Troubles

THE TROUBLES OF GROWING UP

Author: SisterWine
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: The X-Men are not mine. They belong fully to Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox. This is merely for entertainment as I am not in the habit of buying or selling things that do not belong to me. Rhythm, on the other hand, DOES belong to me, and I would really appreciate it if you would keep your paws off. I do not lend, sell, or steal her to anyone. [email protected]
Summary: Regard the title. [email protected]

Ding dong.

The doorbell rang at 7.30 in the evenging. Logan answered and was almost stunned to see the uniformed police officer waiting for him, on the front porch. "Can I help you?" He had been reading in the diningroom and telling Remy about a request from Xavier to accompany him to Muir Island.

"Mister LeBeau...?" A mid-thirties, rather tall with a well toned structure, inquired. He appeared to be alone but a glance to his right said different. His badge glistened in the light from the porch light, and his thick, black coat swished as the material rubbed against itself as he moved out of the way. He looked chilled and warm at the same time, if that were possible. His hat concealed his dark brown hair and made him appear as if his deep, rich voice fit his young appearance.

Logan sniffed. He knew why the officer was on the front porch. Sighing inwardly as if he were hiding his disappointment, he stepped back. "One minute." He barked and turned to retrieve Remy from the kitchen. His thoughts had been on what the family had gone through and thinking it shouldn't have been a surprise to him that trouble started early. Logan shook his head and wondered.

When Remy came to the door, he wasn't the least bit happy that his daughter was standing there, in front of the officer, looking rather guilty of something. He sighed a deep, annoyed and slightly tempered sigh and staring only at the officer. "I'm M'sieur LeBeau." He said as he stopped in the doorway and shifted his weight to his left foot.

"Mister LeBeau, I have with me a young lady who was caught on private property. It seems she and her friends were sneaking around Countess Pryor's estate. The three other children have all been taken home but, this one wanted to be last." The officer had noticed Remy perk up at the mention of Countess Pryor's name. Countess Madelyne Pryor. And, it hadn't phased him that Remy held the same expression the other parents had with their children. Upset.

Staring at his daughter, Remy waited until Logan came to stand beside him before asking. "What were you doin dere, girl?" Bright red eyes glowed brighter while the anger in him sparked. He had told her to stay away from the Pryor estate.

Rhythm shyed back before taking a breath and looking him in the eye and telling him. "I was just-" She paused to bite her lower lip as if she were thinking. Smiling she finished. "I was just ringing the doorbell." A confident grin smeared across her face. The aftermath of her words were clear on not only Remy's but Logan's face as well. Big trouble.

Stepping to the left, he pointed to the stairs and snapped sharply. "Go upstairs." Remy held back his anger but, couldn't hold back his empathy.

The officer waited until she was inside and walking up the stairs before he finished. "The Countess doesn't
want to press charges, seeing as no harm was done. However, she did state that her son was deeply upset at the children seemingly laughing at him. If this happens again, the Countess will go ahead with the charges. Good night, sirs." Nodding and glancing up to the top of the stairs where Rhythm had turned and sat down, he turned back and headed for his car as a light fall mist filtered through the clouds and dampened the ground.

Remy shut the door and both he and Logan turned to stare up at Rhythm, still sitting on the top stair. "Din't I
tell ya not to go dere?"

She nodded, wide-eyed. His temper flared around him like transparent flames and increased as she could feel him in her mind. The room felt smaller but bigger as Remy stayed where he was.

"Why'd ya go dere? Hehn?"

Rhythm took a breath. "Luc say dat dere was a boy in de house dat din' go to school. We just wanted to see him." His anger was affecting her and left her feeling outnumbered.

Remy gritted his teeth. "I tell ya to stay away, I wan' ya to do it! Don' go dere! Understood?!" He stepped forward but stopped when Logan caught his arm and calmly told him to stop. He paused and looked away with a sigh. "Go away. Discuss dis in de mornin." with a wave of his hand, he tilted his direction and went back into the kitchen to finish cooking dinner.

~~~~~~

A loud, high-pitched scream rang out in the early morning light that filtered in through windows in the open rooms. Remy and Logan had both been sound asleep in their beds, and awoke to a hurtful cry. Remy had been on his back, next to the edge of his bed, and jumped only to throw himself out of bed and onto the hard wood floor. Logan had the same jump but, only sat up from laying on his right side, and cuddling his pillow. Both running into Rhythm's room only to find her not there.

The sobbing came from the lavish bathroom in the hallway, next door to her room.

"Boo, you all right, cherie?" Remy had knocked on the door and spoke close to the crack of where the door and frame met. They had both been in their pajamas as they stood there in the cool hallway. Remy in his boxers,
and Logan in his jeans that he had recently slipped on just prior to coming out of his room.

The sobs stopped and a sniffle before a muffled scream. "Go away!" Sobs took over again, and more sniffles before an added, "Leave me alone!"

Logan patted Remy's left shoulder and turned to go back to his room to finish waking up, in a more calm tone. "Better start breakfast, Cajun. Almost time to get up." He called back to Remy, who was still standing in front
of the bathroom door.

Remy sighed and nodded, heading back to his bedroom to slip on some pants before he went downstairs to
start the coffee. He could hear her crying, through the air conditioning vents, as well as feel her scared sadness. It was killing him. He wondered what was wrong but, at the same time, he wasn't about to embarrass her over something that might be so small. Passing the bathroom door again, he stopped. "Rhyt'm, go get ready f'r school, an' we talk about dis at breakfas', no?" His urgings were so gentle as he tried to get her to give him a small clue as to what happened. His kind words had been cruelly murdered at the door.

"Not goin! Leave me alone!" The sobs were gone but, the hurt remained. She sat on the toilet seat and slipped her soiled panties off and let them drop to the floor. Her long white night shirt covered the scene as she sat there. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hands before clutching a handtowel from under the sink, and holding it between her legs. It wouldn't stop, and she hadn't a clue what to do. No one had told her about this part of growing up. Not Belle, not Jean, nor "Ro Ro", as she called her. Her mother hadn't exactly been the one to be able to sit down and talk to about such matters, either.

Remy blinked and stared at the door, feeling foolish to talk to his own daughter through the bathroom door. "You jus' gonn' stay in dere all day?" The corner of his eye caught sight of Logan coming out of his room and back down to meet him.

"Yes." Tears came again, unstoppable.

Logan stopped beside him and raised his eyebrow to the conversation. "She's stayin in there?"

"Oui. Say she be in dere all day. Den, she's cryin again." Remy closed his eyes and shook his head. As he
turned and walked to the stairs, he mumbled under his breath. "Mebbe Rogue should've been here. Can' talk t' my own chile t'rough a damn door." His footsteps thumped lightly on each step as he continued to grumble his way into the kitchen.

Looking at the bathroom door and thinking, Logan followed Remy downstairs and talked his idea over with Remy, who listened with a desperate ear. "I think I might know what's up with the half pint but, I think we need a woman to sort it out." Taking the cordless, black phone off of the small box charger and handing it to Remy, he finished his idea. "If yer lettin her stay home, I'll call Jean and we can get this settled. Or, would you rather Belle?"

Taking the phone and shaking his head, Remy set his coffee cup down on the table, and stared at the phone in his other hand before dialing the school. Avoiding the dramatics, he simply explained that Rhythm wasn't feeling well, and left it at that. When he finished his call, he immediately handed the receiver to Logan to call Jean. "I love Belle but, Jeanie tell it better, no? Sides, Belle is in Paris."

Dialing the Xavier school, Logan chatted with Storm for a moment while he waited for Jean to come to the phone. "Jean, hope you aren't busy darlin, we kinda need yer help in a 'woman' matter.....?" He paused for a moment as she had said something in response. "Yea, she woke the kid and I up with screamin, now she's locked herself in the bathroom and claims she's gonna stay in there. Possible you could come talk to her?" He paused again while she answered him. "Yea, she's stayin home today. Alright, see ya soon." Pushing the END button on the receiver, he sighed and listened. A scent came to his nose and seemed to fill the entire household but, only he could smell it. "She's comin."

Remy just sat there and stared at his cup of coffee. "Shoul'n'ta yelled at her last night. I tol' her I din't want her at dat house. Den, she just goes like I din't say anythin."

"I don't think it was yer fault. She can't stay a little girl forever, Rem. Might just be she's growin up. Jean'll be here soon. She'll solve it and get the kid outta the bathroom." Logan sat down across from him and waited. Setting the phone down on the table and listening as the sobbing was replaced with low mumbles and beggings coming from the bathroom.

~~~~~~~~~~

Two hours later, a knock on the door and a friendly "Hello...?" was a sign of relief for Remy. She let herself in and greeted Remy as he sat on the fifth stair up. Jean had looked like she was ready to spend a day in relax mode and lounge around the Institute while waiting for Scott and the others to come back from assignment. Green pants and a white, tucked in T-shirt under a heavy jacket with brown hiking boots, had all but explained that she welcomed the trip down south to a warmer spot. She carried with her a small denim purse that was zipped shut and dangling from her shoulder by a long white lace strap. "I've brought a few things for her. Is
she still in the bathroom?"

Remy shook his head and sighed as he stood up to give her a hug and an answer. "She's in her room. Not talkin to anyone."

Jean kissed his cheek and patted his shoulder. "I'll have a talk with her." She paused. "Anything else I should know?"

Nodding, Remy absently searched the floor for a place to look. "Last night I yelled at her fer comin home via police car. She stayed in her room mos' of de night. She's done screamed at me fer yellin at her, t'rowed t'ings at her door, even sassed me a couple o' times yesterday. Startin ta t'ink my daughter's an alien."

She smiled. "From the planet 'Teenager'. She's growing up, Remy, and she won't always be your little angel who thinks her daddy is the only one who exists in her life. Hold on to your seat and get ready for boys to start knocking on the door, and calling to talk to her. We all go through it." Taking a breath in and smiling at him as he seemed to understand, she looked up at the top of the stairs and readied herself. "Mind if I take her shoppin? She'll need her comfort zones, too."

Remy shrugged and nodded again as he stepped aside to let her pass. "She starts speakin in tongues an' spittin pea soup, pretend ya don' know her, kay?" He called up to her and smiled along with her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Rhythm sat on her bed and clutched her favourite bear close to her. Wiping her eyes with his left paw, she slid off of her bed and walked to the door and opened it as Jean reached up to knock. "Heard the plane land."

"Remy told me you needed someone to talk to. Anything I can do, hun?" Jean stood in the doorway but didn't come in. She watched Rhythm closely and could empathise with what the young woman must have been thinking.

Shaking her head and wiping her eyes with the paw, she turned around and headed back to her bed. She wore a dark navy corduroy jumper with a white, long-sleeved shirt underneath. Her long hair had been brushed and braided in one long braid down her back. Her bangs covered the tops of her eyes and shaded her tears that fell again.

Jean stood there a moment before moving. "I've brought something for you. A few things, actually. May I come in and show them to you?" She stood in the doorway, holding the purse in front of her. Ever since Rhythm had been little, Jean had always been able to make everything okay to where Rogue and Storm might not have understood. Not that she minded in the least though it was something Rogue should have been doing but, either was too afraid to or wasn't paying attention to her daughter's age. "It's somewhere along the lines of a 'woman's secret'."

"They won't help. Jus' go away."

A sigh from Jean as Rhythm sat down and cuddled her bear, seemed to capture the air in the room. Jean took a moment before she spoke again. "Oh, honey, I know what you're going through. You think that it won't be any better but, it will. Honest." Cautious steps were closing in to sit on the end corner of the bed and place the
purse between them. "Remy and Logan called me here because they care about you, and they don't want to see you hurting like this. Would you tell them what was wrong, if I asked them to come in?"

Rhythm shook her head and coughed out soft sobs, not even looking up to the redheaded woman.

"Would you tell Rogue? Honey, I could call her here, for you."

"No!" A choked breath. "I don' want her here. Ever! I just--" She glanced up at the woman and quickly diverted her eyes.

Jean gave her an inquisitive look. "Just what, hun?" She hadn't the time to react before Rhythm leaned over and hugged her, tears streaming onto the woman's shoulder. "Rhythm, what's the matter?"

The question was ignored for a moment while the embrace lasted. Finally pulling back, she dried her eyes with the back of her hands and brought herself to stare into Jean's eyes. "I- I- *snif* I think..... I'm dyin."

With her arms still holding the girl, she was shocked at the answer but pushed a question of why. "What do
you mean, sweetie?"

Another sniffle before the explanation was all Rhythm could do to breathe. "Las' night, poppa an' Logan an' I had dis really big fight. Dis cop brought me home cause o' somethin, and poppa was so mad. He started screamin, den Logan tried ta talk to him but ended up screamin at me, too. Poppa tol' me I was gonna be punished fer doin what I did. He send me ta my room, an' told me ta go to bed. Dey hate me, an' now dey
made Mattie curse me ta death!"

"Oh no, sweet. That's not how it works at all. You see, Remy and Logan only want you safe and out of trouble. They don't want to harm you. Sweetheart, you aren't dying. It's just something all of us women go through.
It's a way of knowing that we are women. Your mother goes through it, myself, Belle, Storm, and Jubilee. And, we're still alive and just fine. It only lasts a few days at a time but, that doesn't mean it's not a curse. Here." Opening the bag and showing her the things inside, Jean started explaining to Rhythm about them and how a woman's body changes. "I've brought these for you, until we go to the store. Why don't you clean up and try one, and then we'll go shopping. Okay?"

Rhythm stared at the objects in the bag and nodded slowly. "'Kay. Just us?"

"Yes, hun. Our secret." Jean stood up only to have Rhythm stand up with her and give her one last hug before taking the bag to the bathroom and shutting the door. She sighed and felt bad for the young woman who hadn't been able to have the guidance of another woman. Instead, Remy and Logan were to be shut out as they had tried to understand and only became ignored. Shaking her head in sympathy, she went back downstairs to give the summary of what happened to Remy and Logan. As she explained, she skipped over intimate details and instead told them that BellaDonna would be the closest woman to be able to get here the fastest, in case Rhythm had something happen that she was uncomfortable with. "Please guys, don't scare her anymore than she already is. It took alot for her to admit that she thought she was dying. But, I'm taking her shopping and I'm going to try to help her understand this better."

Logan's eyes lifted to the top of the stairs as Rhythm had changed her clothes from jumper to loose jeans and a long T-shirt, and started her way down to them. As he inhaled, he tried not to choke on the strong scent of the clean but 'dirtied' young woman. He had recognised the scent so that he could understand- to the best of his ability- what Jean was talking about. Looking back to Jean, he nodded. "Thanks fer comin down, darlin. I 'ppreciate it."

"Oui. T'anks, chere." Remy chimed in and looked from Jean to his daughter. Calmly walking over to her, he lowered his tone to a whisper so that only he and Rhythm were privvy to the conversation. "I don' wan' you hurt, girl. Dat's why I yelled at you. Y'r my only chile, Rhyt'm. An', yo'r poppa loves you very much. Okay?"

Rhythm flinched away from him but nodded in understanding. Clutching the bag that Jean had given her, close, she waited for Jean to head for the door and catch the keys that Remy had tossed her. "Does it always hurt?" She asked as they sat inside Remy's truck and fastened their seatbelts.

"Sometimes, hun. But, we can find something that will take the pain away." Winking and starting the engine, Jean smiled as she was relieved it had turned out better than Remy and Logan had expected. Rhythm would be all right, it was just the boys who were going to be in trouble.

END.