-A/N-: Yes, yes. Sorry for the dreadfully long wait. I had examinations on the past week and that kept me busy for a while. Also, I’ve been making music videos and other random stuff, so yeah. Anyway, here’s the next chapter. Enjoy.

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A quiet hush befell the room—as soon as Mystique had left—like a veil of silence that seemed to smother even the softest of sounds. All that John could really hear at the moment were the low, pitiful sobs coming from Kitty and Jubilee over at the far corner of the room where they huddled with the bereaved angel.

Ororo Munroe pressed her fingers deep into her forehead in exasperation, cursed a second time and shot out of the room in Raven Darkholme’s wake. Piotr only just stood at the doorway as she passed, looking all the more edgy and self-conscious. And then after a few short seconds, he left to search for Professor Xavier.

As though a switch had been flicked, a ripple of whispers were abruptly set off. Repeated questions centering around Magneto’s sudden appearance at the doorstep to Xavier’s Institute were echoed around the room.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was about to happen down at the foyer that faced the front oak doors. And John reasoned that if there was one person in this world that could prevent the impending confrontation between two of the people in his life that he considered remotely superior to him, it was John himself—the Pyro who stood beside them both so many months back.

He had to do something. Had to see for himself if it truly was Erik Lensherr at the door. Part of him hoped that it wasn’t. And part of him hoped it was. He headed towards the doorway, but not before giving Rogue an implicative look, almost as though pleading for her to come with him.

But she looked back at Warren with helpless indecision.

Warren, the fallen angel. It was funny, he thought, how little his father’s death had affected him. But then again, the man was the inventor of the Cure—the same thing that got him murdered in the first place. He had forged his own death.

John looked into Rogue’s distressed eyes and understood. He nodded. “Go,” he said, “He needs you.”

Rogue looked startled, “But…!” she started to protest, not really knowing what to say. And John shook his head.

“Don’t worry about me,” he muttered, unconsciously lighting and relighting his wrist igniter to check if it still worked. “I’ll be fine.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah.”

She gave him a fleeting smile. “I’ll… catch up with you. Now go. They need you.”

Without another word, John ran out of the room.

What the heck is he doing here anyway? John wondered silently to himself, a frown on his face.

He came skidding down main entrance hall and found Ororo and Mystique staring, or glaring rather, at an old man with greying hair who had just stepped in through the front door. Unmistakably the almighty Erik Lensherr. He looked somewhat odd without his usual red-and-black cape and typical Magneto garb. But this normalcy didn’t make him seem any less patronizing.

The silence between them all was almost deafening and John could almost feel the uncomfortable intensity sizzling in the air. He didn’t know how long they’ve been glaring at each other in this silent face-off and he was more than willing to bet that none of them had said a word to each other just yet. Mystique’s eyes were the brimming with hatred, there was no mistaking that. And Magneto looked wearily at her, almost as though expecting her to attack him at any moment.

John did some quick thinking and decided to speak up into the still silence before Mystique had a chance to lunge at the old man.

“Hey, guys? Could we maybe cool it and talk this over? I don’t think having a tussle in a school is a very good idea.” John said lamely. What else could he have said? Have fun killing each other?

Ororo spun to look at John with dread in her eyes, probably wondering how she got into the middle of this unplanned reunion. Mystique’s face twitched in annoyance at John’s comment just as Magneto looked up in surprise as though he just realised that John was standing there at the end of the foyer.

“Pyro,” he acknowledged, and John swore his deep voice held an unfamiliar tone of resigned exhaustion, as though he had finally given up his previous way of life. “Should’ve known you'd come back here. Pray tell me, is this the safe haven for all ex-members of the Brotherhood?”

“Why don’t you tell me why I shouldn’t kill you right now,” Mystique snarled, her dark eyes flashing a dangerous yellow.

“My dear, please calm down. You have no idea how much regret I felt after leaving you behind.”

“Liar! If I would have known, I wouldn’t have jumped in front of you and saved your pathetic life. Now you tell me you’re sorry?” Her voice held a strong note of incredulity. “You’re all lies, Erik.”

Magneto didn’t bother to remind her that the Cure was only temporary. “Do I look like I would lie to you?” He was getting impatient and his voice was hard now.

For a second, there was only silence. Mystique was still seething with rage.

And then, they heard someone coming down one of the corridors that led to the kitchens, singing rather tunelessly to himself, unaware that there were four people at the front door who could hear him clearly enough.

“We are the champions, my friends. Weee’ll keep on fighting till the… what the fuck?” Logan yelled, as he rounded the corner and came face to face with the bizarre scene before him. “You!” he growled lowly just as his adamantium claws extended with sharp a snikt.

Despite the circumstances, John couldn’t help but shoot Logan a highly amused look. It’s not every day that you hear the man sing.

“What the hell’re you doing here?” Logan demanded, none too politely.

“Get out of here, you inferior ponce,” Mystique snarled, this time at Logan. “This is my fight. Not yours.”

“Listen,” Magneto said with a sigh, “I’m not here to cause any trouble.”

“Really? ‘Cause that’s about the only thing you can do,” Logan said gruffly.

“I’ve come here to talk to Charles.”

“Why don’t you talk to this,” Logan growled and launched himself at Magneto, claws in the air and poised for the man’s head, although knowing that he probably wouldn’t be able to reach him.

And he was right. Without even lifting a finger, Magneto managed to stop Logan in midair.

“I’m tired of all your foolishness. Don’t try to test my patience,” the metal manipulator said, voice steely but worn-out as he slowly lowered the Wolverine to the ground.

Logan grunted as his feet hit the floor.

“Try that again and you’ll find yourself a few hundred feet out of the front door.”

The Wolverine glared at Magneto but didn’t do anything else. He knew when he was beaten.

“So, you said you needed to talk to Xavier?” John asked, looking at his former leader with newfound respect. “Should I go get him?”

“He’s already here,” Ororo spoke up, pointing at the five figures heading their way.

All of them spun to find Piotr, Pietro, Rogue, Bobby and the Professor walking towards them.

Magneto’s eyes landed on the silver-haired mutant and his breath caught. Pietro Maximoff. Quicksilver. The one person he never thought he’d see in a place like this.

Pietro himself had stopped dead in his tracks, staring at Erik Lensherr in utmost disbelief and what looked like abhorrence. “It’s you,” he hissed, before screaming in fury and rushing up to the old man with amazing speed, knocking him to the ground and curling his fingers around the collar of his shirt.

“You murdering bastard!” Pietro shouted, voice travelling down the hall. “You killed her. You killed her, you fucking bastard!”

“Pietro!” Ororo shrieked, more in surprise and horror than anything else, but the screaming teenager didn’t relent.

It was only when Piotr pried the half-hysterical boy off Magneto did he finally calm down somewhat.

Pietro was panting heavily, his eyes were hooded with disgust and what looked almost like imaginable hurt.

“You killed her,” he said again, this time his voice was barely above a dark and low whisper, “You left her to die and now she’s gone. Wanda’s dead and it’s all your fault.”

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-A/N-: Short, I know... But yay, Wanda Maximoff gets a mention! And as you can see (well, those who know about the Maximoff family anway), I’ve altered the original storyline to Pietro and Magneto’s relationship. I suppose. But hey, this is the movieverse we’re talking about.

PsYcHoThErApY17: Thanks so much for the review, dear! They usually make me squeal and grin like a psycho. But that’s beside the point. I’m really delighted that you’ve been following this series for so long. Makes me happy to know that there are so many other Ryro fans around, you included.

Kari Lynn Craine: Hmm… Ezekiel Blacken’s my OC that I came up with after weeks of contemplation and planning. He reminds you of Boliver Trask? Yeah, he kinda’ does, doesn’t he? And William Stryker. But there’s gonna’ be a huge twist to Blacken’s character in the end. Can’t tell you yet though!

IcedBlaze: Welcome to the Stranger series! And thanks so much for your wonderful reviews. Hmm… you aren’t really a Ryro fan, huh? Hope I’ve somehow managed to convert you. Haha.

Thank you to the rest of the reviewers: QueenApailana, Chica De Los Ojos Cafe, Obiwanfan, storytellergirl, Mrs. St. John Allerdyce, xLiLix, the sillylittlepanda, yaba, we-r-the-cure, annie. You guys are awesome.