Second Chances
by Lori McDonald

With a sigh, Rogue leaned on her crossed arms on the counter, head tilted
sideways as she gazed out the window, idly watching Bishop as he parked the jeep
and walked down the sidewalk around the house, on patrol as usual.
"Allo."
Rogue sighed, not looking around. Remy. She supposed she had to give him credit.
He was giving her space, giving her time, but she could tell all he wanted to do
was be with her. It was an aura around him that reached out and felt as though
it were strangling her. They couldn't be together, she'd accepted that. Why
couldn't he?
"Hi, Remy," she said softly and heard his clothes rustle as he fidgeted. Remy
wasn't the fidgeting kind. He had something on his mind. "What is it, sugah?"
He hesitated. "Um, I was jus' wonderin' how y' were doin'..."
His voice trailed off, sounding somewhat hollow to her. Rogue didn't turn
around. She didn't want to see his face. She didn't want to see how haunted it
was.
"Ah'm fine, Remy. How are ya?"
He sighed distantly. "Okay, I guess... I saw de new toy y' got outside."
The Z'Noxx Chamber. Her Christmas Gift from Joseph, used to make whoever was
with her telepathically invisible and therefore immune to her powers. A month
she'd had it, and never used it. She wasn't even sure why.
"What 'bout it, sugah?" She kept staring out the window.
"It's... nothin'. I was jus' wonderin' if..."
If she wanted him to join her in it. She could hear the words tripping on his
tongue and her lip curled. "Is that all ya want from me, sugah?"
"Hehn?"
"Ta get me in there an' fuck me?" She spat out the words.
"Non!"
"Sure it is," she retorted, lashing back at him for all the pain he'd caused
her. "Ya jus' wan' another notch on ya bedpost."
"That ain't fair, Rogue," he said, very softly.
She shrugged. "Life ain't fair. And ah ain't gonna get in there with ya."
"I didn' ask y' to."
"But ya were goin' ta, weren't ya?" She watched Beast jog across the driveway to
the main door, carrying a crate of test equipment over his head. "Ah know ya,
Remy."
He rustled behind her. "No, y' don'."
"I read ya mind!" she cried, straightening but not turning. "Ah WAS ya!"
"Dat wasn' me. Dat was someone else. Someone diff'rent."
She snorted. "Sure, sugah. It was someone else. Someone other than who ah
thought ah was datin'. Ah ain't makin' that mistake again."
He was quiet for a long time. "Y' goin' wit' Eric again, ain't ya, chere?"
"His name is Joseph!" she retorted and turned.
And gasped.
Gambit wasn't standing behind her. Not the Gambit she knew. This man was
scruffier, dirtier, dressed in tattered blue leathers with a red cape.
And she could see right through him to the wall behind.
"I'm sorry I wasn' what y' wanted, mon amour," he whispered, seeming to lose
even more solidity as if her seeing him broke the spell which kept him there. "I
did everyt'ing I could. I went t' de end a de universe for y'. Please, give me,
give him, a second chance..."
He faded away, leaving Rogue standing alone, shaking. Outside, she could hear
Remy in the driveway, calling to Storm to wait up for him, but she couldn't turn
around and look, afraid that maybe he really wouldn't be what she'd thought
after all.

The End




  If you haven't figured it out, this is a sequel to my post AoA story, "Not
  With A Bang or A Whimper". Kinda snuck up on me too. It wasn't until halfway
  through the conversation that I realized it wasn't the usual Remy LeBeau
  talking to her. :)