Disclaimer: This is the part where I tell you that I don't own the X-Men! I don't own the X-Men.
A/N: This is the part where I write some fun little author's note that doesn't really have anything to do with anything! Then I go into the part where I respond to reviewers.
Star-of-Chaos, Aro, Alyxandria, Orage (x2!), Peace215, Raven2687, PomegranateQueen, demiducky25, EviltwinAlix, Sweety8587, giggleboxsam, TheRealMai, heartsyhawk, Adri, enny, Anamaniax, spankychaff, TheDreamerLady, enchantedlight, EE's Skysong, Jessie, Rogue Almighty, darkstorm5000, Silver Ink, Evil-Bunny-Leader, Dreamcatcher89, IvyZoe, Beer'n'chips, Tirya King, and Rogue14 – This is where I thank all of you! Thank you!
Sophie – I'm sorry, please don't send a wallaby after me! Just kidding… ;-) I must say, I'm rather disappointed with the Americanization – but I feel your pain! Try living right next to them… And yes, there is a really hot Canadian diver – are you thinking of Alexandre Despatie? He's got the scruffy-puppy look, which I'm such a sucker for… Sigh!
Goddess Evie – Aww, now it was your turn to leave wonderful reviews, and you sure did! For all my fics, too, I appreciate that. You know, I really should leave you hanging since you took so long, but I guess I'm just too nice of a person! Of course the naked Remys were a coincidence, are you trying to imply something? Heh heh… And sorry, you'll have to fight me for the position of stunt double.
Eileen Blazer – Glad you managed to remove the dagger and join the party! You should've seen my grin when I found all those reviews from you in my mailbox, I felt all warm and fuzzy inside! I loved reading them, and seeing your progression from being angry about Remy to feeling sad for him, from some pity for Belle to not so much of that… And ever-so-fun Pietro hatred all the way through, that was nice. Don't worry, you'll hate him even more by the time I'm done with this! But I don't think I can do much about the mayonnaise thing, sorry. I love mayo… And I did know about the review thing cutting off long strings of letters, it makes me so angry! I mean, what if I want to accentuate my outrage with a dozen exclamation marks? I should be able to, dammit! Thanks for explaining about your 'Aaaahh's in your review for 'Just This' – now that I know, it reads in a much more distraught way, which makes me feel much more evil! And cue my cackling.
Speck – Your review was so very Shakespearean! How positively droll.
UniversalAnimeGirl – Well, my inspiration for the second of Remy's humiliations came from the movie. The first one I just made up, since I needed to make the chapter a bit longer. Ooh, thanks for the cover pages – Romylicious!
SweetRevenge151 – My dad is one of those guys that likes to scream at the tv and criticize every little thing the athletes do, hence his yelling. Glad you had fun at Reading, with Morrissey. Did he wear his white dinner jacket? I'm so excited now, he's coming to Toronto in October and I got tickets! Squeal! I'll blow him a kiss for you, since you did for me. As for a "happy ending pact"… Well, you've already written yours, but I'll see what I can do…
melancholic – Yes, Emil was rather naughty – I had to have him do it, it's so in his nature! Hah, somebody needs a spanking… Damn, I'm twisted. Believe me, I'd love to include more light-hearted stuff like that, but the plot compels me! But you'll be glad to know that after this is finished, I'll have another sexy little romantic comedy one-shot in the works – I hope.
silky black – I guess Remy's memories save Xavier the trouble of renting porn, eh? ;-) As for the quotations, I cheat – I search for them on the web! Believe me, you're not the only one bummed about back-to-school… Sigh. And if you want to know how it'll end, well, keep reading!
angyxoxo – Once again, I'm proud of you for reviewing so quickly! And yes, that was quite a dirty thought you had, but I thought of it too. Do you know how much willpower I had to exert to not write a lemon? But then I remembered that Remy was younger and it would've been very weird… eww.
This is the part where I write a short little blurb before going on to the chapter.
Loved and Lost, or Never At All?
Chapter 15 – Too Soon
"We forget all too soon the things we thought we could never forget." – Joan Didion
Remy's fingers drummed an impatient staccato beat on the table as he leaned back in his chair. He sat at the rear of Le Café Café, waiting. He felt twitchy, desperately craving a cigarette, but he had quit – for her.
He had only gone one day so far without indulging in his bad habit, and he could barely stand it. He supposed he could easily sneak outside and smoke, or do it when Rogue wasn't around, but he wasn't quite sure what stopped him. Instead, the Cajun felt the need to make good on his promise – he would prove it to himself that he could do it, and prove it to her as well… He'd show her that he could keep his word. Plus, it was added incentive that she hated smokers – maybe this would raise her opinion of him?
Remy absently swirled the coffee in his mug. If he couldn't have his nicotine, his caffeine would have to make due. He was glad he had it, for without it, he probably would have fallen asleep. He was exhausted, not having gotten any rest the night before – a certain green-eyed beauty had been plaguing his thoughts, and he had yet to find a cure for that.
Thankful that there was at least a remedy to keep him awake, he carefully sipped the steaming coffee. Feeling the warm liquid pour down his throat, the thief scanned the establishment expertly, as he was trained to do. He was aware of everyone in the building and what they were doing, but now his attention focused on two girls walking towards him.
He looked them over. They were rather pretty, a brunette and a red head, wearing short skirts and low-cut shirts. They made their way over to stand beside him, and simultaneously flashed him inviting smiles, as if the action had been choreographed.
"Hi there," began the brunette, placing a manicured hand on the table and leaning over enticingly. "I'm Laura, and this is my friend Sharon."
"Bonjour," Remy replied, smiling politely in return. "Nice t' meet y' two." He had to keep himself from laughing as their eyes widened upon hearing his accent.
"You speak French?" gushed the red head, what was her name again? Right, Sharon. "That's so romantic!"
"Totally!" added Laura. "Are you from France?"
He felt the overwhelming urge to roll his eyes. "Non, from N'Awlins."
They blinked in confusion. Remy wondered how he could have ever found girls like this bearable…
After the two girls looked at each other and shrugged away their puzzlement, Laura continued, "Well anyway, we saw you sitting here all alone and thought you might like some company."
"Dat's sweet o' y', but 'm actually waitin' f'r someone," he told them, hoping they would take the hint. No such luck.
"Well, they're not here yet, so how about we sit with you until then?" Sharon suggested, shooting Remy a pout that did nothing to weaken his resolve.
He was about to decline when he heard a voice speak up from behind the girls that made him grin. "Ah've got a better idea – how 'bout y'all mosey along?"
They all turned, seeing a Goth girl standing there, arms crossed in annoyance. Almost comically, Sharon and Laura turned back towards Remy with surprised looks on their faces, as if to ask, "Her?"
"Chère!" he exclaimed happily, getting up from his seat and breezing past the other girls without so much as a glance. He took Rogue's hand, and placed a kiss on the back of it.
His admirers frowned in disappointment, turned and then stalked away. He smirked at the sight, and it widened when he saw the wicked grin Rogue had on her face as she also watched them leave in a huff.
Chuckling, he led her to the table and pulled out a chair for her. "Well, Rogue, fancy meetin' y' here," he said, a little too innocently.
"Yeah, what a coincidence," she snickered. "Glad Ah got here at such a good time."
"I t'ink y' enjoyed crushin' dose filles a bit too much," Remy laughed jovially.
"But it was so easy, an' so fun!" Rogue grinned, joining in. She had such a beautiful laugh…
"Won' argue wit' dat," he agreed. "Glad y' did it, dey were too annoyin' f'r my tastes."
"Hmm, maybe Ah shouldn't ever leave yah alone then, if yah keep attractin' annoyin' girls…" she mused jokingly.
Remy smiled. "Dat's what I've been hopin' f'r," he said seriously, reaching for her hand once more.
"…What?" she questioned after a beat, not fully understanding. She looked so cute when she was confused…
"I wan' t' spend more time wit' y', Rogue." There, he said it. Well, more like blurted it out, but at least it was out there in the open.
"Yah mean, more than yah've already spent stalkin' meh an' such?" she asked sarcastically.
He tried to ignore her tone and biting comments. "I was t'inkin' like… Datin'."
"Datin'?" echoed Rogue, blinking. "We've already had three 'dates', an' Ah really don't even know how yah managed that! Ain't that datin'?"
He supposed it was. In all actuality, Remy didn't have much experience dating – he had never had three dates anybody, since he usually got what he wanted from girls before then, discarded them, and moved on. He was amazed with this situation as much as Rogue appeared to be.
Her wide, mystified eyes opened even further when Remy revealed, "I was hopin' we could do more."
"More?" she repeated, utterly baffled. "As in… A boyfriend an' girlfriend kinda thing?"
He nodded, squeezing her fingers tighter. "Oui," he rasped, and held his breath.
Frankly, he wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but he knew that he wanted it! Seeing her laugh with him, smile with him… He knew he couldn't just forget about her like he had first intended. He had thought about this during his sleepless hours last night, after the afternoon they spent together… Remy hadn't planned this conversation, the words were out of his mouth before he could even think about them, but he didn't regret them.
A small part of his mind wondered why he was even bothering – he couldn't touch her, which was all that his past relationships (if they could even be called that) were based on. What else did Remy have to offer her? He didn't know, but something deep inside of him told him to forge ahead anyway. He liked talking to her, joking with her, flirting with her, and spending time with her, and he wanted to keep doing that.
"Remy…" she murmured quietly, unsurely. It was the first time she had called him by his real name, and he loved how she said it.
He could see the uncertainly expressed on her face, and he spoke quickly, trying to convince her that he meant it, that he wanted to be with her, that they should be together.
"I t'ink we'd be good f'r each ot'er, Rogue. We compliment each ot'er in some ways, an' den in ot'er ways we're opposites, we balance out," he blurted, and then frantically scoured his mind for everything he knew about her. "We're both from de South, we're both adopted, both had screwed up family lives… We're both mutants, y' absorb power an' I let it out… Y' keep people away, I draw dem in… 'M optimistic, y're pessimistic… Hell, even our eyes, chère, dey're opposites! We're alike in de ways dat we need t' be so we can relate t' each ot'er, an' we're diff'rent in de ways dat we need t' be so dat we can push each ot'er! We're a perfect balance, Rogue, dat has t' mean somet'in'."
Remy then took a deep breath, watching Rogue stare at him in bewilderment, mouth agape. He hoped his words would reach her, and break through her barriers… He had no clue as to where that speech had come from – it wasn't calculated, it wasn't premeditated to raise his standing, it just poured out of him. He was startled to realize that every word he had spoken was the truth – Remy had bore a piece of his soul for her, and he just prayed it would work.
"Remy," she began again, voice unsteady. "Ah don't know what to say…"
"Say yes," he pleaded, not paying attention to how desperate he sounded. Perhaps he was coming on too strongly – he seriously doubted that anybody had ever said such things to Rogue, and maybe it was scaring her, but he needed to prove his point.
"Ah… We can't," she mumbled, bowing her head and withdrawing her hand from his. "Yah know, yah're actually a nice guy, but there's just too much standin' in th' way."
"Like what?" Whatever it was, he felt a determination like never before to beat it.
"We're on opposin' teams!"
"Dat won' stop us if we don' let it."
"Maybe not… But then mah powers-"
"Don' matter t' me," Remy finished for her, leaning across the table and placing a gloved finger underneath her chin, lifting her head up. "I jus' want you, chère, and yo' powers are a part o' y', I know dat. Dey're not scarin' me away."
He was astounded to find that he meant it – her powers and their team affiliations were the last things on his mind, he was just so desperate to have her agree! He held his breath as he waited for her answer…
Face flushed, her hair fell down around it as she tried to hide it from him. "Y-yes," she stuttered.
"Yes?" he asked, wanting to be sure, but already getting his hopes up. "Yes what?"
Rogue laughed nervously, shaking her head up and down. "Yes, Ah think we could give it a try… Ah'll be yer girlfriend."
Laughing as well, only in relief, Remy dropped his arms onto the table, nearly spilling his coffee. His hands found hers again, and he couldn't stop a grin from taking up residence on his lips. A girlfriend… He had a girlfriend!
Standing up, he pulled Rogue to her feet and walked her over to the counter. "Well, in honour o' dis momentous occasion, how 'bout y' let yo' new boyfriend buy y' a coffee?" he suggested.
"Yah know Ah can't turn down an offer like that," she replied, as they took their place in line, their fingers still tangled together. It was probably the most contact she had had with another person for a long time, and he hoped it wouldn't alarm her, but he couldn't bare to let go just yet.
While they waited, Remy noticed her watching him intently. "Quoi?"
She blushed once more, caught staring. "It's just… Ah've never had a boyfriend," she informed him, obviously embarrassed but not looking away. "It's… Ah dunno, it's…" she trailed off.
It was funny, because he had never had a girlfriend – there were the countless one-night stands and nameless women, not to mention the fiancée he had had since he was a young boy, but there was never anybody he stayed with long enough to consider an official girlfriend. This would be a nice change… But he could never tell her any of that. Instead, he just squeezed her hand reassuringly and graced her with a warm smile.
It dropped when he glanced up and out the storefront windows of the café – fog could be seen outside, getting ever thicker. Swearing, he turned and ran, pulling Rogue along with him. They dodged tables and chairs, moving towards the back of the building, to where Remy knew there was another exit. Reaching for the handle and yanking the door open, he concentrated as hard as he could as they stepped through into the darkness…
Only to enter the café again, this time through the front door.
"Weren't we just here?" asked a puzzled Rogue.
"Kinda. I t'ink dis is a later memory," Remy explained, although he was unsure of how exactly he had managed it. "Y've already been erased from dis one, so mebbe we can hide here…"
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Rogue began to chuckle. "It's like we always end up here, ain't it?"
"It was," he sighed, dropping into a chair.
Standing beside him, she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Just try yer best, okay? That's all yah can do now."
"I am tryin'," he cried, leaning on the table and burying his head in his arms. "But we're gettin' closer an' closer t' de start!"
Opening his eyes, Remy noticed mist rolling across the floor. Hurriedly sitting upright, he looked towards the door – fog was seeping in beneath it. Turning around, the back of the café was no longer visible – the haze obscured it from view. He could do nothing more.
Wrapping his arm around Rogue's waist, he pulled her onto his lap. Burrowing his face in her hair, he closed his eyes and waited.
- X -
He just needed to get out of the base for a while – Pietro was zipping around, driving him crazy, and coupled with John's pyromania, Remy felt an overwhelming urge for some peace and quiet. He decided to head to his apartment, where he often went to escape the chaos of the Acolytes – he was glad he had gotten a place of his own.
It was a warm, sunny day outside, so he opted to simply stroll through the park. On the way, Remy congratulated himself on that decision when he saw Rogue in the distance, sitting on a bench while immersed in a book.
He stopped dead in his tracks, not ready to approach her just yet. But why not? He fidgeted slightly, wondering why he wasn't moving any closer towards her. Was he… Could he be… Nervous?
He shook his head firmly, telling himself that was just foolishness. She was just another fille, there was no reason to be nervous around her! Although what else could the fluttering in his stomach be? It was the same feeling that he got before a heist, his nerves bouncing around excitedly. Maybe that was it, the element of danger…
'Oui, dat's it,' Remy tried to convince himself. It was simply the element of danger Rogue presented – after all, one wrong word and he had no doubt that she would throw a punch at him. That was all it was…
A tiny voice in the back of his head began to laugh at him, telling him that it was more than that and he knew it, but Remy shook his head once more and ended his internal debate. Looking back up towards the girl in question, he squared his shoulders and strode confidently over to her, resolutely ignoring whatever perplexing emotions were brewing inside of him.
When he arrived at her bench, Rogue didn't notice him. Amused at how engrossed she was in her book (which, he noted with delight, was the one he had given her, along with the Queen of Hearts), he decided to sit down beside her. She continued reading, not even lifting her head.
Remy watched her for a while longer. It was too bad that her hair fell around her face, blocking those breathtaking eyes from his view. Deciding to do something about that, he cleared his throat. She still didn't move. He tried again, this time giving a little cough.
"What?" she snapped, jerking her head up with green eyes blazing. Ahh, there they were…
"Bonjour, chère," Remy smiled as recognition dawned on Rogue when she saw just who was bothering her. "How are y' dis fine day?"
"Ah'm fine, swamp rat," she scowled. He took heart, knowing it wasn't the fiercest look she could give. "At least, Ah was until yah interrupted meh."
"So sorry t' bot'er y'," he replied, not meaning it. "But I was wonderin' 'bout dat date y' promised me."
She scoffed contemptuously, and stuck the playing card between two pages as a bookmark. "Oh, yah mean th' date that yah tricked meh into?"
"Oui, dat's de one," he grinned without shame. The method may have been shady, but it produced the desired result! "I t'ought dis might be a good time f'r it, henh?"
She blinked, startled. "What, now?"
"Oui."
"No way, Ah'm not ready or anythin'!" Rogue shook her head vehemently, looking flustered.
"Hmm, did y' wan' advanced notice, so y' could try an' impress me, Roguey?" Remy teased. "Mebbe y' care mo' den y'd like t' admit, henh?"
"No way!" she denied, but couldn't hide her blush, made even more obvious by her pale cheeks.
"Don' worry, chère," he chuckled. "Y' look belle all de time, y' wouldn' need t' do anyt'in' t' impress me." He actually meant that, too…
Rogue blushed even harder, turning away to save herself some embarrassment, unable to look at him. Remy just found it adorable that she could be so strong and yet so gentle at the same time. She was even more gorgeous when she blushed, it softened her, and he decided he liked seeing different facets to her personality like that. He'd have to make her blush more often, which was a task he was more than willing to undertake – the words flowed so easily from his mouth, he barely had to think about his flattery. He briefly wondered what that could mean…
But Remy didn't think he would like where those thoughts could lead. Instead, he decided to change topics, and graciously save Rogue from her discomfort. "So, how y' like de book?"
She turned back to him, eyeing him with curiosity, as if not expecting him to give her leave like that. "It's good," she finally said, her face slowly returning to its normal pallor.
"I've never read it. Tell m' about it," he prompted, wanting her to talk more. He couldn't get enough of her sweet Southern drawl, that somehow made him miss his home and feel like he was back there all at the same time.
"Well, so far it's mah favourite of th' series," she began slowly, but seemed to get more excited and enthusiastic as she continued. "Th' movie was good, but Ah wish Ah read th' book first, cause now Ah keep picturin' th' actors in mah head when Ah'm readin', instead of mah own imagination comin' up with stuff…"
Remy found himself hanging on to her every word, charmed by her eagerness and passion. She was an intelligent girl, so different from countless others he had met. She had something they didn't – there was some other quality she possessed, other than the obvious wit and sass and breathtaking beauty, that he couldn't put his finger on yet. Something that called to him, that drew him in, and he was determined to figure out what.
The only approach he could think of that could satiate his obsession with her was to get to know her better. He commented on his own tastes in reading, and even suggested some books to her – from there they chatted amiably about movies, music, and television, jumping easily from one topic to another, never a lull in the conversation. A few hours passed, and Remy was surprised to see how well they could get along when they weren't bantering and bickering with each other! In such a short time he had already told her more about himself than most people knew, and he was willing to bet that Rogue could say the same.
He learned that she liked spring best out of all the seasons (because the flowers began to bloom, and they reminded her of the wildflowers on the banks of the Mississippi), she loved thunderstorms (she would even go sit in the garden and watch them), and that her favourite feeling was the grass in between her bare toes. In return, she learned that he liked summer (especially those lazy days where he could lounge around on the bayou), he hated fog (for some unknown reason), and that his favourite feeling was the rush after a successful heist.
They weren't important revelations, but nevertheless, revealed private parts of their personalities that worked towards building up a tentative trust and understanding between the two. Rogue's comment about Southern cooking prompted Remy to tell her about his Tante Mattie's famous dinners, and without even thinking, he began to talk of his life in the South, of how he was adopted by Jean-Luc, and how he became a thief. Rogue then told him about living with Irene, to being betrayed by Mystique. Things took a more serious turn, but in a way their stories comforted the other, with the knowledge that another had experienced similar events.
Remy marvelled at the fact that he had shared such an intimate part of his life with her. It just seemed natural to open up to her like that – normally he was so guarded, but he divulged his history without question. Wondering why exactly that was made his head hurt, so he reached for a cigarette. Putting it between his lips and lighting it with his powers, he turned back to Rogue to see a revolted expression adorn her face.
"That's a disgustin' habit, yah know," she told him, wrinkling her nose adorably. "Plus, it'll kill yah."
"Aww, chère, y' do care!" he exclaimed, throwing down the smoke and stubbing it out with his boot. "If it bot'ers y' dat much, I'll quit."
Rogue looked at him, amazed. "Just like that? Yah'll quit?"
"Oui." He hoped that would impress her…
"Well, good luck," she chuckled, getting up off the bench. "Watchin' yah go cold turkey oughta be fun."
He frowned, standing up to join her. "Where y' goin'?"
"We've been here fo' hours, Cajun. Ah gotta get back to th' Institute," she told him, causing a pang of disappointment to course through him.
Hours? She was right – the afternoon had passed so quickly, he had barely noticed. It felt like it was over too soon. Remy wanted to spend more time with her, so he spoke quickly and shot Rogue a winning smile. "Well, how 'bout anot'er date den?"
"Why should Ah say yes? All we did was sit in th' park, that don't really impress a gal, swamp rat," she taunted him with a smirk.
"Hey, give a guy a break, chère!" protested Remy, throwing his hands up in the air. "It was short notice, but dere were no gimmicks, just like y' said – only y' an' me gettin' t' know each ot'er, dat's gotta count f'r somet'in'! Don' tell me y' didn' have a good time…"
"Well…"
"Y' know, if y' agree t' go out wit' me again, I'll definitely impress y'," he coaxed her, planting a kiss on one of her palms.
Rogue looked down at their intertwined hands with a half-smile, and Remy was glad she didn't pull away. "Okay, so Ah did have an okay time," she grudgingly admitted, but then her smile faded. "But we pro'ly shouldn't hang out again. Ah mean, we're supposed to be enemies, swamp rat."
"I don' consider y' m' enemy, chère," he informed her earnestly. "In fact, y' de farthest t'ing from it."
She seemed to believe him, but he could still see worry in those deep green eyes of hers that told him she wasn't fully sure of what to do. "How 'bout dis, Rogue. T'morrow afternoon, I may jus' happen t' be at de café," Remy drawled in an overly innocent tone, stressing certain words and giving her a very pointed look. "Wouldn' it be a coincidence if we ran int' each ot'er dere?"
Rogue snickered, getting the message, and he was relieved to see her grin once more. "Why yes, that would be quite a coincidence, wouldn't it?" she pretended to mull it over, and turned to leave. "See yah 'round, Cajun."
Gambit watched her go, but his eyes noticed the fog surrounding them instead of the gentle sway of her hips that he had planned on watching. Cursing, he shot forward and grabbed Rogue's arm, preventing her from walking into the haze.
He sighed in defeat, but when he looked down at her, he couldn't help but smile fondly. "Too bad dis has t' go, chère," he whispered. "I liked dis memory. I t'ink it's de time dat I won y' over…"
"Ah think it was too," she replied. They were silent as the fog encircled them, coming ever closer – it was too late to run now. As the cloud drifted between them, beginning to cut Rogue away from Remy, she murmured, "Maybe yah can do it again?"
He heard her words before she disappeared, and quietly said, "I hope so" to the emptiness around him.
This is the part where I make some witty comment!
Next chapter – Rogue gets tricked into a date! Or two…
And finally, this is the part where I tell you to review. Review!
Toodles,
- ish -