Welcome back fellow Romy enthusiasts. Have I ever got a chapter for you today! But before you get all excited I have to acknowledge my favourite part, the reviews.
RogueFreak, the Romy is being "got on", let me tell ya! I can almost hear the corny music... Yes, Roguechere, I am mean. Thank you for noticing. But c'mon. You know you love it! However, now that we are entering the last few chapters of this story (tear), it will become much more predictable. But don't you worry because Part2 is going to send you through a loop! InTHEgrid, I'm glad I could be of some service...the disposing of Joe made you happy, and that means I'm doing something right. But don't worry about the little brother, because that's what they're there for ;D Oh and, this chapter is longer, and guess who's back?! Greykupo, you did it! You were the official 20th reviewer! Now keep it up, be number 25 or 26 or 27, etc. RogueishLeia, the "masacration" wont happen today... and that is exactly how I wrote this story; by ignoring my homework. Ah well, who needs a school education anyways? And ya know, about the whole Seinfeld/pen thing, I never in a million years thought about it like that (I don't watch the show much), but now that you mension it, it is very close. Hehehe Woops! Glad it gave you a good laugh! See?! My writing works on levels that I'm not even aware of! Lol. (P.S. I'm getting antsy...you better update "Of Fairy Tales and Happy Endings" soon before I lose my mind! C'mon! Chop Chop!) Remy'sRose, all I can say is YES!! I like Joseph much better than Cody! (cough...whimp...cough) Ahem...excuse me. Also, you are coming very close to revealing the rest of this story, m'dear! You knock that off!!! Stick to your own brilliant story!!! PeppermintLove, you really have no excuse now...tsk tsk...I'll push one out of you, if it's the last thing I do. Grin Reaper, you'll find out about the bruises quite soon, I promise.
Let's do this again, shall we?
Onward and out.
Prof. H. H.
DISCLAIMER: You know the drill, it all pretty much belongs to Marvel ...I'm just the pupeteer (dance puppets, dance!)
She stood there for a few minutes, staring at the blank door in front of her. Her mind swirled with a flurry of thoughts as her heart palpitated violently. How was she going to tell him? What was she going to say? It hardly qualified as everyday conversation…
In a moment of sheer adrenalin, she curtly knocked on the door, with absolutely no clue as to how she would ever begin. But there was no answer.
She knocked again.
Nothing.
"Gambit, I know yoah in there. Open the door." Rogue pushed her weight onto one hip in irritation. "Open this door, Gambit, or so help me, Ah will knock it down befoah you can say –"
She was abruptly cut off as the door swung on its hinges, leaving her staring face to face with a pair of red-on-black eyes. He was wearing a cotton t-shirt and long pajama bottoms, a lot of clothing for the man who usually slept in his underwear. His hair was tousled every which way, and he had developed light stubble from days without touching a razor. He was the first to look away, taking in a deep and lengthy breath, waiting for the words to come to him.
"Whudduya wan', chère?" he mumbled, still intensely focused on the floor.
"Can Ah at least come in, Cajun?"
He stood motionless for a moment, and finally decided to step to the side to let her pass. With only a few steps into the room, she brushed past his robust middle torso, receiving a sweet, thick waft of men's body spray. "Well, at least yah showered." She offered positively, becoming a little weak in the knees. In fact, it made this whole process a lot more difficult for her. "Maybe Ah'll get lucky an' we'll skip most of the talkin' part…" Rogue smirked inwardly. Making her way across the room, she placed the yellow, Genoshan-style bracelet on his bedside table, and then sat down at the foot of the bed.
"Yeah. 'Showered." Gambit muttered quickly, and closed the door with more vigor than intended, slamming it shut. He, too, went to sit at the foot of the bed, though careful to place a lot of space between himself and Rogue. Hunching over his lap, he rested his elbows on his knees and ran his fingers through his chestnut-brown hair. Minutes flew by, and neither one had initiated any form of conversation. Facing the fact that she would have to speak sometime, Rogue took in a short breath before she began.
"Ah wanna thank yah for givin' me such a beautiful present. When Ah opened it, Ah was …well, speechless. An' Ah still sortah am. Ah love it. Ah really do."
"Wuz nothin."
"No, Remy, it wasn't nothin', it was somethin'! In fact, it was moah than somethin', it was amazin'! It really showed me how much yah truly care."
He could feel his stomach turning uncomfortably, getting caught up in emotion, something that could only lead to more pain. He tried to psychologically distance himself.
"Y'finally catch on, neh?" he barked acidly. And the moment he did, he regretted it. Tears began to roll down her porcelain cheeks, and he hastily changed his tone. "Sorry petite, Remy –"
"Ah deserved that."
"Non, y'didn't."
"'Course Ah did. Ah've been a royal pain. A fool. An' Ah came here tonaght to letcha know Ah've finally done something raght." A pause, then "Ah broke up with Joseph."
There it was again. That resilient, pestering ounce of hope that rose to the surface was back. He swallowed hard to drive it back down to the pit of his stomach.
"Congratulations."
"That's it? That's all yoah gonna say?" Rogue managed to squeak something out.
"Whud y'want me t'say, chère?" His suppressed anger was returning. "Gambit see where you're headed wit dis, girl. And it not gonna work any more den before. Y'don't trust Remy."
"Yes Ah do!" She gasped, almost inaudibly, through stifled sobs.
"No, y'don't! Y'be pushin' Remy away, trying to shelter y'self from gettin' hurt. Y'tought dat mebe Remy'd leave yeh, or get bored wit someone he couldn't touch, so y'went after Joseph. And mebeh next time it be someone else. We do dis over an' over again, Rogue, and each time Remy prove he ain't goin nowhere. So why do we go t'rough dis? Truth is y'don't wanna be loved cuz it scare d'shit outta y'! Y'don't trust Remy now, and den again, y'never will!"
"YES AH DO!" She shouted, her body trembling with emotion. Without warning, she shot up from the bed and headed to Gambit's closet, yanking his black trench coat off from the hanger and throwing it to his chest. "Here, put this on an' Ah'll show yah."
Directing an inquisitive glare in her direction, Gambit pulled each arm through a sleeve, one right after the other. When he had finished tugging on his open-fingered gloves, Rogue grabbed hold of the Cajun just under his rib cage and lifted him effortlessly into the air. With a single push of the windowpane they were flying out of the room, gliding up to the mansion's rooftop. Carefully, she lowered them both down until their feet made contact with the shingles. Being very nimble on his feet, Gambit gained stability quite fast and let go of Rogue. Proceeding as if it were a ritual, Rogue reached into his jacket's inner lining, searching for the hidden pocket that held her blindfold. Tying a skilled knot with both ends of the dark handkerchief behind her head, she held out her hands, openly inviting Remy to proceed.
Testing out the water before diving head first, Gambit reached his hand forwards to touch his single gloved finger to the palm of her hand.
"That's just yoah gloved fingah." She chuckled knowingly.
" 'M getting there, petite. Hold on."
Cautiously, and in one movement, he lightly grazed the palm of her hand with his un-gloved finger, bracing himself for the worst to happen. Not that he would be absorbed, but that Rogue would pull away again.
But she didn't. She didn't even flinch. His stomach somersaulted.
Rogue was smiling now, all her teeth glowing in the moon's lean wash of light. As she reached to pull her blindfold up past her forehead, Remy spoke.
"Non. One minute, chèrie. Leave it on." His lips had parted into a devilish grin, and he was leaning so close that his breath tickled her neck. "T'ink of de picture Remy got you, and de sunset in de park dat y'saw."
She lowered her hand down again, finding it hard to focus on anything but his low, masculine inflection of the voice. Finally she let the memories of the sinking sun engulf her mind again, remembering the love and peace she had felt in the moment.
But before she had time to react, before she even had time to smile, she felt Remy's lips press up against hers, and a warm sensation ran through her veins.
SNEAK PEEK:
Unable to contain it any longer, Wolverine asked the question everyone was dying to know, but didn't dare ask. "So, where'd the swamp and sewer rats disappear to last night, anyway?"
"Oh, well...ya know..." Rogue opened the newspaper in a non chalant manner, tantalizing her audience. Joseph stood grinding his teeth.