Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men and its characters/scenarios contained within as well as their business partner Disney.
Dog Days
Bobby was bragging about being the best again at the dining room table while Jimmy protested claiming that he was the best. As per usual JeanLuc would remind them that it was he in fact who set numerous records that they would never touch in their dizziest of days. And where was Remy LeBeau? A dog siting at his father's feet watching the men gorge on food.
"Ah Pa," Bobby swallowed the food in his mouth, "When ya gonna get rid of this mut?"
"Bobby!" Jimmy scolded, "Pa already told us that it was a very special dog and that we must treat it wit te upmost respect."
"I don see why," he bit his biscuit, "Damn dog don't even come when I call it."
"Cause it no like you."
"Boys," JeanLuc hated their bickering, "The dog is a member of this family."
"If ya wanted a dog Pa I coulda got ya one. This mut looks like they paid ya ta take it off they hands."
His brother had a point. Why did he have to be an ugly dog? His father told him that he would not tell the others, that it might be safer that way. He comforted Remy all the way home giving him compliments, which he never did, and vowing to find a way to change him back. In the days that followed they visited many a witch. None of which could help claiming that the magic was too powerful.
But he believed back then, or at least he forced himself to believe that being a dog had its advantages. The first being that he could rest all day on the couch watching his favorite stations, but his brothers shooed him off changing it to what they wanted. And then he thought that he could still play with cards, but after crumpling nearly a whole deck he gave the idea up. But what if he was hungry? He couldn't eat at the table instead on the dirty floor always eating leftovers. If he wanted to be clean he was incapable of running a tub to do so. He was becoming completely dependent upon his family.
Oh yes and what of sexual desires? He knew good and well no femme was going to blow a dog, but he could at least sneak a peak. He walked over to Bourbon Street to make the prostitutes there adore him, but they shooed him away too calling him ugly and claiming that he had rabies which eventually lead to an extended stay at the pound.
So he thought to sleep his troubles away, but every little sound made his ears snap up. Was there nothing to be had in this form? He had never felt so alone. He had everything. Everything! And here he was now with the voted most likely to scare children away mug living off of whatever they could piece together in the kitchen.
He wished at the very least to be a talking dog, but that too had to be stripped from him for absolutely no reasons. He grew to assume that God was jealous of him for beating the system. He was jealous that he was actually enjoying his life instead of living through suffering and striving only to remain at where they were when they started.
"I'm going out boys an tis house better be clean when I get back. And watch te dog." JeanLuc left. He had a council meeting to get to.
"I'll come wit. Good ta have someone there just in case sometin jumps off." Jimmy followed suit. Bobby watched his brother leave. Remy watched as Bobby smirked.
"Ah come 'ere doggy."
Instead he went to the couch. If he was going to suffer the rest of his life he ought as well do it on something comfortable.
"I said come 'ere."
(ignores)
"Fine if ya want it tat way." He heard his brother disappear upstairs thinking nothing of it when he came back down, "Pa aint gonna like tis today or maybe even tomorrow, but I am getting rid of ya. Want ta know why doggy?"
He ran for the kitchen knowing full well there was a doggy door made especially for him. His brother chased. The two running around the yard with his brother holding a tranquilizer gun, "I'm doin tis not cause it would be doin a favor ta anything wit eyes," he reloaded his gun, "I'm doin tis cause yer eyes remind me of Remy an I hate him. He's always so smug. A pretty boy wit te world in his hands. Ya know I wish tat ya were him, an if ya were lil doggy I'd be usin a real gun instead of tis here tranquilizer." And shot. Finally one hit him in the leg and all went blank.
He awoke in a cage. Judging by the open air and constant swaying he was on his brothers truck imagining ways to get his brother back for this. All of which was of him being in his human form.
"I can't shoot 'em. I'm a dog remember" he thought to himself resigned to bark. Many barks later they were at a river. A wide, brown, rushing, river … Oh Gawd no!
"I'll jus tell dad ya ran doggy."
Caged he was tossed into the rushing river. He thought instantly two thoughts. One being could dogs hold their breath? And secondly he was going to die. He hit the water. It flooded his ear canals until he heard nothing. His sight telling him all that he could. He knew in this current that the cage would rise out of the water. Rem waited and waited willing the pounding of his lungs on his chest to cease when it finally happened.
Inhaling precious air he knew he had little time. He had to get out of this cage if there was even a hope for survival. Remy eyeballed the simple lock. Paddling against the current he nudged it with his nose. When that didn't work he bit at it twisting his body reminiscent of a swamp gator. He felt so tiered after continuous tries. He even tried to reach his big paw between the bars. That didn't work either.
Willing to admit defeat in that department he turned to see his surroundings. Rocks. The current is always faster near those. He could even feel it maybe even hear it even with his logged ears. To his right there was a big rock coming. Hopefully one of them would due. Bearing right he relaxed waiting for fate to take its course.
The first three rocks did little. The fifth rock did the trick. His body flung from the cage into more water he swam along the edge until he reached shore. Breathing rapidly he wondered where to next? Home wasn't an option anymore.
"I've truly lost everything."
Happy to never see water again he began to head north. Why? Because that was the only star that seemed to speak to him so he followed, cold, wet, weighed down from his 'bath' and hungry.
…DD…
"Professor why do I have to do it!" Jean protested.
"Jean I know you were raised better than this," the old man sighed, "All I want you to do is take her shopping."
The red head pouted, "No."
"And why not?"
"Because Professor when I'm with her I feel like she's going to drain my soul away at any second like some grim reaper or something. And it's so obvious that she participates in devil worship. Locked up in her room all day alone dressed in black. Not to mention she obviously has a thing for girls."
"Jean as mutants we are often discriminated against despite our color, despite our sexual preferences, and despite our religion. Why must you make this harder on a fellow mutant that it has to be?"
"My answer is still no."
"Then I am no longer asking, but telling."
"But Professor that's not fair!"
"If you refuse then I will send you back home as well as suspend you from the X-Men permanently."
"That's unfair."
He sighed, "It shouldn't have to be. Remember when you visited Yale and they found out that you were a mutant and refused to accept you after you already got your acceptance letter? Remember how you felt when they talked about you as if you were less than nothing? Remember how their voices sounded of nothing but pure hate. The type of hate only the truly ignorant can hold? Do you remember how humiliated you were when the student's their called you freak and threw eggs at you on your way out? And do you remember how alone you felt?
"Fine I'll do it," se chased away the ghost of memories that plagued her, "But why is she so special? Why do we got to be forced to play with her?"
"Because she has no one. The fear that you received that day in Yale is what she lives. There is not a day or dream in which she can escape that. Do you really believe that she deserves the treatment that she is given?"
"No." Jean said it but she knew after her little girl's night out that she would go right back to treating Rogue as if she were separate and she knew that he knew as well.
…DD…
She watched as Jean drove. How her hands tensed and un-tensed. She was obviously forced into this. By who? More than likely the Professor. She wanted to laugh. People had to be forced to be with her. Her. It wasn't like she was a convicted felon. But she could use this time wisely. She didn't plan on living that much longer.
"Jean?" Rogue called her name four times before she answered.
"What? Can't you see that I am driving?" she snapped.
"Can't ya hear that I am askin ya a question?"
"I swear if it wasn't for the Professor …," she grumbled, "What is it?"
"What do ya live for?"
"What kind of question is that? I have high SAT and ACT scores, I'll go to college, become a doctor as well as being an X-Men. I will save lives! And there's Scott of course."
"And ya love Scott?"
"He is my boyfriend! Of course I love him."
"Why."
Jean did her best to not look or sound impatient as she spoke, " Because he is the other half of me, but you wouldn't know anything about that would you?"
"No, and I never will. That is why I asked you."
"Anything else?"
"Does everyone hate me because of my powers only or because how I look and my powers?"
"Obviously it's all the above. Nothing about you screams friendly. I don't even know why Scott says hi to you when he sees you."
"Probably because he has manners."
"And I don't?"
Rogue looked away from her in favor of the window, "No one's perfect. Everyone's always pointin out my flaws so I understand if yer feelings are hurt since I told ya bout ya self."
The rest of the ride was silent. Jean counting down the minutes till this was over and Rogue knowing as she always did that she didn't matter. Her mother died giving birth to her, but her father hated her. Especially after he found out that she was a mutant. And when that happened the kids at school disliked her more. Dislike turning to hate when the true nature of her power became reviled. There was nowhere to call home. Not out there with the humans and not here with the mutants.
"Hot Topic I presume?" Jean struck up conversation again, "And while you're shopping just make sure not to touch nobody and I get to ask you questions."
Rogue went to the clearance rack starring down at some more dreary clothes. The simple fact was that she was poor. She couldn't afford Hot Topic clothes all the time which is why she often went to the Goodwill. Malls were too full of judgmental people for her taste. But since she was here she looked for the cheapest clothing item to buy.
"So where are your parents?"
"Dead."
"How?"
"Mom died in childbirth. My dad died because he deserved it."
"Right … so do you have siblings?"
"No."
"Friends."
"Kurt an Logan."
"Are you always miserable?"
"Yer intent on askin te obvious questions aren't ya?"
Ignoring her statement, "Have you ever fell in love before?"
"How can ya fall inta something that ya know notin about?"
"So you never had a crush? Not even one?"
"My computer got crushed does that count."
" … So how do you deal with being different than everyone else?"
"I write and watch."
"About?"
"I write about my life. I watch people living one."
"How come you never join us?"
"How come ya never ask me ta join ya?"
"Touché, do you hate me?"
"Aside from wishin that Karma would bite ya in te ass? No."
"No?"
"I have so much hate directed to me that I can barely take it. I just want ta leave it all behind sometimes."
"Yeah and maybe you should kill yourself." Jean teased.
"Don't worry about that I will."
"No need to sound so serious."
"I am serious. No one would really miss me. The sun'll still rise. The planet'll still rotate and yall would go on with yall lives. Afterall ya wouldn't be here being tortured wit me if I were dead."
Jean didn't know what to say. She did hate the girl, but she didn't want her to kill herself. If she told the Professor he might think that this is her fault, but then again if she didn't she might actually kill herself. Virtually she had to choose between herself or Rogue. Helping herself or helping another. What should she do?
