Archive: ask me first at smokhea@aol.com
Special Note: Thanks for all the reviews last chapter. I've been a little behind schedule with Fan.net being down, but I'll try to get back on track.. * Means certain scenes are happening simultaneously. *** Means certain scenes happen moments later.
Interactions
Chapter 16
The Morning After
(Scott)
It was 4:00 in the morning when Scott entered the control room. He wasn't planning on going in so early, but he just couldn't get any sleep. Especially since he was lying next to his lingerie-clad wife who he couldn't touch.
He plopped down on his chair and began to double-check all the machines. Only Scott could find meaningless work to by his time with even though the X-men were supposed to be on vacation.
Yeah right vacation. He thought skimming through the computer logs for the night. A leader can never truly take time off…I know, I've tried.
A flashing light caught his attention on the message screen. Instinctively he knew that Xavier had left him a video message from Shi'ar, after all he did say he would be in contact with him as soon as he got the chance.
Scott pressed the play button and focused on the view screen that projected the image of the professor.
"Good morning, Cyclops. Things have finally settled down here for me to finally leave you a message. It seems as if Lilandra will need my help for a while longer…"
Mentally, Scott made plans to round the other X-men up and head out to space in order to assess Xavier.
"…No need to worry, this situation can be settled without the help of the entire X-team; Bishop and I will be sufficient."
Scott looked on in amazement. He made this tape hours earlier, from light years away, yet he still knows what I'd be thinking.
"I'm sure you have everything under control, however I would like for you to send me the reports you have written. Don't worry if the papers are not completed as of yet; I will give you a 48-hour deadline. Two days seems like enough time to finish the report, especially since everything should be in order."
Just what I need…more work! He rubbed his temples trying in vain to relieve the stress.
"I hope you and the other X-men are making the best of your vacation. I know you Cyclops, you better be taking advantage of your time off."
In one sentence he's telling me to finish reports and in the next breath he wants me to enjoy my vacation.
"I'll make contact with you again if the need arises. Until then…" The message ended.
Scott sat back in his chair, ready to take on the added pressure; it was his job. Still, the request from Xavier couldn't have come at a worst time.
More than anything, Scott was irritable. Lack of sex will to that to a man. Plus, Scott still had to deal with Remy, a person who had pissing him off down to an exact science.
God help Gambit when I speak to him today. He thought shaking his head as the anger was already beginning to build. Just one sly comment from him will tick me off and…
His thought process was interrupted when Bobby entered the control room, straight from the Big Apple.
Bobby smiled noticing the strained expression on his leader's face. Looks like he's in a rotten mood. Great! There goes any chance of me getting off easy after what I did. "Hey, Scott." He greeted him still smiling, with a wave of his hand and sat in the chair across from Scott's desk.
He matched Bobby's morning cheer with a slight smile of his own. "Morning, Bobby. I see you just returned from port."
"Yup." Nodding, he folding his fingers together on his lap. "It was a quick drive back into town."
"That's good. Sorry you had to wait so long last night. I'm sure the smell you had to deal with didn't help matters much."
"Oh you mean the stench down there. You know what I found out? If you're around a certain odor long enough you get use to it after time."
Scott paused momentarily showing disbelief. "Even when the odor is shit?"
Bobby leaned in closer across the desk, "Especially when it's shit."
Scott chuckled, relaxing fully in his chair. "I can always count on you to lighten my mood. I needed to hear something funny to loosen me up today."
Bingo! "Hell, if you thought that was funny, listen to this." Bobby decided to use the opportunity to ease Scott into hearing about his accident. "I was so bored last night waiting for the shipment to come in that I decided to play a game."
"I'm listening." Scott replied, already smiling anticipating the joke.
"So I started to make small patches of ice on the floor." He play-acted the scene with hand gestures.
"Uh-huh." Scott's smile got wider as Bobby's entertaining demeanor coached him.
"So then, Mr. Harry called me to the back room to get one of the cargo's."
"And?" Scott asked as he sat forward.
"When I was walking back…" Bobby began to laugh ahead of the joke. "I slipped on the ice I made!"
"No, way!" He sat back in the chair holding his stomach with laughter.
"Yes, way! I went crashing to the floor." This is going pretty well.
"You slipped on ice?" He laughed banging his fist on the surface of the desk. "Iceman…slipped on ice!" This is unbelievable!
"Yeah! And there's more."
Scott continued laughing as he carefully wiped a tear from under his glasses. "What more could there be?"
Bobby figured it was time to deliver the punch line. "The impacted of the fall caused me to brake the new security installations…"
The laughter stopped and the happy emotion drained from Scott's face. He leaned forward into the desk. Forget about their long-standing friendship, he was now in pissed off leader mode. "You broke…what?" He asked with controlled anger.
Bobby felt like he traveled back in time to his early days at the school. At that time he was known as the immature X-man or the class clown.
He could feel his body slowly sink into the chair at the sight of Scott's fuming body. This doesn't look good.
* * *
(Ororo/Logan)
Ororo stood in the dark living room with a smile on her face. She returned to the mansion two hours earlier, but remained walking around the empty rooms too energized to sleep. Steam arose from the mug she was holding as she cooled it down with her breath.
Logan should be back soon. She reasoned as she slipped her mint tea. He might even be in his room right now. She wanted to check up on him, but knew it was best that they kept apart when they were anywhere around the institute. I guess I have to just be content until the next time we…
Two muscular hands wrapped around the center of her waist. Familiar lips brushed against her earlobe, as she back into his embrace closing any gap that would have remained. He removed the mug from her hand and placed it on the coffee table.
"Logan, I thought we already said goodnight." Her voice was light, almost musical.
"You know I can't stay away from you for too long, darlin'." He whispered in her ear, slowly rocking her back and forth to a rhythm only he heard.
"You would risk us getting caught?" She had to admit that having a secret relationship was a thrill.
"Us X-men love to live on the edge." He answered dangerously; she giggled in response. He turned her around to face him, his gaze locking her deep blue eyes. "Besides, most everyone is sleeping."
"Most?"
"Yeah, Bobby jus' got back from the docks." "So late?" She asked running her fingers through his thick hair.
"Yup. He's with Scott in the control room right now."
Jean said she was going to plan a special night for them, so why is Scott over here so early in the morning? She wondered to herself. "Doing what?"
"Scott's yellin' at him." He saw the look of confusion on her face. "Seems like he was holdin' our new security installations and, get this…slipped on some ice." He finished cracking a smile. He had already got out all his laughter when he first heard the story with his extra sensitive ears, while lingering in the basement. He took the word eavesdropping to another level.
"No he didn't!" Ororo had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing hysterically.
"He did…so now we can't update our system. Right now Scott's ripping him a new ass hole."
"Poor, Bobby." She felt sympathy for Bobby, but still had the giggles.
"Come on. He was way past due for another slip-up."
"No, pun intended." She added giving his nose a little pinch.
"Scott was yellin' at him 'bout us bein' over budget."
"That cannot be right. Yes, the security gadget is expensive, but there should still be enough money left to replace it. It's just that we might not be getting a lot of perks for a while."
"No karaoke machine, huh?"
Shaking her head she answered, "It doesn't look like it."
"I don't care. Gettin' a karaoke machine was a stupid idea, anyway."
"We all voted last month and the majority rules."
"Democracy sucks when you're part of the minority." He traced his hand down her hair and stopped suddenly. "So why is Scott yellin' about being over budget it we aren't?"
"I can't be sure."
He was skeptical of her answer. "Don't you have control over the budget?"
"Not anymore. That seemed to have disappeared along with my co-leader status."
As Ororo's responsibility as co-leader decreased, Logan was around for her to vent her frustrations. She always had a calm-anger when speaking about her situation whereas Logan was itching for a confrontation. If I had a penny for the number of times Logan wanted to take it upon himself to confront Scott. Even now she could sense his anger as his body tensed.
"The least Scott could have done was told you about it…"
"Actually, the least he could have done was not tell me at all, and that is exactly what he did. It is obvious that Scott revelishes the leader role. Let us just see how much he can handle by himself before he is willing to ask for some assistance." She tightened her grasp around his shoulders. "But, I don't want to talk about that anymore. Right now, the less responsibility I have the better."
His mood lightened. "So, we still on for t'night?"
"Yes we are. I will be speaking with Remy today."
"Still can't believe you're askin' the Cajun's permission."
"I thought we already went over this." She responded; the irritation in her voice was not lost on him.
"Fine." He grumbled. They remained still for a moment, just holding each other in a comfortable silence.
She spoke first. "Tonight I will leave first and meet up with you at our spot two hours later."
"And I'll make all the other arrangements." He kissed her hand.
She was unimpressed with his actions. "Oh…how cute. It's like I am back in elementary school." She teased.
Never one to leave a woman dissatisfied, he pulled her into his arms and traced his kisses up her long neck landing on her mouth.
She could feel his muscles suddenly tense underneath her grasp. He pulled away from her; his body focused on something only he could sense. "Shit, I can hear Scott moving up the mansion from the basement." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "I gotta spilt."
The room went silent. "Bye." She whispered to no one; he was already gone like the wind.
* * *
(Remy/Rogue)
The early sunlight made its way through the window, resting on the sleeping forms of the southern couple. Remy began to squirm as his body prepared to emerge from sleep.
Finally, he opened his eyes and noticed the digital clock reading 5:30am. His eyes settled on Rogue sleeping by his side; the sight caused him to smile.
I t'ink I can get use t' de idea of waking up wit' her in my arms. But I better keep dat t'ought t' myself.
Rogue began to stir in her sleep. She was about to lift herself up, but felt a heavy weight across her body. Her eyes opened in a panic, but soon subsided when she realized the heavy weight was Remy's arm. The panic she felt was replaced by a sense of security.
His arm was resting on her waist, but the sheet she had over her body prevented him from 'accidentally' touching any part of her flesh while they slept through the night.
"Are you up?" She heard him whisper from behind.
"Yeah. Your arm feels heavy against mah body."
De book did say dat she would be more sensitive towards de five senses. "I'm sorry. I guess my dead weight on you all night mus' have took its tool." He started to lift his hand.
"No don't move it. You're so warm. Ah haven't had a sleep that good since forever." She turned around facing him and began to snuggle next in his embrace.
Isn't dis a turn of events. Remy took her actions as an invitation. Hmm, I wonder if I could…
Bang, bang, bang!
They both sat up on the floor in shock of the loud pounding at the door.
"Who the hell is that?" Rogue asked, her eyes wide with surprise. Remy could only shrug in response.
"Remy, open up! I know you're in there!" Scott yelled through the lock door.
"Shit!" Dat man has de worst timing for everyt'ing! "What de hell is his problem?" Remy asked ruffling his fingers through his slept on hair.
"Ah'll go see what this is all about." Rogue started pull the blankets off of her lower body, but Remy prevented her from getting up with one hand on her stomach.
"You have 10 seconds or I'll blast the door open." Scott warned.
"Let me handle dis, Rogue. If Cyke sees you in my room, dis early in de morning, wit' your bracelet on, I'll be in deep shit." They could hear Scott begin to count down from 10.
Rogue didn't understand why he was so worried. "Why would Scott care if Ah'm here?"
Remy didn't want to have to tell her about Scott's warning to him the other night in the kitchen. "Not'ing, never mind. Jus' stay here and cover up so he won't see you."
Reluctantly, she gave into his plea and covered up with the blanket, staying close to the edge of the bed. From that position, Scott wouldn't be able to see her when Remy opened the door.
Remy got up and opened up his locked door just before Scott finished the last number in his countdown.
"Is dere a reason why you're tryin' t' barge into my room?" Remy asked peeved.
"Is there a reason why you tied Betsy to her bed?" Scott replied in the next breath.
Oh fuck! I knew I forgot t' do somet'ing last night. "Ohhh yeah. How is she?" He asked, not because he cared, but because it was the polite thing to do.
Scott inhaled and for a moment managed to get his anger under control. "You left her there all night, Gambit."
"I meant t' check-up on her, but I got sidetracked." He was sincere in his statement and could tell that Scott's attitude was softening, somewhat.
"She was drunk and you gagged her. Betsy could have choked on her own vomit."
Ohhh. Never t'ought about dat. Remy thought to himself. Dat was pretty stupid of me.
Scott looked over Remy's shoulder around the extravagantly designed bedroom. He had never been in Remy's room before, but knew he would change his furniture at least once a month on a whim. "Where's the alcohol?"
"Alcohol?" He asked innocently shaking his head. "I don't know what you're talkin' about."
Scott picked up an empty cardboard box that lay by his feet. "Either you put all of your alcohol in this box right now, or I'll search your room and do it myself."
Damn! If he comes in any closer, he'll be able t' see Rogue by de other side of my bed hiding on de floor. "Hey, take it easy. I'll do it. I was jus' havin' some fun wit' you."
With a wink, Remy took the box from Scott and walked over to his liquor cabinet that could have easily passed for any type of furniture, and began to empty out all the bottles.
Scott stood by the door amazed there was so much liquor in his room. After Remy finished, he carried the full box over to Scott's waiting arms.
Remy observed Scott silently count all the bottles in the box then rest it on the floor by his feet. Dis was easy…a li'l too easy. Remy waited patiently for the other shoe to drop.
"Alcohol is not permitted on the grounds."
"Yeah," He shrugged crossing his arms over his chest, "I've read de handbook."
"Good. So I guess you won't be objecting to your punishment."
His eyes bugged out of his head as the other shoe dropped. "Wait a sec, punishment?"
Scott place his hands on his waist, striking a pose that would have made Remy chuckle on any day but today. "We have rules here to be followed. We don't want to have anyone intoxicated just in case there is an emergency."
"But we are on vacation." He pleaded to no avail. "I t'ought we were allowed to have a couple of drinks."
Scott actually considered his excuse, but only for two seconds. "I would believe you if you hadn't had all this stuff before we went on vacation."
"I didn't." He shook his head.
"Don't lie to me, Gambit. Yes, you did."
He shrugged his shoulders casually, placing a hand on the doorframe. "Prove it."
Shit! I can't prove it. Who's to say that he didn't buy it yesterday, or the day before? "Even if I let you off the hook for having alcohol, you're still in trouble for allowing Betsy to drink to excess."
"She wanted t' drown her sorrows. I was jus' helpin' her out."
"No you weren't." He snapped pointing his index finger at the Cajun. "Helping her out would be you listening to her."
"Hmm, listen t' her, huh?" He pondered the foreign concept as he leaned against the doorframe. "Dat jus' might have worked."
Scott felt like pulling his hair out from the roots in frustration. He was in no mood for Remy's games. "That's it, Gambit! You're under house arrest."
"What? You gonna make me stay on de grounds? For how long?"
"Indefinitely."
He backed up in disbelief. It usually took him a little longer to push all of Scott's buttons. He mus' be pissed off wit' somet'ing else and now is takin' everyt'ing out on me. "Come on, homme, you're goin' overboard. You should be t'anking me."
"What?!" Scott couldn't believe Remy's audacity.
"T'ink about it. Psy was dead-set on gettin' drunk last night. And if she couldn't get alcohol from me she would have went out and got drunk someplace else. Who knows what kind of trouble she could have gotten herself into?"
Remy let his empathy sneak out. He could feel that his excuses weren't having the desired effect on the leader. He knew what he had to say to win Scott over, but he didn't want to do it.
Time for plan B. "Cyke, you were right all along. I admit I did a stupid t'ing dat could have led to somet'ing much worse. If I was a good friend I would have been dere for Betsy and listened t' her instead of allowing her t' drink." His words where backed up with a strong sense of fake sincerity that only he could accomplish. "I promise it won't happen again. My alcohol should be taken from me for bein' so irresponsible." Dere, dat should work.
"Fine. I'll let you slide this once only because we are on vacation. It's better that I don't write this incident up in the report. " Not writing this incident down on a report is a violation, but after what Bobby did I don't want to let Xavier think I'm letting things get out of hand. "Writing this on the report is the last thing I need with everything else that is going on."
His words sparked Remy's interest. "Why? What else is goin' on?"
"Nothing, forget about it. I'm letting you off light. Don't make me regret it." He warned shaking his finger.
"T'anks, homme."
"I mean it, Gambit." He was about to leave then turned back after remembering something. "Don't forget you have to take out the trash before the dump closes tonight."
Merde! "Uh-huh." He mumbled.
Scott picked up the box from the floor and left walking down the hallway. As soon as he disappeared from sight, Remy closed the door. Rogue popped up from the floor.
"Shit! We are on vacation and dat guy is still barking out orders." Pacing back and forth he continued venting his anger. "What de hell is he doin' in the mansion dis early in the morning anyway? He should be in de boathouse wit' Jean."
Rogue was not the least bit concerned with his ranting. "You got Betsy drunk?"
He stopped in middle of his tirade to address her question. "No, Betsy got herself drunk." He corrected, playfully. "And 'cause of her I don't have my drinks." He paused for a second putting two and two together. "Assassins are always tryin' t' screw me over." He concluded shaking his head.
"Oh, boohoo." She cried mocking him. "Remy, you left her tied to a frigging bed!"
He sat in front of her on the floor, placing a hand on either side of her legs. He grinned mischievously. "I can assure you dat I'm not de first guy t' ever tie her t' a bed, nor will I be de last."
Sitting so close to her with the active bracelet caused him to test his threshold for restraint. He desperately wanted to touch her smooth skin all over. However, even with the bracelet, she remained untouchable. He decided to push that thought out of his mind before it drove him to insanity.
"I bet you Cyke didn't yell at Betsy for violatin' de rules." He pouted.
"Maybe if yah didn't give him attitude, he wouldn't have yelled at you. Anyway, he did let you off the hook."
"Barely. He basically put me on probation."
"You know what? You two could have been really good friends at one time. You both have a lot in common."
He scoffed at the idea. "What could I have in common wit' a guy like him?"
"Ah can name 10 things."
"Name one." He challenged, though instinctively he fought the itch to place money on their friendly bet.
"You both grew up not knowin' your real parents." She gave a firm nod and smiled in satisfaction.
Shit! "Name two t'ings."
"You both were eventually taken in by a mentor and raised to be leaders. Scott with the X-men and you with the Thieves Guild."
Shit! Shit! "Name t'ree t'ings."
She looked at him with amusement, wondering if they were going to do this game all day. "You both are secretly in love with The Three Stooges." He was about to open his mouth in protest, but she cut him off. "Don't even bother deny it, Remy. Why do Ah know every episode of the show even though Ah've never watched it before?" The one thing that was a constant in her mind, after she absorbed both Remy and Scott, were Curly, Larry and Moe.
"How can anyone not love Moe? He was a comedic genius." Remy's mind drifted briefly to the time when he helped Scott move into the boathouse with his new bride. He found a video collection of The Three Stooges in one of Scott's boxes, but Scott swore that it was a wedding gift.
He probably t'ought I would have made fun of him, not knowing dat I'm a big fan of de ol' show. I guess we were really close t' having a 'moment' together, but not'ing ever really came of it. "Okay, so I do have certain t'ings in common wit' Cyke. It's jus' dat somet'ing about him rubs me de wrong way."
"It's 'cause you have a problem with authority figures and followin' rules. That does tend to happen when a person is raised as a thief." She added matter-of-factly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Yeah, t'anks for your input Dr. 'I absorbed Xavier once a long time ago and now t'ink I am a license therapist'."
"Shut up." She yelled without malice.
His facial expression changed showing that he wanted to get serious. "How you feelin'?"
Pausing a moment, she took her time to reflect. "Good, great…fantastic!"
The smile that was on her face from the moment she awoke was enough indication to Remy that she was speaking the truth. "I wish Beast was here so he could see how happy you are."
"Oh shit, Beast! Ah forgot all about him." She slapped her hand to her forehead. "He's gonna be so mad at me."
"Why would he be mad?"
"Because Ah promised him Ah wouldn't use…" Shit!
"Use what, de bracelet?" He was too sharp to miss her slip of the tongue. "Why would you promised him a t'ing like dat, chere?"
Luckily, she was quick on her feet. "Ah promised him Ah wouldn't use it 'til Ah finished reading the entire booklet, is all."
"Oh." He was willing to take her on her word. "Who cares, you read most of it."
"No Ah didn't."
"Half of it?"
"No."
"Some of it?"
"Ah wish. Ah didn't get too far because you interrupted me yesterday when I was tryin' to study it."
"But when I went into de living room you looked like you at least read some of it."
"Ah was too busy lookin' at the pictures."
He shrugged. "Okay, so you memorized de diagrams. Dat's a start."
"No, Ah jus' looked at them. Ah couldn't believe Hank had enough time to actually color in the pictures." They laughed.
"You can jus' finish de book today. I'll help you study it."
"You'll only distract me. Besides, Ah don't know where it is. You threw it away, remember? It's lost."
"We know it's somewhere in de living room, so it's not lost."
"We have to make sure Scott doesn't find out. He might call Beast in London and tell him."
"Hey, I won't tell Cyke if you don't."
She looked at the green light. "Ah won't be able to use this again. Scott will know Ah activated it if he sees the green light."
"No he won't. He sees everyt'ing t'rough a red haze due t' his mutation, remember?"
"Oh yeah. Ah always forget that." Thank God for little blessings.
"How much longer do you have on dat t'ing?"
She looked down at the timer on her bracelet. "A couple of minutes. Ah better get out of here before anyone else barges into your room." She looked at her clothes neatly folded on his couch. "Ah'll come back for mah clothes later. It will look kind of suspicious if someone sees me walking out of your room with 'em."
"Why don't you jus' change back into dem here?"
" 'Cause it will look suspicious if someone sees me walking through the halls with the same clothes Ah had on yesterday."
"True." He watched as she turned the door handle. She wasn't gone yet, but he already missed her. "Hey, make sure you bring back my lucky shirt."
She turned around with a look of outrage on her face. "Ah thought you were gonna let me keep it. You always give me your shirts."
"Dat's not jus' a shirt; it's my lucky jersey. I've worn dat shirt seven times t' de basketball games and seven times my team has won."
Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms impatiently. "Give me a break! Superstitions doesn't suit you, Gambit."
He stared at her from across the room intently. "Rogue, I wan' my clothes back." He added a flash in his eyes for affect.
She pouted finally relenting. "Fine you big baby, Ah'll give you back your stuff." She let his underwear shimmy down her legs then kicked them over to him. He caught them grinning devilishly. "You'll get your jersey later, sugah." She stuck out her tongue and left his room.
Remy stood staring at the door for a few moments hoping she would return. After all, she returned to his room last night after leaving for a couple of minutes. Soon he figured that she wasn't coming back.
He looked down at his hands suddenly remembering the underwear he was holding. It looked like any of his other underwear; then again, none of his other underwear had the pleasure of being worn by the Southern Belle.
Dis underwear his been where no man has ever been before… "I really should have dis framed."
* * *
(Bobby/Rogue)
Bobby stayed in the control room a long time after Scott left. He kept on re-playing the 'ice' incident over and over again in his head.
How could I have been so stupid? I gotta do something about it. He jumped up from the chair and made his way up to the main floor. The more he walked the more tired he became. He began the long trek up the winding staircase and down the men's section.
"Rogue." He saw her standing in front of Remy's door. He could tell that he had startled her by the way she jumped when he called her name.
Shit! "Hi, Bobby." She quickly put her hands behind her back.
"What are you doing here?" He asked walking up to her, and noticed that she was wearing a jersey.
He thought about the phase that the girls went through a couple of weeks back when they started to collect the guy's shirts. After awhile it turned into a competition of who could get the most shirts from each of the guys.
I don't remember which one of the girls won, but I do remember having very few clean shirts to wear for about a month. But Rogue isn't wearing my jersey as pj's today…it could be Logan's, or Scott's or…
"Ah was…lookin' for you." She finally answered his question with a jittery smile. "Ah wanted to see if you got back from the docks."
"Well, here I am." He gave a tired half-smile, but his blue eyes still twinkled.
"Yeah, Ah can see that." Nervously, she began to shift her feet. "What time did yah get in?"
He thought for a couple of seconds. "Around 4:00."
"Why'd it take you so long?"
"Long story. Come to my room, I'll tell you about it." He started to walk past her and motioned for her to follow.
"Actually, Ah have to go do somethin' first. Ah'll be by your room in a second."
He shrugged showing indifference. "Okay, fine." His eyes zeroed in on the tip of her nose. "Rogue?"
"Yeah?"
"You got something on your face."
"Where?" She asked feeling self-conscience.
"Right there…" He pointed to her nose, meaning it to be a stupid joke, but…
She rubbed her face, and by doing so accidentally exposed her bracelet with the green light. She quickly put her hand behind her back, hoping that Bobby wouldn't notice her bracelet was activated.
They were both at a standstill like the old Western movies they would watch together long ago. A smile started to grow on his face…he figured out she was now touchable.
"Shit!" Rogue made the first move as she turned around and ran toward the staircase.
He waited a couple of seconds before he followed her. "I'm right behind you, Rogue!" He yelled as be chased her down the stairs and into the kitchen.
Rogue ran through every room she could find trying to lose him, but he was right on her tale. She re-traced her steps and made her way back into the lobby and up the stairs hoping she could make it to her bedroom.
Once at her room door, she opened it and tried to close it before he could enter. Her strength was no match for his as he forced his way through in the room.
"You aren't so tuff without your powers, huh?"
"Come on, let's talk this out." She said trying hard to catch her breath. Damn! I need to get more exercise.
"I don't think so."
"Stop Bobby, I'm serious." She said, but it was hard to keep the smile off her face. He was still walking slowly forward backing her up with each step. She crossed her hand into a sign of a 'T' for a last resort. "Time out!"
He stopped for a moment, then continued. "Time out is only for emergencies." She took another step back and fell onto the bed. Bobby used that moment to initiate his attack. He jumped on top of her and tickled under her arms.
Rogue laughed hysterically. She couldn't remember the last time a tickle had that affect on her.
"I warned you I'd get you back the first time you use the bracelet." His hands moved lower, feeling his way over her jersey to her rib cage.
"Okay, okay, stop! Ah'm gonna die!" Tears were pouring from her eyes. Bobby finally relented, but remained on top of her. "Ah almost peed mahself."
He nodded his head in satisfaction. "Now you know what I felt like when you did it to me!"
"Okay, you win! Ah finally learned mah lesson." She was over the giggles. "Get off of me, we're even now."
He shook his head. "We're not even yet. After all, you still did not get your atomic wedgey."
"Noooo!" How can Ah get an atomic wedgey when Ah'm not wearing underwear? And how would Ah explain mah lack of underwear wandering around the Men's Section? But there was little she could do to stop Bobby from completing his task. Payback's a bitch!
Beep, beep, beep!
Bobby stopped as he heard the alarm. "What's that?"
"Mah bracelet is about to turn off." She answered looking at the timer.
He jumped off of her and was across the room in record timing. She lowered her head in shame; his actions made her feel like she had a contagious disease.
Rogue got up from the bed and toward the washroom. "Wait for me?"
"Yeah, sure." Bobby answered nervously, taking a seat on a chair.
*
(Ororo/Remy)
Ororo approached Remy's room with a slight bounce to her step. She was still on a high after her late night with Logan, and she never wanted to come down. The phrase: I'm so happy I could burst may actually apply to me this morning. She thought as she knocked on Remy's door.
"Who is it?" Remy called out.
She could hear him rustling from behind the door. "It's me. What are you doing?"
"I'm getting' dressed. I'm half way done you can come in."
She started to open the door then stopped. "Which half? Bottom or top?" She asked playfully.
He chuckled. "Damn, it almost worked!" He finished buttoning up his pants. "I'm fully dressed. You may enter."
She pushed open the door and was greeted by a warm smile. Remy was dressed in loose fitting blue jeans and a matching blue T-shirt. "Morning, chere.".
She leaned against the door, her thumbs tucked into the front of her jeans. "I took a chance, but I still can't believe you're up so early."
"I had a good rest." Now that's an understatement. "How was your night?"
"Nice." She answered with a telling smile. Now that's understatement.
"Is dat right?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. I know dere's more t' de story, but I won't press her now.
"Uh-huh." She looked him over. "You ready?"
"For what?"
"We are suppose to spend the day together, remember?"
"Of course I remember." He skimmed his eyes around the room. "Let me jus' try and find where I put my keys."
She sighed. "Forget about your keys, Remy. I think your room will be safe for a couple of hours. Besides, there are no criminals in this house…when you are gone." He only had enough time to put on his sunglasses before she pulled his arm and dragged him out the room.
Remy let her lead the way down the stairs toward the lobby and out the front door. He started to feel a sense of dread when he finally realized where she was taking him.
"Oh no! I have t' garden wit' you?" He wined. She did not answer him until they reached a spot by the side of the mansion.
"Yes, I want to plant some more flowers around our home." Ororo already had all her garden tools laid out on the soil with different types of flowers waiting to be planted. "Come on, start digging the holes." She encouraged him to kneel with her on the grass.
Begrudgingly, Remy began to dig a hole, while trying to think of the perfect excuse to get out of the job. "You know, it's kinda hot out here."
"No it's not. The sun is know where near its peak yet."
Damn, she's not budging. "I can't help de fact dat I'm hot."
"Honestly Remy…" With a wave of her hand she sent a cool breeze toward his face. "There, are you happy now?"
"Hell yeah! How much do I have t' pay t' keep you wit' me 24/7. "
"Baby, you do not have to give me money to have me with you 24/7." She said seductively to a grinning Remy. However, her flirtatious attitude ceased when she spotted something usual in her flowerbed. "I thought you quit smoking?"
"I did." He answered continuing with his digging.
"Then why is your cigarette butt in my flower bed?" She asked holding the cigarette to his face. She knew it belong to him because it was the brand he loved to smoke.
He remembered taking a drag of the cigarette any throwing it out the window last night. "I had a momentary relapse. It won't happen again." Dere's no way I'm gonna explain t' her what happened between Betsy and me. He finished digging his hole. "Dere, how's dat?" He asked with pride.
She looked down at the tunnel that he dug in the soil. "Remy that is too big and far too deep."
He looked at her hopelessly. "I t'ink it's obvious I'm not cut out for dis."
"You just do not want to help me."
"Dat's not true." He said, dusting his hands on his pants. He stood up and stretched. "Wait here I have t' go and get somet'ing." He turned to leave not waiting for her response.
"Sure, whatever." She answered, but didn't expect to see him again for a long time.
*
Rogue stood in the washroom as her powers slowly began to re-emerge through her body. It felt good being back to her old self, but she already missed the sensation of touching another person. Hell, I even miss getting tickled by Bobby. She thought with a smile.
Rogue also noticed that the green light on her bracelet was now red. That's strange, shouldn't the light go back to its original diamond color? Then again, the booklet did make mention of a red light…But I can't remember what it said. Oh well, Ah'll find out later. Anyway, with this red light there is no way for Scott to tell Ah used the bracelet.
She changed into a pair of blue short-shorts and a white shirt then opened the door trying to think of what to say when Bobby asked her about the bracelet.
He looked up at her with a smile. "So you turned on the bracelet, huh?"
Damn! He's not one to beat around the bush. "Yeah." She took a seat in front of him on the bed.
"I didn't think you would have used it last night. Why did you?"
She shrugged as casually as possible. "Ah don't know. Ah was bored Ah guess."
"Does Remy know?"
Ah could easily jus' answer 'no', but then Ah would have to tell more lies on top of it. And if you're going to tell a lie, keep it as close to the truth as possible. "Yeah, he knows."
"Anything happen?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know." He mumbled, shrugging his shoulders. "Did he try and…"
"How many times do Ah have to say that we are just friends? Ah decided to use the bracelet and nothing happened." Which is true.
"Did you touch him?"
Briefly, she struggled with the idea of what to tell him. "Yes." She finally answered truthfully.
"Then something did happen."
"Ah had to make sure it worked."
"So, you touched him and saw that everything was fine and that's it?"
"Yup. We went our separate ways. Ah spent the night here." She added a little to quickly. And the lie has officially begun. Ah should have jus' stopped after Ah said 'yup'.
He looked over to her neatly made bed, which would be unusual for anyone else, so early in the morning. But not for Rogue, considering that she is a neat freak at times.
"Why are you so interested in me and Remy anyway?" She asked with a curious smile.
"I'm just looking out for you and making sure you don't get sucked back into a destructive relationship."
"No need to look out for me, Bobby. Ah can take care of myself." Though secretly she liked the fact that he cared. "So what have you been up to?"
His eyes widen with excitement as he spoke. "You wouldn't believe what happened to me at the docks. I was lifting a heavy packaged to the van and I fell!"
"Oh mah goodness! Were you hurt?"
"No, but I damaged the package. That's $325,000 dollars of Xavier's money down the drain."
"But how did you fall?"
"You ready for this? I slipped on some ice."
"Ice?" She repeated with confusion. "Don't tell me you were playing that silly game where you ice the floor and watch it melt?" He nodded his answer. Rogue burst out laughing. "Ah can't believe it! This is too funny."
"Go ahead, laugh it up." He was prepared for her reaction and leaned back in his chair waiting patiently for her giggling to stop. "If you don't mind, I want to keep this between us. The only other person who knows is Scott."
She finished laughing. "What did he say?"
"He was frigging pissed off. I literally saw steam come out of his ears."
She rolled her eyes at his exaggerate statement.
"Okay, maybe not literally. But Scott was going on and on about this and that. Apparently my accident pushed us over budget."
No wonder Scott didn't wanna write a report up on Remy. It would look really bad on his part to have Xavier read about all our mishaps. "There goes our Karaoke machine."
"Fuck that. How am I going to come up with that kind of money?"
"Why do you have to come up with the money? It was an accident."
"But it is still my fault. The last thing I want is for Xavier to look at me as being irresponsible. Shit, this incident just sent me back to my goofy teenage years."
She felt badly for him knowing how much he tried to get over that image of himself "But Ah liked those goofy teenage years. Don't be so hard on yourself." He gave her a slight nod and squeezed her glove hand. She pulled him over to sit beside her on the bed. "Warren would give you the money if you ask him."
"True. But no one knows where he took off to."
Who else has that kind of money? "There's always Betsy."
He shook his head. "Yeah right. Remember the mood she was in yesterday? There is no way she would give me that kind of money."
Well, there's one more person who has access to that kind of money. "What about Remy?"
"You're kidding right?" He almost looked like he would burst into laughter.
"No. He probably has a half a million stashed under his mattress."
"There's no way I'm going to ask Gambit for money."
"Why not? Ah know you two aren't the best of friends at times, but can't you just put your pride aside this once?"
"No way. He would hang that money over my head forever."
"No he wouldn't." Actually, he probably would. "Ah have an idea. What if Ah asked him for the money? He would give it to me without any questions. Then Ah can give it to you and he wouldn't have to know."
"Hell no. There's no way I'm going to let you ask him for that kind of money. I don't want him to hold it over your head either."
She sighed. "He wouldn't do that to me, Bobby."
"I don't want you to do it, understand?"
"Uh-huh." She answered eyes focused on the floor.
"I mean it, Rogue." His voice commanded her to look at him.
"Ah know, Ah know. Ah'll stay out of it."
"Good." He focused on the red light of her bracelet. "I didn't get the chance to actually touch you. When are you going to use the bracelet again?"
She remembered the 24-hour rule that she glimpsed in the booklet. "Ah have to wait 24 hours to use it again. Ah turned it on around 9:50 last night so Ah can use it after 9:50 tonight. But Ah doubt Ah'm gonna be using it again so soon. Do you mind keeping mah using the bracelet between us?"
"Yeah, sure." He was curious to know why, but thought it better not to ask. He decided to change the subject. "Mr. Harry was asking for you yesterday."
"Ahhh, he missed me?"
"He wanted to know if you were single."
"Ewww." She scrunched her face in disgust remembering how old he was.
"Not for him, he wanted to know for his son, Shawn. He gave me Shawn's number for you."
"Oh, is his son cute?"
"Why would that matter? I told him that you weren't looking to date anyone one, right? I mean, that's what you told me."
"Oh yeah, right. Ah was jus' curious." She said defensively, picking at her bed sheets. "So, where's the number?"
"I ripped it up."
"So you're trying to spoil all mah fun now?" She asked playfully pinching his cheek. "Ah'm hungry. You gonna join me for breakfast?"
He rubbed his tired eyes. "I was up all night. I think I'm going to sleep for a long time."
"You can crash on mah bed if yah like."
"I'll take you up on that offer." He said as he crawled into her bed, under the covers. Feeling a bit warm he took off his shirt and tossed it to the floor.
Rogue immediately picked up his shirt and folded it neatly eyeing his tanned body. "Oh wow. If Ah'd known you were going to put on a show, Ah'd a brought a stack of dollar bills."
"Dollar bills? I'm worth more than that."
"Hey, if you want to raise 300 grand, you have to start somewhere." She joked as she walked over to her dresser and took up one of her many teddy bears. "Here, you can have Mr. T Bear. He's really cozy." She placed the bear beside Bobby who was snuggling under her fruity perfumed sheets.
"Cool."
"Sleep tight." She called out as she walked out the door.
"I'll try." Rogue heard him whisper as she closed the door. She stood in the hallway for a couple of moments thinking. The voices in her head were softer compared to the night before, and Canon was no where to be heard.
Hmmm, Canon is a li'l too quiet; Ah wonder what he's up to now? She started to walk down the hall headed toward the main floor. Ah guess Ah'll jus' have to find out.
* * *
(Betsy/Bobby)
Betsy stepped out her room wearing tight blue jeans and a black belly shirt. Her long purple hair was tied in a loose ponytail, allowing strains to fall free around her face. She wasn't normally a morning person on her days off, but her late night talk with Scott cause her to take a new lease on life. Yes, her relationship with Warren was over, but damn if she was going to act like her life was over as well. No more wallowing in self-pity for me. She wanted to seek out Scott's company, but knew that something else required her immediate attention.
She knocked softly on Rogue's room door and opened it before she got any response. Rogue is almost always awake this early. To her surprise she found Bobby sleeping underneath the covers.
She jumped on him, sitting on his stomach. "What the hell!" He shouted out of his sleep. He stared at Betsy, with obvious confusion.
"What are you doing in Rogue's room?!" She demanded an answer, poking him in the space between his collarbones.
"I was talking to her!"
She looked around the room, searching for something she knew wasn't there. "Then where is she?" She asked harshly as if she was being lied to.
"She just left about a minute ago." She gave him the strong impression that she wanted more answers. "She told me I could sleep in her bed."
"If you say so." She said in a lighter tone, shrugging her shoulders. She looked next to him. "Just because you're in her bed you have to sleep with one of her bears?"
He followed her eyes over to the stuffed animal. "Yeah, so what?"
"Couldn't you pick one of the female bears to sleep with?" She added with a friendly smile. Bobby smiled with her, finally relaxing beneath her body.
"Oh look, Betsy's cracking jokes. Which means, Gambit is probably a police officer, Beast has just been diagnosed with a learning disorder and Cyclops is the X-men traitor…"
"I get the joke." She responded sarcastically, pinching his nose so that he could inhale. "Ha-ha."
He brushed her hand away from his face. "Is it just me or are you not as happy as you seem to be."
"I am happy, Drakey-Boy! When the world hands you lemons, you make lemonade."
"But I hate lemonade." He wined as she got off of him.
"Well, then you're screwed." She got under the covers. "Do you mind?"
He smiled. Hell no! "Not at all." She snuggled next to him and he responded with open arms. "I think I can get use to the cheerful Betsy."
"You better get use to it, baby. I'm going to be here for awhile."
"It's great to hear."
She looked at all the dolls neatly place around the room. "I don't know how Rogue could stand it in here. All these faces are kind of creepy. And to think that this is what her mind must be like." She shivered underneath the warm blankets.
Bobby wasn't paying her any attention. Because she seemed to be in a good mode, he was preparing himself to ask her a difficult question. "Betsy, I have a little problem on my hands."
"And you decided to come to the problem solver."
"Yeah."
"Well, you're going to have to walk and talk." She removed the covers and hopped out the bed. "If I stay in bed any longer I might fall asleep." She stopped at the doorway and looked back at Bobby still under the sheets. "You coming?"
He hastily rushed out the bed and grabbed his shirt. Eventually he caught up with her in the hallway, where she stood waiting. "Don't think I'm pressuring you or anything…"
She gave him a suspicious look, placing a hand on her hip. "Oh-oh. Is this going to be a long build up?"
"I just don't want you to feel uncomfortable…" He mumbled unsure of himself.
"You're boring me. Speak now or forever hold your peace."
"I'm not use to doing this kind of thing…"
Unbeknownst to him she darted into his mind to get the necessary information in a shorter amount of time.
She slapped her hands on her cheeks, magnifying her look of mock surprise. "You want me to give you $325,000. Shit, Bobby! Why not just ask me to buy you a fucking house?"
Grabbing her hands he pleaded, "I'll pay you back, I swear, even if it takes the rest of my life."
She clearly was not moved by his emotional pledge. "It will take you 3 life times to pay me back $325,000."
"I know I…"
"Why do you need so much money?" She interrupted him, releasing her hands from his grasp.
"It's a long story."
She leaned against the hallway wall tapping her watch. "I have all day."
"Without going into great detail, I damaged one of our new equipment at the docks last night." He decided to side-step what really happened.
She sensed he was skimming over the truth and reached into his mind again. In her mind's eye she witnessed Bobby's fall, causing the cargo he was carrying to break. "You slipped on ice!" If she did not have the wall for support she would have doubled over with laughter.
"Okay, okay, let it all out. Just tell me now if I'm wasting my time asking you."
She stopped laughing, her expression turned serious. "Well, you still haven't officially asked me for anything. I pulled it all from your mind."
There's no way she's going to let me off easy. Bobby swallowed his pride as he prepared to make his request. "Can I borrow the money from you?"
"How much do you need?" She asked smiling, playing dumb.
He inhaled deeply, willing to play along with her in order to get the money. "I need $325,000."
"Whew! That's a lot of change." She acted as if it was the first time she had heard his plea. "I wouldn't want a thing like money to damage our friendship." It was hard for her to keep from laughing at that statement. "Anyway, there is no way you can borrow that kind of money and pay it back…with interest, of course. I would have to give it to you."
"Then can you give me $325,000?" He still had every intention on paying her back the money.
Taking his hand in hers she said, "There, now was that so hard? She sounded condescending, as if she were speaking to a child.
"No." He answered stubbornly. "Well?"
"I'll have to think about it." She gave an evil grin, knowing all along that she had no intention of giving him the money so easily…if at all.
"You know what, Betsy? Forget about it." He let go of her hand. No, he didn't get the money from her, but he was not upset. He knew he was taking a big risk asking her in the first place and was not overly shocked he was turned down. "I'll get the money somewhere else."
"Where?"
"I'll find a way." Really, I have no idea what I'm going to do.
"No skin off my back." Shrugging her shoulders she turned to leave, but faced him again when she remembered why she went into Rogue's room in the first place. "So how's Rogue doing?"
"She's fine, why?"
"She was a mess last night when I saw her. She was freaking out. I guess Remy was able to calm her down. Even if it might have took him all night."
Her last two words caught his otherwise wandering attention. "What do you mean by 'all night'?"
"Without telling you the entire story, I was completely wasted last night. Remy brought me to my room."
"And?"
"He left me to go back to his room to help out Rogue because she was a mess. He was suppose to come back and check up on me…he never did. I just assumed he spent the night with Rogue…alone…in his locked room." She knew for quite awhile that Bobby had a thing for Rogue. "So I hear Rogue can now control her powers. I know what Remy's plans are…"
"Plans? He's not pursing her because she needs some time to herself."
She laughed. "Is that what he told you?"
"No, that's what she told me."
Oh please! Rogue cannot be that clueless. "Forget about what Rogue says, Gambit has a plan…he always does. So, what's yours? Because sitting on the sidelines while the game is being played is pretty pathetic."
Betsy observed the changes in Bobby's face. She could tell that he was still stuck on her saying that Rogue spent the night in Remy's room. Telling Bobby were Rogue spent the night helped her disrupt Remy's pursuit of Rogue…or so she hoped. But even if that didn't work, she had a back up plan.
If only Bobby would admit he had feelings for her. She always thought that Bobby would be better suited for Rogue then Remy. "Later, I have stuff to do." She walked off without another word.
He remained in the empty hallway in deep thought. Betsy was a known trouble- maker at times, so he wasn't going to put too much weight on what she said. After all, Rogue told me herself that she spent the night in her room. The new revelation caused him to put everything aside and go to his room to sleep.
On his walk to the men's section, he pictured Rogue in his mind: her infectious laugh, her sparkling green eyes, her…
Wait a minute, "She was wearing Remy's jersey!" He chewed on that information for a while. Her wearing Remy's shirt wasn't anything new. "But his lucky Jersey?" And I did find her in the men's section early in the morning, and her bed did not look like it had been slept in. Alone, all of his suspicions were innocent, however when he put everything together…
His mood darkened upon reflection, something just didn't add up.
*
Ororo hummed a beautiful melody repeatedly as she gardened. The early morning was peaceful, and the only noise that could be heard was the rustling of the trees and singing of the birds. Her hands were covered in cool soil opting not to use any gardening gloves. She loved the touch of nature in all its forms, even dirt form. Her relaxed spirit was interrupted when a shadowy figure covered her form, blocking the sun's warmth from reaching her body.
Ororo looked up to see Remy over her looking very pleased with himself. She noticed he was holding a sandwich in his left hand. "You left me to go make yourself a sandwich?" She asked dropping her tiny shovel.
"I was hungry." He answered showing no any sign of guilt. He held the sandwich to her as a peace offering. "I saved you some. Here take a bite."
"I'm not hungry." She lied turning her attention back to her flowerbed. She continued with planting flowers along the estate.
"But it's your favorite. Cheese and lettuce on a whole wheat bread. It's delicious." He moved the food in front of her nose trying to entice her to take it.
"My hands are dirty with soil." She lifted her soiled filled hands up showing him the proof.
"I'll feed you." He smiled kneeling down in front of her. "Open your mouth."
She looked at him doubtfully. Those words would have sounded innocent coming from anyone's lips, but his. Plus, the devilish expression on his face didn't help matters much.
She looked him straight in the eyes and opened her month taking a bite. "Umm." Was her satisfying answer to a question he hadn't yet asked.
"You like it?" She nodded her head in response, her mouth still working the bread down her throat. "You wan' some more?" He asked still holding the remainder of the sandwich in his hand.
"Yes." The food jump-started her appetite. She opened her mouth ready to accept another bite. Instead Remy took what was left and shoved it all into his mouth.
She watched him chew her food in disbelief. "I cannot believe you just did that."
"Well, believe it." He stood up and dusted the crumbs from his hands. "I'll be right back." He turned to leave and disappeared around the corner of the mansion.
What is he up to? Ororo wondered in disarray. She did not have to wait long for an answer. Remy returned to her with a basket in his hand.
"Remy!" She yelled happily at the sight of him.
He stepped toward her, bowed down and extended his hand. "Will you do de honor of accompanying me on a picnic?"
"I would be delighted." She accepted his hand and he pulled her up.
They walked a slight distance through the estate and found the perfect spot to sit under a tall tree that providing them with enough shade for him to remove his dark glasses. Remy placed a blanket on the grass for them to sit on.
"This was a wonderful idea." Ororo gushed with a huge smile on her face. "I have not been on a picnic in so long." She lay down on the blanket, stretching out her body watching as the clouds move through the sky.
"It's my pleasure." Remy started to take out the assorted snacks he prepared for their day together. "What would you like t' eat, cherie?"
"Any, and everything!" She answered. Remy sat closer to her and gave her a wash cloth to wipe her hands in. She let him left her head up and placed it on his lap, but protested when he began to feed her different slices of fruit.
"You don't have to do that." She said pushing his fingers away from her face.
"Of course I do. I am in de presence of royalty." He winked. "Shall I peel your grapes?"
She giggled in response and opened her mouth. "You spoil me." He proceeded to feed her from the fruit mix. "The food is great."
"Anyt'ing for you."
"Oh, you charmer, you. Save your routine for someone who doesn't know you as well as I do." Her warning lack any severity because of her smile.
"Mon, Cherie. Dat hurts." He continued to drop fruit into her mouth. "So when are you gonna tell me about your 'nice' night?"
"I was working up to it."
"Any day now, before I lose interest."
She inhaled deeply buying her some time. She decided to go for the direct approach. "Remy, I went on a date last night with my boyfriend." She blurted out, nervous about how he would react. He gently forced her head from his lap so he could look directly at her.
He had suspected for some time that something was up with her, even so the word 'boyfriend' sent a dagger through his heart. "So de truth finally comes out."
She took his words with a negative connotation. "It wasn't as if I was lying to you. I just wanted to keep a few things to myself." She responded, sounding more defensive then she intended. "You of all people should understand that."
"Who is he?"
A gust of wind swept around them, blowing her hair into her face. "It's not important."
"I'll be de judge of dat. Who is he?"
"Watch it, Remy." She pushed her hair behind her ears. "Might I remind you that I am a grown woman."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He dismissed her words with a wave of his hand. "Who is he?"
"I can't believe you. We were having such a pleasant morning."
"De fact dat you won't tell me who he is says somet'ing." He kept his empathy on high alert, tracking her emotions.
"Oh really? And what exactly does it say?"
"It says dat you know I won't approve of him." He was purposely trying to provoke her.
Another gust of wind danced between them. "Wait a second. Who says I need your approval?"
"It isn't like you t' be sneaking around at night wit' who de hell knows!" He observed her eyes widen in outrage. Yes! I'm getting' on her nerves.
"It isn't like me?" She asked getting up on her knees. "Then what is like me? Being home every Saturday night reading a novel?
"Exactly." He felt her anger begin to increase. Come on, I'm almost dere.
"You are always the one telling me I need to take more risks in life."
Bingo! He narrowed his eyes locking her into place. "So dis guy's a risk, huh." She stopped suddenly, finally realizing that she was playing into Remy's game. Under another wave of intense questioning, Remy would have her blurting out Logan's name.
The wind began to die down as she got her emotions under control.
"Is he a mutant?" He was in no mood to stop his interrogation.
"It does not matter what he is."
"Yes, it does. If he's a mutant you could be in danger when you go out wit' him alone, especially when you don't tell anyone where you're going."
She looked helplessly to the to the sky. "You know what, you are amazing sometimes. I am second in command of the X-men, trained in combat fighting, have the power of nature on my side, yet you are still worried about my safety."
"Yeah, dat's right. How long have you been seeing him? Where does he live? Have you told him you're a member of de X-men?" He was now in rapid-fire question period.
Ororo paused again, taking the time to calm herself. She crossed her legs and decided to take another approach with him.
"You really surprise me, Remy. I thought that when I finally told you I was seeing someone you would be happy for me. I thought that you would have noticed the smile a walk around with on my face, or the joy I feel in my heart, but instead you give me an interrogation. I guess I must have expected a little too much from you."
Merde! She always knows jus' what t' say t' make me feel guilty. Remy rubbed his hand over his face, knowing that he had to change his strategy. "I'm sorry, 'Ro. I guess I jus' wished you could have told me about your relationship when it first started." Yes, she can make me feel guilty, but I can do de same. "I t'ought we were close enough t' share dat kind of stuff." He added with a puppy-dog face.
He got me good. She thought with an inner smile. "We are Remy. I did tell you, eventually. Hey, I told you before I told Jean."
He perked up upon hearing the news. "Really? I guess dat's a plus. You don't wan' anyone else t' know?"
She shrugged her shoulders and popped an apple slice into her mouth. "I do not mind people knowing I am seeing someone, except for Jean and Betsy. The curiosity about who he is might be a little too much for them to handle without flashing through my mind."
Remy crawled over to her and placed his head in her lap. He took her hand and placed it on his chest, over his heart. "So you really like dis guy, huh?"
"Yes. I like him a lot."
He raised an eyebrow. "You like him more dan me?"
She lowered her forehead so that he rested on his forehead. "You two are tied for first place." She kissed his nose.
"Have you slept wit' him?"
I knew this question would come sooner or later. "No, not yet."
"Not, yet?"
"Yes, Remy. We will be sleeping together eventually."
"Oh, man!" His hand shot up to his forehead as if he was near faint.
She shook her head at his reaction. "Honestly, I don't know why you are so upset. I'm hardly a virgin."
He sat back up and looked at her with fake astonishment. "What? You're not a virgin?!"
"Stop it."
He lowered his head back on her lap. "Bring back de days when kids use t' wait for marriage t' have sex."
She rolled her eyes in response to his statement. "Shut up, Remy. I will not listen to a man who would sleep with every woman under the sun, except his wife."
He gave a low chuckle remembering that he and Belladonna managed to have sex umpteen times, but he couldn't seal the deal on their wedding night…due to certain circumstances. "Dat's a good one." He gave her long hair a tug. "So, when are you gonna introduce me t' your 'boyfriend'?"
"I don't know when exactly, but it will happen."
"Did you tell him about me?"
"What would I have told him?"
"Dat I am your overprotected brother."
"Right. The resemblance is uncanny." She pinched his cheeks. "Yes, he knows about you. I'm sure you two will be really good friends."
Dere's no way, I'm gonna like dis guy. "If you say so."
She smiled, more to herself than to him. "I know so."
*
Bobby walked over to the Men's Quarters and stood outside Remy's door. He couldn't go to his room to sleep until he had a talk with Remy. Knocking on the door, he waited for Remy to respond, but heard no answer.
He's probably in the shower. He thought about returning later, but couldn't help notice that the door was ajar. Gambit always locks his door when he goes out, so he must be inside. Pushing the door open, he stepped inside.
"Remy? Remy?" Quickly, he went to the washroom in search of the Cajun, but came out without him.
Bobby was ready to give up and was about to leave when he noticed a red sweatshirt and pants folded neatly on the couch.
"These are Rogue's clothes." He processed the evidence in front of him. "The logical conclusion is that she spent the night here. But she told me she spent the night in her room. Why would she lie if nothing happened?"
Bobby went back to the women's section and opened one of the doors. He searched the room until he found the black phone book he was looking for. Flipping through the book, he stopped when he came to a number with a Washington DC area code. He picked up the pink phone near by and began to dial the long distant number.
*
They sat together in a comfortable silence until Remy finally picked up on something that Ororo slipped out in their earlier conversation. "So, you're second in command of de X-men? I t'ought you were co-leader."
Here we go. "You are not the only one that is confused. Apparently I have been demoted."
"No shit?" He was caught off guard by the revelation. "When did dis happen?"
"I'm as much in the dark as you. I have been noticing Scott taking more control over certain things over the last few weeks. Under Xavier's command, mind you."
He could sense a noticeable change in her mood. "Is it jus' me? I t'ink I'm sensing some anger coming from you…yes it is anger."
"I am not angry."
"Yes you are, you jus' pushed it too far down t' realize it. You're mad at Cyke."
"Maybe just a tad." She relented with a shrug.
"Wan' me t' beat him up for you?" He asked wiggling his eyebrows.
"No, I do not."
"Den can I jus' beat him up for me?"
She giggled, "No."
Remy began to feel anxious with the lack of movement. "Let's go back inside."
"But it is so nice here. Besides, I am too lazy to walk all that way back to the mansion."
He jumped up and bowed before her. "Your carriage awaits."
She looked around their surroundings. "You got me a carriage?"
Laughing, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She started to laugh loudly as he carried her toward the mansion.
Ororo couldn't see anything, because her face was behind his back. She was bobbing up and down with each step he took. She knew something was wrong when he came to a stop too soon to be anywhere close to home.
"Where are you two comin' from?" Ororo heard Logan asked, but could not see him. She never felt so scared at the sound of his voice.
Remy stood with one arm around her waist as she dangled her legs over his shoulder. Logan eyed them with a long blade of grass between his lips.
"Remy, put me down!" Ororo demanded, wanting to get out of the awkward position she was in.
Remy ignored her request and answered Logan's question. "We're comin' back from our secret make-out spot."
"Remy." She scolded, slapping his shoulder.
"Shhh. It's not like I told him 'bout our love-nest." He joked. She started to wiggle under his arm and finally he put her down. However, he did not let her go far, trapping her in his embrace.
"He's only kidding." Ororo told her boyfriend, trying to ease any fear he might have.
"No, I'm not. Is it dat you are ashamed of me and don't want anyone t' know?" He asked kissing her cheek.
Logan could help but have his eyes wander to Remy's hands, locking around Ororo's pelvis. His hands were a little too familiar with her body than Logan would have liked. "Cut the bullshit, Remy. Are we gonna be workin' on your new car or not?"
"Take it easy, mon amie. We've got all day."
"Speak for yourself. I got things to do."
"Gimme another hour or two." He grabbed her hand, swinging it back and forth. "Me and my girlfriend here aren't finished wit' our date."
"Remy." She repeated with clear irritation.
"Meet me out in the front when you're ready. Don't keep me waitin'." He walked off in a huff.
Remy turned to her. "What's his fuckin' problem?!"
She let go of his hand in frustration. "Must you always carry things too far?"
"He knew I was joking. Even if I wasn't, why would he care dat we're dating?"
"Maybe because it is no secret you have a thing for Rogue." Good cover! She mentally patted herself on the back.
His eyes gazed over. Ahh, Rogue, de apple of my eye. He thought in a dreamy state. "Speakin' of Rogue. Dere's somet'ing I have t' tell you."
"What is it?" She asked curiously.
"Jus' wait a couple of minutes. I'll tell you everyt'ing when we reach inside."
Logan stood a good distance away keeping an eye on his lady as the couple headed into the mansion.
*
(Bobby/Jubilee)
Bobby counted four rings before someone picked up the phone.
"Hello?" Answered a young female voice through the receiver.
"Good morning. May I speak with Jubilation, please?"
"That depends." The person took on a confrontational tone. "Who's calling?"
"A friend of hers."
"Friend? Jubilee doesn't have any friends around here that I don't know about." She stated rather rudely.
"I know Jubilee from New York."
"Oh, why didn't you say so?" She responded excitedly. Bobby could hear her yell into the distance, "Jubes! Your boyfriend's on the phone!"
Boyfriend? He thought puzzled. He heard a scream in the background that sounded an awful lot like his young teammate.
Jubilee grabbed the receiver. "David? Why didn't you call my cell phone?" She asked with lightening speed.
"Since when did you get a boyfriend, Jubilee?" He asked with concern.
"Bobby?" She had never been so disappointed in hearing his voice. He got my hopes up for nothing. "No, I don't have a boyfriend."
"Then who's David?"
"David is just a guy who's a really good friend of mine." She let the words roll off her tongue so that he couldn't see through the blatant lie. She then quickly changed the subject. "Ahh, how did you get this number?"
"I looked through your phone book." He confessed without hesitation.
"Breaking and entering. I thought Gambit was the only thief I should watch out for." Her tone gave him the impression that she held no ill will. "So why did you call me?"
"I need to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"You remember a while back you told me that Rogue slept with Gambit in the cave?"
"Yeah." She popped her gum. "You didn't believe me, though."
"I still don't. You're rumors are 20% accurate."
"That's not true. I stand by 100% of my gossip."
"Really? What about the time you swore to me that Xavier was a transsexual."
"Hey, hey. That rumor wasn't mine; I got it from Kitty. She told me that she heard Xavier was first paralyzed because of a boached sex-change operation. I knew it wasn't true, but I was really bored that day so I passed it around."
"You were also the one that told everyone I was gay."
"Wait a second. I got that one from Gambit."
"What?"
"Yeah. He told me that he could sense your arousal every time you watched men wrestle on TV."
Shit. That was probably long ago when I told Gambit that I thought Jubilee had a tiny crush on me. Yeah she's cute, but she's a baby. Gambit said that he would take care of it, and he did; after awhile she didn't bother me any more. But if I knew he was going to tell her I was gay, I would have told him to forget about it.
Even to this day I can't read a fitness magazine without hearing people chuckle. And it wasn't an accident when Betsy made the comment about me sleeping with a male teddy bear. "Yeah, well Gambit was lying."
"It doesn't matter. As far as Gambit and Rogue are concerned, I spoke directly to eyewitnesses."
"You're going to make me believe that they had sex in front of a live audience?"
"Ok, they didn't really see anything. But they did say that Rogue and Gambit went off by themselves into a secluded area and didn't see them again 'til hours later. I just put two and two together. You know how good I am at math." She laughed at her little joke even though Bobby wasn't joining in.
He wasn't paying her any attention, still focused on the supposed eyewitnesses. Basically what she's saying is that nobody actually saw anything. "Rogue's now wearing a bracelet that negates her powers. She used it last night, with Remy."
"They did it again!" She shouted, happy with the new bit of gossip.
"I'm just trying to find out if they even did it at all."
"I got a new piece of gossip for you."
"Yeah, what?"
"It seems like Rogue's best friend has the hots for her." She waited, but got no response from him. "Hey, if I'm wrong about what I just said, then I'm wrong about everything else. But if I'm right about you liking her then…" She let her voice trail off, knowing she didn't have to finish her sentence. "Since Rogue already lost her virginity to him…it's reasonable to believe that she would sleep with him again. But hey, that's just my opinion. Take it or leave it."
I'll leave it. "I've got to go."
"Wait a sec. How's Wolvie doing?" *click* She sat looking at her receiver in dismay. "No, he didn't just hang up on me!" The sound of a dial tone confirmed her fear. She put down the receiver and sat by the phone.
She had only been gone from the mansion a few days and so much had happened. At times like these she wished she was near them. After all the years, she finally came to accept the realization that they were her family.
"Shit this always happens to me. Every time I think I can live without them…I always feel the need to go back."
Bobby remained in Jubilee's room going over their conversation in his head. "No, I just can't believe it. Rogue would not lie to me…twice." However, he could now feel the doubt begin to surface in his mind.
*
"Are you going to tell me now?" Ororo asked taking a seat beside Remy on the living room couch.
He decided to play a game before coming out with the entire story. "Guess who I spent de night wit'?"
"I don't know." She thought for a moment, knowing that she would not guess the right answer. "Your left hand?" She asked jokingly.
Technically she's right. "Good answer. Guess who else I spent de night wit'."
"I don't know, who?"
"Rogue! She used de bracelet last night and spent de night wit' me."
"Get out! No she didn't." But, his smug smile convinced her he was speaking the truth. Her first instinct was to be happy for him, but she remembered the words of Logan from the night before. "Wait a second Remy. I know you did not take advantage of Rogue last night."
He smiled. "No, it was innocent. It was like a replay of de night in de cave."
She nodded her head, remembering all that he told her about his first night with Rogue. From his account their first union was innocent. She then focused her attention on the present day. "So, she touched you?"
"Yup." He said as he folded his hand behind his head and leaned back into the couch with satisfaction.
"And you touched her."
"Not really…actually no." He then straightened up in his seat. "She freaked out on me and put back on her gloves."
What did Jean say? Just because she has the bracelet doesn't mean all her problems will go away. "Yes, I guess you would have to go slow with her."
Remy felt a movement with his sensory perception. Someone was approaching the living room.
Unaware of what Remy was sensing, Ororo began to laugh, "So you finally slept with Rogue…again!"
Remy immediately got her attention with a stern look. He put his index finger up to his lips to quiet her. He listened for awhile but heard nothing; the person was gone.
"What is it?"
"Someone was standin' near de door, but dey're gone now."
"You think they heard me?"
"Probably not." He shrugged it off.
The fact that Rogue did not want Remy to touch her hadn't left her mind. On further thought, it doesn't seem like Rogue has made any progress at all. Or that she will make any progress. "Remy, I think we really need to talk about what is going on between you and Rogue."
He smirked. "I t'ought we were talkin' about it."
She did not smile with him. "Seriously, Remy. Maybe you should consider the fact that Rogue might not be interested in a relationship with you."
"Now why would you go and say a t'ing like dat?"
"Because she hasn't given any reason to believe that you will have a future together."
He slouched back into the couch not wanting to continue their conversation. "Chere, jus' drop it."
"She is obviously incapable of actually loving someone…"
" 'Ro…"
"And maybe you should think about not…"
"Listen. If you're gonna say what I t'ink you're gonna say…"
"Remy, you might not want to believe it, but even you have a limit. There is only so much any person can take before they get fed up. If Rogue is not careful, she may push you too far…"
He cut her off with a look deprived of his usual carefree attitude. "Stop. I don't wanna hear it."
"Then you won't." But she had no intention of stopping. She had to get what she was feeling off her chest. "Just let me say this. Many times I would sit with you when she broke your heart. I hate seeing you like that, Remy." She paused so to make sure he was really listening to her. "I like you also have a limit."
To her surprise he only stared at her, showing no outward signs of emotion. It was the first time in a long time they shared an uncomfortable silence…well, it was more uncomfortable for her then him.
Suddenly, he broke the silence. "What time is it?"
"8:00." She answered after looking at her digital watch. The fact that he did not respond to what she said was unnerving.
"I have to go into town to pick up my new car and be back here to meet Wolverine."
"Okay." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and left the room.
Ororo sat alone thinking about what had occurred. Deep down, so far down it did not affect the weather, she felt concern for Remy.
That bracelet will turn out to be disaterous. That thought kept on re-playing in her mind as it did the first time she said it to Jean. For Remy's sake she prayed that her intuition was wrong.
*
Bobby stood along the estate grounds and watched Remy get on his motorcycle.
He could still hear Ororo's voice in his mind. 'So you finally slept with Rogue…again!' He was the figure that stood near the doorway and heard Ororo's comment about Rogue and Remy.
She really did sleep with him. First in the cave and again last night. Bobby couldn't help but be angry. I don't know what makes me more furious. The fact that that she slept with Remy or the fact she felt the need to lie to me. Shit, I know no one ever said she was my girlfriend, but she was my best friend…'was' being the operative word.
She could have been with anyone; hell I wouldn't have minded Shawn that much…But Remy? I'll say it again like I said it before: Whether it's intentional or not, Gambit brings trouble.
The sound of Remy turning on the engine pulled Bobby away from his thoughts. It wasn't even noon, and he already knew that it wouldn't be his day.
******
Answers: Jelispar: The hard thing about writing a story evolving so many characters is giving everyone their moment. I know it took a while, but Scott's character will be explored more in the upcoming chapters.
And I should have apologized long ago for my grammatical errors. When you look at a story for so long, it becomes really hard to fix every mistake. I have a lot of the past chapters corrected on my hard-drive but it's such a bitch to upload sometimes (I have to do it at least five times before it goes through). Eventually, I will upload all my re-edited chapters, but until then everyone, please excuse my errors :0)
Lateo: I know it was short, but the little Jubilee scene was for you.
Review, please and thank you.
Next Time: Remy talks to Logan about 'Ro and says the one thing that pushes Logan too far. Rogue tells Scott the reasons she broke up with Remy in the first place. Then Rogue asks Remy for an expensive favor and more, more, more…