A/N: Thanks to clareangela92 for adding this to Story Alert. :) Writing that chapter last night made me hungry for chocolate croissants. XD
roguey21: Chocolate is good for just about anything! ;) Mystique looms ever closer to our heroine.
Chellerbelle: I kinda figured you'd like that 'kissing' line. ;) I know I did. We can't have Tante doing all the work, can we?
courtneykutie: Good! I love reading that. Here's the next one for ya. :)
Disclaimer: The song is "secrets and Regrets" by Pillar. The characters and/or song lyrics used do not belong to me in any way, shape, or form. Drats!!!
Two weeks later, Friday
Even to the untrained eye, it is quite obvious that Rogue is a ball of nerves. Her first performance with the band is tonight. After much discussion, they'd decided to call themselves Flame. John merrily approved the choice, that name being his personal favorite.
She practiced their set repeatedly, so she knows it by heart. Rogue has no idea why she's so nervous. She loves performing and to her great joy, she's meeting Kitty in just under an hour. Kitty was so excited to see her again, that instead of going to the lake with her parents, she'd opted to drive to New Orleans for the weekend.
Tante lays a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Y'll be fine, honey chile. Y' know I'll be prayin' f'r y' an' I 'eard y' w'en y' were practicin' dis mornin'. Y' sounded belle."
"Thank ya, Tante. I'm usually not this nervous before a show. I jus' don' understan' why I'm so jumpy." Rogue responds in a frustrated voice.
"Could be 'cuz y'r startin' ov'r again. Diff'ren' people, a whole new place."
"Maybe." Rogue is unconvinced and Tante notices.
"Dere's somet'in' more, isn' dere, chere?"
"Yeah...I don' know what, but it's gotta be somethin'."
"Is is somet'in' t' do wit' y'r amie comin'?"
"No. I wan' her here. I've missed her so much."
"Hmm...tell me, Rogue, 'ave y' ev'r 'ad dis kin' o' feelin' befo'?" Tante questions shrewdly.
"Only when I knew that Mystique was mad at me. It was a kind a warnin'. I don' know why I would have it now. As far as I know, she's back at my former home."
"Dat's righ' chile. Dis is y'r 'ome now." Tante reassures her, but there is a niggling feeling in her spirit as well. "If y' wan', I will meet y'r amie an' lead 'er 'ere. I get dis' feelin' dat y'r not t' go."
"I can' ask that a ya!" Rogue protests.
"Y' weren' askin, petit. 'M getting' dis warnin' feelin' dat y'r not t' go, so y'r not." Tante argues in return.
Rogue has learned that when Tante gets these 'feelin's', you don't argue with her. As a general rule, it isn't a good idea.
Rogue reluctantly agrees. "Okay. She'll be waitin' at tha Shell offa I-10. She's a petite brunette an' she said her dad let her use his '68 Mustang. Ya'll know it when ya see it. Ya wanna take my car?"
"Non. Dat be t' flashy f'r de likes o' me." Tante smiles at the girl, then grabs her own keys.
At the Shell, Kitty is anxiously awaiting Rogue's arrival. After waiting in the car an indeterminable amount of minutes, she goes inside to buy a soda. As she's waiting at the register, a man with greasy hair and a tattered wife-beater incessantly stares lustfully at her.
"Why don' y' an' I go out back an' I'll show y' w'at a real man can do, pretty t'ing?" He leers suggestively at her.
"Like, why don't you get a life?" Kitty retorts as she attempts to lean away from the sleazy guy.
Just as he reaches out to touch her, he is lifted up by the back of his shirt and raised so he is face to face with the tall man.
"I believe the lady is not interested in your company." A thickly accented Russian voice quietly states with a threatening air. You know what they say about the quiet ones. He releases him and the slimeball runs off. Kitty stares up at the immense man. For once, she is speechless! He smiles gently at her and introduces himself.
"Hello, my name is Piotr Rasputin. I hope you are not offended with my helping you." He looks at her with concern in his blue eyes.
"Um...like, no. No, you, like totally didn't." Kitty stammers and blushes. "Oh, like duh! Um...thank you for getting rid of that guy. I mean...oh yeah...my name's Kitty Pryde." She manages to get through her introduction, her blush deepening by the second.
"It is a pleasure meeting you, Katya." At her baffled expression, he explains. "Katya is how we say Kitty in Russian. I hope you don't mind."
"Uh, like no. I don't." Kitty smiles up at him. "This guy is hot!" Kitty thinks to herself.
"So....do you live here?" Piotr gazes at her expectantly.
"No. I live in, like Mississippi. I'm just here for the weekend to visit my best friend." Kitty explains, then realization dawns. "Did you like, totally say that your name is Piotr Rasputin?"
"Yes, I did." He nods with slight confusion, wondering where this is going.
"I think you know my best friend, Rogue."
"So you are the Kitty that Rogue talks about when we go out after youth group. It is wonderful to finally meet you."
"Yeah, like she's totally told me about all of you when we chat and e-mail."
"So I am assuming that I will see you again tonight." Piotr states as he softly gazes into her eyes.
"Y-yes, you will."
"Good. I will walk you to your car. In this town, it is not safe for a woman to be unescorted." He solicitously takes her elbow and walks her to the car, where Tante has just pulled up beside it.
"Pete! It's bon t' see y'. I'll be prayin' f'r all o' y' t'nigh'. I see y' met de chaton." Tante smiles slyly at the pair.
"Yes Tante, Katya and I were just talking."
"Well, I need t' get dis one 'ome. Rogue can' wait t' see y' again." Tante says this to Kitty, who smiles widely.
"I've, like missed her so much. Why didn't she come to meet me like she was going to?" Kitty asks with minor hurt in her voice.
"We didn' t'ink it was safe f'r 'er t' come. We'll tell y' w'en we get t' de 'ouse." Tante replies soothingly.
When the ladies pull up to the house in their respective cars, Rogue rushes out the door and grabs Kitty in a fierce hug, just as she steps out of the car.
"I've missed ya so much, Shadowcat."
"Like, not as much as I've missed you, Rogue."
Rogue picks up her bag and takes it to the room next to hers.
"Like, wow! This room is huge." Kitty's eyes are wide, taking in her expansive surroundings.
"Ya can use my bathroom if ya need ta." Rogue offers as she takes the girl to her own room.
"You, like totally have your own bathroom?" Kitty peeks into the room in question and her jaw drops.
"Like, you have one of those whirlpool tubs...and a shower with several settings? You are so totally blessed."
"Ya don' know tha half a it." Rogue smiles softly and explains the conversation she had with Tante and Jean-Luc earlier in the week.
"Wow, like that's awesome, Marie. So does that mean you're not, like coming back?" Kitty queries sadly.
"Kit, I can'. As long as Mystique still lives there, there's no way I can. Besides, I'm beginnin' ta love these people."
"Even Remy?" Kitty asks teasingly.
"Let's jus' say that we're where we can tolerate each other now." Rogue flushes slightly.
"Ooh....'like' can turn into, like 'love'." Kitty playfully observes.
"It can, but not in this case." Rogue protests as her face turns a deep shade of red.
"Like, Oh. My. Gosh! You do like him!" Kitty exclaims with a squeal.
"I need ta get ready for tanight, Kit. So do ya." Rogue leads Kitty to the door as Kitty begins to taunt in a sing-song voice "Rogue likes Remy...Rogue likes Remy." Rogue opens the door, only to find Remy standing there with an upraised brow and a smirk." Kitty stops in her tracks and claps a hand over her mouth, staring at the Cajun. She begins giggling madly and runs to her room, where she bursts out laughing.
Rogue is left standing there, blushing furiously and hiding her face in one hand. "Kit is so in trouble!" is the thought running through her mind at the moment.
Remy is the first to break the awkward (for Rogue) silence.
"An' yet y' still don' wan' t' kiss me." He jestingly points out.
"Wonda why?" Rogue mutters darkly.
"Aww...c'mon, cherie. W'at 'arm would une baiser do?" He purrs temptingly as he moves a bit closer.
Rogue steps back, trying to create more distance, but Remy keeps moving closer.
"Remy, stop it an' jus' leave me be!" Rogue shouts as she runs to the bathroom and locks the door behind her. She waits until he leaves, then peeks out to be sure he's gone. Rogue feels a strange emptiness as she sits on her bed. "He knows I can't touch. Why does he persist in trying?" she muses to herself as she gets ready for the night. A still, soft voice interrupts her thoughts. ~You were too harsh on Remy, Marie. This is part of who he is. You need to make things right with him.~
Rogue sighs deeply. "Ya right. I was too hard on him. Betta go see if he's okay." She walks across the hall to his room and knocks on the door. She heads downstairs when there's no answer. When she enters the kitchen, Tante knowingly gazes at Rogue. She heard her yelling at Remy.
"Where's Remy, Tante?" Rogue asks in a subdued tone.
"'E lef' a few minutes ago, petit. Did 'e come on t' y' again?"
"Yeah, he did, but I didn' have the right ta yell at him like I did. He didn' come on as strong as he has before."
"Den why did y'?" Tante questions curiously.
"I don' know. I guess with everythin' on my min', I jus' snapped."
"Dat's und'rstandable, but y' still need t' apologize t' de boy, Rogue."
"I know. That's why I was tryin' ta fin' him."
"Y' won' 'ave time now. Y' got t' get t' y'r firs' perfo'mance, chile."
Rogue checks her watch. "Yeah, you're right. I jus' hope he's alrigh'." Rogue adds worriedly. "Kit! We gotta get goin'." She shouts up the stairs.
"Kitty comes slowly down with a remorseful expression. "I'm sorry about what happened earlier. Like, if I had known he was standing at the door, I wouldn't have teased you like that."
"I know. I've jus' had a lot on my min' lately. We can talk about this, later. We've gotta go."
Tante stops them at the door. "Y' should take m' car. Dat feelin' o' mine's getting' strong'r an' I 'ave a sneakin' suspicion it's tied t' y'r car some'ow."
"Okay Tante. Thanks. Mine is too an' now I'm worried about Remy too."
"Don' y' worry 'bout Remy. Y' jus' t'ink 'bout y'r concert. Dere's no use worryin'. I t'ink it'll all work out fine once y' explain t'ings t' 'im." Tante lays a hand on the girl's shoulder.
At the Java Pit, Rogue is truly in her element. She is amazed at how well the band works together. They reach the final song and she loses herself in it, attempting to forget the events of earlier.
No matter how hard you try to
You can't make the clock rewind to
The moment that you lied to yourself
It never really mattered how they felt
Your secrets and regrets
Are keeping you from going very far
And you can't let all this get you down
And keep you living in the dark
'Cause all you're lookin' for is love (You're living in the dark)
You just can't get enough
Your secrets and regrets
You're holding all this pain inside you
Can't seem to leave it all behind you
Tomorrow will be today soon
Don't wait until it's too late to move
How many times do you need second chances
Not everybody gets another second chance
No more secrets (No regrets)
You're living in the dark
They finish their performance to rousing cheers and the manager asks them to perform every two weeks. The four enthusiastically agree and order their complimentary drinks. Kitty has already found Piotr and they sit at the table with the others, where she is immediately accepted into their ranks.
"Any friend of Rogue's is a friend of ours, luv." John carries his and Wanda's drinks to the table.
"Rogue, you okay?" Wanda queries worriedly.
"I'll be fine. That last song jus' got me thinkin', is all." Rogue answers in a preoccupied tone as she plays with the straw in her frappuccino.
"Like, you guys were great!" Kitty gushes enthusiastically.
"I would 'ave t' agree wit' y' dere, Chaton." A deep Cajun voice states from behind Rogue.
"Remy! What're ya doin' here?" Rogue is astonished that he is really here.
"I seem t' r'member tellin' y' dat I would come t' y'r firs' p'rfo'mance. Dat's w'at amis do, non?"
"If y'all will excuse me, I gotta talk ta Remy for a few minutes." Rogue leads him to a quiet table as the others look on.
"No wonder she didn't hit it off with Pete. She had that at home." Wanda says in a voice filled with wonder.
"'Ere we go again. Ya probably think he's as good-looking as Thad." John states in an jesting tone.
"No. Better." Wanda gazes at the Cajun, then snaps back to the present. "Sorry, John. I got carried away for a minute."
"Yeah, I'm sure ya did, luv." John has his arms folded across his chest with a knowing grin. "At least I know ya always come back ta me."
"Insane Aussie." Wanda grins at him as she sips her latte.
At the other table, Rogue steels herself for what she must do.
"Remy....I'm sorry for snappin' at ya tha way I did. It was uncalled for. Ya jus' caught me at a bad time."
"I knew dere was somet'in on y'r min'. I could feel y'r anxiety. I t'oug't it was ov'r t'nigh', but I can still feel it, cherie. I wan' t' 'elp y' Rogue, w'et'er it's 'elpin' y' get control some'ow o' by list'nin w'en y' got a problem, I wan' t' be dere f'r y'. Desole, f'r 'ittin' on y' w'en y' clearly 'ad ot'r t'ings on' y'r min'."
"No, ya don' need ta apologize. Ya were jus' doin' what comes natural ta ya. I don' know if ya can help me with this or not, but I gotta bad feelin' that Mystique isn' outta tha picture yet."
"'Ow so?"
"I don' know, but Tante had me bring her car. She said my car tied inta this thing somehow. I have tha same feelin' I did when I knew I was in trouble with Mystique. Remy, I jus' wanna go home, but I don' wanna ruin this time Kitty has with Pete. They seem ta be hittin' it off pretty well."
"Hmm...I'll see w'at I can do 'bout dat. I t'ink it would be a tres bon idea t' 'ead 'ome now.
Rogue and Kitty are seen safely to Tante's car, Remy keeping close watch for anything out of the ordinary. He follows them home and all three retire for the night.
Well, that's it for tonight. It's 3:30 am, so I'm ending it here. Maybe Rogue should tease Kitty now, as payback for earlier. ;)