Authors Note: I have heard rumors that we are no longer allowed to reply to reviews (which is just so stupid) so I want to say now thank you to everyone who does in case this rumor is true and I can't do it individually anymore.
I know this has to be my slowest update for this story, and I am sorry for it. My main excuse is I have had a friend from Canada staying the month with me so I have been showing her a bit of New Zealand, so blame her. But also I wanted to try and make this chapter right, since it is a Romy one, yet I am still not happy with it. A creative slump has also hit me lately, putting me off both writing and art so I am trying to force myself through writers block.
To clear up the last chapter on why Irene/Destiny was crying, it had to do with her latest vision, but you won't find out what she saw until later. Mean ain't I? Oh, and Rogue hasn't chosen her path yet, that will come later. And I have to admit, Cody is a kind of the male form of Kitty but have to remember in non AU's Kitty is Rogue's best friend, so I guess she attracts/draws this kind of person. Plus you have to remember Rogue and Cody grew up together and he has lived in her head for four years, they know each other very well, including how to cheer each other up and how to talk to the other. And remember he is the 14 year old version of him in her head.
Oh, and if this doesn't satisfy your Romy needs for the moment don't worry, next chapter gets a bit more steamy.
Points time (to see if you're actually reading my story right): How was Destiny described/nicknames in the first chapter? No cheating now. 10 points up for grabs.
All question answers will be 'official' answered in the last chapter as well as the point levels for each person, and the winner.
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Chapter Twelve: Crimson Twilight.
Xavier's School for the Gifted.
It was late, only the minimum of the teams still awake and waiting when Remy and Warren had returned.
Returned too early. Remy grumbled to himself, having throwing his black dress trench coat over the back of one of the armchairs before dropping down into it and pulling his tie out of its knot to allow it to just hang loose around his neck. To say he was pissed off was an understatement when Warren had suddenly interrupted his dance with Anna, excusing them and saying that they had to leave, his anger not cooling during the ride back to the mansion. Remy wasn't the only one surprised at their early appearance, leading to the last few hours of questioning about what happened and why, telling their stories over and over again. 'nd over 'nd over 'gain. Merde dis is borin'.
"Emma knew," Pacing the floor in front of them Warren ran a hand through his hair, causing the styled hair to stick up in certain placed as they started again. "She knew something was up."
"So you ran." Magneto added in with narrowed eyes, being joined by the rest of the adults with Scott, Jean, Kitty and Piotr - even if Kitty seemed to be falling asleep at her place on the couch.
Whipping his head around to the older man Warren narrowed his eyes. "You have no idea what power the Hellfire holds. They want someone dead, they can do it. They want a government to fall, they can do it. They want to start an international war, they can do it!"
"'nd dis Anna seems to be da one to do it." Remy added his comment in so not to seem like he hadn't done his job. "She's an assassin, 'nd a thief, mais keeps a low enough profile. Da way dose people treated 'er, dey acknowledged 'er but dat was it. Never gave 'er a second look."
"Only the Inner Circle knows of her," Warren added before frowning. "How did you find that out? You were with her the whole time, she wouldn't of just told you."
He got a smirk in response with. "A thief never reveals deir secrets."
"What did Miss Frost say Warren?" Xavier asked.
Sighing again he dropped down into one of the free seats in the room, leaning forward to allow his wings more room. "She accused me of hiding something, saying my mental walls were stronger than normal and that they must of been placed there to hide something, assuming it was you who did it Professor. When I tried to deny it she said Miss D'Ancanto recognized Gambit," This got a few glares thrown towards the Cajun, who just raised an eyebrow calmly in return. "Then she told me that Miss D'Ancanto was this Black Piece, the Inner Circle's assassin. That, and that she was unbeatable. Emma ended up saying she would not tell Sebastion Shaw or the Inner Circle that I told outsiders about the Club."
"Why?" Ororo asked, surprised at he would be allowed to leave with the knowledge of what he had done.
Rubbing his hands over his face he gave a sad laugh. "Because there is a price for Emma's protection. I will owe her something in time to come, but she would not tell me what, at the moment." Silence descending on the group and allowing time for them to soak in the seriousness of the situation.
The sound of the doorbell ringing caused Kitty to snap out of her half sleep with a snort, going bright red when she realized she had been leaning against Piotr the whole time after having invited him to sit next to her, saying something about him not having to stand all the time. Blushing deeply she ran off through the wall, needing an excuse to get away and the prospect of someone at the door - even this late - was a relief. Piotr for his part didn't seem fazed by being used as a pillow. Catching his eye Remy sent a smirk over at the Russian, getting a lighter version of the X-girl's blush as he averted his gaze to the floor.
Phasing back through the wall a moment later a confused Kitty held a small brown package in her hands that was tied closed with string. "Like, Professor, this was at the door." Placing it on his desk she took her seat again but scooted away to place some space between her and Piotr, but was in the same seat none the less.
Studying the parcel that held no writing or postal stamps Logan growled, "Could be a trap, since tonight went so bad." Shooting a glare at both the men who had attended the ball before sniffing and raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Smells like glass, and her."
"Her who?" One of Scott's own brows raised over his glassed.
"D'Ancanto."
"In that case, caution should be taken," Looking to Hank Xavier nodded. "Could you take this to your laboratory for examination before opening?"
"Of course."
Before he could reach his paw-like hands out for the parcel the string snapped on the top by some unknown trigger and the sides unfolded by themselves, resting innocently on the desk and leaving the content for all to see.
"Told ya it was glass." Logan muttered, eyeing the small piece of transparent red glass in front of them all in the shape of a chess piece.
After looking it over Hank picked it up carefully, gently turning it to examine so not to break it. "Nothing seems out of ordinary, it is just a knight, a red knight at that." Upon examine the base of it his brow rose. "It also appears there is some writing on the base. A word."
Remy's eyebrows shot up at that before he got control of his face, his expression not going completely unnoticed in the room. Non, she wouldn't... would she? A red knight, or the Red kNight nightclub, where he meet her. It was a message. To him.
"Which is?" Mystique questioned.
"'Tomorrow'."
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New York City.
Having parked his bike in a secluded enough place that it would not be noticed yet close enough for a fast get away Remy strolled up to the Red kNight Club's entrance, pushing back the urge to rush so not to draw extra attention to himself. Last thing he needed was to be stopped as it was hard enough for him to get away for the night. All three teams were on high alert since the appearance of the red chess piece last night, thinking that the meaning of the word was actually a warning for an attack to come. If he was right - and it wasn't a trap - she would be waiting for him, and for that he would be prepared to swap his power for teleportation to be next to her in an instant.
As he closed the distance towards the door the bouncer spotted him and waved a massive hand for him to bypass the line and come closer.
"Well if it isn't LeBeau, thought I told ya not to show ya ugly mug 'round here again."
Smiling despite the wording towards him Remy shook the outstretched hand offered to him. "Just 'cause ya can't get any of da femmes ain't Remy's problem, so don't go blamin' it on 'im, ya need to learn to charm dem Bruce." Pausing in his wording he gave a snort of a laugh, he had been hearing the name too many times in the last few days.
"Well ain't ya just Gods fucking gift to woman? Get in there and try not to steal all the girls, the other guys don't just come here to drink ya know." Bruce shot him a savage grin and waved him to enter before lifting his head and yelling something to one of the people in queue down the line.
Nodding his thanks to the other man he had come to known through many nights out on the town Remy slipped pass the dividing curtain and slid his sunglasses down his nose to gain a better view in the dark settings. Scanning the booths and dance floor his gaze landed on the bar, or rather a certain figure sitting at the bar with one of her legs crossed tightly over the other and with drink in hand. Quickly closing the distance between them Remy smiled as she angled her head around just enough to spy him out of the corner of her eye, a hint of her own smile in return as he came to stand next to her.
"Bonjour chèrie, drinkin' alone?"
"Well Ah was," Came her answer as she twisted in her seat to face him, the tight material of her leather mini-skirt pulling tauter than it had been in her pervious position. "But Ah hope not for long."
Smirking at her answer Remy dropped down on the seat next to her, taking up her free hand and pressing a kiss into her palm. "Ya took a risk gettin' Remy dat message chère."
Turning back to her drink Rogue shrugged one of her shoulder casually as if getting past security systems to deliver something was an everyday thing, and in her line of work it most likely was. "Had to, sugah."
"'nd why is dat?"
"We never got to finish our dance last nahght. Couldn't let yah get away with that."
Remy's smirk quickly changed into a smile as he pressed his lips against her hand again. "Anna-"
"Mah name ain't Anna."
"Quoi?"
Turning her vision back to him she repeated it more slowly. "Mah. Name. Ain't. Anna. It's an alias the Hellfahre gave meh."
"So w'at is ya name?"
"Rogue."
"Rogue?"
"Well, legally it's 'baby girl'. Da Hellfahre took meh the day Ah was born so Ah never got a chance to be named. But that's the only thing Shaw ever called meh, Rogue. Said it was Destiny's name for meh."
"Rogue." He said again, as if getting use to the feel of it on his tongue before smirking. "Suits ya."
Rogue shot back her own smirk and finished off the last of her drink before standing. "Yah wanna finish that dance Swamp Rat? They may not play the waltz here but Ah think it will do."
"Love to River Rat." Raising to his feet next to her Remy placed a possessive hand on her lower back, leading them towards the dance floor.
Once on the floor his hand slid further around her body to encircle her waist, pulling her back against his torso in the same pose as last night, his other hand resting on the curve of her hip to move them both in time to the music's beat. Resting her hands over his and linking their fingers Rogue held back a smile as she allowed her body to gently grinding against his, slowly adding more pressure as the song went on and especially concentrating on part of his body in particular. Remy's fingers twitched as he closed his eyes momentarily, resting his forehead against her hair as he tried to gain control of his reactions to the way her rear rubbed against his pelvis, shifting his head to glare down at her but it was lost on her as her head was tilted forward so the white of her hair covered her face. Taking a deep slow breath he let it out with a smirk, two could play at this game.
Having been lost in the music and warmth coming off her dance partner Rogue's eyes shot open at the almost innocent movement of his fingers on her stomach, slowly drawing small circles along the covered skin. A small shudder ran down her spine as his lips nudged at the base of her ear, his tongue darting out to swipe at the edge of her jaw with the slightest hint of his teeth adding to the sensation. Unable to stop a moan slipping out of her as Remy's lips slowly made their way down her neck, lightly nipping at the skin now and then and causing her breath to hitch as his traveling fingers able to find the edge of her transparent green over shirt and were now wandering around the edge of her bellybutton. Rogue allowed her head to drop back against his shoulder and her body to arch to his touch as his hand gained height, running along the contours of her flat stomach to graze the underside of her breasts.
"Tease." She got out before moistening her suddenly dry lips as her hand snaked around between their bodies, running up along his thigh and pressing against the hardness in his pants.
Gasping at her actions Remy forced her hips back harder with the hand resting against the leather of her skirt, but it did little more than to aggravate the situation. Lowering his mouth to her shoulder he allowed a groan to vibrate against her skin. "Dat ya are chèrie."
The sudden end of the song pulled both out of their dazes, the lack of sound allowing each to pick up on the others laboured breathing as they stayed in their embrace.
"Ya got ya dance Rogue," Remy smiled, liking how her name felt on his tongue as he continued to trail his lips along her neck. "Dat mean our date is over?"
"Well, Ah do recall Ah still owe yah a kiss, and who ever said this was a date? With a date Ah expect at least a drink." She smirked before becoming serious and turning in his arms to face him. "Remy, Ah ain't goin' to tell yah not to say anything 'bout meh to them, the X-Men and Magneto. What yah say is up to yah. If they question yah Ah won't ask yah to lahe, that just leads to all sorts of trouble. Ah don't want yah to get yahself killed. Ah'll just deal with the consequences."
"W'at 'bout da 'ellfire? Won't dey be pissed if dey get exposed 'cause of us?"
"Most lahkely Shaw will order yah death as well as the three groups. He wouldn't kill meh, Ah'm too important. Maybe let Selene torture meh 'gain so Ah get back in lahne, but nothin' fatal."
"Torture!" As flashes of possible events came to mind he tightened his hold on her waist, pulling her closer to her.
She shrugged one shoulder as she kept her arms around his neck. "It was part of mah trainin', so Ah could resist torture by others. Luckily Wolverine's healin' powers have taken care of all the lastin' scars."
Remy stared down at her for a moment, shocked that she said it so calmly, as if it was an everyday thing. Before he realized what he was doing Remy had wrapped his arms tightly around her form, enveloping her in a hug as he rested his face in her hair, pressed a kiss to her scalp. He felt her tense up from the sudden closeness and stood completely still.
Pulling back to look up at him she slid her hands down to rest on his chest, placing a bit of space between them. "Remy, what yah doin'?"
"'ow can ya be so calm 'bout somethin' like dat? Bein' tortured for trainin'?"
Rogue gave another shrug. "It's normal for meh, it's part of mah lahfe. Ah was taken by the Hellfahre and trained to be a weapon, nothin' more. Ah accepted that a long tahme ago Remy. There's nothin' Ah can do to stop it, Destiny 'ready spoke for meh."
"Destiny dis, destiny dat," His voice turned bitter and he pulled back his glasses, narrowing his eyes at her, not caring that anyone else saw them as he was totally focused on her and knew she - unlike everyone else - actually liked his eyes. "Ya don't seem like da kind to believe in destiny to me Rogue."
"Destiny is a person Remy, a mutant, lahke us. She can see into the future, to see what's goin' to happen before it does. She was taken by the Hellfahre lahke Ah was to give them an advantage over their enemies, that's how they found meh. Destiny saw that with the rahght trainin' Ah could be a powerful weapon, somethin' the Club could use. So that's what Ah meant by Destiny's name for meh, she saw that Rogue would be mah name." Pausing for a moment Rogue pushed back the angry note that was building up with each word she said, angry more at herself than him for actually telling so much about herself to anyone. She was the Black fucking Piece! She was suppose to be a mystery, not spill out about who she really was. What was this guy doing to her? Once she calmed Rogue noticed something that he had never done before. "Ah've never heard yah talk in the first person before."
A small smile crossed Remy's lips as he took her face in his hands, slowly running his thumbs over her cheeks, taking in the smoothness of her skin even under her heavy makeup. "No one deserves to be tortured chèrie, or used."
"Speakin' from person experience Cajun?" She asked, closing her eyes and just enjoying the feel of his hands on her skin.
"Oui, da bein' used part at least, mais Remy bets ya know dat already."
Rogue gave a nod as she opened her eyes again and looked up into his. "Jean-Luc's a fool. He has no ahdea what he lost, he didn't deserve yah."
He dropped one hand from her face, wrapping it around her waist again and pulling her up tight against his body, feeling her relax against his form as her own hand came up to cover his on her cheek. Twisting her head around she captured his thumb between her open lips, the tip of her tongue lightly brushing along the pad. Remy smiled at her actions as he slowly brought his thumb down the center of her bottom lip, along the curve of her chin and down her throat to the base of her neck. As his fingers traced the lines of her collarbone a soft sigh came from Rogue as her body arched towards him. Sliding his hand around to the back of her neck Remy wove his fingers up through her thick hair, pulling them closer to each other as he lowered his lips to hers.
Just before they made contact Rogue angled her face away and down, causing his kiss to miss like the first time he tried and his lips to caress the top of her cheekbone and corner of her eye. A touch of a smile graced her lips as she reached back to take his hand in hers, pressing a kiss to his palm before pulling away from the Cajun. As she turned her back on him Remy shot his hand out to grab her wrist, tempted to pull her back roughly to him and crush her body hard against his but knew he couldn't move her unless she wanted to be. Looking back Rogue raised an eyebrow at his grip but never lost her smile.
"Remy ain't lettin' ya get away from 'im again chère."
Moving her own hand she took his, interlocking their fingers together as she leisurely positioned herself in front of him again. Tilting her face up towards his Rogue paused just before their lips touched. "Maybe Ah just wanna go somewhere more prahvate, Swamp Rat." Her vision lowered to the most perfect set of lips she had ever seen resting just in front of her and had gotten so use to seeing them being fixed in a smirk. "Got a problem with that?"
"Not as long as Remy gets to come too."
"In what way yah mean 'come' Cajun?"
He smiled at that and even chuckled, covering up a moan as she flicked the tip of her tongue over her top lip. Remy's own eyes locked on her full lips, covered in a thick layer of purple lipstick that stood out against her flawless pale skin. His face lowered yet again to hers, pausing just before their lips made contact with each other to see if she would move away again. Instead she was the one to close the small distance between them, pressing her lips against his.
It started off simple enough, the soft contract kept from become too heated and allowing both to adjust to the feeling of flesh against flesh. Lighting brushing his lips against hers Remy's arms wrapped their way back around her form, once again holding her tight in his grip as he increased the pressure on the kiss. Rogue's eyelids dropped close as she ran her hands up along his chest, circling around to the back of his neck before threading up through his hair, holding his head down against hers as the tip of her tongue swiped at the crease of his mouth. Smiling into the kiss at her actions Remy repaid the favour, parting her lips even more as she began to grind against him to the music again, causing him to moan into her mouth. Gliding his hands down to cover her backside he pressed her hips tight against his and slipped a thigh in between hers, causing her skirt to pull tight over her flesh again as a gasp let out of her mouth and giving him better access to exploring her mouth.
Pulling back and instantly missing the taste of her lips Remy paused to watch her face, her dark eyelids close as a slow smile spread across her face. As her eyes opened Rogue lowered her arms to wrap around his neck, keeping her face tilted up at his.
"Hmm, if Ah had know yah kissed lahke that Ah would of done it the first nahght Ah meet yah here."
"Who would of known w'at would of 'appened if we didn't get interrupted." He said, playing along.
"Wanna fahnd out?" Adding a wicked smile to her face Rogue grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the exit of the club, her smile being met with one of his as he obediently followed.
Pushing her way roughly past Bruce at the door as he turned to retaliate a glare sent back at him forced his mouth to snap close, the memory all to fresh of what symbol she wore around her neck. Taking note of the power she seemed to hold outside of her Club Remy took over the lead, angling her towards where his bike rested.
"Mmmm," Running her hand along the paint work Rogue shot a look at him, "Ah always loved bikes, she's beautiful." Before swinging a leg over to mount it yet leaving enough room in front of her for him to drive.
Eyeing how her skirt rode further up her thighs Remy moved to stand next to her, "She ain't da only one." Offering his open face helmet to her.
Raising one eyebrow at him she leant back on her hands resting on the back hand grips. "Sugah, Ah'm invulnerable. If Ah hit anything Ah'll hurt it, not meh. Now, are yah comin' or not?"
From above the club a large figure crouched down on the corner of the roof, a low growl admitting from his throat as he watched the Cajun take his place on the bike and speed off down the road, following the directions the woman told him to head in. Raising quickly to his feet the man ran across the remainder of the rooftop, launching himself into the air and coming to a landing on the next building, repeating the process to keep them in eyesight.
On the bike Remy was having his own problems, primary Rogue and her roaming hands. Having started resting loosely around his waist they had seemed to come to life, lightly stroking him through the material of his shirt to run along the hard line of his torso, so light it could be mistaken for a breeze. From there they had just gained more confidence, skillfully slipping under the edge of top to find actual skin, her nails lightly dancing over him in a way that made his breath hitch and his concentration shift from the road ahead to what would happen once they got to his apartment she told him to go to. His stomach muscles contracted as her hands continued to roam across his abdomen, circling his belly button before getting lower towards his belt buckle than it was safe to in the present situation.
Taking a moment to control himself Remy turned his head and raised his voice high enough for her to hear him over the mixture of the motor and the passing wind. "Chèrie, invincible or not, if ya keep dat up we'll crash."
Rogue's hands stilled against his skin and she tightened her arms around him, pushing her front tight against his spine. "Sorry sugah, guess that means ya better hurry up and get there then." She said before biting into the edge of his shoulder, making it all that more harder to keep his attention on the road. Remy's attention was suddenly diverted again as he felt her form stiffen behind him. "Pull over."
"W'at?"
"Pull over."
Looking back once again he noticed Rogue's concentration was on their environment around them, her narrowed eyes flickering between the shadows of the buildings. Bringing the bike to a stop she instantly hopped off, vision raised skywards as the once clear night began to cloud over, a distant rumbling slowly building up. A dark smile crept across her face as the colour of her eyes faded to white, the storm growing stronger as it drew closer to their destination.
"Here kitty kitty."
Shooting out a hand she pointed the out stretched limb towards the rooftops, lightning bolting down from the sky and hitting the building where she aimed. A roar almost lost in the next bout of thunder followed a dropping figure as it fell with the chunks of brick and concrete knocked loose, landing hard enough on the footpath to crack it. Rogue's smile kept as her eyes and the sky cleared, standing confidently with her hands on her hips as Sabertooth shook off the debris that landed on him in a very canine fashion for a overgrown cat.
"Well ain't yah just Magento's lapdog, or lapcat in this case."
Gaining a growl in return Sabertooth pounced at her with claws bared towards their target, but never reached it as with a wave of her hand Rogue sent him flying backwards into the wall. Flinging her arm in his direction four large spikes emerged from her forearm and launched them at her target, embedding them in the wall through his arms. Smirking at the roar of pain she got out of him Rogue shot a look over her shoulder towards Remy and added a wink.
"How do yah work with this flea bag?"
A cry from her attacker answered Rogue instead and turning in time she side stepped out of the way of Sabertooth's claws, tilting her upper body back to miss the next swipe aimed at her head. Ducking and dodging out of his attack each time her grin kept until he got a lucky shot in, his strike catching her hard enough across the chest to send her stumbling back a step.
Bringing her arms up to protect her torn chest Rogue gritted her teeth in pain, her eyes narrowing as her temper raised. "Do yah know how much that hurts a woman to get hit there!" Regaining the step she lost Rogue firmly brought her foot up into his crotch, putting Carol's strength behind to make sure he definitely felt something.
"Not as much as dat 'urts a homme chèrie." Remy answered, wincing himself at her action as Sabertooth doubled over on the ground.
Ignoring him Rogue allowed one of Wolverine's claws to slide out from her hand, placing it under Sabertooth's chin and using it to raise him upwards of the ground to her face level as her voice gained a harsh tone to it. "Yah lucky Ah don't gut yah alahve rahght now furball before cuttin' yah up in to lots of little piece and see if yah can pull enough of yahself back together to heal that."
Kicking a foot out she sent him to the ground, quickly appearing at his side and drive all six of her claws deep into his chest to pierce through both lungs before a metal fist knocked him out of the fight. Shifting back to rest in a low crouch Rogue's glare stayed on the giant cat as her bloody claws retracted back into her forearms, her expression dark as she placed a hand against Sabertooth's forehead.
"With the help of Mastermahnd's powers he won't remember this. All he'll know is he followed yah, saw yah go into the club, leave by yahself later, then he sees meh walk past when he's followin' yah back to the mansion and gets into a fahght with meh." She explained to Remy but stayed focused on her work, trying to block out the thoughts of what he thought of her now he saw her in such a vicious way. This is whah yah don't do long term, this is whah yah do one nahght stands. Once done with the memory wipe Rogue remained in her pose, just staring down at the blood staining Creed's fur as the holes in his body knitted close. It wasn't until she felt something wrap around her shoulders that she looked up to see Remy standing over her, his coat draped around her.
Helping her to her feet Remy slowly moved her arms into the arms of the coat so it rested around her properly, his eyes never straying from her face. "Ya right, ya would suit da Assassins, in skill at least."
"What yah mean?"
Taking in the confusion on her face he buttoned the coat close before taking her face in his hands again. "No Assassin cares 'bout anyone but demselves."
"Especially Julien." Rogue muttered, her eyes flickering to Sabertooth's body for a second before they dropped to the coat. "Whah did yah-"
"Ya top got ripped chèrie," He answered before she could ask. "In a less dan decant manner for a lady."
"Ah ain't no lady Cajun." She said but smiled none the less at the sweet gesture and raised her eyes to his once again, her smile turning mischievous. "Did yah look?"
"Look? Mademoiselle, ya insult Remy, 'e be a gentleman." Returning her smile Remy placed a light kiss against her lips. "Dey be suspicious 'bout Remy, yah not safe."
Returning the kiss with one of her own she stepped away from him. "Ah told yah, they can't hurt meh. Get back Swamp Rat, before they really get suspicious. Ah'll fahnd a way to get to yah 'gain." Blowing a kiss back towards him she just seemed to melt into the shadows, which really wouldn't of surprised Remy if she did.
Straddling his bike once more Remy spared a look at his fallen teammate before riding back to the X-Men's mansion.
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