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Quick note: this story has grown out of my control. I blame you guys and your astoundingly motivational reviews. Tsk on you! (smile) Anyway, there are some changes to this chapter that are further explained afterwards, but I'm sure you won't mind too much…
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Standing On the Edge of Summer
Concealer
Y' know, I kinda feel bad. Pro'bly could've t'ought of anot'er way t' talk t' her instead of nabbin' her on her way home from school, but I couldn' wait any longer.
I mean, it has been t'ree weeks since I saw her – well, really saw her. Troi semaines since m' blast from de past, heh. 'Course, haven' been able t' take my mind off her. De chances of both of us bein' up here, in de same random suburb of New York; it has t' be more dan a coincidence. I have m'reasons, obviously, 'tween gettin' out of de engagement an' havin' de contract f' de time bein', but dat's jus' m'half of de story.
But dere was somet'in' so… lost in her eyes. I didn' remember dem bein' dat gray an' cloudy. Y' know how y' always hear dat merde 'bout y' eyes bein' de windows t' y' soul? Don' t'ink I believed it till I saw her jump out from behind dat crate an' saw six years of unknown history hidin' in dose eyes.
Can' say I'm de type of person dat likes t' get too close t' people. 'M not de trustin' sort – pro'bly part of de t'ievin' lifestyle embedded in m' personality, heh. When it comes t' Anna, dough, it's jus'… different. One look in dose eyes of hers an' I want t' tell her everyt'in' she missed in m' life after she left dat summer. Den 'gain, guess she's always had dat effect on me.
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Anna continued to walk away from the bench with her hand in Irene's with Val flanking her guardian's other side. She glanced back fleetingly, Remy gone from her sight.
"You alright, dear?" Irene asked, sensing the reluctance in Anna's steps.
The younger girl turned forward again, her eyes down to her sandaled feet. "Ah'm kinda sad Ah won't get ta see him again. How often do we end up over here, ya know, let alone the chances of seein' him again in a city this big," she sighed loudly.
"Actually," Irene began. "Val and I were discussing what she should do with the rest of her time in the South before she has to head back up to Washington. She has a house on the outskirts of the city that she has rented – would you want to spend a few more weeks in New Orleans?"
Anna's line of sight snapped up from her feet to Irene and Val. "Are ya serious?" she squealed. She let go of her guardian's hand only to excitedly latch onto Val's arm. "Are ya sure that's alright?"
Valerie smiled gently. "If you'd like. It'd be fun having you two around while I finished up what work I have to do…" She trailed off, casting a glance to Irene. "You're always so full of life anyway, and I'm sure you would have a great time away from home for a little bit."
Anna beamed proudly. "Ah would! This is so excitin'! Do we have ta go home an' get mah things?" she asked Irene.
"Val has offered to fund a few things for this mini vacation, so to speak," Irene explained with a smile as Anna found her hand again. "We were thinking of doing some shopping after we grabbed some dinner." The trio began to walk again.
"Ah get a vacation and new clothes? This is the best summer ever!" Anna skipped happily between Irene and Valerie, her thoughts quickly slipping away from her new friend as her excitement took over.
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He watched her walk away for only a moment before turning briskly away. Suddenly, picking pockets faded from his mind and he made his way to the street, hoping to grab the next trolley home.
Of course, heading home meant hearing whatever his father had discussed with the High Council. A strong feeling of dread sunk in Remy's stomach and as he stepped onto the trolley, he hoped for another long moment of freedom like he'd had with Anna. He knew he would be kidding himself if he believed life would remain as easy as a summer day in the Quarter – but that didn't mean he couldn't wish for it to never stop.
As the trolley rolled along the road, Remy contemplated what his father could possibly tell him. 'Least Henri'll be dere wit' me. He won' let Papa get me in t' anyt'ing crazy, right? Who's t' say dis all deals wit' me, too? Could be somet'ing completely unrelated.
He snorted, blowing copper brown strands away from his nose. Even his internal voice sounded skeptical. Y' heard de tone in Tante's voice – y' père is gettin' y' mixed up in somet'ing dat y'll have no control over.
He sighed, his thoughts drifting further. Wonder if Anna's has as much trouble wit' her adoptive parent as I do.
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"This will be your home for the next few weeks," Valerie announced as she opened the door to the large house. Anna ran inside, her eyes wildly absorbing everything they could. "Why don't you take your things upstairs while I help Irene?
Anna turned to look toward Val, her face bright. "Which room is mine?"
The blonde smiled warmly. "Second door on the right. I hope it's alright… this isn't the most kid-prepared place."
"Great!" Anna exclaimed, her hands squeezing her shopping bags. She fled from the living room and up the stairs, locating her room easily. Val was right – the room was bland for the most part. The only thing Anna saw that could amuse her was a TV and VCR across from the bed with a few sparse videos that didn't interest her in the least.
However, Anna's eyes instantly shot to the window. With a giggle, she drew open the curtains and saw a great expanse of green land, shining silver in the moonlight.
In the distance, she heard the splashing of the river against the bay rocks and the croaking of frogs in the night. Val wasn't kiddin'… this place is practically on top of the river just like at home! She leaned against the window sill, a grin splayed across her face. Ah wonder how different the river looks here than at home, she mused.
A dark shadow crossed over the grass and Anna's attention looked to the sky. Clouds enveloped the moon and thunder resounded in the distance. Anna's nose wrinkled as she recognized the sound. "Great," she muttered, pushing herself away from the window. She flopped on the bed with a loud sigh. "It'll probably rain all day tomorrow an' Ah won't get ta go down ta the river."
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"Do y' want anyt'ing t' eat, chil'?" Tante Mattie asked as she pushed open the storm door that led out to the veranda.
Remy sat in one of the porch chairs, eyes stone cold and fixated on the pouring rain. "Non," he replied softly without moving his head. He had pulled one of his legs against his chest and his chin rested on his knee.
Mattie stood in the doorway, wondering if she should say or offer anything else. Knowing how stubborn the youngest LeBeau could be, she opted to slide back into the house without another word. The storm door gently closed behind her with a barely audible snap.
Remy's eyes shifted over to the door for a moment as he listened for her retreat. He sighed with relief when the door clicked shut, closing his eyes for a moment before returning them to stare at nothing as he had before.
He remained in his still state until he heard footsteps thundering on the wood around the veranda. He listened to the steps, recognizing them as his brother's without hesitation. "Get caught in de rain, Henri?" he asked without moving his head once again as his brother rounded the house and passed Remy.
The older LeBeau son stopped and turned, his clothes completely soaked and dripping. "What was y' first guess?" He back-stepped and plopped into the chair next to Remy. "How long y' been sittin' out here?"
Remy shrugged, his gaze still on nothing. "Woke up, came out here. Papa hasn' been back since last night."
"Somet'ing tells me y' ain' too heartbroken over dat," Henri said, laughing uneasily. He ran a hand over his bald head, swiping off the raindrops that clung to his scalp.
Remy turned finally to glare at his older brother. "What was y' first guess?" he responded flatly.
Henri sighed, his attention shifting out to somewhere off in the distance. "Mercy wanted t' come over an' cheer y' up but I figured y' wanted t' be left alone."
"How are de weddin' arrangements goin'?" Remy asked, grateful for the change of subject.
"Dey're goin'," Henri replied with a shrug. "Gettin' close, dough. 'M excited, but not as excited as Mercy is y' can imagine. She tol' me her dress came in yesterday 'round dinner time an' she couldn' stop gushin' 'bout how pretty it is."
"Nice tease since y' ain' allowed t' see it."
"Tell me 'bout it. She would've kept goin' on 'bout it at lunch t'day if it hadn' been cut short… oh."
Remy's leg slid off the chair as he sat up and focused on his brother better. "What do y' mean, 'oh?'"
"We had a run in wit' Julien while in de Quarter. He was takin' dat snob soeur o' his shoppin'. Y' know, de one dat's 'bout y' age?" Henri reached into his saturated pocket and dug around for a moment before revealing his pack of cigarettes.
"I heard o' her," Remy muttered, unhappy about the unconscious ability the Assassins seemed to have of invading all aspects of his personal life. They just couldn't stay out of his mind or any conversation, could they? "I t'ink she's a li'l younger dough. I 'member Theoren sayin' dat Julien's his age an' his sister's a year younger dan me."
"Regardless, de li'l punk had t' try an' make a scene wit' his sister in tow, so Mercy an' I got out of dere quick. De last t'ing we need is a situation wit' Marius' kids while we're tryin' t' make some sort of agreement 'tween de Guilds, hein?"
"Oui," Remy mumbled.
Henri watched as Remy's eyes grazed over the pack of cigarettes before returning back to focus on nothing once again. Henri felt awful for bringing up the Guild negotiations again, knowing it was the obvious reason for Remy's somber mood. He shook a cigarette out of the miraculously dry pack and placed it to his lips. He threw a look over his shoulder to the door. "Hey, Rem?"
His eyes didn't move. "Quoi?"
"Want one?" Henri shook the pack in Remy's direction.
Red eyes blinked at the pack before briefly glancing to the door. "Tante would kill me."
Henri smirked. "She won' have t' know, frère. 'Sides, y' actin' like y' haven' stole mine b'fore."
"Lapin did," Remy insisted, a small smirk tugging at his lips.
"Sure he did. Consider dis a freebie, den."
Remy's smirk became a lopsided grin as he took one of the cigarettes. Henri lit his own cigarette before leaning over to light Remy's. Remy took a small drag off the cigarette, the smoke catching in his throat briefly before sliding down into his lungs. Instantly, he began to felt more at ease as he exhaled, watching the smoke hang in the thick air.
The brothers sat in silence, each enjoying the simple pleasure of sitting together and sharing a quiet cigarette. Remy leaned back in his chair, his eyes drifting closed. The pattering of the rain against the roof relaxed him further and all thoughts of the last twenty-four hours began to escape his mind…
"Remy!"
His head snapped up and the half burnt cigarette fell from his fingers to the porch. Mattie stood in the doorway, glowering at him and Henri, though mostly at Henri. Everything in the glare said you know better than that, Henri.
Knowing the glare all too well, Henri's booted foot slid over to Remy's cigarette and snuffed it out. "Je regrette, Tante."
She narrowed her eyes at him once more before turning her attention to Remy. "Y' père's on de phone. Says he wants t' talk t' y'."
"Great," Remy muttered as he stood up, throwing a reluctant look to Henri.
His brother sighed sympathetically. "I'll talk t' y' later, frère."
Remy could only nod as he stepped past Mattie into the house.
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She skipped down the grassy hill, the sounds of the river beckoning her closer and closer. She'd been in New Orleans for two days and had yet to venture out to the river, thanks partially to the sudden rains that had come in over the area. However, Val had insisted they get settled in the house further, even though Anna and Irene were only staying for three weeks. Anna felt a strange vibe from Val – like she wanted Anna to stay near and spend time with her. Unsure of how to react to this, Anna was grateful to escape for the day. Irene had persisted to Val that Anna should explore the area more and her friend reluctantly agreed.
Don't wanna know what her problem is, Anna thought as her foot kicked through a wishie flower, sending its white seeds everywhere. She smiled, watching the flower disperse in the gentle breeze. They swirled around her, dancing up in the air. She giggled, hoping to find another one to repeat the action.
As her eyes grazed over the grass, her sight landed on a tree by the river with a tire swing. Wishie flowers forgotten, she grinned and headed towards the tree overlooking the river. She reached it in a matter of moments, flinging her body against its trunk. Her feet sank into the soft grass around the thick roots of the tree. She bent down and tugged her shoes off, discarding them in the grass nearby. Her toes curled in the short grass, reveling in the coolness of the dirt in the shade.
The rest of the air was thick with humidity, even in the late morning sun. It practically slid in her nose and down into her lungs like syrup. If she hadn't been raised in the thick Southern air, she probably would have had trouble breathing. She often found herself wondering how she would react to different climates – the warm deserts of the west coast; the cool dryness of the north. She craved to experience it all as her mind always drifted away from Caldecott County. Some days she felt she would never get to leave that small town. Then again, look where Ah am now. Baby steps, Anna. You'll see the world soon enough.
She circled the tree, her hand dragging along the rough bark of the trunk. She laughed to no one, enjoying the feeling against her palm. Her finger twirled around a knot in the bark, flicking away the dry bits unconsciously.
A moment later, the tire swing swaying slightly in the gentle breeze caught her attention once again. With a giggle, her hand fell from the trunk. Ah love swings! She thought excitedly as her hands grasped the tire.
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Remy kicked the dirt along the path, his mood still sour from the day before. Despite his few moments of relaxing with Henri, he couldn't take his mind off the entire situation. I can' believe dey're makin' some big deal 'bout unitin' de guilds, as if dat's gon' t' fix all our problems. His hands were shoved far down into his shorts' pockets, angrily clenched into fists. His eyes glowed fiercely behind his dark sunglasses. He hadn't been able to cheer up since his father had called him the day before.
"So much f' enjoyin' de rest of m'summer," he muttered as he plodded on. His bad moods always brought him to the river alone, far away from the LeBeau estate – at least on sunny days. Lapin had wanted Remy to head into town with him and their other cousin Theoren, but Remy insisted he wanted to be alone. Dealing with his prankster cousins was one of the last things he wanted to do.
What drove him crazy the most was how Jean Luc had put all the pressure on Remy. He had said that Henri had enough to deal with, seeing as how his wedding was only a month away and as Jean Luc had so eloquently put it, it was Remy's duty as a LeBeau to play a crucial role in such a monumental change in the guild.
Duty m' ass. M' thirteen – I don' need t' deal wit' dis merde He kicked a pebble in his path. Not like I asked him t' adopt me in t' dis family!
He trudged on, the ground progressively turning softer under his dirty sneakers. He looked up, seeing his favorite tree in the distance. It had branches that extended over the river that Remy enjoyed sitting on – it was such a great way to waste the day away. It was also fun to leap off the branches into the river. There was not a better way to escape the heat than that on a muggy Louisianan day.
He could feel a glimmer of relief when he saw his tree. He knew he could hide there for the day and forget about his family responsibilities. He was sure his father knew about the tree and how Remy sought refuge there – there wasn't a corner of New Orleans that the leader of the Thieves Guild wasn't aware of. Remy was grateful that the man hadn't bothered to seek him there; at least not yet, anyway.
As Remy grew closer to the tree, he noted that someone had already beat him there. Laughter filtered through the air as he saw the tire swing Henri had helped him hang the summer before sway in and out of his vision from behind the tree's trunk.
"Who t'inks dey can jus' steal m' tree," he thought aloud with a frustrated sigh. This was officially the last thing he needed – his one place of solace had been invaded.
He stamped up to the tree, intent on chasing the person away. He fixed his sunglasses on his nose and rounded the tree, and stopped. A girl sat in his tire swing, giggling madly.
As she spun around on the tire, Remy caught a glimpse of a shock of white hair on the girl that contrasted greatly with the rest of her dark auburn curls. He gaped at her, while she swung on, oblivious to his presence.
Dis is unbelievable. He swallowed for a moment, grasping for his voice. When he regained the ability to speak, he tentatively called out, "Anna?"
Her feet immediately planted on the ground to anchor herself down before she cautiously turned around. Her gray-green eyes were wide with apprehension until they settled on Remy. Suddenly, they were bright again and she beamed with joy. "Remy!" she cried happily. "Ah can't believe you're here!"
"Moi? I live here. What are y' doin' here, River Rat?" he asked teasingly as he took a few steps towards her.
She glared at him for a moment before twisting herself on the tire in the direction of Val's rented home. "Irene's friend has a house down here foh the summer. Irene an' me are stayin' with her foh a couple of weeks." She pointed up the hill. "It's that big red colored one up that way."
Remy followed the direction of her finger. "Ah, one of dose houses," he commented.
Anna dropped her hand. "What do ya mean?"
"Mon frère is always sayin' how dose houses are too close t' comfort f' us. Says dey're government owned or somet'ing like dat."
Anna shrugged, lifting her feet off the ground so she could swing slightly again. "Val does work in Washington foh the rest of the year 'parently. Ah have no idea why her business has her comin' down here, but whatever. It gets me outta Caldecott foh a couple weeks."
A couple weeks? "Y' gettin' some more of dat freedom y' were talkin' bout," Remy noticed, glancing past her shoulder. "Don' see dat blind maman of yours."
She pumped her legs slightly to pick up speed on the swing. "She wanted me ta go out today. Val's been keepin' me cooped up with her foh the last few days while it rained. She's weird though – Irene has these headaches a lot so she'll go off to be alone in her room. She's been havin' them non stop since we got here and then Val is always raht there, as if Ah need a replacement momma while Irene tries ta feel better. This ain't the first time it's happened either."
Remy leaned his back against the trunk of the tree. "Sounds annoyin'."
"Oh, it is. All of Reenie's friends are like that with me when they come to visit."
"Mus' be nice dough, havin' someone watchin' over y' like dat," he responded in a soft voice.
Anna stopped swinging again to look at him directly. "Ah guess so… Ya okay? Ya seem kinda down." She began to climb out of the tire. "Is it because Ah'm hoggin' the swing?" she asked innocently.
Remy smiled as he stood up straight and walked over to her, halfway out of the tire. "Non, it's not dat at all," he said, his hand grazing the tire. "M' père is jus' being a jerk recently, dat's all."
"Oh… Ah'm sorry. Parents can be crappy like that sometimes. It doesn't matter if you're adopted or not, huh?"
Remy dropped his hand from the tire dejectedly. "Didn' tell y' dat I was 'dopted too, non?"
"Ya didn't. Imagine that – we've got another thing in common!" she replied cheerfully, hoping her lightheartedness would rub off on him.
"Quoi?"
"Well," she ticked off on her fingers. "We're both adopted, both of us have fake conditions that we wear stupid things foh." Remy chuckled at that one and pulled off his sunglasses, as Anna tugged her long cotton pants and shirt sleeves off her damp skin only to have it stick to her again a moment later. "Plus, we're both different an' people make fun of us foh it."
"Yeah, sounds like somet'ing worth bondin' over," he drawled sarcastically as his hand found the tire again.
"Oh, come on – ya even said yaself that Ah was pretty cool foh a girl!"
"So what if I did?" he smirked. "Doesn't mean I want ya usin' m' tire swing."
"Ah told ya Ah'd get off…"
"Don'." And with that, Remy gave the tire a decent heave, sending Anna swinging and twisting every which way. She shrieked in alarm at first before she caught the grin on Remy's face. She beamed herself and allowed the swing's rope to take her in any direction Remy happened to continually push her in.
She weaved through the air as she clung onto the swing. Remy stepped around the swinging radius cautiously and with an ease that Anna noted and admired. It's almost like he's dancin' around me, she mused to herself. He shoved the swing in one direction and agilely jumped out of the way before she could crash back into him.
Suddenly, he stopped skipping around her and planted his feet on the ground. Realizing that she was going to fly right into him, she squeaked and braced herself for the impact as she imagined Remy falling backwards into the trunk of the tree with the strength of the tire's swing.
The swing smashed into him, Anna gasping as Remy took the brunt of the force. "Ohmahgawd!" she shrieked. "Are ya okay?"
Remy's stance had only moved back a few inches as he held fast to the swing. "'M fine, fille. Relax," he said, a lazy smirk splayed across his face. "Y' worry too much."
"Ah thought Ah was gonna hurt ya!" she cried defensively as she pulled herself out of the tire. Remy let go of the swing once she'd freed herself and it swung aimlessly once again. Anna stomped up to him, her small frame barely coming past his shoulders. She glared up at him, sticking a finger in his chest angrily. "Don't do that again, Swamp Rat. Ah don't care if ya know what you're doin'!"
He hovered over her, his smirk still present. "Did ya really think I was goin' t' let y' hurt me, Anna? Why y' so angry?"
Her glare remained for a moment and then diminished as her face relaxed to a neutral stare. "Ah didn't…" Her finger dropped from his chest. "Ah didn't want ta hurt ya an' then have ya never talk ta me again."
He stared at her disbelievingly. "Y' serious? Even dough I was de one who practically threw m'self in front of de tire?"
She nodded and shrugged, her gaze falling from him. "Can't say Ah'm used ta hangin' 'round other people, Remy," she said softly as she took a step back from him. "Ah told ya, freedom doesn't come often, an' neither do friends."
"Y' were afraid dat I'd get mad at y' an' go away?"
She nodded again ever so slightly. "Ah suck at makin' friends, okay? Ah'm sorry."
Remy watched as she shyly tucked a piece of white hair behind her ear, her gray-green eyes focusing on a grassy patch by her right foot. Dis fille has problems… She got all defensive 'cause I was playin' 'round wit' her. If I would've gotten hurt, it would've been m'fault, obviously.
Unsure of what to do seeing as how he didn't have many friends of the female variety, Remy opted to playfully shove her arm, his smirk returning. She looked at him again, confused. "What?"
"Why don' we go get somet'in' t' drink?" he suggested. "'M dyin' of thirst."
Anna stared at him, her eyes turning inquisitive. "Ya sure?"
"Mais oui. Y' maman ou son amie any good at makin' lemonade?" He began to walk ahead of her to Val's house in the distance.
Anna froze for a moment before snatching her shoes off the grass and jogging up next to him. "No," she said, keeping pace with him. "But Irene makes decent iced tea."
He pulled his glasses out of his pocket and replaced them on his nose. "Iced tea it is, den," he decided, beaming down at her.
Her smile matched his. "Ah guess so."
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Ah haven't been able ta shake this damn feelin' foh weeks. Ya think it bein' the end of the day an' all, Ah'd be thrilled ta get away from Bayville High. It doesn't matter that we've been accepted back there – people still treat us like garbage.
If it's not one thing, it's another though. Ah mean, yeah, school's difficult enough but goin' home ta a hole in the ground just reminds me of everythin' that led up ta where we are now. It's a constant reminder of what happened, what could've happened, what could still happen.
It still haunts me, sittin' in that cell in Area 51. We weren't there long… Ah mean, they'd interrogated Logan repeatedly after they chiseled us outta those green… blobs, foh a lack of a better word. They'd almost gotten Freddie out by the time the alarms were goin' off an' we had a chance to escape. Luckily Evan's accuracy has only been gettin' better or Logan might've ended up with a pierced side instead of a broken shackle. After he'd gotten free, he pretty much went feral on the jerks an' freed us. He an' Mr. McCoy were quite the team, beatin' up the military personnel an' lockin' 'em up in that cage. It still makes me smirk thinkin' of the looks on their faces.
Of course, the smile just fades when Ah realize Ah'm in the same room as Mystique an' the Brotherhood an' we're workin' with them, again. They had ta free Blob, so Ah can understand that, but standin' anywhere in the vicinity of that woman makes mah skin crawl. Didn't help when Ah found out she'd kidnapped the professor an' hidden him from us, not ta mention destroy the place Ah've called home foh the last two years. The bitch was lucky all Scott did was lock her in Area 51 ta be taken by the military. What he really should've done was let me absorb her an' find out where she'd taken Xavier.
Not that dwellin' on that'll matter now, or then, really. We had ta focus on survivin' without our teachers, since Ororo an' Mr. McCoy headed ta Washington to help plead our case. Logan kept an eye on us while we hid in a damn cave while the military found us an' shot us with friggin' missiles, but hey, if Ah look on the bright side, Ah got to ride Logan's motorcycle foh a little bit in there. Ah can say it was almost worth bein' chased out of that convenience store just so Ah could see that look on his face when he realized that Ah can handle his bike nearly as well as he can. Then again, if Ah hadn't been ridin' like a bat out of hell, Ah could've shown him that Ah'm pro'bly just as good as him. Once Ah get mah hands on another bike, Ah'm racin' that man an' we'll see who comes out victorious.
Didn't really get the chance ta challenge him ta a race since he ran off durin' the whole "military firin' on us" bull. Then, if things couldn't possibly get any worse, Juggernaut came outta nowhere an' startin' beatin' the crap out of this random dam. Scott insisted we go to the rescue since that's what the professor would've done, even though we were all pretty sure we'd just be seen as the enemy again an' get ridiculed even more.
Once Juggernaut realized we were there, he started beatin' the crap outta us, but we pulled through even though Scott almost got his head crushed, among other injuries we sustained. Luckily though, Ah was able ta absorb Cain an' use his super strength against him. An' the most important part, he knew the professor's location, which was conveniently the holdin' cell that Mystique had freed Juggs from. Turns out the dumb lug head was useful for once.
It was such a morale lifter ta have Xavier back. Ah mean, we'd survived without him obviously. We survived a lot more than we give ourselves credit foh, Ah'm sure, but somethin' about havin' the Prof back gave us that sense of accomplishment an' wholeness that we knew was missin' when he was gone.
So, hooray for our awesome teamwork skills! We found the professor an' now we're… livin' in a hole in the ground while the institute is bein' rebuilt. Ah don't even want ta recall everythin' that happened with the Brotherhood an' school an' the board meetin' and ugh upon ugh. It was so much easier ta sit in the back in school an' just be ignored foh bein' the little Goth girl who wanted no one near her. Now Ah have ta deal with the damn snickerin' an' the insults ta boot.
An' as if that weren't enough, every time mah head stops thinkin' about all the things that have happened in the last three weeks, it starts thinkin' about him.
Her sudden encounter with Remy may not have held primary concern in her head all things considered, but whenever she'd have a moment of peace, Rogue's mind would torture her with that sad stare that she remembered so well, but didn't recognize at all.
She didn't tell anyone about how she knew him before her time with the X-Men and the Brotherhood. Whenever someone questioned her aloof behavior, she blamed it on Juggernaut's lingering presence in her mind and she was usually left alone after that by most of her teammates. Xavier offered to help her sort the memories so they wouldn't be a burden, which she declined, insisting she could handle it on her own. Xavier knew better than to question her convictions, so he let her be.
The only person she worried about figuring out everything was Logan. The man's nose practically doubled as psychic powers! If she walked by him with a hint of Remy on the brain, he could pick up on her confusion and irritation immediately. Thankfully for her, he respected her privacy enough to not push her for answer, but she knew he was keeping a special eye on her.
"Jus' what Ah need," she muttered, adjusting her book bag strap on her shoulder. "Special attention when all Ah want is ta be alone."
She sighed, her head hanging low. A stray white lock of hair annoyingly hung in her line of sight, but she made no motion to move it. Gray clouds filled the sky, matching her mood perfectly. With a slight glance upwards, she internally mused ya would've thought Ah was the one in tune with the weather instead of Ororo.
She'd been walking down a still street of Bayville, where the only occupants had been those rushing into the small café to grab a quick drink or those who ducked into the bookstore for some quiet time with a few good novels. Rogue found herself on this street more often over the last week, grateful for the lack of people. The less people who can look at me an' recognize me as one of the mutants on TV, the better. It was a bit out of the way from the usual walk home, but in Rogue's eyes, it was well worth the extra time.
Her gaze shifted to the café, wondering if she should go in and grab a mocha latte as a treat to herself for making it through another day of the hell that is known as Bayville High. She contemplated it for only a moment, unable to resist the urge of caffeine running through her veins. Her foot stepped off the curb to cross the narrow road but she froze when she caught a flash of light in her peripheral vision.
Her foot retreated back onto the curb as she curiously turned to the source. Her eyes scanned the area quickly, but saw no activity amongst the short alley between the antique store and tobacco shop. She blinked, wondering what had caused the light burst. Looking up to the sky, she noted that the sun had peeked out temporarily from the heavy gray clouds. Must've reflected off the window, she decided with a slight shake of her head. She smiled at her reflexive anxiousness and turned back to her task of crossing the road.
Suddenly, an arm snaked around her waist and tugged her back from the road and into the alley roughly. She gasped in alarm as a gloved hand covered her mouth. She stiffened her body to attack, but was stopped by a prick to her neck. Her eyes widened at the sensation of whatever was injected into her and she opened her mouth to scream into the leather guarded hand, but her vision swam with stars and darkness before a syllable could be uttered.
She slumped in his arms, her head lolling back against his shoulder. He slipped the syringe into his pocket, his eyes glowing with a reluctance he hoped she'd understand.
"Je regrette, chere," he whispered softly as he gently gathered her in his arms.
-----
I 'magine she won' be too t'rilled when she wakes up, but I did make sure she was comfortable an' all. 'M not used t' feelin' nervous. Mon Dieu, I'm de cool, collected Ragin' Cajun. Henri used t' tell me I could get out of any situation, especially wit' any femme. An' here 'm worried, an' hopin' dat Anna won' want t' kill me too much…
-----
Remy had started to deal his fifth game of addiction solitaire when he heard a groan erupt from the bed. Instantly, the playing cards fell from his hands and fluttered to the table in a haphazard mess.
"Anna?" His eyes jetted over to the bed, checking to see if she was actually awaking.
She groaned again, her hand dragging across her face like a sloth and dropping beside her head like an anvil. She faintly heard a voice travel across the room, though whoever said it or what he said, she didn't know. Her eyes failed to open completely, protesting against the dim light on the other side of the room. Her lips moved to ask who was there, where she was, but her lips fumbled against each other unintelligibly.
Panic began to set in. First thoughts – Trask had managed to escape from jail and had abducted her again, to finish whatever experimentation on her that he didn't get the chance to do before she and the others were rescued. Her limbs felt like anchors and hardly reacted when she willed them to move. Her mind pounded as she tried – and failed – to remember how she got where she was.
Ah'm in an unknown room. Check.
There's at least one person in here with me. Also unknown. Check.
Her fingers itched. Gloves are still on. Check.
Ah'm – her eyes scraped down what she could of her body – wearin' all mah clothes an' Ah'm tucked in ta some random bed?
Slowly, her mind began to catch up. Her head squirmed and fell against fluffy pillows. She was… comfortable?
Remy tried again. "Rogue?" He hoped she would respond to that name better. Cautiously, he got up from his seat at the desk, cards falling from his lap to the carpeted floor. The sedative he'd used on her would wear off slowly, but he knew once she felt she had the chance, she would bolt out of the bed and out the door.
"Where…" her voice scratched past her throat. She swallowed, trying to get the coarseness to smooth out. She tried again, "Where am Ah?" Much better, even though she still sounded as if she were croaking.
"Chére? Y' alright?" A weight settled on the foot of her bed. She narrowed her eyes at the figure, but he was nothing more than a shadow against the poor lighting of the room.
"Chére?" she repeated, her voice small. Slowly, her mind began to recognize the word, the accent, the voice. Suddenly, it hit her. No.
"Anna, 'm sorry f'-"
"Remy?" she squeaked. Reflexively, she tried pushing herself up out of her prone position, tried pulling herself away from where he sat. Unfortunately, her lead legs didn't want to respond.
Here it is, Remy sighed softly. He chose his words carefully. "Rogue," he said gently. The name felt foreign on his tongue each time he used it, but somehow he knew she was more comfortable with it. Had not'ing t' do wit' how her file had 'unknown' f' her real name, non he thought sarcastically.
She glared at him, her eyes focusing on the red orbs glowing against the shadow. Her vision began to adjust to the dim lighting and she could make out his facial features, his hair falling across his forehead, the collar of his shirt. She looked at him and searched for some sort of hostility.
"What does he want with me?" she demanded once she'd found her voice again.
He blinked in surprise. "Quoi? He?"
"Magneto," she spat. "Where did he have you take me? What does he want with me?"
Oh great, she t'inks de boss man is behind dis? "Dis has not'in' t' do wit' him, p'tite," he explained gently. "I did dis."
Rogue blinked against the darkness. "You drugged me an' brought me ta some random…" Her eyes floated around the room to find a word for where she was at.
"Motel," he finished. "Figured takin' y' t' my apartment wouldn' be de best of ideas at dis point." He couldn't stop the smirk that slightly curved his lips when her mouth drew up tightly in anger. He hid his smirk as soon as it appeared though.
Rogue was about to cry out indignantly about how kidnapping her wasn't the best of ideas either, but a bolt of lightning erupted from the sky, silencing her instantly. Her face turned away from Remy and she realized that it was pouring outside. The rain pelted the window mercilessly. Her muted sense had failed to pick up the drumming on the pane of glass. Her hand, feeling lighter, fluttered up to her temple. Now that she could hear the rain, it hammered against her mind.
Remy noted her sudden mood change and saw her eyebrows knit in pain. He got up from the bed and reached for something on the nightstand to Rogue's right. She turned her head back to him and watched as he opened a bottle of water.
"Take dese," he instructed as his partially gloved hand revealed two small blue pills in his palm.
"Why should Ah?" she spat. "Ya already drugged me."
"Dey're t' counteract de effects of de sedative," he insisted.
Her gazed shifted from the palm of his hand and up to his face. She looked at him, searching for some hint of deception in the demon-like eyes. She knew what he was capable of doing in the realm of lies. He'd taught her his best tricks of dishonesty all those summers ago.
Her hand fell from her head, relenting, and she offered it palm up to Remy. He gingerly dropped the pills into her awaiting hand and then handed her the bottle of water next.
Quickly, she took a swig of water and threw her head back, popping the pills into her mouth. She swallowed it all in one gulp.
"Dat should only take a few minutes t' take effect," Remy explained.
Rogue nodded, taking another wary sip of water. "How did ya get this stuff?" she asked in a small voice.
"Mags has a side hobby of genetics an' pharmaceuticals, 'parently. Came 'cross it when I was searchin' his office."
She grimaced, remembering the memories of Kurt as a baby and the castle in Germany. She took another quick sip of her water, hoping the bile in her throat would go away and that Remy didn't catch her discomfort. "Ya just happened ta find them in his office?" she asked disbelievingly.
He smirked and a pang of nostalgia hit her hard, memories of Kurt forgotten. Remy's smile hadn't changed and surprisingly, she found comfort in it. "Well," his voice brought her back to the conversation, "when y' start lookin' f' one t'ing, y' happen t' stumble 'pon ot'ers."
"An' he didn't mind ya borrowin' it, obviously," she snorted.
"Anna, since when do I 'borrow' t'ings?" He caught her slight cringe as he spoke and his perma-smirk faded. Dammit, I called her Anna. "I didn'-"
"It's fine," she said sharply. "Ah… Ah just haven't heard anyone say it in years, save foh the few times you've said it. Irene even stopped callin' me that," she explained, her voice softer.
"So y' 'Rogue' now?" She nodded, her face neutral. "Well den," his smirk returned as he bowed. "Gambit at y' service, chére."
Suddenly she laughed, and Remy froze. She had yet to do it in his presence those last two meetings and he most certainly wasn't expecting it now. However, the laugh was just so… real to Remy. It was a short chuckle that brought the slightest of pink to her pale cheeks that was only faintly visible in the weak light. She didn't look at him when it escaped her lips, but he could tell her eyes lit up with the small action.
"It's funny," she began, tucking her hair behind her ear. A lazy smirk remained on her face.
"What is?" Remy asked, taking a seat in the arm chair by the bed.
Silently thankful for the new distance, Rogue continued. "The two of us… where we are now… Ah mean, 'Gambit?'" She laughed again, covering her mouth in attempts to hold it in. "Ah want ta be mad at ya foh knockin' me out an' bringin' me God knows where, but all Ah can do is laugh."
"Really now, chére?" An amused smirk played in his eyes. "Good t'ing f' me den 'cause I was plenty sure y' were goin' t' beat m' ass once y' woke up," he admitted with a snicker.
She batted her eyes at him. "Ah'm the least of yoah problems at this point, Swamp Rat," she teased. "But Ah'm sure ya might've picked up on that since ya know the name Rogue. Ah take it ol' Buckethead has files on all of us?" she guessed.
"Oui, but I only skimmed de ot'ers t' be honest wit' y'. I was kinda lookin' f' someone in particular… y' might know her dough, chére," he said with that damn lopsided grin that Rogue wasn't sure she should love or hate after all this time.
He certainly perfected it over the years, she thought with an internal smile.
"I was lookin' f' dis fille, 'bout so high," he held his hand about five feet above the ground, "long striped hair… annoyin' river rat accent…" he added in a quieter voice.
"Ah heard that!" Rogue cried, throwing one of her pillows at him. "You're one ta talk, Cajun!"
He snatched the pillow midair and sat it in his lap, leaning into it. "Oui, we both be de ones wit' de weird accents now, hein?"
With a smile, she pushed the blankets off her torso and kicked them off her legs. Remy watched as she stood up and smoothed back the sheets again. She sat herself upon the bed again, leaning pillows against the headboard. "Speak foh yoahself," she said once she got comfortable again. "Ah live with a German elf, a Midwestern valley girl, an' an annoyin' city boy; mah accent ain't that outta place."
"If y' gonna put it dat way den, chére, I've got a psycho Australian an' a tight lipped Ruskie, not t' mention a sociopat'ic cat man from Canada," Remy countered, eyes glowing.
She opened her mouth to laugh, but instead her face fell neutral and Remy knew what was coming. "So… how did ya manage ta find yoahself up here? Ah mean, with the likes of Sabretooth an' Magneto?"
"Dat's a long story, Anna," he sighed, leaning back in the chair.
Rogue's head dropped as she leaned back against the pillows she'd propped up. "Ah know all about long stories, Remy." She sighed deeply, and for the next minute or so a silence settled between the two. They both stared down – Rogue at her hands, Remy at the floor. Rogue could feel Remy watching her in the corner of his eyes. If she was honest with herself, she'd admit to herself that she was doing the same to him.
She opened her mouth to break the silence when she heard a slight vibrating from the floor. "What the – oh shit." She scrambled off the bed and dove for her school bag. Remy had neatly placed it by her black sneakers by the foot of the bed.
"Dat t'ings gone off 'bout fifty times now… Figured it best if I didn' answer it," Remy said idly as Rogue tore her bag apart for her ringing cell phone. She located it and flipped it open to see "Kitty Cell" on the bright screen. With an angry sigh, she clicked the "accept" button on the phone and pressed it up to her ear, already prepared for the onslaught of shrieks. "… Hello?"
"Rogue!" Remy winced from across the room, putting finger up to his ear. He threw Rogue a sympathetic smile as she tried to calm her friend down.
"Hey, Kitty… No, no, Ah was studyin' in the library." Her eyes widened and she glared at Remy. "Yes, foh the last five hours. Mah phone was on silent… Ah just happened ta pull it out now ta look at the time… No, Ah didn't see the twenty missed calls." The glare deepened. Remy shrugged sheepishly. "…Am Ah comin' home now? Ah don't know." Her glare disappeared and was replaced by pleading eyes. Her hand slipped over the mouth piece. "Help!" she mouthed.
"Mr. Logan is, like, about ready to come out and get you!"
Rogue's hand flew off the phone. "No!" She all but shrieked into the phone. "That won't be necessary… No, no, Kitty, tell him Ah'm fine. Kitty, you tell him raht now ta get off his motorcycle. What do ya mean he already left? Dammit, Kitty!" She snapped the phone shut and threw it back into her bag.
She gave Remy the calmest glare she could muster. "Ah have ta go. Right.Now." She grabbed her shoes and hastily shoved her feet into each one.
"Wolverine, eh?" Remy asked casually as he stood up from the chair.
Rogue threw her bag over her shoulder. "Yes, Wolverine. An' if Ah don't get out of here an' find a way ta get yoah scent off me, you're pro'bly as good as dead – at the very least maimed. You're lucky he didn't get to face off against you befoh the Sentinel so he would just think Ah was out with some random boy."
Remy's pace didn't quicken. "So he's de fatherly type, non?"
She stopped to blink at him. What the hell is he waitin' foh? "Yes. The overly protective an' violent fatherly type," she explained in a flat tone, hoping he would finally get the idea that Logan was not a man to be messed with.
Remy smirked. "So I guess dat cuts boyfriends out of de picture."
"Like that would matter anyway," she muttered stuffily. "Can we please get goin'!"
He sighed, knowing their evening had come to an end even before it could actually start. They hadn't even done anything – hadn't caught up by any means. If anything, she was more a mystery. However, Remy always believed in finding a silver lining to any cloud. This particular upside related to Rogue not killing him for kidnapping her, which he had thought would be a given thing. Then again, she did say that the Wolverine guy wouldn't hesitate to hurt him either. Remy was suddenly very glad that he hadn't taken Rogue to his apartment; the less of a trace any of him that the X-Men could get their hands on, the better.
"How did ya get me here?" Rogue asked, already at the door.
"Borrowed a car," he replied casually, walking ahead of her as he pulled on a brown duster.
"Ya don't – raht." She rolled her eyes.
"Couldn' exactly carry y' unconscious on m' bike," he teased as he strolled over to a blue Mustang convertible. "C'mon."
She was about to retort on the unconscious comment when she squinted her eyes through the storm and got a good look at the car. "This looks like…" she walked out slowly from the room into the pouring rain.
"Chére, it's rainin', c'mon." He stood by the passenger side, ready to open the door for her.
"This is Duncan Matthews' car," she pointed and smiled, her hair sticking to the sides of her face. The rain tumbled down unrelenting and all Rogue could do was laugh. "Ah can't believe ya stole this! How did ya manage that?" she squealed behind her hand.
Remy stared at her for a moment, forgetting the rain. She always tried to hide her smile, he noticed. He abandoned the car's door, suddenly in front of her. "Chére," he said, his face dipping down low to hers, "a t'ief doesn' reveal his tricks, 'member?" he replied huskily.
Rogue could feel his breath warm on her face underneath the cool spring rain. She looked up in his eyes and it dawned on her how close they really were. If she'd been wearing heels, their noses would've been touching. She realized that they'd been standing this close only twice before – once three weeks ago and once…
"We should get goin', non?" Remy took a step away from her as suddenly as he'd been in front of her. She felt the cool rain pelt on her face, unwillingly feeling his warmth being washed away. He left her standing there, retreating back to the car.
She watched him slip into the driver's seat, remembering that she'd been the one so anxious to leave only minutes before. She wanted nothing more than to stand there in the rain, his eyes boring into hers with such an intensity that she couldn't even begin to describe in words. Eyes that she knew should've scared her in some way, but she couldn't help but be intrigued by and now, so many years later, lost in.
"Raht," she whispered numbly into the rain, knowing he couldn't hear her. She trudged to the car, her mind reluctantly drawing forth the ramifications of this little meeting were she to be discovered.
She slipped into the passenger seat, her wet clothes squeaking against the leather interior. Remy was busy playing with some wires under the steering wheel. "'M jus' gonna drop y' back off at de school. I 'magine Wolvie would go dere first, eh? Plus, I need t' pick up m' bike."
"You left yoah bike there?"
"Covered up, o' course. Didn' expect a rainstorm like dis, but good t'ing I took de precaution. 'Sides, like I said, I was only borrowin' dis car. Need t' drop it back off in de parkin' lot," he smiled as the car sparked to life.
"Thought the great Gambit doesn't borrow things," she said snootily. She ran a hand through her hair, squeezing the excess water out onto her sweater. Here's hopin' the rain washed away any trace of Remy or the room on me.
"I do what's necessary, chérie," he commented idly as the car came to life.
"Ya didn't randomly pick this car, did ya?" she asked, pulling the seatbelt over her shoulder and securing it at her hip.
"Couldn' help but notice dat dis guy was givin' you an' y' friends trouble. Figured a day wit'out his car would wise him up a bit." He pulled out of the parking spot effortlessly and turned out of the motel's parking lot.
"Wait… how would ya know he's been givin' us trouble? Have you been spyin' on me?" she asked incredulously.
Remy shrugged with a smirk, keeping his eyes on the rainy road ahead of them. "Let's jus' say dat seein' y' again once wasn' enough."
"Oh." She felt her cheeks heat up. Running her wet gloved hand through her damp hair, she shook it loose in front of her face so he couldn't see the pink glow on her pale skin. "Ya know that pro'bly won't help matters," she murmured. "He'll think one of us did it."
"I'd like t' see him pin dis on dat fearless leader o' yours."
"So Ah guess you've seen how they fight?"
"Caught a li'l here, li'l dere. Truth is, dat Cyke guy would be de last person t' steal a car, so I doubt y' got anyt'ing t' worry 'bout."
"How would you know?"
He glanced sideways at her. "How would I know what?"
"That Scott wouldn't steal the car?"
"Please, chére. I've heard stories 'bout dis guy an' de, let's say, stick up his ass."
"From who, Pietro? Like he's a good source," she spat. "Ya've never even met Scott." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from Remy. How dare he!
"What y' care so much for? 'M jus' playin'."
"Whatever, Gambit," she snorted.
"Quoi? What's y' problem?" He slowed the car down and pulled over. Once he came to a stop, he turned in his seat and saw that she was avoiding his gaze. She stared out the window, annoyance twitching at her lips. Quicksilver did say somet'in' 'bout a li'l crush… but it can' be true. I mean… she has better taste den dat, doesn' she? He watched her for another minute. He could tell she was irritated further than him just insulting one of her teammates; it went deeper than that. It really only pointed to one thing. "Merde, y' do have a thing f' him, don' y'!"
Her head whipped around, gray-green eyes ablaze. "Ah do not," she replied evenly through her teeth after glaring at him for a moment.
"Den what y' so upset for?" he asked softly.
She stared at him, her glare seething with anger. "Because ya don't know a damn thing about anythin' goin' on. So what if that traitor told ya that Scott happens ta be a li'l anal retentive with the whole leadership role he's got goin' on with us? He held us together when the professor was gone an' when your boss, might Ah add, revealed our existence to the world. Ah'm sorry if Ah'm not too keen on someone from the other side is judgin' one of mah friends based on some opinion of a cocky ass like Pietro."
He returned her stare, his red on black eyes neutral. "Y' t'ink of me as y' enemy, Anna?"
"Don't call me that," she huffed, tearing her eyes away from his, her gaze returning to her window. "Ah need ta get back ta the school."
"'M not drivin' till y' tell me."
"Then Ah guess Ah'll have ta walk!" Her hand hastily pushed on the seatbelt release, but Remy's hand caught hers. She tried to wrench it out of his grasp, but he held on tight. "Let go," she growled, her eyes on his hand.
"Anna," he said, her name feeling sharp on his tongue. "Do y' really t'ink I'm your enemy?" He didn't want to hold her there against her will, but he had to know.
Her stare lifted shakily from their hands to his eyes, the red glowing intensely once again. For once, she was scared and she could tell by the way he looked at her that he knew. His eyes softened and the glow dimmed. His hand relaxed on top of hers and she slipped it out from underneath of his, taking the seatbelt with it.
"Ah…" The seatbelt slid off her shoulder and into its harness with a loud click. "Ah don't know what ta think," she whispered, her voice distant. "Do ya realize how much has happened ta us in the last three weeks? Ta me an' mah friends?" She edged away from him, her body sliding against the leather in long, low squeaks. "Ah haven't had the time to sort things in mah head, half of it is a blur because Ah feel like Ah've been high on adrenaline foh so long." She pressed her back against the door, the window feeling cool against her damp sweater. "Whenever you pop into mah head, Ah don't know what ta think. It's the same thoughts every time – should Ah be mad at you? Should Ah want ta reminisce about our time at the river? Do Ah wanna even know how ya made it up here? An' what happened ta that girl you were complainin' about? An' how does yoah brother like bein' married?"
"So y' have t'ought 'bout de same t'ings I have," he said after a moment, his voice soft and barely audible.
"Ah highly doubt that ya think of me with the same confusion."
"What makes y' say dat? Like y' said: we're on separate teams here. Y' t'ink I c'n tell St. John dat I knew one of de X-Men back when she was covered in river mud? Dat I c'n mention it randomly t' Magneto in my debriefin's dat m' heart isn' in dis job anymore because de t'ought of hurtin' you after everyt'ing is tearin' me up?"
"Remy, we…" she began, unsure of what to say. "We only knew each other foh a few weeks…"
"An' y' made an impact den, chére. Y' can' say I didn' do de same f' you if y' dis conflicted over seein' me 'gain." He paused for a moment and watched as she absorbed his words. She made no motion to move closer to him though, so he continued. "But right now, 'm lookin' at y' an' I don' see Rogue, tough girl o' de X-Men, sworn enemy of Magneto an' his lackeys, f' a lack of a better word." He caught the faintest of smiles cross her lips before it faded instantly. "I'm lookin' at y' an' seein' Anna, de girl who drove me insane f'r my last summer of freedom."
Her eyes closed for a moment, and Remy was sure he was going to get a tongue lashing for calling her Anna again. Her lips set into an indiscernible line as her hand fluttered to her temple, rubbing it briefly.
He sat in silence, waiting for her to speak. The car hummed softly under the drumming of the rain, which still hadn't let up. Lightning bolted in the sky a fair distance away, with thunder pounding after it a few moments later. Movement caught his eye and his gaze drifted from her face down to her hand, which had been on the door's handle moments before. It slid slowly back into her lap, followed by her other hand as it dropped from her head, almost floating like a feather as it trailed down her chest.
He looked up from her hands and found her staring at him, her eyes glazed over with tears. "Ya promise you'll tell me everythin' ya can?" Her normally husky southern voice was small, delicate. He nodded wordlessly without hesitation. Rogue slipped back into the seat, fingering the seatbelt once again. Remy took the cue and turned his attention back to the road, pulling off the shoulder and picking up speed once again.
They drove for a few minutes in silence; the only sounds were that of the windshield wipers swishing back and forth and the tires running smoothly over the wet road. Thunder sounded once or twice, but neither of them registered it. Rogue's cell phone vibrated again, but it remained untouched in her bag by her feet.
"'M sorry if y' get in trouble," Remy murmured after it stopped going off.
"They'll get over it," she whispered. Her fingers tugged at her gloves absently, a nervous habit she developed over the years. "Ah'll pro'bly be grounded foh a bit though."
"Dat professeur of yours grounds y' guys? Aren' y' a li'l old f' dat?"
Rogue could hear the smirk in his voice and couldn't help but let a tiny smile twinkle in her eyes. "Maybe. Ya know, there is some good out of mah home being destroyed – no extra danger room sessions as punishment," she mused aloud.
He turned to stare at her for a moment before his eyes found the road again. "Dat's morbid, chére."
"Ya won't see me thankin' Mystique any time soon; it was just a thought." She saw the school coming up in the distance. She sighed at the sight.
"I hear y'. Shame t' see de date end so soon," Remy chuckled.
Her eyes widened. "Ah hope that you're jokin'."
"Chill, Anna." Her name rolled off his tongue before he could stop it. Instead of catching her cringe in the corner of his eye, he saw her visibly relax. "Oui, I was jus' playin'. Y' t'ink I have t' knock girls out t' take dem on a date?"
"All things considered, possibly."
"Hey!"
She smiled. "I was jus' playin'," she teased, mimicking his accent flawlessly.
Remy pulled into the parking lot, which Rogue gratefully noted was empty. Here's hopin' Logan's on the other side of the building raht about now. She grabbed her bag, her hand itching by the door's handle once again after she released herself from the seatbelt.
"I'll be seein' y', chérie," he said, his eyes on her as he parked the car effortlessly in the middle of the parking lot.
"But will Ah be seein' you?" she asked, laughing softly. Her face sobered after a moment. She stared at him, unsure of how to ask him the question that was dancing on the tip of her tongue. Swallow yoah pride, dammit. "When will Ah see you again?" she asked finally.
"Whenever y' want," he responded, his lazy smirk back.
"But how will Ah-"
"Y'll know how. Go on, chére. I don' want y' t' be seen wit' me."
She nodded, clutching her bag to her body. "… Bye, Remy."
"See y', Anna." He smiled gently at her, producing a similar smile from her. She opened the door and slid out with a final glance to him. The rain immediately assaulted her already matted hair, but she didn't care one bit. She shut the door and gazed at Remy through the window, hoping that her face didn't look quite as sad as the last time they parted ways. He gave her a quick salute before pulling away, leaving her alone with a trail of smoke, the rain, and her thoughts.
And the sound of Logan's motorcycle growing louder by the second.
Shit.
-----
Remy watched in the rearview mirror as he drove away from her as she stood in the rain, watching him leave her. He knew that they had made progress getting past the whole 'are we enemies' thing, but besides that, nothing. Neither of them had gotten around to explaining a thing about their separate six years. Could've gotten dere if she hadn' been unconscious f' so long… he commented to himself guiltily.
He drove around to the back parking lot where he'd hidden his motorcycle. He didn't particularly like the idea of driving in the rain, but he knew he couldn't hold onto Duncan's car, even though it drove like a dream. Rogue was right, if the jock hadn't found it, he'd find some way to pin it on her friends, regardless of the evidence.
With a sigh, he parked it and bent down to play with the wires to turn the engine off. Leaving them hanging haphazardly, he exited the car to find his bike. The rain pelted him mercilessly as he trudged to the stadium, his boots sucking in the muddy grass. As he neared its hiding place under the bleachers, a smirk dawned on his face. He reached into his duster pocket and retrieved his cell phone. He flipped it open, noting a missed call from Piotr and another from Lapin, neither of which he intended to call back. However, he pressed a button to scan the phonebook. First entry: A. Marie.
With a chuckle, he closed the phone and slipped it back into his pocket.
-----
She had climbed onto Logan's bike behind him without a single word. She could tell he had a million and one things to snarl at her, all of which pointing to why she hadn't answered her phone in the twenty times everyone at the institute had tried reaching her not to mention why she was standing alone in the middle of the parking lot with the odor of exhaust around her. However, Logan held back and Rogue assumed Xavier had told him to lay off her until he got her home safe.
She should've really killed Remy for putting her in this situation. Didn't he understand how tense things were for them now? She sighed, knowing she couldn't blame him for the situation, but it all pointed back to him – well, at least it pointed back to his employer. Maybe she was angrier at the fact that she still had no clue why he was up here, in Bayville of all places, working for Magneto. He was a thief, he'd told her of how he'd have to keep up the family business – how did that all relate to working for the very man that her mentor clashed ideals with the most?
It's funny though, she thought as Logan stopped before the new Institute gates. Ah didn't even know what a mutant was when Ah met Remy, though he couldn't have been anything else but one with his eyes. He would've mentioned havin' powers if he'd manifested them befoh we met… so when did they? How did they? Does Magneto's little file on me detail mine exactly? She couldn't help but wonder if Remy knew that her powers were uncontrollable.
Her musings came to a halt when Logan pulled into the ramp that led down to their temporary living arrangements. Slowly, they followed the ramp down to their makeshift garage where Logan parked the bike. Rogue practically jumped off from behind him, tugging off her helmet. She placed it on the shelf and moved to leave, but Logan's voice held her back. "Stripes," he said in a low, stern voice that Rogue knew all too well. He always used a different tone with her, a softer voice that held a certain respect for her that Logan didn't use with the other students. It held no less disappointment though.
"Ah know," she replied, not turning to face him. "Can Ah go change real quick an' then you an' the prof can scold me?"
"Jus' tell me who you were with, first."
She turned them, giving him an even stare. Her cool gray-green eyes revealed nothing as they pierced through Logan's brown ones. "Ah was with someone?"
"You had obviously gotten out of a car right before I got there, Rogue. Don't play stupid with me."
Think quick, girl. "Ah was studyin' with a friend in the library. She had a car that we both walked out to after we left the buildin' an' she took off befoh ya got there. We must have jus' missed you when ya circled the school." This is such bullshit. Ah don't believe for a second that he'll fall foh it.
He remained silent, but crooked an eyebrow as he scrutinized her face. Rogue could feel him searching for any waver in her visage, but she remained firm. The eyebrow dropped. "Didn't think ya had any friends left after what happened," he commented as if he was testing her.
"Risty's still around, thankfully," she lied again with a shrug. Truth was she hadn't seen her good friend since before the Sentinel incident. She momentarily wished that Risty was alright, but also hoped that Logan wasn't aware of her friend's disappearance.
Logan stared at her for another moment before his face relaxed. "Go get changed," he dismissed her, turning to his bike with intent to clean it up from the rainstorm. "I'll have Charles call for you in fifteen."
Rogue nodded. "Thanks," she said as she ducked out of the garage. She quickly dodged the other students in the dining area and slipped into her room, noting Kitty was busy on her laptop with music playing. She saw Rogue enter the room and moved to turn it off but Rogue shook her head. "Don't bother - Ah'm goin' ta the bathroom ta clean up. Some rainstorm, huh?"
"Really," the younger girl agreed. "How was studying?"
"Ta tell ya the truth, Kit," Rogue began as she kicked off her sopping wet sneakers. "Ah got wrapped up in one of mah books. Ah hadn't even realized that much time had passed." When did Ah become a world class liar? "Don't say anythin' ta the others though. They'll probably get pissed considerin' Ah could've found a safer place ta get sucked into a book," she laughed.
Kitty rolled her eyes knowingly. "You should like, be more careful about that. Especially with everything that's happened – everyone was wondering where you were."
Rogue smiled with a shrug as she gathered clothes out of her drawers to change into. "Well, Ah'm here now. Guess that's all that matters, raht?"
"Yeah. I'm happy you're home though. I was worried! You should keep your phone on vibrate instead of silent next time so you'll be able to tell if someone's calling you."
Her breath caught in her throat. "Ah'll keep that in mind…" With new clothes bundled in her arms, she turned to leave the room. Kitty's attention returned to her homework without another thought, her lips silently mouthing the words to the song playing.
Rogue reached the door when she heard a slight vibration. Blinking curiously, she saw that Kitty made no reaction visibly, her mind already absorbed with her trigonometry homework once again. She looked at her bag. What the…
She walked over to her bed casually, watching Kitty out of the corner of her eye. Her roommate paid no attention to Rogue as she threw the strap out of her shoulder and escaped the room quickly. She whispered 'thank you' to whoever was listening as she entered the surprisingly empty bathroom. There was usually a wait as there were only two bathrooms for the fifteen mutants living in the small arrangements.
She shut the door behind her and took a seat on the closed toilet lid, dropping her bag in front of her. She unzipped the front pocket which contained her phone and she dug for it, her damp fingers clamping around it a moment later. She withdrew it from the bag, her lips pursed with intrigue. Who would've called me after Ah got back to the institute?
She flipped it open and immediately saw that no one had called her, but she had a new text message. Even more curious, she pressed 'read' and her eyes immediately lit up. She couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face.
From: Etienne.
Told you you'd know how to find me.
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So we made it through another chapter! And yes, this story has officially become out of control as previously mentioned, hence the super long chapter. A couple side notes:
(1). Theoren and Julien are 15. Belladonna is 12. While I'm at it, Henri's 19. Also, I've decided to eff Evolution canon, so hooray, the Assassins are back, and they killed all the Rippers like they were trained to do. Chapter One has been fixed accordingly. Everyone rejoice because no one liked those idiotic Rippers anyway.
(2). Okay, I asked everyone I knew while writing this about what the hell the technical term for a wishie was. You know, the thing a dandelion turns into near the end of the season and kids blow on after making a wish? And I came to the conclusion, after searching Google, that there is no official term, so Wishie it is. Here's hoping that it's not a Northeast thing and you guys understood that…
(3). Rogue's monologue was written as a reminder to myself of what had happened in the beginning of season three. I've been writing this whole thing out of order, so that was written with the intent of keeping things as canon as possible, haha. As previously stated… that's been thrown out the window, but I still liked writing it from her point of view, so it stayed.
One more thing – if anyone can guess where I'm getting the chapter titles (plus the story title) from, you have my undying love forever. This will be revealed with the final chapter (unless I get too anxious and expose it sooner than that!)
As always, much love to you all! I really suck at getting back to you guys through the review reply function, but I just wanted to let you know how much I really appreciate each and every one! Honestly, the reaction I got to chapter one kept me writing this all month (which is why chapter 28 of SL is nowhere to be found…)
But that's it! Let me know what you think!
--Courtney