Hey, here's the next chapter. Let me know what you think, and enjoy. :-D
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The first thing Rogue did when she got in the room was walk out to the balcony, looking out over the swamp and the nearby park. It was a beautiful, in both day and night. She glanced up at the stars and sighed. "What's wrong with meh? Why can't ah sort this out? Ah don't want other people inside mah head." She looked down and saw the letter still clutched in her hand. 'Might as well open it, ah'm on mah own, just like he said.' She thought.
Suiting action to thought, Rogue lifted the envelope and stuck her thumb under the flap and opened it, pulling out the piece of paper it contained. She tucked the envelope behind it and unfolded what looked to be a letter of some kind.
'Dear Miss Roisin Massot,
We are pleased to inform you that a place has been reserved for you at the university of Louisiana. I have not been informed of what course you are looking to study, so would appreciate it if you could get in touch to let me know. My details are at the bottom. Your place is a full scholorship as we have seen samples of your work and would be honored to have you studying here with us. A private residence has been set aside for you, it is near to the campus, so there are no travel expecses involved, but not too close. It is a penthouse suite in the 'Belle Rose' building. We would prefer it if you could have a look around so that we can ensure that everything is to your liking here, if you got to the reception in the lobby and tell them your name they will show you around and take notes of anything you like and don't like about the place so that if you do decide to come here, then it can be altered to meet your preferences. A vehicle of choice has also been reserved for you at the local garage, but I have heard that your vehicle preferences lean towards motorcycles, therefore this is also redeemable at the Harley Davidson showroom here in Louisiana. Just take this letter with you.
We are quite a prestigious university, so we would appreciate it if you could get back to me as soon as possible, although we do not wish to put you under any pressure. If you are in town then we can try and arrange a tour of the university and introduce you to your tutors, we are all impressed with your work, especially your artwork and IT skills. If one of these is what you are thinking of taking a degree in the please get in touch as soon as is convenient for you.
I hope that you decide to join us here.
Mr Rene DeBourg.
(Dean)'
Rogue sank onto the bed, trying to wrap her head around what she had just read. 'Mah prize was a scolorship?' She thought to herself. She sat there just staring at the page, wondering what to make of it.
She was still sat there an hour later when Kitty walked in, a little giggly. She took one look at Rogue and seemed to sober up instantly. "Rogue? Are you, like, ok?" She asked, approaching the girl.
Hearing someone talking to her, Rogue looked up, but her expression was still one of shock. "Ah, ah don't really know." She told her.
"Rogue, you're starting to, like, freak me out a little. What is it?" Kitty asked her, cautiously, wondering whether she should go and get Storm or Logan.
"The letter. . ." She told her, looking at the piece of paper she was still holding in her hands. "It's a scholorship to the university here. . . Ah don't understand. Ah haven't even applied to any yet." She told her.
Kitty gasped, grinning. "OH MY GOD ROGUE! A SCOLORSHIP, THAT IS, LIKE, SO TOTALLY AMAZING, AND YOU SO DESERVE IT TOO!" She cried, running up to Rogue and embracing the unresponsive girl in her arms. Rogue hugged her back, not really realising what she was doing. "Rogue? Can you hear me?" Kitty asked, sensing that Rogue was still in a bit of a shock. "Oh no, she's gone into shock, ok, Kitty, you can handle this, now, what should I do?" She asked herself. "Storm." SHe thought, knowing that the weather witch would know exactly what to do. Kitty sat Rogue back down on the bed. "Rogue, you wait here ok? I'll be right back." She told her.
Rogue just nodded, her eyes still a little unfocused as Kitty ran out the door and down the hall to Storm and Jean's room.
As soon as she saw Rogue nod, Kitty ran out the room, making sure to grab her key card, not wanting to be locked out. She then ran a couple of doors down to where she knew Storm was sleeping, and banged on the door. She hopped on the spot until Storm answered the door. "Kitten? What on earth is the matter?" SHe asked the anxious girl on the doorstep.
She heard other doors openeing around her, but she didn't bother to turn to see who it was. "Storm I need your help. I can't remember what you have to do when someone goes into shock!" She exclaimed.
"What? Whose gone into shock?" She asked.
"Rogue. THe letter. Oh my God, it's so amazing, and she totally deserves it, but she's gone into total shock, and I cna't get her to snap out of it." She told her. "Come on." She urged, grabbing the woman's hand and dragging her with her back to their room. She quickly shoved the card in the door, letting out a growl of frustration when it didn't work the first time. She finally managed to get it to work and she threw the door open, pulling Storm inside with her, only to find Rogue still sat where she was before.
Kitty turned to Storm. "See, you have to do something." She told her, her distress clear on her face.
"Ok Kitty, calm down, it's going to be alright." Strom told her. "Now, could you go and get me some cold water and a large towel?" She asked her. Kitty nodded and ran off as Storm walked over to Rogue. "Rogue, child, can you hear me?" She asked her.
Rogue turned to face storm and opened her mouth as if to say something, but then just shut it again, unable to find the right words. "Got them" Kitty cried, as she returned, seeing Storm crouched in front of Rogue.
"Good, would you hand me the towel?" She asked. Kitty nodded and handed it to her, Storm draping it around her shoulders and covering the front of her dress, not wanting to ruin it. "Ok, and the water?" She asked. Kitty handed it to her, wondering what she was going to do with it, she was a little shocked herself when she threw it in Rogue's face.
Rogue screamed, the shock of the cold water snapping her out of her trance. She looked up and saw Storm with an empty glass in her hand, both her and Kitty watching her a liitle worried. "Storm? Kitty? Why did you just throw water all over meh?" She asked them, her eyebrow raised.
"You went into shock Rogue, I like, couldn't think what I should do, so I ran and got Storm." Kitty explaiend quickly, hoping Rogue wouldn't get to mad at her.
"Oh." Rogue stated. "Er, thanks. Ah guess it wasn't exactly what ah was expecting." SHe told them, by a means of explanation, although whether that was about her going into shock or the water, they weren't sure, and they decided not to ask.
"Rogue, are you ok? What happened?" Storm asked.
"Huh? Oh, ah read the letter." She told her.
"And?" Storm pushed.
"Well, er, ah don't know." She answered, looking down at the letter. "Ah should probably get some sleep. Sorry to disturb y'all." She told her. "Ah'll go get changed." She told them, folding the letter and walking away to the bathroom.
Storm turned to Kitty. "What's going on Kitty?" SHe asked her.
"There's no way that I'm going to take this away from her. It's her news, and way to big for anyone else to tell." She told her.
Storm sighed, sensing that she wasn't going to get a coherent answer out of either of the girls tonight. "Alright, but keep an eye on her. If you need me during the night, you know where I am." She told her, before opening the door to find the rest of the x-men there, Scott and Jean having to hold Logan back.
"What is it? Is she alright? If Gumbo did something to her I'll-" He started, ready to track him down and rip the man limb from limb.
"Logan calm down. Rogue is fine, just a little shocked at the contents of the letter. I think it took her a little by suprise, but don't ask why because she didn't tell me what it said, and Kitty refused to tell me." She explained. "She's fine, so I suggest we all get some sleep and see how things are in the morning." She told them, waiting for them to move back to their own rooms. She then glanced back at the room, before walking to the room she was sharing with Jean, closing the door with a sigh, hoping that everything would be ok in the morning.
The next day, Rogue and Kitty were the last to come down. Rogue still seemed a little out of it though. Kitty was walking beside her and the pair sat down at the table. "Morning Rogue. Morning Kitty." The Professor greeted them.
"Morning Professor." Kitty replied, smiling cheerfully at the man.
"Morning." Rogue greeted, pouring herself a glass of water. She looked a little tired, but none of them said anything. "Er, Professor? What time is the car due to pick us up?" She asked.
The professor was a little taken aback by her question but realised that he didn't have a clue. No one had mentioned a time. "Er, to be honest I'm not that sure Rogue. It will probably be a little after breakfast." He told her.
Rogue nodded. "Oh, ok then." She told him. "Is there a dress code?" She asked.
"Er, I shouldn't think so. He just asked us to catch up and have lunch with him." He told her.
"So smart casual then." She announced. "Ok. Ah should go and change." She announced, rising.
"Er what's wrong with what you're wearing now?" Scott asked. Taking in her denim mini and her green t-shirt, along with her green pumps.
Rogue sighed. "Don't you remember what ah told you last night? Would you really recomend ah wear this to meet the Queen?" She asked them.
"Er, no, not probably not." He admitted.
Rogue smirked. "Exactly, now, ah'll go an get changed." She told them.
THe others all looked down at their own outfits, deciding that the only one who didn't need to go and change was the Prof, well, and Logan but that was more because he refused to change his clothes for someone else when it wasn't a party. They just rolled their eyes and left him with the Prof as they all went to find something more suitable to wear, all of them hoping that they had something with them.
Kitty walked into her room to find Rogue stood looking out over the balcony. A little worried, Kitty made her way outside and stood next to Rogue. "Hey, what's going on? I thought you would be happy about this scholorship?" She asked her.
Rogue sighed. "Ah am. It's just, well, there's more to it. they want to give meh more than just a scholorship and ah'm not sure whether it's right to take it." She admitted. "It's kind of why ah want to get there quick. Ah really want to have a little chat with Jean-Luc about this." She told her.
"What do you mean there's more to it?" Kitty asked her, curiously.
"Ah don't think ah should tell you just yet." Rogue told her. "Ah still haven't come to terms with all of this mahself." She explained. Glancing at her slightly out of the corner of her eye.
"Oh, ok then. Well, will you help me pick out the right outfit? I really don't want to look stupid or offend anyone today." SHe asked her.
Rogue smiled at her and Kitty felt a little relief wash over her to see that Rogue was acting a bit more like herself. "Sure, let's see what you got." SHe told her, following the girl back into the room where they opened Kitty's closet and took a peek inside. "Ok, well these look good on you, and you want some comfy shoes that are easy to take on and off, so these should do the trick, and . . . hm, oh, this top, with your favourite jacket." She told her, handing her the items. SHe gave her a smile of encouragement as Kitty began to change, a little nervous about the combination, never having worn anything like this before.
Rogue then walked over to her own wardrobe an pulled out a pair of white cotten pants she had brought yesterday whilst out with Kitty. SHe then changed, but left her green tshirt and pumps to add a little color. She found her white cotten waistcoat and pulled that on over the top then glanced at herself in the mirror. 'It'll do.' She thought. She took another look, and then decided to change it all. She stripped down to her underwear and then pulled on her dark blue jeans and smartened them up with a belt and a pair of formal boots. She then teamed that with her purple asymetric top. She left her hair to hang loose, but put a pair of Purple studs in and a black cuff bracelet on her wrist. She then looked in the mirror and decided that was much better. She turned to Kitty and was please to see her admiring how good she looked in the mirror. "Ah take it yah like that look then Kit?" She asked, a smirk on her face.
Kitty whirled round, a little embarrased at having been caught admiring herself in the mirror. "Er, yeah. I do. Thanks Rogue." She said. "Wow, I like that. Those boots are to die for, when did you get them?" SHe asked, sure that she hadn't seen them before.
"Huh, oh, the day before we left ah think. When ah went shopping with Wanda." She told her.
"Oh yeah. Well when we get back you have totally got to take me there, because I, like, need a pair of them." She told her.
Rogue chuckled. "Sure kit, now lets go, before Logan gets his underpants in a knot again." She told her, grinning at the thought, Kitty laughing as the pair grabbed their bags and walked down the hallway to the elvator.
When they reached the lobby they found the others all waiting for them, Logan seeming a little impatient as he tapped his foot, his arms crossed over his chest. The two girls saw this and glanced at each other before laughing, causing a few curious looks from the others, but they decided not to say anything, just pleased to see Rogue laughing again. "The car's here." Logan stated, causing the girls to calm down slightly.
"Right. Lets go then shall we?" Rogue suggested.
The pair led the way out to the car and climbed into the back, Rogue sliding in gracefully, causing a few raised eyebrows from both the driver and the others in the car. "Er, Rogue, how did you learn to do that?" Jean asked her.
"Do what?" She asked, oblivious to what they all thought was incredible. Even Storm hadn't been that graceful and she had been taking limo rides for years.
"That sliding thing you just did." She elaborated.
"Huh? Oh, you mean when ah got in?" She asked, waiting for the nods. "Well, it's something to do with mah past. Ah don't really like to talk about it." She told them.
Scott was about to say something, but Jean placed a hand on his arm and gently shook her head knowing that now was not the right time to bring up Rogue's past, not that any of them knew anything about it, or even her real name. They continued to carry out small talk on the journey there, all of them wonderng what was in the letter to have caused Rogue's odd behavior the previous evening and what exactly Rogue had meant about her past.
As soon as they pulled up the driver came around to open the door, first getting the Professor and the other gents out of the car before holding out a hand to assist the ladies, all of them trying to climb out gracefully, none of them managing it quite as well as Rogue, despite the hints she had given them on the journey. As Rogue climbed out last, she placed her hand in the drivers and slid her legs out before using the driver's strength to pull herself up. It was gracefully done and everyone there, including the driver and the staff that were stood waiting to greet them all knew that it wasn't her first time in a limo.
Once everyone was out of the car, the driver climbed back in and disappeared. Leaving the others standing there with the staff. "Bonjour, my name is Vincent and I am to take you to Le Roi." He told them, giving them a small nod of the head. The others all snapped out of the trance like state they seemed to go into when they saw the huge size of the house.
Rogue smiled at him. "Bonjour Vincent. après toi si vous mèneriez la manière?" She asked. (Hello Vincent, after you if you would lead the way?)
The man looked a little taken aback that she was able to speak french so well, and with a bit of an accent as well. He quickly snapped himself out of it and smiled at her.
"Of course, mademoiselle, please, follow me." He told her, as he turned and headed back into the large house that he was standing in front of. The others all followed behind him, all exchanging glances as they walked through the house, taking in the sheer beauty and magnificence of it all. It was only a few moments later before they arrived in a large room where the LeBeau clan were all awaiting them. They all stood as their visitors walked in, Rogue, Kitty and Vincent immediately dipping into a bow, the others doing so a little slowly, and slightly bitterly as well, not really understanding why they should have to, but they didn't want to cause any trouble so just went with it for now.
"Le roi, you guests have arrived Sir. Can I get you anything else?" Vincent asked him.
"Non. You may go." He told him. Vincent just nodded and left the room. As his attention turned back to the group before him he saw that Rogue was the only one still in her curtsey, the others already having risen. He smirked. "You may rise belle." He told her, and Rogue did so. "I trust you all slept well?" He asked.
"Oui Merci." Rogue replied instantly. (Yes thank you)
The others just nodding. It didn't take a genious to figure out that Rogue had told the others something of their system here and so had elected her to do the mannors part of the meeting. "Vous avez une belle maison, Monsieur." She told him. (You have a beautiful home, sir)
The LeBeau's all smiled at her, impressed that she spoke such fluent French.
"Merci, belle." He replied. "Je fie vous a lu les contenus de l'enveloppe je vous ai donné hier soir ?" He asked her. (I trust you read the contents of the envelope I gave you last night?)
Rogue's expression turned serious immediately. "Oui Monsieur. J'ai voulu vous parler de cela." She told him. (Yes Sir. I wanted to speak to you about that)
Jean-Luc raised an eyebrow but nodded. He then turned to the others. "My friends, I would like to welcome you to my home, please, take a seat. I hope you don't mind, but I just want to borrow your Rogue for a moment. We shan't be long, I promise." He told them. He then turned and walked towards a door on the other side of the room, Rogue following him. The others all exchanged a look, wondering what had just happened and been said, none of them having understood what they said.
"Don't worry. He will not 'arm 'er." Tante Mattie comforted. "Can I get ya somet'in' ta drink?" She asked them.
"A cup of tea would be lovely please." The Professor asked. Tante Mattie nodded before turning to the others.
"Just some juice or water would be great thank you." Kitty told the woman. Tante Mattie smiled at her.
The others gave their requests and Mattie took Mercy and went to get the drinks. Remy and Henri sat down and wondered what to say to them. "You have a beautiful home here." Kitty piped up, not knowing what to say but hating the silence.
The two men smiled at her. "Thank ya Petite. It's been passed down t'rough de famille for century's." Henri told her. "But I hear, ya live in a pretty magnifique house yaselves." He told them, smiling.
They all smiled. "Yes, we do. The Professor built a school to help us with our mutations, to control them so that we wouldn't be such a danger to ourselves and others. We don't have to live in fear there, well, we didn't until . . "Jean trailed off, and just shook her head not wanting to go down that road. "But it is now, anyway." She finished.
"I see. So Professor, how did ya meet mon Pere?" Remy asked.
THe Professor grinned. "We were in the army together. Before I was injured, we shared a bunker together, got to know each other pretty well, and became good friends. We had each other's backs then, but then one night whilst he was on night duty a bomb landed just outside the bunker where I was sleeping. I woke up 6 weeks later in the hospital, I was told that I'd never be able to walk again, but funnily enough, I was more worried about your father than what they had told me." He told them, all of them with soft smiles on their faces. "I asked a lot of questions and somehow managed to find out that you father was fine but he was no longer in the army. I was given an honorable discharge because I was no longer of any use to them, and I came to New York and set up my school. I've been searching for him for years now, but never knew where to start. I never realised he was still in the country." He admitted.
"I never knew mon Pere was such a team player." Remy stated, Henri nudging him in the ribs.
THe Professor chuckled. "He wasn't particularly. It was just us two. He tended to have the attitude that if someone had to snuff it then he didn't care who it was as long as it wasn't him." He told them, a small smirk on his face.
"That sounds a bit more like the Pere we know." Remy told them, a smirk on his face.
Elsewhere, Rogue had followed Jean-Luc through the door which turned out to lead to a library. He sat down in one of the chairs as Rogue took in the beautiful room around her. "Mon Dieu." (my God) She murmered, amazed by the beauty and the sheer volume of books in the room.
Jean-Luc just smiled. "Oui, but I get de feelin' dat ya don't want ta talk bout my books?" He asked.
Rogue snapped out of it and walked over to the seat opposite him. She sat down and pulled the envelope out of her purse. "I think there must have been a mistake somewhere. You can't have meant to give all of this to me." She told him.
"I always know wha' I give, an' dere's always a reason." He told her.
"But, it's too much! All I did was sing!" She exclaimed. "That does not deserve a full scholorship, a penthouse sweet and a HARLEY!" She exclaimed, trying to calm down and not get so worked up bout it.
"Fille, do you know why I gave you dat?" He asked.
"Non." She answered.
"Because I can see yer diff'ren'. I know ya know 'bout us an' what we do 'ere an' i also know dat yer de reason all dem people back in dere just bowed ta me." He told her. "I've never met somone like ya, who ain't a part of de famille or de guild. If ya wan' me ta be honest, I want ya ta stick aroun' 'ere, and I'm pretty sure mon fils would like dat too." He told her, watching her reaction.
She blushed a little when he said he wanted her to stick around, as did Remy. "Oh, well, Ok, I guess I can understand the scholorship, but what's with the Penthouse suite and the Harley? And another thing, how on Earth did you find out what my real name is? I've never told anyone!" She told him, eyeing him hesitantly.
Jean-Luc chuckled. "Ya smart Rogue, I like dat bout yer. I t'ought the Penthouse an' de Harley might be de icing on de cake, so ta speak, but maybe I went too far, guess ya not de kinda fill dat can be b'ought, I like dat." He told her. "As fer ya name, well, we know a lot of t'ings 'ere. I 'ave people everywhere." He told her. "The same people tol' me 'bout yer past belle." He told her.
Rogue swallowed hard and felt a tiny surge of panic shoot through her, but she kept her face set. "How much?" She asked, wondering just how much he knew, with any luck he wouldn't know the worst of it.
He gave her a sympathetic look. "All o' it." He told her, confirming her worst fears.
"Why are ya so interested in meh?" She asked, trying to calm the internal panic that was going on in her mind.
"Cos yer different Belle. Ya managed ta figure out 'ow t'ings worked down 'ere wit'out havin' ta be told. When I walked inta dat ballrom las' night, ya dropped inta a curtsey jus' as gracefully as me own people. It teks skill ta be able ta do dat." He told her.
"So?" She questioned, sure that he couldn't have done all this just because she could curtsey.
"So, yer a special femme, an' I liked ya style. De way ya wouldn' let mon fils push yer around or charm ya. No one's ever done dat before, I was impressed." He admitted.
"So you figured you'd offer meh a full scholorship along with a penthouse suite and a harley because of that?!" She exclaimed.
"Well, that and I'm told tha' ya want ta come back south ta study." He told her. "I was jus' tryin' ta give ya an option. 'sides, I had planned ta talk ta ya 'bout becoming a member o' de guild." He told her, watching carefully for her reaction.
"Become a thief?" SHe questioned, slightly taken aback.
"Yes, and no. I want ya ta become a part of d guild Belle, dat don't necessarily mean stealin. Not if ya don' want ta, after all, an unwillin t'ief is useless ta me." He explained.
"Right. Ah see. Well, ah know enough about this place to know that you only steal small amounts from people who deserve it, so ah wouldn't have a problem with that, But the scholorship, penthouse and Bike? That seems like a little much to meh." She told him.
"Ok, so what would you accept?" He asked her, wanting to keep her, after all, Remy had been utterly miserable when he had arrived back from the ball last night. He would do anything to keep his family happy.
"Well. You said that you could ensure the college would offer any course ah wanted?" She asked. Jean-Luc nodded. "Well. Ah'll take you up on that, and Ah'll only accept the scholorship if the college wants to offer it to meh, with no outside pressure." She told him sternly. "Other than that, Ah don't want anything. Ah already have enough money to sort out mah accomodation and a ride." She told him. "It'd be nice to have a harley, but ah'd rather earn it on mah own. Thanks all the same though." She told him, a small smile on her face.
"I t'ink yer gona fit in jus' fine 'ere belle." He told her smirking.
"Thank you." SHe told him.
"Ya know, ya still haven't tol' me wha' course ya want?" He questioned her.
"Ah know. Ah'm torn between a couple of them, so ah'm going to talk to the college and see what they think about it." She told him. "Ah'll let you know soon though." She told him.
Jean-Luc realised now what his son saw in this girl. She was differert indeed. He couldn't help but smile at the girl, he didn't know anyone else who would have turned down all that he was offering her. She was a traditional type of girl, and he liked that. There was also the face that she could actually control Remy, which was more than anyone else had ever been able to do, with the exception of Tante Mattie of course. "Well, I'm lookin' forward to it Femme." He told her. "Now, we 'ad bes' be gettin' back ta de others, or Charlie boy'll be gettin' worried bout ya." He told her.
"Charlie boy?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Army name." He shrugged.
"It's hard to think of the Prof in that way." She told him.
He chuckled at her face and led her back through the door, still chuckling at her face. Rogue just shook her head, not seeing what was so funny, after all the Professor just wasn't a 'Charlie boy' type to her. It was just too wierd.
The others all looked up when the pair came back into the room. Rogue caught the look that the Prof gave her and smiled to reassure him that all was well. He noticed and gave her a slight nod to let her know that he had seen and understood. "So, is everything alright?" He asked.
Rogue glanced at Jean-Luc. He just gave a slight nod, raising an eyebrow. "Better than that. Ah've been offered a place at the college here in New Orleans." She announced, grinning.
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Extra french:
Belle - beautiful
Fille - girl
Femme - woman.
Pretty basic, but better to be safe than sorry. Hope you like it, next chapter coming up soon.