Rogue (An Avengers Fanfic)

Chapter 51: Jessica Jones

I knocked on the door that was boarded up with cardboard. This looked like the last place a private investigator would be, but more than one source had claimed that this was Jessica Jones' office, so it was the first place we tried.

"Maybe she's not home?" Bucky suggested when no one came to the door. I pointed to the lock.

"No private investigator would leave their door unlocked," I pointed out, knocking again with more force.

"Alright, I'm coming!" a harsh voice said from inside, the footsteps hard and heavy as they made their way to the front door. It took a few tries, but she finally got the broken door to open.

"Yes?" she asked, looking from me to Bucky suspiciously. She was wearing a vest and jeans, her jet-black hair hung at her shoulders and her face said 'I'm already done with your shit'.

"Um, are you Jessica Jones? The private investigator?" I asked tentatively.

"Yeah," she said shortly.

"I'm Rogue, this is Bucky. Do you take walk-ins? Or do you want us to make an appointment or something?"

She looked back and forth between us.

"I've heard of you guys. I don't do murder, kidnap or anything else that could land me in jail so if that's what you need me for, forget it."

"No! I need you to find someone. My mother," I clarified. She thought about it for a second, before opening the door wider.

"Come in."

She struggled to close the door behind us, before joining us in front of a desk.

"Do you want me to fix your door?" Bucky offered.

"Why?" she asked sceptically.

"Because it's broken?" he responded, shooting me a confused glance.

"I have no tools," she said.

"Don't need them." He left us alone. After a few seconds, we could hear banging and scraping.

"Hasn't he been dead for, like, 40 years? How does he know how to fix doors?" she asked me.

"He was frozen for 70 years, on and off. He likes to learn new things, to keep busy. So, can I hire you?" I said impatiently.

"That depends. Tell me everything about your mom, where she last lived, who she lives with, anyone close to her, that kind of thing."

"Her name is Layla Miller, or Mia Miller. Last I checked, she lived with her husband Jamie Madrox." I said, writing down the address. "But that's just hearsay, I've never actually seen her there."

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"Maybe 13 years ago, but I don't remember it," I said truthfully.

"You don't remember the last time you saw your mom?" she questioned suspiciously.

"It's a long story, but no. I don't know anything about her, which is why I need you to find her."

"How am I supposed to find her when you know nothing about her?" she asked, clearly angry at me for wasting her time.

"I don't know. I heard you were the best, so I thought you could help."

"Well I can't," she said angrily.

"Fine, I'll see myself out," I said, standing up as disappointment coursed through my veins. Of course she wouldn't be able to help me, I was stupid for even thinking that she could.

"Wait!" she said, also standing. "You're one of them, right? What powers do you have?"

"Electrocution, force fields and mind control," I informed her, not bothering to ask why she cared about my powers.

"Mind control?!" she asked, her eyes wide with shock.

"Yeah, why?"

She took a deep breath and looked me in the eye for the first time.

"There's this guy. He's bad. Whatever he tells you to do, you have no choice but to do it. He says jump, you jump, he says kill, you kill."

"OK..." I said, slightly intrigued as to where the conversation was going.

"There's a girl I know who's about to go to jail for killing her parents, something that he made her do."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"I don't know any superheroes, no one that would be willing to even try and find him."

"So why do you assume that I would?" I asked, already knowing what my answer was. If someone like that really existed, I'd like to see it for myself.

"Because I have something that you need." I waited for her to continue. "You help me prove Kilgrave exists, and I'll find your mom."

"I don't think I can do that. I don't even know if he exists myself. I mean, I met you 10 minutes ago, you could be crazy. And this Kilgrave person sounds... fake."

"If I'm crazy, it's because Kilgrave made me that way. There's no one else I know who'd be willing to do this, who'd be able to do this. Your mind control puts us at an advantage already!" she argued. "Plus, it's a win for both of us. You help me save an innocent person, and in return, you'll find your mom."

"Rogue, can I talk to you for a minute?" Bucky said from the doorway. I nodded, following him into the corridor. "This is a bad idea," he said in a whisper.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because, if this guy doesn't exist, then you're hiring a crazy person to find your mom. But if he does exist... if he exists then he's powerful enough to take us out. He could make the whole team kill themselves by just telling them to. I think we should stay off his radar."

"Whether she's crazy or not, she gets results. I looked her up, there's no one that she's not been able to find. She's good at her job Buck, and the only way I'll find Layla Miller is by hiring her," I argued.

"And if you hire her, and then this 'Kilgrave' person forces you to kill yourself? Then what?"

"You said that if there's someone in New York who can find her, I should go for it!" I reminded him.

"That was before I knew what she wanted you to do."

"You also said that you'd be there every step of the way. I have to know, if I decide to do this, will you abandon me?" I asked.

"Of course not, I'm just saying... this is a level of danger that I'm not comfortable with, and I don't even believe this guy really exists!"

"If you don't believe he exists..." Jessica said, making us both jump. "Then you don't have anything to worry about. I'm not going to pretend that Kilgrave isn't dangerous, and I can't guarantee that he won't make you do things that you don't want to do, but I'm not letting another person be his victim."

"If you can't guarantee anything, why should we even trust you?" Bucky asked her.

"I don't need you to trust me. All I need is for you to help me prove that he exists. I'm not asking you to kill him or to take him out, I just need evidence that would be admissible in court."

"And then you'll find my mom?" I asked.

"You have my word," she said.

I looked at Bucky before turning to Jessica. "I know you don't need my trust, but you have it. If Kilgrave really exists, I'll help you to prove it."

"Meet me back here tomorrow," she said, walking back into her living room.

"I can't help thinking that this will all end in tears," Bucky said.

"All we have to do is prove he exists. Trust me, it'll be a piece of cake!" I said, hoping that he believed me. But the truth was, if Kilgrave really existed, his powers were enough to stop everyone, even the Avengers. We were no match for a guy who could control us with a simple command. In fact, if anything – we were a target.

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Should Rogue help Jessica track down Kilgrave? Do you think he even exists?

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