Disclaimer: All I'm doing is taking them down and playing with them. Really! I'll put them back on Marvel's shelf when I'm done, I swear! Besides, Rogue would kill me if I tried to keep Remy…
Oh and if my French makes you wince, blame Babelfish and let me know what's wrong and I'll fix it if I can. (Accent marks come and go on my computer.)
Chapter Five: Complicating the Steps
Remy woke up early with a grin on his face. Though the night hadn't gone the way of his usual dates, his dream had been a worthy substitute. And she had let him see her home. Yes, he was definitely making progress.
Even t'ough she didn't exactly let me see her t' de door… No, she had stopped him quite firmly at the hotel entrance. And, like a good boy, he had let her stop him…for exactly as long it took for her to disappear into her room. Then he scoped out the hotel. He was impressed, not by the quality, but by the sheer mediocrity of the place. It was the perfect place to stay if you didn't want to be noticed--not too flashy, not uncomfortable, not rundown. In fact, the hotel seemed to be an exercise in negatives: not clean, not dirty; not welcoming, not hostile; not exactly the kind of place he where had expected Rogue to stay. It was the perfect place to stay if you wanted to remain unnoticed. Not many would have picked up on that fact, but not many people had had as many reasons to remain unseen as Remy LeBeau.
Remy had cautiously entered her hotel room when he heard her shower turn on. Everything had been neatly put away, and there was nothing personal lying around to give him any more of a clue about her. He did learn that she washed her hair with peach scented shampoo. He had been about to open her suitcase and do some…investigating of a more personal nature when he heard Rogue turn off her shower.
Although he was tempted to stay and see the show, he was out of the room before he had thought it. It wouldn't do for Rogue to catch him there.
He stretched in bed only to wince as he experienced a muscle spasm. Sparring with Rogue last night had been a thorough workout. An' thoroughly enjoyable too, neh? He grimaced and began to massage out the cramp in his leg. Remy thought back to last night. He had turned down what would have been an undoubtedly passion-filled evening with a beautiful girl to spend the night locked in restrained passion with another beautiful girl. Was something wrong with him that he wasn't regretting his choice?
Remy ran his hand over his jaw in thought and realized that his stubble was starting to get a little longer than he liked. Time for a shave. He got up and walked over to his bathroom.
As Remy lathered up in front of the mirror, his mind drifted back to the previous night again. He thought about what Emma had been wearing…or not wearing. He contrasted it to Rogue's full covering curve hugging spandex. It was evident which one he had preferred, but he had to wonder…
De femme claims t' be Rogue's friend. Why was she flaunting so much of what Rogue can never have, can never do?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He thought over all the times he has seen Rogue; she was always fully covered, always with gloves on. It didn't matter if it was uncomfortable for her, she was always taking precautions to make sure that those around her weren't hurt.
Does nobody ever t'ink t' cover up for her?
Remy glared into the mirror, and his attention shifted to the thing that automatically separated him from everyone else…his "demon" eyes.
He had been so relieved when Jean Luc had found a way to hide his eyes from the world. Jean Luc had said that it wasn't out of shame, rather anonymity was a thief's best friend. And his eyes got in the way of that. Though they were incredibly useful for intimidation on the job. Not to mention the fact that with them he was able to see in the dark as good or better than any night vision goggles, even able to easily detect "invisible" security lasers.
It was facts like this that made him think that Jean Luc had been right--he was born to be a thief. Remy learned to think of his eyes as just another tool, despite the cries that echoed in his head from his childhood. It's de devil! It's Le Diable blanc! Diable blanc!
Still, he always felt mildly defensive about having to hide them. He didn't want to. They were just eyes, for crying out loud! There was no real reason that they should make any difference in how anyone viewed him. But he knew that that wasn't the way the world worked. Still, he was glad when he was with his family, with those he trusted. It had taken them time, especially in the mystical culture of New Orleans, but now when they saw him, they just saw him. That had given him such hope…
/They were alone in the hotel room he had rented for the occasion. Tonight was the night.
"I've got something I want to tell ya, ma belle Bella."
She turned to him, smiling. "What's dat, cher?"
He smiled at her, all his hope evident in his expression, "Don' be scared, Bella."
"Please, Remy LeBeau. Ya know ya can't scare dis Assassin."
He grinned down at her and released the loose hold he had around her waist and switched off his image inducer, raising his head to meet her for the first time, eye to eye.
Bella Donna's eyes widened and her face paled. She stumbled back, away from him.
Remy saw the fear and loathing on her face and felt them as an arrow piercing his heart. He turned away from her, head lowered.
She called out to him, "Remy! Remy, wait. Look, ya can't blame me for being surprised at dat! It was just a shock. You're still ma same Remy, ain't ya?"
He turned around and grinned at her, "Always, Bella."
She smirked, crooking her finger at him, "Den c'mere."
They kissed, long and sweet.
Her hands started to fumble at his shirt buttons.
"Remy," she gasped in his ear.
"Oui, ma Belle?"
"Would ya turn it back on…just give me some more time to get used t' 'em, neh?"
Remy felt a part of his heart harden, then shatter. "Anyt'ing for ya, Bella."
"Merci," she said, nuzzling his neck. She didn't once look up to see the pain in his eyes. Her hands caressed his body, but he felt cold.
Still, he made love to her, offering her everything he was. But somehow, it made him feel incredibly dirty.
Remy never offered to show her his eyes again.
Bella never once asked./
Remy splashed water on his face to shake himself from his memory. He glared at his reflection, his demon eyes blazing back at him as water dropped off his face.
Bella had never been able to see past his eyes.
But Rogue…Rogue had demanded that he take off his mask. Even to fight him, she wasn't willing to go up against the part he showed the rest of the world. She wanted to go against all of him. At least, all of him that he had shown her.
She accepted m' eyes so easily. Non, more den dat. She practically sought dem out, even t'ough she didn't really know what she was gettin' into. What else would she accept if I told her?
He shook himself from his thoughts and dried his face. No, that was not the way to think. He wasn't looking for a relationship--he just wanted to taste the forbidden fruit that was Rogue.
Remy wasn't about to gamble with his heart again.
His computer made a dinging noise. Remy walked over to it and pushed a few keys. Ah. At last the worm had come up with something. He called it up onto the screen and then stared at it in dismay.
It was the most heavily encrypted document that he had ever seen.
Remy sank down into the chair, his eyes locked on the screen. It was obvious that this file was important. Why else would just looking at the encryption on it give him a headache? He would never be able to decipher this. But if it was about Rogue, he had to know what it said. And why would she have a heavily encrypted file deep in the CIA's database, anyway?
But it might not have anything to do with her…
Oh well, there was nothing for it. He flipped open his cell phone and pushed number four on his speed dial.
"Bonjour," a cheerful voice greeted him.
"'ello, Lapin."
"Remy? Is dat y', vous clochard paresseux? How are ya, mon ami?"
"Is dat my lazy brother?" Remy heard Henri say in the background.
"Oui, de one an' only," Lapin responded.
"Aw, mes amis, no need t' be jealous. Just because Remy is too good t' be hangin' around de house unemployed, dat don't mean ya need t' get all excited 'bout it."
"Psh. How ya been, Remy?" Lapin asked.
Remy felt himself relax. This was his family. His crazy, insane, brilliant, crazy, loyal family. He didn't need to worry around them.
"I want t' talk t' him!" Henri said, closer to the phone now.
"Non! I'm talkin' wit' him!" Lapin yelled.
Remy winced, "Emm, Emil, could ya maybe not yell in de phone, s'il vous plait?"
"Oh, desole, Remy. What were ya sayin'?"
Remy rolled his eyes, "Just t'ankin' ya for remindin' me why I don' miss home."
"Oh, I see how it is," Emil said. "What did y' call here for, den?"
"Got a present for ya, mon ami," Remy said expansively.
"Oooh, what is it?"
"Jus' a little somet'ing I found while doin' research for a project. Y' by your computer? I'll send it t' ya now."
"'course I'm by my baby, what kind of question is dat?" Emil grumbled. "Dere, 'm in."
Emil had signed into the Guild's high security online exchange network.
"Here ya go," Remy sent the encrypted file to him.
"Merde." Lapin whistled and spoke softly, "Where'd y' get dis?"
"Came out of dat government worm ya helped me wit'. Searched 'black rose petal,' 'Rogue,' and 'mutant.'"
"It's beautiful," Lapin sounded as if he was going to cry.
"D'ya t'ink y' can crack it?"
"I've never seen work dis flawless before. De style--it's art. De encryption is--"
"Emil! D'ya t'ink y' can crack it?" Remy interrupted. Emil was the only man he knew who could go on talking about lines of code as if it was a beautiful woman.
"It'll take time," he heard Emil shake reluctantly out of his trance.
"Time? Dis from de homme who claimed dere wasn't a code he couldn't crack in under five minutes?"
"Merde, weren't ya listenin' t' me, Remy? I told ya dis work is belle! Dis ain't no hack government job. Someone made dis art. I'll crack it, but it'll take time."
"Y' startin' t' work on it already, ain't ya?" Remy smirked.
"Talk t' Henri," he growled.
Remy grinned. He knew that was a thank you. Emil craved challenge, just like the rest of the Guild. And just like the rest of his family, he was so good at what he did he rarely found it. Remy had no doubt that Lapin could crack the code. And he was as glad that he would have the information as he happy that he had made his cousin's day.
"So, who's de fille?" Henri said.
"What makes y' t'ink dis is about une fille?" Remy responded cautiously.
"'m talkin' to ya, ain't I? What else would make y' do research on your vacation. I know you're not plannin' a heist. Dere's not'ing in dat town but hearts t' steal."
Remy sighed. His brother knew him so well. "Her name's Rogue."
"An' what's got y' doin' research on her?"
"She's…intriguing."
"What's so intriguing 'bout her?"
Let's see…do I tell mon frere dat it's because she felt me pickin' her pocket, or dat she seems completely resistant to m' charms, or dat she nearly kicked m' ass last night, or dat she's got untouchable skin? Choices, choices.
"Y're nosy, y' know dat?"
"An' y're pathetic, ya know dat? C'mon, petite frere, don't try an' hide. Y' never pay dis much attention to just une fille. What makes her so special?"
Remy grinned into the phone, an appropriate response finally coming to him. "Mon frere, she's de challenge an' de prize all in one."
"Is dat all?" Henri asked.
"Oui." Dat'd better be all.
A moment's silence on the line. "Don' suppose I need t' ask if she's belle."
Remy laughed, "Henri, married or not, your jaw'd drop."
"An' den Mercy would take it out of m' ass," he said, cheerfully. Henri hesitated a moment and then said, "It's good t' have someone t' come home to, Remy."
"'m glad for ya, Henri." Don't go dere, frere. Please, don' go dere.
"Maybe ya shouldn't give up on dat."
He went dere. "Henri, I--"
"Lapin's drooling on his keyboard," Henri interrupted, not wanting to continue the conversation. "I'd better go before he electrocutes himself. Take care, mon frere, got it?"
"Oui, Henri. Y' too."
Henri hung up.
Remy ran a hand through his hair and took a shuddering breath. First a vivid memory about Bella Donna, now this. He exhaled loudly. But at least Lapin's working on de code. Now what t' do while I'm waitin' for him…
He stood up and wandered around his room for a little while. Catching sight of himself in the mirror, he noticed that his eyes were glowing. They did that when he was excited, when his adrenaline was going. He wondered if they had been glowing last night. Probably.
But Rogue hadn't been afraid. She acted as if they were just…eyes.
A smile tweaked up around the corners of his lips. He decided to go see her.
XXXXXXXX
Blood. Blood on the walls, on her hands, splattered across their faces. She inhaled as they screamed, the hot scent inflaming her nostrils. She felt the push inside her head again and drew back to strike a killing blow, when she suddenly whirled around to face another attacker. Fools. They couldn't stand before her. She was invincible. She was the ultimate weapon. The tangy metallic taste of blood was heavy in her mouth as she left the pawns helpless, but alive, and ran towards her primary target. Push. She had a queen to kill--
Rogue jolted upright in a cold sweat, her sheets tangled around her body. Her breathing was deep and fast, panicked as she glanced around the room. Ah'm not there. That's over. She forced herself to take a deep breath, attempting to relax the constriction around her lungs. That wasn't me. And even then, Ah didn't murder anyone.
She stared at the wall across from her bed.
The blood, flying up, following the arch of her katana and splattering in a half moon on the wall. It dripped down thick and dark--
No! Rogue closed her eyes hard and then opened them up again to stare at the wall. It was the same muted beige as before, a color deliberately chosen so that guests would never know if the wall was clean or dirty. The room smelt faintly of must, and her jasmine, vanilla, and cinnamon perfume. The only blood around was threatening to come from her lip, she had clamped her teeth down on it so hard she was about to puncture it. Rogue forced herself to relax and began methodically disentangling herself. She wasn't trapped. Look at how easily the sheets came away. See, there she was rising out of her bed.
Rogue turned around and stared at the bed. Treacherous thing. Promising rest only to remind her of that day again.
No. Let it go, Rogue. Just let it go. Ya can't change the past, ya did the best ya could with it. Now let it go.
She took another deep breath, and felt the hand clutching her lungs release. Rogue glanced at the clock; it was 5:15 in the morning. Way too early to get up, but there was no way she would be able to sleep. That's OK, though. She liked being early. Time to start her routine.
Rogue clung to her routine. Little actions that she had found to give her the semblance of normalcy, of sensation. She loved to run, to feel her muscles screaming and sweat trickling down her back. She loved to shower, to swim, to feel water on her bare skin. She didn't pretend it was someone's hands anymore--now she just enjoyed the sensation, she focused on what she had. Rogue loved to fight, to touch and be touched in combat was a thrill unlike any other; an adrenaline rush combined with contact. But most of all she loved to dance, to move herself to the music, to let the music move her, to lose herself in the heady sensation of pleasure that came with it. When she was dancing, she could lose control and be wild and unafraid--she loved that. Rogue clung to these things. They helped keep her sane, just as her morning routine of stretching and organizing her head helped give her some control of her life. Because it was her life. And she was going to live it, damnit.
Kitty had helped show her that.
/"Like, come on, Rogue. Take off your gloves."
Rogue glared at the younger girl, "An' why would Ah do that?"
Kitty rolled her eyes. "Because we're, like, having a sleepover. And what is a sleepover if we don't paint each other's nails?"
Rogue gave an exasperated huff. "And why would Ah paint mah nails? It's not like anyone ever sees 'em."
"But you do, Rogue," Kitty said quietly, staring at her seriously. "Just because no one else sees them doesn't mean you can't have some fun. For you."
Rogue swallowed, "Kitty, Ah…"
Kitty didn't look away. She reached out a hand and gently placed it on Rogue's covered shoulder.
Rogue felt her eyes well up with tears and she averted her gaze. "Fine, damnit. Pass me the wine red one."
Kitty grinned and reached for it, "OK. That'll be a totally great color for you."
Rogue rolled her eyes, "Whatever." She began to remove her gloves./
Rogue sighed. She really didn't want to think about Kitty. She had finished her morning meditations and her morning exercises. There was nothing left to do but take a shower.
So she did. But instead of being able to enjoy the pounding of water against her skin, she found herself thinking back to her night with the Cajun. Rogue had been more than ready to drop him and take a cab home. Why had he stuck with her anyway? Emma had made herself more than available, showing off her touchable beauty. There as no logical reason why the serial charmer should have passed Emma over and stayed with her. But he had. And Emma had left. And dash it all if that didn't please her to bits.
And then they had fought… and somehow it was beautiful, better than any sparring match she had ever had. He was challenging to her, his moves were unexpected and precise, but she had been able to meet each one, almost instinctively, surprising even herself. Rogue was aware that at some point both of them had started showing off a bit. If it was a real fight, she was sure that they would have conserved their energy--there had been no real need to flip around like both of them had. But it had been fun.
Rogue suddenly realized that she didn't want to see what a real fight between them would look like. Because from what she had seen of his fighting last night…it wouldn't end well. For either of them.
Then that thing had happened with his eyes. She didn't think he did it on purpose. If he had, he would have moved to take advantage of it more quickly. Ah wonder if that…hypnotism is part of his powers too? Ah should bring it up ta Hank.
Remy--Gambit--had seemed genuinely concerned for her when she had conked out. Talk about embarrassin'. Oh well, nothing Ah could have done about it. But then he just had to push it and reach over and start something again by touching her.
Ya started the flirting first, a timid voice of reason offered from the back of her head.
Shut-up. No wonder the voice had been timid.
What did he mean when he said that he liked me just the way Ah am? Is he… glad for mah mutation? Ah don't understand.
Not that it mattered. Soon they'd be working out a way to get him together with Emma, if she hadn't managed to get the information out of Remy--Gambit's--head last night.
Not that Rogue cared about that. No, she had been perfectly willing to leave Remy--Gambit! The target, remember?--cooling his heals at the gym as she headed back to the hotel alone.
But then Emma had called her cell phone and instructed her to "be nice." Let him take her home. Since Emma had disappeared and as far as she could tell the evening was a bust, she had done it. After all, she was their connection to the target. If Emma couldn't manage to do her job, she would stay in the active loop a little longer so that they could maintain a steady line on their target.
The fact that she had liked riding with him on his motorcycle had everything to do with the fine machine and nothing to do with the man steering it.
The way he had blatantly ripped off The Princess Bride again with his "as you wish" line was not amusing and sweet, it was annoying and corny.
And the way she was lying to herself now was not pathetic, it was effective and now she wouldn't think about him again until they discussed him in the meeting.
Right.
Rogue groaned and plopped some gel in her hand, scrunching it in her curls and leaving them to air-dry, despite the chilly morning air.
She glanced at the clock--7:17. If she left now, she had time to grab a quick breakfast from somewhere before she had to be at the meeting.
Rogue quickly applied some light make-up and then tugged on her gloves. She left her room and stepped outside the hotel only to find everyone's favorite swamp rat leaning casually against the pillar of the covered walkway. A cigarette dangled loosely from his hand at his side, the smoke floating up straight as a ruler until the wind caught it and blew it away. He was wearing his trench coat and his hair fell carelessly over his sunglasses onto his cheeks. He had shaved, and his skin looked soft and smooth to touch. Touch. If only… and if only he wasn't so sinfully beautiful.
He looked up at her entrance and his entire presence seemed to take on an anticipatory glow, drawing her to him.
That didn't mean she had to like it.
She stomped over to him. "What are ya doin' here?"
"I wanted t' see ya."
"Why?" she challenged.
"'cause you're beautiful," he returned, almost carelessly. As if it was the most natural thing in the world for a man to get up early just to come see her. As if he couldn't imagine why every other man in the world wasn't standing behind him, just for a glance at her.
She wasn't… she couldn't actually be… blushing, could she? The man was the frickin' target!
"Ain't it a bit early in the day for swamp rats?"
"Wouldn't miss dis sight for de world, cherie."
Her eyes narrowed, "What sight?"
He gestured to her face, "Ya, blushin'. Y' look even more belle when you're all flushed like dat. It's like a rosy sunset touchin' white marble."
No…her blush didn't just increase, did it? Aw, hell, what was the matter with her? He's the target, Rogue! The frickin' target!
"Well ain't ya the poet," she sneered.
His smile deepened, "I'm a man of many talents, chere."
Rogue looked at him. She wanted to tell him to take a long walk off a short pier. She wanted to punch that warm smile off his face--how dare he make her stomach tingle! Did he know that it was a torment just to be around him? Damn his heartbreaking ways, anyway.
But Emma's warning--be nice to him. It's for the job.-- came back to her and she knew she couldn't just tell him off to get rid of him. But she couldn't go anywhere with him either, if she did, she couldn't be responsible for her actions… and besides, she had a meeting to go to. How was she going to get rid of him without telling him off?
Rogue decided to try honesty.
"Not now, Remy, please. Ah've had a rough night, an' Ah've got somewhere Ah need ta be."
Remy slid his sunglasses up to the top of head and revealed that he wasn't using his inducer. His warm eyes surveyed her, measuring her. He was capturing her with his eyes, drawing her in, and she knew that if she didn't break free soon, she was going to do something she'd regret.
Remy's smile warmed. "Later, den, chere." And he took her hand, pressed it to his lips, and walked away.
Rogue sighed ever so softly. Sometimes she hated her job. Oh well. It's not like anything would have come of it anyways. Rogue turned and began walking to the FORCE base in a roundabout manner. Just because he had said "later" didn't mean that he wouldn't be following her. But apparently, he hadn't. She was very good at picking out a tail, and she had made it all the way to the post office without as much as a telling tingle in the back of her neck.
She entered the base, sighing once again as the fluorescent lighting assaulted her eyes. The familiar swish as the door to the briefing room opened, and the team assembled.
There was the usual muttered greetings as they took their seats.
"All right," Carol said. "What happened last night?"
Emma spoke first, "You won't be able to get the information you need from him telepathically. I tried to enter his mind several times last night. He has the strongest mental shields I've ever seen. There's no way that I can get past them without endangering myself and the target."
Bishop crossed his arms and glared at Carol.
Carol narrowed her eyes and glared back at him for a moment. Then she turned to Emma and said, "What about Tessa's idea of infiltration? You've worked information out from the inside before."
Emma shrugged, her glossy blonde hair streaming over her shoulders. "I would try it, but honestly Carol, he just didn't seem interested in me."
"Maybe if ya had paid the slightest bit of attention ta his profile, that wouldn't have been the case," Rogue muttered.
Emma turned to her and bristled, "What do you mean?"
"He's a thief, Emma. His code name is Gambit, for cryin' out loud. He looks for the challenge. Ya were throwing yourself at him, all but naked."
Emma's eyes narrowed, "If he is looking for a challenge, then perhaps you would be the perfect choice to go after him. After all, it seems as if he has a vested interest in you."
"That may not be a bad idea," Carol said. "His mental shields won't protect him from your absorption powers, Rogue."
Rogue swallowed, "But he already knows about mah powers. If Ah try ta absorb him, he'll know about it. An' then any shot at infiltrating the Thieves Guild will be blown ta heck. He ain't stupid, Carol. He'll tell his family and they'll be suspicious for months. We'll never get close again--and what if he doesn't have all the information we need?"
"That's a valid point, Rogue. As it is, you're already too close to him," Bishop said. "It's not as if he doesn't know you're a mutant. And with Emma's failed attempts to get inside his head last night, he's bound to be suspicious. Perhaps we should look into other methods of investigation," he gave Carol a significant glance.
"The fact that he knows Rogue's a mutant doesn't change the fact that he's interested in her," Emma said. "He could barely keep his eyes off her last night. It would be wiser to take advantage of the opportunity that has presented itself."
"Meaning that you would have Rogue make herself available to the whims of this knave in an attempt to lull him into voluntarily handing over the information?" Beast spoke with a slightly protective growl in his voice.
Emma shrugged, "It's no more than what you were having me do. And if the situation became too much for her to handle, she could always just absorb the information out of him and disappear."
"I am uncertain that Rogue absorbing Gambit would be a viable option," Tessa said. "If the necessary information is deeply buried in Gambit's psyche, she may have to hold on too long. I am concerned about the affect that would have on her."
Rogue bristled at that. She had more control over her mutation than they knew, and her reabsorbtion of her psyches left her with only the most friendly ones able to act somewhat independently. She wasn't about to let some Cajun psyche take her over, and she wouldn't have to hold onto him that long in order to get his deepest memories--she just had to know what she was looking for. But she didn't want this job, so she kept her mouth shut.
Carol turned and looked at her. "Would you be able to handle it?"
Shoot. Ah don't want ta dodge a direct question about mah abilities. "Ah've been gettin' a better grip on controlling what Ah take out," was all she offered.
Apparently, it was enough. "Good. I'm confident that you will be able to do this. Since he's interested, take advantage of that. Play up to him, get as close as you can and try and get him to give you the information we need."
Rogue stared at Carol in disbelief. "Do ya really think that a practiced playboy like Remy LeBeau is gonna give up information if Ah bat mah eyes at him real slow? It's not as if Ah can bribe him with more than that." Not that Ah would, no-account swamp rat.
Carol stood up, shuffling her notes together. She still preferred paper to Smartpads, she had always liked the feeling of writing her thoughts down. "You know better than that, Rogue. You know he's just after a challenge. Challenge him right back. Play the intrigue game. You know how to do that. You were taught by the best, after all."
Rogue swallowed in shock. Ah can't believe she just said that. She forced aside her pain at Carol's comment, knowing that she didn't mean anything by it, and said, "Fine. Ah'll do it. But what information am Ah tryin' ta get out of him?"
Bishop coughed, and Carol glanced at him, frowning. She turned her attention back to Rogue but couldn't quite meet her eyes. "It would be better if you didn't know that in the beginning. I don't want it to seem like you're fishing. Just concentrate on getting him to open up to you."
Rogue's jaw dropped. She did not just say that. Ah must be hearing things. She couldn't have said what Ah thought she just said.
"You're dismissed, everyone," and Carol headed towards the door.
Like a shot, Rogue was out of her chair, following her. "Carol, wait just a minute."
Rogue caught up to Carol in the hallway and reached for her elbow. Carol flinched away, the first time she had done that in…years.
Does she think Ah'm just gonna absorb the answers out of her? Rogue thought, crushed. Then she got mad. Maybe Ah should if this is the treatment Ah get! After years…
"What is it, Rogue?" Carol met her gaze. There was some indefinable emotion flickering in her blue eyes, and all Rogue could think about was how in the past five minutes everything that she had known to be true in her relationship with Carol Danvers had been put to the test.
"Ah think we need ta talk, Carol," she said softly, seriously.
"Rogue!" Emma's voice called from behind her. "I'd like to talk to you for a minute, please."
"Ah'm busy, Emma," Rogue said without turning around. She was still staring at Carol.
"No, that's all right," Carol said. "We'll talk later, Rogue." And then she turned and walked away, leaving Rogue alone in the white hallway with Emma.
Rogue shook her head slightly. Ah can't believe it. There was no doubt now--Carol was hiding something and hiding something big. What was it? And she was mad. After her promise--she knows what this means to me--how can she--
"Rogue?" Emma spoke from behind her.
Rogue took a deep breath and attempted to clamp down on her fury. She would not turn around and face a telepath upset. She would be calm, and all her mental blocks would be firmly in place before she turned around. Yes. There. Good.
She turned around, her eyes narrowed, "What do you want?" her voice was a low growl. Well, maybe not calm. But the mental blocks are up, that's something.
Emma smiled at her and leaned forward conspiratorially. She spoke in a low voice, meant for only Rogue to hear, "If you want, I can enter your mind again and enhance your mental shields. Hank and Tessa are practically certain that if you can control your psyches you will be able to touch."
Despite everything, Rogue had to let out an amused snort. "Ah'm touched by yer concern, Emma, really. But it'll be a cold decade in Hell before Ah evah let ya into mah mind again."
Emma shrugged, and flipped back her beautiful blonde hair. "Suit yourself. I know that you don't trust me. I just thought that you might want to enjoy this assignment to its fullest potential." She stepped a little closer to Rogue and lowered her voice, "I know that you want him, Rogue. You should have the benefit of mixing business with pleasure."
That bitch. That cold, conniving, sneaking, bitch. She had me assigned ta Remy just so she could tempt me into letting her into mah mind! Mystique would be downright impressed.
Rogue tapped into one of her psyche's super strength and slammed Emma into the wall, holding her by her shoulders. "Don't think that just because ya're still breathing Ah've forgotten what ya did ta me. Don't imagine that the fact that ya're still alive has anything ta do with ya. The only reason ya're not dead is because Carol managed ta convince meh that ya are currently more useful that way. The instant Ah have reason ta change mah mind about your usefulness, ya won't have a chance to be surprised for long."
Then Rogue dropped her mental barriers and opened her mind to her untamed psyches. With all that was within her, she slammed Emma with the craziness that she kept contained inside her head. The psyches were more than willing to help with the attack, and they launched their awareness with maniacal glee.
Emma screamed and collapsed. Rogue released her, and Emma slumped to the floor.
Rogue didn't even blink as she stared at the woman she had been forced to accept as a teammate.
Ain't so invulnerable now, are ya, bitch? The coldness of her mental voice startled her, and Rogue forced herself to take a deep breath and step away from Emma.
The psyches were screaming, clamoring for more. They had been contained for so long…Getting them contained again had to be her first priority. Rogue wasn't about to be taken over now.
She put up a temporary shield and left the base, the glaring fluorescent lights flickering behind her.
XXXXXXXX
Remy was doing pull-ups in his apartment. He never counted them initially, just went until he couldn't go anymore. Then, once his muscles started to burn and he felt as if he couldn't lift a feather, he would begin to count. Those were the only ones that mattered.
He was still in the stage where he wasn't counting when his cell phone rang. He dropped lightly down to his feet, walked over to his desk and picked it up.
"'ello."
"Remy? Il est moi." Lapin's voice sounded funny…almost cautious.
"What's up, Lapin?"
"I finished decoding what ya sent me."
"Bien! Send it over."
"T'ink I should warn y' about somet'ing first," Lapin muttered.
Remy felt his heart still. "Quoi?"
"Remember last year when de Assassins were banging down our door, trying every trick in dere book t' get us t' help dem find out who took down de Hellfire Club?"
"Oui."
"Well, if we had had dis file den, de Assassins would have owed us plenty."
Remy wasn't stupid. Not by a long shot. But he didn't see what Emil was getting at. "What are y' sayin'? Spit it out, Lapin."
Emil sighed. "De girl wit' de black rose petal signature? She works for de government. She's de fille who took down de Hellfire club."
A long pause, then he spoke, "Send Gambit all de details. Everyt'ing ya got."
Translations: vous clochard paresseux: you lazy bum Frere: brother
AN: uh-oh. He used his code name. That can't be good... Sigh. Yes, enter the Bella Donna…is it wrong that I love that flashback? She's just so…yuck. Although I have to give props to authors that write her likeable (notably Black Queen), I'm not gonna be one of them. And--oh, now I've gone and made things even more messy. Just when they were starting to get good, too. Oh well, I hope you enjoyed that bit when Remy came to see her--I think it's one of my favorite romantic scenes that I've ever written. So, yeah, whatcha think? Reviews are motivation, people. :0)
My favorite lines this time were: Let's see…do I tell mon frere dat it's because she felt me pickin' her pocket, or dat she seems completely resistant to m' charms, or dat she nearly kicked m' ass last night, or dat she's got untouchable skin? Choices, choices.
Note about "Stolen Hearts." Woah, what a response! I consider myself commissioned--I'll do my best to write it in when I can.
Review Responses:
Bored247: wow, to be compared (even in the vaguest way) to chocolate. That's a great complement. Thank you very much. Hope this is soon enough and that you enjoyed it.
Roguechere: LOL, good, I'm glad you've seen the Princess Bride. And--for you--I will do my best to work in that line…don't know how…but I'll try. My personal favorite lines are at the end of the Miracle Max scene. "Bye bye, boys have fun storming the castle!" "Ya think it'll work?" "It would take a miracle." Together: "Bye, bye!" :Sigh: I love that. Anyways YES it was long…man were my fingers aching. An' I'm glad you enjoyed it, 'cause when I was writing it I didn't think that was there. So anyways, hope you enjoyed this.
Cat: I'm not sure if Peace and Love comes under Squirrel Domination… Anyways, SO GLAD you liked it that much. I would also like to state that I did not PLAN on having Remy grab Rogue while they were fighting. I was just trying to see the fight and the position and the characters...and I swear Remy moved his hand all by himself. Kinda freaked me out when he did that, but hey, it's Remy and I suppose I shouldn't be at all surprised. YES! He touched her! I'm so glad you picked up on that! But he hasn't really had a chance to think it through yet…and Rogue doesn't know about it, being unconscious and all…Yeah, don't like Emma. No reason to like her. But yes, Tessa rocks. And I know, Bishop's cool and I'm sorry for making him a jerk, but some things are necessary. And now, things get even more complicated! Mwa-ha-ha! Aww, and just when it looked like Remy might be considering otherwise, too. Oh well. (I know, I'm bad.) Hope this is soon enough for me to be safe from the squirrels.
Chica de los Ojos café: Glad you found it worth the wait, I worked hard on it. And I'd tell ya what was up with Bishop and Emma and Carol, but then that would spoil the story. And you wouldn't want that, would you? Hope you enjoyed this too.
Ishandahalf: Don't worry, I promise that you'll learn about the team as soon as I can fit it into the story. I'm glad you're curious about them, that means I did my job. Oh and I'm THRILLED that you think I wrote Hank right. I worked hard on that, and I was worried that the 'Charlotte's Web' thing might have been too trite for him, but he was playing and I'm glad you enjoyed that.
I'm also glad that you're enjoying the furthered complications, and I hope that you enjoy what happens after this. I'm interested in your response to the Bella Donnaness too... Yeah, I was relieved when he ignored Emma. At first, I wasn't writing him that way, but then it was if he came up and tapped me on the shoulder and punched me in the face...well, figuritively speaking. Ditching Rogue for Emma is just not something he would do.
Addtothenoise: Yay, you read my story! That makes me glad. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. So…when are ya gonna update Escape from Paradise? Oh, and I've been meaning to ask you--did you take your name from the Switchfoot song?
Grenwich: LOL, I'm glad that you enjoyed the quoted bits. I'll see what I can do, but I can't make any promises. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
Enchanted light; :bow: Thank you, thank you. Here you go! Hope you like it.
Valerie: Thank you! Yes, the Princess Bride rocks! Have you ever read the book? Hope you enjoyed this chapter too.
Wrapped in banana foil: Aw, I didn't mean to make you wait anxiously, but I'm glad it had that affect! So, here ya go, what do you think?
Eileen: Wow, yay, you read my story! THANK YOU! I'm glad that the email came at a good time. And thank you for your kind complement. I cracked up on your reviews. You're a great reviewer!
I'm glad you liked the bit about the eyes, because it was mostly inspired from your Freedom Caper, which handles the whole eye-thing in (imho) the coolest way. Ya know, the part where he doesn't want Rogue to see them because they tend to make him just an object or a demon…and she doesn't care…and he loves that! I go all "aww" inside just thinking about it.
Yes, this Remy is quite the confident little punk. Sometimes when I'm writing him, I'm like--if I ever actually met anyone with this attitude, I would last about two seconds before laughing in his face. But I'm kinda looking at it this way…he's 26 and it's the first time he's met Rogue. No one else has ever said no and meant it. Rogue is totally contradicting all of his experiences! Heh heh. Good on her. :-D
No, it's not love between them, not even at this point. Attraction, yes, but even that's not all that reliable It was starting to move into definite like territory for both of them…but then I threw in a couple of monkey wrenches. Let's see what happens.
I'm glad that Remy stuck with Rogue. He almost didn't, but he's not that much of a louse.
Man, what did Carol ever do to you? (Nevermind, don't answer that.) I mean, I thought I was writing her kinda nice. Oh well. As for Rogue absorbing her, well…we'll just see. I'm working on that. And I've just gotta ask--do you hate Emma all the time, or did I bring on this myself? Because if I did, I am very proud of myself. I don't much like her ever and I can't stand her in this story. And while I can't deliver her head on a platter just yet, I hope that you enjoyed her come-uppence in this chapter. (Man, Marvel really seems to have it out for blondes, huh? I mean, Carol, Bella Donna, Emma…it's almost enough to make me want to dye my hair darker.)
Thank you SO MUCH for reading and I hope you continue to do so.
Kit: You know what I love about your reviews, besides the fact that you do them? You pick up on the stuff that I work really hard over, like the FORCE base and technology. Glad you liked Beast, you have EVERY right to be suspicious of Bishop and Emma, and 'to some extent Carol.' I'm not bringing in Piotr or Kurt, but I'll work them into Stolen Hearts when I get around to it, ok? And I'd tell you what was going on with Kitty and Bobby--but then it'd ruin the surprise.#
Lyrit Liltrick: I'm glad you're glad that I updated! Wow, you translated Ovid? Cool, what for? I've read the Metamorphosis, but in English. And the dirtiest classical thing I've ever read was The Decameron--seriously I blushed for a week after I was assigned that. Don't recommend it, honestly. But anyways…Yes, Princess Bride Rocks! Hope you liked this bit!