Chapter Thirty-One:


Soft laughter wafted through the courtyard of the LeBeau estate, making Henri LeBeau smile. He turned his head, taking a sip of his drink. "De girls are back," he informed his brother, who sat beside him at the wrought iron table, enjoying the warmth of the sun as it streamed down on them from behind the blossoming Magnolia trees that lined the stone-tiled courtyard.

"Dat dey are," Remy agreed, not bothering to open his eyes behind his sunglasses as he leaned back in his seat lazily. "How much you wan' bet dat dey bought out de entire store?"

Henri chuckled. It was no secret that his wife Mercy was a notorious shopper, he had long since gotten used to her returning from a shopping excursion with her arms loaded with bags. When his father had suggested that morning at breakfast that Mercy take Rogue into town to get her some clothes, Mercy had been ecstatic.

"Poor Rogue," Henri mused. "She not know what she was in fo'."

Remy snorted. "Don' you worry 'bout Rogue. She a big girl. If Mercy get outta hand, Rogue will lay down de law."

Henri glanced over his shoulder at the two women as they came into view around the far corner and smirked, noting the large number of bags they were both carrying. "Dat o' Mercy may have converted her over t' de dark side."

Remy opened his eyes and blinked in surprise. "Merde," he muttered. "Dat's a lot o' bags."

"Oui," Henri agreed with an amused smile. "Did you girls buy out de entire French Quarter?" he called to the women as they approached.

Rogue blushed faintly, but Mercy just laughed. "Non, but not fo' my lack o' tryin'. Rogue here," she jerked her elbow at Rogue as she bent to give Henri a kiss on the top of his head. "Has de most amazin' restraint dat I ever saw."

"Remerciez Dieu fo' dat," Henri replied, kissing his wife in greeting.

Remy sat up and leaned forward across the table to give Rogue's hand a squeeze. "Have fun?" he asked, kissing her palm, then tracing his fingers across her knuckles while he looked up at her.

"Yeah," Rogue admitted with a rueful smile. "Ah did."

"Jus' wait till t'morrow," Mercy told her with a wink. "We'll go down t' Jackson Square. Dere's a ton o' t'ings fo' me t' show you dere."

"Dere's a ton o' t'ings fo' you t' show her everywhere in dis, Mercy," Henri corrected, rolling his eyes.

"Ya really don't hafta," Rogue insisted. "Ah'm sure ya got tons t' do. Ya don't hafta waste ya time playin' tour guide t' li'l ol' me."

"Nonsense," Mercy retorted with a playful swat at Rogue's arm. "De pleasure is mine. It's nice t' have anot'er femme around in dis boy's club, hahn?"

"Careful, Rogue," Henri advised with a wink. "She'll drag you all over dis town if you let her."

Rogue smiled. "Ah don't suppose Ah'd mind that."

"Jus' so long as you save some time fo' me, chere," Remy said with a lopsided grin, kissing her knuckles once more and releasing her hand as he leaned back in his chair.

"Ah think that can be arranged, swamp rat," Rogue promised.

Remy eyed the bags that were settled at her feet. "What you get?" he asked curiously.

Before Rogue could reply, Mercy shook her finger at him. "Non, dat gon' hafta wait. Rogue an' I gon' go get cleaned up an' change in t' some o' de new clothes, den you can see fo' yo'self."

Remy groaned. "Do I hafta?" he pouted.

Mercy smacked him gently. "Don' even go tryin' t' use dat charm o' yo's, M'seui LeBeau. Won' work."

Remy shrugged. "Was worth a try."

"Excusez-nous, boys," Mercy said, standing and motioning for Rogue to follow her. She scooped up the shopping bags and started off towards the mansion. Rogue flashed Remy an amused grin, then turned and followed Mercy into the house.

To Henri's amusement, Remy watched them until they disappeared inside. Shaking his head, he took another sip of his drink. When he looked up again, his brother was looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What so funny?" Remy asked.

"You, petit frère," Henri answered with a chuckle. "You an' dat girl."

"What 'bout us?" Remy asked defensively, crossing his arms over his chest, his red on black eyes glaring at Henri. Over the years, Henri had often found that his brother could outglare even their father. There was just something about those eyes that seemed to sear right through you when Remy was angry.

"Jus' never thought dat I'd see de day dat Remy LeBeau was head over heels fo' some girl, dat's all," Henri said with a shrug. He smirked at his brother. "An' you are definitely head over heels wit' her."

To his surprise, Remy didn't even try to deny it. His younger brother merely smiled ruefully as he reached for his own glass sitting on the table. "Dat be de truth," he agreed simply.

Henri studied his brother in silence for a long moment. The boy-the man, really-who sat in front of him now was not the same as he had been when he'd left New Orleans a year ago. He was older, naturally, but it was more than that. When he'd left, Remy had been thirsting for excitement and adventure, but now... Henri had never seen his brother look more content.

And he had a pretty good idea what had changed him.

Or rather who.

"So tell me 'bout dis girl," Henri urged, leaning forward eagerly. "From what I seen so far, I t'ink dat I like dis one. She's good fo' you."

Remy chuckled softly, tracing his finger around the rim of his glass. "Dat she is," he agreed with a smile. "She's like no one else dat I ever met. When she's 'round, it's like...everyt'ing is different, vous savez? She makes me wan' t' be better. Scary, non?"

"Non," Henri said with a smile. "Not at all. You in love wit' her. Dat's normal. Mercy had de same affect on me. Still does." He took a sip of his drink. "So what's Rogue's story? I know dat she's a mutant, dat's she's got super strength an' can fly, an' dat you met her while you was workin' fo' dat homme Magneto, but ot'er dan dat, I don' know anyt'ing 'bout her."

"What you wanna know?" Remy asked.

"How 'bout how you met her?" Henri suggested.

Remy smirked slightly. "Met her in a fight. She came 'round de corner wit' her gloves off ready t' zap me, I was chargin' up a card t' throw at her, an' den we sort o' bumped in t' one anot'er, an' our eyes met. Was all Gone Wit' De Wind like, wit' de battle fadin' out fo' a moment, an' de both o' us jus' starin' in t' each ot'ers eyes."

"You were s'posed t' be fightin' her, an' instead you were droolin' like a big ol' puppy dog?" Henri snorted, thoroughly amused by the image in his head. He'd seen similiar situations a thousand times involving his brother, with lovestruck girls staring after Remy, but he'd never once seen any girl have that affect on Remy.

Remy scowled. "Wasn' droolin'," he protested. "Jus'...admirin' de view."

"O' course," Henri said dryly. He raised an eyebrow curiously. "You said she was gon' zap you? I thought dat she had super strength?"

Remy's expression sombered, and Henri caught a flicker of pain in his red eyes. "Oui, she does, but dat ain't her real power. It's...borrowed."

"Que voulez-vous dire?" Henri asked with a frown.

"Rogue's natural power is dat when her skin comes in contact wit' de skin o' anot'er livin' bein', she absorbs dem."

"Absorbs dem?" Henri echoed.

Remy nodded. "Mem'ries, thoughts, powers an' all. De longer de contact o' de skin, the longer de affects." His face darkened. "An' if de contact last too long... de change is permanent."

Henri gaped at him in disblief, stunned. The girl could drain a person with nothing more than a single touch? "Dat what happened?" he asked quietly. "She get de power t' fly an' dat strength from absorbin' people?"

"Wasn' her fault," Remy muttered. "Dat battle was jus' a distraction. Dis Trask, real fou homme, unleashed his Sentinels-"

"Dose giant robots?" Henri interupted.

"Oui, dose de ones," Remy nodded. "Trask, he send out de Sentinels t' attack Rogue an' de rest o' her team, dey go by de name o' de X-men. Rogue an' three ot'ers got captured an' taken back t' Trask's base."

The hair on the back of Henri's neck bristled unexplainably.

"Dey were dere fo' trois mois b'fore Magneto found dem an' sent us t' bust dem out," Remy continued softly, clenching his fists on the table so tightly his knuckles were beginning to turn white. "Trask, he liked t' do experiments on de mutant prisoners."

"Dat what he did t' Rogue?"

"Oui," Remy confirmed through gritted teeth. "He figured out what her powers did an' decide t' put dem t' use. De hybride forced her t' absorb de life an' powers o' anot'er girl in de prison. Carol fell in t' a coma, an' Rogue woke up wit' Carol's strength, flight an' invulnerability, plus a whole lifetime full o' de ot'er girls' memories. Not t' mention a fulltime live-in roomate up inside o' her head."

Henri blinked, stunned at what he'd just heard. The poor girl had been captured, tormented, forced to use her powers to drain the life of another mutant, and was condemned to forever life with the inescapeable reminder of that day for the rest of her life. And is if that wasn't enough to make anyone crazy, she wasn't even able to ever touch anyone.

Except she had.

She had touched Remy and he had touched her and Henri himself had shaken hands with her when they'd been introduced.

"But she can touch now..." Henri said.

"De bracelet on her wrist," Remy explained with a weak smile. "Magneto made it fo' her. Don' know de exact science o' it, but it negates her absorbin' power. Ask her 'bout it one day an' she can explain it better dan me."

"So you started a relationship wit' her after dat?" Henri asked.

Remy shook his head. "Started it b'fore she could touch. De bracelet is a recent development. Happened jus' b'fore we fled de island base."

Henri opened his mouth to reply, but never got the chance since the door opened and Mercy and Rogue emerged, laughing about something. Henri forgot what he was even going to say when he looked up at them.

Seeing his expression, Remy turned in his seat to follow his gaze.

Mercy was wearing a red sundress that showed off her athletic, but slender form, her golden hair taken down from the ponytail she'd been wearing it in earlier, now hanging down over her shoulders. She looked beautiful, as always, but it was Rogue that captured Henri's attention. Maybe it was because he'd only seen her in jeans and shorts until now, or maybe it was because this was the first time he'd seen her in a dress, but he had to blink a few times to be sure the woman he was looking at was the same girl he'd met last night.

She was wearing a white slipdress that ended in the middle of her calves, her dark hair gathered at the back of her head with one of those funny little hair clips that Mercy called "claws", letting the white locks fall gently along her face.

Remy let out a long, playful whistle, but Henri could see the appreciation in his eyes. "Look at dat, Henri. Rogue can clean up real good. 'Specially fo' a river rat." He winked at Rogue. "An' Mercy don' look half bad neither."

"You an' yo' flattery, LeBeau," Mercy rolled her eyes.

"You look merveilleux," Henri told her. "I like de dress. Do I wan t' know de price?"

Mercy grinned. "Non. I t'ink not."

"Don' know why you bothered t' pay fo' it anyway," Remy scoffed. "We are t'iefs, after all."

"Because stealin' defeats de purpose o' shoppin'," Mercy said in exasperation. As an afterthought, she added dryly, "Idiot."

Rogue snickered, and Remy shot her a mock look of offense, to which she merely shrugged.

Henri shook his head in amusement as Mercy sat down in the empty chair beside him. While Rogue and Remy proceded to tease one another, he leaned towards his wife. "So," he asked in a whisper. "What do you t'ink o' her?"

"I t'ink dat Remy's gon' an' gotten himself in t' a whole mess o' trouble," Mercy replied softly. "He's in love wit' dat girl, an' I can see why. I like her. Which means Marius won't."

Henri nodded. "Papa an' I talked 'bout dat dis mornin'. He t'inks dat if Remy can get Bella t' agree t' dissolve de engagement, dat the two o' dem can convince Marius t' do it."

"You t'ink Bella gon' agree?" Mercy asked.

Henri hesitated. "Not sure. You know well as I do dat Bella can be a real chienne when she wants t'. Don' know how she gon' react t' de news sat Remy'd pick someone else over her."

Mercy snorted. "I do. She gon' flip. Don' matter if she want t' marry Remy o' not, de idea dat he'd pick anot'er girl is gon' drive her fou. Unless..." she trailed off, a thoughtful look crossing her face. She titled her head to the side, biting her lip in concentration.

"Unelss what?" Henri asked.

His wife glanced at Remy and Rogue, who were too busy gazing into one another's eyes to notice the conversation going on around them, then turned back to Henri, leaning in close. "Dere been rumors..." she whispered. "'Bout Bella havin' gone an' fallen fo' anot'er guy herself."

Henri raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Dat so?"

Rogue's laughter made them both glance over at the other couple once more, and Henri had to smile at the sight of Rogue floating just out of Remy's reach with his glass in hand.

"Oui," Mercy replied softly.

"So who de mystery man den?" Henri asked.

Mercy hesitated. "Mind you, dey jus' rumors, Henri. Dere's no proof t' any o' dese claims."

Henri nodded. "I know dat. But it can' hurt t' look in t' de matter, now can it? 'Sides," he nodded at his brother, who had finally captured Rogue by the ankle and was pulling her down for a kiss. "You wan' fo' him t' be happy, don' you? If dere be any truth t' dese rumors, den maybe we can find a way fo' de two o' dem t' be t'gether."

He saw his wife smile as she watched the younger couple kiss, Remy reaching up to wrap his arms around Rogue tightly as she settled down on his lap. "Oui," she agreed. "I do." Sighing, she shook her blond hair over her shoulders and fixed him with a pointed look. "It's Theo."

"Theo?" Henri echoed. "What 'bout Theo?"

Mercy rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Theo is de one dat Bella s'posedly has feelin's fo'."

"Theo?" Henri repeated again, incredulous. "As in my cousin Theo? Theoren Marceaux? De same Theo dat used t' try an' burn her hair when we was kids? Dat Theo?"

"Oui, dat Theo."

"Merde. Didn' see dat one comin'."

Mercy shrugged. "Don' t'ink dat anyone did, cher. Dat is, if dere's even a shred o' truth in dose words."

Henri stroked his chin thoughtfully, turning his gaze back to his younger brother and Rogue, who were engaged in a lively conversation now, both smiling broadly. "Let's jus' hope dat dere is, hahn? Fo' Remy's sake."

"Fo' both o' deir sakes, non?" Mercy corrected with a smile.

Henri nodded. "Oui. Fo' both o' deir sakes."




Translations:

Remerciez Dieu- Thank God
Excusez-nous- Excuse us
petit frère- little brother
vous savez?- you know?
Que voulez-vous dire?- What do you mean?
fou homme- crazy man
trois mois- three months
hybride- bastard
merveilleux- wonderful
fou- crazy
chienne- bitch