Rogue and Remy have met before their encounter (in Day of Reckoning) on the battlefield while on opposing teams. One-shot Romy fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the XME characters; all I own is the words I use to write about 'em in this story.

PLEASE READ: I bet this kind of fic has been done before, oh well, lol. I'm having kind of a writer's block with another story I'm working on and this lil story just popped into my head.

This is a one-shot fic about Remy and Rogue meeting before Rogue joins the X-men or the Brotherhood and before Remy ends up with Magneto's Acolytes. This is slightly AU because Rogue doesn't go to a party and end up with utterly no control over her powers after they manifest like in the episode "Rogue Recruit." (I think that's what the ep was called). In this fic, Rogue is slowly losing control of her powers so I've changed things a tad, hope y'all don't mind, lol.

*, * mean personal thoughts

Till We Meet Again

By Sinnerstar Angel

She was seated on a pallid futon within the living room of the large two- story house. The window behind her allowed afternoon sunlight to burst into the room and flush a golden glow on her ginger colored locks. Her pale fingers carefully forced one of the two white strips of hair on both sides of her face behind her ear while her other hand fidgeted with the hem of her black skirt. She sighed as her green eyes met the worried expressions of the blind, foreseeing woman named Irene who stood before her.

"Why not? Why can't Ah jus' this once?" she asked.

Irene grimaced. "I'm sorry, Rogue, but the answer is no. No, you can't go to this party with Jeremy," she said.

"But why? He asked meh out! Ah'm old enough t' date, ain't Ah?" she asked.

Irene shifted her stance and leaned slightly on her cane, "Yes, but-"

"Then why!"

"Rogue, you know why," Irene replied calmly. "Do you remember what happened when I allowed to go on a date with that boy last month? He was in a coma for days after you kissed him!"

"That was an accident! Ah hadn't meant f' it t' happen, but mah powers went crazy f' a bit, that's all," Rogue said.

"But don't you see, dear child? Your powers are becoming less controllable each day. You don't want to hurt anyone else, do you?" Irene asked.

Rogue looked away ashamedly. "O' course not," she said, frowning at the memory of her mutation manifesting, "but ya can't keep meh here like this! Ah need t' go out an' do things! Ah need t' be a normal teenager or Ah'll go outta mah mind!"

Irene sighed and sat down beside her. She put a consoling hand on the girl's shoulder. "I understand your frustration, Rogue," she said. "I know how deeply you wish to be as normal girls your age and how much you want to adventure to foreign places, but I can't let you. I've had a vision that in the future you will lose complete control of your powers and the only way I can help you through it is if you stay here..."

"Locked up in this ol' house away from anybody Ah could hurt, away from the world," Rogue muttered angrily, as she pulled from Irene's grasp. She wasn't upset with Irene, but rather perturbed with her situation. The wise foreseer was right; with every passing day, Rogue's absorbing ability was steadily becoming more and more difficult to control. Rogue grimaced. Despite the truth in Irene's words, she wanted desperately to leave the only home she'd ever known. She refused to spend her life in fear of her own growing powers and so, at that moment, she decided it was time for her to depart from Irene.

~*~*~*~

Two months after Rogue had run away from her home with Irene in the lush countryside of Mississippi, she had drifted into the famed city of New Orleans, Louisiana. During the time she had been away from home, Rogue would write several letters to Irene to reassure her the foreseer of her safety and well being. Irene would even send her money as she traveled to many popular cities, from places like St. Louis, Missouri to San Francisco, California.

Though now she was in New Orleans. She had just left the train station a few days ago and had enjoyed stepping out from her hotel room each afternoon onto the bustling streets of the quaint city. She cringed each time she had to squeeze through crowds of people as she tried to avoid skin contact with them. Irene had predicted correctly, she barely had the strength to control her powers any more. On occasion, she would briefly bump into a passenger on a train or a bus as she was traveling and accidentally be flooded with memories of the person for a short while. Still, she wasn't ready to go home. She was looking for something, there was a need to be sated and until it was she refused to return to Irene.

She seated herself at a table in an outdoor café; scents of spring-blooming flowers and spicy Cajun food at a nearby restaurant were nestled in the warm summer air that enveloped her in the French Quarter. A waitress came to her and she ordered a drink. She gazed down at the sparkling necklace Irene had given her years ago, which she'd taken with her the night she'd run away. The necklace was gold with an emerald suspended at its center. She smiled as she remembered that Irene would always say the emerald was the exact color of Rogue's eyes.

She left the waitress a tip as she slipped away from the café. She strode down a street contently and suddenly spotted a young dark-haired boy of no older than seven. She noticed he was crying and carefully approached him.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

He looked up at her with wide brown eyes. "I can't find my mom. We're here on vacation and I don't know where she is," he explained between sobs.

"Don' worry, sugah, Ah'll help ya," Rogue assured. She took the child's hand into hers and began walking with him. "Ah jus' saw a police officer 'round here somewhere an' Ah'm sure he can find her f' ya."

"There he is! That's my son Travis!" a blond woman yelled as she came towards them, a man in a police uniform at her side.

Rogue smiled as she and the boy named Travis awaited the woman to come over to them. Suddenly, Rogue felt a slight tingling in her body. She felt warm energy enter her through the fingers she had clasped comfortingly around the boy's hand. She felt memories of his family reunions and vacations to Paris with a motherly blond woman fill her mind. "NO!" she screamed and quickly pulled her hand away from him. Travis collapsed on the ground.

The blond woman screamed as she saw her son lying on the pavement. She dropped to her knees beside him and tried to wake him. "What have you done!" she screamed at Rogue. Tears began to spring from the woman's eyes as she shook Travis. "What have you done to my son!"

The police officer that had accompanied the woman stepped toward Rogue cautiously. "Ma'am, come with me," he said carefully.

Rogue shook her head frantically. She ran away from them in shame and panic, sprinting passed the shocked stares of the bystanders who'd seen what she'd done to the now unconscious child. She stopped once she'd run into the mists of a quiet park and sat alone on a stone bench. Tears streamed over her face as she stared down hatefully at her hands.

"Tu accord (You okay)?" came a voice in French, though Cajun-accented.

"Leave meh alone!" she said with unintentional sharpness. When she heard no attempt of the man to move away from her, Rogue glared up at the owner of the voice. He had a tall, muscular form with auburn bangs that hung above his dark sunglasses and had on a worn brown trench coat. "Ah said leave meh be!"

"Sorry, can't do dat," he said, " 'cause I don' like t' see any femme cry."

She stared at him a while. "Well, since ya not gon' leave meh alone, ya might as well tell meh ya name," she said with a hint of sass.

"Je m'appelle Remy LeBeau," he replied and smiled.

"Mah name's Rogue," she said.

"Ya live here in N'Awlins or are ya a tourist?" he asked as he causally sat down beside her on the bench.

"Ah'm from Mississippi. Ah lived there with mah guardian Irene, but Ah always felt suffocated there. Irene was always so worried 'bout meh, she wouldn't let meh go out an' be normal," she said.

"She probably jus' cares a lot about ya," he reasoned.

"Ah know she does, it's jus'...have ya ever wished ya could jus' escape ya problems?" she asked.

"Oui, many times. But runnin' from problems don' solve nothin', chèrie, ya gotta face 'em," he said. "How long ya been tryin' t' escape ya troubles?"

"Ah ran away a couple o' months ago. Ah've jus' been kinda travelin' around an' seein' places Ah've always wanted t' see," she replied, wiping away the tears on her cheeks. *At least he's easy t' talk to, * she thought, her guard lowering.

"When ya gon' go back home?" he asked.

"Ah was plannin' t' go back this evening, actually. Ah've already gotten mah train ticket," she said.

"Mais, den y' can pass de time wit' me, till ya gotta leave, no?" he said with a mischievous smirk.

She smiled. "Ah s'pose so," she replied. There was a pleasant pause between them.

"Remy saw what y' did t' de boy back dere," he said, his voice had lowered a bit.

"Ah didn't mean t' hurt him, mah powers jus'..." she abruptly stopped and looked at him suspiciously.

"S'okay, petite, Remy understand," he said. "I be a mutant, like ya'self."

"What can ya do exactly?"

He leaned aside and plucked a deep crimson rose from a nearby rosebush. He held the stem of the rose between his fingers, and soon it was outlined with neon pink. Rogue gazed at the rose in awe and her fingers slowly inched toward its glowing petals. Remy quickly pulled the rose from Rogue's reach and threw it away from them. The rose made a small explosion as it sailed through the air and left Rogue with a stunned expression.

"So, ya have tha power t' blow up things?" she asked.

He nodded and half smiled, "Somet'ing like dat, chèrie."

"Ah can absorb the lifeforce o' people through touch an' sometimes Ah can't control it-that's what happened when Ah was holdin' that lil boy's hand," she said. She looked at Remy. "Ya're lucky, at least ya don't suck tha life outta people."

"No," he agreed and sighed, "but I do got devil eyes an' dat make people jus' as much afraid o' me as dey would be o' you."

Her green eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Devil eyes? Is that why ya're wearin' shades?" she queried.

"Oui," he replied and nodded.

She reached her hands out towards him. For a moment, Remy's posture tensed and she laughed jovially. "Relax, Remy, Ah only want t' see what they look like," she said and her fingers gently removed the shades from his eyes. Remy's eyes were two small black spheres with a glowing ruby in each of their centers. Rogue nearly gasped as she gazed into the odd-colored eyes. "Remy..."

"I know, dey frightin', non?" he said quietly and turned his eyes away from hers.

"No," she disagreed, "they're beautiful. It's a shame ya hafta hide 'em."

He turned to look at her again. He stared into her emerald eyes a long while. "C'mon, I want t' show ya somet'ing," he said suddenly and took her hand as he stood up. She pulled her hand away and a questioning expression fell upon his face.

"Ya shouldn't touch meh. Ah don't want what happened t' that boy t' happen t' you," she said.

"Sorry, but ya are too beautiful f' me not t' touch," he said and his hand gently brushed across her cheek.

She shook her head. "Ya don' even really know meh," she said skeptically.

"But Remy wants to," he said honestly. He reached his hand out to her.

She sighed and entwined her fingers with his. He took her to a tropical courtyard amidst the crumbling white walls and uneven marble floors of an old building.

"What is this place?" she asked as they gaited through the ruins.

"Dis an old hotel dat dey gon' tear down an' rebuild soon," he said.

"An' why are we here?"

"To see de view," he replied simply as he lead her up a set of spiral stairs.

She tensed a moment. *Ah shouldn't be here. Ah barely know him, * she thought. *But there's somethin' 'bout him... * She couldn't express it in words, but she felt a strong connection to Remy.

The two of them entered a dusty, dimly lit room of the hotel and Remy took her over to a balcony. She stared up at the brilliant sun as it melted into the horizon, stars tinkled as they appeared in the darkening blue sky. Rogue smiled; it was a breathtaking sight.

Remy confidently intertwined his fingers with Rogue's and gazed at her; he found he felt drawl to Rogue. He noticed the way the golden rays of the setting sun glimmered in her green eyes, which, he realized, were the same color as the emerald around her neck. He turned his back to the sun and leaned against the rail of the balcony beside her.

"Dis where I go t' t'ink sometimes," he said quietly.

She smiled, but then doubt entered her mind, rationalism plagued her again. She couldn't confide in anyone, why was she so easily trusting Remy? Her own incautious, growing attachment to Remy was frightening her. She arched a wary eyebrow, "Ya show this t' a lot o' girls?"

"No," he replied defensively, noticing her suspicious expression. "Why would ya t'ink dat?"

"Oh, Ah don't know, Remy. Ah jus' thought it's kinda strange that such a charmin' boy like ya'self wouldn't use this view t' woo a few gals," she said with overt sarcasm.

He glared at her. "I don' need no view like dis t' entice de filles," he snapped. "Ya t'ink I show dis t' jus' anybody?" He sighed and his eyes softened. "Rogue, ya are de first person Remy ever took here."

Silence clung to the air for a few moments. Rogue stood in front of him; she stared at him with curiosity and confusion. "Why did ya bring meh here? Why am Ah so different from anybody else?" she asked.

"I don' know," he said. He paused and looked into her eyes as if staring into the depths of her. "Maybe fate got a plan f' us, non?"

"Maybe," she said. She felt his hand gently touch her face. "Remy-"

Before she could finish her words, his lips pressed against hers. Her heart pounded wildly and her arms wrapped around his neck. Rogue felt herself shiver in pleasure as his tongue danced with hers, dizziness nearly overwhelming her from the electric sensations going through her body. Remy pulled her closer to him causing her body to crush against his trench coat, a faint, sensual flavor like melted chocolate bathed his mouth as they kissed, and he didn't want to let her go.

Finally, Rogue pulled away from him to breathe.

"Mon Dieu," Remy muttered, almost panting from the kiss.

Rogue was nearly in shock. Two people couldn't possibly feel such a strong magnetism towards each other, could they? It was too much to believe, far too fast. "Ah should go. Mah train will be leavin' soon," she said quickly. She wanted to run away again, from the unbelievable emotions Remy stirred in her.

"Wait," he said. He kissed her again and she shuddered against him. She felt the tingle of her powers churn inside her. She struggled a moment, but her will finally regained control over her powers. She wouldn't allow herself to absorb Remy, to harm him while she could still muster the strength to control her mutation. Remy's kiss deepened and her fear increased.

She stepped away from him, parting their lips. "Ah should go," she repeated. "Ah have t' go home." He nodded understandingly, yet she knew by his expression that he didn't want her to leave him. She took his hand. "Ya can walk meh t' tha train station."

~*~*~*~

After Rogue had gotten two full suitcases of her possessions from her hotel room, she and Remy walked together down the streets of New Orleans, headed for the train station. Remy effortlessly carried Rogue's heavy suitcases after he'd insisted that he was enough of a gentleman to take them for her. Remy strode beside her through the dim pools of light that streetlamps washed over them.

"Someone's followin' us," he suddenly whispered.

"What?" Rogue said in disbelief.

"Listen," he said.

Rogue listened attentively to the sounds of the evening. There was a ruffle of leaves nearby from a gust of gentle, warm wind, and the smooth sound of a saxophone playing a laidback tune in a bar they'd passed. Then she heard, faintly through the other sounds, the light thumping of footsteps from a distance. A wave of fear swept over her.

The slow footsteps soon became pacing. Her heart sped up. Remy handed her the suitcases. "Go," he whispered to her as their walking accelerated as well.

She clutched the handles of her suitcases. "No," she said firmly. She wanted to tell him that she'd changed her mind. She wasn't ready to go to the train station, to go home, not now that she'd met him. "Remy, Ah want t'-"

A man interrupted her, as he clamped his hand around her mouth after slipping in front of them. Three other men surrounded Remy, knives clasped tightly in their hands and glistening in the illumination of a streetlamp above. One of the men around Remy, a lanky figure with long black hair, spoke, "We've been lookin' f' y', LeBeau."

Rogue squirmed in her attacker's grasp and she allowed her powers to snatch just a bit of his lifeforce. Suddenly, the man who had his hand on her mouth began gasping and he fell to the ground into unconsciousness. Rogue threw her suitcases with all her strength at the three men that were huddled around Remy. Two of them fell backward, surprised by the weight of the suitcases with the exception of their leader, the man with long black hair who quickly helped his accomplices up. Rogue grabbed Remy's arm and they sprinted down an alley.

"Who are they?" she asked breathlessly as they ran.

"Assassins," Remy said. "I'll get rid o' dem, but y' gotta get outta here, Rogue."

"No," she said.

Suddenly, he pulled her aside to a building wall in the alley and held her firmly against it. "Stop arguin' wit' me, chèrie. I want ya t' go t' dat train station an' hurry home, I don't want dem t' hurt ya 'cause o' my past mistakes," he said.

"Ah don't care! Ah don't care 'bout ya past mistakes!" she exclaimed. She sighed, her voice lowered to a whisper. "What if Ah don' see ya again?"

He smiled charmingly. "Tol' ya already, fate got a plan f' us-we're gonna see each other again," he said.

She kissed his lips briefly and pulled away from him as she heard their pursers quickly nearing. "Till we meet again, sugah," she said with a smile and removed her emerald necklace. She placed the necklace in his hands. Her fingers brushed over his cheek as she stared into his glowing crimson on black eyes for a moment and then ran down the alley.

~*~*~*~

Rogue rushed into the train station. She knew it was time for her train to leave and quickly made her way over to the gate. She slipped through the doorway of the train after her ticket was checked and found her seat beside a window. She sat down and peered through the glass. Tears were shimmering in her eyes as she thought of Remy. She had finally found what she had been looking for those past months-someone who could cure the loneliness, the emptiness in her heart-and perhaps it was fate that led them together on her last day in New Orleans.

She sighed. If she had only had more time, if those men hadn't come, she would have stayed. She would have been with Remy for more than a day. Though maybe Remy was right, perhaps it was time for her to go home and face the prediction Irene had made: she was going to lose complete control of her powers. At least she had spent the time she had left controlling her absorption with Remy, who had given her more in a day than she'd gotten her whole two months away from home.

The train jolted forward slightly as it rolled over the tracks. Rogue stared through the window pensively, his words about fate echoing in her thoughts. She smiled. *Ah'll see ya again someday soon, Cajun, * she thought as the train departed from the station.

~*~*~*~

Moments after Rogue had left Remy, the three assassins were rushing towards him. Remy jumped back and his leg flew up into one of the assassins' ribcage. Another of them attempted to stab him, but Remy knocked the knife from his hand and it fell onto the ground. The third assassin slung his knife wildly, but Remy quickly evaded the flying blade.

Remy swiftly grabbed the knife he'd knocked to the ground while still dodging and delivering strong punches to the assassins. The knife began to intensely glow pink as through Remy's fingers it was being filled with kinetic energy. He threw the glowing knife at his attackers and dashed out of the alley.

The explosion boomed all through the streets from the alley where Remy had left the assassins with an energy-charged knife. Remy looked around and was thankful no one had seen the occurrence. He reached into the pocket of his trench coat and recovered Rogue's emerald necklace. He gazed at the dazzling jewel; it reminded him of her deep green eyes. He never wanted to forget Rogue and would keep her necklace until fate brought them back together.

"Till we meet again, ma chèrie," he murmured softly before disappearing into the night.

A/N: What did y'all think? This is my second XME fic and I don't know if my writing has improved since my first one, which I wrote a long time ago. Anyway, I NEED feedback! Please review! : Since this was a one-shot fic, thanks very much to all readers and reviewers in advance. Cam:. Chao!