Chapter 3: Well Formed Molecules
"You okay, darlin'?"
Rogue had been quiet on the walk home from the party a couple of blocks away. Jared, who was walking at her side, a fair distance away from her, had noticed.
"Hmm, huh?" Rogue asked, she glanced to her watch, checking the time, noting that they were going to be late for the – one night only specially allowed - curfew if they didn't walk a little faster.
"You…you've been quiet…is everythin' okay?" Jared looked at her concernedly, his green eyes, even in the darkness, so vivid, it made her heart race.
"I'm fine," Rogue assured sternly, "will you stop asking me if I'm okay, already, this is, what, the ninth time tonight you've asked me that. I'm fine, will you just stop badgering me already," she said defensively.
"Sorry," Jared frowned a little at her tone with him, "its just…you're been quiet, and you weren't in this bad a mood until the Cajun scum came back this morning," he admitted.
Rogue frowned a little, and shrugged. It was true, even she could see it. Up until the return of Remy LeBeau, everything had almost seemed fine in her life, she'd managed to stop thinking constantly about him, finally she'd stopped kicking herself mentally for having betrayed him and wanting to be with Jared. Finally, it seemed like she could stop feeling guilty.
And then, Remy LeBeau, handsome as ever comes returning back bringing up subjects she'd wanted – and chosen – to forget about. Stirring feelings within her that she'd wanted to forget about. But…she'd moved on. Now she wasn't free anymore, and she'd chosen Jared to take Remy's place in her heart.
"He doesn't bother me," Rogue lied as she pulled her leather jacket around herself tightly against the cold late October air, a dense mist was hanging in the air, so thick that the orange glow of the streetlights illuminated it, making everything seem all the more brighter than it really was. The seasons were changing so fast. She remembered balmy days from a summer not so long past. Now, a bitter chill loomed over Bayville.
"I think he does," Jared grumbled, "I don't know what the fuck you see in him, he's just well formed molecules," he muttered.
"He's a good person," Rogue hugged herself against the cold. She thought of walking along with Remy, if she'd been walking with Remy in this kind of weather, he would have offered her his jacket, he would have put his arm around her. Jared could offer neither, since A: he wasn't wearing a jacket, and B: his powers wouldn't allow him to touch her.
They entered the gates of the Xavier institutes grounds the mist seemed less dense in there, Rogue pondered if this was because of the high walls that may have blocked it out, or maybe Ororo Munroe had intervened with her weather manipulating abilities.
"So…what's say we get rid of Kitty, and go up to your room?" Jared asked.
Rogue looked at him, then looked away guiltily, "you know I can't," she said, "we can't."
"I still have those pills…" Jared said.
Rogue glanced at him, gaping, "You said you flushed them down the toilet!" she gasped, this was what she'd always believed, upon her return to Bayville with the rest of the X-Men, Jared had asked her to be with him, he'd made all sorts of promises, and told her he'd change his ways for her. It sounded surprisingly familiar…
"So I lied," Jared gave a shrug.
Rogue looked at him, "Remy would have gotten rid of them," she put her key in the lock of the large glass doors and sauntered through, a pain shot through her wrist, she realised Jared had instinctively tried to grab a hold of her wrist, but instead, his powers caused his hand to only pass through her, causing her a pain that was similar to receiving a very powerful electric shock – however, not as lethal as such. "Ow, watch it!" Rogue gasped, she grabbed a hold of her wrist, now throbbing, tingling with the pain of the electric sensations he'd provided.
"Sorry…" Jared sighed, "Look, Remy isn't your boyfriend, anymore, okay? I am! Get over him already," he stated.
Rogue frowned, "I am over him!" she turned to head up the stairs.
"Then if you're over him, you should have no problems with wanting to be with me the ways you were willin' to be with him!"
Rogue spun around and looked at him, "I'm not ready to be with anyone! For Christs sake, I was raped, Jared, doesn't that even register in that thick skull of yours. RAPED."
"You've had time to get over that."
Rogue rolled her eyes and headed upstairs, moments later, the slamming of a door could be heard.
Kitty glanced up, Remy's room slightly below Rogue's, the sound of the door slamming had been loud, and the ceiling seemed to quake a little. "She's home," Kitty said, "doesn't sound very happy either," Kitty made a face.
Remy and Kitty began to discuss what they had been before the interruption of the slamming door had come, "so…you seriously think she'd fall for that?" he asked, he glanced up to the ceiling curiously, keeping his voice low.
"Why wouldn't it work? I'm telling you, if she saw another girl interested in you, it would drive her ballistic, she'd be on you again like white on rice," Kitty responded, her eyes twinkling.
"Kitty, it's a pretty…sneaky…thing to do though," he said, "I mean, I've already done things behind her back, I don't think this should be thrown into the collection of things I've done."
Kitty raised an eyebrow, "what things did you do behind her back?"
Remy kept a very emotionless face, "it was a while back, just stupid things, keepin' secrets from her, y'know…" he explained, he realised he'd just caught himself from admitting he'd slept with Carmel Graham whilst residing on Muir Island. Even if he told Kitty, he doubted Kitty would want to help him win back Rogue's love anymore.
"Oh," Kitty nodded, realising, "so…are you going to give this a go, or what?"
"There isn't much I can do while I'm trapped in this bed," Remy responded.
"Well, way I figure it, I just have to make sure I'm always in here with you, she'll get suspicious…then, we wait til she goes to find Jared, and I 'accidentally' leave your door open, and, well…" Kitty shrugged, "we pretend."
"Pretend what?" it was Remy's turn to raise an eyebrow now.
"That we're really into each other, I don't know…" Kitty made a face.
"And you think that will work?"
Kitty shrugged, "I dunno…it might infuriate her more, but if she sees me having what she can't have, she's gonna want it," Kitty explained, "girls are like that…and I'm sure she'll fall for it."
"What if she doesn't?"
"Then we give up, you made up
some stupid lie about having slept with some other girl behind my back, and we
have an openly public break up – although technically were never together - in
front of Jared and Rogue," Kitty explained.
Remy looked at her, the comment about making lies up about having slept with some other girl brought too much guilt back to his already troubled mind, "what if someone else tells her we're just faking a relationship to make her jealous?"
"We don't tell anyone," Kitty said, "if anyone asks, we're just…seeing each other, we don't tell them its an act."
"What about Kurt?" Remy asked, "are you two still seeing each other?"
"Not for a while," Kitty said, "its been on and off, but…I'll maybe talk with him and tell him, I know he can keep a secret…" she smirked.
Remy looked at Kitty, "so…how long are we going to do this for?"
"As long as it takes, a week, two weeks…if you really want her back you need to dedicate your time to it, Remy…"
Remy sighed, "I don't know…it's a great plan…but…" he looked at Kitty, wondering what she could possibly gain out of all this. It did occur to him that, as a good person, Kitty would do this out of the kindness of her heart, but she was so excited about the plan, and so precise that it seemed she might benefit from it as well.
"But what?" Kitty asked, she pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them.
"What if she susses it right way?" Remy asked, "she's not that dumb, you know. She doesn't miss a trick, that one."
"She won't suss it right away," Kitty ensured, "and if she gets suspicious you could just tell her you want to be with someone who loves you – I think that will really get to her…because I know and you know she does really love you…and despite she's with Garbage face Jared…I know she wants to be with you again."
"Seems cruel," Remy confessed, "I mean, I can do things that are as cruel, but to her…"
"Don't you want her back?" Kitty asked.
"Yes…" Remy nodded.
"Do you want her to dump that blue haired snail?" Kitty asked, she felt that Jared rather resembled a snail somehow, not in the way that he did, but that there was something about him distinctly snail like.
"What's in it for you?" Remy finally asked.
"I want her back too, as she was, she's not half the person now as she is when she's with you, Remy," Kitty explained, "the only thing I have to gain is my best friend back…I can't stand this cold haughty bitch who seems to have taken her place."
Remy leaned back into his pillows, the pain in his back still persisting, "can I sleep on it, and get back to you?" he asked.
"Sure thing," Kitty got up, "I'll swing by tomorrow morning before lessons and see if you've made up your mind about it…" she said.
Remy watched Kitty leave his room, and she shut his door behind her. He closed his eyes, Kitty had given him the last of his nights painkillers hours ago, the pain in his back felt worse than ever. Still, he supposed after what he and Kitty were planning to do to Rogue, he probably deserved more pain than he felt.