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Chapter 30 of
A Simple Favor:
On August 16th, sometime after 8pm EST, Rogue flew hand in hand with Max as they followed Magneto, his now declared 'uncle', toward the Xavier Institute. Magneto had fashioned two metal pods floating after him that held Mastermind and Colossus restrained in place for their safety.
From Rogue's magnetic senses she could tell the X-Jet had landed only a short time ago, there was still a great deal of residual heat within the engines. It must have been Scott and, she assumed, Jean returning to the institute. She noted that Logan's bike was parked in its usual spot within the garage.
'Prof must've called 'em all back while we were in Tibet,' she thought. She blinked a couple of times as there was no response to her comment. 'Right, you're staying in the back of my mind,' she had to remind herself; almost disappointed he wasn't- 'Talkin' ta myself as much as I did probably wasn't healthy,' she thought as she unconsciously squeezed Max's hand.
"Are you alright?" Max asked.
"Anna-Marie's acclimating to the absence of my inner monologue," Magneto answered, easily deducing what was bothering her. "Not that she needs me anymore. Max, she has you, doesn't she?" he asked. The older man's clipped tone was dripping with condescension. She took a breath as she glanced at Max.
'Should I-'
"Yes, you do," Max said, holding her gaze, squeezing her hand and she smiled back at him.
'Maybe I should tell him what Magneto's doing and let-'
"Boy, I require your telephone," he said next. Max's eye narrowed and Rogue sort of shrugged at him with a half smile, before gesturing her head toward Magneto. They weren't even at the institute yet and already Magneto was enacting his plan.
Max huffed as he pulled it out and Rogue felt as the device left Max's control and was taken over by Magneto's as it was pulled forward into his hand. All while they continued to fly toward the mansion as the phone was by Magneto's ear-
"Charles, it's Magnus. Two of mine were injured, can I impose on you for medical assistance?" he asked. "No, Rogue's fine. We both consider her one of yours, don't we?" he asked. "Five minutes, give or take," he said next. "Thank you, old friend. And one last thing, if you have any inquiries regarding Max Eisenhardt I'd like you to address those directly to me," he said. "Yes, now, indeed, I'd like to speak about all of this," he said. "Upon our arrival. We'll be there shortly," he said dryly before hanging up the call. He turned around in the air, as he shifted the phone back to Max, who snatched it quickly before returning it to his pocket.
"Thanks," Rogue said and the older man held her gaze. Magneto's eyes shifted from hers to Max's, back to her's, before he shook his head very slightly, cautioning her not to speak.
The message was received and she imagined she could damn near hear his thoughts, in that moment; 'This needs to go well, Anna-Marie. Keep the boy in the dark for a few mere hours and this narrative will be accepted.' She watched his lip tug up in amusement. 'Do you really believe we can't handle a little prodding, girl?'
It was her turn to let out a huff in acceptance and he winked at her. A short laugh escaped her before she turned back to look at Max who was raising an eyebrow. He'd caught the exchange but didn't know what it meant.
'It's only a couple of hours,' she told herself as she gave Max a reassuring smile, squeezing his hand before giving him a peck on the lips. The reassured squeeze of the hand made a warm flush rise in her, despite the strong chill in the air.
It wasn't long after that before they landed in front of the institute, with the pods touching down just behind them. She took a deep breath as she turned to look at the X-Men. Logan was glancing back and forth between Magneto and Max, almost doing a double take between the two. Mr. McCoy, Jean and Kurt had two gurneys at the ready as Rogue felt Magneto wave his hand, opening the two pods up for retrieval. The pair still lay insensate within. Rogue could feel that they were not playing possum, their heart rates would've been faster.
"Thank you for your assistance," Magneto said gravely, as the three X-Men rushed forward with the gurneys. Ororo stepped forward to greet them as Mr. McCoy lifted Mastermind out of one of the pods and Jean used telekinesis to pull Colossus out of the other. "They're merely unconscious. However, I'm unaware if Mesmero provided them with sustenance or any further care during their enslavement," Magneto said, addressing Mr. McCoy. Ororo was kind enough to wait. "It's been several days," he informed them grimly as the two patients were loaded onto the gurneys.
"We'll push fluids and check their vitals," Mr. McCoy replied. "Kurt, take us down to the infirmary," he ordered briskly. At the command, Kurt had a hand on both beds that Mr. McCoy and Jean were holding on to as well. The five of them disappeared in a puff of smoke that was whisked away into the night.
"Magneto, Charles is expecting you," Ororo stated, calling for his attention, as Rogue held Logan's gaze. He looked like he was at a loss for words. And as gratifying as it was going to be to fool the Professor, she didn't feel the same about Logan.
"I would hope so," Magneto said, stepping forward. "Storm, have you met my nephew," he said, gesturing toward Max.
"I had the pleasure briefly in March," she replied and with formalities of introductions out of the way, the pair started to walk toward the Institute's main lobby. Rogue stood, almost frozen, unsure what to say to Logan.
"How's your nephew, Ororo?" Magneto asked, cordially, conversationally.
"He's avoiding me," she answered dryly.
"Children, they always make things so difficult," Magneto huffed in solidarity. "Speaking of which," he said, before turning back toward her, Max and Logan. "Wolverine, if I might impose on you, would you mind keeping an eye on the boy?" he asked.
"Can't keep track of your own family, huh, bub?" he asked.
"Historically, no," he answered dryly and Rogue snickered in response. "However," he said, ignoring her, "in this particular case, my concern is the fact that those two," he said, pointing- "are officially dating and can't seem to keep their hands off each other," he said.
Rogue's face blushed deeply from embarrassment even as she fought the urge to roll her eyes. She knew it'd look childish; and hadn't she spent the last months demanding to be treated as an adult? However, there was swiftly a second reason, as she quickly had to put aside her own reaction when she felt magnetic energy surging around Max.
"Hey, hey, sugah calm down," she told him in a hushed but urgent tone as she saw his hand balling at his sides. This was the second time she'd felt Max's powers reacting to anger, while Magneto continued to display the same level of control she'd expected from either of them.
"But he-" Max said, offended, small bolts of magnetism threatening to escape the corners of his eyes.
"You can't fight your uncle," she told him, trying not to give away anything in tone. How she wished to wink her eyes. But she didn't enjoy it, watching Magneto's plan of infantilizing Max in front of the X-Men play out in real time. 'This really shouldn't be workin' that well,' she thought perturbed.
"He's asking for it. Why not?" Max hissed, in a juvenile display, playing right into Magneto's hand.
"'Cause he'd wipe the floor with you," she answered. "I would beat ja in a fight too. You need more practice," she told him, fairly confident in her assessment, having no desire to have to prove either claim. Her attention was briefly focused behind her when she heard Magneto let out a chuckle.
"Yeah, I'll keep an eye on 'em," Logan agreed, folding his arms over his chest as Magneto and Ororo entered the institute.
"Much obliged, Wolverine," Magneto called back.
"I can handle myself!" Max exclaimed.
"Then why are your powers going crazy right now?" she asked, waving her hands for emphasis. "I thought you had better control than this?" she asked, concerned. A few harsh comments from Magneto shouldn't break Max's resolve to this extent.
"I-" he said before pausing to take a deep breath. "I did too," he said, irritated and she knew it was redirected from Magneto to himself.
"What's going on with you?" she whispered. This was more than Magneto's comments, it had to be.
She listened to him take another deep breath.
"You know that threshold you helped me realize was there?" he asked, his gaze cast downward, avoiding her eyes.
"Ah-huh?" she said, nodding, even if he couldn't see her face.
"I crossed it and- the power at my disposal now," he said, looking down at his hands. "It's incredible, but- …every time I get angry," he said and she could feel his core radiating with energy.
"So, ya just gotta control your anger," she said matter-of-factly, shrugging. "I'll help ya," she smiled, trying to catch his glaze under the brim of his red cap. Finally, he met her eyes and sighed.
"I thought that I-"
"I know," she said, taking his hand, grateful when he released his fist and allowed her to entwine their fingers. He glanced up at her and she felt the urge to close the distance between them- before she heard Logan clearing his throat.
"Alright, kids, we're going straight to the common room, got it?" He may have phrased it like a question, but there was nothing optional about his tone.
"Yes, Logan," she answered promptly for them both, before Max could speak. She glanced back at him, before tugging him along. She was home and everything was going to be okay- that felt good-
Rogue paused as she felt a yawn coming on, she pulled her hand out of Max's to cover her mouth.
"Sorry, I think I'm a little tired," she said, as she felt a wave of exhaustion hitting her. She had to close her eyes, dizziness kept her from moving, and her limbs suddenly felt weak. Her feet had been hurting her since she ran all the way to Tibet, but-
"Are you alright?" Max asked, placing his hand on her back, ready to support her.
"I think the day's catching up ta me, is all," she answered.
"Adrenaline crash," Logan said as she felt him moving closer to them before he held out his hand. "Here," he said and she realized he was-
"Thanks, Logan," she smiled as she took his hand and then a small dose of his healing factor. She was tired, and tried to focus her control, but she still managed to skim a handful of Logan's memories. She could almost taste the multilayered deli sandwich he devoured with a beer for second lunch - his metabolism burned more calories than most. Her eyes snapped open as she stood up straight. "I'm okay, now," she said, instantly feeling better and full of energy. She blinked a few times. Her feet- her feet felt so much better. "I didn't realize how much I needed that," she commented in disbelief. "Thank you," she repeated, smiling earnestly at her instructor.
"You're welcome, kid," Logan said, in a tone that met hers. "Common room," he repeated.
"Ah-huh," she said, taking Max's hand again. She didn't need to tug him this time, he was walking by her side. "I think I'm gonna close my eyes for a while when I get ta a couch," she announced.
"Probably a good idea," Logan agreed.
'I need ta find Mesmero,' she thought to herself as Max squeezed her hand.
On August 16th, at 8:07 pm EST, according to the clock on Charles' office wall, Magneto stood before his old friend. There was a chair he could sit in, but he wasn't about to sit across from the headmaster's desk like a child being reprimanded by their superior.
"Are we clear, Charles, you'll stop pestering the children?" he asked in summation.
"Yes, Magnus," Charles said through gritted teeth, sitting behind his desk, as he took his fingers off of his temples. "All of this confusion could have been avoided if we'd only spoken about Rogue when I asked you too," he said firmly.
"Forgive me, old friend, for assuming a lengthy ceasefire was sufficient," he countered.
"You knew what I suspected," Xavier insisted.
"And I knew it was none of your business," he remarked archly. But it was. Xavier had no right to demand proof.
"Is that right, Max?" Charles asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I haven't used that name in decades," he said. "Not until Rogue unearthed it, along with my nephew," he added.
"Your Uncle Erik is where your alias originates from," Charles said.
"Obviously," Magneto huffed. "Though I've settled on Magnus, the name I chose for myself," he said, nodding as he finalized the decision in his mind. "The boy can have Max," he, waving dismissively.
"How gracious of you," Charles remarked deadpanned.
"Born of necessity, I assure you. Between our name and mutant gifts, the boy may as well be a clone," he suggested facetiously. "We need something to differentiate us, so I'll give him the name."
"And the title?" Charles asked. "You've never had competition before," he added with an arched brow and a smug glint in his eyes that Magnus detested. He longed to end the detente with a judicious steel beam to the temple.
"Out of the three of us, Rogue stands the best chance of claiming it," he replied; his tone only slightly bitter.
"You can't be-" Charles laughed in disbelief. Magnus glanced at his old friend, mirth absent from his expression. "You're serious?" he asked, baffled.
"It's her eidetic memory," Magnus clarified. "She can contain more information in the forefront of her mind than me and Max on our best days. If the title belongs to anyone, it's her," he admitted sourly. 'For now. Perhaps not forever.'
He watched Charles take a breath, slowly digesting the information. "How do you feel about her friendship with Max?" he asked next.
"I think she could do better than the little putz," he spat, much to Charles' surprise, his old friend's eyes flared at his answer. "Is the interrogation finished, Charles?" he asked suddenly as he walked toward the window, glancing outward. "Can we focus on the threat?" he asked dryly.
"Yes, of course," Charles said before taking a breath. "But you'll have to forgive me, I'm still not quite certain what the threat is," he admitted.
"I'll admit, I don't believe my knowledge much surpasses yours," he said. "An ancient mutant, called Apocalypse, wishes to return to rule the land once more. What he intends to do under that rule is a mystery. But the threat he poses is evident enough to prevent his ascent," Magneto relayed as he stared out the window.
"Prevent it from where, Magnus?" he asked.
"There's a crypt in Tibet where Rogue and Max rescued us from today. Mesmero has a secondary plan, though I don't know what it is," he said. "We need to locate him," he finished.
"Easier said than done," Charles remarked. "I've attempted to locate you and your people since Rogue left this afternoon. Cerebro wasn't of any help, I'm afraid," he said.
"We'll need to utilize a different set of senses to find him. Between myself, the boy and Rogue, we should be able to. Though it may take some time," he relayed before he finally glanced back and met Charles's gaze. "Shall we join the others?" he asked.
On August 16th, at 8:27 pm EST, Max Eisenhardt sat on the couch in Charler Xavier's common room. Rogue leaned up against him, her eyes closed and legs drawn up her chest with her feet on the couch. It was a pleasant weight, indeed. He couldn't see her face directly, but the reflection from the powered off television screen was doing a good enough job of showing him the peaceful expression on her face. She wasn't sleeping, not radiating with magnetic energy as she was. In all likelihood, Rogue was searching for Mesmero. And out of the three of them, she was the best to take up the task, though he was tempted to join her, if only so he could stop looking awkwardly at his children-
'Cousins, they are your cousins now,' he corrected himself bitterly.
Thankfully, Kitty Pride was speaking directly with Storm and Cyclops about their summer vacations, while the conversation also kept the twins engaged. He barely had to say a word, he was able to just sit there and… exist. Jean Grey and Nightcrawler had joined them a short while ago, stating that Beast was tending to the patients and that they were ready for whatever had to happen next.
Jean Grey had caught his eye as she entered the room, her gaze taking note of where Max's arm was draped around Rogue's collarbone, as she laid against him with her eyes closed. There seemed to be a comment on the telepath's lips, but she was polite enough not to state it aloud. Logan glaring at him from the other side of the room wasn't pleasant either, but there was nothing for it. The die had been cast and he had to play his part. Now, he was the twenty-some year old who had stayed friends with a teenager long enough to date her. How little they knew how strongly she'd come on to him, how adamant Anna-Marie had been regarding acting on their mutual attraction for the other.
'Anna-Marie will explain and that will be the end of it,' he thought as he mercifully felt Charles's chair and his older counterpart's armor making their way toward the comment room. 'Thank heaven,' he thought, unsure how much more of the awkward waiting he could stomach.
"Good evening everyone," Charles said as he and Magneto entered the room. All eyes, save Rogue's who were still closed, turned toward the two.
"Father!" Wanda exclaimed, as she was quick to her feet and rushing up to him for a hug.
"It's good to see you as well, Wanda," Magneto said, returning the hug. "I apologize for my distance this summer. I was engaged in my work. But I think I owe you at least dinner, do I not?" he asked, smiling down at her.
"I'd love that, father," she said, overjoyed, still hugging him.
"I'll call. Soon. However, I still have some business with the X-Men to contend with," he said as he pulled out of the hug. "Pietro," he said, calling for their son-
'Cousin,' Max corrected himself again as in a flash, Quicksilver was standing at attention in front of Magneto. 'An adjustment period will be required,' he remarked internally.
"Please take your sister home and look after her," he ordered. "I'll be in touch," he promised. After a nod, Pietro lifted his sister into his arms and rushed out of the room.
"We've decided," the Professor said, "given our current truce, that we will cooperate in a joint effort to locate and stop Mesmero," he said.
"From doing what, Professor?" Jean asked.
"Yeah, did we ever find out why that creep made us steal those rings?" Shadowcat asked.
"There's a series of doors in Tibet that Mesmero is attempting to open. The rings were the first key," the Professor explained, to help catch everyone up.
"And the spider-stones are the second," Magneto added.
"Which I've secured in two separate, yet equally safe locations," the Professor continued and Max glanced down as he heard Rogue snort.
"So, that's where ya disappeared ta this summer," she commented under her breath, clearly amused.
"Yes, Rogue, it was," the Professor commented dryly. Max felt her yawning as she stretched her muscles, before settling back against him, her eyes opened. He hadn't even needed to move his arm away from her collarbone and found it oddly reminiscent of holding a cat. "Our first course of action is to locate Mesmero," he said.
"Okay, what are we doing after that?" Rogue asked, her tone was casual- almost flippant as her hands moved to hold onto his arm. It was clear she not only enjoyed this closeness but that she would flaunt it every moment she got. Max certainly wasn't complaining.
"Then we'll need to free Pyro and Gambit from Mesmero's influence," Magneto supplied.
"Okay, and then what happens after that?" Rogue asked.
"Perhaps, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves-" the Professor started to say as Max watched the reflection of Rogue's eyes roll. Her head turned to look directly at his uncle.
"Magneto, what has to happen after that?" she asked.
"Given this is a joint effort, Charles and I will need to decide what to do with Mesmero together," Magneto answered.
"Did y'all talk about it yet?" she asked and Max watched them share a glance.
"No, we haven't," the Professor answered.
"Y'all probably should," she commented, again, her tone was utterly flippant. "I don't get even why he's still tryna release Apocalypse. Mesmero's terrified of him and I gave him an out," she exclaimed, now venting. "That man tried ta take over my head over hundred and fifty times and still I gave him an out," she huffed, annoyed. "Y'all can decide what ta do with Vincent. I'm done," she said, before letting out another huff as she leaned her head back against him.
"Yes, and we will after we've located him," the Professor said, his tone sharing in her annoyance.
"I think it's safe to assume, Rogue already knows where Mesmero is," Max said, stating the obvious for the room.
"Really?" Jean asked as Kitty gasped.
"He was the first place I looked," Rogue confirmed, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, I don't get it," she said, repeating her sentiment.
"There's a thin line between fear and reference," Magneto supplied as he crossed his arms over his chest. "While you, no doubt, felt the former in Vincent's memories, I witnessed the latter in Mesmero's deeds and actions."
"Meaning what? He's ain't ever gonna stop trying?" Rogue asked.
"Not unless someone ceases his attempts permanently," Magneto confirmed, his eyes flaring at the end.
"Right," Rogue hissed indignantly in response and Max tightened his hold around her protectively. Perhaps his older counterpart didn't feel beholden to the promise that had been made in a little French restaurant months ago, but he did.
"Violence isn't the answer here," Max piped up, drawing the line on Rogue's behalf, and heard Logan grunt with surprise from the other side of the room.
"This coming from the boy who can barely contain his anger," Magneto sneered. Max had to hold his energy back, to not prove the older man right in all of a moment.
"I'm certain there's a middle ground to be found," the Professor said.
"Yes, Charles, because adhering to the middle ground has always been your strong suit," Magneto replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Magnus, you're the one who's constantly speaking in absolutes," he retorted.
"This ain't helping," Rogue interjected, standing, before any more verbal lashes could be delivered between the two older men. Max was quick to his feet, standing beside Rogue. "You two," she said pointing at the Professor and Magneto, "need ta figure out what y'all wanna do. 'Cause I ain't tell y'all where I've got Mesmero until y'all do," she said strongly.
The two men in question stopped looking at one another and all eyes were on Rogue.
"Pardon me, where you have him?" Magneto asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Rogue?" Charles asked, looking just as perplexed as his uncle.
"Logan, thanks again for letting me borrow your healing factor. That was a huge help," she said, staring Magneto in the eyes. Max watched the older man's eyes widened with disbelief as Max felt himself laughing in response to the revelation.
"You're incredible," Max muttered under his breath. Rogue's stern expression broke for a moment as she briefly made eye-contact with him. But her eyes were quickly back on his older counterpart, narrowing with disdain in his direction.
"Remote use of magnetism is a hellu've lot easier when my body heals faster than the strain can damage it," she said, spelling out the truth of the matter for the rest in the room that hadn't caught on. "Now, I'm gonna needja ta do me a favor, Magneto, and not make me regret rescuing your body from Mesmero's control," she finished strongly.
Max watched Magneto as he took a breath, his eyes returning to normal and his hands moving benignly behind his back.
"If you'd allowed me a moment to think, girl, I would have asked Charles about Mastermind's prognosis," he answered, seemingly switching gears in an instance.
"I can check in with-" Charles started to say before he cut himself off- "Oh, I see," he said. "Yes, I think that is the middle ground, in this case," he said, glancing between Anna-Maire and Magneto. "Do you agree, Rogue?" he asked.
"Yeah, I can live with that," she answered. "And Mesmero won't have a choice," she added.
"It's better than the alternative," Magneto commented dryly.
"Yeah, it is," Rogue agreed solemnly before she took a breath.
"Since we've come to a query, the coordinates, girl," Magneto demanded, leaning forward, staring down at her. Rogue snorted as she closed her eyes and Max felt her core radiating with magnetic energy.
"What's she doing?" Shadowcat asked before the windows in the common room flew open, as Magneto stood up straight.
Glancing out to the world outdoors, Max felt the metal sphere hurling itself toward the institute before he saw it appear in front of the window, coming to a full stop. Everyone was on their feet, as Rogue's eyes snapped open, bright white with the use of magnetism. With a wave of her hand, the metal dissipated into thin air and Mesmero was revealed, a bright red metal helmet covering his head and secured with solid metal around his neck, impossible to remove without the use of their powers. His hands were shackled for good measure as he was deposited onto the floor by the window.
The startled man glanced around the room before his fear-filled eyes glanced up at Rogue's.
"Remember the last time we were here, Vincent? When I offered ya freedom and mercy?" she asked, stepping closer to the terrified man. "Turns out I offered ya third thing, that both of us took for granted: …clarity of mind," she said, glaring down at the man. "Ya really should've taken me up on my first offer," she said, her voice cold as ice.
Glancing around the room, he saw that Mesmero wasn't the only one with fear in their eyes. Shadowcat was hugging herself, like a chill had just run down her spine, Nightcrawler looked confused, Wolverine and Storm were sharing a concerned glance, as were Cyclops and Jean Grey.
"We'll- … We'll take it from here, Rogue," the Professor said delicately.
"Gambit and Pyro?" Magneto asked, before Charles could dismiss her from the room.
"Oh," Rogue said, as she spun around to face him, her demeanor instantly brightened. "I dropped them off your base. They're okay," she told him.
"Thank you, Rogue," Magneto said, giving her a stern nod, before Max felt the shackles that bound the man transfer from Rogue's control to Magneto's. "As Charles stated, we'll handle it from here," he stated.
"Yeah, okay," Rogue said, her nose scrunching up with confusion as Max walked behind Rogue and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Rogue, when was the last time you ate anything?" Max asked.
"This morning," she answered, seemingly baffled by the question.
"Well, that settles it. You, Anna-Marie, are the most terrifying person in the room when you're hungry," he teased. Her reaction was somewhere between offended and amused as her mouth opened and a laugh escaped her.
"Mesmero tried ta get inta my head nearly two hundred times," she said, cocking her head. "I ain't allowed to hold a grudge?" she asked, placing her hand on her hip.
"For the sake of us all," Max said as he lifted both of her hands, one from her front and taking the one she had on her hip in her defensive posturing, "not on an empty stomach," he smiled, getting another laugh out of her, before kissed her back of her palms. "You need schnitzel," he declared, tugging her forward, guiding her towards the door.
"Oh, schnitzel," she said, agreeing immediately. "Wait, is there anywhere even open this late?" she laughed.
"Bayville, no. Manhattan, yes, we'll find somewhere to eat, I'm certain," Max said as he got her to the common room's exit. Max watched as Wolverine took a step forward, as if he meant to protest. But Charles was quick to raise his hand and signal to Wolverine not to interfere.
"You're taking me ta Manhattan?" she asked excitedly; enthused at the prospect as he tugged her out of the room.
"Yes, I'm taking you far far away from Mesmero until he's been dealt with," he answered.
"Oh my god," she groaned before she laughed. "I said I was done. Prof and your uncle can deal with him," she swore, rolling her eyes before she lifted herself up with magnetism.
"Yes, and your reward is a nice dinner in the city; don't you agree?" Max asked and was quick to follow and they were flying down the hall, into the main lobby and out of the mansion.
On August 16th, at 8:48 pm EST, Magneto stood in relief as Anna-Marie was escorted by Max away from the mansion and toward New York City. He'd wanted an audience for the exchange between him, Charles and Anna-Marie. He'd wanted them to see him and Rogue at odds, relinquishing all doubts of them ever working together in any capacity. He wanted them to assume that Rogue had always been in contact with Max and only Max.
However, he's nearly forgotten about the cold exchange between Rogue and Mesmero in the car on June 2nd, when she'd ruthlessly invaded his mind, taking obvious pleasure in the act of retribution.
'My mistake,' he thought as he looked between Charles and Wolverine, who could easily look past such vindictiveness. And all of the others, who were far less likely to understand such behavior. He called over a chair in the far side of the room that had wheels on it and deposited Mesmero onto its seat.
"And I'm called ruthless," Magneto said, reusing the word from his impression as he created a long but thin metal chain. "She'd make an excellent layer, I'll give the girl that much," he commented, looping the chain around the chair, securing the troublesome mutant to it as Magneto briefly met Charles' gaze, he could tell the gears in his mind were grinding away at the notion.
"Oh," Shawdowcat said surprised. "We were talking about it this week," she said.
"You were?" Scott asked.
"Yeah, she's thinking about going to law school," Kurt added.
"She's also mentioned it to Hank," the Professor added.
"From what I've witnessed from the girl over the past several months, Rogue had a strong sense of justice, and ruthlessness that would serve her well in that station," Magneto said. "Wouldn't you agree, old friend?" he asked.
"Rogue's… also has displayed a proclivity for balancing multiple confidences, considering both sides of an argument, mediating on the fairest course of action and… above all, keeping her word," Charles stated, his eyes darting back and forth. "Yes, she would," he said softly, before Magneto witnessed a sense of relief pass over his features.
'Hence, her proclivity for secrecy is no longer a burden on the X-Men but rather proof of her strength of character,' he thought to himself. He needed to take this a step further. Ensure Charles didn't change his mind by morning. "So, I take it, the girl won't have to call in a favor from me to finance her education?" he asked, smugly. Charles' eyes narrowed; snapped to his.
"I hardly need you, Magnus, assisting one of my X-Men," he scoffed.
"Yeah, totally," Shadowcat exclaimed in support.
"Oh?" he asked, turning his gaze on the young girl, who recoiled under it. Jean Grey was quick to move to her side, placing her arm over the younger girl's shoulder. "Then why, Charles, did I have to intercede during the Bayville Sirens incident?"
"What are you talking about?" Jean Grey asked; Shadowcat's eyes grew wide as Charles' lit up with interest.
"Those car thieves armed themselves to the teeth, Miss Grey. Rogue learned of it when she absorbed the thief in the red corvette and tried to convince you girls to go home for the evening," he said, looking at Jean Grey and Shadowcat, who suddenly looked very guilty. The dagger's Storm stared at the two didn't alleviate their guilt.
"Thankfully, I'd heard about your childish exploits from the news and investigated. I wasn't the only one who grew concerned and didn't find the situation prudish enough to tell you about it, old friend," he said, glancing at Cyclops and Nightcrawler who had engaged in the same level of stalking as him during the event. They shared a glance before casting their gaze at their feet, as Wolverine lowly growled.
"We're sorry," Nightcrawler said softly.
"We didn't know," Scott said. "We just wanted to keep an eye out and help them if they needed it," he said.
"You did prevent them from accidentally killing the ringleader Miss Pryde locked in that truck, by putting out that fire. Well done, boys," Magneto said with a cruel smile. His praise only caused the two girls to look even more guilty and the boys grew quiet as Wolverine growled under his breath.
"Rogue, of course, having the skill to see myself and Max when we're invisible, knew I was there," he said, glancing at Storm and Wolverine who had both witnessed Rogue display that ability. "She made eye contact with me," he laughed. "I still don't know how she does it," he commented under his breath. "Regardless, it was the first time I saw someone relieved that I was stalking them. That intrigued me and I followed for the majority of the evening," he said before turning to Charles. "Good thing I did, old friend, or your students would have met a very messy end," he said. "All seven of them present that evening," he finished.
"Seven?" Storm asked.
"Amara and Tabitha were there too," Jean Grey supplied before Magneto could; a small act of penance.
"Yeah, we're gonna talk about this more in the morning," Wolverine said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"For now, all of you, off to bed," Storm dictated firmly and the four teenagers promptly filed out of the room. Wolverine followed them to the door, closing it behind them; leaving the five adults; himself, Wolverine, Storm, Charles and of course, Mesmero, who had very wisely kept quiet from his restraints in the chair.
Charles took a deep breath as he folded his hands in front of him. "After all that, I imagine Rogue owed you a favor, didn't she?" he asked.
"The girl felt indebted to me when I approached her to give you the location of my base in the Sahara, yes," he confirmed, holding his arms behind his back.
"You strong-armed her into it, Magneto," Wolverine grunted.
"No one was hurt and all involved got precisely what they wanted that day. I saw no harm and ultimately, neither did Rogue. She even paid me another favor by making me aware of my nephew," he said.
"You did not know about him?" Ororo asked.
"Until this year, no," Magneto answered honestly. "I didn't have the pleasure of watching my nephew grow up. If I had, he might not be such a little putz," he spat, a bit of an embellishment there, but Rogue was the one who felt morally obligated to tell the truth at all times, not him.
"He seems like a nice enough fellow," Charles commented.
"He's a twenty-one year old boy who looks and acts like a teenager. He's not employed. Nor enrolled in school. Rogue reacquainted herself with Max after she absorbed me in Manhattan, learning we were related," he said.
"To me, it seems Max requires some direction, that's all," Charles commented. Magneto felt his brow arching at that. Charles inviting the boy to join the X-Men wouldn't be the worst turn of events, but he doubted Rogue could stomach it.
"What that boy needs is a slap upside the head," Magneto commented under his breath, expanding on his vocal dislike for his counterpart. "Rogue's barely eighteen and they're dating. The boy knew she was attracted to him prior to her coming of age-"
"But Rogue is of age," Charles said. "None of us have to like it, but she's free to see whomever she wishes," he said. Good, that was another argument he'd spared the couple from having with the X-Men. "Shall we deal with Mesmero, before they return?" he asked, getting them back on task.
"Is Mastermind awake?" Magneto asked.
"No, not yet. Hank believes it's exhaustion," he answered.
"Then we'll finish this in the morning," he dictated.
"Magnus, I can manage the task-" Charles stated as he looked at his old friend with an arched brow.
"Charles, if you think for a moment I'm going to seat back and allow you to glean information about my men and resources from Mesmero's-"
"That is not my intention, Magnus," he retorted.
"I already have the girl's insights into my mind to contend with," he said, narrowing his eyes as Charles's eyes flared with interest. "I refuse to give another inch, Charles. I will not be compromised further. I will protect my own," he said.
"Alright, alright," his old friend stated, his hand raising in a placating gesture. "We'll finish this when Mastermind wakes," he conceded.
"Then I'll join my men in the infirmary and guard Mesmero for the evening," he stated, tugging the chair with him as he walked closer toward the exit.
"We are no longer finishing this before Rogue returns?" Storm asked.
"I'll talk to her," Charles stated. "It'll be fine," he said.
"Besides, the precaution was unnecessary," Magneto stated. "The girl was never going to harm Mesmero. The little debate she and I had before her departure was regarding her asking that I not kill him," he supplied, witnessing the chained man shudder in his restraints.
"Magneto," Storm objected. "He is-"
"Spare me the self-righteous platitudes, Storm," he scoffed, "Mesmero has enslaved both members of the X-Men and my Acolytes. We'd all be better off if he never had another opportunity to repeat his crimes. Wouldn't you agree, Charles?" he asked.
"Yes," he said reluctantly, "however, I cannot abide-"
"Nor, will you have too. Rogue already called in a favor to ensure I don't and thus I won't harm the man," he said. "Now, is there still a shower down in your infirmary?" he asked, changing the subject.
He nodded, almost exhaustedly, before stating; "I'll have Hank provide toiletries and towels."
"Thank you for your hospitality, old friend," he said and the unkind smile on Charles's face told him he didn't feel as if he had a choice in the matter. Magneto turned, done with the exchange for the evening as he dragged the chair with Mesmero behind him, heading for the elevator.