Tfobmv18 – he does try…but hey, if Rogue made it easy for him, he wouldn't have any fun, right? Silly Cajun…

Red Skippy – its not that he wasn't thinking, exactly…its just that his thoughts weren't very good in this case. Lol. And don't worry…he definitely owes our southern belle a few favors!

Shandy – Hooray! I am so glad that this is not only your favourite, but your favourite favourite Romy fic!! I may even through myself a party! Really, thank you! That's such an awesome compliment! Yeah…Emma is one of those frustrating people that you can never quite like or dislike. She's interesting but she's just such a hussy! And as to Remy's smoothness…he is well known for his comebacks…read on…

Rck. – Hahahaha! I'm so sorry I deprived you of your sleep but I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the story so much that you couldn't put it down! Your enthusiasm humbles me! Here is the update you so desperately wanted, and I hope it lives up to your expectations!

Suis. – Wow. I mean, just wow. Thank you so much. I have no idea how to respond to such kind words. I'm elated that you're enjoying my story and I hope it continues to have such merit. I swear I will never abandon this thing. I've come too far!

Crack4sure – Yeah, the date did sort of take a nose dive. These two southerners can prove quite volatile, but as often as they ruin things, they can also have an unbelievably good time!

Queenofspades19 – Emma does have a nasty habit of screwing things up. Ugh. But she's so good at it. No one else has that brazen quality to be so entirely self-concerned. Thanks for the compliment!

Selina – Good to hear from you again my friend! I'm so glad to hear you have a dress similar to Rogue's! I actually looked up outfits for both of them online, as well as the club, which actually exists. Yay! As to the dancing bit…I'm just sort of giving Remy the ultimate smooth points and assuming he could pull it off. That part was kind of based on my 16th birthday, when a guy friend of mine pumped me full of wine coolers and decided to teach me how to swing dance. All I remember were colors spinning and spinning and spinning. Lol. But good point. That was probably a bit stretched. I am really glad that Emma's entrance didn't seem contrived. I live in fear of seeming contrived, so thanks for the confidence boost! And honestly Remy's animosity towards her was only my own irritation thinly veiled. Though how one can get irritated with a situation you create in your head…I guess I'm just strange. Lol. Thanks again for a great review! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Bologna121 – hahaha! I'm so glad you enjoyed the fedora! I love them and think they're so sexy. Remy is also sexy. So in this case sexy+sexy=OMG. Lol! And again, I swear this fic will not be abandoned, though someday it may sadly have to end. Hopefully I can make it worth it though. Thanks for reading and for your review!

Part 20: The Art of the Segway

Mah shoes landed in the closet with a loud thud, followed by the bang of the slamming closet door. Ah was in full fume mode, and no inanimate object was safe from the violence. Notebooks were slung mercilessly from the bed to the floor, mah dress got slung to the laundry hamper, even mah toothbrush was used aggressively.

Ah scrubbed the makeup and perfume off, leavin' mah face pink and raw with the effort, and changed into mah pajamas. Ah was busily pacin' an angry hole in the floor when a knock came at the door. Ah wasn't surprised.

"Ah have nothin' to say to ya, ya slimy low down gutter hound!"

"Uh, kid? Did I miss somethin'?"

Dang. Ah hate wastin' a perfectly good insult. "Sorry, ah thought you were someone else. Ah'm not really in the mood to chat, Logan."

Ah heard his feet shuffle behind the door. "Could I please come in? It'll only take a second, I swear."

Sighin', ah finally opened the door. "What?"

"Can I come in?" He repeated the question somewhat unsurely, no doubt in response to the expression on mah face.

"Be mah guest." Ah gestured grandly, tryin' to remember what Moira had told me about directing mah anger only toward what ah was angry at.

"Thanks, kid." Logan took a few steps into the room, scratchin' the back of his neck and shuffling his feet. Nervous. That's never a good sign.

Ah managed to get mah ire under control long enough to be curious. "What's wrong? Did somethin' happen?"

"No, everything's fine. Just had somethin' I wanted to say."

"Could we get to it then please? Ah'm in a bit of a foul temper and you don't deserve the brunt of it."

"Oh…you mean yer not still mad at me?"

"That's not exactly what ah said, but this particular batch of wrath is cookin' foah someone else."

Logan shifted his weight again, his eyes dartin' everywhere around the room that wasn't at me. "I thought maybe it'd be appropriate to thank you…fer yer help with Jubilee the other day."

"If that's seriously it can we be done? Yoah welcome, mah pleasure, good night."

"No, that's not it. That's just the easier part where I know you won't punch me in the face. Yer not exactly makin' this easy on me."

"Life ain't easy."

"Kid-,"

"Sorry, Logan. Hang on a second." Ah raised a finger to stop him, and closed mah eyes, takin' a few deep breaths. Logan was tryin' to talk to me, and until he was finished ah would put the rest of this evening out of mah thoughts. Logan and ah had unfinished business of sorts, and at this moment there was nothin' ah could do about dang ol' Remy. One thing at a time.

Ah opened mah eyes. "Okay, let's try this again. Why don't you sit down Logan?" Forcin' a smile, ah gestured to the vanity bench and took a seat on the bed. Logan watched mah change in posture before cautiously takin' the seat.

"Ah'm sorry ah'm in a rotten mood tonight, but it's been a bit of a rough day. Ah am glad you've come to see me. We haven't really talked in a while."

His eyes were still watchin' apprehensively, but his shoulders relaxed a little. "Yeah, that's kinda what I'm here about."

"Okay, shoot."

"I think I was probably a little harsh with you back in the danger room." Ah raised an eyebrow. "All right, fair enough, I was really harsh with you."

"But ah pushed you first."

"It's not about who did what first. You've always been a good friend to me and I shouldn't have been aggressive with ya. It's not an excuse, but I've never been much fer criticism."

"Ah'll remember that."

"Just cause I don't like it doesn't mean I don't need it sometimes. I got issues just like everyone else. I think it's probably a good thing that I have a friend who'll stand up to me when they think I'm doing somethin' wrong. I hope I haven't done something stupid to screw that up."

"Yoah usin' an awful lot of words to avoid sayin' sorry, Logan."

"Yeah."

Ah took a deep breath, knowin' ah had to be honest some more, and grateful in a twisted way that the evenin' with Gambit already had mah dander up. "Look, Ah'm not mad at ya. Ah knew you were gonna hit the roof when ah said what ah said, but if yoah waitin' foah me to say sorry back then yoah gonna be coolin' yoah heels. You attacked me as a person when it was totally unwarranted. Ah attacked one action of yoahs, and ah'm gonna stand by mah opinion."

"So what yer not gonna forgive me unless I go find this family?"

"The decision is all yoahs, and ah love ya no matter what you decide. Ah just want you to know that if makin' up means apologizin' foah somethin' ah believe is right, then ah just can't do it."

"I'm not here to ask fer yer apology, I'm here to give mine."

"Well ah was pretty much over that already."

"Really?"

"Yeah, just been waitin' on you. You still mad at me?"

He paused, choosing his words. "No. Not at you. I'm still ticked with the situation and I hope we can just agree to disagree."

"Like ah said, its yoah choice, yoahs alone. Ah won't tell anyone, and ah won't interfere. But just to reiterate, if ah found out ah was yoah daughter-,"

"Are you sayin' you think of me as a father?!"

His tone was incredulous. It sort of caught me offguard, so ah hedged with a question. "Well how do you think of me?"

"I don't think of you in any stinkin' pigtails that's fer sure! Do I seem that old to you?"

"No. Yoah 29."

He tried not to smile but one corner of his mouth betrayed him. "All right, so I'm probably a good bit older than you. But I always thought of you and me as equal shares. I dunno, more brother/sister if we're using the family thing."

"That suits me fine. It's easier to bust chops if we're on the same footing."

"Just go a little easy on me somedays. Baby steps."

"Spare the rod, spoil the child." Ah tried to keep a straight face but couldn't. Teasin' Logan makes me too happy.

He shook his head. "Kid, yer a handful some days."

Ah felt mah smile slip away. "Can ah ask you one question though, befoah we close this matter entirely?"

"Crap."

"Please?"

"All right. Go."

Ah hesitated, tryin' to be careful with mah words. "Sometimes…when people get angry…they say things that they don't really mean or believe. But other times anger acts kinda like alcohol, a disinhibitor, making you say things that you really do think but would never have said otherwise..."

"You wanna know if I believe what I said?"

"Yeah…ah guess so."

He nodded, mullin' it over. Dang. Ah hoped this would be a quick response. "Yes and no."

"Oh."

"Wait up and let me talk, if we're gonna do this. You got some baggage, Rogue. And yeah, I think some of it comes from you makin' bad choices, and I wish you would own that so you could get over it. Everybody makes some lousy plays, but you gotta take responsibility before you can learn from it. That said, yer not pathetic, and the grand majority of yer baggage comes from other people and things beyond yer control. I know from experience those things are harder to let go. I also didn't have any right to turn cutthroat on ya. Pain ain't a competition, and I don't know what its like to be you, any more than you can know the opposite. Does that answer yer question?"

Ah smiled. "Yeah. Ah guess ah kinda already knew that, but it was fun to make you say it."

"Well get yer kicks in now, cause after this I've got a long night of stiff drinkin' to see to."

"Please, don't let me stop you. Ah've got a full schedule mahself."

"Oh yeah? What's on the agenda?"

"Moppin' the floor with a lousy behind followed by a swift kick to those same pants."

He grunted. "Good luck with that. Holler if you need a hand."

"Or a claw?"

"Ooh. Someone's in serious trouble."

"You could say that."

"Well…now that we've opened the gate fer constructive criticism…maybe hear the Cajun out before ya make him a eunuch."

He turned to go, and mah voice followed him weakly. "Ah thought you didn't like him."

"I'm not sayin' I do. But let's face it: fer some stupid reason he makes ya happy. Besides, you can still neuter him after ya listen, with my blessing."

With that final Logan-ism he took his leave, and ah sat with the irritable feelin' that he was probably right. Pity, ah was still in the mood to be mad. Unable to reconcile mah temper with mah better judgment, ah took back to pacin' the floor.

What was the man thinkin'? Really? Did he forget about the whole mah skin plus someone else's equals catastrophe? And did we even need to discuss the floozy? Was ah really special like he kept tellin' me, or just another duck in a row? Could ah trust his answer? Every time ah started feelin' optimistic about the man he found some genius way to foul things up.

Mah mind wandered back to Moira, though it made me want to kick mahself. Ah'd like to think ah'm far too sophisticated to gain much from therapy, but after only a week ah found mahself hopelessly in awe of Dr. MacTaggart.

Moira was the perfect match. She was insightful, kind, and inviting. Ah didn't want to like her but ah couldn't help it. The first day in therapy she had taken the unorthodox route of tellin' me all about herself and her experiences with the mutant community. Befoah ah even realized what she was doin' ah felt close to her, kindred. Learnin' about her relationship with the Professor was weird, granted, but learnin' about her marriage and the loss of her son had quickened my stubborn heart to compassion after all. Moreover, it made me want to talk to her, confide in her. She was good.

The following sessions had focused on three major points: one, ah needed to find a way to use mah real name. This was mah least favorite, and ah was plannin' to just ignore it foah now. Moira said that people who use more than one name, particularly those who have suffered "trauma" like me, tend to compartmentalize their experiences. Foah a temporary survival method this is fine, but in the long term it prevents real healing, or so the good doctor seemed to think.

The second tenant was temper control. After reviewing mah file she concluded that often mah temper is a defense mechanism. Dang ah coulda told her that and ah don't have any degrees. It just so happens to be a fantastic defense mechanism. Works wonders foah me. But as per her instructions ah was supposed to gauge if ah was truly angry, how angry ah was, and at whom befoah ah took any decisive action. Somehow ah wasn't in the mood this evenin'.

The third item on mah list of self-improvements was honesty. Ah never really considered mahself dishonest, but apparently Moira thinks ah'm one big pit of misinformation. She says that omission can be a form of untruth: ah omit mah past experiences and mah real feelings. Ah knew we'd have to get around to the touchy feely part at some point. Ah don't make a habit of sitting down and telling people how ah feel about them. Ah figure actions speak louder than words, and they should know. Moira says that the saying is foah mah benefit because ah need to become ok with feelin' vulnerable. Did she even read mah chart?

However, foah the purposes of this evening sayin' how ah really felt seemed only too simple. So with what ah can only imagine as a wicked smile, ah burst out of mah room and headed downstairs to skin mahself a Cajun.

Ah didn't have the courtesy to knock. Ah probably should have.

He was sittin on the bed, missin' his shoes, tie, and hat. His black shirt was untucked and unbuttoned to halfway down his chest, which was immediately distracting, but not the worst part. His elbows rested on his knees, and his head was in his hands until it rose to look at me: he looked every bit as dejected as a kicked puppy. It was so pitiful that a feelin' almost like guilt twisted in mah stomach.

No! Not this time. Ah just couldn't let him wriggle his way out of every misstep…Could I? Of course not! Stick to yoah guns, girl!

Ah resumed mah angry posture and put mah hands on mah hips. "Would you like to explain just what exactly you were thinkin' tonight Remy Lebeau? Befoah ah give you a heapin' helpin' of mah mind?"

He sighed, and pulled himself back fully onto the bed, stretchin' his legs in front of him.

"Chere, Remy really doesn' know what he would say."

"Really? Nothin'? Does this mean yoah oblivious to the fact that you did somethin' wrong?"

"Non…I know. I just don' know how I could have avoided it. I always do somet'ing wrong wit' you."

There it was…that familiar little pang that made me want to go comfort him. Ludicrous. Ah took a deep breath, determined to get through this without backin' down.

"You coulda been original. All this time you've been sellin' me on this 'different and special' bit, and then the second ah give you a chance you start treatin' me like every other girl you've ever been with. You coulda listened to me when ah said ah didn't wanna dance. You could have let me go home when ah asked to, rather than waitin' around foah that hussy to flaunt herself all over our table. You even could've taken me and walked away from her, but you just sat there."

"S' not like I didn' try to make her leave us alone."

"Well then explain the rest. Ah wanna know just exactly what you were thinkin'. The truth. Because ah'm getting plum fed up of playin' the fool in this little arrangement."

"You t'ink yo' de only one who's been eatin' crow? Dammit Rogue sometimes ah t'ink you live and breathe fo' my mistakes!"

"What in tarnation are you talkin' about?"

"I do t'ings right, I get maybe a smile, a gesture, but de second I screw up de sky falls. It's like every second yo' waitin' and watchin' fo' me to slip and do somet'ing you can pounce on. I can' be perfect. I'm gonna screw up sometimes. Can' you ever let anyt'ing go?"

"Remy this evening was not a mistake, it was a total disaster! Ah went out on a limb fo' you. Ah let you make every decision and ah went along with it even though a dang swing club isn't the most comfortable place foah a girl with mah issues, so don't you dare pin this on me! Every time ah'm upset you try to make it sound like its all in mah head, and its not. How many girls have you been with that thought they were somethin' special whether you wanted them to or not? How many of them were dead wrong? Ah can't afford to be wrong about this."

"I can' change what happened in de past, Rogue."

"Ah'm not expectin' you to. Ah just need to know that ah'm not part of yoah past. Ah need to know that we're both over that and ready to move forward."

"I've been tryin' to tell you dat!"

"Well then indulge me and explain it again. What were you thinkin'?"

He sighed. "Do you have any idea how long it took jus' to get to a first date?"

Ah thought about it. "Ah guess a little longer than typical, but we have extenuatin' circumstances."

"Yeah. And a single screw up sets us back about 2 years."

"That's mah fault?"

"Oui."

"Swamp rat you sure are makin' a hell of a case."

"You gon' let me finish?"

"Maybe. Depends on how long you stay on this fantasy that ah somehow ruined this evening."

"I didn' wan' to try anyt'ing new because I was too afraid dat somet'ing would go wrong."

"Ah'm not sure how to wrap mah brain around that one."

"It's easier to take risks when yo' comfortable. I can never be too comfortable wit' you. Like right now, if I don' come up with a good answer, yo' gon' call de whole t'ing off. I couldn' risk havin' leavin' anyt'ing to chance, so I picked somet'ing dat I knew had always been good."

Ah was taken aback. "Ah never said ah was gonna call the whole thing off."

"Weren't you?"

"No! Not unless you said somethin' ridiculous like you invited Emma to see what ah'd do…or that we were only there so you could see your sweet Jean-Paul again."

"WHAT?!"

"Longshots, exactly. Just because ah'm mad at ya doesn't mean ah'm gonna call the whole thing off. Ah said ah would give you a chance and ah'm tryin to do that. Geez."

"Well you got to admit, dat's a new development."

"Ah don't have to admit anythin'. Yoah still on the hook, Lebeau. So go on."

He groaned. "Why you wan' to make me do dis?"

"Because ah have to know the problem befoah it can be fixed and avoided in the future. And because you always dodge questions about yoahself and so help me ah am gonna make you talk this time."

"Fine. I made you dance because it was a chance fo' me to be close to you and show off."

"So just blatant selfishness then? Remy did you not even think about the fact that ah coulda really hurt somebody?"

"AND I wanted you to stop worryin' so much all de time and just enjoy yo'self. I wanted you to see dat we could be a normal couple sometimes. Yeah we got some issues, but dose issues don' have to define who we are and what we do."

"Yes, Remy, Ah'm afraid they do. Ah should think that would be obvious enough by now, or should ah go down the list of things we absolutely cannot do?"

"Name one."

"SWING DANCING."

"We can absolutely do dat…we just gotta be more careful about how."

"Remy you know what ah mean."

"Yes, but you overexaggerate t'ings. Not'ing's forbidden, we just got to be creative."

"You are bein' entirely too optimistic."

"One o' us has to be."

"How about a kiss goodnight? How do ah be creative about that? Remy yoah bein' completely ridiculous."

Remy got up, crossed the room, and kissed the back of mah glove. Ah sighed and pulled away from him. "That's not the same and you know it. If this is gonna work then you need to realize that ah am not normal. If you really need a normal-,"

"Could you jus' stop talkin'?"

That made me so mad ah coulda killed him. Ah opened mah mouth to scream at him, but he swooped me right off the ground so fast that ah couldn't even think of what ah was gonna say.

Ah landed on the bed somewhat less than gently, and he was on top of me, his arms wrapped tightly around me so that ah couldn't move mine. Unfortunately ah was in too much shock to even try.

His lips found me. Found mah shoulders, the collar of mah shirt, the sensitive skin of mah throat through mah hair, and ah had no time to think. Ah could only lay there, suspended in time and space, gasping foah air, a slave to mah senses.

His scent washed all over me, intoxicating, intimate, warm, and distinctly masculine. His weight was a close, heavy, pleasant thing, and ah was amazed at feelin' every tiny detail of his movement against me: the heaving of his chest, the thudding of his heart, the fluttering of his breath, the gentle rolling of his muscles. Like a curtain of silk, his hair fell against mah skin, and the sensation sent chills up mah spine. Fingertips traced over me hungrily, starting at mah thighs and workin' their way up mah side and into mah hair, where they closed into a tight fist. Ah heard a moan and realized with a distant sort of surprise that it was me.

His lips found their way to mah ear, where they whispered with a quiet sort of desperation, "Touch me." The sound of his voice was like wine; potent, intoxicating, irresistible.

Something about these words had a distant ring of something dark and cold, but ah couldn't quite grasp it through the sound of his want.

Tentatively, mah fingers found their way to his shoulders, and the heat of his skin burning through the thin fabric set me aflame. Mah fingers traced less than gentle patterns down his back, and his breath came in quick pants. Each time he responded ah became less and less rational. Ah wrapped mah arms around him and pulled him closer to me, as though there were such a way. Without even thinkin' about it, mah legs wound their way around his, and it was his turn to moan.

With us feverishly exploring each other through the frustrating barrier of our clothes, becoming more and more impassioned, it should have come as no surprise when his hips locked with mine. In some ways, it felt perfectly natural, but in another more immediate way it jarred me back into reality. It wasn't just the powers, though that's enough reason foah anybody. Even without them, ah wasn't ready foah this.

"Stop."

He froze, our bodies still together, and brought his eyes to meet mine. They were glowing, and it made me shiver.

"Ah…ah can't." But dear sweet Lord ah wanted to. His face still burned down into mine, and suddenly ah felt incredibly stupid.

Its hard to explain why ah felt stupid. Remy's older than me. There's no part of him that isn't fully a man. But at this moment, there was still so much about me that ah didn't understand that ah was stunted. Ah was as unsure of mahself as a toddler tryin' to skip rope, and ah was too scared to go any further. Yet here ah was with this god among lovers who could surely now see that he had gotten himself involved with a completely ridiculous airhead who had led him on.

Mah hands came up and covered mah face. Ah couldn't stand to have him lookin' at me.

"Hey…" he started gently.

"Ah'm sorry ah'm sorry ah'm sorry."

"Hey…," ah felt him lift from on top of me and begin tuggin' at mah wrists. "Stop dat. Come back."

Ah didn't want to come out, but deep down ah knew that the ostrich maneuver was completely ridiculous and probably wasn't helpin' mah cause. Ah let him pull mah hands away, but ah wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Rogue, what are you sorry about?"

"Ah don't know."

He smiled at me. "Den why are you sorry?"

"Ah…ah don't want to disappoint you."

"Oh chere!" He pulled me into an embrace. "If dat's what you call disappointing, den disappoint me as often as you like."

"But ah…stopped you."

"Yes. Leave it to me to get carried away while tryin' to make a point. Look at me."

Begrudgingly, ah managed to look into his face foah a brief moment. "I like bein' with you, petit. I don' really care what we're doin'. But you know what I don' like?"

"What?"

"When yo' unhappy. I wan' you to break out of dat shell and have a good time, but I don' wan' you to ever do anyt'ing you really don' wan' to just because you t'ink it will make me happy. Bien?"

Ah managed to smile a little bit and nod. He pulled me back against his chest and started runnin' his fingers gently through mah hair. "I didn' bother you, did I?"

"No. Except that you distracted me from killin' you."

"A strong sense of self-preservation is a t'ief's first defense."

"So what point were you tryin' to make?"

"Dat yo' normal, o' course. Keep up."

"How does this prove anything?"

"You feel, t'ink…and wan' just like anybody else. And yo' a smart girl. Dere's not'ing dat you can' have."

"One thing…"

"Admittedly I need to t'ink on dat one a little more, but I'm not t'rowin' in de towel jus' yet. Besides, we don' even need to worry about dat until yo' ready. And..I'm kinda glad yo' not ready jus' yet."

"What? Why?"

"S' hard to explain. I guess because…yo' so different from everyone else. I like it dat s' a special t'ing to you. Because dat way if it does happen, I'll know dat it means somet'ing…dat you really wan' me."

"You didn't feel that way befoah?"

"Maybe once or twice. Mostly I jus' felt like de means to an end. And dat's ok, dere's merit in dat too, but I t'ink I've finally gotten to a point where I wan' somet'ing different."

"Which is?"

"You. Obviously. Pay attention."

Ah smiled.

"So does dis mean I'm forgiven?"

"No."

"Merde."

"Ah have conditions."

"Encore, merde."

"You wanna get out of the doghouse or not?"

He sighed. "Let's hear it, chere."

"One: this does not count as our first date. We are goin' on another first dat of mah choosin'."

"D'accord. I await wit' baited breath."

"Two: yoah turn is officially over."

"My turn at what?"

"Questions. It's mah turn to ask you questions."

"Oh come on chere! T'ings were just gettin' good!"

"Take it or leave it."

"Chere…dere are some questions…dat I might not be able to answer."

"Well then we can at least get started."

He looked down at me, and ah didn' understand his expression. It seemed like a simple enough request, but he looked genuinely hesitant. Ah stuck mah chin out stubbornly.

"D'accord."

"Good. Back in business then."

"Can I at least have a respite fo' dis evenin? My mind is a little…out of sorts…"

"Why's that?"

"Because I was born male."

"Oh…" Ah tried not to blush, but found it impossible. "In that case, ah think ah'll take mah leave foah the evenin'. It's getting late."

"Actually 's getting early, but dat's no reason fo' you to go…"

Ah smiled at him. "Ah could use a little time to put mah thoughts back together." Ah stood up, and he stood with me.

"Den dere's just one more matter to resolve."

"Oh?"

"De goodnight kiss."

"Remy ah don't think ah can handle-,"

"Deep breaths, petit. Remy is bein' a gentleman."

He took mah hand again, but kept his eyes locked with mine as he bent over to kiss mah palm. He held me there just long enough that ah started to wonder if he was gonna sweep me off mah feet again befoah he released me.

"Goodnight, mah chere."

Ah felt mah face redden one last time, and an uncontrollable, guilty grin passed over mah face.

"Goodnight, Remy." Ah hurried to make mah exit befoah ah could embarrass mahself further, and ran straight into the doorjamb on the way out. Ah didn't turn around, just let the sound of his bellowin' laughter chase me down the hall.

15