Here's part 3 of this Remy n' Jubes storyline. I can't believe I've gotten this far. Like I said, I'm not used to writing more than 'one shot deals', so this has been a test of my writing skills – and patience! Continued thanks for your feedback. It helps me a lot!
Single quotes are thoughts.
Disclaimer: Snot my stuff. I bow to Marvel.
A Little Romance – Part 3
Remy was humming to himself as he finished making the first batch of his famous strawberry pancakes. Well, famous in the X-Men household at least. Bobby always raved about them and Beast begged Gambit to make them at least twice a month. With the last pancake on the plate, he garnished his masterpiece with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and fresh strawberries.
"Mmmm. I t'ink de petite neva gonna leave Remy afta she taste de best crepes in de world."
Gambit stood, holding the plate of warm pancakes like it was a trophy and turned around to display his masterpiece to Wolverine.
Wolverine looked up from his paper; none too impressed.
"Cripes, Gumbo, anyone can make pancakes, fer cryin' out loud. I seriously doubt Jubes is gonna leap fer joy at a bunch a Bisquick flapjacks."
Gambit was genuinely appalled. Never in his life had he used packaged mixes to cook. To do so would be an affront to the culinary arts and, quite frankly, hurt his reputation with the ladies. He discovered early on that women found something very sexy about men who knew their way around a kitchen. Besides, he looked darn good in an apron.
"Logan, I will ignore dat grievous insult due te de fact dat you have no idea how a proper meal is prepared." He huffed. "Mon Dieu! You t'ink Harry's Bar is a fine dining establishment!"
He paused again and held up the plate as if it was a priceless statue. "Dis is a creation, mon ami. A work of art. Jubilee appreciates dat."
Remy strolled up to Wolverine, stopped and smirked. "Sides, you don' know what I put in 'em te make 'em special."
Wolverine slapped his paper on the table, raised his fist and popped his claws. "Now, just what did ya put in them flapjacks, Gumbo? Better not be nuthin' illegal."
"I jokin', Logan. All de ingredients pure n' natural." He smirked and cocked his head. "Jes like Remy."
Wolverine shook his head and retracted his claws. "Gumbo, I hate ta be the one ta break it to ya, but yer not funny."
"Jes yer opinion, mon ami. Moi, I t'ink I a bundle o' laughs."
Wolverine snorted. "Yeah, in more ways than one, swamprat."
As Remy was arranging a tray to take up to Jubilee's room, Rogue quietly entered the kitchen. She watched as Remy carefully arranged the plates, silverware and a champagne glass on the tray. Her heart pounded in her chest as she thought about the fact that he was planning on taking his wonderful food up to her.
Rogue smiled to herself. 'By the time ah'm through with ya, sugah, you gonna be eatin' that meal in mah bed.'
Wolverine sensed Rogue as she came into the room. He stole a glance in her direction. Oh, boy. 'I hope yer prepared for this one, Cajun. I was a pussycat compared to what she's gonna do to ya.'
"Uh, Gumbo. I think ya got a visitor." Logan folded his paper, took his coffee and turned to Gambit and whispered. "Good luck, bub. Yer gonna need it."
He sidled his way out to the patio to finish his morning coffee and maybe listen in on the festivities. It was already shaping up to be a very memorable day.
Gambit looked up and saw Rogue standing just inside the doorway. "Bonjour, chere. A lil' early for you, no?"
Rogue slowly approached the handsome Cajun. She had forgotten just how beautiful he was. God, how she missed him.
"Ah didn't sleep that well last night. Was thinkin' 'bout some things." She reached the table where Remy was putting the finishing touches on Jubilee's breakfast tray.
"What troublin' you, Rogue?"
It was difficult for him to be sociable with her. A few months ago he would have killed for a kind word – any word – from Rogue. But she had made the decision to punish him for what she had seen when she absorbed his memories. She had all but told him he was no better than a monster. He had tried to make her understand that all the crimes he'd committed and the horrible things he'd done were in the past.
No matter how much he wished he could take them back or how often he castigated himself, he couldn't change what he had done. It had taken years, but he had finally come to terms with it. Her rejection was one of the most painful things he had ever endured.
She was playing with the buttons on her blouse as she always did when she was nervous. "Remy, ah…" She paused and brought her head up to meet Gambit's eyes. Oh, those eyes. They could always make her forget her problems. How she wanted those radiant eyes to look at her with love again.
"Ah think we made a mistake. No, ah think ah made a mistake. Ah reacted badly when ah saw all those things y'oud done. Ah treated ya like mah family treated me when they found out ah was a mutant. Ah was wrong, Remy. Ah'm askin' fer yer forgiveness."
He stood there, looking into the face of the woman who had once filled him with so much love.
"What makin' ya say dis now, chere? What change yer mind?"
Rogue moved around the table, closer to where Gambit stood. Her arms were behind her back now, making her look like a lost little girl. It reminded Remy of how scared and alone she'd looked when she'd admitted her feelings for him. It all seemed so long ago.
She was directly in front of him now. Rogue brought her hands around and began fiddling with her shirt buttons again.
"Ah've been stubborn, Remy. Stubborn n' prideful. Ah didn't know how ta deal with all the things ah saw in mah head. Ah was so confused." She was within a few inches from him now. She could smell him. That clean scent of soap, shampoo and the special French cologne he used. She missed that smell.
Rogue moved her arms away from the front of her blouse and ran them up Remy's chest. She draped them around his shoulders and looked into his eyes.
"But ah'm not confused no more, sugah."
*********************
Jubilee had stopped just outside the kitchen when she heard Rogue and Remy's voices. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but it sounded serious. She peeked around the corner when she heard a pause in the conversation and saw Rogue with her arms around Remy's neck.
Her heart pounded and she froze where she stood. The possibilities flew through her mind.
'Oh, God. Please, not this.'
*********************
"Rogue. Chere. What you doin'?"
"Ah tol' you, Remy. Ah realized that we're meant ta be together. You n' ah have somethin' special, darlin'. We've been through a lot togetha and we belong with one anotha." She smiled that soft, beguiling smile only Rogue could master.
He looked into her eyes. She was so beautiful. Capable of so much love. He remembered the times they had spent together. So many wonderful memories. They had been through hell and back for each other and, at one time, he'd truly felt as if she would be the only woman he'd ever love.
He took his hands and placed them around her waist.
"Chere."
*********************
She saw Remy take Rogue into his arms. Jubilee pulled back from the doorway and turned around to press her back against the corridor wall. Her eyes slowly filled with hot, stinging tears.
She closed her eyes and began to weep softly.
"Why, Remy? Why weren't you honest with me? With yourself? I just wanted to love you."
Jubilee's tears came harder and she began to walk quickly toward the front door. "Be happy, Remy."
*********************
Gambit looked into the eyes of the woman who was once one of the great passions of his life and realized that the love he had once felt for her was gone. He would always cherish the memories of her, but their time had passed.
Rogue looked into Remy's eyes expectantly. He would see how much they belonged together. When she got him back, she would never let him go again.
"Chere. I sorry. I can' return your feelin's fer me. What we had was wonderful, Rogue. It was hard at times, oui, but it very special."
He gently took her gloved hands from his neck and held them in his.
"Rogue, you will always have a place in dis Cajun boy's heart, but what we had is over."
Rogue shook her head and smiled softly. "No, Remy. You're just hurt because of what ah said to ya all those months ago. Ah was upset n' angry. Ah realize that now. Think about it a minute an' you'll see. You gotta understand that we're good togetha, darlin'."
Even though she had wounded him deeply, Gambit couldn't bear seeing Rogue in pain. "Rogue, I so sorry dis hurt you. I neva mean to cause you any grief, but I moved on, chere. Dere's someone else in my life now. Someone I care 'bout very much."
Rogue backed away from Gambit, her pain and anger evident in her face. "Why, Remy? Why are ya doin' this do me? Ta punish me fer what ah said?"
He wanted to make her understand. Help ease her pain. "No, chere. When you left Remy, I t'ink I gonna die. I neva hurt so bad in my life. But I know dat you have a tough time wit' de t'ings I done in de past. I forgave ya, Rogue. Long time ago. But, you didn' trust me. Couldn' forgive me. At one time, I wan' you back more den any'ting. But, I don' love you no more, chere. Not like in de past. You n' me jes…not meant te be."
"No, Remy. Ya love me. Ah love you. We're a team. We gotta be togetha."
"Rogue. Stop. I still care for you, but it over."
She stood there for what seemed like an eternity. Wishing that he'd smile that devilish smile and take her in his arms. But he wasn't moving. And he had that look in his eyes. That look where you try to console someone who's gone over the edge. His face was filled with pity and sadness.
He was telling the truth. He really didn't want her. Rogue stumbled backwards and struck a dining chair. She staggered to regain her balance.
"Oh, God. Ah'm so stupid."
Gambit moved forward. He wanted to console her. "No, chere. No. Don' say dat."
She held her hand up. "Stop, Remy. Jes stop. Ah….Ah neva shoulda come to ya. Ah'm sorry."
"Rogue, ya got nuthin' te be sorry 'bout. I still care 'bout ya, chere. Ya still my frien'."
She looked up at him and snorted a bitter laugh. "Yeah. Yer friend. Neva thought ya'd give me that speech." She straightened herself up and looked Gambit in the eyes.
"Ah did…Ah do love ya, Remy. Ah ain't gonna lie 'bout the fact that ah think ya'd be betta off with me. But ah sure as hell ain't gonna beg. Ah got more pride than that. Ah hope yer gonna be happy, Remy. You deserve it. Ah'm jes sorry that mah stubbornness finally cost me the most important thing in mah life."
Rogue turned around to leave the kitchen, arms crossed in front of her.
"Chere, I…"
She stopped, keeping her back to the man she had so wished could love her again.
"Don't, Remy. Y'all are gonna be fine. Don' worry 'bout lil' ol' Rogue."
As she left Gambit alone, he eased himself down to sit in one of the kitchen chairs. He shook his head in disbelief at the events that had transpired over the last twenty-four hours. Any doubt he'd had about his feelings for Rogue had been eliminated the minute she'd put her arms around his neck. In that instant, all he could think about was that, more than anything, he wished it was Jubilee, and not Rogue, who was standing there, holding him close to her.
He stood up, gathered the tray of food he'd prepared and set off for Jubilee's room. At this moment, he wanted nothing more in the world than to see Jubilee's face. And tell her he loved her.
END PART 3
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