Chapter Summary: Rogue talks privately with Jean-Luc and wonders who the real Jean-Luc LeBeau is.
XOXOXOXOX
It was late morning by the time Rogue stepped back onto the porch rendering her shower all but useless. The air was still, and the humidity pressed in on all sides. Her shirt sticking to her low back, Rogue squinted in the heat. Turning, she headed down the length of the house, looking for the shady side.
Turning the corner, she stopped short. Jean-Luc stood at the rail smoking a clove cigarette, looking out across the property with a blank stare. Rogue opened her mouth to say something—ask him if everything was okay with the Assassins, tell him none of this was Remy's fault, warn him about Emeric—but nothing came out.
"You need something, Petite," Jean-Luc asked, sliding his eyes toward her and taking another drag of his cigarette.
"No. I was just looking for a little peace and quiet." Rogue replied, embarrassed to be caught staring.
"Ain't we all." Jean-Luc finished his cigarette, immediately fishing another out of a silver cigarette case and lighting it. Rogue shifted on her feet, unsure how to respond. Unsure if she should say anything at all.
"Dere was a time when things were a lot worse than they are now," Jean-Luc spoke, "About a decade ago, before Remy joined the family, the fighting was at an all-time high between the Thieves and the Assassins. Every night someone was getting hurt or killed. Now it seems like we're on the edge of being right back where we started if we can't smooth things over."
"I'm sure things will be fine," Rogue replied, but even to her ears, the words sounded empty. Not that it mattered. Jean-Luc only nodded absently as he took another drag on his cigarette.
"Most Guildmasters don't live past sixty-seven." Jean-Luc said, "A lot get killed in de streets, or the stress gets t' them. Henri is older than I was when I became Guildmaster.
Can't help but wonder what type of situation he's going to inherit when I'm gone. What it'll cost him to keep everything together? Constantly having to choose between what's needed and what's wanted."
Rogue watched the older man as he rolled the cigarette between his fingers. Jean-Luc seemed to be talking more to himself than her at this point. His shoulders were tense, and there was the slightest crease where his eyebrows drew together.
He's worried, Rogue realized, and it was a helluva shock. In her mind, the crafty man was ready for anything and everything. In some ways, Jean-Luc was in the same category as the Professor. Both seemed like they were never unsure about anything. Leaders that never faltered and would always come out on top. The idea that Jean-Luc was worried…
"How did you fix things last time?" Rogue asked as she walked over to stand by Jean-Luc. From this side of the house, she could see where the property met the water, and a dock jutted out into the swamp. Everything was still. Even the water barely moved where it lapped against the dock. It felt like the heat was pressing everything down to the earth.
"Marius and I arranged for Remy and Belladonna t' be married," Jean-Luc murmured, taking another drag from his cigarette.
"What?" Rogue squawked, head snapping towards Jean-Luc. That seemed to startle Jean-Luc from his musing as he turned to stare at her.
"You mean you didn't know?" Jean-Luc asked. Rogue shook her head, watching the man in front of her flounder, perhaps for the first time in his life, "Mais, I thought…I mean, I thought Remy would have told you." Jean-Luc paused, collecting himself while he took another drag off his cigarette before continuing.
"Remy knew Belladonna from when he was living on the streets. After we adopted him, de two stayed friends in secret…as much as two kids can keep a secret. Marius and I thought t' engage de two of them to stop the fighting and bring an end to the war."
Rogue gaped at Jean-Luc, fury taking hold of her. Suddenly she wanted to hit the man in front of her. Part of her wondered what would be the outcome of hitting the Guildmaster in his own home.
"Obviously, we didn't do it," Jean-Luc raised his hands in defense, "I put an end t' de idea when it was clear that neither Remy nor Belladonna wanted t' go through with it. Mais, Remy was still angry though. Dat's when he took de job up North."
Gee, I wonder why, Rogue thought bitterly. She bit down on her tongue until she tasted blood. Turning to look back over the property, she frowned, trying to reign in her emotions. In some ways, she understood Jean-Luc's logic.
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, but somehow it always seems like the ones making that call weren't the ones who would be paying the price.
Mystique is like that, too, Rogue thought.
Shaking her head at that, Rogue looked back toward Jean-Luc. He was staring out across the property again, not making eye contact. Silence stretched between the two of them. Rogue was beginning to think that Jean-Luc was done talking when the older man spoke again.
"It was a mistake."
At that moment, Rogue wondered if she was speaking to the real Jean-Luc. She could only guess what it cost the man to say those words out loud, though she couldn't begin to work out why he was saying them to her.
Absently, Rogue wondered if he had ever said them to Remy.
Running her finger over a spot on the railing where the paint had chipped away, revealing the wood underneath, Rogue looked out at the dock again.
"Emeric is causing trouble." She said.
"Is dat so?"
"Yeah. He's holding court in the training hall talking about how he doesn't think that y'all can lead the Thieves Guild through a fight with the Assassins if it comes to it."
"How'd you hear that?"
"I was standing right there when he said it. Said it in front of a bunch of others, too," Rogue blew out a frustrated sigh.
"Dere's always someone trying to grab power," Jean-Luc noted idly.
"What if it's more than that? Remy and I saw him in the Quarter last night, but we don't know where he went. What if he was stirring up trouble?" Rogue asked, tracing the lines on her gloves. Jean-Luc had said there were Thieves causing trouble in the Guild. As far as Rogue could see, Emeric was definitely trouble.
Supposedly Emeric was an excellent thief if what Etienne had said was true. Rogue knew from personal experience people tended to follow someone who was good at something. Emeric was cocky, but clearly, he could get people to listen to him if the crowd in the gym was anything to go by.
Jean-Luc frowned at Rogue's question before shaking his head, "Non, I wouldn't worry about that. Emeric wants power—sure he does—but he's not dumb enough to take on Julien alone. Da boy would get himself killed trying to win a fight like that. He knows it too."
Suddenly the mask shifted back into place, and Jean-Luc was grinning at her, "Mais, it probably drives him crazy that you beat Julien in a fight twice, though. You're so good at knocking out Assassins. Maybe we'll have you knock out a few Thieves."
"Forget it!"
Rogue's head snapped around and saw Remy stalking toward the two of them.
"She ain't your puppet t' manipulate, Jean-Luc." Remy stepped in front of her so that he was toe to toe with his father, "You're not using her t' fight the Guild's fight."
Jean-Luc scowled back at his son, "I'm not de one who got her involved in the first place."
"That was different," Remy's face hardened as he grabbed her upper arm and swung them around, heading back down the porch.
Rogue glanced back over her shoulder. Jean-Luc was still watching them with dark eyes until they turned the corner on the porch, the house cutting off her view.
"You okay, Cher?" Remy asked as he pulled her back into her room.
"Yeah. We were just talking," Rogue muttered as the sudden shift from bright sunlight to the dim interior of the house left her disoriented as her eyes adjusted.
"Talking with Jean-Luc can be as dangerous as wrestling with a water moccasin," Remy said, frowning at the French doors as if he could still see Jean-Luc outside.
"I imagine," Rogue replied.
"Cher, I think it's time you head back North," Remy said, looking at her again, "I can get you a ticket for de train tonight."
"What do ya mean?" Rogue demanded, trying to ignore the sting of rejection she felt at Remy's statement.
"It's not safe for you here. I can't promise dat you won't get hurt in all of this."
"Did I ask you to keep me safe?" she snapped, glaring at the man before her, "Look, Gambit, I'm getting real tired of being pushed around."
"No, but I told you before, I'm just watching over you," he frowned at her. "You don't know Jean-Luc like I do, Rogue. Do you think he is going to stop now that you used your powers once to help the Guild? He's going to be on you even more than he was before."
"You think I don't know that?" Rogue snapped.
"I don't know. Do you? Did you think about anything before you opened your mouth at the meeting this morning?" Remy snarked at her as he pulled out his cards and began shuffling them.
"I was trying to help you. Jean-Luc was blaming you for what Julien did last night." Rogue hissed.
"So? What else is new?" Remy snapped, "Jean-Luc ain't gonna give you up for God or money now, girl. He always had an idea of what you could do, but now you've shown him firsthand. He's going t' try and manipulate you t' do what he wants you to."
"So does everyone else," she exploded, "That's not the point. Your daddy is worried. I think he's really concerned that your family could get hurt if things get bad again."
"You're serious. You actually buy that line," Remy reeled back to stare at her incredulously before glancing around the room like he was looking for a hidden camera.
"You didn't see him a minute ago, Remy," she said, frustrated with the man in front of her. Remy seemed determined to only see what he wanted. And right now, that was that Jean-Luc was a liar.
"No. I've just seen him all my life, Rogue. Trust me. Dis is just another one of his tactics." He spat. "If it was Mystique, and I was saying she really cared about you, what would you say?"
"That's different," she said automatically, though deep down she knew that she would be saying the same things to Remy that he was saying now. The look on Remy's face said he knew it too.
"Non, it isn't."
"Damnit, Swamp Rat, just listen to me. I know he's trying to manipulate me into using my powers, but—"
"There's no but Rogue," Remy cut her off. "He's always been this way. You think you can justify it this time because t'ings are bad, and what he's asking you t' do makes sense, and it isn't too bad, right? Not in the grand scheme of things.
But what about next time, huh? Are you going to use your powers for him then too? 'Cause I can guarantee dere will always be a next time with Jean-Luc."
"I'm not saying that I'm going to use my powers this time or next time. I'm saying that Jean-Luc may not be completely selfish in asking if he really is worried about people getting hurt."
"Oh well. If it's for the Guild's sake…then by all means," Remy muttered, flinging a hurt look at her. Rogue tried to ignore the twisting in her gut.
A knock at the door brought the conversation to a halt.
"Remy, you in there?" Remy crossed the room and opened the door to reveal Emil. He glanced at Rouge before looking back at Remy, "We got a lead on that house you told us about, Rogue. Remy, Jean-Luc wants you to look at the title information to see if you recognize the name as one of Belle's aliases."
Remy nodded and followed Emil. Stopping in the doorway, he glared back at her, "Stay out of dis Rogue. I still think you should leave, but if you are too stubborn to do dat, at least don't get yourself more involved."
Rogue watched as he slipped through the door, unable to come up with a response to that. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she pressed her palms into her eyes, the hurt look in Remy's eyes when she defended Jean-Luc, still playing behind them.
Was Jean-Luc playing her? Probably. Did he care about his family? Rogue thought so, but clearly, Remy didn't think so, or he didn't think it was a major factor in Jean-Luc's plans.
Rogue suddenly sat up, feeling like she needed to move or at least get out of her room.
Heading downstairs and out the back door, she stepped back outside again, the windless heat pressing in immediately. With no real destination in mind, she began a slow loop around the edge of the property, letting her feet take her where they would.
As she came around the far side of the property near the garage, Rogue could hear raised voices. Turning the corner, she found Etienne and Yvonne squaring off behind the garage.
"I'm saying it's weird. What kind of twenty-two-year-old hangs out with a fifteen-year-old?" Etienne asked, "I mean, people are going t' notice dat you spend so much time with him, and they're going be talking about ya."
"Why should I care," Yvonne snapped back, "People are always running their mouths anyway, so what's it going to change? Besides, it's no one's business who I spend time with. And if you think it's so bad, why don't you just leave me alone?" she crossed her arms.
Etienne glared at her before turning on his heel and stalking off. Rogue watched as Yvonne stayed silent, staring after him as Etienne walked away. Clearing her throat to catch the younger girl's attention, Rogue ignored Yvonne, swiping at her eyes.
"Hey there, Sugah. You okay?" Rogue asked softly.
"Yeah," Yvonne replied.
Rogue waited quietly, carefully keeping her face blank. Sitting down on a bench next to the garage with a huff, the younger girl looked up at her miserably, "Any chance you didn't hear that?"
"No, but we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Rogue replied, letting the girl have an out to the conversation. Sitting down next to Yvonne in the shade of the garage, Rogue looked up at the trees.
"Etienne thinks I'm an idiot. That's all," Yvonne said.
"He called you an idiot?" Rogue asked, her eyebrows flying up to her hairline.
"He might as well have," Yvonne insisted, "Etienne says that I'm only talking to Colt to get Colt's attention and that people will start talking about me, saying I'm trying to sleep with him. But that's not what it is at all."
"What is it then?" Rogue gently prompted, thinking the younger girl might need some encouragement to open up. Turns out she didn't need to worry because Yvonne had built up a full head of steam and was ready to blow.
"He's just a nice guy," Yvonne exploded in frustration.
"Colt was visiting with the Runners the day we found out about Cecile." She looked at Rogue with sad eyes, "Cecile was my friend, so, obviously, I was upset, but I didn't want to cry in front of everyone. There already aren't a bunch of female thieves in the Guild, and a few of the guys have suggested that we're only good for playing decoys during a job. So, like hell, I was going to cry in front of any of them."
By this time, Yvonne was back on her feet, pacing in front of Rogue.
"So I came out here to cry, and Colt had come out to get something from their car. He saw me and stopped to ask if I was okay. I told him about Cecile being my friend, and he was really nice about it. He told me he didn't know her, but she seemed nice the few times he had seen or spoken to her." Yvonne paused and calmed herself.
"He promised not to tell anyone about me crying, and ever since whenever Colt has stopped by in the past week, he always says 'hi' or asks how I'm doing." Yvonne flung herself back onto the bench and exhaled a sigh.
"Just 'cause I'm young and a girl doesn't mean I'm stupid," she grumbled, "I know he is way too old for me, but Colt has never even tried anything like that," she insisted before muttering under her breath, "But that's not what Etienne thinks."
Rogue smiled to herself, noticing that Yvonne didn't seem to care what other people thought, just what Etienne thought.
"You're right, you know." Rogue began, choosing her words carefully, "You're not dumb, and you shouldn't care what other people think." Yvonne looked at Rogue, clearly not expecting her answer.
"But…" Yvonne drew out the word.
"But…it does seem like you care what Etienne thinks," Yvonne turned red at that as Rogue continued, "Did it occur to you that he might be acting this way because he is jealous that you're talking to Colt?"
Yvonne opened her mouth, then shut it. Then opened and closed it a few more times before allowing a small smile to come across her face, "You think so?"
"That he's jealous?" Rogue asked, and Yvonne nodded her head rapidly. "Oh yeah. I think you have that boy in bunches." Yvonne looked positively giddy at that notion. Rogue laughed.
"Maybe you should try talking to him about Cecile," Rogue suggested.
Yvonne nodded again and stood up. Giving Rogue a smile, she headed in the direction Etienne had gone. Rogue watched her until she turned the corner of the house. Hopefully, those two could figure themselves out. They reminded her of the younger mutants anytime someone had a new crush.
A wave of homesickness hit Rogue as she stood up. Heading for the kitchen, she hoped there was coffee.
XOXOXOXOX
Next Chapter: Rogue comes to a terrible realization
Author's Headcanon: I absolutely hated Jean-Luc's portrayal in X-Men Evolution. I have seen his character presented in many different ways, a hardened crime boss, charming cad, and loving father, but there is no way Jean-Luc is a one-dimensional bad guy who would openly tell someone "I don't need you, but I need your powers."
With that said, I understand that the Thieves Guild wasn't planned as a major part of X-Men Evolution, so I understand why the writers did what they did.