Chapter Twenty Four
"Sister? Wake up, sister."
"Huh?" What's going on? Ah am quite comfortable where Ah am, get lost.
"I need you to get up, Marie. I need to check on Remy's injuries."
Okay, that's a relevant reason to spoil mah wonderful dreams. Well, it all depends how you look at it. Angie gave meh those dreams so maybe she has the right to interrupt them. How that is just too complicated to comprehend at what? Too early in the morning or something.
Ah crack one eye open to see that it is not that early after all. Around noon or something. So yeah, it is time to get up even if Ah don't wonna. Still Ah drag mahself out of bed and start heading towards the bathroom, but Angie stops meh.
"I need to check you."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I need to examine your body for bruisers and such and treat them. I can put gloves on if you are uncomfortable," she adds since Ah must be staring at her like she is crazy.
Nobody has ever thought about that. Ah mean, of course, Ah got treatment from Beast after the missions, but Ah administered it mahself since nobody could touch meh to do it. No, since everybody was afraid to touch meh. Now, Angie just offers it, even with gloves. Why is it so? Because she doesn't know meh long enough? Or because she knows from her own experience the danger of hurting someone with a single touch?
"I care about you, Marie. That's why I must make sure that you are okay. Not to mention, that Remy will scold meh if I don't." Is she able to read thoughts now? "Why do you look so surprised?"
"Well, Ah am astonished you care so much."
"Of course, I do! You are family, Marie! Now just take your clothes off and everything will be over in a blink of an eye."
Ah reluctantly do as Ah am told, taking off the track suit Ah usually use for training. It doesn't give any protection to the body, but it is comfortable to kick some asses in it.
"My God!"
Ah look down to check out what Angie's reaction is all about. Well, nothing strange to meh: some bruises and gashes here and there. The usual stuff. "What's up?"
"They are half healed already!"
"Oh, that's Logan power that somehow ended up inside meh. No idea how it happened."
"Wow! I wish I experienced something like that!"
"No, kid, you definitely don't." Definitely. Taking somebody's life is no picnic. Even if it is for a greater good, the remorse will still eat your soul away. Yes, Scott should've taken the responsibility for the baby, should've found strength to live on. But, it was meh who took Jean's life. No-one should do that, even if you get additional powers or other benefits.
Angie is a smart girl. She understands from mah words that 'the experience' was nothing good, nothing to be proud of. As they say, the free cheese is only in a mousetrap. Ah paid the price for mah new powers, and Ah am still paying it in a way. So the smart girl changes the subject…
"You two are so cute, you know."
Okay, Ah take mah words back, this topic is nothing but foolish! "Huh?"
"The way you clang to Remy yesterday…It was so romantic. I am so jealous!" she squeals and chokes meh almost to death with what she must think is a hug.
"Don't talk about such things, Angie. It's embarrassing!"
"You love each other. What is there to be embarrassed about?"
Why do Ah turn away? Why do Ah want to hide and forget she has said it?
"Is something wrong, Marie? You can tell me, even if I am Remy's sister, I am a woman too. Please, tell me what it is on your mind."
"He hasn't said it, okay?! He has never put it into words!" Gud, now that is freaking embarrassing! Crying like this, talking about mah pathetic marriage, which can't even be called marriage. Why is it so strange? Ah am willing to die for him, Ah love him to bits, but he is still so distant, moreover unreachable, as if Ah am married to a man that can be someone else entirely. Ah am so fed up with all these secrets!
"You mean, you've been married for like three months and Remy hasn't told you he loves you?! Is he crazy?! Well, I am not exactly surprised, he was always like that with girls, but you are special, sister! I don't believe Remy doesn't have special feelings for you."
"Ah know they are there, Angie, but why doesn't he say it out loud? Ah am sure we are past being shy or insecure or whatever."
"Yeah, Remy can act strange sometimes. I think you need to seriously talk to him. There will be plenty of time for that since he needs rest and bed regime at least for a week."
Ah look at the man sprawled on the bed, half of his torso covered with bandages. Why did he take those bullets? Why did he turn his back on the enemy? Did he want to escape once and for all this world of brewing conflicts between humans and mutants? But what about meh then? Does he care about meh only that much that he can discard meh just like that? Not even thinking about mah life without him? How can he do this to meh?!
"Marie, why are you crying? Are you in pain somewhere?"
"You bet, Ah am. Shit, Ah thought it was bad when Ah couldn't touch, but now it is much worse. If this was his way of getting rid of meh, he is greatly mistaken!"
"Chere?"
Ah freeze on the spot. His first thought after coming back to this crazy world is… about meh. Ah catch Angie's pointed look that screams, "Go to him!", which Ah do, fixing mah attire and hair by habit. Ah don't know why Ah even bother, he has seen meh in all kinds of situations.
"Yes, sugarh?" Ah utter, rather hesitantly Ah must admit, kneeling down near his face that is covered with the hair that must've escaped from the string during the fight. He looks so vulnerable just lying on his stomach, unable to move with his usual grace.
"Remy is sorry," he responses turning his head so he can actually see meh.
"For what, pray tell?"
"For not being able to protect everyone."
"What nonsense, Remy! It is mah fault you are like this! If Ah had been able to control mah powers better than the shield would've been larger and you could've been under it faster. It is mah fault you have two bullet holes in your body. Again. If it wasn't for meh, we wouldn't have been in this mess to begin with."
Ah watch as he slowly raises himself on his elbows then knees. Ah turn to check up with Angie if the patient has permission to do that, but she has vanished. Ah help him to sit up and put his hair in some semblance of order. Remy doesn't have Logan's healing power as Ah do, so he is quite black and blue after the beating Mark gave him. His hate for the 'traitor' must be immeasurable.
"Ah'll call Angie so she can fix you up," Ah blurt out, rushing to the door, but Remy stops meh by grabbing mah arm.
"There is nothing for you to feel guilty about, chere. Remy took this mission upon himself because there was a need to save an innocent woman from the hands of cocky bastards. You weren't even supposed to be there."
"But Ah was there! And Ah could've prevented you being shot! And Ah didn't! Oh don't tell meh; you knew you'd be shot all along! How can Mark, your step-brother, who must hate your guts since you are his father's favorite, miss such a chance to eliminate the competition?! You just gambled: maybe you'll turn up dead, maybe not! Who the fuck cares, right?! How can you do this to meh? Is this marriage just a joke for you? Already tired of having your own family? Hah? Answer meh, dammit!"
"There is no need to be hysterical, chere."
How dare he be calm about this? And he calls meh hysterical?! Cocky bastard, was and will be, nothing more! "ANSWER MEH!"
"Cherie, you are Remy's world. He only wanted to stop the bullets hitting you instead."
"Ah can protect mahself, dammit!" Why am Ah crying again? Why does he always make mah emotions run wild? "Don't stand up, you'll rip the stitches!"
"Remy doesn't care. If you want him to die, he will, but only if he is in your arms, chere."
Why is he doing this? Why can't he just stay where he is? Why go to such lengths? And why do Ah even care about that bastard's well-being? "Don't move, you'll rip, ah-" Those large strong arms, that wide chest that makes meh go crazy whenever Ah even catch glimpse of that scarred skin. Now there will be two more scars. It's so warm, so warm… finally.
"Remy is so happy you are safe. If you… then Remy would've killed Mark, Hell with the Guild. Remy knows you can protect yourself, but he can't stop worrying about ya. Please, chere, don't cry. Remy hates to see you cry and hates himself even more for making you do it. Remy treasures you most in this world, without you - he will die." He continues to murmur sweet nothings into mah ear, embracing meh so hard Ah am concerned about mah spine. He tells meh how much he wants to make love to meh, how he doesn't want to let meh go, but he doesn't say those words.
Ah interrupt his tirade with, "Do you love meh, Remy?" Strait and simple. If he tries to weasel out, Ah am out of here. As simple as that.
"Oui. Why do you ask?"
Ah break from his hold, not caring if mah use of violence will worsen his condition. "What do mean by that?!You've never said it, you dolt! How should Ah know?! How should Ah know you are not just playing with meh?"
"Remy came for you four times."
"What does that supposed to mean? Stop talking in your usual riddles! And what four times?"
"He searched for you with Wolvie and Sabletooth during the Apocalypses affair, he took you to New Orleans-"
"Kidnapped meh."
"Remy commissioned Azazel to find you when he heard about the Dark Phoenix and came to your aid since you needed one. He started searching for you the moment he was strong enough to get from the bed after being buried alive. Hardly, any guy chases a girl like that simply because he thinks she looks good on his arm."
"What are you saying? And get back to bed, you are hurting yourself."
"Do you believe in love at first sight, chere?"
"Oh don't feed meh this crap! Ah will never believe that the Cajun Casanova fell in love at first sight with a scrawny seventeen year old girl!"
"No he didn't. But there was a connection from the start, you can't deny that."
"Ah am not denying anything, Swamp Rat. It is you who can't express your feelings properly, it is you who denies his past and hides it from meh. Ah try with all mah might to be a good wife and what do Ah get? A web of 'friends' who just pop from somewhere and disappear just as mysteriously. You never speak about your work, you never talk about the past or the future- And how many times must Ah tell you not to stand up!"
"And how many times must Remy tell you that there is no other femme in this world he will take bullet for? Oui, it was a gamble, but if Mark thinks Remy is dead the Guild won't bother us anymore."
"Fuck the Guild, what if you'd been killed?!"
"Mark was half unconscious and it was pitch dark, he couldn't aim well anyway. Come here, chere."
Usually, by this time in any argument, the Swamp Rat tries to charm his way into mah favor, but this time it is totally different. And what's with this ordering meh around?
"Come. Here. Marie," he snaps a command and Ah move forward involuntarily. The next moment Ah find myself on his lap being snogged into oblivion. As if Ah can fight something like that off. Maybe it was stupid of meh to doubt him, maybe he isn't just good with words like all men? He is perfectly skillful with his hands though.
"Something's wrong?" Ah ask, after hearing him moan and it was definitely not in pleasure. Coming to mah senses somewhat, Ah realize we are lying on the bed, quite ready to go all the way following Remy's descriptions just minutes before about how much he wants meh, he never lacked ideas about expressing that. Why do we always end up like that? Gud, Ah am so ashamed of mahself! Don't Ah have any pride as a woman? "We need to stop, you can't be on your back yet."
"Wanna be instead?" the Cajun asks with his usual smirk, but then it suddenly disappears to give way to an unusually serious expression. "Our vows were not empty, chere. To love and to cherish till death does us part. That's exactly what Remy wanted to do when he recited them and he'll never back off. And oui, Remy agrees, as his wife you have the right to know and you will. We will talk. After this business is finished."
"Business? What business?" Ah ask, getting off from Remy, who expresses his disappointment with an uncharacteristic pout.
"With the Alvers and Azazel."
"And what business is that?"
"You'll see soon enough."
"Ah have your word for it. Okay, Ah am going to shower. Ah'll ask Angie about arrangements for you since you need 'special treatment'."
"Remy is always eager to receive any special treatment from you, chere."
"Oh just stuff it!" Yes, no pride left. Ah am freaking wrapped around his finger or around something else.
….
Ah slip from the bedroom to come to the view of Angie peeling potatoes with the utmost concentration as if saying: 'Heard nothing, saw nothing.' Yeah, right.
"Sorry, you had to hear all that."
"Better that than you making up," she throws indifferently, taking another potato to peel. She has a point. Remy and Ah making up is even louder than us arguing.
Ah start heading towards the bathroom, but… something about Angie is wrong. Can she be jealous? She is quite protective of her brother, even if he is ten years older than her. But she did accept meh. So what is it now? "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," she replies with a tired sigh. Obviously, nothing is okay.
"Talk to meh, Angie. You shouldn't just carry it inside."
Another sigh. "You mean, like Remy does?"
"Well, yeah." Ah get closer to the sink, not to examine the peeled potatoes of course, but because Ah feel something is seriously wrong with the girl. And Ah confirm it, seeing her eyes red from tears. "Tell meh, what's on your mind?"
She takes another potato, but her hand sleeps resulting in, fortunately, a small cut on her finger. "I thought it would never happen again!" she exclaims full of frustration and not only about the pain from the cut. "I thought we can live like normal people after Remy left Magneto. Yes, he still did odd jobs on the side and disappeared from time to time without any explanation, but it was never life threatening, even if he was bruised, beaten and even cut. But then the Dark Phoenix appeared… God, I've never seen him pack so fast! It was as if he has been restless all this time, as if he wanted a real fight, a real gamble for life. And when he returned, dragged himself back with that ugly scar… I thought he will finally settle down… But then he left again, as if something was beckoning him. My instincts told me it was a woman. I was right, wasn't I?" Angie remarks with a small smile which Ah can't help but return. "So he starts working in the Coliseum, you get married and I think, 'That's it. Remy LeBeau has finally settled down', but then this happens. He calls me in the middle of the night and tells me to get to Vegas a.s.a.p and take that bag, just in case. Why is he doing this, Marie? Why can't he just live?"
Her sobs make meh reckon my own words. All we want is just to live, have normal lives as any other. But… "It's who we are, Angie. We fight and thus we live. As for Remy… Ah doubt he will ever be free from his past. He was brought up like that, living on adrenaline from fights and thefts. Neither you nor meh can completely stop him to act like that, but we can watch over and heal him. Don't you think that is better than not to be present in his life at all?"
"Yeah, but why must he suffer through so much pain?" she wails into mah shoulder. A truly remarkable sister, Ah am kinda jealous.
"Well, he did save somebody's life, didn't he? And kicked that Guild's bastard's ass. It all was worth it in the end."
"Yeah, but promise me, you will do everything for him not to go on another crazy adventure like that again, sister."
"You have mah word, sister."
"Mr. and Mrs. Alvers will be coming at three. And… Mister Azazel will be here at four."
"Gud… This place is a mess."