Disclaimer: Hah, oh, you think I own the X-Men? Heh heh… oh, wow, that's funny… Tee hee hee. Yeah, so that's a NO.
A/N: Here we go again! Before we get to the review responses, I've got an important announcement to make! So, much to my chagrin, summer is over and I'm starting university this week. Sadly, that means updates may not be as quick as they have been – I'll do my best, but with my workload, I'm just not sure how much time I'll have! How disappointing… But I promise you'll still get your ishandahalf fixes, just not as regularly. Sorry!
Star-of-Chaos, PomegranateQueen, demiducky25, Orage, Anamaniax, Sweety8587, TheDreamerLady, EE's Skysong, Dreamcatcher89, ChibiKaril, silky black, Adri, enchantedlight, TheRealMai, heartsyhawk, and darkstorm5000 – Know what are great? Jelly Belly jellybeans. So everybody have a thank-you bean, pick your own flavours, wheeee! I'm eating some right now… Can you tell that I'm on a sugar high?
Alyxandria – Glad you liked the coffee bits – I think it only came out so well because I was seriously craving one. Oh, sweet caffeine… Sorry I'm a bit hypocritical, scolding you for badness when I did it too, but that's just the way I am! You're right, though, there really wouldn't be a plot without it, you'll have to trust me to get us all through this!
Sophie – Sexy, toned glory indeed… Drool! Well, glad your seething is quiet, rather than loud. But hmm, where'd you get the idea that there'd be a happy ending? Bwa ha ha… Although with the threat of an angry wallaby, I just might have to do it! Eeep.
SweetRevenge151 – Curses, I didn't hear them play the Cure over any events! Although I did dance along to 'YMCA' – how can you not? Glad the Moz wore a dinner jacket, white or not – oh, I love "Everyday is like Sunday"! Gosh, I really hope he plays that when I see him… Hah, 50 Cent getting booed sounds hilarious, and I detest the White Stripes. Anyhoo, here's your update – are you inspired yet? Bring on your epilogue!
giggleboxsam – Aww, I appreciate your sacrifice, I really do! I guess the tables have turned, cuz now this fic will spoil the movie for you, instead of the other way around… Oops?
Eileen Blazer – Yeah, those girls weren't exactly the sharpest fishes in the socket. No, I don't think it'd make you a bad friend if you didn't invite someone to go hit on a hottie with you – but it would make you a bad friend if you tried to "accidentally" incapacitate them or something to knock out the competition. Not that you would do something like that though, right? Well, only for Remy…
Goddess Evie – You know, I'm one of those weird people who actually likes creamed corn, so I'll pick that!
Calliann – Crying again? Do you have any floatation devices around when you read fics, for safety purposes? I wouldn't want you to drown… ;-) As for your questions… Well, just wait and see! Or read, technically.
angyxoxo – 50 chapters? Nahh. If all goes according to plan (which I hope it does), then this'll be under 30. Frankly, I'm also getting rather impatient! I like a dark Remy too, but I don't know if I could write one well – the romantic in me takes over, and out comes the sweetness! Well, maybe someday…
Raven2687 – Application essays, huh? You've got it rough! All we have to do is fill out some forms, have our schools send in our marks, and presto! Well, not exactly, but the point is, no evil essays, no entrance exams, no SATs… I'd laugh, but I'm too nice for that. ;-)
Okay, time to boldly go where no one has gone before… Onto the new chapter! Huzzah.
Loved and Lost, or Never At All?
Chapter 16 – Trail
"No memory is ever alone; it's at the end of a trail of memories, a dozen trails that each have their own associations."
- Louis L'Amour
The dim light of the evening allowed Gambit to easily blend in with the shadows bathing the Xavier estate. He moved stealthily and silently through the grounds, almost as if he were a shadow himself. Skilfully avoiding the cameras and motion detectors, the young thief made his way over to the appropriate spot. Her room was right above him…
He was thankful that Magneto had done quality surveillance on the mansion – he wouldn't want to have to check each room to find Rogue's. No, he knew exactly which one was hers, and as luck would have it, it was the one right next to the trellis. Gambling that it would be strong enough to support his weight, Remy climbed up the wall of ivy and landed lightly on his chère's balcony.
He couldn't quite believe the lengths he was going to, sneaking onto the opposing team's base, but he felt the need to impress her. Remy only hoped that she would indeed feel that way. Well, he'd soon find out…
Peeking in through the glass door, he could see Rogue lying on her bed, writing in what looked to be a diary. She looked so calm, so relaxed, unlike their previous meetings. Before, she seemed to be on her guard, so tense and wary. It was like the window he was now peering in was one to her, into her character and her personality and her innermost being, rather than just into her bedroom. Remy felt a pang of what could possibly be guilt at that thought… He was intruding. He never liked when people caught him in candid situations, and he knew Rogue wouldn't either.
He decided to do what he had come here for, and since her roommate wasn't in, now was as good a time as any. Knocking, he flashed her as charming a grin as he could manage when she jerked her head up at the noise. A look of surprise crossed her face, and Remy had to keep himself from laughing when her jaw dropped open in shock.
She padded over to the door on bare feet, opened it, and stepped outside. That disappointed him a little – he had hoped that she might invite him in so he could see her personal space, and maybe learn more about her. He knew that would have been about as likely as Pyro deciding to stock up on fire extinguishers, but still, he had hoped. Another time, perhaps.
"What th' hell are yah doin' here, Gambit!" hissed Rogue, staring at him in bewilderment. "Yah really are stalkin' meh, aren't yah?"
"Relax, chère," he chuckled, leaning back on the railing. "I jus' came t' give y' somet'in'."
"Ah don't want anythin' from yah!"
"All de femmes wan' somet'in' from de Ragin' Cajun," smirked Remy suggestively.
She shook her head, exasperated, and then looked back at him carefully, studying him. "Yah know, swamp rat, yah're right," she said sweetly, and he folded his arms in satisfaction. "Ah want yah to leave meh alone!" she then declared harshly.
He pouted, knowing women could never resist that. "Aww, Roguey, y' don' mean dat."
His tactic didn't work. Well, that was a definite first… "Ah sure do," she told him, then turned around and headed for the door. "But if yah won't leave, then Ah guess Ah will."
"Chère, wait!" Remy called, quickly reaching out to grab her wrist. He knew it had been a mistake when Rogue flinched, and yanked her arm away. "Desolé, Rogue, I didn' mean t'…"
"Whatever," she muttered, taking a step back.
He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. This wasn't going as well as he had planned… But then again, he had fantasized an incredibly optimistic scenario, with Rogue gushing all over him, so he supposed some disillusionment was warranted. "Look, I didn' come here t' argue wit' y'."
"Then why are yah here?"
"I wanted t' see y'," he winked cheekily, picking up traces of a blush on her cheeks. "An' I do have somet'in' t' give y'."
Reaching into one of the countless pockets in his trench coat, Remy pulled out a brand new copy of Queen of the Damned and handed it to Rogue. She looked at it in astonishment, but was reluctant to take it from his hands. "Don' worry, chère, it won' bite."
Remy could tell that she hadn't been expecting this, but that she was pleasantly surprised – the corners of her lips turned up ever so slightly, which then morphed into a smirk when she noticed the Queen of Hearts card he had stuck in between the pages.
He was relieved that she liked it – he knew she would, but traces of nervousness had inexplicably appeared anyway. This was the first gift he had ever given a woman that actually required personalization – normally he placed his fate in the universal and unoriginal offerings of flowers or chocolates, but already he knew that this femme wasn't like those others.
Looking up at him, Rogue actually granted him a small smile. "Uh… Thank yah," she murmured awkwardly, as if still unsure of the whole situation. "But yah didn't have to do this."
"I know, but I wanted t'," he replied. Even that small hint of a smile lit up her face so beautifully… He wondered how a full-fledged one could out-shine it. He would have to try to make them happen, rather than the scowls and glowers that he seemed to elicit so effortlessly.
Unfortunately, that was exactly what crossed Rogue's face next. "An' why is that? Yah expectin' somethin' in return?" she demanded.
"Non!" Remy answered, waving his hands in the air. "Just t'ought I'd get y' de book, since y' didn' have a chance t' get it earlier."
"An' who's fault was that?" she questioned sarcastically, but then seemed to relax and accept his response. "All right, fine. Thank yah, really. It was… nice o' yah," she said slowly, as if she had to force the words out.
"Yo' welcome. Anyt'in' t' see dat belle smile o' yours," he told her, without missing a beat. The compliment didn't make her smile like he had hoped, but he was rewarded with a tiny blush again. Her anger seemingly abated, he picked now as the time to smirk and add on, "But I sure wouldn' mind a t'ird date, chère."
"What?" gasped Rogue with a huff. "No way! An' Ah don't even consider th' other two times dates, so forget it!"
"Well, I do consider dem dates, an' I'll get anot'er eventually, Roguey. T'ird times de charm, henh? I'll manage t' win y' over somehow."
"Ugh," she grunted. "Why th' hell are yah so damn persistent?"
He wondered about that too – after all, she was just another girl… He settled for telling her what he knew. "Y' intrigue me, chère. I wan' t' know mo' about y', so I'd like anot'er date."
All right, so it wasn't the entire truth – he needed to know more, he craved it. Remy knew his plan to get her out of his head had backfired somehow, because the more he learned, the more he still wanted. He had an unquenchable appetite for her, and he planned to find out why that was – maybe that way he could stop thinking about her.
Rogue didn't accept that. "Ah'm not buyin' it, Cajun. Just get outta here, Ah don't wanna be one o' yer challenges," she spat out.
"Y're not a challenge, Rogue. Y're just challenging."
"Ah doubt it," she scoffed.
"Den y'd be wrong."
"No way. Ah know Ah'm right."
"But what if y' aren't?"
"Ah am," Rogue insisted.
"Y're not," corrected Remy.
"Ah am!"
"Non, y're not. Y're just scared."
"Scared? O' what?"
"Scared dat somebody might actually want t' get t' know y'," he hypothesized. It made sense, even if she didn't want to admit it. Her powers kept people away from her, and her actions and attitude only encouraged it – this was probably something Rogue never had to deal with before, someone not intimidated by her.
"Ah am not!" she denied adamantly.
"Really?"
"Really!"
Remy looked at her, eyes twinkling and head held high. "Well, den prove me wrong," he dared her, knowing she wasn't one to back down from anything, and praying she would take his bait.
"Fine!" exclaimed Rogue determinedly. "Ah will!"
"Bon! (Good!) A t'ird date it is," he grinned.
"What?" she sputtered, realizing what she had just walked into, and quickly attempted to back out of it. "No! Ah didn't mean it like that!"
"Too late, chère," Remy laughed heartily.
She glared, but seeing it have no affect on him, tried for a different approach. "What, is this how yah get yer dates?" came her derisive tone. "By trickin' gals into goin' out with yah?"
"Non, y're special."
Rogue groaned in aggravation, looking as if she were about to erupt. "Gawd dammit, if Ah go on a stupid date with yah, will yah leave meh alone!"
Probably not, but she didn't need to know that. "All I wan' is a date, chère."
"Only on one condition then," she stipulated. "No gimmicks."
"Pardon?" Remy asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.
"No gimmicks, Cajun. Yah can't buy mah affections with books, or sweeten meh up with coffee. If yah're so intent on winnin' meh over, then next time yah have to do it yerself, got it?"
"Bien sûr," he agreed readily, willing to consent to practically anything in exchange for another date, another chance with her. Only after he spoke did some doubts surface – if he couldn't shower her with gifts, and he couldn't touch her, what else did he have to offer? This would perhaps be harder than he had thought…
A dulcet drawl disrupted his misgivings. "Okay, swamp rat, yah got yer date, so get outta here."
She was right, he had accomplished what he had come here to do – but Remy heaved an exaggerated sigh anyway, showing her that he was reluctant to leave. Which, oddly enough, he was. "As y' wish, m' southern belle!" he proclaimed, and leapt onto the railing.
Looking down at Rogue, he bowed dramatically, while pulling out a rose from another pocket and presenting it to her with a flourish. He didn't go for the clichéd red colour, symbolizing romance and love. After all, this wasn't love… It was more of a fascination, a desire for something that eluded him. That was why Remy brought her an orange rose, representing exactly those things.
She plucked it from his hand, and brought it closer to her face so she could inhale its sweet scent. Like before, he knew that she enjoyed his gift, and that alone made his excursion this evening a success.
Glancing up at him, he saw a teasing gleam in Rogue's eyes when she scolded, "Ah said no gimmicks, Cajun!"
"It's not de next time yet," he shot back, further exasperating her. All of his judgement advised against it, but he couldn't help himself! There was just something about irking the fille that he enjoyed.
Unluckily for Remy, it seemed as if Rogue had met her annoyance quota for the day – stepping towards him, she extended her arms and shoved him right off the balcony! He hadn't been expecting that… Thankfully, his thieving reflexes worked to his advantage – reacting almost unconsciously, twisting in the air much like a cat, Gambit managed to land nimbly on his feet.
"See y' soon, chère!" he called, waving and blowing her a kiss, not at all shaken by his unanticipated trip. He saw her smirking and shaking her head before he ran off across the grounds – he had already stayed too long, and he wasn't about to get caught. Remy may have swallowed some pride in his efforts to woo Rogue, but he wouldn't relinquish any when it came to his skills as a thief!
There was nobody in sight, so he thanked Lady Luck that the Wolverine hadn't picked up his scent. Remy jogged across the yard, intending to leave by the same trail upon which he had entered – he made it halfway to the tree line before noticing the fog blowing in.
'Wonder if dat weather witch knows 'm here,' he mused, but then remembered that this wasn't how it had happened. It had been a clear night…
Spinning around, Remy was about to run back to Rogue, only the Institute couldn't be seen anymore. Not caring, he continued to move in that direction, determined to find her. He knew the mansion was this way, he would have to run into it eventually… He kept going, but he never reached it.
- X -
The bookstore was dark and musty, yet somehow cosy, with seemingly endless rows of books sitting on wooden shelves. It reminded Remy of his father's library back home… He could see why Rogue liked it. He had been walking down the street when he saw her go inside, and he automatically trailed her. He knew that she would probably call it 'stalking', but he preferred to refer to it as 'reconnaissance'.
There was a surprising abundance of inventory for such a small space – the aisles were tiny due to the many bookshelves that were crammed into the room. Some were parallel to each other while others lay perpendicular, making a maze out of the store. Stepping down a row, Remy made his way into the mini-labyrinth.
He moved silently across the creaking hardwood floor, ears alert, trying to pick up signs of his target. He heard something to his right – turning and peering through a space in the shelf, Remy could see Rogue browsing the selection in the next aisle over. He kept quiet, content to simply observe her for the time being.
He watched as she pulled a book out and regarded it with interest. Moving over to a better angle, he caught a glimpse of the cover – it was Queen of the Damned, and he grinned to himself. So, she was an Anne Rice fan… Hometown pride surged through him – she had good taste, liking a femme from N'Awlins. Now maybe if she would give a certain homme a chance?
Despite his optimism and self-confidence, he doubted it. Rogue had pushed him away, differently than anybody else – occasionally some girls liked to play hard-to-get, but that wasn't what she was doing. Remy got the impression that she genuinely disliked him, and that wouldn't do, not if he wanted to his objectives met! He ordered himself to be nicer this time, and then made him move.
While Rogue was skimming through the book, he walked around the shelves. When he was beside her, he said, "So, read any good books lately, chère?"
Startled, she let out a piercing screech that caused him to wince and made the storeowner glare at them. Turning to face Remy, she fiercely whispered, "Gambit! What, are yah stalkin' meh now?"
"Y' insult me, Rogue!" he mock-gasped, placing a hand to his chest. "'M a t'ief, not a stalker."
"Yah appear to be both," Rogue grumbled.
"Nahh, I just saw y' in here an' t'ought I'd talk t' y'," he told her. He didn't feel the need to mention that he followed her inside, and hoped she would overlook that.
She didn't. "Oh, so yah just happened to be in here?" she grilled him.
"Oui, I enjoy a good book now an' den," he shrugged.
"So what were yah here fo'?"
"Uhh…" For the life of him, Remy couldn't think of anything, so he simply grabbed the closest book to him. "Dis."
"The Vagina Monologues?" Rogue laughed with a raised brow. "What, yah're gettin' in touch with yer feminine side, swamp rat?"
"Merde!" he swore, dropping the book as if it would burn him. Why, out of all the titles on the shelves, did he have to pick that one? "Heh… Would y' believe it's f'r Pyro?"
She just shook her head, smirking at him.
"Okay, so I followed y' in here, but dere's a good reason!" he burst out, not wanting any further humiliation – he was supposed to be charming her, not having her mock him!
"Oh really?"
"O' course," Remy continued suavely, trying to regain the upper hand in the conversation. "Wanted t' know if y'd go on a second date wit' me."
"What!" she yelled in disbelief. "Ah wasn't even aware we had a first!"
"Shhh!" interrupted the manager, giving them another dirty look. He was no doubt cursing the younger generation, saying that kids in his day didn't behave like they were.
They both ignored him. Remy's attention was all on Rogue – he felt compelled to have her agree. She made him so very curious…
'Dis is only t' get her out o' y'r head,' he reminded himself firmly. Yes, that was it. She was ruining his flirtations with other women – every time he tried to pick a girl up, he caught a glimpse of fathomless green eyes, or a flash of white-streaked hair… He couldn't go on like that!
But then, why was he so extremely anxious she would turn him down? Remy pushed away those feelings, instead focusing on how he could convince her to at least talk with him. "Look, Rogue, date o' not-"
"Not," she stated firmly.
"Date o' not," he continued. "Did y' have a good time? An' tell de truth."
"No."
"No t' what? No, y' didn' have a good time, o' no, y' won' tell de truth?"
"No to everythin' yah'll ever ask meh!"
"Well den, I guess dat means no, y' didn' tell de truth, so y' had a good time!" Amazing… He was roping a girl into a date using logic instead of flirtations – what was wrong with him?
Rogue crossed her arms and grunted in aggravation. "Ah had a miserable time!" she cried out. "Yah must really have some skewed definition o' th' word 'good'!"
It wasn't the answer he was looking for, but he could work with that, Remy thought with a smile. "Well den, why don' we try it again? It can only get better, right?" When he saw her eyes narrow, knowing she was about to reject him, Remy quickly added, "How 'bout a coffee? My treat."
"What, yah think yah'll get me swoonin' over yah with an offer o' coffee?" she squawked indignantly.
"Hush!" crossly demanded the manager once more. "Be quiet, please, this is a bookstore!"
Throwing her hands up in irritation, Rogue declared, "Ah have no intentions of continuin' this, Gambit. Ah don't like to be played!"
"'M not playin' y', Rogue," Remy assured her. "I just wan' t' spend some time wit' y'!"
"Ah don't care! Ah've got better things to do than spend time with one o' Bucket-Head's lackeys!"
"Like what?"
"Oh, standin', breathin', blinkin', anythin'!" she listed off.
"But none o' dat seems very fun," he observed, remaining composed – he was determined for this argument to end in his favour, and he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing him flustered! "Lemme buy y' a coffee, we can chat again, y'll have a good time, I promise."
"NO!" came her scream, followed by the bellow of the shopkeeper.
"That's enough! Both of you leave, now!" he ordered, pointing out the door. "Take your lover's quarrel somewhere else!"
"This ain't a lover's quarrel!" Rogue shouted back, out-glaring him with ease.
While the girl squabbled with the elderly man, Remy simply smirked at them, until he noticed something odd – he could no longer read any of the titles on the books. They were becoming blurry…
Quickly moving forward, he grabbed Rogue by the arm and ushered her outside. "We're sorry, m'sieu, we'll leave now!" he called back to the owner, stepping out of the store, where Rogue wrenched her arm free of him.
"Great, now Ah couldn't buy mah book!" she complained.
"Desolé, chère. How 'bout I buy y' a coffee t' make up f'r it?" he wheedled, starting to walk across the street to where Le Café Café stood.
"Yah just won't let this go, will yah?"
"Nope."
"Fine," breathed out an exasperated Rogue. "But only cause yah owe meh! An' since Ah was gonna go there anyways."
"Sure y' were," Remy scoffed, not believing her, but unwilling to push it further – after all, he had gotten what he wanted. "So, y' ready f'r our second date den?"
"It's. Not. A date!" she hollered as they crossed the road, making Remy wish he had chosen a time to say that when there was less traffic available for him to be pushed into.
"Whatever y' say," he humoured her, craning his head to the left to check for oncoming cars – rather than finding oncoming vehicles, there was only fog.
Panicking, Remy seized Rogue's arm once more, and started running towards the café – they made it the rest of the way across the street, but were too slow. Before they could reach it, the fog rolled in front of them, cutting off the entrance to their safe haven.
Turning around, he was about to run the other way before realizing that the street and all the buildings on it had disappeared from view. Turning to his right, Remy saw that Rogue had vanished as well.
Oh, they're ever so amusing when they're at each other's throats…
Next chapter – Rogue and Remy's first "date"! And I use the term loosely.
So remember what I said earlier – it might be a tad longer between updates because of school. But hmm, maybe a lot of reviews will motivate me to churn out one more chapter before I go back… If you love me, you'll review! ;-)
Toodles,
- ish -