Disclaimer: Not mine!! Bummer!! X-Men b'long t' Marvel I'm just borrowin' 'em I'll play nice :) Adalida Savannah Phillips codename Whisper b'longs t' me. No money not a penny y' think someone would actually pay for this story (yeah right!)
Author's warnin' : If this chapter sucks blame it on the PPP (pink plot penguins) no bunnies here folks
~Thoughts~ A Whisper in the Night
Chapter 4
Tete de Tete (Talkin')
By: Rogue Marie LeBeau
Addie had just changed out of her uniform and back into her borrowed clothes. She had gotten the twenty-five cent tour of the mansion, a danger room schedule, a long list of chores.
Then she had her first danger room session nothing too tough, she was still recuperating. She had fought Jean and Scott it had been tough but they didn't even push her hard enough to work up a sweat.
~What have ah gotten mahself inta? ~ She thought with a smile.
But she knew exactly what she had gotten into... a family. A family who cared about each other. Not a family that hurt and used each other.
Scott bumped into Addie in the hallway. She was heading for the stairs.
"Oh, Addie, Jean wanted me to let you know that she and Jubilee are going to the mall around 4:00." Scott said passing on the message.
Addie turned to Scott to thank him.
"Thanks Scott, please let Jean know that'll b' fine. Hey Scott is it O.K. t' get sumthin' t' drink from the fridge?"
"Sure you don't have to ask," he said then added, "as long as it's not Logan's Molson."
Scott turned around just as Adalida reached the bottom of the stairs. He shook his head quiet certain that she hadn't heard the last part.
**************************************************************************************************
Logan was sitting at the kitchen table finishing off the last of his rare roast beef sandwich and a cold beer.
It was clear that Addie didn't notice him as she opened the fridge. Instead of talking to her he decided to just sit back and watch her.
Logan had down right refused to work with her in the danger room. She was distracting enough without seeing her fighting in that skintight uniform, and the last thing you wanted to be in the Danger room was distracted.
He had watched from the control room though. The girl wasn't even up to snuff but she really gave Scott and Jean a run for their money. Logan couldn't imagine her at the top of her game. That would be scary.
~She could probably even whip me~ he thought with a devious grin on his face.
Adalida pushed out of the way some old potato salad, some congealed orange juice, and an empty carton of milk before claiming her prize.
~O.K.~ she thought ~so ah've never hearda Molson but hey beer's beer. ~
She looked for a bottle opener in vain.
"Here let me get that for ya" Addie jumped at the sound of Logan's rough voice.
"I'm sorry kid I thought y' knew I was here" he lied.
"That's alright Logan, ah just came in here t' get sumthin' t' drink." She told him holding out the beer for him to open.
She flinched as he extended a claw and used it to open the beer.
"Here ya go Addie," he said handing her back the Molson.
"Thanks, Logan" she told him "Ah'm gonna go outside an' get some fresh air."
She finally found the bottle opener. She grabbed it and another Molson.
"Hey Logan can y' let me know when it's 3? Ah wanna lil' time b'fore ah go shoppin'."
"Sure thing" he agreed with a smile.
"Thanks Logan" Addie called before heading out the back door.
Logan only waited about 4 minutes before going to sit on the back porch.
**************************************************************************************************
"Ah brought this for y' " Addie had reached her destination. The small bench beside Marie's grave, where Gambit currently sat.
His eyes were huge as he looked at the two bottles of Logan's prized Molson and then back to Adalida.
"Ah am so sorry" she apologized as she started to walk away. "Maybe ah shouldn't o' come out here."
"Non petite s'o.k." he assured her "it's just, mais... does Logan know y' took his beer?"
"Yeah" she said with a look of relief.
"He helped me open this 'un." She held up her beer. "And stood there when ah got this 'un."
She held out the beer and bottle opener for Remy.
Gambit looked over Addie's shoulder and saw Wolverine sitting on the porch. Logan looked for all the world like a hungry dog watching over a particularly tasty bone. Seeing that and the innocent look on Adalida's face made him do something he couldn't remember doing since before Marie was diagnosed with cancer. He laughed.
He laughed so hard his sides hurt. He looked at Addie she didn't have a clue. This made him laugh even harder. He seriously thought he'd wet himself.
Adalida looked thoroughly confused.
"Are you O.K. Remy?" she asked him.
Her calling him by his first name brought him back to his senses. He just stood and stared at her for a minute before taking his beer and answering her.
"I'm fine Adalida," he told her "I just got tickled by sumtin' s'all. I'm sorry dat I wasn't in dere for y're initiation inta dis madness dat we like t' call de X-men. De professor let me know de details t'ough. So Whisper it is hein?"
"Ya ah guess so" she mumbled, "Ah don't even know if ah can cut it, as a X-Man, ah mean. What if the Professor made a big mistake? Maybe he shouldn't o' put me in so soon. Y'all don't even know anything 'bout me except that ah'm Marie's sister!" she kicked at a rock stuck in the ground.
Remy just looked at her. He swore if she had a tail she'd have had it tucked under. It was painfully obvious from listening to her that she had been put-down a lot in her short life.
"Let me tell y' petite if de Professor saw fit t' ask y' t' join den he has his reason's and he knows what he's doin' " he tried to reassure the discouraged young woman, but by the look on her face he could tell he was failing miserably.
"Ah guess one o' the real reason's ah came here was t' find out as much as possible about mah sister" she said softly and as slowly as possible, treading cautiously.
Remy just sat down on the bench and stared at the ground for a minute before answering her.
"So what d' y' want t' know about her? Why don't y' tell me what y' know and den let's go form dere?"
Addie's eyes lit up like he had just given her a diamond. He knew no matter how painful this might be, he had done the right thing.
Addie lowered herself to the ground, pulled her knees up to her chest, and let out a soft sigh. Then she closed her eyes for a second recalling a mix of memories and stories her momma had told her.
Remy looked down at the girl at his feet. Addie started her story.
"Marie was three years older than me, but y' wouldn't o' known it. We were inseparable. Wherever Marie was I'd be sure t' find me nearby. Momma called us two peas in a pod. She'd say the only time we were apart were the 3 years 'fore ah was born. Whether we were pickin' blackberries or wildflowers, whether we were chasin' lightnin' bugs or the ice cream man we were together."
Addie chuckled softly.
"Ah remember when some kids on our street were pickin' on me. They said ah was too young t' play with 'em. One girl, about ten years old, pushed me down on the ground. Well, Marie just walked up t' the girl who was 2 years older than her. She beat the tar outta her and then made her apologize. The girl never told on us ah think she was too scared o' Marie. Later that night ah had an awful nightmare, 'bout those girls comin' back and beatin' me up. Ah yelled and cried out for Marie but ah couldn't find her. Ah woke up screamin'. Marie sat on mah bed and put her arms around me and said
'Addie sugah what is it?'
'Ah hhhad a bbbad dream sistah' ah stuttered
She made me go and sleep with her and then she promised me
'Ah'll never let anything bad happen t' y' '
'Promise?' ah asked her.
'Ah promise, she had said, 'ah'll always be there for y' Addie'
"Then we just fell asleep. That night it rained harder than ah could ever remember it rainin' b'fore. The river flooded quite a bit. The next mornin' Momma told us not t' play anywhere near the river." Whisper lived up to her code name Remy had to struggle to hear the rest.
"But Marie loved the river we always use t' go down there and watch the ships. She begged me t' go with her. Ah knew ah shouldn't but ah didn't wanna be left behind so ah went. The grass was just t' wet and Marie was goin' t' fast. The bank was so steep so she just slid right into the muddy Mississippi. The river was terribly fast and flooded. Ah ran t' get Momma but it was t' late. We never saw her again."
Addie looked up at Remy and he saw the unshed tears in her eyes. His heart hurt for the little five-year-old girl who had lost her best friend. Then when she had finally found her sister she had lost her again.
~How could I o' been so cruel t' her. ~ Remy felt awful. He would try somehow to make it up to her.
"I'm so sorry petite," he said thinking how inadequate sorry was.
"Thanks Remy" she sighed and looked up at him. "Ah guess y' know the rest o' how Marie an' ah found each other."
Remy felt ashamed remembering his earlier accusations of Adalida.
"Y' know Remy she talked 'bout y' all the time. She loved y' so much Remy. One of the things she made me promise was t' tell y' that someday in person. Ah know that things weren't always peaches an' cream 'tween y'all but she loved y' regardless." Addie smiled a soft warm smile knowing she had kept that promise to her sister.
Remy returned Adalida's smile, it was so nice to be told again that Rogue had loved him. Sometimes it just seemed like a sweet dream that had ended all to soon. He was glad Rogue had made Addie promise to tell him. It made him feel close to Marie again.
"T'anks Adalida I needed t' hear dat." Remy ran his hand through his now loose, shoulder length auburn hair. "Let's see what I can tell y about Roguie."
"She 'ad a lotta spunk dat 'un. One minute we were fire an' gasoline an' the next we were bread an' butter. But regardless of our ups and downs we knew we were meant t' be."
Remy sat there and told Whisper about his and Rogue's roller coaster romance. The early days when it was only about the chase, obtaining the unobtainable. Then how one day he just new that it was different...that he loved her. About all the fights they had, him trying to bring her close, her pushing him away.
He told her about the Morlock Massacre, about Antarctica, about Sinister.
He no longer felt the need to hide things that he had once kept locked up tight. It just felt so good to talk to someone like this again. So they did. They talked for hours.
Who knows why he felt like he could talk to Adalida? Maybe it was because she was Rogue's sister. No, it was more than that. She just sat and listened. She didn't interrupt and she didn't judge him she just listened, and every now and then she would nod her agreement. He could have sworn he had even seen tears in her eyes at times.
Finally Remy told her how very happy they had been and how then, he had lost her.
"Oh Remy how beautiful. Ah never thought two people could love like that. After hearin' Marie tell it and now you" Addie's eyes shined "I feel well... like you've given me a precious gift, like you've given me a lil' piece o' mah sister."
Addie and Remy both stood up. Addie brushed the grass from her shorts.
"Thanks Remy" she said holding out her hand for him to shake. Remy gave her a friendly hug instead.
"No, I should be de one t'ankin' you petite." He said his voice hoarse with emotion.
Neither of them heard Logan walk up.
"Um, um" Logan cleared his throat.
"Oh" Addie started "Logan"
I just wanted t' tell ya it's three." Logan explained.
"Thanks Logan" she turned to Remy "Ah gotta go shoppin' with Jean and Jubilee. Maybe we can talk again later?"
"Sure t'ing Adalida" Remy replied.
Adalida said her good-byes and headed for the house.
Logan looked back to see if Addie was out of view, then turned to Gambit.
"Leave her alone Gumbo," he growled.
Remy lifted his hands up defensively.
"We were only talkin' mon ami," he explained.
"Sure, so why were you holdin' her like that?" Wolverine asked gruffly.
Remy just shook his head before asking "S' y're gonna protect her from me, but who gonna protect her from you, homme?"
Logan just glared at the man before tuning around to head back.
"We're y' goin'? " Remy asked.
"Shoppin' " came Logan's reply.
"But I t'ought y' hated shoppin'?" Remy reasoned.
"Well now I got sumpthin' t' interest me" Logan chuckled then walked off after Addie.
**************************************************************************************************
Addie walked up the stairs to her room feeling happy that she had gotten to know so much more about her sister.
Remy walked back for his danger room session, feeling his heavy heart was a little bit lighter. He also had the sudden urge to 'play cards' with a certain friend of his, a certain Canadian friend.
______________________________________________________________________
A/N Sheesh that chapter was HARD work!! I do think it turned out O.K. Shout outs to Deadly Gambit (Nicole Wagner), roguematrixx (Wendy), and Celt99 (Kristi) for all the support Thanks guys! Please R&R y'all.
Rogue Maire LeBeau
Author's warnin' : If this chapter sucks blame it on the PPP (pink plot penguins) no bunnies here folks
~Thoughts~ A Whisper in the Night
Chapter 4
Tete de Tete (Talkin')
By: Rogue Marie LeBeau
Addie had just changed out of her uniform and back into her borrowed clothes. She had gotten the twenty-five cent tour of the mansion, a danger room schedule, a long list of chores.
Then she had her first danger room session nothing too tough, she was still recuperating. She had fought Jean and Scott it had been tough but they didn't even push her hard enough to work up a sweat.
~What have ah gotten mahself inta? ~ She thought with a smile.
But she knew exactly what she had gotten into... a family. A family who cared about each other. Not a family that hurt and used each other.
Scott bumped into Addie in the hallway. She was heading for the stairs.
"Oh, Addie, Jean wanted me to let you know that she and Jubilee are going to the mall around 4:00." Scott said passing on the message.
Addie turned to Scott to thank him.
"Thanks Scott, please let Jean know that'll b' fine. Hey Scott is it O.K. t' get sumthin' t' drink from the fridge?"
"Sure you don't have to ask," he said then added, "as long as it's not Logan's Molson."
Scott turned around just as Adalida reached the bottom of the stairs. He shook his head quiet certain that she hadn't heard the last part.
**************************************************************************************************
Logan was sitting at the kitchen table finishing off the last of his rare roast beef sandwich and a cold beer.
It was clear that Addie didn't notice him as she opened the fridge. Instead of talking to her he decided to just sit back and watch her.
Logan had down right refused to work with her in the danger room. She was distracting enough without seeing her fighting in that skintight uniform, and the last thing you wanted to be in the Danger room was distracted.
He had watched from the control room though. The girl wasn't even up to snuff but she really gave Scott and Jean a run for their money. Logan couldn't imagine her at the top of her game. That would be scary.
~She could probably even whip me~ he thought with a devious grin on his face.
Adalida pushed out of the way some old potato salad, some congealed orange juice, and an empty carton of milk before claiming her prize.
~O.K.~ she thought ~so ah've never hearda Molson but hey beer's beer. ~
She looked for a bottle opener in vain.
"Here let me get that for ya" Addie jumped at the sound of Logan's rough voice.
"I'm sorry kid I thought y' knew I was here" he lied.
"That's alright Logan, ah just came in here t' get sumthin' t' drink." She told him holding out the beer for him to open.
She flinched as he extended a claw and used it to open the beer.
"Here ya go Addie," he said handing her back the Molson.
"Thanks, Logan" she told him "Ah'm gonna go outside an' get some fresh air."
She finally found the bottle opener. She grabbed it and another Molson.
"Hey Logan can y' let me know when it's 3? Ah wanna lil' time b'fore ah go shoppin'."
"Sure thing" he agreed with a smile.
"Thanks Logan" Addie called before heading out the back door.
Logan only waited about 4 minutes before going to sit on the back porch.
**************************************************************************************************
"Ah brought this for y' " Addie had reached her destination. The small bench beside Marie's grave, where Gambit currently sat.
His eyes were huge as he looked at the two bottles of Logan's prized Molson and then back to Adalida.
"Ah am so sorry" she apologized as she started to walk away. "Maybe ah shouldn't o' come out here."
"Non petite s'o.k." he assured her "it's just, mais... does Logan know y' took his beer?"
"Yeah" she said with a look of relief.
"He helped me open this 'un." She held up her beer. "And stood there when ah got this 'un."
She held out the beer and bottle opener for Remy.
Gambit looked over Addie's shoulder and saw Wolverine sitting on the porch. Logan looked for all the world like a hungry dog watching over a particularly tasty bone. Seeing that and the innocent look on Adalida's face made him do something he couldn't remember doing since before Marie was diagnosed with cancer. He laughed.
He laughed so hard his sides hurt. He looked at Addie she didn't have a clue. This made him laugh even harder. He seriously thought he'd wet himself.
Adalida looked thoroughly confused.
"Are you O.K. Remy?" she asked him.
Her calling him by his first name brought him back to his senses. He just stood and stared at her for a minute before taking his beer and answering her.
"I'm fine Adalida," he told her "I just got tickled by sumtin' s'all. I'm sorry dat I wasn't in dere for y're initiation inta dis madness dat we like t' call de X-men. De professor let me know de details t'ough. So Whisper it is hein?"
"Ya ah guess so" she mumbled, "Ah don't even know if ah can cut it, as a X-Man, ah mean. What if the Professor made a big mistake? Maybe he shouldn't o' put me in so soon. Y'all don't even know anything 'bout me except that ah'm Marie's sister!" she kicked at a rock stuck in the ground.
Remy just looked at her. He swore if she had a tail she'd have had it tucked under. It was painfully obvious from listening to her that she had been put-down a lot in her short life.
"Let me tell y' petite if de Professor saw fit t' ask y' t' join den he has his reason's and he knows what he's doin' " he tried to reassure the discouraged young woman, but by the look on her face he could tell he was failing miserably.
"Ah guess one o' the real reason's ah came here was t' find out as much as possible about mah sister" she said softly and as slowly as possible, treading cautiously.
Remy just sat down on the bench and stared at the ground for a minute before answering her.
"So what d' y' want t' know about her? Why don't y' tell me what y' know and den let's go form dere?"
Addie's eyes lit up like he had just given her a diamond. He knew no matter how painful this might be, he had done the right thing.
Addie lowered herself to the ground, pulled her knees up to her chest, and let out a soft sigh. Then she closed her eyes for a second recalling a mix of memories and stories her momma had told her.
Remy looked down at the girl at his feet. Addie started her story.
"Marie was three years older than me, but y' wouldn't o' known it. We were inseparable. Wherever Marie was I'd be sure t' find me nearby. Momma called us two peas in a pod. She'd say the only time we were apart were the 3 years 'fore ah was born. Whether we were pickin' blackberries or wildflowers, whether we were chasin' lightnin' bugs or the ice cream man we were together."
Addie chuckled softly.
"Ah remember when some kids on our street were pickin' on me. They said ah was too young t' play with 'em. One girl, about ten years old, pushed me down on the ground. Well, Marie just walked up t' the girl who was 2 years older than her. She beat the tar outta her and then made her apologize. The girl never told on us ah think she was too scared o' Marie. Later that night ah had an awful nightmare, 'bout those girls comin' back and beatin' me up. Ah yelled and cried out for Marie but ah couldn't find her. Ah woke up screamin'. Marie sat on mah bed and put her arms around me and said
'Addie sugah what is it?'
'Ah hhhad a bbbad dream sistah' ah stuttered
She made me go and sleep with her and then she promised me
'Ah'll never let anything bad happen t' y' '
'Promise?' ah asked her.
'Ah promise, she had said, 'ah'll always be there for y' Addie'
"Then we just fell asleep. That night it rained harder than ah could ever remember it rainin' b'fore. The river flooded quite a bit. The next mornin' Momma told us not t' play anywhere near the river." Whisper lived up to her code name Remy had to struggle to hear the rest.
"But Marie loved the river we always use t' go down there and watch the ships. She begged me t' go with her. Ah knew ah shouldn't but ah didn't wanna be left behind so ah went. The grass was just t' wet and Marie was goin' t' fast. The bank was so steep so she just slid right into the muddy Mississippi. The river was terribly fast and flooded. Ah ran t' get Momma but it was t' late. We never saw her again."
Addie looked up at Remy and he saw the unshed tears in her eyes. His heart hurt for the little five-year-old girl who had lost her best friend. Then when she had finally found her sister she had lost her again.
~How could I o' been so cruel t' her. ~ Remy felt awful. He would try somehow to make it up to her.
"I'm so sorry petite," he said thinking how inadequate sorry was.
"Thanks Remy" she sighed and looked up at him. "Ah guess y' know the rest o' how Marie an' ah found each other."
Remy felt ashamed remembering his earlier accusations of Adalida.
"Y' know Remy she talked 'bout y' all the time. She loved y' so much Remy. One of the things she made me promise was t' tell y' that someday in person. Ah know that things weren't always peaches an' cream 'tween y'all but she loved y' regardless." Addie smiled a soft warm smile knowing she had kept that promise to her sister.
Remy returned Adalida's smile, it was so nice to be told again that Rogue had loved him. Sometimes it just seemed like a sweet dream that had ended all to soon. He was glad Rogue had made Addie promise to tell him. It made him feel close to Marie again.
"T'anks Adalida I needed t' hear dat." Remy ran his hand through his now loose, shoulder length auburn hair. "Let's see what I can tell y about Roguie."
"She 'ad a lotta spunk dat 'un. One minute we were fire an' gasoline an' the next we were bread an' butter. But regardless of our ups and downs we knew we were meant t' be."
Remy sat there and told Whisper about his and Rogue's roller coaster romance. The early days when it was only about the chase, obtaining the unobtainable. Then how one day he just new that it was different...that he loved her. About all the fights they had, him trying to bring her close, her pushing him away.
He told her about the Morlock Massacre, about Antarctica, about Sinister.
He no longer felt the need to hide things that he had once kept locked up tight. It just felt so good to talk to someone like this again. So they did. They talked for hours.
Who knows why he felt like he could talk to Adalida? Maybe it was because she was Rogue's sister. No, it was more than that. She just sat and listened. She didn't interrupt and she didn't judge him she just listened, and every now and then she would nod her agreement. He could have sworn he had even seen tears in her eyes at times.
Finally Remy told her how very happy they had been and how then, he had lost her.
"Oh Remy how beautiful. Ah never thought two people could love like that. After hearin' Marie tell it and now you" Addie's eyes shined "I feel well... like you've given me a precious gift, like you've given me a lil' piece o' mah sister."
Addie and Remy both stood up. Addie brushed the grass from her shorts.
"Thanks Remy" she said holding out her hand for him to shake. Remy gave her a friendly hug instead.
"No, I should be de one t'ankin' you petite." He said his voice hoarse with emotion.
Neither of them heard Logan walk up.
"Um, um" Logan cleared his throat.
"Oh" Addie started "Logan"
I just wanted t' tell ya it's three." Logan explained.
"Thanks Logan" she turned to Remy "Ah gotta go shoppin' with Jean and Jubilee. Maybe we can talk again later?"
"Sure t'ing Adalida" Remy replied.
Adalida said her good-byes and headed for the house.
Logan looked back to see if Addie was out of view, then turned to Gambit.
"Leave her alone Gumbo," he growled.
Remy lifted his hands up defensively.
"We were only talkin' mon ami," he explained.
"Sure, so why were you holdin' her like that?" Wolverine asked gruffly.
Remy just shook his head before asking "S' y're gonna protect her from me, but who gonna protect her from you, homme?"
Logan just glared at the man before tuning around to head back.
"We're y' goin'? " Remy asked.
"Shoppin' " came Logan's reply.
"But I t'ought y' hated shoppin'?" Remy reasoned.
"Well now I got sumpthin' t' interest me" Logan chuckled then walked off after Addie.
**************************************************************************************************
Addie walked up the stairs to her room feeling happy that she had gotten to know so much more about her sister.
Remy walked back for his danger room session, feeling his heavy heart was a little bit lighter. He also had the sudden urge to 'play cards' with a certain friend of his, a certain Canadian friend.
______________________________________________________________________
A/N Sheesh that chapter was HARD work!! I do think it turned out O.K. Shout outs to Deadly Gambit (Nicole Wagner), roguematrixx (Wendy), and Celt99 (Kristi) for all the support Thanks guys! Please R&R y'all.
Rogue Maire LeBeau