A/N: Just a couple of quick words to a couple reviewers (I love you all, though!)
Roguechere and other Marie/Rogue lovers: You're going to have to watch me for OC behavior for Marie. She's not my favorite character, but I wanted the Remy/Rogue pairing for this story. I'm trying to be good, but be quick to criticize if I get too out there, k? Yes, Scott is talking about someone else. You're right, this passage is atrocious. I was trying to hurry and post before leaving. I'll fix. Thanks for the catch!
Natural: I'm counting on readers like you to keep me true to the story. Since I'm writing two stories with basically the same characters, it gets kinda confusing (Ororo was a teacher in the other story, and Betsy was a kid), so I need all the help I can get. There's a strange Remy/Ororo moment in the first chap that I caught because of you, so thanks (In the process of fixing)! Age difference? Uh, 2-3 years, I think. S-17, R-15? That works.
Caliente: Glad you like Kitty *grins*. She's one of my favs in this. Sam, Bobby are probable. I don't know who Jean-Paul is, so he won't be in this. Kurt, eh, maybe, but unlikely. Actually, I love Sam. I'll come up with something…
Now on with the story…
"Haven't seen much of you lately," Ororo said, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice. Remy was draped across her bed as she watered her plants and cleaned up. He had walked in unannounced, as usual. He was the sole reason she was so diligent about locking her door while dressing.
"Yeah, I know. Sorry 'bout t'at. I missed y', though." He followed her with those red eyes, such a serious look on his face.
"I didn't miss you a bit," she said, smiling. Her long ponytail twitched in his face and Remy tugged on it playfully.
"I know t'at y' can' live wit'out me. Kitty said she heard y' crying in y'r room because I haven' been here t' make y' clean." Remy sat up slowly, his mind obviously concerned with other things.
Ororo watched him carefully. Something was wrong. "Is that girl treating you alright? I can beat her up if you want." She sat next to him and wrapped her arms around him.
"Y'r my best friend, 'Ro. I need t' ask y' something. Is it worth it? The games, the smiles, the hand holding? I like her, I really do, and yet I know t'at the ending I picture, the happily ever after will never be. It's all jus' make-believe." Remy leaned against her, felt the steady beating of her heart, felt the love that radiated from her. Ororo would tell him straight. He trusted that from her.
"You want me to tell you that things will be everything you want? Or to tell you that you're a fool for trying? Rem, I can't tell you what's going to happen any more than you can tell me. Who are you asking for advice anyway? Me, who hasn't had a boyfriend in three years. Me, who can't even talk to a guy without going stone cold. Part of me wants to tell you to run for the hills, that this girl cannot even begin to deserve you. It's safer to be alone because you know exactly who you can trust. The other part of me wants you to throw your whole being into trying, into loving, into living the fairytale." Ororo turned to smile at him. "Then you can tell me how to do it."
Remy rested his chin on the top of her head. "I don' know what comes next. She has no idea about my life, how t'ings are with fat'er. She can' possibly understand how screwed up my head is."
"Not if you don't tell her." Ororo knew that he still felt the pain of his past. "You forget, everyone's here for a reason. Nobody's life is a charmed life."
"When did y' get all grown up? And get t' be such a bloody romantic?" He looked down at her and smiled. "'Ro, y' know I love y', right?"
"'Course. Are you going to tell her?"
Remy made a face. "If I have t'. Maybe just a little at a time…"
"My mommy and daddy are dead," Kitty said solemnly. She was playing with Jean's hair, and in Jean's opinion, making a complete mess.
"I'm sorry to hear that. So how did you come here? Did the professor find you and bring you?" Conversation was a bit difficult with a four-year-old.
"No. Remy did. And Scottie."
"Oh, really? How did that happen?"
Kitty opened her mouth, then shut it again. "I can't tell you. Remy said to keep it a secret or he might get in trouble."
Jean was interested now. "Well, you can tell me, though. I'm your mentor. You can tell me anything."
Kitty shook her head. "Remy said no one." She was humming happily as she tried to tie a ribbon on the end of a braid.
"Jean! I'm surprised at you, pumping a little girl for information," Scott chided softly. Jean colored brightly, her face as red as her hair. Scott ruffled Kitty's hair and kissed the top of her head. The little girl beamed at him, but didn't turn away from her masterpiece.
"I was just curious, I mean, I didn't mean to… Well…" she trailed off, realizing that she was good and caught. "Well, what happened?"
Scott thought for a moment. "I'll tell you later."
"You mean when Kitty's not around to correct your version of things."
"Yup. Come on Kitty, let's go outside. I'll give you your swimming lesson." That was the right thing to say. Kitty was out of the room, stripping out of her clothes on her way. Scott tried to yell at her to wait until she was in her room, but he wasn't quick enough. "Try to get her to stop that, 'mother.'"
Jean was still flushed, but not at all sorry. She needed to know if they could help her, if they could be trusted with her life, with Marie's life.
Sam eyed his partner warily.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked. He knew how to maneuver through mines, labor in the field, and drive a tractor, but this fighting thing was still pretty new.
"Yeah, kid," Logan said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. Marie was getting anxious. Scott, true to his word, had been working with her in the evenings.
Sam slowly got into sparring position opposite Marie. He didn't think it was fair. He was so much bigger than she was. And it was a girl! His momma would burn his ears with a scolding about hitting a girl.
"Go!" Marie started on the offense. Logan watched with suspicion. He didn't teach her those moves. She was backing Sam against the wall, never letting up for him to catch a breath.
"Break!" Sam cocked his head to the side, reevaluating his position. No little girl was going to make him look like a fool. Logan growled at Marie, "Where did you get those moves, girl?"
"I'm taking private lessons," Marie answered cautiously. Logan stared at her for a second before telling them to get back into position.
"Go!" Sam concentrated and was able to keep up with Marie fairly well. Marie started with the basic moves that Logan started her with. Eventually, as the fight continued and Sam's strength was coming into play, she had to become more inventive. Sam couldn't quite remember how he found himself on the ground, Marie's foot at his throat.
"Thanks!" Sam gasped as Marie helped him up. "Where did you learn that, miss? That was incredible."
"It's Marie, not miss. Like I told Logan, I'm taking private lessons." She studied the boy. He was quite nice to look at. Blonde hair, blue eyes, nice body, and so polite! "If you need anything, just ask. I haven't been here for very long, but I'd be happy to help."
Sam smiled at her as they walked to their dorms. He had been worried about moving to the city, but it seemed like the people here were just as nice as back home.
Scott was teaching Kitty how to float on her back when the shooting began. The windows began exploding and the street lights crashed. At first he thought that Theresa was upset again, but then he saw the men storm over the hill and felt the heat of a bullet as it streamed past him.
"Kitty!" He grabbed her and ran into the mansion as fast as he could. He felt stickiness on his leg, but didn't let it slow him down. He stopped Jubilee and handed Kitty to her. "Get her down to the tunnels!"
Remy! Where the hell are you? Then he remembered the collar. Shit!
"Scott!" Jean ran straight to him and threw her arms around him. "He's after us. I don't know how he found us, honest!"
"Calm down, Jean. Who is after you?" He pulled her into the stairwell and led her down to the tunnels. He tried to detangle himself from her grasp, but Jean wasn't cooperating.
"My father. He's part of the FOH. When he found out Marie and I were mutants, he freaked out and…well, we left after that." She tried to focus on something else, anything to keep from crying. A young boy ran by, his shirt splattered with blood.
Concentrate on me. Scott said, forcing her to look at him. You need to reach as many kids as possible and lead them here safely. That means don't let anyone else follow them. Get them here to safety. And find Remy for me.
Jean nodded slowly and closed her eyes. "Remy's on the roof. He needs help."
Scott ran away from her, praying that his little brother would last just a few more minutes. He could feel something was wrong.
He was out of loose bricks and roof tiles. They didn't make quite the impact they would have if they had been charged. Remy didn't let himself panic, but he could start worrying. He could hear the noise in the halls and the men on the ground aiming at him were pretty good reasons for worry.
"Why is it I always have to save your ass?" Scott said from above him. He took aim and knocked out three men on the ground with his eye beams. They did not look like neutralizing shots. Remy grabbed his brother's hand and let Scott pull him into the attic window.
"How's Kitty?" Remy asked leaning his head forward so Scott could get the collar off. Remy was pissed enough to mention this to his father next time he was home. With his powers, there would have been no need for him to panic…uh, worry.
"She should be fine. I gave her to Jubes and watched her go down the stairs," Scott said as the collar popped off.
"Yeah, she's fine," Remy said, glad to have his telepathy back. "She's crying, t'ough. What's the story wit' t'is group? Your typical mutant haters?"
"And Jean and Marie's father's group to boot."
"Well, let's get rid of t'ese guys. T'ey're shooting t' kill. Let's take t'em out!" Just as they were about to climb out of the window, Xavier, Betsy and Emma all walked out on to the grounds, calm as ever. Men were following them, as if in a trance. They walked back over the hill, out of sight. Guns littered the yard, glass was in shards, and small fires were burning. Scott and Remy watched the teachers walk calmly back inside.
"What took them so long? Three of the world's greatest telepaths and not one knew a mass of men were coming to campus?" Scott mused. Remy shrugged.
"T'ey're shielded much better t'an before. I can' tell."
The brothers walked back into the mansion quietly. What was going on?
"You're going to tell me a story, aren't you Jean?" Scott asked icily. He led the pale girl to a quiet corner in the library and waited for her to talk.
"My father has always been a mutant hater. I didn't know I was one until I turned thirteen. Unlucky number, huh? I knew how my father felt, so I tried to hide it the best I could, but sometimes things would happen that I couldn't help. Still, father was only a little suspicious. And anyway, he didn't want to admit he could be related to a mutant." She took a deep breath and slumped in the armchair. "Then Marie's powers came out. She kissed this boy and he just passed out. And never woke up. His parents came over and screamed at her. My father didn't say a word at the time. Then they went away and he came after her with a bat. Good thing I had my TK, huh?"
Scott took a deep breath. He couldn't help it. He pulled her into a hug and held her as she continued. "We ran away, but the police took us right back. He was afraid to touch Marie, but not to touch me. Still, Marie got her share. He tried to burn the power out of her skin. On her upper arms, the scars…"
"And you?" Scott asked softly. Jean turned towards him, resting her head against his chest. She shrugged.
"Mine are invisible. They rest here." She placed his hand over her heart. It was too much; she reached up and kissed him hard.
"I need t' tell y' a story," Remy said to Marie, pulling her out if the room. She saw how serious he was, and immediately excused herself. They sat side by side against the chimney on the roof. Remy tried to put the words together. "I was seven when my fat'er began his first experiment on me. I had my powers before I could ride a bike. T'ey've been getting bigger ever since."
Marie held his hand. Remy squeezed hard. "Sometimes I don' know what's real and what's not. Every month I find myself strapped t' a table and when I wake up, the world is different."
"How could your father do that to you?" she wondered, scooting a little closer to him.
"How could your fat'er do what he did t' y'?" he asked quietly, running his hand over her arm. She shuddered at the thought. "I just wanted y' t' understand why I can' feel normal, be what y' expect. Honestly, the way I feel wit' you is not'ing I've ever felt before. But I can' tell y' what I'm going t' feel tomorrow, or de next day, or…"
"That's why we take it one day at a time," Marie said. "You never know, I could get tired of you."
Remy let out a dry laugh. "T'at'll be the day. I got all the femmes hangin' over me."
"And you're scared of the day you don't. The day when you're alone again."
Remy looked up in surprise. "How did you...?"
Marie smiled sadly. "I just know. When you leave tomorrow, go home, is your dad going to mess with you again."
"Always."
"Can I help?"
"No. Nobody can. T'ere are worse t'ings, anyway."
Scott kissed back, feeling the heat of her body, the need overwhelm him. He ran his hands down her back and circled her waist, holding her tightly. Jean whimpered in the back of her throat. Scott groaned as he was pulled over the edge. His tongue swept in her mouth and caressed, stroked hers. Jean's hands ran through his hair as she pulled his head back and took control. She pressed her body against his and nibbled on his lower lip. She looked into his face, past the rose-colored lenses, and saw love.
A/N: Talk about sap-n-crap! I'll stay true to the PG-13 (well, PG-15 at least). Anyways, sorry 'bout the wait, sorry about the action that was promised. I had planned to make the FOH scene bigger, but decided it really wasn't necessary. Ahh, forgot the Kitty story. Next chapter, if you want it. As always, please tell me what you think, what you like, what you don't. Sam gets in the story more next chap, promise.