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Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
 
 
 

Devil Days - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Missy Red and Kaleidopy
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 4

As the boy sat nervously on the couch waiting for someone to come, he started to swing one of his legs back and forth. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice a figure entering the room.

" 'ello petite."

The man's voice startles the boy so badly that he jumps clear onto the couch and retreats as far as he can into it. He slowly gets his heart beat back down to it's normal pace before he could speak. " M'sier LeBeau, I got not'in' better t' do, does your offer still stand?"

" Oui, boy," Jean-Luc walks over to the couch and sits down carefully so not to scare the boy. He waits until the boy retreats to the furthest end of the couch away from him before he picks up one of the trinkets from the nearby table, examining it, he shows it to the boy. " Y' brought dese back, merci."

" Y' knew I took dem yesterday an' y' let me come back?" The boy asks him before another thought suddenly enters his mind. His face reflects that thought as his voice begins to quiver. " Y' goin' t' call de cops, aren' y!"

" Non," The man quickly puts the boy's mind at ease. " I just needed t' know if I could trust y' boy." He tries to reach out to touch the boy but he pushes himself out of his reach. " Do y' t'ink I would allow y' t' stay 'ere in my home if I didn' t'ink I could trust y'?"

" De last one who said dat t' me tried t'," The boy's voice begins to quiver even more as he remembers what happened the last time he thought he had a new friend. It was too much pain involved in that incident to comprehend. Tears begin to form in his eyes as he tries to get off the couch and run for the door.

Jean-Luc jumped to his feet and quickly grabs the boy before he could reach the door, the second his arms engulfs the boy, he starts screaming. " Easy petite, nobody is goin' t' hurt y'"

" Don' touch me," The boy was screaming hysterical. He begins kicking and swinging his arms trying to hit anything but air. He begins squirming and twisting to free himself. Finding himself hopelessly caught, he starts begging. " don' hurt me, please, don' hurt me."

" Nobody is goin' t' hurt y' chile." Jean-Luc softly pats the boy's back until he claims down. He waits until the boy's body stops shaking and his sobs quiets down to a few whimpers before he would speak again, but only in a soft voice. " Who has hurt y' dis bad, boy?"

" Y' one of dem aren' y'?" Was all the boy could manage to say before breaking down again.

" One of who, boy?"

" Let me have de chile, Jean." A woman's voice comes from behind him. She quickly takes the boy into her arms and takes him to one of the lazy boy rocking chairs. As she begins to rock him, she softly sings a lullaby that she remembers from her own childhood. It takes her two hours before she gets the child to fall asleep. She slowly gets to her feet and carries him upstairs to the guest bedroom that the boy had slept in the night before. Tante puts him in the bed and covers him up before leaving the room with the door cracked slightly open. Walking downstairs, she angrily crosses her arms to keep her temper in check. " Someone out dere is scarin' dat chile to death an' whoever it is must still be after 'em."

" Oui, de boy tries t' act brave, but it is just a front." Jean-Luc shakes his head as if trying to understand. " De petite has been hurt t' many times t' trust anyone. He t'inks everyone wants somet'in' if dey try t' be nice t' 'em." He sits down in the rocker closest to the door, smiling he looks up at Tante. " De boy seems t' feel relaxed around y', Tante, mebbe y' can get 'em t' open up for us."

" Jean, dere's somethin' dat I want to discuss wit' you," Tante takes another rocking chair and sits down in it. She looks at him, never taking her eyes off the man as she speaks. " A bunch o' us been talkin' an' someone is takin' de street children an' de only reason nothin' been done is 'cause it's de mutant children dat's been taken."

" Us, as in who, Tante?"

" De Assassins an' de Thieves, all o' us!" She angrily answers back. Tante is shocked by her own actions because she has never raised her voice to the leader of the Thieves Guild, but when someone threatens or harms a child, she becomes hostile. Tante considers herself the guardian angel of those who can not defend themselves and the small one upstairs was quickly becoming her favorite. " I may just be a nurse maid to you an' de rest o' de guild, Jean, but even de lil' ones on de street need lookin' after."

" Easy Tante," Jean-Luc gets up and approaches her. He lays his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. " After last night, I told Henri t' gather a few o' de boys an' see what is goin' on out dere on de streets." He looks back up towards the stairs and glares a hole in the balcony wall. " An' if dat person is found, he better pray de assassins get him first b'fore I get my hands on 'em."

" You don' fool ol' Tante, Jean." Tante smiles up at him. A huge grin creeps across her face as she stands up and looks into his eyes. " Dat boy has stolen yer heart, hasn' he?"

" Oui, dat he has," He admits quickly but suddenly returns her grin. " I say de boy has stolen de whole house hold as well, yours included, neh Tante?" He begins to climb the stairs. " Bonsoir, Tante!"

" Bonsoir, Jean."

Looking at the newspaper early the next morning, Jean-Luc hears movement coming from upstairs. Glancing at the clock on the fireplace mantle, which reads 7am, he figures it is Therese getting up to start cleaning. Having a live-in maid came in handy after the secret meeting he had ordered late last night. Tante's worrying over the boy, as well as his own secret desire to punish those who may be harming the boy was his number one prerogative.

Glancing up towards the stairs, he was about to greet Therese, but when he sees that it is the boy coming downstairs, he was a little surprised. " Bon Matin, petite, y' sleep well?"

" Oui, M'sieu LeBeau." The boy answers as he steps down from the bottom step. He clears his throat trying to decide what to do next.

" Sit down boy and let's y' an' me talk, non."

The boy slowly takes a seat on the huge couch keeping his eyes on the man sitting close by. " What y' wanna talk 'bout, M'sieu LeBeau?"

" Maybe it's time we get t' know each ot'er a lil' better," Jean-Luc puts the newspaper down on the ottoman and turns his full attention to the boy watching him. " Would y' like t' spend de day hangin' around de house an' y' an' I can keep each ot'er company, how does dat sound t' y', petite?"

" I'm sorry dat I freaked out on y' last night," The boy's voice was barely above a whisper. It was clear to the man that the boy was embarrassed about the incident and was having trouble apologizing " Didn' mean t' be any burden t' y' or your family."

" Y' don' need t' be apologizing f' anyt'ing, chile." Jean-Luc carefully approaches the boy and sits down beside him. Making sure he doesn't startle his guest, he slowly places his hand on the boy's shoulder. " Y' need t' know dat y' can consider dis your home as much as we do."

" Quoi?"

" Y' heard me, boy." The man laughs as the boy's expression of shock slowly wears off. " Dis is your home as long as y' want it t' be." Before the boy could respond, Jean-Luc waves his hand in front of his face. " Non! B'fore y' ask, dere's no catch. Y' can come an' go as y' please."

" Y' know I be a mutant, non?" The boy looks up at him almost dreading the response he was about to get. He has heard all kinds of remarks about his eyes, and he knows this man's words would be no different than the ones he has heard before. Nobody cares for mutants, especially mutant homeless children.

" I wouldn' care if y' had green skin an' a long pointed tail."

" Dey call me Devil Boy on de streets," The boy admits. " Mebbe I grow a tail when I get older, nuh?"

" Mebbe I play football for de Saints, non?" Jean-Luc laughs. The boy begins to smile after hearing his attempt at humor. " Y' see petite, it makes no difference t' me what y' are. I just know I want y' t' stay an' so does de rest of de family. Do we have a deal?"

" Why y' care 'bout me, M'sieu LeBeau?" The boy looks up and asks him. Tears were beginning to form in his eyes. He fights to keep them from forming, nobody was going to see him cry. " I'm not'in' but street trash, nobody ever cared if I lived or died just as long as I got outta dere way."

" Can y' except de fact for once in your life dat someone really cares, petite?" He asks as he begins to run his fingers through the boy's matted hair. " I know dat no one has ever given y' a reason t' believe in dem, t' believe in anyt'ing, all dat's been given t' y' is mistrust, hurt and cruelity." He reaches down and gently touches the boy's chin and lifts it up. " Just give me a chance, dat's all I ask, Chile. Give me dat one chance an' I promise y' dat I will not throw it back in your face."

The boy's hope of controlling his emotions quickly, like everything else in his life fails him. Tears begin to fall down his face as he tries to close his eyes tight to shut them off. Without even realizing it, he starts crying. All the years of being treated like yesterday's garbage finally catches up with him mentally. He does not fight as he is lifted into the man's chest and hugged.

" I promise y' dat not'in' is ever goin' t' hurt y' again." Jean-Luc holds him tight in his embrace as the boy continues to cry uncontrollable " I am 'ere as long as y' need me." He quickly moves over to the rocking chair and rocks the boy. A method that he and Tante both figured out quickly how well it seems to ease the boy.

Therese smiles over at the two before going into the game room. She knew most of the family's guests liked to hang out in this room because of the huge screen television set and pool table. Just as she is about to start dusting, the door bell rings. " I'll get it, Mr. LeBeau." She quickly leaves the room and answers the door. Recognizing the man, she quickly turns back to Jean-Luc. " Sir, it is for you, it's Mr. Beniot"

Jean-Luc leans up and sits the boy back down in the rocker. " Y' stay dere an' I be back." He walks over to the door and greets his visitor.

Almost ten minutes pass and the boy begins to wonder why it is taking Jean-Luc so long to come back. He gets out of the chair and walks towards the door. He notices that the visitor was a man and both he and Jean-Luc was carrying on a long conversation. It was clear to the boy, that what ever the conversation was, it was something very important.

Jean-Luc turns around and looks down at the boy, who was by his side. He quickly gethers the boy into his arms. " Wait 'ere Jacques, I want t' talk t' de boy first."

" Oui, Jean-Luc," The man named Jacques Benoit answers.

Walking back to the lazy boy rocker, Jean-Luc sits down and places the boy in his lap. " Sorry petite, but I got some important business t' attend t' an' it can' wait, y' say 'ere wit' Therese until I get back, non?"

The boy shakes his head, looks over at the man standing by the door. He wanted to ask Jean-Luc who he was and what he wanted but he thought better of it. He also notices the concern look that was in Jean-Luc's face. " I be fine."

" I'll be back as soon as I can." He tells the boy while getting to his feet. Glancing into his eyes, he adds. " Tante will be 'ere as soon as she finishes her errands." He watches as a hugh smile appears on the boy's face. " Oh, y' like Tante?"

" Oui!" The boy continues to smile as he is placed back on his feet. He watches as Jean-Luc leaves with the man. Glancing over at Therese, he quickly runs over to her. " Y' need for me t' help y' T'erese?"

" This is indeed my day," Therese smiles down at the boy. " You can help me in the game room, by the time we are finished, Tante should be home to make you some breakfast."

 

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