guy who was involved with the fucking mob. The bastard caught him, and his 'associates' beathim and then dumped him into the swamp for the gators to eat. Cops didn't find what was left of him until last month, I read it in a newspaper."

Rogue was quiet, listening closely.

"I don't want that to be me..." Remy sighed. "At least here..." he gestured to the warehouse, "even if I was born a nobody, I might not die as one."

She gave a faint smile, and with her free hand she reached across and brushed her gloved thumb against his cheek tenderly.

"I know I could get by out there if I had left," he mumbled unhappily, "I've done it before. Stealin' to make ends meet, sleepin' in motel rooms or hostels, travellin' by bus or train, lookin' for easy grifts. In three months of work, I could make enough to pay for rentin' a fancy apartment in a city, I could have any number of luxury cars at my disposal, I could have any possession I want," he drew his breath, "gettin' by and being comfortable is easy. But it's not living. It's..." he shook his head, "I don't know..."

"Surviving?" she asked, still caressing his cheek.

"You can have everythin' you like if you're willin' to just take it," he tried to explain, and attempting to get his feelings on the subject out and struggling so badly with it made him feel horribly inadequate when it came to expressing these things. "Problem is when it's that easy, none of it means anythin'. That's why a lot of the guys I know turned to drugs...that's why I didn't want it to be me."

"So...you came here?"

"Money was good...I was assured there would be hard work, and that there'd be a roof over my head. I figured...no running, you know? Stay back, make some honest money with hard work..." he paused, "not that sometimes the option to earn some money dishonestly hasn't come up..." he tilted his head and looked at her, wondering if perhaps this might be the right moment to tell her about his deal with Wolverine.

Would it be a mistake to just spill my guts? Is it too soon?

"What do you mean?" Rogue asked, looking at him with the vague suspicion that she felt he was holding something back.

"Well, I-" he began.

The sound of the warehouse doors opening stunned them both, and they turned to face the doors quickly, breaking apart to see two silhouettes moving into the dimly lit entrance. Rogue slipped off the table and let go off Remy's hand immediately.

Remy's blood froze as Magneto and Wanda came to step into the light. Magneto looked tired, unshaven, his hair uncombed, his skin seeming quite sallow. He had his arm around Wanda's shoulders and was leading her inside carefully. Wanda was wearing baggy ill-fitting clothes that looked brand new as if they'd been bought last minute by a person who hadn't been sure of her size.

She was wearin' nothin' but a puke stained t-shirt and a thong when they hauled her off to the hospital, Remy reminded himself, watching with some apprehension as Magneto guided Wanda towards them. She was hugging herself, her expression so vague, her face pale and seemingly clammy, dark smudges under her eyes, skin seeming sallow and lips chapped. Each step she took she seemed to barely be capable of lifting her feet and so they dragged roughly against the cement tiles.

Oh my god, is he serious? Why the hell would he take her out of the hospital? Look at her...she doesn't look too good, Remy thought in dismay. She can't be well enough to be out yet!

Remy noted as Magneto led Wanda over, the girl would not meet with their eyes at all, she seemed to be staring into space, nothing but a vacant expression on her very pale and drawn face.

Neither Rogue nor Remy knew exactly what to say to their boss, nor the girl who was clearly not well. As she swayed unsteadily and her father held her up, Remy wondered what potent sedative Magneto had her doped with. The girl could barely stand unaided and Remy was convinced she wasn't even aware of where she was or what was happening.

Remy felt such utter horror looking at the girl. Shouldn't she be on an I.V. Or something? Shouldn't she be under psychiatric supervision? What the hell is he thinking?! There's no way she should be out in this condition!

"You're...back..." Rogue managed, she held onto the table as if she herself felt a little unsteady.

Piotr and Lance, who had both been at the back of the warehouse fitting a new support beam, left what they were doing to come and greet Magneto and Wanda, both with vaguely confused expressions on their faces.

"I am glad to see you are feeling better," said Piotr to Wanda, trying to be friendly whilst clearly lying through his back teeth that he thought she even remotely looked better.

Wanda did not speak, she looked up at the giant with lazy unfocused eyes, her mouth hanging open, expression so incredibly vacant.

Jesus christ, what the fuck has he put her on? Should he be doping up a girl who just took a massive overdose? Remy wondered. Despite recent history, there was an odd surge of protectiveness towards the girl that made him feel almost as if he should demand what the hell his boss thought he was doing.

"I see you have begun to rebuild what was destroyed," Magneto stated, approving of the progress.

"Yeah," Remy replied, feeling horribly awkward that his boss was attempting small talk. This was not the time for small talk. Wanda had done some horribly inappropriate things as of late, Remy realised, but in comparison, Magneto's walking in with his suicidal daughter doped up to her eyeballs like this and making small talk about construction work seemed more inappropriate than anything the girl had done.

"You have done well," Magneto nodded, he steadied Wanda who swayed again, her head tilting forward as if she barely had the strength to cope with holding it up.

"Piotr, I would appreciate if you would sit with Wanda for a few moments, there is something I must discuss with Rogue in private."

"Is...this all right?" asked Piotr, looking very concerned at Wanda's condition. Curiously, he waved a hand in front of the girl's face and she did not blink or even seem to realise he had done so. "She does not seem very..." Piotr looked for the right word and could only respond, "present..."

"She will not give you any trouble," Magneto assured and he moved Wanda over to Piotr, who held her up steadily and led her towards a chair so she could sit.

Rogue blinked and she and Remy exchanged expressions. Remy felt a horrible sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. Magneto gestured towards his office and Rogue went towards the door, Remy quickly followed at her back.

Don't let her go in there alone, don't trust him, Remy told himself sternly.

"This is private," said Magneto coolly as he stopped Remy by putting a hand firmly on his shoulder and giving him a dark warning look. That look said you are not welcome. Remy didn't care about being welcome or not.

"Not with her," Remy shook his head firmly.

"It does not concern you."

Remy spoke up, "the hell it doesn't." He looked at Rogue to see if she agreed with this and tried to speak to her with his eyes. Don't go in there without me, Rogue. "Anything concerning a member of my team concerns me."

"It's okay," Rogue said, "let him be there..." she reached for Remy's hand, and he took it gladly. He couldn't have missed the disapproving expression on Magneto's face at their romantic gesture not to mention the fury aboutRemy's reluctance to let Rogue go in there alone. He supposed he couldn't blame the man for that. He did after all hate to be disobeyed.

Magneto switched the lights on in his room as they entered and then closed the door behind them both. Slowly, he moved towards the desk at the wall, and he turned to look at them, giving a strange grim sigh. His eyes fell to their joined hands and Remy could tell he was judging just how quickly Remy had moved on from his tryst with his daughter.

It's a bit late to play the disapproving and caring father now, Remy thought angrily.

"What's goin' on?" Rogue asked after a moment of silence between the three; her body language spoke to Remy of just how incredibly anxious and uncomfortable she was here.

"I would like to push ahead with our plan," Magneto said simply.

Rogue gaped, "you...you would?" she asked.

"I'm sure by now Gambit will have broken confidence with you to advise you about my plans for Wanda's evolution."

Rogue shifted from foot to foot uneasily, "he...told me that...Ah'm your...test subject," she nodded with a strange expression of certainty.

She can't still seriously want to go through with this after all that's happened, Remy thought in disgrace, he squeezed her hand. Be strong, don't let him back you into this corner, you don't need his crap, Remy thought desperately at her.

"That has always been my intention," Magneto responded. "You are the one who came to me for help..."

Remy looked to Rogue, hoping she would change her mind right then, and when she said nothing, he felt despair flush through every vein and mix with the anger to leave him feeling deflated and beaten. Why wasn't she going to fight him on this?

"You are an intelligent young woman, Rogue. I assumed you understood that nothing comes without a price."

Giving a soft nod, Rogue looked to the floor, her expression almost sad. Remy squeezed her hand tighter, wishing she would refuse to talk further, to walk out. They could both leave right then, it'd be the end of the mess.

"You negotiated your own terms. You did not ask me what mine were," Magneto pointed out with a sigh. "Wanda's mental condition is deteriorating and her powers are becoming more and more unstable. I had to remove her from the hospital for not only her own safety, but the safety of the other patients and staff. She is in no condition to be out of the place, but I had very little choice in the matter," Magneto explained, his expression dull and almost lifeless. "I cannot keep her drugged on heavy doses of sedatives indefinitely for her own safety and you begged of me to not put her in an institution. The only solution I have is to push ahead with the evolution process."

Rogue took a deep breath and finally spoke, "which means Ah have to live up to the purpose you intended for me."

"Yes."

"But you said it could take weeks to finish that machine," Rogue reminded, her lip trembling..

"In theory," said Magneto, he rubbed his forehead with a sigh, "if I work without breaks, without interruptions...then it can be done in days. Provided I'm given the peace and quiet necessary to work."

"Is...the Professor going to help?" Rogue asked carefully.

"He disagrees with my plans," Magneto spoke up, "he feels it would be unethical to treat Wanda this way, or for you to go through with this same process. He will not offer help of this kind and I do not need it."

Remy tilted his head, "what about the Professor and his telepathic powers...couldn't he do something for Wanda? Get through to her? Calm her mind? There has to be some way someone like him could help..."

"Do you think if it were as simple as having Charles use his powers to bring her powers under control that I would take the risk of putting her through evolution?. If I thought there were any other way to help her-"

Remy interrupted quickly, "You want Rogue to be the test subject to a machine you're going to speed-rush to build..." he tried desperately to control the anger in his voice.

"Remy, please..." Rogue turned towards him, letting go of his hands, "You have to-"

"No," he shook his head at her in disgrace, "you don't get it...he's going to risk your life. Even if he'd taken the time to work on that machine the way he'd first set out to, there'd have been risks, but to race to construct it? Don't you know he could kill you?"

"Ah know what this process can do. He knows what he's doin'," Rogue tried.

"No," Remy took her by the shoulders and shook her hard, "if he knew what he was doing then he wouldn't need you to test this thing for him. If he knew this machine was absolutely one hundred percent gonna work, then Wanda would be the first person in that thing."

Rogue frowned and looked away from him. "We could help her. That girl...she's..."

Remy shook his head, "she ain't your responsibility. She's his. You don't owe her this."

"Yes Ah do. Ah took you from her."

"You didn't take me. I was never hers to begin with," Remy reminded, he shook her again, wincing at the pain this caused his injured wrist, "but I am yours. And I'm asking you as yours to please not do this. Please do not be his fucking guinea pig..."

Rogue stared up at him, "Ah'm not just doin' this for her...Ah'm doin' it for me. For you. Once this is all over...we could be together..." she reminded.

"I don't need you to go through this just to try and make me happy. I've proven to you that you don't need to touch me physically to be with me..." he kept his voice low, aware of Magneto's watching them both with boredom as if he'd happened upon a soap opera on a drama channel on cable

"Ah do need this," Rogue broke away from him, "you think Ah want to live the rest of my life like this?"

"We've barely begun to explore what we can do..." Remy tried desperately. "It's far too soon to be thinkin' about the long term!"

"Life is too short to sit around tryin' to think of creative ways to work around my powers, Remy. Ah could have what Ah want now...and at the same time help someone who like me, has always struggled with control. Please just think about this..."

"I am growing tired of this argument," Magneto spoke up, he gave a sigh. "Rogue, you do not need anyone's permission to do what you have a mind to do."

Rogue's eyes felt guiltily to the floor.

"What if I were to 'sweeten the pot'?" Magneto asked carefully, his voice almost cold.

"How?" Rogue asked curiously.

Remy stared at her in disbelief. How could she just keep disregarding what he was begging of her? How could she consider anything this man said?

"The terms of our agreement could be renegotiated," Magneto suggested.

Rogue stepped towards him a little, intrigued. Remy stood behind her, feeling helpless to all of this. "How?" she asked.

"Since our verbal contract has changed and new details have been declared and deadlines have been included, then I am willing to let you break your terms of the deal you made with me the day you came here begging for my help."

Remy put his hand on Rogue's shoulder, "don't listen to him, please..." he whispered to her.

"What are you sayin'?" Rogue asked of Magneto uneasily.

"You agreed to stay with the Acolytes indefinitely, to be at my whim. This was the offering you made me. What if I agreed to let you leave following your successful evolution?"

Rogue drew her breath, and she seemed a little unsteady again. "Ah could go back to the X-Men?"

"No strings," Magneto added. "Our renegotiated agreement would be that you willingly set foot into the evolution chamber, and you be the first to test the process. Following your successful evolution, you will be free to leave to go wherever you please, and indeed, back to the X-Men if you wish it."

"What if it doesn't work?" Rogue queried carefully.

"It will not fail," Magneto spoke up. "This process is intended for my own daughter, and I will not be careless to put her at risk."

Remy snorted, "You already have. Bringing her here in this condition drugged up? You think she's not going to attempt to hurt herself again? She should have never been allowed to leave that hospital. She's even more at risk here than she ever was!"

"I had no choice!" Magneto slammed his closed fist on his desk, causing an empty coffee cup to rattle furiously. "Twenty-nine people in critical condition on life support remain in that hospital. Wanda's abilities affecting any machines, electricity, wiring, structures around her the moment she is distressed. Do I need to explain to you in detail what she can do or did you not already feel the wrath of it when she attacked you?" Magneto pointed out.

"You should have taken better care of her," Remy uttered at Magneto, "Your parenting is a fucking joke. You hide in this room while your kids need you. You ain't tried to show Wanda any kind of love! She doesn't know how it feels to have someone love her!"

Magneto stood up, his face seemed to go red with anger, "I will not be spoken to-" he began.

"The only thing your daughter associates with love is sex. The only way she can connect to anyone, the only way she can feel remotely wanted or cared for is to be used like a fucking whore!" Remy yelled much more loudly than Magneto had, interrupting, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.

Out of the corner of his eye, Remy was fully aware of Rogue standing gaping at him.

"If you had taken the time to deal with these issues..." Remy shook his head in disgust, "she wouldn't be half as fucked upas she is right now!"

"How dare you," Magneto uttered coldly.

"No," Remy spat angrily, "How dare you!"

Magneto blinked, his expression suddenly blank. "How...dare...I..." he repeated, sounding exasperated.

"How dare you stand by and continue to let it happen. You knew what had happened with the doctors and the guards, the psychiatrists...with practically every guy she ever met at that nuthouse you left her in! And you didn't make any attempt to get her under control! She was the only woman here amongst four guys! Odds were, she was going to move on to one of us!" Remy yelled, "even if one of them was her own fucking brother!"

Magneto's face fell, and it seemed he was trying to speak but the words would not spill from his trembling lips.

"You knew what she was, you knew what she was capable of, and you let her be unsupervised. Let her dress like a hooker on a Vegas street corner!"

Magneto's eyes dropped, his face becoming even hotter with anger.

"You were once a doctor! You ignored the signs that your daughter was headin' for a complete meltdown! You above all people surely knew that you don't leave a mentally unstable person with a cupboard full of prescription pills! You don't give a mentally unstable person complete control of their own medication without supervision! You should have been the one giving it to her and making sure she was taking it! Not dumping it on her and telling her that she should go take it whenever her moods became too extreme! If she'd died, the only person responsible would be you!"

Rogue tugged on Remy's sleeve, "enough..." she said softly, "He's heard enough."

"But you haven't!" Remy turned to look at Rogue, then pointed to Magneto. "Right there...that's the guy you think is going to make your life better?"

Rogue's eyes were glassy as she stared at him, it seemed she was about to start crying and he had to harden himself to it.

"You know why he's so goddamn caring towards you?" Remy demanded. "It's not because he likes you. It's not because he's attracted to you or that he even feels vaguely sorry for you. You know why he acts like he gives a fuck? It's because you have a use. A purpose. That's why he offered you his comfort when you cried. The same comfort, by the way, he can't even offer his own fucking daughter! He didn't care about your feelings, he didn't care if you were sad or not, all he cared about was keeping you here. He was keeping you sweet! That's it."

Rogue's bottom lip trembled. She was staring at Magneto, and Magneto was staring back. Remy noted at no point did Magneto try to deny any of these accusations.

"And that's the guy you trust with your life. A guy who can offer comfort to a stranger who can serve a purpose, but not to his own daughter who is being torn apart from the inside out by her powers and insecurities..." Remy shook his head in utter disgust. "I can't stand and let you make this mistake. I can't stand here and watch you trust this son of a bitch!" Remy cried at her, "I just can't."

Rogue looked between them both, first to Magneto then back to Remy, and then she looked around the room as if she thought there might be some kind of explanation in the metal walls or the floor. "Then...don't..." she said quietly.

He hadn't expected this response at all, and he stepped back from her, staring in disbelief, "What?"

"Don't..." she responded softly.

"Rogue..." he began, shaking his head.

"Ah don't blame you for not wantin' Wanda to have help after what she did to you..." Rogue stared up at him. "You have every right to be bitter..."

"I'm not bitter. You know I've done everythin' I can to try to see this from every angle..."

"Regardless," Rogue sighed, "Hearin' all these things you've said about Wanda...it only makes me more sure that Ah'd be doin' the right thing. It seems to me like...she never had a chance of bein' normal...and Ah know how that feels..."

"Chere..." he tried, he reached out for her hand and she refused him. The rejection hurt more than he had thought it would have.

"Ah have to do this. Not just for me but for her too..." Rogue hugged herself, "and if you're not on board with this, then...there's nothin' more to say between us..."

"Rogue...what are you talkin' about?" Remy asked anxiously. He was sure he didn't want to hear the answer. "Are you trying to telling me if I don't back you up on this we're through?" he demanded, somewhere between devastated and furious.

"Do you want to see me cured?" she asked hopefully, her eyes full of anxiety and pain.

"Of course I want to see you cured!" he yelled incredulously, "but I don't want to see you make a huge mistake."

"Ah'm not makin' a mistake," she assured.

"Don't do this, Rogue, I'm begging you," he pleaded of her desperately. "I have a bad feelin' about this...I've had a bad feelin' about it since the minute I found out why you came to us."

"Remy..." she shook her head at him, becoming frustrated with the conversation.

"I have tried so hard to look at it from your perspective, chere. I know this is torture for you but don't you think it kills me too? Don't you think it hurts me that there's nothing I can do to help you?"

She was silent, listening. She seemed to remain very still, statue-like and pale.

"I know you want what everyone has, I know you're entitled to be able to live a normal life just like everyone else. I wish I cared so little that I could just stand back and let you do this, let you go through the process. Every part of me wants to see you happy. A small part of me, a selfish little dirty part of me even wants you to get cured so we can do everything I've dreamed about doing."

Rogue's dull green eyes fell to the floor, she sighed deeply through her nose, a single tear escaped and trickled down the side of her nose.

"But there's also a large part of me says that I shouldn't let you do this. I care too much about you to let you sell your soul to the devil...you don't know what you'll lose if you do this

"Ah've already made up my mind. You know that," Rogue folded her arms insecurely. "Ah've told you that since the moment Ah first let you in on why Ah was here. You don't have a say in this. It's my decision...and it's not going to change."

"Rogue...you've always done the right thing...don't shift to doin' the wrong thing," he pleaded of her, trying to get her to meet his eye. He could hear Magneto sighing, the man was becoming more and more frustrated with this drama.

Rogue shook her head, keeping her eyes averted from his. She swiftly swiped her tear from her nose with the back of her glove. "No. Ah'm done with doin' the right thing. Ah've done the right thing since the day Ah found out about my powers, and what has it got me? Nothing. Ah've sat by these past few years and watched everyone around me movin' on, gettin' what they want. Nothin' changes for me. It's time to be selfish for once in my life and do what Ah want. What Ah need..."

She's never going to give in. I'm wasting my breath, Remy thought, seeing the determined expression in her eyes. This is a battle I'm never going to win. She's had her mind set on this for far too long.

"You say you care about me...that you love me...then stand by, and let me do this. And when it works out, we'll have everythin' we want..."

"You're...going to trust him over me?" Remy demanded incredulously.

Rogue sighed, she did not answer.

Magneto stood slowly, his expression determined, his eyes cold and calculating. "I think it is time you left, Gambit."

Even as vaguely as the man said it, Remy understood at once. He stared across at his boss, his stomach flipping, "what are you saying?" he asked. He already knew the answer.

"You had potential...that was what I admired about you. That was why I made you the leader of the team. I thought you strong, and purposeful, but you are weak. You allow women to control you...you let a girl rule your heart, you let a girl rape and violate you..."

Remy gaped at his boss, then turned to look at Rogue in horror. "You told him?!"

"Ah was tryin' to-" Rogue began helplessly.

"I trusted you!" Remy gaped at her.

"You stated it yourself. I do not like people without purpose, and I have no purpose for you any more, you will leave this place," Magneto stated.

"No..." Rogue tried desperately. She reached for Remy's hand, but he pulled away from her in disgust.

"I will give you twenty minutes to pack your belongings and go. If you are not gone from this property by then, I will remove you myself," Magneto continued, his eyes squinting.

Drawing his breath angrily, Remy held onto his temper, "fine," he responded coldly. He glanced between them both, "I hope the both of you will be very happy together," he uttered icily under his breath, and with that left the room, slamming the door behind him.

End of Part Thirty-Five

Thanks to everyone as always for their awesome reviews (always such interesting interpretations and predictions to what's going on/happened). Hoping to get the next part up by Wednesday (no guarantees though). Love you all 3