Notes: And I sooo glad everyone loves Pyro. Just because you guys love him so much, I wrote him into this chapter. Now he thinks he has to come home with me. I keep telling him I really don't have room in my harem, but he is quite insistent.
I apologize for the horrid formatting of this fic. I just cannot make it indent things properly. Anyone know how to make it behave?
Does anyone know of any good EVO fan art? I'm on the lookout for some pretty pictures. Or just pretty art in general. I'm not picky.
So, onward with this fic. Guess what, there is more plot development in this! Yay! And a wee little something I threw in especially for Makura!

---

6/?
Had A Bad Day Again
ChaosCat
15 July 2003

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[Drunken] Luse: Alright, I'm going to think of a purpose that endangers neither society nor myself...I'VE GOT ONE!! I'VE GOT IT!! AYOOAH!!! I'm going to Mandratha and getting a tattoo!!!
[Poison Elves]
[Another note, I don't think he never makes it to Mandratha. No, there is far too much drinking and killing things for this pointed eared menace to do]

---

"You interfered."

Eric Magnus Lehnsherr, known more commonly as Magneto, stood amid the wreckage of the apartment suite, surveying the damage. There was a good deal of it to survey. Broken furniture. Crispy curtains. Gaping holes in the walls. His hands were clasped behind his back in a pensive fashion. For once, he was not dressed in his usual maroon armor, but instead in casual attire. It did not make him any less distinguished, or dangerous.

"Oui."

At his side was Gambit; the tall Acadian's expression was unreadable. He had shed his trench coat for this particular meeting, but still wore his usual black attire. Smoke from his cigarette wafted in the air, curling upward to the ceiling.

"You're orders were clear." Eric spoke carefully, the tone of his voice displaying his displeasure at his Acolyte's actions. "You were only to follow her, and keep me posted."

"Oui." The same response once more.

"Your explanation?"

Gambit shrugged, obviously not intimidated by his employer's demeanor. He brought the cigarette to his lips, taking a drag upon it absently before speaking.

"Can't resist a damsel in distress."

Magneto frowned, clearly not amused by the Cajun's cheeky response. He said nothing else to reprimand him, possibly because he knew that Gambit didn't care. Of all his Acolytes, Gambit had always been the one most prone to disregarding his authority. The thief came and went as he pleased, never really bending to the authority of his employer. It was irksome. But one thing could be said for the boy, he always finished the job. Although his methods were often questionable.

"Apparently not." Magneto responded. "And the results of that rescue we can see before us."

"De Cat doesn't care for houseguests." Gambit offered, referring to Sabretooth's vicious temper.

"Gambit." There was a warning in his tone as he spoke the name. Gambit noted it, and then dismissed it just as easily.

The Cajun just gave his employer one of those disarming smiles and took another drag upon his cigarette. He was seemingly relaxed in his repose, standing next to his employer. However, his employer was currently thinking of other matters.

Magneto was perplexed. It was not something he experienced often, and that made him all the more displeased. His source had been correct. They were after the girl. But for what reasons? Why would They expend so much time and effort after that girl? The Rogue was far more trouble to recruit that she was worth. Her powers were formidable, but even they were limited. So why waste time after her?

Gambit had returned with limited information on the subject. Magnus had sent the young thief to keep tabs on her, to see if the report was true. As it had panned out, his informant had been speaking truth. The girl had been the subject in an attempted kidnapping. An unsuccessful kidnapping attempt, thanks to the Acolyte standing before him. They had done a poor job of an attempt at that. The price of the knowledge, however, was before him in the form of the ruined room.

Was that information worth it? He had not expected Them to move so quickly. He wasn't even sure exactly what They wanted. What –HE- wanted. That was the primary question, wasn't it? Nevertheless, proper measures must be taken to insure he, Magneto, Master of Magnetism, was not caught unawares.

"Halleluiah!!" The excited shout echoed down the hall, coming from one of the smoldering back rooms. It could have only one source.

The corners of Magneto's mouth twitched. It could have been a smile, but was so fleeting, one never really could tell. The other Acolytes were packing their personal effects. Those that had not been destroyed in the rampage destruction from the X-Men's visit, that is.

"It seems as if Pyro has discovered his treasured books unharmed."

Gambit chuckled before responding.

"Oui."

"Does he really think that we are unaware of his romance novel collection?" Magneto asked conversationally.

"He does hide them beneath his bed."

The two were silent for a moment. Magneto undoubtedly turning over the various plots in his mind, determining which would be the best course of action to take after this. Xavier knew nothing. That much was obvious by his recent actions in retrieving his student. At the moment, he was not inclined to share any information with his old colleague.

Gambit stood at his side, smoking his cigarette. His personal quarters had been cleaned out long ago. Upon learning that he was a thief, one often got the mistaken impression that he would have acquired a number of personal effects. This was not the case. A good thief had to be ready to leave an area upon a moments notice. Especially a good thief under the employment of Magneto. They'd changed positions so many times that this was becoming habit.

"You will continue to monitor the girl," Magnus ordered. "I would ask you to be discreet, but I would be wasting my time. You've already alerted her to your presence. Use that to your advantage."

Gambit said nothing. There was no need to. They both knew that he was the only one suitable for the job. Sabretooth could not control his rage. St. John wasn't exactly cut out for any sort of mission that did not involve things exploding. And Colossus was too conspicuous. Who better suited than a thief?

"You will report back to me, of course, if you discover anything informative." Magneto continued. "Colossus, Pyro and yourself will be relocating soon enough."

"And de Cat?"

"I've other matters that require his attention."

Gambit cocked a brow, but did not inquire further. It would have been pointless to do so. Magneto never shared information unless it was absolutely necessary. His Acolytes were left in the dark much of the time. He exhaled smoke, flicking the butt of his cigarette away. It landed on the ground and bounced before snuffing itself out on the carpet.

Wordlessly, the Acadian turned to leave.

"Gambit."

The cold voice stopped him.

"Use any means necessary."

"Of course." With that spoken with his usual cocky assurance, Remy Lebeau was gone.

***

When she could no longer ignore her hunger, Rogue wandered downstairs into the kitchen. Headphones blaring out the half-crooning, half-screaming of Marilyn Manson, Rogue pulled the fridge open, intent upon finding something to munch on within. She was thankful that the professor left the shopping to Ororo and Hank, especially after the incident with Logan's attempt at bringing home dinner. Pizza and beer wasn't exactly the nutritional choices that the professor had in mind. Although it had been really good pizza, she had to admit.

She'd basically skipped dinner earlier in the evening. It had been Kitty's night to cook. And Jean had helped. Rogue didn't know why those two bothered to take Home Ec. It really wasn't helping matters at all. In fact, it might actually be making the cooking worse.

She found herself singing along softly to the CD in the walkman. Although her voice was low, in case any of the other students should wander in. It would be highly unlike The Rogue to be caught singing to herself. It would undermine her image.

"Hey you, what do you see?
Something beautiful, something free?
Hey you, are you trying to be mean?
If you live with apes man, it's hard to be clean."

It had been two days since the episode with the Acolytes. That incident had fiasco written all over it, and was an experience she'd rather forget. After she'd hastily explained what had happened to Storm and Wolverine, there hadn't been much more to say. The X-Men had retreated, leaving the Acolytes with a rather trashed base of operations. But not before Gambit had been able to get in one last parting shot.

***

Two Days Ago.

They were leaving, finally. It had taken little more that another crash of Storm's thunder to calm their bickering for good as Rogue had attempted to the X-Men an overview of her adventures. She left out many of the details, just sticking to the major events. Of course, St. John had lent in a few details of his own. They were quite colorful too. Her teammates had tried to question her, but Ororo had held them all off, telling them that a further explanation would be forth coming once they reached the Institute.

Rogue sighed, running her fingers through her hair as they all turned to leave. Colossus, having reverted to his normal form, was out on the balcony, watching over Sabretooth. The feral mutant was still out. Piotr had lost his shirt sometime during the battle, and Rogue couldn't help her amazement at the sheer size of him. He had looked muscular while wearing a shirt, but without. . wow.

She wasn't the only one of their group looking, either. In fact, Kitty Pryde was staring at his chest with undisguised appreciation. Rogue did not blame her, although she wondered if the younger girl could perhaps be a little more discreet about it. It was so obvious that Kurt nudged her, trying to return her attention to the forefront before Kitty ran into the doorframe.

St. John was in the kitchen, singing loudly to himself as he filled a bucket up with frigid water. He was planning on dumping it on Sabretooth just as soon as the X-Men had evacuated the premises. His glee was apparent.

"I can't get no satisfaction." He belted out. "'Cause I try and I try and I try and I tryyyyyyy."

It was making Jean glare in his direction with an almost murderous expression upon her pretty features. The redhead was looking rather sooty herself. Her costume covered in a layer of grime. Her crimson mane wasn't looking in top form, which was something, considering the time she took in grooming it. In fact, the ends looked a little singed, which could only be Pyro's doing. No wonder Miss Perfect was pissed, Rogue thought to herself.

"Oh, no, no, no!" The singing continued. "Hey, hey, hey! That's what I say!"

Not that the other X-Men looked any better. Scott was sporting a busted lip, caked with dried blood. Kurt looked frazzled, his fur sticking up oddly. And Wolverine looked like he'd just stepped out of a very intense barroom brawl. He was scowling, which came as no surprise, although he looked oddly pleased with himself. Rogue found it easier to read his expressions now than when she'd first come to the Institute. Everything was a variation of a scowl. Only Storm, and oddly enough, Kitty, didn't look as if they'd just stepped out of a battle. Rogue could only hazard to guess what she looked like, in her ripped clothing. Her hair mussed, and make-up smeared.

"When I'm drivin' in my car
And that man comes on the radio
He's tellin' me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to fire my imagination"

Rogue had to hand it to St. John; he never gave up. And honestly, his voice wasn't that bad. The accent was actually sort of pleasant, although she'd never admit that. Too bad he was completely psychotic. Or was that idiotic? Perhaps both.

She'd nearly made it to the door when it happened. Just the faintest touch. Fingertips sweeping across the back of her auburn hair. She whirled, balling up her fist. But Gambit was already moving, that grin settling pleasantly on his lips. He swooped up her gloved hand in his own, raising it as if it were an untold treasure. He touched his lips to it, his eyes meeting hers.

Rogue was startled, to say the least, at the smoldering expression in his eyes. It made her knees go weak. Heat rose from her chest to her face. She wasn't blushing? Was she? It was so much like that moment when they had first met. She was transfixed by the intensity of his gaze. Her breath caught in her throat, her lips parting unconsciously.

Those eyes of his were something. As always, when she looked at them, she was struck by the oddness of them. And then how they seemed to fit him so perfectly. The brush of his chestnut hued hair across his brow. And the shape of his jaw, so strong. She could feel the heat of his lips through her glove, and the thought caused a shiver to go through her, although she was not entirely sure why. They held that pose for far longer than necessary, until a familiar growl broke the silent repose.

"Watch it, bub." Wolverine spat out, followed by a not-so-subtle SNIKT!

She exhaled sharply, letting out a breath she hadn't know she was holding. The spell was broken. Gambit released her hand, even as she pulled away from him. He didn't take his eyes away from her, although Wolverine was clearly threatening him. Instead, he gave her a slight bow.

"Until we meet again, Chere." In his whispered words was the faintest hint of a promise.

Oh yeah, he was definitely too cocky for his own good. She turned around then, beyond ready to get out of there. Wolverine followed close on her heels. As Rogue escaped into the hall, she caught a glance of Kitty, staring at her with wide eyes, the unspoken questions evident.

All in all, it had been just another bad day.

***

Rogue frowned just thinking about it. Once they'd made it to the Jet, she'd been subjected to at least a million questions, none of them that she'd wanted to face. Thankfully, Logan had threatened everyone into silence upon penalty of death. No one threatened better than Logan. He was a natural. Upon arrival at the Institute, she'd had to relate her adventures in their entirety to the Professor and the others. They'd discovered nothing. No leads on why random men in black had shot her with a dart and attempted to haul her off. They'd interrogated her for hours, questioning everything to the point where she wanted to break something. This time, however, she wasn't to leave anything out.

Unbeknownst to her at the time, she had. She'd found it later, tucked carefully into the back pocket of her jeans. Rogue had known immediately that it had come from him. She hadn't felt him put it there, which didn't surprise her, considering his profession. But the thought of him putting in her back pockett her made her face burn.

She'd stared at the 'present' for a long time when she'd discovered it. It was a just a normal playing card, the Bicycle brand that they sold everywhere. The back was a series of red patterns. And the front, it was the Queen of Hearts.

He really was an arrogant, asinine, conceited ass, Rogue thought viciously as she pulled the jar of jelly from the fridge. Rummaging a bit more, she found a loaf of wheat bread and a jar of peanut butter. After locating a knife, she was set to commence the sandwich making.

Of course, if all that was true, why was she still carrying around that same card, tucked in the back pocket of her jeans? She didn't quite have an answer ready for that one yet.

At the Institute, things don't always go as planned. Just as Rogue had finished spreading the peanut butter, something exploded in the hall. She had time to roll her eyes and pause her Walkman before the chaos made it's way into the kitchen. Bobby Drake scrambled into the room, nearly tripping over himself in his haste.

"Hide me!" He yelled. "Quick!"

Then dove behind Rogue, or at least, attempted to. She whirled on him, wielding her peanut butter covered butter knife. He skidded to a halt, looking at her, and then down at the knife, with wide eyes. She smiled menacingly, pushing aside her mirth at the expression on his face. There was nothing like terrorizing one of the New Mutants to pull her out of a bad mood. And they all were well aware that Rogue could put the fear of God into someone with one well-placed glare.

"Eh, Rogue . . . lets not be to hasty here?"

"Bobby! YOU ARE SO DEAD!" An outraged shout sounded from the hall.

"What'd ya do this time, Bobby?" Rogue asked conversationally, pulling the headphones off so they could hang round her neck.

"Umm, nothing?" He beamed up at her, attempting the most innocent expression he could muster. All that was missing was the halo.

She wasn't buying it.

The kitchen door swung upon once again, this time revealing a very upset Tabitha, a barrage of those little cherry bombs of hers already in her hands. Upon seeing her expression, Bobby gulped.

"Yup, you are dead," Rogue commented, wiping some of the peanut butter off her knife and then licking it her finger. "What did ya do?"

"I'll tell ya what he did." Tabitha started in. "He froze all the water in the bathtub . . .WHILE I WAS IN IT!"

Rogue hid a smile threatening to creep onto her features. That boy was always attempting one joke or another. Bobby grinned in spite of the looming danger to his person.

"Yeah, wasn't it great?"

"BOBBY!!" Tabitha fumed, readying those little energy bombs of hers to start launching at Bobby.

"That won't be necessary, Miss Smith."

A large, furry hand settled on Tabby's shoulder. The three of them turned to see the blue furred figure of Hank McCoy, otherwise known as Beast, standing in the doorway. He smiled down at them.

"I am sure we can devise a less permanent punishment that death for our dear Mr. Drake."

Rogue decided that this was just about her cue to leave. Another lecture would not really be favorable at this point. Dropping the knife in the sink, she retrieved her peanut butter and jelly sandwich from the counter.

"Aww, come on Mr. McCoy! It was sooo funny! You should have seen the look on her face!" Bobby pleased.

 "Sometimes, Bobby, I wonder if puberty will ever end for you." Hank sighed, shaking his head.


 "Or start." Rogue remarked slyly on her way out the kitchen door.

Kitty was lounging on the couch in the rec room, gaze glued to the big-screen television before her. Rogue passed through the room, munching on her sandwich and searching for her misplaced Korn CD. At first, Rogue assumed the freshman was watching some random teenybopper garbage, like MTV or worse, something like Survivor. She was soon proven wrong.

"-And in other news, Sistral Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest prescription drug manufacturers on the East Coast, has officially announced the merger with the medical division of the famed Creed Industries." The news was on, and Kitty was watching it, entirely absorbed in the current story. Rogue listened with half an ear as she rummaged through the CDs near the stereo. However, none of them were the one she was missing. "Details on the actual terms of the merger have not been released yet, but during a press conference earlier in the week, it was revealed by Dr. N-"

BAMF!

Click

"Kurt!" Kitty's outraged shout echoed in the room as The Fuzzy One snatched the remote control off the coffee table and promptly changed the channel. Kitty leapt from her seat, hands on her hips.

"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?" The TV blared.

"What?" Kurt, now perched on the edge of the pool table, raised a brow at Kitty.

"I was like, totally watching that!" She responded tersely as she rounded the couch, approaching him. "Give me back the clicker!"

"But SpongeBob is on!" He was giving her puppy dog eyes, something he excelled at, unsurprisingly. He held the remote in his tail, peering at her for a moment. "Did you just call it a 'clicker'?"

"Yeah, so?" Kitty snapped.

Kurt choked back laughter, as did Rogue.

"Oooooh!" Kitty threw herself at Kurt with that frustrated yell. "You are like, so dead!"

They all knew there was more than more television in the Mansion. However, everyone always fought over the big screen. The resulting wrestling match was actually quite predictable. With Kitty leaping for the remote only to have Kurt teleport across the room, leaving her standing, surrounded by the stench of brimstone and smoke. She made a face then whirled on her heels, stalking towards him again.

This time she didn't miss, jumping through the couch, thanks to her phasing ability, and half-tackled him. As the SpongeBob Squarepants theme song continued along its jolly little jingle, Kurt and Kitty continued to fight over the remote. Rogue rolled her eyes, evacuating the room before more insanity occurred. There was no peace in the Institute; it was a known fact.

***

He was in his lab when she returned, slipping in silently and leaning against the wall, watching him pore over the computer screen. She had not bothered to change, still wearing the same body-hugging purple leotard that the original owner of this body favored. She could still sense the woman in the recesses of her mind, desperate and caged. She relished that feeling, knowing she had been the one to cause the British woman's pain.

The telepath and British S.T.R.I.K.E agent, Betsy Braddock, had been difficult to control, but thanks to the good Doctor, she now had the woman's body, and her memories. Of course, Betsy was still inside somewhere, but she was trapped within. Sometimes she could feel her there, pushing against her control desperately, like a tiny fluttering moth. Braddock still fought against the psychic entity now in control. It was of little consequence. The body was hers, and there was nothing that British twit could do about it.

His fingers flew across the keyboard, tapping elaborate strings of codes and words. She knew he was aware of her presence, and he would speak to her when he wished, and not before. So she waited, pulling at a strand of that oddly coloured hair. Not quite auburn, more purple than anything else.

"It's done then." He never took his eyes from the screen. Something he saw there seemed to be terribly exciting.

She smiled, relishing in the memory of the kill. Matthews had screamed for mercy before she'd finished him off, something she would remember for a very long time. He and his team had failed in capturing their quarry. Failure was not tolerated in this particular organization. Especially in one of the Doctors pet projects. Matthews had been the last of the 'team' to be disposed of. The Doctor never left loose ends.

"Of course." Her reply was brisk and to the point. "Their services have been terminated. Permanently."

"Excellent," he stated. "Things are proceeding as planned."

She raised a brow at that, but said nothing. It simply wasn't her place to remind him that the initial attempt to ensnare the girl had been bungled horribly by that team of idiotic mercenaries. She'd thought it a bad idea to hire them in the first place. It wasn't as if she couldn't take care of the problem herself.

"Hmmm." His eyes narrowed at the screen. "Interesting."

She stalked towards him, and in the process, the computer screen. Most of the data displayed meant nothing to her. It was practically a foreign language, but she had a pretty good idea what he was working on.

"Is your team ready?"

The sudden question from him caught her off-guard.

"Sir?" It was spoken before she could stop herself.

"The new team." He spoke very softly, enunciating each word carefully. "You've been overseeing their training."

She winced. He was not a man that liked to repeat himself.

"They have completed their training," she answered carefully, her eyes now riveted upon him. Her fingers played with the cameo choker hanging around her throat. Even with the sleek ninja costume, it was still there.

"Then they are ready for a new assignment," he decided musingly, looking up from his computer screen.

That perked her interest immediately. Perhaps this time, the assignment would be worth her time, and skill. Those pesky humans had been hardly worth the effort to eradicate.

"Assemble the team," he ordered. "I think it's time to meet these so called X-Men."

Malice only smiled.

---

Well, that's it for this week kids! Would have been done faster, but real life seems to have this way of getting in the way. Not to mention the insane amount of power outages that our area has been experiencing. It's a royal pain in the arse if you ask me. Grrr.

Anyway, there was some more EGIB [Evil Guys in Black] as starlightz6 has dubbed our villains, in this chapter. Unfortunately, now the guys in black are all dead. Isn't that peachy keen?

The plot is now set ^.^ Yippie skippy!

Tune in next chapter for cliché dream sequences, boy meeting girl again, girl attempting to break boys legs for just existing, and general Rogue ramblings.

On a totally unrelated note, can someone explain to me this thing called "Rola" (Rogue/Lance pairing)?

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! It really encourages me to write faster, knowing that someone is actually READING this!

Makura Koneko -- You caught the Sprite reference! That totally made my day! Your request for Kitty/Piotr is noted. And I stuck a little something in this chapter just for you. And I am –really- glad you liked the fight scene! (Yours are pretty damn good too though. I love your writing!) Makes me squeal like a girl!

Tainz – I think Kurt is just too cute with his "I'm your brother" routine! ^.^ Now all I have to do is get Rogue and Remy in a position where she would have access to a candlestick.

Rogue Worrior Spirit – Hope your St. John craving was filled just for a bit. He will appear again, just not for umm, about two chapters. Hopefully, he will be funny too.

Ishandahalf -- Alright, I've called the cloning facility, your St. John should be arriving in a few weeks. ^.^ And the X-Men have no manners. Just breaking things and causing a mess. I bet that door was expensive too.

starlightz6 -- Don't worry, there will be plenty of bad guy appearances soon. ^.^ And thanks for liking my writing of Rogue. She really is soo much fun to write!

Scholar – Yeah, Gambit's just that cocky to take her into the base without blinking. Geez, what was he thinking anyway?

Giggleboxsam -- Thanks so much for your compliments! You are such a sweetie!

Girl number 1 -- I'll see if I can arrange and Rogue and Wanda meeting. It would prove quite. . interesting. Iceman was dead sexy in X2. I am a Wolvie fan personally, so had my hands full drooling over him, especially in his berserker mode. In my opinion, if Rogue got control of her powers, she would be damn near impossible to beat. In recent comic books, she started to manifest powers she had previously absorbing, which seems to indicate that she has the capability to use those powers anytime, if only she could control it. (I think she even had a pair of Wolverine's bone claws?) Just imagine if she could use any power she had absorbed, anytime she wanted. She'd definitely be kicking some ass.

Jeshickah Grey – Unhealthy obsession? Pish posh! What do friends know, eh? I'm really glad you are enjoying my story! And JG eh? Yeah. . .that is sorta creepy.

Denial -- SOMEONE LIKES MY QUOTES! Now that makes me spazz out! I am just happy someone besides me got a kick out of 'em! Thanks for your support on this fic! And as for your second comment. . .ssshhhh! Clever, clever girl!

Sabby13 – Wow! Thanks for your critique! It's really helpful to have someone else look over what you've done and find your goofs! Here are my thoughts on erm, stuff. On Pyro: I will try to make him seem less British, and more of that sexy Aussie-ness. Just got back from Scotland, so that could have something to do with it. Wolvie/Sabretooth: Sorry you thought that was so long. Guess the Logan fan in me just had to write about those two bashing about. And then on Rogue/Gambit: I agree that Rogue wouldn't be so easily distracted, but in the comics, one of Gambit's secondary mutations is this subtle 'charm power' he uses to manipulate people. Was just playing with that aspect of his powers. It'll be mentioned later in the fic though.

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