Chapter 2: Conniving
Remy had fallen asleep, and had been aware how long he'd slept for, but when he turned to look towards the window, he could see it was dark outside, the room around him almost pitch. A figure, standing by the window startled him, made him jolt, and a spasm of pain ran up his back and he gasped, flinching in agony.
"Remy?"
Remy tried to reach to turn the light on, but it was too far, and he was too sore, "Marie?"
"Yeah…" came Rogue's voice, her voice was very slight, she herself sounding more tired than he felt, her silhouette near the window at an almost sheepish pose contrasted against the moonlight seeping in.
"How long you been in here?" Remy asked.
"A while," Rogue responded, he could tell her back was turned to him although he couldn't properly see her. "How you feelin'?"
"Fine, now that you're here…"
Rogue reached over, turning on a small bedside lamp, the room thrust in a soft warm light, her face coming to view.
Remy stared at her, her face seemed almost unfamiliar to him, so different from the last time he'd met her. Her eyes were ringed not only with tiredness, but also even thicker makeup than she had always worn previously, where once had been a deep purple eyeshadow, there was now black thick eyeshadow, and the liner around her eyes was smudged, but the contrast of the thick black brought out the colour of her dark green eyes, making them seem all the more incredibly vibrant. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders, it had grown some length in two months, and now, Remy noted, that save for the white streaks in her hair, the rest of it had been dyed a jet black.
He let his eyes wander down, she was wearing an incredibly risqué PVC top that zipped up the front, showing a vast amount of cleavage, her skirt shorter than usual, fishnet stockings adorned her legs – slightly ripped – and knee high platformed boots.
Remy had seen her in her most dramatic gothic states before, but this seemed even more over dramatic than usual.
"You…changed your hair," he wanted to find something nice to say about it, but the whole look made him feel uneasy, he didn't like it one bit. It made him feel as if his Rogue was no longer alive, that she'd been replaced by this black wearing pale woman standing before him, almost non recognisable.
Rogue gave a shrug, standing by his bed, "Kitty told me you wanted to see me…" she said, she folded her arms, standing a little apprehensively, her arms pushed up against her breasts making the effect of her cleavage even more dramatic. Remy wondered how on earth it could be that Professor Xavier would let Rogue wander around the Mansion in this way.
"Yes…it's…its been two months…I just…I wanted to see you," he tried to sit up.
"I need to go soon," Rogue tucked her white streaks behind her ears, "going to a party."
"With Jared?" Remy queried, he looked away, startled by his own jealous tone, he hadn't wanted to come out with such a comment, but it seemed to spill from his lips like water from a fountain.
"Yes," Rogue quietly said, she looked away from him, her long fake eyelashes seemed to almost caress the tops of her cheek as she did.
Remy felt very heartbroken, he was lying in the bed, virtually helpless, while Jared was stealing the only woman he'd ever loved.
"I caught the thief," Remy sighed.
"I heard," Rogue said, "People were saying rumours about it being your sister, but they claimed they were just words of delirium."
"No…it was my sister…" Remy said.
Rogue sat on the edge of his bed slowly, she crossed one long shapely leg over the other, there was an awkward silence between them both, neither knowing what to say to each other. He watched her pick absently at a thread hanging from the thumb of one of her black mesh gloves. Her eyes were focused upon the floor, her expression distant.
"I've done nothin' but think about you these last few months," Remy admitted after a time, he raised his eyes to look at her for a moment, then looked away to the window, "couldn't stop thinkin' about you."
Rogue didn't move, she pretended to be more interested in the floor than his eyes, "why didn't you get in touch?" she asked, she tried to make her voice sound strong, and nonchalant, but he could hear the emotion in it. The way she said it reminded him of the way a five year old would ask their divorced parents – in a hurt way – why they couldn't be together anymore.
"I…I wanted to see if you would get in touch first," he admitted, "I guess I wanted to know if you really would…let him tear you from me," he tried to swallow, a lump was building up in his throat.
"I have to go," Rogue stood up quickly, she quickly ran her fingers through her hair.
"But you have, haven't you?" Remy said, she had barely gotten to the door.
She stopped, hands against the threshold, she didn't turn, "its your own damn fault," she mumbled, and left silently.
"It's your own damn fault!" Remy repeated to Kitty, he was relaying the discussion he'd had with Rogue earlier that night. It was now almost one am, and he and Kitty were sitting in his room, Kitty sitting folded legged at the bottom of his bed, they were tossing cards into a hat for fun – since it was about all Remy at this point, was really capable of. "It's your own damn fault," he said again, "just what the fuck did she mean by that?" he asked, fuming, despite even yelling would make his back feel a twinge of pain.
Kitty gave a shrug, "You know Rogue, she doesn't like taking the blame for things," she chewed the fingernails of one hand absently, "everything is happening to her, but none of it is in her control," Kitty added, "I know she's my best friend and everything, but…yeah, that's how she thinks. I don't think she realises she does it though, to be honest," Kitty admitted, she tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Now you're just defending her," Remy sighed, he dropped his handful of cards on the covers, and sighed.
"So what if I am?" Kitty shrugged again, "she's my best friend, I'm meant to, even if sometimes she is a pain in the ass," she added, "I love her, really, she's like a sister, but the way she's been acting lately…god, sometimes I wanna kick her head in."
"What do you mean?"
"She's even more cold and aloof than usual, even to me," Kitty admitted, "happened almost immediately after we got back from Muir Island…she dyed her hair, started wearing all these promiscuous type clothes, her attitude is the worst so far, she even told Logan to go fuck himself the other day when he tried to ask her what's going on with her lately," Kitty admitted.
"So what's going on with her and Jared?" Remy asked, he didn't want to know, he really didn't. But he had to know, otherwise it was going to eat at him like a deadly incurable cancer until it killed him.
Kitty gave a shrug, "honestly, its what you fear worst," she admitted, "they have their little gothic club of two and don't really fraternise with us 'preppy' people. Jesus, now anyone who doesn't spread eyeliner on with a butterknife is deemed 'preppy' in Rogue's opinion," Kitty rolled her eyes, "Her defences are up, she gets hostile, then she goes into moods, and the only person she's really confiding in…is Jared."
Remy sighed deeply, "are they fucking?" he asked crudely. Again, he didn't want to know, didn't want to hear the answer, but he had to know.
"I don't know," Kitty said, "I never see them touching…" Kitty shrugged, "And I've never walked in on them having sex or anything…" her blue eyes looked to Remy. "I know they're considering them a 'couple', but that's about all I know."
"And it's my fault," Remy sighed, "probably because I drove her away."
"Probably," Kitty shrugged, "I mean lets be honest, Remy, you aren't exactly the most monogamist type guy on the planet, are you? If anyone should have understood how it felt to be torn between two people, it should have been you."
"I've never been 'in love' with two people before. Rogue is the first girl I loved," Remy remarked bitterly, "fat load of good love got me," he muttered, "I did it for her, I did everything for her, I went to Muir Island to stop that thief FOR her, so I could stop MutantX being put on the streets…and all I got…is it rubbed in my face that she's no longer interested."
Kitty rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, Remy. If she wasn't interested she wouldn't have come to see you at all."
"So you're saying there's still a chance?" Remy asked hopefully.
"Possibly," Kitty responded, she shuffled the small handful of cards she was holding, "but I gotta say, Cajun, if you're gonna get her back, you're gonna have to put on some real charm…" Kitty looked over at him, "every trick in the book you know, and then some," she stated.
Remy sighed, "I don't know if I have the strength for that, Kitty…"
"I'll help you, in any way I can," Kitty assured.
Remy looked at Kitty, wondering how it felt for Kitty to be hearing his woes about how much he loved Rogue, while she – as according to Rogue – was supposedly in love with him herself. "You really in love with me?" he asked casually, he picked up his pile of playing cards.
Kitty's head raised so fast it was as if it had snapped into place, "huh?" she asked, looking at him with much confusion.
"Rogue told me you were in love with me."
"When?" Kitty raised an eyebrow.
"On her birthday."
Kitty suddenly gave a loud hearty laugh, "and you believed it?"
"Well…yeah," Remy shrugged.
Kitty laughed again, even louder, and she rolled over, laughing so hard, she fell right off the bed with a thud.
"What's so funny?" Remy asked.
Kitty pulled herself up, "I lied to her…" she laughed, "I was trying to make her jealous, so I told her I loved you so that she wouldn't possibly dump you for that gothic slimeball…" Kitty wiped tears of laughter from her eyes, "I made it so convincing, I got some acting tips online, and I went for it full force…made it look like I was totally madly in love with you…"
"But why?" Remy was confused.
"Because every time another woman shows interest in you, Rogue gets really jealous," Kitty explained, "I noticed it every time Bella Donna was around, I figured if I pretended to show some interest, she'd try and hang onto you even more scared that maybe I'd steal you away," Kitty smirked.
"You're almost as conniving as I am," Remy laughed, "Wow…whoever thought you'd be that sneaky…"
Kitty smirked, then she suddenly gained a look of complete and utter realisation, "hey…I have an idea…"