Disclaimer: The only compensation I am making from this fic is the warm and fuzzy feeling in my heart whenever I open my email and see that someone took the time off to review it. Obviously, none of the characters are mine. It's Marvel's. And Warner Brothers'. I think.
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Immunity Challenge: Chapter 2: This is the Story of A Girl*
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"I brought coffee!"
"Oh, thank God! I was just about to fall on my feet."
Raven Darkholme accepted the tall cup of coffee her daughter handed to her. "So how did things go with your visit to your father last night?"
"Mom, if you want to know stuff about him, you could pop over there and visit him."
Uncharacteristically, Raven didn't comment. She was somewhat amused and yet a bit worried that her twenty-one year old daughter still carries hope that one day she and her daughter's father would reunite. Or become friends. Or at the very least, be civil towards one another when they meet.
You see, Raven Darkholme hated to make mistakes. She was an obsessive-compulsive perfectionist. She strategizes and thinks a million times before acting on a problem.
But one night in her late teens, every common sense, everything she worked hard for, everything she stood for, disappeared because of one tiny mistake.
She slept with her most bitter enemy.
Enemy might be too strong of a word. It was more like she had a one-night stand with a man she hated with a passion. But he didn't do anything that made him deserving of her ill-feelings. It was one of those things, like love at first sight, only this time it was revulsion. Maybe it was because he was everything she was not—impulsive, hot-blooded, passionate. He was a loner who drifted from one place to another. He goes wherever his monster of a bike takes him.
And she was positive that all her dislike and hatred towards the guy was reciprocated.
Oh, that night, she had proven to herself that there was indeed a thin like between love and hate.
That night changed her life forever.
And she had not realized it that night, but her lapse in judgment brought her the very thing that kept her going through the years.
Raven looked at her daughter and couldn't help but smile at the pride that tugged on her heart.
Anna Marie Darkholme was her favorite mistake.
"Mom?" Anna frowned when she realized that she had zoned out.
Raven gave herself a mental shake.
Anna smirked. "I'll just see if Mags wanted me to do anything else then I'll head over to dad's."
Anna, who was a freshman law student, was temping as Magnus Lensherr's secretary, who was on maternity leave, for the summer. Raven was delighted that she once again had the opportunity to be with her daughter again. Unfortunately, Anna was more interested in helping out her father in his business.
"I'm not sure I approve of you hanging out in that place, Anna." Raven said, her protective mother's instinct rising to the surface. She knew that compared to other young women her age, Anna had led a sheltered life, growing up in the quiet town of Caldecott, living a awkward life in Bayville, and preferring to study and read books rather than go out when she was in the University. She knew Anna had a hard time adjusting to college life, but she was able to cope. And now that she was a law student, Raven knew that her protectiveness was out of place. But in her heart, she knew she would always see Anna as her baby.
Anna smiled and pointed to herself. "Mom. Grown girl now. Moved out of home five years ago."
"I know." Raven wrinkled her nose. "But if I know your father, his bar would be one of those seedy places where drunken fights occur nightly while barely-dressed women clap and watch."
"Mom, the barely-dressed women doesn't just clap and watch. They dance on stage too." At her mother's shocked look, Anna laughed. "If it was that kind of place then dad would never even let me get my foot inside. He's more insanely protective than you are. And if you're still won't believe me, why don't come and visit sometime?"
Raven shook her head firmly. The less she sees of Anna's father, the better.
"You should check it out, mom." Anna insisted. "The bar's wildly successful. It's jam-packed every night. In fact, last night, I even had to fill in as a waitress just to accommodate the orders."
Raven looked horrified. Her lawyer-in-the-making daughter was acting as a waitress?
"Of course, dad put an end to my short stint as a waitress when he found out." She grinned. "His expression when he saw me wearing an apron was even worse than the one on your face right now."
Raven closed her mouth when she realized that it had dropped open. She took a deep breath. She supposed that Anna's father had been taking good care of her.
And she supposed the reason why she doesn't want to see him was partly due to guilt.
When she found out she was pregnant years ago, a few weeks after her high school graduation, she had fled to Mississippi where her friend, Irene Adler, lived. Irene was older, wiser, and helped put her back on her feet. She had hidden the fact that she was pregnant from everyone in Bayville, including Anna's father.
There, in Caldecott, Mississippi, Raven rebuilt her life. She went to college in the morning and worked in the evenings, while taking care of Anna in between everything. There was even a time when she had to take Anna in her classes. But she persevered. She even took up law, her greatest dream as a child.
But as fate would have it, on Anna's first year of high school, an old high school friend, Magnus Lensherr, called her up with his plans of opening a law practice in Bayville and was sniffing around if anyone was interested in joining him. Raven, tired of being an associate in a large firm, had plans too of opening her own practice. And the chance to go back to her hometown was just too tempting to pass up.
And so she went back to Bayville. How was she to know that when she goes back, her ex-lover was going to be there?
She was shocked when one day, Anna arrived home riding at the back of the motorcycle. Apparently, her curious daughter had taken it upon herself to explore the city. Growing up in a small old town where everyone knew everybody else, it never occurred to her that she might get lost. So tired and hungry, she accepted a stranger's offer to help her get home. Of course, that was after that same stranger beat up four or five guys who got too fresh with her.
And imagine Raven's shock when the stranger turned out to be none other than her daughter's father. The free-spirit known to most as Logan. As luck would have it, he was once again passing through Bayville when he chanced upon a young girl being dragged against her will by young men into an old, abandoned building.
Logan's eyes had widened when he saw her and did the math.
After threats of lawsuits and DNA testing, Raven finally admitted that Anna was indeed his daughter.
And what he did after that surprised her.
He curbed his wandering soul and actually started to develop roots in Bayville. He sold his motorcycle and started a small business.
Her daughter suddenly had a father, one she dreamed of since she was a little kid.
Slowly, under the influence of her assertive father, the painfully shy and quiet Anna begun to explore the world outside of her shell. And the once-drifting Logan had found his anchor.
Seeing that the two were good for each other, Raven felt guilty for depriving her daughter that, and felt guilty for depriving Logan the rights to his child.
Of course, though the end results were very positive, mother, father and daughter did not escape from the experience completely unscathed. Sometimes, Raven looks back and realized that had she not been a proud and selfish bitch, the wounds that afflicted them all would have been unnecessary.
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"Yo! Anna! Over here!" Todd Tolensky manically vied for her attention by waving his arms and jumping up and down in excitement.
Anna, who had just entered the front door of Wolverine's, grinned and waved back.
Wanda, Todd's girlfriend, rolled her eyes and groaned, a bit embarrassed at her boyfriend's antics.
"Hey." Depositing her bag on the table, Anna surveyed the crowd. "Still full, huh?"
Wanda nodded as she scooted over to make room for Anna on the table. "So how was your day?"
Anna rolled her eyes. "Your father is such a slave driver."
"I warned you." Wanda Maximoff was the illegitimate daughter of Raven's partner and Anna's boss, Magnus Lensherr.
"Hey, sweet thing!" A possessive arm draped itself around Anna's shoulders and Anna knew even without turning that it was Wanda's twin, Pietro. Pietro gave her a bone-crushing squeeze he called a hug before letting go.
"Knock it off, Maximoff," Anna groaned in pain. "So, who's your flavor of the month tonight?" She asked.
He gave her a winning grin. "Tonight, I'm all yours, baby."
It was Wanda's turn to roll her eyes. "You mean Jean Grey still won't give you the time of day?"
"That hurts," Pietro mock-pouted. "She was almost in my hands when that overgrown Boy Scout, Summers, swept in." He looked at Anna. "No offense, babe."
"None taken." Anna replied automatically. She had carried a torch for Scott Summers all throughout her high school life, one that ended up in heartbreak when Scott unceremoniously dumped her for a blond cheerleader.
"But last I heard, Jean dumped Summers." Todd scratched his head.
"Really?" Pietro looked up hopefully.
"Yeah. Apparently, Remy LeBeau asked her out for a date and it's goodbye, One Eye!" Todd replied as he waved to a passing waiter.
One Eye was a nickname Scott earned in high school when a turbulent and infuriated Anna Darkholme accidentally stabbed his left eye with a pencil. He had to wear and eye patch for half a year and had taken to wearing colored glasses to hide the scars of the accident. Of course, rumors have it that the reason why he didn't press charges was because the act was not unprovoked. Anna's dumping occurred immediately after. Scott refused to talk about it and Anna had been strongly advised by counsels not to.
"Mmm. Remy LeBeau." Wanda sighed. "Sure wish he'd notice me."
"Uh, Sweet Cheeks, Sugar Pie, I'm right here." Todd waved his hands in front of his girlfriend's face.
"Sorry, Todd." She grinned sweetly.
"Remy?" Anna frowned. "Why's that name so familiar?"
Pietro smirked.
"What rock had you been living under, An?" Wanda demanded.
"It's called law school, babe." Todd huffed.
"Aw, baby, don't tell me you're jealous," Wanda cooed.
Pietro's and Anna's eyes met and shared a smile while Wanda and Todd soon became lost in their own little world of sweet nothings.
"So you were saying?" Pietro prompted.
"I've heard of Remy before."
"Yeah. You should. He's all over the place—TV, movies, magazines, radios, newspaper, you name it." At Anna's blank look, Pietro placed a comforting arm around her. "He's an actor. Has a weekly action series about a thief. Real popular."
"No. You know I barely have time to watch TV and stuff. Don't even have time for the news." She shrugged. She suddenly snapped. "Oh, now I remember. There's this nut job of a customer last night. Kept asking me to give my name and number to Remy. How weird is that?"
Wanda suddenly stopped with her ministrations at a softening Todd. "What did he look like?" She demanded.
"You know, I'm not really sure," Anna shrugged. "Wasn't wearing my contacts last night, you know how the smoke gets in my eyes. But I am pretty sure that he's got his arm full with identical twins."
"Oh my gosh, Anna!" Wanda suddenly squealed.
"What? What?"
"I think you have just been hit on by Remy LeBeau! The Remy LeBeau!"
Anna looked at Pietro for some kind of explanation for his sister's uncharacteristic behavior.
Pietro gave a shrug that can be interpreted as 'How the hell should I know?'
"Breath, darling, you're starting to hyperventilate." Todd looked at his girlfriend in worry.
Wanda took a deep breath and attempted to compose herself. "There's been a rumor going down that Remy LeBeau is hanging out here night after night after night."
"So that would explain the people with cameras stalking around the place." Anna said.
"Yup. Probably hopeful fans or paparazzi." Wanda nodded.
"And that would also explain why your dad's bar is a hit all of a sudden—oof!" Pietro groaned as Anna's elbow made its way forcefully to his stomach.
"My dad's bar had always been a hit." She said airily.
"Sure, princess, whatever you say." Pietro muttered.
"Anyway, he's probably the guy!" Wanda reiterated. "He talks about himself in the third person and he loves flirting with women."
"I'm sure flirting is the least he does to women." Pietro muttered.
"Right." Anna nodded, but was unconvinced. Now, why would a popular actor hit on someone as geeky as she obviously was?
Anna had no aspirations to her looks. She knew looked plain and had no qualms about it.
For one thing, she never had the guts to bear her body. She was more comfortable wearing baggy shirts and jeans, and more recently, business attires such as what she was wearing today—a simple short-sleeved blouse, and a modest black skirt. Her green eyes were almost always obscured by her thick reading glasses. She had gone out and gotten contacts recently, but found they're more trouble than they're worth. She keeps loosing 'em transparent things. So she had to fall back on her trusty glasses. Her skin's pale, almost translucent. Whenever she goes out and tries to get a tan, she always comes out red. Not brown, not even beige, but red. And her hair's a tangled mess. Unless she spends a lifetime in front of her vanity ironing it, her chestnut hair would rebelliously curl all over the place. Her studies in law didn't help any. Since she didn't have time to go out and cut it, it had grown longer than ever. So she usually ties it back in a bun using whatever's handy, which most usually happens to be her pencils. Though back in her high school days, she had it permanently straightened and dyed two streaks of white on her bangs. It caused quite a riot at home.
Thinking of high school brought a smile to her face. She was never popular in high school, nor she wanted to. She was content to excel in her acads and hang out with her friends, the persons she was currently with. The six of them—Anna, Pietro, Wanda, Todd, with Lance (who was currently bartending) and Fred Dukes were inseparable back in those days. And she looked forwards to being back in Bayville from her University to be with her friends. Unfortunately, Fred wasn't there, he was still out in the middle of the ocean, where he had made a name for himself as a chef in some luxury cruise. She was just thankful that she had Wanda as a roommate back in her undergrad and now, Pietro's taking up law with her.
And of course, she cannot think of high school without thinking of Scott Summers. But that was a chapter in her life that would be better off as closed.
"'Allo."
Anna noticed that the level of noise in her table had gone from very high to none at all. She frowned and looked up. And found herself to be looking at the most beautiful man she ever laid eyes on.
"We meet again, chere."
And that voice…
Wanda's eyes widened, and even Todd and Pietro looked surprised.
Pietro recovered first. "Tell me, princess, is this guy the nut job from last night you were talking about?" If Pietro was anything, he was territorial. He hated the idea of another alpha male invading his terrain. And this corner of the bar was definitely his terrain.
"Your boyfriend, cher?" Remy LeBeau looked amused as he looked at Pietro as if he was seizing him up as potential competition.
And Pietro couldn't help but feel that the taller man had come to the conclusion that had Anna's answer had been yes, there would've been no competition at all. Pietro didn't let himself be intimidated. Instead, he smirked. If this guy thinks that Anna was an easy lay, then he had another thing coming.
Anna shook her head. "Pietro? He's a friend."
"The name's Remy LeBeau." He extended his hand. "Maybe this time you could give me the pleasure of knowing your name?"
Anna looked at him for a moment before coming to a decision. Her strict southern upbringing forbade her to be disrespectful, especially to a fellow Southerner, and ignoring the man's outstretched hand would definitely be rude.
"Rogue." She said.
Out of the corner of her eye, Anna saw Wanda snicker at her use of her high school nickname.
Remy looked amused. If he found her name weird, he didn't comment. Instead, he took her hand and lightly brushed her knuckles with a kiss that made her gasp in surprise. "Enchante, mademoiselle."
"Why don't you join us?" Wanda asked eagerly. "By the way, the name's Wanda. And this is my boyfriend Todd," she introduced which made Todd happy. "And my brother, Pietro. We're Rogue's friends."
And to Todd's horror, Remy released Anna's hand and captured Wanda's in his. He kissed Wanda's hand in a way that made her give an uncharacteristic giggle. And much to Pietro's frustration, he squeezed into their booth, sitting on the chair that used to be reserved for Fred.
"So, Remy, how do you like Bayville so far?" Wanda asked when nobody said a thing. "Like it?"
"Chere, Remy comes from Bayville."
Wanda looked surprised. "Really?"
"Oui. Remy was born in Bayville. Moved to New Orleans though as a toddler. That's where Remy got the accent."
"Wow." Wanda nodded as she hangs on to his every word.
"I notice the accent, Roguey, you not from around here?" He asked Anna.
Before Anna could open her mouth, Jean Grey walked by. "Remy, you promised me a dance last night and never gave me one." She pouted as she took her arm and pulled.
"Be right back." He promised, but he was looking exclusively at Anna.
"Good riddance," Pietro muttered.
"Wow." Wanda sighed with stars in her eyes. "Just wow."
Anna frowned. That was weird. But she didn't let herself brood on that as she spotted a familiar face in the crowd. "Sugar! Over here!" She called out.
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An hour later, an exhausted Remy made it back to the table occupied by Anna and her friends. But he noticed that his chair was occupied by another person.
"Oh, hi," Anna beamed at Remy then turned her attention back to the blond newcomer beside her. "See, sugar. I told you we were sharing our table with Remy LeBeau." She said triumphantly.
"Hey, chere." Remy smiled. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"
Anna smiled. "Remy LeBeau, I would like you to meet my boyfriend, Cody Robbins."
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~tbc
Hey ya'll!
Should I feel guilty that I'm making Scott and Jean to be the antagonists in my story? =)
A teaser of the next chapter at my blog in triple w dot xanga dot com slash khayee. Don't forget to check it out and leave me a message.
Let me just give a general thanks to all those who read my story, especially those who were kind enough to review. I appreciate it, guys.
Now, for the answers to reviews!
spankychaff - Wow. Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm really flattered. Hope this chap lived up to your expectations!
mad-eye – thanks =) I promise that come summer vacation (which would be in two week's time), I'd update as often as humanly possible!
Leishy – thanks for the affirmation. Now that I'm actually writing it, I'm actually glad that the coin chose Evo too because I'm more familiar with the characters and I can mend and bend them to my will. I hope you love the story as much as I do. =)
The Rogue Cajun – Thanks. I want to write more and update all my pending story, but real life (read as: schoolwork and final exams) gets in the way. But I'll try my best to squeeze it in.
Rogue 14 – Thanks. I am trying to write more. Problem is, every time inspiration strikes, I'm either in the middle of schoolwork or I can't get to my computer (yes! I have one of those handwritings where even the writer herself cannot understand what has been written).
KinkySaiyan – I love the name. A DBZ fan, I take it? Anyway, I was afraid that the plot in my story isn't very original, but I was like, what the hell? I enjoy writing it and people seems to be enjoying it so why not roll with the punches, hehn?
Star-of-Chaos – Yup. I was thinking long and hard as to if Raven was not a mutant/terrorist, what should she be? A lawyer, of course!
reddragon – I try my best to update once a week but that's not written on stone and even then, I have two other stories that is a WIP, so please don't tire of waiting because I promise to do my best to finish my XME stories.
Rogue (DeUntouchedRogue@aol.com) – hi! Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, I cannot do it because I don't know how. I made a conscious decision when I first ventured into writing XME that I won't write with the accents. It's a matter of balancing. There's people I would piss off if I write with accents horribly (as in horribly wrong) on one side and people who would be disappointed if I don't write with accents on the other (hence, a saying that I can't please everyone). Of course, if someone with experience (say, five years?) and know-how (preferably in fanfics, but experience in RPG would do fine too) would offer to waddle through my work and adjust the dialogue accordingly, who am I to say no (hint! Hint!)?
jupiterhime – Thanks. I am crossing my fingers that my inspiration won't run dry with this one.
Extacy – I'll try to veer away from drama, but as of today, I honestly have no idea where my muses will take me. But even if there's drama, I hope to keep it to a minimum.
Caliente – hey! I'm glad you smashed through your writer's block. I had a ton of messages informing me that you updated many of your stories and actually posted a new one. I reviewed one, read two (which I promise to review as soon as finals is out of the way), and plan to read the rest later, preferably when I can actually sign in to ff.net. And coming from the Caliente, your reviews and praises really flattered me. Thanks.
JexyBaby – HI!!!! Thanks for leaving me a message in my blog. Unfortunately, I'm not such a regular blogger (is that a word? MS Word doesn't think so). But notice that Remy's now an actor, not a singer in a band. The adjustment was because I had a story where Rogue was the singer in the band and I don't wanna overwrite the plot. So actor it is. If you were able to catch my original post, it still had some parts which I forgot to edit where Remy was referred to as the singer and a few references on the Remy's band. =) But that'll be our little secret. Anyway, sorry it took so long. By the time you read this, I have probably posted a teaser on the blog (hopefully). I'm thinking of including Kitty in on the fun. And Kurt's on his way!
ishandahalf – has anyone asked you about your name? Coz for the longest time, I have been uberly curious about it? Is that your real name? How did'ja end up with it? Can I know? Huh? Can I? Can I? Anyway, thanks for the compliment. Comparing it to after midnight is such an honor for me because that's one of my favorite stories. But I hope this won't be a rip off of that.
Camille – Thanks. Try checking for updates every other week. =)
bad-girl4 – I entitled the first chapter as Heartbreaker because of your review! Let's see if he could actually break her heart, but here's to hoping that he won't.
Cheers Darlin – Thanks. I hope you enjoy reading this chap as much as I enjoyed writing it!
