Queen of My Heart

LoverGurrl411

Chapter 4 – These Arms

Disclaimer: I own shoes, and bags, and books, and my laptop, but sadly not X-men or the Brotherhood. Sad isn't it? I dance, and I write, and this story is purely just for fun and I am not getting any profit from it. Sad isn't it? Haha. Well, on to the story!

The moment they all arrived at the mansion, pandemonium ensued. Everyone was completely distraught, and then Kitty knew the exact moment everyone noticed Lance was bleeding, because silence choked the air around them. It was as if they were all on television, and someone from the outside world had pressed slow motion, because all anybody watched were Kitty's tears, dripping from her eyes. One by one they landed on Lance.

Everyone thought they knew why Kitty was crying. She was crying because a fellow mutant had fallen, and in the heat of the battle, it could have been any one of them. Everyone thought they understood, but as Kitty looked up and her eyes landed on Rogue, Jean was the only one who seemed to realize that no one but Rogue and Kitty really understood. And that made Jean more frustrated than the attack they just underwent.

Kitty was on the floor, cradling Lance's head in her arms. Tears, changing her face from classically beautiful, to a pain-filled Mona Lisa painting. It was a beautiful that only came when moments were filled with horror and shock. And that was when Professor Xavier, Storm, and Logan came upon the scene.

"Logan, carry Lance over to the infirmary." Professor Xavier said but the moment the words escaped his lips each and every one of the brotherhood stood up and blocked Lance from view.

Logan's knives came out and he put himself in battle stance. Automatically the X-men moved behind Logan. All except Kitty who was still holding Lance, and Rogue who was beside Wanda. None of the X-men noticed Rogue missing from their side.

The situation was about to escalate and fast, so Xavier thought this was the moment to step in the middle, figuratively of course.

"We do not want to fight with you, we only wish to help. Hank is our personal doctor and a mutant like us," Xavier pointed to everyone in the room. "He will not hurt Lance. He's just going to take the bullet out of him." His voice was constantly calm throughout his little speech, but the Brotherhood was more confused as to whether it was a good idea to let one of them be indebted to an X-men.

And then movement from the floor caught everyone's attention. Lance was standing up. He looked over to Kitty and with his eyes he told her to move. She automatically obliged, knowing that the reason for it was Lance not wanting to give their non-existent but still there relationship away.

"Whatever he can do to me downstairs, he can do to me right here in this room." Lance voice was firm. There was going to be no discussion on this subject further. "And on that note, thanks for the offer but I've got my own personal doctor."

"Hey man, we're not ganna abduct you or anything! The professor is just tryna help!" Spike yelled outraged.

"And we appreciate the effort and we believe you," Wanda spoke up "but where there are five good apples there's ganna be one rotten one and it's better to be safe than sorry."

It looked as if Jean and Scott were going to join the discussion so Storm put a stop to it with a simple "Fair enough, to the both of you." Nodding her head to Wanda and Lance.

As everyone settled down from their stance Lance looked to Rogue and that's when it hit the X-men, Rogue was the doctor!

Rogue didn't bother giving explanations, just reached into her bag and got out a tweezer.

"Kitty," she asked, "do you have another tweezer on you?"

Kitty nodded and took it out of her bag and handed it over. Everyone sat down at that moment, and Rogue sat down on the floor, inspecting Lance's shoulder wound. As she poked and prodded, Lance decided to invade the silence by asking questions.

"So, fuzz ball, what took you so long to get back to us?" Lance's voice gruff because of the pain.

"He probably choked on a hair ball." Pietro said.

Silence.

Silence.

Laughter. Tons of it. Everyone of the teenager's in the room was laughing. The joke, on any other day would have set off fireworks. Any other day the joke wouldn't have been worth more than a smirk or a tiny chuckle, but not today. Today the joke was appreciated and had everyone smiling, and laughing. It didn't last an hour, but a few moments were enough to settle the tension that had gripped everyone's body. As everyone laughed at the stupid joke Logan was looking at Hank who had shown up and Storm. They each looked at each other, not understanding what was so funny. They were confused but Professor Xavier wasn't. He understood too well, how they needed a reason to laugh, because of the ordeal they had just gone through. Laughing was a reprieve from the harsh world that started to knock on their door early this morning.

Once the laughter died down after a few moments, Lance spoke.

"That was an actual question though, fuzz ball."

And everyone exchanged smiles. Same Lance, not even a bullet could change him.

"I'd vather not zey." Kurt spoke, his eyes locked on Lance. All Lance did was nod, and Kurt's shoulders sagged with relief.

Scott on the other hand wasn't letting it go that easily. They were almost killed out there and he wanted an explanation. "No, Kurt. That's not a good enough answer. I want to know what took you so long."

Jean tensed because she saw the real reason behind Scott's attitude. Even if he didn't admit it to himself, he was jealous of Lance. He was jealous because as soon as Lance nodded his head, the subject was dropped and Lance wasn't the Leader of the X-men. Scott was, and in his mind he was the only one who could drop a conversation.

The good mood in the room vanished with Scotts words. Rogue looked up from what she was doing, and stared at Lance. Kurt was stuttering and fumbling for an answer which was an obvious lie. Rogue knew that Lance was always fair, a jackass sometimes and a fool but always fair when it came down to the nitty gritty, no matter what the situation was. And she knew Lance well enough to know that he wouldn't stand aside as Scott pushed for an answer.

"You don't have to answer, Kurt." Lance spoke up, and Scott and Lance were instantly in a battle which contained their blazed gazes. If looks could kill then Lance would be dead many times over.

On the other side of the room Hank was about to interrupt another argument, but Xavier stopped him. The adults looked at Xavier and he just shook his head and voiced into their minds 'Just watch. Let it play out. You can learn a lot from just watching.' And so that was exactly what they did. And in their silence, the group of teens forgot their presence and spoke how they would never dare to speak if they remembered the adults were there.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?!" Scott said, his voice harsh. "I'm their leader, not you! And if I want to ask them a question I can damn well ask them, and they will answer because it's not a personal question about their life. It's a question about an order carried out!"

"An order I gave, not you. Which means he doesn't have to answer if I say he doesn't." Lance spoke with authority. He never moved from his seat, letting Rogue take pieces of the bullet out of him.

Scott saw how calm Lance was and though he was trying to calm himself down, he was just too furious at the moment. At that time Jean spoke into Scott's mind.

'Let it go Scott. We have bigger things to worry about right now. Just let it go.' Her voice strained.

Scott really didn't want to let it go, but a movement caught his eye and he remembered that there were adults in the room. And this is where Scott had a problem, how was he supposed to "let it go" without the scene looking as if Lance had put him in his place? How was he supposed to let it go without it seeming as if he, the leader of the X-men, was scared of Lance?

Scott was saved from this as Kitty finally spoke up. "Will the both of you relax?! We have bigger things to worry about, like the attack we just underwent," Her voice sharp, and angry.

Everyone nodded and the subject was immediately dropped, but not before Jean noticed Kurt look into Jubilees face. Peering so closely at her that Jean wondered if they were secretly telepathic. But Jean wasn't so distracted that she didn't see Lance touch Rogue's gloved hands gently, as if silently passing a message.

Rogue felt the pressure on her hand and stilled. She looked into the chocolate eyes of Lance, her former leader and automatically understood what he wanted. She understood because Lance was like Gambit in a lot of ways and mannerisms. They both had a strange look to their eyes that conveyed what they needed, that or maybe it was just that Rogue was deeply in tuned with both of their feelings.

Either way the room heard Rogue say "I need to get some things from the bathroom to clean this wound. We might as well finish doing this in the bathroom."

Lance nodded. Nothing big or ominous but suddenly Rogue had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach that whatever Lance wanted to discuss with her was not good.

"Do you need any help?" Kitty's voice wavered a bit. She really wanted to talk to Lance with no eyes watching but she didn't want to give off her desperation too much.

Rogue was about to reply in the affirmative, when while helping Lance up, she felt his grip on her tighten in a warning sign. She knew he didn't want Kitty listening in to their conversation, which made Rogue much more nervous about whatever it is that Lance had to say to her.

With Lance's grip cautioning her to tread carefully in her reply Rogue replied shakily "Nah, we should be good, but if I need anything I'll send a holler." Rogue tried for a small smile but it didn't come out that good.

As they were leaving the room Hank stepped up to them and offered his assistance.

"I've had many years of practice of tidying people up, young man." Hank said with a tentative smile. His attempt at humor was appreciated by everyone in the room, but Lance stood grounded in his decision.

"Thanks doc, I appreciate the offer but it's just a bullet hole, I'm sure Roguey can handle it." Lance's voice took a teasing note when he said 'Roguey' and the glare she gave him could have scared Freddy Kruger away.

They walked out of the otherwise silent room, which the moment they were safely away became a cold war for mutants, it was once again teenage mutant against teenage mutant , until Brotherhood's fearless leader came back to reign his men in.

Rogue and Lance finally reached the bathroom and the second Rogue closed the door behind them Lance's voice sank into the cracks in the room.

"Get a bag together with whatever you need. I should get a call soon telling me when it's in the clear for us to skedaddle out of here."

Rogue stood there, one eyebrow raised, and pursed lips. The audacity of some men! Rogue couldn't believe Lance! When Rogue spoke, if anyone hadn't known she was in there with Lance, someone passing by would have thought she was talking to a mentally challenged kid, instead of the Leader of the Brotherhood.

"Ah'm not a part of the Brotherhood anymore. Ah'm with the X-men, meanin' ya can't just order meh to go anywhere with ya, and also why the heck would Ah even want to?!" Rogue's indignation rising with every word falling from her lips.

"I spoke to Gambit earlier today." Lance's voice was soft, in case anyone decided on eavesdropping.

Rogue felt her heart thump just that bit more harder and faster than normal. She tried to keep a poker face on, but knew Lance could see through it. He always could, and for just a moment, Rogue let herself wonder what would happen if they let themselves delve into the throngs of passion for the other. She then noticed how close they were actually standing, and allowed her body to imagine the sensation of his body heat touching her skin. For one whole second she let her mind imagine how his arms would fit against hers, not in a battle but in an intimate setting. These arms that were within her reach. The air coming into her lungs paused for a second, and then Rogue realized why she wasn't speaking to begin with. Lance had spoken to Gambit. And her heart caved in on itself for two beats, until she composed herself and decided to interrogate Lance on what was said and how that has to do with her.

Lance knew the moment the air shifted around them and the moment it shifted back. There was something innately sexual about Rogue, though she couldn't touch or be touched. He had always known it, but he never let his mind falter from Kitty, and her soft skin. Never let his eyes linger too long into Rogue's, because he was no fool. He knew that his heart would always belong to Kitty, and so would his body, but his unmeasured lust would always belong to Rogue, just because he could never have her.

Lance saw Rogue about to attack him with questions and beat her to the punch.

"He's worried about you. We're meeting up with him, once a mutual friend of ours gives me the green light to blow town." Lance was looking at her face the entire time. Gauging her reaction to the news.

Rogue was completely off balance. Gambit had spoken to Lance. Gambit was worried about her. And then that's when Rogue thought that again. 'Wait—Gambit said he was worried about meh?! What's wrong with that picture?!'

"He said he was worried about meh?" Rogue meant for her voice to come out suspicious, or even cynical, but her body was still too close to Lance's and the effect of him and her completely alone for once in a long time still hadn't completely left her system yet, so her voice instead came out breathy, and completely naked to his interpretation.

"No. He didn't say it, but I knew that's what he had in mind when he was setting up the meet and specifically mentioned bringing you. C'mon, I'm not stupid. Plus it's a bit of guy code. In his own way he was asking me to take care of you." Lance's voice was strong, but softened towards the end. "You and Kitty don't know how much you mean to us do you?"

Rogue and Lance were almost touching. His brown eyes were digging into her green ones, searching for the ultimate truth behind all the superfluous words. He was searching for something deeper than what they were actually talking about, and Rogue knew he was, she just didn't know what it was, but she gave him as much truth as she could stomach.

"No, we don't. Maybe we need to be told." Her voice shook with the intensity of the moment. A moment that neither seemed to understand.

Silence engulfed the room in its strangling hold. It was marking the tension in the room as territory, and not allowing it to leave.

Knock Knock.

Someone was knocking on the door, but neither moved from their position or from their confused situation.

"Is everything, like, alright in there?" Kitty's voice broke through the cracks in the room, and through their ears, reverberating in their heads.

"Yea, everything's alright. Come on in." Rogue said, and Lance took a wise step back.

And as Kitty opened the door, Rogue could almost see the moment they had shared slipping passed Kitty, and out the door, unknown when it would return, with answers once again.

Lance, contemplating the same line of thought as Rogue, thought one thing 'Oh, the joys of high school.'

At this time, all the way in Tennessee, Gambit was opening his eyes. He realized very quickly that his hands were tied and his shades were off. 'Mierde' he thought, 'What the heck have I gotten myself into now?'

Gambit was racking his brain for the last thing he remembered, when he remembered Rogue, and how he's supposed to meet up with Lance and her in New Jersey.

There was a noise to his left, and Gambit stilled completely from his task of trying to get his hands free.

"I see yer awake now, freak." The voice belonged to a burly man with hazel eyes filled with hate and a metal bat in his hand.

"What can the Gambit do for un ami?" Gambit wasn't scared, so his voice didn't shake and his eyes didn't look about him. He taunted this man, because he knew he could take him if it came to that.

"Ya can give us yer eyes, is what ya can do." The man had a receding hair line, and faded jeans, and Gambit noticed this. No obvious reason why, but his eyes locked onto these details, for some reason. And then it hit him, but he kept his smirk intact.

"Us?" Gambit's voice filled the room, though there was a smugness in it that wiped the neutrality from the man's stance and replaced it with pure delighted malice.

"Yea. Us." The man replied, as he swept his hands around his sides, and from the shadows emerged about twenty men with identical bats.

And then like in slow motion Gambit replayed the words in his head.

"Ya can give us yer eyes…"

And all Gambit could think as they approached was 'Aww, mierde! Life was so much simpler when Ah was in high school' and the thought of high school brought on another thought. The reason for why he was in such a rush earlier that he never noticed these men coming after him in the first place.

'Damn ya Rogue! Look at the things Ah get myself into for ya!'

A.N – THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL WHO REVIEWED AND ADDED MY STORY ON THEIR ALERT LIST OR ADDED ME AS ONE OF THEIR FAVORITE AUTHOR! I also want to say that I am soooo sorry for all who have been patiently waiting for this chapter since the summer! I know it's been a long time, and I don't really have an excuse except for laziness and lack of muse. Halfway through this chapter I was about ready to just post what I had and ask you guys for inspiration, but alas, I didn't have to because my brain kicked in! Haha. Also, I just want to point out before anyone kills me, this IS a ROMY and Lancitty story, but just because it ends up that way doesn't mean there aren't going to be a few bumps and teenage drama throughout! The song I was listening to was "These Arms" by Boyz II Men, and "Breathe" by Greenwheel.

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