Not-So-Divided Loyalties

A month later, they were still going strong, though Magneto hung over their heads like a veritable dark cloud on the horizon.

Or the Sword of Damocles.

And it was about to cut deep into their lives.

"I think we should tell Wanda about us," were the first words out of Pietro's mouth.

Rogue blinked up at her boyfriend, the unexpected words coupled with his sudden arrival almost causing her to choke on her frozen drink. She'd been sitting at a small outdoor café in downtown Bayville, waiting for Pietro to show up. She'd expected him to be late since he had basketball practice, so had gotten herself something to drink while she waited – which she was now considering a bad idea. Pietro had said he had something he needed to talk to her about, but she hadn't counted on it being something like this.

"Ya do?" Rogue asked when she was sure she wasn't going to swallow her tongue along with her strawberry smoothie.

Pietro nodded, sitting backwards in the chair across from her. "Something's up with Magneto – I don't know what, but I have a feeling it isn't good. We need someone on our side if he goes off the deep end."

"Interesting phrasing there, Silver – considering that that last time Ah saw Wanda, she was off tha deep end," Rogue sniped. She wasn't being very charitable; she knew how bad Wanda's life had been. But that didn't change the fact that Wanda was not completely sane. And Rogue wasn't sure that the Scarlet Witch had any loyalties to anyone but herself – not even her brother.

Pietro sighed, resting his forehead on his folded arms. "I know," he mumbled. "But I can't really blame her for how she feels. I was just a kid; I couldn't do anything. But Magneto…" His head rose up, determined expression meeting her eyes. "She's just starting to let herself trust me again, and I know if we keep this from her it could ruin everything. Plus, she's the only one I know who could go up against Magneto and possibly win. Hell, Mister 'Master of Magnetism' is scared of her – so scared that he isn't even going to try and lock her up again simply because he knows she'd try – and maybe succeed – to kill him if did."

Rogue considered her boyfriend's words. Though she thought Pietro might have motivated in this instance more by his need to rebuild his lost relationship with his twin, his words held a ring of truth. They could have no greater ally against Magneto than Wanda.

The question was, would Wanda ally herself with them? True, she held no love – and much hate – for Magneto, but would she put herself up against him for them? For a brother she was just getting to know again after eight years, and a girl she'd spent almost no time with outside of battles?

And battling against each other, to boot.

"Do ya think she'd help?" Rogue finally asked, twirling her straw in her rapidly melting frozen drink.

"She's been talking about leaving the Brotherhood and going off to live by herself," Pietro revealed. "And she wouldn't have mentioned it to me unless she thought I could be trusted. She's even given some veiled hints about asking me to go with her."

"Would you?" Rogue asked worriedly. Pietro leaving the Brotherhood could be both a good and a bad thing. Good because he'd be out from under Magneto's – and consequently Mystique's – thumb, and bad because who knew how the 'Master of Magnetism' would retaliate?

After all, he'd locked his own daughter up in an insane asylum. She wasn't crazy when she went in, but she wasn't all there when she came out. Magneto wasn't stupid enough to go after Wanda even if she defied him and left, but…

What would he do to his son if Pietro defected?

"I've been thinking about it," he said seriously. "If I did leave, it would be safer for everyone involved if I left Bayville."

Rogue's breath caught in her throat. She knew that Pietro was fast, and unless he moved halfway across the country, they could probably still see each pretty often. But still…

"However, I figure that there's safety in numbers, and if I stay here, you and the X-Geeks could help us fight Magneto if he tries something," Pietro continued.

Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Rogue said, "Sounds like ya've got this all worked out."

Pietro shrugged. "I haven't talked with Wanda about it, but I figured I'd better have something to bring to the conversation when I do."

Realizing that with their situation – and with how resolved Pietro was on this course of action – that it was only a matter of 'when,' not 'if,' Rogue said, "When do ya want ta tell her?"

Pietro smiled.

The talk went surprisingly well, considering. Wanda only threatened to hex either of them a total of five times, and she never followed through on any of them.

That was restraint, for her.

She agreed to help them if Magneto tried something. They, in turn, promised to keep her posted on Buckethead's schemes as they knew them.

Rogue left for the mansion, and Pietro stayed behind, still talking with his sister. They were both making contingency plans in case they had to leave. She had a feeling that neither of them would be staying at the Boardinghouse for much longer.

Which suited her just fine. The sooner Pietro was out of harm's way, the happier she'd be.

Yeah, right. Like any of them would ever be completely out of harm's way.

She could dream, though, right?

And dreaming got her exactly bupkiss. She and Pietro had planned to see Spiderman that night, one of the few nights she could be assured of not running into anyone else, as the other Institute kids were all busy elsewhere.

And Magneto had the Brotherhood involved in training exercises all afternoon. He'd made Pietro run all the way to New Jersey and back. The speedster would be in no shape for their date.

Damn.

Of course, she didn't want him to push him beyond his limits if he was exhausted, but she also didn't want her boyfriend under that magnetic idiot's thumb.

Sighing, Rogue leaned back against an oak tree in the forest where she and Pietro were supposed to meet. It was wishful thinking on her part, but she'd shown up anyway, even though the chances were slim to none that Pietro would be showing up.

Or maybe not so slim… she thought as a blue and white blur raced through the trees, coming to a stop in front of her.

"Hey, Roguey," Pietro greeted her exuberantly.

"Hey, Silver," Rogue said, smiling. "What are ya doing here?"

Cocking his head to the side, Pietro said, "We had a date to see a human wall-crawler in cinematic action…right?"

"Yeah, but I thought ya'd be tired after all tha running around ya did this afternoon." Rogue's brow furrowed as she looked at her currently very perky boyfriend.

Pietro grinned and shrugged it off. "I downed some Pixi Stix. They're my favorite candy, and a few tubes'll give me a sugar rush that lasts for hours. I always have some in my uniform in case I need a quick boost. And I wasn't about to miss our date."

Rogue smiled shyly, unused to people – especially those of the male persuasion – wanting to spend time with her.

It was a good feeling.

Two hours later they exited the movie theater, both going over their favorite parts.

"Ah think it would have been nice if they hadn't redone tha city scene so tha World Trade Center wasn't in it," Rogue said. "It would have been a nice homage, don't ya think, Silver?"

Pietro nodded. "Yeah, I really don't get why they were trying to go for so much realism – I mean, Spiderman is a comic book character." He grinned manically. "But that part where the Green Goblin surfaced in the mirror in front of Osborne was inspired, man! Talk about being schizophrenic."

Rogue shook her head. "MPD, Speedy. Multiple Personality Disorder. Schizophrenia's a whole different kinda crazy."

"Literally." Pietro smirked.

Rogue shook her head, smiling at his antics. "Well, Ah lahked tha kiss in tha rain scene – Toby Maguire is so cute," she teased.

Pietro huffed. "Not as cute as me," he stated.

"More modest, anyway," Rogue countered.

"Why should I be modest? I'm fabulous and I know it," Pietro declared with his typical arrogance.

Rogue snorted. "Sure, Silver…"

A few more weeks went by, and Rogue was starting to relax a little, as it seemed Magneto wasn't planning on starting anything soon.

Little did she know…

"What! You can't be serious."

"I am completely serious, Pietro," Magneto said firmly.

"I can't just demand that Rogue rejoin us – it doesn't work like that," Pietro protested. Flicking a glance at Mystique, he added, "And as long as she's part of the deal, I don't think Rogue would ever come back."

Magneto sighed theatrically. "Pietro, Mystique is a valued ally…"

"Who betrayed Rogue," Pietro broke in. Outwardly he was calm, almost unruffled. Inwardly, he was shaking like a leaf. "It takes more than a few weeks of friendship to get someone to change sides. After all, it took both Mystique and Destiny betraying her to get Rogue to go over to the X-Geeks."

The blue shapeshifter glared at him, but said nothing. She knew he was right.

Releasing another sigh, Magneto said, "Pietro, if you have as much influence over the girl as you say you do, you should be able to convince her to come back to us. If you don't by now, then you never will, and we should cut our losses."

"Cut our losses?" Pietro asked, uncomprehending. What, does he want me to break up with her?

"Kill her," Magneto said succinctly.

"You can't!" Pietro exclaimed, too caught up in the horror of what his father was suggesting to censor his words.

"Pietro, I am your father, you will do as I say," Magneto commanded.

How dare he even suggest such a thing? Pietro thought, outraged.

Rage boiled up inside Pietro like lava from a volcano, searing every scrap of caution in its path. He neither knew nor cared about being circumspect. He'd spent most of his life loathing, if not outright hating his father, and this was the last straw.

"Father?" Pietro scoffed. "A father is a man who either sired you or raised you. Now the siring part I unfortunately can't refute, but the raising part…?" He shook his head. "I've spent more time with you in this past year than in the whole rest of my life. And considering I've only spent about a month and half total with you this past year, that's pretty pathetic. I don't want anything to do with you or your pathetic cause." Glaring at Magneto, he spat out, "So why don't you and the blue bitch," here he glanced at Mystique, "fuck off! Or maybe just fuck each other." He grinned nastily. "I know you've been doing that off and on for years. Who knows? Maybe me and Wanda are actually related to Fuzzball." With that, he sped off, to the mansion…and Rogue.

Magneto just hung there, in midair, both pleased and furious. Pleased because Pietro had finally shown some ambition…and furious because he used it to leave the Brotherhood…and him.

After contemplating his children's decision for a moment, he finally decided to let them be. They had chosen to side with the X-Men, so they were now the enemy. However, should they choose to come back, he would accept them with no questions asked. He may have been a bastard of a father, but he would support his children's choice in this instance…even if it was to oppose him.

Sighing in regret to losing his offspring to his greatest enemy and oldest friend, he nodded to Mystique and flew away, hoping that one day he wouldn't end up having to kill his children…or being killed by them.