Thanx to:

PomegranateQueen (sorry!)

Snowee2003 (check out the extra chapter and tell me what you thought!)

Mithy (bit less action here – glad you liked it!)

Lady Farevay (hope your mum is better soon. And I love worried Pietro too!)

Enfant-terrible (glad you liked it and hope this chapter is good too!)

DemonRogue13 (sorry it took me so long to update!)

Apologies for how long it took me to put up this chapter! My computer died horribly. But here it is – plus there's a bonus chapter, now in chapter 4, for reasons explained there…please check it out! A must for those who love the Rietro fluff!

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. I don't own 'We Will Rock You' (it's by Queen) or 'Jump Around' (House of Pain) or even 'I'm too Sexy' (Right said Fred).

I own only the storyline.

Rogue sat on the windowsill, gazing out of the window. It was a beautiful clear day, but she'd only noticed the weather because of how warm she was getting in her long sleeves and gloves. Her powers were back.

            She hadn't even been able to help Pietro yesterday, hadn't dared to touch him without her gloves. Instead she'd left Kitty and Lance to help him and ran to find the other X-Men. With Pietro's powers, it had taken about five seconds. Logan had been stood in the centre of the room, his uniform torn and bloody but his wounds already healed. The other X-Men had been beginning to recover from the effects of the knockout gas. Mystique had gone.

            Pietro had recovered on the way home, but she was still too uncovered to even put an arm around him and being under the close scrutiny of the others hadn't helped. He and Lance had made themselves scarce as soon as the jet got back to the mansion. She'd spent the entire evening with the Professor, trying to repress Mystiques personality from her psyche – she'd been fighting the urge to break into the computer and steal everyone's files – and all of the instructors had given her lectures. Fortunately, Logan had been too relieved she was safe to be really mad at her. The best news of all had come from the Beast.

            "I've analysed the serum you two made," he'd told her after a twenty-minute sermon about misusing her powers and dabbling in molecular biology without permission. "I'm impressed with the way it worked, but it was too similar to the one I used on myself to be very effective. However, I believe I may be able to change it to coexist with your mutation."

            "You mean it?" Rogue hadn't realised how much she'd resigned herself to being untouchable again until she heard the news. "Ah'm gonna be able to touch?"

            The Beast had tried to look stern, but in the face of her excitement, he had to smile. "I'll need a blood sample, but I think it can be done. I haven't tried it until now because I thought you needed to learn control yourself, but rather this than you messing with serums yourself. It won't be long-lasting though – your mutation's too much a part of you to be quelled for a long time by a serum – but it should give you a couple of hours every time you use it."

            "Would it ever stop working?"

            "I can't guarantee anything, but I don't see any reason why it would. If it's done right. You didn't have enough knowledge to change the formula correctly, although I must say I'm impressed that you absorbed enough of my mind to create something relatively effective."

            "Yeah. About that…I'm sorry Mr McCoy."

            The Beast shook his head. "It's alright Rogue. I know how it is to be desperate to control your mutation. And with that in mind, I have to warn you it might take a few weeks for me to perfect and then test, so don't expect it to be ready overnight."

            Rogue had been elated for the rest of the evening, but on waking up reality had set back in. The visit she'd had from Kurt hadn't helped much either.

            The Professor had taken Pietros personality from her mind too. She missed it.

            There was a knock at the door. "Rogue?"

            "Come in Scott."

            Scott entered the bedroom and sat awkwardly on the end of Kitty's bed. "I, uh, guess you heard what happened between me and Quicksilver yesterday."

            "Yeah. Kurt told me." He'd also ranted at her for almost an hour about Pietros general untrustworthiness and pointed out all the good things about Cyclops before she lost her temper, shouted back at him and caused him to bamf out of the room. The overprotective brother act was getting old, especially when it came to the subject of her complicated love life.

            "I just – I can't believe you'd find a cure for your powers and go to the Brotherhood! Why didn't you – well, you know…"

            "Go to you?" Rogue scowled at him. "Playing second fiddle to Perky Jean isn't mah style. If you wanted me, ah was right here. Ah wasn't good enough for you when ah couldn't touch, why would ah be good enough for you when ah can?"

            "It's not like that!" said Scott heatedly. "It's – complicated. There didn't seem any point us going anywhere if we couldn't even touch."

            "Ah would never have thought you were shallower than Pietro, but there's the proof!" Rogue folded her arms and glared at the team leader. "He didn't mind that ah couldn't touch him. He liked spending time with me and we had fun! There's more to a relationship than sex y'know."

            "I know, but…" Scott trailed off, ran his hand through his hair. "I didn't think it was fair on either of us. And at Christmas, when we went to New York – I was pissed about you flirting with Warren, but we got really close. Some of the stuff we talked about, I've never told anyone before. But Taryn kept hanging around and asking me to do stuff with her, then when Jean came back, I'd had a crush on her since the moment she walked into the Institute and she decided she liked me too, and – I was confused. It's not like I thought it'd be, but I knew nothing could happen between you and me, so…"

            "So you thought you'd show me you cared by dating Miss Personality. How does she feel about this, by the way?"

            "She, uh, finished it last night."

            "Oh."

            Scott stared at the floor for a moment before starting again. "Pietro's wrong for you! He's vain and reckless and he'll hurt you! He encouraged you to take a dangerous drug so he could take advantage of you!"

            "Ah think ah can safely say that ah took advantage of him."

            Clenching his fists, Scott looked up at her. "I just can't stand to think of him touching you!"

            "Scott, ah…ah didn't know…"

            "Well, now you do." Scott stood up and went to the door. "Just – think about it, OK? Pietro's bad news. But I promise things'll be different from now on, if you'll give me a chance."

            Rogue stared at the door for a long time after Scott had left. Why now? Where were you a few months ago?

            Her musings were interrupted by a message from the Professor. //Rogue, can you come to my office please? //

            //On mah way. // Great, just what she needed, another lecture.

            The Professor was in his study; Logan was sat in the chair nearest the desk. Xavier smiled at her. "Ah, Rogue. Take a seat."

            Probably just remembered that they forgot to ground me, thought Rogue as she sat down and gazed at the carpet.

            "I'm not going to ground you over this Rogue."

            "Did you just read mah mind?"

            "Don't have to," said Logan, not looking too happy. "The look on your face says it all."

            "I think you've learned a lesson. Grounding you would be little punishment after what you've been through in the last 24 hours." The Professor didn't seem too annoyed, Rogue noticed. "I just wanted to tell you that Logan and I paid a visit to the Brotherhood house this morning."

            Oh shit. "Leave any survivors?" she asked, looking at Logan.

            "I didn't want to," replied Logan grimly.

            "Hush Logan," said the Professor, hiding a smile. "The Brotherhood were very hospitable."

            "They leant against the wall and swore at us – that's hospitable?"

            "Only Wanda swore. And that's the friendliest I've ever seen her."

            "Uh, could you get to the point?" asked Rogue.

            "Certainly." The Professor steepled his fingers. "We went there to lay down some ground rules to Pietro and Lance."

            "You mean –" Rogue could hardly believe what they seemed to be saying. "You mean ah can keep seein Pietro?"

            "There are some conditions, Stripes," said Logan, who still didn't seem too pleased. "One; no more fooling around with serums. Two; we wanna know when you go out and when you'll be back. Three; no getting into trouble with the Brotherhood, including petty vandalism, skippin school or takin over the world.  Four; come home pregnant and I will personally castrate Quicksilver."

            "Ah don't believe it! You guys are the best!"

            "Maybe you'll be a good influence on them," said Professor Xavier with a smile. "Pietro seemed very worried about you yesterday. Perhaps there's hope for him yet."

            "I wouldn't go that far," muttered Logan.

            "If Hank manages to perfect a serum for you, we'll have to make sure that you don't start absorbing Pietro again," cautioned the Professor.

            "And keep an eye out for Mystique," added Logan. "She's gotta be seriously pissed about her plan failing and she might try something else."

            "Ah will." Rogue stood up. "Can ah go see him now?"

            Logan smiled reluctantly. "Go on. Be back in time for training."

            "Thanks!" Rogue hurried out of the study and ran into Kitty as she went to the front door.

            "Hi Rogue! Are you goin to see Pietro?"

            "If he's still talking to me after ah knocked him out. You goin to see Lance?"

            "Yeah," grinned Kitty. "I'm like, surprised he wants to see me again after some of the things I've said to him lately."

            "Well, he was actin like a hood at the time."

            "I guess so. And Pietro'll still be talking to you. He was totally freaked about you yesterday. You shoulda seen him runnin about all worried and hyper!"

            Rogue smiled. "He is cute when he's like that."

            "Totally! But don't tell Lance I said so."

            "Speakin of – wanna walk there with me?"

            "Sure."

            The two girls began on their way to the Brotherhood house. Rogue looked at the floor awkwardly. "Uh, Kitty, about that argument we had the other day…"

            "Forget about it! I know it wasn't you talking."

            "Yeah. And I know you guys were just worried about me, although ah bet Jean regrets it now."

            "She ditched Scott?"

            "Oh yeah. And he came into our room before to ask me out."

            "Whoa!" Kitty looked shocked. "What did you do?"

            "Nothin! Ah was too stunned. And now ah feel – ah dunno, torn." Rogue sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Ah liked Scott for so long and ah didn't think he even noticed me when Jean was around. But he said when he realised he liked me, Jean decided she liked him and he just went along with it. And now ah feel like ah should be doin cartwheels or something. But…"

            "Pietro?"

            Rogue nodded. "Ah really like him and ah've had his thoughts in mah head, so ah know he feels the same way about me. And Scott never seemed to like me that way before, whenever ah caught him looking at me, ah thought it was just wishful thinking. But now ah've got a chance with him and ah can't be happy about it because ah like Pietro too much!"

            "You have got to lend me your perfume." Kitty wound a strand of hair around her finger. "Like, don't tell anyone at the mansion I said this, but I think you should stick with Pietro."

            "You do? You don't even like him!"

            "He called me a slowpoke! But you said yourself, he really cares about you and I saw what he was like when you were in danger. And Scott was happy enough with Jean until he found out about you and Pietro. Maybe he thought you'd be around until he made up his mind."

            "You're right. But the others aren't gonna like it."

            "Remember what you told me when I asked Lance to the Sadie Hawkins dance? Who cares? Rogue, they're all pretty impressed by what he did yesterday and even if they don't approve, it's your life."

            "Ah know. Ah just wish that things could be different – that ah could be sure we weren't all gonna end up fighting again."

            "I wish that too, all the time. But hey, even if none of us had special powers, it doesn't guarantee a happy ending. We'll both just have to wait and see."

            "Yeah." Rogue sighed again. "Kurt thinks ah should be with Scott. He said so this morning."

            "Well, Scott's his friend. He just wants what's best for you and he doesn't trust Pietro."

            "And you do?"

            "No. But I know you do. If you know for sure that Pietro's sincere, then you should go for it. I mean, if Mr Logan can trust your judgement, then I think we should too."

            Rogue smiled at her. "Thanks Kitty. You're not as dumb as you sound sometimes."

            "You'd have worked it out for yourself in the end. And at my old school, everyone talked like me, and I've almost stopped it now!"

            "OK, you don't sound dumb. Anyway, are you and Lance getting back together? I thought you'd never speak to him again after what happened at the school meetin."

            "I thought for a while about what you said, y'know, about the Brotherhood being easily led. I know he was stupid, but after Mystique pretended to be the Professor and we got into that fight with them at the mall, I'd been ignoring him and you know the Brotherhood hate Scott more than any of us. They blame him for everything that happens between them and us. And like, we're not so perfect either. When Mystique was pretending to be the Professor, none of us thought that it was odd she sent us to the mall to confront them. We just did it. And Lance told me to leave before I got hurt, did I ever tell you that?"

            "No."

            "I've been totally miserable without him and I know it might not work out this time either, but I wanna try. Guess the X-Men can be pissed at both of us!"

            The pair approached the Brotherhood house and Kitty winced at the loud music, a different song coming from every window. "Like, how can they hear themselves think?"

            "Probably best if they don't," commented Rogue.

            "That's gotta be Lance listening to 'We Will Rock You' – that boy's gonna drive me mad with the rock puns! And 'Jump Around' must be Toad. So…" Kitty pointed up at a window, smiling smugly. "That's gotta be Pietro's room! Who else would listen to 'I'm Too Sexy For My Shirt' when they're sober?"

            "Hate to break this to you," said Rogue, trying not to laugh. "That's Fred's room. It's his favourite song."

            "Oh. My. God. The horror!" Kitty shuddered and banged on the door of the Brotherhood house, wondering if she'd be heard over the volume. She needn't have worried; Lance opened the door a few seconds later and grinned.

            "Hey Pretty-Kitty. Wanna go for a drive?"

            "Sure!"

            Lance glanced at Rogue. "Hi. Didn't expect to see you here today. Thought you'd be grounded."

            "That's what ah thought, but here ah am." Rogue might as well have not spoken. Lance put his arm around Kitty and the two went over to his jeep, paying no attention to her.

            "I'll just let myself in, shall I?" muttered Rogue and went into the house, walking slowly up the stairs. All the fears were back again. Would Pietro think she was too much trouble now that she'd nearly gotten him killed and couldn't touch him again? There was only one way to find out…

            Steeling herself, she knocked on the door to Pietro's room.

            "I already told you Wanda, PISS OFF!"

            "After ah came all this way?"

            The door flew open. "Rogue!" Pietro grinned and put his arms around her, dropping a kiss on her covered shoulder. "I thought you wouldn't be allowed out for weeks!"

            "Ah thought so too, but the Prof must have gone soft." Rogue went into Pietro's room and sat on the bed. "Ah heard he and Logan paid you a visit this morning."

            "Yeah." Pietro sat next to her and draped an arm over her shoulders, wanting to kiss her and knowing he couldn't. "They told me your powers're back."

            "Somethin else to thank Mystique for." Rogue glanced down at her gloves. "Ah promised Logan ah wouldn't take the serum again. What else did they say to you?"

            "That I should have stopped you taking the serum when I realised it wasn't working properly. Wolverine threatened to kill me. Then the Professor said he knew I wasn't screwing with your mind."

            "Just mah body!"

            "Uh, yeah … he might have picked up on that too. But he said we could keep seeing each other as long as the Brotherhood stays out of trouble. I don't think he was too worried about Magneto for the moment, now they're fighting the same guy. That Logan seems pretty possessive of you though."

            "He's just concerned. But what about Mystique? She knows you're here and she's already tried to kill you once."

            "If she'd overheard Wanda talking, she wouldn't dare to come over here. And Wolverine said maybe I should mention to Magneto what she tried to do next time he gets in touch and let him sort it out."

            "That's evil. I like it!"

            "Yeah." Pietro looked at the floor uncomfortably. "So, where does that leave us?"

            "Ah dunno," said Rogue hesitantly. "Mr McCoy's gonna work on a new serum for me. He says he make it, but it's gonna take a while and it's gotta be tested. But ah can wait, if you can."

            "For you? You know I will." Pietro still looked uncharacteristically serious. "I kinda thought – well, you had to hear about Summers big macho act yesterday and I know you had that thing for him when you lived here and…"

            "You thought ah might ditch you for him? Oh please!" Rogue rolled her eyes, trying to hide the fact that she'd actually considered it. "Ah had a thing for him once, but that's over. He never showed any interest in me before you and ah got together. He asked me out this morning, but ah'd rather be over here with you."

            "I thought the other X-gee – uh, men might talk you into it."

            "Kurt tried, but ah thought it over and ah wanna be with you."

            "Just can't resist me, huh?"

            Rogue poked him in the ribs. "Don't get full of yourself, Speedy!" she said with a smile, before growing serious again. "Ah thought you might not want to wait for the new serum, not after ah caused all that trouble."

            "I can wait, impatiently," replied Pietro with a wicked grin. "For sex that good, I can do anything. Summers doesn't know what he's missin!"

            "Pietro!" Rogue blushed, grabbed a pillow and hit him over the head with it. "Ah'm more than just a great lay y'know."

            "I know. You're also good at – "

            "Stop right there!"

            "I was only gonna say you're good at makin me laugh."

            "Liar!"

            "OK, so I wasn't gonna say that. But you are." Pietro rubbed her back through the thin material of her shirt. "Wanna go for coffee? Be just like our first date again!"

            "But not the last," said Rogue quietly, smiling back at Pietro. It was going to be hard work going back to not touching him again, but it was only for a while. She enjoyed just being with him. It was a sacrifice, but maybe not a considerable one.

            Pietro picked Rogue up and sped out of the Brotherhood house, towards Starbucks. Maybe it hadn't been the best resolution to their situation, but he thought that in the end, maybe things would work out OK. They didn't have to hide away from the others now, he and Rogue were officially a couple and soon McCoy would have a serum to allow them to touch. It had been a challenge, but once again, Pietro Maximoff had got exactly what he wanted. The girl of his dreams in his arms.

                                                THE END!!!

A/N – I can't believe this is finished! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed the last few chapters and I have to apologise (again!) for the first time I put this epilogue up, it was about 3am and I didn't notice that half of it had been cut off. I need to thank Snowee2003, DemonRogue13 and enfant-terrible for alerting me to that! I had a lot of fun writing this story and it's changed the way I feel about some of the characters – I never thought I'd feel sorry for Jean. Please Review if you liked the end result!

I'm gonna be studying for an exam I have in 3 weeks (yuck), but soon after that I hope to have posted the next chapter of my new fic, which is currently called 'Manipulating Evolution'. It's not a romance, but I'm quite proud of it, so I hope you check it out. Again thanks for reading and until then, peace!