AN: I'm back from my tropical Mexican vacation (which was lovely!) and here's the next part of Progression! In this chapter, Wanda's a little shocked by Rogue's revelations, and Magneto has a chat with Charles. Enjoy! Thanks, as always, for reading!

Chapter 20

"I have to tell you something."

Wanda broke an egg into the large silver bowl and looked up sharply at Rogue's words. Her friend had been acting really weird for the last week, so it would be nice to finally know what was wrong. Wanda wasn't the world's most empathetic person, and Rogue's continual skittish behavior was becoming sort of annoying.

"Yeah?" She tossed the broken egg aside and read the directions. "Hand me the butter, would you?"

Rogue opened the fridge and retrieved the butter. "Here."

"Thanks." Wanda measured out the correct amount and added it to the bowl. They were making cookies, which was a pleasant diversion on a Sunday afternoon. Pietro was out doing things Wanda probably didn't want to know about, Lance had taken Kitty and the rest of their housemates to the mall (Wanda was having a hard time imagining Fred in Pacific Sun), which meant she and Rogue had the house to themselves. "What's up?"

"Um, you know I like you, right?"

Startled, Wanda looked up. That sounded ominous, which she didn't like. The plates in the kitchen cabinet rattled and the mixer turned itself on. "Oops."

"Maybe—maybe this isn't a good time," Rogue said suddenly, backing up. Her eyes were wide. "I don't want to upset you or anything."

With effort Wanda calmed herself down. "Please, just tell me. I'll try—my control's getting better." Just the other day, Pietro had taken twenty dollars from her wallet and she managed to get it back from him without breaking a single thing in the house. Wanda considered that an achievement of which to be proud.

"God, I just…I don't know how to say this." Rogue stepped closer and looked at her, obviously troubled. She reached out and moved the bowl to the rest on top of the oven, which was pre-heating. "Here. Let this butter soften on the stove while you mix the dry ingredients. It makes the cookies softer."

Wanda nodded solemnly. "I can see how that was really hard for you to tell me," she deadpanned.

Rogue smiled a little. "You know I'm not a very good cook, so I don't usually offer advice."

"That isn't it, though, is it? Whatever it is, it's been bothering you for a few weeks." Wanda pulled out the flour and measured the correct amount, dumping it in the bowl.

"I just want to make sure you know that I think you're…you're my best friend," Rogue said simply.

Wanda tensed, but not because she was unhappy. It was just a strange thing to hear, because she was fairly sure she'd never had a best friend in her entire life. "Thanks. It really…I'm glad," she said huskily, looking down as she continued to mix the dry ingredients.

"And, like, I'd hate if you didn't want to be my friend anymore."

Wanda slammed her hand down on the counter in a temper. "Would you just tell me already? This is worse than tearing off a damned band-aid. Say what it is you want or be quiet already."

Rogue sucked in a breath next to her. "I'm sort of…I think I'm…involved somehow with your father."

Wanda looked at her. "You know, I'm trying to be nice here, but it's hard. Very funny. Now really, what is it?"

"That's…that's it, actually." Rogue bit her lip. "It's really strange, but that's what it is."

Wanda blinked. "You're…no. You're kidding. Tell me you're kidding," she said, voice almost desperate.

Rogue shook her head. "I'm not."

The water faucet turned itself on, and the lights began flickering. "Rogue, this isn't funny," Wanda pleaded. "Please, just don't tease me, I'm still---I'm still working on the power control thing, you know."

"I'm not kidding. Wan, listen to me, I'm as surprised as you—" Rogue took a step towards her, and Wanda held her hand up.

"No, Rogue, I really don't think that's possible." Things were beginning to slide off the counter, including the flour, and Wanda felt herself start shaking. Control, control, you have to try… It wasn't working. It felt like…like betrayal.

Her eyes narrowed, and Wanda felt the power begin to build around her. "You better get out of here," she growled, feeling the hex powers begin to take over that rational part of her brain. God, not again!

"Okay, Wan, listen to me. You can make this whole place fall down but I ain't leaving. I know this is really weird, but I still want to be your friend and if you can't ever talk to me again I won't have anything to do with him." Rogue's voice was very soft, but firm.

Wanda took a breath, pushing the powers back, not hearing Rogue's words as much as her voice, calm and insistent.

Rogue moved closer. "I'm not afraid of you, Wan. I know what it's like to have powers you can't control. If you want to rip this place apart, just try to not bury me in something gross like your brother's laundry."

Wanda laughed weakly, grateful that the surge was beginning to dissipate. "Oh, God. You're dating my father?" She started giggling at the absurdity of it, the sound bordering on hysteria. "How in the hell did that happen?"

"Um, it's sort of…" Rogue blushed. "It's a long story. But I kind of still don't like him, which is weird I know, and he thinks I'm annoying, but…" she shrugged.

"My father," Wanda repeated, leaning against the counter. "Here I thought you had a crush on my brother."

Rogue leaned down to pick up the bag of flour. "Yeah."

"Is it…is it serious?" Wanda began picking up the dishes that had fallen, grateful that only two had shattered. "Watch out for the glass."

Rogue wiggled her gloved hands. "Protected, see? And I don't know. It wasn't at first, but we were sort of using each other for—"

"No! Please don't finish that sentence!" Wanda backed up, her eyes wide. "Does my brother know?"

"No one does, but you," Rogue said, carrying bits of broken glass to the trashcan. "I guess maybe the Professor, too, if Erik talked to him."

"You call him by his first name?" The lights flickered again, and Wanda closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm trying, really I am, but…Rogue, this is crazy!"

"Oh, I know that. It might never…it might never be anything."

"But it might be something." Wanda watched Rogue carefully. "Right?"

Rogue stared at her for a moment, then nodded. "It might be, yeah."

"Was he even going to tell me?" More rattling ensued; Wanda curtailed her powers with an effort. She felt frazzled. "Maybe we should leave the kitchen."

"Okay," Rogue said quickly, and grabbed her coat. Wanda followed suit and the two of them went outside into the cold winter air, the ground lightly covered by snow.

They ended up in the garden behind the greenhouse, a twisted wreck of a thing with broken glass and scary remains of vine-like plants snaking out and covering the sides. "Do you ever go in there?" Rogue asked curiously, peering at the remains of the little building.

"Are you kidding?" Wanda looked at the greenhouse and shuddered. "No. It's worse in the summer and in the spring. Mutant plants live in there," she said, smiling at Rogue a little, trying to wrap her brain around the fact that…. "So, um…"

"Look, I'm really—I just wanted you to know." Rogue said quickly, her hands twisting together. She looked nervous, but Wanda didn't think it was because of her hex powers being so volatile. No, she feared Wanda's disapproval more than anything.

That was a novel idea. "It's just so… I mean, we're the same age," Wanda said, though of course such things weren't unheard of. "Do you think you're…are you in love with him?" The words were clumsy in her mouth, and she flushed almost as red as her jacket.

Rogue was staring up at the grey clouds. "No," she said carefully. "I don't think I am. I don't know, not really. I'm not real sure about how any of this happened, but I have to—" she shook her head a little. "If you don't want me to, Wanda, I won't."

"You would do that? If I said it bothered me?" Wanda tried very hard to keep the surprise from her voice, but she didn't think it was working very well.

"Well, yeah," Rogue said with a shrug, then smiled. "I mean, you're my friend. That's more important than anything, ain't it?"

Warmth spread through her at that, and Wanda grinned. "Yeah. Guess so. But it's okay. Weird, but okay." She held a hand up. "Don't ever talk to me about…you know."

Rogue flushed. "God, no. I won't." Her gaze was sharp despite her embarrassment. "Really? You don't mind?"

"I don't know that I don't mind," Wanda said honestly. "It's just so strange maybe I haven't really wrapped my mind around it yet."

"Neither have I," Rogue muttered.

"You used to hate him," Wanda reminded her.

"So did you," Rogue said, her tone slightly defensive.

"I know," she said, standing up. She brushed snow off of her lap. "It's starting to snow. We should go back inside. I'm okay, I promise."

Rogue stood up. "I know you are." She linked her arm through Wanda's. "You know why I like you? You ain't afraid of me. You let me do this." She smiled shyly. "Your father—I think maybe it's the same. He actually finds my power more attractive than—"

"Hello," Wanda said, wincing. "Remember what I said? And I like you because you are the only person I know who would tell me something that might upset me and then not run away."

"We're two of a kind," Rogue sing-songed, skipping. Wanda was happy her friend's mood seemed so vastly improved, but it was still making her brain bleed a little to think about what Rogue had just told her.

"I'm not ever calling you mom," Wanda informed her, and Rogue laughed.

"We're just going to dinner, Wan," Rogue said, shaking her head. "You never know. We may end up trying to kill each other again."

"We're so going to end up on the Dr. Phil Show," Wanda lamented. "I can just see it."

ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo

"I need to speak with you, Charles."

Erik had no idea how this conversation was going to go, or if he would be told to leave immediately after its conclusion. He walked into Charles' study, noticing for a moment that his friend seemed a million miles away, his eyes distant and his face tense.

"Yes, Erik?"

He sat down on the chair in front of Charles' desk without waiting for an invitation to do so. "It's about Rogue," he began, wondering how on earth he was going to say this. Perhaps Charles already knew, which would explain the other man's glower.

Charles gave him a pointed glare over steepled fingers. "Erik, I honestly don't know what to do about this anymore. I told you to find a way to get along, and I expect that if that isn't possible, you should at least try and ignore each other as much as you are able."

So he's not been reading my mind, then. Honestly, Erik was surprised. Here he was, doing very inappropriate things with one of Charles' students under than man's own roof and he didn't know…Telepathic powers were wasted on the overly moral. "Actually, Charles, we've been getting along…extremely well…lately."

Charles raised a brow at him. "Ah. Well, then, I'm glad to hear it." His eyes narrowed speculatively. "This is what you wished to speak to me about? Did you expect some sort of praise for learning to play well with others?"

"Not exactly," Erik said slowly, trying not to think about how well he'd learned to play with Rogue. "Charles, is something the matter?" There was something about the other man that seemed completely unsettled, which was highly unusual.

"No," Charles said shortly, then closed his eyes. "I'm just…dealing with a few things at the moment. So, I'm to expect you have some other reason for wishing to speak to me about Rogue?"

"Yes," Erik said, thinking of how best to explain to Charles what had happened without going into too much detail. It would not do to explain the origins of him and Rogue's…whatever it was they had. "We've…it appears perhaps we've fallen into that old cliché that often happens to people who start out with an intense dislike."

"Meaning?"

Erik clenched his jaw. "Do you honestly need me to spell it out, Charles?"

"Possibly, if you're going to sit here and tell me that you're involved with my under-aged student, yes." Charles voice was dangerous.

"She's eighteen," Erik reminded him.

"Erik, you are not…you cannot do this. It's…." he waved a hand. "Morally reprehensible."

"Oh, Charles, do stop being so pedestrian," Erik snapped, irritated. He raked a hand through his hair. "She's perfectly old enough to see whom she wishes and you know it."

"She is the same age as your children!"

"Are you under the assumption I'm not aware of this?" Erik smiled briefly. "Do you think this is the first time in history that a man has dated a younger woman?"

"Erik, this is absurd. You're too old for her—"

"Well, you know, thanks to that Super Soldier chamber I look younger than you--"

"That's neither here nor there," Charles snapped, his face flushed with anger. "The fact still remains that it is utterly inappropriate."

Erik wasn't entirely surprised that Charles was objecting to what Erik had told him, but he was rather surprised at Charles' vehement reaction. "Charles, we're going to have dinner. I'm not planning to debauch the girl on the couch in the living room, for God's sake."

"She is of legal age to do whatever she wants, Erik, I realize this," Charles said in a low voice, his temper barely leashed. Strangely, the angrier he became, the calmer Erik felt. This was quite unusual, actually, considering the reverse was usually true. "Still, she isn't old enough to know the potential ramifications of her actions."

"What, in having dinner?"

Charles slammed his hand on the desk. "She doesn't know any better, but you should."

Erik stood up, slowly. "I realize this upsets you. If you want me to leave, I will. However, since you have no legal grounds to keep me from taking Anna-Marie to dinner if I wish—"

"You use her real name?"

Erik rolled his eyes. "Of course. I am hardly going to address her as 'Rogue' all the time, that's absurd."

"Coming from a man who calls himself Magneto--"

Erik grinned. "I'm not arguing that, but at least I came up with something. Professor X sounds like you are starring in some rather shady adult films, you know."

Charles shook his head. "You will never change, Erik," he said, then surprised Erik by sighing. "I'm—you're right, of course. If Rogue is amenable to having dinner with you, I suppose there is nothing I can do about it." He didn't sound terribly pleased.

"Well, there is, but you won't do that." Erik pointed out, sitting down again. Some of the tension abated, though Charles still looked upset.

"How did this happen, if I may ask? I haven't noticed the two of you behaving any differently towards each other."

He should have expected that question. "It's rather difficult to explain. We've just…formed a bond, you might say."

Charles' gaze was bright. "And you see absolutely nothing wrong with this? Being so much older, and in a position of authority over her?"

Memories stirred unbidden at Charles' words, and Erik pushed them back with effort. Now was not the time for such ruminations, pleasant though they may be. "No. Then again, you know how I am. I assume I'm in a position of authority over everyone. I'd never get dates if I let that bother me." He smiled slowly. "Some people find authority attractive, Charles."

Charles looked away. "I still think it's unethical."

"Old friend, you and I have disagreed over ethics for the last however many years. I don't think that is ever going to change." He stood up, sensing it would be a good time to leave. "So should I pack my things or not?"

Charles was staring up at the ceiling. "What? No. No, you don't have to. Though, Erik—" Charles' gaze sharpened—"This is dinner. If you hurt, abuse, or take advantage of her in any way, I'll do something much worse than ask you to leave. She is my responsibility."

Erik gave him an affronted look. "I am a gentleman, you know. Besides, I'm not a randy seventeen year old. I can control myself." Perhaps this was hypocritical of him, considering what he and Rogue had already done. That was in the past, however, and they'd made a tentative plan to…start over, as it were.

"See that you do. This smacks enough of impropriety for you to go adding anything else into the mix."

Erik's patience with Charles' lecturing was wearing thin, so he left that one alone. He turned and walked towards the door, stopping when he heard Charles' voice behind him.

"Are you going to tell your children?"

"We're going to dinner Charles, not the courthouse," Erik snapped, the metal doorknob twisting under his powers. "Though I know Anna-Marie and Wanda are close, and she has told me that she'll speak with my daughter."

"Be discreet. I don't want this to become gossip," Charles continued, still in that same tone that reminded Erik of his English tutor from when he was a child.

"Once again, your faith in my morals is—"

"Understandably low. Erik, are you ever going to tell Wanda what you did?"

If there was one subject he had no wish to broach, this was most certainly it. "I don't believe I wish to discuss this with you at the moment. Good day, Charles." With that, he left the study, using his powers to close the door behind him firmly.

Rogue was in the foyer, her back to him, brushing the snow off her boots, when he came around the corner from Charles' office. "Good afternoon."

Rogue jumped at the sound of his voice, then turned around and smiled at him hesitantly. "Hi. I just…um, I just went over to talk to Wanda."

"I just spoke with Charles."

They stared at each other for a moment. They were standing a respectable distance apart; anyone who came upon them wouldn't think a thing wrong with their interaction. He wondered, however, if she could feel the growing tension between them, and if she were as aware of him as he was of her.

"Wanda was kind of freaked out," Rogue said bluntly. She shrugged out of her jacket, and his eyes strayed to the smooth expanse of skin of her neck. Her cheeks were very pink, either from embarrassment or cold.

"Charles was…he thinks this is inappropriate." He had a sudden flash of her beneath him, hands stretched out above her head, completely submissive.

She eyed him thoughtfully. "So you wanna…forget about it?"

"No," he said, smiling slightly. "Friday at seven, I'll meet you right here." He moved closer to her, reaching out and brushing her lock of white behind her ear. "Don't annoy me too much before then or I'm going to make you buy dinner."

She looked up at him and scowled. "Then we're goin' to MacDonald's," she informed him seriously. "I'm broke."

"A conundrum, then," he murmured, fighting the urge to pull her against him.

"Yeah." She moved closer to him, and his fingers trailed lightly down her cheek in the quickest of touches before her power pulled at him.

The sound of footsteps caused them to pull apart, and he smiled slowly at her, liking the way she watched him with wide, glazed eyes. "Friday, then, is it?"

She nodded without speaking and he turned from her, climbing the stairs, rather pleased. That could have been much, much worse. At least he wasn't trying to find a room in the middle of a snowstorm, and at least his daughter wasn't beating down the door to kill him.

All in all, he counted that a success.

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IvyZoe: Hee! I'm glad I surprised you :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Nercia Genesis: Wackos indeed! But it's a fun life, isn't it? I hope you like this next "Rogneto" chapter, and Mexico was indeed very lovely. Thanks for reading!

Lady Leeli: Yes, Magneto is taking things a bit more seriously, though I'm not sure what exactly that means yet, haha. I hope you enjoyed this chapter--I tried to keep the melodrama to a believable level, though with enough angst in there to make in interesting. Thanks so much for reading and for the lovely review!

LizaGirl: Hope you enjoyed the Wanda and Rogue scene here! Thanks for reading!

Jerikojak: Welcome to the insanity that is fanfic! It's a hobby that quickly becomes an obsession, let me tell you. And thank you so very much for all the nice compliments on my writing, it made me blush! I am always really happy to hear people like both my stories and my take on the characters. I hope you enjoy this new chapter, and thank you for your well-wishes--my vacation was fabulous indeed!

XChocolateChipX: Your username makes me want a cookie! Thank you for the review, and for reading! I hope you liked this latest chapter, and yay for the wrongness that is Charles/Jean! Glad I'm not the only one who enjoys that :)

Miss Information: I do hope this "Confrontation" chapter lived up to the potential! I wanted it to be both believable and slightly melodramatic without descending into heights of silliness. Or something. Anyway, enjoy, and thank you as always for reading!

Archmagus: Hee! The Perverted Old Men's Club, indeed. Hope you enjoyed this one!

Angel Protectress: Ah, a new name! Glad you are enjoying my demented pairings and the story both. Hope you like the new chapter, thanks for reading!

PyroMac: I do know there should be a lot more Magneto and Rogue fics, so I'm trying to make that happen! Thank you for reading, and for the review! I hope you like this chapter :)