The flickering light hanging on the wall did nothing to help Rogue find the key in her bag. She was considering just tipping the damn thing upside down and emptying it of all its contents when her fingers felt the chunky, jagged metal of a an old brass door key. Pulling it out, she sighed with exasperation and then with some effort pushed the key as gently as she could into the keyhole.
She was hoping that Remy hadn't kicked her out while she had been gone, all she needed right now was some food, a hot shower and some sleep - finding that she had been evicted would not be the best homecoming. If she could even call this home.
Turning the key slowly and pushing the door open as gently as she could without causing too much of a ruckus, she entered the unlit and unusually tidy apartment. Nothing had changed, everything was very much as she had left it almost three weeks ago, albeit the cleanliness. Closing the door behind her, Rogue flicked on the light switch and checked the kitchen, but was relieved to find no one was there and decided that nobody was home.
Walking back over into the lounge area, she put her rucksack on the floor and went to hang up her coat. Upon doing that and turning around she began to walk over to the kitchen again when coming face to face with a blond haired woman, a little taller than herself. The woman let out a shriek, which even caused Rogue to flinch at the sound.
"Who th' hell are y' n what do y' want?" The woman accused shrilly, advancing aggressively towards her. Rogue stepped back in alarm and knocked over the table lamp on the side table. Bending down to pick it up, Rogue was about to explain when the oh-so familiar voice of Remy LeBeau announced his arrival.
"What's goin' on Belle?" He sounded tired and impatient. Walking into the open-plan room he immediately saw the cause of the commotion. Rogue looked up at him, their eyes meeting. Nothing was said, but Rogue felt like her heart was either going to stop or thump right out of her chest - she had never felt so scrutinized in her life. Remy felt much the same, but he didn't know whether to be happy that she was back or mad because she had disappeared without a trace.
The silence was deafening, both stood opposite each other neither wanting nor knowing what to say. They could have stayed that way for hours.
"Who th' hell is she Remy" Came the high-pitched, demanding voice of the blond woman standing beside Remy. He blinked at the sound of her voice and turned his gaze from Rogue to the taller woman.
"Dis is Rogue, she's staying here," He almost mouthed, only just about loud enough for Rogue to here. The blond changed her footing and crossed her arms over her chest indignantly, pouting her lips and gave him a 'you-had-better-not-be-lying' face.
"Really? I thought she had gone?" She replied in her native Cajun French, not letting up on her suspicion. Her use of the French language immediately brought the man beside her back to his senses.
"Oui. But now she's back again. Hones'ly Belle, she's not'in' f' you t' worry about" Remy soothed, placing his hands on the womans shoulders and rubbing them reassuringly. The woman looked up at him and half smiled.
"Y' had bett'r not be lyin' t' me Remy LeBeau. Y' know who my Père is, he would cut y' up into tiny little pieces an' nobody would b' able t' find dem" She hissed softly into his ear. Rogue could only imagine what was being said as she observed the exchange silently, but she sure as hell didn't think it was anything sickly sweet being whispered into his ear, though she could not be sure as Remy simply smirked at whatever the blond had said to him, his long perfected poker face successfully hiding whatever he was thinking.
"Don't I know it" Was his only reply as the couple looked at each other, before Belle looked at Rogue.
"Well, are y' going' to introduce me Remy?" She asked bitterly with a twisted smirk adorning her otherwise perfect features.
"Rogue, dis is Belle. Mon Fiancé" He announced. Rogue noticed that there was no affection in the way he introduced his future wife, in fact on the whole, the interaction between the two didn't seem right.
"Hi" She replied looking back directly into the blond womans icy stare.
"Whatever, anyway I must be goin'. I'll call y' tomorrow Remy. Je vous aime" She said, before kissing him and sauntering past Rogue and out the front door. Rogue stared at the ground, not daring to look up at Remy again.
"So, your back again hein?" He questioned, watching her stare at the laminate flooring.
"Yeah. Ah'm sorry 'bout interrupting yoah . . . whatever y'were doin' " She finished lamely, still not looking at him. Remy smirked and shook his head softly in disbelief, she looked weary and in need of sleep though she didn't seem to be about to admit to it.
"Got y' note. Where y' been Rogue?" He probed starkly. Knowing that this probably wasn't the best time to be asking such a question. Rogue looked up then, her eyes blazed with anger - he knew what he was doing and he knew now wasn't the time, so why was he doing it? But all coherent thought seemed to disappear to the back of her mind as she glared.
"What's it ta you? Ah had ta go and ah went, but ah came back. It's not lahke ah know anything' bout you?" She was nearing tears again, but her yelling held them back. Her fists clenched at her side, she waited for an answer from the man before her. Remy said nothing, but his jaw clenched at her irate outburst and held her glare.
"Fahne" She almost whispered, grabbing her rucksack from the floor and storming past him to her room where she furiously pulled out a larger black bag and began throwing open draws and shoving whatever she had left behind the first time, into the bag.
"Oh yeah b'cause runnin's gonna solve all y' problems ain't it. Jus' tell me where y're gonna leave de note dis time so I don't hav' t' look fo' it" He shouted back with as much aversion before getting to her door and leaning against the door frame arms crossed.
"Well ah don't care what y' think it's got nothin' ta do with ya anyway" She screamed back, squeezing the last piece of clothing into her back, zipping it up and then heaving it over her shoulder before trying her best to storm to the front door without falling under the weight of the bag.
"Where y' going Rogue?" Remy asked as she passed him. Getting no reply he moved swiftly in front of her, blocking her exit.
"Ah'm leavin' so get outta' mah way" She spat back venomously. Her reply only made Remy move more resolutely between her and the door.
"Not in de state y're in" He received her glare well and held it, there was no way she was getting out of that door. Rogue knew it just as well, sure she could try and get out but it would be a hopeless attempt. Instead, she gave him one final heated glare before storming back to her room and slammed the door hard enough to cause windows to shatter.
Remy watched her go and released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. ' Merde homme, that filles got a temper' he thought with an inward sigh. Running a hand through his hair he walked over onto one of the sofas and collapsed onto it, it was going to be a very long night.
Rogue lie very still on her bed. She had tried sleep and had not got a wink. Turning her head ever so slightly, so that she could see the radio alarm clock on the bedside table and noted that it was now nearly three-thirty in the morning. She had heard Remy go to his room a couple of hours ago, though she had been lying there a lot longer.
She watched the ceiling and tried to paint pictures with her mind using the shapes of the mottled plasterwork to make strange, dreamlike formations but even that didn't help. There was only one way she was going to get any sleep tonight and the only thing standing in her way was pride.
Pushing the covers from her body and stretching her legs over the side of the bed, she padded as silently as physically possible to the bedroom door, opened it and walked out into the open plan room. Quietly she made her way through the dark room over to Remy's bedroom door and stood in front of it hesitantly for what seemed like an age.
Her fist rested against the smooth, wooden door and she held her breath each time she thought she was ready to knock on it. What was holding her back, nothing but pride 'Jus' mah damn pride. It's not his fault, ah'm the one who should apologize' she thought rebuking herself. Taking one final gulp of air, she knocked gently on the wood and listened for any sign that he might be awake.
Nothing. Rogue frowned in disappointment and was about to retreat quietly back to her room.
"What do y' want Rogue?" sounded from behind the wooden door. For a second Rogue considered just walking away, but she figured she was here now - may as well get it over with. Cracking open the door ever so slowly, she crept into the room.
"Hi . . . um, sorry if ah woke ya" she mumbled, taking a step further into the room. She heard Remy move on the bed as if sitting up to hear her more clearly.
"I wasn't sleepin'" was the only reply, which Rogue took as a cue.
"Ah'm sorry ah shouted at ya, an' ah'm sorry ah left without tellin' ya, it's not yoah fault it's just . . ." Something like fear stopped her from carrying on.
Why was she so afraid of revealing a tiny little bit of herself, she realized there was no reason to be. Only the fear of being hurt, of rejection, of not being understood was stopping her. Remy stayed silent on the bed, he had sat up and was sitting sideways on the edge and could just about make out her figure in the darkness. He dared not say or do anything case it frightened her away and settled instead on waiting patiently for her open up on her own.
"Mah . . . mah brother's in an institution in New York . . . b. . b'cause he tried ta . . . kill himself an' it's mah fault!" The tears came then and Rogue shook violently, sobbing uncontrollably. Her hands flew to her face and she wanted to run away, but she was frozen to the spot, her legs felt like they were about to buckle beneath her and the more she tried to stop the tears and the shaking, the more quaking and uncontrollable she seemed to become.
Months of tears held back, years of hurt were flowing out of her and it didn't seem like they were about to stop anytime soon. She unexpectedly felt a pair of arms encircle her shoulders and she was brought close to someone, leaning her head against his chest - Rogue poured her heart out, for the first time in a very long while she finally let her emotions escape their prison. Remy simply held her as she cried, stroking her hair as she let finally let go.