Disclaimer: I often pretend that the characters in this story belong to me, but pretend is pretend, and this is reality. Characters belong to Me. Wait, I mean Marvel. Yes, Marvel.
Author's Note: Ugh! Sorry for the delay! My vacation is officially over and work is overwhelming. I promise to update at least once a week. I promise. Really!
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Chapter #8: Green Monster
Bobby found Rogue in the main exhibition room at Waza Gallery. The new day's sun shimmered rays of light through the high windows, bathing the floor, the stark white walls, and the auburn curls in her hair. She had her back to him and he wondered what it was she was doing here all by herself. She seemed to be gazing up at the windows, her brows furrowed, her lips in a pout.
He had half a mind to call out her name, but he deterred. Something about the way her face was lifted, and the way the sun was glistening on her nose – just so – made his body lose motion and his heart skip a beat.
Skip a beat?
He frowned. Say what…? He had never reacted this way to Rogue before. He had never seen her as anything but an employee. And yet here he was, spying on her from the shadows, his heart skipping a beat just by being in her presence. He had not stopped thinking about her since he had made that phone call telling her about the competition. The sound of her voice over the phone had been like a lulling song, and he found his mind occupied then after with thoughts of her. For some odd reason he felt attracted to her. She was plain, boring, and far too modest for his taste, but she had an alluring disposition that called to him. He wanted to know her. He wanted to experience her art. He wanted to remain in her presence. Forever.
Forever?
Bobby squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as if in an attempt to rid himself of such thoughts. She's just a girl… He took a bold step into the room and cleared his throat. He could see Rogue's reverie shatter as she turned to acknowledge his presence.
'Hey, Boss. What are ya doin' here so early in the mornin'?'
Bobby chuckled nervously as he ran a hand through his hair. 'C'mon, gimme a little credit, will ya, Rogue?' Rogue's lips spread into a wide smile and Bobby checked himself. Still breathing? Good. 'What are you doing here?'
She shrugged up one shoulder. 'Ah'm not sure. Ah guess… Ah guess Ah was just lookin' for some inspiration.'
Bobby nodded. 'For the piece you want to submit to the contest?'
Rogue nodded with a frown. 'Ah've been gettin' into the mood for paintin' again… but the subject matter still eludes me. Ah'm not sure what ta paint.'
'Hmm.' Bobby frowned at seeing her frown. 'I'm sorry for putting all this pressure on you, Rogue.'
Rogue shook her head and gave him an encouraging smile. 'It's not you, sugah. Ah really 'preciate ya givin' me this opportunity.'
Bobby felt as if a warm breeze had wrapped itself around his heart at seeing her smile. He averted his eyes without meaning to.
'OHMYGOD, Emma! Dat be a BRILLIANT idea!!'
Bobby nearly jumped at the sound of Belle's loud, cheerful voice. A second passed and the two women sauntered into the room, both carrying on them the scent of heavy perfume, freshly sprayed hair, and shiny leather purses. Bobby chanced a glance at Rogue and saw her smiling in welcome at her co-workers.
He was relieved, and at the same time annoyed, at seeing Emma and Belle invade their space. He was relieved because he was beginning to feel a sudden, alien nervousness at being alone with Rogue, and annoyed because he really wanted to talk with Rogue further.
'Wow, what are you doing here?' Emma asked, rounding on Bobby.
'Learning to play the banjo, can't you tell?' he replied, sarcastically.
Emma rolled her eyes. 'It's not often that you grace us with your presence this early in the morning.'
Bobby shrugged dismissively.
'What were you so excited 'bout just now?' Rogue asked, and Bobby was disheartened to find her full attention being given now to her female friends.
'Emma was just suggesting dat we take de weekend off and go some place nice,' Belle relayed excitedly. 'I t'ink we should hit de new Hot Spring Resort dey opened recently.'
Emma nodded enthusiastically. 'We have all worked quite hard on this exhibition project, and there's nothing left now for us to do except promote the show and wait for the entries to come in. I think we deserve a nice break to reward our efforts.'
Rogue nodded in agreement. 'A small trip would be kinda nice.'
'Wouldn't it?!' Belle exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Her excitement seemed infectious, and soon Rogue, too, was beginning to feel a cheerful sensation overwhelming her. It had been so long since she had gone on a vacation. She had worked diligently since arriving to the city, and felt that a weekend of relaxation was well overdue.
'Now now, just wait a minute,' Bobby interrupted, as the girls continued to formulate extravagant plans. 'You're gonna have to get your leaves approved by Scott, and I don't think he'll let all three of you off at the same time. We've been busy lately.'
'Oh please,' Emma replied, exasperated. 'I've already got permission. It's really hard for Scott to say no to me.'
She gave both Belle and Rogue a wink, for which they both gawked at her. Surely Emma didn't have some sort of influence over their Boss? And since when was she on a first-name basis with him?
'You did?!' Bobby asked, clearly shocked. 'But—'
'You're welcome to come along,' Emma interrupted him. 'After all, it will be nice to have a man around with just us three girls.'
'Hmm.' Bobby completely forgot about his recent annoyance at Emma's request and felt his familiar grin slide into place. 'Can't say I've ever turned down such an alluring offer before,' he drawled, and his eyes – much against his control – fluttered to Rogue. She gazed back at him with a quizzical look on her face.
'OH!' Belle turned to Rogue. 'And you can bring Remy!'
Emma raised a brow. 'Remy?'
'Uh huh! You saw him. Remember? Dat time wit' Rogue during lunch.'
'OH!' Comprehension dawned on Emma's face. 'You mean Rogue's boyfriend?'
Rogue, who had been completely startled by Belle's request, now felt the blood rush to her face. 'He's not mah boyfriend,' she said, a little too vehemently. She could feel Bobby's eyes boring into her and felt a slight unease envelop her. 'Ah told ya, he's mah cousin.'
'Uh huh,' Emma said, tilting her head to one side and examining Rogue's flushed face.
'He really is,' Belle added, determinedly. 'I had de dinner wit' him and Rogue last night. I be sure he would love to come along.'
'Doesn't he have a job?' Bobby asked, and he was surprised to find his tone unpleasant. He wasn't sure why he was mad, but he could feel a rage creep up inside of him. He had been startled – and then annoyed by the fact that he had been startled – when Emma had mentioned Rogue's boyfriend. Surely she wasn't spoken for? Even when Belle assured the two that the man was, in fact, Rogue's cousin, the jealousy in Bobby's heart would not fade. He recalled a conversation earlier in which this man named Remy was mentioned, and although Bobby wasn't usually the jealous type, he had the feeling that he and this Remy wouldn't get along. 'He probably won't be able to make it if he's working,' he added, upon seeing the confused and suspicious looks on the girls' faces.
'Ah'm sure it'll be alraht,' Rogue said, slowly. She was looking at Belle, and recognized the excitement in her friend's eyes. The trip in general seemed to be a very good idea, and Rogue felt that perhaps a different setting and environment might inspire her to create her work of art. At the same time, if Remy came along, she could also try to accomplish her mission of breaking his conditioning. Surely a remote setting and a beautiful Belle could deter his thoughts?
Bobby seemed dejected at hearing that Remy would be invited to join them, but neither of the girls noticed. They were now busily engaged in organizing the event. He let out a long sigh, ran a hand through his unkempt hair, and strode out of the room undetected and unnoticed.
--
Remy lifted his shoulder in an attempt to nudge Belle's sleeping head off his body. His eyes kept darting to where Rogue sat across the aisle from him, but she seemed oblivious to his presence. Her nose was buried in a book and his attempts to draw her attention seemed futile.
The bus they were on creaked dangerously beneath their feet as it rattled up the steep hill on which the Hot Spring Resort was located. Emma and Bobby, who were sitting at the back of the bus, groaned in protest as yet another bump in the road caused them to hit their heads on the low ceiling.
'Are we there yet?' Bobby wined, rubbing his scalp.
Rogue let the book drop into her lap and gazed out of the window. She watched as the trees passed in rapid succession while the large, voluptuous clouds drifted at a lazy pace. In the reflection on the glass she could see Remy fixing the position of Belle's head on his shoulder. A deep sigh escaped her lips, followed quickly by a confused shudder.
When Belle had taken the seat next to Remy's, Rogue had felt confident in her plan to unite her friend with her would-be boyfriend. She had one month – no, only three weeks – to break Remy of his conditioning. Belle seemed quite anxious to gain Remy's attention, and so Rogue had felt that perhaps her mission would be accomplished sooner rather than later. However, as the journey on the bus progressed, and she saw the way Remy lavished his attention on Belle, and how Belle would create any excuse to touch him, Rogue couldn't help but feel… territorial. Even now, as she watched Remy smooth a strand of blonde hair from Belle's sleeping face, she felt an awkwardness in her disposition.
To be fair, she had instructed Remy back at the apartment to be quite accommodating where Belle was concerned during this trip. He had seemed confused by her request, but she had assured him that it was because Belle was her best friend and she didn't want her feeling neglected. Perhaps it was because of his obedient loyalty to her, or perhaps because he really did enjoy Belle's company, but Remy was following through with her instructions with extreme dedication. He had given in to all of Belle's whims.
Remy was doing everything Rogue had asked of him, and yet when she saw just how much attention he was giving to Belle, it was she who felt neglected and ignored. Was it because she was so used to his undivided attention that she was beginning to miss it now that it wasn't there?
Ridiculous, she thought to herself, as she pulled her eyes away from the reflection on the window glass and picked up her book. You should be thrilled he ain't droolin' all ovah ya, girl.
Thrilled.
--
They reached the top of the hill only to find it deserted. There was no resort, no hot spring, and not another living soul. Instead there were trees. And trees. And more trees.
'Uh… are you sure there was supposed to be a Hot Spring Resort up here, Belle?' Bobby asked, shielding his eyes from the penetrating sun as he gazed towards the horizon.
They were standing in the middle of the dirt road with their luggage splayed at their feet. The dust that had been kicked off the ground as their bus had rattled away now seemed to settle slowly around them.
'I'm sure dis was de place,' Belle replied, uncertainly.
'Maybe we need ta walk a bit further…' Rogue suggested.
'We're at the top of a small mountain,' Emma said, clearly put out. 'We can see for miles. There's no resort.' She had half a mind to ream Belle out for her failure but decided against it. A confrontation was not what they needed right now. 'The next bus won't be up here for another 18 hours. We might as well camp.'
'WHAT?! Another 18 hours?!' Bobby gaped at her.
'Yes. We're in the middle of nowhere. There's no point for a bus to travel up here on a regular basis.' She pulled her cell phone out of her bag and checked the screen. 'And no reception. There's nothing we can do.' Emma picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. 'Come on, let's find a nice place to roost.'
'Roost? What dat mean?' Remy asked, as he trotted up beside Rogue, who was trying to keep up with Emma's angry strides.
'Ummm… "hang out", Ah s'pose. There's nothin' we can do until the next bus arrives.' Rogue looked over her shoulder and found Belle trailing behind them, her mouth in a resolute pout and her eyes downcast. 'Poor Belle. She must feel terrible, an' it's not her fault. You go on ahead, Remy. Ah think Ah'll hang back and try ta make her feel better.'
'Wait,' Remy said, and placed a hand on her shoulder. 'Remy will do it.'
'Do what?' But before she could find an answer, she saw Remy fall back and wrap an arm around Belle's shoulder. Belle looked up and smiled at him.
Raht… Rogue gripped her bag a little tighter and hastened her steps.
--
'It was a complete nightmare, 'Ro!' Rogue slammed her cup down on the counter harder than she had meant to. 'First, we were stranded in the middle of nowhere. Then, it started to rain, so we couldn't even light ourselves a fire. And then the animals started to come out when it got darker. And then—' She stopped when she noticed the look on Ororo's face. 'What?'
'Remy does not seem to be complaining…'
Both women turned to watch Remy as he played with Darwin. He would toss a bottle cap up in the air and Darwin would attempt to catch it before it fell to the ground.
'Well he wouldn't, would he? He was too busy bein' entertained by Belle ta notice our predicament.'
Ororo raised a brow, detecting a heavy amount of bitterness in Rogue's tone of voice. 'Hmm.'
'What?' Rogue tore her eyes off Remy and glared at her.
'Oh, nothing,' Ororo said, trying to conceal a small smile. 'I just thought I saw the green monster lurking in the shadows.'
Rogue scowled. 'Ah'm not jealous. Remy's not mah boyfriend. He's mah cousin.'
Ororo raised a perfect brow. 'I am aware of that. I did not say otherwise.'
A fierce blush flushed over Rogue's face. She turned her eyes away sheepishly. 'Ah'm not jealous,' she repeated, softly, and wished it were true. She felt guilty for her thoughts because she knew she was the one orchestrating the relationship that was budding between Remy and Belle. She also knew that Remy was in physical pain every time he lavished his attention on Belle. The memory chip continued to shock him and he had complained earlier, when they had deposited their bags in their apartment, of a severe migraine. He was doing what he was doing because Rogue had asked him to, and yet here she was getting mad because he was… what? Listening to her? She felt stupid. Everything was going according to plan. Belle was clearly swept away by Remy's charm, and Remy, regardless of how severe and confused his memory chip was reacting, had obeyed Rogue's instructions without question. Why, then, did she feel bitterness whenever she thought of Remy and Belle together? She shook her head as if to rid herself of such thoughts. 'By the way, thanks for takin' care o' Darwin while we were away.'
Ororo poured Rogue another drink. 'Do not mention it. Darwin is a sweet little thing.'
Rogue took a sip, her eyes trailing now and again to where Remy sat. These looks did not escape Ororo's observant eye. But she said nothing.
'How is your painting coming along?'
Rogue shrugged. 'Mah boss an' Ah talked it over some while we were stranded. He thinks Ah should do a portrait.'
'Oh?'
'Yea. Ah told him before, when he first saw mah art, that Ah liked painting people best. He says Ah should stick with what Ah like to do. He says it'll help me focus.'
'I think he is right.'
'So do Ah.' Her eyes misted over as she recalled Bobby's excitement in her art.
'What is this Boss of yours like?' Ororo asked.
Rogue thought for a moment. 'Well, he's kinda immature. Ah mean, his father owns the gallery, but his older brother does most of the work. Ah s'pose he's a bit spoiled.' She took another sip of her drink. 'But he's a good guy. He's funny, and kind, and he can be pretty genuine when he wants ta be. Ah like him a great deal.'
'I see.'
Rogue's eyes met Ororo's momentarily, and then she blushed. 'It's not like that, 'Ro!'
'Like what?' Ororo asked, innocently.
'Like what you're thinkin'!'
'And how do you know what I am thinking?'
'Ah just do.' She slipped from her stool and grabbed her purse. 'Anyway, we better get goin'. It's gettin' dark.' She called to Remy, and he stood up with Darwin tucked under his arm.
'I will see you two later, then,' Ororo said, allowing Rogue to run from this conversation.
Remy waved to her before following Rogue out into the crisp, night air. 'Where we be going now?' he asked, as he and Rogue crossed the street.
'Home.'
Remy frowned. He could feel tension in the air and wondered why it was there. 'Hey, chere. W'at's wrong?'
'Nothin'.'
He continued to frown. 'Did I do somet'ing wrong? I tried to do everyt'ing right wit' Belle.'
'You did. You treated her very well.'
Remy beamed. 'So Remy did good?'
Rogue sighed. 'Yea. Ya did. You were perfect.'
Remy grinned foolishly and swung his free arm over Rogue's shoulder. 'So… w'at be de reward?'
'Reward?' Rogue tried to shrug him off her shoulders, but he squeezed her tighter.
'For doing de good job.' He gazed down at her. 'Let's have sex, chere.'
'What?!' She managed to release herself from his hold and glared at him.
Remy frowned and scratched his head. 'You said Remy did good.' He shifted Darwin from one arm to the other. 'You should sleep wit' Remy now.'
Rogue blinked. And then, she laughed. She couldn't help it. Here she was, in a bad mood because Remy had spent the last 24 hours hanging out with Belle – upon her orders – and he was asking her to sleep with him. It was his conditioning, of course, that was making him ask her such a question, but she couldn't help feeling relieved.
'W'at?' he asked, as he gazed quizzically at her.
'Nothin',' she said, grinning. She reached out and grabbed his hand as they continued to walk towards their apartment. 'How 'bout Ah cook ya a nice meal instead?'
Remy felt disappointed, but smiled nonetheless. He knew he wouldn't get his wish tonight, but he was glad that Rogue was no longer upset. Whatever it was, he had made it go away, and he was glad for it.
Somewhere, far away, a small little icon blinked white.
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Author's Note: Alrighty, so we have an obviously messed up Rogue here. I mean, on the one hand, she's trying to break Remy of his conditioning, but on the other hand, she gets upset when her plan WORKS. Not to mention the fact that she is completely playing with Belle's emotions!
Jeez, I've never written such a selfish and confused Rogue before. Such fun!
O! And I haven't forgotten about Sam Guthrie… though I almost wish I had. lol
