A Rogue's Tale

Hidden Memories: Part 5

"You came," he said and held out his hands to help her up.

"Ah said ah would," she said with a smile.

"I'm glad," he said and led her over to a nearby bench. "We got some t'ings to talk about." He pulled out the green stone he had made into a necklace and put it around her neck. "Damn you're beautiful, even more now den when we were in New Orleans."

"Ah just wish ah could remember everything," she said and sat closer to him. "Everythin' is just so jumbled up."

"Dere's a reason for dat," Remy said and took her hand. "Dat woman you livin' wid was druggin' you."

Rogue looked stunned. "How do you know?"

"Your friend Tara made a study date wid Quicksilver. While she was over dere she heard her talkin' to some blind woman." Rogue looked stunned by his words. He held onto her hand caressing it trying to make her feel at ease. "Don' worry about dat anymore, 'cause she switched de drug with plain water."

"That makes sense now," she said, thinking back to that morning. Remy looked confused, so Rogue made an attempt to clear things up. "This morning ah was runnin' late for school and ah didn't have time for breakfast, but Mystique was insisting ah have a glass of orange juice. The problem was that it tasted watered down."

"Tara thought dat if she didn't know the drug was replaced you'd get your memory back," Remy said, which made Rogue more confused.

"Why would she do that to me?" Rogue asked out loud, but not so much to Remy.

"Not sure," Remy said and put his arm around her. "Maybe she don' want us to be t'gether, or maybe it was because of dis." He pointed to the gem, which confused Rogue.

"Ah wish ah knew," she said, moving her head back and forth. She looked so hurt hearing Remy's tale, but something told her it was all true.

"You will wid a little more time," he said. "I got a friend testing dat drug, find out what it really is."

"Well, it might explain why ah've been so tired lately," she said and looked up at him.

"I hate dat she did dat to ya," he said and took her hand and held it tight. "I promised you back in New Orleans dat I'd take care a you. Haven't been doin' a great job at it."

"Yeah, ya have," she said and turned towards him in her seat on the bench. "Last time ah clearly remember was being on a bus after leaving Mississippi."

"You came to New Orleans, dat where we met up de second time," he said.

"The second time? When was the... Oh mah god..." She stood up looking up at the sky. "Ah was five when I met this little boy with eyes like yours. We escaped this lab and hitched a ride on a train to New Orleans."

"Yes, dat's right, chere," he said, coming up behind her. One hand was on her shoulder, and the other was in his pocket. He pulled out a shining metal object and held it out to her. "You remember dis?"

She turned around to see a butterfly necklace. It was made of cheap metal, but something in her treated it like it was a rare costly jewel. "That was just a dream," she said slowly and then the memories came back and in the order in which they were made.

First arriving in New Orleans, then the attack in the alley to the hotel she first stayed at, and even her breakfast at the café. Remy had been there, flirting shamelessly and then back at her hotel she was attacked again and he had saved her, and then their breaking into the mansion and stealing the gem. Another memory came, the last thing that happened before she woke up in the dungeon.

"It was her," she said and Remy turned her around and saw the fright in her eyes.

"What you mean?" he asked.

"Mystique, she's the one who kidnapped me from your apartment," she said and grabbed onto him. "It was her." Tears ran down her cheek, and he held onto her. "That day we were going to leave the city. You came back to the apartment, so ah let ya in, but she used some kind of knock out gas, but before ah lost consciousness, I saw you change into this blue skinned woman. It was her all along. Then I woke up chained up in that dungeon."

"I know. I was dere, but I was too late to save you," he said feeling ashamed. "I tracked down Julien dat night and I forced him t'tell me where dat woman took ya, dat why I came t'New York and dat why I joined de X-Men... t'find you."

"You did that for me?" she asked like she didn't believe it was true.

"I love you, my Anna Marie," he said using her real name.

"Ah love you too," she said and pulled her close to him until his lips were touching hers. Their kiss seemed to last forever, both not wanting to ever let go of the other. Soon they were forced to break apart to get some air.

"I'm not letting; you go back to dat house," Remy said, but Rogue shook her head.

"Ah have to go back," she said and moved a few inches away from him.

"Non, chere, I ain't gonna let that witch hurt you anymore. If you go back dere..."

"If ah go back ah can find out what she's up too, what's really goin' and why she took me in the first place. If ah leave now, then ah'll never know."

"And if you end up dead?" he said with fear in his eyes. "I'll never forgive myself."

"It won't be that way," she said trying to talk some sense into him. "She don't know that ah know, and ah intend to keep it that way. I got a feeling the attack back home didn't happen the way ah think it did. Your friend Scott tried to tell me that, but..."

"I t'ink it was her too," he said and pulled her close to him. Her back was leaning against his chest. "Dat's why I want you away from dere."

"Remy, ah have to know for sure, and ah have a way t'do it," she said and walked a few steps away from him. "It'll take time, but ah know ah can do it."

"What about us?" he asked. "How am I gonna keep you safe?"

"Ah can take care of myself, and as for us, we can see each other, but it has to be a secret...for now." He tried to open his mouth to say something, but she placed her hand over his mouth. "Trust me enough to know what ah'm doin'... okay."

"Alright," he said and leaned down to give her a kiss. She left the park that night to go back to the house of a woman who had caused them so much grief, but at least now she remembered him and everything they meant to each other. He just hoped she would stay safe. She worried about that to, even though she tried not to let it show. 

That's the end of this chapter. In the next one Rogue continues her investigation of Mystique. What will she find and how will it affect her? Find out next time.