New Author's Note: As I said, most changes are minor. Chapter two is the exception. I didn't quite like the way the Remy/Bella scene played out. It's been redone a little.
Well...its official, I have been bought. Yuppers. I feel like I've been commissioned to write the rest of this story. So I will, I guess. A little frightened now that so many people reviewed, but I'll try to keep it worth reviewing. Please.
Let's see how this puppy plays out, shall we? Not an overdose of Rominess in this chapter, but a bit of a recap from Remy's POV.
We've Met Before
Chapter 2
Within the recesses of the Acolyte home, things weren't happy. It was late when they finally trudged past the door, feeling miserable. They'd failed at their first task, lost the first battle with the infamous X-men, and gone home empty-handed.
Well...most had gone home empty-handed. Remy LeBeau thought himself the exception. He'd come away with a very important piece of information and while there may have been no joy in Magnetoville, he couldn't have been more thrilled.
Imagine, coming to Bayville just to kill time, and finding a treasure. The girl he'd met so long ago, the girl that had melted into his arms and mouth like butter over warm toast, and proven to be such a milestone in his life in general, was waiting for him.
Were there words yet invented that could be used to tactfully end an engagement?
Remy sat alone in the kitchen section of the hotel room he shared with Bella, scribbling notes on a pad while she bathed. She always did that after a job, spent at least an hour soaking in the tub, as if to wash away the blood of her latest target. Maybe, he thought, that was how she kept herself free of guilt. Maybe she was symbolically cleansing her conscience.
Not that he sat there contemplating Bella's rituals. He had more important things to think about... like, how to break up with her. Which brought him back to his question: was there a way of doing it without awakening her wrath and pulling the Guilds into the mess? His Tante Mattie always said he had a gifted mouth; whenever he parted his lips to speak plain words, she teased, ribbons of perfect silk spilled out instead. If, indeed, she was right and did he possess some kind of talent for oration, he'd need it when ending things with Belladonna.
After all, how would he have felt if things had been the other way around? If, after a lifetime of friendship and many years of love, the lovely blonde had pulled him aside one day to say that it was all over. Remy didn't think he would've taken it well. And he didn't have Bella's temper, either.
If only that stranger girl hadn't felt so damn good in his arms. God, but she'd warmed him like a heated blanket on an ice-cold day. Rogue hadn't made him forget Bella, not really, but she'd made him not care about her. Bella could've been standing right in front of them, and he might not have noticed.
Remy sighed. He'd been asking for trouble all along, always testing his love for the blonde. It had all seemed so easy: kissing girls, finding them pleasant, but unmemorable in the end. His family didn't approve of his engagement to Bella; they always thought he'd wind up betraying her and bring war upon the Guilds instead of peace. His little tests had been a way to prove them wrong. He could lock lips with every girl who wandered by, and be unmoved. But one kiss with Bella and his heart would skip a beat.
If only it hadn't stopped entirely, when he'd kissed the stranger.
Groaning, Remy let his head drop onto the counter. Maybe, he thought, rather desperately, if he hit his head hard enough, he'd have brain damage and then he wouldn't have to consider the problem at all. He wondered if it was a bad sign, that that was his best option yet.
Suddenly, hands were on his shoulders, massaging the tension away. Remy heard a voice coo, "Why y' lookin' so blue, Cher?"
"It's nothin'." He said, shaking his head. "I'm just tired, is all. I miss home."
That much was true. Remy loved the Bayou: the swamps and their murky waters, gentle buzz of insects, and cool, moist air. He adored the city, and its hustle of people, shuffling in and around at night, streaming from club to restaurant like schools of brightly colored fish. He liked owning the places he visited, the freedom to walk around, to be greeted by familiar faces and given the respect shown to a Prince of Thieves. The men there admired him for his skills. The women adored him for his smooth words.
It was cliché, but Remy knew there was no place like home.
"Oh, poor baby," she said, kissing the top of his head. Her hands slipped around his waist. "Can't I help alleviate y' homesickness, just a little?"
"Naw, I got t' finish up some sketches 'fore we leave here." Remy held up the pad for her to see.
She pulled it out of his fingers and tossed it back onto the counter. While he sighed and reached for it again, Bella came around so that they were face to face. Her clear blue eyes sparkled. "C'mon, Remy. Since when do you put work first?"
"Since always," he insisted, giving up on the paper, and instead, running his hands through her damp hair. He suppressed a sigh. She was but a box of matches to his hands, this Boudreaux girl. Dangerous but thrilling, tempting, alluring, mesmerizing to watch but painful if he held on too long. They'd been friends for years, buddies, pals, amis. They'd learned the crafts of their trade at the same time. He'd taught her to catch fireflies, she'd taught him to kiss. "Why don't y' go shoppin' o' somet'in'. Buy y'self a new dagger."
Rather than answer him, Bella leaned forward and planted a firm kiss on his lips. Instinct moved his arms closed around her. She tasted like mint, smelled like soap, and felt soft as flower petals. Everything about her was warm and comfortable and nice. A surge of regret filled him. Could he really be planning on giving her up?
Not his Bella.
His future queen.
His blonde beauty.
And for what?
One stranger? One kiss that had lasted for just a moment, just a brief flash when compared with the rest of his life? One pair of green eyes that had seemed to be at the same time amused, scared, excited, curious, and thrilled? One innocent face? One lovely, unforgettable girl?
Lord help him, he did want to give Bella up for that.
He pulled away from the blonde and smiled kindly at her. "Bella, I got t' tell y' somet'in'."
"What is it?" She wondered.
"I..." he took a deep breath. "I, uh...I have y' bracelet. Da one wit' da lil' diamond rose dat I gave y' f' Christmas."
Her eyes went wide. "I've been lookin' everywhere! I thought I lost it. How did it come t' yo' hands, Mr. LeBeau?"
Remy shrugged. "Y' dropped it at da bus station in Jacksonville. Someone returned it. I meant t' give it back, but I completely forgot 'til now."
"I love dat bracelet. I always show it off t' m' family at home when they start on what a bad catch y' are. I'm so glad it was returned, Remy. I wouldn't want t' lose it anymore n' I'd want t' lose you." She smiled widely at him and tried to pull him away from the stool. "Let's go out f' breakfast, Remy. You can finish da pictures later. Our plane doesn't leave f' another six hours. We got all da time in da world."
He smiled back at her, but it was a grin just for her, and not at all for himself. They didn't have nearly as much time as she thought.
Eloquent speeches didn't prevent her wrath when the bomb was dropped at last, several months later, nor did they stop the ill-fated duel that left her brother hospitalized and tensions rose between the Guilds. He'd brought to life his family's every fear. Unable to bear the thought of causing war, Remy went into self-exile.
He traveled alone, growing weary, missing his home and the comforts of a family. Though he never lacked in female companionship, or wealth, he felt like a lonely pauper. One day, after more than two years, he came into contact with a mysterious Magneto. The man had a cause that needed supporting; Remy needed a cause to support. He jumped on the bandwagon, along with a reserved Russian and outspoken Australian.
They moved to Bayville, and lo and behold, who should greet him but the rogue girl, now more formally a Rogue. He found his attraction, once forgotten, or perhaps pushed aside, suddenly back, and stronger than ever. She'd grown, wonderfully. He could still, Remy was pleased to realize, feel her in his hands all over again with remarkable clarity.
Here she was, a worthy prize, his secret goal. Did she remember him? Did it matter? The answer to the former was unclear, for she'd addressed him in the same manner of his partners, but stared at him oddly. The answer to the latter was obvious: no, for either way, he'd have her see things his way.
Remy landed pretzel-style on the chair, opening the laptop that rested there. He typed a few commands, searching for any information on the word 'Rogue'. Window after window appeared, a startling amount of her history accounted for in their records. The home where she'd spent the first years of her life, a large, white, two story, Victorian building surrounded with trees. Her guardian, a blind woman named Irene. Her first friend, the Labrador puppy called Chance, and her first boyfriend, a football player named Cody.
Nowhere did it mention her first kiss. He smiled. Could it have been the one she'd shared with him?
He came upon a full-length picture of her and enlarged it. This was the girl whose kiss had changed his life. Who'd shaken him to his core. He leaned in closer, staring at her, memorizing every new detail, confirming every old memory.
Piotr had entered quietly, unnoticed; now he settled himself on a couch, folding his hands. "You seek to hold the forbidden fruit, Gambit."
"Can't a homme study his enemy? We lost t'day. I don't want a repeat performance." Or rather, I do, I jus' don't want y' t' know, Petey.
"Yet your eyes tell a different story."
There was no way to take back the whatever look he'd been wearing when the Russian entered. But he could still cut his losses and prevent any further questions. "I look at m' foes in many lights."
Piotr shook his head. "I read you're expression, sly friend. It was not the calculating gaze of one enemy observing another, in any respect. Be wary. Don't let your heart interfere with business"
"You t'ink in black an' white. Love an' hate. But don't waste y' worries on me. I not be da madly-in-love type. Whatever I see in her, dis girl be a diversion at best."
"Then you've picked a poor playmate. You have her profile there, read on." Gambit heard the unspoken message, a gentle reminder of the girl's powers. Meant to discourage him. Poorly conceived, however, because he was instead drawn to the knowledge that he, only, knew the taste of her lips, the throaty gasp she gave in complete abandonment of her inhibitions, the outline of her body flush against his own.
At sixteen, she'd been altered slightly. Taller, leaner, more muscular under the form-fitting outfit of her team. A mutant, with all of a mutant's caution and fears. Her posture was rigid; the upward tilt of her chin, haughty and her eyes that spoke of coldness. Dying to be warmed, though, and filled with such character that betrayed her hidden sweetness. "She's untouchable, non?" He said.
"Even for you."
Gambit pulled a card from thin air, spinning it on his thumb before flipping it from his hands, in such a way that it hit a key on the laptop and closed the windows. Then he snapped it shut and swiveled in his chair to face Piotr. "Den dis is a waste o' time. Come on, we bot' have better t'ings t' do."
And there we go, the end of the chapter. Stay tuned for the next thrilling episode when...gasp...drum roll...they meet again. What will happen? How will they react to one another? How honorable are Remy's intentions? Will the author ever shut up? Who knows!!! So come back!
And review!!! Review, review, review, review, review.
Acknowledgements:
Rogue Star, Bettie-chan, Lynx, Jebrylla, Rilo: Thank you guys, oh, so very much for your kind words. They encouraged me to continue.
Ishandahalf: Er, sorry about the Bella, but well, I had to let people know that he wasn't with her any longer. Don't hurt me! Thanks for the review!
Tenshi Kanashii, Ninnat 3, Todd fan, Bunny Angel: You guys are so nice. Thank you, v. v. much. I hope you continue to enjoy it.
Trunksgirl: Grrr. Hope you're happy, I haven't studied at all for my midterm!!!! See what you do!!! Thanks for liking this though. Hope it pleases. If not...you're still bound by obligation to review!!!!! Bwahahaha!
Goddess Evie: Aahh, you make me blush! Thanks for such kindness, and for liking it so well!
Hope I do not dissapoint now that I've decided to continue with it.
Lulu, B.M.Wraith, 8, Anony, Trix, Me (but not me), me (but not me, either), The Flying Pen, Gothic Rogue, Dark Elf and N: I thank you, so sweetly, for reviewing my story so neatly...hey that kinda fell apart. Guess I'm no munchkin. But I do offer my deepest gratitude for your reviews. :)
SilverStarWing: I hear you're from another part of the world. Thanks for stopping by and liking this!
Panther Nesmith: I never got to tell you, but I did accept your offer to sip hot chocolate. How could I refuse chocolate? Thanks you!
Gaea: Persistant, you are. Update, I shall. Now, will turn off the star wars. :)
Kaosda: I thank you, but don't base you're worth on reviews. Mine either, for believe me, I've had my share of poorly recieved fics. You are a great writer. :) And a wonderful reviewer!
Readers of my other fic, TFC, will have one more chapter before I disappear for a while. For this story, I guess I'll see you in a week or two. Or three, but no more than that. I promise. And it'll be a longer chapter than this. :) Bye now!
Questions? Comments? Coconuts? You know where to find me!
