04

I still don't own Marvel…

*** *** ***

It was a week before Remy came back to Jacques, and this time, Lila was with him.

"Well ain't she fawnin' all over him," Trixie commented, watching Lila and Remy from the other side of the room.

"Wants t'make sure everyone knows he's hers," Elaine said. "Probably knows how much he flirts when she ain't 'round."

"He flirts when she is around," Rogue said.

"Good point," Elaine said with a laugh.

"He could do better den her," Trixie said.

"Like who? You?" Elaine asked.

"Well, yeah."

"You really like Remy?" Rogue asked Trixie.

Trixie shrugged. "I t'ink he's hot."

Rogue felt nervous, and she wasn't sure why. "Is that it?"

"Well, yeah, I guess… Why, you got a t'ing for Gambit, Rogue?"

"No!"

"You denied dat a little too quickly," Elaine said.

"He's not my type."

"What, you like women or somet'ing?" Trixie asked with a snort. "You can't be breat'in' an' not be attracted to dat man."

Elaine rolled her eyes. "Dat's your opinion, Trix."

"You disagree, 'Laine?"

"I'm not answerin' dat question."

"Dat's a yes."

"Dat's not a yes."

"Yes it is."

"Non."

"Oui."

"Non."

"Um, y'all just keep up you're little middle school argument, and I'm gonna get back to work, okay?"

Elaine laughed. "Sounds like a good idea, Rogue. Gonna get back t'work, too." She started out the kitchen door, but glanced back at Trixie first. "Ain't a yes."

"Is, too!" Trixie yelled at the doors as the shut behind Elaine.

Rogue just smiled and shook her head.

*** *** ***

Rogue was in the bathroom washing her hands when she heard someone come in the room. She looked up and saw that it was Lila. "Um, hi, Lila," she said.

"Rogue," Lila said with a nod. She paused for a second, as if she was thinking, and then said. "I want you to stay away from Remy."

"What?" Rogue turned around, wondering if she was kidding, but saw on Lila's face that she was very much serious. "Lila, I really don't spend that much time with Remy. The only contact I have with him is when I'm waiting his table."

Lila glared. "Seeing how much Remy talks about you, I find that hard to believe."

Rogue blanched. Remy talked about her? Enough to make Lila jealous? That fact made Rogue's stomach start doing flip-flops. "Lila, really, I don't spend that much time with Remy."

"Just stay away from him," Lila growled, stomping into one of the stalls and slamming the door behind her.

Rogue stared at the closed door in shock for a second before leaving.

*** *** ***

Rogue was clearing the plates off one of her tables when Remy walked up to her. "Hey, Rogue, some of us are goin' out later, you comin'?"

Rogue glanced over at Lila. "I don't think I should."

"Why? Jacques said he's closin' early t'night." He gave her his patented charming grin. "What else you got t'do?"

"Catch up on my sleep?"

Remy chuckled. "You can sleep tomorrow. Your shift doesn't start till five."

"How do ya know that?"

"It's on de board by de kitchen, chère."

"Well aren't you the smart one."

"Papa always tol' me I was. Now come on, chère. You never go out wit' us. Even Elaine's comin' tonight."

Rogue looked over at Lila again, and saw the way that the other woman was glaring at her. A sly smile crossed her lips. "Sure, Remy, I'd love to go out with y'all." She looked over at Lila, who was fuming, gave her a slight wink, and then went back to finishing her shift.

*** *** ***

They all went out to a night club a few towns over, and Rogue rode over with Trixie and Elaine. "Where's Remy?" Rogue asked after they'd been there for a few minutes.

Trixie looked out the window and began to giggle. "He's in de parkin' lot wit' Lila gettin' de t'ird degree."

Rogue looked out the window, and sure enough Lila was screaming at Remy in the parking lot. "Wonder what dey're sayin'" Elaine said.

"I have an idea," Rogue said.

Both of the other girls turned to her, a gleam in their eyes. "What?"

"I don't want to sound self-centered or anything, but I think it might have somethin' to do with Remy askin' me to come," Rogue said. "Earlier today in the restroom Lila told me to stay away from Remy."

"She what? Why?" Elaine asked.

"She said Remy talks about me a lot, and she wants me to stay away from him."

"Oooh…Princess Lila's feelin' like mebbe she don't got such a strong hold on her man, non?" Trixie said with a giggle

"She's got a reason to be jealous, I t'ink," Elaine said. "I've seen de way Remy looks at you, Rogue. If Remy was my man, I wouldn't want him 'round you, neit'er." She gave Rogue a teasing grin.

"I just think Lila's overreactin'," Rogue said.

Just then, Lila came stomping into the club, slamming the door in Remy's face. He came in a second later, obviously trying to get her to talk to him, even though Rogue couldn't tell exactly what he was saying. Lila just ignored him and went up to the first guy she saw, laying the charm on thick. Defeated, Remy walked over to Trixie, Elaine, and Rogue's table.

Elaine rubbed Remy's shoulder affectionately. "You all right, Remy? Is it over wit' you an' Lila?"

"I…I don' know. She got mad at me, an' started yellin'." He looked over at Rogue. "She t'inks I got somet'ing goin' on wit' you, chère."

"Remy, if you want me to go…"

"Non, Rogue, don' leave on account of Lila. If she wants t'be dis way, den fine. I'm not gonna turn my back on one of my friends jus' 'cause she says to."

Rogue tried not to break out into a huge grin at that. Remy considered her a friend? "I just don't want to cause any trouble between the two of you…"

"You're not, Rogue. Lila's got her own problems, dey don' have anyt'ing t'do wit' you." He looked over at Lila, who was fawning all over some guy, then back over at Rogue. "Wanna dance?"

Rogue knew he was most likely just using her to make Lila jealous—and the current music taste of the DJ was somewhat outdated and well, bad—but she couldn't bring herself to pass up the chance to dance with Remy. "Sure, sugah."

You need to give it up.
Had about enough.
It's not hard to see,
The boy is mine.

I think it's time we got this straight,
Let's sit and talk face to face.
There is no way you could mistake him for your man,
Are you insane?

Remy pulled Rogue out on the dance floor and over to stand close to where Lila and the other guy were dancing. He held Rogue close to him, pressing her body against his and easily getting Lila's attention. Lila glared at Remy then pulled her dancing partner closer, making a show of rubbing up against him. Rogue, deciding that she couldn't let Lila one-up here, mimicked her movement, making Remy suppress a chuckle at how willing Rogue was to play along.

See I know that you may be
Just a bit jealous of me.
Cause' you're blind if you can't see
That his love is all in me.

See I tried to hesitate,
I didn't want to say what he told me.
He said without me
He couldn't make it through the day,
Ain't that a shame.

Lila glared even harder at Rogue and Remy, then began to make her movements more elaborate, more sensual. Rogue mirrored every thing that Lila did, adding something else to it each time, just to make Lila stew. She could see the anger in Lila's eyes, and it only spurred her on.

And maybe you misunderstood,
Plus I can't see how he could
Wanna take his time and that's all good.
All of my love was all it took

The boy is mine.
You need to give it up.
Had about enough.
It's not hard to see,
the boy is mine.
I'm sorry that you
Seem to be confused.
He belongs to me
The boy is mine.

As Rogue began to strength her efforts to win the impromptu dance-off with Lila, Remy found himself paying less attention to the woman who was officially his girlfriend and more to the lithe figure in front of him. He'd been attracted to Rogue the moment he'd first seen her—something Lila had obviously picked up on—but he hadn't truly wanted her before. Not until then. The fire in her eyes, her iron-willed determination not to let herself be bested made her all the more beautiful to him. Remy suddenly had the urge to hold Rogue and never let her go.

Must you do the things you do
Keep on acting like a fool
You need to know it's me not you
And if you didn't know it girl it's true.

I think that you should realize,
And try to understand why
He is a part of my life
I know it's killing you inside.

Rogue tried to ignore how close she was to Remy and just pay attention to the task at hand. Remy didn't want to dance with her because he was attracted to her—he wanted to dance with her because she was the person who apparently could make Lila Cheney the most jealous. Remy's every touch set Rogue's skin on fire, but she kept reminding herself that this wasn't for her, that he didn't really care about her. Besides, after Logan, how could she fall for Remy? A man like that, she'd be setting herself up for heartbreak all over again.

You can say what you wanna say.
What we have you can't take.
From the truth you can't escape.
I can tell the real from the fake.

When will you get the picture.
You're the past, I'm the future
Get away it's my time to shine
If you didn't know the boy is mine.

Her face red with anger, Lila reached up and grabbed her partner, kissing him fiercely. Rogue's eyes widened. She couldn't do that! What would Remy say if she just reached up and kissed him. A part of her said to just go ahead and do it, that she wanted to kiss Remy so badly, and this was her chance—if he freaked out on her, she could just say it was for Lila's benefit, that it hadn't meant a thing. But no, she couldn't bring herself to do it, couldn't set herself up for that kind of disappointment.

You can't destroy this love I've found
Your silly games I won't allow
The boy is mine without a doubt
You might as well throw in the towel

What makes you think that he wants you,
When I'm the one that brought him to
The special place that's in my heart,
He was my love right from the start

Remy could tell that Rogue wasn't going to kiss him, and he could see the corners of Lila's lips turning up in a smug grin, even as she stayed firmly latched on to the man she'd picked up. Remy's mouth set in a line of grim determination. He'd be damned if he let Lila get this one. He grabbed Rogue and kissed her with all his might, holding on as her initial shock passed and she melted into his arms.

Lila had long since stopped her kiss, and Rogue and Remy were still locked in an embrace. Any linger thoughts of Lila had long since left Remy's mind, and all he cared about was holding Rogue. Lila noticed that the attention had turned off her, and she stormed off in a huff, yelling at her dancing partner when he tried to follow her.

The song had already stopped when Remy and Rogue finally pulled up for air. Rogue looked up at him and felt her heart lurch. What she was feeling right then she hadn't felt since…since Logan. Rogue stepped out of Remy's arms. What was she doing? She couldn't let herself fall, not again. "Remy, I…I…I have to go to the bathroom," she said lamely, running from the dance floor.

*** *** ***

"Rogue? You in here?" Elaine walked in to find Rogue, sitting on the counter beside one of the sinks, crying. "What's wrong? Remy said you flew off de dance floor like a cat wit' its tail on fire."

Rogue wiped futilely at the tears in her eyes. "I'm falling for Remy, Elaine, and I can't do it."

"Why not? You'd be better for him den dat Lila."

"I just can't, Elaine! Logan…"

"Logan? Dat man you had in New York? What does he have t'do wit' dis? You still in love wit' him?"

Rogue buried her face in her hands. "I don't know! Sometimes I think I am, and sometimes I think I'm not. But it doesn't make any difference. If I let Remy in, he'll only hurt me."

"You don't know dat, Rogue."

"Yes I do! Men like Remy, like Logan, they're all the same! Dammit, Remy's no better than Julien!"

Elaine frowned. "Now dat's not fair t'Remy, Rogue. I've known Julien an' Remy bot' a long time, an' I can tell you dey're two very different people. Julien knows how t'steal a woman's heart, but Remy knows how t'give his back in return."

"I'm not givin' my heart to anyone, ever again," Rogue swore.

"Rogue, don'. I made de same promise t'myself when Claire's papa left, an' I regret it more den anyt'ing I've ever done. I pushed away every chance at true love I ever had. Don' you do dat, too."

"Elaine, I…"

"Trust me, Rogue."

Rogue just nodded and gave a forced smile.

*** *** ***

Remy was sitting at the table with Trixie when Elaine and Rogue came out of the bathroom. "Lila left with that guy," he said.

"What a bitch!" Rogue blurted out. She put her hand over her mouth. "Sorry, Remy."

Remy smiled slightly. "It's all right. She's doin' dis t'get t'me, and I'm not gonna let her."

"Why don't ya fin' some ot'er girl t'spend de night wit'?" Trixie asked, leaning over the table a little closer to Remy and batting her eyelashes.

"I'm not in de mood for dat," Remy mumbled, ignoring Trixie's obvious advance.

"Remy LeBeau not in de mood for dat?" Elaine teased. "Quick, someone go try t'sell de Devil a pair of skis—he's gonna need 'em."

"Very funny, 'Laine." He stood up. "I'm gonna go out an' smoke a cigarette."

"You can smoke in here, y'know," Trixie said.

"I wanna be outside."

"Mind if I come with you, Remy?" Rogue wasn't even sure why she'd asked that. She was still a little wary to be around Remy after what happened on the dance floor, and she wasn't sure if being around someone who was smoking would be the best idea since she'd decided to quit earlier in the week. But she felt somehow compelled to be alone with him, to talk to him.

"Uh, sure, petite. Come on."

Rogue followed Remy outside and they sat together on a bench in front of the club. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his duster and offered one to her "Smoke?"

"No, thanks, I just quit."

Remy took one out for himself and lit it. "I'm sorry."

Rogue chuckled. "Not as sorry as I am, I'm sure. But I'm sure I'll be happier in the long run. Those things'll kill ya."

Remy took a drag off his. "Oui, but you'd die happy."

"Interesting logic."

Remy shrugged. He stared out into the pitch black night for a few moments before asking. "What happened on de dance floor."

Rogue felt her stomach doing flip-flops. It was the questioned she'd longed for and dreaded ever since Remy had kissed her. "What do you mean?"

Remy sighed. "On de dance floor, 'tween us, what happened dere, Rogue?"

"Nothin' happened, Remy. We were just tryin' to make Lila jealous."

Remy's expression was completely unreadable in the dark. "Yeah." He paused for a moment. "Dat's what I t'ought." He took a couple more drags off his cigarette before throwing it on the ground and stamping it out with his foot. He stood up. "I'm goin' back in. You comin'?"

Rogue started to wonder if maybe she hadn't answered his question in the best way. Sure, her response had been the safest, but did she really want to be safe? Was being alone actually the best way to get over Logan?

As she walked back in behind Remy, she really wished she'd gone ahead and smoked with him…

*** *** ***

A few days later, Remy came back to Jacques's with Lila on his arm again. "What the…" Rogue said as she saw them come in.

"Dey do dat all de time," Elaine said.

"Do what?"

"Break up den get back toget'er. I t'ink dey do it for de make-up sex."

"Elaine!"

"Well, you explain it, den."

Rogue sighed. "You're probably right."

"Course I am. So dey're in your section. You gonna wait on dem, or you want me t'take over?"

"Give you that table? Ha! You know what kind of tipper Remy LeBeau is," Rogue said with a laugh.

"Oh yeah, you're jus' in it for de money."

"Oh hush. I already told you I don't have any feelin's for Remy."

"Rogue, dat's really not gonna work anymore. I saw de way you two were kissin' de ot'er night."

"That was just to make Lila jealous."

"Rogue, really, you need t'be honest wit' yourself. Dat kiss was more den makin' Lila jealous. You were still kissin' when she left de dance floor."

"Elaine, please don't, okay? I am attracted to Remy, but it can't ever go any further than that. I can't let myself go through that again."

"Why? Because of Logan? Rogue, you say dat Remy doesn't look like de type t'commit, but he's loyal t'Lila Cheney, an' she treats him worse den de chien."

Rogue looked down. "I…I just can't open myself up like that, Elaine. I thought you of all people would understand."

"Don' use me as you're model, Rogue. I regret de mistakes I made. You know I almost got married once? Dis great guy, Luc. He even loved Claire like she was his. But I called off de engagement 'cause I was scared of fallin' in love again, afraid dat he'd leave me de way Claire's papa did. So I pushed him away. De worst day of my life was when I saw him marry anot'er woman. I t'ought him leavin' me would hurt, but I found somet'ing dat hurt a lot more den dat ever would."

"Elaine, I…I didn't know."

"Don't like t'talk about it much. But listen t'me, Rogue. I'm not sayin' fall in love wit' Remy, but I am sayin' don't let dat Logan keep ya from fallin' in love wit' anyone."

"Just give me a little more time, Elaine."

"I know, Rogue, it's hard."

"I need to go see to my tables, Elaine." Rogue walked over to Remy's table.

"What do you want?"

Remy looked up. "Huh?"

"What do you want? Place your order. I'm a waitress, remember?"

"Just give us the same thing we always have, Rogue," Lila snapped.

"Sure thing, Lila. I'll have that right up."

Rogue turned and stalked away from the table, not even looking at Remy.

*** *** ***

"Chère?"

Rogue didn't have to turn around to recognize that voice. "Customers aren't supposed to be in the kitchen, Remy."

"Rogue, you know I'm in here all de time."

"I have tables to wait on."

Rogue tried to walk out of the kitchen, but Remy stopped her. "Where ya goin', petite?"

"I told you, Remy. I have tables."

"Tell me why you're mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you."

"Den what's goin' on wit' you?"

"Why are you back with her?" Rogue yelled. "Two nights ago she stormed out of a club with some other man because you were talkin' to me!"

"How'd ya know what we were fightin' about?"

"I'm not a moron, Remy. Look, you could do better than her, okay? Lila's a bitch. She doesn't even deserve you."

"Someone better den her? Perhaps you, chère?"

Rogue looked up into his eyes, hoping to see that he was joking, but could tell that he was serious. "Remy, you and I…we can't."

"Why?"

"I don't want to be with anyone. I just want to be alone, okay? The only man I ever loved was Logan, and that was nothin' but pain, so love is pain, all right?"

"Rogue…what…" He frowned, obviously confused. "Who was Logan?"

"It doesn't matter anymore." She grabbed a couple of plates that had just come up and shoved them at Remy. "Here's your food."

"Rogue, I…"

"Go away!"

"I'm sorry, chère."

Rogue turned around, not wanting Remy to see the tears that had suddenly formed in her eyes. "Just go, okay?"

"I do care about you, Rogue. We could try it, I t'ink maybe we'd have a chance at somet'ing."

"Go."

Remy sighed and walked out of the kitchen, knowing he'd never convince her to talk to him then.

Once he was gone, Rogue reached and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry Remy," she said softly, "but I just can't take any more chances when it comes to my heart."

*** *** ***

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