Disclaimer: *sets up large diagram* All right, people, take note that all the characters on this list - and yes, it's a long list - are licensed to Marvel. We can play around with them, screw up their personalities until they're nigh near unrecognizable, and create the most inane pairings that our imaginations can fathom. But at the end of the day we have to reseal them in their plastic wrapping and return them to their proper, upright position. Those that don't comply... Well, how the heck should I know? No one's ever been foolish enough to not comply before!

A/N: Okay, so it's been over a month since my last update. What mediocre excuse do I have for y'all today? Let's see, there was another self-declared 'break week,' the insanely insane Christmas season, the much anticipated (and much drooled over) LotR: the Two Towers - though I consider that to be a very valid, very acceptable excuse to begin with - and the fact that I got stuck on this chapter because of research - which, incidentally, won't even be used until the next chapter. So there you have it... my excuses are weak, my reasoning faulty. Feel free to chew me out by the time you get to the end of this. : )

* WARNING: Stupid ramblings dead ahead. If you want your sanity intact I suggest you skip on over to the next asterisk.

~ 'anonymous,' Lynn P., T., Lucky439, TrinityC, Sujakata, girlonthemoon, KarenSedai - Kibou no Tenshi - You guys are amazing! Thanks so much for taking the time to review!

~ ishandahalf - All right, that is officially the longest review I have ever received! Not only is it the longest, but it also has the most exclamation points (77) and periods (85) that I have seen in one post! (And no, I did not count them by hand! I had Word do it for me. ; ) And you had me laughing out loud for most of it! I'd send you a trophy but I don't think it'd fit in an email... ; )

~ Bitchy Little Pixy - Another one that made me smile! You all should think of being on a comedy show or something. ; ) As for the Mary/Marie thing you were wondering about, don't worry, there's a reason for it. I'll explain exactly what that is later on. (I'm spewing out useless information once again!)

~ Rupeshwari - *glares at cute, fluffy plot bunnies* All right, which one of you stole that review? And don't go looking all innocent and doe-eyed at me! I know what you're capable of, you devious little fuzz balls!

~ Disturbed Courtney - I know what you mean about the name Marie for Rogue. (No offense meant, of course, to those who like that name for her!) The first thing I thought was 'It doesn't fit her personality.' Don't get me wrong, people, I love the name Marie. It's pretty in its simplicity. But it just seems too... feminine for Rogue. I always pictured her having a more unisex name, maybe even a boy's name, because she's somewhat tomboyish: kinda rough around the edges but still a lady. I got used to 'Marie' after awhile, but mostly I disassociate Movie-Marie from Comic Book-Rogue 'cause they seem so different in their demeanors. Why then use that name in this fic? Well, like I said to Bitchy Little Pixy, there is a reason for it. (Dammit! The useless information is running amuck!)

~ JADEOBLUE - Whew! Thanks for the save! Stupid bottomless pits are gonna be the death of me... Blinker fluid? *snicker* Good one! : ) "So does that mean there's only gonna be one cliffhanger?" ... umm... you DO remember After Midnight, don't you? (Hehe! Shameless plug! Shameless plug!) Btw, I tried your liquor-filled carrots idea. Now the bunnies are rabid and drunk. One word, HELP!

~ Kia Purity - *gasp!* Chibi Gambit plushie! Gimme! Gimme! *runs off to corner with toy while angry readers demand chapter* Shush! I'm busy here! Chibi Remy!

~ missy42 - The poker games are going good. We were actually expecting you at the last one. Kinda hard to reveal your winning hand when all your opponents have the ability to charbroil your butt within an inch of your life! ; )

~ Christy S - Again, no offense meant by my comments to Courtney. That's just my mindless opinion anyway. : )

~ jelispar - If the cliffhangers do kill somebody it's probably gonna be me. They always take the nutty people first. : ) And may I ask, "pancreatic transplants"? You've been thinking about this, haven't you? ; ) And yes, my muse has decided to extend his lifespan by purchasing a suit of armor. Damn thing weighs like three hundred pounds. I'm waiting for him to fall on his face so I can start laughing my ass off...

* Wow, those of you who didn't take the detour past the shout outs, you are brave to have waded through all that!

* During my month-long hiatus, I started thinking - *gasp!* Me, thinking? No way! *shudder*. Since my posts are getting a little more sporadic I thought I'd propose an EMAIL UPDATE LIST. Just to let you guys know whenever I get a chapter or even a new story up. For those of you who're interested, let me know where I can reach you.

CHAPTER 4
By the River

"All right, chère," Remy called out as he approached their wooded cove along the river. He could just make out the distinctive white tresses that marked his best friend's presence. "What's so important dat I had t' come right after school?"

Marie's voice filtered back to him from behind the fallen tree, carried over by the light wind caressing his face. "Come over here, Cajun. Ah'm nice an' comfy, an' Ah don' wanna get up anymore."

"Haven't even made it outta Hazard yet an' ya already sound like one o' dem movie actresses," he half grumbled as he climbed over the tree trunk and dropped down next to her. He was tempted to shield his eyes from the death glare she was pelting him with.

"Comments like that are gonna get you thrown out o' mah private jet by mah bodyguards a thousand feet up in th' air, swamp rat."

"Hey, people pay good money t' do stuff like dat."

"Yes, but those people have parachutes," she informed him sweetly. "Ah'll make sure that you don' get one."

"Nice t' know you still care, petite," he said, stretching out beside her. The cool grass beneath them further softened the blanket she had spread out. "You gon' tell me why we cancelled workin' on de Harley?"

She reached over and began rustling through her bag. "Lauren went out o' state ta visit some relatives over th' weekend," she began.

"An' dis concerns us why?"

"'Cause she got us these." She pulled out several pieces of folded glossy paper.

"Brochures?"

"Brochures o' New York," she clarified, handing the bundle to Remy and then digging into her bag once again. "And a map o' th' city." She unfolded the map and began pointing out the sights to him. "See, this is th' Statue o' Liberty. That's Central Park. There's th' Empire State Buildin'. Th' Brooklyn Bridge – "

"You sure you weren't a New Yorker in ya past life?" he teased.

She smiled as she turned on her side to face him, setting aside the map and reaching for the papers he held in his hand. Choosing one, she excitedly spread it out between them. "Isn't it beautiful, Remy? All alive an' full o' activity. So many people packed inta one small city." She rested her head against his shoulder, pulling the rest of her body close to his. "Ah bet if you stood on th' sidewalk in Times Square, a person from ev'ry corner o' th' globe would walk by you within a day. It's jus' that diverse a city."

"You t'ink?"

"Uh-huh. Betcha they don' even blink an eye when it comes ta mutants neither."

He tilted his head toward her slightly, until his lips brushed gently against her forehead. "What makes you say dat, chèrie?"

"Ah don' know... jus' hopin' they don't. A city with so many lifestyles an' so many walks o' life is bound ta be open-minded 'bout people, right? Less prejudice 'bout folks who're diff'rent?"

"Dere's prejudice wherever you go, Marie," he told her. "Even de most open-minded man has someone he hates."

She propped herself up on an elbow and looked down at him sternly. "When did you get so pessimistic, Remy LeBeau?"

He shrugged.

"It ain't one o' yoah more charmin' personality traits, let me tell ya," she continued. "Not that you had all that many ta begin with." Returning to her earlier position at his side, she declared confidently, "Folks aren't as bad as you think they are, Remy. Most o' them are good people. Jus' you wait, Ah'll straighten you out soon enough."

"Ya welcome t' try, chère," he murmured, "but I doubt you'll have much success."

"Well, Ah'm not givin' up on you. You ain't a hopeless case yet."

"I'm not?" He winked down at her. "I'll try a lot harder t' be one den."

Marie's only response was a deep yawn, which she covered with her hand. "Yoah lucky Ah'm sleepy right this minute, Cajun," she muttered, snuggling closer to him, "Else Ah'd say somethin' real unladylike. You mind if we took a nap t'day 'stead o' goin' over ta th' garage? Ah didn' get much shuteye last night..."

Remy watched her eyes droop until they were nearly closed. He couldn't help but think how adorable she looked trying to resist the heavy hand of sleep. "You ain't givin' me much choice, now are ya, petite?" he chastened gently. "Ya already out like a light."

"... am not." But her eyes had closed and her breathing had evened out.

"Are too," he whispered, pulling her fallen sweater back onto her shoulder and brushing a few tendrils of hair from her face. A cool breeze found its way into their cove, causing the branches above to murmur a soothing lullaby. He looked down at the young girl nestled against him and smiled. When he was younger, he'd often imagine what the faces of God's angels looked like. Innocent. Beautiful. Serene. His visions didn't even come close to the peaceful expression that overtook Marie as she slept. Tranquility personified, he thought, just before he closed his own eyes and followed her into sleep.

Hours later, he was jerked awake when Marie suddenly jumped as if she'd been burned.

"Chère?" he asked, imitating her movements and sitting up. He placed the palm of his hand flat on her back and began rubbing it back and forth in a calming motion. The tranquil expression he had witnessed earlier was all but erased from her features. "What's de matter?"

She was quiet for a few moments, squeezing her eyes closed and trying to regain her composure. Finally, she said, "It's okay... Ah'm fine."

"Bad dream?"

She nodded.

The fact that she still had her head turned away concerned him. "You wan' talk 'bout it?"

Taking a deep breath, she slowly exhaled. "Not much ta say. Ah can't even really recall any o' it. Jus' remember feelin'... trapped. Couldn't get out… couldn't breathe."

He quietly observed her before asking, "Why does dat scare you so much?"

"What?"

"Stayin' here. Stayin' in small towns like Hazard. Ya poppa's a preacher. Dey c'n get transferred from parish t' parish all de time. Seems like you should be use t' life in small towns by now, seein' as you've lived in dem since you were a pup."

She looked at him incredulously. "What are ya talkin' 'bout, sugah? What's that got ta do with mah dream jus' now?"

"It's got ev'ryt'in' t' do wit' it, Marie. You feel trapped here. Dat's why ya so itchin' t' get t' New York… t' de big city." He tucked his fingers under her chin and gently forced her to face him. "You don' like it here all dat much. Dat's no secret t' me. But you never told me why."

Marie hated it when Remy made his gaze as intense as he was doing in that instant. It was all she could do to not get lost in the blood-red color of her best friend's eyes. It caused her head to spin, as if he were hypnotizing her somehow, not letting her think on her own. She wanted to pull away from him, to turn around and hide from the piercing stare that seemed to stab right into her soul, digging incessantly until it found the answers it was looking for.

"S'all right, petite," he soothed, sensing her hesitation. "You know I won't tell anyone anyt'in' you say."

She knew that. She honestly did. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that the words spoken between them would stay between them. But there were some secrets that were harder to reveal than others.

"Have... have you ever thought things were a certain way, only ta discover that they weren't exactly like that?"

Remy acknowledged her with a nod, even though her question appeared to be rhetorical. He fell silent as she pondered her next sentence.

"All throughout mah childhood Ah 'member Momma an' Daddy bein' in love. Th' kind o' love that makes you sick ta yoah stomach 'cause wherever they'd go, they'd be holdin' hands an' kissin', whisperin' in each other's ear. Ah'd pretend ta be embarrassed, but deep down, Ah loved it. Ah loved how they'd sit side by side on th' park bench watchin' me play, with Daddy's arm 'round Momma's shoulders. Ah loved how Momma would feed Daddy some o' her ice cream, even though he had his own. Ah loved how Ah'd leave them talkin' in th' livin' room ta take mah afternoon nap, then come back hours later ta find them still there… still talkin'. It was somethin' Ah could always count on, somethin' Ah never had ta doubt. Momma loved Daddy, an' Daddy loved Momma. An' they both loved me, an' th' cozy li'l life we had in our small town. If a genie had appeared an' offered us three wishes, there wouldn't've been anythin' ta wish for. There wasn't anythin' else that th' three o' us wanted.

"'Least, that's what Ah thought. Daddy was out o' town fo' some seminar or somethin', an' it was jus' Momma an' me at home. We weren't doin' much, jus' sittin' by th' river, watchin' th' water float by. All o' a sudden, she asks me, 'You ever wonder if th' river thinks 'bout goin' someplace else, Marie?'

"Now, Ah was six years old at th' time. Ah couldn't really understand analogies yet, so Ah didn' know what Momma was talkin' about. She changed th' subject before Ah could say anythin', but Ah could never shake th' look that was on her face. Took me an awful long while ta figure out jus' what it was.

"That day didn' come 'til Ah was nine. Momma'd gotten sick. Actu'lly, she'd been sick fo' a while. She was gettin' worse ev'ry day, an' Daddy said... he said..."

The very first tremor in her voice was the only sign Remy needed to wrap his arms around her and pull her near. He gently rocked her back and forth, whispering soothingly into her ear. "Facile... prenez-le facile. C'est bien. [Easy... take it easy. It's all right.] You don' have t' finish, chèrie. If it hurts too much, we c'n stop."

She shook her head against his chest. "No... Ah wanna tell you." The hand gripping his arm tightened slightly, seeking strength from his embrace. Shakily, she took a deep breath. "Daddy said Momma... wouldn't be with us that much longer. That she was gonna... die." Once again, her voice caught in her throat and she was forced to pause.

Remy stroked the cinnamon strands of her hair. "I'm so sorry, petite." The pain of losing a loved one was all too familiar to his heart.

Her voice was barely a whisper as she continued. "Ah was sittin' with her when she started talkin'. She started tellin' me 'bout how she always dreamed o' bein' a singer. Now, Ah never knew this. Momma never really talked 'bout her college days that much, an' Ah guess Ah never really thought ta ask. Ah always knew she had a beautiful voice, but Ah never knew someone had approached her 'bout becomin' a professional singer. Don' think she even told mah daddy 'bout it."

She turned to Remy. "It took me three years but Ah finally realized what that look down by th' river was. It was regret. Regret fo' lettin' go o' her dream.

"Th' funny thing was, Momma never regretted marryin' Daddy or havin' me or livin' th' life we had. In fact, she loved it. But she told me that there was a part o' her soul, way back in th' farthest corner, that was always cryin' out, always wantin' ta be fulfilled – an' never was. She made me promise right then an' there, that no matter what happened ta me – no matter what choices Ah'd make in mah life – that Ah would always, always work on mah dream." A distant glaze settled over her eyes as she watched ghosts dance before her memory. "She died three days later."

A silence fell between them as they let the sounds of nature's orchestra absorb their thoughts. A flock of birds chatted away merrily, cutting through the clear skies overhead. The leaves and branches high above the earth waltzed softly to the music of the gentle wind. The river drifted leisurely down its predestined path, taking its time to noisily kiss the rocks and stones it met along the way.

"Did she know?" murmured Remy, finally breaking the stillness. "Did she know what ya dream was?"

"Ah never told her, but Ah think she knew." Her hand absently glided up and down his forearm. "Ah hope she knew."

The movements of her fingers were sending strange shivers through his body. "It'll come true, chère. Ya dream will come true. I promise."

She smiled at his prediction. There was no way for him to know that, but he said it anyway, with the simple intent of cheering her up. Her eyes drifted toward the horizon. The golden orange was mesmerizing, to say the least, and she slowly stood. Holding out her hand to him, she said, "C'mon, Remy."

"Where we goin'?"

"Down th' river."

He followed her gaze as he climbed over the tree trunk. "Ahh, sunset... shoulda figured." He grinned at her. They began to stroll lazily along the waterside, toward the dying heat in the west.

"You think if we keep walkin', we could prevent th' sun from goin' down on us?" asked Marie when they were several feet away from their cove. The sun was tentatively touching the tip of the horizon.

With boundless confidence, Remy proclaimed, "Def'nitely." He turned to her. "But if we went an' did dat, we'd be late f'r dinner. Can' let dat happen. I'm a growin' boy, y' know. Need m' nutrients."

She caught the gleam in his eye. "Growin's right." Poking him in the stomach, she teased, "Any fatter an' yoah gonna have ta think 'bout gettin' some new clothes."

"Oh, you are so dead now, chère." He reached out to grab her, but she danced out of his grasp and ran back up the river.

"C'mon, Cajun," she laughed over her shoulder, "runnin'll do ya some good. Catch me if you can!"

Smirking, he let her get a small head start before tearing down the river after her.

- oOo -

Remy stared at the sheriff in disbelief. "Que voulez-vous dire?[What do you mean?]"

The older man blinked. "What?"

It took Remy a moment to realize that he had spoken in French, a habit of his whenever he was feeling any extreme emotion. In this case, an uneasy fear.

"Je suis désolé, m'sieu [I am sorry, sir]. What did you say?"

"Marie never came home last night." The sheriff glanced down the hallway, toward the bedroom. Subtly, he inclined his head in its general direction. "She isn't...?"

Remy's eyes widened a fraction at the insinuation. "Non. She isn't."

"All right," Deputy Stephens interjected. "If she didn't spend the night with you, when was the last time you saw her?"

The somewhat malicious tone that accompanied his inquiry irked the young Cajun. "Last night after dinner. We were s'pposed t' go t' de garage an' work a bit, but she said she jus' wanted t' t'ink a little."

"You walked her home?" the sheriff questioned.

"Non. Left her by our cove, along de river. Dat's where we go whenever we want t' sort stuff out."

"Cove?"

"By de fallen tree at de river's edge, past de fields in de back o' town."

Sheriff Miller acknowledged his answer with a slight nod. "An' she didn't come by late last night? Or early this mornin'?"

Remy shook his head.

"Do you know if she's seein' anyone? A boy from school maybe?"

"She isn't."

"What about her girlfriends? Could she have spent the night at one of their houses?"

"Non.Marie ain't de type t' sleep away from home. She wakes up early t' help her père 'round de house, before goin' 'bout her day." Another look was exchanged between the two law enforcers, but Remy was too worried and too frustrated to care. Irritably, he asked, "Are we done now, m'sieus?"

The sheriff's attention snapped back to him. "For now, Remy. But we might need you to answer some more questions later on."

The young man nodded, and without another word, reached for his jacket behind the door. But before he could make it over the threshold, Deputy Stephens stopped him with a restraining hand to his chest.

"An' just where are you going?" he asked.

Remy all but snarled at the deputy. "T' look f'r Marie."

"We're already doing that, son. You'd only get in the way."

He stared at the other man in shock. "She's my best friend!"

"Let us do our jobs, Remy," the sheriff stepped in. "We'll find her, don't worry. She prob'ly jus' snuck off to a concert in another town or somethin'. In the meantime, I'd appreciate it if you didn't go back to that cove you mentioned. Let us look it over first, all right?"

Reluctantly, Remy agreed and watched as the two men left his home. They obviously didn't know Marie well if they thought she was the type to go gallivanting in another town late at night.

Something was wrong. He could feel it.


I wanted to point out that the first scene with Marie was indeed a flashback, but it wasn't the night before the sheriff's visit. It was just one of those many afternoons after school when she and Remy would hang out together in their cove.
Just so we're all clear on that. : )