Chapter 17- This Is Your Life
Disclaimer: All X-Men characters involved in the movie, comic, and books belong to Marvel, except that a couple of new characters that are in my story, are mine, including Logan's estranged daughter, her best friend Charlie, Sonja, Veronika, Michael, Tom, Anabel, Anabel's aunt Irene who knows about two or three words in English, Dru's mother, Baby Dru, Juan Mendoza, Phillip, Samantha, and other new characters who are not in the X-Men movie and comics. I don't endorse nor do I own the brand name of Krispy Kreme, Gucci, Prada, Converse, Baby Phat, Cigar, Marbel, Nirvana, and a few others.
Dru has telepathy (mind-reading) and telekinesis (moves things with her mind) from her mother and the rest from her father. If I get some more reviews then I will try to upload faster.
Most of the places are fictional except a few things. The names of the strip clubs are fake. In addition, Logan does remember his daughter, it just that he is in denial. He hates himself for leaving her and even though he couldn't remember things that happened after Stryker experimented on him, he still has memories of Dru.
This chapter is a little bit intense and some dark themes. If you feel not up to reading this chapter then pleased click to another story, which you feel comfortable with. Otherwise, be ready to enter into the mind of Dru and the people around her. There will be cussing and things like that and if you hate it then please do not flame me. This is how the way my mind works and I cannot stop it alongside with my fingers which type. Please enjoy the story.
There are a couple of songs that come in and out which is goes along with the story. In no way, am I using the songs are song-fics. I don't do that. I do not own Erik, which is the name of the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera nor do I own the actor named Gerard "Gerry" Butler who plays Erik. Though God in Heaven, I wish I did. Give me a few minutes with Erik and or Gerard and those boys will be begging for my love. Hehehe.
Now these next two chapters might take a while because I have school and I only have a half a year to go before I graduate. Yippee Yes, and I will be using that time to devote myself to my school work and getting myself a man. Yes, I need some loving and I might just look towards my friend to help me out.
Horizontal line means next scene.
Bold words are memories/flashbacks
Italicized words are thoughts
Parentheses ( ) is translations from other language.
AN means a pause in the story for an author's note.
Bold and italicized words are songs and song titles.
Italic and Underline are POV's
: meaning of the abbreviations.
Hope you like this chapter; I put all lot into this baby and give me some more reviews
More reviews and maybe if I get enough reviews, I will try to update faster than a six months. I am very sorry, but I had to deal with the real world. It seems the real world got very interesting over the summer and I have been dealing with it.
A/N: This chapter will try and resolve the problems the problems of Samantha, Dru, Pyro, and as well as, the relationship blossoming between Charlie and Dru.
On with the show!
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Awaken by the sound of someone trying desperately to sing but failing horribly, eyelids fluttered open at the glaring sun coming in from the balcony window. It took a while before her eyelids adjusted to the light, the events of last night fluttering in and out of her foggy mind. A few of the events brought a smile to her face while others managed to wipe the smile from her face. The off-key singer looked over from his position at the computer, finishing a quickie e-mail to his boss about coming in later.
"Did I put that frown on your face?" Charlie asked, fingers tapping over the keyboard, his face turned towards her. His eyes flashed from happiness to concern, wondering if he had done something wrong to her. All he could think about was necking her bit too hard but she hadn't mind it one bit. In fact, she had left him a couple of love bites as well.
Quickly, Dru managed to save face, shaking her head at his question. When could he even think that he managed to make her blue. In fact, he had done the opposite and made her look like the cat that got the cream. "Nope, just thinking," she replied, combing her bed-head into a manageable style. How many knots could she possible get from a night of romping? Well, from her count seven. It was going to be a hassle to comb it out of her hair, but she could manage. Now, if she could get Charlie to help her shampoo it in the shower was the ultimate goal in mind.
"What are you thinking about? Thinking about whether this was a mistake," he asked, now worried about the future of their relationship, if he could call it that. Most people thought women weren't the only ones to worry about where their relationship headed after sleeping together. Men also worried whether they were up to standards in the bedroom and if they passed the test to be considered anything but a play toy to the women. Just because they didn't show their emotion while over a gallon of chocolate-chip ice cream didn't mean they showed it in other areas. Charlie's show of emotion became clear within his blue-grey orbs of his, having found it hard to keep his feeling for Dru under wraps for so long.
"Just thinking about last night and this morning. I enjoyed it very much," she commented, a wink thrown his way. Today was the perfect opportunity to discern through the gray area they found themselves plopped into. She knew and she hoped Charlie would know they needed to finally shed light on this newly form state of their friendship/relationship. God, even trying to put a label on what they were to each confused the hell out of Dru so much she had to give herself a mental shake.
"You sure you're alright," Charlie asked again, having seen the little shake of her head. Was the shake of her really giving what she thought of last night or something else? Already he could see himself with her as more than a friend and hoped this night hadn't tarnished anything that could have been. Hesitantly, he stood up from the chair, stretching his sore muscles, knowing a few muscles had been overworked. He wasn't a stallion anymore but he would go the distance just for her.
Just that little move, made her pant for more flash of skin from him, and she feared for his well-being. It took a while before she was able to find her voice and even then it was on the husky side, "Yes, I'm alright, but if you keep stretching and moving around like that, I won't hesitate to maul you again," she answered, chewing on her lower lip to get the message across. They were both acting like horny teenagers but after damning up everything they had held back in their friendship, it was no wonder they wanted to lay everything out on the table, or the bed that is.
A smile couldn't help but linger on his lips as he jumped onto the bed, ravishing her with drawn-out kisses.Minutes passed before they came up for hair, both of their eyes glazed over with wanton lust. They had to talk about it soon, but maybe soon could be held off until later. "Mm, we should get dressed," she whispered against his lips, winding her arms around his neck. She could only take so much of fighting him off before she gave in to her urges.
"Yes, we should," he answered, ignoring her request as he ventured down towards the juncture. A slap to his hand halted his fingers from finding its treasure. He whimpered, trying desperately to keep his animalistic urges under control. The urges seemed to get out of control around this heavenly being, but heavenly she was not. She was an angel as much as she was a little devil. His little devil. He hoped. He prayed.
"Like, right now," she teased, able to pull away from the kiss. Her lips tingled from the kiss, already feeling them pucker and bruise from the attack upon it from Charlie. Either she had done enough good things to get something from wonderful from Karma or she was bad enough to get punished with having Charlie has her friend/lover. Whichever heaven or hell gave her this gift/punishment, she had to thank them from the bottom of her heart. The only thing nagging at her was the sensation of this feeling not lasting for very long.
"No...more kissing, please" he begged, pouting at her, before he started to maul at her again. He could be a horn dog at time, but when it came to wanting a woman to himself, he did everything to have her for as long as permitted. Even then, he wanted to make sure she was marked as his.
Laughing at his attempt at begging, she shook her head, pushing away from him. He relented before sitting back on his legs, his eyes roaming over her mass of curls, kiss-bruised lips, and the glow coming off of her. His heart clenched at the sight of her, thanking sweet God for this opportunity.
"Te amo, Dru," he whispered in broken Spanish. It sounded stupid, but that was how he felt. He felt that much about her and he was out of his mind afraid of not having the feeling returned. Holding his breath, he waited and prayed Dru would reciprocate the feeling. It took only a few seconds before he got his answer.
It didn't take too long for her to give him his answer. Already ready to give him his answer, she had given herself a couple of seconds to make it seem as if she hadn't really thought about the matter. Even, she couldn't show her true feelings at a moment's notice. Dru had to slowly wean herself away from having a wall around her heart. Charlie had managed to break down the wall bit by bit and he was the keeper to her heart. She just hoped he didn't break it or trade it for the whiskey demon. "Te amo the same, Charlie," she answered in a broken accent as well, laughing at her pronunciation of the Spanish language.
One of these days she would learn the language of seduction to better acquaint herself with it and to speak scandalous and heartwarming words to Charlie. Already, a humming sensation in the back of her head warned her not to think too far into the future. Pushing the feeling to the recesses of her mind, all she concentrated on was the here and now. The here being in her room and the now, being how she would get Charlie safely out of her room without causing a disturbance.
Pulling herself up in bed, her eyes searched the room for any clothes she could scrounge up and wear today. It didn't really have to match as more than it had to cover her exposed skin before someone came to the door to disturb her happiness. Laughter burst from her at the sight of her corset strewn on the door knob and her other articles of clothing from last night thrown around the room. What she couldn't fathom was why her undergarment was being used as a bookmark in one of her textbooks. Not wanting to really know the answer, she turned to give Charlie a questioning glance.
All she got out of Charlie was another attempt at a pout and octopus hands. She pushed him away, waggling a finger in front of him. Another pout from him, and she gave in, kissing him once more before breaking free of his tentacle hold. Bouncing off the bed, she started a search of her closet for something suitable to wear, something that would scream innocence and virginity. Scratch that. Something that would scream innocence and wanton hussy. Much better. "Now, we need to change. Someone could walk in."
Laughing at the notion, he stood from the bed, stretching out the kinks in his back. "Walk in? Dru, this is your room, and why would someone have the notion of walking in on you in the morning," he asked,frowning a bit. Did she have other gentleman callers dropping by? Have them on rotation when he wasn't around. Now, that was as farfetched as he thought he could possibly go. Was that a bit of jealousy he was feeling already? He stomped down the jealousy before Dru caught on, hating to get into a tiff after such a lovely night.
The hair on the back of her neck rose at his question. Was he really upset at the thought of someone walking in on them? She hadn't known how deep his feelings went and she was touched at his curiosity and chivalrous manner. "No one of course, but I cannot think with you walking around half-naked. God, man, you are such a turn on, especially with those Sponge bob boxers of yours," tauntingly Dru commented as she ogled his boxers.
Laughing at her comment, he slowly turned in a circle, showing off better views of himself in the boxers. "Why thank you, ma'am," he answered. A few model poses here, a few scandalous poses there, and for his final act, a rendition of his strip act. All the while, Dru whooped and hollered, reaching forward to slap his bottom, causing him to yelp out in surprise. They burst into laughter, but soon his expression sobered and he stared at her for the longest time.
As the staring contest continued and she couldn't take the intense gaze he inflicted upon her anymore, she broke the gaze and silence as well, "What wrong?" This was never like Charlie to become remote and quiet all of sudden, it scared her a bit. She now wished she could read his thoughts, but she wasn't about to invade another's thoughts again. After last night events, she had opted to wear the bracelet this morning, running her fingers along the smooth surface of it.
After a few more minutes of gazing at her, Charlie snapped himself from his reverie, shaking his head at her, "Nothing, I just wanted to remember this moment forever." That was the truth. He wanted to etch this moment into his brain for as long as possible. Hopefully, more memorable moments would be able to replace the horrible ones Dru and himself had fostered during the tumultuous time in their friendship those many years ago.
"Take a picture it will last longer," she teased, walking towards him to give him another hug and kiss. Mm, it felt nice to be held in his arms, but he pushed her back a bit, taking a good look at her. This wasn't good. Red flags started to go off in her mind but she waited it out, wanting to know what he had to say.
"I am serious, Dru. I want to remember this as if it were my last night here on earth," he answered solemnly. What he said must have scared the hell out of Dru because her face blanched itself of color, her fingers trembling as she placed them to the sides of his face.
"Are you alright? Are you dying or something," she asked, her expression sobering as she stood up on her knees, checking him out. Why did he say things like that, she wondered as she looked him over for anything serious. It frightened her to death to even think of Charlie dying on her. Never could she even think to imagine how Charlie's life would falter and crumble like the Roman, Ottoman, or the British Empire. Even the possibility of his mortality and her semi-mortality seemed to be of difference between the two of them, but it was a meaningless thing. The here and now was important, not what would happen twenty years from now.
Afraid of putting her into an early grave, he slapped on a smile, more of a Cheshire grin. "No, I am not. I just wanted to say, just in case." There, that should put at ease for a while. Never could he understand why he talked as if he wasn't going to be around for long. He knew he would be around just for her and would try to outlive the oldest living being if he had to.
Relief flooded her, bringing back a bit of color to her cheeks at his words. "You scared the hell out of me, Charlie. Please, don't ever say anything like that; I could not bear losing you." Behind every word she spoke of; she inserted the fear of losing him to Death. Though, she might have gone over to it a couple of times, she never condone to anyone else taking their lives and never really had a hold on dealing with Death. Yes, she might be considered a hypocrite to go against taking one's own life; even though a few days ago, she had been lying in a comatose state after trying to commit suicide by overdosing on pills. Death wasn't a happy place to be in, especially if you left your loved ones behind.
From his point of view, Charlie had bared witness to seeing the death of Dru and that had made him determine to keep him and Dru alive. Seeing Dru broken and hurt on the pavement those many years ago, finally turned on the lights in that brain of his he hadn't used since picking up the bottle. After kicking his drinking habit, he wanted to live and partake of life's ultimate pleasure before Death came after him. He didn't know why he kept thinking about Death and his own death as well, finding it a bit morbid to be thinking about it. "I am sorry for scaring you; I promise. I love you, Dru." And he meant every word of it. He would spend the rest of his life making it up to her and he bet she would make it up to him as well. They had a lot to talk about if they were to keep seeing each other, but first they had to establish their relationship in the first place.
What more could a woman ask? Well maybe chocolate-covered booty, but maybe Charlie would be up for it. "I love you, Charlie. Don't you ever forget that," she whispered against his lips, just before melding her body with his. Their kisses were urgent and demanding, wanting to savor the moment before it was shattered by the outside world. Seconds later it was.
A tapping came at her door, a tap, tapping at her door. Both looked at each other, as Charlie silently cursed to himself. Chewing on her lower lip, Dru tried to keep quiet, hoping the person would go away. It was no use. Whoever or whatever needed her attention wouldn't leave her be, "Dru? Are you in there? Dru," called out a familiar voice. Rogue.
This was not good. Keeping quiet was not working in her favor as she tried to search for the rest of Charlie's clothing. She would worry about her clothes later. "Quick! Hide," she hissed out, giving him one last kiss, before he took off from the bed.
Scanning the room, he found the only good place to hide was the bathroom. Situating himself in the bathroom, his pants in tow, he shut the door behind him. Why couldn't they be interrupted after the fact of him being dressed, at least he had a chance of getting away fully clothed. Hating to be left in the lurch, he placed his head to the door, waiting patiently to discern the voices to the owners on the other side of the door that would be coming soon enough.
Damn it. This should not be happening at eight in the morning. Hell, she didn't even think people would be awake on a Sunday at this hour. Sliding herself into a fuzzy bathrobe, she quickly glanced at herself in the mirror. Crikey, she looked as if she took a couple rolls in the hay. Subduing her hair as best as she could, she walked herself over to the door. "I am coming, who is it?"
The person continued to pound away at the door, determined to see her. This must have been important to think of awakening at this time of the day. Strictly a night-owl, Dru shunned the rays of light, opting to keep the curtains drawn until mid-afternoon.
"Dru, it's me," whispered Rogue through the door. A sigh escaped her to learn it was only Rogue. She could handle talking to Rogue, finding a kindred spirit in her. In fact, she might be kindred enough to handle the bombshell she would drop on her as soon as they got over the pleasantries. Giddy as a schoolgirl, Dru wanted to divulge her glorious night to another female friend and get her take on it. God, it felt good to be able to have another person to talk to and get their opinions on things, though she didn't mind Charlie's company.
With that thought searing her brain, she unlocked the door, swinging it open to accept Rogue into her room. Seems things were getting better for her. Thank you Karma. "Hel–," she faltered, the words dying on her tongue at the sight held before her. Karma came back to bite her in the ass.
It was not only Rogue at the door, but Bobby, Phillip, Samantha, and last, but certainly not least, John. ཁAww, hell,ཁ she hissed out. Such pleasure it would bring her to just to slam the door in their faces and go back to Charlie. It wasn't going to happen, not with Pyro sticking his foot in the door, making it impossible to slam the door in their faces. Damn it to hell in a hand basket.
Keeping herself between the door and her room, there could be a chance to convey her message. That message was: Fuck off. "We need to talk," and that voice surely belonged to John. A small flutter started in her chest, wondering what the fluttering meant. One thing was for sure, it wasn't a feeling she should be having at the moment.
"No; I don't have anything to say to you. Rogue, you freaking liar, you told me it was just you," she snapped, her head swiveling to give Rogue a look. Where things were going, there wouldn't be a morning breakfast with Charlie before he had to jet. She should be lucky they hadn't barged into the room and search it like bloodhounds.
"You didn't ask," she answered, shrugging her shoulders. Her eyes narrowed, feeling something was not right. Dru was bit skittish, hesitant by her guess. Something was definitely not right. Keeping her concerns to herself, she turned to the others hoping for backup.
Shuffling and cutting the deck of cards in his hands, Phillip put himself into the conversation. "Are you going to let us in or what," he asked. This was getting tiresome, yawning as he pulled out a card from the deck. The Love card. Interesting. His eyes turned to look at Dru, sensing something coming off of her. Pulling another card from the deck, he choose the Fate card. Very interesting now. The last card he picked out was the Death card. That wasn't good.
Putting ice into her statement, Dru gripped onto the door for all she had, "I don't want John or Samantha...," putting more edge in her voice, "in my room." Her knuckles turned white, making it clear she was not comfortable with their presence at all. The fluttering feeling sprang up again with Pyro's heated gazed turned towards her now. A coil in her stomach tightened and she felt a prickly sensation on the back of her neck. This wasn't good at all.
His gaze flickered over her attire, drinking her in. The belt of her bathrobe was cinched tightly around her as if she was trying to cover herself up. His interest peaked at the thought of what lay beneath, but stopped his mind from pursuing the thought. Clearing his throat, he glanced at her before mumbling, "Come on Dru, we need to resolve this."
Did he just think all of this could be resolved in one conversation, in a day? She figured after what happened last night, whatever friendship they even started to have had been burned by both their actions. "Resolve this? You are really funny to even suggest of resolving anything," she acknowledged. Desperately, she wanted to slam the door in their faces and get back to Charlie, but it wasn't going to be possible, not with the group determined to get into her door.
Right now, she prayed the group had the grace of mind to come back later. This was not a good time and Lord knows how long Charlie could stand it in her bathroom. If the group was still here and Charlie walked out of the bathroom clad in his jeans, speculations, and madness would ensue. No, she needed to find a way to get them out of here
"We are not leaving till this thing gets resolved, we mean it," Rogue commented, putting steel behind those words. She would go through on her threat and she guessed the others would do the same as well. No, this wasn't fair. Karma really did take a bite of her ass and was going in for seconds. Finally, Dru cave in to their threat.
"Alright, let me just change," she answered. Giving them a display of what she was wearing, she waited for their approval to shut the door behind her, forgetting to lock it. With the sound of the door closing behind her, it was just the signal Charlie needed to come out from the bathroom. Clad in his jeans, he walked towards her, ready to give her a kiss. She moved away, shaking her head at him, as she tried to find anything to wear.
He frowned at his rejection for a kiss, watching as she scrambled to find any pair of jeans. "What's wrong? Did they leave," he whispered, afraid of being overheard. Shaking her head at his question, she pointed towards the door, and made a signal for him to keep quiet. Understanding her message, he did as he was told, sitting on the bed, and keeping quiet.
Snatching a tee-shirt off the ground and slipping it on, Dru noticed it was a bit too big for her frame. It was Charlie's. Right now she didn't mind the fact of it, choosing to tie the rest of the shirt in the back, fitting it with a rubber band. "Much better," she answered, mending the tee-shirt to her form, Charlie shaking his head at her. Now, all she needed was her pants, bra, and panties. First priority now was finding her panties, to which laid inauspiciously on her headboard.
Charlie had to stop himself from whistling at her as she slipped into her panties, finding it a circus act for her get into her bra after the fact she had her shirt on, his shirt at least. Mm, his shirt did look good on her, in fact anything of his clothing her sounded good to him. That did not mean he was going to let the interruption slide just yet.
Making small circles in the bed sheet with his fingers, he averted his eyes, giving Dru a bit of privacy. "Who was the door," he asked, trying to make it sound casual. The suspense was eating him up inside. He had heard a few voices and he recognized who those voices belonged too, but there was one voice in particular that had made his blood boil.
With rapid movement, Dru managed to get into a pair of jeans and into boots, brushed off his inquiry of who was at the door with a question of her own. "Why do you ask?." That might get him off track for a bit. She hoped.
Not about to take the bait, Charlie frowned, moving to take Dru by the waist. His fingers flexed around her hips, a gasp escaping her lips as she felt the strength of him against her back. This was a new side she hadn't seen Charlie, curious and hesitant of what would happen next. "Don't try to change the subject, who was at the door other than Rogue," he questioned, his breath warm on her neck. Shivers ran down up her spine at his change in personality. She could get used to this side of him, taking a while to register his question. With his hands on her, it was difficult for her brain to function properly. Another squeeze of her hips brought her mind back into focus.
Clearing her throat, she tried to think fast. When nothing that could be brandished as the truth came to mind, she dove in, and went for the truth. "Rogue, as well as, Bobby, Phillip, Samantha, and Pyro," she answered, lowering her voice when she got to Pyro's name. Seconds went by, and the hold on her became stronger, making her squirm uncomfortably. Close to asking him to lay off the death grip, Charlie pulled away from her, not wanting to look at his expression. Already the air crackled with tension and the scent of a fight on the rise made Dru try to defuse the situation quickly.
With a plea for his tranquility on her tongue, it was cut short by the wiggling of the door knob and the door opening. "Shit," Dru and Charlie answered in unison, the group walking into the room. Upon entering the room, the group had expected to see Dru donned in clothing. What they hadn't expected was to see another man in the room with her, half-dressed, not happy to be interrupted in whatever he and Dru were doing before being intervened.
It wasn't long until someone talked. "Busted," Samantha screeched, making everyone in the room wince. Samantha seemed to be the only person in the room happy to see Charlie, now having evidence to blackmail Dru in the future. The rest of the group were either in shock, or in disbelief of Charlie's presence at the moment. Why shouldn't they be, finding it a bit of a surprise to see him half-naked with Dru, the pieces falling into place now. Shuffling herself towards Charlie, she reached out to entwine her fingers with him. That action caused Pyro's right eyebrow to twitch, Rogue blush, Bobby to shift from side to side, Samantha to smirk, and Phillip to pull out another card from his deck.
"Shut the door," Dru asked, nodding towards Phillip to do it. Glad to have something distract him from the scene he did as asked. Closing the door, this time he locked it, not wanting to take their chances. Looking into his palm, his eyes widened at the card in his hand. The Hanged Man. Nothing good were to come from this, he thought, putting the cards away. Soon the cards would reveal the fate of the person he had been thinking of this whole time. When the time came, he would unveil their fate. For now, the problem happening at hand needed his attention.
As the uncomfortable silence and the underlining blanket of danger started to seep into the room, Dru held her breath, waiting for the next person to have their say. "Dru, what is going on," hissed Rogue, pointing towards Charlie and back to her, "what is he doing here?" With the intention of wanting to resolve the problems between Samantha, Dru, and Pyro, now it turned into a Jerry Springer segment to Rogue. All they needed was Jerry Springer and they were good to go.
Trying to laugh it off, Dru tried her best to explain the situation away. Though it wouldn't be easy with Charlie in the room, giving the face of a man having clearly been interfered in the process of being in a state of bliss. "Funny you should mention that," she answered, scratching the back of her head. Smooth, real smooth.
Not after the words left her mouth, John had to open his, "I don't find it funny at all." In fact, he was bemused at seeing Charlie in Dru's bedroom. The only conclusion to be of truth was one thing, and one thing only. Sex. He and the others had caught them in the aftermath of their 'love-making', if that is what they would try and call it. His stomach recoiled at the thought of the what they had been doing before their arrival. To lay with Charlie made John wonder how low Dru's standards went as to whom she let into her bed.
Finding it hard to keep his tongue under control, Charlie let his voice be heard. His voice had to say, "Go to hell." Dru cringed at what he had said. Vulgar it was not, though as to whom it was stated to, that was trouble.
"Make me."
"I will."
Both Charlie and Pyro started to head at each towards the middle of the room, but the group and Dru were there to separate the two and stop a brawl from even starting. Phillip and Bobby took John by the arms, while Dru grabbed Charlie by the belt loop. Hauling him back to her, she made sure he stayed by her side and not anywhere near John. This was a time where machismo wouldn't slide this time. They all needed to be clearheaded, especially Dru. "Boys, boys, stop trying to rip each other's throat out. If you do, you are going to get the carpet stained," she answered offhandedly.
Laughing at her remark, Charlie shook his head, puffing his chest out. "The only thing staining your carpet, Dru will be Pyro's blood," he threatened, trying to break free from her hold. Rage built within him, the memories of what he had done to Dru last night, flooding his mind.
"You wish, human," Pyro commented as he tried to break himself from his holds as well. What he wouldn't give to bang the human's head against the ground over and over, until it cracked open. The son of a bitch had the nerve to even breathe the same air as him. Where in the hell were his shitkickers when he needed them. A couple of stomps on Charlie's face would put him in just the right mood.
"Human? That's the best you can do, pipsqueak?"
"Pipsqueak? Your mother."
"Keep my mother out of this."
"Why, because she was a whore?"
That was just what was needed to set it off. Talking about mothers'. "That's it," Charlie answered, managing to squeeze himself from Dru's grasp. Not about to have a rumble in her room, she side-stepped Charlie, pushing him back into his corner. She needed to rethink situation before it got out of hand. Putting two men who wanted to swing their pride around wasn't going to work.
The air crackled with the thirst for bloodshed, but it wasn't going to happen in her room. She wasn't about to get into trouble again, nor did she want anyone else to get in trouble because of her. "Charlie, stop this macho bull shit. You did it last night and I grateful for that, but you were injured because of it," she answered, lowering her voice, her fingers brushing against his bruised jaw and split lip. He winced, before letting out a sigh. Making it feel better, she brushed her lips against his own, hearing groans from the group.
A few turned their heads to give them privacy, while Samantha and Pyro watched the scene, shaking their heads. "That is sick," John muttered, shaking free of their hold. His hands were itching to wrap themselves around Charlie's neck and choke him till his eyes popped out of his beady head. Stomach churning, he tried to fight down the bile rising within him.
Coughing into his palm, Bobby managed to grab their attention again, stopping the public display of affection from continuing. Separating her lips from Charlie, she composed herself again for the upcoming conversation. "Alright, shoot."
Stepping up, Bobby bit the bullet and said what needed to be said in that moment. "We wanted to get you, John, and Samantha, together to talk it over, resolve the problems surrounding the three of you. Come on, we don't want there to be tension between the three of you now that we are getting around to the New Year," he explained.
As his speech ended, Dru thought it over. To keep up her distrust and anger at Samantha and Pyro, or let it slide on by? That was a question that needed its answer right away. Pacing back and forth across the group, she weighed the pros and cons of the situation. After pacing the room several times and seeing her pacing was getting on their nerves, she gave them their answer, "You know if we smooth things out, they are not getting Christmas cards from me, right?"
Smiles broke out on Charlie, Phillip's, Bobby's and Rogue's face. Samantha and Pyro on the other hand were not smiling. A little tune started to screech out a rendition of 'Unbelievable', by EMF, everyone searching for the source.. Traversing towards the vanity desk, Charlie turned off the ring tone before looking at the caller i.d. "I have to take this," he said over his shoulder walking back towards Dru's side. Giving him the green light to use the balcony for his kill, he kissed the side of her neck, promising to get back to her as soon as the call ended.
"No problem," she answered, a shiver running up her spin at his lovely touch. Placing another kiss on her neck, Charlie went out onto the balcony, taking the call. Soft whispers wafted into the room, as they all waited anxiously for it. Seconds passed, before Charlie shut the balcony doors, talking in a rush into the phone.
Conversation ensued as a smile appeared on his face. "Yeah, meet you in thirty minutes. Missed you so much," he said into the phone as he ended the call. He walked back into the room, smiling from ear to ear. "I need to get going, I have an appointment," he answered, leaning down to place a butterfly kiss upon her neck once again. Whispers of promises and heart-felt words filtered from his lips into her ear, causing her to blush.
Words exchanged between Charlie and Dru in broken Spanish, but the group managed to understand what they were. A few made Rogue sigh and looked towards Bobby, but the others were ready to get the display of affection over with. "I will call my dad, maybe he can get you out here in one piece and maybe he won't give you the third degree act. He might even ask what your intention are with me," she teased.
Charlie smiled nodding to her, as the others grimaced. They all knew Logan would not be happy at all. He would likely tear Charlie a new one, but hoped for the best.
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Out of the lion's den, Dru let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't as bad as she had thought but it was enough to know better next time. After calling in Logan into the situation, he had turned the problem over to Xavier. There had been the fear of being kicked out just after being accepted back into the school again. The Professor had warned her never to do that again and to make sure Charlie never say a word about the school. Explanations and arguments went back and forth between the two of them before a middle ground had been found. More apologies to the Professor and promises of never bringing Charlie back to the school without written permission and a progress on how she was doing at her academics and he might let Charlie visit. Might was the word and she had to take that for now.
The next thing she needed to worry about was how Charlie faired with Logan. While dealing with Professor Xavier, Logan wanted to have a chat with Charlie. Lord knows what he must have been talking to Charlie about but she had the feeling it was not about the weather. She had the distinct feeling he would give her a talk about the 'birds and the bees' but in his own way. Dru wouldn't be surprised if he asked her to take a pregnancy est as well. What she didn't expect to see was John, out lingering in the hallway as she departed from the Professor office.
Not wanting to get into an argument into the middle of the hallway, she motioned for him to come back to her room. Everything could be explained in the privacy of her room. Rogue and the rest of the group had told her they would be back to talk things over. That was going to be a pleasant conversation. Somehow, she felt John's eyes on her back, feeling as if he was trying to drill a hole with his stare. Once inside her room, she turned to look at him, assessing his body language. "What do you want now," she asked, making herself useful with stripping her bed sheets.
Her question hung in the air, wanting, needing an answer quicky. "Did you and Charlie sleep together," Pyro asked, giving her a question for his answer. The thought of Dru and Charlie even remotely intimate made his stomach clench up. He should not have been affected by the display of affection between the two, but somehow it did. What was wrong with him? From what he could tell, Dru obviously spread her legs for any man that even gave her the time of day. He just couldn't believe he had fallen for her. The fool he was.
Satisfied with placing fresh sheets on the bed, Dru fluffed her pillows, taking in the scent of Charlie on her it. "None of your concern," commented Dru, taking another whiff of her pillows. For God's sake, she wondered why no one would leave the subject in peace. She and Charlie had sexual relations that night and wanted it to stay between the two of them. Now it seemed by the end of the day, everyone would know of what happened. Why was John interested in whether or not Charlie and she slept together? Did he got off on that sort of thing, she wondered.
How could he put it lightly without it coming off as jealous? Aww hell, it just needed to be said, "None of my concern? It does when it involves your two-timing." Where the hell did that come from, he thought, repeating the words over in his head.
John's statement stopped Dru on the way to the bathroom. His message played over in her mind, trying to decipher its meaning. What did her mean by her two-timing? The only two-timing she had done dealt with surprising the school the night her and Charlie performed their tango act. Turning to look at him, she gave him a blank look, not really getting his statement. "Can you break it down for me?"
Gladly, he thought to himself, walking towards her. Her body language started to tense, ready for anything he might throw away. She reminded him much of a cat, its backbone pose for attack. A smirk played on his lips, his eyes gleaming viciously. So many things he would love to say to her, so many things he would do to show her how angry he was with her. There was not enough hours in the day to show what he would have done to show what she was missing out on. Luckily, he found himself now immune to her charms. LIAR, his subconscious screamed out as it knew the real truth. He had fallen victim to her personality and charm and now she was off with someone else. A human and he was not pleased. Not pleased at all and he wanted to extract a bit of revenge on her.
Unnerved by his close presence, she tried to scoot away. With every step she took back, he took two forward, till he managed to press her against the closed bathroom door. He placed his arms at the side of her body, further blocking any attempts of getting away from him. Unconsciously, she licked her lips, getting a reaction out of Pyro. Just the flick of her pink tongue as it slid across her lower lip and instantly, his blood heated. Damn it, he needed to get his head together before his traitorous body tried something. "Really now? At the beginning, you were ready to take Bobby from Rogue, ready to take me as well." He hoped that statement would get across to her. Though his mind screamed for him to step away from her, his body didn't cooperate.
Seeing her situation from another perspective, Dru was up against the wall, literally. Pyro held her from reaching the door to her room, and she guessed he would stop her from calling for help. Either way, he wouldn't stop his pursuit until he got his answer. That didn't mean she was willingly going to hand them out and she had questions of her own to be answered. "From what? Your precious hand," she taunted, clicking her tongue.
The urge to strike out at her was tempting, but he stomped it down and just gave her a small smile. "No, but how would it had been if someone took your precious human away from you," he questioned, leaning down to whisper it into her ear. Now the urge to nibble on her neck took the place of striking her across the face. To be given the chance to deface her in his own, made his blood hum with anticipation.
Shivers ran down her spine, causing goose bumps to rise on her skin as she looked up at him. "Is that a threat," she questioned. Threats did not go well with her, her cheeks flaring with a tint of red, hoping he didn't just imply he would cause harm to Charlie.
"Just a hunch. There are people out there who are vehemently against interracial couples," he commented, taking in the scent of her hair. She smelled nice but he had to keep his mind on other things and one of them did not involve on whether she had a body wash set with the same alluring scent as the shampoo.
Again, he remark made her question what he was talking about. As far as she knew, Charlie was Irish-American, Irish on his father's side. Hell, even she couldn't think what she was composed off. She could have been one hundred percent bitch, that she could be certain off. Mentally reminding to ask Logan about her background later, she turned her eyes back toward John. "Charlie and I are not interracial," she stated, her eyes narrowing at him.
"Really now? Well, let's look at it this way: You are a mutant and he isn't." Charlie and Dru's difference wasn't on the outside, it was more on the inside. Charlie didn't have anything unique to put to his name. For all Pyro knew, he could have been good at making scrambled eggs, but couldn't do it while levitating or with his mind. They came from different worlds and he knew it wouldn't work out. Would it?
That perspective of how she was different from Charlie didn't affect her and it was not going to affect her now. If this was his way to get her to rethink her relationship with Charlie, then he sucked at it. "So," she questioned as she stopped the urge to roll her eyes to the ceiling. This was starting to become a bore and she had other things to do then listen to John try and upset her. One being for him to get out of her personal space. He was starting to border on scary right now.
His shock must have been apparent on his face because Dru gave him a smile. Now his blood was definitely boiling right now. He couldn't believe it. Absolutely, one hundred percent could not believe it. "Shouldn't you be worried about it," he asked, closing his mouth which had hung open for a while at her words.
"No."
"At all?"
"Nope."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. Is that all you wanted to tell me, John? Because if that is all, then I have to change and get to class. I don't want to make a bad impression again. I don't understand what your problem is with Charlie." Yes, she did know what Charlie's problem was with John, but she wanted to hear what John had to say. She pushed her hands against his chest, managing to get him to budge a bit, but not a lot. He kept his ground, his eyes narrowing.
"You know what my problem is."
Many problems she guessed he had, but she kept herself from letting it slip out, "Nope, can't say I do." His facial expression contorted into one of contempt. Her answer wasn't one he wanted, but she gave it to him anyway.
"Liar," he growled, slamming his fist against the wall, beside her head. Wincing at the sound of his fist, she tried to think of ways to get him out of her room. His temper was flaring and she didn't know what else would set off his foul mood. Deep within her, she grew warm at his aggression, afraid of the feeling. What was going on?
Leaning in, she could smell his scent, spicy and with hint of ash. Yes, he smelled like burning wood and if she touched him, she feared she would get first degree-burn. Heat flushed her cheeks as his eyes flickered towards her lips, wondering what went through his mind right now. "You think its funny to play the good girl/bad girl card, don't you? What is that word they use for people like you? Mary-Sue's? Yes, you are trying to play that type of card, aren't you? To be those little bad girls but have a heart of gold hidden beneath their exterior? I bet that's it."
Even those words seemed to make her eyes lose focus. Being close to him seemed to put her world off its axis. Just as the words registered into her mind, she realized what she was doing. She shut her eyes, trying to keep herself under control. Guilt and shame racked her at what she had almost done. "I am not trying to play anything. Yes, I was a bitch and yes, I was acting as if I was the Mary-Sue, whatever the hell you want to call me. Call me a whore, slut, any name you want to call me, go ahead. Just know this: I want to clean up this act of mine and I want to do some good with my life. I may come off as acting fake, but I am trying," she answered.
It was high time to clean up her act and she knew working the bad-girl routine wasn't the way to go about making progress. So long she had played the bitch and the troublemaker. How long could a person go on playing the role until they became sick and tired of it? Sooner or later, people would see through their phoney act and desert them. That is one route, Dru didn't want to go on. Not everyone would like her and she would deal with that. A long period passed between them, both looking into each other's eyes. She tried to find out what he was thinking, while he tried to see himself in her own eyes. All he saw was a reflection of himself. Leaning in close, he whispered into her ear, "This isn't over," and left her alone in the room.
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New Year had come and gone, Dru not having been into the spirit of things. A week had passed since the incident with John and Dru as the two had managed to squash the incident at the Masquerade, but underneath there was still animosity. They managed to keep the second incident in her room under wraps, changing the subject whenever Rogue brought on what had happened after meeting with the Professor. Focused on putting herself to work, she managed to pull her grades from the gutter and was glad she hadn't been placed on academic probation. Along with her punishment, Dru had her abilities watched under a close eye. At first, it had been a nuisance to check in with her father and update him on her activities and let him look over the bracelet for any malfunction, but after a while she hadn't mind it.
During the time she had to visit her father for her daily check-up, decent conversations had ensued between the them. "So, if she hadn't of read my name in one of her romance novels, I would have been named Stella? Amen to trashy-romance novels," she toasted, shaking her head. Now there was something to be had from romance novels.
"That or Marsha," he answered, grateful for the novels as well. Given the name had been the name of a male character, but nowadays parents were giving masculine names such as Joe, Sam, and Louis to their daughters, and feminine names to their sons. Though, if his mother or whatever he could remember of his mother had given him the name Sue, he would have hung himself. Giving one more look over her bracelet, he nodded, giving Dru her wrist back. "You are set to go."
This time, Dru and Logan, mostly Logan went onto the subject of relationship, which lead into Charlie territory. From what information he had extracted from Charlie, the two had slept together. Now, that had pissed him off to know his daughter was having sex at the school. Though a small part of him was glad to know his daughter wasn't sleeping with a sleezeball. As the conversation continued on the subject of Charlie, he could see the glow coming off of Dru whenever she spoke of Charlie. He even asked as to how she felt about Charlie and she had given him a sense of how love or sweetheart kind of love he hadn't experience with her mother should be. The only thing he had found to be cherished from the relationship with Dru's mother was the birth of Dru.
For now, he would keep a close eye on Dru and make sure she didn't do anything to get herself into any more trouble. He would also keep an eye on Charlie, finding him to be of good character. That didn't mean he was going to let his guard down with him. Boys would be boys and he was going to keep an eye on him. His fatherly instincts were kicking in now, a bit late, but they were certainly kicking in. The past was the past and he would go on with his life and make sure Dru went through the rest of her life, knowing he would be there to support her, even if he didn't show it openly.
Brought out of his thoughts, it took him a bit to discover she had been talking this whole time. Getting back into consciousness, Logan managed to snag the end of speech. "...great guy," she answered, looking at him questioningly, "Were you listening?." He shook his head, feeling like an idiot.
Waving off her diagnosis of 'getting older', he smirked at her. "I am not too old to whoop your ass," he retorted, pushing away from his desk, stacking the assignment he had given the class into a manila. He really hated chemistry and didn't understand a word he had was teaching to the class to himself. The assignment he had given the class had been from his teacher's manual and he had to use the answer sheet to figure out the solution to the problem himself. Where was Jean when she was needed?
Locking up shop for the day, he asked Dru if it would be possible to have more father/daughter conversation without having to use the check-up as the only means to get together. "I would like that, it's been hard the last couple of years wondering why you left, but I can see why. You had what you had to do, to give yourself a good footing before thinking of giving me a life," she explained, letting the rage she had built up against him break down every day. Hard at first, she observed Logan, her father, try to take ahold of life before even thinking of taking care of another person. That didn't mean she was going to get soft on him, it just meant she would lay off on giving him grey hairs, though she knew he had been dying his hair for a while.
Declining his offer of watching Rebel Without Cause and hamburgers in the entertainment room, she headed back towards her room. Late into the night as she reviewed over her English literature notes at her vanity desk, pouring over the pros and cons of the love Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy shared in Pride and Prejudice, a knock came at her door. Rubbing at her eyes, she looked towards the digital alarm clock near her bed, taking her eyes a while to discover it was one-forty in the morning. She wondered who could be at her door at this hours. The knocking continued, a voice now going along with it, "Dru, wake upཀ Open the door."
What would her father have to tell her at this hour, she wondered, standing up from her position at the desk, stretching out her muscles. "I'm coming, hold your horses," she shouted, unlocking her door. Peaking at him, she knew something was not right. Logan looked nervous, almost afraid. Goose bumps ran up and down her arms, sensing something had gone awry. "What's wrong," she asked, her voice straining a bit. Now she was scared by his silence.
Hands in his pockets, he didn't know how to inform Dru of what had happened. How could he easily tell her in so many words without causing her much pain. Hell, it would cause her pain either way. This was not going to be easy, but she needed to know. "It's Charlie," he muttered, not able to look her in the eye.
Her breath hitched, gripping onto the door for her life, her knuckles turning white. "What about Charlie? Did something happen? I talked to him earlier, what's wrong? Dad," she asked, her heart pumping in her chest. Rarely did he intrude on her space at this time of night, especially to talk about Charlie. Earlier in the day, she had a call from Charlie, happy to hear from him. Charlie had been hesitant the first couple of days after the incident to call her cell phone, afraid it was now in the hands of Logan or the Professor. Her conversation with him had been a bit on the sappy side but she didn't mind at all. Now this was happening and she feared the worst. "What happened," she asked.
"I don't know how to tell you this," he answered, shaking his head. Damn, this was going to be a bitch. He could tell what the pain of waiting was already causing her and now this was going to kill her. What had become of the world today? Fate really was a bitch.
Now this was not good. "Tell me, what happened," she urged, opening the door to let him pass. Rubbing her hands on her pajama bottoms, she waited it out. Whatever he had to say, she knew it was something that was either of their hands.
"Dru, Charlie's dead."
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Author's Note: Woah! That is the end of Chapter 17, had to leave you in a lurch. I am glad to be back everyone, woo. I hope to get the next chapter up soon. Love reviews and no flammers.