The night had devolved into physical battle after that. The Acolytes were bruised and bloodied, but whole. They had managed to retreat thanks to the timely intervention of Amelia Voght who spirited them all away, to larger group of mutants, between those who followed Cortez and those that camped with Voght, their total number doubled the moment they converged. Rem-Ram collapsed to the ground, feeling his mind overwhelmed and his powers drained.
"Amelia!" Cortez barked as they materialized in a large woods, devoid of structure beyond the welcoming bonfire. A blonde woman walked over to him and handed him a canteen. Grateful, he drank the much-needed water. "Why did you do that? We could've - "
"Died." Voght said flatly, looking at him as if he were a worm. "I wasn't under your command, before this raid, nor after." she sniffed and looked over the rest of the Acolytes, who were banged up a little, but none the worse for the wear. "Your orders were told to provide reconnaissance on the location of Joseph, but you went off book, Fabian."
"He wasn't at the mansion. Another opportunity presented itself, Voght," he retorted.
"That wasn't your call to make," she bit back.
"And in Lord Magneto's absence, whose call would that be? Yours?" he scoffed. Voght's eyes narrowed and Rem-Ram watched her consider her response.
"Remember who we serve, Cortez," Voght said, though her eyes were on Rem-Ram's. And as Cortez laughed before unceremoniously excusing himself from the conversation, Marcus understood her words were meant for him.
"We found no trace of him," Rem-Ram said.
"We will or he will find us. Either way-"
"I serve Magneto. I am his man," he said stoutly, clearly stating his stance. Voght Leaned in close to him
"In a few days time, I'm splitting the group again, taking the best of us away from Cortez's influence. Before he gets anyone killed," she informed him with a whisper.
"I'll go with you," he volunteered.
"No," she said and Rem-Ram felt confused. Was she saying- "Cortez is the one who recruited you, and for that reason, I need you to stay by his side. Magneto will eventually want to regroup all of his acolytes. You can communicate through your Dreamsongs, correct?" she asked.
"Yes," he nodded.
"Find my Dreamsong whenever Cortez relocates and keep me abreast of your location," she asked.
"But-" he protested. She just said his life was in danger with Cortez. that he-
"If Cortez gives you another order that borders on suicidal, abandon him with whoever you can save and contact me," she said.
"And if he doesn't?" he asked.
"Then when the time is right, when Magneto reveals himself, neither of us will forget it," she said.
"I am Magneto's man," Rem-Ram restated. Voght nodded at him in appreciation, pleased her message was received.
After fighting the Acolytes to a stand-still as they tried to infiltrate…and do what exactly? Rogue wasn't certain, but she was unsure of what to say as the others postulated the reason behind the attempt. Eventually, they were all dismissed. Logan went to the kitchen, evident that he was interested in a liquid refreshment before he retired for the night. Kitty followed him, eschewing doorways to phase through the walls instead.
Rogue watched the rest of the team disperse, heading off to their private quarters. Gambit turned to look at her, was he upset about something? Whatever it was, Rogue shook her head.
Somehow, that seemed to make him think it was alright to come over. She sighed and prepared herself for him. Which made her stop with a sudden start; why did it always feel like she had to mentally prepare herself every time she saw him?
She wouldn't begrudge him the chance to make himself better, if the rest of the X-Men wanted him here, if Marrow allowed it, well, Rogue would too. But he wasn't allowed back in her heart. Never again. No matter what dreams said.
'This is my family.' she thought to herself. 'Ah'm here for them too. He's gotta get back t'that point 'fore Ah let him close to my heart.' His actions will have to speak louder than words to help her see him in some new, or improved light.
"Cherie, if you're still up, p'haps we could spend a lil'time t'gedda an'-"
"No thanks, Cajun." Rogue said, holding a hand up. Instead of looking angry, she just seemed to look tired. "Ah'm done f'r the night. No. Really." she said as he tried to open his mouth and smooth-talk his way into her evening. "G'night."
She spun around and floated into the air, darting off. She didn't want to keep having the conversation with him. No meant no, and that's the end of that.
Changing into a fresh pair of pajamas, she settled in, and tried to find sleep. After the stressful evening they'd just had, she found her thoughts drifting back toward Magneto and the too brief time in the Savage Land. She tried to relax herself in the memory of his arms wrapped around her. Her breaths were shallow at the bittersweet recollection of his bare skin against hers. Her body relaxed under the weight of her fantasy. And even as tears rolled down her cheeks dampening her pillow, at the tantalizing torture of what could never be, she felt herself drift off to sleep.
Rogue found herself back on the manicured lawn. She wandered aimlessly before arms wrapped around her from behind. She gasped slightly in anticipatory surprise before a pair of lips nipped at her ear. She had hoped against hope she'd dream something like the other night…would this dream grant it?
"Hello, my dear," a husky baritone voice stated. She relaxed as his lips moved downward, nuzzling at the nap of her neck. Her eyes fluttered to a close as his hands rubbed up and down her arms, both caressing her skin and pulling her closer to him, her back pressed up against his front. His lips grew less benign in their exploration and she shivered as she felt his teeth bit at her, sending a shock down her spine.
She heard him let out a pained gasp and suddenly his arms and his body seemed to fade away from hers. She spun around quickly. He was in pain! Falling to his knees before her.
"Magnus," she called out, as she reached for him. Her hand took hold of his as she kneeled with him. "What's wrong?" she asked. His only response was pained whimpers as his face grew paler and paler. She searched his eyes for answers; how could she help him, what did he need? All the while, holding his hand in hers. "Magnus, what can I?" she asked before her breath picked up as he crumbled further. She gasped as she felt his hand slip out of hers, she looked down to see it had turned to ash. "No, no!" she cried, as she reached out to touch his face. It turned to ash against her fingertips. She fell to her knees in horror as he crumbled completely, leaving only his uniform behind.
"Nice work, Chere." Rogue's head whipped around to see Gambit and her fellow X-Men standing behind her in a line. "Better him than me," he added. No, they didn't understand! She hadn't meant to do that!
"Heh, okay," Wolverine laughed.
"No, no, no, no!" she cried, her lips trembling, as she turned back to the pile of cloth in front of her. Her hands grasped at the purple fabric, ashes sifting through it, a fine particulate shower trickling to the ground.
"Pretty smart of you," Logan continued as Scott and the Professor stepped forward. "Using what you knew would lower his defenses, and finishing him off."
"Cherie, knew y'd only do dat if you didn' care. Wit' him gone, we can focus on-..." Rogue put her hands over her ears but she could still hear what the others said as she desperately tried to block out their accolades.
"Finally. It's been too long since you left us wondering. Which side you'd fall back on. It's good to know the real you, Rogue." Scott said, a grim smile on the lower half of his visor-covered face.
"We will mourn him, of course, but it's for the best," Ororo said soberly.
The Professor reached out and she felt his hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for doing what I couldn't," he said in praise similar to one of a proud parent, or a teacher with a prized pupil. Rogue curled in on herself at that, falling forward as she hugged Erik's uniform, the only thing that remained of the Master of Magnetism.
Charles switches the light by his bed on as he lets out a discontented sigh. Rogue has woken from yet another troublesome dream. It had been weeks of this. He had often felt guilt at not solving the problem that plagued the young woman, but at the same time, there was a part of him that was relieved. Rogue believed in his, their, dream, but sometimes he wondered what kept her holding here. He was surprised that she had not left for other teams, looking for more action, for more chances to act. That wasn't to say she was brash, he knew that she was passionate.
He'd known of the fragments of her dream from when he pulled RemRam out of them. Of privacy as she dealt with matters of the heart. However, fear getting the better of him, he could no longer ignore it. He called out to her and asked to speak with her in his office.
'Though speaking of Rem-Ram, I should check on that young man again,' Charles thought.
After Rem-Ram's raid into his mind connected them, subconsciously that connection gave Charles a sort of insight into the boy's psyche he was determined to access. It certainly helped that he had been tasked with providing Amelia Voght with his exact location. He didn't have to pry deep into the Rem-Ram's Dreamsong. He had merely observed their conversations, both of them unaware of his findings. Though, it had been five days since he had bothered. For some time, Cortez's Acotlyes has been languishing in the woods, utterly stagnant. Rem-Ram had checked in with Amelia, but she had offered him no reassurances of her contact with Magneto.
'Still, the boy's Dreamsongs might be our best chance at locating Magneto before he wishes to be found,' he thought. He made a mental note to do so after his conversation with Rogue.
Rogue collected herself as best she could as she left her bedroom and walked down the dark halls of the mansion in the middle of the night. She was tired, so very tired. Barely sleeping. It has been weeks of nightmares. With no sign of either Magneto or Joseph, her concerns for both men, or the same man? It was all so confusing and she was no closer to settling any matter of hearts this evening than she had been this past long lonely weeks as her fears got the better of her, night after night.
'Suppose, it was only a matter of time 'fore Prof had ta say somethin' 'bout it,' she lamented as she got to the door of his office. She brought her hand up to knock- but the door popped open before she made contact.
"Please come in," her teacher's kind voice, called out to her.
"Sorry, if I woke ya," she said.
"And I apologize for not addressing this sooner," he said, as he gestured to the couch in front of him. It appears he was making this a more informal meeting. An attempt to make her feel more at ease. "Shall we talk about Magneto? Perhaps, you could explain to me what happened in the Savage Lands? I'm still a bit vague on the details, but I understand it left quite the… impression on you," he said.
"He saved my life," she said.
"Yes, as have many others. And as have you for many others. Yet, you seemed to have formed some sort of… affection for Magnus during your time. Could you elaborate on that, perhaps?"
"I went through the gate. Carol was gone for the first time in- Then she wasn't- this ah- this thing attacked me," she said. "It looked like Carol, but it wasn't and I was losing. I was gonna- And then Magnus showed up and he- I woke up a while later. I was tryna figure out, where I was, what had happened to Carol. And he said-"
"Yes?" he asked.
"He said he had ta choose between me and Carol and he chose me," she explained. She felt something hit her thigh. She glanced down to see her jean pant leg had a prominent wet spot. She reached up and wiped her tears away from her cheek.
"I see," he said.
Rogue sighed and knuckled the tears away before grabbing a box of tissues left on near every surface. Some skills didn't fade over time, and the Professor was as empathetic to those who came to his office for consultation. She gratefully dabbed at her eyes and nose as she gathered herself and her composure.
The Professor acted as he always did in these moments. The consummate professional. Once she had collected herself enough and she managed to start speaking again. "At first, Ah figured it was just 'cause we were mutants together, but over the d-days," she said, regaining the control she nearly lost a second time. "Ah realized it was because he saw more of the fight, and what happened. An' then…together, alone, against impossible odds…everything got more 'n more complicated an' -"
The phone rang, a shrill noise. Professor Xavier lifted one hand to his head, casting a net with expert precision. Whoever was calling him would be thinking of him just as much as performing the physical act. Therefore, he could sense who was calling him. Rogue knew he wouldn't normally perform the activity, but it was very late at night, and worse, it was on a line they all knew was the direct line to his office. Someone was specifically calling him, and it was an emergency.
"Don't worry, Professor." she said as she took another tissue to help the excusal. "It's prolly important, an' you should answer it." He gave his thanks and began to speak to the other person on the line in short sentences that were mostly affirmative, or negative. And then a brief, terse bidding of a good night that seemed strained, he hung up the phone.
"Professor?" Rogue asked as he hung up the phone, a truly dismayed expression plagued his features.
"It's Magneto. We've located him and Joseph. I need to gather the teams. If you would rather-"
"No, you ain't benching me," she said adamantly.
"Very well," he said. "War room, twenty minutes."
"Yes, Professor."
Rogue stood, with her fellow, X-Men in the blistering cold. The fight had been long, difficult, and trying. And no matter the looks she got from Gambit, she was glad she at least tried to speak with Magnus, tried to de-escalate the situation. Not that it had helped Joseph. God, no, she couldn't even think of her fallen friend now. They were still-
And now that the battle was over, Magneto fought down, his plans circumvented, it was the Professor's turn to speak. She noticed, with a slight twinge of bitterness, how the Professor wasn't ridiculed or argued with for wishing to speak. She pushed the notion aside as quickly as it manifested. Maybe the Professor could succeed where she failed.
Maybe, they could all work together in the future, as they had in the past- No, that was wishful thinking. She would be satisfied enough if they all walked away from the battle whole.
'Joseph,' she lamented. And had to cast him from her mind, yet again. She would mourn him. She would. But not now…
"Hold," Charles Xavier commanded of his X-Men. Behind him, he knew Ororo was holding Wolverine back, two gentle hands on his shoulders was all that was required, at least for the moment. Before him, stood Magneto, his helmet, his favorite means of escaping Charles' powers robbed from him. Magneto's mind was open to his influence. It would take only a thought to rob him of his free will.
And they both knew it.
"Magnus, the choice is yours," Charles said as calmly as he could. His slow approach toward his oldest friend, felt akin to a stable master trying to reign in a feral horse.
"As it was on Avalon, Charles," he scoffed, "when you stole my mind?" he asked incredulously, his hand balled into fists at his side, practically stomping his feet in protest.
"A parry to your thrust, to a human parry, to your mutant thrust… and ever it goes, like an endless useless cycle," he pointed out. "So?" Charles asked.
"So?" Magneto asked, repeating the question, giving him nothing.
"Magnus, you have committed acts of terrorism. Broken international law. You must be taken into custody to be tried in a court for your actions," he said plainly. Why could he never understand? The planet didn't belong to them. It was a shared home and in order to share it in peace concessions had to be made.
"Presided over by humans serving laws I refuse to recognize," he responded.
No, it was too much. Magneto would never understand. He nor his acolytes. Where he planted seeds of peace for his children, they saw weakness and inaction. Where he saw building alliances and fostering positive relationships, they saw pathetic pandering and posturing. Two groups with the same goal, mutant survival, ever at odds due to method and ideology.
Charles felt his attention diverted as he sensed several individuals rushing at high speed to their location. He glanced into the mind of a woman named Dr. Alda Huxley, who was rather pleased with herself and the deal she had secured for her homeland Genosha. A deeper scan gave him all the relevant information and Charles almost laughed.
He had hope once again.
During the Professor's and Magnus' debate, Rogue had stepped forward a few inches. Not far enough to cause Gambit any concerns, but Logan was making her nervous. He was itching for the fight to continue, his claws fully extended. She fought to keep her face neutral, devoid of expression, but inside she was-
I'll leave now, Charles," Magneto said, as Rogue felt her heart drop. The Professor hadn't any more luck than she had. And now he was. "I'll regroup and I'll do it. All. Over. Again. There is nothing you can do to stop me… short of killing me," he finished.
'No,' Rogue screamed in her mind. The world flicked, reality shifted. Magneto's pale face flashed in her mind, his expression begging her for help before dying in her arms, reduced to nothing but ash. Her eyes darted to Wolverine who was already on the move.
"That would be my cue," Wolverine said vindictively as he sprung forward. Rogue rushed forward, blocking his path and taking hold of both of his wrists.
"Logan, ya can't kill him," she exclaimed, as he fought against her. Even with her lofty strength, his muscular, well-trained body was slipperier than a greased drunk eel, but still, no, she would hold him back.
She had to. She wasn't losing both of them in a single day. She couldn't.
Rem-Ram sat in the woods, in front of a large fire pit, his only solace during this period of… waiting. After Voght had left, Cortez had been furious, but he could do nothing to stop her and since then, Cortez hadn't any further plans to help them serve Magneto. Some of the Acolytes were ready to leave, abandoning Cortez for his lack of leadership. Fed up with the weeks of idleness and scavenging for food and drink, while avoiding notice, which was quite difficult in the red, purple, and gold.
"My dear Acolytes; fear not, your deliverance is at hand." A deep resonant voice said as the helmeted Master of Magnetism appeared around their campfire. Amelia Voght followed him, along with Unuscione, and a few others, all attired as the Acolytes that were branded "renegade" in the interim.
Magneto floated above them, his voice stentorian as he bade them all welcome. "Through much strife and service, I, Magneto have managed to avoid chaos to the planet, and after was awarded the island of Genosha. It was not without sacrifice, and while your initial foray against the X-Men was…ill-advised," Magneto said, with a pause that was laden with meanings as his eyes scanned the group and lingered on Cortez.
The red haired man gulped audibly, and Voght smiled. Far from a serene one, it was more reminiscent of a fox that found the hare lamed during the hunt. Unuscione looked bored.
Rem-Ram gulped as well, wondering what was going to happen next. Voght told him it was necessary to perform it this way, but he still didn't understand why. The night before, Voght had finally sought him out after he alerted her about their last movement to this series of historical reenactment buildings. Far enough from the road, no one would see them there in the off-season, but it left them quite cold and uncomfortable.
"Though again, I cannot condone your activities, I do offer you instead amnesty, and a place in my new government. I am in need of those who will come to cause, but only if you truly mean it. Cortez had you swear allegiance to him in my stead," again, a pause that was filled with meaning. "Swear to me, now, and I will allow you to continue to serve me, only now, it will be directly under my gaze."
It took no less than those words for all the Acolytes, Rem-Ram included, to surge forward past Cortez, who was jostled back, behind the small, pitiful fire they had raised that night. They feared making too large a conflagration, lest they brought someone nosy down on their heads. Each of the Acolytes Cortez had gathered pledged their fealty to their new leader, and his government, Cortez included. Though he was the last in the queue to do so, Fabian too bent his knee. His lip didn't curl, but it seemed to Rem-Ram some of the others assembled around the fire did, but that shifting light could cast odd shadows.
There was one other odd event that night; Rem-Ram felt a strange itch in the back of his mind. Not quite a deja-vu, but more like he didn't feel he was completely alone in his head. He dismissed the thought, a flight of fancy, nothing else, and gladly departed the hiding place for the safety of a mutant-led, mutant-friendly nation. He, all of them, were finally safe.
Finally.
Charles sits with Cerebro, he just viewed Magneto's speech through Rem-Ram's mind. He laments Joseph's death. He knew Magneto was gathering his forces to lead his new country. He's relieved Rogue didn't leave with Magneto and returned to the mansion. The way she stood between Wolverine and Magneto, protecting him. A part of him knows that adherence to his code of ethics was only part of her motivation to ensure Magnus' survival. Charles was fairly certain Magneto was not aware of the depths of Rogue's affection for his old friend and believes that was why he hadn't made a more blatant attempt to draw her to his side.
'For Rogue's sake,' he prays 'I pray to anyone who will listen, that he never learns.'
Disquieted by the thought, but not surprised by it, for it was not the first time he had it, Charles Francis Xavier retired for the night, confident that at the least, for now, Rogue was not distressed by making an impossible choice.