Chapter Ten
Remy gazed in shock at the scene before him.
"Mon Dieu!"
"Yes," the professor said, where he 'stood' beside him,
"Sinister really did all this?" In all the time he had worked for Sinister, he had never expected something on this scale. That Sinister could enslave the world, that everyone was literally under his rule was more than frightening, it was truly terrifying.
"Well yes, with a little help from Apocalypse."
"Who is this Apocalypse fellow?" Remy asked, still hardly able to comprehend the changed world before him, the crowd all seemed hypnotised to worship a couple of second rate egomaniacs.
"I'm still trying to find that out myself. Unfortunately, all documentation and information here is courtesy of this new regime, and they guard their Master's secrets well."
"Does the Thieves' Guild still exist?" Remy asked.
"I can't say that I know. Why?"
"If there's one thing we know, it's that knowledge is power. We know how to acquire it, how to archive it, and how to hide it."
"You think they might have kept a record of events?"
"If they still exist, they'll have recorded what they know. Course, what they know might not be helpful," he finished with a shrug. "But if that's the case, I'm damn sure they can steal what you want to know for you."
Charles smiled. "Thank you or the tip, I will see if they are receptive to helping us."
"They will be," Remy assured him. "I'm a prince of the Thieves' Guild, I'll leave word that you are un proche conseiller, a trusted advisor, that way even if I'm gone, there'll be a record of you and they won't turn you away."
"Thank you, Remy, I appreciate it."
"No problem."
The scene before them disappeared, to be replaced by the white nothingness that Remy had been told was the astral plain.
"Now, about your psychic blocks, Jean has explained everything to me and I believe I can help."
"You can fix my mind?"
"Not from where I am, but Jean is a talented psychic and with my guidance, I believe we can help you. From what she has told me though, it will be a long process, requiring perhaps up to four days."
Remy didn't do well at sitting still for too long but if it meant freedom, then he could live with it. Besides, this room wasn't the med lab, so he didn't feel overly anxious in here.
The following day found Remy lying on a couch that had been moved into Charles' room, trying to daydream some of the tedium away while Jean wormed her way inside his head. Ordinarily he'd lightly charge some cards to stave off boredom, but right now he was wearing the inhibitor collar so that they could get into his head.
He sighed but tried to keep it quiet, these people were trying to help him, after all and he didn't want to seem ungrateful. Of course, that didn't stop him from being bored out of his skull.
Remy just wasn't used to inaction, it wasn't his style.
There had been a time when Remy used to daydream, occupying his time only with whatever lazy thoughts floated through his mind. That had all changed after Sinister though, after all who wanted to be alone with the memories he now had? It was like being alone with a monster, only when you were the monster, you couldn't even leave to get away. The only way to live with what he'd done was to keep occupied, keep busy, never stop, never slow down, constantly looking for the next distraction.
It was an exhausting way to live, but he'd been doing it for so long now that it was second nature.
Jean and Charles never spoke but he guessed that they were talking telepathically. The silence only served to increase his annoyance.
Sighing again, he turned his thoughts to Rogue. He had been surprised to realise that while he was lying awake last night, he was actually listening for Rogue to cry out. He wanted to say that it was because he cared so much for her, that he was protective of her but in truth, he had enjoyed waking up with her so much that he wanted to do it again.
Well no, that wasn't quite accurate. He didn't suffer from nightmares like Rogue did but at the same time, he didn't sleep well. Sleeping with her in his arms, he had awoken feeling more refreshed than he could remember in a long while.
The problem was, he didn't know how to suggest to her that they share a bed. He had gone into her room last night to 'tuck her in', a gesture which seemed to please her, but she hadn't asked him to stay like he'd hoped.
He knew he could have charmed her into letting him stay, after all his reputation as a ladies man was well deserved, but he didn't want to do that, not with her. She was different. She was...
And that's where things got tricky, what was she exactly? Sure, they were touchy feely with each other, and she supported him through his medical tests but really, did that make them any more than friends? Actually, he felt like her gay best friend, always touching and flirting, but both of them knowing that it was just in fun and that it would never go anywhere.
And yet he found himself wanting to spend his nights with her, even while knowing that it would never lead anywhere, that they could never be a proper couple.
There was only one explanation, Remy was going crazy. Or maybe he was a pod person and someone else was making his decisions for him.
His mind kept going in circles around the problem of what he and Rogue were to each other without reaching any conclusions, until they finished that evening. Remy all but ran from the room once they told him he was free to go. He headed straight to the gym, knowing that he'd have to work long and hard to wear himself out if he was ever going to sleep tonight. He did push-ups, pull-ups, weight lifting, acrobatics, pushing himself both harder and faster than he did usually.
After two hours, Rogue came in and watched him for a while as she waited for him to complete his set of pull-ups.
He only had on sweatpants, and his perfectly sculpted chest was covered in a sheen of perspiration. He looked looked positively sinful and she found some very indecent images running through her head. She quickly pushed thoughts like that aside, that way lay madness.
She looked up at his face and noticed how hard he was working, his face a mask of pain as he pushed his limits. In fact he was working so hard, that his hair was almost as wet as if he'd just come from a shower.
Finally he let the bar go and dropped to the floor. He turned and gave her a rakish smile as he grabbed a towel to wipe himself down.
"You okay, cher?"
"You were working very hard there."
"Didn't do much today so I had a lot of energy to work off."
"And demons to run from."
Remy shrugged, she wasn't wrong.
"Can I do something for you?" It came out harsher than he had intended.
"You missed dinner, that's all, and I hadn't seen you since breakfast."
"We're not dating, Rogue, you don't own my time."
Rogue took a step back, as though she'd been struck.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realise I was making a nuisance of myself." She turned and stormed out of the gym, slamming the door behind her.
Remy sighed. He'd handled that very badly but he just didn't know how he felt right now. He was so confused, so hopeful for the first time in years, yet at the same time, so cynical, ready to be disappointed once more. But the one thing he did know, was that he shouldn't be lashing out at Rogue.
But damn it, why did she have to be so damned gorgeous? Why couldn't she be hideously ugly, with boils and warts and scars? It would be so much easier to remain just friends then.
Still, he had to admit that no matter how she looked, her heart was pure and would probably have attracted him anyway. There just weren't many people who were prepared to put their faith in him, to believe in him, but she had. Correction, she did, and all he gave her in return was pain.
He sighed and headed for the showers, knowing that he was in no fit state to apologise until he was at least clean.
Rogue was lying on her bed, watching When Harry Met Sally for probably the fiftieth time. This was just about the only rom-com she would voluntarily watch. She loved it because for so much of the movie, their love wasn't accompanied by lust. Sure, they got together in the end and kissed, and they had sex which almost ruined their friendship, but they were still in love for most of the movie, even while content to remain platonic.
Of course, no guy out there would really want a sexless relationship, but a girl could dream, couldn't she?
She wondered if that was why Gambit had turned on her. They shared so much, except the one activity that he seemed to prefer above all others. Okay, perhaps he liked stealing more than sex, but it was a close run thing and she couldn't be sure.
And honestly? He could have his pick of women, so why would he choose her? She'd even seen Jean, Storm and Kitty shoot him admiring glances, not that she thought they'd ever do anything other than look.
He was handsome, charming and rich, with an intoxicating air of mysterious, which was more than enough ensnare any woman. She had been kidding herself to think that he could ever love someone like her. He liked her, she'd even go so far as to say he cared for her but as time went on, she was beginning to doubt what she'd seen in the memories she absorbed. Besides, emotions were so tenuous and changeable that it was hard to get a true feeling for how someone felt, even if she had absorbed them. Love could change to hate in a heartbeat. Happiness could be crushed in a few seconds. Nothing lasted forever, and it seemed that his love was one of those things.
About a half an hour later, there came a tentative knock at her door.
"Go away!" she called.
"Cher?"
"Go. Away."
"I will, just give me five seconds, please."
Reluctantly she got off the bed and opened her door to him. Her demand of "What!" died on her lips when she saw him. He was dressed in a tux, of all things, and held a huge bunch of red roses.
"I'm sorry, cher. Let me take you out to dinner to say sorry?"
Rogue smiled despite herself. She couldn't help it, he was the only man who had ever bought her flowers. She brought the bouquet to her lips and inhaled.
"Thank you but, you shouldn't leave the mansion."
"Who said anything about leaving." He offered her his elbow and, intrigued by the gesture, she took it.
"So, where are we going?" she asked.
He led her downstairs and into the kitchen, where most of the lights had been turned off, a small table set up in the middle with candles and champagne.
"Welcome to Chez Remy," he said with a smile. "Now I hope you don't mind a little wait, but all the food here is cooked to order," he said with a wink.
"How did you do all this?" she asked.
"I had a little help from Kitty, and the tux was something Angel left here, apparently." He headed behind the counter. "Now, cher, I know you like gumbo, but I'm here to tell you that you haven't had gumbo till you've tried mine."
"You're a little full of yourself, aren't you, Cajun?" she said as she hopped up on the counter to watch him cook.
"Oui," he grinned. "I would cook you something more involved, but my time was limited."
"I don't mind."
She sat there, happily watching him cook, then when he served they headed over to the table. Remy opened the champagne and poured them both a glass.
"You look beautiful in candlelight," he said, raising his glass to her.
Rogue blushed, uncomfortably reminded that he shouldn't think of her that way.
"Hides all the flaws, I guess," she said playfully.
"Don't do that," he said. "Don't put yourself down. You are un tres bell femme, and candlelight suits you because it's warm, like you."
"Remy... I..."
"Just enjoy the moment," he said. "Don't think so much."
She supposed that it couldn't hurt to just pretend, for a night.
"Okay," she smiled warmly at him. "So where did you get champagne from?"
"Mon père sent it in his last care package. He knows I have a taste for the finer things sometimes."
The bubbles tickled her nose as she sipped it. "That's nice," she declared.
Remy chuckled. Only Rogue could call a $300 bottle of champagne 'nice'.
They ate, talked and generally shared a pleasant evening, then when they were done, he offered to escort her back to her room.
"What about the clean up?"
"Kitty offered. She said she could convince Bobby to help her."
Rogue smiled, and took his elbow again as he escorted her upstairs. They paused outside her door.
"Thank you, Remy, I have a lovely time."
"Me to, cher."
Rogue was uncomfortably aware that this would usually be the time when a couple kissed goodnight, only they couldn't do that. That didn't stop the longing in Remy's eyes though, and probably hers too.
After a few awkward moments, Remy broke the silence. He took her gloved hand and brought it up to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. She wished that she could feel his lips on her skin, just once. She was tempted to suggest the inhibitor, but there was only one, and since Jean and taken Sinister's mental blocks down today, Remy's need was greater than hers at the moment. Besides, it was still dangerous if used too much, so maybe it was better if she didn't know what she was missing. You couldn't miss what you never had, right?
"Bonne nuit et doux rêves, Rogue." Gambit said, his smile warm and caring. [good night and sweet dreams]
"Good night, Remy."
She watched him walk along to his room, then darted into hers before he could turn back and catch her staring.
Remy hadn't been in bed for long when he heard Rogue cry out in her sleep again. He was ready tonight, having worn a long sleeved t-shirt to bed, and his gloves were waiting by the door.
"Ssh," he soothed as he climbed into bed beside her. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He kissed her hair as she settled and after a few minutes, he drifted off into a deep sleep too.