Note : Okay! I'm on it know, head full of ideas and of plot twists… Sorry that took a couple of days, I know, I'm not used to taking so long in writing a chapter… But you see, I bought Harry Potter and it's sooooo good…

Tammy : The twins ARE great together. It's always nice to see some brothers and sisters actually getting along together. Anyway, my brother and I have always been good friends, so I wouldn't know how to write a fight between Josée and Louis. And it wouldn't be fun anymore.

T. : Glad you do! Here's more.

Becki : It's alright if you don't know French… We aren't in majority in today's world… And about Josée's sadness… You really think I'm going to answer this question? Patience is a vertue, Becki! Patience! And about the powers… welllll… I still have to figure that out!

crazytook : Yay, I'm so happy you like the flashbacks, cause there are going to be a lot in this… In my case, they are my best friends, after my cat Gilbert (my inspiration for Thing [were is that cat, anyway? Hum…]) and my computer, of course. How could I live without my computer!

Warmer than Fire : Thanks! I do have an handicap when I write, and it's always comforting for me to get reviews like that.

Yasei Raiden : Oh, you have an idea? Please do not tell… I still have to figure out how to write this part of the story, and I never would have guessed it would struck so many persons, so now I have to come out with something big… hum. Oh, and you didn't offend me in any way, don't worry!

ishandahalf : You'd love it? Okay **picks up a post-it pad and writes down a note** … "write a pointless and fluffy Remy-Rogue thing for ishandahalf"… **smile** There!! I'll think about it when the weather's a little less hot in here (**other post-it : get an air conditionner**)… I'll find a way to include some fluffy stuff in this fiction, though, so maybe it's going to satisfy that fluf crave of yours for a time, until I find something on the edge of fluffy to write!

Lucky439 : Glad you like it, but you have to wait. Sure you can wait! You just need to practice. It's all a matter of patience.

Hope you still like it! Thanks for the reviews, and review more!

Enjoy.

Finding a friend

She was alone at the table. She usually sat with Lilianne and her friends for dinner, but Lili was sick today, and her friends were in a student consil reunion, and Josée had to go through the day without her friend. Not that anyone was mean at her, by any way. She had had a warm welcome in the school, both by the teachers and the students, but after a while, they had returned to their normal social relations, loosing interest in the young American girl.

She was beginning to long for home. She lived in a good home, with a nice family, and everyone was nice with her. She didn't have any difficulties with French; her father had taught her and her brother the language when they were young. He usually talked to them in his accented English, though, and she had lost a lot of her French, but it had come back without problem. But the Holidays were coming, and she knew it was going to be hard without her own family.

She sighed and opened her lunchbox, but a masculine hand closed it, and a boy sat on the bench. She thought hard, trying to remember his name. "Philippe." He smiled at his name, and she frowned slightly. Lilianne had told her to stay away from some folks, and he was one of them. The other boys behind him giggled, waiting for their master to speak.

"And you're Josée. Glad to finally meet you, I couldn't talk to you while you were sitting with the geek, I can't stand her."

"Lilianne's not a geek, Philippe." He snorted.

"Who cares? Now I can talk to you, la belle. What are you doing tonight?" He leaned forwards to her face, sliding on the bench, and she pulled away as far as she could without falling on the floor. She was conscious of the looks they were getting from the other students, and she never liked being the center of attention.

"Homework." He burst out laughing.

"Now way! Nobody does homework on a Friday night! You better say yes, girl, I never ask twice."

"Good, so you'll leave me alone." He squinted his eyes and frowned.

"No girl ever said no to me, Josée. I don't like having no for an answer."

"Well, if you keep asking me, you better get used to it" she hissed in his face. "Does "I'm not interested" mean something to you? Je ne suis pas intéressée? That's what I have to say?" He inhaled sharply. She had spoken aloud, loud enough for the surrounding tables around them to hear,  and she heard giggles from the next table. She smiled. He didn't. He suddently rose from the bench and stood over her, menacingly.

"Espèce d'agace…"

"Stand away, Philippe. She said no." Philippe and his minions turned on their heels to meet dark eyes.

"Antoine! What a nice surprise" Philippe said ironicaly. "I was here before you, charming knight."

"I'm afraid the lady" Antoine nodded in her direction "is not pleased with your company, friend. Leave the girl alone, and everyone will be happy." They now had the whole cafeteria's attention, and everyone was silent. Philippe walked to Antoine, his face inches from his own.

"Hey, school freak, nobody asked your help. Enough we tolerate a mutie freak in our school, don't come and mess with our business" he hissed in Antoine's face. He cast a mean look at Josée, and the gang left the cafeteria. There was a few moments of silence, then a gentle chatting began as the students went back to their previous conversations.

Josée sat still, mouth agape, staring at Antoine, who stood uneasy near the table. He was a handsome young man, she thought. He wasn't the social kind and she only saw him once and awhile at the Bergerons house, but she never really talked with him. He was tall and his hair was as black as his sisters, but unlike Lilianne, whose eyes were of a light baby blue, his eyes were almost black. He looked at her, and talked, so low she had to concentrate to hear it.

"Sorry about that. I won't bother you longer." He turned to leave, but she extanded a hand to grab his arm, and he snapped his head at her.

"Sit with me, Antoine." She gestured at the large empty table, and had a shy smile. "I have to say I feel a little bit alone." He raise an eyebrow, but obediently sat down on the other side of the table, facing her. He took in a deep breath.

"So you're not scared of sitting with a mutant?" He was more than hesitant, and she smiled, trying not to laugh.

"I'm more scared of normal humans…Both my parents are mutants, Antoine, and so are all the adults I've known in my life. For all I know, I might be one as well and don't know it yet." His mouth opened and stayed that way.

"Your parents are mutants? What can they do?"

"Oh, well… My mother can absorb life force and memory by skin contact, and powers when she touches a mutant. My father…He can turn potential energy into kinetic and explosive energy, making stuff explose. He used to do it by touching, but he can do it by concentrating now, without touching. It has to be on eye-sight, though. He also has some telepathic abilities, and empathy power." She waved her hand and smiled. "It's to long to explain… What are your powers?" He sighed before answering, and looked at his hands.

"Well, I'm not sure. It seems I can manipulate the air around me, or something of the sort." Seeing my frown, he lifted his right hand and flipped it towards her sandwich. His eyes, she had first thought black, were really a deep blue, and they glowed a light purple when the air around the sandwich turned blue and the plastic wrap shivered, as shook by a small breeze. "I can use it as I like, I can create succion, use it to transport objects…"

"Can you fly?" His blue gaze switched to her, surprised.

"How on Earth could I fly?"

"Well, aunth Ororo can manipulate the weather…And she uses winds to transport her body, so she can fly. Since you can manipulate the air molecules, I wondered if you could transport your own body." A spark lit in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards.

"You know what? I've never really thought of that. Maybe I should try one day."

"Well, you just needed a girl to think about that." She smiled at him, and his lips streched into a large warming smile, lighting his usualy dark face. It was the first time she saw him actualy smile, and she was surprised to feel a warming feeling in the pit of her stomach. As he rose to leave, she said aloud what she was thinking. "You should smile more often, it fits you." She felt her cheeks go suddently on fire. Had she just really said that? His smile changed but didn't fade, and a rogue flash flickered in the deep blue eyes. He put his hands flat on the table and leaned down to her.

"Well, I just needed a girl to make me smile like that, no?" With that he left, leaving her alone, blushing and staring at her very interesting sandwich.

~~

"There's somethin' wrong, chérie. I can't say what…"

"Well, we'll just have to wait sugah, 'cause she ain't gonna tell us." I watched him pace on the carpeted floor. We both had noticed the distance Josée had put between her and us since her return yesterday, but I knew my daughter, and knew we couldn't force her in admitting what was the problem. I had seen the hurt in her beautiful eyes, though, and had my own theories on the reason of that hurt, but telling Remy wouldn't improve his temper, and it was something that would heal in time. "Honey, please come in bed, Ah wanna sleep." He sighed and stopped near the bed, staring at the small lamp on the night table. I made a small laugh. "Remy, Ah can almost hear yah think!" He looked at me for a while, and finally slipped between the blankets. He gathered me close, spoon style, and I laughed again feeling the tense muscles against my back. "Remy, relax, please!"

"I'm worried."

"Ah'm sure yah don't have to. Yah're nothing but an over protective fathah." I reached up to my lamp and pulled the chain, turning it off, and turned in his arms to face him. I cupped his face and put my lips on his, and felt the release of his breath on my cheek. He squeezed a bit more, and I pulled back for some breath. "Let time heal the wounds, sugah." He opened his eyes and nodded slightly in understanding. We stared at each other for a while, my hands still on his face, and his arms around my waist.

Being older was doing him great, I had to say. Grey hair was beginning to grow on his temples, and small lines had appeared at the corners of his eyes and mouth, signs of a lifetime of smiling often. His eyes had changed in the last years, dark golden lines now miking with the bright red of the irises, lighting the eyes like they were dying embers.

Not that he was dying in any way. His mouth curved into a gentle smile and he bent his head, kissing me.

~~

Salut Josée!

How are you doing? The house feels so empty now that you're gone! It is soooooo boring around here, I can't wait to pack my things and head up to your place… You've talked so much about your brother and parents, and the weird mutant school and all the nice people you live with… I just can't wait! Summer here is never ending, and with Antoine at the hospital, I really have nothing to do besides writing to you.

He woke up yesterday. He asked for you and I said you were already gone, and he was sooo mad… But you know him, he won't be mad very long at you! I told him to write to you, but he's so stuborn. Man! Can't live with them. And can very well live without! In my case, at least.

Oh darn, my mother's calling for me… House cleaning time! I'll write more later!

Lili

~~

She logged out after reading the email, and sighed, half with relief, half with ressentment. Well, at least he had waken up. Let him heal. The explaining would come later.