Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for all the reviews, I can't believe it's been 36 chapters and still going strong. Given my track record for finishing stories, it's an amazing result for me haha.
-Gams
Chapter Thirty-Seven – Beignets
Remy woke to the heavenly smell of fresh beignets and other mouth-watering concoctions Tante Mattie was known to make. He practically floated down the stairs following the smell of hot crepes and beignets to the kitchen. When he entered the kitchen, he found a familiar sight before him; Tante Mattie had always been the first person to rise in the morning. There wasn't a morning of his childhood that didn't start with Tante Mattie's warm smile and home-made cooking, which was probably why he ended up learning how to cook himself. Tante Mattie's cooking could never be quite replicated to perfection but that didn't stop him from trying to take some of her cookery magic with him when he moved to New York. Remy closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply; there was nothing he could cook that could quite match that smell. He was brought out of his reminiscing by a familiar greeting.
"Bon Matin, mon fils. As-tu bien dormi? (Good morning my son. Did you sleep well?)
The woman didn't turn away from the circular hot plate as she spoke but her voice gave the impression that she was smiling. Remy ventured further into the large kitchen and wordlessly grasped the large, glass sugar shaker. He began to plaster the large plate of beignets as he replied.
"Assez bien, Tante. Tu aurais dû me réveiller. Je vous auraient aidés à faire les beignets." (Well enough, Aunt. You should have woken me up. I would have helped you make the beignets.)
Tante Mattie waved a dismissive hand as she artfully turned another crepe over on the hot plate. It sizzled slightly as she replied tenderly.
"Vous le besoin de mon garçon. Cette Raven Darkholme est une force avec laquelle il faut compter." (You needed it my boy. That Raven Darkholme is a force to be reckoned with)
Remy couldn't help a small snort of amusement.
"Ce serait un euphémisme Tante." (That would be putting it mildly Aunt)
The elderly woman gave throaty chuckle of amusement as she raised a flour-caked hand and patted her nephew's arm affectionately. There was a content silence that passed throughout the kitchen before Tante Mattie placed the last of the crepes onto a large plate and began to cover it with aluminium foil to keep them hot. It was while she was cleaning up her space that she broke the silence.
"Je suis surpris que vous ayez dormi ici la nuit dernière. Ce n'est pas comme vous d'être voyant une femme et dormir dans des chambres séparées, sans parler des maisons séparées."
(I'm surprised you stayed here last night. It's not like you to be seeing a woman and sleep in separate bedrooms, let alone separate houses).
Remy could do nothing but gape widely for several moments at his Tante's words. He managed a few flabbergasted noises before coherency returned to him, as well as a healthy amount of colour to his tanned face.
"Mon Dieu- Tante! Why would y' say-"
His gaping mouth closed as a suspicious frown marred his features.
"Y' been plannin' dis all morning haven't y'? Luring Remy out wit' dem beignets an' de small-talk. Vous n'avez pas de femme la honte!" (You have no shame woman!)
Tante Mattie had the power of age and wisdom to roll her eyes at the outrage across her young nephew's face. She calmly continued to scrub the empty bowl of crepe-mix in the sink as she replied coolly.
"I was not plannin' nothin' boy. Mais y' could 'ave tol' us dat y' ain't proposed t' Anna-Marie yet."
Remy paled, his outrage fled swiftly from his mind only to be taken over by a strange sense of shame he always got when Tante spoke to him like this. It was a scolding with a tender voice that didn't suit the usually short-tempered woman and it was unsettling for him to behold. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and scratched the back of his neck. The moments were filled only with the swish-swash of running water before Remy spoke in an unnaturally quiet voice.
"What gave it away?"
Tante Mattie gave a small snort of disbelief as she dropped the scrubbing brush in hand and set her hands on her hips. Her patronizing look wasn't unfamiliar.
"De belle chil' didn't 'ave no ring on dat finger o' hers! No nephew o' mahne woul' propose t' deir woman wit'out a ring!"
Remy couldn't help but roll his eyes and smirk, it was all so Typical of Tante. As was her smacking him up the back of the head for rolling his eyes and 'smirkin' like le diable.' As Remy rubbed the now-tender back of his head, Tante Mattie continued to stand with her hands on her hips but with a concerned look that was tender as it was disappointed. Remy felt only a little bit of extreme guilt at that look.
"What is really goin' on wit' y' deux mon fils? Y' love her, non?"
Remy set his hand on the edge of the sink and refused to meet her gaze. Sighing, he nodded and leant against the bench as he replied.
"De truth is Tante...we be having chil'ren together, we be living together mais we're not getting married. She..."
He nearly said "She doesn't love me like I do her" but he stopped before his pride could take a bruising instead of a full blow.
"She doesn't want to get married jus' b'cause we be having chil'ren together. Et I agree. Dere ain't any need f' marriage. We're not de first parents t' have chil'ren wit'out bein' married or a couple et we won't be de last,"
He nodded as if trying to convince himself, which some days he needed to. Remy caught his Tante's gaze again and put on a confident smile.
"What matters is dat de bébes are healt'y, happy et have an upbringin' as normal as we can offer. Dat's all dat matters."
Tante Mattie's head turned slowly to one side, her lower lip trembled slightly as she braved a proud smile. Wordlessly, she opened her arms to wrap her nephew into a motherly embrace. Once upon a time, she had been able to cradle the boy in her arms and now she was forced to rest her head against his chest because he was so much taller than her. After a moment or two, the elderly woman pulled back and looked him straight in the eyes as she spoke.
"Y' have t' be happy too chil'. Dat matters jus' a much, non?"
Remy's shoulders fell in defeat; pride be damned. He managed a half-smile, a shadow of his usual charm held in place, as he leant forward to kiss his Aunt's cheek in gratitude. The woman hugged him tighter, just about breaking his spine in two, before she pulled back and began to dab her watery eyes with the edge of her apron. As Tante Mattie composed herself again, Remy picked up the plate of beignets and crepes and made to set them on the kitchen table. With his back turned, he admitted freely.
"Quand elle est heureuse, je suis heureux. Et si c'est ce qu'elle veut, je l'accepterai." (When she's happy, I'm happy. And if this is what she wants, I will accept it)
Tante Mattie made an exasperated sound.
"Y' may be happy now, mais y' be blind t' what y' need! Why not ask 'er Remy? She may surprise y'-"
The woman's rant was cut short by the vast approach of footsteps and a mix of familiar voices. The kitchen door swung open with ease as Mercy, Henri and Rogue stepped through, bantering and laughing amongst themselves. Tante Mattie wisely turned to the stove again as the troop came to seat themselves at the kitchen table. Rogue appeared at Remy's side, brandishing a winning smile that quickly turned to a yawn as she sat herself down beside him. Remy couldn't help but tease, regaining his usual charm with a grin.
"Remy doesn't know whether y' be happy or glad t' see him chére."
Rogue was in the middle of reaching for her first beignet when she replied with a light chuckle.
"Verrah funny Cajun. Ah only got about four hours sleep las' naght. Meh an' Mama sat up all night talkin' about pregnancy food cravin's an' stuff. Oh mah gawd- Tante! These are the best beignets ah've had in months!"
Remy frowned slightly as the love of his life helped herself to a second beignet. Amusing as her cravings were at times, he couldn't help but feel just a little under appreciated.
"What y' talkin' 'bout girl? I made beignets last week!"
While Henri and Mercy sniggered amusedly across the table, Rogue gave her best innocent facade of a smile, all the while with a particularly large mouthful of pastry in her mouth. It took a few moments for her to swallow before she covered her mouth and replied sweetly, all the while rubbing his arm affectionately.
"Sorry sugah. But nothin' beats ya Tante's home-made beignets."
Henri gave a throaty chuckle at the sour look across Remy's face. Remy turned a cold look towards his older brother who cleared his throat and helped himself to a beignet himself. The subject was swiftly changed after that.
"So have y' deux picked out a date yet?"
Remy was fortunate enough to be sipping a glass of orange juice just at that moment. Henri was suddenly sprayed with orange juice while Remy began to choke and cough. Rogue patted his back in an attempt to sooth him as Mercy and Tante fussed over Henri. When the commotion died down, Jean-Luc appeared at the doorway with a bemused expression. He raised one brow at the room's occupants.
"Bon Matin mon famille. Ehh...is dis breakfast?"
Henri gave Remy an irritated look and proceeded to dab his once clean shirt with a tea-towel. Tante Mattie was swift to dismiss the explanations by asking if Aveline would like her breakfast in bed. Jean-Luc pat the woman's shoulder in silent thanks as he made his way to his usual seat at the head of the table. The eldest LeBeau gave his family a slightly unsure look before reaching out for a beignet. When no one spoke, he held up the plate in offering.
"Beignets anyone?"
I need to find the recipe for beignets. All this talk of them is making me hungry. Haha.
REVIEW!
-Gams