Rogue gets kidnapped by the acolytes and then is forced to join them. How do they accomplish this? Read on to find out. Romy, maybe rietro.hehe gambit

Disclaimer: I do not own x-men, otherwise I would be basking in the glory of it instead of writing fan fiction, plus if I owned x men I would take Gambit, and do naughty things with him. So yeah. . .

Chapter 3: The first step

Every acolyte except for colossus was grinning like a maniac while Rogue just stood there, not believing what she just heard. "What did you just say?" She asked. "Did Ah just hear ya offer me a place as an acolyte?" Magneto nodded. "Okay then. . ." Rogue took a deep breath and then shouted. "What the hell makes ya think Ah'd ever join ya bunch of crazy ass activists? Ya'll said ya had an offer Ah couldn't refuse! What kind of offer is that?"

Magneto chuckled. "I never said you were going to accept it right away Rogue, nor did I expect you too, but I however am not willing to let you refuse. You hold to much potential to be fighting against me." He leaned in closer. "You WILL join the acolytes Rogue. You will not leave this building without first accepting the position of one of my acolytes, and I promise you, you will accept soon."

"Ah highly doubt that." Rogue shot back at him. Her face was an image of pure anger. "Ah aint evah gonna join your acolytes Magneto! Ah would nevah betray mah friends or Professor Xavier like that!" All the sudden Pyro burst out laughing. "What the hell are ya laughing about?" Rogue demanded glaring at him.

"Oh it's nothin Sheila," he said trying to catch his breath between laughs. "I just think it's funny how you called those X-Freaks your friend that's all."

"What the hell do ya mean?" Rogue demanded. "They are mah friends!"

Pyro shook his head, trying to contain his laughter. "No offense Sheila but I've seen how you lot act around each other. Sure they all seem to get along as one big happy family, but how come they don't act that way with you? Tell me, how many x-men are there? And then tell me how many ask you how you are in the morning, or get excited when they see you in the halls. You call them a family Sheila, and maybe they are, but just not yours."

Rogue stared at him in shock. She didn't know what to say, she hadn't expected that, especially not from the psycho pyromaniac. What was worse, he had a point. There were a lot of x-men now, but only Kitty and Kurt acknowledged her, and that was because Kitty was her roommate and Kurt was her brother. Sometimes Scott acted like he cared, but then Jean easily changed that by making an appearance. Rogue wanted so desperately to say something back to Pyro to prove him wrong, but there were no words.

"For once, Pyro has said something intelligent," Magneto mused, staring at Pyro with a slight smile. He turned his gaze back to Rogue who was staring solely at the floor. "The acolytes may not be as a happy a family as the x-men," he said. "But at least we don't live under the illusion as one. I won't lie to you Rogue, I don't want you hear because of your outstanding personality, or moral virtues, if that's what I was looking for I would have never recruited Pyro."

"Hey!" An offended Pyro cried out.

Magneto ignored him and continued talking. "You are a mutant with great potential. If you become one of my acolytes you will never be lied to like Mystique lied to you, and you won't be treated as outcast as the x-men treat you." Rogue remained silent, not daring to look up at him or any of the other acolytes. "Well?"

Without lifting her head Rogue whispered, "Ah will nevah betray the X-Men."

Magneto took a step back from Rogue and smiled. He looked over to colossus who still stood behind her. "Colossus, take Rogue back to her cell. It seems she needs more time to think." Colossus nodded and led an unresisting Rogue away.

"Well, dat was a success," Gambit said sarcastically as Rogue and Colossus disappeared. He looked at Magneto with a skeptical expression. "Y' know y' aint ever gonna get dat chere to join us."

"Oh really?" Magneto lifted an eyebrow. "I never expected her to agree immediately. Only a fool would think that, but over time, maybe not so long from now she will cave."

This time it was Gambit's turn to laugh. "An' what makes you think dat mon ami?"

"Didn't you see how she reacted when Pyro mentioned the way the x-men treat her?" Magneto asked. "Didn't you see the expression on her face, and the pain in her words? Most people would defend them, and say that it isn't true, but she couldn't, because she knows it's true."

This time it was Gambit's turn to lift an eyebrow, "Y' think dat jus because she aint got a good relationship wit some o' de x-men she gonna betray all o' dem?"

"Oy, what's so special about this Sheila anyway?" Pyro cut in. "Why do we need her on our team?"

Magneto smiled pleased with the question. "Not to long ago, all the powers Rogue ever absorbed came back all at once. Think what would happen if Rogue could learn to make that happen any time."

"She would be the ultimate warrior," Gambit said.

Magneto nodded. "Precisely."

Colossus re-entered the room looking somewhat depressed. "She is back in her cell," he informed them.

"Good," Magneto said. "Today was only the first step. Tomorrow we give her something that she has never before had the pleasure to experience, and you Gambit," he looked over to wear Gambit stood, "Will be the one to give it to her." Gambit grinned, knowing exactly what Magneto was talking about. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go pick up Rogue's present." Magneto walked out of the office leaving the three acolytes alone.

Pyro noticed Colossus' downhearted expression. "something wrong mate?"

Colossus looked up at Pyro and shook his head as if he were struggling with something. "I do not like this idea of playing with a young girl's weaknesses to make her join a cause she does not believe in."

Gambit walked over to Colossus and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "To tell y' de truth, Remy don' like it either, 'specially since Remy has ta feel Rogue's pain wit his empathy. But we got no choice in the matter. We under Magneto's contract so we have to do what Magneto says."

"Working with Magneto's not that bad," St. John added. "Even the Sheila will come to like it."

Colossus nodded solemnly. He still didn't like the idea of it, but Gambit was right, there was nothing he could do.

The last bell of the day had just rung at Bayville high. The halls were crowded with students who were trying to get to their lockers so they could go home and get away from school and kick back and relax. Scott was waiting for Jean by her locker as she was getting all her homework into her back pack. She was rambling on about something that had happened in one of her classes today, but Scott wasn't paying attention. He loved Jean, she was witty, funny, a great x-man, but there were just some things she said that just weren't worth listening too.

In his mind he was silently urging her to stop talking and hurry up, and then he hoped to God she didn't pick up on that thought, when Kitty came running up to them with a slightly worried face.

"Have you guys like seen Rogue?" Kitty asked. "I like didn't see her at lunch today or in like Gym! Actually I haven't seen her anywhere today."

"What do you mean you haven't see her?" Jean asked sternly. "She can't have skipped school today. Logan would kill her."

Suddenly something clicked in Scott's mind. "The brotherhood!" He had an incredible dislike for them, and wouldn't put it past them in a second to attack one of the x-men."

"But they were all like here today," Kitty said. Then her face went white. "All of them except for Pietro. Eeep! What if it's the acolytes?"

"Wait a minute guys," Jean said. "We're rushing to conclusions here. What would the acolytes want with Rogue?"

Scott shook his head. "I don't know, but we should tell the professor just the same. Even if it's not the acolytes or the brotherhood he should know that Rogue wasn't at school today. That way if she was kidnapped we can find her, but if she was just skipping school then at least he knows." Jean and Kitty both nodded in agreement and followed Scott out to the car.

A few lockers away a student had been listening in on their conversation. The student watched as Scott, Jean and Kitty headed out to the door. "Magneto what are you planning?" Her eyes glowed yellow.

A few hours later Magneto returned to the base. He was greeted by Pyro who noticed Magneto carrying a black case.

"Oy boss!" Pyro said. "Whats that?" He pointed to the case in Magneto's hands.

Magneto smiled. "I'm glad you asked." He held up the case and opened it, revealing metallic clasped bracelet. "This is for Rogue."

Pyro gave him a puzzled look. "You are giving her a bracelet? No offense boss but I don't think buying the Sheila jewelry, especially jewelry looking like that is going to make her join our side."

Magneto chuckled. "My dear Pyro you have it all wrong. This is not just a bracelet. This is a mutant power stripper."

"Power stripper? You want the Sheila on our side because of her powers but your giving her a power stripper?"

Magneto rolled his eyes, annoyed at the pyromaniac's stupidity. "Think about it. What has Rogue never been able to do because of her powers?"

"Touch?"

"Yes, so what might this power stripper allow her to do as long as she wears it?"

"Oh!" Pyro said finally understanding.

"Exactly," Magneto said, quite pleased with himself. "Now where is Gambit, I think he should be the one to give Rogue our little gift."

a/n: Okay so I was sick today and my dad thinking I was faking which I may or may not have been doing, turned off the cable and the interenet. So I had a lot of time to work on this fanfic, I hope you guys enjoyed chapter three. I'll have chapter four up soon. Thanks to the person who told me my anonymous review block was on, so I could turn it off cuz I love when you all review. For all you romy and rietro fans, you get to see the first of them in chapter four.