Chapter 4, "American Woman"
By: RogueBHS
A/N: Well, it seems my muse is back, so if FF.net cooperates, I'll be churning out stories once (maybe twice) a week again. Wahoo! *smile* I'm also writing another X-men story, a Rogue-centric horror/mystery. It will be archived exclusively on my website that should be up come Thanksgiving. Thanks for all the reviews peoples!
Remy paced the hallway outside the briefing room, all but wearing a rut in the floor. Rogue had returned home from a successful mission with Bishop. One she had intended to ask him to accompany her on. Damn his temper. She was just friends with Scott. She had told him that over and over, and yet he didn't want to believe it. God only knows why. He stopped pacing. Could he be jealous?
Remy shook that idea out of his head. No. He had never been jealous before, and he certainly hadn't started just because the woman he loved was spending more time with another man. Of course not. He didn't even believe that himself. Remy sighed. Rogue had turned him inside out, and she didn't even know it. He was one whipped man when it came to her.
The doors to the briefing room slid open, letting Bishop exit with Ororo. Storm smiled to him, but Bishop didn't even glance his way. Odd. Not caring about those two at the moment, Remy poked his head into the room. Rogue was sitting in the chair next to Scott, and she was speaking with the professor. Rogue looked up at Gambit the second she sensed him, and gave a very forced smile. Gambit's heart sank.
Scott didn't even look up, just picked up from where Rogue had left off speaking. Rogue got up, finally earning Scott's attention. She glanced back at Scott and Xaiver, then to Remy. "Ah'll talk this ovah with ya latah if'n ya don' mind Professah. Ah need t' discuss somethin' with th' Cajun."
Profesor Xavier nodded, then waved her out. Rogue missed Scott's frown. Remy didn't.
Rogue grabbed Remy's arm before he could say anything and started leading him down the hallway to the elevator. "Remy, were you mad at meh before Ah left?"
He looked her way, surprised. He then hung his head, not wanting to lie to her...not this time. "Oui, chere."
"Why? What did Ah do?"
Remy made the mistake of looking into those emerald green eyes. She was hurt, confused. All because he had made the mistake of doing exactly as she had. He had locked himself up with a friend to talk because it was what he needed. What he had needed because he had been mad at her for holing up with her friend...Scott. He sighed. "I got jealous I guess, Rogue. I 'ad been lookin' for ya for half de afternoon, den when I go t' knock on your door, you be holed up wit' Scotty boy. I jus' not used t' ya hangin' out wit him...not yet."
Rogue sighed heavily, then slid her arm through his as they got on the elevator. "Sugah... Scott had been havin' some problems...family stuff...an' he needed someone t' talk to. He's tol' meh a lot about his family an' what not...so Ah seemed th' logical choice. If Ah had known ya were lookin' for meh, Ah would've taken a second or two for ya at th' least."
Remy looked at her. "Jus a second or two ma chere?"
Rogue smiled. It was more of a half-smile, but it lightened Remy's spirits to see it. "Ya aughta know bah now that Ah'd give ya all th' time ya wanted if you wanted t' talk t' meh 'bout somethin' Remy."
Remy shrugged, then glanced up as the elevator doors opened, admitting them both to the main floor of the mansion. "I suppose mebbe I should, but..." He trailed off as Ororo walked towards them, her blue eyes looking back and forth between him and Rogue. "Somet'ing you wanted 'Roro?"
Rogue couldn't help it. The half-smile disappeared, her expression became unreadable. Ororo's confidence that it hadn't been her Rogue was partially angry with disipated. "I was hoping to talk with Rogue, but it seems you've beaten me to it, Remy. If you have a second later Rogue..."
Rogue cut Storm off with another half-smile. "Ah'll search ya out latah sugah. For now, th' Cajun had somethin' he was sayin' Ah'd lahke t' hear th' rest of."
Remy gave as much of a shrug to Ororo as was possible. Rogue was already pulling him towards the stairs.
Ororo glanced up as footsteps echoed in the empty living room. The kitchen had been vacant since dinner, as the others had gone out on the town or somesuch thing. Though, two of the mansion's residents, aside from Ororo, were home still. Rogue and Remy had eatten alone in her room, as they were still talking about something. The fact that they had been truely talking instead of the usual shouting was a vast improvement.
There was a bit of clatter from dishes. So it was either Rogue or Remy. Good. Ororo wanted to talk to them both, but Rogue was the more important matter right now. The door slid open, admitting the lithe form of the very X-woman Ororo wanted to see. Rogue's eyes glanced in Storm's direction, but there was none of the cool reserve that had been there since the afternoon before Rogue's mission with Bishop. The fact that Rogue smiled was a relief. It wasn't forced...and it wasn't a half smile. It was one of the full smiles she used when she was happiest. Always a good sign.
Rogue set the tray with the dishes down by the sink, then glanced over her shoulder at Ororo. "Ya wanted t' talk t' meh Roro?"
Ororo nodded and leaned back in the chair she was sitting in. "Yes. I was curious about something really."
Rogue didn't look up from the dishes she was rinsing off. "Oh? What?"
"Before your mission, when we spoke, you seemed rather angry. And not just at Remy. I was curious if perhaps I had done something to anger you as well, Rogue."
Rogue sighed, and put down the plate in her hand. Turning, she faced Storm. "Ah wasn't mad at you Ro. Not really, anyway. Ah had gone t' look for Remy, an' thought ya might know where he was, but before Ah could knock on your door, Ah heard him shoutin. Ah didn't stay long, jus' long enough t' realize he was angry with meh. It kinda ticked meh off that he didn' talk t' meh about it...but that instead he went runnin' to you. That kinda tripped off an ol' jealous feelin' Ah've tried t' keep buried about how he c'n talk t' you. Ah tried t' keep it undah control, but Ah guess it showed since you're askin."
Storm nodded slowly. "I see." She paused, mulling it over in her head. When she spoke again, she met Rogue's eyes directly...sapphire blue to emerald green. "I cannot, and will not appologize for being a friend to Remy. He saved my life once, and the debt has been repayed in full. Yet, like Scott is for you, Remy is a brother figure for me, and a male friend with whom I can share secrets or laughter. As far as I am concerned, you and I, like Scott and Remy, needed someone to talk to. We chose respectively, for different reasons. Scott and I have no reasons for jealousy, as we are not romantically linked. Yet you and Remy have always been jealous of anyone who grows close to the other. I am sorry that you feel the need to be jealous of me, Rogue, as you are like a sister to me. Perhaps in time you and Remy will learn to look past this emotion, and simply trust. Until then, I will suggest that Remy talk to you rather than to me about personal matters, but if he refuses, I will listen to him. I cannot deny him that right to speak with me."
Rogue put her hand on Ororo's arm before she could leave the kitchen. "Roro...Ah'd nevah ask ya t' give up your friendship with Remy. Ah know deep down that it ain't nothin' but friendship between you two. Remy an' Ah talked for a long while t'day...an' Ah'd lahke t' think some good came outta it. Ah've always appreciated th' way you trusted meh, from th' day you all but made meh absorb your powahs t' see th' world through your eyes. Ah know Ah hurt ya when Ah left Remy in Antartica, an' Ah hurt him too. For that, Ah've not been able t' forgive mahself. As for trustin' him...Trust isn't somethin' that's come easy for meh aftah what Mystique did. Every time Ah think Ah'm ovah it, she shows up again, pushin' her lies back in mah face. But Ah am tryin' Ro. Just believe that."
Ororo studied Rogue's face for a second. "I already do."
Rogue watched in silence as Ororo walked out. Somethin' tells meh this ain' ovah yet.