* DISCLAIMER * This is a non-profit work of fan-fiction involving characters created and owned by Marvel Comics Group. This story contains EXPLICIT SEX (m/f teen consensual) and EXPLICIT LANGUAGE If the above offend or disturb you, please do not read this story. * WRITTEN BY * Samy Merchi * ARCHIVED AT * http://mash.yok.utu.fi/corona.html * STARRING * Roberto Da Costa Juliana Sandoval in ****************** * CRIMSON HEARTS * ****************** * GUEST STARRING * Gideon * AND STARRING * Salma Hayek as Luciana Sandoval * CONTINUITY * This story takes place before X-FORCE #26 Flashback scenes take place before NEW MUTANTS #1 * SOUNDTRACK * /Don't Stop Me Now/ performed by Queen /Ecuador/ performed by Sash! /Runaway/ performed by Bon Jovi * FINAL WARNING * This story has teenagers having sex, drinking, doing drugs and using harsh language. Last chance -- turn away now or forever hold your peace. *************** * CHAPTER TWO * *************** *** "Donald? Hello, this is Gideon." *** Bright, echo-enhanced synthesizer melody shot into existence as dusky-colored fingers turned the knob of a stereo's volume control all the way to the max. Drums joined in, with harsh beats that blasted out of the five-foot high speakers in the corners of the room, making the walls shake and things jump on the bookshelf. On the street where you live Girls talk about their social lives. They're made of lipstick, plastic and paint A touch of sable in their eyes. "LUCIANA!" Diego Sandoval roared as he slammed open the door to his daughter's room, his voice barely even audible amidst the rock pumped out of the speakers at volumes not only approaching, but exceeding the pain threshold. "IT'S FOUR O' CLOCK IN THE MORNING!" All your life -- All your life all you've asked When's your Daddy gonna talk to you. You were living in another world Tryin' to get a message through. "Fuck you", Luciana said, dressed in her jeans and a leather jacket, a towel around her head and perfectly well aware of the fact that her words would be drowned out by the music and not caring one damn bit. Instead, she kept stuffing things into her backpack. Her cherished /La Femme Nikita/ videotape. The old, worn-out Kurt Cobain T-shirt. The hard drive she had yanked out of her computer which was now lying on her desk, gutted. No one heard a single word you said. They should have seen it in your eyes What was going around your head. Diego stalked over to the shelf where the stereo was, his feet sending some of the clothes on the floor flying, and turned the volume down all the way. "Luciana!" he snapped, looking at the girl angrily. "What do you think you're doing?" "HEY!" Luciana snarled, furious eyes turning to her father, as she leaped over to the stereo and hit 'stop', then 'eject', and grabbed the cassette tape out of its deck. "What are you doing, Luciana?" Diego asked, watching Luciana with a frown as she walked over to one of her closets. "What does it look like, papa?" she replied determinedly, eyes slightly narrowed in anger, as she yanked a Walkman out of the closed, hooked it onto the belt of her jeans, and put the headphones around her neck before slipping the tape in. "I'm leaving." Then, she hit the 'play' button, and music started pumping out of the headphones. A different line every night Guaranteed to blow your mind. See you out on the streets, Call me for a wild time. "Leaving?" Diego blinked. "And going where? How do you think you are going to survive?" He watched her take a pile of clothes from the closet and head towards the backpack on her desk. "Luciana!" he said sternly, placing a hand onto her shoulder. So you sit home alone 'Cause there's nothing left that you can do. There's only pictures hung in the shadows Left there to look at you. "What??" Luciana growled, wrenching herself away from Diego, and going over to the desk, starting to stuff the clothes into the backpack. "You ignore me while I'm here, but when I'm leaving, you suddenly start to care?" she hissed, and then bit her lip as she noticed half of the clothes pile didn't fit into the backpack. "Sounds to me like my *presence* is important to you, not *me*. So fuck you, papa. I've found someone who cares about *me*, not just having me around like a possession!" You know she likes the lights at night On the neon Broadway signs She don't really mind, It's only love she hoped to find. "What? Who?" Diego moved over to the desk as well, grabbing Luciana's wrist. "You're not going anywhere, Luciana -- I forbid you! You're still in school! You have to finish that, at least, before moving out!" Ooh, she's a little runaway. Daddy's girl learned fast All those things he couldn't say. Ooh, she's a little ru-u-uu-u-unaway. "Fuuuck youuu", Luciana rolled her eyes, and yanked her wrist away from her father's grip. "I don't give a shit about school. I don't *need* it. I've got more important things than education. And that's why you can't 'forbid' me from going anywhere." She forced the flap of her backpack shut, and then slung the pack over her shoulder, heading for the door out of the room. Passing the bookshelf, she grabbed her Mickey Mouse doll out of the top shelf, and tucked it underneath her arm. "Luciana!" Diego shouted, heading after her daughter to the hallway outside the room. "Luciana?" Anna Sandoval said groggily as she emerged from her bedroom in her nightgown, rubbing her eyes while looking at her daughter. "Are you going somewhere?" "No, she's not!" Diego said. No one heard a single word you said. They should have seen it in your eyes What was going around your head. "Yes, I am!" Luciana growled. "And neither of you can *stop* me! So goodbye, papa, and goodbye, mama -- stay here and have your pathetic little lives -- I'm going to go be happy for the first time in years!" Ooh, she's a little runaway. Daddy's girl learned fast All those things he couldn't say. "You're not going, Luciana!" Diego said angrily, and moved over to the front door of the house, standing there blocking the way and preventing Luciana from getting to the door or exiting thru it. "I forbid you! We already lost one daughter, we will not lose another! Go back to your room!" Ooh, she's a little runaway. Daddy's girl learned fast, Now she works the night away. Luciana smiled bitterly at her father as she stopped in front of the full-length mirror in the hallway, not headed for the door yet. "Papa, you lost both daughters the same day", she said flatly, and inspected herself in the mirror, then yanked away the towel around her head, letting long bright blonde hair fall down her back. Ooh, she's a little runaway. Daddy's girl learned fast All those things he couldn't say. "Luciana, don't go!" Anna pleaded desperately, placing a hand onto her daughter's shoulder and looking into Luciana's eyes. "You're all that we have left! We *need* you!" Ooh, she's a little runaway. Daddy's girl learned fast, Now she works the night away. "Sorry, mama", Luciana answered, lips drawing into a wicked smile, as she took the broad orange scrunchie from her wrist, and put her hair into a ponytail. "There's only one person who's ever made me feel needed. And he's not here." Then, she looked over to her father. "I told you you can't stop me, papa", she said, shaking her head scoldingly. "But then, neither of you ever bothered to listen to me." She touched a photo of her sister standing on the phone table next to the mirror, running her fingers lightly over it, and then picked it up. "Say goodbye to Luciana Sandoval --" Diego and Anna's eyes widened. *** "She's dead!" Roberto Da Costa sobbed, burying his face against Luciana's chest, the tears running down his cheeks staining the Kurt Cobain T-shirt she had bought last weekend. "How am I supposed to go on without her?" Luciana bit her lip, her eyes closed, her arms around Roberto, holding him tightly, resting her chin on top of his head. "It's all right", she said, swallowing a lump in her throat. "You'll find a way..." she murmured, kissing the top of his head lightly. "We'll find a way, 'Berto...somehow..." His shoulders shook as tears forced their way out, his normally so proud face constricted in agony. "We -- we found the man who was responsible..." he said in a trembling voice. "A man called... Donald Pierce..." His eyes squeezed tightly shut, his hands clenching into fists. "I SHOULD HAVE KILLED HIM!" he shouted, and stood up, hitting his fist against the wall of Luciana's room. Luciana winced as Roberto smashed his fist against the wall repeatedly, like a relentless piledriver, until finally, over a minute later, he exhausted his fury and sank to his knees onto the floor, clutching his fist, the knuckles bleeding, and helpless sobs again starting to shake his body. "'Berto..." Luciana swallowed nervously as she slid down from her bed onto the floor, sitting beside Roberto. Her eyes started glistening with moisture, her heart breaking in her chest at the sight of his agony. Tentatively, she nuzzled the side of his neck, laying light kisses onto his chocolate skin. "I'm so sorry, 'Berto..." she whispered. Roberto took a deep, shaking breath, and then put his arms around Luciana, hugging her tightly against him as tears wracked his body. "I cou-- *could* have killed him..." he murmured amidst his sobs, taking sniffles between words. "But what if he has someone who loves him -- would I not be doing exactly what he did to me and Juliana --?" He went silent, shaking like a leaf as Luciana's arms slid around him and held him protectively. "I would not wish this pain upon anyone else --" "You're a good man", Luciana whispered, a sob catching in her throat. She placed her hands onto his cheeks, holding his face gently as she looked into his eyes seriously. "I swear to you, 'Berto, you did the right thing -- it's exactly what Juliana would have wanted -- and if there is an afterlife, 'Berto -- if there is one, I know she is very, very proud of you..." "I -- I miss her so *much*!" Roberto bit his lip, trying to avoid Luciana's gaze. "I --" "Shhh", Luciana murmured, and lightly touched her lips to Roberto's. "It's all right, 'Berto", she whispered with a shaky breath. "I miss her too..." Very tentatively, her lips pressed more firmly against his, and she gave a gentle suckle on his mouth. "It's all right..." she murmured against his mouth. Roberto blinked and jerked slightly in surprise at the kiss, his eyes opening wide. For a moment, he hesitated, just staring at Luciana, who he felt was shaking slightly. Then, he sobbed once, and yielded into the kiss, letting his lips part further, letting her tongue slip into his mouth. Luciana's trembling hands rubbed tenderly up and down Roberto's muscular arms, caressing and stroking his skin, a shade or two darker than hers. She parted her lips from his. He didn't cry anymore, just watched her with a quiet, heartbroken expression. "We thought we had all the time in the world", he finally whispered. "I know", Luciana murmured as she gave Roberto's lips another kiss which started out light, and deepened as heartbeats passed. Her breath shuddered into his mouth, as her hand slid down his chest into his lap, and fondled him gently. "We never know what tomorrow might bring, 'Berto... Best just make everything we can out of the here and now..." "Luciana..." Roberto gasped as she touched him thru his pants, and his eyes drifted closed as she pressed her lips against his once more. He yielded to her, weakly letting her do as she wished with him for a few moments, hardening under her caresses and his breathing turning slightly shallow. She nuzzled under his chin and placed soft kisses onto his throat, while her fingers gently undid the top button of his shirt. "Shhh", she murmured, and slowly, carefully undid the rest of the buttons, then with a silk-light touch slid her hands over his exposed chest and smoothly ran the shirt off him. He submitted in silence, not resisting. One more little sob escaped his lips, and then he just sat there while her lips wandered his throat and neck, covering every square inch in careful kisses. After a while, his hands went to the back of her head, and started caressing her very tentatively. Luciana let a smile -- although a slightly nervous and scared one -- touch her lips at his touch, his fingers sliding into her short black hair. She pulled away from him, and stood up from the floor. Looking down at him with a gentle smile, she slowly pulled her Cobain T-shirt up and over her head, revealing her bra-less upper torso. The large nipples of her small A-cup breasts were already rigid and her cheeks turned slightly redder as shyness overtook her. His eyes lingered on her breasts for long silent moments, before he stood up as well, and rested his head on her shoulder without a word. She remained tense from nervousness, not sure how he felt, until his hand touched her left breast, eliciting a sharp gasp from her throat and letting her relax even as her nipples grew even harder and she felt moisture between her legs. With slow, graceful motions, her hands moved over to her belt buckle, and she undid it in silence, then undid her torn blue jeans, and slid them down to her thighs. Letting them fall to her ankles, she stepped out of them, and then placed one of her hands onto his chest while her mouth searched out his and kissed him slowly and gently. A soft moan flowed from his mouth to hers, and he reciprocated slightly, pushing his tongue hesitantly against her and suckling carefully on her mouth. His hands stroked up and down the upper reaches of her spine, just between her shoulderblades, occasionally touching the base of her neck and bringing a moan from her throat. Slightly out of breath, she broke the kiss, and pulled a few steps away from him. Starting to feel fidgety and jittery from the burning heat inside her, she slid her panties off and let them fall to the floor beside her jeans. Then, she sat down on the edge of her bed, and removed her last clothing -- her white socks -- before taking his hand in hers, and pulling him closer to the bed. Not resisting, he allowed her to bring him over, and closed his eyes, sighing deeply as she placed her hand onto the hard bulge in his pants. Then, his eyes blinked open and he looked down at her, slightly hesitant, when she started undoing his pants. She noticed his hesitation, and placed light kisses onto his washboard abdomen, nuzzling around the navel until she felt him relax. Then, her fingers finished undoing the pants, and slid them, and his briefs, down to his ankles, revealing his four-inch erection. Smiling happily, she took it in her hand and gave it careful squeezes, as if she were afraid she might break it. His back arched slightly at her tentative touches, the tip of his erection starting to glisten with moisture as his arousal coaxed a droplet of pre-come to leak out of him as he throbbed strongly within her hand. Lust overcoming shyness and nervousness, she lay down on her back on the bed, and slowly spread her legs, stopping midway thru as if wondering if it was a good idea, but then continuing and exposing herself fully to him. The young female form shivered as he came atop him, and started laying brief, light kisses onto the side of his neck, while the head of his erection pressed against her slit, searching for her entrance and nudging apart her labia. A constricted whimper escaped her throat as she felt him enter her, push past her entrance and into her warm, moist depths. Her back arched, and she gave a soft grunt as his slow push met up with her virginity, and then stopped in silent hesitation. "Do it", she pleaded with a quiet, shaky voice, and as if to emphasize her words, she wrapped her legs around his waist, crossing her ankles and holding him against her as she waited for the moment of penetration. He caressed her shoulders for a few moments, lightly running his fingers along her skin, before descending from the position where his elbows supported his upper torso in the air some inches above her chest. Chest meeting chest, stomach meeting stomach, their bodies pressed against each other, and then, gritting his teeth for a moment, he pushed against her. "Nnhf!" she gasped, making a sound somewhere between a sniffle and a groan one makes when waking up, as her virginity was breached and he entered her in full. He didn't move for a while, and she savored him inside her, even the slight pain of being stretched out. "Yes", she whispered into his ear, kissing it slowly, licking the hollow. Awakened by her tongue, he let out a little sigh of pleasure, and then pulled back a bit, halfway out of her, before thrusting himself all the way in again and groaning with the sensations. She felt her body responding, growing wetter around him, and her back arching to press her chest against his. She bit down slightly on his earlobe to muffle her whimpers of pain and pleasure as he started giving rhythmical rough pushes into her. Occasionally, she let go of the ear to breathe a "Yes" into it, before biting back down again, or burying her face against his neck and moaning against his flesh. The thrusts rapidly grew more urgent, his body pushing down against hers, her body pushing back up against his, moans flowing from both their mouths as the tension grew in their bodies, all the stress of the past week trying to fight against the release but slipping every moment and losing the battle as the exertion pushed Roberto and Luciana's bodies to the limit -- -- and then exceeded it. He came first, giving a little shout into her ear as he slammed himself all the way into her, and then jerked atop her as his semen erupted into her, several spurts of thick liquid filling her womb, and together with the pulsing of his shaft, setting off her orgasm. Pleasure crashed in waves all over her mind, and she felt herself drowning in the tingling of her nerves, her mind and sentience washed away for the briefest of moments as all her muscles clenched and spasmed in furious release, her body quivering and arching and jerking against his. As their orgasms passed, he nuzzled his face against the side of her head, hiding from her eyes, not letting her see the silent tears that streamed down his cheeks. She, likewise, did not show any inclination to move as they recovered from their almost simultaneous climax, and silently let him rest atop her, hands slowly stroking up and down his back soothingly. Eventually though, he moved, and pulled out of her, rolling off her and lay down beside her on the bed. She turned onto her side, and rested her head on his chest, caressing his stomach absently with one hand. "I should go", he whispered into her ear, kissing it lightly. "It's getting close to morning. Your parents will wake up soon, and they shouldn't know I spent the night here." "It's all right", she answered, just as quietly. "It's a Sunday. They'll sleep in late." "I'd better not take the risk", he said, and affectionately ran his fingers thru her hair. "Besides, I've got to finish packing. My plane to the States leaves at noon --" Luciana's eyes widened slightly and she looked up at him in startlement. "Pack --?" she blinked. "But -- I thought -- thought you would --" She bit her lip, and turned her face away from his, not letting him see her heartbroken expression, just resting her cheek quietly on his chest. "I can't stay", Roberto murmured and kissed the back of her head softly. "I'm sorry." He inhaled the scent of her black hair, closing his eyes and holding it in for long moments, before letting the air out. "I need to get away. There's too much pain here." "All right", Luciana said in a slightly strangled croak before getting her voice under control. She sighed deeply, and then brushed some tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, before looking back up at Roberto. "Will I ever see you again?" Roberto nodded and slowly got out of bed, picking up his clothes from the floor and starting to get dressed. "I'll visit every now and then", he said while pulling his pants up. "Come see you, Gideon, Jaime, Dominic --" Luciana followed Roberto out of bed, and snuggled her front against his back, sliding her arms around his waist and just resting her cheek against his back silently, listening to his heartbeat. "Can I ask you one question?" she whispered after a few moments. "Of course", Roberto nodded and turned around in Luciana's arms, putting his arms around her as well and holding her as he looked into her eyes. "Did you think of Juliana?" she whispered, avoiding his eyes as she asked the question, and then, after a few moments of silence, hesitantly looking up into his eyes. "Just now, I mean...? When we made love...?" Roberto hesitated a moment, and then moved out of Luciana's arms, kneeling to pick up his shirt from the floor and pulling it on. He frowned a bit while buttoning the shirt up, and then gave a slight nod. "Not all the time." Luciana hugged herself in silence for a few moments, biting her lip. "I miss her too", she whispered, and then took a deep breath, looking over to Roberto. "I don't regret it", she said determinedly. "What we did, I mean..." A slight smile graced Roberto's lips, and he placed a hand onto Luciana's cheek, caressing it affectionately for a few moments. "Neither do I", he said, and watched her eyes for several heartbeats, before turning away, and walking out of the room. Just before he exited, Luciana closed her eyes, and held them shut until she heard the slight click of the front door of the house. Then, she swallowed and opened her eyes. "You'll be back", she whispered to herself as she went to the door into her room and closed it. *** "You're back", she whispered in awe, the joint of marijuana falling to the ground from her suddenly limp fingers. "I didn't think you --" she gasped as she stumbled up onto her feet, slipping a bit and barely catching herself by leaning against her sister's marble tombstone. "-- didn't think you'd come back..." The man in the long trench coat walked slowly towards her, and then passed her by, giving a little beckoning motion with his hand telling her to follow. "Come, Luciana", he said. "I need you." Luciana immediately fell into step with the man, trying to keep up with him even though she occasionally almost tripped over her own feet from the effect of the alcohol and drugs coursing calmly thru her system. "Sure, uh..." she started in a mildly confused state. "What do you need me for, 'Berto?" Roberto Da Costa walked down a gravelly trail towards a copse of trees as Luciana followed him curiously. He took one of his hands in the other behind his back as he strolled leisurely, and glanced upwards at the moon which occasionally peeked out from between clouds. "You, like most of Brazil, know that I am a mutant", he started, and then held a slight pause, glancing over his shoulder at Luciana as they walked towards the trees. "While this has obvious advantages in making mutancy more publically acceptable, you and I both know that it is also a fact that at present any such advantages pale in significance next to the *dangers* of being a mutant." "Yeah", Luciana shrugged slightly as she stuffed her hands into her pockets, lowering her eyes and feeling a slightly nervous yet enticing feeling creep over her at Roberto's obvious assertiveness. "So?" "'So'", Roberto answered as they reached the first trees, and then took a branching path to the right, "I have decided to not just stand idly by and repeatedly turn the other cheek no matter what the world throws at me. I am about to embark on a venture that will, if successful, help make life safer for mutants everywhere in the world. And for that", he said, and held a slight pause, "I need your skills, Luciana. I need *you* by my side." "My s-- skills?" Luciana frowned and swallowed a little lump in her throat. "But I -- I mean I -- I don't have any -- *skills*. I haven't even finished *school* yet..." She bit her lip and avoided looking directly at Roberto, but kept an eye on him from the corner of her eye. "I'd love to help you, 'Berto, but I don't know if there's anything I can do --" "I know." "You know?" Luciana's heart skipped a beat, even as she broke into a run for a few steps to catch up with Roberto, whose brisk walking was outdistancing her drunken and unsteady pace. Roberto finally stopped, just as Luciana started her running steps, and she almost ran into his back, barely managing to stop in time. Then, she glanced over to the left of the path. "It's a tomb", she said with a blank look. "The Da Costa family tomb", Roberto explained as he let his eyes linger on the heavy metal double doors before them. "It was one of the first things my father spent his money on when he accumulated his riches. The preservation of family history, family legacy, even beyond that final frontier of death." He turned his eyes from the double doors onto Luciana. "My grandfather was the first person buried here, soon after the tomb was completed. He was the sole occupant for several years. Until last year." "When your father died", Luciana said with a frown. "Precisely", Roberto nodded. "He died because someone wanted to get to *me*. Because he was *associated* with a mutant. He didn't even have to *be* one, merely being associated with one was enough." His eyes narrowed as they watched Luciana's. "It will get worse. I have *seen* it", he said with such dead certainty lacing every syllable of his words that it sent shivers running up her spine. "Mutants will not be able to *hide*. Giant robots with sensory equipment that can differentiate between normal humans and mutants will patrol cities. Those mutants who are lucky will fight the robots and be slain in battle. The less fortunate will ebb away for the rest of their days on concentration camps." "But I --" Luciana started. "My father", Roberto interrupted her, not letting her even start, "was not the first victim of the war between humans and mutants. He will not be the last. What he is", he said, "is a sign that the war is *on*." "Like Juliana", Luciana said with a somber expression. "The war is on, Luciana", Roberto declared. "I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees." He extended his hand towards hers, holding it out in silent offer for a few moments. "How about you?" Luciana watched Roberto's hand for a few moments, then lowered her eyes to the ground. "I don't have anything left here", she said quietly. "I don't care about school. My parents don't care about me." She frowned, and then looked up into Roberto's eyes. "Do you have food and a bed for me?" "I do." A faint, though hesitant smile slowly worked its way to Luciana's lips. Tentatively, she reached out for Roberto's hand. "Food, bed, you -- what else could a girl ask for?" She gave a nervous chuckle, and then took a hold of his hand. "We've done crazier stuff", she smiled. "It'll be like old times." *** He tossed a single blood-red rose onto the grave. "I don't know if you can hear me, Juliana", he murmured into the wind, looking towards the dark, cloudy skies, "but I hope you will forgive me." He took a deep breath, and lowered his head in silence for a few moments. "We had so many plans. They're all ashes now, and so is my soul. There are so many people out there, just like you and me. Maybe -- just maybe -- if I can end this war before it gets worse -- maybe I can save the hopes and dreams of another Roberto and Juliana." He bit his lip, and closed his eyes, as a single tear rolled down his cheek. "I wanted to build a life with you. But I can't now. Without you, my life is empty. All that is left for me, is being a machine. A machine of war. Maybe the hopes and dreams of others will find fertile ground -- in the ashes of my soul." A bright flare of light lit up the cemetery, and Roberto Da Costa took one heartbeat to steady himself. "I love you", he whispered at the tombstone, before he turned around, and Reignfire walked towards the woman in long blonde ponytail waiting underneath the trees where he had watched her less than an hour ago. "Let's go, Luciana", he said. Luciana Sandoval raised her arms towards the dark skies, and a bright flare of light extended outwards from her, accompanied with a JGKCHEEE noise like the tearing of air itself. She tossed her backpack and Mickey Mouse doll thru the portal which opened in front of the two Brazilians, and gave Reignfire a playful smile. "Call me Locus."