Ah, my comic book urges have been satiated for at least another couple of weeks, if only because the newest Hopeless Savages mini-series has begun. If you are a comic book fan (hell, if you are an –anything- remotely awesome) and just happen to like punk music, you should be reading some Hopeless Savages. One of the best non-superhero books I've ever read. ^.^ Not counting Maus, of course. But do not get me started on a comic book rant. Else I may just go on forever.
Well, here is Chapter Three. We're back to Rogue, and a wee bit of action in there to make things more interesting. Hope everyone enjoys it. This chapter was a lot of fun to write, for obvious reasons. I really shouldn't have made it so long though. These chapters just get longer and longer. Oh well. Should be enough to tide ya'all over for a week or so, right? But no more comments from me until after the chapter! Toodles.
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3/?
Had A Bad Day Again
ChaosCat
29 June 2003
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Rogue awoke to a steady pounding in her head, like someone had taken a sledgehammer to the back of her neck. It was worse than one of Logan's training sessions. She let out a groan, lashes fluttering as she found back the darkness threatening to overtake her once more. As her emerald orbs fought to bring the world into focus, she found herself gazing into the most unusual irises she'd ever seen. Her breath caught in her throat, her headache momentarily forgotten.
Crimson irises rimmed in ebony. No hint of white evident in those ebony depths. Eyes of a demon, the thought fluttered across her mind before she could squash it. And yet, it was apt for these orbs. So unusual. And such vaguely familiar ones at that.
"Ah, la beauté de sommeil se réveille. » A rich, masculine chuckle accompanying those words brought Rogue back to her senses. As did the close proximity of this other person.
A loner by necessity if not nature, Rogue never reacted well to close conditions with others. It was her nature to protect her own psyche, as well as the well-being of the other person. Thus, it was her responsibility to stay away, for fear of hurting anyone else. In this case, she did what came natural : balled up her fist and sucker punched the guy. Logan, with all his defense training lectures, would have been proud had he been there to see Rogue's blow topple the man in a flurry of trench coat and auburn hair.
Rogue jerked herself up from her prone position, becoming aware of her surroundings almost instantly. She was on a couch, that odd detail scarcely registering as they second wave of headache hit her, bringing vertigo along for the ride. The room swayed as her gaze searched it. An apartment, by the look of it. Sparsely yet tastefully decorated. The sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting the room in shadows. Loft-styled, with spacious living room and huge windows letting in the view of the city. City?
How the hell did she end up in the city? Assuming this was New York at all. Or here for that matter ? Where was here ? And where were the other X-Men ? And why did her head feel like a jackhammer was at work somewhere within her mind ?
She put one gloved hand to her head, wincing. It really hurt.
« Mon Dieu! » An amused voice drew her attention. « De femme really pack a punch ! »
« You ! » She hissed, getting her first good look at her. . . attacker ? Captor ? She wasn't quite sure how to classify him just yet.
The man stood before her, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. His tall, lithe frame was currently positioned between her and the door, not that she could really run at the moment. Unruly auburn hair framed a chiseled face. Those unusual eyes stared out at her from that handsome visage. Clad in a black turtleneck and relaxed black pants covered by a brown trench coat, he looked ever the suave, self-assured charmer. He could only be a few years older than her, but somehow he exuded an air of experience and maturity. And charm.
« Ah, de chere remember Gambit ? » She didn't miss the cocky note in the Cajun's voice.
His accent was thick, the French interwoven in his speech. And it gave his origins away just as quickly. Especially to Rogue, who was a Southern herself, knew what a real New Orleans's accent sounded like. Gambit. She caught the name and stored it for future reference.
« Swamp Rat ! » She spat out. « Ah remember ya all right. Ya nearly blew mah hand off ! »
How could she forget ? He was one of Magneto's Acolytes. The cocky little Cajun with the exploding cards. And demon eyes. He'd nearly had her the first time they met, handing her one of those charged cards of his. Part of it was her fault, she had to admit, for staring at him like some little lost puppy. But there had been something so compelling at him. That smile.
She pulled a disgusted face. She was the Rogue, right ? She didn't act like that, especially not over some cocky boy. She didn't get stupid little crushes, especially not after what had happened with Scott. Especially not with one of the enemy. Her head hurt too much to think about this right now.
« Swamp Rat ? » His brows came together. He looked almost hurt by her insult. « Dat was business. I'd much preferred to be called Remy, chere. Remy Lebeau de name. Sounds much nicer than 'swamp' rat, non ? »
« Business ? Then what do you call this ? » She snapped, glaring up at him.
« Pleasure ? » That same sexy grin was on his face. Only right now, she was in too much of a bad mood to appreciate it.
« What the hell do you want ? » She demanded, becoming increasingly confused by his friendly attitude.
He wasn't acting like one of Magneto's goons. In fact, he'd been nothing but nice to her since she'd been here. And 'nice' wasn't in Rogue's vocabulary. He wanted something. She was sure of it.
« Remy not want anything, chere. » He grinned. « 'Cept maybe a t'ank you for saving your life, eh ? »
« Saving mah life ? » Rogue blinked. Her head pounded so that she almost stumbled. The pain was enough to force her to sit back on the couch.
« Oui. » Remy took a step in her direction, but paused as Rogue held up a hand to ward him off. The Cajun only grinned, doing his best to look harmless. She was not fooled. « I t'ink maybe Rogue should lie down ? Dat dart knocked you out pretty good. »
« I don't think so. » She refused, watching Gambit warily, even through the man doing anything more suspicious than breathing at the moment. « What dart ? »
It came back to her in snatches. Bits of memory floating around in her brain. Leaving the Mansion. Alone. The walk. She'd been ambushed. The realization came as she dropped her head into her hands, focusing on the thread of memory which perhaps held memories. But they were all fuzzy, possibly due to the fact that she'd been shot with something. The dart that Cajun spoke of ?
Her fingers went to the back of her neck, the source of the throbbing pain, gently probing the area. Sure enough, there was a tender, slightly swollen area of flesh. She winced when her gloved fingers came in contact with it.
She'd turned. Only to realized she really wasn't alone. There'd been figures, dressed in black. Then what had happened ? She remembered falling, the urgency deep seated to stand, to fight. Only her legs weren't working, were they ? She'd been given some tranquillizer.
Combat gear. Weapons. Masked faces tumbled into her mind. Everything had been terribly fuzzy at that point. Well, that made sense, she thought with a scowl. Something exploded. A flash of light, then everything had gone black. She'd passed out. Rogue refused to think of it as fainting, as only completely idiotic women in those romance novels Kitty read (aloud at times, when the mood struck her) fainted.
So Gambit had rescued her. Or at least, he claimed to have. And now she was her. With the enemy.
« Shit. »
« Here. »
A plastic cup was shoved into her hand, drawing her out of her thoughts. She blinked at the clear contents before peering over at the lanky acolyte now lounging on the couch next to her.
« Drink de water, Chere, » he encouraged. « Help to clear your head. »
Rogue glared at him, much to his apparent amusement. She did, however, raise the cup to her lips.
« Don't worry, I didn't poison it. »
She paused, giving his words a second of serious thought before seeing the mischevious grin settle onto his features. She scowled, then took a gulp of water to sooth her parched throat. Her emerald gaze was hard as she turned it upon Gambit.
« Why ? »
Remy LeBeau was a man who staked his life on wagers. The particulars were unique, but the results always the same. He was Jean Luc's favorite son. The Prince of Thieves. What was life without risk ? Perhaps there was nothing but the risk. The adrenaline pumping moment when it came down to the wire. All or nothing. It was just those situations which made life worth living.
This was a wager in itself. Currently employed by Magneto, self-proclaimed Master of Magnetism and god among mutants, Gambit had brought a mutant home. Not just any mutant, one of the X-Men. He knew who she was, the Rogue, and he knew of her powers as well. And perhaps that was why he didn't move away, distance himself from her poisonous skin.
He regarded her from his lounging position upon the couch. Emerald eyes sparkling with defiance. Her face hidden beneath layers of make-up. Sleep trousled auburn hair with that streak of white. Unique. Like her. She was the untouchable one. The loner. The outcast. That alone made the game worthwhile. She was untouchable, a challenge like no other he had faced.
Remy'd been intrigued with her when they had first met. The way their eyes had held as he'd given her the card. But this, this was an importunity to much to pass up.
He grinned at her, flashing perfect white teeth.
« Remy find himself in de area. Can never turn down a belle femme in distress. » He leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. « 'Specially not one as beautiful as you, Chere. »
« That's awfully convenient, ain't it, Swamp Rat ? » She drawled back. « Ya just happened by in the nick of time ? »
« Oui. Good thing Gambit did, eh ? After all, you did go out all by yourself at night. »
« So ? »
« So, just saying dat's a bit suspicious. Just wondering what you be doing out der ? »
« None of your damn business. »
« Of course not, Chere. Remy just curious. »
« So curious you decided to rescue me ? »
« Oui, Chere. » He was enjoying this immensely. Watching her especially. The way her eyes flashed as she gave an angry retort. The downturn of her painted lips.
« Ah don't buy it. And mah name ain't Chere. »
« Yes, I'm well aware of dat. I also know you're gonna be suspicious of anything I say. Il est juste votre nature. » He shrugged. « But it's the truth. Remy was doing a job for his employer- »
« Ya mean Magneto. » Rogue spat out the name.
« Oui. » Remy nodded. « And when I see a belle femme in trouble, what choice do I have ? »
« So you know nothin' 'bout any men in black comin' afta me ? »
« Non. Don't you know ? » Gambit was only faintly surprised to discover she was not aware of the identity of her attackers.
« No clue. » She looked perplexed, chewing at her bottom lip for a moment. Though her eyes still watched him suspiciously. She didn't trust him. He didn't blame her, although it was only a matter of time before her won her over. No woman could resist the charms of Remy LeBeau.
« Very dangerous for you, Chere. Perhaps you need protection ? »
« Not from the lahkes of you, » she shot back venomously.
"You wound me."
"Ah only wish." She turned away from him, looking over the apartment. "What's this place supposed ta be, your base?"
"Non, this be Remy's home. You like?" He tilted his head to the side, regarding her profile.
Her only response was a little snort.
"What sort of job?"
"Ah," he responded vaguely. "Just a bit of this and dat."
She turned back to him. The suspicion was still there, but there was also a flicker of curiosity lurking beneath that cold façade. Remy smiled. It was exactly as he'd planned.
"Which is?"
"I'm a t'ief, Chere." He announced, just a twinge of pride in his voice. He watched her close, reading the subtle art of her body language. The corners of her lips twitched, fighting a smile. "Not just any t'ief, Gambit de best."
"Oh really?"
"Oui. Don't ya believe me, Chere?"
"Mah name ain't Chere, Swamp Rat," she shot back at him. "It's Rogue."
"I know that, Chere." He chuckled. "But, I hadn't been properly introduced."
Without giving her time to protest, or pull away, the Cajun plucked her hand from her lap and brought it to his lips. She gaped at him.
Those crimson eyes never left her face. He was insane. That infuriating Cajun was absolutely insane! She was in absolute shock for a moment, her head pounding in her chest, blood rushing to her ears. She jerked her hand back, involuntarily scooting her entire body away from him. Her face felt hot. Oh gawd! She wasn't blushing, was she? Rogue did not blush.
Gambit, on the other hand, seemed amused.
"Easy," he said soothingly. "I'm not gonna bite."
"It's not you Ah'm worried about, Swamp Rat."
No, she was worried about having yet another person's memories in her head. The possibility of perhaps killing another person. The thought of the charming Cajun (and even Rogue had to admit, if only to herself, that he was charming) hurting her hadn't crossed her mind in that instant.
"I'm not scared, Chere." He gave her a rakish grin. "Remy knows what y'or powers are."
That fact that he knew didn't come as any great shock to her. After all, Magneto was aware of her mutation and it made sense that he'd keep his lackeys informed. It was the fact that he'd known and willingly chosen to touch her. He'd saved her from, erm, something, and brought her here. And he'd been relatively nice to her. Most people, upon discovering the poisonous nature of her skin, would back off immediately. Distance themselves from her. Gambit hadn't shown that distaste. That initial flinch at the mere possibility of touching her. But then, he was a cocky character, and a bit too charming for her tastes.
She didn't have time to play these games. Especially not when she wasn't even sure why some random thugs had gone after her the night before. Maybe Logan or the Professor would know something.
Rogue gasped, shooting to her feet in an instant, the vertigo forgotten. The professor! How could she have forgotten?
"How long was Ah out?" She demanded, hands on her hips.
Gambit shrugged, propping his legs up on the table.
"Few hours, mebbe." He estimated. "Missed sunrise."
Rogue groaned.
"Oh, the Professor is gonna kill me! And Logan, oh Gawd! Ah am so screwed!"
"Dat could be a problem."
"Could be?" Rogue whirled around to glare at him, her hands poised on her hips. Emerald eyes blazed with fury. She was fully prepared to unleash that fury upon him only to discover his attention was no longer upon her.
"Shhh, Chere." He rose in a fluid motion.
"Wha-" Rogue's outburst was effectively silenced by Remy placed two gloved fingers on her lips. She blinked. What the hell did he think he was doing?
"We're about to be getting' some company." He grinned at her, pulling a card from his pocket with a practiced flick of his wrist.
***
"I hope she's alright." Kitty sighed forlornly, clutching her books to her chest as she continued trudging down the hall.
"Hey, this is Rogue we're talking about." Kurt tried to cheer her up, putting an arm around her. "If anyone can take care of themselves, it's my sister. Without a doubt."
The two paused next to Kurt's locker. Even though his voice was cheerful, Kitty could tell that the fuzzy elf was just as worried as she was about their friend. She did consider Rogue a friend, whether or not Rogue wanted it. Of course, Rogue was just a friend that was a little hard to deal with at times. She placed her fingertips over his hand and squeezed gently, a silent show of appreciation.
"I know you're right Kurt." She gave him a half-hearted smile.
"I only wish we could do something, instead of being stuck here!" He gestured to the school around them. Students went on with their business, heading to and from classes in the general uproar. "I feel so. . ."
"Useless?"
Both students turned to see Jean standing there, for once without her entourage of giggling blondes and cheerleaders. The redhead smiled at the two of them wryly.
"I feel the same way."
Kurt's shoulders slumped. Yeah, but it wasn't her sister that had gone missing. No matter how much Rogue protested, Kurt was not about to be deterred. They were family now.
~X-Men! Assemble at the Mansion immediately. Cerebro has located Rogue.~
The presence of Charles Xavier filled their minds for just a moment, the announcement coinciding with the bell signaling the beginning of last period. The three of them looked at each other, and in the next few minutes, several young mutants scrambled to make their excuses from class. Those that bothered to do so at all.
***
As the man lost consciousness, Rogue dropped him to the floor, momentarily overwhelmed by a fresh wave of memories that were not her own. Unfortunately, none of the information in the man (James, his name was James, she amended, although she'd never seen him before she'd ripped the mask from his face) was prevalent to her. Or why there were suddenly men with guns charging through the apartment.
Just as Gambit had predicted, they'd soon had unwelcome company in the form of the heavily armed men. The Cajun had pushed her back down the hallway into one of the smaller rooms and told her to behave herself, much to her annoyance. He'd then, of course, run off to play with their new friends.
She'd heard several things explode in the last few minutes, accompanied by much cursing. She wasn't about to be left out of the fun, as she'd just proved by rendering three of them incapacitated. They'd burst into the room just moments before, but hadn't counted on her readiness to fight them. Two down from just her combat skills, and the third by just a touch. She'd been hoping to find out who had sent them. Unfortunately, it had been a wasted effort. His memories were worthless. He'd been more worried about paying for his new car than the mission.
Rogue plucked his gun up from the floor. She frowned, listening as something exploded from the living room. She expertly checked the newly acquired weapon. She'd never had training with weapons before, but somehow, the weapon felt right in her hands. Her fingers moving deftly over the metal surface of the gun, caressing it. It was loaded with six darts. The same kind they'd hit her with earlier. She knew little about the substance, but enough to know that it was powerful enough to knock a man flat in less than a minute.
She resolutely headed back down the hall to the living room. A new sound caught her attention, a low, steady hissing. She recognized it, or rather, the part of James that she had absorbed did.
The living room was filled with a thick, noxious smelling gas. It was also completely wrecked, furniture shattered and unconscious black garbed figures strewn about. She coughed, bringing up a sleeved arm to cover her nose from the fumes and crouched low to the ground. Gambit was nowhere to be seen, which did not surprise her. Had he left her there in favor of saving his own skin? Rotten Cajun.
The enemy, on the other hand, had not left.
She caught glimpses of them through the gas. Raising the gun, she took careful aim. Her arm was steady, training she'd never had flowing through her. It was an odd experience, just like anytime she'd used the skills of another. Squeezing the trigger, she watched her target drop to the ground bonelessly. Her dark lips twisted upwards into a pleased smile, only to fall as heads turned in her direction.
"Oh shit."
A hand grabbed her arm, yanking her back into the smoke. She was about to jerk away when the air exploded with gunshots. They were shooting at her now, she realized, as she was half-dragged, half-stumbled away.
"Dat be an understatement." The Cajun chuckled. "I think dey done playing with us now."
Rogue didn't reply, she was too busy trying not to be shot. Thankfully, the gas was just as much of a hazard to them as to their opponents, who couldn't see in it either.
"Brace yourself, chere." Gambit warned her as he yanked Rogue clear off her feet, bridal style. "Time to make an exit."
Rogue would have asked him what the hell he thought he was doing, but discovered it quickly enough on her own. He carried her weight effortlessly, gliding through the main room, and quickly running out of space. He leapt, rolled his shoulder in, and slammed it through the big bay window. It shattered spectacularly, showering everything in glass. The sunlight was blinding for a moment.
Then they were plummeting to the ground, forty feet below at an alarming speed, the sounds of cursing flitting behind them. Rogue found she didn't have the breath to scream.
Their landing was in a tall group of hedges that bordered the street. At least Gambit's was. He landed on his back, Rogue landing on top of him, the side of her face against his chest. She glared up at him through a curtain of white-streaked auburn hair.
"That was fun, non?" He grinned, picking a bit of twig from her hair.
She frowned, but before he had given her a chance to respond, he had them both on their feet. They were off running again, this time pushing their way past curious on-lookers who were gaping on the sidewalk. Rogue glanced behind her to see a masked face watching them leave from the shattered window four stories above the ground The gun was gone. They didn't seem to want to make a scene on a busy street. They'd be after them soon enough. She concentrated on running.
"How did they find us?"
"Mebbe they follow us? Mebbe they just good. Or mebbe, they got a tracker."
"That doesn't inspire much confidence in me."
"Oui."
And they rounded the corner.
"Now for the get away."
"How do you suggest that?" She huffed.
This was insane, she found herself thinking. Hadn't yesterday been almost normal? As normal as things got when you were a mutant, and part of the X-Men. Being chased by masked men and stuck with a crazy Cajun who was far too charming for his own good was not normal.
Gambit stopped suddenly, Rogue right behind him. She didn't have to ask why they stopped. Parked at the curb was a motorcycle. Rogue, who knew a little about bikes from Logan, placed it as one of the more pricey models.
"Hop on, Chere." Gambit ordered.
"This yours?"
"For now."
"That's reassuring coming from a thief."
"How did you think Remy got you here? He not going to carry you around."
He wasn't serious, was he? After all, he was an acolyte. She was an X-Man. Rogue looked up at him. He was already sitting on the bike, the motor revving. Gambit looked over at her, raising one of those eyebrows as he gave a shrug.
She had no other options. She read it in his crimson eyes. Without giving pause to think about it, Rogue slide on the bike behind him. She didn't have a choice.
She'd no more than gotten seated before the bike kicked off the curb, forcing her to wrap her arms around his waist in order to stay on.
"Bastard."
She knew he heard her over the wind, but he made no reply. They sped off, disappearing into the New York City traffic.
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Well, that was fun, right? This chapter really didn't answer any questions. But all will be revealed in good time. Honest. Hope the action-ish part of this wasn't too crappy. Sometimes I really think I cannot write fight scenes. Also apologize for my horrid grammar, and my horrid French. Any mistakes in there I take full responsibility for.
I think I could write Rogue/Remy dialogue forever, however. They just have a mind of their own when I am writing them. I want something to happen, and they are just doing their own thing. Honestly, don't these characters ever listen to the authoress? However, they just aren't in mushy lovey goodness yet. But both are definitely intrigued by the other. Hope that came across in my writing. I hope everyone was in character. Someone please let me know if I'm horribly off-base here.
Personally, I really don't like Jean Grey. Just thought I'd get that out of the way. But, I will refrain from bashing her during the course of this fic, because well, she really isn't a bitch. Just incredibly close to perfect in every way. That does not mean that she might not be getting an ass beating later in this fic. But I will say no more on that subject.
Sending my thanks out to Chaka, Yumiko, Taineyah, Catt, bunny angel, beth (who calls them x-women, and makes me giggle), Makura Koneko (who is holding me to Romyness which I will deliver! eventually), and problem?.
Ishandahalf – Yay! You did the fangirl squeal! Hope this chapter was squeal-worthy as well, else I might have to hide behind my keyboard else suffer your wraith! Don't worry, my ROMY obsessive ness knows no bounds these days. I ooze over them in the comics too. ^.^
Girl Number 1 – Don't we all hate Duncan? I don't see him as a villain though. Although that WOULD make a rather funny fanfic. "BOW TO MY EVIL JOCK POWERS!" Thanks for your ideas! Hope you like the new chapter.
See you folks in about a week. ^.^