Hiya! I've been asked to bring my old fic to AO3. This was the first fan fic I ever posted, which I started way back when I was a teenager. From rereading it, I've decided to edit/add stuff while bringing this over to AO3. (But AO3 keeps going down, so posting here for redundancies sake) So, consider this a remaster of an old fic.

Thanks so much and hope you enjoy it!

Please Enjoy

Chapter One of

Taunting Repartee- RM'd

As it Began

The plane hummed around Rogue as she stared out the window, watching clouds scurry past.

"Katherine, there's a problem," Christopher Summer's voice called out from the cockpit. The plane tilted sharply to the left. Red lights flooded the cabin. Alarms wailed in Rogue's ears.

"Mommy, Daddy-" Alex cried. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Shh, baby, it's going to be okay," Katherine said, wrapping her arms around Alex. Christopher rushed into the cabin.

"The plane's going down," he said, putting his hand on Katherine's shoulder. His face looked gray, ashen. "There are only two parachutes."

Rogue saw tears stream down Katherine's face, painting it a similar gray hue. Katherine's arms slipped around Rogue's tiny frame as Christopher slid the backpack-like straps onto her and Alex's arms.

"We love you so much," Katherine said, trying to smile.

"Take care of your brother," Christopher warned her.

Rogue bit her lip and nodded, feeling the muscles in her neck clench as if to fight against her. Rogue and Alex came to the edge of the doorway. The wind whipped their clothing and Rogue felt her throat tighten as black smoke stung her eyes. She slipped out, feeling the wind sail through her hair and roar in her ears. She could barely keep her eyes open as she watched her brother fall beside her. She reached over to grab his hand and give it a squeeze, fighting to reassure him as she struggled for breath.

Reaching over, she pulled the ripcord, feeling the parachute snatch Alex from her hand. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tugged her own ripcord. Her neck jerked forward as she was hefted upwards. However, a burning smell stung her nose, and moments later, she was shooting downwards. She glanced up to see a flaming hole in her parachute.

She felt scraps of metal push down on her body, making her fall faster. All the breath was robbed from her lungs as she felt her body hit the ground like a rag doll. The parachute fell down around her, blanketing her in flames.

Everything started to go black, but she grappled the edges of her consciousness as she forced herself to open her eyes. When her eyelids fluttered open, she saw herself surrounded by a wall of debris. Rubble closed in around her, digging her into the ground. With her face pressed hard against the bloodstained carpet, she raised her eyes to see the bleeding form of her mother. Rogue gagged on the ash-speckled air as embers singed her lungs. Forcing herself to numb knees, she crawled across the carpet and brushed the white hair from her mother's glazed blue eyes.

"Mommy," Rogue choked, touching her face. The dark skin moved so easily beneath her fingers. "Wake up," she cried as she pressed her mom's face.

The house around them creaked and groaned before the wall crashed on top of her. Rogue pressed herself to the ground, but the impact against her back left her helpless. She clawed at the rubble, watching her fingers bleed as her mother lay limply beside her. Flames rose around her, choking her.

"Let me out," she gagged as she kicked the floor. "Let me out."

Her legs were unsteady and slid out from beneath her several times as her eyes closed. She fought to rise beneath the weight of the wall, straining every muscle.

She opened her eyes as she clutched the body in her arms. She turned and pushed it into the flames. She watches flesh crisp and flake off as ash stung her eyes. She turned to the next body on the conveyor belt, when suddenly an emaciated hand grabbed her entire body and went rigid as the starved corpse's mouth moved.

"Please… save me," it rasped, sounding like an echo down a hollow chamber.

"Max," a voice shouted, warning from behind her. She turned in time to feel a bullet whizzing past, scraping her cheek before it landed in the body beside her. The dying man slumped.

"Eisenhardt, back to work," a guard commanded. She unclenched her arms from her side. With numb hands, she lifted the corpse into her arms, feeling her heart rattle in her chest. As she neared the fire, her skin felt like it was boiling, sliding off of her.

In a flurry of blankets, Rogue sat bolt upright. Her pajama top clung to her, fused to her soaked skin. She struggled with her shirt as she fought for breath. Her heart pounded in her throat as she gagged on clean air. It took several long moments of forced steady breathing for her to finally catch her breath. The early morning air chilled her, slowly drying her top. She glanced over at her roommate.

'Good,' she thought in relief, grateful Kitty was still asleep. The last thing she wanted was to have to explain whose nightmares she was having now.

She looked over at the clock on her nightstand. The red light on her alarm clock reminded her of the airplane cabin and the flames. Skin took only moments to turn to ash. Rogue's stomach tightened and she felt her throat clench.

'Stop thinking about it,' she told herself. 'You're gonna make yourself sick.'

Too late.

She felt herself losing the battle and rushed down the hallway to the bathroom. She threw open the door as she found the toilet seat, and gave in to her body's desire.

A few minutes later she washed out her mouth, trying to remove the taste of bile.

'Erik,' she called out to the fragment of his consciousness that resided within her mind as she headed back to her room. There was no answer. She slipped quietly back into her room. She turned back to the clock, and focused on the time. It read 5:37 am. She didn't have time to go back to sleep. With a sigh, she headed for her dresser. 'Max?' she thought slightly louder as she pulled out clean clothes. As quietly as she could, she slipped out of her bedroom door once again.

'I prefer Erik, ' Magneto informed her.

'I know, just wanted to get your attention,' she thought as she shut the bathroom door behind her. She turned on the shower, and undressed.

'You realized you're just going to have to take another after that morning session Charles is so fond of,' he informed her.

'I can't stand that sticky feeling,' she thought with a sigh as she stepped into the shower. She let the hot water run over her body, washing away the filth and her uneasiness. 'They're getting worse,' she thought.

'The nightmares?' he asked, concerned.

'It used to be, I would have just have one. Scott's plane crash one night, Ororo's mother dying another, and your time in the camps…" She quickly pushed the images back. 'They're merging,' she said. 'All into one long nightmare. I know I've asked before, but are you sure? Is there anything you can do to stop them?' she asked. He sighed.

'I apologize, my dear, but my answer today is the same as it was yesterday. Your subconscious is simply beyond my reach. However, your tolerance of the dreams should improve over time, ' he offered.

'Great,' she thought. 'So, I'm gonna get used to seeing people die in front of me every night?' she asked angrily.

'Yes,' he answered dryly.

'Erik, I don't know if I can live like that.'

'What choice do you have, Anna?'

'None,' she thought bitterly.

Later on the same day, Rogue walked into her world history class. She took the same seat she always did in the back. She sighed as she heard Mrs. Gino's call for the classes' attention.

"Quiet down now," Mrs. Ginos said for the fourth time. "With what act did the U.S. enter World War Two?" she asked, clearly frustrated. No one responded. Miss Ginos sighed. "I know it's the last period of the day, people, but you're going to be tested on this at the end of the year."

Still no response.

"Alright, you're going to be tested on it now," she said forcefully. "We're having a pop quiz. Everyone clear off your desks," she commanded.

With many sighs and groans the students did just that.

'What crawled up her ass and died?' Rogue thought as she pulled her books on the floor.

'A rather peculiar choice of phrase, Anna,' Magneto commented with a chuckle. She ignored him as she took the paper that was handed to her. It was a ten-point quiz. All short answers.

'Pop-quiz my ass,' she thought in anger. 'She had these typed out and everything. She was just waiting for a reason to give it to us.'

'As your teacher, she has that right,' Magneto said.

'Yeah, yeah,' she sighed as she read over the questions. 'I don't know any of this,' she thought aggravated.

'The subject is World War Two?' he asked.

'Yeah…'

'Anna, I can assure you I know everything you could ever need to know, and most definitely more than you will ever want to know about that subject,' he informed her.

'You know it. Not me,' she exasperated.

'Now that I am in your mind, the knowledge is yours to do with as you please.'

'Only if I look.'

'Then, by all means, do so.'

'That's cheating,' she told him and not for the first time. He had a bad habit of bringing this up during class. This was the first time during a pop quiz.

'How?' he asked, yet again.

'That's like Jean reading the teacher's mind for the answers,' she answered. 'It's abusing my power,' she said, vaguely recalling the Professor saying these exact words to Jean, though she wasn't sure when.

'I disagree,' he said.

'Well, that's good for you,' she thought fuming as she started to write something for the first question. 'Why didn't I read last night?' she asked herself, annoyed.

'If memory serves I believe, you didn't have enough time to complete the reading as well as your English essay. You choose to write the essay.'

'My teachers assign too much school work,' she thought.

'Charles assigns too much non-school work,' he voiced. She sighed.

'This argument, again ?' she asked anxiously.

' will continue to initiate this discussion until you are willing to see it through to its rightful conclusion,' he told her.

'And what conclusion is that?' she asked.

'We have to have the actual debate before a conclusion can be drawn.'

'I'm supposed to be taking a quiz right now,' she said, annoyed.

'You have avoided this conversation for far too long, my dear.'

'Look, if I promise to argue with you after school will you let me take the quiz?' she asked.

'The moment you are outside these school walls I'll expect-'

'The moment I'm in my room we can talk all you want,' she said, interrupting him. 'Do you know how many weird looks I get when I talk to you in front of other people? Apparently, I make faces,' she said. He responded with a dark chuckle. 'It's not funny. I look like a freak. I ain't talking until I'm home.'

'You promise to have this conversation in its entirety, and in exchange, I will remain silent until you enter your bedroom. Do I have your word, Anna?' he asked.

'I swear sometimes you're more annoying than all the other fragments put together.'

'If you would prefer to deal with them I can allow them to resurface,' he threatened.

'No,' she said quickly. That was the last thing she wanted. She complained, but her mind was much calmer since she'd absorbed him. She had no desire to return to that chaos and while she assumed it was an idle threat, she wasn't prepared to take that risk. 'I'd…I'd rather deal with you,' she added honestly with a hint of gratitude.

'Then I have your word?' he asked, his tone had- she wasn't sure what but she didn't have much choice either way.

'Yes, I promise,' she relented. 'Now, please shut up,' she said as she tried to read what was on the quiz. She put her pen on her paper and started to write an answer to the second question.

"Pens down, pass the papers up," Miss Ginos ordered.

' What?' she yelled in her head as she saw students passing their papers to the front of the classroom. 'No, no, no, no, no no,' she thought in a frenzy as she tried to get one more answer down. She finished that one and started to write something for the third question.

"Miss Creed, pen down," Miss Ginos said firmly. Rogue glanced up to see that she was the only one who hadn't handed in her paper.

"But-"

"Now," Miss Ginos said. With a heavy sigh, Rogue handed the paper to her. Miss Ginos took one look at the paper and then back to Rogue. "For those of you who felt you didn't need to read for this class, I expect that the failure mark of this quiz should act as a reminder of what you should do from now on," she said, staring at Rogue. "For the rest of the period read the chapter you were supposed to finish last night," she said as she walked back to her desk. Rogue sighed as she picked her books up off the floor.

'Erik,' she called out.

There was no response. She felt a vague sense of smugness emanating from the far reaches of her mind and knew she wasn't the source.

'Erik answer me,' she called out again as she opened her textbook to chapter seven. He still didn't respond. 'You wanna have an argument right?' she asked. 'Well, I'm ready to have one, so say something,' she commanded.

She waited for a response but it never came. She leaned back in the chair as she sulked.

'Jackass,' she thought, perturbed as she turned the page.

An hour or so later Rogue was walking down the halls of the Xavier Institute alone. She came up to her bedroom door. Her hand landed on the doorknob. Just as she was about to turn it his word replayed in her mind.

'You promise to have this conversation in its entirety, and in exchange, I will remain silent until you enter your bedroom.'

She smirked as she let go of the doorknob, and sauntered down the hall.

'I think I'll go do the rest of my homework in the library,' she thought satisfyingly.

A few hours later, Rogue had done almost all of her homework for the week, eaten dinner, and watched a movie. Somehow it was only 8:30. She did still have some French homework to do, but the textbook was upstairs. Within the one room in the mansion, she was actively avoiding. So, she continued to lounge on the sofa in the common room doing nothing.

That lasted another seven minutes, tops. She was starting to get bored. The argument with Eric would be annoying, but at least it would be somewhat entertaining.

'It ain't like I can stay out of there forever,' she thought and with a sigh, she got off the couch.

A few minutes later she walked into her bedroom. She dropped her backpack on the floor and collapsed onto her bed.

'So?' she asked him.

'You certainly took your time,' Magneto said.

'I was angry at you,' she explained.

'Really?' he asked sarcastically. 'I couldn't tell.' A wry smile crossed her lips and she could almost imagine the same look on his face. 'Where do you wish to begin?' he asked.

'Can we skip the first ten minutes of you calling the Professor an idiot? I get it. You don't like him.'

'Very well,' he said, not disputing her claim. 'I suppose, we could start with that invalid excuse you give for the Danger Room.'

'What? That it helps us with our powers?' she asked.

'Correct.'

'It does,' she insisted. 'Do you know how much control Kitty has gained? She used to fall through floors, unable to stay tangible. But now she can control it.'

'My focus is not on your teammates, my dear. My concerns start and end with you. Tell me, what level of mastery have you gained under Charles' tutelage?' he asked.

'My powers are different,' she thought frustrated.

'Then why must you endure the danger room on a daily basis?' he asked.

'Because-'

'Because you are being trained as a soldier,' he interrupted forcefully. 'Rogue, his soldier,' he said strongly. 'As long as you are an obedient little X-man you will have the honor of living within his institute. He cares so little about what control you gain.'

'He does care,' she insisted for what seemed the countless time.

'You seem so certain. Yet, how many times has Charles taken you into his office, and discussed with you his ideas regarding your powers? How many times has he gone out of his way to make them a priority?'

'He hasn't,' she sighed, regrettably conceding the point.

'Correct me if I am wrong my dear, but didn't he give you his word that he would do everything he could to help? The very night you moved into the institute the two of you talked for hours, about your mother, and what little you knew of me. Charles noticed Raven's unwillingness to explore your power's limitations. Didn't he promise you he would not do the same? Didn't he promise he wouldn't ignore you, Anna?'

'Yes, yes he did,' she thought as she wiped a tear away from her eye.

'Rogue, do you want control over your powers?' he asked.

'Of course, I do,' she exclaimed.

'And, what means is used to achieve improvement in a given skill?' he asked.

'Practice,' she thought sadly.

'Yet, you refuse to do so,' he said. She shook her head, trying to push him to the back of her mind with the others. 'Not this time, Anna Marie,' he said firmly. 'You gave me your word, that you would see this conversation to its end. I have fulfilled my end of the bargain despite the aggravation I felt. Now, you must finish this argument despite what pain the topic brings you.'

'I can't look at everyone's memories. There's too much. Too much I shouldn't know. They don't want me to look.'

'Then we will start with mine.'

'Your memories? I don't want to look at Auschwitz. I don't want to see thousands of people die.'

'But you already have, my dear, in your dreams. What I am asking you to do, now, is to look again. The memories will not merge with others, and you may select which ones you witness. You can pause or stop them with a single thought. This time you will be in control.'

'I...'

'Do you trust me, Anna?' he asked.

'No.'

'If you decide to witness all that I am, I promise, you will .'

'...'

'Since I have entered your mind, all I have done is help you, but I can only do so much without your cooperation. Stop fighting me,' he pleaded.

'I don't know if I should,' she told him, her mind clouded with trepidation. A little voice in the back of her head kept reminding her of one undeniable fact. ' We're supposed to be enemies, Eric,' she said. 'I- I don't understand why you're helping me,' she thought, pausing to see if he'd respond. 'I don't understand you,' she added when he didn't.

'But you wish to?' he asked. 'Understand me, that is,' he clarified.

'Yes...'

'Then look,' he urged her.

'I - …,' a long pause followed, still on the fence, uncertainty plaguing her.

She wasn't sure if she was up for this, but on the other hand, he had made good points. And, at least, she had his consent. Though, she wondered what the real Magneto would have to say about that. She blinked as she heard him let out a sort of huff. Okay, clearly he was getting impatient and, yes, it wasn't like this was the first time they'd had this argument. He'd been trying to get her to practice with her abilities since the night she had absorbed him. And she knew he was right about it being necessary for her to gain control. How long could she really put this off?

'I- I wanna look at a happy memory,' she said, finally relenting.

'Understandably so,' he said, she could hear the smile in his voice, having gotten his way. 'Why not start with memories of my daughter?'

'Anya?'

'Correct.'

'Okay... Erik, I…I don't know how to do this,' she confessed.

'Relax,' he said gently. 'We'll go slowly. Close your eyes," he ordered and she did. "I want you to think of my Anya. Picture her face.'

Rogue took a deep breath as she focused on Anya's name. As she did, an image of a young girl came to mind. The girl was about five- maybe six. She had short brown hair, and brown eyes. There was a grin on her face, from ear to ear.

'Got it…I think.'

'Good, now concentrate on her. Memories should start to flash in your mind. Much like a movie.'

Rogue took another deep breath, and soon memories started to present themselves. Just as he said they would. Her breath quickened as the images went faster and faster. Her heart was beating far too rapidly.

'Anna, calm yourself,' he commanded.

She took a deep breath and focused. As her breathing and heart rate slowed the images followed suit. Soon she could make out what was happening in the pictures. There was one that caught her attention. She saw Anya walking down a city street with her mother Magda. Rogue focused on it.

'An excellent choice, Anna.'

'What do I-'

'Concentrate, as you just did. You will soon take up my part in this memory. '

She continued to focus; obeying his orders, her attention was on the young girl strolling down the street.

Anya was smiling as she pointed to everything in sight, asking question after question, her curiosity never wavered. Her desire to learn was never satisfied. Rogue felt her lips curl into a smile as Erik did the same. She watched little Anya pull at her hand.

'Poppa, poppa, why are there so many large buildings here?' she asked.

'It's a large city, Anya, with many people, they need the space,' she answered.

'What's that building, Poppa?'

'That is the inn where we shall be staying,' she said as she held the door open for Magda and Anya. She watched Anya skip into the room, followed closely by her mother.

'She's adorable,' Rogue told Erik.

'Yes, she was. Anya was my hope, my talisman. She made all that I had endured worthwhile.'

'Was?' she questioned as she felt herself leave the memory.

Her mind quickly flashed to a new memory, without her consent. As Magneto, she felt heat in the air, and arms holding her down. She struggled trying to break the hold two men had on her arms.

'You are under arrest, comrade. For extortion and assault,' one of the officers told her.

'No, you can't,' she felt herself scream. 'My daughter please,' she yelled as she looked up at the inn. The building was engulfed in flames. If someone didn't help soon all would be lost for her little girl.

'Poppa,' she heard Anya shriek from the second floor of the inn. 'The fire…I'm burning.' Rogue fought harder, managing to break free from one of the men. Punching the other.

'Resist officers of the state, will you? Better teach this dog a proper lesson, Dmitri,' he said as both men hit her repeatedly with their cubs. Their hold on her tightened. She couldn't escape, she couldn't save her child.

'Please,' Rogue begged quietly, '…my daughter.'

'Tsk, tsk, tsk. Too bad comrade. I offered you an honest day's wage but you went and got greedy. Now you must pay the price.'

'You lying…" The sound of Anya screaming stopped his insult. 'That scream… My child's done no harm,' she said as she looked up at her former boss. 'I beg you, for the love of heaven… somebody,' she beseeched the countless people around her, '… please. Help me! '

She looked at the various people standing outside of the inn. No one moved to save her child.

'Waste of breath, comrade. Nobody here will risk life or freedom…for an obvious enemy of the state,' he said with a smile on his face. Rogue looked up in horror as she saw a small figure engulfed in flames fall out of the window. Anya's tiny body hit the ground hard, the fire still aflame.

'No…No,' he screamed.

"No," Rogue shouted as her eyes opened quickly. She sat up covered in sweat. Tears fell freely from her eyes. "How could they?" she sobbed.

'My dear, I'm so sorry,' he said. 'You weren't supposed to see that memory,' he said his voice sounding concerned. ' … at least not until you were ready,' he added a moment later.

"She was only a little girl, they…they hated you not her. Why did Anya have to die?" she gasped as she brushed tears off of her cheeks.

'Humans do terrible things to one another, rarely for an adequate reason. These men were no different,' his tone filled with a bitterness that, after witnessing his daughter's death, resonated with her very soul.

She needed to catch her breath and calm herself, but her attempts were in vain. His thoughts were still first and foremost in her mind. She felt as though she had just lost her firstborn, she felt scorned to an incomprehensible degree. Anger consumed her and above all else, one question came to mind.

"Are they dead?" she asked.

'Yes,' he said dryly.

"Did you kill them?"

'...Yes,' he admitted.

"…Good," she whispered vindictively as she hugged herself.

'Anna,' he said cautiously. 'I believe that you've seen enough for one night,' he said, there was concern but something else behind his tone. Something she couldn't put her finger on.

God, he had just been forced to relive one of his worst memories, of course, he was off. She was off- she was- okay- okay, the anger was starting to fade. She inhaled deeply, needing these feelings to pass.

'You should rest,' he told her and she felt herself nodding in agreement. 'Close your eyes. I'll help you fall asleep,' he offered.

"You-you can do that?" she asked, startled.

'Yes, yes I can,' he said.

"O-Okay…," she laid down and closed her eyes. Only to shoot open a moment later as a thought occurred to her. "What if I have another nightmare? Erik, I always have nightmares. What if I see her die too? I can't, I can't watch her die again," she said as she felt more tears form at the edges of her eyes. "Your pain, a-and anger it's too much. I can't do it," she panted, feeling panicky.

'Shh, Anna… There…There might be a way that I can influence your dreams. Just close your eyes,' he coxed.

"You- you said there was nothing you could do," she exclaimed.

'… This morning, yes, I did. But today's moment of silence gave me a considerable amount of time to think,' he said.

Okay, it had been hours, but where was this idea yesterday?

'I can't promise that this idea of mine will succeed, but I am willing to attempt it if you are,' he added.

"Yeah," she muttered, nodding as she dismissed her suspicions. "I'm…I'm willing to try anything," she said desperately.

'Close your eyes,' he ordered gently.

Rogue pulled the covers onto her and did as he suggested. She laid on her bed taking deep breaths for what felt like several minutes. She wasn't falling asleep, but she was claiming down. The vision seemed to get farther, and farther away with each breath.

"Erik? I feel better but I'm definitely not asleep."

"What makes you so certain?" he asked.

"I don't know, maybe the fact that I'm still awake might have something to do with it."

"Sarcasm?" he asked with a laugh. "I'm glad that you're feeling better, my dear." She felt a hand on her arm. She opened her eyes to look up at Erik sitting on the bed next to her.

"Magneto? How are you here?" she panicked as she sat up. "I don't understand." She started to get up. Erik's hand on her cheek stopped her movements.

"Anna, be still," he said as he turned her by the chin to face him. "This is a dream."

"This don't feel like a dream."

"How many of yours do?" he asked pointedly.

"Good point…" Her eyes focused on his bare hand, she felt her face blush slightly but tried to ignore it as she looked up at him. It was surreal seeing his face. She had imaged his expressions so many times but to be able to match them in real time- she could actually see his eyebrow arch at her reaction to him. "How are you touching me?" she asked, as she felt further heat on her face, praying she wasn't nearly as red as she felt.

"As I've said, this is a dream. The physical limitations you feel in life are not present here."

"So, we can…" she let her words trail off-

"So, we can, what?" he asked, his brow raised even further.

She lifted herself up on her knees to match his height as she threw her arms around his neck, she rested her head on his shoulder, her face turned away and into the crook of his neck. She was unable to face his reaction, relishing this moment while she could. She clung to him, her breath hitting his neck as she felt him tense against her. She almost gasped as she felt his hands on her back, completing the hug. She closed her eyes, tears running down her face as she squeezed him even tighter.

She didn't-

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she knew she couldn't stay like this forever. She loosened her hold on his neck moving her hands to lightly grip his shoulders. She backed a few inches away from his face so they could talk.

"I haven't done that in the longest time," she said in a thick voice, tears running down her face.

"Hugged another person?' he asked in disbelief as he gently wiped the tears away with his thumb, softly pressing each stroke against her cheek. She nodded slowly. "My dear, girl," he said, concerned. "You can do this with or without your powers active," he tried to assure her.

"No, I-" she started to mumble. She was interrupted by the force he used to pull her against him again. She rested her head on his chest.

"Anna Marie, a hug is such a simple gesture," he said quietly. "I don't understand how your teammates, how Charles could be so careless," he said, infuriated as he held her close.

"I…"

"Yes?" he asked tenderly.

She gazed up at him with uncertainty. She knew her face was blushing beyond belief and from his reaction earlier, he had to know what thought had crossed her mind, right? So, she slowly lifted herself up again and leaned in and- he wasn't stopping her, only looking at her with fascination, maybe? No, it was probably pity. She- she didn't care, she wanted to- She lightly pressed her lips to his. Her eyes closed as she tried to memorize everything about the feeling. Even if all of this was just in her head and not real- still it felt real enough

"Can't do that in real life," she said sadly as she opened her eyes. "Sorry," she whispered, embarrassed, knowing how appalled he must be. It was kind of him to allow her that much. She turned her gaze away from his as she sat back down on the bed. She sucked in a breath as his hand went to her chin, her face was turned back towards his and-

"Don't be," his voice was soft now,as he brought his face closer to hers. This time he kissed her. He gently caressed her cheek, as he deepened the kiss. He playfully bit her lips, between light pecks. Switching back and forth between light, and deep kisses, he allowed her to experience what a kiss should be. She leaned into his arms, her hands grabbing at his shirt.

Several moments later their lips parted.

"I never thought I'd be able to do this," she uttered. He tilted her head downwards as he pressed his lips against her forehead. Her eyes closed in bliss at the unfamiliar sensation, "any of this." He pulled her down with him as he laid on the bed. She made herself comfortable by his side, as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She took a deep breath as she gazed up at him. As he smiled down at her, her embarrassment and trepidation were stripped away as a wave of contentment washed over her. "I don't wanna wake up," she whispered.

"You can achieve this during your wakened state, I promise you," he said strongly as he ran his hand across her cheek.

"How?" she asked desperately, her fingers grasping at the fabric of her shirt.

"It will take time, my dear, and I'll admit I am unsure of the outcome. But there is one thing I can assure you of without a single doubt in my mind."

"What?" she asked.

"I am ready and willing to help you, as I have in every other area of your mind you have allowed me to explore," he said as he gently pushed hair behind her ear. "Can your Professor make such a claim?" he asked as he stared into her eyes.

"I don't know anymore," she sighed. He kissed her forehead. Her eyes fluttered closed as she pressed herself against his chest.

"I suggest you find out."