Her head swirled like she was on a ship in the middle of a violent storm, she could hear a voice. Someone was talking to her, saying something that she couldn't quite hear. The darkness was overwhelming and chilling. She needed to wake up, now.
Rogue opened her eyes slowly and then closed them again at the sharp invasion of light that entered her eyes. She closed her eyes immediately and rolled her head to the other side of the pillow and sighed. 'What the hell happened last nahte' she thought cursedly trying to remember the events that had occurred the night before. 'Ah remember sittin' at th' bar drinkin' then ah left and . . . wait a minute, ah collapsed on th' street! So how th' hell did mah head get on a pillow' she opened her eyes suddenly as the memories of last night - or at least what she could remember, flashed into her mind.
Rogue scanned the room she was in and bolted up into sitting position, causing a large throb of pain to overwhelm her head. A low moan escaped her throat and she raised a hand to rub her head tenderly before once again attempting to find out exactly where she was.
Rogue suddenly felt a large stab of panic erupt in the pit of he stomach and looked around the bed she was currently sitting up right in. The room was fairly small - just about big enough to fit the small queen-sized bed in the center and a small chest beside a classic balconette window. 'Oh mah Gahd, where am ah?' she thought nervously and looked down quickly and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that all her clothes were still on, except her boots which were placed by the closed bedroom door.
Throwing the covers off her, she got up from the bed and put her boots on. Taking a quick look out the window, Rogue instantly knew that she was somewhere in the French Quarter, ' At least ah'm still in New Orleans' she thought gratefully.
Intent on finding out exactly where she was, Rogue opened the closed door and looked out hesitantly into an open plan living room, which consisted of two sofas and a large television set. Rogue walked out of the room quietly, only reaching a few steps away from the door when an all too familiar face appeared from the opposite end of the room.
"Mornin' chérie. Sleep well?" The oh-so cocky smirk appearing on his handsome features.
Rogue felt like she was going to hyperventilate and gaped in shock at the person who had obviously taken her off the street for the night. Remy continued to smirk as he sauntered into the living room with a mug of coffee in one hand and placed it on the coffee table in front of the television.
"Y' want one?" He asked, gesturing at the mug of coffee. Rogue shook her head mutely, finally feeling the ability to breath again.
"Y' sure y're ok?" Remy questioned curiously.
"Yeah, ah'm fahne. Thanks" She added after a moment. Crossing her arms over her chest, embarrassed at the fact that she was in this man's home, who she barely knew and he had seen her passed out. Rogue tried desperately to remain calm and collected but was finding it increasingly difficult.
"Y' wanna take a shower or anythin' petite?" Remy asked cautiously. Rogue's eyes shot up instantly and met his own, but her over the top reaction died down when she realized she probably looked terrible and could probably do with cleaning up.
"If ya wouldn't mind" She mumbled, almost incoherently. Remy simply smiled at her reaction to such a simple question.
"Bathrooms jus' round dere, next t' de room y' stayed in". He pointed in the direction Rogue had emerged from. Rogue gave a half smile and muttered a 'thanks' before heading in the direction of the bathroom.
Remy watched her go until the bathroom door closed and decided to pass the time by watching some television. He sat down on the sofa directly opposite the entertainment set and switched it on with the remote. Picking up the dark and still steaming coffee, he sat back in the comfortable sofa with his feet rested on the coffee table and took a sip of the hot drink in his hand.
Uninterested by what was happening on the screen, Remy thought back to what happened the night before. He had watched her leave the club in a much worse state than he would have originally thought and had been a little concerned to say the least.
At first he had just turned away and carried on dancing with the girl he was with, but then for some reason - Remy had rushed out of the club in pursuit of the girl he had watched leave and had found her lying on the street not far from the alleyway the club was situated in. After finding her, he couldn't just let her lie there on the street - so, not knowing who the friend she had came with was or where she lived, he had done the only thing he could think of - and the only thing his conscience would let him do.
Remy sighed in contemplation. The thing that got him about the whole situation was why he had been so concerned about her in the first place and that he had gone after her. He was Remy LeBeau, widely known in New Orleans as a ladies man, the love-em and leave-em type. Never had he actually been worried about any of the women he had been with, except her - and he hadn't even slept with her. 'Damn it homme, y're gettin soft' he thought silently, taking another mouthful of coffee and savoring the taste.
But in the end, he concluded that it was just his conscience getting the better of him and refused to think about it anymore and turned his attention back to the television program.
Rogue entered the compact, but neatly presented bathroom and closed the door and leaned back against it. She closed her eyes and sighed softly, she knew she was going to regret all that whiskey she had drunk last night.
Looking up, she noticed that there was a neatly folded white towel beside the shower. Stepping away from the door, she reached inside the shower and turned it on. Turning back she locked the bathroom door and then removed her clothing and stepped into the scolding water coming from the shower.
After washing herself with some soap and then stepping out of the shower and drying herself with the provided towel, Rogue found herself looking at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. Her hair was pushed back, a little wet from the shower - her eyes were puffy and bloodshot and her skin was pale and gray. 'Gahd ah look lahke shit' she thought miserably as she prodded a sore looking, purpling bruise on one side of her face from where she had fallen heavily.
Her head felt like it was going to explode from the amount of throbbing it was doing. Rogue merely looked away, she felt awful, so it kind of made sense that she should look like it as well. Replacing her sorry looking ensemble of clothing on her body, she ran her fingers through her hair and exited the bathroom.
Walking back into the living room, Rogue noticed the television was on and Remy was sitting in front of it with his feet up on the coffee table, relaxed back into the sofa. Rogue cleared her throat softly, causing Remy to look over the edge of the sofa he was on and smiling warmly.
"Ah gotta git goin' so ah guess, ah jus' wanted ta say thanks foah helping me last nahte". She stated a little unsure.
"Not a problem chére". He replied, still sat in his position in front of the television. Rogue smiled, causing her head to throb harder and she raised a hand at once to her temple and rubbed it. Remy noticed her action and got up from the sofa and disappeared out of the room.
Rogue hadn't even realized he had gone until she looked up and found Remy standing in front of her with a glass of water in one hand and two tablets in the other. Rogue looked up at him dubiously.
"For y're hangover" he explained and passed her the water and the tablets. Deciding that the tablets probably were for her hangover, Rogue popped them in her mouth and then took a couple of mouthfuls of water.
"Come on, I'll take y' home" Remy smiled as he took the glass of water from her and put it on the side. Taking a brown trench coat that was lying on the sofa he hadn't been sitting on, he led Rogue out the door.
After, leading her through many back streets and such that Rogue had never even known existed, they eventually stopped outside the hostel Rogue was staying at. Remy looked at the place unenthusiastically and his lips formed a grim line as he stood alongside Rogue.
They had talked a bit walking through the French Quarter and Rogue had found herself relatively surprised, realizing that Remy wasn't as bad as she had originally thought. He had asked her questions like where she worked and how long she had been in New Orleans, but had surprisingly kept away from the questions that Rogue was dreading, like where she had come from and why had she left. She couldn't answer those questions to anyone, not yet anyway.
"So, thanks again" She broke the silence that had engulfed them both as they stood before the hostel. Remy turned and faced her and brought up a hand to move the hair from out of her eyes and touch the now swelling bruise on the side of her face. Rogue instantly flinched from the slightest touch of his hand and he immediately withdrew it.
Rogue looked up at him apologetically - their eyes met, seemingly unable to draw themselves away from one another. Remy felt his breath catch in his throat and tried not to show it on the outside. Rogue was the first to break the silence once again.
"Ah better go, ah got work in 'bout an hour" She spoke quietly. Remy simply nodded in reply, still regaining his previous guise. Rogue broke eye contact and turned to walk into the hostel. Remy swiftly caught her hand as she turned and brought it to his lips. Kissing her hand softly he looked back into her eyes and gave an ever so-suave grin.
"I'll be seein' y' round chérie" He released her hand, took a few backward steps and then walked off.
All Rogue could do was watch him leave in shock. Seeing the billowing trail of his trench coat disappear around the corner of a building, she sighed heavily and a frown crossed her face. 'Damn swamp rat' Rogue thought testily as she turned once again and stomped into the hostel.