He didn't stop, he didn't dare to - figuring that making it to the next biggest city would be the easiest place to get lost in, Seattle was just twenty seven miles ahead and for now that would be their next stop. He needed a new plan and quickly, this had not been preordained in his plans – at least not at this stage in their journey anyway.
Her arms were still grasped firmly about his waist, assuring him that she wasn't hurt or worse - allowing him to feel the tiniest sense of relief, though he knew the situation was getting graver. They were a damn long way from New Orleans and somehow, they had tracked him down despite his greatest efforts to leave no trace or evidence to follow. Though what surprised him more was that Julien wasn't here to do his own dirty work himself – it was very unlike the hot-headed assassin to leave the pleasure of his revenge to somebody else. There had to be an ulterior motive of some sort – though exactly what, he could not figure out at this precise moment.
But looking back to what had happened in the ice cream parlor, the darkly-dressed gunner either had a terrible shot - or he was shooting to injure, to disable rather than out-right kill, 'Prob'ly so Julien could finish de job' he concluded silently, checking his mirrors for what seemed like the one-hundredth time in the last hour for any sign that they were being followed. The road clear behind them, he lifted his eyes again to the way ahead and breathed a sigh of reprieve as the glittering city landscape of Seattle engulfing the night sky came into view.
Ignoring the pain of the open wound on his upper arm where the mysterious gunman's bullet had nicked him - a near miss, but close enough to break through the material of his trench coat and tear a few layers of skin from his arm. He couldn't tell if it was bleeding, though his entire arm felt uncomfortably sensitive to the bitterly cold rush of air whipping past him - stinging the exposed flesh and sending an unsolicited chill throughout his body. Doing his best to push the pain away, he focused solely on the breath-taking Seattle skyline approaching ahead.
Pulling in to the small parking lot outside a tall, chain-hotel building - the two passengers dismounted the black motorcycle. Heavy rain had begun to fall and swiftly, Remy removed their bags from the back seat compartment and walked briskly into the hotel foyer, trailed closely by a very silent Rogue.
Reaching the front desk, they waited patiently for the night-duty staff-member to stop taking on the telephone in the closet office behind the desk.
"One room f' t'night please" Remy requested casually as the smartly dressed man on duty walked over to him.
"Yes sir. Can I have your name please?" The personnel asked for politely, whilst tapping into his computer.
"Smith" He replied without faltering hesitation. The man looked up to the couple before him and then back down to the computer screen again.
"Okay, two people for tonight . . . that will be one hundred and twenty dollars. How do wish to pay?" The man continued his over-practiced routine and watched as the younger man before him pulled some notes and an Arizona drivers license from the inside of his coat pocket. He counted the wad of money quickly and then handed it over to him without saying a word.
Remy watched the personnel re-count the money and put it aside before checking the counterfeit drivers license carelessly and tapping the information into the database on his computer. Finally after a few minutes he handed the license along with an electronic key card back to Remy.
"Room three-forty-six, just take the elevator up to floor three and turn right. Have a pleasant stay Mr. and Mrs. Smith" The night personnel completed the checking-in and went back to the telephone. Remy almost smirked as he imagined the look on Rogue's face at the very mention of being married as he tucked the cards into his pocket and headed straight for the elevator, not pausing to look at her.
Entering the hotel room, Remy immediately dropped the bags and headed for the bathroom to check his still very sore wound, hearing the room door being shut sharply behind him. Taking of his coat slowly, pulling it extra carefully over his injured arm and discarding it onto the floor - wincing as he got his first good look at the wound, it wasn't overly deep but enough to have made it bleed a little and hurt like hell.
Running some warm water into the sink, he selected one of the complimentary washcloth's provided by the hotel and dipped it in, ignoring the deep, unexpected rumble of thunder from outside and not noticing Rogue leaning against the open doorway, her arms crossed and face expressionless.
"Mistah and Missis Smith?" She admonished, the tone of her voice relaying that she was clearly not impressed with this new development.
"Not'in' new chére, y' pretty much been m' wife dis whole damn trip" He retorted, pulling the sleeve of his t-shirt further up onto his shoulder and hissing uncontrollably as he began to wash his stinging laceration.
"Oh great! Ah feel so much fuckin' bettah. Ya wanna explain ta meh whaht th' hell was goin' on back theah?" She almost shouted at him, now standing up straight - an angry glare adorning her features. Remy stopped attending his wound and looked up to her from his seated position on the toilet, growing more annoyed himself as a sharp flash of lightning illuminated the room and them simultaneously.
"What do y' t'ink? De Assassins found us and dey tried t'shoot us - dat's what happened!" He yelled at her in return, flinching as the cooling material of the washcloth touched his wound again.
"Ya tellin' meh they followed us all th' way up heah?" She asked heatedly, about ready to explode.
"I told y' dey were dangerous!" He reproofed, holding the damp washcloth to his arm and exiting the bathroom, brushing past her swiftly and crossing the dimly lit room - just able to see by the single muted bedside lamp and increasingly violent flashes of lightning.
"Ya nevah said they would trail our asses all th' way!" Rogue argued back, balling her fists so hard to release the tension throughout her, watching as Remy felt for something in his bag - found it and then began searching in the cupboards near the built in wardrobe.
"Merde! Don't y ev'r shut de hell up?" He slighted back, at last finding the mini bar and selecting one of the ridiculously small bottles of spirits. Slamming the door shut, he stalked over to the bed and sat down - not once looking to the person he was arguing with.
"Well ah wouldn't beh shoutin' if ya had told meh whaht was goin' on in th' first place" She near enough screamed at him, watching his silhouette on the bed, the dim bedside light just about aiding her vision in seeing him lifting the washcloth he was holding on his arm and looking beneath it, only looking up to face her as her accusation hit him.
"Hell, I know 'bout as much as y' do, so why don't y' tell m' somet'in 'bout y'self. . . oh, wait - dats right, we don't talk 'bout y!" He finished sardonically, knowing that the change of subject would stunt her spitfire temper for just a while and turned his attention back to figuring out how to bandage his wound without making too much of a mess.
Rogue seethed in silence at his words, guilt suddenly rushing through her veins like she had never felt before, a nauseatingly sick sensation hitting her stomach as if being kicked in her abdomen violently. He was right, what more information could he give her - what she had wanted without realizing was personal and she had refused, even neglected to reveal anything about herself. How could she expect someone to give up themselves to her if she would not do the same?
She had shut herself off from the world, protected her heart and soul from the hurt that others could inflict and had somehow along the line alienated everyone, keeping them at a distance – never giving the chance to see the person beneath her shell. But did not everyone do that to some extent? Remy, despite his accusation was the same as she – a different person lived beneath the skin, the outward facade was just that, a prevarication to distract from the soul inside.
Another fierce flicker of lightning made her raise her eyes to his figure still sat on the bed, taking a few side ward steps she was able to work out in the dim light, what it was he was doing exactly. She sighed sadly and unclasped her still clenched fists and watched silently in the bad light as he opened up the bottle he had taken from the mini bar and took a swig before resting it on the side table beside the bed, he then proceeded to try and undo a medical compress he had remembered being left in his bag at some point.
Rogue took a slow, deep breath and stepped forward toward the bed and climbed on next to him - taking the compress from him, she easily removed it from the plastic and removed the cloth he still held over his wound. Wincing a little as she took as clear a look as she could get in the bad light, she was silently thankful that she wasn't squeamish - feeling Remy flinch a little as she gently placed the compress onto the laceration. Reaching for the roll of fabricated bandage he had also taken from the bag, she began to unravel it and slowly, but firmly wrap it around his arm.
"Ah'm sorry," She almost whispered, tightening the bandage as gently as she could. Remy felt his heart slow to a soft beat at her words, if his heart could have literally melted it would have at that moment. Tentatively, he raised his hand to her chin so that her apologetic green eyes lifted to meet his.
Another flash of lightning and a clap of thunder made the precarious bedside lamp flicker until it finally gave out, throwing the room into complete darkness except for the severe blazes of lightning illuminating the room every so often - though this did not serve as a worthy distraction as they continued into each others gaze through the darkness. Leaning towards each other without hesitation to meet the others lips softly, their mouths moving gently in unison gradually becoming a little more deepened.
Rogue allowed her arms to find their way around his neck, Remy's about her waist as they pressed themselves further together. His hand discovering the bare skin between the hem of her top and her pants, running his fingers over its smoothness and raising them further as she whimpered pleasurably - one of her own hands finding its way into his hair, the other grasping his good arm lightly.
Rogue felt his hands caress smoothly up her back, hitting the clasp of her bra and working the area beneath - liking the sensation she dropped her arms and reached down to the hem of her top and pulled it over her head, immediately returning her lips to his and throwing the offending item aside - seconds later and his top was gone too.
Holding her, Rogue found herself being lowered down onto the firm mattress, mouths hungrily trying to savor the taste, the feel of the other. Remy pulled away and began kissing her neck teasingly, moving slowly downward - Rogue sighed in pure rapture, her body shuddering uncontrollably at his touch. She wanted him, he wanted her and for this night they would have each other.