Previously on Wash Away Those Years:

--

"Our goal is far from over!" Magneto hollers to all of his members, and then continues. "We are not giving up." He looks to all his silenced members, waiting on his words.

"As some of you may know, Pyro has betrayed us." He watched as some faces turn in disgust, some in anger. "He has taken Rogue, and we will find them no matter the cost."

He comforts his troops. "I have a new plan." He said while standing taller, more proud. "We will manipulate Pyro into bringing Rogue to us, any way we can." The crowd starts talking amongst themselves, jabbering of how they're gonna do what. "We will use the unique absorbing effect within her genetics, to reverse the cure for an antidote along with using it as a lethal weapon to humans, causing them to be drained." He said, shushing the crowd as they listened with curiosity.

--

Rogue began to open her eyes, taking a few deep breaths. She moved slightly, trying to get her eyes to adjust. Pyro repositioned, thinking nothing of it as he fell back asleep. She looked around the room, and saw burning paper piles all around her. Her eyes narrow in confusion, and then she looked downwards and saw arms wrapped around her. She got scared, and tried her best to think level headed on what Logan taught her in simulation challenges. She closed her eyes, taking in a moment of anticipation. Then as fast at the lightning bolts that had been annoyingly escaping through the sky the whole night, she elbowed him in the stomach. He wakes up fast, air escaping him from the impact, totally unaware of the situation. She then punches Pyro in the face with the back of her fist, quickly getting away from his hold on her. She stands up, running as fast as she could to wherever she could find something to defend herself from this person. She rifles through the drawers, sadly only coming up with a mechanical pen. She whips around fast, her hair spinning around and sticking to the side of her face, wet from the rain.

"Fuck!" he yells out loud in pain, putting his finger below his nose and coming back with blood that's now draining onto his lip from her punch.

Rogue's face is shocked at the very least. She gasps in complete disbelief. She stands there dumbfounded, holding out her mechanical pen in front of her as if it were a knife. Her only defense towards whom she thought was someone, anyone other than Pyro.

Rogue stands there, completely shocked at the sight before her. The man who she'd never thought she'd see again, had his arms wrapped around her so careful and tight. She took in a few dizzy steps, blinking in complete confusion and still holding her mechanical pen in front of her as a weapon. She looked down at the hospital gown she was wearing, still damp from the rain.

"Rogue, let me explain okay?" Pyro begs, shocked himself that she's this responsive after just getting out of a coma.

She snaps her head back up at him, having such a puzzled look on her face. She didn't trust him. She shakes her head, stepping back away from him slowly, making the old wooden floor boards below her feet squeak as she slowly rested her bare feet on them. All she knows is to trust what little images she saw in her coma. Danger, Mystique, and The Brotherhood, all leading to him.

"Stay away from me." She said so coldly, shakiness in her voice coming out that she was desperately trying to conceal. She was scared, terrified and confused.

Pyro smiles briefly. "What are you gonna do, kill me with your pen?" he jokes, snorting softly.

The remark further angers Rogue, which Pyro now knows he shouldn't have said and the smile quickly disappearing from his face once he realized. She looks at him fiercely while she clicks the mechanical pen in writing mode, letting him know that she was serious. She didn't know what she was doing, or why she was acting so tough with a pen. But it's the only thing she has to defend herself, so she's taking it.

"Look, it's not what you think. The mansion was attacked, and I took you away. We're in the X-Men's safe house right now." Pyro tries desperately to explain, not nearly knowing where to start.

Rogue looks to him in disgust. "Why should I believe you? You tried to kill me!" she hollered in panic at him.

Pyro looked to her, purely insulted and confused by her words. "What are you talking about?" he asked in a confused, yet angry tone.

"The day at the cure center… You tried to blow up the building with me in it!" she raised her voice more, remembering the pain of smacking the pavement from the fierce explosion.

"You're kidding right?" Pyro asked and looked to her as if she was joking. He couldn't believe she'd accuse him of this. He narrowed his eyes a bit and gave her an insulted reaction and then continued.

"I watched you come out of the building! Do you honestly think in all the time I've had my powers, I don't know the outcome of where my fire's gonna go? You were a good few feet away from actual fucking danger!" he raised his voice slightly. Rogue tightens her stare and shakes her head, not believing him.

"Rogue, come on… You know I'd never hurt you." He assured her.

"Really? Cause I'm not so sure." Rogue lashed back at him

"Rogue, please…" Pyro pleaded, thinking she's exsadurating way too much.

He extended out his hand for her to grab and then continued. "Trust me." He looked at her, looking at her beautiful deep brown eyes as they built up frightful tears.

She was so lost and confused, everything is so messed up. She didn't know what to do, or if she could trust him anymore. She shakes her head, stifling back her tears as best as she could.

"Marie?" Pyro pleaded again, saying her real name. Rogue halfway wondered if she ever told him of her real name. It kinda surprised her that he'd still remember it if she did. She looks down to the ground, quickly deciding. It was still heavily storming outside and the house lit up as lightning accrued. She drops her pen, and slowly steps closer reaching for his hand with hers. Inches away from touching, a huge bolt of thunder happens. It scared Rogue to death, making her retreat from taking his hand. She quickly steps back and stands up straight.

"I'm… Gonna go." She said as she pointed in the direction of the door, still trying to gather her thoughts, a process which made her even more confused.

Pyro got up from off of the ground as fast as he could and followed behind her. "Wait!" he hollers in desperation, catching up with her. He grabs her by the wrist, turning her around and stopping her from leaving.

"You can't leave." Pyro stated but more like silently begging. She was in great danger if she left, and she just woke up from a coma. It amazed him of how fast she's recovered from it.

Rogue narrows her eyes and jerks her arm back, loosening Pyro's grip on her wrist, forcing him to let go. She gives him a look of resentment, as well as confusion.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do." She snarls back in an angry tone, feeling as though he was her father.

He shakes his head. "Look. Trust me, don't trust me. Either way if you walk out that door, some serious shit could happen to you." He looks at her holding a serious, worried look for her.

She looks in his eyes, looking at both of them. He had brown eyes, just like hers. His were darker than hers, almost as if they were black at times. She'd never really seen his eyes before… They looked beautiful.

She decides not to leave, but to just get away from him while she thinks over things. She turns to leave the room, not saying anything. She was thankful that the moon was helping her find her way just a little bit. So, she continued to leave and left Pyro in the living room. She needed her space. She needed to figure things out. He watches her walk away, and sighs as he rests his hands on his face, purely exhausted.

--

Everyone had been a complete wreck at the mansion. The Brotherhood had now successfully fled, leaving everyone in confusion as they all gathered to make sure nobody was badly hurt. Everyone had been taking the task of cleaning things up, while most of the teachers tried to figure things out.

Wolverine, Jean, and Cyclops, as well as others were in Xavier's office. The door was opened, so Wolverine looked outside at the students picking up things from the hallway, helping spiffy it back up. The teachers told everyone they could do it tomorrow, but nobody could sleep after all of this. They all wanted answers.

"I told you." Wolverine stated, knowing he's right. He continued to hold his gaze outside the room and into the halls. His blood boiling even more as the words came out.

"Logan, stop it." Jean argued with him, making him raise his head up to look at her.

"How else can you explain this?" Cyclops piped up, defending Wolverine's side.

"You can't." Wolverine replied, looking at the teachers before him.

"This isn't his fault," Xavier adds, causing some to raise their heads in his direction to see if he had anything further to say, and he did. "It was just a bit of irony."

"He was with me and Rogue down in the recovery room the whole time. He didn't contact Magneto or the others in any way, unless I knew about it." Jean explained as she walked closer towards the group.

"Pyro is apart of The Brotherhood, okay? How can you both trust him as if he's never tried to hurt us, or our students? Especially after what happened tonight!" Wolverine raised his voice some, defending his case further.

"Haven't we already gone through this before?" Xavier says as he smiles a little, feeling a little like a boy arguing with his friends over stupid, useless things that didn't matter. Wolverine sighs and drags his eyes away from Xavier out of aggravation.

Nobody was quite sure about anything. Nobody knew of The Brotherhood's intentions for this attack, or why they retreated so soon.

"Pyro still knows the security system here, correct?" Wolverine asks.

Xavier nods, answering his question. "It is quite possible he still remembers it, yes."

"And how exactly did The Brotherhood get past it?" he tries to convince others of how he feels Pyro's involvement in tonight's attack.

"I don't know." Was all Xavier could reply, at a loss for explanations and theories.

--

Rogue really wished she had her normal clothes on, because she had a keychain flashlight that she usually keeps in her pocket that would be so perfect right now. She stumbled around upstairs for a while, putting her arms out in front of her trying her best to find something, anything that can bring light right about now. She enters a room and opens a drawer, sticking her hand inside it to see if she can find some kind of light. She feels the middle, then the sides. It feels like clothing, so it's a dresser drawer. She checks the top drawer, and finds a lighter. 'Thank God…' she thinks to herself. She spins the wheel on the cheap gas station lighter that was in the drawer. She had a little trouble with it igniting at first, but eventually got it working.

She looks around the room, now realizing that it's a bedroom. She sees a bed, then drawer in which she found the lighter from, and she sees a nightstand next to it. 'Candles.' She thought, hoping there's some inside the nightstand. She walks over towards it, opening it slightly. She uses the lighter to help guide her in finding out a candle. She smiles when she finds a condom in the drawer. Now she knew this had to be Jean, or Wolverine's room. Lord knows they've used more than one, to her unpleasant distaste at the image. She finally finds a candle that had been heavily used. 'Great. Just my luck...' She thought. But, it's good enough to get her through, so she doesn't care. She lights the candle with the lighter, lightening up the room better. It was still raining pretty heavily outside and she could hear the rain drops hit the roof, draining down into the gutters. She looks around the room, taking the sight all in.

'Now to find some clothes…' She walks to the dresser and opens it. Well, she found out it was Wolverine's drawer from the cigar's packed in the left side of it. She looks inside it more and she now she knows Wolverine's a brief kinda guy. She couldn't help but giggle at that a little. You just wouldn't picture Wolverine being a brief guy beings is how tough he is, walking around in practically a Speedo. She hated to say, but she didn't have any panties or a bra on, which further embarrassed her because she can't remember anything of what happened since… She stops riffling through Wolverine's drawer, when painful flashbacks of what happened haunt her.

She coughs up a little water, seeing faint, distorted images of Wolverine and Storm looking at her with such fear and pity. She blacks out again. The next thing she remembers is hearing everyone's voices crowding around her.

Rogue closes her eyes, tightening them even more as the horrible memories keep hitting her.

Feeling cold and wet and someone carrying her. Uncertainty and fear is all she can feel.

No more… Nothing left to remember. She opens her eyes, giving the tears a chance to roll down her cheeks. She sniffs them back, wiping away her tears with her hand and trying to ignore what she'd just remembered.

--

Pyro's in the bathroom, washing off his face with his fireball not too far. He looks in the mirror at himself thinking of everything. He sees the watery blood drip down from his nose. 'Damn, she got me good.' He thinks to himself, liking how well she defended herself even though it was at his expense. He wants to see her…To check up on her and see if she's doing okay. But he can't... She wants to be alone and she needs her space. He thinks to himself how much of a bitch this whole situation is. He put his ass on the line for her safety, and now she thinks that he's trying to fucking kill her. He admits, he didn't expect her to trust him by all means, but he thought she'd at least understand. She acted as if she's never seen him before. As if he were a stranger. Pyro's aware that she did just wake up from a coma, but there was something uncertain about the way she looked at him that kinda got to him a little. They had some issues, but at the very least he trusted her and he feels torn that she can't feel the same for him. He wipes the leftover blood from his nose away and then began to leave the bathroom.

--

Rogue certainly isn't wearing Wolverine's briefs, so she leaves the room with her candle and searches around the top level, hoping to find a women's room for something to wear. She finds another bedroom, closing the door behind her. She puts her candle down and searches inside the drawers to find anything. She feels relieved when she finds some panties in the drawer, hoping they wouldn't be too big, or too tight. She puts them on and they were a perfect fit. She continues her search for more clothing, and sadly all she can find is a skimpy nightgown that looked more like lingerie. There's no way in hell she's walking around here in that... She refuses and continues searching, then found a bra. She takes off her hospital gown, and begins to put on the bra. She found it was a little too small and made her boobs spill out of it, kinda making her uncomfortable. But, it's the only thing she has, so she has to cope. 'Come on… There has to be something else!' she complains to herself, hoping there was something a little bit more decent to wear other than lingerie. There was only just that one gown in there. That was it. She was frustrated at the situation. 'Isn't this perfect?' she complains to herself once more as she slammed the drawer shut, her feet collapsing onto the bed not far from it.

She exhales while looking at the drawer. After a few minutes of debating with herself, she finally stands up and tries on the nightgown inside the drawer and found that it was a little too big. But the length was perfect. It went all the way down to her feet, but the chest went down too far and the straps were very loose, easily falling off of her shoulders. It was very pretty though. It was plain black, silk material. It had stringy silky straps, which horribly hid her bra strap. She wouldn't mind having it someday in a smaller size. She wishes there was something else to wear, but there's nothing… This was it. So, she takes her candle and proceeds exiting the room. She feels bad for how she acted with Pyro earlier but she's just confused and lost. She doesn't know who to trust, but deep down she feels that she can trust him. Just at the moment, it's very, very little until she knows more answers. She could hear thunder still rumbling in the distance, rumbling through the ground and into her body. At times she would be scared of storms, but she always loved that feeling of it rumbling through her. It reminds her of the time back when Pyro used to be at the school, how she would always try and get him to come out with her in it. He'd always refuse, saying that she's fucking crazy… She smiles when she remembers how he looked as rain drenched his chocolate brown hair, gracefully falling and clinging onto his wet face. They had some really good times together… Before life got so complicated and messed up.

She looked around the house for Pyro, but couldn't find him. She looked in the living room where she'd left him; she looked in the kitchen, but nothing. She was starting to get scared that he'd left her, like so many times before. That familiar fear washed over her like it always did whenever she'd need him and he'd abandon her. She should be used to it by now. It's happened too many times. She takes her candle back upstairs, walking down the hallway.

She looks to the ground in dejection, feeling so alone. She opens the door to Wolverine's room and looks up to see Pyro lying down on his bed. A sense of surprise and relief washed over her... He didn't leave her. Pyro had been lying on top of the covers with his hands tucked back behind his head. He took his eyes off of the ceiling and over towards the direction of the door below him when he heard it open, but looked twice when he was what Rogue was wearing. It took all of his might to not hop up from off the bed so he could desperately see more of her and act like a hungry cannibal desperately desiring his next meal. But, his pride is the one in the driver's seat right now so he then looks back up at the ceiling. He feels frustrated by her lack of trust, and somewhat friendship with him. Hell, he doesn't really know what to call them. Friendship, enemies, relationship, he didn't know. Rogue walks closer from out of the doorway and closer to the king size bed.

"What do you want?" Pyro asks her in an annoyed tone, not looking away from the ceiling.

"Look. I'm sorry, okay?" Rogue said defeated, with sincerity in her voice.

"I don't know what's going on right now... I'm confused." She says while walking closer towards him, setting down the candle on the nightstand close to the bed.

Pyro didn't look at her furthermore, or say anything. He just still laid there looking up at the ceiling with his hands tucked back underneath his head. Rogue knew something was wrong with him. They've just been so hard to determine. One time he's calling her pathetic, another he's saying he won't hurt her; it's just all so confusing. He changes from 'tough-asshole-guy', to 'fair-normal-guy' on and off way too much.

Silence goes by for a few moments. "Would you please just talk to me?" Rogue begs, still not getting a response from him.

"You can't blame me for not trusting you, ya know." Rogue says as she sits down at the corner of the bed where he was lying. He finally looks over towards her when she sits down beside him. She held such sincerity and concern in her eyes. His eyes couldn't help but scan down her body, seeing she was wearing a dress that revealed more skin than he'd ever seen from her before in his life. The way the strap would fall off of her shoulder, and the low cut neckline showing a good amount of cleavage he was sure she wasn't aware of. He of course didn't hate it. He watched her as she looked away from him and down towards the direction of the bed. She then popped her head up and then she climbed over him, reaching the other side of the bed and lying on her side, facing him as he still laid on his back.

"I'm sorry for threatening you with a pen." She said, smiling a little while still looking at him.

This of course got a small devious smile out of Pyro as he turned over on his side, now facing her direction. He gazed at her eyes. He thought her big brown eyes were so beautiful. It was like staring into the eyes of purity and innocence. She was the only thing pure and innocent in his life.

"Eh, ballpoints don't hurt as much as a knife." He replied smiling briefly, then letting it disappear as quickly as it appeared.

It was a moment of silence for a second or two, both just staring at each other.

"Hey Pyro, how's your nose?" Pyro mocked sarcastically towards Rogue while smiling, bringing up the fact of her punching him.

A soft giggle escapes her. "I'm sorry." She returns the smile. Truth was, Pyro found it attractive that she could defend for herself. He liked it.

A moment or two goes by, and then Rogue speaks up. "What would've happened if you'd stayed?" she asked him, surprising him a little from the personal question between the two, so soon.

He shook his head slowly. "I don't know." He responded back, not really knowing how to explain much else of it.

"Whatever you said happened earlier, I believe you." Rogue said, referring to everything that's happened and all that she can't remember. He nods his head in response.

"I got your note." Pyro said as he repositioned his head on the pillow a little more, which without knowing, moved his head a little closer to hers.

Rogue looked in his eyes, surprised he'd gotten the note somehow. Her bottom lip began to wiggle from his words.

"I didn't want you to know like that." She said, tears building up in her eyes as her voice became a little raspy.

"Then why'd you write it?" he asked, already knowing why but saying it anyways.

"Because I didn't think I'd…" Rogue trailed off, she can't even say it.

She wasn't planning on returning... Of being saved by Wolverine and Storm. She wanted him to have some clarification to the whole mess within that letter.

"It was a fucking stupid thing ya did…" Pyro said with a little resentment in his tone, feeling such hurt and betrayal that she would be so selfish as to end her life, leaving him, which scared him to death.

She kind of took his words as an insult, coming back with "No worse than what you've already done." She spat.

They laid there in another moment of silence, both thinking amongst themselves.

"I'm sorry." Rogue said feeling remorse from her previous words, feeling she's caused enough stabs for tonight.

"No, you're right. It isn't." Pyro said, looking at her as Rogue could swear he was blinking back a fragment of a tear.

Rogue feels that they both need comforting, so she moves closer to him, which surprised the hell out of Pyro. She puts her arms around him and snuggles into his chest. Pyro just lays there, kinda dumbfounded, as well as speechless. He knew that it wasn't a love type affection, but like an 'I trust you, you're my best friend' type affection. 'Great.' He thought, 'Right where I left off…' He couldn't complain. I mean, she was holding onto him, wearing nothing but a skimpy nightgown. He figures being her friend is a hell of a lot better than being her enemy right now. He tries to get used to such an undiscovered sign of affection and puts his arms around her, hugging her like she was with him.

"Can you tell me what's happened…?" she asks while leaning her head into his chest and closing her eyes and exhales as she closes her eyes.

"Well your friend gave me the note and after I read it, I came to the mansion as fast as I could, of course getting stopped by everyone and their fucking brother. Then I finally came down to see you, you were lying in the recovery room…" Pyro explained everything from the beginning of the mansion getting invaded and him carrying her out, to the fighting him and Mimic encountered, to Mystique trying to take her. He explained from start, to finish as he knew it.

Rogue was impressed to say at the least. She couldn't believe he'd gone through that much for her. She knew on the inside that more than a friendship drove him to such lengths. She was very shy, because she knew that he knew of what she said in the note. How she's always loved him. She wasn't expecting for him to see it, or even for her to live. So, she painted herself into something quite awkward. She's just happy that he hasn't denied her snuggling with him. Has to be good, right?

--

Jean told Xavier and the others the location she sent Pyro and Rogue off to, so Xavier used Cerebro to help track down Pyro and Rogue, making sure they'd gotten to the safe house as planned. He takes off the Cerebro helmet, coming out into the halls of the mansion where some of the teachers had been waiting.

"Yes, it appears to be true," Xavier said, looking at all of them waiting for an answer. "They both arrived at the safe house, together and safe." Xavier explained, leaving out the detail to the others that they were cuddling with one another.

Well, looks as though Wolverine and Cyclops can't fully accuse Pyro, because she's safe and has someone to protect her. But that didn't stop them, mostly Wolverine, from trying. At the moment, he had nothing to come back with. Everything they had accused him for hasn't yet matched up, or followed through. The truth was, Wolverine and Cyclops were running out of suspicions, other than he's involved heavily with The Brotherhood. Maybe they just despised the relationship between Pyro and Rogue. The fact that they both are soft for one another yet they're enemies, maybe that's what disturbs them.

Most of the kids who'd run off out of terror, had already been found by Cerebro and brought back to the mansion, thankfully. The mansion had calmed down a bit, but some were still in the lounge room watching TV, trying to ease their minds and calm down for the sheer terror that had just happened not a few hours ago. The X-Men were still on high alert, hardly any of the teachers going to sleep.

--In the lounge room—

"I don't know why you care so much. I mean, you're mainly the reason she did it." One student said to him while flipping through the channels, not finding anything interesting on this late.

"Hey, shut up! I didn't make her do it. I just wanna know if she's okay, that doesn't mean I'm like Romeo or something." Bobby protested.

Kitty narrowed her eyes at Bobby. "Romeo?" she mocked, not liking how he's comparing things to his now ex-girlfriend.

"Uh, I said it's not like I'm Romeo, meaning I'm not like that with her." Bobby argued.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head while looking at the TV screen, becoming completely pissed off at the ice-ball.

"I saw a glimpse of her when I was helping out Colossus," Another student piped up saying, catching Bobby's attention a little but he tried to make it as discreet as he could. The boy then continued. "Pyro was carrying her outside." He said, making Bobby sigh.

"Can you believe they even let him in here? He's probably the reason they attacked us." Kitty voiced while crossing her arms, kicking back and contently staring at the TV.

AN; I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to post! I feel bad. I hope you guys liked it. I really need to get more chapters written. Again, sorry for the long wait! I hope the wait was worth it. Thanks for reading! I really wanna know what you guys think about this chapter so please, if you can leave a review. It would help me out greatly, as well as probably inspire me to create more. I'd appreciate it! Also, i wanna give a special thanks to sarahroseserena for being my beta and helping me with my grammar as well as guide me through plotlines and tough scenes i couldn't think much up with. Thanks!