She Sighed – Chapter 5
She heard the blast before it hit the window, felt the wind rush towards her before the shards of glass showered them. Too late, they fell to the floor and covered their heads. Scrambling, they hurried into the hallway; Remy kept his hand on her arm as they moved. "Friends o' yours?" He queried.
She smiled at him, "Friends o' mine? I thought they were friends o' yours!"
"Nope. Not none o' my pals." He returned her smile with one of his own. "My friends usually use th' door."
"...Or an upstairs window..." she replied. "Ain't most your friends thieves?"
"Des ain't no t'ives." He reached his hand out to wipe away a trickle of blood that was slowly descending the side of her cheek. Her hand followed his and withdrew to show blood on her fingertips.
"Guess Ah ain't as invulnerable as Ah used t' be."
"You hurt, chère?" He pulled her further into the hallway and quickly examined her. She stayed still for his scrutiny, breathing silently through her nose; making herself take slow and steady breaths.
"Well?" she asked. "Will Ah live?"
He crouched beside her on the floor, his face a hair's width from hers. She could feel the warmth of his breath as he searched her eyes. "Oui l'amour, vous habiterez."
The crunch of broken glass brought their attention away from each other and simultaneously Rogue unsheathed her gun, Remy withdrew his staff. A huge figure loomed before them in the hallway as Remy rammed his staff between their feet and Rogue vaulted forth and planted a kick in their abdomen. The only sound made was the thump on the floor as their assailant fell.
"I guess we've outstayed our welcome!" Remy exclaimed as they ran past their assailant, through the kitchen, and out the back door. The screen door banged against the door jam and Remy stopped abruptly, Rogue nearly knocking him over.
She placed her hands against the back of Remy's shoulders to steady herself. The faint smell of magnolia teased her nostrils and she noticed that the cooler night air felt good in contrast to the heat that she could feel beneath her fingertips as they found their way to the back of his neck. It only took her a second to see why Remy had halted so suddenly. Their friend from inside had brought company. Not the good kind of company, either. She absentmindedly ran her fingers back to his shoulders and rubbed the fabric of Remy's duster.
"What a pleasure it is to see you again, Rogue." Nathaniel Essex smiled with wicked delight. "And you as well, Mr. Lebeau."
"Sinister!" Remy spat. Rogue gripped him by the shoulders to keep him by her side.
"What have you done with Elaine, you bastard!?" It was Rogue's turn to be held back by Remy.
"Ms. Mercer?" He inquired innocently. "Oh, yes...Ms. Mercer. She's quite comfortable, I assure you." Sinister moved forward, his six feet plus stature gliding effortless across the lawn towards them. In the near darkness, his albino white skin took on an ethereal glow, accentuated by a lone black diamond situated in the center of his forehead. His short jet-black hair and metallic blue costume gave him an almost comical appearance. His scientific and methodical approach to unlocking the genetic code of both humans and more specifically mutants alike, made him terrifying. Those unlucky enough to 'assist' Sinister with his research found his techniques to be brutal and usually fatal. His fascination with Remy was well known, his involvement/interest with Rogue cloudy at best.
Sparing a quick glance away from Sinister, for really that was all you could afford, she counted six people in Sinister's company. Among them was their old pal, Sabertooth. Sabertooth was a mutant with powers similar to Wolverine's. He was strong, fast, vicious, and he could heal pretty much any wound. He too stood over six feet, his blonde mane hung well past the centre of his back, his muscled form straining against the fabric of his outfit. His hands were equipped with claws, much like his namesake. He was a killer.
She knew it was fruitless, but she aimed and fired her gun at Sabertooth's head. He merely moved his head to the side and the bullet whizzed past. A feral smile spread across his face and he began to stride towards her, intent on ripping her throat with his claws. Sinister made the smallest gesture with his hand and Sabertooth stopped.
"Please, Rogue." He cooed. "There's no need for such hostility."
Sabertooth snorted angrily but stayed where he was.
Rogue demanded, "What do you want with us?"
He paused, as if her question confused him. Turning, he said simply, "You'll see."
This time Rogue did not stop Remy as he leapt forward to attack Sinister.
