OOO
JACKSON SQUARE
OOO
A hand touched her shoulder which caused her to jerk away.
Her back was soared and her legs hurt. Her eyes felt like they were going to fall right off and roll until they hit the opposite wall. Her heart. Her heart was better off alone. It felt broken and miserable.
Rogue didn't have the commonsense to run from the mysterious person who plagued her. He just sat down by her side and let her feel his presence, which didn't record on Rogue's brain before a moment.
When she did, she raised her head so only her red puffy eyes were visible. He smiled at her. Henri.
Satisfied it wasn't some stranger with strange ideas, she let her head drop back in its original position, between her arms.
"Y' know, women don't usually stay in dark alleys crying, especially during Mardi Gras." When she didn't respond in anyway, he continued "Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, Remy did tell me you were his..." This got her attention. She didn't raise her head once more but tensed. "Frankly, Remy always had weird taste when it came to relationship."
She looked at him then and he smiled encouragingly. "How..."
"How do I know Remy? He's my brother, well foster-brother but who cares, he's my brother and dat's all there is to it. Really, Rogue, don't make dat face. Com'on I'm takin' y' at my place."
When she didn't get up at the same time as he did, he offered her his hand.
"Com'on, I ain't lettin' y' die here. At least, y' can do dat in a decent place."
She got painfully up, without his help.
OOO
As soon as she had arrived at his apartment, he made her sleep in the guess room for a full five hours. When she had woken up, he had ordered her to take a hot shower and he had made her lunch.
They were sitting around the kitchen table when Mercy arrived. She stopped dead at the doorframe of the kitchen, never actually stepping through. She glared at her fiancé before addressing her.
"Huh, I'm sorry to ask but who are y'?"
"Rogue."
"Oh, nice to meet y'." Mercy then proceeded to greet Henri appropriately by kissing him then she sat on a nearby chair to his. Hands linked, they both looked happily at her.
Rogue felt tears threatening to spill...again. This was love, obviously. This was trust. The woman finds another one alone with her fiancé in their home and doesn't ask a single question except her name. Details were unimportant.
She was acutely aware of their closeness and it made Rogue more aware then ever that this would never happen to her. Never, not after Remy.
"Rogue's just had an engueulade [bawling out] with Rem-rem." As if that little simple sentence resumed the ordeal she was suffering.
"Don't speculate on what yah don't know Henri." For god's sake, she had discovered the man she loved (yeah, face it, yah love him) had a freakin' girlfriend (Bella! Horrid!) and that Henri was Remy's brother (which he never told her) and now this hypocrite in love thought to judge her? Hell no!
"I do know what I'm talkin' about, not like some." He stressed the last word and she knew it was directed at her.
"How so?" Her anger was rising at a much too fast rate.
"Look Rogue, y' know nothin' about the circumstances of all that is happenin' to y'! So, no, y' don't know what y're talkin' about!" Mercy put her hand on his arms to calm him and that simple touch made Rogue's anger burst.
"Lahke, how can yah even say that? Yah have somebody who loves yah, yah have a family who appreciates yah and yah don't have yahr damned heart broken because of a womaniser and a blond bimbo! So, no, yah're the one who doesn't know what he's talkin' about and so don't try to patronise me!" She had left the table in her tirade and was making her way towards the door.
"Rogue, if y' leave, y'll never know the real facts."
She paused with her hand on the doorknob. Could he actually be saying the truth? Was it possible that there was more to this situation than it seemed? Could Remy really love her, care for her?
That last thought made her leave because she already knew the answer. No.
OOO
She only made it to the elevator. Mercy ran after her and blocked her exit.
"I can't let y' go, Rogue. Remy's a good guy and believe me, he loves you. He even threatened Henri for y'!"
"Get out of mah way." The threatening part sounded interesting but no. There was no way she was going back on her decision.
"Be sensible and stay for an hour. It's true what Henri said. Y' don't know the facts. I suspect even Remy doesn't know all of them. Please."
"No."
"I swear Rogue, y're the most stubborn girl I've met. A girl who spits on love!" She walked away.
She had touched a sensible nerve.
"I don't spit on love. He spits on love." She responded in a whisper.
As if on cue, Mercy turned around. "Com'on, things need to be clarified."
Rogue fallowed.
OOO
They were sitting around the kitchen table again, with coffee mugs between their hands.
Rogue was testy and felt soared all over. There went her promises to herself...again. She was getting tired of hearing that. Three years ago, she would have punched Mercy and made her way in the elevator to leave this forsaken place. But then again, three years ago she hadn't met Remy yet.
"Bella came crashin' here this morning yellin' a whole lot of nonsense about Remy leavin' and bein' suicidal and then she grabbed me and told me "It's done". Took me a while to understand the meanin' of all this shit, but I did. Remy came here before Bella today. Told me to leave y' alone. He had seen us I presume and he asked me a bunch o questions about me, Jake and y'. Found out he hadn't told y' anythin'. I left him two days to do so, otherwise I would." He looked up. "And he thanked me. Thank y', he said. Remy never thanks anybody. Takes and leave, that's him...but anyway, when Bella arrived, I figured out this whole mess and..."
"Arumph."
"Oh, right...Mercy figured things out. Bella went kissy kissy with Remy. The girl told us that y' were there too. But don't judge Remy for that. Bella has always wanted to be close to Remy, some nonsense about lovin' him and now she goes out with Jake. Since their weddin', it's..."
"Wedding? They're mahrried?" So much for trust, Rogue thought.
"No! Of course not. See, my father wanted to do a marriage between the Thieves Guild and the Assassins. Oh sorry, you don't know what they are..."
She cut in. "I know what they are."
Mercy and Henri widened their eyes. "Y' do?"
Rogue made an impatient nod.
"Who...who told y'?" Matters were serious if people they had never met before and who used to leave in New York, knew about the Guilds...
"Remy did."
Their eyes widened even more. "He what?"
"He told me about the Guilds. What's the matter, it's not that serious, is it?"
"He told her. My god, Henri, he..." Mercy couldn't finish her sentence, however hard Rogue wanted to deny it, Remy was in love with her. He had told her!
"What else did he tell y'?"
"Not yahr business!"
"Oh yes, it is. When it concerns the Guild and family, it concerns us."
They looked both menacingly at her. "Ok, relax, he talked about how he got disowned by his father."
Mercy and Henri both continued to glare until they burst out laughing. They laughed, in her face. Did Remy lie to her about this too?
"Wha'?"
"It's just that, this is just too hilarious! Remy, he, he...oh my! That y' two be in such predicament is simply hilarious, don't y' see that he loves y'?" Mercy needed water, badly. She got a hold on herself and went to the sink to get some.
Henri on the other hand was wiping tears from his eyes. Rogue glared at him and it made him stop.
"Sorry about that. Hehe. Y' know Rogue? Whatever y' say, Rem-rem's in love with y'. More importantly, he trusts y'."
She was about to protest when he continued "No, Rogue, listen, he never told anyone about what happened that year. The thieving, the mutant and the disownment. Nobody. I learned it from our father. I'm really sorry that we laughed in such a moment, it is, in fact, less then happy what happened but...hard-feelin' Remy trusts someone! As kids, he was always the one excluded. He learned to be alone even with us around. A weird guy. But, hey, we all love him and, well, we're happy for him. I'm sure he doesn't even realise how deep he's fallen."
What Henri had said had shaken Rogue more then she let on. Trust? She had been looking for it for an eternity and she hadn't even recognise it when it was in her face. How was she ever going to forgive herself? How was he ever going to forgive her?
Do something Rogue. Yah're a stubborn bitch, don't let that discourage yah. Don't think, act. Go kill it tiger!
Rogue got out of her daze and looked at Henri. "Where can I find him?"
"Huh, good question. Maybe at...wait! The state he certainly is in right now, he won't be in a bar or anything near civilisation. Try Jackson Square, do you know of it?"
"I'll find it. Thank yah." She smiled fondly at them then raced to the door.
"Don't y' want to know about the weddin'?" yelled Henri.
"Ah trust him, I don't care!"
She was gone, leaving behind Mercy and Henri proud of their good action of the day. Hell, make that of a decade. Remy deserved to be happy. It was time he let his past go.
OOO
After he had realised that he wouldn't find her, he had come immediately here and had been ever since.
It was soothing because it was cut off of the crowds, the sound and the life of the city. It was in the middle of it and out of it.
Everybody thought him a man of the city who lived on wine, gaming and women. It was not true. He needed calmness. Peacefulness. Forgiveness.
Since he was a kid, Jackson Square was is favourite place because it granted him all three. Calmness to keep him from harsh actions, peacefulness to keep his mind from drowning in sorrows and forgiveness to turn the page. Since he had left Rogue two years ago, Jackson Square had become his life saver.
It was a maze of dark high bushes that kept everything from view. Benches were scattered around the paths and in its middle was a huge fountain representing two flying angels beautifully and sensually intertwined.
This figure didn't made things easier in the least but this was the whole point. Face your problem and it'll get better. Since he couldn't find Rogue, he'll remember her. His vision of her was so vivid, it was a wonder he couldn't touch it. All the curves, the soft unconventional hair, the pale skin, the emerald eyes. The quick wits, the hard-to-get looks, the stubbornness, the kindness, the secretiveness. All of her.
This was torture but he couldn't think about anything else. He didn't want to think about anything else. He loved her and he had hurt her. He always managed to screw things up when the prospects for them were getting better.
She had suffered so much before they had met. He had broken her heart once, now he had done it again. Her look of utter rejection, pain and love haunted him.
It hurt.
Sitting on the grass, his back resting against the ledge of the fountain, he let the tears fall down.
OOO
This place gave her the creeps. Rogue had never been one to get scared easily but Jackson Square was simply creepy, especially after dark, like at the moment. The fact that it was a maze, that she could get lost and that she was alone enhanced the freaky feeling.
"Yah better be here swamp rat, yah hear me? Yah better." She went headstrong into the dark alley that was the beginning of the labyrinth.
Kurt had once said for no apparent reason that if one kept to his right in a maze, one always found the exit. She hoped that Remy would be in that particular path because she wasn't going to let go of the right. She didn't want to stay here after all.
Her hand always brushing the bushes on her right, Rogue made her way into the maze. She encountered statues which made her jump a few times and take battle stances and benches which looked inviting but she didn't have the time to linger. After an especially scary statue with its tongue sticking out, Rogue came to a clearing. In it's centre was a fountain. There was Remy, sitting limply on its ledge.
She called his name softly. "Remy."
He looked up at her and she knew fear when his eyes met hers. The statues were nothing compared to his haggard face.
OOO
His vision of her was so vivid it was a wonder he couldn't touch it. She stood there, pale and fragile, yet caring and loving. She took a step towards him.
Was she testing him? Did he have to take her in his arms and whisper his feelings to this ethereal Rogue or did he have to stay put so that the hallucination that was plaguing him would leave?
He decided against showing his feelings and dropped his head in his arms.
Gentle covered arms made their way up his arms then down his back while Rogue's sweet voice whispered his name lovingly. He never wanted to wake up.
"Remy, wake up!" The curt order did get him to wake up though.
"Rogue..."
"Oh, great, yah ain't dead. Don't yah ever do that to me again, do yah hear? Remy Lebeau, do yah hear?"
"Rogue, is it really y'." The fact that maybe this was truly Rogue was beginning to sink in.
"Of course it's me, swamp rat." The name did it, he took her in his arms and held her tightly.
Colour was coming back in his face and his eyes looked less dimmed but worry was still present.
"Rogue, I'm sorry I never told y' about Bella and I want you to know that she is nothing...I..."
She put a gloved finger on his lips. "Shhhh, Ah know Remy. Ah'm the one who's sorry. Ah acted without knowledge. Ah'm sorry Ah didn't trust yah. Ah'm so sorry Ah've done this to yah."
"But, Rogue, y' haven't done anything. Don't be, please, chérie..."
"Swamp rat, Ah love yah."
"Chérie, Ah love y' too."
"Could we please leave this place now? Ah swear to god, this place is creepy."
He got up on wobbly legs, never letting go of Rogue.
"Chérie's scared?" he received a punch on the shoulder for that.
"She's not. Well, Ah guess...after much thinkin', have yah seen the statue with its tongue stickin' out? That one is pretty scary."
He would have kissed her right there and then. Or ravaged her. However, he contended himself in holding her close and making their way through Jackson Square.
OOO
Finally alone, they were intertwined on the couch of Henri's apartment. After all that his brother and Mercy had done for them, they deserved their heartfelt thanks. Plus, it gave them both a place to stay together since the bartender of Rogue's lodging had categorically refused that Remy went upstairs with Rogue even if they were both too spent to think about anything but sleep.
They were both dozing off when Rogue spoke. "Remy, what's up with Belladonna?"
His eyes searched her face for some sign of the storm to come but found none.
"Teenage crush. Our parents nearly married us but in the end, her brother tried to kill me and Bella refused to marry me because I ran a blade through him."
"Oh, so it is a positive thing that you nearly killed the man?"
"It did lend me here, no?"
"Good point. But what about now? She kissed yah, so it mustn't be that great a hatred."
"I guess not. She always wanted what she couldn't have. What can I say, women never get over me."
"Well, it's a good thing since I don't plan on being the first exception."
"Chérie you are an exception. Y' made y'self a place here, in my heart."
She rolled her eyes while a pleased smile appeared on her serene face. "Do yah always sound so pathetic?"
He threw up his hands in the air. "I swear, Rogue, you always ruin the moment!" She snuggled closer as an answer.
OOO
Corny, no? Ha, well, can do nothing, yo! (so Toad-like ;)
For your personal knowledge, Jackson Square is in the middle of the French Quarter but it is also cut out of it since it's a mysterious maze. That's what I was referring to in the text. OOOOHHHHHH.
Anyway, I was tired of reading about Rogue always being the one who's crushed because of Remy's antics. The poor guy suffers too! And what about the Forgive-Remy-Ah-forgive-yah-part? Can't Rogue be the one who does the first step (now, granted, in this story Remy didn't find Rogue even if he tried but shhh)? Am I the only one who sees this? Remy always, always suffers, and he's always, always the one who has to make it up to Rogue! It's so unfair!
Ishandahalf: you sure hate Belle...I felt sorry for her when I read your review...NOT! You know, writing down Rogue's and Remy's feelings while they contemplate their relationships is the hardest thing ever! Emotions after emotions after emotions that I've never felt. Glad it is a success though! Hurray! Look! The bunny is free! He's so happy I let him go, he's hopping everywhere, disturbing everything! All joy! He's a grown bunny now, I had to let him go. tears
Lady Farevay : you know what, you're making me dizzy too! Compliments to the ton! Thank you!
Roguesheart: Cookies, mmmmm. Besides that, you are one crazy person, did you know? But quite entertaining ;)
Silver Ink : I'm sorry you panicked, but hey, here I am with another chapter in less then 12 hours! There is no way I'm not finishing this story! Some 10 or so other chapters are planned, so don't worry!
Star-of-Chaos : I swear, I nearly dropped out of my chair when I saw your name on the review. You're an inspiration, so reviews from you are greatly appreciated, thank you!
Enchantedlight : poor poor Rogue no more!
Charice: guess I'm into pathetic, lovey-dovey reconciliation. Oh well, sorry Rogue didn't end up in Egypt to drown her sorrows. I just thought they were both so sad...well, I just couldn't bear it ;) But remember, Remy doesn't know yet that she has control over her powers...bwahaha!
A hand touched her shoulder which caused her to jerk away.
Her back was soared and her legs hurt. Her eyes felt like they were going to fall right off and roll until they hit the opposite wall. Her heart. Her heart was better off alone. It felt broken and miserable.
Rogue didn't have the commonsense to run from the mysterious person who plagued her. He just sat down by her side and let her feel his presence, which didn't record on Rogue's brain before a moment.
When she did, she raised her head so only her red puffy eyes were visible. He smiled at her. Henri.
Satisfied it wasn't some stranger with strange ideas, she let her head drop back in its original position, between her arms.
"Y' know, women don't usually stay in dark alleys crying, especially during Mardi Gras." When she didn't respond in anyway, he continued "Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, Remy did tell me you were his..." This got her attention. She didn't raise her head once more but tensed. "Frankly, Remy always had weird taste when it came to relationship."
She looked at him then and he smiled encouragingly. "How..."
"How do I know Remy? He's my brother, well foster-brother but who cares, he's my brother and dat's all there is to it. Really, Rogue, don't make dat face. Com'on I'm takin' y' at my place."
When she didn't get up at the same time as he did, he offered her his hand.
"Com'on, I ain't lettin' y' die here. At least, y' can do dat in a decent place."
She got painfully up, without his help.
OOO
As soon as she had arrived at his apartment, he made her sleep in the guess room for a full five hours. When she had woken up, he had ordered her to take a hot shower and he had made her lunch.
They were sitting around the kitchen table when Mercy arrived. She stopped dead at the doorframe of the kitchen, never actually stepping through. She glared at her fiancé before addressing her.
"Huh, I'm sorry to ask but who are y'?"
"Rogue."
"Oh, nice to meet y'." Mercy then proceeded to greet Henri appropriately by kissing him then she sat on a nearby chair to his. Hands linked, they both looked happily at her.
Rogue felt tears threatening to spill...again. This was love, obviously. This was trust. The woman finds another one alone with her fiancé in their home and doesn't ask a single question except her name. Details were unimportant.
She was acutely aware of their closeness and it made Rogue more aware then ever that this would never happen to her. Never, not after Remy.
"Rogue's just had an engueulade [bawling out] with Rem-rem." As if that little simple sentence resumed the ordeal she was suffering.
"Don't speculate on what yah don't know Henri." For god's sake, she had discovered the man she loved (yeah, face it, yah love him) had a freakin' girlfriend (Bella! Horrid!) and that Henri was Remy's brother (which he never told her) and now this hypocrite in love thought to judge her? Hell no!
"I do know what I'm talkin' about, not like some." He stressed the last word and she knew it was directed at her.
"How so?" Her anger was rising at a much too fast rate.
"Look Rogue, y' know nothin' about the circumstances of all that is happenin' to y'! So, no, y' don't know what y're talkin' about!" Mercy put her hand on his arms to calm him and that simple touch made Rogue's anger burst.
"Lahke, how can yah even say that? Yah have somebody who loves yah, yah have a family who appreciates yah and yah don't have yahr damned heart broken because of a womaniser and a blond bimbo! So, no, yah're the one who doesn't know what he's talkin' about and so don't try to patronise me!" She had left the table in her tirade and was making her way towards the door.
"Rogue, if y' leave, y'll never know the real facts."
She paused with her hand on the doorknob. Could he actually be saying the truth? Was it possible that there was more to this situation than it seemed? Could Remy really love her, care for her?
That last thought made her leave because she already knew the answer. No.
OOO
She only made it to the elevator. Mercy ran after her and blocked her exit.
"I can't let y' go, Rogue. Remy's a good guy and believe me, he loves you. He even threatened Henri for y'!"
"Get out of mah way." The threatening part sounded interesting but no. There was no way she was going back on her decision.
"Be sensible and stay for an hour. It's true what Henri said. Y' don't know the facts. I suspect even Remy doesn't know all of them. Please."
"No."
"I swear Rogue, y're the most stubborn girl I've met. A girl who spits on love!" She walked away.
She had touched a sensible nerve.
"I don't spit on love. He spits on love." She responded in a whisper.
As if on cue, Mercy turned around. "Com'on, things need to be clarified."
Rogue fallowed.
OOO
They were sitting around the kitchen table again, with coffee mugs between their hands.
Rogue was testy and felt soared all over. There went her promises to herself...again. She was getting tired of hearing that. Three years ago, she would have punched Mercy and made her way in the elevator to leave this forsaken place. But then again, three years ago she hadn't met Remy yet.
"Bella came crashin' here this morning yellin' a whole lot of nonsense about Remy leavin' and bein' suicidal and then she grabbed me and told me "It's done". Took me a while to understand the meanin' of all this shit, but I did. Remy came here before Bella today. Told me to leave y' alone. He had seen us I presume and he asked me a bunch o questions about me, Jake and y'. Found out he hadn't told y' anythin'. I left him two days to do so, otherwise I would." He looked up. "And he thanked me. Thank y', he said. Remy never thanks anybody. Takes and leave, that's him...but anyway, when Bella arrived, I figured out this whole mess and..."
"Arumph."
"Oh, right...Mercy figured things out. Bella went kissy kissy with Remy. The girl told us that y' were there too. But don't judge Remy for that. Bella has always wanted to be close to Remy, some nonsense about lovin' him and now she goes out with Jake. Since their weddin', it's..."
"Wedding? They're mahrried?" So much for trust, Rogue thought.
"No! Of course not. See, my father wanted to do a marriage between the Thieves Guild and the Assassins. Oh sorry, you don't know what they are..."
She cut in. "I know what they are."
Mercy and Henri widened their eyes. "Y' do?"
Rogue made an impatient nod.
"Who...who told y'?" Matters were serious if people they had never met before and who used to leave in New York, knew about the Guilds...
"Remy did."
Their eyes widened even more. "He what?"
"He told me about the Guilds. What's the matter, it's not that serious, is it?"
"He told her. My god, Henri, he..." Mercy couldn't finish her sentence, however hard Rogue wanted to deny it, Remy was in love with her. He had told her!
"What else did he tell y'?"
"Not yahr business!"
"Oh yes, it is. When it concerns the Guild and family, it concerns us."
They looked both menacingly at her. "Ok, relax, he talked about how he got disowned by his father."
Mercy and Henri both continued to glare until they burst out laughing. They laughed, in her face. Did Remy lie to her about this too?
"Wha'?"
"It's just that, this is just too hilarious! Remy, he, he...oh my! That y' two be in such predicament is simply hilarious, don't y' see that he loves y'?" Mercy needed water, badly. She got a hold on herself and went to the sink to get some.
Henri on the other hand was wiping tears from his eyes. Rogue glared at him and it made him stop.
"Sorry about that. Hehe. Y' know Rogue? Whatever y' say, Rem-rem's in love with y'. More importantly, he trusts y'."
She was about to protest when he continued "No, Rogue, listen, he never told anyone about what happened that year. The thieving, the mutant and the disownment. Nobody. I learned it from our father. I'm really sorry that we laughed in such a moment, it is, in fact, less then happy what happened but...hard-feelin' Remy trusts someone! As kids, he was always the one excluded. He learned to be alone even with us around. A weird guy. But, hey, we all love him and, well, we're happy for him. I'm sure he doesn't even realise how deep he's fallen."
What Henri had said had shaken Rogue more then she let on. Trust? She had been looking for it for an eternity and she hadn't even recognise it when it was in her face. How was she ever going to forgive herself? How was he ever going to forgive her?
Do something Rogue. Yah're a stubborn bitch, don't let that discourage yah. Don't think, act. Go kill it tiger!
Rogue got out of her daze and looked at Henri. "Where can I find him?"
"Huh, good question. Maybe at...wait! The state he certainly is in right now, he won't be in a bar or anything near civilisation. Try Jackson Square, do you know of it?"
"I'll find it. Thank yah." She smiled fondly at them then raced to the door.
"Don't y' want to know about the weddin'?" yelled Henri.
"Ah trust him, I don't care!"
She was gone, leaving behind Mercy and Henri proud of their good action of the day. Hell, make that of a decade. Remy deserved to be happy. It was time he let his past go.
OOO
After he had realised that he wouldn't find her, he had come immediately here and had been ever since.
It was soothing because it was cut off of the crowds, the sound and the life of the city. It was in the middle of it and out of it.
Everybody thought him a man of the city who lived on wine, gaming and women. It was not true. He needed calmness. Peacefulness. Forgiveness.
Since he was a kid, Jackson Square was is favourite place because it granted him all three. Calmness to keep him from harsh actions, peacefulness to keep his mind from drowning in sorrows and forgiveness to turn the page. Since he had left Rogue two years ago, Jackson Square had become his life saver.
It was a maze of dark high bushes that kept everything from view. Benches were scattered around the paths and in its middle was a huge fountain representing two flying angels beautifully and sensually intertwined.
This figure didn't made things easier in the least but this was the whole point. Face your problem and it'll get better. Since he couldn't find Rogue, he'll remember her. His vision of her was so vivid, it was a wonder he couldn't touch it. All the curves, the soft unconventional hair, the pale skin, the emerald eyes. The quick wits, the hard-to-get looks, the stubbornness, the kindness, the secretiveness. All of her.
This was torture but he couldn't think about anything else. He didn't want to think about anything else. He loved her and he had hurt her. He always managed to screw things up when the prospects for them were getting better.
She had suffered so much before they had met. He had broken her heart once, now he had done it again. Her look of utter rejection, pain and love haunted him.
It hurt.
Sitting on the grass, his back resting against the ledge of the fountain, he let the tears fall down.
OOO
This place gave her the creeps. Rogue had never been one to get scared easily but Jackson Square was simply creepy, especially after dark, like at the moment. The fact that it was a maze, that she could get lost and that she was alone enhanced the freaky feeling.
"Yah better be here swamp rat, yah hear me? Yah better." She went headstrong into the dark alley that was the beginning of the labyrinth.
Kurt had once said for no apparent reason that if one kept to his right in a maze, one always found the exit. She hoped that Remy would be in that particular path because she wasn't going to let go of the right. She didn't want to stay here after all.
Her hand always brushing the bushes on her right, Rogue made her way into the maze. She encountered statues which made her jump a few times and take battle stances and benches which looked inviting but she didn't have the time to linger. After an especially scary statue with its tongue sticking out, Rogue came to a clearing. In it's centre was a fountain. There was Remy, sitting limply on its ledge.
She called his name softly. "Remy."
He looked up at her and she knew fear when his eyes met hers. The statues were nothing compared to his haggard face.
OOO
His vision of her was so vivid it was a wonder he couldn't touch it. She stood there, pale and fragile, yet caring and loving. She took a step towards him.
Was she testing him? Did he have to take her in his arms and whisper his feelings to this ethereal Rogue or did he have to stay put so that the hallucination that was plaguing him would leave?
He decided against showing his feelings and dropped his head in his arms.
Gentle covered arms made their way up his arms then down his back while Rogue's sweet voice whispered his name lovingly. He never wanted to wake up.
"Remy, wake up!" The curt order did get him to wake up though.
"Rogue..."
"Oh, great, yah ain't dead. Don't yah ever do that to me again, do yah hear? Remy Lebeau, do yah hear?"
"Rogue, is it really y'." The fact that maybe this was truly Rogue was beginning to sink in.
"Of course it's me, swamp rat." The name did it, he took her in his arms and held her tightly.
Colour was coming back in his face and his eyes looked less dimmed but worry was still present.
"Rogue, I'm sorry I never told y' about Bella and I want you to know that she is nothing...I..."
She put a gloved finger on his lips. "Shhhh, Ah know Remy. Ah'm the one who's sorry. Ah acted without knowledge. Ah'm sorry Ah didn't trust yah. Ah'm so sorry Ah've done this to yah."
"But, Rogue, y' haven't done anything. Don't be, please, chérie..."
"Swamp rat, Ah love yah."
"Chérie, Ah love y' too."
"Could we please leave this place now? Ah swear to god, this place is creepy."
He got up on wobbly legs, never letting go of Rogue.
"Chérie's scared?" he received a punch on the shoulder for that.
"She's not. Well, Ah guess...after much thinkin', have yah seen the statue with its tongue stickin' out? That one is pretty scary."
He would have kissed her right there and then. Or ravaged her. However, he contended himself in holding her close and making their way through Jackson Square.
OOO
Finally alone, they were intertwined on the couch of Henri's apartment. After all that his brother and Mercy had done for them, they deserved their heartfelt thanks. Plus, it gave them both a place to stay together since the bartender of Rogue's lodging had categorically refused that Remy went upstairs with Rogue even if they were both too spent to think about anything but sleep.
They were both dozing off when Rogue spoke. "Remy, what's up with Belladonna?"
His eyes searched her face for some sign of the storm to come but found none.
"Teenage crush. Our parents nearly married us but in the end, her brother tried to kill me and Bella refused to marry me because I ran a blade through him."
"Oh, so it is a positive thing that you nearly killed the man?"
"It did lend me here, no?"
"Good point. But what about now? She kissed yah, so it mustn't be that great a hatred."
"I guess not. She always wanted what she couldn't have. What can I say, women never get over me."
"Well, it's a good thing since I don't plan on being the first exception."
"Chérie you are an exception. Y' made y'self a place here, in my heart."
She rolled her eyes while a pleased smile appeared on her serene face. "Do yah always sound so pathetic?"
He threw up his hands in the air. "I swear, Rogue, you always ruin the moment!" She snuggled closer as an answer.
OOO
Corny, no? Ha, well, can do nothing, yo! (so Toad-like ;)
For your personal knowledge, Jackson Square is in the middle of the French Quarter but it is also cut out of it since it's a mysterious maze. That's what I was referring to in the text. OOOOHHHHHH.
Anyway, I was tired of reading about Rogue always being the one who's crushed because of Remy's antics. The poor guy suffers too! And what about the Forgive-Remy-Ah-forgive-yah-part? Can't Rogue be the one who does the first step (now, granted, in this story Remy didn't find Rogue even if he tried but shhh)? Am I the only one who sees this? Remy always, always suffers, and he's always, always the one who has to make it up to Rogue! It's so unfair!
Ishandahalf: you sure hate Belle...I felt sorry for her when I read your review...NOT! You know, writing down Rogue's and Remy's feelings while they contemplate their relationships is the hardest thing ever! Emotions after emotions after emotions that I've never felt. Glad it is a success though! Hurray! Look! The bunny is free! He's so happy I let him go, he's hopping everywhere, disturbing everything! All joy! He's a grown bunny now, I had to let him go. tears
Lady Farevay : you know what, you're making me dizzy too! Compliments to the ton! Thank you!
Roguesheart: Cookies, mmmmm. Besides that, you are one crazy person, did you know? But quite entertaining ;)
Silver Ink : I'm sorry you panicked, but hey, here I am with another chapter in less then 12 hours! There is no way I'm not finishing this story! Some 10 or so other chapters are planned, so don't worry!
Star-of-Chaos : I swear, I nearly dropped out of my chair when I saw your name on the review. You're an inspiration, so reviews from you are greatly appreciated, thank you!
Enchantedlight : poor poor Rogue no more!
Charice: guess I'm into pathetic, lovey-dovey reconciliation. Oh well, sorry Rogue didn't end up in Egypt to drown her sorrows. I just thought they were both so sad...well, I just couldn't bear it ;) But remember, Remy doesn't know yet that she has control over her powers...bwahaha!