Disclaimer: Maybe I can switch bodies with Stan Lee, and then I'll finally own the X-Men… but until somebody lends me a Body-Switching machine, the X-Men still aren't mine.
A/N: There was quite a fiasco while trying to type this chapter out, when my keyboard stopped working. We were panicking, trying to reinstall the drivers and checking USB ports and all that stuff… Turns out it was just unplugged. I really hate technology sometimes… That, and I'm an idiot. But enough of that – onto the review responses!
Personage, demiducky25, Anamaniax, flowerperson,Sweety8587, RoguesTale, Ms. Rogue LeBeau, EviltwinAlix,heartsyhawk, Rogue14, Lady Aurra, Dreamcatcher89, darkstorm5000,Red Eyed Cajun, and enchantedlight – Everybody gets a thank-you pumpkin. I know, they're not in season, but they're just fun! Pleasantly orange.
cool-chick-rae – I've seen King Arthur, Spiderman just bothers me, and I haven't seen the Butterfly Effect yet. But what exactly puzzles you? Maybe I can explain.
Lightspeed Suzuka – Thanks, I'll definitely take out my frustrations on the Pietro Plushie. In return, have some happiness! Yay… Anything to stop the tears, they make me wanna cry too… Sigh.
Neurotic Temptress – Hey, whatever doesn't kill them can only make them stronger, right? And don't worry, I have no intention of killing them… This time. Bwa ha ha!
SweetRevenge151 – I'm sorry about your crappy week. Hope this cheers you up!
Peace215 – Don't worry, I think I'm already torturing you enough with having memories erased and Pietro in the mix, so there'll be no long wait for kissing! Huzzah.
Pyro Lady – Erasing his memories is the largest part of the story, I predict another 10 chapters or so.
ladychopsticks – Happy birthday! Will this suffice as a present?
angyxoxo – Glad you caught up! Hmm, 'bozo' seems to be your Remy descriptor of choice… Well, he's being a guy, what more can I say? Yes, I did come through with the Belle killing – will you do the same in 'Shouldn't Be So Hard'? Hint hint… ;-) I did read the preview of the Rogue series, and it physically hurts me. ARGH! Just WHAT are Marvel thinking? Oh, I am SO joining you in the hatred… If they break up, Iswear I will cry, I'm that pathetic.
Orage – You didn't miss it – Remy isn't actually an X-Man, it's sorta mentioned in this chappy.
Magz – Thanks! But I hate to break it to ya that there's fluff coming up… Although, it's fluff with a dark, depressing cloud of drama and angst floating over it, if that helps?
TheRealMai – To clear up your confusion, when Remy told Rogue that he was erasing her, Rogue was only explaining why she could see herself doing that, due to the memories of the hurt she had at that point in time – she hadn't planned to do it yet, she was just responding to what he said to her. And voila, you have a solo response!
PomegranateQueen – I've got your 'before happy' right there, but you'll just have to wait for the 'after happy'! It'll be worth it, I promise. Hah, that just makes me think of infomercials, with the before and after testimonials – too bad they just can't send in 3 easy payments of 49.99, eh? And they get a 30 day refund on their happiness too.
PsychoRomyChica – She really did die (hallelujah!), but was in 8 because the memories are going backwards, so she wasn't dead yet.
Aro – You had me very worried there, with your sarcasm… See, that's why I hate the written word, you just cannot convey sarcasm well! Conversely, I wish people could talk in italics.
Alyxandria – Sanity? What's that? I've embraced my insanity, and I'm quite content with that. ;-)
ak – I like bananas and aardvarks (although not as much as anteaters, what with their funny noses and fluffy tails), so gold stars for you! Glad you were able to help me live. I've grown rather fond of living…
So. Huzzah, some happy Romy! It felt so good to finally write this…
Loved and Lost, or Never At All?
Chapter 9 – Realities
"Some memories are realities, and are better than anything that can ever happen to one again." – Willa Cather
Remy lay stretched out on Rogue's bed – he would have preferred to be engaged in more amorous activities, especially given his present location, but instead, he was waiting. With his arms resting behind his head, he appeared to be completely relaxed, without a care in the world.
Many people would have thought him to be crazy, being so comfortable in the house of his former adversaries, but he knew he had nothing to worry about. His contract with Magneto was over, so technically, he was no longer an enemy of the X-Men. Most of them had grown accustomed to his relationship with Rogue, meeting it with a sort of grudging acceptance, so he knew there was no threat posed to him – in fact, the X-Men were probably in more danger from Rogue if they did anything to him.
Smirking, Remy imagined the amusing scenario of Rogue threatening her teammates if they threatened him as he continued to pass the time until his chère returned. She wasn't there when he had snuck into her room, so he decided to wait – he hadn't seen her yet today, and it was always hard to go even a single day without catching a glimpse of her.
He gave a contented sigh. 'Whatever happened t' de King o' Hearts, who never waited around f'r de femmes?' he wondered, but was interrupted when Rogue opened the door and walked in.
"Bonjour, chère," Remy welcomed her with a smile, and his question was answered. She had changed him, ever since she walked into his life.
"Hey, Remy," she beamed at him, not even batting an eyelash at his unexpected appearance. She was used to it now, since he always dropped in on her out of the blue. He usually tried to plan his visits for when she would be emerging from the shower, but there was no need to enlighten her to that little fact.
Dropping her bags on the floor, Rogue walked over to the bed, leaned over, and greeted him with a kiss. She pulled away a few seconds later, but Remy had other ideas – he snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her down to join him. She shrieked in surprise, but then quickly loosened up and curled up beside him.
"Where y' been?" he asked her, running his fingers through her silky hair.
"Th' gals dragged meh shoppin'," she informed him, resting her head on his chest.
"Y' get some new lingerie t' model f'r me?" Remy asked eagerly, fondly recalling the last time the two of them went shopping – they ended up locking themselves in a change room together, taking clothes off rather than trying them on.
Rogue rolled her eyes. "No, Ah got some fo' yah to model," she informed him, crawling off the bed and bending over to rummage through her bags.
"Umm, chère? 'M not exactly int' dat kind o' t'ing," he told her with a worried look on his face, shuddering as he pictured himself in a lacy thong. He'd much rather picture Rogue in that, which he began to do, enjoying the view she was providing him as she leaned over in front of him. "Mebbe y' should go find John f'r dat…"
"Remy!" she laughed, making him smile again. Dieu, how he loved that sound… "Ah got yah somethin', an' it's not meant fo' women, so don't get yer panties in a twist. Metaphorically speakin', that is."
"Course not. Don' have any ot'er kind o' panties," Remy grinned, and then curiosity took over. "Wait, y' bought somet'in' f'r me?"
"Yeah."
"Y' didn' have t' do dat, chère."
"Ah know, but Ah wanted to," Rogue explained, straightening up with a triumphant look on her face when she found the right bag. Looking at Remy with a raised brow, she stuck a hand on her hip and stated, "Yah get meh things all th' time. Why can't Ah get yah somethin'? Only th' guy can buy things fo' his girl?"
Sitting up straight with a panicked look on his face, Remy shook his head negatively and waved his hands. "Non, non, I didn' mean dat!"
"Ah know," Rogue snickered, winking at him. "Just keepin' yah on yer toes. Now, here – Ah saw these, an' thought of yah," she giggled, throwing the bag in his lap.
With the pleasant anticipation of opening a gift building inside of him, Remy reached his hand inside. He was touched by Rogue's thoughtfulness – he always brought her things, whether it was flowers or coffee or something random that he knew she would like. He did it for the sole purpose of seeing her beautiful face light up with a smile, not to receive anything back – although this was a pleasant surprise.
His fingers felt silky fabric and rough elastic, and when he pulled the item out of the bag, he realized it was a pair of boxers. Upon closer inspection of them, Remy fell backwards onto the bad in a fit of loud laughter. They had a picture of Michelangelo's 'David' on them, but not of the entire statue – just a three hundred and sixty degree view of its private parts, which would end up covering Remy's own.
"Glad yah like 'em," Rogue said, amused at his reaction.
"I do like dem. Merci, chère," he thanked her sincerely, after he managed to control his outburst. Then a crafty look appeared on his face. "What made y' t'ink of me when y' saw dem?"
She blushed slightly and looked away. "Ah just thought they were funny. Yah should've seen th' weird look Jean gave meh when Ah bought 'em…"
"Dat's probl'y cause Jean's not used t' boxers. Scott's definitely a tighty-whitey kinda homme," Remy joked, making Rogue snigger. "So…" he continued, a sly edge to his voice. "Y' tryin' t' say dat m' body is a work o' art?"
Rogue snorted. "No way, sugah. Yer body's nowhere near that kinda perfection," she teased him, sashaying up to stand between his legs and lifting his chin with a finger.
"Never hear y' complainin'," he retorted huskily, placing his hands on the curves of her hips.
She lowered her head and was about to kiss him when the door opened. Looking around Rogue, Remy saw Kitty standing in the doorway, eyes wide and blushing furiously.
"Oh! I'm, like, so sorry!" she tittered, backing up a few steps. "I'll just leave you two alone," she called, and ran away down the hall.
Remy chuckled as he watched her go, but stopped as he noticed the hallway outside the room begin to appear hazy. Turning back to Rogue, his brow furrowed when he saw she was no longer there – his hands were gripping thin air.
"Dammit," he muttered, surprised to find himself actually disappointed at her disappearance. Shaking his head, as if to banish that thought from his mind, Remy waited for the room to fade away.
- X -
Remy's eyes slowly drifted open, to the plain view of his bedroom ceiling. Yawning, he stretched lazily and then rolled over onto his side. Upon doing so, he found himself staring directly into a pair of sparkling emeralds.
"Mornin', chère," he grinned, taking in the vision of beauty resting beside him. Her ivory skin strongly contrasted against the black silk sheets, making her look so pale that it almost appeared she was glowing. Her white bangs surrounded her face and he thought of it as a halo… A halo for his ange (angel). What he wouldn't give to wake up with her every day… She made everything seem so much brighter.
"Mornin', sugah," Rogue smiled back, resting her head on a pillow she was hugging to her chest. She was laid out next to him, flat on her stomach due to her sunburned back.
"Couldn' sleep?" Remy asked curiously. She was awake, and appeared to have been for a while – that was out of the ordinary for her, not being a morning person at all.
"Not really. Ah couldn't get comfortable sleepin' with mah burn."
"Y' should've woken me, I coulda kept y' amused," he winked suggestively, as numerous entertaining activities ran through his head.
His comment only prompted Rogue to roll her eyes. "Nahh, yah needed yer rest after last night, Ah think yah wore yerself out."
He gasped dramatically, and continued with their teasing. "Dunno what offends m' more, chère, de fact dat y' hurt m' feelin's or de fact dat y' underestimate me! I've always got plenty o' energy… Want a demonstration?" Remy asked smoothly, propping himself up on an elbow and tantalizingly trailing his fingers down her arm.
"Paws off, swamp rat!" Rogue growled, slapping his hand away from her. "This is all yer fault, anyhow."
"How so?" he pouted. Remy knew better than to take her seriously - he could still see the playful glint in her eyes that gave away the fact that she wasn't really angry.
"Yah paid more attention to mah bikini than to applyin' sunscreen properly!" she scolded him. "That's th' last time Ah'm goin' to th' beach with yah, Rem."
Remy chuckled as he recalled their outing a few days ago. He had been so awestruck by Rogue in her revealing bathing suit that when she asked him to put sun block on her back, he wasn't able to focus on his task. He had been so enraptured by his amour that he just kept rubbing her back, never noticing he had run out of lotion.
"'M sorry, chère," he apologized, but then smirked. "But can y' blame m' f'r bein' distracted when a belle femme such as yo'self is right in front o' me?"
"Hmph," grumbled Rogue, but Remy's keen eyes caught the corners of her lips begin to turn up into a flattered smile.
"Y' wouldn' deny dis Cajun de heavenly pleasure o' seein' y' in a bikini again, would y'?" he persisted. "B'sides, it's better den me oglin' ot'er femmes, right?"
She glared at him. "Yah know, up until those words, Ah was about ready to fo'give yah…"
"Didn' mean it, chère, y' know dat," Remy tried to back pedal, wincing at his stupid joke.
"Whatever," she muttered, dropping her head onto her pillow.
"Y' de only femme I ogle," he went on.
"Uh huh."
"Y' de only femme I want t' ogle."
"Keep goin'…"
"Y' de only femme I'll ever ogle."
Lifting her head to look back at him again, Rogue let a small smile grace her lips, before throwing one last glare his way. "Yah better mean all that."
"I do, chère," Remy informed her truthfully, leaning in to give her a slow, searing kiss. "Y' know I do, I meant ev'ry word."
"Ah know," beamed Rogue, quickly kissing him back, and then dropping her head again.
"Tired?"
"Yeah."
"Jus' rest a bit den, 'kay?" he told her, brushing some white hairs back from her face and moving them behind her ear.
Sitting up, Remy placed his cool hands on her red back, feeling the warmth emanate from the burn. Not wanting to hurt her, he began to run his hands up and down as lightly as a feather.
"Mmm," Rogue moaned contentedly, her eyes fluttering closed. "That feels good…"
He continued his ministrations, loving the light shivers and soft sighs she emitted from under his nimble fingers. He loved what she brought out in him - not just desire, but the desire to put her first, to ensure that she was happy, to bring her as much bliss as he could. Remy had never felt those feelings before. The women before her were just means for his own gratification, but now, with Rogue, he concentrated on her pleasure – that, in turn, brought him his own.
As his hands travelled over her skin, Remy observed some beginning to peel. Slowly and gently, he grasped a piece with his fingers and pulled it away.
"When I was little, I used t' spend lots o' time out on de bayou," he spoke quietly, breaking the peaceful silence. "I always got burned from playin' outside too long, but I liked peelin' away de skin after."
Eyes still closed, Rogue smiled softly. "So did Ah. Ah used to go down an' swim in th' River all th' time," she mumbled, almost asleep. "But then Ah had to cover up, so Ah never got burnt no more."
"Y' don' have t' worry 'bout dat now," Remy reminded her soothingly, leaning down to drop tender kisses all the way down her spine before she could dwell on past pains.
Sitting back up, he noticed that her breathing had deepened, coming slow and even – she had dozed off, with a content smile on her face. He smiled at that too, taking a moment to take in how serene she appeared. She made him feel the same way – he was at peace when he was with her.
Returning his attention to her back once more, Remy continued the calming activity of peeling off her burnt skin. He paused when he became aware of the light dimming. Looking around in confusion, he could see his room becoming increasingly blurry, like a photograph that was out of focus. It took him a few seconds to remember what was happening, and when he did, he frowned. Merde – was he… Was he regretting this?
"I'll miss dis memory, chère," he sighed, ignoring his confusing emotions, instead wanting to tell her before it was too late. "It was one of m' favourites. Not'in' too special or fancy, but dat's what I liked 'bout it. Dis was de reality of our relationship, de simplicity of it all, y' know? Jus' de fact dat we trusted each ot'er, dat we were happy toget'er…"
The edges of his room began to ebb away, falling away into nothingness. Gazing down at Rogue, his hands still resting on her back, Remy whispered, "Dis is what I wanted t' come back t'… Guess I was foolish t' t'ink dat'd be possible, henh?"
She didn't answer - she just vanished from underneath his hands, leaving Remy alone in his bed. Moments later, the rest of the room followed suit.
- X -
It was a beautiful day, so Rogue and Remy had been leisurely strolling around Bayville with no specific plans in mind – that didn't really matter, they were just enjoying spending time together. Now they were walking hand in hand through the park, on their way from the café.
Rogue was looking up at the sky filled with fluffy clouds – Remy kept his eyes on her, loving the tiny smile that played upon her lips. Without warning, Rogue veered off the path, dragging Remy along with her. She pulled him over to the centre of a grassy field, and plopped down on her back.
"What are y' doin', chère?" Remy asked, chuckling at her actions and how adorable she appeared splayed out on the grass like that – he would have guessed she wanted to make snow angels, had it actually been winter.
Reaching up to grab his hand, Rogue yanked him down as well. He was surprised but quickly recovered, moving so he would purposely fall on top of her.
"Take it easy, chère! Dere are children around!" he teased, gazing down at her while propped up on his elbows.
Scoffing in mock-exasperation, Rogue pushed him off, and he turned over to lay beside her. "Yah ever played th' cloud game?"
"Non, don' t'ink so. Y' sure it doesn' involve me layin' on top o' y'?"
"Yah look at th' clouds an' find images in them," she explained, ignoring his previous comment. Pointing at the cloud directly above them, she said, "See that one? It looks kinda like a muffin."
"Oui, it does," Remy remarked, seeing it too. He shifted positions so he was resting his head on Rogue's stomach, and then took his turn. "Dat one dere looks like a pineapple."
"There's a penguin…"
"If y' squint real hard, dat one kinda looks like de Wolverine in a tutu…"
Their afternoon continued, the two of them simply relaxing on the grass. Remy was utterly at ease - the combination of the hot sun beating down on him, the warmth from Rogue's body, and her fingers running gently through his hair had nearly lulled him to sleep. His eyes drifted shut for a second, when Rogue spoke up.
"It's yer turn," she reminded him, slightly pulling a strand of hair to wake him up.
Looking back up at the sky, Remy was startled to see the gorgeous day rapidly degenerating. The sky was darkening, with storm clouds moving in, and with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he knew what was happening. It was true, he was regretting his actions… How could this happen? No, that couldn't be possible… He wanted to be mad at her, it made things so much easier. He marvelled at how reliving a few happy moments with her could wipe away all of his negative feelings towards her so effortlessly…
"Can I keep dis memory?" he yelled to the sky before he could stop himself. "Just dis one? Please!"
Instead of an answer, his head hit the ground – Rogue had vanished. Remy groaned, buried his face in his hands, and waited for the rest of the memory to fade away.
I actually saw those boxers once – they were so great, but sadly, I didn't buy them, and then they were gone forever… Sigh. But I digress. Hmm, methinks Remy might be regretting his actions, don't you?
Next chapter – Remy begins to fight back… Ooh, the drama!
Hey, before we finish up here, did you all read the preview of Rogue #1? Did you see at the end of pg.4, when she had nothing more to say to Remy? What the hell is that? I am SO very worried right now, what with all the rumours circulating… Marvel BETTER NOT BREAK THEM UP! (ish shakes her fist threateningly at them) Seriously, I would be distraught… But me being the eternal optimist, I'll just hope things work out. To ensure that, however, how about everybody joining the outrage? Remember to check out my author profile – sign the petition to keep Rogue and Remy together, and flood Marvel with angry letters at officex at marvel dot com and joe at joequesada dot com.
Right, now that I've vented, please review! ;-)
Toodles,
- ish -