SO LIKE A ROSE
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the X-Men franchise; I just borrow the characters purely for my own (and maybe yours!) entertainment.
Author's Note: Hello again! :) Thank you for the review, I love reading your feedback, very encouraging. Thank you also for the new follows and favourites to this story. Please continue to show your support, when I receive notifications it acts as a reminder that you are loving (or hating) what you are reading and expecting more.
One thing I will like to say, although this has been put in the genre for X-Men Evolution, my heart will also be with X-Men of the 90s. The Gambit of this fan fiction is 70% based on 90s version, the portrayal Gambit in Evolution is quite weak with that much to work with.
CHAPTER THREE
She wasn´t sure how long she had been asleep for, she just felt her senses slowly reactive one by one. Firstly, it was her sense of smell and not for a good reason. It wasn't due to the fresh scent of brewed coffee or fresh warm croissant that she enjoyed in the mornings escaping from the French patisserie that was close to her apartment, oh no it was something foul. She wrinkled her nose at the terrible stench, the strong odor had aroused her back into consciousness and she could have done without that pungent wake up call.
Secondly, she felt entrapped by foreign tight forces on her wrist, lower abdomen and ankles. She tried to jerk her hand up but it was strapped down tight and restricted. This made her anxious and caused to jerk around more violently to free herself, but it was no good. What was happening? She thought desperately, where's my strength? What had they done to me? I don't feel like myself anymore….
Her frustrated movements had unfortunately also caused her to be aware of her pained derrière, the fleshy cushion of her buttocks seemed nonexistent, and bone felt like it was grind against the very stiff and uncomfortable chair she had been restrained too.
She also felt a crick in her neck, apart from her earlier forced movements she was still in the position that she assumed she slept in. Her head hung low, chin to chest and her poor neck was supporting the weight her head, she made a soft groaned at the realisation of this.
Finally, her throat felt dry, she slowly swallowed to moisten it. She then slowly poked out her pink tongue to add moisture back to her dry lower lip, she could taste her own blood. Damn she was thirsty, she was hungry and her body ached like hell. Sweet Lord, what is happening?
Suddenly she a heard movement coming from straight ahead of her, she didn't realise someone else was there with her. She lifted her head slowly and opened her eyes only to see his beady black eyes was staring straight back, his lip curled up. Sheesh, what a bastard. And with that everything came back to her.
Her voice was horse, his name escaped her lips.
"Vic…Victor…"
In a blink of an eye, he charged towards her and had his hand firmly wrapped around her throat, shoving her head hard back into of chair. Her blood shot blue eyes winced at the agonizing pain that she felt just below the crown of her head. He scowled as he clenched tighter and she let out a loud piercing cry. She turned her pained neck from side to side as much as she could, to try to relieve some of the pressure of his tight grip.
He was chocking her and as it was, she felt like she was ready to lose consciousness again, she didn't know many times she had blacked out but she knew the majority of it was because of his brutality to her. But his intent this time around was solely to cause her pain, she could see in his eyes that enjoyed the inflicting suffering on others, he got off on their tortured cries and his dominance over them.
"….please…let me go Vic-."
"Don't call me that!" He growled.
Oh boy, he was mad. She knew that she was unnerving him; it was a big risk she was taking but a forgotten memory had come to her whilst she had slept. While on special assignment she met an Operative. The two were paired up and shared a number of adventures together, even briefly becoming lovers. During one of their infamous escapades, they clashed with the brute Victor Creed. The only difference between then and now was that he years had not been kind and added more to his persona – vicious, bigger and scarier than before. She didn't initially recognise him but she had suddenly pieced together his identity.
She wasn't going to pretend for second that this knowledge which change much. Even back then he had been working for the wrong side, but she had hoped that his poor tortured soul would have found redemption, as she did with all of the bad cases that the nature of her job had caused her to cross paths with. But she guessed she was wrong, some people changed and some people didn't. She was one of those people that changed. Her change happened years after their first and only encounter with Victor Creed. She used to be a naïve civilian but due to that fateful day on assignment she had become something much more….But with the drugs and sudden ambush, Victor and Rogue had somehow managed to take this away from her.
"You can't get away with this Victor Creed" She said through gritted teeth.
Victor's beady black eyes squinted, his head moving gently to and fro as he was trying to place her. "Who are you woman?"
Hmm. She thought, he had clearly not clocked on to their previous encounter as she had. It seemed that he knew her for her pseudonym, but not the woman she had been when she had first met him. I guess that is what happens when you put in so much effort upholding a secret identity.
"You don't remember me buddy?" She let a small chuckle, to which she saw weary look come across his face. It was the first time she has had the upper hand. "You won't get away with this, he will find me..."
"Enough with these mind games!" He growled out, he brought her head forward by her neck only to bash it back.
"Arahh…." She let a pained groan.
Victor stilled unexpectedly, he made no further movements apart from a quick sniff and only slightly relaxed. "Pretty boy…" he let out in a snarl, he had identified third presence in the room.
A man moved out of the shadows, now fully visible to her, his long legs made him almost as tall as Victor and half as wide, with a powerful angular build. He eyes turned to look at her, she stared straight into them and it was as if she was look into burning molten lava and black smoke set in a chiseled face sporting a 5'o clock shadow. Thick beautiful auburn hair was cut into an edgy style, where it was short on the sides and top of his head carried most of his hair length and strands causally swept to side, some even falling disobediently into his eyes.
Even though her situation stunk to the heavens, this man was undeniably one of the most sexiest men that walked the face of this earth. She blushed slightly thinking of her inappropriate thoughts especially with the animal Victor crawling into her neck, She moved her eyes away from the perfect stranger to Victor and back to him again and in his eyes she saw a brief flash of something that resembled pity. The stranger turned to her assailant and finally spoke with voice weighted in a mix Southern regional dialect and French.
"Mon dieu…Mon ami, it's enough! Gambit don't like how you hand this woman…tres grotesque"
"She's alive, isn't she." Victor's returncomment was quick and defensive. He furrowed his brows together and said flippantly. "What do you care, you know the plan"
"Gambit, no care what the plan is. We don't treat women like this..." His hand gestured towards her. She could only imagine herself being a sight for sore eyes. Her mood slightly lifted when focused in and she saw he had brought her a glass of water and bowl of something steaming. Her stomach growled in anticipation but her captors, Gambit and Victor continued to converse.
"Gambit gonna say tis once…listen quick…you touch her one more time and you will regret mon ami."
Victor growled, he snatched his hand away, his nails scrapping her neck as he pounced his way over to Gambit, eating away the distance that was between them until they were just a few feet part.
"You want to mess with me boy?"
"You know Gambit is game for anythin´."
"Remember, I know who you are really working for…"
"Oui, Magneto may think he is pulling the string ´ere, but you and I both know who's really in charge..."
As Victor made his exit, barging passed Gabmit as he went. Gabmit made a small smile of victory, it wasn't clear before, the alpha had been determined.
He then focused back to her, a made slow strides over to where she was. "Here cher, drink." He brought the glass to her lips and she hurried to take in gulps of water.
"You be hungry cher?"
"Yes"
"Then hopefully, this left over bisque Remy made will hit the spot, no?" He moved to set the water down near the front leg of the chair she was restrained to. Gambit then turned away from her, the trench coat his was wearing swishing gently behind him. He had disappeared to a darken area of the room, only to return dragging a wood chair in one hand and her bowl of bisque in another. He set the chair directly in front of her and sat down, with legs spread part.
He moved the bowl to hold firmly in the base of his left hand and picked up a large spoon that was left in the soup, mixed till he broke the skin that had risen to the top and it become smooth once more. Before lifting a generous portion, firstly moving close to his lips to give a gentle blow to cool it down and then he it moved it close to the base of her lower lip, waiting for her to allow entry. She granted access and was overcome with pleasure as she tasted the flavours of creamy corn and crab.
"So good." She mumbled to between spoonfuls.
He made a smile and continued to feed her in silence until the contents of the bowl had disappeared.
Gambit set the bowl down to the ground and pulled out a folded handkerchief from his inside breast pocket. She watched as he used some of the remaining water from her meal to dampen the cloth and then used it to clean up some of the dirt, grime, dried and fresh blood off her face. He sighed "Tres jolie."
"Thanks…you too pretty boy."
"My pleasure cher"
"Why?" She didn't have to say anymore, they both knew that she meant. Why be so kind to her? Why not inflict more pain and torture similar to Victor and Rogue.
"Cher…From where Gambit is from, we treat the womens with respect. You don't hit queens." He gave her a serious look. "And besides…" He continued, "nothin' is more scarier to Gambit, than a woman scorned, you women never let your pain and revenge go." He gave a half smile to that last statement; his eyes looked like he was somewhere else for a second, until he shaked his head trying to fizzle out a memory. "So, Gabmit no looking to make enemies out of you"
Gambit got off his chair, moved the chair back to where he found it. She could tell that he was getting ready to leave her. And then what? She couldn't stay like.
"Please…." She let out in a choked voice.
"Tell me what you need Cher."
"Please you have to help me…"
He was silent.
"You know it's wrong, they did something to me and I have lost her…."
"No cher, shes still there. Keep fighting…"
Gabmit moved to kneel beside her, and placed it huge hands over hers and gave it a squeeze in reassuring way. He looked at the deep pools of sadness in her eyes. This was the woman that they were trying to break. The damage was done, anything else would just trying to permentantly fuck her mental psyche. Gambit knew this wasn't right, he knew her story. She was one of the greats and that's why she had been chosen. Mystique and Magento kept drugging her with the inhibitor and Sabretooth was her guard, who had turned violent abuser, Gambit looked her skin which was plagued of scratches, bruises and gashes as proof of brute's handwork.
He and Pryo had been watching surveillance, when he had saw how she had been treated on the monitor. He had decided that he was reading to end this. He made his way He made quickly to her side and under a pretence of how his own dinner was meant for her. He looked at her, he knew what the plan was, the long term end game...Magneto only had the instructions and was playing the part. He didn't know however Gambit was not working for him as he assumed, but working for his own interests…he was given other instructions. Helping her now, would probably just speed thing along.
He leaned in to kiss her, soft and sweet on her lips, she looked at him wide eyed and but relaxed into the kiss, before he moved to break it.
"What was that for?" she asked breathlessly.
"Gabmit just likst to take his payment up front…kissing a beautiful women can inspire Gambit to do anything."
She looked at him surprised and blushed, and she knew, only he could get away with doing something like that.
"Ok cher, tell me what you want…."
"Please…you need to reach this man for me…."
Sometime much later, Rogue walked down the hallway, till she reached his door. She knew she had to do it, for some reason she had felt ready. She just needed his help. He was the only one who could; she had a theory and needed to run it by him, what if she was right? It would change everything.
It was there all along, she had been doing it all along, unconsciously. When she had to keep all the personality within her at bay or when she had to use them, channel them. She was performing some sort of control. It must be possible to a have a full sense of control.
Before her gloved knuckles could hit the wooden door, he told her to come in, telepathically. She should have known he would have been awaiting her arrival. She twisted the doorknob and entered his office.
"My dear, you have been channelling you thoughts to me all evening…out of politeness, I mental blocked them out but I knew you would come."
The professor was sat behind his desk; from the beginning he had been patient with her. She was different from his other students, possibly could even be considered their most dangerous threat. She could touch him and his very being could be her.
"Professor, ah don't know if ah'm crazy and it's just wishful thinking but…ah think, ah think there must be a way to control mah power."
There was a moment of silence, the professor knew it was difficult for the young mutant, she was so very very rare, even though her powers made her incapable to touch freely, with a simple touch, she could easily over power a lot of mutants. Even the night they had gone to recruit her, she had easily over powered his team knocking out both Ororo and Kurt with her touch and mastering their powers to use against X-men, to protect herself.
He had been happy she had eventually come to them, she needed to be guided in the right way and come to her own. She under the guidance of Mystique and the Brotherhood the situation was dangerous for all was involved and most importantly herself.
"Professor, please…ah think ah need to go into my own-"
Her words were broken off, the security system alarms in the mansion were on high alert, she look around the room, her eyes met with the professor, she wasn't able to finish with her request, but she knew she had been heard. Rogue left the room to join the others; she knew her help was needed.
The professor reversed back in his wheelchair, frowning he followed the young mutant, to confront the situation.
Author's note: Thumbs up, down? Review to let me know your thoughts on this chapter and the story so far?
Also, if you're enjoying So Like A Rose, please look out for new fan fiction, Acolytes: The Motorcycle Club featuring my all time favourite comic couple Gambit and Rogue, as well as some other well loved pairings. Working on the first chapter now, not sure if I want this to be more AU and civllan based. Well let me know if you will be interested.