Archive: Sure, just ask me first at smokhea@aol.com
*Special Note*: This is the longest chapter yet, so let's get started…
Warning: The proceeding chapters may deviate slightly from X-men canon. It's hard to follow everything that happened in the comics exactly, so I'll use some things and change other things. Just go with the flow, it will make the story more interesting.
Interactions
Chapter 8
All About Trust
(Jean/Remy)
Jean entered the unlit kitchen. She stumbled in the dark looking for the light switch when she noticed a red flicker to her left. She was about to get into defense mode when she recognized the pair of red eyes starring at her. She turned on the lights to see Remy sitting at the kitchen table. He had on a pair of black boxers and was topless.
"Morning, chere." He said with a smile. She looked down at the kitchen table where rows of playing cards were placed.
"What are you doing?" She asked, suspicion covered her voice. He looked down at the pile of cards
"Playing Solitaire, of course." He looked back up at her. "What are you doin'?" He narrowed his eyes staring as if he was accusing her of something in a playful manner. She let out at giggle as she went towards the fridge.
"I'm getting a class of orange juice before going to sleep." She was about to open the fridge door; in an instant he was behind her, his hand pressed against hers on the handle of the fridge.
"Have a seat, chere. Let me get it for you." He looked deep into her eyes as his breath brushed against her neck.
"If you insist." This guy is too damn charming. She blushed slightly and took at seat at the table.
Remy got the jug and a glass and poured the orange juice. He brought the glass and jug over to her, and placed it on the table.
"You wan' me t' get you anytin' else?"
"I'm fine." She answered. He nodded his head and took the seat next to her. "You always play Solitaire at one in the morning…in the dark?"
He placed his hand on the head of her chair. His arm stretched over her shoulder as he pondered her question.
"Yup." He answered with a shrug. Jean barely heard him, she was too busy staring at his body.
Oh My Gosh, he's so hard! I mean look at his physique; there is not an once of fat on him. His muscles are so defined…Oh crap, he's waiting for me to say something…
"That's weird." She managed to spit out while he continued to stare at her intensely.
She did not know what to do with her hands, so she reached for the glass of juice. Her hands were shaking a bit; she brought the glass to her lips fast so it wasn't so obvious. She finished her juice in record time; he looked amused.
"You mus' have been really t'irsty."
"What can I say? I love orange juice." She answered with a nervous laugh. He removed his hand from her chair, and pushed his seat further back.
"I'm makin' you uncomfortable." He said in an even tone.
"No you're not." She lied.
"No need t' lie, Jeanie. I know I'm makin' you uncomfortable." He saw a sudden realization creep over her face.
"I always forget about your empathy. Turn it off!" She demanded a little upset.
"Non." He stated calmly.
"You wouldn't like it if I read your mind without you knowing."
"I'll never know, 'cause you can't read me. I know what people are feeling, what's de harm in dat. Jus' tink of me as being very...perceptive."
"It still sucks."
"When I use my empathy it is to your benefit." He could tell she wasn't buying it, so he continued. "Look at it dis way. I'm a relatively good-looking guy…" She rolled her eyes. "And right now I'm sitting here wit'out a shirt on. It's only natural dat you would be attracted t' me. I can pick up on your uneasiness. I would have run upstairs t' get a shirt if I knew you would still be here when I got back. But I don't know dat. So instead, I know to back up and give you some room."
"But you didn't give me any room. You sat right next to me and barely gave me any breathing space."
"Yeah, I know. I was jus' messin' wit' you." She couldn't help but laugh. "Wan' me t' grab a shirt?"
"No. I'm sure I can keep myself from lunging at you." She said sarcastically.
"Care t' make a wager on dat?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh look. He's not only cute, he's witty too!" She joked. He gave her a wink as he gathered his cards together.
"I'm glad you notice." He stopped suddenly as if he just remembered something. "Hey Jean, I didn't get de chance t' apologize for what happened in de War Room yesterday."
"What are you talking about?"
"You know, when I made dat comment about you being wet and Cyke…"
"I remember now. " She cut him off.
"I'm sorry, chere. Never knew you embarrassed so easily."
"Yeah, it's a habit I'm trying to brake." She said with a smile. "I accept your apology." He nodded.
Jean was a bit taken aback by his apology. She never expected him to apologize -for something that seemed so insignificant to him, however she appreciated it. It was then that she realized there was much about the thief's personality she never knew. It's no secret that the two of them weren't exactly close. Their relationship was built around Remy flirting with her…as he did with most of the X-Women…and sometimes Jean would return the flirtation. But other then the flirting and work related issues, they never had much more to say to each other.
Gambit is the definition of an extrovert. He's extremely lively, sociable and easy to talk to. Even though we never really had much in common, when I was with him I never seemed to notice are differences. We would sometimes talk about random things like the weather, television, or a good movie, and have a really good time. But those conversations came far and few between.
What I did noticed about Gambit was that he was an extremely private person. I was never able to understand why…that is until the truth came out about his connections with Sabretooth, Sinister and the Mutant Massacre. I must admit, after I found out about what he did in his past, my opinion of him changed. Yes, he's still a nice guy…but he's a thief, and as I found out, every thief has his price.
I know Scott wanted me to speak with Rogue about the bracelet, but since Remy is here I might as well talk with him too. It would be easier for Rogue to focus on herself if I can talk Remy into keeping his distance from her.
She watched him not knowing how to approach the subject she really wanted to talk about. What the hell! I'll just come out with it.
"I just found out about Rogue." He stopped and looked at her. "I will be speaking with her tomorrow about the Genosha bracelet." Remy still did not speak. "This could be a very traumatic time for her. It might be easier for Rogue to deal with her situation without outside pressure from others to use the bracelet."
As far as Rogue is concerned, I guess Jean tinks I'm an 'outside pressure'. Hmmm, dat can't be good. He started to flip through his cards.
"But what I really want to know is how you feel about this new situation?" She waited for him to speak, but he still gave no response. "Is this just going to be a one-person conversation?" Asked Jean a tiny bit annoyed.
"Ain't it obvious? Don't wan' t' talk 'bout it, chere."
"Why not?" She asked. He answered her with a shrug. "You don't know?"
"I don't need a therapy session, doc." He started to shuffle his deck.
"I don't want to talk to you as a therapist, I want to talk to you as a friend."
He looked at her with laughter in his eyes. You've got t' be kiddin' me?!
"We're friends aren't we?" She asked.
"Of course." He lied flashing her a grin. I can't remember if we ever had a deep conversation.
"Then it won't hurt to talk about it…as friends." She said as he placed the deck of cards in between them at the center of the table.
"I'll play you for it." He looked her dead in the eyes. Let's see how far she is willing t' go with dis 'friend' idea.
"Play me for what?"
"I'll play you for my…feelings. If you win, I'll answer all your questions, no exceptions."
"And if you win?"
"If I win…you'll have t' answer all of my questions…no exceptions."
If there is one thing Jean knew about Remy, it is that he was an expert at games. The number one rule around the mansion was: Don't play any game with Gambit. Even when the guys wanted to play poker with Remy, they had to make accommodations especially for him. Remy would have to wear an undershirt or go topless just so that he couldn't hide any cards up his sleeve. But if he really wanted to cheat, he could always find away.
"No way! You know every trick in the book, it's not fair."
"Exactly, chere! Life ain't fare. Me telling you all dat I feel ain't fair either. It has you at an advantage, jus' like the 'shrink/patient' relationship. So what do you want t' be…my therapist or my friend?"
"Your friend, Remy."
"Fine, so let's play a petite game…You interested?" He gave a devilish grin that was slightly unnerving to her. Every instinct told her to get up and run the other way…
But he's so damn fascinating, he's a therapist's dream patient, how can I say no? Not even the professor could get through to Remy. Maybe I might be able to succeed where he has failed. She thought.
"Yeah, I'm interested."
"A friendship is all about trust and honesty. If I tell you tings about me dat nobody knows, I have t' trust you to keep it t' yourself. And if you were t' tell me your deepest darkest secret, you have to trust me t' keep it as well. So Jeanie, do you trust me?" He saw the hesitation in her face. Her mouth slightly opened, but no words came out. He wasn't at all surprised by her pause.
Since I first joined the team, Jean has always had good feelings about me. To her, I was a fun person to be around, I could sense it with my empathy. However, since I returned from Europe with Storm, I've notice a slight change in Jean's feeling toward me. Yeah, she still thinks I'm fun, but there is also a bit of distrust underneath the surface. "I guess you are not my friend."
"Do you trust me?"
"Oui!" He answered instantly. His quick response surprised her. "I ask you again. Do you trust me?"
"Yes, I trust you Remy." She replied. Remy could feel her doubts, but he didn't care.
She already made her first mistake. "Bon! Now de game can begin." This is gonna be interesting.
"I'm still not playing cards with you."
"Don't worry. Dis game has not'ing t' do wit' cards, and everyting t' do wit' trust and honesty." He gave her a wink. "You can still back out if you wan'." It was as if he was almost daring her to leave.
"I'm not backing out of anything." She called his bluff. "Let's play!"
"Hold on, chere." He said grinning. Mistake number two. "Don't you wan' to know de rules of de game first?"
"Spill it."
"You can ask me any question you wan', about anyt'in'. I'll listen to your question, but I won't answer it. I'll decide how personal de question is to me, den ask you a similar question about yourself. You will have t' answer my question…"
"Hey, that's not fair. I have to answer a personal question and you don't!"
"Let me finish. You will have t' answer my question if you want me t' answer yours. If you feel like my question to you is too personal, you don't have t' answer it, which means…"
"You don't answer mine."
"Bingo! You still wanna play?"
"I'm still here aren't I?"
"Oui, you are." He slouched down into his chair. "Begin." She stared at him blankly, not knowing what to ask.
Okay Jean. She thought to herself. He's given you the chance to ask him anything you've ever wanted to know, something he's never done with Xavier. I can ask him about his early childhood on the streets, his adopted family, his relationship with Sinister…Then again, if I get too personal, he'll ask me something that I might not want to answer. Look at him sitting over there, acting all cocky. Let me start with something that's not too intimate.
"You always use to do things on your own, without answering to anyone. So why did you enlist in the X-Men, a team where you would have to follow rules, instead of making them up as you went along?"
"What's your favorite color?" He asked not missing a beat. She looked confused for a moment.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"I have my reasons…Look, if you don't wanna answer de question you don't have to. Obviously, color seems t' be too personal for you." He said in a mocking tone.
"It's not that. I just expected you to ask me…other types of questions."
"Guess I'm jus' full of surprises." More than you know. "You gonna answer or not?"
"My favorite color is…brown." She looked at Remy, who she could tell wanted her to continue.
"It's a long story." She warned.
"I'm not going anywhere." He said as he relaxed in his chair. She took a deep breath and began her tale.
"My grandfather died when I saw a year old, I never had the chance to know him. I always heard stories growing up that he loved me very much. I was his first grandchild, I got my red hair and blue eyes from him." She gave a little laugh.
"My mom use to tell me anytime I would fuss as a baby they would put me in his arms and he would hum a tune. She said I would stop crying and within time drift to sleep.
"When I was older, my sister and I would visit my grandmother on weekends. I was around seven years old when one day we were playing Hide and Go Seek. It was my turn to hide and I ran up to the attic. You see, I was so sure my sister wouldn't look for me up there because my grandma always told us it was off limits.
"The attic was filled with old dusty stuff. I walked around and saw a broken record player, tones of records, old dresses, photo albums... You know, the usual. Over in the corner I spotted a brown tie. I picked it up and dusted it off. It was plain brown, but really ugly. I brought it to my face and smelt it. It had an old musty cologne smell that was called Robust; I found that out later. It's a fact that your sense of smell is some how connected to your memory. When I inhaled the faint smell of cologne, I swear to you, I could remember my grandfather holding me in his arms. I could hear in the distance, his husky voice humming me a lullaby. I felt so at peace. That ugly brown tie was the thing that brought me back this memory.
"Anyway, every time I would go back to visit my grandma, I would sneak into the attic and put the brown tie around my neck and search through everything.
"One day when I was ten, I was twirling the tie around my finger and found some matches. I put down the tie and started lighting each match. Needless to say, I dropped a lit match on a pile of old newspapers and burned down the room. Everything in the attic was gone, including the tie.
"Years later I tried looking for the Robust cologne, however the company stopped making it years before. Still, every time I see anything that's brown…" her gaze met his, "Especially your overcoat, I'm reminded of my grandpa."
Remy nodded his head, more then satisfied with her detailed answer. One thing about Jeanie, she loves to talk. I can use that to my benefit.
"Why did I come to de X-Men, you ask? One day, a couple of years ago, I came across a petite girl named Ororo. She looked 12 at de time, suborned as hell, but I grew fond of her. After I rescued her from de Shadow King, she was a handy girl to have around. 'Ro was a pretty good t'ief, but became even better when I gave her a few pointers. We spent so much time together I began to tink of her as a li'l sister, I never had one before. After I found her, I never let her wander too far from me; de streets are a dangerous place for a child. And so after she turned back to her true age, out of habit, I followed her back to de X-Men. I couldn't let her go off to some superhero group alone wit'out makin' sure she would be all right. I had to go along wit' her to help out, and make sure she was safe."
Jean listened to him intensely.
I've always thought his feelings for 'Ro went a lot deeper than 'friendship'…but why dive into uncharted waters when I know for sure how he feels about another fellow southerner.
"So you came to the X-Men and saw that Storm would be fine. You knew she was in good hands, so why did you stay with us?" Even though Jean already knew the answer, she wanted to hear the reason straight from his lips.
"So what's de real deal wit' you and Wolverine." His lips curled into a smile when he saw the shock registered on her face. I wonder if she'll answer me. "You trust me, chere?" He asked, but did not expect a direct answer; After all, it was a rhetorical question.
"When Logan joined the team, Scott and I were already in a relationship. I'll admit, when I first saw him there was an instant attraction. He was different then any guy I'd met before, he still is. He had strong feelings for me and I did for him, I still do. But were just really good friends…I love Scott." She added the last bit in a panic.
"I didn't ask you anytin' 'bout Mr. Pain in de Ass. Jus' Wolverine."
"So, answer my question."
"I stayed wit' de team because of Rogue. At de time, she was…entertaining." He noticed she raised her eyebrows. "What can I say, she was fun. For a person dat couldn't touch, she sure loved to flirt a lot. I'm a t'ief at heart; I will always be dat. And for a t'ief, getting your hands on someting dat is untouchable is de ultimate payoff."
"You're telling me, getting Rogue is just a game to you?" He should definitely stay away from Rogue.
"What was your mos' embarrassing moment?"
"Come on!"
"You don't have t' answer." He said.
I don't want to answer him, but I really want to know about his feelings for Rogue. She was a bit frustrated, but she gave in.
"If you tell anyone I'll kill you." She warned.
"I won't tell anyone…promise." He held his hand over his heart and the other one in the air.
"I was giving a ninth grade report in front of my class about the bombing of Hiroshima. I just finished explaining that America wanted retaliation after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. I said, 'America sent their military planes over Japan. When they reached their designated target they released the atomic bomb!' And right after I said the last word, I let out the biggest, wettest fart of all time!" Remy burst out laughing despite himself, she continued. "I've never been so embarrassed in my entire life…And so I dropped out of school and joined the X-Men." She added the joke with a laugh. Sure I can laugh about it now. I've never told anyone that secret before.
"Dat's priceless! I wish I was dere!" He laughed wiping a tear from his eye.
"I'm glad you liked it." He started to calm down. "Can we continue…please?"
"Life is a game, Jean! Believe dat. And yeah, chasing after Rogue was a game…at first. Just like a game, when you tink you have a good hand, someone else is holding all de Aces. Dat someone was Rogue. Jus' when I t'ought I had de upper hand…ha, t' tell you de truth, I never did have de upper hand. I was bluffing de whole time. Rogue…she jus' called my bluff."
"You love her." She declared.
"Dat's not a question, Jean. Wan' me t' go over de rules again?"
"Do you love her?"
"Do you love Wolverine?" She looked away.
"I don't want to answer that."
"Den you don't have to." Besides, by your actions, I already know the answer.
Damn! Now he doesn't have to answer my question. Why is it so hard for him to admit his feelings for her? I guess I'll just have to ask him something else. She thought.
"Rogue has the ability to control her powers. How do you feel about this?"
"How long did it take for Cyclops t' get you into bed?" He gave a devilish grin.
"Remy!" Her mouth dropped open in shock.
"I'm curious. Don't answer if you don't want to."
"Let's just say, it took him long enough."
"You didn't answer my question."
"It took him a couple of months after we started dating." She answered finally.
"Dat still wasn't a good answer, but I'll let it slide dis once…Dere's a good side and a bad side to my feelings 'bout Rogue's bracelet. De good ting is dat we will be able t' touch…finally. I'm tellin' you Jean, you don't know what it's like for Rogue. I don't know either, but I do have some idea. I'm her boyfriend…well, off and on…Dere are times I feel like beating my head against de wall repeatedly, 'cause I can't touch her. Imagin' how she feels."
"Then, what's the bad side?" She asked. He gave a mischievous smile.
"When you two make love, does Cyclops always give you an orgasm?"
"I can't believe you!"
"Hey, de only reason I asked you dis question is because you didn't really answer my previous question." He watched as she swallowed slowly.
"No, not always. Let's just say that sometimes he gets a little too excited too quickly. But only on rare occasions. Is that answer good enough for you, Lebeau?"
"Of course, chere." He answered innocently, then continued. "De bad side is, right now Rogue and I are jus' friends. You see, Rogue is beautiful…Let me take dat back. Rogue is sexy as hell! You can read minds, I know you can sense what de other guys tink of her. In jus' de same way I can sense what de same guys feel about her. Trust me, de way someone tinks and feels is totally different. A lot of de guys on de team are real horny, but I'll spare you from mentioning any names." He gave her a wink. "Den again, all you X-Women are sexy!"
"On behalf of all of us, I would like to thank you for the compliment."
"Anytime, chere." He grinned. "But Rogue is unattainable. Guys like hard to get…but she takes de game to a whole new level. Once in a while she'll run around in her li'l cut off shorts and barely dere tops…in her eyes she's begging all of us t' look and daring us t' touch. Rogue is de definition of de forbidden fruit. I don't blame de femme; she's got to get her kicks somehow. Now, all she has t' do is press a little button and not only can she touch anyone she wants…anyone can now touch her. I was de only one crazy enough to pursue her. Now, she has more choice. I don't tink I like dat very much. You mus' tink I'm selfish."
He does seem sincere in his feelings for her. "What you're feeling is only natural, Remy. In the end, she will choose you. There is no way Rogue can doubt your feelings for her."
"Really? Den why does she want us t' be friends, especially now? Even you can't read her mind. I can't even use my empathy on her, most times she's an emotional wreck wit' all de voices runnin' around it her head."
"Just give her time Remy, she'll come around." He gave her a slight nod. There is one more thing I just have to know. "Okay…I gotta know something that's been bugging me for awhile."
"Anyt'in', Jeanie."
"What exactly happen between you and Rogue in the cave?"
"Come on, chere. You seem t' now be dabbling in a bit of gossip."
"Isn't this a turn of events. You seem to be avoiding one of my questions. Since when did you become so modest?" He leaned into the table as if he was going to tell her a deep dark secret.
"Have you ever had a sexual fantasy 'bout me?" He worded slowly.
Her body grew hot underneath his hypnotizing glare. She knew her face must have turned bright red so she put her head down on the table, her hair falling all around her.
"I'll repeat, you don't have t' answer me." I already know the answer is a definite 'yes'! To his surprise her head shot up, meeting his smug face.
"Oh no, you don't. You might have gotten away with it once, but I'm not going to let you do it a second time."
"You're not gonna let me do what?"
"I'm not gonna let you get an answer from me without answering one of my questions. You know what I'm talking about." He did. She was talking about the question he asked her about loving Wolverine. By not answering, she basically admitted to loving him without Remy having to confess his love for Rogue. She let out a sigh. "Yes, I've had a sexual fantasy about you." He was waiting eagerly for her to continue.
"I need more den dat."
"What?!"
"Hey, if you wan' me t' tell you everyting dat happened in the cave…"
"Okay, okay! It started with the entire team having a meeting in the War Room."
"We were in front of de team? Never knew you were such a freak!" He chuckled.
"You gonna let me finish?" She waited for him to nod. "I was giving a report on the new X-vehicle in front of the team…"
"And you farted." He laughed.
"You want me to kill you, don't you!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Go on."
"After I finished my report on the car, I asked if there were any questions. You put your hand up and ask me if I was going to test ride the car tonight. Then I said something totally stupid…"
"What?"
"I said, 'The only thing I'm gonna test ride tonight, is you!' Then everyone else in the room disappeared…I push you onto the planning table…pull down your pants…get on top of you and…"
"Merci, chere. You don't have t' go on, I get the gist of it. I jus' can't believe all dis time you were fantasizing 'bout me…"
"Here we go!" She threw her hands up in the air.
"I mean, all dis time I t'ought you t'ought of me as a part of de team…"
"Uh-huh." She folded her arms across her chest.
"But you really t'ought I was not'ing more den a sex object…"
"Ya finished yet?"
"I feel violated and used…"
"How much longer is this gonna take?"
"Suddenly I feel naked..."
"Are you coming to a close now?"
"I'm warnin' you, if I feel my job is threatened by you in any way, I'll sue you for sexual harassment." He joked.
"And we've just reached the punch line…Fun is over, what happened in the cave. You and Rogue had your powers negated, then what? And don't leave out any detail."
"Detail? You looking for more research for your next day dream?"
"Spill it!"
"We've never been as close t' each other, den dat moment in the cave. Earlier dat night she said she loved me. Well, she didn't say it to me directly. At the time she was trapped in a machine dat made you confess your deepest t'oughts. It was den when Rogue said dat she loved me and she always will…ain't dat someting? So after I got her out of de machine, we were eventually caught and locked in a prison/cave. We were so sure we were going t' die…" His voice trailed into silence.
"So, what did you do?"
"What do you tink we did?"
"I always thought that you both made love."
"Why?"
"Her powers were gone, you were in love. You finally had the opportunity. Anyway, when Rogue came back…without you…she acted like a woman who just lost her lover. Nevermind the fact that she was the one who dumped you in the Antarctic…" Remy's mind wandered with what Jean just said.
Dere's no denying dat Rogue dumped me in de snow, but all of dem must have noticed dat I wasn't in the Black Bird when it took off. Now, it seems everyone is trying t' play innocent and put all de blame on Rogue. Rogue may be de only person dat had a good excuse, seeing as t'ough she absorbed my self-hate when she left me to die. Matter of fact, I heard dat Jean wasn't one of my supporters during dat time. Not dat I deserved t' be forgiven so easily…but if someone doesn't like me, it pisses me off to have dem smile in my face as if everyting is okay; like Jean's doing now, but I digress…
"Yes our powers were gone and we felt deeply for each other, but we were in a cave! We were chained and locked, and we were not de only people dere. No matter what de circumstance, I would never allow my first time wit' Rogue be in a cold, damp cave…wit' spectators."
"So…nothing happened." She was frustrated. "I answered your stupid fantasy question to hear that nothing happened."
"No, someting definitely did happen. We touched for de first time. I finally had de chance to do de little things. Hold her hand, caress her face…dis may seem insignificant t' you, but t' me it was one of de best moments of my life. If someone gave me de choice right now between having mindless sex with pretty women or re-living dat night again wit' Rogue…I'd be wit' Rogue. I can honestly say, wit' her it's not about sex. For de first time in my life I know, it's not about sex." I deserve an Oscar.
"Remy, that's so sweet." She could feel tears start to form in her eyes. She blinked a couple of times to hold them back. Maybe I've gotten him all-wrong.
In a second, she came back to reality. Wait a second, I'm talking to Mr. Love machine here!
"I believe you when you say it's not about sex with Rogue. But come on, Gambit. We are sexual beings by nature, and you…Lets just say you're sex all over. Every time you're in a room with a woman, your charm goes on overdrive."
"What can I say, I'm a gentleman."
"You're a sex machine, is what you are. Am I suppose to believe that from the time you started to date Rogue until now, you've been celibate? Are you telling me you're a born again virgin?"
"What's your favorite sexual position?"
"How often do you masturbate?" Two can play this game.
"Have you read any of de X-men mind without dem knowing?"
"Do you still love Belladonna?"
"Is dere more t' your relationship wit' de professor?" He asked knowing that it would tick her off. It worked.
"Doesn't some part of you hate Rogue for dumping you in the South Pole?!" Her voice grew louder.
"Doesn't some part of you hate Cyke for havin' a child and an ex-wife?!"
"Yes!" She yelled without thinking. There was a long silence as they stared at each other.
"Oui." He almost whispered. It took Jean a couple of seconds to realize that he had just answered her question. "But I've talked t' Rogue about it. It makes tings a little easier, havin' everyting out into de open…Have you talked t' Cyke about it?"
"No, not really. Scott thought that I was dead, how could I have been mad at him for carrying on with his life?"
"Dat may be true but…When you came back alive, he jus' up and left his family…I know de story. It jus' seems to me dat it's only natural dat you may have some insecurities. I mean, he left his first marriage, I'm sure you feel dat de same ting could happen wit' you."
"Now who's playing shrink?"
"You don't have t' agree wit' what I tink…I'm just tryin' to be a friend. You trust me, right?" She nodded her head.
"It's just kind of scary. I haven't thought about it in years, but I do feel a little insecure at times. He left the X-Men for his first wife, Madeleine. That's something I would have never asked him to do. Just now I told him I wanted to go on a little vacation, and he said no. Then there's the fact that he was dating Madeleine for a short time before he married her. When he did finally leave her for me he didn't jump at the chance of marriage again. It took him a long time before he proposed to me. Even so, I know he loves me." She looked up from the table to Remy. "You can feel him…he does love me, right?" He could feel the desperation in her plea.
"Of course chere, don't ever doubt dat."
"Nothing is guaranteed Remy, not even love. Sometimes I want to read Scott's mind and find out what kind of life he had with Madeleine. But I always chicken out at the last minute. I might not like what I see…I might be jealous."
She could see Remy's concern for her in his eyes. It was enough for her to know that he truly seemed to care. At that moment, she felt comfortable telling him what he wanted to know earlier.
"It's clear our game's over Remy. Yes, I still love Logan, though nothing will ever come of it. I'll always have a special place for him in my heart…Do you love Rogue?"
"Yeah, I do. Was dere ever any doubt?"
"No, I guess not. When was the last time you told her?"
"I don't know…" He thought for a couple of seconds. "It's been a while."
"I suggest you don't wait any longer to tell her how you truly feel."
"It's not de right time; I know dose t'ree words will scare her away."
"You don't know…"
"Jean, I know!" He said firmly. Again they sat in silence.
Jean felt awkward; she had just shared a lot of her private thoughts with the person she knew the least on the team. Yet she did not regret it, after all he shared all his private thoughts with her. Jean reached toward the jug of orange juice that still rested in front of her. Right on cue, Remy's hand reached it first.
"Let me get dat for you."
"You know I'm very capable of pouring myself a glass of juice."
"No! Really?" He said sarcastically. "I don't tink so, chere. Earlier, you could barely hold your glass. You tink now I'm gonna trust you wit' an entire jug."
"Oh please…" She rolled her eyes.
"Jus' sit back and relax." He grinned. "You can watch how my muscles flex as I pour." She let out a joyful laugh; it felt so good. The tension that was in the room moments ago, all but disappeared.
"What's going on down here?" A new voice asked. Jean looked behind her to see her husband at the door. Remy wasn't at all surprised, he had sensed the movement of someone entering the kitchen.
"We were playin' a game." Remy answered without missing a beat. Scott noticed the playing cards on the table. He turned to Jean.
"You have to watch Gambit closely when playing a game. If you don't, he will cheat."
"Don't worry homme, she was watchin' me close enough." He made notice to his shirtless body. "Besides, it's apparent I don't have anytin' up my sleeve, neh?"
"Okay, okay, boys, that's enough." Jean interrupted. She could hear the angry thoughts rolling through Scott's mind. "I'm glad you're finished your work, honey. Let's go home."
Jean stood up; Scott pulled her into his arms, it was as if he was protecting his property. He kissed her softly on the mouth. Remy watched them because it was apparent that Scott was doing it for his benefit.
"You go on ahead, I'll meet you back at the house." He whispered. She hesitated for a second before she turned back to Remy.
"Goodnight, Remy." She gave him a faint smile.
"Night, chere." He winked. He could feel her previous attitude toward him change. Earlier she was filled with doubt and skepticism, now he felt total trust from her.
Mission Accomplished. Remy thought with satisfaction.
She gave Scott a quick kiss on the cheek and headed toward the boathouse.
Proceed With Caution
(Scott/Remy)
Scott Summers sat across the kitchen table from Remy. He looked deep into his red on black eyes, wanting to rub the smug off Remy's face with his fist.
Remy continued to shuffle the playing cards in his hands, knowing his 'I don't give a fuck' attitude would piss of his leader. His empathy told him loud and clear that Scott was upset with him. There was also a hint of resentment, and something else…was it jealously?
"What's your problem? Me and Jean were jus' talking, not'ing for you to get your panties in a bunch." He watched as Scott let out a snicker.
"You honestly think I feel threatened by you? Despite what your ego would have you believe, not every women wants to jump you!"
Remy held in his chuckle as he had a flashback to what Jean said about her fantasy.
"Get de heck outta here?!" He said mockingly.
"Gambit, let's get serious for a second, can you do that for once in your life?" He watched as Remy shrugged his shoulders. "As leader of the X-Men, I'm responsible for the lives of every member on the team when we go out on missions. Now that the professor is away, I'm responsible for more then just the training and missions, I'm also responsible for the mental state of the team."
"Is dis speech leadin' anywhere?" He asked with a fake yawn.
"Let me get straight to the point. I know about the bracelet, don't fuck with Rogue."
"What?" Remy was caught by surprise.
"You heard me. Since Rogue first joined this team she's been a responsible, reliable person. Then you came a board, now I don't know what the hell happened to her."
"Where is dis coming from? You never had a problem when we dated before."
"Because you couldn't touch her. Silly me, I thought you would eventually get bored! Then you kissed her and she went berserk with you in her head. She and Bobby went on the road trip, and then you just had to go after her. You couldn't leave well enough alone. Bobby told me later on the reason why she didn't come back with him was because of you. We were dealing with Onslaught at the time, we really could have used her from the beginning…"
"Ahh! De truth finally comes out. It mus' kill you dat she now has some control. It means dat she doesn't need de professor anymore, or de X-men. You can't handle de possibility of losing all dat power. Dat's all you care about."
"You really don't know me if that's all you think I care about."
"And you really don't know me if you tink you can keep me from Rogue." Scott noticed a flash in Remy's eyes. He got up from the table not breaking eye contact.
"Just treat her as if there never was a bracelet and everything will be fine." With that he turned around and walked out the door.
Doesn't seem like I got through to him. Looks like I'm going to need Beast's help to prevent the progression of Rogue and Gambit's relationship. The thing is…I don't think Beast will be up to the challenge." Instantly a light bulb appeared over his head. Unless…yeah that has to work! He thought with relief as he walked through the night towards the Boathouse.
Remy sat alone in the dark kitchen thinking about his present situation. One by one he started to lay each card on the table; setting up for another game of Solitaire.
******
Author's Note: You deserve a metal for getting through all of that!
The Jean/Remy scene was really fun for me to write! I had it in my head for days, before I finally got it all out in print. Remy is a very secretive person so it is a big step for him to speak about his inner thoughts…then again maybe he didn't find it so difficult. As Scott said to Jean… "[Gambit] will cheat."
Okay, we all know Scott was married before to a woman who was a clone of Jean and went crazy, or something. Everyone knows that Marvel messed up that plot, so I just took the aspect of his first marriage and son and brought it to this story. Yes his first wife is dead, as for the other details of their relationship, it's not relevant to this story.
The Scott/Remy scene originally did not exist. It was added after I stuck in the previous Henry/Scott scene to continue with Scott's reaction to the bracelet. This scene was suppose to end with Scott and Jean walking back to the boathouse. Scott was to ask, "So, who won the game?" Jean would have answered, "It was a tie." Pretty cheesy, huh? I think I like this version better.
P.S. Jean doesn't know what she has gotten herself into with Remy…but I should 'shut up' now.
If you haven't reviewed yet, please do…And thanks in advance to all the other frequent reviewers. All the feedback makes me write faster.
Next Time: Rogue causes Jean to have major doubts about Remy then the full cast comes back to the War Room. One X-Men will prepare to leave and another X-Men will return, any guesses on who the new cast member will be…