Chapter Ten
" What is it?" Remy asked, settling down next to Rogue, completely unaware of what was to come. Rogue looked at him and he stared back innocently. She had to look away.
" That night before you left I found out something," she began, her heart beating so wildly she thought it would break out of her chest. She turned to look at him. Remy just stared at her. " What did she find out?" Remy thought impatiently.
" That night…" she repeated and breathed heavily. " No! This is too hard! I can't do this," Rogue thought desperately. She looked away from Remy's burning eyes.
" Rogue? What is it?" Remy asked concernedly. This was not the Rogue he knew. She was scared. He was scared.
Rogue shut her eyes and took a deep breath.
" That night…I found out I was pregnant with Declan," she said, meeting his eyes. They were full of shock.
Remy's mind was working overtime. The words ' pregnant with Declan' were echoing in his brain. She knew before he left. She could have told him!
" Who's the father?" he asked quietly. Rogue looked at him sharply. Her eyes were brimming with tears.
" What kind of question is that? The only man I ever touched was you, Remy! You! The only man I ever loved was you!" she exclaimed, the tears falling. Remy gasped.
" He's mine!" he breathed, shock clouding his vision. Rogue nodded.
" Yes, Remy. He's yours. He's mine. He's ours," she muttered. Remy shut his eyes, picturing his son.
" Dat beautiful garcon," he whispered. Rogue smiled slightly.
" Yeah," she agreed. Remy opened his eyes and looked at her.
" Why didn' y' tell me sooner?" he demanded. Rogue sighed.
" Well, I couldn' exactly just waltz up tah yah an' say ' Hey Remy! Guess what? I'm pregnant with your child!' could ah?" she exploded. Remy stared at her, unfazed.
" Oui, y' could!" he retorted. Rogue fumed.
" An' when was ah supposed tah tell yah? When yah were goin' on 'bout goin' back tah Belladonna!" she exclaimed, incredulously. There was a sharp pain in her chest as reminder of what Remy had put her through. She stood up and shut her eyes, breathing deeply. " And anyway, I was scared that you would reject us. Me and our child. I…I thought that it would be better if I didn't tell you at all than tell you and get turned off. Rejected," Rouge added truthfully. Remy looked at her incredulously.
" Reject y'?" Remy asked, his voice broken. Rogue could not bear seeing the shock and hurt in his eyes. Rogue turned away from him. " Reject y'?" Remy repeated, " How could I reject y'? I loved y', chere. More than life itself! If y' told me then I would have done what any man would do for the woman he loved! But, y' didn' tell me! And now……agh!" Remy let out a growl of frustration. " The least y' couldn' done was contact me!" he added harshly and the building tower of regret and guilt in Rogue's heart collapsed.
" How could ah contact yah? Yah had already kicked me out your life!" she ended quietly, memories fogging her eyesight. Remy started to feel bad about his harsh accusations. He knew how much Rogue and him had meant to each other. If Rogue had left with another man from her past, like Cody, then Remy would have……He didn't know. Remy stood up and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Rogue looked at him, surprised. Remy ignored the look.
" I'm sorry, Rogue. I understand that y' couldn' contact moi. I don't even think I'd have been able t' handle it anyway," he sighed. Rogue turned and looked at him again. She saw a deep sorrow in his eyes as he stared at her.
" Yeah," she agreed half-heartedly, " What with Belladonna an' y'r other kid an' all…" she trailed off. Remy placed both hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye, " This is it. She has to know the truth about why I left. I owe her that much," he thought determinedly.
" Chere, y' have t' know why I left. I wasn' goin' back by choice, you have to believe that, chere," he pleaded with her. There was a sudden shock in Rogue's emerald eyes. But, she wasn't staring at him. She was staring behind him.
" Rogue?" Remy asked, puzzled and turned round to see what she was so shocked at.
" Belladonna!" Remy hissed, anger flaring in his eyes. It was true. Belladonna was standing a while behind them and her face was contorted in anger. She looked angry but a tiny bit upset too.
" Remy LeBeau!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing in the clearing. Birds fled from their nest and into the open, darkening sky. " We're gettin' married in a couple of months and already y'r out looking f'r some fun!" she yelled. Rogue actually flinched at the tone of her voice and her accusations. Remy looked at her from the corner of his eye, " O'h yeah. She's changed," he thought.
" Belladonna, listen…" Rogue started. Belladonna let out a frustrated growl, cutting her short.
" No! I will not listen. You listen, y' whore!" she screamed and Rogue clenched her fists and gritted her teeth in an effort to control her anger.
" Remy LeBeau is mine! He was mine, he is mine, and he always will be mine! He always loved me best! He even told me so! He even has a kid! My kid! Our kid! Julian LeBeau! We are a happy little family, unlike you lot. You and y'r lil' boy! You are not a happy little family! You are a broken family! And, listen here! Remy and me are getting married soon and no one will be able to stop us! Not even you. I will not be Belladonna Boudreaux anymore. I will be Belladonna LeBeau! LeBeau! And you, will just be the Rogue. A Rogue," Belladonna finished, panting.
Rogue was advancing towards Belladonna menacingly when her last words hit her like a stab in the chest. She stopped dead. " Belladonna is right. Remy never loved me. He just used me. They're getting married and they'll be a happy little family. It will just be Declan and me from now on. He won't have a dad," Rogue was ready to break when a sudden idea dawned on her.
Rogue's eyes hardened and she looked at Belladonna coldly.
" Listen here, yah swamp-witch. If yah think that ah am able tah just fall and weep whenever tough times come then yah are mistaken. You're not the only one whose child's got a father," she finished.
Rogue turned and walked away from her. When she passed Remy, he looked at her with defeat in his eyes but Rogue didn't even glance at him and walked away from them both.
Remy watched Rogue leave and for the first time that evening, real hatred and anger burned ferociously in him. He turned from gazing after Rogue and looked at the triumphant and gleaming Belladonna.
" Why de hell did y' say all dat stuff!" he exclaimed. Belladonna looked genuinely shocked. " She's one hell of an actress!" Remy thought bitterly.
" But Remy darling! She was tryin' t' break us up. I heard her earlier askin' t'ings about our weddin' day!" Belladonna argued. Remy's flashing red eyes narrowed.
" Y' were spyin' on us," It was more of a statement than a question. Belladonna looked away slightly. There was a look of guilt on her face.
" Well, oui, Remy. Y' were takin' so long an' I came lookin' f'r y' an' I heard voices comin' from here an' I came an' heard y' talkin' t' that woman!" Belladonna exclaimed. Remy sighed. He couldn't handle this anymore. He didn't care what Belladonna thought of him. He didn't care about what Julian thought of him either. All he cared about was Rogue. And that beautiful little boy. Declan.
" Are y' comin' home, Remy?" Belladonna asked, turning to leave. Remy looked towards the sky, forcing back unshed tears.
" I can never go home," he muttered and followed Belladonna out of the clearing. That same clearing had witnessed so many events.
Rogue and Remy's first meeting. Their fights, their arguments. Their happiness, their joy. Their tears, their laughter. Her first element of control. His first element of trust. Their first element of love.
Remy and Rogue's break-up. Her tears, his memories. Her hatred, his regret. Her love, his love. Their beautiful son.
They met again. Their distrust, their anger. Yet, their never-ending joy of finding each other.
Now, a new person has entered the tragic love story. A bad person. With nothing in her but anger, hatred, evil, lies, distrust. But so much pain of rejection.
" Hey Kitty. Listen, ah might be a bit late comin' tah pick Declan up so could yah just let him know that ah'll be their in about an hour or so?" Rogue huddled in the phone booth, the cold biting at her face and hands.
" Yeah, sure Rogue. He seems okay. He's been playing with Stuart and Tammy and they're getting along better than before. Declan's even been lecturing them not to touch pointy things!" Kitty laughed and Rogue tried to join in but she just didn't have the spirit.
" Hey, Rogue? Is everything okay? I mean, you've been withdrawn lately and seeming really upset. Are you all-right?" Kitty asked concernedly and Rogue was sure that she couldn't deal with this alone but she didn't want to tell Kitty. She had another person in mind.
" Yeah, Kit'. Ah'm okay. Everything's okay. Ah'm just you know…" she trailed off but Kitty got the picture.
" Yeah, I know," Kitty sighed, " Well, I'll see you later when you come to pick Declan up," she agreed.
" Okay tha-" she broke off as she heard Declan's voice in the background.
" Momma! Ah wanna talk tah mah momma!" she heard him yell.
" Give him the phone, Kitty," she instructed. She soon heard her baby-boy's voice.
" Hi, momma!" he greeted and she could picture him smiling. Rogue smiled.
" Hey, baby boy. How are you?" she asked.
" Ah'm fahne. Where are yah? Ah miss yah," his voice took a sad turn.
" Ah'll be there soon baby boy. An' ah miss yah too," Rogue's voice chocked up as tears sprang to her eyes. " No!" Rogue thought determinedly, "Ah cannot breakdown in front of mah son!"
" Momma? Are yah cryin'?" Declan asked, afraid to hear his strong mother with such a weak voice.
" No, Declan. Ah'm fahne. Yah just be a good boy for y'r Aunt Kitty and ah'll come pick yah up soon," she consoled and she could hear Declan nodding his head.
" D'accord, momma" he said and Rogue smiled slightly.
" Goodbye, Declan!" she ended.
" Bye-bye, Momma. Ah love yah," he added. Rogue could feel the tears starting again.
" Ah love yah too, baby boy," she murmured and put the phone down. She collapsed against the window and let out the tears that she would not let fall before.
" Oh, hey Rogue. What's up?" Wanda asked as she opened the front door. Rogue was shadowed in darkness and she couldn't be seen easily otherwise Wanda wouldn't have asked that question. Her eyes were red-rimmed and still wet. She stepped forward.
" Oh God, Rogue! What happened?" Wanda gasped, leading the upset mother to the living room. Luckily, there was no one there.
" Ah met Remy," Rogue started, wiping her face with the back of her hand. She told Wanda exactly what had happened. Wanda's shock grew with each word.
" So, what did you mean when you said that she wasn't the only one whose son had a willing father?" Wanda asked curiously. Rogue shook and stood up.
" Pietro said that he would be willing to raise Declan as his own son. Ah wasn't sure before but now ah couldn't be surer," Rogue explained but even at the determined last words, her voice trembled. Wanda stood and put a comforting hand on Rogue's shoulder.
" Are you completely sure, Rogue? This is not just the sort of decision that can be made overnight. You need to think it over carefully. What would it mean for Pietro? What would it mean for Declan? But more importantly, what would it mean for you? This decision can't be made on a whim of anger," Wanda reasoned.
Rogue shut her eyes. When she opened them, there was a new fire shining in them.
" Ah'm sure, Wanda. Ah have tah do this,"
Julian began whining as soon as Belladonna and Remy entered the hotel.
" Momma! I'm hungry!" he groaned. Remy looked at Belladonna.
" Y' left him here? Alone?" he asked incredulously. Belladonna nodded carelessly.
" Of course! Julian can take care of himself," she dismissed, turning to take off her jacket. Remy shook his head and sighed angrily. He didn't bother replying and collapsed on his bed, eyes shut.
" Momma! What's for dinner?" Julian demanded. Belladonna shrugged.
" Ask y'r pere," she answered shortly, opening a magazine to read about the latest celebrity gossip. Remy cracked open eye to look at Julian, who didn't know that he was being acknowledged. Julian looked at his mother and then lowered his eyes to the floor. Remy was astonished to see tears fill them.
He shut his eyes again. He did not want to see this. He did not want to be here. He would much rather be with Rogue and Declan. His mind was still echoing with Rogue's news. There was so much anguish and pain inside him.
Remy opened his eyes to see that Julian's tears had disappeared and that he was sitting on the window-seat, staring outside with a distant look in his dark-brown eyes. Remy's heart broke. There was too much distance, too much pain in Julian's eyes. Too much pain for a six year old to feel. Remy cursed himself for being such a softie, before getting up.
" Come on, fils. Let's get something t' eat," he said, stretching. Julian turned to look at him, suspicion clouding his young features. When he saw that Remy's offer looked genuine, the suspicion disappeared and he got up to join him.
" Vient sur," Remy said again, holding out his hand. Julian held back for an instant, suspicion in his eyes again before reaching out and taking his father's hand. They walked out and Belladonna didn't even look up as the door slammed.
" Pietro?" Rogue called quietly, knocking on the door of her best friend's brother. She heard some rustling.
" Come in," Pietro called and Rogue entered his room. He was sitting on his computer chair and there were some sheets of paper sitting in front of him.
" Hey," she greeted, softly. He looked up at her and smiled.
" Hi, Rogue. How are you? How's Declan?" he asked and Rogue felt some warmth in her heart as she saw how much he cared for her son.
" I'm fine. So is Declan. What about you? What are all these papers?" she asked curiously. Pietro smiled and sighed.
" Final papers. All I have to say is the students in the X-Men mansion are some brain boxes," he grinned, looking stressfully at the pile of tests. Rogue smiled too.
" Well, they're only as smart as the teacher who teaches them," she joked, ruffling Pietro's blond hair.
" Yeah, yeah," laughed Pietro, " So. What brings you here?" he asked curiously and Rogue's smile dropped.
" Well, I actually came to see you," she answered. Pietro's eyebrows rose.
" Really? Anything important?" he asked concernedly. Rogue looked away.
" No… maybe…yes," she stuttered. Pietro stood up and put his hand on her shoulder.
" Rogue? What's up?" he asked quietly. Rogue turned round and looked straight up into the deep-blue sea of Pietro's eyes. She took a deep breath.
" Pietro. I…I…" she was unable to go on. She lowered her eyes to the floor. " Why can't I do this? What's holding me back?" she thought frantically. Never having been in such a life-changing situation before, she had no idea to handle this. " Oh god, help me! Someone, anyone!" she thought, crying out in her thoughts.
" Rogue?" Pietro's voice swam into the fog in her mind as he tilted her chin up to look at him. The amount of concern and love in his eyes was enough to make her eyes water.
Then, like a spell, Declan's face appeared in front of her mind's eye. His beautiful eyes, that cute nose, the handsome smile, and those adorable dimples. His picture gave her the strength she needed and she took another deep breath and looked the puzzled Pietro in the eye.
" Pietro. Ah, accept your offer. I would love for you to be Declan's father," Rogue said and there was no turning back. It was done. Declan had a father. But why didn't she feel any better?
A/N: Hello readers! I really hope you liked this chapter because it made me cry writing it. I want to thank all the faithful reviewers who haven't given up on me yet. These include TEXASGRRL, ISHANDAHALF, ENCHANTEDGIRL, SOPHIE, and loads more. Thank you, thank you, and thank you for being so patient! I'll update soon and have the next 'interesting' chapter up on Thanks again and Bye Bye!
Anam