Author's Note: SORRY about the lateness. Have you ever had bronchitis?? This was my 4th time getting it… and I'll never get used to the whole, not being able to breath thing. Yeah. Anyway, this chappy is mostly OC and Sam. There is some funny Rogue stuff too. Like, why she was so mischievous at the end of the last chappy…? Mostly, it's just romantic angst. Fun for all. There's some character development for the OC as well. That's always good. A li'l Tessa/Bishop and Rogue/Gambit for kicks.
Review Responses: Aro: Hehe. That's good… I think. Just, uh, don't hurt yourself. That's our Gumbo. He hates to lose. But we love him just the same. :D SAM'S THE MAN!! He's just… dude. sighs like a pathetic fangirl Rogue's naughty lingerie… for shame. But, on the other hand, it may come in handy, right?? :P Thanks for reviewing!! - T.: Aw, shucks. Yep, Bishop's desperate. But let's face it… the dude needs to get laid. Period. :P And Rogue's kinda a busybody, ya know?? But we love her for it. Thanks for the review!! - Ishandahalf: Quite the review. I'm in awe. stares at computer screen Dude. stares some more Whoa. snaps out of it Anyway, Rogue is the one who lended her the pajamas too. Lucky Remy. Poor Sam had to go shopping with the girls. I weep for you Sammy, I weep. :P Ish, I want to go shopping too. Badly. But, when one has no money, it is difficult for one to procure items. Ya dig?? :) Lingerie shopping IS fun. No doubt. And Sam's a confuzzled li'l boy. Okay, hot man. But still confuzzled. :P You like punk guys?? Cool. I s'pose I can lend him to you. Just this once. Since you're such a good reviewer and all. Rogue kidnapped?? I WOULD NOT!! Well, probly not. I don't think I have before. checks previous work Nope. No kidnappings. Actually, that's not a bad idea… (I'm just messing with you) Oh, and Tessa/Bishop goodness. True that. They BELONG together. IMHO. And Bishop is just desperate enough to go to Gambit. Ya know he hasn't been laid since he was holed up with Deathbird and she's kinda evil. Gold star for me?? YAY!! Thank ya for the review!! - PomegranateQueen: Well, now ya know. That Roguey, she's always thinking ahead. :P Hehe. Thanks for the UBER humorous review. I think this is the first time you've reviewed this fic, so YAY!! Glad you weren't turned off by the prospect of an OC. - Katrina5: You trying to make me blush? Well, you succeeded. Thanks!! You're SO sweet. I'm glad you don't mind the OCness. Most would not read because of it. Your subtlety makes me smile. See? :p Seriously though, thanks for the amazing review!!
Disclaimer: I own the X-Men. All rights… everything. Yep. It's the truth. Uh-huh. -
"talking" - 'thinking' - foreign languages
What Never Happened
by, Caliente
Chapter 6 – Romantic Encounters
Chris surveyed her room as she sat on her bed. The floor was littered with bags from a multitude of clothing shops. She would be set for the rest of her life… if this was her life. If only she was so lucky. To have this life, to be this person. But it wasn't real and she knew it. Nothing was real. She let out a small sigh before picking up the closest bag. From Victoria's Secret. Having been to the store, she was pretty sure the secret was out. Realizing that if she was going to wear any of this stuff, she would have to wash it, she quickly dumped out the contents. Inside were several undergarments that she picked out and what appeared to be a black lacy teddy with matching thong and mini-robe. Chris felt her cheeks heat up as she blushed and quickly stuffed the lingerie back in the bag. She swiftly cut the tags from the remaining items and started the laundry in the washer Rogue had showed her. Then, she picked up the bag with the risqué items inside and carried it into the living area. Bishop and Sage had left in the morning and had yet to return, Sam was off doing something else, and Gambit was apparently still sleeping off his hangover. That left Rogue, curled up on a couch, reading what appeared to be a trashy romance novel. Interesting. Shaking herself from her thoughts, Chris cleared her throat.
Rogue calmly placed a bookmark inside her book and turned to look at the younger girl. Sweeping a strand of white hair behind her ear, she offered Chris a small smile. "What can Ah do fo' ya sugah?"
"Anna, I was, uhm, going through my, er, the Victoria's Secret bag, and I found a set of, uh, lingerie that I didn't recognize." She paused, observing Rogue's amused expression at her clear discomfort. "Is it yours? Or a mistake?"
Rogue let out a small laugh before answering her flustered questions. "No, it's not a mistake." Her smile grew larger. "Ah just figured it might be useful."
Chris felt her face heat up and prayed it wasn't noticeable. Judging by Rogue's smirk, she wasn't that lucky. "Useful in what way exactly?" she inquired with averted eyes. Damn her face for betraying her.
"Sugah, if ya don't know why it's useful then ya got bigger problems than how it ended up in yer bag." Chris attempted to glare at the older woman from behind her flaming face. "'sides, ya never know when ya might need some lingerie. It may come in handy some day." She winked at Chris before adding, "Was that all?"
"Uh, yeah," Chris replied. "Gracias for the help."
"Not a problem," she responded returning to her steamy story. "If ya need anythin' else, don't hesitate ta ask."
"I'm fine for now, thanks," Chris assured her new friend. She headed back to her temporary room and picked up another bag. Inside this one she found a bathing suit. More specifically, a black bikini. She examined the bottom closely, noting the ties on the sides and hoping they were strong. Slipping off her jeans and undergarments, she pulled it on, checking out her butt in the mirror. Yes, this would do. She picked up the matching top, a simple halter that tied in the back and at the neck. Slipping off her orange tank top and bra, she put on the top and gave herself a critical examination in the mirror. It was missing something. Rooting through another bag, she found a red sarong with a golden pattern. She tied the fringed ends it in a tight knot at her waist so that the patterned cloth fell down at a slant. Glancing once more in the mirror, she had to smile. She might as well enjoy this as it lasted. Slipping on a pair of red studded black flip flops, she exited her room. She smirked slightly as she grabbed the pair of red sunglasses she had found in a dresser in the hall. These were a pair of the glasses that team used in a computer capacity, and a spontaneous walk on the beach was the perfect opportunity to check them out. As she moved to leave, she called out to Rogue in the living room. "Hey Anna, I'm going to go for a walk on the beach. I grabbed a pair of sunglasses I found on a dresser. Hope you don't mind."
"It's fine sugah," Rogue assured the younger girl. "Have fun." Chris waved over her shoulder as she exited. 'Did I forget to mention Sam's surfing out there? Must have slipped my mind,' the Southerner added to herself. She let out a small laugh before returning to her book.
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Chris was completely engrossed in her studies as she wandered slowly down the beach. The glasses were filled with the most amazing knowledge, things that Hellfire, Black Air, and a myriad of other organizations would pay top dollar for. That clinched it. Even if she was leaving the spy life, she could still live large. Life would be sweet. She turned toward the ocean to catch some of the mid-afternoon rays, observing some of the surfers. One looked suspiciously familiar… blonde hair, great body… Sam. She watched him catch a wave, painfully aware of the fact that he was only wearing a pair of extremely low surf shorts. The boy looked good, that was for sure. He was actually pretty decent, at least until the end. As the wave fizzled out, Sam lost his balance and unceremoniously dropped into the water with a rather large splash. Slick. Chris saw him resurface and swim to shore. Before she was conscious of what she was doing, Chris began to applaud him. "Bravo! Encore!" she called for effect.
Sam's head snapped at the surprising, but not unwelcome, intrusion. "Chris?" he asked in surprise, knowing full well that it was her. She looked… he had never seen her in so little clothing. Even in the towel, she was more covered. Now her slim stomach and waist were more exposed, along with her cleavage. He stared for a long moment before regaining motor function and sauntering over to the bikini clad girl, surfboard tucked under one arm.
Chris watched Sam as he walked over, water dripping down his chest, strangely reminiscent of Baywatch. She was certain that she was not the only girl who noticed him, but he didn't seem to realize how good he looked. Even with his hair plastered to his face, he still managed to pull it off. Forcing herself to look up into his cool blue-grey eyes, she commented, "You know, I wasn't aware Southerners could surf. Though if your ending is any indication–"
"Hey now," he interrupted, "Ah wasn't that bad." Sam ran his free hand through his blonde hair causing it to become spiky and disheveled.
He looked even better, if that was possible, and Chris was finding it difficult to concentrate on their conversation. "Actually, kinda looked like fun…" she trailed off with a slightly wistful expression.
"Oh it is," he gushed enthusiastically. "Why, ya never been?" She shook her head, turning to look at the ocean. Sam followed her gaze after a moment, observing the surfers in a comfortable silence. Turning back to the attractive girl beside him, Sam decided to take a risk, he'd been safe long enough. "Well, how 'bout a, uh, lesson?" She looked at him, a confused expression on her face. "From meh," he added with a lopsided grin.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, silently scolding herself for being surprised. In her line of work, being surprised could get you killed. 'But this isn't work,' she argued with her rational half, 'this is pleasure. I don't care if I'm not supposed to mix them, it's too late now.' She met his eyes again and sighed internally. 'This is going to be hard…' "That's really sweet of you, but I'm fine."
"Ya sure? Ah'm a really good teacher," was his persistent response, "my li'l nosedive not withstandin'."
His eyes were filled with hope, and it hurt Chris to turn him down. 'Dios. Why does he have to be so damn adorable?' she wondered silently. 'If only he was a jerk, then this would be easier.' "It's really all right," she stated with a small smile. "Soy bien. I mean, I'm fine. Gracias though."
As hard as he tried, Sam couldn't keep the disappointed look off his face or out of his tone. "Oh, okay. Maybe another time." He turned his gaze back to the ocean, watching the surfers some more.
Chris watched Sam attempt to play it off, but his expression wrenched her heart. She hated this control he seemed to exude over her, without even trying to. She couldn't stand to see him disappointed. "Well… I guess one lesson couldn't hurt, verdad?" she offered.
Elation seemed to light up Sam's face, and he looked like a child in a candy shop. "Great. Ya won't regret it. Ah promise," he said excitedly. Unconsciously, he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the water edge. It took a lot of will power for Chris not to pull away because although she was pleased that Sam was holding her hand, she did not want to go anywhere near the water. But, she allowed herself to be dragged to the shore, slipping off her flip-flops and shades a safe distance away. Sam turned around abruptly, causing their chests to bump and both parties found themselves blushing. "Uh, aftah ya," Sam told her, gesturing towards the board, his accent growing slightly with his nervousness. 'Real, smooth,' he chided silently. 'She'll never know you like her.'
Chris nodded, climbing on the front part. She felt Sam slide on behind her, and was glad that he couldn't see that she was blushing profusely. "So what do I do first?" she asked, hoping her nerves weren't clouding her voice.
"Well," Sam leaned closer, grabbing her hands and gently using his body to press her chest closer to the board. Both parties spent a moment relishing the touch before Sam continued. "Th' first thang we do is paddle out," he instructed, pulling her hands in the motion. The water was cool to the touch, and for a moment Chris considered splashing some on her flaming face but decided against it.
Sam let go of her hands, and began to paddle as well. He was very aware of their close proximity, and took a moment to look down and appreciate her finer assets. 'Hot damn,' he thought in shock, 'I really have turned into Gambit.' He almost laughed at that revelation. Returning his attention to the board, he nearly had his nose broken when Chris abruptly sat up. "Is this far enough?" she questioned, attempting to keep the apprehension she was feeling out of her chest and slow her heart rate.
Taking a quick survey of where they were, he answered, "Yeah, this'll do nicely." He was surprised when Chris pulled her legs from the water and spun around to face him. Her deep brown eyes met his again and he felt compelled to comfort her. Something deep inside his soul told him she needed it. "You'll do great, don't worry."
Chris let out a small laugh, trying to get rid of the tension which was as thick as pea soup. And which was only partially due to her aforementioned apprehension. "I'm so sure," she remarked dryly. "So, what's next Surfing Sensei?" Her eyes sparkling with laughter as she spoke.
"Surfin' Sensei?" he laughed. "That's a new one. Where'd ya come up with that?"
"Well, I figured it fit," she responded nonchalantly. "I toyed with 'Wave Master' and just plain 'Yoda' but something about alliteration just made it seem right."
Sam let out another laugh, and Chris decided it was fast becoming her favorite noise. "All right. Ah s'pose Ah can attempt ta live up ta that title…" he flashed her a big grin "…grasshopper."
Chris snorted at that name, though it brought back memories. Somebody else had called her that once. Pete. Lord knows she didn't need to be thinking about that traitor at the moment. A large wave bumped the surfboard, pulling Chris from her thoughts. She immediately threw her arms around Sam in an attempt to steady herself, and he placed his hands on her waist. Involuntarily she let out a little shudder.
"Hey, you alright?" Sam asked in a gentle tone. He had noted her earlier discomfort, but had just assumed it was the tension he himself had been feeling. He wanted to hit himself for not paying closer attention. Honestly, if his mother could see him now, she'd deck him. "Chris?"
Taking a shaky breath and swallowing, Chris looked up to meet the beautiful blue eyes she associated with the Southern gentleman. They implored her to confide in him. She attempted to smile, though it was more of a grimace than anything else. "I'm fine." She paused and looked out at the horizon. "It's just…"
"What? Ya can tell meh," Sam encouraged her. He followed her gaze, watching the waves for a moment before turning back to the mysterious brunette in front of him. Something about her… he knew nothing of her past, or even her present. But for some reason, he wanted her in his future.
"…the ocean," she said in a small voice. "I've always been afraid of it." Her gaze turned downward, to her lap. "It's so large… you never know what's in store. From jellyfish to riptides, nothing is safe. It represents everything I've been taught to fear… it's an unknown entity. But mostly, it's the fact that in the ocean, there's no control. No order. And when I'm in the ocean, I have no control over my surroundings. I hate being out of control."
Sam removed one arm from her waist, and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes once again. "Then why did ya agree ta come out here?" His tone matched hers in volume but it was filled with compassion and innocent curiosity.
Chris wanted to beat herself for being vulnerable. What kind of agent was she, spilling her guts to the enemy. Honestly, she may as well have been a rookie. But, then, she let it all go. In little more than a whisper, she responded, "Why do you think?"
Sam mouthed "O" but no noise came out. The truth of what she was saying hit him full force and he felt his arm drop from her chin back to her waist.
Neither were sure exactly what was happening, all they knew was they were getting closer together. Like some sort of magnetic force was pulling them together, and neither wanted to fight it. They both wanted to give in. So they did.
Chris was surprised at how different her second kiss with Sam was. This time, there was no rush, no forcing him to kiss her, no teeth hitting each other. No, this was sweet, and innocent. One of her hands moved from his neck, to his hair. She ran it through his still damp hair, relishing the touch. Sam's hands slowly wandered down from her waist, and Chris let out a little gasp of surprise. The boy had moves after all. Taking this as an invitation to deepen the kiss, Sam moved to explore her mouth. Chris found herself doing the same, and wondering how he could have this effect on her. Nobody had this effect on her. It was a truly new sensation, one that she was relishing.
Eventually they had to pull away for breath. Chris immediately looked away, and noting that they had drifted closer to shore, she slid off the board. Wading her way through the knee deep water, vaguely aware that the bottom of her sarong was getting wet, Chris trekked onto the beach in a daze. As soon as she was on shore, she took off in a sprint, forgetting her sandals and sunglasses.
Sam was completely dumbfounded as he watched her go. 'What just happened?' he asked himself. Unfortunately, the blonde mutant had no answers. Drawing himself from his surprised state, he paddled his board inland before dropping it on the sand. Fins be damned, he wanted to know what was up. For a moment he toyed with the idea of cannonballing after her, but decided a mutant display was attention they did not need at this moment. Instead he broke into a sprint of his own, hoping to catch her before she got too far. The two raced for some time before he finally managed to catch her arm. "Wait," he got out between pants. "Don't," pant, "run," pant, pant, "away." He spun her around. "Please."
Chris froze at his touch, as if afraid of him. She turned to face him, looking up into his pale eyes. "Sorry. Er, I'm sorry," she blurted out without meaning to. "It's just that, everything's moving so fast." She paused, moving her gaze to encompass the water. "We don't even know each other," she whispered. 'And if you did, you sure wouldn't be kissing me,' she added silently. 'Hunting me, perhaps, but not kissing me.'
Sam brushed a few stray hairs away from her face with his free hand. "Maybe not yet, but Ah'd like ta know ya." He smiled gently. "Everythang that Ah know about ya, Ah love." 'Did I just say love?' he wondered silently, replaying his words in his mind. 'Yep. Crap. If she wasn't scared before…'
'Did he say love? Nah, he couldn't have,' she decided. "That's really sweet of you to say," she told the handsome Southerner, "but it doesn't change the fact that this is moving too fast. For me, at least." She paused for a moment. "I'd just like a little time alone, if that's all right."
"'course," Sam replied calmly, silently rejoicing that she hadn't flipped out or rejected him because of his slip, but still disappointed she hadn't seemed to return the sentiment. "Ah'm gonna head back ta the house." He glanced back down the beach, remembering his board. "After Ah grab my surf board."
Chris nodded, and remembering her sandals and glasses, following him back down the beach. The silence was awkward and uncomfortable, but neither party could figure out how to speak to the other. Sam grabbed his board and gave her a quick wave, before heading back to the house. Chris let out a sigh of relief, the tension had been as thick as pea soup. Slipping on her sandals and glasses, Chris resumed her research through the X-Men files. Unfortunately her mind was elsewhere, recalling everything about the moment they had just shared. Something had happened, something that she had never felt before. Could it be love? With a laugh that didn't sound or feel convincing, Chris pushed those thoughts from her mind. Love? Love was an emotion, one for sissies. She couldn't be in love. It just wasn't possible. It was a logical argument. It made perfect sense. Too bad love isn't logical and doesn't make sense. But Chris could convince people of almost everything, including herself. And she wasn't in love. She wasn't. Really.
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Dinner was strained to say the least. Bishop and Tessa were apparently still investigating… something. Rogue had decided to accompany Gambit out tonight, to prevent a repeat of the night before. And that left, Sam and Chris. Convenient, right? It would had been, had either party been willing to approach the subject that was plaguing both of their minds. Eating leftover gumbo, neither uttered a word, just letting the silence consume them. Sam stole a glance at the girl sitting across from him. She seemed to be concentrating on her food, a piece of hair falling across her face. How Sam wanted to just reach up and brush that stubborn strand away. Forcing himself to concentrate on his food, Sam attempted to push all thoughts of the mysterious beauty across from him. Chris played with her food for a few minutes before allowing herself to look at the Southerner seated with her. His normally neat hair was still damp from his shower and slightly mussed. She could almost feel the memory of running her hands through his soft blonde tresses. Why was this so difficult? All she wanted was to finish her mission, be free, and disappear. She never wanted to feel this way. Disappointed and dejected, Chris once again turned her attention to the spicy meal. No sense in fretting about something that could never be. Not that she wanted it to be. No. Of course not.
The meal progressed in that manner until the couple was rescued from their sexual tension by the arrival of Tessa and Bishop. The sound of Bishop's low chuckling greeted the two mutants before they saw either of them. "…never saw it coming," they managed to catch as the large cop and the human computer entered the home. Sam shot a quick smile at his dinning companion before quickly moving to meet them.
"Hey guys. How'd it go?" Chris heard him ask conversationally. She quickly put their plates in the sink and slunk into her room, that way she could hear the conversation without raising suspicion.
"Unfortunately, we learned very little about what has been happening in Valle Soleada," she heard Sage inform the younger boy. "I have a few conjectures and have formulated a plan. I believe we should gather more information before implementing it; however, knowing the enemy, I am almost positive this will work." She paused for a moment, Chris guessed to look for confirmation from her partner. Apparently receiving it, Tessa continued, "I think we should separated Bishop from the group as bait." Sam made a noise of protest but the logical minded woman ignored him. "I know Bogan, he will attack. Bishop should be fine. Bogan won't attempt to kill him because he wants us." 'More like you,' Chris argued with Tessa silently. 'It's all about you chica. He doesn't care about the rest of you.'
"Should be fine?" She could hear the worry in Sam's tone. "Ah don't like the sound of that. Surely there's a safer way to –"
"I assure you, I have gone through all of the possibilities. This is our only course of action," Chris detected a hint of regret in Sage's voice. Chris was sure if she could access had her heightened sense of smell, she would have sniffed out the mutual attraction between the big black man and the pale human-computer before now. The way she seemed to hesitate ever so slightly implied that she was less than pleased with this option. And the fact that he was uncharacteristically silent meant that he was supporting her despite his concerns. She had observed him do the same thing with Rogue, he was playing the stoic hero for her. Too bad she had been too distracted with Sam to mess with them. Chris smirked slightly at this line of thought but couldn't push away the perpetual sense of loss she felt. Loss of smell… just another thing to thank HIM for.
Tuning back into the conversation Chris noted Bishop speaking up for the first time since arriving home. "Sam, we decided to keep this between us, after we brief Storm that is. The less people who know, the better. Especially since Tessa has told me that Bogan uses a telepath." This caught Chris's attention. 'Uses a telepath… hmm…' she pondered this revelation for a moment. 'Perhaps I should learn more about Elias Bogan.' She listened for a little while longer but nothing was of relevance. Sighing, she collapsed on her bed, falling asleep immediately despite the fact that it was only eight.
The plot reared it's ugly head in there. Damn. Oh well. So, tell me your opinion. Review. Pwease??