4 months later...
Remy thought, it's now or never. Either I kiss Rogue
now an' find out if we can, or I won't ever... He walked up behind her. Her
rich chestnut brown hair, with a streak of white down the center flowed in
waves down her back all the way to her rounded bottom and flared hips. Her
ankle length green velvet skirt was then visible. It matched the jacket she
wore tonight, with a white satin blouse. The moonlight caught on the white and
made it seem to glow.
Rogue stood with her back to him, with her arms
tightly crossed over each other. They had just returned from another date. They
had gone to a private restaurant/club that Warren owned. It was the type of
place where you dressed in formal clothes, and danced to ballroom music. Remy
had looked so handsome in an old fashioned tuxedo with long tails, white shirt,
and a fushia cummerbund, His usually wild, long, dark chestnut hair was neatly
combed, and he was clean-shaven. His clothes also complimented his unusual
eyes, that glowed red on a matte black.
Remy had acted the complete gentleman tonight, without
so much as a double entendre. He had only touched her gloved hands, and danced
with her, his arm around her waist, not once letting his hands
"slip", or pulling her too close. She longed for him to touch her, to
pull her into his arms and just start kissing her before she could think to be
afraid of absorbing his psyche and powers at more than the slightest touch. She
could feel him in her mind pull her tight and kiss her passionately, but those
were imaginings based on Belle's memories that Rogue used to have, not
something really hers. She ached for them to be hers with all her soul. She
couldn't stand not being touched skin to skin anymore; then she realized with a
shade of a new fear that she wanted to give herself to him, she wanted him to
make love to her. She wanted him to be first and only man she ever gave herself
to. She had never felt such an overwhelming emotion for any other man she had
been attracted to. Not Magnus; after he had saved her life she had felt a sort
of affectionate love for him, a feeling that she still had until he struck
Remy. Not Longshot when they were in Australia, that had only been desire, or
more crudely, lust.
None of the other times had felt like this. She wanted
to cry like a child, like she had that time with Remy, when he took her for
that carriage ride in Central Park. Cry for what had happened,cry for what she
was sure she'd never have.
Remy put his arm around her shoulder, and drew her
against him. She looked up at him, tears brimming in her emerald green eyes. He
said,"Ah cherie, no tears now, y' know I love you, hey. No matter what
happens."
"Yah mean that Remy,even if we can't..."
Pulling her around to face him, with his hands on her
waist, he said firmly, "Yes petite, I meant what I said, completely."
Then he leaned his head towards hers, she tilted her head up and closed her
eyes. He could feel her trembling and knew that there was nothing he could do
for her fear, he was afraid too. He felt her lips touch his, at first they
trembled too, but then relaxed, then her whole body, and she leaned against
him. He began to kiss her with a passion, as his hands pulled her tight to his
body. As he kissed her, he knew he loved her more than he had loved Belle.
The dreams he had of settling down and raising a
family with Belle, now manifested themselves stronger than ever with Rogue. He
knew he had to ask her again. Remy stopped the kiss and stepped back from
Rogue. She looked at him with confusion, "What is it Remy, what's wrong?"
"Nothin' chere, jus' wanna ask you
somet'ing."He said in a calmly, but he smiled at her reassuringly all the
same. Come on Remy, don' be scared, he told himself, just ask."I want t'
know, for real now, will you marry me?"
Rogue felt a jumble of happy thoughts race through her
mind, she felt overwhelmed by her emotions. She flung herself into his arms, so
hard he staggered. Then she kissed him with great enthusiasm, and excitedly
told him "Yes!" She wondered, If we hadn't been able to touch, would
ah have said yes? Ah don't think ah could have, because ah couldn't have
deprived Remy of the physical-sexual part of a marriage. We're both so strongly
attracted to each other that way too, that not being able to touch would have
driven us both crazy, ah know it. Ah could have worn a neutralizing collar, but
that's only effective when ah wear it, an' they're incredibly uncomfortable. It'd
be no real solution. Ah'm so glad we can touch, that's why ah kept tellin' him
no before, when he "jokingly" proposed to me those other times in the
past few months. Ah know now he was only pretending to be jokin' around when he
proposed those other times, really he meant it. Ah couldn't say yes though,
because ah didn't know, and ah was too afraid to see...
Then another possible obstacle to their marriage
occurs to her. She looked at Remy with a serious expression, "But what
`bout your being married tah Belladonna? Yah can't legally be married tah both
of us at once."
"M'marriage t' Belle wasn't legal, we didn't get
a marriage licence. It was only t'rough the guild, chere. You don' remember
that t'rough her memories dat you have, petite?"
"Had, Remy, don't have anymore. Remy, when yah
forgave me for what happened `tween me and Belle ah was so happy, ah was
determined tah do right by both o' you. You can thank Magnus for getting her
memories and psyche out o' mah head too, the Professor wasn't able tah do
anything either time."
"So dat's where you run off to, you didn't tell
anyone where you went, when you come back you didn't either, I was worried
about you,`specially when you come back so subdued. What else he do to you,
chere, how he make you pay for dis gift?" Remy asked with mixed concern
and jealousy.
"He just told me he wished that ah loved him as
much as ah love you, Remy. He looked at me so sad, and told me if ah had any
children that he hoped he would be allowed tah see them. Oh, Remy it's so sad,
ah think he's in love with me, an' ah don't feel anything but a slight
affection for him. All his life he's lost in some way or another when it's come
tah love."
Rogue couldn't tell him yet, but there had been a
little more to it, nothing serious, but Magnus had grabbed her and gave her a
hard kiss on the lips. Then he had said, "Remember we can touch, marry me
and you'll have everything you desire." Rogue had broken away from him
then and told him she didn't love him, she loved Remy.
She had thought though, more like everything he
desires! Nothing like falling in love for real with a man who loves you with
every breath in his body, to show you the failings of the other men you had
feelings for. She felt sorry for Magnus but she didn't love him. He is too
self-delusional for anyone. He really believes what he wants is what everyone
else wants. There's no room to breathe around him.
Rogue didn't feel she could tell Remy about the
details of this encounter yet, and even when she did she might not mention the
kiss, it didn't mean anything to her, and it would just cause Remy unnecessary
pain.
"So you feel sorry for him, chere?" Remy
says neutrally, trying to keep the jealous feelings in check.
"Yes, but ah love you Remy. When ah came back and
heard that Candra had captured you, while ah was at Magnus' place, and the
other X-men went and rescued you...Ah wasn't there...Ah should have been...Ah
feel horrible about it still...Ah coulda rescued you from her, straight away. Ah
woulda known where tah look. It took them two days tah find yah, then rescue
yah, do you remember what she did?"
"I don' remember nothin' chere, from the time she
knock me out till de others rescue me." He continues, "bout de
marriage, I can get an annulment, I jus' have t'ask my father t'do it, I'm sure
he will. He'll be relieved t'not have me tied t' Belladonna's family no more. Maybe
then Belle can find someone who'll stay in New Orleans wit' her." Remy
felt some sadness at making this final break with his past, and his first love.
But it had to be done, to make the closure.
Rogue said softly, "Ah understand Remy, yah still
love her, wanna protect her and all, ah'm just happy that yah asked me, ah'll
always love yah,with all o'mah heart."
"I still wanna marry you chere, more than
anyt'ing else. I wan' you t' be my wife, an' have chil'ren wit' you..."
Ah'd love tah have children with yah, Remy." Rogue
said her eyes brimming with tears.
"Well, if we're goin' t' marry, I be needin' to
know one t'ing."
"What's that?"
"Your real name."
Rogue looked frightened and pulled away, "Ah'd
forgotten about that. Remy, yah might not wanna marry me if yah know who ah
am..."
She felt devastated by her fear. Now who ah am will
keep me from what could be mah greatest joy, ah have tah tell him, but how can
ah...
"Cherie, your name isn't gonna change how I feel
about you, it doesn't say who you are as a person. I love the person, the name
isn't important. We just need a name for the marriage licence,and de weddin'
itself."
"Ah guess it's time ah told. Ah'm just afraid how
y'all will react." She took a deep breath and let it out, then slowly
said, "It's Tara, Rebecca..."
She paused a long time, until Remy said "It's
o.k. petite, I promise I won' change how I feel about you because o'your last
name."
So softly Remy barely heard it, she said,
"Kelly."
"Tara Rebecca Kelly, huh, which you wan' me
t'call you, Tara or Rebecca, chere?" He said nonchalantly.
"Remy, don't yah understand? Ah'm the daughter of
Senator Kelly, the congressman who created most of the anti-mutant legislation,
includin' the Mutant Registration Act!"
"Why hasn't he come `round the X-Men demandin'
his daughter back, chere?"
"He doesn't know ah'm his daughter."
"How's dat, chere?"
"Ah'm illegitimate. Mah mother was a maid in one
o'the Kelly mansions. They've got lots of mansions all over the U.S. They're old
money. He left before ah was born, for one o' his political offices, they kept
me a secret. He knew he had a kid, but he never saw me, unless he saw a
photograph o' me. Somethin' happened when ah was six and mom left the Kelly's
employ. She returned with me tah her hometown in Caldicott county, Mississippi.
She didn't really love me much, just tried tah turn me
into ah `proper young lady', didn't have much luck there." Rogue laughs.
"When mah mutant power showed itself for the first time with Cody, she let
me back into the house tah get the clothes and stuff ah wanted. Then she handed
me a shotgun tah protect mah self,then told me tah leave. Ah lived in the woods
for a short time, till Mystique found me. Yah pretty much know the
rest..."
Remy put his arms around her,"I still want
t'marry you chere."
She closed her eyes, leaning against him for several
minutes. "Ah guess it's tahm tah tell everyone our news."
"Don' be scared, petite, I'll be there wit' you
the whole time, I'm sure it'll be fine. An' no matter what chere, I'll be
beside you, who your daddy is don' mean nothin' to me, doesn't change how I
feel `bout you, an' anybody it does, isn't worthy of bein' your friend.
Tara and Remy walked into the living room where
everyone was relaxing. Tara said, "We have two things tah tell you." She
smiled broadly. "The first thing is Remy and ah are gettin' married!"
Everyone said, "Congratulations!" Some more
enthusiastically than others. Then they asked how. Tara and Remy told them what
happened.
Then Tara took a deep breath and Remy put his arm
around her. She took out a piece of paper and handed to Remy and asked him to
tell the others to look at it and pass it around. On the paper were three
names, the names Anabel Arcy Tralee and Robert Jefferson Kelly were connected
by a dotted line, below that a third name was written, Tara Rebecca Kelly,
below that a key was written, the dotted line was to show that the child was
illegitimate. Then she said, "Well, that's mah origin genetically,on
paper. Now ah'll tell y'all `the rest of the story', as Paul Harvey says."
"This is your real name?" Ororo asks.
"Yeah. Mah biological mother was a maid in one of
the Kelly family's mansions in the deep south. The Kelly family had lots of
other homes throughout the south, because they were `old money'.
Robert Kelly was their only son, and he was just
beginnin' his political career. He was runnin' for his first state office. He
saw mah mother and they started havin' a fling. She was a pretty strict
Catholic, so she wasn't goin' tah have an abortion. He never saw me, unless he
saw a photo of me. Anyways ah lived in the mansion until ah was six. Mah mother
didn't care what happened tah me, she didn't do much tah take care of me, and
ah could tell she didn't love me. When ah was six something happened tah my
mother and we had tah leave. She returned tah her hometown in Caldicott county,
Mississippi. The Kelly family made sure mah origins were secret from everyone,
ah even was registered at school as Tara Rebecca Tralee. The Kelly family put
some sorta pressure on mah mother not tah tell anyone who mah father was, but
ah remembered. Years later somethin' inside me told me not tah tell mah foster
mother Mystique, or even y'all who ah was."
"I understand why you didn't tell Mystique yaehr
real name, but I don't understand why yeh didn't tell us befeh." Jean
said.
This brought up some defensive feelings and Tara said
"No matter how bad she was, she did really love me, in her way, and she
did take care of me. When ah first started livin' with her and Irene, ah didn't
really know what they were doin' with their friends. All ah knew that Mystique
didn't have a very high opinion of her male colleagues, she was always
complainin' about their incompetence tah Destiny. Y'all know that Destiny's
real name was Irene. Irene loved me too, an' tried tah take care of both
Mystique an' me. Even early on ah could see some difference between Irene's and
Mystique's political views. Mystique was a complete anarchist, Irene less so. Both
of them felt pretty strongly that humans were worthless, mutants were superior
in every way. Even aftah ah found out what mah foster mother was doing, and she
included me on her missions, ah didn't know what she was doing was bad, but in
fact until about a year after that event ah'll regret the rest of mah life, mah
fight with Carol Danvers, the things ah did would not be called 'good deeds'. Ah
was pretty much a crook until ah started goin' crazy an' ah knew the only place
ah might get some help was from the man mah foster mother called her worst
enemy. The leader of the X-Men, Professor Xavier. Ah think it was one of the
best decisions ah made in mah life. Y'all know the rest. Mah father knows
nothing.
Ironic ain't it though- the creator of the most
paranoid anti-mutant law, the Mutant Registration Act, is the unknowing father
of a mutant.
Ah'm still a little afraid of what the Kelly family
might do if they found out, since ah'm a mutant. Ah'm a pretty 'bad' thing in
their family secrets, as it is. Just imagine if the press found out, it'd be on
all the front pages: `Senator Kelly has a illegitimate mutant daughter, a
member of the outlaw mutant group, the X-Men! Scandal shakes Congress!" There
were several nervous laughs at this all too likely headline. Tara continued,
"We'd really be endangered then, this is one of the reasons ah didn't want
tah tell you until now, ah didn't want tah risk even the slightest chance of
one of our enemies finding out, and using it against us. Ah realized though,
y'all wouldn't let that happen."
"The other reason was ah was afraid y'all would
react real negatively..."
The one reason she didn't say why, she didn't tell
them was, somewhere in the back of her mind, there was a tiny amount of
distrust of Professor Xavier, he had used her before. She worried now a little
that somewhere along the line the Professor might push her into doing something
about her biological connection to the Senator. She decided hope for the best,
and not think about that possibility.
"Tol' you chere, it be o.k. Nobody got mad at
you. The only thing anybody said was to ask you why you hadn't tol'them
before." Remy said as they walked upstairs, after the meeting in the
living room.
"Ah was so afraid, Remy; afraid they'd not trust
me again, it'd be like when ah first came here." She said looking at him
directly in the eyes, "How could yah take it Remy, yah kept all o' your
secrets so long? Yah made us wonder if we could trust yah, even me."
"I wasn't sure how you'd feel if you knew all dat
I did. I t'ought it was better to have a little distrust, dan to risk somethin'
worse, havin' you hate me. I was afraid you would."
"Ah couldn't stand it when ah knew they didn't
trust me. Ah kept about gettin' mahself killed tryin' tah prove ah was worthy
o' their trust. Logan was the first tah fully trust me; ah almost got mahself
killed right off, savin' him an' Lady Mariko. Then he saved mah life an' never
doubted me in the slightest ever again.
That made Kurt trust me." Then Rogue smiled at a
memory. "Kurt was the first one tah flirt with me; ah just got angry at
him, an' dropped him into the lake, an' more than anythin' he hates gettin'
wet!"
"So how long it take for him t' forgive you for
dat, chere?" Remy asked and grinned.
She laughed, and said "Next time we see him, yah
can ask."
Then Remy looked at her and asked "Cherie, do you
really t'ink you're ready t' do dis tonight? I'll un'erstand if you aren't
ready yet,`specially after all dat happened today."
"Remy ah want tah, it's what ah've dreamed of
being able tah do with you, ah want tah do it tonight. Ah want tah wake up in
your arms. Ah don't want tah spend another night alone, ever! Ah want tah spend
them with yah."
They stepped onto the second floor. He looked towards
his room and then back at her. "Ok. chere, you get your t'ings you need
for tonight and come back t' my room. I get de bed ready." Then with a
sudden surge of desire he quickly hugged her tight, and said, "Don' make
me wait long, cherie!" Then he grinned and let her go, and walked with a
quick, long stride to his room.
She stood there a few seconds smiling, admiring
Remy's, oh so masculine stride, not to mention his sexy body! Then she went
towards her room, contemplating what nightgown and robe to wear. Then thinking
with a naughty grin, won't be wearing it long! Still ginning she said to
herself jokingly, shame on you, girl, thinkin' like that! Then she giggled as
she opened the door to her room.
She opened her nightgown drawer and looked for the one
she had decided to wear. She lifted it out. It was translucent, not transparent
or sheer, but she could tell when she first got it, that in a good light you
would definitely be able to see her body shape through the short nightgown. It
was light green. Remy had given it to her for her first birthday after they had
met. She smiled and remembered how angry she was when she saw it was
translucent when she held it up, she had only met Remy about a week before. She
hadn't even thanked him for it! It had been stuffed for a long time at the back
corner of the drawer. After the carriage ride in Central Park, though, she had
taken it out, cleaned it, and put it back in the drawer, separate from her
other gowns. She had seen it every time she had opened the drawer, but somehow
couldn't get up the courage to wear it. When they were on the outs for a while,
she had put a few gowns on top of it. By the time had reconciled she had
forgotten about it, until a few minutes ago.
After her reaction to the nightgown he had given her
innocuous gifts like gloves. Oh how she hated getting them, but inevitably, it
was what almost everyone gave her, every time they gave her a gift. It was a
constant reminder of her power not allowing her to safely touch others.
Remy seemed to pick up on this pretty quick because he
only gave her gloves twice. Then he gave her scarves and headbands a couple of
times. Then to her surprise he went for nightclothes again. It was Christmas
and when she opened his gift to her it was a emerald green velvet and fleece
lined robe. She had loved it! Remy said he got it because it was the same color
as her eyes. She had given him a quick hug. Remy teased her and told her,
"Now I know what gifts to give you, chere!" She had worn the robe a
few times, and luckily right now it was clean. She put the gown on, it felt a
lot like satin, and only came to her mid thighs. Then she put the robe on; the
combination felt pretty good, and the robe kept her warm.
She walked to Remy's door and knocked and told
him,"It's me."
"Come on in, cherie." He said.