Disclaimer: I own nothing her, just an unnatural obsession with Remy LeBeau.
Chapter Three
Rogue had never fainted before, but right now she honestly felt like she might.
Her lungs burned as she slammed her bedroom door shut, taking a long, deep breath. Her vision was blurry and the room was starting to spin, if she didn't get a grip on herself then she'd end up in a pile on the floor.
She just couldn't believe him.
Remy LeBeau.
When he'd first arrived last night she'd had a difficult enough time accepting the fact he was stood in front of her, looking no different than the last time she had seen him. But now she had to cope with seeing him everywhere, that he would touch her freely and flirt with her openly and there was nothing she could do about it.
Rogue's knees gave in and she sank to the ground.
She had always avoided thinking about Remy if she could help it because she never felt good when she did.
The sensations were always the same as they had been right from the moment she'd woken up alone that morning. The heart wrenching sorrow when she realised he hadn't actually cared about her, the sickening shame when she realised she'd been used and the overwhelming terror at the thought of what her mother would say.
Even to this day she could remember it, but now she had to deal with entirely new feelings.
It was the gut feeling, the sickening stomach sinking feeling that you couldn't ignore even if you knew you shouldn't be feeling it. That was what she felt when she looked at him. Not because she hated the person he was, deep down she had always known that, but because when she looked at him she remembered all the times they had shared together.
That was what made her sick.
Just seeing his face now, and remembering all the lies she once believed coming out of his mouth. The shame bubbled in her stomach, hot and fast.
Rogue stood quickly, stumbling slightly as the blood rushed from her head at the sudden movement.
She couldn't allow herself to wallow in self pity, she'd spent the majority of her life that way thanks to her mutation and she would be damned if she'd let all those feelings come back just because of a man.
A man that meant nothing to her.
She quickly stripped off her clothes and jumped in the shower, washing the smell of Remy off her skin and letting the pounding of the warm water sooth her. She ducked her head under the water and let it wash away all thoughts of Remy LeBeau and his charming ways.
By the time she had dressed and left her room she felt marginally better, but a part of her wanted to constantly check herself to make sure her hair was right and that her make up looked okay. Then she would check herself because she was stupid for wanting to impress a man that didn't care about her.
By the time she made it to the wreck room she had straightened her dress three times, and she wanted to mentally slap herself in the face.
Luckily she found the space to be completely Remy free, and made her way over to the table her two closest friends in the Mansion were currently occupying.
She dumped all the English papers she had to mark down on the table and slumped down into the one remaining seat.
"What's up with you?" Jubilee asked, cocking her head as she considered Rogue.
Jubilation Lee was a relatively new member of their little group, and Rogue still found her a lot to take sometimes. As she was only eighteen she had not been drafted into the X-Men, something she complained about loudly and often. But she and Rogue had bonded because the girl was so happy all the time, like a constant ray of sunshine. It was nice to have a friend around who didn't flinch every time you moved.
"Logan had me in the Danger Room at fahve" Rogue huffed, sorting her papers into piles.
"I swear you're his own personal project" Kitty said, flicking a hair out of her face as she glanced up from the book she was reading.
Apart from Logan, Kitty was Rogue's oldest friend in the mansion. They weren't a lot a like and Rogue often wondered how they had become friends in the first place. But now that they were, she knew there wasn't anyone alive that cared for her or would fight for her more ferociously that Katheryn Pryde.
"Ah think he just lahkes takin' lumps outta meh" Rogue shrugged as she searched through her bag for a pen.
"He better not" Jubilee wagged her finger, "I've got my eyes on a nice little strappy number for you, that will not go well with bruises."
Rogue rolled her eyes, "Ain't exactly got the skin for that, Jubes" she pointed out.
"All part of your practice" Jubilee winked as though it was a big conspiracy.
Rogue turned to look at Kitty, who just rolled her eyes in a way that said, you can't stop her, so don't bother trying.
So Rogue decided that grading her papers in piece would be a better way to spend her time than starting an argument she was bound to lose.
She even managed to get through half of them before Jubilee started running her mouth again.
She practically knocked over a mug in her haste to slap Kitty on the arm.
"Oh my God!" she all but squealed, "Now that's a man!"
Kitty sighed, "Jubes would you give it up, Sam just isn't interested."
"Use your eyes girl!" Jubilee hissed.
Kitty's breathing suddenly became sharp, "Oh my God!"
Her squeal wasn't quite as high pitched as Jubilee's, but Rogue still winced.
"He's so hot" Jubilee whispered, "He looks like he walked straight out of GQ."
"I know!" Kitty agreed, "He's like, photoshopped."
"What are ya'll chunnerin' about?" Rogue interrupted, not bothering to look up from the papers she was grading.
"The new guy!" Jubilee said, rolling her eyes.
She made a motion and Rogue glanced up to see Remy sat against one of the tables chatting casually with Pete.
"Even you have to admit he's just built for sex."
"Jubilee!" Kitty hissed, glancing around to check no one had heard them.
"What?" The little firecracker grinned, "God doesn't make men like that for anything else."
"Well Ah wouldn't know nothin' about that" Rogue said, even though she really did. She turned her focus back to her papers to tried and ignore the sudden nausea in the pit of her stomach. "But Ah can introduce ya'll, that right there is Remy LeBeau."
Both Jubilee and Kitty turned their inquisitive eyes on her, "How do you know him?" Kitty demanded.
Which was just another way of saying, why would a man like that be interested in a girl that he couldn't touch? Not that Kitty had anything to worry about on that score; Remy wasn't interested in her as far as she could tell. He just wanted her to think he felt sorry for what had happened all that time ago.
Not that she believed him.
"He worked foar mah momma foar a couple o' months" Rogue shrugged, tapping her pen against the English papers that obviously weren't going to get graded today.
"He was in the Brotherhood?" Kitty whispered.
"Nah" Rogue flipped her hair out of her face, "He was a mercenary foar hire, Momma jus' loaned him out."
"I wouldn't mind loaning him out, either" Jubilee practically drooled.
Rogue rolled her eyes, "Ya'll maht not want tah be so obvious."
"I'm not being obvious" Jubilee said, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she turned to glare at Rogue. "It's not like he can hear us."
"Remy's an empath" Rogue snorted, "Ya'll are probably shoutin' yoar feelin's at him."
Jubilee and Kitty both looked at each other wide eyed with dread as a smooth voice said, "Now chere, don't be givin' away all Gambit's secrets."
They all looked up to see none other than Remy LeBeau staring down at them, his red and black eyes shining out like a beacon.
"What do yah want, Cajun?" Rogue snapped, as both of her friends seemed to have gone selectively mute.
"Thought I'd come on over an' introduce myself" he winked at her in a way that she used to find charming, "Seems de gentlemanly thing t' do."
"Shame ya'll ain't no gentleman" Rogue bit back.
"Rogue!" Kitty hissed, throwing her a glare. "Don't be rude."
"Don't worry yo'self non, petite" Remy said, fixing his face with his most charming smile. "De chere an' me go way back."
"Too far" Rogue put in, she said it quietly in the hope he wouldn't hear but his eyes still shone red when he looked at her.
She had forgotten how mesmerising his eyes were, how easy it was to get lost in those rubies shining out against the the black. Rogue couldn't tell if it was that or Remy's charm that was making her friends uncomfortable, either way they both refused to meet his eyes.
"Remy LeBeau" he said, holding out his hand to Kitty. When she took it he leant down to brush a kiss against the back of her hand. "Enchante."
Kitty promptly turned the colour of a beetroot.
Rogue rolled her eyes.
Jubilee practically sent papers flying everywhere as she threw herself across the sofa, "And I'm Jubilee" she said, grinning and holding her hand out. "But you can call me Jubes."
"Nice t' meet yo', petite" Remy's smile was so wide he was showing two rows of perfect teeth. "Always good t' meet a friend of mah Cherie."
He reached over to stoke her hair but Rogue knocked his hand aside and stood, glaring at him.
"Ah need coffee" she announced.
She didn't wait for anyone to try and stop her, simply turned on her heel and marched straight towards the door.
"Hold up dere, chere" Remy called after her, "Fancy some old joe m'self."
Rogue didn't pause or give him the chance to catch up, she was halfway down the hall when he caught her around the wrist and pulled her back.
"Rogue!"
She pulled her wrist back but he didn't let go, instead she found herself face to face with the damn Cajun, her wrist still caught between his fingers.
"Yo' can't do dis f'ever, chere" he chastised.
"Watch me" she hissed, pulling at her wrist again. He held fast and in the tussle they somehow ended up closer together.
"We gotta be civil, chere" he said softly, holding her wrist up close to his face as he stepped into her. "Yo' know we gotta live together."
"It's a big mansion" she bit back, pulling against his grip.
"Well, I ain't having it!" He said, his eyes narrowed and he pulled her even closer towards him.
"What are yah gonna do?" she snorted, still trying in vain to get her wrist back.
Until she glanced up and their eyes met.
Something passed between the two of them that she hadn't felt since the last time she had seen him. Suddenly she was extremely aware of how close they were, and that his bare finger was brushing against the skin of her wrist. It was like a challenge, the defiance and the stand off just made her think of the way they had behaved when they first met. With his open flirting and her complete shut downs, it had been the most fun she had ever had.
Not that she would ever tell him that.
"How 'bout I show yo'?" the corner of his mouth was pulled up in a lopsided smile and one of his eyebrows was raised.
Rogue's stomach contracted, and for the first time since she'd laid eyes on him yesterday, it wasn't out of fear or disgust.
Almost as though he had taken that as an invitation he bent down so quickly she had no time to react before he had his arms around her knees and had pulled her up onto his shoulder.
"Me an' yo' are gonna have a little talk, chere" he said, before turning and walking in the opposite direction.
"Remy!" she all but screamed, thumping him on the back.
She felt ashamed, because she had been taught to and had successfully gotten herself out of this hold on countless occasions in the past. But even as she struggled, Remy held her fast. Not only did he know her so well he could predict what she would do, but he also wasn't afraid to touch her.
"Yo'll thank me f'r this later" he promised her, patting her on the leg.
"Put meh down Remy or Ah swear-"
"Yo' what, wriggle yo' lil behind a bit more?" he said, and she could hear the smile in his words.
"Put meh down yah damn dirty Swamp Rat!" she screeched, swinging her legs.
He laughed, "Jus' like old times" he said, before dumping her in a store cupboard just off the second hallway.
He stepped in after her and closed the door with a snap.
"Let me outta here, Remy" she said, attempting to move around him as he blocked her exit. "Don't make me hurt yah."
"Can't do dat, chere" he said, leaning against the door and gazing at her with those intense red eyes. "Can't go any longer wit' yo' hatin' me."
She let out a loud, frustrated groan and turned her back on him.
He was the most infuriating person she had ever met in her life.
"'Sides" he shrugged, "'Least yo' feelin' sutin' f'r me now, non?"
She shot him a glare, "Sure am" she agreed, "Hatred."
"Any emotion is better dan none at all" he said, taking a step closer to her. She'd forgotten how big and warm he was, with his wide shoulders he was taking up most of the space in the small cupboard.
"Mebe Ah could feel nothin'" she said, crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to put some space between them. "If ya'll weren't so infuriatin'."
"Get under yo' skin" he grinned, running a single finger down her arm.
"In all the worst ways" she said, with as much venom as possible.
"Yo' get under mine in jus' de best ways" he said, his eyes glowing red on the last two words and sending a shiver down her spine.
"Remy, stop" she said, holding out both hands so they rested against his chest as he stepped into her. "Ah ain't sixteen anymore, yo' can't charm m' outta bein' angry."
"Ain't tryin' chere" he said, placing his own hands on top of hers. "Jus' can't bare yo' hoppin' 'round hatin' me."
"Yah deserve it" she pointed out, enjoying the warmth of his fingers too much to move her hands just yet.
"An' worse" he agreed, "An' I wanna make it right, jus' need yo' cooperation."
She pulled her hands out of his grip, "Remy Ah ain't a kid no more, Ah know ya'll had a job to do back then and family problems" she sighed, sitting down on an upturned mop bucket. "Sho' Ah woulda done tha same if Momma had asked."
"So yo' ain't mad?" he reached for her.
She held up a hand to stop him, "Ah weren't never mad about that" she explained, "It was the pretendin' that hurt meh, the way ya'll acted around meh lahke Ah was tha only gal in the world-" he voice wobbled so she broke off with a snort.
Remy knelt in front of her, "Rogue-" he said softly.
"No Cajun, yah can't ask meh to forgive that or tah trust yah again" she said sharply, "If yah want meh to stop acting this way then yah gotta do somethin'."
"Anythin'" he agreed quickly.
"Stop actin' like yah did then, like yah want meh an' no one else."
"Rogue it weren't never an act-"
She stood up quickly, "I don't believe yah" she said harshly, "An until ya'll stop treating me lahke some gal that will jump at a pretty word, Ah'm done talking with yah."
She pushed past him and out of the door before he could say a word.