Ace of Hearts

Chapter 11

By Kanshisha Tenshi

~[ 3 ]~

            "Any luck, Professor?"

            "No, Scott.  But if we find no trace of her by tomorrow you may take Jean and Kurt with you to follow the Acolytes."

            "Yes, Professor."

~[ 3 ]~

            "Would you like to try our new veggie salad sandwich for 99 cents?"

            "No, thank you, Philip.  But there is something you can help me with."

            "Yes?"  The man pulled out a gun, concealing it from the others' sight, but Philip saw it.  "Do you want the money?"

            "No.  Come outside with me."

            Outside, Mystique changed back to her natural form.  She tossed the fun aside and led Philip by the arm away from the restaurant.

            "You could've waited until my shift was over, Myst.  You know I would've come."

            "I have a job for you," she said quietly.

            "Good, because I'm about to be fired from this one," he mumbled bitterly.  "The things I go through for you..."  He shook his head.  "Raven, you know I only help you because you're friends with my aunt.  Does she know about this?"

            "Destiny knows everything."

            "Oh, yeah, I forgot," he replied sarcastically.  "So what is it you want?"

            "Magneto has successfully captured my daughter and a friend of hers.  I believe you know them."  She glanced at him sideways, pausing for suspense.  "Rogue and Neutra."

            "Lauren?" he asked, alarmed.

            "Yes, Lauren.  I hear Rogue has absorbed her--completely.  I want you to employ your powers to restore her."

            "Hardly a job.  If I'd known before I could've--"

            "Silence.  The plan is more elaborate than that," she snapped.  He listened silently to her explanation.

~[ 3 ]~

            Magneto and Sabertooth had gone to New York city for the rest of the week on business.  Gambit forced LaRogue--his mutilated "French" abbreviation for Lauren/Rogue--to promise not to run back to the institute.

            She walked into Gambit's room.  She was bored, and needed something to do, read, write, or draw.

            ::Check out the card on the nightstand.::

            She picked it up.  Two of Spades.

            What the hell?

            ::Maybe it's a kind of symbolism.  What time is it?::

            1:25.  But it's a school day!

            ::He could be getting out early.  Now, where do people use spades?::

            In gardens, when they're maintaining them.

            ::Good.  That rules out the back yard.  Where's the closest real garden?::

            In New York.  Madison Square Gardens.

            ::Now you're getting it, kid.  Meet him at 2:00 in Madison Square Gardens.::

            Ya're good.

            ::As if there were ever any doubt.::

~[ 3 ]~

            "He's lucky Ah had money with meh," LaRogue mumbled.  "Othahwise Ah might not've made it here on time."

            ::Oh, stop complaining, kid.  What matters is that we're here.::

            She walked over to a bench on the outside of the gardens and waited.  She didn't hear him sneak up behind her.

            "Remy!  Ya low-life swamp rat!"  Then Lauren took over.  "Ah'm so glad t' see ya, sugah.  Ya're right on time, too.  So why're we meetin' here?"

            "Remy wanted t' take you sightseein', chére.  An' you, too," he said, tapping her forehead.  Tentatively, he pressed an ungloved finger against her chin.  Lauren's powers instinctively rose up to smother Rogue's, bringing a smile to Remy's face when nothing happened to him.

            "Yo' an angel, chére.  An angel in m' angel's head."  He grinned lopsidedly.  LaRogue couldn't help but smile back.  Kissing her on the cheek, he led her into the gardens.

~[ 3 ]~

            "Yes Professor, we're fine," Rogue assured him over the phone.

            "Are you certain you do not wish to return?"

            "Ah told ya, we're workin' t' stop Magneto.  He thinks we've joined 'em."

            "Very well.  I trust the two of you."

            "Thank ya.  Goodbye."  Raven Darkholme hung up the payphone.

~[ 3 ]~

            "Ready t' go t' school, chéres?"

            LaRogue groaned.  "Can't Ah just take the entire week off?" she asked sleepily.  Gambit smiled.

            "Sorry, chére, but de whole school's startin' t' wonder what happened t' deir favorite goth."

            "Sure they are, sugah.  Ah'll bet."

            "Bettin's good fo' you."

            "Shut up an' gimme some clothes, swamp rat."

            "Not much o' a mornin' person," he mumbled.

            "Ah ain't gonna wear that!" she yelled as Gambit walked back in carrying a bundle of clothing.

            "We don' have any clothes fo' filles," he explained.  "Yo' in a house full o' fils.  Gambit's got some black clothing.  We pick up some gloves on de way t' school so people t'ink you de same, non?"  He tossed her the black pants and shirt he'd gotten out of his closet.

            "Fine."  They stood there looking at each other.  "Well?  What ya waitin' fo', swamp rat?  Ah ain't dressin' in front o' ya."

            "Sorry, petite."  He stepped out and closed the door.

~[ 3 ]~

            "Is/are the sheila/sheilas comin' to school, mate?"

            "'Course dey are."

            "Good.  We can keep an eye on her/them that way."

            "'m sorry 'bout how t'ings turned out, homme."

            "Don't worry 'bout it, mate."

            "Sure t'ing."  He worried about it.  Pyro's eyes were developing dark rings around them from the lack of sleep he'd had since it had happened.  Gambit knew it tore his heart to shreds when St. John had found Lauren's limp form holding onto Rogue's hand.  Absorbed completely.  It had stunned the entire household.  No one knew what to do about the girls'...condition.  They hadn't buried the body because, in a sense, she was still alive--in someone else's head.  Remy also knew Rogue considered herself to have "killed" Lauren even though she was still, technically, there.  He rubbed his forehead; the whole situation was giving him a headache.

            LaRogue stepped out and Remy smirked.

            "Remy t'ink he like seein' you in his clothes, petite."

            "'Petite' is right, Cajun.  Ya're too tall.  The clothes are saggin'."

            "Well, we jus' tell people i's a new fashion, non?  Trés magnifique."  She rolled her eyes.

            "Swamp rat."

            "River rat."

~[ 3 ]~

            LaRogue was pulled aside harshly as she was walking into school.

            "Before you scream, it's just me."

            "That's reason t' scream, sugah."  Mystique scowled.

            "Listen.  Your friend's gone and you're being held against your will, even though I think you could escape at any time.  Now, your friends back at Xavier's think you're pretending to work with Magneto because you're on a self-planned mission that now involves Neutra.  They believe Neutra's still alive, so you're damn lucky that Cajun bought you gloves so you can keep the same look as you did before.  The school won't suspect a thing now.  They think you were out sick.  But you need someone to pose as Lauren until we get this situation fixed and under control."

            "What do ya mean 'fixed'?  Ah--"

            "Listen.  I have a plan to get this whole mess straightened out, but I need your cooperation.  Are you with me?"

            "What's th' catch?"

            "I want Magneto dead."

            "Easier said than done, sugah."

            "No, I don't want you to kill him.  You're just a pawn in my plan.  On the contrary, I want to be the one to claim his death.  You're going to get me to their hideout, neutralize him, and in return you'll be free and an acquaintance of mine will help you and Lauren."  LaRogue eyed her suspiciously.

            "Fine, but if ya try anythin' Ah'll stop ya before ya can say 'terrorist bitch.'"  Mystique morphed into Lauren and the two/three walked into school.

~[ 3 ]~

            Gambit looked at LaRogue questioningly.

            "Ah'll tell ya latah," she said regarding Mysten (Mystique/Lauren).

~[ 3 ]~

            LaRogue sought out the Acolytes at lunch with Mysten at her heels.

            "Ya know, Mystique, Ah'm gettin' real tired o' ya posin' as mah friend."

            "Just checking up on my darling daughter," she replied sarcastically.  They sat down next to Pyro, who did not meet Mysten's level gaze.  "We have a plan to get her back.  You won't be lonely much longer," she sneered.

            "Jus' don' talk, petite."

            "No one asked you."

            "No one needed t'."

            "All right, ya'll, knock it off.  Mystique, shut up and act like Lauren.  Gambit, shut up and come here."

            "Why, chérie?"

            "Just do it."  He nodded and scooted over to where she sat under the tree.  "Closah," she baited, inconspicuously balling her right hand into a fist.  He scooted closer.  "Now close ya eyes..."  He did...

            ...And she kissed him sweetly on the lips.

            The bell rang, and the two/three headed for P.E.

~[ 3 ]~

            LaRogue actually enjoyed P.E. today.  She talked with Kurt, played one-on-one basketball against Remy (a tie), and pulled pranks on some of the most annoying popular jackasses that took particular pleasure from mutant-bashing.  She used Neutra's more hidden ability to trip them by causing their legs to stop functioning, one at a time.  She laughed as she watched them try to move their legs, which were still held fast by LaRogue's powers.

~[ 3 ]~

            LaRogue rode home with gambit on the motorcycle that afternoon.  But while they came closer to the Bayville mall, Lauren took over and grabbed hold of the handlebars from behind Remy, steering them into the half-empty parking lot.

            "We need clothes," she commanded.  He sighed and parked and bike, and the two/three of them walked through the sliding glass doors.

~[ 3 ]~

            Rogue was absolutely repulsed, mostly because of the shopping.  One thing really bothered her, though.

            The room in her mind was absolutely spotless.  She could understand neatness, but there was nothing out of place.  So while Lauren ran Remy's flow of cash dry, she messed up the room.  She imagined posters on the wall, and they appeared; rock music playing, and it was so; CDs, wrappers, and other miscellaneous items on the floor, and there they were.  She sat back on one of the plush chairs she thought up with a satisfied smile gracing her lips.

            Now it felt just right.

            Lauren was going to freak.

~[ 3 ]~

Author's Notes:  I know practically nothing about New York, so, yeah.  Did you like this chapter as well?  I managed to bring back Mystique like I think I said I would, and Philip may be playing a part soon.

Writing X-Men:  Evolution fanfic is fun.  It involves excess apostrophes and misspellings for accents, and lots of word mutilations, e.g. LaRogue and Mysten.  So, please review.

As for mindless rambling...

Evanescence has two songs on the soundtrack, actually:  "My Immortal" from the funeral of Elektra's father and "Bring Me To Life," which I mentioned in the last chapter's author's notes.  I don't think Elektra died, it just looks like she did, because at the end Matt found a charm in brail on the rooftop.  She was the only one who knew he wanted a charm necklace with brail on it, because they'd talked about it before they made love. *cough, cough*

Oh, and I figured I could possibly do a sequel to this one if I manage to make it work out like I want it to.  Also, once/if I finish the sequel I might start doing some Romy songfics since there aren't nearly enough Romy stories out there for my taste in the Evo department.  Once I'm done with at least this one I may take song requests and try my hand at writing stories to go with the songs.  Angst, mush, I do as much as I can.  In the words of Ben Stein, "I shall do my best."  Wish me luck, God bless you all, and please review!