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From One Book to Another:

Chapter Eight:

Hands

Anna-Marie took a breath as she and Magneto walked, hand-in-hand, over to the steps of, what she hoped, was the amphitheater. As they sat, he continued to squeeze her hand, comfortingly.

They waited a long moment, she was ill-at-ease and she could tell Max was sitting with so much tension in his stance. Both of them were waiting for the next attack. It didn't come. She hesitated to let out a sigh of relief. How long had Shadow King let them stay in the Library in Jane Eyre? It felt like days. This could be more of the same.

"Rogue?" he asked. But at least they could talk. And that she wasn't attempting to convince him he was unwell.

"I know that's my name, Max, but I'm having a real hard time remembering anything before the constructs," she said, her head feeling dizzy as she tried. "Thing is, Shadow King and I talked, during the middle of it… I think. And I- I was laughing at him, cause it wasn't working and I think I knew why," she said, closing her eyes, trying to focus on that. "I was- I was excited to tell Scott, so he- … so he could update his protocols," she managed to recall, though her head was pounding as a result of her effort. She tried to ignore it.

"Which would explain why Farouk is working so diligently to keep your memories from you. He likely thought fear and confusion would take care of the rest. And he nearly succeeded. Or had succeeded somewhat. I have no idea how much harm I've caused," he lamented. It was her turn to squeeze his hand, while her gaze shifted down toward his loincloth.

"Sugar, what did you fall asleep in?" she asked.

"Boxers, why-" he started to ask before he was holding the bridge of his nose in frustration. "You're telling me, we're sitting in the amphitheater in our-"

"Ah-huh," she groaned. "And I ain't wearing that much more than you."

"I'd take Jane Eyre over this," he commented and she couldn't help but giggle in response. It felt good to laugh.

"Yeah, I'd could stand ta be wearing three layers of petticoats right about now," she said and he laughed in response. "Ya think we were just asleep in our beds that whole time?" she asked.

"It's possible," he said. "You said you were in Jane Eyre without me."

"And you remember Anna Karenina," she stated as he nodded.

"I spent what felt like weeks filing paperwork," he said.

"I was in Jane Eyre for months before Max arrived the first time 'round," she said and he nodded again.

"Do you think it's morning then?" he asked.

"Afternoon at most," she replied. "When it wasn't working, when Shadow King couldn't take over my body, I knew it was just a waiting game, for someone to notice I was missing," she said.

"I think we garnered the island's attention," he quipped.

"Yup," she said, squeezing his hand again. Her breath caught in her throat as one of the shadows started to approach them, though it was moving slowly, very slowly. Max stood, his hand slipping out of hers, as he placed himself between her and the shadow. Their attention was solely on the short figure floating toward them.

It stopped, just in front of Max and Anna-Marie took a deep breath in; she smelt cigars, beer and the slight scent of dried blood. Max stood ready to defend her, if need be, but instead something tangible dropped from the shadowy figure onto the step. Rogue blinked as she saw a folded blanket.

"Thank you, Logan," she said, softly, the name slipping off her tongue.

"Yes, thank you, and I apologize again for any harm you may have needed to recover from, Wolverine," Max said as he lifted the blanket up and wrapped it around her shoulders, covering her first. She nodded at him, thanking him for both covering her first and helping her put two and two together.

"They gotta be trying ta break through the illusion," she said as she wrapped the blanket further around her shoulders, standing a brief moment, so it was beneath her as well. The shadow backed away, rejoining the others.

"No doubt they are," he agreed as another shadow appeared in a puff of smoke, depositing a small pile of what looked like red and purple cloth. "Thank you, Nightcrawler," he said as the cloth lifted from the stone, split apart, and reformed around him, adorning his body in purple and red. "But Farouk is a formidable telepath and I'd wager he's preventing them from freeing us," he said, before he turned back toward the group. "If anyone could locate my helmet, that might be of use," he said loudly. "Though, it should have been with the rest of my uniform," he commented as he sat back down next to her, the shadow disappearing in another puff of smoke.

"Which means we gotta do it ourselves," she said before he sighed as he took her hand in his again. The contact was appreciated. "No, it's my illusion, so I gotta get us out of it," she realized out loud. "But how do I do that if I can't remember anything before the constructs?" she asked. Max's eyes darted back and forth as he considered her question.

"Perhaps-" he said before cutting himself off as he glanced down at their hands, she followed his gaze. "I now have access to my mutant abilities. Do you?" he asked.

"I don't-" She knew it had something to do with her skin. He'd tried to explain it to her back in Jane Eyre, but it hadn't made much sense to her. She 'absorbed' people, their memories through skin-to-skin contact. But she had no idea how to turn it on. "You want me ta see your memories," she realized, meeting his gaze.

"I thought it might help," he confirmed. She nodded at him, it was a good plan. But did she? "Breathe and will your powers to obey your commands," he advised. She nodded again before closing her eyes. She brought her second hand forward, now touching his with both of hers. She focused on his skin, how it felt against her palms. But that was all she felt- skin.

Anna-Marie opened her eyes as she smelt more brimstone. Glancing up, she saw a helmet had been left on the step where the blanket had been.

"Is that?" she asked as he lifted his free hand and called the helmet to his hand.

"Is it," he confirmed, after a moment, as he seemed to be examining the helm. He smiled as he offered it to her.

"Shouldn't you go first?" she asked, as she stared at the object.

"Farouk has targeted you. I insist we tend to you immediately. We can worry about restoring my senses later. Your memory loss is the higher priority," he dictated. "Please, hopefully it will sever Shadow King's connection and liberate us both," he finished and she relented, taking the helmet from him.

She lifted it up and over her head. Instantly, the pounding in her head intensified as if in warning for her temerity.

"This might've been a mis-" she said as she was forced to squeeze her eyes shut.

As Anna-Marie opened her eyes, she found herself in a small bedroom, standing in front of a full length mirror. She was wearing a crisp white bra, green tattered underwear and a brown open-faced shirt of a silk-like material. Staring at her face, she looked so much younger than she should, maybe twenty or twenty-one years old.

She spun around and took the room in. There was a bed, the full-length mirror, she'd already seen, and through a small door, she could see a sink and toilet. On the bed, there was a brown paper bag, walking over to it, she saw there was an assortment of clothes within it. But as soon as she tried to stick her hand in the bag, the clothes disappeared, leaving her only with what she was wearing.

"Where am I?" she asked, confused.

"Muir Island," Farouk answered in a bodiless voice. She tensed up as she looked around the room, trying to locate him. "In a fashion," he added and she turned back toward the mirror, seeing him, standing behind her reflection. She was alone in this room, right? The look he gave her while within in the mirror set her skin crawling.

Maybe if she ran for the door, but would it open? Before thought and deed could come together, she wasn't given the chance to try as four, snake/dragon like metal monstrosities appeared out of nowhere and took hold of her limbs. Two large ones coiled around her ankles and two slightly smaller ones looped about her wrists. They each had glowing blue eyes that stared at her through the mirror. Despite only existing within the reflection, their hold was enough to keep her immobile.

"This is where," he started, smiling with a grin that told all the cat ate the canary. And he was most certainly the cat. She almost gave herself whiplash as she tried to turn her head away from the mirror. But the space behind her head was vacant, and turning back to the reflection, she realized she couldn't see him without the mirror's help, which unsettled her to her core. "We first became acquainted with one another," he purred as a dark claw appeared in the mirror and cupped the back of her head and neck. With one motion he had her, she wouldn't be able to move again, not unless he allowed her to.

Her breaths came fast as both the mirror and her head were forced to move until the bed was in view within the reflection. Anna-Marie gasped as she saw herself as she was now splayed on the bed. She was in the same outfit she wore now, and the girl's eyes were closed, her cheeks flushed with color. Some dark creature made of shadows laid on top of her, its long tongue running across her neck, as its claw-like hand pressing against her breast.

"Intimately acquainted," Farouk leered, his toothy grin, staring at her.

"Do you like this, Rogue?" Shadow King's reflection on the bed asked the moaning woman who laid on the bed, as he massaged her breast. "You do, don't you?" he hissed, as the claw slipped into the white bra, cupping her breast. Anna-Marie gasped as another claw appeared, this one in her reflection and not the memory. It grabbed at her breast, rubbing it in time with the reflection, going so far as to pinch her nipple.

"You liked that, certainly," both men said in unison. Anna-Marie didn't exactly agree, as she felt revolted at his touch, watching in horror as Shadow King worked his way up Rogue's neck before capturing her lips again. The memory arched into the claw, embracing the beast's treatment of her, relishing it, moaning openly.

"I don't remember this," Anna-Marie said, as Rogue kissed Shadow King passionately, wrapping an arm around his neck, pulling him closer to her. "Did I really let you do that ta me?" she asked in disbelief as Shadow King snaked his hand around Rogue's back, pulling her up off the bed slightly, further into his embrace.

"And so much more, my pet," Farouk taunted. She could feel a solid weight against her back, and felt nauseated. Farouk caressed her body, and she wanted nothing less than to be away from him, away from here. She didn't want to believe any of this. "My darkling queen. My shadowy consort." His breath felt hot against her ear even as she wanted to throw him off.

The mirror made a full rotation and once the reflection was visible again, Anna-Marie saw Shadow King towering over Rogue's form, his hardened member at her opening. Rogue reached up, taking hold of his shoulders and pulled Shadow King closer. Grinning with ecstasy as Shadow King slipped his cock inside of Rogue. She wrapped her legs around his dark form and clung to the beast as he thrust into her, matching his thrusts, staring into his large red piercing eyes. Rogue let out a scream of pure bliss as she climaxed and Shadow King laughed in triumph.

"This was the first time you gave yourself to me," Farouk hissed in her ear. "The first time you gave yourself to anyone," he said, chucking in her ear. Anna-Marie closed her eyes, wishing she could will him away, make him leave, and cease plaguing her. But once her eyes were closed, the metal snake-like creatures began rubbing at her skin with soft liquid-like metal, and the claw was again rubbing at her breast. Her skin was crawling, she wanted him to stop and oh god, something had latched onto her underwear and was pulling it down.

"What are you doing to me?" she asked, keeping her voice steady, but only just.

"You wanted to remember, my darling rogue, so remember," he said and her eyes shot open.

She was on the bed this time. Shadow King was above her, as the snakes pinned her down to the bed. A claw descended, ripping the white bra from her body, shredding the cloth in a violent wind. She was naked and exposed to him, as he shifted from man to monster, to something between. There was so much pressure on her mind! The Shadow King squeezed one of her breasts; and it hurt. He really seemed to like that. She felt the creature on her right hand wrapped its tail around her arms before unlatching its mouth from her wrist. She tried to move her arm, but the creature only pushed itself forward onto her chest and- She felt a metal tongue lick her nipple. She shuddered, revolted further as she stared up at the beast that tormented her.

His toothy grin seemed to lose some of its luster. She guessed she wasn't reacting the way he expected her to.

"And this was the part where you spread those legs for me," he rallied and leered. Her legs were forced apart by the two creatures grabbing her ankles. She gasped as she felt metal against her inner thigh as another metal creature wormed its way between her legs and was now licking her mound. "This is the part where you Let. Me. In," he laughed as the creature's tongue pushed past her the lips of her opening and found her clit. It latched on, and all of this felt so wrong. There was plenty she was into, but-

"There ain't no way I was inta this," she protested, disgusted.

"I know what lives in your heart, Rogue. You were. You loved it," he hissed.

"I don't see how," she retorted, as she shuddered. Pressure was building on her clit, but any chance at pleasure was supplanted by the knowledge of who was doing this to her: The heavy-set man with vile breath and his form, monstrous grotesque shadow with sharp claws and malicious intent. This wasn't what she liked, she knew this. Her lovers were varied, her crushes were a veritable mountain. She'd never want to lie with her enemy like this. So what was he hiding from her?

A flash of inspiration and her eyes snapped open as it hit her. "You looked like Magneto, didn't you?" she asked, staring up into his eyes.

"Yes," Farouk admitted begrudgingly; he clearly hated the Master of Magnetism as much as he hated Charles Xavier and his X-Men. "but he was merely the instrument to unlock your dark passions, my darling-"

"No, he's the whole reason I let you do this to me," she told him in a voice gaining certainty along with strength. "You're a literal monster, Farouk," she said as she tried to sit up again and was able to. She didn't know where the creatures had gone and she didn't care. "Max has the face and the body of a Greek God," she said as he floated a few feet back from the bed. He was taller than her, by an imposing amount, but she didn't care about that either.

"Yeah, of course, I said yes to him," she continued incredulously as she stood, getting off the bed herself. "And that sure as hell don't count as me saying yes to you," she said. "Are you kidding me?" she laughed. "Shadow King, you telepathically catfished me into sleeping with you. That doesn't say shit about me, my desires or what lives in my heart," she said mockingly, as he seemed to shrink. "You don't know me," she declared, placing her hands on her hips, as she glared down at him, he was about a foot shorter than her now. "All that means is you gotta lie to a girl to get her to anythin' to you. That ain't power. You didn't unlock my dark passions," she said mockingly, as he got smaller and smaller by the moment.

"Even you must admit the games you like to play in the bedroom, with Remy, with Magnus; they were inspired by me," he hissed, growing a bit taller as he spoke. "I am the darkness that lives in your heart," he insisted, his grin returning.

"So, anything outside of missionary is your domain?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "Are you listening to yourself?" she asked, laughing again. "Enjoying sex ain't a crime and it sure as hell don't make me your puppet, Farouk," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I ignited the spark between you and Remy; your first kiss. I gave you the chance to explore your passions for Magnus; taking your virginity, claiming your innocence. You were mine the moment your legs parted and you will be mine forever more," he declared weakly, attempting to regain the upper hand. All she saw was a tiny shadow desperately seeking validation for his sad existence, for relevance.

"It's just pathetic," she said disgustedly. "You're pathetic," she said, stepping up to him. He was barely the size of her foot, smaller even, the size of a bug. "The only reason this went on as long as it has, is cause you made me forget that. I promise you, Shadow King, that ain't ever happenin' again. So now, you're gonna get the hell outta my head," she said firmly, lifting her foot up. She brought it down on top of him, squishing him beneath the heel of her foot, like the nuisance he was. "And stay gone this time. You ain't welcome here," she said, twisting her heel, hearing and feeling him crunch into screaming nothingness.

In a rush, her memories returned to her and she knew exactly who she was. It was then she felt something against her cheeks and over her head, and realized it was Magneto's helmet. She brought her hands up and lifted it off of her head.

Blinking as the sunlight hit her face, Rogue was standing in the middle of the amphitheater, in her pajamas, the little green slip she liked to sleep in.

"Cuckoo's diagnostic report on Rogue asap," Scott ordered to the three blonde teenagers standing next to him, their eyes glowing white with the use of their telepathy.

"No trace of Shadow King in her mind," the girls said in unison.

"Or on the Island," Emma Frost added, stepping down into the amphitheater. Kurt, Logan and Remy weren't far behind. But the crowd, if there ever was one, had dissipated, and aside from them and a few members of the X-Club, the area was fairly devoid of spectators. Magneto was already standing next to her, holding the blanket she'd been wrapped in earlier and handed it back to her.

"Thanks, Magnus," she said, choosing his usual name, rather than his birth name, as she pulled the blanket up and over her shoulders.

"I want scans of the island every hour. With additional scans of Storm, Psylocke, Rogue and Magneto's minds every twelve hours for the next week. Shadow King's not regaining his strength and targeting anyone else," Cyclops dedicated.

"Yes, sir," the girls said in unison.

"We'll handle it, darling," Emma added and Rogue felt her shiver at the endearment.

"How's your memory, now?" Magneto asked, stepping closer to her, his face was laced with concern.

"Less fuzzy," she smiled, looking up at him, her head cocked slightly.

"Thank heaven," he commented, his expression turned kind. She couldn't help but huff softly in response, a smile on her lips. Looking past him, she saw Remy and the displeased look on his face, like someone had just kicked a puppy in front of him. Her ex turned around and started to make his way up the stairs and out of the amphitheater.

She'd check in with Remy, at some point, but she owed Magneto a conversation before that. She'd owed Max a conversation for a long while, there was so much unresolved between them. While with Remy- No, she already knew where that song and dance led. They entered that waltz so many times. She wasn't eager for another round, as much as a part of her would always love him.

No, she was ready for something new and the truth was, she didn't really know what being with Magnus meant- ... Except for the time they spent together in the constructs. Even when they each thought the other was insane, still they had worked together in harmony, achieved shared goals, saved each other. She wondered what they could do, what they could be, if they were on the same page.

"X-Club, I want full physical and psychological work up for both Rogue and Magneto asap," Cyclops ordered. She sort of shrugged at Magneto and he at her. It was to be expected that they would need an examination after what they'd just endured. She wasn't even sure how much time had really passed from beginning to end.

"Hey," she said, taking Magneto's hand in hers. "After we're done being poked and prodded at, come find me?" she asked, looking up at him. "I think they're some stuff we need ta talk about," she said.

"For instance, that I have the 'face and body of a Greek god'?" he asked, unable to keep an amused glint from his eye.

"I was takin' out loud," she groaned in mortified realization. Well, that explained the look on Remy's face.

"Afraid so," he huffed.

"Can someone die out of embarrassment? Cause I think I'm reaching my limit for the week," she said and he chuckled.

"I should hope not," he said. "Lunch?" he asked, changing the subject. "Or dinner, perhaps?" he added, tilting his head. "Depending on what time they're done with us."

"Food," she settled on. "At some point today," she said.

"Agreed," he smiled. She smiled in return, feeling a connection with him, just by holding his hand here. Her eyes trailed down to where their palms were clasped.. He lifted it up further and brought his lips to the back of her hand. "Till later," he said, releasing her hand.

"Hate to break it to you, folks, but you're both going to the same place," Madison Jeffries said and Rogue felt her face flush all over again.

"Ya couldn't've said somethin' thirty seconds ago?" she asked incredulously.

"Didn't want to break up a tender moment," he remarked.

"Seriously, how much embarrassment can a girl withstand before she drops dead?" she asked, rolling her eyes at herself.

"I've heard second hand variety is just as deadly," Kurt commented.

"Good Lord, help me," she mumbled, even as she laughed a little, under her breath. The whole situation was insane.

They all started walking up the steps. Getting in pace with one another, Magneto offered his hand again and she was happy to take it as she shrugged off her embarrassment.

"I've never read Jane Eyre," Kurt remarked as he walked next to his sister. "What happens in that story?" he asked.

"Two star-crossed lovers are almost wed in a Catholic ceremony," Magneto answered, squeezing her hand comfortingly. Rogue watched her brother's face light up as he sucked in a joyful breath.

"Mein Gott, was I the priest?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah, you were the priest," Rogue confirmed with a laugh and Magneto joined in along with her. Madison Jeffries seemed to busy himself with his data pad, but he was definitely listening in on the entire conversation.

"That is wunderbar! If you ever actually get married, you must let me preside over the ceremony," he said eagerly. It was clear he wanted to be the one to bless the couple and the wedding planner.

"I can assure you, Kurt, you're at the top of our list for officiants in our hypothetical future wedding," Magneto answered dryly.

"And what a fine wedding it would be," Kurt exclaimed proudly, dismissing Magneto's dry tone.

"Let us start with a meal first. We can work our way up from there," Magneto commented, winking at her. She squeezed his hand again, unable to stop laughing under her breath.

"I kinda wanna take things slow," she added as she regained composure.

"Considering we were married, then engaged and then nearly married again, I agree that would be a wise course of action," Magneto agreed.

"I'm glad we're on the same page," Rogue said.

"As am I," he said and she leaned her head against his shoulder as they continued back home.