Best Two Out Of Three

Chapter 15: The Hole In the Wall

Lady Kaori

"None of dis is necessary," Gambit muttered softly under his breath so that Piotr and John could barely hear him.

John sighed. "I think that goes without saying. Exactly when have Magneto's plans ever been necessary?" he said. John glanced over at the brooding Piotr.

"Aw, c'mon mate! Lighten up! You can't expect to hear compliments from a girl you've just kidnapped." Piotr didn't answer. Instead, he fixed his dark brown eyes on the door that led to Xavier's office. Magneto had gone through that door about an hour ago, and he had ordered the Acolytes to stand guard outside the door in case things became "difficult".

Gambit took out a deck of cards and began to shuffle them anxiously. Obviously, his relationship with Rogue was on incredibly thin ice if it even existed anymore. Not that he really cared…It was much easier not to care in a case like this, and he had been trying to be apathetic to the whole situation. But this idea of Magneto's was wrong even if Gambit didn't care about Rogue's well being.

"I do care for Kitty," said Piotr suddenly. John looked up at his friend with understanding. "I know mate. Kitty knows that too," the pyromaniac sighed.

"Do you think that maybe I could still get Amara to go out with me?" Gambit frowned. "Gambit don't think so. Amara's friends with Rouge."

John scowled. "Damn Magneto…she's probably the only girl I'll ever meet who can light herself on fire and not burn."

"Are you sure, Kitty? If the Professor told you that Rogue would be back soon…"

"That's the point, stupid," Kitty answered crossing her arms against her chest. "She isn't back yet, and it's nearly three o'clock in the morning. Don't you think that's, like, a little odd?"

Kurt sighed. "Yeah, I guess so, but-"
"Kurt!" Kitty cried exasperatedly, " This is so obviously some kind of scheme that Magneto or Apocalypse, like, made up. Did you ever think that the Professor isn't telling us, like, all that's going on? Don't you care about what happens to Rogue? What if she needs you?"

Kurt looked away from Kitty shamefully. "You're right. It is my duty as Rogue's Bruder (brother) to protect her. Will you come with me, meine Freundin? (My friend)"

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Of course."

"Do you have any idea where she went?" Kurt asked, ignoring the tone of annoyance in Kitty's voice.
"No. Maybe we should check the places she usually goes to. You know, the coffee house downtown…the school…the park…."

"Should we get anyone else to go with us?" Kurt asked.

Kitty shook her head. "No, you know how Scott gets on a mission. Besides, we don't want to Professor to know that we're leaving the Institute. "

"Xavier, may I come in?" The Professor looked up from the papers on his desk.

"Yes, come in Magnus," he said as he wheeled himself over to the open space in the middle of his office. Magneto walked into Xavier's office slowly with a sly smile on his face.

"My dear friend," Magneto said, as he opened his arms in a welcoming manner.

"Where is Rogue, Magnus?" Xavier asked. The Professor had a bad feeling about Magneto's good mood.

"She is back at my old hideout. Do not worry about her. She will be well taken care of," Magnus answered.
Xavier stared at the wall behind Magneto. "Magnus, I'm not exactly sure that this will work. I do not want to put the lives of any of my students in danger."

"You do not have to worry about your children, Charles. I told you: Apocalypse is looking for Rogue. She is safest in my care, with my Acolytes. If she is away from the Institute, he will not bother any of your precious X-Men," Magneto said.

"Then why is it you're here?' Professor Xavier asked.

"I came to reassure you. Rogue is doing well, and there is no need for your concern," Magneto answered.

"Whether there is need for it or not, I still worry about what will happen when Apocalypse starts looking around the Institute. When he does not find Rogue, he will know that we are hiding her. I fear that will not stop him from violence." The Professor sighed heavily and wheeled himself around to face his window.

"Go back to Rogue, Magnus. She needs your supervision, and I do not."

Magneto smiled widely. "Of course, Charles."

Rouge huffed angrily. What was wrong with her body? She had never been this aggravated in her entire life…and she shared a room with Kitty!

And where were Kitty and the rest of the X-Men anyways? Didn't they notice that one of their teammates was missing? Didn't they care? A wave of self-pity washed over Rogue and she drew her knees up to her forehead.

She was alone in an evil genius's hideout, and on top of that, being stalked by the mutant who wanted to bring about the end of the world. And why did they want her anyways? Her powers had never been a help to anyone…and now they were suddenly in popular demand? This thought made her even angrier.

In one quick (and painful) motion, she stretched her legs out in front of her. She was going to walk, and she was going to get out of there. Rogue grabbed the frame of her bed and pushed herself off the floor.

At first, she fell headfirst onto the bed. She lay there for a while, unable to move again. After she had rested for a few minutes, she forced her body into a standing position. "Ha!" She cried triumphantly.

In two shaky movements she had rebelled against the force that had trapped her here in the first place. Rogue took her next step towards the door cautiously. However, it did not seem to be cautious enough, and she fell on her knees. She winced; the floor in the room was metal.

Then, when her brain finally caught up with what had just happened, she screamed out in frustration. Nothing was going right…the world had to be against her.

Suddenly, Rogue heard a laughter coming from the other side of the glass wall.

She turned her head, ready to glare viciously at whoever dared to laugh at her today of all days.

Gambit laughed when he saw Rogue fall. He couldn't help it; it was funny to him.

He could tell that Rogue didn't think the situation was at all humorous though. She looked like she would have killed him if she could have reached him.

"Sorry, ma cherie. But if you saw what Gambit just saw, you'd be laughin' too," he said.

"Better hurry back to your master, dog," she spat back at him. Gambit frowned.

"Now dat isn't very nice petite. Gambit told you, nobody's gonna hurt you. You're much safer here then at de Institute."

"Yeah, okay, minion. Ah'm sure you're not just saying that because you're the one who kidnapped me in the first place," Rogue said, rolling her eyes.

"Non, petite. Gambit rescued you from Mastermind."

"Whatever."

"And de Rogue kissed Gambit."

"What?! Ah did not!"

"Oui."

"Nope."

"Oui."

"No! There is NO way that I kissed you again!"

"Ah, so you admit that you kissed Gambit!"

"No I don't!" Rogue snarled. "Leave me alone! This is all your fault! Ah thought you were a man, Swamp Rat; you're always acting like you are anyways. But now ah see you for what you are. You take orders from Magneto! You're nothing but someone else's errand boy!"

Gambit reached inside of his trench coat for a card, and then held it up and let some of his energy flow into it. "Don't mess with Gambit, petite. Gambit don't want to hurt ya, but if you keep disrespecting him like dat, you're gonna wish you kept your mouth shut."

Rogue could tell there was a difference in his eyes. All the laughter and playfulness that was in them was now extinguished, and there was no trace of emotion left.

"Ah'm not scared of you, Gambit. Since you take orders from Magneto, you're not allowed to hurt me. Besides, any type of respect that I had for you is gone. You're nothing but a lapdog of Magneto's. Now leave me alone," Rouge said, and she turned her back on the glass wall, hoping that Gambit would just leave.

She heard an explosion on the other side of the glass. She turned around slowly, hoping that she wouldn't come face-to-face with Gambit.

All that she saw was a huge, black hole in the side of the wall outside of the glass, and the retreating figure of an angry Gambit moving down the hallway, a card in his hand.

A/N: I'm sorry I made them fight again! It's necessary…I promise! Thanx for the reviews: I'm glad to see that people are still reading Please keep reading…I'm trying as hard as I can to get the chapters out quickly. Thanx again, Tschus!