Chapter 3:  Turning it Around

             Rogue had barely had time to enter into the dining hall when Jared caught her off guard, her arm brushing his as they almost bumped into each other, she felt the uncomfortable pain of electric shock swim through her arm, she jumped back, gasping.

             "Have you told him?" Jared asked, looking at her, his eyes so incredibly green she was almost lost in them.

             "No…" Rogue looked away, "He doesn't need this now, and neither do I," She tried to walk away, he moved so she couldn't pass.

             "Don't ignore me!" he hissed, "You know how you feel, if you didn't feel anything you wouldn't be looking at me across the table the way you've been looking at me all night!" Jared pointed out hotly.

             Rogue looked back down to the end of the hall about thirty feet away Kitty was standing against the wall, her face in her hands, not quite crying, but just really in distress.  It was either deal with Kitty, or deal with Jared, but there seemed to be no way of avoiding either, no matter which way she went she'd have to deal with one.  Jared was the nearest to Remy, who sat about twenty-five feet away in a chair, pouring more wine for himself.

             "I'm gonna marry Remy," Rogue lied, "He asked me, last night…and I said yes…"

             "You're lying," Jared frowned, "You wouldn't marry him, you couldn't because you're guilty – guilty about wanting to be with me."

             Rogue wondered how he could possibly know, she was beginning to worry just how much she was wearing her emotions on her sleeve at the moment, "will you please get off my back!" she hissed, "I'm with Remy and that's the end of it."

             "Your relationship with him is superficial!" Jared stated, "you like your macho pretty boy – and that's all he is, no real substance."

             "It's love!" Rogue spat at him, "And it's your problem if you can't deal with it."

             "You want him because you know what to expect while you're with him," Jared stated, "But you DO want me, because you don't know," he leaned against the wall, "you'll think about it and think about it, and it'll eat you up – but eventually you'll come running to me in the end."

             Rogue paused, looking away.

             "Is he willing to give you what I can?"

             "No."

             "Then why are you going to throw the opportunity away to be with me?!" Jared demanded angrily.

             "Remy might not be offering me passion, and cheap thrills, and a kiss that otherwise I would never have, but he's offering me a future, and support, and a hell of a lot more emotion than I think you could ever put into a relationship with me," she stated, "because if you loved me, you wouldn't be treating me this way, and if you loved me you'd know when to let go."

             "I won't let you go, and I won't stop persisting until you say you'll be with me…" Jared looked at her pleadingly.

             "Never," Rogue turned away from him, and headed towards the dining room

She returned to the table, taking her seat beside Remy, she pushed her plate forwards, her expression sullen.

             "Something wrong?" Remy queried, putting down his wine glass, he took a good look at her, he could see she was so angry she was shaking.

             "No…I'm just not hungry," she reached over picking up his wine glass and put it to her mouth, downing the contents in one gulp.

             Remy watched her, "you're upset…" he whispered, "You only drink when you're upset," he looked around suspiciously hoping no one saw her drink, the Professor would have a fit, "What happened?"

             Rogue's eyes swayed to Kitty as she took her seat back at the table, Kitty's expression guilty and melancholy, they threw looks at each other sadly, and then looked away from each other.  Kitty had probably seen the argument with Jared, Rogue wouldn't have been surprised if Kitty had overheard either.

             Remy stood up, "excuse us," he said to everyone at the table, he took a hold of Rogue's arm and hauled her up, "c'mon."

             "Where we goin'?"

             Remy led her out not into the hall, but into the foyer, the place was bustling with hotel business people coming and going, "What's going on?" He finally asked.

             "What are you talking about?"

             "I saw you outside with Jared, arguing…" Remy stated, "and with Kitty…I couldn't hear but something is obviously goin' on and I want the truth."

             Rogue sighed, "You don't want to know, trust me," she looked away from him.

             "Well obviously something is going on, you and Kitty were all friendly and happy before you left, you were lookin' really upset when you returned…"

             Rogue sighed, "Look I can't tell you, alright?  It's not my place…I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to," she sighed, she looked for the way out and found it, she headed outside, she heard Remy following quickly.

             "What do you mean you can't tell me?!  What's going on?!" he demanded, his voice loud.

             Rogue hugged herself against a slight summer night chill in the Edinburgh air, she watched traffic go back and forth across the street, she wanted to hail a taxi and get away from the place, get away from Jared and Kitty, but she had no money with her, and even if she did, where would she go?  Back to the research centre?  Back to where she could see the email again, back to where they could reach her?  She could fly away somewhere, but the Professor would locate her with her mind.  She realised she was defeated.

             She turned back to Remy, he looked slightly annoyed, but more than anything, just plain confused.  "Can we go somewhere…just the two of us?  Where NO one can bug us?"

             Remy looked at her, "why?"

             "I just…I need to get away from everyone…be alone with you…talk to you…got a lot on my mind…" she sighed.

             "I can book us a room," He shrugged, "if…that's what you want."

             "It's fine…just do it."

             Soon enough, Remy LeBeau had booked a room in the hotel, on the fifth floor, and they headed up there quietly, entering the room not speaking to each other, Rogue walked over to the window and took a moment to admire the view, she heard Remy close the door.

             "So…" Remy's voice was soft, "you…have a lot on your mind, you said…why don't you share some of this with me."

             Rogue turned and looked at him, "I want to change my mind," she said very suddenly, she walked over to the king sized bed and sat down, hands in her lap.

             Remy paced absently, hands in his pockets, "About…?"

             "About us."

             Remy turned and looked at her, panic showed in his handsome face but he didn't seem surprised, "so…it is true, you were planning to break up with me."

             "Huh?" Rogue raised her eyes to him.

             "You were planning to break up with me, I kept getting the feeling you were going to…" he sighed, "I…" he was about to say something, but Rogue interrupted.

             "No.  That's not what I'm saying," Rogue gestured for him to come over, he did so, sitting beside her, looking right at her, concern stretched across his expression, she could almost read his thoughts right then.  He was worried.

             She was silent for some moments, she wasn't sure how to word it, finally, she drew her breath and continued.

             "I…last night was a bad night for me, I was ill…hung over…stressed out…and then you…and…the ring…it caught me by complete shock.  I didn't know how to react…sometimes never know how to react around you, Remy…you're the first guy I've ever had a relationship with…and sometimes you throw things in my face that I just don't know how to deal with, period," she sighed, looking at him.

             Remy nodded, "I know, I sometimes have a tendency to…uh…spring things on you," He smiled nervously, "and at first I kinda resented you for…turnin' me down on the proposal…"

             "You said it wasn't a proposal," Rogue corrected.

             "Its as real as," Remy said, "anyway, don't interrupt," he put his hand on her arm, "I resented you…and then I realised…what am I doin'?  I was sittin' there proposin' to a sixteen year old girl, that's just too much to spring on one so young…"

             "You…said the age thing didn't matter, don't tell me you're gettin' cold feet about it now?" Rogue asked worriedly.

             "Not at all," Remy admitted, "Fact is…I realised that I should have expected you to turn down, you are only…seventeen…whatever," he looked away.

             "I changed my mind," Rogue said, "Remy, I want NOTHING to change, and I realised that if I'm determined nothing is ever coming between us and that I'm always gonna be with you, its already a commitment…"

             "So you accept."

             "I don't need the ring, but I will accept," Rogue admitted, "And more than just accepting,  I want it more than a promise, I want it all, I want the engagement…you said you didn't think it was fair on me to ask me to marry you while you were married to Genevieve but I don't care…I want to be engaged…to you…and we don't even have to get married 'til way, way, waaaaaaaaay later," she said, "I mean I can wait, until I'm twenty five if needs be…I want to be bound to you…and only you."
             Remy drew his breath, "I…wow…I can't believe it…" he looked away for a moment, so completely overwhelmed by this.  Yesterday she'd seemed so unsure, and talking about not deserving the ring, he wondered what had suddenly changed her mind.  He wanted to look at this from a suspicious viewpoint, but he was just so happy that she'd changed her mind, that he suddenly found himself seduced by her words.

             Rogue looked at him, "so is that a yes?"

             "Who's proposin' to who anyway?" he asked, suddenly realising she'd completely turned the proposal around.

             "I am," Rogue said, "Remy, will you marry me?" she looked at him anxiously, awaiting his reply.

             "Yes, chere, yes."

             Rogue stood up, "Lets go tell everyone…"

             Remy gulped, "tell everyone?  Tell EVERYONE, even Professor Xavier?"

             "Yes," Rogue answered.

             "But…he's the person we shouldn't tell…"

             "Remy he'll find out soon enough…"

             "Good point," Remy dwelled on thoughts of this for some moments, "what if he…goes ballistic and tries to split us up?"

             "I won't let him," Rogue said, "NO ONE is ever splitting us up," Rogue promised, and in her thoughts silently she added, not even Jared Rickman or Kitty Pryde.