Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Title: Born For Bad Luck
By: Peanutbutter
"Boys I'm most done travellin', Lord I'm at my journey's end
B'lieve I'm most done travellin', Lord at my journey's end
Well I been lookin' for me a good partner, bad luck is my best friend..."
(Born for Bad Luck song by Brownie McGhee)
Chapter 7: Positive Thinking
"...Now you think you're awfully smart
And that I am just a fool
You got a lot of things to learn, you got to
Play according to the rules..."
(Positive Thinking song written by Big Al
Ha! I finally got this out despite some problems I was having. So I hope you guys like it. Tell me what you think. I appreciate every review I get. Thank you guys so much for reading and telling me what you think it inspires me to do better, or at least to try harder. Thanks again!.
John was chain smoking. The pile by his feet was growing larger by the minute, because, at the moment, Remy was chain smoking as well. The cloud around their heads swirled and blew away with the breeze, but the smell lingered around them, sinking into their clothes, calming their bodies to a mere hum of the roaring rage that had been building inside.
John was incapable of speaking in full sentences. Remy had resorted to answering in the same.
"Drive?" He asked taking a long pull on the cigarette between his lips, already knowing the answer. Remy was without his coat. He kept everything in that damn coat. He closed his eyes as his lungs filled and he blew the smoke out through his nose, afraid to open his mouth.
"Alle."
John didn't know what the hell the word meant, but he didn't have to. It was enough to let him known the drive was gone.
"Window?"
That was a low blow. Sure he'd seen the damn window, but it was fucking tiny and she was, she was. John slumped further his back hitting the convenient store wall. She was tiny, plenty tiny enough to squeeze through that window.
"Keys?" He wanted to play, John had his own ammunition. Who leaves the keys in the ignition.
Remy darkened and ground his cigarette into the sidewalk. He didn't say anything. Silence surround them. There was only the crackle as John pulled on his cigarette and the light fizzle as Remy lit his with the tip of his finger.
"We were supposed to meet Essex at ten this morning."
"Oui."
"We missed that by a lot."
"Oui."
"We're going to die aren't we." He didn't know why he asked it. He already knew the answer, but then again he'd known the answer to all the other questions he'd asked. Remy didn't say anything.
"You're the guys that had their car stolen?"
John looked up, scowling, as he finished his cigarette and cursed the fact that it was his last, and cursed more so that his money was in the car. He couldn't just steal a pack. They were behind the counter and peaty theft wasn't really his thing. If he was going to steal he was going to do it big, thats how he'd met Remy in the first place. John guessed Remy had a similar expression on his face because the man backed up a few steps before remembering that they were the victims.
"I, uh, I called the police. They're on their way."
Great, he didn't have the energy to fight. Remy stood and wrapped his arm around the man's shoulder, talking. John fell against the sidewalk ignoring the ache in his limbs and the weariness that was rushing over his body. He hadn't slept a night since they'd found Rogue. He was exhausted. Maybe that was why he'd underestimated the brunette with the white stripe. She had told him she was resourceful, something from their days in the danger room. He had hated it when she was put on his team, if only because he thought he was bound to loose, or end of up unconscious on the floor. His fears had been unfounded. Rogue was very able. She was agile and quick, smart, and her powers sometimes just secondary to her natural ability. He'd forgotten about that. Focused on the girl who had given up her powers for a boy, but that wasn't Rogue, had never been her. Rogue was a fighter, and he'd forgotten that.
Something hit him in the chest and John opened his eyes vaguely aware that he had been near drifting off. Had someone come to arrest him. Was he going to jail? A laugh really, because John wasn't going to go anywhere he didn't want to.
"Une voiture."
More French, back to one and two word answers, and questions. He was too tired to think of anything to say back. He reached toward his chest. He sat up fingers closing over the cold metal, keys?
"What's this?"
"Already answered dat," Remy winked, "de clerk was nice enough ta give us a loaner."
"Really?"
Remy shrugged, "Loaner is une loose descri'tion."
"Right," John jumped to his feet. "Lets get out of here."
The day passed in hues, greens, blues, grays. At the moment it was passing through a red, pinks, yellows and oranges, as the day passed away and welcomed night. Rogue didn't like the night. It wasn't just the beginning of night, twilight, that was was in now that bothered her. It was the silence of eleven thirty and after. Everything went dead in her apartment building. The lights were out, like everyone that lived there had a curfew. There wasn't any yelling or loud music, screaming, laughing, just dead. At night Rogue would sit up and think.
At the mansion it had been impossible to get a steady nights sleep. There was always someone up. She used to sneak out of her room and meet up with Bobby and John after hours. They wouldn't do anything, not really. John smoked a few cigarettes and she had a few beers. They laughed about the rules, laughed about life, and their future. When John left it was just her and Bobby. It was different, empty, but they did it anyway. The weirdness eventually wore off, replaced with cautious touches and blushing smiles.
When she'd given up her powers she'd expected there to be more to their nightly escapes. There was but it was hard, hard to touch him without being scared, and hard for Bobby to accept the life she had given up. Bobby had wanted touch, had been thrilled to receive it, but not necessarily by her. A mere four months after her powers had left Bobby was sneaking out with someone else.
There was something about those nights that she'd never told either one of her companions. She liked to stay up, even if it meant missing class, or being exhausted in the danger, and now exhausted a work because at night she dreamed. For some dreaming was an escape, not for her. She never dreamed her own dream the psyches chose that time to live. They filled her mind with memories, happy, sad, angry, but all of them false and she'd wake up missing those lives she'd never lived, wanting the ambitions she'd never tried for. It was depressing, enraging, and scary.
When her powers had come flooding back the anxiety surrounding sleep was worse. She thought about the things she should have done, the things she hadn't when her powers were gone. She didn't know the cure was temporary, if she had... There were wasn't enough time to think of everything she would have done, but she tried to. So at night she liked to go over them, one by one until the minds of everyone she touched took over her dreams.
The car started to rattle. Rogue looked at the gas gage where the gas light was blinking in warning. She was near empty, but she didn't want to stop. She pushed the petal harder, trying to ignore the little yellow light, to get closer to the city and further from John and Remy. It blinked, beeped, and Rogue pulled onto the next exit promising a refuel. She had no money, a thorough search of the car gave her the drive, full of the information stolen from Xavier's, and a dollar ten. She couldn't get home on a dollar ten, but she called for help, and the Morlocks would be safe.
The phone rang nearly ten times before someone answered.
"Xavier's School for the gifted young... Hey! Don't do that! Your power, uh gift isn't for," he trailed off again yelling at someone else. His voice was steady, but Rogue could detect the panic in it. He was about to scream, shrill and too high pitched for a man in his twenties. She almost let him get there before she cut in.
"Bobby, it's meh."
There was silence on his end, the children around him continued to be loud, laugh, and something crashed. Bobby didn't react to any of it.
"Shit," there was a chorus of 'ohhs' in the background, "Rogue where are you at?"
"It's a long story, but Ah need someone to pick meh up my car ran out of gas."
"Um," Bobby paused, "I thought, I mean how'd you get away."
"Ah told you, Bobby, it's crazy," She wanted to see him then just to have someone familiar to talk to. She wanted to tell him about John, about Remy, about Essex, and the Morlocks, and how Sabertooth was involved, but there was too much and she was suddenly exhausted. She slumped against the phone booth her forehead cooling against the chilled metal of the phone cradle.
"Rogue," tentative, worried, he asked about her.
For a few moments she wished there was more than sisterly concern in his voice, a moment of nostalgia brought on by stress, she was sure. "Ah'm here, just Ah don't know if they're coming after meh. Ah want to get outta here."
"Right," He paused, covered the receiver but she could still hear him shouting muffled instructions. Bobby tended to flounder when there when there were too many kids around, but he knew how to take command when he needed to. Something he always claimed he got from Scott. She gave him her location.
"Rogue, Logan's out looking for you already, coming the fu, um, freaking city."
Her heart swelled as she remembered the blood and his fall. She knew he was alright, had heard him coming behind them, but she needed to ask. "Is he..."
"He's fine," Bobby answered before she could get out the question. "I'm just sorry that he didn't slice John into pieces and that other guy..." he trailed off again.
Rogue swallowed, "I thought John was dead." She had just been thinking about them sneaking out about the fun they'd had. Maybe this time sleep would be a good thing.
"Rogue I knew he wasn't."
Rogue opened her closed eyes and pulled her slumped body upright, "What are you talking about? You told me..."
"Yeah, I did, but..."
There was a scuffle and Bobby was gone, for a second she thought her money had run out and she reached into her pocket to drop in another quarter, but a voice came over the phone.
"Rogue, thank God, I mean I was freaking out!"
Kitty Pryde the girl she had been so jealous of was now one of her best friends. "Hey Kitty, Ah'm fine."
"Fine, fine! You called being kidnapped by psychopaths fine!"
"Kitty give me the phone back!" Bobby complained in the background. Kitty ignored him. Rogue smiled. She was about to break it up when her receiver beeped, damn.
"Guys, my times running out, alright, are you on your way."
"Rogue, sorry, it's Bobby, we'll be there in less than an hour. Just stick it out and stay out of sight. We're bringing you home."
Rogue was going to say bye but the mention of home made her think of John. How had Bobby known he was still alive? She was going to ask but the connection died and all that was left was a dial tone. She could call back, but decided to save her quarters she'd ask him later.
A yawn stretched her face and made her muscles clench. She closed her eyes and stretched her arms over her head trying to relieve the tension. The first thing she was going to do when she got home was sleep. She was so exhausted she didn't think she'd be able to dream, the psyches were tired too. She made her way to the car and crawled into the passenger's seat. She locked the doors and laid back, hopefully she'd be home soon. Absently he pulled Remy's coat from the back seat and draped it over her body. She just wanted to close her eyes, rest, but before she could stop herself sleep took over and the psyches proved they weren't that tired.
Remy was talking to Essex, no, no, she was talking to Essex. He was smiling explaining something but it was garbled beyond recognition. Why couldn't she hear him.
I leaned closer, or tried to, the moment my fingers touched the table it glowed, red and sizzling. It tried to take it back, my fingers slipped on the surface refusing to work, refusing to take back the charge. The control I'd worked so hard for was slipping away. The panic only made it worse and all I could do was run backward as the table exploded dropping splinters like confetti all over the room.
My back hit the wall, wood embedded in my palms I knew I had no choice.
"Gambit'll do anyt'ing, as long as dis doesn't happen again."
Essex smiled, rows of filed teeth gleaming in the burning pile of his table. "My price is small, Mr. LeBeau, a little piece of you for my research, and a little use of your talents.
I looked at the rubble, my mind racing. I could count on my hand the times my gut told me I was making a mistake. It had taken a few mistakes to recognize the waring. I usually listened. Something about this was bad. I looked away from him, trying to steal a moment to think.
"I promise you control, complete, total, and permanent."
I pushed the gut feeling away. I'd been blowing up everything. I couldn't work, couldn't sleep without the fear, my fingers were raw, scars over scars. I forced myself to look into the cold man's eyes. My body hummed with fear. I pushed it away.
"Dat sound like a deal. So we shake on it or ya get right to de cutting?"
Rogue jerked her eyes flying open. She was Rogue, not Gambit, Rogue. She took a breath trying to calm her racing pulse. The dreams never failed. She sat up pushing the coat down her arms and rubbing her eyes. Maybe there were already there. She looked out the window. The florescent signs promising beer blinded her for a moment. She shut her eyes and turned the key in the ignition. The time flashed back at her when she force her lids open. She had only been asleep for twenty minutes. She fell backward her head hitting the head rest and tried to push Essex's face out of her mind, and Remy's mind away from hers. It was hard to do, especially when she wanted to know what it was he was promising and just what Essex was taking.
There was a knock on the window. A man was looking through the glass, grinning, he made a rolling motion. Rogue reached for the handle and rolled the window down a crack.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing really," the man grinned. He was Asian, Korean maybe, with soft dark hair. His eyes were dancing.
"Is there somethan wrong?"
He just smiled, "I got a message for you."
"What," she trailed off when he shook his head.
"You've made things very hard for my boss."
Rogue squirmed out from under Remy's jacket and into the driver's seat. The X-men would be there soon, but she didn't know if she had that much time. She cranked the car. It roared to life.
"I wouldn't do that." The man chuckled and lay his hand flat on the hood. It was only there for a second before Rogue pealed out of the parking space and headed for the road. A car pulled out after her. It was useless. She was nearly on empty. Her best bet was to stay near the station, hope the X-men were close. She had a feeling she knew just who the Koren man's boss was.
It was then the steering wheel locked up. It wouldn't turn. The car started to sputter, the brakes refused to work. Rogue tugged on the wheel frantically but it wouldn't budge. There was a pop. The hood started to smoke. The road curved and her hands flew in front of her face when the tree loamed into view.
She'd been in a car accident before, with Logan, stuck in her seat, afraid she would burn. It was then she'd seen him regenerate, been afraid and relieved all at the same time, but this was different. She was alone, the streets were dark and other than she had hit something, Rogue had no idea what was going on. There was smoke and a face dancing in front of her. Hair, fangs, foul breath, she tried to pull away, but the figure reached for her. Claws dug into her side as she was lifted out of the car.
A voice, low and nonthreatening in volume, but the tone sent chills running throughout her body. She struggled knowing that whoever it was she had to get away. The claws dug in into stopping movement. She was forced to listen to his voice.
"So this is the little Rogue, the girl who messed up my plans and fooled with my puppets."
Rogue shook, it was him, the man who had invaded her dreams with bleeding eyes, Nathaniel Essex.
"Scrambler, take care of her."
"Right," the Korean man from the gas station swam into view, "Sorry 'bout the car," he smiled and reached for her. "This bitch better not kill me."
Rogue tried to pull away but the claws were digging into her, forcing her still and every part of her ached. His fingers touched her, for a moment there was nothing, not even the pull of her powers. She tired to prepare herself for the onslaught of memories. He pushed against her skin. Her entire body erupted. Pain, fear, laughter, rage, pleasure, everything raced threw her body at once, nerves misfired her skin crawled, laughter bubbled in her throat.
The man screamed and the memories rushed over her instantly. There were too many, her body too confused. Lives fused together, men and woman blurred, her life began to fade. She could still feel his hand on her face. He was still screaming but her body refused to listen to her when she tried to pull away. She could do nothing but wait for darkness and it was a long time before the wave rushed over her.
Poor Rogue, not again! Alas it had to happen because I kinda wrote myself into this. By the way just cuz I mentioned it this is not a Bobby and Rogue story. It's going to be Romy and a little bit Ryro. It's not a love triangle either so just keep reading to see how that plays out. I know it's not really there yet, just give it time to develop, uh, you have given it time, but theres just a little more. Sorry the update was so late and that there is no preview, but there will most definitely be an update next Monday. It won't be late again. I promise. :)