Chapter 15: Mardi Gras Birthday

                Remy walked down the sidewalk. The Institute was in view now, and he smiled. He'd been away to see the Morlocks and everything was fine, at least for now. The Professor had put mental blocks up so that anyone that came too close to their hideout would be steered away in a happy coincidence. Everyone but the Morlocks, of course, and they still considered Remy one of their own.

                He'd stayed over for two nights, helping to build some new beds, as a few for the younger Morlocks had started to rot away. Now he was glad to be returning, though he enjoyed his time with the Morlocks, he liked the Institute more... He would deny it if asked out right, of course, that was just how he was.

                Though it did not appear so on the outside, inside the mansion was abuzz. Students walked down the halls, back and forth between the kitchens to the ballroom, carrying food and black streamers and strange lights.

                Upstairs, Kitty and Rogue were getting ready in their room. Kitty leaned into the mirror, puckering as she applied a dark shade of  purple lipstick. Her outfit was most certainly for a party, but a little flamboyant - but that was Kitty. Rogue's voice issued meekly from the bathroom.

                "Ah dunno about this Kitty, there's too much.. chest."

                Kitty was about to respond when Ronnie popped her head in. "He's coming up the driveway!"

                Kitty jumped up. "Oh my god! Like, stall him or something! This has to be a total surprise!"

                Remy punched his code into the keypad next to the gate and waited as it swung open. He liked to wait for it to go all the way, so it served its purpose in the world, and he could appreciate the luxury of the gate system. He'd always been taught to appreciate things. With a yawn he continued in, taking in the sight of the mansion as he returned. It always felt so nice to be returning somewhere, after so much running...

                Ronnie dashed away, down the hall, and outside. Evan moved to follow her, but she motioned frantically for him to stay inside. "He'll get suspicious!"

                Slipping out the front door, Ronnie tried to stroll casually down the walkway to deter Remy as long as possible, until Kitty gave the word.

                Meanwhile, Kitty added the final touches to her makeup. "Come on Rogue, I haven't even started your makeup yet!" Rogue wandered out, looking down at her dress.

                "Ah can't do this."

                Kitty looked up to see Rogue in the dress she'd helped pick out - and started to squeal uncontrollably in delight. "Rogue, you look totally awesome!" She walked forward to guide Rogue by the shoulders to her mirror, hands covered in old fashioned gloves of the Southern persuasion, to match her ensemble for the party.

                "But Kitty, there's way too much skin.."

                "Rogue, don't worry about it! You like, need to stop stressing, just for tonight! People know to be careful. Besides, it's for Remy!"

                Rogue shot her a dark, confused look. "Why would Ah dress like this for him?"

                Kitty just shook her head and grinned, silencing Rogue by starting to apply lip liner. She'd spent a month planning this for Remy, and part of her grand design included dolling up Rogue. It was a big night for her, too, Kitty decided. She wanted her friend to try and forget about her powers for one night and have fun like everyone else. Kitty was determined, and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

                Remy smiled as he saw Ronnie and stopped to talk with her. She seemed talkative, almost unusually so, but he was just glad to be back. Consider him, Stalled!

                Rogue just sat back as Kitty had her way with the makeup.. Her mind wrestled with the thought of going down to the party, wearing such a revealing dress. Not that it was overly revealing, but.. she'd never exposed so much skin with so many people. What would Remy think?

                Rogue blinked, the thought unbidden. Where had that come from? What should she care how he thought she looked? No matter what she wore, she noted wryly, he always came at her with some lame flirt about her appearance. Rogue spoke as soon as Kitty was done applying the lipstick.

                "Can't Ah at least have a scarf?"

                Kitty grinned again, attacking Rogue's eyes with mascara.

                "No way! Trust me, Rogue, you'll be okay! Besides, Remy will make you totally forget about it."

                "What's *that* supposed ta mean?"

                Kitty looked up suddenly, shoving the makeup back into her dresser. "I wonder if he's wearing gloves! Shoot. Come on, Rogue, Ronnie can't stall him for long." With that, Kitty led a hesitant Rogue down to the ballroom.

                Minutes later Kitty emerged, peeking out the window as Remy and Ronnie approached. She grinned and ran out the door, seizing Remy by the hand.

                "Hey Remy!"

                Remy was indeed wearing gloves, thin black leather, fit to his hand like a second skin. He'd started to wear them more frequently as a prevention to finger prints, just in case. It would be good not to have to worry. There was Rogue, too... Why should she always have to be the one to take precautions against her abilities? That was a more secondary thing, of course, just to try and make her more comfortable. His interests were always his main motivation. At least, that was always his official status. Sometimes he didn't even know, really. Best not to think about it. He just let everything go as Kitty grabbed him, a bit of a shock as he'd just been talking to Ronnie.

                "'Ello dere, ma petite amie, somet'in wrong?"

                Kitty just beamed at him, leading him quickly into the mansion.

                "No, everything's fine! I just have something to show you."

                Kitty ignored any further inquiry he might have, simply leading him onward. The living room was empty - not usual for this time of day - and Kitty stopped him, insisting on removing his trench coat. She then led him to the ballroom doors. Without further ado, she threw open the doors and shoved him inside..          The grand hall was decorated in high Mardi Gras theme - colored lights covered the walls and ceilings, and bright paper lanterns were strewn about the tables. Various decorations tied in with a deep southern New Orleans feel - grinning skulls, French posters, voodoo knick knacks. At the front of the dance floor Rhyth was spinning at a DJ table. The music was authentic Cajun music, some remixed by Rhyth himself, whose mutant powers revolved around manipulating sound.

                Students shouted greetings and 'Happy Birthdays' to Remy when he entered, and Kitty stood back with a bright smile.

                Remy blinked as his coat was removed, leaving him in the dirty white t-shirt, which sported Jim Morrison on the front, and his usual jeans and boots. Once he'd processed what had happened he grinned and got into the party, shaking some hands, taking in the decorations, and even made some small talk. Of course, his first priority was to grin back at Kitty and give her a soft, "Thank you, cheri."

                Kitty just smiled at him, watching as he joined the party. Perfect. Her first mission was accomplished. Now for the second.. Kitty disappeared into the crowd, looking for Rogue.

                Silly of her, though, to think Rogue would be in the crowd. In between the time it had taken Kitty to meet Remy and bring him inside, Rogue had started back upstairs, bent on finding a scarf or sweater. She was halfway up the stairs when the commotion started behind her. She looked down to see Kitty ushering in Remy. Torn, Rogue stopped to think for a long moment. Kitty seemed determined that she do this, though Rogue wasn't sure why. What did it matter to her whether she wore this or something long sleeved and baggy? She tried to see Kitty's side of it, though, and maybe if she just stuck to the side...

Not fully convinced on the inside, but trying to look as in control on the outside, Rogue walked slowly down the stairs.

                The dress Kitty had helped her pick was a black slip dress, crepe material with French lace trim at the neck and hem. The same lace trimmed the top of black, arm length gloves. She wore sheer nude tights for the sake of covering her skin, with black strappy heels. Kitty left her makeup in natural colors - to give the Goth look a rest, she'd said, though still let her indulge in dark eye shadow. She pinned her hair up, gathered back into a bun by a jeweled hairnet, leaving the two white strands down.

                Rogue could only try to keep her chin up, and her heart rate down.

                There were a few soft snickers from no other than Bobby Drake and his buddies, Evan among them as usual. They grabbed Remy once he was close enough and whispered to him, fingers gestured toward Rogue, though they attempted to keep them hidden. Remy followed the motions and caught sight of Rogue, and his jaw hung slack for a moment as he took her in. Bobby elbowed him in the ribs and snickered again, Remy chuckled along this time and nodded along with what they were saying before he moved off to 'mingle', slowly closer and closer towards Rogue.

                That was another thing Rogue hadn't quite anticipated. Alright, so maybe the other students would be able to keep their distance. It didn't change the fact that they'd do a fair amount of pointing and whispering. She couldn't say that they were negative comments, but the fact that they were commenting at all went against everything she'd strived for the past few years - stay in the background, out of sight, out of mind. It was part of the whole Goth look that clearly said to the outside world "Do Not Enter". And what was she doing now?

                Rogue's determined stride faltered at the thought, and for an instant she thought of running back upstairs, before she spotted Remy coming near. Run now, and what would he think? Eurgh, back to that train of thought again... Rogue alighted the steps and made her way across the room in a random direction, pretending not to have noticed him, or Bobby and Evan's pointing.

                He registered this but kept his demeanor the same. Eventually they all took their seats, Remy at the head of the table as the cake, candles lit, levitated out into the slightly darkened room. Everyone started to sing and Remy just grinned as he watched the delicious looking treat come closer and closer. He blew the candles out at the end of the song and the cake began to serve itself, marble cake, chocolate and vanilla together. Ice cream too, traditional vanilla. He looked like a little kid as he dug in, loving the party.

                Once the food was done it was time for presents. There were only a few, one from the Professor, Dr. McCoy, and then a card from all the rest, with a very generous check inside. Everyone had pitched in since they knew Remy didn't have anyone to give him allowance or a job, and they preferred to not be hustled, of course. He was very grateful and in high spirits when the space was cleared for a dance floor.

                The lights went dark once again, the Mardi Gras lanterns illuminating the dance floor with sultry shades of violet, crimson, and green. Rhyth announced the opening song, voice projecting across the crowd without the aid of a microphone - part of his abilities. An old-sounding record played, thrumming out the beat to the Cajun Fiddle. Rhyth spun the record and added other sounds to give it a modern flair.

                Rogue, who had somehow managed to stay pretty much out of sight, wandered over, watching the students begin to crowd the dance floor. Kitty waved at her from across the room where she was talking with Jean, who gave her an appreciative smile. Rogue waved back half heartedly, feeling out of place. She tried her best to smile, though. It was to celebrate Remy's birthday, and it was no use bringing herself or anyone else down. Now where was that boy?

                Remy was out on the dance floor, teaching everyone some new moves. It was a strange jig-like dance, almost. He worked himself into a fervor along with the music, and he got some others to join in the primitive dancing, tapped into the beat of the music. Of course by the time the song was done he was exhausted, as were some others, though they stayed out to dance in a less draining manner. Remy went and leaned against a wall, and looked around as he wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. His eyes were searching the crowd for someone specific; little did he know she was off to his side, not out on the dance floor in front of him... He should have known, though, Rogue didn't seem like the dancing type.

                Shortly Rogue had been able to spot Remy teaching the students a new kind of dancing. He was as light on his feet on the dance floor as he was in combat, not really something she could say for herself. She wasn't one, for obvious reasons, to go dancing. Evan had wanted to take a video, once, of her and Kitty dancing, and Rogue had resorted to borrowing a Kitty's moves with a brief touch - she had none of her own to speak of. Still, it didn't take away from watching Remy dance.

                The song changed again, and she watched as he moved to the side, seemingly not noticing her. She suddenly felt guilty - she hadn't said a word to him all night. Now was her chance. Hesitating for a moment, she walked slowly forward, hands clasped behind her back, head tilted down.

                "Ya seem like you're havin' a good time."

                He blinked and looked over at her with a huge grin. There she was. He nodded to her question and straightened a bit. "I's a blast, p'tite, especially havin' such a pretty li'l flowah like yo'self all dolled up jus fo' Remy." He chuckled and reached out with his gloved hand and tilted her chin up to look at her. "I really 'preciate it, cheri... dis means a lot ta Remy..."

                Rogue looked up at him, allowing herself a small smile.

                "Ya really should thank Kitty.. It was her idea." She lifted a gloved hand and put it on his as if to push it away, but she didn't attempt to move it. Her gaze wandered to where Kitty was, talking animatedly with Rahne and Kurt. "Still, she needed some help with the decoratin'.. She's not exactly the expert on the southern themes."

                He chuckled softly and pulled his hand away slowly, then turned it to grasp Rogue's hand as he lowered it. Remy thought maybe she'd rather keep the touching less obvious, and he didn't want to embarrass her and spoil any fun she might be having from... well, having stood around.

                "Looks wondahful... Remy can almos' heah de bayou..."

                The beat faded slowly, and a new record played. It was slightly tinny sounding, a slow Cajun air that Rhyth left un tampered with. Couples joined together, and timid young men asked girls to dance. Kitty had found her way over to Rogue and Remy, looking at them both pointedly.

                "Well? Why aren't you two dancing already!" She didn't get Rogue all done up for nothing; this was a part of her plan as much as anything. Rogue blinked at Kitty's forwardness.

                Remy responded similarly, slightly taken aback by the fact that she sounded as if she completely expected them to all ready be out on the dance floor. Well, he supposed it was his party, and he should be, but this was Rogue's roommate and should know her better than anyone... Yet she expected this. Remy chuckled and looked at Rogue with a smile.

                "Well, Remy would gladly dance if de lady would be so kahnd as ta dance wit' him..." He stepped back and gave a bow then kissed her hand the way any proper southern gentleman would.

                Rogue was determined not to blush, though she was fighting a losing battle. She couldn't refuse him, though, it was his party. Besides, slow dancing was easy enough, right? She didn't recall ever having slow danced, but judging by what she saw, it wasn't very complicated. She hoped.

                Rogue pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind, concentrating now on appearing completely in control. "Ah'd love to."

                Kitty grinned and walked away to dance with Kurt. Her job here was done.

                Remy led her out onto the dance floor, all ready getting the feel of the music. He positioned one of her hands on his shoulder and slid an arm around her waist, hand at the flat of her back, and took her other hand in his.

                "Yo' jus' follah me, p'tite... Remy know wha' he doin." He did, too, and started to guide her through a simple box step, though they were the only ones that danced this way. Still, it flowed perfectly with the music, even though he kept it a bit slow for her to be able to follow.

                Rogue found herself concentrating too much on the steps and not enough on the music. She bowed her head slightly and closed her eyes, focusing all of her attention on the beat. She only knew one type of dance - a type of waltz her father had taught her when she was little. There were often town dances held during the summer, and she remembered dancing barefoot in the grass, the music of the live band echoing across the river, fireflies seeming to move in beat.

                As Rogue wandered through her memories, her body more swayed than stepped, moving naturally with the rhythm. Who knew she danced best when she wasn't paying attention.

                He smiled when he felt her loosen up and get more into the dance. It was one of those rare, real smiles that didn't have the same almost commercial quality that his expressions usually carried. He pulled her a bit closer once he was confident his feet at least probably wouldn't get stepped on, his eyes once again taking in all the things they'd set up for him. Maybe she had been right when she said he had a home here. It was comfortable and normal here, and at least some, if not the majority, or even all of them seemed just fine with his presence. He let out a little sigh and just let himself enjoy the moment of belonging, something he'd been so close to with the Morlocks, yet hadn't truly felt since he left New Orleans.

                Rogue, half aware of the present, slowly turned Remy away from the box they'd begun to wear into the floor, and began to ease him into a different dance. It was a waltz, and though it was a three step, it fit in with the music easily enough. It had a slightly different hold as well, and Rogue moved to close the space between them. Her hand shifted from his shoulder to his neck.

                In her mind she retraced every detail of summers by the river with the band playing, people twirling around her, dancing with David. David. The thought of him jarred Rogue from her reverie, and she opened her eyes.

                She was just in time for the end of the song, Remy moved easily along with the new pattern until it slowly drifted away. He sighed again and took a step back from her, then bowed deeply and gave her his real, far more charming smile.

                "T'ank yo', p'tite. Dat was de bes' present yet."

                He moved back away from the dance floor as the beat changed again, over to the bowl of strange purple/blue punch that was set out for refreshment.

                Rogue watched Remy with an empty gaze as he went away, one hand coming up to rub her temple. Since when had she started losing herself in memories of her childhood? A small amount of pressure had begun to build at the back of her head, and Rogue moved off the dance floor and towards the kitchen.