For those few who might be trying to actually compare this to "Save Me", don't do so too much. The writing style is very different. Namely that it's told from third person omnicient rather than first person. Secondly, the chapters are still titled for songs (like before) and the songs are usually referenced in the chapter (like before), but I'm no longer working in the lyrics (so very unlike before). It's too bulky. The vibe that I'm trying to give is that if you read this chapter while listening to the song is that you will feel like you're in the moment. But I also don't want it to be such that you have to listen to the song or be burdened down with lyrics wedged in between what's really important, the imagery of the scene.

FYI:
I don't own the X-men or "Fragile Heart" by Jewel.
I do have a gap in my front teeth like Jewel though.

Chapter 2: Fragile Heart

Remy stretched his long legs out beneath the table and crossed his arms over his chest as he gazed at his two companions. John was anxiously flicking open and shut a Zippo lighter while Piotr's face was crumpled and on the verge of tears. He raised his gaze skyward and sighed as he ran a hand back through his hair. He closed his eyes, enjoying what little breeze the ceiling fan produced with it's incessant fwip-fwip-fwip. Egypt was just too damn hot. "Ain't dis jus' wonderful. Magneto's gone an' gotten himself killed, leavin' us stranded in Egypt," he chuckled darkly. "Have t' admit, might have seen dis comin'."

Piotr finally broke, burying his head into his arms on the table. "My family...I've failed you," he mumbled.

John awkwardly patted him on the back of the shoulder and said his blessings that the big lug was at least not crying. "What are you mumbling over there, Mate? You know you're not the only one whose life's been ruined by that whacker bailing out. We've got our bloody problems too. Nearing the top of the list, is we're stuck in Egypt of all God-forsaken places."

"Well, y' both idiots f' ever trustin' Magneto. But Gambit can't help but be glad t' finally be rid of de hairball." He shoved his hands deep into his coat pockets and pulled the jacket around him tighter. For some reason thinking about Sabertooth made him nervous. They didn't know what happened to him at all. For all they knew, Sabertooth was just waiting for them to walk back out of this resturaunt.

"You trying to tell me you didn't believe his lies as well, Mate?"

"Not all of dem," Remy clarified, "But Gambit gonna move on. Gonna go t' de airport an' get de first flight back t' New York."

The waitress arrived and smiled at the men sitting around the table until her gaze fell onto Piotr. She hesitated for a moment before glancing worriedly at John and Remy. Remy put on his most charming smile for the brunette as he spoke, "We be needing three house specials."

"And a middie. No make that a longneck," John added.

"Cancel dat drink, Cherie," Remy said quickly shooting John a sharp look.

The waitress jotted down their order and left leaving John to pout at Remy. "Since when do you deny a fellow man a drink, eh, Mate?"

"Since y' need t' be sharp jus' in case Sabey ain't as gone as we t'ink he is."

John nodded slowly before continuing to pout and Remy just shook his head. "So why are you going to New York and not back New Orleans? And where'd you make the quid?"

"Bet you won' be so hard on Gambit in de future 'bout a little pick-pocketing, non?" Remy smirked and fiddled with his glass of water for a few moments. "And if de two of y' can get y' acts t'gether long enough, I got enough t' fly us all home." Remy was grateful that John seemed to be satisfied with his answer even if he had dodged the question entirely. Even Piotr seemed to have perked back up again at the prospect of just leaving Egypt.

Rogue sat on the bench, staring out the window at the bay far below. The mansion's situation on top of the cliff provided a fantastic view of the water and of the nearby city. Sometimes, she would sit there for hours wondering what it'd be like to live in the city like a normal person, to be able to date, to go shopping and buy normal clothes, and to go to school without everyone knowing you were a mutant freak. She sighed, leaning her head back against the wall, playfully tugging at her gloves.

"How much more time are you, like, going to waste staring into space? Like, if we don't get moving, we'll totally miss all the fun!"

Rogue glanced up to see Kitty standing over her, little fists on her hips and trying to look like she was formidable. It was a nearly impossible task to pull off while wearing a pair of cut off jeans, a baby pink tank top, and bangle bracelets. Rogue laughed as she stood up. "Ya act like they'll run out of music."

"They might, like, as slow as you move at least." Kitty shooed her up the stairs to their bedroom to get dressed. A few moments later, Rogue emerged from her closet wearing a scoop necked purple tank top, a black mini skirt with black thigh high stockings, a black long sleeve bolero shrug, and a pair of high heels that would make a hooker cry. Kitty whistled playfully at her roommate's transformation. "You look hot!"

"I feel hot. I hate wearing this many layers," Rogue sighed.

"That's not all what I, like, meant," Kitty argued in frustration but quit when she saw Rogue's defeated look. Rogue grabbed a silk scarf on her way out the door and was tying it around her neck as Kitty kept talking. "So you'll need to drive, because this, like, evil guy at the DMV failed me again," she whined. "I like don't understand why they don't give me a break. It was only three cones this time."

They got to the garage, and Rogue grabbed the keys from the pegboard for a black Jeep. She had toyed with the idea of "borrowing" Scott's convertible but decided that the consequences weren't quite worth the fun. It'd be one thing if it was just Scott blowing hot air later, but unfortunately, half of the teachers would jump onto his wagon and admonish her for being irresponsible and inconsiderate. She wasn't sure which would be worse, being in trouble or constantly being worried over as she was now. Kitty had apparently gone to a lot of trouble convincing Ororo that it would be okay for the three of them to go into Bayville tonight without an adult escort.

As they climbed into the front seats, there was a 'Bamf!' and a smell of sulfur to announce Kurt's arrival in the back seat. "Nothing like waiting until the last second, Kurt," Kitty teased, half turning around in her seat. The entire way into the city, she recounted her harrowing tale of the driver's test that she'd failed. Rogue and Kurt did their best to sound supportive but felt bad for the instructor.

By the time they arrived at the club, the parking lot was nearly jammed and it took Rogue a solid five minutes just to find a spot. As they walked in, her attention was grabbed by a handsome black motorcycle with red painted accents. But it didn't last, as Kitty grabbed her hand and dragged her to the door. "Like, this is going to be soo much fun. I have been in dire need of some dancing."

Rogue couldn't help but smile at her friend as she tried to forget that she was about to enter an overcrowded club where people would be constantly bumping into one another all night. She just prayed that she had covered up enough skin to be safe.

Inside, the music pulsed, setting a new rhythm by which her heart could beat. It wasn't long though before Rogue had moved along the side wall while Kurt and Kitty dove straight into the middle of the throng of gyrating bodies. Rogue hugged herself trying to avoid passers by who were on their way to get a drink before returning to the lowered dance floor.

When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she shrugged it off instinctively. It was better to reduce contact as much as possible even when they did touch a clothed part of her body. The more any person kept their distance the safer they both were. Then two hands were on her shoulders, this time giving a slight squeeze. Rogue froze for a split second before reacting quickly. She grabbed the person's wrists, twisting around until she was behind them, their arms pulled up behind their back. She let out her breath and looked up at the person for the first time. He was tall, long copper hair, and wore a long trench coat, and vaguely familiar. But the adrenaline rushing through her veins limited her ability to remember from where. "What do ya want, Mister?"

"Hello to y' too, cheri amour. Right now, all dis Cajun wants is t' feel his right arm again."

Rogue dropped his right hand more out of shock than compliance. She hadn't expected such a congenial response to her uncalled for actions. "Who are ya? An' what do ya want with meh?"

"Je m'appele Remy LeBeau, and all dat I ask of y' is une dance, Chere."

Rogue could only blink, her grip on his other wrist loosening allowing him to turn around so that she could see his red on black eyes now. She felt so sheepish for vicously pinning him with little good reason.

Even Remy was a little surprised by the speed with which she'd managed to secure him but he was grateful that it'd only been temporary. It had certainly not been his intention to start a fight when he'd run into her here. Happy coincidence and nothing more. He looked down into her face to see that she was blushing slightly, her emerald green eyes sparkling with something he couldn't quite name. Distrust? Intrigue? He did not know. "Well, does Remy get dat dance or what?" He smirked slightly seeing her indecision.

Rogue's expression hardened as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was not about to admit that she'd spent quite a large amount of her free time thinking about him and wondering if he'd done the same. "An' why would Ah dance with you? Yo' the enemy last time Ah checked."

"Den check again, mon chere. Magneto's gone missing. Remy be his own man now."

She started at this news, her back straightening with alarm. Magneto was gone? Maybe even dead? Did anyone else know about this? "Okay then, why would Ah want ta dance with a thief? An' fo' yo' information, Ah can speak French. So stop callin' meh chere an' Ah'm especially not yo's."

Gambit smirked. She was fiery to say the least. He was amused by her sense of propriety over just a little moniker. "Y' right. Remy could only hope dat a belle fille such as y'self would be his. An' y' most certainly belle when y' angry, Chere." Her cheeks flared red again in her anger and Remy chuckled. This had most certainly been worth the trip back from Egypt.

"Look, yo' really starting to piss meh off. Go bug someone else won't ya. An' stop calling me chere!" she snapped.

Remy looked startled for a moment by her reaction and held his hands up defensively. "Je suis désolé. Remy didn' mean t' make y' angry. But if I cannot call y' chere den what should I call y'? Teresa? Non...how 'bout Marie?" Remy looked thoughtful as he tapped his lower lip with a long finger. He smiled down at Rogue and was surprised to see the shock written on her face.

"How'd ya know that was mah name? Ah've ne'er told anyone that. Not e'en the professor."

"Lucky guess, I suppose. So, do I get dat dance, Marie?"

The rhythm of the music was changing, slowing, and people were moving off the dance floor for drinks in the interim. Only a few couples remained. Rogue glanced at the dance floor and felt as though this might be her only chance to get out there without killing someone and so she nodded slowly. He offered her his hand, which she took, and before leading her out onto the dance floor, he gently kissed the back of her gloved hand. Once in the center of the floor, he placed one hand on her waist, and held onto her hand with the other, leading them in slow circles. "One more question. How did ya know ta find meh here?" Rogue asked, looking up at him inquistively. Much like the other night, they looked into each other's eyes wordlessly. There was no denying that they had seen each other that night.

"Once again, Marie, a lucky guess."

She wrapped her arms aound his neck loosely, allowing him to wrap his around her waist, pulling her in closer. It felt safer, as if she was no longer quite as exposed to the rest of the world. And it didn't necessarily hurt to be closer to him either. He smelled much like she remembered from the other night-a little spicy like southern cooking but also of leather and musk.

Remy couldn't help but wonder how one was not supposed to kiss a girl looking like her. Despite the dark colors of her clothes, she was beautiful and sexy, much more so than nearly every other girl in the club that night. He knew that her clothes were supposed to serve as a warning to her mutation, but he couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't meant to actually be a warning to her fragile heart.

"Ya got a lotta luck fo' one Cajun. Such as not gettin' shot when ya snuck onto the institute grounds a while back. Ya nearly scared meh ta death." She looked up at him and gave him a teasing smile. But underneath she wanted to tell him to be careful. He was getting too close to her and she was afraid that he'd get the wrong idea. And yet, she couldn't remember a time when she'd felt happier. It'd been so long since a boy had dared get this close to her and even longer since she'd danced with a boy.

Remy tried to find the right words to explain his actions. There weren't any such words. He himself was still tring to figure out what had possessed him to even go for the bike ride in the first place. Should he tell her that he'd been worried about her? That he wanted to see how she was doing after the horrible Apocalypse fiasco? Perhaps he should start with the fact that he hadn't exactly been able to get her off his mind since the moment he'd seen her and then handed her an exploding Queen of Hearts playing card. He went with none of the above. "Remy jus' got lost."

"Ah'd say," she retorted shaking her head. She glanced around for a few moments trying to see if she could spot Kitty or Kurt. She was praying against all odds they wouldn't see her or else they'd never leave her a moment's peace again until she fessed up as to whom she'd been dancing with. "So where are yo' buddies?"

He too glanced around for a moment and then shrugged. "Not here, Marie. Piotr don' dance dat much, an' I lost track of John as soon as he got off de plane. Remy t'inks de 'no smoking' rule made him twitchy."

She smiled, even giggling a little at his joke and it made Remy smile too. But under her smile, she worried that he still might not be a friend. He had worked for Magneto for some reason, and it could be that he wasn't that trustworthy. She already knew he was a thief, but did that make him a bad person? Truth was, she just didn't know enough about him to make any judgements. She just hoped that he wasn't going to take advantage of her trust. But things change, she knew that. Magneto's disappearance was evidence of that.

The song ended and Rogue gently pulled away. A part of her was determined to escape the dance floor before the next heavy beat would drive the club goers back into a frenzy. The other part of her was simply afraid that they would both be lost in the moment and forget that she was the untouchable. Remy was shocked with the speed by which she managed to push her way through the crowd and get outside.