A/N: Well, I got more responses to that last chapter, but my spider-senses tell me that the increase in responses might be due to an increase in time. Yeah, I'm sorry I haven't written more lately, but it's that time of year again! The time where all the students on campus are walking around with red eyes, barely looking alive. You guessed it! It's mid-terms! Everybody groan! So, yeah, I just finished my second test of the week, with two more to go next Wednesday, so, if I don't update in a while, don't kill me, Genetics and French are already doing that. Less work for you, yeay! So, here's my disclaimer and then some "word up"s to my readers, and THEN, the THIRD part of this story…
Disclaimer: Okay, so I don't own the X-Men, but I do enjoy playing with them. But, if I owned them, I could play with them all the time! Hmmm, let the plotting begin!!! Bwahahaha!
Shout-Outs:
Rogue14: I just got your review, and now I'm writing, happy?
Kookie Dough: Well, I am writing again, don't know if it's "good", but hey, that's what you're here for!
Weapon x 61: Yes, I know, I promised ROMY action, and, do not despare! There WILL be ROMY action, I just don't know when, so, keep checking! And reviewing!
Tammy: Yeah, I always thought Rogue was a rather sad character (meaning you sympathize with her), but her luck will improve… someday…
ishandahalf: "Cool beans", that brings back lovely Jumanji memories. Oh, and after reading your great fanfic, "February Fifteenth", my roommate and I have one thing to say to you, "HUZZAH!" (Am I allowed to plug others' fics?)
Star-Of-Chaos: Meh, I'm not really "worried" about the age thing, after all, "you're only as old as you feel," though by that, my age fluctuates rapidly. Look, I'm 50! Wait, no, I'm 5! Weeeeeee!
c-marabini: I know I answered your review before, but, I'm still trying to get my formatting down, this site confuses, and I'm not a big fan of Word, which I'm currently using, if you, or anyone, has any recommendations for a better WP to use for writing fanfic's, please let me know? If you recommend a good one, I'll dedicate a chapter after you!
Additional disclaimer: The name of this chapter is taken from a Dashboard Confessional song. I own no rights to Dashboard Confessional whatsoever, though I do recommend that you listen to some of their wonderful songs (wow, I'm just full of plugs today, I should get paid for this…).
***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***
And Truth is in a Tall Beer:
Back to the Cajun…
Remy lost track of time as he gazed at the stars without really seeing them. Thoughts were racing through his mind about the past few days. Rogue had always kept him at a distance from the day they met. She did this for both his and her own good. But the sweet-talking "Prince of Thieves" had worked long and hard to shorten the distance, and Rogue had started to give in to his attempts over time. But recently she had been very distant indeed. When he tried to talk to her, she looked at if she was concentrating on something else and he would often catch her off guard by throwing in questions she didn't answer correctly. She spent a lot of time in her room and whenever Remy would come in without knocking to talk to her or surprise her with some small gift or outing, she would make a rush to hide whatever it was she was doing. Remy had caught a few glances of what looked like electronic equipment, but still wasn't sure what she was doing with them. It bothered him that she would hide something from him, and it bothered him even more that she was pushing him away again.
'Que (what) have I done to deserve this?' He thought to himself, and then shook his head and spoke aloud.
"Pffft, y' never worried 'bout any femme (woman) pushin' y' 'way before, why y' startin' maintenant (now)?"
'Eh, well, y' never been pushed 'way by a femme before, now have ya?' The voice in his head answered back. Remy shook his head again. He was NOT going to have a conversation with himself, not now. He let a long sigh.
"J'ai besoin un boisson! (I need a drink!)" Remy declared to the night. As he looked around him once more, he finally took in the changes that had occurred since his arrival at this spot. The lights from the city were fewer, and the starts above were brighter. He smiled, he liked it better that way. Night-time and a peaceful city, the perfect time for crime. Remy's hands itched, but he had made a promise to Rogue not to cause anymore trouble by stealing, even if he did return the goods the next day and never was caught. Remy cursed his own decision, but let the thought go as he mounted his Harley and headed to a favorite "watering hole," as he called it.
Remy started the bike and gave one final shake of his head before racing toward the bar. "Femmes!" He muttered, "can' live wit' um," his eyes sparkled as he thought of a way to finish the cliché. "Mais, de bedroom would be a lot less fun withou' um." He frowned. He needed to work on that last part. Maybe a beer or two would inspire him. With that final thought, he was gone into the night.
A few minutes later, Remy pulled his bike into the parking lot of a small, rather shady-looking pub. He notice the other bike in the lot, another Harley, like his, but the finish was a bit duller, and instead of solid blocks of color, this one was yellow with raggid black stripes down the sides, which made it look as if the bike had been sliced with very sharp knives. Remy smiled. "Logan," he muttered to himself, "guess Remy won' be drinkin' solitairement (alone) afta all." He parked his beauty and walked into the bar through the back door. The bartender nodded at him as he entered and Remy replied in kind. He then scanned the small room for his friend. There, at the bar, by the TV, was a short yet solid man, a scruffy beard surrounding a scowl on his face, a Cuban cigar in his mouth, and a Canadian beer in his hands. His eyes were focused on the TV and he pounded the bar in frustration.
"Come on! Make a decent call for once in your pitiful life, ya bastard!" He screamed at the screen as Remy ordered a beer and walked over to the outraged man known simply as Logan. Logan's eyes did not flinch from the screen as Remy sat down next to him, but he still greeted the younger man with a gruff, "hey Gumbo."
Remy answered with a slight nodded, for although the older man was not looking at him, Remy knew he would see it, or sense it somehow. After taking a swig of the beer, Remy grinned at his friend and asked the obvious, "Y' team not doin' so well?"
The other man made a sound somewhere between a growl and a laugh. "Course not," he answered, "they're my team after—HEY! Come ON you stupid bastard! Call something right for once!"
Remy laughed at his friend's agrevation over the game and recalled the many times Logan had growled at Jubilee for talking to the TV set. "It's no use hun, they ain't gonna hear ya." The girl had ignored his advice and continued to tell the characters "Don't go in there!" or "But he DOES love you!" Remy was about to call the older man on doing what he had told the teen not to do countless times, but at that moment, Logan spoke up.
"Damn, lost again!" He took another drink from his beer without removing his cigar and shifted his vision to the man sitting next to him. "So what are you doing here, Gumbo? Rogue kick your ass again?" Logan smiled at the Cajun, revealing his sharp canines.
Remy gave a weak smile in return. "Non, mon ami (no, my friend), well, no' really a' leas'. She tol' m' she was busy tonight, had some t'ings she needed to be doin'." Remy frowned at the memory. Rogue had been very aloof as to what exactly those things were and it bothered him. Remembering that was why he was there, he took another drink and looked back at Logan who frowned slightly in return, took a long draw on his cigar and finally replied.
"Look, Gumbo, I ain't exactly the best person to talk to 'bout crap like this, but I do think I should say something." Remy raised an eyebrow and a smirk came to his face, curious what the wild-man might have to say. He had a feeling that Logan might even know what Rogue was up to. "You know the girl cares for ya, it's just that Stripes, well, she's got special circumstances in her life that need to be taken care of. She's been avoiding some of um for a while now, and I think she's tired of runnin' 'way from um." While he was speaking, Logan had been looking at the label on his bottle, as if reading a script or trying to remember something. He looked back up at the man he was speaking to at the end and gave him a small smile. "She don't mean ta push ya away Cajun, there are just some things she's gotta do alone for now. She'll tell ya 'bout it when she can."
Remy gave his companion a weak smile. "Merci, mon ami (thank you, my friend)." But this little speech didn't really help. He was tired of being left in the dark. He cared about Rogue more than any girl he had ever known and he didn't like her pushing him away, even if she had a noble cause.
The two men sat in silence for a while longer, both drinking and thinking about various events or people. Remy could tell Logan was still a bit peeved about the game that had just ended. He heard the man mutter something about tracking down the coach and giving him a pep talk of his own device. A while later, both men were ready to leave and walked out to their bikes. As Logan mounted his, Remy flashed another evil grin and challenged the other man. "Race y'," he teased.
Logan broke out into a full guttural laugh before glaring at the younger man. "Gumbo, I'd make it there and back four times before you even found the exit to the lot!"
Remy's eyes shimmered as he replied with a cocky, "prove it, mon vieux (old man)!"
"A'right," Logan agreed. "Ya want a head start, boy?"
"Funny, Remy 'bout to ask y' that!" The Cajun grinned as he mounted and revved up his Harley. Logan started his as well, and with one final glare at each other, they were off. It was true that Logan had more experience on the machines than Remy, but Remy's agility came to his aid while he weaved his way down the crowded street. Although it was about 2am, the streets were still moderately busy, it was Saturday night after all. The two men were taking the same roads, to keep track of each other more than anything, and they continued to check their opponent's progress. Remy was a little behind Logan as they were coming up to a light. The light changed to yellow and the car in front of Logan slowed down to stop. He tried to get around it, but Remy took this chance and gunned it, cutting off the Canadian native. Logan cussed as he flew by, and Remy gave him a one-finger wave. It was this move that allowed Remy to reach the destination and dismount his winning Harley just a few seconds before his opponent arrived. Remy smiled as Logan pulled up, the anger he felt was apparent on his face. Logan quickly shut off and dismounted his bike before charging towards Remy. Knowing the older man wouldn't seriously hurt him, Remy stood his ground. Logan stopped right in front of the Cajun, glaring at the cocky smile on his face and raising a fist in front of the man's chest.
"You pull another stunt like that, Cajun," the man growled rather than spoke, and then his trademark claws shot out of his fist, the tips of them just brushing against Remy's throat. "One more stunt like that," he repeated, "and that precious bike of yours is getting a new body job!"
Remy glared at the man now and shook his head. "Not cool, Wolverine. Threaten Remy all y' want, but don' even JOKE 'bout touchin' my bike!"
"Oh yeah?" Wolverine continued, with a little humor in his voice. "And what are you gonna do about it, bub?"
Remy knew the man was joking, in his own sick way, but he still kept a stone cold face as his pulled a playing card out of his long, brown leather duster and charged it to a glowing red in front of the other man's face. Then Remy broke into a smile and said, "you touch m' bike, and I beat y' to a humiliatin' bloody pulp in a real gentl'men's fashion."
"What's that?" Logan tried not to smile back at the man, for he knew what was coming.
Remy's smile grew. "I beat y' in a game o' cards." And with that he stopped charging the object in his hand and showed that he was not holding just one card, but five; all four ace's and the king of hearts.
Logan retracted his metal claws and chuckled at the boy. "Ya know, Gumbo, those little jokes of yours need work."
Remy shrugged and put the cards back into his duster. "Et (And) y' need to work on y'r actin'." Both men laughed as they put their bikes away and walked into the place they both called home. The sign out front read "Xavier's School for the Gifted," but it was more than just a school. It was a safe haven for mutants, a place where they could go, not only to learn math, science, and English, but also how to control those things that made them different from the rest of humanity. It was a place dedicated to turning curses into gifts, as well as promoting the ideas of peace and understanding to the world. It was some kind of home to all who stayed there. To some, it was a second home, to others, like Remy, it was the only home they had left. Remy realized this every time he returned to this place, this home of his. And tonight was no exception.
Remy walked down the dark halls, they were so familiar to him now, that he could have done this without his sensitive vision. He walked down to the teachers' dormitory and headed towards his room. On the way, however he passed Rogue's. He noticed there was a light flickering out from under her door and he wondered what she was doing up so late. He reached for the door knob, but then pulled back.
'She said she wanted to be left 'lone to work tonight…' he thought. He looked at the door a little while longer, debating whether or not to enter. He wanted to go in, but didn't want Rogue upset at him, he had told her he would let her be alone tonight after all. But, it was technically morning. BUT, maybe she'd appreciate him more if he gave her the space she wanted. BUT…
Remy shook his head. "Screw it," he said aloud to himself and he turned the knob and opened the door a crack. "Chére? (Dear?)"
…………………..TO BE CONTINUED…………………………….
A/N: Bwhahahaha! I know, I know, I'm evil. I promised you all ROMY, and here it is, chapter 3, and still no ROMY action. But, remember, patience is a virtue. *Realizes that the angry crowd of ROMY fans coming towards her with various pointy implements of doom does not care about virtues.* Nono, wait! I have my reasons for writing this chapter, and I promise that I will include fluff, I'm just trying to set some things up. Not really a plot, but more of a mood type thing. Ah, hell, I don't know, I'm just writing this as it comes, I really don't know what's coming next until I sit down and writing it out (um, type it out?). Please don't hurt me! The ROMY will come, and when it does, it will be that much more fluffy and shiny and good. So, as usual, I beg of you to spare my life (after all, if you kill me, you'll never get your ROMY fluff!), and, of course, review. I'll probably write more this weekend, but right now I'm tired and I think I'll take a nap before dinner and going to see Hidalgo (mmmm, Viggo Mortensen… and a horsey! Weeee!) Have a groovy weekend and I love you all, even if you do want to kill me.
~YllisBellaDonna~
