Walking steadily through the woods of the school grounds Rogue ducked behind a bush and glanced over her shoulder curiously. Sighing, she looked at her watch and knew it would be dinner time soon, her absence would be noticeable, something she was getting use to. Glancing back over her shoulder she only saw the trail twist around a corner and in front of her was only the thickening trunks of decade old oaks.
Sometimes there was no escape.
Curling her first, she continued on for almost ten minutes and finally stopped with noticeable impatience.
“You’re really trying to get on my last nerve aren’t you,” she called out through the trees.
Moving her head from side to side, no obvious movement followed her words and she scoffed and leaned against a tree.
“I know you’ve been following me for the last ten minutes you might as well show yourself.”
A few branches shifted somewhere behind her. Remy LeBeau stalked around a bush and smiled at her while keeping a few feet between them.
“Remy was only trying to make sure you were alone, chere.”
Narrowing her eyes at him she pushed off of the tree and stood in front of him.
He winked at her seductively; every flick of his wrists and movement of his limbs was smooth, it was hard not to notice.
“You come for a rematch?”
Chuckling, softly Remy shook his head with amusement.
“Remy still be sore from da last time.”
Reaching down she pulled out a small object from the back of her jean pocket.
“I believe this is yours,” she remarked as she held up the card of the Queen of Hearts she’d found on Logan’s bed earlier, specifically on the pillow she regularly used.
Remy bowed playfully.
Frowning she threw card back at him. “Get a new calling card.”
He caught it swiftly and flipped it over his fingers back and forth. “’Dis is your card, chere.”
“What do you want Remy?” she asked through clenched teeth.
“Why do you always assume Remy only want something?”
“That’s a loaded question,” she laughed humourlessly.
The playfulness obvious in the set of his smile diminished quickly and she frowned at the shadow that passed over his handsome face.
“What’s wrong?” she found herself asking out of familiar concern.
He flipped the card over again in his hand and pocketed it in his jacket fondly, his eyes drawn away but when he glanced up again, his face was neutral.
“Graydon said you took off,” she stated and held her chin high, wondering what she was risking by talking to him.
Remy rolled his shoulders and nodded. “Oui.”
“Why?”
“Remy....Remy needed some time away,” he paused and smiled at her. “Besides from da latest news on tv looks like Remy got off dat sinking ship just in time. Graydon’s been discredited and so has everything he ever had his hands in.”
“Nice work, chere.”
Crossing her arms she stared at him, openly confused by what she was suppose to feel. She’d cared for the man before her once, maybe even loved him as much as she could, but she didn’t know how to trust him, how to be around him. That knowledge only made her feel a dawning of sadness despite gaining back so much in the last few days.
“No need to be sad on Remy’s fault,” he whispered suddenly, his eyes catching hers as he stepped closer.
“Remy...” she began and hesitated.
“No need for dat,” he interrupted. “’Dis Cajun only came to give you something.”
Her eyes glistened brightly and she blinked at him in uncertainty.
Reaching into his long trench coat he slowly pulled out a small paperback book, barely an inch thick. Her bottom lip trembled as she gazed at the diary in surprise. Tilting her head up, her wide eyes gazed at him in puzzlement.
Silently, Remy pressed the book into her hands and she rubbed her fingers over the cover.
“Why?” she asked breathless after a moment.
When he didn’t answer she glanced back up and asked him more strongly, “Why?”
“You’re worth it,” he replied hauntingly and finished by smiling at her delicately, the tempting smirk on his face replaced with an open kindness and rare vulnerability.
“Remy?” she asked perplexed. “Why now? Why would you...”
“Sometimes there’s honour among thieves,” he began, his red glowing eyes focused on her. “A thief’s actions can be worthy.”
Boldly he reached forward and cupped her chin. “And sometimes there can be faith in old friends.”
“Remy,” she breathed achingly and he dropped his hand and turned around.
“Remy know you be with da Wolf Man, but at least dis thief can say he touched da forbidden fruit and lived.”
“You’re more than a thief, Remy,” she replied in awe as she felt the diary’s weight in her hand.
“We’ll see,” he remarked off-hand and faced her again. “And you’re someone without dat book Rogue.”
“Thank you.”
He shrugged effortlessly, his flashy attitude spilling through his body and face again. “Nothing to it, chere. Might not even be worth anything without any of da other diaries to help make sense of dat drivel.”
She couldn’t help it; she felt a small smile build on her face at his sudden nonchalant attitude as though he hadn’t done something worthy of recognition.
“A warning though, chere,” he began, his eyes nodding at the book. “Some things are meant to stay buried. Things never stand still anyways.”
Her smile faltered and the book felt heavier in her hand and she nodded with a bowed head.
“Word on da street is dat you left Mystique?”
Nodding again, she looked him straight on. “I just needed things to stop for a moment, I wanted a moment to breath,” she replied honestly.
Remy’s gaze wondered down the trail in the direction she knew the mansion was.
“Glad you found da place dat you needed.”
“What about you...”
He interrupted her again by stepping closer and gazing into her eyes. “We had some good times, non?”
“Yes,” she replied hesitantly.
His eyes flickered away, the unique irises of red flashing back and forth hypnotically. “But you were just looking for da fastest way to burn yourself out.”
“Remy’s that’s not...” she tried to begin, but found her own voice trailing off knowing she’d hadn’t been the finest during their time together.
Running into Remy on the streets of New Orleans when she was still touchable, still looking for anything and everything that was different then the life she had, had been exactly what she’d wanted at the time. His charm and obvious edge, not to mention the evident fact that his attitude and habits reminded her of Logan had only fuelled her need to throw herself into their fast and destructive relationship.
And then when the horrible feeling of actual love had started to develop, she’d done the one thing she’d become perfect at, she’d run. New Orleans was only meant to be pit stop like everywhere else on the road.
Months later though, working with Mystique gained her a reputation and it turned out her and Remy had run in the same circles. Well she’d been a moth to the flame, eager to burn as fast as she could with a man who was just as non-sentimental as she pretended to be. Business transactions were the reason she’d never had a chance to run a second time, Remy’s habits as a thief often had them arguing about his loyalties and she’d refused to acknowledge how much he’d hurt her the second time around, but it only seemed fair considering who she was trying to be.
“You were just a Bonnie lookin’ for her Clyde,” he remarked fondly. “And we all know how they ended up.”
“I’m sorry, Remy.”
“Remy, too.”
Grabbing her hand lightly, he raised it to his lips and kissed the fine fabric fondly.
“Da Wolverine can help you heal da pain, Remy only pushed it away for a while.”
“Take care, chere,” he added and started to walk back through the trees.
“You too,” she whispered back.
Turning his back on her, Remy quickly disappeared.
In disbelief she looked down at the last existing diary of Irene Adler, surprised that after everything it had come so easily to her. She glanced up once more in the direction Remy had left but he was truly gone. He’d surprised her with his hidden compassion and she wasn’t sure what to make of what he had given her.
Was this an opportunity to be ignored? Her mind numbed at the possibilities. To glimpse upon the future was a tempting fate, the pursuit of ever-knowing knowledge and power. The prophecies that remained to be deciphered were a holy grail in itself, the gaining of that which is not known. The chance of maybe a new hope, a new prospect and yet her fingers trembled knowing that she herself was like the pages of the diary, a sponge waiting to absorb the vivacity of the world and she knew the price that came with stolen knowledge. The burden that could behold the seeker. The blood that would be shed in the continued pursuit. Even a man such as Xavier had been unable to remove himself from the diary’s presence.
Shivering self-consciously, she hesitated and then finally began to lift the cover up.
As she did, she thought she felt a light breeze filled with the barren scent of burnt sand on her bare cheek and the calling of an inhuman hum in the distance.
“Rogue.”
She jumped and snapped the book shut.
Clutching the book to her chest she glanced over her shoulder at Logan, his face unreadable except for a brief flare of concern in his eyes.
“Logan,” she stuttered.
When he didn’t say anything she knew he’d been listening earlier, she just wondered how much he’d caught.
Shifting around, she held the book out in her hands.
“You sure that’s what you want to do,” he asked in a neutral tone, but his eyes were weary.
Frowning, she glanced down at the book. “I thought finding the books would somehow give me answers, answers to my past, why things happened the way they did. Closer to some ghost of a woman.”
“That’s fair enough.”
Looking up, she knew he was sincere.
“But they only brought me trouble and the deeper I got into it, the less, the less I felt like I knew anything at all.”
“Mystique said I was just running away again. That I was running away from my future.”
Her eyes blurred for a moment and she exhaled deeply. The flashes of her dreams ran through her head, memories of only pain and despair.
Looking up sharply she set her solid gaze on Logan and smiled timidly at him as he waited.
The only future she’d ever wanted was standing right before her and she knew what her choice was so effortlessly.
He stepped closer, his comforting presence calling to her as his scent surrounded her.
Smiling up at him and cradling his cheek she leaned up and kissed him quickly.
“It’s whatever you want, Marie.”
Lifting the book up in her hands she quirked her head at him. “How do you feel about using those claws of yours as a paper shredder?”
One eyebrow rose up in amusement and he deadpanned, “As long as we recycle darlin’.”
Shaking her head as she laughed lightly he surprised her by grabbing the book and releasing the claws in his right hand and shredding the diary in a matter of seconds.
Gazing at the shredded mess on the dirt and grass she shook her head at him. “I wasn’t being serious Logan; we could have waited until we got to the mansion. It hurts every time you...”
He kissed her quickly, her skin reacting as he lingered and she picked up on traces of his happiness, love and relief.
Licking her lips as he pulled back she nodded at him sweetly in understanding.
“Come on darlin’.” He reached over and draped his arm over her waist.
Mimicking his raised eyebrow she glanced again at the shredded paper comically.
He shrugged. “Think of it as compost.”
His grip tightened on her hip warmly and they started walking back. “Let’s get back home, everyone’s waiting.”
Slipping her hand around his waist, she melted against his frame and glanced at him shyly.
“What?” he asked not looking down as they walked.
Kissing his sideburn she replied, “Nothing.”
He grinned at her with a full smile she knew he never released often and saw her past, present and future.
And it was her choice to pursue.
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