Disclaimer: Marvel owns all. (I've just invited them over to my house to play.) A/N:

So there have been a couple things from Mr. & Mrs. X that Ms. Thompson and team haven't answered yet. It could be that these ficlets are totally contradicted, but I have a strong suspicion they won't be because this is intended to be what happens between the panels or issues. Scenes that you know occurred but were never addressed because of plot progression or comic book code or whatever.

NOTE – readers should be very familiar with the ongoing Mr. & Mrs. X series and any other titles where Rogue and Gambit have appeared together. This is your only spoiler warning.

First up, what happened between X-Men Gold #30 and Mr. & Mrs. X #1? Why a trip to Salem Center's Office of the City Clerk: Marriage Bureau! Check the Research Note at the end for further details. As for the numbering system, it's one I encountered at 2 different, unrelated government offices. I never could figure out how they came up with it.

Mr. & Mrs. X 0.5: Formalities

Rogue chewed her lip as she watched Remy sign on the bottom line. Nervous excitement nearly had her shaking as he handed her the paperwork, a shining smile stretched across his handsome face. They were doing this. They were really doing this! In less than six hours, she would be married to Remy.

"Yo' turn, petite." Remy artfully flipped the pen around his fingers, waiting for her to take it. "Unless y' had a change of heart on me already?"

The teasing smirk accentuated his dimple and the little crinkles around his eyes, but Rogue could see the slight apprehension in his gaze. Whatever bravado he showed the world, he was just as anxious as she was.

Snatching the twirling pen, she flashed him a flirty smile as she took the form from him, "Never a change of heart, sugar."

Remy leaned down and kissed her hair. As they regretfully had anticipated, her absorption powers slowly returned within the first few days after leaving Paraíso. It was one reason, among many, why they hadn't jumped into living together. Still high from their reconciliation at the tropical resort, they'd savored those few days before their perfect little bubble burst and Rogue put some precautionary distance between them. They had fallen into a nice little routine over the last several weeks of dinner dates and teenage-style fooling around, but nothing more than touching through layers and definitely no sleepovers. She hadn't even been by to meet the cats or see the new place he'd suddenly felt the need to buy after their island holiday.

Looking over the marriage license form, Rogue realized there wouldn't, couldn't, be anything separating them now. Their relationship, their marriage, wouldn't survive it. Taking a deep breath, she started filling out the required information.

Name – First, Middle, Current Surname

Easy enough. Anna Marie

Rogue paused for a second as she debated what to list. Technically, the Professor had arranged years ago to give her a legal identity for essential purposes, but it wasn't her name. And she didn't go by Raven's surname because while Mystique was her mother, Count Darkholme was no relation to her. She supposed she could put Adler there, although she'd never gone by Irene's name either. Her former Avengers credentials, which would pass as government-issued ID, just stated Rogue (Anna Marie).

Inspiration suddenly hit her when she remembered the last time she and Remy had lived together. In Valle Soleada, she'd gone by Anna Raven. Her California ID was still in her wallet (she'd never been able to bring herself to take it out) and it fortunately hadn't expired yet. Scribbling in her name, she moved to the next box.

Surname After Marriage

A small smile tugged at her lips as she carefully wrote in LeBeau. The moment was surreal. It was both the first time she'd written her married name and the first time all elements of said name would truly belong to her. Anna Marie LeBeau.

Flying through the essentials like Social Security Number, Residence, Age, Date of Birth, Rogue paused again when she saw Usual Occupation and Type of Industry. For her, it would be easy. While super hero wasn't an official job, Kitty had insisted they all go by "community outreach support specialist" once the Institute was moved to Central Park.

But it wasn't her job that left Rogue's hand hovering over the line. Sneaking a peek at Remy's side of the form, she nearly snorted when she saw Financial Gains Broker – Securities and Commodities.

Watching her like a hawk, Remy knew exactly what she was looking at and that she was trying to hold in a laugh.

"See somethin' funny, chère?" He asked, gently rubbing her back.

"Nope. Not a thing." Rogue looked up at him and smirked. "Except Ah think my soon-to-be husband deals more in losses than gains."

The only indication that he was affected by her words was a fleeting halt of his massaging fingers. Rogue had no idea what calling him husband did to Remy. Instead, she rolled her eyes when he said, "Can't help it if de opportunity presents itself."

"Mmhm. Opportunity, my little finger." She sassed back.

"Chère, as much as I would love t' debate de nuances of 'securities and commodities', y' need t' finish fillin' that out if y' want t' get married today." The playful grin reached his eyes as he redirected her attention to the form.

"Fine, fine." Rogue waved him off and looked at the next section.

'Father and Mother. Hell with it.' She thought of her earlier debate regarding her name and decided to just jot down Mystique's and Destiny's info.

Number of this Marriage

A pang ached through her chest. This wasn't Remy's first marriage. Where she was a blushing bride, he'd already been through this once before. Taking a second look at his half of the form, she saw all the pertinent details of his annulment from Bella Donna. A little chill of surprise ran down her spine when she saw the marriage date and annulment date were the same. Somehow, she'd always thought neither of them had taken any action to dissolve the union until years later. At least, that was the impression she'd gotten from their absorbed memories. Each had considered themselves still married to the other, long after the annulment had declared them legally separated.

The realization served as a stark reminder that Rogue was overjoyed right now because Bella Donna had suffered then. And it's not like she questioned Remy's love for her. She knew from his own memories that his love for her was different than what he still held even to this day for his ex-wife. Still, Rogue was stuck between the irrational sting of jealousy and the heartbreaking despair of love lost. After all, she understood how it felt to lose Remy, too.

Picking up on her sudden melancholy, his hands wandered up to her shoulders and rubbed the tense muscles.

"Everythin' okay, Anna?" Remy's quiet voice hesitantly asked.

Shaking her head clear of the maudlin, Rogue returned to her side of the form and added a 1 next to the Number of this Marriage field. Then she signed her maiden name for the last time. Of course, her signature looked like chicken scratch compared to his elegant flourish, but maybe it would improve once she had the same looping letters instead of straight lines.

Finished, she looked up at him while giving his hand a loving squeeze in lieu of a kiss. "Yep. Everythin's fine, Remy."

That same trepidation she'd seen earlier quickly disappeared given her continued reassurance. With the paperwork finished, Remy took the form from her and stepped up to the ticketing system.

"Looks like we're number… C41?" Confusion clear in his voice.

Looking up at the queue monitor, Rogue was just as confounded. "F92. What kind of numberin' system is this?"

"Now serving A26." The overhead speaker announced.

"I guess we should just take a seat." Remy suggested, looking around for two chairs next to each other.

They'd arrived as soon as the City Clerk's office opened, but apparently it was a busy day for marriage license applications. There were already forty other people waiting by the time they walked in the door and that had been barely two minutes after it was unlocked.

Sighing and settling in for an undetermined wait, Rogue leaned her head on Remy's shoulder. Even though they couldn't touch skin to skin, he still actively reached out for her hand and laced his fingers between her gloved covered ones.

They sat in comfortable albeit eager silence watching the various people who were called up to the clerk. At one point, they thought they had at least part of the ticketing system figured out that all Cs were other couples, but that theory was shot out of the water when the following two Cs were singles. Under their breath, they made witty remarks about the patrons they observed including the middle-aged gentleman that arrived in a full swallowtail tuxedo made of red flannel or the woman who oddly carried three Coach purses, all in clashing sizes and colors.

It wasn't long before Remy's idle caresses on Rogue's glove covered hand turned into a nervous fidget. Sensing his uptick in anxiety, Rogue quietly asked, "What's wrong, sug?"

"What makes y' think somethin's wrong?" He nonchalantly answered, but his cool attitude didn't fool her.

"Gimme some credit, Rem." She leveled him a disbelieving glare. "Even if Ah hadn't absorbed all yer ticks and tells, Ah can still read body language and yer's is bouncin' around with more nervous energy than normal. Spill, Cajun."

"Just thinkin' 'bout where we're gon' live is all. Y' ain't been by t' see de cats." He said, referencing their last conversation on Paraíso. On a whooshed exhale, he mumbled, "Not that y' been by t' see de new place either."

While his voice was low, Rogue was still able to make out his real concern. They'd been living separate lives since reconciling. Yes, they were officially a couple and had been doing all the "normal" dating things couples did, but they'd been taking it slowly. Rogue endeavored to keep her promise; to not wait for the perfect time; to take all the messed up times they could get together. But old habits were hard to break and couldn't be changed overnight.

When her mutation returned, she put physical space between them but made up for it by setting boundaries with every other aspect of her life to give dedicated time and attention to Remy. That included mental reminders to step away from the stagnant, same old comfort zone. And when she lost focus or those little reminders weren't enough, Remy had been there to give her gentle nudges in the right direction. Still, she could understand his frustration since he'd been waiting on her all this time.

"Well," She drew the word out and paused, sandwiching his hand between both of hers before pulling it into her lap and playing with his fingers. "Ah've been hearin' such wonderful things 'bout that new place in Lincoln Square. All the skylights and private rooftop access. Sure would hate fer it all ta go ta waste just ta live in a tiny suite surrounded by a couple dozen other mutants, even if it is in Central Park."

To say Remy was mildly surprised would be an understatement. Considering how their relationship had almost fallen into a rut, albeit different from previous times, he figured he'd have a hard time convincing her to choose his (their) place.

"So yo' gon' give up that suite at de Outreach Center?" His voice was a little more hopeful than he wanted to convey.

"Now Ah wouldn't say that, sug." She answered.

Remy tensed. Of course she wouldn't give up that room. It was a security blanket, a safety net, for when things got tough. Some place she could run away and hide. He tried to pull his hand away, but she held fast.

The fleeting thought 'Why are we even doin' this?' fueled his doubts before he pushed the poisonous question away. Because things were different this time. Because Rogue had said yes.

Turning to look at him, she continued, "There are gonna be times when Kitty may need help. Don't ya think it would be nice ta have some of our stuff in that room?"

Loving her answer, both for the show of commitment and sound logic, he gave her an easy smile that lit up his eyes. "Chère, yo' gon' be de death of me."

"Oh no, sugar. Ah ain't lettin' ya go before me." Rogue returned the grin.

"Now serving C41." Came from the overhead speaker.

While still smiling, her expression took on a nervous tint. "That's us."

"Indeed, it is." Remy said, rising before chivalrously helping her stand.

As they approached the clerk, they were encouraged by the middle-aged woman's somewhat friendly appearance. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as TV and movies portrayed the stereotypical government worker.

Without looking up at them, she said, "Form, IDs, and $35 fee."

Or maybe not.

"Yes, ma'am." Rogue readily agreed while Remy just handed over the requested items.

Charlene, as the clerk's name tag indicated, took the documents and started typing away at the keyboard. Her two-inch, neon pink nails click clacked across the keys as her fingers flew surprisingly fast. As they stood there in silence, waiting to be addressed again, they each started fidgeting in their own way. Rogue shifted her weight between her feet every fifteen seconds and Remy went back to twirling the pen between his fingers. They quickly snapped to attention when Charlene looked up at them, but it was only long enough to verify their picture IDs matched their faces. Rogue shot Remy a shy look which he returned with a mischievous smirk and a raised brow.

"Do you both swear that the information contained on the form is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge?" Charlene asked, still tapping away at the computer.

"Yes." Rogue agreed while Remy answered, "Ouais."

Unsatisfied with his habitual Cajun, the clerk looked up at him and said, "What was that?"

"Yes, ma'am." His cheeks pinked ever so slightly under her withering gaze. Beside him, Rogue gleefully grinned at his discomfort.

"Mmhm." Charlene glared at him for a moment before returning her attention to the screen. "Do you both swear that there are no legal impediments to the marriage?"

"Yes, ma'am." They answered.

"And do you both swear that you acknowledge this application as a legal affidavit which you have signed of your own free will?" She asked.

Again, "Yes, ma'am."

The printer behind Charlene whirred to life as it spit out two sheets of paper. Handing the sheets over to them, she said, "Congratulations, you have successfully completed the application process for a marriage license. Please give both sheets to your officiant since the first is the filing instructions and the second is the license itself. Starting tomorrow, your license is valid for 60 days at any location within the great state of New York."

Rogue was giddy as the clerk recited the information until she got to the last part. Like being drenched with ice water, she questioned, "Tomorrow? But we were hopin' ta get married today."

"I'm sorry, but state law requires a 24 hour waiting period after the license is obtained." The clerk leveled a judgmental glare at them. "You can always apply to the County Court for a judicial waiver if you have a special circumstance like imminent death or military service deployment."

With the law stated, Charlene pressed a button by her keyboard and the overhead speaker said, "Now serving C57."

"But-" Rogue started to argue with the clerk, but Remy gently led her away. "No use, petite. Nothin' she can do 'bout it."

Looking up at him, her eyes were suspiciously glassy as a frown marred her pretty face. Her disappointment was both a relief and confirmation for Remy. She wanted this as much as he did, maybe more.

"Remy, what are we gonna do? Everyone is supposed ta go home today. If we wait 'til tomorrow, we'll miss havin' 'em all there." She said.

"It'll be okay, ma colombe." He pulled her in for a quick hug before stepping back and gently rubbing her arms. "Way I see it, there are deux things we can do: une, have a commitment ceremony today and come back here tomorrow fo' de civil one."

"Or…?" Rogue pulled a face at that idea. "One weddin's enough, Cajun. Ah only intend ta marry ya once."

"Ou, we can go see if we can get de waiver." Remy finished.

She chewed the inside of her cheek as she thought about the options. There was something she really needed to pick up at the Outreach Center and that was all the way back in Manhattan. It was a good hour drive one way, and that was if the traffic was good. She'd already talked to Illyana about teleporting her there, but she didn't have time to wait in line for the waiver (that they probably wouldn't get anyway) and make it back to the Xavier Mansion's former grounds. Not to mention, she had no clue how long it would take to rummage through storage at the Outreach Center.

Seeing her indecision and still not believing that she'd said yes, Remy half-jokingly teased, "Thought y' weren't gon' get cold feet on me, non?"

"It's not that, Rem." Her eyes snapped up to his. "It's just, there's this really important thing that Ah've gotta do. Fer myself. And Ah'm just afraid there won't be time fer both. That Ah'm bound ta be disappointed one way or another today."

"Oo yi ye, chère, y' wound me!" Remy mocked her. "Makin' me feel like marryin' me is nothin' more than chopped liver."

Rogue just rolled her eyes as she said, "That's not what Ah meant and ya know it. 'Sides, Ah know how much ya like Tante's madeira cayenne terrine."

"Heh, ouais, that is pretty good." His eyes glazed over as he thought about the last time Mattie had made that meal for him, before he was exiled. Shaking off the wistful memory, Remy got them back on topic. "Listen, I may have a way t' get that waiver. Why don't y' go t' de Outreach Center and I'll take care of de judge."

"Remy…" Rogue stretched out the syllables of his name. "Ya ain't gonna forge it or somethin', are ya? 'Cause Ah'm tellin' ya now, we're doin' this fair and legal or not at all. Ah don't want anyone questionin' if we're really married after the fact."

"Just leave it t' me, chère. Got a couple favors t' call in." He started to raise his hand to say, 'scout's honor,' but thought better of it when she arched her brow at him. Instead, Remy smoothly redirected to the motion to brush a stray lock out of her face and repeated her words, "Fair and legal."

Leveling another glare at him, she begrudgingly agreed. "Okay, then."

With a plan in place, Remy kissed the top of her head before stuffing the paperwork in a folder to keep it pristine. As they stepped into the hall and had to part ways, Rogue hesitated. A sudden realization had her heart pounding in her chest and a lump in her throat.

"Guess the next time Ah'll see ya will be at the altar." She spoke, her voice quiet under the normal din of a busy government office.

Squeezing her hand, Remy gave her a winsome smile as he said, "Don't make me wait, mamour. Or I might be thinkin' y' jilted yo' groom."

"Never." Rogue promised with a smile, kissing her fingers before pressing them to his lips.

(X)

Research Note:

One of the things that bothered me in X-Men Gold #30 is that Kitty and Piotr's wedding appears to be at sunset, then they have their discussion under a clearly starry, night sky, then Remy and Rogue get married around late afternoon. But after Remy proposes, Kitty and Piotr walk back in and say "don't let this day go to waste." So how did the timing get so screwed up?

Well, you have to zero in on the time Remy proposes to the time the officiant says, "husband and wife." One major problem with a 1-2 hour timeline is that it wouldn't give them enough time to get a marriage license, if everything was as spur of the moment as Remy's final decision implies. And an officiant can't conduct a marriage ceremony without a marriage license physically present. Like, it's a misdemeanor that can result in being stripped of all official/ordinated rights not to mention possible fines and jail time. Since Kitty and Piotr's rabbi officiated over Remy and Rogue's wedding, there is no way she would jeopardize her ordination by conducting the ceremony without the license.

(Let's not even go into the religious aspect of a Jewish rabbi marrying a confirmed Catholic and baptized Protestant. But that does actually explain why they wrote their own vows, if you don't like the "maybe they just wanted to" response. The coupled couldn't be married under Jewish ceremonial rites and the rabbi couldn't conduct a Catholic/Protestant ceremony.)

So that leaves us with 2 possibilities: the wedding was either legally binding or only a non-legal commitment ceremony. Fortunately, we can rule out the latter because the rabbi pronounced them "husband and wife" at the end, which is verbiage specifically reserved for legal marriages. That means a marriage license had to be present. Otherwise, the ordinated rabbi would have committed a misdemeanor. To avoid that, she would have had to conduct a commitment ceremony using the words "partners for life." Now whether the marriage license was obtained legally, coerced by calling in favors/connections, or flat out forged is another story. (Although, I don't think Rogue would put up with Remy forging the paperwork, so my personal opinion is legally/connections.)

That then means that the timeline from proposal to "I Do" can't possibly be 1-2 hours, much less even the same day as Kitty and Piotr's planned wedding. Plus, we know from X-Men Gold #32 with everyone still staying at the Clarebyrne Hotel and discussing Kitty and Piotr's issues that the wedding timeframe was more than just one or two days. So it's possible everyone was already gathered for a Friday-Monday kind of schedule at a private, secluded event venue and could have easily gathered the day after Kitty and Piotr had their sunset non-wedding/nighttime post-non-wedding talk. This would also give Remy and Rogue the opportunity to obtain their marriage license and a judicial waiver to override the 24 hour waiting period required by the state of New York. Also, it makes Remy's comment in Mr. & Mrs. X #1 even more meaningful when he said, "It's a day for miracles all around, den." What better miracle than having all the legal paperwork that seems insurmountable perfectly wrap up in a neat little bow?

Of course worst case, their wedding was only a civil ceremony and there was a slip up in the writing by including "husband and wife." In which case, I say Remy made them go down to the Office of City Clerk the next day and get the marriage license and conduct a quick civil ceremony to make it all legal before blasting off on their ill-fated honeymoon. There was no way once he got Rogue to agree and pledge her vows that he was going to take a chance it didn't stick in all sense of the married definition!