A/N: I would really like to dedicate this chapter to Fostersb and Kii (thank you both for your enthusiasm and interest in this story) and UltimateGammy91( I am a big fan of your Romy stories). To my other reviewers a big thank you too, I couldn't do it without you :)
It never failed to amaze her just how many thoughts can run through a person's head at one time when they were panicking. The first was the obvious, that she could possibly be in serious danger and she wasn't sure if it would be possible to judo kick someone while wearing a hoop skirt. Next came the idea that someone from the house must have followed her out here. This idea brought a new fear to the surface and her blood ran cold. What if they saw the slaves escaping? What if even now someone was on their way to get help in stopping them? What would they do to them if they were caught, and what would happen to Rene?
Rogue knew she had to do something and she had to act fast. All she had to do was stall whoever was behind her just long enough to buy Rene some time. It would be very difficult to try to locate a weapon in the darkness around her and even if she did she doubted she could reach it while still in this person's grasp. Rogue thought hard for a moment before the only solution presented itself. She opened her mouth as wide as she could and bit down on the hand that covered her mouth. She could feel the tension behind her as she pinpointed the exact moment the pain registered with her attacker. The hand fell away and the person released their hold. Rogue laughed in triumph.
"Merde!"
Rogue's laughter died in her throat as she swung around to face an unhappy Rene, who was currently busy nursing one gloved hand. She almost hit herself in the head for not noticing how the hand smelled like leather. When he was done assuring himself that there was no damage to his hand, he flicked a small shudder and a small amount of light illuminated the area around them. She should have figured he would be using a dark lantern.
"Annabelle?" there was no way to disguise the shock on his face, "Fille it seems y' always seem to show up in de most interestin' places. What y' doin' here anyway, little late t' be takin' in de scenery?"
All the explanations she had tried to come up with didn't appear to be making it to the tip of her tongue so she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Ah was looking for ya." She could hit herself in the head. If Rene was anything like her Remy then he was going to take that statement and run with it. Wait when did Remy become hers? Rogue knew she didn't have time to mull over that disturbing thought right now.
"Well must say Rene like de sound of dat chere but now ain' de best of times, 'm little busy at de moment," he said with a wink and a smirk, damn some things didn't change, "Also need t' point out de fact dat if Rene touches y' chere it give a whole new meanin' t' de phrase burnin' passion."
"That's not what ah meant Swamp Rat, look ah just followed ya from the house where…"
She never got to finish the sentence as she watched his whole body go tense. She saw his eyes taking in her appearance as if really noticing her expensive evening gown for the first time. It was almost frightening to watch the emotions in his eyes go from shock to fear before settling in anger.
"Dat house up dere on de hill?" he gestured in the basic direction of the direction she came from. Rogue didn't know what to do so she nodded. "Merde, dey probably got people out huntin' y' right now. Good luck findin' y'r way back chere it time for Rene t' get going."
"Wait ah need ta talk ta ya," it was impossible for her to keep the panic from her voice as she watched the one person who she believed could help her pick up the lantern and begin to walk away.
"Can' stay here, got people ah need t' protect chere from dose people who might even now be combin' de woods for y'."
"Who," she almost shouted.
"I believe I can answer your question," said a soft voice from the darkness behind Rene as a small-gloved hand came to rest on his shoulder. Rogue felt her eyes widen in shock as the cloaked figure that had snuck among the houses came to stand beside Rene, the hood shading her face from Rogue's view. It occurred to her at that moment that if all the people that currently surrounded her in this life were people she connected with in the future what if it was the same for people connected to her friends. There was one woman the she knew played a big part in Remy's life and she really didn't want to see a version of that woman here. As the figure's hands began to pull back on the hood, Rogue found herself praying not to see a head full of shiny blond hair and a set of cornflower blue eyes.
Someone must have heard that prayer because the eyes that met hers were in fact blue but they were also set in the face of a beautiful woman with milk chocolate colored skin. Even though the woman's hair was dark ebony instead of the snow white Rogue was used to, Rogue couldn't mistake Ororo's face.
"Bonjour," said the weather witch, "Rene who is this?"
Rene let out a sigh of resignation as if he knew that even though they were in danger he would never get either woman to move without this introduction. "Dis is Miss Annabelle Devereux," he said with a wave of his hand in her direction while his eyes kept scanning the woods behind her. Rogue gave a slight smile at the woman standing before her.
"Annabelle, dis is ma souer Olivia Laurent. Dere now can we go?" he asked turning to glare at his sister, " Don' mean to rush but dis fille came from Monroe's party and dey can' be too far behind her."
Olivia did not even seem to flinch at her brother's obvious irritation. In fact she didn't even seem concerned about safety. Instead she stood there looking at Rogue, trying to take the young girls measure, then her face broke into a hearty smile.
"Hush Rene. So this is the girl from the docks."
Rogue knew she was blushing and was thankful the darkness. Rene's face was also trying to cover some emotion that he didn't want his sister to see.
"Olivia we need t' …"
"I already got our passengers to the wagon but I am sure Pierre could use a hand since I had to come searching for my wayward brother. You go help him I want to speak to this young woman, then I promise I will be right behind you," her voice was gentle but resolute. Rene looked like he was about to protest but Olivia raised a single eyebrow quelling him with her look. Frustrated he glanced from one woman to the other before marching of into the darkness. The two women stood silently waiting for the sounds of French curses, kicked rocks and broken twigs to subside.
"Look ah know ya are busy and ah know ya really have no reason ta trust that ah'm not trying ta stop ya but…" Rogue began but was surprised when Olivia raised her hand to stop her.
"I think you can be trusted just fine," she said with a smile.
"Ya do?" Rogue said, confused at the other woman's reactions to the whole situation.
"Yes I do. If you really were a threat to what we were doing here you would have alert someone in the house to our presence not followed us into the woods yourself. I do see my brother's concern that someone would come looking for you, but I figure if that was the case they would have been here long before now. Plus I am aware of the incident on the docks, if you wanted to betray my brother you would have turned him in then, not standing here in the dark trying to talk to him. Now I am assuming you need something that you don't want those people in that house to know about, seeing as how you are turning to us and not them."
Well at least she didn't have to worry about Olivia not being able to understand a situation, the woman's logical deductions were dead on.
"Your right, ah need help with a troubling situation and ah'm pretty sure your brother is the one who can give it ta meh." Rogue figured stating the simple truth would get her further with this woman then any long story could at this point.
Olivia was silent for a moment, her mind obviously processing the statement. She glanced behind her in the direction Rene had disappeared and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Finally she appeared to reach a decision, turning she met Rogue's gaze with eyes almost twinkling with amusement.
"I don't know your situation yet and I can't promise my brother will be able to help but I will say I am interested in hearing what you have to say. I also might have a way you can help us in return. Since now is not the best time or place to discuss this I have a question for you if you would be willing to try something daring."
Rogue almost laughed at this, obviously Olivia thought the thing she was about to suggest would horrify a supposed well-bred lady. Little did she know some of the stuff Rogue was used to seeing on a daily basis back home at the mansion that would probably curl most women of this period in history's toes.
"Well ah'm already standing in the dark in the middle of the woods with a people ah don't really know, ah don't think ah could do much worse."
"Do you think it would be possible to sneak from your home later this evening?" Olivia asked grinning wider at Rogue's response, " I know it is not proper but secrecy is necessary for us."
Rogue knew that once her family left the Monroe plantation they would retire for the evening as soon as they arrived home. As far as she could figure from the night before everyone was in bed long before midnight at the Devereux house.
"Yah, after midnight is best," she replied, figuring it to be on the safe side.
"Good I will have Rene come to get you, now I really must get back to the others." Turning she began to disappear into the trees.
"Wait," Rogue called after her, "How will he come get meh, ya don't know where ah live?"
"Don't worry," Olivia called back softly, " If I know my brother, and I do, if he talked about you as much as he did after you met the other day he knows where to find you."
Rogue was speechless as she listened to the last footsteps fade away. Geez, the man was a stalker in every life, she smiled to herself. Slowly she made her way back through the woods to the plantation. No one appeared to be outside looking for her and as she got closer to the house she could still hear piano music drifting through the night air. Her dress was torn a few places she noticed and her shoes were speckled with dirt but she knew she could use the excuse that she tripped and got lost in the dark garden. She smirked, after all who would question the honorable word of a lady?
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Silently she slipped down the hall towards the back stairs of the house. She had been right on the money that everyone had retired as soon as the family had returned home. As she passed each door in the hall she paused to listen just to be sure each occupant was sound asleep, she had to pity Jane for the loud snoring she could tell was coming from Samuel. Making sure her steps fell as lightly as they could she made her way down to the kitchen area. She hadn't been in this room before but it wasn't hard to spot the door on the far wall that lead to the backyard and out to the little vegetable garden that lay behind it.
She had discovered earlier that this garden was fenced off separate from the gardens the family used for recreation, so even if anyone was still awake and looking out of there windows on this side of the house they would not be able to see her. She had slipped off the evening gown, and now stood in a worn cotton day dress that she had found in the back of her wardrobe. Rogue could only be thankful for the warm night as she waited among the plants for someone she was not even sure was going to show up. After all she knew Rene and his sister were taking a huge risk in meeting with her, not to mention Rene had seemed none to happy with her when he found out just where she had been visiting.
Five minutes passed with her doing nothing more then listening to the sound of the insects buzzing in the night. Another ten brought the same results, maybe she was just wasting her time. She didn't know why she figured he would be waiting for her right when she had slipped out of the house, but she couldn't help but feel disappointment that he hadn't. Just as the distant chiming of one of the mantle clock inside announced that it was midnight, she heard a faint rustle coming from the garden to her left. Rogue could just make out Rene's shape coming towards her in the darkness. For a moment time seemed to stand still as she tried to read the expression on his face through the little moonlight filtering through the clouds, he didn't appear to be as angry as he had been earlier, in fact he looked down right intrigued.
"Well cherie, it seems ma souer is quite takin' with y' and is demandin' Rene bring y' t' see her. Don' look like Rene can shake y' even when moi tries and moi ain' gonna argue with no determined filles. Plus gives moi a chance t' get t' see more of y', which moi could never object to."
"Whatever Swamp Rat it's late and ah'm tired so lets get this show moving shall we?"
"As de belle femme commands, de buggy be dis way," he replied making a wide mocking bow he gestured for her to lead the way. With one last glance toward the sleeping house Rogue marched towards the small iron gate that lead to the street behind the house. Rene followed close behind and after helping her into the two-wheeled buggy the two set off into the night.
A/N: Yeah chapter ten is done. Thank you to everyone who is hanging in there with me for this story. I have started a few others but this one is definitely my pride and joy, even though it is turning out to be way longer then I originally planned. In the next chapter will here a little of Rene and Olivia's back story and what exactly they want Rogue to be able to do for them. I hope everyone is in for the long haul cause I really don't want to rush this, though I really like the ending I have planned. Please reviews are welcome and much appreciated, they keep me going : )