Hello everyone, here I am again with the second chapter of my story. Hope you'll like it.
Ana Xpert: Thank you for the review, it made me happy, but you probably know how it feels. So again: Thank you! :D By the way, I'm also a Romy fan, that's how I found your stories.
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Chapter Two – Fading Belief
Rick's team, the current X-men
"This is a really bad idea, Summers" shouted Clark Huygens, better known as the Bat, but got no response, so he tried again, this time louder "Hey, are you even listening?"
The team leader didn't even look at him, instead he continued his way out of the hideout.
A tall, giant-like man, Mike Rodler (for obvious reasons named the Giant) ran after him and took a strong grip on his shoulder, turning him around.
"You know I'm not as smart as you, but I think a leader should listen to his team, even if he's not interested in their opinion. Cause I've listened to you, I never said a damned word against you, I stayed by your side when others walked out that door and if I'm going to go out there with you where those soldiers and robots wait for us, I guess I deserve an explanation at least."
"You don't have to come with me" was all Rick said while trying to get the man's large hand off of him.
The two X-men shared worried looks and stared behind Rick.
"Have you lost your mind?!" they all heard.
Standing right behind Rick, Alexandra Rasputin was ready to knock her friend out for being so stupid.
"You wanted go out there all alone? Are you insane?" she yelled.
Rick turned to her quickly.
"Should I wait for you? I decided to make this 'dream' come true, cause I'm sick of fighting, okay? So how could I reach my goal by sitting here and doing nothing?"
The brown haired girl smiled at him sadly.
"You can go wherever you want, do whatever you want, just not now. Wait a little."
"But Alex, we've waited for so long and they never seemed to be interested in the peace we offered. We never gave a reason not to be trusted. Lewis did. That's why I must talk to a senator or the president; I must let them know that only a few of us are dangerous to them, who I'll handle."
They all heard the bitter snickers coming from the end of the corridor. They turned and saw Brian with arms folded on his chest.
"Do you honestly think they would believe you and just stop chasing us? Do you still believe in miracles, Rick" he walked closer to his leader and looked him in the eyes with pure hate "You are a naïve fool, that's why Lynn left you."
*********************************************
Flashback
"It's over, Rick, Ah'm outta 'ere."
Those words hit his heart like a knife.
The painful expression on his face made her soul cry, but her body was well-trained to show no emotion. She continued to pack her bags silently.
"Why?" he whispered.
She said nothing, not seeming to notice his question, praying he wouldn't ask more.
Seeing that she wouldn't respond, he suddenly felt anger boil in him.
"Why are you leaving?! I thought you would never leave me. I thought you'd always love me even if you don't think my goal is reachable. Look at me when I'm talking to you, damn it!" he shouted and slapped her on the face.
He regretted his action immediately, but he couldn't change it.
Lynn turned her back to him and continued packing.
"Am Ah a bitch jus' cause Ah'm tryin' t' protect mah family?"
"I promised I won't let anything happen to them."
She let out a sound between a laugh and a sob.
"How can ya make promises y' can' keep?"
"Why don't you believe me, Adeline?"
"So Ah'm Adeline now, huh? No more Linny or Ael? How 'bout ya call me Miss LeBeau?"
"Stop this, please, just answer me."
She sighed.
"Look, dis is not 'bout believing…"
"Yes, it is" he interrupted "The problem is that you don't believe me. You don't believe in anyone or anything."
Adeline looked into his eyes and spoke in a quiet but firm voice.
"Y're wrong. Ah believe in love, Ah believe in mah sisters, Ah believe in mah friends, Ah believe in you an' y'r love fo' me, Ah believe dat our parent's fight wasn' in vain. Ah believe alla' dis. But Ah jus' can' believe in fairy tales, Rick. Ah'm not like ya. Ah don' believe in miracles."
With that she took her bags and headed for the door.
"Wait! Stay!" he pleaded, ready to run after her.
"It's over f'r us" she stated once more "We tried an' it didn' work out, 'cause we're too diff'rent. Ah'm sorry."
"Linny, don't!"
"Adieu."
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If everybody tells you you're a fool, are you really?
That was the question Rick Summers needed to find an answer to. Finding an answer needed time. Convince the senators needed time. Convince his own team needed time.
Everything needed time.
But there was no time to waist. Some of the mutants were lacking food and water, despite the LeBeaus' efforts to send them various amount of food; it was very hard to get these packages to the mutants with unusual looks (who couldn't go outside their hideouts to take of themselves), without being sensed by the robots or soldiers.
There was no time, still everyone told him to wait. For what?
And then, Brian comes again, telling him why Adeline left. Rick knew very well why she left.
"Shut up, idiot. She left because she had no courage to follow me. Because she didn't believe in me and my dream."
"So it's your dream now" the boy grinned.
"Never mind. She left because she didn't have the courage. That's it."
"Bullshit. Lynn's probably the bravest woman I've ever met. But her sisters' lives are more important to her than your dream. With your sister gone you have nothing to lose here. Lynn would. If Sophie wouldn't be so young, maybe they would have stayed. But use your mind, man, Lynn's responsible for a girl who's not even eighteen. And then there are their brothers and sisters in New Orleans. Too many lives to risk. She couldn't risk them, not even for you.
The woman loved you, she still loves you, but can't risk following you. If you love her, you have to get that through your thick skull."
"She didn't love me. She just played with me."
"Fool!" cried a female voice.
Laura took a few steps towards Rick before speaking again.
"You know, you claim that she doesn't believe in you, but you are the one who doesn't believe in her. You claim to be the victim, but you're wrong. She is the victim of her own feelings. She had to decide between her love and her family. She did what's right. You should try to understand her actions, instead of blaming her for your own mistakes."
She turned and left with her brother.
Fool…That word has echoed in Rick's head for a while now. He heard that word so many times lately that he started to believe it himself.
********************************************
The Rebels, led by Lewis Howlett
Emma knew about her visitors before the sound of the steps could be heard, but she noticed that she sensed them later than usual. She figured it was probably because of her being under emotional pressure. The twenty-eight-year-old telepath wiped the tears from her face before she turned her head towards the door.
"Emma?" she heard Kyra say "Can we come in?"
*I don't want to talk* she answered telepathically.
"You do, Emma. You do" Kyra said as she opened the door.
She walked in, followed by Naomi, Giulio and Susan.
"Hi, girl!"
"Buongiorno, Emma."
"How are you today?"
They hadn't really said anything, yet, but Emma was already crying.
Not having the courage to say more, they nodded to each other and while the girls sat on the bed next to Emma, Giulio sat down on the floor facing them.
"I miss him" the red-haired woman confessed "I even miss those annoying nicknames I always hated to hear."
The Italian boy smirked.
"Like Mimmy or Mimma?"
The woman nodded.
"No problem. I have two sisters in Rome, so I can play the role of the annoying little brother pretty well. Just call me."
"Thank you, Lio, but I don't think it will make me feel better."
"I miss Brian and Laura, too" Susie whispered.
Emma stared at the girl. Susie was ten years younger than her, only eighteen. So young, and she already had to see and feel so much pain and sorrow.
Suddenly, Emma embraced Susie. The girl was shocked first, because she didn't expect something like that from Emma, who never turned away from her friend, though always liked to keep a little distance. Still, she didn't panic, she simply hugged her friend.
"I'm sorry I was so selfish these days. I forgot about you, Susie. I forgot you lost your brother and sister, too."
Susie pulled away and looked at Emma with a bright smile.
"Lost? No, I didn't lose them. I was sad at first, but… Brian and Laura are my family, especially since my mom and yours are helping those poor kids in Africa. I hope they're okay there. So as I said, they are my family and it's true that we don't always see things the same way but wherever I go, deep down I know they love me, no matter what I think, say or do. That's how you love your brother and he loves you, too."
"That's right" agreed Naomi "You don't have to believe and follow what he does. Just because you don't, you won't stop loving him."
"But what if something happens to him and I'm not there?" Emma cried.
"Things happen all the time. That makes your life a life."
"Exactly" Naomi interrupted "Besides you worry too much. Rick can take care of himself."
Emma sighed sadly.
"Not without Lynn."
Silence followed.
"Shit" was all Giulio could say.
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The Thieves
The door of the apartment opened and the 'shopping team' walked in with large paper bags. Rebecca immediately began to sort out the food and soon she was shaking the last empty bag. Finding that she was finished with the packing, she pouted at her sister, Roselle.
"What, Rosie, no chocolate?"
Rosie a.k.a. Crystal put her hands on her hips.
"Sis, our people 're dyin' from famine out dere an' y' wanna eat chocolate?!"
Rebecca lifted her hands in defense.
"'Kay, okay, y' don' 'ave t' kill me, it was jus' a joke."
"A bad one."
The forth LeBeau girl, Charlotte (who looked like a replica of their mother except for lacking that white streak in her auburn hair) gave them a chuckle as she took the paper bag from Rebecca's hand and throwing it into the trashcan.
"Oh, c'mon, Rosie, ya know she didn' mean it. 'Sides, she's de one working fo' de money, non?"
Chris eyed Rebecca questioningly.
"About work… you still planning on going to that bar tonight?"
"Oui" she told him "We ain't got a thieving job fo' tonahght, so Ah had t' take anoder one, dat's all."
Lynn looked surprised.
"What job?" then her green eyes darkened "Y' not tryin' t' earn money wit'… y' know…"
"What?"
"Well… 'ow t' say dat… sex."
Rebecca stared at her for a second, then started to laugh loudly, while her boyfriend, Chris sent an angry expression towards Adeline.
"No need t' worry. Ah'm jus' gonna sing" Rebecca explained with an amused smile playing on her lips.
"Sing?"
"Oui, only a few chants (songs), an' Ah'm comin' back home."
Charlotte chuckled again.
"People actually pay fo' your voice?"
"Yeah, but Ah bet y', too, could get a nice amount o' money dere. Dey'd be payin' ya t' keep y'r mouth shut."
"Ha-ha, very funny, Rebecca."
"Y' rahght. Ah'm losin' mah sense o' humor. Ah betta' go back t' bed, had a long nuit hier (night, yesterday)."
Rosie nodded to that.
"D'accord (Alright), Ah'm gonna take de stuff t' Helen."
Helen was the woman who brought the food to small groups of mutants, who weren't safe on the streets. She was one of the few 'normal people' that thought of the mutants as human beings and she tried to help those in need with all she had. Her husband Brad was also helpful. He explored new hideaways from time to time, helped the mutants move from one place to the other when they were found.
People like them were rare. Even if someone felt sorry for the mutants, they were too afraid of going against the government.
Rosie left with two big packages and Rebecca went back to her room. The apartment became silent. Chris was reading a book; Violet stood by the kitchen window watching as the snow fell from the thick clouds. Sophie didn't want to see the snow. She'd always hated the winter. Lynn looked at her youngest sister, smiling. Sophie was beautiful, though didn't look like a southerner at all. Her skin was pale, her hair was blonde and her eyes were light blue without pupils. Everyone told her she looked like some Norwegian girl and even their parents' best friends doubted that she was Rogue and Gambit's daughter, but she really was. Henry McCoy even did tests and guessed that it was Sophie's mutation that made her look so different. Poor child never got the chance to ask her parents about that. They both died when she was three. Lynn's eyes were filled with tears at the thought of her parents.
Charlotte sat down on the sofa next to Lynn.
"What are y' t'inkin' of?" she asked softly, touching Adeline's forearm.
"Nothing."
"Last tahme Ah was at Helen's house, she told me we could buy some new clothes, so dey can get somet'in' nice fo' Christmas."
"Ah almos' forgot. It's only four weeks till Noël" Sophie sighed, but her voice didn't sound happy.
The memory of a Christmas dinner came to Lynn's mind, from the time when everything was beautiful.
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Flashback
The journey from New Orleans to New York by car was not a short one. Actually, they would have travelled by plane but at this time of the year everyone is going to their family or friends and they couldn't book the tickets on time. Lynn sat next to Rosie (who was almost 2 at the time) on the backseat of her momma's car, growing more and more impatient as still couldn't see the city where she was born, New York. She was six now, but when they left the city she was only a few months old, so she didn't remember at all how it looked and was very excited.
"Are we dere, yet?" she asked for the thousandth time.
"No, sugah. Ah told yah, yah should sleep, lahke yoah sister."
"Ah can', momma."
After a moment of silence, Lynn spoke again.
"Ah wanna talk with papa."
"He's in the other car with Ella and Rebecca, sweetheart. Yah can't talk ta him now."
Another moment of silence.
"Are we dere, yet?"
She got a heavy sigh as an answer and she understood it wouldn't be too good for her to keep on asking.
She so wanted to be in her father's car right now. Here with a sleeping Rosie and their tired mother it was boring. Ella surely didn't sleep. She was nine, the eldest child in their family. She was 'adopted' as they used to say, but Lynn didn't really know the meaning of that word.
She knew Ella was different from them with her chocolate brown skin and big brownish black eyes. Momma told her that she and papa brought Ella from somewhere else when Ella was eight months old, because that time they thought they couldn't have children of their own.
But Lynn still didn't understand if Ella was her sister or not.
Thinking of this, she slowly fell asleep.
She woke up when they arrived at a very big house Lynn had never seen before. Inside, the people hugged her. A woman, another one, then a man, other women, other men and a furry blue… someone.
"Do you want to play with me?" asked her a boy with brown hair and brown eyes.
"Je ne sais pas" (I don' know) she replied shyly.
Her father squeezed her hand gently.
"Talk English, petit. Dis not Paris."
"D'accord… Ah mean, okay. Can Ah go play?"
"Was dere a time y' couldn'?"
She smiled at the boy.
"Ah'd love t' play wit' ya."
The boy was smiling, too.
"I'm Rick."
"Adeline. But y' can call me Linny if y' want."
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That was the first Christmas Lynn spent with Rick and the others.
A lonely teardrop rolled down her face and she couldn't decide what made her cry, the memory or the fact that she missed her friends so much.
"Y' okay?" she heard Charlotte's voice close to her ear.
"Fahne."
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The current X-men
During the night sentinels attacked the team. The fight was short and they successfully destroyed the attackers, but – as always – there was a price to pay.
Laura was injured and because of this, Brian was furious. He was shouting at Rick again.
"All of this is your fault. You are the reason my sister's wounded."
"Me? She wasn't good enough in the fight. That's all."
"You're blaming her now. How dare you? Asshole!"
Brian was ready to hit.
"Hey, Lightning, stop that now" Alex interrupted "It's not like you're sister is dying. She's fine."
"Actually I'm not" Laura corrected "But Alex is right, you should calm down, bro."
Brian lowered his fists.
"Fine. But if you don't find a way to get the old team back together in two days, we're out of here, Rick. Come on, Laura, I'll take you to our room."
"Wait" Rick called after then "What do you mean you're leaving? I never asked you to stay, but you did."
"Because back then we thought you knew what you were doing. Now we know you don't."
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So, that was it. My English is not too good, cause I've only been learning it for 3 years, so I apologize if my grammar's bad. Please, please let me what you think about my story. Even if you think it's creepy.
Bye-bye,
Lilly