Pairings: Rogue/Remy, and Jean/Scott mentions in other chapters.
Archive: It's not archived except for here. If for some reason you want to, e-mail me.
E-mail: TARGETER14@AOL.com
Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. Probably because Marvel knows that if I owned them, I'd lose my inspiration, and never write any comics about them.
A/N: It was been forever since I had any idea of what I was going to do with this fic. I knew where I wanted it to go- it just wasn't moving. -_-;;; But I recently got help, so I could post this chapter for my one year anniversary at FF.N! From who, you may ask? Well, I shall introduce him! Everyone, meet the Legolas action figure! Leggy, say hi.
Legolas action figure: ...
*beams* He has been such a big help! I managed to write the majority of this chapter in one afternoon thanks to him! Everyone shower him with praise!!
Also, you will notice that my name has changed. Why? Because Fanfiction.Net wouldn't let me stay as :o)! It kept changing my name to 'o'. And that is sooooooo amazingly stupid. (Like ':o)' isn't.) So now I'm that really long rambling name at the top of the page. The 'long rambling name' that matches my 'long rambling' author notes.
Oh, by the way, this chapter is extremely dull and pointless. So er...well, I'd still like reviews.
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"Guh..." Remy mumbled intelligently as he gradually returned to consciousness. Keeping his eyes closed, he began to assess his surroundings. Whatever was beneath him had an almost soft, lumpy layer, with something hard underneath it. Bright lights overhead made his vision red through the cover of his shut lids. The reek of stagnant water permeated the air, and something was lying on his chest, warm in contrast to the cold and putrid air.
What the hell happened? Remy thought to himself, trying to recall the events of the last day. He had arrived in New York, checked into a hotel, found Rogue-
Rogue!
Remy's eyes shot open as memories flooded his brain. Of course! They had been attacked by two strangers and Sabretooth for no reason whatsoever, and presumably, he was wherever they had taken him. Ignoring the pounding in his head and craning his neck up to look around, he discovered that the warm weight on his chest was Rogue's head. She was breathing deeply, obviously still unconscious, cheek pillowed by folds of her auburn and white hair. A blinking yellow collar hummed softly around her neck, and Remy could feel one around his own.
"Mr. LeBeau, good morning."
Peering over Rogue's body, Remy could see that the voice came from the mysterious black-haired man who had participated in the attack. He stood on the opposite side of a barred wall, and while his black lips betrayed nothing, Remy could see the delight sparkling in the strange, blood-red eyes. Behind him, chrome glinting under the harsh white lights, were strange machines and operating tables. Blank monitors stretching from floor to ceiling lined the walls, having an uncanny resemblance to blank, dead eyes, watching. In direct contrast to the sterile room on the other side, the small room- no, cell they were in, was filthy. Puddles of a grey, oily liquid covered the hard cement floor, and the brick walls oozed fluid. The harsh white lights overhead only illuminated it all.
"Who de hell are you? And what do you want with Rogue and Remy?" Remy demanded, glaring defiantly at their captor. The man chuckled, the delighted sound distinctly out of place in the strange setting.
"My name is Mr. Sinister. What I want with you...well, that's a bit harder to explain."
Remy was about to demand that he explain himself, when Rogue began to stir. "Remy?" she mumbled softly. "That you?"
Reaching out a hand, he stroked her hair. "Oui, cherie."
"Oh." Her eyelids opened, the green pools hidden beneath them looking dazed. "Who ran over mah head? Ah feel like there's a herd of elephants inside doing the tango." she whimpered, clutching at the front of his blood-soaked t-shirt.
"What did you do to her?" Remy yelled, wrapping his arms around her lithe body protectively. "And what do you want wid us!"
Sinister simply cocked his head to one side, staring at the two as if they were a piece of raw steak, and he a ravenous wolf. "Interesting. Miss Rogue has been invulnerable for so long, it would appear that she isn't as capable of handling the side effects of Vertigo's powers as others are. I shall have to edit that part of her genetic makeup..."
Moaning slightly, Rogue wriggled in Remy's arms until he loosened them, and rolled over sluggishly so that she lay beside him on the mildewed bed. Squinting at Sinister, she let out a small gasp of exclamation. "Ah knew I recognised your voice! You're that man who came around to see momma a few months ago about the Bro-" her voice cut off abruptly, and one gloved hand began to play nervously with a lock of hair.
A perfectly shaped eyebrow arched upwards against the white face. "So Miss Rogue, you haven't told Mr. LeBeau about your...how shall I put this...day-job should be adequate." His lips curved, amusement written on every feature. "Marvelous. Let me make this very clear to you then. If you do not co-operate with me in all ways, then I shall tell your dear Cajun your dirty little secret." The blooded gaze shifted to Remy. "And if you do not co-operate, then I will simply turn Miss Rogue over to Sabretooth. He gets so bored down here- I think he could do with a little entertainment."
"Ah can take anything that overgrown furball hands out." Rogue said bravely, hands clenched into fists at her sides as she stood up and glared at Sinister. "So your threat is useless."
"You forget, Miss Rogue, you are not invulnerable while you wear that collar. Besides, you seem to think that he will merely beat you. There are much more effective ways of destroying a person."
Remy's blood boiled, as he too rose up off the damp mattress. "Don't you dare 'urt her, you sick bastard." he growled. "Or I swear to God, I'll hunt you down, and kill you."
Rogue's eyes had narrowed to bright green slits. "The moment momma finds out Ah'm gone, she'll be out lookin' for me- and you know who'll be helping her." she growled. "They can take down your henchmen without breaking in to a sweat."
Running his fingers through the tail at the back of his neck, Remy eyed the young woman beside him out of the corner of his eye, who was standing proud, defiance written in every detail of her posture and face. He was definitely left out of the loop here- which he definitely did not like- and was more than a little curious as to why Rogue was putting so much faith in the middle-aged Raven Darkholme.
The last syllable of Rogue's threat had barely passed her lips before Sinister began to chuckle. "My dear girl, why do you think I even bothered to kidnap yourself and Mr. LeBeau? Your 'momma' hired me to take care of the wretch!"
Stunned silence. Rogue's eyes shimmed with tears of anger and betrayal. "Liar!" she hissed, as one silvery drop made a trail along her cheek, a clean line against the plaster smudges on her fair skin. "She wouldn't- she doesn't like Remy, but she...she wouldn't...she wouldn't."
Sinister laughed again. "It seems like you are the only one you have to convince of that fact. I assure you, Raven Darkholme is more than willing to use any means to achieve an end."
"If she hired you to take me out, why is Rogue 'ere?" Remy demanded. "Let 'er go!"
"Hmm...no. I don't think I will. Such a fascinating power she has...an unexpected gift that I should receive two specimens, rather than the promised Mr. LeBeau. Mere coincidence of course, but wonderful just the same. I would rather keep her here along with you to provide genetic samples for several tests I have been meaning to run. Raven may not be happy with that of course, but I'm sure she will become accustomed to the idea."
"Fucking bastard!" Remy yelled, running at the barred wall, and making a grab for Sinister. The white-skinned man nimbly leapt out of the way, stepping back to a safer vantage point.
"Now now, Mr. LeBeau, remember what I said would happen if you didn't co-operate." Sinister admonished him, in a tone of voice usually restricted to petulant children. "Miss Rogue doesn't have to be in a healthy state of mind for me to extract the samples I need." Leaving those words hanging in the air, he spun on one heel, and exited the room beyond Rogue and Remy's prison via a chrome door. Before it shut, Remy tried to get a glimpse of what lay behind the door, but could only see wet dark bricks like those that their cell was made of.
"Remy?"
He turned, to see Rogue with an expression so pained on her face it made her seem child-like once more. Remy was treated to a brief, bitter-sweet flash-back of the time they had spent together by the Mississippi River, and his heart wrenched. "Oui, cherie?"
"Ah'm sorry that my momma did this. Ah'm sorry for everything." She sank down onto the cot, a forlorn figure. "It would have been better if you had never tracked me down. Ah'm more trouble than Ah'm worth."
"How about lettin' me make up my own mind about that, eh? Because Remy happens to t'ink that you are worth all dis and more."
She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them, her waist-length hair tumbling around her in a curtain and effectively veiling her from Remy. "Why are you so darn nice?" she sobbed. "Ah've done terrible stuff since you last saw me- I don't deserve you."
He sat beside her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and gently pulling her towards him. She resisted at first, then gave in, resting her head against his shoulder. "You're not de only one who's done stuff and regretted it." he told her softly, rubbing a handful of silky white strands between his forefinger and thumb absent-mindedly. "There hasn't a day passed since I was eleven, that I haven't regretted running away from you and dat Assassin. That day you showed me something I'd never seen before. You showed me that it was possible to fall in love at first sight, when I'd always laughed at de thought before, and I was only a enfant. You gave me my first kiss. Those two t'ings are de most important events in my life- and you were responsible for dem both. I feel like I don't deserve you."
"Smooth talker, aren't ya?" Came the muffled reply, but her arms wrapped around his waist, and took the sting out of her words. Remy laughed softly, and kissed the crown of her head.
"Dat's what all de ladies say." he sighed. "We are in deep merde, you realise dat?"
"Ah have no idea what merde means, but Ah'll say yes anyway." Her arms tightened around him. "And we have that wonderful woman Raven to thank. Remind me to kick her ass next time Ah see her, alraht?"
"Anyt'ing for you, cherie."
~~~~~
"Wakey wakey, lovebirds." a soft, feminine voice cooed. Remy forced his eyes to open and focus on the outrageously dressed blonde outside their cage, whom he recognised from the attack. She winked at him, and pushed a bottle of water, two apples, and two sandwiches in bags through the bars. "Breakfast time. You'll need your strength. One of you gets to move to new accommodations this morning. Then the real fun begins."
"Hussy." Rogue growled from her position nestled in Remy's arms, and he didn't try to hide the small smile on his face When she wasn't having self-esteem problems like the night before, Rogue was the fieriest person he'd ever met.
"Bitch." The woman said coolly, without missing a beat. "Just for that, I'll recommend to Sinister that he work on you first." A sneer marred her pretty features.
" 'Work on you first'?" Rogue echoed. "Ooh, I'm terrified!" she rolled off the bed, and walked over to the food passed through the bars. "Hmm. Looks like- ohhhhhh..." she collapsed to the ground, clutching at her stomach.
"Rogue!" Remy yelped, dashing to her side. Sweat had beaded on her forehead, and her face was pale and tortured.
"It hurts." She whimpered, green eyes glazed. "Make it stop. Please, stop the pain..."
"Someone 'elp!" Remy screamed, as Rogue's eyes shut, and she trembled violently in his arms. The blonde woman backed away from the bars, looking shocked.
"What's wrong with her?" she demanded. Her eyes hardened. "Is this some sort of trick?"
Remy glared at her, clutching Rogue tightly. "Merde! What de hell is wrong wid you? She needs medical attention! Get a doctor, or somet'ing!"
She flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Don't order me around, Cajun." she hissed, before walking over to an inset panel on the wall and flipping a switch. "Vertigo speaking. Sir, we have a situation down here. The girl is sick and needs help."
A staticy pause. "I'll be right down." Sinister said finally, voice tinny and small as it came through the speaker. "Move her to the table, strap her down tight. Careful though Vertigo, it could be an elaborate facade. She may not have her powers, but she is still a trained killer. Sinister out."
Killer? Roguie? Remy thought, startled, and glanced down at the young woman in his arms. What aren't you telling me?
"Alright Cajun, on your stomach on the floor at the back of the cell. Don't get up, or I'll give you another taste of my powers." Vertigo ordered, blue eyes flinty. The auburn-haired man followed her directions reluctantly, face twisted with concern. He winced as cold and moisture on the floor seeped through his now off-white t-shirt, and thin boxers, and smeared against the bare skin of his arms and legs. The sensation had been bad enough on his bare feet the short time he had been in prisoner- covering his whole body, it was infinitely worse.
The moment Vertigo had removed Rogue from the cell, he was up on his feet, pressed against the bars, and watching intently as the blonde placed Rogue's limp form on one of the chrome tables in the white room beyond, and closed shackles around slack wrists and ankles. Vertigo noticed Remy watching, and smirked, petite nose scrunching delicately.
"Adamantium. If the collar malfunctions, there is no way your little girlfriend will be getting away."
Remy didn't answer, merely gripping the bars of the cell, and sagging against them.
Who are you really, Rogue?
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Sorry, its very bad. :( Aaaanyways, time for my 'help me!' cry....or my manipulative little power trip. See, I can't write the next chapter to this story without a full list of the Marauders, and what their powers are. And I can't find that online. Hint! Hint! So, the next chapter will be dedicated to those that provide me with the list, and praise shall be showered upon them! Just put it in your review, or e-mail the list to me at TARGETER14@AOL.com with the subject 'Marauders'. Please, help me people! I'm aiming to get this story finished by about mid April, AND NEED THOSE NAMES! Oh, please review. :D