Under The Stars

The wind felt cold on her skin. She prickled when a slight breeze came her way lifting her hair ever so slightly. She gazed upward fully. Her head tilted completely towards the black velvet sky that glittered with tons and tons of diamonds.

"More like tears than diamonds," thought the southern warrior. That's what she considered herself to be: A warrior. She had to be strong, stay away from people. But, there had been an engagement party for Piotr and Kitty today and there was just too much togetherness for this loner. It hurt her too much tonight. Sometimes that happened. 'Grinning and bearing it' had its limitations. The wind tossed her hair around just a bit until her white strands falling loosely and swishing around her face.

"They frame her face just… perfect…" The swamp rat smirked to himself. He was getting all sentimental since he met her. He was just a bayou boy from the south, well more like a devil-child with his deep, blood red eyes set against black orbs. But, She. She was something else.

"Rogue," he tasted the name, whispering her name on his lips, trying it out. He savoured saying her name, though it was not her real one. That would come to him later, maybe. He focused back on his beloved chere. She was just standing there in the clearing near the fountain in front of x-men mansion. The river-rat had come out to gaze at the stars taking in their beauty.

Remy LeBeau, the michiveous pest, had of course come out to partake in his favorite past-time, well, that was tormenting chere. But, now that he saw her savouring her moment of peace… he just couldn't come up and ruin it for her, so he just stood there on his branch (he was a master acrobat/thief, so the secretive and balance abilities came very easily for him) taking her beauty in. The stars? They didn't hold a candle to his Belle femme.

Belle this femme definitely was. Chere had a figure that killed him every time she walked by. Not that this knowledge would pass to her, thanks to his excellent poker face. But, it just wasn't her figure that killed him, no that was everything else. It was the way that her jade eyes twinkled whether with joy or rage when he pushed her just a little too far from her comfort zone. It was the way that she cared for those around her by making sure that they didn't come into contact with her (she had absorbing powers, she touch you, you wake up with one, BIG hangover headache the next mornin'. Remy? He knew this from personal experience). It did hurt her though to stay so far from people, never to touch anybody.

He looked over at chere again and noticed her shiver just a little. He had his trench coat, so the wind didn't bother Gambit that much, but Rogue? She just snuck out of the party with her yellow and green biker jacket on over a white tank. She'd be cold out here.

Remy jumped down swiftly from his branch and snuck up on his chere all quiet like. A cheshire grin quickly spread all over his face. Another one of his favorite past-times? Sneaking up on his chere. He grinned all the broader, but stopped just a few inches behind Belle. She gripped her sides tighter as another breeze came about, blowing a few of her curls back too. Remy? He in his little bit of heaven. For, that little breeze blew her scent of vanilla all over him.

He snuck in her room sometimes just to get that smell from her comforter, but off of her was something else. He breathed it in deeply and then pressed his face into that lovely mass of curls and wrapped his arms around her sides.

Rogue gave a start when she felt two strong arms reaching across her middle and felt someone pressing into her back.

"Swamp Rat!" Screamed the southern bell. "Git offa meh! Yah big Oaf!" She scrambled within his hold, but he responded by tightening his grip around her until it was just a little much.

"Not happnin' Chere." The bayou boy snuggled deeper within her curly mass, breathing in the wonderful scent that was Rogue. "Ya see here', Chere, Remy quite comfturble right wher he is."

"Yeah, Well Ahm mos certinly Naht! Nawh Off! Ya see ahm tellin yah Gambit, push off." Just as quickly the grasp around her loosened and she looked around to see that swamp rat planted firmly on the ground beside her resting his elbows on his knees, and smilin' up at her with a cheshire grin that she neva trusted.

"Why nawt haf a sit dawn Chere. Remy non goin nowhere an he lahk yo compny." Something flashed in his gleaming eyes. "Yah cahnn efen sit on Gambit's lap if yo want Chere? He hol' yo close so's yo don't get cold non mais."

"I think nawt, Swamp Rat. 'stead ah think ah'll jus' head back inside. Moment's gone since yah got here." With that, the taller warrior turned on her heels to go back inside where the party was. Her tears had dried and Kitty would be lookin' for her soon 'nough. Time to be strong- YANK! She felt a tug on her ankle and stumbled tumblin' backwards into that Cajun's arms before she hit the ground.

She opened her eyes and instead of stars, she looked up to a chiseled face with shaggy brown hair falling over a set of Cajun eyes. Piercing red on black velvet. They glowed just a little and sent a big ol' shiver down her spine from top tah bottom. She was keenly aware of that smell of smoke and New Orleans Spice that emanated from Gambit. Smokin' on anybody else was distasteful to Rogue, but Remy? Not so much. Her hands were on Gambit's biceps which she couldn't really help, but notice were thick and toned, like the rest of him, she was sure.

"Wha ahm ah thinkin'? This is REMY, Rogue! Geht uh grip. He ain't nothin' but a low lahfe sleezy buhm… though he might hafe a good one uh those?" wondered the conflicted girl.

Both stayed in this position for just a fraction of second, though that small moment drug on a considerably long while for the Cajun and Southern Belle. Spell start to broke as Remy remembered himself and felt the corners of his mouth lifting into that known smirk on his face.

"Yo' see, Chere, Gambit rely like t'is position…" another gleam from the cajun. "An, Remy t'inks that his Chere like 't too." He flexed his biceps just slightly so that Rogue could feel his muscles contract. Smirk just got bigger too as Chere's face deepened to Gambit's favorite shade of red.

"Uuuufffff!" Next thing Remy knows, he's being shoved off with an other worldly force, a face full of gleaming stars rather than a blushing Rogue. The darkness of those stars was frightening without Chere's face to light up the night. Remy scrambled back to glance at his fierce light leavin' him there.

Chere? She just gets up and dusts herself off. Remy sat there pondering just which side of his beloved Rogue was lovelier. Front or back? Well, that would be a hard call, but just right now Remy was thoroughly enjoying a certain view of Rogue. Yep, rear won for now…

"Don'tcha gaht uh lihfe or somthin, Swamp Rat? Ah cahn feel yah eyes jus boring inta meh!" Nothing like a little sass from Belle got Remy so ecstatic. Just like that, he was up and in front of his tortured girl.

"Ain't not'in mo important t'en yo' Chere." All he got in response was an eye roll, and a wipe of her nose with the back of her biker jacket. Her brilliance still radiated, but Remy did notice the greater sadness that was etched into every corner of Rogue's face today, and something faltered within him. This was not time for another one of Remy's favorite lines to rile Chere up.

His eyes softened as her eyes met his with a heart-shattering nakedness. There was not a single trace of the hard outer shell that Rogue wore constantly. There existed only pain, loss, and pure hurt in those two jade spheres.

It had been such a hard day for Rogue, though she dared not admit it. The party had been going so well for Kitty and Piotr. They had been cuddling every free moment when they were not being surrounded so closely by loved ones cheering them onwards towards a life of togetherness and love. Jean, Ororo, Betsy, Bobby, Logan. So many people were just surrounding the couple. Hugging. Laughing. Clapping Piotr on the back. And, there was Rogue, a good friend of Kitty and a roommate. Oh, the times that she and Kitty had gone through together. They had survived the "end of the world" roughly five or so times, defeating the major villain at least once per each girl! Despite their differences (with Kitty's miss-pretty-in-pink, computer genius load of PERKINESS!, uuugggghhhh, and Rogue's gothic phase) both girls had grown into fine young women and what Rogue considered good friends. They made a tradition of visiting the other at least once a week to discuss the usual girl concerns like celebrity relationships and disasters, latest romance novels, and X-men relationships conspiracies. Both girls just knew that there was such potential between gruff Wolvie and the Weather Goddess, yep.

Still, Rogue could never get that close to Kitty or any other person. She couldn't let her guard down for too long for fear of hurting someone she truly and deeply cared for. So, she had found herself in a darkened corner with only a plate of chocolate buttercream cake loaded with frosted pink hearts for comfort. The main doors were just a room or two away, so it had just seemed better for the isolated girl to sneak away into the night, get away from the hurt that had started balling up in her stomach. Only, she had a faithful stalker just in the adjacent corner, one that smirked and glared and infuriated her! One that followed her everywhere too, apparently.

Standing there under the stars with Remy, that's where she was right now. Why can't I just be alone? Can't he see that's all I want? screamed the voices inside her head, voices causing such turmoil now in her head as well as her heart. The voices kept screeching at her for solitude. Why couldn't she just be alone? Rogue started fidgeting with the sleeve of her jacket. The colors and stars began to blur together which always meant that the voices were crying again. She couldn't be near Kitty to hug her or Piotr, not without endangering their lives. It was better this way, Remy could see that couldn't he? Why won't he just leave me alone? I need to be alone. But, there he was yet again. That shaggy hair falling across those glowing red orbs staring right at her.

He was so close to her now that she could smell that Spice and bourbon on his trench coat again. Just closer than anyone should have been, but there were those orbs glowing now at her with... PITY of all things! She knew that look and the voices won out as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Pity." She wiped her nose, covering her face so that he couldn't see her pain. She was the warrior, the immovable, stubborn statue. She couldn't have these feelings, didn't deserve them. It was her curse. No love, no touch. For, all she brought to others was death if they got too close.

"Wha, Chere?" He stared at her closer now. He could have sworn that he heard some word drop from her lips. It hurt him like a punch to the throat to see more tears streaming down his belle's beautiful face.

"Ah said, Pity." She looked up with a blazing fierceness in her eyes again, mouth pulled back into a grimace as she shot daggers out of those jade lookers. "Ah, don need it frahme yah, Remy!" She was screaming now, anger blazing around her. "Cahn't yah see, swamp rat, ah am no good fah nobody!" The cajun embraced his southern wonder. He didn't care how she reacted. Another coma would be fine. Just if I could take those tears from her eyes, thought the bayou boy.

She stood there rigid in the warm embrace of this cajun. His leather trench coat enveloped her into a smoke and spice filled cavity of warmth against his torso. Strong arms were wrapped around her back, shielding Rogue from the cold of night and stunning her with all this care. Didn't the idiot know that he could die, being this close to me?

It was a desperate sort of hug that Remy took towards Chere. He knew that there wasn't that much that he could do to heal her. When the other femmes started crying, Remy would just provide a… pleasant diversion from their troubles for a small while, but with Rogue; he couldn't do that. When she ached, so did he. They were in tune in such a way, that Remy had never experienced before. Closest thing probly was his friendship with Belladonna, but that was so long ago and had morphed into something vile and deceitful. With Roguey, there was no deceitfulness. Just care, so much care and concern for those around her like Kitty, Wolvie, Jean, Scott, even him, her "hated and insufferable" (yeah, right) counterpart. So much, that she forgot to care for herself. Well, that was Remy's job; he would make sure that there was someone to notice and cherish this strong and brilliant star that was the loner.

There toes and knees were touching, spots of warmth between the two that just grew as Remy drew his beloved into a deeper and deeper embrace as she just tightened trying to keep him out. He tilted his head into Chere's curl's breathing in her sweet scent and whispered so softly into her ear.

"Chere?... . Yo' always got meh, Rogue." He paused and nuzzled his head against hers for just a quick second. "An, t'ere is non pitié en dis coere, Chere." There truly wasn't. Chere was not just a belle femme, but strong, powerful even, determined, stubborn, vibrant with life, contemplative, confidant, whimsical, funny, rational, kick-butt, and sassy and so much more. There was so much more to this woman than all of the stars in the sky above. He just wished that the rest of the world would take a moment to realize just how bright this loner was, but then again that would decrease their quality time, Gambit loved so much.

Remy shifted his head to gaze back up at those stars shining in the distance. There was just fields and field of them in the skies above. He smirked to himself and let out a low, rumbling.

Rogue felt the vibrations of his chest as he chuckled to himself. "What's sah funny, Swamp Rat?" She needed a distraction anyways; if anything, Remy could certainly distract her for at least a minute. Just enough time to avoid the length of their embrace and the turmoil of emotions and pain rushing through her heart and mind.

"Oh, not'un Chere. Jus t'at y' came all o't t'ere t' jus look at t'e stars, but y' know what? T'ey's non so special compared t' y' Rogue." He whispered into her ear, resting his senses to her care; she was holding on to Remy's shirt now, willing the tears not to come. "Y' are so much mo'. Y' shine so bright-like and all, but y' love, laugh, Dieu how Remy love t' jus' hear y' laugh mais, Chere."

Rogue's head had been buried in Remy's chest as he made his little speech. Gosh, how she didn't have the strength to hear this. Remy was a playboy if nothing else, but he sounded concerned and sincere just now.

Distraction, thought the girl. Ah need anotha distraction 'fore ah geht so wrapped up in ahll this nonsense. Too close, he's jus' too close. But, he did feel so warm and nice. How he breathed softly sending warm exhalation across her shoulder. How his chest rose and fell at such a nice, constant pace, unlike her own shaky and uneven gasps for breath from crying. She always thought that in the end, it would only be her. Ever since she put Cody in a coma with her poisonous kiss, she KNEW that she couldn't get to close to anyone ever again. She had to remain all alone, against the world. Could she have been wrong for so long?

She gripped handfuls of Remy's darker shirt, balling it up in her fists and going rigid. Strength. she had to maintain strength. Deep breaths, in and out, in and out. Gaining her composure, she knew that she should just push away from Remy and go back inside. The mushy love inside would be distraction enough, but she had an inkling feeling that Remy was being sincere. He was holding her so softly, encompassing her in his warmth,... and no perverted remarks for a whole five minutes. Huh, new record.

She had to look up, to see if he really was the same low-life, no good, womanizing swamp rat. She gathered one final breath and whispered his name off of her chapped and dry lips, "...Remy?"

He slowly lifted his face from her mass of curls, one he did so savoring every last strand of hair tickling his cheeks and trailing off of his lips. There was a remark there, but it was not the time. Poker face for that part, he reminded himself.

"Yeah, Chere?" He gazed into those soulful jade orbs and his heart skipped a beat or two (really four, but who's countin'), yeah, it was invigorating just looking at her. Her cheeks were blazing red from cryin', eyes were puffy from the profuse amount of tears, and more tear stains shined on her cheeks in the starlight. She could never be anything but astonishing thought her ardent lover.

She gazed up into his firmly set and rugged face. Every line on his face was straight and solid, Remy never did anything in halves. His nose was straight and thin leading up to his bushy eyebrows right above those eyes. Those eyes… just glowing so brightly and boring into her own not with hatred or disgust, but with real, true concern. She could see it in the way he was watching her every glance so intently, studying her and trying to discern her thoughts and feelings.

She finally returned the hug, bringing her arms tightly around the Swamp Rat's torso, bringing herself so close to him that she could hear his heart beat faster.

"Thanks, fah carin' some." With that, she burrowed herself into her bayou-boy breathing in all of his spice and smoke, savoring it all.

Took a moment for the Cajun to adjust, usually this was the time when Chere would roundhouse kick Remy flat onto his rear or render him unconscious through physical contact. However platonic, Remy preferred the latter, but nothing compared to holding her in his arms right now and knowing that he was helping her to feel better. He brought her all the more closer, savoring every moment.

"Course, Roguey." He whispered, but under the stars sharing this small moment, he knew that the time was right. "Jetaime, Rogue. Toujours, toujours… always."