.
Remy's Diabolical Plan
Chapter Twenty Five: A Diabolical series of sighs
~X~
Scott could only sigh deeply as he sunk into a creaky wooden dining chair. As he took in everyone seated at the round dining table in front of him, he wondered why a person might sigh, and realized that his sigh was a result of many things that had happened that day. It was a sigh of...
Exhaustion. While Gambit and Rogue had faced their own fight in the warehouse, he and Jean had been faced with the fisherman and his hysterical wife and family. Cyclops was good at fighting. He enjoyed strategy, leading the team, getting the job done, saving the day and having that sense of accomplishment at the end of it all. What he did not enjoy, and was not prepared for, was the crying of a mother on his shoulder, asking him over and over again where she had gone wrong in the raising of her son.
Confusion. There was a lot of that. Rogue had called him two hours ago and told him that she had captured and drained the fisherman's son and that somehow Gambit had also been drained in the process and was currently unconscious. He couldn't figure how Gambit had become caught up in it. Being proud of Rogue was the only thing that had kept him from asking, though she didn't seem to care for his compliments and told him in a distracted voice that Nightcrawler had arrived to help. Then she hung up with no goodbye. Now a weak, but awake, Remy was sitting across the table from him sipping water and shooting anxious wide eyed looks in Rogue's direction. Rogue on the other hand seemed very uncaring of Remy, her attention focused solely on the situation at hand and the story being told. Speaking of which...
That was another source of confusion for Cyclops. The story that Adam told them was a silly, simplistic story of a spoiled young man running away from home because mom and dad had put up a set of rules that he didn't like. And instead of just leaving, he had decided to hide in the shadows and attempt to bring down his father's business, hiring mutants and other people to help, paying them with the trust fund money that his grandparents had left him. Scott couldn't understand the motive nor fathom why someone would waste their money in such a way. He didn't get why with one look from his mother's tear stained face, their culprit had broken down in tears and confessions, or why the whole family was now a hugging, crying, scolding, heap of happy.
He didn't get it. But it wasn't his job to. His job was officially over when it came to this mission, and the last feeling that he felt as he sighed was that sought out feeling of accomplishment. They could leave Bernard's house and go back to the professor's beach house. Now it was finally time to relax. The team would be happy.
~X~
Rogue was pissed. Remy was terrified. Kitty was frustrated. Kurt was hungry. Jean was tired. Amara and Tabitha were feeling absolutely fabulous in their new pair of shoes! Scott was confused by all of the different attitudes being displayed by his team. After each mission it had become a tradition to share a meal together. Today they had ordered pizza and brought it home. Nine times out of ten this was a happy occasion where every one would chatter all at once to each other as they reveled in their mission well done. Today, however, the only ones who had anything to say was Amara and Tabitha and that was all about shoes.
Since he had heard that she had captured him, Scott had wanted to know how Rogue had brought down the bad guy. He didn't think it would hurt to ask, no matter her mood now. He just hoped she wasn't mad at him for some reason. But at his question she merely shrugged.
"I touched him." was all she had to say about it.
Scott decided to mind his business.
A few moments later Rogue dropped her pizza back to her plate in disgust. Eating did not appeal to her in the least at the moment. The memories repeatedly running themselves through her mind was enough to squash any appetite she might have had.
It was already bad enough that she had first drained that red haired creep and the obsessive freak. Adam's thoughts were a myriad of family drama laced with memories of Kitty offering him help of some kind. She was going to have to ask Kitty about that later. Then there was Jack's memories. She had tried very hard to not touch him for long. It was true what Adam had said, about the young man sneaking in there to save her. Also, the reason for his obsession was clear now. There had been a girl a long time ago that Jack had been just as enamored with. If it weren't for Rogue's single lock of white hair, you wouldn't have been able to tell a difference between the women. It was unclear to her where this other female had gone. But ever since she had left, Jack had been searching for her in other women.
Those thoughts had just started to die down when Remy had found her. Using her powers once was enough to confuse her. Using them twice in a row was even more confusing. Using them three times in a row was asking for it. Not only had she been stuck with pink glowing hands that threatened to blow anything up if she dared to touch something for twenty minutes, there was Adam's anger (stacked on top of her own anger), and a strong urge to see herself.
The only person that she had been happy with was her brother, who had shown up to check in on them because he had had a bad feeling.
Over the course of two hours Remy's powers had left her. Adam's and Jack's memories grew fuzzy, and the desire to gaze into a mirror abated. All that was left now was fury. It was comforting and familiar and Rogue attempted to focus on that feeling instead of the wounded little part of her heart.
The memories had come so hard and so fast that it was difficult to distinguish one picture from another. Right now all she knew for sure was that Remy had lied and had been lying for months. The reason behind it remained unclear, though the thought seemed to be in there somewhere, teasing her by remaining hidden.
The prospect of talking to him about it wasn't the least bit attractive to her right now. It'd be better for the both of them if she waited until most of the initial anger had ebbed away and the urge to rip him a new one left her system. She hadn't learned to deal with her anger issues for nothing. It was for moments like these.
Still, even being in the same room with him hurt more than she liked to admit.
Out of pure curiosity her eyes moved in his direction. Their gaze met across the oak table. He wore that same questioning look as he had in the car earlier. Had that really been just a few hours ago? The memory of that moment they had shared now embarrassed and hurt her even more. Did he not remember who she was? Had she not already poured her heart and spilled all of her secrets to him? He knew exactly what she had been through in the past. He knew what kind of person she was. There was no misunderstanding there. He had to have known how much his lies and manipulations would break her heart.
She didn't guard her expression when looking at him now. Later they would make up. The relationship between them might be flawed beyond this point, but Rogue had no doubts that they would make up. As bleak as the prospect seemed now, she knew that this outcome was inevitable. No matter what they argued and fought about, they always made up. He might have acted like a big giant jerkface (Rogue mentally grumbled) but she was aware that the Cajun never did anything without a purpose. The only piece of this puzzle that was missing now was the motive.
Jerking her attention away from the subject of her thoughts, she excused herself from the dinner table and shuffled up the stairs and into the bedroom she shared with Kitty, wasting no time in collapsing face-first onto her bed.
The second she allowed herself to relax the phone in her pocket vibrated against her hip.
Annoyance didn't even begin to explain how she felt as she ripped the phone out and answering without even looking.
"What?" she snapped without preamble.
Pyro's Australian accented voice spoke from the other end. "Roguey luv, I hate to do this to ya, but I got good news and bad news."
"What?" she growled impatiently.
"Well, good news is, I've got my girlie back, my sheila's come back to me!"
Up until that point she hadn't even bothered to open her eyes. Now they opened to stare unbelieving at the opposite side of the room. John's plan had worked? Wanda had taken him back?
"What?" she inquired, surprise evident in her tone.
"An' the bad news is, we've gotta break up, Roguey. Sorry bout' that, she refuses to share." Rogue heard what sounded like a slap. "Ow! Golly she's moody."
At least someone was happy today. Rogue mustered up a little smile for them, genuinely confused by the couple, but glad that they found themselves able to work things out. It gave her a little hope.
"Wands' says hey." The sound of a dog barking traveled through the phone. "An the dog says hey too."
The...dog...said hey? Now she was really lost.
"...What?"
"I really am sorry, my little X-man," John sighed, "I know ya wanted things to work out an' all, but it never could'a worked between us, luv, I hope ya' know that." Rogue spluttered at his words, unable to find the proper words to insult him with. "I hope ya can find some solace-" there was another slapping sound. "Ow!"
The line died without another word. Rogue found herself staring at her phone for a moment before she was able to stuff it back into her pocket.
John and Wanda must really love each other. The thought gave her uneasy soul a bit of peace. She'd never been privy to their relationship problems, but whatever it was had been enough to drive them apart. And they had managed to work it out...
Maybe...after a lot of thought and a little time she could talk to Remy about this. All she needed was time. The fact remained that she loved him. And despite what he had done, the thought of the future without him wasn't an option. A day. Just one day. She'd give herself at least that before approaching him and hearing what he had to say in his defense.
With a sigh she turned her face into the pillow again.
The sound of the door opening and closing quickly was accompanied by footsteps approaching her bed. Something jabbed her in the back and she answered with a frustrated groan.
"Hey, you!" Kitty spoke. "What's going on? Remy just left! He said he was going back home."
Her breathing stilled. All thoughts of sleeping left her mind and raced to one place now. Remy had left? That big. Giant. Jerkface! Who did he think he was, leaving like he was the hurt one? She'd never known that he was the type to run away when he was in trouble. They hadn't even talked about it! The rage inside of her was suddenly refreshed. If she wasn't going to kill him before, she certainly was now!
Her fist hit her pillow and pushed her body into an upright position.
With a look that had Kitty flinching in surprise, she asked quietly, "what?"
"Y-yeah..." the Shadowcat peered nervously at her. "What happened?"
Rogue rubbed a fist at her twitching eye. "Nothing much." she ground out between clenched teeth. "Remy's just being infuriating."
"Right," Kitty nodded, her eyes darting away from Rogue. "Guys can be that way."
Rogue sighed once again, this time in complete impatience. "Kitty, Kurt's just waiting on you. He told me everything last week and he's completely in love with you. Stop being such a girl and go be with him."
Her friend gaped at her. "W-what!?"
"This isn't important." She forced her body from the bed and into a standing position. "Where did Remy say he was going?"
It was another moment of gaping from Kitty before she answered. "Home. I.." she blushed and looked to be irritated with Rogue now. "You should just get over it!" she pointed a finger.
The southerner's eye was twitching again. Kitty's pursed lips and pointing finger remained in her direction. The tension in the room doubled as the two girls faced each other, neither one willing to back down.
In reply, one quiet word was uttered from Rogue's lips. "What?"
"You heard me!" Kitty's finger jabbed in her direction again. "Whatever Remy did, you should just, like, forgive him already! The man's like, so totally in love with you, it's nauseating!"
For the umpteenth time that day her chest deflated in shock. Anymore surprise plot twists and she was sure to suffer a heart attack. Her eye's widened at the same time her mouth fell open. But there was only one thing she could think to say.
"W-w-what!"
The way Kitty rolled her eyes said that this was nothing new or shocking. "Rogue, don't be like, so dense. He's been like, head over heels for freaking...I don't know, months!"
Forget the heart attack, before her tired body even got the chance she would suffer a panic attack. Because just then it hit her. That memory of Remy's that had stubbornly hid itself among all of the others that she had picked up from him. The picture in her mind's eye appeared somewhat distorted, as though Remy had remembered it in a different way than it had originally happened. She could see herself. There she was, sitting on the lawn of the institute and reading a book. That part seemed normal. But as long as she could remember, Rogue had never seen streaks of bright lights from the heavens shining all around her like that.
Through her shock she found it in herself to sigh. Remy could be so dramatic.
Then the puzzle started to piece together. The bright lights and the hallelujah chorus (no kidding) Remy had experienced when seeing her that day, this book Remy had read, the plan he had hatched, the lies he had told, the way he was determined for her to not like Jack, and every little touch and word they had shared over the past months were seen in a completely different light now. And amidst the jumble and chaos of her mind, there was one stray feeling that she grasped a hold of so that she could analyze and understand it better.
It was fear. That's what this whole thing had been built on. It seemed odd to her. Remy LeBeau was no coward. But now she knew it; now she understood. Remy LeBeau was absolutely terrified of being rejected by the person he loved most. And that person, as unbelievable and overwhelming as it was to her in that moment, Rogue knew was herself.
That meant...that it was ok to love him. The past few weeks had been torture for her being near him while she was under the impression that he was in love with someone else. That big giant jerkface had put her under more strain than was necessary! She'd actually cried over him! As soon as she saw him again, she was going to kick him for that.
Because of course she was going after him. Perhaps he could spend tonight feeling some of the misery she had suffered because of loving him. This was just another fight between them. Afterward they would make up, just like they always did.
~X~
Rogue was going to hate him forever. As soon as Remy woke up, he was all too aware of the fact that she knew everything. If it wasn't because of every one of his muscles screaming in a way that only a good absorption from Rogue could do, then he could definitely tell from the look that she refused togive him. In fact, she hadn't even glanced his way until they were in the dining room.
That look had said it all. It made him feel like he hadn't felt in a very long time. Like a child caught misbehaving. Guilt burned throughout his veins and down to his very core. That look spoke of more that anger. Anger from her he could handle. He made her mad almost every day. It was that unhidden look of hurt that her eyes bore down on him. That was what broke him. No matter what, hurting her was not what had been planned. He wouldn't hurt her for the world. When he had started planning this whole thing he honestly hadn't thought this far. Now in hindsight it seemed stupid. Keeping a secret from your friend that could read your mind at one touch? Stupid.
The thought that he might have to tell her that there was no Jessica one day had crossed his mind. Not a lot of thought had been put into it, though Remy knew that if he were to tell her, distraction would have been the key. The only idea that he had come up with would be plastering the words 'Jessica wasn't real' on a screen at the top of a skyscraper. While thousands of rose petals fell around them. On New Year's at midnight. During a Guns and Roses concert. While hundreds of fireworks were going off and all of the New York Yankees were marching by.
Seemed simple enough.
He had started this thing hopeful. He had kept going with this, every time Rogue's temper had flared at the name Jessica he had grown more determined. He had fought with Pyro to make sure the fire manipulator knew that he wasn't to kiss her like that again. He had laughed hysterically—almost insanely so because that same mutant had shown that he had some nerve, almost as if he wanted to get beat up. This was the point he was starting to feel a little crazy. Because Rogue had said, 'Back off bitch, he's mine'. Had she really been talking about John? Was there another man? Or was she simply playing along with Pyro's plot? The hysteria hadn't died down until Kitty had said something along the lines of...
Hand on hip, Kitty smacked her gum loudly while telling him matter-of-factly, "She's like, totally in love with you."
Diabolical Seduction had dropped onto the porch with a thud.
"Don't look at me like that!" Kitty blew a bubble with her gum and then continued to smack loudly. "I know you're like, in love with her too." she rolled her eyes. "It's sooo obvious."
"How..." he had to take a moment to catch his breath. "Why d'you think she's in love?"
A tanned shoulder lifted and fell. "Girls just know these things."
Making sense of what had happened with Rogue and Wanda, and what Kitty had told him wasn't easy. Believing it was something he wanted desperately. He could have easily broke out his evil laugh, not an evil, evil laugh, but an evil 'yes my diabolical plan worked' kind of laugh. But Rogue could have been talking about someone else.
So of course instead of confronting her about it, Remy came up with yet another plan. This one was...a bit more simple than the last one. Rogue knew that he had a smoking addiction that he'd struggled with in the past. There was only two things that could put him back on it and that was the smell or extreme stress. And the next time they went out together, he would pull one out, expressing his need to smoke. She would undoubtedly ask him if he was under some stress. He might make a confession...
But he'd never gotten that far. She'd kissed him and shocked the hell out of him. Then they were in the warehouse and he had kissed her and she had shocked the hell out of him again.
Now the plan was gone. Rogue hated him. He hated himself. The mission was over. The only thing left to do now was to go back home.
The reason for not saying goodbye to everyone, he figured, was because he was too distracted. Because the next thing he knew the car beneath him was starting up and Kitty was knocking on the window. He hardly remembered what he said to her. The sense of loss and disgust with himself clung to him the entire way home. He'd failed her. He was supposed to be her friend, her confident, her protector, her buddy.
And he had failed her.
To Be Concluded...