Title: The House of the Rising Sun, Chapter 12
Author: Goddess Evie
Date: 09/06/04
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. SOME LANGUAGE USE IN THIS CHAPTER (but only towards the end).
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 a Red Hot Chili Peppers song, but I could not figure out what it was called. If anybody knows, would you please mention it in your review? Thanks! But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I need all my money for my mission!
Summary: Rogue unloads, Remy ruminates, Kitty has a dilemma, and Tabitha tries to soothe Lance (very unsuccessfully, I might add).
Author's notes: Action wise, this is a very uneventful chapter. I needed it to be more emotional, than action oriented. I really needed to give Rogue a good release for the summer she went through. She's been home two or three days now and had, until this chapter, kept most of what happened inside. I didn't want it to be through one of the adults, however, because I don't think she'd open up to them so easily. Kitty was the perfect choice, in my mind, because although the girl often comes off (and is portrayed in fics this way because of it) as an air head, she's really quite intelligent, and even more importantly, caring and compassionate. (A good example is when she thinks up a way to allow McCoy have a short liberation from the mansion without having to use a holowatch in…that one…episode. Yeah) Also, I wanted to show Remy doing what he was actually sent to do, as well as take yet another chance to have him dream about Rogue. Also, Kitty broods over Lance. I don't happen to think that I write angst well at all, but I wanted to bring in the difficulty of Lance and Kitty's relationship that we see in the show, so voila. Also, a little look into how Lance is doing. I promise we will see more of what happens with Kitty and Lance as the story progresses. I have promised a delving into their romantic relationship, and since so far they had only had the one scene in the story, I figured it was time for more. Unfortunately for you Kitty/Lance fans, it isn't looking all that good for these two. Sorry! (Whew, those were some long author notes, if I do say so myself. I do believe I've set a new record in length for myself! )
Review Responses:
Eileen Blazer - My goodness! You've been a busy little reader! It's so nice to see one of my favorite authors reviewing a story of mine with good marks! Thank you so much. What's interesting about the Scott/Jean stuff (what little there is) is that I'm actually enjoying writing at least the Scott part of the story, if only because of his two friends. And as much as I would love this to be a purely Remy/Rogue fic (which it seems to be turning into) I did want it rounder than that, showing what some of the other cast members were going through. For instance, I have more plans for Carol Danvers. I actually happen to like her, because what happened to her was not fault and wouldn't you be hella mad if that happened to you? But if it makes you feel better, here's a Carol Danvers plushie for you to smack around!
Rogue4787 – Okay, here's a quick summary. Remy and Rogue meet in New Orleans and then again in New York. That's the most important part, at least. Heheh. Seriously, though, Rogue has spent a traumatic summer with Mystique and the Brotherhood. She meets Remy briefly (who helps her escape a Brotherhood attempt to recapture her) before returning to NY. Remy, on assignment, begins to head his way up to New York, but is intercepted (to his good fortune) by Ororo and others, who take him to the Institute. Rogue is reunited with Logan and the entire Institute, and finds the mutant who had saved her is also now a member of Xavier's School for the Gifted. She pushes him away at first, but they declare a truce and get along as well as Rogue and Remy ever have. Scott's at college, and the Brotherhood are forced by Tabitha and Wanda to shape up and get jobs when they return home. Did I leave anything important out? Oh yes, Rogue has absorbed Carol and is now living with her psyche bitching at her in her head. breathes deeply
Ishandahalf – I love when you call Remy a muffin. It's so cute! And the perfect metaphor. Don't ask me why. Somehow, it just works for me! I have a lot of fun writing those two interacting, because they are always bickering and trying to one up each other. Right now I'm letting Rogue win most of them, but eventually Remy will also start getting a few in, like at the end of the last chapter. And even though Brad and Nathan are as of yet minor characters, I still love writing them. Maybe because they're good at getting Scott to loosen up and not be so stiff and anal. Scott needs that. It must be awfully painful to have a stick up your $$ 24/7. Be free, Scott! Be free!
Jen1703 – Well, I'm glad I write Rogue and Remy well enough for you to enjoy a story about them, mainly. And though there is no Scott/Jean HR in this chapter, I do delve a little bit into Kitty and Lance. Isn't that good enough? Huh? Huh? No? Well, too bad because I'm writing this story and not you, so I control how it goes so NYAAH! offers a Scott plushie as a peace offering
Chapter 12: Lonely as I am, together we'll cry.
Six mutants walked, at varying paces, from the Danger Room to their respective bedrooms. No one said a word. They were too busy groaning and moaning from the long session that had strained muscles and taxed them to their limits. Even Kurt and Evan were too tired to make any comments about how Logan was a tyrant and wasn't torture illegal in the United States? And for once Jean wasn't smiling, too busy rubbing her eyes and trying to work down the headache that had built from long hours of actively using her telekinesis and telepathy,
The rest of the mansion was quiet, since everyone else had been in bed at least an hour ago. Lucky them that they didn't have to perform for Logan again and again until he was satisfied with their performance. And nothing less than perfection was good enough for the Wolverine.
"Night everyone," Jean murmured as males and females parted at the top of the stairs, heading in opposite directions to their respective dormitories.
Her only answer was groans, waves, and in one or two cases, silence. She moved ahead of Kitty and Rogue, needing to reach her own room to find the peace she needed in order to calm her overworked mind.
Rogue and Kitty headed into the room they shared, Kitty flipping on the light as she closed the door behind them. Both girls flopped onto their own beds and lay quietly for a while, letting their tense bodies relax. Kitty moved once to pull the elastic from her hair and let it free from it's usual pony tail. Rogue pushed off her tennis shoes, using only her feet.
"Ah just want t'go peacefully in muh sleep t'night," Rogue muttered prayerfully. "No more trainin' sessions lahke that. Ah think this one fahnally killed me."
"Now now, Rogue, you're not allowed to die," Kitty told her, lifting her head to look at her roommate. She would have smiled as well, had she the energy to do so.
Rogue sat up and leaned forward on her knees. "If Ah promise you could give th'eulogy, would ya let me?"
"A tempting offer, but sorry, can't allow it," Kitty replied, also sitting up and shaking her hair out.
Rogue gave out an exaggerated sigh and began to pull off sweat soaked clothes. She debated whether or not she had the energy for a shower as she did so, throwing the discarded garments into a pile by the door. Kitty followed suit, picking up on Rogue's example of leaving her soiled clothing by the door to be taken care of in the morning. Or maybe they'd just sleep through tomorrow and dispose of them the morning after that.
"Rogue," Kitty's voice sounded timid as she pulled out pajamas from her dresser and donned them.
Rogue was afraid to answer. She knew what the tone of Kitty's voice meant. She wanted to talk. And she wanted to ask something personal that she was afraid Rogue would be mad at her for asking. And Rogue had a pretty good idea what Kitty wanted to ask, too.
Don't answah. Just stay quiet. If ya don't say anythin', she can't ask her question, she thought to herself.
"What?"
Damn her for her weakness!
"I-" Kitty began and ended on the same word, trying to piece together just the right question. "What happened this summer? Where were you? We all missed you and were like so worried. And now you're back, with new powers and everything. And I can like so tell how depressed you are still, even if you are back. I…"
Rogue pulled on an oversized t-shirt as a night gown and then flopped down on her bed, pulling her covers up around herself and wishing she could hide in them instead of answering Kitty. But she had already opened her mouth and now she knew she couldn't stop. And besides, a very tiny part of her mind niggled, you want to tell her.
"Ah was with Mystique and th'Brothahhood," she told meekly.
Kitty's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open as she stared at Rogue. But the gothic girl didn't notice. With her covers piled high around her shoulders and her gaze focused on her uninteresting sheets instead of Kitty, she could avoid the betrayed look on the girl's face.
"What were you like…doing…with them?" Kitty took a few steps toward Rogue, unaware that she was advancing on her roommate.
"Bein' used," Rogue answered. "Ah didn't wanna go with them, Ah swear. But Mystique had plans fah me and when Mystique sets her sights on somethin', she usually gets it."
"Oh, Rogue. I'm so sorry," Kitty gushed suddenly, startling Rogue into actually looking at her when she sat down on the bed and flung her arms around Rogue.
What she saw there was not the betrayed and hurt look she was expecting, but true sympathy and pain for Rogue. Tears were already welling up in Kitty's eyes and Rogue watched them run down her face. The arms wrapped around her kept a tight hold, as if promising to never let her out of the fold again. After the initial shock, Rogue found herself leaning into the embrace and weeping and sniffling along with Kitty.
And along with the flood of tears came the barrage of words. From the moment Mystique had abducted her to her finally arriving home at the Institute, Rogue told Kitty all. Nothing was left unsaid, no details were glossed over. Rogue remembered why she had come to care for Kitty as she unveiled every woe from her summer of hell. The girl had a way of making Rogue feel comfortable and would listen, without judging, whenever Rogue needed to unload her heart. And after the summer she'd been through, she was long overdue for an unloading of her heart.
Kitty listened silently, sniffling and tearing through the entire story. During the most anguishing parts, when it was most hard for Rogue to speak and often she would choke up were when Kitty's arms would give her a good squeeze and remind Rogue that she was in safe company, far away from the bad company who had left her with such emotional trauma.
Finally, when Rogue had been quiet for a while, Kitty lifted her head and looked straight into Rogue's green eyes, wet and red from crying. "We never knew. None of us. We could never have like guessed what you were going through. I mean, we all had our theories and suspicions, and there'd be times when we'd like slip into conversations of where you might be. But every one of us were like so far from the truth. And I'm glad, because there were times when some nasty things were said. And when they were I like wanted to smack those people. And sometimes I did."
Rogue listened to everything Kitty had to say in awe. She knew she had been missed. Logan had told her so on their trip back and she'd been shown by the eager greeting she had received when her presence had finally been revealed. But still, it was nice to hear it again, and that Kitty had vehemently defended her in her absence.
The only reaction she could handle was to laugh. It was a long relieved, happy laugh. The kind of laugh Rogue didn't often have, locked up in her solitude and protective isolation. It felt so good, even after having just survived one of Logan's training sessions. Like having the sun shine again after a hurricane.
"Kitty, Ah missed ya so much," Rogue admitted after her laughter died down.
Kitty beamed, her smile reaching from ear to ear. And Rogue could tell that she was about to cry again. And if Kitty started crying, Rogue knew she'd begin again as well.
"Don't cry. Cause if ya do, Ah will too!" Rogue exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood.
Kitty laughed instead and wiped at her weepy eyes. "I'm sorry," she pouted. "I just can't help myself."
The girls sat in silence once again. One of Kitty's arms still hung loosely around Rogue, but she didn't mind. Kitty had become one person who Rogue didn't feel like she had to keep herself distanced from, physically or emotionally. She had become a sort of comfort to Rogue, even if Rogue didn't actually admit it half the time.
"So, what about Remy?" Kitty asked slyly, breaking the silence.
Rogue didn't answer at first. Remy had been the one thing she had left out from the entire story. And she wished that Kitty had not brought him up, if only because she herself wasn't sure about him. He annoyed her and elated her all at the same time. And every time she was near him, her heart beat faster and she wanted to do the things she hadn't let herself dream about since her powers had surfaced.
"Ah have nothin' t'say about him," she finally replied stonily.
"Oh, come on. There's definitely something going on between you two," Kitty pushed.
"Look at the tahme. Ah didn't realize it had gotten t'be so late," Rogue chimed, staring wide eyed at the clock that read midnight. Reaching past Kitty for it, she turned on her alarm, shuffled down deeper under the covers, turned away from her companion and closed her eyes.
She could still feel Kitty's weight on the bed next to her, and sensed the girl's gaze boring into her back, willing her to sit back up and tell Kitty the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about herself and Remy. But this was one subject Rogue was determined to keep closed. The little demonstration at lunch that day had been bad enough. She didn't need Kitty getting the idea in her head that she could play match maker. At least, not where Rogue's romantic life, or complete lack of (by choice!), was concerned.
Finally, the girl rose from Rogue's bed, sighing lightly. Rogue listened to her footsteps pad across the room. The light flicked off and Kitty climbed into bed.
"Don't think I'm letting you get off the hook so easily," Kitty's voice sang out before wishing Rogue a good night and finally allowing her peace.
Remy sat on his bead, leaning back against his headboard, with laptop in his lap. He typed away at it, the screen illuminating his visage in the dark room. It was time for the nightly report to be sent to the Guild Father, but with the training session right after dinner, Remy hadn't been able to get to it until now. A little later than usual, but Remy knew he wouldn't be in trouble as long as it got written and sent.
He found he rather enjoyed typing up the reports on a nightly basis. It was almost like a journal in which he could reflect on his experiences from the day. Although, he couldn't do too much reflecting, since this was supposed to be mostly informational with only little speculation on Remy's part.
Tonight Remy's report dealt mostly with what he had seen in the Danger Room with the five other mutants. He had witnessed what Rogue, Kitty, Jean, Evan and Kurt could really do with their powers. He was surprised at the team work they showed, but even more surprised at how easily he had fit into the team, adjusting to their styles and feeling like he had worked with them for years.
He'd also found out where "Scott Summers" was and why he was missing from the group when Logan mentioned him. Something about training with a new teammate since "Cyke" had left. Remy had felt that to be the perfect opportunity to bring him up without being questioned about how he knew about the absent mutant. Jean had happily supplied the information about him being off at college, and although her face remained a calm mask, Remy had caught the slight sparkle in her eyes that hinted there was more between herself and Scott.
Remy also included a note on the group of Mutants that had attacked Rogue back in the bar in New Orleans. He had gotten a little bit more information about them from Jubilee and Amara after school, but they hadn't been able to tell him much. Just that they worked for a powerful Mutant named Magneto who had objectives opposing Xavier's. Remy wondered if Magneto was the same Mutant Xavier had mentioned in his invitational speech when Remy had first reached the institute. That would be one thing he'd have to find out and report on.
Wrapping up the report, Remy triple encrypted it, then sent it to the Guild Father. With a yawn he shut down and closed the lap top, stowing it in its hiding spot on the top shelf of his closet, way in the back behind the random junk he had piled up there. He wished he could have come up with better, but unfortunately there were no loose floorboards under which to hide it, and the dresser seemed like too obvious of a place.
Now he settled into bed, covers pulled up around his chest and hands clasped behind his bed. He stared up at the dark ceiling, not yet sleepy, despite the early morning and long bed. As a member of the Mutant Thieves' Guild in New Orleans, he was used to keeping a thief's hours, and it had really only been a few days since he had left that life.
And yet with everything that had gone on in the past few days, it felt like New Orleans was a distant memory. Living in New York with a faction of Mutants whose supposed goal was to keep peace between themselves and the humans who didn't even know about them was so radically different from his colorful life in Louisiana. And then of course there was Rogue.
She was definitely a different kind of girl. Certainly not the flirty, blushing type he had spent so many years dancing between down South. And certainly no Bella. Bella, although a deadly assassin, thought herself to be a proper lady, and when she wasn't out on a job, she could usually be found doing the things southern belles were known for: shopping, laughing, looking pretty, and flirting with Southern men.
When she had found herself to be betrothed to Remy in order to assure peace between one of the Thieves' Guild and the Assassins Guild, she did what any proper lady would have. She accepted it with grace, taking to her fiancé as if he had asked her to marry him herself. Remy himself hadn't been against the union. Belladonna was a gorgeous woman, certainly. And every bit the same kind of Southern Belle as the hundreds of other girls Remy had flirted with and teased. He hadn't thought he could be any happier.
Until he had met Rogue that one fateful day in the bar. And then really gotten to know her here in New York. She was unlike any girl Remy had met. His usual flirtations didn't work with her, and she called him on every bluff he threw her way. Where every previous woman had giggled and blushed at the universal compliments he had used on them, Rogue rolled her eyes and blew him off, challenging him to find something to say that he really meant.
Of course, he'd known she was special when she'd looked into his eyes and not flinched away from the beginning. Not even members of his own Guild, Mutant's themselves, did that, even with plenty of warning. Some even continued to call his eyes demonic, even when they had known him for years. Bella certainly had reacted badly to them, as much as she had tried to hide it. But Rogue had stared into them no problem, not even seeming to notice that they were colored differently than the rest of the human population.
As his thoughts lingered on her, Remy slipped deeper and deeper into sleep, until thoughts became dreams of the rogue who had stolen his heart.
Kitty could hear Rogue's breathing slow and deepen as she slipped into slumber. Although it was very late and Logan's training had been taxing, Kitty felt wide awake from Rogue's revelation. She knew Rogue would be okay, that wasn't her concern. Rather, it was the reason for Rogue's distress that caused Kitty's mind to run wild.
Namely, it was Lance that kept the girl awake. And Lance's actions towards Rogue during the summer they had been gone. She'd been wondering why she had never seen him all summer, but had never thought to connect his disappearance with Rogue's. And when she'd finally met up with him again by chance at the store, she'd been so elated she'd worn the hugest smile for the rest of the day.
But Rogue had told a different story of the young man, abusing her mentally and physically. That wasn't the Lance Kitty knew. Sure, they had fought against each other on opposing teams, traded insults with fellow Mutants and even Kitty herself during the times they were fighting. But in the off times, when Kitty would sneak away to meet him, or catch him around school or town with none of the others around, he was so sweet…
Kitty found a part of her was absolutely enraged at Lance. The next time she saw him she wanted to hit him, or better yet phase him halfway through a wall, preferably face first, and leave him there. The same part was enraged at herself for thinking that Lance was really a good guy in disguise and that although they had their differences now, everything would work out for them in the end. For deluding herself into thinking that Lance, although working for the likes of Magneto and Mystique wasn't really all that bad, even if everybody else refused to see it.
But Rogue wouldn't have lied, not about something like that. Kitty found herself suddenly disenchanted with the scrubby but cute mutant. No, worse, she found herself broken hearted. She couldn't understand why Lance would treat Rogue that way. But she knew that he had, and that was all that mattered, even if it did mean giving up on the one boy she had ever really liked.
It just wasn't fair.
Kitty realized she was crying again, this time for herself rather then Rogue. She was glad the other girl was asleep. She didn't want her to see more tears, especially not over somebody who had spent an entire summer making Rogue's life miserable. But Kitty couldn't help herself. She'd never had her heart broken before.
And she'd never felt so guilty for wanting to hold on to someone so tightly, despite the horrible, but true, things she had just heard about that someone.
It was late, but the Brotherhood House was still in full swing. Even with her door shut, Tabitha could hear the movie Todd and Fred had blaring downstairs in the living room battling with the Red Hot Chili Peppers blasting out from Lance's stereo just down the hall, as well as Pietro and Wanda arguing over something mundane in the kitchen loudly enough to be heard over the rest of the noise. Partly they were all just being too loud and partly the walls in the house were so thin that you could hear secrets being whispered over in the next room if you listened closely enough. And if the house were ever actually that quiet.
Mystique was off still gone, after having made a brief stop at the house before the boys had arrived. No one knew when she would be home, or really cared past what new assignments she might bring with her from the almighty Magneto. Not that Tabitha cared much about that, either. Although she lived with the Brothers, she didn't participate in any of their anti-Xavier activities. She was just here because she needed a place to stay until she became comfortable with the idea of becoming an X-Man. As long as she and Mystique avoided each other, they got along just fine.
With a sigh, Tabitha dropped the trashy romance novel on the bed next to her. It was impossible to do anything in noise like this, even read the steamiest parts of the formulaic book. Tabitha huffed and pushed herself up off her bed. She hated when she was forced to regulate, but it was a dirty job and she was usually the only one anyone listened to it when the job fell on her shoulders.
Her door slammed against the wall with a loud bang, though it did nothing for the air pollution blaring around her. First stop, Lance's room, since it was first on her way through the house, and because she knew he'd be the least likely to listen to her. If she caught him again on the way back up to her room, she had more of a chance of getting him to actually tone down the volume a few notches.
She yanked open his door without actually knocking, but the words she'd had ready to yell at him were gone as she saw him sitting on his bed, doubled over. His head hung between his knees, and his arms hung loosely around him. Tabitha knew what that meant. She should have known just by his choice of artists. Red Hot Chili Peppers was his comfort music.
He didn't notice her until she already had the door closed and was turning down the music at his stereo. His head shot up, and he glared at her dangerously, though Tabitha ignored it.
"What are you doing? Leave that alone. Get out!" he yelled at her, his mouth forming a snarl.
Tabitha thought perhaps she felt a little shaking of the house, but she couldn't be sure.
"Chill! I just want to know if you're okay," she shot back, her voice sounding offended.
"I'm fine," he growled. "Now get the hell out."
"You aren't fine," Tabitha replied knowingly, walking towards him and flopping down on the edge of his bed, keeping her blue eyed gaze on him. "You're feeling guilty."
He looked at her with a narrowed gaze as if she were Todd. She ignored the look, the look on her face conveying that she wasn't moving until she got an answer.
"Shut up. You don't anything about what I'm feeling," he finally conceded.
"Rogue was your friend on good days before you all hauled her away this summer. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I know it couldn't have been good," Tabitha told him.
He turned away, at that point, and Tabitha took that as a sign that she was right. For once, though, she wasn't proud of that fact. There were few times she hated being right, and this was one of them.
"You should feel guilty. You should feel like absolute shit for what you all did to her," Tabitha continued. "She never did anything to deserve that kind of treatment from us."
"She went traitor," Lance cut in bitingly, still refusing to look at Tabitha.
"She got away from this hell hole is what she did," the spunky blonde disputed. "Just like you tried to do once, remember? You had no right to punish her because she succeeded where you failed."
Tabitha knew she had hit a sore spot when Lance turned to look at her again, lower jaw trembling with anger.
"You have no idea what happened. You weren't there," he yelled, uncurling from his ball as he did. "Stop acting like you're all high and mighty because you think you know. And get the hell out of my room!"
Tabitha rose and backed up away from the volatile young man, afraid that his anger would turn violent at any moment. She found herself backed against the door with his fierce admonition to leave.
"Fine. Okay. I was just trying to help. I'll leave," Tabitha's nonchalant reply came.
"Well, let me assure you that you suck at helping-"
Lance's yelling continued, but Tabitha didn't hear anymore. She flung herself out of his room, slamming the door behind herself. For a moment she squeezed her eyes shut, willing the anger to succeed. But her temper already had the better of her, and in the heat of her anger she reopened Lance's door a crack and let a couple of her explosive balls loose.
That would teach him to yell at her when she was trying to be kind for once in her life, she thought to herself as she jogged down the stairs. She needed to get out of this house, at least for a little while. If not she was likely to bite someone's head off, literally. The cool night air felt good against her heated skin, and as she left the Brotherhood property, she was already releasing her heated temper with angry mutterings.