Chapter 4: Incredibly

             "Hey, what are you up to?"

             Rogue glanced up from the computer screen to the face of Jared Rickman, it was two days later, and the mansion had calmed down considerably in Remy's absence, almost everything seemed to be slipping back to some vague semblance of the normality it had once had.

             "Oh, hi," Rogue smiled a little, "I'm creating an email account."

             Jared sat in the chair next to the computer desk in the recreation room, and he looked at the name Rogue had chosen for the email account.  "Uhm, 'AceofHearts1983?" he asked with a slight hint of confusion, "That name doesn't suit you…"

             "Oh, its not for me – I already have five different email accounts, there's no way I'd need another," Rogue typed in a password, "it's for Remy.  He's useless with this stuff, but I know there's a computer in Muir Islands research centre that's free for general use, and I figured he could be emailing me in his free time.  I'll call him tonight with the details of how to use it."

             "Doesn't strike me as the type to be useless with computers," Jared picked up a pencil from the desk tidy and chewed on the top end of it.  "Computers are easy to use – so user friendly and easy to figure out.  How could he NOT be good with them?" Jared queried.  "Is he a bit dippit?"

             "Dippit?" Rogue looked at him, she'd never heard the word before.

             "Like, a bit dim…not very bright."

             "He's not stupid – man, he is FAR from stupid," Rogue looked at him, one thing she realised about Jared was in conversation, he wasn't very tactful, if he had something to say or ask, he simply let it out plainly.  No mincing words.

             "So, your boyfriend is a brainy cunt then?" Jared asked, caring not about his language at all.  He chewed on the pencil still.

             Rogue raised an eyebrow, and took the pencil from him, putting it back in the desk tidy, "that's not the particular word I would use for him," she remarked.  "But in ways, he's brainy," Rogue shrugged.

             "In what ways?" Jared smirked, "ways to tie his hair back?"

             "Hey, don't diss my man," Rogue stuck out her tongue, "He can pick any lock in the world, just about.  He can break into almost any security system known to man.  And boy, does he know how to fight," Rogue looked at him, "you haven't seen him fight, yet, have you?"

             "No, and by the sounds of that incident in the Nightclub, I don't think I want to – what is his power anyway?" Jared queried.

             "He can charge up objects with a kind of kinetic energy, and when it hits something, it explodes on impact," Rogue shrugged, "his powers also include natural agility, and, although he doesn't like to admit to it too much, he has the power to charm people with his eyes," Rogue explained.  "He's good with tricking people…his list of skills goes on and on…they're not the kind of conventional skills most people have, I mean he's a…"

             "Yeah?" Jared raised his pierced eyebrow at her.

             "A professional Thief…from an actual association of professional thieves known as the Thieves Guild…his family are major players in the guild.  And Remy told me he himself is one of the highest rated Thieves in New Orleans – or at least was up until he left."

             "Is this what he told you?" Jared seemed amused, "are you sure he's telling you the truth – it does seem a little corny a guy like him – of his age and stuff – could be a highly successful thief…"

             "I never said he was highly successful, but highly rated, yes."

             "And you believe him?"

             "Well, I always wondered if it was all true, really, up until Christmas, I met the rivals of his guild…they kidnapped me and him," Rogue explained, "and I'd believe he was really highly rated, he broke into this mansion, and you've seen our security…"

             "Yeah…its nothing short of federal prison security."
             "Even better," Rogue shrugged, "He can surpass it."

             "So why is he away right now anyway?  Did they exile him or something?"

             "Not really," Rogue typed a few more things into the computer for Remy's email account, "he went to help Professor Xavier with security matters on an Island in Scotland…but he's definitely coming back, he promised me."

             "Does he always keep his promises?" Jared stood up.

             Rogue looked away, "No."

             "Then why do you believe him this time?"

             "Because I know him," Rogue stated, "better than anyone, probably better than his own family," she took a piece of paper from a nearby pad and wrote the details of the email account she'd created upon it, leaving out the password, not wanting Jared to see.

             "Maybe you don't know him…I mean, up until three nights ago, you probably wouldn't have thought him capable of attempted murder…" Jared raised that pierced eyebrow again.  Rogue was tempted to grab a hold of it and rip it right out of the flesh in response to his comments.

             Rogue stood up quickly, "I'd rather the subject be dropped quickly, Jared.  Before I get mad at you," she looked at him warningly, then tried to walk off.

             "Wait, Rogue, I'm sorry…" He chased after her, and rushed to the door before she had the chance to reach it, "I am, I'm sorry, I have a bad mouth, alright, and I never know when to shut up," he looked at her, "forgive me?"

             Rogue clutched the piece of paper in her hand, "Well…"

             "Please?" he grinned at her.

             Rogue bit her lip, "fine, but next time, I won't be so forgiving."

             "Chere?"

             Rogue had been staring into space some time unknowingly.  It was perhaps forty minutes later and she'd been on the phone for some time with Remy, but her mind kept drifting, especially to what Jared had said.  Of course, as Remy's other half she had to defend him to Jared, and believe anything he said, but one small part of her kept repeating Jared's words in her head.  Maybe you don't know him.  That was what he'd said.  And Rogue had to wonder if it was possible Remy was perhaps more sinister than she'd imagined. 

             "Sorry," Rogue shook head a little trying to come back to her senses, Remy's voice on the other end having brought her out of a strange trance of thoughts.

             "You should beat, have you been sleepin'?" Remy asked from the other end.

             Rogue sighed, "Not really.  These last few days have been tough.  A surprise danger room training session this morning…at FOUR am," Rogue shuddered, "I was livid."

             "I bet you're glad that School will be almost over?"

             "Yes, and when it is I'm gonna try and get out of this place, to come and see you, even if I have to do it behind the Professor's back," Rogue yawned.

             "You missin' ol' Remy that much, huh?"

             Rogue smirked a little, "yes."

             "My poor Chere.  We'll be together soon enough."

             "How is it going over there anyway?" Rogue asked, "what exactly is it you're doing?"

             "At the moment I'm meant to be keeping it quiet, I told you that already," Remy sighed, "somethin's goin' on, that's for sure…and there needs to be some time before I tell you what it is…but I will tell you eventually," he assured, "It's doing my brains in though, really do wish I had your help."

             Rogue curled up into the sofa, she was sitting in the recreation room, it was quiet, being a beautiful evening outside the others were outside lounging by the pool in the remnants of daylight.  "It must be late there, Remy…what time is it?"

             "It's nearly midnight," he responded. 

             "Where are you anyway?" Rogue asked, every now and then picking up a strange chinking sound.

             "Telephone booth three miles away from the centre," he said.

             "But they have phones there in the centre…" Rogue said.

             "Yeah, but no fucking privacy," Remy said, "the only public phone is in the living room and there's always some fucking trainee research assistant hanging out in there…it's a nightmare."

             "There better not be any gorgeous blonde blue eyed trainee research assistants there," Rogue muttered.

             "No, just a tall busty redhead," Remy answered.

             "You better not have a thing for her," Rogue retorted.

             "If I had a thing for tall buxom redheads, I'd be dating Jean and not You."

             "As if she'd have you, no one is good enough for her except Scott," Rogue rolled her eyes, she hoped Jean wasn't around to hear that.

             "He was good enough for you once," Remy retorted.

             "Huh?" Rogue asked.

             "Oh come on, I've spoke about this with you already, I've seen the way you sometimes looked at him," he said, "Madly in love, you were, with him, but now I'm in your life, you got eyes only for me," Remy let out a soft laugh.

             Rogue giggled, "by the way, I made you an email account."

             "Email?  Oooooh, fantastic, I can send you digital photos of myself in the nude."

             "Remy, first of all, you don't OWN a digital camera, and second, even if you did, you don't know how to even attach files to an email…" Rogue laughed, "don't be stupid."

             "Actually, there's this trainee here who has a digital camera, I don't think he'd mind if I borrowed it for a while," Remy's voice lilted.

             "You'd better not, I check my email on the computer in the rec room – if Ororo or Logan came in and saw that on the monitor I'd be grounded for a year – and you would never be allowed back in this mansion."

             "Yeah, that's why you should check your email on Kitty's laptop, Oui?" Remy took on a sexy tone, Rogue couldn't tell if it was faked or not, but she convinced herself he had to be joking.

             Rogue thought for a moment, and then responded, "Vous n'oseriez pas," she said, it was a phrase in French she'd learned from Remy, it meant 'you wouldn't dare' – at least she thought it did, she wasn't sure, with Remy it might have meant 'screw me against the wall'.

             "Ahhh, I taught you well," Remy laughed softly, "so nice to hear a woman speak French," he sighed, "Well, I better go."

             Rogue chewed her lip, "will you email me?"

             "Of course," he promised, "if I can run it.  How do I access it?"

             "You go to w – w – w –dot-hotmail-dot-com," she spelt it out for him, "then type in your username which is AceofHearts1983, that is ALL one word, no hyphens or anything, okay?"

             "Okay," Remy understood, "I'll remember that."

             "I figured you would.  The password is douchebag," Rogue added.  "And my email is RogueXXX at Hotmail-dot-com," she explained.

             Remy gave a hearty laugh, "that one I'll definitely remember," he responded, "Alright, I'll see if I can email tomorrow morning?"

             "Alright," Rogue smiled.

             "Gotta go, bye…" he said quickly.

             "Bye," Rogue said sweetly, then hung up.

             "Sickening," Jared said, he'd been there for the last few seconds of the conversation, "what is it about this guy that makes you all gaga for him?"

             "I have no idea.  Frightening, isn't it?"

             "Incredibly."