Minuet
by Avatar for Another

Chapter Three

"Well, Momma, as hokey as it sounds, I just want to help people."

"I never heard of Mother Teresa turning tricks." Raven snarled.

"I'm not a saint, either, Momma."

Rogue sighed. This was not going to be easy to explain. She hadn't even fully explained it to herself. All she knew was that she was happy with her life. Was there anything wrong with that?

"I was gone from the mansion for just two weeks and bored out of my mind. I promised myself that I wouldn't go back to fighting but I wasn't sure what to do instead. I had gotten this apartment with the money you set up for me years ago. Funny, I didn't remember that I was a wealthy woman the whole time I was at Xavier's.

"Yes, Momma, I do thank you for having the foresight to set up those bank accounts all those years ago."

"Anyway, I was leaving the grocery store one day when I heard two of the bag boys talking. They were idly speculating as teenage boys do when they see a beautiful woman -- or any woman for that matter -- when one said, 'The heck with her body, I'd pay just to hear her talk.'

"Well it got me thinking. Up until this time I had invested my whole sexual identity in my body. I could attract men with it, but that was as far as I thought I could take it and I didn't want to be considered a tease. I never considered my sexuality in a context outside of intercourse before.

"Sex without my body would be perfect. No risk of diseases, no having to worry about touching in the heat of the moment, no worry about getting pregnant, no real consequences. All it required was a healthy imagination. Eroticism is all in the mind anyway.

"Yes, Momma, I know it's also for the most part sex without consequences, or depth. It didn't even require real passion. I could finally totally protect myself from harm. I could have my cake and eat it, too."

Rogue suppressed a smirk with difficulty. "From the look on your face, I can tell you didn't think I was that insightful.

"Momma, you can't live with a house full of telepaths and absorb other people's memories for a living without learning to question your thoughts and motivations. You never know when someone is going to try to mess with your mind or a nasty memory fragment might try to attack you."

"Didn't Xavier help you at all, Rogue?" Mystique mentally relived the pain of watching her baby girl go mad trying to deal with the thoughts and feelings that were not her own try to consume her mind.

"He did what he could to wall them off, but the Kree psychic shields I inherited from Ms. Marvel made it practically impossible to do anything more. Now, of course, I'm glad he didn't get any further into my mind."

"What do you mean?"

"I think Beast could have helped me with my control a long time ago, but neither of us thought of it -- or if we did, I'm sure Professor X made us forget. He wanted to keep me dependent and confused about my sexuality."

"As much as the thought of that man in your mind makes me want to rip his head off, I can say that while you were under his roof, at least you weren't a slut. What is this, Rogue? Are you finally manifesting your teenage rebellion in this horrible way? Do you hate your life this much? Do you hate me?"

"Oh Momma, this has nothing to do with you. And, no, I don't hate you. In fact, I think I understand you a little better now that I have been honing and using my 'feminine wiles.' Sometimes its pretty fun." Rogue gave a hesitant giggle. "The first time I tried it in front of a man instead of over the phone I almost gave the poor old geezer a stroke."

"Oh, don't say that." Raven moaned. "One time, I actually did give the man I was supposed to be seducing a stroke. The mission was a complete washout."

As their eyes met, there was a connection that was made. A bond forged by mutual experiences. Not the bond of a mother and a daughter but a bond of two women dealing with the wonder and the travesty that is men.

And the moment passed.

"It started with phone sex. It was so easy to turn these men on. I never realized how many lonely, not to mention just plain horny, men there were out there. Ya know, it wasn't just men either. Some of my best repeat customers were women. Anyway, after about four months I got bored. Since I was in the business anyway and I hadn't done anything degrading -- well, nothing grotesque -- I decided to stick with it for a while. I was going to join an escort service, but some of the other girls from the phone sex company I was working at quickly dissuaded me from that idea. They said the men were just to grabby, and with my condition I'd be in a world of hurt. So I looked into some other options that were more to my taste. I thought about being a stripper, but that was to impersonal. I wanted to make a real connection. After a bit of checking around, I took a three month course and got a limited masseuse licensee. Not as a masseo-therapist, just a regular masseuse.

"Believe me, it was hard to make the necessary connection with gloves on all the time. Massage is not just a physical act. There's a mental component to it as well. There's a whole lot of empathy that goes with skin-to-skin contact. I think being a masseuse has helped me learn how to lower my mental barriers so that I could be receptive even with gloves on. I think I'm a better person now because of my training."

Raven wasn't sure how to deal with this new information. While she was relieved that her baby girl, no, grown daughter was learning how to be intimate, her methods were questionable to say the least.

"Well, empathy is a large part of any relationship, be it a one night stand or a lifelong commitment. I know that you closed yourself off from the world because of some of the things I made you do. For that, I am sorry. But -- and I'll deny I ever said this -- couldn't you have just gotten Remy to teach you how to love yourself and others? The man is NOT what I want in a son-in-law, but he does now how to love a woman."

Rogue blinked. Then a devilish smile formed on her face. "Is there something you want to tell me, Momma?"

"No."

Rogue just nodded and dropped the subject. It was none of her business, and Remy and her mother were both consenting adults. Being exposed to so many types of sexual situations had done one thing for her: Rogue was no longer the jealous type and she wasn't nearly as possessive as she used to be. Of course, that didn't mean that she wanted to have an 'open' relationship. She definitely wanted an exclusive one, but she knew that it was okay if Remy was attracted to other women. It was part of his charm power. As long as he kept it under control, she had no worries.

"No. At that time I was in no way prepared for intimacy. It would have ended badly if I had let him force me into something I wasn't ready for.

"So, as I said I worked at a massage parlor. It wasn't too bad. There were no sexual liaisons while I was working there, or at least none that I was aware of. Mostly the men either came in for a straight massage or a special. A special is where you also talk to the customer while he is getting his massage. It's sort of like acting in a play. You have your script to read to create the fantasy the customer wants, usually about what an awesome macho stud he is.

"I didn't do too many of those. Mostly I just did regular massages. It was after a regular massage that one of my customers suggested that I had the right stuff to work as a prostitute. At first I was offended, but then he explained that anyone who could give such a great massage with gloves on must be special. So he offered to introduce me to a very exclusive service. Mandy's.

"At first I wasn't to sure what I was getting into. It was a rather intense interview, as if I was applying to be a corporate VP. The written test was difficult, but the exam by the psychologist was worse. I really had to dig deep into my own head before they let me join. They don't want any crazies or extortionists near their clientele.

"After I was accepted they gave me a two-week course on seduction and role playing. I guess my job is a cross between a performance artist and a sex therapist.

"I'm there for those who have a sexual need that they can't satisfy through normal means. Mothing perverted, just different. Most of the time my customers leave better people than when they came to me. And that is why I like what I am doing."

Raven frowned. This would require some more thought. Her bab... her daughter wasn't turned out on a street corner in hot pants and a tube top somewhere. It seamed that Rogue was now a professional. Not just any pro either, she was a Femme de Joie. Definitely a few cuts above a common street walker.

"Tell me about Mandy's."

So Rogue began to tell her about the international organization that she belonged to. She was well-paid as well as well-protected. Every client was 'entertained' at a different 4- or 5-star hotel, and security guards were in the next suite in case the client tried anything. Rogue was allowed to turn down any client without question, but after the third time she would have to talk to Mandy's staff psychologist to see what the problem was. There was a generous retirement package, and the service was quasi-unionized.

"Hmmm... I think I know the organization you are referring to, but in '46 it was called 'Amanda's.' I never worked there, but I was a client once. I was checking up on them. Making sure they weren't shakedown artists. For the most part, I was impressed with their operation."

"So, mama, what do you think?"

After a pause, Raven decided on the truth. "I think you're not hurting yourself. Other than that I have no comment you would wish to hear."

It wasn't a glowing endorsement and validation of her lifestyle, but Rogue wasn't looking for one. She was very happy with the little she did get and with the knowledge that her mother wouldn't be actively discouraging her choice of lifestyle.

"So Momma, are you and Valerie Cooper still feuding?" Rogue asked with a smirk.

Raven just glowered at her.

NOW

"Momma didn't like it, but she really couldn't do anything short of kidnapping me. You know she would have if she felt I was in over my head."

Remy decided that he liked this Mary person sitting in front of him. She was confident and in control of herself. Two qualities he found very exciting.

"Have you mastered your powers yet?"

"Actually, now that I feel that I have some control in my life, it hasn't been a big issue for me. I really hadn't felt a need to get control. Do you know of any reason why I should?" Mary asked bluntly.

Remy mentally rocked from the blow. No misunderstanding that question. This was it, he could tell. An ultimatum. Was he worth her time or not? They had walked the walk. Now she was asking if he would talk the talk. She had always been an all-or-nothing kind of girl. Before, she thought she had to settle for nothing. Now she wanted it all.

With him.

As the past and present swirled through his mind he stopped at one perfect moment in time. Remy and Rogue together in a park with his arms wrapped around her waist as she flew a kite for the first time. She was magnificent as he saw the unabashed joy she found in the activity. A joy he'd never known or thought he could. Until now.

"Oui."

THE END?

Author Gab: Well, I could write more but I want to know if anyone wants to read more first. I am working on other projects. If someone else would like to write more in this story or backplots, let me know and I'm sure I'l give you permission.
P.S. That remark about Valerie Cooper is a nod to the 'Tales of the Twlight Menshevik' series by Tilman Stieve.

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