Chapter Twenty

Rogue and Magneto had quickly become bored sitting back and watching the X-Men work. They had moved from the small hide out Magneto had to a much bigger hide out Magneto had. The one which they were currently staying in now was to be the hospital. Rogue and Magneto had had to push ahead and plow past the X-Men just to help out setting up the beds. Apparently, the X-Men didn't trust them enough to line up beds. Magneto and Rogue stayed closer together while the other X-Men ventured around the world, gathering mutants and bringing them back to Magneto's hiding place. Magneto ad Rogue had turned to playing numious games of chest.

"I do not appreshiate being treated like a prisoner in my own hidden base." Magneto said over one of the games.

Rogue looked up to him, understanding excally what he meant. Then she looked out towards the quiet gant metal room filled with hospital beds. "They're gonna have to trust us at one point. Trust me to tell them where the bases are and trust you to get them enterence to the camps."

"Till then they keep us to the side so we cannot interfer or do anything that may betrey them." Magneto grimaced.

"Well, to be fair, they do have a good point for you to be on the side lines. Your recovering and quite fast I amight add. They need you ready for war and stress." Rogue said, moving one of her pieces.

"True." Magneto said moving one of his pieces.

Rogue gave somewhat of a unlady like snort. "They've got nothing on me though. They just don't trust me. Most likely think I'm gonna attack them again."

"I thought it was they who attacked you?" Magneto asked, raising his eyebrow.

Rogue didn't meet his eyes. "I tried to get them all to listen, but when they didn't I got angry and I might have thrown the first punch, but they retaliated. Out numbering me and almost killing me. The fight between us just got worse as I hit as hard as I got. They were and still it seems pritty pissed off at me. I think they even trust you more than they trust me and that's saying something."

And Magneto chuckled at this. "Indeed. I must say, it does make a change. But the X-Men will soon come around to us when they rediscover they need us. And then my dear, they'll be at our mercy and they will be on the side lines watching. This time and place is no place for people like them. People who are not willing to kill in cold blood to survive and win this war."

Rogue breathed in and out deeply. She knew what Magneto spoke was the truth, but just because she hated the X-Men didn't mean she wanted them to die. Maybe she was just getting soft being around them. Rogue looked down to her pieces thinking long and hard about how to get to the king and how to take him down. The other pieces did get jobs done and slowly got her closer to the king, but it was taking too long. Drawing out unnessery wasted time. Rogue looked down to her king and poundered how she, as the king could take down the enimy king. She would first need to track the enimy kings movements, waiting for the perfect moment when he'd be alone. When he was alone and defenceless, then she could move in. Bingo! It all then began clicking in Rogue's mind as she looked at the chest pieces. She kept a straight face, but inside she had a cunning smirk on her face. Rogue made her move, lauring Magneto's queen out and then Rogue moved in for the kill. "Check mate." Rogue said as a smile grew visable on her face. Chest was a great game for plotting strategys to win the war and was very practical too, as Rogue noticed another use in her movements of how they could make her win.

Magneto watched Rogue smile. He raised his eyebrow finding it amusing as there seemed to be a flicker of cunningness at the edge of her lips. He watched as Rogue looked over all the pieces again as if she was plotting her next move. But Magneto had stopped playing a while ago. He knew he was beaten and there was no more moves to make.

Rogue finally looked up, catching him watching her. Rogue wasn't sure about what to think about him watching her. She guessed he'd figured out what she was thinking of, but for some reason, she didn't think that was what he was thinking about. It was the soft look in his eye and that little flick of amusement at the edge of his lips. Rogue found it rather strange that he was watching her intensely, but looked down again to the chest bored; staring mostly at the two kings. From then, she looked over to the clusters of other pieces that just didn't seem as important. But they was. And they was to her. Rogue stared at one piece in particular as it reminded her of something, or more someone.

Magneto was dissapointed as Rogue's smile left her face. "How many of us do you think will die trying to stop Sinister?" Rogue asked, a touch of sorrow in her voice.

Magneto frowned too. "A great many of us. But it will all be worth fighting for in the end."

Rogue looked up to Magneto then. Her eyes cold and hurt. He didn't understand why he was seeing hurt in them. "Do you included yourself in those deaths?"

"No. But I am not affaird to die my dear. I welcome it. I welcome the peace of death. However, I will fight to stay alive and to see that our war is won. If I die before I see victory for mutants, then I will have no regreats as I frought and helped contribute to winning the war." Magneto said macanically.

Rogue noticed that he had detached himself from emotion on the topic of death. She understood. But she could still feel his emotion and passion behind his views of death. "No regreats?"

Magneto looked depressed by Rogue bringing these topics up. Magneto knew she knew the answers to these questions she was asking him, or she could find out if she wanted to. "Perhaps a few." Rogue sat quietly waiting. Magneto shuck his head.

"You won't tell me your regreats?"

"I do not see how dewelling on the past will help our future."

"But don't you ever think of how ya can make up for those regreats?"

Magneto sat back. "Every day. Though some I cannot better."

"Like what?"

Magneto eyed his black queen. "I've had many lovers in my past time. All of those loves had different reasons why they ended, however the most common and most powerful reason was that my cause was more important than them."

Rogue nodded her head, understanding why he was so commited to mutant's having freedom. "None of them understood why you were so stubbon and focused on this war. None of them saw that it was passion, not madness."

Magneto nodded his head. "All, but one. Mystique. However, we were always on and off. Both having different lovers and different goals in our lifes to forfill. At the begining, we may have even been in love, but as time went on we grew a part and affection for one another was all we had. Now she's dead. She died for a cause she believed in with no regreats. And if she did have regreats, then none of them would matter as she had lived for the purpose she was born for."

Rogue nodded her head. and sat back. "Tell me, is there anything you would like to do before we die. Before, the possibility that we may die?"

Magneto never looked away from Rogue's eyes. "I would like to live through this war and see mutants living in peace. Helping one another and not living in fear. Not being hunted down and killed just because they're different. I would like nothing more than to help rebuild a whole. How about youself, dear Rogue? Do you have any regreats? Any dreams for the future?"

Rogue looked away from Magento. She shouldn't let him in, but he had opened up to her willingly. Rogue breathed in deeply and sighed. "I guess... Well, I wish I had dumbed my ex and kicked his arse the first time I saw him with another woman. But, I guess the one thing I do regreat is not learning how to control my powers before all this happened. Not being as determined to try and learn to control them. Maybe a lot of bad things wouldn't have happened to me if I had control. I understand what you mean though. As soon as I was taken... Taking down Sinister just became the biggest goal in my life. Is the biggest goal in my life. After he's dead... I don't know what I'll do. I don't know what I'll be looking forward to... Maybe, if your right and mutant kind does rebuild itself I might join in helping those who most need it."

Magneto nodded his head. "Help those who have been abandoned and abused like yourself. I can see you making a childs world by helping them find a mutant family that will take them and accept them as their own child." Magneto saw that Rogue still looked rather unhappy as she stared at the chest bored. "What is it that's bothering you?"

Rogue looked up to him. Silent for a moment. "So after going to war, losing a lot of good and close firends, winning it, and freeing a lot of mutants, we'll still end up giving up our own lifes to serve the people we saved. Tell me Magneto, when do we get to enjoy our own lifes?"

Magneto had a solm look on his face. He leaned forwards and took Rogue's hand in his. "Rogue, first to enjoy your own life you need to know what you want to do. Do you know what you want to do?"

Magneto watched as Rogue's defences went down and he saw the look of lose on her face. "I...Before I was kicked out of the mansion, I was thinking of staying at the mansion and taking a degree in law. I wasn't too sure what I wanted to be after that, but the Professor did make it interesting. He seemed to have a good view on justice, but... You know what he did. Besides, I can't imagine myself being anywhere; not now and not after the war. The one place I was happy at will never be the same again."

"You could have a home again,Rogue. Any home you wanted."

Rogue shuck her head. "What's a home without love? Without protection. After everything I've been through, after everything you've been through, you should understand I can never have a home again. The home I did have was taken away from me."

"Indeed, I do understand how you are feeling Rogue, but it'll be a new world which we will be entering. A new world where new allances will be made and I'm sure, Rogue, that you will be able to find a home in our new world and that you'll be able to do a law degree if that is what you want."

"A new world... In this new world Erik, will you make up for past regreats?"

"Surposibly."

"And in this new world, will you make yourself a home? With people who you love and trust, and them you?"

"If not with them, then I will live without them. And I will live easier knowing the world will be a better place."

"And will you follow your hopes? Your dreams? Your plans of what you want for yourself."

"Yes."

"Why not start now?"

"You know why-"

"The war comes first."

"Yes, and things will be different then from what they are now. Friends will be lost, new ones will be made and relationships will change."

"Relationships will change, huh." Rogue pulled her hand away from Magneto's and stood up. Rogue kept eye contact with Magneto as she elegantly moved around the table. Magneto was confused to what she was came to stand in front of him, moving her knee inbetween the gap between his legs and balanced herself on his thigh. Her hands landed on his shoulders and moved up towards his face. "Guess I best do this now then." And Rogue moved in and planted a cherub kiss on Magneto's lips. It was just a gentle touching of lips at first. When Rogue opened her eyes she saw Magneto's were filled with wonder and admiration. Her gentle breathing tickled his chin as she was so close. It felt beautiful to have such a wonderous creature this close to him. Magneto lifted his hand to bury in Rogue's hair, his other hand moved to hold the side of her face, rubbing her check with his thumb. Rogue took these signs as acceptance of her and admitance to him actually liking her back. Rogue had been a little nervious doing this, but with the talk of them dieing and regreats, this was one thing she wouldn't have regreated, even if he had rejected her. Rogue moved her hands to the side of his face too and moved down to plant another cherub kiss on his lips, only this time he held the kiss longer by sucking on her bottom lip. Rogue felt small bits of him entering her and moved away. From what she'd learnt with Bobby, long kisses were bad. Doing this was bad for him. As she moved away, Magneto rejected the idea of her being scared of her powers and made the move to kiss her. Rogue did kiss him back, but she pulled away, having just absorbed a thought of his that was important.

"This doesn't change anything between us! The war comes first. If it means killing you to win it, then I won't think twice about it. Do you understand?" Rogue asked.

Magneto nodded his head.

They both moved in for another kiss and as they kissed, they heard a growl and clear of throat. They came apart, not having to look to see who it was as the growl made it obvious who it was. Rogue saw how her powers had effected Magneto. He looked tired. Not looking away from him, Rogue stood up in front of him, staying there for a moment as they looked at each others solm face. Then, finally, Rogue turned and walked towards the door where Wolverine was stood cleching his fists at his side. His anger was clear on his face and he shot Rogue a look of anger, and worse, a look of betreyal.

Rogue felt a sting of pain as she looked at Wolverine. But she kept a stone face as she passed him. She wouldn't show how having hurt Wolverine to the point where now he now could never look at her the same way, hurt her. But she didn't regreat kissing Magneto. Wolverine watched her leave out of the corner of his eye. When she left he glared at Magneto.

"You stay out of her head!"

Magneto stood up. "I have done nothing to her Wolverine." He then turned to look at Wolverine, wanting to see his reaction as he said, "She decided to kiss me of her own freewill with no infulence from me." Magneto watched with satisfact as Wolverine's eyes kept expanding with anger and rage. "What's wrong Wolverine? Are you sour because she kissed me, the man that once killed her instead of the man who saved her life. Or is it because you missed your chance with her, the girl who you love?"

Wolverine was in a berserker rage and about to run at Magneto when he felt the uncomfortable touch of Magneto controling his body. Magneto began tutting at Wolverine. "Now, now Wolverine. You can't win every war." Saying this, he looked to the chestbored and knocked over his defeated black king. As Magneto came to look back at Wolverine this time there wasn't just a gleamer of amusement, but cunningness. "Your biggest mistake was chasing after another woman when you should have been chasing after her." Magneto walked towards Wolverine with his hands behind his back and shoulder back. Stopping besides Wolverine, Magneto said, "If you wanted her, you should have told her when you had the chance." Magneto left the room.