Thank you all for the positively WONDERFUL reviews! I'm glad ya'll have not been complaining about the badness of my southern accents. I'm not very good at them. But, anyways, wow. I've posted this a day early instead of a day late. What have I been smoking…? Joking! As always, R&R!
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Pieces
Bell walked over to the danger room wearing her spandex outfit. The doors opened and she walked to the center of the room.
"Computer," She called, "Session two, gradual level increase."
She closed her eyes and bent her knees gently. Her feet were spread apart and her palms were facing down, fingers spread. A laser came out of the wall and began shooting at her. Bell ran quickly, in a zigzag to avoid the laser, up the wall and kicked it. The mechanical arm snapped and the laser was destroyed. Soon, another laser came and she took it out as well. Bell almost seemed to dance as she ran, leaped, and rolled to avoid the attackers.
-(.)-
Logan walked down the hall to the danger room's control room. He had to prepare for the group danger room session at eight. As he proceeded down the hallway, he heard cannon fire in the danger room. He frowned and walked in the control booth. It surprised him to see Bell going against eight cannons and five duel lasers- as well as a tentacle arm.
He looked at the screen and his eyebrows rose, "Session five level eight?" He watched her, 'Dang, she's good.' He stopped the session and turned on the microphone, "Sorry, Marky, but I've got to set the system for my next group. Care to join us?"
She shook her head and flew up to the glass, "I can't train powerless with a group; they would slow me down. And I don't believe any of your groups train that high."
"Nope, we train session two level seven at most. Where did you start?"
"Session two gradual increase" And she flew back to the doors, exiting the danger room.
Logan just shook his head, "Looks like I'm not the only loner around here."
-(.)-
"Pass the mayonnaise- and stop using all the mustard, Bobby!" said Amara.
"What can I say? Don't like ketchup or chilly; got to up something on my hotdog. Ray, give me the fries." Bobby commented. It was a usual lunch at the institute. Rogue was pouring some milk when Remy came up behind her. He moved his fingers up and down her waist through her shirt.
"SWAMP RAHT!" Rogue shrieked after spilling the milk. Bell was the only one who turned their way; everyone else was used to the constant flirting.
"Ya made me spill ma drink." Rogue accused, wiping it up with a paper towel. Remy just shrugged. When she started to walk to the table he went up behind her again. Rogue spun around and slapped his hands.
"What, you don't like Remy's hands?" Remy asked pouting.
"Not at lunch" Rogue said between gritted teeth.
She turned back around and he leaned over next to her ear, "You could always have Remy FOR lunch, chere." And he pinched her buttocks. Rogue jumped and turned around once again.
"Remy" she growled, poking his chest, "What do ah have to do ta get ya ta quit?"
Remy grinned, "Just a little walk in de woods dis evenin'."
Rogue raised an eyebrow, "Ya have a funny way of askin' a gal out on a date. Fahne, deal; just leave me alone." He nodded and took a seat at the table; not taking any note of his girlfriend. Bell blinked, but just kept on with her lunch.
-(.)-
Bell was leaning on her balcony railing. The wind gently caressed her hair and sent goose bumps up her arms. She was looking at the gardens when she spotted Remy and Rogue at the edge of the woods. They were talking; just talking. Remy would occasionally put a hand on her hip or around her shoulders, but she'd flinch and shrug it off. Bell blinked and thought back to her talk with storm.
'The knowledge that there are people who care about you, and the willingness to care about them. Remy cares greatly for Rogue and she care for him. At first they were reluctant to care, but it's human nature.' She blinked, 'Human nature' Bell stood there a while longer and then walked off the balcony to her bed.
-(.)-
Bells eyes opened, she had heard crying. She heard it again and put on her trench coat. She walked out to her balcony. She spotted an open balcony that was the source of the sound. She flew down, landed, and quietly walked into the room. She saw a single, queen sized bed with a person hugging their knees. She walked over to the person, "Rogue?" Rogue jerked up her head to reveal tear streaked cheeks. "Rogue, are you alright?"
Rogue sniffed and wiped her cheeks, "Ah'm fahne, sorry fa waken ya."
"Then why are you crying?" Bell asked, for she knew that people cried when they were hurt.
Rogue sighed, "It's nothin'. Just old pains an' such."
"Old pains?"
"You know ma powah: absorban with skin-on-skin contact. Ah can't touch people an' they can't touch meh. It hurts sometimes."
"But you can touch." Bell said, "You touch people all the time and they touch you."
"It's not the same."
"But Remy-"
"Remy can neva touch meh!" Rogue blurted, tears going down her face anew, "I can neva feel the tendaness of his lips or the prickliness of his heard or the tips of his fingas! I can neva touch Remy. Neva." She buried her head in her knees. Bell just stood there. Her eyes were wide; eyebrows raised, and mouth slightly agape. She was in total shock. Rogue was not hurt physically so why was she still hurting? Bell wanted to do something but had no idea what. How do you heal a wound on the inside? Rogue's door opened quietly and Bell looked up to see Remy. She could see it in his eyes: he had heard it all. He walked over to Rogue's bed, sat beside her, and wrapped his arms around her. He looked over at Bell, 'Thanks for trying, Petite.' She nodded and took her leave.
-(.)-
Remy was sitting around the back part of the mall taking a smoke break. Well, it wasn't a smoke break because he didn't smoke. Rogue had gotten him out of that habit a while ago. He just used it as an excuse to get outside. He heard someone land on the roof above him. Remy took a card and charged it.
"Bell" he said surprised, and put the card away as her small figure walked towards him, "Remy wasn't expecting you, petite." Bell nodded and leaned against the wall next to him. After a moment she spoke up, "How is she?"
He sighed, "Not worse and yet not better."
"How can one hurt from the inside?" He looked at her for a moment, trying to read the girl. But he couldn't do it. It's not that she was hiding something; there was just nothing to read. There was nothing beneath the surface.
"You ever feel sad, Bell?"
Bell blinked, "No"
"Angry?"
"No"
"Happy?"
"No"
He paused, finding this wasn't getting anywhere. "Do you ever feel?"
She looked at him, made direct eye contact, "What's a feeling? What is emotion? What is pain?" Not getting an answer, she looked away from him, eyes grazing the trees between the parking lot and the highway. "Your secondary power is empathy, Remy. What is it like?"
He thought for a moment, "It's like catching de scent of do flower, but you can't see do flower. I can only grade de edge of your mind." He waited for her to say something. Bell's hair waved in the breeze, and it was a parallel of her being. His empathy seemed to die with Bell. At first he thought she had put up walls but she had nothing. Bell had no emotions.
"Fear, anger, love, hate, sadness" Her voice softened and quieted, "I thought I had everything, when in truth I had nothing at all." Remy watched as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Before he could say anything, Bell flew away.