Disclaimer: I tried to marry Stan Lee so I'd legally own half of the X-Men, but we couldn't decide how to divide them so the marriage was postponed and he still owns all of it. Maybe someday...
Today was definitely not Remy LeBeau's lucky day.
For a man who considered himself to be well acquainted with Lady Luck, this definitely put him in a downcast state.
Finding an apartment in New York shouldn't be nearly as difficult a task as it was turning out to be.
"..and over here you can see the previous tenant's collection of rare Star Wars figurines..." the voice of the realtor droned on and on, trying to turn the nerd paradise of the apartment into something desirable. Remy's eyes scanned over the decrepit couch, raising a brow. For the Prince of Thieves, this would not do. Sadly, it was the best he had seen all day. Apparently, full-furnished apartments in New York City were indeed a rare gem. He looked at her through dark sunglasses in a tone that suggested, "I think not." Amy Parrish, the realtor, frowned. She adjusted her navy suit and looked at him. "You're just about out of options, Mr. LeBeau."
Remy, too exhausted with the whole process for words, started for the door and down the stairs, followed quickly by the click of Mrs. Parrish's navy pumps and nasal tone. "Mr. LeBeau! Mr. LeBeau!" As stealthy as Remy was, she caught up with him outside the apartment building, panting slightly and looking more than slightly annoyed. "Mr. LeBeau! This is a nice area, the rent is decent, it's furnished...this is the last place I have!" Her tone held an air of exasperation. Disappointing the son of the patriarch of the Thieves Guild wouldn't fare well for her.
Remy turned to face her and sighed. "I jus' can' be livin' in a place like dis' Mrs. Parrish. Dere's got to be som'ting else..." he trailed off. A pink piece of paper floated down from the telephone pole across the street, going unnoticed by the two as they exchanged words.
"Mr. LeBeau, to find anything else would be a miracle..."
"Den we'll need a miracle, 'cuz dis Cajun won' be stayin' in a place like dis..."
"You've said that about the last six apartments!..."
A gust of wind flicked the pink piece of paper and the Cajun flinched as it hit his beloved brown trench coat. Annoyed, he swatted it away. No sooner had he opened his mouth to speak than the paper had found itself against his trench coat once again. Remy's eyes narrowed. In his eyes, this paper was the last in a series of irritating events that had plagued his day, and it was going to pay. He picked it up and his eyes scanned the plain black type adorning it. His lips spread into a small smile. "Wha' 'bout 'dis?" He asked casually, handing Mrs. Parrish the paper. She looked across the street and her eyes filled with hope.
"Let's take a look, shall we?" She asked him, her tone lightening considerably.
Ten minutes later, Remy found himself sitting on a plush, red velvet couch in a truly stunning apartment. It was small, but decorated in an elegant Victorian style with a modern twist that the New Orleans native found himself very comfortable in. More than very comfortable. At home. Amy Parrish rushed through the door, placing her cell phone back in her purse.
"I knew there had to be a catch to find an apartment like this in New York City," she announced, hoping it wouldn't be a problem.
"Well? What is it? I can' imagine anythin' keepin' me from stayin' here," he drawled sincerely.
"The lease is month to month. Some kind of family tragedy...I wouldn't want to even guess," she replied.
Remy smiled. "Dat's all? Consider it done. De place is mine." He got up to shake the woman's hand and grinned, feeling better already. "'M home."
Beer cans littered the living room area mere hours after Remy had settled himself into his new home. He watched the news with disgust at the anti-mutant rally in Washington, quickly flipping the channel to something less irksome. The Simpsons would do.
It was quite a sight, the former adventurer, spending a night alone with his beer, chicken wings, and a yellow family. He could go pick up a woman if he wanted, but the urge simply wasn't there. The thought of another brainless woman sharing his bed made him ill at this point. He wanted solace, peace. Instead he had alcohol. His mind buzzed with visions of home. Tante Mattie would be yelling something fierce if she caught him like this. He chuckled a bit at the thought, surprised that any recollection of his past brought anything but a grimace to his face. As if on cue, the face of Belladonna flashed in his mind, causing him to grip the beer can tighter than he'd like. He felt something hot in his hand and turned his gaze to the beer, seeing it glow a light pink. Quickly, he charged down the beer can, frustrated with himself for losing control. He hadn't lost control in years. He put down the beer can and marched into the kitchen, picking up the bottle of bourbon he had "bought" at the liquor store and taking a decent gulp. The burning sensation calmed him slightly and pushed visions of his past back into his subconscious where they belonged. He trudged back into the living room, only mildly aware that he wasn't walking straight. He drank again from the bottle, and feelings of complete loneliness overwhelmed him.
Mon dieu, so dis is what life has reduced 'm to...
He took his final swig from the bottle before he felt blackness take him prisoner.
Merde! M' head!
Remy's first thoughts at awakening the next morning were just that. His head was pounding like it hadn't in years, and he silently swore to himself to take it easy on the booze next time. His second thought, however, was quite peculiar. He could've sworn that he heard something..a voice? As his body began to awaken, the voice became more and more clear. Had he passed out at a woman's apartment? No, no...he had just found the perfect apartment...that's right...he remembered beer and bourbon. He opened his demonic eyes to see a sight that caused his breath to catch in his throat. The owner of the voice had walked in from his bedroom, and he could see rage in her eyes.
"Yah wanna tell me what in th' devil yah've done tah mah apartment?"
Our favorite Ragin' Cajun has made his debut! God writing Remy is fun! I know I go crazy with the accents, but that's the way I like them. That's the way our favorite couple speaks, so I intend on breaking the apostrophe key.
The way this fic is forming in my head is fantastic. I have so much I want to do with it! The movie was great, and the X-Men are great, and we all know Rogue and Remy are great, so it seemed only logical to put it all together.
Even those few reviews made me want to jump on the next chapter (and thank you LORD for giving me the internet back! Hadn't had it since Hurricane Wilma!) and will continue to motivate me. No months in-between updates for this gal.
This fic, as you can tell, is somewhat AU and somewhat not. It "takes place" after Day of Reckoning pt. 2, but it's an AU version. No Remy as an Acolyte (which I want to explore in another fic I have brewing, because I just love their exchanges on Evo).
What's made Remy so depressed? What's going on with Rogue? Romyness beginning in the next chapter, and soon enough the intro of one of Remy's friends :) Stay tuned, please R/R!
Onto reviews!
rogue131:the first reviewer! yay and many thanks! I was worried about my first chapter, I'm so glad I caught your eye :)
ishandahalf: I have put the banana away for now, saved for a time when it is truly needed. Gah I'm so glad my first chapter went over well, it was harder to write than this one. Writing Remy is just such incredible fun. And writing romyness? I'm so pumped. I have some great things planned for the two, some great banter, and more :D The grammar and punctuation was kind of beaten into me by my AP English teacher senior year, so I can't let her down. And bad spelling is just obnoxious. I loved "Just Like Heaven", I love Reese Witherspoon and the story was so sweet that I had to bring it into this universe. Oh, and since you're canadian, I must ask: ever hear of a band called treble charger? They're my favorite and most people haven't heard of them, but they're Canadian, so I thought you might.
Grignard: I like the brooding aspect of Rogue (hey, I'd be brooding too) but as she matured in the Evo universe, especially if she became a teacher, I figured she'd shed the goth girl persona. I like writing an older Rogue from the Evo universe, even more complex than she already is. So glad you're liking it so far :)
abril4: Rogue has grown up indeed :) I plan on updating regularly, so don't you worry!
Rogue14: Thanks for the encouragement! It was both needed and appreciated!
Spicy Sweet: So glad you love it! Those are some great words to hear (or, err, read). I hope you like the rest!
Chica De Los Ojos Café: yaaay! I got capital letters! I am sooooooo glad to hear that it's piqued your interest! Hope I didn't disappoint with this installment!
Thanks all of you! It's crazy how much motivation reviews really can give. Check back soon!