Disclaimer: X-men belongs to the amazing Stan Lee and this is just a fanfiction. I do not own money, this story is just for my selfish pleasure and all of you that wish to read it.

First of all, my apologies for the late (really late) update, but I'm studying away from home and I didn't have a computer, yes…I didn't!! Now I do!! Yyeeeeei!! I can write fanfics all the time!! …. Easy girl, you need to study too….

Second, I must thank you all for the reviews, you were too kind. I finished reading my chapters and I found to many mistakes lol yeah, English is not my native language, but still… lol I hope I came back better..

I understand if you all lost interest in my fanfic(s), however I'll continue to write it. If any kind soul is willing to spend his/her precious time reading my story, please leave a review. =)

Now, enjoy this juicy chapter… a lot's going on! ^.^

Chapter 9 – After the War

"Rogue? Rogue! Wake up, girl! C'mon…"

As soon as Genosha won the battle, John looked around searching for Rogue. He was feeling great and excited because of that victory, his first victory. And the only person that he wanted by his side in a moment like that was no one other than Rogue. When he found her falling in the middle of many corpses Pyro ran to her in concern.

It was difficult to find out if she was still alive, he couldn't touch her and he wasn't capable to say if she was breathing or not. The mutant picked her up and went to a shelter, warning Jean Rogue needed help.

"Thank you, Pyro. You can leave her with me now." Hank took the young woman to an improvised bed and his huge body didn't let John see anything much. He walked outside worried and angry with himself. He now knew, he couldn't hide it anymore, he loved Rogue, he always had loved her.

"Damn, how could that man give me a job like this?!" protested Medusa to the other Lightening People. "Helping the wounded? I'm not a doctor, I'm a killer! I should have been in the battle!"

"The Queen ordered us to obey the X-Men and we'll do as we were told." Gerard said in his distant voice.

"You look like a machine: must protect the Queen! Must protect the Queen!. It's okay to break the rules once in a while, you know?" said Medusa. Gerard didn't respond to her teasing, he was faithful to his Queen, that was all that matter to him.

Catja, who saw Medusa as a mean and distrustful person, tried to calm her down "It's just for two weeks, than you can get away from here and do whatever you like, Anna. Now let's just keep quiet and do what we were told, right Dave?

However, Dave wasn't paying attention to his "family". His whole concentration was a few meters away from them, in John Allerdyce. Pyro was leaning on the wall, looking to the floor and Dave was reading his secrets. He saw how frightened the boy was, how he was telling to himself that he would tell Rogue he liked her when they went back to the mansion. Dave saw that Pyro, a cold, strong young man, felt completely helpless around the girl. She had chosen Bobby over him, she had taken the cure while he hated that same cure, she was an x-men and he left them, Rogue could laugh and he couldn't for a long time… So, why…why…

…why do I want her so badly?… That was the question that John kept asking to himself.

"Dave!" Yelled Anna. "Are you paying any attention to what we're saying?"

He finally looked to Medusa.

"What's wrong with you, man?"

"I've been gathering information. Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"

Medusa smiled, "Oh, yeah! Tell me dirty secrets, pleaaaase!"

Dave gave a last look to John and went inside of one of the Jets, "Anna, no one exceeds your obscene fantasies. Your mind is incredibly dirty."

The red hair woman frowned and blushed; she needed a moment before reacting, "Hey! I already told you to stay away from my personal issues! You pervert!"

Back to the mansion, the moods were really bad. Everyone felt depressed and confused with what they have seen in Genosha. So much hate towards mutants, so much violence. The Professor told them to take two days off; they could go anywhere and do whatever they want. He knew they would never forget the war, something as violent as that would always hunt them, but at least it would help them to calm down.

Magneto toke those two days to go to Genosha and he went with the Brotherhood of Mutants. It would be the perfect time to set things back on track.

"I know these days had been rough, but you cannot forget our real mission."

"Isn't our mission to defeat the LP?" asked Pietro.

"It should be, but now we have four of them between us. I don't see Charles doing anything to eliminate them." Saberthooth was angry, he hated the X-Men, and the Lightening People; he hated everyone who was a treat.

"Saberthooth is right. Charles wants to convert the LP in people like him, more X-Men. He will not succeed, of course. And in any moment these four people will fight against him. And that will be our chance."

"Why do you want to fight the X-Men?" asked Gambit suddenly.

"Why?" Magneto approached him with balls of metal surrounding him. He was much taller than Gambit, in fact it seemed that he was getting taller. "Let me tell, my brother, that Charles Xavier is nothing but a selfish, greedy and manipulative man. He has a machine, which he calls Cerebro, wand with that he can find any mutant in the whole world. I know because I helped him to create it. However, he only comes to those he thinks are the strongest mutants. Charles is creating an army. He talks about good ideals, about faith and a better life, but what he wants is to rule the world." Magneto raised his voice and started to walk between the mutants. "He already has the X-Men, puppets that would do anything he says. Did he tell you your past, X-23?"

"He tried…" the girl answer uncertain.

"Right, he tried. I say that he tricked you. Did he told you who you really are? " He asked Juggernaut now.

The big man looked confused.

"No. But let me tell you. Cain, you are Xavier's stepbrother. Your father has used to physically abuse you and locked you in that mental hospital I came to rescue you from. Do you think Xavier tried to stop your imprisonment? No, because you were smarter and stronger than him."

"I don't believe you." Said Pietro and his sister agreed. "I've seen the relation between Professor and his students. They respect each other, he listens their opinions, and people have a second chance. Look at Mystique."

"Son…"

"And I like his dream."

"Me too", said Wanda. "Humans and mutants living together? I want to fight for something like that, father. We're going back and it would be better if you stay here."

Pietro and Wanda walked away, leaving a very upset leader behind. Gambit and X-23 followed them.

"What now, Magneto?" asked John.

"Go back, Pyro."

"What? But I wanna fight for you."

"And you are. Be an X-Men again and control everything for me. You're going to bring me new and more powerful allies."

John knew what he wanted, to destroy the X-Men union. "How?"

"Reveal them the true Professor X. And please, start with Rogue. Someone with her power should be with me. I will guide her to finally control her powers."

"You…you could do that? Help her to control her mutation, I mean?"

"Trust me, Pyro." Magneto smiled, a cold and mean smile, he knew that Rogue was the right motivation for Pyro. If she had full control over her power she would be happier and, more important, she would be able to touch him.

And he trusted him. He was the one he chose as his leader after all, and John would always be faithful to his beliefs. Also, knowing that there was a chance for Rogue to be able to touch again… that was the most important for him. Now that John was with her again, he would do anything for her. Even if that meant he had to betray the X-Men or anyone else.

When Pietro, Wanda, Remy, X-23 and John came back alone and gave the X-Men Magneto's plan, most of the team felt they couldn't trust those who came back. Professor also had a hard time dealing with the news, because deep down he was hoping to convince Magneto to join him. His companion was so nice and comfortable. It would be difficult to sleep alone again. The Professor asked Mystique to lead some exercises, like fishing, camping or even Climb Mountains, to which the shape shifter immediately agreed. Charles was giving her the chance to lead the X-Men, to bring them and the ex-members of the brotherhood together. So, Mystique was arranging everything so they all could go camping next weekend.

Rogue was in the garden, leaning against a big tree trunk and taking advantage of its shadow. Her laptop, a gift from Hank, resting in her lap while she surfed the Net. She had her MSN on and noticed that the Dr. was online too, probably chatting with Trish Tilby. She smiled with that thought. Every time she saw Beast smiling she felt happy, serene and that life wasn't that bad. The Beast had a girlfriend, and that really put her in good mood. She was about to chat with Hank when she heard him.

"ahhh…Shit! Fuck! Fuck! God! Fuck!" Dave was breathing heavily, leaning against the same tree trunk as Rogue, despite he couldn't see her because it was big and the young woman was in the other side of the trunk. The mutant grabbed his head and closed his eyes, trying to focus, to stop the flush of feelings. He had complete control over his power when concerning the feeling manipulation. However he wasn't able to stop feeling everyone's sentiments and would feel too many moods at the same time. And being in a mansion full of young mutants could be painful.

Some were depressed, other cheerful, excited, angry, in love, worried, many were horny. He had to take a time to hear himself thinking so he went to the garden, far from the Mansion. Dave was finally calming down when a voice startled him:

"Are you feeling ok?"

He looked to Rogue with eyes open wide. He taught he was alone, he didn't felt her there. Well, he never did. She was… a closed book, from the start. That girl was the only person he knew that he couldn't read.

"So…?" asked Rogue as he didn't answer her. He kept staring to the girl in the floor which made her uncomfortable.

But he couldn't tell if she was uncomfortable. It was like she had no feelings, she could easily trick him. That made him angry, frustrated, scared, but also…intrigued, and serene. It was good that serenity. He only felt his own sentiments; it was so quiet over her.

The young man passed his fingers through his black hair and sit next to Rogue, surprising her.

"Just a strong headache."

"Know how you feel. Beast can give you something if you ask him." Said Rogue smiling. She really did know how he felt, because she had been leading with headaches for a really long time.

"I'm good now, but thanks." He leaned over her laptop, his face too close to hers, which tensed her whole body. He shouldn't be so reckless. "What are you doing?" he asked, his breath caressing her face when he leaned his head a little more to her as he spoke. His eyes in the laptop all the time.

"Could you…huh…" Truth couldn't read her feelings but he certainly could feel that Rogue's breath was irregular and so he looked at her, trying to understand what was the problem. But he had no idea.

Rogue stared to his green eyes and blushed a little, "Hmm…could you please step away from me a little?!"

"Oh! I'm sorry…"

She saw him confused so added, "It's because of my mutation. It's dangerous if you are too close to me." She said while touching her white hair stripe.

Dave still looked puzzled, "Are you going to hit me?"

Remembering he only knew her super strength she started to laugh, "No, you silly." She answered still laughing, "I don't start punching people just because they are near me! It's my original mutation." Rogue stopped laughing, but had a smile in her lips while speaking. "I absorb people's energy through skin contact." She lifted her gloved hand "That's why I wear gloves while baking. I'm not a lunatic."

Dave leaned his head to the tree watching the blue sky and reflecting about what she said, "So, you can't control it?"

"Nope."

That's why you took the cure. he thought, still staring at the sky. "Hmm, that sucks, huh?"

Rogue started to laugh with his reaction, he was so…strange. She liked that.

"Are you always laughing?" the man asked with a narrow eyebrow.

"Only when I'm not with an headache. Do you never laugh?"

But he never answered that. He realized Rogue was right, there had been a long time since his last laugh, since his last smile. Just like that guy, Pyro. Dave stayed there hearing her laugh, it felt good, though he couldn't join her in that. Both stayed under the tree till dinner time and only Rogue broke the silence a few times when something Dave couldn't understand on her laptop frustrated her.

:Yeah, I know, Mystique hasn't reveal that secret yet…hmm, soon, soon, lool. Hope you have enjoyed this chapter. By the way, I really am liking Dave…black hair, pale, green eyes, mysterious…hmmm! Leave a review and I'l be happy! Eheh thanks: