Chapter Forty-Two:


"Maybe dis wasn't such a good idea," Remy muttered under his breath.

"Too late t' back out now, mon ami," Claude said, clapping him good-naturedly on the back. "Don' know what yo' so worked up fo' anyhow. S'not like de femme can' take care o' herself, non?"

"Lay off o' him, Potier," Henri ordered quietly, but firmly. "He's not de only one who's worried 'bout Rogue."

Remy shot his brother a grateful look, but in truth it wasn't Rogue's safety that he was concerned about. Claude was right, she could take care of herself, and no one knew that better than Remy. He was a little anxious to get the mission over with, because there was always a chance that something could go wrong and she could get hurt, but like she herself had reminded him when she agreed to the job, it would take a lot to do much damage to one who was practically invulnerable.

No, what Remy was worried about was the speed with which Rogue had agreed to be part of the mission. He hadn't even finished explaining the objective fully when she had cut him off and said that she'd do it. Remy had suspected that she was feeling a bit restless with the lack of action lately, and the excited glimmer in her eyes when she had accepted had confirmed it.

Jus' don' want t' see y' lose yo'self in de Guild, chere, Remy thought, though he knew that wasn't likely to happen. He glanced over at his fiancé, who was standing next to Tessa, dressed in a black and silver bodysuit that hugged her curves in all the right places, showing off her slender, nubile form. It was the traditional dress of the female members of the Guild, and yet it somehow seemed as if it was designed with Rogue in mind.

Needless to say, it made it difficult for him to concentrate on anyhting other than her.

Feeling his eyes on her, Rogue looked and favored him with a smile. He didn't know how she did it, how she could make the sun shine a little brighter, and the night a little warmer, just by smiling at him.

"Is everyone clear on de plan?" Henri asked, shifting into leader mode, since this mission was his to command.

Everyone nodded in response.

"Bon," Henri said, lowering his night-vision glasses over his eyes. "Den let's get to it. Lucas, take Tessa down on yo' line. Emil, give Rogue a lift, hahn?"

"Pas de probleme," Emil replied curtly, tugging once on his jump-cord to test it, then opening an arm to Rogue. The motion sensor grid over the roof of the mansion would make it difficult for Rogue to fly without setting off a silent alarm, so it had been decided that it would be easier to just have someone else take her down with them. Remy would have liked to be the one to do so, but holding her in his arms might have proven distracting, and Henri had known it. That was why he'd given the task to Emil instead.

"Ready t' go, Remy?" Theo asked, and Remy looked over to see his cousin raising an eyebrow behind his night-vision glasses in amusement.

"Don' y' know dat Remy's always ready, homme?" Remy retorted with a cocky smirk, pulling his own glasses down over his eyes and looking down at their intended target. A complex web of green laser lights formed a grid over the mansion roof, making it impossible for most thieves to get past it.

Of course, they weren't most thieves.

Theo rolled his eyes, and swung off the rooftop without another word. Remy followed, closing his eyes and savoring the feel of the wind whipping through his hair. If this was anything like flying, no wonder Rogue was always slipping off for evening flights.

He opened his eyes again as the jump-cord tightened, and he kicked out his legs, throwing himself into a flip that carried him down to land noiselessly on the roof of the mansion.

"Excessive dramatics," Lucas muttered, and Remy offered a mock bow before turning to watch Emil and Rogue's decent. They landed gracefully beside him, so lightly that he didn't even hear their approach.

"Thanks fo' the ride, sugah," Rogue told Emil with a wink.

Emil grinned in response as he tucked his jump-cord back into his belt. "Figured dat I owed y' one. Threat o' death by fallin' an' all."

Rogue chuckled, and Remy lowered his glasses to give her an inquiring look. She waved it off, and he shook his head, not sure he even wanted to know what sort of inside joke they were laughing about. With Rogue and Emil, he rarely did.

"Toute série?" Henri's voice filled Remy's ears from the headset he was wearing.

"Oui," Remy acknowledged, pushing his glasses back in place. "We're good t' go. How 'bout de ot'ers?" he asked, nodding towards Claude, Theo and Lucas, who were securing their way into, as well as out of, the building.

"Dey're jus' 'bout done," Henri replied. "Tessa's makin' her way over t' de trios o' you now. She says dere are two guards in dis wing. Tell Rogue t' get ready."

"L'accord," Remy said, then turned his attention back to his fiancé. "Tessa's on her way. Dere are two guards dat we're gon' have t' take care o' on de way in."

"She get the wing sealed off yet?" Rogue asked.

"Yes," Tessa's voice crackled over the headset, and Remy turned to see her approaching. "I've closed off all of the wings, just to be safe. None of the other guards will be able to reach us, should anything alert them to our presence."

"Why did y' jus' look at me when y' said dat?" Emil demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You were the one who tripped an alarm at the St. Crux's mansion last month," Tessa replied evenly. "This time I took your...unpredictability...into account when I devised our technical plans."

Emil huffed indignantly, but didn't respond.

Tessa laid a hand on Rogue's arm. "You are ready?"

Rogue nodded. "Good t' go." She wrinkled her nose, as if an odd through had just struck her. "It's probably a good thing the Prof isn't around t' see this. One o' his students stealin' a priceless gem- an' not under some kind o' mind control."

Emil smirked. "We can always say dat Tessa here made y' do it."

"Actually, Emil," Tessa replied with a frown. "We could not. Rogue's mind is difficult to enter without her direct participation and approval. I doubt even Professor Xavier could attempt to control her mind."

"Really? Dat's interestin'," Emil commented thoughtfully. "S'pose dat she were t' let y' in, would she still be able t' block yo' powers from messin' wit' her head or would she-"

"Pouvons-nous converger sur la mission, s'il vous plaît?" Henri asked, his impatience carrying over the headsets.

"Sure t'ing, boss," Remy answered. "We ready t' go in?"

"Oui," Henri confirmed. "Get de girls over here. We're sendin' dem down first."

"That's our cue," Rogue said, waving her fingers at Remy as she and Tessa hurried across the rooftop to the skylight the boys had removed. Remy and Emil followed, more slowly, and reached the skylight just as Rogue was floating herself down through the opening, carrying Tessa by the arms.

Though he didn't hear them speak, Remy knew Tessa was telling Rogue where to move as they evaded the motion sensors, using her computerized brain to scan the hallway as she telepathically gave orders to Rogue. They reached the ground easily enough, and then they both moved out of view for several moments. Remy heard a soft thud, followed by another, and then Rogue reappeared under the skylight, giving them a thumbs up.

"She's dropped de guards," Remy murmured.

They waited another few moments, and then Tessa appeared at Rogue's side. Her curt nod signalled that she had disabled the motion sensors in the hall, and it was safe for them to come down.

Henri dropped down first, and the others followed, landing gently on the burgundy carpet. Wordlessly, he gestured to the left, in the direction that Remy knew the gemstone was being kept. They had all studied the floorplans Tessa printed up, but it hadn't been until the telepath probed the mind of one of the guards that they had discovered the stone's exact location.

"Take out de cameras," Henri ordered softly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Remy saw Tessa touch Rogue's hand, and then his fiancé was off, slinking along the walls, staying out of view of any cameras that might be watching. She floated up off the floor to get to the ones that were out of her reach, but most of them she was able to disable from the ground, by simply turning her hands intangible, and shorting out the circuitry.

"Merde," Emil murmured in awe.

Remy knew the feeling. This wasn't the first time he had seen Rogue use one of her borrowed powers, but it was the first time he'd seen her use Shadowcat's, and he couldn't help wondering what it was like to have her best friend's memories, thoughts and psyche flowing through her.

"Bon travail," Henri praised Rogue over the headset.

"Like, no problem," Rogue replied, and then she sighed deeply. "Ah'm totally startin' t', like, sound like ya already, Kit."

The others chuckled, but Remy frowned, hearing the flicker of grief in her steady tone. Using Kitty's powers, he knew, was difficult for her, but she made no argument against it when it had been suggested. Jus' keep hangin' in dere, ma chere, he thought. Yo' doin' great.

A few moments later Rogue's voice came over the headset. "All clear, Henri."

"Merci, Rogue," Henri replied, and started forward, gesturing for the others to follow.

Rogue was waiting for them in the middle of the dim room, her attention focused on the paintings decoarating the walls. Remy suppressed a smile at the look of wonder in her eyes. Never would have figured y' fo' an art fan, chere, he thought, watching her shake off her reverie and look to Henri for further instructions.

"Tessa?" Henri asked.

Tessa pointed to one of the paintings, her other hand touching the side of her computerized red-quartz glasses. "The safe is located behind it."

"How thick is the door?" Lucas asked.

"Four feet and seven-point-two inches," Tessa replied, and Remy rolled his eyes. Sometimes she really did sound just like a computer.

"Best method of entry?"

Tessa's only answer was to look at Rogue.

Rogue shook her head. "If Ah phase through, Ah can't grab on t' the stone, an' ya said ya weren't able t' disable the floor sensors, so Ah can't phase anyone else in wit' me."

"But you could teleport someone in," Tessa rebutted quietly, not tearing her gaze from Rogue's. "You have the ability to do so."

Rogue's breathing hitched slightly, not enough to be noticed by the others, but enough that Remy heard it. "Yeah," she agreed softly. "Ah guess Ah do."

Remy frowned, not understanding why she was hesitant to do so, but as soon as she taped into the teleportation power, he realized why. Her eyes glittered a pale yellow, and her ears seemed to curve slightly, her teeth shifting the tiniest bit to give them the appearance of fangs.

Kurt, he thought grimly, pressing his lips together in a straight line. She's got her brother's psyche jus' washin' over her. Dat's gotta be rough as hell.

Perhaps Tessa realized the same thing, for she gave him a knowing glance. "Teleport Remy into the safe with you, and your powers of flight will keep you above the motion sensors along the floor. Remy can retrieve the stone."

Henri nodded. "Dat sounds good t' me."

Taking his cue, Remy moved to Rogue's side and let her wrap her arms under his. "Y' okay, chere?" he asked softly.

"Ja," Rogue replied quietly, her voice thick and tinged with a German accent. "Ich bin fein."

"Have no clue what y' jus' said, p'tite," Remy reminded her with a smirk.

"Oh," she blinked in realization. "Je suis beau."

In any other situation, he would have laughed, her French sounding so misplaced when spoken with a German accent. Instead, he merely gestured towards the safe. "Beam me up, Roguey!"

In a flash of brimstone and smoke, the room around them vanished, only to be replaced with the cool, steel walls of the safe's interior. Remy glanced down, and sure enough, Rogue was hovering in the air, keeping them well above the floor motion sensors, but below the ceiling sensor panels.

"Verdammen Sie," Rogue murmured breathlessly. "Zat's a big stone!"

Remy followed her gaze to the enormous ruby resting on the velvet pillow, and he had to agree. "Get me a li'l closer, chere?"

She complied silently, and he picked the lock on the glass case surrounding the stone, then lifted it from the box, holding it up so that the light from the ceiling glistening off of it. He slipped it into his pocket, pleased with their success.

"Let's get out o' dis metal box, oui?"

A loud BAMF! echoed in his ears, and he closed his eyes against the smoke. When he opened them again, they were back in the room lined with paintings, and the others were looking at them expectantly. "Did y' get it?" Claude asked.

Remy rolled his eyes. "O' course we got it."

"Bon," Henri said curtly. "Den let's go. S'gettin' late."

They were about halfway back to the skylight when Tessa suddenly froze, her head whipping up towards the ceiling. Remy and Henri exchanged a concerned look, then Henri touched Tessa's shoulder. "What is it?"

"The guards in the west wing tried to enter this wing, and when the realized the wing was locked down, they took the emergency exit to the roof," Tessa replied. "They have found the open skylight."

Remy cursed softly, knowing they weren't going to be getting out that way now. In the distance he could hear the sounds of guards approaching. "Now what?" he asked, looking to his brother.

But it was Rogue who answered, in her own voice, having turned off Kurt's powers. "Ah can teleport us out o' here. Ah'll have t' take two trips, though. Usin' mah reserve powers is drainin', an' Ah'm startin' t' feel weak."

Remy gave her a worried look, but she just smiled wearily.

"Get us t' de roof, if y' can," Henri said. "We'll take care o' any problems from dere, an' y' can rest up."

Rogue nodded, and reached for Remy's arm, but he stepped back. "Take Tessa, Theo, Claude an' Lucas first," he told her, aware of the guards drawing closer.

"But-"

"Take dem up first," Remy said firmly. "Den y' can come back fo' me, Henri an' Emil."

Rogue scowled, but didn't argue further as she held out her arms. Tessa, Theo, Claude and Lucas all took hold of her, and they vanished in a cloud of brimstone.

"Jus' in time," Henri murmured, and Remy turned to see the doors being forced open. Wordlessly, he pulled out his collapsible bo staff and snapped it open. Beside him, Henri and Emil did the same.

"Freeze!" the armed guards yelled, raising their guns.

"Come an' get-" Remy began.

BAMF!

"-us..." Remy finished, just as Rogue grabbed onto him, and he was whisked away in a flash of brimstone.

They landed on the rooftop, and immediately Remy became aware of two things. One, the others were already involved in a fight with the guards on the roof. And two, Rogue was beginning to sway on her feet.

"Help de ot'ers!" Remy snapped, wrapping his arm around Rogue to support her. "I'll be right dere!"

"Right," Henri nodded, and he and Emil took off across the roof, leaving Remy to gently lower Rogue to the ground as the last affects of Kurt's power faded away.

"Rogue?" he whispered, touching a hand to her cheek. "Rogue, chere, y' okay?"

"Yeah," Rogue murmured, her eyes fluttering. She must have heard the commotion around them, though, because she opened her eyes again. "What's happenin'?"

"We're usin' de guards as target practice," Remy offered with a smirk. Rogue started to try and sit up, obviously intending to help, but he pushed her back down gently. "Don' even t'ink about it, p'tite," he ordered. "Yo' not goin' anywhere. Jus' lie here an' save yo' strength, okay? Leave de toy soldiers t' us, hahn?"

"Fine," Rogue sighed, and the fact that she didn't even attempt to protest told Remy just how tired she really was.

"Be right back, chere," Remy promised, pressing a kiss to her forehead, then hurrying to give the others a hand in dealing with the guards. They were fairing well, having already disarmed all of the guards, so he helped them subdue the guards who were still trying to fight them barehanded.

It didn't take very long.

A few minutes later, Remy drove the last guard standing to the ground. He poked the bald man once or twice with his bo staff, just to be sure he was unconscious, then stood, looking to the others. Henri and Claude were securing their jump-cords, while Lucas was already swinging up to the clock tower next door.

"Do you wish to carry her?" Tessa's voice caught his attention, and he turned to see her and Emil helping a weakened Rogue towards him.

"Oui," Remy said, closing up his bo staff and placing it back onto his belt. He opened his arms so that Tessa could ease Rogue into them. "Y' two go on ahead."

"How are you going to get her down?" Tessa asked, not making any move to leave.

"Ah can get us t' the ground," Rogue murmured, and Remy looked down to see her watching him wearily. "Ah won' make it much farther than that, but Ah can get the two o' us out o' danger."

"Y' sure 'bout dat, p'tite?" Remy asked hesitantly.

Rogue glared at him weakly and slipped an arm around him wordlessly. Before he could react, she was lifting him off the ground, and they were disappearing over the side of the building. Remy's heart skipped a beat at the fast descent, but Rogue was able to keep them from hitting the ground. In fact, she even had the sense of mind and strength to make sure they landed on the other side of the fence enclosing the Renoir mansion.

"See?" she rasped, her eyes fluttering as she leaned against him. "Tol' ya it wasn't a problem."

Remy chuckled softly. "Dat y' did, chere."

His headset crackled. "Remy? Y' got t'ings under control down dere?" his brother asked.

"Oui," Remy assured him. "We made it down jus' fine."

"Bon," Henri said. There was a pause, then he added, "Lucas is callin' Mercy. She'll meet de two o' you at de park wit' de car."

"D'accord," Remy agreed. "T'anks, Henri."

"See y' at home, mon frère."

Remy glanced over at Rogue. "Ready t' go, p'tite?"

"Yeah," she mumbled sleepily, so he scooped her up, without protest, and started for the park. By the time they got there, Mercy was waiting in her car, and Rogue was sound asleep in his arms.

"She okay?" Mercy asked worriedly as she held open the car door so he could gently lay Rogue down on the back seat.

"She's jus' exhausted, dat's all," Remy assured her, slipping into the back seat beside Rogue. "Used a few o' de powers she's absorbed, an' it wore her out."

"Fille pauvre," Mercy murmured as she started the car. "Good t'ing she can spend de entire day in bed t'morrow, non?"

"Yeah."

"Y' look beat, Remy," Mercy commented, eyeing him in the rearview mirror. "When we get home yo' gon' have t' go right t' sleep."

By the time the car pulled into the LeBeau driveway, both of the occupants in the back seat were out cold.


Translations:

Toute série?- All set?
trios- three
L'accord- okay
Pouvons-nous converger sur la mission, s'il vous plaît?- Can we focus on the mission, please?
Bon travail- good work
Je suis beau- I am fine
D'accord- right
Ja- yes (German)
Ich bin fein- I am fine (German)
Verdammen Sie- damn (German)