Remy Lebeau pulled up to a small
blue with yellow trim house. He looked down at his little piece of paper with
the address on it, 2777 Sandstone Drive. He looked up at the address number on
the house, 2777. So this is where Rogue was living. This was her home, he
thought as he got off his bike.
He stood in front of the house,
and the only word he can come up with to describe it was, quaint. He smiled
with amusement, Rogue and quaint were two words that he would have never
thought went together. The quaint little house even had a white picket fence. If
he didn't know better, this house should have belonged to a young married
couple with 2 kids and a dog.
Maybe Rogue's with someone,
what if she is married? He questioned. The thought had never occurred to him
until now. It would only make sense, because why else would she need a house
all to herself. It may be small, but it's still pretty big for one person to
live in all by herself. Yet, with her powers, it would be hard for her to keep
a relationship, he thought. But that didn't stop you and her from being
together and loving each other, his head reminded him. A lady like Rogue is
someone a guy would want no matter the circumstances, you're the prime example,
his head insisted. It was true, maybe I shouldn't intrude in her life,
especially after all this time, Remy thought.
Remy just stood in front of the
house for what seems like hours. His head started playing out the pros and cons
of seeing Rogue. On the pro list, he concluded that he needed to make sure
she's okay, and a part of him really wanted to tell her he still loved her and
wanted her. The con list seem to be much longer though; he didn't want to
intrude and cause her life to turn upside down because of him; Logan had said she
was happy and he should just leave her be; if Rogue had moved on with someone
else, he did not want to come between them no matter how hurt he'll be; she
might hate him for what he thought was the right thing to do two years ago; and
on a more selfish note, he wouldn't be able to handle seeing her with a husband
and living a perfect happy life, knowing that they could never be together
again.
It is your own fault. You were
the one who pushed her away. You were the one who thought it was better for
her, and this is proof that it was. She moved on, and she doesn't need you. Nobody
needs you. His self-hatred and self-doubt side tried to remind him. Remy turned
around, and thought maybe that was all true. Maybe he should leave.
You love her, and you need to
see that she is fine. Simple as that. No matter what, as long as she's safe and
happy, that's all that matters. A voice inside him which seemed to have come
from his heart, told him.
With the new found courage,
Remy Lebeau turned around to face the house, walked up to the the gate, opened
it and went to see what fate has instore for him.
* * *
Rogue laid a sleeping Jeremy
down in his crib. He had fallen asleep shortly after arriving home. Must have
been a very fun and tiring day with Logan, Rogue thought as she just watched
her son sleep. He looks so angelic, she thought, although most of the time,
when her little boy was awake, he was extremely mischievous and tend to get
really excited about things. For example, Jeremy couldn't stop talking about
his day with his Unca Wolvie. Rogue smiled as she thought of his
half-constructed sentences, "Unca Wolvie show J'remy danga room,"
"J'remy saw Unca Wolvie beat bad bad man," "Unca Wolvie say
J'remy stinky, momma, J'remy not stinky, right?" and "Unca Wolvie say
next time we go camping in big forest, 'k momma?"
Her little boy always had so
much to tell her, as if everything he learns or does is of absolute importance.
Rogue was glad that he chooses to tell her every single little thing he does or
happens to him. She feels that it's the kind of bond she always wanted with her
child, complete honesty and trust. It's funny how Jeremy like to refer to
himself in third person term, even without Remy around, he picked up the habit.
Rogue thought, in some ways even with his absence, Jeremy was very much Remy
Lebeau's son in more than just name and genes.
Rogue walked out of the nursery
making sure she brought the baby monitor with her. She slipped the monitor into
her pocket, and walked into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and took out a
salad and a bottle of juice. Rogue then walked to the living room, plopped down
on the couch, and turned on the television. She started watching the news but
there were so many reports of catastrophes caused by mutants, and interviews
featuring leaders from anti-mutant groups that Rogue just couldn't stand it and
turned it off. She just couldn't watch things like that without questioning her
choice with being with the X-Men and fighting for the dream that mutants and
humans could live in harmony and peace. Although it seems like the world was
far from that, and there were many times she wanted to give up, she knew she
was fighting for a better world not for herself, but for her son. Her son will
not have to face the discrimination and hatred for being a mutant, and she
would die trying to make sure of it.
Rogue looked at the food on the
coffee table, suddenly she wasn't feeling hungry and just felt tired. She laid
down on the couch and closed her eyes.
Ding Dong! Ding Dong!
Ugh, someone's at the door. Rogue
thought as she still lay there. Maybe they'll just go away. She was just too
tired to get to see who it was.
Ding Dong! Ding Dong!
The doorbell rang again, so
Rogue got up to see who it was, and maybe tell them to go away politely.
"Hold ya horses! Ah'm
comin'!" She said loudly as she walked towards the door.
Rogue put her hand on the knob,
turned it and opened the door. She gasped as she saw who was standing right in
front of her.
Remy.
* * *
God, she's so beautiful. She
still wears her hair the same, let down loose and free. Her beautiful green
eyes, and her full voluptuous lips, and her gorgeous curvy body, made Gambit
want to just grab her and kiss her and show her in every way how he still loves
her. He knew at that very moment, he wouldn't mind meeting the fate of being in
a coma, if he could just kiss her.
"Oh mah gawd, what are ya
doin' here, Remy Lebeau?" Rogue asked in shock. She looked him over and he
was still as ruggedly handsome as he's always been. His hair was tied back in a
loose ponytail with strands coming undone in the front, his red on black eyes
still burned with mischief, and his body, well his body was still as toned and
hard as it's always been. He looked good, she thought, really good.
"I, well, I, umm.." Remy
stuttered, caught off guard with her question. He hadn't even thought about
what to say to her. "Well, honestly chere, Remy came to see if you were
okay." He answered.
Rogue just eyed him, half with
concern, half with suspicion. She was glad to see him though. By the looks of
it, he was okay, and fine. "Are you okay, Remy?" Rogue asked quietly
wanted to know for sure he was fine.
"Remy's been good, chere. I
just thought you might have been in some trouble, so I came to see if you were
okay. Are you?" Gambit asked as he looked into her eyes.
"Ah'm good too, Remy. Is
that the only reason you came here?" Rogue asked as she stared up into his
eyes, half hoping that he came to maybe tell him how he still cared and wanted
her.
"I, well, umm, I.."
Gambit stuttered as he looked away. He didn't know how to tell her that he wanted
her, and still loved her. He wasn't even sure she should.
Rogue watched his eyes shift
from their contact, and knew she had pushed too far. She shouldn't have made it
more uncomfortable than it already was. It's over, and it's been over a long
time ago. She should have known better.
"It's okay, ah know that
was the only reason, Remy. So how have you been? What have you been up
to?" Rogue asked as she tried to change the subject.
"Je suis bien. Just been
doing the odd thing here and there. Whatever a thief does, n'est pas?" Gambit
answered still debating whether or not he should tell her. "What have you
been up to, ma chere?"
"Ah've been doing things
here and there. Ah'm teaching at the Xavier Institute. Also, bought this lil'
house here. Cute eh? Neva told ya, but always wanted a white picket fence, Ah
guess every little girl used to fantasize about having one y'know. Ah've been
happy." Rogue answered honestly, although she knew that she wouldn't be
completely happy until he was in her life again.
Gambit just observed her, she's
happy. I should just let her be like Wolverine said. He watched her eyes as
they were trying to avoid his, and he looked down at her right hand tugging on
some sort of bracelet on her left wrist. Strange, she wasn't wearing gloves. Rogue
never let her guard down, she always had her gloves on. He thought it was
unusual but what would he know, he hasn't been around for two years.
"Remy's glad you're happy,
chere. Makes me feel happy for you." Gambit responded truthfully as looked
down on her hoping her eyes will meet his. She's happy, there's no point
screwing it up for her. Do her a favour and don't tell her, he decided.
"Thanks Remy. Ah guess you
did the right thing two years and a half years ago, eh?" She said with
huge resentment, as she realized that he was putting her through torture yet
again. How dare he think he can just waltz in my life and mess with my
feelings? She thought bitterly.
Gambit's eyes looked away, as
he felt the full sting of her words. He had hurt her so much, and he promised
not to do it again, but here he was, hurting her yet again. He should just
leave now. "I'm sorry for coming, chere."
"Remy, like you said,
whenever we're together there's been too much pain. So why are you here? Fine,
ah was the one who left ya in Antarctica, and there's not a day that don't go
by that ah'm not sorry for it. Then, you left me in N'Awlins. All we ever do is
leave each other and cause each other pain. So, why did you come here, knowing
full well that y'll leave again and all we'll do is hurt?" Rogue
questioned with anger and hurt, as her lips started to quiver and her eyes
started to water.
Gambit couldn't stand what he
was doing to her. He had promised never again. He didn't want to see her hurt
again, and once more it was because of him.
"Forget it, Remy. Just
leave. Ya don' have ta tell me. Just go. We're ovah, ah've accepted that, you
should too." Rogue said as she turned around and walked into her house
once more, slamming the door behind her.
Remy just stood there, still
not moving, and still speechless. He had never hated himself more than he did
now. He had hurt her again. She was finally happy before he came today. He
ruined it. He hated himself.
Suddenly, a loud scream came
from inside the house. The first thing that popped into Remy's head, was Rogue.
She's in trouble, as he broke down her door, and ran into the house. He
followed the screaming and crying all the way to what seems like a nursery. He
looked down at a hysterical Rogue, sitting beside an empty crib, breathing
unevenly, screaming and crying.
"No, no no. Give me back
my baby? Jeremy? Where are you?? Jeremy?" Rogue yelled, as she got up and
ran around her house, obviously looking for her child.
Gambit caught up with Rogue,
and grabbed her into his arms.
"No! YA HAVE TO LET ME
FIND JEREMY! He's gone! Remy! HE NEEDS ME! LET ME GO!" She yelled as she
tried to get away from his embrace.
"Chere, calm down. I'll
help you find Jeremy. Just calm down." Remy tried to reason with her and
calm her down.
"Remy, you don't
understand! AH THINK HE GOT HIM! HE TOOK MAH BABY! IT WASN'T YOU HE WAS AFTAH,
IT WAS JEREMY!" Rogue screamed hysterically as she struggled to get out of
Remy's arms.
"Rogue, just try to calm
down. We'll find him, but you're not going to find him in de state you're in. Now
tell me, how old is Jeremy? And how can I get a hold of his father?" Gambit
asked Rogue as she finally stopped trying to fight him off, and was sobbing
into his chest. It wasn't until he said the words of finding Jeremy's father,
that he felt the unbearable pain of knowing Rogue had moved on with her life in
every way possible.
"Remy, Jeremy's your son. Our
son. He's gone! REMY WE HAVE TO FIND HIM! PLEASE! AH'M SORRY FOR ALL THE BAD
THINGS I DID, BUT HE HAS TO GIVE HIM BACK!" Rogue started screaming
hysterically again.
Gambit grabbed Rogue's
shoulders, and made her look into his eyes. "What are you talking about,
Rogue? What do you mean he's my son? When? Why didn't you tell me?" Remy
asked half with anger, half with a newly parental concern.
"Ah'm so sorry Remy. That
one night, ah became pregnant. Ah wanted to tell ya, but you didn't want meh. Ah'm
sorry. Please, we just have to find him! Remy! Ah know Sinister took him! PLEASE!
WE HAVE TO FIND HIM!" Rogue pleaded between her sobs of tears.
The words finally sunk in, that
he had a son. Remy's eyes burned with such an intense fury that his whole eyes
had gone red. Remy wrapped his arms around Rogue once more, as he tried to
soothe her. "I promise Rogue, I'll rip Sinister apart if he does anything
to our son. We'll find Jeremy, and we'll kill that bastard, Sinister, if I die
in the process of doing it." He said to her, as he finally felt her body
go limp in his arms and realized she had fainted.