Crazy4Horses: true, I think so too...I love reading those types of fics because basically everything about Pyro is good.... Here's more...enjoy!

Chapter three: The Hideout

John's POV

Mags' hideout was the shit! It was a mansion…a huge mansion! I was expecting a rundown shack or an abandoned warehouse, but not a mansion. Man, this dude knows how to live. The place was at least four or five stories high and took up about two or three city blocks. The front door was made of oak and was about two times my height. When I stepped inside, I nearly dropped my Zippo from shock. His living quarters was a twenty by forty room that was furnished with leather couches and mahogany coffee tables in front of each of them. Each coffee table had a centerpiece, which was made entirely of crystal. Above hung a chandelier that was also made entirely of crystal. The sun shone through it causing little rainbows to reflect onto the mahogany walls. There was a warm looking fireplace straight across from the entrance and a fire was already crackling inside it warming the whole house.

"Your room is just down the hall, Pyro," said Magneto, pulling me away from the scene and walking me down the hall to a door that was engraved with words in a language that I did not understand. I stared at them for a while until Magneto said, "It means 'the one who wields power wields all…. Power is strength…strength is inner fire…fire is power….' It's basically saying that power is what keeps the world spinning and fire is power…."

"Did you just now make this?"

"No, it's a real Latin inscription. I read it in a book once and it's been embedded in my head ever since, so when I had this place built, I made sure that at least one door on each floor was inscribed with it…. There are other sayings, like this one, that have made their mark in my head but this one is the one constant that I never forgot…. Enjoy, your new room, Pyro."

"Thanks," I said.

He nodded and walked away.

I stepped into the room and was greeted with the same sight as I saw in the living room except this time, instead of leather couches and coffee tables, there was a king-sized bed draped in fiery red sheets, a mahogany bedside table with a laptop, modem and printer on it, and a big screen TV…with a satellite connection and the same crystal chandelier that reflected rainbows. Curtains covered a window that opened to a porch right on the courtyard surrounded by trees and had a fountain right in the center. I took a deep breath and smiled as I jumped onto the bed and grabbed the remote control placed atop my pillow.

I turned the TV on and watched until I fell asleep.

The first week at this hideout was great. I felt freer than I had ever felt. Sure Magneto was a strong believer in discipline and that's why he had Mystique, who had become like a mother to me, teach me hand-to-hand combat just incase I lost my lighter in battle. I had just come back from training and had taken a shower. I turned the TV on and guess what the first thing I saw was. Military Scientist, William Stryker, was found dead and chained to a wall after water from the burst damn at Alkali Lake was drained and a thorough search was made for any casualties. He was only one among the many, which also included Jean.

Damn…. Jean, I'm sorry. I know this isn't the scene you see for me but it's was best for me and I'm free here…. You understand right?

I watched and saw that she had drowned…. Drowned? Why hadn't the X-men helped her? So much for standing united…can't even help your own teammates…. Nah, there had to be another explanation to it…. They'd never just let her die…Scott would die, too. Maybe, they tried but she being stubborn wouldn't let them.

Yeah, that sounds about right. Stubborn Jean.

I switched the channels until I landed on a horror flick that had always been one of my favorites: "Carrie"

I was sucked into sleep after about an hour of watching the movie and could feel a dream coming on when and ear-shattering scream filled the air startled me so bad that I fell off the bed with a loud thud. I got up and ran out of the room and down the hall towards the scream that came from a room that I had found out earlier was Mystique's room. Magneto was already at the door and fumbling with the doorknob. He got the door open and we scrambled to get through the door first. We instantly regretted trying so hard to get in and I immediately felt sick at what was in front of me. Mystique was lying on the floor in a puddle of blood that was gushing from a wound in her chest…a three-holed wound.

Wolverine!

She coughed and sputtered blood, trying to say something. Instantly I was at her side holding her in my arms and trying to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding, but it wouldn't stop. I had to face the inevitable…she was going to die. God, why? She was a good person, no matter what people thought. She was real maternal like with me and she was really a warm person once you got to know her.

"Johnny," she said softly, coughing blood onto my pure white shirt. I didn't care.

"Y-yeah," I said, suddenly realizing that tears were spilling from my eyes and were blurring my vision.

"Don't cry. I'll be here with you always…. Just do me one last favor," she said, smiling weakly and taking my hand in hers.

"Anything," I said, trying to keep her alive, though I knew it was to no avail.

"Kill the bastard that did this to me…. Kill Wolverine…and tell him…."

"Yeah?"

"Tell him I loved-," were her last words before her head fell back and whatever life was left in her left her body.

Shaking with anger and silent tears, I let go of her and screamed at the top of my lungs, "WOLVERINE, YOU FUCK! I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU! I SWEAR IT! I WILL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD! YOU'RE GONNA BURN IN HELL FOR THIS!" I turned to Magneto who was looking at me with a look of sympathy and hurt at the same time and telling me with his eyes that Wolverine most likely didn't hear me…he'd escaped. I shook my head and said, "I don't care. I will kill him…. If it's the last thing I do, I will kill him. I will make him suffer, too."

He nodded, knowing that it probably would be the last thing I do because of Wolverine's healing power, but I didn't care. Someway, somehow I was going to kill him.

"Come, Pyro. Go and rest…. You've had a long day."

I nodded and walked towards the door but stopped and asked, "Why did he do it?"

"…. For the same reason humans kill mutants…she was just more powerful than he was and now that you're with us he sees us as a threat so he got rid of one of the most experienced members so we'll have a hard time regrouping."

I nodded and went to my room to sleep, but couldn't.

Mystique loved that man…and he killed her. God, when did it become mutant against mutant? This just goes to show you that even those who say they want peace don't want anything to do with it. Now it's a battle of the bands…. Who makes the humans respect us first? We'll just have to wait and see. Hatred brewed inside of me and burned my insides…and it didn't hurt…it felt good. I was going to kill Wolverine for Mystique. If the Brotherhood has to lose someone the so do the X-men.

They lost Jean…. So what? …. That means nothing now.

If Mystique loved Wolverine and he knew it…then why didn't he react to it the way he should've? What, now everyone you love is going to try and kill you? If that's the case, then I want nothing to do with love anymore….

I brewed in anger for a few more hours until, finally, I fell asleep, dreaming of the day Wolverine would be six feet underground and maggot food.