X-Men Fan Fiction ❯ Witness ❯ Lessons ( Chapter 10 )

Authors Note/Disclaimer:

 

I do not own XMen Evolution, its characters, or the universe they live in. I intend no disrespect or copyright infringement. This is a work of adult fan fiction and is intended only for entertainment purposes. I make no money from this work.

 

Welcome back: Warnings: some language, sexual tension.

 

I'm moving the plot along a bit. I have worked hard on the Cajun dialect, but I've found user friendly resources to be pretty scarce. In this chapter I'm focusing on Marissa and what's going on there.

 

Please see the first chapter for complete warnings for this piece.

 

Chapter Ten: Lessons

 

Twenty minutes after they walked into the large mirrored room that served as the gymnasium Marissa was convinced it was a miracle she'd survived Salvador's attack at all. After thirty she was certain she'd never learn enough to be considered half-way competent, much less perform to Magneto's “satisfaction.” Gambit was surprisingly patient, repeating each instruction calmly. No matter how many times it took her to get it right. And it took a lot.

 

After an hour, she was sweaty and shaking. Her hair had pulled loose and was dripping sweat into her eyes. She leaned over, hands on her thighs panting. Gambit repeated what he wanted her to do one more time. She couldn't seem to touch him, no matter how hard she tried.

 

“I heard you, all right!” She finally snapped between pants. “I'm trying, what else do you want?”

 

“You will hit Gambit, girl. Like you mean it.” Gambit frowned at her. “Like your life depends on it.”

 

“Does it?” Marissa looked up; something in his tone had caught her attention.

 

“Defend yourself. Gambit not going to stop until you hit him good.” Gambit moved suddenly and she frantically rolled to the side to avoid the lightning fast punch he threw at her. He followed her movement and landed a quick kick to her back, knocking the breath out of her. She lay gasping for air and struggled to move before he closed for another blow.

 

“Get up!” He snapped. She lurched heavily to her feet and tried to put some distance between them. She raised her hands to block the quick flurry of blows that he sent her way. A kick to her thigh staggered her and a punch landed on her barely healed ribs. Then he caught her wrist and she found herself struggling to breathe as he choked her with one arm and the other held her arm painfully twisted behind her back.

 

“Let go of me!” He squeezed a little tighter and twisted her arm a little further in answer. “You're twisting my fucking arm off! Let go!” Marissa writhed in his grip, kicking, driving a hard boot into his instep followed by a sharp elbow to his ribs, nearly wrenching her arm out of its socket in the process. He grunted and lost his grip on her arm.

 

Marissa grabbed the arm around her neck with both hands and bucked her whole body. The arm around her neck loosened and she wriggled free, turning around quickly. She tried to punch him in the stomach. He caught her hand and held it so she shoved him with all of her might. He deflected her and sent her sprawling to the floor.

 

“Better.” He watched her stagger to her feet again. “Tomorrow, Gambit expectin' you to do the same `ting, but better.” He walked over to a pile of towels and brought one back to her. Marissa accepted it silently.

 

“You come here every mornin'. If Gambit here, he teach you. If not, you practice. If Gambit catch you slacking…an' he will know if you do…Gambit gonna beat you `til you can't walk.” His expression was grim. “'Cause oui, your life does depend on it.”

 

“Adapt or Perish?” He nodded silently. Marissa suddenly felt cold as sweat dripped down her back. It didn't help that the man looked just as fresh as when he'd summoned her. Not even a hair out of place. She was going to die here…she just knew it.

 

“Now come, petit. Gambit goin' check the damages.” Gambit led her back to her room. Now that the lesson was over, all trace of anger seemed drained out of him. When they reached her room, he propelled her inside with a hand at the small of her back and locked the door behind them.

 

“Now to get you out of `dis thing.” He took her by the elbow and led her to stand beside the bed. Marissa dropped the sweaty towel on the bed and hesitated, the hem of the top clutched in her fingers. Gambit ignored her hesitation, brushing her hands away and peeling the rubbery thing off of her. She hissed as the motion made her newly bruised ribs hurt. Gambit tossed it on the bed and put a hand under her elbow. He held her arm up as he ran long fingers over the edges of the new bruise beginning to form over the faded remains of the old one.

 

The spicy scent of his cologne struck her again as the sensation of his fingers on her skin caused her to shiver slightly. She felt herself blush. She must look a mess and smell like a horse after that session.

 

“Hmmm…” He looked at her face. “Gambit forgot.”

 

“It's um…OK.” Marissa backed away and sat on the bed to kick off her boots. Then she stood up quickly to shimmy out of the pants before he could help her with that too, ignoring the complaints of her ribs.

 

“Turn `round.” He ordered and when she did he ran those cool fingertips over her back pressing gently on the spot where he'd kicked her until she flinched. Then he turned her around again with a hand on her shoulder and indicated she should sit on the bed. He gave the sore spot on her thigh the same treatment, his face and strange eyes unreadable. Her breath hitched as his touch sent another shiver through her. His gaze flickered to her face and a small smile played at his lips for just a second.

 

“Gambit `tink you'll live.” He reached for the towel and slung it around her neck, pulling the ends to cover her chest. She felt uncomfortably exposed, sitting there in her bra and panties. It was stupid she knew, since he'd already seen it on that damned video.

 

“Glad to hear it.” Marissa crossed her arms across her chest nervously. She remembered the crack Pyro had made about Gambit back at the Boardinghouse.

 

“De suit, it protect you some. Without, you be hurtin' bad. And Gambit, he pull his punch a bit.” Gambit gathered the pieces of the suit up. “Go get in de shower, hot. Den get dressed. More lessons today.” Then he left her alone, leaving only the boots behind.

 

“Pulled his punches…shit…” Marissa grumbled as she headed for the shower to clean up. “I'm so fucking dead…”

 

When Gambit returned with a can of soda and a bottle of painkillers, she was sitting on her bed, flipping through her old journal. That life was beginning to seem unreal after all that had happened. She closed it with a thump.

 

“Take dis. Ribs gon' hurt later.” He offered her the pills. She turned the bottle to check the label then shook out a few, looking at them suspiciously. She closed the bottle and started to give it back. He waved it away and offered the soda instead. She took it and swallowed the pills. He then gestured for her to follow him. She tucked the bottle in her pocket and stood up. “Time for de tour.”

 

Gambit fell in behind her, keeping a guiding hand on the small of her back as he led her through the corridors. He showed her where to find more uniforms and drop off the dirty ones, as well as what to do with her clothes. He retraced the route to the gym and showed her the infirmary, dining room and media room - currently occupied by Pyro who was drinking a beer and watching sports on the large monitor. He showed her the “lab,” a room with a couple of computers and several incomprehensible machines. He showed her the kitchen and finally another corridor, much like the one where her room was.

 

“Dis our quarters. You don' come here alone.” He nodded quietly as they spotted Sabertooth exiting one of the doors. He pulled her away before the larger man turned around. Marissa waited until they had walked a comfortable distance away before speaking.

 

“Does all this mean I'm not going to be locked in my room anymore?”

 

“Oui.” He stopped at the door to her quarters. “But, de door should be locked all the same, no?”

 

“I think I got, you.” Marissa opened the door and went inside.

 

“Colossus come later, more lessons.” Gambit shut the door behind himself and Marissa locked it. She dug in her desk drawer for a pen and sat down on the bed, opening her journal to a blank page and began to write.

 

 

A loud knock on the door startled her and she pushed aside the journal and pen. She opened the door to find Colossus waiting with several heavy books under one arm and a tray of food balanced on the other. Marissa opened the door wide and reached for the tray.

 

“Hi.”

 

“Good afternoon.” The large man followed her inside as she set the tray on the desk. He placed the books beside the tray and pulled up the second chair. “I thought you would be hungry.”

 

“Now that you mention it, I am.” Marissa reached for the plate of sandwiches. He pulled one of the books from the stack and began to flip through it as she ate. She studied him out of the corner of her eye between bites. He seemed…out of place…somehow. And younger than the rest of Magneto's Acolytes.

 

“How was your session with Gambit?” The man asked, glancing up from the book.

 

“Bad. He kicked my ass.”

 

“It takes time to learn.”

 

“What are you supposed to teach me?” Marissa peered at the spines of the books.

 

“History, literature, art, perhaps some mathematics. We will start with history.” Marissa groaned.

 

“Why does he want me to learn all that? What's the point?”

 

“I do not know. The point is that Magneto has ordered it.” He closed the book and looked at her, giving her his full attention now. His blue eyes held hers. “It would be foolish to question his orders.”

 

“Why are you so scared of him?” Marissa blurted out. “He's just one mutant.”

 

“It is … complicated. I am not afraid for myself.”

 

“This isn't the first time he's snatched someone, is it?” A few pieces of the puzzle clicked into place in Marissa's mind.

 

“No. If you are done, we should begin.”

 

“Who did he take?”

 

“We will not discuss this.” His voice had a tone of finality in it and he opened the book again. “We begin with American history, the colonization of the New World…”

 

If the training session with Gambit was bad, the history session was even worse. Only the bruises were to her pride rather than her body. He'd made her feel completely ignorant about her own country's history. It was completely unfair - he was Russian for Christ's sake! And she couldn't see the point unless Magneto just wanted to see if she had a brain at all. If so, she was definitely in trouble.

 

She made several attempts to draw something personal out of the man, hoping to find him sympathetic. He stubbornly refused to answer. His only concession was allowing her to call him “Peter” as she couldn't seem to pronounce “Piotr.” Finally, he took the tray and left her with a heavy load of reading, promising to quiz her on it tomorrow.

 

“Hey Peter!”

 

“Yes?” He paused at the door, a brief look of annoyance passed over his features.

 

“Does that sit down dinner thing happen every night?”

 

“No. Gambit should have shown you the kitchen. You may get your own meals in the future.”

 

“He did. Um…thanks.” Peter nodded to her and left. Marissa followed him to lock the door before settling down with one of the heavy books. She knew what Gambit would do if she goofed off, but what would Peter do? Tell Magneto? Or would Peter get in trouble too? It was just easier to go along. At least it was better than sitting around worrying.

 

Marissa read until the words began to blur and her stomach began to growl. When she rose she found herself stiff and sore and immediately headed for the bathroom to wash down another dose of pain killers. Then it was time to go check out that kitchen.

 

The kitchen was empty and she set about poking around, looking for something easy. She found some frozen dinners in the freezer compartment and popped one in the microwave. She was leaning on the counter drinking a glass of milk, watching the tray turn when Sabertooth walked through the door. She straightened up, watching him nervously. He narrowed his eyes and approached her.

 

“Whatcha doin' outta yer room, little girlie?” He stood close to her…way too close, almost pinning her against the counter.

 

“Just…just getting something to eat. That's all. They said I could.” Marissa tried to swallow against the lump in her throat.

 

“Who said you could?” He rumbled, wrapping a loose curl of her hair around one clawed finger.

 

“G…Gambit and Colossus.”

 

“Sabertooth!” Magneto's voice came from the doorway. “Let the child eat.”

 

“Hmmpphh!” Sabertooth backed away and instead began to rummage in the refrigerator.

 

“Marissa, I have something to show you. When you are finished meet me in the lab.” Then he was gone and Marissa was left alone with Sabertooth again.

 

When the microwave beeped she snatched her dinner, ignoring her burnt fingers to take it into the dining room. Pyro was sitting at the end of the table giggling. As she got closer she could see that he was laughing at the antics a half dozen miniature figures made of flame dancing and leaping between his hands. He glanced up at her briefly and the figures flickered, only to solidify as he returned his attention to them.

 

Marissa stopped and debated internally whether she should take her dinner back to her room and eat in private. Then she shrugged and sat down. She began to eat, slowly, watching Pyro's little play curiously. He looked up at her again and sent one of the little figures running and tumbling across the table towards her. She watched it with fascination. It stopped a foot from her and did a little dance. Then it leaped into her whipped mashed potatoes with gravy and disappeared with a puff of steam. Pyro shrieked with laughter, then was suddenly solemn and the little figures winked out.

 

“G'day. Enjoying your little vacation there?”

 

“Some vacation.” Marissa poked at the potatoes with a fork, making sure there wasn't really a little man made out of flame inside. “Neat trick.”

 

“I got more. Might show you sometime.” He flipped his lighter open and closed a few times then rose, putting it in his pocket. He gave her a smirk and left, whistling. Marissa sighed. A few more days of this and she might even miss Salvador. At least she understood him.

 

When she walked into the lab the man was bent over one of the machines, his face illuminated by the blue light coming from its control panel. He really did look like Pietro, or maybe Pietro looked like him. Wanda must resemble their mother, whoever she was. Marissa hovered in the doorway, nervously. He seemed to be engrossed in his work. She opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, and then decided it probably was better not to know.

 

“Excuse me…Sir. I'm done.” He turned off the machine and straightened.

 

“Good. Come here.” He moved to one of the computers and tapped a key, bringing up a log in screen. She approached cautiously and when he gestured for her to sit, she did so.

 

“I hope that you have been applying yourself to your studies.”

 

“I'm doing my best.” Marissa touched the keyboard and mouse tentatively. The screen in front of her was asking for a username and password.

 

“In addition to the subjects that Piotr will instruct you in, I wish you to learn several more. This workstation is programmed to teach you basic chemistry, physics, biology, and some more advanced computer skills. It also contains a database of known mutant abilities. I wish you to study that as well.”

 

“This thing is supposed to teach me all of that?”

 

“It is capable of teaching much more, if you are authorized to access those functions.” Magneto leaned over her shoulder to type in the user name.

 

“Legacy?”

 

“I don't think you will have any trouble remembering that.”

 

“I'm sure. What's the password?”

 

“Adaptation.” Marissa shot him a look. That was so not funny. She typed it in and a new screen loaded. It brought up a menu of subjects.

 

“Where should I start?” Marissa scrolled the cursor over the menu.

 

“Wherever you like. I will check on your progress later. You may use this workstation any time you wish.” He then returned to the machine with the blue light. “Don't touch anything else.”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

Marissa was dying to ask why he wanted her to study all this junk, but she couldn't work up the nerve. Instead she chose computer skills, since she'd never had a chance to take that in school. At first, she kept glancing at Magneto every few moments, but soon she was engrossed in the lessons scrolling across her screen. It was only when she began to yawn that she realized that she was alone. She rubbed her eyes and blinked at the screen, then logged off and headed back to her room to head to bed. She had no trouble falling asleep this time, she was exhausted.

 

Morning found her stiff and sore and she had to pop a few pills before she could muster the nerve to wrestle with her suit again. Then she headed off for breakfast. Over the next few days she fell into a routine. A morning round of getting her ass kicked by Gambit. Then history lessons with the no-nonsense Peter. And finally, an evening spent with Magneto's teaching program.

 

In between there were random run-ins with Sabertooth, who seemed to enjoy intimidating her immensely. He didn't actually touch her again, so she supposed Magneto must have warned him off. At least she hoped so. And then there was Pyro, sometimes lucid and almost friendly and other times engaged in some surreal love affair with his own powers. Disturbing. Definitely disturbing.

 

It took a few more days for it to dawn on her that there was something going on with Gambit besides just teaching her self defense. A touch here, a look there, so subtle she almost didn't see it. Twice more he'd insisted on checking her injuries and his touch had sent chills through her - though she honestly couldn't say he'd touched her inappropriately at all. Soon he was using his real name, “Remy.” When she fell into using it too, he didn't correct her. He was playing her own game, but with more finesse, more art than she ever had. And it almost worked.

 

She was well into her second week of lessons. She was starting to believe there was some hope after all. Remy had actually complimented her three times in one session. Then he had made a final attack, using some moves she'd never seen before that left her battered and breathless, but “alive.”

 

“Tres bon. Very good.” Remy offered his hand to her and pulled her up from the mat carefully. Marissa groaned. She hurt all over.

 

“If that was good…I hate to see bad. Ow!”

 

“Come, petit. Remy will make it better.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, half supporting her as he propelled her from the gym towards her room. “That was a dirty trick, no?”

 

“Very.” His arm slipped from her shoulder to her waist as they reached her door. It remained there as they walked inside and he paused to lock the door. Then he put both hands around her waist and guided her towards the bed.

 

“Take de suit off.” Marissa began to tug at the top, used to the routine by now. The thing was damned useful, but she wished it was easier to get in and out of. She started as she felt his long fingers brush her ribs on both sides before grasping the fabric and pulling it away. When she could see again he was standing very close, his spicy scent wafting over her. She backed away to sit down and pull off the boots, but he followed, kneeling to pull them off himself.

 

“I can do it. I'm not really hurt or anything.”

 

“Remy feel like helping.” His strong fingers seemed to linger on her calves and ankles as he stripped their coverings away. Then he held one foot in his hand and began to knead it firmly. Marissa sighed as he worked the tension out. Then he started on the other foot.

 

“I'm not complaining…but since when do I get this kind of treatment?”

 

“You work hard. You stop making excuses…” Remy looked up at her and gave a small smile. “Remy have no other `ting to do.”

 

“So you're bored?”

 

“No. I am in good company.” He released her foot and pulled her up to stand. “You take dem off too, Remy work de knots out.” He rested his hands at the waist band, his fingers slipping just beneath the edges. Marissa swallowed hard at the touch. Then she began to tug the fabric down and his hands dropped away. She knew by now where this was going and she wasn't sure she should. Or could. Todd was so far away…

 

When she looked up she found Remy pulling off the top of his uniform. He casually slung it across a chair. She kicked aside her pants and sat back down on the bed, watching him nervously. She'd never seen him out of the thing; he'd even been wearing it under his clothes when the Acolytes had come to the Boardinghouse. He was all muscle and bone, no soft flesh anywhere.

 

“Just getting comfortable.” He spoke reassuringly. “Lie down. On your belly.”

 

Marissa complied slowly, her thoughts churning. As his hands began to knead the backs of her legs she closed her eyes. Should she stop this? Why was he doing this? She was little more than a kid - he was way out of her league. She had no illusions that she was beautiful or witty.

 

His hands traveled further upwards, still kneading firmly, coming close but not quite straying into questionable territory. She sighed and felt her body responding to his touch, his nearness. Shit. He was working her back now, clever fingers finding all the knots, coaxing them away.

 

Why? A thought occurred to her that wove a thread of fear through her growing desire. He was leaning over her now, close enough she could feel his breath. She felt his fingertips linger a little longer on each stroke. He brushed her hair away from the back of her neck. Then she felt his lips on the sensitive skin, his fingers sliding along her sides, trailing over the sides of her breasts.

 

“Did Magneto put you up to this?”

 

“You worry too much, cher. Remy don' do anyting he don' want to.” His fingers kept moving and his lips brushed against her skin.

 

“I'm serious, Remy. Is this your idea, or his?” The fingers stopped moving and she felt his lips pressed against her shoulder for a long moment. Then he sighed, his breath tickling her skin.

 

“Magneto make a…suggestion.” He pulled away from her. “Remy don' mind.”

 

“Magneto can go fuck himself.” Marissa rolled over to look at him. “Just…I can't do this. Not now. I'm not going to do…this…just because he wants it. And neither should you.”

 

“Remy don' touch anyone he don' want to.” The man sat on the foot of her bed. “I am not a whore.”

 

“I was…and I don't sell myself that cheap. Not anymore.” Remy looked taken aback by the statement.

 

“Remy should leave.”

 

“Yeah. You should.” Marissa pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. “The bastard will probably get what he wants in the end…but not today.”

 

Remy rose without speaking and grabbed his uniform top from the chair. After he left the smell of him still hung in the air. She wondered idly if there'd be any fallout from her refusal. Would he even admit that he'd tried and failed to his boss? Maybe not, he was a proud man.