1963-07-30 - Le Fluage Pourpre
Summary: Jessica and Remy find the Purple Man
Related: If there are no related logs, put 'None', — please don't leave blank!
Theme Song: None


*

When we last left our two heroes, Jessica Jones and Remy LeBeau were knee deep in their investigation into finding Bella Donna Boudreaux, only to find Bella Donna Boudreaux. At Gambit's house of all places. That's weird, given that they are exes. What's weirder is the willowy way she speaks to him, seemingly unnatural. I mean, Jessica has never met the woman, and it is the middle of the night, but usually people look as though they have a bit more intent behind their eyes. And don't speak like Snow White from the movies. Maybe she's on drugs.

"Remy," she says languidly and too slowly. "What a welcome surprise."

"Guess, I could say de same ting, Bella Donna. Y'aint talked to no one in tree weeks, non? We was rather worried about you. Diss is Jessica."

"Hello, Jessica. I am Bella Donna Boudreaux."

*

Jessica gapes at the woman in front of her. It would be easy to presume the case is closed considering that Bella Donna Boudreaux is standing right in front of them. Her casts Remy a sidelong glance before settling her gaze on the blonde woman.

"Hello, Bella Donna," the words are hesitant. She doesn't know this woman, but she can tell something isn't quite right. Her eyes flit towards Remy again, asking the silent question as to whether Boudreaux always seems high. "I understood a lot of people were looking for you." Her chin lifts to inspect Bella Donna's eyes. "You seem awfully relaxed," with a small smirk she asks, "take something to take the edge off?"

*

"No," Bella Donna says as she makes her way to the kitchen "I decided to give up drinking." The house is in deplorable shape. It's clear it was never that nice to begin with and given that Remy has spent months in New York, it seems pretty worse for wear. She walks bare foot on floors that look as though they could easily give her a splinter as she tries to make some tea.

Gambit follows along, thinking this was all for not. "What you doin' here, cherie? Y'aint been livin' here in quite some time."

"Michael wanted some place that we could call our own," she replies as she begins to boil some water.

"Well, dat funny, given dat dis place aint no place you can call y'own, see?"

*

Once more Jessica's mind races with unasked questions. She slowly allows her head to cant to the side with one of them. "Michael?" she arches a single eyebrow. Her eyebrows tick upwards, and she puts on a persona, and in mere seconds she transforms from the relatively cool-edged woman to a dopey eyed teenaged girl seeking info about her gal pal's boyfriend. "Your boyfriend?"

"How long you been together?" She points towards Remy, "Since things fell apart with this one?" There's a pause. "Would love to hear more about him. What's he like?"

The water being boiled warrants another question, "You making… tea?"

*

"Michael and I are lovers, yes," Bella Donna smiles in a numbed euphoric way toward Jessica. "He says that we are to be married someday and I sure hope we are." Remy looks to Jones and shrugs as if to say two things: Sorry and The Check Will Still Cash.

"We've been together a few weeks now. I love him so deeply, it is remarkable."

"Spose I'm pretteh happy for y'all, but y'mind movin' in somewhere else?" Remy asks, before suddenly, and a bit creepily, someone emerges from the darkened hallway behind them.

"Oh," says the man with neatly parted hair. "You must be Remy Le Beau," he adds with a British accent.

*

Bella Donna's reply causes Jessica's cheeks to puff out. It seems open and shut enough. Jessica shrugs back towards Remy. She'd originally wondered if Le Beau was right to be so concerned, now her scepticism seems warranted. "A few weeks is pretty fast," she notes idly. But Jones doesn't remark further.

The British voice has Jessica pivoting on a single foot to face the hallway. She silently gauges the voice. The purple creep in the flesh, and, as it turns out, he stays true to his moniker. "And you must be Michael," she replies easily, despite her NOT being Remy Le Beau. A few beats pass and she lifts a couple fingers in a wave, "Jessica."

*

"Charmed," Michael says as he reaches between Jessica and Remy for an apple on the counter.

"Mikey, boy, sounds like you been sleepin' in Ole Remy's bed," Remy begins, only to be interrupted by Bella Donna. "Michael and I are lovers, yes. We've been together a few weeks now. I love him so deeply, it is remarkable."

"Be dat as it may, I just as soon tink I would prefer it if y'all found someplace else t'stay. Given dat dis is under my roof and all."

A look of incredulity and intensity comes across Michael's face, "Let me tell you how it's going to be, Le Beau. You are going to take your friend, head back to New York, and then you're going to sign over your house to your ex-wife."

Gambit exhales and turns to walk out the door without another word.

"And as for you," Michael says as he looks at Jessica.

*

Bella Donna's repetition of the same line warrants concern. "Bella Donna," there's an evenness in her tone, punctuated by a sharp furrowing of Jessica's eyebrows. "You' need to see a doctor." She seeks out Remy's gaze, but then Michael is giving an order and Remy is gone. "What!" She takes a step towards Bella Donna and then one towards the retreating Remy.

Jessica's hands ball into fists at her side; fingers extending and then tightly balling again. Her mind works quickly, racing to come to some sort of conclusion about what's going on here. Something isn't right. Something screams in her mind. A glance is cast towards Michael followed by an unceremonious eye roll and a quick flipping of the bird — double deuce style. "Fuck off." Instead of trusting her instincts, or listening to whatever the grand purple creep intends to tell her, she traipses after Remy. "Remy! What are you doing?" her steps quicken to catch up to him. "Aren't you going to do something? She took something and she isn't okay! She needs to see a doctor! We have to help her…"

*

"We gotta head back to New York, cherie." Gambit says even as he's opening the car door of a beater on his property. "Dey seem very much in love, and oughta have a place to live. I bet Bella Donna wonna have kids. She always wanted kids," Remy says with a smile.

Meanwhile, "Michael" watches Jessica leave with a grin that would make even the most hardened criminals shudder.

*

"Remy Le Beau," Jessica states sternly, "Look. I know we don't know each other that well, but I know you care about that woman. You wouldn't have enlisted my help if you didn't! Let me tell you, she is not okay. She's saying the same thing again and again. The exact same sentence. She's on something or," she chews her bottom lip.

It's only when he begins to retreat into the car that her jaw tightens. "Why? Why would you give them this house?" Her face scrunches together. "You were just objecting to them being here. He says ONE thing and suddenly you just roll over? I didn't think you were so easily changed."

*

"We gotta head back to New York, cherie." Remy shrugs. Dey seem very much in love and oughta have a place to live. I bet Bella Donna wanna have kids." He starts the car with some effort, and after a few beats it starts right up. "She always wanted kids."

*

Jessica's eyebrows draw together tightly and she stares at Remy. The cogs in her mind turn quickly as she looks back towards the house. "You're doing it too," she observes. "It's him… how?" Her eyes darken. "I need to get her out of there." The woman pauses, hesitation colouring her actions for a moment.

A sinking feeling nauseates her, leaving a hole int he pit of her stomach. And then a small voice in the back of her head reminds her of her better self. Trish's voice rolls over her consciousness. She frowns. What if it was her sister? She swallows hard, and turns on her heel back to the house. Only to stop again. "Remy. Wait for me."

She stares at the window, and then treads down the street only to turn back down a nearby alley. She walks beyond the house, and reaches its back side. Carefully, she climbs the fence, and then seeks out a window she can sneak into so she can get Bella Donna out of there.

*

As Jessica heads to the window, she can hear Remy's voice. "Well if you say so, Jes'ca, but I'm thinkin' we need t…" She can enter through the living room window, pretty easily. Windows always open durin the night, yep.

*

Jessica pulls herself into the living room, carefully drawing herself into the large sitting room. Slowly, she shuffles behind a nearby couch, and peeks about the room. She waits a few beats, listening both Bella Donna and Michael's places in the house.

*

She can hear a set of footsteps coming from upstairs, shuffling down the hallway. It's not clear, but they appear to be Bella Donna's judging by weight. The rest of the house remains quiet.

*

Jessica take a deep breath, clearing her head. This is not her best idea. She knows it's not her best idea. But then, beggars can't be choosers, and this Michael fellow is trouble.

She exhales and relaxes her shoulders. Quickly, efficiently, she lifts off the floor, just an inch so as to keep her movement silent. She turns the hall, and reaches out to grasp Bella Donna.

*

Bella Donna shrieks as she's grabbed from behind by Jessica. The shriek turns into screams, but Michael never comes. He's sitting in a closet at the end of the hall, looking through a keyhole. The light shines just a bit upon his face and he's smiling widely.

*

"Damnit," Jessica mutters as she grasps the other woman tightly. Knowing that the jig is already up (thanks to the shrieking woman), and that Remy is apparently gifting this house to the woman she intends to kidnap, she takes the path of least resistance. One arm wraps around the blonde while the other extends to the sky. She looks up, and kicks off the ground. The crack of ceiling underneath her knuckles crunches, and in short order the pair are into the second floor.

She does it again, breaking a Jessica (and Bella Donna) sized hole in the roof. The woman shrieking in her ear isn't given an option, and Jones flies to the car. "We need to leave. NOW."

*

Bella Donna struggles for a bit, but she has no power versus the much stronger Jessica. The pair land, right by the car, and since it does not actually violate the terms of Michael's command, Gambit pulls out onto the side street and heads for the highway quickly.

Gradually, over the course of hours, Bella starts acting like herself. And so does Remy.

_ _ _ _ _

MOISANT AIR FIELD

A man in a sharp purple suit click-clacks his heels down the hallway of the airport. "I'm sorry sir, this flight is filled. You must have a ticket of another flight." Michael hands her a slip of paper and smiles. It's a receipt for a pack of chewing gum. "There is my ticket. You'll pull someone from first class. Make it two, I like elbow room."

From behind, we see the marquee and it shows that the flight is headed to New York City.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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