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Previously on Wash Away Those Years:
--
"Bobby, this is our fault." Kitty confessed with regret, remembering the horrifying sight of Rogue in the bathtub. Bobby's conscience didn't wanna believe it, but everything else did.
"I mean, did you have to tell her like you did?" Kitty asked, making Bobby feel worse.
"Oh, and what was I supposed to do? You were the one who thought it'd be best for her to know!" Bobby raised his voice a little in frustration. He looked at her regretfully, seeing the guilt etched into her face.
--
He re-read it again and his hands began to shake when he read 'the best thing to do is just end it.'
'No…' His mind pleaded in disbelief while shaking his head a little. His lower lip began to tremble. Blinking back the tears that had been slowly building, he stiffened himself, controlling the emotion within. It was obviously apparent what she had done. His finger shook in fear as it trailed over the paper where he had found, what looked to him as a fallen and dried mascara tear stained into the paper.
--
"Hey, we have a meeting coming up in a few." He said, taking in Pyro's despondent appearance.
"I'll be back later." Was really all Pyro could muster up, his mind obviously not set on The Brotherhood's missions or thoughts. The guy stopped following Pyro, letting him go.
"But it's important you be there!" The guy shouted after him.
--
"What's the matter bub, you lookin' for a welcoming party?" Wolverine asked sarcastically, immediately contracting his claws.
Pyro glared at the older mutant, wanting nothing more than to flame him and the annoying ass metal that was the man's only defense, which Pyro found to be quite pathetic. Oh how bad Pyro wanted to berate him further and fight him. But, he had something much more important on his mind, persuading him to forcefully will away the intense need to fight.
"Where's Rogue?" he asked, getting straight to the point.
--
Pyro walked down the stairs, and into the medical wing. He looked around the room where the medical equipment and hospital table was, and had horrible thoughts of what had happened recently on it. Tears slowly building in his eyes, fearing what he would've felt if she had really been gone. He took in a deep breath to try and calm himself down while blinking back the tears.
He had looked in the direction of the recovery rooms, and saw only one occupied at the moment. He closed his eyes, thinking thoughts of Rogue and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes, exhaling calmly, slowly walking towards the door. He twisted the doorknob, preparing to open it.
--
Magneto looked to Mystique, so much respect and loyalty shining through. "Get the troops ready for our attack on the mansion." He said boldly, ignoring her surprised expression. After a moment, she digested this new information, and just smiled, nodded, and left his underground lair, heading out to tell the others.
Pyro entered the room Rogue had been recovering in, along with Jean who had been chosen to watch over him as a precaution. Obviously nobody in the mansion really trusted Pyro, not like he expected any different. He had soon gotten over Rogue and his vanished privacy, when he saw her there. He frowned at how sick she looked; much different from the last time he had seen her; at the cure center. He walked over towards the bed, remorse overwhelming him. He should have been there for her when she needed him the most. It kind of caught him off guard, because he never felt before that she ever needed him like how she'd wrote in the letter. One of the reasons he'd left the X-Men was because nobody really cared if he stayed or left. He moved closer to her, and crouched down next to the bed beside her. She looked a little pale, and her white streaks softly laid across her cheek, framing her face as she slept. He smiled softly at the sight before him; she still looked like an angel, even with...
He moved his eyes away from her, and looked off in the distance as he thought over things. Why did things end up this way? He wished he could go back, and tell her the truth. Wouldn't be the first time he'd wished it, but he feels maybe it could have helped the way they both felt, and maybe could've saved Rogue some heartache from Bobby. 'Bobby…' he thought. Why wasn't Bobby helping her get through this? His gaze traveled back over to Rogue, looking at her again, deeply taking her all in, burning the sight of her into his memory. He moved his hand closer to her face and brushed her pretty white locks out of her face, being ever so gentle in the light caress.
--
Meanwhile, the X-Men had been getting into a little debate over Pyro's presence; all gathered in Xavier's office. Some, like Wolverine, wanted him to get the hell out; no questions asked. The others though, weren't entirely sure, but felt that whatever happens, they should be prepared. But, Xavier had no doubts about the man.
"Logan's right. What if he does something to jeopardize us, and the school?" Storm asked Xavier as she sat uneasily on the couch, much like some of the others. Xavier had been trying to reason with the teachers. They all stood around, some looking out the window at the sun set, painting the trees in an orange glow. Others still looked at Xavier with uncertainty.
"I think most of you have forgotten what my power is," Xavier said, smiling patiently. "I understand your concern. But, we are the ones who want peace, correct?" Xavier explained.
"You all might not like it, but I sense a strong bond between Pyro and Rogue. I can feel they care for each other greatly... He wouldn't put her in danger." He looked at the disbelief yet interest in some faces, and sighed at the complete refusal in others.
--
Pyro stood up and hovered over Rogue's sleeping form as he got ready to leave, but only for a minute. Jean had been keeping a close eye on him, standing in the doorway, causing Pyro to become uncomfortable about not being able to have a truly private moment with Rogue. He caressed her cheek with his thumb, an expression of awed contemplation crossing his face as he admired her. He then pulled away and began to walk towards the door, approaching Jean.
He glanced over at Rogue one last time before he left. Jean observed the flame-thrower's actions very carefully. In all the years she'd known him, she had never see him act this compassionate. Even without saying a word.
"She'll be okay, Pyro." She assured him.
He briefly nodded his head absently, not really wanting to talk about it. He walked past Jean as she stood in the doorway and then up the stairs to the basement; leading up to the ground floor. Pyro knew he was out of this place, and didn't wanna be there. But at the moment, he has no choice. He just had to grit his teeth and bare it. He walked around the school, memories unwillingly plaguing him. He saw the kitchen ahead, remembering so many crazy food fights they'd had. He then saw Bobby and Kitty sitting in the kitchen, talking quietly with one another. They broke away from their conversation and looked at him as if he were a ghost. He entered the kitchen and walked up towards Bobby who had been sitting next to Kitty.
"Why the fuck weren't you there for her?" He asked Bobby, an angry twinge in his words.
Bobby opened his mouth to respond when he noticed Pyro tightening his fists.
Pyro smiled maliciously. "You had everything. I can't believe I was ever fucking envious of you." He spat viciously. Bobby didn't know how to explain his situation, or for that matter, grip onto what Pyro had just told him.
"Get up." Pyro demanded, wanting to fight him. But, not with his powers helping him, no… He wanted this to be more enjoyable; he wanted this to last. He had the very chaotic and unpredictable flames he normally controls, amplified in his eyes as he glared at Bobby with such turmoil and intolerance.
"Don't do this. Me and Kitty love each other. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." Bobby tried to explain the situation, but ended up making Pyro even more pissed because he had now learned that Bobby had been cheating on Rogue.
He was growing too impatient waiting for Bobby to get up and fight him like a man. He snarled, then swung a punch at Iceman, and to Pyro's pleasure, hooked his chin. He knocked him to the ground, then got on top of him and continued swinging. Kitty was frozen solid in astonishment where she sat, confused about what to do. She wouldn't dare get in between them, because she of course knew that she would get hurt. She immediately jumped up from her seat, and ran as fast as she could to find someone to break them up.
Pyro's eyes had completely glazed over, never halting his attack. Memories of all Bobby had put both him and Rogue through making his punches more powerful.
--
Bobby and Rogue's laughter filled the room of the student lounge area.
--
The way you'd look at me as if I mattered. As I've found out, that's no longer the case.
--
The memories flooded his mind, raging his punches into Bobby even further. Bobby finally was able to react, and started to ice up. To his disappointment, his efforts were not nearly enough to get Pyro to stop.
Pyro's knuckles were shredded from how hard he had been hitting a now ice covered Bobby, it became extremely painful. Both his adrenaline and endorphins had been activated, now coursing through his body, being too great for him to stop. That was, until he was roughly dragged away from Bobby. He landed on his feet, heart beating fast, and sweat building, panting, feeling so alive and such a high.
He finally came back to reality when he glanced around the room watching everybody looking at him, purely shocked by his behavior. Especially for those who have doubted his presence there from the beginning. People rushing over towards Bobby, terrified at his mangled face covered in blood from the cuts he had received due to the breaking of the ice he had formed in defense from the raging pyromaniac.
Wolverine pushes Pyro roughly, "What in the hell is wrong with you!?" He hollered in Pyro's face with such anger at the boy. Pyro blinked a few times, completely clueless and trying to figure it out himself.
He didn't feel remorse for what he had done to Bobby. Hell, he still wished to have done it longer. But now, he knows he screwed up. He's supposed to show them that he's not as much of a threat as they thought, by choice of course… But now, he's done the complete opposite.
He looked around the room one last time before fleeing the kitchen. Everyone watched in pure shock from the situation as he left. He didn't wanna be there, but he's not gonna abandon Rogue…Not now, not ever again.
--
The white cotton dress smoothed against her pale skin as the breeze caused it's billowing skirt to float gently in the wind currents. A warm gust caressed her face, blowing strands of chestnut locks into her face; the white headband doing nothing to stop it. She smiled softly as she leaned her head back, basking in the warmth of the sunlight washing over her, closing her eyes against the brightness. Her back hit the grass covered ground, soft from recent rainfall. She licked her lips, a platinum strand sticking to her lip as she turned her head to rest on her side. A warm hand caressed her jawline, tucking the out of place streak behind her ear. She inhaled the fresh summer air contently, smiling as her eyes drifted open, squinting against the brightness. After a moment of her eyes adjusting to the light, a familiar figure was distinguishable, lying in the grass beside her, staring down at her with the warm intensity only one man has ever shown her. His deep voice reached her ears, lulling her into an even more peaceful state as his lips brushed against the shell of her ear.
"Marie."
--
It felt so good… Felt really, really good for Pyro to have beaten the shit out of Bobby. He had wanted to do it for the longest time, but never could because of it jeopardizing his relationship with Rogue. He had been thinking of things as he walked through the halls, seeing a few people sprint by him and into the kitchen to help with Bobby's injuries. He actually couldn't help but smile a bit. How could such scum get such good treatment and attention? Pyro didn't understand it. It still made his blood boil when he thought of Rogue crying, or being upset over such an asshole. But, he couldn't blame it all on Bobby. If he would've taken Rogue aside and have told her the truth then, would she have still been with Bobby? If Pyro had had the strength and the courage that he has now, would he have won her over? He's no Romeo, so he's not surprising himself in the slightest by not doing so anyways.
Pyro felt a migraine coming on, so he slowed down in the halls for a second and closed his eyes while putting his hand on his temple. He then heard Xavier's voice inside his mind.
"Pyro, I would assume you still remember where my office is?" He asked, more like told Pyro to be there.
He couldn't help but smirk a little. Pyro knew Xavier's office all too well. It was sort of the school's principle's office. He'd obviously been there so many times back when he was younger and used to roam these halls more carefree. He'd been given every lecture and warning under the sun by the teachers back then. There was no chore on mansion school grounds he hadn't been forced to do. In fact, it reminded Pyro of the memory of when he had gotten punished for setting one of his school assignments on fire. His only explanation was…
…He got bored, and they sent him to do work outside cleaning the pool. Well, Rogue got word of it and thought it'd be fun to go outside and mess with him, wearing a pair of big, glamorous white framed sunglasses she walked over towards the pool, automatically catching John's eye. She sat down near the edge then put her feet inside the pool while reading a book, being smart with him and mocking his situation.
"Ahh…" she sighed with pleasure, and then continued. "So, this must be what it's like to do my homework without burning it to ashes." She sarcastically mocked, joking with him.
John looked over at her while smirking and shook his head. She'd act as if she was on vacation, acting so relaxed and pampered. She swooshed her feet around in the water, making the sunny reflection from the water catch John's eye. He'd smile as he watched her be fun with him, failing to clean the pool as ordered. He'd see her occasionally peek over her book to see if he had been watching her, then would see a grin. He stopped the pointless charade of acting as if he was cleaning the pool and dropped the cleaning net onto the floor. The pool didn't look that dirty anyways.
She lowered the book down, pretending as if she was actually reading it to begin with. She took her feet out of the water and stood up, pointing into the direction of the pool.
"Oh John, I still see some leaves over there." She said sarcastically while smiling mischievously at him, while he watched her amusedly.
His smile widened as he ran as fast as he could across the pool, and playfully tackled her into it before she had any real time to defend herself, both of them making a huge splash in the center of the water. Their heads finally surfaced, big waves slowly making its way to the edge of the pool. Rogue takes in a gasp of air out of shock. Hair, make-up, everything now ruined. They didn't care that they both had been in their regular clothes. Rogue would've been stupid if she hadn't had seen it coming. Rogue pushed her hair back, thanks to the water from clumping it into her eyes as they both fell.
She swam closer to John. "You're a dork, you know that?" She said while she giggled and splashed him a little with water, making him chuckle as he did the same, catching her good with some water.
--
He had reached Xavier's office, truly not wanting to be at the school at all. He felt like a kid again, which he hated. Xavier looked up at him, opening his mouth to speak, but Pyro interrupted him.
"Look, I know how it works. You want me to say that I've done wrong, and apologize to you, and apologize to Bobby then send me off to do work as a debt of punishment. You forget, I'm not a kid, and I don't belong here anymore. I'm not sorry for what I've done, and I'm sure as fuck not gonna do any chores." Pyro protested, right off the bat. Not wasting any more time than he has to.
All Xavier did was nod at him, smiling knowingly. He hadn't changed one bit, Xavier thought.
"You're right Pyro. You're not a kid anymore…Which surprises me that you still tend to act like one." Xavier replied, Pyro rolling his eyes in response.
"If you will be a guest at my school, you will play by our rules. I will not have my students feel, or be in danger from you being here. You're not a student, you're a guest. What we used to handle, we no longer have to anymore since you are not our responsibility. If you don't like the people around here, you can always leave at any given moment. You're a grown man." Xavier said sternly, making Pyro understand. After all, he was 23.
He knew Xavier was right. Pyro would've been happy to have never seen any of their faces again. But he also knows that he has to stay here until Rogue wakes up.
"Listen, as soon as Rogue wakes up and becomes well again, you'll never have to see me again." Pyro told him, being relieved himself at the precious moment he can make that a reality.
Xavier looked at him and nodded. "She's becoming stronger. I can feel it." He said, watching as Pyro's head snapped up, startled, paying more attention to his words now that Rogue had been mentioned.
"She cares for you very much, Pyro." Xavier said. He looked very serious, Pyro thought.
Pyro smiles briefly, and then nods his head…Understanding and feeling the same way for her.
Meanwhile, the students hadn't changed much since Pyro had seen them last. Everyone was still appalled by what Pyro had done to Bobby. They took care of him and cleaned him up. He looked pretty damn bad and Jean was convinced that it would take quiet awhile for the mangled mess that was currently his face to heal.
After talking with Xavier, he had left and made it to Rogue's recovery room. He was once again greeted by Jean, who had been observing Rogue from inside the room and now him. He walked closer towards the bed and looked down at her. Pyro had never been a religious person, but he was really starting to pray she would wake up soon. He wanted to hurry and make things right. He was aware of the fact that he doesn't 'share' his feelings with anyone, or really express himself. But, he assumed it would come naturally when the time is right for it. Jean was making Pyro feel really uncomfortable, obviously because he couldn't have any privacy alone with Rogue.
--
Mystique and others stood outside the mansion doors, feeling pretty good they hadn't triggered the X-Men's security system. She glanced back at her accomplices. They eagerly looked to her, waiting for her order. She gave Juggernaut a nod, signaling him to go ahead and break down the doors. He, as always, smirks maliciously while running as fast as he can into the mansion doors, debris clouding the air as the loud rumble shook everyone. The Brotherhood members poured in all at once, taking this battle with pleasure.
--
Jean had been curiously watching Pyro, both of them in Rogue's recovery room. Jean had her suspicions, just like everyone else. But her outlook changed and a part of her softened up just seeing the way he'd look her. He held a lot of sincerity, which was something Jean hadn't really seen before with him. It was obviously apparent he was holding some of it back, due to the disturbed privacy Jean had caused. But, Pyro understood why she needed to watch him and tried his best to deal with it. Jean heard a voice coming from the intercom system in the medical bay office area, not far from the recovery rooms. Pyro broke his stare away from Rogue, and looked over at Jean. Jean looked at Pyro, she too hearing the voice. She excused herself for a moment by motioning her head, and then turned to leave. Pyro had felt a little bit of relief, knowing he could have a little more privacy with Rogue.
His attention returned to Rogue. He wondered if everyone was right about when people are in comas, if they can hear or feel you. He of course didn't wanna say anything… He's too stubborn, and it just wasn't really his thing. He leaned over her and moved his hand closer to her face. He hesitated slightly from uncertainty, but did it anyways and gently touched her face. She was so soft, Pyro couldn't believe it. Well, it makes sense you know… Not being able to touch people your whole life, having to be covered up always... her softness has been preserved well. He couldn't help the reluctant smile from tugging at the corners of his lips. Even though this isn't the best of circumstances, Pyro always dreamt of touching her like this. It was so intimate, so deep and pure.
Jean had reached the intercom and heard loud commotion in the background. Her face had quickly switched from curious, to concerned and fearful as she soon heard a voice come back to the intercom.
"Jean, the mansion is under attacked!" Cyclops hollered, sounding quite out of breath and in a panic.
Jean quickly ran inside Rogue's recovery room, startling Pyro.
"The mansion is being attacked." Was really all she could spit out. Pyro looked at her, already knowing what she must think.
A/N: Special thanks to sarahroseserena for being my beta and helping me with my grammar as well as guide me through some of the tough scenes i couldn't figure out how to create. Thanks girl!
A/N2: More chapters coming soon! Please review! I really appreciate every comment i get, and it never goes unnoticed. I always reply back to each and every one. I really hate begging, as i kinda want things to come naturally. Plus, i has pride! But i really need to hear y'alls thoughts. Please review