Hey everybody!

So last chapter you got to know what the nightmare was and this one you get to find out if Magneto's really dead!

To everyone, thanks for reading and reviewing and btw HAPPY SUMMER!

So without further ado enjoy chapter 21 :)

Explosions of Every Kind Chapter 21: The Mind Is a Powerful Thing

With a smoldering summer wind whipping the curtains of the mansion into an amusing dance, Rogue lazed on the cream-colored couch reading a favorite book of hers. Ever since the rooftop incident her life had pretty much gone back to normal, she talked with Kitty and Kurt, trained with Logan and everyone else, and occasionally went on dates with Remy. Rogue had had the nightmare only one other time in her few weeks of normality, however something new was troubling her now: every once in awhile Rogue would hear whispering or see the flutter of a violet cape around a corner. She had waved these things off, contributing them to nerves and stress, but she knew they were something more.

Abruptly, Rogue's book was slammed shut and she was overwhelmed by the scent of cigarette smoke and spices. Gambit appeared looming above her relaxing figure with the same smirk he always had, well always had when he wasn't worried she was going to die, he slipped his gloved hands under her shoulders and tenderly began to rub them.

Sighing in delight, Rogue asked, "What do y'want Swamp Rat?"

Hearing the noise she made made him ecstatic as he knew although her tone was teasing she was clearing enjoying herself. "Fo' y'to come into d'kitchen."

Languidly sitting up Rogue questioned while stretching out her slender arms, "Should Ah even ask?"

His smile grew wider as Rogue peered down at his open hand, an obvious indication to grasp hold of it and follow. So she did.

In the kitchen, Gambit had laid out an entire Southern breakfast spread for the two of them. Moist cornbread glistened with fresh butter as grits and apple pancakes steamed at the end of the island's granite counter-top, followed up by sausage gravy and toast with strawberry jelly alongside it.

Rogue's happiness didn't need to be voiced; Gambit could see it in the ear-to-ear grin that she now wore.

"Italian food's great an' all, but I thought y'might be missin' some good ol' fashion cookin'."

As the two filled their plates and sat at the same end of the dining room table, footsteps could be heard running throughout the halls of the mansion. Paranoid, Rogue whipped her head to the entrance of the kitchen and glimpsed silver hair and a crimson shoulder pad leaving the room. Without Rogue's notice, her hand had begun to shake.

"Rogue?" Gambit looked at her strangely, "Are y'okay?"

She snapped back to reality and answered, "Why wouldn't Ah be?"

Worriedly, he pointed at her trembling hand which apparently she was not aware of.

"Oh, uh, Ah'm fine," Rogue forced her hand to be still and took a bite of the delicious cornbread with a smile.

After the weirdness of that moment was over and Rogue had assured Gambit several more times she was okay the two began to talk as they usually would.

"Next time Ah'm makin' the food," Rogue laughed.

"You don' like it?" he almost sounded concerned.

"Ah love it."

"Hmmm okay. Next time we go out to d'park, lay down a'nice blanket, rest under de sun in each others arms—"

"Whoa slow down there," although that sounded pretty good to Rogue it still worried her, she paused not wanting to say the wrong thing and discourage him because she craved that to, "Ah don't sunbathe," she finally decided on and finished with a smirk while tucking her hair behind one ear.

"Well," he began, playing along, "Then I'll jus' hav'to be on top t'keep de sun off a'you."

"Maybe if y'wanna die," she replied in a teasing tone.

The two's flirting was cut short by the bustle of Kitty, Kurt, Scott, and Jean all bursting in saying, "I smell food!" and gobbling up whatever Rogue and Gambit hadn't. Then sitting at the table and continuing to talk.

"Hey Rogue," Kitty cheered, "Like don't forget you promised to go to the mall with us tonight."

"Oh and we all have a danger room session in an hour," Jean reminded, trying to comb her long red hair with her fingers.

"Hey turn up the TV."

"One sec."

"Is there anymore jelly?"

"This is so good. Who made it all?"

"Still can't hear the TV."

"Okay, okay, I'm on it."

"Ugh, my hair is so flat today!"

Somewhere within all the chaos an hour had gone by and they were all currently on their way down to the danger room.

Logan had them on the ropes course outside, in ninety degree weather, wearing dark blue uniforms; needless to say they were hot. As Rogue leapt through the feverous air to catch a swinging rope hung above a mud pit, she heard the voice of a familiar man whispering menacingly, "I'm still here. You've lost. You will always lose unless you join me." Barely catching the rope, Rogue lost her breathe and slipped halfway down it and was subsequently forced to climb her way back up as she shook her head trying to dispose of that horrid voice.

After the long, painful session full of mud and the spit projected from when Logan yelled, everyone decided to take a dip in the pool out back. With almost twenty minutes of nonstop berating by Kitty, Rogue agreed to actually swim this time instead of just submerging her feet. However, she refused to go in without wearing an outsized mauve t-shirt over her charcoal bikini top, which when wet hung off of just one shoulder.

After she had exited the pool to once again dive in, Gambit, in his infinite joy, captured Rogue from behind, ensnaring her by the waist he lifted her up and swung in unbounded circles until he felt the edge of the pool with his foot and hurdled in.

"Gambi—" she began to scream in elation when she heard that voice again.

"I'm the master of magnetism! You cannot defeat me."

"Rogue?" Gambit reached out his hand; she appeared to be in a daze, "Talk t'me. Tell me what's goin' on?"

As Rogue began to sink she whispered with her last breathe, "Him."

Without a second thought, Gambit dove to the bottom of the pool and grasping the gargantuan shirt Rogue so smartly put atop her bathing suit he carried her up to the surface and quickly wrapped her in a towel with the intention that he could now pick her up and run to the infirmary. Screaming behind him, "Get de Professor!"

Squinting against the intense yellow light of the infirmary, Rogue could make out the Professor's face and only the Professor's face. Xavier had forced everyone, even Gambit, to wait outside.

"Rogue, what have you been hiding from me?"

"He's…he's still here. Ah think he's tryin' t'live on through me. Ah hear him, Ah see him! Professor Ah'm scared." Once again her hands began to tremble and she looked to Xavier with panic in her eyes. "Ah…Ah don't think he left," her voice quavered as she grasped the bed with unsteady hands, "Ah don't think he's dead. Is that possible Professor?"

"I'm not sure," he tried to sound comforting, but knew there was little comfort in a matter like this one. "There is one way to find out, Rogue. I know you don't like it but—"

"Do it!" she blurted out.

Xavier nodded his head and placed his pointer finger to his temple. Entering Rogue's mind nothing seemed out of ordinary, seeing as ordinary was shadows of masses of mutants roaming about in solitude and anguish. Xavier roamed through the cerulean mist and past broken buildings, it was clear that even with all the progress they had made not of all Rogue's mental tribulations had been solved. "Erik?" he whispered, fearing breaking the silence would cause some kind of mass pandemonium. When it didn't he repeated louder, "Erik?"

"Charles?"

Xavier spun around to see his old friend floating about without a purpose. "Erik? My god, are you alive?"

"Charles," he shook his head, "you know the answer to that."

"I know, but I wish it were not true." Xavier almost hung his head in sorrow.

"I'm but a shadow of my former self, and no Charles I'm not controlling this young girl. I'm trapped in her like everyone else."

A single tear escaped from the crook of Xavier's eye, "Did it hurt, old friend?"

"When she killed my real self? No."

"Good."

"Now go, bring her peace." Magneto waved his good friend off.

"I miss you, Erik," Xavier began, "Even though we were on opposite sides, you were my closest friend…"

To comfort Xavier, Magneto's shade said, "I know, you were mine as well. It was a nice ceremony you gave for me Charles, now go."

Upon exiting Rogue's mind that single tear still resided on Xavier's face as he remembered everything him and Magneto had gone through, both before and after the X-men. "Rogue," he placed his hand tenderly on her gloved one, "Magneto is gone. He's dead and nothing is bringing him back. The voices you hear, the specter you see, it's all in your head. You have created this phantom, although a part of his psyche like all the others is still in your head, he is not causing this, you are."

Rogue's mouth gaped open, "So what? It's…it's mah guilt doin' this t'me?"

"I'm afraid so," he answered sullenly, "However, now that you know this you should be able to quite the voices eventually."

"How comforting."

After a few days, Rogue was released from the infirmary and once again tried to regain a sense of normality.

It was 11 p.m. and Rogue sat in the living room with a bowl of cereal, mindlessly staring at the glowing screen of the TV, when all of a sudden she heard him whispering again. "I'll be back; you think you can silence one of the most powerful mutants in the world?"

Rogue shook her head, "Ah'm doin' this, Ah can control it."

"You'll lose…"

"No," Rogue whispered, "Ah won't. You will, you have. An' this ain't you, it's meh. And AH don't want t'hear it!"

Silence.

She waited, expecting to hear Magneto's voice again.

She did not.

Only the buzz of the television was audible... and footsteps.

The thud of the steps was getting closer and closer to the entrance of the living room. Rogue's clouded vision saw Magneto entering the room and she attacked. Rogue lunged at the figure with a right cross, and then seized his shoulders and rammed his abdomen into her knee, yelling, "Leave me alone!"

"Hey now," The figure coughed as he rolled on to his back and peered up into his assailant's face. "I jus' thought y'would want some company, but fine I'll leave."

With cleared vision, Rogue saw the black and blue bump appearing on Gambit's cheek as he pulled himself up from the floor and began to exit the room. "No, no, no. Gambit come back!" She snatched his hand and yanked him back. "Ah'm sorry, Ah saw Magneto instead of you. Ah'm sorry, Ah'm sorry." She kept repeating that same phrase, each time it sounded more like crying than before. Gambit put his arm around her, allowed her to cuddle into his chest, and sat them both on the couch listening to "Ah'm sorry" All. Night. Long.

"I know, chere, I forgive you."

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Reviews really are priceless, so please leave one :)

This will NOT be the last chapter but I think it may be coming within a few chapters or so...not sure yet

Don't know when I'll update next because I should be working on my summer homework instead of this but let's be serious this is sooooo much more fun to write

Love ya'll

Until next time

ENJOY YOUR SUMMER

Bye :)

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN XMEN/XMEN EVOLUTION