Replay: Slow Motion

Installment 6

Rogue did NOT want to get out of bed that morning. She felt a lot more like crawling into a hole and dying. But when trying to explain this to Logan, he informed her that was just "too dang bad" because her "ass was going to school." So, she had reluctantly rolled out of bed and gotten dressed. She put on her usual black leather skirt with fishnet stockings, a black tank top and a sheer, green, long sleeved top. She didn't need to put on her gloves though because she had slept in them. She had gone straight to her room and stayed there all night after she had come home. Ah'm ALWAYS dangerousshe had told herself. Ah'll always BE dangerous.

Sleepily, she searched her room for her bag. However, after five minutes of searching, she realized she didn't have it. Thinking back she came to the conclusion that she had probably dropped it when fighting the mob the other day. Great.Sighing in frustration and dragging her feet from exhaustion sheproceeded to make her way to the washroom and saw the long line up at the door. Great. Bobby was banging on the door, his hand encased in ice. Spyke was behind him, with Nightcrawler annoyingly bamfing in front and behind him. "Hey! No cutting!" he yelled. Amara and Rahne were gossiping at the back. Deciding against making her washroom break, she continued on and made her way down the stairs. Making her way to the kitchen for some breakfast, she heard some clanging. Rounding the corner, she was hit in the face with a pancake.

Just great." she said, brushing the pancake off her face and making her way to the door.

"Do you want a ride to school?" Scott called to her. There was no answer, just some muttering and the slamming of the door. "Oh okay."

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Great. Great. Great. Great! GREAT! Rogue kept repeating to herself. She had looked up and down the block for her book bag without any results, so continued on to school. Not really sure why, seein' as how Ah won't have any of mah books. She was only a couple of blocks away when she heard a noise from behind her. She turned around, only to find no one there. "Hmph. Probablay Speedy playin' with meh again." Only when she turned around, she found two red eyes looking down at her. Her breath got stuck in her throat and she stumbled a few feet backwards. This made the Cajun smile.

"Sorry Roguey, didn't mean ta scare ya." saying this he brought his arm out from behind his back to reveal her book bag. Her eyes widened. He went back and got mah bag? He extended his arm, offering her the bag. She hesitated for a second, took it, muttered a "thank you", then looking at the ground tried to move past him. Only every time she tried to do so, he'd stand in her way. Keeping her head down, she whispered that she was sorry and that if he would just let her pass he'd never have to see her again. He noticed she wasn't looking at him and looked…defeated? Quirking an eyebrow he asked "Now what make you t'ink I'd want dat? And why you apologizin?" She looked up at him, confused. He don't seem angray….

"Ya know, the other day…." A smile came to his face as a memory of the kiss they had shared entered his mind.

"Don't see why you's apologizin'. Way I see it, I should be t'ankin you chere." Rogue didn't know how to reply to that.

"So…so ya are alraght then? Ah mean, ya ain't angray?" Looking at him she saw him smile down genuinely at her.

"Angry chere? Non. But Remy is curious as to why you left yesterday." She shuffled her feet when the Brotherhood jeep flew by blasting music. Rogue's eyes followed the path of the vehicle, or more accurately the boy with the white hair sitting in the back. At one point, he turned and looked at her, their eyes locking. But it was only for the briefest of moments. Remy noticed this as she sighed. Hmm… "Dere go your friends." he said flatly.

"They ain't exactly mah friends…."

"Non?" he asked curiously.

"Nah, just some guys Ah go ta school with." Still looking in the schools direction she added, "We don't even get along most of the time." A slight tug pulled at her lips. After all, it was kind of funny when she thought about. They're tha enemy, and yet here Ah am… She wouldn't allow herself to continue the thought and turned her attention back to the handsome young man in front of her.

"Hmph. Ya, dat Pietro seems to t'ink pretty highly of himself, non?" he asked looking down at her, waiting for her to react again. Anger started to surface when she thought about what Pietro had done.

"Ya." she replied flatly. Offering her his arm Remy asked.

"Would da chere mind if Remy escorted her to school?" With a genuine smile she replied.

"Not in tha least." and she hooked her arm with his and the two made their way down the street.

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The music was blaring, but he could hardly hear it. He was sitting in the back of the jeep, thinking about his father's "visit" the other day.

Yesterday

"Pietro, I'm hurt you don't look happier to see me." his father had said, mocking hurt.

"WHATDOYOUWANT?" he asked again. Magneto could not have picked a worse time to be playing his mind games.

"To talk." was his simple reply. He studied the man's face, he knew it couldn't be that simple. Could it? After all this time…. The truth was, he hated not having a real family. His mother had died long ago, his sister was in a mental institution and his father was hell-bent on destroying the entire human race. A genuine father/son talk would be nice. Not to mention a few years overdue….

Talk?" he paused "and that's all?" He had been hopeful.

"That is all."

The two walked for awhile. Eric asked his son about school, the Brotherhood and even girls. Pietro began shuffling his feet. "There is someone, isn't there?" he asked looking down at the boy.

"Well…" The boy had noticed four shadows appear beneath him, then turned his attention up to the sky. Overhead were four giant silver spheres making their way to the ground. "Whatthe?"

"Ah, just in time." Pietro glared at Magneto.

"Justtalkmyass…"

"Now Pietro, be nice. I have some mutants I'd like you to meet." The spheres hovered down to touch the ground. Two of them opened revealing two mutants. One was very large in size, his skin was completely covered in metal and his black hair was in a crew cut. He didn't say anything, just nodded in Quicksilver's direction. The second was smaller in size and although he wasn't covered in muscles like the other one had been, you could tell he was in top physical shape. He wore a red and yellow costume with some type of pack attached to the back of it. Wonderwhatthatdoes?As soon as the question had crossed his mind, the mutant smiled, stuck his arms out, palms facing the sky and produced two balls of flame.

"Hey there mate. Name's Pyro." the mutant said in an Australian accent.

"Wellthatsjustpeachy.Nowwhat'sthisallabout?" he asked impatiently.

"Join me Pietro." He had half expected this. He thought back to a time when his father had gotten him to do things. He had done them too, just to make his father proud. Part of him missed that, and wouldn't mind having that again. But he hadn't understood then what it was that his father was trying to do. He spoke of how he wanted to make the world a better place for mutants. But this better world of his included him as its ruler – and a world VOID of humans. Then he started thinking of those who opposed him. The X-men.

"No." he replied flatly.

"No?" anger apparent in the master of magnetism's voice, "and I suppose you'd rather hang out with those losers you call friends! Wouldn't you like for once to be on the winning team?"

"Winning team?"

"When is the last time you defeated the X-Men? Join with me, and we will finish them. Then there will be no one to stop us from destroying those who persecute our kind." THIS was where their views differed. Pietro did NOT want the persecution, the rejection and hatred mutants got from others, simply because they were born different. He wanted them to be afraid but only so that the taunting would stop. That was all he was trying to do. Just scare them. Maybe even teach them a lesson but his dad, well he was willing to take drastic measures, with deadly consequences. Sure they fought with the X-Men, but they'd never tried to KILL one another. He knew he may have been a lot of things but a killer was not one of them.

"Isaidno." The two mutants that had been watching this looked over at Magneto, who only stared with rage at his son.

"No!NO!" He signaled at the other two mutants but before the two of them had made it even one step, Quicksilver was gone. "Stop." commanded Magneto. "Pyro, Colossus, in the transporters." They obeyed and the spheres closed behind them. "You have made your choice Pietro, another one will NOT be given to you. Soon you will share the same fate as all others who oppose me."

Today

Sitting in the back of the jeep on his way to school he wondered if he had made the right decision. He caught sight of something from the corner of his eye. Turning around, he saw Rogue. She was looking right at him, and for a moment, their eyes locked. That was all he had needed. He had made the right decision. Only then did he notice the Cajun was with her. Imayhavemadetherightdecision,he thought turning around butI'mnotsureitwillmatter.

Shemightneverknow.

TBC>