Sorry for the long wait. Due to problems concerning hard drives and missing chapters, I've decided to make Mississippi Blues my primary story, especially now I know how the Hell I'm gonna get to where I'm going.

I've also decided that I'll write with minimal accents (save for Rogue and Remy) 'cause I'm clueless. I'll include mannerisms, like Piotr not having the world's greatest English, or Kitty's fondness for 'like' and 'totally', but other than that, nada. This has stemmed mainly from my inability to write Pyro's accent without it sounding - and looking - stupid


Chapter Song

Well, I've known heart-breakers but you take the cake,
Ladies' man.
You could charm the diamonds off a rattlesnake,
Ladies' man.
Ladies bring it on over when you give 'em the glance,
They don't stand a chance.
First, you unfurl them, then you pigeon-hole 'em,
Ladies' man.

Ladies' Man - Joni Mitchell


Remy looked around the bar. Just his kind of place: good music, drinks, belle femmes - one in particular, who had just come onstage in a sinfully tight, floor-length, green dress. He ordered a glass of bourbon from the vivacious blonde behind the bar and sat next to a man dressed in obnoxiously bright orange. Hell, even the guy's hair matched! At first, Orange Man didn't seem to notice him, he was too busy staring at the other girl behind the bar, a woman with cropped black hair - the bottom layers dyed deep red - and dressed in a scarlet blouse and black trousers. After a while, the man turned to face Remy, jumping comically in shock at the sight of him sitting there.

"Bloody 'ell, mate, when did you get 'ere?"

"Not dat long 'go."

"Nice contacts, by the way."

Remy looked at him strangely for a moment before realising Orange Man was referring to his eyes.

"Dey're not contacts, mon ami. Few years back, I was in dis motorcycle acciden'. I had a whole load o' operations an' when I woke up after dem, mes yeux were like dis. M' fiancée saw dem an' sent back de ring in de mail de nex' day."

"That's harsh, mate. Oh, where're my manners? The name's St John Allerdyce."

"C'est une plaisir. 'M Remy LeBeau."

"Nice to meet you. You want me to tell you 'bout the others?"

"Oui, I guess."

"Alright, then. Uh, the big guy by the door's Piotr Rasputin, he's the bouncer; the blonde behind the bar's Tabby Smith; the brunette waitress is Kitty Pryde and the redhead's Jean Grey-Summers; the guy with the glasses at the piano is Jean's husband, Scott; and the sheila talking to Tabby is Wanda Maximoff."

A dreamy look came over St John - who Remy could now identify as Australian, due to the accent's - face when he said Wanda's name.

"Guess y' like dat femme, den, homme."

St John started. "Is it obvious?"

"Oui."

"Well, yeah. I mean, she's perfect!"

"Ask her out, den."

"I can't. She's too good for me. I mean, she's so straight and narrow, even if she has some family issues, and I got kicked out of Oz 'cause I committed arson... I'm no good for her."

"Jus' try. Y'd be surprised." Remy stopped when the woman in the green dress finished her last song and stepped down from the stage. "Hey, Johnny, who's dat?"

"Who? The sheila that was singing? That's Anna-Marie. Her stage name's Rogue."

"Rogue..." Remy muttered to himself. He knew which girl he was going home with tonight.

"So, Remy-mate, you new in town?"

"Hmm? Oh, non, jus' passin' t'rough. 'M lookin' f'r someone."

"Well, this is a small town. I might know them. Pretty much everyone comes to Blues Bar at least once. Who is it?"

"'M not sure... She was born 'bout twenty years 'go."

"You a cop or something?"

"P.I."

"Oh. Well, there's this nice little sheila at the registry office in the town hall. Jubilation Lee. She's a good friend of mine. Just call her Jubilee and tell her John sent you. She should be able to help."

"Merci, mon ami."

"Hey, Wands!"

"Hey, Anna. The usual?"

"Yeah, thanks, hun."

Wanda turned away for a moment, mixing Anna's cocktail. Remy glanced up and was met with a pair of sparkling emerald eyes. The owner of the eyes gave him a small smile before sitting down and sipping her drink. Remy looked her up and down appreciatively, his eyes lingering on her chest a little too long. Rogue felt the eyes on her cleavage instantly.

"Yah want somethin'?"

"Jus' tryin' t' decide if y'd look bes' jus' naked o' covered in whipped cream an' melted chocolate aussi."

The next thing he felt was the sting of a sharp slap across his face.

"Ah've been with guys lahke yah befoah. Yah wan' sex an' that's all. Or yah cheat. Or yah dump thah gal aftah one nahght. Nah uh. Naht happenin', Bayou Breath. Ah'm sick of men lahke yah." And with that, she turned on her heel and stormed off.

Remy looked surprised to say the least. No woman had ever rejected his advances before. Unless they were involved with someone already. Oh, she probably...

Wanda, the barmaid, turned to him. "Don't take it personally. She just dumped my brother after he tried to go home with Tabby earlier. The ones before him were awful too."

Okay, so she was single. He was still confused about why she didn't want him. He'd never had this problem before... And never before had he felt the sudden, overwhelming urge to hunt down and beat to a bloody pulp the men who had broken a woman's heart. This one was special.

-X-O-X-

Remy sat on his bed in his hotel room, staring at a picture of Rogue. He'd been right, she was something special - she was the fille, no, femme he was looking for... So why didn't he want to take her back to her father?


Yay! At last the plot bunny listened to reason (see the author's note (ch5) in XCIS for full details) and allowed me to work out how this story was gonna get to where it's going! Chapter 3 should be up at some point... But I'm not sure when... Not until chapter 5's written, at least.