Pairings: Rogue/Remy, and Jean/Scott
Archive: It's not archived except for here. If for some reason you want to, e-mail me. It will eventually be up at my site 'Beautiful Alone'- http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/rachelpage
E-mail: TARGETER14@AOL.com
Disclaimer: Do I have to do this every time? Just in case, they're not mine.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I still...have readers? Oh my gosh! After that huge absence, I still have readers! I love you all! *glomps each and every reviewer* Here, as a present you all get cookies. As promised, here is the next part of 'Green Eyed Girl' and- it's on time! Gasp! The next part is also pretty much complete, along with the epilogue (yes, we are drawing to a close) so there won't be any long waits anymore. To all those who thought I had abandoned this- sorry! I didn't mean to make you think that. Rest assured, I never abandon fics.
Also, to all those who wished me a happy birthday back AGES ago- thankyou so much! It really did brighten my day. I love you all. Here, have another cookie. ^_^
On with 'Blood (b)!'
~~~~~
The Genoshan collar was firmly in place around his neck again. The stained body armor had been removed, replaced by drab grey sweatpants and a loose sweater. His hands were shackled. Remy couldn't help but wonder why they suddenly deemed him dangerous enough that these motions were necessary. At least he'd been able to squirrel away the communicator, hiding it in the waistband of the pants. Being a thief certainly had its benefits.
When the surviving Marauders had returned, they had immediately received directions from Sinister to place him under restraint. He hadn't known the man very long, but it was easy to pick out the irritation underlying the man's words. At this point in time he hadn't even known about the losses suffered by the Marauders. So Remy was attributing that annoyance to one thing.
Rogue. Something had happened with Rogue. And it had to be good if it was grating on Sinister's nerves.
Roughly leading him by the elbow, Sabretooth wasn't taking the young thief to the cell he had been in before. He was being led to the dismal 'dorms' the Marauders inhabited, that he had encountered earlier that day- was it only a few hours ago?- when he was given the strange red and blue armor. At least it was dry, well-lit, and had a camping shower set up .
"In here." Sabretooth ordered in his guttural voice, shoving Remy in the direction of an open door with a shiny new exterior lock. Stumbling slightly, Remy quickly regained his natural grace, and grinned wickedly at the blocky mutant.
"So, what movie are being shown tonight, eh? These rooms do come with TVs, non?
Sabretooth grinned back, a less-than-friendly look when he wore it. "No TV, but still some entertainment." He pushed Remy into the bedroom converted to cell. " I get to beat the shit outta that frail we brought in with you." He called through the door.
Remy gaped, then ran at the door, trying to knock it down. "You bastard!" He yelled. "If you hurt one hair on her head, I'll kill you! I swear to God, I will kill you!"
A low chuckle drifted through the heavy wood. "Too late, Cajun. I've already had some fun with the girl."
"She's sick, you asshole!" Remy yelled back, strands of red hair flying back as he banged into the door again, feeling it jar satisfactorily. "You'll beat up on a sick girl. You coward!"
"She ain't sick. It's her powers. Now shutup, or I'll come in there and shut you up!"
Remy dropped to the bed, breathing heavily with anger. Her powers? What could be making her pass out? And what the hell was that creep Sinister doing to her?
"Those X-Men better hurry up." he muttered to the empty room.
~~~~~
Said X-Men were currently making their way through the sewers for the second time that day, following directions from Professor Xavier back at the mansion. Their numbers had been reduced by four- Colossus, Nightcrawler and Angel had been severely injured earlier that day, and Beast had stayed back at the X-Mansion to tend to them. The team that was now wading through a layer of filth consisted of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Psylocke and Storm. They were subsisting on the hope that the Morlocks were also in a depleted state, and weary from the battle earlier, and after freeing Rogue and Remy, they would have enough firepower to escape.
Still, none of them could ignore the thought that for each of them, it could be their last mission.
Wolverine halted abruptly, slate-blue eyes narrowing. "Hold it." he ordered Cyclops, knowing that it would grate on the fearless leader's nerves. "I'm smelling something. Be quiet." His companions froze immediately, and Wolverine began to inhale deeply, and listen carefully to the faint noises drifting through the stagnant air.
Off in the distance, a pipe leaked, a steady drip drip drip. Beyond that, water roared, a low sound that encouraged a pressure to form at the base of his skull. The skittering of rat feet on concrete was everywhere, and their stench was cloying. Beneath all this though, was something that smelled and sounded distinctly human.
Targeting what- to be specific, who- it was, Wolverine stared at Jean, eyes boring into her. *Jeanie. Tell Scooter that Mystique's running around down here with us. She's about a three hundred meters ahead, movin' slowly. I'd say she's lookin' for the same thing we are.*
Jean nodded at him, and lay a hand on Cyclops' shoulder to grab his attention. As she conveyed this information to the rest of the team, Wolverine felt a buzz form between his ears.
*Good work, Wolverine.* The Professor's disembodied telepathic voice echoed through his skull. It was the only voice that never seemed obnoxiously loud to Wolverine, with his strong hearing- yet it disconcerted him so much, he wished he never had to hear it. *Make sure she isn't harmed, Cyclops. We have no quarrel with her. Perhaps she will help.*
Wolverine resisted the urge to snort at that idea, knowing the sound would carry down the tunnels and possibly alert his prey. *Doubt it, Professor.*
The X-Men set off again, carefully wading through the water, whereas earlier they had merely splashed their way through. As they drew closer to Mystique, they could hear her swearing at...well, just about everything Sinister related.
"Damn that bastard! How dare he take my daughter and make me run around in this filth. When I see that...that...asshole...I will string him up from the highest cliff I can find by his testicles, before I remove his internal organs by way of mummification! Damnit, my shoes are ruined! For that I shall gouge out his despicable red eyes and make him eat them!"
Raising an eyebrow at her admittedly creative cursing, Wolverine extended his claws, and silently slid up behind her. Grabbing her at the waist with one hand, he held his claws at the top of her neck, and let them graze the skin there, so she could feel them. "Hey, darlin'. Fancy seein' you here."
Mystique tensed, and growled low in the back of her throat. "Well, if it isn't Xavier's pet Wolverine." she called over her shoulder. "I suppose the rest of his pathetic runts are here too."
The clawed mutant dug aforementioned metal implements of destruction into her neck, and stopped when he felt the woman's body shudder minutely under his arm. Cyclops glared at him for a moment, obviously not approving of his scare tactics, but didn't say anything.
"What are you doing here, Mystique?" Storm's voice was, unlike her codename, calm and level. Wolverine dug the claws a fraction deeper.
He could almost feel the anger radiating off the blue-skinned woman. "I'm here for revenge, and to find a member of my team." she snapped. "This is no business of yours, X-Men."
"Actually, Mystique, yes it is." Jean said. "For we are looking for the same people as you. Rogue, and a young man by the name of Remy LeBeau. Perhaps we should consider joining forces."
Mystique let out a short bark of laughter. "LeBeau? That womanizing brat? It's all his fault that my Rogue is in this mess. As soon as I am done with that rat Sinister, I plan to take care of him too." She seemed to consider for a moment. "Who is here, apart from the animal holding me?"
The X-Men exchanged glances for a moment, considering. "Cyclops, Storm, Psylocke and myself, Jean."
"Let go of me, animal." Mystique ordered. "I will allow a temporary truce between us. Only because it is the best way for me to get Rogue back though. Don't think it means I'm going to join your pathetic, idealistic group though."
"Wolverine, let her go." Cyclops ordered. Wolverine released her, and retracted his claws. The very tips were stained with blood. "Right. Let's go."
"Finally, revenge." Psylocke said in a low voice, speaking for the first time since the Morlock Massacre. Mystique eyed her approvingly, but didn't say anything as the strange group continued on their journey.
~~~~~
Remy LeBeau was bored out of his mind. He had thoroughly explored his new accommodations, finding nothing of interest in them. Apart from the bed, the room had been stripped bare. There were still sticky scraps of blu-tac on the brick walls where someone had had posters, or pictures stuck up. This had once been someone's room. Had it been a Marauder, or one of Sinister's test subjects? Remy didn't know, and would probably never find out. To top things off, he was frantic with worry for Rogue.
For the fifteenth time in as many minutes, he pulled the communicator out of the waistband of his pants and looked at it, running his fingers over the smooth back and stylized black 'X'. Unlike the other fourteen times though, something happened this time.
"Mr. LeBeau, are you there?" A soft whisper emitted from the fine wire speaker, and Remy blinked at it for a moment. Taking a guess, he pressed at it, and the thing lit up.
"Uh, oui. I'm here. Who is dis?" He released it.
"Storm. Get away from the door."
Quick to comply, Remy leapt off the bed, and moved to the opposite side of the cell. A fraction of a second later, a scuffling sound, yelps, snarls and faint banging sounds filtered through the door. A moment after that, said door flew back into the room, and smashed against the wall, propelled by a red beam.
"Mr. LeBeau, let's go!" Storm snapped as she poked her head into the room. She was joined a second later by a blue-skinned woman Remy had never seen before.
"Where's Rogue!?" she demanded, amber eyes flashing.
Remy shook his head, as he stepped out into the hall, and over the unconscious Sabretooth lying on the ground. Jean Grey immediately closed her eyes, and a moment later the collar slid off his neck. "I don't know. With Sinister, probably. He's got some sick fascination with her powers."
The blue skin paled slightly. "My God, Rogue!"
Remy winced under the onslaught of the woman's terror- just who was she, anyway? Suddenly, a purple-haired woman, barely more than a girl, gasped. "I've found her! I can locate her mind." She frowned, dark eyes confused. "But I've never been able to sense her before!"
"Who cares?" That was Blue-Skin again, snapping at Purple-Hair. "Where is she?"
Purple-Hair glared ferociously. "Shut the fuck up, and let me concentrate Mystique!" She closed her eyes again, joined by Jean this time. "This way." They both announced at the same time, pointing in a seemingly random direction.
~~~~~
Rogue's body was on fire now. Sinister had left her alone for a while, giving her body time to stiffen up. Every limb of her body hurt. It was so strange to be vulnerable to exterior pain again. Weakly turning her head to the side, she looked over to Sinister, where he was happily typing away at a laptop.
"Your powers are absolutely fascinating." He announced, seemingly aware of her gaze. "Physically, you are ideal. Invulnerable, amazingly strong, capable of flight...but mentally...ah yes, mentally." He looked up from the screen, red eyes amused. "You are pitifully weak. And the body is only as strong as the mind, after all. As long as you have the thoughts and memories of others within you, your own mind can cripple you! Fascinating..." He pecked away at a few more keys.
"But, on the flip side, we have Mr. LeBeau. A man who's body is vulnerable, but mind is strong. Did you know that he was an empath, Miss Rogue? I didn't, until I had a close look at some of his DNA. How strong do you think he is mentally, to be able to put up with the feelings of others, yet retain his sense of self?
And so, Miss Rogue, I have figured out a way to create a perfect mutant, one who is strong in both mind and body. And all I shall have to do is twist a little DNA from both yourself and Mr. LeBeau, mold it into shape- and voila! My creation shall be a masterpiece!"
"That's sick." She gasped out, bruised green eyes still holding some of their fire. "People aren't just toys." Pain was spiraling upwards from her bruised, probably broken, ribs, but she continued. "Remy an' Ah...will stop you."
Sinister laughed, turning back to his keyboard. "That's very amusing, Miss Rogue! You and what army?"
Fatal last words.
Riptide ran into the room, eyes wide with terror. "Mr. Sinister! I just tried to hail Sabretooth, and he's not answering. I think we've been infiltrated." The rest of the Marauders filtered into the room, some eyeing Rogue with faint curiosity. She was too sore to glare back.
Sinister scowled, and stood up, snapping the top of his laptop down. "Polaris and Arclight, begin downloading information from the main computer into the back ups, just the way I taught you. Scalphunter, Riptide, take care of Miss Rogue. Make sure she isn't harmed more than she already is! Get her to my jet in once piece, or I shall make sure you both suffer extreme amounts of pain. After that, I want all of you to take care of our guests."
Suddenly, the metal doors blasted apart, scrap metal flying in dangerous directions. Brightly dressed men and women- the X-Men of all people- ran into the room, eyes battle hardened and mouths set in determined lines.
Rogue felt her heart soar as one particular man, dressed in drab grey clothes, ran into the room. "Remy!" She tried to call, voice to weak to carry across the room. His eyes scanned the room, and set upon her, lighting up.
"Rogue!"
"Rogue!"
His call was echoed by another, and Rogue's stomach twisted. Raven.
As the X-Men and Marauders clashed in what was to be the final battle, her foster mother and love ran straight to her, Mystique glaring at Remy the whole way.
"Mon Dieu, chere, what did they do to you?" Remy asked, running his hands over her hair, face and lips gently. "I swear, I'll kill that bastard Sinister for hurting you!"
Rogue smiled at him gently, feeling tears in her eyes. "Ah'm glad you're ok, Remy."
Remy too, had tears in his eyes, as he once again ran his fingers through her hair. He lent forward, seemingly to kiss her, when they heard an annoyed "Ahem!"
Mystique's arms were crossed over her chest, expression one of extreme annoyance. "In case neither of you have forgotten, we are in the middle of a battle!"
"And it's your fault we're even here, Momma!" Rogue yelled. "You betrayed us!"
"Momma?" Remy's eyes widened, before narrowing into a glare. "Raven?"
She smiled mockingly. "Very good, Mr. LeBeau. How about you stop trying to violate my daughter, and figure out some way to get her loose?"
"Don't think that this is over between us." Remy threatened, before turning back to Rogue. "Cherie, this may hurt a bit. I'm sorry." He placed his hand on the lock of the collar. A sharp sting suddenly hit her throat, and the collar slipped off, falling to the ground. Rogue felt strength seeping into her muscles, joining the pain. It was definitely an odd sensation.
Remy carefully removed the rest of the adamanitum shackles, each exploding against her skin. The difference this time was that she didn't even feel it. Her invulnerability was back.
A wicked smile crept across her battered face.
"Time for revenge."
Before either Remy or Mystique could stop the impulsive young woman, she took to the air, too injured to walk. Green eyes fixed firmly on Sinister, who was in the thick of the fray, and she headed straight for him.
Sinister was gripping his laptop tightly in one arm, and fending off the ferocious Psylocke with the other. "It's your fault!" the purple-haired woman screamed, aiming a vicious kick at his stomach. "If you hadn't sent your...creeps," 'creeps' was punctuated by a kick, "to hurt those people, he wouldn't have been injured!" Hurt, and a tinge of insanity shone through tear-flooded eyes.
Seemingly growing bored with the woman, he fired a blast of plasma from his hand at her. With a shriek of outrage which was quickly cut off, she flew backwards and crumpled on the floor, unconscious. The marble-skinned man looked around for an escape route. That was when Rogue attacked.
"SINISTER!" Her bellow cut through the metal room. Heads turned upwards as she spiraled around him in the air, almost vulture-like, before plummeting downwards. Hate burned in her soul, and she was determined to make Sinister suffer terribly for destroying what should have been a happy reunion. "You'll pay for what you've done!"
"I don't think so, sweety!" Polaris flew in front of the angry Rogue, smiling maliciously. A moment later, an invisible blast knocked into Rogue, sending her flying backwards through the air. With a cry of pain as her previous injuries reminded her of their presence, she crashed into a metal wall and began to slide down. Before she could hit the floor though, she gathered herself together, and flew at Polaris and Sinister again.
"Rogue, stop it!" Mystique screamed as the brindled young woman smashed into an invisible magnetic wall again. "Stop, damn you!"
"We have to help her!" Remy yelled at Mystique. He picked the broken collar off the ground, and allowed his powers to flow through it. The yellow collar glowed pink orange, and with a holler, he hurled it towards Polaris.
It exploded, sending Polaris to the ground to join Psylocke. The remaining Marauders turned their attentions to Rogue, trying to knock the justifiably outraged woman from the air. Ignoring the shuriken and projectiles hurled at her, she remained obsessively fixated on her target. "Sinister!"
"Scalphunter, throw me towards her!" Arclight demanded, her voice carrying through the room. The various combatants turned towards the pair just in time to see Scalphunter hurl Arclight at Rogue.
Hands working on autopilot, Remy grabbed the communicator still in his pants and charged it. He threw it at Arclight, hoping to God he'd hit her. The communicator-turned-bomb hit her in the side and exploded, and the woman screamed in agony. Her flight was not halted though, and she hit Rogue, grabbing her around the waist and hanging on for dear life. The whole thing took only an instant.
One second Rogue was trying to shake Arclight off, still trying wreak the vengeance that was almost within grasp. The next she was shrieking in pain, body writhing in midair as Arclight utilized her powers and sent shockwaves ricocheting through the other woman's body. [1] Remy watched as, almost in slow motion, the two spiraled downwards.
"No!" Twin cries split the air, as Mystique and Remy both ran for the girl they loved, crushed under the significantly heavier dead body of Arclight.
"Riptide, Scalphunter, let's go!" Sinister ordered. "Grab Psylocke and Polaris." the man dashed out of the room, still holding his precious laptop with it's information. A moment later the two conscious Marauders followed, with their unconscious teammate and enemy.
"Elizabeth!" Jean cried, the word echoed by Storm and Cyclops. "Cyclops, we have to go after her!"
"I know, Jean!" Cyclops snapped, face torn with horror. "Wolverine, with me, we're after them. Storm, Jean, get Rogue and LeBeau back to the mansion for medical treatment."
Wolverine and Cyclops ran out of the room in the direction that Sinister and the Marauders had taken. A moment later, Mystique followed. "I will cut his throat." she vowed, eyes flashing.
Remy tugged Rogue's battered body out from under Arclight's. The stench of death hung in the air around them, as Remy held Rogue's body tightly. "Oh Rogue, chere, I am so, so sorry." He sobbed, clinging to her tightly. "I couldn't stop 'er, I'm so sorry, oh God I'm sorry."
"Remy...didn't stop him...ah failed..." Tears leaked out of pain-filled eyes, tracing tracks down blood and dirt stained cheeks, paralleling the tracks already there. "Ah should've."
"Shh, chere, it wasn't your fault he got away." Careful not to touch her skin, he petted her head, smoothing down errant strands of white and brown. "You did your best. You were 'urt. Remy should've tried harder to stop Arclight."
Rogue smiled weakly, and reached up a hand. She rested it on the stubble on his cheek, not actually touching his skin, and Remy had to resist the urge to lean into the touch. He could feel Jean and Storm standing behind them, pity in their hearts. He only had eyes for Rogue though, the woman he had known for such a small amount of time, yet loved with all his heart. Then, her green eyes went glassy, and slid shut.
Tears streaming down his face, he hugged her limp form tightly. Bending down he chastely kissed her on the lips, feeling incredibly softness and...breath?
"Mr. LeBeau, she's not dead! Let go!" he distantly heard Jean's voice dance through his brain as his mind seemed to be ripped from its body. His life literally flashed before his eyes, and underneath it all was the slight warmth of Rogue's breath against his mouth as she absorbed his memories. With a cry of shock he collapsed unconscious onto her.
~~~~~
[1] I don't know if Arclight's powers can be used like this. But, just for the sake of the fic, lets just say they can be. ^_^
*grabs Schu, the current muse, and runs off to hide.*
*quickly runs back to drop this note* Ok, once again, thanks to all reviewers! I just have to answer a handful-
To Disturbed Courtney- Hehe, while it was good to know I had a month and a week to finish this chapter, I'm glad I didn't need it. Hopefully this fic will be done in a month and a week. ^_^
To Randi M. Kosiewska-Short- Wow! You have just given me the longest review I've ever received. Thankyou so much for all your lovely comments, they were really heart-warming. I'd be happy to read your fanfictions, and as soon as the opportunity comes along (soon, I hope!) I'll definitely have a look. However, due to the fact I live in Australia, I'm currently in school at the moment, and don't have that lovely long summer break. So, not a lot of free time for me. Rest assured, I will read them soon!
To Neurotic Temptress- As I stated above, I never abandon fics- it's just mean. And I'm glad you think I did a good job with the Morlock Massacre! *wipes brow* Still not comfortable with it myself, but thanks!
Ok, that's it. I know I received more reviews than I have replied to, but I just don't have time to answer them all. To the people that aren't mentioned, your reviews are cherished, and really do help me to keep writing. Thankyou all! *grabs muse and runs off again to hide from mob*