Chasing the Flame
Chapter 14: Final Flame
Well here it is, the end. I hope you've had as much fun reading this as I have had writing! Leave a comment before you go, please. Thank you, and enjoy your last chapter of Chasing the Flame.
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**Three years Later**
Remy grinned slightly, shuffling his cards as he took in the pale-skinned female walking in the door. "Ello, chere." He said, grinning as she scowled at him. "Good fight?"
"Remy, Ah swear. Ya coulda least told us he was back!" Rogue said, dropping down on the couch next to him, sighing as he played with her hair for a second. "Ya used to be pals in the old days, right?"
"Oui, de ragin cajun an de wonder fr'm down undah." He said, grinning slightly. "Dose were de days."
"Amara was there today, cajun. Had Ah known Ah would have-"
"Non, chere. Dis sumthin tha' not Remy's bidness." She opened her mouth, to protest. "It no' Roguey's bidness, neither." She sighed, her shoulders falling as though she had lost her fight. The door opened again, a tall, dark skinned female walking in, a strange look on her face as she walked right past them and headed for the stairs.
One of the younger recruits entered next, her outfit severely burned, a scowl on her face. "WHO WAS THAT GUY?!" She shouted. "He ripped apart half of the team!"
"Tha be Pyro, petite. An ol' friend o'Remy."
"Friend, huh? Well he's insane! I'm never going to be able to look at a cat again! And the only one who didn't get ripped apart was Magma! How unfair is that?!" She blinked, gulping as the woman on the stairs turned, glaring at her coldly, then left, heading for the Professor's office.
"Ah. Amara. I had expected to see you."
"Why didn't you tell me, Professor?! I could have-"
"Run?"
"No! I'm not afraid of that... that psycho!" Amara replied. "I'm not afraid of any of those Shield jerks."
"But?"
"But… It…" She sighed, dropping down in the chair across from him. "It… hurt." She said softly. "He was the closest I ever came to… loving someone." Xavier sighed, his heart hurting for the girl as he reached out, gently lying his hand over hers. "Silly, huh? He was just a childhood… fling, I guess."
"Perhaps you wish to take some time off?"
"Y-Yes. That would be nice."
"If you wish I can have you sent to Muir Island for a short hiatus. Moira would no doubt love to talk to you."
"I… I'll think about it." She said, standing and heading for the door. She paused, turning to look at him for a second. "Professor? Do you think you could… warn Jamie? He was close to… To John."
"Of course, my dear." The door closed with a soft click, leaving Charles to stare blankly into the empty room, a slight smile on his lips.
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When she got to her room she dropped down onto her bed, burying her face in her hands. He had left three years before, not even bothering to look back, even after all those claims that she was his "Love." It had hurt. She hadn't thought she would fall that quickly, she hadn't thought that they had gotten as close as they had.
For so long she had paused by the bathroom door in the mornings, unconsciously hoping to hear some silly song being sang. She had stopped sitting in the woods at lunch, the memories bothered her too much. And she had taken up helping Jamie with his stories. The Hendrix shirt was buried in the drawer next to her bed. For... the more difficult moments.
She turned, smiling slightly at the small package he had been sneaking into her room that day she had come home with a black eye. It was a book, no… it was more than a book, it was a bawdy, silly historical romance written by one St. John Allerdyce. She had refused to read it for a year and a half. But when she had caved she had stayed up all night reading it, smiling as she remembered the scene with her teacher.
The sound of tapping on the window made her look up with a jerk. She sighed, seeing nothing. It came again, her curiosity forcing her to stand and make her way to the glass pane, pulling it open, only to blink at the flaming rose held in front of her. "J-John?"
"Now… don't be callin Wolvie again, love. I j'st wanted ta talk fer a bit." He gave her a crooked grin, letting the flaming rose die. "Yer even prettier than las'time, love."
"Wha-What are you doing here?"
"Well love, I was thinkin… Now, I know ya told me ta be happy, love, but..." He gave her a crooked grin. "It's hard ta be happy when yer not around. Next th'ng ya know I wind up back where I started! Er... I bet yer not too 'appy with tha', are ya?"
"You... You weren't happy?"
"No'a grin ta be found! Er... other than tha' one time with-but-"
"You're not going to try and go straight again, are you? Because I really doubt the professor would-"
"No, love. Learned me lesson las'time."
"Then why are you here? I would rather not-"
"Well, ya see. I was thinkin…" He made a wild move with his hands, as though trying to put some strange thought into words. "Ya never gave me tha' walk-about, love."
"I… I didn't, did I. And an X-men shouldn't go back on her word..."
"Nope." He grinned, holding his hand out, almost letting his relief show as she gingerly took it.
"So… where are we going?" She asked. "The park is rather... charred now."
"Well, heard Australia is good round now." He replied, pulling her into his arms and dropping down from the tree. "Nice an'… Warm." She laughed, hugging him as silent, wayward tears started to fall.
"I must be as crazy as you are, you know?"
"Why's tha', love?"
"Because I'm actually going to do this." She grinned as he gave a happy shout, whirling her around, then pulling her into his arms, kissing her. "Now let's go. Before Scott finds out."
"Rioght'o, love! Anyth'ng fer you."
He swung her arm slightly as they ran. "Did I eva' tell ya bout tha time I chased tha flame? Prettiest th'ng I'd seen in... well... Ever!"
"Really? What was she like?"
"J'st lioke tha flame I love, love!" He hugged her, whispering into her ear. "Perfect. J'st... Perfect." ******************************************************
So? I hope you enjoyed the ride! Tell me what you thought! *Waves goodbye and blows a kiss.*
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Chapter 14: Final Flame
Well here it is, the end. I hope you've had as much fun reading this as I have had writing! Leave a comment before you go, please. Thank you, and enjoy your last chapter of Chasing the Flame.
************************
**Three years Later**
Remy grinned slightly, shuffling his cards as he took in the pale-skinned female walking in the door. "Ello, chere." He said, grinning as she scowled at him. "Good fight?"
"Remy, Ah swear. Ya coulda least told us he was back!" Rogue said, dropping down on the couch next to him, sighing as he played with her hair for a second. "Ya used to be pals in the old days, right?"
"Oui, de ragin cajun an de wonder fr'm down undah." He said, grinning slightly. "Dose were de days."
"Amara was there today, cajun. Had Ah known Ah would have-"
"Non, chere. Dis sumthin tha' not Remy's bidness." She opened her mouth, to protest. "It no' Roguey's bidness, neither." She sighed, her shoulders falling as though she had lost her fight. The door opened again, a tall, dark skinned female walking in, a strange look on her face as she walked right past them and headed for the stairs.
One of the younger recruits entered next, her outfit severely burned, a scowl on her face. "WHO WAS THAT GUY?!" She shouted. "He ripped apart half of the team!"
"Tha be Pyro, petite. An ol' friend o'Remy."
"Friend, huh? Well he's insane! I'm never going to be able to look at a cat again! And the only one who didn't get ripped apart was Magma! How unfair is that?!" She blinked, gulping as the woman on the stairs turned, glaring at her coldly, then left, heading for the Professor's office.
"Ah. Amara. I had expected to see you."
"Why didn't you tell me, Professor?! I could have-"
"Run?"
"No! I'm not afraid of that... that psycho!" Amara replied. "I'm not afraid of any of those Shield jerks."
"But?"
"But… It…" She sighed, dropping down in the chair across from him. "It… hurt." She said softly. "He was the closest I ever came to… loving someone." Xavier sighed, his heart hurting for the girl as he reached out, gently lying his hand over hers. "Silly, huh? He was just a childhood… fling, I guess."
"Perhaps you wish to take some time off?"
"Y-Yes. That would be nice."
"If you wish I can have you sent to Muir Island for a short hiatus. Moira would no doubt love to talk to you."
"I… I'll think about it." She said, standing and heading for the door. She paused, turning to look at him for a second. "Professor? Do you think you could… warn Jamie? He was close to… To John."
"Of course, my dear." The door closed with a soft click, leaving Charles to stare blankly into the empty room, a slight smile on his lips.
*********************
When she got to her room she dropped down onto her bed, burying her face in her hands. He had left three years before, not even bothering to look back, even after all those claims that she was his "Love." It had hurt. She hadn't thought she would fall that quickly, she hadn't thought that they had gotten as close as they had.
For so long she had paused by the bathroom door in the mornings, unconsciously hoping to hear some silly song being sang. She had stopped sitting in the woods at lunch, the memories bothered her too much. And she had taken up helping Jamie with his stories. The Hendrix shirt was buried in the drawer next to her bed. For... the more difficult moments.
She turned, smiling slightly at the small package he had been sneaking into her room that day she had come home with a black eye. It was a book, no… it was more than a book, it was a bawdy, silly historical romance written by one St. John Allerdyce. She had refused to read it for a year and a half. But when she had caved she had stayed up all night reading it, smiling as she remembered the scene with her teacher.
The sound of tapping on the window made her look up with a jerk. She sighed, seeing nothing. It came again, her curiosity forcing her to stand and make her way to the glass pane, pulling it open, only to blink at the flaming rose held in front of her. "J-John?"
"Now… don't be callin Wolvie again, love. I j'st wanted ta talk fer a bit." He gave her a crooked grin, letting the flaming rose die. "Yer even prettier than las'time, love."
"Wha-What are you doing here?"
"Well love, I was thinkin… Now, I know ya told me ta be happy, love, but..." He gave her a crooked grin. "It's hard ta be happy when yer not around. Next th'ng ya know I wind up back where I started! Er... I bet yer not too 'appy with tha', are ya?"
"You... You weren't happy?"
"No'a grin ta be found! Er... other than tha' one time with-but-"
"You're not going to try and go straight again, are you? Because I really doubt the professor would-"
"No, love. Learned me lesson las'time."
"Then why are you here? I would rather not-"
"Well, ya see. I was thinkin…" He made a wild move with his hands, as though trying to put some strange thought into words. "Ya never gave me tha' walk-about, love."
"I… I didn't, did I. And an X-men shouldn't go back on her word..."
"Nope." He grinned, holding his hand out, almost letting his relief show as she gingerly took it.
"So… where are we going?" She asked. "The park is rather... charred now."
"Well, heard Australia is good round now." He replied, pulling her into his arms and dropping down from the tree. "Nice an'… Warm." She laughed, hugging him as silent, wayward tears started to fall.
"I must be as crazy as you are, you know?"
"Why's tha', love?"
"Because I'm actually going to do this." She grinned as he gave a happy shout, whirling her around, then pulling her into his arms, kissing her. "Now let's go. Before Scott finds out."
"Rioght'o, love! Anyth'ng fer you."
He swung her arm slightly as they ran. "Did I eva' tell ya bout tha time I chased tha flame? Prettiest th'ng I'd seen in... well... Ever!"
"Really? What was she like?"
"J'st lioke tha flame I love, love!" He hugged her, whispering into her ear. "Perfect. J'st... Perfect." ******************************************************
So? I hope you enjoyed the ride! Tell me what you thought! *Waves goodbye and blows a kiss.*
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