Unexplainable
I
Three Years later…
Remy LeBeau was coming home.
As he cruised up the road to Xavier's school on his Harley on a bright August day; Remy could help but wonder what lay ahead of him and what he was getting himself into, he wasn't sure what he was doing really coming back. He He'd left because he hadn't fit in, his past dogged him every where he went in some way or another and here he was returning. He'd thought it would be best if he'd just up and left before but running away hadn't solved anything, this just proved that.
He spent the time as a thief for hire, moving from Louisiana to Alabama to Mississippi, doing what ever jobs people had offered him to stay ahead until he could put down some roots and get his life in order again. It had been tiring though, not like when he was younger and got a thrill from lifting people's possessions. Damned sense of morality that came with age was gonna make him old before his time; he thought as he turned a bend in the road and the school came into view.
Remy sighed, as he cruised along and marveled over the fact that after coming so far in his life, he'd come full circle. It had taken him three years of drifting from town to town in Mississippi and Louisiana to discover that home was the mansion and that he belonged to with the team and her. It had been like something was missing from his life, something he knew he had to come back to Xavier's to get.
There wasn't a day that had gone by in three years that he hadn't thought of Rogue in someway or another, whether is was seeing something he knew that she'd have liked if he bought her or seeing something that reminded him of her. The look of pain and betrayal on her face when he'd said he'd been leaving had haunted him no matter where he'd gone or what he'd done.
Zut!
He'd been a coward to walk out on the team and his chere.
He knew that now, but it had taken him a long time to realize it and admit it to himself. He'd been so full of anger at the team because they wouldn't accept him for who he was, it had seemed like such an easy to do, jus cut them out, forget and move on. It had proved to be near impossible for him to do in actuality; they had become such a part of him that leaving had caused a hole that couldn't be filled. He just hoped that it wasn't too late to do something about it, and try to fix things with everybody.
He wasn't surprised to find the school's large metal gates open and waiting for him as he approached the mansion. He cruised inside the garage and stopped the bike, looking around at the cars as he did so. After making sure it was secure, he parked the bike and started for the manor, hoping he wouldn't run into anyone one he knew until he'd had a chance to have a talk with Xavier about re-joining the team. As he approached the house and went inside, he could hear the sound of the children coming from the direction of the football field and decided the kids were out enjoying the August day, in another words, getting into some form of trouble or another. He shook his head, hearing the sounds of a game coming from the basketball court. It seemed like nothing much ever changed at Xavier's, even with the passage of time.
Enter the main building, he turned left, and headed straight for Xavier's office, figuring that should be his first stop, since it depended on him, whether Remy stayed or not. He had a feeling Xavier knew he was coming anyways, and wouldn't be surprised at all to se him. After all, the man was a psychic. He pushed down the worry and tried to think positive about the fact that he was back, it meant he'd have a roof over his head at least, for now. He walked up to the solid oak door, dropped his duffle on the floor and knocked, waiting for an answer before going in.
"Come in Remy"
At first Remy wasn't sure he'd heard right but as he went inside, he could see he'd been correct at his first guess. It wasn't Xavier, sitting behind the desk but Dr. Jean Grey. She smiled at him, put the papers down she'd been marking and rose, to greet him warmly. "Hello Remy", she said with a smiled as she came around the desk to acknowledge him "Its good to see you again" She could see the confused look on his face and she laughed "Don't worry, Charles knew you were coming. He had to leave for the peace summate in Kyoto, he's the head of the mutant protection committee and they had some sort of emergency" She smiled again, and motioned for him to have a seat in one of the comfortable sprawling chairs, near the door "So he me asked to greet you instead, I hope that's alright"
"It be fine wit me", he said, grinning at her, as he took her in. "You be prettier, a welcoming committee then Xavier by a mile chere" Truth be told, he'd been worried for a moment. It had been over three months since Xavier had, found him in Mississippi, and talked to him about coming back, to re-join the team. He hadn't been going to, it had seemed like a bad idea at the time but he'd changed his mind at the last moment, and decided to give the team another chance, mostly because it meant coming back the place he'd realized far too late was his home. Four days before he'd packed up his few belongings and hopped on his bike, heading for New York state and Westchester from New Orleans, where he'd been head the Thieves guild's Trainee's.
"You haven't changed a bit, have you?" Jean asked with a laugh and a shake of her head.
"Da Ragen Cajun never does", he said leaning back in his chair and, lacing his hands behind his head casually. "I be one of the constancies of life" he raised an eye brow and smiled seductively at her through his red on black eyes.
"Well", Jean said, trying not to act flustered by his charm. "Charles told me you're planning to re-join the team on a permanent basis?"
Remy nodded with a sigh, stippling his hands and looking at her over the top of them at her. "Dat was the general idea chere, if dat be alright with everybody else" He shook his head "Don't want to make no waves though, if its gonna causes trouble Remy can hit the road fast."
"No", Jean said firmly "If anyone disagree, they'll have Charles to deal with; he wants you back on the team as soon as possible,"
"Still", he said, " Remy hopes it will be alright with everybody." Unsure, but willing to fly in the face of hardship if it meant he could be with Rogue again. "Alright den, if that'd the way ya'll want it to be, but don't say Remy didn't warn ya"
"I'll keep that in mind, ", she smiled again, giving him a hug "Welcome back Remy"
"Thank you", he said "Remy appreciates it"
"We've got something we need to go over", Jean said, sorting some papers "Just routine, nothing much. Medical stuff mostly, I hope you don't mind"
"Ask away", he said "Remy don't mind at all"
They spent the next twenty minutes discussing his health over the past three years and where he'd been, who he'd been around, things like that. Before Jean could start to speak to him about training or group activities, though, the door to Xavier's office burst open and Rogue came hurrying in at a fast pace, clearly in a hurry to speak to Jean about something.
Since the chair he was sitting was opposite to her, Rogue didn't see Remy and he got his first good look at her since he had left her that night at the pond. She was thinner then he remembered, tanned with her red hair tamed under her usual headband. She was dressed in a green off the shoulder t-top and a pair of black jean cutoffs, with a sheer body stocking on underneath, that set his blood on fire. She was barefoot, and carrying a pair of sandals in one of her hand, and he could see that she, clearly, had been outside doing something, probably playing in the basket ball game he'd heard.
"Jean, Sugah", she said, not seeing Remy sitting behind her, "Ah know we were supposed to go to that meeting today, but its such a nice day out, I was wondering if you could handle the meeting by your self, I really want to spend the day with"-
"Sure", Jean said quickly, trying to indicate to Rogue to look over her shoulder, and failing miserably. "Go right ahead I can handle the meeting with out you" She tried again to get Rogue to look behind her and again she failed with a sigh.
Rogue looked her up and down, wondering if Jean gotten enough sleep the night before... "Sugah, you alright? You're acting very off this morning?"
"I'm fine Rogue" Jean said, catching Remy's eye as he smiled, and raised a finger to his lips, took his playing cards out and began fiddling with them. "It's just… we've got company, that's all"
Rogue whirled around as Remy politely coughed into his hand to alert her of his presence. Her jaw dropped and she stood silently looking at her ex-lover in disbelief. In his life, Remy would never forget the look of utter shock on Rogue's face at seeing him, sitting there, shuffling his playing cards. She paled to a pasty shade of white and he actually saw her, reach out and grip the desk to steady herself on her feet. "Bonjour chere", he said standing to greet her with a smile. "It's been awhile, non?"
He watched as she opened her mouth, probably to tell him to go to hell with his luck, but before Rogue could speak or even think about speaking, there was the sound of little feet on wood and the door to the office burst open. A small redheaded boy ran into the room, flying straight into Rogue's legs and attaching himself to her left side. "Momma, momma, we go soon?" he asked, tugging at her shirt impatiently.
Remy watched in astonishment as Rogue looked down at the small child and tousled his hair, pulling him close to her as she glared at Remy. "Sure Sugah, as soon as Ah'm done talking to Aunt Jean. Gimme a minute okay?"
Remy tried to alternate looking at the child and listening to her as she turned back to Jean "Like Ah was saying, Ah really want to spend the day with Trey. Ah've been so busy lately, Ah haven't had much free time. Ah don't get to spend enough time with him, it's a beautiful day out, ah thought Ah'd take him to the lake, if that's alright with you. If ya can handle things on your own"
"Sure", Jean said, smiling at the little boy and handing him a green sucker from a container on the desk "I don't mind at all, go and enjoy yourselves. I can handle things here"
Remy for his part, was still in shock.
His belle chere had a child?
It was the absolute last thing in the world he had expected to find upon returning to Xavier's. Rogue had never breathed a word about wanting a family when they'd been together, although she knew Remy would have been happy to oblige her if she wanted a child. He couldn't believe that the little one he was looking at actually hers. He glanced at the boy wondering how old he was, and then a faint realization began to sink in. He had to be at least three, maybe three and a half. That could only mean…Remy shook the idea out of his head; it couldn't be true, just wishful thinking on his part, ether that or he'd been working in the southern sun too long.
He couldn't see the boy from where he was, so he shifted slightly to get a better look, so his mind could figure things out and put his thought to rest. The little boy peeked out from behind his mother's leg curiously again, and Remy felt all the air out of his chest as he realized he'd been right at his first thought. He was looking at a miniature replica of himself when he was a young child, he could see it as clear as day .He looked at Rogue in astonishment as he realized without a doubt that he was looking at his son. The guilty look on her face betrayed all her emotions and feelings to him, like it always had and he knew it was the truth.
He had a son with Rogue.
That meant she'd been pregnant with he'd left and hadn't said anything.
Questions began to form in his mind, faster then he had ever thought possible, as he stared at the small child beside his mother. He couldn't believe that he and Rogue had a created a child and she'd said nothing, it didn't seem possible but obviously it was, unless he was hallucinating. He had no doubt in the world that the boy was his son, he looked exactly like him.
Hell, anybody with eyes could see the resemblance, between the two of them.
He had auburn hair, pale skin, and his eyes…
That was when Remy noticed his son's eyes for the first time.
His eyes were black, exactly like Remy's but with bright green irises that stood out from his young face distinctly.
A family trait apparently.
As soon as he realized he was being stared at, he darted behind his mother; glancing out from time to time to look at the stranger his mother was still staring down.
Jean cleared her throat, looking between them as she realized what was going on. "Well", she said "I think I'll leave you to alone for awhile, you must have things to talk about", she stared to edge for the door as cold silence took over the room. Hell if she couldn't have reached the door, the nearest window would have done nicely as long as she got out of the room intact.
Remy opened his mouth to say he agreed with her but Rogue cut him off. "Ah got nothing to say to him Jean, my son and I are going to the lake now" The emphasis on the words my and son, told Remy exactly what she thought of him at the moment. Without waiting for Jean to answer her, she picked the little one up and stormed out of the room, slamming the door so hard behind her that it rattled on its hinges.
Jean winced as she turned back to Remy, who was staring at the door silently in anger "Well", she said "That went better then I thought it would"
Once outside the office, Rogue set Trey down and tired to calm the beating of her heart. The last thing she had ever expected was to see, Remy Lebeau again, it had shocked the hell out of her when she'd seen him standing there. She hadn't been able to move or breath, she'd frozen until Trey had come running into the room. It had taken a moment for it to actually resister that it was him, older, but with the same cocky attitude and snake charmer smile that had caused her to fall for him in the first place.
She glanced down at her son with a smile, and tried to stay calm even if she thought she was going to scream inside, she didn't want to ruin the day for him, it was the first day she'd had to spend with him in weeks. "Ya ready to go to the lake?" she asked him with a smile as they walked to the front foyer.
"Yup", he said taking her hand "Mama, who dat man?"
Rogue closed her eyes for a moment, feeling like she was going to faint, then opened them squatting down so she was eye level with Trey. "He's an old friend of momma's, why do you ask?" she asked brushing his silky auburn hair off of his forehead with a finger.
Trey shrugged, and looked at the ground "He gots eyes like me is all"
"Yeah", Rogue said, wanting to strangle Jean for not giving her a heads up to the fact that he was coming back again." But your are a lot nicer, baby"
"Really?" Trey said brightly with a sunny smile.
"Absolutely", Rogue said, slipping a baseball hat onto his head. "Now let's go, the lake is waiting us"
With that she and Trey continued through the foyer to the garage where her SUV was parked and waiting for them.
Back in Xavier's office, Remy turned to Jean with a stunned look on his face, and opened his mouth to ask, what the hell was going on.
"Don't", Jean said with a shake of her head, raising a hand palm up "It's not my place to answer your questions Remy. I'm her friend, and yours, but I'm not going to get involved in this. If you want to know about him, your going to have to ask her your self."
"Ya be right chere", he said turning to follow Rogue.
Jean cursed under her breath, "Remy, wait!" she said, stopping him at the door. "I know you want your questions answered and you have a right to but give her a little time to absorb things before you go after her. It's a hell of a shock to see you again for her, give her an hour to let things sink in, and then go. Go unpack, calm down, and then go. Please"
He nodded with a sigh, biting his lip to refrain that it was a hell of a shock to find out he had a son, he didn't know existed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Alright, ya be right, Remy thinks we all need time to calm down." He picked up his worn rucksack and tossed it over his shoulder
"Thank you", Jean said opening the door for him.
Remy nodded silently and headed for the stairs that led to his new assigned rooms, counting the minutes and seconds down in his head until he could go and confront Rogue.
At the lake Rogue was lost in thought, as she sat on a blanket, under a huge willow tree in the shade. She glanced around her; the lake was her favorite place to come because it was so peaceful and quiet. She'd found the place she was she pregnant and looking for a place to call hers, it was half an hour away from the school and perfect for day trips or fishing. The trees around her were in full bloom, and the grass under her bare feet was green and lush. Out of the corner of her eye she could the path that lead to the hiking trails and the camp grounds while ahead of her stretched the lake, calm and blue. The sky above was just as blue, without a cloud in sight and she knew it had been a good idea to come there that day.
"Trey", she called, keeping a close eye on him as he played at the shore. "Don't get to close to the water you hear?"
He nodded and kept going without missing a beat
Rogue closed her eyes, and tried not to give in to the tears that threatened to come. Seeing Remy again had thrown her for a real loop, if there was one thing she'd never counted on it was his coming back to Xavier's. It had taken her a long time to decide to stay at Xavier's, at first she'd thought it was best for her to leave, find a place in the South to go, and raise her son but Jean and the others wouldn't hear anything about it. The professor had offered to find Remy and get him to come back but she'd refused. He'd convinced her to stay and teach after a long talk with the others, Scott had even been her Lamaze coach when she'd given birth. In the back of her mind she'd always worried about Remy coming back. It seemed like such a remote possibility, though that she'd never really prepared for it, now he was back and she didn't know what to think. Her mind was awhirl as she watched Trey play by the shore, she just couldn't fathom why Remy was back after all this time, and she worried what it meant for her and Trey.
She shook her head and tried to calm herself down, leaning back against the tree trunk for support, letting her arms hug her breast securely. She closed her eyes as memories, that she'd been blocking for three years came rushing back at her like they were now and not just remnants of the past. She didn't want to feel them, didn't want to crave them like she craved air or food, she wanted to stay angry at him for leaving her but it was no use.
She closed her eyes, immersing herself in the past like a hot bath, as thoughts of her and Remy reemerged, from the corner of her mind where she'd hidden them so long ago. It was like being lost in mist that she never wanted to leave but she had to. She could feel heat coming from his body, and smell the woodsy aftershave he loved to wear, she could feel the strength in his embrace as he held her against him, feel the intense heat in his gaze as he looked down at her while they made love. She could hear the French endearments he used to whisper to her as they lay tangled together, and remembered what it felt like to have him inside of her as clearly as if they had just been together.
They'd had to be so careful, relying on silk scarves and body stockings for complete protection from her skin but he'd never breathed a word about it or complained at all, he'd just taken her for who she was and loved her for it. He'd never asked for anything else. Up until the night he'd left she'd had no cause to believe anything was wrong and then he'd walked away and she'd been left floundering and wondering what to do next.
He had spent so many nights holding her tightly, that it had become a habit before ether of them had realized it. She'd grown to love the feel of his arms around her, it made her feel safer then she had ever felt.
For months after he had left, she'd had trouble sleeping alone. She grown so used to spending the nights, locked safely in his arms, feeling the heat of his body and listening to him snore, that the silence in her room had been deafening, like a lonely tomb. It had only gotten worse when she'd started to round out and Trey had started to kick because she's had nobody to share it with, and she's wanted him so badly. Oh, she'd had her friend, the team had been amazingly supportive of her, but it hadn't been the same.
She jolted herself out of her own thoughts, and watched Trey again as he continued to search for bullfrogs. "Trey I said don't get to close to the water" she called searching for a drink in the bag she'd brought. She glanced around, the lake was silent, it was a weekday so few people were out and around, choosing to come on the weekends and stay. Forcing Remy out of her mind, she wondered if Trey would like to go camping someday, she'd always liked it and she knew the ground there was perfect for an overnight stay.
She watched and sighed so wrapped up in her thoughts, and plans for the rest of the summer she didn't see Remy approaching them until Trey called out. "Mama, look it's your friend again"
Rogue sat up to see Remy ambling towards them; if she guessed correctly he'd been leaning against a tree watching them for quite some time and was picking the right moment to approach her. She felt panic course through her, not sure how things were going to play out but she forced it down. "Its alright baby" she called "Everything fine, keep on playing." She turned her back and ignored the angry Cajun stomping towards her until he was standing few feet away then turned and looked at him; taking the opportunity to size him up a she did so
He was, heavier then she'd remembered, more muscular, and his hair was longer then he normally wore it, she noticed. He was dressed in a pair of faded jeans, a white t-shirt, and a pair of well worn black boots, that judging by the scuff marks on them had seen their share of days. She felt her blood heat up against her will, and pushed it down taking a sip of her soda instead, as she tried not to look at him.
"Ya like what you see chere", he said sarcastically, knowing she was looking her fill.
"Not particularly", she said, fiddling with the soda can lid.
"You and Remy need to have a little talk P'tite" he said, "And Remy don't mean about da fine weather we been havin lately"
She ignored him, set her soda aside and looked out at the water, wishing she could run away and not have to face him. "Ah already told you ah don't want to talk to you, ah got nothing to say'
"Well Remy wants to talk to you", he said, he leaned against the tree looking down at her. He looked at Trey playing and then down at her with an angry gaze, then got right to the point "That boy, he be my son chere non?"
Rogue didn't even hesitate for an instant.
"Of course he is, Remy, you think Ah'm the kind of girl that screws around," She winced at her comment and turned to look out at the water again.
"Girl, you got a lot of questions to answer for." he said, with a shake of his head. "Starting with why the hell you didn't say anything to Remy when you found out about da baby comin"
Rogue exhaled in anger and rose to face him, poking him in the chest as she did so. "Ah don't have to justify my actions to anyone, especially you Remy LeBeau. Ah did what Ah thought was best for him and my self, and for you for that matter."
" And that was what?" , he said " Not telling me, letting Remy walk away, cause I'm drawing a blank here Rogue" She could see the hurt and betrayal on his face as he tried to comprehend things, and felt pain flash though her.
"Why didn't you say anything?" he cried, moving closer to her and waving a hand angrily. "Why didn't you say ya were in the family way chere? Remy would have stayed and supported you and the child instead of leaving" he said, taking off his sun glasses and tossing them on the blanket, she'd been sitting on.
Rogue sighed, and crossed her arms over her chest defensively.
"Ah tried to tell you the night you left but I didn't get the chance, remember?" She said, pushing her own sunglasses up on her forehead so she could see him better. "Ah said I had somethin to tell you, but you were already half out the door Sugah. What exactly was I supposed to say to say, 'Guess what Remy, I'm pregnant, oh and by the way, drop me a line when you settle somewhere nice.' I don't think so,"
"Remy remembers that", he said, cocking his head, his anger dissipating a bit. "Dat be what you were gonna tell me P'tite, dat you were carrying the Gambit's child?" He watched as she nodded silently. "Ya said, it wasn't important chere, Remy call that damed important!"
"Exactly", she said "You'd have stayed when you wanted to leave, and you'd have been miserable, ah'd have been miserable", she sighed "Ah didn't want that for him. You were unhappy here, You were gone in everyway but physical anyways Remy. Ah needed your heart, we needed your heart and it was already gone, back to Louisiana where you wanted to be.
"You had my heart then", he said softly. "You still do chere"
Of that she'd never had any real doubt.
"Ah know", she said sadly, feeling the anger she'd fostered over the past three years fading rapidly and cursing herself for it. "Ah know that now, but ah didn't realize it then." She turned away, willing her voice not to crack "Ah didn't know what to do. Ah didn't know how you'd feel," She turned back to him and moved a step closer. "Especially since Ah wanted to keep the baby from the moment Ah found out. You could have said one harsh word Remy and it would have broken mah heart, ah would have been devastated"
"Ya should have know better", he said "Girl, after everything we've been through together, you should have known Remy better then that, he'd never do anything to hurt you" He reached out and ran a gloved finger down her cheek and she turned away, fighting the urge to throw her arms around him and have a good cry that she'd needed for along time.
"Don't" she said, shaking her head instead and wiping the tears from her cheeks with her hand quickly.
"Don't what", he said, resting a hand on her shoulder, massaging gently, aware Trey was watching them closely from where he was playing.
"Turn on the magnetism" She said, looking up at him. "That ol' Cajun charm isn't gonna work this time"
"It always worked before chere", he said playfully.
"I know", she said, knowing it was true, there was a bond between them that even Scott and Jean didn't have. She was his best friend and he was hers that was why it had broken her heart when he'd left "But not this time Remy, there's too much at stake here. Ah don't want him getting hurt"
"You don't want him to get hurt or you don't want to get hurt", he said, raising an eye brow.
"Ah don't want you to hurt him", she said stubbornly "Ah can handle it if you leave again but he won't be able to, he wouldn't understand. Ah don't want you to flit in and out of his life Remy; he's just a little boy. Its tough enough to be a kid with powers, he don't need anymore problem then that"
"You think Remy would hurt him", he said offended "I be his papa, chere, ain't no way I'm gonna screw that up"
"Ah don't think you would intentionally "She said, biting her lip "But you could hurt him, more you could ever imagine, because you're his father" She turned to face him "If your going to be around him then your gonna have to stay put Remy, I don't want you going in and out of his life", she waited for him to scoff and tell her nobody tied the Ragen Cajun down.
"Dat was the plan anyway", he said, surprising her like usual "Remy came back to stay P'tite, I ain't leaving again"
"Good", she said, walking up to him so she was standing less then a few inches away. "Because, if on the off chance you hurt him, Magneto will be the last of you problems. Am I making myself clear?"
"Like crystal", he said, knowing she was dead serious. "Dat mean you gonna let me see him?"
"You're his father", she said "Ah'd never stop you from seeing him, Remy. Ah just don't want him hurt is all"
Remy nodded "Fair enough" He looked at Trey again then back to her. "Ya said, he's got powers chere, what de be?"
Rogue smiled, and waved at Trey, before turning to Remy "He can talk to animals"
Remy's eyebrows shot straight up, and it took a moment for him to speak. "Ya mean my son be Dr. Dolittle?"
Rogue laughed, she couldn't help it. "Somethin like that. He communicates with them, understands them. Jean said it could be telepathy, and when 's older he might be able to communicate with human, we'll just have to wait and see"
Remy nodded and cleared his throat "Remy have one more question for ya chere, how…" he stopped and tried to think away of away to put it decently. " We was always careful chere, Remy don't understand how…"
Rogue shrugged, and shook her head slowly. "I honestly don't know, condoms break and tear, and it not always obvious they have. Remy, we're not the first couple it happened too, and we won't be the last. We, used protection, scarves and body stockings, for my skin, apparently we were just using the wrong type of protection."
She laughed shakily and rubbed her temples. "God knows how long those condoms sat in your wallet before we used them Sugah"
He grinned wolfishly at her, and raised an eyebrow again. "Da condoms never lasted long with us my belle chere, or have ya forgotten"
Rogue blushed knowing he was right. She couldn't count the number of times they'd been in the middle of a hot session, only to discover they were out of condoms. She could remember Gambit, having to run out to the store, clad in nothing but a pair of jeans and his boots, on at least four separate occasions to get more because after Jean's third pregnancy scare Scott refused to give them anymore, stating loss of sanity as a good reason for sending them to get their own.
In fact one of her favorite memories was of the one and only time she'd gone with Remy on an emergency Trojan run. He'd run inside the store to buy them while she'd waited in the truck. They hadn't even made it home, let alone to his room. Instead he had pulled the truck over on a secluded part of the highway, and they'd proceeded to steam up the windows and use three of the condoms he'd bought in under an hour, then they'd had to go back for more. After that she'd waited for him back at the mansion.
"Ah haven't forgotten", she said quietly, changing the subject and moving on. "Ah think he was conceived, the night we went out clubbing with Jean and Scott for their anniversary. If Ah remember correctly you spent the entire night plying me with Southern Comfort. The last thing ah remember is you pouring me into bed Sugah," she coughed and tried to suppress a smile. "And giving me another type of Southern Comfort,"
"Da best kind da is chere", he said with another grin, that she found both sexy and infuriating.
Rouge, shook her head, wondering where her anger towards him had gone. She'd spent so long being mad at him, only to have it dissolve in one afternoon. She sighed, she could never stay mad at him, she'd never been able to for long. She loved him to much for that. One afternoon didn't fix things though, it was only a tiny step for them and he'd have to realize that or they'd both get burned again "We'd both had so much to drink that night, Ah doubt ether of us would have thought to use a condom"
Remy nodded, accepting her logic as he did on so many occasions, watching as Trey began to explore the rushes along the shore.
"Momma!!" he called excitedly, waving a hand, finding something new for him. "Come look!!"
"Ah'm coming", Rogue said, staring towards him and praying it was a snake he was pointing to excitedly. She walked a few feet and realized Remy hadn't moved from his spot by the tree "Ya comin Cajun or not?"
He moved up to stand beside her. "Ya sure chere?"
She laughed, and to his surprise linked an arm through his, pulling him along to where Trey was" Your gonna have to meet him some time or another, it might as well be now" Gradually they made there was over to their son.
"Look", Trey said, pointing and Rogue could see a nest enclosed in the long grass, containing four blue eggs. "What type are they, Mama?"
"Duck eggs, I think", she said "'Betcha their Momma's around here somewhere" She scanned the water, looking but couldn't see anything or any animals.
"Actually", Remy said, speaking to Trey for the first time. "De be loon's eggs, not duck eggs. Duck eggs be brown and those be blue speckled, smaller too" Trust the Louisiana Cajun to know anything about anything remotely, swamp or animal, related she thought.
"There you go", she said to Trey, taking him by the hand and leading him back up the area where she had been sitting. She caught Remy's eye and for a moment, she felt fear. She began to wonder if Trey was too young, that maybe they should wait until he was older and could understand more. Then decided it was best to get it over with as quick as possible.
"Trey", she said, picking him up and holding him close "Ah want you to meet somebody." She turned and walked over to Remy "This is Remy. Remember Ah said he was a friend of mine."
Trey nodded, and looked back and forth between his mother and Remy as Rogue continued. "Ah 've known him along time, since before you were born", She kissed the top of his head. "He's your daddy Trey, just like Uncle Scott is Nate and Livvy's daddy"
"You are?" Trey said in wonder.
"I am son", Remy said trying to choke back the intense emotions he felt and failing, if the lump in his throat was any indication.
A shadow crossed his Trey's face. "What haven't I seen you before?" he asked crossly" Where have you been?"
"He had to go away for awhile", Rogue said, praying she wasn't making a mistake by letting this happen "But he's back now"
"Oh" Trey said, accepting this "Are you staying for keeps?"
Remy nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
"Good" Trey said then to Rogue's surprise and even more to Remy's he reached his arms to out for Remy to take him from Rogue. Remy took him carefully, balancing him on his arm as Trey pulled back to look at him. "You got eyes like me", he said "But different.
"Yeah son", he said as the little boy lay his head down on Gambit's shoulder with a yawn. "I do" It was a poignant moment for him, Rouge knew as she watched, He placed a hand on his sons upper back, and rested his chin lightly against Trey's neck, holding him close. Rouge could see the tears in his eyes and she was sure they matched her own. Standing there she could see the strong resemblance between the two of them, it was clear that they were father and son.
After a moment Remy set Trey down and he ran off to play again. Rogue watched as Remy, picked up his sun glasses and slipped them on, to cover up the moisture in his eyes. " He don't really understand, he's too young", Remy said, clearing his throat as he went and sat down on the blanket.
"He will", Rogue said, moving to sit a few feet away. "Give it time, Remy" Again she wondered how she could have gone from being angry at him to accepting him seeing their son under a day. She was getting soft in her old age, she thought.
"He's a good boy', Remy said gruffly "But with a mama like you, Remy wouldn't expect anything else" He glanced sideways at her. " You know Remy don't bite chere, unless specifically requested of course"
With a sighed Rogue moved closer to him, hugging her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, keeping a discrete distance between them. "Tell me more about him", Remy said, settling his hand on top of hers.
"Like what?" she said.
"Anything you think is important enough for Remy to know", he said, intertwining his fingers with hers seductively. "I don't even know his full name chere"
Rapidly, losing her train of thought, Rogue, took a breath, thinking. "Alright" she said ", His full name is Tremont Etienne LeBeau. He's an October baby, Halloween actually, October 31. He was due November 15, but he must have inherited you impatience because he couldn't wait that long.", she glanced at him then went on "Ah was in labor 26 hours before he decided to show up and grace us with his presence. He was a good baby, didn't try much, walked at a year and talked right after that," she smiled, watching as he absorbed what she was telling him. "Ain't much to tell really, he's healthy, never been sick, knock on wood and he's just a happy little boy on general, he keeps me on my toes all the time" She smiled at him " But then I wouldn't expect anything else from the son of the Ragen Cajun"
"What about his eyes?" Gambit said. "Was he born like that?"
Rogue nodded "Yup, right from the start. Ah don't know why his eyes are green tough when your red, Sugah" She raised an eyebrow at him as he kissed the back of her hand. He was still the same old Remy, she thought; he had only one thing on his mind, it was near impossible to believe he'd been angry when he'd showed up earlier.
Remy shrugged, kneading the palm of her hand gently with his gloved fingers. "Maybe because yours are green P'tite", he said, "Dat deep shade of green dat always drove Remy crazy" he cocked his head "He's got my last name I noticed" He knew she didn't use her last name so he'd figured she'd just made one up for Trey.
"Of course", she said, pulling her hand away before she caved into totally to his advances. "It's his by birthright, Ah wanted him to have it" She turned away for a moment then turned back "There is one more thing Remy". She said quietly.
He could see how serious she was. "What is it chere?" He said moving closer, and putting a hand on her back.
"My skin", she said, looking at him thorough tear filled eyed "He's immune"
"What?" He said, not sure had had hear right "You can touch him?"
She nodded "Ever since he was born. Jean and Hank say it's because he's got my DNA, it's like he's inoculated against it"
"Dat be amazing", he said, disbelievingly.
For a moment, nether of them spoke then Remy said, carefully. "Chere, why you no tell Remy you were pregnant when you da the chance dat night?"
"Ah don't know Sugah", she said, turning so he wouldn't see the tears running filling her eyes. "Ah was pregnant, Ah was scared and ah didn't know how you were gonna react when Ah told ya…", she turned back and he was shocked to see she was crying silently, tears sliding down her cheeks. " Ah just was so overwhelmed, ah didn't know what to think or do"
"Remy would have stayed by you, through the entire thing", he said honestly "Remy may be a thief, but even thieves have honor", he chuckled "Hell, even da worst thieves I know wouldn't turn their back and walk away if dey found out their women was with child" He brushed a tear off of her cheek with his thumb "And Remy's got more honor den they do, most of the time" He sighed " I won't lie to you chere, Remy still mad at you for not speaking up"
"And I'm still mad at you for leaving Sugah." she said
"Well then", he said "Where I come from in da bayou, de call this a stalemate. Remy think's we're about even Rogue"
She nodded, realizing how right he was. She'd been so angry the past few years trying to place the blame all on Remy, or herself alone, but now she was realizing it had been both of their faults. She checked her watch and rose, dusting off her hands on the seat of her jeans. "We've got to be back for dinner, Sugah, so we'd better leave now" He watched as she scanned for Trey, and found him playing by the shore. "Trey", she called "Its time to go."
They watched as the little boy, trudged towards them and even Remy could see he was tired. As soon as he reached them Remy picked him up and settled him against his shoulder, heading for the SUV as fast as he could go. "How'd you get here?" she asked Remy as they walked.
"I hitched a ride with one of da team", he said "Da one dat's sparky all the time"
"Jubilee", Rogue said without missing a beat as they reached her Sportage. "So you need a ride?"
"Remy be obliged", he said innocently, having bet on the fact that she would give him on.
He watched as she unlocked the back door and then slipped the sleepy little boy into his car seat, letting her buckle him up, before shutting the door quietly. "He gonna be asleep before we get home Rogue", he said, watching as she slipped into the drivers seat then he into the passenger side.
"Definitely", she said starting the car, looking over her shoulder at their son, who was falling asleep as they spoke. "But Ah'm gonna have to wake him for dinner or else he'll be up hungry later though" She started up the road to the highway, that led to the school and the rest of the drive passed in silence.
Enough had been said that day to last a lifetime, and while much pain and anger still existed, both Remy and Rogue had taken the first steps to moving on past it and both were happier because of it.
Half an hour later, Rogue pulled into the schools garage and shut off the engine, slipping out of the driver's seat, and shutting the door behind her. She turned to grab Trey only to find Remy had already removed him from his car seat, and settled him against his shoulder.
She sighed, wondering what had happened to the nice peaceful day she'd envisioned.
It had been Cajunized,
that's what.
She should have been mad at him, and yet all she was already used to having him around. As Remy had predicted, Trey had fallen asleep on the way home, so he lay limply on his fathers shoulder, having only opened his eyes sleepily for a moment before sleepily closing them again.
" Ah 'll let him sleep for an hour and then wake him up for dinner", she said to Remy as she ran ahead to get the door for him. She leaned over the sleeping child in Remy's arms, kissing his hair, not realizing the close intimate distance she was from Remy's chest. " Poor little thing, he's just about worn clean through"
" Hmmm", Remy said, more from the fact that he had noticed how close she was and that his body was responding to it more the anything else.
They went inside and she shut the door quietly as they started for the stairs that lead to Rogue's rooms. Just as they were about to go up, Storm, Scott and Jean came around the corner. Rogue smiled at Jean, who was holding their three month old daughter Olivia or " Livvy" as every one called her.
"Well", Scott said, crossing his arms over his chest and giving Logan a once over from behind his glasses. "Looks who's back."
" Scott," Remy said, shifting Trey on his shoulder. " Ororo, Jean"
" Nice to see you again Remy", Ororo said, always the gracious Weather Witch, then looked at Trey " looks like someone had a busy day"
Rogue laughed, as Remy watched her. " You have no idea Storm" she said with a shake of her head. " He may sleep a week"
" So your back for permanently' Scott said to Remy, taking the baby from Jean with a quick kiss.
" Dat be da plan", Remy said.
" Good, we can use you right now" Scott said, with a shake of his head " The I'll see you in the Danger room tomorrow, training starts at nine A.M, sharp, be there, you too Rogue," With that he slipped his free arm around Jean and they walked off both cooing to the baby.
Ororo smiled again " It good to see you again Remy", she said turning and heading for the gardens, leaving Remy and Rogue on their own. They started up the stairs to where the team's rooms were away from the students. " This way", she said to him as they walked.
" Remy remembers", he said his meaning clear in his voice, mentally thanking Jean as he noticed his room was right across the hall from Rogue's, as she opened the door to her apartment and motioned him inside. She ignored him and went down the hall past her room to where Trey's was, opening the door when she reached it. Remy looked around as he entered his son's room. It was done in shades of green and blue, ranging from light to dark. Stuffed animals, toy cars, and action figures lay littered around while colorful posters lined the walls. The bedspread was green with jungle animals on it, he noticed as Rogue pulled it back as well as the top sheet.
" Just him set down", she said " He can sleep in his cloths for now" Remy set him down gently and watched as Rogue pulled off the boy's shoes and socks, tossing them aside. She brushed his hair off of his forehead, and kissed him, before moving to stand beside Remy. He was leaning against the door frame, his ankles crossed watching her, with his head leaning against the frame and his arms across his chest. For a moment they did nothing, just watched Trey sleep before moving out of the room and partially shutting the door behind them.
They were truly alone for the first time in three years, Rogue realized. Praying to God he wouldn't kiss her, and praying equally as hard that she wouldn't give in and kiss him back. " So", she said when they were in the foyer " Ah'd really like to get in a shower before dinner while I have the chance and Ah'm sure you'd like to unpack and settle in…"
"Already did,", he said stepping up close to her, closer then he had before in along time. " Remy don't got no where to be chere" he smiled seductively at her, and she could feel herself falling for him, already.
" Remy don't", she said softly, looking up at him.
" Don't what mon amour", he said, taking her arms up and winding them around his neck tightly, while he settled his hands spanning her waist gently.
" Don't let me fall for you again", she said, resting her head against the solid frame of his chest, as he wound his hands in her hair, and held her tightly.
He laughed low, and pulled back to look at her. " Chere, Remy thinks, you and he fell along time ago, and dare ain't no coming back from dat leap" He brushed her hair off of her face " You know ya be the only reason Remy came back", he said " Remy missed you something fierce"
" I missed you too", she admitted " But ah can't…" Her voice trailed off, as she looked up at him. " There's so much more to consider now" She glanced over her shoulder back towards Trey's rooms. " Ah just can't…" her voice trailed off as his gaze caressed her. She could feel the spark between them rage up, and take over like it had a mind of its own.
" Can't do what?" he asked, tipping her chin up to face him, so that they were only a few centimeters apart. He reached into the back pocket of her jeans for the piece of silk she always kept there for emergency contact. " Can't do this chere" and using the silk as a barrier he kissed her, slipping his gloved hand under her hair and resting it on the back of her neck. She tightened her arms around him, letting her fingers tangle in the hair at the base of his neck, as she kissed him back hungrily. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and she leaned into him, loving the feel of strength he had, and the warmth that came off her body. They broke apart and kissed again, fueling more heat between them as he moved one hand up from her wait to cup her breast and massage gently.
Finally, she forced herself to step back, letting the silk fall to the floor. " Remy", she started but he stopped her with a finger to the lips.
" It be alright chere", he said " Remy understands, it ain't right time for us to make love" He smiled, and turned to leave then stopped leaning in close one last time " Remy can be patient though, some things be well worth the wait."
He turned to leave and the saw something tat caused him to urn back and face her. Something on a slim sliver chain around her neck.
"What", Rouge said self consciously .
He reached out without a word and ran a finger down the base of her neck slowly, pulling the chain out of her shirt to reveal the silver pendent on it. He lifted it on the palm of his hand, catching her eyes with his and holding them.
The pendent was of a sitting woman with out stretched wings, holding an orb aloft over her head, to the sky gracefully. It was the symbol of the Thieves guild, Remy's guild. He'd given it to her four Christmas's before as a symbol of commitment to their relationship because that'd what was done in the Guild. To give somebody your necklace meant you were theirs, that you belonged to them, totally committed. It signified you loved one person, and one person only, that you belonged to somebody and to wear somebody's necklace meant the same. It was the thieves' equivalent to the Claddah ring, Jean wore to signify she was Scott's girl. Wearing the necklace, meant Rogue was his girl.
He stepped back and let the pendent drop back to her shirt. " Dat says a lot chere", he said, nodding to it and proceeding out the door " With out Remy even haven to say a word."
An hour and a half later Remy walked into the dining room for dinner, having had the time to shower and shave before hand for once. He glanced around, finding not much had changed. The students having eaten earlier, it was just the team, and the little one's eating, so the room was fairly quiet. As usual a buffet table had been set up in the middle of the room with various foods for all different tastes. The smell of the food made his stomach growl, and her realized he felt like he hadn't in a million years. Even though in reality, it had only been that morning when he's stopped to gas the bike at a small diner, just outside of town. He walked over to Scott, who was currently settling Livvy into her highchair, and Nate in his booster chair.
" Hey", Scott said with a nod, prying the baby's fingers off of his sunglasses. " Grab a plate, sit anywhere" He cleared his throat as he started to feed the baby her pabulum, and gave a quick nod of his head . " I'll give you a head up though, Rogue and Trey normally sit over there by the windows"
" Thanks" Remy said, grabbing a plate and heading over to the hot trays. He had filled his plate with food, and was returning to his seat when Trey came running in followed by Rogue. They had both changed cloths, and since she could smell her shampoo from where he was sitting, Remy guessed she'd gotten the shower she'd wanted before. He watched as Rogue grabbed a couple of plates and filled one for Trey, then one for herself. She brought them over, seating herself by side him, and Trey across from them. " You've been talking to Scott, Sugah", She said mildly as she buttered a piece of bread and passed it to Trey.
" Maybe chere" he said " Or maybe, Remy just knows his girl better then she thinks he does"
He watched as she poured herself a cup of coffee from a steaming pot on the table, then offered him one. He nodded, and held up his mug as she poured then added cream and sugar to taste. Remy took a bite of his pasta, and glanced over at Trey, who was attacking his meat and potatoes with the vigor that only a growing boy could, with amusement, his son even like to eat like him.
Rogue on the other hand he noticed, seemed to have gotten a plate of what he'd call the human equivalent of rabbit food. Her entire plate seemed to be made of salad and nothing else at all.
Personally, he thought there aught to have be a law banning that much greenage on one person's plate, unless absolute circumstances were needed like torture for evidence but he kept quiet observing to see what things had changed in the manor and which things hadn't. but he kept quiet. He noticed she was picking at her salad, and not eating it really, just pushing it around her plate and drinking her coffee. He wondered, as he watched her take a small bite, if his returning had upset her enough to put her off of her food.
Remy eventually got up to get seconds , along with Scott, Logan and Hank while Rogue stayed seated and ate what he guessed was about half of what was on her plate. He noticed she had drank about three cups of coffee though, and nothing else really.
Remy had just sat down with his plate when he noticed that Rogue was trying to get Trey to get his peas. This apparently, judging by the look on her face and the look on Trey's was an on going battle that had been on going for quite some time.
" Trey" Rogue said, taking a bite of her salad, and swallowing quickly " Eat your peas please"
" Don't like them", he said stubbornly, pushing his plate away.
" Well if ya don't eat them" Rogue said " Then your not gonna get any dessert. Storm made a pecan pie, I hate for you to have to miss it because you didn't finish your meal"
Remy didn't blame him, personally he'd hated peas his entire life and wouldn't touch them with a ten foot cattle prod on a hot New Orleans's day. Of course he could exactly say that at the moment. Instead, he took a deep breath and decided he'd have to get his feet wet at this parenting thing sooner or other, so why not jump in feet first and see what happened. He'd have to learn right, eventually?
He finished the mouth full of pasta he had, and looked at Trey, who was still sitting there stubbornly . "Come on now, son", he said, tapping the edge of his son's plate with his knife and nudging it toward him, somewhat. "Eat your peas like your mama told you too"
Tray looked at him a moment, completely stunned that somebody else besides his mother could tell him what to do and get any with it. He shot a look at his mother who just shrugged her shoulders, and took another bite of salad. It was clear Trey hadn't quite gotten the idea of what a father was yet. Then without a word he began to fork down his peas silently, shooting his father dirty looks as he did so.
"Thanks Sugah", Rogue said, taking a bite of potato, and washing it down with another sip of coffee "Ah've been trying to get him to eat those for weeks"
He grinned at her, aware that the others were watching them and trying to figure out what the hell had happened that day after Remy had returned, to cause a new family unit to form at the manor " No problem chere, dat's what Remy's here for non?"
The rest of dinner passed uneventfully, for the most part anyways.
Rogue got up to get the desserts for all of them, and that left Remy alone with his son for the first time. " Did ya get full son?" Remy asked Trey, trying to think of something to say to him. He was still in marvel that he and Rogue had actually created a life. Hell! he couldn't find his socks in the morning half the time and yet somehow he'd managed to get her pregnant. It made him feel proud in a weird sort of way. He watched Trey fiddling with his fork and smiled as he got an idea of how to amuse him for a while.
Trey nodded then watched as Remy took his playing cards out of the pocket of his jeans curiously. "What do you do with those?" he asked watching a Remy shuffled the cards, quickly and expertly.
"Watch and see" Remy said, setting the cards aside and taking one from the stack. He smiled at Trey as he held up the card and charged the card until it glowed bright pink then let it go down again to normal. He did this several times to Trey's delight until eventually Beast looked over is disapproval because Remy was little to close to his fur for the liking.
"Can I do that?" Trey said asked excitedly.
"Papa don't think so son", he said then seeing his son's disappointment "But if you're good for your mama, I'll show you again, I've got some others I can show you too okay?"
The little boy nodded, as Rogue came back with the pie and Remy jumped up to help her. He took the pieces of pie from her and set them on the table. "Here you go Sugah", she said setting Trey's piece pf pie in front of him. "Did you and your daddy chat while Ah was gone?"
Trey nodded " Daddy showed me a neat trick with cards", he said digging into his pie.
Remy winced, he'd been hoping he wouldn't mention it to Rogue.
"Oh" Rogue said with a smile, shooting a look at Remy. She leaned close to Remy while Trey was busy eating. " Remy, Sugah?"
" Yes P'tite", he said, taking a sip of coffee, innocently.
" Please tell me, you weren't teaching our toddler card tricks"
" Non", he said with a grin, as he patted her hand. "He's be young for dat yet, chere, gotta wait until he's at least six and can count da numbers"
"Ah'm gonna forget you said that." She said, taking a bite of pie but before she did Remy caught the quick grin on her face and returned it.
After dessert, Trey finished his pie and ran off to play with Nate while Remy fielded questions about his life for the last three years and was introduced to the newest members of the team, Jubilee, Kitty Pride and NightCrawler. All too soon it began to get late and gradually everyone left the table except, Jean, Scott, Remy and Rogue.
As Jean rose to leave, she noticed Rogue's empty cup and gave her friend a scowl. "Please tell me that wasn't coffee you were drinking at dinner Rogue", she said clearly thinking as the team's doctor and not as a friend.
Remy watched as Rogue looked at the floor guiltily.
"Rogue!" Jean scolded with a shake of her head.
"What?" Remy interjected, looking concerned "What's wrong with that?"
"She's not supposed to have caffeine, that's what" Jean said " Her blood pressure was off the charts at out last appointment"
" Its just stress" Rogue argued.
" Your right", Jean said " It is. Combined with a poor diet and lack of sleep, all things you're supposed to be working on improving." She sighed, and rubbed her temples "You need to start taking care of yourself better, eat regular meals that consists of more then grass products and cut out the damned caffeine, If your pressure is that high at our next appointment I'm putting you on indefinite medical leave!" Jean turned to Remy " You want to do some good Cajun, now that your back, make sure she takes care of herself for a change, get her to take some time for herself" With that she turned and followed Scott out of the room in a huff.
Rogue watched as Remy looked at her concerned. "Well", she said "Are you gonna say something Cajun" then went on before she could speak "She doesn't realize I have a toddler on my hands I don't get time to my self"
"Den maybe she's right", Remy said rising to leave, and kissing her on the top of the head "Maybe ya do need somebody to take care of ya for a change girl."
Later that night Remy lay in bed, clad in nothing but a pair of black silk boxers, and wished he was in Rogue's room across the hall. He sighed knowing it was too soon for that though, and tried to get comfortable on his pillows. He thought about Trey, twenty four hours before he hadn't known him, hadn't knew his son existed and now he couldn't imagine being without him. It amazed him how quickly; he'd fallen in love with the boy, because he was Remy's child and the child of the women he loved more then life itself. He had a son, some one to carry the LeBeau name. He had heard people say moments changed people's lives but he hadn't believed it until now.
He sent a mental pray to god, he wouldn't screw things up because he really wanted the opportunity to be a family with them. With that though on his mind, Remy flipped over on is stomach and fell asleep, dreaming of a familiar seductress with dark hair and green eyes…
Across the hall, Rogue lay in bed and looked at the pendent around her neck. She'd never taken it off since he'd given it to her, now matter how angry she'd gotten . God help her, she loved him, that's why she'd been so angry at him since he'd left. Because she's loved him and he'd left her behind. She should have been angry she knew that he though he could just walk back into their lives but she wasn't, in fact she was relieved he was back in a way. It meant she didn't have to be alone anymore. They had both made mistakes, it was just a matter now of over coming those mistakes and seeing what happened.
With a yawn Rogue, curled up on her side, and sleep the best she had in months knowing Remy LeBeau was sleeping right across the hall.
To be continued…