"So that was the infamous Gambit," Kitty commented as the girls finally parted ways with Remy and headed towards Anna's car.

"Yeah that was him," Anna said listlessly as she searched for her bright metallic green '67 Mustang. It was the most precious thing she owned, the only thing she truly loved, and was the only thing that Kitty made fun of her for. She always said that Anna sounded like a boy when she would talk about her car.

"You never said that he was essentially like the walking definition of sex on a stick," Kitty mentioned idly as her and Anna took their seats in her car and proceeded to head out of the mall parking lot.

Anna shrugged. "Was neva sure if it was jus' me or if he really was as hot as Ah thought him ta be. He looks different though, grown up."

"Did it hurt to see him again?" Kitty asked as Anna drove down the streets. She tried to keep her mind on the road but in all reality all Anna could think about was what had just transpired in that store in the mall.

"Ah really don't know. It was hard seeing him again, but Ah don't know if it hurt as much as Ah thought it would. Don't get me wrong it hurt, but not in the way Ah thought it would," Anna responded looking over at Kitty who was fiddling with the tag on the indigo lace panties she had just bought. Anna rolled her eyes.

"Well maybe you guys can start something up, huh," Kitty said raising her eyebrows and smirking widely as she pulled out the matching bra and placed it against her own chest examining it in the passenger mirror.

"He has a wife and a kid, Kitty, Ah doubt that we're gonna have a relationship," Anna scolded as they pulled into the mansion's grounds.

"You never know, that's like what I used to think about me and like Lance and look how that like turned out," Kitty said smiling widely at her best friend. Sometimes she just didn't understand how the heart worked; maybe that's why Kitty always had to tell her.

"Yeah sure, Sugah, whateva ya say," Anna drawled as she pulled into her parking space at the institute.

Once inside Kitty and Anna parted ways, Kitty had to get ready for a date with Lance and Anna had to go up to her room and wallow in her sad life. She didn't understand it. Why was she so focused on guys that would never, ever love her? The first time it was Remy, who was she kidding the only time it was Remy. She had been in love with the man named Gambit for what seemed like the whole of her life. She thought back to five years ago; the day he left; they day he promised he would be back. It took five years for her to see him again.

Five Years Prior

Anna Marie 'Rogue' Darkholme-Lensherr. She hated her name. Loathed it even. It was too long, made no sense and why her parents had decided they were going to hyphenate it and put her nickname into her legal name she had no idea. Just because someone says it would be a good idea if you made your kids nickname their real name doesn't mean you have to go along with it. Her parents were all about impressions, so they thought Rogue was a great way of making sure everyone knew who she was, the sad part was that everyone knew her only as Rogue. She began to think that no one would ever know her real name, or if they would care if she told them.

She lay in bed on the morning her life was supposed to change and couldn't think of anything besides the fact that she didn't want to get out of her bed. Didn't want to face the day, or the trillions of people that were going to be bombarding her with 'hello's' and 'happy birthday's' all things she didn't want to hear. It was her goddamn birthday why couldn't her parents just give her a break; she didn't want to meet up with thousands of strangers just so they could get farther in their political circle.

Rogue's father, Erik was one of the best politicians on the west coast, a senator with a heart of gold as many called him. A man with an air of chivalry, dominance and propriety that made women swoon and men want to follow him, possibly even die for him. To say her father was made for politics was an understatement, the fact of the matter was that politics was made for him, or at least Erik liked to think so. Her mother on the other hand, was the perfect first lady. She morphed to fit any situation Erik threw at her. Raven Darkholme could be the educated, issue conscious and active participant could be the smiling, housewife, rearing three children, could be the arm candy that Erik needed at various galas and balls. Raven could be whatever the photo caption needed her to be and Erik loved her for it. He always said his biggest asset in his business was a wife like Raven, she had the mystique to be the woman for any job he needed done and then some.

So it was no wonder that after numerous talks and fights and squabbles amongst the family that Rogue would have to suffer through her fifteenth birthday as her father went through the whole family man spiel with the real motive of garnering a few more supporters from fortune 500 businessmen with enough cash to line his pockets and then some.

Rogue hid her head underneath her pillow as her alarm clock blared in the background, urging her to wake up and face the horrendous day in store. Rogue let out a primal growl before chucking the alarm clock against the far wall and watching it smash into tiny little pieces. She knew she had woken up her neighbor but she didn't care, she couldn't handle this day, not now, not after what her parents were threatening to let happen on a day that was supposed to be hers. She just wanted to run, for the first time she even contemplated it seriously.

Before she knew it there was a rough knock at her door and she rolled her eyes. She had definitely woken up her neighbor and now she would have to deal with the repercussions. Rogue sat up in her bed and waited for the doorknob to turn, it took a moment as there was another light knock and then the door proceeded to open, albeit slowly. Rogue was surprised at who she saw on the other side of the door and immediately tried to hide the blush that was spreading across her cheeks.

A pair of red on black orbs peeked from behind the door and Rogue did all she could to keep from hiding her head underneath the covers. Remy Lebeau had just entered her room, well at least his head had. She could not believe it. This had to be a dream, or maybe a birthday wish come true because never before had she ever remembered him being so bold as to open the door to her one and only sanctuary.

Remy had thought something was wrong; a loud thump at 5:30 in the morning was not a commonplace occurrence in any home, let alone the home of a senator and his pristine family. He didn't know if he should but he figured if something had happened he would have to investigate, John obviously wasn't getting up any time soon, not after the night he had had. Remy snuck down the hallway to the door at the end and after knocking and allowing ample time for the owner to get decent he opened the door peeking his eyes around the bend. He could have sworn he swallowed his tongue.

Rogue sat completely straight in her bed, the covers pulled up just above her chest, her chestnut tresses mussed and beautifully wavy set around her face, the white streaks framing her angular jaw in a way that could only be described as sinful, with her wide green orbs gleaming in the dim light of the room. Remy thought idly if she had any clothing on underneath those covers because the way she clutched at them reminded him of the way the other women (many other women) had sought to cover themselves when their lovers (the real ones, not the one night stand he was) were caught in the act. He felt the sudden pang of disgusting guilt hit his stomach as he pulled his eyes away from the young girl sitting on her bed with a face that expressed both wonderment and confusion, hope and angst and he couldn't stop himself from feeling like he was some kind of sick pervert for looking at her at all. He had never thought of her in anyway, she was Rogue, she was practically his sister. They weren't allowed to see each other this way, especially since…

"Gambit is that ya?" Rogue drawled sleepily, desperately trying to hide the happiness in her voice.

Remy Lebeau for one of the first times in his life, was caught off guard by a woman, he shook his head, she was just a girl, would be a girl for a long while, he hoped.

"Oui, I apologize chere, t'ought I heard something odd, t'ought I should check, is all," he was nervous but played it off well as he took a step in front of the door and Rogue almost choked on her on spit.

Remy Lebeau had not only entered her room, but had done so without a shirt, wearing a pair of jeans that hugged him a way that left no room for imagination even for the newly christened sixteen year old sitting in front of him. They were so low on him that Rogue was glad that he had on a pair of boxers that were clearly visible (she took note that they were a red-black plaid pattern) or else he would have given her, her first glimpse of… she blushed at just the thought. She desperately tried not to stare at his half naked form but it was difficult as his every inch screamed to stare, glare, gaze, and any other number of words that meant to gape at him. His torso was not overly muscled, no every inch was lean and firm and Rogue didn't have to touch him to know that those perfectly tanned muscles were steel hardened and deadly. She bit her lip unconsciously to keep from making any remark or sudden gasp.

If it had been hard before to look at Rogue the second she took her plump, red bottom lip in her mouth and bit Remy Etienne Lebeau could have sworn it got worse. No he knew it got worse. She looked like a bedraggled angel from out of his naughtiest and most perfect dreams that made him want to cross what little space was left in that bedroom and make them come true. What the hell was he thinking, he couldn't do that, this was Rogue, as in Anna Marie Darkholme-Lensherr as in the only sure fire way he knew (other than pissing off his father) of ending up in exile on some island in the Caribbean living in a hut for the rest of his life.

Rogue finally mustered up the courage to speak, but the words she found on her lips were the last thing she really wanted to say.

"Oh, that, that was jus'… Ah couldn't get my alarm ta shut up and Ah jus'…well Ah threw it against the wall," Rogue had averted her eyes, her white streaks falling around her face and Remy could have sworn he let out hiss. She was going to break him in ways that no other woman had, ever.

"Okay, cherie, jus' wanted ta make sure ya were alright, I'll let ya get back ta sleep," Gambit said as he tip-toed out of the room. He shut the door and all hell broke loose.

"Mon Dieu!"

"Mah Gawd!"