Disclaimer: "Hope to rest upon Could I be the one To break a will so strong Pray it won't be long 'Til your will is gone Everything is done Are you there? I don't feel you anymore"

(An: I wasn't lazy. I was busy. I swear. Oh, by the way, biiig no-prize for the reference in here... If this chapter sounds a little off, blame all the oneshots I've been writing.)

(Rogue)

"Well," I said, after a moment, "seems to me like you should be tellin' John that, not me."

Wanda threw up her hands. "I barely know the guy! He'd think I was a freak!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Apparently the man fell in love with me after one encounter; he shouldn't find it too strange."

Wanda glared at me, obviously unsatisfied with this.

"Go talk to John," I said.

Wanda frowned at me, then paused. "What, exactly, did you want me for, anyway?"

I grinned and leaned back on the bridge. "Never mind, girl." I waved a hand at her. "Move it." I brushed away a strand of hair in my face. After all, I thought, I just wanted someone to rant to about Remy again...

(Wanda)

What business of hers is it? I thought, crossing my arms and glaring at my feet as I stalk off. "Holy crap, it's cold out here!"

I leaned against a tree, fiddling with my hair. I mean... it's probably warmer at the Acolytes than in my room... not like I have a heater... and Toad's home all day...

"GRR!" I yelled.

A couple of people stopped and stared.

Shit! "Well, what're you staring at? Don't you have somewhere warmer to be?"

They scattered.

"Argh," I muttered, expressing my anger more quietly now. "Oh, screw this." I stalked off, deciding it would be better to languish in internal agony inside than it would be to languish outside.

I wandered into the first coffee shop I spotted, the Acoustic Cafe. I sat down at a booth and glared down at the tabletop as though it had done me a great personal wrong.

Then, of course, two new people came into the cafe, and my day went from bad to worse.

(John)

"And she just kissed you," said Remy, incredulous. "Out of the blue."

"I'm serious, mate!" I said, as I pushed open the door. "It was really weird... not bad weird, mind, just kinda random."

"Heh!" said Remy, seeming extremely amused.

I stopped short in the doorway to the Acoustic Cafe, crossing my arms and glaring at Remy. "Look, whatever nefarious path your train of thought is following, turn around now, dammit!"

"Hey, look!" said Remy, ignoring me. "Speak of the devil..."

I turned and spotted Wanda, who looked as though she'd just been slapped in the face.

"Ha!" said Remy. He shoved me into the cafe and shut the door, walking off.

Cursing him and all his relations, I slipped into the booth across from Wanda. "Hey, sheila," I said.

Wanda turned redder than her hair and ducked her head. "Hi, John," she mumbled.

"Coffee and pie?" said a hopeful-looking waitress who walked up to our table.

I glanced at Wanda, who shrugged at me. "Just the coffee, sheila," I said. "I think she's still thinking."

The waitress beamed at me and walked off.

"So...?" I said, messing with my sleeve.

"Yeah," said Wanda instantly.

Somehow, we conveyed more in those two words then we could have in a thousand.

(Wanda)

John stared down at the table for a moment longer, then looked up. I met his eyes. "So..." he repeated.

"You're going to have to say more than that to get her to go out with you," said the waitress, setting a cup of coffee before John.

He gaped at her as she walked off.

I resisted the urge to snicker. "So why are you here?" I asked.

"Remy's idea," said John. "He wanted to try someplace new. You?"

"It's fricking freezing outside," I said.

"Amen, sheila!" said John.

I toyed with my earring as John looked at his hands again.

"So, um, Wanda," he said, and I could tell it was an effort for him to meet my eyes, "would you want to... go see a movie or something?"

Instantly, the memory of that kiss popped into my head. YES! inner Wanda screamed. No! said my head. "Uh..." I said. I looked him up and down, and affected an I-could-care-less tone. "I can't be seen with you, boy. Just look at you. It would ruin my image."

He cocked his head slightly, and then reached over and took my hand, stroking my palm with his thumb and smiling at me with those goddamn eyes. "You can trust me, sheila. I know what it's like."

After a moment... "Yes, I would love that."

"Thought so," said John, smirking at me.

I considered jerking my hand out of his grip and slapping him with it, but thought better of it.

(Kitty)

I fiddled with my ponytail.

"Kitty," said Rogue from her bed. "You look great, dammit!"

"Yeah, but-"

"If you finish that sentence, I swear to God I am going to zap you and drag you to the park myself," Rogue growled.

I set down the hairbrush, biting my lip.

"Honestly, Kitty," said Rogue, "Piotr is going to be dazzled out of his little Russian farmboy mind the moment he sees you, ok? So move it! You're gonna be late!"

I stared at my reflection for a moment longer, until I saw Rogue taking off her glove. "Ok, ok, I'm going!"

(Piotr)

Remy shoved me out of the door on Friday. "Get!" he yelled.

"But-"

"I don't care, and I highly doubt Kitty will either," said Remy, slamming the door in my face.

"I have the greatest friends in the world," I muttered, putting my hands in my pockets.

(Kitty)

Piotr was waiting in the park for me, like we'd arranged. I slid onto the bench beside him. He glanced at me and his face lit up. He was so cute it was almost ridiculous. "Hello, Kitty," he said. "You look nice."

"Thanks," I said. After a moment of silence, I blurted, "How did a nice guy like you get stuck with Magneto?"

Piotr looked at me intensely, his face withdrawn. After a moment, he looked back over at the trees. He stood up and took my hand, starting to walk along the path.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," I said. "I don't know what made me say that at all, actually."

"No, it's all right," said Piotr. "I have never... talked about it before. Remy and John don't ask questions."

"Don't ask, don't tell, huh," I replied.

Piotr gave me a distracted smile. "I would suppose," he said. He tilted his head up at the sky as though asking it where to begin. "My little sister is sick- Illyana is her name. She's very young- only about six. Magneto says that as long as I work for him, he'll keep paying the doctors to care for her. I don't believe a word of Magneto's, but I can't take a chance on my snowflake." His face is quietly mournful. "I wish I knew where she was. I haven't seen her in almost three years."

I suddenly empathized with the little girl, lost in a new country, with the only people she trusted far away, and sick to boot. I squeezed Piotr's hand, and a sad little smile came onto his face. "What about your parents?" I asked.

His face darkened again and he looked away. "I don't know," he murmured. "Illyana was taken by force in the night. When I woke up, she and the rest of my family were gone... Magneto will not tell me what he did with them."

I bit my lip, looking at the ground. Then, after a moment, I stood on the tips of my toes (Piotr is almost a foot taller than me) and kissed him softly.

There were a thousand things I could've said, but I've found that actions convey far more than words most of the time.

(Wanda)

Dating John was a curious experience. A few days after he originally asked me, he called the Brotherhood house. Pietro had given me a dirty, "I'm gonna give you a 'brotherly' lecture for this'" look when he handed me the phone. I just rolled my eyes at him and sat back down on my bed. "Hello?"

"Wanna go annoy people with me, sheila?"

"Wanda," I replied, out of habit. "Why not."

"Brilliant! Meet me outside park in ten minutes."

He hung up and I shook my head at the phone. Then I bounced off the bed, grinning, and went to find my makeup.

(John)

It's an evil conundrum when one is late for a date one set.

I was booking it across town to the park gates, and a frenzied inner monologue was going in my brain. Book it, book it, book it... can't be late, you made this, she'll hate you if she thinks you're not coming... stupid microwave... can't break her trust- oh, that's gonna-

The ending to that last thought was Hurt of course, since I'd just tripped over my own loosely tied sneakers. "FUCK!" I yelled, loud enough to scare away a few patronizing pigeons.

I got up and started for the gates again. Booking, I'm booking... jogging, I'm jogging... limping... I'm limping... ow. It's rather hard to run fast when you've just scraped both knees and bruised your ankle, I found.

She's gonna murder me...

I didn't know why I was so intent on making this date on time (or close to it; I was already at least five minutes late). I had set it myself and I liked keeping my word, but it wasn't that, not really... Honestly, I had no idea why I'd set the date at all, or asked Wanda out in the first place. There was something about her... She was a kindred spirit.

And then of course there was the whole random kitchen kiss. That was a major factor. When someone's actions screamingly suggest that they've got a thing for you, it's always a good idea to start something with them.

(Wanda)

I have to admit, I did consider just walking away. But that was the sort of thing Rogue would do- be offended by a boy who was only five minutes late.

After about ten minutes though, my faith in John was beginning to wane, and it was purely by chance that John got there after fifteen, when I was about to leave.

"Sorry... late..." John gasped, bent over with his hands on his knees. "Had... issues..."

"Deep breaths," I suggested. "Did you run the whole way here?"

"Sort... of..." said John, taking my advice and taking a few slow breaths. "I fell and ended up walking half the way, or I would've been here sooner."

"So why were you late?" I leaned back against the wall around the park, an eyebrow raised.

"Remy set the microwave on fire," said John. "And... well... you get the idea. He ended up setting half the kitchen alight."

"Remy did?" Both eyebrows went up now.

"I take offense at that," said John, drawing himself up and putting a hand on his chest. "I only use fire to destroy things I don't like. Certainly, the little hovel we call home isn't much, but I think your dad would get suspicious if a second base in a row burned down."

"Good point," I admitted.

"Wanna go for coffee?" John asked, after a moment.

"How does this translate to annoying people?"

"I'm not sure yet," John let on, "but it shall, you believe me."

I smiled at him as he started off. After a few steps, he took my hand, his own smile slightly shy.

(John)

I won't go into detail as to what we did for the rest of the day. Just know that it left me with a warm fuzzy feeling. Which would've been vaguely creepy if it weren't so nice.

(Rogue)

The day after my meeting with Wanda, I was regaled with details twice.

The first was by Kitty, who had gotten in after I was asleep. She was somewhere above cloud nine, since she had kissed Piotr twice- once after he'd told her about his contract with Magneto, and once before he left.

I bore this in silence, and Kitty seemed to realize that I was not as keen on the subject as I had been last night, having been left to pine for Remy all night, so she shut up and left me alone for a while.

I miss him terribly, although I'd never admit that to his face. And I'd take him back in an instant, for all my bluster about trust and love and such.

Wanda does say that he misses me as well, but why should I be the one to chase him, when he's the one who deserted me?

The instant answer to that question is Because you love him, but that is always quickly tamped down.

And after I'd been left to stew for a few hours, Wanda came in. She was positively glowing. "Let me guess," I said, rolling over and burying my face in my pillow, "John asked you out."

She sat down on the edge of her bed. "Well, yes," she said. "I was going to bring that up eventually, but I was really coming in here to bother you about Remy. I just mean, since John's with me," she sounded so happy at that statement that I equally wanted to squeal with her as vomit, "he shouldn't object to you getting back with Remy... At least, I would hope not, since we've already gone out together."

"Wanda, if he's leading you on, I have first rights to kick his ass," I replied, flipping over on my back again. "You can hex whatever's left."

She laughed. "I'll keep that in mind. And you," she reached over and flicked me in the ear, "stop being such a goddamn idiot and go talk to Remy."

"Fuck off," I muttered, rolling over again.

Wanda began humming the chorus from "Won't Say I'm in Love."

I sat up swiftly and began smacking her with my pillow. "Out! Out! Get OUT!"

Wanda ran out of the room, cackling madly to rival John.

I fell back on my bed, crossing my arms. If looks could kill, the ceiling would've been dead as a doornail.

You see? I thought. If I were in love, I would act like that. Thank God for small blessings.

Another thing that occurred to me was that if John had seen how Wanda was behaving, he would either reconsider his options or realize he'd found someone a lot better for him than me. After all, what you do says a lot more than what you bluster about.

And you, said that annoying little head voice that everyone has, are blustering.

"GRR!" I yelled at the ceiling.

(Kitty)

It was pretty amusing seeing Rogue be indecisive over the next few days. It was even more amusing knowing she was trying to hide it.

(Rogue)

Ok, so it took me a while (five days to be exact; I'm not the fastest of decision makers) to actually get up the balls to decide to go and talk to Remy. After all, a lot of things had been left unsaid in our relationship. It had been one of those accidental things... wonderful, just not on purpouse.

And if we didn't end up back together, well, then, at least all my niggling questions would be answered. Win-win, or something like that.

Despite my resolution, though, I didn't get my chance for a while. It was the usual woes of being an X-man- whenever you wanted to do something, you got sent off on a mission.

(Wanda)

Two weeks. That's a time of some import to me, because that's how long my relationship with John lasted. I learned a lot about him, and everything I saw made me love him more. The same passion he put into his words that first night showed up in everything else he did.

"Rogue said she'd have to kill you if she saw you without me around," I said. This was one of those things women say because they know they're going to cause trouble. It's one of those curses of my gender.

But, to my surprise, John just shrugged. His expression didn't change at all. "If you'd told me that last week," he said, "then maybe it would've bothered me. But now... nah."

I had to turn back to the penguins so he wouldn't see the grin that simply exploded all over my face.

(John)

She had a really pretty smile.

This simple thought was enough to make me realize how attached I was getting to this girl. Was this good? Bad? Disgustingly desperate? I wasn't sure.

Now, despite what you might think of me from previous suggestions, I am ridiculously insecure. Being treated like you're worthless time after time really starts to make you think you actually might be. Preposterous, you call it, but it's my life.

I just hoped that it didn't show up when I kissed her.

(Wanda)

There were several nice things about dating John. I got to know him. He got to know me. I had a socially acceptable reason to stare at him. I could figure out if the thoughts that ran through my head whenever I saw him were just lust, or something more.

Oh, yeah, and John's a great kisser. He was kind of shy about it, like he didn't think I was interested- as if!- but once he realized I was, he warmed up quickly.

We were standing outside the Brotherhood house when he did it.

"Your palace awaits," said John.

"Ah, the biting taste of irony," was my reply.

"Delicious, isn't it?" John agreed. Having said that, he stared at me for a few moments, then kissed me.

Yeah, one of the more remarkable moments of my life, that.

After it, things moved fast. I don't know John's half of the story, but... I was a fool for him. I've never been one to trust fast and I don't know what made me trust him. He was honest and sweet, but that had never been enough for me to go for anyone before.

I suppose when something is built fast, something ends fast as well.

(John)

The problem, I think, with my half of my relationship with Wanda was that I was never clear on things. With Rogue it was thirty seconds and I knew I loved her. With Wanda, it was two days and I knew... pretty much nothing. I was confused. She'd come into my life at one of its most insane points, the best possible thing at the worst possible time. She wiped away everything I knew and replaced it with some vague words and feelings.

Love is a pretty word, one that never occurred to me until it was beyond my reach. Bastard is an ugly word, but it goes pretty far in describing me.

Basically, after that first kiss (well, second, I guess, if you have to be picky), things heated up.

I may's well tell you how it ended, because that explains my sudden pessisimism.

It started with one of the more perfect moments of my life, two weeks into dating Wanda.

(Wanda)

I was lying on my bed when John came rushing in, looking around like a terrified rabbit. "What's the matter with you?" I asked, looking up with a raised eyebrow.

"Sabretooth found the present I left for him," he said. "Hide me!" He glanced around the room, then hid under my bed. A loud rumbling started up.

"John, get out from under there," I said.

"No!"

"I'm telling you, that's not a good idea. Ebony doesn't like strangers."

"Ebony?"

"My cat."

"Oh, is that what that noise is?" John asked, poking his head out. "Funny, I thought it was a vibrator."

I don't think I've ever gone redder in my life. "I do not have a vibrator!" I shrieked. "Get up here!"

"If you insist, luv," said John, wiggling out and pulling himself up beside me. "And here I thought all sheilas had vibrators."

"Yeah, well," I said, my cheeks dull pink, "I don't. And who've you been hanging out with, to get that kind of impression?"

He just stared at me.

"Remy. Right."

(John)

Wanda rolled her eyes at me and layed back down on her bed. I scooted closer to her. "At least the cat's shut up now," I said.

"Don't say that too loudly," Wanda replied. "Ebony wouldn't like it."

"I'll take your word for that."

Wanda assessed me out of the corner of her eyes for a moment and then rested her head on my chest. I put an arm around her and she moved more into my grip.

We stayed like that for a while, not saying anything- Wanda because she was thinking and me because I could tell she had something on her mind. After probably ten minutes, she bit her lip and said, "John?"

"Yeah?"

"If I said something that sounds stupid and immature even to me, would you promise not to mock me for it?"

I looked over at her, but she was serious. "Sure, all right..."

She tilted her head back a little, closing her eyes. "I'm in love with you."

My eyes snapped to her. Her own were still closed, obviously expecting negative repercussions to her simple statement. I just stared at her for a minute. That was one of the things about her- she was so scared to get hurt. Me, I jumped back into the fray and got hurt again.

I didn't say anything in response, just kissed her. Because really, how are you supposed to reply to that?

(Rogue)

Ok, so it had been a long mission. The mutant we were after was particularly stubborn, and in Japan no less. We had to rescue him from the Yakuza, turn around his way of thinking, blah blah blah that's not what you're interested in.

I got Kurt to walk me to the park, just so I couldn't lose my nerve. He was better now, pretty much. He just wasn't supposed to 'port as much, which really annoyed him. "Why, exactly, are we going to the park?" Kurt asked me.

"I'm not gonna tell you," I replied.

"Well, then, why do I have to go with you?"

"Because you're part of the reason I'm going to the park."

Kurt's face looked like one big question mark.

"I'll tell you eventually," I said, shrugging. I poked him. "Now scat."

Kurt pulled a face at me, rolled his eyes, and walked off.

I watched him go and then shoved my hands in my pockets and started for the Acolyte house.

(Remy)

I wish I had had the balls to slam the door in her face. Rogue is the person who's wrecked everything about my life. My attitude about women was shattered when I saw her green eyes. My viewpoint of my way of life was changed when she turned her back on it to do the right thing in the bayou. She ruined my relationship with my best friend. And I still couldn't slam that damn door. I couldn't even say something first.

"Ok," said Rogue, more to herself, than to me. Then she looked up and slapped me across the face. Hard. "You're an IDIOT!" she yelled.

"So what else is new?" I stammered. This just proves that I should stop answering the door, I thought, as I fingered the second mark I'd gotten for opening it.

Rogue glared at me and shoved me inside, shutting the door behind her. "I don't care how long you've been friends with John," she went on, pushing me back against the wall, "nobody treats me like that." Then she grabbed me by the collar and kissed me so hard I was surprised she didn't leave a mark. "For Christ's sake, Remy," she said when she broke it off, "grow a backbone!"

When I got my voice back I put my face very close to hers. "Screw John," I said. I took my face in her hands and kissed her.

(Rogue)

As I sat down on the couch next to Remy, I realized that the little talk I had planned out in my head hadn't happened. I also realized as I layed my head in his lap that I didn't really care. He stroked my hair and I smiled.

(John)

Things with Wanda always seemed to be a matter of timing. Usually, bad timing. Given a year locked up with my laptop, I don't think I could've thought up a worse timeline. Wanda tells me she loves me, everything else goes along smooth, and then we walk back to my place.

Well enough, right?

Add this scene to it and it all falls apart.

Wanda and I walked through the door quietly. One of the things I liked about her was that conversation flowed so easily between us, without thought or pretension. But right then it didn't seem like anything really needed to be said.

I never should've stopped when I saw Remy and Rogue stretched out on the couch together. I should have kept walking. But it surprised me, enough to make me still my steps with a blank expression on my face. They couldn't even see me. But I could see them, and that was bad enough. God, it was bad enough.

Wanda followed my eyes and stopped dead herself, her face going very white. She looked at me with a pleading expression on her face, as silent as I was.

Let me just say, before you finally write me off as a jerk, I hadn't felt anything up to that point. Remy and Rogue just caught me off guard, the simple fact that they'd gotten back together. I don't know why I stopped, because it didn't bother me.

But Wanda just looking at me, her eyes wide with hurt and betrayal, that killed me. Just looking at her made me feel like curling up and dying.

I didn't say anything, though. Unlike before, plenty needed to be said. I just couldn't say it. And what good are words, anyway, if they desert you at a time like this?

(Wanda)

During that whole time, Rogue and Remy didn't see us. When I looked at them and then at John, all I wanted him to do was hold my hand, like Remy was holding Rogue's. That would prove that it was me that he cared about, and not Rogue. That would make everything all right.

He didn't, though. He just stood there, watching them with his face completely empty of expression. It was bad enough, though.

I got my voice back first, backing up and shaking my head. "You're just like everyone else," I whispered. "What the hell was I expecting? For fuck's sake, you work for my dad!" My voice increased in volume as I spoke, but I didn't really notice. I did notice when it broke, though. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you. You just hurt everyone around you, don't you? Remy, Rogue... me... You always think that you're the one who's getting betrayed, but that's not it. It's you, John, oh, God, it's you, who's doing it."

"Wanda," he murmured. "I..."

"No!" I said, shaking my head harder. His eyes looked sorry, but it was those eyes that had gotten me in trouble, wasn't it? So I just repeated, "No. You don't have to say anything. You've already let your actions speak for you. So just... go do whatever it is the hell you do all day and leave me alone. Leave me the hell alone." I shook my head at him again and walked out.

The tears didn't hit me until I was halfway to the Brotherhood house.

(I'm so so sorry this took so long. I just got really apathetic about this story and couldn't touch it for a few weeks. It is good and long, though. I hope to have the next (and, unfortunately, last) chapter along sooner, though. That said, don't kill me for the way it ended...)