Disclaimer: n. a repudiation or denial of responsibility or connection – that's the dictionary definition of the word, and I think it pretty much sums Stan Lee, the X-Men, and me up. Er, did that make sense? Oo

(1) Notes: -slaps self- Whoa, where have I gone?!? Actually, I've just been buried under the usual pressure of school, lack of inspiration, and a little laziness. And, um… I left this hanging for like, six months, and I wasn't planning to update just yet. Why did I post it, then? –points to Eileen Blazer- BLAME HER!!!

I'm apologizing for the time it took to produce this thing that's not even a chapter, and the events in it. I'm in a rush, you see, as my mother is telling me to go offline, I've got last-minute Christmas preparations to attend to, and Eileen Blazer kept forcing me to update. :P Anyway, since I just wanted to be nice for once (after you read this, I'm sure you'll think otherwise), I'm posting this as a gift to you guys. Merry Christmas, and pray that Santa turns into Remy and gives you kisses under the mistletoe for a gift! ;)

Limelight by melancholic

7. Misgivings, part one (Dates Are Not for Trees)

This… is so not real.

Jubilee could feel pairs of eyes on her, too much for one clinic to contain. Well, she was used to seeing people stare, glare, or be aware of her in ways that were too weird to mention, but these kinds of looks were something she could really get used to. For one, she had Betsy Braddock appearing concerned, sitting near the edge of her bed. That, and Warren Worthington, who was babbling on his cell phone and obviously gazing her way, were definitely some points to note – seriously, when did anyone ever get two prominent personalities' eyes on them? Oh, and that cute and bald Black guy, who was checking her out, also had plus points.

"All right, I'm going to tell you what to do on Saturday," Betsy piped up, causing a still shaken Jubilee to glance in her direction. "You and your friend need to be in Studio 1047 at ten o'clock a.m. Bring your résumés, a bottle of aspirin, hair-dye, and extra lipstick when you arrive. Don't ask why, 'cause that's what Raven Darkholme, the woman in charge of casting, said."

"Um… o-o-okay," Jubilee stammered, overcome with euphoria and nervousness. In the small, surprisingly calm part of her mind, she wondered why the name "Raven Darkholme" sounded so familiar. Where do I know her from, again?

"YES! I've got it!!!" A deep voice exclaimed, causing Betsy and Jubes to look up simultaneously. It was Warren who said that, his zillion-dollar teeth flashing through his ecstatic smile. Jubilee barely had enough time to wonder how much money he wasted on bleaching them, when Betsy spoke up.

"Got what, hmm?" She purred, rising and waltzing over to where he stood.

"Uh, it's nothing important; I'll tell you later, probably…" Warren's demeanor changed unceremoniously as he made up that excuse, with him turning back to romancing his cell phone. He didn't see the quick burst of pain in Betsy's sapphire eyes.

Jubilee, for her part, would've noticed that and posted that tidbit in her LiveJournal or reported it to E! Online, but she was too absorbed in the same guy that she saw earlier – he just happened to approach her bedside, asking if she needed anything. Lord, he's so cute!!! She squealed, the normally dominant fangirl persona reigning. Thankfully, her vision had already cleared – she read the name on his ID as Everett Thomas, and she already loved how the sounds would roll of her tongue…

"…Did you get what I said?" Betsy, who sounded more unpleasant than Jubilee ever heard, again interrupted her reverie. Jubilee was surprised that the model had the nerve to butt in with her daydreams. Who was she, anyway? You doofus, she's your ticket to the stardom train!

Betsy suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the teenager, instead deciding to "admire" the lack of design on the medics' uniforms. God. She never was this dense, especially around a guy without hair. What was with the taste of this generation? Her peers liked blonde, high cheek-boned men whose money spewed out of their ears. Wasn't that so much better?

Warren suddenly noticed the triumphant smirk that often graced his girlfriend's features wasn't present, and his brow furrowed in worry. Was it something I did? He couldn't tell her that he'd been talking to Stacy X on the phone; she was using her "skills" to get Betsy's twin brother to reveal which people he'd already recruited, and how Warren could draw them to his side. It would just be too much for Betsy to know that her apparently chaste sibling had seduction sessions with Stacy…

Trying to break the ice was something Warren wasn't good at, so he fidgeted and waited for someone to say something. When nobody did, he cleared his throat, his mind being almost at rest when he saw that Jubilation, as she told them to call her, was attempting to not flirt with Dr. McCoy's new medical student intern. He remembered when he was younger, his first girlfriend, Callisto…

Hey! Haven't you learned to not think of other girls when your girlfriend's around? Warren chastised himself for doing just that, reflecting on what could have been with Callisto, had she not been in that car accident, which left her face disfigured and her right eye blind…

"Um, Jubilation, shouldn't you call your friend… what was her name again?" Warren snapped out of it, directing his question to Jubilee. Hopefully, she a part of her was listening to him. Every woman listened to Warren Worthington speak, of course.

"Huh?" Jubilee replied, unsure of what she heard from the actor. "Oh, yeah… Her!" She said again, forcefully tearing her eyes from his figure. "I'll get to it…" Jubilee then reached inside her pocket for her cell phone and dialed Marie's number. While she did so, she then noted that it was the first time she found syringes and cotton very appealing on a guy.

———

Remy LeBeau, in all his experience of being an actor, never really could say he felt as if his life were an actual movie. Sure, he could get into almost any role he wanted, where the only question was not the character's sexuality, physical requirements, or overall part in the film, but how much the company wanted to pay him. Wasn't that always the case? Oh, and if he was to be working alongside a very favorable co-star, then he'd definitely snag the job!

His mindset was always like that… until she came along.

He was stuck in those clichéd moments that came from some of his movies where, in the rare times he was in a romantic comedy, time would seem to stand painfully still. Remy twitchily observed the warehouse he and Rogue were in. Wow, who knew that the splinters protruding atop the stray, cluttered boxes were so interesting? He looked up, instantly spotting the constellation of Cassiopeia in the starry sky.

Serendipity. Heh, I was supposed to be in that movie – not that John Cuckoo guy. Remy often regretted not participating in that project, even though the part was offered to him first. Man, he was so stupid; who in the world gave up a chance to star in a flick with Kate Beckinsale, in all her werewolf-hunting, Pearl Harbor glory? Wait, was he even sure he got the right Kate?

Then again, when he saw the sheer beauty that made itself present in front of him, he was sure that he'd surrender anything in the world.

Going back to the point of taking to heart what constellations and serendipity meant, Remy realized that his choice was coming back to haunt him. Somehow, he just felt that the backdrop of his and Rogue's scene was right; the colors were balanced, every aspect of the area could have an effect on his emotions. One of the reasons that Remy declined to join the Serendipity cast was that he thought the idea was silly, that two people just couldn't rely on fate to bring them together.

Where did that bring him now? Here he was, digressing and taking notice of the weirdest things, being jittery in front of a girl (which he asked out) he barely knew. If this was what destiny really meant, then he'd take every single cheesy, lovers-relying-on-fate movie that ever came his way!

Marie detected how nervous Remy was being (that was strange, she thought), for she didn't respond to his question yet. She really couldn't comprehend the situation, which in actuality was pretty simple if someone else were to look at it. Boy sees Girl. Girl thinks she hallucinates. Boy goes over to Girl and asks if she wants to be in his movie. Girl's best friend faints. Later, Boy walks in to see Girl holding hands with someone else. Girl runs out of the clinic. Boy stalks her. Girl asks him what he really wants. Boy says all he wishes for is a date with her.

Right, her analysis was the simplest way of putting things.

In truth, Rogue was flattered and disbelieving towards what was happening. The man, which People named as one of the year's "50 Most Beautiful Men" wanted to have dinner with her, who'd likewise be labeled as one of the "50 Most Revolting Creatures" by the same magazine. This was getting too much to handle; she might be getting too close for comfort to him (although she was sure that he always got "personal" with girls), and all he could do for a defense mechanism was to ask her out? Lord, what happened to the way things were in this world?

"I, uh…" She faltered, finding herself drawn to his face, especially his eyes. If Marie didn't know any better, she would've thought that those reddish-brownish irises were casting a spell on her, making her look like one of those cartoon characters that had disgustingly huge pink hearts for eyes.

While Rogue was searching for words, Remy unexpectedly felt something hit him, colder and harder than the snowball that Emil forced him to eat was.

She's gonna say no. Remy was now alarmed, his mind developing a new fear: rejection. Never, in any second of Remy LeBeau's life, had he experienced rejection, unless it was him doing the refusing. He was so used to girls trembling after hearing him speak one syllable to them, and he was very selective about who he caught after they fell (well, it was a different thing once he was drunk).

When would fate stop turning the tables on him? Although he felt he was getting dealt a good hand, that didn't stop him from remaining nervous.

Marie's mind rang with about ten thousand things to say to him. There was the excuse of "I'm a leper, so don't touch me unless you have miraculous powers," but she learned to not joke about skin conditions, seeing how much she knew about them due to her training as a nurse. Also, there could be the "I'm still a virgin and not good in bed, so are you sure you want me?" option but, knowing herself, she wouldn't have the guts to say any of that.

Honestly, she oddly found herself wanting to go on that date with him. It wasn't for the fame, pride, or anything that might come along if she accepted: hell, he could be drunk or drugged right now, for all she knew. Which person asked her out on a date, anyway? Well, there was that Bobby guy from the university, but because of his reputation as a prankster, Marie had the brains to refuse.

The primary reason here was that she was aware of Remy LeBeau's tendencies to fancy anything with a B-cup bra size (no thanks to Jubilee's habitual rambling about Remy's love life); not that Marie was dense enough to believe the press (though yes, they were true sometimes) – she just couldn't shake the image of Remy on a bed, making out with his hospice nurse. This showed the kind of contribution Cody had on her confidence, yes.

The silence was too much for them to bear; Remy was about to tell Rogue that he was kidding (he couldn't remove the ache in his heart), and she was about to ask him if he really was serious about going out with her. Both of them were spared the agony of finding out the other's response, because the buzzing of a bee that was supposed to be a ringtone was heard.

(2) Notes: Normally, I'd ramble on and on, but yes, this isa hurried update, as I mentioned earlier. Don't worry, I will post part two next week, and it's in my New Year's Resolutions list to become more "efficient" at updating. Review responses, babbles, and everything else will also be done in the next chapter. In the meantime, as it's the Christmas season, please please please make me jolly, and it's the season of giving... reviews! :)