35
"Rogue, are you alright?" a man with red glasses asked her as he came to a stop beside her.
Rogue simply held on to Remy tighter, her lip trembling as these two strangers from a hovering jet came to her and Remy's side.
"How'd ya know mah name?" she demanded to know.
Remy continued to move in Rogue's arms, so that he was sitting more than lying.
"Relax chérie," Remy tried telling her again.
When her eyes meet his once again, full of confusion and fear, he raised a hand and placed it on her shoulder.
"Dis be y' famille," he told her once again as it didn't seem to be heard the first time. Her trembling lip and considering everything she had just witnessed in the last forty minutes or so, made it clear she was in shock.
"Mah… family?" Rogue questioned.
"I have her," a woman with red hair said.
Rogue's attention turned to the red head who was hovering off the ground. Her arm was outstretched towards Blindspot who was hovering, unconscious, in the air and being directed by the red head. Rogue couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was like it wasn't registering in her head what was happening. But there Blindspot was, floating in the air just like the red head was.
"Scott, this woman has the ability to take memories away," the red haired woman said to the man beside her she called Scott. "Seems like Mystique wanted to use her to take Rogue's memories away right to the point where her mutation appeared."
The man, Scott, sniffed unpleasantly at that.
"So, she was trying to kidnap Rogue and make her forget all about us," he said. "Typical Mystique."
"From what I can gather," the red head said, touching either side of her temples with her finger tips. "They already started the process, but something went wrong."
"That could explain why Rogue doesn't seem to reckonise us. Guess it's just like the first time we tried recruiting her all over again," Scott exclaimed.
Where Rogue was still baffled as to what was happening, Remy found himself amused by what Scott had said and interested to learn more about what had happened when the X-Men first tried to recruit Rogue. It seemed the girl really couldn't stay out of trouble.
"Yeah, well, we ain't going through that again," the gruff man who had chased away Mystique said as he approached them.
Rogue had become terrified as these strangers talked about her like she wasn't there. Remy had made her release her grip around his neck, but she instantly found him again, grasping onto his chest as she stared up at the strangers terrified.
Remy couldn't help but let an amused, but sympathetic smile grace his lips. He took Rogue by the shoulders, but she buried her head into his chest as a reaction. He wrapped his arms around her, giving her the comfort she needed. He could only guess how terrifying this was for her and was a little disappointed that they couldn't have done this the easy way.
"How'd we get her memories back red?" the gruff man asked the red head.
"Blindspot will need to return them herself. That's if, she's willing to do so," the red head said.
"Oh, she'll return them," the gruff man said as he raised a fist up in front of him.
Rogue gasped as three metal claws popped out from his hand.
"Easy Logan!" Scott said. "You're scaring her."
The gruff man, Logan, seemed to grunt in his throat. He glanced down at her, his moody face seeming to ease into something softer for him and he withdraw his claws. As Rogue met Logan's eyes, her grip on Remy increased.
"C'est d'accord, Rogue," Remy told her, letting his hands sink lower on her back as he moved to try and get comfortable where he was sat. Rogue was practically on top of him as she held onto him which was making things a little uncomfortable.
"Watch where your hands are going there, gumbo!" Logan warned, a low growl being caught in his throat as he did.
Remy's smirk grew as he glanced up at Logan.
"Good t' see y' too Badger," he said.
This only made Logan snarl more.
"Badger?" Rogue questioned, that name seeming familiar.
Remy turned his attention back on her and watched as the clogs in her brain began to turn.
"Ya mean?" she began to question, going silent as she turned to look up at Logan.
"Oui, dat be y' over protective papa ours," Remy said, his smirk only growing as Logan's threatening growl grew.
Rogue, slowly, began to loosen her grip on Remy and sit up more on her own. Her eyes shifted from Logan to the red haired woman who smiled at her softly and tilted her head to the side as Rogue met her eyes.
"That red head you told me about, Jean?" Rogue questioned.
"Oui, dat be her," Remy said.
Rogue's grip loosened on Remy so that her hands fell down his chest. She couldn't help but just stare at the three strangers as she took them in. When she realised Remy had been telling the truth about her family and this being them, she turned her attention back to him.
"What the heck are they?" she demanded to know from him. "And why didn't ya tell meh 'bout… about…" Rogue trailed off, her frustration and anger coming through as she turned her attention back to Remy.
"Told y' there be t'ings y' famille can explain better than moi," Remy simply said, holding his hands up.
"No," Rogue drawled out her response, folding her arms and shooting Remy an irritated glare. "A think ya certainly coulda!"
"Would y' have believed moi?" Remy shot back at her.
"No! But everythin' that's just happened woulda made more sense," Rogue snapped back, shotting her hand out to point at the scene before them.
"Who the hell was that who attacked us anyway? An' don'tcha dare tell meh y' don't know Remy LeBeau," Rogue warned. "'cause ah know ya do!"
"Ok," Scott said, taking his time to round each letter. "Guess he didn't do as good a job at explaining things as we hoped," Scott said scratching at his head.
"Well, at least she's not running from us this time and kind of knows who we are," Jean informed Scott.
"True, but we really should be focusing on getting her memories back now," Scott said.
"What do ya say kid?" Logan addressed Rogue. "You ready to get your memories back yet, or not?"
Rogue, unknowingly, moved closer towards Remy as these strangers addressed her.
"T'ink it be 'bout time y' returned home now, huh, chérie," Remy told Rogue, taking her shoulder and trying to ease the tension he felt there.
"What?" she said, her attention straight back on him. From her jitteriness, Remy knew she wasn't taking this well at all. "No! Ah ain't runnin' off with'a buncha strangers ah just meet! Ya can't ask meh ta do that Remy!" Rogue said, not liking how he was pushing her away once again.
Remy tilted his head to the side, sighing inwardly and wondering what he could say to get through to her. But, of course, he knew the stubborn girl wouldn't do what he told her to if she didn't want to.
"Well, what if we took Gambit with us? That way, you'll feel as if you know someone," Scott replied, although, his grimace definetly said that he was uneasy about the idea.
"Gambit?" Rogue questioned.
Remy shuck his head.
"No can do. I got business dat needs takin' care of," Remy said.
Rogue glanced at him, her eyes wide as she realised what Remy was saying.
"Ya can't go back there!" she said. "Not with things the way they are!"
"'fraid I have to. Can't leave Henri on de choppin' bored now, can I?" Remy told her.
"If you're goin' back," Rogue said, swallowing down something nasty. "Then ah'm goin' with ya."
"Non, be best y' weren't there. Me an' Henri be able t' get outta any tight spot. Y', on de other hand, be a different story," Remy told her.
Rogue folded her arms, pounting slightly.
"Ah ain't afraid of Jean-Luc. Far as ah see it, he deserves to have his head beaten in a few times till he sees sense," Rogue said.
Remy chuckled at that, making a move to stand up. He offered her his hand and Rogue took it, raising to stand herself.
"Dat homme won't ever change," Remy said.
Rogue just continued to glare daggers at him, her expression telling him she still wasn't ready to budge on the topic. Trying to think of another way to make her leave, Remy turned his attentions to Jean.
"There any way y' can get her t' return Rogue's memories here?" he asked.
Jean frowned, but had a deep thinking look shine through her eyes.
"Maybe, but it'd be difficult," Jean said.
"You keepin' her under?" Logan asked Jean.
"Yes," Jean said. "Just until we're ready to wake her and have her return Rogue's memories."
Logan nodded his head, extending his two claw.
"Wake her," he told Jean.
Jean nodded her head and turned her attention on to Blindspot.
"Wait?" Rogue said, glancing back to Remy. "Ah'm gonna get mah memories back now? Right here?" she questioned.
"Oui," Remy said. "Dat be what y' want, non? Save me havin' t' explain everyt'in', then y' gettin' mad at moi when I forget t' explain one petite t'ing."
Rogue frowned at Remy, folding her arms.
"Ya don't forget! Ya just leave stuff out!" Rogue hissed.
Remy shrugged his shoulders.
"It be hard t' explain a life time of events an' details wit'out missin' a few t'ings, non?" Remy tried justifying.
Rogue just stared him down, having none of his excuses. Sighing, Remy reached out and touched Rogue's shoulder once again.
"Dun't worry chérie. I'll still be here when y' get em back. Same delivishly, good lookin' Cajun y' remember," Remy said, his resting smirk setting on his face.
Rogue wanted to roll her eyes at Remy's lame joke, but, at the same time his touch and having his usual self shine through was comforting for her. What he said about explaining her memories to her did hold some sense, she couldn't deny that. The idea of getting all her memories back at once though did feel rather frightening, but with Remy holding onto her and telling her he'd still be there after she got them back, it help sooth the fear. The confidence and determination in his eyes to make this happen also gave her a nudge in that direction. She kept hold of those eyes for a time and just let her new found trust in him sink in and keep convincing her that she should do this.
Feeling like the moment between them was becoming a little too intense, Rogue said: "Am ah really gonna believe that when ah have mah memories back? Or are ya still gonna be the same cocky, annoyin' swamp rat who's full of himself?"
Remy just chuckled at that.
"Only one way t' find out," he said, turning her by the shoulder slightly to face Blindspot.
Blindspot was on her knees in front of Rogue, glaring up at her with utter spit written all over her face. Whatever Logan had said to her, it had worked and she was waiting for Rogue to come closer.
Gulping, Rogue took one last look at Remy, before she bent down in front of Blindspot. Jean took up a spot next to the two in the grass.
"I'm going to be right there with you," Jean informed Rogue which made her feel confused, but she decided not to question anything. Remy seemed to believe this would work and she trusted him.
Rogue closed her eyes as she felt Blindspot touch either side of her head.
xxxxx
French Translation
C'est d'accord - It's alright
Oui - Yes
Papa Ours - Papa Bear
Famille - Family
Moi- My
Chérie - Darling
Non - No
Homme - Man
Petite - Small / Little