Title: The House of the Rising Sun, Chapter 10
Author: Goddess Evie
Date: 08/28/04
Genre: Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.
Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation. I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college graduate who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already. Also, the song lyric I used as the title doesn't belong to me either. I'm quoting the song "Disappear" by Hoobastank from their "The Reason" album. Gods, I love that CD. But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I need all my money for my mission!
Summary: The morning after doom music and the first day of school. Well, only the morning before, really.
Author's notes: I totally got the inspiration for this chapter out of nowhere and wrote most of it last night. I had already started it once before, but lost it when my computer crashed earlier this year. I'm glad it did, because for once I liked my second version better. I just needed to get things going again, trying to advance to the next major plot development. But for now enjoy the cuteness of the mutants. I had some fun with Kurt and Evan, heheheheheh. Enjoy the update. P.S. I had to have Remy describe Rogue's outfit just so I could get it in there. I have so much fun creating different goth/punk outfits for her.
Review Responses:
Rogue4787-Thank you so much! I'm sorry I took so long to update, and also that not much happens in this chapter, but I hope you still enjoy this update as much as you have the rest of my story. I agree with you about Bella, too. I've ALWAYS hated that blonde bimbo (no offense to blonde readers of my story. I love you guys, just not Bella. ) And yes, I am having Rogue and Remy be seventeen-ish. They are both juniors in high school. That way I could have fun putting them in some same classes.
Talichernin-Who's like a telepath? Rogue? No. shrugs And thank you. I take pride in my writing and having it be grammatically correct. But I didn't spend any time beta-ing this chapter, so I hope the mistakes aren't too bad.
Me-Be glad that I finally updated, again!
Ishandahalf-Once again, thank you for the VERY long review you left me. I love reading your reviews. I hope there is enough Rogue and Remy mushie in this chapter. Although, really, it's more cute bickering than mushie. Remy has his moments, though. I hope it's good enough for you! I hope you're still around to read it! And even more importantly, leave me a wonderful review! Thank you so much, dear!
Jen1703-Don't worry, Jen. I don't plan on doing anything mean to them. They will suffer nothing more than would be usual for any of the mutants in times of crisis and what not. Just trust me.
Chapter 10: There's a pain that sleeps inside. It sleeps with just one eye and awakens the moment that you leave.
Rogue awoke when a pillow hit her head. She growled and pulled the covers up over her head, effectively blocking out the morning light and hopefully whoever was attacking her. She needed at least another hour of sleep and she'd been having the nicest dream about Remy…
"Get up, Rogue! Your alarm clock has been going off for like the last fifteen minutes and you're still not ready for school," Kitty's voice ordered.
That explained the annoying buzzing sound. Grumbling, Rogue pushed her covers away and sat up, glaring at the room in general. She managed to hit the right button to shut off her alarm clock after slapping it a few times. Unfortunately, Kitty was humming a little too cheerfully for-she squinted at her alarm clock-six twenty in the morning.
"Oh, and Storm asked me to tell you that you have a session with the professor at seven, so like hurry up!" Kitty informed right before she headed out the door, already completely dressed and ready for the first day of school, and down to breakfast.
Rogue rubbed her eyes as she climbed out of bed. She hated mornings. Her stomach grumbled at her and her knees felt weak. She sat back down on the bed, realizing how dizzy she was. She felt like she'd missed dinner AND lunch the day before on top of working in the Danger Room all day.
[Or you just received a vicious dose of Carol Danvers.]
"That's rahght," Rogue grumbled, suddenly remembering the attack her extra personality had ambushed her with. "What the hell were ya tryin' to do, anyways?"
[Kill you.]
"Kill me, an' ya kill ya'self," Rogue reminded. "Ah'm the body yer stuck with, at th'moment."
No response. Rogue smirked and tried her feet again. She waited a couple of seconds until she felt steady enough before actually attempting walking. But she wasn't as wearisome as she might have been, considering the ordeal she'd been put through the day before. Remembering Kitty's urging, Rogue dug around in dresser and closet for something to wear, then headed to the bathroom.
She avoided the larger shower room most of the mutants were forced to use. Both the male and female dormitories had them, added, Rogue found out, when single bathrooms had begun overflowing and actual fights had been started. At least on the girls side. Xavier had forced Rogue to share a room, but he had agreed it would be too dangerous to share bathroom.
Instead she headed further on down the hall to one of the single bathrooms. Just as she was approaching the door it opened to reveal an immaculately groomed Jean Grey, red hair swaying along her back and smile on her face.
"Morning Rogue," Jean sang cheerily with a flashed smile as they passed. "The bathrooms all yours."
Rogue opted not to answer. She usually didn't, and the mutants who knew her knew it was because she was always grumpy after just waking up and not because she was especially bitchy at any one of them.
A quick, hot shower felt good and helped her to wake up. The fluffy towel and warm steam filled bathroom after helped to lighten her mood as well as soften the blow for when she wiped the fog off the mirror and saw how much like death warmed over she really looked.
Carol was more than happy to provide colorful commentary on Rogue's current state, the unusual chirp in her voice assuring Rogue that she was proud she had been the cause. Rogue ignored her best she could as she pulled on her clothes and began applying make-up. After what had happened yesterday, she had decided it best not to confront Carol directly unless necessary.
When Rogue looked at her wet hair, still longer then she usually kept it, she frowned and wondered what the hell she was going to do with it. She shook her head, watching her shoulder length locks swing back and forth. She hadn't yet had time to get it cut, and truthfully was still undecided on whether she really wanted to. She'd just have to try the longer hair and see if she liked it. It would have helped to have a little more time to experiment, but if she didn't do something with her mane quickly, she would be late with her appointment with Xavier.
Making a quick decision, she found a hair clip she could live with that also matched her outfit and pulled the hair around her face into a simple half ponytail. Before she clipped the barrette on she pulled a few white tendrils of hair out to frame her face, then set the do in place.
As she looked at herself she knew she wasn't the best judge of how she looked. She admitted she did look pretty…somewhat, but she wasn't really sure if she liked it. She'd never really paid much attention to her hair. With it longer and needing more management, she was more aware of it than before.
"Well, Ah guess it'll have t'do," she sighed.
Quickly, Rogue cleaned up after herself, then headed out into the hallway. She stopped briefly in her room, to drop off her pajamas, then was on her way to Xavier. As she headed toward the main staircase she could hear dozens of teen and preteen voices running around trying to get ready for the school day. She was still slightly amazed by how many new mutants had arrived during her summer absence. The mansion had seemed crowded before, but now it was more like a riot.
They'll learn soon enough, Rogue thought to herself as she prepared to head into the fray.
She wasn't prepared to see Remy casually leaning against the stair post at the top of the landing as students ran up and down the stairs behind him. He shuffled a deck of cards skillfully, paying little attention to the ruckus going on behind him. He was obviously waiting for someone and Rogue had no doubt it was her he waited for. She wanted to turn back, wait until he gave up and headed downstairs himself. But she continued toward the stair, no sign of hesitation in her body language.
"Rogue, dere y'are," he called when he noticed her coming.
She didn't meet his eye, barely looked at him, preferring to keep her gaze on the people moving around behind him. It would be easier that way. It always was.
"You okay, chére? You scared Remy, yesserday."
She didn't want to explain. He knew enough as it was. He didn't need to know the entire truth. No one did. It would be better if she just kept it to herself. Easier. She didn't want anymore complications in her life.
"Ah'm fahne," she said as she breezed past, keeping her focus on the stairs and getting down them without a hitch.
She was just past him when he grabbed her arm, forcing Rouge to look at him. The glare she laid on him made some of the others around them take a step or two back. He returned the look with concern clouding his beautiful, intense eyes. It took all of Rogue's will to not melt for those eyes. Not to cry for those eyes and tell all her fears and worries about the last summer.
In the end, it was her iron will that saved her from making a scene. Her eyes remained cold and easily pulled her arm from his grasp.
"Ah said Ah was fahne," she repeated, jogging down the stairs as fast as her feet could take her.
Everyone maneuvering the giant staircase moved out her way, making a clear path for her. She wasn't sure if her reputation had preceded her or if she had just scared them all with the one look. But she was glad for clear escape. She could have gotten dangerous had she been forced to clear one for herself.
She reached the door to Xavier's study and entered without knocking. Shutting the door behind her made her feel better, putting a physical barrier between herself and that man.
"Are you well, Rogue?" Xavier's smooth voice asked.
She nodded and took a seat. "Kitty said ya wanted t'talk?"
Xavier gave her narrow eyed look for a second before responding. Rogue ignored him, used to the silent show of concern. She knew Xavier would not press unless he felt it necessary. He was wise in that respect.
"Yes. After yesterday's events, we are going to have to take steps to keep something similar from happening again. While every mutant who comes here is taught mind exercises to keep themselves from being too easily invaded by telepaths, a threat from within the mind will take considerably more work to master."
Yes, Rogue thought. Something to concentrate on and keep my mind of off Remy.
Remy continued to stand, stunned, at the top of the stairs after his encounter with Rogue. The rest of the inhabitants of the mansion avoided him, leaving a wide berth between him and themselves. Not that he noticed. He was still trying to decipher what had happened.
He ran the scenario through his mind again. When he had first noticed her and she had taken his breath away. He'd never been too fond of the goth look before, but Rogue made it work for him. Today she had worn slightly baggy black pants with green stitching that hung at her softly swaying hips, a black shirt that stated "No Touchie" in large, green scribbled letters over a green mesh shirt and a black leather choker with metallic green studs. Green converse shoes finished the outfit, along with her usual black gloves. She pulled her hair partially back, allowing a couple white locks to frame her delicate face.
Absolutely beautiful. All that green brought out her eyes.
He'd been so delighted to see her after spending all night worrying about her. He smiled to show her he was relieved and happy at her quick recovery. His voice was light as he called out to her, his attention focused solely on her.
So why had she been so cold to him? He couldn't understand what he had done to deserve the ice she stared into him. One glare and he felt cold down to the toes in his boots. His heart still felt like it was covered in frost.
"He looks like he's had a run in with Rogue," the voice cut into his concentration.
"Devinitely. That deer caught in zhe headlights and just run over iz a trademark Rogue encounter look."
Remy cocked an eyebrow at Kurt and Evan. The two clowns stood analyzing him as if he were some lab specimen in a crazy experiment of theirs.
"Zo vhat do you think happened? A scathing dress down? A threat zo impossibly scary only Rogue vould be capable of it?"
"No, worse. He got 'the look'," Evan whispered, nodding knowingly.
Kurt gasped, taking a step back. "Nein!"
"Oh, yes. The other kids are STILL avoiding him."
"A'right, y'two, dat's 'nuff," Remy stated, rolling his eyes.
Kurt and Evan grinned. "Sorry, we just call'em as we see'em," the dark skinned boy assured.
"I think he's going to be okay," Kurt added with a laugh.
"I don't know. The long term affects of Rogue's ice glare have yet to be studied," Evan returned as he and Kurt headed on past Remy and down the stairs.
The Cajun shook his head, chuckling to himself. Apparently a run in with Rogue was a regular, if shocking, event around here. And one with quite the reputation. Still, Remy couldn't help but think that there was something more to the encounter that he had missed.
He headed down the stairs himself, following Evan and Kurt's lead to the dining room and breakfast. He continued to mull over his encounter with Rogue. He couldn't help himself from trying to figure out why the Southern Belle could possibly mad at him. As he picked from the breakfast bar and poured himself a cup of coffee he went back over his time with Rogue since they had made their truce at the mall. Everything had gone fine on their way to the Danger Room, and they had made a beautiful team during all the simulations Logan had thrown at them. Then she had suddenly gone down on that last one, without any good reason why that Remy could see. Their meeting at the stair had been the first he'd seen her since.
"Sometimes, the femmes, dey just don' make sense," Remy decided as he grabbed the bottle of Tabasco sauce and looked around for a place to sit. Still, he couldn't really get all the worry to go away.
The place was already starting to get packed, and the noise level was a little hectic. Ororo, Logan and Hank had stationed themselves about the room at seemingly random points. Remy could see the strategical planning in their chosen spots. The three of them could easily survey the mutants and keep any uprisings from starting. Remy knew how easily a food fight could start in a group this big, and with the addition of mutant powers, it would end up one interesting food fight.
Fortunately for Remy, he quickly caught Kitty, Kurt, Evan and even the red headed Jean Grey waving him over to their table. They sat further down along the middle table of the three long tables that had been set up in the large room, and Remy found himself squeezing past mutant teens packed onto benches as they socialized and shared the morning meal.
"See, ve told you he came through ze ordeal mostly intact," Kurt smugly told the two girls as Remy took his seat.
"Don' tell me de two o'you 're still goin' on' bout dat," Remy groaned.
"We're just concerned, man, that's all," Evan assured, cutting a huge bite of pancakes.
Kitty giggled and Jean rolled her eyes. "Ignore them," the telepath told Remy.
"Yeah, they're just a couple of jokers," Kitty added.
"Hey, ve take our comedy seriously," Kurt demanded.
"It's not easy being funny," Evan backed up his fuzzy partner in crime.
"Is it always dis packed?" Remy asked quickly in order to change the subject as he added a generous portion of hot sauce to his breakfast.
"It will be now that everyone has to get up at the same time," Jean answered, between dainty bites of scrambled eggs.
"Just remember that if you get up like fifteen minutes before everyone else, you can get here in time to get first pick at the food and the seats," Kitty assured as she buttered half of a bagel.
"I'll remember dat. T'anks petit," Remy winked at the brunette.
She blushed despite herself and tried to hide it behind a bite of bagel. But Kurt and Evan still noticed and started to tease her about it. Jean ignored the three and placed her blue eyed gaze on the Cajun.
"So, Rogue seems to be her usual self this morning," she stated.
"Dat's what I'm tol'," Remy replied glancing at the two hooligans.
Jean smiled, amused. "Rogue never was a morning person. You're only the first who has to learn the lesson."
Remy turned around to look at the new mutants gathered in the dining area. He had little idea who was a recent comer and who had been here longer. Only what little information had been gathered on the place before he had been assigned here.
"I'm still not sure zome of the younger ones vill survive if zey cross her path," Kurt said, jokingly serious.
"Oh stop it," Kitty glared at Kurt, though hers was no match for Rogue's. "She's not that bad. She just takes some getting used to."
"We all do," Jean reminded with a poignant look in the fuzzy young man's direction.
"Point taken," Kurt surrendered, focusing more intently on the huge breakfast he had served up for himself.
"You know we all like Rogue," Evan added, looking a little repentant. "We just like giving her a hard time."
"And it's just safer to do it when she's not around to hear it?" Jean asked, an amused look on her face.
"Exactly," the boys answered together.
Remy knew the exact moment the topic of their conversation entered the room. He took a moment to turn and watch her enter the room, the very last of all the students at the school and pick over what was left of the breakfast bar. He determined not to watch her for too long and forced his attention back on his own breakfast.
He ate mechanically as he analyzed her in his mind. She actually looked more tired than when he'd seen her twenty minutes ago. What had she been doing to drain her? Another question that he'd never be able to answer himself. Why did he have to fall for a woman with so many secrets?
The jingle of silverware hitting the table awoke Remy from his thoughts and he looked up to see Rogue sitting down next to Kitty. She slid herself onto the bench as she set her plate down, rubbing her forehead somewhat wearily and tucking one of the stray locks of white hair behind an ear.
"There's no more coffee," she growled the statement and Remy wondered if it was more or a warning.
"Here, y'can have de rest of mine. Still half full an' lukewarm."
Rogue looked at him as he held the white mug toward her with his most charming smile. He almost gave a sigh of relief when she took it from him, taste tested it, then took a huge gulp. Seemed she liked it same as him, with a few splashes of hot sauce.
"Ya also have muh Tabasco, Swamp Rat," Rogue informed stonily.
At least she was talking to him.
"My deepest apologies, chére," he repented as he reached to hand that to her as well.
The bottle was already off the table before he got a grip on it, floating through the air towards Rogue, who snatched it up and poured it over her breakfast as liberally as Remy had used it on his. Not without a civil thank you nod to Jean, who returned a smile that said she was happy to help.
Remy was impressed by a girl who could eat the spicy sauce as easily as himself and felt his heart falling even deeper in love with the girl. He wouldn't have thought that was actually possible had he not just experienced it himself. He still wasn't sure how Rogue had so effectively wrapped him around that finger of hers, but he wasn't about to complain.
"You better like hurry, Rogue, we gotta leave for school in like five minutes," Kitty reminded her roommate as she pushed her own finished plate away.
"Ah'm working on it," Rogue sighed, shoving what food she'd been able to scrape together from the ravaged bar into her mouth and washing it down with the last of Remy's coffee.
"Better start loading up, kids," Logan's voice boomed across the room, cutting through the noise of dozens of voices talking at once with little effort.
Benches scraped, plates and cups and silverware were gathered and a crowd gathered at the door to the kitchen, each person trying to get through to drop off their dinner ware first in order to get to the vehicles faster and get the best seats. Remy raised an eyebrow at the mass of teens all scrambling at once, not sure he wanted to get caught up at in that. He turned the look, questioningly to the other five members of the group, who continued to sit idly, chatting back and forth.
"Don' worry, Remy. Ya don't have ta faught ya way through that," Rogue assured as she neatly placed mug and silverware on her now empty plate.
"Yeah, we totally have our own ride," Kitty chimed, glancing at Jean.
"An' I'm invited t'join ya'll? Dat's sweet. I'm touched," Remy turned the charm up with the help of a toothy grin.
"Ya got somethin' in ya teeth, Swamp Rat," Rogue dead panned.
"Yo wanna lick it out fo' me?" the look in his eyes was of devilish amusement.
Kurt and Evan held their breaths, waiting to see how Rogue would react. Kitty looked a bit pale at the statement. Even Jean watched the two, her gaze passing back and forth between the two warily.
"Not even if it would save muh lahfe," Rogue assured calmly.
"Chére, vous m'avez blessé, " Remy placed his hand over his heart, hurt creeping across his face.
"Too bad it's not a physical wound," the retort came without hesitation.
"I can' believe yo'd really wan' t'hurt moi," Remy insisted, trying to make his expression as doleful as possible.
"Good, then it'll be all the more su'prisin' when Ah do."
With a quick triumphant smile, Rogue rose and left the table, taking her stacked plate with her. Four pairs of eyes watched her walk off in awe. One pair of red on black eyes watched her with genuinely felt appreciation.