Moving On - Chapter 3

By Gimpy


Confusion, anger, neuroticism, fear, uncertainty. That was all she could feel, one after another raging through her like a wild hurricane. It devoured her every thought, consumed her and all she could do was sit in the over heated truck and stare. Her green eyes grazed every feature of the small French-inspired café, drawing a mental image in her mind. The building had become Pandora's box, potentially holding every detail of her life and if opened, her indiscretions, her faults, her mistakes would come tumbling out to be mocked, scrutinized, picked apart and judged.

And with the truths it could reveal she feared that Logan and Scott would realize the girl they had saved wasn't worthy of saving. The girl they befriended wasn't worthy of their companionship. Worst of all she was afraid that the love they felt for her would vanish and she'd be the little girl she once was, lost, alone, left to starve on the streets where she knew she belonged. It was a nightmare that had plagued her before and now it was becoming all too real.

She couldn't lose them. The life, the mansion and all it entailed she could live without but her boys, her knights in shinning armor, her avengers, she couldn't grasp a life without them. Didn't want to. Determination flowed through her and she became hell bent on never letting that part of her life go.

Escaping the safety of Logan's truck, she made her way to the café, her eyes constantly searching for the face of her demon. The café was small, provincial, holding as much of France's charm as possible for a New York/French café. It was crude, blatantly trying to mimic something refined or cultured, which it obviously wasn't. The bright neon sign was a testament to that.

Standing in the open doorway, her steely gaze glided over the tables searching for the familiar yet strange face from last night. A hand found her arm and she tensed, spiraling around ready to pounce. The face she found was timid, shy and almost fearful. A tiny man almost two full inches shorter then her stared up at her with deep cloudy eyes glazed and beady. The look he gave seemed to question her existence and the pensive line he drew with his lips commanded that she agree. When he spoke, his voice scratched and clawed at her nerves, shredding them.

"You Marie?"

Unable to speak, muted by how powerful his presence was she nodded. His eyes shifted, no longer questioning but accepting and grateful. It was like her affirmation was a weight that lifted from his conscience. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled a silver encased cell phone and placed it securely in her gloved hand.

"This is yours," he whispered.

Confused by the small phone in her hand she shook her head. "This… this isn't mine," she stated, lifting her head only to find him vanishing into the back of the café. Taking a step, the crowd formed around her, preventing her from following the small man. "This isn't mine!" she called again but the man had already slipped from view.

Running a frustrated hand through her hair she held the phone at arms length, turning it over, trying to find a clue. She let out a startled gasp when the small case started to vibrate in her cold hand. Struggling to slow her quickened pulse, she examined the display and let out a curse when she found the number blocked. She hesitated to answer its persistent rumble, finally snapping it open and pressing the tiny green icon. Bringing it to her ear cautiously, she let out a shaky, "Hello?"

There was a pause on the other line before a deep masculine voice filtered through the speakers. "You look beautiful today Marie, the dress was classy, elegant, but I like this better."

Freezing at the familiar voice, she spun around, her constant surveillance of the café taking on new life.

Laughter followed her action. "Really Marie. You honestly think I'd just be sitting there waiting for you to suck the life from me? The jean jacket's a nice touch by the way, emphasized your more than generous bust."

"How the hell would yah know that if yah weren't here yah pig?" Rogue snapped, spinning around again, gaining a few wayward glances from the other customers.

"I'm clairvoyant…" he spat sarcastically. "It's called new age technology. The camera's Marie." He amended when a deep line of confusion wrinkled her forehead. "Honestly…"

Her green eyes immediately scoured the corners of the café finding a lone camera near the back of the restaurant.

"Hi," the man whispered mockingly. "You are stunning."

Glaring at the camera she spat, "Shove it!"

"No need to get hostile -"

"No need! Yah ruined mah grad, yah bruised mah hand, mah ego! An now yah wanna ruin mah life. No need ta get hostile my ass! Quit the cloak an dagger crap or Ah'm outta here!" The threat was more then valid and she took at step towards the door, her hardened eyes never leaving the camera. She didn't care that more bystanders were staring at her like she'd grown a set of antennas and fangs.

The voice on the other end of the line remained calm, coldly calling her bluff. "Do and you know what happens. Of course if you really want me to ruin your life, go ahead, leave. I'm in the mood to do a little damage."

Rogue tensed, weighing the consequences, realizing the risk wasn't worth the loss. Forcing back defeated tears, she took back her step, moving deeper into the café. She could almost see the smug smile on the other side of the line.

"Good girl." He demoralized her with his tone, diminishing her into a scared pathetic child with no control, no rights. "Now let the nice waiter seat you."

As if on his command, a handsome waiter appeared before her and offered her a seat. She questioned him with her eyes, glancing up at the camera then back. The hairs on the back of her neck were starting to stand on end and she could feel her skin start to crawl. She followed the waiter even though everything inside her told her to run, that there was a chance the others would understand, that there was a danger here far greater then her fear of discovery. But the fear of discovery was winning out, breaking her into submission. Taking the offered seat, the waiter asked her if she wanted anything.

"Thank you but no, Ah'm fine," she muttered, the fire almost lost.

"Come on Marie, order something, you won't have to pay, it's already been taken care of." The voice demanded.

Shaking her head she ground into the phone, "What do yah own this place?"

A deep and seedy laugh assaulted her ears. "You could say that. Now order something, whatever you want, it's yours."

The anger from before spiked at his demeanor. "Ah don't want anything. Not from you!"

"Order something," the voice commanded, all humor evaporating, leaving no room for argument.

The chill laced around his words scared Rogue but she tried not to let it show as she conceded. Forcing a fake smile on her face, she looked up at the waiter. "Ah'll have a coffee, black." Her words were smug as well as her face.

"Come on Marie, where's the fun in a coffee? If I were you I would have asked for the most expensive thing they have," the voice mused, the ever-present sarcasm still bordering everything he said.

"Ya well yah're not me, Ah'm not you an stop callin me Marie," she snarled, waving the waiter away.

"What should I call you then?"

"Mah name, Rogue."

"But your name isn't Rogue my dear, it's Marie, Marie D'Ancanto."

His words shattered her, causing a rippling fear to cascade around her. "How… how do yah know mah last name? No one knows mah last name, not even Logan."

"I know everything about you that's worth knowing. I know that you were born in Meridian Mississippi, to William and Mary Ann D'Ancanto, on October 4th '84 not August 4th '86 like you told your friends. That you were eleven not sixteen when you ran away from home, or should I say forced out of your home after you kissed the boy and made him cry. A young man named Cody I believe, not David."

She couldn't bear it anymore, his voice tearing at her as she bit back. "Please! Yah could have figured all that out from the newspapers back home! It proves nothin' except that yah can read, congratulations."

"Drink your coffee Marie, maybe it'll calm your nerves."

"Mah coffee?" To her utter surprise a mug of coffee had been placed before her, a fact she hadn't even noticed. "Ah don't want mah coffee."

"And I don't like to waste my money."

"Ah don't care what yah like or don't like, okay? An' your pathetic attempts at playin 007 is getting tired," she muttered, cringing at the cramp forming in her arm, forcing her to switch hands. She waited for him to respond to he disdain in her voice or comment on the pain in her arm, something, but instead a long silence followed. All she could hear was the sound of his light breathing, calm inhales and barely audible exhales that followed an obscure pattern. The neurotic side to her personality piped up, speeding her already rapid pulse and forcing her to think that maybe she'd gone to far.

When he finally spoke again, her entire body jolted, a shiver running down her arms. "You want proof?"

Collecting her jumbled nerves, she softly said, "Yah, Ah want proof."

"Alright then, reach under your chair."

"Mah chair?"

"If you need more then my word, reach and you'll get your proof."

Taking an apprehensive look around, Rogue did as he asked, leaning forward and slipping her hand underneath her chair. Her slender fingers grazed the wooden seat, gliding right into what felt like paper. Slipping her finger beneath the bulging item, she tore it from the bottom of her seat.

"An envelope? How Sydney Bristow of yah," she quipped, letting the manila envelope drop onto the table.

"Open it, Marie. You said you wanted proof, there it is, sitting right in front of you. Now open it." His voice took on a stern tone, angered by her callous words.

Staring at the tanned and bubbled envelope, she reached for it, ignoring her full name sitting viciously on the front. Turning it over, she hesitated before tearing the end completely off. In one agonizingly slow motion, she tilted the package until the object inside slid out and clattered onto the tabletop. What she saw made her stomach churn, her throat go raw and she swore that there was the taste of battery acid in her mouth. Covering her mouth, her eyes fell shut, squeezing together so tightly she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to open them again. She tried to breathe but her chest was too tight, too weighted down. Tears formed and the only control she had was to open her eyes and stare down at the offending object.

Jade beads shinned against the white tablecloth, a thin gold chain glimmered in the soft light from the large windows. It glistened, its familiar shape mocking her. A large jade stone lined in gold sat at the center of the necklace, surrounded by five jades on each side. As she took it in, a tear slipped from her guarded eyes and she visibly choked as a forgotten memory forced itself on her.

----------A slender and tall woman slipped into the abandoned house, her eyes nervously jumping around the rooms as she went. Her long and agile fingers clenched and unclenched around the small bag she carried in her trembling hands. The fear that radiated from her was visible, like a horrid deformity, becoming the only thing you noticed. Not even her enchanting beauty outweighed its force.

The wind howled, thrashing the trees into the chipping windows and degenerating walls. The grating sound filled the room, engulfing it, overpowering it and adding to the absolute fear this woman felt. The aged floor creaked underneath her light footfalls, announcing her presence long before she had the chance to do so herself. A thunderous crack startled her, a scream shattered the tight hold she had on her lips.

Coming to a quivering stance in the center of the crumbling building, holding the bag even tighter, she waited for the rumble of thunder to stop before calling out into the darkness.

"Sugah?" she whispered harshly, desiring to be heard within the confines of the room. Taking another step, the floor cracked, forcing her to retreat. Forcing back tears of desperation, she called again, her voice a shadow of before. "Sugah? Ah know yah're in here. It's just me baby, just me. Yah can come out."

She stilled herself, the air growing stale and smoldering, stinking of mold and vomit. A disgusted shudder rolled through her and she called again for her baby. A creaking followed her words, scaring her yet at the same time relieving her. A door opened, its stripping paint cracking and falling to the rotted floor. A tear-streaked face, plump, swollen, and slightly bruised around the eye, poked around the edge, shattered eyes peering into the dark eerie room.

The little girl completely covered in clothes from head to toe except her face, stepped further into the room, hope shinning in her eyes. "Mamma?" she squeaked.

The woman fell to her knees, arms stretching out to encompass the little form that rushed into her arms. "Ah'm here baby, Ah'm here."

Tiny arms clung to the older woman, searching for comfort and acceptance. More tears formed and trickled down reddened cheeks. Neither one cared about the danger the action held, unwilling to let it affect them. "Ah'm sorry! Ah'm so sorry Mamma!" she cried, gripping the woman as tight as her little arms would allow.

"Ah know," she cooed, pulling her daughter closer to her. "Ah know." Brushing down her daughter's silk hair, careful not to touch her swollen face, the woman's own tears grew in force.

"Is… is Cody okay?" The timid voice barely made it past the woman's blouse the child's face was buried in.

Cringing, the woman pulled back and stared at her daughter. "No baby, he's uh… he's hurt bad."

"How bad?" The girl's tiny lip quivered.

"Bad, he's in a coma sugah. That means he's asleep an he will be for a very long time." She tried to explain to the child but found she couldn't.

"Is Papa still mad?" The girl asked, barely holding together.

The woman had to fight back the urge to brush the girl's tears away, not wanting to hurt her daughters already blackened face or risk her own health. "Yah neva did do what yah Papa told yah ta do, neva acted like the proper lady, could neva keep yahself clean." She mused softly almost to herself. "Yah always got yahself into trouble an' yah always aggravated him…"

"Ah neva meant to, Ah didn't!" The girl cried, just wanting her mother to believe her.

Running her long fingers down her daughter's back, she pulled the girl to her. "Ah know but yah fatha… he could neva quite figure out what ta do with yah… an' now… Baby do yah know what happened yesterday?"

"Cody kissed me… an' then keeled ova. Ah thought Ah'd killed em… Ah got all these mem'ries that weren't mine an'… an'… this voice… Ah heard it in mah head… what does that mean Mamma? What am Ah?"

Closing her eyes, the woman hid behind them as she asked the hard question. "Baby, yah know what a mutant is don't yah?"

The girl nodded timidly, curling into her mother deeper, hating the words she spoke and wanting to drown them out. "Papa hates em, thinks they don't deserve ta live, Ah hear what he says bout them ta his friends… Am Ah a mutant Mamma? Is Papa gonna kill me?"

The woman could barely catch the sob from escaping her lips. Holding her daughter tighter she tried to keep herself from breaking, from shattering before her only child. "Yeah baby, yah are a mutant an' yah fatha… he's crazed, he hit you cause o' that an' now… Oh baby he's comin afta yah." Shaking her head viciously she pulled back from her daughter, picking up the forgotten bag off the floor. "But Ah am not gonna let that man hurt mah baby. Here take this, Ah packed as much as Ah could, there's gloves to protect yahself, enough food for a week but baby, yah are gonna have ta get wise, find food somehow on your own."

Confusion littered the girl's face as she tried to understand what her Mother meant. "Ah don't understand! What do Ah need protection for? Ah got you!"

Another piece of the woman's heart tore off at her words. "No baby, Ah gotta stay here, Ah gotta care for your fatha cause heaven only knows what he'll do if we both vanished. If it's just you then yah might be okay, Ah could convince him not ta follow, but if Ah go… there would be nowhere ta hide from him."

"We could do it! We could!" The girl protested, desperate to stay with her mother.

"No!" the woman snapped. Pulling completely away from the girl, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a velvet jewelry case. "Ah want ya ta take this, keep it with yah an' sell it when ya run out o' food."

Staring at the case, the girl wept harder and tried to find her mother's arms again. The woman refused, forcing herself to stand away from her child. "Mamma?" The hurt on her daughter's face nearly killed her but she held fast. Handing the case to her daughter, she waited for her open it before she turned to leave. "MAMMA! WAIT!" cried the girl, chasing out after her. Grabbing her mother's hand, the girl tried to make her take it back. "Ah'll go for you an' only you but Ah can't take this! This is grandma's she gave it ta yah when she died, Ah can't take it, Ah can't!"

The woman's reddened hazel eyes peered down at the case, the jade stones and gold chain reflecting in her eyes. She remembered the night her mother died, remembered her mother making her swear to never lose it, that it meant more to her then anything. The woman wanted to take it back but looking at her own flesh and blood she realized that her little girl meant more to her then her own mother's dying wish. Forcing it back into the girl's small hands, she tried to smile past her tears.

"Grandma would have wanted yah ta have this sugah, Ah want yah ta have this. So take it for me 'cause Ah won't be able ta live with mahself if yah don't. Yah'll need it girl, believe me." Dropping to her knees one last time, she pulled the straps of the bag onto both of the girl's shoulders and turned her around. Opening the bag she dropped the case in and quickly closed it. Turning her back around, she peered into her daughter's eyes for what she knew would be the last time. "Yah have ta run and yah have ta run now! Yah can neva come back, he won't let yah… just 'member that Ah will always love yah, always."

"Ah love yah too!" The girl cried, tossing herself into her mother's arms one last time. It lasted for a moment but it felt like a lifetime and when she pulled back she never got to say another word before her mother slipped out the door, leaving the child broken and alone.----------

A state that would remain as constant as her own regret at selling the necklace that now lay before her. Placing a trembling hand on the largest jade bead, Rogue became oblivious to the tears coursing down her cheeks. She could barely find the strength to lift the bead, overpowered by the memory she'd purged from her mind. But she had to be sure, had to know for certain that this was the one and not a fake her blackmailer was using to break her. In one drawn out moment she turned the stone until it was completely on its front. She had to bite her lip to contain her cries when she found what she was looking for. Smack dab in the center of the stone was a small 'M M', letters she'd carved to remember her mother by, letters no one but the pawn shop she'd sold it to knew about.

Her teetering world came crashing down in that moment of realization. This wasn't a game anymore, it was more than that, it was real now. So incredibly real that she could barely breathe past the choking sobs she was holding back. When his voice finally sounded, she nearly hurled the phone along with the necklace through the window.

"Do you see now, my dear? I told you, I know everything about you that's worth knowing and more." The condescending tone in his voice, the malice, the hate, every shred of indecency towards her was gone.

Struggling with her pounding chest, she muttered through her clenched teeth, "What do yah want from me-e?"

"Do you doubt me?" he asked, his tone still lacking in hatred.

"No," she spat, a bitterness soaking into her words.

"Good," he crowed, that one word encompassing every hateful emotion he could possibly summon, a complete opposite to the tone he'd had barely a second ago. "That's all I wanted today. Now stand up!" When Rogue hesitated he snapped. "Stand!"

Perched dangerously close to falling apart, Rogue could barely stand on her own two legs but forced herself away from the table. Unable to take her eyes off the chain her hand itched to just grab it and run.

"Leave it!" The voice snarled like a beast verging on the kill.

A sob coated her throat at his words, the action of leaving the jade necklace almost killing her. "Please…" she begged, her hand hovering over the object. "Please… Ah-Ah can't…"

"You will walk away." His voice destroyed what was left of her soul.

Whimpering soundly, she dragged herself away, her movements jerky and uncontrolled. It was as if the necklace itself was binding her to the table, holding her back. With every step she could literally feel her heart collapsing into the jagged shards.

When she reached the door, the malicious voice spoke again, a maniacal laugh lingering on his every word. "Leave the cell on the window sill and don't go back in, it's already gone."

Spinning around sharply she felt the last piece of her go when she couldn't find the gold glimmering in the sunlight. She slammed the phone onto the sill and it exploded into small unfixable pieces. The walk to Logan's truck passed in a blur as that memory rolled over and over in her mind along with his angered words. The gravity of the mess she now found herself in finally hit and when she silently climbed into the driver's seat the tears became unstoppable. Instead of self-pitying tears, this salt was angered and frustrated and broken. Her arms moved on their own and before she realized it, her fists were crashing down on the dash. Her lips parted and angered curses and screams flowed without thought. Over and over she hit the dash and yelled, unable to stop herself even when the bruises started to form under her white gloves. The one hand already covered in bruises started to crack, scarlet beads seeping into the satin fabric.

When the pain finally reached her mind, she welcomed it. It's physical nature drowning out the emotional rampage taking her over. Folding into a ball, she remained that way, never really knowing how much time was passing or truly caring. When her tears dried, she simply sat and stared until she couldn't keep them open anymore. Ignoring her pained limbs, she started the truck and headed back to the mansion, a blanket of darkened night descending long before she arrived.

Blindly she pulled into the garage, knowing that most of the house was asleep. Killing the engine, she had to bite her lip to keep from breaking down again. Forcing a breath into her paralyzed lungs, she slipped from the truck. Leaning against the cheap hunk of metal, she tried to calm herself, tried to gather the pieces before actually entering the house because she knew without a doubt that either Logan, Scott or both were waiting for her.

Seeing the mess she'd made of her hands even through the gloves, she shoved them into her pockets. She tried to keep her head up, tried not to let the tears pool in her eyes but the closer she got to the door, the harder it became. Stopping before the large door, she took one last breath and as silently as she could, she slipped into the house. Slipping out of her shoes, she left them at the door knowing her mauled hands wouldn't be able to carry them.

As she headed for the stairs, the world around her faded again, the walk to her room passing in a daze. She could feel herself start to crumble but she didn't care. She wanted to be afraid of being caught but all she could feel was the pain from the memory. The look on her mother's face rolled through her mind, her shattered and completely grief-stricken face. A face she knew without a doubt was being mimicked on hers.

A voice wormed its way into her fogged mind forcing her to clue into the world that surrounded her. It dawned on her that she'd missed her room and when she turned to find it, she found instead an apprehensive Scott and an unreadable Logan. She quickly shied away, shutting them out, hiding behind a curtain of flowing hair.

TBC

Aquarius Angel : I'll try not to leave you hanging - I promise. I went over an outline with my beta so I now officially have a plan… Will it stay in effect? Who knows.

Flaming Dancer 77 : The man will remain nameless for now although I finally know who he is myself. It's bad I know but I don't like to plan that far ahead. Thank you for the compliment, there should be most Scott/Logan/Marie in the next chapter.

Tara : Thank you for that, I'll try and keep it good. Promise.

RebelRogue127 : All we be revealed in time, I'm evil, I like to drag things out a bit as long as what's written is still entertaining. Hopefully you'll still like the plot as it progresses.

April : Oh god! I would never do a dream thing! It's too cruel - in the end one man will win and that is something I do not know and will not know for quite some time. I have to let my muse have the last say on that one. Hopefully this wait wasn't that bad as the last though the fact that you looked is incredibly sweet and I have to thank you over and over for that. Means a lot to me. Every review does.

Lily Dragon00 : You always need a good comedic relief character - I like to have a lot of them but Jubilee just seemed to be this stories comic relief girl. I'm flattered that you think my writing is that good, thank you.

Hotaru170 : As long as you don't fall, I may have to leave you hanging for a little while longer, hehe. Thanks though for reassuring me, it's hard to update often and it kills me that other authors can do it so quickly. But I try and that's all that matters right?

Anyway guys, I hope to update again soon and I also hope that what comes out of this is good enough to keep you guys coming back. Thank you all again sooooo much for the reviews - they motivate me and keep things going smoothly.

----Gimpy----