"It's strong and it's sudden
and it can be cruel sometimes
but it might just
save your life."
Huey Lewis "The Power of Love"

"Time on my hands could be time spent with you"
Elton John "Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues"

Part 1:Guess that's why they call it the Blues

Rogue sat by the lake, depressed. She had succeeded in half of her plan, driving Remy away, so she wouldn't hurt him again. She loved him so much, she was terrified of what her powers could do to him. When she kissed him, she had put him in a coma for two weeks, she couldn't let it happen again. So she ignored him, or tried to be sharp and bitchy, hoping he'd back off. After a stupid fight with Magneto, he did. Remy and Magneto had a fight over her. Magneto had started it too. Remy had packed up the next morning. Remy had been gone three weeks. Rogue had felt depressed and empty ever since.

Rogue sighed, her big project, helping Magneto, not be what he was, looked to be a failure. Especially the last three weeks, the old arrogance was back in force. He wouldn't listen to anyone, not even her. She thought she could help him; if he slowly found out about his past and she warned him of his faults he would be a better man. She sighed again.

"There you are my dear, you look wonderful in the moonlight." It was Magneto.

"Thank you." Rogue politely replied.

"We need to talk. You are beautiful and young, I'm brilliant, strong, and virile. It's obvious you have deep feelings for me. It is time we moved our relationship to a new plane. Come with me and I'll make your life complete."

"Ah think yah misunderstood mah intent an' feelin'.. Ah..." Magneto interrupts, "I'm the most brilliant, powerful mutant on the planet and I've chosen you."

The one sided conversation went on for several minutes, with Magneto praising himself to the sky and Rogue trying to break in, until she was finally successful by shouting, "Stop it, yoah not listenin'! Ah don't wanna be with yah, ah just wanted tah help yah!" Then in a calmer voice, now that he had finally shut up, surprised by her shouting, Rogue said, "Ah don't love yah. Ah' sorry." She looked at him sympathetically.

"Don't be foolish. You're just afraid. Come to my room. I'll take all your fears away and we can be together. I know what's best for you."

That statement annoyed her. She was a grown woman, she knew what was best for her and she told him so. "Yah don't know what's best for me. Ah've tried tah tell yah nice. Ah don't want tah go tah yoah room."

"Of course you do, you just don't know it. I'm what's best for you, and I'm the one who can give you what you need." This was Magneto's less than subtle reference to the fact that he could touch her, due to his instinctive magnetic shielding. He was also beginning to get subtly crude.

"Oh, yah really think so?" This was said with more than a little irritation. Her patience was wearing thin and Magneto's was mightily offending her highhanded and wrong headed attitudes. "Well let me tell yah somethin', mister. Ah loved Remy and ah had tah let him go. Yoah not half the man Remy is, and ah mean that in every sense of the word!"

"Just what are you implying?" Magneto said with a quiet menace. Rogue felt an urge to say what she had subtly just referred to, she barely restrained herself from being truly naughty. "Well what'd think. I've seen yah both in the buff. Yah don't compare!"

"You, you...glupi dziwka!" When Magneto was truly enraged he would express his anger in his childhood language, Polish. He had just called Rogue a stupid whore. she knew it, she'd heard him muttering the same phrase about Betsy numerous times! Rogue was pissed now, but Magneto wasn't done yet. "You have no idea the greatness in who's presence you bask. I'm vastly your superior and I was willing to let you walk at my side. But, obviously I was wrong. You're not worthy of touching my magnificence."

That was it! Rogue lost any desire to restrain her words. "Yah, yah, jerk! What makes yah think I'd want tah touch yoah `magnificence', little cocktail weenie that it is! Ah'd rather dream of spicy Cajun sausage, thick and luscious!"

Anger flashed over Magneto's face at her insolence and he raised his hand as if to strike her and Rogue dropped into a defensive stance, but he stopped short. The expression on his face turned to contempt. "Dziecinny kurwa! You aren't worth my consideration. Just live with your ignorant peasant dreams then!" He took off.

Rogue yells after him. "Arrogant jackass! Yah weren't worth mah consideration!" She mutters, "Callin' me a childish bitch..." Why did yah bother tryin' tah help that asshole? She berated her self.

Then she sighed. Yah know yah have tah try, girl, even when it don't work... That sounds like somethin' Remy would have told me about us. Then she blushed bright red, ah can't believe ah said what ah did about Remy! Ah'm so glad he wasn't here tah hear what ah said about his....attributes! Ah can't believe ah said it aloud! Ah think about him with me, that way, most o' the tahm lately, especially since Remy left. She blushed even redder, the blush now extending to the top of her breasts, which was visible due to the v neck of her shirt.

Rogue got up and walked back to the mansion. Ororo saw her walk in alone. She had watched Magneto follow Rogue out with a sense of dread. Storm feared that this would be it. She had been afraid to talk to Rogue about Magneto, because she believed that her anger over how Rogue had treated Gambit would spill over into the conversation. Now Rogue would have to make her decision on where her feelings went. If Rogue did not love Magneto, and she told him that he would explode and Rogue would be hurt, if not physically, emotionally. If she cared for him, he would more than likely get her to leave with him tonight. It was obvious that Magneto could not take life with the X-Men any longer, not being the leader. Either way Rogue would be hurt, eventually. Hurt nearly as much as she had hurt Remy.

"He's gone Ororo. Ah failed."

"No child, you did not fail, Magneto is Magneto. He cannot change unless he really wants to. You did not fail him, but perhaps you did not try hard enough with someone else." Storm had restrained herself from saying anything about Rogue's treatment of Remy before. Now, though, Rogue had made her decision. The wiser one, if a bit late.

"Ah drove Remy away, yah mean."

"Yes. Why Rogue?" Storm suspected, but she wanted to see if Rogue even consciously knew what she had done.

"Ah...ah was afraid that ah'd hurt him. Aftah ah kissed him and he went intah the coma, ah ran. Then when ah met up with Magneto ah thought ah could help him, an ah knew the best place tah help him was here. But Remy was here, and every tahm ah saw him ah thought of him and me tahgather," Rogue blushed,"that way... Ah was so scared of those feelin's, ah had tah drive him away. Ah didn't realize that he'd leave. Ah was hopin' he'd just get tired o' me, get mad, then find someone else, someone who could give him that. Ah know how much Remy loves that part o' a relationship, when ah temporally absorbed him. Ah still love him, ah just wish he could touch me. Why'd it have tah be Magneto that can touch me?" Rogue said in anguish. Then she looked resigned, and said, "Guess ah'll turn in early tahnight, good night." Rogue walked into her room and closed the door.

As soon as Rogue had closed her door Storm flew up to her loft and called Remy. Storm had, unlike the others, continued to call Remy to see how he was. She knew exactly where he was. Remy told her if she needed him to call and he would be there as fast as possible, even if he had to steal a ticket to get a ride on the Concord.

"Remy he is gone!"

"Who chere?" Remy knew he just wanted to hear it.

"Magneto. He left, alone. We all miss you, come home."

"I miss you all too, chere." Remy hung up and got out of bed, it was 2 AM, Brussels' time.

"Where are you going, Remy?" Angelique stretched languidly.

"Home, chere, dey need me."

Angelique pouted. "But Remy, you promised me two days."

"I'm sorry chere. I have to go." Remy was already dressed and at the door.

"You Americans and families, they say jump, and you do."

"Bye, chere. Take care of yourself." Remy walked to his motorcycle. As he rode to the airport he thought about the last three weeks. He had wandered around New York City for a few days, then decided to go to Europe. He hung out in nightclubs, being charming to the ladies, he had gone to bed with several. Not one of them had been anything more than flings, for both of them. Angelique had just been the latest. The ladies like that he was charming, generous, and always careful. He always used a condom. He generally had it out and ready to put on before the woman even asked him. Deep down it didn't blot out his broken heart.

He loved Rogue, apparently she didn't love him. Did she love Magneto? Apparently not enough to go with him. Storm had used the phrase they had agreed on so that he'd know that Rogue didn't love Magneto, `we all miss you'. But did Rogue, really? Well there was only one way to find out. Back into the fire Remy headed, this time he wouldn't give up, no matter what.}