Thank You Remy Chapter 3, a x-men fanfic

DISCLAIMER: Nothing is mine, except for the plot. Anything in Marvel universe is not mine. Never had, never has, never will, never would.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am so sorry for the very, very late update. I was really bogged down with a lot of happenings this month. I had a camp and concert to run (not forgetting the mountains of paperwork and endless meetings), school and lab sessions and never-ending reports to write up, a one-week hospitalisation and the many follow-ups and a cousin's forthcoming three-day wedding.

Anyway, to prove that I'm really apologetic, I'll post up another chapter albeit shorter than usual :grins widely:

So, sit back and enjoy Thank You Remy Chapter 3.

(!#$&In Rogue's Subconscious&$#!)

"Chere! Stop! Please!"

Rogue ignored the pleading voice a few feet behind her and continued running. She had worn herself out from teleporting continuously for the past hour.

"Leave me alone!" Rogue's voice echoed eerily around the void as she phased herself through the ground she stood. She fell and continued falling. 'Why aren't I hitting anything?'

"This place is boundless, chere. There is no top or bottom or sides."

"You're lying!"

"Why would I? What would I gain from it?"

"So you can have your fucking wicked ways with me, that's what."

'Damn it, why am I still falling?' Rogue thought as the wind whipped around her. 'Why is he falling too? He can't phase.'

"I'm falling because I let myself fall, chere. The only way to stop this fall is to make yourself stop."

"Who the fuck do you think you are going into my head like that!"

"Chere - "

"Don't you chere me!"

Sadness flashed briefly in Remy's eyes. "All right. Marie - "

"You son of a bitch!" Rogue screamed and flung a hand at him, sending him flying through space.

Desperation burned in Remy's heart and he started to think twice about why he was trying to reach out to Rogue. He looked over at her retreating and shaking rage-filled figure when realisation dawned on him.

"Fuck!" Remy swore softly, unaware that Rogue heard him.

She continued falling, tears of anger and fear burning the back of her eyes. 'Stop!' she commanded and her fall jerked in suddenness, spilling a crystal clear tear.

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'I can't do this now. Chere's too fragile and too close to breaking. I can't take the risk,' Remy thought. 'I'll give her some time and space.'

Remy's ruby-onyx orbs shone brightly. It was killing him to be forced to watch Rogue beat herself up about everything. He knew that she guilt-trip herself with the 'could have, should have, would have' cycle whenever something bad happened. Like unleashing Apocalypse and draining Cody into a coma. Both were beyond her control and yet she harboured the guilt.

"Why are you doing this, chere? Why are you refusing me? I thought we understood – understand – each other…" Remy mulled quietly as he shuffled a deck of cards.

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'Oh God, why is he here? What is this supposed to mean?' Rogue wondered as she ran. She had to burn some nervous energy before she explode – literally.

She recalled their second encounter when he took her against her free will in order to rescue his adopted father, Jean-Luc LeBeau from the clutches of sworn enemy, The Rippers, how much she hated him, how much she wanted him to pay for toying with her, the flaming desire to pummel him to a bloody pulp. Yet, she respected her New Orleans companion for his strength to forgive his father's misdeeds towards him. What she never expected was for her stone cold heart to be captivated by the flirt. She hated him as much as she loved him. That much she knew.

As days passed, she found herself thinking about him – out of free will. Often, she would twirl and finger the roughened card as her mind worked overtime. Smiles of contentment and silliness would grace her face as God-knows-what she was thinking about. Sometimes, to the extent of being too preoccupied to notice her surroundings.

(!#$&Rogue's Standpoint of Views&$#!)

(!#$&Flashback&$#!)

"Are you like, smiling, Rogue?" Kitty asked as she tried to peer closer at Rogue's face.

Rogue backed up a little and snapped her reply, "My face was sore and I was merely stretching it. Get that right!"

"Right…" Kitty drawled and Rogue would chuck a pillow at the smug look plastered on her roommate's face.

(!#$&End of Flashback&$#!)

I have to chuckle. I could never hide anything from Kitty. Ever since Remy's… my relationship with Kitty has been on the rocks. We hardly hang out with each other, and when we do, the air would smell distinctly of awkward and nervous silence. When we pass each other, we just exchange some greetings and the occasional pleasantries. There are no conversations or any small talks.

Come to think of it, the last time I saw Bobby was practically eons ago. Once betting buddies, we are nothing but acquaintances now. Even THAT is questionable. Bobby is also always either with the X-Men or with Kitty.

Of course, she's his wife after all…

(!#$&Flashback&$#!)

"You like him, don't you?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Gambit. You like him."

Rogue stared at Jamie in shock. It wasn't the words that had her stumped, it was the way he said those words. He said them as a statement.

"Don't worry. I won't rat you out to the rest," Jamie reassured Rogue as he patted on her gloved hand.

Rogue flushed at being caught by someone a few years her junior. "Thanks Jamie. I really appreciate it."

(!#$&End of Flashback&$#!)

Everyone used to be against us, except for Kit and Jamie. Even the Professor, Ororo and Hank were disparaging. While they might fool everyone else into thinking that they pleaded on the fifth ground, I am not stupid. Both of us could sense the extreme caution they exercised, empathy-wise or not. Hell, they were practically radiating them! How the others could not notice was lost on me. They could be either fucking ignorant or too stupidly stupid. I chose the former.

Jamie has always been a sweet little boy, even as he matures into adulthood. He would always try to cheer me up whenever I was down. By pulling pranks on his clones or acting as The Three Stooges or anything else as long as I forget about my misery. Sometimes, he would even nip a flower or two. And get into deep shit with Ororo later. All for me.

I miss him. I miss Jamie Madrox, the playful yet thoughtful boy. These days, I try to avoid him as much as I can. Around me, he sobers up and becomes too thoughtful that it can be easily mistaken for being mousy. The fact that his bluer-than-blue eyes are so expressive cuts me up because his emotions would shine through. Guilt, sympathy, helplessness are some of the feelings that I have come across once too many.

I don't need pity. I have had enough of those to last me three lifetimes. I would very much rather be an invalid than…than…this! At least I can do something about that disability – physically. But this…this…this…ARGH!

Jean. Oh God, just the mention of her name was enough to make me fly into a rage. That girl was too preppy for my liking. She was always – ALWAYS – on my case. What ever for, I have no idea. She also liked going into my head for reasons unbeknownst to me. Her explanation?

(!#$&Flashback&$#!)

"I'm just looking out for you, Rogue. I only have your welfare at heart, nothing else."

"My snooty ass."

"I swear, Rogue."

"Uh huh, and Santa's a professional gigolo."

(!#$&End of Flashback&$#!)

Man, that was so long ago. I hate to admit it but I miss the days when she would prod into my mind, only to have me pop the walls up her preppy nose. There were so many emotions on the roll then: annoyance, anger, hatred, boredom.

Anything but this guilt…

Christmas is coming soon. Well, 3 months and 17 days to be precise. Yeah, I know. That's like, not for another quarter of the year and I'm already griping about it. Hell, who wouldn't? When you've lost someone, you just want to get away from it all, you know what I mean? The super-cautious attitude everyone adopts, the small smiles of encouragements, the hugs that are supposed to be some source of strength, the I'm-always-here-for-you speeches. You just want everyone to be themselves around you.

At the same time, you just want to run away and hole up in a place where the understanding of Christmas and anything related is non-existent. You just want to brood and get the week over with. You don't need reminders that you're spending Christmas without that someone or that there are no cuddles to be shared in front of the raging fire or someone to feed you cookies orspecial gifts to look forward to. In simple terms, 25th of December is just like any other day.

(!#$&Flashback&$#!)

The Xavier mansion was dark except for the small flicker of orange light emanating from one of the many rooms. All was quiet and peaceful. The cold crisp air smelled of sweet Christmas spirit and a hint of the enticing aroma of baking treats lingered.

Inside the lit room was a couple hidden beneath a heavy blanket, cuddled so lovingly. Rogue was seated between his legs and had her knees drawn up. With ease, Remy encircled her with his long and graceful arms. Rogue leaned back in contentment and Remy placed his chin lazily on her head.

"Today has been such a beautiful day, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, we had so much fun. Want to do it again?" Remy enquired huskily as he nuzzled Rogue's creamy white neck.

"You're so frisky today."

"You don't know the real friskiness of Remy LeBeau, chere."

Rogue laughed.

"Down boy, down. I want to enjoy Christmas without being mauled, you know." Rogue squealed when Remy nibbled the sensitive flesh.

Remy chuckled and said, "Must be the Christmas spirit."

Rogue giggled.

They watched the fire roar and fed each other bits of cookies and shared a cup of steaming hot chocolate. Occasionally, littering each other's faces with sweet little kisses.

"Remy! Enough! I don't need your Swampy scent!"

The playful kiss pulled back abruptly.

'Shit!' shot through Rogue's head.

"Remy, sugah? I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I - "

"It's okay, chere. You've made it clear," Remy said quietly, tears of sorrow lined his eyes. "Thank you for your honesty."

"Wait! Remy! I didn't mean it! I'm sorry! Please!"

Remy continued walking away. Doubts about her words continued to linger even after she had reassured him that all was forgiven and forgotten. But all those had been shot to hell.

"Remy! Please!" Rogue pleaded again and chased after Remy but it was in vain.

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I'm sure she didn't mean it.

Did she?

Why would she?

Isn't it that obvious?

…

Or is ignorance really that blissful?

Shouldn't we give her the benefit of the doubt?

Don't forget your hunches are never wrong.

Well…

Come on, she said it herself! If she really have forgiven and forgotten, she wouldn't have mentioned that place.

Could have been a slip of the tongue.

Stop deceiving yourself, homme. It ain't doing you any good.

Then what? Accept it as it is?

Duh!

But…

Remember what your vow was? Never to feel for another fille #girl# .

But Rogue is…different, unlike Belle.

Really? In what way?

Rogue cares for others, even if they don't see it. She stands up for her friends. She defends her rights and others. She fights for what she believes in. She sacrifices herself for others. Those are qualities that Belle will never possess.

Remy, you know Belle is more than that. She cares for others too. Remember the swamp incident? If it weren't for Belle, you would have wound up in the hospital. She stood up to Julien for Theo even though she hates his guts. She killed her own people so that you can be the heir to the Thieves' Guild, her Guild's archrival. Need I go on?

I…I…I…don't know…

The voices continued bickering in Remy's head. He wanted to believe Rogue so much that he frightened himself. At the same time, he did not want to want to believe her because he did not think he could cope with the all-too familiar heartache.

The thought of Belle, Jean-Luc, his Tante and New Orleans were his worst nightmare combination. No matter how the pieces were played, all of the outcomes were living nightmares – ones that he could do without in their entirety.

"I can't do this. Not again," Remy lamented as he trudged out and into the teeth-chattering coldness of the season.

Footprints became trails that would lead to a solitary bar.

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'Oh God. Remy, please. I didn't mean it. I swear. It just spilled.' Rogue thought over and over again. She chanted them like a mantra, hoping that somehow, Remy could hear her. It was not without a reason to believe that it was possible because there was a certain bond between the couple, a bond so strong they were able to feel physically each other's pain despite the distances.

Rogue fixed her gaze outside the window as she listened, listened to something that she was not meant to know. Something personal that had failed to be guarded.

Rogue smiled wanly when she heard those words, until there came more.

She listened in shock.

Could Remy still have feelings for Belle? Is it possible? Or did I push him to it? Questions swirled on top of Rogue's head.

'She's dead, remember?' Rogue chided herself. She had watched Belle die a cruel death and she remembered the surge of determination coursing into the littlest capillaries as she latched her fingertips precariously onto a thick branch.

Her eyes shone as she remembered the girl briefly.

"Remy sugah, wherever you are, I hope you're safe and warm. Even if it's in a seedy bar littered with predatorious (no such word in the OED but you know what I mean) girls. I pray that you know that I'm really sorry for my callous remarks," Rogue prayed, her hands clasped in prayer style and head bowed.

"And please, come back to me."

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Back in Big Boyz' seedy bar, sounds of toppled chairs and splintered tables cracked in the extremely smoky atmosphere. Scuffles could be heard. Slurred cuss words made the rounds. Screams of anger, hatred and annoyance were exchanged. Pandemonium continued until a huge explosion rocked the place.

(!#$&Flashback&$#!)

"Hey, hey, hey! Hands off my girl! Son of a bitch!"

Remy glared at the drunk, his ruby-onyx orbs glowing dangerously.

"What the fuck! I ain't your girl, you bastard. You're fat and you stink and you're just…fugly!"

"Yeah? Guess what? When I say you're mine, I mean you're mine. And you ain't denying it. Got it?" Faster than a blink of the eye, the drunkard had his meaty hand around the girl's throat.

The girl choked and clawed at the constricting hand in desperation.

With fluidity and swiftness that had been all-too-familiar, Remy charged a card and flung it into a pair of glazed beady eyes.

"ARGH! MY EYES! THEY BURN!"

"Never mistreat a fille #girl# if you know what's good for yourself," Remy warned in a low voice. A slight scent of burning paper lingered in the air and the crackles of the small flame seemed to explode in the ears of the shocked patrons.

"I'll get you for that, you coonasse (a supposed derogatory term for Cajuns) mutant!" he screamed and lunged at Remy. Remy sidestepped and the drunkard crashed into a wall.

"He's a mutant! We must kill him before he gets to us all!" someone screamed amongst the crowd.

That snapped the people from their shock and they quickly rushed into the melee. Thus, chaos ensued.

A handful of the crowd tried to help Remy with little success. Remy was grateful nonetheless.

Emotions were on high, and he felt every single one. A peculiar emotion stunned him and a mutant-hater had a cheap shot in. A fist joined in and his assailant was knocked down.

"Are you okay?" a breathless voice asked.

"Oui #yes#." Remy stared into the piercing deep brown eyes of his ally. His eyes reflected what he was feeling and it scared Remy a little.

The man was radiating raging fear. Not the fear of Remy, but the fear for Remy.

'Something's up,' Remy thought and resumed fighting.

With some quick calculations, Remy concluded that the best way to get out of the silly fight was to blow up the place entirely. Agility succumbed to Herculean strength and Remy ripped the counter out. Chucking the wooden equipment to a corner, he directed his allies to go behind it. The enemies were too dumb to figure out what Remy was doing.

"You want a piece of me? Come get it!"

Everyone surged forward to where Remy was, the furthest corner at the back of the bar. The sharp ends of broken bottles glinted and portable knives gleamed menacingly in the dim lighting. However, Remy was unfazed. He stood proudly with his trusty bo staff in hand.

When the group was near enough, Remy charged the staff. The charge quickly spread into the surrounding matters. Remy held onto the staff tightly as the tingling sensation grew. He felt a little drained from charging so many objects at the same time but he smirked when he saw the panicky looks on their grubby faces.

"It's fucking hot!" a man swore and removed his jacket. It exploded in his hand and he screamed.

Everyone was perspiring buckets as they tried to fight off the growing heat. When the charge had spread as far and as wide as desired, Remy vaulted to the other end where his allies were and took cover.

(!#$&End of Flashback&$#!)

The staff stood for a second before it clanged onto the floor with a huge burst of kinetic release. That started the chain of explosions. Containers of beer, crates of liquor, age-old posters on walls were all incinerated. The old wooden flooring of the bar became cinders. Brick walls exploded, spewing thousands of hard bits. Bits of concrete rained to the ground.

Somehow, amidst the commotion, loud guffaws of laughter could be heard. Tears of laughter were rolling down some of the faces.

'This turns out better than Remy thought,' Remy mulled as he watched the hilarity of the situation. However, his handsome face remained passive. He could not laugh or even smile. His muscles were too tired and his heart felt dead.

He looked around as Drunkard and Co. scampered around clumsily in search of something to cover themselves up. The allies watched as assets were jostled carelessly and the consequences. While they laughed whole-heartedly, Remy walked away discreetly.

He approached a dazed man, probably the owner of the bar.

"Homme?"

The man looked up.

"Je suis desolé #I'm sorry#. I didn't mean to destroy your bar. This your livelihood?"

The man looked away and nodded numbly. Remy reached into his trench coat and removed a thick wad of large bills.

"Here," Remy offered. "Take them. There is enough for you to start all over. Do a decent job and you should have a better bread."

The owner refused to take the money. "I'm not a charity case!" he replied hotly.

Remy sighed. "Fine, then I'm compensating for the damages."

It was obvious the man wanted to take up the offer but something was holding him back. It was his pride probably. Remy waited for the owner to make up his mind.

"Think of your wife and kids and how much these will help."

That sealed the deal. The man agreed and took the money albeit hesitantly. Remy patted his hand in assurance and ventured out into the cool winds.

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Rogue wrapped the blanket around her tighter as she stared out into the snow-blanketed woods.

"Lord, Remy. You're so strong. You care so much for others, even when you're hurting," Rogue remarked softly.

Yes, Rogue knew what had happened. She had seen and heard everything although she was miles from the cindered bar.

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Remy tugged his well-worn trench coat around him in the cold weather, contemplating what to do next when he heard a raspy voice and loud sniffles.

Usually, Remy would let what ever be what ever it was, just not that time. He recognised the voice.

Creeping stealthily, Remy listened to the heart-wrenching confession. He was struck by the immense grief and decided to lend a shoulder and probably a listening ear too.

There he was, the man who had saved Remy, hunched and shaking with anger and revenge. Slowly, Remy placed an arm around the man in comfort and the man cried harder. Remy knew that what the man went through must have been very bad because it had reduced him, a brute like Logan, to a pathetic bunch of nerves.

Despite the shield Remy had erected against the man's emotions, the intense sadness still seeped through. Remy cried along, continuously thinking, 'No one deserves this much sadness.'

They remained in the same position for a few more minutes when the man said, "If only I had sent my boy to the Xavier Institute…" and his voice cracked.

Remy knew what the man meant. His boy would have lived then.

"We were happily married and Janice found out she was pregnant. We were ecstatic until my boy's birth."

Remy waited for the man to continue.

"He…he wasn't like any normal baby. He was green. Everything about him was green. His hair, his skin, even his tongue. Only his eyes were white, completely white. When he cried for the first time…"

The man could not continue. He was too bogged down with mixed feelings. Words failed him and repressed memories ravaged at the back of his mind.

He choked back a sob but more came on.

"Let me share your burden," Remy coaxed. The man nodded.

"When he cried, he…he…killed everything in the hospital. Everyone died. Doctors, nurses, patients. Even the machines were damaged beyond repair. Somehow, only Janice and I survived. We didn't know what to do, so we ran."

The man clenched his eyes shut as he recalled the painful memory.

"We ran home first to get all the stuff that we might need. My sister-in-law was at home when we got there. We tried to get out of the house as fast as possible before my baby could cry again, but my sister-in-law refused to let us out. We begged her but she remained adamant. The matter became worse when her parents came over. He screamed. We took to the streets and I tried to soothe my baby."

"When we finally got him to calm down, we surveyed the damages. They were extensive and widespread. For many miles, the massacre stretched. Nothing was spared."

The man ended but Remy knew there was more.

"What else could we have done if not run? We kept at it for 2 months. Two miserable months. During that time, Janice has had enough and left us. She couldn't accept the fact that our baby was a…mutant and a…killer. We were surrounded by death everyday and Janice just couldn't take it."

"I couldn't abandon my baby. He's an innocent child – my flesh and blood. If I didn't take care of him, no one would. We lived day by day, resorting to looting in order to survive. Later, a doctor came to us and said he could help my boy. I was hesitant at first but we had nothing to lose if anything bad happens, so we went ahead."

"We entered a lab. It was very impressive. There were also many weird-looking creatures. They must have scared my baby because he cried almost instantaneously. Surprisingly, nothing happened. No one was writhing in pain, electronics were not disrupted. It was like it didn't happen at all. The doctor then informed me that the lab was protected from my baby's powers. After some tests, we found out that his scream was like a sonic boom," the man paused "and that was not a good thing."

Remy winced at the implication of how grave things really were.

"Then, it happened. We were under attack. It appeared out of nowhere. Bullets sprayed everywhere and grenades littered the floor. In a moment, another team arrived and they started fighting each other. The good doctor fought hard against the intruders but never had the upper hand. I tried to hide when my boy was snatched from my arms. He cried and wailed. Nothing happened. I could only watch as he was roughly handled. He was petrified…but it didn't last long."

The man trembled so much his knees buckled under him. Remy caught him before he could hit the ground.

Remy felt the heaviness the man felt. He wanted to cry, to rant and rave but he would not let himself. All because it had been instilled in him that 'Men do not cry, only sissies do.'

"Let it all out," Remy whispered into his ear.

And the man cried his fill, anguish and bitterness wracking his tired soul. Remy continued to hold him until he fell asleep from exhaustion.

HEY YOU! YES, YOU! Leave me a review before you change the page, all right?

c'',)