A Poisoned Cup
Kitty was sitting on her balcony with her legs hanging over the side. She looked out to the horizon. The sun was setting, and the entire sky was a brilliant, fiery red-orange.
Kitty sighed. Today had been crazy. Pietro had kissed her, and then confessed that he loved her. And then she'd had that very hard, awkward talk with him in the park. After that, she'd stopped by the BoM House to let Lance know that everything was alright. And now she was back at the Institute, trying to make sense of her situation.
The problem was, everything wasn't alright. The more she thought about it, the more Kitty wondered if she was wrong to ignore this thing between her and Pietro. She definitely felt something when he kissed her. But she felt something when she kissed Lance too. They were both great guys. Different, but still great. She couldn't, for the life of her, decide on just one of them.
Rogue came up behind her, dressed for a date. Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Did you finally get back together with Remy?"
A dark look passed over Rogue's face. "No. Ah, uh, Ah'm goin' out to dinner with...Kurt! Yeah, uh, it's this brother-sister thing."
Kitty rolled her eyes. "Sure you are. Well, tell Kurt I said hello."
"Uh, yeah, Ah will." Rogue nervously tucked her hair behind her ears and walked downstairs. She certainly didn't want Kitty to know that she was meeting her ex-boyfriend's father for coffee. And especially since this particular ex-boyfriend's father happened to be a master thief. She was due to meet Jean-Luc at the Dark Poetry Café in 15 minutes, and she still didn't know what he wanted. Rogue was regretting that she ever agreed to go. It was too weird
Gathering all of her confidence, she walked into the café. He was already there, waiting for her, at one of the small, candlelit tables. Trying to appear aloof, she strode over to him.
He stood up bowed to her. "Mademoiselle." He smirked at her. "Allow me to help you to your seat." He pulled it out for her, waited until she sat down, and then gently pushed it in.
Sitting down across from her, he leaned forward on the table. "So, Rogue. How are you?" She stared at him. His voice was like silk.
"Uh....Ah'm fine....how--how are you?" Rogue suddenly felt very drowsy. The candles on the table were giving off the most enthralling scent. It was she was floating amidst the clouds, or suspending under the ocean. She felt very, very relaxed. He could hardly keep the excitement out of his eyes. "Why I am just glorious, Cherie. Now, I'm sure that you are wondering why I asked to see you. I came seeking your help my dear. You see, there's a little problem at home, back in New Orleans. And Remy, well, he has refused to help me. For a time, I was quite distressed. And then I remembered you. You, darling Rogue, are the perfect person to help me. It is a matter of family honor. I have been grievously disrespected, and I must correct the error. Surely you could find it in your heart to help an old man?"
Rogue giggled. She felt like she weighed nothing at all. "Sure...." she slurred drowsily. "Ah'd—Ah'd love to help you." She giggled again.
Jean-Luc smiled, his eyes glittering. "I always knew that I could count on you Rogue. As I said before, my son was crazy to let you go."
Rogue frowned slightly. Remy....she was mad at him for something, but she couldn't quite remember what. Jean-Luc passed her a drink.
"Louisiana specialty. It's called Nha Trang. I brought some with me, just for you. Go on, drink it."
Rogue slowly reached for the glass. It was filled with a swirling crimson red liquid. She took a small sip. It was like fire shooting down her throat. But just as soon as it had come, the burning sensation faded, and Rogue was left with a warm, tingly feeling all over. It made her even more tired. Everything started to spin around her. She closed her eyes.
From outside, an incredulous stranger was watching the scene in the café. Gambit stared, unable to look away. Rogue was having some kind of date with his Jean-Luc. His father. The two of them, just sitting there, cozy as can be, like it was no big deal.
With a growl, Gambit whipped his trench coat around and stalked off. Something wasn't right here.
Meanwhile, inside the café, Rogue had fallen asleep on the table. Smirking to himself, Jean-Luc picked her up and carried her out the back door to a waiting car. It sped off into the night. Not a trace of Rogue's having been at the café was left behind.
****************************At the Institute*******************************
Kitty was still sitting on her balcony, still contemplating the Pietro-Lance situation. It was pitch black outside, the round, full moon was rising above clouds. Kitty shivered slightly. It was dark to the point of being a little scary.
She took a deep breath. 'Don't be such a baby!' she scolded herself. 'You're 16 years old, 16 teen year olds aren't afraid of the dark!' Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.
She started to turn around slowly, to reassure herself that no one was there. But just as she came to face the door back into her room, someone clamped a hand firmly over her mouth and pulled her into the shadows near the door.
Kitty's heart stopped. Panic was rising like crazy all through her body. She tried to scream, but the gloved hand would not allow it.
"Kitty—" said a low, masculine voice. At that moment, Kitty furiously remembered that she could phase. Angry with herself for taking so long, she phased out of her attacker's grip and delivered a kick to his groin.
The figure buckled and groaned. "Not again," she heard it mutter.
"Who are you?" hissed Kitty. "And what the hell do you think you're doing?"
The mystery man raised his head, and Kitty saw that it was Gambit. She squeaked in surprise. "Gambit? W-What are you doing?!"
Still wincing in pain, Gambit managed to straighten up. Realizing what she had just done to him, Kitty clapped her hands over her mouth. "Sorry about that. But what was I supposed to think? You could have knocked on my door or something, what's with you grabbing me like that?" She was glaring at him now.
Gambit glared back at her. "I don't want anyone else to know I'm here. I wouldn't have even come if I weren't absolutely desperate."
Anger rippled through Kitty's veins. "Gee, thanks," she said sarcastically. "What makes you think I'd help you at all?"
Gambit clenched his jaw. "It's about Rogue. I think she's in trouble."
Kitty's eyes widened. "Well why didn't you just say that right away? What happened to her?!"
"Did she tell you where she was going tonight?"
Kitty frowned. "She told me that she was going out with Kurt for some family dinner thing. But I could tell that she was lying. She was way too nervous. I thought she was going on a date and just didn't want to tell me in case it didn't work out."
Gambit scowled. "Yeah, well, she was on a date alright. With my father."
"You're father?!" screeched Kitty. "Why would she go out with him?" she asked more quietly. "He's, well, no offense, but he's like, a bad guy. Rogue would never, ever, agree to go meet him! Especially right after she'd broken up with you."
"You don't know him. He can very convincing when he wants something. He's the master of scamming people. I'm worried that he's trying to get Rogue to go along with some crazy plan of his."
"Rogue would never agree to anything like that," said Kitty. "If he were planning something evil, she'd be out of there before you could count to ten."
"Well when I saw them, she looked like she'd agree to anything. We have to go find out what's going on and get her out of there."
"Okay," agreed Kitty. "Do you have any idea where he might have taken her?"
"No," said Gambit grimly. "Let's go to the café and ask if they saw anything unusual." Kitty nodded, and the two climbed down to the ground and got on Gambit's motorcycle."
***************************AT the BoM House***************************
Lance was leaning against the window in the living room. Things in the house were very tense, what with Pietro having confessed to Kitty. Sighing to himself, he noticed that it had started to rain.
He walked outside and stood on the front porch. He had always liked thunderstorms. Pietro strolled up the walk, having returned from visiting Magneto. Just then, Gambit's motorcycle sped by, going well above the speed limit. Lance could see that Gambit had a girl on the bike with him, a girl with a brown ponytail that was whipping in the wind.
"Hey! That's Kitty!" said Lance, surprised. Pietro turned to look. The bike made a sharp right. Both boys could clearly hear Kitty screaming.
Lance panicked. "S-She hates Gambit!" he said. "Ever since they had that fight about Rogue, she's hated him. She-she'd never willingly get on his bike. He's kidnapped her or something!"
Pietro's head whipped up. "What? Don't be stupid Lance."
Lance glared at him. "You heard her screaming Pietro. Something's not right."
Pietro tried to fight down his growing unease. Kitty had sounded absolutely terrified.
Lance ran inside and got his car keys, and then ran to the driveway and started his jeep. "I'm going to get her."
Pietro jumped in the front sit. "I'm coming with you." Lance was too worried about Kitty to argue. The jeep sped off in the same direction as Gambit's motorcycle.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sorry this took me so long everyone. I apologize. ff.net screwed up my editing, and I was so pissed, I couldn't deal with it. (it's all fixed now, yay!)
Hope you enjoy chapter 16.
Thanks to the reviewers.
Bitrona: I know, ff.net screwed up my replaced chapters. Does everything make sense now? Sorry if you were confused.
~Druid-Priestess~
Kitty was sitting on her balcony with her legs hanging over the side. She looked out to the horizon. The sun was setting, and the entire sky was a brilliant, fiery red-orange.
Kitty sighed. Today had been crazy. Pietro had kissed her, and then confessed that he loved her. And then she'd had that very hard, awkward talk with him in the park. After that, she'd stopped by the BoM House to let Lance know that everything was alright. And now she was back at the Institute, trying to make sense of her situation.
The problem was, everything wasn't alright. The more she thought about it, the more Kitty wondered if she was wrong to ignore this thing between her and Pietro. She definitely felt something when he kissed her. But she felt something when she kissed Lance too. They were both great guys. Different, but still great. She couldn't, for the life of her, decide on just one of them.
Rogue came up behind her, dressed for a date. Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Did you finally get back together with Remy?"
A dark look passed over Rogue's face. "No. Ah, uh, Ah'm goin' out to dinner with...Kurt! Yeah, uh, it's this brother-sister thing."
Kitty rolled her eyes. "Sure you are. Well, tell Kurt I said hello."
"Uh, yeah, Ah will." Rogue nervously tucked her hair behind her ears and walked downstairs. She certainly didn't want Kitty to know that she was meeting her ex-boyfriend's father for coffee. And especially since this particular ex-boyfriend's father happened to be a master thief. She was due to meet Jean-Luc at the Dark Poetry Café in 15 minutes, and she still didn't know what he wanted. Rogue was regretting that she ever agreed to go. It was too weird
Gathering all of her confidence, she walked into the café. He was already there, waiting for her, at one of the small, candlelit tables. Trying to appear aloof, she strode over to him.
He stood up bowed to her. "Mademoiselle." He smirked at her. "Allow me to help you to your seat." He pulled it out for her, waited until she sat down, and then gently pushed it in.
Sitting down across from her, he leaned forward on the table. "So, Rogue. How are you?" She stared at him. His voice was like silk.
"Uh....Ah'm fine....how--how are you?" Rogue suddenly felt very drowsy. The candles on the table were giving off the most enthralling scent. It was she was floating amidst the clouds, or suspending under the ocean. She felt very, very relaxed. He could hardly keep the excitement out of his eyes. "Why I am just glorious, Cherie. Now, I'm sure that you are wondering why I asked to see you. I came seeking your help my dear. You see, there's a little problem at home, back in New Orleans. And Remy, well, he has refused to help me. For a time, I was quite distressed. And then I remembered you. You, darling Rogue, are the perfect person to help me. It is a matter of family honor. I have been grievously disrespected, and I must correct the error. Surely you could find it in your heart to help an old man?"
Rogue giggled. She felt like she weighed nothing at all. "Sure...." she slurred drowsily. "Ah'd—Ah'd love to help you." She giggled again.
Jean-Luc smiled, his eyes glittering. "I always knew that I could count on you Rogue. As I said before, my son was crazy to let you go."
Rogue frowned slightly. Remy....she was mad at him for something, but she couldn't quite remember what. Jean-Luc passed her a drink.
"Louisiana specialty. It's called Nha Trang. I brought some with me, just for you. Go on, drink it."
Rogue slowly reached for the glass. It was filled with a swirling crimson red liquid. She took a small sip. It was like fire shooting down her throat. But just as soon as it had come, the burning sensation faded, and Rogue was left with a warm, tingly feeling all over. It made her even more tired. Everything started to spin around her. She closed her eyes.
From outside, an incredulous stranger was watching the scene in the café. Gambit stared, unable to look away. Rogue was having some kind of date with his Jean-Luc. His father. The two of them, just sitting there, cozy as can be, like it was no big deal.
With a growl, Gambit whipped his trench coat around and stalked off. Something wasn't right here.
Meanwhile, inside the café, Rogue had fallen asleep on the table. Smirking to himself, Jean-Luc picked her up and carried her out the back door to a waiting car. It sped off into the night. Not a trace of Rogue's having been at the café was left behind.
****************************At the Institute*******************************
Kitty was still sitting on her balcony, still contemplating the Pietro-Lance situation. It was pitch black outside, the round, full moon was rising above clouds. Kitty shivered slightly. It was dark to the point of being a little scary.
She took a deep breath. 'Don't be such a baby!' she scolded herself. 'You're 16 years old, 16 teen year olds aren't afraid of the dark!' Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.
She started to turn around slowly, to reassure herself that no one was there. But just as she came to face the door back into her room, someone clamped a hand firmly over her mouth and pulled her into the shadows near the door.
Kitty's heart stopped. Panic was rising like crazy all through her body. She tried to scream, but the gloved hand would not allow it.
"Kitty—" said a low, masculine voice. At that moment, Kitty furiously remembered that she could phase. Angry with herself for taking so long, she phased out of her attacker's grip and delivered a kick to his groin.
The figure buckled and groaned. "Not again," she heard it mutter.
"Who are you?" hissed Kitty. "And what the hell do you think you're doing?"
The mystery man raised his head, and Kitty saw that it was Gambit. She squeaked in surprise. "Gambit? W-What are you doing?!"
Still wincing in pain, Gambit managed to straighten up. Realizing what she had just done to him, Kitty clapped her hands over her mouth. "Sorry about that. But what was I supposed to think? You could have knocked on my door or something, what's with you grabbing me like that?" She was glaring at him now.
Gambit glared back at her. "I don't want anyone else to know I'm here. I wouldn't have even come if I weren't absolutely desperate."
Anger rippled through Kitty's veins. "Gee, thanks," she said sarcastically. "What makes you think I'd help you at all?"
Gambit clenched his jaw. "It's about Rogue. I think she's in trouble."
Kitty's eyes widened. "Well why didn't you just say that right away? What happened to her?!"
"Did she tell you where she was going tonight?"
Kitty frowned. "She told me that she was going out with Kurt for some family dinner thing. But I could tell that she was lying. She was way too nervous. I thought she was going on a date and just didn't want to tell me in case it didn't work out."
Gambit scowled. "Yeah, well, she was on a date alright. With my father."
"You're father?!" screeched Kitty. "Why would she go out with him?" she asked more quietly. "He's, well, no offense, but he's like, a bad guy. Rogue would never, ever, agree to go meet him! Especially right after she'd broken up with you."
"You don't know him. He can very convincing when he wants something. He's the master of scamming people. I'm worried that he's trying to get Rogue to go along with some crazy plan of his."
"Rogue would never agree to anything like that," said Kitty. "If he were planning something evil, she'd be out of there before you could count to ten."
"Well when I saw them, she looked like she'd agree to anything. We have to go find out what's going on and get her out of there."
"Okay," agreed Kitty. "Do you have any idea where he might have taken her?"
"No," said Gambit grimly. "Let's go to the café and ask if they saw anything unusual." Kitty nodded, and the two climbed down to the ground and got on Gambit's motorcycle."
***************************AT the BoM House***************************
Lance was leaning against the window in the living room. Things in the house were very tense, what with Pietro having confessed to Kitty. Sighing to himself, he noticed that it had started to rain.
He walked outside and stood on the front porch. He had always liked thunderstorms. Pietro strolled up the walk, having returned from visiting Magneto. Just then, Gambit's motorcycle sped by, going well above the speed limit. Lance could see that Gambit had a girl on the bike with him, a girl with a brown ponytail that was whipping in the wind.
"Hey! That's Kitty!" said Lance, surprised. Pietro turned to look. The bike made a sharp right. Both boys could clearly hear Kitty screaming.
Lance panicked. "S-She hates Gambit!" he said. "Ever since they had that fight about Rogue, she's hated him. She-she'd never willingly get on his bike. He's kidnapped her or something!"
Pietro's head whipped up. "What? Don't be stupid Lance."
Lance glared at him. "You heard her screaming Pietro. Something's not right."
Pietro tried to fight down his growing unease. Kitty had sounded absolutely terrified.
Lance ran inside and got his car keys, and then ran to the driveway and started his jeep. "I'm going to get her."
Pietro jumped in the front sit. "I'm coming with you." Lance was too worried about Kitty to argue. The jeep sped off in the same direction as Gambit's motorcycle.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sorry this took me so long everyone. I apologize. ff.net screwed up my editing, and I was so pissed, I couldn't deal with it. (it's all fixed now, yay!)
Hope you enjoy chapter 16.
Thanks to the reviewers.
Bitrona: I know, ff.net screwed up my replaced chapters. Does everything make sense now? Sorry if you were confused.
~Druid-Priestess~