Chapter Twenty Three

Two days later, and Envee was sort of better. She could function, eat dry toast and oatmeal, but if she tried to use her powers at all, she tended to get hurt. Jamie was working with her constantly, trying to get her to separate her old abilities and her new abilities, while still trying to figure out what those new abilities were. She wasn't sure if it was simple levitation, or the true ability to fly, or if there were any other surprises waiting for them.

During that time, the other Roses were always working out, or putting the finishing touches to the mission plan. Rogue had finally admitted that Envee was not battle-ready and had included Remy in the plan. Ivy was not happy about it, she didn't like having strange people in the group, especially such an arrogant, snarky guy like Remy.

Alistor, not used to such an organised day with the Roses, just followed Selene's lead, listening to her as she talked about the mission details while they worked out. He'd never seen her so serious, so focused, the way her eyes gleamed as she worked with the weights, she was completely determined to be in perfect condition for tonight, and to Alistor's eyes, she was completely beautiful.

With her hair pulled up in a high, tight ponytail, small beads of sweat coating her skin, the neck of her small tee shirt sticking to her body, her muscles straining as she moved, the way her body twisted and turned and folded up as she stretched…

Selene noticed Alistor's attention and blushed slightly, looking away. "So, uh, just make sure to stick with me tonight, okay?" she said, grabbing a towel and wiping the sweat from her face. "I mean, I asked Rogue and she agreed to let you be my bodyguard while I'm working on the computer, just make sure no one comes and sticks a knife in my back while I'm distracted, 'kay? And when we're walking around, stay behind me at all times, I don't want you to accidentally trip something, and if I say something like duck, or get back, don't ask questions, just do it and I mean quickly."

Alistor nodded, pulling of his tee shirt. "You seem to know a lot about this, have you done it before?"

"Only in practise, Chalice gave us a couple of buildings equipped with the latest technology so that we could train. We knew we'd have to do this eventually, so we've been preparing for it from the start. Though, we originally figured on having all of us go in, so we're having to make some last minute adjustments for Gambit, he's got different powers, different abilities, and we hadn't counted on that."

"Will it affect things that much?"

Selene frowned thoughtfully. "It shouldn't, Rogue says he's a good sneak and knows how to kill, but we're more used to Envee, it changes the dynamic of the group."

"Things didn't seem too different when I arrived."

"Well, yeah, but we haven't done anything major like this since you joined, it's pretty much just been business as usual. Come on, I need a drink."

Draping the small towel around her neck, Selene walked up to the kitchen with Alistor at her heels. Selene grabbed two bottles of chilled water from the fridge, tossing one to Alistor before twisting the cap off her own and glugging it down. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked around, wondering where the others were.

A thump and a muttered curse said that Envee was still outside with Jamie, the sound of something hitting a piece of wood and breaking it said that Ivy was also out there, probably with Kar. Michelle was silent, so she was probably still in the living room meditating. Rogue and Remy would be upstairs, examining the blue prints of the Agency that Remy had managed to procure.

"Okay, this is as private as we're gonna get in this house," Selene muttered, looking nervously at Alistor, who just frowned in confusion. Selene seemed very worried, even agitated, all of a sudden.

"We might die tonight," she said bluntly. "We're going into the Agency and we're gonna fuck them sideways, and they're not gonna like it, so there's a good chance that we ain't gonna survive, and I've been thinking about it and I've decided that if I or you do get killed tonight then I'm gonna really regret not doing this though how I'll regret anything when I'm dead is a bit of a puzzle but I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Alistor nodded, staring at her with a mixture of puzzlement and amusement. Selene took in a deep breath and let it out in a huff.

"Sod it," she said, and took two steps forward to press her lips against his before she could loose her nerve. A muffled sound of surprise escaped Alistor before the rest of his brain, or other parts of his body that seemed to take a sudden interest in the recent turn of events, soon quelled the surprise and he hooked his arms around her slim waist, pulling her against his muscled body.

Selene licked at Alistor's lips, coaxing them open, and she slipped her tongue into his mouth, exploring it, tasting him. Her hands found the band in his hair and tugged it loose, burying her fingers in the raven black strands.

Someone cleared their throat and the two mutants quickly jumped apart, blushing slightly. Kar was watching them with a grin and a raised eyebrow.

"Do you want something or are you just being a pain in the ass?" Selene demanded, glaring at him. Kar just laughed and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl.

"I think Rogue said we were supposed to be working out, not making out," he quipped, and then walked back outside.

Selene sighed. "So much for keeping this a secret," she muttered under her breath, causing Alistor to frown.

"Do you want it to be a secret?"

The tone of his voice made her look up, and she was upset to find a growing sadness in his bright blue eyes. "No, Alistor, I don't really, it's just that Envee and Kar are gonna tease us mercilessly."

Alistor grinned. "Then let's give them something to tease us about," he said, hooking an arm around her waist and drawing her to him again. Selene chuckled, she refused to believe that the sound she made was a giggle, and kissed him again.

"If you aren't going to workout, go upstairs," Rogue said wearily, opening the cupboard to grab a couple of protein bars. Selene blushed, but didn't draw away from Alistor.

"D'ya mind, boss?"

Rogue hesitated, and then shook her head. "Tonight we do some dangerous shit, I won't hold it against you if you want some… companionship, just make sure you're ready for ten thirty tonight."

"Will do, boss. We won't let you down."

Rogue frowned at that, an oddly thoughtful expression clouding her face, and she looked down at the protein bars in her hand. Why were they all so loyal to her? What inspired them so greatly? She was a murderer, a cold-blooded sociopath who held no love for no one and nothing. How could that possibly inspire such fierce devotion and determination from a group of people she had moulded into killers? Why didn't they hate her? Why didn't they resent the changes she had wrought in them?

Would they miss her when she was gone? Would they mourn? Or would they understand? Would they stay together without her there? Or would they drift apart like ashes in the wind?

She shook her head, banishing the useless questions to the back corners of her mind, bringing her focus sharply back to the mission tonight. She needed to be focused, determined, deadly, calm…. She needed to be perfect.

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"I wish I could go with you," Envee said with a sigh. "It's not fair that I have to miss out on the big mission."

"We've still got the headquarters to find and destroy," Selene reminded her.

"Yeah, but I don't like you guys going off into some serious badness without me there to help. I mean, you might get killed and I'll just be sitting here trying to control my powers."

"Don't do anything too hard without me here," Jamie warned, and Envee nodded, turning to look at Gambit. Her expression hardened, and she walked towards him, invading his personal space.

"I'm trusting you to do my job," she said quietly. "If I find out that you sacrificed them to save your own worthless skin, nothing will save you from me. Remember that." The dark, threatening expression on her face vanished, replaced by a smile yet again, as she turned to look at her family again. "Have fun, guys, and be safe, yeah?"

They all nodded and made various promises and joking warnings about not burning the house down, and then they were leaving.

Dressed in black body armour, loaded with weapons, deadly determined glints to their eyes, they moved like a living shadow, something you couldn't quite see but knew it was a thing to cause fear. They had decided to walk to the Agency, so as not to draw attention with a car, and they kept to the alleys as much as possible. They didn't speak, walking in total silence, even their footsteps were quiet. This was what they had been preparing for, training for, waiting for, and their blood was racing with adrenaline, with the knowledge that they were so close to achieving their goal and that they would be victorious. They had to be.