Rogue pulled the brush through her curly hair slowly as she listened to the rumblings of the approaching storm. A light knock on the door startled her, "Who's there?"

The question was rather redundant. There was currently only one person in the mansion with her and, sure enough, she could hear his strong voice. Replying: "Rogue?"

She sighed, "What Remy?" She headed towards the door. "Remy t'ink you should come downstairs Rogue, de Tv says that de storm be getting' worse."

Rogue unlocked the door and walked down the hall -without so much as even glancing up at Remy.

As Rogue stepped off the stairs another blast of wind shook the mansion. "Ah wish we could just go to the sublevels." She shuddered, looking around at the empty entranceway.

"Prof. t'inks d'at someone's gotta stay up here...to keep up appearances."

Rogue turned to look at Gambit "Then maybe YOU should go to the..."

A deafening peal of thunder shook the mansion and caused Rogue to jump

"For someone who's indestructible you sure are scared, non?"

"Ah am not!" Rogue retorted

"Non? Then how's come yo's holdin my hand Cherie?"

"Ugh!" Rogue dropped his hand she had previously had a death grip on and walked away from him.

Sudden winds shook the mansion as a low rumble started in the distance past the garden, steadily growing louder.

"Rogue?" Gambit tried in vain to look through the nearest window, unable to see anything through the dark and rain "Does dat sound like a freight train ta' you..."

"C'mon Swamp rat!" Rogue slammed into Gambit and half drug/half carried him into the hall.

As the rumbling grew louder the windows in the mansion began to rattle and Rogue instinctively covered him with her body.

"Chere I knew you wanted to stick close but..."

"Shut up Cajun, this ain't no joke!" Rogue glared down at him as he just grinned back up at her.

There was a sickening crack and a thud as something fell seemingly onto the roof.

Rogue lifted herself off Remy and flew quickly up the stairs to assess any damage "Stay there!" she tossed back over her shoulder.

Quickly she flew back down the staircase and towards Remy in the entranceway hall before, out of nowhere, she fell from the sky.

"Rogue!?!" Remy rushed to her side as she lifted her head, dazed "Ah, Ah can't fly?!?"

~*~

Gambit crouched as far as he could into the corner of the hall.

"Rogue, Chere ya have ta' stop!"

"Ah…Ah can' stop!" came the moan from behind the red glow.

All the powers that Rogue had ever absorbed were manifesting at once. Squeezing her eyes shut to hold Scott's powers in she tried to de-ice her left hand without blowing up her right. Jubilee's *pafs* shot into the air like mini fireworks as Jean Grey's telekinesis made the pictures rattle off the walls. Rogue opened her glazed over eyes as lighting shot through the mansion's roof, the acrid odor permeating the air. Each power paraded in a constant procession until an exhausted Rogue eventually collapsed on the floor.

"Chere!" Remy crawled on his knees towards her, trying to dodge the broken banister from the staircase, glass, and pieces of stucco from the roof.

"Rogue?" He lifted her gently into his arms as she weakly opened her eyes.

"Some storm." She gasped before her eyes widened in fright.

Remy's bare finger was touching the skin on her cheek!

~*~

Gambit finally opened his eyes and Rogue let out the breath she had been holding.

"Wha….?"

He looked down at her incredulously, he was touching her…touching her bare skin and nothing was happening!

"Ah have no idea Sugah" she subconsciously leaned into his touch "Ah have no idea."

"Remy be havin' a few ideas Chere." Gambit's eyes took on a wicked glint as he leaned down towards her.

Rogue protested more vehemently the closer he got. She tried to explain that she had no idea when her powers would come back –that she wouldn't risk hurting him, but he continued to lean down towards her.

Rogue was weak and without her powers didn't have Ms Marvel's 'super strength' but then again, without her powers there to stop them –was there really a valid reason to push him off?

"Ah don't know when it'll come back." she tried to reason as his lips hung just a fraction of an inch from hers. "I don't care."

"Remy, really, don't..." she sighed as his lips brushed feather-light against her own

"...Ah mean what if someone..."

He shook his head with a grin, "It's a gambit Chere," he moved his lips to her ear, sending shivers down her spine, "But then again what isn't?"