Kitty did her best, but she wasn't able to drag anything more out of me the rest of our time together. Well, nothing of importance anyway. Mouthy mysterious guy, remember?

I liked her.

Not the way I liked Rogue. Rogue was... well, by now you already have a pretty good idea how I feel about Rogue. Kitty was more like a friend … like someone who can cheer you out of a bad mood when you're determined to be broody.

If I had met her sooner I might had a different life …

Ah, regrets. I've had a few.

Okay, okay. More than a few.

Her stop was in Chicago. Mine was in the boondocks. A big tall guy was waiting her- if he wasn't seven feet tall then he must have been wearing lifts in his shoes. I've seen smaller trees.

"You were listening."

"I have my moments."

"Okay, so I'm not from Chicago, but I still know it pretty well. Come on, Kyle. It'll be fun." She gave me a look. "Haven't you been alone long enough?"

I smiled at her and took her hand for a moment. "As tempting as pizza and company sounds, you and Mr. Steel Abs will have to get along without me. What I'm doing isn't something I can put off. I do appreciate the offer but I'm going to have to pass."

She sighed and looked at me. "You're bound and determined to do whatever the hell is it you're up to, aren't you?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"You know that makes absolutely no sense."

"More than you know." I could have stayed at the mansion. I could have stayed with Rogue and Remy. I could have had friends...

You made me a promise, Kyle.

Yes. I had made a promise.

I have given you power, Kyle. I have risen you up. All that you are is because of everything I have given you.

Given?

I had earned that power. Worked for the knowledge. I had paid for what she had given me. Paid in blood, pain, and a bit more of my soul each time I did the Lady's bidding.

Everything I was came from what the Lady gave me- but the price had been everything else I might have ever been.

And for the first time, I was beginning to feel the price had been too high.

My time- she paused- our time is coming, Kyle. It has been a long time, and I grow impatient. But I will remember my promise to you. All the power you were promised will be yours.

Power.

Power enough to do anything I want- to take anything I want. There had been a time when that had seemed like what I wanted- what I needed.

I'd told Emma that I had been a good man- once. Was that true? Had I ever been good? Could a good man have given over someone to demons? Could a good man have made the promise I had given the Lady?

What the hell was wrong with me?

I had spent nearly ten years working towards this. I had given up having a home … friends … any semblance of a normal life. I had given myself to the magic. And now … now when I was this close to having everything I had worked so hard for- now I was having second thoughts?

Why?

Because I had met Rogue.

I had met Rogue and Remy and the X-Men. I had found … friends?

No.

Not friends.

Not now. Not once they discovered what I was about to do.

"Kyle?" Kitty asked softly, and I realized with some shock that she hadn't left yet.

"Yes?"

"Take care of yourself." She leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"Hey, careful!" I nodded to the big guy who was walking towards us. Was it my imagination or was the ground. Maybe it was just me. "We don't want tall dark and steel absy there getting the wrong idea about us."

She smirked. "Only in your dreams, Kyle. Only in your dreams."

"Or yours, Kitty." I wiggled my eyebrows at her. "I tend to grow on a girl-"

"You mean like a fungus?"

"I've been called worse."

She sighed. "All right. I'll see you around then, I guess."

"No. You probably won't." I smiled at her. "But I do appreciate your company. It was nice meeting you, Kitty."

"Likewise, Kyle." And she kissed my cheek again.

"What was that for?"

"The first one was for a mutual friend. The second … it was from me." She smiled. "Goodbye, Kyle."

"Goodbye." I watched her walk over to her boyfriend and he wrapped his arms around her. He looked over at me... and for a moment there was something odd about him …

Something … metallic?

Mutual friend …

Ah, hell.

I should have known that it wasn't going to be as easy as just walking away from the X-Men and going on with my business.

Kill them.

"What?"

Kill them, Kyle. We cannot be stopped now. Kill them.

"No."

I said kill them!

"And I said no."

How dare you-

"Listen, Lady. Killing an X-Man is not a good idea." I made my way through the crowd back to my bus. Kitty would probably know which one I was taking, but they wouldn't try to stop me- not yet anyway. There were too many innocent people who would get caught in the crossfire if it came to any sort of fight. "Kill one of them and they'll tear the world apart searching for me. Kill two- and no power in the universe would stop them."

There is truth in what you say, Kyle. The X-Men can be … formidable foes.

"You know them?"

I have been around a long time, Kyle. I know much that I have not told you.

"Might have been handy if you had told me this before."

Silence.

I sighed.

I could not kill Kitty and her boyfriend- I didn't want to kill them. (And to be honest, I wasn't sure I could kill them if I had wanted to- they were seasoned heroes. I tended to avoid conflict as much as possible … I've always been squeamish at the sight of blood. Especially my own …)

All right then.

I still didn't feel back up to full strength since I had used the Eye to send the helicarrier away, but I was stronger than I had been. Hopefully it would be enough.

I smiled and waved at the X-Men as though I suspected nothing and made my way to my bus.

What are you doing?

"Getting away."

This vehicle will not be fast enough to escape them.

"It doesn't have to be." I sat down in my seat. "Image of Ikonn."

A ghostly image of a green eyed dark haired young man appeared beside me. His eyes- his eyes were haunted. It was a face I had seen in the mirror the morning I left the X-Mansion. I wondered how long my eyes had looked like that- always or just after I had met Rogue?

The bus began to move.

I got up, nodded to the phantom me, and made my way to the bathroom and shut the door. The image would appear solid once I was gone. If the X-Men were watching the bus- and I assumed they were- then they would think I was still on it. By the time they realized their mistake … well by then it would be far too late for anyone to stop me.

God help us all.

"Eye of Agamotto."

The Eye opened and a portal appeared.

This will weaken you again, Kyle.

"Not too much. And I'll have a few hours to rest up before I have to cast the spell. It's worth it."

Then go, Kyle. I am waiting for you.

If another woman had said that to me—if Rogue had said that to me- I would have been …

But no.

There was no point in wishing for things that could never be. Rogue was never mine, and there would never be a time when she could be mine.

And Remy would grow to hate me once he learned of what I was going to do.

So be it.

It was too late for anything else.

Too late for Rogue.

Too late for me.

Too late for the world.

The Lady was waiting, and I could no more break my promise to her than I could stop the sun from rising.

It was time to go.

I took a deep breath and walked through the portal.