Everything Important - An X-Men evolution fanfic by Remedy=Chill – A simple man and a simple fan.
Chapter One: Two of a Kind
Rogue picked up her pen. Although she knew this would not be easy to put on paper, she desperately wanted some record of how it had all happened.
"Ah've heard it said that no girl ever forgets her first love. And Ah guess I never really thought about it, as mah particular mutation makes it all but impossible to experience any intimate human contact.
But Ah did have a first love, and the story, our story, is one worth writing down and remembering. Ah know, Ah never want to forget a moment of it. And when Ah'm old and mah hair finally becomes a uniform color again, Ah want to open these pages, all faded and yellowed with time, and I want to lose mahself in them, like Ah lost mahself in him.
His name was Abair. Pronounced Ay-B-air. It's French and they tell me it's spelled 'Herbert'. But after looking at it on the page, I just can't convince mahself to spell it that way, so his name was Abair.
And he loved me more than anyone else, ever before.
Ah first met him when he came home with Kurt. It was a Friday, and Kurt had been walking home from detention at school when a few of the jerks from the football team tried to corner him. They knew that Kurt lived here at the mansion and that more than likely, he was a mutant.
Kurt's quick you see, but he doesn't want anyone to know what his real power is – so he was trying to escape on foot. And Ah've got no doubt that he could have outwitted and lost them on his own.
But Abair saw them trying to corner him – and the sight of all those big guys, moving in on mah little brother Kurt, well, it just set his blood to boiling. And he stomped three or four of them, right on the spot.
Later, Kurt would tell me that he fought like Logan, fierce and brutal, but obviously without any training.
It seemed that he had been to the mansion before, and seen pictures of Kurt while there. Abair knew that Kurt "Belonged to Xavier" and he had been on his way to the mansion at the time.
Kurt told me the story while Abair was behind closed doors, with the Professor.
And a few hours later I saw them, Abair and Xavier out on the dock, which is off our back lake.
Abair looked very thoughtful, sitting on the dock, next to Xavier's chair. Ah remember it was sunset, and the water was a soft, reflected orange.
Abair was rail thin. He wore black jeans with zippers running at all angles, all over them, and a netting muscle shirt. A thick and heavy chain ran from his belt in to his back pocket. His hair was short, dark, and spiked.
He looked like trouble. And Ah knew right away, Ah wanted a little trouble in mah life.
The conversation didn't look all that important, so I strolled on down to say hello. "
Rogue put down her pen on the page and cast a glance out the window, and the memories came flowing back. Soon she had lost herself in them. And while it is true that her story is well worth remembering, it's only a part of greater story, one which she herself does not fully see yet. And it began, like this:
"Rogue." The Professor spun his chair to face her. "I would like you to meet …" He paused.
"Just Abair these days, Professor." He smiled and took her hand. "The Professor has told me a lot about you."
"I have." Xavier smiled. "Abair will be staying with us, well, let's just say, for a few weeks."
"Until I officially accept a semi-permanent position he's offered me." He finished.
"Yes." The Professor said slowly. "And I thought you might enjoy each other's company until it was time for Abair to begin his contractual commitments."
"Ah see." Rogue said, indicating that she really did not
"It's really not important." Abair assured her. "The Professor managed to score me some tickets to The Dysfunction tonight – they're playing next town over. Would you like to come?"
"Ah can't. Ah'm sorry. Curfew here's ten o'clock – and that show doesn't start until eleven." She smiled sadly and absently stamped her foot.
"You can go, if you would like to." Xavier said slowly.
"Ah can?" She asked.
"I trust you." Xavier smiled – obviously referring to the secret they share (See The Secret by Remedy=Chill). "And Abair's time here is – sadly limited." He looked to Abair as though he might have something to add, but he simply crossed his arms.
"So?" Abair said "Do you want to go?" He smiled at her and she noticed his earring. It was a small silver skull hanging from a chain.
"Of course." She smiled wide. "When are we leaving?"
Abair glanced back at Xavier and then to Rogue. "Nine." He told her, soaking her in appreciatively.
She felt flush with his attention. "Ah'll be ready." She told him, backing her way back down the dock.
"Good." He smiled back at her and watched her turn to leave.
"Remember." Xavier told him. "Forty five seconds."
"Or less. I know." Abair smiled sadly at Xavier. "You were right." He said at last. "She's just my style."
"Rogue's become very special to me." The Professor admitted softly. "There was an incident – where she was rendered comatose. It was a condition that I know, from experience, I had little hope of combating on my own." (See Vacancy – Same Author)
Xavier looked Abair in the eye. "It was a very trying time for everyone."
"She seems to have recovered." Abair looked back toward the house, and saw Rogue cast a glance over her shoulder to see if he was still looking. He did nothing to disguise the fact that he was.
"And has gone well on toward womanhood as a result." Xavier too stared up towards the now closing door. "She has astounded me on more than one occasion since."
"I can always tell when a woman has caught a man with his pants down." Abair smiled at him sideways. "I know the look from too many mirrors."
Xavier chuckled. "She is crafty. I'd watch your secret if I were you."
"I will." He nodded. "But she's a good person, right?"
Xavier nodded. "Better than she knows, just lonely and a little afraid."
"I know all about those last two." Abair told him.
"I believe you do." Xavier told him. "Now, let's go pick out a car for you to take to the concert."
And Abair smiled again.