Chapter 4: Non-Prescription
Rogue didn't feel like flying when she left the toy factory, she left walking quickly. She figured Logan wouldn't be tracking her anyway even if he had awoken, she'd flown a good enough distance to the toy factory, and Logan's senses couldn't pick her up from so far away by now. She felt she didn't have to concern herself. There was a small river under a bridge a half a mile away, which she walked to, she pulled the various bags of pills out of her pocket, and a few bags of powder, and she emptied them into the water, making sure to keep aside the blue pills which she hoped were going to be her saviour. She tossed away the bags and hoped she'd rid herself of any evidence of the drugs having been on her – hoping Logan would never sense that she'd had possession of them even temporarily, even if she hadn't planned on using them.
But the blue pills however? The blue pills she planned on using. What harm could it do her? She didn't even care to think, she reckoned the chance of any side effects were probably slim to none. And besides, she needed to test the pills before Logan had a chance of finding her, she realised he was probably waking up right now. His thoughts in her head had long since died.
Rogue opened the bag, and took out a pill, and was about to put it to her mouth.
"You sure you wanna be doin' that?"
Rogue felt her muscles tense, and she turned towards the left end of the bridge, the way she'd come from, there was dark silhouette, hair stirring in the cold wind. She recognised the voice at once, only…wasn't he meant to be in New Orleans. "Remy?"
"Chere," he responded, she saw his face light up as he clicked a lighter, a cigarette was dangling from his mouth, he held his hand up against the wind to shield the flame.
Rogue began to walk over slowly, the pill still in her hand, "You're meant to be in Louisiana…" she stated.
"Oui," he nodded, "But I back for a spell."
Rogue noted he'd only been gone two weeks and his accent was already sounding thicker than usual, she didn't care though. "Why?"
"I was concerned," Remy stated, "about you goin' to that party on your own…"
"You were there?"
"I made it there just as Logan caught you," He took a drag of his cigarette, and exhaled the smoke, he stepped under the street lights on the bridge, he had a small bruise on one cheek and a cut on the other, but he looked good, well rested and alert.
"What happened to your face?" Rogue gestured to his cheek with her bare hands.
"Been in a few scrapes with the Assassins, nothing I can't handle," he sat on the edge of the bridge, smoking his cigarette. "You're not seriously gonna take them pills, are you?" he gestured to the baggie that was still in her hand full of the tiny blue pills.
"I…Remy, you don't know how much these could help."
"I think I do, I heard the conversation in the toy factory, Chere…"
Rogue gaped, "so…you know that it was Pinocchio that stole the stuff?"
"I guess this rules me out as the chief suspect then, doesn't it?" He smirked a little, and exhaled smoke through his nostrils.
"I guess it does," Rogue nodded.
"Chere…y'know…you don't have to take those pills for me…" he looked at her.
Rogue drew her breath, "don't flatter yourself…" she muttered, but yes, she did want to take those pills for him, she wanted to be able to kiss him, to even feel that unsightly goatee brush against her chin, to feel his lips brushing against hers in the way he'd kissed her that day in the library. It had been so brief, but it stuck out in her mind as if it had been the longest kiss in the world, and had never ended yet.
Remy looked at her, he tossed his cigarette over into the river, and he climbed off of the wall, he walked over, "you don't need to be taking pills, Marie…"
"Remy, are you crazy?! I can't TOUCH people, who needs to take these pills MORE than me?" she demanded, anger teeming inside of her, half of it felt as if it were just frustration that she could not be with him.
Remy looked at her, "he took the baggie from her hand, and looked at it, "I'll take this…" he stated, forgetting Rogue still had one in her hand.
Rogue looked at him, "Why are you doing this?! You said we'd over come the touching thing, Remy, why are you taking away from me what could be the only cure?"
"Chere, you don't want to be addicted to some drug the rest of your life," he walked over to the rivers edge, and opened the baggie.
"Remy, no!" she screamed, she rushed towards him.
He tipped the bag upside down, spilling the pills into the water, they disappeared into the murky depths. Rogue looked at him, exasperated.
Remy looked at her, "You have one pill…" he finally remembered, "be strong, throw it in the water."
"No…" Rogue stepped back from him.
"Chere, you're above taking pills for kicks," he looked at her, "and that's all touching is, it's a kick, taken for granted by guys like me with girls like you," Remy's voice was firm, he sounded so sure that he was right.
Rogue kept her eyes on him, "don't do this to me, Remy, please…you've done so much to me already that I can't take more, you made up lies and bullshit excuses, made me love you and let me find out the truth…" she looked at him, "you can't have me love you and not let me touch you…"
"What if it kills you…"
"It won't!" Rogue was upset.
"What if it does?" He asked.
"Then I'd die for something I wanted…"
"You ain't much use to me dead, Chere," Remy pointed out. "I can't love a corpse."
"How do I know you even love me, Remy?" Rogue suddenly tried to change the subject, "You fucked off to New Orleans and didn't even CALL for two weeks, and while I was sitting up all night thinkin' about you, you were probably off screwing with your future wife!"
"I'm not going to marry her, I already told you that," Remy stated.
Rogue paused, wondering how she was going to get Remy's support on this, she then tried something else, "remember that night on Muir Island, Remy?" she asked softly, "in your room…" she looked at him.
"How could I forget," he murmured.
"What if we could have that…and so much more – tonight – because of this pill?" she held her hand up showing him the pill.
Remy looked distressed for a moment, "I…no, no, I'm not gonna be tricked into letting you take some drug that's non-prescription just because there's a possibility of sex for me at the end of it," Remy turned away, leaning on the wall of the bridge, looking over into the murky water.
Rogue sighed, she stood holding the pill, she wanted so bad to take it, to see what might happen, all she wanted was Remy, she'd do it for him…but it wasn't what he wanted now, it was so confusing. "What do you want from me? If you don't want sex, then what IS it you want," she looked at him.
Remy glanced over his shoulder at her, "I want you to toss that pill in the water – so I can rest peacefully tonight that you'll still be alive in the morning when I wake up."
She walked over to where he was, and looked down into the water, she sighed and held her open palm out – the pill sitting there. She turned her hand over and let it drop, at the same time a sob escaped her.
Remy slipped his arms around her carefully, and pulled her closer to him, "sssh…" he murmured.
Rogue cried into his chest for a few moments, then a familiar voice startled them both.
"You two are in deep SHIT."
Rogue turned around, drying her tears on her sleeve, noting her eyeliner had run a little. Logan was standing at the end of the bridge looking at them with a not-too-happy expression. Rogue looked at Remy and sighed, moving away from him, "lets go home…" she sighed.
