History Before The X-Men
By Time And Life 21
Scarlett was glad to be back in the US. Being back home was stressful, fun, and heartwarming. It was a shock to the LaChance Family that she was still alive. She chuckled to herself. When she went to the Guild home, everyone was in a state of shock.
Her father was not an emotional man when it comes to matters of the heart. Since her mother died, he closed himself off and pushed her and her younger siblings to become great thieves. But he was still her father. And when she came walking through the door, with a smile on her face and strode through the foyer to her father's office, he had tears in his eyes.
The same eyes that she has.
"You must be a spirit coming to haunt me." She saw her father in his high back antique chair.
Lumiére LaChannce was a tall man. His black hair had stretches of grey, his face had wrinkled a bit more and there were laugh lines that crinkled around his eyes and mouth. If anything, she would have mistaken him for a younger version of her grandfather.
"Father, if I was a spirit, I wouldn't be here." She said as she walked over to him.
Her father stood up and moved forward to place his hands on his seemingly dead daughter's shoulders.
"Scarlett, my daughter, you are alive!" He said as he hugged her close. She hugged him back and smiled.
"I was never dead to begin with." She said smiling.
It was then that the rumors spread 'round the LaChance guild. Some of the thieves say that she was brought back to life by God, others believed that something terrible had happened to her on a heist that forced her underground for many years, others just believed that she was dead and gone.
The interesting thing about the LaChance family, they have red on black eyes. Her younger two brothers, or older brothers now, seeing that she hasn't aged, also has the same colored eyes. The shock overcame then as they ran to her and hugged the living life out of her. They haven't heard from her or seen her for over 17 years. Ever since she joined the Elite. Corbin, her younger brother by 5 years, was married and has 2 children. Sadly, they didn't have the Red on Black eyes that he has. But he was proud of them for becoming good pickpockets and will soon be learning the ways of the thieves.
Raphaël, the youngest brother, had grown to work alongside his father to learn the ways of the Guild, he is now her age; both brothers have black hair. Scarlett was the one who has her mother's red brown hair.
Scarlett was holding her nephew, Jacques, who was just 4 years old and was drooling and sleeping on her. Her brothers and Father were sitting at a table speaking with her.
"So…the past thirteen years…you have been in a stasis? By Essex?" Lumiére said as he grasped his cane tightly.
She leaned back in her chair as she gently adjusted her nephew and nodded.
"Yes." She sighed softly.
"But everything turned out fine. The others are fine and we are still alive." She smiled brightly.
Then she thought of Remy. Her smiled disappeared slowly. She never did tell them that she had a kid.
"I also have other news…you see, when I was doing that heist to work with Essex to gather information from his labs…he…" She closed her eyes tightly.
She remembered that horrific experience. The tests, the cruel smiles that Essex would give her when something went right for him, the pain. Oh the pain. But she took it. And she took it fighting.
"He wanted to make a clone. Of me, that is." She huffed.
"He injected me with a kind of liquid. It wasn't the kind when you get a flu shot." She said as she looked at her family with brave eyes.
"He harvested me. Took my eggs and injected them with the DNA of another mutant, unknown. Then he placed them back into me." She could feel her empathy from her family come off in waves.
Her brothers had murderous glares on their faces. Her father looked eerily calm, save for the whitening of his knuckles and small sparks of blood red cackled off his cane.
"Dad…" Scarlett chuckled.
"You are going to blow up that cane." She said placating him.
"If I knew that he had done that to you, I wouldn't have sent you on that heist. I would have gone to him, guns blazing." Her father's voice was cold as ice. She knew the males in her family are protective over the females. It was in their blood.
"So…you became…" Corbin said as he stood up and started to pace the room.
He was opposite of her father. He reached 5'9 and was stocky and muscular. He, as well as Raphaël, was kinetic energy manipulators. Raphaël was more like her father. Tall and toned, his features were aristocratic in nature. He got that from his mother.
"Yes. I got pregnant. I was stuck in that hellhole for 6 months. Essex would feed me food rich in nutrients and pills that would help the baby. The Elite managed to get me out of there and take on Essex. But he disappeared after they stormed the Labs." She said as she could vividly remember
Renegade with a look on her face that screamed pure murder. She had her shadows surrounding her and when she turned her sights on Essex, she took on a form of a shadow wolf and rammed him through so many walls, Scarlett was pretty damn sure that there was no way that Essex would have survived. Afterwards, he disappeared.
"You didn't…" Lumiére trailed off.
Scarlett rolled her eyes.
"Like hell, Dad. Don't even go there. I named him after Grandfather." She said slyly.
"Him? It was a boy?" Raphaël said smiling.
Scarlett nodded vigerously.
"Yup!" She smiled in pride.
"So you raised him without telling us?" Corbin frowned.
Scarlett looked down in quiet shame.
"I couldn't come home having a child out of wedlock, especially one that was forced onto me, Corbin. You know the rumors that would spread in the guild." She said frowning.
"But he grew up in a good place. He was adopted into the LeBeau family." She snickered.
Lumiére spat out his water that he was drinking.
"The LeBeaus!" Her father roared.
Oh, she was enjoying having her father riled up.
"The LeBeaus have no right to…" He ranted on and on.
Surprisingly, her nephew that was still asleep in her arms, oblivious to the ranting.
"After what happened in New Orleans, I had to call the Marriage off." Lumiére grumbled.
"I made the right choice. He was just 2 when I gave him to an intel there. Renegade told me he was just 6 when he was adopted into the LeBeau family. Lived on the streets for most of his childhood." She said smiling sadly.
Lumiére sighed as he ran his hand down his face.
"At least he was raised by Thieves and not assassins." Corbin said looking on the bright side. Scarlett smiled brightly.
"Oh yes. He's 21 right now and he's a master thief. Well, almost. If he would stop making goo-goo eyes at a certain girl he would have noticed that I stole his master's staff and his deck of cards. At least one thing is for certain, he has a penchant for cards like myself." She smirked.
"Great, just what we need. Another one of her." Ralphaël shook his head.
"Does he know?" Lumiére asked curiously, referring silently to his newfound grandson's parentage.
She shook his head.
"No…but I will be showing him my eyes sooner or later." She said laying her head on her nephew's.
"He doesn't even know of his blood family?" Corbin asked.
"It's not like we go out showing the world our eyes, brother dearest. We have always covered our eyes with sunglasses, even at night. This kid on the other hand, he's proud of them." Scarlett said chuckling.
"Ralph…"
"Don't call me that."
"WE ARE UNCLES!" Corbin said as he pumped a fist in the air.
Ralphaël rolled his eyes sarcastically.
"I'm already an uncle." He deadpanned.
"So, You named him Rembrandt? After Grandfather? Nice." She heard Corbin say.
She was glad that her intermediate family accepted the fact that she had a son. She was proud of him, she even had a smartphone (it took her time to figure out how it worked, but being a thief she caught on pretty quickly) and showed them the pictures of Remy.
"Holy…that's Gambit! I've heard of the guy, but never met him. I just thought he was a big shot from America." Corbin exclaimed.
"Wow…if there's a male version of you, this guy is it. You said Essex wanted to make a clone of you?" Raphaël asked.
"Yes, he was very interested in my genetics and powers." She said as she gave her phone to her father.
He looked at few pictures and sighed.
"You know what this means for you, Scarlett." Lumiére said gravely.
Scarlett gave a sad smile.
"It's fine, Father. I know Raphaël will take good care of the Guild." She smiled.
Since she was a child she had always wanted to take over the guild, but it seems impossible for her now.
"That's not what I meant. This boy is my first-born grandson, therefore seeing that my firstborn daughter had him, the responsibility of the guild is transferred to you." Lumiére said.
"No, no it's fi-what?" She said confused. Corbin and Raphaël smiled at each other. "Sis, things have changed. Dad here, being oh so strict of all guild rules, had decided to change them." They smirked.
After that, Scarlett was reintroduced to the guild and there was a large party, but there were some older female thieves that were making snide remarks after the announcement.
"That's the Queen Of Hearts? Where has she been?"
"I heard that for the past thirteen years she was married and had a child out of wedlock. How scandalous!"
"An illegitimate child. That's unheard of in the guild!"
Usually Scarlett would brush off those comments. But she decided to take out a card from in her dress and charged it. She tossed it in the direction of the shrews that she so despised and heard screams of surprise. The rest of the night went without complaints.
She hadn't heard that name in a long time though. She was known as the Queen of Hearts in the French guilds. She gave up that name after she was used as a lab experiment with Essex. Spade became her new name.
'The Ace of Spades' was traditionally known as a death card.
The Queen of Hearts is dead.
Spade had risen from that death.
The week passed by smoothly and she was due to return to America. She had the chance to get to know Corbin's wife, a quiet woman, in stark contrast to her outgoing brother, but she had a strength that was hidden to keep Corbin on the ground and it turns out the Raphaël was dating a pretty German thief whose powers were to vanish into thin air. He was planning on proposing to her in December.
She got out of her taxi and paid the cabbie 100 dollars, telling him to keep the change. She had her sunglasses on and didn't take them off until she went into the living room. She saw Hanna there playing with her tarot cards.
"Playing 'Future' again, mon ami?" She smiled as she sat next to her striped haired friend. Hanna gave a secret smiled.
"Well, Gambit has been looking everywhere for his deck of cards and his Master Thief's staff…you wouldn't have anything to do with that now do you?" Hanna chuckled as she flipped over a card.
It was a Three of Swords. It featured three swords piercing a heart. Hanna's face frowned at the symbolism and she lifted her left hand in the air and her fingers moved as if she was manipulating puppets strings. Her eyes turning gold in the process.
"Who? Me? Well, all I have to say is that if le garçon would just pay attention to his surroundings instead of a certain Rouge, maybe he would have had it back by now." She smiled tightly as Hanna spun her left hand around and pulled sharply, as if snapping a string.
After snapping her hand back, she put the card back into the pile and shuffled expertly.
"You shouldn't be doing that, you know. Sometimes different thieves have different consequences." Hanna said as she blew on the deck softly.
"I know. I'll be giving the staff and cards back to him. Just not now." Scarlett chuckled.
"Fine. Don't come crying to me if he chews you out. How was the family visit?" Hanna said as she started to draw a card out.
"It was fine. They were surprised that I haven't aged though." She said as she looked as her hand.
"I think Essex put a serum in us to keep up young in those containers." Scarlett said as she leaned on her knees.
Hanna pulled out a card. It was the Nine of Swords. She gritted her teeth and lifted her hand again, this time her hand was doing jerky movements and it looked like she was making knots in the thin air. It showed a man holding his head as he lay in bed with the nine swords in the background.
"Have you decided weather or not you tell Remy about his parentage?" Hanna said tensely.
"Qu'est-ce? Why bring up the subject?" Scarlett glared at her.
Hanna usually never acted this strange unless…
"Wait…have you been reading…my future?" Scarlett said appalled.
Hanna flipped her hair back in annoyance.
"So what if I am?" She said gruffly as she shuffled the cards again.
Scarlett stood up abruptly.
"Vous Pute! Why are you reading my future?" She said as her eyes glowed eerily red.
"Why else? You know my tarot reading and seeing the futures are connected. I'm trying to manipulate it as best I can. So far, I only see you and your son, fighting. I'm trying to make sure that you don't blow up half the school!" Hanna said as she pulled out another card.
"Look, I'm trying to look out for you. You have been carrying this guilt and conflict in you for a very long time now, and you have been regretting the decisions you have made sine you decided to take him to New Orleans. You need to tell him. And Soon." She said studying the Five of wands.
It showed five men carrying long wooden poles and fighting each other.
"You have to resolve this conflict. Before anything else happens." Hanna said as she placed the card back into the pile and shuffled again.
"Pour Quoi?" She asked as she crossed her arms stubbornly.
"Look, just trust me." She said finally looking up at her friend, her gold eyes glowing.
Scarlett gritted her teeth. She would tell the boy when she was good and ready...but what if what Hanna is asking is right? Should she tell the boy?
"You don't seem to get it, the moment when he sees my eyes, he will make a connection." Scarlett growled.
"You will be fine…just trust me on this. You will find the words to tell him what had happened." Hanna said simply.
Scarlett gave up and left the living room, too frustrated with her best friend and headed up to the library. She didn't notice Hanna smile as she took out a card.
The Knight of Pentacles.
Hanna smiled as her eyes glowed brighter and she saw a dark red string appear in her vision. She lightly grasped it and then proceeded to split it in two and with a tug, she got rid of the left string. The right string, she made sure to mend it a little bit and it's frays were smoothed back into the string. Scarlett near future may be a bit…explosive, but it won't last for too long. She guarantees it.
Scarlett entered the library with a bang. She paced across the floor for a few minutes, her mind in a jumble. Just because Hanna could see the multiple futures, doesn't mean she should see hers. She then decided to take a seat at a window. She was scowling the entire time until she heard a voice behind her.
"Почему ты хмурый, друг мой?" She heard the Russian from behind her.
She looked at Azazel. He was wearing rectangular black-framed glasses and holding a blue book in his hands. He was wearing an Armani suit. His tail was swaying back and forth relaxingly.
"Oh, it's nothing, Azazel. Just thinking." She said as he scowling stopped. Now she just felt depressed.
"Oh? Is about certain future seer?" The crimson skinned man said as he sat across from her. Scarlett didn't answer.
Azazel chuckled.
"You act like stubborn child. No doubt she has you thinking about syn, pravo?" Azazel said as he took off his glasses.
Scarlett sighed. All the stress of seeing her family again and her son, and the fact of being under water for 13 years has taken a toll on her. Azazel sat across from her.
"If anything, Scarlett, you are afraid of speaking to him." He said as he looked outside and saw the children coming home from school. He spied his son getting out of the van and turning off his holographic emitter. His friends soon followed him quickly after and were laughing about something.
"You are doing the same thing, Azazel." Scarlett chuckled.
Azazel nodded.
"Yes, but I have reason. I know nothing of him. But, I have been focusing more on getting used to 'modern world' first. Is confusing for me." He admitted.
"That, and I will be teaching Ethics here." He frowned.
Scarlett tried very hard to not smile. It was funny to her; a demon-like man like him teaching Ethics.
"You may laugh." He deadpanned.
She laughed hard enough that she had tears falling down her face. After a good 5-minute laugh, her fit had died down.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed." She chuckled.
"Anyways, how the American's put it, 'Bite the Sword'? And talk to your syn." He offered. Scarlett looked down at the ground.
"Azazel…you have never met your son until deux semaines ago. I left my son with a shady man in New Orleans and threatened him that if he doesn't take care of my son, I would kill him." She said as she rubbed her forehead.
"Ever since that night, I kept thinking to myself, 'did I do the right thing?" he was raised by the LeBeau family. Which I am grateful for, but how did they raise him to the man he is now? Was he treated right? Has he been on dangerous heists? I may have been a mother to him for two years, but after giving him away, I just…" Scarlett felt her heart break.
Azazel placed a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder.
"You will know how to work with it. You and Hanna had always had motherly instincts. You will know what to do." Azazel smiled. Then he gave a heavy sigh.
"If you excuse me, I must study this 'Ethics.' I wonder of Xavier's mind sometimes." He said as he started to walk away, until Kitty came running into the library in a panic.
"Mr. Azazel! Ms. LaChance! We have a problem!" She said as she skidded to a stop in front of the two older mutants.
She looked between them and asked, "Like, was I interrupting anything?" She asked sheepishly.
Then she noticed Scarlett walking over to her. She gasped loudly as she saw the French woman's eyes. They were red on black. Like Gambit's.
"Chaton, what is it?" Scarlett asked as she placed her hands on her hips.
Kitty shook her head at the shock and spat out her words. "
I think you guys should see this! It's on the television!" She said panicking.
Azazel and Scarlett looked at each other before following the young girl.
When Azazel and Scarlett walked to the living room, it was filled up with the kids just coming home from school. The television was up to max volume as the news reporter was talking.
"There have been murders in the upstate New York area, where mutants are being killed in the middle of the night. Since the President and Congress have denied the Mutant Registration Act, there has been a violent backlash in multiple communities that are against the mutants. So far, there have been twenty mutants and families with mutant children and adults dead. We going live to see Samantha Green on the scene." A woman with pin straight blonde hair and hazel eyes had spoken.
"Thank you Carly, what you see in the back here, this home was filled with a family that this community knows as the Krisson family. I did a bit of research and it turns out that Garry Krisson was a mutant. His wife, Haily Krisson, was not. They just had two twin boys born 4 weeks ago, and so far we have no idea why they were attacked I have asked some of the people in this community what they think of the Krisson family and they said that they would never have noticed that Mr. Krisson was a mutant. He was a family man with a plan and he worked at the hospital as an ER doctor." The young woman said as her brown hair fluttered in the wind.
"Samantha, from what we have heard, people suggested that it's a hate crime." Carly had said.
"That is up to speculation. The police are doing everything they can to resolve this conflict. But from where I'm standing, I can see that there are some repercussions from these murders. All the murders that have happened, they were killed in specific ways. I spoke with a police officer earlier, and he said that the families' bodies were mutilated and decapitated. They had also said that the families were being specifically targeted. If you ask me, this is definitely a hate crime." Samantha said with a tear in her eye.
"Do you think the police will be able to find this group of murderers that have been killing these families?" Carly asked. Samantha didn't reply for a moment.
"I hope so." She said.
"Back to you, Carly." Samantha said as she walked off screen.
Scarlett had enough. She took the remote and turned off the TV.
"Go to your rooms and get started on your homework…now!" She ordered.
The room was quickly emptied out save for some of the older kids. Kurt, Remy, Rouge, Piotr, and Kitty were still in the room. Unfortunately for Scarlett, Remy had noticed her eyes. He was shocked into silence. Scarlett turned to Azazel, facing the group, and spoke.
"Azazel, let Hanna and Thomas know. We have a problem." Scarlett said as she rubbed her forehead.
"Da." He affirmed and left the room in a puff a smoke.
Scarlett closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"This day is getting better and better." She thought sarcastically.
She's suffering from jet lag, Hanna's predictions and now these murders. It was a bit much to take for the French mutant.
"Um…Ms. Scarlett…what's going to happen to us." Kitty asked as she stepped closer to her tall boyfriend.
In turn, he placed his arm around her shoulder comforting her. Scarlett looked up.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Hanna will be doing something. I'm going to let Xavier know about what's going on." She said as she passed the group.
"For now, don't worry about it." Scarlett said as she left the room. She didn't notice Remy following close behind.
When the short she-thief turned around and looked at the group of kids that surrounded him, he thought he was seeing things. She had red on black eyes. His Tante Mattie always says to never believe in coincidences. This just seems to be very much like one. She ordered the kids go to their rooms and work on their homework. He had to stop himself from stumbling backwards. He still had his pride.
"I'm going to let Xavier know what's going on." Scarlett said as she left.
Remy then followed he soon after, slipping away from Rouge's side.
He followed her. He wanted to make sure it wasn't a trick of the light. But why does she have his eyes? The short woman then turned on her heel and looked up at him with a look that could kill.
"May I help you, garçon?" She said as she raised an eyebrow.
He had no words. Just looked at her eyes. They were the same as his. Red on black.
"Y' eyes." He said quietly, still a little shocked.
She looked surprised and reached to her face and sighed.
"I thought I had my glasses on." She muttered.
"Why do y' have mes yeux?" He questioned.
Scarlett gave the tall boy a sad smile.
"You haven't thought of it yet, hien?" She said gently.
She crossed her arms and shook her head.
"Well, who else would have my eyes? Si je me souviens bien, genetics from a parent usually get passed to the offspring." She said bluntly as she cocked her hip out.
Remy took a step backwards with glowing eyes of anger.
"Quoi?" He said with shock.
She stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. His thoughts were running through his mind at the speed of light if it is even possible. She then lifted her other hand and in that hand was his deck of cards.
"Now…" She stepped back.
"Usually I use nails, or small daggers. That was when I wasn't captured by Essex the first time. I moved onto cards due to that fact that I couldn't carry weapons on planes, I did findother ways to do that, but cards were more efficient." She said as she shuffled the deck expertly.
Then she stopped and looked up at him.
"You want to know why I have such special eyes." She smiled.
"It runs in my family. The LaChance family doesn't show their eyes during jobs or even around town. We value our identities very much. And use our powers sparingly." She said as the deck glowed a blood red color. She then looked at him.
"You have the same power as I do." She said as she pulled in the charge.
She handed the deck to him and he took it slowly from her hand.
"If you want to talk with me, I'll be in the library. Je vous verrai bientôt, mon fils." She said as she left him in the hallway.
He was stunned where he stood.
He saw her disappear into another hall. Why did he feel so depressed? He closed his eyes tightly and reigned in his emotions and gritted his teeth.
She called him son.
Who the hell does this woman think she is?
He will be getting his answers soon.
And he wanted to make a phone call.
TAL21: Gosh dang it Scarlett and Remy! I did not intend for both of you to take over not just one chapter, but i will be continuing this chapter in the next one! Seriously! The fic does not revolve around you! *Sigh* I wonder sometimes. But hey you guys got the chapter you wanted! Remy is a bit shellshocked and he wants answers. Who is he making a call to? And Scarlett in the next chapter will be showing a side that is a bit unexpected. Then we have Hanna and Blaze. Whew! Things are going to heat up due to the murders of mutants. Hanna has an idea of why, the question is how did it get to that point? Who is killing the mutants and their families? Backgrounds will be showing up, pasts will be revealed and Some sort of comedy will come up in later chapter, meaning Azazel will be meeting someone that Kurt Knows, and Azazel wants to punch Blaze to the ground. SHOUT OUTS!:
Scarletnightcrawler: You were close! But hey we have the next chapter to work on! :D
lilywhitlockhaletheblackrose: Oh yes, much drama is ensuing right now. Things are heating up and it will be rough. Gambit and Scarlett will be butting heads quite a bit. and thank you! I had fun at my football game!
Jay Eddon: Sorry for making you cry, trust me, I though that it would be finished, but nope. Scarlett and Gambit decided to take over this chapter. XD LOL so i hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D
TAL21: Okay! Thankyou for enjoying this chapter! BTW Scarlett was speaking French with her family and such at the beginning. it's when she's in america i would have her speak french and it is italicized, same with Gambit. Anyways, HAVE A GOOD NIGHT! PLEASE LEAVE DETAILED REVIEWS AND OPINIONS PLEASE! :D See you guys next chapter!
Question Time!: If you had the chance to live in the X-Men world, would you be a mutant or human? If so, what faction would you be in? (I.E: X-Men, SHEILD, Avengers, etc.)
REMEMBER TO KEEP ON READING AND WRITING! :D