22
Her room currently looked like grand central station. Bustling with people coming in empty handed and leaving with as much as they could carry to bring down to the Black Bird.
"I don't know how you manage to have so much stuff." Kurt said as he struggled to lift a box. "You only have one room!"
"Ah used t'have a house. Remember smarty pants?"
"Vhere vere you hiding it all?" Kurt dropped the awkward box with a frustrated grunt. He vanished in a puff of thick purple smoke causing all of the occupants of the room to groan. More than likely, it was from the less than pleasent smell of brimstone he left behind. When he teleported back, just outside the room, he got an earful from everyone voicing their complaints.
"C'mon elf," Logan grumbled, "Quit stinkin' up the room. Use your legs like a man."
Jubilee waved her hand through the remnants of the purple smoke and coughed on the stench. "Or at least just carry the light boxes, jeeze..."
Remy leaned against the wall a few doors down the hallway, watching. Or as Kitty put it 'supervising'. He liked that term better. There was no way in hell he was going to help. It was one thing to refrain from begging her to stay, and quite another to actually help her move.
"This totally sucks."
He looked down, noticing Kitty had stopped next to him with her arms crossed and frown. She was supervising too.
"I don't understand how they can just help like that. I'd totally make her do the whole thing on her own. Serves her right."
He let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead. As childish as Kitty's statment sounded, he couldn't agree with her more.
"Okay, so like... maybe not the whole thing. Her mattress is pretty big. And she'd probably need help with her dresser. But after that, zip."
"I'm sure you'd be d'first she'd ask for help movin' a dresser p'tite."
"Hey." Kitty gave him a pointed glance. "I may be small, but I'm scrappy." She turned her attention back to the relay down the hall and shrugged. "I could carry a few drawers or something."
They both watched silently, side by side, as the contents of Rogue's room was slowly emptied out.
"The only good thing about watching Rogue move is watching Pete carry boxes. He's super sexy... with all those muscles..."
Remy rolled his eyes. He no longer agreed with her, and silently wished she'd go away. At least she wasn't talking about him, and how he should have made her stay. All her other mindless praddle he could filter out, but that topic always hit a nerve. And she knew it.
Cole scurried by with a box of his toys in his arms, stopping to give them a toothy grin.
Kitty let out a small breath and gave her head a shake. "I'm sorry. I can't even imagine how much this sucks for you."
He remained quiet, watching Joe help Cole down the hall and into the elevator, thankful that Kitty hadn't said any more.
"Don't strain yourself over there Kit."
His eyes darted over to Rogue who was standing in her doorway with her arms crossed.
"This is the protest section." Kitty informed her as she stuck up her nose. "We'll have nothing to do with this."
"Katya, be nice." Colossus frowned as he passed by, heading back into the room for another box.
"I am being nice. This is me being nice in the current situation. You wouldn't want to see me be mean." She called after him, causing Remy to unconciously roll his eyes yet another time.
His eyes settled back on Rogue, watching while she bent over to hoist a box up onto her hip. She stopped and looked at him for a moment before her eyes shifted away, and she moved down the hall towards the elevator.
"Jeeze, what was that about?" Kitty eyeballed Remy when Rogue disappeared into the elevator. "Are you guys fighting again? I can't keep up with you two."
Remy heaved a sigh and shook his head. "I've had enough a dis." He muttered, turning on his heel and heading back towards his room.
The elevator doors slid open and Rogue stepped to the side, allowing Jean and Sarah to pass her by. She boarded the elevator and punched the button to take her down to the sub-basement, plopping the box down on the floor.
Logan stepped in before the doors closed and set his box down on top of hers.
"You look tired."
"Rough night."
"Alright, Stripes. Spill it."
"Spill what?"
He gave her a sidelong glance as the doors slid shut, crossing his arms and leaning back. "Jean told me you were actin' weird."
"Ah'm not actin' weird. Ah'm busy." She said with a simple shrug.
"Yeah. Unfortunately I'm not buyin' that."
The elevator doors opened with a ding and Logan hefted both boxes up with ease and moved around the corner, into the hangar, and towards the Black Bird, dropping them with the rest of the boxes that needed to be loaded.
Rogue sucked her lower lip into her mouth and followed, letting her eyes scan the stacks of boxes. All three of their lives; Her's, Cole's and Joseph's, were all right there, laid out before her.
Her night had been long, and she was operating on very little sleep. She'd spent the night first, unpacking. And then re-packing everything. And then trying desperately to will herself to sleep. But she just could not figure out how to block out the flood of feelings she'd picked up off of Remy. Her heart literally ached. It was odd really, being able to actually feel the way someone felt about you.
She didn't like it one bit.
She'd experienced the effects of Cole's powers before, of course, but never to this magnitude. Not even close.
"Last night, ah had to help Cole get back to sleep." She started suddenly, speaking quicker than her normal pace. "Ah don't do it often anymore. Only when he asks." Cole's powers were long gone from her system, but their effects were still raw in her memory. "Ah swear, ah don't know how that kid deals with it."
Logan looked up at her, expectantly. "Okay."
"Ah did somethin' stupid."
He let out a deep breath and crossed his arms. "This 'something' doesn't happen to speak with a Cajun accent... does it?"
She grimaced. "A little bit."
"Stripes..." Logan gave her a disappointed head shake.
"Not like that. Nothin' happened, really. It's just... ah sort of picked up on Remy's feelings." She pursed her lips for a moment before flipping a hand into the air. "Loving feelings."
Logan squared his jaw and gave her a silent look that screamed: Why are you telling me this shit?
"Look, it was either you, or Kitty." She crossed her arms and frowned. "An' besides. You asked."
He shot out a breath and nodded understandingly before Rogue continued.
"Ah'm doin' the right thing here... right?"
"Well..." Logan began awkwardly, "Do you have the... love thing... for him?"
"Ah don't know. Ah don't know what ah thought ah knew anymore." She plopped her face down in her hands and groaned. "Ah can't tell who's feelings are whose. Ah'm so confused! Ah don't wanna make the wrong choice..."
Logan rolled his eyes with another deep sigh, "Think of it practically, kid. You're lookin' for help with Cole? He can get help at either place. Chuck's just as good as them out on Muir Island, just because they're called specialists, don't mean they're any more special."
Rogue looked up at him, considering his words as he spoke.
"You lookin' for a job? You know you always have one right here. I'm sure we can get Storm t'let out your old uniform a bit... an' you're good t'go." He gave her a smile.She cracked a smirk and nodded. "Ah guess..."
Logan lifted up a box and began lugging it onto the plane, when he immerged, he crossed his arms and frowned. "If you ask me, you've had Joe up on a pedistal ever since he taught you how to control your power. You don't think that had a bit of influence on your decision to leave? Like you owed him somethin'?"
"That's not fair. Ah do owe him, a lot, but that's not why ah chose t'go with him. Ah know love him. An' ah don't want to hurt him again. An' ah just want to be normal."
He picked up another box and brought it on board. Rogue grabbed a box and followed.
"You spend all your life tryin' to be normal Stripes, an' you'll never know how extrodinary you could be."
He gave her a wink. Rogue arched an eyebrow and nodded, "Wow Logan, that was actually pretty profound. You been watchin' Dr. Phil with Kitty again?"
"I read a lot a them Chicken Soup books."
Rogue smiled and followed Logan out to retrieve some more boxes.
"Now, as far as they guys go... Joe bugs me less than Gumbo. I like him. He treats you good." He gave her a sad, lopsided smile. "I just don't like that he's takin' you away."
She stuck her lower lip out in a playful pout that caused him to smile. "You need to stop readin' those books an' start readin' somethin' manly. Somethin' with a car on the front, or a half dressed woman. Or both."
XXXX
She'd never been one for the sappy, drawn out goodbyes. Too much emotion and sadness. If she were being honest, she'd admit that this played a major part in her method of departure six years earlier. And if it was just her, she would have happily slipped out in the cover of darkness this time too. But this time, it wasn't just her. So here she stood, in front of the elevator with her son in hand, after doing one last check of their rooms, about to head down to face the "goodbye parade". She punched the "down" button and waited for the elevator to respond. Without saying a word, Remy stopped at her side and scooped Cole up into his arms. Cole hugged him tightly and rested his head on his shoulder.
The elevator doors sprang open and they stepped inside silently, with Cole still comfortably in his father's arms.
She wanted to reach out and comfort him, in this last moment of near-privacy; Give his hand a gentle squeeze, or a reassuring hug, just to let him know she cared. But by the time she'd mustered up enough courage, the elevator doors opened to the sub-basement floor. They walked through the hall wordlessly, winding their way to the hangar where everyone was waiting.
"C'mon Stripes, ain't got all day." Logan grunted, waving for her to hurry up. "It's already 10. We gotta pick Chuck and Hank up and be back here before sun set."
"He doesn't want to miss Dancing With the Stars!" Bobby called out with his hand cupping his mouth.
Storm chuckled at Logan's look of disgust before climing on board the jet.
Rogue came to a stop next to Jospeh, who put a tender arm around her with a gentle squeeze.
Jean was the first to make her move, stepping forward to give Rogue a light hug. When Jean pulled back, she frowned.
"It's not the same when you're not around."
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Rogue smirked, causing Jean to crack a smile.
She turned to Cole and Remy and gave Cole a kiss on the cheek, informing him that she'd miss him.
Scott was next, offering Joe and Rogue a handshake to bid them farewell, moving over to Cole as Bobby gave Joseph a playful nudge.
"Bet you're excited about all that privacy." He waggled his eyebrows. "Y'know?"
"Geeze, Bobby." Rogue rolled her eyes.
Everyone else gathered around and said their goodbyes, trying to keep the mood light to cater to Cole's sensative empathy. Kitty squared her jaw and tipped it upwards slightly in an effort to keep herself composed, and Cole's grip on Remy tightened.
"Let's go get you all set up on d'Blackbird, p'tite."
As soon as they disappeared into the plane, Kitty stepped towards Rogue and chewed on her lip.
"Make sure you call when you get there, okay?"
Rogue nodded.
"And make sure you call. You know. Like... on a regular basis."
Rogue smiled. "Kitty, ah promise."
"Okay." She nodded, pressing her lips together until they turned white. She gave Rogue a hug, pulling back quickly and discreetly dabbing at her eyes with a sniff.
She looked over at Joseph and pointed a finger at him. "You make sure she calls."
"Of course." Joseph hugged Kitty, before heading towards the Blackbird with a wave.
Remy reappeared, exiting the plane and stopping when he saw Joseph, who came to a stop in front of Remy.
They stood in silence for a moment. Remy worked the muscles in his jaw and extended his hand towards him.
"Take care of dem."
Joseph took Remy's hand and gave it a firm shake with a nod. "I will."
He glanced over his shoulder to Rogue, stepping past Remy and climbing the ramp onto the plane.
Rogue made her way over to Remy, and he jerked his thumb towards the plane. "Cole's all buckled in. He's watchin' cartoons right now, I imagine dat'll keep him happy for a while."
The corners of her mouth tugged upwards slightly and she nodded. "Hopefully."
There was a moment of awkward silence, and Remy cleared his throat. "Well... okay."
Rogue stepped towards him, standing on her tip-toes to wrap her arms around his neck and rest her chin on his shoulder. "Promise me you'll visit, Remy. Please."
He hesitantly returned her hug and nodded. "'Course I will."
Her arms tightened around him. "Say it."
"I promise."
She sucked in a deep breath and whispered, "Ah'm sorry, Remy." Her voice was soft and controlled, but her breath hitched slightly. "Ah have to choose Joseph this time."
"Wise choice, chere."
He pressed his lips together, feeling her pull her head back from his shoulder. She pressed a kiss to his cheek, lingering as she rested her forhead against his temple, indifferent to the fact that they had an audience.
"Could you just... say it once?" She whispered.
He watned to pretend that he had no idea what she was talking about, but he knew she'd see through that front. So he let out a resigned sigh and closed his eyes.
"I love you, Anna. I always did. Ain' my fault you chose not t'see it."
She pulled away and cocked an eyebrow. "Chose?"
"C'mon chere," He looked away, "Why did y'think I used t'go out of my way to make Joseph jealous all d'time?"
"Because you couldn't stand him!"
"An' why was dat?"
She put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Ah don't know, because you're an ass?"
He smirked, "Well, dat too."
Remy rubbed the back of his neck, letting another sigh escape his lips. "You better get goin' before Logan has t'come lookin' for you."
She worked the muscles in her jaw and nodded, glancing towards the ramp. "Yeah."
Rogue turned and gave everyone one last farewell wave before moving past him towards the plane, stopping suddenly when Cole bounded past her with his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle backpack in hand.
"I almost forgot!" He skidded to a stop, dropping the bag at Remy's feet and pulling the zipper open. He rummaged around inside for a moment before finally pulling out his prized toy train. "Here." He shoved the train towards Remy.
He kneeled down in front of Cole and shook his head. "P'tite, y'don't have t-"
"I want you to have it. It makes me happy. Maybe it'll work for you too."
Remy looked up at Rogue who offered him a palms up shrug. "Cole honey, you love that train."
"Yeah..." Cole looked down at the train and then back to Remy with a smile. "But I love my Daddy more."
He pinched his lips together tightly and silently took the small toy from Cole's hands.
Cole gave him one final hug, then he hoisted his bag onto his back and took Rogue's hand. She forced down a swallow, watching as Remy numbly stood with the toy train, offering them a final nod.
She nodded back, turning around and leading Cole up onto the jet.
Remy took a few steps backwards when the jet started up, and squeezed his lips together tightly when it took off.
He waited, partially expecting to see it make a U-turn and head right back. Watching as it picked up speed and gained in altitude, until it was no longer visible.
"Hey," He felt a hand on his shoulder and recognized Sarah's voice. "You alright?"
His throat felt tight, so he forced down a swallow and nodded silently, offering her a cavalier smirk from over his shoulder. He wanted to utter some nonchalant comment, but he was sure his voice would fail him. The cocky grin faded, leaving his eyes sad and vacant. He brushed Sarah's hand away and turned, starting towards the door.
"Remy," Kitty called after him. He simply waved her off, feeling the prick of tears behind his eyes as he squeezed the toy train in his hand.
He swallowed hard and shook his head without looking back at the group. "I'm fine." He assured them, and then he disappeared around the corner. He needed a drink
A/N- Almost done! :(
First, lemme say that this has been an incredible journey, and I have the best reviewers on the planet. Because of your constant words of encouragment, I actually managed to get through this thing. Woo!
Second, I've posted the first 3 chapters of The Hand! Yayyy! And just because I can, I am totally pimping it out. Read it! I think it's good... And maybe if you do too... you could add a story alert? Maybe a little favoirte story action goin' on there? Y'could... y'could write a couple reviews up for me? Maybe? (okay now I'm starting to sound like Stewie Griffin in my head. You know, when he's bugging Brian about his "novel". lol... if you don't know, youtube it.)
Third. I don't actually watch Family Guy.
Fourth, for everyone who thought the no sugar thing was parent BS... I'll invite you to sleep over at my place after my child's had a cookie before bed. And then you can be the one to go in and console him in the middle of the night. Yeah. lol
SparklesInTheSun- Don't worry, Ken is cool and groovy. He thinks I'm his Barbie.
Randirogue - I don't even know where to begin. While I may not immediately use your idea... It's still in my brain. And you're awesome. That is all I can say. :)
Starlight - President Logan wants you to meet up with him later. It's a "Press" thing. Y'know... "Meet an' greet". "Photo op". Insert eyebrow waggle here.