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Chapter Three of

Taunting Repartee- RM'd

The Night Comes Down

Rogue slammed the door behind her, as she entered her bedroom. Her hair was still dripping wet from the shower; the ends trickled drops in an intermittent beat. She had changed into her pajamas and was looking to finish the day off by going straight to bed. Still, there were a few more things to do before that, and she headed over to her dresser.

"Rogue?" Kitty asked softly. Rogue turned to see her roommate sitting on the bed with the phone in her hand. "You okay?"

"Not really," she murmured as she turned her attention back to the dresser. She pulled out her blow-dryer and brush.

"Lance, I, like, have to call you back later," Kitty said into the phone. "...Yeah, I'll totally see you at school tomorrow…Bye," she said with a giggle. Rogue heard the phone click off. "So, like, what's wrong?"

"I... you didn't have to stop talking to Lance," she said softly as she brushed her hair. "...I...I really don't want to talk about it," she said as she turned on the blow dryer. She heard a knock at her door. 'Not again,' she thought, annoyed. "Kurt," she shouted as she turned the blow-dryer off and slammed it down on her dresser. "I told you," she yelled as she marched towards the door, "I don't want to talk," she said as she threw the door open, "about it," she finished softly as she saw it was the Professor and not Kurt sitting before her.

"But, I'm afraid that we must," Charles said calmly.

"Professor, I didn't mean to-"

"Please, don't trouble yourself over that," he said, waving his hand and absolving her guilt.

"I..." A few drops of water fell onto her socks, giving her a chance to regroup. She sighed. "Do we have to right now? Can I finish drying my hair first?"

"Very well," he said with a sigh, "but come to my office straight after," he ordered.

"Okay," she uttered. He nodded and backed away from the door. 'Not that you gave me much of a choice,' she thought, annoyed as she started to close the door.

"Rogue, of course, you have a choice in this matter, you are-"

"Did you just read my mind?" she asked anxiously, interrupting him as she reopened the door all the way.

"I- Not intentionally," he said.

"How the hell do you read somebody's mind unintentionally?" she asked, upset. "You've had your powers for over twenty years. You're supposed to be the best."

A look of surprise came to his face.

"Rogue, please allow me to explain. You directed that thought towards me," he said. "I shut my mind off to most thoughts. I choose not to listen. You're correct, twenty years of experience has given me the skills I need to control my powers. However, I do allow myself to hear thoughts that are directed at me, personally."

'Makes sense,' she thought with a sigh, and her shoulders slumped. She was being too sensitive.

"We can discuss this tomorrow if you would prefer," Charles offered in a conciliatory tone.

"No...we can talk tonight...get it over with," she mumbled as she closed the door.

"Rogue, are you sure you, like, don't want to talk?" Kitty asked. Rogue walked back over to the dresser.

"Yeah, I'm sure," she said as she looked at Kitty's reflection in the mirror. "Go and find a quiet room," she said as she lifted the blow dryer back up, an apologetic look on her face, "and enjoy talking to your boyfriend for the next few hours," she said with a small smile. 'At least one of us should have a good night.'

"Rogue," she shouted, mortified. She could see her roommate's beet-red face through the mirror. "He's not my boyfriend," she exclaimed as she stood up. "We're, like, just friends," she said as she marched towards the door. A smirk came to Anna's face as she watched her roommate open the door swiftly. Kitty stopped. She turned back to look at Rogue through the mirror. "Are you, like, absolutely, one hundred percent sure you don't want me to stay? Because I will totally stay," Kitty assured her.

"Yeah, I'm sure," she said with a smile. "Now get out of here, and enjoy your night."

"But-"

"Go," she called with a laugh as she flipped the hair dryer on.

"Okay, okay," she giggled. "But, I'm here if you need me,"

"Thanks, Kitty. I appreciate it."

Her roommate smiled as she closed the door, leaving Rogue alone.

'Anna?' Erik asked gently. 'Will you speak to me, please?'

Or not.

'What do you want?' she asked as she turned the blow-dryer up another notch.

'I thought you might like to talk this through before you're bombarded with questions,' he said.

She didn't respond.

'Perhaps you should wait until tomorrow,' he said bleakly. She shook her head no.

"No… I need to…Confirm my fears, prepare for the worst," she said softly.

'Anna?' he asked.

'I want you to teach me how to use my powers. If the Professor decides that you shouldn't be in my head-'

'Anna,' he said hesitantly. 'That,' he said before pausing. She waited for him to continue. 'That is your choice, my dear,' he said as she felt her eyes widen. 'Charles will not remove me without your consent.'

She didn't understand.

'You said that he would. That he would find a reason to and the voices would come back,' she said, confused.

There was another pause, a long one before he said, 'Earlier you were.'

'I was what?' she asked.

He didn't respond.

She thought back to their conversation from the afternoon, replaying it in her head. She only had a few short seconds to make a decision about what to tell the Professor and Logan about Magneto's location. After Erik had forced her hand by making that sound come out of her mouth- she still didn't understand how he did that. She hadn't even had time to really process it.

'You manipulated me,' she thought, her eyes widening at the realization. She didn't even understand why he had- yes, he had told her using her powers was important and practice was the key to control - but why would he want her to oppose his counterpart's plans? Could he really be that selfless? No, no, that wasn't right. He always had a motivation, something to gain before taking action. It's why she had been so hesitant to trust him. But this didn't make any sense, why would he manipulate her into finding his counterpart? Something didn't make sense, she didn't know what it was or why he had-

'I trusted you, Erik,' she thought as she turned off the blow dryer and placed it on the dresser. 'For the first time I let myself trust you,' she said as she put her hands on the dresser, needing to keep herself steady. 'and you,' she faltered, watching tears fall from her face onto the dresser. "You bastard,"she whispered.

'Anna, you must understand,' he said as she tried to ignore him. She felt the urge to push him into the back of her mind with the other fragments but hesitated. If she forced him back there and it affected him, she could be stuck with Bipolar Magneto for days and that wasn't appealing. Even if he had manipulated her, still it- god, there were no good options here. But she knew one thing.

'I don't wanna hear your excuses,' she thought harshly as she shook her head. Maybe in a couple of days, but not right now. She needed time to think and she needed him to give it to her.

'You need to use your powers,' he stressed.

"Shut up," she said.

'They are a part of who you are.'

"Shut up," she said louder, closing her eyes, as tears fell freely down her face.

'Your memory is perfect, my g-'

"I said shut up," she screamed as loud as she could. Finally, he ceased talking. He hadn't- he was still in the forefront of her mind, she could feel him- but he wasn't talking and that was- that was a win.

The door flew open as Scott and Jean ran in ready to use their powers.

"Rogue, are you okay?" Jean asked. Scott ran over to the window.

"There's no one here," Rogue said looking over at the window, guilt crept up on her, that they were worried about an intruder. "Sorry," she said as Jean walked behind her and placed her on Rogue's shoulder. "I- I'm fine," she said, surprised at the contact but grateful for it. She could really use a hug about now, but- no, she didn't want to make a bad night worse. The last thing she needed was to accidentally hurt Jean for no good reason. So, instead, she wrapped her arms around herself.

"What happened?" Jean asked. Rogue turned her head to look at her.

"I was having an argument with-" Rogue said before she saw the confusion on the other girl's face. "I'm fine," she said instead. Jean gave her a kind smile, her hand slipping off her shoulder before she reached toward the box of tissues, grabbed one, and handed it to her. "Thanks," Rogue said as she scrubbed the remaining tears off her face.

"Is everyone all right?" she heard the Professor ask, in a slightly panicked, and very concerned tone. All three of them turned about to see Charles sitting in the doorway.

"Yes, Professor," Scott said with a nod.

"Rogue, are you alright?" Xavier asked, meeting her gaze. She nodded.

"Who were you arguing with?" Jean asked as Rogue sucked in a breath. She really shouldn't have said that and now she would have to explain about- "There was no one here when we-" Jean said.

"I..." Rogue started interrupting Jean, but her voice faltered. Erik lied about the Professor getting rid of him and the other fragments coming back- she- she looked down at the tissue in her hand, not saying anything else. She didn't know why this was so hard. Erik had lied, and she didn't know exactly how the Professor would react. Her instincts were telling her, he wasn't going to like it, but she had just been manipulated by his enemy. She should tell him.

"Rogue?" The Professor asked. "Who were you arguing with?" he asked firmly.

"Eri-… Magneto," she whispered reluctantly, her eyes on the floor.

"Oh my God," Jean gasped.

"Professor, we should-"

"The one in my head, the fragment," Rogue said, keen to cut Scott off, as she looked up at them both. "He wasn't actually here," she said. She saw Jean let out a sigh of relief. Scott looked at her in confusion. 'Not that he couldn't come here, he just didn't,' she thought to herself, fear creeping up on her.

She'd had an actual conversation with Magneto today, she realized in a flash of insight. The real Magneto. He knew that she knew he was telepathic and that she was the reason the X-Men had found his base. Oh god; he knew she lied to the Professor, didn't he? She had told him that, hadn't she? When she said she didn't mean to find him. When she apologized for the rebirth machine's destruction. When she had said they were at his mercy and begged for him to let them go.

She felt herself suck in a breath-

Wait, is that why Erik had forced her hand- to put her on his counterpart's radar?

"Rogue?" Charles asked, concerned. She glanced up at the Professor, as she felt another tear run down her face.

"We can go talk now if you want," she said, her voice hollow. She didn't think she could keep fighting any longer.

"Alright," he said, his face blank and tone carefully neutral. She knew the Professor was studying her, trying to understand and she- she had no idea what she was going to tell him. The Professor took a moment to look at his other two students. "Jean, Scott, try not to worry. Everything is alright," he said reassuringly. Jean smiled and Scott nodded in response. "Rogue is simply having some difficulty with her powers."

"I wouldn't call what goes on in my head simple," she grumbled as she walked towards him.

"So I am learning," Charles said grimly as she threw the tissue out in the garbage bin. "Come with me," he ordered. She nodded as she followed him out of the room and towards the elevated.

'Anna,' Erik said, 'I'd like to apologize for my actions earlier,'

'Of course, you do, jackass,' she thought.

'Anna,' he started. 'Listen to-'

'No,' she exclaimed. 'You listen to me. I gave you my trust, and within a day. Within one fucking day you betrayed it. I- I don't trust you, not anymore,' she thought firmly as she and the Professor got into the elevator. 'I don't know if I ever will again,' she said as she pressed the button for the first floor, assuming they were going to the Professor's office. She watched the doors close as she let out a sigh. 'But you want me to, right?' she asked him.

'Will you believe me when I say yes?'

'Right now? No, not really,' she told him.

"Rogue?" the Professor asked. She blinked as she turned her attention down to Charles, who was studying her face with the opposite of what he showed in her bedroom. Now, it was a look of definite interest.

"Yeah, Professor?" she asked.

"Interesting," he said as the door to the lift opened.

"What is?" she asked as she watched him roll out of the lift, before following him.

"Your concentration fades in and out of conversations so often. I always thought it was out of boredom. Now, I know the true reason," he said as they entered his office. "How often would you say you participate in these internal dialogues?" he asked as he rolled up to the side of the couch, he motioned for her to sit.

"I didn't direct that towards you," she said warningly.

"And I didn't read your mind," he assured her gently. She sighed as she walked over to the couch.

"I ain't in a very trusting mood today," she said, as she plopped down.

"I am sorry you feel that way," he said. "What happened today that made you feel so?"

"It's not you," she said. "Just-" she said before sighing. God, what was she going to tell him? "I let myself believe him and-"

"And?" the Professor asked, pressing her to say more. She shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about that yet."

"We are going to-"

"I know," she said rapidly. He held her gaze, waiting for her to continue. She didn't offer anything new, and Charles let her exist in the moment, clearly letting her gather her thoughts. Or perhaps to test their wills against one another. Which would break first?

No, that wasn't fair to think of him that way. He was trying to help, right? That's why she came to him, after all. It's why she left the Brotherhood.

So, she needed to at least try to work with him. She leaned back trying to get comfortable. Maybe then she could relax a little. She glanced over at him, his shoulders were stiff. His hands were folded in his lap somewhat awkwardly; he clearly wasn't relaxing anytime soon.

"Very well," he said with a sigh. "Before I asked how."

"Often would you say you participate in these internal dialogues," she repeated. "I heard you the first time," she said, a little annoyed as she adjusted her sitting position again.

"I didn't mean to insult you," he said, reading her expression.

"I know," she whispered, not looking at him. "…it's just…You're not the only one who does it," she said, glancing over at him. His expression was one of contemplation.

"Does what, Rogue?"

"Who treats me like I'm… like I'm stupid, repeating things over and over again."

"You can memorize something after it's spoken only once?" he asked with amazement. Amazement she didn't understand.

"Yeah… I mean no… I don't memorize things." She never could understand that concept. You either knew something or you didn't. "It's just in my head, in my memory or it's not," she told him, fumbling to explain. "Same way it works for everyone else."

"I'm afraid, that's not the case. The human memory is very temperamental."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

He paused, searching for a way to explain it to her.

"Rogue, have you ever read a textbook on psychology? They have a very interesting, and to the best of my knowledge accurate, way of explaining the limitations that memory normally has."

She shook her head no, but as she thought about it more she could remember reading a textbook.

"Two summers ago," she whispered.

"You read one during the summer?" he asked. She looked up at him, and then behind him to one of the bookshelves. She stood up and walked past him.

"I didn't read one. Jean did," she said as she marched up to the bookshelf. "This one," she said as she took out one of the books. She held it in her hands. It read 'Exploring Psychology.' "You let her borrow it."

"Yes, I did." She turned back to look at him. He held his hand out, silently asking for the book. She handed it to him and walked back to the couch. "Can you remember which chapter is on memory?"

"Seven," she said as sat back down. She watched him open the book.

"You're right," he said, sucking in a breath, taken aback.

"Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

"If I asked Jean, the original holder of this memory, that same question she would not be able to answer."

"What?" she asked, startled. "But I know it, it's from her mind, she should-"

"But she doesn't. Jean read the book over a year ago. Memory decays over time," he explained, "for anyone besides you that is," he said as a slight smile came to his face and a sigh of relief left him. "This explains so much," he said, glancing over at her. "Rogue, do you understand what we've just discovered?" She let herself collapse back against the couch.

A moment passed as she tried to make sense of it.

"Rogue?" he asked again.

"Hold on a minute… I gotta wrap my head around this," she said as she replayed his words in her mind a few times. 'Okay, so I can remember everything, but other people can't. I get everything… forever pretty much and they… it's in their minds but they can't get to it as easily as I can…what's that called?'

'Retrieval,' Erik told her. 'We cannot retrieve the information as well as you can.'

'Erik?' she asked, surprised.

'Charles is hardly the only person to ever take up the subject of psychology… Memory has three parts to it,' he started.

'Retention, storage, and retrieval,' she named.

'Correct. The human mind can retain, as we've seen with your memory everything, this information,'

'It's stored in the mind and then retrieved when it's needed,'

'When it's called upon, given the associating used to store the memory,' he elaborated. 'The difference between your memory and that of others is you don't require the associations as they do. You still use them but not toward the same ends. We use associations to keep the memories in our minds, to remember an event at all. You use them to link memories together, not to keep them, simply to put them in categories and make sense of them.'

"Rogue?" Charles asked. She looked up at him. "Are you alright? It took at least four attempts to…"

'We can discuss this in full at a later time, of course,' Erik offered, as the Professor's voice faded away.

'I shouldn't be discussing anything with you at all right now,' she thought sadly.

'I went too far today, a mistake I will not make again,' he tried to assure her. 'Give me another chance,' he urged.

'We'll talk about it later,' she told him.

'As you wish, my dear, this is your mind,' he said before he went silent once more. She met the Professor's eyes again.

"Are you alright?" he asked again.

"Yeah, I was having one of my internal dialogues," she explained. "Sorry, it's hard for me to focus on more than one conversation at a time," she said.

"I see," he said as he watched him tap his fingers together like he was contemplating something. "With your permission, I could read your mind and perhaps help you communicate with these-"

"The fragments?" she asked, as she felt a strange sense of unease at the thought of him entering her mind. Maybe because of everything Erik had said, though he had lied. And, so had she directly to him. How was she ever going to explain this?

"What an interesting moniker," he said, pulling her from her thoughts. "What prompted it?" he asked.

"Hmm," she stalled as she thought back and realized Erik had decided on the title. "It just fits, ya know," she said.

"Alright," he said, holding eye contact for a moment, probably waiting for her to say more. "Who were you speaking with just now? Magneto?" he asked.

"Ah-huh," she said.

"Do you speak with him often?" he asked.

"Erik's the only one I do talk to."

"Erik?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, I call him by his first name, big deal," she said, reading into his expression. She wanted to put him at ease. After all, it wasn't that big of a deal. "He calls me by mine," she said with a shrug.

"Would you say that the two of you have grown close?"

"He's in my head, how much closer can he get," she said with a soft laugh. Her comment caused Charles to raise an eyebrow. "Oh, you… ya meant emotionally, didn't you?" she asked.

"Yes," he confirmed with a nod.

An image from the other night came to her mind; her and Erik hugging, the feeling of contentment she had while in his arms. A feeling she had never felt before and hadn't since.

"I don't wanna wake up," she repeated, in a whisper, as she hugged herself.

"Rogue?" Charles asked, calling for her attention. She looked up at him, in his hand he held out a tissue to her. She looked at him in confusion. "You're crying," he told her gently. She sucked in a breath as she took the tissue from him.

"I didn't even realize," she said as she wiped her face clean. "I- yeah, yeah, we've- we've gotten close," she said as she put the tissue on her lap. He nodded again.

"What was your argument about?" he asked.

"The one tonight?"

"There have been others?" he asked.

"All we do is fight," she said with a sad laugh, "about something or other. Tonight was about Operation Rebirth."

"Using his knowledge to find it," he said, nodding sympathetically.

"No, he was happy about that," she said and noted the baffled expression on Charles's face. "Erik wants me to use my powers more," she explained as the look on his face went from confusion to one of dread. "My mental powers," she added quickly. "No, no," she said while shaking her head. "He doesn't want me running around half naked absorbing everyone in sight," she said with a laugh. "I mean, I don't think he'd complain… actually I know he wouldn't complain," she said, looking away from him. "He'd be too busy laughing his ass off," she said while rolling his eyes with a slight smile.

She glanced back up at the Professor. The expression on his face was the strangest mix of shock, fear, and bewilderment she had ever seen.

"But I would never do that. Ever," she said with conviction. She turned her eyes away from his. "So, yeah," she started to say. "He wants me to use my mental powers," she stated again, getting back on topic. "But that's an invasion of everyone's privacy; looking through memories and all. Just cause I can doesn't mean I should," she said, looking at him again and he gave an appreciative nod in approval.

"That's what most of our fighting's been about, him trying to talk me into using the knowledge that I have at my disposal. I've always said no, but I had a really bad nightmare. Stuff from the fragments makes its way into my mind and all… I'm used to it by now. I've had my powers for over a year, but this was… this was really bad. They started to merge."

"By they you mean?" Charles asked.

"The nightmares of traumatic memories from the fragments."

"Which memories?" he asked.

"Hmm… the plane crash Scott was in. That was the first one… Storm's mom dying, that's a really bad one…," she shook her head, pushing the image back. "And Erik's time in the camps… all those dead bodies," she murmured as she brushed the hair out of her face. A tear ran down her face. She pushed the image back. "I can handle them by themselves; I'm used to it," she said as wiped her face again with the tissue. "But all in one night, one right after another," she said before sighing. "I'm surprised I didn't wake Kitty," she said as she put the damp tissue back on her lap.

"My god…," she barely heard him utter. Her eyes flashed up to meet his. "I must apologize."

"Why? You didn't do anything to me. None of this is your fault."

"And that seems to be precisely the problem. As your teacher and guardian, I should have taken more time to do something, or at the very least, understand the nature of your abilities. Instead, you were left alone. Rogue, I cannot apologize enough," he said earnestly.

She looked at him, really looked at him. The guilt he was feeling, the pain he was expressing on her behalf.

She smiled, which caused another look of confusion to cross his face.

"Professor, I know a thing or two about bad guardians," she said, wanting to explain, at least a little. "Trust me you're one of the good ones," she tried to assure him. "Really you are," she said. Charles smiled sadly.

"Thank you, Rogue. Although, at this moment I don't believe I deserve your praise. Not for what I let you suffer though, alone."

"I wasn't alone…I'm never alone, not really," she said with a small smile. He sighed.

"I should have known that before tonight."

"Can't go back and change any of it now. Unless Cerbro found a time traveler that you ain't told us about," she teased with a smile. He laughed softly.

"No, no it hasn't," he said, matching her smile. He glanced up at the clock. It read 10:25 pm. He sighed. "It's getting late."

"Can we talk more tomorrow?" she asked.

"Of course," he said at once. "It seems you and I need to have several conversations." The guilt he was feeling was still clearly present on his face.

"Please, don't trouble yourself over that," she said repeating his words. He looked up at her surprised. She smiled. "You ain't the only one who's at fault here, Professor. I am too."

"Whatever for?" he asked, confused for what felt like the fifteenth time that night by this extraordinary young woman.

"I," she said before pausing. She was not ready to tell him what actually happened today. "When we," she said, trying anyway. "I- I trusted, Erik," she settled on. She watched a look of compassion cross his features.

"You are not the first to make that mistake, and I highly doubt you will be the last," he said sadly.

"The man's got a way with words," she said.

"He most certainly does," he said before he gave her a sad smile. She returned it with a sigh. He glanced away from her a moment and could tell he was thinking. His gaze focused on the clock again before returning to her. "Tomorrow, after school we'll continue this conversation."

"Okay," she agreed with a nod. She stood up and walked over to the exit. "Thanks again, Professor. 'Night," she said, opening the door.

"Goodnight, Rogue," he said. She smiled at him one last time before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

'You were wrong,' she told Erik with a smile. 'He cares… more than words can say,' she said, beyond relieved as she walked down the hallway. She considered that as she walked out of the hallway and into the main lobby. She paused for a moment, her hand taking hold of the banister 'But you knew that, didn't you?' she guessed.

'From the start,' he told her. She sighed as she walked up the stairs. And she had lied to the Professor and- god, she felt terrible about that. She shook her head, trying to dismiss her guilt. 'I still wish to teach you how to use your powers,' he told her as she got to the top of the stairs. She continued walking down the hall and into the bathroom.

'Excuse me?' she asked as she got to the sink and pulled out her toothbrush. She turned on the tap and rinsed her toothbrush off.

'Charles is obviously going to help,' he stated as she squeezed toothpaste onto the brush.

'Ah-huh,' she agreed as she started to brush her teeth.

'I have had months to think about your powers. He'll have only had one night. Of course, anyone with half-"

'Don't even think about insulting him,' she said before spitting vehemently into the sink. She resumed brushing her teeth. 'The reason I didn't go to him sooner is 'cause of you; doubting his abilities, his sincerity, all that name-calling,' she thought while spitting again. She rinsed her mouth out with the tap and washed her toothbrush off. 'If I didn't listen to you, I would have gone to his office a long time ago, and you know it,' she said as she threw her toothbrush back in its holder.

'I'm hardly disagreeing, Anna,' he said dryly, his tone telling her he wanted to, but wouldn't at that moment.

'That's a nice change,' she said as she exited the bathroom. Rogue walked into her bedroom next and glanced around. The wireless telephone was sitting on Kitty's nightstand. She heard a light whimper come from Kitty's side of the room, toward her bed. How odd; it sounded like Kitty- but her roommate clearly wasn't in the room. She would be able to see her. Had it been the fragment of Kitty in her mind? No, that hadn't happened in months, not since Erik has shut them all away and kept them from bothering her.

But then, where was Kitty if she wasn't talking to Lance anymore?

'Isn't she partial to midnight snacks?' Erik asked.

'Yeah,' she thought, as she considered if she needed to go down and check. She felt a bit guilty for interrupting their call, and it might've caused a fight between the two, despite their insistence they weren't dating. Besides, she was so tired emotionally and physically that she just wanted to lay down.

'I am still ready and willing to assist you with your powers if only you would let me,' Erik said, drawing her attention.

'I shouldn't,' Rogue said, letting out a sigh as she let herself collapse onto the bed. 'But, there is one thing you could do for me,' she said.

'Yes?'

'... I wanna close my eyes and wanna get some sleep without seeing someone die.'

'Very well,' he said. 'You'll have to trust me,' he said.

'No, I don't,' she thought as she got under the covers. 'And I was gonna close them anyway,' she said smirking before he let out a low chuckle.

'Then do so, and we will see where the evening takes us,' he said. With a sigh, she shut her eyes.

A few moments passed.

"You can open them now," Erik told her. She did and turned to see him sitting by her side. His hand went to her cheek. She felt her face blush.

"I shouldn't let you do that," she protested faintly as she put her hand on top of his, intending to pull it off of her face and set it aside.

"There are many things you shouldn't let me do," he agreed before he leaned in and kissed her. The urge to stop him faded fast. She felt her face flush as he tilted her head back and deepened the kiss. His tongue hedged her mouth open causing her to let out a small, appreciative noise. He pulled back a few moments later and she took a deep breath.

"A girl could get used to that," she said gazing up at him. He smiled down at her.

That feeling was back; contentment, utter satisfaction with her life. She blinked remembering she was angry with him and forced herself to look away from his eyes and kind expression. She removed his hand from her face and placed it on the bed as she sat up, her other hand pulling the covers off of her. Her hand was still on his and, god, all she wanted was to pull him close, maybe into a hug, comfort sounded so appealing right now. But no, she needed to be strong-

Reluctantly, she pulled her hand off of his and - he quickly tried to take it again. She shook her head sadly and scooted further away from him, toward the edge of her bed. She needed to not look at him, knowing he was there, that she could touch him-

"I'm still angry at you, and I definitely don't trust you," she said. She was surprised when she heard him laying down on the bed behind her.

"But you are still willing to speak to me, to learn from me?" he asked.

"I…I don't know," she said indecisively, looking away from him, anywhere else in the room. Maybe she should have just dealt with the dreams another night. She should have known he would pressure her, given the chance, and- why did she think this was a good idea?

"Your anger will fade," he promised her, catching her attention again. "I can regain your trust," he said as he ran his hand up and down her back. She sucked in a ragged breath. Conflict filling her, she knew she should move again, but the feel of his hand on her back. He wasn't even touching her skin, it was just nice to feel any kind of touch. Not what she was used to, not what she wanted to give up. "Anything else needed will follow accordingly."

"I ain't so sure," she breathed. She gasped as his hand traveled underneath her shirt, onto the small of her back.

"I wouldn't expect you to be," he said as she closed her eyes as his fingers lightly danced across her bare skin. "Not yet."

"Not yet?" she asked, alarmed, her eyes shot open as she turned around to glance down at him, his hand slipping down to her waist. "Then when?" she pried. She watched his eyes flare as his grip on her waist tightened. His other hand shot out, taking hold of her hip, and the next thing she knew he had lifted her up and pulled her on top of him. She felt her face flush as she felt her hips straddling his. Gasping as her face was suddenly parallel to his. She didn't- his hands were on her hips, holding her to him, she didn't know where to put her hands and for lack of better options, placed them on his chest.

"You're planning something, aren't you?" she asked as their eyes made contact.

"No," he said. "Not me, Anna. My counterpart." Fear flashed behind her eyes.

"What's he gonna do?" she panicked.

"I haven't the slightest idea," he answered with a laugh as his hand ran up her back and onto the back of her neck. "How could I?" he asked her.

"You couldn't know…," she said as she looked away from him, thinking, considering. "…unless…"

"Unless what, my girl?" he asked, his fingers running through her hair. Brushing it away from her face.

"Unless you're really…" she said before she shook her head. "Couldn't be… it's not possible," she said.

"I believe you will come to find that most events are entirely plausible," he told her.

"Not this one, it makes no sense... He wouldn't have a reason to…"

"Perhaps you should allow yourself to finish the thought, say it out loud," he ordered gently. She shook her head again.

"No, it's not," she gazed into his eyes again, "It's…" her eyes widened. "You're doing it again. Working my fears to your advantage, using my weaknesses against me," she accused as she glared down at him. She finally realized she was laying on top of him. "Getting me into a certain position," she said with disgust as she slapped his hand off of her hip. She got off of him, slid off her bed, turned her back on him, and folded her arms across her chest. She heard him get up as well.

"I'm teaching you already," he said as his hands went to her shoulders. "A few more encounters of this nature and you will be prepared for every tactic he has." She turned around in his arms and looked up at him incredulously.

"Why would you offer that?" she asked in confusion. "Wouldn't you want him to succeed? If he came after me, if he tried to… if he tried to…"

"The word you are searching for is, seduce," he supplied pas his hands rubbed her shoulders soothingly. "If he tried to seduce you, as I am now, then I should wish for it to be a successful attempt?" he asked. She nodded, staring into his eyes, a little startled that he admitted it.

"You requested my assistance in learning how to control your abilities, how to use them. Tactics, strategies, and understanding your enemies and allies' minds better than they do. You are capable of mental processing beyond that of any human. Beyond that of most other mutants for that matter. These are but a few of the numerous ways in which your powers can be useful."

He smiled down at her as his grip on her shoulders tightened slightly. He wasn't hurting her. She could tell he was struggling to some extent to contain his ambition, his passion.

"With your powers, my dear, your mind is your greatest asset, but in order to use it properly. To gain the most out of it, you need to learn how to think, and I wish to be the one to instruct you. If you are searching for my motives then there they are, my girl. I desire nothing more than to teach you everything I know, and given your abilities, I wish to watch you surpass me, in every mental feat possible," he said.

This was- well, it was the same reason he had always claimed, he wanted her to use her powers, to practice and gain control. She didn't think he was lying.

"I...I have never seen you this excited."

"I have good reason to be," he said with a smile as he cupped her cheek before bringing his face closer to hers. "I have been trying for months to convince you to listen to me, to learn from me, and now," he said before kissing her lightly. "Now you are as willing as I have been all along. Why wouldn't I be ecstatic?" he asked her.

She took a deep breath, shrugging his arms off of her, moving out of his hold.

That was the thing, she didn't know if she was willing as he made her sound out to be. She was struggling with-

"I don't-"

"Trust me," he whispered as she turned her head away. "I know," he said quickly. "Anna," he said, pausing as he placed his hands on her shoulder again. She glanced up at him. He was still standing far too close to her, and every time she tried to get some distance, he just closed it again and kept touching her. God, she wished she could bring herself to protest more, but the truth was she relished each time she felt his bare skin on hers.

"Yeah?" she asked. The expression on his face was one of deliberation. He was taking his time, choosing his next words with care, knowing that they would determine her decision.

"As a fragment in your mind, my dear," he said. "There is nothing that I know that you don't have access to," he said. Okay, that was true. "Within the next few days," taking her chin in his hand and tilting her face up toward his. "You can watch the mental processing I underwent on your behalf, and know what I know to be true," he said as her hands went to his chest, tired of trying to push him away. "Not out of faith," he said, leaning in and kissing her once again. "But by experiencing the memories from my point of view, and determining their validity for yourself," he offered before he turned he turned his head and kissed her from another angle. His passion was infectious and she found herself melting against him, even as he deepened the kiss.

"Or," he said pulling back, "you could wait for Charles to figure all this out," he grinned. "Do you have a couple of years?" he asked knowingly. She punched his arm playfully and he chuckled before giving her another peck on the lips.

She sighed as she leaned her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her finally getting the hug she had craved most of her evening. She needed to think, so she closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of his embrace as she considered his words.

'I could always stop talking to him, any time I want,' she told herself. It was a reassuring thought, that control. 'It's my mind after all.'

Having made her decision, she tilted her head to glance up at him. She found him, looking down at her, expectantly.

"So, where do we start?" she asked as a pleased expression grew.

"Tomorrow after you return from school," he said, satisfied as he leaned down and kissed her yet again.

"But I'm supposed to talk to Prof," she protested, pulling back.

"If you skip the futile danger room session, you'll have time for both," he told her before he cocked his head, his lips on hers again.

"My team," she muttered against his lips. He pulled back, taking her hand in his.

"Have all enrolled in Charles' school with a unifying purpose?" he asked as he took a step back, pulling her with him toward her bed. "And while the Danger Room may provide the means to some," he said as he sat down on her bed. "You, my dear," he said, with her hand still in his, he tugged lightly and she sat down next to him, "have finally discovered the means of how you will gain control of your abilities. The X-Men will have to tolerate that your priorities have shifted," he explained, rubbing the back of her hand with his right thumb in encouraging, distracting circles.

"They depend on me," she said.

"Of course, they do," he said warmly as his hand cupped her cheek. "But Charles will have to understand, they all will," he said as he leaned in, not quite close enough to- She felt her face heat up at his proximity, as his thumb continued to rub her hand.

"Right," she muttered, looking down.

"Anna-Marie," he said softly before her eyes darted up to his. "You haven't done anything wrong," he told her.

"I lied to the Professor," she admitted.

"You gave Charles precisely what he asked for," he said.

"Not intentionally," she said.

"And he never needs to know that," Erik said as he slid his hand from hers, up to her shoulder, then her chin. He tilted her head up to look into his probing eyes, and she felt her breath catch in her throat. "If you keep him out of your mind," he added before he closed the gap between their lips. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as he deepened the kiss.

His right hand slid to the back of her neck, holding her to him. He lifted his left hand, bringing her hand to his chest. She lifted her other hand, also placing it on his chest, his left hand slipped under her shirt onto bare skin. He ran his hand up her side and she moaned as he took hold of her breast, his thumb rubbing against her nipple. Her eyes shot open as the sound escaped her.

"Shh," he hushed, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's alright," he said gently before he kissed her lightly. "You're alright," he said. "Do you want me to stop touching you?" he asked, his thumb still rubbing, her breast and the back of her neck.

"No," she admitted.

"Then where would you like me to touch you?" he asked as she felt her face flush even further.

"Could- could ya just hold me?" she asked.

"As I did last night?" he asked.

"Ah-huh," she said.

"Happily, my girl," he smiled, he pulled his hand out of her shirt and laid down on the bed. She laid down beside him, resting in the crock of his arm, placing her hand on his chest, and his arm wrapped around her shoulder. She let out a sigh of relief as she closed her eyes.

At least, she was already asleep. She'd be so tired in the morning if she was this worked up this late. She still had school in the morning and a Danger Room session to excuse herself from.

Okay, if she talked to the Professor in the morning at breakfast and explained she had a plan to train her mental abilities, she could probably get out of the Danger Room session before leaving for school. She could also tell him she needed a little time to test her training idea and that she would go over it with him after dinner. That would give Erik time to explain what he had in mind, right?

"Are you alright, my dear?" Erik asked before kissing her forehead, she sighed.

"Yeah, just figuring out a plan for tomorrow," she told him.

"That'll work fine. I'm certain, Charles won't give you a hard time about talking after dinner instead of after school," he said. She glanced up at him, surprised. "I'm in your mind, Anna-Marie, and thus privy to your train of thought. A skill you'll eventually be capable of yourself," he told her warmly as she smiled up at him. "If I have anything to say about it," he added with a wink and she let out a short laugh in response. "Rest now, my girl," he said before he kissed the top of her head. "I'll explain more tomorrow," he said.

"I'm already asleep," she pointed out.

"Restless sleep from the stress you've been under," he replied. "Relax," he said again, his hand rubbing her shoulder. "Close your eyes," he said. "Go on," he said when she didn't immediately do as he asked. She sighed before closing her eyes, his hand left her shoulder and was now running up and down her back, in a calming motion. "Deep breaths," he ordered before she followed his instructions. "That's it," he said, his free hand cupping her cheek, his thumb caressing her skin.

Rogue attempted to follow his instructions, for several minutes she tried. She was taking breaths to calm herself but she felt even more worked up and hot for some reason. She wasn't even under the covers. Well, he was generating a lot of heat and she was pressed up against him and her leg was now sort of over his with her lying on her side. And his leg was pressing up, between her legs, and with the way he was running his hand up and down her back, he was kind of rocking her against his leg, which was causing friction and she knew she should stop what-ever this was, but she was so tired and it felt so good.

Rogue took in a fistful of his shirt before she heard herself let out another moan. She opened up her eyes to see him staring down at her, intently.

He had-hadn't he warned her about this? Hadn't he already admitted he was trying to seduce her? And hadn't she said that- She was still angry at him, right? That was- it was really difficult to be angry with him when he was offering to help her and he kept touching her and he-

This wasn't even real. It was just a dream. That didn't count, right? So, it didn't matter if she- what was the word?

"Indulge," he supplied with a low chuckle as he pressed his thigh up between her legs, his hand moved from her cheek, running down her body, he pulled at her knee, drawing her leg up, somehow increasing the pressure she already felt there and she- her eyes fluttered closed as she let out another moan. God, it felt so good. "My fingers would feel better," he whispered. Her eyes shot open, locking with his. "Would you like me to show you?" he asked.

"I don't- I don't know," she said as she felt his run up her back until he took hold of the nape of her neck. He leaned in and she thought he was going to kiss her again- but instead, he pulled her head back and- she moaned as he kissed her neck. This was new and felt amazing and he was placing kisses along her neck and collarbone. His free hand was- it reached the hem of her shirt and lifted it up. She gasped as she felt cool air hit her breast. He lowered his head and she felt his lip on her breast, his tongue licking circles around her nipple. He lowered his hand, running down her body, over her stomach, and between her legs.

Her breathing was erratic, she felt his fingers brush against her opening, over her pants and underwear, but still, he was applying pressure and she- god, she couldn't breathe- she couldn't think- she couldn't do anything- except.

She moaned loudly as she felt a build-up of heat and pressure and her eyes shut closed where she saw colors dancing behind her eyes as she felt- she could only describe it as pleasure- pure utter pleasure between her legs that radiated up and down her body, every muscle in her body tensing up at the same time.

"That's it, Anna. Come for me," Erik murmured encouragingly as he continued to rub his fingers between her legs, his hand cupping her entire mound - she, was that what was happening to her? Was this- She moaned loudly as a wave of pleasure hit her, she fell limp against the bed as her entire body shook uncontrollably.

"Erik," she said as her eyes shot open. He lifted himself up, meeting her gaze.

"Beautiful," he told her before kissing her. She moaned against his mouth as he continued to rub and she continued to shake as wave after wave of continuous pleasure filled her completely, engaging all of her senses. "Utterly beautiful," he said, kissing her forehead as she became conscious of her breathing. "That's it, long deep breaths," he ordered, as she felt him pull down her shirt returning it to its proper place. She felt herself coming down from- Her eyes opening and looking up into his- which were flaring with emotion.

"Was that-" she asked breathlessly.

"Indeed," he answered amused, smiling down at her. "Did you enjoy it?" he asked.

"Ah-huh," she smiled, completely exhausted.

"Ready to relax now?" he asked.

"Ah-huh," she repeated drowsily.

"Good," he chuckled. "Close your eyes, Anna," he ordered again, and this time she obeyed instantly. "Breathe," he said and she did, and then- she felt herself drift off to-

Wait, she was already asleep, right? Could you fall asleep in a dream?

"Shh," he hushed her, she sighed as she felt his lips on her forehead. "Just breathe," he said again and she did and she was drifting off and-