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*Special Note*: I present to you a Remy/Rogue moment. This is the most I've written for any one chapter, I hope you like it…
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Chapter 13
Finally
(Remy/Rogue)
Remy Lebeau stayed in the parking lot of the mansion until Henry's car disappeared over the horizon. It was now 7:30pm; the sun was still fairly bright in the sky. Normally, Remy would have been squinting when he was outdoors; but his sunglasses, which he wore religiously when going outside, kept his light sensitive eyes from the sun's rays and also kept him from being spotted as a mutant by regular people.
He stood alone, watching as the breeze past through the trees that surrounded the estate, not knowing what to do with himself. On impulse, he ran to the poach and jumped up the steps. He kicked off his shoes into the closet and rushed towards the kitchen.
Remy looked around the room with a smile; it was spotless. All the dishes were washed and neatly packed away. The kitchen table was covered with a new tablecloth and had a vase filled with fresh flowers placed in the center.
Ahh, Stormy jus' passed t'rough here. He commented smiling to himself. He thought about making himself a quick snack, but knew he would leave a mess behind him. I t'ink I should let dis place look clean for at least more den an hour. He sat down at the kitchen table to take a moment to calm down.
More than anything, Remy was on edge. His mutant power involved him taking the potential kinetic energy of an object and converting it to varying levels of explosions. However, now that they were off Red Alert, he had no way of releasing all that pent-up energy in a safe manner. He thought about going to the Danger Room to unleash his power on a robotic enemy, but he didn't want to waste his vacation time acting like an X-Man in constant training. He then thought about sprinting around the mansion, working out in the weight room, or taking a swim in the pool, but none of those things were fun to do. There was only one truly satisfying way to relieve pent-up energy…
Man! I need t' get laid. He thought off-handily. In his wild days, he couldn't remember a time when he ever had to make that statement. It was usually fairly easy for him to catch the eye of a beautiful woman for the night. However, that was in the past; it wasn't so easy anymore. Not because the women were not available, but because his heart was not.
With his sensory perception, Remy could tell that someone was in the living room. He stepped silently towards the room, stopping short behind the entrance. He tilted his head to peek in the room then paused a moment to take-in the beauty that was before him.
Rogue sat with her legs crossed on the couch, as if she were still in elementary school. She seemed to be reading a book; her face filled with deep concentration. Remy watched her with amusement.
Chere looks like she's studyin' for a chemistry exam. He suddenly had the urge to pull her out of the couch, dress her into a stylish out-fit, drive out to the city, dine at one of the many expensive restaurants then spend the rest of the night dancing. But wouldn't dat be a date? Is dat somet'ing I would do wit' a 'friend' or a 'girl friend'? Will Rogue t'ink I'm tryin' t' push her into a relationship before she's ready? He began to get frustrated. Dis 'friend' t'ing is starting t' be a pain in de ass and because she has de bracelet it's goin' t' be even more complicated. I better jus' take t'ings one step at a time and try not t' rush t'ings.
Remy crept into the room knowing that Rogue would not hear him. When he was just a few steps from her he jumped up and rolled onto the couch, his head resting comfortably on her lap. He looked up brightly through his sunglasses at her shocked expression, he knew that he had startled her.
"Remy!" She gave him a slight slap on the arm. "Yah scared the shit outta me!" She gave him a quick look over; his arms were exposed and he wasn't wearing any gloves. Even though she had on a bulky red sweatshirt with matching pants and gloves, she still felt a bit uneasy. Rogue knew she would have to be careful, making sure Remy didn't touch her face accidentally. She began to feel a little frustrated; she hated when Remy put her in these types of situations. Now she could never fully relax.
Remy grinned happily; a tad bit surprised that Rogue had not objected to where he decided to place his head. Den again, Rogue would always give me more leeway wit' her body when we weren't dating compared t' when we were. Jus' one of de many unusual tendencies she had. "Whatcha doin'?"
She placed her gloved hand on his sunglasses and pushed it up on his head. His eyes had a sparkle in them, his good mood with infectious and soon she loosened up…somewhat.
She smiled and picked up the booklet that dropped from her hands moments before. "Ah'm reading the booklet Hank gave me for the bracelet." She said waving it in his face.
His eyes were wide with disbelief. "Dat's not a booklet, it's a novel!" He knocked his knuckles against the book. "And it's a hardcover too! Shit, dat mus' have been expensive." He joked, exaggerating slightly on the state of the manual.
"Don't worry, the paper-back will be out in a few weeks." She replied expanding on his joke.
He continued the banter. "I heard next week Beast will be havin' a book signing." Remy loved having fun talking together, in so many ways they were so in-sync with one another. He tilted his head and noticed the 'rabbit ear' pages in the book. "Remind me t' get you a bookmark for your birt'day."
She dropped her hands lower so he could get a better look. The booklet was opened to page 89, which he reasoned was more than half of the entire book. "You seem t' be pretty deep in it."
She shook her head. "Nah, not really. Ah've jus' been flipping through the pages." She looked at him with a defeated expression. "Sometimes Ah feel like Hank is so caught up in his vast vocabulary he forgets about us li'l people, yah know?"
He smiled. "Yea, he does have de gift of gab…"
"He has the gift of writing too…listen to this…" She started to flip randomly through the pages, then stopped abruptly and took a deep breath. "When operating the deoxyribonucleic acid nullifier it is imperative that the apparatus is not deactivated before the 8 hour duration is executed…"
"What de fuck?" Beast is a maniac!
She sighed. "Ah know…"
"But what does dat mean?"
She shrugged. "Ah think he's sayin' that Ah shouldn't turn off the bracelet before the eight hours is finished."
His ears perked up. "So it only runs for eight hours at a time?"
"Yep."
"So what happens if you turn it off after--let's say--five hours?"
She started to read again. "Failure to abide by the established edict will result in a massive cardiac arrest."
He lifted his head up. "A heart attack?"
"Uh-huh."
"Merde!" His head fell back onto her lap. "Dis t'ing is serious. Beast should have wrote dis book wit'out looking t'rough a thesaurus first."
"Tell me about it. How can someone so smart be so dumb?"
He shook his head. "Don't know."
"Oh! Check dis out!" Her fingers clutched at his chest, which sent a slight shiver down his body. "Once the deoxyribonucleic acid nullifier is activated the side-effects will include blah, blah, blah…heighten senses...gibberish, gibberish." She looked up from the book. "You here that? Once Ah turn on the bracelet, Ah'll have heighten senses; jus' like Wolvie! Ah could probably smell things for miles, see into the distance, hear the softest of sounds…"
"I don't t'ink dat's what it means, chere."
She removed her hand from his chest as she shoved the book in his face. "It says it right here in black letters: Heighten senses!"
"Lemme see dat!" He grabbed the book from her and cursed silently when he realized she wasn't going to put her hand back on his chest. He focused on the words that were now in front of him "…de side effects will include simulated heightened senses dat will be perceived by de operator as above de normal standard, t'ough in actuality de operator is jus' overly sensitive." He stopped reading and looked at her, "You skipped over dat part wit' your 'blahs' and 'gibberish's'!"
She looked confused. "Doesn't that mean the same thing?"
"I don't t'ink so."
"Then what does it mean?"
He grinned. "I don't know, chere. English is my second language." A smile poured on her face. It did every time he used that excuse for anything. Remy thought for awhile, trying to translate what Henry wrote into everyday English. "You won't have your invulnerability anymore. Derefore, you will be more responsive t' your senses."
Ah guess that does makes sense. "But Ah like mah invulnerability." She pouted then mumbled, "Ah don wanna lose it."
Her words were too soft for him to hear. "What was dat?"
"Nothin'."
"Didn't sound like not'ing."
"Well, it was!" She began to flip through the pages again trying to avoid his probing. "Listen to this…Once the deoxyribonucleic acid nullifier…"
He simplified her words. "The bracelet…"
She laughed, then continued, "…Is activated, the three white diamonds will alternate from a red to green glow.
"I'm surprised he didn't write 'from crimson to aqua'!"
"The green illumination signifies that the bracelet is at a ready state of operation, whereas the red illumination…" She was interrupted by Remy's yawn. She ignored him, however, she lost her spot in the book. She flipped to another page and continued reading. "The device mus' only be activated once every 24 hours…"
Remy wiggled in the couch and let out another yawn. He then stretched his arms wide with a low moan. His antics succeeded in distracting her, which is what he intended to do.
Rogue lowered the book from her face and smiled at the mischief in his eyes. "Am Ah boring you?"
He pinched his thumb and index finger together, "Li'l bit."
"Hank says Ah have to finish this before Ah use the bracelet."
He saw an opening to score some 'not rushing you into a physical relationship' points. "You planning t' turn it on right dis minute?"
"No…"
"Den…" He grabbed the book from her fingers and tossed it aside, "let's find somet'ing else t' do in de mean time." It took my entire will power t' t' rough away dat booklet; I hope it was worth it.
To say that Rogue was shocked at his actions would be an understatement. Why would he toss the book away? Doesn't he want me to finish reading so Ah can turn on the bracelet faster? Ah'm glad he's not rushing me, it buys me more time in not using the bracelet. She finally responded to his previous statement. "Like what?"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "But you can continue brushing your fingers t'rough my hair."
Her gloved fingers played through the strains of his hair, ruffling it up and smoothing it back in place at the same time. She hadn't realized she was doing it all this time.
Her mind drifted to a couple weeks earlier when the team was still on Red Alert and their on again off again relationship was on again…
*
Remy had just come out the shower and his long hair was still wet. Rogue was in the kitchen eating cereal when he hugged her good morning. His wet hair brushed against her face.
"Ewww, your hair is wet!" She wiped her gloved hand on her face.
"I jus' came out de shower." Remy shook his head, flashing his long hair wildly. "I'm gonna let it air dry."
"Again?!" He nodded as he pushed a strip of leftover beacon in his mouth. "Yah know what? Your long hair is really startin' to annoy me."
"You don't like it, chere?" He grinned at the sight of her perplexed face. "I'll chop it off for ya."
She laughed, more to herself than to him. "That'll be the day."
That evening, Rogue had just finished a three-hour danger room session at high intensity. She came out of the women's shower dressed head to toe in sweats. She made her way to the elevator and was surprised to see Remy waiting for her. Something was different about him…
"You cut your hair!" She yelled. He had a huge smile on his face. "Why?"
"Anyt'ing for you." She walked to him and ran her gloved fingers threw his short hair. The back was cut close, the front of his hair a bit longer. Without the long hair around his shoulders, his face was more prominate; which was a good look for him considering that he had a handsome face.
"Ah can't believe you listened to me. Ah was talkin' out of my ass. Ah didn't t'ink you would take me seriously."
"Let dat be a lesson t' you. I take everyt'ing you say seriously."
Later that night Rogue found out through Jubilee that Remy had made an appointment for the barber's from the week before…
"Are you sure?" Rogue asked as she sat on the young girl's bed.
"I'm positive." Jubilee answered then popped the bubble gum she was blowing in her mouth. "Last week I was in my room reading stacks of magazines. Remy came by and started to look through them with me. He said he wanted to cut his hair really short, but wanted to look for the right style." She spoke a mile a minute.
Rogue listened to Jubilee's story with some anger, however soon it subsided.
*
Why would he lie about something so trivial? Ah don't get him sometimes.
"Plannin' on doing something t'night?" Remy asked snapping her out of her daze.
"Jus' relax. Bobby wanted me to go with him to Manhattan."
"Why?"
"He has to pick up a delivery for the mansion. Ah think it's some security equipment. He jus' wanted me to help him with the heavy stuff."
"Yeah, sure." He said sarcastically. Rogue did not acknowledge his tone of voice.
"Ah told him no. Ah know he can handle it on his own." She felt when Remy stiffened in her lap at the mention of Bobby's name, so she decided to change the subject. "Ah thought about dyin' the front of mah hair again." He pulled lightly on the ends of her white streak.
"It doesn't need anymore dye."
"Ah know, but Ah was bored. Anyway, Ah ran out of the super strength dye Henry created for me to use on mah strong hair. So then Ah thought about giving mah hair a trim…" She looked down at him. "But Ah can't."
"What's stoppin' ya?"
"You."
"Me? What did I do?" He asked defensively.
"Remember? You borrowed mah admantium scissors because you needed it to do 'something'. Whatever it was, Ah'm sure it was illegal." She said as she tugged on his earlobe.
"Oh yeah. What I needed it for was harmless."
Ah'm not goin' to let him off the hook that easily. "Then what did you do with it?"
"A guys gotta have some secrets." He winked, which made her even more curious. "It's on my dresser table in my room. Wan' me t' grab it?"
"Forget it, it can wait until mornin'."
"Whatever you say…chere."
Chere. A term of endearment I use for jus' about every female I've ever met. I remember a couple weeks back, Rogue and I were lying outside on de grass…
*
"…and he fell on his ass! I tell ya chere, you should have been dere! Chere, you would have died laughing! Chere…"
"Rogue." She stated sternly.
He stopped his laughing. "Huh?"
"Mah name is Rogue."
"I know."
"Then why do you call me chere more than you do mah own name."
He titled his head. "You've never minded before."
"Ah mind now." Her words were harsh. "Ah want you to call me by mah name."
He looked her deep into the eyes. "Fine. What's your name?" She stared at him blankly. "If you're goin' t' get all snippy, you might as well tell me your real name."
"You know what, Remy? Ah'm jus' gonna pretend you nevah said that. Ah hate it when you call me chere."
"Why?"
"You call virtually every girl you know chere."
"So."
"So, I don't like it."
What really happened was Rogue absorbed a man that had codes to enter a building the X-Men wanted to invade the day before. Rogue had the task of touching the man briefly to get the secret information. Along with the man's codes, Rogue also got the memories of a cheating boyfriend. It turns out that he had six girlfriends that he was stringing along at one time. At times each relationship would get confusing. In order to keep his secret, the man had a simple plan. He would refer to every one of his girlfriends as honey. Therefore he would never let the wrong name slip accidentally.
Remy had no knowledge of what occurred in the battle. "Okay, if dat's what you want…Rogue."
From that day Remy stopped calling Rogue chere, but he continued to refer to the other X-Ladies with the name. After three days had past, they spent one of their less busy moments, alone in the Control Room chatting…
"I love it when we sit here toget'er, jus' talkin', Rogue."
She looked at him curiously. "Why don't you call me chere anymore?"
"Huh? You told me you didn't want me t' call you dat."
"Ah know, but that was so long ago. Ah miss it." By then the memory of the cheating boyfriend was locked away behind a door in her mind. She remembered telling Remy she didn't want him to call her chere, but she could remember why.
"Okay, if dat's what you want…chere." She smiled at his response.
*
Merde. I'll never understand women! He thought to himself.
"…And then Ah found it underneath the bed." She stopped rambling and noticed that Remy wasn't paying attention to her story. "Remy, Remy?" He soon snapped out of his daydream. "Are you listenin' to me?"
"Of course." There was confidence in his voice.
"Then what did I say?"
Dis girl can never give me a break. He thought with a silent chuckle. "Okay, you caught me. I wasn't listening."
"I coulda been sayin' somethin' really important."
He placed his hands over his heart. "I was overcome by your beauty."
"Blah, blah, blah. Remy LeBeau, a man who can sweet-talk the devil himself."
"What can I say? I've been blessed." He suddenly had an impulse to reach for her; His hand came up as if to brush against her face.
She caught his hand in hers. "Be careful Remy, you aren't wearing your gloves."
"I'll be careful, I'm always careful."
"If you were always careful Ah wouldn't have some of your memories."
"You can't put all de blame on me. You were de one who grabbed me and stuck your tongue down my t'roat."
"No Ah didn't!" She said in mock outrage. "You're the one who manhandled me!"
He rolled his eyes playfully. "Sure. I manhandled a woman wit' super strength; de courts will never buy dat story." He reflected a moment. "I don't remember much about what happened, but I t'ink you couldn't resist my charm so you grabbed me and locked your lips against mine." He tried, and succeeded in getting her to giggle. But soon her joyful noise faded. She returned her hand back to his hair, combing through it with her fingers.
She spoke softly. "You really don't remember what happened, do you?"
"No, not much." His mind drifted back to that fateful day. "I jus' remember us standing in [2] Israel on a hill." He focused back on her. "I know we kissed, but what led up to it?"
She took a deep breath and began, "It was the whole Legion thing. Remember that nut who wanted to go back in time and kill Magneto?"
"Yeah! It would have been a good idea if he didn't end up killin' Xavier instead. De Bastard killed his own father."
"Uh-huh, and if Xavier died before the X-men were created, everythin' as we know it would change." She placed her other hand on his chest, stroking him up and down unconsciously. Her touch was light and slow, Remy wanted very much to grab her hand and apply more pressure to her strokes. He tried desperately not to loose control physically and ruin the moment. "But at the time, we didn't know what Legion was going to do. When he went back in time Bishop, Psylocke and Storm went with him to try and stop him."
"Yeah, I don't remember much after dat."
"You and Ah were standing alone together in Israel jus' waiting for whatever was to happen to unfold. We watched as Xavier spoke to a hologram of Lilandra." She met his eyes. "You said that it was sad. They could be together to watch this reality disappear, but they couldn't touch."
Remy thought about it. It is really sad. Dat sounds like something I would say. I knew what it was t' have dat kinda relationship.
She laughed continuing her story. "Ah ordered you to hold me."
"Did I obey your command?"
"What do you think?"
"I t'ink I was by your side in a flash."
She gave his arm a squeeze. "You were. You wrapped your arms around me…you still had a faint smell of cigarette that you threw away moments before…we stood together and jus' waited, hoping that the other X-Men could make everything right."
"But dat didn't happen."
"Exactly. We watched and could actually see a flash in the heavens coming down towards us ready to change our reality. And in that moment, when nothing else mattered, Ah reached for you. Ah wasn't sure what Ah was goin' to do. Ah started to lean into you on impulse, hoping that you would be the smart one, the strong one, to pull away."
"I would never pull away from you." He said softly to himself with more then one meaning.
"You never even hesitated." She traced the outside of his lips, "When our lips pressed together for the first time…"
"Yeah?"
"Ah started to feel a pull. Ah was draining your energy, but Ah didn't want to stop."
"I wouldn't have let you."
"You were holding on tight to me as if mah kiss was giving you life, instead of draining it from you…Ah could have pushed you away…" She looked away from his face as if she was ashamed. "But Ah didn't want to." Remy brought her face to meet his, his hand protected by her hair.
"I wouldn't have let you." He repeated, not wanting her to feel guilty.
"The one thing Ah had always wanted was happening right then and there…it was beautiful." He watch as a bright smile spread across her face, her eyes had a slight sparkle to them, or was it just filling up with liquid?
Remy wanted her to stay in that happy moment, for he knew what happened next couldn't have been easy for her to go through. She would have been holding his lifeless body in her hands, knowing that she was the cause. He didn't want her to think about it, so he skipped over that part of the story.
"I wish I could remember dat moment." I wish I could remember the feel of her lips hard against mine. "How much of me went inside you?"
"More than enough."
He smirked. "I was always above average in size." By the look on her face he knew that he caught her off guard.
"Remy!"
Better change de subject. "So, how long was I dere for?"
"You were with me in mah head until your body regained consciousness."
"I was in de coma for t'ree weeks." She nodded her head. "I was wit' you for so long?" His eyes were wide with disbelief.
"Ah know when you awoke from your coma Ah had left the mansion. In a weird sense, it didn't seem like Ah was leaving you…you were always with me." She said tapping her head.
I have t' admit, when I woke up from near death and realized dat she went on a 'vacation' I was kinda hurt. But now I'm glad dat she had a part of me wit' her, she never left me.
"If only I could remember…" If I was in her head, I would have finally had de chance t' touch her in ways I've always imaged. "De t'ings I would have done t' you…"
"What you remember has nothing to do with it. You were in mah head."
"What?"
She lowered her head mere inches from his face. Her warm minty breath brushed against his cheeks as she spoke, "Everything you've ever thought, dreamt or fantasized about doing to me is exactly what you tried to do."
His head lift up from her lap to close in what little distance was between them. He gave a wicked smile, "You actually let me do it?"
"Do what?" She asked coyly.
"You know what."
She sat back up. "My lips are sealed."
"Don't be like that, tell me!"
"A girl's gotta have some secrets." She said mocking what he had said earlier.
"I should have seen dat one coming." He sat up and faced her. "Since you're not gonna tell me what happened…let me touch you."
Her mouth dropped open. "No way!"
"Please? Jus' for a couple of seconds." He pleaded. I jus' need t' be in her…in one way or another.
"It's not gonna happen, Remy. Ah've had enough of you in me to last a life time."
Begrudgingly he fell back on her lap. "Did you ever let me have full control of your body?"
"No, never full control." But if he did have full control of mah body, he would have remembered everything that had happened.
"Why not?"
"First reason is that you are a guy. There is no way you would be able to handle the ordeal of becoming a woman."
Yeah right. I could handle becoming a woman. He decided to keep that comment to himself. "So what was de second reason?"
"I was on the road with Bobby." He rolled his eyes at the mentioning of Bobby's name…again. "Ah didn't want him to know that Ah was walkin' around with you in mah head. Ah'm kinda glad Bobby begged to tag along with me." She said matter-of-factly. "If Ah went off on mah own with you in mah head, Ah probably would have stayed in mah mind's eye with you longer, which would have led me to lose grip on reality. Bobby was an anchor for me. Ah wonder if Ah ever thanked him for keepin' me grounded?"
Who cares?! Den again, I am glad dat he did help her…but I'm sure I could have taken care of her on my own.
Rogue continued speaking, "Ah don't know how you can live with yourself and not be exhausted all the time. Ah was so full of energy with you in me. You know how to have a good time." Her cheerful demeanor soon subsided, "It's jus', Ah could have done without the…memories."
Remy tried all he could to keep them from me, it wasn't until he started to slip away in mah mind that Ah knew for sure he was keepin' a deep secret. And once his psyche was totally removed from mah mind, there was no one left to protect me from his memories. Still, Ah never had the ability to process all his memories, Remy's mind was so complicated Ah never even knew where to begin. And so, for months his secret was kept safe.
"I never meant to burden you wit' my problems."
That's not the point! Ah wanted you to tell me about them, not hide them from me. But she knew he still felt guilty for what he did and she did not want him to focus on the dark past of his life. Ah had felt so empty when Remy's psyche fully escaped mah mind. Ah really missed him for a long time. We had come so close to working everything out. In mah mind, we reached a point were we could have forgave each other and start over. But then he left.
When Ah phoned the mansion from the road and talked to the real Remy, Ah realized all the progress we made in mah head…was jus' that…in mah head. The 'real' Remy had no memory of what happened, therefore we were back to playing mind games with each other. But even after everything that had happened, she had to admit that it was worth it.
"Remy, even with the memories…Ah would never regret that time we had on the hill. Wouldn't trade it for the world."
He looked at her in disbelief. "Come on chere, I know I'm a good kisser, but not dat good."
On further thought… "Okay, Ah would trade it for the world, but nothin' else."
"What about for a big bucket of southern fried chicken?" He asked trying to lighten the mood.
"Ah know you ain't talkin' 'bout mah weight."
"No worries, chere. I like my women wit' a bit of meat."
"You're tryin' mah patients." He could sense that she was playing with him, but he knew well enough to quit while he was ahead.
"I'll shut up now."
They sat together in a comfortable silence, she rubbing his hair.
Rogue has let me rest my head in her lap…I wonder how far she will let me go. Remy turned his head to face the zipper of her pants, and began to snuggle in her lap.
SLAP! The sound of her hand hitting the back of his head.
"Ow! What was dat for?" He asked her innocently.
"Don't play innocent with me, boy! You know what you did." He smiled at her and lay back down in her lap…facing the ceiling. Rogue tried desperately to conceal her laughter.
In the next moment of silence that soon followed, a bird chirping outside the window caught their attention. Remy could feel Rogue shudder underneath him.
"What's wrong?"
She spoke a mile a minute. "When Ah was growin' up in Mississippi, there was a bird that was always outside mah window and it never stopped yacking. Every time Ah was tryin' to go to sleep it would start chirping. It would never shut up! Ah don't know, this bird jus' reminded me about that part of mah life."
It was hard for Rogue t' ever speak about her life in Mississippi, even about the insignificant t'ings…like dat bird story. Every time she does open up, I consider it a big step forward in our relationship. He noticed that her spirit seemed to be down. Remembering 'that part of [her] life' had not had a good effect on her.
"What kind of bird was it?" He asked trying to engage her in a conversation about her past. But he could tell by the look on her face that what she said earlier had been a big slip of the tongue. He knew she would not go any further.
"Ah don't remember." Maybe it was a Robin. It was so long ago that I don't even remember anymore. She thought to herself, but knew not to say it out loud.
Remy has a way of making me say more than Ah want to say. Maybe it's not such a bad thing. Maybe it's jus' because Ah'm so comfortable with him…
"Mr. Smith ran a small farm outside of New Orleans." She looked down at Remy who seemed to be doing some reminiscing of his own. "Well, it wasn't a farm really, but dat's what we called it 'cause he had animals walking around all de time--dis was before I met moi pere--so I never had any parents who would tell me to keep from dat side a town; you see, it was a black neighborhood. I always use t' go by Smith's house 'cause he would have a dusty record player and would play ol' blue tunes from sun up t' sun down. Dey called him de music man, is what dey did.
"He would sit and talk wit' us kids about de ol' days. He was really old and had been through a lot in his long life. He remembered de Civil Rights Movement. He remembered de time when blacks weren't considered humans under de law. He even had ol' tales of when his great grandparents were brought t' America on de ships. He never had any children t' pass down de stories to, dey died early on. He used t' tell his story t' any of de kids who would listen, t' give dem a sense of deir history. I was de only white boy dere.
"Even t'ough he came from a line of people dat lived a hard life…at least he knew were he came from, at least he knew his history. Dere's a really good chance dat I'm not even Cajun. Lebeau ain't even my real name."
"What's in a name?"
He raised an eyebrow. "You're quoting Shakespeare now?"
"Ah think it fits this situation perfectly."
"Well what about dis saying: If a man doesn't know his history, he is doomed to repeat it."
She shrugged, "So, now we're even. We're both right"
"What about: If a man doesn't know were he's been he'll never know where he's going."
She waved him off. "Okay, so you're ahead by one."
"What about dis one…"
She laughed. "Okay, okay. You're right."
He smiled triumphantly. "Of course I am."
"So you don't know your parents. It's probably better that way. Knowing who your real parents are doesn't necessarily mean that your life would have been any easier, believe me. You could have turned out even more wacked out then you already are. Take me for an example, Ah knew mah real parents."
He looked up at the crazy girl who earlier proclaimed that she was going to do a swan dive from the roof. "Maybe you're right."
"Of course I am." She said with confidence.
Despite the hard life Remy had growing up in the streets of Louisiana, he loved his home state. And despite the troubles Rogue experienced in Mississippi, she still missed not being able to go back.
He folded his hands behind his head, careful not to touch Rogue's private area, not wanting to get slapped again. "Ain't not'ing like a night in Louisiana…"
"…Or a day in tha Mississippi…" She mused.
"…De moon is full an' de stars are bright…"
"…Tha sun shines high, not a cloud in tha sky…"
"…Y' can hear de sounds of jazz in de streets…"
"…Ol' man sittin' on a porch strummin' tha blues…"
"…On a night like dat, y' forget all y'r troubles…"
"…On a day lahk that nothan' else mattas..."
"…Dere's no place lahk home." They both concluded together.
Scott walked into the room to catch their last bit of their accent-filled conversation.
Well, brake out tha banjo, it's time for a hoedown! He thought sarcastically as he watched the southern couple revert back to their hometown ways.
"Ah-hem!" He cleared his throat to get their attention.
"Howdy, Scott." Rogue said with a wave.
Remy chimed in, "What can we do you for?"
"I came here to make sure you two are aware of your duties." He waited momentarily for them to finish groaning. "Rogue, it will be your turn to do the dishes tomorrow."
"Yippee!" She yelled with fake enthusiasm as Remy gave a low chuckle.
"Gambit, you will have to take the trash to the dump tomorrow."
"Ahh man! Is it my turn already?"
Sometimes I feel Gambit lives to annoy me. "You only have to do it once a month, I don't know why you're complaining."
"I'm complaining because it's hard work."
"No, you're complaining because it's 'work' period! It's like you're allergic to manual labor."
"And it's like you're addicted t' it." Remy replied.
He crossed his arms. "So what's wrong with that?"
Remy looked at Rogue and winked, they saw an opening for their new comedy routine. "Ya gotta be craaaa-zzzy if you wan' t' work all de time; even de gators know dat!" They both answered in a thick Cajun accent.
Scott recognized the quote from one of their favorite TV commercials that advertised tourism in Louisiana "The gators? Cute." His voice was filled with sarcasm.
Remy's head shot up from Rogue's lap as if he had just been burnt. "Hey, didn't we agree a couple months back t' get a Karoke Machine in de Rec Room?"
"Yeah, what happened, Scott?" asked Rogue.
"Xavier has yet to approve that idea. We could probably squeeze it in soon if there is room in the budget."
Remy found his spot in her lap again. "If money is de problem for de professor I could get one in two days top."
Rogue smiled. "When yah say 'get', you mean 'steal' right?" He answered her with a wink.
"Nobody's stealing anything. If we get the machine it will be because Xavier buys it, understand?"
"Yes, sir!" They both answered in unison with a soldier salute.
He rolled his eyes. "Cute. I'm going to be down in the control room working on some last minute reports for Xavier. I should be out of here by 10:00pm." He waited to get a response from them. But they were now focused on other things.
"Will yah keep your head still?! You're always movin' it up and down…"
"I'm tryin' t' get comfy."
"Then rest yah head on a pillow."
"No, I wan' t' keep my head right here." He smirked, "Don't pretend you don't like it."
She crossed her arms over her chest, "Well, yah bettah enjoy yourself 'cause it won't las' long."
"Den enjoy I shall." He answered with contentment.
Scott realized that to them, he had already left the room. He watched as they flirted with each other. The flirtations didn't bother him much; after all it was what they usually do. His major concern was only that the bracelet be kept off. Trusting that Henry's promise to him with as good as gold, he wasn't about to worry about Rogue.
"Goodnight!" He called then turned to leave; he could hear Rogue shout after him as he left the room.
"See yah latah alligatah!"
"In awhile crocodile!" Remy added.
"Aftah suppah mutha-fucka!" They said in unison filled with laughter.
Scott gave a slight chuckle as he walked down the hall. Yes, theirs was a weird relationship.
The couple settled back down into the couch. Remy was the first to speak.
"I don't get dat man sometimes."
"What don't you get?"
"He's got a pretty woman sitting at home and he's going down stairs t' finish up reports." Remy shook his head. "I don't get him."
"He said he'd be done by 10:00."
"Naw, he won't. He's writing somet'ing for Xavier, so you know it's gonna take days t' finish. I swear, it's like he has a hard-on for pleasing de Prof."
She suppressed her giggles. "In a sense it's like he's jus' tryin' to please his papa. Ah don't know, Ah think it's kinda sweet."
He snickered. "Of course, you would think it's sweet."
"What do you mean by that, Swamp Rat?"
"It's for me to know, Li'l River Rat."
She loved that pet name he gave her. The first time he called her that was when they were on Asteroid M; the first home Magneto built for mutants in space. She had just made a perfect dive into the swimming pool and was applauded by Remy…
*
[2] Remy stood by the side of the pool wearing a Speedo while Rogue swam her way to the surface. "Not too shabby, chere. Finest kind, Olympic class cannonball."
"You like, Gambit?" She asked swimming to where he stood at the edge of the pool.
"I like. That and more."
"You better watch it." She said in a flirtatious manner. "Ah touch your bare hand with mine, Ah'll absorb your powers and psyche and all your mem'ries."
He shrugged and crouched lower to meet her face. "Maybe. Maybe not. Wan' take the risk, li'l river rat?"
"I…I…" To her amazement, Remy brushed his hand across her cheek. She flew out from the pool. "Ah'm sorry Gambit, Ah—well now ain't that a sight." As she floated in the air she noticed that Remy had fallen into the pool. "First time—ever—Ah b'lieve…Ah've seen that Cajun charmer thrown off-balance. Who knows, there may be hope—what am Ah doing?" It was at that moment, Remy's psyche crept into her mind, which left her confused. "Where?! Who?!!"
Remy pulled himself out of the pool and noticed Rogue's confusion, though he didn't know why she was so confused. "No harm done, Rogue. C'mon back down!"
*
It was too small of a touch for even Remy to realize it, but that was the first time we touched. It was the first time I started to believe that maybe dreams could come true.
"…then I pushed him off of…" He stopped his story. "Rogue, Rogue. Are you listening t' me?" Remy called her back to reality.
"Ah'm sorry. Mah mind wandered for a moment."
"T' were did it wander?"
Her face brightened. "You remember when…" But she never got the chance to finish her thought. They were interrupted…
"Remy, what have you done with my statue?" The couple looked towards the doorway where Ororo stood. Her hand was resting on the doorframe as she leaned into it for support.
He sat up, eyes shining brightly. "I t'ought you forgot about it."
"It is a family emblim, I would never just forget about it. You told me last week that you would have it back in my room by today…I have checked and it is still not there." She spoke calmly, without any malice.
"Don't worry, I have it in a safe place."
"I will always worry until I have it back in my possession. Where is it?"
He waved her off. "It's tucked away in my room."
"Good. Please place it back in my room by morning." She turned to leave.
"Don't you wanna know what I found out about de statue?"
She stopped and turned around. "If you recall, I was against you taking it in the first place."
"What's going on?" Rogue asked confused.
"You know dat African statue 'Ro had in her room all dese years?"
"Yeah."
"After all dis time I finally convinced her let t' me take it to dis guy I know t' see if it's worth anyt'ing."
Rogue was intrigue, even if Ororo wasn't. "What did he say?"
"He said dat de statue went back many generations." He looked back at Ororo. "He said it belonged t' royalty. Did you know dat?"
"Yes, I was aware."
Remy laughed. "You hear dat, chere? 'Ro's a princess."
"Yeah right. She's as much a princess as she is a goddess." Remy turned to her with a suspicion expression. Rogue didn't like the look he was giving her. She decided to say something else to get him to stop thinking whatever he was thinking. "What else did he say?"
He paused a moment before he spoke. "He already has a buyer dat wants t' donate de statue t' de museum."
For the first time during the conversation, Ororo was surprised. "You found a buyer? Remy I do not wish to sell it, it is invaluable."
Remy scoffed at the idea. Nothing was invaluable to a thief. It's jus' a damn statue, what could be so special about it?
"How much does he wanna buy it for?" Asked Rogue.
"$75,000! Cash!"
Rogue's mouth dropped. "Holy moly! That's some nice change."
I cannot believe it! Ororo tried to contain her shock at the price.
"So what do you say, chere?" He asked with a sly smile.
Ororo tried hard to keep her voice even. "The buyer is very generous, but the statue is dear to me. Would you please deny the offer."
He nodded his head, "I t'ought you might say dat."
"Well, then why did you ask?"
He shrugged, "Jus' tryin' t' make conversation."
"You mean, just trying to play another game."
Remy and Ororo laughed. They have always used that line of banter, but never twice in one day. Though the joke was lost on Rogue, who stared at them blankly.
"What if I let him buy it; den when he donates it to de museum I can jus' steal it back for ya."
She hesitated ever so slightly then shook her head. "I do not think so…"
"Don't worry, chere, I'll be able t' steal it back, no problem. It will be a piece of cake." He then smirked, "Besides, I could use de practice."
"No, thank you."
"What have I told you about takin' chances?"
"Don't you start." She waved her index finger at him while smiling. "Please have the statue in my room by morning. Have a good night." She turned to walk away.
"We will." Rogue answered in a sly tone. Ororo stopped dead in her tracks for a moment, then continued out the door.
All this was not lost on Remy, the master of perception. "What's goin' on?"
"Huh?"
"Between you and 'Ro. What's goin' on?"
"Nothing." She answered casually.
"Den why did I get de sense dat she was workin' over time t' keep her emotions in check every time you opened your mouth?"
"Ah haven't the slightest idea."
"Don't bullshit a bullshitter; you are such a bad liar." He said while lying back on her lap.
"Actually, Ah'm a pretty good liar."
"Not t' me you ain't."
"Oh, you'd be surprised."
Remy didn't like the sound of that, but decided not to change the topic. I'll let dat slide. "What did you do t' her?"
"Why mus' you assume that Ah did something wrong?"
"Jus' tell me what happened."
She huffed. "Ro's jus' mad because Ah told her to fuck off."
"You did what?"
"You heard me. So Ah told her to fuck off, who cares? Ah don't even know why she's still mad at me."
"Because she's your superior. You don't tell your boss t' fuck off."
"Ain't that the pot calling the kettle black. Ah got it from you."
"What?"
"You told Scott to fuck of the other day."
"No I didn't. He said while shaking his head.
"Yes you did."
"You mus' be mistaking."
Ah hate it when he is in his selective memory stage. "Ah was with you when you said it! We were in the Lab, remember?!"
Of course I do. I can be such a bad influence sometimes. He concluded with amusement. He had to admit, that some part of him liked corrupting people. "Hey, flippin' someone de bird and actually saying 'fuck off' are two totally different things." She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I was joking when I did it. Nobody takes me seriously."
Most people don't take me seriously either. "Whatever."
"Jus' apologize t' her and everyt'ing will be okay."
"Hell no! You guys take her 'goddess' thing too far and now the shits gone to her head. I've never seen anyone so outraged from being sworn at." She looked at him lying comfortably in her lap. "Besides, you didn't even asked me why Ah said it to her in the first place."
"Why?" He asked her point blank catching her off guard. She searched her memory trying to remember how the situation began.
"Ah had jus' gone to sleep and she woke me up with her knocking."
"Dat's it?"
No that wasn't it. Ah was still caught up with having the bracelet and had spent over 24 hours working nonstop. Bobby had started to flirt with me, the voices in mah head were growing louder with each minute, and one voice in particular was doing everything to get on mah last nerve. Ah finally had the chance to shut out the chaos in mah head and close mah mind…then there was that knock on mah door. She signed. Her mind was calm at the moment, but she knew that it would not last long.
"Rogue?" He looked up at her face and could tell she was deep in thought and hadn't heard him. "Rogue?" He called to her again and gave her arm a little squeeze. She snapped back to reality looking at him with wide eyes. "What's wrong, chere?"
From the expression on his face, she knew he wasn't talking about Ororo anymore.
She bit her bottom lip, a tell-tail sign that she was fighting back tears. Remy could read her like a book.
He sat up so that he could face her head on. "You know you can tell me anyt'ing, right?" He whispered. She nodded her head slowly to his hidden delight. In a swift motion he switched their positions on the couch. Rogue was now lying with her head against his lap, he lowered his head to cut the little distance that was between them.
"I've notice a slight change in you."
"Like what?"
"Sometimes, I look at you from across de room when you t'ink no one is watching, and your eyes seem so faraway. It's like, I'm in de same room wit' your body but your mind is elsewhere."
"Maybe Ah was jus' thinking about the bracelet."
"Naw. I notice de change in you before you got de bracelet. When we were all in de War Room after our last battle."
He was right. You can't get anything past Mr. Observant.
"You gonna tell me what's goin' on?"
She took a deep breath. She had to tell him, he was her friend. "Remy, Ah don't know what's happening to me. It's like mah mind is going crazy…or should Ah say crazier." He was beginning to worry, hoping that she was exaggerating the situation. "Ah touched two mutants in our last battle. One guy put his hand over mah mouth. Ah started to absorb his powers when another mutant tried to pull the guy off me. Ah absorb his powers too, even though Ah did not have flesh-to-flesh contact with him."
"I never knew your powers could do dat. Has it happened before?"
"Yeah. One time long ago, Ah touched Nightcrawler and while Ah was absorbing his powers, he wrapped his tail around Scott and Ah got his powers too."
"So why is dis time so different."
"Ah don't know. Maybe it's because Ah have a lot more voices in mah head since then."
"So what crazy t'ings are goin' on in your head?"
"One of the mutants Ah touched…" she paused a moment then whispered, "he's still in mah head."
"What do you mean still? As soon as he regained consciousness his psyche should have been out of your head."
"Ah know, but it's still here, he's still here. And it's driving me crazy because he knows that he shouldn't be here; he wants to get out."
"Can he hear us now?"
"Sure, if he's payin' attention. Right now, he's not sayin' anythin'. Ah think he's at the back of mah mind messin' around with things. Before, Ah would get mad when he was at the forefront of mah thoughts distracting me, but now that Ah don't know what he's doing, Ah'm a bit nervous. Ah know he's fucking around with mah head."
Remy just stared at her, not knowing what to say to make her fears go away. He thought it was possible for him to protect the woman he loved from anything that could harm her in the outside world; but he couldn't protect her from her mind, which made him feel hopeless. He hated feeling hopeless.
"The longer he has been in mah head the more frightened Ah get. Ah'm thinking that if he retains his identity of self any longer he might become a permanate fixture in mah mind. Ah can't deal with someone who hates me having control of mah body…not again." She stated in reference to Ms. Marvel. "If he gains anymore power he could be dangerous. Like if Ah had Freddie Cougar in mah dreams."
"Freddie Cougar? De movie-murderer? I don't get it."
Bobby would have understood what Ah meant. "Never mind." She paused a moment knowing that what she would say next would cause him to worry. "Maybe Ah should have a talk with the professor when he comes back."
"Rogue." His tone took on that of a warning; she wasn't surprised by his response.
"Ah know, Ah know. You use to hate it when Ah had mah sessions with Xavier, that's why you wanted me to stop seeing him." She watched as Remy's eyes gave a quick scan of the room. It was as if he was checking for any spies that might of snuck in.
He lowered his head to hers and whispered. "You know why I wanted you to quit, right?" She nodded her head, but he continued on as if she had said no. "A persons mind is de most important part of de body. Dat's de one thing we have dat is ours and ours alone. Once you give someone complete access t' your mind you are giving up control. Dat's why on principal I can't stand psychologist, or telepaths…especially telepaths. Not only can dey access your mind freely, dey can fuck up your head wit'out you even knowing. Dey can take away memories and add new recollections dat are completely false.
"I didn't like de fact dat you had one-on-one sessions dat involved him rendering you unconscious and going into your mind. You lying on a couch, unconscious, wit' a telepath, left you vulnerable, and when you're vulnerable…"
"Don't trust anyone." She finished his sentence, she knew it well.
"You haven't told anyone dat I was de one who told you t' stop your sessions wit' him?"
"Of course not. No one else knows."
"Good. Last t'ing I need is Xavier knowing I was de one who suggested you stop seeing him." He focused back on her. "I'm jus' glad you managed t' get out when you did. Sometimes I sit back and t'ink, 'What if Xavier had a hold on you when he was goin' t'rough his Onslaught phase?' " He could feel Rogue shiver at the thought. "I didn't mean t' scare you, chere."
"Ah know you didn't. But it was the right thing for me to do. Xavier was jus' goin' into mah mind and locking away all the voices Ah would absorb in battle. All Ah did was make him show me how to lock away all the voices, and Ah have been doing it mahself ever since." Then again, Ah was never able to do as good a job as the professor. But still, everything has worked out…until now.
"I'm glad you learned t' take more control over your mind."
"But Ah still might need help. Maybe if Ah talked to Jean."
"No, not Jean. If Jean finds out, she'll tell Xavier for sure." Remy cursed himself for what he said; As of that moment he knew he couldn't have Rogue in any type of conversation with Jean. He didn't know if he was keeping Rogue from Jean for her own benefit or for his.
"Okay, Remy. Whatever you think is best."
Remy was baffled at her response. He always was anytime she gave him her trust so completely. He felt a tad guilty, because as of that moment he didn't deserve it and it might come back to bite him in the ass.
"Ah don't want to talk about this anymore."
"Den we don't have to. But if anything else happens, please tell me about it first."
She was happy that Remy was truly being a friend to her in her time of need. "Ah will. Thank yah, sugah. " She gave him a slight smile that meant the world to him. She started to look around the couch. "What happened to the booklet?"
"I don't know, didn't you have it last?"
"Yeah, but that was before you threw it out of mah hands."
"Den it must be here somewhere. We'll find it later."
She shrugged. "Whatever. Ah am so bored."
"Boredom is your own problem." That was one of Remy's favorite lines to quote. "Let's do somet'ing."
"Okay, Ah'm up for anything, as long as we don't leave the mansion. Ah don't feel like going out."
"Let's play some poker."
"Ah don't have anymore money to lose to you, Gambit."
"Come on."
"You don't even go easy on me, you're not even a gentleman."
"Never said I was a gentleman."
"You always call yourself that."
"Okay, maybe I do." He finally relented. "Fine, I can make other arrangements. I
will anti-up wit' money, and you will anti-up wit' your clothes."'
She rolled his eyes. But really what did she expect. Remy's sexual drive never
seemed to slow down, he was like a dog that needed to be neutered.
Sometimes Ah would really wonder why someone who was so horny would put up with me. But even with his sexual drive, he was always patient with me when we were dating. And when Ah would tell him to slow down he would go one step further and stop. Ah'm sure, while we were dating, he spent countless nights with his left hand in front of a toilet bowl.
"Dere's not'ing like a friendly game of strip poker."
"You don't have enough money to play for mah clothes. Mah gorgeous naked
body is priceless."
"Sometimes you are so naïve, chere…" He slide his hand up and down her side,
not believing she was letting him get away with it.
It always seems like Rogue would be more lenient wit' me when we were not dating den when we were dating. If we were dating, dis stuff would have been out of de question. And I wouldn't even have had de guts t' bring up strip poker. I learned a long time ago, dat certain sexual t'ings were out of bonds…actually all sexual t'ings were out of bonds while in a relationship wit' Rogue. T'ank goodness we're not dating now, or I would never be able t' get away wit' dis. "…Didn't you know? Everyone and everything has a price. De question is, how much are you willing t' pay?"
"Not everything." She answered stubbornly.
"Den name something dat's priceless." He challenged.
"That statue. Ororo didn't take your $75,000 deal."
"But she wanted to. I could feel it. Den again, Stormy is not a greedy person; she doesn't worship money. However, if I was t' offer her somet'ing dat she desired--like let's say--a piece of land in Africa, she would have given up de statue in a second. I guarantee it."
"That's stupid. Everyone would take that deal."
"Like I said, everyone has a price. Whether it's money or something else, we all have our limits of 'selling out'." He could tell that she was not convinced. "I've proven my case, you've still haven't named somet'ing dat's priceless."
She thought for a moment, soon a smiled covered her face. "A mother's love." She answered with satisfaction.
Remy shook his head pitifully. "Come on chere, we both know dat's not true." What he said was enough for her to get his implication. They both grew up with
Parental issues. Remy was put up for adoption when he was born. He never knew why, most likely because he was born with red eyes and his mother decided she did not want a freak for a son. His mother probably always wanted to have a baby, but when the baby did not live up to her expectations, she just gave him up. Her love for him was not enough to keep a baby that was 'special'. Her love was not priceless.
Rogue didn't even bother to get into her relationship with her real mom, and what the price was.
She relented. "Maybe you're right."
"Of course I am." He said with a hint of cockiness.
"Then what's your price?"
"Huh?"
"You say that everyone has a price. What's yours?"
Really, Remy had her what she said, but he was afraid to tell her his answer.
My price is your love. I would do whatever I have t' do t' protect you from danger, t' be by your side, t' see you smile. He knew it was best not to say his response out loud. It might scare her and it should, because it scared him. The truth was that Rogue had control over everything that was in him. He was vulnerable.
Remy gave her a charming smile. "I have many prices, chere. I'm a t'ief after all."
"Fine, I'll do it."
"Do what?"
She looked at him seductively. "Play a friendly game of strip poker with you." Maybe it was the atmosphere, or the voices in her head, or maybe it was because
she had a feeling that they would soon be interrupted. One of the few times her seventh sense kicked in.
Logan entered the room with a lit cigar in his mouth. "Rogue, I'm ready now, let's go." He ordered.
She turned to Remy and gave him a sad face. "Sorry, sugah. I guess I'll have to
take a rain check on the game. I'll meet you back here later." She pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes, slid off his lap and hurried out the room.
He looked over to Logan. "You got bad timin', mon amie." He placed his head back down on the uncomfortable couch, already missing Rogue's presence.
"Don't bother wait. This will be awhile." Logan advised.
"I don't like de sound of dat. What are you two goin' t' be doing, anyway?"
"No need t' worry." He turned to leave. "She's in good hands."
"I defiantly don't like de sound of dat. Hit de light will ya?" Logan complied with his request. The room was covered in darkness.
Remy sat in the dark, his favorite place to be. With the sunglasses pulled down over his eyes, to others he would be near invisible in the shade, but everything to him was crystal clear.
His body was itching for something to do, anything to relive the tension that was building up within him. Luckily Rogue left when she did, because her head on his lap was probably not the best position for her to be in. He thought about jumping into his car and heading into town.
But if I do dat I would be leavin' Rogue here wit' de capability of negating her powers. Dat's like a billionaire leaving de door t' his mansion wide open in de middle of de night den complains when someone brakes in.
I think I better keep my butt here close t' Rogue jus' in case…someone tries t' break in.
His thoughts faded when he sensed a presence approaching the Living Room. He remained still on the couch waiting for the intruder to show him or herself.
Betsy walked into the dark room filled with distractions. She was glad that the lights were off, it matched her depressed mood. After the meeting in the War Room, she had changed out of her street clothes. She was now wearing black shorts that were too short for any decent young lady and a tight white tube top that would have stopped any normal person's blood from circulating. She blindly made her way to the couch and flopped down.
To her surprise the seat was already occupied. She felt two strong arms wrap around her waist holding her in place. Any other person would have screamed, but Betsy rarely did.
"Silly mistake. Ain't you supposed t' be a Ninja?"
If it were anyone else, the hands around her body would have enticed her. However, the voice, Remy's voice, evaporated any sense of passion.
"Get your fucking hands off of me!" She used her telekinetic powers to turn on the light switch. He let her go and she sat on another couch adjacent to him. "You're lucky I didn't use my powers on you."
He traced his eyes up her body. "I'm sure I could have handled it."
Betsy wanted to be alone and was pissed off to find Remy in the room. She was even more pissed that he got the jump on her.
I know he's over there pleased as a peacock. I can't stand him! Part of her wanted to just get up and leave the room. But the other part wanted to stand her ground, and not be run out by the Cajun Thief. Fuck him. I've lived here longer; I'm not going to leave because of him.
She sat still, looking out a near by window, thinking about the mess that was her life. She was having a day were nothing seemed to be going right, actually it was more like a week. The more she thought about her problems, the more depressed she became.
She noticed Remy staring at her through her peripheral vision; it was starting to annoy her.
"Is there a reason your are staring at me?"
He spoke casually. "I'm tryin' t' get you t' leave by annoying you."
"It will do you good not to mess with me tonight. I am not in the mood." She said with contempt.
"Well get in de mood, 'cause I ain't stopping."
She took control of her emotions. "I'm not going to let you get to me."
"You don't have a choice."
He is nothing more than a good for nothing thief! She was about to get up and leave the room, willing to forfeit the battle, however an idea struck her mind. Maybe I spoke too soon. He may be good for one thing. She turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "You got any alcohol?"
Remy brightened up at the mention of his favorite beverage. "Is Cyclops an ass?" He joked.
"No." She was firm in her response.
Remy had obviously forgotten that Betsy did not have a problem with Scott, which ruined the premise of his joke. "Let's try dis again." He prompted her to speak again with a nod of his head.
"You got any alcohol?" She repeated.
He decided to answer the question in a more traditional fashion. "Is de Pope Catholic?" He asked with a grin.
She looked at Remy and gave him her first genuine smile since she arrived.
He returned the smile. "Den what are we waiting for?"
Betsy jumped up from the couch; the slight bounce of her breasts and the outline
of her nipples made it quite clear to Remy that she was without a bra. She lead the way out of the living room, knowing her outfit gave the thief a nice view of her shapely rear.
Together Remy and Betsy made their way up the long winding staircase, heading towards the secret liquor cabinet located in his bedroom.
******
[1] X-men 41
[2] X-men 3
Author's Note: Another Remy/Rogue scene coming sooner then you think.
Answers: Rainmaker- No apologies necessary, I was not offended by your review (you were right, 'Ro was slightly out of character, which will be explained more as the story goes on) :0) I'll glad you're still enjoying the fic.
Where's Bobby? I haven't forgotten about him. He's in the city, getting into something that will add to a future plot line.
And Logan will have a reaction to what Remy is doing to Jean, all in due time.
Thanks for the reviews. Hopefully I will finish the next chapter soon, but due to recent events 9/11/01, it may take awhile (I'm too busy watching the news).
Next Time: Rogue fights with Logan as well as her mind and Remy + Betsy + Alcohol = a chapter you don't want to miss (with a surprise at the end)!..