Upon returning to the mansion, Will put all of his supplies away, tossed his laundry down the chute, then went with Rogue to inspect their new room.
"It was nice of Scott and Jean to leave us the dresser," Rogue mused, "but it's going as soon as we can find a decent replacement."
"No argument here. That thing's vile." He thought a moment. "How deep are the closets?"
Opening the folding doors, she looked inside. "I'd say just under a meter."
"And how wide?"
"Call it two and a quarter."
He looked over her shoulder into the closet. "Could you live with a little less space to hang clothes?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"I was thinking that I could install some built-in drawers on the sides. It would give us ten or twelve dresser drawers apiece, and maybe a cabinet-sized space at the top. That gives us more floor space to work with."
"That works. Any other changes in mind?"
"A new color on the walls would be nice. How does forest green sound to you?"
"You read my mind. That would leave furniture to discuss."
"I can make due with one desk now, since I'm using my laptop for everything. Do you want me to build you one?"
"No, I usually do paperwork in bed. A file cabinet and bookshelf would be nice, though."
"I can modify the bookcases I have now for that. I'll install lateral file drawers in the bottom shelves."
"Okay. That just leaves the bed and nightstands."
"Find a design that we can agree on, and I'll get started on building them. Once the frame's done, we can shop for a mattress."
They spent several days working together on the room. Will focused on construction, building the closet drawers, file drawers, and a bed frame with matching nightstands. Rogue focused on decoration, painting the walls (with Ororo's help), installing fixtures, such as brass switch plates, curtains, rugs, and linens.
Will even managed to slip in a surprise or two for Rogue. After taking a shift at monitor duty, she discovered that Will and Logan had been busy in the room's attached bathroom. They had installed a multi-head shower system, with a bench and water glass stall, a monstrous tub with whirlpool jets, and a wall-mounted towel warmer. She hugged Logan so hard that his bones almost creaked, and planned a very special surprise for Will.
After about a week and a half of solid work, everything was finished. Jean leant a telekinetic 'hand', nudging the bookshelves into place after Will teleported them into the room. Will installed the file drawers, then moved his desk into place in a corner of the room. His leather chair went into the opposite corner. Rogue moved her clothes in and hung Peter's portrait of Will on some free wall space, then put her beauty products in the bathroom. Will moved his wardrobe to a spot next to his closet, and fit the rest of his clothes into the drawers that he had built.
The last item installed was the one that was most important symbolically: the bed. Will had constructed it sturdily, and it was heavy enough to have an aura of stability and permanence. Rogue had bought a blue-and-green comforter with a matching set of navy blue sheets and pillowcases. "What do you think?" she asked him.
"Let's see if it passes inspection." He stepped out of the room for a moment. When he returned, he was holding Smoke in his arms. He lowered the cat to the floor, and she explored the room for a few minutes. Apparently satisfied, she jumped up onto the bed, then curled up and went to sleep.
Will and Rogue looked at each other and grinned. "It passes," they said together.
Will glanced at the clock. "I have to get started on dinner. Do you want help bringing your stuffed animals in?"
"They're already in the closet."
He blinked. "I thought you'd put them on top of your hope chest again."
She shook her head. "I sort of outgrew them. I used them as a substitute for a real person, back when I spent my time fantasizing. Now that I've got the real thing, I don't need them anymore. Besides," she said with a wicked grin, "you're a lot cuddlier."
He laughed. "See you at dinner, love."
After dinner, Will hung his pictures, with Rogue and Jean providing advice as to location ("Up, down, left, right..."). He then brought in several file boxes full of documents. "What's all this?" Jean asked.
"Old paperwork," he grumbled. "I keep meaning to go through it all and organize it, but I've never gotten around to it."
"I'll help with that," Rogue told him. "We can organize it all, then file it away."
"You sure? This is going to take a while."
"We'll knock out a little every day."
"Let me call Jeff first. I'll need the organizational chart for everything. I'll just leave it here for now." He put the box next to his desk. "What's left in your room?"
"That's pretty much it." She looked around the room, then at the rugs they had placed on either side of the bed to cover the floorboards. "Remind me to get some non-skid pads to put under these."
"Right." He looked at the clock. "We have training in the morning. Want to hit the sack early?"
"Not a bad idea." She went to her closet and pulled out a body stocking from one of the drawers. By the time she was finished changing, Will was dressed in a pair of wine red pajamas. She pulled on her mask, then stepped towards the bed.
"Ready to christen this thing?" she asked with a shy smile.
Will smiled in return, and helped her draw the covers back. They settled underneath the sheets, and Will drew her close to him. Kissing her softly, he ran his hand lightly along her ribs.
Rogue purred. "We're supposed to sleep, you know."
"I know. I'm just trying to imagine waking up next to you every morning for the foreseeable future." He blinked. "Oops. Almost forgot."
"Forgot what?"
He stood up and walked over to the door, opening it up just a crack. A heartbeat later, Smoke ran into the room, jumped onto the bed, and curled up next to Rogue. Will climbed back in, moving the cat to his other side, and settled into spoon position next to Rogue. Kissing her again, he started to drift off.
"And baby makes three," he said with a yawn.
The training session the next morning was a high-intensity combat drill designed to foster teamwork. Energy cannons (set to stun) lined the walls, while robots attacked from both the ground and the air.
"Let's make things interesting, Will," Jean said from the control room. "No teleporting allowed. Super-speed is okay, though."
Will nodded. "Any other rules?"
"Nope."
"All right, then." He snatched his pistol out of its holster and started picking off the aerial drones. Rogue concentrated her attention on the walls, tearing the cannons out of their housings. Betsy and Bishop dealt with the drones on the ground, felling them with a combination of weapon fire, kicks, and sword strikes.
"Round One complete," Jean said after the last of the robots clattered to the floor. "On to Round Two."
The floor beneath them shuddered, then tilted, sending Will, Betsy, and Bishop sliding towards one corner of the room. Rogue tried to grab hold of them, but a new wave of stunner fire drove her back.
Moving quickly, Will flicked his pistol's safety on, then tossed it aside and released the dagger in his wrist sheath. He flipped over onto his stomach, using his momentum to drive the dagger into the floor. Holding on tightly, he swung one leg out and caught Betsy, who grabbed hold. Betsy, in turn, swung a hand out and caught Bishop.
Rogue, meanwhile, had determined a pattern to the stunner fire, and wove her way past the beams. Diving towards the others, she lifted Bishop up, depositing him in a corner, where he braced himself. Pulling out his rifle, he fired a round at the kill switch and ended the session.
"Quick thinking," Betsy told Will as the floor straightened out again.
"Thanks. How's your shoulder?"
"It'll probably be screaming bloody murder in an hour."
"Sorry. Couldn't be helped," he said as he retrieved his pistol and replaced the magazine.
"Don't worry about it. I'll have Hank look at it."
"Excuse me," Jean's voice cut in, "but who said you were done?"
"I don't like the sound of that," Rogue murmured.
Several doors appeared in the walls, and large, insect-like creatures flew out of them.
"Brood!" Rogue shouted as she ducked out of one's way.
Betsy and Will hit the floor, while Bishop used his position to take out two of the creatures before they had any room to maneuver.
"This is tag, Will," Jean announced. "If they touch you, you're dead."
Will glanced at Betsy. "I'm all right," she told him.
He nodded, then became a blur of motion, emptying his gun into three of the Brood, the slicing one in two with an overhand sweep of his sword. He impaled another with a thrown dagger.
Rogue, who was being chased by two of the Brood, led them on a chase until she could bring them within Bishop's line of fire. Once he picked them off, he tossed Rogue his spare pistol, and the two of them helped Will blow away the remaining four Brood within a crossfire.
"Level Two finished," Jean announced. "That's it, guys."
Will sighed and flipped his pistol's safety back on. "Good. I only had two clips left."
"Betts, you go see Hank. The rest of you report to debriefing."
"I'm sorry about handicapping you like that," Jean told Will a few minutes later, once they had showered and changed, "but there was a reason for it."
"And that reason was?"
"Eventually, we'll wind up in space again. Frankly, I'm amazed that it hasn't happened since you joined. We don't know yet if you can teleport if you're moving at faster-than-light speeds, and we really don't have any way to test it. You may be forced to rely on your other skills."
Will nodded. "Sound reasoning."
"Didn't Doc Strange use some kind of spell to keep you from shorting stuff out during our road trip?" Rogue recalled. "Maybe he could whip up an amulet or something to do the same thing. It'd let you carry some heavier firepower if you had to."
Will considered that. "It's a possibility. I should get back on a training schedule with him, anyway. I'll give him a call later."
After lunch, Will called Stephen Strange to see if he was amenable to a training session. Finding that he was, he and Rogue teleported to his Sanctum Sanctorum.
"Good afternoon, Miss Rogue, Mister Riley," Wong said politely as he entered the foyer.
"Hello, Wong," Rogue said politely. "Is he in?"
"He's in the inner sanctum. Please follow me."
They were led to a room where Strange sat reading from a rather large tome. "What's that one?" Will asked.
"Some notes that my Master kept during my training. I thought they might give me some ideas on how to proceed with you."
Will nodded, looking down at the floor, where a circle, covered with intricate writing, was set into the floor. "Are you planning on binding me?"
"Not quite. This is designed for observation and testing. It'll let me see how your powers react in certain situations, what form they take, how they focus, and so on. It also does some things automatically, so I don't have to spend time concentrating on them."
"Makes sense. How should we begin?"
"Well, I'd like you barefoot... and bare-chested. I need to see how those dragons of yours react to things."
Will removed his jacket, shirt, shoes, and socks, handing them to Rogue. He then stepped into the center of the circle.
Strange offered Rogue his seat, and pointed out a spot on a shelf to place Will's things. "Are you wearing any metal?" he asked Will.
"No. I figured it would interfere."
"You figured right. Hold on a second while I activate the circle." He gestured, reciting a spell, and the circle began to glow with a reddish light. The glow moved upwards, forming a cylinder which surrounded Will and reached the ceiling.
Strange gestured again, and the light intensified slightly. Will looked around for a moment. "Is it supposed to be opaque?" he asked.
"Yes." He looked at Rogue. "It's like a one-way mirror," he explained. "We can see in, he can't see out."
She nodded. "Can he hear us?"
"He can hear me, when I direct my attention towards him, but not you." He turned back to Will, and held out one hand, palm up. A small globe of energy manifested on his palm, then floated up and flew into the circle. "See that?" he asked Will.
"Yes."
"Good. I want you to concentrate on it, and try to keep it at least a foot away from you. Try to vary your defense, so I can get a look at all your techniques."
"Got it."
"Start now."
The globe neared Will, who kept an eye on it, raising his hand in a 'stop' gesture. It froze for a moment, then drew back and circled him in a slow orbit.
"Don't turn around," Strange instructed him. "You shouldn't try to see every approach. Try to feel them instead."
Will nodded as he kept track of the floating orb. "Follow the bouncing ball..." he murmured.
"I knew he was going to say that," Rouge groaned as she buried her face in one hand.
After a few frontal approaches, Strange tried to 'attack' Will from behind. Will closed his eyes, and a barrier, purplish in color, formed between him and the sphere.
Strange rubbed at his chin. "Interesting. He's focusing his aura to serve as a shield."
"He's done that while we were in the Chorus," Rogue informed him. "That's probably where he got the idea."
Strange nodded. "That would make sense." He moved the sphere to an area in front of Will again, then muttered a brief phrase. The globe froze in place.
"That should hold it. I want to see what his attack strength is like," he told Rogue. "The spell I just cast is able to absorb most attacks." He turned his attention to Will. "Okay, now I want you to hit it with everything you've got."
WHAM!
Binkbinkbinkbinkbinkbink...
Rogue instinctively dove for cover as the sphere started bouncing against the walls, floor, and ceiling. Her only frame of reference was one of those 'super bounce' balls you got from gum machines.
Strange tried to keep track of the sphere for a few seconds, then gave up and dissolved the spell. A streak of energy zipped past his nose as it vanished. He exhaled, then dispelled the circle surrounding Will. He then walked over to the door, opening it. "Wong! Can you get me something?"
"Yes, Master?"
"What is that, Master?"
Strange paused a moment. "Never mind." Rogue could hear him muttering to himself as he shut the door again.
"You quit drinking, you quit drinking..."
"Okay," Will asked Strange a few minutes later, "What's the verdict?"
"Let me use an analogy: You're an elephant gun, and everybody else is a mouse."
Will winced. "I take it my finesse leaves something to be desired?"
"I'm not sure if finesse is even possible at your power level. We'll definitely have to work on your sensitivity, though. You seem to go straight from 'Low' to 'Liquefy'."
"That might explain what happened in Nebraska," Rogue mused. "Your initial defenses got knocked out, so you cranked up to maximum."
"It's certainly plausible," Strange agreed.
Will thought for a moment. "Could you give me some exercises to do that would increase my sensitivity?"
He nodded. "It'll take me a day or two to put it together."
"That reminds me," Rogue added. "You used a spell to keep his powers from shorting things out during our road trip. Can you make something he can wear that would duplicate the effect?"
"No problem. You'll have to recharge it occasionally, but I can gear it to charge from sunlight or moonlight."
"Will it include an on/off switch?" Will asked. "There might be times when I want to short something out."
"Good point," Strange conceded. He thought a moment. "Has your costume changed much since I saw you last?"
"I consider it a uniform, but the answer's no."
"I could set the amulet into the slide of your bolo tie. It'll be easy to reach, and you can keep it in a pocket when you're in civvies."
"That would work," Will agreed. "Would it be set to voice or touch?"
"I can do both."
"That might be best. In a combat situation, or an undercover one, I might not always have a hand free."
"What do you want the trigger word to be?"
"It should be something I can remember easily," Will said to himself. "Got it. Cealgair."
"Say again?" Rogue asked.
"It's Gaelic for 'rogue'."
"Oh, that's nice," she said affectionately.
"It's also practical. If I'm not able to trigger it, then you'll remember the word." He held out a hand, and one of his bolo ties appeared in his palm. "Here's a model to work from," he told Strange as he handed it to him.
"I'll have both items ready for you in a few days."
"Just give me a call when they're ready," Will said as he stood up. "We've got things to do," he reminded Rogue. "You ready to go?"
"All set, she replied, standing next to him. "See you soon, Stephen."
They spent just over an hour at a bookstore, then had a nice, quiet dinner at Harry's, where they nibbled on fajitas and smothered chicken. Harry came by at one point to see if they needed anything.
Rogue glanced at their depleted pitcher of Coke. "A refill?"
"No problem. We don't see you around as often as we used to."
"That's probably my fault," Will confessed.
Harry looked closely at him. "You've been here before, haven't you?"
"A while back. I've been traveling a lot, and finally got a chance to settle down for a while."
"Planning on sticking around?"
He looked at Rogue. "For the long haul."
Rogue smiled at that. "I guess introductions are in order. Harry, meet my boyfriend, Will Riley."
The two men shook hands firmly. "You work at Xavier's?"
"That's right."
"Want me to set up the usual tab for you?"
"Harry made arrangements with the Institute years ago," Rogue explained upon seeing Will's puzzled look. "We each have a tab that we pay off every month."
"That'll work, I suppose. Thanks for offering."
"No problem. I'll be right back with that Coke."
"That was nice of him," Will commented as Harry walked off.
"That was a smart business move, is what that was. Do you have any idea how much we owe him every month?"
"Everybody comes out ahead. I can live with that."
They returned to the Mansion just before nine. "What are we scheduled for tomorrow?" Will asked.
Rogue called up the next day's duty schedule on her computer. "I have lunch duty, and you have rifle practice with Bish at ten."
"Light day."
"I won't complain." She stood up. "Think I'll hit the shower before bed. I want to try that new setup you installed."
"Okay. I'll be reading. I'll wrap up tonight, so don't worry about that."
She nodded, then removed her shoes and tossed them inside her closet. She undressed in the bathroom, tossed her dirty clothes down the laundry chute, then stepped into the shower.
Will had installed a series of showerheads, which could deliver anything from a soft waterfall to a pulsing massage spray. She shampooed, then relaxed under a steady, gentle cascade of water that would have been unbearably hot to anyone else.
After grabbing a towel off the warming rack (a luxury she vowed never to do without again), she dried off and styled her hair. Walking back into the bedroom, she looked at Will as she rummaged through her dresser drawers. "Any suggestions on what to wear to bed?"
"Whatever you're comfortable with."
She decided on a pair of light cotton sweatpants and a turtleneck, slipping into them while Will put on his mask and a pair of black cotton gloves. "You wearing socks?" she asked.
"Yep. Pink ones. With puppies on them."
"You wear those with the Hello Kitty boxers, right?"
"Of course."
"Where's Smoke?"
"In my easy chair."
She slid into bed and burrowed her head into his shoulder. "Good. I want you all to myself tonight." She glanced at his gloves. "Where'd you get those?"
"Skin care catalog. You wear them when you've put on ointment and you want to let it sink in during the night."
She nodded. "Will?"
"Hmm?"
"You tired?"
"Not really. You have a plan?"
"You could say that." She kissed him on the cheek. "Turn over." Once he did so, she straddled him and started giving him a backrub. "I noticed you were a little stiff after the training session."
"Nothing too bad. I just needed to do a few stretches, that's all."
"Are you always stiff? I don't think I've seen you get up without wincing yet."
"Hank told me that I have the tightest tendons he's ever seen. It doesn't really affect my mobility, but it does get uncomfortable sometimes."
"Massage therapy should loosen them up. It'll give me a chance to get my hands on you every night, too."
"Something for everybody."
After a few minutes of kneading his back, she slapped him on the rear. "Turn over."
A moment later, Rogue eeped and giggled as Will rolled to the side, tipping her over onto the other side of the bed. "I meant flip yourself over."
"Oops. My mistake." He leaned forward and kissed her. "Any bruises?"
"I'm not sure. You'd better check."
"Yes, Ma'am."
He ran his hands lightly over her face, kissing everyplace he could reach. Sliding one hand down her side, he reached the hem of her shirt. He looked at her for permission, and she nodded with a smile, arching her back as he lifted the turtleneck off her.
Once he made sure that she was comfortably settled on the bed, he made some light passes over her ribs and sides, moving his hands towards her abdomen, then back towards her chest.
After several of these passes, her breaths became heavier and more rapid. "Mmmm... Will?"
"Yes, love?"
"Kiss me. Right now." He obliged, and she wrapped her arms around him, gasping as his hand traced its way over one breast.
"Close your eyes," he instructed her as he drew back from her embrace. She did so, lying back on a pillow.
She felt his hands slide down again, towards her hips. Two fingers slipped under the waistband of her sweatpants, then paused.
"You're okay with this?" he asked.
"I'll be very upset with you if you stop."
He slid them down, stroking her legs as he did so, and pulled them off her. As he moved back up, he let his fingertips caress her inner thighs.
She moaned and let her head loll to the side. "Yesss..."
His hands reached her waist again, and he moved so that he was looking into her eyes. "You sure about this?" he whispered to her, as one hand trailed along her abdominal muscles.
She nodded. "Please..."
A few seconds later, she buried her face in a pillow to stifle her gasp.
Will paused a moment. "Are you okay?"
She lifted the pillow off her head and looked at him with an expression that was more than a little wildly desperate. "I'm okay, I'm more than okay, I'm flamin' fantastic, don't you dare stop!"
He blinked. Okay, this is a new side to her. "Wouldn't think of it." The alternative would be somewhat frightening. He shifted his hand slightly, eliciting another gasp from her.
After a while, Rogue was practically writhing off the bed. Her eyes were heavy and lidded, and the expression on her face could only be described as wanton rapture. Her face and chest were flushed, and her breath came in short gasps.
Will stared at her, transfixed by this new, almost elemental side to her. While it was certainly arousing (and certain parts of his body would attest to that, under oath), he was primarily moved by the sheer beauty of the moment. Rogue had let go of her defenses and inhibitions. The result was a woman who allowed herself to be a woman, and to live in the moment. He realized that it was likely that no one had seen this facet of her being before, and felt profoundly fortunate that she trusted herself enough to reveal it to him.
Rogue, meanwhile, was lost in her own little world, drunk on sensation and ecstasy. She felt everything from her stomach down tighten as she approached resolution. She tried to tell him that she was close, but all she could get out was a whimper of pleasure.
She let out a low groan as fireworks exploded behind her closed eyelids, and her entire body seemed to tense for one long, breathless moment. After a few seconds, she slumped back against the bed as her bones turned to liquid.
Will sat there silently for a while, dumbstruck at what he had just seen. His wonder turned to panic a few seconds later, however, because Rogue started to cry. "I'm sorry," he babbled, "I didn't mean to hurt you, I'll go get help..."
She grabbed him before he could get off the bed. "No, I'm okay. You didn't hurt me." She smiled at him even as she continued to cry. "I just... it was all a bit too much to deal with, y'know?" She pulled him closer to her. "Just give me a few seconds to put it into words, okay?"
He nodded, still certain that he had done something wrong. "Okay."
She pulled him down beside her and embraced him. "I... I'd given up hope, a long time ago, that I'd ever feel anything like that with a man. What you just did for me... it was perfect, Will. Absolutely perfect. I was crying because for the first time in my life, I felt like a woman... not a little girl pretending to be one." She gave him a long, deep kiss. "God, I love you..."
She pulled the sheets back up, covering them both, then relaxed in his arms. "Let's get to sleep, lover. We have things to do tomorrow." She reached over and shut off her light, falling fast asleep.
She never noticed that he didn't say anything... or that the worried expression never left his face.
