Disclaimer: Blah, blah, we all know I don't own or make any money off of 'em.
Notes: I don't know anything about Everclear, I just know it's some strong stuff. I'm just making the details up.
Chapter 4
He had woken up a few hours ago and when the realization of what happened hit him, it was almost too much to bear. So he'd hunkered down, in -her- room for the time being. He had needed something to drink, stronger than the beer he usually kept and stronger than the wine or whiskey he sometimes enjoyed. So he'd gone to his private stash. Something he kept for when he was just about ready to piss on himself with the self-loathing he was feeling. Everclear. The good stuff. It burned when it went down, and damned near made you want to kill yourself when it settled on an empty stomach. But then, for the couple of minutes it took for his healing factor to kick in, it was blissful forget.
After that. It was her. He'd let himself get in too deep, and either one of two things would happen. They'd reconcile and Rogue would go back with Remy and they'd forget that embarrassing little episode with Logan ever happened, or she'd stay away from Remy and Logan and turn lesbian. A slight smile quirked at Logan's lips. He genuinely couldn't see Rogue as a lesbian. Nothin' against 'em. She just wasn't that type. No matter how much he tamed his semi-logical mind to fit himself into the equation with Rogue, it just wouldn't happen. He'd crossed that line and now he would have to pay for it. He wouldn't be man enough to admit, and would avoid it come hell or high water, but he loved her. Loved her like he couldn't remember. He hated him, hated him like he could remember all too clearly. That's what his life too full of. Hate. Hatred and killing. Too far in the game to go back now. He was thinking gibberish and he knew it. The clearity right after the Everclear had worn off was short lived, and he sought to drown it with another large gulp from the crystal bottle still about halfway full. He could finish a whole damned bottle of this shit in one night and not feel so much as lightheaded in the morning.
Back to what happened. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, still not willing to believe what had happened, really happened. Running a calloused hand over his stubble, he takes another swig. The grimace he's coached himself out of making, appearing despite his efforts. The last thing he remembered was pulling Rogue close to him, all his animal instincts reacting to everything about her. The smell, the taste, and the feel of that womanly body. Oh, the time he could have had with her. He had savored that kiss like it was his last gulp of fresh air. When he felt the life start to be sucked from him, he merely held on tighter, grasping her head in a firm grip via her hair until the last possible moment when he dropped to the ground, hitting it and falling unconscious. He was almost sure that her heart had been into the entire thing, and it was really him that she was thinking of until those last four seconds.
One: He let go.
Two: She uttered Remy's name. His heart broke.
Three: He saw Remy, at the door, his eyes more tortured than he could ever remember seeing them.
Four: He slept.
It hurt like hell when he finally did figure out what had happened, and why no one was here. That pissed him off more than anything. He'd missed another damned mission. They were all gone, somewhere, without him. So instead of taking his anger out on something that he could kill, he had to drown it. Drown it and forget it. But he would never forget. That was the bad part.
***
She was sitting on the Blackbird as it lurched ahead, Scott steadying it ever so often, and going over the plans of a warehouse that they were suppose to destroy that supposedly was engineering sentinels, and also held a mutant captive. That's how Charles got involved. He recognized the mutant signature, and sent them out. Telling them it was their chance to kill two birds with one stone. It was suppose to bring them a few steps closer to their dream, their goal. One that Rogue wasn't even sure existed anymore. It was like killing a roach in your house. You saw one, killed it, but didn't really cling onto the fact that behind the walls, under floor, all around, they were everywhere. And all killing that one did was postpone the inevitable, delay what would soon trickle out of that little hole in the floor over by the oven.
Xavier had let her come, telling her telepathically while the rest of the team studied the blueprints to the warehouse that she had improved so much that she could only help them. And they needed all the help they could get.
It was hard, but she had to stop herself from thinking of him. Thinking of the man she left passed out on her floor. Charles hadn't asked. It was pretty obvious when she walked into the mission room, claws extended and cursin' like a sailor. It had faded now, and she only got a few glimpses when she let down her guard and started thinking about him. He loved her so much. It surprised and scared him. And he knew that she could never love him like he wanted. Egh, like now. She needed to stop thinking of him and concentrate.
She held her hands face down on her thighs, the yellow and green mission suit of old adorning her restored curves and toned limbs. Just for old times sake she had slipped the headband on her head, so achingly familiar. Her hair was getting long too. The thick waves crawled down her back and ended in a soft curl almost at her butt. And as always, the white strip that did good to serve just how tainted her life was polluted her auburn tresses like a blotch of all her mistakes in an otherwise clean life.
***
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her, sitting there and looking at her hands like they might sprout a third one. Even as he held the hand of who before God he was willing to say he'd love for the rest of his life, he knew he'd be lying. The woman he would love for the rest of his life he couldn't touch, could never touch. Wow, he had made progress. It might have almost driven him crazy, but admitting that he still loved her didn't even anger her anymore. That's what seeing them together had done to them. Even now -that- had been enough to boil his blood. But he couldn't do anything about it. Before he could launch himself on the unconscious Canadian, Xavier had called them. It took a lot more courage than he ever thought he had to just walk away, hands clenching into fists at his sides. He had stayed long enough to let Rogue see him, and allow him to hear the surprised gasp when it all clicked into place.
He shouldn't be surprised, after all, what had she seen only a few moments earlier? That had been different though. He didn't really love Katie. He was almost certain of it now.
Ugh, he didn't know what to do. He laid his head back on the seat and closed his eyes, it was going to be a long ride.
***
Cyclops set the plane on auto-pilot for the time being, he stood up and stretched his muscles, eyes landing on the emotionally stressed members of the crew. He didn't know what to say to them. He could lead, he could motivate, but when it came to matters of the heart, he came up dry. He had always had a stable relationship with Jean, and he valued that. So when his eyes swept over them, he knew that if he had to fail them in this, it would be the only thing.
"Alright team, we're approaching the warehouse. This should be a pretty cut and dry mission. Dr. Bower, you stay here with Hank should any medical problems arise. Remy, you and Rogue go in first, stay to the left and clear the path so Jean, Storm and I can go make the rescue. I don't care what damage you cause to the machines, just make sure we're covered." He nodded his head once, eyes sweeping over the crew once more to make sure no one had any questions, before turning back to piloting the plane.
***
A mere seven seconds after Cyclops sat down after delivering a rather short version of one of his speeches, three things happened simultaneously. The windows on the Blackbird shattered. Rogue, Storm, Cyclops, and Hank all grabbed their heads, crying out in pain, and they all fell down.
***
Blackness, and pain. She tentatively opened her eyes, and searing pain caused by an overhead light made her close them again. It was all coming back to her now, though. It was a trap, and now they were caught. Left to be used like anyone's meat. After a few minutes, she hid her eyes and opened them...slowly.
A cell, she was in a cell. Well, at least she could see. There was a cell, with bars and everything. A bunk bed with dirty mattresses, and one toilet. She almost laughed. Didn't they know who she was? She could just breathe on the bars and they would open for her. Okay, not really, but it was close. And then, she felt it. The collar. She screamed and tore at the thing with her fingers. There was still strength there. Whoever made these things wasn't some big time villain. They probably go the instructions from ebay. Settling down, she sat up, and swung her legs over the side. She was on the top bunk, and instead of jumping down to land on the ground, she jumped, but activated that little switch in her mind that enabled her to fly. She didn't fly, didn't even come close. But at least she didn't make a fool of herself and fall onto her bottom. She floated down. Which said this collar wasn't the split second working ones, it was on that drained, leaving you a numb mass of your former self.
Eyes landed on him, and hatred burned for what she discovered. Of all the people on the cotton-pickin' plane, they had to put her with him. And he was there, watching her. Those eyes no longer shrouded with sun shades, she could almost see his lips quirk in the familiar smile. But they didn't. He held no more smiles for her. Knowing that since he was awake before she was, that he would have the info, she sat down indian style on the ground, returning his look stare for stare.
"So what do we know, sugah?"
At first, it didn't seem like he would answer her, but then he shrugged, winding his arms behind his head casually. "De telepat's are de only ones who made it outta dere." He thinks a moment. "Scott 'n' Hank 're in de cell 'cross from us, Ro to de right of dem." He shrugs a bit. "Whoever caught us sure don' know what dey doin', non?"
Rogue rolls her eyes. "Great, now mah life depends on a stuck-up, psychopathic doctor. Sure hope Jeannie's got plenty of reserves." She still stared at him, as though daring him to make some reaction.
He did. His eyes blazed anger and he glared at her. If looks could have killed, she would've been in a million pieces all over this room. "Atleast she won' leave me, chere." His venomous tone only made the comment sting that much more.
"Ya dirty Cajun! Ya nevah even gave me a chance. Ya condemn me beforah ya even know. Goin' behind mah back with that wench." She stood up, putting her hands on her hips.
He matches her stance, on his feet in seeming seconds and staring at her like never before. "What are ya talkin' 'bout? Crazy femme! Ah wasn't de one who left ya in ANTARCTICA! An' besides, atleast Ah can touch 'er, kiss 'er, and tell 'er how much Ah love 'er." He wanted to hurt her, wanted to hurt her as much as she's hurt him. The tortured look in her eyes was all he needed. Just about to turn around, the damage done, he didn't have time to dodge the fist that connected solidly with the side of his face. Whoo...that would bruise.
Even with her powers draining from her, she still packed a helluva punch. It was enough to send him sailing down across the room, to smack his head on the bars. Usually she was more careful that than. She would never put him in any real danger. Miraculously he didn't black out, but he knew a mild concussion was involved, and he also knew, when his demon eyes met hers of green ice, that he'd gone too far.
Strands of auburn circled wildly about her face in some unseen breeze that circulated throughout the complex. Her hands clenched at her sides, and newly redefined muscles twitched with an obvious effort. Her gloved hands were clenched into tight fists, and he could tell that the skin underneath would be ghost white with the effort.
She glared down at him. It looked like she was ready to let his head become a field goal. And when she spoke, her vocal cords were strained with the same emotion of the rest of her body. "Doncha evah...evah say somethin' like that ta me again. Or so help me, Remy, Ah'll..." She shakes her head, unable to finish the bitter words that linger in the back of her throat like bile. It hurts her to think them, and knew it would hurt him beyond repair to say them.
He hung his head, willing to accept his defeat. He once loved her so much. It hurt him to know that he turned her this way. Turned his bright spirited woman into something so dark and vile. "Kill me, chere. Ya've already murdered mah heart."
She turned away from him so quickly that with a sinking feeling he almost thought that she was willing to consider it. He let his eyes fall closed, willing to put his fate in the hands one who hated him so.
When no such fate came, he opened his eyes, opened them to find that his little Southern gem had collapsed in a sea of tears in the middle of the cell. Her back was to him, and she hugged herself, as though she wished all the world could be squeezed from her sight. She didn't made a sound. It was the type of crying that came from the soul. The heart-wrenching kind that made the tears sear a trail down your skin and hurt you more than helped release the pain in your heart.
He knew he loved her, he still loved her more than anything. If he could take away the pain that she was feeling right now, he would. Moving up quietly behind her, he wrapped his arms around her, and held her close, whispering soft things in French in her ear and wiping the tears from her eyes.
She sniffled, hiccoughing a few times before she finally was able to speak. "Remy...Ah'm so sorrah. Ah nevah wanted ta hurtcha. Ah love ya so much, and ya don' hafta love me no more, Ah jus' can't bare foah ya ta hate me."
She buried her face in his chest and for a moment he thought she would cry again. When she didn't, he slowly leaned back away from her, taking her chin in his hand and tilting it up so her eyes met his. "Chere...ya gotta know dat Remy couldn't love no one but you." His voice was choked full of emotion, and even though he tried to come off as a flirt, his eyes seeped sincerity and the thing that meant the most to Rogue, forgiveness.
Her eyes welled up with tears again, but they didn't fall. They just stayed in her eyes to make them glisten like gems, and Remy lowered his face to hers and their lips locked. At first, there was the slightest of tugs from her powers, but then it died away, and they shared a kiss so full of love and passion that anyone looking on would have surely looked away, knowing they stumbled upon something wholly intimate and truly sweet. Something that if interrupted would surely be marked as a sin.
***
While two lovers were sharing a timeless embrace, and three team members tried to work a way out of their captor's snare, even though they knew not the identity of them, the lights just suddenly went out. It was like someone flicked the big switch and everything was turned off. Including, the collars.
The X-Men didn't need to be told twice, they quickly escaped from their electric powered cells, and since they had already studied the blueprints to the building, they made their way to the main part of the building, with only the poorly made collars as a memory that they had even been there.
***
Jean Grey and Dr. Bower met them in the main room, which was just a huge warehouse. The lights had come on in a matter of minutes courtesy of a backup generator, but by then, the X-Men had already reformed themselves and were ready for whatever their foe had to present them.
Jean quickly embraced Scott, and addressed him as well as the rest of the group, while Katie went to go stand by "her" Cajun. Rogue glaring at her all the while in almost a child-like way where one kid has a candy bar the other wants.
Jean frowned lightly. "Obviously whoever we are dealing with isn't the brightest of the baddies we've encountered. All of their main circuitry was rooted to one generator, and once we took that out if just cut all their systems down for three minutes until their back-up generators kicked in."
Hank scratched his head a wide smile showing his fangs. "What a most brilliant idea."
Jean shrugged. "Actually, it was Katie who knew all the stuff, I just carried it out. Plus the fact that whoever made this factory are really morons."
Katie blushed, everything in her little world seeming to come together. Little does she know that it is far from the truth.
Cyclops quickly took lead of the team. "Alright, we'll still go ahead as planned, I don't think that there are any captives left. I think they took the lead from the little blackout. Rogue and Gambit --"
"You think you're pretty smart, dontcha X-geeks?" A high pitched voice came from above them exposing a little man, with long yellow hair pulled into a pony-tail, and balancing on what looked like a hovering surfboard, white lab coat billowing out behind him.
Floating beside him was a rather beautiful girl. Eyes of darkest raven and hair of crimson silk...and that was just the appetizer. The main dish was a well kept body, with what looked like an opera dress, shredded beyond recognition and floating about her seemingly with it's own will. "We can't let you destroy our hard work. Get back in your cages like good little rats, or we'll put you back." Her voice was beautiful and sort of sing-songy, but was laced with a nastyness. She would be great at phone sex.
Hank balanced himself on his front paws eyeing the villains. "You must admit, they are rather inspiring in their perseverance." He chuckled to himself, and landed on his back feet.
Scott frowned lightly. "So that's what happened to the Bird. That's Siryn. She emits a rather destructive force from her vocal cords and I don't recognize him." Almost unconciously, the more willing to battle members of the X-Men had gathered in a circle, putting their team mates at their back, while Katie and Hank tried to inconspicuously stand in the background.
Storm raised her arms and her eyes turned milk-white, an unseen force lifted her into the air about equal with the other two.
Rogue took Storm's lead and lifted herself into the air, grateful, however little, for the return of her powers.
Instantly the others broke away and begun spreading themselves out to do as much damage as they could to the area itself, with Cyclops staying behind for back-up in case they needed him.
Siryn took a deep breath, ready to belt out another tune when Storm lifts her arms again. "Let us see how well you can sing if you can't breathe." A wicked smile comes to her lips and the doors fly open, window's shattering with the force the Weather Witch exerts. Suddenly, a cyclone of dirt and wind pick up around Siryn, and before she can knock the sense out of the two, she's choking. Grabbing at her throat, she can barely utter a sound, so much as belt out a tune to knock the two out. The wind goes 'round and 'round faster and faster until little cuts appear on the surface of her skin, Storm only relents when the girl passes out, she dumping her body in a corner.
Rogue had kept her eyes on the short and greasy one weaving about on his home-made flying surf board. Darting infront of him, she aims a swing at him. "Where do ya think yoah goin' sugah?" But she misses, a small growl coming from her lips as he flies straight towards Katie, who is watching Gambit throw some explosive cards onto an assembly line.
"Katie!" But she turns too late, and the mutant who calls himself Life Force scoups Katie up, and drains her energy...he would have killed her, but Rogue comes up behind him and knocks his board out from under him, he plummeting to the ground. She dips low to catch Katie and deposit her with Hank. Finding out to her dismay that he wasn't knocked out, only a yellowish glow coming from his body. He throws out his hands and blasts of destructive concussive energy, yellow and sickeningly looking in their own respect, hurt towards Rogue.
She manages to dodge the first few, flying up in the air and darting around with the expertise of one who has practiced such maneuvering. He obviously hadn't practiced very much, and the life force he had stolen from Katie was quickly running out. The blasts getting smaller and smaller. Rogue doubled back around, picking up a spare piece of metal that was most of what was left in the assembly area, taking aim, and swinging, knocking the little man all the way across the room. She lands, a smile on her lips. "An' it's outta tha park!"
****
Alright. I know that whole last part sucked to hell and back. But you know what? I don't care. I'm almost done with this fic and I'm proud of it. The villains aren't mind either, they are some I just dug up, and I know the appearances of both are prolly wrong, but they are how I saw them in my mind given the info I had. I suck at fight sequences, they are something I defiantly need to work on....so be patient with me.
What else? Oh yeah! Thanks s'more to Randi! You're awesome, and I promise just as soon as this is done I'll work on yours. I just have to get this done now, or it'll never be done.
Oh yeah, I don't know if any of that electrical stuff sounded believable, I just couldn't think of anything else.
Notes: I don't know anything about Everclear, I just know it's some strong stuff. I'm just making the details up.
Chapter 4
He had woken up a few hours ago and when the realization of what happened hit him, it was almost too much to bear. So he'd hunkered down, in -her- room for the time being. He had needed something to drink, stronger than the beer he usually kept and stronger than the wine or whiskey he sometimes enjoyed. So he'd gone to his private stash. Something he kept for when he was just about ready to piss on himself with the self-loathing he was feeling. Everclear. The good stuff. It burned when it went down, and damned near made you want to kill yourself when it settled on an empty stomach. But then, for the couple of minutes it took for his healing factor to kick in, it was blissful forget.
After that. It was her. He'd let himself get in too deep, and either one of two things would happen. They'd reconcile and Rogue would go back with Remy and they'd forget that embarrassing little episode with Logan ever happened, or she'd stay away from Remy and Logan and turn lesbian. A slight smile quirked at Logan's lips. He genuinely couldn't see Rogue as a lesbian. Nothin' against 'em. She just wasn't that type. No matter how much he tamed his semi-logical mind to fit himself into the equation with Rogue, it just wouldn't happen. He'd crossed that line and now he would have to pay for it. He wouldn't be man enough to admit, and would avoid it come hell or high water, but he loved her. Loved her like he couldn't remember. He hated him, hated him like he could remember all too clearly. That's what his life too full of. Hate. Hatred and killing. Too far in the game to go back now. He was thinking gibberish and he knew it. The clearity right after the Everclear had worn off was short lived, and he sought to drown it with another large gulp from the crystal bottle still about halfway full. He could finish a whole damned bottle of this shit in one night and not feel so much as lightheaded in the morning.
Back to what happened. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, still not willing to believe what had happened, really happened. Running a calloused hand over his stubble, he takes another swig. The grimace he's coached himself out of making, appearing despite his efforts. The last thing he remembered was pulling Rogue close to him, all his animal instincts reacting to everything about her. The smell, the taste, and the feel of that womanly body. Oh, the time he could have had with her. He had savored that kiss like it was his last gulp of fresh air. When he felt the life start to be sucked from him, he merely held on tighter, grasping her head in a firm grip via her hair until the last possible moment when he dropped to the ground, hitting it and falling unconscious. He was almost sure that her heart had been into the entire thing, and it was really him that she was thinking of until those last four seconds.
One: He let go.
Two: She uttered Remy's name. His heart broke.
Three: He saw Remy, at the door, his eyes more tortured than he could ever remember seeing them.
Four: He slept.
It hurt like hell when he finally did figure out what had happened, and why no one was here. That pissed him off more than anything. He'd missed another damned mission. They were all gone, somewhere, without him. So instead of taking his anger out on something that he could kill, he had to drown it. Drown it and forget it. But he would never forget. That was the bad part.
***
She was sitting on the Blackbird as it lurched ahead, Scott steadying it ever so often, and going over the plans of a warehouse that they were suppose to destroy that supposedly was engineering sentinels, and also held a mutant captive. That's how Charles got involved. He recognized the mutant signature, and sent them out. Telling them it was their chance to kill two birds with one stone. It was suppose to bring them a few steps closer to their dream, their goal. One that Rogue wasn't even sure existed anymore. It was like killing a roach in your house. You saw one, killed it, but didn't really cling onto the fact that behind the walls, under floor, all around, they were everywhere. And all killing that one did was postpone the inevitable, delay what would soon trickle out of that little hole in the floor over by the oven.
Xavier had let her come, telling her telepathically while the rest of the team studied the blueprints to the warehouse that she had improved so much that she could only help them. And they needed all the help they could get.
It was hard, but she had to stop herself from thinking of him. Thinking of the man she left passed out on her floor. Charles hadn't asked. It was pretty obvious when she walked into the mission room, claws extended and cursin' like a sailor. It had faded now, and she only got a few glimpses when she let down her guard and started thinking about him. He loved her so much. It surprised and scared him. And he knew that she could never love him like he wanted. Egh, like now. She needed to stop thinking of him and concentrate.
She held her hands face down on her thighs, the yellow and green mission suit of old adorning her restored curves and toned limbs. Just for old times sake she had slipped the headband on her head, so achingly familiar. Her hair was getting long too. The thick waves crawled down her back and ended in a soft curl almost at her butt. And as always, the white strip that did good to serve just how tainted her life was polluted her auburn tresses like a blotch of all her mistakes in an otherwise clean life.
***
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her, sitting there and looking at her hands like they might sprout a third one. Even as he held the hand of who before God he was willing to say he'd love for the rest of his life, he knew he'd be lying. The woman he would love for the rest of his life he couldn't touch, could never touch. Wow, he had made progress. It might have almost driven him crazy, but admitting that he still loved her didn't even anger her anymore. That's what seeing them together had done to them. Even now -that- had been enough to boil his blood. But he couldn't do anything about it. Before he could launch himself on the unconscious Canadian, Xavier had called them. It took a lot more courage than he ever thought he had to just walk away, hands clenching into fists at his sides. He had stayed long enough to let Rogue see him, and allow him to hear the surprised gasp when it all clicked into place.
He shouldn't be surprised, after all, what had she seen only a few moments earlier? That had been different though. He didn't really love Katie. He was almost certain of it now.
Ugh, he didn't know what to do. He laid his head back on the seat and closed his eyes, it was going to be a long ride.
***
Cyclops set the plane on auto-pilot for the time being, he stood up and stretched his muscles, eyes landing on the emotionally stressed members of the crew. He didn't know what to say to them. He could lead, he could motivate, but when it came to matters of the heart, he came up dry. He had always had a stable relationship with Jean, and he valued that. So when his eyes swept over them, he knew that if he had to fail them in this, it would be the only thing.
"Alright team, we're approaching the warehouse. This should be a pretty cut and dry mission. Dr. Bower, you stay here with Hank should any medical problems arise. Remy, you and Rogue go in first, stay to the left and clear the path so Jean, Storm and I can go make the rescue. I don't care what damage you cause to the machines, just make sure we're covered." He nodded his head once, eyes sweeping over the crew once more to make sure no one had any questions, before turning back to piloting the plane.
***
A mere seven seconds after Cyclops sat down after delivering a rather short version of one of his speeches, three things happened simultaneously. The windows on the Blackbird shattered. Rogue, Storm, Cyclops, and Hank all grabbed their heads, crying out in pain, and they all fell down.
***
Blackness, and pain. She tentatively opened her eyes, and searing pain caused by an overhead light made her close them again. It was all coming back to her now, though. It was a trap, and now they were caught. Left to be used like anyone's meat. After a few minutes, she hid her eyes and opened them...slowly.
A cell, she was in a cell. Well, at least she could see. There was a cell, with bars and everything. A bunk bed with dirty mattresses, and one toilet. She almost laughed. Didn't they know who she was? She could just breathe on the bars and they would open for her. Okay, not really, but it was close. And then, she felt it. The collar. She screamed and tore at the thing with her fingers. There was still strength there. Whoever made these things wasn't some big time villain. They probably go the instructions from ebay. Settling down, she sat up, and swung her legs over the side. She was on the top bunk, and instead of jumping down to land on the ground, she jumped, but activated that little switch in her mind that enabled her to fly. She didn't fly, didn't even come close. But at least she didn't make a fool of herself and fall onto her bottom. She floated down. Which said this collar wasn't the split second working ones, it was on that drained, leaving you a numb mass of your former self.
Eyes landed on him, and hatred burned for what she discovered. Of all the people on the cotton-pickin' plane, they had to put her with him. And he was there, watching her. Those eyes no longer shrouded with sun shades, she could almost see his lips quirk in the familiar smile. But they didn't. He held no more smiles for her. Knowing that since he was awake before she was, that he would have the info, she sat down indian style on the ground, returning his look stare for stare.
"So what do we know, sugah?"
At first, it didn't seem like he would answer her, but then he shrugged, winding his arms behind his head casually. "De telepat's are de only ones who made it outta dere." He thinks a moment. "Scott 'n' Hank 're in de cell 'cross from us, Ro to de right of dem." He shrugs a bit. "Whoever caught us sure don' know what dey doin', non?"
Rogue rolls her eyes. "Great, now mah life depends on a stuck-up, psychopathic doctor. Sure hope Jeannie's got plenty of reserves." She still stared at him, as though daring him to make some reaction.
He did. His eyes blazed anger and he glared at her. If looks could have killed, she would've been in a million pieces all over this room. "Atleast she won' leave me, chere." His venomous tone only made the comment sting that much more.
"Ya dirty Cajun! Ya nevah even gave me a chance. Ya condemn me beforah ya even know. Goin' behind mah back with that wench." She stood up, putting her hands on her hips.
He matches her stance, on his feet in seeming seconds and staring at her like never before. "What are ya talkin' 'bout? Crazy femme! Ah wasn't de one who left ya in ANTARCTICA! An' besides, atleast Ah can touch 'er, kiss 'er, and tell 'er how much Ah love 'er." He wanted to hurt her, wanted to hurt her as much as she's hurt him. The tortured look in her eyes was all he needed. Just about to turn around, the damage done, he didn't have time to dodge the fist that connected solidly with the side of his face. Whoo...that would bruise.
Even with her powers draining from her, she still packed a helluva punch. It was enough to send him sailing down across the room, to smack his head on the bars. Usually she was more careful that than. She would never put him in any real danger. Miraculously he didn't black out, but he knew a mild concussion was involved, and he also knew, when his demon eyes met hers of green ice, that he'd gone too far.
Strands of auburn circled wildly about her face in some unseen breeze that circulated throughout the complex. Her hands clenched at her sides, and newly redefined muscles twitched with an obvious effort. Her gloved hands were clenched into tight fists, and he could tell that the skin underneath would be ghost white with the effort.
She glared down at him. It looked like she was ready to let his head become a field goal. And when she spoke, her vocal cords were strained with the same emotion of the rest of her body. "Doncha evah...evah say somethin' like that ta me again. Or so help me, Remy, Ah'll..." She shakes her head, unable to finish the bitter words that linger in the back of her throat like bile. It hurts her to think them, and knew it would hurt him beyond repair to say them.
He hung his head, willing to accept his defeat. He once loved her so much. It hurt him to know that he turned her this way. Turned his bright spirited woman into something so dark and vile. "Kill me, chere. Ya've already murdered mah heart."
She turned away from him so quickly that with a sinking feeling he almost thought that she was willing to consider it. He let his eyes fall closed, willing to put his fate in the hands one who hated him so.
When no such fate came, he opened his eyes, opened them to find that his little Southern gem had collapsed in a sea of tears in the middle of the cell. Her back was to him, and she hugged herself, as though she wished all the world could be squeezed from her sight. She didn't made a sound. It was the type of crying that came from the soul. The heart-wrenching kind that made the tears sear a trail down your skin and hurt you more than helped release the pain in your heart.
He knew he loved her, he still loved her more than anything. If he could take away the pain that she was feeling right now, he would. Moving up quietly behind her, he wrapped his arms around her, and held her close, whispering soft things in French in her ear and wiping the tears from her eyes.
She sniffled, hiccoughing a few times before she finally was able to speak. "Remy...Ah'm so sorrah. Ah nevah wanted ta hurtcha. Ah love ya so much, and ya don' hafta love me no more, Ah jus' can't bare foah ya ta hate me."
She buried her face in his chest and for a moment he thought she would cry again. When she didn't, he slowly leaned back away from her, taking her chin in his hand and tilting it up so her eyes met his. "Chere...ya gotta know dat Remy couldn't love no one but you." His voice was choked full of emotion, and even though he tried to come off as a flirt, his eyes seeped sincerity and the thing that meant the most to Rogue, forgiveness.
Her eyes welled up with tears again, but they didn't fall. They just stayed in her eyes to make them glisten like gems, and Remy lowered his face to hers and their lips locked. At first, there was the slightest of tugs from her powers, but then it died away, and they shared a kiss so full of love and passion that anyone looking on would have surely looked away, knowing they stumbled upon something wholly intimate and truly sweet. Something that if interrupted would surely be marked as a sin.
***
While two lovers were sharing a timeless embrace, and three team members tried to work a way out of their captor's snare, even though they knew not the identity of them, the lights just suddenly went out. It was like someone flicked the big switch and everything was turned off. Including, the collars.
The X-Men didn't need to be told twice, they quickly escaped from their electric powered cells, and since they had already studied the blueprints to the building, they made their way to the main part of the building, with only the poorly made collars as a memory that they had even been there.
***
Jean Grey and Dr. Bower met them in the main room, which was just a huge warehouse. The lights had come on in a matter of minutes courtesy of a backup generator, but by then, the X-Men had already reformed themselves and were ready for whatever their foe had to present them.
Jean quickly embraced Scott, and addressed him as well as the rest of the group, while Katie went to go stand by "her" Cajun. Rogue glaring at her all the while in almost a child-like way where one kid has a candy bar the other wants.
Jean frowned lightly. "Obviously whoever we are dealing with isn't the brightest of the baddies we've encountered. All of their main circuitry was rooted to one generator, and once we took that out if just cut all their systems down for three minutes until their back-up generators kicked in."
Hank scratched his head a wide smile showing his fangs. "What a most brilliant idea."
Jean shrugged. "Actually, it was Katie who knew all the stuff, I just carried it out. Plus the fact that whoever made this factory are really morons."
Katie blushed, everything in her little world seeming to come together. Little does she know that it is far from the truth.
Cyclops quickly took lead of the team. "Alright, we'll still go ahead as planned, I don't think that there are any captives left. I think they took the lead from the little blackout. Rogue and Gambit --"
"You think you're pretty smart, dontcha X-geeks?" A high pitched voice came from above them exposing a little man, with long yellow hair pulled into a pony-tail, and balancing on what looked like a hovering surfboard, white lab coat billowing out behind him.
Floating beside him was a rather beautiful girl. Eyes of darkest raven and hair of crimson silk...and that was just the appetizer. The main dish was a well kept body, with what looked like an opera dress, shredded beyond recognition and floating about her seemingly with it's own will. "We can't let you destroy our hard work. Get back in your cages like good little rats, or we'll put you back." Her voice was beautiful and sort of sing-songy, but was laced with a nastyness. She would be great at phone sex.
Hank balanced himself on his front paws eyeing the villains. "You must admit, they are rather inspiring in their perseverance." He chuckled to himself, and landed on his back feet.
Scott frowned lightly. "So that's what happened to the Bird. That's Siryn. She emits a rather destructive force from her vocal cords and I don't recognize him." Almost unconciously, the more willing to battle members of the X-Men had gathered in a circle, putting their team mates at their back, while Katie and Hank tried to inconspicuously stand in the background.
Storm raised her arms and her eyes turned milk-white, an unseen force lifted her into the air about equal with the other two.
Rogue took Storm's lead and lifted herself into the air, grateful, however little, for the return of her powers.
Instantly the others broke away and begun spreading themselves out to do as much damage as they could to the area itself, with Cyclops staying behind for back-up in case they needed him.
Siryn took a deep breath, ready to belt out another tune when Storm lifts her arms again. "Let us see how well you can sing if you can't breathe." A wicked smile comes to her lips and the doors fly open, window's shattering with the force the Weather Witch exerts. Suddenly, a cyclone of dirt and wind pick up around Siryn, and before she can knock the sense out of the two, she's choking. Grabbing at her throat, she can barely utter a sound, so much as belt out a tune to knock the two out. The wind goes 'round and 'round faster and faster until little cuts appear on the surface of her skin, Storm only relents when the girl passes out, she dumping her body in a corner.
Rogue had kept her eyes on the short and greasy one weaving about on his home-made flying surf board. Darting infront of him, she aims a swing at him. "Where do ya think yoah goin' sugah?" But she misses, a small growl coming from her lips as he flies straight towards Katie, who is watching Gambit throw some explosive cards onto an assembly line.
"Katie!" But she turns too late, and the mutant who calls himself Life Force scoups Katie up, and drains her energy...he would have killed her, but Rogue comes up behind him and knocks his board out from under him, he plummeting to the ground. She dips low to catch Katie and deposit her with Hank. Finding out to her dismay that he wasn't knocked out, only a yellowish glow coming from his body. He throws out his hands and blasts of destructive concussive energy, yellow and sickeningly looking in their own respect, hurt towards Rogue.
She manages to dodge the first few, flying up in the air and darting around with the expertise of one who has practiced such maneuvering. He obviously hadn't practiced very much, and the life force he had stolen from Katie was quickly running out. The blasts getting smaller and smaller. Rogue doubled back around, picking up a spare piece of metal that was most of what was left in the assembly area, taking aim, and swinging, knocking the little man all the way across the room. She lands, a smile on her lips. "An' it's outta tha park!"
****
Alright. I know that whole last part sucked to hell and back. But you know what? I don't care. I'm almost done with this fic and I'm proud of it. The villains aren't mind either, they are some I just dug up, and I know the appearances of both are prolly wrong, but they are how I saw them in my mind given the info I had. I suck at fight sequences, they are something I defiantly need to work on....so be patient with me.
What else? Oh yeah! Thanks s'more to Randi! You're awesome, and I promise just as soon as this is done I'll work on yours. I just have to get this done now, or it'll never be done.
Oh yeah, I don't know if any of that electrical stuff sounded believable, I just couldn't think of anything else.
