Title: Running: Convergence
Author: Monica
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Marvel, no money comes to me.
Rating: R for language (right now)
Summary: AU After the events in Running, Remy and Jean moved in with Scott and Marie. Unfortunately, someone knows about the changes that are occurring. And more than one person is converging on the answer. The question is who gets it first.
A/N: Some knowledge from running is needed to understand this one. My first suggestion is to read Running (and review please) before even starting this, but otherwise I'll try to summarize. Remy and Jean begin to attend the Institute. They find that things are not quite right. Eventually, they hook up with Cece (Cecilia Reyes), Scott, and Marie and bring down the school. Xavier escaped to places unknown, Logan ran off, too. Jean/Remy's step-dad, Eric (Magneto), ends up in jail (for things not related to the Institute). At the very end, Remy and Cece have powers.
She laid her head against Remy's shoulder. The last job had been tiring and she was glad to finally have some down time. Jean closed her eyes as the train bumped and swayed back home. Home. It was nice to finally know where that was. Even so, her hand closed around the small pistol Remy gave her last month. It still wasn't time to let her guard down.
Remy was busy on Jean's laptop. He entered the day's take and made back-ups of the plans on disk before wiping her system. The job had taken a little longer than anticipated. He was hoping that he wouldn't run into Scott until after he got a good night's sleep. God knows the man was tiring enough.
Life was pretty calm in the surface, but a storm churned underneath. Scott had taken Jean and Marie away after the Institute had broken apart. After they had reunited with Cece and Remy, the group had traveled across the border to Canada. The peaceful atmosphere should have made them feel better, but there was that possibility that everything could come and slam them. Even Scott slept with a gun under his pillow.
Remy started a game of solitaire. Another hour until they got home. His red eyes began to burn behind the black shades he now never left home without. Sighing, he turned off the computer and tried to relax. These headaches were killers.
Scott was sitting on the rooftop. He just didn't understand what Remy and Marie found so calming about dangling two stories above the ground. His heart was pounding in his chest and the air was freezing his lungs. A thin sheet of moisture clung to the tiles, making it even more fun. But he was going to wait it out because he just knew that Remy was going to come in this way, despite a perfectly good door on the ground.
One thing was sure. Sitting on the roof was a good place to think; when you weren't thinking about falling off, that is. Scott thought about the little life they had here. He wasn't quite a father figure, but he wasn't "one of the gang" either. Ever since Cece left to try to live a normal life, he was alone with the three teens. None of their neighbors had bothered to ask what the situation was, so they never had to make anything up. He just wished he knew.
If Scott has his way, nobody would leave the house unless absolutely necessary. He spent two days arguing with Remy about resuming his "missions" and another five day arguing to keep Jean behind. The fact was, Remy needed to get out of the house. He was driving everyone nuts. And Jean had to go with him because he had always planned for a two-person job. Plus, Jean wouldn't speak to him after he told her no.
At least her separation anxiety was getting better. Maybe it was the façade of stability.
"Ah, hell, Scottie. I t'ought you'd be in bed," Remy said, his voice rough with exhaustion. Scott glanced over the ledge and picked Remy's sunglasses from his face.
"That's better. Where's Red?" Scott moved back quickly. Away from the edge. It wasn't that he was afraid of heights; he just didn't like picturing his body spread out on the ground.
"She used the door." Remy gave up the hope of dropping into bed anytime soon. He sat next to Scott and pulled a cigarette out from his coat. He lit it with his finger, and inhaled deeply. There was comfort in familiarity.
"Smart girl. How are you feeling?" Scott asked quietly. He plucked the cigarette from Remy's hand, took a drag before putting it out and throwing it to the ground. It was a bad habit that Scott kicked a year ago. The pull of the nicotine was strong still.
Remy frowned at him. "Headaches still. Sunlight hurts my eyes. Jeannie's getting headaches now. She's sleeping a lot more."
Scott swore. Marie had been complaining, too. He had bloody migraines. It looked as if the Legacy Virus was spreading. The ramifications of that were too huge to deal with at three in the morning.
"How'd the job go?" It really was a moot point since Remy was sitting in front of him obviously unhurt.
Remy brightened. "It went well. Jeannie's getting good. I think I'll let her plan the next hit."
"Great." Scott's stomach turned.
Marie was wringing her hands. Books and pamphlets covered her desk, bed, and floor. Where to start?
"What are you doing?" Jean asked, leaning against the doorframe, a glass of milk in her hand.
"When did you get back?" Marie asked, standing up amidst the mess.
"Last night.or this morning." She trusted Marie, but she still didn't really like her. Still, since they were living together, may as well try to be friendly. "Um, why is your room covered in paper? Decorating mishap?" Remy would have a heart attack from the mess.
Marie shook her head slowly, turning to look at the information on the ground. "They're college brochures from everywhere from Hawaii to Paris. Scott thinks I should try to live a normal life, whatever that is. I don't know what I want to do, or where I want to go, or even if I want to go."
"You're thinking about leaving?" Jean said sharply. Marie managed to hide her grimace at the tone.
"I don't know yet. I know that you don't need college, but it's always been the next step for me. The Professor was going to enroll me in the Academy after I graduated from the Institute." Marie sank to the floor again. "I don't even know if I graduated. There was all that mess at the end of the year."
Jean slowly picked her way across the room and shoved some papers over so she could sit on the bed. She picked up a glossy sheet and read it silently. Marie watched her, curious.
"Well, I think you could rule out New York. I hear the coursework is murder."
Marie rolled her eyes and flopped backward onto the floor. Of course she wasn't going back to New York, the fiery pit of Hell.
"If this is being normal, it sucks."
Remy stared at the empty canvas perplexed, a paintbrush stuck behind his ear. There was just no inspiration today. Maybe he was just too tired to put in any real effort.
"Hey." Marie knocked softly on the door before walking in without waiting for permission. She sat at his desk on which everything was placed at perfect right angles. Wrinkling her nose at his anal retentiveness, she skewed a photograph of him and Jean at the right upper corner.
"Hey." Remy carefully replaced his brushes and paint and went to go sit on the bed. Marie moved over to where he was and began to knead his shoulders. Remy closed his eyes and sighed in relief. "Nice to see ya, chere."
"Jean told me about the job. Cutting it a little close?"
"A little. But what's life without risk?"
"I wouldn't know," Marie muttered, pushing down a little harder than she intended. Remy elbowed her lightly in her ribs in protest.
"Actually, me neither." He rolled to his back and pulled her down on the bed so they were lying side by side. "It might be nice."
"But then nobody would be chasing us."
"Or trying to kill us."
"Or kidnap us." "Or use us for their villainous schemes." Remy grinned. "Yep, sounds like a life I've never lived."
Marie turned to face him, her arm stretching out over her head, legs crossed at the ankles. She looked like a long flowing line. Remy stared, mesmerized.
"Do you ever think about things later in life? Wife and kids? Perpetual ladies' man?"
Remy blinked. "I haven't really thought about it. It's been so long living just to get to tomorrow. That far into the future hasn't reached my brain yet."
Marie chewed her bottom lip, thinking. "We were always discouraged from having a "normal" life. Relationships were quickly broken up. The future was practically laid out for you until death. It's hard to get out of that mindset sometimes." Remy brushed a stray hair away. Then traced the side of her face with the side of his hand. His red eyes never wavered from her emerald ones.
Marie gave him a lazy smile. "This is where your sister barges in to save you from the strumpet."
"* She * knows better than to interrupt me when I'm painting," Remy said, mockingly scolding. He scooted closer.
She glanced over to the blank canvas and raised her eyebrow. "Well, I'm not sorry," she said, nipping at his chin.
He tilted his head back to give her better access. "Neither am I."
Logan shook his head. He could see the shadows in the warmly lit house in the center of the cul de sac. They had come to Canada, his home turf. How utterly stupid. Fucking Remy LeBeau and his damned sister. After he had run, the government had frozen his assets so he couldn't touch the fortune that was back in the states. Logan had to start over, and that meant working with some people he couldn't stand. But the money was right. At least the bastard wouldn't be living happily ever after for much longer.
"Is that the house?" Victor Creed asked, binoculars to his face. He wasn't any happier in being paired with Logan than Logan was.
"Yep."
"When do we hit it?"
"Soon." Logan motioned for his partner to leave the scene. Now that they found them, it was time to warm up in a bar. Not for the first time, Logan wished that he could get sloppy drunk like everyone else. He remembered the times fondly.
Victor sneered at the smaller man, but nodded. He hated taking orders. Still, the promise of a warm room and lots of liquor made him leave without comment.
phoenixREDD: How's college?
1DaddysGrl1: Pretty dull. This is supposed to be the upper echelon of education?
Anyway, how are things with you? Staying out of trouble?
phoenixREDD: ok. we hit St. Joachim St. a couple days ago.
1DaddysGrl1: What's wrong? Even over the computer I can tell you're sulking.
phoenixREDD: I never sulk. ( That girl is taking my brother away.
1DaddysGrl1: ( Surely you expected him to be drawn to Marie. She's pretty.
phoenixREDD: She's ok. She's talking about leaving. Going to college.
1DaddysGrl1: that's good, right?
phoenixREDD: yeah.
1DaddysGrl1: you know you're being paranoid.
phoenixREDD: Scott said I have separation anxiety.
1DaddysGrl1: he's just being nice. You, dear, are a total head case.
phoenixREDD: never say so. I'm.careful. Anyway, gotta go. Dinner.
1DaddysGrl1: k. hang in there, Jeannie.
phoenixREDD: bye, M.
A/N: Just a taste. Tell me if you want more, who you want to see, and remember, the more reviews the more I rush to write! Thanks!
Author: Monica
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Marvel, no money comes to me.
Rating: R for language (right now)
Summary: AU After the events in Running, Remy and Jean moved in with Scott and Marie. Unfortunately, someone knows about the changes that are occurring. And more than one person is converging on the answer. The question is who gets it first.
A/N: Some knowledge from running is needed to understand this one. My first suggestion is to read Running (and review please) before even starting this, but otherwise I'll try to summarize. Remy and Jean begin to attend the Institute. They find that things are not quite right. Eventually, they hook up with Cece (Cecilia Reyes), Scott, and Marie and bring down the school. Xavier escaped to places unknown, Logan ran off, too. Jean/Remy's step-dad, Eric (Magneto), ends up in jail (for things not related to the Institute). At the very end, Remy and Cece have powers.
She laid her head against Remy's shoulder. The last job had been tiring and she was glad to finally have some down time. Jean closed her eyes as the train bumped and swayed back home. Home. It was nice to finally know where that was. Even so, her hand closed around the small pistol Remy gave her last month. It still wasn't time to let her guard down.
Remy was busy on Jean's laptop. He entered the day's take and made back-ups of the plans on disk before wiping her system. The job had taken a little longer than anticipated. He was hoping that he wouldn't run into Scott until after he got a good night's sleep. God knows the man was tiring enough.
Life was pretty calm in the surface, but a storm churned underneath. Scott had taken Jean and Marie away after the Institute had broken apart. After they had reunited with Cece and Remy, the group had traveled across the border to Canada. The peaceful atmosphere should have made them feel better, but there was that possibility that everything could come and slam them. Even Scott slept with a gun under his pillow.
Remy started a game of solitaire. Another hour until they got home. His red eyes began to burn behind the black shades he now never left home without. Sighing, he turned off the computer and tried to relax. These headaches were killers.
Scott was sitting on the rooftop. He just didn't understand what Remy and Marie found so calming about dangling two stories above the ground. His heart was pounding in his chest and the air was freezing his lungs. A thin sheet of moisture clung to the tiles, making it even more fun. But he was going to wait it out because he just knew that Remy was going to come in this way, despite a perfectly good door on the ground.
One thing was sure. Sitting on the roof was a good place to think; when you weren't thinking about falling off, that is. Scott thought about the little life they had here. He wasn't quite a father figure, but he wasn't "one of the gang" either. Ever since Cece left to try to live a normal life, he was alone with the three teens. None of their neighbors had bothered to ask what the situation was, so they never had to make anything up. He just wished he knew.
If Scott has his way, nobody would leave the house unless absolutely necessary. He spent two days arguing with Remy about resuming his "missions" and another five day arguing to keep Jean behind. The fact was, Remy needed to get out of the house. He was driving everyone nuts. And Jean had to go with him because he had always planned for a two-person job. Plus, Jean wouldn't speak to him after he told her no.
At least her separation anxiety was getting better. Maybe it was the façade of stability.
"Ah, hell, Scottie. I t'ought you'd be in bed," Remy said, his voice rough with exhaustion. Scott glanced over the ledge and picked Remy's sunglasses from his face.
"That's better. Where's Red?" Scott moved back quickly. Away from the edge. It wasn't that he was afraid of heights; he just didn't like picturing his body spread out on the ground.
"She used the door." Remy gave up the hope of dropping into bed anytime soon. He sat next to Scott and pulled a cigarette out from his coat. He lit it with his finger, and inhaled deeply. There was comfort in familiarity.
"Smart girl. How are you feeling?" Scott asked quietly. He plucked the cigarette from Remy's hand, took a drag before putting it out and throwing it to the ground. It was a bad habit that Scott kicked a year ago. The pull of the nicotine was strong still.
Remy frowned at him. "Headaches still. Sunlight hurts my eyes. Jeannie's getting headaches now. She's sleeping a lot more."
Scott swore. Marie had been complaining, too. He had bloody migraines. It looked as if the Legacy Virus was spreading. The ramifications of that were too huge to deal with at three in the morning.
"How'd the job go?" It really was a moot point since Remy was sitting in front of him obviously unhurt.
Remy brightened. "It went well. Jeannie's getting good. I think I'll let her plan the next hit."
"Great." Scott's stomach turned.
Marie was wringing her hands. Books and pamphlets covered her desk, bed, and floor. Where to start?
"What are you doing?" Jean asked, leaning against the doorframe, a glass of milk in her hand.
"When did you get back?" Marie asked, standing up amidst the mess.
"Last night.or this morning." She trusted Marie, but she still didn't really like her. Still, since they were living together, may as well try to be friendly. "Um, why is your room covered in paper? Decorating mishap?" Remy would have a heart attack from the mess.
Marie shook her head slowly, turning to look at the information on the ground. "They're college brochures from everywhere from Hawaii to Paris. Scott thinks I should try to live a normal life, whatever that is. I don't know what I want to do, or where I want to go, or even if I want to go."
"You're thinking about leaving?" Jean said sharply. Marie managed to hide her grimace at the tone.
"I don't know yet. I know that you don't need college, but it's always been the next step for me. The Professor was going to enroll me in the Academy after I graduated from the Institute." Marie sank to the floor again. "I don't even know if I graduated. There was all that mess at the end of the year."
Jean slowly picked her way across the room and shoved some papers over so she could sit on the bed. She picked up a glossy sheet and read it silently. Marie watched her, curious.
"Well, I think you could rule out New York. I hear the coursework is murder."
Marie rolled her eyes and flopped backward onto the floor. Of course she wasn't going back to New York, the fiery pit of Hell.
"If this is being normal, it sucks."
Remy stared at the empty canvas perplexed, a paintbrush stuck behind his ear. There was just no inspiration today. Maybe he was just too tired to put in any real effort.
"Hey." Marie knocked softly on the door before walking in without waiting for permission. She sat at his desk on which everything was placed at perfect right angles. Wrinkling her nose at his anal retentiveness, she skewed a photograph of him and Jean at the right upper corner.
"Hey." Remy carefully replaced his brushes and paint and went to go sit on the bed. Marie moved over to where he was and began to knead his shoulders. Remy closed his eyes and sighed in relief. "Nice to see ya, chere."
"Jean told me about the job. Cutting it a little close?"
"A little. But what's life without risk?"
"I wouldn't know," Marie muttered, pushing down a little harder than she intended. Remy elbowed her lightly in her ribs in protest.
"Actually, me neither." He rolled to his back and pulled her down on the bed so they were lying side by side. "It might be nice."
"But then nobody would be chasing us."
"Or trying to kill us."
"Or kidnap us." "Or use us for their villainous schemes." Remy grinned. "Yep, sounds like a life I've never lived."
Marie turned to face him, her arm stretching out over her head, legs crossed at the ankles. She looked like a long flowing line. Remy stared, mesmerized.
"Do you ever think about things later in life? Wife and kids? Perpetual ladies' man?"
Remy blinked. "I haven't really thought about it. It's been so long living just to get to tomorrow. That far into the future hasn't reached my brain yet."
Marie chewed her bottom lip, thinking. "We were always discouraged from having a "normal" life. Relationships were quickly broken up. The future was practically laid out for you until death. It's hard to get out of that mindset sometimes." Remy brushed a stray hair away. Then traced the side of her face with the side of his hand. His red eyes never wavered from her emerald ones.
Marie gave him a lazy smile. "This is where your sister barges in to save you from the strumpet."
"* She * knows better than to interrupt me when I'm painting," Remy said, mockingly scolding. He scooted closer.
She glanced over to the blank canvas and raised her eyebrow. "Well, I'm not sorry," she said, nipping at his chin.
He tilted his head back to give her better access. "Neither am I."
Logan shook his head. He could see the shadows in the warmly lit house in the center of the cul de sac. They had come to Canada, his home turf. How utterly stupid. Fucking Remy LeBeau and his damned sister. After he had run, the government had frozen his assets so he couldn't touch the fortune that was back in the states. Logan had to start over, and that meant working with some people he couldn't stand. But the money was right. At least the bastard wouldn't be living happily ever after for much longer.
"Is that the house?" Victor Creed asked, binoculars to his face. He wasn't any happier in being paired with Logan than Logan was.
"Yep."
"When do we hit it?"
"Soon." Logan motioned for his partner to leave the scene. Now that they found them, it was time to warm up in a bar. Not for the first time, Logan wished that he could get sloppy drunk like everyone else. He remembered the times fondly.
Victor sneered at the smaller man, but nodded. He hated taking orders. Still, the promise of a warm room and lots of liquor made him leave without comment.
phoenixREDD: How's college?
1DaddysGrl1: Pretty dull. This is supposed to be the upper echelon of education?
Anyway, how are things with you? Staying out of trouble?
phoenixREDD: ok. we hit St. Joachim St. a couple days ago.
1DaddysGrl1: What's wrong? Even over the computer I can tell you're sulking.
phoenixREDD: I never sulk. ( That girl is taking my brother away.
1DaddysGrl1: ( Surely you expected him to be drawn to Marie. She's pretty.
phoenixREDD: She's ok. She's talking about leaving. Going to college.
1DaddysGrl1: that's good, right?
phoenixREDD: yeah.
1DaddysGrl1: you know you're being paranoid.
phoenixREDD: Scott said I have separation anxiety.
1DaddysGrl1: he's just being nice. You, dear, are a total head case.
phoenixREDD: never say so. I'm.careful. Anyway, gotta go. Dinner.
1DaddysGrl1: k. hang in there, Jeannie.
phoenixREDD: bye, M.
A/N: Just a taste. Tell me if you want more, who you want to see, and remember, the more reviews the more I rush to write! Thanks!