The nightclub was a heartbeat on loudspeaker, it felt as if they were invited to become one in that heavenly vibe. And it was packed with like-minded people, swaying their bodies to the loud music. Jubilee had missed that scene so much. As much as she loved being a mom to Shogo, she drifted away from that place and herself, her very essence, for too long. There was that intoxicating primal need for others, to move and experience joy as one, separate and joined, that's what that place was all about.
Eager as she was to catch up with her tribe, it had been so easy to lose track of Rogue when the friend with white-streaked hair left the dance floor. For a moment, she even forgot she had come with her. But the slightest vibration of her phone in her pocket was enough to bring the memory home. Where the hell was Rogue?
'Remy was here and then he left. It seems suspish, I'm on it. Don't let it ruin your night. We'll talk tomorrow. Thanks for the invite.'
She shook her head as she read it.
"What is it, Jubs?" Her friend asked her, throwing one arm over her shoulder when he noticed her concern.
"You know that lady that was here with me? She insisted I didn't tell her ex that she was coming here, but then I accidentally did..."
"Why? Why would you do that? That's not like you," Steve interrupted her, incredulous that his friend would do such a thing as betraying someone's trust.
"An offer I just couldn't refuse," she put it simply. For a second, she foolishly wondered if Remy was still going to fulfill his side of the bargain. He'd better! "The point is," she continued. "She saw him and then, he left and now she's running after him. She's not coming back here tonight. Fucking unbelievable!"
"Isn't that girl the one who couldn't touch people and was on and off with that super hot devil-eyes guy? Man, that guy looked like sex in one single package!"
"The one and only. They are great together, when they are together. Even when they aren't an item, there's this fire crackling in the air when they are close to each other, this sexual tension, it's painful to watch how stupid these two are. Why can't they just stay together?"
"Well, I can't say I get straight people that well, so..."
"Anyways, never mind those two. I just wish they'd quit the stupidity and got their shit together for once and for all, but a friend can only help so much. It's up to the two of them now. They will probably end the night in each other's pants. So, another round of shots, and then back to the dance floor?"
"I thought you'd never ask!"
His mind was racing wild as he finally managed to set his foot out of the club. The sound of the loud music was instantly replaced by the city noises. Those constant deafening sounds were a sort of fabric that weaved into the matter of that place, into his matter too, they got jumbled with his own erratic heartbeat and somber mood, serving as the perfect soundtrack for the state of worry he was immersed in.
Why would she use that number to call him unless it was something truly concerning? He was sure last month's wire transfer went through all right, it most certainly was not about that. Did anyone find out their address and jeopardize their safety? Man, he would lose it, he would be so mad, that he could probably kill anyone who dared to pose a threat to her and the others.
Such was his concern, that he hadn't noticed the familiar pattern of footsteps approaching. He was holding his phone, firing messages again when she touched his shoulder and made him jump a little.
"Chére!?" He asked, a little disconcerted. "What are you doing here?" He couldn't quite believe his eyes, the woman who had been avoiding him like the plague had followed him out of the club. Rogue had always been the Queen of mixed signals, he truly didn't know how her ways still surprised him.
He put his phone away surreptitiously and looked into her eyes, those beautiful green eyes that held the key to his soul. His eyebrows knitted together, he felt like he was the little mouse cornered by the cat. That woman who could see right through him.
"What were YOU doing there? That should be the question, right? But knowing you as I do, I guess we can skip that one for now. Why leave in such a hurry, Remy?" She asked him, raising an eyebrow, her chin pointing high up in defiance.
"Why do you care now, chére? I got the impression you didn't even want me there in the first place. Maybe I just realized I should give you the space you seem to need so bad," he tried his best to sound offended by her avoidance. In reality, it didn't affect him that way, just the opposite. It was part of their age-old sordid little game.
"Cut the bull, Remy! You were coming in my direction, looking at me like, like you wanted me... you know, that way you do, like you were hungry for me or something... Don't play dumb, we both know what was happening, then your phone rang and you left without even saying a proper goodbye," she said, sounding more offended than she would have liked to reveal.
He sighed deeply, he had no time for that, yet there he was, giving her his precious time, just because it was her, his love, his one true love, the one that got away. His breathing quickened, and his eyes turned soft. Rogue was usually the one in denial, confused about her feelings, Remy always knew very well what she represented to him. He looked away from her so her concerned stare wouldn't become too overwhelming for him and made him lose focus. Staring at nothing, in particular, he rubbed his temples for a moment.
"Listen, chére. I'd love to catch up with you, but I gotta go. I really got to go now," he declared matter-of-factly.
"Really? You're leaving just like that? After all this? I'm sure you must have gone out of your way to bribe Jubs so she would tip you off..."
He chuckled at that, she really knew him so well.
"You have no idea!" He confessed with a little smile.
"Listen, Remy. You are always running into mess after mess. Please, promise me whatever this is that you'll take care of yourself, okay? Perhaps, I could go with you. I could help you deal with whatever has come your way. No judgments, no questions asked."
"Ain't you sweet? It seems that Rogue still loves Gambit," he teased her, he couldn't help it.
"Dumbass. I just don't want to be called in the middle of the night to get your ass out of frozen land, or something worse. If I go with you, I could spare myself that kind of trouble," she offered, trying to downplay her concern for his wellbeing.
"Thanks, ma princesse. I really appreciate it, but time is of the essence right now and I can't really share with you where I'm going."
"Remy, I can handle myself. Come on," she insisted.
"It's not you that I worry about, I can't tell you where I'm going for the protection of others."
She thought that he was trying to protect someone from her and immediately felt terribly sad. In her mind, she erroneously assumed he was referring to the fact that she ended up touching and hurting Belladonna when she followed him to help him that one time. Kept in the dark about his secret as she was, she wouldn't understand what he had really meant.
"Oh, I see," she commented in a low voice. By now, he was growing impatient and had to get on with his business. There was time for him to self-indulge in the presence of his Anna. Other more important matters awaited.
"Anna, all I can say is that this is important, mon amour. Sorry, but I simply can't stay and you can't go with me. So there you go, the proper goodbye you wanted," he spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice, in that sexy tone and accent that always makes her melt inside. Then, without warning, he bent down, cupped her face with his hands, and gave her a quick peck on her lips, closing his eyes as he did so. It was such a simple gesture of affection, so simple yet so meaningful. It was just like he used to do when she was still his girlfriend.
Taken by surprise, she lifted a hand to touch her lips subconsciously, as if she could feel with her fingertips a trace of him. He hadn't seen her doing that, though. He kissed her and was already on the move, leaving her behind. She stood there paralyzed, watching him step away hurriedly. His bike was parked nearby, she could see it. Before climbing onto it, this time he spared a moment to look at her from the distance. She didn't know if she was imagining things, taken by emotion as she was, his eyes looked sad, they seemed to be glistening with unshed tears.
That man and his unique eyes, the way they momentarily smiled when he waved an awkward final goodbye at her. It touched her heart in all the right and wrong ways. He had both empathy and a very masculine form of strength that evoked feelings she didn't know she still had. He was divine. There's no other way to say it. It was easy to fall in love with him over and over again and there was no reverse gear. But, no, not her, not anymore, she was totally cured. These days Remy LeBeau was her best friend, and nothing else, she lied to herself. She was simply worried about his well-being, that was all.
And then, while she let herself get carried away for a brief moment, off he went, speeding into the night. Rogue watched him go for a heartbeat or two, then, she took the impetuous decision of soaring high in the sky and following him that way. She needed to know what it was that he was keeping from her. She used less than 10 seconds to fire Jubilee a text message, after all, she deserved some sort of explanation. Then, her body was airborne, at first she couldn't locate him and his bike but managed to spot him when he was crossing George Washington bridge, heading to New Jersey.
'What business does this devil have in New Jersey?' she thought, intrigued, as she followed him.
Curiously enough, he was acting as if he knew he was being followed, unnecessarily taking way too many turns and riding into empty streets to confuse anyone that could be on his tail. Rogue kept an altitude so he would probably not notice her and always kept herself a bit behind until his bike finally met its final destination. He parked it in a residential area and continued his journey on foot, always looking over his shoulder as he went. And that was actually the hardest for her, not to lose him in the dark of the night as he took it to climbing to a rooftop and subsequently, jumping like a cat from roof to roof, making little to no noise at all. Following the roar of his bike was definitely a much easier task.
Adding to that, without the sound of his bike to cover up any sounds her body piercing the cold air of the night might make, she had to stay well behind him. For a while, she thought she had lost him, but then, she saw him when he slid down a rooftop and landed beautifully on a well-manicured lawn. Feeling relieved that not all her effort to follow him was lost, she sat down on the roof she had been walking on and just watched him with bated breath from afar.
Handsome Remy LeBeau walked calmly to the porch of a suburban house like nothing had happened like he hadn't spent the last half-hour using all tricks in his book to lose anyone who might have been following him. He rang the bell, but not before having a final look around, inspecting his surroundings. Not satisfied, he got his phone and started texting.
Finally, there was someone at the door, from inside a petit lady in her forties stepped out and greeted the tall man with a fierce hug, her arms were around his waist for a while and he reciprocated her gesture. When she let go of him, she rushed him in and that was all of it for Rogue, all the information she would get. He was out of her sight, welcome by a lady, getting into her house, so it didn't seem like her ex-boy was in any imminent danger, as she expected and half-hoped. After all, it had to be a life-or-death situation, right? What else could have made him leave and pass on the opportunity to flirt with her shamelessly all night? The realization slowly came to her. Maybe, just maybe, he could be more interested in another friend.
Perhaps he wasn't running away from her to save the world, or unifying his Guild, after all, to stop some brutal slaughter, it most probably wasn't something all that grand that he had to do. Remy might have different priorities and that was okay. They were not together, hadn't been in a while, mostly because she chose that. So, why the hell was that bothering her now? She had no right to feel the way she did, like he owed her something, as that man belonged to her
Rogue sat alone in the dark of night and finally came to terms with the fact that she wasn't the holy grail of his life anymore. That realization overwhelmed her for a while, and her heart was invaded with some unprecedented melancholy that she didn't know could even exist. Still, she just couldn't bring herself to move and just leave, so she didn't. She replayed the events of the night in her head while staring at the house he entered. She thought of all her anticipation for a night of dancing and fun with a longtime X-men friend, no men, or games, just pure fun. Tough luck, she thought. Look at where she was ending the night, on the roof of some suburban family house longing for her ex to still be into her.
'I'm just being ridiculous now,' she thought.
Rogue finally stood up, bent on going home, just when she saw what she was completely positive was the shadow of Remy and a woman coming for a window on the top floor of the house. The lights in the room were on and she could recognize the contour of his nose from miles away, the way he held himself and moved, his height. It was him and a woman in what seemed to be a heated argument. He was gesturing with his hands and he only ever did that when he was frustrated that he wasn't getting his message across. At that moment, curiosity took the best of her and she just threw the rest of her shame and dignity out of the window and decided to knock at the door. What for? You might ask, well, let's just say Rogue didn't know that answer to that question either.
Without a care in the world or a plan, for that matter, she made her way to the front door and knocked. Once, twice, no answer. When she was about to give up and just get the hell out of Remy's business, the door opened ever so slightly, and the same woman from before could be seen. She took in Rogue's appearance silently, hair disheveled from all that flying, a sequined mini skirt, and quite revealing black top with high heels that matched it. Even though the ensemble was quite flashy, she didn't seem to be judging her. On the contrary, she seemed concerned for her.
"Can I help you, my dear?"
When wide-eyed Rogue didn't reply at all, she pressed the matter.
"How did you know to come here?"
"Well, I'm... I'm actually looking for someone." Those seemed to be the wrong words to say as the lady started closing the door.
"Wait! Please! I'm here for Remy, Remy LeBeau. I'm his friend."
The door opened once again. The lady examined her from head to toe as if trying to figure out some difficult puzzle. Again, she didn't feel judged, just observed curiously. Rogue took a step closer and the lady took one good look at her face, her eyes found Rogue's, and then she saw her facial structure, the white in her hair, and her whole face lit up with regained confidence. She finally recognized that beautiful overdressed stranger in front of her. A wide smile spread on her face, a smile that touched he eyes too.
"You are Rogue, aren't you? He told me about you once and showed me your picture."
"Yes, I am," she declared timidly.
"You're the one," the lady chuckled in amusement, Rogue did not understand what could be so funny. "You're the only girl who would make him contemplate walking down the aisle again. Come on in, darling. He didn't tell me you were coming, but of course, you're welcome here."
Rogue followed the woman inside, more confused than she had been when she watched Remy get into an unsuspecting suburban house. She knew Remy wouldn't be very pleased when he saw her there, stubbornly acting against his wishes, still, she obeyed the lady entering the house and probably entered the realm of another secret of Remy's. Crossing her heart and expecting the worst, she just hoped it wasn't another wife this time.
Author's Notes: Next time, Remy's side of things and maybe a better insight into his secret. But some clues are definitely here in this chapter. Any ideas?