by Nadja Lee 26/07/01
English is not my native language. Please forgive me my mistakes.
Disclaimer: "X-men" and all the characters here belong to Marvel , 20 Century Fox and I intend no infringement, this is a piece of amateur fan fiction, and I make no money of it.
Disclaimer: The song "Come What May" does not belong to me but the songwriters and Baz Luhrmann. The song was in the movie "Moulin Rouge", the movie belong to Baz Luhrmann and others.
Timeline: Years before the Ultimate Comics begin or in an AU
Universe: Set in the Ultimate universe or an AU.
Pairing: None
Summary: A night that changes……….all………..nothing?!
Archiving: Want, ASK, take, have.
Feedback: Yes, please. My e-mail address is [email protected]
Rating: R
Note: The song "Come What May" and the movie "Moulin Rouge" inspired this story.
Note 2: This story was written on the 12 hours flight from Bangkok to Stockholm when I flew home from my vacation; you have now been warned! *G*
Thanks to Christina for the Beta.
* * *
It was night, it was cold and she was at work. She tore down in the petite top to get some warmth from the cold, checked her mini shirt and black boots before she walked down the street with an air of confidence she didn't have. Besides the cold it was a day or rather night like any other. When she reached her stone she spotted a young brown haired boy sitting crushed against the house wall facing her stone, his head bent and a plastic cup in front of him. A beggar. She wanted to turn away and ignore him; she had enough to do trying to take care of herself but he looked so lost and alone like she had been that she walked to him. The boy lifted his head when he heard her approach. He was a pretty boy she thought with a stab of sadness. The pretty ones always lost first, she knew that better than most. She was taken a little back when she realised that he didn't open his eyes to look at her. He was blind. The curious thought; which colour his eyes had been? Entered and left her mind; on the streets curiosity didn't kill the cat; it killed the owner.
" Was it a good day?" she asked to say something though she could see that his cup to fill with money only held a few coins.
" Was it a good night?" the boy asked back, knowledge beyond his years in his voice but no condemnation.
" What gave me away, love?" she asked, the learned sweetness in her voice hiding her sadness. Even a blind boy could see what she was.
" Your boots," the boy said with a small smile. She couldn't help but smile back though he couldn't see it.
" Well, it is still night so I got to get back to work," she said and turned to go.
" Say to yourself you love him and it gets easier," the boy whispered, something in his voice she couldn't quite place. " All you need is love," he continued. What was it in his voice? Longing? Insecurity? Knowledge? Why was he so hard to read for her? Normally she could almost guess what people wanted, almost as if she could read their thoughts but this boy…he was like a hurricane; a mass of conflicting patterns.
" Love? Love's just a game. I con them…. they use me," sadness in her voice.
" I could love you," the boy said softly and she turned around and kneeled beside him. Hesitantly her hand brushed his hair. He didn't even flinch. She took her hand back. What was she doing? This was insane…but then why did she want this so much? Why did she still long for someone, anyone to say those 3 words when she should know better?
" The only way to love me, baby, is to pay a handsome fee," it was a statement but he heard the bitterness in her voice.
" Just for one night………pretend with me. Pretend you love me and I'll say I love you. Isn't that what we both want? You and I? To hear the words, to feel wanted……….Just a stolen moment of fantasy, just one night," she heard the almost pleading in his voice. This was so insane it actually made sense, she thought to her own surprise. Then bitter experience kicked in.
" No way 'cause you can't pay," it was meant to be said strongly but it sounded like a weak excuse.
" Dream with me," he asked softly. " For one night, all can be perfect. Or as close to perfect as we will ever come."
The night was dragging on and competition was showing up.
" I…can't. I lived from dream to dream like you once…and it almost killed me," it was something she had told only herself in this her new life but on this night with this boy…. things were different. He was the blind king of dreams and she…she was safe for a boy without sight could never see her weakness.
" One night in the name of love," he asked and reached a hand out for her to take.
" I will not give in to you, you crazy little fool. I…will not," she whispered but her hand found his and she helped him to his feet.
" I'm Sc…..," the boy began as she guided him away and he trustfully let her led him…Such trust, such belief in love…even after all she could see from his ragged clothes, weak body and scars on his small form he had been through. A few months more and the streets would cure him from the disease called love. And to her surprise it actually made her a bit sad to think about. Another child lost, another innocence gone…it was the price, the price to pay for the freedom the streets gave from whatever you were running from.
" No. No names," she automatically interrupted him as she would any client. The boy smiled.
" People without names are strangers. Tonight we love each other and are not strangers. I'm Scott." He sounded sincere. It might even be his real name.
" I'm…Red," she finally said. She had wanted to say her real name but this life was too in grown in her for that. She couldn't trust anyone…not with her name, her heart or soul. Her body they could have but the rest she would keep for herself; always.
" Here we are," Red said as she helped the boy into her small apartment. A part of her was glad he was blind so he couldn't see how small it was…how fitted it was to its only purpose; survival.
" It is lovely. Like you," he said as if he really meant it and had he been able to see she would have believed him. Now she merely nodded.
" This is it," she helped him to sit on the bed and she got in from the other side, both sitting on the sheets. As she automatically began to undress his hand shoot forth and caught hers as she was to unbutton her top in front. Quick reflexes for a blind boy, she mused.
" No. Not that. Not tonight. Not that kind of love. Real love. Tonight…real love for the both of us," he whispered.
" But…." she began. What did he mean? What did he want? Surely he wanted something from her, everyone always did.
" Schh. Relax," he gently interrupted her.
With experienced fingers he buttoned her top again, showing he had done that before. Done with his task he let his fingers guide him safely over the covers to reach her and gently took her in his arms and she realised from his experienced way of guiding her head to his shoulder that he was both older and more known in this world than she had first thought.
" I won't hurt you. Just relax," he whispered in her ear as her body had automatically tensed in his arms. He drew calming circles on her back with his right hand and she found herself relaxing and actually enjoying it. As minutes went by and nothing unpleasant happened her eyelids became heavy as she began to drift off to sleep, moving her head to his chest and listening to the calming steady rhythms of his heartbeat.
" I love you, Red. Always," Scott mumbled and kissed the top of her
head. Letting herself get carried away by the dream and the feeling that this
was right and real even for just one night she whispered:
" I love you too…. Scott."
Soon after she fell into her first peaceful sleep in years.
When she awoke the next day she was alone and left to wonder if she had imagined the whole thing. Had she gotten stoned the night before and had been hallucinating? She came to the conclusion that she had done just that. It was more likely than sleeping (without sex?!) with a gentle but hunted blind boy anyway. As she got dressed she hoped she could get enough money in the daytime (which was highly unlikely) so her pimp wouldn't beat her up when he came this evening.
As she was to leave she spotted a handwritten note on the only table she had, located in the livingroom if one could even call it that. The handwriting was shaky and hard to read but she got it anyway;
" I will love you until the end of time
So come what may
I will love you until my dying day
Scott"
She smiled warmly, tears forming in her eyes. He had been real and………for this one night it was worth risking everything. For one night she had been loved, truly loved. She kissed the note lovingly before she tore it to pieces. From one dream to another……….at least she would always own the dream, the dream of last night, the dream of love. And what dream can be greater or worth risking more for than this one; the dream of love?
Suddenly her life didn't seem like such a waste……….suddenly there was the faintest flicker of light, of hope.
So…
Come What May!
The End