A Partner

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Remy had watched her from the shadows. A part of him refused to accept that this was real. The moment he bumped into the girl, Rogue she's called, on the bus she didn't seem that special and yet he just knew she was the one meant for him to find. But why her?

So he stalked her. From what he could figure she was a highschool student and part time member of a mutant organization. She lives in a residence with more mutants. He did not know her power per se , but he had an idea of what she could do.

Throwing what he swore was his last cigarette on the ground he walked to the main gate slowly. How was he supposed to tell some stranger he barely knew that she had to give up everything she ever knew and loved to go on some sort of goose chase with him.

"Bonjour." he said as he held the intercom button.

A moment later a gruffy voice answered him, "What do you want bub?"

"I am here ta speak with Rogue."

"Rogue huh." he said doubtfully before pushing the button to unlock the gate, "Meet you at the front door."

Gambit took his time getting there and still had to wait for the occupants inside to answer the door. Finally it swung open. "Recognize this man Stripes?" Logan asked holding the door open with her on the side of him.

"No, but he kinda looks familiar."

"You heard her." Logan slammed the door shut in his face. Annoyed he wrapped on the door until it opened again. This time a statuesque African opened the door, "The Professor wishes to have word with you." she waved him in with a grand gesture of the hand.

The innards of the mansion were beautiful. It reminded him of a place he stole from once or twice. Following her up the steps he could had sworn that she almost glided. Definately a mutant.

A flight of steps, six doors, and a corridor later she stopped at a door far more elaborate than the others, "He will speak to you in there," she gestured graduosly, "And if I were you it would both endear him and benifit yourself if you are honest about your presence here."

With that she walked off. After her ample behind bent around the corner he opened the door. The study as some would call it had pale green walls trimmed with dark woods that matched the furniture. Behind the desk sat a wise looking bald old man with a smile on his face in a grey suit.

"Welcome Gambit, please have a seat."

Trying to not look too surprised that he knew his name he took the last empty seat. The other two were occupied by the short door slammer and Rogue.

"How did ..." Gambit began.

"Did I know your name?" the Professor finished.

'It's like he can read my mind.' he thought.

'That is because I can.' The Professor's voice entered his thoughts.

"Yes there are other mutants than yourself," The Professor smiled at him, "I picked up your psyche, the waves of energy the brain gives off, a week ago. You have been scowering the outskirts of my mansion rather furiously for quite some time." At that the door slammer growled. "Gambit," he adressed him again, "This is Logan," he pointed to door slammer, "And this as we both know is Rogue."

"How do ya know who I am?" she questioned leveling him with a suspicious glare that made the corner of his mouth twitch.

"We bumped inta each other on te bus a while back."

She thought a minute before recognition colored her features, "Yeah I remeber yer te guy that fell on my lap." Logan growled again.

"Yeah that was me all right."

"But I don't remember exchangin names wit ya though." she pointed out crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well I can explain that ..."

"As I've said Rogue, he has been studying us. Your name is probably one of the many things he has found out about us." The Professor cut in.

Finding it his turn to speak, "Alright bub who sent you?"

"Well tats a long story ..."

"It was Magneto wasn't it." Logan probed.

"Steady yourself my old friend," The Professor held out a hand to silence him, "Let him speak."

"Fine." he snapped.

"Well it's a long story ..."

"Ya said that already." Rogue reminded him.

"Has anyone ever told ya how pretty yer eyes are when yer angry?" he smiled at her bewildered expression.

"Can I kill him now?" Logan asked.

The Professor sighed, "Patience."

Gambit looked away from Rogue to speak. He found his eyes on his shoes as the words left his mouth, "Fer years now I've been havin these strange dreams of another time, another plae, another life, an they always felt so real. I tried everythang ta get rid of 'em ..."

Logan interupted, "I hear suicide helps."

"Logan!" The Professor scolded.

Continuing on, "Then a little over a week ago I awoke in my apartment. I heard some femme call my name, but instead of saying Remy LeBeau, she says Pierre Emile de Marsaille. I looked all over and found no one. Finally, I found this little transparent white bird in a window I know I had closed.

When I got close enough it flew ta the church. I followed it ta find myself a Goddess. I know that sounds stupid an all, but that's what she says she was. She says that Pierre, which was me in a previous life, had left the world without finishin her biddin. She says that he promised that if he failed in one life he would continue in the next. Next mening me.

She tells me that my dreams aren't dreams at all. She said they're memories. His memories and that I need them ta figure out how ta find her five pieces of Eden. But I'll tell ya by then I was thanking about quiting alcohol altogether cause she couldn't be real.

Before she left though she said that I was ta have a partner an said partner would where her bird on her neck. A couple of days go by with no one wearing a damn bird on their damn necks so I quit the idea ... that was until I bumped inta Rogue here on the bus. I have a hunch that me fallin inta yer lap was no accident." He finished. It was obvious Rogue and Logan thought he was blowing steam, but the Professor seemed to actually know the truth when he heard it.

"What is the name of this goddess Mr. LeBeau?" The Professor asked him.

"Pallas."

"Hmm," his hands folded in concentration, "I do not know much about mythology ,but from what I understand that partcular godess is one that has many names to many ancient civilazations as well as some today ..."

"Don't tell me that you're buying that crap Chuck!" Logan demanded.

"I read him as he told his story. What he thought and or saw I saw. From what I can gather he is telling the truth. Now whether that woman is a god or not has yet to be seen."

"I still don't believe him."

"Me either." Rogue agreed.

Sighing, "I wish my patron goddess could jus show up. Then yall'd believe me."

"Yeah like that'll happen." Logan rolled his eyes when the door slammed shut and the windows closed of their own accord.

"Logan, my friend. I believe that you may have spoken too soon." The Professor wheeled himself backwards.

The room instantly began to have a glow to it as their hair as well as unfastened possessions flew around the room. Strange symbols, or perhaps unreadible words, in bright white crawled across the ceiling and it's adjacent walls.

Then they heard a muffled chanting. As the noise picked up in tempo so did the wind and brightness level on the hieroglyphics. When the occupants thought they could take it no longer the symbols fell from the wall and pooled in the center of the floor before crawling their way upward in the shape of a person.

When the outline was finished a burst of energy pushed them all backwards. When they recovered they found it safe to open their eyes. Even the wind had stopped. In the center of the room stood Pallas.

"Who is it that doubts my dominion over this indebted mortal?" she asked. Instead of answering they all looked at her in awe.

"As you see," she contiued, "I Pallas, I Minerva, I Athena, am very much no figmant of mortal imagination."

"I don't believe it." Logan wispered as he stepped closer to her trying to place her with his sense of smell. She smelled of the salitest oceans and the fresshes watering holes. She smelled of chrysanthemum fields and of barley. She smelled of port and of blood. She smelled of fertile earth and droughted desert. He did not know of anything that could smell of variety the way she could. She was unatural.

"I am as real as the air you breath," she looked at Logan before giving them all a fierce look, "And as real as the danger that will befall Earth in six moon cycles time if you do not help return what was stolen from us."

"Ya aint say all tat when we spoke!" Gambit accused.

"You have now found your counterpart. This is a story that you both needed to hear in order to do your tasks."

"What ya mean by we." Rogue glared at Pallas.

"We means the two of you chit," she snapped at Rogue, "Your fates have been tied together long before you were born. Two previous lives to be exact. It was on that fated night that you two met for the first time."

"How we meet?" Rogue asked curious.

"That is another story for another today. For now you must collect my Five Pieces of Eden. You see many millenias ago our Father entity created us, the Gods and Godesses who walk among you to manage his latest project. Earth. The Father Entity is called God and or Jesus by you mortals of today.

But you see us higher beings of power did little to entertain the Father Entity since we were nearly perfect. Thus he made a being who would be capable of much kindness and much evil. A being who could choose its purpose. A being who, with a limited life, would be forced to do what is necessary to get by. He made Man. But one lone man was not enough so he created Woman.

At the time we all shared Earth's Eden, but Man and Woman grew jealous of our beauty and our power while we were jealous that our Father Entity had deemed such pathetic species to litter our sacred land. So we waged a silent war between each other behind Father's back.

Man set us against each other. Saying that one was more favored than the other using our need for Father's approval as a weakness. But, some of us, I being one of them, saw past Man's tricks for we knew Man had a weakness and it was Woman.

My sister, Wadjet, had a unique talent. She could turn herself into any serpent at will. At first we thought her power pointless. But at that precise moment we knew what we needed to do. The Tree of Life was our Father's most prized possesion. It was said any who stole the red fruit from it would instantly be cast from Eden.

Wadjet turned herself into a snake and thus tempted Woman to steal fruit. Father found out immediatly and banished her form our lands. Naturally, Man was upset. He argued with Father that us Gods had tricked her and thus we too should be cast from Eden.

Father agreed to cast us away, but only for 500 years. Then we were to be able to return,but still Man was not satisfied. He begged Father for the power to fight the gods themselves for, with the power we have been bestowed, we would easily rule over man.

So Father made a deal with man. He would create five sacred objects that, when collected altogether, would give Man the power to slay the Gods as well as regain them entry into Eden. However, Father favored us more than Man so he scattered these objects across the planet believeing that Man would never be able to find them.

He was wrong. He underestimated Man. The decendents of the first mortals soon populated the planet. Many died in the conquest of the Pieces of Eden, but eventually they were all found.

A man who titled himself Kaapro, meaning one of God's strength, took all of the objects. The Apple of Eden, the Papal Staff, the Serpent Scroll, the Fire Sword, and the Cherebums Corana to Eden. The moment he stepped into the holy garden the power drained from us Gods.

He slayed most of my brother and sisters that day. We had underestimated the hatred of man. Father Entity watched as he slayed nearly all of us. Only four of us managed to hide, but we were weak. We no longer held power over man.

Father was upset. He did not think his creations would go so far so he flooded the earth. Even then the humans lived. Then he sent a great rock from the black abyss into our planet to scorch the earth. Still Man lived. Then he froze the planet. And yet once again man lived. He realized quite literally he could not rid himself of man.

So in one last attempt he decided to, at some time in the future, when man reached the height of it's potential, he would destroy it with the very thing it needs to live. The sun."

"So," the Professor intervined, "You are saying that the sun will be destroyed in six months?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

"Then why help us? I thought you hate Man?" Logan aksed.

"My heart for you mortals does not out way my need to survive. If this planet is destroyed so are we. We are earth bound just as you are mortal."

"An we need ya help why?" Gambit asked.

"Because, unlike you, we will have the power to not only stop the destroyed stars power from destroying your precious solar system. We could also rebuild it for we, unlike you, fully understand the power that is locked away in those five items since it was originally stolen form us in the first place. None of you would know what to do even with the Serpent Scrolls directions layed before your eyes."

"So helpin you helps us," Gambit asked to see her nodd at him, "Then why did ya need Pierre. yer still alive right. How come you jus can't get them yourselves?"

"We do not have the power mortal. As I have stated our power is locked away within the five pieces of Eden. I can speak to you, but that is about it. My power has grown weaker over the ages. You would not understand our grasp of time. We were here for millenias before Man was even thought of. Your race's history dates back far further than you would have thought."

"Then why Pierre? Why ask him for help."

"That is something that you will come to know in time. Lolligag if you wish, the fate of mankind as well as us few remaining dieties now rest in your hands." she said.

"Where do we start?" Gambit asked hopefully.

"Pierre Emile de Marsille." she answed before dissapearing far quicker than she arrived. When she left all silently looked at each other before Rogue stormed out.

()}-}-

"Rogue open up." Gambit had chased her to her bedroom after she fled the study.

"No!" she growled from her bed. Why was the fate of the world in her hands? She had been through so much already and when she was just beginning to have a respite from her horrid past she was now being forced to save the world. Well screw her and him! She didn't want to help. She didn't want to be forced to leave her 'family' now that she found one.

"Rogue ..." he softened his tone a bit.

Crying, "Fuck you! Who do ya thank you are comin inta my life an fuckin everythang up huh!"

"Trust me I didn't want this cherrie."

"Like hell ... I bet ya probably planned this with the cosmos," she spat, "I bet ya were all like hmm how are we gonna screw Rogue over taday, then ya raised yer hand and volunteered this mess!"

Seeing that she wouldn't be reasoned with he picked the lock.

"Who told ya that ya were allowed ta come in? Get out!" she growled throwing everything she could at him. He dodged until he got close enough to tackle her to the ground. When he had her pinned he spoke again, "Do ya honestly thank I enjoy this mon ami? I am as much victim here as you are."

"My ansestor didn't make a promise to a Goddess." she hissed trying to free herself.

Holding her tighter, "Look, ya can hate me an her all ya want, but that doesn't change te fact tat we're screwed either way ..."

"Your point?" she interupted.

"My point is that we can either sit here an bitch about it or we can go out there and do something about it. Which one do you wanna do?"

At that she had no answer. Instead she turned her head guiltily from him. She knew she may had overeacted a bit, but still why was life always throwing her curveballs. She just wanted to be a kid again. She wanted to believe that if she pulled her cover over her eyes for a while she'd be safe. She wanted to just be free. Free from everything.

There was a time not too long ago that she considered freeing herself, but she didn't. Back then she refused because she owed Logan for spairing her life. Then she didn't do it because of her 'brother', but really would that ever be enough? Was there anything to hold on to?

But of course there was. If she offed herself now the people she had began to count as family would die in six months time. Why couldn't she be heartless? Why did she have to give a damn?

"Let me go." she mouthed meekly. Defeated she stealed herself away from him, "I'll help."

At her door the Professor and Logan watched. What were they to do? What could they say.

"Gambit, I will show you to your room." The Professor said. As they walked the halls together since Logan decided to console Rogue he spoke again, "I have a feeling that what must happen can only happen between the two of you. If you shall for any reason be in need of my assistance I want you to call us. And please do not judge Rogue to harshly for her less than stunning behavior. She has been through alot."

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Sorry for delay; laptop crashed