Part 6- ‘Finding a confidant…’
Rogue leaned forward in the shower bracing herself against the tiled wall as the scalding water hit her skin. She watched the water bounce off her skin and flow down and away, she always set the water temperature to something slightly higher than comfortable, just so she could feel something. Desperate to feel anything, even if that was just the sting of water that was too hot.
Her hair hung limply about her shoulders, the white streaks falling over her eyes and she smiled. She remembered how fascinated a certain Cajun had found the differing tones of her hair. And she remembered how forward she had been with him; flying into his room last night had been inspiring and certainly enjoyable. And the look on his face when she had demonstrated her new powers had been priceless.
She had managed to entice him out of the room, though in truth it hadn’t taken all that much enticing. She’d barely suggested they go for a midnight stroll when he was grabbing his shirt and pulling it over his head. She had sat in the window smirking widely as she watched him hop from one foot to the other pulling on his shoes.
And this was the suave and oh so cool New Orlean charmer!
He was dressed in a matter of minutes in a haste Rogue had yet to see rivalled, though when he caught her knowing smile, Remy had tried vainly to get back some of his debonair composure by carefully putting on his long coat and smoothing it down patiently. She only laughed louder at that, and grabbing him firmly by the hand pulled him towards the window. He was unsure though and pulled back hesitantly.
‘Oh come on Remy…not scared are ya?’ she goaded him, one hand placed challengingly on her hip.
‘Cher`ie Remy don’t frighten easily, but he prefer to keep his feet firmly on solid ground.’ But she wasn’t about to let him go that easily.
‘Sugah ya don’t know what you’re missing…’ She tugged on his hand once again, but he stood firm. Rogue saw at last that he was unsure, and she believed it was the first time she had ever seen him show any semblance of vulnerability. The sight touched her, standing close to him; she took his chin firmly in her hand and bringing his face close to hers, smiled warmly.
‘Swamp rat…ah won’t let you fall.’ They were simple words that carried a meaning and resonance far beyond their length. And the added lustre with which those green eyes sparkled up at him, allowed Remy little option but to do just what she asked. He only just managed to grab his staff before she had pulled him to the window and began climbing out herself.
She floated patiently outside his window as he took a deep breath and shook his head. He stuck his head out the window and promptly looked down. Big mistake…it sure as hell was a long way down. But she was floating out there patiently and there was no way he could pass up spending the rest of the night with her. So another deep breath, another shake of the head and he was climbing out the window, ‘the things I’m willing to do for you fille…’ he muttered under his breath.
He sat balancing precariously on the window sill his staff tucked under his arm, Rogue floated closer and taking both his hands gently eased him off the ledge. He instinctively shut his eyes and held them tightly closed.
‘Open ya eyes Remy…’ her voice whispered tantalisingly close to his ear. He complied, slowly prising open one eye and then the other. She was beaming widely at him and he couldn’t help but smile in return.
She held him close; wrapping his hands around her waist she held him about the shoulders. ‘Look…’ he turned his head slowly at her request and saw that they were far away from the warehouse, high up in the air and she was turning him around and around slowly. Letting him take in a roundabout view the city passing beneath them, he took in a sharp breath as the first pangs of vertigo hit him.
Rogue held him tighter and placing her head on his chest, whispered ‘it’s alright…’ And her soothing tones ensured his heart returned to a respectable rate and he began to breathe normally again.
Remy soon realised she was right, he had been missing out. The sensation of weightlessness was amazing, a resonating sense of freedom and thrilling fear all at once. Add to that the fact that she had wrapped her arms about her waist again and that she was resting her head on his chest ensured he was as close to heaven as a thief would ever get the privilege of being.
The fact she was here, still here amazed him, the night given the sequence of events had him wondering if he was still in his bed, happily dreaming.
‘Rogue, why me…?’
He had to know, for some reason it was beyond him merely to enjoy the situation and these few moments she was finally allowing him to see past the anger, he simply had to know.
‘Cher`ie why share this with me…? Remy always though he was your least favourite type of mutant…’ He waited patiently for her to form some sort of reply. She complied at last.
‘No reason swamp rat, there just ain’t nobody else…’ she shrugged her shoulders in seemingly quiet dismissal.
Remy pushed her all the same, ‘Nobody else huh? Thought ye were all one big happy famille over there…’
Rogue smiled and scoffed slightly, ‘Don’ ya know all families have their secrets…just seem they all intent on keeping them from me.’
She floated them both down towards the roof again and Remy thought he had pushed too far. But rather than leading him back to the window and back inside she led him to the edge of the warehouse roof. Sitting next to each other they dangled their legs playfully over the edge.
Remy looked down from that height quite comfortably now, funny how quickly you could get over vertigo once you knew there was someone to catch you if you fell. Rogue took a deep breath and turned her head away from him slightly. It was clear she was struggling with a memory.
Hours later Rogue would wonder about it, how it was she had opened up to him so completely; how easily the words had all tumbled out, all of it, Bobby’s betrayal, seeing him kiss that other girl and worse Logan’s lies.
Remy watched her carefully as she had talked bitterly of Logan and felt a strange instant pang of sentiment. Something he would later learn to identify as being close to jealousy. All he knew was there was no way a fille got so passionately angry about a guy unless she felt something for him, the same sort of passion Rogue was displaying now.
And as quickly as it came it was gone, and they moved on to talk of other things. She didn’t have a past, a painful fact she chose to quickly skim over. But he did, a wild, wonderful, colourful past that she had delighted in hearing about.
He had painful memories too of course; a father’s insistence that his usefulness extended only to the point of his mutancy, and within those words Rogue found that she wasn’t the only one who craved a genuine touch, a genuine attachment. Remy longed for it too.
They talked for hours, only realising the time when the sun chose to make its appearance on the horizon. Then holding him close once more she delivered him safely back to his room, he took a hold of her arm just as she turned to leave.
‘Can we do this again sometime cher`ie, Remy get the feeling this is one night he ain’t gonna forget in a hurry.’
She only nodded her agreement and was out of the window before he had the opportunity to say anything else.
Rogue turned the taps off at last feeling thoroughly refreshed; she reached for her towel and smiled. She wondered what Logan would make of her spending the night with Remy; perhaps she had caught a glimpse of what his reaction would be downstairs with Bobby.
Wrapping the towel around herself she stepped out of the shower and was suddenly aware of an intense pain in the left side of her head. She drew in a sharp breath at the sensation and clutched a hand to her pained head. It wasn’t the voices it was the memories.
She closed her eyes and was promptly engulfed.
Rogue was back on that battlefield, there were too many sounds, too many screams and so much pain…
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Author's Chapter Notes:
'Remy watched her carefully as she had talked bitterly of Logan and felt a strange instant pang of sentiment. Something he would later learn to identify as being close to jealousy. All he knew was there was no way a fille got so passionately angry about a guy unless she felt something for him, the same sort of passion Rogue was displaying now...'