Thank you Puffzpenguin, Sissiewest, Marigab, Anglepaint07, and Techi13 for the lovely reviews! In each chapter, I usaully have four or five things I'm trying to convey. Thank you for taking the time to give me some feedback, letting me know if I've hit the marks I was attempting to make! :)
Please enjoy
Taunting Repartee
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Rogue reached forward and turned off the tape. She balled her hands once the tape was off.
"Hey, Rogue?" she heard Pietro ask from behind her. Rogue turned her head slightly towards him when she heard his voice.
'Keep it together, girl,' she told herself. "Did ya get a hold of your father?" she asked without turning around.
"No, got his voicemail. I left a message like you said," he answered.
"Good," she mumbled. "Go ask Victor if he needs any help," she ordered.
"On it," Pietro said before he raced out of the room.
Rogue took a deep breath as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.
'There ain't any around it now. I gotta tell him,' she thought with a sigh before she dialed Max's number.
Magneto sat in the large board room at the back head of the table. There was a presentation on the projector screen displaying why he should continue to leave his company in the hands of the other twenty-four members of this very board of directors. Magneto glanced at his phone, once again he was receiving a call.
He raised an eyebrow: first Gambit, then Pietro, now Anna? Usually, he wasn't bothered with phone calls.
"Mr. Nelson," Magneto called out. The man giving the presentation along with all of the board members turned to look at him. "A moment if you please," he said as he stood up. "I need to take this phone call," he remarked as he walked towards the door. He answered the phone, "Miss, Creed?" as asked as he exited the room.
"Raven's gone, Irene took her," Rogue told him as he closed the door behind him. Well, that was, by far, the last thing he could have expected her to say.
"Are you alright, Anna?" he asked.
"I'm just peachy," she said dryly. "Look, I took control of the situation cause no one could reach you. But they really ain't much else I can do here. Agatha wouldn't have left a trail that could be traced, so it might not be worth calling in a team to investigate, but that's up to you, Max," she said.
"Agatha who?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Harkness," Rogue said. "She's working with Irene," she said.
"What?" he exclaimed. He had known the woman for over a decade. He had trusted her with the instruction of his daughter's powers. "Are you certain?" he asked.
"Course, I am," she said: sounding annoyed with the question. "I saw her take Raven out of her cell myself," she said.
"You saw?" he started to question. "The security cameras," he realized within a moment of asking.
"There's something else," Rogue said.
"Yes?" he asked quickly as the door to the conference room opened.
"Mr. Lehnsherr?" Mr. Nelson asked as the door opened.
"I'll just be another moment," Magneto told him.
"I know you're in the middle of a meeting. It can wait till Saturday, if you want," she said.
"There's something I need to tell you, something we agreed to wait till Saturday to discuss. But in light of current events, I'm afraid it can't wait till the weekend," he said.
"What the hell does Mystique being kidnapped by Irene have to do Risty?" Rogue asked.
'I said too much,' he realized. "I'll explain later, please just give me a moment, Anna. Mr. Nelson," he said turning to face the business man.
"Yes, Mr. Lehnsherr?" he asked.
"Are profits down?" he asked.
"No, we're doing well this quarter," he answered. "Everything's up," he said.
"Then keep up the good work," Magneto said.
"Yes, Mr. Lehnsherr," Mr. Nelson nodded: a befuddled look on his face.
"Give my excuses to the rest of the board," Magneto said before he turned again and headed towards the elevator. "Anna, I'm on my wa-," he started to say into the phone.
"No," he heard Rogue whimper as Magneto's eyes widened in fear.
'Damn it,' he thought. "Anna?" he asked as he quickened his pace. "Please try to hold yourself together until I get there," he said into the phone as he fanatically pressed the button for the elevator. "Anna, can you hear me?" he asked as the elevator doors opened. Thankfully, no one else was in the lift. "Anna?" he asked as he got in the elevator. He used his powers to press the button for the ground floor.
He desperately needed to get out of here. He hadn't intended for her to find out like this. He wanted to be by her side, to help her though the pain and anger she was no doubt feeling.
"Anna," he asked again, but he couldn't hear anything. He looked at his phone and saw that he had no bars of service. "Damn it," he yelled in frustration.
He used his powers to quicken the elevator's descend: all the while his eyes were focused on the screen of his phone.
Thirty agonizing second later he finally had a bar. He quickly dialed her number again as the lift's doors opened. To his relief she picked up.
"Anna?" he asked: his tone concerned as he stopped walking. If he went outside he would barely be able to hear her.
"I'm- … I'm here," she said softy. It was evident from her voice that she was crying. It would be pointless to ask her if she was alright. The answer was a definitive no. What should he say? What was there to say in a situation like this?
"I am so sorry these things keep happening to you," he said earnestly.
"Me too, Max," she muttered.
"You can wait in my office, if you would like to. You'll have some privately. I will be there as soon as I can," he said.
"…Max, I- I… I think I'm just gonna go back to the institute. If I'm gone much longer than I'm gonna have ta deal with Prof. And I- I don't wanna have to deal with anything else today. I'm at my limit," she said.
"Of course, do what you need to, my love," he said.
"Have the others fill you in when you get here. I'm gonna leave the tape, I-" she started to say before gasping. "I- Irene left, in your office. The other thing I need to tell you, it's-"
"Anna, you already said it could wait till Saturday. We'll deal with it then," he said.
"… Okay," she muttered.
"If you decide you want to talk, or you want my company, please do not hesitate to call. I will be by your side within moments of the request," he said. He heard her let out a laugh through her tears.
"Fuck, I-… I would- …," she paused before letting out a sigh. "I'll just see ya Saturday, Max," she said.
"Whatever you need, my girl," he said again.
"Thanks," she said before she hung up the phone.
"Damn it," he said in frustration.
Rogue took deep breaths as sat in the computer chair near the televisions. She wasn't quite ready to stand just yet: although, she kept telling herself to.
'Why does she-' she started to ask herself before she stopped herself. She couldn't get into these thoughts, not here. She needed to compose herself just enough to talk to Pietro, get his powers and go home. She could break down there, she could dwell on her mothers there.
"Rogue?" Pietro asked again. Rogue kept herself from letting out a groan: she wasn't ready to talk to anyone just yet. "Sabertooth said they had it covered. Told me to report back to you," he said. Quickly, she wiped her eyes clean.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Come here," she ordered. He was in front of her within a second. She let out a sigh, she might as well tell him. "You ever met, Risty Wilde?" she asked.
"The hot British girl you always used to hang with?" he asked.
"Yeah, her," Rogue huffed in anger. "Turns out that was Mystique," she told him bitterly. He just stared at her a moment.
"…You have the worst mom on the face of the planet," Pietro said. Tears crept up on her at his words.
"I know," Rogue exclaimed, referring to both of her mothers. She closed her eyes as she wiped the tears away as fast as she could. When she opened her eyes, Pietro had moved another computer chair next to hers and was sitting in it. She closed her eyes again as she took a deep breaths.
"Rogue?" he asked as she felt something brush against her hands. She opened her eyes to see Pietro holding out a box of tissues to her.
"Thanks," she muttered as she took one. She started to wipe her eyes and her face clean; taking tissues from Pietro when she needed to.
"You need anything else?" he asked after a few minutes.
"Water," she said. He was back in a moment with a bottle for her. "Thanks," she said as she took it from him. She opened it and took a few large sips. "Fuck," she muttered as she let her head rest against the chair. "I need to get a grip," she muttered.
"When did you find out?" Pietro asked.
"Only fifteen minutes ago," Magneto said incredulously. Both Rogue and Pietro turned to see Magneto walking into the room, Victor behind him. "You should give yourself a little more time than that, my girl," he said as Rogue took another sip of the water.
"What'd you find out?" Victor asked curiously as they walked further into the room.
"My best friend for the last seven months was actually Mystique," Rogue said resentfully as Victor motioned for Pietro to get out of the seat. Pietro quickly moved out of his way.
"I fucking hate it when she does that shit," Victor exclaimed annoyed as he took a seat next to Rogue. Rogue glanced up at Victor. "This one time, before we got divorced," he started to say, "I was at in this bar. And this hot little thing started talking me up. I flirted a little," he admitted. "And then she throws herself at me," he said. "I kissed her back for a second. For one fucking second, and then your mom shifts back and starts fucking yelling at me. Like I'm the one who did something wrong. Fucking manipulative bitch," he said.
"Why does she have to be like that?" Rogue exclaimed.
"I don't know, kiddo," Victor muttered sadly. "She's been like that as long as I've known her," he said before blew her nose. "Seven months?" he asked. She nodded sadly. "Fucking bitch," he muttered. Rogue closed her eyes for a moment and took another deep breath. "You gonna be okay?" he asked.
Magneto watch Rogue nod as she opened her eyes and looked at Victor.
"I just need some time with a punching bag," Rogue told him.
"Have your knuckles healed from the last time?" Magneto asked.
"Mostly," she muttered. Her eyes flashed to his. "I'm still gonna do it," she told him.
"I'm hardly telling you not to. By all means, picture their faces on the bag. Kick the crap out of both of them," Magneto said as he watched a smile form on her face.
"I love it when you curse," Rogue said.
"I know," Magneto said: smirking slightly. "Just wrap your hands this time. There's no need for you to injure yourself while you vent," he said.
"Yes, sir," Rogue said nodding promptly while smirking.
"I'm serious," Magneto added.
"I know," she smiled. "And I will," she said reassuringly.
"Good," Magneto said before his eyes trailed down to her hands again. In one she was holding a issue, in the other- "Is that the tape?" he asked.
"Yup," Rogue sighed as she held out the tape to him. He took a step forward. "Irene left it," Rogue said before he saw a curious expression on Victor's face. "Yeah, that Irene," Rogue told Victor as Magneto took the tape form her.
"Fucking cunt," Victor muttered. "What does she want with Mystique?" he asked.
"She didn't say," Rogue answered. "Did you call a team yet?" Rogue asked.
"I've yet to reach Ma-" Magneto started to say.
"Don't say names," Rogue ordered quickly. All eyes were on Rogue. Neither Victor nor Pietro had ever seen anyone issue him an order. "Irene probably already knows who we'll have looking for her," she started to explain. "But I ain't about to assume that and tell her outright," Rogue said. Magneto raised an eyebrow. "Just trust me," Rogue said strongly. Magneto nodded before he walked up to the televisions.
"Would you mind if I watched this?" Magneto asked. Rogue shook her head.
"You're gonna need me to fill ya in my half of the conversation anyway," she said as he put the tape in the VRC.
"You're half?" Pietro asked.
"Just watch," Rogue ordered before sighing: she sounded tired. Magneto pressed play as he's eye went to the screen. The screen showed: Mystique's cell, however Mystique was noticeably absence. "Did you rew-" Rogue started to ask as Irene walked into the line of slight of the camera. He heard Rogue let out a small gasp from behind him.
"We're going to find her," Magneto said strongly, reassuringly, as he made eye contact. Rogue started to smile slightly but-
"No, Magneto," Irene started to say. His eyes widened as he turned back to the television screen. "No, you will not find me. Not before I get what I want from Rogue," Irene said before Magneto used his powers to press stop.
"What the fuck?" Victor asked as Magneto turned back to look at Rogue. Their eyes met and all he saw was terror behind her gaze. He watched her take a deep breath as her eyes went distant.
"Anna?" Max asked concerned.
"I'm fine, really," she said quickly; he watched her eye refocus. "Would you mind if I absorbed you?" she asked.
"Of course not," he said as he took a step forward to her.
"Why does she need Agatha, anyway?" Rogue asked him as she took off her glove.
"Cause the bitch ain't a telepath," Victor said irate. Rogue's eyes flashed to Magneto's at Victor's statement. He took Rogue's hand in his own.
'We'll only discuss Irene in safe locations: Jericho, the café. Every one of my bases has a room that in lined with the necessary metal,' he commented, as his thoughts flowed into her mind. He started to unlink his hand from hers, but she kept her grip firm.
"We've checked on that?" Rogue asked as she looking up at him.
"Yeah, Irene ain't telepathic," Victor confirmed. Magneto glanced at her a moment before he realized what her question was really referring to. "I've known that cunt for decades," he said.
'Of course, one of us will secure that the walls have not been tampered with before we begin out discussions,' Magneto thought. Rogue realized his hand.
"That's a relief," Rogue said.
"Agreed," Magneto said out loud before a ringing sound came from Rogue's pocket.
"Crap," she said annoyed as she pulled the phone of her pocket.
"The institute?" Magneto asked.
"Who else?" she asked annoyed as she answered the phone. "Hey," she said as she stood up. "Hey, Ororo," she said as she walked a few feet away from all of them. "Is Prof pissed?" she asked. He saw a smile come to Rogue's face. "Ororo, I owe you big time," she said. "…Yeah, I'll be home for dinner. How long do I have?" she asked as she looked over at Pietro.
"Pen and a pad of paper, now," she ordered as she held a hand over the receiver of the phone. Pietro raced away quickly. "…Yeah, I'll be home in time. Thanks, Ororo," she said with a smile before she hung up.
"She didn't tell, Prof," she smile as Pietro returned to the room with the items Rogue had asked for. Rogue put the phone in her pocket with one hand she placed her bare finger tips on his son face. In the blink of an eye, the pad and paper were in her hands. Another few seconds past and she was standing in front of him. "That's my half of the conversation from the tape," she explained as she handed him the note pad. "We'll talk about the details on Saturday, café, ten am," she said quickly.
"Agreed," Magneto said. He watched her turn to Victor as he glanced at the papers in his hand: he began to read.
"We still on for Thursday?" she asked.
"Unless something comes up work," Victor told her.
"It shouldn't," Magneto said.
"Okay, I'll see you then," she said: a smile in her tone. "See ya all, later," she said before she raced out of the room. Magneto's eyes narrowed at one sentence he read.
"What is it?" Victor asked. Magneto pointed to one line on the paper. It read: "Are you going to send Juggernaut to the institute again? It didn't kill me th-".
"I'm killing Irene. I'm fucking killing her," Victor exclaimed.
"I will not stop you," Magneto promised as the made eye contact. Victor held his gaze for a long moment.
"I'm gonna hold you to that, Magnus," Victor said.
"I'll expect you to. However, you have my apologizes in advance, if when the time comes I kill her first," Max said darkly. "… Go find Gambit," he ordered changing the subject. "I want a report," he said. Victor nodded before leaving the room.
"…You would kill another mutant for Rogue?" Pietro asked him. It was a question he knew his son had only asked because they were now alone.
"Yes," he answered honestly as he met his eyes. "I would also do the same for you, son, in a heartbeat," he told him. Pietro's eyes lite up. "And for your sisters, of course," he added. Pietro nodded quickly. "I refuse to lose another I love to mindless violence, murder, or accident," he said disgusted.
"Who did you lo-" Pietro started to ask, but stopped mid-sentence. "Sorry, I know you don't like talking about your past," he said.
"It's alright," Max said. "The reason I prefer not to discuss it- Well, for one thing the stories of my past are most certainly not suitable for children. But you're not exactly a child anymore, are you?" he asked with a smile. "It is very painful for me to discuss, though," he explained.
"We don't have to," Pietro said. He smiled at his son as he placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Pietro, I don't think I've said this to you in a while, but I am very proud of you, son," Max said.
"I- Thank you," Pietro said. He held his son's gaze for a moment.
"There's no more for you to do here, tonight. Go home," he ordered gently as he released his shoulder. "We'll talk more Thursday," he said.
"Hawaii?" Pietro asked.
"Hawaii," Magneto confirmed.
Rogue sat at the kitchen table with her family, finishing up dinner. The usual amount of chatter, and laughter filled the room. Rogue took comfort in this chatter. For a while, it had been more than useful. It was easy to get away with not talking when everyone was having multiple conversations. No one took notice of her silence.
Rogue kept herself from sighing as she stood from the table. She grabbed her plate and cup and headed for the sink.
It was her turn to do the dishes, so, she stripped off her gloves and put on the yellow latex gloves that were hanging near the sink. There were a few things in the sink already. By the times he was done with those the others would have brought over everything else that needs washing.
Rogue turned on the water, put soap on the sponge, and began to wash the plate she had used.
As she was about to place the clean plate in the dish-drainer, the Professor said, "allow me." She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice: nearly dropping the plate.
Charles glanced up at Rogue confused.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Charles said apologetically as he watched Rogue take a deep breath.
"It's alright. I'm just-" she managed to say as her body was shook slightly, he guessed in fear. The question was, fear of what? Kitty walked up to Rogue's other size with a stack of dishes.
"Rogue, are you okay?" Kitty asked as she placed the stack on the counter.
"I'll be fine," Rogue said as picked up the plate she had been washing. "Thanks, Kitty," she said as she turned to Kitty and slid the stack of plates closer to the sink. Kitty smiled slightly before she headed back to the table.
'At least, she's not claiming to be alright at this moment,' Charles thought as Rogue turned and handed him the plate. He dried it with the small dish towel in his hands. "Do you want to talk about whatever is it that's bothering you?" he asked as she started to wash the next dish.
"Not even a little," Rogue said dryly. "But thanks," she said.
"If you change your mind-" Charles began to say.
"I'll let you know," she said quickly. '…Prof?' he heard her think to him after a moment.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I didn't say anything," she muttered: her tone slightly confused. 'And I'm not going to. Not out loud. Could we talk like this for a while?' she asked as she held out the next dish to him.
"My mistake," he said aloud as he took the plate. 'Yes, of course. What happened?' he asked concerned.
'It's Irene, I… brace yourself, okay?'
'Go ahead,' he said.
'Cerebro, is almost repaired,' Charles offered as he dried another plate. Rogue had told him about the tape Irene had left for her to find. Because the conversation between her and Irene had taken place in one of Magneto's bases, she had elected to repeat the dialog rather than spare herself some pain and allow him to watch.
'She's got Agatha. I don't know if Cerebro is gonna be able to fine her,' Rogue thought.
'Nevertheless, I will try,' he told her.
'Thanks,' she said.
'Do you know anything about her relationship to Agatha Harkness? Why this woman is so willing to help Irene?' he asked.
'I have no idea,' Rogue said sadly. 'Agatha used to come over a lot when I was younger. I don't really remember much of that. I'll have to look,' she said.
'Not today,' he thought alarmed.
'I wasn't planning to,' Rogue said quickly. 'I'm done for right now. I know you and Max are right. I have ta get over all the old stuff before I should try and handle anything new,' she thought. That was a relief, she was finally seeing sense. "But when I'm ready, maybe you could help me with that?' she asked as she finished washing the last dish.
'Gladly,' he thought. Rogue smiled as she handed him the last plate.
Rogue laid in bed later that night. She looked over at her nightstand, her eyes glancing over the pair of hand-wraps Logan had given her earlier. She had gotten good use out of them: taking out her frustrations on a punching bag as she had planned. But ten o'clock had come all too soon and she was urged to go to sleep.
Now it was eleven- thirty-two and still she couldn't sleep. Her body, despite being exhausted, wouldn't fall asleep. She knew why, of course. Nights like these, when all she felt was fear, the only thing that would allow her to pass out would be either: utter exhaustion which she had just fallen short of during her workout, or being with Magneto.
'I just wanna feel safe,' she told herself. She let out a quiet sigh as she pulled the covers off of herself.
Magneto laid down to go to sleep after a very long day.
His eyes snapped opened as he heard his cell phone ringing. He quickly summoned his phone to his hand with his abilities and answered it.
"Max?" Rogue asked him in a whisper.
"Yes?" he asked.
"About what you said earlier…" she started to whisper.
Ten minutes later Magneto was standing just outside of the institutes grounds. Next to him he had a blanket spread out on the ground. Rogue asked him to bring it, he was happy to comply. A smile came to his face as he saw his girl walking towards him.
He offered her his hand. She took it as he helped her jump over a small pile of bricks.
"Thanks for coming," she said as they both took a seat on the blanket.
"Anna, where else would I be?" he asked sincerely.
"Bed," she sighed.
"Without you," he reminded her. "I'd rather be in your company tired and awake, then well rested and alone," he said as he pulled her in close. She let out a pleasant sigh as she wrapped her an arm around him: leaning into him.
"You really mean that," she huffed happily.
"Why wouldn't I?" he asked playfully. He watched her eyes narrow as she loosed his hold on him slightly: her hand moving to his chest.
"Did you watch the tape?" she asked as her eyes refocused on him.
"Yes," he answered darkly. "… I am so sor-"
"Max, we agreed you don't have to apol-"
"Please, let me finish," he said gently. She let out a soft sigh but said nothing else. "I am so sorry it took those extremes to make me see how much the captivity was affecting you. It should never have come to that point. If only I hadn't let my anger get the better of me... How many times have I said that to myself?" he said disappointed.
"At the very least, I should have let you keep Charles' confidence," he sighed shaking his head at himself. "He would have kept the others from questioning your moods. He would have allowed the façade to continue, for a while at least, to ensure your safely," he said.
"This is better though," she asked aas her eyes searched for his. "Isn't it?" she asked as he met her gaze. He took her hand in his.
"This is much better," he said before he kissed her hand. A smile came to Rogue's face. She leaded into him again as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. In the moment that followed they were laying on the blanket in each other's arms: staring up at the stars. "Nevertheless, I believe we are still in agreement," he said.
"On what?" she asked curiously as she glanced up at him.
"Fuck her favors," he said bluntly. A smirk formed on Rogue's face. She let out a happy sigh as he watched her close her eyes. He glanced back up the stars: content.
So, yeah I'm supposed to be studying, but then I got a virus that was going my house and I got to write more! No promises on when the next chapter's coming out. I really do have to start studying hardcore. I work ten hours days so we'll see. But please let me know what you thought of this chapter!
And as always, thank you for reading ^.^