**Disclaimer** -- I don't own Gambit or Rogue (sigh), or any of the X-Men although I wish I did, along with many other people. Marvel owns them, blah blah blah. I'm not making any money from this so don't sue me! Song is "Leavin' On a Jet Plane" Written by: John Denver (I don't own this either!)
**Distribution** -- Although the characters belong to Marvel, the story is mine. It may be distributed only with prior permission from me, and may not be posted to any archive, ftp site, or web page without written permission from me. (All you have to do is ask!!!!)
Song lyrics in bold.
Flashbacks in italics.
As always please Read & Review!
**5 weeks prior**
"Dis is insane Rogue! Why do you have t' go t' Genosha? Why you?" The mutant known as Remy Lebeau frantically paced around the room. He had just been told some very terrible news. The woman that he loved sat in a sofa across from him. Tears were starting to form in her deep green eyes. Rogue. For so long they were unable to be together. Finally they had a chance at happiness, but again, life threw them an unexpected twist.
Professor Xavier had approached Rogue earlier that morning with some very important information. Apparently there had been some troubling anti-mutant activity developing in Genosha. It was more than typical Friends of Humanity propaganda. It was dangerous and because of that, who ever he sent would have only necessary contact with the X-Men. Xavier did not know the specifics, which is why he needed to send someone on the inside. Rogue had seemed to be the perfect candidate. Since she was now able to control her powers, as well as manifest the powers of all those she had absorbed, she would be able to handle any trouble that would be thrown at her.
Her pride had never allowed her to turn down any mission before, and it certainly wasn't going to start now.
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All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go,
I'm standing here outside your door,
I hate to wake you up to say good-bye.
Rogue stood in the hall of the men's dormitory. She stood there and stared at his door, unable to bring herself to open it. This was it, the last time she would see him for a very long time. A small part of her wanted to run in his room and tell him that she was staying. She knew she wouldn't, but the thought did cross her mind. It wouldn't be the first time that they would be separated, but it hurt so much more today. Maybe because she didn't know when she would see him again. Maybe it was because this time, they were so happy together. Maybe it was because this time, she knew that she might not come back. She had a past with the Genoshans and a part of her was still very damaged by the experience.
Shaking the memories from her mind, she continued to just stand outside his bedroom door. Holding back the tears, she raised her hand up against the door and knocked.
But the dawn is breakin'
It's early morn,
The taxi's waitin' He's blowin' his horn,
Already I'm so lonesome I could die.
On the other side of the door stood Remy Lebeau. He sat by his window, smoking a cigarette. He knew that Rogue was on the other side of his door, but he couldn't bring himself to open it. As he blew the smoke out of his nose, he noticed the property gates begin to swing open. He knew what is it was, damning its arrival. The yellow cab pulled up to the house and he thought about one of the last times they had shared a cab together.
**8 months prior**
The rain began to pour as Rogue and Gambit left one of their favorite restaurants in New York. They were celebrating the one year anniversary of Rogue's ability to control her powers. Luckily, Remy was easily able to hail a cab and the couple hopped in.
"De Plaza Hotel, s'il vous-plait" The cab driver nodded and they were on their way. Remy turned to his girlfriend, who at that moment was trying to dry herself off as best she could. He just stared at her beauty, both inner and outer. He couldn't help but smile.
Rogue noticed the silly grin on her boyfriend's face and raised an eyebrow. "What's on ya mind Cajun? Better not be somethin' naughty."
"Would dat be so bad?" he replied with a sly grin. "But I'm sorry t' disappoint de lady, I was jus' thinkin' dat you are de most beautiful woman dat dis humble Cajun has ever set his eyes on."
"An' Ah bet you've seen a lot of women too!" snapped Rogue, wishing she hadn't said those words. He was just trying to be complimentary, and she knew that her words were a bit harsh. "Ah'm sorry Remy, Ah didn't mean that."
"Shhh chere, no 'pologies. Tonite it's jus you an' me. Nothin' else matters. Look we're already here."
The cab pulled up to the Plaza as the couple got ready to run back out in the rain. Remy pulled Rogue closer to him and gave her a very gentle kiss on the lips. She closed her eyes and gave him a little smile. He got out first and held his hand out to Rogue.
"Come petite, let's finish dis up in de room eh?"
So kiss me and smile for me,
Tell me that you'll wait for me,
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane,
Don't know when I'll be back again,
Oh, babe, I hate to go.
"Remy are ya in there?" Rogue turned his door knob and peeked in, looking for her lover. "Remy?"
She saw him sitting there, looking so miserable. She didn't know what to say to him. No words would make this moment any less painful. He just sat there, not acknowledging her presence. It hurt her even more to see how hard Remy was taking this. She decided to make the first move.
She walked over to where he was sitting and gave him a hug from behind. She stayed in that position and buried her face in his back. She thought back to a time when they were down on the dock by the boathouse.
**5 months prior**
Rogue stood with her arms wrapped around Remy's waist. They just stood watching the sunset, feeling the warmth of the sun on their faces. Rogue sighed as she hid her face in between his shoulder blades. Feeling Rogue's deep sigh on his back, Remy turned around to face his girlfriend.
"Anythin' wrong chere?" Remy asked with a hint of concern in his voice. Rogue had always been notorious for finding sorrow during such a beautiful moment.
She looked up and stared into his glowing red eyes. "No sugah, this is one of those rare times in life when there is absolutely nothin' wrong. No invasions, no hidden secrets, no hurt feelings, nothin' at all. Ah'm just happy."
Nothing made Remy happier than hearing those words come out of Rogue's mouth.
"Glad t' hear dat." He wrapped his strong arms around her and held her closer, never wanting the moment to end. He kissed the top of her head and they continued to just stand there watching the sunset.
"Remy, Ah just wanted to come by and say goodbye. Mah flight for Genosha leaves at 7 and the taxi's probably gonna be here any minute now." Still he gave her no response. "Remy, please say somethin'."
Just like the day at the boathouse, Remy just turned around and pulled her closer.
There's so many times I've let you down
So many times I've played around,
I tell you now they don't mean a thing.
**3 months prior**
"Oh, nothin' is evah yoah fault is it Remy Lebeau." The young lovers were having another one of their heated fights. "Just like everythin' in yoah past. Nothin' is evah YOUR fault." Remy leaned against the door frame to Rogue's bedroom.
She had been going non-stop since they came home from the club. A woman had "accidentally" spilled her drink on Remy. As she tried to dry off his shirt, one of her friends slipped a napkin with a phone number written on it. All this occurred of course while Rogue was in the women's room.
On their way to Rogue's car, it was quite chilly. Remy lent her his coat and naturally, Rogue found the woman's phone number in the side pocket. She spoke no more than two words during the ride back to the mansion. Remy really wasn't sure what the problem was, but he knew that something was definitely wrong.
After they pulled into the garage, Rogue flew directly up to her bedroom window, and he followed up using the stairs.
She confronted him about the phone number and the argument led to Rogue's accusation that Remy thought nothing was ever his fault.
Feeling like he should act on the defensive, he turned the tables on Rogue accusing her of constantly playing the victim. He told her that some of the things that went wrong in her life may actually have been her fault.
And then Joseph was brought up.
"That's low, even fo' you Swamp rat. Ah told you, Ah was just tryin' ta help him be a better man!" Rogue defended herself.
"'Course. And when exactly did de homme become a better man? Was it after y' let 'im kiss y', or after y' left me in Antarctica t' die?" He kicked himself as soon as the words came out of his mouth. But it was too late. Feelings were hurt and many tears were shed. The evening resulted in a very heavy wooden door slammed in the Cajun's face. Worse yet, the two were left with a doubt in their relationship, one that hadn't been there for a long time.
Ev'ry place I go I'll think of you,
Ev'ry song I sing I'll sing for you,
When I come back I'll wear* your wedding ring.
**4 weeks prior**
It had been a week since Professor Xavier asked Rogue to go on this mission to Genosha.
In order to lighten their spirits, the two lovers decided to join several of the X-men who were going into town to go Christmas shopping. As Rogue and Remy were walking down one of the streets in Westchester, Remy stopped dead in his tracks. It took about 5 seconds before Rogue realized that she had left her boyfriend behind. She turned around to find him starting into a store window.
"Whaccha doin' sugah?" she asked as she approached Remy.
"Look", he replied, pointing into the store window. The store happened to be a jewelry store and on the other side of the window was a very beautiful and very expensive diamond engagement ring. "What y' t'ink o' dat ring belle?"
"Oh Remy, it's absolutely beautiful, but look at that price tag. Wow, that's more than some people spend on their weddin'! Come on, Remy, Ah'm cold. Let's go to that coffee shop and grab somethin' t' drink k." She pulled on the sleeves of his leather jacket.
"Whatever de lady wishes." he bowed and they were off to the coffee shop down the street.
Later that evening, the young couple sat in the rec room watching the movie Serendipity starring John Cusack. Rogue had her head resting on Remy's shoulder, while Remy had his arm around her waist.
"Remy, do ya think that would evah happen?" she inquired, still watching the movie.
"What's dat chere?"
"For two people ta find each other again after so many years? For fate ta step in the way it did in the movie?"
"Anythin's possible chere. Seems t' me dat if two people meant t' be t'gether, dey find a way." He began to reach for something in his pocket and turned himself to face Rogue. He pulled out a small, black velvet box.
"Chere, been wantin' t' ask you somethin' for a long time now." Still hiding the box from Rogue.
"What is it sugah? Whatever it is, you can ask me" giving him a warm smile.
"Chere, we known each other for a long time now. We been through thick an' thin. Whenever I wanted t' give up, you were dere for me. Whenever I messed up, y' always took me back." He paused and opened the small box, revealing the diamond ring they were looking at that afternoon. "I guess what dis Cajun is tryin' t' say is, Rogue will ya do me d' honor an' be m' wife?"
Rogue stared at the ring, with her mouth gaped open.
"Oh Remy, oh mah"
"Chere?"
"Oh Remy..." Rogue stopped and looked down. "no..." she whispered. "Listen Remy, Ah'm leavin' for Genosha in four weeks. Ah'd don't want t' think you're askin' me t' marry ya just 'cause Ah'm goin' on this mission. When we finally get engaged, Ah want it to be perfect. Ah don't wanna have to worry 'bout nothin but our wedding." She reached for his hands and placed them in her own. "Ah tell y' what, when Ah come back from this mission, you ask me again. Ah guarantee the answer will be yes... but not now."
Remy understood what she was saying. He just smiled at her and kissed her gently on the lips. "Okay chere. 'Til den, I'll hang onto de ring." , smiling at her.
They continued to sit there and finish the rest of the movie. Remy could wait because he knew, just like the movie, his Rogue would find her way back to him.
Now the time has come to leave you,
One more time let me kiss you,
Then close your eyes I'll be on my way.
Dream about the days to come
When I won't have to leave alone,
About the times I won't have to say:
Kiss me and smile for me.
Tell me that you'll wait for me,
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane,
Don't know when I'll be back again,
Oh, babe, I hate to go.
Remy broke his silence. "De cab, it's here." still holding holding tightly onto Rogue, stroking the white streaks in her hair.
They stood there and gazed into each other's eyes. This was it, their final good bye before Rogue left. Tears began to swell up in Rogue's eyes. "Remy, Ah can't do this... Ah can't leave you." Her voice trembled with every word. "Ah'll go tell the professor Ah changed mah mind... Ah'll ask him ta find someone else..." She began to completely break down now. The tears streaming down her face. "Ah can't leave you... Remy, Ah can't."
"Shhh, be strong chere." He had to help support her up now. He held her face in his hands and pulled it in for a kiss. "You can do dis. Dis Cajun not goin' anywhere. When y' get back from dis mission, I'll be waitin' right here for you. When you get back, we'll plan de weddin' and then we'll never be apart ever again after dat." He began to dry her eyes, giving each a gentle kiss. "I love you Rogue."
"Faith" she whispered.
Confused, Remy just looked at her.
"Mah real name. It's Faith. And, Ah love you too, Remy Lebeau."
*BEEP* *BEEP* The cab honked, ruining the moment a bit.
"It's gettin' late, Ah better get goin'"
"I know. I'll walk y' down."
Together, they made their way to the front doors of the mansion. After Remy placed her luggage into the trunk of the cab, he walked over to Rogue to say their final farewell.
"You be careful over dere k?"
"Ah will..."
"Faith," Remy started to say as he pulled her closer, "come back soon."
She smiled at the sound of her name coming out of Remy's mouth. "Ah promise."
Finally, they gave each other a kiss, a very long, passionate, knee-buckling kiss.
"I love y''."
"Ah love you too." With those final words, she climbed into the back of the cab. "Bye Remy", giving him one last smile before he shut the cab door.
"Bye, chere."
As he watched the cab drive away, he felt a piece of his heart leaving with it.
I'm leavin' on a jet plane,
Don't know when I'll be back again,
Oh, babe, I hate to go.
Rogue arrived at the airport and boarded the flight to Genosha, thinking about the man she loved the entire time. The flight took off and she looked out the airplane window. She saw the burning sun over the horizon, reminding her of the love that burned between Remy and herself. Sighing to herself, she closed her eyes and dreamt of the day she would be able to be in his arms once again.
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Well that's all folks!! Tell me what you think!! Should I write a follow-up story? I won't know unless you review!!
*John Denver's lyrics actually say "bring", but I changed it to "wear" because that's what the lyrics say when it's a woman singing the song.