Disclaimer: Mine or not mine, that is the question! And a stupid one, at that… I think you all know the answer.
A/N: I'm addicted to the Raspberry Coconut tarts at the bakery where my friend works, I can't stop eating them! Oh, sweet coconut – and that just prompts me to sing!I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, tweedily-deedily, there they are a-standin' in a row…
Star-of-Chaos, demiducky25, Raven2687, Sweety8587,EviltwinAlix, Blackrougefillie, darkstorm5000, TheRealMai,Dreamcatcher89, TheDreamerLady, enchantedlight, Rogue14,SickmindedSucker, cool chick, Foxy-Glove, Adri, PsychoRomyChica,EE's Skysong, Anamaniax, heartsyhawk, RoguesTale, and EmeraldKatsEye – I've given you coconuts before, but since I'm currently raving about them, have some more. Thanks!
Evil-Bunny-Leader – Love the new name!
IvyZoe, giggleboxsam, and bluefirez – I'm dying to finish off the memory erasing stuff too, but just bear with me for about 4 or 5 more chapters, there's some key things coming up. Then the real fun begins, bwa ha ha!
melancholic – Ooh, now I like monsoons too, if they give you more time to write! My summer ends in two weeks (sigh!), think we can get it up by then? But I feel insulted, you thinking that I might be liking Rietro – I mean, this is me we're talking about! Tsk tsk, shame on you.
angyxoxo – I know exactly what you mean, if I saw another couple being so sweet I'd probably puke – yet somehow I crave it at the same time, especially if it's Romy. But some death would satisfy you? I'm afraid of a torch-and-pitchfork-carrying mob coming after me, so if you want death, you'll have to do it yourself. Oh crap, no, forget I said that!
Calliann – Well, you updated, so now I can't harass you to do it! Sigh.
UniversalAnimeGirl – I went on a huge ferris wheel in Vienna, I think it's the world's largest, it was spiffy. I've never seen ones with two wheels, but they sound cool. Remy sometimes stays with the Acolytes but has his own place, there'll be a tiny mention of that next chapter. You'll have to stay tuned for other answers.
SweetRevenge151 – Gee, thanks for rubbing in Britain's splendid rowing victory… ;-) I didn't actually watch it since I was still asleep (my dad woke me up with his yelling), so thanks for taking me through it. Pretty exciting actually, maybe you should be a sports writer?
Rogue4787 – The others try to keep it quiet around Rogue (she's picked up on the awkwardness, remember in the first two chapters?), and they don't really have a reason to tell her. Pietro sure wouldn't, why would he want to inform her of a past love? But we'll find out more about that later. The point is, nobody has slipped up yet.silky black – The answer to your question is in last chapter's response to UniversalAnimeGirl.
Peace215 – Well, Rogue wouldn't really be all that bummed out about her situation, considering she doesn't know she lost Remy and control of hers powers! Ahh, ignorance is bliss… But yes, we're coming up to their first meetings, but no 'kidnapping' like in 'Cajun Spice' – I'm tweaking things, not following the episodes.
PomegranateQueen – Well, Xavier's a pretty busy guy, but maybe he can squeeze you in after Remy.
Alyxandria – Well, since it's you, and you pouted, maybe there's a slim chance that could happen… ;-)
Ms.Rogue LeBeau – Ooh, that would be a good choice… Hell, I'll take anyone, as long as Remy's it it!
I really loved writing this chapter, it was the most fun so far, and it flowed quite easily… I feel kinda bad for teasing you with sweetness that just ends all angsty, so this time there's a bit of humour! ;-)
Loved and Lost, or Never At All?
Chapter 14 – Strange
"I think it is all a matter of love: the more you love a memory, the stronger and stranger it is." – Vladimir Nabokov
Remy stood outside of Bayville High School and stared at the depressing structure. It was dull and square, seemingly designed to suck all the spirit out of its inhabitants. It reminded him of a prison - not that he had ever been in one, of course. He wondered how Rogue could stand going there every day…
Leaning against his motorcycle, he smirked to himself. 'Well, dis Cajun's here t' make her day a bit brighter,' he thought.
Seconds later the bell rang, and almost instantly hordes of students stampeded out the front doors, away from their daily captivity. Some vapid-looking girls passed by him, insipidly giggling and whispering about him, if the obvious glances directed his way were any indication. There was a time not long ago when he would have walked over to them, flirted shamelessly, and managed to leave having secured dates with all of them. Today however, he paid them no mind, because he saw his girlfriend walking towards him. His girlfriend… Dieu, that was satisfying to say.
"Bonjour, chère," Remy said as he bowed to Rogue.
"Meet meh at th' café!" she sighed in a frustrated manner, hands on her hips. "What part o' that didn't yah understand?"
"Oh, Roguey, I just couldn' wait t' see y'," he told her with a wink and a grin.
She rolled her eyes, but he knew she was secretly pleased at his compliments. "Charmer."
"Oui, dat I am," acknowledged Remy. "But y' should know by now dat wit' y', I only speak de truth." And that was the truth…
"Yah better be," she muttered, accepting his hand as he chivalrously helped her onto his bike. "Now, let's get outta here."
"Ah, 'm at de lady's command," he smirked and climbed aboard the vehicle, ready to whisk her away.
"Remy, Ah'm sure yah've noticed by now that Ah ain't no lady."
"Oh, y' must be, cause dis Cajun don' swing de ot'er way, chère."
Before she could voice a wicked retort that he knew was waiting on the tip of her tongue, Remy revved the engine and they took off. Rogue's arms wrapped around his waist and he smiled, loving how her body moulded its shape to his. This was why he cherished his motorcycle, and why he had abruptly changed their plans and come to pick her up from school – this was the only time where Rogue was forced to be so intimately close to him, and he savoured every second of it. He seized every opportunity he could to have her ride his bike with him.
They drove through Bayville towards the café, Remy purposely taking the longer route. He was finding it more and more difficult to control himself, especially when Rogue shifted and leaned closer to him, clasping her hands flat against his stomach. He wondered if she felt his breath catch…
Turning his head to look back at her, Remy's eyes widened in shock as he saw a curtain of fog behind them, following them, waiting to consume them.
"Merde," he cursed, and sped up, hoping to outrun it.
He nearly lost control of his bike when Rogue sat up, dragging her body along his to lean up and yell in his ear – despite the grave situation, he reacted with arousal to her moving sensually against him like that, even if she didn't realize how provocative the motion was.
"Remy, Ah've got an idea!" she shouted to him. "Instead o' runnin', why don't we hide?"
"What do y' mean?"
"How 'bout yah try an' take us to a different memory? One where Ah don't belong!" Rogue suggested.
"Can I even do dat?"
"Why th' hell not? It's yer mind, right?"
"Dat could work," he mused, and then frowned. "But chère, I can't remember anyt'in' befo' y'…"
"That's sweet, but try!"
"But which memory?" Remy wondered. He meant what he had just said, that it was hard to remember times prior to him meeting Rogue – as far as he was concerned, she was when his life had really started, when things had actually been turning out right. He knew now that things weren't worth remembering if they didn't have her there…
Rogue held on to him tighter, this time in fear, as the fog kept closing in. "Try somethin' that's buried away deep, it'll be harder to find! How 'bout an embarrassin' moment or somethin'?" she cried.
He groaned, a memory automatically springing to mind, but one that he didn't want to return to, let alone have Rogue see as well. However, with the haze nearly upon them, he closed his eyes, gripped her hands, and concentrated on it.
The growl of the motorcycle's engine faded, and the vehicle disappeared from underneath them – Remy felt almost like he was on a roller coaster, moving forwards at high speeds while wind whipped past him, accompanied by an uncomfortable lurching of his stomach. The only thing that reassured him was the feeling of Rogue next to him, and he gripped her tighter.
Suddenly the feeling diminished and Remy's body hastily jerked to a stop, causing his eyes to snap open. A smile slowly grew on his face when he recognized where he was – back in the bayou, at the Guild headquarters. He had done it!
Looking around, he saw his family and fellow Guild members mingle around, chatting with each other, sitting by a bonfire, swimming in the lake… He felt a swell of happiness erupt in his chest, knowing that he was home again – at least, for the time being. With Rogue still with him, the feeling was even greater.
He faced her, watching her take in the scene. His brows furrowed with confusion as he noticed that she was much taller than he remembered her… Remy grew even more perplexed when she turned to him and burst out laughing.
"Quoi?" he asked indignantly.
"Look at yerself!" Rogue giggled.
Glancing down, Remy saw that he was only wearing a pair of swimming trunks, but that wasn't exactly what she found amusing. He realized that this memory had occurred when he was only about ten years old – his body was now that age as well.
"Yah're so adorable!" she squealed, ruffling his hair affectionately, and then grinned wryly. "What happened?"
"Don' be patronizin', Roguey!" he mumbled, already embarrassed, and this wasn't even the humiliating part of his memory. Trying to downplay it, he flexed his muscles (which were quite smaller than those he had in the present time, Remy noted with disappointment) and smirked. "What, y' don' like what y' see, chère?"
She scoffed, and raised an eyebrow. "Rem, yah look like yer even younger than Jamie. Ah'm sure as hell not oglin' yah now, Ah'd feel like a pervert!"
"Well, 'm sure okay wit' it, 'm datin' a hot older femme!"
Rogue groaned in annoyance, and shook her head. "Ah thought yah were th' one supposed to be embarrassed here, not meh!"
Remy grimaced. "Don' worry, chère, 'm sure y'll see dat soon 'nough…"
After he spoke those words, he heard Emil shout from the water, "Hey, Remy! Viens ici! (come here!)"
Feeling strangely compelled to play out the memory, Remy walked out onto the dock towards the water, Rogue following. When he reached the edge, he turned to her and was about to speak, when he heard his cousin behind him. He reacted too slowly, and before he knew it, Emil had pulled down his trunks!
Everybody around him fell into hysterics, which only increased in volume when Remy attempted to pull up his shorts and turn to yell at Lapin at the same time, causing him to lose his balance and fall into the lake.
For a few moments under the water, Remy welcomed the peace and quiet – unfortunately, when he emerged, the uproar of his family and friends once again assaulted his ears. If that wasn't bad enough, as he looked up, Rogue stood on the pier, laughing so hard that tears streamed down her face – that made the situation much more mortifying than he had remembered, and he felt his face burn with embarrassment.
"Gawd, Remy, that… That was hilarious!" she stammered amidst some chuckles, once she had calmed herself down enough to finally speak.
"Non, it really wasn'," he grumbled, pouting and hoping Rogue would take pity on him. She could barely withstand his puppy-dog expression when he was grown, so he hoped the fact that he looked like a young child would make it even more irresistible.
Remy was right, and Rogue leaned down and extended a gloved hand towards him, intending to help him out of the water. Instead, he took it and pulled, yanking her down to join him with a shriek and a large splash.
She surfaced seconds later, sputtering and coughing, and looking murderous. He barely noticed that, however – his attention was focused on how the water caused her clothing to cling tightly to her lithe frame, showing off the sexy curves that he had long since memorized, and that had provided endless fodder for some of his more explicit dreams.
Remy was thankful that the water was rather murky, for it hid the reaction that he was having due to seeing Rogue sopping wet… His eyes were glued to her body, never even noting that she was moving closer to him. Quick as a flash, she dunked him under the water in retaliation.
When he broke the surface, he was fully intending to send a wave of water back her way, until his eyes locked on something in the distance. Fog was rapidly rolling in on the bayou – only there hadn't been any fog on this day…
"Looks like he found us, chère," Remy whispered, swimming closer to her and taking her hand.
"Try again, sugah," she put forth.
"Again?"
"Yeah, find another memory, somethin' yah tried hard to forget."
He took a deep breath and concentrated once more, trying to change the scene… He had a good idea as to where they could hide next. He had tried his best to repress it – he never wanted to think about it again, let alone relive it, but if it would help him keep Rogue, then Remy would do it without hesitation.
Again, he felt the strange sensation of moving through his mind, and he held Rogue's hands all the tighter. When the feeling stopped, they found themselves in his room.
Remy, or more specifically, Remy at fourteen years old, was lying in bed, with Rogue sitting beside him. She took in her surroundings curiously – his room was lavish, much like the rest of the Guild mansion. Large wooden furniture stood grandly, with a few motorcycle posters gracing the deep red walls and decks of cards randomly lying around.
Turning to look at him, Rogue suddenly shrieked and blushed furiously, shutting her eyes. "Remy!"
He held a magazine that he stole from Henri's private stash in one hand, open to a nude centrefold – meanwhile, his other hand was reaching deep below his covers, moving back and forth to a quick rhythm as he pleasured himself. "Quoi? Y' live in a house full o' boys, Roguey, y'd t'ink dis would be pretty common," he told her unabashedly.
"Ah'm sure it is," she replied, eyes still firmly shut. "But Ah've never witnessed it, an' Ah've certainly never been in th' guy's bed at th' same time!"
"Good," Remy stated, his breathing becoming a bit heavier. Then he put down the magazine and smirked. "Y' know, now dat y're here, I don' need dat…"
"REMY!" exclaimed Rogue, her cheeks flaring bright red.
"What, dat's not flatterin' f'r y'?" he asked as his hand moved faster, finding her even more beautiful when she blushed. Yes, she was much better inspiration than that model…
"Uh… Umm…" she stammered, searching for an answer.
Before she could articulate one, the door opened. They both started in shock when an equally surprised Tante Mattie appeared in the doorway. "Oh!" she gasped as her eyes flitted from Remy's magazine to the movements that were being obscured by his blanket. "Oh my…"
"Tante!" he shouted, rapidly sweeping the magazine aside and sitting up in bed, attempting to act normally. "Uh…"
"Oh… Never mind, I'll jus' come back later, chil'," she murmured, trying to hide a smile as she backed out of the room and shut the door.
Remy groaned, in mortification rather than pleasure, and fell back onto his pillows. Beside him, Rogue began to snicker.
"Yah crazy Cajun… Yah're actually proud in some twisted way to do that in front o' yer girlfriend, but embarrassed to do it in front o' yer aunt?" she teased.
"Dat's dif'rent…"
"Yeah, an' funnier, too!" she laughed.
"Hey, dis was a traumatizin' event,chère!" protested Remy. "Some sympat'y, please?"
"A thief should know to lock doors too, not just unlock 'em," was all she said.
"Yo' cruel."
"Ah know," she smirked.
"Well, mebbe y' can make it up t' me if y' take off yo' shirt or somet'in', so I can finish up here?" he proposed, still craving a release.
Right away, he knew he had said the wrong thing. Rogue's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he had time to wince before she seized a pillow and whacked him over the head with it with all her might.
He grabbed it from her, and shouted, "Dis means war!"
She shrieked and reached for another pillow, but not before Remy managed to smack her first. A pillow fight of epic proportions began, the pair hitting each other mercilessly, until Rogue decided to abandon her weapon – instead, she lunged for Remy and began to tickle his sides.
"Rogue, dat's cheatin'!" he laughed uncontrollably, unwittingly using his powers to charge up the pillow he was still attempting to strike her with. When it made contact, it burst into a thick shower of white feathers that floated down all around them – there were so many that they blocked Rogue from view as they fell.
Waving his arms in the air to clear them away, Remy's mirth abruptly ended when he saw that she was no longer on the bed with him. Sitting up, he hurriedly glanced around the room, but there was nobody in it except himself. Heaving a sigh, he furiously cursed himself for taking his eyes her, even for a second.
Letting himself fall back down onto the bed in disappointment and frustration, all Remy could do was wait for the next memory to be relived.
Shall we all giggle mercilessly at Remy's humiliation? Oh, I think we shall!
Next chapter – The official boyfriend/girlfriend talk.
You all want more, right? Right? Do ya? Huh? Well, prove it – review!
Toodles,
- ish -