--
"It's thin." Remy was sitting on the couch in the living room, holding up a closed envelope up to the light. He could make out words that were written in longhand. Rogue was seated next to him, reading a book.
"Just open it already." Rogue said, rolling her eyes as she flipped the page, her eyes barely skimming the last several pages. Remy had received the letter in the afternoon and it was now after dinner. "'Cause if you don't, I will."
"That's a felony. You can't open other people's mail." He stated, glancing at her sideways; waiting for any sudden movement.
"An' you're a thief. That's a felony too." Rogue shut the book, knowing he couldn't argue with that. When she looked over at him, she saw that he was staring at her.
"I was a thief, Ro'." He corrected coldly, getting to his feet. "Is that how you see me? A thief?"
"Once a thief; always a thief." She said with a shrug; not knowing how much this offended him. She did, however, get an idea when he walked out of the room without saying another word to her. "Cranky li'l Cajun." She observed with a frustrated sigh as she quickly got to her feet and walked out of the room. As she walked down the hall, Remy nowhere in sight, she brushed past Piotr.
"Is something wrong, Rogue?"
"Yeah. My boyfriend has PMS." And with those words, she left a speechless Russian.
--
"I should just forget about it."
"Open it."
"I've gone all these years without him, I don't need him now."
"Open it." Rogue sat next to Remy on his bed. When he refused to open the door for her, she picked the lock open. He taught her how to do it and she used it again him. How nice.
"I will."
"Before you die from a brain hemorrhage caused by being hit in the head with a blunt object." Remy slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him.
He kissed the top of her head. "Like you are because of John?"
She rubbed her forehead, wincing from the memory. "I wouldn't look past it."
Remy just laughed as he dropped the letter and turned over to face Rogue. He stared deeply into her green eyes as he leaned in.
"Don't try to distract me. Open it." She set her hand on his shoulder but that didn't stop his lips from touching hers. Rogue laid back, Remy's lips never left hers. His hand moved to her hip while the other hand lost its way into her hair. Her body tensed up as he played with the hem of her shirt. His lips broke away from hers, but lingered just centimeters above her lips. "It's all right to get used to it, Ro'."
In the three years, give or take some days, Rogue had refused prolonged skin-to-skin contact. Every time they touch, a warning sign flashed in the back as her powers tried to penetrate a force field. Although they had come close to it many times, they never actually had sexual intercourse.
Rogue strained her neck so that her lips were lightly touching his. "Stop stallin' an' open the damn letter." Remy just kissed her forehead as he stood up, off the bed, bent down, slid his arms under Rogue's form and picked her up. "What do you think you're doin'?"
"Gettin' rid of you." He answered, quite casually.
"That's not fair. I had a blow to the head an' you're tryin' to get rid of me."
"That was two weeks ago, Rogue."
"I'm still recoverin'." She pouted at him, which received a sigh as he got to the door. "An' no, I ain't openin' the door for ya." Remy then turned around, walked back over to the bed, and gently threw her down. It was more like a drop, not a throw, but whatever. The second her body hit the mattress, Rogue dashed for the letter. Remy was a second late in retrieving the letter. In a beat, Rogue grabbed it and stashed it in her shirt. "Either you read it or I read it—out loud."
"Give me the letter back, Rogue." He demanded in a stern voice. "I'm not afraid to go in to retrieve it." Believe me; he wasn't.
Rogue, however, underestimated him and squealed as he lunged at her. He landed on top of her, their bodies pressed together tightly as Rogue struggled beneath him. Her legs wrapped around his waist, crossing tightly at the ankle.
He stared down at her, breathless. "Just give me the goddamn letter."
"Are you goin' to read it?"
"It's none of your business what I do." He stated sharply, causing her brows to rise. "Please just leave me alone for a few hours."
Rogue felt her heart sink. He was pleading. Remy LeBeau was pleading; He was pleading for her to leave him alone. Her legs felt numb as she uncrossed her ankles and let her body relax underneath him.
'
Remy sat up, saddling her. He then proceeded to reach into her shirt. He ran his naked palm against the smooth skin of her abdomen and grabbed the letter. With his eyes never leaving hers, he slowly slid his hand out.
"You trust me?" He asked, his voice low yet had a hidden hint of surprise. Hidden in the depth of her green eyes he saw permission for something he hadn't been asking for at that given moment. Dropping the envelope, he placed his hands at the hem of her shirt. Rogue nodded at him as she leaned forward, allowing him to pull her shirt up. Her arms rose up, allowing him to slip off the piece of clothing. He dropped the shirt on top of the letter as he dipped in, favoring a kiss from her angelic lips. As their lips met shyly, as if it were a first kiss, there came a loud knocking at Remy's bedroom door.
"Fils de putain." Remy cursed, biting down hard on his lower lip as he withdrew away from Rogue. He slid off her and the bed, and onto the ground. With heavy footsteps, he walked over to the door. "What the hell do you want?" He snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Housekeepin'!" Instantly, Remy knew it was John. He whipped open the door just a few inches.
"What do you want?" He asked obnoxiously; the scowl on his face didn't mask the aggravated expression on his face or his frustrated snapping.
Pyro arched his thick brows up in surprise. "Am I interruptin' somethin'?" He asked innocently, "Or are you still pissed off at me for tryin' to fix Rogue?"
"There ain't nothin' wrong with 'er." Remy corrected sharply, mentally cursing to the demise of the pyromaniac. "Now, what do you want?"
"Oh! Colossus said you were in a cranky mood and I wanted to check it out for myself!"
Remy narrowed his eyes at him. "Are you done yet?"
"Yep!" He declared chirpily. "Now I can safely assume you're in a bad mood and I can report that to the other mutant-nadians of the mansion." Now, the Cajun's eyes shot daggers at the naive Australian. John took a step back. "I think I'll go now." He quickly zipped down the hallway like there was a sale on fireworks and lighters.
Remy shook his head as he turned around, only to be face to face with Rogue. Her shirt was back on and she was holding out the sealed envelope to him. "Read it, Rem." She said softly, reaching up on her tippy-toes to deliver a tender kiss on his lips. Rogue then gently patted his arm, stepped aside of him and exited the room.
Remy stood there, feeling speechless. With an exhausted sigh, he walked over to his bed and sat down, his legs practically collapsing under his weight. Hesitantly, he slid his thumb under the seal part of the envelope and slowly glided it along the glued down part.
--
Rogue was a deep sleeper. She could sleep through a thunder and lightning storm, a hurricane, a twister and everything in between. Not always was she a deep sleep, but she was also not a morning person. She especially didn't like getting woken up at midnight.
"Rogue?" Remy whispered, gently shaking the sleeping Southerner's shoulder.
"Five more minutes." She mumbled incoherently, burying her face into her pillow.
"Ro—"
"I said five more minutes!" Came her muffled reply.
Remy, despite how tired he felt, laughed. "Ro', It's one A.M."
"Then five more hours." She whined, gently lifting her head up from inside the pillow. "This better be important."
"I read the letter."
"Are you bullshittin' me?"
"Would I do that at one A.M.? I can't risk gettin' decapitated for no reason." He joked, sitting down at the bottom of her bed as she sat up.
"Funny." She mumbled with no enthusiasm as she ran her hand through her fringes so they wouldn't be in her face. Despite her, they fell right back into place. "What did it say?"
He shrugged, "Stuff."
"You came in here to tell me that the letter said stuff?" In a beat, Rogue laid back down. "Go away."
Remy cleared his throat, "Actually, I needed to ask you something. How much do you miss the South?" A few seconds later, Rogue sat up, staring at him. Her face was expression.
"Why?" She inquired, rubbing her chin as she crossed her legs. "Do you? And don't lie 'cause I'll know if you do."
"How so?"
"Your left eye always twitches when you lie."
"Does not." Twitch, twitch.
Rogue just chuckled softly. "What's wrong?" She studied his face despite the darkness in the room.
"I want to visit back home." Rogue just nodded; she had figured that one out. "Jean-Luc said he misses me." He then stated in a low, stubborn voice like a child. That made Rogue laugh; he was acting as if she told him that she refused to go.
"I bet he does. Now, if ya let Rogue sleep for ten hours, we can leave as soon as you want."
"Whatever happened to five hours?"
"That's how we Mississippians negotiate." She laid back, stretching out her legs so that he fell off the end of the bed. "We get straight to the business."
Remy pursed his lips as got up and crawled to the empty space on the best next to her. "Really? I thought y'all went straight to your cousins." He set his hand on her hip, giving it a tight squeeze.
"Oh shut up. You're from the south too, y'know. Ya shouldn't be makin' any cousin jokes."
"Ah was jus' joshin' ya, cherie." Remy stated in a fake thick Southern accent but his Cajun accent still shined through. He sounded like a loser. Hah.
"Shut up." She repeated, closing her eyes. "I'm sleepin'."
"Jean-Luc said things change. He seemed like he changed in the letter. You know I ain't into stealin' no more so this'll be a quick visit I—where are you goin'?" He asked incredulously as Rogue stood up, grabbed her pillow and started walking towards the door.
"To your room."
--
"Are you sure Jean-Luc wrote this?" Rogue asked, skimming over the letter. "He only swore four times. Doesn't sound like the potty mouth Jean-Luc we know." It was now about eight o'clock in the A.M. Remy wouldn't let Rogue sleep for long. "'I was surprised to hear from you, boy. I expected a letter like this over three years ago.' Oh yeah, this is from Jean-Luc. You cocky Cajuns you."
"It was weird tellin' him 'bout Irene and that I don't know what happened to 'er."Rogue's eyes flashed with anger at the mention of Irene's name. "She's probably with Trask."
"She's somewhere with Mystique, most likely." Remy stated, his expression somber. "Somethin' was goin' on between those two." He sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "Don't worry 'bout 'em Rogue."
"Yeah, right now my only enemy is Belladonna and Pyro." She made a face just at mentioning their names, "An' I ain't writin' a letter to Bella nor Pyro."
"C'mon, like you don't miss Bella."
"Not as much as you do. Like you don't think about her everytime you're kissin' me." Remy's eye began to twitch and he wasn't even lying.
"I can't believe you said that." Remy stated, his arm his hung around her shoulders dropped limply behind her. "I'm hurt."
"Poor baby." Rogue mumbled, her eyes skimming the letter once more.
"Rogue." Remy suddenly stated calmly. "I don't think I want you goin' back with me."
"Like hell I won't. You know I'll end up there in a few days, sayin' how you left me and our five children alone in an abandoned building back in Bayville."
"Yeah, I know you would."
"I have to be there to be your bodyguard." She stated, putting down the letter next to her as she stood up. "About our five children.." Rogue sat herself down in his lap, his arms immediately wrapping around her waist to steady her. "We're going to be twenty-four this year.."
"Yeah, we're goin' to be havin' our midlife crisis soon."
"I want to get married, Rem-Rem." Rogue said, although it almost sounded like she was pleading. "I want to start a family."
"So, who's this guy you're goin' to marry an' have kids with?"
As if on cue, Pyro barged into the room wearing his pajamas. Rogue exchanged glances with Remy.
"Not funny."
"Time for our danger session with Kruger!" Kruger was Wolverine's nickname for the day.
Rogue's brows arched up as she got to her feet. "You're goin' in your squirrel print pajamas?"
Pyro looked down and shrugged. "I thought Kruger might appreciate 'em."
"You know what happens when you play with fire.." Remy trailed off.
Pyro threw his arms up. "Puns! Here we go again with the bloody puns!" Mumbling obscenities, he wandered out of the room. Rogue slid off Remy's lap.
"I'm goin' to go get ready. I forgot about the 8:30 A.M. sessions." She declared miserably as she stretched out her arms with a yawn. Remy stood up right as she started walking out of the room. He immediately grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. He kissed her soft pink lips tenderly as he cupped her cheek with his other hand.
"Someday, Rogue, someday." He whispered as he broke the kiss and slowly retracted his hand. "Someday soon."
"Love ya." Rogue whispered with a small smile as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
In a beat, Remy fell back on the bed. Marriage? Children? He wasn't expecting that. He closed his eyes and brought his hand to his face, slapping his palm against his forehead. "Someday soon." He repeated, his eye twitching at one hundred and twenty miles per hour. "Someday soon."
--
The morning training session went as well as expected. Half the students were late because they slept in, and the other half fell asleep as the waited for the tardy students.
Piotr was the only one there fully awake. Pyro was sitting against the wall, snoring, still in his pajamas.
"Screw it." Rogue mumbled with a yawn as she walked down the hall, away from everyone.
"Where's she going?" Ray asked as Rogue disappeared when she turned a corner.
"Where else?" Bobby mumbled, slumping down the hall and onto the ground. Ray just nodded; enough said.
--
Remy was surprised to see Rogue huff past him as he walked out of his room to go take a shower. She didn't even say anything as she walked into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.
"Merde." Rogue in a bad mood wasn't something he wanted to deal with right now, however, it was a must. With short, slow steps, he made his way over to her room where he tapped on her door. "Ro'?" He called softly.
"Come in." Came her muffle response. He walked in, shutting the door behind him. He was immediately greeted by Rogue's back.
"Unzip me." She ordered with a snap. Remy did as ordered, because Rogue had trained him well.
"Short session?" He asked as she stripped off the spandex bodysuit, revealing she was wearing a tank top and underwear.
"I'm sick of danger room sessions." The temperamental Southerner said, walking over to her dresser where she pulled out black pants and a long sleeved green transparent mesh shirt. While she changed, Remy made himself comfortable on her bed.
"We can still head back to the Big Easy."
"Ooh, what a vacation." She kicked her uniform to the side.
"We have to go back, Rogue." He mumbled quiet, running a hand through his tousled hair. "I guarantee you that we won't be there for more than a few days. You know can't stand Jean-Luc."
Rogue didn't say anything as she leaned against the wall, wrapping her arms around herself. "I just have a bad feelin'." She mumbled, lowering her head as she heard the springs in her bed groan as Remy's weight was lifted off them. In a matter of seconds, she felt his hands on her sides.
He gently rested his chin on the top of her head. "It's something we have to do." He stated with a sigh as he squeezed her sides. Rogue's head moved back so he backed away a little, his hands still on her hips.
"What's with all the 'we's'?" Rogue asked, staring him straight in the eyes.
"Well, you said you wanted us to get married which means we're goin' to have to get a lot more committed into our relationship. If we can't survive a small trip back to our neck of the woods, how are we goin' to survive bein' married?"
Rogue made a face, "Only a few days? Promise?"
"Promise." He laughed, pulling her forward into a tight hug.
If only they actually knew what awaited for them back in New
Orleans.
--
Heh, heh. Foreshadowing. =)
That's all for now, my pretties! I have oh so much planned for you all. Just keep reading..
Also, if you're confused about the years, (three since the ending of Changes, five-ish since the beginning) don't worry; so am I.
I'm too lazy to answer reviews. But I appreciate them. =) They give me the inspiration to sit at the computer typing Pyro obscenities and Romy.
Thanks y'all. Cookies around.
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