Entangled

by Wiccamage

Continuation of Ensnared. Co-Written with Maedelin! Driven by the heady combination of drugs and sex, Rogue makes her choice, letting Magneto use her as 'bait' in his quest to bring down the Friends of Humanity's trafficking ring. She'll soon discover, however, that once she's opened Pandora's box, it is impossible to go back.

3. Chapter 3: Tension

~X~X~X~X~X~

ENTANGLED:

Chapter 4: Tension

~X~X~X~X~X~

Erik's hands caressed up and down over her hips and thighs, firm but gentle as they kneaded at her supple flesh while she lay naked on her stomach. The massage that had started with her shoulders had resumed on the bed as he presented her with the full, tantric experience a real massage had to offer. Deft fingers traversed along her buttocks, pressing and squeezing, teasing near her apex. His digits moved lower still, stroking at her sensitive flesh until she was moaning loudly. When she was nearly there, so close to precious release, he suddenly grabbed her hips, flipping her over onto her back.

Shoving her knees up and apart, he bent his head momentarily, gray hair disappearing beneath her sparkly green dress as her legs were squeezed farther upward, suddenly immobilized. Her arms were drawn tightly behind her back, shoulders wrenched so painfully it felt like they would pop from their sockets.

She tried to cry out, but her voice was caught in a silent scream, and her desperate squirming accomplished nothing. Erik raised his head, but instead of silver hair and gray-blue eyes, she was met with a cold, dark stare hidden within beady brown irises and a greasy black mop.

A scream of terror and torment tore from her throat as she thrashed wildly, attempting to get away from the men who were holding her down. A monstrously large penis quivered in front of her eyes and she shrieked again, kicking out and trying to tear her arms and legs free before he shoved that THING inside her. But it was too late, and her head whipped wildly as her abdomen convulsed, blood pouring from her insides as the pain and cramping intensified.

"ROGUE!" Somewhere she heard his voice call her name, and tears poured down her cheeks as she wondered why he hadn't rescued her this time.

Finally, as she flailed madly, one leg came loose and she connected with the man's face, knocking him back even as her ankle cracked and throbbed from the force of the blow. But there were hands holding her down, pressing her into the cold, rough concrete, pulling her against their warm, hard bodies, trapping her arms even as she bit and clawed and tried to escape.

"ROGUE! Wake UP!"

In a final, desperate attempt to free herself, she sank her teeth into one of her attackers, hoping to inflict enough damage to make them release her. She felt the pull of her powers, sucking in their energy, memories, and mutation, and her eyes flew open.

"AIIIEE!" Rogue's head flung back, breaking contact with the shoulder she had viciously torn into. The flood of powers - strength, enhanced senses, perhaps even a touch of animalistic rage surged, then ebbed as she sucked in gulps of air despite the harsh compression of her lungs and ribs under impossibly strong arms.

"It's alright darlin,' I gotcha. Yer alright now."

She was panting, head thrown back and eyes closed tight against memories both familiar and foreign; she could hear lungs, heart, and blood - her own, as well as Wolverine's - pumping rapidly in her ears. She could taste blood in her mouth, smell it fresh and stale alike as it ran down his chest and slithered out of her own abdomen simultaneously. Even the scent of her arousal - fleeting though it had been - was acute within her newly sharpened senses.

"Breathe, Stripes. Just breathe," that gruff Canadian voice spoke slowly, soothingly as she returned to consciousness. She could hear him inhale, hold, and exhale like he had taught them to do during meditation and jiu jitsu sessions, and she shakily followed suit.

Logan coaxed her head against his shoulder, her tangled chestnut hair a curtain of protection between bare skin as the bones returned to her limp neck. It gave her box seats to watch his tooth-torn shoulder mend as whispers of his psyche swirled in her mind. Her eyes burned with tears and the simultaneous healing that her powers borrowed from Logan, agitating them further. Was there going to be an end to all of this misery, or would it just continue to compound on itself like a sickening spiral?

It took a few minutes, but her breathing gradually returned to normal and she swallowed the emotion building up in her throat as Logan rubbed up and down her spine. When she finally shifted uncomfortably, arms still locked under his and her abdomen clenching painfully, he carefully pulled back, his brown eyes watching her intently.

She refused to look at him, instead wiping the drying blood from her mouth with the long sleeve of her dark green pajama top. With her head turned away, she wrapped her arms around her midsection, the heat of embarrassment inflaming her face. She wanted to apologize, but her voice refused to work - both from the shocks to her system and because she was afraid she would ramble off everything that was swirling in her head. Instead she closed her eyes and tried to take another steadying breath.

"You okay now, Stripes? Or should I get Charles?" His features were marred by deep lines of concern, brows furrowed with a matching frown as he simply observed.

Her breath caught, eyes wide as bright green met chocolate. "No!" she exclaimed quickly. Then, calming herself, she reiterated, "it - it was just a nightmare. Ah'm FINE," she insisted, forcing a tiny smile. She looked around the room, surprised she didn't have an audience for once. Wolverine smirked. He didn't have to be a telepath to know what she was thinking.

"The others are all at school or havin' lunch. It's noon." He stayed close, his hip pressing against her thigh through the blanket as he sat on the edge of her bed, studying her.

The color drained from Rogue's face, head whipping around to check her clock.

12:05. She'd slept for nearly 20 hours.

Wolverine chuckled at her incredulous reaction. "You DID say you were tired."

"Ah'm just surprised y'all LET me sleep that long," she joked, a nervous smile playing at her lips. She shifted away from him slightly, the closeness making her nervous. Rogue wanted to get up, move off the bed and away from Logan's prying eyes, but knew doing so would tip him off - she could already feel she needed to wash her bedding again.

"How's yer ankle? Sounded like ya broke it." He glanced back at where her bare foot had escaped the twisted blankets. She'd barely noticed the pain in her foot and made a face as deep, mottled bruises quickly bloomed and then faded, a sure sign her ankle had been broken and subsequently healed by Logan's powers.

"Good as new, now."

She forced a laugh.

"What'd Ah kick?" she asked incredulously, half expecting to see her footboard shattered.

"My femur," he chuckled at her embarrassed flush and muttered apologies. "Came by t' check on ya, and tell ya Hank said yer takin' the rest of the week off. Yer definitely anemic, but not bad enough t' get yer own suite in the Medbay. Yet."

The displeasure in his eyes told Rogue that it was a decision Wolverine did NOT agree with. "He does want you to take more vitamins though." He pulled a small bottle from his pocket and handed it to her, his gloved hands a dark background against her lily white fingers.

"B-12?" she asked, eyes flitting up to briefly meet his before she put the bottle on the bed.

"I dunno," Logan shrugged, still holding her gaze as if he could somehow read her mind. "Guess it's supposed t' help with the girl stuff." His eyes flicked to her stomach, and Rogue shifted, her arms pulling the blanket tighter in her lap.

For a fleeting moment she thought he might pull back the covers to reveal the mess she was hiding, but she quickly dismissed it. Flushing, she nodded and averted her eyes, trying to find something in the room to which she could redirect their attention.

"What's goin' on, Rogue? Really?" Wolverine leveled his gaze, refusing to let it go as his voice dropped an octave. It was his 'don't fuck with me' tone that he used when he meant business. Or if you were in deep shit.

Swallowing hard as she stared at her lap, she felt the latter was closest to the truth.

"M-Magneto said there was somethin' in the drugs that might mess with mah hormones," she offered, trying to assuage his concern. Still, she refused to meet his eyes as her cheeks dusted with color. "That it might be made by some kinda mutant hormone, so the effects could make mine go wonky f'r a bit."

Again, she reasoned, not QUITE a lie. Erik HAD said that Swing was affecting mutants in different ways; that it had an effect on hormones. It was just a matter of WHICH hormones, and she didn't feel the need to make the distinction to Wolverine.

He made a noise akin to a grunt of acceptance, and she dared look up at him.

"That'd explain why you smell… off," he muttered softly. "But it DON'T explain what HAPPENED." His brown eyes bore into hers as if he KNEW what she was hiding, and she turned away.

"Ah told y'all what happened," she insisted, trying to keep her best poker face. She swore she heard him growl in response. Her arms tightened around her midsection, legs squeezing together as she attempted to straighten her spine.

Gloved fingers gripped her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. He motioned to where his short sleeve v-neck tee was shredded at the shoulder. "You don't have THIS kind of reaction unless something real bad went down, kid." Although his skin had knit itself back together, there were still patches of dried blood where she had savagely ripped the flesh with her teeth.

"I -" her breath caught as emotion welled in her throat and she fell silent again as she pulled her face from his hand.

"Did Magneto do somethin' to you, Rogue? Did he hurt you? Touch you in some way?" Wolverine's tone was tight with unreleased rage and pity, and it made her stomach curdle. His chest rumbled with a growl and she knew his claws were ready to spring free as he theorized that Magneto done something untoward to her.

The southerner's face turned crimson. "N-No!" Her voice was loud - too loud - as she protested, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. She was going to have to tell him…admit to more, or else he'd keep digging until he uncovered everything. "He SAVED me, Wolverine. Those men were gonna ra…" she stopped, the color washing out of her face as her lip trembled, and she was suddenly choking back a sob.

She couldn't bear the sympathetic look on his face, or the slight confusion, and turned away again. "Ah was completely covered up, like Ah ALWAYS am, and they … they tried t' use it against me. Ah didn't know Ah was drugged until it was too late, and there were too many of 'em. They SAW what Ah did t' Magneto with mah powers - mah skin. They didn't CARE. They still tried to…to…"

Rogue had to swallow the bile that had swelled in her throat as she recalled the gruesome details of what had nearly transpired. "They would've, too, if Erik hadn't stopped 'em."

There was a quiet rumbling in Wolverine's chest, and his hands were balled into trembling fists as he held them in his lap. "So," he choked out, clearing his throat of emotion before he continued. "The one with his dick cut off? Did he…"

"Almost," she whispered, her voice lost and broken. She stared down at Logan's lap where his claws had partially emerged from his knuckles. Another deep breath to steady herself, and she continued.

"But they didn't, thanks t' Erik - Magneto," she corrected, knowing how much her friend hated the familiarity of their 'enemy's' real name. Logan made no comment, no movement to indicate his displeasure, however. He just seemed to be deep in thought.

"Mah mind keeps replayin' it - what would've happened if it hadn't been for him. Then Ah think of all those others that weren't so lucky, and Ah just - Ah don't know. Ah want all of them t' have some kind of justice, too, y'know?"

Wolverine nodded stiffly and stood, kissing the top of her head before heading to the door. She was momentarily struck by how many times the three most significant men in her life had delivered similar gestures in the last few days. She'd gone from practically zero contact to having Erik, Remy, and Logan all holding her face and kissing her hair in the space of as many days, and it made her head spin.

Wolverine's voice pulled her from her thoughts as he paused at her doorway. "You should talk t' the Professor, Rogue. Or at least Jean. This is some heavy shit, and it'd be good for you to get some real help workin' through it."

She nodded absentmindedly, but they both knew she wouldn't follow through. Like Logan, Rogue was obnoxiously stubborn when it came to talking about her 'feelings' or asking for help. But maybe now he'd give her a little space, trust her a little more, particularly since he had been so adamant in demanding she divulge such personal, damaging information.

"You realize what this means, right Stripes?" Wolverine muttered as he watched her carefully. His eyebrow was raised in haughty amusement as he fixed her with an incredulous look.

She tilted her head and shook it slightly, green eyes curious as they met his.

"ERIK and I finally have something in common…" He forced himself to use the other man's name as a show of good faith. "I woulda diced those bastards t' bits, too." Logan gave her a half smile. "How's that gonna look - next time we go up against Magneto and I'm gonna have to THANK him. Jesus Fuck."

The Canadian shook his head in disbelief as he turned and left the room, and Rogue chuckled lightly even as she wiped the moisture from her eyes. She felt a stirring of hope; maybe they'd be ok after all.

~X~X~X~

One would be surprised to know that the Acolytes were utilizing a commercial park far from the center of town. It was out on the edges of the city; where suburbia began to rear its carefully manicured head. Taking the interior rooms for themselves, they had rented the others to various companies, including a few that were shell organizations for Magneto's money to be laundered through his various enterprises. Adding to that a few actual businesses, and then hollowing out the center of the commercial park, as well as beneath it, and the Acolytes had a working base in the middle of a city with no one the wiser.

Thus, their technology was cloaked behind the power sucking combination of a small but upscale imported meats catering service, and a satellite center for technology classes for the local community college. Not that Magneto particularly cared about what hid their power consumption; but these were enough to excuse any discrepancies.

They were using this building more than the many others Magneto had scattered around the planet; right now, their focus was to take out these filthy bigots. Everything pointed to this operation growing to become the basis of something much bigger, much more encompassing. And so it was their duty to stop them here and now.

Cortez was pontificating on some point or another; it was astonishing at how adept he was in saying so little while taking so long to say it. Eventually, he got to the meat of what he wanted to say. "...from the disgusting flatscan. Despite the fact he knew precious little, we got five new names, and a new drop point for a dealer we knew the name of but little else. We've tracked each of them, and found a name. A…" he checked his notes. "Paul Harker. A franchisee owner who also ran for school boards in the past. He's got backing from mutant-hating organizations…" On and on the Acolyte droned about the racist's life.

Magneto let the useless exposition wash over him, until something of interest caught his attention. "He is becoming more active within the downtown scene since losing the elections?" Why did it always take so long to get to the point?

"Yes Lord Magneto; it seems that he's drowning his woes in some of the city's finer establishments. Given his contacts, we think he's going out, looking for other targets at higher levels." Cortez said crisply, about to speak further, but with a wave of his hand, Magneto cut him off.

"Enough. Leave the materials here. I will review and surveil Mr. Harker myself. Go and check on targets 25, 47, and the one you found three weeks ago, 19." He paused, looking up at a massive, bald-headed Acolyte with more muscles than brains. "Delgado, remain behind. I must speak with you."

Fabian Cortez thrust a dissatisfied glance behind him as he exited the room, obviously coveting the chance to remain close to the seat of power by knowing everything his "Lord" knew. In fact, it was part of the game Erik had to play. In keeping the young upstart's allegiance, he had to occasionally leave the young man hungry for more.

Once alone, he instructed Delgado briskly. He was to meet up with Suvik, another Acolyte out in the field on reconnaissance, and follow Mr. Harker's 'associates' without drawing attention - a tricky task considering the man's size. Thad's sources, the ones who had led them to Harker, were mid-level dealers. Certainly, before Harker would go for a night on the town, he'd need to purchase more Swing. They were hoping to get visuals of those dealers with other customers, thereby increasing the number of marks to follow.

Erik considered sending Wanda into the clubs as a spy as well, but ultimately discarded the notion. She wasn't the best of actresses, having only recently learned to process her emotions in more constructive ways that did not include the destruction of load-bearing walls. Her powers and abilities were outstripped only by her will to survive and lack of subtlety.

He would have to continue using Rogue, to which he did not particularly object. At this time, it was the most likely way that he could continue to maintain contact with the green-eyed heroine. He was more than happy to allow their activities to continue. In fact, he already had many plans in store for the next time he saw her.

~X~X~X~

Over the next few days Rogue became increasingly listless and snappy as she remained on 'recovery status' and wasn't allowed to train with the team until her 'anemia' resolved. Occasionally, she got to help Xavier program a Danger Room scenario, or watch from the booth and give feedback about what tactical improvements could be made based on her vantage point, but even that was difficult with how guarded she had to be around the telepath.

More frustrating than that, however, was that she was effectively 'benched' from any missions involving the Friends of Humanity. She spent most of her time pouring over missing persons reports, recent crimes, and other news, but even THAT was limited, as Professor Xavier had called her relentless research 'borderline obsessive' and had greatly inhibited that avenue as well, insisting she spend more time resting and relaxing.

Rogue found herself picking up her phone more often than not, checking for any calls or texts from Magneto - hoping he had some news or updates to share, or would at least check in with her. After all, she was beginning to feel a bit like a cheap one night stand, and it didn't sit well with her. Especially since she had been positively waspish with everyone since she'd returned home. More than once she'd shouted and berated her friends or teammates for some stupid offhand comment, or even been on the brink of tears after ruminating on how damn lonely she was.

She wasn't sure if her anger stemmed from her desperate need to be touched again, her gut wrenching experience with the emergency contraceptive, the resulting anemia, the new birth control pills, or the anxiety and tension she felt from being effectively useless as an X-Man. All she knew for certain was that during the three days she had been with Erik, she'd felt satisfied, carefree, and HAPPY, and now… it was as if she were living inside a dark thundercloud where no sunlight or warmth ever perforated the shadows of her mind.

It didn't help that the only people who actually wanted to be around her she had to avoid like the plague.

Wolverine could SMELL something was wrong with her - whether it was her 'period' or the birth control was uncertain - and he was the only one to whom she'd divulged the other intimate details of the attacker's motives, so yes, avoiding him was necessary.

Then there was the Professor and Jean. Xavier had tried on multiple occasions to get her to open up, perhaps divulge the same information she'd gutlessly shared with Wolverine after that horrendous (and now recurring) nightmare. The Professor had offered her telepathic 'therapy,' casual chats, and even a mind wipe of the attack, but her response was always the same, "Ah'm fine," with a beeline for whatever exit was available. She'd even started turning down his offers to help him program Danger Room sessions, as it seemed to be just another ploy to get her to 'talk'.

Once she'd started avoiding the Professor, Jean had begun practically stalking her in his stead. On several occasions Rogue had entered a room and immediately left again once she saw the redhead come in. It was lucky she hadn't had much of an appetite lately, because she'd missed nearly every breakfast this week trying to avoid the two telepaths.

Lastly was Gambit, who seemed generally content with giving her space, yet constantly found reasons not to. He'd tried to strike up a conversation after her 20 hour 'sleep coma' on Tuesday, but she'd quickly shut him down with a few nasty remarks. Letting him know how ironic she thought it was that one of the 'bad guys' had rescued her after Remy had left her behind sent the Cajun scurrying away like a rat back to the shadows.

And part of her was glad for it - this way she wouldn't be giving him mixed signals or letting him hope they could eventually reconcile. The other part however - the part of her heart that was still hopelessly tied to him, the part that wanted nothing more than to have him hold her in his arms, to tell him how sorry she was - was positively miserable. In fact, it seemed her entire existence had devolved into one big mess of misery, and it didn't help at ALL that she hadn't heard from Erik.

On Friday morning Rogue lay in bed, rereading his note for the two dozenth time. There were certain words that made her heart leap - "you have my gratitude for your assistance" and "very tenuous ceasefire". Others made her stomach sink: "differences in ideology," and "close call."

But the statement, "I can no longer in good conscience ask for your assistance," simply made her want to cry. Right now, as she was on 'medical leave' from her team, and without any contact from Erik, it seemed very much like she wasn't wanted by anyone. That she would never again be allowed to 'assist' in any way that mattered.

Once more she wished she had something similar to Swing to help her feel a little better about her situation. At least when she'd had the drugs in her system, all her cares and worries had felt less oppressive, less suffocating. Right now it felt like someone had their hands around her throat, restricting her oxygen more and more every day, especially as each one dragged on with no progress on the Friends of Humanity front.

The X-Men had come up with absolutely NOTHING on the supposed victims, the abductions, ANYTHING of use, and she could tell the Professor and the other X-Men were starting to write it off as a scheme Magneto had simply made up. She couldn't tell them that she'd heard first hand that there WAS some kind of trafficking ring - that the drugs were very real and NOT something Magneto had preemptively dosed her with himself.

She HAD the data, of course - the first hand knowledge - but she couldn't SHARE it, because that would mean she'd have to tell them the other bit of information she'd conveniently left out…

That she'd willfully offered herself up as bait in what had proved to be a rather dangerous mission for Magneto.

And of course, if she told them that, they would wonder WHY she'd been dishonest in the first place; wonder why she'd felt the need to hide such information. Xavier might even probe her mind to see what ELSE she was hiding, and her team's reaction to her familiarity with Magneto's given name was indicator enough of how they'd respond to the knowledge that she'd SLEPT with him.

She wouldn't be surprised if they put her on probation for a year if they found out the details of what she'd done.

The thought made her eyes sting with sudden tears. She had no idea where to go from here. She didn't believe in Magneto's ideals, or his methods, and the X-Men were sure to kick her out if they discovered the depth of her indiscretions with him. Yet, she couldn't help from hoping that he would contact her again, ask for her help, make her feel useful, make her feel…

Heat rose to her cheeks and other, deeper regions, as her mind wandered once more to one of her favorite moments from last weekend.

The ice stung, its sharp teeth biting the sensitive flesh of her vagina when Erik's tongue slithered in to join the cubes, swirling and dancing as it lapped at her wetness. His teeth scraping and rubbing her clitoris, his entire mouth pausing to suck on the small bundle of nerves just long enough for the ice to become painful once more…

A knock on her door roused Rogue from her ruminations and she sat upright, quickly shoving the letter under her pillow as her face flamed.

"Rogue, it's Jean," the redhead called from the other side of the door. "The Professor sent me to get you, he wants us all to meet in his office right away."

With a deep breath, Rogue smoothed her long sleeved, purple merlot blouse from Erik and forced her body to cool down. She was grateful, at least, that the telepath had developed a habit of waiting for people to answer their doors instead of simply barging in.

Another knock. "Rogue are you…"

The southerner threw the door open, her brow raised. "Ah heard ya," she growled, not meeting the telepath's eyes as she brushed past her teammate.

She missed the strange, almost startled look on Jean's face. "Are you feeling okay, Rogue?" she asked. "You're flushed. Should I tell Henry to…"

"Ah'm FINE," Rogue snarled even as her cheeks further darkened with embarrassment. "No one's gonna need a doctor unless you've been tryin' t' read mah mind again.'' The last sentiment was growled under her breath, but Jean stopped short regardless, giving the hot-headed southerner a wider berth.

In the Professor's office, it seemed nearly the entire team had already gathered by the time Rogue and Jean arrived. The redhead snuck around to the side wall where Cyclops was waiting with his hand extended out to her. Standing in the middle of the room, Rogue watched the couple's bare fingers interlock with a pang of jealousy.

When she looked up, however, she realized everyone's eyes were on her, and her face turned crimson. "S-sorry Ah'm late," she offered, "Ah didn't know there was a meetin'." Gambit stood in the far corner, leaning with one foot propped up on the wall, while Kitty and Kurt sat on the extra long sofa, turning around to watch her enter. Ororo and Hank were sitting in the two armchairs while Logan stood next to the doors, his arms folded.

Rogue rubbed the back of her neck uneasily. She could really go for one of those massages right about now, she thought fleetingly. Then she blushed anew, praying she hadn't thought it loudly enough for the two telepaths to hear.

"I was just about to go over some new information with the team and thought you would be interested," Xavier addressed her, his brow furrowed with curious interest. It was as if he were staring at one of those 'Magic Eye' 3D illusions Bobby was so obsessed with lately, turning her this way and that in his mind as if trying to figure her out and see the hidden image within the jumbled mess that was Rogue.

"Really?" she interjected, hoping to distract from his analytical gaze. "What info? Did you find their base? One of the missing mutants?"

"In a way," Xavier offered, his mouth turning up into a sympathetic smile. "The team did speak with a young man who said his sister had gone missing last month. However, when Jean and Scott investigated further, the bartender informed them that she had been coming to the establishment for several weeks with another young man. Apparently they ran off and eloped as her family didn't approve of the relationship."

"My friend," Ororo stepped forward, putting her hand on the girl's shoulder. "There has been absolutely no evidence of any missing or murdered mutants. The owners of the many establishments we've visited have heard nothing of this so-called drug."

Rogue shrugged the woman's dark hand off her purple blouse and put both fists on her hips as she looked around the room. "Are you tellin' me y'all just up and ASKED these guys?"

When Scott, Jean, Ororo, and Hank exchanged concerned glances, the southerner scoffed. "And you BELIEVED them?!" She whirled around to look at Wolverine, completely ignoring Gambit. "TELL ME you at least sniffed around, checked these people out?" Another glare at Jean and Xavier as she sneered, "Or that you read their minds just a TINY bit? That you didn't just ASSUME they were tellin' the truth!?"

When no one spoke up, Rogue pinched the bridge of her nose in disbelief. "Ah can't believe what Ah'm hearin'."

"There's more, Rogue," Xavier commented, drawing her from her incredulousness. "Forge's technology found evidence that Magneto himself has been attacking and kidnapping victims - male and female alike.

"Wh-what?" She stopped, hands dropping to her sides, face paling slightly as she looked around the room at the equally confused faces. At least she wasn't the last to know for once.

"I asked everyone to gather so I can show all of you the video Forge discovered. It has yet to go viral as it seems the authorities have opened their own investigation and are suppressing the publishing of the video."

Indeed, the first image that sparked to life was a bold, 'For Government Use Only' warning. The words were scrawled across the screen and the Professor pressed pause, a small, bemused smile crossing his features. "It isn't particularly easy to break into the more secure parts of the Bureau of Intelligence, but Forge is thankfully a natural. Without his work, we'd be even further behind."

Xavier motioned for everyone to take a seat, and Kitty and Kurt beckoned Rogue to join them on the oversized sofa. Scott and Jean sat on the other side of it, and Rogue shifted uncomfortably as the redhead leaned forward and smiled at her. Her stomach clenched in a way that had nothing to do with the cramps that had plagued her for most of the week, but she steeled her mental barriers, reminding herself that the telepaths couldn't read her mind unless she either allowed it, or projected loudly.

Once the core team had gotten comfortable on the arm chairs and sofas, Xavier clicked on the television screen hanging above the fireplace. A shaky, dark video played, illuminating a dimly lit sidewalk. Bright lights advertising local bars hung in the distance, a backdrop for a few seemingly drunken friends as they participated in some ridiculous social media trend. Two young women, whose faces were plunged in shadow against the overhead streetlight, started as the focal point of the video.

Rogue shifted again on the sofa, wondering who these people were. She'd never seen them before, and Er - Magneto - hadn't mentioned capturing any female FOH members. Could it be that he had been less than honest with her? Was it possible she'd let herself be deceived? Had that burning need for human contact made her so blind? She tried to steady her breathing, forcing the sickly feeling of betrayal in her stomach to quiet.

When the screen's focus switched to something happening BEHIND the drunken, dancing girls, however, Rogue's stomach - and everything in it - nearly dropped out of her body entirely.

"Oh my god, look at those two," the phone's operator could be heard over her friends' drunken singing.

"That chick is SOO drunk!" There, in the background, as the camera zoomed in, was a tall, muscular, brunette man dragging a pretty, extremely red faced blonde woman down the sidewalk. The girl's burgundy dress was skin tight and low cut, her pale breasts practically bursting from the scalloped edge of the top as the man's hand groped and tugged at her waist.

The blonde made a wide arc with her arm, and from the video it almost looked like she was trying to hug the brunette man. The team watched the screen as he grabbed her arm and continued pulling her down the sidewalk while she teetered, barely keeping her balance. The video showed a pair of headlights flash from a nearby parking stall, then the blonde was grabbing at the door frame and pushing back like she didn't want to leave.

The female onlookers giggled at the pair as they watched from down the block. "Oh honey," their voices whispered, "Go home already, you're WASTED." The trio giggled loudly as the camera lost focus for a moment and one of the voices whispered from off screen, "Are we sure she's okay? He sounds kinda pissed."

Suddenly the blonde down the street screamed something indiscernible, and the camera shot back up to a point high above the man and woman where a dark, cloaked figure was levitating off the ground, a shiny metal helmet gleaming in the darkness. The video showed the brunette man reach for something in his back pocket, and the blonde woman turned toward him, but she tripped over the curb and her own feet, colliding painfully with the sidewalk. Simultaneously the doors of the vehicle ripped away, twisting and reforming to wrap around the brunette man, holding him hostage.

At that point the three amateur videographers had ducked down, hiding behind another car parked in the street as they tried to stifle their own sobs of terror. After a few seconds, the phone's owner bravely poked her device around the edge of the car just in time to see the shrouded mutant terrorist haul the woman up over his shoulder and take to the sky, the brunette man fully incapacitated and suspended in the air as he trailed behind like a macabre marionette.

In Xavier's office, Rogue numbly stood up and left the room without a word, blatantly ignoring the questions and protests of her peers. She did hear Wolverine grumble, "Let her go, Cajun. This is pretty damning evidence against someone she thought was a good guy fer once."

She would have laughed hysterically if she hadn't been so desperate to escape. Rogue knew her face was pale, and she was absolutely positive she was going to throw up. At this point, she was moving on pure instinct, her brain completely walled off against processing what she had seen. As she reached for the knob on her bedroom door, she realized her hands were shaking wildly.

She had to get out of here. There was no way she would be able to keep her mind clear and protected against the two telepaths after she had just seen video evidence of herself being dragged down the street by that stupid, fucking, douchebag, THAD. And, if Remy or Logan questioned her, they'd KNOW she was hiding something.

What was worse, (if that was even possible at this point) was that the video served to make Erik look like even more of a villain than before, and she couldn't say a damn thing to exonerate him without either incriminating herself or coming clean.

Back in her room, Rogue grabbed her long brown coat, car keys, purse with her new phone, and a little makeup. She pulled Erik's letter out from under her pillow, hiding it inside her underwear drawer as she felt the bile rising up in her throat. She barely made it to the bathroom in time to expel her meager lunch.

By the time she had rinsed her mouth, she could hear Kitty and Kurt chatting loudly in the hallway as they approached her room, and Rogue booked it for the balcony, easily shimmying down the columns below her window and sprinting the rest of the way to the garage. Thankfully, someone had left the bay doors open and the young southerner vaulted into the driver's seat of her convertible without even opening the door, and was peeling out of the mansion gates within minutes of leaving Xavier's office.

As her tires squealed on the open road, Rogue pulled out the phone Erik had given her with shaky fingers. She dialed the number labeled 'Voicemail' - her ruse in case someone tried to go through her phone - and listened to it ring. After 6 tones, there was a click like the triggering of someone's answering machine, and Rogue hesitated only a moment.

"H-hey. Ah don't know if this is right, but if it is, call me. They - they found a video of what happened on Saturday. Ah don't know what t' do. Call me. Please." She couldn't keep the desperation out of her voice as she left as vague of a voicemail as possible. If it WASN'T a secure line, hopefully she hadn't given away enough information to be tracked. And if it WAS Erik's private number, hopefully he would get her message and deem it close enough to an emergency to actually call her back.

She had no other thought than to get away from the X-Men, and she headed toward the only other person she had left to talk to.

If only she knew where he was...

~X~X~X~

Cortez's rambling was becoming tedious, and Magneto tried not to lose his temper as the Acolytes argued themselves into corners and back out again. Tempers were flaring, and each of those gathered seemed to engage in out maneuvering the others to impress their leader. He found it tiresome, there were better ways to serve him than to act like strutting peacocks.

A quiet buzzing sounded from beneath the conference room table, and Magneto's eyes shifted from one Acolyte to the next, trying to ascertain which of his disciples had interrupted the meeting with their vibrating phone. They knew better than to allow anything to interrupt these meetings, and whoever it was would be reprimanded quite fiercely. Presently, the room fell silent.

When no one moved, but everyone continued staring at him, the Master of Magnetism finally spoke.

"Whose phone is that?" he asked, his tone icy.

"I believe it is yours, my Lord," Voght answered, pointing down at the brown briefcase sitting at his feet. Amelia was one of Magneto's few female Acolytes - a woman with vivid blue eyes and long, red hair that was starting to lighten with age in fascinating streaks. She was also one of his longest-standing allies - one of the first to join the Acolytes over a decade ago. Her long-term goal was using her skills as an adept spy to infiltrate an anti-mutant senator's home under the guise of their second son's girlfriend. As she held a position with the state's policy writers, she was well-placed to provide a multitude of information.

He was able to keep the surprise off his face as he studied the quietly buzzing case. He could count on one hand the number of people who had his number, and many of those who contacted him frequently were already in the room.

"So it is. Go on, then, Cortez, get to the point." Magneto raised one eyebrow and motioned to his attaché, opening it and levitating his phone with a look of boredom.

But he couldn't hide the smile of satisfaction as he read the name on the screen.

'Gemma'

Rogue - the nom de plume he'd programmed into his phone in order to keep her identity secret from any potential malfeasance. He'd based it off 'Geheimnis' - the German word for 'secret.' After all, she WAS his secret - secret lover, secret spy, secret weapon. Also akin to another interpretation of the word, she was a true 'gem' for Magneto and his mission - one that would hopefully help eradicate the Friends of Humanity.

The phone stopped ringing as he stared at the screen, his grin broadening.

"Cortez," He announced to the room. "I may have the solution to our problem."

~X~X~X~

After driving for 30 minutes, Rogue had to pull over into a quiet little park off the interstate. By that point her initial adrenaline had worn off and she was shaking so badly she couldn't safely drive any longer. Especially with the persistent tears streaming down her face.

She was legitimately disappointed that Erik hadn't called her back yet; in fact, that was probably an understatement - it was a contributing factor to why her face was so puffy, red, and tear streaked right now. From where she'd parked, she could see a bathroom just off a path that led around a pond, and Rogue put the top up on her car and headed to the bathroom to freshen up and collect herself.

She locked the door behind her, and despite her intention to calm down, spent the next few minutes crying. Her heavy boots were pulled up on the seat of the toilet as she buried her face in her knees, trying to muffle her broken sobs. She doubted any of the X-Men had followed her, and she knew Xavier couldn't track her with Cerebro unless she used her powers, but part of her mind was so terrified about being found out that she couldn't help being paranoid.

The southerner was so lost in her sorrows she did not hear the lock on the door twist, nor the door sliding open.

"We must find better places to meet, my dear. I'm afraid public restrooms are not the most secure - or sanitary - for a rendezvous."

The door to the stall swung open at the same time that familiar, stiff voice echoed off the concrete walls, and Rogue was so startled her foot nearly fell into the toilet. She jumped off the seat, taking a moment to wipe her tear-stained face on her coat sleeves and straighten her spine before leaving the stall to face Magneto. She might not have much left in the way of dignity, but she was determined to at least PRETEND she wasn't mortified that he'd found her in a park restroom, a sobbing puddle of her own tears.

When she met his eyes, however, she dropped her gaze immediately and swallowed hard at the disappointment in his icy blue-gray irises. He was wearing a dark blue, button down dress shirt with gray slacks and black loafers. His collar was open, lacking the formality of a tie, yet his demeanor still managed to intimidate her.

"H-how'd you find me?" she whispered, pulling her coat tighter as she folded her arms over her chest. Somehow standing in front of him like this was almost WORSE than being alone with Xavier.

"There's a tracker on your phone," his voice was crisp and unimpressed. "I thought you would have figured that out by now."

She sucked on her lips, her emotions ranging between humiliation over her appearance and aggravation from his condescending attitude. Then there was the attraction. She'd replayed their weekend together in her mind constantly, almost obsessed by how he'd made her feel. All week she'd been almost desperate to feel his touch again, but now that he was here, standing before her with a look of haughty disdain, she somehow found herself less enamored with him.

Unfortunately, she was no less unsteady around him, his very presence throwing off her equilibrium. Still, she managed to take a deep breath and glare back, lifting her chin to better meet his eyes. "Sorry. Guess Ah'm used t' workin' with people Ah TRUST better'n that."

He sneered, barely keeping the snigger from his voice. "Really? Then you MUST have told the X-Men the truth about the video you mentioned in your voicemail?"

Rogue's chest heaved as she tried not to lose her composure, and she bit her lip to keep herself in check.

"Or is your irrational, emotional response a result of the hormones in the contraceptives?" His eyes were hard, but concerned. After all, he couldn't risk an accidental pregnancy, regardless of how unlikely. "I presume you took them as I instructed?"

"Yeah, Ah DID," she bit out, opting again for anger rather than tears. "Thanks for that, by the way. Explaining why Ah couldn't get outta bed for three days was real fun."

A look of true worry settled on his face this time, and he shifted as his posture became less overbearing and more relaxed. "Three days? Was it truly so bad?" Erik actually felt a strange pang of guilt as he realized how much she must have suffered to be left in such a state.

Rogue swallowed hard, nodding and averting her eyes for an entirely different reason. For a moment, with that look he gave her, she could almost convince herself that he actually cared.

"Like someone shoved mah uterus in a blender and pushed 'frappe**'," she responded with a lightness she didn't truly feel. She felt gratified, however, when Erik barked a small laugh at her vivid description. "Gambit, uh, actually helped me a lot that first morning. His powers made the pain more bearable, an' Ah got some relief, any road. But Beast put me on medical leave and threatened t' give me a blood transfusion if the anemia got any worse. He hasn't yet, though, and Ah'm still takin' the B-12 and iron supplements."

Rogue wasn't sure if she should have told him about Gambit or not, but figured it was better to be out with it now rather than letting it fester - or have Erik think she was being dishonest. The entirety of their…relationship…was based on trusting one another. Unlike the rest of her team, she was willing to take a leap of faith with Erik, because she knew firsthand that he was attempting to right this wrong against their kind.

She hoped throwing in the facts about Beast's diagnosis and treatment plan - not to mention his legitimate warning of a blood transfusion - would appease the metal manipulator's concerns about any disloyal behavior. Hopefully, it would convince him she was merely reporting back, being as open with her communication as possible.

Magneto's back tensed as she mentioned the card wielder, gray eyes flashing momentarily. Regardless, he smiled lightly, the barest upturn of his lips as he stepped closer. Rogue subconsciously backed up until she thumped against the metal stall, the resulting clang reverberating in her ears.

He took up her hand in his, using his other to carefully peel each finger away from her glove as she watched him with growing fascination. Her heart was thumping wildly, butterflies and something more carnal fluttering in her stomach as she watched him remove her glove and kiss the back of her bare hand with the softest brush of his lips.

Head bent, Erik looked up at her, lust clouding his eyes. "Iron, hmm? That explains the delectable attraction I feel towards you, then."

She swallowed hard, breath catching in her throat. Her emerald eyes were impossibly wide as his bare fingers stroked each of hers before lifting to trace her jaw, following the slide of her neck. His hand encircled her throat, thumb resting against her rapid pulse and pressing just enough to make breathing a little more intentional.

"It's in your blood. I can feel the metal running through your veins." He leaned in more, letting his nose rub against her cheek and up to her ear, inhaling the perfume of her shampoo and the iron alike.

"Erik," she warned, pushing against his arm. "S-stop. Ah'm not… Ah ain't in the mood right now." Rogue was surprised by how steady her voice sounded considering how badly her legs, and other areas, were quivering under his ministrations.

Magneto paused, his other arm leaning heavily against the stall above her head while the hand around her throat traveled lower. "Are you certain? I told you, Rogue, I can FEEL your blood pooling, rushing to certain areas in need of … attention." His voice was husky in her ear, and she could feel the pressure rising as the blood in question rushed to her nether regions, eagerly greeting his hand as he cupped her mound through the tight black pants.

"Ohhhh," she moaned, eyes falling closed. She could feel the ghost of his lips as they hovered just above hers, and she couldn't help shifting forward, trying to increase the pressure of his hand and his mouth.

Before their lips met, however, he pulled away abruptly and she stumbled, barely grabbing the frame of the open stall before she fell.

"But you're right, of course," he conceded, smirking at her deep pout and furrowed, indignant brows. "You called about a video, did you not?"

Licking her lips and taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she nodded. She HAD to figure out how to maintain control around him. She couldn't let herself become some kind of sex toy he could fling back and forth like a damn yo-yo.

"Forge found a video from Saturday night," she finally explained once she knew her voice wouldn't waiver.

"Hmm," he pondered, using his powers of magnetism to unlock the door as he smoothed his button-down shirt. "Why don't we continue this discussion elsewhere? I have a critical mission tonight and time is of the essence."

Interest piqued, she started to inquire further, but he left abruptly, striding out of the restroom at a fast clip, and she had to trot after him to keep up.

Rogue cast a few furtive glances at her car as he headed in the opposite direction, moving toward a black sedan. When they got to his vehicle, both front doors opened at once, but the X-Man stopped short on the sidewalk, wrapping her arms around her midsection as she looked back at her convertible one more time.

She felt as if she were at a crossroads; trapped between two worlds as she deliberated which direction she should take. She could still go back home, speak privately with the Professor about what she knew (and how), maybe even come clean with the X-Men about her role in the video. There was still a chance they would take her seriously about the Friends of Humanity and the kidnappings if she told them everything.

But the southerner remembered the disgusted looks on their faces when she'd used Magneto's given name; remembered how everyone had treated her over the last week - like she was fragile and incapable of anything more than research; remembered how the X-Men refused to push for information about the missing mutants and the secret trafficking thereof. Refused to use their god-given gifts to push for real change.

She knew Magneto wouldn't hesitate to use any means necessary to bring a stop to the woeful fates of those whom she had nearly joined in tragedy. He had saved her life - and probably many others since starting this crusade - unlike the X-Men, who didn't even believe there was anything sinister happening.

On the other hand, Rogue couldn't condone murder, regardless of how justified Magneto claimed it to be. And she knew anyone she helped track down would likely share Thad's fate.

So why didn't she care more?

The first attack she'd endured had been traumatic; the second no less terrifying (even though she had known what was happening then). Although the murders of those first four men had been horrifically gruesome, Rogue didn't care a whit that they were dead. She was glad for it, in fact. She saw their faces enough in her nightmares - she didn't need them alive and roaming the city, free to haunt her every waking thought.

She DID feel a twinge of remorse over Thad, douchebag though he was. Sure, he'd tried to kidnap her, but it didn't mean she wanted him dead. At least HE hadn't intended to rape her. Probably…

To Rogue, it seemed like Thad could have been redeemed somehow, or at least mindwiped rather than murdered. She knew Magneto had Mastermind in his employ, so such things were possible.

But it also wasn't about her, or the murdered F.O.H. members. It was about those they had already taken, those they were STILL taking. She had to help save the ones they could, and avenge the ones that were lost.

The X-Man also knew that if she got in the car with Erik now, she would likely end up helping him with his 'urgent' mission - which would probably put her directly in harm's way for the second time. She hugged herself tighter as the Master of Magnetism watched her carefully.

Was she willing to go that far again, and so soon?

"I don't have all day for you to deliberate the direction of your moral compass, Rogue. If you don't wish to help bring justice to victims such as yourself, then at least don't waste my time in trying to do so. I'd very much like to aid you with your current predicament, but I must insist we do so while driving."

Magneto watched her carefully, knowing she was deliberating between two crucial paths. And, if she chose the wrong one, all his recent schemes and planning might be for naught. When she looked again at her car, Erik took the opportunity to move closer as he manipulated the iron in her blood.

He only needed to twist the screw a little deeper to insure his was the only influence she felt.

"Perhaps you would like to escort me tonight? While I don't wish to put you back in the path of danger, I must admit I am in dire need of your talents. And your company." He fixed her with a piercing, hopeful gaze and took her hand when she gave a small start at his admission.

Never breaking eye contact, he reached up with his other hand to cup her face, fingers brushing back the slightly wavy chestnut locks behind her ear. Her eyes widened infinitesimally, then fell closed as he leaned in, her other hand resting lightly on his chest as she met his lips in earnest.

Although the kiss was brief, she was panting when they parted, her organs practically throbbing with sudden need. Before she knew it, Erik had guided her to his car with a hand on the small of her back. He helped her sit, her eyes slightly unfocused from the blood pumping furiously through her face and groin, then he shut the door with his powers, clicking the lock on her door before he'd reached his own.

A few minutes later, they were speeding down the freeway toward the city, and Rogue could barely remember climbing into the car. One minute she'd been seriously weighing her options, and the next Erik was kissing her, all rational thought disappearing once more.

"You're awfully quiet for someone who had such a dire emergency," Magneto commented almost jovially.

She shook her head, trying to clear the sudden fog from her brain. Damn hormones. She'd NEVER had this much of a hard time keeping her head clear when she was around Gambit.

"Someone recorded us," she started carefully. "Ah guess some girls were down the street makin' a stupid video and they caught me with that Thad guy as he was draggin' me toward his car." Her eyes were fixated on her lap, and she suddenly realized she was still missing her other glove. A quick peek at Erik confirmed that he had tucked the black silk into his front pocket.

"Do the X-Men know it was you?" Magneto asked cooly, never taking his eyes off the road.

Rogue shook her head. "No, Ah don't think so. The zoom was pretty bad, but even if Forge manages to improve the quality, Ah doubt anyone would recognize me with 'normal' makeup and that wig." She snorted. Her fondness for darker hues hadn't changed much in the last few years, although she was starting to branch out more and more as her relationship with Gambit had progressed.

"Which reminds me;" Erik interrupted her thoughts, "the next time we see each other, I must take you shopping for more suitable attire and beauty products." His voice was full of amusement and just a tinge of irritation.

"What's wrong with mah clothes?" Rogue huffed, folding her arms over her front as she frowned.

He glanced in her direction, giving her a once-over. "At the moment, nothing. Albeit I DID purchase that outfit myself if you remember correctly," he grinned. "But that ridiculous dark MUCK you wear is less than flattering for someone your age and with your natural beauty. Furthermore, it has currently gravitated away from your eyes and onto your cheeks. Quality makeup doesn't run like that."

The X-Man gave a start as she pulled down the vanity mirror on her side. "Oh mah lord," she muttered as she frantically searched her purse for a tissue. Her dark eyeliner and mascara had left streaks down her face, and her eyeshadow was smudged and rubbed across her brows and temples. Even her purple lipstick - a shade meant to match her blouse - was ruined, and she was thankful she'd had the foresight to grab her small bag of makeup on the way out.

"There are alcohol wipes in the glove compartment," Erik interrupted her frantic search, and she tore open the small storage compartment, easily finding the package of single use wipes within the organized space.

"You need to focus," Magneto chastised as she fussed over her appearance. "What else did this video show that was so incriminating?"

"Um," she thought aloud as she fiddled with the alcohol wipe and cleaned up the edges of her eyes despite the stinging sensation that made her tear up. "It picked up most everything after he dragged me outta the club, but it didn't - it didn't LOOK like he was kidnapping me. Just made me look like some drunken bimbo!" She slammed the glove box unexpectedly, like a tantruming toddler, and folded her arms across her chest as she stared out her window.

"Do not behave like a child, Rogue, or I may have to treat you like one." Her seat belt tightened within the mechanical fastenings, pulling her against the chair roughly, and she gasped, her hands grappling instinctively with the material. The tension released almost immediately, however, and she glared at Magneto as she readjusted herself in the chair, rubbing her overly tender breasts (yet another side effect of the birth control pills).

"Now," he continued on as if nothing had happened. "What about that video is so disturbing to you if you don't think the X-Men will be able to discover your identity?"

Her mouth moved, but no sound came out as she tried to argue a point she couldn't articulate.

"They don't BELIEVE me!" she finally barked, her face flushing anew. "They haven't done a damn thing to find any missing mutants or figure out what's happening out there!" She alternated between twisting the rings on her fingers and wringing her hands as her agitation grew and spilled over.

"Ah haven't been able t' go interview anyone 'cause they've got me on that stupid 'medical leave'. Xavier's been all over me t' TALK, and he won't even let me do research for more than a couple of hours a day."

She felt tears burning in her eyes once more and swiped angrily at them as she continued her tirade. "The X-Men already think the whole thing is some bullshit story you fed me to make me trust you, and now the stupid video just makes it look like you're kidnappin' two innocent people! Ah KNOW that ain't true, but Ah can't say a damn thing without them knowin' about us."

"I see," Magneto's voice was tight, and he kept his eyes firmly on the road as he traveled down the interstate. He filed away the comment she made about him. It was a sign he took heart in; she cared about him, as well as how her friends viewed him. "I take it you felt they wouldn't respond kindly to such knowledge?"

"HA!" Rogue barked louder, folding her arms across her chest once more as she scuffed her heavy boots together. She was suddenly furious and desperately wanted to hit or kick something. She hadn't even been allowed in the Danger Room to work out her growing frustrations. "They got so worked up that I was on a first name basis with our 'greatest enemy' that I didn't bother mentioning we had a one night stand."

At this, Magneto's eyes flicked in her direction, but he made no indication that he was at all perturbed by her admission. Or that she considered their affair a singular event.

"So are you upset by the surfacing of the video because it might implicate or otherwise 'out' you? Or because it casts me as the villain?" He kept his attention focused on the road. As much as he wanted to use his powers right now to forcibly move the other vehicles out of the way, he wasn't wearing his suit or helmet and couldn't risk Xavier tracking his powers.

"Both, ah guess, and neither." When he shot her a questioning look, she elaborated. "Ah feel like this whole week everyone's been treatin' me like Ah'm losin' it. Like Ah ain't FIT t' go on missions, or help at all. Like mah judgment suddenly ain't worth shit because Ah trusted you. Which means they ain't even gonna TRY t' find the missing mutants, or shut this thing down. Not unless Ah manage t' bring 'em somethin' definitive, and Ah can't even do THAT. Ah just hate feelin' so god damned USELESS!"

She practically screamed the last word, and viciously punched the sleek metal door frame as tears leaked from her eyes. Her vexation over her situation turned more immediate, however, when Magneto suddenly swerved between three lanes of traffic, narrowly avoiding multiple collisions as he aggressively yanked the car onto the shoulder.

He slammed on the brakes so hard that the tires squealed and Rogue's seat belt jerked and tightened of its own accord. She yelped, hands flying to the dash to arrest her unexpected momentum.

"Are you NUTS?" she yelled, turning to glare at him angrily, but the cold rage brewing behind his gray-blue eyes silenced her even as the seat belt tightened more and more.

"Do NOT shout at me," he seethed viciously, "and do NOT take out your frustrations on my property. If you want to tantrum and break things on your own time then so be it, but I will NOT tolerate such childish, immature behavior in my presence. Do you understand me?"

It was getting almost hard to breathe with the seat belt squeezing against her waist and chest, and she nodded even though she was still seething.

"I believe I told you that if you were going to ACT like a child, then I would TREAT you like one, did I not?" He did enjoy making her react, and a part of him hoped she'd continue her tirade if only to allow him further license. He found himself endlessly fascinated by the girl; it was hard to keep the thought from his face just as it was difficult to keep himself from overtly watching her even now.

Rogue's emerald eyes widened, then narrowed as she folded her arms against her chest defiantly. She refused to acknowledge him or give him the satisfaction of an answer, preferring to sit silently and stew.

But then she felt twin bands of metal snap around her wrists, and the rings on her fingers and thumbs tightened almost painfully. When she opened her mouth to protest, she found the thumb on her bare hand shoved so far into her mouth she nearly gagged. Her other hand was forced between her legs, the metal wristlet pressing hard against her clitoris while the ring on her middle finger bound her gloved fingers against the apex of her jeans.

"Ahh Uuu Kahhg Mhh!?" she mouthed around her forcefully balled fist, but as she tried to shout, her thumb pressed further, and she couldn't stop herself from actually wretching a little.

"Naughty girls who CURSE get punished, Rogue. I thought I made that clear?" Magneto sneered, heartily amused by his own cleverness. "Yoi chose to behave like a child, so I'm putting you in a time-out. And there is no talking during time-outs."

She found that as she quieted, her thumb pressed less insistently in her mouth, so she settled for glaring murderously at him, even though she could scarcely move her head with how hard her fist was pushing against her teeth.

"Feel fortunate I don't wash your mouth out with soap after that foul-mouthed rant of yours." With a self-satisfied smirk, Erik carefully pulled back onto the interstate, taking his time to merge back into traffic and get up to speed.

"This world is all about POWER, Rogue," he pontificated as he held her captive. "Certain things hold more power than others. For example, you no doubt understand that I hold a great deal of power over you like this." He chuckled at the indignant noise she made in her throat before he increased the pressure of her thumb slightly and she gagged anew, breathing heavily through her nose to quell the automatic reaction. A little whine of discomfort and dismay escaped around her fist and he released a smidgen of the tension.

"Information is power, too, of course, when utilized the right way. Right now these Friends of Humanity have power over mutants. Their power will grow, and influence others, whether they truly believe in their cause, or are just milling throngs looking to secure themselves." He glanced over, happy to see she was calming down and taking her 'punishment' without further fuss, and he continued to elaborate on the dangers of the zealot humans.

"They will first gain ground with the general populace, then move to politics. That is the same plan hate-mongers use, every time. They. Will not. Ever. Stop. We NEED the information they have, and until we get it, they will continue to hold that power over us." His countenance grew dark.

"But if you're willing," he continued, "you can help turn the tables. Take fear back from the Friends of Humanity. Return to our kind their dignity and safety. Hopefully permanently." Magneto forced her thumb and middle finger to increase pressure on both her throat and clitoris, then quickly released her as she gagged and writhed simultaneously.

With a small cough she removed her other glove before trying to viciously rip the offending 'jewelry' off her wrists and fingers, but she found them practically welded to her skin. "You slimy son of a - !"

"Uh, uh, uh," Magneto chastised, delight dancing in his icy eyes. "You wouldn't want to go back in time out now, would you?"

Rogue harrumphed, crossing her arms in outrage as she tried to fight off tears from being used and humiliated in such a way. She had heard his monologue, nonetheless, and while she didn't appreciate his 'demonstration' about the kind of power he had over her, she did understand his point about the Friends of Humanity.

"I WARNED you, my dear," he consoled her as she ignored him. "What was it I asked for on our first night, hmm?" He tried to remind her of all the promises, all the reasons she wouldn't wish to walk away from him despite an occasional 'punishment' for impropriety and noncompliance. It was necessary. She had fire, and passion, yes. And he loved those attributes; he relied on them himself. What she lacked was the wisdom of control. 'She is on her way. I can guide her; far better than Charles ever could.'

"Honesty and obedience," he supplied when she remained silent.

"Ah thought that was a special 'in the bedroom' kinda thing," she muttered, barely opening her mouth and still refusing to look at him. Her voice was tight with restrained emotion as she tried to swallow around her dry throat.

"I'm afraid that I am a 'package deal'," he admitted lightly. "If this mutual arrangement is to work, I need you to accept and comply with my expectations in every way."

"Feels more like a 'subjugation' than an arrangement," she huffed, still glaring daggers. How she was supposed to work with a man that was this controlling - especially when she herself was so fiercely stubborn and strong-willed - was beyond comprehension.

"I will never 'subjugate' you without proper warning, Rogue," Erik added coolly. "But if you provoke me, I WILL retaliate."

The X-Man snorted loudly, her hot southern temper prickling. "Oh, but AH'M just supposed to follow your every whim and command, and not retaliate when AH'M provoked!?" She was very much starting to doubt her choice of getting in the car with him, and wondered if she had enough cash on hand to catch a cab back to her vehicle.

"You have your safe word, do you not?" He raised an eyebrow, challenging her protests of inequality.

Rogue opened her mouth to argue, but shut it again with an audible snap. How had she forgotten already? 'Snakes' should have been the first word out of her mouth when he'd forced her into sucking her thumb like an infant.

And for a fleeting moment, she wondered what ELSE he could make her fingers do…

The thought made her face flush wildly, and she turned away from him, squirming slightly in her seat even though her arms were still folded in annoyance.

"This is ridiculous!" she hissed at last, careful to keep her voice low rather than shouting at him. "Why the hel-HECK is this so important t' y'all? Ah'm NOT an Acolyte, ya know, and Ah don't plan t' become one, either!" She had to let him know in no uncertain terms where she stood on that front. She wasn't going to play his games - promise of touch or not - if he expected her to blindly follow him like his other lackeys.

"What we're doin' - findin' these missing mutants and shuttin' this down? - Shouldn't matter a lick on whether Ah 'obey' you or not," she continued brusquely. "Me workin' with you on these missions shouldn't make a pinch a pepper in a pie's worth of difference on what we do privately."

Her green eyes were flashing with outrage, but she swallowed hard at her involuntary mention about their 'private time'. Did that Freudian slip mean she WANTED to engage in those secretive indiscretions again? Her body was certainly in agreement as her pulse pounded in her clitoris and she felt a slickness in her underwear.

Still, her mind wasn't quite so enthralled with the idea of letting him 'subjugate' her in bed, despite how excited it made the rest of her. She realized that perhaps sleeping with Magneto on top of everything else wasn't the wisest of activities. The X-Men already didn't trust her, not even enough to thoroughly look into her claims. Magneto had saved her, but he had his rules, his punishments…his praise. Rogue wasn't sure which she hated or loved more than the others - the rules, the punishments, or the praise. She thought she may hate the latter - the praise - most; because she actually wanted it. Needed it. Practically craved it.

With the exception of his… chastisements… Erik treated her like an equal when they worked together. Through all of last weekend's events he protected her, even cared for her. Maybe not in the same way Remy did - and who but the Cajun could, really? But even with those moments of uncertainty and brief fear of Magneto's 'punishments,' it was better than the shadow of a life she had led before. Too afraid to touch, too afraid to speak up, too afraid to use her powers, too afraid to hope for a brighter future both for herself and others.

And here, with him, she thought she could at least do something meaningful. Make a difference. Feel useful.

"I never said I would allow you to work with me, Rogue." Magneto's voice was calm, but cold, his eyes never straying from the road as she stared at him open mouthed.

"W-What?!" she stammered, voice raising an octave. "What the sam hill is THAT supposed t' mean?! You ASKED me t' join you on a mission!" She suddenly felt as if the floor had dropped out of the car and she was falling headlong into the icy river below as they drove over the Verrazano Bridge toward southern Long Island. Her last avenue of helping other victims crumbling before her.

He tutted at her, that sneering smile back on his face as he took in her flushed, panic-stricken countenance. "I asked if you WANTED to join me," he corrected snidely. "That isn't the same thing as agreeing to LET you do so."

"Ugh!" Rogue had to ball her fists in her lap as she was desperately tempted to lash out again. "Then WHY did you even bring me along in the first place?!" she railed anew once she had calmed herself slightly. "If you had no intentions of lettin' me HELP - if you only planned t' bench me like the X-Men, then WHY…?"

"I told you, I wished to help you with your 'emergency'." His explanation was so easy, so casual that it made her want to cry, and she did indeed feel the tears welling up.

"Ah can't believe this!" Her voice was rising rapidly as her emotions got the best of her. The hormones in the birth control pills were taking her for more of a ride than Swing had as she alternated between rage and weepiness every few minutes.

"You can't seriously be putting me on the sidelines too?! Just gimme SOMETHIN' t' do, Erik, please?!" she begged, openly crying now; her southern accent was becoming more pronounced as her emotional state declined. "A task, a mission, ANYTHIN' ta feel like Ah'm actually makin' a difference or helpin' someone! Ah can't sit an' do NOTHIN' anymoh! If Ah haf t' go it alone, then so be it, but Ah swear t' Gawd -"

"Calm yourself, girl!" He cut her off, chastising her harshly even though he was overjoyed that she was coming to him willingly - even more than that, she was BEGGING him to make use of her, to be a part of his plans.

Magneto took a few moments to appear as if he were deliberating his options, occasionally casting sideways glances in her direction as she wiped her face with some tissues she'd found in the glove box and she tried to control her tears. He tapped a finger against the steering wheel, as if to count something in his mind and keep track of it in reality. He really did prefer to see her without all of that paint, pale flesh rosy like now - but in the throes of passion, rather than distress.

"If you are so intent on doing something productive, I can no doubt use you - Acolyte or not," he conceded at last. His tone was reluctant, but inside he was overjoyed to have her willing cooperation.

"Really?!" Rogue's excitement - and relief - was palpable. "So, you didn't mean it? What you said in the letter? …"

"I did indeed MEAN it," he replied, angry at her presumptuousness. "This is a decision that goes against my better judgment, I assure you." He forced a small smile in order to reassure her, removing some of the sting of the words. "But, as you are so adamant in your desire to get to the bottom of this injustice, then I would prefer to have you with me, where I can ensure your safety, rather than going out on your own like some half-cocked vigilante."

Rogue couldn't stop the sob that erupted from her throat, "Th-TTh-thank you!" she managed to say, once again overcome with emotion over the fact that SOMEONE finally believed in her. His admission that he wanted to keep her safe reopened the floodgates, and she wiped away the moisture she had just finished containing. It gave her hope that Erik truly cared about her well being, and didn't just see her as a fuck buddy or another cog in his plans.

"You are of no use to me like this, however. Not as emotional and irrational as you currently are. But time is of the essence, and I don't have the luxury of waiting," he narrowed his eyes, casting her another glance. "I believe I have a solution, however. I'd like to take the opportunity to help calm you, if you're brave enough to try? And brave enough to trust me?"

He pulled a small baggie from the breast pocket of his shirt, with a handful of small green pills inside. Without looking at her, he handed over the tiny parcel, waiting for her to examine them.

Rogue swallowed hard. "Are these?" she started to say, observing the deep lines of concentration and tension on his face.

Erik nodded. "They are. Procured, in fact, because of your valiant efforts last weekend. It's the first time we've actually been able to place an undercover agent and intercept a dealer. That is a very low dose, meant to trigger a slight physiological response - feelings of calm, relaxation - without completely clouding the mind and disabling the faculties. You would not be the first to test them, but it would allow me to see firsthand what a low dosage can do for you and other operatives."

The alarm grew on Rogue's face. There was a tiny crinkling noise as her hand shook and tightened around the baggie. "And you - you want me t' just TAKE it?"

Another tip of his head. "As I said, I can't use you like THIS, Rogue," he admitted gently. "Not when you are so undisciplined and unable to control your responses. Even now you're on the verge of tears again, aren't you?"

She cursed under her breath, turning her face away to swipe at her eyes, but yelped slightly when the seat belt tightened across her lap.

"Language," he reminded her, a dark note to the word that seemed almost eager for her to disobey.

"...Yeah, alright. Sorry." And the seatbelt loosened, just like that.

It was a welcome distraction, however, from the dilemma she was currently facing. Hadn't she JUST been thinking this morning about how much she wanted something like this to help settle her nerves? The phrase 'be careful what you wish for' briefly came to mind as she timidly opened the bag.

"How long's this supposed t' last?" she asked, extracting one tiny, bright green pill from the two dozen or so in the pouch.

"A few hours at most. The effects of these pills would clear your system well before you return home." Rogue was considering the pill further as they continued through the metropolitan traffic.

"Speaking of," he asked, watching as she took a few deep, calming breaths and deliberated on her choice. "What will you tell your colleagues about your activities today?"

The X-Man closed her fist around the tiny dose of XDM as she considered the possibilities - and ramifications - of what she was about to do. "That Ah had a lot t' think about; that Ah'm not giving up on this Friends of Humanity thing, even if Ah have t' do it alone, on mah own time."

"And how much time do you have?" Erik asked, almost hoping he could have her for the entire weekend.

"Ah need t' be home by eleven or they'll come looking f'r me f'r sure." Rogue chuckled to herself, an ironic bark of derisive laughter. "Maybe Ah'll just stay out all night anyhow - call and tell 'em Ah'm at a bar hopin' t' get drugged so Ah could prove Ah was right."

"Why do I get the distinct impression that is EXACTLY something you would do?" Erik snorted, momentarily losing his composure as he pictured her haughty defiance toward Charles and her teammates.

"And why NOT?" she grumped. "Like you said, at least it was effective. Maybe not the SMARTEST thing t' do - 'specially on mah own." She shrugged her shoulders as her face flushed, fist still clasped around the dose of Swing. "But if you hadn't found me at the park t'day, who knows? That's prob'ly what Ah'd be doin' anyhow."

Erik's eyes flicked to Rogue, who was sitting ramrod straight, arms folded, shoulders back, and jaw set stubbornly. Her determination and conviction actually gave him pause, and he swelled with momentary affection and concern. "I certainly HOPE you would not do something so foolish as to walk into a proverbial lion's den without a plan or back up."

The thought of this beautiful, headstrong, and intelligent young woman deliberately putting herself in harm's way without proper recourse, simply to make a point to her team and feel like she was doing something to help past - or potential - victims, filled him with both pride and disquietude. What an utter shame that she refused to join his Acolytes. Her fiery passion was wasted on fools like the X-Men.

"What other choice are they givin' me?" she muttered, shrugging. Tears pricked her eyes as she realized how much she hated feeling so…so…useless.

Rogue considered the pill in her hand. Her stomach rebelled for one nauseating moment, but she managed to get herself under control. She wanted - needed - more time to think this over, but she knew that she didn't have the opportunity. She had to decide now.

'Only thig worse is havin' it happen t' me again. Only thing worse is knowin' it's gonna happen t'others.'

Funny how a few simple thoughts made something so momentous easier to swallow.

"Heaven help me, 'cause Ah sure ain't doin' mahself any good," she sighed and tossed the tiny green pill into her mouth.

Magneto watched her throat contract as she took the pill dry. He felt another flash of pride, arousal, and possession lance through him.

Then she took a deep breath and cocked her head, turning to give him a small, sidelong smile. And with one last fleeting thought, he knew things couldn't be going better.

~X~

The rest of the car ride was silent. The Swing had worked fairly quickly, taking full effect in only about 5 minutes, and Rogue had felt her shattered nerves and fluctuating hormones calming and quieting rapidly thereafter.

Grabbing a duffel bag from the backseat first, he escorted her from the car with attentive hands. Perhaps he realized she was thinking. Considering her options and planning her next steps. It was as if her childish outburst in the car hadn't even happened.

Pride swelled in his chest. The girl was driven by emotion and valiancy, but she had a nimble mind, strong will, and a wide streak of courage. She had limitless potential.

'And stubbornness.' He added internally, but not without fondness.

Erik checked them into a hotel somewhere in Long Island. It wasn't quite as lavish as the Crown Royale from before, but was certainly more upscale than Rogue was used to. He reserved a room under yet another pseudonym, and Rogue was relatively surprised to see him pull out a corresponding I.D. as well as a matching credit card. She knew he was a legitimate 'evil villain,' she just hadn't realized how GOOD he was at covering all the bases. No wonder the man had eluded authorities - and the X-Men - for so long.

Once they were locked away in the hotel room, the butterflies returned to Rogue's stomach, even though she no longer felt as shaky. The roller coaster of emotions had slowed to that of a kiddy ride as she sat stoically on the edge of the king sized bed.

Magneto placed his duffle on the desk next to the television and pulled out a folder of papers, a brown wig, and a sleeveless purple dress. The tiny spaghetti straps were more for show than for function, and Rogue snorted.

"What, may I ask, is so funny?" Erik raised an eyebrow as he placed the dress and wig on the desk next to his bag.

"Ah hope you got that body stocking or something else in there, 'cause there's no WAY Ah'm wearin' THAT to some fancy club. Ah'd knock the whole place unconscious in 10 seconds flat."

He gave her a look that told her he was not amused by her summation. "No, this is it. There is no 'body stocking' or other such garments this time."

She snorted again even as her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "Did you somehow MISS the fact that mah skin is DANGEROUS? First guy that comes close t' me is gonna end up in a coma. Not the best idea for a covert ops mission." Her voice was full of sarcasm, but she had a hint of desire on her face as well, which both annoyed and thrilled him.

"That's why I'll be accompanying you tonight," he cast her a sideways look as he pulled out a neatly folded suit coat and some sparkly heels. He didn't miss the hopeful look in her eyes, and he had to hide the smile that stretched across his face.

"How are you feeling?" he asked instead, shifting a few more items around in his bag. He hadn't had the time to gather everything he'd wanted for their first rendezvous, but this would suffice for the time being.

Rogue smiled brightly. "Good, actually. Much better than Ah have all week, in fact. Don't feel like Ah'm gonna take a swan dive off a dry pier at least." She removed her heavy boots and socks in anticipation of the change in attire.

"More relaxed, I presume?" He turned, folding his arms and grinning as she finished removing her footwear and flopped onto her back across the bed.

"Much," she agreed, eyes closed and bare toes flexing. "And Ah don't feel horribly sleepy or confused, either. Not like with the real Swing."

"That IS the real Swing," Magneto informed her with amusement. His chuckle deepened when she sat up and gave him a confused look. "It's just the smallest dose possible."

Her mouth made an 'O' of understanding as she nodded. "Guess that makes sense," she said finally. "So if Ah took a few of 'em, that would make me go all loopy like when Thad dosed me?"

He nodded again and Rogue jumped off the bed, her exuberance palpable.

"Alright then, why don't you hand me that there dress and Ah'll go change in the bathroom. Then you can fill me in on what we're doin'."

Erik picked up the dress, but kept it in his hand, refusing to hand it over just yet. "We'll be surveilling a man named Paul Harker. He's a higher level dealer that we haven't been able to get close to yet. My Acolytes have positioned themselves all over the city; we're just trying to get eyes on him and his activities tonight. The hope is to put a tracer on his car - or his person - and track him to any of his accomplices, or better yet, those above him in this endless chain."

Rogue's features darkened as she considered this, and she chewed on her lower lip.

"That reminds me, Erik. Ah - Ah wanna talk t' you about what happens AFTER we catch these guys. Ah know you've got your own way of …dealing with them." She hesitated, her gaze dropping to the floor with sudden nervousness. "And Ah know that Ah practically BEGGED ya t' take me and let me help, but…"

She paused, a surge of unease blooming in her belly as she prepared to potentially destroy her only hope of helping the other missing mutants. A wild, errant desire to pop another of those green pills to calm her growing anxiety struck like a match, but was extinguished just as quickly.

"Ah can't do this if you're gonna kill the people Ah help y'all bring in."

"I'm sorry?" Magneto held his temper in an even hand, though he wanted for a very brief moment to shake the sense into her. There was that stubbornness he admired. Yes, his "little minx" had a way of wriggling past his defenses, and endlessly making him reassess her.

He hadn't expected her to find such an unwavering backbone so quickly. Perhaps it was his lecture, or his effective 'demonstration' in the car ride. Was that what inspired this? Or was it just that ridiculous heroism Charles drilled into his poor students' minds day in, day out? And yet, here she was, demanding mercy, clemency, second chances for predators on society, for murderers, drug dealers, and even rapists.

"A WON'T do this - won't have any part of it - if y'all kill these folks - bad guys or not," she stood, her spine erect and arms folded, suddenly filled with more confidence than she really felt, a sure sign the Swing was still in effect. "Ah may wanna help bring this scum down, but Ah won't have their blood on mah hands - not like Thad. There's other ways."

"Really? Enlighten me," Magneto replied, his tone was even, but his eyes banked a smoldering fire, confident that he could outthink anything she supplied. Justifiable homicide was a fine enough dance that could be used to explain away a multitude of potential activities, after all.

He was still leaning against the built-in desk near the television. Both legs splayed in front of him and crossed at the ankles in a relaxed pose. The tension in his back and shoulders was apparent, however, and his arms remained folded, his brow furrowed.

"Ah know jail ain't an option yet - there's no proof they did anything wrong, least not in the eyes of the law, and it's their word 'gainst ours." She was pacing the hotel now, one hand on her chin as her elbow rested on her other folded arm. "We need evidence - preferably video documentation of what they been up to, but we can't get THAT til we know where they're hiding out."

Magneto watched her traverse the decent sized hotel room several times. His Acolytes had already surmised as much - they'd been over this fact dozens of times.

"Y'all have Mastermind, right? Other telepaths?"

Erik nodded, following her pattern of thought easily. "They have not procured anything overly useful until you helped bring in THAD."

The Master of Magnetism wasn't sure why Rogue insisted on using the scum's first name, but he humored her nonetheless. He watched as her face whitened slightly at the mention of the slain man, but it barely gave her pause as she paced.

"Let 'em go," she said simply, as if it were the most natural explanation in the world, and Magneto actually laughed outright at her.

"So they can go right back out there and victimize MORE mutants? Ha!"

But when a devious, wicked smile grew on her face, he paused.

"Exactly," she agreed. "Have Mastermind find out what they know, then mind wipe 'em so it's like they never got captured in the first place. Put a tracker on their shoes, or in their phone or somethin', then dump 'em back at home, or wherever they got picked up at. Watch where they go, what they do, who they talk to. Ten bucks says you'll have every one of their buyers, dealers, and where they're gettin' their supplies from, in a month or two."

She grinned as she continued pacing, the cogs in her mind practically visible to him as she plotted. "You can make these guys work for ya. Have 'em call one of your Acolyte's once a week to report, and forget what they said. An' honestly, when yer done with 'em…why not give 'em something to chew on? Maybe, like, the next time they think a negative thought toward any minority, they start vomiting violently? Or maybe they lose sleep for a week." She smiled a little. "Ah don't want anyone to die, but they shouldn't get to walk away fancy free."

She was almost smug as she turned toward him; a look of confidence and maturity settling on her features that Erik hadn't known she possessed. He was impressed. More than impressed, in fact. He was in awe.

"An' maybe Mastermind can put some kind of mojo on 'em - like a trigger word - so they'll turn themselves in once all is said and done. If nothin' else, y'all can keep dossiere's on 'em, give it to the police afterwards, or even the X-Men if'n we get our heads outta our asses - sorry, BUTTS - by then."

Erik lifted an eyebrow but his lips twerked into a small smile, letting her know she was forgiven, and nodded for her to continue. He didn't miss the brief trepidation in her eyes, however, or the way she lost some of her bravado as she stepped back slightly. She had thrown herself back in with the X-Men again, reminding him of where her allegiances lie, even if she was none too happy with her team at the moment.

He watched her fold her arms over her chest a second time as she wandered closer to the window in the guise of checking out the view, and he wondered if it was a gesture of self-protection, self-doubt, or rising irritation. But, from his vantage point against the desk, he could tell she was thinking, calculating, plotting. Her keen eyes and mind whirling with possibilities.

"Keep your people patrolling the clubs, watchin' out for any other potential victims so they can warn 'em. But it HAS t' be done tactfully. If your people keep beatin' up, kidnappin,' and killin' all the little pigeons, then the raptors ain't gonna come a huntin' round here no more, if ya know what I mean."

Magneto nodded. "We risk tipping off those in charge if we continue dwindling their lower ranks." His face was grave, yet he couldn't keep his lips from turning up. Beauty AND Brains. An intoxicating combination indeed.

Rogue nodded, her arms still folded as she stayed by the window. "Y'r Acolytes should still be alert, but in a way that makes it look accidental if they come across anything fishy. Follow anyone who might become a victim, but make it look like they're just comin' and goin' as regular citizens. That way if any of these Friends of Humanity folks try t' nab someone, the Acolytes can turn the tables and bring in the baddies quiet-like. Then y'all pull a 'catch and release' and send 'em off t' lead ya to the bigger fish. Eventually, you'll catch a whopper."

"For every 10,000 guppies there is but one 'Monstro' lurking in the deep." Magneto surmised aloud, though he was deep in thought.

Rogue fell quiet as she considered the gleaming city; up this high, the entire panorama of Manhattan was on display in grays, blacks, and sharp whites against a bright silhouette. The noon sun highlighted the gleaming buildings and miniature cars as they navigated the city streets like tiny toy cars on a motorized track.

From here everything looked clear and intentional, so unlike the bustling chaos of being amongst the throng. From here it would be easy to dismiss that such a seedy underbelly of mutant trafficking even existed. She gave another tip of her head as she glanced over her shoulder at him as he leaned on the desk.

"I must admit," Erik smiled, "it's a brilliant strategy. Frankly, I'm disappointed I didn't think of it sooner. It seems I have let my own anger and desire for vengeance cloud my judgment in this case."

He pushed off of the desk, coming to stand behind the young woman as she looked out at the sprawling city scape. Magneto's hands settled on Rogue's shoulders and he frowned as she tensed slightly at his touch. Nonplussed, he assumed it was an automatic reaction for her, developed from years of worrying about what her deadly skin might do.

"Then this evening you and I will attend one of the clubs that Mr. Harker is supposedly frequenting. He may even meet an accomplice." He turned his head slightly, and the manila folder levitated from the desk, kept aloft by a few well placed paper clips and staples.

Grasping the folder, he held it in front of her, and she opened it quickly, scanning the blurry photographs. "Who the heck have you got on camera duty, Pietro?" she snorted, ignoring the way Magneto was holding the edge of the folder, his arm 'innocently' encircling her waist.

Erik chuckled. "Suvik Senyaka," he mused, "Regrettably, it appears he's been using his tentacles to snap photographs rather than his hands. He lacks the patience for these sorts of tasks; his expertise is more suited to death and destruction. He makes for excellent back up, however."

Rogue made a noise of disgust as she turned the page and continued looking through Harker's file. "Harker's single? That might help some."

"Indeed," Erik agreed, bending so his nose was practically nuzzling her ear. She was a full head shorter than him, the top of her hair barely reaching the bottom of his chin, and he relished how diminutive she appeared against him. His pulse quickened as he thought of how small, how easily dominated she had been beneath him. He inhaled her magnolia scented shampoo, reliving moments from last weekend, but felt her bristle before she snapped the file shut and stepped away.

"We've got a job t' do. Best get ready." Rogue's voice was tight with restrained emotion as she reached for the purple dress Erik had left on the desk. "Ah'll just wear mah blouse over the dress," she mused aloud. But, as she headed toward the bathroom, she found her movement arrested by her rings and the metal 'bracelets' that still adorned her wrists.

"I think not," Erik growled in a low, silken voice, the voice Rogue knew meant she was either in very good trouble, or very bad. He gestured and Rogue gasped as she felt the buttons on her merlot blouse suddenly explode outward, the tiny metal discs pinging throughout the room as she yelped.

Whirling, she put her hands on her hips, purple dress still grasped in one fist as she glared at him. Her shirt hung open, revealing the lacy black bra Erik had bought her last weekend.

"What the … devil … do y'all think y'r doin'?" she railed, eyes angry but steady even as she caught herself before cursing. "You KNOW Ah can't go back wearin' different clothes! Ah can't believe you just ruined mah shirt f'r no good reason!"

Magneto held out his hand, calling the errant buttons back. The tiny circles floated into his hand before he sent them back to the garment, splitting and reattaching themselves to their original position.

"I believe I told you that the dress alone would suffice," he growled. His eyes were dancing with amusement and desire, however, and Rogue took another step back, only to be halted by the shirt itself as it slid down her arms, the fabric assisted by the metal buttons.

Magneto stepped closer, relishing the tiny gasp that escaped the girl's lips as he used his powers to release the clasp on her bra. His fingers pulled the lacy black straps down off her shoulders, freeing her from the blouse and the brassiere simultaneously.

As soon as her hands were free again, Rogue brought them up, covering herself subconsciously as she stepped back, attempting to put some distance between herself and that smoldering gaze. She was attracted to him, that much was a fact, but she wasn't so sure about the physical aspect of their "arrangement" any more.

"Pants," he instructed, his voice deep and husky as his eyes wandered over her perfect, pale skin.

"Magneto," her tone was warning as she purposely spoke his code name, yet there was a twinge of desperate pleading as well. "This ain't…"

She was cut off by her own hands being forcefully pulled away from her breasts as he took control of her rings and wristlets once more. She made a small squeak when her thumbs hooked over her stretchy jeans and underwear alike, pulling them down until she was standing naked in front of him.

"Now," he mused, stepping back to examine her form. "How are those pills affecting you? You've clearly calmed down, and I sense you aren't as …desperate as last time you were dosed with Swing."

A deep blush dusted from her cheeks down to the tops of her breasts as she tried to cover herself again. She shook her head silently as blue-gray irises seemed to wrap her nude form in a blanket of heat and fire, and she found herself quivering lightly.

Truth be told, her body WAS responding, as evidenced by the growing wetness between her legs. It was hard to tell if it was the Swing, or her own natural reaction to him and his touch. "Ah'm not," she admitted at last, still refusing to meet his eyes. "Mah head feels fine - clear; Ah just wanna focus on the MISSION."

It was true. Even though she'd replayed and relived their tryst so many times in her head over the last week, now that she was standing naked in front of him, she didn't feel quite the same intensity as before.

That burning, desperate need she'd experienced last weekend while under the effects of the Swing had been replaced with a dull throb that her brain could seemingly ignore. She pursed her lips, trying to reconcile the differences of what her body and mind wanted.

Finally, Rogue raised her eyes to meet his, and was taken aback by the intensely smoldering hunger within his blue gray irises.

"Erik, we - we gotta talk, Ah - Ah don't… You an' me…" She stammered, unable to form a coherent thought as she shifted back and forth on bare feet, her naked thighs growing moist even as she tried to talk herself down.

"Go use the restroom, collect yourself. Then we'll continue from there." Using his hands, he turned her by the shoulders and forcibly pushed her towards the small ensuite.

By the time she reached the bathroom her hands were shaking so much she could barely click the lock on the door behind her. It was a pointless gesture, but it made her feel better somehow.

Rogue took a few moments to relieve herself, all the while considering her options and what she really wanted. There was a man - albeit a much older, more experienced, authoritative, and somewhat ruthless man - waiting for her, WANTING her, able to TOUCH her. And, truth be told, she wanted him, too. If not just because she COULD, but because she felt attracted to the man himself - his confidence, his brilliance, his devotion, his faith in her, even his domineering tendencies.

But her mind flitted to the other man in her life, the one who had become her best friend, the one on whom she could rely to always have her back; to be there to comfort her or make her laugh - even during the worst of times. In her heart of hearts Rogue wanted everything she could actually have with Erik to be possible with Remy, and she cursed the powers that be for presenting her with such an impossible choice.

She washed her hands at the sink, refusing to look at her mirrored image - refusing to see the sadness and lust reflected in her own emerald eyes. Despite the clarity in her mind, and her apprehension about repeating last week's 'activities' with Erik, she couldn't deny that her body DESPERATELY wanted it. Her skin yearned to be touched, caressed, adored. Her loins were practically quaking with unfulfilled need.

But Rogue had the mission to think about, and the X-Men. This week had been hard enough with lying and avoiding everyone. She couldn't keep sneaking around and LITERALLY 'sleeping with the enemy' if she wanted things to go back to normal with her team. She wanted them to trust her, believe in her - the way Erik did.

That thought shot another pang of sorrow through her heart and mind. Why was it that someone who had no reason to let her call the shots or suggest a plan of action was able to do so without a second thought? Especially when her own team - her friends and family - didn't even trust her enough to properly follow up on her concerns.

"Rogue," Magneto's impatient voice filtered through the closed door. "I'm waiting. I don't think you wish for me to come GET you, do you?"

The danger in his tone made her heart thump with panic, and her groin throb with desire. She took a deep breath. She had to put a stop to this, NOW, while she still could. God forbid she go out as bait again and let him have his way with her when she wasn't in her right mind.

Lord knew she was just about to let him do it anyhow…

No, this had to be it. She needed the X-Men to take her seriously so they could tackle the Friends of Humanity on BOTH fronts, and she couldn't do that if she kept fornicating with Magneto.

With one more deep breath, she closed her eyes and pulled the door open roughly, keeping her head high despite her current state of undress.

"Alright, Erik, we gotta…"

Her mouth fell open, however, as she saw Erik sitting on the bed completely nude, legs splayed wide and giving her a complete view of his fully erect penis.

"Oh mah gawd." The blood must have completely left her face, because she was certain it had all pooled in her lower extremities.

"I fully reciprocate that sentiment," Erik smirked, looking her up and down as if drinking her in. His eyes were hungry - starving - for her, but she detected a hint of playfulness that she'd never seen before. Then there was that domineering posture, letting her know in no uncertain terms that she was going to do whatever he asked of her, despite any doubts she may have. The thought left her positively trembling with nervousness and need, and she squeezed her pale, naked thighs together to keep him from seeing the evidence thereof.

So much for her brilliant idea to end things before she got in over her head...

Still, she wasn't entirely sold on the idea, especially now that she was faced with his large, rippling body and throbbing penis, which looked a heck of a lot bigger than she remembered.

"Come here, Rogue," Magneto commanded as she stood naked and trembling in the middle of the hotel room.

Hesitantly and breathing heavily, she took a few steps forward, her eyes full of uncertainty and a touch of fear, yet still clouded by that tiny bit of drugged lust.

The combination was like an aphrodisiac to him, and he very much just wanted to throw her down on the bed and fuck her senseless. But she was nervous and fragile, and he knew the drugs in her system were fading just enough to make her doubt their arrangement. If he acted too brash, pushed her too far, he risked spooking her and making her end things, possibly forever.

And that was unacceptable.

He reached a hand out, gently and calmly, smiling serenely at her, knowing just how to manipulate her with mere words. "It's perfectly alright, my dear, you needn't be afraid."

"Ah'm not," she huffed, her spine straightening slightly with that characteristic southern sass. She took a few more steps forward, but stopped short and bit her lip, averting her eyes from his naked body as she refused to traverse the last few feet. "Ah'm just not sure about - about this. About US. Shouldn't we get to the mission? This just, this doesn't feel ri- OH!"

Rogue found herself pushed forward suddenly by Magneto's metal orbs, which had flown out of his bag unexpectedly. They flattened, curving along her back as they helped close the gap between the two mutants. She gasped and stumbled slightly, and Erik's hands found her waist, steadying her. With him sitting, and her on her feet, she was at least slightly taller than him, yet she still felt as small as an ant as he stared up at her face.

"If you truly do not wish to participate in a perfectly normal, ADULT, activity, that is fine, but do not lie to me - or yourself - about how it FEELS," he chastised, his voice low and warning. As he spoke, his hands slid from her waist, one traveling upwards to cup her breast, thumb gently rubbing her nipple and areola, while the other dragged down the curve of her ass, fingers slipping between the back of her thighs to tease at her opening from behind.

"Oh Gawd," she moaned, head falling back against her shoulders, neck bared to him. It was as if all rational thought fled her mind the second his fingers alighted on her body, expertly playing every inch of her skin.

He pulled her closer still, lifting himself slightly to suck and nip at the sensitive flesh just below her jaw while his hands continued to work her into a fervor.

"Er - Erik, please. What about… The mission…? Ah just want … " She was panting, desperately trying to cling to some semblance of reason. Heaven help her, but it shouldn't be THIS hard to articulate her feelings while he was touching her.

"You, what, my dear? You want MORE, perhaps?" Smiling wickedly, his head bent, taking her other nipple in his mouth as he rubbed along her slit, one finger bending to press ever so slightly at her opening, continuously teasing as it alternated between flicking at her clit and her entrance.

Her hands were on his shoulders now, simultaneously pushing him away and pulling him closer, still unsure of what she wanted. "MmmMm," she hummed, the low sigh turning to a tiny whine as his mouth moved to her other breast. His hands switched position as well, the one from her breast dropping between the front of her thighs while the hand that was wet with her juices reached up to pinch and pull at the nipple his mouth had just abandoned.

He rubbed her clit with more force, cupping her mons with his large hand while his middle finger slowly pressed inside her slick vagina.

"Gawd, Erik, PLEASE…" she mewled, panting hard as she subconsciously rocked against his palm.

"Have I ever told you how obnoxiously ambiguous you are in this state of wild abandon, my darling girl?" He chuckled, releasing her breasts even as he continued to finger her.

"Oh…" she cried, nails digging hard into his shoulders. "P-please, don't… don't sssSTOP." Her moans grew louder as she rocked harder against him.

But despite her pleas, Magneto's hand stilled inside her as the other gripped her hip almost painfully. "Do you want MORE, Rogue?" he asked, blue eyes hard and amused.

Her cheeks turned crimson and she averted her gaze even as she nodded.

"Then you will have to prove it, I'm afraid," Erik grinned deviously as he pulled his hand completely free of her lower region. He climbed back on the bed, instead, sitting up against the headboard as the X-Man stared at him with a pathetic look of rejection and unfulfilled lust.

"Well?" Erik growled when she hadn't moved after a few moments. "Come HERE," he commanded, eyes narrowing. He bade his metal discs to 'help' her, making them move and elongate to wrap around her thighs and upper arms. The tiny snakes tugged at her limbs, pressing her onward. With a gasp of surprise she quickly climbed on the bed, moving forward to timidly straddle his hips just below his large, throbbing penis.

"That's better," he smiled, congratulating her even as she shook with nervousness. Clearly the drugs were fading faster from her system than he thought.

"Erik," Rogue whispered again, biting her lip as she trembled, simultaneously wanting to leave for the stakeout AND have him throw her down and screw her senseless. "Ah - Ah don't know-"

"You don't know what you're doing?" He cut her off for the second time, his tone full of sympathy and condescension all at once. "I understand, my dear. That's why I'm going to help you."

His hands were on her hips again, gripping her tightly as he worked in tandem with his little metal snakes that encircled her upper arms and thighs, lifting her up enough to position her over his eagerly awaiting penis. Slowly, he pulled her down, sheathing himself deep inside her wetness as she hissed, her eyes wide with lust, uncertainty, and a hint of pain.

The mix of emotions was intoxicating to him, and before she could fully adjust, he pushed her up again, forcing her to use her own legs to relieve the pressure from the metal bands, before slamming her back down on his dick again.

"Ah-ow! Oh Gawd, Erik! Ah can't…" Rogue cried as he raised her up and slammed her down again. The intensity of being filled by his engorged member and the biting of the bands around her upper arms and thighs was momentarily overwhelming, and she nearly used her safeword right there and then.

"Yes you can, my sweet," he crooned, slowing the pace slightly. "Use your legs; find your rhythm." Magneto wrapped his hands around her wrists, placing her palms flat against his chest before grabbing her hips again, encouraging her to lift herself up with her thighs and arms.

With the pressure of the bands momentarily relieved, Rogue timidly rocked against Erik's hips, ascending almost completely off his penis, then sheathing him again like he had modeled for her, but much slower. His hands slid down to her ass, squeezing and pulling with every one of her upward thrusts.

After a minute or so, she had a decent rhythm going, but her nervousness and inexperience made the affair much less pleasurable than their first encounters. Rogue tried to focus on the thick heat between her legs and she closed her eyes, but when she opened them a few seconds later, she was startled to find a large device that looked something like a microphone dangling in front of her.

She paused, with Erik still seated inside her, and stared at him in shocked wonder. He chuckled at her reaction, his hands returning to her hips for a brief moment before coaxing her up enough to slip the bulbous end of the device below her pelvis so it rested against her clitoris.

"Erik…" she warned, her eyes wary as her pulse raced.

He chuckled at her, knowing she was practically ready to bolt. "Hush. Trust me my dear. You will not be disappointed. Now, be my good girl and show me what you want."

Rogue's breath caught and she blushed furiously. Something about him calling her 'my good girl' made her blood burn and turn cold all at once. Before she could utter a retort, however, she felt the metal snakes squeeze almost painfully as they forced her upward again.

Hesitantly, she resumed her pace, using her thighs, arms, and ass to lift herself up and down on his shaft, finding an easy, steady rhythm. Just as she was beginning to wonder about the device pressed against her clit, it began vibrating, and she jumped slightly at the unexpected sensation.

"Oh!" she cried, taken aback. Before she could stop rocking, the bands moved her upward, then back down, forcefully pressing the vibrating device hard against the sensitive bundle of nerves. "Ahhh! Oh GAWD!" she moaned, head falling back even as she continued riding up and down on Magneto's penis.

The pressure was building now, the metal biting at her arms and thighs morphing from uncomfortable pressure into delectable pleasure as she rocked herself back and forth, gaining momentum and confidence. With every thrust she ground against the wand, and it took mere moments for her climax to build.

Rogue's hands pressed against Erik's wide shoulders, fingernails tearing into the flesh as her hips slowed, her whole body coiled and ready for release.

In response, he raised his knees, using the metal bands and his own hips to continue driving her against him. All at once she ground down hard, her muscles clenching around his penis, making movement next to impossible for either of them.

She washed over the edge with a deep moan that ended in a scream as Erik magnetically flipped up the intensity on the vibrator.

"Aiiiieee!" As soon as her orgasm ebbed and she was able to unclench her muscles, her hands scrambled for the vibrator, pushing it away almost violently. Before she could utter another sound, however, Magneto had flung her off so she landed on her back on the bed unexpectedly.

His eyes were ravenous, filled with a desire so intense he seemed possessed. Using both his hands and the metal snakes, he flipped her over, forcing her up onto her hands and knees in an instant. His fervor was almost terrifying, and the pleasantness of her climax mingled with clawing fear.

"Eri - Aaaiiieeeoooww!"

Magneto slammed into her from behind, fingers bruising her hips as he used his hands and body to push and pull her shapely, luscious bottom against him with every thrust. He removed one hand from her hips, reaching up instead to wrap it around her thick sheaf of hair. Pulling hard, he yanked her head back until she was practically staring at the ceiling. He was pumping into her furiously, and she couldn't understand how he hadn't climaxed yet. It almost felt like he was holding back, waiting for some-

"Ahhh!" Trapped though she was, Rogue bucked hard when the vibrator unexpectedly pressed against her swollen clit for the second time, lifting and turning itself on with the help of Magneto's powers.

"OH - OH MAH GAWD!" she cried loudly, a spiderweb of agonizing tingling spreading outward from her over sensitized nerves. She felt another climax building as Erik relentlessly pounded against her, the metal snakes on her thighs pushing, pulling, and rubbing in time with each thrust. His hand gripped her hair harder, forcing her head back to an almost impossible angle, making it difficult to breathe. The vibrator increased intensity on its own, and just when she thought he was nearly there, he suddenly released her hair and her hip - still driving into her at an almost inhuman pace - and wrapped one hand around her throat, his second hand on her ass as his thumb put pressure against the edge of her virgin anus.

"SNAKES!" she screamed, rasping over the pressure to her windpipe even as a second, more intense climax washed over her. Simultaneously, Magneto released her, putting both hands on her hips as he thrust so deep she could feel him bruise her cervix while her own orgasm fueled his.

The vibrator, as well as the metal bands on her arms and thighs all fell away as soon as she uttered her safe word, yet the intensity of their combined pleasure did not diminish as he held her against him. Rogue's arms gave out as she shuddered around Erik's engorged, pulsing member, and she collapsed face first onto the bed, her hips still in the air as they remained joined, both orgasms clenching and pulsing wildly.

The Master of Magnetism managed to stay upright, his pelvis gyrating slightly as he finished, still twitching inside her impossibly tight passage.

"Good LORD," Magneto moaned, releasing one of her hips to wipe the sweat from his brow. He was grinning like a fool as he stared down at the partially unconscious girl as she lay twisted on the bed, panting heavily. Bending forward, he placed a gentle kiss along her spine, just above the swell of her hips, before righting himself and slapping her ass hard enough to leave a red handprint across the perfectly pale flesh.

"OWW!" Rogue screamed, bolting upright and forcibly pulling away from his hands and penis. Scrambling backward on the bed, she covered the stinging spot with her hand as she glared murderously at him. "That HURT, you asshole!"

Before she could blink, he'd slapped her again, this time across her left breast, leaving another red welt as she screeched and covered her already tender breasts with one hand, her other still holding her smarting butt cheek.

"LANGUAGE," Magneto growled, his eyes flashing with warning and satisfaction.

"SNAKES!" she hissed back, her own expression full of rage, but she knew her eyes were also wide with fear and hurt, and probably as clouded with lust as his.

A dangerous glint crossed his features, his eyes narrowing, and Rogue actually recoiled, fearing retaliation as she retreated further away from him.

Instead, Erik climbed off the bed, flicking his wrist and beckoning his toys to return to his duffle bag. Rogue watched him warily as he made his way to the ensuite bathroom, returning a moment later with two wet washcloths.

"I apologize my dear," he claimed, holding one of them out to her. "I'm afraid your beauty and salaciousness made me lose control." He grinned, a half-tilt of his mouth as his eyes spoke of awe and amusement. "I don't believe you know just how deliciously intoxicating you are. I will try better in the future not to let you entice me so."

Rogue licked her lips, blushing furiously at his complimentary apology. "O- okay," she agreed, timidly taking the wash cloth and holding it against her sore breast.

"May I ask which part you objected to, particularly, so I do not make you so uneasy again in the future?" Rubbing the second cloth over his face, he sat on the edge of the bed, with Rogue pulled up on the opposite side, still keeping her distance from him.

Her heart slowed, nerves relaxing some now that she realized he was not as angry or terrifying as he'd appeared a few minutes ago. He was, in fact, being awfully apologetic and understanding, which put her more at ease.

"F'r starters, Ah ain't a CHILD, and Ah don't care a whit for bein' spanked like one," she growled contemptuously. "Got enough of that growin' up, and Ah ain't about t' tolerate it now." She avoided his gaze, staring out across the room as her eyes recalled images he could not see.

"Understandable," he agreed, standing once more and retrieving two small bottles of water from the mini bar as she watched him wearily. "Although I must admit I am a little disappointed. I truly enjoy …correcting you … with a firm hand." His gaze lingered over the firm curve of her ass and breast, savoring the angry marks his palm had left. He would need to negotiate carefully. He had to make certain such pleasures were not completely denied him while still preserving her thoughts of dignity.

"Every inch of you is...delectable." His voice lowered at the last word, and a moment of hot, heavy silence fell between them while he enjoyed watching another furious blush rise from her breasts to her ears. "Although I must admit a certain fondness for your tantalizing curves." He handed her a bottle and watched her crack it open to sip the water as she tried to quell the redness in her cheeks.

"You seem to bring out my more primal nature," he admitted darkly. Erik took a deep breath, his eyes traveling down to the reddened breast still tucked beneath her other hand. "And there is something wildly thrilling about melding that thread of pain during pleasure - not to mention seeing my mark on you."

He opened his own bottle and drank a gulp of water as he watched her reaction from the corner of his eye.

"I suppose I also consider it like marking one's territory - even if no one else can see it. As you likely surmised, I do not, in fact, tolerate others encroaching on what I consider to be MINE."

Rogue's eyes widened once more, her breath catching with that heady combination of thrill, fear, and lust as he met her eyes. She held his gaze for a moment, then brought the bottle of water back to her lips, seeking a reprieve. The fact that Erik considered her 'His' was both endearing and concerning. After all, just how possessive WAS he? She'd already told him about how Gambit had helped with her intense cramping, and although his back had stiffened, he had seemed almost grateful that she'd at least found some relief. Now, however, he seemed perturbed - if not secretly livid.

"Of course I understand the necessity of using people from time to time to serve your own purposes - I've done so myself many a time - but let me make this clear, Rogue…" He loomed over her, his presence intimidating and unnerving as he took the empty bottle from her hand.

"I do NOT share what's mine. Unless you are borrowing powers, or likewise utilizing your teammates' gifts as a means to an end, I expect you to remain faithful to me. Meaning your body is mine and mine alone to enjoy in every way possible." His gray-blue eyes were stony, and she was certain he would have melted her on the spot if his powers allowed such a thing.

"And, I expect you will hold me to the same standards, correct my dear?" His gaze softened as he set both empty bottles on the bedside table.

Rogue pursed her lips. She hadn't even considered 'ground rules' for … whatever this arrangement was. She briefly considered asking him if that meant they were 'dating' or 'going steady' or something, but she thought better of it, presuming he would just laugh at her for trying to label it within conventional terms. Finally, she simply nodded, never meeting his eyes as she worried about what new, intense emotion would be written on his face.

"What else?" he asked again, picking up a discarded washcloth from the bedspread. He seated himself next to her bent knees as she leaned against the headboard.

"What else, what?" she asked, her head still slightly fuzzy and her body positively pulsing from two earth-shattering orgasms. Not to mention her smarting ass and breast.

"What else did you find so abhorrent that you felt the need to defer to your safe word?" He was rubbing the still damp washcloth from the inside of her knee to her upper thigh, clearly intending to cleanse their combined juices from her trembling legs.

Green eyes lit with recognition, and she frowned, once again timid as she watched him silently.

"Did you honestly think I would hurt you?" He reached out with his free hand and tilted her jaw up, examining her neck for any marks before releasing her, finding none.

"N-no, Ah didn't," she started, blushing again as the washcloth moved up and down her inner thighs, silently entreating her to spread them. Still she refused, keeping her legs clamped tightly.

He fixed her with a look, a mixture of apologetic pleading and humorous disbelief, and she reluctantly parted her knees, not quite giving him full access, but at least letting him know she wasn't entirely put out.

"Then why did you cry 'snakes' if you were not opposed to a bit of roughness?" Erik implored, keeping his eyes fixed on her thighs.

"Ah'm -" she cleared her throat. The soft, sensual caress of the cool washcloth so close to her apex was driving her to distraction. Not to mention the fact that they were both still fully naked. "Ah'm not crazy about it, t' be honest, and Ah WAS a tad startled. But…" She shifted uncomfortably as more evidence of their tryst leaked from her insides.

"But, what?" he demanded. "Was it the suggestion of anal play perhaps?" He smirked at her like a parent hiding a dirty joke from an unsuspecting child, and her cheeks reddened enough to match the angry, yet fading marks on her breast and butt.

He tipped his head back, laughing as she positively growled at him, arms folded defiantly.

"Don't LAUGH at me!" She swatted at his bare arm, pushing him slightly. "Ah was raised Baptist. Ah may not follow the Bible to a 'T' but there's some things Ah still don't feel right about."

"Hmm," Erik sat up, pondering as he looked her over. "So be it," he replied casually, dismissing her concerns. "I assume, of course, that you found the wand agreeable at least?"

She bit her lip, averting her eyes as she nodded shyly, somehow managing to control her coloring for once.

"So," he surmised, a wicked grin growing on his face. "Is it safe, then, to assume you were right to trust me? That I know what you will like?" He had to set his stage perfectly, giving her just enough assurance in his instincts and experience without dismissing her own reservations.

"Ah guess. Mostly. Although Ah DON'T like bein' strung up like a dang puppet and forced t' 'DANCE'. If'n Ah wanna 'Come,' Ah will." Her own eyes were narrowed, spine straight with renewed confidence.

"Several times, if I remember correctly," Erik snickered at her choice of words, enjoying her resulting blush.

"You know what Ah mean," she seethed, pulling her legs away.

"If you mean 'I understand you,' then yes, I do. Perhaps better than you understand yourself." Magneto's eyes turned cold and calculating as he looked her up and down, placing his hands on her ankles as she tried to move farther away from him.

"For example," his blue-gray eyes locked on hers, boring into wide green. "I understand that you ENJOY being 'dominated'. That you have spent your entire existence as a mutant maintaining careful control. Every move, every article of clothing carefully planned and executed to keep others from harm. You live your life with a higher moral standard, and feel you must always maintain precise duty and careful reciprocity."

His hands tightened around her thin, strong ankles and he stood, suddenly yanking her away from the headboard. She yelped, her legs in the air, ass partially off the bed as her hands scrambled for leverage, her face awash in surprise and alarm.

"Which is why I - and my ways - excite you so. You enjoy it when I take away that control. When I have you at my mercy and you are loath to do anything about it. That is when you feel the most free - the most pleasure; when your choices are not entirely your own and you can safely absolve yourself of the guilt you alone have created."

With a mere thought he beckoned his metal orbs back to his side, twisting them into those familiar snakes as they slithered across her body. One momentarily split into two, wrapping around her forearms just above the wrists and then locking back together so her arms were trapped above her head. Two more encircled and squeezed her breasts, the fourth flattened out against her lower back to raise her hips up to his, and the fifth slithered along her slit, the metal serpent glittering as it was immediately coated in her juices.

"Er-Erik? Oh! Oh gawd…" she moaned, the pain and fear melting away into heedy desire as the snakes wriggled against her body, squeezing and squirming.

"THAT is why you are so drawn to me, my dear," he continued. "Not only because I can touch you in ways you never dreamed possible, but because I can give you the sweet release from responsibility, duty, and morality. You wish to give me that power nearly as much as I wish to take it. It frightens you, yet thrills you. Doesn't it?"

"Jesus," she moaned, ankles pulling slightly in his hands as she made a half-hearted attempt to escape his grip, all the while completely enraptured by his metal minions as they stimulated her body in new, exciting ways.

The snakes against her upper arms and breasts tightened, squeezing to the point of bruising as she writhed uselessly. The final snake slithered past her opening, swirling and twisting inside her vagina until it had filled her entirely, yet still it seemed to expand; pulsing, stretching her to the point she could feel her entrance begin to burn.

"DOESN'T IT?!" He repeated, demanding an answer.

"Gawd! YES! It does!" she keened, lost in twin waves of bliss and agony. She thrust her hips forward against her restraints and closed her eyes, waiting for release.

Then the pain was gone, the snakes reforming into their original spheres as they went back into hiding, and Rogue was left panting on the bed as she was unceremoniously dropped back onto the mattress.

"That's my girl," Magneto whispered into her ear, laying against her body for a mere moment, treasuring how his form enveloped hers, then thrusting inside her all over again.

~X~X~X~X~X~