Here you go guys, def not as long as I had hoped but hopefully enough to hold you over. :) As always, reviews are nice!
It was Callie's wedding day and nothing could have brought her down from the cloud that she was floating on. It had been a quick engagement. Just over a year had passed since Patrick and Callie had begun dating, moved to California, and got engaged. Despite the disapproving whispers from distant traditionalist Southern relatives, she had accepted Patrick's offer of marriage. What wasn't to accept? He made her happy, his family was wealthy and powerful, he was mutant just like herself, and his looks weren't too shabby either. Callie had known from day one that he was special.\
Bianca wasn't as sure. She had flown out to California two days before the wedding, claiming that she couldn't get out of her job as a substitute teacher. In reality, she had been afraid to go. Landing in California would solidify the fact that Callie and Patrick were indeed getting married. Blocking out all thoughts of the wedding, Bianca had thrown herself into hobbies that had previously bored her to death. Gardening. Needlepoint. Knitting. She had made so many itchy ugly sweaters that the furniture in one of the sitting rooms was piled with the things. Anything to keep her mind off the fact that after the wedding, Callie really wasn't ever going to come back. She was going to be Mrs. Cole, a new and improved Callie.
Finally, Bianca had run out of options. She could either fly to California and be with her sister, her only close family, on such an important day or she could hide in the house that she had grown up in, buried under yards of yarn. Callie and Patrick had both looked happy to see her at the airport, but Bianca had to force her smile. It just didn't feel right: being away from home, seeing Callie in this strange environment.
The first night that Bianca spent in California was taken up by Callie's rehearsal dinner with Patrick's family. Sitting in a very expensive restaurant, again feeling insanely out of place, Bianca politely smiled and nodded as the others at the table introduced themselves to her. Michael, Patrick's father, sat at the head of the table. A very well put together man in his early 50's, he was poised and visibly comfortable in his role as the patriarch. He watched over the other members of the table as if he was their boss, not a family member. His piercing stare unnerved Bianca, made her feel as though he was dissecting her with every second that passed. She found herself getting more and more uncomfortable as the dinner went on. Standing, she leaned over Callie.
"I'm going to get some air. I'll be right back," she whispered, not wanting to make a scene.
Callie looked over her shoulder. "Are you alright," she asked, concern heavy in her voice.
Bianca forced another smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just really hot in here." Excuses was the name of the game. The name of Bianca's life.
Stepping out onto the dimly light patio behind the restaurant, Bianca looked up at the sky. Nestled just outside of Beverly Hills, the restaurant suffered from the same light pollution that any city provided. She found herself aching to be back in Georgia, where the stars shined so brightly that on some nights, she could lie in bed and read by starlight. 'Three more days,' she thought. Then she could go back home and withdraw from the world more than she already had.
Guilt swept through her. Weren't little sisters supposed to be happy when their big sister was getting married? Sorry my dear, I just don't give a damn. Bianca rubbed her eyes tiredly. All she wanted to be thinking about at the moment was how many sheep she would have to count before falling into unconsciousness.
Footsteps approached from behind and she turned, hoping to not look like she had just been nearly scared to death. A young man in a crisp black suit was approaching. Bianca vaguely recognized him from the table. A cousin….or something of Patrick's? Shoot, now she was going to have to make small talk. The man stopped next to her and gestured to the faux woodland surroundings of transplanted trees and ponds.
"Enjoying the view," he asked, his voice playful.
Despite herself, Bianca laughed. "Not so much. Sorry if you're from around here, but where I come from, the view is just a bit more scenic."
He crossed his arms and leaned again the stone half-wall that separated the patio from the 'woods'. "And where would that be?"
"Georgia. I would get more specific but I'm pretty sure the only people who know the town that I'm from are the ones living in it."
The man smiled and chuckled. "I'm Joshua Alexander, Patrick's friend. I'm one of the groomsmen in the wedding."
Bianca took his hand lightly and shook it. "Bianca, Callie's sister."
Joshua met her gaze. His eyes were kind and made Bianca feel just a bit better about everything that was about to transpire. Smiling and feeling relaxed for the first time in a while, Bianca let herself fall into conversation with Joshua.
An hour and a half passed before they realized that the rehearsal dinner had ended and the guests were leaving.
Remy walked out onto the patio behind the mansion, lighting a cigarette as he moved. The night air was crisp, yet not cold enough to make a jacket necessary. He stood in silence, looking out onto the grounds. Looking at nothing. Inhale, exhale. The night had not gone as he had planned. But that was ok. Remy liked spontaneity. He just wished it didn't always somehow threaten his life.
And he had to admit, the date had been going perfectly up until they had been attacked. Bianca had made Remy feel something. It was foreign to him, after years of careless no-strings-attached relationships. The way that she was so guarded about everything—how she laughed, how she looked at him as if she wasn't supposed to—made him all the more curious about her. And the fact that she had a gang of mutants after her was just the icing on the cake. Intriguing. He felt confident that he could get her to spill the beans. After all, he was Gambit. A charmer. The charmer.
"What are you doing out here, Cajun?"
Remy turned and smiled slyly. "'Ey, Logan. 'Ow 'ave you been? It's been awhile, no?"
Logan sauntered further onto the patio, his cigar lighting up like an eye in the dark as he inhaled. "Not long enough," he responded darkly.
Remy grinned and laughed. Logan's bad attitude didn't bother him. He had long ago dismissed Logan's antagonizing comments as attention seeking. Instead of getting angry, Remy simply tried his best to annoy Logan. As much as he possibly could. Childish? Maybe. Entertaining? Hell yeah.
"Remy hear that you babysit tonigh', no? Din't know tha' you were a nanny now."
Logan glared through the darkness at him. "I wouldn't have had to babysit if you didn't want to screw the kid's aunt."
Remy clenched his jaw. "Tha's no' what is happenin'," he said calmly, though he felt flushed with anger. The one time his motives were pure…of course.
Logan sensed that he had hit a soft spot but didn't care. He couldn't get that kid off his mind. Growing up alone, isolated. It wasn't the life that a child should have. And that woman was to blame. "Look Cajun, I don't really give a shit about what happened between the two of you. But that woman needs to leave. Without the kid."
Remy looked at Logan sideways and took a drag of his cigarette. The only thing that Bianca had been completely open about was that Izzy was the most important thing in her life. Separating them was not an option, at least not to Remy. "Oh yea'? An' wha' made you come to tha' conclusion?"
"That kid has been completely isolated her entire life! You don't find anything wrong with that?" Logan was frustrated and felt his anger building minute by minute.
Remy shrugged casually. "She was with 'er family. Sounds ok to me. Why don' you mind your own business, hm?" Another long slow drag from his cigarette.
Logan shook his head. "This became my business the moment she stepped in the mansion and refused to tell Charles what the hell was going on. That kid, she doesn't even know how to control her power. She should have been here her entire life, not in the hands of some human." The last word was said with venom that surprised even Remy.
"I think you should stop worryin' 'bout it and start workin' on your own issues, mon amie. Li'e why you be so angry all the time, eh?" Remy flicked the now dead cigarette away and strode off the patio, leaving Logan frustrated and even more determined to educate the little girl than before.