Side Job

Bib:

When Rogue is having trouble getting along with some of the other residents at the mansion, Remy takes Rogue out to do a job with him.

Story:

"Where've you been bub?" came Logan's rough voice as Remy entered through one of the back entrances.

Remy rolled his eyes as he closed the back door. He was always wary, but sometimes, Logan could just catch him out even if he was on guard. Like right now, he sat near in the dark at the kitchen table.

"Takin' an interest in moi now, huh, misuser Claws?" Remy shot back at him.

Logan grunted.

"Whatever dirty jobs you're pulling," he said, rising to his feet. "Make sure the scum don't follow you back here, or else you'll answer to these."

Logan extended his claws before Remy, then used them to stab an apple and leave the room.

Remy shuck his head as he made his way through the mansion.

Xxxxx

Remy could hear high pitched female voices before he could make out what they were saying. The next thing he heard was a door slam and heavy foot steps stomping around the mansion. He knew who they belonged to and he went to meet her halfway along the path she was taking.

"Bonsoir Chérie," he said from the shadows of the corridor, making Rogue jump.

"Remy!" she called out in surprise, turning on him. The irritated look came a moment later, but rather than give him an ear full about sneaking in the shadows once again, she rolled her eyes and took off.

"Bit late t' go wonderin', non?" Remy said, following after Rogue.

"Yeah, well, everyone here's drivin' meh insane!" Rogue snapped out.

"An' where y' t'inin' a headin'?" Remy asked.

Rogue huffed, taking her coat off out of the coat room and pulling it on.

"No idea, but ah'm outta here," she said.

Remy stepped closer to Rogue, his eyes glittering in a way that showed he was up to something.

"T'ink I may have a proposition for y' if y' be willin' t' listen," he said.

Rogue stopped tugging on her coat as she glanced at Remy. She was beginning to recognise that glint in his eyes that said he was up to no good.

"What kinda proposition?"

Xxxxx

An hour later and Rogue and Remy were having a stake out in Jean's jeep. Remy had, somehow, managed to get fake plates and disguise the jeep during the day without anyone noticing. Not even Jean herself. In fact, Rogue doubted Jean even knew they had taken her car.

"So you do this often?" Rogue asked from where she sat with her arm leaning on the jeep door and her head on her fist.

"Sometimes. Can never tell where de job might take me. That be some'a de thrill from dis kind'a life," Remy replied.

Rogue tsked. "Doesn't seem very thrillin' to meh."

"Oui, won't deny this bit be the less thrillin' part, but can be interestin' if y' be in the right company," Remy said, making a point to look at her.

He was sure he saw Rogue blush and turn away to try and hide it.

"So, what was the disagreement 'bout before?" Remy asked, sliding down a little more in his seat and bringing his leg up. When Rogue didn't respond, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cards. "Guessin' it be somethin' personal if your not gonna speak about it."

Rogue rolled her eyes as she returned her attention back to Remy.

"If you must know, then it was about you," Rogue blurted out.

"Moi?" he questioned.

"Ah-huh," Rogue said, folding her arms over her chest.

"An' what about me?" Remy said, using the dashboard to set out a game of solitaire. Using the card game was the best way to keep his smugness from showing.

"They were all talkin' 'bout who should be the first to ask ya out," Rogue said, refusing to meet Remy's eyes.

"And y' were a part of that conversation," Remy asked, unable to keep his eyes off her.

"What?" Rogue shuck. "No!" she snapped turning her glance back out to the window again. "Ah got dragged in ta it for some bizarre reason. They all started tellin' meh what ah could an' couldn't do an' it was frustratin' as hell!"

"Bet y' didn't take dat liein' down, huh?" Remy said, being unable to hide his smug smirk as he abandoned his card game.

"Not a chance!" Rogue snapped. "Ah do what ah want when ah want an' ah don't need anyone else's permission ta tell meh otherwise!"

"That includin' speakin' when y' wanna speak?" Remy asked.

"Damn straight!" Rogue replied, rather rallied.

"An' askin' out who y' wanna ask out?" Remy asked.

"Yeah… Well, that is, if ah wanted ta ask someone out, ah mean" Rogue said, turning her head away once more as her face became pale.

Remy felt muscles in his cheeks hurt that he forgot he had. He just couldn't help the Cheshire Cat grin that crept onto his face the more Rogue spoke.

"Then y'all were talkin' 'bout askin' moi out on a date?" he asked.

"They were," Rogue said.

"An' they didn't want y' to?" Remy asked.

"Well, no, they didn't…" Rogue began to say.

"And y' weren't gonna hear it?" Remy cut in.

"What? No! No, it weren't like that! They just kept acussin' meh of, well, stealin' ya away," Rogue said, absolutely refusing to turn around and face Remy. She didn't know what had gotten into her. She didn't want to tell him this, it was just falling out of her lips.

"Like y' doin' now?" Remy asked, making Rogue shot around in her chair to point a warning finger at him.

"Hey, sittin' in a parkin' lot all night an' watchin' a brick buildin' weren't mah idea. You'll the one who talked meh in ta this," she said.

"An' you agreed," Remy added.

"Yeah," Rogue began to say.

"To spite them?" Remy stated rather than asked.

"What? No! Well, maybe, yes, but… They were tryna tell meh who ah could an' couldn't hang around with an' ah weren't takin' it! Ah had that all mah life with Mystique manipulatin' meh an' ah don't need it from them."

Remy's smirk faltered at the mention of Mystique. He only meant to taunt Rogue, but this was turning into a deeper talk than he expected.

"So that's the only reason y' here? 'cause y' tryna prove a point 'bout Mystique? That's a dangerous path t' walk chérie," Remy said.

Rogue sighed lightly as she tilted her head back.

"Actually, ah'm more here ta make sure ya stay outta trouble. Lord knows it follows you like ya own shadow. Doesn't help that ya go lookin' for it either," Rogue said, trying to see who had just come out of the hotel they were watching.

"What is it we're actually doin' here anyway?" she asked.

"We be waitin' for him t' leave," Remy said watching the man leave the hotel.

Once the man was far enough out of sight, Remy stepped out of the car.

"Where ya goin'?" Rogue asked.

"Come on," Remy said back into the car before closing his door.

Rogue frowned but got out of the car. Remy had moved to the boot of the car and Rogue followed him back there. When she saw him pull out two wigs, Rogue's eyebrow rose.

"Erm, an' you have wigs, why?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Well, can't have de receptionist recognisin' us, can we?" Remy said, placing the long, black haired wig on Rogue's head.

Rogue huffed as she reached up to the wig to put it on. Remy took that chance to place his short, blonde wig on. Rogue watched the transformation with one eyebrow raised.

"Well, how do I look?" Remy asked with a smirk.

"Errrrr, I don't think blonde's really your colour," she said.

Remy just shrugged his shoulders and reached back into the boot. Rogue watched him take a small, rectangular box out of his duffle bag and open it. As Remy went to put the first contact into his eye he said: "You best finish sortin' out that wig an' move on t' changin' y' make-up chérie."

"What's wrong with mah make-up?" Rogue asked with a bit of attitude.

"The make-up y' wearin' now y' wear daily. Be best y' change it for a few hours so y' can keep wearin' y' preferred style daily," Remy said, having finished placing his contacts in.

He began to take off his trench coat.

"Hold on a minute, just what is it we're doin'?" Rogue asked.

"We're gonna pose as a travelling couple lookin' for une room pour de nuit. Once we be gettin' past reception, we'll move t' get the merch," Remy said.

"Wait, is that really such a good idea?" Rogue went to ask, but stopped as Remy began removing his shirt.

Rogue's neck flared red as she realised Remy was taking his top off. She quickly turned to glance back into the boot of the car. She opened the duffle bag and pulled out the face wipes. She began taking her make-up off as Remy spoke.

"Ain't an amateur, Chére. I know what we be doin'. There's a change'a clothes in le sac for y' ta change in t'. Y' can change in de back seat if y' want," Remy said while moving to take off the jeans he was wearing.

With that, Rogue grabbed the duffle bag for her and moved to the back of the car. She very quickly changed on the floor of the car, not trusting Remy not to sneak a peak. When she was changed, Remy stood leaning against the back of the boot, waiting for her.

"Shall we?" Remy asked, holding his arm out for her.

Rogue had an unamused frown on her face, but she took the crook of his arm. Remy had changed from his red t-shirt and ripped jeans into a striped blue and yellow jumper and brown pants. It didn't suit him one bit, but that's because he looked like a bit of a geek and Rogue knew he was a bad boy at heart really. For herself, Remy had got her a blush pink dress with a yellow cardigan to go over it. The dress ended at her knees and she was wearing yellow heels. She didn't feel like herself at all.

"Pink, really?" she asked.

"Colours your least likely t' wear an' others can confirm it if needs be," Remy said, shrugging his shoulders. "Y' t'ink y' could also play de lovesick femme?"

"Excuse meh?" Rogue said.

"Oui, ain't just enough t' change y' appearance. Y' gotta be another person. Someone completely different from y' étonnant self," he said.

"Ah neva-" Rogue went to say.

"Y' wanna get us caught?" Remy asked.

Rogue pouted at this. They were approaching the hotel, so she grew quiet.

"Good evening, a room pour two," Remy said to the receptionist.

As he spoke though, he acted unsure about what he was saying, really playing the part of a tourist. The receptionist tried to smile but didn't look too enthused.

Rogue was sure she looked confused and decided to work with it. She hoped Remy wasn't pulling her leg when it came to acting differently to her normal self, but then, he was pretending to be bad at English. Rogue let a smile fall on her painted pink lips and placed her head against Remy's shoulder. She felt his free arm reach up and stroke her arm that was wrapped around his. The way he did it, made her feel old, like they were some kind of elderly couple, but she went with it.

When the receptionist asked for ID, this made Rogue's blood run cold a little. She tried not to let it show that her heart was about to jump out of her chest. Of course, she should have known Remy was prepared for this. After some fussing over the meaning of the word ID, Remy presented a passport to the receptionist.

"Mr Etienne Beauchamp?" The receptionist asked.

"Oui, yes," Remy said.

Rogue managed to catch a glance of the fake ID Remy had presented when he was taking it back. She found it quite amusing that he had blonde hair in his passport photo too. She guessed the thieves guild had set up the fake passport for him. Still, she worried they would get caught or something.

"And your name?" the receptionist asked.

Rogue blinked a few times, then glanced at the receptionist blankly. Finally, she shuck her head and said: "Désole, pardon?" in a passable French accent.

Remy had to hide a smirk. He wondered how much his French was rubbing off on Rogue.

"Your name," the receptionist said, seeming to become a little more stressed.

"Oh, Mrs Beauchamp," Remy said.

Rogue glanced up at Remy, rather taken back. Remy had the floor and just had a goofy smile on his face. One she had never seen on his face before and one she doubted she'd see again outside of the Etienne Beauchamp persona. She kind of felt… privileged to be able to see it. It felt like a secret he was sharing. But at the same time, it was slightly irritating to see him not being himself. Especially when she just wanted to get out of there.

"How'd you say, young marriage?" Remy said at the receptionist's questioning look.

Besides that, the receptionist wasn't too interested in them and let them go. He gave directions on where there room was that Remy "tried" to follow. But, of course, he became "lost".

As they made their way towards the targets room, Rogue said: "Mrs Beauchamp?"

"Protectin' y' reputation, non?" Remy simply stated with a smirk.

Rogue elbowed him in the gut before dropping her hand. Remy just smirked at her reaction as he caught up to her. He placed a hand on her lower back as if to guide her.

"D'ailleurs, beautiful French chérie," Remy muttered next to her ear.

Rogue rolled her eyes, but could feel the heat up her neck.

Remy turned them to face a door in a sudden movement.

"This ain't us," Rogue said.

"Dat true," Remy said, glancing quickly up and down the hallway before slipping out a wire and picking the door.

Rogue began to look around the hallway too while Remy picked the lock, rather on edge.

"Voila! After you," he said, gesturing to the now open door.

Rogue hastened inside and Remy followed after.

"So, what is it we're lookin' for again?" Rogue asked, eyeing up the nicely decorated hotel room.

"Necklace," Remy said.

"Right," Rogue said, folding her arms and rolling her eyes, clearly not amused. "So some rich guy decided he wanted a necklace for his mistress and it just had ta be the one that was already owned?"

"Non, actually. De necklace was stolen," Remy said as he walked past Rogue to inspect the room quickly.

"Stolen?" Rogue questioned, her eyebrow risen. "So, this guy paid you to get it back?"

"Not exactly," Remy said, finding the wall he was looking for.

He took down the painting and found the safe behind it.

"Come here," he said to Rogue, gesturing for her to move closer while he pulled his gloves on.

Rogue was a little uncertain but did as he said. She never expected Remy to reach out for her arm and spin her quickly so that her back was firmly against his chest.

"Rem-"

"Hush," Remy told her as he enjoyed his arms snaking more around her covered stomach. The other gently guided her head to lean against the safe door.

"Listen," he told her.

So she did while letting Remy place her gloved hand on the dial.

"Twist t' de left," he commanded, his free hand just gently gliding over hers as she moved the dial.

"Stop. Y' heard dat click?" he asked.

"Ah…ah'm not sure," Rogue said, paying more attention to stopping her face from blowing up as red as a stop sign.

It was hard to concentrate on what she was doing when Remy was so close to her. Holding her. Sure, he'd held her before when they'd watched movies, but still, this was… intense.

"Turn t' the right," he commanded, enjoying this little moment of teaching Rogue how to pick safes.

Of course, he knew she'd never get it the first few times, but that just gave more reason to hold her close. That was, if she kept coming on these little trips with him.

Rogue did as she was told. It wasn't the second time, or the third time she heard the clicks, but Remy did. It was on the sixth movement, she heard the click and that was when the safe opened.

"Ah did it!" Rogue beamed.

"Bravo chérie! We'll make a thief of y' yet," Remy said.

Rogue turned around to face him with a sceptical look then.

"Erm, no. Ah don't think so," she replied.

Remy retrieved the necklace they were after before shutting the safe and relocking it.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Do ah really have ta spell it out for ya?" Rogue asked. "We might be stealin' back a stolen item, but it's still stealin'! It ain't right."

"Not even if we be givin' de necklace t' charity?" Remy asked.

"What?" Rogue questioned, rather confused now.

"Ouais, but let's take dis conversation else where, non?" Remy said, placing the painting back on the wall and hurrying Rogue out of the room.

He lead then down to their room and opened the door for them. After Remy had closed the door, Rogue was on him.

"What do ya mean give ta charity?" she asked.

"De man who wanted dis necklace stole it from a charity auction," he said, while moving to take a seat and kick up his feet on the bed.

"But, I thought he stole it from some guy who was payin' ya ta get it back?" Rogue said.

"No, he be payin' t' get a stolen necklace. He be quite desperate for it too. He was willin' t' bribe de auctioneer t' get it 'fore it went t' auction. My guess, he gave his wife's necklace t' his mistress who gave it t' the charity t' be auctioned and de husband's tryna get it back 'fore his wife realises he gave it away t' his bit on the side."

"Ooookay," Rogue stressed the O. She came to sit down on the edge of the bed. "That's specific."

Remy shrugged his shoulders as he brought his arms up to cushion his head.

"But if your getting' paid by this slimy husband guy, then how would it go ta charity?" Rogue asked.

"Simple. We give it t' charity," Remy said.

Rogue just stared at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"Ya've lost meh," she said.

"De man paid moi t' steal de necklace, oui, but we're gonna go drop it off at de charity it got stolen from rather than handin' it straight over t' him," Remy said.

"But… can you do that?" Rogue asked, feeling stupid as the question left her mouth. "Ah mean, he paid ya ta do a job, or is gonna pay ya ta do a job. Shouldn't ya see it through? Wouldn't it give ya a bad rep or somethin'?"

"He paid up front, but refused t' give me my full fee. So, since he only paid moi halfway, he'll be getting half de service. I'll make it so de necklace becomes available t' de homme again, but it won't exclusively be his. As for ma réputation, de thievin' world will know he's a client who didn't pay out so got what he deserved. Thieves don't take too lightly to bein' duped," Remy explained.

However, he did leave out the part where, if a thief in his position was being under paid, he would actually give it to an auction where he would gain a profit to make up for the lost funds. But he figured she didn't need to know that part.

Remy watched Rogue's face slowly go from confused to rather amused.

"So, y' were planin' on helpin' out the little guy after all?" she asked.

Remy just shrugged. Rogue tilted her head to the side, wondering. She wondered about a lot of things. Remy was one and his motives, but she also wondered about herself and what she'd just been a part of. She remembered when she lost her memories and shacked up with the thieves that she was willing to become a professional thief then. The idea of stealing didn't bother her. Honestly, it still didn't. At least, not completely. There were somethings being stolen that she had an issue with, but besides that, there were exceptions. Like when she stole people's memories and powers, she normally only did it when she had to and it was for the greater good. Then, stealing for a charity that had been stolen from in the first place, that didn't seem so wrong. She wondered if the thieving life was for her since she had a natural gift for it. But then, she just couldn't get over the fact that, one day, she might be asked to steal something for all the wrong reasons and she didn't like that. Sure, she could say no, but still, reputation was everything in the underground world.

Wondering why she was even debating this, Rogue moved on.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked.

"We'll sneak out, drop the necklace off an' go back t' de mansion," Remy said.

"But what about the receptionist? Won't it look suspicious if we just disappear durin' the night?" she asked.

"Oui, that's why I'll sneak back in t'morrow an' check us out. Would stay de night, but y' got school t'morrow," Remy added.

Rogue rolled her eyes and let out some kind of frustrated noise at the word school.

"Yeah, don't remind meh," she said, opening the window and peeking her head out to see how she could get down.

Remy's head tilted to the side as he watched Rogue begin to climb out the window.

Rogue had found her footing and was about to make her way down when she noticed Remy stood still, looking like he was debating something.

"What's up?" she asked, gaining his attention.

"Nuthin'. Just goin' over la nuit. Makin' sure we ain't forgot anythin'," Remy said before making his way towards the window as well.

With that, Rogue climbed down and Remy wasn't far behind. As they made their way to the car, walking side by side, all was quiet. Rogue couldn't help but think that Remy was thinking of more than just the job they pulled. She didn't want to pull him out of his thoughts though while he was thinking just encase it was about the job and she was overthinking.

They changed back into their normal clothes, Remy undressing carelessly behind the car again and Rogue in the back seat. When they came to sit at the front of the car, Rogue began re-applying her make-up just encase she did run into anyone at the mansion when they got back and they questioned why she had no goth make up on.

Remy was leaning against the wheel, watching Rogue put on her make-up using the little mirror in the sun visor. He was enjoying seeing a rare glimpse of her without any war paint on her face while it lasted and was still thinking about what had been on his mind the whole night.

"Y' have fun t'night, chérie?" he asked.

"Erm, it was alright, ah guess," Rogue replied, half involved in the conversation. "Besides the wig an' the pink dress, ah guess openin' a safe without knowin' the combination was good or havin' ta borrow anyone's powers."

Remy huffed at her answer and she glance back at him.

"What?" she demanded to know.

"Come on Rogue. Y' had fun t'night, admit it," he said.

Once again, Rogue felt the heat rising up her neck. She quickly turned away though and used her make up as an excuse not to look into those enchanting eyes.

"Well, if ya call takin' a gaul on one'a y' heists fun, then I think ya best start re-evaluatin' your definition of fun," she said.

"So y' sayin' y' didn't find dat twitchy feelin' in ya finger's fun when y' slowly turned the dial on the safe? Or y' heart jumpin' when y' finally heard the clickin' of the safe fun? Or the thrill of pretendin' t' be someone y' not an' getting' away with it fun?" Remy asked, moving slightly closer to her.

Rogue had paused in what she was doing to glance back at Remy. For a short, single moment, she wondered how he knew everything she felt tonight. Then it hit her and she snorted.

"Are ya tryin' glorify stealin' ta meh Cajun?" she asked.

"Just tellin' it how it is. Y' might not be willin' t' admit it," Remy said, moving to lean on the driver's side door to slouch. "but y' had fun t'night. I can see it in y' eyes an' by the way y' hands keep shakin' from de adrenaline. Usually dun't take y' dis long t' put make-up on when ya hands are steady."

"Ah ain't shakin'," Rogue said, automatically trying to hide her hands under her long, purple sleeves.

"Why y' denin' it?" Remy asked, tilting his head to the side. "Ain't nothin' wrong with enjoyin' de rush.' specially since we did good work t'night. Y' a natural, y' know dat? Clumsy in some aspects, but given time, you'd make quite a master thief."

"Why ya pushin' this so bad?" Rogue demanded to know., becoming rather irritated and annoyed with Remy.

"'cause I want y' ta admit, y' had fun t'night," he said.

"Finah, ah had fun, alright!" Rogue snapped.

There was a tiny silence in the car as Remy let what Rogue had just said sink in for her. He knew he had to be carful. What he was pushing for was something he was going to have to be gentle with if he stood a chance at making that happen. But he'd take the risk and bide his time if it would get him what he thought he wanted. The fact that he wasn't one hundred percent certain either definitely gave more reason for him to gently push the topic.

Remy sat up straight and started the car engine. He put the heaters on to keep them warm.

"Was it really dat hard t' admit y' had fun?" he asked in an easy tone.

Rogue sighed deeply before replying.

"Ah'm not a thief Remy. At least, ah'm tryin' not ta be. But it's kinda hard not ta be branded as one when one touch is all it takes ta steal a life force. Addin' just plain stealin' ta that, well, an don't wanna be the villain," Rogue admitted.

Remy reached out and took a hold of Rogue's gloved hand in his.

"Y' ain't a villain chérie. If anythin', y' be a hero for gettin' back a bucket load of money t' go towards cancer research. Lot of sick kids would be thankin' ya if they knew what'd you'd done," Remy said.

"Cancer research?" Rogue asked, her eyes pooling slightly as she meet his.

"Oui. Dat's de charity we stole for. And, I hope y' don't mind, but dat cheque I got from our client, it went straight t' de children's ware at de hospital with our names on it," he said.

"Remy…" Rogue said, rather stunned. "Y' gave the money ta charity?"

"Ain't all thievin's bad chérie. An' ain't no harm in feelin' good off a heist when ya takin' from de rich an' givin' ta de in need," he said.

"Ya comparin' yaself ta Robin Hood there?" Rogue asked.

"Maybe. Y' don't view him as a villain, do ya?" Remy asked.

Rogue shuck her head, no. For some reason, hearing what sort of charity they were giving to just made everything feel… sweeter. Especially when it came to Remy. It was just rather surprising that he had been so… well, giving.

"Wait, ya got paid before this job, but ya already gave a cheque with our name on it ta charity?" Rogue asked.

A devilish smirk played on Remy's face then as he went to move the car off.

"Ya just knew ah'd do the heist with ya tonight, huh?" Rogue asked, folding her arms and staring at Remy in disbelief.

"What can I say? De Roguey I know would never let some monster steal from charity an' get away wit' it." He said

Rogue actually began to laugh then. She sat back in her seat and held her head as she just laughed.

"So, y' t'ink y'd be up for stealin' from de rich an' givin' t' de poor once again when de time comes ma douce Maid Marian?" Remy asked.

"Only if ya'll be there mah dear Robin Hood," Rogue laughed.

Remy's smirk grew as he felt like he was one step closer in getting what he wanted.

xxxxx

French Translations

Moi - Me

Misuser - Mr

Bonsoir - Good Evening

Chérie - Darling

Oui - Yes

Une - One

Pour de Nuit - For the Night

Le Sac - The Bag

Étonnant - Astonishing

Désole - Sorry

Non - No

D'ailleurs - Besides

Voila - Here

Ouais - Yeah

Ma Réputation - My Reputation

La Nuit - The Night

Ma Douce - My Sweet