Hello. This is my first story I've managed to get the courage up to actually publish on this site. Its inspired by stories from several great authors that wrote about a young Rogue and Remy, most notably TheBlueFoxtrot A Samba's Scenes from a Rogue's Life and She Got It Honest, JohnPaulGeorgeandRingo's Warning: May Answer Back , and Chellerbelle's Squeaky and Stripes.

This is AU. I think the idea is pretty simple. A seven year old Rogue meets a nine year old Remy. They already have their powers and have been sent by their families to be among other young mutants at Xavier's. Rogue knows who Mystique is, and her brother. Remy has a good relationship with his family. Neither one has been betrayed by anyone. And Rogue has a dog named Sunshine. I just got so depressed reading angsty fics that this had to make up for it. Not that I dislike the angst. I just ran out of tissues. So I wrote them both into more of an ideal world.

I do not own anything. This story is rated T because of language that might possibly appear.

With that said, tell me if it's terrible or not. I think I can take it. :)

A First Meeting

"Stupid Scott. Stupid Lance." A small girl in a very foul mood kicked at a pile of soggy leaves with her boot. She gave those errant leaves that clung to her footwear a glare that would surely wither them, if they hadn't been dead already. When they didn't disappear on her command, she continued her rant. "Ah am too big enough ta play superhero."

Keeping pace with her, a young Boston terrier trotted by her side, eager to dispel her anger with a happy pant and a lick. The rubber chew toy she held in her gloved hand being the other reason she was keeping up with the girl. She huffed and grunted until her upright companion threw the toy as hard as she could. The dog took off like a shot after it.

Still scowling, the girl brushed away a distinctive lock of white from her face in her otherwise chin length brown hair. "Ah'm gonna beh mah own superhero team, an' none of them can play!" she huffed at no one in particular. "It'll just beh meh an' Sunshine."

Sunshine, the winded dog, huffed and dropped the pink bone shaped toy at her feet, proud of herself for the accomplishment as only a dog could be. Before the girl could pick the toy up again to throw it, she ran to get ahead of it.

With her arm cocked, her tongue sticking out of her mouth, and her target in the distance picked out, she was about to let the toy fly when a voice stopped her. "C'n Remy be on y' team?"

Her head whipped around, trying to find the owner of said voice with an accent she found familiar. From where she was in the park like backyard of the boarding school she attended, there was no one to be seen besides Sunshine. Confused, she spoke to a voice in her head, "Cody? Did ya say somethin'?"

Before the voice could answer, there was a reply, "Not Cody. Remy."

Her eyes, which some saw as grey but others a dark green, widened in confused terror. "When did Ah absorb ya?"

"Huh?"

A leaf fell from the tree above her, drawing those wide eyes upwards. Not three feet away was a boy, staring down at her as he balanced himself carefully on a branch. He wore a brown leather trench coat, jeans, a Saints tee shirt, boots, fingerless gloves, and sunglasses. He also had a smile on his face. "Bon jour, petite." he said happily.

Years later, when the boy who was to become her husband, told the tale of their very first meeting to their children, she would vehemently deny her initial reaction.

She screamed like the seven year old girl she was, and chucked the dog toy directly at his head.

"AAAAAHHH!" he heard as the pink bone hit him squarely between the eyes, just before he blacked out.

Years later, he would also deny his end of what happened. Remy Etienne Le Beau, Prince of the New Orleans chapter of the Thieves Guild, did not get taken by surprise, and in fact taken out, by a seven year old girl. Ever. It doesn't matter that he was only nine at the time. It was the principal of the thing after all.

He wasn't out for too long at least. Leaves were still fluttering down around him from the tree he had just fallen out of when he managed to blink his eyes open. They also focused on a pair of the prettiest emeralds the boy would ever see in his life. And they were frowning down at him.

"What the hell were ya thinkin' sneakin' up on meh like that?" she yelled in a tart southern tongue. "Ah coulda kilt ya!"

He put a hand on his aching head and used one of the words his Tante Mattie would tan his backside for saying, "Merde."

The frown on the girls face fell and was replaced by concern. Her teeth worried her lower lip. "Are ya okay?"she asked, her voice a little softer, her brows knitting.

He sat up, a little unsteadily, and noticed the dog toy in his lap. "Didn't t'ink dese t'ings was so hard." The heavy panting of a dog next to him drew his attention. The happy smile on the face beside him brought back his own, and he gave the bone to her, "Here y' go."

Sunshine took the offered toy and plopped down next to him to gnaw and slobber a fine pursuit for a dog on this cool fall day.

"So, whah were ya up in the tree, followin' meh?"

His attention turned back to the girl, and he couldn't help his smile. She stood like his Tante would, her hands in fists on her hips, tapping her booted foot, waiting for an explanation. Her chin on the sweet face jutted out, her nose wrinkled, her brow furrowed over those precious jewels she used as eyes, a light blush pinking her cheeks. Even the leaves sticking out of her hair did little to take away from the vision before him.

Though he didn't know it at the time, Remy Le Beau had fallen head-over-heels love-a- first -sight for the southern spitfire that stood in front of him.

"Desole, Chere. Remy didn't mean no harm." He brushed some of the leaves out of his shaggy brown hair.

Confused by what the boy just said, she cocked her head to the side. "Desa what? An' who is Remy?" She looked above her into the trees, expecting another boy to materialize and frighten her into screaming again. "Is he hidin' too?"

"Non, non Chere." He chuckled a bit and stood up, brushing away leaves from his coat. Finally righted, he held out his hand to her, "Allow me t' introduce m'self. Remy Le Beau, at y' service."

She looked at the offered hand warily, wondering if she should warn him of what a handshake could mean from her. But her own hands were safely gloved, and Professor Xavier had encouraged her to not shy away from simple touches. After a moment's hesitation, she grasped his hand returning his gesture firmly, "Ah'm Rogue."

In a move he had seen his adoptive father and older brother use on many lovely women; he turned her hand in his, leaned down and kissed the covered knuckles gently.

She gasped and snatched her hand back, scowling once again. "Keep ya slimy lips ta yaself, Swamp Rat." she huffed.

His brows rose at the words. "Swamp Rat?"

She nodded folding her arms across her chest. "Ya sound like them folks that give swamp tours. Mah Aunt Irene took meh on one an' weh got ta watch them feed chickens ta gators." She narrowed her eyes at him, "An' ya look like a rat."

He put a hand over his heart and feigned injury, "Y' wound dis Cajun, Chere. Remy ain't no rat."

"Ya named after a rat. Ms. Munroe took us ta see it at the theater. His name was Remy an' he was a chef." She nodded, making sure he understood that this was the truth. "Mah brother Kurt ate all the popcorn."

Remy shrugged, "Remy still ain't no rat."

She decided that the argument was won and pursued her other question, "Whah was ya followin' meh?"

"Wasn't. Was up in de trees, practicin' climbin' when y' an y' pup came along. Wanted t' see why y' so mad."

She turned her glare back to the original source of her bad mood, "Scott an' Lance was pickin' teams ta play superhero an' they said Ah was too small. But Lance picked Kitty an' she's smaller then meh an' Ah said so, then Scott said Ah was dangerous 'cause Ah can't control mah power." She looked down at her gloved hands, her anger edged with sadness, "Stupid gloves."

"What are y' powers?"

With a deep sigh, she admitted it, "If'n Ah touch ya with mah skin, ya go ta sleep for a long time. Then part of ya stays in mah head an runs around talkin' ta meh," she put her hands over her ears, "an' sometimes ya don't shut up!" she screamed at the boy in her head. After a moment her hands dropped to her sides, "Ah ain't allowed ta touch nothin'." She sat down on the grass and began plucking the blades around her.

"Y' can' turn dem off?" He moved a little so he could face her.

Sunshine picked up her toy and crawled into her lap. Rogue patted her back and shook her head, "No." She wiped her sniffling nose on the sleeve of her plum sweater, "Pafessor says he can't find the switch ta turn 'em off."

Remy frowned, but already his young but clever mind was trying to figure out a way to help his Chere. For that was who sat before him, bravely fighting off tears.

One managed to slide down her cheek before she caught it with her sleeve. Aunt Irene would surely be upset with her, using her nice clothes like a hanky. She probably knew she was doing it, too. Irene knew everything. The woman had to have eyes in the back of her head to make up for the blind ones in front. "What are ya powers?"

The question brightened the boys face. "Remy makes t'ings go boom." he said with a broad smile.

"Really?" she asked with unabashed admiration. "Show meh."

Giving a quick look back to the large house, keeping an eye out for the grouchy man with the cigar constantly protruding from his mouth who had informed him in no uncertain terms that if he were to blow anything up that he'd be turned into gumbo, he gathered up a handful of leaves. Rogue inhaled slowly, her eyes getting wider as the damp leaves began glowing with a magenta hue. When he released them into the air, they sizzled and popped like tiny fireworks.

"Oh, wow." she whispered watching the remains drift to the grass around them. "That's a great power, Remy."
He grinned finally managing to lift the girl mood. "Merci, Chere."

Her face scrunched into a confused frown. "What? Who do ya keep talkin' ta?"

"Merci mean t'ank y', an' y' be Remy's Chere." he explained. "I's French. Dat's how dey speak where Remy from."

"Oh." She guessed that was okay. Kurt spoke German all the time and kept forgetting she didn't understand it. She looked the new boy over; it was too early to call him a friend just yet, her eyes settling on his sunglasses. "Whah are ya wearin' sunglasses? It ain't that sunny." Her eyes went wide once again with a thought, "Or do ya blow things up with ya eyes?"

The new topic made him uncomfortable and he closed off a bit, giving her a half shrug. "Non. Remy's eyes be scary."

"Do lasers come out of them?"

"Non. More scary."

She watched his eyes carefully, thinking of what could be scarier then lasers. "Spiders?"

"Non."

"Snakes?"

He shook his head, but the idea quirked his lips up a little at the corners. "Non, no snakes." he said. "Dey be demon eyes."

Having met her brother Kurt in the last year and finding out her Momma is a blue scaly woman that could turn into anything she wanted, Rogue didn't see how someone having demon eyes would be scary, especially if they didn't shoot lasers or spiders or snakes out of them. That decision made, she pushed Sunshine out of her lap and crawled on her knees over to him. "Ah wanna see 'em."

When she reached for his glasses, he quickly scooted away. "Non!" he said. "Dey scare y'. Scare Jean an' Kitty when dey saw dem."

Rogue rolled her eyes, "Ah ain't a baby like Jean or Kitty. Lemme see."

At her determined look, he sighed. "Okay. But don' scream. Dey won' hurt y'"

She smiled and nodded, anxiously watching as he pulled away his glasses. When he held them shut, she huffed."Ya gotta open 'em for meh ta see 'em, Remy."

They cracked open slowly. Though it wasn't a bright day, it still took a bit of time for his sensitive eyes to adjust. It took a moment for his eyes to focus on Rogue, who sat before him with an open mouthed gape. Seeing the shock in her eyes, he looked away and began putting his glasses back on, upset that his Chere had seen how ugly they were. He was at least happy she didn't scream. "Tol' y', Chere. Remy's eyes be scary."

She stayed his hand with her own and touched his chin so that he would look at her again. Red irises on black sclera blinked up at him. "They ain't scary, Remy." she said in a hushed voice filled with wonder. "They the prettiest things Ah ever seen. They look like rubies, sparklin' in a dark sky."

He smiled up at her, getting lost in her own eyes. "Remy t'ink y' eyes be prettier, Chere."

She blushed and looked away, trying to hide her reaction to his compliment."They just grayish green." She chewed on her lower lip, "Jean has green eyes."

He reached out and took her hand into his, "Dey still ain't as belle as y' eyes, Chere."

She tried to snatch her hand away, "Ya not allowed ta touch meh, Remy! Ah could hurt ya."

"Remy be careful. He got gloves on, too."

She looked down at their joined hands for a moment, and then nodded. "Okay. But no kissin'"

He gave her a smirk that would one day make her both weak in the knees and bring out her temper. "Remy a good kisser, Chere."

Her hand ripped away from his, "Ewww! Ah don't want ya cooties."

He leaned closer to her, "Ain't got cooties."

She scooted closer to the now napping dog beside her, "All boys got cooties. 'Cept Kurt. Momma told meh so."

"She wrong. Remy don' got no cooties, but Chere does. He sees dem on y' pup."

She gasped and began checking over Sunshine for the elusive parasites, not seeing the mischievous boy next to her gather up a handful of leaves. He silently charged them and set the small pile next to the preoccupied girl.

BANG!

Both Rogue and Sunshine jumped with the explosion, the girl giving off her second girlie shriek in one day. Hearing the snicker from the boy still sitting on the grass, she scowled, balled up her small fists and turned to look at him, bits of burnt leaves all over her sweater and face. "Ah'm gonna get ya for that, Swamp Rat!" she growled.

Remy would always look back on that day and their first fight with fondness. It was the day he met the love of his life, his best friend, and the most beautiful girl in the world. It was also the day he discovered that said girl, even as small as she was, packed quite a punch, and that it was fun to make her mad.

Rogue would always remember that day when she met the man that meant more than anything else in the world to her, one that would show her through many tough times that he was always there for her. That love was possible even with her mutation. She would also remember it as the first time of many that she would send her beloved Swamp Rat to the infirmary.