Going Home – Chapter 4
She just stood staring at him for a moment, while he did the same. A brief flash of recognition flashed his face before fading immediately. "Ah'm sorry foh starin', it's just Ah feel like Ah'm facin' some déjà vu here."
"Ya're tellin' me…" she laughed nervously. He doesn't recognize me? What the hell did Ah do ta him?
He stepped towards her cautiously. "You're from 'round here, raht? Ya seem like ya are."
"You could say that. Ah moved a li'l while ago." She pressed herself against the rail with each step he took closer. She faintly heard it cracking underneath her strength.
He stopped only about three feet away. "Ah'm Cody, by the way." He held out his hand in a polite gesture.
Rogue shivered slightly, and then put up her own gloved hand. "People call me Rogue." He shook her hand, eyeing the glove absently.
"Well, does Rogue have a real name?" He smiled jokingly.
"Oh no, Ah was told nevah ta tell strangers mah real name." She countered with a bantering tone. This ain't so bad. Ah just wish Remy would get his ass back here though…
"Ah'm sorry foh askin', but y'all're awfully overdressed in this heat-"
"Ah have a skin condition."
"Oh. Sorry foh bringin' it up."
"Don't worry about it." Remy… She glimpsed quickly over Cody's shoulder for any sight of the Cajun.
He stared down for a moment embarrassed. Rogue turned away to the sunset. For a minute or so, she stood staring at it in silence, hoping that she would hear Cody walk back into the club. No such luck. Instead he slowly made his way next to her against the rail. "It's real pretty, ain't it?"
"Yah… Ah grew up watchin' these things." She pointed to the direction her and Remy came from. "Ah used ta climb trees ovah there when Ah was a kid."
"Why did ya move away? Ah mean, most people Ah've known have been here fohevah."
Hesitant pause. "Ah, uh, mah momma-" Silent cringe. "-wanted me ta live with her foh a li'l bit." Wasn't a complete lie. "An' it was just mah time ta go. Ah wasn't accepted here any longer."
"Why?"
"Some how Ah don't think you'd quite understand."
He switched his position so his back was against the rail so he could look at her better. "Try me." He smiled.
She sighed heavily. "Ah'm not familiar ta you at all?"
He looked away for a moment in deep questioning. "Somethin' about ya… Ah cain't put the pieces tagether."
"It's bettah that ya didn't. Trust me on this one, Cody."
He raised an eyebrow to her for a moment, then decided to change the topic. "Would ya like ta dance?"
Oh gawd, he didn't just ask that. "Excuse me?" Maybe Ah didn't hear him raht. That's it.
"Ah'm sorry, Ah shouldn't have asked…"
"No, mah hearin' is messed up these days. What did you ask?" Just clarify it, gal.
"If ya wanted ta dance. With me, that is."
Shit. "Oh. Ah'm here with someone already…" Nice cover up.
He nodded, disappointment present in his eyes. "Ah understand. Lucky guy." As if he knew the topic was on him, Remy strolled back out on the porch with two glasses in his hands. He saw Cody and stopped.
"Didn' know y' had company, chere." He eyed the blonde teen carefully.
"Remy, this is Cody." She stressed the name, letting him know it was, in fact, the Cody. She turned to Cody and waved around her hand between the two of them. "Cody, meet Remy."
Cody held out his hand as any gentleman would do and Remy shook it, his sunglasses hiding the concern in his demon eyes. "Sorry I'm back a li'l late. Line f'drinks be insane."
Rogue smiled. "It's okay, Swamp Rat. Me an' Cody were just talkin' about this an' that." She took a step away from Cody and towards Remy without thinking.
"Ah couldn't help but notice yoah accent. Where ya from?" Cody asked.
"N'awlins. Jus' cross de river pretty much."
"You two live there now?"
Rogue shook her head, but Remy spoke. "We live up north now. Wit' some ot'er teens." Rogue nodded this time in Remy's direction. Good, Remy. Don't tell him 'bout the institute.
"Ah see." He gave them a doubtful look, but let it slide. "Ah was wonderin', Remy, if it would be all raht if Ah had a dance with Miss… Rogue here. If ya don't mind, that is."
Rogue's eyes widened and she looked at Remy. He thought for a second before answering. "Is up t' de femme here. I don' mind sharin' her f'one dance." He smiled wickedly.
She smiled sweetly at Remy, with a definite hidden glare in her eyes. If only she was psychic, she would send him "you are so dead, LeBeau." Instead, she turned to Cody and said almost without thinking "Where's the harm in one dance?" She shivered as the words escaped her lips. Where the hell did that come from? Why doesn't Cody remember any of this?!
She walked past both boys in a chillingly familiar way, as they both followed her in. She walked to a place adjacent to the central dancing point. After a few stares from other people, she knew this was a bad idea. "Too much déjà vu," she muttered to herself underneath the music. She saw Remy lean against the wall, ready to intercept if any harm came to her. She squinted the little harder at him and saw he was twirling a card in his fingers skillfully. He nodded to her to let her know he had his eyes on her. She breathed a sigh of relief and then turned back to Cody.
A new song kicked up and of course, it had to be a slow song. She turned back to Remy panicked, but he just nodded again as to say 'go with it.' So she did, uneasily wrapping her arms around Cody's neck as his hands found her waist. Please don't let him get fresh an' go foh some skin! But he didn't, thankfully. She kept as far away as her clasped hands would allow her, making them look like the only two not romantically linked.
Rogue found herself not following this slow music, but the music that was playing that fateful night. Her mind was in a different place, reliving those few moments over again. Cody was over her, extending a hand out to help her up. And then…
Now her body slipped away from him. All of a sudden, she slumped to the floor, eager to get out of his reach. She was leaning on her hands, looking up at him. He looked at her strangely before reaching down to help her. "Hey, are ya all raht?"
Rogue didn't put a hand up this time. "No! Don't touch me!"
Then it clicked. "Wait… all this time… it was you?" By this time, the people in the club had turned their attention away from dancing and to Rogue's shriek. They all looked to her with recognition while it just flowed into Cody eyes. "You were the one who put me in the hospital all that time ago. What the hell did ya do ta me?"
She didn't answer. She just closed her eyes and gulped. This ain't happenin'. Gotta get outta here. All the stares, he knows. They all know. Cody looked ready to hit her if she wasn't a female. Others were starting to close in on the two of them, ready to start a mob attack. Without warning, an explosion sounded from the other side of the room. Everyone turned around in alarm, while Rogue felt herself being pulled away. She almost screamed until a half gloved hand was strategically place over her mouth. "C'mon, chere. Dis crowd ain' our scene anymore." She nodded against his hand and let him help her up. Then they rushed out the door and Rogue took off, hauling Remy with her. She decided the best place to go was in one of the trees, where no one could find them.
Rogue decided against babbling this time to just brooding quietly. She curled up on a branch and leaned against the tree, not caring about the other leaves and branches tickling her body. Remy sat similarly on the branch below her. He stared up at her, musing if he should have listened to her before. Course y' shoulda listened ta her, dumb ass. No, y' had t' push in t' doin' what she didn' wan' do.
"I'm sorry, chere."
Moment of silence. "Don't be sorry, Rem. You were raht. Ah had ta face mah fears. Ah don't know what happened there. The whole incident was replayin' in mah head like clock work an' Ah fell like Ah did that night. It surprised me it took that long for it to click in Cody's head." She looked down at him. "An' the nerve of that boy wantin' ta dance with me." She laughed halfheartedly. "Ah cain't believe ya went along with it too! What were ya thinkin'?"
"I was bein' stupid. Didn' t'ink y' were gon' have a flashback in de middle of de dance floor."
She pursed her lips at him. "Ya know betta than that, Swamp Rat. Of course Ah would have a flashback in the middle of the damn dancefloor! Mah mind likes ta play tricks like that on me!" She huffed, and then sighed. "Ah'm sorry. This ain't yoah fault. Ah shoulda had more control ovah this. If Ah didn't slip away from reality for that single moment, me an' you could be dancin' in there."
"I can dance wit' y' anywhere, Rogue." He smiled warmly. She locked eyes for him for a moment before smiling herself. "One t'ing dough, chere."
"What?"
"How come y' didn' tell Cody y' real name? Ain' it kinda weird t' introduce y'self t' people dat way? As 'Rogue', I mean."
"Remy, if Ah knew mah real name, Ah would use it."
"Y' don' know y' real name?"
"Ah lost it in mah mem'ries. But if Ah could choose a name foh myself, just as a backup, in case Ah nevah remember it, it would hafta be Layla."
"Layla?"
"Yah… got a problem with that?"
"No. Somehow I was 'spectin' Marie or somet'in'."
"Ick, Marie? That's so… ordinary. An' Ah'm sorry, Ah'm not yoah average gal here." She scoffed.
"Dat y' ain', chere." He grinned again. He reached up to the branch she was on and lifted himself up on it. "Y' wan' leave t'morrow?"
She avoided his gaze. "Prob'ly. Ah know Ah don't have anythin' else goin' foh me here now. Maybe we should held back ta Irene's now. Ah don't feel like doin' anythin' else anymore."
He nodded, understanding completely. "I'll climb down an' get de car started. Take y' time, cherie."
"Thanks." Remy started making his way down. He paused for a moment, gazing up to her out of instinct. He caught her wiping off a tear underneath her eye. Feeling like he caught something personal, since he didn't remember her crying since Carol, he continued his climb down.
Rogue wiped away the tear, knowing Remy saw the whole thing. She didn't care. More important things were on her mind. "Ah can nevah come back…" she whispered when she knew Remy was completely down the tree. She huffed somberly, hugging her arms to her body, feeling suddenly cold despite the muggy heat. Face it, the only person that still accepts ya here is Irene. Ya saw how the rest of them were lookin' at ya. So much venom in all their glares… so much ignorant pain. Ah'm prob'ly the only mutant they evah came across. Well, an' Remy, too. But not that they knew he threw a card to advert their attention. She sighed loudly this time. "Guess this isn't mah home at all."
At that thought, she pushed away from the trunk of the tree and made her decent down. She landed on the ground without a sound and walked over to the cherry red convertible waiting to take her back to Irene's. Remy was flipping through the stations, not happy with any of the music he was hearing. Rogue, not caring who saw her anymore, flew over the door and landed in her seat. She was feeling way to depressed and lazy to bother opening it and being normal. Ha, normal. What a joke.
"The radio sucks here, Swamp Rat. It's all poppy shit."
"I noticed," he grumbled. "Y' got an'more CDs?"
She smiled weakly. "Plenty." She reached into the back seat for her CD holder. She handed it to Remy and he carefully picked out a jazz CD he had slipped in there earlier. "Ah knew you would sneak somethin' in there."
"Y' talkin' t' a master t'ief here, chere. I c'n slip anyt'in' in t' anywhere."
She just shook her head. "Let's just go. Ah'm so tired."
"I know." He rubbed her shoulder gently. "Y' want me t' read y' a bedtime story?"
"Be quiet an' drive," she groaned.
He did as she said. "I love it when y' quote song titles."
The ride was only five minutes to Irene's house, but Rogue had still managed to fall into a light sleep. Not wanting to wake her up, Remy carried her into the house. She curled up against the warmth of this body, like she had done so many times before. As he was walking to the front door, he couldn't help but notice the extra car sitting out front of the house. A limousine of all things. "Chere?"
"Yah, Remy?" She answered softly.
"No matt'r what, pretend y' still asleep. Somet'in' don' feel right with Remy." She opened her eyes more in surprise, but did as he said and leaned her head against his chest again.
He knocked twice first before letting himself in. Irene shouldn't mind as long as he had Rogue with him. He pushed the door open with his foot gently and walked in. Irene was sitting in the living room, chatting idly with – Mrs. Darkholme? "I finished things in Westchester earlier than expected, Irene."
"Oh, merde."
She turned away from Irene and saw Remy standing there with her daughter in his arms. "She didn't pass out or anything did she?" She asked, worriedly.
He eyed her dangerously before answering. "Non, been a long day. She jus' tired." Rogue on the other hand, was hearing everything. Ah did not just hear her voice. Nope, it was Irene askin' 'bout me. Rogue liked that assumption. But soon another voice came and told her: Who are you kidding, Rogue? That's definitely your mother. Rogue didn't know whom the voice belonged too, but it sounded like one of her teammates. Probably Scott. Never you mind, Scotty.
"I'm jus' gon' take her up t' her room an' put her t' bed if y' don' mind…" he turned away from the two adults and soon he was upstairs without any trouble from them. Somet'in' definitely ain' right here.
He made it to Rogue's room and he pushed the door open. He put her on her bed and then went back to shut the door. Once she heard the door lock, she sat up. "That wasn't mah momma, was it?" She hissed in a whisper.
"Dat it was, chere."
"Dammit! Irene must've called her while we were gone. If Ah didn't have enough goin' on with this visit back. Ah didn't wanna see her!"
"I know, Rogue." He took a seat behind her on the bed and casually starting massaging her shoulders. "She didn' seem hostile at all, dough."
"Ah don't care how she seemed! Ah came down here ta confront mah fears, not see Mystique."
"Don' y' t'ink Mystique is part o' y' fears?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Don't be playin' shrink on me again, mistuh." In spite of her foul mood, her body was starting to relax.
Remy rested his head on her shoulder from behind. "But y' know I'm right," he breathed into her ear.
Rogue felt a warm chill through her body as she felt his breath on her ear. "Doncha be gettin' that way on me…"
His arms reached around her waist and he pulled her onto his lap. "An' what way would dat be?" He smiled evilly as his hands grazed her ribcage.
She trembled under his knowing touch, but then pulled away. "Ah'm serious! Mah mother is downstairs. How the hell am Ah gonna deal with her?"
"Maybe y' could jus'… talk t' her?"
Rogue thought for a moment. Of course, it was the most logical thing to do. "Ya don't think she wants anythin' in return… like take me back to the Brothahood or turn me inta a guinea pig foh some othah project?"
He shook his head solemnly. "Maybe she jus' wants t' make amends. I don' t'ink parents like it if deir chile hate 'em."
She looked him in the eyes, realizing he hadn't even taken his sunglasses of yet. She reached up and took them off, so she could see the red blazing fully. "Does yoah daddy know that ya don't hate him?"
He shrugged. "Haven' talked t' him since de banishment. I don', dough. If anyt'in', he should hate me."
Rogue nodded, biting her bottom lip. He was right, of course. Funny how a smooth talking Cajun could be right so much of the time. She slid back into his lap, hugging him. After resting her head on his shoulder, facing away so she wouldn't make contact with his skin, she said, "Ah'll go down an' talk t' her. Foh both of us."
Remy smiled and kissed her temple through a lock of white hair. "Good, cherie." He rubbed her back delicately, up and down her spine. "When y' gon' go down?"
She leaned back in his arms, his thumb still rubbing her vertebrae. "Now's as good a time as any, Ah guess."
"Dat's m'girl. I'll stay up here while y' go down."
She got off the bed slowly, her hand trailing along the white quilt. "Ya really think it'll go ovah okay?" He just nodded. She bit her bottom lip again and left the room.
TBC…
I really didn't start this story thinking it would involve Rogue and Mystique's relationship… but oh wellz. More of Cody in the next chapter too. (and you thought I was done with him… :o) Please review.
Oh, and I guess everyone now sees what I feel about the name Marie… heh heh heh. (Hey, just because its my middle name doesn't make it the best name for our Rogue)