Disclaimer: My goal is to own the X-Men, a small tropical island, and Johnny Depp. Sadly, my plans have yet to come to fruition. Sigh…
A/N: Happy New Year, all! And what better way to start off the year than by reading my fic? Yeah, you're all happy that Rogue's finally here, aren't ya? Of course. Who wouldn't be? Doesn't this just reek of upcoming Romyness? Tee hee hee, taunting you is just so fun! Sorry, I'll stop now. Responses, here we go!
roguelebeaux003, tone, Cloud of Blood, Smirnoff Ice Lover, archmagus, Yumiko, khay, MeowzKat, Tokyobabe2040, Personage, Rogue4787, the tiny one, Lightspeed Suzuka, Calliann, bacon the pig, Lid'l Rogue, Star-of-Chaos, Zen Bailong, The Rogue Cajun, Melfina Lupin, Michelle, Rogue77, Araya-Michiru, lil, Anime addicted, Ellavira, S.I.M5, Rogue14, frozen fireball, Luna, Kaylessa, & ladychopsticks – Aww! I'm feeling the love. Thanks all!
Green Eyed Lilys Daughter – Days of Our Lives, eh? I'm addicted to Passions. And I don't think it's crazy not to be visiting the beach when it's literally freezing outside! Well, here at least. Although there are people that go on New Year's and run into the lake naked, it's called the Polar Bear Dip. They're obviously all insane.
Krys Xanthina – Ahh, bunnies. They can be quite vicious sometimes, and turn on you in an instant! Be warned.
De-Femme-O-Da-Night – I'm glad you're sticking with this! Hmm, maybe I'll convert you to the Dark Side… bwa ha ha!
Panther Nesmith – I'm glad I rock somebody's socks! My next step is to rock the socks off a fox, but I haven't managed that yet. Oh, but one day… mark my words! And yes, we should definitely hide the children, we can't be healthy for them.
Goldylokz – Let's do the time warp agaaain… Sorry, I just had to do that. Anyhoo, thanks for the band name. In theory, you should be appearing 2 or 3 chapters from now, if everything goes according to plan. Which it most likely will not.
Princess of Monkeys – I agree with you on fluffy mushy Romyness. Hmm, if you like it so much, why don't you stick some more in your fic, eh? Hint hint! As to your question about the powers, I can answer half of it. Remy has his powers – remember when he was bored in the meeting room and charged the cards in chapter 2? As for Rogue… well, you never know what kind of tweaks I might make! Hence the glorious title of AU. Once again, thanks for your compliments!
Seven Sunningdale - squeal! Ooh, I'm so glad you reviewed my fic, I'm honoured! Hey, rules are made to be broken. Hmm, this may take a while, since you gave 4 reviews – not that I mind, of course! I've left long, rambling reviews to every chapter of your fics, haven't I? My, how the tables have turned! So I'm an Encyclopedia? Cool, how apt. Don't worry, I wholeheartedly join you in your hatred of Belle. She hasn't really done anything to deserve it yet, but the key word there is yet. She'll show up eventually, and feel free to hate her all you want. Hmm, Rogue as the thief's sexy, sexy daughter? Ooh, I like that! I could've made that work… Well, too late now. Unless you mind my rewriting the whole fic, of course? Ahh yes, remember mushiness? You know you want some in your fic, right? And gee, no pressure at all – but I did understand your Ebert comment. I can't promise I'll try, but I'll try to try. ;-) Hopefully it'll meet your standards! And I'm holding you to your promise of reviewing every chapter – you OWE me! You're thousands of words in debt, my friend! Naww, just kidding. But I'd appreciate it, so thanks!
Mercury Dream – Well, you had interesting ideas on how I would get Rogue in, like the Shadow King. Interesting, but wrong. ;-) Sorry about Storm, but she's not in my fic. In fact, no more X-Men are. Although there will be another comic character showing up, dun dun duhh! Aren't my little teasers fun? And yeah, I had to stop writing after the "lean and limber" bit too, so I could catch my drool so it wouldn't short out my keyboard. Methinks that'd be a bit counterproductive. By the way, I've got a spot for a certain bartender coming up in a few chapters. Mind if I borrow him? I'll take good care of him!
SadYear – Your reviews were amusing to read, especially since they progressively craved Rogue. I got her in eventually! And I think the Guild would have various stuff written down, to pass on throughout the generations and whatnot. Cities still have obscure and out-of-date laws on the books, so I just applied that to the Guild as well, which is like a little society by itself. And you say my French is good? We'll sure see after this chapter!
hnh – Indignantly staring? That's a new one, but a very creative approach. Ahh, don't look at me! Stop it!
Remy's Angy – Don't worry about the lameness, I'm not offended. I know I'm lame! And if you're wondering about Belle, read the part in Seven's response. And Lapin is cute, but I don't think she deserves him. In fact, I kinda want him!
SSJ Tokya – I'm disillusioned with the animated Remys – TAS had a mullet, and the Evo one has a mushroom cut. It really hurts me. And I totally agree, Rogue is no mere fille! As you'll see in this chapter…
Aro – Hey, guess what? If I counted right (which I most likely didn't, since I'm incompetent with numbers), you were my 100th reviewer! squeal, hugs you, and showers you with confetti and multi-coloured stars! Maybe I could give you crayons for your new colouring book, I love colouring books! And crayons too, for that matter. I think I want to be the person that makes up all the cool names for them, I'm quite good at that.
Krac – Why yes, you do need fluffy Romy goodness! Glad I could inspire you. I'll be waiting for the fluff and the not killing of people! cough cough Or I'll have to hurt you! cough Woah, excuse me. I think I have a cold… ;-)
Ahoy, here we go! Ye be warned, says I. Arrh.
February Fifteenth
Chapter Five – Language Barrier
The members in the meeting room were in various states of shock and disbelief, although for different reasons. Remy, for one, could not grasp the fact that the girl he constantly thought about for six years was now standing in front of him. And she was the thief that the Guild called in, no less! Just like their last meeting, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He drank in every detail, from her leather ensemble, to her combat boots, to her black painted fingernails.
She looked dark, gothic. The complete opposite of Belladonna, who sometimes wore colours so bright and blinding that you could see her a mile away. He was glad; he had known that there was something different about this girl, this Rogue, when he had met her. It made Remy happy to know that she seemed so unlike his fiancée; he didn't think he could handle another girl like Belle, and he didn't want to either.
Across the room Rogue was also surprised, and like Remy, was hiding it well. She had just waltzed unannounced into a room of Thieves, which was generally not a smart thing to do. She had to be careful and pull this off correctly. 'Just keep cool, gal. Yah can do this,' she reassured herself. The main thing to do was not look at the amazingly attractive Cajun with the red and black eyes.
She remembered him. How could she forget? It seemed like those eyes had been burned into her soul. She knew that if she looked back into them, then she wouldn't be able to look away; exactly like what had happened six years ago. Using all of her willpower, she forced herself to look towards the Guild Master.
He and the rest of the attendees were also stunned, but not from recognition. No, they were more astonished that this mere girl managed to make her way undetected into the meeting room of the Thieves Guild.
"I'm afraid y' mus' be mistaken, mademoiselle (miss)," spoke Pierre, one of the advisors. "Nobody here called fo' y'. Y' deliverin' de herbs dat Tante Mattie ordered, oui? She be down at de end o' de hall."
Remy was insulted at the man's words, despite the fact that they were not even directed towards him. 'How big an idiot is dis homme?' he thought, as he looked over towards Rogue. 'She gonna take dis merde?'
On the inside, Rogue was fuming. 'How big of an idiot is this guy?' she seethed silently. 'Calm yo'self, it won't da ya no good t' piss him off.' To her credit, she only bristled slightly on the outside. Placing a hand on her hip and giving an indignant smile, she sweetly told him, "Hun, I think yah might be th' one who's mistaken. Ah ain't no delivery gal. Ah'm th' thief ya called fo'."
Silence followed her admission as the words slowly began to sink in. After processing her reply, Pierre angrily stood up and in a dangerously low voice, asked her, "Who do y' t'ink y' are, fille? I advise y' not t' lie t' y' superiors like dat again, comprenez-vous? (Understand?) Now, I've had a bad night waitin' fo' a t'ief dat t'inks himself too good t' come when he says he will, so I'd appreciate y' leavin' befo' we make y'!"
'That's it, Ah ain't takin' his shit,' she told herself. Eyes narrowing and taking a step forward, she spat out, "An' Ah advise ya not t' insult people y' want help from."
"Dat's it! Get la conasse (the silly bitch) out o' here!" he yelled back, having enough of her attitude.
At that, Remy had more than enough. Quickly standing up to face Pierre, he firmly said, "Y' not gonna do dat. Sit down, et fermez votre bouche! (and shut your mouth!)"
Turning his glare on to Remy, he stated, "Y' can't order me around, so don' even try, garçon (boy)."
"Non, il ne peut pas, mais je peux. N'oubliez pas qui donne les ordres ici. Tu dérailles (No, he can't, but I can. Don't forget who gives the orders here. You are out of line)," reprimanded Jean-Luc sternly, standing up to join the argument. "Asseyez-vous (Sit down)."
As they settled he looked over to their mysterious guest, who hadn't moved and was looking upon them with a rather curious expression. "Pardon de interruption, mademoiselle, we jus' had t' clear up some t'ings," he explained to her.
"Not a problem," she replied. "Ah can wait, Ah've got th' time."
"Ahh, but we don'. We have somet'in' dat needs t' be done, and dere ain't much time," the Guild Master told her. "So, let's cut t' de chase den. Are y' L'ombre?"
"Ah've got lots o' names."
"Pardonnez-moi (Pardon me), but one o' dose names wouldn' happen t' be Le Fantôme, would it?" Henri interrupted, hoping that Lapin wouldn't have a reason to gloat any time soon.
"That's one o' them, yeah. But Ah like t' go by Rogue."
"So, y' be de untouchable t'ief, den? Y' never leave a trace o' evidence, nothin'. Nobody can even lay a hand on y' - not de authorities, not other t'ieves, y' dat good," continued Jean-Luc.
"Yah tryin' to make me blush?" asked Rogue with a grin. "Yeah, that's me. So, what can Ah do fo' ya'll? It's my understandin' that a weddin' needs stoppin'."
"Un moment! (One moment!)" called an elder. "Comment pouvons-nous être sûrs que c'est le voleur? (How can we be sure that this is the thief?)"
Rogue shifted and sighed; again with their arguing. 'This could take a while,' she mused as she began to examine her nails in boredom, hoping they could finally agree on something.
"Je la crois (I believe her)," stated Jean-Luc, after a moment's consideration.
"Moi aussi (Me too)," agreed Remy. 'After all, Remy saw de belle (beauty) in action, non?' he added on in his head.
"C'est ça. Elle a sortie furtivement dans notre maison, après tout (That's right. She did sneak into our house, after all)," put in Henri.
"Je suis soupçonneux d'elle (I am suspicious of her)," spoke up another thief.
"Ce n'est pas une surprise – elle est un mystère (That's not a surprise – she's a mystery)," said Remy. 'One dat Remy wants t' solve,' he thought to himself, before continuing on. "Mais le mariage a lieu en deux jours. Nous avons besoin d'aide et elle peut nous le donner. Remy croit qu'elle peut le faire (But the wedding takes place in two days. We need help and she can give it to us. Remy believes that she can do it)."
"Et je le crois aussi (And I believe it too)," Jean-Luc told the group. Then he turned back to Rogue, caught her attention, and proceeded to tell her the situation. "M' son Remy will be gettin' married on Valentine's Day," he began, as he nodded towards Remy to indicate whom he was referring to.
'Remy? His name's Remy? Oh, that's sexy,' Rogue thought to herself. 'Wait, he's th' one gettin' married? Damn, ya sure can pick 'em, can't ya?' Now she couldn't resist a little peek at him. Sliding her glance over the tiniest bit, she saw him stare at her, but then look away with an unhappy expression once his father mentioned his upcoming nuptials. 'Doesn't he wanna get married? Maybe not, aren't ya here t' break up a weddin' after all? On Valentine's Day? That's clichéd. Ahh, listen up, gal!' she scolded herself as she snapped back to attention, and listened to what else the Guild leader was telling her.
"He's t' marry an Assassin t' ensure peace b'tween de Guilds, but we t'ink dat some o' dem be plottin' t' kill Remy after dey marry. Dat would hand de power o'er t' his wife, and de Assassins. What we need is somebody t' find out what dey be plannin', if anyt'in' at all. Can y' do dat?" continued Jean-Luc.
"Not a problem," Rogue told him.
"Y' aware o' de fact dat y' only got tomorrow befo' de weddin'? Is dat enough time?"
"Ah can do it."
"Y' sure 'bout dat, fille?" remarked Pierre. "Y' seem pretty damn confident 'bout y' abilities. I doubt just anybody could infiltrate de Assassins in one day an' find de information we need."
"Ah ain't arguin' with ya – just anybody couldn't do it. But Ah will," she told him, with her head held high and eyes sparkling determinedly. That man was infuriating.
Remy was enthralled by the woman; she was… something else. To be able to come in here, stand up to the Thieves Guild, and go off the spy on the Assassins, she simply must have been. He was never one to believe in silly things like angels, but he realized that's what the being in front of him was. Not only in appearance, but in purpose as well; she had appeared in his time of need, and was going to help him escape his fate. He almost expected this to be another dream, because so many good things simply didn't happen to him.
His musings were broken by Jean-Luc, who was concluding the meeting. "Do y' need a place t' stay? We'd be mo' dan happy t' put y' up here, just de beginning o' repayin' y' fo' helpin' us," he asked Rogue.
She smiled politely, but declined. "Thank ya fo' th' offer, but Ah've already got a hotel room," she told him as she turned and prepared to leave. "Ah'll come by tomorrow an' tell ya what Ah've found out."
"Merci beaucoup, chère (Thank you very much, dear)," Remy spoke up before she left. He wasn't going to waste another chance with this girl; he simply had to talk to her before she left, and hear that dulcet southern drawl again. "We appreciate y' helpin' us like dis," he told her, staring at her and trying to convey how much this really meant to him.
Turning back around, she met his gaze unflinchingly as ever, and gave a warm, true smile. "Welcome, sugah. Ah'm glad t' help out."
Their moment was broken by Pierre, who once again felt the need to voice his displeasure. "Jean-Luc, je suis désolé, mais je suis en désaccord! Ce n'est pas une bonne décision à faire! (Jean-Luc, I'm sorry, but I disagree! This is not a good decision to make!)"
"Soyez heureux que ce n'est pas votre décision à faire. (Be glad that it isn't your decision to make)," replied Jean-Luc, rapidly losing his patience with the other man. "Et aussi soyez heureux qu'elle ne comprend pas le français que vous l'insultez avec quand nous demandons son aide! (And also be glad that she doesn't understand the French you insult her with when we are asking for her help!)"
Tired of having his orders questions, he turned back to Rogue and told her, "G'night, mademoiselle."
"G'night," she replied, and headed for the door. Before she left the room however, she looked over her shoulder and said, "Oh, boys? La prochaine fois que vous insultez quelqu'un, assurez-vous qu'ils ne savent pas le français (The next time you insult somebody, make sure they don't know French)." And with that, she gave them all a smirk and made her exit, once again causing a stunned silence in the room.
Oh yeah, Rogue don't take no guff! Grr, stupid sexist thieves. Well, mostly just Pierre. But hey, some conflict was needed, hence the assholeyness of him! So, hope you liked it. She sure made a nice impression, didn't she?
Next chapter – we finally get to Rogue's point of view about things! I'm sure you're all dying to see the inner workings of her mind, aren't you?
Alrighty. I've got a few days left of my winter break, and still haven't started to work I have to do. I should probably get on that. But I'll try my darndest to get one more chapter out. In fact, I guarantee one more chapter, and will try super hard for two, but don't hold your breath. Please don't hold your breath! I don't want to be held liable for any deaths, cuz I'm sure you won't get such fast updates while I'm in prison. So check back here in a few days, you'll have at least one more chapter by Sunday.
Hey, don't forget to review, pretty please! We've beat 150, can we try for 200?
Kisses,
ish
