The More Things Change - Chapter Three
"It's almost time for the movie, guys," Bobby tapped his watch, "We better go now, or we won't get good seats."
"What are we goin' to see?" Rogue asked him as she hung the red leopard-print shirt back on the rack.
"Bone-Thrashers 3!" Jubilee replied as the young mutants walked out of the store and into the traffic of the local mall.
"Yea," Kitty added, "It's opening night and we got advanced tickets." She finished in a sing-song voice, pulling out a handful of blue and white movie stubs.
"Uh, ya'll know Ah hate horror movies."
Jubilee rolled her eyes, "Come on, chica. You've never even sat through one! You always leave the room before it gets good."
"That's 'cause they're nasty! Ah hate all that blood."
The four-some stepped out into the fading light. For Xavier's students, as well as every other kid in the Westchester area, this mall was the place to hangout on the weekends. It had a huge arcade on the second level, a vast food court, and best of all, a theatre in the back parking lot.
"It's 6:45. The movie starts in 15 minutes," Bobby reminded them, "Come on, Rogue. Me and you will walk around the mall while they go."
Jubilee and Kitty started at him like he had grown a second head.
"You've got to be kidding! You've been waiting for this movie since the second one came out three years ago! We have advanced tickets! You have to come!"
Before he could respond, Pyro, Colossus and Siren walked up from the parking lot and joined them.
"You guys ready for 'Bone Thrashers' ?!" John asked in a deep, mockingly sinister voice.
"Except for Rogue," Kitty said, clearly annoyed.
"Again? Come on Rogue, why dontcha grow a pair already?" John whined.
"Watch it, Allerdyce," Bobby threatened, "She doesn't have to go see it if she doesn't want to."
"Bobby, why don't ya'll just go on without me?" Bobby turned to look at her, "Ah'll just walk around the mall for a while. Ah wanna go shoppin' for some new shoes anyway."
"Are you sure? I don't mind missing the movie."
She laughed, "Yea, ya do."
"Yea," he grinned, "I kinda do. But I'll stay if you want me too."
"No, all o' ya'll go. Ah'll be fine."
"You sure?"
"Yes, Bobby! Now go on before all the good seats are taken."
The group walked towards the theatre and Rogue went back into the mall. After wandering around aimlessly for the better part of an hour, Rogue's stomach began growling. Though the Food Court was huge and had a decent variety of food choices, Rogue was feeling picky and she didn't like big crowds anyway. She decided to take the car and go find something a little more appealing to her tastes. She fished into her purse for the spare key she always carried as she walked out into the dimly lit parking lot. She walked around the corner towards the car when she was suddenly pushed from behind. She cried out as she hit the pavement. She began pushing herself up on her knees, but stopped suddenly when she felt a large hand on the back of her neck.
"Just stay down and I won't hurt you."
Oh God, oh God, oh God...
"What do you want?" she forced her voice to stay steady.
"Gimme your purse."
"Okay...okay," she moved to take it off her shoulder, but obviously wasn't moving fast enough.
"I said, gimme the fuckin' purse!" She turned to hand it to him and he shoved her into the pavement again, "Don't look at me."
She nodded as she picked herself up again and held the purse out to him. As he snatched it away from her, Rogue caught site of something shiny in his hand.
Ohmahgod, he's got a knife.
"Alright. Just stay down. Stay down." She heard him rummaging through her purse and throwing it's contents to the pavement. Her compact, her brush, the car keys. He found her wallet and smiled, throwing down the empty purse, "Okay, I'm leavin' now. You ain't gonna tell anyone about this are ya honey?"
She shook her head compliantly.
"Good. 'Cause I'd hate to have to come back and hurt you." He stroked her hair with one hand and brought the knife around in front of her with the other and waved it in front of her face, "You don't want me to hurt you, do you?"
"N-no. Please..."
"Okay. This is our little secret then."
She nodded, eager for him to leave.
"Wait 'til I'm gone before you get up. Don't turn around."
She nodded and without another word, the man left. The sound of crunching gravel under his quickly retreating shoes assured her that he was gone. She let out a shaky breath as she rose and brushed her dirty palms together. Swallowing, she slumped against the building and tried to calm herself. Her hands were trembling and she couldn't stop the large tears that streamed down her face. Her throat was dry and she couldn't seem to make herself stand up.
Ah'll just sit here for a minute...Ah'm okay...everything's alright...
She sat there for a few more minutes shaking and sniffling before she got enough steadiness back in her legs to get up and walk to the movie theater.
xxxx
"I had a really good time, Remy."
"Me too, petite. We'll do dis again?"
"Sure thing," Heather smiled as she planted a long, searing kiss on his lips, "See ya back at the Institute."
She smiled, knowing the effect her kiss had on him, and got into her car. Remy watched her drive away, a smile on his lips.
Dis a fille after my own heart...Likes ta play wit' fire...
He subconsciously licked his lips, still tasting her there and began making his way to the back parking lot where he had parked his Harley a few hours before when he and Heather had met up at the mall. Remy walked against the wind with his long dark trench coat billowing out behind him. He whistled as he made his way around the building thinking about his latest female companion.
An' here I was t'inkin' all de kids at Xavier's had sticks up dere asses...Turns out, I found me a girl jus' as wild as any o' de girls back in de Big Easy...
His smile broadened. But Heather Cameron wasn't the only girl at Xavier's that had caught his attention.
Rogue. Ah, now dere's a peice o' work. Don' t'ink I've ever seen eyes like hers anywhere...And if dat girl's ass get any better lookin' in dem li'l jeans she likes to prance around in...
His thoughts trailed off into what Logan would do to him if he tried anything with Rogue.
Jus' as well. She's got a boyfriend. Sort of. And wit' dem powers o' hers...But what I wouldn't give...
His thoughts were interrupted by a small, feminine voice calling his name.
"Remy?"
He turned to see Rogue sitting against the wall outside the movie theatre.
Speak o' de devil...
He grinned as her made his way over to her, "Hey, Chere. What you doin' sittin' outside de movie theatre all by your lonesome?"
As he got closer, he could tell something was wrong.
"Hey," his concern for her was genuine, "What's de matter petite? You okay?" he squatted down in front of her in the darkness.
"Nothin'," she kept her face turned away from his captivating stare, "Ah'm fine. Ah'm jus' waitin' on the guys to get out of their movie."
He didn't say anything more, but continued to stare at her inquisitively. He sensed her discomfort but continued searching her face in the semi-darkness for conformation that she truly was fine. Finally, Rogue looked up to meet his eyes. She had been crying.
"Chere? What's da matter?"
She tried looking away from him again, but he caught her chin in his gloved fingers and forced her to meet his gaze, "What's de matter li'l river rat?"
She swallowed and he could tell she was fighting tears again.
"Rogue," it came out more demanding than he meant it to, but she was scaring him.
She let out a long breath and closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them, "This guy...this guy came up behind me. He pushed me down and...he had a knife...he took my wallet..."
Remy saw red. The thought of someone throwing her to the ground, threatening her with a weapon...
"He hurt you?" his voice was gruff from unspent anger.
She shook her head, "He just scared me."
Her tone broke his heart. She was so innocent. And some sick bastard had scared the hell out of her.
"Where?"
"Just outside tha door on the other side of the mall...Ah think it's the East entrance?...Ah was on mah way out to the car...and he came up behind me..." New tears fell from her deep green eyes.
"Shh, it's okay, ma petite," Remy wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She fell into his embrace, grateful for a friend, "He's gone now. I won't let him scare you again."
After a few minutes, she calmed down and pulled out of his arms. Remy didn't want her to move away. He was enjoying the feel of her too much.
"Ah'm fine now. Thanks, Remy. You can go on about your business if you want. Ah'll be okay."
"Actually, petite. Dere is somethin' I need to take care of...Why don' you go find a bathroom and wipe dem tears off dat pretty face. Den if you wait for me in de Food Court, I'll be glad to take you home."
"Ah don't want to be a bother. Ah'm fine, Remy."
"It'd make me feel better if I took you home, Chere. Made sure you got dere safe."
She thought about it for a moment, "But Bobby will be looking for me."
"We'll leave him a note on de car."
She looked at him for a moment before saying, "Okay."
He smiled and helped her to her feet.
"I'll be right in. Jus' gotta go take care of somet'in'."
She nodded and went to wash off her face.
xxxx
Dere's dat sick son of a bitch, Remy thought with a sneer. He sat on his Harley across the street from the mall watching a man jog away in the opposite direction.
Figured he'd run dis way. All de other neighbor hoods around here are pretty nice.
He pulled his helmet back on.
Well, let's get dis over wit'. Got a pretty girl sittin' back dere an' I don' wanna keep her waitin'...
xxxx
Remy parked his bike next to the car that Rogue and the others had come in. He took a playing card out of his pocket and wrote a quick note explaining to Bobby and the others that she was with him and hooked it underneath one of the windshield wipers.
Smiling, he made his way into the mall and to the Food Court.
"Missing somet'in' belle?" he said from behind her, holding her wallet out before her.
She jumped and Remy instantly regretted coming up behind her.
Shoulda known she'd still be a li'l jumpy, Remy...
"Sorry," he muttered and moved to sit across from her. She looked better now that her face was clean and she had calmed down a bit.
"How in the world---?" she took the wallet from him when he offered it to her again.
"Magic," he smirked.
She stared at him skeptically.
"Okay, maybe not so much 'magic' as it was my fist meeting his face."
She gasped, "Remy! He could've hurt you!"
"You worried 'bout me, Chere?"
"This ain't funny, Cajun. He had a knife."
"Yea...I talked to him 'bout dat an' he said to tell you dat he's real sorry."
Rogue started at him for a moment, her mouth slightly agape. Then she laughed. A real laugh. Loud and long and beautiful. He watched her and couldn't help a little chuckle himself.
"What did you do to him?" she asked when she finally recovered.
"Beat de living hell outta him. Don' worry dough. He'll be okay. I t'ink de only t'ing I broke was his nose."
"Remy!"
"Don't look at me like dat, Rogue. Any man who'd pull a knife on a woman don't deserve no better."
"Thank you," she smiled sweetly at him.
"De rien, petite. Come on, let's get outta here."