MAGNETIC ATTRACTION
Part Thirty-One
As Rogue left her final class for the day she found Piotr Rasputin's white transit van parked outside in the misty parking lot. She approached the van and he climbed out to let her in, the door on the passengers side was still broken.
"Hi," she said, trying to sound less preoccupied than she was.
"Hello," he responded warmly as he climbed in, then he started the ignition and took the van out of the parking lot. "How was class?"
"Tiring. These professors are such assholes...they want to give us all nervous breakdowns, I'm sure. They ask too much in too little time. Deadlines are so harsh sometimes," sighed Rogue, she put her backpack on the floor between her feet. She turned to look at Piotr and somehow, just by the expression on his face, she could see that something was bothering him.
"I'd have liked to have gone to college but the expense was too much. I save and hope to go to art school, some day," said Piotr.
"You really should," Rogue nodded, "you have talent..."
"Painting is only thing I really enjoy."
"Ah wish Ah had some kind of talent like that, somethin' that amounted to somethin'," Rogue shrugged. "Ah was never good at art, or writin', or poetry, or even dancin'..." she sighed.
"You can act," Piotr admitted.
Rogue raised an eyebrow at him, "how'd you know?"
"Gambit mentioned," he explained, "he said you do very well and you make things sound beautiful when you say them."
Rogue blinked, surprised by this statement. She wondered if this was actually what Remy had said or if Piotr was paraphrasing or mistranslating. Either way, it was the best compliment she'd ever had.
"Well, he likes to over exaggerate," Rogue smiled a little, looking away, feeling her cheeks grow a little pink with delight.
Piotr stopped the van at a red light and turned to look briefly at Rogue. She felt there was something he wanted to say but couldn't quite find a way to say it.
"Is something the matter?" Rogue asked softly.
"Gambit asked me to pick you up," said Piotr, "and to talk to you. About situation."
"Situation? What situation?" Rogue asked, she sat straighter a little, "is something wrong?"
Piotr opened his mouth, but no words came. He sighed and checked the mirrors, avoiding her gaze.
"Pete..." Rogue put her hand on his thick arm, "tell me..."
Piotr glanced back to her, "I was told to just pass on a message," he glanced up at the lights, "But please...do not kill the messenger, as they say."
"Pete, what's going on?" Rogue asked softly, "is something...I mean...did something...happen...or something?" she bit her lip.
"I...can only pass on what I was told to pass."
"Okay..." she responded, feeling very irritable now. "What's the message?" she asked with some trepidation.
"Remy says...that you should keep away from him," Piotr said, his cheek twitched a little.
"Huh?" she stared at the giant blankly.
"He also said..." Piotr began as the lights changed and he moved the van to turn the corner. "That you should maybe disregard everything. Everything that happened, everything that was said...that it might be best."
"Disregard?" she asked, her breath catching in her throat, her eyes feeling slightly misty.
"Disregard," said Piotr, nodding. "What is this word? Disregard?"
"It means," said Rogue, her voice thick, "that it should be forgotten."
"I see," said Piotr, his expression dark. "If...you take my advice, you listen and do this."
"Why?" she asked, holding back tears. What was this? Was Remy playing some kind of sick mind game with her? Everything had been fine this morning and now? Now it had suddenly gone awry? Now instead of her wanting to keep her distance, it was Remy who wanted to do so.
"I cannot say," said Piotr, his unease quite clear.
The rest of the drive was in silence as Rogue tried to fathom exactly what was wrong and what was happening. She could feel that something was badly wrong in the pit of her stomach and felt dread building the closer they got to home, so much that she almost contemplated asking Piotr to take her back to town so she could spend time in the library.
She suddenly didn't want to go home.
As Piotr parked his van in the usual place, Rogue stared out of the windows at the mess in the yard, she made a mental note to herself that perhaps she might spend some time out here cleaning up some of this since no one else seemed focus on it.
Maybe being outside a bit would help, she thought as she climbed out of the van and walked around to get to the doors. Piotr followed, and before he reached to open the heavy door for her, he put his heavy hand on her shoulder, almost as if he felt sorry for her.
Does he know what happened last night with me and Remy? Did Remy tell him? She wondered. She was too afraid to ask him. Instead, she simply let him open the door and she stepped inside. The place was oddly quiet, even the television volume up in the living room area was strangely low.
Lance was working by the gymnasium area cleaning up some of the mess, something Rogue had thought Remy was meant to be doing.
"Where's-" Rogue was about to ask where Remy was exactly, but Piotr touched her shoulder again to stop her, and she turned to look at him questioningly. And then she spied him coming from the upstairs living room area. She could see his ear was swollen and red, and his arm was in a cast. She blinked. "What the-"
And then she saw Wanda standing at the other end of the warehouse, her expression dark, the room practically vibrating under the pressure of her power.
Wanda did this...oh my god...Wanda broke his arm and hurt him...oh god! She thought in horror.
"Come, let me make you coffee," offered Piotr, in an attempt she recognised to get her out of the room and away from Wanda and Remy. As Rogue let Piotr lead her away she threw one last glance towards Remy, his face was so dark and unhappy. There was also a strangely apologetic and guilty look there. He turned to look away from her, his jaw seemed tight, lips pursed.
In the kitchen, she stopped Piotr before he could even reach the coffee pot, she took a hold of his arm and tried to turn him towards her, which was not easy given his strength and bulk in comparison to her much smaller frame.
"What happened?" she demanded.
"I cannot speak of these things," Piotr responded quietly, he turned to look at her, "you should not ask. It would be best for both of you."
"Wanda did that to him, didn't she?" Rogue asked in a hush, she glanced around quickly to make sure Wanda had not followed them in.
"I saw nothing," Piotr answered carefully, he reached for the pot whilst grabbing for a cup from the shelf nearby. "I was not here when...whatever...occurred."
"Someone must have told you. Remy must have told you what happened..." Rogue kept her voice low still.
Piotr poured the coffee, his expression clouded. He seemed conflicted, as if he were fighting with himself over what to answer with. "He gave me the message to give to you. He said nothing more."
"Oh come on," Rogue frowned, "you're his friend, you're telling me he said nothing?"
"He tells me very little," Piotr stated coolly.
"Pete..." Rogue pleaded with him, "please...I know you know more...tell me..."
Piotr paused, he took a deep breath, "He is hurt. He was upset, and angry..." he rubbed the back of his neck irritably. "These are all that I know. Whether it was Wanda or not, I could not say."
"In your opinion?"
"I cannot have opinion," Piotr responded quickly, his face flushing, he handed her the coffee. "But if I did, I would keep it to myself."
Rogue stared into the coffee cup unhappily.
"You should trust his judgement, if he says you should keep your distance...then this is what you should do," Piotr warned carefully.
"Ah can't without an explanation..." Rogue shook her head, she put the coffee down and turned to leave, intent on finding out exactly what had happened.
Piotr grabbed her arm quickly and pulled her back, "are you not listening? He is trying to protect you," he hissed in a quiet voice.
"From what? You think she has anythin' on me?" Rogue demanded, trying to pull away, "Ah can take care of myself."
"Remy thought so too."
Rogue struggled with him, "let me go."
Getting frustrated, he yanked her back hard, pushed her against the fridge and held her there by pinning her shoulder firmly, he leaned down to look her in the eye, "do you want to get him killed?"
Rogue stared him right in the eye, he was deadly serious. She tried to calm herself, somewhere between fury and near tears. "But..." she began, thinking of how close she'd been to Remy only sixteen hours before. How he'd confessed his feelings, how she'd confessed hers. Now it had to be all forgotten? Because Wanda was jealous?
No. Because Wanda is a fucking psychopath, she realised unhappily.
"If I told you that he wishes you to leave, would you go?" Piotr asked gently.
Rogue looked to the floor, she wished she could prevent the tears from spilling down her face. Could she leave? Ah'm so close to the answer to my powers. Ah can't just go yet.
It wasn't only the thought of going before having her powers cured that bothered her either. The thought of leaving now when she was so close to finally coming to being in some kind of relationship with someone was excruciating. She'd waited for so long to feel something for someone and have those feelings reciprocated. The thought of leaving before something had begun agonized her.
"Ah can't."
Slowly, Piotr took his hands away from her, making sure that she wasn't about to run off to start a fight with Wanda. "Then whatever your reasons for staying here, you should be very sure that you understand the risks, my friend," he said softly.
"What risks? Ah'm not afraid of her!"
Piotr folded his arms, "Neither was he."
Rogue drew her breath.
"Sit and drink your coffee, and calm down," Piotr suggested, he picked up the cup and handed it to her once again, "I must get back to work. Please promise me you will not start anything. For both of your sakes."
"Fine," Rogue said quietly. She sighed and sipped the bitter liquid. She never took her coffee this way but right now she didn't care.
Piotr left her alone in the kitchen and she stood there, sipping her coffee, trying to calm herself down and clear her head. It took some time for her to body to stop shaking with anger and her heartbeat to slow to a steady rhythm.
What now? She thought unhappily, she moved to the mess hall and sat down at one of the tables, sighing to herself.
She felt the room seem to vibrate, an odd sensation that made the hairs on the back of her neck seem to stand on end. She turned slowly to look over her shoulder to see Wanda standing there, looking dangerous and angry.
Sucking in a nervous breath, she stated calmly, "Ah'm not in the mood, Wanda."
"You think you're so hot, don't you?" Wanda moved closer, the thick sole of her heavy boots thudding hard against the tile floor, the chains on her corset seemed to tinkle and chime.
"Huh?" Rogue asked, almost scoffing. She'd never thought any such thing.
"Sneakin' around my guy, and my dad...probably half the other guys here too...my brother for all I know, god knows, he doesn't have any taste either..." Wanda ran her fingers lightly across one of the tables as she passed. Rogue heard the wood creak and split at the girl's wicked touch.
"Ah beg your pardon?" Rogue stood up slowly, "just what are you tryin' to say?"
"That you're a slut."
Rogue almost laughed hysterically, "seriously? You're gonna stand there and accuse me of that? You? You above all people? From what Ah've heard, you'd open your legs for anyone..."
Wanda stepped forward, and Rogue stood her ground, trying to not let herself be intimidated by that dangerous look in the girls startlingly blue eyes. "You fucked my father."
"Ah did no such thing," Rogue remained calm, "and you know that."
"You keep away from him, and Remy."
"Make me."
"You can't give Remy what I can."
"Can't Ah?" Rogue dared. Great goin'. Make plans about treadin' carefully around her, and then just annoy her...that's gonna work well.
Wanda smirked, "and you'll never have what I can have."
Rogue glared at the girl, her blood ran cold and seemed to boil all at the same time, her nerves tingled with anger and fear. She knew what this girl was capable of, but she didn't want to back down to it.
"He can't fuck you, and that's all he wants, that's all he needs," Wanda stepped forward, and Rogue felt inclined to step backwards a little, intimidated somehow. "You might have interested him, but what good are you to him?" she snorted, "none at all."
Composing herself, Rogue said nothing, she held back. She wanted to punch the girl in the face, break her nose, make her bleed. She deserved to bleed.
"You'll never have what I've had with him..." Wanda drew her breath and then spoke hotly as she leaned close to Rogue, her face inches away, their eyes locked, "I've had him deep...deep inside me..." she gave a slight moan almost as if the thought were enough to get her off. "Felt him come deep in me..." she sighed softly, "had his tongue against me, and inside me..." she said lewdly, "his hands against me...fingers inside..."
Rogue looked down in complete and utter disgust as Wanda put her hands upon her own breasts and gave an insane giggle.
"But you'll never feel that..." Wanda leaned closer and breathed the words in to Rogue's ear. "You'll never feel how hot he is in your hands...how his cock pulses, you'll never know how salty he tastes, how good his mouth feels..." she looked almost triumphant as she continued, "there isn't anything he hasn't done to me..." she remarked smugly.
Swallowing the thick taste of disgust and of jealousy, Rogue looked her straight in the eye and responded with, "there's one thing."
"I doubt it," Wanda laughed lightly.
Quickly, Rogue continued, "he hasn't ever told you he loves you."
The girl's face fell, and she seemed to pale, her mouth trembled, the lights flickered, and Rogue was almost positive that Wanda was about to punch her, bare fisted. Rogue hoped for it. It'd knock the girl for six, then she'd make her own move and take the bitch down.
But before anything could happen Wanda was dragged back by unseen forces, and both girls looked around confused until they spied Magneto by the door, his hand raised as he used his magnetic abilities to drag Wanda away.
"I've warned you once already," said Magneto, his anger apparent. "Do not make me warn you again."
"But she-"
"She has done nothing wrong," Magneto remarked.
"She's trying to take him from me!"
"He is not yours any more."
Rogue hugged herself insecurely, watching as Magneto pulled his daughter towards the door using his powers, Wanda struggled violently against the powers, the lights flickering, one of them popping.
This place must go through a hundred light fixings a week, Rogue thought dully.
"Calm down," her father commanded.
"She's sleeping with him!"
"Wanda-"
The hatch to the kitchen which had been opened clattered shut with a furious bang, and one of the tables fell apart. Wanda struggled still with her father, her fury growing. Magneto set her just a foot or two away from him.
"You like sharing her, is that it? Is that what you're into?" Wanda goaded her father on, smirking, her eyes full of feverish lunacy. "Or maybe it's him you want too, all together, all three of you-"
Rogue couldn't have been more stunned when Magneto slapped his daughter. Putting her hand to her mouth, Rogue just stood there in the dim light, gaping. Even Magneto seemed shocked he'd done this.
Wanda's eyes teared up, and her face seemed to quiver. It must have been a hard slap, because even from where she stood and even with the dim lighting, Rogue could see the red mark his hand had left upon her. Rogue had never agreed upon parents hitting their children, and even after all that had happened, she still found it a harsh reaction.
"I think it's time I made that call," Magneto said quietly, he clenched the fist that had just slapped her, apparently it was smarting.
"No...please..." Wanda suddenly begged, the tears spilling down her cheeks like fine rivers.
Rogue moved to the wall and began to side step slowly towards the door, hoping neither of them were going to stop her, that she'd go unnoticed.
"You've gone on too long like this, you clearly cannot function here. I've given you chance after chance, I have let things slide hoping you would find a way to cope...but clearly you cannot-"
"Please, don't send me away...not there..." Wanda begged louder, now howling in despair.
Rogue almost felt compelled to feel sorry for her. As much as she wanted to be angry with her, she was also horribly aware this girl was suffering terribly in her head. It was hard feeling pity for someone she hated so much, but Rogue allowed herself to feel it, because she was sure almost no one else would.
Wanda fell to her knees and sobbed hysterically, curling up into a ball. And Rogue was stunned that Magneto did not attempt to console her, to comfort his child in any way. Didn't he feel for her? Didn't he hurt to see his child in pain?
How can he just stand there and not hug her and tell her she'll be all right? She's still his baby, she's still his little girl...he used to care about her once...
Rogue and Magneto exchanged glances, he looked so dark and unhappy, and in his eyes there was despair too. He was very close to breaking point with this girl. Rogue wanted to suggest to him right then he pick his daughter up and hold her, but the words wouldn't come.
"P-please don't s-s-send me away," Wanda sobbed, pulling herself to her father's legs and holding on for dear life, her tears staining his dark grey pants.
Perhaps it's just an act, wondered Rogue. It could have been that the girl knew how to push her father's buttons. Maybe that was why Magneto was so apt to just stand there and let her sob her heart out. Maybe she'd done this before...maybe this was always what happened?
Magneto shook his daughter off and stepped back from her, and Rogue felt shivers down her spine at this coldness. Despite what this girl had done to Remy, despite what this girl had just tried to do to her...Rogue felt sorry for her. She hated to feel that way but she couldn't help it. That girl needed her father, and he was turning her away. It hurt to watch and she couldn't stand it.
Rogue sighed and swiftly moved to kneel beside Wanda, tentatively she touched the girl's back with her gloved hand, aware Magneto disapproved.
Before she had realised what was happening, Wanda had thrown herself into her arms and was sobbing against her chest pitifully like a toddler with a bruised knee. It was then that Rogue wondered if perhaps Wanda had never quite grown up properly, and hadn't fully reached adulthood in her mind. Although she'd been promiscuous with Remy (and apparently many others), it seemed she was still somehow a little girl. She wasn't capable of handling emotion well.
Sighing, Rogue looked up at her boss, whilst Wanda sobbed floods of tears on the front of Remy LeBeau's long-sleeved t-shirt. Magneto said nothing, but simply turned and walked away, looking frustrated and upset with himself. Rogue shook her head in disgust with him.
You cold hearted son of a bitch, she thought angrily at him.
After a few moments, Rogue pulled herself up with some difficulty, as Wanda seemed reluctant to let her go regardless of their previous conflict. "Come on, lets get you to your room..."
Wanda stumbled weakly, still half sobbing, face a mess of running makeup and smeared eyeliner and lipstick. She spied Remy glancing over from the rail leading from the living room area, his expression dark, but curious. He looked half doped up and Rogue wondered if he'd taken something for his pain. She silently ignored him for the moment, and focused on getting Wanda out of the sight of everyone before anyone else saw this. Being humiliated was going to do nothing for Wanda's mental health right now.
Rogue had never been in Wanda's bedroom before and it was an oddly strange experience to be allowed within. The brick walls were painted a mix of black and red, a messy half-assed attempt at making the room look better that hadn't worked very well. They moved to the bed and she sat Wanda down slowly and went to look for something for the girl to wipe her face, eventually finding a box of cleansing wipes on the small dresser.
"Here," said Rogue.
Feebly, the girl wiped at her tears and dirty face, her eyes puffy and red, her mouth still trembling. Rogue stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say or do, not knowing if it was safe to leave the girl alone or not. Would she harm herself? She didn't seem to be in the best frame of mind to be alone right now.
What do Ah say to her? She hates me either way...whatever Ah say is gonna be attacked, Rogue thought frustratedly.
Wanda sniffled, and wiped under her eyes, her hands trembling, "why doesn't he love me?" she stammered unhappily whilst trying to get the makeup away and making an even bigger mess of it.
Rogue grabbed another handful of the wipes, "Remy?" she asked, hoping she wasn't really going to have to answer that. The answers were painfully obvious and she didn't want to be the one to tell her. She didn't like the girl, but she didn't want to be the one to destroy her either.
"My father," Wanda sobbed, she lowered her head and put her hands to her face, her sobs were even more pathetic and harder than before.
This was a nightmare, Rogue wasn't sure how to handle this. She'd never been good at comforting people or knowing what the right thing to say was. She knelt down slowly in front of the girl, reached up and removed her hands from her face and used one of the wipes to start clearing away the mess of makeup that the tears had created.
"It's not his fault. He's as messed up as everyone else here," Rogue supposed. "And he does love you. If he didn't...he'd have put you back in that place a long time ago..."
"He's going to now," Wanda despaired, her eyes feverish and frantic, "they're probably already coming...they'll put me in a dark room...with no doors...no windows..." she put her hands in her hair, her expression wild, her breathing quickened.
"Calm down..." Rogue stopped. "Where are your meds?"
Wanda shakily gestured to the cabinet beside her bed, her body trembling as she began to hyperventilate. Rogue checked through the bottles, not sure what was for what, really. "There's some...pretty heavy stuff here..." she recognised some of the names, almost every bottle was an anti-psychotic medication. Rogue had known the girl had problems, had known the girl was mentally ill, but had never realised it was to this extent.
Wanda gave a vague nod, her breathing still fast.
"Calm down, okay?" Rogue said gently, "does anything in here treat anxiety?"
"Ola-ola-" Wanda tried, breathless.
"Olanzapine?" Rogue asked, retrieving the box, she popped two out of the packet within and grabbed the can of coke that was sitting on the top of the cabinet, "think you can take these without choking?"
Wanda accepted the pills and drank the coke down, spilling half of it down herself in her attempt to hold the can with trembling seemingly numb hands.
"Come on, keep calm, just breathe, it'll be over soon," Rogue promised, not one hundred percent sure it would be.
Once she comes to her senses, she's going to kill me, thought Rogue. Carefully she sat upon the bed, running her gloves curiously over the faux fur blanket. Maybe she really does need to be put back away, Rogue pondered. But how much treatment would the girl get? Locked away from society and pumped full of drugs...that's all they could do for her, thought Rogue.
She picked up more of the cleansing wipes and cleaned the girl's face up as best she could, wondering when Wanda would finally push her away. She kept waiting for Remy to be brought up, to be told to stay away from him. That too, didn't occur.
And then Wanda did something rather peculiar. Something that completely dismayed Rogue and nearly caused her to panic herself. While Rogue had been focusing on trying to clear the smudged mascara away – which the cleansing wipes were doing a poor job of removing – she felt Wanda's hand suddenly, without reason, slide between her legs, push up her skirt hastily and touch her between her legs. It wasn't even a tentative touch, it was fast, almost rough and desperate. Wanda's fingers had almost seemed to be determined to push into her, to break through the thick denier of her tights and the cotton of her underwear. She'd almost pushed Rogue's underwear part of the way inside of her with the roughness of that touch, and Rogue felt her stomach flip.
Gasping, Rogue broke away quickly, eyes wide in shock, her mouth hanging open, "what the-"
Wanda's expression was guilty and lost, her eyes seemed to be searching Rogue's.
Oh my god, this girl is fucking nuts, Rogue gaped at Wanda, completely in shock. She put her hand to her mouth, staring down at her.
"I could give you things no one can," Wanda said, her voice almost soft, "You want that, don't you?"
"Wanda...I'm not gay...or...lesbian...or...whatever it is you think I am..." Rogue shook her head, "only twenty minutes ago...you accused me of sleeping with your dad...now you're-"
"Don't you want me?" Wanda asked, pulling the front zip of her corset down to reveal more of her cleavage.
Rogue turned away, putting her hand to the side of her face, "oh my god," she said under her breath, "Wanda...stop...seriously..."
This is what Remy was talking about...she keeps going to this sex thing like it's all she knows...like it's the only thing she can do to be around anyone...
Sobbing again, Wanda demanded, "why does no one want me?!"
Rogue thought it odd she'd asked the same question of Magneto not too long ago. Suddenly she felt a connection to the girl that had never been there. She understood all too well how the girl felt. "Ah'm...Ah'm sorry..." Rogue shook her head, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment, "Ah don't...like you that way..."
"What if it was the three of us...me...and you...and Remy...what then..."
"Are you listenin' to yourself?" Rogue asked in disgust, "Wanda...we don't...want...to have sex with you..."
Wanda's tears continued, her hands to her face.
"Ah think maybe you need to rest..." Rogue suggested gently, she moved and pushed the girl's shoulder to make her lie down on her side, and she pulled the edge of the blanket to cover her. "Just rest...you'll feel better when you wake up..."
Continuing to sob into her pillow, Wanda pulled the blanket over her head, and Rogue headed for the door. She decided to leave it open. That way at least someone could hear if anything happened, or if the girl decided to try to harm herself.
Remy was standing at the bottom of the stairs leading from the living room area, his expression very confused and concerned.
Rogue shook her head at him, now was not the time to talk, and she headed for Magneto's office, giving a brief knock before entering. She closed the door behind herself and got ready to speak but she found that Magneto was already on the phone, sitting at his desk, speaking to someone.
He's already making arrangements for her, Rogue thought in disgust. He can't wait to be rid of her!
"As soon as possible," said Magneto coldly to whomever was on the line. "I don't care, I've paid to have that cell on standby."
"Hang up," Rogue commanded, but he was ignoring her.
"Don't you dare tell me to calm down-" Magneto responded to the person on the other end after a moment.
Rogue moved swiftly to the desk and took the phone from him, hanging it up.
His eyes were bright with fury at this bold move.
"Don't do this to her," Rogue held the phone away from him as he reached out to try to grab it back. "She can't take it."
"Don't you dare try to-"
"She thinks you don't love her!"
He squinted at her.
"She's broken, and putting her in a padded cell and pumping her full of drugs and god knows what else isn't going to fix her!" Rogue yelled. "She just tried to..." she put her hand behind her neck, she wasn't sure how to explain what Wanda had just tried to do with her.
"To what? Kill you?" Magneto pointed out, "I did stop her," he reminded.
"No..." Rogue shook her head, "She tried to...no...she did...touch me...she put her hand up my skirt..."
His face fell, it didn't seem he could become any paler, but his pallor almost matched the silver white of his hair. "She...what?"
"She offered me sex. She didn't care that she hated me...or that she was about to punch me only half an hour ago...she just put her hand up my skirt, and tried to proposition me..."
"I..." Magneto's face was a mix of emotional pain and distress. He had not expected this.
"After what she did to Remy-"
"I've talked with her about the injuries she caused-"
"No..." Rogue shook her head, "this isn't about the injuries..."
"Then-"
"This is about her essentially raping him."
"Pardon?"
"She waited until he was sleeping, and then did what she wanted with him. He woke up and said stop, and guess what, she didn't."
Magneto stood up and paced, his hand over his mouth. Eventually after a moment, he spoke. "He never...told me."
"He didn't want to," Rogue folded her arms, she felt horrible for revealing Remy's terrible secret to the man, but she felt it had to be said. It was the only way the man was going to see the severity of this problem. "Remy is a resilient guy," she pointed out, "he takes everything that happens to him and deals with it. Some people would be devastated, he took it in his stride. But what if he hadn't? What if he wasn't as strong as he is? You know how somethin' like that can destroy someone?"
Magneto's eyes softened for a moment as he stared into space. "This kind of thing only confirms that I should send her away."
"And you think that'll help!? You think it won't continue when she's away and she has male orderlies and doctors handling her?!" Rogue demanded.
"What else can I do?!" Magneto demanded, "Other than keep her permanently sedated there is very little I can do for her right now!"
Unfortunately this was very true. Rogue realised it just by looking at the frantic look in the man's eyes. He was lost for a solution. Putting her away had been the last resort he'd been holding back from.
"Why didn't you hold her?" Rogue asked softly, "she needs you...she needed you right then...and you just...you moved away."
His expression was sad as he looked away from her, he pursed his lips. "That's none of your concern," he said quickly, which only confirmed Rogue's suspicions that there was a reason.
Before Rogue could press the issue further, there was a knock at the office door.
Magneto composed himself, and responded, "Come in."
"What's going on?" Pietro asked, stepping into the office, "Wanda is in bed crying hysterically...I've never seen her that bad before...she won't even speak to me..."
It seemed Magneto had been hoping whomever had knocked was going to change the subject entirely but no such luck here for him today. Rogue gestured for Pietro to come in all the way and she pushed the door shut as he did.
Pietro was thoroughly confused, "what's happened?"
"Wanda has-" Magneto paused, trying to find the words.
"She went psycho again?" Pietro asked rolling his eyes. "What else is new?"
"She is not well," Magneto reminded.
"Yeah, I know," Pietro made a face. "But she won't even speak...not even to tell me to go. She's in hysterics..."
"Leave her be," Magneto commanded carefully.
Pietro seemed slightly bothered, "just leave her alone? Just leave her like that?"
"Yes. Let her cry it out."
"I...I've never seen her like that, though..." Pietro tried.
"I said leave her," Magneto reiterated.
Pietro seemed almost disgusted, and with that he shook his head and left the room without another word.
Rogue felt there was more to Pietro's response, and after he left the room, she turned back to Magneto and sighed, "Ah have studying to do...lots to get through...but please...just...think about not sendin' her away just yet..."
"I..." Magneto paused and sighed, "fine, I shall reconsider for the time being. But you do realise that her being here may complicate things for you?"
"Ah know," Rogue realised she sighed, "but...she's in pain...and...Ah can't bear the thought of her bein' in more..." she headed out the door. Even if it means Ah'm probably gonna be in pain myself eventually. God, Remy is gonna hate me for this...
She turned almost ready to head to her room, when she bumped straight into Pietro who had been standing waiting there as if he'd been hanging back for her.
"Whoah, sorry..." she said, blinking.
"Rogue...what was all that about?" Pietro asked under his breath, "why's my dad look that...messed up way?"
Rogue pondered this, he did look more off than usual. "Ah...don't know...hey, can Ah ask something?" she asked quietly in a whisper.
"Hmm?" he asked.
"Why does your dad not want to hug Wanda?"
Pietro's face became very dark, his blue eyes were intense. Despite he obviously knew more, he shrugged and said "no idea. Not a clue. I need to go, got stuff to do."
And with that, the boy was gone in a flash.
End of Part Thirty-One
Thanks to those who've taken the time to review and share their thoughts and feelings about the story. I do hope that I haven't lost too many readers over the dark and mature subject matter (sometimes I wish I could just write fluff and be able to keep people happy, but for some reason, it never works out that way, lol). Hope you're all enjoying what's down so far. I can't wait to get more of it up soon :)