A/N- So, since all you school-aged peeps have finished for the holidays I've decided to post another chapter. And this was a big decision for me to make too... because it's a major story line chapter. Meaning like... bombshell. LOL! I hope none of you hate me by the end of it...
Oh! And just so you're all aware when you see the ellipsis (which is the real name for the "...") followed by italics, this is a flashback. The end of the flashback is the reverse. (italics then ellipsis. I swear that's what it's called. Google it.)
4
Logan sat down next to Rogue as she picked at her peanut butter and jelly sandwich, her gloves folded neatly next to her plate. "Hey Stripes."
She looked up at him. "Hey."
"When yer done there, care t'join us down in the Danger Room?"
She laughed "Ah don't think so Wolvie, ah'm pretty outta practice..."
"Aw c'mon. It'll be like old times. We'll go easy on yah." He gave her a smile and she shook her head.
"Ah really can't… ah got a lot on mah mind today an'… ah have t'be somewhere soon… mah mind is like, completely not even here…" She trailed off looking at Logan again who was doing the best attempt at puppy dog eyes that his gruff exterior would allow.
She set the rest of her sandwich down, brushing the crumbs from her hands. "Ah'll watch. Just for a bit."
Logan led Rogue down to the Danger Room, trying to convince her to participate the entire way. The sliding doors opened with an airy 'woosh'.
"Oh good! Rogue's joining us!?" Kitty beamed. "I can get your old uniform..."
"No... don't worry 'bout it Kit. Ah'm just here to observe." She smiled. "Besides... don't think ah could get these hips into mah old uniform."
"Yo'hips look fine t'me fleur..." Remy cocked his head with a grin.
Bobby nodded.
Rogue cuffed the younger mutant upside the head. "Regardless of how they look... fact is they won't fit." She said firmly.
Remy sat down at the controls pushing a few buttons before giving them the thumbs up. "Yo'all set mes amis."
"Last chance Stripes..." Logan raised an eyebrow, slapping his gloved hands together.
She took a seat next to Gambit. "Can't Sugah… maybe next time."
Sarah pouted "Aw... I was kinda lookin' forward to seein' you in action."
"Me too..." Remy smirked.
Rogue smiled at Sarah. "The only action ah'm involved with these days is runnin' t'catch the bus. Or fightin' over a real good deal at a sale. Ah'd rip someone's eyes out over a nice enough top."
Sarah laughed.
"Alright, let's get goin'." Logan instructed.
"Bonne chance." He winked at Sarah "You don' need it."
Rogue watched as everyone filed into the Danger Room. "What are they doin'?"
"Glorified Tag." He smiled. "An' Bobby's 'it'."
"Ah." She said with a light laugh. "Ah see that y'all have expanded y' exercises to include all demographics."
Remy flicked a switch, kicking his feet up on the control panel. "Oui."
Rogue looked on with a grin, watching how well Marrow was holding her own against Wolverine. Even though they weren't 'supposed' to do any combat... he always liked to 'test' people.
"She's pretty good." Rogue raised an eyebrow, watching as the willowy blond woman dodged Logan's jabs. Considering she was a feather weight and Logan was, well... Logan. She was doing very well.
"Oui..." Remy smirked. "Dat's not all she's good at..."
"She seems really nice." Rogue commented quickly, ignoring his lewd comment. "Ah like her."
Remy grinned, looking out over the battle unfolding in the Danger Room. After a few moments of silence, Rogue sucked in a breath. "So how did y'all meet-"
"She already told you." He cut her off, giving his head a shake.
"Sorry Sugah, small talk." She hesitated, trying to lure him into telling her what she wanted to know shouldn't be so tricky. "I'm just... just havin' trouble understandin' what y'were doin' back here is all. Seein' as how you were down in New Orleans with your..." She shrugged. "Whatever she was."
"Wife." He frowned.
"Right." She looked out on the mutants as they executed their exercise, her mouth pressed in a thin line.
Forgiveness was the easy part. Forgetting... now that was going to be quite the task.
"Y'have t'understand Rogue," Gambit started, letting his feet fall from their resting place. "Not only did Remy have a duty... a responsibility t'keep..." he trailed off, running a hand through his hair.
"Ah know." She nodded, not wanting him to finish his sentence. She knew the truth back then and it still hurt to think about it now. He'd been in love with Belladonna. No way around it. She'd been nothing more than a mere... distraction. At least that's the way she'd seen it. "We don't have t'talk about it." She looked at her gloved hands before tugging the index finger and slipping the glove off with ease.
Remy watched.
"Ah didn't mean to... suggest anything when ah asked how y'all met y'know." She pulled her other glove off and draped them both over her lap.
He nodded silently.
"Guess ah'm just not used t'seein' someone hangin' off you like that. You were always more of a… 'love em an leave em' type." She shrugged with a small grin. "But, ah guess you'll take it where ever you can get it…"
He chuckled. "Y'got dat right fleur. Look at dat body." He tilted his head as he admired the fighting blond "Remy's happy just s'long as she wants t'keep it casual. No strings."
"There are always strings." she said flatly.
He looked at her silently, but she refused to return his gaze, keeping her eyes glued to the action before her as if it was the most interesting thing she'd ever seen.
"So, you mentioned dere was a man in yo'life... non?" He changed the subject.
"Oui." Rogue smiled.
"Serious?"
She chuckled and looked over at him "Ah moved up here for him."
He furrowed his brow. "He live up here?"
She pressed her lips together, hesitating before she finally answered. "You'll… you'll find out soon enough. Ah'd rather not talk about it Gambit."
"Ahhh… dat's where y'gotta go, hein? Why y'can't participate in d'danger room… goin' t'pick Romeo up at d'airport?"
She pressed her lips together and looked out the large window once again. She'd always hated how easy it was for him to read her. As if he had some telepathic abilities dedicated to her and her alone.
He looked at her quizzically before turning away. He decided it would be best if he dropped the subject.
Rogue ran her tongue along her lower lip, looking out on her fighting former team mates with a frown.
"Things weren't supposed to get so complicated." She said softly.
"Non." He agreed with a small frown. "But dat's d'way d'cards were dealt."
She chewed her lip silently before standing up. "Ah have t'go. Ah'll be back… just… runnin' an errand."
He nodded, watching her leave. She was right. Things weren't supposed to get so complicated.
He remembered the simpler times, back when he was a young Cajun charmer and she was the hardened Gothic girl. She'd been the only reason he'd stuck it through with the X-men.
…"Prove 'em wrong Remy."
She'd said, after a particularly rough day. "They're all expectin' you to up an' leave. But ah know you can do this."
He'd smirked and given her a skeptical look. "You know I can?"
"Yes, ah do." She'd folded her arms in her oh-so-stubborn manner, jutting her left hip out. "You think y'got that whole… stranger in-the-night thing down pat. Well y'don't. An' Ah'm onta you…"
"Yo'onta me?"
"There an echo in here?!" She'd jabbed her finger against his chest. "Ah'm serious Cajun. Don't give up."
"With you here ma chère…" He'd taken her gloved hand and placed a kiss on the back.
"Remy'd never leave."…
He let out a deep breath, shaking the memory from his mind. That had been the beginning of their budding friendship. But to call it merely friendship would have been doing it an injustice. It went far beyond just plain friendship; buddies who hung out together in their spare time. They'd become best friends, knowing every thing there was to know about one another and then some. Once Kitty was too caught up with boys and school to really notice, she'd turned to him for friendship, and it came all to naturally for both of them. When Joseph left, she'd gone to him for comfort, knowing she could bare her soul, which she had so many times before. It had been Joseph that taught her how to control her powers. Their own 'little secret' that no one else knew.
No one else but him of course.
---
Rogue glanced at her watch with a frown. She'd wanted to get to the airport early… just in case. Rather be early and have to hang around and wait then be late and make him wait.
She hurried up to her room, snatching her purse off her dresser quickly, doubling back and nearly knocking into Joseph.
"Woah!" He chuckled. "Always was good at sweeping you off your feet."
She smiled, feeling a light flush spread across her cheeks. "Yeah…"
"Where are you headed?" He asked as she shuffled past him.
"Airport." She tucked a white hair behind her ear.
"Oh." He nodded. "You want some company?"
She hesitated considering his offer.
"I can get you there in ten minutes…" He added with a raised eyebrow, hoping the extra bit of information would serve as temptation enough.
She smiled. "Or what?"
"Or your next meal… free." He gave her a wink that caused her heart to flutter. She sucked in a short breath and glanced at her watch again.
"Thanks… but ah think this is somethin' ah need t'do alone." She spun around after a small grin, heading down the hall.
"Rain check on that dinner…?"
She looked over her shoulder with a smile. "… sure."
---
The Danger Room session was over and everyone scattered, going about their own business. Once Kitty had finished her shower, she made her way to one of the rec. rooms, scanning it with a frown.
"What's wrong p'tite?" Remy frowned, noticing Kitty in the doorway. Sarah craned her neck to spot her.
"Lookin' for Rogue."
"Don't tell me she ran avay again!" Kurt threw his hands in the air.
"She went to the airport." Remy looked back at the TV with a smile. "Pickin' up some important… baggage…"
Kitty scrunched up her nose. "Baggage? Didn't she like… drive here with all her stuff-" She gasped. "Is she picking someone up?! Did she tell you?!"
He shook his head.
"She always tells you stuff." Kitty pouted "I'm always like, the last to find out." With a quick gasp Kitty's face brightened up again "It's that man she mentioned. Isn't it?" She tugged on Kurt's arm with a giggle.
Before Kurt could respond they heard the front door open causing Kitty to squeal like a little girl yet again. Kurt exchanged a look with Colossus before turning around and following the happy girl into the foyer.
Rogue pressed her lips together in a small smile, chuckling when Kurt took Kitty's wrist in an attempt to hold her back and calm her down.
She looked down at her feet when Gambit and Sarah entered along with Peter.
Gambit furrowed his brow; She wasn't blushing… she looked… nervous. Almost... scared.
"Alright." She said with her eyes fixed on her shoes. "There's somethin'… someone that y'all need t'meet."
"Hey!" Joseph stood at the top of the staircase with a smile "You're back already?"
She opened her mouth to answer when Kitty let out an exasperated sigh. "C'mon… hurry up! I can't wait! Where's this guy?!"
The smile visibly fell off his face, and Rogue shook her head. "Hold your horses Kit."
She opened the door behind her, holding her hand out and silently telling the person on the other side of the door to come.
A rambunctious little boy rushed through the doorway, taking Rogue's hand with a toothy grin. He dropped his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle backpack on the hardwood floor as Rogue scooped him up, propping him on her hip.
Remy knit his brow, looking from the little boy to Rogue. The similarity between them was uncanny… there was no way…
"Coley, ah want you t'meet mah friends. Everyone this is Cole." She nuzzled her nose against his freckled cheek causing him to smile. "Mah son."
A/N- Whaaaaa?! Kabloom. (that was the bombshell. Haha... I'm a dork.) Anyways, rather than getting answers, we get more questions. I am evil like this.
I will try to update before Christmas eve because I will be busy by then celebrating my little man's second birthday! Oh, and Christmas of course.
So did you love it? Hate it? Let me know... angry reviews are welcome... discouraged, but still welcome. LOL
Ps: Starlight2twilight (no association with the books) asked "But WHY IS THIS SO SHORT BB?! WHY?" and in response I say the following.
That's what she said.
:D