Taunting Repartee

Chapter Seven

Rogue entered her room, dressed in PJ's, after a very, very long day. With a sigh she let herself fall on the bed.

'Going to sleep, Anna?' Eric asked.

'I want to,' she sighed.

'Then close your eyes,' he told her.

'I can't,' she exclaimed '... I can't let you do that anymore...help me fall asleep and all… Take the nightmares away... The Professor-'

'Charles is an idiot, with no sense of what you actually need. He's reaction was-'

'Completely justified,' she finished. 'Eric, I'm seventeen, and you're... you're older...A lot older. We can't...,' Rogue ran her hand across her cheek, as Eric had done so many times before. "I don't want to give it up," she whispered.

'Then don't,' he said strongly. She shook her head, fighting back the urge to cry, trying to keep her eyes open.

'I can... I can get over this," she said determined as she sat up. 'I'm just used to it is all. I can get over that.'

'You shouldn't have to, Anna,' he said firmly. '...If you feel that what we have done in the past is wrong, then, and only then, will I be willing to accept your decision to end it. However, I sincerely doubt that is the case.... One look of disapproval from him and you cease all of our activities. Why?'

'He's right,' she thought sadly.

'From a certain point of view, yes, he is correct. But from the opinion of another, namely the two individuals actually involved in this relationship, what we have done, what I still wish to continue is as right, and pure as any other interaction.'

'What we have is not pure,' she told him with a short laugh.

'I seem to remember a young woman embracing another for the first time in over a year.'

'That's how it started... then I...,' her eyes stun from the drops of waters that refused to remind hidden. She closed them to gain relief.

She quickly reopened them to find Eric sitting next to her. She glanced up at him with disapproval.

"You kissed me," he said tenderly as he reached for her hand. She moved away from him.

"I can't," she shouted yet again, turning away from him. His hand found hers.

"If you are so concerned with his opinion, then I will concede." She tried to remove her hand from his, he wouldn't let her go. "My dear, what could Charles find unseemly with holding hands?" he asked her in disbelief. She gazed up into his eyes. "Unless his grievance is with the person you have selected and not the act itself."

She sighed as she let her hand relax in his. He took the opportunity to interlink his fingers with hers.

"I should've never started this," she thought dismally. "Would've been better not knowing."

"Knowing?" he asked with an eyebrow raised. "Because of the fragments, the memories you have-"

"I know," she shouted quickly, "...I've experienced it myself." She sighed. "I know I have. It's just... it's been from someone else's point of view. I knew that it had never happened to me, that it couldn't happen to me. I knew that I couldn't feel this, not really ... but now, after everything we've done...It hurts so much more," she said as she wiped tears away. "... More than it ever did before... I mean, I can only have this," she said as she looked down at their hands," in my dreams...What kind of relationship is that?" she asked in anger. She felt Eric's hand gently cup her chin. He turned her face to look at him.

"It's a good start," he told her.

"To what?" she asked softy. He opened his mouth to say something, only to close it again. "What could we have, Eric?" He continued to gaze at her, saying nothing.

A minute passed in silence.

"Answer me," she screamed, tears still running down her face.

Rogue gasped as she left the memories of her and Magneto's past conversation, unwilling to rewatch the rest of what had transpired that night. She grabbed onto the kitchen counter in front of her to keep from falling off of the stool. She took several deep breaths.

"My dear, are you alright?" she heard Eric ask, his hand came to rest on her shoulder, rubbing softly. Closing her eyes, she let herself take comfort in his gentle caress.

She had, no idea how long he had been standing there, how many minutes had passed since he had finished his phones calls and returned to the kitchen. The concept of time was lost to her while she viewed past events.

Another deep breath, and then she finally gazed up at him. She noted the look of concern on his face. She moved her elbows onto the table. Resting her face in her hands, she continued to regain her composure. His other hand moved to the back of her neck, massaging her tense skin softly.

'Get it together,' she reprimanded. 'Reliving hasn't taken this much out of me since...'

"Since you confronted your mother's past," Eric finished. She opened her eyes ready to glare at him, but he was now standing behind her. Never the less, her eyes narrowed with contempt.

'You shouldn't know that,' she thought in frustration, not bothering to speak out loud.

"Why not precisely?" he asked. She didn't respond. He sighed as one of the cabinets opened up. She watched a glass float out towards the sink. It filled with water, and proceeded to move in her direction until it was in front of her. "A drink usually helps, does it not, Anna?" he asked.

'Yeah, it does.' She snatched the glass off of the counter and took a few sips. She placed the half empty glass back onto the counter. "That's something else you shouldn't know," she said, her voice finally returned to her.

"Yet, I do," he said his hand still rubbing, all the while, "and there is nothing you can do to change that fact. You can only-"

"Adapt to the situation," she finished in a whisper.

"That's my girl," he said kissing the top of her head.

"I'm not yours," she said biting her bottom lip. She heard him sigh.

"We have already had this argument today."

"We didn't finish. You distracted me with something else, like you always do. You used touch to change the conversation." She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his hands on her shoulders for a few more seconds before she stood up. She quickly walked several feet away from him. "Not any more. I'm not letting you," she said as she turned around to face him. He stared over at her, a satisfied smile on his face. "You're happy about this?"

"You're adapting, Anna," he said taking a step towards her. She took a step back. "Modifying your behavior to suit the conditions I have forced upon you." A look of surprise crossed her face. "Yes, I'll admit that I have altered your life," he said reading into her expression. "You would not be standing in this kitchen this morning if I did not come. You would still be asleep-"

"You're doing it again," she said interrupting him, "changing the subject. I'm not yours," she repeated strongly.

"Anna, at this moment this discussion is pointless," he tried to assure her as he walked towards her again. She matched his movements, keeping at least ten feet between them. "We hold our views at opposite extremes. Neither of us will persuade to adopt their point of view, certainly not today. Perhaps at a later date-"

"When, I'm more ceceptable to the idea?" she asked in disbelief. She released she was nearing the wall. She turned quickly, pulling the table between them. He sighed as he continued to move towards her, around the table.

"You release how inane our current stances are?" he asked as she kept pace with him, the two of them circling the table.

"Yes, " she answered, "but what else I'm I suppose to do? Give in? Let you manipulate me?"

He didn't answer. Instead he walked closer to the table. She backed away from it, from him. She imagined him tossing the table to the side, marching up to her, as they both knew he could. To her surprise he calmly pulled out one of the chairs, and sat down. He motioned to the chair parallel to his. She eyed the chair in front of her with uncertainty, it was made of metal.

'Everything in this damn house of made of metal," she thought in frustration, deciding to stand.

"And you ask me why I insult Charles so often. If the man had any sense he-"

"All of our defenses in the front aren't made of any type of metal. He never expected you be able to break in so easily. He thought it was safe to have normal furniture."

"Do you think it safe for there to be so much metal in this house?"

"Obviously, no. I don't think it's safe to not have a telepath here, cause then you can…" she let her voice trial off, her mind wandering. "You were the fragment... in my mind... you were able to overlap it somehow for all those months," she thought out loud, "I had conversations with you while he was in the room, and he didn't know." She looked up at him. "Why didn't he know?" she asked.

"Why wasn't the worlds most powerful telepath aware that I was in his home, that I was in your mind? The answer is simple, my dear. He was not aware because I did not allow him to be." Her eyes widened at the realization. "Earlier I said that there were truths I wished for you to understand. Use that billiant memory of your. What were my exact words?"

She searched through her memories, easliy able to replay what had happen only hours before. Her body shook slightly when she realized it was only because Magneto that she was able to do this. Without him she would still have no control over her powers.

"There are- there are several points that I need you grasp before I leave today," she said slowly. "Truths you need to uncover and accept as fact... Charles has tried his best to lie to you all about the first truth. He's told this lie to you all so many times I think the... the fool may even believe it himself."

"What truth, Anna?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I don't- I don't know."

"Yes, you do," he said frimly. "You've said the most important word yourself, mere moments ago." She played the conversation over again in her mind. One word stood out among the others.

"Safe?" she repeated looking up at him. He nodded.

"Do you feel safe at the Xavier Institute?"

She looked away from him again. Her mind racing, comtemplating the past few months. After everything that has happened to her. How much of it was Magneto's fault; the kidnappings, operation rebirth, the fragment. He had been there that whole time. In her mind; talking to her, molding her, using her. She glanced up the doors, the windows, all useless to her, unless he allowed it. She felt more like a prisoner at that moment than she had all day.

Did she feel safe?

"No," she whispered in defeat, softly shaking her head.

"Is Charles capable of protecting his X-Men?"

"Not from you," she murmured as she hugged herself. He nodded again as the chair in front of her moved out slightly.

"Have a seat, my girl. I will not harm you," he promised. She glanced at the chair again, and took a deep breath.

"I'm cold," she said suddenly. "I wanna go get a sweater," she said keeping herself from looking at him, from thinking anything.

"No, you want time to think, time away from me," he said. She refused to look at him. She heard the door to the kitchen open. She looked over at it. "Do not try to leave the mansion. Other than that, go where you like. I'll come find you when the food arrives. Understood?" he asked. She nodded hastily. "Then go." She didn't need to be told twice. She ran out of the room.

So that's it for this chapter. I know it's short but I figured it been over a month since I updated, rather than write the next part in this chapter, I figuered I would post what I have and start the next chapter with Rogue's thoughts.

I'll start working on it tonight and maybe get that done sometime tomorrow. I'm not promising anything, but I have the whole day free. It's just a matter of finding a computer to work on. I had walk around my campus for an hour before I found a classroom that wasn't locked. :(

But here I am and I just spent the last four hours writing this chapter. WHOO!

So, yeah Reviewing!!!!! Please do it! I like hearing from you all.

Usually, I respond to each review personally, but it's almost 9pm and I'm hungry. So, for this chapter, and this chapter only, I will forgo my personal responses.

Next chapter will be back to normal, promise. I might end up responded to chapter six reviews along side chapter seven.

For the record, THANK YOU ALL FOR READING!!!!!!!!!!

and for pulling up with my bad updating :p