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Glaring Decipher
Chapter Eighteen:
Charles Xavier was in front of Rogue's bedroom door. He had thought about how he was going to approach this conversation as he had made his way to her room. Finding out Rogue was a match for Magneto was a bit alarming, to say the least. Rogue seemed to have him wrapped around her little finger and she seemed to be was well aware of it: at least that's what Magnus thought. But his old friend was not himself around Rogue: that was starting to become clear. He was vulnerable: a word he never thought he would be able to use to describe Magneto, but yes, very vulnerable. He had heard it Magneto's point of view and now he needed to hear this from Rogue's.
He gave her door a firm knock but did not sense anyone inside the room.
'Rogue?' he called out with his mind.
'Hey, Prof, I'm in the shower,' she answered.
'I'll be in my office, please come there once you have finished?' he asked.
'Alright,' Rogue answered.
'Thank you,' Charles answered. It was going to be a long night and he was still deciding if Magneto was going to be spending it in the mansion.
Magneto opened the door to his bedroom: increasing becoming more annoyed with himself. In a moment of weakness he had revealed to Charles far more than he should have.
'This isn't like me,' he thought annoyed as he made his way over to his bed. 'I have more control over myself than this,' he reprimanded. 'Unless, it involves Rogue,' he lamented as he sat down on the bed. Speaking of the girl: 'Is she in my bathroom?' he asked himself confused as he sensed that someone was turning on the water on his sink. He got up and walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door.
"Hey," he heard Rogue call out. "The bathroom in my hall had a line. I figured you wouldn't mind me being wet in your room," she called out. He let out a loud laugh at that before he could stop himself.
Instantly he thought of Charles demand of him, not to speak to her. But it wasn't as though he had seeked the girl out. She had let herself into his room: how was he supposed to help that? Kick her out now? He didn't even know if she was decent.
After a moment he watched as the bathroom door opened. She was fully dressed: a towel around her neck, she was towel drying her hair.
"I gotta go talk to Prof," she said before she leaned up and kissed him: her hand moving to his shoulder: his hand went to her hip. It took effort not to pull her against him. "We'll talk tomorrow?" she asked. He nodded. "Okay, good night," she said with a smile before she gave him another peck on the lips. His hand slipped off of her hip as she walked away from him and to the door. She gave him one last smile before he watched her leave the room. As she said, they would talk tomorrow.
Charles heard a knock at his office door.
"Please come in, Rogue," he called out. Charles moved from out of his desk as she made her way into the room. He watched her walk up to the one of the chairs in front of his desk and moved it to face towards where he was moving. She took a seat, her posture straight, one leg crossed over the other as he moved to sit about five feet or so away from her.
"Hi," she said with a smile.
"Hello," he said with a sigh before he took a deep breath.
"We could do this tomorrow if you want? It is late," she pointed out.
"Tonight's fine," Charles said. "I've believe I've been in the dark long enough," he said.
"His obsession is my problem, not yours," Rogue said. Charles raised an eyebrow at that: her voice was strong, if not possessive.
"And how long have you known about this problem?" Charles asked.
"Since I absorbed him," Rogue answered.
"And you've been dealing with this on your own, since then?" he asked.
"Yes," Rogue answered. "It was safer that way," Rogue added.
"Areyou in any danger with Magneto living here now?" Charles asked.
"No," Rogue said shaking her head. "I know to deal with his obsession. I've had these conversations with him before. But I might be if you kick him out too soon," Rogue said seriously."I need him here, where I can see him, absorb him and make sure his obsession is being channeled right," she said. Charles raised an eyebrow at that. Was Magnus right? Was she aware of what she was doing to him?
"What does that mean? Being channeled right?" Charles asked.
"Before when he was out there, as our enemy, I needed him to be ignorant. When he moved in, I made a choice. I could have kept up that façade up and continued to hide my intelligence," she started to say.
"But you're tired of that," Charles finished.
"Very, very, tired of it," Rogue agreed. "I don't like lying to you. I don't like keeping my powers a secret. You actually know a lot more about them than Magneto does. Like what happens when I absorb someone," Rogue said.
"Magneto doesn't know what happens?" Charles asked. Rogue shook her head.
"He used to think that all I got was a jumbled mess of memories: no order, just bits and pieces of shattered information," Rogue said.
"What made him think that?" Charles asked with raised eyebrow. Charles watched Rogue let out a little laugh. She quickly recomposed herself.
"It's what I wanted him to think," she said more seriously. Charles stared at Rogue in amazement.
"But now he knows the truth?" Charles asked carefully.
"Some of it," Rogue said. "I'm not trying to mislead him anymore. Everything I'm telling him is the truth, I'm just giving it to him in little bits and pieces. I don't want him finding out too much too quickly," she said.
"And why is that?" Charles asked.
"I have to be careful with his obsession. There are a few directions that it could go in: most of them aren't good," she said seriously. "Some of them are really fucking dangerous," she said. "But the way it happened before when I had him in my head: his obsession turned into friendship," she said with a smile. "I know it can turn into that again. But in order for that to happen, I need to recreate conversations and situations that I've already been though with him. Conversations that only I remember," Rogue said.
"What conversations?" Charles asked. "How did his obsessionturn into friendship?" he asked.
"The biggest example I can think of this class you're having him teach," Rogue said with a smile. "I've already learned all about strategy from him. The way we used to do it was, he would teach me a concept and then to ensure I understood it I would teach it to the other people in my head," Rogue explained. "If they understood it, then Erik knew I fully understood it," Rogue said.
"That's why you're ahead of him in planning out the curriculum," Charles realized out loud. "You're already spent weeks on it," Charles said out loud.
"Months," she corrected. "I've spend months on this," Rogue said.
"Teaching this material to-" Charles started to say.
"To nearly everyone in that room," Rogue finished. "I'm always gonna be faster than him when it come to teaching strategy to the x-men and brotherhood. We used to argue about how it should be taught," Rogue said with a smile. "Hours of arguments: of me and him going back and forth. I used to take me a while to fully be able to argue why I wanted to do something a certain way: cause I hadn't found the words yet," Rogue laughed. "But I know them now and I can destroy his arguments in like half a minute. Used to take me hours and maybe that's not fair to him. 'Cause I'm kinda stealing his class, but I already taught it," Rogue exclaimed with a smile.
"You have no idea how excited I am for danger room sessions," Rogue said: her eyes had lite up brightly. Charles couldn't help but smile. "It's an idea we up with together but I was teaching people in my head. Couldn't exactly have fragments in my mind run full physical danger room sessions," she said sadly. "I am so excited to see everyone learn the material and watch them use it and to know that they're actually gonna remember it this time," Rogue said: tears were coming to her eyes. She quickly reached up and wiped the tears away.
"Rogue," Charles said concerned. He reached over to his desk and grabbed a tissue for her. She took it from his hand with a sad smile before she wiped her eyes.
"I'm so tired of remembering conversations I had with people: that they don't remember. Especially with Erik," Rogue said sadly. "He's been my friends for a nearly a year and he only found out about it a less than a month ago," Rogue said bitterly. "It kinda really sucks that he doesn't remember the conversations that we're already had. I've missed talking to him," Rogue said.
"Why not just tell him that?" Charles said. "Out right?" he asked.
"Because of the different directions his obsession could take," Rogue said seriously. "It's needs to be influenced carefully. That's why I need to need manipulate him. That's why I need to play this game with him. And that's what it is: it's one long mind game," she said.
"Rogue, you shouldn't play with people," Charles said sternly: hardly believing he was having this argument. "You can see what it's doing to him," he said.
"I know it's fucked up, but he loves mind games," Rogue laughed. "It's why I'm doing it like this because I know he's enjoyingit. I absorb him at least once a day to make sure that he's having fun," Rogue said.
"You've been monitoring his mental state?" Charles asked him disbelief.
"Yeah," Rogue said nodding her head. "He's my friend, but he's still Magneto," she said seriously. "He still one of the most powerful mutants on the planet that I know everything about: every secret, every base location, every bank account, every alias, every piece of machinery, every future plan, everything Professor. I know everything about him," Rogue said strongly. "I want him to be my friend again: I've missed him. But I also need him to my friend or things could get ugly. I can't afford to leaves things to chance. I need to control this situation and his perception of it. I know you're probably not comfortable with that but I'm the one in danger here. I need you let me handle this," Rogue said.
"Rogue," Charles started to say in protest.
"I know he's your friend too and you feel like you can't sit back and watch him be manipulated but if you make him leave: to try and put some distance between us and hope that's enough to help him get over his obsession, but I'm telling you it's not enough. He already tried it. He kept away for a month, fought every urge he had to see me and it just made obsession stronger, more unbearable for him. My way will work, I know what'll happen. But you kick him out, he will go back to stalking me," Rogue said seriously. Charles eyes widened at that.
"When did he stalk you?" he asked alarmed.
"On and off since I absorbed him. After a while it wasn't even about making sure I wasn't gonna go run to you and tell you all of his deepest darkest secret," Rogue said. Charles was able to read between the lines on that one: Rogue was something Magneto had looked into. "After a while he stopped by just to check up on me: to see how I was doing from afar. I don't wanna go back to that. It one of the reasons I waited till now to tell you about all of this. I needed you to see the influence I have him, so you would believe that I'm capable of what I say I'm gonna do," Rogue said. "I've wanted to tell you about this since the day I absorbed him but I couldn't risk it. Please, please tell me you get that?" Rogue asked suddenly.
"Yes, I understand that," Charles said seriously. Rogue nodded: letting out a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry for lying for you," Rogue said.
"It's alright," Charles said. It was a lot to take in. "I can only imagine how afraid you must have been: knowing Magneto was watching you and not being to tell anyone. Having to hide your fear," Charles realized out loud. "You must have known that he could have been watching you at any moment: searching for a sign that you knew more than you were showing and having to hide it. Rogue- I- I don't blame you for hiding your powers. I'm so sorry you had to do that," Charles said earnestly.
Charles remembered when Rogue and Scott had come back from New York. They looked like they had had fun, minus the fight with Magneto, but Rogue hadn't looked like she was being plagued with fear. He had had no idea anything was wrong. In all that time: he had not known what had been dealing with.
"I'm so sorry he made you do that," he said.
"He didn't make me do anything. I could have told you and maybe the three of us might have talked and come to some sort of understanding. I played out what that conversation might have looked like so many times. It just seemed to go bad, so quickly in so many different ways. I made a choice not to take that risk. But it was my choice. Magneto didn't force me to do that. Just like it's his choice to stay here. I keep reminding him that he can leave, that no one forcing him to stay here. But he doesn't want to leave. He's even knows I'm manipulating him: but he's having so much fun with it, he doesn't care," Rogue said with a smile. "I need to keep doing what I'm doing and I need you let me," Rogue said. "Okay?" Rogue said.
Charles took a deep breath.
"I want to sleep on this," Charles said.
"And Magneto stays tonight?" Rogue asks carefully.
"… Yes, he stays tonight," Charles agreed.
"Okay," Rogue said with a nod. "I'm gonna go get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow?" Rogue asked.
"Right after school, come to my office," Charles ordered.
"Okay," Rogue said as she stood up. Charles watched her walk to up to the door.
"Rogue," Charles called out.
"Yeah?" she asked as she turned to look at him.
"I would prefer if you stay away Magneto until you and I have talked again," Charles said.
"Can you let him know that he can stay the night?" Rogue asked.
"If he's still awake-" Charles started to say.
"Trust me, he's still awake," Rogue said. "He's been pacing his room: trying to distract himself with grading tests and not getting much done. He's not gonna be able to lay down until one of us tells him that he doesn't need to pack his bags. He's been prepared to leave since I confronted him about the stalking," Rogue said. "He'll only leave here if one of us asks him too," Rogue said. Charles took a deep breath at that.
"I'll let him know," Charles said.
"Thanks," Rogue said. "Good night," Rogue said as he turned back towards the door.
"Good night," Charles said as he watched her leave. 'Magnus,' he called out. 'Are you still awake?' he asked.
'Yes, Charles, just trying to get some grading done,' the other man answered. Charles held back a sigh.
'You should get some sleep. We'll talk in the morning,' Charles said. 'Good night, old friend,' he said.
'Good night, Charles,' Magneto answered him: Charles could feel Magnus' relief in his last reply. Charles let out his own sigh as he made the decision to go to bed himself and to think about this again in the morning.
Hope you are all enjoying it! Please let me know? :)
Sissiewest: Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it! :) Hope this gives you somewhat of an idea where Rogue is taking everyone :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Please let me know? :)
Jahunta4974: I know Magneto telling the truth is very interesting :) I love all your questions, gives me a good frame-work to work with for the next chapter, so pease keep sending me these reviews with all of your questions! I love answering them :) I'm glad you're hooker and I can't to see what you think about this chapter :)
