Disclaimer: Read Chapter One regarding X-Men.
AN: Guilty and should be sent to the gallows. Well, not until I ever finish this story. But at least Chapter 11 is in the making. If I don't have it up in the next two weeks, e-mail me (PunkieNing@yahoo.com) with hatemail and constant reminders of updating or comment on my LJ (www.livejournal.com/~x_ning). 'Nuff said. Here are my responses to reviews. Also, if you guys want to know when I update, e-mail me, or comment on the LJ. Thanks. 3
Weeble Wobble Chic: Have I ever mentioned that I love your username? But anyway, I'm so sorry that it's taking me this long to update.
Tokyobabe2040: *tear* I know this update wasn't fast enough.
Ishandahalf: I am very ashamed and very guilty! Please forgive me! Please please please *puts on big watery puppy eyes even though I'm not a puppy* Also, Remy's trying not to fall in love with her or develop anymore feelings with her. How can he protect her and deliver her to Magneto at the same time? But that will be explained in time.
Pandoras Box1: Yeah, what Rogue finds out from Remy isn't sweet…
xXrogue-demonXx: I'm glad you're still liking this. Hopefully you haven't lost interest because I haven't updated in a while. :O
Legolas Luver: Hah, no FreeTranslations.com this time. *phew* Hahaha, AHHH don't worry, there's definitely MORE Remy/Rogue interaction…maybe when the next next chapter comes out. *hides behind a tree*
ChishionoTenshi: Thanks for reviewing. =]
Wiccamage: Hahaha, I can't believe you reviewed for every chapter. Besides the fact that I loved seeing those e-mails in my e-mail telling me that you had reviewed. I can't believe you've read this twice! Wowowow…I'm so happy! Eeee! I'm trying to write them like in the comic-verse, but then still trying to make it fit into the Evo-verse. It's kind of hard since I keep on forgetting about the other verse that I'm supposed to put them into…but, hey, if you like it, it's all good! Yes, Kitty was happy for Rogue because she was finally finding an outlet. Someone that liked her and wasn't afraid of her powers. But then Rogue got the ability to touch, and she chose touching instead of safety. So, Kitty thinks that she's selfish and maybe she shouldn't have encouraged Remy and Rogue together because Rogue chose her loner way instead of friendship. And Kitty's bent over backwards a lot of time for Rogue. Yeah. =]
Yumiko: YES, I'M NOT DEAD! Although I probably will be due to the late update. ((o___O))
AngieX: Yeppp, other X-Men are coming in. I have my big encyclopedia of X-Men, and I promise to get some more in before this story is over! Hahahaha, it's ok, yeah, Remy knows that he's hott. Very…very…very sexilly hott…hmmm…
Niji-iro1: Well, Remy's just that type of guy. ;]
Katrina5: Thank you. I love Betsy (she's just so gorgeous) and Warren had already met Rogue before. I was going to write a one-shot with Warren/Rogue but decided not to. *shrug* They're just way rad.
MCLBLUE:
Thank you so much! Ahh, I'm so glad you think that it's the best.
Although, I must argue that Seven Sunningdale is absolutely spectacular
("Giddy" and the sequel "Love of My Life").
Shadowkeepre: Uh oh. I'm really
sorry you had to wait this long. Yes, I love the original cartoon! I try to put
in some snippets from the original in here. Actually…I don't have a beta
reader. At all. Heh. But at least I only had two spelling
mistakes…instead of those other stories on the net. Oh well.
Your Worshipfulness: I know it's a little rough around the edges. Not exactly new, but hey, I'm an aspiring author. I already know how this story's going to end, but it depends on you guys (the reviewers) on how long it goes on for.
Lightspeed
Suzuka: I've updated!
Ash:
Thanks for reviewing. Hopefully, I'll be finishing this…eventually. But I
like how it's coming. I like your reviews. So it just might go on for forever.
Hah. I kid.
Ima Super Mute Ant: I LOVE YOUR PEN NAME! HAHAH…Thank you, thank you. Comments like these boost my self-esteem.
A.M.bookworm247: Haha, I guess I'm proud of having this as the freakiest tale ever read. At least it's different, no? Thank you thank you thank you!
Stephers: I'm sorry but you're going to have forgive me about Rogue. It's more realistic if they begin to fall for each other in little steps instead of one-shot-boom-ILOVEYOU! It's just not…realistic. Even if it's TV, FanFic, comic, etc.
Chapter 10: Hi, My Name is Broken
Remy woke up, his head pounding as if from a massive hangover. The light hurt his eyes, and the rushing traffic of the city hurt his ears. His body hurt as if he had just sprinted a marathon without taking a break. His joints were stiff. Remy tried to move from his position and felt cramps as he tried to swing his feet to the end of the bed. His mind was hazy but he needed to remember last night.
Last night. Last night, Rogue and him went out with the psychic model and her rich boyfriend. They came back to the hotel. They began a question game and she somehow made him have to answer a question. He grabbed her to him and kissed her. And then everything faded.
He kissed her. Then blacked out. It was…Rogue's kiss. He shuddered. Mon Dieu, I need t' find Rogue.
Remy stumbled off the bed. His knees felt weak, and his stand was wobbly. He needed to find her. He needed to find out what she knew. He staggered around the room, thoughts swimming in his head.
(is she ok dieu where is she what does she know don' be mad je t'aime where are you Rogue come back to me)
And he found her. She was huddled in the chair, curled into a little ball. Her eyes were slanted, cold, and calculating. Her teeth was biting into her lower lip, biting so hard that Remy saw a faint trickle of blood. Her white bangs were to the side of her face, oily and looking like she ran her hand through it.
"Chere? Rogue?" Remy's voice wavered, his hand hovering as if he was about to touch her.
Her head popped up and her eyes bore holes into his.
"Rogue, are…are you – ok?" He was scared. He was really scared. She was looking at him, and he felt shivers go down his spine. (someone bin walkin' over m' grave) She affixed her stare on his hand.
"You almost killed her."
Her face twisted away and stared at a different spot. "You were goin' to get married. You were so happy. An' then your wedding came. An' your powers came outta nowhere, chargin' up th' ring! An' Belladonna jus' looked at you, an' she was scared, yeah. But she jus' looked at you an' you looked away and you saw that door an' you ran fo' it, yeah, Ah remember, Ah saw it. You were so scared. Then Magneto came an' you din' know what to do. You lost the girl of your dreams so yah thought that there was nothin' else, nothin' else t' live for."
Remy's breath caught. His memories flooded into his mind. She knew how he felt. She knew what happened. She'll know everything. She'll understand. Won't she. She should. She has to.
"An' then yah met me. Nothin' more than a game, huh? Ah'm sorry," she said as he let out a shuddering breath. "Don' think this ain't hard for me. Ah didn't expect, Ah didn't think you'd feel this way. Ah didn't mean to. But Ah'm not crazy, Remy, no, Ah'm not. Ah jus' don't wanna hurt people, you have to understan', which you do. So, why am Ah sayin' this?"
Rogue began to cry. Remy's lips trembled and he turned away. Breathe in, breathe out. His eyes began to tear.
"Oh, Remy. What is he going to do? What is he going to do to me? Ah'm so scared, Remy! What is Magneto going to do?" Her voice diminished into a whisper to herself and she grabbed her head and burrowed into her knees. A few seconds passed, and the silence broke as Remy shuffled to his knees towards her.
"Remy don' know, chere. You know dat, but I swear to you," his arms encircled her, "I will protect you."
Rogue allowed herself to get caught up in his arms and made sure to bend her head. His hand lingered on the air above her skin before he placed it curled around her head. She felt his kiss on top of her head. Rogue's tears fell from her eyes slowly and quietly and her lips mouthed words unspoken.
"C'mon, Rogue, we need to get dressed. We should get ready o' somet'in'."
Her voice was low. "Ready fo' what?"
Remy shrugged. "Remy still don' know, chere." He closed the bathroom door.
* * *
"Rogue, Remy's goin' t' go check out, ok? Y' goin' t' be ok?" Remy knocked on the bathroom door. He had already dressed, his hair wet. His goatee was mercifully shaved, and he hid his devilish eyes with black-tinted sunglasses. He stood perched beside the door waiting for an answer. He was just about to knock and repeat his question when he heard the water run.
He waited a little bit more, before finally giving up, walking to the door. He knew that she heard him. It was like this the way after he left for a shower. When he came back, she had moved from the floor and walked past him. He tried to say something but she shut the door on his face, locking the door.
Remy was still frightened as he stood in the elevator. He reached the lobby and checked out. A girl in a long dark green cloak hurried past him, her head bent. She had a familiar gait that made him double back to look at her retreating back. Just before she left, she turned and Remy began to run after her.
"Rogue!" he called out. "Rogue!"
Her pace quickened as he dodged unmercifully between patricians on the sidewalk. The wind made her cloak flap out, and that was the only thing he could see that told him she had cut a corner. He skidded to the corner and stood, waiting, at the entrance of an alley.
"Rogue?"
Suddenly, she seemed to have melted out of the shadows as the hood tipped back to reveal her striped locks. Before Remy could say anything – or even gasp with surprise – her hands firmly gripped the back of his head and crushed his lips to hers. His thoughts and everything coherent swirled into blackness as he slumped into Rogue's cloak-covered arms.
* * *
Rogue was in the shower while Remy had knocked on her door. Her skin had popped into goosebumps, her pale hands shaking. She was skittish and very nervous at the slightest sound of anything. Even Remy's sultry Cajun accent, hadn't eased her worries. She lathered soap and rinsed it off until she heard the main door slam. She turned the spigot off, and quickly dried herself off with a fluffy towel. Checking outside the bathroom door, she dashed to the main room.
She grabbed for her plaid pants, and, unable to resist, she pulled Remy's shirt over her head. It was a simple white shirt that he had worn the night before, and it smelled overwhelmingly like him. She laced her Doc Martins and whipped the green cloak she had impressively stolen last night. Remy sure had a crazy amount of energy – and a love for five-finger discounts at any time.
Yes, she didn't wear any makeup. She was as pale as the very bones that made her form. Her lips were broken, bruised, bitten on, and deliciously red. Her eyes burned green with her white bangs framing her face exquisitely. It was also beginning to curl.
In other words, Rogue felt like she looked like shit.
* * *
Rogue grabbed Remy by his trench, grateful that they'd stop looking like twins, and gently perched his head upright against the brick building. Her fingers were nimble than before and her pupil flickering between red and green. With one blink, her white sclera disappeared for obsidian black.
"Ah'm sorry, Remy," she whispered softly. "Ah have to do this, though. You'd understan'. All y' life, y' bin runnin' away. Ah know y' don' wan' me t' be doin' dat, but Ah know y' undastand. Besides, it's safer dis way – goin' our separate ways.
"Oh, look at moi, talkin' like y', a dirty-mouthed Swamp Rat." She chuckled, small trickles of nervousness dousing her spine. She'd love to kiss him again – just a small kiss, perhaps on his hair? – but what if her lips were dangerous? What if it made his hair combust? Make his body explode?
Carefully, her finger inched towards a small pebble. She slowly picked it up, willing herself to not make it explode. When she opened her eyes, she felt relief. It wasn't glowing!
…But it was vibrating. Shit.
Quickly, she threw the object straight up, and braced herself against the wall. Rogue had much difficulty protecting the still unconscious (in less than 24 hours) Remy and herself from the ash as she couldn't anything.
Rogue shook her head in disbelief. So much for that goodbye kiss.
* * *
She was listening to Cursive as she sat relaxed on the train. She had just managed to swipe it off a kid that had seen her covering Remy up. After all, it was getting cold, and Remy might as well be comfortable even if he didn't realize it.
"Hey! What are you doing to that guy?" He was wearing beat-up jeans and an Oxford shirt. It was rumpled, though, as if he hadn't changed in days.
"What d' yah think Ah'm doin'?" Rogue snapped. He took off his headphones, letting it hang around his neck, and Rogue heard familiar beats. His eyes began to glow as he walked closer to her. Just like Remy's. "Yoh an empath!"
He staggered back a few steps as he looked at her in a bewildered and soft look. "Your emotions are too crazed." He shook his head, and spoke slyly still facing the ground, "I can help you change that. You don't have to feel sad or angry or confused anymore…"
"Jus' try makin' me happy, an' we'll see what happens," she snarled, her own mutated eyes glowing. She began to tug at the finger of her glove. "An' Ah'll know if yah try messin' wit' mah emotions." She began to walk towards him, and she could see the dignified fear in his eyes. "What's yoh name, sugah? Do yah have a family that yoh supposed t' be wit'?"
"My name is Manuel Alfonso Rodrigo de la Rocha. My parents are in Spain, and they sent me here to find Emma Frost. And what's your name?"
Rogue's eyes squinted as if she was thinking hard. "Mah name is Broken. Ah'm not sure who she is, but Ah'm sure Ah heard of her. Y' know what, why don' yah entah yohself inta Xavier's Institute fo' Higher Learnin'. Else known as a haven for mutants. Y'll fit right in, promise. Just don' mention that yah saw me."
Manuel looked doubtful.
"Look, yah can either get outta mah way along wit' givin' meh yoh CD player cause Ah ain't havin' such a fine day. Or Ah can forcefully make yah get out o' mah way."
"It's not even mine," he answered.
"Good, then yah wouldn' even min'." She snatched it from his hands with a thief's agility and was quickly walking down the street before he even noticed that it was gone.
Rogue felt very alone while sitting in the train by herself. She didn't know where she was going. She just asked for a ticket that would take her "very far f'om here, please" and she was just going to wait until what the very last stop was. In that way, no one would know where she was and where she was going and what she was doing.
She reviewed the past few days ever since having Remy going to the same school. Ever since Logan had caught her. She began to feel nauseous and shake uncontrollably. Beads of sweat suddenly poured from her forehead and she tried to fan herself. "Goodness, is it just meh o' is this place unbearably hot?"
There was someone sitting across from her. Black and lustrous hair framed the woman with rich blue eyes. Her skin was white as snow with studded diamonds in her ears. She seemed to glide over to Rogue as she pressed her hand on Rogue's hair.
"My name's Neena," the woman whispered. "I'm here to protect you. Can you tell me what's wrong, Rogue?"
Rogue didn't question how Neena knew her name. She said that she was there to help. She couldn't think much, anyway. "Pain…Ah – Ah feel a lot o' pain, Neena." Tears burned her eyes.
Neena's body glowed with an aura as she dug around in her purse. "I have some Advil for you, and some water. Can you take it?" The younger girl couldn't answer as chills racked her body. Neena gave her two and made her swallow it down with water. "We'll be somewhere else soon, honey."
* * *
(why am ah gettin' so much help?)
(yeah i want to know why too you don't deserve it)
(professor xavier probably had something to do with it you know he always does)
(i want to go home!!!)
(THANKS ROGUE THANKS YOU'RE ALWAYS GETTING US INTO MORE OF A MESS ALWAYS GETTING US INTO MESSES WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO US YOU RUIN LIVES YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE)
(mon dieu rogue isn't it kin' o' cluttered in here)
(Remy?)
Rogue woke up with a start. She was in a homely atmosphere, and she could hear the familiar click-click-tap of a laptop. There was an adjoined bathroom. Rogue walked over there, a little weak, and washed her face. Her eyes had gone back to being green and her hands had gone back to the usual shakiness.
"Neena?" Rogue poked her head to the dining room. She saw the other woman at the table, typing furiously into her laptop. Her outfit had changed into a black, latex bodysuit. The diamond earrings still were placed in her ears.
"Oh, Rogue! Hello." Neena Thurman looked down at her current garb. "Funny you should see me like this, huh?" She smiled brightly before adding, "There's some food in the fridge. If you'd like anything, you can go help yourself. I won't be here tomorrow, Rogue. I've taken a job with Soldier X. Ever heard of him?"
Rogue shook her head.
"No? That's too bad. But I guess, then again, that's a good thing. Wouldn't really want to be known after all the things been done, huh?" She chuckled.
"How did y' know where Ah was?"
"Your Professor Xavier told me to look and keep an eye on you," Neena said, her gaze intent on the laptop screen. She pushed her chair back and disappeared for a moment without saying anything, leaving Rogue alone.
(who woulda thought? can you believe it? that old man actually got someone to watch your back)
(he had to pay her – after all who'd want to take care of her willingly)
(ungrateful selfish little bitch)
Rogue slammed her head against the wall. She reeled back in pain along with the blistering white light that she saw in her mind. She groaned, one, at the stupidity of it, and two, the fact that it hurt. She was definitely going crazy. She was going crazy insane crazy she couldn't even think coherently –
"I leave you alone for a little while, and there you go, beating yourself up. Don't worry," Neena flicked her hair back in a haughty move. She appeared with a black irregular circle around her left eye. "Oh, by the way, from now on, my name is Domino."
"Domino."
"I know you're wondering what kind of mutant am I. I'm not a telepath, rest assured. I just know it's on your mind – after all, you're a mutant, too. I can make things fall into place for my benefit. You know…
"I'm just your kind of good luck girl." She winked.
* * *
Domino had already left the building.
Rogue slinked away and into the bright lights of this resident town. She didn't know what it was, and she didn't care. She had only $100, thanks to Remy's quick hands, and from the kindness of Domino. She was going to walk into a CD store when she was yanked behind a tree.
Sour breath invaded her nose. "I can get you fifteen grams for fifty bucks."
Rogue instantly knew what he was talking about. She fingered the money. "Ah don' have that much money on meh."
"Then you can pay me back when you get the money, darling. It's real good, I promise you." He flashed a toothy grin and a gold tooth glinted into Rogue's eye.
"Ah…Ah don' wan' it, though," Rogue tried desperately not to see the bag that he was trying to place in her hand.
"I know you do, beautiful. You've had some before. Don't you want some more? Here, I'll even give you a little discount. I'll give you some for free. An' if you like it…you know where to come for more, right?" Her hand curled around the cocaine that he had placed into her hand. The container was small but heavy. She looked at it and noticed that the container was heavy because of the metal top.
(ah've seen this befoh)
(take it take it take it takeittakeittakeittakeit)
(yyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssss)
(oh god yes we've been waiting so long please rogue don't fail us just let us taste it once more one more time promise just once more promisepromisepromise)
(NO ROGUE DON'T TAKE IT chere don' ruin y'self y' doin' great wit'out it don' ruin it now)
The voices won out over Remy. She went inside to a McDonald's bathroom and prepared a line.
* * *
Next Chapter: The thirty-six hours that happened when Rogue had knocked Remy out with their second kiss and when she went into the McDonald's bathroom.
* * *
PS: Cocaine withdrawal symptoms include but are not unlimited to agitation, depression, intense craving for the drug, extreme fatigue, anxiety, angry outbursts, lack of motivation, nausea/vomiting, shaking, irritability, muscle pain, vivid and unpleasant dreams, increased appetite, suicidal ideation, rebound hypersomnia, and apathy. However, sometimes the vomiting and shaking does not happen.
PPS: I know, it's ugly to see Rogue back on crack, but hey, it's my story, and you'll see what happens if you stick with me to the end. Oh, man, YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! I'M ALMOST AT 200 REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU ALL3333
PPPS: I promise it's the last time I say PS – has anyone else been having trouble with trying to write reviews? I keep on trying to write reviews like to "LoML", "Nine to Five," "Callous," "Teacher's Pet," (and the sequel?), and more. I keep on getting problems…like the page just won't load. Even me yelling, coaxing, and cursing at it just doesn't help. So, I figured that I'll e-mail them instead. Awesome, huh?