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Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
 
 
 

Street Livin’ - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Courtney
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 18

Day 1553

I still think it's funny that I count the days I've written a journal instead of saying the date in these entries. It's weird, but then again, that's me in a nutshell. I do know that it's January, which makes me smile to myself. Remy told me that he never knew his real birthday, so he just celebrates it on the first of the year so he can remember it easier. So now he's 18. Wow. I never imagined either of us getting that old with our pasts. It's incredible how far we've come.

For some reason, I feel like looking back on the last four years this entry. I guess I'm just in a reminiscing mood. I remember how I started keeping a journal. When I went back downstairs to my eleventh birthday party, I found Jean and just hugged her… well, as best as I could around that stomach of hers. I apologized for me running out on my own party, and she apologized for knowing my name, once again promising never to speak it to anyone.

Then she gave me my present. It was a regular sized notebook, with black leather covers. Written on the front in gold was "Day by Day." It was my first journal. She said it would be a good idea to get out the things that she knew I would never say to anyone on paper, just so I felt like someone was hearing it, but it was anonymous or something. I was skeptical at first but I went with it.

I filled that thing in two weeks.

Any moment that I wasn't with Remy or Kurt, I spent writing down every bruise, cut, and tear I ever shed that I could remember in that time. Writing in that thing became my obsession, and when I ran out of paper, I all but screamed for someone to take me to the store to get a new one. Logan took me and bought me a new one. He's such a softie when he wants to be, but you won't hear me say that to anyone. I don't have a death wish, ya know.

I'm trying to think of something to write… Ooh! Okay, Nathan, Jean and Scott's little boy, is sooooooo adorable. He's four, too. It's great, if I ever forget how old he is, all I have to remember is how long I've been at the institute. Jean had him right on time, and from what I heard, no one expected any less from her. I can't believe how big he's gotten already. I remember the time when he was just first starting to walk, he rammed himself right into the coffee table edge. Everyone thought he was going to be blind in his right eye, but all is good, except for this scar that goes right down the center of it. I baby-sit him a lot. He's so fun.

Seeing as how he's gotten older… so has everyone else. Including me of course, but with Nathan and then some new students, I'm not the youngest anymore! Yes! But anyway, Kurt's in college now. He's going to NYU and majoring in I think Communications. He comes home like every other weekend. I miss him having him around. I know… it's his second year there, but still. It's my big brother, of course I'm going to miss him. Sometimes I think he gets to talk to Momma more than he talks to me.

She's still living in California with Aunt Irene from what Kurt told me. I still haven't talked to her. I don't see the point… well, maybe there's a point, but I don't know. I feel like if I were to talk to her, it would be like giving in from all those years of pain, no matter how many times she says she's sorry. I really don't feel like writing any more on her. It still hurts.

Ororo isn't going to college though, thank God. I know that in the past I've been jealous of her… I've probably said it five hundred times, but she really is a nice person. If Remy or Kurt wasn't there, she would take me up to her room and we would just talk. I've literally spent days up there if I put all the hours together. She let me know about her past and her parents, which I think it is so strong of her to have moved on from all of that. Some day I know I'll find that strength to say something to Momma. Even though Ororo isn't in college, yesterday she left for a month trip to Africa with the professor. It's for some charity work, but it's still gotta be murder for her. She told me before she left that she's never been so scared of anything in her life. But I give her a lot of credit for stepping onto the Blackbird and leaving. I'm going to miss her.

I said earlier about how old Remy's gotten. It's scary. He's even graduating with all the other kids this year. I'm sooooo proud of him like you wouldn't believe. But then… What if he leaves me like Kurt did? I know Kurt is still technically there, but I can't imagine Remy leaving for college and leaving me here. We've sorta grown just a tiny bit apart here, each gaining our own friends and stuff, but really, we're still bonded at the hip. He's promised to me so many times that he would never leave me… but what would really happen if he did, even by accident?

Recently he's been hanging out with this Sarah girl more. She's teaching him Math better since it's the only thing he really has trouble with. He spends time with her more and more and it's scaring me. He thinks I don't know what goes on when he's with her; that they're just studying. Yeah right. Remy watched Logan have his deal of girlfriends come into the house and stuff. He's a ladies man now, too. Flirts with anything in a skirt. He thinks I don't know. Does he think I'm still that ten-year-old he found in the alley? …Of course he doesn't. I have to let him grow… it's just hard. Everything's still hard! Moving on… since I can't talk about this anymore.

Oh, I haven't said who I've absorbed yet this week! Okay, I got: Jean (again), Scott, Ororo (before she left), Remy (again!), Paige, Jonothon (who is this really, really hot sixteen-year-old from Britain!), Alex, and Betsy. Now a rundown of those powers: telepathy and telekinesis, eye beams (Scott has a more technical term for it, but it's just easier to say that), weather manipulation (which is just so much fun!), potential-to-kinetic energy charging (that's how Hank defined Remy's power… he still just blows things up in my head), kind of an icky skin peeling to reveal a different type of skin underneath (hopefully I'll be able to use that in the long run), psionic blasts and sorta telepathy, then a plasma type blast that I can shoot from my hands, and then even more telepathy from Betsy. She's got this added thing where she can produce this psychic blade from her fist. I say it looks like she's giving a really long, purple middle finger, but damn, that thing hurts. One time she knocked me out for five hours straight. And with Jono's powers, I gotta be extra careful. That boy doesn't have an inch of skin below his nose to his tummy. Scared the hell out of myself when I first manifested his power, but with his help, I got it under control.

I found a way to lock all of these in my head, too. I use them randomly whenever I feel like it, but I mainly still have half of the institute saved in my head. I still have my sessions with Jean, and whether she found out about that little secret is beyond me, but she hasn't said anything. I think she really respects my privacy and that's what makes her a great person. She's like the mom I never had, but really needed.

It's only a few minutes till five right now… maybe I can get into the kitchen and sneak a snack before dinner. Hopefully Hank won't be in there cooking. Good luck to me.

~ Rogue.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Rogue tucked her journal underneath her pillow and jumped off the bed. For a moment, she glanced around her room. She'd had it repainted; now it was a pale green, and her bed sheets were navy blue. Most of the stuffed animals were gone, except for the two angel bears that still took up residence on her bed. Her room felt empty. And on that thought, she left her room and headed for the boys' wing.

When Remy turned fifteen, the Professor had all but forced him out of Rogue's room. The other teachers agreed. Rogue and Remy never understood what the problem was. There was absolutely nothing sexual about them sleeping in the same bed. They were there for each other's comfort. Rogue on some nights missed Remy's arm around her stomach as he pulled himself to her if he was having a bad dream.

It obviously took some time for them to get used to not having each other there every moment. Even the very first night, Rogue trekked to Remy's room, pillow and blanket in hand. She'd nervously tapped on his door, hoping she wasn't waking him up.

On the other side, Remy was lying awake on a new bed, not feeling the warmth of Rogue next to him. When he'd heard the tap, he instantly knew it was Rogue. He could feel her anxiousness to get out of the hall for fear of being caught, and then the fact that she felt so alone without him. He'd jumped off the bed without another thought and ushered her into his room. They curled up on the bed and within moments they were asleep.

That morning when they heard everyone moaning about the wake-up calls, Rogue simply used Kurt's teleporting power to get her out of his room. Since that night was a breeze, every night she would make the journey to his room, sometimes with her golden angel bear, sometimes without. Most mornings she would have to wake up before seven in order to beat the wake-up call since she didn't have Kurt's power every morning (unless she intended to absorb him every day).

One morning, she'd gotten up early as planned and told Remy she'd see him at breakfast. She tiptoed out the door, only to be stopped only a few short steps from her door by Logan. "I've been watchin' you," he growled.

She glared at him. "You have no idea what it's like ta wake up alone!"

"More than you'd believe darlin'. That ain't no reason for you ta be sleepin' with boys. Yer twelve, fer Chrissake's."

"Ah don't care! Ya're not keepin' me from him!" Then she ran from him and slammed her door behind him. Remy listened from around the bend, knowing full well that Logan was going to come and talk to him next. He got the same deal, about how he was too old to be sleeping with a girl, regardless of whether anything was taking place.

That night, Rogue couldn't sleep, but she didn't leave her room. Even though she was mad at Logan, she still respected him. He'd done a lot for her over the past year and few months and she didn't want to screw up the friendship she had with him. To Logan, Rogue was the daughter that he never had and at some points, didn't even want. He'd grown to have a soft spot for her, half of it relating that she was abused by Victor. Nonetheless, Rogue stared at her ceiling the entire night.

Remy couldn't sleep either. He met Rogue at breakfast and both of them had circles under their eyes and were having quite a bit of trouble keeping their eyes open. "I've got an idea," Remy told her. "We should get walkie-talkies or somet'in', in case we can' sleep. Dat way, y' c'n talk t' me an' I c'n talk t' you wit'out leavin' our rooms." Rogue instantly loved the idea and Kitty took them out that day to the store. Whispers could be heard from both of their rooms on any given night for the next few months.

Rogue finally reached Remy's room, gently knocking on the door. She heard a simple "come in" from him and let herself in. Remy was sitting on his bed, studying for his math test for the next day. "Ya wanna come with me ta get a snack befoh dinner?"

Remy grinned over the brim of his book. "I'd be honored." He dropped his book on his mattress and leapt off the bed. He quickly glanced in the mirror, receiving a "you're so vain" look from Rogue. He smirked and rolled his eyes, revealing them to be completely black for a second. He grabbed a hair thing from his dresser, pulling up his still shoulder length hair. Only now, he had the under part shaved so he looked very rebellious, which he prided himself on. He really only listened to Logan, even though he'd grown to be a foot taller than the short Canadian.

"C'mon, you!" Rogue giggled as she grabbed his hand. "Ah'm starvin'!"

"We jus' had lunch five hours ago."

"Ah need a snack. Befoh you were beggin' me ta eat somethin'."

"Dat's because y' were twenty-five pounds underweight… an' dat was four years ago!" He laughed.

"Well, ya got me on a bad habit. Now come on!" She pulled harder on his hand, never losing her playfulness. Remy followed her, pretending to lag behind just to piss her off. She tugged as hard as she could. "Don't make me bring up Guido's power. Ah'm a mad girl with that strength."

"Fine, fine!" He laughed, standing up fully and walking next to her. She'd grown a bit herself. She was just slightly over five foot five, and her body was just beginning to grow into the curves she would have as a young woman. She'd let her hair flow down to her waist, her now signature white streak framing her cute face to the right. On most days it curled great, thanks to some tips from her friends who read magazines, but on that particular day, it was just a wavy mess.

"What're ya starin' at, Swamp Rat?" She inquired, poking his arm.

"Jus' how y' grown."

"You've grown too, shorty," she giggled. She would never tell him how handsome he'd gotten. 'Hot' was more the word for teenage lingo, but it was all the same. She knew why he could pull off being cocky and flirtatious with anyone: he definitely had the look. Alluring eyes, features that could make any girl drool; he had it made.

They reached the bottom of the steps and collectively 'aww'ed the sight of Bobby and Kitty cuddling on the couch. The two in question looked over their shoulders. A deep blush grew on Kitty's cheeks. "Ah swear, it took ya two fohever ta get yoah act goin' an' now we can't even see one of you without the other."

"We were just, umm…" Kitty started.

"Making up for lost time," Bobby grinned. He received a jab in the stomach from Kitty. "Besides, like the two of you are to talk."

"We're apart all the time," Rogue said.

"Yeah, it's not like we're in our own li'l bubble of lo-ove." Remy batted his eyes, causing Rogue to giggle.

"Like you and Sarah, Cajun?" Bobby countered with his eyebrows raised.

Kitty swore she heard a tiny 'eep' from Rogue. If she had telepathic powers, she would have told Bobby "Nice move. Ix-nay on the Arah-say." Instead, she settled for phasing her hand through his pants to grab onto a little more than sensitive part of his body. She was satisfied when an 'eep' erupted from his lips and it wasn't a flattering sound either.

Remy felt Rogue freeze inside and instantly knew it was a bad topic. "We were jus' headin' t' de kitchen f'r a snack." It was moments like these when Remy realized his empathy. Over the years, his powers had gotten more under control, as did the empathy. He no longer fed off of Rogue for her happiness, because now had his own. That doesn't mean he wouldn't feel her change moods instantaneously.

"Yeah… a snack," Rogue agreed. The color that she didn't realize flooded her cheeks drained, revealing her pale, freckled skin.

Kitty grinned. "Good luck getting by Hank."

"Thanks," Rogue mumbled, going ahead of Remy. Dammit, dammit, dammit. Great way ta lock up like that!

"T'anks a lot, Drake," Remy huffed.

"Man, I didn't realize…"

"I've been tryin' t' keep me an' Sarah under wraps f'r how long an' a line like dat is jus' great!" Remy clenched his fists, making sure to keep his power in the back of his mind. He'd gotten plenty mad over his time here. The professor had worked with him, taught him the more professional way to hold the energy inside with his emotions. He hadn't had any accidents for half a year and he wasn't about to start now.

"Hey, I'm sorry, alright? How was I supposed to know that Rogue developed some little crush on you?"

"Bobby!" Kitty hissed. "It isn't a crush." That gained an intrigued look from Remy. "Rogue just isn't ready to share you yet. She was totally broken when Kurt left for school and you're all she has left from her childhood."

"When did y' get all analytical 'bout me an' Rogue?"

Kitty glared at him for a moment. "Because she told me. Alright? She'll probably get mad at me for telling you, but you needed to know. In simple terms, she is scared to death that you'll leave her completely alone, despite everything she's been given."

"I've told her so many times by now-"

"Why don't you show her for a chance? When was the last time you guys went out?"

"She doesn' like t' leave the mansion! Sometimes she's still scared of her own shadow."

"Then why don't you help her instead of avoiding it?"

"I don' need dis lecture from you," he growled before leaving them. He didn't even head in the direction of the kitchen to follow Rogue.

"Good job, Kit-Kat."

"Oh, shut-up!" She got up from the couch and went upstairs without so much as a glance back.

"Dammit," Bobby muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"C'mon, Hank. Not even a piece of fruit?" Rogue carped.

"No, no, and no again. You know that dinner is going to be served in approximately thirty minutes."

"But Ah won't last that long!" She stuck out her bottom lip - it was her last resort. If that didn't work, she was sure to tough out the next thirty minutes. She willed her stomach to growl. "Please?"

Hank's gently bestial (talk about your oxymoron's) face scrunched up in thought. Then he sighed. "Alright. But don't you speak a word to Jean. She knows how you like to fit something extra before dinner."

"Ah swear Ah won't tell a soul." She crossed her finger over her heart. "Is a banana all raht?"

"That should be fine."

She grinned and grabbed one from the huge fruit basket on the kitchen table. Days like these she felt like an eleven-year-old again. She slid out the chair and took a seat, observing Hank as he put the last touches on a meat platter before sticking it back in the oven. "What's got you cookin' tanight? Don't we usually order out by the truck full?" Hank was the self-proclaimed culinary master of the house. When things were ordered in, he carefully examined them and not a single thing could get past his eyes without careful inspection.

"That is true, my young Southern Belle -" She grinned at the term of endearment. She'd never get sick of it. "-But I brought it upon myself that since we are not as full a house tonight, that I could whip something up on my own, so to speak."

"Ah'm sure it'll be delicious. It's smells great already."

"Thank you," he smiled warmly.

As Rogue peeled her banana, she glanced towards the door. Maybe she'd overreacted just a little bit in the living room. The name Sarah just made her skin crawl, though. Remy… Sarah… Remy touching Sarah. She knew it all. Rogue had touched him several times since Sarah had enrolled in the institute. She'd felt his attraction towards the new girl immediately. He's never gonna leave me. He promised me. Ah'm jus' overreactin'. This girl won't come between me an' him! How could she? She's known Remy for, like, what? Five months? That's nothin' compared to the years me an' him have. She took a deep breath without realizing it. Once she was sure she'd convinced herself there was nothing to worry about, she only had one thought left. Why doesn't he realize this is tearin' me apart?

Remy instantly found himself in the danger room. Somehow in his rage he'd gotten his uniform on and grabbed several packs of cards. Luckily, a couple other students were in a session, so he wouldn't have to worry about setting up his own programs. And then again, unfortunately, the one person in question was in the room training that very second.

Even in the midst of training, Sarah's bright pink hair was spiked and a self-made bone collar donned her neck. Her uniform was sleeveless, as during training she liked to have several bones stick out from her arms. In her time at the Xavier Institute, Sarah had excelled in hand-to-hand combat, using her bones as weapons, much as anyone else would use knives or sticks.

When she saw Remy walk into the room, her green eyes danced with delight. After finishing off the hologram she was currently fighting, she made her way over to him. "Hey," she said when she was close enough. The smile on her face faded once she saw the look in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

He pushed past her. "Not a damn t'ing." Guido was being double-teamed by two robots - nothing he couldn't handle - but quicker than the eye could see, Remy had slipped a card into his hand and with a flick of his wrist, he launched it at one of the robots. It exploded on contact.

"Babe," Sarah put a hand on his shoulder when she was sure he wasn't planning to take anything else out. "Something's wrong. Don't deny it."

"It's Rogue." Once those words came from his mouth, Sarah's hand slipped off his shoulder.

"It's always about her," she said quietly. Sarah didn't understand Rogue and Remy's connection. In her eyes, Rogue was just this little girl tagging onto Remy and holding him back from everything.

"She knows about us."

"So? Everyone and their second and third cousins know about us! It was only a matter of time before it got to her too!"

"Y' jus' don' get it!" He said loudly.

Sarah put a hand on her protruding hip. "Then explain, please, because I'm curious as hell over here."

"Rogue… merde, I don' even know how t' explain it. It's like I be walkin' on glass t' keep her safe an' I knew how much dis would upset her."

"Just because of your empathy?"

"It's diff'rent wit' her. Like on a diff'rent level completely." He never really explained much to Sarah. Their relationship revolved around Remy's tutoring and sex. There was no reason to tell her anything that she didn't need to know.

"Remy… come here." She slid her hands into his and made him look her in the eyes. "I know I could never ask you to choose between me and her, that would be incredibly selfish and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be happy with the answer, but -" She got a certain glint in her jade eyes that Remy knew all too well. "Lemme help you forget her." When Remy didn't respond, she added, "Please? Just for a little bit?" She had a smirk on her face that dared anyone to say no.

"Maybe later, chere. I jus' need t' figure t'ings out."

She sighed. "Fair enough. You'll know where I'll be." Then she turned and walked out. Remy noticed how everyone else had begun filtering out, too. Probably getting cleaned up for dinner. And out of sheer luck for Remy, Logan had been leading the training session and was hanging around for some solitary work. That was sarcasm, mind you.

"You an' the girl havin' problems?"

"Not'in' I can' handle."

"I was talkin' about you an' Rogue."

Remy sighed. "I dunno, den."

"Maybe it would've been better if she heard it from you instead of tiptoeing on thin ice."

The Cajun looked at the older man, wondering how he could have possibly known what this was about. Instead of dwelling on that thought, he said, "I knew how she felt de second she first saw Sarah - how me an' her would have so much in common -"

"Gumbo, you an' I both know that ya got shit in common. Ya like to fuck an' that's about it."

Good ol' Logan. Blunt as shit. "So what? So I like a good screw here an' dere."

"Yer breakin' her heart."

Remy raised his eyebrows. He never thought of it that way. However, he had to keep his poker face up. "How would y' know dat?" He asked a little too crudely.

"Because when I walk down the halls at night, I hear her cryin'."

"What?" He wasn't expecting that.

"She cries. I don't know whether she's had a bad dream or if it's somethin' else, but I know sobbing when I hear it."

"Dammit," he muttered, looking away from Logan.

"You two have gotten older and I think the three year difference is really clear right now. She wants you to be the guy she knew when you first came here and not the testosterone inflated jerk you've become."

"How come ev'ryone knows dis crap an' I don'?"

Logan shrugged. "Yer not as observant as ya think ya are."

"Whatev'r."

"Drop the cocky additude, Cajun. You can either train with me now, or talk to Rogue."

"I'm tryin' t' figure out which one would be easier."

"You'd be better off talkin' ta her. With the mood I'm in, training won't be a field trip."

"T'anks f'r de advice. I'll see y' at dinner or whenever den."

"Good luck, Gumbo."

"Yup," he mumbled walking off.

Remy made a stop up at his room to change out of his uniform. Spandex wasn't his thing. He changed into his baggy fit jeans and a solid red long sleeved shirt. Glancing into the mirror, he pulled his hair out of the ponytail and ruffled his hair so it framed his face. Sighing loudly, he was ready to leave when something caught his eye.

A single piece of paper sat on his pillow. The white heavily contrasted against his black sheets. Curious, he walked over and plucked it off the bed. I'm not mad at you. It simply said. "Well, dat's vague." It could be either of the girls. Rogue for obvious reasons, and then Sarah because of what was said in the Danger Room. He hoped it was from Rogue. Logan was right. There really wasn't a single thing holding him and Sarah together except for the physical attraction.

Remy scrunched his nose in thought. He leaned down and opened his side table drawer. Reaching in, he quickly found his walkie-talkie. He hadn't talked to Rogue with it for possibly a year. He wondered if she ever carried it with her. He clicked it on. "P'tite?"

Rogue had taken her food up to her room so she could eat alone. She wasn't feeling too up for eating with company, especially after making a spectacle of herself in the living room. Kitty kept trying to talk to her, but she dodged her by using Kitty's own powers against her. Fortunately, the now twenty-two-year old took the hint and let her be.

She heard a small crackle like static from underneath her bed. "P'tite?"

"Remy?" She said, not realizing at first that it was coming from her walkie-talkie. Grinning brightly, she all but fell off the bed scrambling for it. She snatched it off the floor and pressed the button. "Remy?" She repeated.

"Hey, chere."

"Hi. Ya didn't go downstairs ta eat?"

"Not yet. I, umm… wanted t' talk about what happened earlier."

"… sure… Ah mean, if ya want to."

"We need t'. Stay in y'r room. I'll be dere in a second."

"All raht. See ya." She put the walkie-talkie down, silently glad she had kept up on replacing the batteries so she could leave it on indefinitely. She got off her bed and ran to her mirror, grabbing her brush along the way. She brushed her auburn locks furiously, making sure it wasn't too much of an unruly mess. "Dammit!" she hissed when she realized she'd gotten food on her shirt. Quickly, she peeled it off and threw it under her bed. She ran over to her dresser and began rummaging for a new sweater.

A knock on the door filled the room. "Chere?"

Eep! "Hold on a sec, sugah!" She grabbed a black turtleneck and pulled it over her head. "Come in."

The door opened and Remy slipped in. "Nice hair, p'tite," he chuckled.

Rogue glanced at the mirror. As she pulled the sweater over her head, the static electricity produced caused her hair to stand on end. She giggled nervously as she smoothed it down. "Oops."

"Weren' y' wearin' blue earlier?"

"Yeah… ya know me though. Ah spilled sauce on mah shirt."

He smirked. Rogue used to think that smile was just for her, but it was just a smile. "Okay, Rogue. We need t' talk."

She dropped her smile. "There really isn't anythin' ta talk about."

"Y' know dere is." He walked over to her bed and sat down. "C'mere."

Timidly she walked over and put her dinner tray on the floor. Then she climbed onto the bed next to him. "Ah knew all along," she whispered.

"How?" He asked idly without thinking.

"Ah saw yoah thoughts every time Ah would absorb you. An' Ah've gotten ya a few good times in the last few months." He nodded. "What hurts the most is ya lied ta me."

"I didn' even t'ink of y' knowin'."

"You should of. Ah know Ah can never lie ta you with yoah empathy. You may be able ta lie ta everyone else, but Ah'm the psychic vampire. Ya can't hide anythin' from me without me suckin' it outta ya with a tiny tap."

He looked down at his lap. "I'm sorry, chere. I really am."

"Ah know ya are. And…" she sighed. "Ah'm sorry foh actin' like ya need ta keep it from me. Everythin' changin', Rem. Ya're gettin' an' gonna graduate an' all, an' Ah'm here playing with dolls an' hopin' ya'll still come ta mah tea parties."

"Chere… y' never played wit' dools or had tea parties."

"It's a metaphor, Swamp Rat."

"I know," he grinned. When she didn't smile in return, his faded.

"Jus' promise me ya won't lie again. You can keep on seein' Sarah, because Ah can't dictate yoah life like that."

He put his arm around her shoulder. "I promise, p'tite. An' from now on, I'm keepin' dis on me." He reached into this back pocket and showed her his walkie-talkie. "Dat way if y' need me, I'll be dere."

"Ah'll keep mine in mah bag, too." She smiled faintly.

Remy sighed. "I've been neglectin' 'us' too much these days."

"Ah understand why. Ah mean, you have yoah friends, Ah've got mine. Yoah friends don't understand how ya're friends with a gal mah age."

"Dey don't understand how y' my best friend," he corrected. "But y' know what I say t' dem?"

Her smile grew the slightest bit. "What do ya say?"

"I say, 'enculé, y' don' know what it's like t' be fully connected wit' someone - especially like m'Rogue."

"Do you really?"

"Well… depending on de person is how harsh I be."

She snuggled into his arm. "Thank you foh defendin' 'us'."

"I was defendin' you." He pulled her into a complete hug. She curled up on his lap like she would all those years ago. She truly felt at home. Remy ran his hands lightly through her hair, knowing she loved the motion. "Y' wan' go out t'night?"

She lifted her head off his chest. "Out? Like where?"

"T' de movies or somethin'."

"How 'bout we stay in? Ah know! We could watch the Lion King!" She giggled.

"Don' y' t'ink y' be gettin' a li'l bit old f'r dat movie?"

She pouted. "But Ah haven't watched it since we watched it all that long ago!" He remained poker faced. "Ah won't sing this time. An' we can watch it up here so ya don't look bad in front of yoah buddies. Pweeeeeze?"

He sighed theatrically but then grinned. "Y' got a deal, but I t'ink I'll let y' dance. Y' love it so much." He received a giggle from her. "I'll go down an' grab some food an' de movie, alright?"

"Sounds great."

"Hey…"

"Hmm?"

"How 'bout a sleepover? Jus' you an' me. Jus' like old times since we be reminiscing anyway."

"That's the best thing Ah've heard all day, Remy."

"An' what I said before means nothing?! Say it ain' so!" He rushed out the door with a hand to his forehead.

"Ah'm jokin'! Remy, come back!"

He poked his head in the doorway. "I know. I'll be back."

"Ah know." She beamed. He left again and Rogue could do nothing but smile. She climbed up on her bed and pulled her journal out from underneath her pillow. Opening it, she scrawled down the time and a few words. My Remy is back.

 

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