Chapter Text
The next morning Rogue awakened to the smell of piping hot muffins and turned over in bed forgetting for a moment where she was. She tried to think back to what happened last night, recollecting that she and Mercy followed the boys on their caper and found that green rock. The mysterious jewel turned off her powers and...
"Oh my god," Rogue said out loud when she looked down. She was in her nightgown. How did that happen? "Think...what happened? Remy and ah were on the couch kissin' an..." She thought some more but got nothing. "What did ah do?"
She didn't want to think about it, mostly because she couldn't remember. If she knew for sure then maybe she wouldn't be so embarrassed. She went into the bathroom to take a shower, realizing that her bones were a little stiff after last night. A hot shower was just what she needed.
She brought in a change of clothes, a simple pair of jeans and a solid black long sleeve T-shirt. She didn't expect that gem to work all the time and wouldn't be one bit surprised if she found out that it was all in her head, and last night was in its entirety all a dream.
She came out of the bedroom fully dressed with her gloves covering her hands. "Hey," was all she could say. Remy was in the kitchen making breakfast, and she could smell bacon cheese omelets, which was one of her favorites.
She still felt a little awkward about last night, but as soon as she walked into the kitchen he looked up and gave her a smile.
"Can ah help?" she asked.
"I got it covered," he said and picked up the spatula.
"Then ah'll set the table," she said and looked in the cupboard for some dishes. This was the second time he insisted on cooking for her, and if it continued it was going to spoil her. She had to admit he was an excellent cook, and if it ever stopped, she would miss it. "There, that's perfect." She put a small vase in the center of the table with one red rose and one black one.
Not many people liked black roses thinking somehow, they brought bad omens, but they we're her favorites. They gave off a wonderful scent that she just loved.
Remy was the romantic type and put their orange juice in wine glasses. He divvied up the food putting two pieces of French toast on her plate. There were also fresh strawberries with bananas and cream and fresh maple syrup if she desired.
She was suddenly starving and couldn't wait to eat. Like a true gentleman he pulled out her chair. Yes, he was definitely going to spoil her, and she didn't mind one bit.
"So why are you still wearin' dem gloves?" he asked as she dug into her food.
She looked down at her hands, and even though they were nice gloves and went perfectly with her outfit she did wonder. Since there were no other people around, she didn't have to be so fearful of her powers. Remy understood what she could do and would be careful not to touch her.
"Force a habit, I guess" she said and took a moment to take them off. It was nice to get rid of some of the restrictions her powers left her with.
"Ain't dat better?" he asked and took a sip of orange juice.
"Yeah... just... be careful," she said and returned to eating her food.
"Remy always careful," he said and brought her some freshly cooked sausage to his mouth and took a bite. She had a feeling he was doing that on purpose. Her mind wondered back to waking up in that nightgown. She didn't remember changing, and she didn't want to ask that question. She felt like she would go mad if she didn't.
"Remy... ah need t'ask you somethin'," she said hesitantly. She wasn't quite finished with her breakfast, but she couldn't stand it another minute. "Ah need to know, umm...something happened between us last night?"
"What makes to t'ink dat, chere?" he asked taking another bite.
"Well, ah woke up in a night gown... and... ah don't know how I got that way," she said and her face turned blood red.
"Anna," he said rolling his eyes a bit and giving her smirk. She had gone white as a sheet as images of her and Remy rolling around in his silk sheets. He chuckled a bit before saying, "You fell asleep on de couch last night, so I carried you into de bedroom," he said and finished off his orange juice.
She felt embarrassed thinking for a second that he had taken advantage of her, but that still didn't explain how she ended up in her nightgown. "But how..."
"I didn't t'ink you'd be comfortable sleeping in your clothes so I helped you change. I slept on the couch." She let out a breath looking relieved. "Did you want somet'ing to happen?"
"Oh, no," she said but too quickly, and she saw that he looked hurt. "Well, what I mean is I was so tired last night after everythin', but if something were to happen ah want t'remember it."
"Ain't somethin' you could forget," he said teasing her. She blushed at his comment, and she guessed he enjoyed doing that. "Are you still hungry?"
"No, ah'm fine," she said, and she got up from the table. "Well, since you made breakfast ah'll do the dishes."
"Alright, chere," he said and got up to clear the table for her. She busied herself taking out the cleaning supplies from under the sink. Right after she turned on the faucet to get some water, Remy walked towards the door leading to the hallway. "Look I gotta go out for a little while, but I'll be back soon."
"Where ya goin'?" she asked with a worried look on her face.
"Just gotta take care of a few t'ing's before we leave tonight," he said and put his arm around her. "Now, while I'm gone don' open the door for anyone, less it's Mercy or me, okay?"
"Alright," she said. "Be careful, okay?"
"I will," he said and embraced her. He grabbed his duster and walked out the door. He looked back one last time and she blew him a kiss which he pretended to catch which made her smile. She closed the door but knew she wouldn't be able to rest until he returned.
Rogue took it upon herself to clean up the apartment and pack a bag for her and Remy. From what he said they were basically going to be on the run so they had to pack light. All that they would need was a change of clothes and a few odd and ends and that gem. It was one of the reasons that they were going on the lam. She had no idea how many people were after that thing, but if word got out to the public then everyone would be after it. If it was strong enough to hold back her power, what else would that little bobble be capable of?
She felt so domestic cleaning up everything, but then she did this when she lived with Irene. It was even harder to keep everything tidy there. Since Irene was blind, not only did the entire house have to be clean, but everything had to be put in the same exact place every time. There was no moving furniture around or redecorating without a big planning meeting.
After she had cleaned the kitchen, she heard her phone ring. It was sitting on the coffee table, and she hurried over to see who was calling her. She saw that it was Tara. This call was safe to pick up so she connected the call.
"Hey, Tar, what's up?" she asked casually
"Rogue, what is going on with you?" Tara's voice was a bit frantic.
"What do you mean?" Rogue asked as she sat down in Remy's big black leather chair.
"You haven't called me in a few days," she said in a concerned voice. "I was worried that something happened to you."
"Ah'm fine, but ah'm gonna be leavin' here soon,” Rogue said, doing her best to explain the situation. “So if ya don't hear from me for a while don't panic, an’ ah'll call ya when I can."
"Fair enough,” Tara said and then paused. “I need to ask you something?"
"Go ahead," Rogue said sounding confused.
"Well, it's kind of a really weird question, but when you first got your powers what was it like?” It wasn’t the question Rogue was expecting. “Did you feel it before it happened?"
"It kind of happened all at once, but ah have a feeling that Irene knew it was gonna happened. Ah think that’s why she's been so... protective. Ah guess that's the word. Why did ya wanna know?"
"No reason... I just wondered," Tara said, but Rogue felt there was more to it. She wasn't going to press the matter. If something was happening with her, she would tell her in her own time. "Tara, ah gotta go now. Someone’s at the door." She was close to whispering when she said it.
"Bye, Rogue," Tara said and she ended the call.
She hung up the phone and heard another knock on the door. Rogue stayed silent pretending that she wasn't there like Remy told her to do if anyone came around. She waited until she heard Remy's voice.
"Let me in, chere," he said in a low voice. "I forgot my key."
She thought that was weird, because she known him not to forget something like that. Then again, he did forget the schematic layout of the old mansion when he pulled off that heist the night before. She stood up and walked over to the door and slowly opened it, and saw that it was him.
"Remy, is there anything wrong?" she asked and saw there was another man with him. It was kind of strange because Remy didn't trust many people, and she had never seen this man before. He looked dark and menacing, and gave Rogue an uneasy feeling.
"Not anymore," he said and suddenly a blue powder came out of his hand and Rogue felt light headed. She fell into his arms and was losing consciousness fast, but before she completely passed out she saw Remy's form slowly fade away. She was now in the arms of a blue-skinned woman with yellow eyes and red hair, and she was helpless to fight back.
The woman laid her on the floor and looked over to her minion. "Jason, you watch over her while I look for the gem."
She spent the better part of an hour looking for the elusive green stone but found nothing. She trashed the place leaving Gambit a calling card. Young LeBeau would know the Assassins Guild was responsible, and he would be next if he made one move in retaliation. He may have gotten the gem, but she had something far more valuable.
The man she called Jason picked up the girl, and they both left the apartment. They took a hidden passage down to the basement and into the sewers and disappeared in the darkness.
*******************************************
Back in Caldecott....
Minutes after Tara got off the phone with Rogue she had this horrible pain in her back. She had been having it for months even before Rogue took off. She never told her friend about it and just hoped the pain would go away. It did for a while but, now it was back and causing her more grief than ever. She tried to lie down on her bed but it put pressure on her back and it hurt even more.
No one was home right now, not her parents or her little sister. She was glad of that, because there was no one around to hear her scream out in pain. She felt like she was dying and lay on her stomach hoping that this would end soon. That last time it took fifteen minutes and eight Advil for the pain to stop. She had no idea if the painkillers even had any bearing on whether or not the pain subsided. It was basically the only medicine her mother allowed her to have in her room, seeing as once a month she had really bad cramps during her cycle. That pain would be welcome compared to what she was going through now.
She waited more than a half hour which felt more like an eternity before the pain let up any. She slumped off her bed and onto the floor, feeling too weak to stand up. Crawling over to the mirror, she felt that something strange was happening to her body. She didn't really want to see, but she had to.
She lifted her head up only to see that her top had ripped almost completely off, but what really shocked her was what else she saw. Apparently a set of wings had ripped out of her back from inside her body. They were reminiscent of a dragonfly but only wider. It was not as wide as a fairy or what people think fairy wings looked like. They were a dark gray, almost black, only a little lighter than her near black hair.
She was freaking out and closed her eyes tight hoping that this was all some horrible dream. After a few second she opened them expecting the wings to be gone but not only were they still there, they were flapping pulling her off the floor. She was exhausted as she was hovering a foot off her floor in front of her mirror. Was she flying, well, sort of, but she suddenly felt lightheaded and passed out and crashed onto the floor. Her wings became limp and fell around her, and she was unconscious.
Tara awoke on the floor in front of her mirror sometime later when she heard her mother's voice calling her from the stairs. She managed to make it to a sitting position and looked in the mirror and saw that what she thought was a nightmare was actually real. She picked herself up off the floor even though she was still weak. Still hearing her mother's shrieks, she had to come up with some excuse so she would not find out what was going on with her. Her mother freaked out enough and after the whole mess with Rogue she was even more paranoid about anything slightly out of the ordinary.
She had been told many times by her parents, her mother in particular, that no child of hers was going to end up being a mutant. She thought it was something silly to say, but being a mutant wasn't a choice and it was happening to her. "I'll be right there!" she called out, but as she stood up her wings spread. "Oh, shit," she said in a whisper. "Please, go down so I can hide you."
She concentrated hard hoping that would somehow fold up into her back. She was standing there in her bra and sweatpants freaking out every second those damned wings wouldn't do what she wanted.
"Tara, it's your turn to fix dinner!" her mother shouted again. "Now, get down here."
"I'm coming!" Tara shouted back. "I just have to change." The last part was more than true. "Retract, damn it!" her voice was a whisper, but her wings then folded into her back. They were still visible but she would be able to cover them with a top as long as they decided not to come out on their own. Ever since she was little, she always wanted to be a fairy, and it seems that now she got her wish.
She put on a sweat shirt over her tank top hoping to conceal her wings, but they were still poking out a little, so she added her light denim jacket and looked in the mirror. The bulky clothes hid the fact that there were two wings sticking out of her back. It would be easier to explain why she was wearing a jacket indoors than have to explain the real reason.
She came downstairs and her mother looked at her strangely but barely spoke as she passed by. "Tara, is anything wrong?" she asked with a confused look on her face.
"What could be wrong?" Tara asked but she had that guilty look on her face. She could still feel her wings underneath her clothes and she thought that as long as she stayed calm her family wouldn't find out.
"Why are you wearing a jacket?" her mother asked.
"I'm cold," she said, and it was the only explanation she was going to give.
Her mother didn't press her any further about the situation. "Your father's working late again tonight, so it's just the three of us... again." Tara was about the say something, but her mother beat her to it. "Don't you think of inviting that boy over." Tara knew she was talking about Bruno, her long time steady of more than a year.
"I wasn't going to, besides he's working at the garage tonight," Tara said and she entered the kitchen.
She was going to make meatloaf that night from a recipe she downloaded off the internet. Her mother hated meatloaf, and she wasn't wild about it either, but it seemed she would do anything to annoy her mother. On the plus side, her little sister loved it for some weird reason. She always knew Sasha was a weird kid, and even at ten years old she seemed like a mini adult.
Sasha was the opposite of Tara in looks and in attitude. Tara was a wild and crazy girl who liked to go out and party with her friends, while her blond haired blue-eyed little sister was rather a stay-at-home type who liked to make crafts. The weirdest thing was that she enjoyed housework and home decorating. Sasha was a tiny girl and even at ten years old she looked more like five. That could have been because she was born premature at two months early, weighing barely three pounds, unlike Tara who was nearly a month late, so much so the doctor had to induce labor and she was born at a whopping eight ponds six ounces, and even at sixteen she was well developed and looked to be a full-grown woman and not merely a teenager.
Even with this knowledge, her mother still treated her like a kid, and her father was basically mister invisible. He wouldn't come home until late at night after working all day, and he would be out the door before she got up in the morning. She was lucky if she saw him briefly during the weekends. It was like not having a father at all.
Dinner was pretty much silent, and Sasha was in charge of the dishes that night. Tara wanted nothing more than to return to her room and be alone for a while, but it seemed her mother was adamant about talking with her. "What is going on with you?"
"Nothing," Tara said insistantlyt. "I just have studying to do, so I'll be up in my room if you need me." She stomped up the stairs trying to get away from her mother as quickly as possible.
She closed her door, but in her haste forgot to lock it. She took her jacket and sweatshirt off and tore her tank top down until her upper back was exposed. The wings were still there, but they were no longer causing her any pain. She looked at them in the mirror and saw that they were moving, but this time she wanted them to move. She smiled for the first time thinking that they were the most beautiful things she had ever seen, and they were a part of her. In some ways, she always knew this would happen. She always knew she was different and somehow unique, and now she had proof that was true. She just feared what the rest of the world would do when they found out.
"Tara, I need to...." she turned to see her mother standing in the doorway. Damn, she forgot to lock the door. Her mother stopped in mid-sentence and screamed while backing into the hallway.
"Mom!' she shouted and stood in the doorway. She tried to calm her down be she just kept screaming.
"Get away!" her mother screamed. She saw her little sister come down the hall. She looked in awe but not frightened of what Tara had become.
"Please, just let me explain," Tara pleaded. She tried to retract her wings but her emotions were too high, and she felt the only thing she could do was get away. She felt the insatiable need to fly and grabbed her black leather jacket and her travel bag and ran to the window.
"Tara, don't go," Sasha called out.
With a tear in her eye, she jumped out the window. She dropped down to a few feet, but then something lifted her up right before she could hit the ground gaining some altitude. She swooped into the air and looked back at her window only to see Sasha's tear-stained face. She couldn't go back, not after the look of terror on her mother's face. Instead she flew off into the night leaving her family... perhaps forever.
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Remy had been working all morning planning their discreet departure from the city, but he still hated the fact that he had to leave Rogue alone in the apartment. He thought she would be safe enough until he could take care of some loose ends. It would have been so much more difficult if he had her with him, since The Assassins, and he guessed The Thieves' guild would be looking for her too. It was easier to hide alone them with someone else, but he made that promise to her that he would protect her when they were kids and forces had conspired to keep them apart. Now, that they found each other again he wasn't going to let anything separate them.
He came back to the apartment a few hours later. When he approached the door, he saw that it was ajar and his heart raced. Rogue knew to keep the door locked and not let anyone in. He opened it and stepped in to that the see that the place was a mess. He was really worried now.
"Anna!" he called out but she didn't answer him. He screamed her name as he raced through the place but there was no sign of her, but he did find something curious. It was a ring sitting on the pillow on his bed that had been ransacked. He knew that ring. There was a J carved into the metal. "Julien," he said, squeezing the ring in his fist. "Damn you."
The next thing he did was get a few things together, but he found that Rogue had already packed some items for their trip. He looked through the bag and found the necklace he gave her so long ago. He vowed he was going to find her and return this precious keepsake to her. There was also her sketch book and clothes for both of them. He walked over to his safe and opened it, taking out some money. He had plenty even for an extended road trip, but also hidden in the back was the iron box. He opened and released the catch and there sat that damn gem.
If it really was Julien that broke into his place and took her, he was going to pay him back. He felt that she was still alive, but he needed to find her soon before they did anything to her, even if it meant giving back this rock. He bolted out of the apartment not even thinking to lock it. One thing was on his mind, and that was finding his Rogue.
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Rogue woke to find herself chained to a wall in a dark damp place. She was in a sitting position with her arms chained above her head and her legs spread apart and clamped to the floor so she couldn't move. There was also a gag around her mouth and glowing yellow collar around her neck, and for some weird reason she wasn't in the same clothes she was wearing that she changed into that morning. She had on a green skirt and dark red tank top.
She was scared out of her mind as she looked around the room and realized that she was in the dungeon room in the old Assassins' mansion. She tried to think back on how she got here in the first place, remembering her and Remy having breakfast together and that he needed to go out for a while. They were leaving town that night, and he was adamant about her not answering the door to anyone. She had just gotten off the phone with Tara when she heard someone at the door. It was a relief to know it was Remy, but then it wasn't.
They had tricked her. It was really a shape shifter pretending to be Remy. How could she have fallen for such an obvious trick? She then heard a noise. It was footsteps, and they were getting louder telling her that whoever was making that sound was coming closer. She was struggling but it was doing no good because she was trapped.
A shadowy figure entered the room and came towards her. No one had to tell her who it was. She could smell his cologne, the same cologne she smelled in the alley where she was attacked before. Still, the shadow came closer until she could finally make out his face. Julien.
He knelt down and grabbed her face, his rough callused skin touching her soft skin. The touch hurt but for some reason she wasn't absorbing him. "You look surprised," he said with a laugh. "That pretty little collar takes away mutant powers." She was even more frightened now. What was he going to do to her now that she didn't have her power to protect her? "Gambit's little whore is all mine now."
He took his rough hand and felt up and down her body. She tried to scream for help, but her resistance only seemed to excite him more. His hands wouldn't leave her body and traveled down to her legs and went up under her skirt until they reached her panty line. She gave him a look of disgust, but before he could reach inside, she heard a woman's voice.
"Stop, right there," she said and ran up to him giving him a kick in the head. "Don't you ever touch my daughter again!"
Rogue looked up to see a blue woman in a white dress with skulls for a belt. She had yellow eyes and blue skin. She remembered that this was the woman who impersonated Remy. She was her enemy, the one who kidnapped her. So why did she stop Julien from raping her?
Julien stumbled back holding his head that was now bleeding. "That wasn't our deal, Mystique."
"It is now," she said and pulled out a gun.
"You were supposed to get dat gem back," he said and rose to his feet. His head was still bleeding.
"That lowlife thief has it, and that's your problem," she said and had the gun pointed straight at his head. "Try to touch my daughter again, and I'll kill you. Got it."
Daughter? What did she mean by that?
"Have it your way, for now," he said and staggered off. Rogue guessed he was going to get treatment for his head.
The blue woman came closer to her and squatted down and took off the gag around her mouth. "Who are you?" Rogue asked, still shaking from what Julien almost did to her.
"I'm your mother," she said and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "You had me and your Aunt Irene so worried."
"No, ah don't believe you, mah mother..."
"Looked like this...." she finished the sentence for her and transformed herself from the blue-skinned yellow-eyed woman to soft peach tone skin and short blonde hair with light blue eyes. It was how her mother looked when she was five years old. "It's a trick, you're just pretendin' to be my mother, she never would..."
"What? Come after you, after you ran away," she said, trying to use logic against her. Rogue did run away but only because she was scared. "Of course, I would, but never again. You're never going to run away from me ever again."
"Don't threaten me," Rogue said defiantly. "Remy will find me, and when he does..."
"You won't remember a thing," she said in a calm voice as another figure came out of the shadows.
Mystique grabbed her face, and she was made to look in the man's eyes and they suddenly went blank and dead. After a few moments, she looked over at her captor still in her disguise. Emotion came flooding out of her. "Momma?"
"Yes, Anna, I'm here," she said and released her arms from the chains.
"Oh, Momma, ah'm so scared," she said and the woman embraced her. "There were those strange people chasin' me an..."
"It's alright now," she said in the attempt to comfort the girl. "I'm going to take you some place where they can't hurt you."
"Where?" Rogue asked as she released her legs from the chains. "A place in New York where you'll be safe. I have to leave you there for a while, but I will be back for you. I promise."
She helped Rogue to her feet and took off the collar. She handed her a pair of gloves to wear. "Remember, never let anyone touch you. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Momma," she said as Mystique who was still in disguise led her out of the dungeon, but neither Mystique or Rogue had any idea that someone else was watching... someone with glowing red eyes.
**********************************************************
Remy did his best to sneak out of the Mansion undetected but as he ducked down a nearby alley, he realized he was being tracked. Four members of the Assassins' guild cornered him, but he stood his ground unflinching.
"If it isn't the infamous Remy LeBeau," he heard the voice of Julian say.
It made him angry to be confronted by this man, the very same man who had tried to rape his girl.
"Where's my stone?" Julien's demanding tone came out. Remy saw a flash of silver and knew he had a knife. So, he had a weapon, but that didn't scare Remy one bit. Even without his mutant powers, he could take Julien easily, but the coward had to bring along his lackeys to protect him, and after what he tried to do he would need protection.
"Dat stupid t'ing all you care 'bout?" Remy asked. "Don' matter if it is, 'cause it's long gone."
"Not accordin' to Mystique," Julien said and grabbed Remy and threw him back into the alley. "Hand it over an' we'll let you live."
"Forget it!" Remy shouted and a red flash came hurling out of the alley. The men that were there to back up Julian scattered and ran down the next street. They in no way wanted to deal with a mutant, especially not the son of the leader of The Thieves' Guild.
Julien backed up to the other side of the dumpster that was a few feet away from the entrance. Remy was hovering over him, and Julien was for the first time petrified.
Remy lifted him off the ground wanting to kill him, but first he needed information. "You tell me what I wanna know, an' I'll let you live."
"I ain't tellin'..." Julian was cut off by Remy's hand on his throat.
"Yes, you will, you bastard." He eased the pressure on Julien's throat enough for him to speak. "Where'd that blue bitch take her?" Julien stayed silent which infuriated Remy. "Tell me now, you son of a bitch!"
"New York," he choked out.
"Where in New York?" Remy demanded.
"Bayville," he said, and Remy dropped him to the ground and knocked the shit out of him.
"Rot in hell," Remy said and reached into his pocket and took out the ring he had found in his apartment. He threw it at him and left him there in the alley.
As he walked out of the alley he was confronted by a man. He stood there staring at him, the steel claws that protruded from his hands shining in the moonlight.
"Saw what you did there, kid," he said and Remy took out a card and charged It. "Ain't no need for that."
"The hell there ain't," Remy said and threw the card at him, but the man ducked out of the way and charged towards him as the small explosion died down.
"You don't need to attack me," he said and restrained him against the building. His two end claws on his right hand held him in place on either side of his head. If the middle had been out, he would have been dead, stabbed through the throat. "I ain't here to hurt ya, just wanna talk."
"Start talkin'," Remy said and the man released his claws. Remy stood there wondering why the man didn't just kill him.
"First off, the name's Logan," he said. "And you, you're Remy LeBeau."
"Only to my friends," Remy said. "Gambit to everyone else, but how'd you know dat?"
"The professor sent me to find you," he said. "Thought you might be a good addition to our team."
"Oh, really, so you can use me like de t'ieves do?" Remy was skeptical of anyone especially strangers.
"Naw, kid, to help ya," Logan said and held out his hand. For some strange reason, Remy took it, but he was reluctant about it. "We're based up in New York, and by what I saw it be best you get your tail out of town."
"Yeah, maybe, where in New York?" Remy asked. He wasn't really interested in this guy's offer, but if he could get a free ride to the Big Apple he could always disappear into the city once he arrived.
"Bayville," Logan said, and Remy had a smile on his face. That's were Julien told him Mystique took Rogue. If that's where she was, then that was where he was going.
"I t'ink I might take you up on dat after all," Remy said and Logan shook his hand. "Welcome to the X-Men." Within an hour the man called Logan led him to a large plane that Remy had to admit he was impressed by. "This is the Blackbird," he said and invited him to enter. Just then there was a signal telling him an important message was coming in.
He punched up the vid screen and Remy saw the image of a bald man come up. "Logan, please meet me at 21 May Street just outside Pennsylvania. We have two new recruits joining us. Xavier out."
The message ended and Remy was doubly impressed. He sat down in one of the seats which were quite comfortable and enjoyed the ride. Still, his thoughts gravitated back to Rogue. He was going to find her no matter what it took.
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Note: These next few scenes take place at the same time everything was going on with Rogue’s kidnapping.
Caldecott, Mississippi...
Tara finally landed in the cemetery, her old haunt that she would always go to with Rogue and Bruno to blow off steam. Somehow, it seemed fitting that she would be here. As she landed, her wings folded into her back and she put her jacket on seeing that it was a little nippy. She had no idea what she was going to do. She could only stay here until morning and couldn't go back home, and it would be a matter of time before everyone in town knew about her. Caldecott was nothing more than a hamlet and word spread like wildfire around these parts.
She sat down by the tombstone of a girl with the same first name as hers. Tara Michelle Bringsworth: 1881 - 1897. She studied the dates and saw the girl was the same age she was now, 16. She in no way wanted to see the same fate as this Tara did. She had a few snacks in her bag and no more than one hundred dollars in cash. She had given most of what she had to Rogue. If she knew that this was going to happen, she would have taken off with her friend.
She sat there eating her Little Debbie snack cake when someone approached and could feel her wings taking on a mind of their own and again. "Not now," she whispered. She looked around and hoped it wasn't Mister Reilly, the caretaker. He didn't like teenage kids hanging around, but to her relief it was only Bruno, her boyfriend.
"How did you know I was here?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Sasha called me and said you took off," Bruno said, while taking her hands and helping her to her feet. "I figured that you would come here."
"You know me so well," she said and handed him a snack cake.
"Are you still upset about Rogue?" he asked.
"Yeah, but that's not why I took off," she said and turned her eye to her back. Should she tell him or not? Would he hate her and see her as a monster? She knew there was no way she could keep it from him for long. He would eventually find out, so now was a good a time as any. "Something happened tonight."
"What is it?" he asked. "Another fight with your mom?"
"Well, not really," she said and slowly took off her jacket. Her wings unfolded and spread out.
Bruno's eyes grew big, and he walked slowly around to examine them closer. "They're real," he said and lightly touched one. She flinched and realized that those wings really were part of her. She could feel the touch even though it was just a slight one. "Do they hurt?"
"No, but they did when they first came out..." Her words trailed off, and she was terrified about what he was going to say. "Bruno, please don't freak." She was trying to smooth any worries he might have. "I'm the same girl," she said but saw that he was not running away or looking one bit scared.
"This is awesome," he said excitedly and embraced her. "I was trying to figure out how to tell you, but now it'll be easy."
"Tell me what?" she asked.
"Well, it'll be better if I show you," he said and placed his hands in front of him. He ran them in sync in a circular motion until a ball of water appeared. It swirled around until it formed a fairy, one that looked a lot like her.
"Bruno, you too?" she asked in amazement. She touched the water sculpture, and it seemed to stay in place. She took her hand away and he dissolved it by smashing it in his hands. "I can't believe it." She leaned in and kissed him tenderly. "You always said it was you and me against the world." She backed up a few inches and thought for a moment. So, what are we going to do?"
"Get out of Dodge before the lynch mob comes," he said and he looked over at his bike. "After the mess with Rogue, the people here are angry and scared. What do you think they would do to us if we stayed?"
"Nothing good, but I hate to leave my sister," she said.
"Hey, when we get settled somewhere, you can call her," he said and took her hand. "So, what do you say about a road trip?"
"I'm all for it, but what are we going to do for money?" She asked. "All I have is about a hundred dollars."
"I got some... at least enough to get us up north. I got an aunt up there, and she's... different... like us. We can crash there for a while."
"Where about?" Tara asked.
"Phili," he said and took her hand. He took a few steps and realized that she wasn't following him. "Are you up for it?"
"Yeah, let's go," she said retracting her wings enough to put her jacket back on. Then she walked to his bike and got on." They were headed to Philadelphia, but after that life was uncertain. The only thing they knew was that they couldn't stay here. Bruno got on the bike first followed by Tara and they took off riding out of town with one backpack each and a destination about a thousand miles away, and as they rode off neither one of them looked back.
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They were on the road for days, but they finally made it to Philadelphia and showed up at Bruno's aunt's door. Karen Mobley was a mutant herself. She was a healer and worked as a nurse at the local hospital. In all her years as a nurse, hardly any of her patients died. She could heal minor ailments, even what would have been fatal gunshot wounds, but when it came to diseases like cancer or diabetes, the best she could do was alleviate their pain.
She had just gotten home after coming off a double shift, and all she wanted to do was relax but a knock came at her door. She thought it was a little odd seeing that she was not expecting any guests, and all her friends knew to call ahead before dropping by.
She was still in her nurse's uniform when she got up and answered the door. When she opened it, she was shocked to see who it was. "Hey, Aunt Karen."
"Bruno," she said in a surprised tone. "Sweetie, what are you doing here?"
"Runnin' away... well... sort of," he said, and she noticed there was a girl with him. She looked sad but relieved that they had made it there. "This is my girlfriend, Tara. Can we crash here for a while?"
"Maybe," she said and let them in. "First, you tell me why you left Mississippi." He came in and sat down on the couch with Tara by his side. "I'll make some tea and then we'll talk."
After a few minutes, Karen came back in the room carrying her tea service. She poured a cup for each of them. Bruno took his straight, not really liking the taste of tea. He would rather have coffee or a beer, but Aunt Karen didn't allow drinking in her house. Tara took an extra two lumps of sugar, feeding her insatiable sweet tooth.
"So, what is this all about?" Karen asked.
"This," Bruno said and conjured a swirl of water in his hand. He formed it into the shape on one of her silver teacups.
"Oh, my," she said and put her hand on her chest. A smile was forming on her face, and at that moment he realized that he had made the right decision in coming here. "Does your mother know?"
"Yeah, and she thought it was best I come here. See, something happened in Mississippi with a friend of ours and Tara thought it best if we split."
"So, is Tara...?" Karen asked not able to finish the question and pointing at his nephew's girlfriend.
"Show her, Tar," Bruno said but Tara was reluctant. "It's okay, my aunt's cool." Tara nodded and stood up and took off her jacket. Her wings unfolded and spread out. Karen gasped at the sight of her wings that were a dark gray at the tip and faded to a light gray almost off white towards the bottom. They were transparent and looked to have a personality of their own.
Karen had always believed in fairies since she was a little girl, but this is the closest she gotten to see one up close, or at least a close facsimile. Tara's wings retracted and she put her jacket back on and sat back down next to Bruno. "When did they start... for both of you?"
"A few days for me," Bruno said and then looked over to Tara.
"Well, I've been having back pain on and off for months, and then just tonight this happened. They just came out. My mom freaked, so I kind of flew out the window."
"Then the two of you came here," Karen said. She hadn't touched her tea. She was too stunned. That last thing she was expecting was two mutant teenagers at her door, one of them her own nephew.
"So, can we crash here?" Bruno asked.
"Yes, just for tonight," she said, getting up out of her set and fiddling with the drapes. They were usually closed, not wanting the neighbors to see anything they shouldn't, but Bruno guessed his aunt was being careful, especially because of Tara. He could easily hide his powers, but Tara couldn't. "We'll figure out something tomorrow."
Just then the phone rang. She still had a landline not having caught up with the modern tech of the cell phone. "Hello," she said distractedly. "Oh, Charles, how nice to hear from you." There was a pause. "Oh, you know." Another pause. "Yes, they're here, and you want to meet with them." A long pause. "It is up to them, but I think it will be okay."
"What's going on, Aunt Karen." Bruno asked.
She put her hand up to silence her nephew. "I'll explain it to the and call me imn the morning from your hotel." Another pause. "Alright, talk to you soon." She hung up the phone and looked straight at her guests.
"Are we in trouble?" Tara asked.
"No, dear, but I have a friend who wants to meet the two of you, tomorrow morning. He's a mutant like the two of you, and he helps young mutants like yourselves."
"Is he a doctor or something?"
"Not exactly... more of a teacher... so would you agree to meet with him. He's brought along two of his students... about your age."
"Well, okay, but...." Bruno said and trailed off. He looked over at Tara who was quite overwhelmed. "We don't agree to anything."
"There's no pressure," Karen said and finally picked up her tea and took a drink, but it was lukewarm by that time. "Just hear what he has to say."
Bruno knew exactly who that guy was. He ran a mutant school up in New York. His aunt went there when she was young and told him all about it, although his mother hoped that mutant 'curse' as she put it would not touch her son. That wish apparently didn't come true.
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The next morning Bruno woke early. It was nice sleeping in a soft bed, which was something he hadn't the luxury of doing since he left Mississippi. His aunt put Tara in the room down the hall which was something he expected. They after all were not married and underage. He was the first to come down and decided to give his aunt a break and make breakfast. It was his way of thanking her for letting them stay the night before.
He got the eggs and bacon out and had the kitchen smelling sweet by the time Tara and Aunt Karen came down. Tara had on a sweatshirt and even though she was free to have her wings out she didn't know if other people could see through the cracks of the windows, and she didn't want to cause a stir. As of yet, she was not used to them.
"Wow! Breakfast smells great." Tara said and Bruno came out with platters of food to the large dining table. His aunt told him the night before that there would be six for breakfast, and that the Professor, as she called him, would be arriving this morning with two of his top students.
Just as Tara was helping set the breakfast table the doorbell rang. "I'll get that," Karen said, and Tara suddenly became nervous. Right now, she did not want to do this. Showing off her wings to Bruno's aunt was one thing, but to three strangers?
"Professor Xavier, it is so good to see you," Karen said and greeted her guests. Her porch had a concrete ramp on one side because she had quite a few disabled friends that came to visit her, and the ramp made things much easier. "Please, come in."
"Thank you, Karen," he said once he was inside. "These are two of my best students, Scott Summers and Jean Gray." Karen shook their hands and noticed how polite they were, and except for Scott's glasses they looked fairly normal.
"So, why don't we go to the dining room," Karen suggested. "Tara and Bruno are just setting the table."
Tara looked up when she saw the three strangers enter the room. She froze up and couldn't speak. She just stood there until the red-headed girl approached her. "Hey, my name is Jean."
"Oh, Tara," she said nervously. "Sorry, this is just a little..."
"I know," Jean said and gave her a sympathetic smile. She had an easy-going personality that made Tara feel more relaxed.
"So why don't we have some breakfast and we can discuss some things?" Karen suggested.
Bruno and Tara sat together on one side while Scott and Jean were on the other. The professor took the seat at the head of the table and Karen occupied the other end.
"So, can I ask a question?" Bruno asked as he picked at his food.
"Certainly," the Professor said and took a sip of his tea. There was something so trustworthy about this man, and Bruno didn't trust many people.
"How did you know to come here?" Bruno asked, and he thought it was a bit strange that just a short time after they arrived at his aunt's house this guy calls. "I mean Tara and I have been on the road for a week."
"Yes, I know," the Professor said. "I have been tracking your movements with Cerebro."
"What is that?" Tara asked, and she almost thought she had stepped into a science fiction movie.
"It is mutant detection and tracking system," the professor said which made Tara uneasy.
"There's nothing to worry about," Jean said, trying to ease Tara's mind. "We only use it to find mutants and help them."
Tara still looked skeptical. "Are you having any more pain?" The professor asked and she looked strangely at him.
"How did...?"
I know the pain you've been having in your back before your wings came out, the Professor's voice rang in her head. We are all just like you.
"So, what is your powers?" Scott asked looking over at Bruno. "If you don't mind me asking."
"Well, it's easier to show you then try to explain it," he said and put his hands on the table to show them. He moved his hands in sync and produced a water sculpture. It was of a star and he dissolved seconds after he shaped it.
"That's amazing," Jean said, "and what about you, Tara?"
"I can fly... well... sort of... I'm still getting the hang of it."
"Can you show us?" Scott asked.
The dark-haired girl had her hair in the ponytail and stood up and took off her sweatshirt. She turned around and unfolded her wings. The dining room wasn't a good place for flying and in the light of day she didn't want to go outside and freak out the neighbors, so she merely hovered a foot or so off the ground but quickly crashed down. She grabbed onto the chair to keep herself from falling.
"Wow!" Scott and Jean said at the same time. Her wings folded up and she put her sweatshirt back on.
"They kind of have a mind of their own sometimes," she said and sat down. "It's so hard to control."
"That is why I would be honored if the two of you would agree to come to my school," the Professor said. "In time, you can learn to control your powers. Our main focus is to show the world that mutants and humans can live together in peace."
"If we agree to come can we leave at any time?" Bruno asked.
"Of course, Bruno," the Professor said. "You have the freedom to do as you wish, but being a part of our team there are rules. You must attend school, be on time for training, and abide by our curfew."
"Is that it?" Bruno asked. The Professor nodded. "It sounds like a good deal, so Tara, what do you think?"
"It would be nice to be in school again, and have a place to stay," she said and Jean looked excited that Tara would be coming back with them. "The truth is going home is out of the question, so I think we can try it for a little while." The professor smiled and welcomed his two new recruits.
************************************************************
Tara and Bruno spent the rest of the morning getting to know Scott and Jean. Bruno thought Scott was a little stiff but had to admit he had a kick-ass power. Jean showed Tara how she could move things just by thinking about them and thought that power was pretty cool too.
At about noon something noisy caught the teenagers' attention. They looked up to see a large plane landing in the empty plot down the street.
"What was that?" Bruno asked.
"The Blackbird," Scott said proudly. "Come on, that's our ride."
"So, you guys have your own plane, sweet," Bruno said and took Tara's hand. They followed Scott and Jean to the plane and saw the Professor already there meeting a brown-haired man. He had on blue jeans a plaid shirt, jacket and heavy boots.
Bruno wasn't leaving without his bike but there was room on the plane to secure it, and they also brought their backpacks with a few possessions they left Mississippi with. They entered the plane and saw another passenger.
"Hey, who's this, Logan?" Scott asked.
"Calls himself Gambit," the man called Logan said and didn't say anything more. He looked like he was a man of very few words.
Bruno could see the one called Gambit was shuffling cards and wondered if he played poker. "This is Bruno Gallo and Tara Brimsby," Scott said, introducing his new friends to Logan.
"Welcome to the X-Men," Logan said and shook their hands.
"Cool name," Tara said and sat down in the empty seat next to Jean.
It would be nice to converse with another girl. She preferred that it had been Rogue, but as of now she had no idea where her friend was. She hoped she would see her again one day. Until then she was entering a new world, and she was just glad she didn't have to do it alone. She had Bruno with her, and she was happy about that.