Please enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Four:

Magneto sat upon the soft cushion on the window seat. He was deep in thought as he peered out into the dark of the institute's grounds. A warm mug of earl grey kept him company as he waited for Rogue to join in the kitchen. He found himself chuckling as he recalled his son's rather haphazard pick-up line. Maybe, he should take the boy out and offer some fatherly advice on the subject.

'Perhaps,' he thought to himself. 'Then again, four dates to a single dance is certainly respectable in its own right,' he mused with a chuckle before his thoughts turned back to Rogue.

The day had brought with it some answers and, as usual, an entirely new set of questions he hadn't thought of prior. The girl was an enigma he impatiently wanted to unravel.

'However, going for six integrations attempts within one day would be unwise. She wouldn't tolerate my endeavor,' he thought.

'I've spent so much of my life in fear,' he recalled her words, her expression of anguish was burned into his memory. He knew Charles had seen it as well. He had said as much as the two of them had held their own mental conversation.

'She's opening up and offering answers outright. When fear doesn't overtake her ability to respond as it did this morning,' he thought as he took another sip of tea. 'I am still angry about the deception but perhaps Wolverine is right,' he thought as his senses alerted him to someone approached the kitchen. 'There is one thing, however, that needs to be rectified straight away.'

"Hey, Max," Rogue said as she entered the room.

"Hello, dear," he said pleasantly.

She smiled as she walked towards him. He gestured towards the table, where a mug of chamomile tea was waiting for her.

"Thanks," she said as she picked up the mug with her bare hands.

"You haven't put your gloves back on, I see," he said pleased as she headed towards him. His eyes lingered on her wrists for a moment. 'I thought those were bruised?'

"Everyone'll know by breakfast," she said as she held the mug in the air with telekinesis.

He returned his gaze to hers, pushing aside his inquiry for the moment. He had so many waiting in the wings, what was one more.

"I'm gonna have ta give so many hugs tomorrow," she said as she seat upon the window seat, crossing her legs beneath her, facing him. He, in turn, leaned back against the cushion, giving her more room as he noted the expression on her face and the tone of her voice.

"Bittersweet?" he asked as she took the mug back into her hands. He watched her inhale, taking in the scent of the tea.

"Yeah," she sighed before a small smile graced her face. "Having to keep everyone at arm's length, it- no one could get too close. Don't get me wrong," she said looking up at him, "I love Kitty and Kurt. And," she started to say as she glanced away from him and out the window. "Jean and I have this new friendship going on that came outta no-where. I wasn't expecting it, but… I really like it Makes me wish I had tried sooner." She smiled before letting out a sigh.

"There's always been this emotional barrier between me and most of the mutants here. I've been closed off from everyone and no one questioned it. I couldn't touch and that was good enough of a reason. But now, I," she said before sighing. "I guess, I'll be expected to act like a normal teenager," she said, with a hint of annoyance.

"Assuming, you are one," he teased. Her eyes flashed to his, as her expression changed to a strange mix of incredulousness and amusement. "A teenager that is," he added with a smirk.

"Yeah, assuming that," she said, her expression settling on a grin. She brushed her hair behind her ear before laughing softly to herself. He chuckled himself.

"I'm not going to ask," he said.

"But you want to," she stated.

"Unmistakably," he confirmed. She laughed softly.

"Max," she started to say as she met his gaze, "we can agree that my age is-" she started to say.

"Irrelevant," he finished with a nod. "As you said, if you were to ever start acting like a normal teenager, I would have to respond in kind. However, considering I highly doubt that's going to happen-"

"Not in this lifetime, sugar," she smirked.

"Then no, we can agree, it's not an issue," he said. "Whether or not it should be-" he started to say.

"How about we leave that type of speculation to Charles," she suggested. He let out a laugh at that. "Thanks for holding back from asking," she said.

"I'll just add it to the ever-growing list," he said, which caused her to laugh. "It's impressive," he commented.

"What is?" she asked.

"You," he said, gazing into her eyes. She stared at him blankly for a moment before sighing. "You've stopped holding back, dear. At least, I see it," he said.

"You mean, you're starting to see me for who I actually am," she said.

"I believe, I've always had an inking who you truly are. Perhaps, that's where this obsession of mine came from. Sensing something, knowing there was something beneath the surface," he guessed.

"There's something beneath the surface alright," she said softly. He raised an eyebrow at that. She sighed looking out the window again.

"The means you use to control the competitive environment are… thought-provoking," he continued with his original train of thought. She let out a short laugh at that.

"Yeah, okay, sure, you don't like mind-games," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"May I finish please?" he asked.

"Go ahead, Eisenhardt," she said haughtily.

"Your ability to redirect conversations, the flow of them, and their direction are- The skill you have with words alone is remarkable. I especially enjoyed your conversation with Jean," he said smugly.

"She needed to hear those things," she objected.

"Of that, there's no doubt, my girl. It was your timing that deserves praise," he pointed out. "A revelation that should have been entirely about you and somehow," he said unable to keep the mirth from his voice, "you managed to avoid the spotlight. You didn't allow anyone in the room to consider the implications of your newfound control," he said. "Actually, given our tardiness, it will be assumed you gained control tonight after dinner," he said.

"Unless someone corrects them," Rogue pointed out.

"Who's going to do that?" he asked. Her eyes flashed to his again, he saw amusement in her gaze.

"Thanks," she said. He reached over and gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. She placed her hand over his and smiled, a slight blush coming to her face as she rubbed her thumb against the back of his hand.

Suddenly, the spark between them was as bright as it ever was. Before he could tell himself not to, he leaned in and their lips met. His eyes closed as he could taste the chamomile on her breath. She moaned against him as he cupped her cheek. Her hand gripped his arm as she tilted her head and deepened the kiss.

He pulled back from her, needing to catch his breath, gratified her face was as flushed as his felt. He fought the urge to take her into his room yet again, restraining himself from doing so. Now wasn't the time for this.

He closed his eyes a moment and took a deep breath, needing to compose himself.

"You okay, sugar?" her soft voice whispered her own breath haggard.

"I have a request," he said, opening his eyes to meet her confused gaze.

"Oka- okay. What is it?" she asked.

"Earlier, you spoke of giving me space. Truthfully, it's needed, but perhaps not in the way you offered," he said.

"We- I don't-" she started to say, clearly fluttered.

"Rogue, in regards to the question of where you should sleep tonight, I sincerely hope you still intend to choose my bed," he said as he saw relief wash over her expression. "I have no desire to cease keeping your company," he said.

"Oh, thank god," she said. He let out a laugh at that. "You had me worried there for a second, Eisenhardt," she said as he let out a soft chuckle. "I was so excited this morning when you asked me to move in and yeah, I definitely still want to," she said.

"Nothing would please me more," he said, as he caressed her cheek.

"But?" she asked with a raised eyebrow as she returned her hand to grasp her mug. "I feel like there's a 'but' coming," she said as his hand left her cheek.

"There is, yes," he confirmed as he pulled back and leaned against the wall.

"And?" she asked.

"Given how it started, our relationship requires boundaries. When I moved in the institute you spent a few days feigning fear in order to manipulate me into giving you the boundaries that you require."

"Like you weren't having fun," she objected but didn't deny his statement.

"Of course, I was enjoying myself," he exclaimed. "I'm not refuting that or questioning your past methods. You warned me from our very first conversation that you were capable of manipulation. You shouldn't be faulted, for the fact, that I didn't believe you," he said. She let out an amused huff at that. "Upon consideration, the boundaries you established were more than reasonable. I regret the stalking. It was-"

"Max, it wasn't your fault. When I absorbed you in New York, you weren't really yourself. You were still under the effects of the enhancer," she pointed out.

"It doesn't excuse my actions," he said dismissively.

"You spent over a month sleep deprived because of p.t.s.d. nightmares about Anya dying," she said before he downed his remaining tea. "Then you performed that experiment on yourself which turned off all of your emotions," she said.

Suddenly, he stood, feeling the need to stand.

"Which, ya know, finally let you get some sleep," she continued as he walked over to the kitchen table, his back to the girl. "But that just created a whole new set of problems," she said.

"The midlife crisis," he supplied, sighing as he placed his mug on the table.

"For starters," she said before he sighed. "Max, I'm just saying, your actions are, if not excusable, at least, understandable," she claimed. "You weren't really yourself again until the rebirth machine fixed your head," she said.

"I know," he lamented. "Rogue," he started to say as he turned back to look at her. "While I appreciate your view on the matter, I- we're gotten off-topic," he said. "Have you finished your tea?" he asked.

"I- yeah," she said surprised. She floated the mug over to him. He placed it on the table next to his own before turning back towards her. "You were saying?" she asked as he retook his place next to her on the window seat.

"In order to properly establish the boundary I seek, I do need to ask one question regarding your abilities. Please know this is not an attempt to interrogate you the umpteenth time today. Merely-"

"It's okay. Go ahead and ask," she said.

"Is there a separation between the memories you absorb and the active powers you gain when you use your abilities?" he asked. He watched her eyes shift as she considered his question.

"I think, I know what you're getting at. But, Max, I don't have to use my powers on you at all, if you don't want me to," she offered.

"Despite your trick earlier this evening, I have every intention of standing by my promise to help you gain complete control over your abilities. You need someone to practice on. I will not deny you control. As long as you have my consent we can continue. In order to give you my consent-"

"You need to understand what you're consenting to," she finished.

"Yes," he said.

"It's separate now. Has been since I gained control over the nightmares," she answered. "You're asking me to not actively look at your memories," she said.

"Your knowledge of my past is irrefutable. I don't seek to change that in any way. Why not put a date to it. I don't wish you to view any of my memories from, let's say, as of this morning. Assuming you haven't already?" he asked.

"No, today's been too busy," she answered. "Okay, that's reasonable. I can agree to that," she said.

"Thank you," he said.

"Any other boundaries you wanna set up?" she asked.

"Actually, my dear, there is. You know, I don't mind lying to Charles for you," he said.

"He definitely knew we were lying this time," Rogue said dismissively, rolling her eyes.

"You'd presume that. However, both our answers were identical. He's not sure of the true of it," he said.

"How? It doesn't make any sense otherwise," she said.

"Regardless," he said gesturing for her to let him finish, "only you know the exact date when you first used your abilities on me. I'm certain, I'll find out eventually," he said.

"You will," she said strongly. He gave her a nod of appreciation.

"Still," he continued, "between that and last Monday, it's apparent your target can be unaware of an attack," he stated.

"It's been useful," she confirmed.

"I can imagine," he smirked. "I won't ask how many times you've absorbed me," he said, giving her a look.

"You wouldn't like the answer," she said.

"No, I doubt, I would," he said dryly.

"It's a reasonable boundary. I can promise if I use my powers on you, I'll make sure that you know it. I won't disguise it, like I can."

"Thank you," he said. "You must have used it on Mystique countless times," he thought aloud. "Especially, when she was parading as that exchange student," he surmised.

He watched Rogue's eyes widened as she took a deep breath.

"Yeah," she muttered. He studied her for a moment before it occurred to him.

"I didn't consider it," he laughed as he ranked a hand through his hair. "When you told me about her Risty Wilde persona, not even for a moment. I knew that you immediately saw through her ruse. But it's the opposite of everyone else, isn't it? No one has considered that you knew," he stated.

"Keep your friends close," she said.

"And your enemies closer," he finished. "Charles didn't know, did he?" he asked, wanting a confirmation.

"Not a clue," she sighed. "I even brought her to the institute this one time, just ta see if he would figure it out. He was too busy being annoyed at me for bringing her over without making an appointment," she said disdainfully.

"Which was plan B, I take it," he guessed.

"Yup, I pulled my famous petulant teenager act and stormed off," she said. "Whatever, I just won't have any more friends over," she said sneeringly, rolling her eyes.

"Mystique was fooled," he said.

"And Charles," she pointed out.

"I gathered," he replied.

"I spent months entertaining her, pretending I didn't know shit. As long as she was busy going to classes and spending time with me, at least, she wasn't out there doing gods knows what," she said.

"Small comfort," he said dryly.

"It was something," Rogue shrugged. "Besides, if I had told her I knew, she might've actually had to get inventive about how she inserted herself into my life," she said as he let out an amused huff. "It's always been easier, safer, to just go along her bullshit," she said.

"You're reasoning is more than sound, my dear girl. You don't have to tell me of Mystique's unpredictable nature," he said. "Aside from her plot to use you to spy on the X-Men, what else was she after?" he asked.

"Once she knew she couldn't use me to get into the institute, she switched up her approach. She waited for both Logan and Ororo to be away. Sabotaged Juggernaut's containment unit. That got Charles out of the house for a few days. Then she put the idea of throwing a party inta Kitty's head. I tried talking them out of it by reminding them that Scott and Jean would never be on board. But that just prompted Kitty and Kurt to get creative about getting them out of the house too," she said before sighing as she rubbed her hands together. His gaze followed her fingers as she caressed her clear skin.

"How did you respond?" he asked.

"I bumped into Mystique, found out her goal was to obtain copies of Cerebro's file and that she planned to use this kid, Arcade to do it. At that point, I knew the party was gonna happen unless I came clean and told everyone who Risty was. But I wasn't ready to do that. So, I borrowed Jean's powers and I made sure that certain things happened and that others didn't," she said.

"You seem to favor Jean's abilities," he pointed out.

"Not my fault they solve every problem," she said amused. His eyes lingered on her wrist again.

'Those were most certainly bruised this morning,' he thought to himself.

"Max?" he heard Rogue calling to him. He forced himself to met her gaze. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Your wrists are fully healed," he commented and watched to gauge her reaction.

"I used magnetism to heal the hemoglobin in my blood vessels," she explained without missing a beat.

"That would have accelerated the healing, but your skin wouldn't be this clear. Unless it was a combination of magnetism and telekinesis?" he asked. "However that would only be a viable theory if Jean's power operates on a molecular level," he reasoned aloud.

"Max," she said, her voice taking on a desperate tone. He glanced up at her to see the expression on her had fallen and found himself leaning in towards her.

"How powerful is Jean going to become?" he asked in astonishment.

"Ask about me all you want, but I can't tell you about someone else's-" she started to object. He blinked a moment, realizing what he had asked.

"No, no, of course, you can't. I apologize and retract the question," he said.

"Thank you," she said. He gave her another stein nod as he leaned back against the cushion.

"Did all end well that night?" he asked, bringing them back on topic.

"Yes and no. I made sure the files on the new students were corrupted, unreadable. Mystique didn't learn anything about them, but I had to give her something or she'd just try again. I attempted to do something good. Right, a wrong I knew about, but there were consequences to my actions. Events were set in motion that I couldn't take back or fully control."

He found himself about to ask-

"Ya know, I haven't even told Logan about any of this," she continued before he could speak. "He still thinks I was blindsided by Risty. If it ever comes out, I'm-" her voice trailed off. He watched her take a deep breath.

"It doesn't have to," he said, as reassuringly as he could muster. Her eyes locked onto his.

"I'm screwed if it does," she told him.

"Then we won't let it," he said strongly.

"I'm trusting you, Max Eisenhardt."

"As well you should, my girl," he said. He held her gaze for a long moment. She was giving him a look, asking him to end his questions. "Alright, alright. It's been a long day, dear. Let us retire for the night," he acquiesced.

"Sleep sounds amazing right now," she said.


Hey! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please let me know your thought? I can't tell you how motiving a quick review saying "great chapter" is.

Speaking of which: thank you, mystery reviewers!