Hi everyone :)
It was nice to hear from so many of you. I don't think I've ever had such a big response for a first chapter before :) I'm glad you all found last chapter intriguing for various reasons. As always, I have some replies to all you lovely people:
enchantedlight: Glad you're liking it. Hope the update was quick enough.
ishandahalf: Thanks for pointing out the typo lol. You're the only one who said anything. I went back and corrected it. Glad you're enjoying the story.
taiyoukai-chan: I love your name. So kawaii :) Rogue and remy are soooo meant to be together aren't they? lol. Glad you're getting the humour. I've got a weird sense of humour so I thought I'd be, like, the only one laughing at it. Anyway, thanks for the review. Hope the update came quick enough for ya.
Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Hope this update came soon enough for ya. As for if the actual Remy will show up, you'll just have to wait and see :D
EmeraldKatsEye: I was thinking about keeping Jean dead, (even though she isn't really dead in the movies either) but I decided to keep her in, just for the Hell of it.
hesquidor: Ooo, cool name. And you're insane. A bit like me really :D I'm glad that you agree that this is an original concept. I do like to have my little burts of originality sometimes :) As for having Remy in the flesh...Well, you'll just have to see what happens won't you:)
Silverbell914: Glad you're liking it and you're just gonna have to wait to see if the real Remy shows up :)
Green Bird 2071: Oh don't you worry, there will be lots and lots of fluff in this story :)
Weapon X 61: A sudden urge to buy a trenchcoat? LOL. That made me laught out loud when I read that :)
MeWhoExactlyWhat: Yay! I got someone hooked :)
As you will notice, I have taken some of the interactions of Scott and Logan from the second movie because a) I like them and b) They just fit so good :)
Okay, that's me done talking for now. How ya'll enjoy chapter 2 :)
Bein' a memory in someone's mind isn' exactly a grea' experience, bu' it could be worse. Marie be a sweet femme and good company. She laughs at Remy's jokes and teases back when he teases her. But it's underneat' dat counts. Underneat' she a scared girl who jus' needs someone to lis'en to her, who jus' needs to be aroun' someone who not gon' flinch whenever she ge' close to dhem. Maybe Remy can' give her everyt'ing she needs righ' now, but he gon' try his hardes' to help her out. Remy may only be a voice in her head, but he be the sweetest voice in her life.
"Ah don't know." Rogue sighed silently as she stepped out of the dressing room in a fancy boutique and observed herself in a full length mirror on the wall in front of her. "It shows a bit too much skin don't ya think?"
"Bu' it does lookreally good on you chere." Remy pointed out.
Rogue sighed again and continued to look herself over. She'd been out now for about three hours now, having only the voice of Remy for company. She couldn't deny that it'd been fun though. They'd learnt a lot about each other. She found out that Remy was a thief mostly because it was a family thing even though he was adopted. She found out a lot of little things and some bigger things as well. And Remy was actually really good company even if he was a little pushy at times. She probably wouldn't have even bought anything if it wasn't for his insistence. He convinced her to buy a new set of sketching pencils, telling her that keeping occupied was a good way to keep her mind off of the voices. He also got her to buy a pretty, dark magenta chiffon scarf saying it would come in handy when she met the right person. Rogue had immediately dismissed that idea as ridiculous but bought the scarf anyway, mostly just to shut Remy up about it. Now, she was modelling a very nice, though very showy dress.
"And look at that price tag Remy! Ah'd never be able to afford this no matter hah hard Ah saved." She continued to protest as she held the small price tag between her fingers.
"Well, jus' ask dhis Logan guy for a loan. He'd give i' to yo', Remy can tell." He told her and immediately regretted it as Rogue's mood plummeted. The last thing she wanted that moment was to think of Logan and she definitely didn't want to chase him up for money. She could live with the fact she was no longer a priority for him but she wasn't going to chase after him and ask for money like a lost puppy.
"No." Rogue said simply, slipping back into the changing room and beginning to change. Silence from both.
"Marie?" Remy said after a moment. She didn't reply. "Remy touched a nerve dhere didn' he?"
"Whah do you always refer to yahself in third person?" Rogue muttered, trying to divert him from the topic.
"You don' wan' talk 'bout i' chere?" He asked.
"Wow, ya're sharp." She grunted in reply as she pulled her jumper back on.
"Why no'?" Remy continued to pry.
"Look, you wanna know about Logan so bad? Just look around mah head! Nothing stoppin' ya." She snapped at him, finally dressed.
"Dhe fact yo' upset chere is stoppin' Remy." He answered seriously as Rogue practically shoved the dress into an assistants hands. "Remy gon' respec' your privacy if dhat's what his chere wants."
Roguehadjust got outside ofthe boutique she had been in when Remy said that. She sighed sadly and her shoulders sagged. Why was she being like this? Remy was trying to be nice and help her and she just kept shooting him down. She had to try and perk up a bit. They were stuck together and it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, she just had to be a bit more open and a little less uptight. She still stood outside the boutique and Remy hadn't spoken again. She was surprised to find she actually missed the constant droning of his voice.
"Don't suppose ya know a place where Ah can get decent cup of coffee do ya?" Rogue inquired tiredly as a way to make peace. She knew of places herself but that wasn't the point. It was an ice breaker and starting a conversation herself was kinda like a weird way to say sorry.
"O' course. Remy know dhis city like dhe back o' his hand. Did he ever tell yo' 'bout dhe time..." And with that, the ice was officially broken. Remy began chattering away again and Rogue didn't deny it. She preferred Remy making noise rather than being silent.
The familiar sound of a roaring motorbike could be heard speeding towards the school from even inside the building. Jean came out of the front entrance and stood out a little. She didn't move until the bike had pulled up and stopped and it's rider got off.
"When I said I'd see you soon I didn't think it'd be this soon." Jean said with a weak smile as she approached the rider who pulled off the helmet they wore to reveal the face of a very cheesed off Logan.
"Where is she?" He simply asked, ignoring Jean's attempt at niceties.
"We're not sure." She admitted awkwardly.
"She isn't here!" Logan all but yelled.
"She accidentally absorbed Kurt and teleported away. The Professor's trying to find her using Cerebro." She explained. That was enough information for Logan and he hurried past Jean and walked into the school. "Logan, where are you going?" She called after him.
"To find out where she is." He called back. Jean quickly followed him in and they began to head towards Cerebro. They walked in silence for a while until Logan spoke up. "So what happened?"
"We're not totally sure. She's been a bit off for a while now, but she won't tell us what's wrong." Jean explained. "She didn't come to any of her classes this morning and when I went to check on her she got really angry and stormed out. That's when she bumped into Kurt and we lost her."
"Well, well. Look who's back." Ororo's cheerful voice came from just ahead.
"Hey Storm." Logan grunted in greeting.
"How's Kurt doing?" Jean inquired as Ororo joined them in heading to the lower levels of the school. They got inside on of the lifts and began to go down.
"Still out but Hank says he's fine." She answered.
"Who's Hank?" Logan inquired.
"He's an old friend of the Professor's and our new doctor. Calls himself Beast. You can't miss him." Ororo explained. Just then, the lift stopped and the doors opened. The three adults stepped out and headed down the silver corridor to Cerebro. "I also asked Hank about Rogue. He said he couldn't be sure but it sounds like she has some of the symptoms of schizophrenia."
"You mean she's ill?" Logan checked.
"We don't know for sure yet." Ororo told him, trying her best to sound reassuring. "We'll have to wait until we know where she is so we can pick her up and bring her back. Hank'll look her over and we'll get a better idea of what's wrong."
They carried on walking for a few more moments in silence, all preoccupied with their own thoughts, until they came to the entrance of Cerebro. Scott was already waiting outside, slouched against the right hand wall with his arms folded across his chest.
"Anything?" Jean asked once they reached him.
"Don't know. He hasn't come back out yet." Scott answered. His gaze fell onto Logan and he raised an eyebrow slightly. "You're back then." He said, more as a statement than a question.
"Yeah, well, Jean knows who to call when there's trouble." Logan replied casually. "Oh yeah, you're bike needs filling up again." He smirked, pulling the bike's keys out of the pocket of his leather jacket and tossing them over to Scott. Scott caught them easily and it was clear that behind his visor, his eyes visibly darkened.
"So do like you did last time. Fill her up." He retorted, slinging the keys back to the older man. Logan caught them as easily as Scott had and grinned in amusement. Jean and Ororo glanced at each other and each thought the same thing. Men!
After following Remy's directions, Rogue found herself in front of a small cafe located in a shady part of town she wouldn't normally be in. She hesitated for a moment outside, still debating whether to go in or not.
"If yo' waitin' for an invitation chere, you'll find you'll be waitin' a lon' time." Remy said, breaking off from his story about the time he took down ten security guards single handedly.
"Ah don't know abaht this." Rogue sighed, staring at the grey painted outside and the one large window with "Joe's" painted across it. "Is this really a, ya know, safe environment?"
"Yo' implyin' somet'ing 'bout dhe places Remy like to go chere?" Remy teased.
"Ah'm just sayin' it looks a little rough." She justified, oblivious to the fact she was just standing there in front of the door to the cafe and looking rather strange.
"You'll be jus' fine chere. Trust Remy on dhis one." He encouraged.
Rogue's shoulders sagged in defeat before she squared them and straightened up in an attempt to gain some confidence. She stood there for another moment before pushing the cafe door open and stepping in. She glanced around herself a little nervously and began to take in her surroundings. It was bigger than she thought it was going to be as it was obviously a rather long building instead of being wide. It was quite gloomy though it was a sophisticated gloom rather than a dingy gloom. For being quite a large room, it was pleasantly warm. There were several little tables dotted around the place, each one lit with it's own little orange lantern which she couldn't tell if they were electric or not. Where the light didn't reach the corners and such, was where the suspicious looking characters sat and Rogue made a note to avoid those areas. The large counter at the back of the room was the best lit area and there were several stools there for people to sit on.
"Go sit by dhe counter, talk to Joe a bit." Remy said, sounding enthusiastic. Rogue cringed a little. She had been planning on sitting alone somewhere a little more secluded. However, she noted Remy's tone and considered it. Maybe Remy wanted to hear the voice of a friend he wouldn't have seen since he got stuck in her head. He'd been so great about everything. The least she could do was let him hear an old friend talking. So, with that in mind, Rogue headed over to a stool and hopped up on t, settling her bags down by her feet. She shifted around a little until she was comfortable and then sat still.
"What can I get you?" A huge, burly man, who Rogue figured was Joe, asked her once she'd stopped fidgeting.
"Cup of decaffe. Oh, and one of those chocolate muffins." She replied, noticing the cake display just to the side halfway through her sentence.
"Haven't seen you before." Joe said in a deep but friendly voice. "What's a sweet little thing like you doing in a place like this?"
"A...Friend, told me abaht this place." Rogue answered, stumbling over what to refer to Remy as. "Ah was just passing and thought Ah'd check it out..." She finished as Joe placed a plate with a muffin on it in front of her on the counter.
"A friend hmm? Anyone I'd know?" He inquired as he poured some coffee into a large mug.
"Remy Lebeau." She told him as he placed the mug down next to her plate. He looked up at her suddenly, looking rather startled.
"Remy told you about this place?" Joe checked.
"Yeah." She confirmed casually as she grabbed a few little packets of sugar from a nearby bowl which was full of them. She tore open one and poured the contents into her mug and then repeated with another one. "Whah? Is that strange?" She asked, pausing her actions and looking up as a hint of suspicion began to niggle away at her.
"Well, I've known Remy a long time, but out of the six years he's been coming here regularly, you're the only girl he's ever told about this place to. He's always said it's his little Haven away from everyone else. He must be really smitten with you, that's all I can say." He explained, his last comment causing Rogue to choke on the sip of coffee she had in her mouth. She sat there coughing for a few moments longer before laughing.
"Oh no. Itain't lahke that. We're just friends." She corrected, a broad smile still on her face.
"A pretty, young girl who's just a friend to Remy LeBeau? Now that's something I never thought I'd say." Joe laughed.
"Doesn't Remy have many girl friends then?" Rogue inquired as she broke a chunk off of her muffin.
"Oh no, he's got a lot of 'girl friends'." Joe grinned, using his fingers to make air quotes. "Only problem is, he has them all at the same time if you catch what I mean."
"That a fact?" Rogue replied with a sly grin of amusement. "He failed to mention that part about himself to me."
"Now, don't get me wrong, Remy's a good man. He's just got a little commitment problem. Shies away from it." Joe gossiped.
"Remy resent dhat!" Remy's voice suddenly cried in Rogue's mind. "Remy don' have a commitment complex. He can' help it if dhe femmes can' resis' him."
"Would ya shut up? Ah'm trahin' to listen to Joe." Rogue muttered silently. Remy however, continued complaining about slander and vicious rumours but did lower his voice so it was easier to ignore.
"...And he told me once," Rogue refocused halfway through a story obviously. "He told me that if he told even one girl about this place, the news would spread like wildfire and then there'd be girls in here all the time looking for him."
"Dhat quote been taken completely out of context!" Remy exclaimed.
"Ah told ya to hush." Rogue reminded him sharply before concentrating on Joe again. "So Remy's quite the player huh?" She asked Joe, trying to hold back a fit of giggles.
"He sure is. In fact, there was this one time when he was seeing this girl Belle at the same time as he was seeing..." Joe began to tell her.
"Excuse me." Another customer said at the other end of the counter.
"I'll be back in a minute." Joe assured her before heading over to the other customer. Rogue went back to her food, a cool grin on the outside but on the inside she was cracking up with laughter.
"So ya ain'tas honourable as ya were makin' out. A thief who lies? Who'd have thahght it?" Rogue giggled to Remy.
"Remy not really dhat bad." He insisted.
"No, of course not. Ah imagine ya probably worse." She grinned as her laughter began to subside.
"Can we talk abou' somet'ing else now?" He whined in such a pathetic tone that it Rogue started laughing again.
"Okay, we'll talk abaht something else." Rogue agreed, calming down once again. "Ah've been thinking abaht how it miaht've happened. Ya know, the whole absorbin' ya thing. Ah can't figure it aht though. Ah mean, the day that Ah think it must've happened by what you told me, Ah was at some pro-mutant protest that Jubilee dragged me to."
"Wai'...Dhat actually sound kinda familiar." Remy pondered.
"What was a Swamp Rat lahke you doin' at a protest?"
"Dhere's always a lot of crowds at dhem kinda t'ings. Remy was jus' seizing dhe opportunity." He replied.
"Ya were pick-pocketing weren't ya." Rogue accused playfully.
"A homme gotta make a livin' somehow chere." Remy shrugged. Rogue laughed and just asshe was about to reply, she realised there were three men now surrounding her. A small frown graced her features as she slowly swivelled around to face them. Her frown deepened at the sensation of deja vu that washed over her at the sight of the three men. They looked really familiar.
"Can Ah help you?" Rogue asked cautiously.
"Marie! Leave now!" Remy ordered harshly.
"Heard you say yo' friends wit' Remy LaBeau?" The guy right in front of her, with a blonde ponytail and bead necklace around his neck, checked.
"Deny it." Remy instructed.
"Yeah, Ah'm a friend of his." Rogue confirmed, ignoring Remy's advice. "Whah d'ya wanna know?"
"I was jus' hopin' you'd be good enough to give him dhis message." The man grinned before backhanding Rogue across the cheek with his gloved hand, the resounding crack of the impact silencing the cafe. Rogue pressed the back of her own gloved hand against her sore cheek and glared up at the man. "You tell Remy dhat Juli wanna have a talk wit' him." The man, Juli, sneered as he bent down to her eye level.
"Okay, Ah'll tell him." Rogue said with false innocence. "But ya know what? Ah think Ah already know what his reply's gonna be. So whah don't Ah save us all some tahme and just give it to ya now!" Rogue continued, her voice loosing it's innocent appeal and gradually getting louder as she went on. The moment she finished, she clenched her fist and punched Juli squarely in the jaw sending him stumbling back in surprise. She leapt up from her seat before the other two men could react and elbowed them both in the ribs as hard as she could. Then, all Hell broke loose.
Joe and a few others began to help Rogue, several others began to help Juli and everyone else just ran away from what was essentially a free for all. Rogue tried to just concentrate on fighting but it wasn't easy with the pain in her swelling cheek increasing and Remy yelling orders at her. She'd managed to get a few more punches and kicks in without getting hit herself, though at one point her right glove snagged on something and most of it ripped off. She didn't want to reveal herself as a mutant just in case everyone turned against her so she contented herself with punches and kicks.
After a while, she began to tire badly and this left her open. Just as she knocked one guy away, Juli snuck up behind and grabbed her before she even realised he was there. Juli slammed her up against a wall and held his forearm across her neck. Rogue gave a choked gasp as her breath was cut off and immediately began to struggle.
"Maybe Remy'll get dhe message when he finds your dead body sittin' by his front door." He growled as he leaned in closer, adding more pressure to her neck.
"Marie, grab dhat bead necklace 'round his neck wit' your righ' hand." Remy ordered her desperately. Rogue quickly reached forward but found her arm wasn't long enough to actually allow her to take hold of the necklace. She allowed her arm to drop and hung her head in desperation. "C'mon Marie. Jus' touch it wit' your finger tips. Jus' have skin contact wit' it." He urged her on. Rogue stretched her arm out again, trying to ignore the faintness which had started to wash over her. She stretched as hard as she could and eventually managed to touch the bead necklace. Her finger then began to tingle and, opening her eyes, she saw the beads begin to glow red. "Now take your hand off!" Remy instructed frantically. Rogue let her hand drop and the beads began to crackle.
Juli gave a cry of surprise as the beads around his neck began to get unbearably hot. He staggered back, releasing Rogue. She took in a sharp gasp and caught hold of the wall with one hand to keep herself up. She looked up to see Juli grabbing at the necklace as the beads flared and burned. She looked down at her right hand in disbelief.
"Hah...?" She murmured, totally forgetting the situation she was in.
"Girl! Watch out!" Joe's voice came across the room. Rogue looked up to see what he was warning her about just as she was whacked in the side by a stool with such force that it knocked her onto the floor. She went down hard and bashed her head on the corner of a table as she fell, dazing herself badly. She then remained sprawled out on the floor, knowing and wanting to get up but not having the strength or the co-ordination to actually do it.
"Marie! Get up!" Remy yelled. Rogue could only groan in response. "Yo' have to ge' up!" He told her, getting more desperate when he saw, through Rogue's hazy vision, a set of approaching Juli feet. "Las' chance to ge' up." He warned. When Rogue only groaned again, Remy knew there was no other choice.
The same blinding, sharp pain Rogue had felt that morning was suddenly invading her head again. She curled up on the floor and let out a sob of pain. It hurt so badly. She grabbed clumps of her hair in her hands and gave another sob as the pain increased. Like before, unfamiliar memories began to filter through her mind. The pain in her head suddenly pulsed, but before she could cry out, she vanished from the chaotic cafe in a puff of wispy, black smoke.
Ooooooo! Could that count as a cliffy? I think it could on some levels :) I know this chapter has been put up really quickly but it probably won't be this quick al lthe time. I start school again on the 4th so that'll eat up some of my time. Oh well, I'll do my best :)
Hope you all liked this chapter. As always, let me know what ya all think. Catch ya'll later :)
Hugs
Wings of a Dream