Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men or anything associated with them…
A/N: This chapter is entirely ROMY, and I've tried to keep it (T), but I'm not really a good judge so this is your warning. It's also a little shorter than my other chapters, but I was in a car accident this week and wanted to get it out to y'all. The next chapter may be a little late depending on how the rest of the week goes!
Chapter 10: Passion and Betrayals
For the second time in one day, Remy found himself slowly waking to the rude pounding of a pickax swinging viciously against his brain in unfamiliar surroundings, and his entire body aching. He rose up on his elbow and examined the room. It was spacious with light oak trimming and a large iron chandelier hanging from thick beams. The rain was still pounding on the portholes and the thunder rolled, and as the sky was lit by another streak of lightning, he noticed the figure leaning against the stern window.
While waiting for Remy to wake, Rogue had moved to the window and had lost herself in her thoughts. She had risked the lives of her crew and friends in the fight against Belladonna, and for what? The answer to that question haunted her. The pain from her wound was fading, but she was uncertain whether that was a good sign. Despite the storm, the ocean sounds were soothing and the worst had passed. She heard the slight movement from the bed and knew that Remy was finally beginning to stir. It had been nearly two hours since they had left the Dark Ruby crippled and listing to the side. Turning, she saw him watching her.
Remy threw his legs over the side of the bed and slowly walked up behind her. She looked up into his guarded eyes and remembered how charming and vulnerable he had looked while he slept. The subtle light played in the gorgeous highlights in his hair and cast a soft glow to his skin. When he pulled her into his arms, strong yet gentle, she managed to hide the pain that shot through her side.
"Y' okay, chere?" Remy asked, pulling her closer.
"Ah should be askin' ya that question, sugah." She turned around to face him.
Remy took her hand in his and placed it against his bare chest. She could feel his heart pounding against her fingertips and palm as chills spread through her. "Remy's fine, chere. Thanks f'r comin'."
Trying to regain her composure, Rogue stepped back. "Ah didn't come for ya." She lied. "We came for the necklace"
"Really, chere?" Remy arched a disbelieving brow and put his hand on her shoulder.
Rogue wasn't sure what was happening. A moment before she was fine, but now…nausea was taking hold, she was becoming cold, and she began to lose her struggle to keep back that closing circle of darkness. She felt Remy's arms circle around her and then everything went dark.
Remy just managed to catch Rogue as she collapsed into him. He swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bed, but as he pulled his hand away from her, he noticed the moisture on his palm. It was blood. He tore open her jacket and pulled up the hem of her shirt revealing the angry wound which was still bleeding. He ran to the door and yelled up to the helm. "Kitty! Bring some hot water!"
After a few agonizing moments, Kitty came bursting into the room with a bucket of hot water and a rag. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"Remy's fine, but chere's been shot. When did dis happen?" Remy didn't wait for an answer. He took the bucket of water and started to clean the wound. Kitty could only stare at Rogue with her mouth agape in shock.
"I don't know…Do you know what you're doing?" She finally managed to ask.
"Oui…Remy learned from his père." He said, as Rogue began to open her eyes.
"Rogue?" Kitty asked, feeling a little helpless at the moment. "What can I do?"
Rogue slowly began to regain some of her senses and looked up to see Remy leaning over her and Kitty standing at the foot of the bed. "Ah'm okay, Kitty. Go help Piotr with the ship. Remy can handle this." Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, she added, "Go! Ah…Ah'll be alright."
Kitty nodded and left the two captains alone. Remy frowned and looked into Rogue's eyes. "De ball's still inside. I have t' remove it, chere. Desole, mais dis will hurt."
Remy walked over to Rogue's desk and found a piece of leather and a bottle of whiskey. When he returned to her side, he kneeled and handed her the leather strap. "Bite down on dat if y' need t', and drink dis. It'll help with de pain."
Rogue took the whiskey, but threw the leather down on the floorboards. As she drank down a third of the amber liquid, Remy took a closer look at the gunshot wound. "Are ya goin' ta stare all day, or get on with it?" Rogue asked, placing the bottle down and quirking a brow. "Do ya really know what you're doin'?"
His look turned devilish. "Oui, chere…Remy's been waitin' a long time t' get his hands on y'." Then he smiled, trying to alleviate some of the tension and her concerns.
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Get on with it, Swamp Rat."
Remy stood up and took a pair of straight forceps from Rogue's cabinet, then gave her a look that seemed to plead for forgiveness. "Got t' get on de bed with y' chere."
Rogue nodded and braced herself for the pain, as Remy straddled her and began to probe the wound with his finger. The pistol ball had fortunately missed her vital organs and was lodged only two inches under the skin. After locating the ball, Remy inserted the forceps.
"Uhnnn…Careful!"
"Close, chere." Remy whispered and began to pull the ball from the wound.
Rogue took another long drink from the bottle, and a few short moments later, Remy pulled the ball free and began to clean the wound again. She winced when he poured some alcohol over the area, but was grateful for his gentle hand as he bandaged her side.
Rogue suddenly became very aware of Remy's position. Leaning over her, he surrounded her with warmth, and she caught the crisp scent of spice and sandalwood. She locked her eyes with his and they were frozen for a moment, lost in each other's gaze. Remy moved higher and placed his hands on the mattress beside her head after he finished bandaging the wound. "Feelin' better, mon amour?"
"Yeah…"
Remy's soft locks of hair brushed over her forehead as he stared into her emerald eyes. His gaze on her face felt like a tangible touch, and her heart raced. There were so many things about him she liked, and so many more she wished she knew.
His look deepened as he cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand and stroked her chin with his thumb. He recognized the longing and desire reflected in her eyes, and began to stroke the sensitive flesh of her neck just under her ear. Chills spread through her as her senses reeled from the heat of his touch. Remy brushed the white streaks of her hair aside, exposing more of her neck to his gaze. He moved his hand to touch her hairline there, and asked for a second time, "Have y' ever had a man kiss y' here, chere?"
"No…" she answered breathlessly.
And then he did.
Rogue moaned at the unexpected pleasure that assailed her as his lips grazed her neck. Forgetting about the wound, he moved his hand down to her waist and a thousand ribbons of pain shot through her body. "Uhnnn! Remy!"
"Desole, amour!" Remy jerked his hand away and started to remove himself from her bed.
Before he could get away, Rogue grabbed his open shirt in both fists, clinging to him, needing to press herself closer to him. He just felt too good, his touch too seductive, his body too wonderful. She pulled his lips to her mouth and plundered it like the pirate she was, savoring the taste of him, the smell of ocean and man.
Remy was paralyzed for a moment by a scorching confusion. Then he was kissing her, kissing her like a drowning man reaching for his last breath of air. She tasted like paradise. He should stop now, she was hurt. His head knew that, but the rest of him wasn't paying much attention to logic. He plunged into the offering of her kiss, tracing her lips with his tongue, stroking the liquid velvet of her mouth as he invited her to explore him as well.
Rogue deepened the kiss and she slid her arms around his neck. When the kiss was finally broken, she looked up into his fire and charcoal eyes and saw the battle he was fighting within himself. Remy closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. "I jus' have t' get…control, chere. Y' don't need dis."
"You're right, sugah. Ah don't need this…but Ah want it." Rogue stroked his cheek with her hand and smiled. "Ah want you." And it was true. Against all reason and arguments, she wanted this night with Remy.
For several long moments, Remy just watched her, his dark eyes wide with disbelief. And then he was cupping her face between his hands and capturing her mouth with his again.
"Let's get out of dese wet clothes, non?" Remy smirked as he lifted himself from the bed and stood.
Rogue sat up in the bed gently, and watched as Remy stripped off his boots and shirt. His back was turned to her and she saw the scars marring his back for the second time. "Mah Gawd, Remy…"
He turned and saw the concerned look on her face. "What's de matter, chere?"
Rogue stretched her arm out to Remy, urging him to return to the bed. When he sat on the edge, she traced her finger along the contours of the scars and frowned. "How did this happen, sugah?"
Remy dragged his hands through his hair and sighed. Why did she want to know about those? That story is one he most certainly did not want to think about right now. "Are y' sure y' want t' know, chere?"
Rogue scooted closer to him and brushed his hair back from his face. He stared at her, amazed that she showed him such tenderness. He couldn't remember the last time a woman had touched him that way. Remy leaned his head into her palm, relishing the soft feel of her skin against the stubble of his cheek.
"Ah wish you'd talk ta meh," she breathed. "Tell meh, sugah."
"Merde, Rogue, y' don't know," he said, tightening his grip on her hand. "Y' don't know Remy."
"Ah'd like ta try."
And for the first time in his life, he wanted to talk to someone. To tell her what was inside him and have her soothe it. But could she?
Trust no one at your back unless you want a knife in it. That was a pirate's first code and a lesson he'd learned firsthand. The scars were the result of misplaced trust. But in spite of his arguments, he wanted to trust Rogue.
Without thinking, he reached out and drew her into his arms. He repositioned himself and held her between his knees, her back to his chest. Inhaling the sweet scent of her hair, he leaned his cheek against her head and massaged her shoulders. Rogue closed her eyes at the tenderness of his touch, praying that this one time he would actually put away his mask and open himself up to her.
When Remy spoke, his voice was nothing more than a whisper. "Remy trusted de wrong person and paid de price, amour. It happened at Port-au-Prince."
Rogue opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder at him. Remy's stern face showed the strain of a man who had seen hell firsthand and had barely lived to make it back to earth. "Port-au-Prince? Does this involve Belladonna?"
"Oui…" Remy continued, "Two years ago, Bella and Remy were together at Port-au-Prince. We were dere f'r 'bout quatre semaines…four weeks, and he thought dat she…" His voice trailed off and he shifted his gaze to the floor.
Rogue could tell that he wanted to withdraw from her, to speak no more about a subject that was so close to him, but she waited patiently for him to continue.
"Bella never cared f'r Remy. One night she failed t' come back t' de room. When Remy woke de next mornin', de Duke was knockin' on de door with soldiers." Even though he didn't move, raw emotion seemed to bleed from every pore of his skin.
"What happened?" Rogue asked, reaching up to touch his face.
Anger and hurt flashed in his eyes, and she could feel the agony of his memories. "Dey arrested Remy, claimin' dat he killed a man, and locked him in a cell f'r several days."
"Did ya do it?" Rogue asked bluntly, but not fully believing he could.
Remy looked away and she could see the sadness and remorse inside him. "Non, chere…Remy's committed 'lot o' crimes in his day, mais not murder. When Remy refused t' confess, de guards strapped him t' a waist-high block and whipped him with a stiff metal wire. It went on f'r days. Dat's where de scars came from."
"Oh, Remy," she gasped. "Ah'm so sorry, sugah." Rogue cupped his cheek in her hand. She could feel the tautness of his jaw as he held his emotions in check and she admired his strength. He rubbed his stubbly cheek against her palm and she pulled him into a hug. He tensed for a moment, and then surrendered himself to her touch.
Rogue thought over his confessions. His words drifted over her, until one part in particular stood out. "How was Bella involved?"
Remy looked startled. "What?"
"She was there and back in the cave ya said she betrayed your trust. How?"
Remy had that look in his eyes like he wanted to run again. She prepared herself to grab him if he tried. Instead, he answered. "Bella set Remy up. She killed dat man, and left Remy t' take de blame."
Rogue's mouth dropped. Even though she'd guessed the truth, hearing it spoken aloud still left her shocked. She knew that Bella could be cold and calculating, but leaving Remy to such torture was too much. "Why didn't ya tell the soldiers?"
Remy snorted. "Didn't know 'til after. John broke Remy out of dat place right 'fore de hangin', and it took 'nother two weeks t' find out what really happened. Dieu, chere… told myself I'd never trust again."
"Ya can trust meh, Remy." Rogue whispered. "Ah…"
Rogue wanted to tell him how much he meant to her, but the words became lodged in her throat. She had trust issues herself. His arms came around her, drawing her closer to him and he turned his face to hers. Seeing his desire to kiss her, she opened her lips in invitation and he took it.
Remy's kiss was warm, sweet, and intoxicating. When he pulled back, he nibbled her bottom lip. "'Shall I compare thee t' a summer's day?' " He whispered. "'Thou art more lovely and more temperate; Rough winds do shake de darlin' buds of May, and summer's lease hath too short a date.'"
Rogue smiled at him, warmed by his quote. "Come here, Remy." Before he could even blink, she pushed him down onto the mattress and forced him to roll onto his back straddling him. Needing to quench this burning ache for him, she reached for him, running her hands over the flesh of his chest, where she felt his strong muscles ripple beneath her palms. He had shared himself with her tonight and she wanted to do something special for him. She may not be able to vocalize her feelings, but she could show him how much he'd come to mean to her.
Remy stared up in wonder as she boldly dipped her head to his throat and flicked her tongue across his Adam's apple. He tried to cup her head, but she held his hands still. His body molten, he sucked his breath in sharply between his teeth.
With a thoroughness that astonished him, she explored his neck and chest with her lips, her tongue. And every time he felt the hesitant stroking, he thought he would die from the pleasure. No woman had ever treated him this way. They merely took what he gave them and were as eager for him to leave as he was to be gone. But not Rogue.
Remy groaned and threw his head back, striking it against the hard wood of her bed. But he didn't feel the pain. All he could feel was her mouth working magic on him. Closing his eyes, he placed his hand on her head and savored the most pleasurable moment of his life. The pleasure was so intense, he could swear he saw stars, and considering the fact that he had most likely just given himself a concussion, he probably did.
Remy rolled her in the bed until he pressed her down against the mattress, carefully protecting her side. Cupping her head in his hands, he brought her lips up to his. "Je t'aime, mon amour."
If Rogue heard his confession, she didn't show it. All she felt was him leaning over her, his body hot, his breath even hotter. She jerked in response when his lips touched her neck, kissing and nipping gently as his mouth moved along her throat. Her hands moved along the muscled avenues of his back and pulled him closer to her, but never close enough.
There was heaven in his touch; she'd known that since the first time he'd kissed her. Remy lifted her fingers and placed a gentle kiss on her palm, and she saw the love and tenderness in his eyes. He trailed kisses up her arm, bit by bit, until he reached her throat again. His lips were soft and firm as they played upon her flesh, raising chills and a burning heat at the same time.
"Remy…You're wondrous," she moaned as she wrapped her legs around his bare waist.
He leaned down to kiss her. "Careful, amour. Y're hurt." He said as he gently stroked the bandage.
"Ah assure ya, Ah'm fine, sugah." Rogue said, pulling Remy down.
They lay abed for hours, exploring each other's body. For the first time since he could remember, Remy felt happy…at peace. There was no fear, no nagging regrets.
Covered in sweat, he rolled to his side and pulled Rogue against him. She rested her head on his chest and listened to his heart settle down to a regular beat. Looking out the window, Rogue stared out at the moonlight rippling across the sea. The waves rolled in and out and the ship tilted in a sensuous rhythm of its own. The storm had stopped and the musicians were playing topside. The soft music came floating into the cabin on the gentle breeze. She felt so content being held in Remy's arms.
"Have ya ever gone back to Port-au-Prince?" she asked.
Remy's body grew rigid a moment before he relaxed…a little, anyway. "Non…Duke Essex still has a warrant f'r my arrest, chere. Remy can't go back dere."
"Well…"
"Rogue," he said quietly. "Dis really isn't somethin' Remy wants t' discuss now." He brushed his hand through her hair, spreading it over his chest. "Do y' really want t' talk?"
She rolled her eyes at him.
Remy gave a contented sigh and closed his eyes.
"Are ya goin' ta sleep, sugah?" Rogue asked.
"It was Remy's plan." He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at her. "Do y' want Remy t' leave?"
Rogue rolled over and wrapped her leg over his thigh. "No…Ah want ya right where ya are." Settling down, she traced her hand over his chest and rubbed his defined arms.
"Chere," Remy whispered hoarsely. "If y' keep dat up, neither of us will have any sleep tonight."
She tucked her arm under her side and watched him as he drifted off into sleep. She had learned much this night. Much about Remy and even more about herself.
Remy came awake to the smell of vanilla and honeysuckle. For a moment he thought he was dreaming as he felt the soft body molded to his. Only it wasn't a dream. This morning was real as had been the night before. He looked down at the auburn curls spread across his chest. Rogue still slept on top of him, her leg draped over his side. She was truly beautiful in his arms. He liked waking this way. He liked the way her breath tickled his chest, the way her hair slid against his skin.
Raising his left hand, he ran his finger over the soft lashes nestled on her pale cheeks. Even now he could remember the way it felt to kiss her there. Through the open windows he could hear Kurt ordering the crew and the others going about their daily activities. By the sound of them, it was probably noon and they should really be out on deck, but he had no desire to leave Rogue's embrace. In fact, all he really wanted to do was replay last night's tryst. He even shuddered to think what Kurt would say to that idea.
A knock sounded on the door.
Sighing, he carefully slid himself out from Rogue's arms and made his way to the door. Remy cracked it open to see Kitty on the other side.
"I came to make sure Rogue was alright. You never came out to let us know." Kitty blushed, peaking around a naked Remy and glimpsed Rogue stretched out on the bed. Quirking a quizzical brow, she asked, "What happened?"
"Rogue's jus' fine, petite. Give us a few minutes, oui?"
"Sure!" Kitty gave Remy a knowing smile and ran off.
"Is somethin' wrong, sugah?" Rogue asked as he neared the bed.
Remy paused to stare at her. She lay in the bed with her spread pulled up high and her long hair tousled about her. He'd never seen anything more appealing, and she'd asked him something. But the devil take it if he could remember what.
"Desole, mon amour," he said, reaching for his pants. "Remy didn't hear what y' asked."
"Ah asked if everything was alright."
Remy laced his breeches. "It's fine, but we should get on deck, and Remy needs t' let John know dat he's alright."
He sat on the bed to pull on his boots. Rogue came up behind him and encircled his waist with her arms. Her body was pressed tight against his back, burning him through and through as his body instantly ached for her. He reached back over his head and cupped her head with his hand. Closing his eyes, he savored her scent, her feel. "Je t'aime, chere."
"Kiss me." Rogue demanded and Remy obliged.
He let go of her and moved away. As he closed the door behind him, Rogue sighed. "Ah love ya too, Remy."
A/N: Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing this story! I'll try to have the next chapter out soon, but it may be a little late like I said earlier.
