Disclaimer: I'm an insane Canadian teenaged girl. Insane Canadian teenaged girls don't own the X-Men. Therefore, I don't own the X-Men! Damn logic.

A/N: Back again! That's right, it's that time you've all been waiting for, a nice new shiny chapter! Huzzah. I hope you were all adequately twitchy after the church-hanger (I happen to think that's quite funny, thank you very much!). I'll just prolong those tics and spams a wee bit longer… Responses ahoy!

Caliente, Calliann, vespie, Riannin, Personage, Mysterious Fan Girl, Peace25, Arain Rowan, Rogue77, roguelebeaux??3, Rogue4787, heartsyhawk, SassyGrl?24, PomegranateQueen, Midnight Selene, Risty, Danfred, Taineyah, Girl number , charice, Cloud of Blood, roguewannabe29, & Rogue4 – How about a nice thank-you coffee pot this time? Ooh, sleek and sexy stainless steel too. ;-)

frozen fire & PsychoRomyChica – Sorry, but you'll never know what the Gumbo Incident! It's meant to be a mystery. Did you ever read the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip, with the 'noodle incident'? Like that, it's never revealed! Cuz it makes you wonder, and I laugh.

UniversalAnimeGirl – Glad you stopped lurking, come and revel in our insanity with us! Wheeee!

Lightspeed Suzuka – Ahh, booze and crack, you know the path to my heart! ;-)

dragonfire99 – See, life is all about overcoming obstacles, and we managed to do so. Yay for us!

Aro – Oh, I see how it goes, you only review when it's convenient, eh? I'm hurt! Nahh, not really. But I AM glad I made you twitch, bwa ha ha!

green sandels88 – Woah! Holy plethora of reviews, batman! Thanks for that, I really appreciate you being compelled. Sleep? What is this thing you call sleep? You crazy Americans. You made me laugh like the dickens with your date confusion! You know, I went back and reminded myself of what your fic was even about (it's been so long!), and hey, you had the church-hanger too! How quirky. Well, you better get cracking on that, it's been too long. Yes, of course you were original with the crack bunny comment, sure. looks away and whistles innocently I'll see you on that flip side you keep mentioning, do you have directions?

Zen Bailong – Now, I did say I would tweak the scenario, didn't I? Who says it isn't Wolvie? waits a beat until you're sufficiently freaked Nahh, I wouldn't make my Canadian buddy do that! Hey, your thinking parallels my own – in the comics, I didn't feel it was really much of a choice between brother and meaningless stranger (whom he seduced, so they're not technically strangers, but you know what I mean!). So I wanted to make stakes a bit higher, again with the whole duty vs. love thing that's been running throughout the fic, but now with death thrown in! And that brings us to this chapter.

Seven Sunningdale – Mattie reminds me of Aunt Jemima too! Weird. Sorry you felt bad about Rogue being the "other woman", although she really is. Some more of that this chapter, hate to tell you. Well, now you get to know what it feels like to have a story not go the way you want it! cough ending of Giddy! cough cough ;-) Also more Belle, and I'm not sure, but you may feel sorry for her. Well, probably not you personally, what with your searing hatred and all (me too, for that matter), but the average reader (you know, those with a little thing called compassion – and a soul! Heh heh) might. I can't really judge it that well, I'm slightly biased.

Remy's Angy – Lapin the Guild Master? Ooh, it has a nice ring to it. I love him too! I think it's pretty obvious, me being the Mistress of the Crack Bunnies and all, that he's my soul mate! Rabbits, Lapin - coincidence? I think not!

Green Eyed Lilys Daughter – Why have a johnny doll when we could have the real thing? Oh, I WISH! Time to break out the cloning machine.

Panther Nesmith – Riot, eh? You can bring the RABID girls, it'll be a party! We'll have to make tea and crumpets, we simply must have the proper riot etiquette!

Krac – Now, why would I ever want revenge on you and your evil cliffhangers? gives an innocent look Doesn't look like you and Lapin are gonna fit in anywhere else, but you sure can pretend! Yeah, since all the wedding stuff is already set up, you two can just walk down the aisle so it doesn't all go to waste, and everybody wins! ;-)

Princess of Monkeys – Well, some people liked my fun pun! glares I'm glad you hate Belle, that gives me hope for when she appears in your fic. Well, if EVER! Torture by lack of updates is the worst kind, and rest assured, it's working! Why, why?! What did I EVER do to you?!

Alright, that's done and done. And I mean done! Now here for your reading amusement, my longest chapter yet! The pinnacle, the highpoint, the climax (well, another type! snickers) of the fic! Onward. Oh by the way, the site's being bitchy, so I hope all the formatting and such works out!


February Fifteenth

Chapter Thirteen – Hanging in the Balance

The last thing either woman could remember before blacking out was being ambushed in their respective rooms. Now both had regained consciousness, yet were slightly groggy from the after effects of chloroform. However, Belle immediately perked up at the sight of her knight in shining armour bursting onto the scene to rescue her, and started screaming. "Remy! Help me! Mon Dieu, don' let him drop me!"

"Shut your mouth, frail," growled the monster. "You annoy me too much, maybe I'll just drop you to save my eardrums."

That quickly silenced her, but fear remained in her eyes. Glancing over at Rogue, Remy could see the worry was apparent on her face, although she was putting up a very brave front. He quickly reached into a pocket to pull out some cards, but the action didn't go unnoticed.

"Don't think so, runt," he told Remy gleefully. "You try to hit me with anything, and these bitches will drop. You wouldn't want that, now would you?"

"What do y' want?" asked a bewildered Remy. "Who are y'?"

"The name's Sabretooth," came the response, along with a feral grin. "And you got somethin' I want. The Cheating Star."

At that Remy blinked. L'Étoile du Tricherie? He knew the trinket well - stealing the pendant had been part of the "Tracts of Passage" initiating him into the Thieves Guild. The Darceneaux's obviously must have been upset about their loss of one of the largest jewels in the world, but would they have hired this psychopath to get it back?

"Oui, I still have it," he told Sabretooth, hoping this could be resolved peacefully. "How 'bout Remy gives it t' y', an' y' let de femmes down, henh? Den we all be happy."

"Nahh, too easy," was the taunting answer. "You got any idea of the shit I went through trackin' you down, punk? Not to mention the trouble of knockin' out these two frails here. Think since we're all up here, we might as well have some fun."

"Dis be b'tween you an' me, salaud (bastard)! Y' de one hired t' kill me, oui? Why don' y' come an' try?"

"That was the plan, but this one's better. I like to play with my prey before I kill it. And now we got us some bait."

At that Belle attempted to kick him in the side, but only ended up twirling around, suspended by the rope. A chilling laugh accompanied the action. "Aww, that all you got? You're feisty, ain'tcha? Would've expected more out of this one," he said, yanking up Rogue's cord. "'S'matter, all that attitude you got from Mystique leave when you did?"

"Don't yah worry, Vicky," she told him evenly, with a look that could kill. "Ah'm saving it up to kick yo' sorry ass."

He just smiled wickedly at that, pointed canines protruding from his mouth. "We'll see. Not if I drop you, huh?"

Turning back to Remy, he began to explain the rules of their little game. "Now, Coonass, I know the sticky situation you're in. So I'm gonna help you out! Pick one," he said, nodding to the girls. "And whatever one you don't, I'll drop."

Remy's eyes widened - he really was psychotic. When he had received the anonymous note telling him to make haste to the cathedral, that the both Belle and Rogue would be there, he had been fearful – but not like this! He had assumed his secret would be revealed upon both of them meeting, but in a way that would have been easier, having the choice made for him. If it was hard before, it was nearly impossible now - whichever woman he didn't pick would fall to her death. How could he possibly decide? He had accepted the earlier consequences, of one being heartbroken - but dying? He couldn't condemn either of them in that way.

"Maudit (Goddamn), Remy!" screeched Belle. "Hurry up an' get m' down!"

He could only stare. She looked at him with desperate eyes, fully expecting him to save her. Meanwhile Rogue simply gazed back at him; there was no panic or despair or hope in her eyes, almost as if she had resigned herself to her fate – and that made his heart break. The women were complete opposites – leather and lace, dark and light, freedom and constraint. One he was supposed to love, and one that he did. The choice should have been effortless, but nothing could make this easy. This was the hardest thing he would ever have to do in his life.

"Remy! What's takin' y' so damn long? Y' don' even know dat girl, jus' let her drop!"

He didn't answer, eyes continually fixated on Rogue. He couldn't bear to look away.

She surprised him when she said, "Save her."

"Quoi?" he asked, confused.

"Save her, Remy," Rogue repeated. "Yah have to."

"Listen t' her, Remy!" cried Belle, her voice full of hopefulness. "She wants t' drop, so let her!"

He couldn't really comprehend what he was hearing. Was Rogue asking for him to choose Belle? To let her die?

"Remy, trust meh," she said firmly, with an intense look in her eyes. "Let me go."

Letting out an infuriated sigh, Belle decided to try a different approach. "Look, I know y'll feel bad 'bout her, but she's nobody, she don' matter! Y' have t' save me - y' love me, not her!"

Hearing her words, Remy and Rogue both failed to suppress a flinch. Belle observed this, and a confused look spread across her face. Turning to Rogue, she asked, "Who are y'?"

Before even receiving an answer, she swung around to Remy and repeated, "Who is she?!"

His mouth opened, but nothing came out, unsure of what to tell his fiancée.

"What, she anot'er o' yo' flings? Fine, so y're attached or what have y', but y' don' love her, so let her go!"

When he still didn't answer her, she felt a sense of perplexed desperation surge within her. "Remy? Chèr? Y' love me! I know y' do, we tell each ot'er dat all de time! Y' say it ev'ry day!"

"Belle…" he whispered, looking away in shame.

His lack of confirmation was like a slap in the face to her. She gasped. "Mon Dieu… Y'… y' never tol' me, did y'? I always did it! What, y' decided t' jus' play along? Was dis all jus' a game t' y'?!" she screamed, growing more enraged by the second. "Y' fils de putain! (son of a bitch!)"

"Bella, please…" Remy implored. "'M sorry, really, it be all m' fault. But I jus' couldn' love y'… Did what had t' be done fo' was best fo' de Guilds, but den - "

"Den what?!" she screeched. "Y' go out an' find dis skunk-haired salope (whore)?! What de hell does she have dat I don'?!"

If her hands weren't tied behind her back, she surely would have grabbed Rogue's throat and proceeded to strangle her. However, she could only manage to fling herself at the bitch that stole her man, and once more ended up swinging back and forth by the rope still in Sabretooth's hand.

He just laughed, deep and guttural. "Damn, this is better than I thought! Why don' we stick 'em in a mud pit and watch 'em have a cat-fight?"

"How 'bout y' let 'em go instead?" hollered Remy. "Remy'll give y' what y' wan'!"

"No way, runt. You still haven't made your choice!"

"Remy, jus' get me down already! Y' heard yo' little slut, she don' wan' t' be saved!"

Despite Belle's hostile attitude, Rogue had to agree with her. She had to be the one to drop, it was the only way. "She's right Remy, let me go!"

Before he could even get another word in, Creed sneered, "You're takin' too long!"

With that he let go of both ropes and Remy could do nothing but watch Rogue and Belladonna plummet to the ground below, feeling his heart do the same.

Belladonna screamed in terror as she fell towards the earth, Rogue by her side. She closed her eyes, unable to watch the sidewalk rush towards her. She felt a jerk, and reasoned it must have been the fatal collision with the concrete. Then came a floating feeling – surely she must have died. Hesitantly taking a glance at what the afterlife looked like, she realized she was still outside St. Louis Cathedral. Confused, she suddenly became aware of arms around her. Unsure of what had happened, Belle looked around and found herself suspended in the air, held up by a hovering Rogue.

Her screams had caught the attention of the wedding guests gathered on the lawn, prompting them to rush around the side of the cathedral towards the two women as Rogue lowered them to the pavement. As soon as her feet touched the ground Belle collapsed, too shocked to even contemplate use of her legs. As worried people crowded around her, pelting her with questions, she couldn't speak. She only looked on as Rogue flew back up to the cathedral roof. Back to Remy.

He had fallen to his knees at the roof's edge, on the brink of toppling over himself. He couldn't stand watching his fiancée and his love plunge to their deaths, yet due to some morbid fascination was unable to look away. However, there was no impact with the earth, no hideous sounds of bones breaking, no blood spilt, like he had expected. Instead, there was what he could only describe as a miracle.

To Remy's utter amazement, he saw Rogue break free from her bonds effortlessly, as if there were nothing but threads restraining her. Then he watched as she grabbed Belle and gently deposited her on the ground. Now she soared towards him – with the sun's rays serving as a backdrop and her hair billowing around her like a halo, Remy could do nothing but blurt out in astonishment, "Y' really are un ange (an angel)."

"Only sometimes," she replied with a bitter smile as she moved towards him, only to be interrupted.

"What the fuck?!" Sabretooth roared, seeing Rogue floating in front of him. "Since when can you do that?"

She only smirked and gave a shrug in response, infuriating him even further. Deciding to finally end this, he quickly pounced at Remy, who barely had time to register the action, let alone dodge the attack. He expected a burly mass slamming into him, but instead felt something small and warm wrap around him and push him to the ground. They rolled along until coming to a stop, with Remy in the very familiar position of lying on top of Rogue.

He stared down at her, and nothing but relief could be seen in his eyes. "Merde, chère, don' y' ever scare m' like dat 'gain!" he weakly scolded her. "T'ought I lost y'…"

"Yah can't get rid o' me that easily, sugah," she smiled right back, glad to have him back with her. If only for the time being.

Once again so caught up in staring at each other, breathing in each other's scents and taking in each other's warmth, the duo forgot about their surroundings. That is, until a dangerous growl was heard and Remy was hauled off Rogue. Sabretooth grabbed him around the neck, lifting the Cajun towards his face.

"I've had enough of this shit," he snarled, fully intending to throttle Remy with his bare hands.

His dwindling air supply denied Remy the opportunity for a saucy comeback, so instead he decided to let his actions speak for him. Swiftly diving into his pocket, he pulled out some cards, charged them, and threw them at the beast's chest all within a split second. He roared and dropped Remy, who landed in an agile crouch. Rogue took that opportunity to deliver a roundhouse kick to the feral's head that sent him sprawling.

"Yah all right, Remy?" she asked him.

"Jus' fine, chère," he told her, lightly massaging his throat. "Dat's anot'er time y've helped Remy out. He ever gonna get t' return de favour?"

"Yah just might," she answered, casting a wary glance at Sabretooth who was now getting up and about to charge them. Before he had the chance to however, the door to the roof was thrown open for a second time, and a familiar Assassin ran out.

"Creed! What th' hell y' t'ink y're doin'?!" yelled a livid Julien. "I hired y' t' kill LeBeau after he got married, not befo', dat was de mos' important part o' de plan! An' ma soeur (my sister) had no part in dis! Y' crazy? I should kill y' fo' layin' a hand on her!"

"You know what? I don't give a shit about our deal. Money don't matter to me, more focused on the hunt and the kill. Hearin' the screams," he said with a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes. "And since I already got my scream, it's time for some killin'."

"Hoo-yeah, he be crazy all right," Remy commented, unfortunately drawing the attention back towards him.

"LeBeau!" spat out Julien. "Y' piece o' street trash mutie scum, what de hell y' do t' Bella? She be down dere cryin' like dere's no t'morrow, sayin' dat y' never loved her! Dat true?" he demanded, advancing threateningly.

"Oui," the thief answered quietly. There was no point in lying anymore, there was no way the situation could be salvaged now.

"Salaud!" he screamed. "Knew dat y' weren' good 'nough fo' her, but would anybody listen t' me? Non! Y' gonna pay fo' dis!"

Reaching into his jacket, Julien grabbed two throwing knives and hurled them at Remy in rapid succession. He managed to dodge them nimbly before Sabretooth of all people stopped the Assassin.

"Hey! You hired me to kill him, and I plan on it!" he growled. "I wanna make that punk bleed after the hell I went through to find him!"

"Since when d' y' care 'bout our deal?" came the retort. "B'sides, dis be personal. Y' wan' de whole Assassins Guild on yo' ass?"

Looking as if he was about to protest, Creed suddenly was struck with an idea, and an evil smile made it's way to his face. "Fine. You can have demon-boy. But I get the frail."

Julien looked over to the Southerners, not having noticed Rogue before. When he saw her, his eyes widened in recognition. "Marie?" he asked in surprise, and then instantly realized he had been played for a fool. "D'accord (Okay), kill her, I don' care. Jus' leave him fo' me."

Rogue and Remy gave each other a worried glance at the combined force in front of them, now hell bent on eradicating them both.

"Chère, Remy wouldn' be a proper gentleman if he didn' give y' de choice o' attempted killer," he offered.

"Naw, Ah think this works fo' meh," she told him, knowing full well that she was better equipped to deal with the ferocious mutant. Likewise, Remy had dealt with the Assassins before, so no doubt would be able to handle his opponent with ease. "B'sides, who're we t' complain?"

There was no more time for quips and sarcasm as the two men lunged for their targets, and the fights began.

For a massive creature, Sabretooth could move deceptively fast; still, Rogue could move quicker, and she wasn't restricted to the ground. She dodged his first attack by flying over his jump, easily avoiding him.

"You know, I never liked you," he told her, turning to face her as she descended.

"Glad Ah made such a good impression," she said defiantly as he began his assault with a number of kicks and punches. Not one of them met their mark as Rogue performed a series of rapid back flips and handsprings, each time just straying out of her attacker's reach.

Very soon she wouldn't have further space on the roof to continue her acrobatics however, so she quickly decided to go on the offensive. Falling down into the splits, Rogue ducked under a kick originally aimed for her midsection and grabbed the leg, using her considerable strength plus it's own momentum to her advantage in twisting it, sending Sabretooth spinning around with it and falling to the ground.

Quickly leaping up, she moved towards him and aimed a powerful boot to his head. At the last second he grabbed her foot and pushed her backwards with all his might – Rogue softened her landing by pulling into a backwards somersault, but still ended up flat on her back with her adversary running towards her. As he dove, she brought her knees taut into her body and thrust them out when he was very nearly on top of her, flinging him back and over the edge of the roof.

Tucking in her knees but this time throwing them over her shoulders, Rogue bounded up from a backwards roll and ran over to where Sabretooth was grasping the ledge with one hand, his body dangling in midair much like hers had been earlier. Reaching down to absorb him and end the fight, she didn't see his other hand grab her. Getting a hold of her arm, he pulled Rogue over his shoulder and tossed her off the building.

The move didn't have much of an affect on her since she flew up instantly, but the action gave Creed the few seconds he needed to haul himself up and back onto the battlefield. As soon as he righted himself, Rogue swooped towards him in a tackle. Her plan was to knock him over, but she hadn't anticipated him taking hold of her, not allowing her to move away. The force behind her dive propelled them both backwards, rolling along until Sabretooth's greater weight pinned her below him.

Yet again Rogue found herself in a memorable position, only this time there was no attractive Cajun on top of her. Instead, there was a shaggy animal, reeking of raw meat and blood, only wanting her to hurt. His body trapping her, she tried to struggle and squirm but instantly stopped when it brought a revolting grin to his face. Looking up into his cold-blooded eyes, she couldn't help but cringe at the malicious expression he wore.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," he told her, in what could almost be described as a sadistic purr, as he slowly stroked a claw down the side of her face. "Never liked you, but I gotta admit, you're one fine piece of ass."

Rogue's only reply was to spit in his face. He backhanded her for her audacity, but she could barely feel it anyway.

"That wasn't a smart thing to do, frail," he scowled, pressing her shoulders down with his hands and leaning in towards her.

"Yeah, this probably isn't either," she replied, and before she could change her mind, she raised her head and kissed him.

As thoroughly disgusted as she was at the notion of locking lips with Sabretooth, Rogue realized that it was her best bet to get him out of the fight permanently. Scrunching her face and squeezing her eyes shut, not able to stomach looking at the thing she was kissing, she forced herself not to remove her lips until she felt his giant girth fall on top of her, unconscious. Hastily shoving his nauseating memories to the back of her mind, she heaved him off her and got up to see how Remy was faring.

While she had been battling Creed, he and Julien had been locked in combat as well, continuously exchanging and dodging rapid blows. The Assassin was definitely serious about this fight, with a dagger in his hand that was thrust in Remy's direction at every opening. Charging some of the few cards he had left, he tossed them towards Julien, causing him to quickly back pedal to avoid being hurt. Remy didn't want to seriously injure him; God knows he would be in enough trouble from the Guilds already. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't defend himself, because Julien was out for blood. If he wasn't so involved in his current activity, he would have been amused at the fact that now all three Boudreauxs wanted him dead.

Ducking under another attack, Remy grabbed Julien's arm, pivoted so that his back was facing him, and attempted to flip him over his shoulder. At the last second Julien twisted his leg around Remy's, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Julien ended up on top and used all of his strength to drive the blade towards Remy's head, but the thief's hands shot out and blocked his arms with tip of the dagger only a hair's breadth away from his temple.

Shoving the Assassin off and forcing him to drop his weapon, Remy swiftly rose to his feet. Both were too stubborn to put an end to the fight by just walking away, so they were determined to best the other. Out of cards, he charged the leftover package and threw it at his opponent, causing him to lunge back lest he be caught in the ensuing explosion. Remy took that opportunity to rearm himself as he picked up a discarded dagger.

They ran towards each other, engaging in another volley of strikes. This time Julien was the aggressor and forced Remy to move backwards to avoid being slashed, until he had almost reached the roof's ledge. Rogue finishing off the overgrown furball, so he didn't want to take the risk of falling and not having her available to catch him, as much as he would love to be cradled in her arms right now. Instead he took the only available option and sprung at Julien, knocking them both back onto the roof in a flailing heap.

The Assassin landed on top, and a sharp gasp could be heard. At first he was puzzled, because Julien wasn't moving off of him; he only stared, a confused look in his eyes. Then Remy felt something warm running over right hand, covering his fingers and the dagger he held in them.

"Remy!" he heard Rogue exclaim, running over beside him. She pulled the Assassin away and he limply rolled over, laying still on the ground. Then they saw the dagger sticking out from his chest, directly in his heart.

"Sugah, are yah all right?" she asked him in a panic, helping him sit up and checking him over for any wounds.

"'M fine," he whispered, eyes never leaving the body beside him. He hadn't meant to. . .

"Oh, Remy…" Rogue murmured, placing a hand on the side of his face, turning it away from the unpleasant sight.

She was about to wrap her arms around him, hoping she would be able to comfort him. She wanted to hold him and tell him that everything would be okay, even though it would be a lie. However, that was the moment that a group of Thieves and Assassins ran onto the roof.

Jean-Luc and Henri were the first on the scene, followed by Marius Boudreaux, various elders and a few Guild members. They all stopped sharply, stunned by the sight of the young man's corpse, unsure of what had happened.

"Mon fils (my son)…" breathed Marius. Having seen his share of dead bodies, he was able to instantly tell that his boy was no longer among the living. Immediately his gaze found Remy, still sitting in the same place. "Y' killed him…" he stated, shocked into stillness. He looked back, unable to move, unable to do anything.

Suddenly Rogue stood up and declared, "No he didn't! Ah did." She couldn't let Remy take the blame for this, she knew what would happen to him. It would destroy him, even further than he already appeared to be by what he had done. They wouldn't be able to do much to her; she wasn't a Guild member so their rules didn't apply. In one sense that might have been even greater cause for worry, but with her invulnerability, they wouldn't be able to harm her.

Her false admission took some time to register in Remy's mind, and it surprised him more than anything else ever had. In his ruthless world, first on the streets and then in the criminal underworld, finding others to take the blame for you was rare; yet she had done it without hesitation. She was ready to lie and take the blame to protect him, to put herself before the wrath of both Guilds to save him, and her selflessness astounded him.

Words couldn't express how much that all meant to Remy, but he just couldn't let her go through with it. It was all clear to him now - he had spent the past few years trying to run from his responsibilities. Now it was time to finally face up to them, confront them head on. Everything had been building up to this, and Remy finally realized that it was fate. He had gotten what he'd asked for.

So before her revelation could even be digested by the Guilds, Remy abruptly rose from behind her. "Non! Non, she didn'. I did… I killed him."

"Vous l'avez assassiné! (You murdered him!)" bellowed Marius, breaking out of his stupor and attempting to rush Remy.

"Stop!" ordered Jean-Luc, telling others to restrain him - they didn't need another body on their hands.

Rogue took that moment to hiss, "Remy! What are yah doin'? Yah know what they'll do?"

"Oui, chère. I have t' do dis. It be m' mess, m' responsibility. Got blood on m' hands now… literally an' figuratively," he told her, all the while staring at his blood-stained fingers in a daze. He was shaken out of it when he heard his father ask him what had happened.

Looking up into Jean-Luc's eyes, all Remy could see in them was disappointment; it tore him up inside, only adding to the regret he felt at killing a man.

"Didn' mean t'… He came fo' de mercenary dat he an' Marius hired," he answered in distress, not even noticing murmurs amongst the elders and their stares at the unconscious Sabretooth that his statement prompted. "An' den he fought m', an' he fell on top o' m' an' de dagger stabbed him… didn' mean t' kill him, je jure!(I swear!)"

"It was self-defence," Rogue explained. "It wasn't his fault."

"Don' y' t'ink y've caused 'nough trouble already, fille?" sighed the Thieves' leader.

"If yah ask meh, yo' Guilds started all th' trouble," she acerbically replied.

Another argument between the two was postponed by a new arrival, pushing their way through the crowd.

"Where is dat mutie bastard?!" Belladonna shrieked, furiously shoving people aside. "When I get m' hands on him, I swear I'll - "

She came to an immediate halt when she broke to the front of the gathering, and saw her dead brother. "Mon Dieu!" she cried, rushing over and falling to her knees beside him, the lace of the wedding gown she still wore draping over the body. Frantically she shook him. "Julien? Julien!"

When he didn't answer, when he didn't even move, Belle broke down sobbing. Then she looked up and saw Remy and Rogue standing there, and her cries stopped; instead, she let out a wail of anguish and rapidly flung herself at her former love, striking him repeatedly while screaming obscenities at him.

"How could y?! Why, why? Havn' y' ruined everyt'in' already? He was right, y' are jus' a piece o' scum!" she howled.

Remy made absolutely no move to protect himself; he just let the blows come, the beginning of his penance. It was the least he could allow her, after what he had done. Rogue knew that he would probably beat himself up about Julien's death, but she hadn't expected him to so calmly let another do it to him. She was about to step in and pull Belle off him when the Assassin spun around and tried to attack her too.

Rogue easily grabbed her flailing arms; she barely put any of her skill behind her strikes, too upset to think clearly. Her struggles stopped, regressing into a fresh wave of tears. Lapin and Kae moved forward and took hold of her, leading her away and trying to console her. Rogue couldn't help but feel pity for whom she supposed could be considered her rival; she had lost everything in a span of minutes.

There was nothing but silence, except for the occasional weep emanating from Belladonna. Everybody stood on edge, the tension hanging thick in the air. Belle and Marius were both being kept in check by fellow Guild members, while the rest simply bore witness to the Assassins' dead heir. Next to him still stood a agonized Remy, and the mysterious thief.

Finally one of the elders cleared his throat and spoke up. "We need t' call council."

"O' course," agreed Jean-Luc, his gaze never leaving his son. "Allez (Come on), Remy."

The others all began to descend back into the cathedral, the mood sombre. A few hauled the comatose carcass of Sabretooth along with them; he would be needed to testify to the Assassin's plot. Before Remy made a move, he looked over at Rogue. Their eyes met again, sorrow and regret conveyed in both pairs. So was love, still aching to be voiced. They could only stare at each other, no words being exchanged - neither being quite sure what to say, or how to say it. He took a step to her, wanting nothing more than to take her in his arms, when his father stopped him.

"Remy," he stressed. "Maintenant (Now)."

Regretfully Remy started to walk towards his fate, but just had to brush his hand against Rogue's on his way. That tiny whisper of a touch managed to calm them both, seeming to imbue indescribable strength into each of them. Words weren't needed, the simple contact told them what had to be said. And with that, Rogue was left alone one more time.


Next chapter - everything gets wrapped up into one neat little package! What will the Guilds decide about Remy? Where will Rogue go? Will they finally admit that they love each other? Which girl would he have chosen? Will Belle try to kill them? Repeatedly?

Well, the only way to find out the answers to those pesky little questions is to come back for the last chapter. Yes, that's right, the LAST chapter. The conclusion, the end, the finale, the culmination of 'February Fifteenth'! It should be up in a few days, so y'all come back now, ya hear?

And don't forget to review, pretty please! You're gonna run out of chances soon, and then where will you be?

Kisses,

ish