-Chapter Fifteen-

- Aftermath and Ponderings -

Remy lay awake in bed, listening to his roommates' breaths grow steadier and deeper. The day's events played over and over in his head. Of all the people his father knew . . . of all the places he could have been sent . . . he gets stuck in the same house as her.

He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. As if m' life isn't fucked up enough already. It's like I can't git away fr'm her!

Knowing he wouldn't be getting sleep anytime soon, Remy got out of bed and threw on his trench coat. Pocketing one of John's many lighters, the young man crept out the window and climbed onto the roof.

He shivered slightly as the cool air hit him. Pulling the coat closer, he sought out a place to sit. Choosing the far wall, he situated himself on the ledge, his feet dangling over the edge. Gaze fixed on the moon above, Remy could almost fool himself into thinking he was back home. But the air was a bit too cold, the roof wasn't shingled, and air was filled with the scent of pines instead of the pungent smell of the swamp.

Reaching into one of his many pockets, Remy pulled out a glass bottle and a pack of cigarettes. Setting the drink aside, he slid a cigarette into his mouth and flicked the lighter until the end glowed a mixture of yellow and orange.

He stared at the lighter as he took a long drag off his cigarette. "Y' gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me." The Cajun murmured to himself, turning the deep jade colored plastic in his hand. Shaking his head, the young man put the lighter away and reached for the precious amber liquid beside him. Tilting his head back, he took a deep swig. Damn the consequences, damn the Professor's rules, he wanted, no needed, to get plastered and nothing was going to stop him.

"Ain't ya a lil' young ta be drinkin', Gumbo?" Questioned a gruff voice.

Okay, HE might stop me. "Logan was it? Sit down an' share some Jack wit' me, mi ami." Remy put on the most charming grin he could muster as he held up the drink to the older man.

"Logan was it? Sit down an' share some Jack wit' me, " Remy put on the most charming grin he could muster as he held up the drink to the older man.

Settling himself beside the Cajun, Logan accepted the bottle and took a deep drink. "Ain't this kinda strong f'r someone your age?"

Remy let out a snort of laughter. "I've been drinkin' an' smokin' since I was twelve. I t'ink I can handle it."

Logan just shrugged. "Whatever ya say, kid." He pulled out his own cigarette and lit up. They sat in silence for awhile, smoke rising in wisps and reaching for the sky.

"So," Started Logan, "rumor has it ya an' Stripes used ta know each other." His tone was airy, as if he was just commenting on the weather, but Remy knew better.

"Stripes?"

"Rogue."

Remy took a drink. "Y' could say dat."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "How?"

Remy flicked aside the stub of his cigarette and began to light another. "Ask her."

"She said ta ask ya."

The lighter stilled momentarily. "Y' talked t' her?"

"No. Just asked her what th' trouble was. I could hear th' two of ya yelling across th' mansion." Logan stood up and grabbed the bottle to take one last drink. "I don't know what went on between th' two of ya, but I think ya better talk ta her about it. The way 'Ro was talkin' ya had a lot of shit happenin' in yer life lately, but Rogue's ain't been a picnic, either. Trust me kid, gettin' drunk on th' roof ain't gonna solve any of yer problems."

Remy sat alone for quite some time, contemplating the older man's words and cursing the fact that he was absolutely right. Finally, he forced his frozen limbs to stand up and climbed down to his room. It wasn't until he was back in bed that Remy realized that Logan had taken his alcohol.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On the other side of the mansion, Rogue sat in the window seat of her room. She pretended to be asleep when Kitty had come in, but in all reality, she could not get her brain to relax enough to sleep.

"Hey Rogue?" Apparently she wasn't asleep, thought Rogue ruefully.

"Yeah, Kit?"

"How does he know you?"

Rogue knew she could play dumb, act as if she didn't have a clue who Kitty was talking about, but what was the point? Both were aware of the 'he' they were discussing. "It's a long story."

Kitty was silent for a few moments as Rogue began to crawl into bed, but her curiosity got the better of her. "He mentioned Cody. Was he there when, ya know . . . ?"

"Yes." The reply was short and harsh.

"Oh. . . . How's Cody doing?"

"Aunt Irene says he's still in a coma. It's been ovea a year; they doubt he'll evea wake up."

There was silence. Rogue was just about to drift into sleep when Kitty called her name again. "Not tonight, Kit. Please? I promise I'll explain stuff later."

"Just one more question."

"Fine."

"Is your name really Marie?"

She got her answer in the form of a pillow hitting her square in the face.

So? Short, I know. I don't know if Logan came off okay. Usually people have him super protective of Rogue and antagonistic towards Remy, but I think Remy and Logan are alot alike and would get along for the most part. I'm not saying he's gonna play matchmaker and try and make Remy and Rogue fall in love or anything like that. I just think they would get along. Anyone agree with me?

REVIEWS:

Captain Annie: Thank you! I'm always self-conscience about my dialogue writing skills. Glad to know I'm doing a good job :)

Gambit's Belle Rogue: Thanks for reading my story. I thought Pyro was just adorable in this chapter, too. I love writing him!

Rogue238: Thanks for the song warning, but I know all about that from first hand experience. I had like, 12 or 13 song fics and all of them got deleted and my account was locked for about two weeks. I have since reposted them without the lyrics (which is a whole other rant in itself). Anyway, I'm just looking for a good song quote, or a person quote, to use to conclude the story.

Nettlez: Glad you liked.

IvyZoe: Well, I can tell you were glad that I had Rogue recognize him ;)

WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: No need to apologize, I like reading people's musings on the events of the chapter. It helps me decide if I should tweak upcoming events depending on their reactions to stuff.

EE's Skysong: I KNOW! I don't know who I love more: Remy or John? It's so hard to choose!

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Updated as fast as I could. Hope you liked the chapter.

ishandahalf: Of course they're gonna make up. What kind of Romy fan would I be if they didn't? An evil one, that's what. And I'm not evil . . . well, most of the time I'm not . . .

nimbio: Yeah, that last scene was kinda over-dramatic, but I needed it to lead into what happened in this chapter. Hope you keep reading.

enchantedlight: Thank you!

sleepy26: Ah, another John lover reviews. Ain't he great?