Crossover: Evo/Gargoyles
.:Tiniest changes: This takes place directly after Hex Factor, and nothing after that has happened. I have no idea when it happens in Gargoyles. After Angela and Alex, before they move back to the castle. Also in Gargoyles, Puck can use small amounts of his power (i.e. teleporting in small ranges, floating). But other than that, I think it pretty much sticks to the plot:.
The subway train finally pulled to a stop, and Rogue was the second person off. Unfortunately for her, Pietro was the third. "Oh, what's the matter, Rogue? Am I annoying you?" he asked, keeping pace with her.
"Get lost!" she snapped at him.
"Rogue! Mr. Maximoff! Don't wander off!" their teacher, Mr. McGraw called to them. With a sigh, Rogue turned and headed back towards the group.
They, along with a number of other students, had been selected to go to New York on a field trip, where they would go to several museums and historical sights. All in all, it was a reason to get out of class, which was exactly why Rogue had attended in the first place.
Pietro was still prattling away next to her, and in desperation, Rogue looked around for the one person he refused to be annoying around. His sister.
Rogue found her standing apart from the group, staring around at the world. Lance and Kitty were off to one side, keeping an eye out for some sort of sudden attitude change. "Wanda!"
The other Goth's eyes shot over to the two who were approaching. "What do you want?" Rogue noticed with satisfaction that Pietro backed off a bit.
"Your brother is driving me to the brink of insanity," she replied, coming over to stand by the girl.
Pietro grinned cautiously as his sister's eyes fell on him. "Me? You're the one following me around! I swear, Wanda, she's got some sort of sick fascination with me."
"See what I mean?"
Wanda eyed the two, a flicker of something flashing briefly behind her eyes. "Why do I care?"
"You can make him shut up!"
Mr. McGraw was speaking again. "If you'll all follow me, we'll go to the hotel. Remember, you're all to stay in the waiting room while Mrs. Morris hands out room assignments. There will be absolutely NO switching. If I find someone in the wrong room, you are in big trouble." At that point, Rogue tuned him out and a moment later, they began walking up the street.
Night was falling. Rogue looked around the street they were on. Nothing much, just a few book and magic stores and a Gothic looking one that she'd have to check out later. The only thing that really stood out was the huge clock tower. A red sports car pulled up in front of it, and Rogue watched for a few seconds as a woman with black hair and red jacket got out, heading for the tower.
An instant later, she felt an arm wrap around her. She shoved it off, glaring over at Pietro. "Would you just leave me alone?" she demanded.
He grinned at her. "How 'bout no?"
§§§§§§
Rogue stared down at the piece of paper Mrs. Morris had handed her. It declared that her room was number 302, and that she was sharing with Wanda Maximoff. And, because life hated her so much, Pietro was right next-door. And he was sharing with Evan. She sighed to herself. "Looks like I'm not getting any sleep this trip."
She headed upstairs into the room. It was your typical hotel room; two beds, a small bathroom, a TV, and a large window that faced the clock tower. A moment later, Wanda appeared behind her. After the other girl finished inspecting the room, she shoved her bag under the bed and sat down on it, facing the wall.
Rogue put her own things away, glanced at her roommate and sighed. "Interesting wall, isn't it? Seems very conversational." She watched as Wanda's shoulders tensed. "Bet it'd win in a staring contest, huh?"
Wanda turned to fix her with a glare. "Look. We have to share this room. I get that. So how about you leave me alone, and I won't kill you?" She turned around again.
Rogue shrugged. "Or not."
Light clapping sounded from the doorway connecting their room and number 304. Pietro was leaning on the doorjamb. "My little girl's all grown up and annoying people on her own." He wiped a mock tear from his eye. "I'm so proud."
"Shut up, Pietro!" both girls snapped. Wanda gestured, and the door slammed shut in his face.
Rogue looked over at her again. "Well, it looks like we've got something in common. Pietro drives us nuts. And then there's the whole Goth thing." She sighed. "Look, I know you've had a pretty rough life. So have I. So let's try to make the best of this stupid trip and have a little fun, okay?" Wanda looked at her, unspeaking. Finally, Rogue turned away.
"I've been to New York before," Wanda told her. "Nothing even remotely interesting happens here. I doubt it's even possible to have fun."
Rogue grinned over at her and sat down on her bed so that they were facing. "Actually, I've heard rumors of monsters with wings around here somewhere. I'm thinking they're mutants, and if they're friendly, maybe we can get them to take us flying. You have no idea how fun it is."
Wanda blinked. "You can fly?"
"No, not me. I absorb people's powers. But once, I took Magneto's, and we got into this whole fight above the city." She didn't react as the mirror shattered at the man's name. "Only, halfway through, his powers gave out on me, and I fell. So this guy, Warren, saved me. He's got angel wings, and it's the biggest rush."
The girl looked at her with a hesitant and confused expression on her face. "You... fought him?"
Rogue nodded. "Yeah. We don't like him any more than you do." She paused. "Look... I know what he did to you. And I know how that must have felt... My dad kicked me out when I was a kid, too. And I just want you to know that Pietro didn't have anything to do with it. He didn't want Magneto to leave you there, and he tried to get you back for a long time afterwards. But you have to understand, Wanda, that you were dangerous. You were hurting yourself, as well as the others around you." There was a moment of silence. "Anyway, Mr. McGraw said we can go out, as long as we're back in by midnight. Wanna go shopping or something?"
Wanda eyed her cautiously for a moment before responding. "Okay."
§§§§§§
An hour later, they had completely exhausted all of the stores immediately outside of their hotel. Wanda had gotten a pair of punk fingerless biker gloves that set off her outfit, and Rogue got a few books. They both got matching journals that had a faerie on the front of the small black books. Walking together down the street had earned them several strange looks from other people.
"So, do we head back, or use the," Rogue checked her watch, "next hour we have left?"
Wanda snorted. "Stay out, definitely. Anything's better than sitting and twiddling our thumbs."
"I agree completely. What do you wanna do?"
"How about we go up that clock tower?" Pietro asked as he appeared between the two, an arm wrapped lightly around each. "I've been looking for someone to go have some fun with." Wanda glared at him, and he let them go. "Oh, c'mon, Sis. You know you're dying to do something we're not supposed to."
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Yeah, genius, and you think we're just gonna be able to walk in there?"
Pietro shrugged. "So, you pick the lock, Wanda'll help us get over whatever we need to, and I'll be your protector."
A satisfied smirk slid over the X-man's face. "So basically, you want to go up there, but you can't do it alone. C'mon, Pietro, say it. You can do it."
He scowled at her. "I need your help." The words were forced, and his face looked as if he'd just said something horrible.
Something flashed through Wanda's eyes. "Let's do it. C'mon, Rogue, we can always leave him up there after."
Any and all protests died at the suggestion. "Okay."
The three walked to the base of the building, and Pietro lead them to a door. Rogue sighed as he looked at her expectantly. "I knew I never should've told you I could do this," she mumbled as she knelt down. Pulling a pick from her sock, she inserted it into the lock. A moment later, there was a click, and she turned the knob. The door swung open easily, and she frowned. "Someone's been using this a lot recently."
Pietro shrugged. "Whatever. They probably needed to fix it up a lot. C'mon, let's go upstairs."
They started up the staircase that went around the edge of the building. Pietro would run up several flights, turn around, and come back for them. Finally, he asked, "Could I just carry you guys up? It'd be much faster."
The two girls exchanged a look. Finally, Wanda nodded. "Take Rogue first, though."
Her brother grinned, and before she knew it, Rogue was at the top of the stairs and the boy was gone. She shrugged and tried the door in front of her. It was locked, so she fiddled with it for a moment. It was a little harder, which puzzled her. Usually people put the stronger locks on the downstairs.
Pietro and Wanda showed, and the three entered the room. Another set of stairs went up to the face of the clock, allowing access to the outside. The odd thing was how lived-in the place looked. There were several couches and chairs, and a TV sat in one corner. Besides that, there was a refrigerator, stove, and microwave off to one side, along with several empty pizza boxes.
"This is weird," Wanda mumbled. "Who the heck would have all this stuff and live in a clock tower?"
Pietro frowned. "Let's check up there," he said, gesturing up the stairs. Exchanging a glance, the two girls followed him up. He disappeared behind the face and didn't come back. Cautiously, Rogue went through the small door that led to the outside. Piercing cold winds ripped through her, sending a shiver down her spine. Pietro was nowhere to be seen. She glanced over at Wanda.
"Pietro?" the Goth called. "Where the heck did you go?" A low growl came from the shadows off to the side, and Rogue rolled her eyes.
"Pietro, knock it off. I swear, you're such an idiot." She glanced over at Wanda, whose entire body had tensed at the sound. "Pietro!"
A set of glowing eyes appeared over where the growl had come from. They were low to the ground, and there was no way they could belong to something human. Unknowingly, Rogue stepped slightly in front of the other girl.
"All right, let's see ya," she said. The eyes blinked but remained still. Rogue sighed. "Fine, if you won't come to us, we'll go to you." She stepped forward, letting her eyes adjust to the poor lighting. Someone grabbed her arm.
"What are you doing here?" a female voice demanded. It belonged to the woman Rogue had seen getting out of her car earlier.
"What are you doing here?" Wanda countered, eyes darting in every direction. An uneasy feeling settled into Rogue's stomach. She had no idea how the other girl was going to react to this kind of situation.
Trying to make peace, she said, "Look, we're looking for a friend of mine. He disappeared up here a minute ago, and we can't seem to find him."
The lady narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"
Rogue lightly tugged her hand, trying unsuccessfully to pull out of the woman's grasp. She made a rushed decision. "Rogue. That's the Scarlet Witch." Wanda frowned, but said nothing.
The woman rolled her eyes and let go of the teenager. "Right. Get out of here, kid. This isn't the place for some gang initiation."
"Are you slow or something? I told you, we're looking for someone."
"And I told you to get out of here."
"Screw you."
"Look, kid, this isn't the kind of place you want to--" she froze, looking at something over Rogue's shoulder. Wanda gasped. Rogue groaned.
"I knew this was a bad idea." With a soft sigh, she turned and came face to face with what could only be described as a gargoyle. It was red, and its eyes glowed a greenish color. She nodded. "Hey. So the rumors are true, huh? I knew there were mutants in New York."
Wanda was starting to freak out again. She was backed against the wall, hands raised protectively in front of her. "How? There can't be this many mutants that look so alike," she said, eyes still darting.
"What are you--" Rogue stopped, looking around. There were seven of them. They all looked roughly similar, except for one that was more dog-like. She whistled slightly. "Would you look at that."
An instant later, Pietro was thrown into the center of the circle formed by the creatures. "I tried to warn you," he quickly said. "You okay, Wanda? Look, you all better back off, before she really freaks out."
The woman stepped in. "Okay, let's everybody just calm down. Nobody's gonna get hurt. You were somewhere you shouldn't have been, and now you've got to deal with what's come of it."
Rogue pulled off her gloves and dropped them to the ground. "You're right, nobody's got to get hurt. So I suggest you do as Quicksilver said and back off."
The oldest-looking of the mutants snorted. "Quicksilver? And y' thought our names were bad," he said in an Irish accent.
"I'm pretty sure they're code names," the woman replied. "The short-haired girl's Wanda or the Scarlet Witch." Rogue frowned. The woman obviously knew who these mutants were.
The largest of them stepped forward, but before he could say anything, Wanda panicked and, with a gesture, mentally threw him off of the building. Pietro darted to her side, yanking Rogue along with him. They went back- to-back, taking defensive positions.
However, the wings obviously weren't just for show, and an instant later, it was back. "How did you do that?" the obviously male creature asked.
Pietro smirked at him. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
With a sigh, the woman pulled a gun. Pointing it directly at Rogue's head, she said, "I really didn't want it to come to this, but you'd better back down. And I mean now."
Pietro reacted, and five seconds later, the gun was out of her hand and into his. He emptied it and pushed it into his back pocket. "And what if we don't?"
Her eyes widened. "How'd you do that?" she demanded.
Rogue glanced over at Wanda, who looked like she was going to start acting any second. There were already several loose rocks and bricks floating near her feet. One of the other gargoyles, the most feminine of the group, seemed to notice, too.
"Look," she said, stepping forward slowly with both hands spread, "we don't want to get into a fight with you. Obviously there's something going on here that we're not getting, and that's not the best way to go into a fight. So why don't we all go inside and talk?" She waited for a second before entering the building. The dog-creature followed her, still growling.
After a moment's consideration, the human woman followed, and so did two more of the gargoyles, leaving only the red one, the old one, and the one who had been pushed off of the building with the three teenagers. "What do you think?" Pietro asked, never looking away from the creatures.
Rogue frowned. "We have to do something. I say we go for it. Just watch them. I'll go first." Slowly, she moved toward the door. After a quick roll call, she was satisfied they were all below. "C'mon, Wanda."
"I'm not two," the girl snapped. "I know how to go inside on my own."
"Right, whatever." Pietro followed, and so did the other three. Once inside, the two groups separated onto either side of the floor. There was an uneasy silence, which was finally broken by the largest.
"I feel you owe us an explanation," he said, voice deep. "You have invaded our home."
"Yeah," the human woman said, "and you tried to throw him off the roof."
Rogue glared at her. "And I feel we owe you nothing. You pulled a gun on me! How lame is that?"
The woman frowned back at her. "Look, kid, you're in enough trouble as it is, so I suggest you shut up before you get in over your head."
"Yeah? Why don't you come over here and say that, you--"
Pietro tugged his sleeve down and placed a hand over her mouth. She glared up at him. "Calm down. Look, obviously something's going on here. And we did invade their home."
"But," the smallest green one said, "she's right, we did threaten you."
"Right. So now that we've covered all of that," Pietro said, slowly removing his hand from Rogue, "let's move on. Who are you guys? Are you mutants?"
"Mutants?" one of them echoed. He was fatter than the others and a dull greenish blue color.
The short one from before nodded. "I've heard of them. Supposedly, they're humans with special powers. The next step in evolution, I guess."
The one who Wanda had attacked and seemed to be the leader replied, "No. We're gargoyles."
Rogue's eyes widened. "Right. You're the ones everyone's been making such a fuss over. My friends keep talking about you. I just assumed you were mutants."
"Well, we're not," the girl replied. "But I take it you are?"
Pietro frowned but nodded. "Yeah, that's a fair assumption."
"What can you do?" the little green one asked, leaning forward eagerly. "I mean, what're your mutant abilities?"
Pietro grinned at him. "I repeat, wouldn't you like to know?"
The girl-ish gargoyle rolled her eyes. "Well, obviously his is something to do with speed. You saw the way he moved up the stairs before, and how he took the gun from Elisa. And the quiet, angry one," she gestured to Wanda, "has some way of moving people without touching them."
"Telekinesis!" the green one exclaimed. "How cool!"
"And what about you, Stripes?" the red one asked. "What do you do?"
She smirked at him. "I give sarcastic replies."
"Uh," the big green one said, "not to interrupt, but could we do some sort of name game here?"
Rogue crossed her arms. "We've told you who we are."
The human woman snorted. "No, you've given us some lame code names."
"Pietro."
"Excuse me?"
"That's my name. Pietro. And that's my sister, Wanda."
She nodded. "Elisa Maza."
The little green one said, "I'm Lexington. Lex for short."
"Angela," the girl added.
"Call me Broadway," the bigger green one said.
The older Irish one rolled his eyes and mumbled something before saying, "Hudson."
"I'm Brooklyn," the red one said, eyeing the three untrustingly.
"They call me Goliath," said the last, and Rogue burst out laughing. He frowned. "What?"
"Oh, my gosh! Did you hear yourself? 'They call me Goliath.' I swear, you make your name sound like it's the most important thing ever! Geez, this is like a scene out of Ninja Turtles 2!" she said between laughter.
Elisa lifted an eyebrow. "Strange kid."
After she settled down, Rogue asked, "Who's the dog? He talk?"
"Oh, that's Bronx," Lex replied. "And no, he doesn't."
"So who are you?" Angela asked.
She shrugged. "Rogue."
Brooklyn rolled his eyes, and his tail thrashed angrily. "What's your real name?"
"I don't have one," she replied, glaring at him. "I'm the Rogue."
"How can you not have a name?" Angela asked. Rogue and Wanda almost gagged at the sympathy in her voice.
Rogue gave her a look. "You're weird. So, what, are you dating Mr. High- and-Mighty over here?" she asked, jerking her thumb in Goliath's direction.
The girl blanched. "He's my father."
"That explains it," Pietro said.
"So, why are you here, again?" Brooklyn asked, irritation evident in his voice.
Pietro shrugged. "I was bored. We came to check out the clock."
"How'd you get in?" Hudson asked, frowning. "We've got it locked."
"We're mutants," Wanda replied.
Elisa glanced at her. "Oh, so you do talk."
Wanda glared back and replied, "Yeah, I talk. I also get angry, so watch yourself."
Pietro shuddered. "Believe me when I tell you you do not want to be on her bad side. It's not pretty." Wanda glared at him.
Elisa checked her watch and frowned. "Guys, I've got to run. Can you handle these kids on your own?"
Goliath nodded. "I think we'll be all right."
She turned to Pietro. "Gun, please."
He reluctantly handed it over. "Like you should have a gun anyway."
"I'm a cop, kid. We're supposed to have guns."
He shook his head. "Man, they're just giving anyone a uniform these days."
Before Elisa could respond, Lex stepped in. "C'mon, I'll walk you downstairs." He gently tugged her arm and led her away from the others.
"Speaking of leaving," Brooklyn called over, "don't you three have somewhere to go?"
Rogue's eyes widened as she checked her watch. "Oh, man," she mumbled, smacking her forehead. "Guys, we were supposed to be back forty-five minutes ago. Mr. McGraw's gonna kill us."
"Where are you staying?" Angela asked. They told her and she said, "We could probably glide you over there. You could sneak in."
Pietro frowned. "That might work... But how do we know you aren't going to just drop us out of the sky?"
"You don't," she replied calmly. "But if we're going to trust you not to tell anyone where we are, you're going to have to trust us not to kill you."
Slowly, Rogue nodded. "That sounds fair enough."
Pietro's frown didn't lift. "I still don't like it."
"If anything happens," Wanda told him, "I've got us covered. If anyone's going to kill you, it'll be me."
"Gee, thanks," he replied sarcastically. "So nice to know you care."
"So, who's taking them?" Angela asked, turning to her father.
Goliath frowned. "Brooklyn, Broadway, and," he hesitated, "you."
She grinned. "I call Wanda."
"I'll take the guy," Broadway added.
Brooklyn stood up. "Guess that means I'm stuck with you, Stripes."
She sighed. "Yippee. Give me a minute to find my gloves." She headed back up the stairs and into the night air. After five minutes of searching, she was still coming up empty. Finally, the others joined her.
"What's the big deal?" Angela asked. "We'll keep an eye out for them."
Rogue sighed. "I need my gloves."
"Didn't you bring another pair?" Pietro asked.
"Not here," she replied. "I've got some at the hotel, but when you fly, you kinda have to hold onto something."
Brooklyn glared at her, an offended look darkening his face. "And that's a problem?"
"It is for me," she snapped at him.
Lex had returned by then. "Why?"
She sighed. "My power. If I touch someone, I absorb their memories, powers, whatever. That's why I don't know my name. I don't have any control over it, and somehow my real identity got lost in everyone else's."
"That's terrible," Angela said. "To not know who you are?"
"Would you cut with the sympathy act?" Rogue snapped at her. "It's old."
Pietro sighed and pulled off his shirt. "Here. Wrap this around your hands. We'll get your gloves tomorrow."
Hudson frowned. "Come at night."
"Why?"
"Because," Brooklyn replied. "Ready? Good." He easily scooped Rogue into his arms and took off of the roof. Angela and Brooklyn followed suit.
"That was stupid," Rogue snapped at him. "You're lucky I didn't drain you."
He glanced down at her. "What window's yours?"
"Third floor, on the other side of the building. Second from the right."
He nodded and stopped at the window, standing on a small ledge. "Now the problem is getting you in. Is the window locked?"
Rogue was pressed tightly between him and the wall. "Wanda will have to open it. Back off a little, will you? You're too close to my face."
He shifted slightly. "Only so much I can do. Unless you'd like to fall."
Angela landed beside him, and Wanda used her powers to undo the lock. She slipped inside and paused. "Thanks," the mutant mumbled, glancing away.
Brooklyn lightly shoved Rogue inside as Angela took off to make room for Broadway and Pietro. "Bye," she called cheerfully over her shoulder. Brooklyn followed.
Broadway grinned. "Sorry about that. He's usually a lot friendlier. Bad night for him, I guess."
Pietro nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Thanks for the ride."
"No problem. See ya tomorrow night." The three teenagers watched him disappear into the night.
"Well," Wanda said dryly. "That was interesting."
§§§§§§
Rogue rolled over again and pulled her pillow tighter over her ears. It didn't help any to muffle the voices coming from the next room, which Pietro was sharing with Evan. Almost as soon as they arrived home, the shouting had started, and now, three hours later, it hadn't let up in the slightest. Wanda shifted in the bed next to her, and Rogue glanced over at her. "I think a bit of a room switch is in order."
She opened the door connecting their rooms to the joint bathroom and knocked sharply on the one to the boys' room. Evan opened it. "Get your pillow and get out," Rogue snapped at him. "You're sharing with Wanda tonight." She shoved past him, ignoring the half-dressed state the boys were in. "Pietro, get your butt in bed. I don't wanna hear another sound out of you for the rest of the night." She cut off any protest by shoving Evan's pillow into his hands and pushing him out of the room. She locked the door behind him and curled up in his bed.
Pietro grinned over at her but didn't say anything. He switched off the light and laid down, falling asleep within moments.
§§§§§§
The next morning, Pietro shook Rogue roughly awake. "Get up," he hissed. "McGraw's checking rooms. You have to get out. Now."
She slipped out of bed and quickly went back into her own room, shoving Evan into the bathroom. Almost as soon as she closed it, there was a knock on the door leading to the hall. She waited a moment before opening it, looking as half asleep as she felt.
"What?" she snapped at him. "It's too early to be coming into a teenage girl's room."
He smiled cheerfully at her. "Just checking to make sure everyone is in their proper rooms. Is Ms. Maximoff up yet?"
"No," Rogue replied, tugging the door closed more. "And you're not coming in here. There's no boys, so go away." She closed the door in his face and locked it. He must have been satisfied, because he didn't knock again. "Pervert."
Rogue yawned and curled up on top of her bed. A few moments later, the door between their rooms opened and Pietro came in. "Close one, huh?" he asked, sitting on the foot of her bed.
"Go 'way," she mumbled. "You're gonna wake up Wanda, and you do not want to deal with that girl when she's cranky first thing in the morning."
He grinned down at her. "Looking out for me? How sweet." A moment passed, the girl too tired to reply. He gently poked her side. "Where's my shirt?"
"Huh?"
"The shirt I gave you last night. What happened to it?"
She pressed her face into her pillow. "I'll find it later. I'm trying to sleep."
"You know as well as I do that if I go back to that room, neither you nor anyone else within two city blocks of here will get any sleep."
She moaned. "Fine. Just shut up and let me sleep." She moved over slightly to give him some room as he grinned again and lay down behind her, spooning her body. "Night."
"Night," he replied, slipping one arm around her waist.
§§§§§§
Rogue was woken again later that day by shouting. Evan had evidently gotten Scott and Jean to come yell for him, and the three were standing by the door to the room. She moaned slightly. "Life hates me."
"What the heck is going on here?" Scott demanded.
Rogue squinted up at him. "Whatever it is, it's not sleep. Why are you in my room?"
"Why is he in your room?" Jean countered, pointing an angry finger at Pietro, who was still curled up behind her. Rogue glanced over.
"He's sleeping. And you didn't answer my question."
Wanda was also awake. She looked over at Rogue. "Do you usually have so many guys in your room?" she asked, looking pointedly at Scott, Evan, and Pietro.
"Not since I joined the X-men," Rogue said behind a yawn. She turned her attention back to her teammates. "Look, I don't see what's the big deal. We're sleeping. That's it. I happen to like sleep. If he goes back in with Evan, there will be no sleep. And that is not a good thing. Now, if you'd all please leave, I'd like to continue sleeping."
Jean glanced over at Pietro again. "Not unless he does."
Rogue groaned. "Get over it Jean. I used to live with him. This is not a big deal, trust me."
"Oh, really? If sleeping with the enemy isn't a big deal, what is?" Scott demanded.
"They're not the enemy, oh fearless leader. They're kids who are trying to survive a high school field trip. And Evan, you weren't complaining last night when you slept in here with Wanda. Now, get out before I make you get out."
Evan snorted. "Yeah? And how are you going to do that?"
Wanda glared at him. With a gesture, the three were in the hallway and the door had slammed behind them. "Night again, Rogue."
"Thanks. And good night."
§§§§§§
When the teens returned that evening from a tour of the Xanatos building, Rogue, Pietro, and Wanda met up in the girls' room to talk. "Do you think we should tell Lance or Scott or something?" Rogue asked.
Pietro frowned. "Nah. I mean, it's not like they're a danger to mankind or anything. They seemed pretty friendly to me."
Wanda raised an eyebrow at him. "How can you tell? I mean, that red one seemed to have a real attitude problem. What's to say he wouldn't take out his frustrations on the people who live in the city?"
"Yeah," Rogue replied. "But what do we do about it? I mean, they seem to be a pretty tight-knit group, and that cop isn't gonna do much to help us."
Pietro's frown deepened. "Well, I say we find out some more about them before we do anything. We could go back there tonight, and Rogue, maybe you could ditch the gloves for a while?" he asked.
She sighed. "I guess. I'm not thrilled at the idea, though."
Wanda nodded. "When do you want to leave?"
"Now," Pietro replied. "We can grab some food and then head over there. It'll be past sundown by then."
§§§§§§
When the trio arrived at the top of the clock tower, they were surprised and slightly pleased to note that only five of the gargoyles remained. Brooklyn, Angela, Lex, Hudson, and Bronx looked up at them as they entered.
"We couldn't find your gloves," Angela told them. "Sorry. They must've fallen or blown away or something."
Rogue shrugged. "I'll survive. Good thing I've got an extra pair, though."
Lex looked over at her, eagerness written all over his face. "Hey, I don't wanna bother you or anything, but do you think you'd mind telling me more about your mutant powers? I mean, this is all just so cool, and..."
Rogue stopped him with a wave of her hand. "What do you want to know?"
"Well, for starters, how long can you hold someone's powers and memories? Are there more like you? How did you three find each other? And how--"
Pietro smirked over at him. "Sounds like you want to know a lot. Mind if we sit down?"
The gargoyle nodded. "Please, go ahead. Sorry, I should've thought of that before."
"No big," Rogue replied. "To answer some of your questions, how long I keep powers depends on how long I'm in contact with the person. Memories don't fade, or at least they haven't yet. There are actually a lot of mutants. I live at an institute specially for them."
"But that's not how we met," Pietro cut in. "Originally, she lived with us, the Brotherhood of Mutants."
The two went on to tell the rest of their story, Wanda adding only towards the end with the information she knew. When they finished, Brooklyn was frowning at them. "Then why are you in New York?"
"Field trip with our school," Wanda replied. "They made a bunch of us come."
"But I thought you didn't live with her."
Rogue shook her head. "They don't. But we all go to the same school. It's public, not the Institute I live at. That's specially for mutants and learning how to handle our powers."
"If you ask me," Hudson called over, "it sounds like a crazy way to live."
Pietro frowned and muttered, "Good thing no one asked you." Rogue hit him.
"Looks like someone's whipped," Brooklyn said, smirking.
Rogue fixed him with a glare. "Do I have to hit you, too? Or is your girlfriend here gonna do it for me?"
Angela blushed. "I'm not his girlfriend, and I'm not gonna hit him. But be my guest," she said, smiling slightly.
Wanda sighed. "You guys are so immature."
Pietro gave her a look. "Wanda, we're kids. We're supposed to be immature. If you ask me--"
"Which no one did," Rogue cut in.
He ignored her and continued on, "You're the one who needs to become a little less mature. You are gonna have so many wrinkles..." He tutted at her.
Rogue snorted. "Pietro, beauty consultant. Yeah, right."
"Yeah, you wish Rogue. You could use some consulting."
"Watch it, Speedy," she snapped at him, "or the gloves come off."
"Oh, I'm so scared," he replied, grinning at her. She narrowed her eyes and, true to her word, pulled off one of her gloves. Pietro ducked behind Brooklyn as she reached for him. "You hafta catch me first."
Snarling slightly, she dove at him. He easily dodged her, but Brooklyn wasn't so lucky. Rogue's hand brushed his arm, and an instant later, he was unconscious and she was howling in pain on the floor as wings formed from her back. Instantly, the gargoyles were at their friend's side, while Pietro and his sister went to Rouge.
"Rogue? Are you okay?" Wanda asked as her brother pulled the girl into his arms. She was still whimpering, and he held her tightly. "What happened?"
"What do you think happened?" Pietro snapped. "She touched him!"
Anger flickered through Wanda's eyes and she snarled at him. "Watch it, or I'll throw you off the roof of this place. We'll see if your powers can help you while you're falling through the air."
Brooklyn was slowly coming around. "What happened?" he asked. Lex told him, and he looked over at Rogue. "Oh, boy. Goliath is not going to be happy. You okay, kid?" he said to Rogue.
She moaned slightly. "That hurt like crap."
"Well, you did just sprout wings," Angela told her, coming over. "Let me see your back." Pietro shifted his hold on the girl, and Angela gently ran a finger over the raw skin behind her ripped shirt. "That must've really hurt."
"No kidding," Rogue mumbled. "You can let me go now, Pietro."
He hesitated. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Pietro, just let the girl go," Wanda snapped at him. "You can hold her later." Glaring at his sister, he reluctantly released his hold on her.
Rogue moved to stand up and promptly fell over again. "Whoa. How do you guys stand with these things?"
Angela smiled kindly at her. "We're born with them. It seems odd to us that you can balance without them."
"It would," she replied, trying once again to stand, this time using Pietro for support, which he was happy to give.
"You sure you're okay?" Lex asked, frowning.
Brooklyn rolled his eyes, also standing. "Sure, just forget about me. I mean, I was only decked out by some weird girl's mutant powers or whatever." He looked her over. Besides the wings, her skin looked as if she had the beginnings of a sunburn. "No tail, huh?"
"Thank God," she replied, finally succeeding in getting her balance. "I don't even wanna think about how that might've felt." She looked over her shoulder at the wings protruding from her back and moved them experimentally. "It's weird. I feel like I've had them all my life, but I know I haven't."
"Isn't that what it's usually like?" Pietro asked, a frown set on his face.
"Well, yeah," she replied, looking over at him. "But usually I don't grow an extra body part. This is odd." Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she looked over at Angela, excitement written on every feature of her face. "Can we go gliding? Please?"
Hudson frowned. "I dunno, lass. You're new to havin wings an all--" Rogue interrupted him.
"But I have all of Brooklyn's memories. I remember learning how to fly, and I know I could do it."
Wanda looked over at her brother. He had a slightly panicked look on his face when she asked about flying. She couldn't help but smirk. "I could watch from out there," the girl said, gesturing up to the face of the clock. "And you could go with her in case anything went wrong."
Pietro sent a glare over at his sister. "No way. It could be dangerous." Rogue gave him a weird look and he quickly added, "You know the boys would kill me if anything happened to you, not to mention the X-Geeks."
Rogue smiled over at him. "Relax. I'll be fine. Promise."
It took a lot of convincing, but finally Rogue had her way. Adrenaline pounded through her as she stood on the ledge of the outer portion of the tower. She took a deep breath and looked over at Angela. The female gargoyle was going to start off first, followed by Rogue, and then Brooklyn. Hudson, Lex, and Bronx were staying behind with the two Maximoffs.
Rogue looked back at her friend. "If all goes well, I promise to take you out with me," she said to the other girl.
Wanda nodded. "You'd better."
"I really don't think you should be doing this," Pietro said, trying one last time to get her to change her mind. "I mean, yeah, you've got his memories, but you've also got his memories on how to stand, but you couldn't do that very well, could you?"
Rogue sighed. "That's because he's got a tail and I don't. Pietro, I'm going, so get over it." She turned back to the city.
"Ready?" Angela asked, glancing at Brooklyn before turning her attention to Rogue. When the girl nodded, the gargoyle took off into the night air.
Taking a deep breath, Rogue followed, letting her wings catch her. She grinned happily as the wind rushed past her. Flying really was fun, especially if you didn't have to worry about chasing some psycho maniac around. Angela slowed to let her catch up, and then they waited for Brooklyn.
"How long do you think you have until my wings fade?" he asked.
She shrugged as best she could in midair. "I dunno. Just catch me if I fall."
He frowned. "That's not it, I--" She cut him off.
"Don't worry about it. We can figure that stuff out later. For now, I just wanna have some fun." Grinning, she dove a few feet and spiraled through the air before catching an updraft. "Wanda's gonna go nuts when we take her out."
§§§§§§
Wanda was highly amused.
A few minutes after the two gargoyles had taken off with Rogue, Pietro had begun pacing, and now, ten minutes later, he was beginning to talk to himself, too. She suppressed a smile as she watched her brother having an animate conversation with no one.
"I mean, it's not like she's had wings all her life. I swear, that girl's gonna kill herself and take me along for the ride," he said quickly. The rest of it trailed off as he turned and walked away from her.
"Is he always like this?" Hudson asked her.
She shook her head. "Not usually. He's got a thing for Rogue, even though I'm pretty sure he doesn't know it yet. Usually he's just annoying." She glanced out at the night sky. "They're okay, right? I mean, Angela wouldn't let anything happen to her, right?"
Lex nodded. "They're fine. If her wings do give way, I'm sure one of them will catch her," he said, trying to sound reassuring.
Wanda nodded. "Right. I figured." There was an uneasy silence that was only broken by Pietro's rambling on to himself, and she sighed. That boy was going to drive himself crazy. Not that that was a bad thing, mind. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and marched over to her brother. Grabbing him firmly by the shoulders, she said, "Pietro, the kid is fine, but if you don't stop pacing, I'm gonna throw you off this roof, and make sure they don't catch you."
He frowned slightly, but managed to stop walking. "Right. I'm good."
Wanda let go of him, and a few minutes later, they heard someone land outside. Pietro was gone instantly, leaving her and the other three gargoyles to follow at a slower pace. When they got up there, they were surprised to note that all the gargoyles had returned, not just Brooklyn and Angela with Rogue.
The girl's eyes were dancing, giving her an extremely un-gothic look. "Wanda, you have got to try that!" she exclaimed.
She frowned. "Thanks, I'm good. Not much of one for flying. Besides, Angela took me home yesterday, so I've already tried it." She realized her mistake an instant too late as Pietro pounced on her.
"Aw, what's the matter, Sis, still afraid of heights?" he asked, smirking at her.
She glared at him, and gestured slightly with her hand. Pietro suddenly found himself at the edge of the tower. She smiled sweetly at him. "You were saying?"
"Uh... Nothing," he replied. "Nothing at all."
She smiled slightly to herself. Wanda was highly amused.
§§§§§§
Rogue gently rubbed her temples as she stared out into the night sky. The sun would be rising soon, and the effects of her contact with Brooklyn still hadn't worn off. The gargoyles were all nervous about what would happen when day fell and they turned to stone. If Rogue did as well, she might be a statue forever. Pietro frowned as he watched her from where he stood against the wall. The two were only just becoming friends again, and he wasn't sure what he'd do if she... well... died.
A noise behind him signaled the arrival of another. He looked up to see Goliath standing next to him, gaze directed towards the mutant girl. "She means much to you."
"We're friends."
A hint of a smile crossed the gargoyle's face. "Of course." A silence fell between the two. "How long does she usually keep the... effects of her power?"
Pietro shook his head. "It depends. She only touched him for a moment, but I've never seen how long it lasts on anyone but mutants. It should have worn off by now."
Goliath sighed. "Then come. I know someone... A magician of sorts. He is unable to use his powers but when he is training his pupil, but perhaps we can work something out."
The mutant glanced up at him. "You really think he can do something?"
"I can only hope."
§§§§§§
Goliath and Rogue landed in the castle's courtyard, closely followed by Brooklyn and Broadway, who carried Pietro and Wanda. The clan's leader glanced at the shadows. "Xanatos."
"Good evening, Goliath," a man said as he stepped from the shadows. "What brings you here?" His eyes fell on Rogue. "New clan member?"
"We require your assistance," Goliath replied. He quickly explained the situation, and Xanatos smiled calmly back at him.
"Well, Miss Rogue. If you'd follow me, I'll bring you to Owen." He turned and walked down a staircase. Rogue glanced at the others, then shrugged and followed. He led her through several hallways and then into a large office. "If you'd just wait here, I'll be with you in a moment."
He disappeared, and Rogue glanced at the others, who had come with her. Pietro was zipping around the room, looking at everything, while Wanda glared from a corner. "Xanatos. We toured this building."
Rogue shrugged, a half smirk on her face. "Who would've thought such a successful guy had these kind of connections?"
"Of course," Pietro said, coming to a halt beside her. "Behind every successful man is an intelligent mutant."
"Mutant, no," a strange faerie-like man said as he appeared. "But Puck, yes. What can I do for you?"
Rogue blinked at his sudden appearance, but after living with Nightcrawler, she wasn't very surprised. "I need you to help me get rid of Brooklyn."
The silver-haired man smiled cunningly over at the gargoyle. "Troubling you, is he? Yet I wonder how you managed to get Goliath to go along with this."
Pietro sighed impatiently. "Look," he snapped, mutant power becoming evident in his speech, "we need you make his absorption wear of quicker so that she won't turn into a statue at sunrise."
Puck smirked at him. "My, aren't we anxious." He grinned at them. "Sorry, can't help."
"Please?" Rogue said, gritting her teeth. "I don't think I'd survive through the day."
He laughed. "I'm sure you won't. But I'm afraid I'm on a certain power- restriction. You see, I can only use mine to train his," he said, gesturing to the picture of a small child sitting on the desk in the room. "It's out of my hands. So sorry."
The window shattered as Wanda stepped up to him. "Then consider Rogue your next lesson."
His eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me?"
"That wasn't a threat. This is a threat. If she dies, so do you."
"And just how do you intend to kill me?"
She glanced at the window. "You can't use your powers to defend yourself. Let's just say, I don't have that problem."
He glared at her. "I'll see what I can do." With that, he disappeared.
.:Tiniest changes: This takes place directly after Hex Factor, and nothing after that has happened. I have no idea when it happens in Gargoyles. After Angela and Alex, before they move back to the castle. Also in Gargoyles, Puck can use small amounts of his power (i.e. teleporting in small ranges, floating). But other than that, I think it pretty much sticks to the plot:.
The subway train finally pulled to a stop, and Rogue was the second person off. Unfortunately for her, Pietro was the third. "Oh, what's the matter, Rogue? Am I annoying you?" he asked, keeping pace with her.
"Get lost!" she snapped at him.
"Rogue! Mr. Maximoff! Don't wander off!" their teacher, Mr. McGraw called to them. With a sigh, Rogue turned and headed back towards the group.
They, along with a number of other students, had been selected to go to New York on a field trip, where they would go to several museums and historical sights. All in all, it was a reason to get out of class, which was exactly why Rogue had attended in the first place.
Pietro was still prattling away next to her, and in desperation, Rogue looked around for the one person he refused to be annoying around. His sister.
Rogue found her standing apart from the group, staring around at the world. Lance and Kitty were off to one side, keeping an eye out for some sort of sudden attitude change. "Wanda!"
The other Goth's eyes shot over to the two who were approaching. "What do you want?" Rogue noticed with satisfaction that Pietro backed off a bit.
"Your brother is driving me to the brink of insanity," she replied, coming over to stand by the girl.
Pietro grinned cautiously as his sister's eyes fell on him. "Me? You're the one following me around! I swear, Wanda, she's got some sort of sick fascination with me."
"See what I mean?"
Wanda eyed the two, a flicker of something flashing briefly behind her eyes. "Why do I care?"
"You can make him shut up!"
Mr. McGraw was speaking again. "If you'll all follow me, we'll go to the hotel. Remember, you're all to stay in the waiting room while Mrs. Morris hands out room assignments. There will be absolutely NO switching. If I find someone in the wrong room, you are in big trouble." At that point, Rogue tuned him out and a moment later, they began walking up the street.
Night was falling. Rogue looked around the street they were on. Nothing much, just a few book and magic stores and a Gothic looking one that she'd have to check out later. The only thing that really stood out was the huge clock tower. A red sports car pulled up in front of it, and Rogue watched for a few seconds as a woman with black hair and red jacket got out, heading for the tower.
An instant later, she felt an arm wrap around her. She shoved it off, glaring over at Pietro. "Would you just leave me alone?" she demanded.
He grinned at her. "How 'bout no?"
§§§§§§
Rogue stared down at the piece of paper Mrs. Morris had handed her. It declared that her room was number 302, and that she was sharing with Wanda Maximoff. And, because life hated her so much, Pietro was right next-door. And he was sharing with Evan. She sighed to herself. "Looks like I'm not getting any sleep this trip."
She headed upstairs into the room. It was your typical hotel room; two beds, a small bathroom, a TV, and a large window that faced the clock tower. A moment later, Wanda appeared behind her. After the other girl finished inspecting the room, she shoved her bag under the bed and sat down on it, facing the wall.
Rogue put her own things away, glanced at her roommate and sighed. "Interesting wall, isn't it? Seems very conversational." She watched as Wanda's shoulders tensed. "Bet it'd win in a staring contest, huh?"
Wanda turned to fix her with a glare. "Look. We have to share this room. I get that. So how about you leave me alone, and I won't kill you?" She turned around again.
Rogue shrugged. "Or not."
Light clapping sounded from the doorway connecting their room and number 304. Pietro was leaning on the doorjamb. "My little girl's all grown up and annoying people on her own." He wiped a mock tear from his eye. "I'm so proud."
"Shut up, Pietro!" both girls snapped. Wanda gestured, and the door slammed shut in his face.
Rogue looked over at her again. "Well, it looks like we've got something in common. Pietro drives us nuts. And then there's the whole Goth thing." She sighed. "Look, I know you've had a pretty rough life. So have I. So let's try to make the best of this stupid trip and have a little fun, okay?" Wanda looked at her, unspeaking. Finally, Rogue turned away.
"I've been to New York before," Wanda told her. "Nothing even remotely interesting happens here. I doubt it's even possible to have fun."
Rogue grinned over at her and sat down on her bed so that they were facing. "Actually, I've heard rumors of monsters with wings around here somewhere. I'm thinking they're mutants, and if they're friendly, maybe we can get them to take us flying. You have no idea how fun it is."
Wanda blinked. "You can fly?"
"No, not me. I absorb people's powers. But once, I took Magneto's, and we got into this whole fight above the city." She didn't react as the mirror shattered at the man's name. "Only, halfway through, his powers gave out on me, and I fell. So this guy, Warren, saved me. He's got angel wings, and it's the biggest rush."
The girl looked at her with a hesitant and confused expression on her face. "You... fought him?"
Rogue nodded. "Yeah. We don't like him any more than you do." She paused. "Look... I know what he did to you. And I know how that must have felt... My dad kicked me out when I was a kid, too. And I just want you to know that Pietro didn't have anything to do with it. He didn't want Magneto to leave you there, and he tried to get you back for a long time afterwards. But you have to understand, Wanda, that you were dangerous. You were hurting yourself, as well as the others around you." There was a moment of silence. "Anyway, Mr. McGraw said we can go out, as long as we're back in by midnight. Wanna go shopping or something?"
Wanda eyed her cautiously for a moment before responding. "Okay."
§§§§§§
An hour later, they had completely exhausted all of the stores immediately outside of their hotel. Wanda had gotten a pair of punk fingerless biker gloves that set off her outfit, and Rogue got a few books. They both got matching journals that had a faerie on the front of the small black books. Walking together down the street had earned them several strange looks from other people.
"So, do we head back, or use the," Rogue checked her watch, "next hour we have left?"
Wanda snorted. "Stay out, definitely. Anything's better than sitting and twiddling our thumbs."
"I agree completely. What do you wanna do?"
"How about we go up that clock tower?" Pietro asked as he appeared between the two, an arm wrapped lightly around each. "I've been looking for someone to go have some fun with." Wanda glared at him, and he let them go. "Oh, c'mon, Sis. You know you're dying to do something we're not supposed to."
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Yeah, genius, and you think we're just gonna be able to walk in there?"
Pietro shrugged. "So, you pick the lock, Wanda'll help us get over whatever we need to, and I'll be your protector."
A satisfied smirk slid over the X-man's face. "So basically, you want to go up there, but you can't do it alone. C'mon, Pietro, say it. You can do it."
He scowled at her. "I need your help." The words were forced, and his face looked as if he'd just said something horrible.
Something flashed through Wanda's eyes. "Let's do it. C'mon, Rogue, we can always leave him up there after."
Any and all protests died at the suggestion. "Okay."
The three walked to the base of the building, and Pietro lead them to a door. Rogue sighed as he looked at her expectantly. "I knew I never should've told you I could do this," she mumbled as she knelt down. Pulling a pick from her sock, she inserted it into the lock. A moment later, there was a click, and she turned the knob. The door swung open easily, and she frowned. "Someone's been using this a lot recently."
Pietro shrugged. "Whatever. They probably needed to fix it up a lot. C'mon, let's go upstairs."
They started up the staircase that went around the edge of the building. Pietro would run up several flights, turn around, and come back for them. Finally, he asked, "Could I just carry you guys up? It'd be much faster."
The two girls exchanged a look. Finally, Wanda nodded. "Take Rogue first, though."
Her brother grinned, and before she knew it, Rogue was at the top of the stairs and the boy was gone. She shrugged and tried the door in front of her. It was locked, so she fiddled with it for a moment. It was a little harder, which puzzled her. Usually people put the stronger locks on the downstairs.
Pietro and Wanda showed, and the three entered the room. Another set of stairs went up to the face of the clock, allowing access to the outside. The odd thing was how lived-in the place looked. There were several couches and chairs, and a TV sat in one corner. Besides that, there was a refrigerator, stove, and microwave off to one side, along with several empty pizza boxes.
"This is weird," Wanda mumbled. "Who the heck would have all this stuff and live in a clock tower?"
Pietro frowned. "Let's check up there," he said, gesturing up the stairs. Exchanging a glance, the two girls followed him up. He disappeared behind the face and didn't come back. Cautiously, Rogue went through the small door that led to the outside. Piercing cold winds ripped through her, sending a shiver down her spine. Pietro was nowhere to be seen. She glanced over at Wanda.
"Pietro?" the Goth called. "Where the heck did you go?" A low growl came from the shadows off to the side, and Rogue rolled her eyes.
"Pietro, knock it off. I swear, you're such an idiot." She glanced over at Wanda, whose entire body had tensed at the sound. "Pietro!"
A set of glowing eyes appeared over where the growl had come from. They were low to the ground, and there was no way they could belong to something human. Unknowingly, Rogue stepped slightly in front of the other girl.
"All right, let's see ya," she said. The eyes blinked but remained still. Rogue sighed. "Fine, if you won't come to us, we'll go to you." She stepped forward, letting her eyes adjust to the poor lighting. Someone grabbed her arm.
"What are you doing here?" a female voice demanded. It belonged to the woman Rogue had seen getting out of her car earlier.
"What are you doing here?" Wanda countered, eyes darting in every direction. An uneasy feeling settled into Rogue's stomach. She had no idea how the other girl was going to react to this kind of situation.
Trying to make peace, she said, "Look, we're looking for a friend of mine. He disappeared up here a minute ago, and we can't seem to find him."
The lady narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"
Rogue lightly tugged her hand, trying unsuccessfully to pull out of the woman's grasp. She made a rushed decision. "Rogue. That's the Scarlet Witch." Wanda frowned, but said nothing.
The woman rolled her eyes and let go of the teenager. "Right. Get out of here, kid. This isn't the place for some gang initiation."
"Are you slow or something? I told you, we're looking for someone."
"And I told you to get out of here."
"Screw you."
"Look, kid, this isn't the kind of place you want to--" she froze, looking at something over Rogue's shoulder. Wanda gasped. Rogue groaned.
"I knew this was a bad idea." With a soft sigh, she turned and came face to face with what could only be described as a gargoyle. It was red, and its eyes glowed a greenish color. She nodded. "Hey. So the rumors are true, huh? I knew there were mutants in New York."
Wanda was starting to freak out again. She was backed against the wall, hands raised protectively in front of her. "How? There can't be this many mutants that look so alike," she said, eyes still darting.
"What are you--" Rogue stopped, looking around. There were seven of them. They all looked roughly similar, except for one that was more dog-like. She whistled slightly. "Would you look at that."
An instant later, Pietro was thrown into the center of the circle formed by the creatures. "I tried to warn you," he quickly said. "You okay, Wanda? Look, you all better back off, before she really freaks out."
The woman stepped in. "Okay, let's everybody just calm down. Nobody's gonna get hurt. You were somewhere you shouldn't have been, and now you've got to deal with what's come of it."
Rogue pulled off her gloves and dropped them to the ground. "You're right, nobody's got to get hurt. So I suggest you do as Quicksilver said and back off."
The oldest-looking of the mutants snorted. "Quicksilver? And y' thought our names were bad," he said in an Irish accent.
"I'm pretty sure they're code names," the woman replied. "The short-haired girl's Wanda or the Scarlet Witch." Rogue frowned. The woman obviously knew who these mutants were.
The largest of them stepped forward, but before he could say anything, Wanda panicked and, with a gesture, mentally threw him off of the building. Pietro darted to her side, yanking Rogue along with him. They went back- to-back, taking defensive positions.
However, the wings obviously weren't just for show, and an instant later, it was back. "How did you do that?" the obviously male creature asked.
Pietro smirked at him. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
With a sigh, the woman pulled a gun. Pointing it directly at Rogue's head, she said, "I really didn't want it to come to this, but you'd better back down. And I mean now."
Pietro reacted, and five seconds later, the gun was out of her hand and into his. He emptied it and pushed it into his back pocket. "And what if we don't?"
Her eyes widened. "How'd you do that?" she demanded.
Rogue glanced over at Wanda, who looked like she was going to start acting any second. There were already several loose rocks and bricks floating near her feet. One of the other gargoyles, the most feminine of the group, seemed to notice, too.
"Look," she said, stepping forward slowly with both hands spread, "we don't want to get into a fight with you. Obviously there's something going on here that we're not getting, and that's not the best way to go into a fight. So why don't we all go inside and talk?" She waited for a second before entering the building. The dog-creature followed her, still growling.
After a moment's consideration, the human woman followed, and so did two more of the gargoyles, leaving only the red one, the old one, and the one who had been pushed off of the building with the three teenagers. "What do you think?" Pietro asked, never looking away from the creatures.
Rogue frowned. "We have to do something. I say we go for it. Just watch them. I'll go first." Slowly, she moved toward the door. After a quick roll call, she was satisfied they were all below. "C'mon, Wanda."
"I'm not two," the girl snapped. "I know how to go inside on my own."
"Right, whatever." Pietro followed, and so did the other three. Once inside, the two groups separated onto either side of the floor. There was an uneasy silence, which was finally broken by the largest.
"I feel you owe us an explanation," he said, voice deep. "You have invaded our home."
"Yeah," the human woman said, "and you tried to throw him off the roof."
Rogue glared at her. "And I feel we owe you nothing. You pulled a gun on me! How lame is that?"
The woman frowned back at her. "Look, kid, you're in enough trouble as it is, so I suggest you shut up before you get in over your head."
"Yeah? Why don't you come over here and say that, you--"
Pietro tugged his sleeve down and placed a hand over her mouth. She glared up at him. "Calm down. Look, obviously something's going on here. And we did invade their home."
"But," the smallest green one said, "she's right, we did threaten you."
"Right. So now that we've covered all of that," Pietro said, slowly removing his hand from Rogue, "let's move on. Who are you guys? Are you mutants?"
"Mutants?" one of them echoed. He was fatter than the others and a dull greenish blue color.
The short one from before nodded. "I've heard of them. Supposedly, they're humans with special powers. The next step in evolution, I guess."
The one who Wanda had attacked and seemed to be the leader replied, "No. We're gargoyles."
Rogue's eyes widened. "Right. You're the ones everyone's been making such a fuss over. My friends keep talking about you. I just assumed you were mutants."
"Well, we're not," the girl replied. "But I take it you are?"
Pietro frowned but nodded. "Yeah, that's a fair assumption."
"What can you do?" the little green one asked, leaning forward eagerly. "I mean, what're your mutant abilities?"
Pietro grinned at him. "I repeat, wouldn't you like to know?"
The girl-ish gargoyle rolled her eyes. "Well, obviously his is something to do with speed. You saw the way he moved up the stairs before, and how he took the gun from Elisa. And the quiet, angry one," she gestured to Wanda, "has some way of moving people without touching them."
"Telekinesis!" the green one exclaimed. "How cool!"
"And what about you, Stripes?" the red one asked. "What do you do?"
She smirked at him. "I give sarcastic replies."
"Uh," the big green one said, "not to interrupt, but could we do some sort of name game here?"
Rogue crossed her arms. "We've told you who we are."
The human woman snorted. "No, you've given us some lame code names."
"Pietro."
"Excuse me?"
"That's my name. Pietro. And that's my sister, Wanda."
She nodded. "Elisa Maza."
The little green one said, "I'm Lexington. Lex for short."
"Angela," the girl added.
"Call me Broadway," the bigger green one said.
The older Irish one rolled his eyes and mumbled something before saying, "Hudson."
"I'm Brooklyn," the red one said, eyeing the three untrustingly.
"They call me Goliath," said the last, and Rogue burst out laughing. He frowned. "What?"
"Oh, my gosh! Did you hear yourself? 'They call me Goliath.' I swear, you make your name sound like it's the most important thing ever! Geez, this is like a scene out of Ninja Turtles 2!" she said between laughter.
Elisa lifted an eyebrow. "Strange kid."
After she settled down, Rogue asked, "Who's the dog? He talk?"
"Oh, that's Bronx," Lex replied. "And no, he doesn't."
"So who are you?" Angela asked.
She shrugged. "Rogue."
Brooklyn rolled his eyes, and his tail thrashed angrily. "What's your real name?"
"I don't have one," she replied, glaring at him. "I'm the Rogue."
"How can you not have a name?" Angela asked. Rogue and Wanda almost gagged at the sympathy in her voice.
Rogue gave her a look. "You're weird. So, what, are you dating Mr. High- and-Mighty over here?" she asked, jerking her thumb in Goliath's direction.
The girl blanched. "He's my father."
"That explains it," Pietro said.
"So, why are you here, again?" Brooklyn asked, irritation evident in his voice.
Pietro shrugged. "I was bored. We came to check out the clock."
"How'd you get in?" Hudson asked, frowning. "We've got it locked."
"We're mutants," Wanda replied.
Elisa glanced at her. "Oh, so you do talk."
Wanda glared back and replied, "Yeah, I talk. I also get angry, so watch yourself."
Pietro shuddered. "Believe me when I tell you you do not want to be on her bad side. It's not pretty." Wanda glared at him.
Elisa checked her watch and frowned. "Guys, I've got to run. Can you handle these kids on your own?"
Goliath nodded. "I think we'll be all right."
She turned to Pietro. "Gun, please."
He reluctantly handed it over. "Like you should have a gun anyway."
"I'm a cop, kid. We're supposed to have guns."
He shook his head. "Man, they're just giving anyone a uniform these days."
Before Elisa could respond, Lex stepped in. "C'mon, I'll walk you downstairs." He gently tugged her arm and led her away from the others.
"Speaking of leaving," Brooklyn called over, "don't you three have somewhere to go?"
Rogue's eyes widened as she checked her watch. "Oh, man," she mumbled, smacking her forehead. "Guys, we were supposed to be back forty-five minutes ago. Mr. McGraw's gonna kill us."
"Where are you staying?" Angela asked. They told her and she said, "We could probably glide you over there. You could sneak in."
Pietro frowned. "That might work... But how do we know you aren't going to just drop us out of the sky?"
"You don't," she replied calmly. "But if we're going to trust you not to tell anyone where we are, you're going to have to trust us not to kill you."
Slowly, Rogue nodded. "That sounds fair enough."
Pietro's frown didn't lift. "I still don't like it."
"If anything happens," Wanda told him, "I've got us covered. If anyone's going to kill you, it'll be me."
"Gee, thanks," he replied sarcastically. "So nice to know you care."
"So, who's taking them?" Angela asked, turning to her father.
Goliath frowned. "Brooklyn, Broadway, and," he hesitated, "you."
She grinned. "I call Wanda."
"I'll take the guy," Broadway added.
Brooklyn stood up. "Guess that means I'm stuck with you, Stripes."
She sighed. "Yippee. Give me a minute to find my gloves." She headed back up the stairs and into the night air. After five minutes of searching, she was still coming up empty. Finally, the others joined her.
"What's the big deal?" Angela asked. "We'll keep an eye out for them."
Rogue sighed. "I need my gloves."
"Didn't you bring another pair?" Pietro asked.
"Not here," she replied. "I've got some at the hotel, but when you fly, you kinda have to hold onto something."
Brooklyn glared at her, an offended look darkening his face. "And that's a problem?"
"It is for me," she snapped at him.
Lex had returned by then. "Why?"
She sighed. "My power. If I touch someone, I absorb their memories, powers, whatever. That's why I don't know my name. I don't have any control over it, and somehow my real identity got lost in everyone else's."
"That's terrible," Angela said. "To not know who you are?"
"Would you cut with the sympathy act?" Rogue snapped at her. "It's old."
Pietro sighed and pulled off his shirt. "Here. Wrap this around your hands. We'll get your gloves tomorrow."
Hudson frowned. "Come at night."
"Why?"
"Because," Brooklyn replied. "Ready? Good." He easily scooped Rogue into his arms and took off of the roof. Angela and Brooklyn followed suit.
"That was stupid," Rogue snapped at him. "You're lucky I didn't drain you."
He glanced down at her. "What window's yours?"
"Third floor, on the other side of the building. Second from the right."
He nodded and stopped at the window, standing on a small ledge. "Now the problem is getting you in. Is the window locked?"
Rogue was pressed tightly between him and the wall. "Wanda will have to open it. Back off a little, will you? You're too close to my face."
He shifted slightly. "Only so much I can do. Unless you'd like to fall."
Angela landed beside him, and Wanda used her powers to undo the lock. She slipped inside and paused. "Thanks," the mutant mumbled, glancing away.
Brooklyn lightly shoved Rogue inside as Angela took off to make room for Broadway and Pietro. "Bye," she called cheerfully over her shoulder. Brooklyn followed.
Broadway grinned. "Sorry about that. He's usually a lot friendlier. Bad night for him, I guess."
Pietro nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Thanks for the ride."
"No problem. See ya tomorrow night." The three teenagers watched him disappear into the night.
"Well," Wanda said dryly. "That was interesting."
§§§§§§
Rogue rolled over again and pulled her pillow tighter over her ears. It didn't help any to muffle the voices coming from the next room, which Pietro was sharing with Evan. Almost as soon as they arrived home, the shouting had started, and now, three hours later, it hadn't let up in the slightest. Wanda shifted in the bed next to her, and Rogue glanced over at her. "I think a bit of a room switch is in order."
She opened the door connecting their rooms to the joint bathroom and knocked sharply on the one to the boys' room. Evan opened it. "Get your pillow and get out," Rogue snapped at him. "You're sharing with Wanda tonight." She shoved past him, ignoring the half-dressed state the boys were in. "Pietro, get your butt in bed. I don't wanna hear another sound out of you for the rest of the night." She cut off any protest by shoving Evan's pillow into his hands and pushing him out of the room. She locked the door behind him and curled up in his bed.
Pietro grinned over at her but didn't say anything. He switched off the light and laid down, falling asleep within moments.
§§§§§§
The next morning, Pietro shook Rogue roughly awake. "Get up," he hissed. "McGraw's checking rooms. You have to get out. Now."
She slipped out of bed and quickly went back into her own room, shoving Evan into the bathroom. Almost as soon as she closed it, there was a knock on the door leading to the hall. She waited a moment before opening it, looking as half asleep as she felt.
"What?" she snapped at him. "It's too early to be coming into a teenage girl's room."
He smiled cheerfully at her. "Just checking to make sure everyone is in their proper rooms. Is Ms. Maximoff up yet?"
"No," Rogue replied, tugging the door closed more. "And you're not coming in here. There's no boys, so go away." She closed the door in his face and locked it. He must have been satisfied, because he didn't knock again. "Pervert."
Rogue yawned and curled up on top of her bed. A few moments later, the door between their rooms opened and Pietro came in. "Close one, huh?" he asked, sitting on the foot of her bed.
"Go 'way," she mumbled. "You're gonna wake up Wanda, and you do not want to deal with that girl when she's cranky first thing in the morning."
He grinned down at her. "Looking out for me? How sweet." A moment passed, the girl too tired to reply. He gently poked her side. "Where's my shirt?"
"Huh?"
"The shirt I gave you last night. What happened to it?"
She pressed her face into her pillow. "I'll find it later. I'm trying to sleep."
"You know as well as I do that if I go back to that room, neither you nor anyone else within two city blocks of here will get any sleep."
She moaned. "Fine. Just shut up and let me sleep." She moved over slightly to give him some room as he grinned again and lay down behind her, spooning her body. "Night."
"Night," he replied, slipping one arm around her waist.
§§§§§§
Rogue was woken again later that day by shouting. Evan had evidently gotten Scott and Jean to come yell for him, and the three were standing by the door to the room. She moaned slightly. "Life hates me."
"What the heck is going on here?" Scott demanded.
Rogue squinted up at him. "Whatever it is, it's not sleep. Why are you in my room?"
"Why is he in your room?" Jean countered, pointing an angry finger at Pietro, who was still curled up behind her. Rogue glanced over.
"He's sleeping. And you didn't answer my question."
Wanda was also awake. She looked over at Rogue. "Do you usually have so many guys in your room?" she asked, looking pointedly at Scott, Evan, and Pietro.
"Not since I joined the X-men," Rogue said behind a yawn. She turned her attention back to her teammates. "Look, I don't see what's the big deal. We're sleeping. That's it. I happen to like sleep. If he goes back in with Evan, there will be no sleep. And that is not a good thing. Now, if you'd all please leave, I'd like to continue sleeping."
Jean glanced over at Pietro again. "Not unless he does."
Rogue groaned. "Get over it Jean. I used to live with him. This is not a big deal, trust me."
"Oh, really? If sleeping with the enemy isn't a big deal, what is?" Scott demanded.
"They're not the enemy, oh fearless leader. They're kids who are trying to survive a high school field trip. And Evan, you weren't complaining last night when you slept in here with Wanda. Now, get out before I make you get out."
Evan snorted. "Yeah? And how are you going to do that?"
Wanda glared at him. With a gesture, the three were in the hallway and the door had slammed behind them. "Night again, Rogue."
"Thanks. And good night."
§§§§§§
When the teens returned that evening from a tour of the Xanatos building, Rogue, Pietro, and Wanda met up in the girls' room to talk. "Do you think we should tell Lance or Scott or something?" Rogue asked.
Pietro frowned. "Nah. I mean, it's not like they're a danger to mankind or anything. They seemed pretty friendly to me."
Wanda raised an eyebrow at him. "How can you tell? I mean, that red one seemed to have a real attitude problem. What's to say he wouldn't take out his frustrations on the people who live in the city?"
"Yeah," Rogue replied. "But what do we do about it? I mean, they seem to be a pretty tight-knit group, and that cop isn't gonna do much to help us."
Pietro's frown deepened. "Well, I say we find out some more about them before we do anything. We could go back there tonight, and Rogue, maybe you could ditch the gloves for a while?" he asked.
She sighed. "I guess. I'm not thrilled at the idea, though."
Wanda nodded. "When do you want to leave?"
"Now," Pietro replied. "We can grab some food and then head over there. It'll be past sundown by then."
§§§§§§
When the trio arrived at the top of the clock tower, they were surprised and slightly pleased to note that only five of the gargoyles remained. Brooklyn, Angela, Lex, Hudson, and Bronx looked up at them as they entered.
"We couldn't find your gloves," Angela told them. "Sorry. They must've fallen or blown away or something."
Rogue shrugged. "I'll survive. Good thing I've got an extra pair, though."
Lex looked over at her, eagerness written all over his face. "Hey, I don't wanna bother you or anything, but do you think you'd mind telling me more about your mutant powers? I mean, this is all just so cool, and..."
Rogue stopped him with a wave of her hand. "What do you want to know?"
"Well, for starters, how long can you hold someone's powers and memories? Are there more like you? How did you three find each other? And how--"
Pietro smirked over at him. "Sounds like you want to know a lot. Mind if we sit down?"
The gargoyle nodded. "Please, go ahead. Sorry, I should've thought of that before."
"No big," Rogue replied. "To answer some of your questions, how long I keep powers depends on how long I'm in contact with the person. Memories don't fade, or at least they haven't yet. There are actually a lot of mutants. I live at an institute specially for them."
"But that's not how we met," Pietro cut in. "Originally, she lived with us, the Brotherhood of Mutants."
The two went on to tell the rest of their story, Wanda adding only towards the end with the information she knew. When they finished, Brooklyn was frowning at them. "Then why are you in New York?"
"Field trip with our school," Wanda replied. "They made a bunch of us come."
"But I thought you didn't live with her."
Rogue shook her head. "They don't. But we all go to the same school. It's public, not the Institute I live at. That's specially for mutants and learning how to handle our powers."
"If you ask me," Hudson called over, "it sounds like a crazy way to live."
Pietro frowned and muttered, "Good thing no one asked you." Rogue hit him.
"Looks like someone's whipped," Brooklyn said, smirking.
Rogue fixed him with a glare. "Do I have to hit you, too? Or is your girlfriend here gonna do it for me?"
Angela blushed. "I'm not his girlfriend, and I'm not gonna hit him. But be my guest," she said, smiling slightly.
Wanda sighed. "You guys are so immature."
Pietro gave her a look. "Wanda, we're kids. We're supposed to be immature. If you ask me--"
"Which no one did," Rogue cut in.
He ignored her and continued on, "You're the one who needs to become a little less mature. You are gonna have so many wrinkles..." He tutted at her.
Rogue snorted. "Pietro, beauty consultant. Yeah, right."
"Yeah, you wish Rogue. You could use some consulting."
"Watch it, Speedy," she snapped at him, "or the gloves come off."
"Oh, I'm so scared," he replied, grinning at her. She narrowed her eyes and, true to her word, pulled off one of her gloves. Pietro ducked behind Brooklyn as she reached for him. "You hafta catch me first."
Snarling slightly, she dove at him. He easily dodged her, but Brooklyn wasn't so lucky. Rogue's hand brushed his arm, and an instant later, he was unconscious and she was howling in pain on the floor as wings formed from her back. Instantly, the gargoyles were at their friend's side, while Pietro and his sister went to Rouge.
"Rogue? Are you okay?" Wanda asked as her brother pulled the girl into his arms. She was still whimpering, and he held her tightly. "What happened?"
"What do you think happened?" Pietro snapped. "She touched him!"
Anger flickered through Wanda's eyes and she snarled at him. "Watch it, or I'll throw you off the roof of this place. We'll see if your powers can help you while you're falling through the air."
Brooklyn was slowly coming around. "What happened?" he asked. Lex told him, and he looked over at Rogue. "Oh, boy. Goliath is not going to be happy. You okay, kid?" he said to Rogue.
She moaned slightly. "That hurt like crap."
"Well, you did just sprout wings," Angela told her, coming over. "Let me see your back." Pietro shifted his hold on the girl, and Angela gently ran a finger over the raw skin behind her ripped shirt. "That must've really hurt."
"No kidding," Rogue mumbled. "You can let me go now, Pietro."
He hesitated. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Pietro, just let the girl go," Wanda snapped at him. "You can hold her later." Glaring at his sister, he reluctantly released his hold on her.
Rogue moved to stand up and promptly fell over again. "Whoa. How do you guys stand with these things?"
Angela smiled kindly at her. "We're born with them. It seems odd to us that you can balance without them."
"It would," she replied, trying once again to stand, this time using Pietro for support, which he was happy to give.
"You sure you're okay?" Lex asked, frowning.
Brooklyn rolled his eyes, also standing. "Sure, just forget about me. I mean, I was only decked out by some weird girl's mutant powers or whatever." He looked her over. Besides the wings, her skin looked as if she had the beginnings of a sunburn. "No tail, huh?"
"Thank God," she replied, finally succeeding in getting her balance. "I don't even wanna think about how that might've felt." She looked over her shoulder at the wings protruding from her back and moved them experimentally. "It's weird. I feel like I've had them all my life, but I know I haven't."
"Isn't that what it's usually like?" Pietro asked, a frown set on his face.
"Well, yeah," she replied, looking over at him. "But usually I don't grow an extra body part. This is odd." Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she looked over at Angela, excitement written on every feature of her face. "Can we go gliding? Please?"
Hudson frowned. "I dunno, lass. You're new to havin wings an all--" Rogue interrupted him.
"But I have all of Brooklyn's memories. I remember learning how to fly, and I know I could do it."
Wanda looked over at her brother. He had a slightly panicked look on his face when she asked about flying. She couldn't help but smirk. "I could watch from out there," the girl said, gesturing up to the face of the clock. "And you could go with her in case anything went wrong."
Pietro sent a glare over at his sister. "No way. It could be dangerous." Rogue gave him a weird look and he quickly added, "You know the boys would kill me if anything happened to you, not to mention the X-Geeks."
Rogue smiled over at him. "Relax. I'll be fine. Promise."
It took a lot of convincing, but finally Rogue had her way. Adrenaline pounded through her as she stood on the ledge of the outer portion of the tower. She took a deep breath and looked over at Angela. The female gargoyle was going to start off first, followed by Rogue, and then Brooklyn. Hudson, Lex, and Bronx were staying behind with the two Maximoffs.
Rogue looked back at her friend. "If all goes well, I promise to take you out with me," she said to the other girl.
Wanda nodded. "You'd better."
"I really don't think you should be doing this," Pietro said, trying one last time to get her to change her mind. "I mean, yeah, you've got his memories, but you've also got his memories on how to stand, but you couldn't do that very well, could you?"
Rogue sighed. "That's because he's got a tail and I don't. Pietro, I'm going, so get over it." She turned back to the city.
"Ready?" Angela asked, glancing at Brooklyn before turning her attention to Rogue. When the girl nodded, the gargoyle took off into the night air.
Taking a deep breath, Rogue followed, letting her wings catch her. She grinned happily as the wind rushed past her. Flying really was fun, especially if you didn't have to worry about chasing some psycho maniac around. Angela slowed to let her catch up, and then they waited for Brooklyn.
"How long do you think you have until my wings fade?" he asked.
She shrugged as best she could in midair. "I dunno. Just catch me if I fall."
He frowned. "That's not it, I--" She cut him off.
"Don't worry about it. We can figure that stuff out later. For now, I just wanna have some fun." Grinning, she dove a few feet and spiraled through the air before catching an updraft. "Wanda's gonna go nuts when we take her out."
§§§§§§
Wanda was highly amused.
A few minutes after the two gargoyles had taken off with Rogue, Pietro had begun pacing, and now, ten minutes later, he was beginning to talk to himself, too. She suppressed a smile as she watched her brother having an animate conversation with no one.
"I mean, it's not like she's had wings all her life. I swear, that girl's gonna kill herself and take me along for the ride," he said quickly. The rest of it trailed off as he turned and walked away from her.
"Is he always like this?" Hudson asked her.
She shook her head. "Not usually. He's got a thing for Rogue, even though I'm pretty sure he doesn't know it yet. Usually he's just annoying." She glanced out at the night sky. "They're okay, right? I mean, Angela wouldn't let anything happen to her, right?"
Lex nodded. "They're fine. If her wings do give way, I'm sure one of them will catch her," he said, trying to sound reassuring.
Wanda nodded. "Right. I figured." There was an uneasy silence that was only broken by Pietro's rambling on to himself, and she sighed. That boy was going to drive himself crazy. Not that that was a bad thing, mind. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and marched over to her brother. Grabbing him firmly by the shoulders, she said, "Pietro, the kid is fine, but if you don't stop pacing, I'm gonna throw you off this roof, and make sure they don't catch you."
He frowned slightly, but managed to stop walking. "Right. I'm good."
Wanda let go of him, and a few minutes later, they heard someone land outside. Pietro was gone instantly, leaving her and the other three gargoyles to follow at a slower pace. When they got up there, they were surprised to note that all the gargoyles had returned, not just Brooklyn and Angela with Rogue.
The girl's eyes were dancing, giving her an extremely un-gothic look. "Wanda, you have got to try that!" she exclaimed.
She frowned. "Thanks, I'm good. Not much of one for flying. Besides, Angela took me home yesterday, so I've already tried it." She realized her mistake an instant too late as Pietro pounced on her.
"Aw, what's the matter, Sis, still afraid of heights?" he asked, smirking at her.
She glared at him, and gestured slightly with her hand. Pietro suddenly found himself at the edge of the tower. She smiled sweetly at him. "You were saying?"
"Uh... Nothing," he replied. "Nothing at all."
She smiled slightly to herself. Wanda was highly amused.
§§§§§§
Rogue gently rubbed her temples as she stared out into the night sky. The sun would be rising soon, and the effects of her contact with Brooklyn still hadn't worn off. The gargoyles were all nervous about what would happen when day fell and they turned to stone. If Rogue did as well, she might be a statue forever. Pietro frowned as he watched her from where he stood against the wall. The two were only just becoming friends again, and he wasn't sure what he'd do if she... well... died.
A noise behind him signaled the arrival of another. He looked up to see Goliath standing next to him, gaze directed towards the mutant girl. "She means much to you."
"We're friends."
A hint of a smile crossed the gargoyle's face. "Of course." A silence fell between the two. "How long does she usually keep the... effects of her power?"
Pietro shook his head. "It depends. She only touched him for a moment, but I've never seen how long it lasts on anyone but mutants. It should have worn off by now."
Goliath sighed. "Then come. I know someone... A magician of sorts. He is unable to use his powers but when he is training his pupil, but perhaps we can work something out."
The mutant glanced up at him. "You really think he can do something?"
"I can only hope."
§§§§§§
Goliath and Rogue landed in the castle's courtyard, closely followed by Brooklyn and Broadway, who carried Pietro and Wanda. The clan's leader glanced at the shadows. "Xanatos."
"Good evening, Goliath," a man said as he stepped from the shadows. "What brings you here?" His eyes fell on Rogue. "New clan member?"
"We require your assistance," Goliath replied. He quickly explained the situation, and Xanatos smiled calmly back at him.
"Well, Miss Rogue. If you'd follow me, I'll bring you to Owen." He turned and walked down a staircase. Rogue glanced at the others, then shrugged and followed. He led her through several hallways and then into a large office. "If you'd just wait here, I'll be with you in a moment."
He disappeared, and Rogue glanced at the others, who had come with her. Pietro was zipping around the room, looking at everything, while Wanda glared from a corner. "Xanatos. We toured this building."
Rogue shrugged, a half smirk on her face. "Who would've thought such a successful guy had these kind of connections?"
"Of course," Pietro said, coming to a halt beside her. "Behind every successful man is an intelligent mutant."
"Mutant, no," a strange faerie-like man said as he appeared. "But Puck, yes. What can I do for you?"
Rogue blinked at his sudden appearance, but after living with Nightcrawler, she wasn't very surprised. "I need you to help me get rid of Brooklyn."
The silver-haired man smiled cunningly over at the gargoyle. "Troubling you, is he? Yet I wonder how you managed to get Goliath to go along with this."
Pietro sighed impatiently. "Look," he snapped, mutant power becoming evident in his speech, "we need you make his absorption wear of quicker so that she won't turn into a statue at sunrise."
Puck smirked at him. "My, aren't we anxious." He grinned at them. "Sorry, can't help."
"Please?" Rogue said, gritting her teeth. "I don't think I'd survive through the day."
He laughed. "I'm sure you won't. But I'm afraid I'm on a certain power- restriction. You see, I can only use mine to train his," he said, gesturing to the picture of a small child sitting on the desk in the room. "It's out of my hands. So sorry."
The window shattered as Wanda stepped up to him. "Then consider Rogue your next lesson."
His eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me?"
"That wasn't a threat. This is a threat. If she dies, so do you."
"And just how do you intend to kill me?"
She glanced at the window. "You can't use your powers to defend yourself. Let's just say, I don't have that problem."
He glared at her. "I'll see what I can do." With that, he disappeared.