Learning to Deal
I don't own X-Men Evolution (or X-Men for that matter) characters or anything concerning the show, comics, ect. No suing! Be civil in reviews (if there are any).
I know it's been such a long time since I last updated, but I'm hoping to get in another two chapters before I go to Tennessee for my band trip during spring break.
Just as he had planed, Kurt skipped his fifth period class and teleported outside by the bleachers where the Cajun seemed to be found lurking about lately. Sure enough, Kurt found Gambit standing underneath the bleachers, out of sight, shuffling his cards.
"I was beginnin' ta wonder when you were goin' ta approach me," Gambit spoke up, still shuffling his cards indifferently as Kurt hung upside down behind him.
"Vhat are you still doing here? I zought you said you were going to go after Rogue," Kurt reminded a bit harshly. He still wanted answers for Gambit's lack of action, not to play silly verbal games.
Gambit sighed, "Calm down my fuzzy friend, when de Gambit took dis job he didn't dink it would be dis hard ta take a day or two off. You must remember dat de Gambit works for Magneto an' without Magneto's say de Gambit can't leave for a few days."
"Okay…" Kurt trailed. "So, vhat do ve do now?"
"We don't do anyt'ing, I am goin' ta be stayin' in New York for a few more days den Gambit has a week ta chase after de Rogue," explained the Cajun, putting his cards away as though to state that the conversation was closed.
"So, you're still going to go after Rogue?" Kurt asked to make certain he had understood the man correctly.
"Dat's de plan, jus' dought you'd like ta know," the Cajun stated with a little wave as he strolled away from the bleachers.
Biting his lower lip, Kurt flipped so that he was standing upright on the ground and watched Magneto's lackey leave the school grounds. Despite all the reasons Kurt could list against letting the Cajun go after Rogue, he was grateful that it was Gambit rather than someone like Scott or Jean.
I jus' vish it vas me going instead, he thought, teleporting in the school, holding out his hall pass in case any teacher decided to stop him.
"Lucas?" she asked from behind the counter of the bookstore as the Scottish man sat in a leather armchair, quietly thinking. "Lucas, what are you thinking?" It truly unnerved Carol Danvers when her boyfriend wouldn't give her some idea of what was going through his head.
There were just so many different subjects that could have been coursing through the man's brain, making it difficult to figure out what he was thinking.
"Lucas, answer me," Carol warned, about ready to grab the nearest book and throw it at her boyfriend, even if it was futile. She knew his powers of telepathy, control over fire, and telekinesis-which he would use to stop the book and set it on the table in front of him.
"What do you think of her?" Lucas replied vaguely, but Carol understood who he was referring to. It was that one gothic girl, Rogue, who just one day appeared and had captured Lucas' attention for some stranger reason. Carol personally didn't see what was special about Rogue, but Lucas did and that was all that mattered, for now.
"Do you want me to be honest or would you like me to pretend to be honest?" Carol retorted, opening the box of new books and scanning through the titles to lay aside for her personal reading.
Lucas stared at her from his seat and watched Carol with cool, calculating eyes before he got to his feet and strutted over to the counter. The entire time he kept his eyes trained upon Carol as she moved about, trying to ignore him.
Even Lucas had to give the girl credit for ignoring for as long as she did but he knew that it was only a matter of seconds before she would give in and answer his question without him having to answer hers.
As expected, Carol looked up and sighed in resignation. "She seems to be an okay girl, but seriously, you never told us what is so special about her. We know what her powers are but why is she so important to you? You aren't attracted to her, are you?" questioned Carol leaning forward a bit.
Chuckling a bit, Lucas leaned in, keeping his face close enough to Carol's face to the point that it would be distracting to most normal people. It was a game of wills and Carol wasn't about to give in anytime soon.
"If I was attracted to her beyond her charming looks, would I still have you as my girlfriend?" he replied, making certain that his warm breath caressed Carol's lips to taunt her.
Resisting the urge to close her eyes and sigh in the utter romantic, teenaged way. If she did somehow break contact or show weakness in anyway she would lose this battle of wills, like she normally did.
"Of course not, but as your girlfriend I would like to be kept in the loop of your little plans," Carol told him, trying hard not to let Lucas' proximity effect her in any sort of way.
"Oh…I'll let you in," assured Lucas with his mischievous smirk, "when the time is right." He said it as though there was one certain point in time when all of Lucas' plans would be laid out upon the table for the group to know. "Now is not the time, but soon. However, I do need you to befriend Rogue and…persuade her to join our little family, otherwise I might be forced to use less than respectable means of persuasion."
Carol lost the battle of wills as she backed away from the counter and glared at Lucas. "You're not going to use Marian or Timothy in these 'less than respectable persuasions' are you?" she demanded coldly.
"That would be why I'm asking you to give Rogue that extra push to our ranks. Morph is making some headway but he is attached to the girl on a more intimate level than what I would like him to be," answered Lucas, a bit vaguely for Carol's liking.
"Lucas, Marian is almost like a second mother to me, I refuse to let you use her to force some girl to join our group of mutants," warned Carol, suddenly feeling an invisible pull at her body until she was dragged against the wall.
Pinned against the wall, Carol didn't bother to struggle too much; she knew all too well the kind of power Lucas possessed. Instead she watched as Lucas maneuvered around the counter and came up to her, tracing Carol's jaw.
"Come love, I would like to avoid harm to the mother and her boy, that's why I'm asking for your help rather than just using force," whispered Lucas into Carol's ear. "Now, be a dear, and do this for me."
Taking a deep breath, Carol closed her eyes tightly before nodding. "Fine, I'll give Rogue some helpful advice," agreed Carol, feeling Lucas' telekinesis lessen slowly.
When she felt no pull on her whatsoever, Carol adjusted her shirt and glanced out the shop window to see Morph making his way toward the diner despite the fact that he had 'volunteer work' to do.
"My, looks as though Morph is already a step ahead of you Lucas, he's on his way over to the diner," Carol pointed out, shifting her eyes from the window to her boyfriend.
Growling a bit, Lucas spun around to see an instant of Morph's moving figure.
"That idiot, I told him not to see her alone anymore," Lucas sighed. "We'll have to finish this discussion later love; I have to make sure that Morph doesn't try anything compromising…"
Rogue swept the floor while Marian handled the few customers that they had at the moment, and Timothy was sitting at the counter doing his homework like he was told to.
She couldn't help it; a small smile had been gracing Rogue's lips for almost the entire day. After her little discussion with Marian the night before, and finally getting to know the woman's history while sharing her own tragic love life, Rogue felt as though a heavy burden was beginning to lift from her.
For the first time in a long time, Rogue actually felt like she belonged and it wasn't due to her living in a mansion full of other mutants; no, she felt that she was actually accepted and maybe even loved by Marian and Timothy for who she was.
It was a great feeling, to be accepted.
The bell on the door rang, behind Rogue, but she kept on sweeping until she felt someone press up against her back and two hands were placed on top of hers. She didn't need to guess who it was. There was only one person in the town who would take every opportunity to get as close to Rogue as her powers would allow.
"Morph…let go," ordered Rogue, the broom still moving, and it wasn't Rogue's doing either.
"Aw…come on Rogue darling, I skipped out of volunteer hours to see you. Aren't you in least bit flattered?" Morph pouted, refusing to let go.
"How badly do ya wish to go into a coma?" Rogue asked; emphasizing coma to mean that she would use her powers if it meant getting Morph to let her go.
Letting go, Morph moved around Rogue so that he stood in front of her. "Done by your touch or by other means?" he returned with a playful grin and wink.
"Other means," retorted Rogue, she didn't plan on repeating the accident outside of Timothy's school anytime soon. She wished to avoid using her powers at all cost.
"That's no fun," sighed Morph.
"Sydney," Marian interrupted, "did ya need somethin' hon, or are ya here to harass my employee?"
"Volunteer hours, Marian," replied Morph, turning his charming smile onto the older woman.
Marian wasn't buying the reasoning. She didn't give out volunteer hours unless there were masses of customers in the diner, which there were at that moment. It was no secret either; she advertised it to all the high school students who were in search of volunteer time.
"Volunteer hours, funny, Ah don't remember informin' the school that Ah was offerin' any this year seein' as Ah have an extra hand an' all," Marian responded, turning Morph into a slightly stammering teen as he search for another excuse. "Go sit at the counter an' help Timothy or somethin', just stop botherin' Rogue so much!"
"Yes ma'am," Morph saluted, going over to the counter and taking a seat that offered him the best view of Rogue.
Not used to having someone seek out her attention or try so hard to engage her interest, Rogue felt a bit uncomfortable with Morph watching her work. What was it about her that attracted him to her? Was it the fact that she couldn't touch? The fact that she pushed him away whenever he ever tried to get physically or even sometimes emotionally close to her? Or was it because Rogue rejected his attentions?
Returning to her sweeping near the door, Rogue saw Lucas lurking about around the corner.
Or is he tryin' to get mah attention so that Ah'll join the mutant club? Rogue wondered, glancing back at Morph then at where she had seen Lucas. What do they want with meh?
Thank you to: ishandahalf, Chica De Los Ojos Cafe, EmeraldKatsEye, Jason, enchantedlight, Phasmatis of priscus dea Isis, milo, and DeadSparrow. You guys are great!