Now sitting on their own private balcony, everyone can see that Lorna is barely holding it together. Wanda is concerned and attentive, staying close to her younger sister’s side, trying her best to console Lorna. Marie suspected that the girls did not have the warmest environment at home. Now having seen them interact with Magneto, Marie could only imagine what they go through there. Candy calls over a server and gets all their drinks refilled while Jubes and Kitty sit in silence. The mood is awkward, not at all how Marie wanted the evening to go.
“Don’t feel too bad, we’ve all been there.” Despite it all, Marie decides to try and make the best of the situation. She leans closer to Lorna with a reassuring smile, “Besides I don’t think Warren was bothered by it at all.”
“Yeah?” Lorna looks at her disbelievingly and makes and visible effort to get herself under control.
“In fact…” Marie hesitates, she loathes showing weakness to a potential rival. But after a very brief internal debate, she decides they might be a chance to make a friend or at least build some rapport with a fellow X-Woman. “The first time I met Candy I spilled juice all over her father.”
“Oh, I remember! We were playing tag, and you ran right into him! He was wearing his favorite white suit too.” Candy joins in catching on to what Marie is attempting. “Your mother was so angry with you, I thought I’d never see you again!”
It is proof how upset Lorna is when she doesn’t take the opportunity to get one over Marie and her friends. She looks over at Marie with wet eyes, “Well Warren was smiling… you really think he is not angry?”
“We have our resident Warren expert right here.” Marie looks over at Candy with a wink. “She practically grew up with him.”
“You grew up with Warren?” Both Lehnsherr sisters look over at Candy with surprise.
“Yup! Our parents are close. Growing up, Warren spent more time at my place than in his own home,” Candy answers with a smug smile. Taking a small sip of her champagne, she adds with a smirk. “And in my expert opinion, Warren is definitely not angry.”
The sisters' relief is visible, Wanda takes a drink from her own cup, as Lorna fiddles with her silver. Suddenly Lorna grabs her glass and gulps it all down at once. “It so unfair! Daddy makes all these demands, and I try my best to fulfill them but it is never enough!”
“Lorna...” Wanda places a hand on her should, she glances at Marie and her friends warily, obviously have similar concerns to Marie’s own. “Maybe we should-”
“No! You two understand right?” She gives Marie and Candy and imploring glance, this must have been on Lorna’s mind for some time. “ ‘You are a Lehnsherr, Lorna, you must do better’ He would always say but nothing I do is enough for him!”
“Do I!” Ever the forward one Candy dives headlong into the conversation. Taking a sip of her own drink, she begins a story very familiar to Marie. “Harvard business, third in my class. Do you know what my father said when I told him?”
“‘Just Third?’” Candy mimics the disdain in Mr. Southern’s voice perfectly, no doubt due to having years of practice.
“Yes!” Lorna almost leaps out of her chair, looking happy to finally have some people to share her grievances with. “When I finally made the top of my class all daddy did is ask me why it took so long.”
A moving goal post is something Marie can relate with. She’s never known her biological father, and Irene divorced shortly before adopting her. But standards set by her adopted grandparents are ever in motion. When she was younger, they were never pleased with her accomplishments. No matter how many awards she would earn, it was never enough.
“Yeah, my grandparents never really accepted me into the family.” Marie agrees somberly, she never really expected this party to dredge up so many unpleasant memories. She goes on to fiddle with her napkin till Kitty rest a hand on hers. She smiles at Kitty and shares a decision she’s come to long ago. “Sometimes nothing is enough and we just have to do the best we can.”
Unfortunately, Marie and the girls can’t possibly sequester themselves away for the entire night. Eventually, they have to return to the party. Candy has her responsibilities as the host and Marie too as a member of the club. After noticing Magneto and Warren’s conversation wrapping up, Marie discreetly lets Candy know. Despite her best intentions after that rather draining conversation, the thought of having to entertain Magneto is just too much.
Excusing herself, Marie retreats to an empty room to refresh and compose herself. Standing before the brightly lit mirror in an otherwise dimly lit room she lets out a long sigh, the conversation with Lorna brings to the surface memories she would rather forget. Replacing her gloves, Marie pours some cold water on a handkerchief and carefully dabs at her cheek and under her eyes. The cool water feels wonderful against her skin and she resists the urge to splash it all over her face.
Drying her hands, Marie smoothes out her dress adjusting the straps on her nylons. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees movement in the shadows of the room, near the window. Whirling around she draws her phone and activates the torch app. Two surprised red irises are the first thing she notices, then her gaze drifts to a familiar flirty smile. “Remy?”
“Oui mon chéri, Remy at your service.” Remy steps further into the light and bows slightly, his gleaming red eyes fixed on hers. “You look… magnifique.”
Her heart skips a beat when some previous memories flash before her eyes. Remy’s always had this effect on her, and most women in general. Even knowing that Marie still takes the time to appreciate the charming man before her. His current outfit is the exactly the type of tuxedo outfits that the staff of this mansion wear. Something Marie has no doubt Remy chose on purpose.
This whole situation makes his intentions here very suspect, and Marie does not hesitate to let her concerns be known. “What are you doing here Remy?”
Remy glides close, invading into her personal space, lifting one of Marie’s hands towards his lips. Her heart races at the flirtatious act, and before she can warn him, he brushes his lips lightly over the tip of her fingers. Her hand tingles, as her powers reach out for him, thankfully the contact is too brief for it to have any effect. Cheeks flushing, she pulls her hand back, “Are you mad!?”
“Oui, Remy is mad with passion for you, chère.” Remy tries to pull her closer. Marie places both hands against his chest to maintain some distance. She knows part of this is a trick of sorts, he was just as surprised to see her here as she is of him. Furthermore, even if she might actually welcome the distraction Remy could provide, she is certainly not going to aid in the embarrassment of her friend.
“Cool it, Remy.” Marie punctuates her rebuke with a more forceful push to his chest. Remy raises both hands from her waist and takes a step back with a smirk. Shaking off the warmth from his proximity she presses on in search of answers, “Why are you really here?”
“Dere’s rumors of an unscrupulous deal in the making, Remy is also here for that.” Placing his right hand over his heart, and raising his left, Remy reassures her with a smile. “Remy swears there would be no commotion from Remy.”
“Why do I get a bad feeling about that?” Turning around Marie slides her long opera gloves back on. She glances at Remy’s reflection in the mirror, and her lips curves slightly. Even if his sudden appearance is a bit foreboding, his presence does do much to distract her from her current melancholy. “Whatever you’re up to can’t possibly be good.”
“Chère, you wound Remy.” Closing the distance between them, Remy spins her around and pulls her close once more. Leaning down towards Marie, he whispers instead hooded eyes. “A kiss to sooth Remy’s aching heart?”
The knock at her door freezes her in place. Marie hears Candy’s voice through the door, “Marie?”
“Remy you have to leave!” Marie shoves him away, pushing him towards the window. Turning towards the door she tries to delay Candy, all the while wondering why she is helping Remy. “Give me a minute please Candy, I’m not decent.”
Remy sneaks up behind her, and encircles her waist with his arms pulling her to him, he dips his head and whispers in her ear, “A kiss for Remy before he goes? S'il vous plaît?”
“Marie? Are you Okay?” Candy’s voice sounds worried, Marie understands Candy's concern, she did rush out of the ballroom in a hurry.
Twisting from his embrace she points towards the window with a harsh whisper, “Remy! Leave! Now!”
Remy flashes that roguish grin of his, and climbs out of the window, his gloved hand waving to her is the last thing she sees. Spinning around Marie hurries over to the door and opens it a crack. “Hi Candy, sorry I was just finishing up.”
“Oh, thank god! I’m so glad you're okay!” Candy’s worried face peeks through from the other side of the door. She pulls Marie into a hug then give her a teasing grin. “Because I’m starting to run out of ideas on how to keep them entertained!”
Thankfully Magneto is nowhere to be found when Marie returns to the party. Instead, it is the younger Lehnsherr, Peter and the disagreeable Julian Keller both here as guests. Beside them stands Warren, and another familiar face from the school Robert, of the de Costas. The mood surrounding them feels pleasant, Jubes, Kitty, Loran, and Wanda even manage to form their own small group, smiling and chatting with the young men and among themselves.
“Annnd we are back!” Candy announces with overflowing exuberance.
Marie can feel the group’s eyes turn to her, some with concern, other’s with curiosity and one with disdain. She cannot be certain that the friendliness here is genuine as opposed to the strict adherence to etiquette, that has been drilled into most of them since childhood. Either way, Marie has taken those lessons to heart, almost automatically she curtseys and greets them all with a smile of her own.
Surprisingly Peter approaches her first, he seems to share much of his father’s good looks but thankfully lacks much of Magneto’s intimidating demeanor. Out of habit, she raises her left hand, which Peter receives it with a surprised grin, he tries to shake it, before awkwardly remembering to raise it to his lips. “Marie right? I don’t think we’ve met.”
“No, but I’ve heard of you.” Pulling back her hand Marie curtseys in reply, keeping the pleasant smile on her face. It is rare and a bit disconcerting to meet a mutant she has practically no knowledge of, not even rumors or dreams. She didn’t even know that the other Magneto had children.
“Yes…” Peter’s grin falters a bit, but he recovers quickly. “Like Warren, I’m an alumnus of the Xavier Institute as well. I’m-”
“You lead the Red Team.” Marie knew where the conversation is moving towards and cuts it off quickly. She really didn't want to even think about Magneto for the rest of the night.
“Y-yes, I do!” Whatever she said must have pleased Peter, as his mood seems to have brightened significantly. He looks around with a laugh and declares “I lead the Red Team.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Marie can see Wanda frown at them. Before she can consider it further, Warren pulls her to the side and offers her a glass of champagne. “Are you feeling okay? I know these events can be a bit stifling.”
“Thank you.” Brushing a stray lock of hair from her face, she gladly receives the cool drink. After a small sip, she looks at him with curiosity. “How did your discussion with Mr. Lehnsherr go?”
Warren chuckles and pulls her in closer and whisper in her ear. “Don’t think I don’t know what you did.”
Marie pretends to ponder his words for a brief moment, then looks at him with a puzzled expression. “Whatever do you mean?”
Without her even realizing it Warren manages to maneuver her to a corner of the room, her back against the wall, his body partially shielding her from view. Leaning in closer, he reaches for her glass, his finger touching her silk covered ones. “Using me to distract Erik, of course.”
Leaving her drink with him, she draws back from him and drifts towards the center of the room. At least Warren is only turning enough charm on to show that he is interested, and not treat her like she is some gullible little girl. This turn of events must mean he has caught wind of her impending elevation in her mother's company.
Marie finds an arrangement with him to be an attractive proposition provided that it is negotiated properly. She fiddles with a lock of her hair and offers him a demure smile. “He didn’t need a push from me to discuss that with you.”
“No, I suppose not,” Warren admits while setting the glass aside. Following her closely, his expression turning pensive, “Though he did make me a very generous offer, for his daughters.”
“Daughters? He is going to let you choose?” The thought of Magneto bartering his children away is distasteful, yet this is part of the world she resides in. She is thankful that her momma at least lets her have a modicum of control over her own marriage. Normally the eldest is wed first, for Magneto who is rigidly traditional to offer either of his daughters is disconcerting, to say the least. “I would have thought…”
“He prefers it to be Wanda, but yes he would allow me to choose,” Warren quickly confirms her suspicions. And by the tone of his voice, he at least understands and like her, is realistic about any relationship they might have.
Marie approaches him, picking up her drink again she raises it towards him. “Well, shall we toast to your impending nuptials?”
Warren shakes his head and gives her a meaningful look. “Not quite, my father would have me explore others options.”
Marie expected more innuendo, and perhaps a bit of haggling, not for Warren to practically ask her outright. So she deflects it with an innuendo of her own, “Sowing some wild oats?”
“Haha… I hope you haven’t been listening to the rumors.” Warren seems slightly uneasy in the subject, Marie is not sure why. The rules are far more strict for her than it is for him. Many men like him would have worn their experiences like badges of honor.
“I’ve left those days behind me since taking over as CEO of Worthington Industries,” Warren pivots quickly back to their negotiation. It must be very important or very urgent for him to be so focused on the subject.
It is that urgency that rings the alarm bells in her head. All of Adler financial comes with marrying her. She is not going to waste decades of her momma's work on one sloppy negotiation, so she continues to deflect, biding her time. “I find that hard to believe, from one of the most eligible bachelors in the country.”
“Well, if there is a lady that could-” Warren didn’t get to finish, much to Marie’s relief.
“Alright Warren, I’m not going to let you keep her all to yourself the entire night.” Robert interrupts their discussion with great enthusiasm. They have been talking for some time, even Warren seem to realize any further discussion could attract unwanted attention and could lead to unpleasant rumors. Completely disregarding the proper etiquette Robert puts an arm around Warren’s shoulders. He drags them both back towards their friends. “Why don’t we have Marie and her friends tell us about the Colombian Lab raid.”
As expected Jubes is the one to start the story, and Marie welcomes the distraction. This night has been draining, the unpleasant childhood memories aside, there are plots afoot, and the surprise from Warren. She needs some time to process it. Letting Jubes’ peppy voice lull her, she lets her thoughts wander.
Erik paces in irritation within one of the many lavishly furnished private lounges adjacent to the Southern’s estate. The deal he arranged is not supposed to be until much later tonight, after the party. Instead, he got a panicked call from his contact, interrupting a very pleasant conversation with the young Ms. Adler. He had been waiting for his chance since their last meeting, hoping to lay the groundwork to advance his plans. Then Worthington decides to swoop and try to snatch away what should be his.
This is the most serious threat to his little project yet. Warren Worthington is young, handsome, and charismatic, but it is his wealth that poses the largest threat. If he's managed to read her correctly, the young lady Adler would not be wooed by good looks and charms. Those things are not what excites her, but a practical union of two wealthy and powerful families, that is not something she can brush off. This interruption could upend months of planning and is absolutely inexcusable, he is going to make sure someone will pay for this.
An elderly man rushes into the room with two briefcases, sweating profusely. The old man hurriedly locks the door behind him and places the briefcases on a nearby table. He wonders about from window to window nervously peering outside, completely ignoring Erik.
“Cornelius!” Growing increasingly impatient, Erik uses his powers to draws the curtains on all the windows and lock them. “Enough. You called for this meeting. I am here.”
“What you requested is in the briefcases,” Cornelius finally turns around and regards Erik with panicked eyes. He waves a remote control over the two suitcases and they pop open with a hiss. “Now pay me so I can be on my way.”
Erik strides over to the cases and retrieves a temperature controlled container from within. Erik's eyes linger over the clear greenish yellow liquid secured inside. He counts four such containers and frowns, “This is only half of what I asked for.”
Cornelius makes his way to the liquor cabinet and is helping himself liberally to its contents. After draining the first glass, he sneers at Erik, “Then perhaps you should have thought of a more secure location for this meeting!”
Placing the container back into the briefcase, Erik glares at the old scientist, “Explain yourself.”
To Cornelius’s credit or perhaps due to the liquor he is drinking, he dismisses the threat implied by Erik’s statement. “I was robbed! My men knocked out, my products stolen! By the time the rest of my security responded, this is what I had left.”
He paid large fees upfront just to get in contact with the man and then even more exorbitant prices for the serums. Yet even with all he spent, Erik barely has enough for the first phase of his plans. Frowning Erik makes his displeasure known, “This is not enough.”
“That is all I have left, the next batch won’t be ready for weeks.” Cornelius is the sole source for this products and he knows it. Finishing the scotch straight from the bottle, the old man wags a finger at Erik, “I want full payment, too.”
Erik seethes at the tone this human uses against him. To spend a fortune only to get half of what he needed, “I will not pay double the agreed price.”
“You will if you expect more shipments from me, you were supposed to guarantee security.” The old man points a shaky finger at Erik as he berate him. It seems Cornelius has managed to acquire a significant amount of liquid courage, under any other circumstance Erik would have strangled him with is own necklace.
Unfortunately, Cornelius currently has a monopoly on the serum, and he needs more of it. So reluctantly Erik swallows his retort, and nods curtly before speaking. Letting the pathetic old man have his way for now. “I will consider this compensation for the security breach then.”
Cornelius does make one good point, Erik did choose the location of this exchange at the recommendation of one Sebastian Shaw. He will add this to the long list of insults Shaw has directed at him, insults he will soon give a reply to. Gritting his teeth Erik turns his back to the scientist, dismissing him without an word.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000
Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks again to cschoolgirl for all her hardwork.
Chapter End Notes:
Up next a disturbing encounter.