Ishandahalf: Yeah, I thought the mush was a nice touch. Big tough guy reduced to absolute adoration = cute as hell.
Cris-X: The favorite author list? I'm honored! *blushes* Thanks!
Lucky439: I can't help but smile every time you review. They're just so happy.
Harry: You have no idea…
Neurotic Temptress: Gang up on me? Hell, they practically beat me up and took my lunch money! On the upside, I know a lot more about the IRA and Aleister Crowley. =)
Christy S: I tried to make them come off as very good parents. As for the not telling someone? *shrugs* We'll see.
Disclaimer: *coughs and points to Marvel logo*
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Rogue awoke from another mysterious dream to the sounds of gunfire and explosions. She looked out the window to see bright glows from the city. Gambit sat up, groggily.
"What's goin' on, chere?"
She shrugged, "Prolly another demonstration by the mutant rights activists. Or it could be one o' the pure human groups. Who knows. All that's fo' sure is that they're makin' a mess a New York."
A cry rose from the next room.
"Lu…" Remy started.
"Ah'm already up, Ah'll check on her."
Rogue entered the room adjacent to her and Remy's. The room had been empty before Lucretia was born and then she and Remy had had a door built between the two rooms so that they could be close to her in case she needed them.
The two year old was standing up in her crib, face red from crying. Rogue picked her up and pulled her close.
"It's ahright, sugah, nothin' here's gonna hurt you," she whispered as she rocked her. As they had predicted, Lucretia's hair was now pitch black and hung down to her shoulders. The change had turned her from an adorable little girl to an absolutely beautiful child. Logan affectionately called her his 'Little Heartbreaker.' Lucretia would just giggle and hug him around the neck. She didn't speak, just smiled and giggled and sometimes cried. It worried Rogue a little that she never said anything, but Hank said that there was nothing wrong with her vocal chords and to give her time. Some children were late bloomers he had told her. All she could do was sigh and hope she bloomed soon. Suddenly, she receive a telepathic pinprick in her mind.
iRogue, Gambit, the X-men are needed. The police cannot control the mob that has formed due to the attack. Please suit up and meet in the hanger./i.
Rogue set Lucretia, who was now fast asleep, back in her crib. She went back to the room she shared with Remy and pulled a uniform out of the dresser. He was already half dressed by the time she entered. They finished changing and opened the door to the hallway. Jean was standing there, a smile on her face. Rogue smiled back. Jean was five months pregnant, so she automatically got the job of babysitter whenever there was a mission.
"She's asleep, so all you have to do is make sure she stays that way."
"Not a problem guys, be careful."
"We will, cherie," Gambit stated as he kissed Jean on the cheek. "T'anks."
Jean nodded and sat down in the easy chair in Lucretia's room, watching.
Rogue's assessment of the situation had been correct, partially. It was the mutant rights activists, but it was also some pure human group. It was both of them, duking it out in the streets of New York with semi-automatic weapons and heavy artillery. She looked at Remy and sighed. It was going to be one of ithose/i nights.
The group (Cyclops, Archangel, Gambit, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine) split into three teams and tried to break the two offending groups up. It wasn't easy, and it was messy. There were wounded and dying everywhere and those still standing on their feet paid them little mind. You'd think, thought Rogue, that it'd be easy to pick out the mutants from the humans, but apparently, she was mistaken. It was like one giant mass of fleshy goo everywhere. Right as she was about to rip some self-righteous, self-important activist a new one, Rogue felt a chill down her back. She dropped the man to the ground and scurried away as fast as his feet would take him. She stood there motionless, completely oblivious to the world around her. Something was wrong.
Across from her, Remy also felt something amiss. He couldn't really pinpoint it, but moved closer to Rogue to check on her. He was just in time too. A psychotic axe-wielding giant was about to give her a haircut that was too close for comfort. He charged a card and threw it right at the man's hands. Unfortunately, he didn't drop the axe as Gambit had hoped, but rather turned his attention away from Rogue, which was good, but now Gambit was his target. The man swung his axe down, missing Remy by inches. He swung again and, again, he dodged. The dance went on for several moments until Remy got tired of his ungraceful dance partner and charged the axe itself. True, the man would probably never use his hands again, but that also meant that he wouldn't try and chop people into little bits anymore either.
Gambit rushed to Rogue and shook her out of her trance. She merely turned to him and said, "Lucretia." The two stopped long enough to tell Scott that there was an emergency and ran back to the Blackbird. At that point the riot was pretty much done with, so Cyclops ordered everyone back to the jet. They were silent the entire way home.
As soon as the plane landed, they leaped onto the hanger deck and rushed upstairs. What they saw, horrified them.
The front door to the mansion had been smashed into splinters. They followed the trail of destruction up the stairs and to the teacher's living quarters, the rest of the team following close behind. A group of students had gathered outside their door. Rogue and Remy pushed past them and stared in terror at the mess. Furniture had been upturned and torn apart. Rogue immediately ran to the adjoining room and stifled a scream as she fell to her knees. Jean was sprawled on the floor, unconscious, but the room itself was unharmed. However, Rogue's focus was not on the room itself, but on the empty crib that lay within. Empty, that which has no content, as in completely devoid of a red-eyed, black-haired two year old. Nothing.
Remy walked in behind her. He as well noticed the crib, but managed to retain some sort of composure. He walked over to Jean and gently slapped her awake.
"Jean, Jean, can you hear me? Jean, what happened, cherie. Where's Lucretia?"
Jean looked up at him groggily, "Huh?"
"Lucretia, de petite bebe. Where is she?"
"She's gone," she muttered as she tried to fall back asleep, "they took her."
"Who took her?" he demanded, shaking her back awake.
"Don't know, didn't see anything."
"You must have seen somet'ing, heard somet'ing! Yo a telepath for gods sakes! Who was it?!"
But she had fallen back asleep, Gambit moved to wake her up again, but Logan stepped forward.
"Yer not gonna get anything outta her, Cajun. She's been drugged. Don't need her to tell you anything anyways. I know who it was. Creed was here."
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And there it is, chapter 6. Now that I have some of my work out of the way, I can get back to a semi-normal schedule. Ha! Who am I kidding? Teachers love to screw us over at the end of the semesters. I'll do what I can. Til then, review!
