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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
 
 
 

Ennui de Famille - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Paws
Last updated: 01/26/2007 02:19:59 AM

Chapter 7

Remy stood impatiently at the arrival gate waiting for the plane to finally taxi into place and release its load of passengers. He was excited, anxious and generally a bundle of nerves. He had missed Talia, but now faced with her imminent arrival he wondered if he had been selfish asking her to come. With all the stuff that had happened recently, he’d put her through enough. And yet, here she was again, willing to follow where he wished.

Topping it all off was the whole uncertainty of the situation with his uncle. He’d only spent a couple of days with the man after all – and as much as Jean-Luc went on about him being family and all, he still couldn’t shake the worry that this could all just blow up in his face easy as that. It just seemed too good to be true.

People began to file out of the walkway and he pushed himself off the wall where he’d been leaning, trying to just blend in with the crowds. A flash of blue under a deep hood made his heart leap. She must have spotted him at the same time because she threaded her way quickly past the people in front of her, throwing herself forward into his arms. He crushed her tightly to his chest, oblivious to the onlookers around them.

“Hey chere, did y’ have a good flight?”

She looked up at him, eyes twinkling and leaned up, giving him a quick kiss that made him forget what he was going to ask her next.

“It was good. So loooong. Why can’t they make those seats bigger? I got stuck between the window and some guy that fell asleep and started snoring and I couldn’t even move the whole flight.” She trailed her fingers along his jaw. “I missed you.”

“I missed y’ too.” He smiled down at her, leaning forward to press his lips to hers again when he suddenly realized that they were in the middle of a rather large swarm of people trying to brush past, several of which had stopped to gawk at Talia. Wrapping a protective arm around her, he steered her through and out of the crowded areas, stopping briefly to gather her luggage.

“So this uncle…what is he like?”

He gave her a smile. “Well…told y’ about some of d’ stuff, neh? What he told me about my Pere an’ stuff.” She nodded at him. “He seems like a nice guy, though think dat maybe he’s a bit stubborn when he wants his way.”

She rolled her eyes at that. “A family member of yours? Stubborn? Never woulda guessed.”

He swatted her behind in retaliation. “He seems t’ be pretty caught up in all dis ‘makin’ things up t’ me’. An’ he keeps on askin’ me about shit – not really pryin’ though – it’s just like he’s tryin’ to catch up. Like Remy’s his favorite TV show or somethin’.”

“So you like him?” She pressed her cheek to his shoulder and he held her closer, their legs bumping as they walked out of the airport.

“Oui. He’s been really nice.” He smiled at her, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. Theoren was already out of the car and walking towards the two of them.

He passed the bag over, as TJ looked at the man with a questioning frown and then back to him. Theoren placed the bag in the trunk, and then opened the door for them. He shrugged. It felt weird, but his uncle had insisted that Theoren take him. Not that he really had any choice other that – there was no public transit anywhere near his uncle’s house, but still – having all this fuss made him feel like an idiot.

“Talia, dis is Theoren.” The chauffeur nodded politely at her, and Remy ushered her into the car, sliding up to sit close to her.

Talia waited for him to shut the door and then looked at him. “Who is Theoren? You never said anything about another guy!”

“What? Oh – he’s not another relative, chere. Theoren’s d’driver.” He snuggled closer to her, drawing her to him.

“Driver?” She stopped as Theoren slipped back in the car. “Your uncle has people to drive for him?” She whispered in his ear.

“Oui.” He smiled and shrugged it off, leaning forward to finally kiss her like he had wanted to since the moment he’d seen her step off the plane. They kept things discrete enough – while Theoren may be keeping his eyes firmly on the road in front of him, he was still there – but it was still promising enough to leave him shifting in his seat.

She noticed and smiled wickedly, drawing her fingers teasingly up his thigh. He captured her hand and kissed it, nipping at the back of one knuckle in warning. “Dieu, what am I gonna do with y’ chere?”

Chuckling she tipped her head back a bit, raking him with a look. “That’s a dumb question.”

They snuggled for a few minutes, sharing small stories with each other. Talia, watching the scenery flash by, began oohing and ahhing at the houses as they drew nearer to their destination.

“Wow – look at that one! These places are huuuge. Are there any movie stars that live here?”

He just listened as Theoren told her about a few of the places, and to her animated chatter in response. He didn’t recognize any of the names anyway, regardless of how impressed that Talia may see by the name dropping. Theoren was currently trying to impress on her the difference between ‘celebrities’ and the ‘old families’ of New Orleans. Evidently Theoren had no doubt as to who was the crème of this city.

As they pulled up his uncle’s drive Talia’s eyes went huge. “This is your uncle’s place? It looks like ‘Gone with the wind!’.” Theoren just chuckled at that but it made him think, so he looked appraisingly over the house again. If there had been any hurricane damage he certainly couldn’t see any remnants. When she started going on about some lady named Scarlett her realized that she must be talking about another movie of hers or something.

He helped her out of the car and up the steps where his uncle already stood waiting for them. Talia stuck close to his side, her hand tightening on his arm in nervousness. Well…here went nothing.

*******************

He watched his nephew and his girlfriend together. The girl was even more striking in real life – a real live person that was blue from head to toe. He’d not noticed the differences in her hands and feet in the photo. It was hard to conceptualize a real living human being that looked like this – until you were literally faced with one.

Yet once you looked at her and Remy together – whispering things to each other as she clung to his nephew’s arm, it all just fell into place. She was just a girl – who was in love with his nephew. It didn’t matter how different she was. And once you got past the blue, she was a very striking young woman. He could understand what attracted Remy to her.

Remy walked her up to him and introduced Talia, with just the slightest air of nervousness to him. His nephew hid things well – but once you got to know Remy a bit – and if you watched very carefully for it, you could read more into the slight shifts in his face. Mostly, you knew something was troubling him when he dropped into that deadpan poker expression. It was just a matter of figuring out what it was that had upset him.

“Bonjour. I’m very pleased t’ meet the lady my nephews been talkin’ about so much.” He smiled charmingly at her. “Y’ must be tired after dat flight, can I offer y’ something t’ drink?”

“Um…sure. Thanks.” She looked a little shyly at him and looked back to Remy who smiled at her encouragingly.

He took her hand in his own and looped it over his arm. “How about we sit outside for a bit in d’ shade? Unless y’d rather be inside?”

“The backyard sounds nice.”

He led her through the house, smiling at the way her eyes widened as she took in the furnishings along the way. Remy just followed on their heels, looking a trifle more relaxed, but still obviously intent on shadowing his girlfriend. Talia listened intently to him as he pointed things in the home out to her, and as she warmed up to him she started asking questions, even pulling him to one side to look at a painting.

He knew full well that this was a trial of sorts for him. Mess this up and he doubted Remy would have much to do with the family. Fortunately, he found himself adjusting to the situation quickly. He was sure that Remy would have been able to tell if he forced it, so he was happy to find that he didn’t have to. She was a sweet little thing.

After asking that the beverages be brought out to them, he led the two of them out to the yard, this time choosing a small café table that was set up at the edge of the pool.

He just sat and listened as Remy and Talia spoke to each other, her leaning into him as he sat with one arm around her waist. The ease of their conversation, and the level of comfort that they showed with each tiny caress, answered the one question he had thought indelicate to ask his nephew.

When the iced tea came they each took a glass, a bit of an awkward silence falling on the pair as they watched him. Smiling in what he hoped was a comforting way he waited them out, knowing it was better to let them come to him rather than to push any conversation on them. Remy reminded him of a sunning alligator – utterly relaxed, while still emanating the promise of power that could be unleashed at the bat of an eye. He sighed quietly as he took a sip of his drink. He’d hoped to be able to set his nephew more at ease than this, but the youth sat watching him with a wary eye, unobtrusively guarding Talia.

Talia was the first to break the silence. “So, how did you get this house anyway? It’s beautiful!”

He quirked an eyebrow in response. “It is very beau, non? It’s been in d’ family for generations now. The LeBeau’s have always lived here.” His eyes caught with those of his nephew and he sighed sadly. Of course, Remy had been the only one out of the lot to have not grown up under its roof. “My great grand-pere bought it while d’ area was still strugglin’ after d’ civil war, an’ we’ve been here ever since.”

“Remy’s d’ only LeBeau dat wasn’t born here. Or at least brought here right after d’ hospital. Dat doesn’t change anythin’ though – it’s still as much his home as it is mine or Herni’s.”

Talia’s eyes went big at that. Remy just snorted and gave him a look that clearly said he was digging his heels in further. Stubborn boy.

“Remy, y’ can stop lookin’ at me like a mule eyein’ up a slope. Wasn’t about t’ chain y’ t’ the front gate or somethin’.” Jean-Luc chuckled. “All dat I mean is dat y’re always welcome here – whenever y’ can come. Y’re family.”

They sipped their tea and he chatted a bit about the family’s long history for a while. Setting his empty glass on the table he smiled at the two of them. “So now dat I’ve bored y’ t’ death, how about we get y’ settled up in y’re room? Y’ can change or freshen up as y’ want.”

He took Talia’s arm again, scooping her up from right under his nephew’s nose, earning him an amused grin this time from Remy. “It’s been a while since I’ve had such a pretty young guest t’ entertain. Y’ll indulge an old man?”

Talia blushed and looked to Remy, but took his arm willingly and let him escort her up to the wing that Remy’s room was. Opening the door to the room across the hall from Remy’s, he revealed a slightly smaller, but still richly furnished room, her bag already waiting for her on the bed. “Will this suit y’?”

“Wow. Yeah. This is very nice.” Talia ran her fingers over the dark wood of a bureau. “Thanks.”

“I’m sure y’ll find it very comfortable. Of course, unless y’d rather sleep with Remy in his room.”

He had the satisfaction of watching his nephew’s eyebrows shoot up at that. Well – what did the boy expect? Wasn’t like he would be preserving the girl’s virtue by the look of things between them, and as if he expected Talia would stay in her room anyway. This way they just didn’t have to sneak around and feel guilty.

Talia didn’t hesitate, scooping up her bag, and smiling widely at him. “That sounds way better.”

He just chuckled, and left them to get settled, cherishing Remy’s parting look at him – a mix of bemusement and gratitude.

*****************

“I cannot believe your uncle is letting us sleep in the same room! This is going to be great!” He watched as she threw herself on the large four poster bed, sprawling along it.

He walked over and sat down beside her, running his fingertips along her arm, delighting in the slight shudder she gave. “Dieu, I missed y’ chere. I’m happy that y’ came. Merci.”

“Of course I came. I was going nuts at school. I was worried about you.” She sat up, wrapping him in a hug. “Are you ok? You’ve been a little quiet since we got here.”

“Oui. Dis is just so different is all.” He snorted. “An’ my uncle seems t’ think dat Remy’s a lot more dan he is. D’ man doesn’t even know me an’ he’s already sayin’ dat he owes me shit.”

“Wellll…you are his nephew right? He keeps going on about your family a lot. It sounds like it means a lot to him.”

“Oui, but dat doesn’t mean dat Remy wants his charity. All he’s gonna think dat I’m interested in is his money.” He frowned, trying to put his thoughts into words. “Remy’s never needed anyone t’ look after him an’ give him stuff. Can look after myself just fine.”

She sighed, leaning back and pressing her hand to his cheek. It felt so good to have her with him again. “I know you can. And he won’t. I think he just wants you to like him.”

“But…” He shook his head, confused. “Like it or not chere, he is rich. An’ people are gonna talk. Remy would like him just fine without d’ money. It’d probabally be easier if he didn’t have it.”

“So? Let them talk. Fuck them.” She pressed her lips to his for one sweet moment before backing off again. “I know what you are like, and you aren’t that kind of man.”

He ran his hand through her hair, and cupped the back of her head, drawing her near again. “An’ just what kind of man am I den?”

“You have to ask?” she smiled seductively at him and kissed him, pushing him backwards on the bed.

 

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