The New Mutants
Written by Darkstorm5000
Disclaimer: The X-Men and related characters in their various incarnations are the property of Marvel Comics and Marvel Enterprises.
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A/N: This is dedicated to all of you ROMY lovers out there.
Story 23- Touch Me
If one were to search for the ideal example to represent what the next generation of X-Men should be striving towards, it seems that their deputy-leader, Marie D'Acanto would more than fit the bill. Brave, hard-working, and very much dedicated to doing everything in her power to make herself into the best X-Woman that she was capable of being, Rogue appeared to be head and shoulders above her peers.
But, if you were able to look a little bit deeper and take a glimpse into the part of Rogue that the rest of the world could neither see nor touch, you would also know that not everything is as it appears. While Rogue took her responsibilities as an X-Man very seriously, and was more than ready to face any potential adversity at a moments notice, underneath her confident veneer she still had her own insecurities and issues to deal with, just like everyone else did.
Well, not quite like everyone else, to be exact.
Rogue regularly struggled internally with feelings of deep depression, feelings that seemed to hound her incessantly. Which were, ironically enough, caused by the fact that her mutant powers had robbed her of the ability to reach out and touch that same, semi-observant world that existed all around her. And, it was a reality that Rogue was constantly reminded of on a daily basis.
From the time that she awoke in the morning, Rogue's day always started the same. It would find her carefully picking out a wardrobe that, while remaining stylish and modestly fashionable, was capable of serving a more practical purpose. Rogue's clothes had less to do with comfort, than they did with ensuring that she didn't accidentally maim or kill someone with these strange powers that nature had given to her. Rogue's outfits generally left a minimal amount of her bare skin exposed, as to protect those around her from unintentionally having their memories, and their very life-force energies drained right out of them. And given the atypical make-up of the student body at Professor Xavier's school located on Greymalkin Lane, it also helped to prevent a mutant power transfer that, in a few cases, could prove to be as equally disastrous.
But, even more than the feelings that Rogue harbored regarding the often restrictive nature of the clothing that she wore, her gloomy mood could be attributed moreso to what she would see when she walked down the street, through the park, or on occasion when she happened to pass by the student rec-room in the mansion when Peter and Kitty, or Jubilee and Doug were in there. Rogue would sometimes stop and glance at them as they touched, hugged, and kissed, all without any fear or hesitation. And, it was something that this Mississippi-native desperately craved to experience again for herself, to not have to physically remain an island unto herself, which is what Rogue felt that she had basically become now, was the one thing that she wished for above anything else.
As Rogue now sat out by the estate's boathouse on this lazy summer afternoon, she wondered if couples like Kitty & Peter and Jubilee & Doug even realized how lucky they were? To be able to be romantically intimate with one another, to be able to just sensuously touch and express their feelings in the physical realm with each other? In other words, to be afforded the opportunity to do those things that normal couples usually took for granted, and to not have 'the kiss of death' as Rogue sometimes privately mused to herself about the true nature of her powers.
Although she had been battling with her bouts of discontentment for some time, Rogue had vowed to keep her own sensibilities on the subject to herself, and decided not to tell her friends and teammates about what she was feeling. It was mainly because Rogue didn't want any of them to start acting awkward around her, or to become self-conscious about affectionately embracing or touching one another while in her presence. But even more than that, Rogue just plain didn't want anyone taking pity or feeling sorry for the girl who, by accident of birth, had seemingly been cursed to spend the rest of her adult life void of knowing the unbridled touch of another.
With the air whipping gently around her, Rogue sat out on the small dock by the boathouse and took her hair out of the long ponytail that she usually kept it in, allowing the small wafts of air coming in off of the lake to bounce her brown and white tresses to and fro in the wind. Sitting out there, Rogue now also better understood why Bobby liked to come out to the boathouse by himself so much. The quiet and solitude to be experienced out there was in stark contrast to the constant, almost chaotic, noise flowing throughout the mansion most of the day, thanks to its other residents.
Sitting near the edge of the boathouse's dock on this somewhat breezy afternoon, Rogue gazed almost hypnotically out onto the lake's choppy waters in front of her. She then, unexpectedly, began to fantasize about what it would feel like if the day ever came when she could actually touch another person, particularly one Remy Lebeau. Rogue further imagined what it would be like to kiss him and let him kiss her back, for them to be able to hold and caress each other fully. Rogue also thought about what it would ultimately be like for them to finally be able to release all of their pent-up passion, which they had been holding back for so long, and to set their carnal desires loose in a very uninhibited, unrestrained manner.
But, the peaceful isolation of Rogue's current locale, and her rather risqué daydream, were abruptly interrupted when the object of her desires suddenly and unmistakably made his presence known to her.
"Shoulda figured I'd find you out here, Cheré." Remy Lebeau now said, as he walked up behind Rogue and onto the dock with her.
"Just out here catchin' a breath of fresh air, 'Sugah'." Rogue replied, still facing forward towards the lake as she quickly snapped out of the slightly embarrassing daydream that she had been entranced in.
As Remy came closer towards her, he saw that Rogue was sitting down on the wooden pier with her legs crossed over Indian-style close to its end, wearing a dark-green cut-off tank that was covered by a long-sleeved and loose-fitting, see-through white blouse. The blouse that she had on was made from a thin silk-like material, while the black pants that she had on were made from a somewhat thicker, almost spandex-type material, and was complimented by a pair of low-top black hiking boots.
As Rogue continued her fixed gaze out onto the large lake that sat on the school's property Remy went and took a seat next to her, dressed in a light-gray t-shirt that had the sleeves cut off from it and a simple pair of denim blue jeans. And almost immediately, Remy could tell that there was definitely something bothering his favorite girl.
"Dis is just downright cozy I s'ppose, 'specially when you compare it t'what de others were watchin' when I passed by de livin' room on my way out here." Remy casually commented, referring to the 'trash-TV' that some of the others loved to indulge in during the afternoon, hoping to at least bring a small smile to Rogue's face with his remark.
But, all Remy received in response was a small half-smile from Rogue, as she continued her aquatic observations out in front of her.
"Um, did I do somethin' dat got you upset at yours truly?" Remy now asked Rogue.
"Nah, at least not this time." Rogue finally turned to look at Remy, flashing him the smile that he had yet to tire of seeing, "Ah just got some things on my mind is all."
Remy proceeded to slide over across the wooden surface of the small boating dock towards Rogue, stopping once he was sitting right behind her. Remy then began to gently massage Rogue's shoulders, knowing how much she truly relished its tension-relieving effects.
As Rogue laid back and allowed herself to be wrapped up in Remy's reassuring embrace, she closed her eyes and savored every stroke of his touch. His hands seemed to glide across her back and shoulder blades, and despite being slightly impeded by her sheer blouse and the tanktop underneath it, his gentle caress still felt so natural, so close, so very real.
And, it made Rogue long to have more than just that. She then began to fantasize once again about how the smooth caress of Remy's bare hands would feel against her face, his warm lips pressed tightly against her, what it would be like to receive more from him--
"Wait, what am Ah thinkin'?" Rogue now thought to herself, as she very much wanted to give into those impulses that were clouding her normally very rational and very sound judgment.
Suddenly, Rogue pulled away from Remy and quickly stood up on the pier, then took a few steps away from him to create some much needed breathing room between them.
"What's wrong?" Remy asked her, as he now also stood up on the docking pier and was genuinely confused by Rogue's actions.
"There's nothing wrong, and that's what's got me worried." Rogue said, as she stood there looking back out onto the lake, wrapping her arms in front of her in a sort of self-embrace.
"You done went and completely lost me." Remy replied, still not understanding what was going on.
"Ah'm just afraid that if we start something that Ah won't know when to, or even want it to stop." Rogue now revealed, as she turned back around to face Remy.
"I been known to have dat effect on de opposite sex." Remy boastfully said, as an ever-confident smirk now came across his face.
"Yeah, well whether that's it or not, it's not a theory we can actually afford to test out." Rogue responded in a serious tone, although she couldn't help but smile just a little at Remy's antics, "You know what'll happen if we go too far."
"Maybe we know, and then again, maybe we don't. What if your powers don't work de same on everyone, and Gambit ends up bein' a part of dat lucky and exclusive group." Remy now said to her, as he came over to Rogue and took her gloved hand into his.
"C'mon, there's no point in us livin' in some fantasy world that's only gonna disappoint the both of us in the end. Ah've been down that road once already." Rogue told Remy, as she looked up at him, her dark-hued pupils fixed on his almost hypnotic red-on-black eyes.
"Who said I'm gon' be disappointed, 'specially 'wit you?" Remy now questioned Rogue, as he loved the sight of her long, unrestrained hair still being blown about in front of him, thanks to the cool breeze that was coming in from the lake on this warm summer day.
"It's only a matter of time. Ah mean, Ah'm sure one day you're gonna get tired of all of the hassles that come along with having a girlfriend you can't hardly touch. And, then…you'll eventually--" Rogue was saying, when Remy abruptly interrupted her.
"And, then I'll what? Go runnin' off somewhere wit' de first skirt dat comes by? Is dat de kinda man you t'ink I am?" Remy asked her, his tone relaying that he was more than a little hurt by her statement.
"No, Ah didn't mean it that way. All Ah'm sayin' is that you are a man, one Ah'm sure who's actually 'been' with other girls before." Rogue answered, as she had decided the time had come for her and Remy to be as open and frank as they possibly could. Rogue then decided to tell Remy about some of the anxieties that she had been feeling, going back to their return back home from Japan.
"Ah never brought the subject up before, but Ah know our situation's probably been botherin' you. Ah guess maybe it's just a little bit easier for me, because Ah really don't know all that much about what Ah'm missin' out on, but you do." Rogue honestly revealed to him.
"Get dis through yo' head here and now, I ain't missin' out nothin' by bein' wit' you." Remy unequivocally stated to this girl that had somehow managed to strike a nerve in him in a way that no other woman, not even his former fiancée Belladonna, had been able to do before, "Bein' wit' someone you ain't really in love wit' may feel real good for a while, but it don't last too long. And, I'm willin' to wait til it is de two of us."
"And what if that day never comes? Have you really sat down and thought about what that'll mean, and about all the things you'd be givin' up in the process?" Rogue inquired of him.
Rogue was now asking Remy the very question that she had many times asked of herself. Sometimes, it had even managed to keep Rogue up at night, as she would wonder how she would handle it if the Professor ultimately told her that he was unable to help her in finding a way to control her powers.
"Well, like you said, I am a man and I do t'ink about 'it' every now 'n then." Remy said with a bright smile on his face once again, as he came over at put his arms comfortingly around Rogue's waist, "But, what I do know is what I'd be givin' up, if I didn't stick around for you."
Then, without actually having to say it, Remy's gesture somehow, someway told Rogue that things would eventually find a way of working themselves out…
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(What, you didn't really think that was the end, did you?)
Rogue and Remy sat out at the dock's edge for some time after having their talk, quietly watching together as the lake reflected the rays of a now setting sun off of its surface. As they did, Remy had gone and laid down on the dock with his head securely in Rogue's lap, while she sat on the pier behind him with her legs still crossed over, slowly running her gloved hand through his slightly reddish-brown hair. Rogue would then alternate her gentle gesture by softly stroking the side of Remy's face, as the two of them were at last enjoying the peaceful solitude that Rogue had sought out there earlier in the day. Then, Remy spoke to her again.
"You know what'd make dis de perfect day?" Remy asked, as he now looked up at Rogue, his head still resting in her lap.
"What's that?" Rogue asked, as she now ran a gloved finger lightly back and forth across his forehead.
"If tonight, me and you do somethin' dat all de other couples do." Remy said with a slight smile, which caused Rogue's finger to stop its affectionate movement across his face, as she quickly balled her right hand up into a fist.
"AhsweartoGod, Remy! Ah will get up from here and knock you on your ass good, if you make another one of your smart-ass remarks about gettin' it on with me, or with any part of me, especially after everything Ah just told you out here!" Rogue sat and angrily warned him, displaying a genuinely riled-up disposition that wasn't seen too often from her.
"I don't t'ink you wanna hurt me, least not like dat anyways." Remy replied with his head still resting in Rogue's lap, as he looked up at her with a huge smirk across his face while he continued to egg on the situation.
"Do you really want to find out then?" Rogue dared him, as she raised an eyebrow and her face displayed a sort of scowling expression, all while she continued to hold her tightly balled fist up close to her shoulder.
"Easy, just calm down Cheré. Only t'ing I was gonna suggest was dat we go out for a night on de town You know, have a good time like other folks do." Remy now revealed his rather innocent proposal to her, "It's been a good while since we been out anywhere together."
"Oh." Rogue replied, her tone now almost instantly less tense, as she proceeded to unfurl the fist that her right hand had been in and began to gently stroke Remy's hair again, "Ah think it's a great idea and all, but Ah don't know what you're talkin' about us not goin' out? We just went to the movies last week with Kitty and Peter."
"I was talkin' about us goin' out together, not us AND Petite 'n Le Artiste. I wanna make a real night of it, just de two of us." Remy explained.
"Okay, you're on. You just gotta give me a chance to go in and get ready." Rogue said, as she was about to stand up and head back towards the mansion.
"You ain't gotta be in no hurry, we got plenty of time. 'Sides, de major hot spots don't get goin' good for at least a few more hours anyways." Remy said, as he and Rogue continued sitting on the dock together and finished watching the sun set, before finally heading back inside after the dusk hour had passed.
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"Well, if you ain't de sight t'end all sights?" Remy now remarked, as he had been standing inside of the estate's spacious vehicle garage when Rogue entered in more than an hour after they left the boathouse.
Rogue came into the garage wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt that buttoned-up the front with silver pin-stripes that ran vertically up and down on it, and also had French cuffs that were the same silver color. Her blouse was worn with a pair of sheer, silver-colored gloves, and some very tight midnight-black jeans that she had poured herself into. Her jeans were tucked into her favorite black knee-high boots that zipped up on the back, which Rogue had put on intentionally since she had a good idea of the mode of transportation that she and Remy would be traveling on this evening.
"Ah see you came out here and got our 'chariot' all ready to go." Rogue humorously replied, as she walked towards Remy and now visually inspected him and his attire.
She immediately noticed that Remy had on a pricey looking olive-colored dress shirt that appeared to be made from real silk, and that he had left its top buttons undone in a very casual manner. Remy was also wearing a pair of loden-brown pants that were cut in a fit-flight style, and a pair of expensive shoes made from brown, Italian-leather.
As she continued over across the garage, Rogue also saw that Remy was standing next to a very familiar blue motorcycle. It was the same motorcycle that, by this point, no one in the mansion was quite sure who was really the owner of anymore.
"It's all ready and waitin', so we can get outta here and paint de town red, blue, green and whatever other colors we might fancy." Remy told her, as he bowed slightly with one hand held out and politely gestured for Rogue to come take her seat on the bike with him.
"Then, let's not delay." Rogue playfully responded, as she gave him a very brief curtsy and continued towards him.
Remy got onto the bike first and started it up, with Rogue coming over and getting on right behind him. As they prepared to make their departure, Remy followed Rogue's lead and put on one of the helmets that had been hanging on the bike's handle. Remy did so this time, as to try and avoid having to hear another lecture from Rogue about how he had better put his helmet on so that she, in her words, 'wouldn't have to scrape whatever was left of his fat-head off of the pavement' if something went wrong while they were riding.
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The leisurely, night-time cruise through Westchester's back roads flew by fairly quickly for Rogue and Remy, before hitting the major highway that ran right down to New York City. In no time at all, it seemed that they were entering the outskirts of The Big Apple. As they made their way through the city's traffic, which was still fairly congested, Remy and Rogue headed down one street just so they could turn onto another one, as they sought out a place that Remy had heard about, a new club called The Hades Lounge.
"So, this is the hotspot you were talkin' about?" Rogue now said, after she and Remy had slowly ridden on the bike down the four-lane main drag that ran right in front of the club, and were now pulling into the parking lot behind the building.
"I heard De Hades Lounge is s'pposed t'be de hottest." Remy replied, as the motorcycle came to a stop in the spot where a parking attendant had directed them to. Remy then handed his helmet to Rogue, and she locked them together on a chain attached to the back right-side of the bike.
"Well, let's go find out whether you heard right." Rogue said to him, as Remy proceeded to take her gloved hand into his, and they both walked back around the exterior of the building to its front entrance together.
After having to stand in line for nearly a half an hour under the glow of a huge and brightly lit neon sign with the club's name on it, the adventurous couple finally made it to the front door of the club. Where they now had to contend with the inevitable rude bouncer.
"Club's twenty-one and up only, I'm gonna need to see some ID." A bald, very large, and bulky bouncer wearing a black t-shirt and jeans brusquely said, as he looked down at Rogue and Remy from the top of the small staircase that led up to the club's entrance.
"Yeah, sure, no problem." Remy replied, as his plans had now hit a snag that he hadn't anticipated. He smiled and looked back up at the bouncer through a pair of stylish, custom-made shades, which he had put on to help conceal what many would consider to be his most distinguishing physical attribute.
The shades had been made specifically for Remy back at the mansion, utilizing the same machine that Professor Xavier had built to use in fashioning the ruby-quartz glasses that Scott wore. But, the ones that Remy had on weren't made with ruby-quartz lenses in them. Rather, they had moderately-tinted lenses that served to hide his red and black eyes. In addition to their cosmetic duties, Remy's shades also allowed him to see out of them perfectly whether it was during the day or at night, thanks to the special light-filtering capabilities of the glasses. Remy then proceeded to quickly shuffle through the half-dozen fake ID's in his pocket that all listed different birthdates, addresses, and aliases for this former member of the Thieves' Guild, doing so without drawing any undue attention to himself and finally pulling one out to give to the bouncer.
But, then Remy realized that Rogue wouldn't be able to deal as easily with the bouncer's request, as she was only a couple of months past her eighteen birthday. That's why Remy was shocked when the girl standing next to him calmly pulled an ID out of the small purse in her hand, which stated that she was twenty-two, and handed it to the bouncer up at the door.
The bouncer took his time looking at both Rogue's and Remy's ID's, performing his own thorough examination of them. Eventually, he did step aside and allowed the couple to go into The Hades Lounge. After paying their cover charge to a young lady at a small counter just inside of the door, the couple ventured further into the crowded club and managed to find an empty booth that was towards the back. Rogue and Remy then sat down for a minute, before he curiously inquired of her as to how she had been able to pull off her amazing feat, which was akin to pulling a proverbial rabbit out of her purse.
"It's lucky for us you had it, but how'd you come up wit' those doctored credentials?" Remy asked her, wording his question in a way so that he wouldn't arouse the attention of anyone nearby working undercover security for the club. But, with as loud as the music was playing, with the DJ currently spinning Beck's E-Pro at a seemingly ear-splitting decibel, it was a miracle that Rogue was even able to hear Remy at all.
"Well…there's this older guy Ah know. And sometimes, he likes to go and give me special things like that, things that usually come in mighty handy." Rogue playfully replied from across the table, with a big smile on her face.
Rogue was of course referring to Professor Xavier and how he had given her, Bobby, and Peter each fake ID's to allow them to enter certain places without being hassled. But, one would have to wonder if using their fake ID's to go clubbing was exactly what Professor Xavier had in mind when he had given them to his three oldest students.
"Anyways, I'm gon' go head up to the bar and get somethin'. What you want I should get for you?" Remy now asked Rogue, as he slid back across the leather-cushioned seat of the dimly-lit booth that they were sitting at.
"Just a soda, Ah guess." Rogue told him, as the booming beat from the music continued playing throughout the club.
"I figured you'd want me t'get you somethin' a little stronger, while you got de opportunity?" Remy asked, as he sat at the edge of the booth's seat looking over at her.
"Nah, if he does find about how Ah got in here tonight, Ah don't wanna have to explain to the Professor what Ah was doin' in here AND why Ah was drinkin' on top of that." Rogue responded, as she genuinely felt a little bad for using her fake ID tonight, which was supposed to only be used on missions or for emergencies.
With that, Remy nodded and walked across the spacious dance-floor next to them, its multitude of brightly colored strobe-lights flashing off him and the numerous other individuals out there, as he proceeded over to one of the bar stations located in the center of The Hades Lounge.
Meanwhile, Rogue sat back in the bench seat of their booth and watched all of the people out on the dance floor, noticing that some of the couples were dancing very closely together out there. Rogue then looked upwards and noticed that the DJ's booth perched up above was surrounded by an intriguingly intricate system, one which shot flames up out of small metal cylinders around the DJ booth in a timed sequence with the strobe-lights as they flashed throughout the club.
Then, Rogue happened to overhear a couple talking, as they slowly walked by on the other side of a screened partition next to the booth that she was seated in.
"…club is pretty slammin'. Whoever owns it's put some MAJOR cash into this place." Rogue heard a male voice say.
"Yeah, I heard from someone I know that works here that this place is owned by some rich guy, I'm talkin' MEGA-rich. They said he bought it out from the previous owners a few months back, and had it completely remodeled. Then he went and gave it to his son, some guy named Shinobi Shaw, who's supposed to be runnin' it for him. But, the girl I know said he's only set foot in this place like once or twice." A female voice now replied.
"Not keepin' up with things, that's a sure way to put yourself outta business reeaal quick." The male voice told her, as they continued along the small aisle on the opposite side of Rogue's booth towards an exit.
Rogue looked through the dark screen up next to the booth, and tried to see who was talking. But, she was unable to make out who they were, and just as quickly they were gone and out of her hearing range. A few more minutes passed by before Remy finally returned from his journey over to the bar, now walking back to their table carrying two drinks in his hands.
"Here we go, two sodas." Remy smiled and said to Rogue, as he sat one of the glasses in front of her, and then went and sat down on the other side of the booth with his.
"You didn't have to do that on my account, if you want to go back and get you somethin'--" Rogue started, when Remy interrupted her.
"Don't worry none, it ain't no big deal. 'Sides, I'm gettin' juiced just bein' here wit' you." Remy flirtatiously told her.
"So, are you tryin' to say Ah have a pretty intoxicatin' effect on you then?" Rogue smiled and sarcastically asked, as she took a sip from her soda.
"Dat's one way of puttin' it. I t'ink I just might need t'have a breathalyzer done before de night is through." Remy replied, as he continued to lay his charming words on pretty thick.
"You know, If Ah ever get to meet that brother of yours that you're always tellin' me about, Ah'm gonna have to ask him if you were really a world-famous thief, or just the greatest bullshit artist alive." Rogue laughingly said, as she slowly stirred at her soda with a small red straw that had been provided in it and took another few sips.
"Well, you more than welcome t'ask him when dat day comes. But in de mean time, you can judge for yourself just how good of a dancer I am." Remy said, as he downed most of the contents of his glass in a single gulp, and then caught Rogue off-guard when he quickly took her by the hand. Remy tugged at her to come with him out onto the club's huge dance floor, and was so insistent that he barely gave Rogue a chance to grab her small handbag sitting on the seat next to her.
As Remy led Rogue out onto the floor the two of them began to dance together, almost immediately their movements began to flow together in a single rhythm to the more upbeat techno music now playing. Rogue herself was more than genuinely surprised at how good of a natural dancer that Remy actually was, as she had never seen him dance before period, let alone with her. But, they moved so smoothly together in unison, it looked as though Rogue and Remy had been spending a good deal of time practicing together.
Remy stayed right behind Rogue, as she showed off the various steps that Jubilee had taught her and Remy displayed what he had picked up in various nightclubs on his travels across the globe. Soon, Remy placed his hands up around Rogue's shoulders before he slowly slid them down the sleeves of her blouse, smoothly navigating the obviously developed curves of this woman in front of him. Remy finally stopped and let his hands rest on Rogue's shapely hips with a semi-firm grip, as the two of them continued to slowly gyrate and grind together to the song that was playing.
Once again, Rogue found herself being hypnotized and seduced into Remy's tantalizing embrace, as she pressed her own body back ever closer into his, looking back slightly and placing her right gloved-hand up caressingly against his face behind her. Rogue then closed her eyes and allowed herself to become lost in the moment, surrendering herself to Remy's control as he guided her body's movements and put them completely into synch with his own.
As the music moved from techno to hip-hop to rock to R&B and everything in between, Rogue and Remy continued dancing together alongside the other people out on the dance floor, and did so without missing a beat. After going non-stop for the better part of an hour through both faster dance songs and slower love songs, Remy and Rogue finally decided to take a break and came back over to their booth to take a seat.
"Ah'm sooo hot." Rogue stated, as she and Remy sat back down at their table booth together.
"Dat you are." Remy smirked, replying to her in matter-of-fact tone.
"Ah'm bein' serious! Ah'm sure Ah must look like a wreck." Rogue told him from across the table, as she fanned herself with her hand and tried to catch her breath following their marathon session out on the dance floor.
"You look ravishing as ever. 'Sides, you know what they say, 'When you sweat, sometimes you gon' get wet'." Remy affably retorted to her from across the table.
With that, Rogue just smiled at him and shook her head, then getting up to head to the ladies room. After she had made a quick check to her makeup, Rogue returned to the table where she found that Remy had ordered two more sodas for them. Once they had sat and gotten a chance to regain some of their stamina, Rogue and Remy were both back out on the dance floor again, letting themselves take absolute pleasure in the release that they received from being out there together.
And it's the main reason why, since Rogue and Remy were having such a good time out there together, that their festive night didn't end until the wee hours of the morning.
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As the closing time for the club had come and gone, Rogue and Remy found themselves walking back around outside of The Hades Lounge, heading to their bike and preparing for their ride back home.
"Well, Ah'll say this. You sure do know how to show a girl a good time." Rogue cheerfully said to Remy, as they walked to the parking lot in the back of club together.
"It wasn't dat hard, since dis girl looked like she just wanted to have herself a little fun anyways." Remy smiled and looked over at Rogue walking next to him, his fingers completely intertwined with her gloved ones as they held hands, "We gon' have t'go 'n do dis again sometime real soon."
"Yeah, but maybe we should find someplace where we don't have to worry about lyin' about our ages to get into." Rogue replied, as she looked up at him and they continued across the parking lot together.
"I say you more than earned the right t'have a little fun wherever you want, 'specially wit' all dat extra work you put in back at de school." Remy was telling Rogue, when they suddenly heard…
AAIIIIIEEEE!
Rogue and Remy stopped in their tracks, and turned back towards the parking lot entrance. They saw a young woman standing there on the sidewalk that ran right in front of the club, who had dark brunette hair and was wearing a tightly-fitting dress. She looked to be another club patron that had just come out behind them, and they saw that she was struggling with another man that was pulling at the purse hanging off of her shoulder.
"Ah think that lady's gettin' mugged." Rogue said to Remy, as they stood close to their bike and watched what was happening.
In the blink of an eye, the mugger forcefully ripped the purse away from the screaming woman, and then he gave her a hard shove to the ground before he took off running down the sidewalk in a direction away from the club, now firmly clutching the purse in his hand.
"You feel like playin' the good Samaritan?" Rogue asked Remy, as neither of them saw a police officer or any members of the club's security in the immediate vicinity to come to the aid of this poor woman that had just been assailed.
"Sure, why not?" Remy smiled and responded, as Rogue now gave him his second surprise of the night. Rogue quickly grabbed the set of bike keys that Remy had in his hand, and then astutely jumped onto the back of the blue motorcycle, starting it up like a professional rider.
"C'mon 'n get on." Rogue said to Remy, as she revved the motorcycle's engine and prepared for them to take off.
"Since when do you know how t'drive one of these?" Remy questioned her.
"Since Logan taught me. Now, are we gonna spend all night goin' on about my qualifications to operate this motor vehicle, or are we gonna go catch us a bad guy?" Rogue now looked up and asked him.
To that, Remy didn't say anything further. Instead, he hopped onto the back of the bike with Rogue as it peeled out and sped off, and they blew right past the woman that had just been robbed.
As they sped down the street heading in the same direction of where the mugger had gone, Rogue and Remy soon spotted him still running down the sidewalk. They saw him nearing an alley opening in between a couple of buildings by the sidewalk, and Remy knew that they probably wouldn't be able to catch him if he got the chance to reach it. So, Remy stood up on the back of the still moving bike in a semi-crouching position, waiting as Rogue further accelerated down the street to get closer to the mugger. Then, Remy leapt forward in an incredible manner, tackling and slamming the mugger down hard to the concrete pavement.
Figuring to cut his losses against this apparent maniac, who obviously wanted the purse far worse than he did, the mugger simply let it go. He then managed to pick himself up from the sidewalk, leaving Remy behind as he ducked over and disappeared into the alleyway. In the meantime, Rogue had continued down the street on the speeding bike, but had now turned it around so that she could come back for her partner in civilian justice.
"Not too bad." Rogue smirkingly remarked to Remy, as she and the bike both came to a running rest on the street, while a parked car and the street curb sat in between them.
"My dismount was perfect, if I do say so myself. But, even I'll admit my landin' leaves a bit to be desired." Remy responded in kind, as he now started back over towards the bike. As he did, a few innocent New York bystanders who happened to be on in a position to see what had transpired, stared in astonishment at the departing pair.
Once Remy was back on the bike with Rogue, they drove back up the street towards The Hades Lounge, although this time at a much slower rate. As they neared the club, they saw that the woman who had been mugged was still standing there, now with a few other people gathered around her that had just come out of the club. Then, as it came to a rolling stop, Remy jumped off of the bike so that he could go over and complete his good deed of the day, or night technically.
"I believe dis belongs t'you." Remy happily announced, as he brought the purse over to the woman, who was still visibly shaken and very upset by what had happened to her.
But, whether it had to do with the trauma of the incident or not, Remy certainly did not receive anything close to the appreciative response that he was expecting.
"It's…it's alright, you can keep it." The woman said to Remy, as she took a few steps back from him.
"Nah, see Robin Hood don't work dat way, and neither does yours truly." Remy good-naturedly replied, as he beamed a smile at her and took a few more steps towards the woman, which caused her to turn around completely and walk off briskly in the opposite direction on the sidewalk.
"What got into her?" Rogue now asked, still sitting on the bike as she slowly wheeled it up next to the curb close to Remy. But, as he stood there on the sidewalk holding this lady's purse in his hand, it suddenly hit Remy as to what was wrong.
"I don't t'ink she was much enjoyin' de view she was gettin'." Remy answered Rogue, still watching as the woman who had been mugged continued on down the street, and was soon out of view.
"This time of the mornin', there ain't gonna be a whole lot to see out here in front of this club." Rogue remarked, not yet getting what Remy was referring to.
"Actually, I was talkin' 'bout dis view, Cheré." Remy said as he turned around and walked towards Rogue, pointing up to his face.
Rogue looked up and now realized that Remy was no longer wearing his shades, which had probably been knocked off during his tussle with the mugger. As the other bystanders in front of the club stared at him without trying to be obvious, Remy was reminded that it had been some time since he had been confronted directly with the attitudes of those not yet ready to accept him, and other mutants like him, because of those physical traits that they thought were weird and different.
It was something that also took Remy back to the days of his childhood, when his powers first began emerging and a few of the other kids would refer to him as 'demon-eyes' behind his back, and on occasion, right to his face. It was one reason that he and Kurt had connected to an extent, as Remy had a first-hand understanding of what it felt like to be shunned by those around him just because of what he looked like.
"Well, you don't need to go worryin' yourself about what some other gal does or doesn't like, 'cause Ah think the view's just as lovely as can be." Rogue warmly told Remy, as she could tell how much this woman's reaction had bothered him.
Rogue then reached up from the bike that she was sitting on and ran a lone gloved-finger down the side of Remy's face, before giving him a tender and reassuring tap down on his chin.
"Now, what do you say we call it a night and make us some major tracks back up to Westchester, 'Robin Hood'?" Rogue jokingly asked him, before she loudly revved the engine on the bike once again.
"I say what're we waitin' for?" Remy replied, as he was now able to grin in his response and went to get onto the back of the bike with Rogue.
Remy took the purse left to him, and secured it next to him on the bike. Then, he put on the helmet that had been handed to him by Rogue, right before the bike peeled out and roared off down the street running in front of The Hades Lounge.
As they made their way back down the numerous streets that eventually led them to the major-highway running north from New York City, there was a single, persistent thought running through Remy's mind that brought a noticeable smile to his face, even if it was concealed underneath his helmet-
"Yeah, dis one she's definitely worth any kinda wait…"…………………………………………………
A/N: Special thanks to those that reviewed the last chapter-
Doza- It's funny you should mention the lack of Logan in these stories, there's a good reason for that. Let's just say something major, I mean MAJOR is coming up involving him in Japan. Plus, there'll be some other stuff going on about the same time, bringing in one of Marvel's most popular non-X characters into the mix too, so stay tuned.
TheDreamerLady- Glad you liked the Tarot stuff. Um, and I hope you were near something soft when you fainted, else it just might leave a mark…
Independent Fire- Glad you liked the story centered on Tab, John, and the rest of the gang. As far as Alison and Scott, don't worry because things can only continue to heat up where they're concerned…
El Varon- As far as being clues, Destiny said it herself: Anything is possible.