Rogue had been staring at her closet for the last 20 minutes, hoping that something drop-dead gorgeous would jump out at her. No such luck, she thought. She didn't own anything date-worthy.
She laughed at the word date. That Cajun snake charmer had finally weaseled his way into taking her out. It wasn't exactly fair asking a girl out after putting her through a window. Even though she was virtually invulnerable, getting knocked through sides of buildings didn't exactly tickle. She hadn't been in her right mind when she agreed to it.
They, along with Wolverine and Jubilee, had been playing a no-powers game of basketball. After some questionable shots made by Gambit, Rogue was convinced that he was breaking the rules and called him on it. Agility was obviously part of his powers, she argued.
Despite his nonchalant reaction, her accusation must have rubbed him the wrong way as he proceeded to charge the ball, throw it at her and send her careening through the side of the mansion. Before she had a chance to compose herself, she found herself in his arms with his handsome face inches from hers.
"You may have lost the game, y' an' your furry partner," he purred, "but for y', at least, there is a chance to claim somethin' from the day! Champagne. Candlelight. Magic time, chére."
She remembers smiling at his actual proposal of a date, thinking it charming and funny that anyone, especially him, would actually consider taking her out. Then again, it was possible that she was half-concussed at the time.
It was only when his face moved closer to hers that she snapped back to reality with the possibility of absorption mere centimeters in front of her. So she did what came natural - she pitched a fit and ran off.
Despite the fact she all but agreed to meet him at the appointed time, she currently stood in her room, desperately trying to find something to wear. She glanced at her alarm clock. Crap, she had 45 minutes to get ready and she still had to do her hair. Looking at her closet again her hangers of practical clothing mocking her she decided it was time to call in re-enforcements.
Five minutes later, she returned to her room with Jean and Ororo in tow.
"Ah need help, ladies. Ah have no idea what Ah'm doin'. Suggestions?"
"How about something classy?" Jean offered.
"Right, classy," Rogue said, nodding. "Like what?"
"Like a nice, simple dress. Maybe a wrap and some heels," she replied. "Oh, and definitely a pair of opera gloves."
"Ah have none of those things, save for the gloves," Rogue stated, sighing. But ask her to go into battle, and Rogue had combat boots, uniforms and gloves for every occasion.
After a moment, Jean's face lit up. "I think I have just the thing. I'll be right back."
"Come, Rogue, sit down and I will help you with your hair," Ororo said in her trademark calm and melodic voice. Always the serene center in the squall, Storm was.
Rogue allowed Ororo to guide her to her desk chair and begin work on her hair. She had to laugh. She'd never been pampered in her life, but she had to admit she enjoyed being fussed over. As Ororo ran a blow dryer and a round brush through her damp locks, Rogue's thoughts drifted to Gambit.
He annoyed her - God, did he annoy her - but damn if her stomach didn't perform Olympic-class somersaults when he was around. She couldn't possibly like him. He wasn't her type. Except that she hadn't dated enough guys - any guys, really - to have a type. But if she had, he would not be it. Nope, not in a million years, even if he did seem to take a genuine interest in her and didn't seem remotely concerned or scared about her unstable mutation. Whereas most people went out of their way to avoid skin-to-skin contact with Rogue, Gambit made sure he got right up in her personal space and then mocked her for being the nervous one.
Once, she took a nap on the couch in one of the recreation rooms only to wake with him watching her.
"Can Ah help ya?"
"Y' look like un ange when y' sleepin', chérie. 'Specially when y' drool."
Her hand self-consciously flying up to her mouth, she responded indignantly, "Ah don't drool!"
He just smiled.
"Ya think that's funny? Ah'm sure mah fist connectin' ta ya face will be even funnier," she said, fuming, accent thickening. "Ah know it'll make me feel betta."
"Chére, y' so quick t' threaten violence. Where's y' finesse?"
"Musta drooled it outta me," she sneered.
He laughed. "Glad t' see y' haven't lost y' sense of humor, Roguey."
And so they proceeded to fall into their ritual. She would snap at him for one of his inane comments. He would then press his luck, which usually entailed calling her "Roguey" or touching her, thus, infuriating her even more before she overreacted and retreated.
She didn't even know his real name, which made them even because he didn't know hers. Nobody did, and she intended to keep it that way. Anna Marie was dead and buried, never to be heard from again. That girl, who was so carefree and mischievous, who liked to play by the river and catch frogs and drive her Aunt Carrie crazy, well, that girl was never coming back. Once her powers came to fruition, Rogue always had to be on her guard. Always had to take care not to touch anyone, not to let anyone touch her. The profound worry weighed her down, made her cautious. Made her isolated. No, Anna Marie didn't live here anymore. She went away the second Cody Robbins hit the ground, unconscious.
Storm's voice broke her stream of consciousness. "You will have a nice time tonight, Rogue. I promise that for all of Gambit's bravado he will treat you the way you deserve."
"Ya seem pretty sure about him, 'Ro," the Southerner said, doubtfully.
"I would not have brought him here if I did not feel he had a good heart. He may not be as forthcoming as we would like, but I believe we are all a little bit guarded at times," she said, glancing down at Rogue pointedly.
Rogue smiled. "Ah don't know what ya talkin' 'bout, sugah." Taking a deep breath, she continued. "All right. Ah'll give him a chance. Lord knows Ah'll never get a moment's peace if Ah don't."
"Got it!" Jean exclaimed, bustling into the room, her arms filled with something red and satiny. "I've got the perfect dress and shoes for you. We're about the same size, I think."
"Go ahead," Ororo said, fixing Rogue's part so that her hair, which Storm had coaxed to dry in its natural waviness, fell a little more to the right side of her face, framing it prettily. "I'm done here."
"Ah think ya missed ya calling, 'Ro," Rogue commented, grinning at herself in the mirror. "Maybe Ah should get ya ta do mah hair all the time."
"We will wait for you downstairs," she replied with a grin as she and Jean turned to leave.
Once Rogue was alone she picked up the dress and examined it. It was gorgeous with its cherry red satin bodice and similarly colored gossamer hemlines. As she slid the gauzy fabric up her body, she relished the feeling that she was transforming into someone entirely different. Spaghetti straps held up the bodice that skimmed her chest attractively without showing too much. A strip of banded satin wrapped around the waist, just below her breasts in a way that cinched the dress, showing off her feminine shape. The bottom half of the dress was layered in chiffon in which the hem grazed just above her knees in the front and gradually fell to her mid-calves in the back.
When Rogue finished dressing, she examined herself in the mirror almost surprised at the polished girl staring backing at her. She wasn't quite Anna Marie, but she wasn't exactly Rogue, either. She was someone new and she was doing it because of him, for him.
Speaking of the swamp rat, Gambit was so going to lose it when he saw her. The thought made her giddy. With only a few minutes to spare, she quick applied some makeup, strapped on Jean's silver heels and threw a white blazer over the dress, having already pulled on black opera gloves, and deemed herself ready to make an impression.
Taking a deep breath, she exited her room and went downstairs. Gambit was supposed to be waiting outside for her, but before she put herself in front of him for approval, she had to go through the rest of the mansion.
When she reached the foyer, she found Jean, Ororo, Scott, Logan and Jubilee waiting to see her off. Rogue snorted lightly at the sight of the small crowd gathered for what Rogue assumed they thought would be a show. "Y'all come ta wish a girl luck or ya just wanna see me all dolled up?"
"Well, I, for one, totally wanted to see you dressed up for once, Rogue. Glad to see you got in ya, girl!" Jubilee said cheerfully.
"Just makin' sure Gumbo treats ya right," Logan said, barely able to keep his growl in check.
"That's sweet, Logan, but Ah'm positive Ah can handle him," Rogue said, moving towards the door. As she swung it open, her vision caught sight of Gambit, leaning on his bike, talking to himself.
"Where is dat girl? She's gon' learn I don't wait too long for..."
He stopped mid-sentence as soon as his eyes fell on her posing in the doorway. Gambit was an expert at masking his emotions but when he saw Rogue he made no attempt to hide his immerse pleasure at the sight of her soft curves on display just for him.
"For me, chére?"
She snorted. "You wish. A lady has ta look her best when she goes out on the town, Gambit," she replied, relieved to hear that her voice sounded steady, even as her heart pounded a hard staccato in her chest. "After all, there might be some real gentlemen at that restaurant."
He smirked and subtly cocked his chin forward, motioning for her to join him. It was a gesture that made her knees weak.
She heard Jubes say something about Taco Bell, but at that point, she wasn't paying attention as Gambit led her to his bike, holding out a hand to help her get on.
She accepted his assistance and climbed over the Harley, gingerly positioning herself so that the dress wouldn't catch on anything.
As he settled into the front seat, he turned to Rogue, his scarlet irises glimmering. "I don' t'ink I told y', chére, but y' look real pretty. Absolument belle."
She gave him a light shove. "Just drive, Cajun," she said, unable to keep the wide smile from appearing on her face.
She wrapped her arms around his waist as he started the Harley's engine. For all her resistance leading up to that moment, Rogue realized that there was nowhere else she'd rather be.
***x***
All the quotes that came from comic book canon are courtesy of The Joker and The Queen, one of the best and most extensive ROMY sites around. If you haven't visited, I definitely recommend it.
And my inner fashionista took liberties with Rogue's dress because the ensemble portrayed in the comics was… interesting, to say the least. I'd like to think my dress was an upgrade.