A/N: Hope this clears up Remy's status. Enjoy!
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Rogue's comment was a low blow and she knew it, but even after today she wasn't about to presume anything when it came to him. The quiet that settled heavy was nearly suffocating. Instead of taking the bait Rogue dangled in front of him Remy continued on another path as he pulled the platinum chain around his neck out from under his tank. There was a sparkling bauble hanging in the middle.
"Y' e'er wonder why I wear dis?"
"No."
Rogue could have spat another nasty comment his way, but chose to go the more simplified route and get over with this conversation.
"Y' shoulda."
"Ah just figured it belonged ta yer wife."
"Oui, it did. It would have anyway."
"Listen, Remy, Ah really don't want ta hear about-"
"-Y' know what yo' problem is, Marie? Y' never give a homme a chance t' explain."
He didn't dare keep the irritation out of his voice. Remy wanted her to know exactly how he felt about the situation. That was why he used her first name. Logan called her Marie, her middle name, even though they were supposed to be such good friends. Rogue had never let anyone but Remy call her by the name her parents had used. It was a secret kind of bond they shared as her way of saying she trusted and loved him as much as the only other people in her life that unconditionally loved her. He messed up when he didn't tell her sooner about Bella.
"Do y' know why I left fo' Nawlins th' day after y' found out?"
"Ah never really cared."
"Mon great-great-great-grandmère, Mignonette, was one o' th' most beloved debutantes in Louisiana. Every beau wanted t' court her, but her père affianced her t' Gaetan LeBeau shortly after she was presented as an eligible lady. Normally dere wouldn' be a problem, 'cept Mignonette was in love wit' anot'er homme, Alarico Saturnin, who gave her a ring as a promise o' his undying' love even after she wed. When she married Gaetan, she was 'fraid he would take it in a jealous rage, so she hid it away in m' family's home. It wasn' 'til she passed dat her daughter knew 'bout its importance."
"That's a nice story an' all but what does it have ta do with ya leavin'?"
Once again he was taking the final drag on his cigarette. He wasn't in a hurry to finish his story and he knew she wasn't in a hurry to leave without answers. Dropping the used filter to the floor Remy snuffed out the burning stub with his foot. The stars were exceptionally bright tonight catching his attention as he still refused to look at the woman beside him.
"Ever since den, th' ring's been passed down by all th' LeBeau women. Since mon père didn' have any filles, Merci, my sister-in-law, inherited th' heirloom. When mon frère died she gave it t' me. Said I'd get more use o' it on account o' Bella an' me bein' married an' she an' Henri not havin' any enfants before he died."
"Oh, how sweet. Ah'm sure Bella just loves it."
The sarcasm dripping in Rogue's every word showed exactly how catty she could be when she was jealous. Remy knew she would never admit it, but he understood just how much she had once cared for him. He should, since the feelings were more than mutual.
"I never gave it t' her. Didn' t'ink she deserved it or would take care o' it, so I tol' Merci t' keep it fo' me 'til I needed it. She didn' understand at first, but right b'fore I came here she finally got it."
"Well Ah'm glad she did, 'cause ya're sure not makin' any sense ta meh."
"Chere, sometimes t'ings aren' always what dey seem. 'Parently th' lessons Mignonette taught LeBeau daughters didn' sink in wit' th' sons. Mon père arranged wit' Marius Boudreaux for me an' Bella t' marry an' unite th' Guilds. I did it outta obligation an' loyalty, even though I didn' wan' t'."
For the first time since she had come to the roof Remy looked at Rogue. She quickly lost herself in his sparkling eyes. There was nothing more that she wanted than to give in to him, forgive him for everything that had happened between them and apologize for her behavior, but even after his story the fact of the matter was that he was still married, she was soon to be engaged to Joe, and there was nothing that could change the pain each had caused the other.
"That's fine an' good except ya bein' married is kinda a problem, don'cha think?"
"When Bella showed up here y' shoulda given me th' chance t' tell y' th' rest. Certain Guild members had issues wit' th' weddin'. Because o' th' problems we had th' marriage annulled a few hours after. Bella only brags 'bout bein' m' wife when she t'inks it'll make t'ings miserable fo' me. Jus' goes t' show y' how much she hates me now."
"Ya still haven't told meh why ya left thah next day."
She turned on the bench so she was facing him. Seeing that she was finally open to listening to him for the first time in a long time Remy turned slightly to her. He wasn't quite ready to completely drop his guard to her yet. The urge to grab her hands, to just grab her, hold her tight, and never let go itched within him. As the smooth operator that he was Rogue had no idea of his inner conflict.
"Knew I had t' do somethin' drastic t' get y' back. Came up wit' th' perfect plan, but what I needed was back home. It took me longer t' find it dan I t'ought an' when I got back a few weeks later dey tol' me y' had left for school two weeks early."
"So if ya were so interested in gettin' meh back, why didn't ya follow meh?"
"I decided t' give y' yo' space. Followed an ol' adage fo' once, but it blew up in m' face like one o' m' cards."
"Ya mean 'if ya love somethin' set it free. If it comes back ta ya it's yers, if it doesn't than-"
"-It wasn' meant t' be."
Not able to bare looking in her eyes when he said that Remy let his sight fall to the grassy lawns. She continued to gaze at the hurt clearly evident on his handsome features. No one could ever deny that he had the best poker face of all the Xavier residents. This time he somehow let his guard slip. As much as his falter begged for her attention Rogue still didn't understand his use of the old phrase. She lowered her head in concentration. Every semester break was spent at home in the mansion yet he wasn't there a single time. How was she supposed to return to him when he wasn't even present?
Suddenly it hit her. During her first year at college her Fall Break was only an extended weekend. Instead of making the thirty minute trip home Rogue stayed to study for midterms. As for the vacation between Fall and Spring Semesters she made some new friends that invited her to Florida for Winter Break. She'd never been so she agreed to go.
"I stayed 'round since Stormy tol' me y'd be back fo' a visit in a few weeks. In th' meantime, Jubilee said y' met someone an' when y' didn' come back I went home t' the Guild."
"Wait, Jubilee told ya Ah was seein' somebody? But Ah didn' meet Joe 'til almost three years later."
Something about Remy's revelation didn't make sense. There had been a couple guys with whom she made good friends, but nobody she considered dating. Thinking back to why Jubes would have said such a thing Rogue vaguely remembered meeting her at the mall once with her new friends, one of whom was a man named Cody.
The guy had a little crush on her, but she didn't return the feelings, so nothing ever came of it. He was constantly flirting with Rogue, and Jubilee, being a flirt herself, must have read more into it than there was. Knowing how to make a man jealous, she probably told Remy in the hopes that he would do something about it. Instead, it made things worse. Rogue made a mental note to talk to her meddling best friend.
"Even after four years away from y' I couldn' move on. T'ought I'd give it another try when y' returned after graduation, but y' were happy wit' Joe. Wasn' right t' get in th' way o' y' bein' happy. I shoulda left after dat, but jus' seein' y' again reminded me o' all we had an' dat' was better dan livin' wit'out."
"Oh mah gawd. Ah'm so sorry, Remy. If Ah hadn't been so stubborn-
"-Don' matter anyway, p'tit. What's done is done. Jus' t'ought y' deserved t' know 'fore I left again. Be goin' home t' Nawlins tomorrow. Don' t'ink I'll be back."
"No! No, ya can't go now!"
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R/R: Thank you everyone! I'm so happy to see so many people taking a look at this fic-Yay! If you'd like a shout out, drop a line. This round of Shout Outs go to:
Wiccangurl: Wow, that's so cool you think it's awesome :) I sure hope Remy and Rogue get together by the end, too. Oh, wait, I already know the end evil grin Sorry, couldn't help myself. Thanks for the review!
kyo-kitty: Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that you do review! Sorry you were grounded. I'm not grounded anymore 'cause I don't ground myself, but I know it sucks. So glad you loved the chaps and I promise to not keep you waiting very long for new ones. :) Thanks for the review!
Nicki-hunny: Thanks! I really wanted Remy to bring up the fact that everyone else proposed and Rogue wondering if he would be next. Since she still has feelings for him, but is guarded around him now I didn't want her to get her hopes up and give in right away. Then it just hit me and I was like, that is so cool. I'm so happy you liked it! Thanks for the review!
Prexistence: Don't be sad! Really, it's not the time for sadness. See, I told you Remy wasn't divorced, estranged, or widowed. An annulment is quite different from those three! Yeah, Scott and Rogue just don't seem to fit. I know there's a shipper-dom out there for them, but I just don't get it. Finally, poor Joe's gonna get some peace, eh? Well, I don't think he'll be doing too much meddling, so you don't have to worry. But, like I've said before, he does still need to be around. And Rogue doesn't want to marry him (she'd rather marry Remy), but since he seems to be her only feasible option…Okay, he can stay on your hit list. Just don't kill him yet. Yay, I'm more confusing! Thanks for the review!
MJK: I want you to have more questions the more I reveal. Makes for better suspense. ;) Hope the divorcing issue's cleared up now. At least you got an answer to one of your questions. Angst is gonna stay around a little longer, but I think the end makes up for it. Thanks for the review!
IvyZoe: Yeah, I really wanted a vindictive Rogue. She wants to trust him again, but she was burned too badly the first time around and she wants Remy to know that. And now you know that technically he didn't lie about anything. She just didn't give him the chance to explain. So glad you're loving the story :) Thanks for the review!
WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: Is this soon enough of an update for you:) I know, I know, quicker, right? Thanks for the review!
ishandahalf: LOL! I knew you'd be more twitchy and I'm sure it's not going to stop for a while. Yeah, sounds like you do have a vicious cycle. Well, you got to see Rogue went for another route: instead of yelling, she got nasty. Yes, the explanations were the truth, but it's a little hard to believe, isn't it?…Coincidental or incidental? And that's all I'm going to say right now ;) I don't think he really feels bad about the other proposals. I think he's more restl-there I go again, telling things I shouldn't. At the end, I intend on posting an epilogue of sorts to clear up anything I didn't convey well in the writing, so that should help you sort things out a little better. You know, I didn't even think about Rogue being the 'settle for'. Well, in Logan's and Joseph's cases, she wasn't. I probably didn't make that clear either, but Logan really seemed to be hung up on her and Joe, well, he's obvious. Guess I was so interested in the 'what if' that I forgot about the 'what now'. LOL, again! Just because you don't like someone doesn't mean that he shouldn't count. Oh, what am I going on about? Joe's only in here to be used. I don't like him any better than you do! Sorry, but you're just going to have to keep reading to see what he's being used for. Yay! I did more confusing. Well, Rogue's not sorry in the end, just in this chapter like you saw. That's the extent of her regrets. And it's not that he can't look at her, he's just trying not to-ugh! I gotta stop doing that! So I take it my update schedule isn't to your liking? Well, good things come to those who wait. Thanks for the review!