-dodges rotten fruit- I'm sorry! I don't have any excuses, but if ya kill me, y'all will never find out the end to the story. Bwahahahahahahahaha!
To all those who reviewed: Weee! Y'all make me so happy!
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evo.
Chapter Four
At the age of forty-six, Diana Fields considered herself to be an "experienced" woman: she had raised five children (along with others), she had traveled all over the world, and the wisdom in her brown eyes showed she knew human nature like the back of her hand. She had also seen many things in life: birth, death, scrapes and bruises, lies, forgiveness, war, peace, and unpaid dinner checks.
But she had never seen Rogue cry for joy.
Rogue buried her face in Diana's clothed shoulder and cried. Diana, in turn, carefully put her arms around Rogue and crooned softly, "Shhh, Ah know, sugah, Ah know."
Diana gently rocked the girl side to side like she had done so many times in the past. She remembered one occasion in particular, when Rogue was six. She cried because the boys didn't want to play with her.
"An' whah don't they want ta play with ya?" Diana had asked, settling the child in her lap and gently rocking her.
"They say 'cause Ah hit too hard," Rogue sniffed, wiping away any evidence that the boys made her feel unwanted.
"Well, ya just tell them boys they're a bunch o' sissies," Diana spoke with mock bitterness, "They cain't even play with a girl. Honestly."
Rogue giggled, "Yeah, yoh right, Aunt D. Stupid sissies."
Diana came back to the present with a smile. She kissed Rogue's head before closing her eyes and letting completion overwhelm her senses.
Rogue pulled away after a few moments, wiping away her tears the same way she did when she was six. 'With the back of her hand,' Diana remembered fondly.
Rogue opened her mouth to explain her sudden absence, "Aunt D, Ah-"
But Diana cut her off, "Hush. We can talk later." Then she looked past Rogue and saw the man standing behind her, "Well, well, well. Who is this fahne young man?"
The man gave a devilish grin, one that matched his red-on-black eyes, and stepped forward as Rogue introduced him. "Aunt D," she said, with a watery smile, "This is mah friend, Remy Lebeau. Ah did not invite him, so Ah'm very sorry foh the inconvenience."
Remy smirked, took Diana's hand in his and kissed it, "Bonjour, mam'selle. It be a pleasure t' meet such a belle femme like y'self."
Now, Diana knew she had gained a few pounds over the years- to the point where she was as round as a blueberry- and there were more than just a couple of grey streaks in her brown hair. So to hear a handsome gentleman call her beautiful was more than enough reason to let him stay.
"Nonsense, Rogue," Diana said as Remy release her hand, "Any good-lookin' Cajun friend o' yoh's is certainly a good-lookin' Cajun friend o' mine." (A/N: LoL, this is gonna sound shallow, but I think that is the funniest thing I have ever written. I couldn't stop laughing!)
"Aunt D!" Rogue scolded teasingly, "What would yoh husband say?"
Diana said in a deep, gruff voice that surprisingly did sound like her husband's, "'Did he bring any beer?'"
Remy chuckled, "'M likin' yoh fam'ly already, chere."
"Ya should run while ya still can," Rogue told him, smiling brightly all the while.
"Sugah, Ah cain't tell ya enough how good it is ta see yoh smile again," Diana said. She grabbed Rogue's hand, "C'mon, Stella an' Robbie are heah-"
"Rogue!"
"Looks like they already found meh," Rogue managed to say before she was practically run over by a young woman with brunette hair.
"Hey, Stella-" Rogue greeted, gasping for air.
"Oh, Rogue, Ah'm so glad ya came foh the weddin'! Ya have no idea how much this means ta meh!"
Rogue finally managed to break out of the bear hug and look at her friend she'd known since birth. Her once long, flowing hair was gracefully cut into the style that of her mother's. Her big, blue eyes had aged in a youthful way, holding both wisdom and innocence trapped inside.
Rogue cursed herself for not being there with Stella to see that wisdom take place, and then she cursed herself for feeling tears starting to well up again. Thankfully, she was caught up into another bone-crushing hug.
"Faye-Faye!"
"Robbie, cain't… breathe-"
"Oh sorry!" And with that the groom-to-be let her go.
Rogue took the pause as an opportunity to notice what everyone was wearing: long-sleeved shirts.
Damn, there were those tears again.
Remy, on the other hand, was wondering about another matter, '"Faye"? What the-? Wasn't her name Quiterie?'
He was about to inquire about this until he saw Rogue. She was laughing at something Robbie said. Remy did a double-take. Rogue was actually laughing. It wasn't a belly-laugh for jokes, nor was it an awkward laugh for uncomfortable situations. It was a laugh Remy had never really heard before. It was laugh that told everyone, including Rogue herself, that everything was ok.
Remy discovered he liked that laugh. Very much, actually.
"Stella, Robbie, this is Remy Lebeau," Rogue said, interrupting his reverie. She grabbed his arm and lead him to meet the other family members, "Remy, this is the lucky couple."
Remy shook Robbie's hand meanwhile looking the other Southerner over: He was tall, well over six feet. His wavy blonde hair complimented his boyishly good looks, and his brown eyes looked at him with some suspicion as Remy moved to kiss Stella's hand.
'Don't worry, mon ami,' Gambit thought, 'Remy's already got himself a femme.'
Stella giggled once she had her hand back, "Well, ain't he a charmah. Ya bettah be careful, Rogue. Ah heard charmahs are nothin' but bad news."
Rogue smiled, "Don't Ah know it."
"Remy don' t'ink he's dat bad, chere," he protested.
The river rat playfully smacked his arm. "Don't be modest," she said with a smirk.
"Now y'all c'mon in and have a seat," Diana said, leading the way into the living room.
Remy looked over his surroundings as he walked through the house. It wasn't necessarily a large house, though it was definitely the house he pictured Rogue living in. The hallway was decorated with pictures of family and friends, the carpet was well outdated, and the living room was furnished with floral patterned couches. There were even more pictures on the coffee table and the walls, and a big window held the view of a rather spacious backyard. There was a dark green recliner by the TV, and the chair was being occupied by someone.
"Earl, git up!" Diana cried at the person sitting in the chair, "Rogue's heah!"
Earl looked over at Rogue to confirm that she actually was there and let out a groan. He stood up and scratched the back of his bald head, "Welcome home, kid."
Rogue refrained from rolling her eyes, "Thanks, Earl."
Earl was a large creature, but he held no threats. What once could have been sculpted muscle was now hanging flab. He had kind eyes, but his mouth looked as if it had been in a permanent frown for well over a decade. He had on a flannel shirt, which told Remy he was either insane for wearing it in July, or… well, maybe he was just insane. (A/N: wow, did I have fun with Earl's description or what?)
Earl looked past Rogue and noticed Gambit, "Who's that?"
"This is Remy."
Remy stepped forward and offered a hand, which Earl shook. Once he pulled away, Remy resisted the urge to shake his own hand out of pain. Well, maybe Earl still had some muscle.
Earl gave Remy a once over and asked, "Did he bring any beer?"
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"Irene told ya Ah was comin', didn't she?"
Diana fidgeted under Rogue's gaze, "Well, yes an' no."
Stella stepped in for her mother, "Well, Mama had a feelin' ya were comin', but she didn't know when. So she called up Aunt Irene."
They were sitting on the floral couches in the living room, drinking either tea or coffee. Earl remained in his recliner, Stella and Robbie sat next to each other on one couch, and on the other couch Rogue sat next to Diana and Remy sat next to Rogue.
Rogue looked down sheepishly, "Ah figured, since y'all are wearin' long-sleeved shirts."
"Well, foh yoh information, Irene is comin' tomorrow," Diana said, patting Rogue's hand gently, "Rosa and May are gonna pick her up. An' Jessie says she sorry she couldn' make it, but she had some forms to fill out at the studio that jus' couldn' wait."
Rogue sighed in remembrance. Rosa and May. May and Rosa. Those two couldn't be separated. And Jessie always had forms to fill out at her dance studio.
Diana noticed Stella yawn and said, "Mah goodness. It certainly is late! Ah wonder who else stays up 'til 12:30 jus' to talk."
Rogue looked at the grandfather clock and groaned, "We haven't even checked into a hotel yet."
"A hotel? Nonsense!" Stella said in a manner very similar to her mother's, "Y'all can stay heah. There's no reason ya cain't. Rogue can sleep in her room, and Remy can sleep in Jessie's room. Did Ah tell ya? She moved from her apartment to the room above her studio three months ago- ain't that a hoot!"
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After a final attempt to find a comfortable position, Rogue gave up trying to sleep. She sat up in her bed (her own bed!) and looked at her room (her own room!)
It was just as she remembered it. Her desk was at the far wall, adorned with many papers, movie ticket stubs, and pictures of everyone she knew. Her walls were garishly white, and her bed covers were a dark green. The poster on her closet door was of Queen, and the full-length mirror that hung on her bedroom door revealed things about her that she never knew- as usual.
Rogue sighed and turned on the lamp next to her bed. She put on her slippers and gloves and made her way downstairs to the living room.
As usual, Remy was up, playing his nightly game of solitaire.
Rogue scoffed, "Don't ya ever sleep?"
Without looking up, he replied, "Don' y'?"
She sat down next to him on the couch and looked at the cards he set up. "The seven on the eight," she instructed and he put the seven of diamonds on the eight of spades.
Continuing to play, Remy said, "Chere, Remy t'inks he should know who's who in yoh fam'ly. Aldough he t'inks he's all-knowing, he really ain't. But y' didn't hear dat from moi."
"Trust meh, Ah knew Remy wasn't all-knowing from the beginning."
Remy let out a gasp, "How did y' know?"
"'Cause he thinks he's the sexiest man in the world."
Now Gambit looked at her with mock hurt, "He is!"
Rogue bit her lip from smiling, "C'mon, Ah wanna show ya somethin'." She grabbed him by the hand and led him down the hallway past the staircase. They soon found themselves in front of a door.
Of course, Remy being Remy, he said, "Aw, chere, if y' wanted me, all y' had t' do was ask. An' I t'ought y' said I wasn't sexy."
"It ain't a bedroom, stupid." Rogue opened the door and he saw another set of stairs. She flicked on the light switch and closed the door behind them on their way down.
Remy hid a smile, thinking about how Rogue made no move to deny his theory of her wanting him.
Once they reached the bottom, Remy saw an upright piano against a wall. Then he saw a separate room which appeared to be a recording booth.
Rogue took him to the piano, explaining, "This was mah daddy's recordin' studio. Obviously he was a musician." She sat down on the piano bench and motioned for him to follow. He sat down next to her and waited for her to continue.
"He died while mah motha was still pregnant with meh. He was on his way back home from an audition when his plane crashed." Rogue let out a bitter laugh, "An' he nailed the audition, too."
Remy wanted to comfort her, to hug her, or just simply hold her hand. But he knew the last thing she needed was his sympathy, so he didn't do anything. He waited silently, just breathing.
"Well, mah mama had two best friends: Aunt Diana and Irene. They all shared this house. It was originally Aunt D's house, but she insisted that her two friends lived with her. So Irene moved in with Aunt D, an' when mah parents got married, they too moved in. Aunt D and Earl have five kids: Joe, Gus, Jessie, Todd, an' Stella. Stella's two years older than meh, by the way. Her fiancé, Robbie, was our childhood friend from across the street. We'd play with him everyday. They eventually became high school sweethearts, an' now look at where they're at today.
"Aunt D, Earl, and mah motha were able to support themselves by opening up a restaurant. Ya know, Diana's Restaurant of All Things Classical? That's the one. It started out real small: Diana was the boss, Earl was the chef, mah mama was the waitress, and Aunt D's kids did whatevah their mama told'em ta do. When Ah was old enough, Ah helped out , too.
"Mah motha," Rogue took in a deep breath, "died while givin' birth to meh. So, Irene became mah fostah motha an' Ah lived here with all o' them… foh awhile, anyway. Well, shortly after Ah was born, Rosa an' May moved in. Rosa was a friend of Aunt D's who had lost her house to a fire and had nowhere else ta go. She speaks fluent Spanish and hardly any English, so we all had to learn."
"Y' speak Spanish, chere?"
"Si, pero hace siglos." (A/N: Please excuse the lack of accents. I don't know how to type them in. Oh, and that means "Yes, but it's been ages." Er… I hope.)
Remy was impressed. Not only did he not know she could speak another language, but she could also speak it flawlessly! 'Well, you learn new things everyday,' he thought.
Rogue continued: "An' May is… well… y'all jus' have to meet her. She moved in 'cause the restaurant was gettin' along well, so us kids needed someone to watch us full time. But when Rosa an' May met, it was like glue meetin' paper. They're best friends and inseparable. They even got their own house and business togetha, but Ah'm guessin' they still come back for visits.
"Aunt D's sons are all married and they all moved away. Ah don' know if they got any kids. An' Jessie ain't married. She should be twenty-five now, an' ya know that she's now livin' in the room above her dance studio.
"A year before Ah left, when Ah was fourteen, Irene moved into a smaller house on the other side of town an' left meh ta stay with Aunt D an' her fam'ly. But… Ah left a few months later an' lived with Irene until mah powers showed up. Ah believe ya know the rest."
She was finished, but Remy didn't say anything. Rogue looked at him and noticed he was in deep thought.
"'M still a bit confused 'bout some t'ings, chere. Why did y' leave here? Why did y' leave yoh Aunt and 'er kids?"
Rogue was surprisingly silent for a few moments, carefully thinking over what she was about to tell him-
"Foh meh ta know an' foh ya ta find out."
-Or not tell him, for that matter.
Remy grinned, "Always did enjoy a challenge. An' another t'ing: Remy thought yoh name was Quiterie, but dat Robbie fellow called y' Faye. Mind explainin' dat t' moi?"
"Swamp rat, Quiterie was mah motha's name. Caresse was mah daddy's nickname foh her," Rogue said with a soft smile.
'Well, I guess that makes sense,' Remy thought. Quiterie is French for "tranquil," and Caresse meant "beloved." Once you put them together, in English it meant "Tranquil beloved." (A/N: if that's not true, then I'm really, really sorry! If I'm wrong, then just tell me.)
Rogue continued, "An' since mah motha never came up with a name foh meh, ev'ryone started callin' meh Faye. Ah dunno why." Rogue grinned, "But once they found out what an instigator Ah was, they called meh 'Rogue'." Then her face fell. She remembered all the fun she had while causing trouble with Stella and Robbie, and she was starting to regret ever leaving Mississippi.
Seeing the look on Rogue's face, Remy knew the subject of family was closed until their next talk. So he said, gesturing to the piano, "So, did y' ever learn how t' play dis t'ing?"
She shrugged and told him reluctantly, "Rosa taught meh a few songs. Ah haven't played in five years, though."
She rested her fingers on the piano keys. As if she was afraid of unleashing some terrible monster, she timidly pressed a key and listened to the note. A flood of memories came rushing back to her…
"A musician? Like him? Like yoh daddy?"
"Yoh daddy was worthless!"
"She was really somethin'. Yoh mama was the best gal Ah knew."
"Ya gotta tell'er the truth sometime. She has ta know how her mama died."
"He never amounted ta anythin'! The only thing he did was get yoh mama knocked up, an' even that was a mistake!"
"Sugah, yoh mama loved ya moh than her own life."
"Fine. Play yoh stupid music an' be a worthless nobody- like him!"
"No," she whimpered. She pulled her hands away from the piano as if they burned.
"What's wrong, chere?" Remy asked concern etched across his rugged features. He saw Rogue's mask go back up again and he said, "C'mon, y' were off t' a real good start. Let Remy help."
Remy started to play "Twinkle, twinkle, little star." Rogue snorted, hoping that her painful walk down memory lane wouldn't happen again anytime soon. She hated people seeing her when she's weak, especially Remy. "Ya call that a song?"
Remy gave her that damn cocky grin, "'S better dan de note y' jus' played. Y' got somethin' better?"
Rogue smirked and said smugly, "Maybe Ah do." She played Bach's "Minuet in G", which Remy scoffed at.
"Please. A child can play dat." He burst into "The Flight of the Bumblebee." Rogue had a look of disbelief on her face and she watched Remy's hands glide smoothly over the keys as he played.
"Shock looks good on y', chere," he said without interrupting his playing.
"Where did ya learn ta play?"
Remy stopped the graceful assault on the instrument and shrugged, "Tante Mattie made sure all of us knew how t' play. 'Y' boys need sumt'in' good f' y'' was how she said it, I believe."
Rogue giggled. "Yeah? Well top this." She played Beethoven's "Fur Elise" with such fluidity and talent that it would have made professionals blush with shame.
"I will," Remy told her when she was done and played Mozart's "Seventh Symphony." After that, Rogue played "Ave Maria" by Beethoven.
And that's how they spent the night, trying to best each other with musical skill and endurance. They even made a song together. After a while, they both began to grow tired, but none of them wanted to admit it. So they settled for playing Pachabel's "Cannon in D" together. Rogue found herself laying her head on Remy's shoulder while they played, and Remy rested his head on hers. He discovered they were a perfect fit.
Rogue stopped playing and looked at the guitar clock on the wall next to the piano, "Dang, it's four-thirty. Remy we've been playin' foh two hours."
Remy sighed inaudibly and said, "Remy don' mind."
Rogue rolled her eyes, "Well, Ah do. Ah don't wanna be tired foh the day. We best get some sleep."
"Oh, alrigh'… Never could say no t' y' anyhow."
They made their way up both flights of stairs. They made it to Rogue's room first. They stopped outside the door and Remy lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly, "Good night, mon chere."
Rogue removed her hand from his and placed it over his mouth. He sounded an inquiry but was quiet when Rogue kissed the place his lips would be if her hand wasn't in the way. She stepped away and opened her bedroom door.
"Thank ya, Swamp Rat." And with that, she was gone.
Remy felt as if he was walking on air all the way back to Jessie's room. Hell, he felt like he could fly!
And all because Rogue kissed him.
Remy stopped for a second in his blissful reverie.
Well, almost kissed him, anyway.
'But it's a good start, non?'
TBC!
Weee! Was that a long enough chapter for all of ya? Was it confusing? I tried to make sense, but it still seem real weird. And during that whole "rogue telling her life story" scene- did anyone think the characters were a bit OOC? Maybe it was just me… tell me what ya think! Your reviews brighten my day!
Oh, and that last bit where Remy was happy 'cause Rogue "kissed" him reminded me of a quote. So, I decided to write a drabble for y'all! It ain't long at all, but enjoy!
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Remy's POV
I ran up de door, opened de stairs, said Remy's p'jamas an' put on 'is prayers - turned off m' bed, tumbled int' m' light, an' all 'cause Roguey kissed moi good-night!
Well, dere was dat wonderfully soft gloved hand b'tween us, but dat's beside de point.
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I couldn't find out who said the quote, but it's cute, non?
Oh, and very sorry to say, but I won't be able to write another chapter for awhile. I think writer's block loves me, 'cause I can't finish a damn story! (well, I did finish a drabble. Yeah!) Oh, and maybe some one-shots might make an appearance. Ya never know!
P.O.G.
Bye-Z!
