Roguehobbit – You raise an intriguing question about the Phantom's motives. I can soundly say that the answer is the latter possibility. He has nothing personal against Jean, he just likes Rogue.
Crazed Maniac – The way you say it, it sounds like the trio is not coming back. Fortunately this is not the case. They will return later on in the story, I just needed to get them out for a while so the fic could move along.
Winter Fire – Don't worry about it. Typos happen all the time. I'm glad you want more, that means you'll come back.
Ishandahalf – I've got a bone to pick with you. You said that you were going to say I'm evil but changed your mind. By implication does that mean you believe that I am not evil? BLASPHEMY! How dare you insinuate such a horrific thought? Me not being evil, I shudder at the idea. No, the Phantom does not have a carrier pigeon; those make too many messes for his taste. He simply walks up to the mail box like a normal person and drops his letters off. A good question you have raised, just where does Raven stand on all of this? I'm glad you are in the spirit of giving out stars but since the trio is gone how will I get them? I suppose I could just put in a bunch of Romy…
Two thank yous for this chapter.
Thanks to Firedevil555 for helping me work things out in my mind and on paper, without which I would be in a world of difficulty.
Thanks to spiffythefaery for beta reading this when she could be writing her own story involving the antics of the trio.
Speaking of which there is a picture of the trio up, drawn by Spiffy. They don't exactly look like their Evolution counterparts but I liked the drawing, especially crazy Pyro!
Just in case anyone wants to check it out!
I was wondering if I could patent or copyright the trio. An interesting thought. If anyone uses those three in the same way that I do I better get credit for it! I think.
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"His eyes will find me there. Those eyes that burn."
- Christine
Remy purposefully strode through the halls of the Institute. His face was set with determination; his eyes burning with intensity. His trench coat slapped at his legs, but he paid it no mind. His attention was focused on something much more important. He was intent on getting to see Rogue.
Ever since the girl's disappearance the previous night, he had been driven to the edge with worry. Although he was a teacher at the mansion, his concern for Rogue went far beyond the teacher-student relationship.
Ever since his return several weeks ago, Remy had noticed that he was growing attached to the southern girl and he never got attached to anyone, it held him down. However, he couldn't quell his growing feelings for the girl any more than he could deny them.
When Remy went to Rogue and asked her out he had been extremely nervous and he was a man who had a reputation as a Casanova, someone who never had any troubles with women. Yet whenever he thought of the southern beauty his breath caught in his throat and his heart skipped a beat. Now that she was back in the mansion he was determined to see her and make sure that she was alright. And he wasn't going to let anything stop him.
Or so he thought. Sitting on a small wooden chair in front of the door to Rogue's room was the southern girl's roommate, the talkative Kitty Pryde. Remy winched internally as he saw the girl blocking his path. Slowing to a halt, Remy flashed a grin at the young brunette. Kitty turned to look at him, responding to his presence with a frown.
"Hello Petite. Remy just gonna get on by you," Remy said with a great deal of charm. Kitty's frown did not vanish, rather it deepened.
"If by get by me you mean go down the hall then go ahead. If you mean that you want to get by me and get into the room then no dice." Remy's grin faded, in fact, it was only maintained through sheer force of will.
"Come on. You don't mean dat. Let Remy in," Remy tried again. Kitty shook her head forcefully.
"I do. You just keep on walking," Kitty replied. Remy's grin faded away at Kitty's response.
"Come on Kitty. Let Remy get in dere and see Rogue."
"You speak English, French, Creole, and a bunch of other languages that I can't name. And my answer is the same in all of them. No," Kitty snapped. Remy frowned at her response.
"Remy is an instructor at de Institute. Since you wouldn't listen to Remy's requests den Remy gonna have to give you an order. Step aside," he demanded with a harsh glare, his red on black eyes making his stare more fearsome. Kitty did not move however, nor did she react to his threatening facial gestures.
"Yeah, well, Ms. Darkholme told me to make sure that nobody went in the room to bother Rogue, especially you."
"She what?"
Kitty shot a victorious grin at Remy. Ms. Darkholme's orders superceded Remy's. Outside of seeing Logan or Professor Xavier there was no way for Remy to get through Kitty's orders. And those two were most likely to agree with those orders rather than overturn them.
"She don't mean dat. Let Remy in."
"I swear Remy; you're a moron when you want to be. I'm not letting you through," Kitty replied with scowl. Remy sighed and rolled his eyes. He never thought that Kitty would put up such a tough fight. Letting his mind wander for a few moments, Remy turned to face Kitty once more, a plan firmly in mind.
"Den Remy have a question for you Petite."
Kitty's eyebrow rose in curiosity. "Go ahead."
"What if you were in dere," Remy gestured to the closed door, "and Remy wasn't supposed to let anybody in. And den what if Lance came to check up on you? What would Remy do?" Remy calmly asked his cool gaze on Kitty's thoughtful face. Her lip curled slightly as she began to chew it in thought.
"I don't…"
"Remy tell you what he do. Remy let Lance in cause he love you and he go crazy not being able to see you. Wouldn't you want Remy to let Lance in?"
Kitty nodded slightly. "I guess so."
"Den why don't you let Remy in to see Rogue?" He carefully prodded. Kitty hesitantly shot a look at Remy and the empty hall behind him. With force she nodded her head.
"Okay, but only for a few minutes. Otherwise Ms. Darkholme will have my head." Remy grinned in victory.
"Dat be more den enough time. T'anks Petite," Remy said as he stepped past Kitty and tossed the door open. Quickly stepping inside the bedroom he silently shut the door behind him, ensuring that he would have some privacy.
Lying down on the bed, with covers pulled over her, was Rogue. Her eyes were closed in sleep and her chest rose and fell rhythmically. Remy paused at seeing the girl so peaceful; he didn't want to disturb her moment of slumber. But he had to know where she had vanished to the night before and where she had been during the night.
Slowly crossing the room with his feet silently landing on the plush carpet, Remy lowered himself onto the bed, just beside the sleeping Rogue. Carefully reaching out with his hand Remy grabbed Rogue's shoulder and gently shook her in an attempt to wake the sleeping beauty.
"Chere. Get up," Remy softly called to Rogue. Her eyes fluttered behind her pale eyelids but she did not wake. Shaking Rogue more vigorously Remy called to her again.
"Chere. Get up. Remy's here," he tried again. This time he was successful. Rogue's eyes snapped open, her emerald irises quickly adjusting to the dark room. She sprang up into a sitting position, bringing her in close proximity to Remy.
"Remy?" Rogue asked her voice hoarse and her lips extremely dry. He grinned at her in response.
"Hello Chere."
Rogue brought her hand up to her forehead as she tried to recall what had happened to her. "Where am Ah?"
Remy's grin slipped at her question but he quickly restored it before she could catch his reaction. "In your bedroom."
"Mah bedroom?"
"Oui."
Rogue rubbed her head, desperately trying to recall her memories of the night before. She couldn't remember how she had gotten into her bedroom.
"What time is it?"
"'Bout noon." Rogue's eyes widened slightly.
"Noon? Ah missed the Danger Room session? Logan's gonna kill me!" Remy placed his hands on the hysterical girl's shoulders and attempted to quiet her down.
"It's alright Chere. Logan let you sleep in. He ain't gonna do anything to you." After hearing this reassurance Rogue calmed down slightly.
"Oh." There was a brief pause. "Can Ah ask you something?"
"Anyt'ing."
"What happened last night?"
Remy's face darkened and he was unable to prevent it from happening. Rogue saw his look and immediately wished that she hadn't asked the question.
"Ah'm sorry."
Remy shook away her apology. "No, it's okay. Don't you remember anything about last night?"
"A little bit. Ah remember that John set the table on fire. But everything after that is a blur."
"Dat okay Chere," Remy replied, even though his disappointment was apparent in his voice.
"Remy, you ain't telling me something."
"Remy just hoped that you'd remember on your own, dat's all." Rogue shot him a frown.
"Obviously Ah don't. So why don't ya fill me in?" Remy hesitated for a few moments, mentally debating whether he should tell Rogue about the previous night's events. His desire to inform her of the moment they had almost shared won out and he decided to tell her.
"Remy asked you out last night Chere. You went with Remy to go to a special dinner but first you went to change into a dress. When Remy come back you had gone. Remy got the whole mansion to look for you but we couldn't find anyt'ing. Remy was hoping dat you'd fill us in, dat you'd fill Remy in."
As he spoke the events of the previous night returned to Rogue's memory. In quick mental flashes she recalled everything that had happened, going through the mirror, meeting the Phantom, walking through the underground labyrinth, descending into the hidden chamber in the underground lake, and unmasking the Phantom.
As Rogue recalled the image of what was underneath the mask of the mysterious Phantom, fear gripped her heart. Turning to face Remy, she paled visibly, her fear showing through.
"Chere, what's wrong?" Rogue trembled for a few moments, her lips quivering as she tried to relate to Remy what she had been through.
"Ah – Ah remember what happened," Rogue managed to spit out from her trembling lips. Remy inched closer to Rogue, his hands grasping her by the shoulders, his eyes burning intensely.
"You do? What happened?" Remy asked, more forcefully than he had intended. Rogue pulled out of his grip but kept her eyes locked with his. She gave no vocal reply. Remy sighed mentally.
"Rogue. This won't be easy for you. Remy knows dat. But it's better for you to say what happened. You'll feel better. Remy promises." Rogue nodded and licked her chapped lips.
"Ah remember that you left me so that Ah could change. After you left Ah heard someone talk to me, a voice."
"A voice?"
Rogue nodded. "Yes. A deep, foreboding voice. A voice that Ah was familiar with."
"Familiar with?"
Again Rogue nodded. "Yes. Ah had talked to it before. It promised me control of mah powers if Ah did everything that it said. Ah agreed." Remy said nothing, merely nodding and motioning for Rogue to continue with her story.
"The voice, Angel as Ah called him, told me that Ah shouldn't trust you. Ah talked to him for a bit and then he showed himself to me. He pulled me through the mirror. And took me somewhere else. Ah'm not sure where." Rogue paused, her eyes pleading with Remy to not continue her story. Remy took the hint.
"That's enough for now Chere. You back now and that's all that matters."
"But – But what if he gets to me again?"
"Who?"
"The voice. Angel."
"Angel? Dat man who took you?" Rogue nodded in response to Remy's question. "Don't worry bout him Chere. You're home now, safe from him."
Rogue shook her head vehemently. "Ah don't think that anywhere in this mansion is safe from him. He'll find me here. Ah know it."
"He won't find you Chere. Dis mansion is a pretty big place in de first place. Secondly, we be looking for him now so he won't get close to you," Remy lightheartedly replied. He was confidant that Rogue would be safe from the mysterious Phantom. Rogue still shook her head in disagreement with Remy.
"No. Ain't ya listening to me? Ah can't hide from him. His eyes see everything in the mansion. His eyes will find me here; his burning gaze will see me."
Remy didn't respond to Rogue at first, trying to comprehend her statement about burning eyes. It was a phrase that he had come accustomed to over his life. Could this Angel have eyes like Remy? Could Angel be a mutant as well?
Shaking away his thoughts Remy leaned forward and grasped Rogue's hands in his own. "Remy promises that nothing going to happen to you Chere. And Remy is a man of his word."
Rogue smiled. "Thank you."
Remy grinned in return. "For you Chere, anytime."
Rogue stifled a yawn with her shoulder. She sank back into her bed and Remy released his grip. Rogue buried herself in her pillows and shot a look at Remy.
"Will you do me a favor?"
"Anyt'ing Chere."
"Stay with me while Ah sleep. Ah feel safe when you're around." Remy smiled and grabbed the chair beside her bed and pulled it closer.
"Of course Chere." Rogue smiled.
"Thanks," she said as sleep slowly began to overtake her once more. But before it claimed her fully she managed to get one more comment out.
"And Remy. Ah'll make last night up to ya. Ah promise." With that Rogue fell back asleep. Remy grinned and bent over to kiss her hair. Shifting his weight over to the chair, Remy settled into his watch over the sleeping girl.
***
Remy kept his vigil over Rogue for the rest of the day. Whatever she had been through the night before had tired her out and she slept soundly. Remy had been right beside her for the entire time.
He was bored sitting there doing nothing but watching Rogue sleep. However, he had made a promise to her and he would uphold his word to the girl. There was monotony in his chore except for one brief moment.
Remy had been watching Rogue sleep, her rhythmic breathing being the only sound in the room. He felt sleep tug at his senses, trying to pull him into a similar state. He fought it as hard as he could but he was fighting a loosing battle. Just before he was about to succumb to the sandman, Remy had noticed something odd. He only saw it out of the corner of his eye, a brief flicker of light. It appeared to Remy that one of Kitty's posters on the wall had changed. The actor or singer or whomever was on the picture had gone through an interesting transformation. His eyes, instead of a normal color, were glowing a yellowish white. The solid glow stood out in a stark contrast to the rest of the room; hence the reason Remy noticed it. But as he shook his head to clear it of cobwebs and moved to get a closer look the glowing eyes had vanished, replaced by the normal eyes of the poster. Remy pondered the brief change in the poster but quickly shrugged it off, attributing the oddity to his half asleep state.
***
Victor Creed was in the best mood that he could recall. His day of jubilee had arrived at long last, providing him with salvation. The three boys that had made his life a living hell had been shipped off. Nothing could make him happier.
Lying back on the couch in the living room Creed sighed happily as he replayed the memories in his mind. The three boys marching down the grandiose stairwell with baggage clutched in their hands, their moping about being sent away, their general unhappiness. It was music to Creed's ears. He just wished that he had known what was going to happen so that he could have recorded the moment.
His nemesises had gone. With the trio out of the house and no more pranks for Creed to clean up, he had free time for the first time since they had arrived. Lounging about, Creed enjoyed his time doing nothing. However he was not to have as much time as he wanted.
"Victor," Professor Xavier called to the custodian as he wheeled into the vast room. Creed raised his head to look at the headmaster of the institute and grunted in reply.
"Enjoying your free time?" Xavier asked.
"Better believe it," Creed grunted. Xavier grinned.
"I'm glad to hear it. You deserve a break after putting up with all those pranks for the past few months."
"I certainly do. And it's about time you kicked those kids out," Creed happily growled. Xavier frowned slightly.
"I did not kick them out. They are merely going on an extended field trip with Hank. They will return in two weeks." Creed's eyebrow rose as he felt his elation begin to slip away. He wasn't done with them yet, he just had a temporary respite.
"Oh?"
"Yes Victor. They will be back soon enough. But you should enjoy yourself while they aren't around." Creed nodded as some of his happiness began to return.
"That's exactly what I plan to do. So if you'll excuse me," Creed said as he lowered his head, fully intending to take a long nap.
"I'm afraid that you'll have to wait for a few moments Victor," Xavier called. Creed mumbled under his breath but raised his head so that he could see Xavier again.
"What?" he barked. Xavier frowned at Creed's tone but said nothing.
"Before you take the next two weeks off you still have a few chores to attend to. Cerebro is due for a maintenance check. I'd like to keep it running smoothly. So you'll need to do it since Hank is gone."
"I'll do it tomorrow during the Danger Room session. That soon enough for you?" Creed asked with a raised eyebrow. Xavier nodded his head in agreement.
"It is. Just remember to get it done. As soon as you finish with that job you can take the next two weeks off."
Creed waved his hand in a mock salute and sank back into the plushy cushions of the couch. Settling in for a long nap, Creed resolved to make these next two weeks the best ones he had experienced in a long time. And he wasn't going to let anything get in his way to prevent that.
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