Disclaimer: If I own X-Men Evolution, then I wouldn't have applied for job because I already have money. The same goes for owning Honda or a dealership or even a Civic Coupe. I'm really mad at that, too…
Rogue was, if possible at all, even more agitated with Remy the next morning. But her anger towards the Cajun was completely understandable, seeing that he had tried to spy on Rogue while she was in the shower.
So when the Goth stormed into the kitchen screaming obscenities at the stalking Gambit, no one was too surprised. In fact, they didn't even seem to notice. The daily occurrence of Remy pestering Rogue had long ago lost the amusing appeal it had once held, even for John.
Ali glanced at her friend and went back to reading the paper. Logan had gotten her hooked on the habit, and she couldn't deny the fact that she enjoyed it. After all, it also gave her and Logan something to talk about. Of course, sometimes it wasn't always talking going on between the two. Sometimes, it was an extremely heated debate. Extremely meaning pushing to the edge of wanting to punch the lights out of the other person just to end their argument. Most often, the thought occurred in Logan's mind, while in Ali's the tempting though of pulling a prank on him was ever present.
Rogue grabbed the pitcher of orange juice (Logan was NOT pleased when he found out that John had been drinking from the carton on a daily basis) and poured herself a glass while she tried her hardest to ignore Remy, who was trying to woo her. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and burst.
"Ah told ya to leave meh alone!" she yelled, her face flushing with anger.
Remy grinned. "Everybody knows dat when a femme says somethin' like dat, dat dey really like the guy dat's buggin' her," he said.
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Too bad they're wrong," she spat.
Ali sighed. The fighting was really starting to get on her nerves after three days of continues banter. "Remy, just leave her alone," she grumbled, finding a more interesting article to read.
Logan entered the kitchen then and snatched up the other sections of the paper. "Anything good today?" he asked gruffly.
Ali's eyes didn't stray from the newspaper. "Nope. Just a bunch of garbage," she replied, folding up the paper.
Logan nodded. Nevertheless, he opened up a section and began to read.
Ali sighed and stood from the table. "Rogue, I'm going to go driving," she said. "I'll see you later."
Rogue's eyes widened. The only reason that Remy backed off on his teasing (if ever) was because Ali asked him too. With her gone, he wouldn't relent at all.
The same thought seemed to occur in Remy's mind, for he grinned and wrapped an arm around Rogue's waist. "You do dat, Ali," he said. "Remy will take care of Rogue."
Rogue's eyes widened, and she quickly elbowed him in the stomach and escaped his grasp. "Al! Wait for me! I'm coming too!" she yelled and ran out after her friend.
Ali was already in the garage, debating what car to take.
Rogue ran up beside her, panting slightly. "Hurry and pick a car, Ali," Rogue pressed. "Ah wanna get out of here."
Ali nodded and stepped into the blue Accord Sedan, Rogue quickly following. The two sped off, not looking back to see Remy and John watch them leave. Remy sighed. "Am I doin' something wrong, mon ami?" he asked.
John shook his head. "The sheila's just playing hard to get," he replied.
Remy nodded. "Remy hopes dat's all."
*
Ali turned onto a different street than usual and drove down. Rogue looked over at Ali and gave her an uneasy look. "Ali? Where are we going?" she asked.
Ali sighed. "I wanted to buy a car and surprise everyone," she explained. "But when I saw Remy bugging you, I decided to let you come along."
Rogue nodded. "Sorry, Ali," she apologized.
Ali sighed. "It's alright, Rogue," she replied. She brightened up slightly. "At least you can help me pick out a car."
Rogue smiled. "Yeah," she agreed. They continued on in silence for a moment before a question suddenly struck Rogue. "Hey, Al? How'd you get the money?" she asked.
Ali smiled. "Well, when I left Britain, I had some money I saved and earned from my job. I had been planning to buy a car. So when I came here, I exchanged the money," she explained.
Rogue nodded. "How much money did you have?" she asked.
Ali thought for a moment. "About eight thousand British Pounds," she replied.
"What's that in American Dollars?"
Ali thought again, trying to remember how much money she had. "I think its fourteen thousand, six hundred and sixteen dollars," she replied.
Rogue gapped. "That's a lot of money!" she cried.
Ali nodded. "Yeah, and it took a long time to save, too," she said.
Rogue nodded. "Well, what kind of car are you looking for?" she asked.
Ali smiled. "I have an idea of what I want," she replied.
Rogue raised an eyebrow. "What would that be?" she asked.
Ali smiled. "You'll see when we get to the dealership," she said, a mysterious smile on her face.
Rogue groaned. "Why can't you just come out and tell me?" she asked.
"Because I want to see you suffer."
Rogue groaned and hit Ali lightly. "Ya're unbelievable," she muttered.
Ali smiled. "Yes, I know," she replied cockily. They arrived at the Honda dealership minutes later, where Ali parked the car and then found the exact car she wanted:
A Civic Coupe.
The two-door sports car was finished with cherry red and a dark interior. Ali loved it the instant she saw it.
Rogue, on the other hand, admired the car. It was perfect. If only it was black…
A small, portly man suddenly walked up to them, grinning broadly. "Hello. May I help you ladies?" he asked.
Ali smiled. "Yes," she replied. She quickly glanced at the price, just to make sure that she could afford it. After confirming that she could, she turned back to the dealer. "I'd like to buy this Civic Coupe," she said firmly.
The dealer smiled. "Certainly," he replied. "In this color?"
Ali nodded. "I want this exact car," she said.
The dealer beamed. Such a good customer. Easy to please, too. "Very well. Do you have the money?" he asked.
"Actually, could I write you a check? I have the money in my savings account," she replied.
"Certainly," he replied. He always did enjoy customers like Ali. They didn't expect much, and so didn't ask for much. They were content with what they got. Ali wrote him the check and took the keys to her new car. It was hers. No sharing. Finally, she had a car.
Ali drove her new car home that day, while Rogue drove the Sedan. They pulled into the Institute about ten minutes later. Scott was washing his car with the "help" of Kurt. Kurt was actually squirting Scott with the hose, trying to make him loosen up. Scott was far from loosening up, though. In fact, he was chasing Kurt around the car, throwing wet sponges and spraying the fuzzy elf with the hose.
Logan was polishing his beloved bike, buffing it to where he could see himself in the reflection. He spotted the red car driving up and instantly knew who's it was.
"Ali! Where'd you get that?" he growled. The first thought that entered his mind was: she stole. She stole the car or the money to buy it.
Ali smiled and stepped out of the car. "I bought it, Logan," she replied.
"How?"
"I saved a lot of money over in Britain and when I came here I exchanged it."
"Was that before you started school or after?"
"Before. I asked Hank to do it for me," she replied.
Logan nodded. Legitimate excuse. It checked out.
Kurt ran over. "Sweet car!" he cried. "Can ve go for a ride?"
Ali nodded. Kitty suddenly ran out of the Institute asking the same thing. John just happened to be absent. He was somewhere else, with a certain Cajun who had a thing for Rogue.
The four piled into the Coupe and sped off towards the city to do whatever they wanted that didn't include money. They were all broke with the exception of Ali, but she wouldn't spend because she didn't know how much money she had left in her account. Regardless, she wanted to save it.
"So Rogue. It seems that Remy, like, totally likes you," Kitty said with a smug smiled.
Rogue growled. "Ah hate him," she replied. "He won't leave meh alone!"
Kitty nodded. "Understandable, Rogue," she replied. "But you know what they say: Like the thief he is he's stolen my heart and won't give it back. It works perfectly for you and Remy!"
Rogue turned around in her seat and glared at Kitty. "Ya'd better be talkin' 'bout yarself," she warned her.
Kitty giggled. "No way! I'm, like, totally talking about you!" she cried.
"Ah hope you like the pavement, Kitty."
Kurt decided to step in then. "Please, just both of you stop it," he begged. "Kitty, stop vith ze remarks about Remy. Rogue, stop threatening Kitty."
Rogue growled one last time and turned around in her seat. Kurt breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back in his seat. Keeping Rogue and Kitty apart was tiring, especially if Kitty kept insisting the Rogue liked Remy. Kurt personally hoped that Kitty was wrong. Of course, he did like Remy. He was fun to be around, and there was never a dull moment with him. But he just wasn't sure if it was a good idea for Rogue to date Gambit.
Vat am I zinking? Kurt thought. Rogue would kill Remy before he even got a chance to lay a hand on her!
Ali sighed. "You think we should go pick up John?" she asked.
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Ya gotta spend some time away from him!" she cried.
Ali nodded, biting her lip. She hadn't spoken to John in a while. Great, I'm acting like I'm married to him! she thought bitterly. She sighed and gave up. "We're going to go pick up John, and not Remy," she said with finality.
Rogue sighed. "Fahne," she replied, and slouched in her seat. "But he's sitting in the backseat."
Ali smiled. "Alright. I just want him along for the ride," she explained.
Rogue nodded and mumbled something about Ali acting like they were attached at the hip before turning to look out the window.
The car arrived back at the Institute and picked John up, speeding away before Remy could jump in, too.
Rogue mumbled something that oddly sounded like, "I'll kill that damn Cajun," and then fell silent again.
John chuckled from the backseat. "He really likes you, sheila," he said.
"Too bad Ah despise him," Rogue snapped.
John chuckled. "He said that was why he likes you," he explained. "Because you keep pushing him away."
"Kinda like desiring what you don't have. Since you don't have it, you want it," Ali said.
John nodded. "I guess that's it," he replied.
That only made Rogue even madder. "Ah'm not some kind of prize!" she yelled. "Ah swear, he'll be lucky if he's alive tomorrow morning!"
Everyone sighed and tuned Rogue out for the rest of the drive. They went to a bookstore nearby where Rogue could buy something to read to calm her down. Kitty went off to look at magazines in the front while Kurt wandered off to the comic book section. John just strayed over to a book of science fiction novels and Ali headed to a section of fiction books. She pulled out a book labeled Artemis Fowl and began to read the back cover.
"Hello, Ali," said a voice quietly. Ali turned around and rolled her eyes. "Are you stalking me or something?" she snapped. "Get away."
Her mother sighed. "Ali, I'm sorry for everything. I should have just talked to you. Please, forgive me. I only want to try and become close to you again and be the mother to you that I want to be," she explained. Her voice and eyes begged for forgiveness.
Ali hesitated. Her parents had followed her around and tried to kidnap her. Should she believe the apology and trust the woman before her? She sighed, finally acknowledging to herself that everyone made mistakes and deserved a second chance. "I forgive you," she replied reluctantly. Something inside her heart made her instantly regret saying those words.
Her mother smiled and hugged Ali. "Thank you so much!" she cried. "Now come with me, I have something to give you in the car."
The alarms started going off in Ali's head. Something didn't seem right. "I don't know, let me get Rogue or John," she replied slowly, pulling her arm out of her mother's grasp.
"But dear, this is very special. I have a feeling you'll only want to show them this after you've seen it."
Ali's instincts were screaming not to believe her mother and to run. But her mother was already dragging her out of the store and to the street. Outside was a black car with dark windows. Ali began to pull out of her mother's grasp. "Where is it?" she asked warily. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
Her mother smiled sweetly. "In the backseat. Why don't you get it?"
Ali backed up a step. "You get it," she replied, her eyes narrowed. Inside the store, she could see John and Kurt. Both could quickly help her if she needed it.
"But honey, don't you want to see it before me?"
"You mean to say that you picked up a gift for me without even knowing what it was? I don't buy it," Ali replied.
Her mother's smile disappeared. "Get in the car," she replied.
Ali knew then that she had to get away. She turned and started to run back in but her mother grabbed her and pulled her back.
"John!" Ali screamed. "John! Help me!"
Inside the store, John was looking at an interesting book when he heard someone yell his name.
"John!" they screamed. "John! Help me!"
He instantly realized who the voice belonged to and rushed out of the store, Kurt following.
Ali's mother shoved her in the backseat and shut the door. In an instant, a cloth was placed over Ali's mouth and nose. She began to fight in her mother's grasp, electricity surging through her body. She suddenly realized that she was being drugged with chloroform. She continued to fight, but the drug began to take effect. The last thing she saw before she passed out was the white hand of her mothers turn blue.
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Hmm, what's going on? You'll have to wait til next chapter to find out.
About the Civic Coupe that I put in, I have a reason: I WANT THAT CAR!! I have two years until I can get my license, so I checked out the cars at the Honda website. I WANT THAT CAR SO BADLY!!! Generous donations would help to achieve my new goal of BUYING that car…contact me at my email to discuss it…
Well, today's been a somewhat good day. I'll try to post at least two more chapters during the next week, seeing that my homework load will be lessened due to the fact that I finally have a study hall this quarter!! Then next week it might slacken due to track and the IMMENSE pain I will be in.
I would like to apologize to Ivan's Kitsune because I forgot to put her in last weeks reviews. I'm sorry, I forgot that the review thing didn't work. Onto Reviews:
Ivan's Kitsune: I'm sooooooooo sorry. I forgot that the review thing didn't work. Wait till next chapter.
damien455: thanks, that's good to know. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Lady Adrienel: I'm working on the cure for writers block. But at the moment, I don't have the materials I need and my parents refuse to buy them. Besides, I'm gonna need help. Ash gave me an idea, which I need to try. Again, rents won't buy ingredients.
Karakin: thank you! I really liked the quote you gave me, so I had to use it. Added some interest, I hope…yeah, I'll leave Scott. And torture him IMMENSLY. Any ideas would be welcome.
o scorched eggy: wut do you think? Lemme know.
Thank you all for continuing to read this story. If it weren't for all of you I would have killed Ali off in the fourth or fifth chapter and ended the story. Thank you for reading! R&R!!!!!
~Jojo~