Standing On the Edge of Summer
The Dotted Line
Rogue stared in awe as Remy paused to take a sip of his coffee. "Dèsolè, Anna, 'bout de tire. I knew how much y' liked it."
"Are you seriously apologizin' about a piece of rubber?" she asked incredulously. "Did ya hurt yoahself? What happened after that?"
"I managed t' get de pieces of rubber t'gether, left dem under a bush an' went home as casually as I could. I didn' tell anyone. Not t' begin wit' anyway."
"What? How?"
"Dere was nobody 'round. An' I was too scared of what anyone would think. I was enough of a freak already wit' de eyes; blowin' up t'ings wit' a mere touch was too much t' add t' de list."
"Lucky you then," she replied after a quiet moment. "Ah feel like the moment mah powers manifested, the whole world knew."
Remy leaned over to the table for a moment to set his coffee down. "How did it happen, chére?" he asked softly.
She glanced down to her coffee, noticing that she would need a refill soon. She avoided his probing eyes and gulped silently, not sure if she was ready for this. "Ah was fifteen, still in Caldecott…" she began, her voice shaky.
-----
Irene had imposed the weird dress code, but Ah went with it an' adapted mah own style to it. Ah'd taken to wearin' mesh shirts, long flowy skirts, fishnets – anythin' ta keep my skin covered but ta keep me cool too. People always seemed ta overlook me, like Ah melted into the shadows. One of the girls from school insisted she couldn't even look at me because it made her hot herself ta see someone so layered in constant eighty degree weather. That was so nice ta hear, really.
So, even though Ah thought Ah was just nobody in school, there was this one boy who saw me when no one else did.
Cody Robbins. Quarterback of the football team. Smitten with me, of all people.
-----
"Stop givin' me that look," she warned, though the smirk in her eyes betrayed her. Ah know there's a cocky remark comin' in five… four…
"Jocks don' really seem like y' type, Anna," Remy observed with a smile.
"Like you would know mah type, Swamp Rat."
"Hey, hey, dere was a time when y' couldn' get enough of me…"
"Ya were mah only friend – that doesn't even begin ta count!" she laughed. Nice ta know that he can make me smile as Ah'm about ta recall one of mah most horrible memories. Damn mah weakness foh charmers. "Can Ah continue?"
Ever the smirk. Ever that damn smirk. "Please."
-----
Okay then. So one night, there was this school dance at some place by the river. Ah don't even know why Ah went… Ah just needed out of the house foh a bit an' it was a place ta go.
Ah was mindin' mah own business when all of a sudden…
She turned when she heard people approaching – two boys to be exact. Rolling her eyes, she flippantly asked, "Can Ah help you?"
One of the guys smiled as he shoved his friend forward. Rogue recognized him immediately – everyone knew Cody, even if they didn't keep up with the school's sports scores.
Now, why the hell is he stutterin' like an idiot in front of me?
"Uh," Cody began intelligently. "Dance. Ah mean, would ya like to? With me that is. Together." Then he sighed, knowing how ridiculous he must have sounded. His friend went through the motions of giving Cody a thumbs-up and a face-palm in a matter of 2.4 seconds. He groaned his disapproval of Cody's stunning delivery.
"Umm…" How do Ah put him down gently, the poor guy… "Ah'm really just hangin' out here, an…" Oh no, he didn't.
Cody's head dropped and his brown eyes went doe. He was actually really disappointed!
How can Ah say no ta that? "Aww, hey, why not." Rogue decided. "After all, where's the harm in one dance?" She smiled at him before walking ahead of him inside. She could faintly hear Cody give his friend a triumphant high five as he followed her inside.
Everythin' was goin' well. We were dancin', havin' a good time. Suddenly though, Cody was shoved in ta me by his friend. The guy was a real Southern gentleman about it though – he instantly got off me an' reached down ta help me up after he plowed me down accidentally.
Unfortunately, he grabbed mah wrist where mah shirt had ridden up on mah arm. Didn't think anythin' of it until all of a sudden Ah had a crisis of identity an' Cody was passed out at mah feet.
-----
"Ah had the eyes of a hundred of mah schoolmates on me an' Ah didn't even know who Ah was. His friend, who Ah knew as Ty from Cody's memories, was in mah face, demandin' ta know what happened."
"What did y' do?"
Rogue laughed softly. "What else could Ah do? Ah ran." She paused for a moment to look down at the coffee mug again to collect her thoughts. "The rest of the night is a blur when it comes ta mah own memories… Ah just remember being chased by the X-Men an' comin' up here with Mystique posin' as Principal Darkholme." She brought the mug to her lips and sipped the rest of the coffee inside.
"Want some more?" Remy asked, noting her empty cup. He'd been quiet throughout her story save for his few questions. He couldn't believe her circumstances and her powers. Sure, his powers had been hard to master but once he got enough control so he didn't make everything he touched explode, he could live on semi-normally within the Guild as he always had. Rogue however, seemed to get the short end of the stick when it came to the mutant power gene pool.
He offered to take her mug and he stood up, walking into the kitchen once again. "Have y' at least gotten a handle on how y' powers work?" he asked her contemplatively as he poured more coffee into the two mugs.
"It depends on the power Ah absorb… It's not that hard anymore though. The only thing is that everyone Ah absorb is kinda… stuck in mah head," she explained tentatively.
Remy peeked his head out from the kitchen, sugar in hand. "Dey're in y' head?"
She nodded. "None too happy about havin' nothin' ta do either. Some of them get in fights with the others, an' some of them try ta persuade me ta do things…"
"Sounds like mutant schizophrenia," he murmured just loud enough for her to hear. He tried to sound lighthearted, but he knew it wasn't a laughing matter.
"Hah," she barked. "Pretty close description though." She sighed, rubbing her temple.
"Are any of dem sayin' anyt'ing now?" Remy entered the living room again, mugs full of coffee and sugar.
Rogue nodded her thanks as she accepted her mug. "Lance is the freshest from the other day. He's pissed off at Pietro mostly… he's kinda mad at you too," she laughed harshly.
Remy smiled as he sank back into his seat. "Oh, really?"
"Yeah. He wasn't too fond of you bustin' into the boardin' house an' makin' the guys look dumb."
He shrugged noncommittally. "Not m' fault dat dey can' handle de big boys."
She wrinkled her nose. Despite the Brotherhood being totally misguided jerks, she did have a small soft spot for them. They were pawns of the same game that she fortunately managed to escape. "Scott's also yellin' at me an' tellin' that Ah shouldn't be here," she added, eager to change the subject. "Kitty's not too thrilled with me either."
Remy stared at her, wonder swirling in his red eyes. "I wonder what kind of t'ings I would tell y'."
"Nothin' ya couldn't tell me now," she said uncomfortably. "You still owe me the bit about how you got up here, remember?" She smiled sweetly. "You mentioned a contract?"
"Oui… Dat's a bit more complicated," Remy responded reluctantly as he set his mug on the table. His hands reached for the pack of cards Rogue had been playing with previously. He deftly slid the cards from the box, the deck of fifty-two cards complacent in his palms. He smiled, his red eyes focusing on the slim plastic coated cardboard sliding between his fingers as he cut the deck in one hand and shuffled it with ease. He picked the card off the top of the deck with his free hand, smirking as he examined it.
He flicked it between his nimble fingers so Rogue could see the face. The King of Hearts.
She smiled, plucking it from his hand. "Are we gonna play cards or are ya gonna tell me how ya got up here?"
"Can' blame me f' stallin', Anna," he murmured.
"No, but if Ah really wanted to, Ah could find out on mah own," she countered.
Remy raised an eyebrow in thought. "Why don' you? I'm not sayin' y' should but-"
"Because that's the easy way out foh you," she scoffed. "An' ta be honest, Ah'm not sure how Ah could handle you in mah head."
He opened his mouth to reply, but closed it, thinking better of what he could possibly say. Instead, he smiled wryly before beginning to shuffle the cards again. "I was approached by Magneto about two weeks after my birthday dis year."
Rogue's forehead wrinkled in thought as she recalled, "Yoah birthday's in November, raht?"
Remy paused in his mixing of the cards to look up and smirk at Rogue. "De 27th. Y' remembered," he said, surprised.
She felt her cheeks grow hot under his gaze. "Ah remember a lot of things, Remy. Little things that Ah'll recall later, after ya finish this story," she told him, smirking herself.
He chuckled, his hands shuffling the cards again. "Fine, fine, Anna. Y' no fun."
"It's only fair, Cajun," she teased, her voice laced with the smile she couldn't erase.
-----
After m'powers manifested an' once mon père found out, he took a lot of liberties wit' lettin' everyone know exactly what the N'awlins Guild had among their numbers. Marius wasn' too thrilled when it came out dat I was a mutant, dough dey all had deir suspicions when Jean Luc adopted dis peu garçon wit' eyes like de devil. Papa told him it would benefit everyone, me havin' powers.
So, word traveled dat I was a mutant. It was met wit' fear an' curiosity among de other sectors of de Guild, an' a bit of admiration on Jean Luc's part for adoptin' me in de first place. He was de big hero, benefactor, blah, blah, blah.
A couple of years passed an' I was sent on missions here an' dere f' de Guild. T'ings wit' Belle were doin' okay… as well as dey could anyway. I still wasn' ready t' get married once she turned eighteen. I knew if I was goin' t' find a way out, I was on m' own because dere was no way Jean Luc was gon' figure dat one out f'me, not when he was so close t' havin' de guilds merge.
Dat is, until dis past December 7th.
Remy cautiously ducked down the narrow streets of downtown New Orleans as a bell tower in the distance struck nine o'clock. He stuffed his hands into his duster pockets, waiting for his cell phone to go off at any moment. Belle had the tendency to call him at that time every evening if they weren't together already. It was late enough that he wouldn't be in the middle of guild business and it was also early enough that he wouldn't be in the middle of a heist.
He had to hand it to her; even they were both being forced to marry each other, she was taking it the best she could. She knew the power that awaited her for agreeing to go through with the marriage and played it off like a pro, while Remy was still reluctant as anything. He enjoyed the small relationship that they had formed over the last few years, purely because if he had to marry the girl, he couldn't go into it hating her. For the sake of not completely despising the rest of his life, he settled for merely disliking it and dealt with Belladonna's occasional petulance and her more than aggravating guild.
He sighed, feeling his phone rumble underneath his fist. He extracted it from his pocket, noting Belle's name on the screen. Flipping it open, he mustered up a smile. "Evenin', chére."
"Remy!" she greeted joyfully. "Where are y' at?"
"Jus' walkin' downtown, clearin' m' head."
"Y' alright? Y' sound down, mon amour."
He cringed. Yes, he could tolerate the girl and would even go as far to say they were friends. Yes, she was beautiful and amazing to kiss, touch, etc. No, he couldn't even begin to say he loved her and he fought back bile in his throat when she would say it to him. He knew she didn't mean it, but she kept it up anyway to help with the illusion of being betrothed.
"M' fine. Jus' needed time alone after de score yesterday."
He could hear her laugh into the phone. "Ah, I see. When will y' be back? I feel like I haven' seen y' all week!"
"Soon, chére. M' on my way back now. I'll call y' when I get back t' de estate, hein?"
"Bien. Talk to y' later, Remy."
He flipped the phone shut and slipped it back into his pocket with a sigh. He knew he had to get out of the engagement. Every time he talked to her reminded him that in a few short months they would be married. Man and wife. Mr. and Mrs. LeBeau. The thought of it still made his skin crawl, even after almost five years of preparation.
He spaced himself from her by taking missions abroad, by keeping himself busy with Guild business in other cities across the world. Not only did he clear his head of Belladonna, but he also pleased Jean Luc with his involvement in the Guild. Remy could care less, obviously, but he needed the lesser of two evils until he could formulate a more solid plan of escaping his supposed responsibilities.
As Remy contemplated further ideas to escape the engagement, his innate spatial awareness felt someone following him. He slowed his pace, and noted that the mysterious person slowed his as well.
Remy had ignored the person for the first few blocks after he left the jazz club he'd been relaxing at. The route was a typical one that many people trailed – at least for those first few blocks. As he grew closer to the streets that led to the outskirts of the city, he knew that the person behind him was not just a regular pedestrian. His ingrained thief training in addition to what Emil liked to call Remy's 'spidey sense' had detected the strange man's trailing tendency; plus he had also noted his change in pace when he'd began his phone conversation with Belle as if he hadn't wanted to interrupt.
Cautiously, Remy turned down an alley, knowing no one took it anywhere. It was the opposite direction than where he needed to go to get back to the LeBeau estate, but Belle could wait a few more minutes for him to call her back. In the alley, he ducked into the shadows of the night quickly, his glowing red eyes dimmed behind his dark sunglasses that he still felt the need to wear in public. Let's see him follow me back here, he thought with a smug smirk as his eyes adjusted effortlessly to the dark.
His hand snaked into his pocket and clasped around his collapsible bo. One might think a bo would be an odd item to carry around normally in public, but Remy never left home without it. It fit loosely in his pocket with one of the many decks of cards he had concealed in his duster.
He slid the bo out, keeping it in the palm of his hand. Watch it be some Assassin punk sent by Julien t' start trouble f' de hell of it. Add his wonderfully homicidal soon-to-be brother-in-law to the list of reasons Remy was so eager to get married.
However, if the mysterious follower would have continued behind Remy, he would have turned into the alley by now. Remy raised an eyebrow in curiosity, not sensing the person waiting on the edge of the street either.
"Somet'ing feels very wrong…" he mused aloud, barely above a mutter.
Suddenly, the trash cans around him began to shake and slid across the alley. They clashed noisily together and the metal lids toppled off them, clattering to the ground with loud crashes.
Immediately, Remy extended his bo and his stance shaped into an attack position. He glared around the alley, ignoring the awe he felt from the seemingly magical moving trash dumpsters and cans. "Show y'self!" Remy barked, knowing someone had to be pulling the strings. His awareness was going crazy with the interference of the constantly moving trash cans, but he knew someone was close.
He bent down gracefully and with his free hand, swooped up a crumpled up piece of aluminum foil that had fallen from one of the trash cans. With a thought and a gentle squeeze, the balled foil came to life in his hand, burning brightly with newly charged kinetic energy.
"That won't be necessary, Mr. LeBeau," a voice boomed from above.
Remy froze, his face snapping up as the alley fell silent. The metal cans ceased moving as the foil in his hand continued to glow brightly, humming and sizzling with unleashed power. "Gimme a reason I shouldn' reassemble y' vital organs wit' dis?" he threatened, his eyes to the sky.
"Because, Remy," the voice continued. A body abruptly came into view, floating down from the roof top; his silhouette illuminated by the moon behind him. "You will find that throwing anything of the metallic persuasion at me will only prove to be catastrophic for you."
"Is dat so?" Remy countered, draining the charge from the ball anyway. Who de hell is dis guy? The foil fell from his fingers and shuffled against the ground with a light patter. "What do y' want?" he asked, his voice crawling from his throat in a defensive growl.
"I came to make you an offer, Mr. LeBeau," said the man, delicately landing in the alley before Remy. The metal in the area – the trash cans, window frames, fire escapes – squealed in release around him as his trench coat flared out in an invisible breeze.
"How do y' known m' name?"
"There's not much I don't know about you, which you should know says much for a man of such anonymity like yourself."
Remy clasped his bo in his hand firmly, but stood up taller. He didn't detect any hostility from the man, but there was no way he was letting all his defenses down. He stuck the bo in the ground securely, resting his weight slightly on it. "So, y' know all dis stuff 'bout me, s'posedly, an' I don' even know y' name."
The man smiled gently, his youthful blue eyes off setting the wrinkles along his gray skin. He stepped forward and extended his hand. Remy stared at it and felt power resonating from the man's palm and fingers. Upon Remy's inquisitive gaze, the older man's smile turned into almost a smirk as he proudly knew the effect that the intensity of his powers tended to have.
Remy caught the small overconfident smile and narrowed his eyes. He slapped his partially gloved hand into the man's extended one and subtly charged the material between them.
The man chuckled low in his throat. "That won't be necessary, Gambit."
The magnetic power radiating from the man swiftly ceased. Remy on the other hand, taken aback by the use of his codename, withdrew the energy from the glove. He slid his hand from the man's, glaring at him again. "Who de hell are you?"
The smile returned. "I am Erik Lensherr, but you will come to know me as Magneto."
-----
"He got t' talkin' t' me after dat. Said de underground circuit was buzzin' wit' m'name an' m' position among de Guild. An' while it wasn' widely known because de agreement was strictly Guild business, he knew 'bout de engagement."
"Ah'm sure he has spies everywhere that found out," snorted Rogue. "Ah wouldn't be surprised if he got someone in New Orleans ta talk with some sort of blackmail on them or somethin'."
"I have a feelin' I know who did talk, an' de funny t'ing is, he did me a favor when he pro'bly t'ought he was gon' get me killed."
Rogue's eyebrows knit in uncertainty. "Who do ya think it was?"
"Remember me mentionin' Belle's brother, Julien?" Rogue nodded. "Him. Y' see, both of dem are devoted t' deir guild. But while Belle is fine wit' de marriage an' de mergin' of our families, Julien is what y' could call a purist. He wasn' okay wit' de engagement in de first place because unitin' wit' m' family is a fate worse dan death, 'pparently, not t' mention I was jus' some demon orphan plucked off de streets an' not even a real LeBeau. When he found out m' power had manifested, he was completely 'gainst it. He didn' want some 'mutie freak' touchin' his sister," he snorted. "Let alone marryin' her."
"So ya think Magneto sought him out?"
"Hard t' say. Can' imagine how dat conversation would've went, but he's de main suspect in m' head."
"Wait," Rogue paused, her mind back tracking. "He thought you would get killed up here?"
Remy smiled coldly and leaned back against the couch. "Couldn' exactly do it himself wit'out pissin' off a lot of people, so it's de next best t'ing."
Rogue blinked. "Sorry if Ah'm a little confused by how nonchalant you're bein' about this."
He leaned forward towards her, a devious smirk spreading across his face. "I don' die easy, chére. An' many have tried, lemme tell y'."
She wrinkled her nose in amusement. "Somethin' tells me Ah don't want ta know."
"Dose are stories for anot'er day," he said with a short laugh as he leaned back again, propping his feet up on the coffee table beside his mug.
"So obviously ya took the job with him or we wouldn't be havin' this conversation," she said, urging him to continue.
"Bien sûr. He talk t' me 'bout mutant rights an' t'ings of dat variety, but I told him dat none of dat really interested me."
"You had yoah own problems in yoah own city. Ya never cared 'bout the outside world," Rogue muttered.
Remy stared at her coolly. "T'ought dat opinion changed de day we met."
"It did. It's just funny dat it still applied then. 'The more things change…'"
"Yeah, hilarious," he grunted. "Anyway, den he started talkin' 'bout de Guild an' I was amazed wit' all he knew. He went off on all dis merde dat he shouldn' have known, but I was jus' speechless wit' how much of de inner workings he knew. De whole t'ing overwhelmed me, t' be honest. Den he started talkin' 'bout de engagement an' jus' guessed dat a guy m' age didn' want t' settle down so early.
"He knew I wasn' passionate 'bout de Guild, an' he offered me a way out. He said he would meet wit' Jean Luc an' contract me f' a job dat would be beneficial t' de Guild. I didn' t'ink mon père would go f' it, but miraculously, he did. I tried t'inkin' of all de reasons Jean Luc could've possibly agreed t' it, seein' as how he was such an âne t' me 'bout anyt'ing dealin' wit' de arrangement, but I guess he felt de need t' give me dis last breath of air b'fore I gave in t' everyt'ing. He knew I was an outcast among de family, an' Dieu knows he loved m' powers. He saw de opportunity f' me t' use dem in a different environment an' ran wit' it, I guess," Remy said, concluding with a shrug. "He never explained t' me why he agreed to it, or how he got de Council t' let me go. He jus' came t' me a few days later an' pulled de whole 'mon fils, I know dis is right,' an' sent me on m'way."
Rogue was silent for a moment, absorbing his words. She took a sip of her coffee, keeping the mug to her lips a moment longer as she contemplated what Remy had told her. She could tell he was confused about the situation, but just went with it for the sake of getting away from the Guild and out of New Orleans.
She watched as he avoided her eyes, his hands carelessly flipping through the cards once again. She was losing him, like he'd lost her when she'd become reluctant to disclose anything else. However, she selfishly wanted more. As she stared at the King of Hearts, still in her hand, she asked shortly, "What are the conditions of the contract?"
He paused thoughtfully for a moment before answering. "Basically, I'm at Magneto's disposal, as are my qualities an' abilities. De only restriction in dat regard is he ain' allowed t' pinch anyt'ing belongin' t' de Guild. Dere haven' been any issues wit' dat since we haven' done too much in the way of jobs besides de whole…" He looked uncomfortable for a moment and Rogue knew he was referring to the day that changed everything. "T'ing. But it's better dan sittin' around an' waitin' t' say m'vows."
"How has it postponed everythin'?"
Remy sighed, running a hand through his already messy hair. "Belle an' I are t' be married at de end of June, after her birthday. As long as Magneto needs me, I'm up here, no questions asked. However, if my job wit' him comes t' an end, I'm t' immediately go back."
"So you're still a pawn either way," Rogue concluded, her bottom lip protruding thoughtfully.
"A voluntary one when it comes t' bein' here," he reminded her. "I don' mind de work I do f' him – well, I didn' until y' showed up," he added with a smirk.
His smile was lost on her. "An' when ya go back… that's it? Ya get married and live unhappily ever after?"
"Unless I can find someone else t' contract me, which is gon' be difficult after skippin' out on de Guild like dis. Even dough de Council somehow allowed f' me t' go, no one was real happy 'bout it.
"Right now I'm on indefinite work wit' Lensherr, so I don' have anyt'ing t' worry about. I figure I've got at least anot'er year t' come up wit' a different way of gettin' out." He sighed, reaching for his coffee. "I'm hopin' dat t'ings here will pick up so it actually gets back t' mon père an' de Council dat I'm actually workin' instead of sittin' around doin' petty work like threatenin' de Brotherhood," he said before sipping his coffee, rolling his red eyes. "Even dough he managed t' get de contract t' work, I got word from mon frère dat he's anticipatin' me comin' home. Turns out Marius ain' too pleased wit' how close it's gettin' t' June an' I'm still not back."
Rogue's tongue darted out to wet her lips quickly as she churned Remy's words over in her mind once again. "As much as Ah would love foh you ta stay up here longer…" she began. "But what if…"
"Anna, not'ing Magneto could tell me t' do would make me hurt you; y' know dat, right?" he said suddenly, his eyes locked with hers.
She wanted to believe him, and for the life of her, she couldn't tear her eyes away from his. She couldn't even blink, afraid to even miss a moment of his intense stare. "How… how do ya know foh sure?" she asked, apprehensive of the truth.
"I told y' before – you are de only real t'ing I've come across in six years. Over dese last few weeks, I've been thinkin' about how y' really did make an impact on me. I never would've guessed it den, but y' know how y' always said dat stayin' in Nawlins was your first real slice of freedom?" He waited for her to nod slightly before continuing.
He shifted on the couch so he was facing her completely. He tucked his one leg underneath him and leaned forward onto his hand, which was placed on the cushion between them. "Well, y' were my first piece of adolescence. Sure, I fooled around with Emil and Theoren an' did kid t'ings wit' dem, but dere was always de backin' of de Guild behind us, enthusin' us t' go out an' practice what we would grow up t' be. An' before Jean Luc, I couldn' have been a kid den – I was survivin' on de streets! But you? Y' taught me what it was like t' enjoy sittin' in de sun an' do nothin' but laugh. Y' showed me how great it was – merde, do I really need t' go on? I'm usually not dis –"
"Tongue tied? Sentimental?" Rogue smirked. "Ah get it." Her face fell somber again when Remy didn't mirror her smile.
"All kiddin' aside, Anna. Y' know I mean it. Tell me y' do." He stared into her eyes, his red on black eyes pleading with hers.
"Ah… Ah know ya do. It's just scary, ya know? We have no idea what's ahead of us at this point, regardless of whatever promises you – or Ah can make."
Remy nodded, his eyes slipping away from hers. "An' if I do end up goin' back t' Nawlins -"
"You're not now," she said, cutting him off. "Enjoy what ya can while you're here." Do somethin'! Ah hate when our conversations get so damn downhearted but Ah don't want ta lose the mood. She inwardly narrowed her eyes in thought. Ah wonder… he's been edgin' toward me all day. He's touched me befoh an' knew about mah powers, but how would he react if Ah touched him? You've touched people indirectly before, Rogue. He's yoah friend, ya can do somethin' simple. In a sudden move, her hand was over his on the couch. She smiled again, the green in her eyes outshining the gray. "Ah mean, sounds like ya have by the way you manage ta kidnap dates, here an' there."
His eyes stared down at her hand, realizing it was the first time she'd actually instigated touching between them, aside from the motorcycle ride. He smirked lazily, dragging his eyes up to meet hers at her joke. "I tol' y', chérie, dat's only when dey say no. Usually it's a lot-"
Once again, he was cut off, but not by the sound of her voice. Ringing erupted from Rogue's pocket and her hand slipped off his as she reached into her jacket. Remy reluctantly felt the warmth from Rogue's leather gloved hand crawl away as she flipped open the phone.
"What is it, Kitty?" she snapped into the phone, the annoyance more than apparent in her voice. Remy could hear the younger X-Man rambling away in a string of endless shrieks, but couldn't discern a thing as he glanced to the clock on the wall. They still had plenty of time before four o'clock.
He could tell it wasn't good news by the way Rogue's eyes lit up as Kitty continued. "Wait, run that by me one more time, she did what?" Kitty explained once more what Remy couldn't hear, though he figured her voice had calmed down enough for Rogue to understand because her eyes went from shocked to angry in three seconds flat. "Ah'll be home as soon as Ah can." She snapped the phone shut. "Ah'm really sorry, Ah-"
"Say no more. C'mon, let's get y' home," he said as he stood up from the couch. He crossed the room, grabbing his cigarettes of the table before retrieving his duster. Rogue was behind him, worry etched across her face. They exited the apartment wordlessly.
The elevator ride down was silent as well. Rogue bit her lip anxiously, though her eyebrows knit in anger. She had slid her hands into her pockets, away from Remy's eyes, but he could tell she was flexing them in and out of fists.
"I sp'ose dere isn' anyt'ing I can do t' help," he offered idly.
Her face softened for a moment as she looked up to him. "Not unless ya can get me ta Mexico City in twenty minutes so Ah can beat the hell outta my former principal, no." The faintest of smug smiles crossed her lips.
"Can' say dat I have dose types of connections," he admitted.
The pair fell silent once again as the elevator touched down and the doors slid open, revealing the parking garage once again. Remy led the way to his motorcycle, mutely handing Rogue the extra helmet. She smiled her thanks and tugged it on her head. In a few short, fluid movements, they were both perched on the bike, racing out of the garage.
The motorcycle flew down the roads, twisting and turning with ease as Remy commanded it to do so. The roar of the engine made the silence between them manageable, as Rogue seethed with her anger and worry quietly. As they grew closer and closer to Bayville High once again, Remy threw over his shoulder, "Where do y' want me t' drop y' off?"
"There's this place close to the Institute. Ah won't have ta worry about Logan sensin' you because he already left so if ya drop me off far enough from there Ah can run the rest of the way without the others seein' you." Remy nodded and shifted gears on the bike, accelerating more.
A few short minutes later, Rogue tapped his shoulder. "This'll work." The bike slowed, and came to a stop. Remy planted his feet on the ground, allowing Rogue to slip off the back.
He flipped open the visor on his helmet. "Y'll be alright from here?"
Rogue pulled her helmet off, handing it to him. "Yeah. Ah've gotta run though," she said, running a hand through her hair to loosen it from the helmet shape.
"I understand, Anna," he said softly. Rogue barely heard him over the hum of the motorcycle.
"Hey," she said, resting her hand on the handle of the bike beside his hand. "Ah'll see you again. Ah'll let you know how things go today… they should be fine but ya know how it is."
"Oui, I do." His hand itched next to hers. Okay, dis is a sign. She touched me earlier. Dere was no reason f' her t' put her hand dere. She could've jus' said goodbye an' left. Merde, dis shouldn' be so hard! Just do it, LeBeau. As he mentally berated himself some more, he tenderly slid his hand over hers. "Be careful."
To his surprise and immediate relief, she didn't recoil under his touch or try to pull away. She actually blushed slightly before meeting his eyes again. "Always, Remy. Ah'll see you later."
With a satisfied smirk, his hand fell from hers and she turned away from him. She looked over her shoulder after a few steps, waving slightly before turning again and breaking into a sprint. Knowing it was dangerous to her alibi if he lingered to watch her run away, he snapped his visor back down and shifted the motorcycle into gear.
Rogue focused on her sneakers hitting the ground as she kept pace to the Institute gates. Too many things were running through her head; funny enough, most of it was in Kitty's high pitched voice. Scott's been abducted or something, like, I don't know for sure, Mr. Logan wasn't clear about it because Jean is pissed but they all totally left in a huff a few hours ago without us knowing and the Professor now wants everyone together because they're, like, totally worried about the entire thing because it's really shady, ya know? Jean thinks Mystique has something to do with it but that's impossible, isn't it? I mean, isn't she in prison at Area 51? Mr. Logan did say something about talking to that Fury guy but I don't know what's going on but we're all supposed to be at the Institute, especially you!
Then of course, there was Remy. Rogue sighed as she pressed in her code to the front gates, her breath coming out in short pants as she paused for a moment as the iron wrought doors opened. He'd touched her again. It was through clothing, of course, and it was much more welcome than when he had in the car the week before. However, there was something about that large calloused hand on top of hers that sent welcoming shivers down her spine.
That, and he didn't flinch once when she'd touched him. He'd been surprised, sure, but not a single finger twitched under her initial contact. Whenever she'd lay an occasional hand on one of the others, save for Kitty or Kurt, they always recoiled slightly out of habit. She'd absorbed practically everyone on the team, and then the new recruits had come up with their own assumptions on how her powers worked. It tended to make them shy away unintentionally. It hurt either way though.
With Remy though, he hadn't seen her powers in action. All he knew was what he'd read in her file and possibly heard from Pietro and the others. But he hadn't come to any conclusions. He almost seemed to accept it after he inquired about her level of control. Somehow she'd expected him to react like everyone else; possibly because he'd touched her before, so many years ago without consequence and now that same skin possessed poisonous qualities. Maybe that was why she'd expected him to even be slightly anxious around her.
But nothing. She was still Anna to him; Anna with a self-imposed code name and an X across her chest on the weekends. It didn't matter to him.
Just as his eyes have never mattered ta me, she thought as she reached the front door. She pushed it open and ran inside blindly as her thinking continued. Most people shy away from me after knowing what Ah was capable of – but he knows exactly what that's like.
"Rogue!" Kurt was suddenly in front of her. Rogue collided into him, sulfur smoke sifting through the air as they hit the ground. "Where have you been?" he asked from underneath her. He agilely squirmed out from under her and jumped to his feet.
"Umm… around?" she sheepishly responded as she accepted Kurt's proffered hand. "Where is everyone? What's goin' on?" she asked, even though she had the general idea from Kitty. Keep the focus off yoahself!
Kurt quirked an eyebrow at her inquisitively before beginning to go over everything again. He grabbed her gloved hand and started to pull her in the direction of the elevator to the subbasement, rambling on about Scott and Alex and Mexico City.
Rogue nodded and gasped accordingly once she freed her hand from Kurt, shoving Remy to the back of her mind with a sigh.
-----
Instead of going back to his apartment, Remy took a ride to Magneto's current base of operations. He wasn't too keen on going when he wasn't needed, but he hoped that maybe the others would have some information on whatever was going on in the event that the boss was even remotely involved.
He strolled as casually as he could into the sitting room set up for the Acolytes and found St. John tinkering on his laptop. "Hey, homme," Remy greeted.
John looked up, surprised. "'Ey, mate. Didn't expect t' see ya around here for a few more days. Figured a root rat like yerself would've been out all weekend," he joked with a laugh. He conspicuously closed the lid of the laptop, obviously trying to keep the screen's contents away from Remy.
Remy noted the laptop and vowed to find out what Pyro was hiding later. "Where's everyone at?" he asked, falling with flourish onto the couch next to John.
"Boss is off hidin' from his daughter again," he smirked, placing the laptop on the end table and out of Remy's view.
"Did he say where he went?"
St John shrugged lazily. "Somethin' about Italy."
"What about de others?"
John raised an eyebrow. "What's with the third degree?"
Remy grinned lopsidedly. "Just curious. 'M not allowed t' wonder what m' teammates are up t'?"
The Aussie rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Like ya really care, but Petey's in his room readin' an' Sabretooth is… probably catching mice somewhere," he concluded with a wave of his hand.
"So… dere ain' a t'ing goin' on?"
"Notta bloody thing! I'm goin' crazy here, Gambit. Magneto took m' damn tank too. Muttered somethin' about meltin' down the place. If ya hadn't noticed – the place is made out of bloomin' metal! It would take a lot of fire for me to melt it but noooooo!" John pouted, crossing his arms across his chest. "He did say he might have a job for me soon though, so I guess this gig isn't a complete waste yet."
Remy forced a laugh. "I was wonderin' when y' would get some action."
"It's about bloody time. Ya think he didn't trust me or somethin'," John smirked.
"It has not'ing t' do wit' how y' burnt up de car he gave y' t' use."
"That thingo was shit house an' you know it. It had it comin'."
"If y' say so…" Remy snickered as he got ready to get up. "So if dere ain' not'ing goin' on…"
John narrowed his ice blue eyes at him. "Is somethin' supposed ta be happenin'? Because if that's the case, I'm in!"
"Non, non, dere isn'. Jus' had a feelin'."
"What kind of feelin'?"
Remy shrugged nonchalantly. "I get dem sometimes."
John's eyes widened ten-fold. "What, like a spider sense?"
-----
After a long, in depth discussion on Spider-Man because it turned out that John was as much of an avid reader of comics as Remy's cousin Emil, the Cajun decided to call it a night. There had been no random alerts from Magneto that proved he had any involvement with the current X-Crisis, so Remy felt he could head back to his apartment before he gave the impression that he actually liked hanging out at work.
St. John was endlessly amusing though, so it made it worth it for the time.
"Ya sure, mate? I'm thinkin' of making some food soon – I'm sure Petey's hungry with how he's been holed up in his room for who knows how long…"
"Neh, t'anks but no t'anks. It's gettin' late – time t' be on de prowl," Remy said with a smirk as he stood up from the couch.
"Spoken like a truly engaged bloke!" John laughed, getting up from the couch himself.
Remy opened his mouth to reply, but his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. John watched curiously as Remy opened the phone and seemed to visibly relax upon reading whatever it said. "What is it, mate? One of ya sheilas?"
The Cajun smirked. "Oui. One of dem. I'll catch y' later, mon ami. Tell Piotr hey f' me if he ever comes out of his room."
"You got it."
Remy nodded his goodbye and exited the dome quickly. The cool late spring air encased him the moment he stepped outside as the dusk light shone dimly through the surrounding brush.
As he made his way around the dome to his parked motorcycle, he found his phone in his pocket and flipped it open to reread his message. Another swell of relief washed over him as his eyes grazed over the brightly lit words.
Hey, all is okay. I'm home and didn't even leave before we got word that the others were on their way back. Don't know the damage done since everything's vague but I just wanted to let you know. I'll contact you when I can. Goodnight, Remy.
He hadn't realized until then that he'd actually been really worried about her - not for her safety because he knew she could more than take care of herself in the field – but more on the emotional side of the situation She only emitted hatred and hostility for the woman known as Mystique and the security of knowing that she was being detained in Area 51 was gone.
"Everyt'ings alright," he murmured reassuringly as he close the phone again and slipped it into his pocket, switching it for his bike keys. As he slid onto the seat of the motorcycle and pushed the key into the ignition, he thought fleetingly, for now at least.
------
Alright, apology time:
This chapter should've been done three weeks ago, if I wanted to keep up with the writing schedule I've had with this story. However, between finishing up school, starting up fulltime at my job, drinking too much (hey, I turned 21 in January, it's legal :o), and my heart breaking with X-Men 187, I had trouble getting certain parts of this written. I'm hoping that the double chapter/super long update will appease you guys, even though I'm a horrible person.
Also, I've been horrible with replying to reviews again, plus also reviewing other people stories, so now that I'm getting back into it again with hopefully no distractions (knock on wood), I'll be able to give all my favorite writers the feedback they deserve.
That said,
Notes:
I officially hate season two. Know why? Because figuring out an appropriate time line is practically impossible because the damn season is seventeen episodes long! All I'm going to say about the topic is that Growing Pains (episode one of season two) begins Rogue's junior year of high school, and the school year goes all the way to Dark Horizon, which is the finale of season three. Can that much happen plausibly in a school year? Yes, because it's a cartoon and the X-Men are capable of many, many things.
I seriously wanted to tear my out my hair while I tried to map out when these episodes took place. UGH!
I feel like I had more to type up while I was writing the chapter… but now I'm drawing a blank. It has nothing to do with me being hungover. Promise. (smirk)
So, to everyone, thank you for reading – you know I appreciate every reader and review I receive! To all my fellow Americans, have a happy and safe Fourth of July. Everyone else – enjoy your Tuesdays :o)
--- Courtney