They entered the restaurant. It was gorgeous. There were white tablecloths that could be seen through the entranceway, lush potted plants, and thick red carpet. Everything understated but very classy. They were all suitably impressed and a bit in awe. A snooty-looking maitre de eyed them and their clothing with contempt. "I don't believe our establishment would suit your needs. Why don't you go try McDonald's like good little street urchins?"
There was a small rumble, a sure sign that even Lance was close to losing his temper, NOT a good sign all things considered. The man looked startled. Remy stepped ahead of them all and took the maitre de aside. He began talking rapidly in French, and once the name 'Xavier' slipped from his mouth, the maitre de paled slightly, but still wasn't completely convinced.
"How do I know you didn't just look the name up?"
Rogue and Tabitha exchanged a look, and their eyes lit up. Rogue stepped forward and batted her eyes. "Ah dunno... do ya guys think we should call Uncle Charles an' let him know that we weren't bein' treated with the utmost respect?"
Remy handed Tabitha his cell phone. "Be my guest, p'tite."
The man paled even further. "T-that won't be necessary," he stuttered. "Please step this way." He led them to a large table in a room in the back. "Someone will be here to serve you shortly."
"Ooo," Tabitha marveled as Pietro helped her into a seat. "This place is sooo nice!"
Fred's eyes followed a dessert cart going by. "Definitely," he drooled.
Remy held Rogue's seat out for her as well. She smiled and placed her hand on top of his before sitting down. Remy scooted her in and took the seat next to her.
"Umm..." Todd started looking at the menu. "Can someone tell me why this isn't in American?"
Remy raised an eyebrow. "It's in French, mon ami," he said after examining it.
"Terrific," Lance mumbled. "Where can I find a simple cheeseburger?"
Remy stole a glance at Rogue. She smirked back as well. 'This is gonna be good.'
"I'd be happy t' translate," Remy offered.
Pietro gazed at him with barely concealed horror. "OhrightandendupwithGodknowswhatonmyplate?!Idon'tthinkso!"
"Pietro, Ah think you an' Remy need ta get ovah yoah li'l rivalry. Remy has obviously moved on past it an' you need ta, too." She smiled warmly, tilting her head to the side. "Honestly."
He stared at her for a moment. Just stared. Then he looked at his menu. "I'm having that," pointing at a picture of some roasted poultry. "Help who ever you want."
Before Remy could retort, the waitress came up. "Bon jour and welcome to La Rose Cristal," she spoke in a light French accent, definitely practiced. "I'm Courtney, your waitress." The obviously forced professional smile was taking a toll from the long day. "May I take your drink orders?" The girl almost sighed from boredom. Four hours of this already. Damn, she hated Christmas.
"Aww, p'tite. I'll just have a Coke." Remy took her hand. His eyes connected with her chocolate brown ones through the black, wrap-around shades and she just about melted. A deep blush rose on her face a couple shades darker than her maroon hair.
"Umm..."
"Ow!" Remy turned away from her for a moment to nurse his aching side. Rogue rubbed her elbow, a promise that she would do it again.
"I'll have a Mountain Dew," Pietro told the waitress who was having a hard time keeping her eyes off Remy, much to Rogue's displeasure.
"A lemonade," Todd informed her.
"Hot chocolate for me," Fred said.
"Water," Lance mumbled, head resting on his arms.
"A mocha cappuccino," Rogue added in an icy tone, shooting daggers at the girl with her eyes.
"Mm-hmm..." She finished scribbling then looked up and just sort of stared dreamily at Remy.
Another girl, slightly older, also clearly a waitress, with waist-length dark brown hair entered the room before Rogue could snap and cause a scene. "Cor, sweetie, we have CUSTOMERS waiting. Now stop drooling at the hottie and worry about the rest of your tables."
Courtney looked mortified. "Lilith!" she hissed. She bit her lip and stared wistfully at Remy one more time before being led away by the other waitress.
Lilith smiled kindly. "She'll be back with more sense in her, I promise." She nodded her apologies to the fellow goth girl and left with the still blushing Courtney.
Rogue watched them leave, glaring. "Ah don't want her back here."
"Chere, it was all me on dat one. Give de girl a break."
"Oh, so now it's customary foh ya ta flirt with all our waitresses? Wonderful! Lance, switch seats with me." She abruptly got up, waiting for him to move. Under her angry glare, he cowered and did as he was told.
"At least HE won' elbow me."
"Lance, elbow him."
"Uh-uh. I want NO part of your little lover's quarrel."
A few minutes later everyone had figured out what they wanted (with Remy's help) and the waitresses reappeared. The redhead was still slightly flushed and the brunette looked amused. "Now, you think you can stop salivating long enough to take their orders?"
"Lil!"
"Sorry, sorry." She didn't sound sorry at all. Her lips twitched and there was a mischievous glint in her green eyes. "I'll check up on you later. Be good." She slipped back out the huge arched doorway with a wink at the others.
Courtney looked at her feet and then to Rogue. "Hey, I'm sorry about a few minutes ago... I was completely outta line considering you guys are a couple an' all." She noted to herself that the goth girl had changed her position as she handed her the cappuccino.
"Don't worry 'bout it," Rogue answered simply, taking a sip of her drink. The waitress just nodded, not at all convinced she was forgiven. She barely second glanced Remy as she handed out the rest of the drinks.
"Are you guys ready to order your meals or do you need a few more minutes?" The group said they were ready and after she'd gone around the table, scribbling down their orders, she excused herself and rushed away from the table. Rogue continued glaring at Remy.
"Que? Can I help it if de femmes fall at m' feet?"
"Ah don't even wanna hear it. Ya didn't hafta hold her hand an' bait her lahk that. How Ah could evah fall foh a guy lahk you confuses the hell outta me. It's not lahk Ah flirt with other guys raht in front o' you!"
"What happened with Pietro back at de mansion, eh?!"
"Ya know Ah was jokin'! An' it's different with him. We're here foh five minutes an' you're workin' yoah charm power lahk ya're God's gift ta women!"
"Fine. Y' wan' get all pissy 'bout it, be m' guest. I don' fuckin' care." He angrily gulped his Coke, mistakenly getting bubbles up his nose, but to save his pride he ignored it. Rogue hmphed as well, sipping her cappuccino in the same matter, though her tongue didn't burn. 'Nothin' like invulnerability,' she decided.
Toad eyed the two angry southerners and decided now was a good time to make himself temporarily scarce. "Um... I'm gonna go to the little boys' room, yo."
Lance's head snapped up. "No! No stealing!"
'How did he KNOW?!' "I wasn't! Geez..."
There was a low hum as Pietro began to fidget, drumming his fingers against the table at super speed and glancing impatiently at his watch about every millisecond. "Man, how long is this gonna TAKE?"
"Excuse me if Ah'm makin' this so uncomfortable foh you guys!" Rogue stood up and stalked away from the table. Tabitha shifted in her seat for a moment before deciding that Rogue needed another female to talk to. She nodded to Remy, wordlessly telling him that she'd try her best to calm her down. He sighed and waved her away.
"You can't let her push you around like that. I mean, who wears the pants in this relationship?" Lance said.
"Dammit! I can't sit still this long!" Pietro stood up and decided to roam. Lance figured he was getting mischievous, but if it got him out of his hair, who cared?
Remy watched him go and sighed again. "I fucked up dis time, homme."
"No, this is what you needed. You notice how you've been nothing but whipped by her since who knows how long? You need to show her how much she takes you for granted. I know how she works. She needs the attention, regardless of whether she knows it or not."
"So y' sayin' I ignore her?"
"Something like that. Not completely though."
"I can' believe I'm get'in' girl advice from you o' all people."
"Aww, c'mon, I'm a ladies guy myself."
"I'll remember dat if I decide t' drop a buildin' on Rogue's maman."
Lance growled at the obvious reference made towards Kitty and her parents, but then smiled. "That wouldn't be too bad an idea now that I think about it..."
Remy smirked briefly. "Non. It wouldn'."
"So wh-" There was a sudden shriek in the main dining room. Lance sighed. "Oh, I don't even want to KNOW what they're up to."
TBC...
There was a small rumble, a sure sign that even Lance was close to losing his temper, NOT a good sign all things considered. The man looked startled. Remy stepped ahead of them all and took the maitre de aside. He began talking rapidly in French, and once the name 'Xavier' slipped from his mouth, the maitre de paled slightly, but still wasn't completely convinced.
"How do I know you didn't just look the name up?"
Rogue and Tabitha exchanged a look, and their eyes lit up. Rogue stepped forward and batted her eyes. "Ah dunno... do ya guys think we should call Uncle Charles an' let him know that we weren't bein' treated with the utmost respect?"
Remy handed Tabitha his cell phone. "Be my guest, p'tite."
The man paled even further. "T-that won't be necessary," he stuttered. "Please step this way." He led them to a large table in a room in the back. "Someone will be here to serve you shortly."
"Ooo," Tabitha marveled as Pietro helped her into a seat. "This place is sooo nice!"
Fred's eyes followed a dessert cart going by. "Definitely," he drooled.
Remy held Rogue's seat out for her as well. She smiled and placed her hand on top of his before sitting down. Remy scooted her in and took the seat next to her.
"Umm..." Todd started looking at the menu. "Can someone tell me why this isn't in American?"
Remy raised an eyebrow. "It's in French, mon ami," he said after examining it.
"Terrific," Lance mumbled. "Where can I find a simple cheeseburger?"
Remy stole a glance at Rogue. She smirked back as well. 'This is gonna be good.'
"I'd be happy t' translate," Remy offered.
Pietro gazed at him with barely concealed horror. "OhrightandendupwithGodknowswhatonmyplate?!Idon'tthinkso!"
"Pietro, Ah think you an' Remy need ta get ovah yoah li'l rivalry. Remy has obviously moved on past it an' you need ta, too." She smiled warmly, tilting her head to the side. "Honestly."
He stared at her for a moment. Just stared. Then he looked at his menu. "I'm having that," pointing at a picture of some roasted poultry. "Help who ever you want."
Before Remy could retort, the waitress came up. "Bon jour and welcome to La Rose Cristal," she spoke in a light French accent, definitely practiced. "I'm Courtney, your waitress." The obviously forced professional smile was taking a toll from the long day. "May I take your drink orders?" The girl almost sighed from boredom. Four hours of this already. Damn, she hated Christmas.
"Aww, p'tite. I'll just have a Coke." Remy took her hand. His eyes connected with her chocolate brown ones through the black, wrap-around shades and she just about melted. A deep blush rose on her face a couple shades darker than her maroon hair.
"Umm..."
"Ow!" Remy turned away from her for a moment to nurse his aching side. Rogue rubbed her elbow, a promise that she would do it again.
"I'll have a Mountain Dew," Pietro told the waitress who was having a hard time keeping her eyes off Remy, much to Rogue's displeasure.
"A lemonade," Todd informed her.
"Hot chocolate for me," Fred said.
"Water," Lance mumbled, head resting on his arms.
"A mocha cappuccino," Rogue added in an icy tone, shooting daggers at the girl with her eyes.
"Mm-hmm..." She finished scribbling then looked up and just sort of stared dreamily at Remy.
Another girl, slightly older, also clearly a waitress, with waist-length dark brown hair entered the room before Rogue could snap and cause a scene. "Cor, sweetie, we have CUSTOMERS waiting. Now stop drooling at the hottie and worry about the rest of your tables."
Courtney looked mortified. "Lilith!" she hissed. She bit her lip and stared wistfully at Remy one more time before being led away by the other waitress.
Lilith smiled kindly. "She'll be back with more sense in her, I promise." She nodded her apologies to the fellow goth girl and left with the still blushing Courtney.
Rogue watched them leave, glaring. "Ah don't want her back here."
"Chere, it was all me on dat one. Give de girl a break."
"Oh, so now it's customary foh ya ta flirt with all our waitresses? Wonderful! Lance, switch seats with me." She abruptly got up, waiting for him to move. Under her angry glare, he cowered and did as he was told.
"At least HE won' elbow me."
"Lance, elbow him."
"Uh-uh. I want NO part of your little lover's quarrel."
A few minutes later everyone had figured out what they wanted (with Remy's help) and the waitresses reappeared. The redhead was still slightly flushed and the brunette looked amused. "Now, you think you can stop salivating long enough to take their orders?"
"Lil!"
"Sorry, sorry." She didn't sound sorry at all. Her lips twitched and there was a mischievous glint in her green eyes. "I'll check up on you later. Be good." She slipped back out the huge arched doorway with a wink at the others.
Courtney looked at her feet and then to Rogue. "Hey, I'm sorry about a few minutes ago... I was completely outta line considering you guys are a couple an' all." She noted to herself that the goth girl had changed her position as she handed her the cappuccino.
"Don't worry 'bout it," Rogue answered simply, taking a sip of her drink. The waitress just nodded, not at all convinced she was forgiven. She barely second glanced Remy as she handed out the rest of the drinks.
"Are you guys ready to order your meals or do you need a few more minutes?" The group said they were ready and after she'd gone around the table, scribbling down their orders, she excused herself and rushed away from the table. Rogue continued glaring at Remy.
"Que? Can I help it if de femmes fall at m' feet?"
"Ah don't even wanna hear it. Ya didn't hafta hold her hand an' bait her lahk that. How Ah could evah fall foh a guy lahk you confuses the hell outta me. It's not lahk Ah flirt with other guys raht in front o' you!"
"What happened with Pietro back at de mansion, eh?!"
"Ya know Ah was jokin'! An' it's different with him. We're here foh five minutes an' you're workin' yoah charm power lahk ya're God's gift ta women!"
"Fine. Y' wan' get all pissy 'bout it, be m' guest. I don' fuckin' care." He angrily gulped his Coke, mistakenly getting bubbles up his nose, but to save his pride he ignored it. Rogue hmphed as well, sipping her cappuccino in the same matter, though her tongue didn't burn. 'Nothin' like invulnerability,' she decided.
Toad eyed the two angry southerners and decided now was a good time to make himself temporarily scarce. "Um... I'm gonna go to the little boys' room, yo."
Lance's head snapped up. "No! No stealing!"
'How did he KNOW?!' "I wasn't! Geez..."
There was a low hum as Pietro began to fidget, drumming his fingers against the table at super speed and glancing impatiently at his watch about every millisecond. "Man, how long is this gonna TAKE?"
"Excuse me if Ah'm makin' this so uncomfortable foh you guys!" Rogue stood up and stalked away from the table. Tabitha shifted in her seat for a moment before deciding that Rogue needed another female to talk to. She nodded to Remy, wordlessly telling him that she'd try her best to calm her down. He sighed and waved her away.
"You can't let her push you around like that. I mean, who wears the pants in this relationship?" Lance said.
"Dammit! I can't sit still this long!" Pietro stood up and decided to roam. Lance figured he was getting mischievous, but if it got him out of his hair, who cared?
Remy watched him go and sighed again. "I fucked up dis time, homme."
"No, this is what you needed. You notice how you've been nothing but whipped by her since who knows how long? You need to show her how much she takes you for granted. I know how she works. She needs the attention, regardless of whether she knows it or not."
"So y' sayin' I ignore her?"
"Something like that. Not completely though."
"I can' believe I'm get'in' girl advice from you o' all people."
"Aww, c'mon, I'm a ladies guy myself."
"I'll remember dat if I decide t' drop a buildin' on Rogue's maman."
Lance growled at the obvious reference made towards Kitty and her parents, but then smiled. "That wouldn't be too bad an idea now that I think about it..."
Remy smirked briefly. "Non. It wouldn'."
"So wh-" There was a sudden shriek in the main dining room. Lance sighed. "Oh, I don't even want to KNOW what they're up to."
TBC...
