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Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
 
 
 

April Witch - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Stella
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 16

I’m not superstitious, but dere’s somet’ing about Nawlins in de rain dat never fails t’ send a shiver down my spine. Rain drips off porches and roofs, echoes weirdly down darkened alleys. Reflections of light off de streets make me t’ink of wriggling t’ings and wit’ de rain still pourin’ down, seemed like de whole city was trying t’ crawl away. Rain is bad luck. Makes people stay in instead of going out. Makes edges slippery and hard t’ grab. Bad night t’ be a t’ief.

Jean-Luc drove us t’ a house at de edge of de Quarter. Old, hulking t’ing, half falling over. De shutters were drawn, giving it a strange blind look

“Mebbe nobody home,” Julien ventured nervously.

"Non, look dere,” Jean-Luc replied. He pointed to de space between de house and de one next door where a sliver of light danced against de wall. “Belladonna, I want you and Julien t’ wait here.”

“But...”

“If dere’s trouble, I need you t’ go for de others. Get Henri, get your father and de rest o’ de Assassins, whoever you can find.” Jean-Luc’s jaw was set into dat firm line dat cut off all argument. “He’s not getting away.” He looked at me and Rogue almost long enough t’ make me squirm. “Remy, come wit’ me. Rogue, stay out of sight.”

Wondered if he knew how strong Rogue was, den I figured dere was no way he didn’t know. Jean-Luc was de god of my youth. He always knew everyt’ing. He was five steps ahead an’ not’ing could faze him. Whenever I had reason t’ t’ink of de man upstairs, it was always Jean-Luc’s face I was seeing. De idea of Jean-Luc and Essex--God and de Devil--together in de same room was almost unimaginable, but I knew also dat I wouldn’t miss it for all de world.

“Yeah, okay, sir,” Rogue said. Was surprised at dat, but Jean-Luc seemed pleased by her consideration. Wondered what dey t’ought of each other. It was den dat I realized how nervous I was, not t’ be going into de devil’s mouth, but dat I should go wit’ my father and de girl dat....

Couldn’t finish de t’ought for de life o’ me. Didn’t want t’ t’ink about dat. My head needed t’ be clear. I looked in Rogue’s direction and was spooked t’ find her eyes on me already. Felt like she could see what I’d been t’inking. Felt like I was made of glass. Could see dat she was on de edge of saying somet’ing, but she drew back at de last minute and bit her lip instead. Relief rose in my chest.

“Remy!” Jean-Luc was out of de car and halfway t’ de door. I trotted t’ catch up. Almost instantly I was just as wet as I’d been before. Water trickled out of my hair and down between my shoulder blades. Jean-Luc lifted an eyebrow at me but said not’ing.

We climbed de front porch, boards groaning softly under our feet. At least it was drier dere.

“So we’re just going t’ de door like crazy Jehovah’s Witnesses?” Couldn’t believe dat Jean-Luc didn’t have a better plan.

He snorted. “Don’t t’ink Essex’ll just let us in. I assume y’ can still pick a lock.” He tossed me a kit.

Dat was actually insulting. “In my sleep,” I snapped, only causing Jean-Luc t’ smile. He didn’t have t’ ask me twice. I selected two slender picks and stuck dem in, using gentle pressure t’ find de tumblers inside.

“Good.” Jean-Luc reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a nasty looking gun. It was oiled an’ shining dully in de dim light. Dat caught me up. Generally, Jean-Luc doesn’t hold wit’ guns. He always used t’ say dat dey’re cowardly. Assassins tools. Dat might be part o’ de reason dat de two Guilds don’t generally play well t’gether. Couldn’t help but see Etienne’s young face at de end of de long, greasy muzzle. My hands shook slightly and de picks lost dere hold inside de lock.

“Merde,” I muttered.

Jean-Luc didn’t say anyt’ing, but I could feel him looking at me. Took a deep breath and forced myself t’ calm down. When you finally focus enough t’ do de job, dere’s not’ing else. Felt de same way sometimes when I worked for Magneto. Because in de heat of battle all de little nagging questions drop away. You stop wondering if de t’ing you’re doing is right. You just do it. It’s free. It’s like flying.

De lock clicked an’ I pushed de door open. Hinges squeaked, but it was hard t’ hear dat over de thrum of rain. A long hallway stretched out in front of me wit’ light spillin’ out at de end.

Jean-Luc motioned Rogue over. She’d been hanging back in de shadows and was soaked t’rough. Came close enough dat I could feel her warm breath on my neck. “I don’t like dis,” Jean-Luc admitted. “Dere’s somet’ing off.”

He was right, y’ could feel it in de air like a charge. Jean-Luc was still holding de gun. It dangled loosely from his fingers as if he’d drop it at any moment and just call everyt’ing off. My skin prickled and de fine hairs on my arms rose. Somet’ing wicked dis way comes.

“Ah’ll go then.” Rogue rose into de air a bit and started forward.

“No!” Jean-Luc hissed, reaching for bare arm.

Barely t’inking, I slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch her!”

De look he gave me was dangerous at first, dissolving into realization after a moment. “Merci,” he said. Let out de breath I was holding. Although I didn’t know how I felt about Jean-Luc checking up on Rogue, it was good dat he understood. “Y’ sure can pick ‘em, neh? De beautiful, de crazy and de untouchable.”

“It’s a gift,” I gritted. “Rogue!” I called softly. Just like dat, she pivoted gracefully in de air, holding her arms loosely at her sides like a dancer.

“Yeah?”

“Y’ make better backup, chére.”

“Ya wouldn’t be tryin’ ta get rid o’ me? Or keepin’ me behind ‘cause Ah’m the girl?” De last part was accentuated by a curl of her lip.

“Of course not. We’re keeping you as backup because you’re stronger dan both of us put together.”

She folded her arms, still looking dubious, but said not’ing else. De air inside was stale and warm. De whole place smelled like mold and t’ings kept underground too long. We eased in, Rogue shutting de door silently behind us.

Once de house was closed up again and de sound of rain muted, I could hear a soft throb of conversation from de back from where de light was seeping in. Looked at Jean-Luc, de question in my face: T’ought De Antiquary worked alone?

Jean-Luc merely shrugged. Made me nervous dat even he didn’t know all of what was going on. When we started down de hall, it was as if de years had fallen away and I was de same kid he’d pulled of de street by de scruff of my neck.

“One foot in front of de other!” he’d barked at me den. He’d been standing in de hallway of his house, daring me t’ sneak up on him. “Lift your feet! I can hear de top of de rug brushing against de bottom of your shoes.” Didn’t know whether t’ be angry or embarrassed by his criticism.

Took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. I wasn’t a kid anymore. One foot in front of de other. Toe, ball, heel in a smooth rocking motion dat carried me quickly and silently towards whatever was at de end of dat hallway.

Could hear de drops of water running off our clothing t’ splash invisibly in de shadows below. I willed my breathing quiet. In dat silence I heard my heartbeat strong in my ears. De hallway dat seemed so long before had curled into somet’ing small. De door was within reach, all we had t’ do was stretch our arms out and touch it. Dere was a quiet click as Jean-Luc raised de gun. He jerked his head toward de door, gesturing for me t’ open it. I squeezed my hands into fists. My knuckles cracked. Silently, I counted t’ three and pushed.

Even as we were makin’ our way ta the back o’ the house Ah couldn’t stop myself from thinkin’: Remy’s gonna live forever. Remy’s gonna live forever. The thought had feet. It scampered. It scrabbled. It drove me crazy.

Gave a new meaning ta the idea of that forever kinda love. Musta helped ta keep things in the family. Thieves marryin’ other thieves an’ all. Ah guess Ah’d had it about right before: royalty.

Ah could feel the tension between Remy an’ Jean-Luc, an’ the gun wasn’t helpin’ any either. Tell ya the truth it made me nervous too. Ah had less reason ta be horrified by the prospect o’ killin’ the kid again, after all Ah hadn’t known Etienne. Hell, Ah barely remembered what he looked like. Most o’ my memories were taken up by the horrible thing that’d slouched off into the night, filled with Essex’s disease.

The hinges protested awfully when Remy opened the door. Jean-Luc had the gun up, bracin’ one hand with the other just like a cop on TV. Neither of ‘em were payin’ any attention ta me. The determined expressions on their faces were identical an’ for the first time Ah could see how they were father an’ son, if not biologically then at least in spirit. Ah found it more endearin’ that there was a wisp o’ fear in those expressions, even if it wasn’t exactly comfortin’ at the time.

When the door opened all the way, the men inside the room froze as if it was the closin’ act in some play an’ they were waitin’ for the curtain ta go down. The one man Ah recognized as Essex--a tall man with a pale face, long, black hair an’ deep, burnin’ eyes. The other one Ah’d never seen before. He was about Jean-Luc’s age with a sharply-angled jaw, neatly trimmed shoulder-length hair, runnin’ ta gray at his temples and a sardonic look on his face.

Remy sucked in a quick breath. “Co faire (why)?” he said softly.

“Marius Boudreaux,” Jean-Luc announced grimly. He raised the gun an’ pointed it at Maurius’ head. His hand shook a slightly an’ his lips were folded together in a thin line, as if he was holdin’ back some great emotion.

Boudreaux. Boudreaux. My mind clicked over the name a couple times before Ah connected it with Bella an’ Julien. Ah guessed he was their father an’ Ah felt a dawnin’ horror at what it meant that he was here with Essex.

“Had a feeling it was more dan friendly concern dat made y’ want Remy back so badly,” Jean-Luc continued. “I didn’t t’ink you’d go dis far.”

Marius actually looked embarrassed, but that was quickly covered by an anger that burned through him an’ left me breathless an’ a little scared, even across the room. He pointed at Remy, who stood his ground. “Fils de pute (son of a bitch) tore de family apart. Julien was under control before Remy got tangled up wit’ Bella. Seeing dem t’gether just made him crazy.”

Outta the corner o’ my eye, Ah saw Essex slidin’ toward a window at the side o’ the room. He was silent as a shadow, but Ah was fast. Ah grabbed his wrist an’ pulled his arm up behind him, careful not ta touch his skin. It woulda served him right if Ah had drained his power, but Ah didn’t particularly want him runnin’ around in my head. He sucked in a breath through his teeth but didn’t cry out.

“Ah’d stop if Ah were you,” Ah advised him. Ah kept my grip on his arm. He smelled like cinnamon but there was a medicinal tang underneath. The scent filled my nostrils until Ah felt like gagging. Some of his hair brushed my lips an’ Ah turned my face away from it.

“Killing me wouldn’t stop people from knowing all ‘bout Julien, Marius,” Remy pointed out.

“You were willing t’ kill thousands of people just t’ get t’ my son?” Jean-Luc lowered the gun ta his side. He looked genuinely amazed an’ horrified.

“Thousands of mutants,” Marius snapped. Ah closed my eyes, as if Ah could block out the hatred in his voice that way. Ah could only guess what Remy must have been feelin’ at that point, knowin’ Marius like he did. Ah didn’t know him at all an’ the words were like individual needles stickin’ in my skin.

“Dat still wouldn’t stop how Julien feels about Bella,” Remy said. His voice sounded thick. “De boy needs help. He knows it too.”

“It was under control!” Marius insisted. “You’re not’ing but a worthless little fatras (piece of shit). Y’ don’t know anyt’ing ‘bout family. Y’ don’t even have a family!”

That’s when Jean-Luc coolly raised the gun an’ fired. The bullet caught Marius in the shoulder and he went down hard, bangin’ his head on the floorboards an’ passin’ out.

“Enculé (bastard),” Jean-Luc observed. Then he seemed ta realize that Ah was still there along with Essex. “Where’s Etienne?” he asked, low an’ dangerous.

As fearless as Essex seemed, he knew better than ta argue with Jean-Luc right then, although he didn’t have ta be happy about it.

“In the back,” he snarled, indicatin’ a narrow door half-hidden on the far wall with his free hand. Ah tightened my grip on his wrist. His back arched with pain, but still he didn’t make a noise.

“Is he contagious?” Jean-Luc asked, casual, like he was at some cocktail party.

“Not yet,” Essex said.

“I don’t believe you.” Jean-Luc looked at Remy, then at me. “I want you two t’ stay here. Make sure they don’t go anywhere.”

Neither of us was in the mood ta protest. Jean-Luc opened the door an’ disappeared into the next room. When he was gone, Remy seemed ta fold in on himself. He sat down hard on the floor, bent his legs and rested his forehead on his knees. His hair fell down over his cheeks in messy sweeps an’ so Ah couldn’t see his face, but Ah could see his shoulders shake. It took every ounce o’ willpower Ah had ta keep me where Ah was.

At first when Ah heard the shouts Ah couldn’t sort out what they were. By the time Ah realized it was Jean-Luc’s voice raised in warnin’, Etienne was already in the room with us.

His face was bloated, with purplin’ bruises across his cheeks. The skin Ah could see was covered in sores that looked red an’ angry, even in the poor light. But the worst was the smell: like rotten eggs. He smelled dead. Ah suppose that shouldn’t have surprised me. He had Jean-Luc’s gun in his hand, but he didn’t seem too interested in usin’ it. It fell ta the floor with a heavy thud.

“Shoot him!” Jean-Luc shouted.

Etienne looked at me, then at Remy. He started forward, closin’ the distance between himself an’ his cousin. Ah dropped Essex’s wrist, no longer carin’ what would happen ta him. Ah stretched my hands out and ran for the gun.

Remy raised his head an’ saw Etienne comin’ for him. He scrambled backwards on all fours.

My fingertips touched the metal an’ jerked upwards. The gun dropped. Ah cursed an’ picked it up again. Not that long before I’d shot Piotr, but that wasn’t ta kill. Logan’s lessons hadn’t covered lethal force. My stomach flipped.

By then Remy was backed into a corner. Etienne reached for his face, an oddly intimate gesture, as if he were gonna pat his cheek.

Ah tightened my hands on the gun. It was draggin’ my arms down. Ah struggled not ta let panic choke me.

Outta the corner o’ my eye, Ah saw a pair o’ ghostly hands cover mine. “I’ve gotcha,” Jenny whispered. An’ she did. She moved my arms up an’ braced ‘em. We pulled the trigger.

The sound seemed ta echo forever.

Etienne’s body lay between me and Rogue. Her eyes were wide, but she looked calm enough considering what she’d just done. Funny, but for a moment it seemed like she had too many hands on de gun. I blinked and de illusion vanished. Didn’t know where t’ look: Etienne on de floor, dead for good, an’ Marius in de middle of de room. I knew too well what it meant when I’d seen Marius’ blood on de floor. He wasn’t dead, but it would be de death of everyt’ing. Up ‘till dat point de T’ieves and Assassins had enjoyed an uneasy peace. Murmurs of conflict were always stirring, but not’ing had ever happened. We cooperated, some better dan others, but we always came t’gether in de end. Every seven years Candra brought us together and in a way she kept us together too. It was la valse criminelle (the criminal waltz), wit’ strict rules and mandatory participation.

All dat was over.

Wit’ one bullet, Jean-Luc had blown everyt’ing wide open. All of de Guilds’ resentments and frustrations wit’ one another would spill out and we wouldn’t bother t’ put dem back. T’ings would get messy, sans doute (doubtless).

Jean-Luc came back into de room. “Okay?” he asked me.

I nodded, hoping dat he couldn’t see how pale and shaky I was. Felt cold all over. I put my hands on my knees and pushed myself upwards, noticing den dat one of Etienne’s hands was curled around my right foot. Panicked, I kicked it away. So much for de cool exterior.

Luckily, Jean-Luc was busy wit’ Marius. He grabbed him under his arms and dragged him to his feet. None of dis had escaped Rogue though. Her hand settled lightly on my shoulder.

“We should go,” Jean-Luc said gruffly. Marius was only half-conscious. He was leaning heavily into Jean-Luc’s side. Dere were dabs of blood sprinkled on his hands. Marius’ feet stumbled along as Jean-Luc walked him to de door.

“What about Etienne?” I asked, proud dat my voice didn’t shake.

“We did what we came t’ do,” Jean-Luc said. His voice was muffled and I noticed dat he didn’t spare a backwards glance at his nephew and I wondered if he was afraid t’ look at him too. I hoped dat was de case. Jean-Luc was so hard t’ read sometimes. “We’ll call de others. Genard can take care of dis. ‘Bout time de third in command earned his keep.”

I laughed even though it was barely a joke and not very funny at dat. It was de only t’ing I could do. Rogue’s hand was still on my shoulder, steady and warm. I was grateful for dat small bit of comfort.

“It’s okay. It’s okay,” she whispered in my ear. Her breath tickled along my neck and I wanted t’ believe dat she was right, only I couldn’t help looking at where Marius’ blood showed bright on his pale skin. De cycle of thought started over again, driving me crazy. It was de end of everyt’ing. Rogue stroked my shoulder softly.

Bella an’ Julien must’ve been watching de house like hawks because dey were out of de car and onto de porch by de time Rogue and I followed Jean-Luc outside. Jean-Luc let dem come t’ support Marius, practically dumping de man into Bella’s waiting arms. He brushed absently at his sleeves as if Marius had been covered wit’ dirt.

De questions spilled like water from dere mouths.

“What are you doing here, father?” Bella asked. She had managed t’ prop Marius against her side. He looked less pale den he had before and de blood flow had mostly stopped.

“Saving de family,” Marius said, wincing as she accidentally jarred his shoulder. His eyes rested accusingly on Jean-Luc and den me and Rogue. “Although I’m sure some people don’t see it dat way.”

“He was in on all this with Essex,” Rogue spat. She fixed an angry eye on Julien. “It all runs in the family, Ah suppose.”

Instead of being horrified, Bella just closed her eyes and sighed heavily. “I’m sure he had a good reason.”

“What?” De word came as a squeak from Rogue’s mouth. “He tried ta kill us. He wanted ta kill Remy with that virus o’ Essex’s.”

“Where is Essex, by de way?” Julien asked nervously. His eyes darted t’rough de darkness surrounding de house.

“Don’t try ta change the subject,” Rogue snapped. “Ah lost track o’ him about the time Etienne tried ta kill Remy.” Her voice dripped sarcasm.

“And who shot him?” Bella asked. She was getting dat dangerous look in her eye dat I knew too well, but Rogue didn’t.

“I did.” Jean-Luc stepped forward, placing all of his height and strength into Bella’s vision. She stood her ground and I had t’ admire dat, even if I could see what was coming clear as day. Two freight trains on de same track.

“Y’ had no right,” she said coldly.

“He betrayed de Guilds. Y’ know de punishment for dat.”

“And you know de procedure. Guild matters are handled wit’in de Guilds, not by anyone acting alone. Not even you, Jean-Luc, no matter how strong y’ t’ink y’ are.” She continued, her voice rising. “Dere are rules and procedures t’ be followed. De Assassins will deal wit’ Julien and dey would’ve dealt wit’ my father as well. We take care of our own, just like you do. And we don’t need de likes of you coming in t’ destroy everyt’ing!”

Surprising dat Jean-Luc managed t’ hold his tongue during her entire speech, but dat wasn’t de case after she’d finished. “I wasn’t confident dat y’d be able t’ t’ink rationally in dis case, little girl.”

Bella wrapped her arms protectively around her father. I could see den dat his body had gone limp. At some point during de conversation he’d passed out again. “I can t’ink as clearly as you can, enculé (bastard). And y’ can be sure dat de Assassins won’t easily forget what you’ve done.”

“C’est tout (that’s all) den,” Jean-Luc replied grimly. “I’m calling Genard.” Leaving de rest of us behind, he walked slowly back t’ de car. Each step seemed weighted as if dere were sacks of lead attached t’ his ankles.

“I’m sorry,” Bella whispered when he was out of earshot. Wit’ some difficulty, she shifted Marius’ position. “Julien, come and help me.”

“Dis is my fault,” he said sadly. He took Marius’ free arm and threw it over his own shoulder so dat Marius was supported between himself and his sister.

“T’ings don’t have t’ be dis way, Bella,” I told her gently.

“But dey do,” she replied, her face shutting down. “Imagine if it’d been de other way ‘round. What if Jean-Luc had been de one wit’ Essex? And my father shot him? Wouldn’t de t’ieves demand it? Y’ know you’d have t’ do somet’ing.” I knew she was right. God help everyone, I knew she was. De force of family obligations couldn’t be stopped for de life of one person, of two people, no matter what de cost in de end. Dere were just some t’ings you had t’ do no matter what.

“What kinda logic is that?” Rogue cut in sharply. “Ah don’t understand you people. Ya cain’t just go startin’ wars over this.” She jerked her thumb at Marius. “He’ll survive, an’ maybe he shouldn’t for what he did.”

Bella laughed bitterly. “Can y’ really be dat naive?”

“What the hell makes ya think that people should treat each other this way? You’re talkin’ ‘bout startin’ some big feud. Whether Ah’m naive or not has nothin’ ta do with it!”

“And dis has happened before,” she explained tiredly. “Dis has happened a hundred thousand times and in a few years it’ll just blow over and de Guilds’ll go back t’ being friendly. And den somet’ing else will happen. It’s all happened before. It’ll all happen again. De only t’ing dat’s important is survival.”

Rogue folded her arms across her chest and regarded us all suspiciously. “Ah just cain’t believe you’re dealin’ with this so calmly.” Den, God help me, she rounded on me. “Ah saw how you were in there. You were scared outta your fuckin’ mind and now everythin’s just hunky-dory?”

Shuffled my feet and examined de toes of my boots for a moment. “Non, everyt’ing’s not fine, but dere’s a time for everyt’ing. Dis is a parting of de ways. We’ll go home, patch ourselves up and den it’s back t’ de trenches.” Laughed at dat, but it was mirthless. “I guess it boils down t’ dis: can y’ trust me? I’m telling you dat we need t’ handle dis in our own way. Can you accept dat?” Of course, de hidden question was: can you accept me?

Rogue looked at me sternly, but said not’ing either way.

Den, Jean-Luc rejoined us on de porch. “Genard is on his way.” He looked at Marius, Bella and Julien. “Can I offer you a ride, or is dat out of de question?”

“I t’ink it’s best if we don’t,” Bella said. “Don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I’m sorry for everyt’ing and I’m sorry for what happened but I won’t take it back.”

“C’est la vie (that’s life),” Jean-Luc replied philosophically.

“Open your mouth and close your eyes and I’ll give you somet’ing t’ make you wise.”

Ah eyed Remy uncertainly. “Remy LeBeau, Ah’m sure you don’t think Ah’m that stupid.”

He held up his hands innocently. “I don’t t’ink you’re stupid at all, beb.” When my hand found his thigh under the table th’ expression on his face was priceless. Ah squeezed, applyin’ just a touch o’ fingernails an’ his eyes widened. “Hey...”

“The last time someone told me ta ‘open my mouth an’ close my eyes’ Ah got a facefull o’ dirt.” He chuckled despite his precarious position. Ah tightened my hand a little more. “Ya like ta live dangerously, eh?”

“Non, I was just imagining you wit’ a facefull of dirt.”

Ah snorted, releasin’ his leg in disgust. “Aren’t ya afraid of anythin’?”

“I’m not afraid of you, chére.” He batted his eyelashes at me an’ Ah was momentarily distracted. How could a boy have such long eyelashes?

The sun was settin’, an’ the first cool fingers o’ the evenin’ were creepin’ out from the water. We were sittin’ in the middle o’ the Café du Monde. Remy’d ordered us two cups o’ chicory coffee. The taste was bittersweet an’ it lingered in my mouth. Not unpleasant, just different. It occurred ta me then that the same might be said about Remy compared ta all the other boys Ah’d known. Ah watched people driftin’ by in Jackson Square, idly wonderin’ where they were goin’ an’ who might be waitin’ for ‘em there.

We were conveniently ignorin’ a lot o’ things, like the fact that the fights between the’ Thieves an’ Assassins were much more serious than anyone’d thought they’d be. Marius’ anger was fueled by a helluva lot more than the day-ta-day annoyances of an Assassin against a Thief. He’d genuinely convinced himself that Remy was the only one ta blame for Julien’s problems. It was Montague an’ Capulet time in New Orleans. We were ignorin’ the fact that Remy’s cousin, Theo hadn’t taken Etienne’s death all that well, never mind the whole undead thing. Last anyone’d seen him he said he need time ta sort things out. Everyone figured he’d left town.

We were ignorin’ the fact that tonight was my last night in New Orleans.

They’d moved since Ah’d last called, but it was the easiest thing in the world for Jean-Luc ta track down the x-men. A group that big ta an experienced thief like Jean-Luc an’ they might as well have been carryin’ ‘round a neon sign and a bullhorn. When their voices came over the phone line Ah’d felt a feverish mix o’ happiness (they’d missed me!) an’ dread (when exactly was Ah comin’ home? Because they had a good lead on the Professor, sure thing almost an’ they needed my help).

Ah was goin’ home.

“I guess de question here is: can you trust me?”

Startled, Ah looked at Remy. It was the same question he’d asked two nights ago while we were standin’ on the porch waitin’ for the other shoe ta drop. Ah realized with a rush o’ shame that Ah’d never answered him then. There’d just been so much goin’ on an’ Jean-Luc had come back, herded us into the car so Genard could do his job. He’d done a good job too, burned the house ta a cinder. Theo hadn’t had a chance ta see his brother’s body. Remberin’ what Etienne looked like Ah shuddered. It was probably better that he hadn’t been able ta.

There was only one thing ta do. Ah opened my mouth an’ closed my eyes. Somethin’ settled on my tongue, sugary. Ah bit down and its sweetness was everywhere. Soft inside with a crunchy outside. Like a doughnut but lighter. Warm an’ sweet. Ah finished chewin’ an’ opened my eyes. Remy’s face was half amusement, half desire.

“Binget.” He grinned.

“They’re better warm.”

“C’est vrai ça (is that true)?”

“You sent me some before...Ah mean, Bella did.” Ah’d told him about all o’ Bella’s presents ta me, but the news had passed unnoticed.

“Y’ have powdered sugar on your face.”

Immediately, Ah felt flustered. “Where?”

Never takin’ his eyes off mine, Remy reached over an’ lightly brushed my lower lip. Ah felt a ghost o’ his mind when his skin touched mine, but it was gone as quickly as it’d taken me ta realize it was there. He wiped his fingers on his napkin.

“Someday you’re gonna make a mistake an’ then you’ll be sorry,” Ah grouched. Someday we’d both be sorry.

“But not today, neh?” He looked at me seriously. “Rogue, is Jenny...”

“She’s gone. Ah cain’t feel her anymore, not even when Ah try ta find her.”

“What she gave us was a gift, y’ know dat, right? Dere was not’ing t’ do for Etienne. Not’ing anyone could have done.”

Ah think he was tryin’ ta convince himself as much as me. Ah nodded an’ we were quiet for a few moments. “Y’know, Ah’m leavin’ tomorrow.”

Remy stood suddenly, grabbed my hand an’ yanked me ta my feet. “Let’s go t’ De Hideout,” he suggested.

Th’ Hideout had turned out ta be one o’ my favorite places in the city. It was a few blocks up from the Café du Monde an’ a world away from the tourists that stopped in for their chicory coffee an’ bingets. It was dark an’ smoky. Filled with the crackin’ sounds o’ pool balls bouncin’ off each other. The first night Remy’d taken me there we’d almost stumbled into the middle of a fight between a group o’ bikers an’ a group o’ goths. It was a rough place, but it was a breath o’ fresh air. Like ya couldn’t focus on any o’ your own problems if ya tried ‘cause ya were too busy dodgin’ a fist or a well-placed stool. But Remy was stallin’, and as much as Ah would have liked ta go ta Th’ Hideout an’ forget about everythin’ for awhile, Ah couldn’t.

“Mebbe later. Ah’m not done with my coffee,” Ah told him, sittin’ back down and tippin’ my half-full cup in his direction so he’d know Ah wasn’t lyin’.

He practically threw himself back into his seat with an exaggerated sigh. “Fine.” He crossed his arms an’ looked at me.

Ah looked at him sternly. “Ya knew this was gonna happen.”

“But it doesn’t have t’.” He pouted brilliantly. Ah stirred my coffee but didn’t drink any more of it. He reached out an’ covered my hand. The cup jumped, spillin’ some of the coffee onto the tabletop. “I don’t want you t’ go,” he said with difficulty.

“Always was a good life lesson not ta get everythin’ ya want,” Ah said, lettin’ the words spill easily, not really stoppin’ ta think about what they meant.

“Y’ don’t understand. Dis...dis here doesn’t mean much wit’out you.” He raised his hands, spreadin’ ‘em around.

Ah felt a funny pressure at the bridge of my nose an’ sternly blinked back tears. “Thank you.” My voice was no more than a whisper.

“It’s all gone t’ hell,” he said sadly. “And dere still my family, but I’m not sure how far dat takes me anymore. Used t’ be dat de t’ought of de T’ieves would take me t’ de ends of de earth.”

“An’ now?” Ah asked, suckin’ in a breath.

“Don’t know. Don’t have de faith I guess.”

“Well, th’ x-men are...”

“Non.” My chest tightened. Ah couldn’t breathe. “At least not yet. Don’t t’ink dey would be willing t’ welcome me wit’ open arms, neh?”

“They would if Ah told ‘em ta,” Ah ventured with a small smile.

Remy threaded his fingers through my hair an’ Ah leaned into his hand. “I t’ink dey would at dat, but Essex is still out dere, mebbe close.”

“All th’ more reason...”

“All de more reason t’ wait until we catch him. I won’t bring danger t’ your door,” he said stubbornly.

“Ah understand,” Ah said, my voice wobbly. And Ah did, as much as Ah could. Ah stood an’ offered him my hand. “Ah believe ya said somethin’ about Th’ Hideout?”

He rose, pullin’ me briefly into his arms. Ah felt the sharp point o’ his chin on the top o’ my head. Ah felt his heart beatin’. It made me strong enough ta believe we’d figure everythin’ out in time.

The evenin’ was cool on our faces. In th’ dark Ah could hear the steady rhythm o’ the water where it lapped on th’ shore.

De road was longer dan I remembered, de shadows deeper. My own shadow looked like a grotesque, alien thing with too-long legs and a tiny head.

Could five months really have passed? I remembered everyt’ing dat had happened here like it was yesterday. De memories were strangely sweet t’ me. Sometimes, dey were de only t’ing dat kept me from crumbling under de fear at what I’d done. What we’d all done.

Dat froze me. A lot could change in five months. People didn’t stay de same. De only constant was change. Mebbe I should’ve just turned back, not darkened her door. But den where could I have gone? Not home again, surely. Dere were only so many times de family would take me back. I gritted my teeth and forced myself forward. Some t’ings had t’ be experienced t’ be understood, and I wanted t’ understand how de time had shaped her and me.

De setting sun was bright and painful in my eyes. De color bled across my vision. Everyt’ing was bloody. I shut my eyes and turned my face away from de light, brushing some hair off my cheek. It was longer den it had been and curled slightly around my face and over my collar.

Midwinter in Massachusetts had no promise of spring. Dere was a nipping eagerness in de air dat tore through my clothes. I shivered. Mebbe dis wasn’t de place for me after all. Who could live in such cold? I might as well have been standing dere naked for all de good my clothes did. Even de long duster only seemed t’ flap and flap, making more wind, more cold. De chill bit into my skin wit’ carnivorous zeal. I pulled de collar on de duster up around my neck and continued de trek t’ the font door. My feet crackled t’rough de frosty grass.

De lights in de front windows were lit butter yellow against de darkness swooping in over de countryside. De light was welcoming, but at de same time made me feel like more of de outsider. Sketchy outlines of trees in front of de house stood out black against de light. Could see people moving inside, shadows.

I put my hand on de front doorknob and stopped, knowing dat dey would never want me. De cold metal burned sharp in my hand. Den, as if by magic, de door opened under my fingers. Could never be sure whether it was me dat opened it, or de girl behind wit’ de bubblegum voice.

Startled, we looked at each other for a long time.

“Um...can I help you?”

Took me a second t’ find my courage, another one t’ find my breath. “‘m here t’ see Rogue.”

Somewhere, in de part of de room I couldn’t see, someone drew in dere breath sharply. In de next moment, almost faster dan I could follow, Rogue came barreling into my stomach. De force of her felt like a fist, but her arms were warm around me.

“Oh my god,” I heard her whisper.

Her hair smelled like oranges and cinnamon.

 

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