Chapter 3:
The Prince Returns
(Weeks earlier...)
" Heard you had a shower!" Rogue said, in a bright sassy tone as she walked into the infirmary to visit Gambit for the first time since he had been awake and coherent. His smile grew large as he recognized her, he then good-naturedly rolled his eyes at her.
" Huh, news travels fast 'round here, eh?" He said, as was becoming a habit, Gambit's heart begin to beat faster as she entered the room. She looked fantastic, she had put on a short skirt to show off her shapely legs. He could not help but notice as she walked towards him, the smile on her face was undeniable. She was beautiful, and to Remy's great relief, she was happy and she was safe.
"Yeah, Ah would get used to that." Rogue said. It was nearly midnight and Rogue had heard that Gambit had woken up from his coma and was now speaking. She could no longer put it off and had to see him. She knew seeing him would help clear up some of her nightmares, she needed to see him alive and speaking.
"You look great." Gambit said, smiling at her. It was true, she looked different. Not only had she healed from the majority of her wounds she was dressing a little more productively, in her thin tank top, short skirt and long gloves. She had an almost laid-back attitude, her hair was pushed out of her face, and her smile was usually brief and fleeting, but this time it remained stationary on her lovely face. He recognized immediately that this was for him. In the time that she had to recover, it seemed that not only did her body heal but so did her mind. She had a sort of renewed outlook on life, she felt she had herself together. The ugliness of fighting and containing Danvers was over for now and she was eager to share that with Remy.
" Ah could say the same thing about you, happy ta see that you're awake," Rogue said brightly, as she gently sat down on the edge of his bed. Though Rogue could never detect his rapid heartbeat upon seeing her, she would never deny hers. The stitches on his face were almost invisible to her as she leaned in to speak to him. Each bruise and cut was a visible representation of how much he sacrificed for her. He had nearly died for her, and like some fairy-tale hero he struck down the monster and carried her away from danger; even though that wasn't were it ended, and the story had nothing close to a "happily" type of ending. She still remembered the way she felt when Johnny was choking the life from her and her only thought was of Remy, and how she fantasized that he would save her, and, like the answer to a prayer, he did.
" Ah'm happy ta see Ah'm awake too, Ah understand Ah almost didn't make it." Remy grimly stated. The opposite could be said for Gambit, though his body was healing nicely and he was returning back to normal, his attitude was turning strangely negative. A new feeling rose up in him, it was a feeling of anxiety, something felt very wrong. Why was he feeling so anxious all of a sudden? He didn't understand; it was almost instinctual. He needed to pull away from Rogue, and the more brightly she spoke and the more excited she was to be around him, the more he felt like sending her away.
" Ah don't want ta talk about that." Rogue said with a sad smile, she was determined to move forward from the whole ugly ordeal. She was determined to push on to more positive things, but something about him seemed off, though she tried not to pay that any mind; especially after what he had been through.
" Well ain't you soundin' all serious? Wha' you wanna talk 'bout?" Gambit asked, he found himself getting uncharacteristically nervous. There was something about her that made him so anxious that he was willing to forgo his usual flirtatious banter and ask her to leave; but was it her that was making him feel so uneasy? Or was it something else?
"Ah was hopin' 'bout us," Rogue said in a flirtatious way and placed her gloved hand over Gambit's. She then smiled at him in the way he liked, but to her surprise, Gambit ushered her hand away. He then smiled at her, not flirtatiously, almost as though he were apologizing.
" Oh ...well, feelin' kinda tired. D'ya t'ink maybe we can save it fo' another day? When Ah'm back on m'feet." It was as though the moment she had sat down on his bed she triggered a ticking clock, that only he could hear. She had done so much for him and he was all too enthusiastic to return the favor, but even now, as beaten down as he was, he lit up when she entered the room and he found that terrifying. He felt as though he were pushing Rogue out of the way to save her from a rushing train, it made no sense to him whatsoever. The effort that he put into keeping Rogue safe was baffling because there was no visible danger. Rogue was the one person he had done more for than any other person, for the exception of the woman that became his wife.
"Oh ...sure that's fine. No rush. You should get yourself better before you do anythin'." Rogue was hurt, but didn't let it show. Suddenly he was pulling away from her? Why? Was he no longer interested in her? Was he scared, or was he really telling the truth? She didn't understand.
" Ah'm not in de mind ta do nothin' right now, Cher." Gambit smiled at her, hoping she would understand. He had felt his way before. Remy's urge to keep her at a distance was a feeling that he couldn't ignore. The last time he cared about somebody this much they suffered greatly thanks to him, and most likely, they had even lost their life.
Bella Donna Boudreaux was his best friend, he had agreed to become her husband to save their lives and now she was most likely dead because of him. And before he abandoned her, she had to witness the loss of everything she loved because of him. And he was only a little too disgusted with the fact that he didn't care enough to go back to see what ever truly became of her.
" Ah get it, really no need ta give me those sad eyes!" Rogue laughed, "Just get well quick n'in a hurry. No one 'round here can cook." She winked at him, and she some how managed to get a chuckle out of him. Before anything more could be said, she quickly stood up and left the room. She was trying to hide the hurt, anger and confusion that she was feeling. She was clearly being pushed away, and why was he being so damn jumpy? The more she thought about the whole stupid ordeal the madder she got.
" Was this why ya were actin' so damn weird?!" Rogue yelled inside her head. "Did that whole stupid no-conversation talk we had have ta do with yer past o'yer present, Remy?" Rogue thought angrily about the conversation they had in the infirmary, it was the last serious conversation they had, had before Remy began avoiding her. It made her want to use her impressive strength to cut fire wood with her fists or crush stones into rubble; the man was an annoying mystery. They had left each other on strange terms. She tried not to push him any more than what she did because he was still on the mend. She also may have just been too afraid of how he really felt about her to talk any further about it. She found it much easier to just be angry at him. However, it was slowly making a little more sense because nearly two weeks later the boy-Assassin had came to their school with his fatal message. Did he know the boy was coming? Was that the reason for the distancing? The potential for speculation was maddening, and it just added to how aggravated she was.
" SO lucky the man didn't have a catheter in!" Rogue bitterly ruminated over the last thing Remy had said to her to distract herself as the team flew to New Orleans. Which was a mistake, because it was making her mad all over again; the weeks Remy had avoided her were awkward and infuriating, but she was caught completely off-guard when he pulled her aside today and told her that he didn't want her coming to New Orleans. She played very cool at the time, but inside her head she was screaming her real feelings: " Who the hell did he think he was!? You couldn't do this the easy way, could you? Then ignorin' me like the damn plague! And then you were gonna tell me what ta do n' where ta go!? If Ah wanna go ta New Orleans then Ah'm gonna go ya busted-red-eyed-mother-f-"
"Rogue, what do you know about this?" Scott asked firmly, interrupting her intense stare at nothing.
" Huh? Oh...well, all y'all know he's as shady as a'oak, s'not much." Rogue was telling the truth in a sense, she knew that she had information that the others didn't have, but the memories and knowledge she attained would go unnoticed by her until she tried tapping into them. After all, why would you ever attempt to remember something that was irrelevant to your life? It was as if you were trying to remember how to perform heart surgery when your life was dedicated to baking. Much of the time Rogue never knew if she acquired a knew ability or memory until something triggered it, or in the case of Gambit, she really didn't want to try looking, because she was afraid of stumbling onto something she didn't want to know.
" Who was that kid that came to the school? What could have set Gambit off like that?" Scott asked, he was very concerned about going into an assignment without back ground information. The flight to New Orleans had been awkward and silent; he wanted to break the tension with preparing a possible plan. It was very close to the Spring Break holiday and the air was busy above them, as planes at higher altitudes ushered in thousands of people ready to celebrate in the tradition, and highways were packed below with eager crowds of road tripping out-of-towers with the same goal. The helicopter managed to stay unnoticed as they were able to get just ahead of the swelling traffic. Scott was concerned about the crowds of people ready to celebrate, there was an increased chance someone could be hurt with how many people would soon flood the city.
"Well, we're only a little less blind, anything you can share will help." Scott pushed. Rogue's comment had made him all the more eager for answers. The idea of not knowing what he was jumping into was making him edgy.
"The lil'boy, Ah'm sure you can put that together yerself. He was a message fer someone that wants Gambit here. Did the boy mention anything about his father or family?" Rogue's guess was a good one. In her experience the only thing that caused Gambit to act like that was when his family was involved, especially his father. Rogue couldn't help but be empathetic, not enough to stop being mad at him, but still generously empathetic.
"No, but he did say something right before he got upset, something like: personal and jams dit...que voo ave a problem audition, lay oncle...or something." Scott said struggling to remember all he had heard.
" Personne n'a jamais dit que vous aviez un problème d'audition , l'oncle?" Rogue replied. It was though the words simply fell out of her mouth. She did not understand French but Remy did and her knowledge of the language was simply tapped from him.
"That's it! What does it mean?" Scott said mildly surprised.
"Ah don't know, Ah just knew what you were tryin' ta say." Rogue was always a little jarred whenever something triggered an acquired memory and it popped into her head like that. Unless you knew Rogue personally, it tended to make her sound like a liar.
"The kid called him 'Uncle'. Sounds like family ta me." Logan had been fluent in French when he lived in Canada but that was over 50 years ago and he hadn't had a reason to use the language since. He had a feeling he was going to need it, as they quickly were approaching New Orleans.
" Think the helicopter will sink?" Bobby was attempting to make jokes about the swampy terrine to cut the tension of this serious flight, but he was failing, but Rogue couldn't have been more distracted. She was navigating the helicopter to land in the proper location; she was trying to recall the location of where the plantation house Gambit and herself had broken into to retrieve his kidnapped father. As well as remaining far enough away to remain unnoticed.
"This lookin' familiar?" Logan asked as they approached the dark swamp land. Sunlight was choked into shadows on the sunniest of days by the trees that grew tightly together. Ruins of once luxurious civil war era homes were hidden among different shades of green, creating a lush landscape. If you looked close enough, different sorts of river inhabiting wildlife made the surface of the water move, if you looked closer you could see abandoned or hidden cemeteries and churches among the overgrown poplar trees and flooded by the consuming river.
"Yeah, but that ain't the problem." Rogue said shaking her head, as they hovered over the familiar patch of land with a smaller oasis surrounding it. The Rippers chose this spot because it was land locked and isolated, and now it was seemingly abandoned.
" Do we really need another problem?" Bobby asked, as he peered down over the structure. He would never admit how excited he was, he had never been to New Orleans before and he certainly never had a chance to be there during spring break.
" What kind of problem? " Scott almost sounded as though he were demanding an answer.
" See for yourself." Rogue was no longer looking at the place she remembered, it was a postwar zone. The obvious crumpled structure had no ceiling, it looked like there had been a huge fire. Rogue was sure that this was where she had led Gambit months ago to retrieve his kidnapped father. Among the ruins, the only thing that still remained were the boat launches and paths leading to the deteriorating remains of the old plantation house and ancient servant quarters.
"It looks abandoned." Scott remarked, he was disappointed. This meant that they had lost the one lead they had to their missing teammate. If they couldn't find him on their own then that meant they were going to have to ask around.
"Did the no-ceiling give it away?" Rogue said in a sassy and irritated way, the attitude was due to her annoyance with Gambit and Scott imposing his dominance, but mostly Gambit.
"Great, how did you know to come here in the first time?" Logan asked.
"Gave one o'them Rippers a touch n'got all of the information Ah needed." Rogue had no intention of going back to the club she had confront the Rippers at. Gambit had assured her that she was safe with him but to never return, these people were unpredictable. Scott, however, had missed the memo.
"Rogue, land within walking distance of the city. You got information of location and who was who before, you can do it again." Scott said almost coldly. Scott was sure this would be how they would catch up to Gambit and that they would get information. At least there was a good chance they would cross paths with Gambit before too long. He had all confidence in the world that his team could extract the information needed from these people and find Gambit in the next 12 hours.
"Right." Rogue said in an uncertain tone she was weary to go back to that dangerous place but she had survived the last time and this time she was with her team. She would be fine, so she thought.
(~*~Translated from French~*~)
Remy LeBeau walked down the hidden streets of New Orleans, you would never know that these streets even existed if you hadn't been forced to live on them like he did. He came upon a two-story tenement, where men looking to buy time with a professional date would come. It was a very popular brothel, filled with a number of women who saw no other option than to sell themselves. The lost and drug addicted littered the alley in hopes to buy or sell any number of addictions.
"Here we go." Remy thought as he re-accumulated himself to the environment he was, unfortunately, raised in.
~*~Is that?~*~ A voice to the side of him said. The dealers and the addicts looked up one by one, it was a bit of a homecoming.
~*~Well, well, well! The prodigal son come home!~*~ The older prostitutes and dealers that could still remember the young Thief-son when he was sent away to live on the streets, called after him and whispered to one another. When the prince of organized crime comes back to the kingdom it couldn't help but cause a stir.
"Home again, home again." Remy thought, as no one stopped him from stepping into the brothel and walking into the forbidden back rooms. Remy would joke to himself about how he didn't even know places had front rooms until he moved out of New Orleans and into the real world. Two large men with large guns stood in front of a heavy metal door. Remy approached it with little apprehension. One of the two guards, the one Remy didn't recognize, began to reach for him but was abruptly stopped by the other.
"Long time, Remy." The guard that Remy recognized said.
" He here?" Remy asked, not interested in any conversation.
"Ain't he always?" The guard answered, as he let Remy pass. He even opened the door for him. Behind the thick heavy door was a vastly different environment than the rest of the building. It was a gaudy gold and white French-inspired suite. Expensive furniture occupied the room, complete with expensive paintings in ornate frames. Remy nearly rolled his eyes at the audacious room complete with hot-tub populated with young naked working girls, sipping champagne. They were trying to enjoy the perks that their boss permitted them, until they were interrupted by the handsome stranger with the strangest red eyes. They watched nervously as the long-haired man stepped in front of their boss. To their relief, their boss looked up at the man and smiled.
"Well if it ain't org'nized money!" Onyx "Sweetness" Sweet said, he was an old time pimp, who had been dealing in flesh since the early sixties and knew the Lebeau's very well. The women in the hot-tub understood the importance of the visitor and attempted to gain his attention by smiling and groping each other playfully.
"Don' call me dat. When's de last time we did business together?" Remy asked, his attitude was almost as relaxed as it was good-natured. The average person would have been very nervous around this man surrounded by his drugs and the obvious guns poking from underneath his long coat. The wet naked prostitutes would saunter by Remy to inspect him and the conversation, they knew better then to interrupt their boss and they didn't say a word as they smiled and tried to be noticed.
" Looks like we 'bout ta do business now." Sweetness perked up and put down whatever he was reading to give Remy his full attention. He was excited to see the young man all grown up and being the opportunist that he was, wondered if Remy was getting back into the game. And if he was, than it would be time to call in the favors he had done for Remy when he was a young homeless mutant, but much had changed since Remy was last in town.
" Not really, Ah jus' need information, Ah can't find m' father. Where de hell de Thevies at?" Remy asked. Usually, all he would need to do was whistle down an alley and his people would pop up, he never had to go looking for them like this before. It was unsettling, and it was forcing him tract down old acquaintances for information. If there was ever anything Remy could count on, it was Sweetness staying put with an ear to the street. If anyone could point him in the right direction it was old Sweetness.
" Now see, some information like dat, dat's goin' ta cost you." Sweetness smiled at him, he knew it was in his best interests to look after the son of New Orleans' biggest organized crime families, but not without a service fee. When Remy was a kid that didn't understand street life very well, Sweetness was more than happy to offer a helping hand, if only for the sake of a good relationship with the Thieves Guild, but now he was a grown man.
" Couyon asshole! Even after all dat money Ah put in fo' you?" Remy said in fake outrage. His family had taught him very well, he knew how to steal and always have money in his pocket so he could pay and avoid owing anybody anything, including Sweetness. However a time came when he needed a different sort of help, and one of Sweetness' 'employees' would need to assist Remy anywhere between 2 to 5 times a day for five months, and he ran up quite a tab.
" Ha! Well now, dat's de truth! But you ain't been puttin' money in fo' me lately n' dat's gonna cost you!" Sweetness laughed and smiled, as Remy reached into his pocket and tossed him a Chicago bankroll. He felt the weight of the money in his hand and was satisfied with how heavy it was, he then placed it next to a small pile of cocaine on the table to the right of him.
"Now where de Theives at? It's like Ah can't find no one no mo'." Remy asked, normally it would have been a very stupid move to be seen with so much money and to give it away so freely, but Remy held quite a status in these kind of places and in this town; no one would dare rob him or even attempt something so stupid, his reputation surpassed itself. The two hot-tub prostitutes eyes went wide as the thick roll of money was exchanged, and they were becoming annoyed with the lack of attention.
" 'Cause dey went undergroun'...you n'endangered animal now." Sweetness smiled, Remy had been gone for some time and Sweetness, compared to Remy's family, was a small-time player but he always managed to know everyone's business.
" Ain't no one gonna just up an' move like dat!" Remy could believe his ears. What Sweetness would say next would cause his blood to run cold.
"Ripper-Assassins pushed 'em on out." Sweetness said, shaking his head. Remy was told the Rippers gang were a generic and feeble attempt at using the street credit of the few remaining members of the Assassins Guild after a majority of them were killed and Thieves took over. His father had told him they were a joke and posed no more threat than a low level street gang. He said that the Rippers were just using the Assassin name to establish a reputation for themselves. However, shortly after, the same 'low level gang' successfully kidnapped his father and they had way more excess to weapons and man power than any 'low level' gang Remy had ever seen. They even established themselves a house of operations in the bayou that was so complex that he needed Rogue to lead him through. Everything about it was the calling card of a seasoned Assassin, but Remy kept himself wrapped up in a thick cloud of denial.
"Rippers ain't Assassins, you gettin' yo'self confused ol'man!" Remy said, the fear was now growing in his voice, because if there was anything that Sweetness never was, it was a lair.
" Ah's ain't confused! De Theives n' yo'Daddy, fought de good fight n' went out ta de bayou n' burnt down de Ripper- Assassin hidey-ho! Burnt it ta de ground! De one dey took yo'Daddy to!" Sweetness was still as sharp as he ever was, and he was right. After Remy and the X-men had saved his father and Remy had gone back up north, Jean-Luc, Remy's father, had wasted no time to go back out to the Ripper's hideout to destroy it. They found it deserted, but set it on fire any how.
"Wha'?! M'father never tol' me nothin'! Ah thought it was de Rippers, not Assassins! Assassins Guide is gone, you know dat!" Remy fought the ugly truth, but Sweetness wasn't lying. It was painful to have the comfort of denial ripped away from him, he always knew deep down that his father knew more than he was telling, but he didn't have to face it til now.
" Wake up, young blood! Dem groups one n' de same! Maybe yo' Daddy don' wanna believe it. N' maybe you didn't hear nothin' 'cause dey fought de battle but lost de war." Sweetness said, shaking his head. In the time between Remy's last visit to right now, the tides of power had shifted from the Thieves controlling every corner of the southern coast to Assassins taking complete control.
" Ah was only here a few months back! How dis all go down?!" Remy could no longer run and be deaf to the truth. He had to finally accept what Sweetness was saying and it was what he had suspected all along but was not ready to face.
" Sad ta say Ah missed you de last time you was here. Heard you blew up de city last Mardi Gras!" Sweetness laughed among the seriousness of the conversation.
"Sweet! M'Ah Father! De Thieves! What happened?!" Remy snapped to keep the old man focused.
" Okay, Okay, baby! No need ta go off like dat! So yo' Daddy was throwin' shoulders after you left, actin' all big. You ask me, he look scared as hell n' he knew somethin' was a'comin' fo'em." Sweetness recalled, he remembered the anger and ego Jean-Luc had displayed to hide the stress and fear the impending Assassin take over was causing him. The only thing trickier than being king was staying king.
"N'den?!" Remy asked, the fear finally breaking into his voice.
"N' den nothin'. Thinkin' what ever he thought was comin'...came, now he gone n'you here. Last time Ah run across yo'Daddy was 'bout a week after dey went on up ta de Assassin's hideout n' burnt it like a bonfire! Dat was almost a month back." Sweetness again shook his head as he recalled the events leading up to the fall of Remy's family. For a moment Remy hung his head to maintain and processed what Sweetness had told him.
"Where dey hole up now?" Remy asked without raising his head. He needed to find the Assassins, if he found them he would find his father. He had no other choice, and just as terrifying as if he found out his father were dead, he would finally find out what had happened to Belladonna.
"Dat Ah don' know...but Ah know who do. You can fin' some of de small-time rollers at de Old Cat Club, Assassins o' Rippers, o' wha'ever you wanna call 'em, always be there. You got yo'money's worth yet?" Sweetness asked, he was uneasy giving up all of this information, he could see the man was crushed. The next bit of information would be risky for him to repeat, but he had to for old times sake and he really did like how the Thieves ran things.
"What kinda help can some small time wannabe Assassins do fo' me? Last time Ah came back dey changed up everythin'! At least Ah had an idea o' mah father was, but now Ah ain't got nothin' ta go on." Remy said clenching his fists. Last time we had Rogue to guide him, now he was flying blind; no way would some newbie Assassin know such intimate information. Sweetness was his last chance to get information that he could rely on.
" Ain't got nothin' exactly...Dem small time rollers hang wit' Noly Elmsworth." Sweetness smiled and waited for the Thief to connect the dots.
" De bulidin' contractor?" Remy hadn't heard that name in years. Not only was Noly Elmsworth a building contractor, he was the Al Capone of illegal setups; from back rooms, to dungeons, to hidden bunkers or even a good old-fashioned speakeasy he was the master of false walls. He did everything off the books and he was exactly what a big time crime syndicate called for. The one thing every criminal needed was a secret room in order to conduct their business and Noly was the man to call.
" Holy Noly! De criminal carpenter himself, n' Ah know fo'a fact he not only built de new Assassin Maison, but he laid it all out too! It be almost done, but it ain't done yet... n'we both know how he do." Sweetness smiled at Remy.
"He'll have de floor plans on him..." Remy almost sounded relieved. It was a glimmer of real hope, a chance to know the layout of the Assassins home base before the Assassins themselves had a chance to become accustom to it. Noly was essentially an artist and he always had plans of his unfinished projects on him at all times. He was a genius when it came to building structures and he took his work very seriously; that's why he always kept it close to his heart and in the hidden pocket of his inside jacket. Remy had noticed it when he was a kid, the square piece of paper always out lining on the inside of this coat. From a very early age he was trained to notice small details like that, it was how you got the upper hand if you wanted to find out a person secrets without asking them a question.
" Welcome home, Remy." Sweetness continued to smile with his gold plated grill and knew if anyone could pick pocket Noly's floor plans it was the youngest of the Lebeau sons.
" Magnifique..." Remy sighed, this is turning into the worst kind of scavenger hunt and it was a little trickier than simply picking a pocket. Noly knew him, and knew his face. So far, no one knew he was back in town, this was going to require a heavy distraction while he stole those plans.
"Since you 'ere, lookin' at spend some time wit' Lacey?" Sweetness suggested. Remy hadn't thought of that name in years. Lacey was the one and only of Sweetness' girls he would spend any time with.
"Dat's over. Ah'm good now" Remy said, and though it would have been good to see a friendly face, this was no time to catch up with old friends.
"Ain't we all?" Sweetness said, but Remy was already in a hurry to leave the room and rush to get outside. The hot-tub girls were visibly disappointed and wondered if he would return.
~*~My God, Remy LeBeau is that you?" Mary Agnes Delatour, otherwise known as "Lacey", watched as the attractive young man with an intense focus rushed from her boss's office and run down the alley. She could have sworn she recognized him. After she was sure that he was gone, she went into the brothel and stopped the two women that had just gotten out of the hot-tub and immediately began questioning her fellow "co-workers".
" Do you all know who that was?" Lacey asked.
" Whoever he was he wasn't interested in us..." One of the girls said in a disappointing way.
"It was a shame too, he was fine as hell." The other remarked, shaking her head and wrapping a robe around her naked body.
" Would be happy ta do his ass fo'free!" The two began to laugh in a agreement. Lacey had no patience for their small talk.
" Would you two bitches shut up! Ah need ta know what they said in there." Lacey demanded, as she grabbed one of the girls by the wrist. The girl was, understandably, surprised by the seriousness of Lacey's tone.
"Damn, okay! He was lookin' fo'his daddy." She quickly answered, as she tried to pull away from Lacey's firm grip.
"N'talkin' 'bout some gang shit." The other girl added, her voice was sassy and irrated by the way Lacey grabbed her friend.
"What kinda gang shit?" Lacey demanded, she had a very strong inclination she was right.
"Ah don' know! You know we new 'round here and you know you don't have ta be grabbin' on a bitch, right?" The girl said, as Lacey released her grip, the other girl spoke up.
"They said something 'bout Thieves n' Assassins, n'Rippers o'somethin' like dat. What you care?" She asked.
"He a friend o'mine." Lacey admitted to the girls. They both looked at each other and smiled.
"How do Ah get me some o'dem friends!" Again the girls began to giggle in agreement, "Lacey?" When the girls looked up Lacey had already turned her back on them and was walking down the hall.
"Rude bitch." One of the girls remarked, as they made their way upstairs.
~*~ "Will I ever see you without troubles, Remy? Then again you have never seen me without mine. The one thing that brought us together, no?~*~ Lacey thought, she never understood how someone so beautiful and charming could have so many unbelievable problems. She thought of the months they spent together. When they met he was probably only fifteen years old and as handsome as he was scrawny. He hadn't eaten in almost three days due to an unbelievable condition.
(Years ago...)
~*~ Aggie! Aggie! It's happening again! ~*~ Remy called out, right after something that sounded like a firework, went off in her kitchen. She immediately understood the situation and ran to her frightened house guest.
~*~Remy you fool! How many times do I have to tell you! You let me make you breakfast until you're sure you can touch stuff?~*~ Mary Agnes said as she looked over the mess, at this rate she was going to have to buy new plates and mugs every week. The young man that she allowed to live with her had some sort of inconceivable condition where sometimes he could touch things and they would be fine, other times they would, incredibly, explode. ~*~" Were you going to try feeding yourself too?! You would have blown your mouth off that pretty face!~*~
~*~" I know, but I felt okay today! I dressed myself without any problems and I was even able to hold my toothbrush!~*~ Remy protested, he was having a great morning until he tried picking up a mug and poured himself a cup of coffee. He must have held the mug too long and without warning it began to glow and it exploded. As always, he felt horrible, even though he was paying for her, she had been very good to him. She didn't have to let him sleep over night after night. The first few weeks they were together Remy couldn't touch anything longer than a few seconds before it exploded. Lacey would open doors for him, brush his hair and teeth, change his clothes, and feed him.
~*~ But you know once you're fully awake it starts acting up! Oh no! Was that my favorite froggie-face mug?~*~ She whined in disappointment, as she swept up the mess.
~*~ Yeah...it was the frog one. And I know, but I felt okay when I woke up...I felt...you know. ..normal.~*~ Remy said casting his eyes downward, ~*~" Are you mad at me? ~*~ She turn to him with a hand on her hip, and decided that it was impossible to be angry at this helpless, gorgeous young man.
~*~It'll be okay come here.~*~ She said giving him a kiss on the head. She continued on with her morning routine and made breakfast for herself and Remy. ~*~You're going to be okay don't get upset. This will pass. It's been happening less and less everyday. Haven't you noticed?"~*~ She said placing a piece of cheese into Remy's mouth. He shook his head as he chewed. He then held up his hands to inspect them.
~*~ What is this, Aggie? People should not be able to do this!~*~ Remy said, as he accepted a grape Mary Agnes placed in his mouth. When it first started he thought it would stop, but it didn't. At first he could keep it relatively under control, but after the ugliness of his wedding and being sent away by his father, his ability seemed to be going through some growing pains.
~*~ No use thinking about this now. Drink.~*~ She said as she tipped a coffee mug to his lips and let him sip. ~*~ We gotta get to work and it's not like we can go to any doctor, you know?"~*~ She reasoned.
~*~" Aggie, as long as I'm here you don't need to go on anymore dates."~*~ Remy announced through a mouth full of bread. He was incredibly grateful for his friend, Sweetness was her pimp and had 'assigned' Remy to her. At first he felt like an obligation because of his powerful father, but after no time at all they had become fast friends. Remy's father had ordered Sweetness to take care of his son while he fought an all out war against the last remaining members of the Assassins Guild. The quiet, bloody war would be fought for nearly a year before Jean-Luc Lebeau and his Thieves Guild could completely crush the Assassins out of existence. Jean-Luc went through extensive lengths to make sure his son stayed hidden and relatively close by. He remembered his father promising Sweetness an offer to expand his business into drug supplying as well as a wider area for the his prostitution of his "Sweet Girls" as long as he did right by his son. They both got exactly what they wanted.
~*~" Is that right? You keep on eating this way and blowing up my dishes, I think I'll be putting in some extra time on my back!" ~*~ Agnes laughed she said lighting a cigarette for herself. Remy watched the graceful way she would pull a Gaulosises brand cigarette from its cobalt blue box, and held it between her lips and swiftly lit it as she fed her young guest. He would end up smoking the same brand of French cigarette because of her, no other kind would do.
~*~" I'm a great thief! You've seen me! Remember that day I picked over $1500? And we used those credit cards to buy us all of those clothes?"~*~ Remy smiled, as Aggie shoved an orange slice into his mouth. To Remy she was one of the loveliest women he had ever seen, her skin was a lovely light mocha color, like when you add a little too much creamer to a deep black coffee and she had a beautiful flourish of almost reddish-brown hair; she grew it out naturally in a soft, slightly curly, Afro. Her light brown eyes went from a burning intensity to a soft warm light when ever she looked at him. Remy had never had a mother, this may have been the closest Remy had ever come to one.
~*~" Yeah and that was a great day, but how do you plan on taking those wallets when you're blowing up everything you touch?"~*~ Agnes reasoned, he was sweet to offer, but it was unrealistic. She couldn't help but be in love with this young man, no male ever wanted to take of her, for the exception of Sweetness.
~*~" Not if you stay close to me and I pass off whatever I grab to you. Can we try it today? Please? I don't like you with all those guys."~*~ Remy said shaking his head. He knew she didn't like the idea, but he really wanted to try. Ever since his hands started exploding things, other things were changing as well. Every time he tried to convince someone to do something, they actually did it. For a moment he thought he was just becoming a better talker, but it was happening so often it had to be connected to his ability to explode things. In addition to his ability to persuade and blowing up things, movement was so much easier, he was getting faster and he almost couldn't believe how agile he was; scaling the sides of buildings and jumping rooftops was incredibility easy. If only he could get his hands under control, life would start getting on the right track.
~*~" Let me tell you something, Remy, you do whatever you have to, to survive. I don't mind doing what I'm doing. You use your talents. No matter what the job is, okay?"~*~ Agnes assured him.
~*~" You sound like my father."~*~ Remy said in a disappointing pout.
~*~" From what I understand your father is a smart man."~*~ Agnes watched Remy's face go from a smile to a disappointed frown.~*~" Okay. Fine. I hate it when you make that face. Let's do today your way. But! Just for today. Okay?"~*~ Agnes was surprised, she would normally not be so easily convinced but she found herself taking every suggestion this young man offered her. Normally she was so selfish and ever since she met Remy she found herself making great strides to not disappoint him. She took great satisfaction in making him happy, it was strange to say the least.
~*~" Yeah! You'll see I'll control it! I'll make so much money today you won't have to do any dates! You won't have to be 'Lacey' anymore!"~*~ Remy said excitedly. Agnes couldn't help but smile, at that point in her life no one had ever been so sweet to her. For that reason, Remy would always hold a special place in her heart.
"...You was right, Remy. Ah didn't need ta take no dates while you was with me...What's wrong with you now?" It was years later and she still felt then as she did now. Perhaps it was a maternal instinct, but even after more than ten years later she still saw him as that kid who tried to treat her like a queen.
Remy stood in front of a store that used to be a restaurant that served as one of the fronts for his father's business. He tried to block out many of the conversations and what he had saw in those back rooms behind the kitchen. He couldn't deny that they were real memories, a real part of his childhood. And as hard as his father tried to make him feel normal among the violence that went along with the family business, he never did. However, he took very well to everything else and showed unusually high promise in the area of high stakes cat-burglary. But he could never be as violent as his father wanted him to be, it simply wasn't in him. Remy tried to focus on the best part of this place, which was its kitchen. He had learned from his aunts, uncles and the other gifted chefs that would come through the kitchen; usually illegal immigrants that would never speak of what they heard coming from those back rooms. These immigrants were from all over France, Africa, Vietnam, Cuba and Mexico and they were all willing to show their boss' little son their talents. He learned so much from them and he struggled to stave off what he learned from this father.
(Many years ago...)
"Do you have my money?"~*~ Jean-Luc asked with a smile on his face. He rarely had to personally deal with individuals not paying back loans but when that loan is for 50k he liked to see to it with his own personal touch. ~*~" Randy? I asked you a question. I'm getting really tired of you dodging me and now you won't talk to me? "~*~ Jean-Luc look over the 57 year old man and he was a sorry sight: hands shaking, his shoulders trembling, with his eyes wide and beginning the water; he was terrified he had been an obsessive gambler for nearly 20 years and he just couldn't help himself. He knew he had reached rock bottom when he asked a longtime acquaintance to help him to pay back debts after several bad wagers.
"Dat's real rude, Mr. Wallace." Darius Fontaine said as he stood behind him. He had been a strong man for the Thieves guide since he was 16, shortly after he had gotten quite the growth spurt, he was now a man of thirty and a master of his craft. He looked over the man as well and took a step forward so he was uncomfortably close to the trembling man. He watched as Jean-Luc continued to smile and tried to make eye contact with Randy, but he refused to look him in the eye.
" Its okay! Its okay, baby!" Jean Luc laughed, "C'mon! Have a seat, Randy, have a drink." Clearly Randy hadn't expected that and he was becoming a little less nervous as he sat down at the poker table. Jean-Luc slowly poured both of them a small glass of bourbon, and then seated himself. Once Randy was sure that Darius wasn't going to come any closer he finally spoke.
"Ah-ah kn-know Ah been owin' you fo' a while now." Randy said as he wrung his withered hands repeatedly, trying to stop them from shaking. Jean-Luc was purposely taking his sweet time, the tension on Randy's face was painful to look at. Everyone knew the reputation the Thieves Guide had and at the time Randy thought he had no choice but to go to them for money. When you're desperate and you have terrible addiction you tend to forget the horrible stories people repeated to each other about the Thieves Guide. Ironically, the only thing Mr. Wallace could now think of were those horrible stories.
"Well, now dat some truth, ain't it? Darius?" Jean-Luc agreed as his smile faded and now looked disappointed.
"Yeah, sho'nuff." Darius agreed as he stood behind the old man's chair and looked down at him. Darius was nearly six foot six and towered over the old man who appeared even smaller compared to the hulking muscular man behind him with his arms crossed. Darius was very dark-skinned and he blended in with the black T-shirt and pants he wore; to the point where he looked like an intimidating solid mass preparing to for something.
"Ah extended dat friendship loan fo'ya. Ah even broke up dem payments 'cause we go way back, n' you still didn' make 'em, kept comin' up short. Yo' times up." Jean-Luc said sternly before Darius grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down into the seat leaving him unable to move.
" Jean-Luc, p-p-please! A-Ah just need time! A little, little bit of time, please!" Tears began to pour from his begging eyes, as Darius painfully clutched the small man's shoulders.
"Please , show a little dignity..." Jean-Luc's eyes seemed to go cold and dead, as he then retrieved a hammer from a drawer and slowly walked over to his sobbing guest.
"Je-Jean...!" Randy was so terrified he couldn't say anything more as Jean-Luc slammed the steel hammer down onto the old man's wrist, he screamed in pain. Jean-Luc continued to butcher his hands with the hammer until he was distracted by the slight sniffling of his little son. Jean-Luc turned to him and smiled, stopped his vicious chore and for a moment, he put the hammer aside and knelt down in front of his little boy.
~*~" Remy, my heart, my son tell me. Why do we do this?"~*~ Jean Luc spoke gently to his little boy as he took a break from administering his violent punishment. Remy fought tears as he attempted to reply to his father's question, the blood all over his father's hands was now touching his small shoulder and it scared him.
~*~" T-to send...~*~" Remy was only capable of shaking out two words before he lost momentum.
~*~" See? You know. Tell your papa."~*~ his father spoke sweetly and encouragingly as he attempted to teach his son a lesson. His kind voice and loving manner contrasted deeply to the violence he had just witnessed, with the blood on his father's hands and the hammer at his side, Jean-Luc continued to smile.
~*~" To send a message."~*~ Remy timidly repeated as his father's eyes lit up.
~*~" That's it!"~*~ Jean-Luc answered, proud of his son. Even under pressure and at the tender age of six he still managed to think clearly even though he was terrified John-Luc felt this was a far more valuable lesson that Remy could never learn in any school.
"You a smart one, Remy!" Darius smiled warmly at the little boy, as he took an extension cord and tied it around the crying man's neck. For a moment he did want to stop for the boys sake, he knew he would never want his little son ever seeing him do such a thing, but Remy was meant for things his own son wasn't. He was from a different family, this would be his life. This would be his business, it would be best that he should learn now while he was still young before he could choose another path in life.
~*~" Go on back to the kitchen, son. Make your papa something special."~*~ Jean-Luc said just before he hugged his son. Perhaps this was difficult for his son to witness but Jean-Luc felt Remy was strong enough to handle it, Remy was his son after all.
~*~" C-Coq au vin?"~*~ the little boy replied beginning to feel a little more comfortable his father's loving hug and Remy was proud to make his father so happy.
~*~" Coo-wee! Remy that sounds perfect!"~*~ "Darius! Ain't mah boy perfect?" Jean-Luc replied to the the boy's culinary suggestion and it was exactly what he wanted: business-as-usual, normal as usual; even though the business that they had was far from usual.
" Coq au vin? Ain't no baby know how ta make Coq au vin!" Darius replied in a doubtful yet happy tone. It was disturbingly friendly and warm conversation among the crying of the old man begging for his life. Darius continued to have a happy face for little Remy as he tied a noose intended for hanging the hysterical man, whom was now lying on the floor. This was the type of conversation that family would have among each other a family gathering, but in a warped sense, that's exactly what was happening, this was family conversation and sadly this was a family activity.
" He do! You see, Go on now, go on ta yo t'auntie n' sho' Darius you know yo' way 'round dat Coq au vin!" Jean Luc said proudly, as he sent him on his way. He now seamlessly shifted gears and returned to his pitiful guest. Darius pulled the crying bloody man to knees, and he looked up at Jean-Luc's cold eyes, that were warm only a moment before, and again he begged.
"NO! Please! Ah's got babies at home! Please, Jean Luc! They be needin' they daddy!" Randy begged and pleaded, his fingers jutted and pointed in a twisted unnatural ways, broken and beyond repair. His scream extinguished into a squeaking choke when Darius tightened the noose around his neck, and he pulled the extension cord tightly to force Randy to his feet. The last thing the dead man would see tonight before the real torture began was the face of the little boy in the crack of the door, the child's red and black eyes confirmed it, the child was a demon and his father was indeed the devil.
" A daddy like you? They best wit'out." Jean-Luc's voice was like ice as the man's face turned a swollen red to purple color as the cord tightened around his neck. They would slowly hang him to death, allowing him to touch his toes to the ground so that his suffering was prolonged. The two men would see to it that he agonized for almost two hours. They would torment him for the sake of sending their message: Thieves ruled this city.
Remy remembered every moment of that traumatic night. He would hold on to it through his adulthood and even now it seems like it happened only yesterday. The kitchen and its restaurant were gone now, and with it, every horror of those back rooms. Now it had been redone, the storefront had transformed into a alternative type of boutique selling all manners of corsetry and historical wardrobe that would have walked the streets of New Orleans nearly a hundred years ago.
~*~" They really did it...Oh God...Bell is this you?"~*~ Remy prayed that Bell wasn't doing the things their fathers did, and he hoped to find his people. And if it were true that the Thieves had moved out and he was an endangered species, just like Sweetness had said, he was going to have to be as invisible as possible. He knew that he could go to the Old Cat Club that the Assassins frequented but if any possibility of the rumors being true that the Assassins ran things now he'd be walking into a death trap. And since his father had been kidnapped before, he was unsure if possibly his presence would put his father's life in danger, so he would scout the building for now. He planned to scale the building in front of the club and from the rooftop and he would watch for a good opportunity, possibly, the spring break crowd could cause enough commotion where he could find Noly undetected and snatch his floor plans.
"He definitely went down this way." Logan said as his highly sensitive sense of smell locked on to their runaway teammate. It was comforting that the trail leading to Gambit was still warm enough that Logan could pick it out among all the other smells of delicious cooking food, street filth, perfumes, incense from Voodoo and Hoodoo shops.
"Ugh." Scott muffled himself, this place went against all of his sensibilities. He was never the type to enjoy many of the dangerous or exciting things guys his age enjoyed like strip clubs, drinking benders, or partying of any kind. He loved rules and structure, they were comforting and consistent; spontaneity was something he tried to avoid and he hated surprises, so of course walking in the footsteps of their law breaking teammate was extremely uncomfortable. The people that lurked in this alley were a sobering reminder of why he loved laws and by comparison, his bad decisions weren't so bad.
"Down there?" Bobby looked down the alley and immediately noticed the shivering junkie, no older than himself, searching the ground for discarded cigarettes to calm the pains of detoxing. Nearly a dozen of women in various ages and states of sobriety wearing transparent clothing and stilt-like high heels, eyed the four strangers and tried to figure out their business here. " Whoa, hoe-stroll..." Bobby remarked as some of the women, some as young as Rogue, attempted to make eye contact with Logan, Scott and even Bobby.
"Shut up, Bobby just walk." Rogue said, "Where to now Logan? " She asked trying to ignore the unsettling sexual element.
"Straight down the alley. I'm going to get up on the roof and cover you top-side." He said motioning to the parallel rooftops of the opposite brick buildings. " C'mon Bobby. You guys go down the middle and see what you can find out. I'm not planning a confrontation but you never know when Gambit's involved." Logan said. Scott looked disappointed he felt he was being undermined because he thought he would have been the one to give the order not Logan, but it sounded like a good plan nonetheless, and he didn't feel like arguing. Scott cautiously stepped into the alley with Rogue at his side and they prepared themselves for anything. Logan tapped a distracted Bobby on the shoulder and urged him to come long with him to scale the building around the corner.
" Can't I go with them? " Bobby asked eyeing the half naked girls smiling at him. "I'm good...at question...asking questions." He said hopelessly distracted.
"No." Logan said firmly as he grabbed Bobby by the nape of his uniform and pulled him out of the alley.
"Okay, Ah guess it's up to us to try to get some information out of somebody." Rogue was determined to walk out of that alley with information on where to find Remy. She some how knew that she was going to have to be the one asking the questions. Logan was too valuable to not be covering them and Bobby was too immature and distracted to ask effective questions, and Scott lacked all of the finesse to talk to the people here, that made him useless.
"Everyone here looks like they rather shoot us than talk to us." Scott said, and he wasn't completely wrong, there were all walks of criminal down this hidden alley from the very dangerous to merely the self destructive, whom intended to harm none but themselves. There was a mixture of people staring at them and people trying to avoid eye contact with them. The individuals that were trying to make eye contact were looking to either sell a product, whether it be drugs or themselves. One woman in particular got Rogue's attention, she couldn't help but feel that this person was important . She didn't understand why, but she approached her and trusted her instinct.
" 'Scuse me hun, we're lookin' fer somebody that we know has been in here recently." Rogue approached her with respect and sincerity, she felt that she would appreciate that and for some reason she felt a sense of gratitude toward this person, even though she had never seen her in her life. Rogue had an overwhelming feeling that she was a person that would put a roof over your head even if she didn't know you, and she also felt that this woman very much wanted to take care of someone.
"Ah don' know no one but m'self." She said, she immediately knew who this was about, even though she knew may people that would merit an investigation, she knew Remy was in town and where ever Remy was, people in uniforms asking question was never far behind. She had been reading strangers for practically her entire life, and this girl wasn't necessarily setting off any alarms but the way she was dressed was cause for concern. Their clothes were similar to the shirt Remy had been wearing, similar thick, almost armored material that was the same shade of black and with a patch of a symbol showing a circle with an X in it.
" He's just come ta town n' he might be in some trouble." Rogue said, she found herself trying to remember this person's name, even though there was no way for her to have that information, " Ah don't know you, do Ah? Did Remy know you..." Rogue thought to herself, that would explain her gravitation to this woman.
"Folks don't come ta a woman like me fo'information. " She said pulling a Gaulosises brand cigarette from its cobalt blue box. Remy's brand of cigarette, Rogue remembered how particular he was about that, she was sure she was on to something.
" Ah know you're the business fer things other than information but this is really important. Ah think you might know who Ah'm talkin' about." Rogue said, as she watched her gracefully put the a cigarette to her lips and swiftly light it with a green peace-frog lighter.
" Ah know lots a'people, Chile...Ah could introduce you to lots o'people... pretty thing like you." She said with an menacing smile. She would not give up information so freely, she didn't know these people, and they were asking questions about someone very close to her heart. She had practically been a mother to Remy for over a year, it was one of the best years of her life. She wanted to know the motivations of these strange people, especially this girl with the white streak in her hair and loveliest green eyes.
"Rogue!" Scott immediately took offense to her comment to Rogue; that she would imply that Rogue was of the same quality as a prostitute offended him greatly. She was playing with them, and Scott had no tolerance for it. There was any number of others in this alley that would tell them what they wanted to know.
" Its alright." Rogue assured Scott, " M'Ah apologies, he ain't used ta that type o'compliment. " Rogue assured her, she shot Scott a look to stay out of their conversation. This women knew something and Rogue knew Scott's superior attitude could chase away this lead.
" Rogue, huh?" She gave a somewhat, condescending chuckle at the sound of the girls name. It reminded her of how Remy would get called 'Gambit' every time he gambled; he had a risky habit of taking long shots that always seemed to pay off. Speaking to this girl, this Rogue, came natural to her, she almost thought she might have been asking about Remy with a little love in her voice, but she was far from being sure." Well 'Rogue', looks like yo'friend ain't used ta a lot. Is he lookin' ta try somethin' new?" She pushed their limits, if this was about Remy she needed to be sure she if they were telling the truth. And she really didn't care for the tall young man in the stupid Star Trek-looking sunglasses.
"Trust me. We're not looking to buy. " Scott's lip curled in disgust, at that point, could not muster anymore patience for this woman. He felt he could just as easily move on to a more talkative scumbag and get everything they needed to know from one of them. He didn't understand why Rogue was wasting so much effort on this one.
"Then Ah ain't lookin' ta talk!" The woman snapped, Rogue spun around to speak to her teammate.
" Hold on." Rogue excused herself, as she grabbed Scott by the arm. "Scott you gotta back up n'let me do this, please?" Rogue was strangely being the one to keep the level head. She never knew that Scott had a button that would cause him to lose his cool, she would have never thought it would have been the implication of sex. It would have been funny if the situation wasn't so serious, but when they got home she would enjoy telling Jean all about this.
"But-" Scott had never known Rogue to be like this. She was usually more than happy to never play leader but suddenly she had taken on an assertive role. He had always known her to be moody yet sweet, strong and standoffish; but now she seemed different, still sweet but no longer moody and undeniably strong but now she was also warm and oddly charming. Lately she had been dressing differently, she had been pulling her hair out of her face and not wearing such heavy makeup. He never noticed how vivid her green eyes were, and when she spoke sweetly to him it was very difficult to say no to her.
"Sugar, Ah'm askin' again, please." Rogue spoke to him sweetly and softly. To her relief she saw Scott's brow relax, however he crossed his arms, irritated.
" Fine...but I'll be right here." Scott said. He thought this was useless, he hoped Logan and Bobby were watching this.
" N' Ah'll call if Ah need you." She smiled, despite the delicate balance she was playing between her uppity teammate and convincing a hostile prostitute to give up her information. She turned back to face a very impatient woman that was just about fed up with this whole thing. Rogue knew now was a good time to start speaking frankly. " Would you mind terribly if Ah cut the bullshit?"
" Ah would much appreciate that, baby." She replied, taking a long swallow of her French cigarette.
" Do you have any idea where Ah can find Remy?" Rogue asked, she took a chance and went with her instinct and dropped any guard she may have still had. Rogue watched as she smirked at the question and shrugged.
" 'Bout so high, brown eyes, white...n' a real looker?" She asked. Using every question as a way to find out how well this girl knew her friend and exactly how much she cared.
"They sure ain't brown, but he's definitely a looker." Rogue replied, she was positive now, this woman knew Gambit. She completely understood that this was a code, an honor among criminals.
"Ah don' do no business wit' no white folk." She lied as she lit another cigarette. If these people really cared they would work for information.
" Please. Remy's a friend of ours." Rogue said as sincerely as possible. Lacey looked over the girl and her visibly annoyed companion, their uniforms were strongly working against them and no one around here would trust anyone in a uniform, but the girl, Rogue clearly felt personally for Remy. The light in her eyes would flicker when she asked about how she asked about him. She assessed the way she was covered from head to toe, even her name; if any question was worth asking it was the most telling one.
"You special like him?" Lacey asked suspiciously. If these people were the same as Remy they would understand that question.
" Like she said we're friends of his." Scott interjected in a firm tone, despite Rogue's progress, this was going too slow for him and he felt his way was the necessary way to talk with these people. And he didn't like her question. She immediately took offense to Scott's attitude and she had him figured from the moment he approached her. He was a straight shooter, he wouldn't give her the time of day unless she was in trouble; not out of the goodness of his heart but because his type had to do the right thing. That type struck her as phony, a person that would help you because they were better than you; not because they really cared. She had no tolerance for his type, and she was not afraid to let him know what she thought of him.
" Hm, 'friend' be just a word 'round here. A word that you can buy fo' a few hours. Nothin' more. So what'd ya'say, one-eye? Wanna make a friend?" She pushed the boy scout for her own entertainment. To her gratification, she had no issue getting on his nerves.
" This was a waste of our time! Come on Rogue." Scott said angrily as he turned his back to her and began to walk away. He was uncomfortable with the whole situation, and this woman's solicitation of him was grotesque.
"Bye, Rogue." She woman said, almost sadly as she also turned to walk away.
"Wait! Wait ma'am, please! You asked us if we were special like him? Did you mean something like this?" Rogue asked softly as she motioned to her feet. For the sake of finding Remy and for her consideration only, Rogue looked her in the eye as she slowly pulled up her feet and crossed them until she was sitting, cross legged, in mid-air while still eye level with her.
"Rogue!" Scott said quietly and angrily, dissatisfied with her choice of actions. The less anyone knew about them the better, and Rogue freely giving up their secrets was a bad move.
" My Lord... you really flyin'! No strings or nothin'!" Lacey was speechless, just as she was when she had first seen Remy with his strange and alluring black and red eyes and again when he first charged a door handle before it blew off the hinges.
" Please if you know him at all, then you know that he's in trouble n' we're here to help him. Please tell us where he is." Rogue asked as she slowly extended her legs and put both feet firmly on the ground.
"You really care fo' him don't you?" She smiled at Rogue, it warmed her heart to see Rogue blush. Her words were exactly what she wanted to hear.
"...Yes." Rogue admitted, almost ashamed of her feelings. It was a little embarrassing to be read so openly by a stranger.
"Ah can tell. Ah would get the same look on my face when Ah knew he was in trouble n' Ah could help him." She recognized the look in Rogue's eyes immediately. She decided she would help this girl, she was telling the truth and it was the glimmer of love in her eyes that convinced her. Her teammate lingered behind her.
" So, are you going to tell us where he is?" Scott asked impatiently. Her eyes immediately narrowed at the pushy young man.
" Fo' a price." She said looking intensely at Scott as she made her request. Rogue shrugged and reached into her pocket, to her surprised the woman touched Rogue's elbow to motion her hand away from her pocket. " Nu'uh, not you, baby girl." She said, Rogue looked up at her with a questioning look. " You." She said motioning to Scott, as she held out her hand toward him.
"Seriously? " Scott asked at the ridiculous request.
"As a heart attack, dis be business. Ain't no charity fo' what yo'askin'." She took much pleasure in watching Rogue give him a sobering back handed slap to his chest, to which he lamented and Scott dug in his pocket for a $50 bill, which she immediately grabbed and shoved into her bra.
" Ok you find him at the old Cats Club down the street. He lookin' fo' his daddy n'if he's lucky he won't find him. Rogue, tell him Aggie says hello." She said her voice sounded worried, as she looked into Rogue's vivid grass-green eyes.
"Thank so much, Aggie. Ah'll be sure ta tell him." Rogue said will relief and appreciation. She even reached out to touch Rogue's gloved hand.
" Take care of him, Rogue." She said thoughtfully, she then released Rogue's hand and turned to Scott. "By the way one-eye, you might see me as just some dumb old whore, but it don't take no straight-arrow ta see you that you won't get real far walkin' 'round like dat." She then motioned to his uniform. Even though Scott was clearly not impressing her, she understood he was here to help her Remy and any advice she could give them to aid in their rescue, the better. She then walked away from them and toward the brothel.
" Remind me again why we're doing this. I'm going to need a serious shower after this." Scott had been uncomfortable, disgusted and insulted in the short time he had been down that filthy alley and he was very eager to be done and quickly began to walk to the sunlit street.
" Ain't gonna say Ah approve, but this ain't our lives, Scott." Rogue looked over to her right to see a shaking junkie begging for a taste of her addiction from a man no older than Scott, and with a hungry look in his eye. Rogue turned away quickly, and accepted the sad and frustration fact that they couldn't help everyone.
"You can't be serious, Rogue. This is disgusting...even for Gambit. " Scott said as he couldn't help but judge and elevate himself above the sad occupants in this dark place. Rogue understood Scott's reaction, but his ignorance of why some people's bad decisions worked out worse than others was unfair to her.
" Do ya know why men buy women, Scott?" Rogue asked in a firm tone. Scott raised his eyebrow at Rogue's strange and inappropriate question.
"You mean to tell me you know?" Scott asked out of surprise, as they headed out of the dark alley and to they bright street where Logan and Bobby were waiting for them.
" Other than the obvious, they pay them not to judge. Some people ain't given the option ta make the make the right decisions. Just survival, we know that better n'most." Rogue said, she wasn't happy with a lot of her own life decisions, but she truly believed that it would only take about two or three bad decisions and she could just as easily ended up in an alley like that. Scott took a moment to mull over what Rogue had said.
"We know where he's at?" Logan asked, as he kept on eye on Bobby who was excitedly taking in all the sights and sounds of the cobblestone street as shops began to open for lunch and musicians began setting up to fill the city with music.
" Yeah got a real good idea." Rogue said.
" We think we know where he is, but I think we gotta make a stop first." Scott said looking himself over, something 'Aggie' had said struck a cord with him.
(To be continued...)