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Chapter 26 of
A Simple Favor:
On August 10th 2002, about 2:30pm GMT, Max Eisenhardt sat, legs crossed beneath him, at the center of his dome base in the Sahara Desert. There was sweat on his brow and a sense of failure at his most recent attempts to control these new abilities at his disposal. The base was formerly operational, but that was no longer so.
Good heaven, he was stronger now than he had ever been; stronger than he could have ever imagined! He was astounded at the previous sheer lack of knowledge of what power was. He couldn't have fathomed it. The planet itself called out to him now; the hymns of her glorious electromagnetic fields filled his senses. He could touch them, practically taste them. It left an electric feeling trilling at the edges of his nerves.
He reached out to dance with those fields and…all the metal around him warped into shapes beyond recognition. He would need to learn fine control all over again. While he knew that, he had to keep reminding himself of the fact.
He'd made that discovery after he had successfully rebuilt the machine, only a few short days ago, when the Sahara's sun baked on the metal of the domed base. It had taken almost the entirety of the summer to find all the necessary components to recreate the machine. Then within minutes of de-aging himself, he had reached out with his abilities and subsequently immediately destroyed the machine…along with most other metal instruments in his base.
He was thankful he had chosen to conduct this activity in such a remote location. His prudent approach ensured his acolytes didn't witness such a blunder and lose all respect for him. Instead, he visited New York briefly to leave written instructions and lingered around long enough (invisible) to ensure they were carried out.
At the time, Max gave himself a month, until the end of the summer, to gain control. Otherwise…
'I'll have to ask Anna-Marie for another favor,' he thought, perturbed. He had no issue being indebted to the girl. Far from it. It was- 'I am not the master of magnetism,' he thought, it wasn't an easy admission to make, but one he had to come to terms with. It had been a name he took great pride in, one he fashioned for himself in the ashes of bitter victory. Inspiration struck him in the moment. 'Or better yet, regain my title,' he thought invigorated.
'Perhaps, attempting to manipulate magnetic fields from any considerable distance is too lofty of an ambition for my first foray into these depths,' he continued. 'The girl had-'
Well, she had used his skills to expand her senses. She had intuited a use of his abilities, and he recalled how his abilities were used to make a mental map of sorts, hadn't she? While she didn't move her body, she still traveled, and was able to see from a distance. Inspiration struck again. Perhaps that was where he ought to have started?
Yes, his logic was sound. Touch was a sense too far, too soon. He would begin again; this time with vision.
To that end, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and reached outward. Easterward. Northward.
The world around him fell away, energy and light forming a map almost exact to what his eyes normally beheld. Casting aside physical form, he rode the pulsing life of earth itself. It was thrilling, much like the first time he flew, and he had to school himself back to the task at hand.
On August 10th 2002 around 8:00am EST, Rogue walked into the kitchen to see the Professor and Mr. McCoy were sitting at the table. There were mugs of coffee in front of them both, as well as a laptop sitting between them. They seemed to be in the middle of a deep conversation.
"I can't find anything, Charles, no matter where I look. There are no records of-"
"Hank-" the Professor interrupted.
The mutterings of their conversation ceased as she fully entered the room and the laptop was promptly closed. She watched the Professor's eye taking notice of her attire. She was only wearing a tanktop and had left her gloves in her room. She had control of her powers, she was done hiding her skin.
"Good morning, Rogue," the Professor said, his voice overly welcoming, even as his actions contradicted his tone.
"Morning, I'm just grabbing a bite ta eat," she said, trying to keep her tone neutral, as she walked over to the refrigerator, there was a bowl of fruit: apples, bananas and oranges. "I'll be outta here in a minute," she promised. She wasn't walking on eggshells but confronting that they were keeping things from her. If anything she finally wasn't ignoring the elephant in the room; herself.
"You don't have to rush on our account," the Professor said. "But if I may ask, what are your plans for the day?" he inquired, his tone polite, perhaps reserved? She would have thought that after exploding at him, they would be on the same level, but now she felt like her nerves were ratcheting by the second.
"I was thinking about going ta the mall and picking up a bathing suit that fits me," she answered, as she gauged her options. Since the Professor said she didn't need to rush she grabbed an orange and a chilled bottle of water before nudging the door close with her elbow. "Should I take the bus, or can I use a van?" she asked as she walked over to the trash can, hidden within one of the lower cabinets by the sink.
"You're welcome to use one of the vehicles," the Professor answered, his tone more courteous than she'd heard it in weeks, as she deposited the orange and water bottle onto the countertop. "Is it possible for you to return by four pm?" he requested politely, as she tugged the cabinet open.
"I don't plan ta be out too long," she explained, as she picked up the orange and began to peel it. "I was hoping ta enjoy the pool again this afternoon," she said, dropping bits of peel into the trash can, until it was fully peeled. "What's going on at four?" she asked, before popping an orange slice into her mouth, closing the cabinet with a gentle push from her knee.
"With Ororo and Logan away, I was hoping you might accompany me and Hank to the airport," he answered, as she popped a wedge into her mouth. An alarm bell rang in her head, but she maintained her calm outward demeanor.
She chewed as she considered his statement, wondering if she'd driven him from his home, not her intention, but it would give her peace for however long he was leaving. "Are ya gonna be gone for a while?" she asked, probing for more information.
If he was startled by her assumption that he was going somewhere, or that she hadn't 'picked up' on his layered meaning, he seemed to react with perfect equanimity. "No, Kurt and Kitty are returning early and I'd like us all to pick them up together," he answered.
Rogue blinked, almost like a deer in headlights. It was the last thing she expected him to say.
'He corrected himself rather swifty, now, didn't he?' Magneto asked, chuckling slightly as Rogue stared at the Professor, taking in the sudden shift.
'No one's supposed to get back till the last week of August. And there's no way this was his plan before I told him off yesterday. How'd he get their parents ta agree so-'
'You know how,' he replied smugly, his pitch low.
'What'd he do? Call 'em yesterday from Cerebro ta-' she thought before the comment conjured the image in her mind. And with it, she started to laugh. 'Oh my god, that's exactly what he did, ain't it?' she asked Magneto as she clasped her hand over her mouth, still giggling. She was unable to keep herself from staring at the Professor; who took a deep breath as he waited for her to finish.
'Oh, Charles,' Magneto exclaimed, joining her. 'You arrant sycophant,' he laughed.
"I gotta know," Rogue said, lowering her hand, a Cheshire grin on her lips. "Didja have the phone on speakerphone when you were talking ta the Pryde's and the Wagner's or were ya levitating the phone in the air?" she asked. Mr. McCoy seemed confused by the question as the Professor sucked in a breath.
"Rogue, why would Charles need to-"
"Speaker," the Professor answered swiftly, interrupting Mr. McCoy. "Can that be the end of that conversation? Please?"
'He's actually pleading with you, Anna-Marie,' Magneto chuckled gratifyingly.
"Ah-huh," she answered as she twisted the top off of her water bottle before taking a long deep sip, giving the Professor a moment to calm himself. "Knowing Kitty's coming home, if I go shopping without her, she's gonna get real mad at me. So instead, I think I'll just spend the day by the pool," she said, picking up her orange. "Meet ya in the garage at four?" she asked innocently.
"The hangar, but yes, thank you," the Professor, sounding relieved. She actually snorted on her way toward the exit. "Let's continue, shall we?" he asked as she pushed the door open with her elbow.
"Of course, Professor," Mr. McCoy said, his tone noticeably confused as she exited the room.
On August 10th 2002, 06:00 pm GMT, Max Eisenhardt's body sat within his base, while his senses explored the globe with wild abandon. Once he'd left behind the vast emptiness of the desert, he came upon cities; Berlin, in particular, caught his attention. He felt vehicles traversing the roads, the infrastructure of each building and skyscraper above with their beams and structure; to the seemingly endless maze of pipes and tunnels below.
Of course, he had utilized his powers before to perceive the world around him but it had required… concentration. This. This was effortless and his range was immense. He could barely comprehend it. As quickly as new stimulation entered his mind, it was gone, replaced, as he moved forward, seeking out the next street, the next building, the next object.
'Good heaven, is this what Anna-Marie felt the first time she used my abilities? Is this the power she held in such high esteem?'
He continued from Berlin, needing to see, to feel New York City. To know if he could stretch his senses to such a distance.
Even his journey across the pond brought a smile to his face. As his senses passed over the waters, he felt the various metals that had fallen to the ocean floor; sunken ships that failed to make the trek from Europe to America, felled by nature or mankind's war. There was quite a bit of metal to be salvaged beneath the waves. A fortune to rival the current elite.
'Perhaps, I should repurpose these lost treasures,' he thought as he felt a boyish grin on his lips. The possibilities seemed endless now: between his newfound abilities and the youth of his recently invigorated body, he was almost giddy with the prospect. He had only to reach out and take that which he had wanted. And it was all thanks to-
'I really should check on Anna-Marie. She hasn't called which must mean Charles is still cross-' he considered as he redirected his senses. Exploration of the Big Apple could wait. He set his sights to Westchester.
Charles was the first one he was able to sense, sitting in his chair as he always was. He was in one of the sublevels, sitting with Beast, as they gazed at a screen. He was surprised it wasn't Wolverine who caught his attention. Which had to mean the brute wasn't home. Neither was the weather witch, from what he could tell. Nor any students?
Where was everyone? Was the institute really this abandoned during the summer breaks? Not that he'd ever checked before, so all of this was mere idle speculation. And if anything were wrong, he assumed Anna-Marie would have contacted him, regardless of Charles's contempt.
'Huh?' he huffed as she scanned the entire building again. 'Who's this, now?' he asked himself, as his senses passed along one of the bedrooms. He felt someone zippering a duffel bag on a bed and on the bed was a garment, a- It was the hoodie; the one he had made for Anna-Marie.
There was an assortment of items on the bed. Some he could feel, others were- He honed his concentration, refined his focus. He felt; a foil like packaging that was wrapped around several rectangle shaped-
'Some sort of granola bar?' he asked himself.
He felt a small zipper around a different rectangle; a wallet, perhaps? Yes, there was a smaller compartment within that housed a few spare coins. He could feel a pair of folded up pants, he could tell that from the zipper and button combination. There were other clothes, he was fairly sure, feeling weight against the zipper of the un-wore pants, as if items were placed upon them- And on the bed beside all that was a-
'What on earth does she need with a compass?' he asked, perplexed. He knew Wolverine favored outdoor retreats, survivalist boot camps. But the brute wasn't even present, nor were any other students. They couldn't be setting her off alone, could they? What purpose would that serve?
Well, he needed practice with these senses regardless. He may as well keep an eye on the girl, until he understood what was happening.
On August 10th 2002 04:00 pm EST, Rogue entered the hangar, with a duffel bag over her shoulder. The Professor's sudden shift had caused Magneto to pause. What he had found humorous initially, led to more suspicious emotions and she had to admit, the Professor's change in attitude between yesterday and today was giving her whiplash.
'You don't think, he's just gonna drop me off in the middle of nowhere, right?' she asked, as she glanced up the runway that led onto the Blackbird.
'He's done it to Sabertooth before. Though he won't have the luxury of erasing your memories first before abandoning you in some desolate location,' Magneto commented.
She was wearing her red hoodie, the one Max had made for her, a decision she struggled with for most of the afternoon, but if this was what they thought it would be, she wanted that layer of protection close. She wanted to be able to pull the hood over her head and know that he couldn't even attempt the maze.
'I'd like us to be wrong about this,' Magneto said, his tone wary. 'However, if Charles' intentions proves to be devious in nature; keep your eyes on the view out of the window at all times. That memory of yours will serve you well. You'll find your way back to civilization and call my counterpart for extraction,' he advised.
'Yes, sir,' she thought as she started walking up the ramp that led into the cargo bay of the X-Jet. 'I shouldn't've yelled at Prof, or laughed in his face,' she lamented with regret as she entered the back of the plane and passed the Professor's black and gold Rolls-Royce. The thought in the back of her mind was if she hide the duffle in the cargo bay or-
'Keep it close,' he advised and headed toward the front of the X-Jet. 'And you've done nothing wrong,' he said as she entered, seeing Mr. McCoy was behind the pilot's chair, a pair of headphones over his head, and the Professor was seated next to him as co-pilot. 'You're allowed to have a reaction to his sporadic, emotional tantrums without fear of expulsion.'
"Thank you for your punctuality, Rogue," the Professor said, glancing back at her, giving Rogue no time to respond to Magneto's comment. The Professor's eyes seemed to linger on the bag and she quickly shifted her stance, keeping his view of the bag, mostly concealed behind her back. "Please take any seat you'd like," he said. She walked up to the second row from the front, and dropped her bag onto the first seat, before she entered the row and took the window seat for herself.
"Charles we are cleared to arrive in Newark around four-forty-five pm," Mr. McCoy commented, as he flipped a couple of the controls, preparing for takeoff as Rogue strapped herself in. She grabbed her bag, knowing she would need to hold it during their ascent. "And both Kitty and Kurt's flight are set to arrive without delays."
"Thank you, Hank," the Professor answered. Rogue had her eyes on the Professor, as she hugged the bag to her chest. He must've felt her gaze as he turned back briefly to look at her. "All settled?" he asked.
"Ah-huh," she nodded.
"This will be a quick flight," he said, as he forced a smile to his face. She could tell, since it didn't quite go to his eyes. Maybe he didn't need telepathy to sense her distrust. She listened to him sigh as he turned his gaze back toward the front of the jet. She took in a deep breath as she cast her eyes out the window; ready to follow Magneto's advice.
On August 10th 2002, around 10:30 pm GMT, Max could no longer sit and simply watch.
'Why on earth is Charles taking her to New Jersey? What's even in New Jersey?'
The jet was capable of Mach five. The fact that it had slowed down considerably, in Newark of all places, was making him nervous beyond belief.
'The airport!' he realized as he swiftly opened the top of the metal dome, reformed the metal into a sphere. He flew up, gaining considerable height in the Earth's Mesosphere; an area that was too high for planes or jets, but too low for satellites. From this level, roughly 40 miles above earth's surface, he could fly unencumbered by foreign objects. He'd make quick time here. And so he flew, with the speed of a racing bullet, toward Anna-Marie's location.
'Why does she have a packed bag?!' he hissed in his mind as he barreled through the sky. It was as if Charles was from taking her from one mode of transportation to another? 'I should have checked on her sooner,' he chided as he flew faster than he ever had before.
'You're checking on her now,' he told himself, attempting to quell his frustration, his anger. 'Assess, then react. You don't know what this is yet.'
On August 10th 2002, about 4:50pm EST, Rogue let out a sigh of relief as they finished landing in Newark airport.
"Opening front exit for passengers and back cargo bay for baggage loading," Mr. McCoy announced as he finished flipping a couple of switches.
"Thank you, Hank."
'Maybe we overreacted,' she thought, as she sat silently and observed her instructors.
'No, Charles' volte-face perturbed us both. Rightly so,' Magneto thought, standing adamant with his previous assessment as she switched her gaze to look out the window.
Kitty and Kurt exited the airport, driven by airport personnel on a luggage cart. Rogue could see the beaming smile on Kurt's face as they got closer to the blackbird.
Rogue unbuckled her seatbelt and stood, reading herself to greet those who would be boarding the plane. She watched the Professor and Mr. McCoy share a look as she made her way toward the Jet's front exit.
"Rogue!" Kitty exclaimed with a smile as she ran onto the jet and immediately pulled her into a hug.
"Hey, Kitty," she said, meekly as she lopped her arms around the shorter girl's shoulders.
Rogue felt her chest tighten. This was real. Not in her head, not a substitute for her isolation. Kitty was real, in front of her and she could feel her skin against hers. Rogue's grip on the other girl tightened as her breaths came fast and her eyes squeezed shut.
"Rogue, it's okay," Kitty said, her voice soothing, as she rubbed her back. Rogue's face was hanging over Kitty's shoulder, as tears gave way. The more her body shook the tighter her former roommate held onto her.
"Is she okay?" Kurt asked, before Rogue felt a hand on her back.
"Prolonged loneliness, I believe," the Professor commented as she heard his chair moving, turning toward them. Rogue tucked her head into the crook of Kitty's neck. Relief and joy gave way to anger. "It's my fault, really," he said.
Rogue waited, hanging on his every word. Would he admit it; what he did? In front of all of them?
"I underestimated how poor company middle-aged men would be for a teenager," he continued, almost jokingly, as if he was trying to downplay the entire summer and what he attempted to do.
'He didn't underestimate a damn thing!' she exclaimed in her mind.
'Breathe, Anna-Marie,' Magneto advised. 'Breathe and compose yourself.'
"Thank you both for agreeing to return to the institute so quickly," the Professor continued.
'I apologize for putting the notion of abandonment in your mind. Your initial reaction was correct. Charles was fixing his misstep. You had no reason to fret,' he said.
'No, I had every reason to worry,' Rogue thought as she took a deep breath; attempting to follow Magneto's first piece of advice, calm herself. A small sad laugh managed to escape her as she felt Kurt hug her shoulders from behind, his head leaning against her back. "I missed ya both so much," she muttered.
"We missed you too," Kitty and Kurt said in near tandem; Kurt's voice overlapping Kitty's by mere seconds. Rogue breathed deeply as she allowed herself to be held in their soft embrace, it felt wonderful to be held. The ducts of her eyes realized two single errant tears and she felt an utter sense of release.
'Okay, time to go home,' she thought as she pulled back from the hug. "Kitty, so," she said, as she quickly wiped her cheeks clean with the sleeve of her hoodie. "I was thinking about going shopping tomorrow, cause I need some new clothes and a bathing suit," she said.
"Oh. My. God!" she exclaimed in an enthusiastic high pitch voice while pulling her back into a hug. "We are totally going on a mall crawl. This is going to be so much fun," she said, squeezing on more time before she pulled back from the hug. "Honestly, Rogue, I was like, kind've getting bored back home," she said as the Professor gestured for them to sit. Rogue only looked at him as briefly as she had to, before she focused her attention back on Kitty.
"Like, I love my parents," she continued as they sat next to each other in the first row of seats, directly in front of the Professor. While Kurt took the window seat in the second row, she had used earlier. "But my dad's, like," she continued, as Rogue reached over and took her friend's hand, "not really the shopping type and Mom's been so busy at work, like. Ahh," she exclaimed cheerfully. "I'm so, like, happy to be back early, cause we get to have some fun before school starts, ya know," she said, squeezing her hand.
God, Kitty was trying so hard not to make her feel guilty about needing her friends, about needing them back in Bayville. It took effort to keep her tears at bay, to keep herself composed.
"And like, Kurt's here too, so that's cool, I guess," Kitty finished dismissively. The comment got a full laugh out of her and god, did she need that laug
"Hey!" Kurt shouted, as he stood, draping his arms and head over the top of their seats. "I can go shopping. It's not my favorite thing, but I can go," he said defensively.
"And hit up the food court," Rogue suggested, grinning up at him.
"Yes!" he said, his face lighting up. "I need a hamburger. An American hamburger," he said. P
"Eww," Kitty booed, disapprovingly.
"Sorry, Kitty. I'm getting one too," Rogue said.
"Well, I'm going to have a salad that won't, totally, clog my arteries."
"And me and Rogue will be full," Kurt countered deadpanned, causing both her and Kurt to laugh, this time at Kitty's expense. Kitty responded by sticking her tongue out at Kurt, though she was still holding Rogue's hand, squeezing it.
'Don't allow Charles, and his insecurities, to steal this from you, Anna-Marie,' Magneto advised.
'I won't,' she thought decisively, even as the Professor called attention to himself by clearing his throat.
"All that sounds lovely. If you could all buckle up so we can prepare to take off," he ordered. Kitty smiled at her as their hands slipped apart, Kurt sinking back down into his seat, as they all moved to adhere to the Professor's command. "Hank, after we've-"
Rogue glanced up at Mr. McCoy and saw he had the headphones over his head, he seemed to be intently listening to what was being said. She delayed strapping herself in.
"All aircraft are grounded for-..." Mr. McCoy paused as he listened ot the radio chatter. "tThey're not sure how long," he reported.
"Why?" Kitty asked, her hand on the seatbelt, hesitating to put it on.
"There's some sort of interference with the airport's air navigational systems. They're attempting to troubleshoot the issue now and ask everyone for their patience," he relayed.
"Oh man, I should've gotten a drink, when I had the chance," Kurt grieved as the Professor moved closer to Mr. McCoy and asked in a hushed tone;
"What sort of interference?"
Rogue stood and walked toward the second row of seats where Kurt was sitting next to her duffle bag.
"They're not sure," Mr. McCoy answered in an audible tone as she unzipped the bag, she dug past the clothes, socks and underwear she packed, until she pulled out a bottle of water.
"Thanks, Rogue," Kurt exclaimed as Mr. McCoy said:
"There's another announcement coming in, give me a moment, Charles-"
"Of course," the Professor answered as Rogue asked;
"Kitty, ya want one?"
"Yeah, totally," she said, as Kurt uncapped his drink, taking a long sip.
The Professor managed to catch her eye, as she handed out provisions. She held it a moment, before reaching back into the bag and grabbed two more bottles. She met the Professor's gaze again as she held up and offered the bottles of water. He looked as if he was holding back a sigh, the gears of his mind turning, before he nodded at her, accepting the gesture.
Rogue tossed one plastic bottle at a time to him and she knew his telekinesis would close any gap in her throw. He caught both seamlessly and handed one to Mr. McCoy, who briefly nodded, half paying attention as he listened to whatever was being said by air traffic control.
"Hey, Rogue, you don't have any snacks, do you?" Kurt asked.
"Ah-huh," she answered as she dug back into the bag and grabbed the options at their disposal. "Do ya want an energy bar, an apple or an orange?" she asked. "Oh, and I have a few bags of chips in here too," she recalled, digging further, pulling out a small bag of kettle cooked chips, she swiped from the kitchen that afternoon.
She could feel the Professor's eyes on her as she pulled item after item out; giving Kitty an apple and Kurt two energy bars and a bag of chips.
'If Charles didn't know what you suspected, he certainly does now,' Magneto commented. 'The question is-'
"They're still not sure what caused the glitch in air control; but it forced a system reset. They're asking all small aircrafts to delay take off as they get the commercial flights back on schedule," Mr. McCoy relayed.
"How long?" the Professor asked.
"They said an hour, maybe two," he answered.
"Could we get off the X-Jet if we stayed?" Kitty asked.
"I could ask," Mr. McCoy said.
"Have something in mind, Kitty?" the Professor with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, I'm pretty sure there's a mall, like, pretty close by," she said. "It totally looked like a mall, from the plane," she added, shrugging with a hopeful smile on her face. Rogue watched and the Professor share a glance before the Professor placed his fingers on his temple.
"Valley Mall Plaza Outlet," the Professor said, opening his eyes. "Kitty's right, it's not far. Hank, would you be willing to-"
"Hold down the fort? Of course, Charles," he said before sighing. There wasn't much on board for the young scholar to use to pass the time.
"Are you, like, sure, Mr. McCoy?" Kitty asked, reading his tone. She looked guilty, and worried, just like the caring heart she always was. Rogue missed her more than words could say.
"How poor are they that have not patience," he replied with a half-smile as Rogue dug back into her bag.
"I've got 'Les Mis' in French if you're worried about boredom," she told him, as she held up the book for his inspection; it was the only non-essential item she allowed herself to pack.
"Merci Beaucoup," he said with a smile as she exited the row and walked up to him.
"De rien," she said in easy response, handing him the book. He took it with a grateful nod before turning his attention back to the headphones and air traffic control.
"Yay," Kitty called out. "I totally owe you a birthday present," she said. Rogue blinked as she glanced over at the Professor.
"It was the second, wasn't it?" he asked.
"Ah-huh," she said, nodding. "I completely forgot," she said in disbelief.
'You're eighteen, Anna-Marie. You have been for a short while now,' Magneto said.
'Why didn't-'
'Why does one refrain from adding fuel to a fire?' he asked and she almost saw the knowing look he would have on his face if he was physically in front of her. It took effort to keep herself from laughing out loud.
"Rogue, why don't you and the other get settled in the car? I'll join you after we've gotten clearance to take the vehicle out," the Professor said. She didn't know much about air traffic protocols but she figured the Professor was both telepathic and rich enough to get his way. It was only a matter of when they'd head out to the mall.
"Oh, can I drive?" Kitty asked, excitedly with her mouth full. Rogue finally let herself react by snorting as she held the Professor's gaze; she watched his face losing color.
'It would serve him right, having ta deal with Kitty's driving,' she thought vindictively.
'You would also have to endure it,' Magneto reminded her knowingly.
"Actually, Kitty, I'm gonna drive," she said out loud. "Ain't that right, Prof?" Rogue asked, looking at him to make the final decision.
"Yes, it is," the Professor confirmed as Kitty pouted. "Thank you," he said, thoughtfully, as he attempted to hide his relief.
"You're welcome," she said before following her friends toward the back of the Jet. 'I'm eighteen,' she thought, in a reaffirming way. Eighteen was big; eighteen held changes she'd need to adjust to.
'Yes, you are,' Magneto sighed.
'I definitely would've kissed you yesterday if I'd realized that,' she said as she opened the driver's side door to the Rolls-Royce.
'I know,' he said dryly. 'Charles' treatment of you cast that thought so far from your mind, that it is understandable that you hadn't considered it. Though I was conscious of your age-" he said before sighed. 'Simply put, you didn't and thus we didn't. Moving on, Anna-Marie,' he said firmly. She rolled her eyes at that, even as she smiled to herself as she slid into the driver's seat, and turned the keys in the engine.
"Buckle up folks," she said chidingly. "Safety first."