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Part Two: bébé
Magneto flew through the air, his trench coat flapping in the wind, as he traveled a very familiar flight path; one he had taken on a near nightly basis for the past eleven months. And fun as it was to sneak about as they were, perhaps it was time to put an end to the games and seek something a little more formal from their arrangement?
'Oh yes, Magnus, wonderful idea. You're certain to scare her right off with that sort of talk,' he chided himself as he came upon the mansion and let himself in through the window of Charles' old office as he'd made a habit of doing, making certain not to set off the alarm. 'My office,' he lamented, his thoughts on his old friend's last will and testament, as he closed the window behind him.
'Ah, yes, another wonderful plan; antagonize her family by establishing dominance as you claim the property and along with it responsibility for the dream Charles so foolishly left in your blood soaked hands,' he reprimanded in his mind, exacerbated; with himself, with Charles, and perhaps a bit with Rogue. Though he was doing his best to ignore that last bit.
It wasn't her fault that the X-Men would judge her so harshly for their past and now current association and it was hardly her fault that he refused to end things as they both likely knew he should. As long as she stared up at him, with those lovely jade eyes and beckoned him to her bed, he was powerless to resist.
She made him happy, damn it!
But was that enough? There were forces at work, forces that would see his people dead and each night he spent in bliss with Anna-Marie was another he wasn't dedicating himself to their protection.
'I need to talk to her,' he reminded himself, ranking a hand through his hair before he rendered himself invisible and exited the office. It wouldn't take long to get to Rogue's room and though her window was just as accessible as the one in Charles' office, he simply wasn't comfortable with entering her room without knocking rightly on her door. 'Like a gentleman should,' he told himself as he flew through the halls, up the stairs and came upon that very door. 'Alright, you've put this off long enough, old man. Talk to her,' he told himself, decisively, before knocking on the door three times, so she would know it was him.
The door was quick to open and he was swiftly in the room, and he heard her close the door behind him. While his back was faced toward her, ensured he was visible, as he strengthened his resolve to say what needed to be said. With a deep breath he turned to face her and gazed into tear filled eyes.
"Rogue, what's wrong?" he asked immediately, his resolve undone by the hurt in her expression, as he marched forward and took her into his arms. It could wait another night. What was one more night?
"Magnus, I need-" she said, before she hesitated.
"It's alright, tell me. Whatever you need, if it is within my power to provide it, it's yours," he told her. She managed a smile at that.
"Magnus, I- I'm pregnant," she told him.
To say he was shocked would be-
Oh god, how was he supposed to react? Happy? Concerned? He didn't want to influence her in any way. What she did about the situation was entirely her decision. An outpour of joy could inadvertently cause her to carry through with something she didn't wish for. This wasn't planned. He didn't-
All he could think of was to keep his face stoic as not to-
Rogue lifted her head up, smiling at him before she saw it; his expression went blank, like he was trying to hide how he felt about the news.
"Magnus?" she asked.
"What do you need of me?" he asked, his tone guarded.
Right, right. Like most men she'd ever attached herself to, his heartfelt proclamations were just talk. She'd seen that before, experienced it. How many times had Remy said he'd do anything for her before taking off with some girl for a spell? Flirting was fun, but touch was better. Somehow, she'd tricked herself into thinking things could be different with Magnus, because he could touch her, but even he was-
"Ya don't have ta do anything if-" she answered, tears forming in her eyes, her breaths rapid as she pulled away from him. She saw panic on his face as he tightened his grip on her, keeping her in his arms. She had her strength, nothing would actually keep her from throwing him across the room if she wanted to.
"Rogue, Rogue, Rogue," he said, his tone matching his expression. "Are you happy or burdened by this news?" he asked.
"Both," she answered, flatly. She feared to show any more emotion, though she was ready to burst. The tears were threatening to spill over, and she wasn't going to let any man see her cry ever again, she swore, in that moment. Not when they could have this much power. This would be the last.
"Do you want this child?" he asked next.
"Yeah," she said, nodding through her tears.
"Oh, thank god," he said, clearly relieved as she was swiftly pulled against him, and he was hugging her tightly.
"Magnus?" she asked, confused, even as she hugged him back.
"I apologize, I- I didn't know how you felt; if this was a blessing or unfortunate news and so I didn't wish to pressure you in such a way as you would have felt beholden to take or not take certain actions," he babbled, fumbled, ranted really. He was usually more elegant than this in his turn of speech.
She dipped and rested her head against his chest, laughing slightly. Her shoulders shook a little in her mirth.
"Rogue?" he asked, as it seemed that it was his turn to be confused.
"Well, we've got round about eight months to get better at talkin' to each other, cause you and me got a whole heap of things to figure out," she said and she listened to him let out a large blissful sigh, as he held her as tightly as he could, like she could slip away from him at any moment.
"We'll manage," he promised, his voice soothing.
"We'll, we gotta a lot to plans and ah- I think we're gonna need ta find a place ta live 'cause the others ain't ever gonna accept you and me-"
"About that," he said, pulling away so she could see his face. "Have you seen Charles's will?" he asked.
"No, Scott, Jean and Ororo handled all that," she said.
"Did they mention anything about a beneficiary not coming forward to claim their inheritance?"
"Yeah, a while back, I think," she tried to recall. "They seemed kinda relieved 'bout-" she said before it hit her. "What did he leave you?" she asked.
"Charles always had a flair for the dramatic," he said, smiling now. "I believe he thought if he couldn't convince me to follow his dream while alive, then, he'd compel my adherence to his life's work upon his death," he said, before taking a breath. "Everything, Rogue, he left me everything," he finished.
She sucked in a breath, trying to acclimate to the new information. "But all this sneaking 'round?" she asked. Why bother tip-toeing in his own home? Like he had something to hide?
"Our affair put you in a precarious situation with the X-Men and I wasn't prepared to cost you the respect of your family," he answered. She laughed at that.
"Sugar, we ah- I think we gotta put those thoughts behind us 'cause we're kinda in the middle of makin' a family of our own," she said. His hand slipped off her back and was on her stomach as she held his gaze.
"So, we are," he said before he leaned down and kissed her. "We have much to discuss," he said, pulling back.
"Good thing we've got time," she beamed.
The next morning Magneto stood in the kitchen, in front of a cabinet as Rogue sat at the table. His trench coat, tie and shoes had been discarded hours ago and he felt quite comfortable walking about in his purple button up dress shirt and black slacks.
Opening the cabinet, he reached in to retrieve an old tin filled with black tea for himself and the small container filled with a calming chamomile for Rogue. He held the can of black tea in his hand, glancing at the handwritten label and sighed happily. This had been his home, once upon a time, and it seemed it would be again.
"Magneto!" an irate voice called out as the kettle went off.
He turned to see Scott standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Jean was right next to him, carrying her son, who was barely a year old.
"Good morning, Cyclops," he said calmly as he took the tins of tea and walked over to the kettle. He turned off the stove without the use of his hands and placed the tins by the two mugs he'd gotten earlier. "How are you today?" he asked, his tone level, non-confrontational, and even a little pleasant, as he poured water into the mugs.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"I live here, Scott," he informed him as he
"The hell you do!" he retorted.
"Magneto, please," Jean said, carrying her son further to the room. "We've all read the will, but it's been months," she said as she pulled out the chair next to Rogue with telekinesis. "Why now?" she asked, sitting down.
"Why indeed?" he replied as his eyes turned toward Rogue. She took a deep breath as she prepared herself to tell them all they needed to know.
"Scott, you're gonna wanna sit down for this," Rogue said, which was met with an indulgent huff, even as another chair was pulled out and a seat was taken.
Regardless of how the X-Men reacted, they were in this together.
'I need to purchase a ring,' he told himself as he prepared their tea and stayed silent as Rogue began to relay their history. 'Should I take her out to dinner?' he asked himself. 'No, better not to put pressure on her in a public space,' he cautioned himself. 'I'll make her dinner. Yes, that's better,' he thought, nodding at his choice as he carried the two mugs over to the table and sat down next to his fiancé.
'Calm down, old man, she has to say yes first,' he chided himself. Though she was smiling at him as he handed her the tea. 'I have no idea what kind of ring she'd like,' he thought as his gaze cast downward, glancing at her hands. She wasn't prone to wearing rings, it made sense given that she typically wore gloves.
Did he ask her? Was that something you could ask? Or would it give the game away?
Perhaps, he should consult an expert.
Yes, a jeweler! He could obtain a ring with the understanding that Rogue could exchange the ring at her choosing. The ring was a promise. The piece of jewelry she'd wear for the rest of their lives would be of her choosing-
'Oh, god, what if she doesn't say yes,' he questioned, doubts plaguing him. To have a child was one thing, but to commit to him for the rest of her life?
He felt himself jump as he felt a hand upon his. How long had he allowed his thoughts to run amok? How much had he missed?
"You okay, Magnus?"
He glanced up to see Rogue staring up at him.
"Fine," he said as he stood. "I need to go… take care of something," he said.
"Right now?" she asked, Scott and Jean were looking at him strangely as well.
"And gather my belongings to properly move in," he added, deflecting from his train of thought. "I'll need to pick up a few items," he rambled.
"You're going shopping?" she asked him as she picked up the mug.
"Yes, most likely," he answered as his gaze moved back to her ring finger. He quickly shifted his gaze back to her eyes. She watched a small smirk form on her lips as she held the cup with both hands.
"Gold band, princess cut. Small emeralds around the gem if you're feeling fancy," she told him, her eyes flaring with amusement. He blinked a few times, as he replayed what she'd just said. "Size seven."
He took a breath.
"I'm making you dinner tonight," he informed her.
"Okay," she said before sipping before he took a few steps toward the exit.
"And I'm asking you properly, like a gentleman," he added, turning back to look at her.
"I'm gonna say yes," she smiled.
"Well, that will make the prospect of asking significantly less vexing," he said and he watched her hold back laughter.
"Okay then, I'll see ya tonight, sugar," she said.
"Yes, see you this evening," he said as he turned to leave the room.
"So, this is why Gambit left?" Scott asked in a tight voice as Magnus briskly tugged on his jacket before pulling the door open.
"Kurt said Remy wanted to help out in Genosha," Rogue answered. "But y'all can blame me if it makes ya feel better," she added.
"No one's blaming you for anything," Jean said delicately, fingers laced with Scott's. It might be a measure to help keep Scott grounded, but it was amazing that the telepath hadn't noticed that for once, Rogue wasn't casting envious glances at their casual public display.
Despite the telepath's insistence to the contrary Magnus was fairly certain Scott, indeed, was. Not that it mattered. No, what matter was-
Had that really just happened? Were they really? No, her friends, her family may dislike him, but they would never turn from her.
He was content to let that be so. They may hate him as he wish. More important matters lay ahead, and they started within hours. Tonight, in fact; they would be engaged by the end of the day. He had work to do.
It was going to be perfect.