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Second Chances	By : SisterWine Category: X-men Comics > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 2272 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The X-Men are the sole property of Marvel Comics, Disney Corp., and 20th Century Fox. I do not own them at all. I make no money off of them, nor do I claim them as my own. Matthew and Stephanie are mine. Strictly entertainment only.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
It was early early morning when Stephanie woke up. She was a bit warm and disoriented from finding herself on Remy's sofa, instead of in her own bed. She sat up, stretched her arms and shoved the blanket off of her. Her mouth was dry and she thought about wandering into the kitchen to find a glass for some water. Quietly, she stepped over to the bottom of the stairs and paused to glance at the second floor.

The house was dark, save for a miscellaneous nightlight placed at various spots in the downstairs so she or Remy could find their way around. Moonlight crept in through cracks in the lightweight curtains that covered the living room windows.

Stephanie quirked her mouth and shrugged a notion to peek at Remy sleeping. She was just about to take a step closer to the kitchen when a sound caught her attention. It came from upstairs. Biting her bottom lip, Stephanie gave in and carefully tiptoed up the stairs, stepping on each board closest to the wall to avoid any creaks. In reaching the top of the stairs, she paused again and listened for any sound or movement saying Remy was still awake. She stood there for a minute and then crept closer to where she heard the noise.

Remy normally slept with his door closed but since he had a guest, he left it open about six inches, just in case Stephanie needed him during the night. Tonight, he slept on his right side, on the side closest to the bathroom, with his arms wrapped around the spare pillow that had been Alex's. He was silent as he slept; no talking or snoring or even ominous sounds came from him.

Pushing the door open and peering into the room, Stephanie admired the way Remy innocently slept. She watched him for a long while, wondering what he was dreaming about. She wanted to move closer but didn't dare in case he woke up. She thought it was a shame that he was gay but he was also too old for her.

Remy took a deep breath and gave an audible sigh before rolling onto his back and turning his head to the left. He was deep enough into his dream that he hadn't felt anyone around him. His long legs were stretched out, the right bent with his knee pointing to the window. His right arm had been under his pillow, cushioning his head as he lay on his side and his left draped across his stomach. The fluffy, lightweight white quilt and tan top sheet covered him from the waist down, leaving his bare top section exposed.

Stephanie inhaled the scent of the room and her sleeping host. It smelled like baby powder and soap with a hint of musk and warmth from being under the covers and getting warm. She liked the way Remy often smelled; like Brut cologne or Ivory soap or sometimes like a spice that she couldn't quite identify, a peppery spice. Taking the time to look around the room, she found a small 5x7 picture frame, sitting on his dresser, with a photo of Remy's dad and a young woman, Stephanie assumed was his mother. With her mind, she lifted the frame from its spot, in the middle of the dressertop, and brought it closer to see. Remy hardly talked about his family at all and this had been the only picture she had seen of his family, in his whole house. "He must be so lonely without a family," she whispered and replaced the picture to its spot. Another deep sigh brought her attention back to Remy, still asleep but changed positions again, this time to lay on his left side for a second and then over to his stomach. He moaned, softly, and Stephanie smiled as she caught his whisper of Alex's name.

Concealing a yawn, she replaced the door at six inches open and then made her way carefully back down the stairs. Each step down brought a thought to her that she'd had about gay men and their sleeping habits. She knew it was silly to invent the lifestyle that had been preconceived for years, about gay men, but she wasn't sure Remy or his own lifestyle habits. With another step, Stephanie thought back to seeing Remy kiss Logan on his doorstep and how she reacted by giving Remy a Hell of a headache for it. She paused and sat down about midway up. Stephanie had tried to see things from Remy's perspective and once confronted with the reality, she chose offense.

Remy coughed and then made an audible wheezing sound, from his bedroom. He coughed again and once more as the wheezing became louder. He was gasping for air, sitting up and clutching his chest as Stephanie hurried into the room with a glass of water for him. Pointing to the weekly pill box, he raised a shaking hand and nudged her over to collect Saturday's pills for him.

"Should I call the hospital?" Stephanie flinched as he grabbed the pillstick from her and eagerly opened the AM container and dumped the five pills into his hand. He shoved them into his mouth and then forced himself to drink slowly, swallowing each one with painful repercussions. Her curiosity grew and she wondered if she should overrule him and call anyway as his pain didn't seem to let up, even after he shook his head. "Are you sure? Maybe I should call my dad?" In reaching for the cell phone, by the bed, she was grabbed by the wrist and held there for a moment until Remy regained composure.

Remy swallowed the last mouthful of water and took a deep breath. "Non. No ambulance, no doctor, no Logan. I'm fine, petite. Go on back ta bed, hehn? Merci." He had thrown the covers off when he sat up and revealed his light blue pajama bottoms.

"But-"

"Non. F'get it. Go on ta bed. Remy be fine, girl." He winked and let go of her wrist, nodding to the open door.

Against her better judgement, Stephanie shrugged and made her way back to the doorway. She paused to glance back to see Remy resting his elbows on his knees and staring at the glass of water as if he were thinking about something far away. She wondered what he was thinking about that made him seem so sad but did as she was told and went back down to sit on the sofa and listen for him to cough again. An hour passed and she didn't hear anything. She figured he must have gone back to bed as well.

Remy's room had been immaculate; drawers closed and polished, no trace of anything electronic other than a small flat screen that sat on the far end of the dresser, and absolutely nothing that embellished his sexual lifestyle. The colours had been neutral in the room and even the bedding and pillows gave nothing to the imagination. Stephanie did notice a small stuffed black Lab puppy sitting on the far nightstand, lonely and forgotten, as if waiting for the owner to come back.

Stephanie concealed a yawn and sat curled up, resting her head on the back of the sofa and closed her eyes for a moment.

~~~~~~~~~

On waking up and opening her eyes, Stephanie was hit in the face with bright sunlight that forced its way through the still drawn curtains. With a sharp inhale, her nose filtered in the smell of coffee and pancakes. She cleared her throat and sat up from laying down and facing the opposite way she had been laying the night before.

Remy poked his head around the corner, from the kitchen, and smiled, "mornin'! You up for breakfast?"

Another inhale and Stephanie's stomach growled its answer. "Sure." Stretching her sore and cramped legs, she pushed herself off of the cushions and wobbled over to the nearest barstool and sat down. A plate of two, big, golden brown pancakes had been placed in front of her as well as a small bowl of warm maple syrup and a plate of margarine.

Remy had also fixed himself a plate of two pancakes and syrup as well as a cup of coffee. "Somethin ta drink? I have juice, water, cocoa, milk?"

"Coffee?"

Remy wasn't expecting that answer. "Coffee, huh? Logan give you coffee?"

She nodded, "half a cup with some ice to cool it down."

Biting the side of his cheek, Remy gave in and fixed half a cup of coffee the way she had described. As he set it down in front of her, he noticed her expression and demeanour as she watched him. "Somethin' wrong?"

"No." Stephanie took her third bite of pancakes and tilted her head to read his expression of confusion. "Are you sure you're gay? I would have thought OCD." It hadn't been her intention to insult him but what she had noticed about Remy and what she had been told about the 'homosexual lifestyle' clashed. She found Remy more and more fascinating as she observed him. "I mean, there isn't a trace of anything stating that you're gay. You don't even act like it. But, your house is cleaner than a model home."

Remy smirked and hid a laugh with a sip of coffee. After swallowing, he found that his grin had spread into a smile of flattery. "Why don't you believe I'm gay, petite? You saw me kiss your dad. And bein' clean is somethin' my parents drilled inta us."

"I just thought that you'd have all of these pictures with multiple guys or nightclub stuff or strange furniture, when you're--- with someone---?" Stephanie choked on her last bite she stuffed into her mouth.

Brow furrowing, Remy wasn't sure he was understanding her. "My club days came to an abrupt end, years ago. I never did care for pointless sex and not all gay men, or women, are like dat. I don't flaunt because it's my business. Straight people live deir lives like bein' straight is nothin' special. Why should I live my life like bein' gay is any different?"

Putting down her fork from her half-finished pancakes, Stephanie leaned in. "My mom had this friend, Piotr something-- anyway, he was obsessed with his body and muscles and always mentioned that he could turn any straight man gay, just by spending the night with them. He was also obsessed with being young and beautiful and he made it a point to seek out every young, handsome straight guy and come on to him. He made the offer to my dad and--"

"Dat's why I had a headache fer t'ree hours?"

Stephanie took a deep breath and exhaled inwardly before answering. "I just think, if you're straight, be straight. And if you're gay, be gay. There are way too many people trying to change everyone."

Remy nodded in understanding. "How do I 'be gay', petite?" With another sip of his coffee and his watch alarm interrupting, he wiped his mouth with his napkin that he had sitting beside his plate and excused himself to retrieve his pills from upstairs.

While he was gone, Stephanie finished her pancakes and glanced at the green digital clock on the stove. "Eleven o'clock?"

Remy almost skipped down the stairs, pills in hand, hurrying to take them before his backup timer went off. He had also gotten dressed because he knew Logan would be over any minute to collect his daughter and share the news about Matthew. His chest still hurt from the night before but it was steadily going away as he ate something and controlled his breathing. When he sat down again, Stephanie eyed the pills in his hand and watched him closely as he swallowed each one with a sip of coffee.

"What are they for?"

Placing the last one on his tongue, Remy sipped his cooled coffee and swallowed. "Bad heart."

Stephanie's eyes widened as she remembered Remy being in the hospital after Logan and Alex found him unconscious, reason unknown but centered around his heart. "Are you sure coffee and cigarettes are okay, then?" She worried as clearly Remy thought nothing serious of it.

Remy smiled and nodded. "I mix leaded wit' unleaded. I'll be fine, petite." Taking another sip, he motioned for her to finished her breakfast before Logan made it across the street.

Stephanie had taken one more bite before the knock on the door. She watched Remy, wearing tight blue jeans and his favourite Braves jersey, head for the door to let Logan in. She admired his tight backside and long, slendre legs that seemed to skip across the room. Remy was very handsome and must have been very popular in the clubs he probably frequented. But the more she watched him and examined his lifestyle, the more she saw him in a different light than what she had noticed in Piotr. Remy wasn't trying to be someone else in people's eyes, and didn't expect anyone to treat him any different for any reason.

The door opened and Logan stepped in to greet Remy with a handshake and warm smile. "Mornin, kid. I see you too didn't strangle each other, last night. She behave okay?" Logan winked over at Stephanie, who blushed at the notion.

Remy laughed and nodded as he closed the door behind Logan and walked back over to the coffee pot to refill his cup and offer Logan some. "She been a fine quest. We just been talking, no murder, today. How's Matt?" Offering Logan a cup, he poured and listened as Logan explained.

"Well, doc says he can come home, this afternoon. However, he's still sore and explained to the cops it was an accident from goofing around too much. Already had a detective come to the house and look at the window. Since Matt's not gravely injured, they won't investigate too hard. Had to explain that we're a bit 'different' than normal people." Logan accepted the cup and rubbed Stephanie's back as he sat on the stool beside her.

"Glad he's okay. De petite's been wonderin about him." Remy refilled his cup and set the empty glass decanter on the countre.

Stephanie took another bite of her pancakes that were cold by now. "Remy's a good cook, dad. Try some?" She held up a forkful for him and smiled as he took the offered bite.

Logan was pleasantly surprised at the taste of the pancakes. He had only tasted a few that rivaled Jean's. "Pretty good. How about you finish 'em and we can get ready to go get yer brother?"

Stephanie nodded and hurried with the rest of her pancakes.

Logan nodded for Remy to join him out on the front step a moment while Stephanie finished her breakfast and put her shoes back on, after clearing her dishes from the countre. He led the way outside and pulled a fresh cigar out of his clean shirt pocket. "She sleep okay, last night?" he asked as Remy closed the door behind them.

"Oui. No TV, no nothin', cher. De petite was just tired. No trouble at all. She slept hard and just got up 'bout an hour ago." Remy contained a cough and although he wanted a smoke, also, he refrained as his chest had started pounding again. "So, Matthew's okay, hehn? No nightmares, no broken bones?"

A deep inhale on his cigar as Logan studied Remy's pained expression for a minute. "Yea, he's a tough kid. I cleaned up the glass, this mornin' and boarded up the window so, it won't haunt her. I know she's gettin older and no longer a baby but she's my little girl and I tend to want to protect her from everything."

Remy nodded with a small smile of admiration.

After a moment of silence between them, the door opened and Stephanie stepped out, ready to start the day at home. Without prompting, she wrapped her arms around Remy's middle and hugged him with a whispered 'thanks' and smiled as she was hugged in return. As her head pressed against his chest, she listened to his slightly elevated heartbeat. Stephanie couldn't bring herself to say anything in Logan's presence so she pulled away and smiled before turning to head across the street to change and wash up.

Logan followed her but not before patting Remy's left shoulder as he said his goodbyes.

~~~~~~~~

"Daddy, what do you think about Remy being gay?"

The question left Logan speechless. "What do you mean?" Logan made quick glances over to the passenger seat as they hit the freeway, on the way to pick up Matthew.

"You work with him, see him everyday. What's he like at work? Does he act any different there than at home?"

Logan ran his bottom teeth over his top lip, searching for a proper answer for her. "I work for his dad and I rarely have time for a chat between his meetings and plans and my making sure the building is secure. When I do see him, he is just as professional at work as he is at home. Maybe not so 'odd' as he is when he's home." After the second exit, heading towards downtown, Logan glanced over at her quizzical expression. "What prompted this? What did you two talk about, last night?"

Stephanie shook her head in avoidance. "He just.... doesn't act like he's gay. And, I know there is no right or wrong way to act but, his house is spotless, dad. No strange pictures for people to wonder about, no odd souveniers from various clubs, nothing. It's like-- it's a persona he just puts on, everyday. Why is he gay when nothing he says or does suggests that he is?" She stared at the out of state plate on the car in front of them as they veered off the freeway and up a long exit to a stop light.

"Well, he's been in a few jams because of who he is so, perhaps that told him to tone things down. I don't really know, baby. Remy is who he is and he's old enough to understand the consequences of whatever action lands him in hot water. His dad taught him respect, not just for other people but respect for himself as well. He's definitely not Piotr." Logan shook his head as the car came to a complete stop at the red light.

Stephanie smirked. "I don't think anyone is like Piotr, dad." Turning her head and looking over the top of her sunglasses, she gave him a "yea right" look and then turned back to watch the light turn green, enabling them to make a left turn. "I mean--, last night, I got up and kinda detoured to get a glass of water. As I passed the stairs, I heard him make this sound."

"What kind of sound?" Logan's brow furrowed.

Stephanie took a deep breath and waited until the car straightened out before answering. "Like he was-- in pain." She shrugged as she had to clarify more about the night that Remy omitted. "I had to hurry upstairs with a glass of water so he could take his morning pills. Did you know he has a bad heart?"

Logan nodded. "Yea. I know."

"I also heard him say that other guy's name, in his sleep. Alex. Is he ever going to get over that guy?" She seemed offended that Remy hadn't figured out a way to move on after Alex's death.

Logan's mouth twitched at the thought of how similar Remy and Logan were when it came to losing their loved ones. "Baby, they might not have been together all that long but, sometimes, death comes very hard to certain people. I'm still not over your mother dying. He's allowed his grief time until he thinks it's time to move on. See?"

"What if he doesn't see that it's time for him to move on? What if he wants to but doesn't know how? Does he really have to make himself miserable because he can't have the person he wants?" Stephanie was thinking deeper and deeper into Remy's emotions and nearly gave herself a headache trying to stare a hole through the glove compartment.

Logan tried not to sound irritated or too invested in someone else's life choices but did offer her a reasoning. "Perhaps he does see his bright light in the gloom but just isn't sure how to proceed just yet. Remy's a bright, funny, caring young man. Who he chooses to share his feelings with oughtta feel lucky to have someone so compassionate in their life."

Stephanie had more questions but hearing how Logan was describing their neighbour, silenced her from speaking them. Instead, it gave her an idea and all she had to do was gather each piece carefully and introduce them correctly.

Continued....
- 9
- 10
- 11
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Second Chances