Notes For the lovers of Rogue's southern accent I'm really sorry but I don't know how to write it! (I'm Italian and for me it's already difficult to write in English!)
If you want to give some advice I'll follow them!
Chapter 1
Pietro found her like this, with a dreamy look turned to the view in front of her, and he found himself to smile. He really loved this little habit of her: in every city they lived, she found a place where she was able to admire the city during the night. Then that place became her hideout if something went wrong or if she wanted to be alone. But the thing he loved even more was the fact that only him was allowed to enter her sanctuary, not Lance who was like a brother for her or Wanda who was her best friends…only him!
"Hey Roguey" slowly Pietro sat near her
"Hey…it's beautiful, isn't it!"
"Yeah…beautiful" Little did she know that he wasn't looking at the city. Pietro turned his attention to his shoes…he didn't want to talk about work with her and ruin her special moment, but it was necessary.
"You know, the others are waiting for you in order to organize something" As usual her eyes became empty in one instant at the mention of something work related. After many years together he was now at ease with her behaviour, that he knew was only a way she used to protect herself, but it didn't mean that he liked it.
"Lead the way" Rogue sat up and followed Pietro in the basement that they used as headquarters.
Lance & Wanda were so busy with the scattered papers on what that could resemble a desk that they didn't seem to notice the presence of Pietro and Rogue in the room.
"Hey guys! Did you find anything interesting till now?"
Both Lance and Wanda were initially startled by the voice but, after a moment, they nodded in greeting.
"No, we were only looking at the maps of the city. We wanted to be together before to decide anything" Lance answered
"Ah ok. So, thanks to the information collected by Magneto, we know that the chiefs of the thieves Guild and the assassins Guild here in New Orleans are, respectively, Jean-Luc LeBeau and Marius Boudreaux. Recently they found an agreement, a negative thing from our point of view, that consists in a marriage between Remy LeBeau, Jean-Luc's adoptive son, and Belladonna Boudreaux, Marius' daughter. The positive thing I found, after some researches, is that Remy is the classic flirt man who loves to charm every woman he meets. Obviously he doesn't seem to agree at all with the idea of the marriage. We can make good use of this in order to ruin the agreement between the two Guilds. When this will happen they begin to fight each other like old times and become more vulnerable. At that point we could attack them without much troubles and without afford too much causalities…"
As Rogue continued her speech with a cold voice, Lance was getting more and more pissed off.
Shit…She's doing it again
"Marie…STOP!" Lance finally growled
This caught Rogue's attention
flashback
"You can't continue to close yourself in this mask of coldness"
"Try me"
Before she could go away Lance caught Rogue's wrist actually stopping her escape.
"I want Marie back" Lance muttered hugging her tightly
"Marie is dead"
"No she's not, she's right in front of me…but sometimes it's difficult to find her…"
"You know when she died!" Rogue cried in frustration but when she saw the pain flashed in Lance's eyes she softened her tone "It had been that day…What? You don't remember anymore? Because I remember...I can't forget.."
"I remember too but…"
"NO BUT LANCE! Listen, I know that also a small part of you died that day so why you don't accept that the same happened to me? It's easier to be disappointed if you expect something. It's easier to be let down if you rely too much on somebody" Rogue looked the mixed emotions shown in his face with a hint of sadness. She didn't want to worry him. He had been her only family for a long time and he didn't deserve this. But he had to understand that this was for her best.
"Lance you don't have to worry so much, especially for me"
"But I worry.." His grip on her shoulder became stronger "..I worry especially for you because…because I want my little sister back. That little kid that when something went wrong came to me because she trusted me and she was sure I made it better. I want that kid back…I want you back and I want you to know that it's right to trust somebody, to rely upon somebody sometimes. It's right to trust me and tell me what are your problems like you did when we were little. I'll always be here for you to make it better"
"You can't promise me that"
"Yes I can"
"No, You can't" Rogue replied more forcefully "I can't and I don't want rely completely upon somebody, even if this somebody is you. I want to make it on my own" At the sight of the defeated look on Lance face Rogue sighed "But I promise you that I'll try to not shut you off. And if you'll notice that I'm breaking the promise you are allowed to call me Marie. Like a secret code. Our secret code."
"I like that" Lance began to walk forward the door.
"Hey Lance" Rogue's voice stopped him and he turned his head in her direction "You still are my big & brave brother…if there is a person I know I can trust…that person is you"
Lance smiled at her and she smiled back. Perhaps this wasn't a solution but at least it was a first step in the right direction.
end flashback
"Yeah…sorry" After a smile in Lance direction Rogue continued her speech "Earlier I called Magneto"
"What! Why! We-were-told-to-not-contact-him-till-the-end-of-the-mission…was-he-angry?"
"Chill out Speedy!"
"Sorry Roguey" To mask his worry Pietro put back in place his usual smirk.
Rogue rolled her eyes "As I was saying, I called Magneto because it was an emergency: we need backup!"
"We could take them!" Wanda added in her typical I-can-beat-everyone-because-I'm-the-best attitude, obviously drawing the approval of an egocentric Pietro. This time was Lance who rolled his eyes.
"Wanda we are four against…how many? At least forty for each Guild. They aren't called assassins for nothing, you know!"
Wanda muttered something along the line of like I couldn't take 40 little humans but she remained relatively quiet.
"Anyway you should thank me" Now Wanda was worried. The evil smirk on her friend face wasn't a good thing…EVER!
"And why, can I ask, I should thank you Rogue?"
"Simple: I successfully convinced your father to send here John and his group as our backup to this mission"
"Really?" Wanda exclaimed excited but, at the sight of her amused friends, she tried to regain some coolness and continued like nothing happened.
"And why I should be grateful for this? It's not that I'm interested in that pyromaniac"
Both Rogue & Lance laughed at her while Pietro tried very hard to hide his amusement from his very vengeful sister.
"Pleeeeeeeeease, you don't fool us. We all know that you like the crazy Aussie" Rogue laughed even more at the outraged expression of Wanda.
"I do not!"
"Yes you do" Before Wanda could interrupt again Rogue continued with her explanation "Which is why, when we were send last year to Sydney to help him in a mission, you were so damn girly for the whole flight and why you went all crazyon me when he greeted me before he greeted you"
"What! I'm not girly…EVER!" Wanda was becoming really pissed off.
I'm never girly…never! Moreover I absolutely not like that…that John or Pyro…or whatever he wanted to be called…I do not! I just find interesting his skills and his mutation, I may have pointed out one time or two that he has a really great body…but it was a mere opinion of his dedication to my father's cause…yeah…I so not like him!
Coming back from her reverie Wanda found three mutants who didn't even try to contain their laughter.
Crap! I thought at loud voice again!
"Whatever" She muttered
Rogue smirked at her" Anyway they should be here by tomorrow afternoon"