Ch.12 Wrath
The weeks passed in a strange bubble for the kids at the Xavier Institute. Though the taunts at school continued, they lacked the ferocity of previous encounters. Most of them held their breath in the hope that the worst had passed, at least in Bayville. Around the country, even the world heated talks and debates sprung up around the 'Mutant Question'. The Professor spent a lot of time attempting to put out fires as he too attended summit meetings.
Still Rogue and the students who had been at the Institute the longest felt the foreboding calm. They scheduled extra training sessions alone and even with Logan in a race to be ready for something they could not entirely comprehend. Rogue now knew almost as much about Kitty's mutation as Kitty did, and she was gaining proficiency in both Kurt's and Scott's mutations at a rapid pace. Still, she did not feel ready, so like the rest, she pushed harder and faster.
She paused in the hallway of the Institute on her way to the garage and looked out the window. The sun shone bright, adding a cheerful glow to grass and leaves coated in the morning dew. She pressed her head against the glass with a long sigh. ' 'Least it's Friday.' She thought, though that tiny voice inside was not finished. 'N' Ah'll see Remy at lunch.' His name conjured his face, which in turn caused a soft smile.
She had not seen him outside of school since that day at the park, but he had taken no insult. They spent lunch together in the company of Kitty and Kurt. Sometimes more of the X-kids joined them, sometimes Fred as well. The newest addition had been Pyro. Finally, he had shown up at school after a call from Magneto that had left him cussing a blue streak through the base for the better part of two days. But in the end the somewhat unbalanced fire manipulator had relented and walked through the doors of Bayville High.
Pyro, Rogue was not sure what to make of him. Not that he did not seem nice enough. In fact he often kept whoever ate lunch with them on any day in stitches. He seemed to pay special attention to Kitty, who had responded with an unusually quiet shyness. But something bothered Rogue about him, the same thing that bothered her about it Remy. Despite how they acted in the relaxed atmosphere Rogue felt something dangerous lurking just beneath the surface of them both.
Her eyes closed. The cool touch of the glass soothed over her troubled thoughts until she pulled away and resumed her trek to the garage. Kitty and Kurt were already piled in the Jeep babbling away. Both paused for breath as Rogue slid into the driver's seat.
"Tabs takin' another way ta school?"
"Like, she's goin' late," Kitty grinned, "Logan sooo didn't appreciate the little stunt in the mens bathroom."
"Yah, Wolverine was ze first to descover ze …ahem…gift…she left in ze shampoo bottles," Kurt snickered. He had warned Tabby that Logan was usually the first one up and about. She had chosen not to listen.
"So did she pick tha neon blue or tha neon orange?" Rogue asked as she pulled out of the garage. All three occupants winced just a bit as the now stronger sunlight streamed in through the open Jeep as it wound it's way down the paved driveway.
"Worse," Kitty burst out laughing, unable to continue. Rogue quirked a brow at Kurt through the rearview mirror.
"Pink…hot pink," Rogue almost wrecked as the image of Logan sporting bright pink hair invaded her thoughts. Kurt grinned. He had been given the pleasure of seeing an irate Logan emerge from the bathroom and not so giggly Tabby running for her life at the feral look on the man's features.
"Ah crap," Kitty and Kurt blinks, "He's gonna be in a raght foul mood tamorrah n' Ah have trainin'. Remind me ta thump Tabs on tha head lattah."
"Pfttt, like Rogue, it's not gonna be that big a deal. Mr. Logan like totally wouldn't take something like that out on you. Kurt yeah, you no," Kurt groaned at the truth of that statement, "Besides," Kitty began impishly, "I'm sure Tabs got the wash out kind." That started yet another bought of laughter in all three of them.
Twenty minutes later the three friends parted ways and were off to their lockers. Rogue's backpack thumped gently on the floor at her feet as she manipulated the dial lock embedded in the flimsy metal door. 'Lahke these things would really keep someone out.' She smirked. Visions of the multiple ways the Xavier kids could manage to get in the lockers ran through her mind as she pulled out the books for her first set of classes, until something caught her eye.
Tucked just behind her math book was a small red card. Rogue plucked it with two fingers: A playing card, the Ace of Spades. Rogue smirked. 'Obviously they can't keep a certain Cajun out eitha." Her eye caught the words at the bottom written in tiny black letters. "Burning up." 'Wha' tha?' She thought with a frown.
"Mornin' Cher," said a voice directly over her right shoulder. So close that Rogue just about jumped out of her skin.
"Remy!" She cried in indignation once her heart cleared out of her throat, "Don' DO that!" The words would have been more effective if she had actually sounded mad instead of just miffed.
Strong arms encircled her shoulders for a brief squeeze before he took a step back. The short half hug was Remy's latest habit with her. He had started about a week ago. Rogue told herself that friends hugged all the time and the double time her heart did with every brief squeeze did not mean anything. At first though, his insistence on the platonic gesture, and he was very careful not to let step over those bounds, had worried her. The first few times and left Rogue nervous and a bit jumpy as such closeness always did. But over time they became less worrisome and more welcomed, much like the way she greeted friendly gestures from Kitty or Kurt. Though now something else began to plague her over the brief touches. 'Think yer enjoyin' tha' a lil too much maybe?'
"Wha? Remy not allowed t' surprise y'?" He asked with that delectable pout.
"Remy," She fixed him with an unsympathetic look, and attempted to ignore just how irresistible that expression was on him. "There's a difference between "oh hey, nahce surprise" n' scarin' someone into their grave."
"Y' jus' too high strung, Cher," He smirked and looped an arm around her shoulders, intending to walk her to her first class, "But, enough 'bout dat. Y' got any plans t'night?"
"Yeah," Remy frowned inwardly, "Watchin' Jean's soccer game with some a' tha others. They finally let 'er start playin' again."
(Explain better) It surprised him, not that she would go to the game, but that the coach had finally decided to let Jean back on the field. ' Course a losin' record since 'e took 'er off o' da field prob'ly got somethin' t' do wit' it.' He kept those thoughts to himself and only nodded in response; a bit peeved her evening was not free.
"Ya wanna join us?" She asked in a hesitant tone. Kurt and Kitty liked Remy, but the rest of the X-kids were a little unsure about one of their own befriending someone on the opposing team. Not that they were ever rude, but there was a stiffness in them whenever Remy came around her. If he ever noticed, he was too polite to say anything about it.
"Remy'd be pleased, Cher, but he gon' be a lil late," It was not politeness that kept Remy LeBeau's lips locked on the behavior of the others. He just did not care. He had the approval of her two best friends, and the adults at the Institute had not made a move to interfere, those were the only things that mattered to him.
"Okay," She nodded, but did not ask. Most likely it was something for Magneto and Rogue just did not want to know at all. In fact she worked very hard to keep those subjects from ever coming up between them. Rogue knew that she only delayed the inevitable. Sooner or later their opposite allegiances would become an issue. "Ah'll see ya at lunch then," She graced him with one of those quiet smiles before ducking into the classroom.
Lunchtime did not come soon enough for Rogue's taste. She shared her morning classes with no one at the Institute, and only one class with Lance. He however, spent most of his time waxing poetic about the many ways he screwed up with Kitty. 'Does that boy honestly think tha' she's gonna give him anotha chance?' Shifting her backpack on her shoulder, Rogue trudged out to the now 'usual' meeting spot. Kurt and Kitty were already engaged in an animated conversation under the tree, and she saw Pyro making his way over as well.
His orange hair bopped in time to his steps. 'Musta run outta hair gel this mornin'.' Rogue smirked since Allerdyce's hair usually stood at perfect attention without motion. He flopped down next to Kitty, which caused Rogue's brows to rise. 'No way.' Pyro and Shadowcat, now that would be an odd couple for sure. Though her ruminations ended as a flicker of motion in her peripheral vision attracted her attention. Something in her had known that it was Remy, and sure enough he was making his way towards her with that easy grin and careless walk. With a flourished bow, he held out his arm to her.
"Why thank ya M'seur," She snickered softly and looped her arm through his, her gloved hand resting lightly on his forearm. Remy hid the small surge of pride at her unthinking acceptance of the gesture. The past few weeks with her had been a great lesson in patience for him. She had been adamant in her instance that they remain just friends. Though she never actually said it, everything that she did spoke the words clearly enough. Yet now she no longer shied away from casual touches.
Behind the sunglasses, he observed her unnoticed. She seemed happier now. Not that she had been unhappy before, but Rogue had always kept herself at a distance from everyone. It had not helped that just about everyone had tried to keep their distance from her. Granted, even causal friendships with her would never be easy. In fact, he doubted anyone but himself, Kitty, Kurt, and possibly Wolverine understood just how much self-restraint Rogue practiced everyday. She was constantly aware of the physical proximity of herself and anyone around, in a sense she had to be.
He noticed that Kitty and Kurt took the same precautions he did around Rogue. In part, they shared her burden by making sure that they were covered, never placing in her in a tenuous situation, and carefully maneuvering strangers around her in public. Subconsciously, he was sure that Rogue noticed, that it was part of the reason they were such good friends. He was not sure though that she was consciously understood it. A ghost of a smile crossed him as he watched grin and wave to her friends with more enthusiasm then usual.
Kitty grinned as Remy sat next to Rogue. Granted, he did that everyday at lunch, but it always made Kitty happy to see it. Though before she could ponder more on her friend, Allerdyce reclaimed her attention. 'Geez and people, like, say I talk a lot.' Still the red headed Aussie was entertaining if nothing else.
"Sooooo Miss Pryde, what are ya doin' tanoight?" John waggled his brows in a comically lascivious manner and Kitty burst out into laughter again.
"Soccer…game…" She managed in between giggles.
"Y' can catch a ride wit' me, homme," Remy smirked. He had one arm behind Rogue, close but not quite touching.
"Thanks, mate," Rogue stifled her laughter as she did whenever that lopsided grin adorned the Aussie's face. It reminded Rogue of a pup who was always looking for ways to get into trouble, and always getting caught.
The group chattered on with only an occasional pause to actually eat. Then the hair on the back of Gambit's neck tingled, that prickly sensation a person gets when being watched. His eyes narrowed behind the dark shades, as he looked around the courtyard in one slow analyzing sweep. Time spent working together as a team soon honed Pyro in on Gambit's sudden alertness. He too cast speculative glances around the various groups of kids littering the grass-covered lawn, but he still kept up his conversation with Kitty and rest, never breaking stride. Even Gambit who had most of his attention on what he felt still responded in perfect time to questions or comments.
No one else noticed the sudden change in the two Acolytes demeanor except Kitty and Rogue who exchanged puzzled glances. Rogue was about to ask when Remy's attention snapped back to her with a charming grin. She blinked as her sense of trepidation faded just as rapidly. Kitty cast another look Rogue's way with a shrug, and Rogue herself brushed off the strange feeling as Remy purposefully drew her attention to him by stealing John's lighter. With a finger pressed to his lips, he pocketed the Zippo with a smirk. Everyday Remy stole his friend's lighter at some point, and everyday John's pitched a right entertaining fit and swore that next time he'd catch the Cajun.
By the time lunch was over, Rogue forgot about the strange incident and walked to her next class with Remy, who had class in the next room, John, and Kurt, who had class with her. She did not see the final look exchanged by the two Acolytes and neither did Kurt. Gambit jerked his head every so slightly back towards the courtyard John gave a faint nod as he trailed into the classroom behind Kurt.
When Math rolled around Rogue took a seat next to Remy without thinking twice about it. As usual, he sat next to the window, his boots propped up in the chair before him. Rogue frowned as he looked at the window, and that bizarre feeling from lunch returned. Something had him upset she knew it, even though he gave no outward sign. The soft thump of her books on the desk pulled his gaze away from window. Once his attention returned to her the sensation vanished a second time. The moment Remy saw the frown, he reached out to her, though only with his empathy. Puzzlement and a vague, but fading worry were all that he received from the scan.
She faced forward as class began. The soft scratch of chalk on the blackboard droned in Rogue's ear. Her pencil scratched in time with the teacher's writing, but Rogue's mind disconnected from class and turned inward. This was a trick she had learned from the Professor. Her notes from this class would be near word for word, equation for equation even though most of her concentration did not involve the intricacies of calculus.
Rogue watched Remy in the periphery of her vision. His arms crossed as he half lay across the two chairs. She saw the corners of his eyes behind the shades and they were quite clearly closed. Now he seemed at ease, but Rogue remembered the vague sense of foreboding. How had she known? Rogue had a hard time reading him. Experience over the past few weeks had taught her that Remy LeBeau was a man adept at showing only what he wanted you to see.
Oh sure, she knew some of his habitual gestures. He manipulated a card through his fingers whenever he was deep in thought, but you never knew if what he was thinking about was serious, funny, sad, or happy. A grin from him could mean any number of things and Rogue now knew each one by heart, but the expressions never revealed anything more. Those demonic eyes could be intense or playful, serious or brighten with some mischievous thought, but you never saw deeper unless he allowed it. It frustrated her to no end.
He was the "enemy" and she needed to know his ulterior motives, if any, for spending so much time with her. She had learned and quickly that Remy was as adroit, if not more so, than she at steering a conversation away from anything revealing and back onto "safe" ground. Nothing, in all this time, Rogue felt she knew nothing about him. He was charming, for some unknown reason paid attention to her of all people, worked for Magneto, was a professional thief, and loved to torment John. In the end, she did not really trust him at all.
The thought saddened her. Rogue had already admitted to herself that she liked him, and enjoyed his company… a lot. 'What am Ah gonna do?' She thought with a heavy sigh. 'Heah Ah am half in love with tha guy n' Ah can't trust him… even though I wanna.' She physically flinched away from the first part of that thought. Love? Oh would not that be a right pickle there? The soft murmur of her teacher's voice kept the pencil scrapping over the page, even though Rogue squeezed her eyes shut. What was she going to do? 'Stop seein' him.' That insanely rational voice echoed in her thoughts.
Her eyes flew open as she felt something brush against her shoulder. When her head turned she found Remy's eyes, no longer shielded by the sunglasses, turned upon her with an odd look of confusion and concern. He had been in the middle of a rather pleasant dream about the new Harleys when something demanded his attention. Like the annoying buzz of a fly that just would not go away, that feeling had intensified, whispering to him that something bothered Rogue. When his conscious caught up with the rest of him, his empathy had all but screamed her unknown distress into his mental ear. The feeling that something might be wrong became fact when she gave him one of those strange sad smiles.
The harsh ear grating sound of the bell cruelly pulled them both from their thoughts and perusal of one another. As they both stood Remy surprised both himself and her by pulling her to him. His arms wrapped around her in a gesture of pure comfort and one hand tucked her head into his chest beneath his chin. Her uncertainty melted under the gentle embrace, at least for now, and she wished for this one moment to stretch on without end. A heavy sigh broke when he did step back, one hand lingering on her shoulder. The sense of serenity remained though muted, but Remy found his reward as some of the sadness drained from her beautiful smile.
Rogue half listened to Kitty and Kurt chatter about their day on the way home from school. In fact she could not resist a secretive grin when a certain redheaded Aussie kept slipping into the subject of the conversation. 'That has got ta be tha weirdest potential couple eva.'
"So Rogue… you think John'll really come to the game tonight?"
"Yeah, but that ain't what ya really askin'." Rogue grinned; eyes focused on the road though she knew Kitty now blushed.
"I, like, sooooo don't know what you're talking about," Kitty held both her hands up in front of her.
"Raght, Kitty-cat. You wanna know if he's comin' ta see just you n' not the game."
"Rogue, like, don't be crazy. He's Australian and Australians like soccer, well except they call it football, n' I think they're a lot more into the sport than us, y'know. Like I even heard that they like have riot n' st…"
"Kitty you are babbling," Kurt said as he peeked his head into the front of the Jeep with a wide grin, "And we all know vat it means when Kitty babbles."
"That Kitty's got 'erself a crush," Rogue finished for him with a conspiratorial wink as Kitty Pryde's face turned beat red, "'Member when she first started datin' Lance n' she rambled on for days about ripped jeans were really the 'in' thing that year?" Kurt nodded a bit too enthusiastically for the younger girl's taste.
"Or how living with ze Brotherhood was really a sign of affection?"
"Yeah, Ah don' even think Kitty believed that leap in logic." Rogue looked to her friend whose face resembled a too ripe tomato.
"Ooooooo you guys stop it!" Kitty tried to look indignant, she really did. But they were right, and it was pretty funny. 'Still it's not, like, they have to point it out!' She thought with as much ferocity as she could muster around her own mental giggles. Kurt made a quick dart to ruffle Kitty's hair then hug her tight even around the Jeep's seat. It all brought a smile to Rogue's lips. Her friends, her family.
'Now if Ah can just figure out how Remy fits inta tha picture.' She mused to herself as her peripheral vision caught Kitty half leaning in the back to thump Kurt on the head for a comment Rogue had missed. She tried to imagine Remy sitting next to her, laughing and even engaging in the banter Kitty and Kurt currently dolled out to one another. Part of him fit like a glove in that image, but part of him did not fit. She could not see Remy act so unrestrained even unsophisticated. 'Ya only known 'im a few weeks n' ya think yer an expert?'
That evening the mansion bustled with activity. Almost every student and teacher at the Institute was going to the soccer game tonight and the atmosphere was a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Something always seemed to go wrong at these events, and that little tidbit of information was not lost on anyone. Rogue and Kitty had played it smart and taken their showers right after school since Logan had been kind enough to excuse everyone from the danger room sessions this evening for the game…except for Tabitha.
So while the rest of the kids at the Institute banged on the bathroom doors and whined for the current occupant to hurry up, Kitty and Rogue got the pleasure of rummaging through their closets and then through each others. 'No way Ah'm wearin' this.' Rogue's nose wrinkled as she held up a bright yellow loose knit sweater of Kitty's.
"Rogue, like, what should I wear!?" Kitty sounded downright frantic as she phased through the doors of her armoire for the fifteenth time to look at the stacks of now rumpled clothes within it. Rogue stepped out of Kitty's closet and tossed the yellow sweater over her friends back. The knit in the sweater resembled flowers loosely held together by small ropes of thread.
"Weah that n' I gotta dark blue tank y' can weah unda'neath." Kitty's head bolted out of the wooden doors as she simultaneously pulled the sweater from her back with a thoughtful frown.
"Y'know with those new navy trimmed jeans I, like, got from the Gap yesterday it'd work!" The sheer jubilation in her voice quirked Rogue's lips but she managed not to outright laugh. 'Now what have weh got heah?' Rogue's green eyes lit as she pulled a long sleeved wrap shirt stuffed in the back of her friend's closet. The neckline was too low for her tastes, but an undershirt would take care of that. What she liked was the colour, a rich purple with faint silver threads sporadically interwoven. "Ah'm borrowin' this Kit." Rogue called out as she held the shirt out the closet door.
"Sure!" A moment later Kitty dragged Rogue into Rogue's room clearly waiting for the promised blue tank.
Rogue pulled on her favorite pair of jeans. 'They ain't long fah this world.' She thought in grief as she looked at the knee ripped an inch or two up her thigh and the belt loop hanging on for dear life by one tiny thread. Last came the biker boots. She watched as Kitty went through another bought of the 'dressing game' while she zipped up the black leather boots and pulled the cuffs of her jeans over them. Tonight though, she opted for her standard leather gloves instead of the messed ones the girls had gotten her.
Kurt bamfed in soon after, impatient to get to the game. 'Well impatient ta see Amanda.' Rogue thought as Kurt all but put Kitty's sandals on for her and started pushing her towards the door only to receive a smack on his head with a hairbrush.
"Like, chill Kurt, geez!" He rubbed his offended noggin' with one hand and stuck his tongue out at Kitty's turned back.
"Hey, jus' be glad she's dressed now," Rogue told him as she rose from the bed and grabbed her wallet from the nightstand.
Even with Kitty's massive bought of indecision; they still beat everyone at the Institute, except Jean and Scott, to the game by thirty minutes. Though it was not that big of a deal. The first part was the ever perky, ever boring pep rally. They all sat right behind the Bayville bench and watched the cheerleaders try and spread their enthusiasm to the crowd. At first no one sat near them, but as the audience grew and seating became scarce, the space around the X-kids filled in slowly.
Jean sat on the bench looking serene, but Rogue saw the way she tapped her pinky against the worn wood. 'Poor Jean, whole school is watchin' her tanight. Most of 'em hopin' she fails.' Though now a few of her teammates actually spoke to her, one sat near her, and the coach seemed to remember that his former star center actually existed. Rogue tried to send comforting thoughts in the telepaths direction, though she did not if Jean would pick it up in her current state. About ten minutes later, towards the end of the marching band's set, Jean looked over her should and smiled. 'Thanks, Rogue.'
Finally the team was introduced. Though the every member got a raucous greeting, the thunderous din that came from the unofficial Xavier section when Jean came out put the previous applause to shame. The guys all hooted and whistled in perfect time while the girls all stomped on the wooden bleachers and screamed 'GO JEAN' as loud as they could. Storm hid a smile behind her hand. With the support of her friends, Jean stood a little straighter, and moved with a little more confidence. Not only that, but once the game started his students were as giving with their accolades to the other members of the soccer team as they had been with Jean.
"Hey Kit, Ah'm ahhh… gonna go grab somethin' ta drink. Ya want anythin'?" Kitty hid a grin at the code speak for 'I'm going to go see if Remy's here yet and this is a good excuse.'
"Nah Rogue I'm fine." Her friend nodded then stood with a frown.
"Ah crap… left mah wallet in tha Jeep. Ah'll be back inna bit Kit." Kitty just nodded and returned her attention to the game, as finally the team seemed to get used to Jean being on the field and passed her the ball.
Rogue opened the passenger door and rummaged around the glove compartment. 'Where did Ah put it?' She frowned and sifted through the various papers, napkins, and miscellaneous crap that she had shoved into the thing over the past year. Then she felt a small electric charge radiating from the base of her neck. That feeling that something just is not right. Fast as a cat, Rogue spun around only to see seven shadowy figures slide from the darkness of the parking lot from all directions in a rough semi-circle. And at the lead of the group stood Mark Vans a twisted gin on his face. Rogue bit back her fear as they approached and adopted a cool expression as she closed the Jeep door. With nowhere to run, she chose to stand her ground, and hoped that would work.
"Look it's the lil mutie goth," Vans sneered as he and the rest stopped just out of arms reach.
"Wha'ddya want?" Rogue let her arms drop to her sides in a seemingly innocent pose.
"You never did accept my invitation to the Spring Fling." She bit back her surprise.
"Cuz Ah ain't goin' ta the dance with ya," She replied coolly. 'He really doesn't think Ah'd go with him does he?' The sneer the older boy wore vanished into a dark frown as his fists clenched to his sides.
"What you n' your friends think your too good for the normal kids now?"
"Na, it ain't got nothing ta do wit' that," 'Leave it, don't say anything else!' That inner voice warned.
"Then what?" His voice lowered to a dangerous tone, "You think you're too good for me, freak? I am offerin' you a chance to fit in with the normal people." Rogue's temper rose, but even now she heard Logan's voice echoing in her head from long ago lessons. 'Never loose your cool kid, never let 'em know they got to ya.'
"Look Vans, Ah wouldn' be caught dead in public with a Neanderthal like you. Ya ain't got no mannahs n' from tha looks a things ya can' even ask a girl out without help?" The boys eyes narrowed in a pure rage.
"Maybe I'll take that lil Kitty-cat friend of yours then. She looks like she could show some… appreciation." He said with an ugly sneer to imply the words he would not say.
"Stay away from 'er, "She warned. The leather gloves tightening in that familiar, comfortable feel as she clenched her fists.
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"So mate, what had ya so spooked at lunch?" Allerdyce asked as the two of them climbed into the black Hum-V. Remy, of course, in the driver's seat, there was no way he would ever be in a vehicle with John driving again.
"Someone was watchin' us," Remy paused with a frown just before closing the door, "Non, scratch dat… Someone was watchin' Rogue."
Both of John's organish red brows shot up, not at Remy's words, but the look on his teammates face. Remy almost always wore a lazy grin, even when fighting, but right now his face was an impassive mask. John had seen that look once before, just before Remy had taken apart an entire bar trying to get to one guy. 'Th' bloke's fallin' hard and doesn't even realize it.'
"Though it was somethin' like that, but wasn't too sure," The Aussie stopped as the roar of the Hummer's engine reverberated through the garage. "Explains why y' wanted me to keep an eye on the Shelia in class."
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Vans saw her anger flash in those deep green eyes. He leaned in closer to her, though he found it hard to keep his eyes on hers.
"Then go to the dance with me n' I won't go near her." A grin formed with the surety that she had to accept now.
"Hell… no… you pompous jackass." The words hissed from her lips. It took a moment for the boy to realize his victory was really a defeat. Rogue saw the transformation on his face, and when he lunged at her, she was more than ready.
Rogue caught his arm, and using his own momentum, swung him around into the nearest guy to her. Seven of them, one of her, though at the moment the others looked on with indecision and again she heard Logan's voice. 'When yer outnumbered be careful. Don' let 'em surround ya, make them come to you.' So she kept her back to the Jeep as Vans and the other boy untangled themselves from a heap on the ground.
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Remy nodded, but at the moment, the memories of the quad that day faded as he felt a strange anxiousness well in his chest. It took him a few to figure out why. He wanted to see Rogue so badly that it bordered on needing to see her. 'Wha' in de hell is wrong wit' me?' He mused with only a touch of irritation.
The Hummer rumbled along the paved driveway and onto the main road. Allerdyce scowled at the radio as he flit from station to station, most of them producing only static.
"Ya bring any tracks with ya, mate?" Remy just pointed to the center console and grinned as his friend dived enthusiastically to find the CD carrier within. Even though it would not take much more than ten minutes to get to the school, John could not survive that long in a car without music.
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"Damnit, get her!" Vans screeched as he came up off the ground. Suddenly the group galvanized into action.
Rogue ducked underneath a sloppy punch, though her elbow delivered a sharp, precise blow just below the sternum to send the kid reeling back, one hand clutching his chest. The second got a hand on her shoulder from behind, but found himself flung over her back and into two of his on coming friends.
Rogue could not run. Half surrounded and with her back to the Jeep an attempt at running would leave her to vulnerable for attack. Though that part of her mind that was distanced and watching observed that she did not want to run. All her anger that she had carefully controlled since the first anti-mutant attack broke free. It filled her mind with a deadly red haze that fell over her vision. She saw them not as humans, or fellow students, or misguided youths, or just scared kids. She saw the enemy, the same as those who slander her and her friends, the same as Trask who had built the Sentinel robots. And now the enemy would understand just who and what they were dealing with.
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"HOLY SHIT, MATE, WATCH IT!" Pyro screamed as Remy swerved violently on the road for no apparent reason. He looked over at Remy and hid a gulp. Remy LeBeau wasn't in residence at that moment. The look on his teammates face was purely Gambit. 'What the hell?!'
"Hang on, homme," Was all that he got in way of reply as Gambit pushed down harder on the accelerator.
She was in trouble. He knew it. How or why did not matter as a sense of urgency pushed him with insistent hands. He saw John just nod out of the corner of his vision. The Aussie had questions, but he knew Gambit well enough to follow his friend's lead for now and ask questions later.
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Rogue was a far better fighter than any of them. That much had become obvious to her attackers as several of them clutched their ribs, tried to hide a limp, or wiped blood off a busted lip. And Rogue had not even used her powers yet, nor did she intend to. She fell back into a fighting stance after a sweep kick sent one the attackers to the ground for the fifth time in this fight. Rogue took a quick internal stock of her injuries. Nothing severe or serious, but a stitch was developing in her right side and her left shoulder threatened to stiffen up after a particularly hard blow on her shoulder blade.
Again they all stood with their legs slightly apart and watched the girl they now knew was not easy prey. Vans was the last and slowest to get to his feet. A sick grin lit his face as he pulled a scrap piece of a two by four out the back of someone's truck. Two other boys near the truck did the same, but the rest looked a bit uncertain with this new tactic. Granted none of them were thrilled about having their pride diced to shreds and served back to them by a girl, and that was the only reason they did not bolt. She was a mutant after all right? Who cared about 'fair'?
Rogue's eyes narrowed on the boards and her mind adjusted her strategy for this new development. 'So they wanna play this way. Fahn bah meh.' The words snarled out in her voice through her mind.
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Remy killed the engine as soon as he entered the school parking lot. The racous cheers from the game invaded his ears, but his senses, long developed in the thief's life picked up something else as well: the soft grunts and snarls of a fight. Without a second thought Gambit leapt out of the Hummer, the metal bo-staff extending from his hand out behind him. He hit the concrete at a dead but silent run, Allerdyce right behind him.
His red eyes narrowed. In the dim lights of the lot, Gambit saw everything clearly. Ahead of him stood seven figures, one obviously smaller and feminine, and almost surrounded by the others. Rage rolled through his veins as he coaxed even more speed out of his legs. He heard Pyro's exclamation of shock followed by the familiar click of his Zippo.
But even Gamibt saw it too late as one of her attackers jumped out from behind a car at her back. And in the time in took him to reach into his pocket and grab a card, the boy smashed something into the side of Rogue's head. The world slowed as her eyes rolled back and she crumpled to the ground like a puppet whose strings were just cut. He heard a snarl of a pure rage, but did not realize it was his own.
The rest closed in around her, and now neither Pyro nor Gambit could risk a long-range attack with Rogue in the center of them all. But it did not matter as he got within range. Two of the kids found themselves brutally pounded to the ground by the wicked metal staff. The rest turned and suddenly no longer looked so confident as the mutant girl's back up came in the form of two men. One who siced creatures made of fire upon them… and the other…
The other could have been the Devil himself for all they knew. His eyes flashed a dark bloody red every time he lashed out with that staff that never missed its mark, and strange glowing cards that sent a wicked light over his features before the tiny objects slammed into them and exploded. Within moments Remy and John routed the kids.
He wanted to go after them and subject them to the same thing they had put Rogue through, but that very girl kept him there. The metal staff clanked to the ground as he knelt next to her. Her arms flung atop her head as he gently rolled her over, careful to keep her neck straight and still.
"Cher," He called softly, then far more frantic. "ROGUE!" She was not breathing.
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Yes I'm leaving it there! Hehe.
ishandahalf - Heh… glad you liked it. And yes Remy is falling but he's fighting it for all he's worth! Then again so is she, but who knows right?
Katrina5 – Thanks! I always liked to watch relationships develop over time and trails. It seems like the ones that being with a big bang never last very long anyway and Remy and Rogue deserve better darn it!
Carla-P – Glad you are liking it so far and yeah I think we'd all like a strong Cajun to nap on! Or at least someone similar… hehe.
Yumiko – Eh I think we all miss the obvious sometimes… -L-…. Glad you liked the chapter and I hope I don't get lynched for this one!
Gothic Cajun – I like to update often, it helps keep the story fresh in m' head. Hope you enjoy the latest installment!