Street Livin’ - REVIEW THIS STORY

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

Chapter 16

Rogue stretched languidly once the credits started rolling. Students had come and gone over the last ninety or so minutes. Rogue was surprised at the amount of students that had actually sat down and watched the movie with them. She actually felt kind of kiddy sitting there and singing along with the movie while all the older kids could see her, but they didn’t mind in the least. Piotr at one point looked up at her and smiled. He told her she reminded him of his sister, Illyana. That made her feel good.

She sat up and poked at Remy’s stomach. “C’mon, sugah,” she whispered, trying to rustle him out of his trance. “Ah wanna show ya somethin’.” Her gloved hand found his.

“Sure, p’tite. I gotta tell y’ somet’in’, too,” he grinned.

“Let’s go up ta our room, then.”

“Rogue, wait,” Ororo said from beside her. “Jean is taking a few of us shopping. Would you like to come along?”

“Sure. It should be fun hangin’ with the older gals,” she smiled. “We’re not leavin’ anytime soon, raht?”

“The original plan was to leave - ” She glanced to the clock sitting on the TV stand. “- about 45 minutes from now.”

“Perfect. C’mon, Remy.” She pulled him to his feet with a burst of energy and tugged him out of the room. When they were on their way up the stairs, she asked, “What did ya wanna tell me?”

He smirked. “I controlled it t’day.”

She knew exactly to what he was referring. “That’s great!” She squealed. She almost brought them down the steps with the momentum she used to jump on him and hug him. “How?”

“I dunno… I jus’ t’ought long an’ hard an’ told myself t’ put it away. So now it’s stored f’r some ot’er time I get pissed off.”

She giggled. “Now if only it was that easy when ya first started with it.”

He grinned. “It’s only gon’ get bett’r after dis now, p’tite.” They started up the stairs again. “Now, what did y’ wan’ tell me?”

“Ah’m not tellin’ ya that easily. It’s mah surprise foh you.” She tugged on his hand more to get them upstairs quicker.

Once they got to ‘their’ room, Rogue pulled him over to the bed. “Okay. What Ah need ya ta do is relax while Ah do this.” When Rogue was in session with Jean, the redhead had allowed her to take a tiny bit of her powers in order to have the energy to build onto her shields, despite the slight weakening Jean experienced. Overall, the session and the experiment of using Jean’s powers was a success. Rogue tried her best to bring it back. Remy watched curiously as Rogue squeezed her eyelids close and concentrated. All raht, Jeannie, Jean, Red, Marvel Girl? Ah dunno where she picked up that name, but whatevah. When Ah touched her, it was like Ah could feel her baby inside me foh that split second… Ah didn’t have the heart ta tell her that Ah know it’s gonna be a boy. Maybe she knows an’ she’s just denyin’ it… Foh some reason, her power associates with fire… think, Rogue. Flame, hot, psycho, ya can do it. Ya only absorbed her like two hours ago. You can do this, girl.

“Chere?”

“Ah’m busy, Remy.”

“… De tips of y’ hair are on fire.”

Rogue opened her eyes and blinked. Sure enough, the room did feel warmer in her mind’s eye, and the ends of her curly auburn hair did appear to be flaming with psychic energy. “Perfect,” she smiled. “All raht, are ya ready?”

He looked at her with skeptic in his red eyes. “I guess. Y’ still haven’ told me what dis is all about.”

“Remy,” she grinned. “Ah’m gonna build ya some shields!”

He shared her enthusiasm. “Y’ are? Dat’s great!”

“Okay, sugah, relax. Ah’m still not used ta bein’ a psycho.”

“But y’ not, chere.”

She giggled. “Ah know. Relax already!” She squealed. She raised her hands up to Remy’s temples, trying to remember exactly what Jean had done. “Ah’m not gonna hurt ya.”

“I trust y’, Rogue.” He closed his eyes and opened his mind to her.

Rogue breathed in and took a baby step in. Remy?

“I’m here, p’tite.” He waved her over to him. She radiated heat with the flames encircling her body, but she didn’t feel a thing. “Where do we start?”

“It’s up ta you.” She poked at the exterior of his mind. “What kinda wall do ya wanna build?”

“Stone. Like y’ see in old fortresses an’ stuff.”

“That’s how mine are now. All ya need ta do, since it is yoah mind, is just envision the blocks an’ cement an’ allow them ta put themselves tagether. That’s what Jean told me word foh word an’ it worked. Ah’ll show ya.” Her psychic form closed her eyes. Her forehead scrunched up in deep concentration, and after a moment, a whole pile of cinder blocks had formed mysteriously.

“I c’n do dat, too?”

“Yeah. All ya do is think an’ it’ll be there. Do it quickly though. Ya technically need a psycho ta ‘enforce’ it or somethin’. Hopefully Ah can do that with these powers.”

“Hey… Jubilee said dat bein’ an empath was sorta like bein’ a psycho, right?”

Rogue looked at him quizzically. “Are ya sayin’ ya have that?”

He shrugged. “I’ve been able t’ tell t’ings. Like when y’ were jealous earlier, or when I know y’r gon’ cry, even dough y’ show no signs of it y’self.”

“Maybe, then. You can build them yoahself completely! An’ Ah’ll be able ta test it, too. Ah’m gonna leave yoah head, an’ when ya’re ready, let me know. Ah’ll try ta come back in.”

He nodded. “Alright, den. See y’ on de ot’er side,” he grinned. She smiled widely back and dissolved from his sight. Time t’ get t’ work.

Rogue watched him in silence for what seemed forever. He didn’t open his eyes at all while he was building, but she could see his eyes move underneath his eyelids. She had an idea as well. If Ah shut mah walls tight, he won’t be able ta sense mah emotions… It put a gleam in her eye. She looked inside her mind as well, smiling at the sight of the two Lego guards of Kurt and Remy, even though her mind was far from Legoland now.

Remy opened his eyes finally and sighed. “I t’ink I did it.”

“Ah’ll try gettin’ in.” She tried bringing up Jean’s power again, but found herself empty. She searched and searched inside herself, but nothing appeared. No flicker of fire, no tiny simmer of Jean was left. “Ah cain’t find the power.”

“Y’ jus’ had it… where did it go?”

“How should Ah know?” She was getting aggravated with herself. She had it before, where the hell did it go?

Something sparked in Remy’s mind. “See if y’ c’n bring me up.”

“What’ll that do? Ah didn’t get empathy from ya before, so Ah cain’t test it on yoah shields.”

“Jus’ do it.”

She wrinkled her nose, but did as she was told. She closed her eyes and searched. “Remy? Ah don’t see ya. There’s absolutely nothin’ left.” She started to panic. She was distraught before when he disappeared before in her mind, but then unconsciously she had found him. Now, she had nothing. “You’re not in there!” She cried.

He put his hands on her shoulders. “Rogue, it’s okay. I kinda figured dis out. I t’ink y’ have de person in y’ head initially an’ den - ”

“Ah’ve got one more use of everythin’ in me an’ that’s it.” She sighed. “Mah powers suck.”

“Y’ say dat as if I didn’t have crappy ones. Besides, wit’ y’rs, y’ can have any power! All I do is blow merde up.”

“Ah guess that’s a better way of lookin’ at it… but ya do have the empathy.”

He smirked. “Y’ definitely made out on dis mutant t’ing.”

“Ah did, didn’t Ah?”

“You bet.”

She grinned. “Ah did. Ohh! Ya know what Ah should do from now on?”

“Quoi?”

“Ah should absorb as many people as Ah can, that way Ah have all these powers foh mah use!”

“Y’ gon’ be able t’ handle all dat? Won’ y’ head get crowded?”

She thought about it. “Maybe, but Ah’ll never know if Ah don’t try, raht?”

“Good point.”

“Wait! Ah still have Emma in mah head. Ah can use her ta test yoah shields.”

“Y’ sure y’ wan’ bring her up?”

“Ah can handle anythin’ that girl can dish out, remember?” She smiled smugly. “An’ besides, if whatcha say is true, then Ah won’t have her in mah mind anymore.”

Remy could only shrug. “Go ‘head, den.” He learned better than to try to keep her from doing something her mind was set on.

Rogue snickered and closed her eyes and tried bringing up Emma. She instantly thought of the crystalline feeling her telepathy had. Rogue scoured for her own green crystalline aura. With a tiny push, she found the power, also releasing the memories. She suddenly felt self-conscious – mirroring the lost girl that Emma was when she thought no one was looking. Rogue sensed something was wrong, like it wasn’t going right because she messed up again.

“I t’ink y’ got it,” Remy whispered encouragingly, hoping he wasn’t breaking her concentration. He did see the beginnings of a diamond shell growing on her, starting from the exact middle of her forehead.

She felt it too, like her skin was forming over with cement. She remembered other times with Cody she would come home, caked with mud. The diamond shelling felt like that, but Rogue could sense the clearness of it… hell, she felt expensive, too. She took hold of the crystal shell and pushed it aside in her mind – Emma told her the telepathy wouldn’t work with it up. She instantly sensed the auras of everyone in the house, sending her mind reeling. She took a few deeps breaths and centered her own aura.

She opened her eyes hazily to Remy. Everything was outlined in green. Rogue knew she was truly connected with everything now. “Ah’m gonna try now.”

“Take y’ time, p’tite. I don’t want y’ t’ hurt y’self.”

“Ah won’t,” she smiled warmly, giddy at the thought that he was so concerned about her. She closed her eyes and sent out her mind, attempting to get into Remy’s. She reached out just enough so she practically feathered her probe against his walls. It vibrated against her touch, but wouldn’t allow her access. “Think of a number between five an’ ten.” Jean had tried this exercise with her.

“Five an’ ten?”

“Anyone can do between one an’ ten. Just do it foh me, please?”

He nodded, smiling at her logic. In his head, he chanted six over and over again, unconsciously shuddering at the memory of the older orphanage kids and how they used to write ‘666’ on him with pens and paint it on the outside of his bedroom door. Stupid devil taunts, he growled to himself.

“Are ya thinkin’ of it?” She broke him out of his unintentional trip to his shadowy Memory Lane.

“Oui, g’head.”

Rogue pushed harder against the fortress walls that surrounded his mind, but they wouldn’t budge. She opened her eyes again, feeling the power fade away thankfully. “They’re great. What number were ya thinkin’ of?”

“What does it matter? Y’ didn’t get t’rough! Now dose spooks won’t be able t’ read my thoughts.”

“Can ya try mah mind? With yoah empathy?”

“How would dat work?”

“Umm… maybe ya won’t be able ta read mah emotions? Just try it, please?” She begged with an irresistible pout.

He grinned. “Sure. Lock ‘em down… or whatever y’ do with shields.”

She closed her eyes and made sure her guards weren’t going anywhere. “Alright.”

The second she did that, Remy stopped being aware of her ongoing happiness. It was like a glass wall slammed down in between them and nothing could penetrate. He could see her, but that was it. He suddenly felt very empty, too. Her happiness had fueled him, and now he had nothing. He realized then that he was always sensing her, whether he sent out his empathy or not. Maybe he was catching everyone’s emotions as well. But something about Rogue… he always seemed to be a reflection of her emotions. If she was happy, you could bet that he was happy. If she had a sudden shadow of fear creep over her, he would feel it too, even though he would always find some way to make her feel better. He was connected with Rogue.

“Take ‘em up,” he said quietly.

She did so and he was cascaded with her overwhelming happiness again. “Did it work?”

He nodded slowly. “It worked too well.”

She didn’t ignore his sudden sadness. “What’s wrong?”

He looked up and smiled, feeling her emotions dance across his skin, warming him to the core. “Not a t’ing. Promise me one t’ing, dough.”

“Of course. Anythin’.”

“Don’ do dat again. Like purposely, y’ know?”

She crooked her eyebrows, not fully understanding how much he fed off her emotions. “Okay, sure.”

He reached in for a hug. “Merci, chere. Merci.”

She held him for a minute and then pulled back. “Remy, really, what’s wrong?”

“I realized when y’ took y’ emotions away dat I need dem… I felt really… cold wit’out feelin’ y’.”

She smiled shakily. “Then Ah guess Ah cain’t leave you either then, huh?”

“I guess not,” he smirked. “I’m stuck wit’ y’ as much as y’ stuck wit’ me.”

There was a knock on the door. “You say that as if it’s a bad thing, sugah,” she laughed as she got off the bed to open the door. Scott was on the other side. He looked to Remy and then to Rogue.

“Are you two ready to go?”

Rogue glanced back at Remy, who nodded. “Yeah, Scott. We’re ready.” She turned back to Remy. “Ah’m gonna go find Jean. Ah’ll see ya when we get back.”

“’Course, p’tite.”

She grinned and scampered off after Scott told her Jean was waiting downstairs. Scott looked to Remy. “Does she seem happier here?”

The young Cajun smirked. “Like y’ wouldn’t believe.” He hopped off the bed and walked out the door, following Scott. “Kurt is comin’ wit’ us, right?”

“He is. The professor mentioned that you wanted him to come along?”

“Oui. Jus’ t’ have a kid around, y’ know?”

Scott smiled. “Of course. Let’s get going.” They were at the top of the steps when the girls walked out the front door. Ororo caught Remy’s eye before leaving and waved. He waved back and then they were all gone. Kurt in between Remy and Scott, otherwise scaring the hell out of Remy, whereas Scott had been anticipating it.

“Ready for hell, Remy?” Kurt asked in a hushed tone as he turned on his image inducer. “Scott is a major pain with this.”

He shrugged with a smile. “Let’s jus’ get it over wit’.”

“My thoughts exactly.”