To anyone who read this story before, I am SO SO SO SO sorry for not updating this fic for such a long time. Life and school have been utterly insane and you guys must be sick and tired of me updating my Harry Potter stories while ignoring this one. I apologize. This story will get a lot more chapters. I found my writing focus again the past couple of weeks and there are several ideas that are rolling around my head. Please forgive me and find that I am still a good writer.
Disclaimer: Check the first chapters. It is all there and it is still all true. I don't own these guys. I would be rich if I did though. Oh well, life gives you lemons and you make lemonade.
As usual reader reviews are addressed at the end of each chapter. Feel free to check if you left a review for at least a personal thank you.
Now on with the story
The drive back to their New Orleans base was as close the four Acolytes came to absolute silence. The events at the bar had put a huge damper on what had promised to be an enjoyable evening. It wasn't every day that somebody you knew personally showed up in a bar and informed you that she had finally decided to make a life for herself.
Pietro had been waiting for Rogue to leave the X-Men for years now. He had never expected her to stay with them for as long as she had but he could understand why she had done it. The Institute had provided her with a place to stay when the world had turned its back on her and the people she had thought she could trust had betrayed her. He and Lance had never gotten over their resentment of how Mystique had treated Rogue and they had openly blamed the older woman for making Rogue decide to leave.
Lance had taken Rogue's decision to leave much harder than Pietro had, but by that point in his life Pietro had become used to people leaving him. His mother had been the first to leave him, followed by Wanda when their father placed her in that home, and then finally his own father had left him. He had resented his father for leaving him but eventually his resentment had become nothing more then a lump in his stomach that ached whenever he had had to interact with the man.
He had been delighted when, after the incident with Apocalypse, his father had decided to reform the Acolytes and had offered him a position. He had wanted to prove to his father that he could be a valuable and he had seen his acceptance as an Acolyte as the first step along that road.
It hadn't taken him long to realize that the ordeal with Apocalypse had changed his father in a lot of ways. The older mutant still claimed that Xavier's dream of a peaceful resolution with normal humans was impossible. There had to be a group that was interested in protecting the interests of mutants whenever violations against them occurred.
Since the team had been reformed Magneto had been careful to only attack when he had concrete evidence that mutants were being threatened. The team almost never attacked government bases and when they did it because Magneto had evidence that mutants were being used for research. Some of the things he had seen when they entered those institutions had left him feeling weak-kneed and sick. He also noticed that after every raid his father looked older and there was a shine to his eyes that wouldn't be present at other times.
The mutants they rescued were taken to safe houses where they could recover in safety. Magneto never took any of the rescued mutants on as new Acolytes no matter how powerful they appeared to be. When Pietro had asked his father why he didn't take them on his father and turned to him and told him in a tired voice.
"They have grudges." He hadn't understood what his father meant at first but after several late nights of contemplation it finally came to him. His father didn't want mutants on his team who would want to kill for revenge. He wanted mutants who would fight for the better good. It was the argument he had used to get Remy and Piotr back on his team. The two mutants had not wanted to continue acting as terrorists. If they were going to fight for the mutant cause they wanted to fight to protect mutants who couldn't protect themselves.
Pietro glanced up at the rear view mirror of his car. The mirror had been adjusted so he had a clear view of Remy and Rogue. Rogue was still unconscious and just like Remy had promised he had not let her go for a second. He had her sitting in his lap and he was cradling her protectively against his chest and at some point he had wrapped his trench coat around her thin frame.
So far the ride back to the Acolyte base had been silent. When Rogue had fallen unconscious the group had immediately left the bar and made their way to the car. Since Remy was carrying Rogue, Pietro had agreed to drive. Piotr was sitting up front while John sat with Remy and Rogue in the back. None of them knew how to react or what to say. The only thing they knew to do was to take Rogue back to base and let Pietro's father tend to her. Taking her to a regular hospital was pointless and dangerous because of her mutation and Pietro was confidant that his father would know what to do.
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The drive back to the base took a lot less time than the drive to the club but to Remy it still seemed to take an eternity. He wanted the young woman in his arms to be okay. He was almost positive that the men at the club had slipped her a drug that would wear off in a few hours but he would not rest easy until he knew for sure that she was going to be okay.He had cared for Rogue for a long time even if he refused to admit it. The young goth with an impossible mutation had wormed her way into his heart from the second he had read herprofile after being recruited by Magneto.
Her inability to touch had fascinated him andhe hadno idea what it would be like to live life without human contact. The first time they had met in combat he had felt an incredible air of lonelyness and fear hovering around the girl. The lonliness had come almost exclusively from Rogue but he had been shocked that the fear not only radiated from the girl but from her so called friends as well. He knew that no team worked when the members feared each other and it had amazed him that Rogue chose to stay with people who did not completely trust her. Like Pietro, he had anticipated that the young goth would leave the X-Men much sooner than she had chosen to. It didn't matter though, he was not about to hold the young woman's past alliances against her.
He looked down at her gently moved a piece away from her face so he could see her better. She looked relaxed and innocent as she slept and the thoughts of what the guys at the bar could have done to her in this state. He had wanted to do a lot more then hit the guy at the bar in the face but he had been more concerned about Rogue than getting revenge on her behalf. He was confidant in Rogue's ability to take care of herself when the odds were even but when the other guys resorted to using drugs against her she didn't stand much a chance.
It comforted him though to know that if he and the other Acolytes hadn't been there then the guys who had attacked her would have gotten a nasty surprise when they tried to touch her. He had seen Rogue freeze when the guy kissed her and he knew that her powers had taken effect to some extent but the guy would probably contribute his headache to the punch in the jaw he had received rather then to the idea that Rogue might be a mutant. He would do what the had to in order to protect the young woman for as long as she was close enough for him to do so.
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Throughout the rideback to the base John was constantly switching his gaze between Pietro, Remy, and Rogue. He didn't know the young sheila as well as Pietro and Remy but it was rather obvious to him that the two of his fellow acolytes obviously had some kind of relationship with the girl. He didn't know how deep the relationship ran but each of them had made it pretty clear that it ran deep when the two of them practically climbed over one another to get to the her side when she had been threatened.
John knew that Pietro rarely used his powers in public but in that moment he had willingly disregarded his own safety in favor of Rogue's. The young man had been by her side in seconds with Remy following close behind. It had been Remy that had been the first to take action though. Immediatly upon reaching the man who had kissed Rogue he had wasted no time in sending the man flying and Pietro had been right there to catch Rogue as she fell. John had seen the temporary panic on Rogue's face as Pietro caught her but she had immediatly seemed to relax when she saw who it was that was holding her.
John was not used to seeing trust between an X-Man, and an acolyte although he figured that since thesheila claimed not to be an X-Man anymore that it didn't really matter. She had felt safe enough to allow herself to relax and that was what had mattered at that moment in time.
He also wondered how Magneto would react when he found out that his Acolytes had brought a member of his enemies team to their base. John, like Pietro had noticed that the master of magnetism had seemed much calmer and more rational since the team had reformed after the battle with Apocalypse. He hoped that Magneto would accept the sheila and he predicted that if Magneto did not then he would drive a wedge between himself and Remy and Pietro. There was just something about the sheila that had completely drawn Remy and Pietro to her and John doubted that either of them would let her just leave them without a fight. It would be interesting to see Rogue's reaction when she awoke and found herself in her enemie's base.
As they finally neared the base he allowed his gaze to switch to Rogue once again. She would either insist on leaving immediatly upon waking up or she would allow Remy and Pietro to convince her to stay. Either way, John saw life within the base changing rather drastically within the next couple of days.
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Piotr, like John, spent the ride in silent contemplation. He had noticed the concern that both Remy and Pietro held for the girl and it had warmed his heart to see them concerned about something other then their next hot date. Although, he supposed, that each of them kind of saw Rogue as that next hot date. The girl was very pretty and, when she wasn't being sarcastic and distant did have a good personality. However there were small hints which told him that each of the young men considered the young woman to be something more then their next girlfriend. The way that Pietro gripped the car's steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were white was one indication and the way Remy was cradling the young woman in his arms as if she were made of spun glass which would break if he held her too tightly was another.
The fact that she had just up and left the X-Men concerned him a little bit. What would have had to have happened to cause the girl to leave the people who she had considered family for so many years. Piotr new the value of family and he would never advice anyone to leave their family unless they saw nothing there for them anymore. The only reason he had left his family was because he had seen what was at stake if he did not use his powers to the best of his ability. Magneto's promise that the Acolytes would actually help mutants had been the only reason he agreed to return to the team when it had been reformed.
He has glad he had done so. The work that the Acolytes engaged in had been rewarding and heart breaking at the same time. It was disturbing to see what men did to their fellow men and he was glad that they were choosing to help those that needed help the most. He had gotten sick of acting like a common terrorist. There were enough normal humans who engaged in violence on a day to day basis without mutants adding to the fray. Now he felt that he was part of something rewarding. The team he was part of was a strong team and they knew each other's strenghts and weaknesses well. They also trusted one another and were willing to do whatever it took to help make a better future for mutants.
Piotr thought back to the time in the club. He had been sitting in the booth, ignoring John to the best of his ability when he saw Rogue approach Remy and Pietro. The two had seemed incredibly pleased to see her and he had noticed how comfortable Rogue seemed to be in their presence. He had been surprised when the three of them chose to come back to the table and take their seats in order to talk. He was glad that they had done so however because it gave him an opportunity to meet the young woman and speak with her in a casual situation.
He had been surprised by how much the young woman had changed. It seemed as though the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders for a night. Piotr supposed that giving up your old life because it was holding you back would do that for some people but he was still interested to know what had finally been the last straw which forced Rogue to pick up her life and leave it all behind. He also wondered how her friends had taken her sudden decision to leave and would they try to find her and coax her back.
From what little he had seen of Rogue in the club he got the impression that the young woman would not be going back for long time, if ever, and he wondered how her friends at the Xavier Institute would take that bit of news when they found out.
A quick glance out the window told him that they were nearing the base and he leaned forward and removed a remote from the glove box. As they neared the house he pressed a button and one of the house's reenforced garage door silently opened. He had no doubt that Magneto would soon show up to investigate why they had returned so early and they would have to explain Rogue's presence to him. It was not something that Piotr was really looking forward to and he fully planned to allow Remy and Pietro to do all the talking.
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As the garage door opened Pietro gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. Bringing Rogue here was a risk but there was nothing else he could have done. He was a little worried about his father's reaction to the girl's presence. She was, at one point at least, on the other side. She had been their enemy and as such there was no way of knowing how his father would react.
He was confidant that his father would make sure that Rogue was okay but it was what came after her recovery that he was not sure about. Magneto could ask Rogue to stay or he could tell her to leave and not return. Pietro hoped that his father allowed the girl to stay. It would be nice to catch up with her again and have her there as a friend. He didn't know if she would want to join them but it would still be nice to have her at arm's length so he would know that she was okay.
Pietro got the impression that Remy felt the same way he did about the girl. He knew the Cajun was attracted to Rogue. Her Southern stubborness and the way she constantly turned him down challenged the Cajun who was so used to having every girl he met fall in love with him instantly. Pietro had also recognized that Rogue's inability to touch fascinated the thief. He found it hard to conceive how anyone could manage to live their life without touching other people.
In truth he didn't really like the fact that Remy was holding Rogue right now. He would have much preferred that their positions be reversed with Remy driving and he cradling her in his lap. He had known her longer then the Cajun and he cared about her. He didn't know if Remy just wanted to use her or if he actually cared about her as well. It was confusing. He had never felt really jealous about something like this before. He and Remy both got their share of girls but this was Rogue and there was only one of her and there would never be another like her.
He finally pulled the car into its spot and quickly shut the it down. Immediatly he moved to the back seat and opened the door on Remy's side. There was no way that he was taking a risk of Remy hurting her because he tried to juggle her like a doll while he tried to open the car door. Not that Rogue was a doll by any means. She was one of the strongest women that Pietro had met in his life and he wanted to see her stay that way.
Once they were all out of the car they started to make their way towards the medical bay. During the walk none of them spoke. It was almost as if they were children and they were trying to sneak cookies from the cookie jar in the middle of the night. None of them really wanted to get caught in the process of bringing an X-Man, even if she wasn't on that team anymore, into the base. It was only a matter of time before Magneto realized her presence but they really wanted to keep it a secret until they could get Rogue to the medical bay.
They had no such luck. Just as they were stepping out of the elevator that led to the lower levels Magneto walked out of his office and saw them. An immediate look of concern came over his face and he checked his watch.
"What happened gentleman? It is hardly after 11:00, I didn't expect you back until 2:00 or 3:00 at the earliest." He scanned the four young men and noted with relief that none of them seemed injured but they were all nervous about something. As his eyes settled on Remy he finally noticed that the young man was craddling someone in his arms and deduced that the young woman must be the source of the unease. He couldn't tell who she was so he moved closer to investigate.
As he did so he noticed that Pietro and Remy tensed and Remy tightened his grasp on the girl in his arms. They were protecting her which was odd. Magneto rarely saw his son act protectively towards anyone and the idea that both Pietro AND Remy wanted to protect her spiked his interest.
"Who do we have here?" He had finally gotten close enough to Remy to move the fabric that hid the girls face and as he did so he gasiped slightly.
"Rogue?" He stepped back and scanned the young men in front of him. Piotr and John had backed away which clearly indicated that he would have to focus on Pietro and Remy if he wanted any information.
"What happened?" It was not a question that they would get around. He wouldn't be the man he was today if hecouldn't put a little power behind his words when he needed to. Pietro spoke first.
"We-met-up-at-the-club-and-we-started-talking. She-said-she-finally-left-the-X-Men. Then-she-went-to-get-a drink-and-some-guys-at-the-bar-spiked-her-drink-and-one-of-them-tried-to-kiss-her-and-her-powers-activated. That-guy-then-got-punched-in-the-face-by-Remy-and-we-brought-her-here-because-we-couldn't-take-her-to-a-hospital." If Magneto hadn't lived with his son than he would have had no idea what the boy had said but practice had given him the ability to understand his son's rapid speech. He waited for his son to continue but the younger man was not meeting his gaze so he switched to Remy.
"What do you think she was drugged with?"
"Remy thinks dat it was only a mild sleepin drug and dat the femme will wake in an a few hours." Magneto nodded and rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"Take her to the medical lap and make sure the someone stays with her until she wakes up. When she wakes up we can have a talk with her and decide the best course of action from there." Pietro and Remy looked a little relieved while John and Piotr were edging back toward the elevator. The two young men in front of him nodded and took off with Rogue. As they were about to turn follow the corridor that led out of sight Magneto called to them.
"You did the right thing by bringing her here. It would have been too dangerous to take her to the hospital. Former X-Man or not she is a mutant and she does deserve any protection we can give her." He noticed that Pietro finally seemed to relax while some of the unease disappeared from Remy's stance. "Take good care of her and I'll come by later."
With that Magneto turned towards the elevator and followed Piotr and John to the upper floors of the plantation house. It would be a long night and he wanted some sleep.
Sorry for the long update time. I promise I will be better about chapters in the future. Please review because it encourages me to write faster when I know people like my fiction.
Answers to reviews
Enchantedlight: Thank you for liking my writing.
tillallareone: Thank you, I love writing and to hear someone say I'm good is a wonderful thing.
Fallen Angel: Here is more of the story and the Cajun, probably not enough of either for your tastes but it's a start.
bored247: Sorry for the wait between updates. Rogue will wake up in the next chapter. As for the guy that drugged her, well he at least got knocked out.
chicita: yeah they are pretty cute. Thanks for the review.
Daughterofdeath: Here is the new chap. Sorry about the wait.
silverdragonsaphira: I'm not the best writer in the world by any shot. I'm glad you think so though. I have not decided on a pairing. I like both romy and reitro. It will not be a MagnetoRogue though. They might be friends but not anything more. Sugar is a good thing. One can never get too much.
baby12: Sorry for the wait. Thanks for the review.
Spirel: I like Rietro stories. The pairing is really sweet. I haven't made a decision though.
Nettlez: Yes it has been way too long since an update. I apologize and hope to have more up soon.