Taunting Repartee

Chapter Fourteen

Rogue sighed as she laid on her stomach in the guest bedroom she had adopted as her own. She was propped up on her elbow, staring down at the history textbook in front of her. It had been too loud in the common room to get any reading done. Begrudgingly, she had decided to come up stairs and get through a few chapters of textbook. At least in this room she didn't have to wear her long sleeve shirt, and gloves at all times.

Although, the last thing she wanted was to to be alone with only the fragment in her mind for company. But she really did have to read this textbook. She had failed one too many history quizzes because she didn't have the time to read the martial. Before this week she had been too busy learning from Eric how to control her mental powers. Her homework had paled in comparison to talking to Eric. Given her current situation of captivity: it still did.

'But he ain't here...' she thought to herself softly. So, she might as well get on with her life in Bayville.

'While you reside in Bayville, that is' Magneto's fragment pointed out. 'He could remove you at any time.'

'No, he can't,' she insisted. 'Not unless I tell someone he's holding me captive. I ain't gonna do that.'

'You already did, Rogue,' he said. She rolled her eyes at him.

'You weren't even there. Don't talk about things you don't understand. I didn't tell the Professor he was here. I lied. Just like I was suppose to. Prof figured it out on his own. That ain't my fault. Eric knew that, that's why he gave me that warning. That's why I'm still here. Even after I attacked him.'

Magneto laughed before he said, 'That utterly ridiculous attack. What were you thinking?' he asked, still laughing.

'I was pis- I was mad at him. It was stupid, I know that now...'

'Would you try it again?' he asked.

'Not until I know I could take him,' she said. He chuckled.

'Then we have quite a wait on our hands,' he said. She repressed the urge to tell him to fuck off. Her only response to his comment was another deep sigh, which was met with his laughter. That was becoming a very annoying habit of his.

"Could you please stop? I'm trying to read," she said, managing to keep her voice polite, despite the irritation she was feeling.

'Having difficulties, Rogue?' he asked smugly. 'And here, I was under the impression that you capable of the utter most complex deductive reasoning. Yet now a task as simple as reading is causing you dismay?' he asked mockingly. Her hand balled in the sheets, eyes narrowing in contempt. She was alone in this room, she did not have to hide her outwards sides of annoyance. Simply keep herself from lashing out at him.

She had learned quickly that voicing her true emotions only made his assault worse. Aside, from having to keep herself from expressing her feelings out loud to her family, Rogue found that she also had to control her thoughts to keep peace between her and the fragment.

Every waken moment of her life was turning into an elaborate facade.

'I wish Eric was here,' she thought sadly to herself as she stared down at her textbook. At least with him she didn't have to hide her discontent. He allowed her to express herself fully.

Her eyes widened as she replayed what she had just thought. The implications of her comment hitting her hard.

"I did not just think that," she told herself as she panicked.

'Oh yes, Rogue. Yes, you did... and you meant. Every. Word,' he said. His dark laughter echoed in her mind. '...But then why shouldn't you prefer his company to mine?' he asked mockingly. 'There are freedoms he allows you that I do not. He is a different type of captor than I. However cruel he may seem to you, he allows you to like his company... You enjoy conversing with him,' he said. By the perverse way he said the word 'conversing' she knew he wasn't speaking to her and Eric's conversations. He was referring to their more intimate encounters. 'Do not try to deny it,' he commanded firmly.

"I'm not," she whispered: still attempting to recover from her own thought. His words were only added to her discomfort. Her hand went to her chest as she attempted to calm her breathing. He chuckled at her expense.

'Then you admit to it all? You would rather my counterpart was here with you?' he asked. She continued to catch her breath, trying her best to ignore his taunting remarks.

When she didn't answer he decided to continue talking. 'We both know your answer to this question, Rogue. Further more, we both know why. You were rather endure Eric's company because his is easier to bare,' he said. She kept quiet, not wanting to admit that he was correct. 'Because he allows the conversation to be pleasant and light. Because he speaks with you using the guise of a teacher... Because he offers you all if not more than he takes...'

"That's not true," she said strongly. 'He just takes and takes.'

'He gives, as well, Rogue. He may denies you your freedom, Rogue, but he offers you more power than you have ever has access to in your life. He might denies you his knowledge in this setting, but offers you, in mere exchange of your loyalty, everything he knows. He may denies you the ability to put trust in you family, but offers you an emotional bond that any individual, intelligent enough to understand it, would envy... But you deny him, Rogue. Why?' he screamed. Rogue winced under the intensity of his voice. 'I ask you... why do you continue to resist him when he offers you everything. You. Have. Ever. Wanted?' he yelled at her. He paused for moment,waiting yet again for her to respond.

"Because he's- … capable of-" She stopped midway through her sentence, her voice failing her.

'Capable of what, Rogue?' he mockingly asked. 'Of great evil?' he asked with a dark laugh. '...of cruelties you would prefer not to mention? Cruelties that your beloved Professor dares not speak of in front of such impressionable young minds,' he said before laughing. His laughter slowing changed into a sigh. 'Oh, Rogue. We are all... capable,' he said soothingly. 'I, my counterpart... you,' he whispered. A chill ran down her spine. 'Even Charles... We are all capable of those cruelties that you have had to stand witness to... Nothing will change that undeniable fact... Nothing,' he repeated firmly.

'And further more-' Magneto continued to say, but was interrupted by the sound of knocking on the door.

'Oh thank god,' Rogue thought to herself as she got off the bed.

'We are not done with this conversation,' Magneto said.

'We are for now,' she thought relieved as she got to the door, and opened it. She saw Kurt standing in front of her. He was turning his head back and forth, surveying the hallway nervously. "You, okay, Kurt?" Rogue asked.

"Can I come in?" he asked quickly.

"Yeah, sure," she said. As soon as the word 'yeah' left her mouth, Kurt disappeared into a smokey haze.

"Thanks, Rogue," she heard from behind her. "I owe you one," he said as she closed the door and turned around. Kurt was now sitting on the bed, looking at her history textbook. She started to walk towards the bed.

"Kurt, could you pass me my shirt?" she asked while she was walking. He reached over, grabbed the shirt and handed it to her as she got closer to the bed. "Thanks," she said as she lifted it over her head. "So, who are you hiding from?" she asked as she pulled the shirt over her stomach.

"Kitty," he said softly. She could hear the fear in his voice

"So, I'm guessing she's still making muffins," she said with a smile as she reached for her gloves, and put them on.

"Yes," Kurt said as he looked down at his stomach. "This morning muffins still haven't made it through my system. I fear they never will," he said dramatically. It took all of her will power not to laugh. Not at his expense (although she knew he would interpret her laughter that way) But just because she was happy, at this moment. These conversations with her brother were becoming the highlights of her days. With effort, she managed to keep her display of amusement to a simple grin.

"They can't be that bad," she calmed as she took a seat next to him.

"You've never had any?" Kurt asked as he looked over at her. She shook her head no. "Lucky!" he exclaimed. "She's been asking everyone. How do you get away with it? Your her room mate," he said.

"I just told her I shouldn't eat them," she said.

"Why shouldn't you?" he asked curiously.

"Cause, I've heard all the horror stories from you. I've got enough problems as it is. I don't need to add stomach pain to everything else I'm dealing with," she explained.

"You lied?" he asked.

"A little," she admitted. "But Kitty didn't ask why I shouldn't, like you did. Her feelings weren't hurt, and neither was my stomach. Far as I'm concerned it was a win, win situation," she said. Kurt's hand went onto his stomach. He looked like he was in pain.

"I wish I had done that," he said before he ported away. A moment later she saw the door to her bathroom close.

'Poor, Kurt,' she thought to herself.

'Justifying lies already, Rogue? That didn't take too long, now did it?' he asked derisively. She only sighed, once again choosing not to respond to his remarks. 'Where were we before we were interrupted?' he asked. Rogue said nothing. She just continued to stare at the bathroom, waiting for brother to return. 'Not speaking to me while another is in the room is one comfort I have permitted you. Ignoring me, in this childish way, while we are alone is another matter entirely. I will not allow it... I can make your life very difficult, Rogue,' he said warningly. 'Every thought you have can become an battle. I can regress all your training. All you have worked so hard to achieve gone, because you refuse to speak to me.'

'We've had this conversation before, Magneto. If I lose control of my powers again, people are gonna notice. No matter how hard I try to hide it. Prof will have to get involved and then he'll learn all about our situation, because you had to make my life hard. Eric will have to come back and bring blindspot with him to erase everyone's memories all over again. When that happens who do you think Eric will get angry at this time?'

'You will break before that happens.'

'If you're so sure, then why have you stopped talking while there are other people in the room?' she asked smugly. He didn't respond.

After a few moment of his silence, she smiled. It felt good to win one of their arguments.

'How long has Kurt been in the bathroom?' she asked herself as she got up and walked towards it's door. She knocked. "Kurt, you okay in there?"

Nothing...

"Kurt?" she yelled a little louder.

Still nothing....

'Kitty's cooking can't be that bad,' she thought to herself. "Kurt, I'm worried. I'm coming in," she warned as she opened the door.

He wasn't in there. She started to panic.

'Where'd he go?' she asked as she turned out of the room. 'I didn't hear him leave... But I was talking to Magneto. I don't hear things the right way when I talk to him,' she thought as she headed towards the door. She stopped when she realized she didn't have her shoes on. 'Girl relax, he probably fine. You have time to put shoes on... No, I should go and make sure he's okay. What if Eric's done something? ...Why would he?' she asked herself. 'He wouldn't have a reason. He probably fine,' she thought again. "I'm probably making a big deal outta nothing."

'Or perhaps you are not. Perhaps you are reacting with just the right amount of worriment,' Magneto offered. She almost found herself yelling at him, that he wasn't helping. She sighed. He wasn't suppose to help her. He was suppose to make every situation worse.

'It doesn't make any sense,' she told herself as she turned back and walked back into the room.

She stopped at the bed for a moment, and sat down. She reached over to her left and grabbed her shoes: putting them on as quickly as she could.

Fumbling with the lacing, her breath was catching in her throat. She was finding it hard to breath. All she had to do was get her shoes on, and go find her brother. Make sure he was okay, and she couldn't even do that correctly. Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes as she finished the first shoe. She quickly reached for the other, but she must have grabbed at it too quickly, because it feel over, out of her reach. She nearly bursted into tears as she saw it fall. She managed to restrain her tears, as she lowered herself to the floor. Just as she was about to reach out for it again, there was a knock at the door.

She looked up startled. Taking a deep breath, she screamed out "Yes?"

"It's me," Kurt yelled. Rogue let out a sigh of relief. A few tears ran down her face. "Come I come in?" he asked.

"One second, okay?" she said as she got up. She ran to the mirror in the bathroom. Wiped away the water from her face, making sure she didn't look as though she had just been crying. 'Fuck,' she thought as she looked at her face. It was all red, and the few tears she did release ruined her makeup. "Come in," she said as she closed the door to the bathroom. "Where'd you go, anyway?" she screamed out as she washed her face. She needed to stall him, as she made herself presentable.

"I told you," he said through the door. "I went to go get something to drink in the kitchen."

"I didn't hear you," she said as she started to reapply her face makeup. "Did you see Kitty?" she asked as she put on more lipstick.

"Yeah," he said.

"Is your stomach, okay?" she asked as put the last of her makeup on.

"Yeah. I was this close to biting into another one of muffins, but then the Professor came and saved me and Scott," Kurt said. She smiled.

"What? Did he band muffin making in the Institute?" she asked as she took one last look at herself in the mirror. She looked fine.

"I wish," he exclaimed. "No, he wants everyone to meet him in the library," Kurt said as Rogue walked towards the door. It was then she realized she only had one shoe on. She looked down at her foot and sighed. Magneto chuckled.

"Why?" she asked as she lowered herself to the floor to take off her shoe.

"He didn't say," Kurt said.

'Wait,' she thought as she was about to take off her shoe. 'How am I gonna explain why one of my shoes is in the bathroom?' she asked herself with a sigh. "Kurt, I'm meet you down there, okay?" she asked.

"I can wait," he said.

"You go ahead. I'm gonna be another minute or two," she said.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, go ahead. If I'm late then you can full me in later, okay?" she asked.

"Not a problem, sis," he said. She smiled as she heard the bamf sound his powers make as he teleports. She stood up off the floor, and opened the door to the bathroom.

Magneto laughed before he said, 'Are you always going to panic whenever one of your friends disappeared for a mere moment?' he asked mockingly.

'I overreacted,' Rogue thought as she walked out of the room, and to the bed.

'Yes, you did,' he said. 'You nearly broke under that self-induced stress,' he pointed out.

'He disappeared, he- did you hear him say he was gonna go down stairs?' she asked as sat down near her shoe.

'No, I did not,' he answered. She didn't know if she believed him or not. 'I wonder how you will react when the real disappearances start,' he said.

'Real?' she questioned before she could stop herself.

'Wel-'

"No," she said strongly, interrupting him. "Don't answer that. You only said to make me worry more. You don't know anything about what he planning. You couldn't," she said quickly. She took a deep breath: calming herself. "I don't know how long I can do this for," she admitted as she leaned her head against the side of the bed, closing her eyes.

'You don't have to do this at. All. You can end your suffering at any point,' he stressed. 'You know the phone number to call. He will pick up. He will come and get you. He will make you safe.'

"He's the one I'm afraid of," she said.

'Because you choose to be his enemy. Choose to be his friend instead, Rogue. Then you will have nothing to fear.'

"And my family? I just leave them behind to deal with Eric? You're saying I should abandoned them?" she asked in disbelief.

'Rogue, ask yourself this. What good are you doing them here? Would they be any worse off if you were not here? Any better? The answer is neither. You neither add, nor weaken them. Rogue, the only one you torment, by staying, is yourself. The only person you can save, by leaving, is yourself. Your decisions only effect you.'

With a sigh she stood up.

"You're wrong. Me leaving would effect Kurt... a lot," she said as she finished lacing up her shoe. She stood up. "I'm staying, for him," she said firmly as she walked out of the door.

'You will regret that decision,' he warned.

'It's my decision to regret.'

Okay, so it's been over a month, and the chapter is the shortest one I've written in quite some time. In my defense, I have two jobs, an independent study, and I'm going to school full time! I'm lucky I have time eat! So, yeah that long chapter I promised you all is coming. After I write 8 papers for school. They're all due by Dec 2. So maybe I'll find a few moments, like I did today and last night to write another chapter. Honestly, I have no idea if that's going to happen. I hope it does.

For the record, Reviews are the light of my life! The more reviews I get, the more likely I will be willing to lose a few hours sleep to write something for all you lovely people. :HINT HINT:

You know what, true believers, I'll make you lot a deal. If I get Fourteen reviews within the next week: I will work my ass off to get you guys another chapter by the end of the month. That's right, I'm putting the power in your hands! Want me to lose some sleep in a totally fulfilling way? Write a review!!!!! Hopefully, 13 other people will agree with you and will do the same.

Speaking of which.

Meow114: Thanks! I kept that going this chapter too. I think I'm going to stick to it! Thanks for the review, and sorry I took so long to update.

Sinner-Pandemonium: Aww, thanks!!!!!! Personally, I love seeing what you'll come up with in your reviews too. Tomato?

I'm looking forward to your next review!!!

LadyNorth76: I am so sorry I took so long to update!!!!! I had to write so many paper. SO MANY PAPER!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH... I'm going to try and update again before new years. Thank you for reading and reviewing!!! I love seeing your name in mailbox!!!

PrincessKitty-Chan: You know who you are... You know what I have to you... I was sitting next to you when you wrote all those reviews... I love you forever and ever and ever and ever... and ever! :Waves frantically with both hands: Come back to college more often, woman!

Kay, bye... ^.^

RogueNya: Hey!!! Sorry, she not leaving with him. At least not yet!!!! Thanks for the review!!! Can't wait to read the next one!