Chapter 1 : A Business Proposition
A man walked down a forgotten street in New York City, breathing in the rhythms of the people, learning the true nature of the city. He moved with a grace not many men, or women for that matter, possessed, it was the kind of grace that if you blinked he would vanish without a sound, even in a silent room. The man paused in front of an old, abandoned storefront. Perched in the window was a faded 'Sale' sign and above it a homemade 'Mutants stay out' sign was taped to the glass. The man's long trench coat fluttered around his ankles in the autumn wind, and a few dried, dead leaves swirled into the doorway. Glancing around his gaze settled on the security cameras cleverly concealed around the entrance to the shop. 'The girl is good,' he thought, giving his quarry some grudging respect, 'Xavier was right, I have a feeling we've arrived just in time…'
Meanwhile, above the shop a thin girl with golden brown hair and striking violet eyes watched the multiple screens of the security cameras and other measures installed about the two floors of her sanctuary. She had watched as two men had approached her home from different directions and had each taken a stance at the two ground exits her building provided. Studying the two more closely she saw how different they were, one was short and stocky, well muscled with wild hair and a cigar hanging out of his mouth, the other was tall and lanky, with longer, smoother brown hair and a handsome face, though his eyes were covered by a pair of sunglasses, looking closer she realized that the two must be working together because of the matching head sets. The taller of the duo was digging around in his coat and the girl automatically tensed into a position where she could reach everything she needed to within seconds should she feel the need to take up a different residence, then the man did something she did not expect, he pulled out a deck of cards.
' They must know I'm watching them' She thought, 'they can't have missed the camera's for this long, unless they want me to see them, or they're just complete idiots.' Double checking the rest of her security measures the slightly built girl chewed her lip wondering what to do about this situation.
" Don' worry 'bout us, petit, we jus' wanna talk, thats all," the taller of the two said as if reading her mind, "Consider this a sort of business proposition."
Her stomach rumbled reminding her how long it had been since she had taken on any sort of job that was capable of feeding her. Try as she might the strait and narrow path that she tried her best to walk didn't always pay the bill, or keep food in her home either. Suddenly sighing, her decision made, she gathered up her few possessions and dumped them in a thread bare messenger bag.
Gambit shuffled his cards absentmindedly and caught the soft sounds of small feet pattering up the sidewalk behind him. Allowing himself a small smile, he couldn't help but approve of the way the girl conducted herself.
"Ya can come out front, Wolverine. Petit has finally graced us with her presence." Gambit spoke into the headset before turning to the slim girl before him.
"So what's this business proposition all about?" She asked, a no nonsense expression on her face, her violet eyes reflecting the dim light giving them an eerie glow. Gambit's voice failed him as he caught sight of her eyes, as far as he had seen no other mutant had eyes that even resembled his and there standing before him was a girl that could share his genes.
"Woah, Gambit, she's got yer eyes, anything you've been keepin' secret?" Wolverine said upon seeing her.
Gambit shook his head, startled out of his amazement, "Non, mon ami…"
"Well if you two have stopped your gaping, I believe you said you had a business proposal to make. I can see that you're both mutants so I'm assuming it's something you can't take care of your selves. So lets hear it, what's the job?" The girl tapped her foot in annoyance.
" Alright, but maybe you better see this first," Gambit said taking his glasses off.
She gasped, "Okay, I get why you two were freaking out now."
Wolverine looked back and forth between the two pairs of glowing eyes. There was a definite resemblance between the two, even beyond the eyes, both were slim and had light brown hair. They could be cousins, or even siblings, Wolverine realized. 'This situations needs to be handled very carefully,' he thought. Clearing his throat, Logan said, "Enough of this, I'm Logan, or Wolverine, this here is Gambit. We're here to offer you a place at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."
After a rather awkward pause of Gambit and the girl still sizing each other up Logan cleared his throat, "Perhaps we outta find some place better to talk..."
"No, this'll do just fine," the girl said, still tensed and ready to flee to a different safe house she had set up for just this purpose, to get away from creeps who thought they could help her. She narrowed her eyes.
"How did you know we were mutants?" Gambit asked, still off balance by the female, and younger, version of himself before him.
"I can see it, in the energy around you. Everyone's is a little different, and it changes all the time- I can even tell when someone is lying." she explained.
"Then you know I wasn't lying when I told you about the school." Logan broke in, starting to get really irritated with the girl.
"No, but you haven't told me anything about it yet. And I'm not hearing anything about a business offer so I'm outta here!" She shot back at the Canadian.
Throwing his hands up in the air Logan muttered, "Whatever, I'm headed to the Denny's I saw a couple of blocks away, feel free to join me if you like."
Gambit, catching on to the ploy, smirked and turned to follow his teammate.
"Wait, why do you look like me?" The girl called after him. "Gambit dunno, petit, but mehbe we could figure it out, non?"
A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic so any and all criticism or advice would be much appreciated. I apologize for any glaring grammar issues, this is a learning tool for me and I'm working on improving the best I can. I do not own any of these characters, except for Iris, of course, and I make no promises to stick to the comics at all. Also, while writing this fic I've realized I'm terrible at writing accents, so if anyone have some useful tips, or would even like to send me some examples that would make my day!
Happy reading and have a wonderful day!
amroush