Hey guys. Yeah, I know. I'm sorry for it taking so long. Among all the essays, exams, parties and complete loss of inspiration it was pretty hard to finish this chapter, although it was almost ready for a month or more. I'm still not sure if I like it, it was somehow hard to write. Anyway, I hope you'll still enjoy it. Please give me feedback! Constructive critisism appreciated.
"What do you mean he's your brother?"
"Rogue!"
The girl closed her eyes for a second and breathed in deeply. When she opened them, the X-men were still staring at her, eyes wide in shock.
"Look, guys... It's-", she searched for words, "We're not really-"
"Sorry to interrupt this Mexican sitcom moment, but we have a security guard heading our way", Forge informed his teammates, after checking with his wrist mini-computer.
"Okay, let's go", Wolverine said, sounding relieved. Jean levitated the piece of floor that had Mesmero tracked into it together with their prisoner and made sure the guard suddenly remembered he didn't lock the door on the opposite side of the museum. Storm, Beast and Iceman were helping Kitty and Scott on their feet.
"Jesus", was all Rogue could say. When she came alongside of Forge, she muttered a sincere 'thank you'. The Cheyenne winked at her. He might be a disastrous goof ball sometimes, but Rogue liked him for being just and helpful.
"Rogue, take the co-pilot seat, will you?" Logan said, stating rather than asking. When she did, he said silently "Hope this'll help you not meet any unwanted stares".
"Still feel 'em on my back", she uttered through gritted teeth, looking straight ahead, "but thanks for the care".
A heavy pause hang. Rogue could hear Mesmero crunch in his improvised stocks. Nobody spoke, it was rather icky.
"You think Ah should tell 'em?" she whispered.
"Ya already started it. Spit it out, Stripes. There's nothing to be ashamed of".
"But I'm a criminal!"
"A former terrorist, too".
"Thanks", sarcasm was poisonous in her voice, "that made me feel just so much better".
"Hey, kid. I'm an amnesiac assassin, Storm used to pick pockets in Cairo, Jean was possessed by some Shit Force", that brought a weak smile to Rogue's face, "What Imma tryin' t'say, none of us here are perfect. Well, Kitty's close, but she sleeps with a stuff dragon". She almost giggled now. "Besides, that Cajun bastard manipulated you into thinking his Big Daddy could help you".
"Yeah", she mused, "Ah guess".
New Orleans, 2007.
Remy LeBeau didn't exaggerate when he said 'mansion'. A huge white Colonial house, probably a good hundred years old, if not more, stood on the bayou, 7 miles away from New Orleans. It looked ghostly surreal in the swamp mist. The LeBeaus were very well off.
"Wow", Rogue breathed out, as she hopped off Remy's Harley, "if your family's as respective and traditional as this house, Ah'm sure I can trust you".
"So you're not an adventurous type, heh?" Remy asked as he killed the engine.
"Well, I pulled pranks on my Math teacher in junior high, but Ah'm not the type to go home with a person I've just met in a new city".
"It's Remy's irresistible smile", he flashed his shining teeth and motioned her to follow him to the front door.
"Your modesty, too. Besides, I can knock you off in a second", Rogue commented sarcastically, "you sure your folks won't mind?"
"Don't worry. They like mutants and pretty ladies alike, so you're getting extra credit".
They were standing on the front porch. Remy dialed a long code on a built-in security device that looked a little too safe to Rogue, like they were entering a secret lab. She also noticed a security cam's red light beep. They entered a fancy main hall, center stairs, red carpet – stuff like that.
"I'm home", Remy sang. A fair-haired man of Gambit's age and a blond girl were sitting on a couch, watching a huge flat-screen TV.
"Rems", the young man raised a bottle of root beer in greeting.
"Henri", Remy bowed his head slightly, "Mercy".
"Who's your new girlfriend?" Henri asked, taking a head-to-toe look at Rogue. She frowned, offended that 'Henri' didn't address her directly. She noticed the blonde smile at her shortly.
Remy was about to speak when a muscular man in his forties appeared on the stairs.
"Son, I thought I told you not to bring anyone from outside into the house", he said, emotionless. He would be handsome, with his biceps and a ponytail, if not for thin French mustache and strangely cold brown eyes. Remy's lips twitched slightly.
"Rogue, this is Jean-Luc, my adoptive father, Henri, my brother, and Mercedes, his fiancé. Dad, this is Rogue, she needs somewhere to stay for the night".
"Nice to meet you, Rogue", Jean-Luc stretched out his tan hand. Rogue's gloved one shook it. Jean-Luc's shaped brow raised slightly, he probably considered it impolite. She forced a smile.
"Nice ta meet you too, Mr. LeBeau", she said insinuatingly.
"My, you're not from here, are you?" he asked. Stupid accent.
"Yes, sir, Ah'm from Mississippi, currently on the move".
"And heading..."
"To NYC, sir. Um", she put a lock of white hair behind her ear, "Your son really helped me, Mr. LeBeau, I do not want to be of inconvenience-"
"Oh don't worry, chere", he said, sounding awfully like Remy, "but please sit down and tell us since when is my son being so kind".
"Probably because he can't walk past a skirt", she heard Henri tell Mercy. The girl punched him in the rib slightly when she realized her boyfriend is a little louder than appropriate.
Remy shot a demonic glare at Henri and sat next to Rogue.
"Rogue was attacked by ten men in the street".
"Mon Dieu!" Jean-Luc exclaimed almost sincerely.
"Because she's a mutant", Remy added.
That seemed to catch Mr. LeBeau's attention even more. He watched Rogue closely.
"Really. What is your power, child?" she felt a frozen light twinkle in the depth of his eyes.
"It's some- sort of telepathy that only works through skin-to-skin contact. Painful, though", she tried to emphasize her dislike of the topic. Jean-Luc's eyes slided down and lingered on her black gloves for a moment. Henri and Mercy were listening carefully.
"I believe it is hard for you", Jean-Luc mused, "Bien, you are more than welcome to stay, darling. As long as you need to".
"Thank you kindly", Rogue smiled, "it will only be one night, my friend will pick me up tomorrow".
"Again, stay as long as you need to. But are your parents aware of your whereabouts?"
"My foster mother, yes", that was almost true – even though Rogue didn't call Irene, her guardian, who confessed to be a fortune-telling mutant (which she hid until the girl's powers manifested), was likely to know what happened in New Orleans, if Mystique didn't call her already.
"Bien", Jean-Luc mused, "you must be hungry. Mercy, s'il te plaît, take Rogue to Tante and show her to the guest room", Mercy jumped up enthusiastically and motioned for the young mutant to follow her.
"Father, I believe I can-", Remy started, but Mr. LeBeau cut him off.
"Thank you so much, but I'm not hungry..."
"Mais I need to discuss business with you and your brother", Remy sat back, looking disappointed. Jean-Luc turned to Rogue. "And what kind of house master would I be if I would let you sleep without a descent supper, hein?"
The kitchen wasn't very big, but looked neat and modern. Tante Mattie was a small African woman in her fifties, her features were kind and round, yet her black eyes were sharp and wise.
"Tante, this is Rogue. Rogue, this is Mattie Deveroux, she raised Henri and Remy", Mercedes introduced.
"Nice to meet you, ma'am", Rogue said mildly, and stretched out a hand. The lady shook it, while studying Rogue.
"Hello, child".
"Rogue is Remy's friend. She'll be staying here for the night", Mercy said simply.
"I see", Tante said slowly, "you look tired, baby. I have this wonderful herbal tea..."
Rogue smiled shyly and watched Mercy help the elderly woman by the counter.
"I already like her better than Belle", she told the blonde silently. Rogue wondered who 'Belle' was.
As Jean-Luc listened to his adopted son tell him Rogue's story, his interest grew bigger and bigger.
"Amazing", he breathed out, almost excited, as Remy described the girl's powers the best he could, "add that to her speed and intelligence, she could be as good as anyone in the Guild".
"Um", Henri started, "she's underage and has a guardian. What makes you think she can be legally accepted into the Guild", he looked uneasy, "as legal as it can be in here?"
"So we need hers and her mother's agreement. I can be her guardian until she is eighteen. And we need to set it with that woman, Mystique".
"Are you trying to take advantage of that girl, Jean-Luc?" Remy said in a high voice. His father was a very practical and materialistic person even for the life he led, and he was pushing the limits now, "come on now, she just found out she's a mutant!"
"As always, you think so low of me, Remy", Jean-Luc said slowly, just as emotionless as before, "I do believe our old friend Nathaniel Essex can help this girl stop hurting people. Plus, if she joins this Brotherhood, she is one way or another ending up in jail. Yet our Guild is protected by law. She will be safer here", it was hard to argue with that, "I am not fooling anyone here, I'm persuading. You seem to be fond of this girl, so let me adopt her, give her a chance to finish high school, go to college maybe", he put a hand on his son's shoulder, "you already helped her, bien, but she is not alright. She is lost and needs guidance. If her parent believes she is better off with persecuted terrorists, our family are the only people she can turn to".
"D'accord", Remy sighed, "I'll try".
"And this will be your room for tonight", Mercy said, still just as enthusiastic, as she opened the guest bedroom door. It was a very classy small room with a dresser, a mirror, and a double bed, "bathroom on the right, you'll find everything there. I gotta go before ma folks start getting nervous".
"Of course. Thanks a lot", Rogue said sincerely.
"You welcome. I'll see ya tomorrow night".
"Oh, I'll be gone by then. It was great to meet you though!"
"I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing you around, so-"
"I beg your pardon?" she wasn't getting it, "what do you mean?"
"Um, how do I put it in words", Mercy sat down in an armchair. Rogue sat on the bed, a bad feeling rising in her stomach, "I wonder how much Remy told you, but his Dad is a big man in New Orleans. And this mansion is his business' headquarters. It's called the Thieves Guild", she paused letting Rogue absorb it. She wasn't grasping it just yet. "Remy, Henri, Jean-Luc himself, almost all the LeBeaus and many more people of the Guild are all professional thieves".
"Thieves?" Mercy nodded, "you mean, like mafia? Like the Godfather?"
"Well, not exactly. The government often hires them, you know. Like industrial espionage. They have clients who order paintings, inventions..."
"People?"
"Oh no! They don't kidnap people, they don't pick pockets, they don't deal with drugs or whatever the Assassins Guild does. Like I said, profis, with business ethics".
"Hold on... the Assassins?"
"Yeah, the Boudreaux. A rival family. The ones you come to when you want someone dead as in 'dead'", that made Rogue swallow hard, "both Guilds are at some sort of silent war. The Thieves have a deal with the authorities, and the Assassins are simply feared".
"So everybody here knows about it? What does your family-"
"Oh, my father is almost proud – he's Jean-Luc's partner in weapon trade", she studied Rogue face and broke into ringing laughter. She was very pretty, green-eyed, tomboyish yet elegant because of her soft features and shiny blond hair in a bob haircut, "don't worry, sweetheart. It's legal".
"Look, this is all funny and stuff-"
"I'm telling the truth! You can come to school Monday – the Guilds' kids are the local royalties, you can always tell one".
"Look, Ah'm not staying here, I'm going to New York and... Why are you telling me this?"
"The point I'm trying to make is: you just told Jean-Luc about your powers, and he's not a LeBeau if he won't try to use your abilities for his profit. He's very argumentative. I have to say you're really better off here rather than in NYC. It's a dangerous place for a mutant".
Rogue thought for a moment. Why didn't Remy tell her? But then again, how would it look? Hey, I'm Remy, I'm a criminal, but it's okay. Crap. She wouldn't believe him anyway. She wasn't sure if she was believing Mercy. But if mutants exist, Southern mob with handsome heirs sure does. At least they don't rob casual people, they work for a client and they have rules. She caught herself trying to justify Remy. Why did it matter? She was leaving tomorrow anyway. Right? So it doesn't matter. She just had to make it through the night alive.
Now.
"Now care to tell us why don't we know you're on friendly terms with a traitor?" Scott spit at Rogue once they were back in the conference room, Mesmero safely away in the basement.
Oh just shut up, was all she thought.
"Please, Rogue", Bobby looked at her pleadingly. That softened the girl a little. Bobby was like a brother to her.
"Look, Re- Gambit's family adopted me when I was sixteen. They really helped me when my powers manifested", she started.
"At least you're not biologically related to this lying spawn", Nightcrawler said as he joined his teammates.
"Yeah, can I continue?"
"Hold on just a second. So you were the Thieves Guild member? Is that what Mesmero was talking about?"
"Um, yeah. I've spent a year with them, until Logan found me and persuaded me to leave the Guild. They weren't really going to help me control my powers, they used me to steal information. And that's how I became an X-man".
"So you knew they were criminals? Why did you stay?" Kitty mused.
"Ah dunno. I guess I fell under the LeBeaus charm. It was either a protected community,with someone who just saved my life as their member, along with a written code of conduct, or terrorists from New York who wouldn't jail me out if MRD got me".
"How ironic you still ended up with them", Forge joked. However, nobody laughed.
"Bear in mind I was sixteen and I couldn't come back to Caldecott. At least because my face was under the 'wanted' line. And..."
"And?"
"And they were a family, Bobby. I real family, like us. Who watch out for their own. And I never had that. Even Destiny seemed to betray me".
"That's enough for tonight, kids", Logan said. "We need to somehow contact Gambit and obtain that missing diadem gem. I might need your help, Stripes".
Rogue breathed out, still tense. "Alright".
New Orleans, 2007.
"May I come in?" Rogue heard Remy's voice behind the door. She already took shower and was sitting on her queen size bed in clean night clothes Mercy gave her. "How are ya feeling?" He, too, changed into dark blue pyjama pants and a grey wife beater. Rogue noticed his well-defined biceps – he had strong beautiful arms. "Clean", she replied with a shy smile. Remy smiled back and sat on the bed with her. "I wish you didn't have to leave tomorrow", he started.
"Your family is very nice. Ah have ta get to New York though", she almost sighed, tousling her long braid. Remy's weird eyes watched her intensely.
"You don't sound too excited about it", Rogue remained silent. "You shouldn't join the Brotherhood if you don't want to".
"What I want right now is to get as far away from Caldecott as I can", she broke the eye contact.
"I know you're on the run, but my family can protect you".
She sighed deeply and looked up at Remy. It seemed like his face was closer now.
"Look... Mercy told me about the Guilds. I know what you guys are doing here".
"It's not like it's a secret or anything".
"Y'all didn't tell me though".
"You didn't ask", it was Rogue's turn to blink. "Does it matter if you're staying here for the night? Plus I didn't wan' to bother you with all that. You're tired". She really was. Even though what he said sounded like a bad excuse, it was impossible to ignore genuine concern in his voice, something she didn't notice Mystique show. When she didn't reply, he continued. "I jus' wanted to say that you're welcome here any time. If you don' like it up north, don't hesitate an' call me". He pulled out a little piece of paper that had several phone numbers written on it. She reached for it but quickly pulled back – she wasn't wearing her gloves. Remy bit his lip apologetically and put the note on the bed between them. The silence was getting awkward. "We have our people there, they'd help you leave fast. And get to N'Awlins. You in high school?"
"11th grade. I guess I can't graduate now. Or I can go ahead and go ta jail first".
"Or you could study here, and not watch over your shoulder the whole time. Our Guild is respected by law, nobody will touch you here".
"How's that?"
"It's New Orleans", Remy smiled slowly. "Nothing is impossible".
"And the Assassins?"
He frowned.
"Assassins rule the city in more ways than us. We use money and prestige. They prefer fear and blackmail. They have no morals. They kill and deal drugs".
"And you steal".
"I'm sure Mercy explained what kind of thefts we do. Stealing from people in the street is a disgrace for us. Although that's how I started". Rogue decided not to ask about it, especially since her headache was getting back.
"It's late. I'm meeting Mystique at noon", Rogue looked away. She shouldn't have judged him. She herself was running from the law.
"Okay. Breakfast at eleven", he got up, touching her covered knee slightly. A sort of a good night gesture for the untouchable.
"Remy", she called after him, "sorry for being so nosy. You're so good to me".
He smiled warmly.