Chapter Nine: Repose
"So you're not coming home at all?"
"Baby, we talked about this…"
"I know, but I don't understand why I can't be there with you."
"You, my lovely storm, are the perfect distraction. I need to focus."
"So you're saying' you can't do that with me?" she smiled, resting her briefcase against her hip as she anxiously pressed the elevator button.
Remy had been gone for a few days to New Orleans. What for, she couldn't say, but she knew it had to be something illegal. And fun. He was out most nights, and sleeping most days. This was the first time she'd talk to him before the sun went down since he'd been gone, not that she was complaining. Something in her ached to be near him though she wouldn't ever say that aloud. She'd never…needed a person like she felt she needed Remy. He'd become part of her day; she'd wake up next to him or to his voice over her phone, she'd have dinner with him at least once a week, and the weekends belonged to the two of them.
"I'd be focusing on all the wrong things cher," he answered lasciviously. Without even seeing him, she knew he was grinning.
She blushed, "Remy…"
"I miss you too, Stormy."
"Three more days?" she purred, finally stepping into the elevator.
"Only three. Bye amie."
"Goodbye."
No sooner had she flipped her phone shut did Reynolds rush into the small space. He grinned an oily smile at her as the doors shut. She hated being in confined spaces for too long, and having him in the same space with her just made it worse.
"Ms. Munroe, it's good to see you."
"Hello Detective."
"I noticed your bodyguard wasn't with you today. Law finally caught up with him?"
The molecules in the air charged slightly as her hand twitched, a nervous habit she'd picked up from Remy when he was angry, "I know not of whom you speak as no one I know is on the wrong side of the law."
Reynolds grin widened as he pulled the stop knob, halting the elevator between floors. Ororo's heart began to pound against her sternum, and she could feel her lungs fill with carbon dioxide and not enough oxygen. She was determined however to not let this little man see that, nor intimidate her.
"You know I didn't mean any harm Ms. Munroe, but do you know any reason why he'd run out of town? Maybe some money problems? Someone after him?"
"Reynolds, I've no time for games, and I don't intend to indulge you any longer. Get to the point."
"You're too pretty to be getting fleas from lying with dogs. I know you're a good girl, Munroe and I can…pull some strings. Help you out, and maybe even get LeBeau off with nothing but a misdemeanor."
He'd been so caught up in his schpiel he didn't notice her anger taking over her fear, nor her eyes whitening. She pressed a palm to the side of the enclosed box, the electric current circulating throughout. She heard a cable snap and felt weightless for a few seconds as the elevator fell the two stories to the ground floor. The doors dinged open as static crackled in her wake. Reynolds, clearly shaken stumbled out after her, his ruddy face filled with fear and anger.
"Y-you're a f-freakin-"
"If you know what's good for you, Detective you won't finish that statement. Nor will you threaten me or my associates in any way again. Are we quite clear?" she interjected, swiftly walking away.
"You'll live to regret this Munroe," he called after her, his eyes aflame with hatred as a crowd gathered. They all looked and craned their necks to see the carnage, easily letting the one who caused it all slide effortlessly onto the street. The sun was still shining, but somewhere thunder rumbled; was Reynolds really the cause of Remy's money problems? She shook her head as she put on her sunglasses; only time would tell if her hunch was correct. Until then, it was best not to rock an already shaking boat.
"Soo…where's the Cajun lover-man?" Betsey teased, quickly clipping Ororo's splitting ends.
"Jean, you're good at being places you aren't supposed to be. Why don't you tell her?"
Betsey swatted her head with a comb, "Stop it. She already apologized. Besides, Daddy was all in our heads trying to inception us. Why don't you and him just fix this yourselves?"
"There's nothing to fix. Father's an ass."
"Ro!"
"He is! All he wants is to control me, to control all of us. He wants a perfect trio of daughters, and he'd have it too save for one black sheep, no pun intended."
"He's not asking for perfection, he's asking for respect. He saved us all from terrible childhoods and I for one am entirely grateful. I'd have nothing if it weren't for him, Ro."
"That is where you and I differ Jean. If it weren't for him, I'd be a goddess. Instead, I'm simply an ousted human desperately seeking to find humanity in others."
"Don't be so mellow-dramatic. It's hard on all of us equally. I wouldn't be complaining about humanity if I had your ass and thighs."
Betsey patted her sister's scalp, signaling she could get up from her Indian-style position on the floor. She stood stretching her long legs in the silence left by her sisters. Left with their own thoughts, she was sure they were all thinking the same things. Life before Charles was hard on them all; Jean was orphaned at a young age, and Betsey was brought up in an abusive household. He'd met them all at very crucial turning points in their lives, and showed them compassion. Anything was possible with him as their father. They went to the best schools, they were easily acquiesced into high society, and he had loved them sincerely and openly.
In Ororo's mind though, something had changed around her sixteenth year. Less and less was her life about her own self expression and her own personal journey, but about the family name, the "image" of Xavier children. In her sixteenth year, she was a teacher at his budding academy for mutants, she attended school herself but was refused a paying job and had to ask him for money. She didn't like the feeling. She compared it to begging, except with shinier words and she was never one to beg and so…
The sound of the front door sliding closed caught her ear and she broke into a Kool-Aid grin. Rushing full speed from the living room she ran into Remy's waiting arms. He laughed, scooping her up by the waist allowing her long limbs to encase him. She inhaled his rugged scent, kissing his cheek, his neck, the sound of their energies greeting one another buzzing in her ear.
"You're not supposed to be here until tomorrow," she murmured into his warm skin.
"How could I be without my belle for so long, huh?" he answered instead, patting her ample bum.
"I missed you more than I should have," she admitted as he let her down, his arms still around her waist.
"Ah, no such thing as missing your man too much amie," he replied easily, his lips inches from hers.
Static fizzled between them heatedly as he closed the space. He nibbled teasingly at her lower lip, his hands lazing down to her backside appreciatively. The sound of two clearing throats halted his hands in their sinfully luscious endeavors.
"Your sisters are here?" he groaned, shaking his head with a chuckle.
"You didn't give me time to say anything," she grinned, lightly pushing him away.
"Hi Remy," the two cooed in chorus, school-girl grins plastered on their faces.
"Hello my belles, how are you this fine evening?"
"A little hot, wouldn't you say Ro?" Betsey laughed, traipsing back into the living room with a smile.
Jean was speechless. She'd never seen her sister act so…freely with someone. Ororo was always regally reserved. Elegantly composed. To see her so carefree and open with someone, much less a man, made Jean's mind reel. Ororo's face was lit with emotion, her body language relaxed and yielding. The hairs on her arm stood up when she saw them kiss as if the room was full of hot, static electricity. This man certainly had worked a spell over her sister, and in a little less than a year or so had become a part of her. Unsure of how she felt, she still put on a smile and greeted him kindly before following Betsey's lead.
"You don't mind if they stay the night do you? I promised them a month ago they could and with you being out of town…"
"Non, amie," he answered, lightly squeezing her hand.
"We're watching "Gone with the Wind" if you're not too tired," she hinted, her thumb massaging the back of his hand.
"You inviting me to a slumber party?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Only if you'll say yes."
He playfully rolled his eyes before placing a soft kiss on her forehead and heading towards the bedroom "Oui, but only if the next movie is "Mission Impossible!"
