AN: I wrote this the same time I wrote the alternative event in the previous chapter, as an outlet for my frustration at having to wait before getting Rogue and Gambit together.

This scene contains major spoilers for Chapter 105.

Knowing that Rogue was at work, Gambit didn't bother putting on a hazmat suit before entering Rogue's bedroom suite. As the air lock door slid shut behind him he was shocked to see that Rogue wasn't actually at work after all. Rather, she was standing the middle of the room, in her hazmat suit, with her helmet on the table. Rogue noticed his arrival at the same time and they stared at each other.

"Okay," Gambit said slowly. "I thought you were at work."

"I was, I came home early," Rogue replied. "Why are you in here?"

"I think I might have left some notes inside that book you borrowed from me," Gambit said. "So, why am I still conscious?"

"I don't know," Rogue said. "I'm still absorbing the mice just fine, but they're protected by the force field filter."

"Right so, I'm not the only one who's confused then."

"No, you're definitely not."

"Well, we're both telepathically resistant if not immune, so it can't be an illusion. At least not one projected into our brains," Gambit said and looked around. "You don't have any holographic emitters in here at all."

Rogue shook her head. "Nope. All my senses tell me you're real."

"Well, that's an advantage I don't have," Gambit replied. "Here's a crazy idea, do you suppose this is a dream?"

"It seems like the only logical explanation," Rogue said slowly, "but since when does logic apply in dreams? And how often do you figure out you're dreaming in a dream anyway?"

Gambit shook his head and lifted his hands in the air.

"I don't know. This is all too weird," he said as he approached her.

"Yeah, it is," Rogue replied agreeably, and floated up a few inched in the air to she could be on the exact same eye level as Gambit. "But you know what? I'm not complaining. This is the first time in sixty or so years I've actually looked at another person without a camera or a screen or a visor or a forcefield in the way. So yeah, this is pretty cool."

Gambit chuckled and grinned at her.

"Yeah, I can see what you mean," he said.

He reached out and tentatively touched a lock of her white hair that dangled down in front of her face. Rogue bit her bottom lip and smiled. Gambit, used to wearing gloves when touching Rogue's hair, despite the fact that he was enjoying the fact that he wasn't, lifted his hand to brush the lock of hair behind her ear and ended up grazing her skin. Both froze.

"Ohhhh," Rogue breathed softly.

Apprehensive but becoming more and more convinced that he was dreaming this whole thing, Gambit deliberately but gently touched Rogue's face. Rogue caught her breath at the sensation of feeling his bare fingers on her bare cheek.

"Oh, I'd forgotten," she said, half closing her eyes.

Gambit stroked her cheek gently, amazed, but not nearly as amazed as Rogue was. Rogue lifted her hand to touch Gambit's, and abruptly realised that she was still in the bulk of her hazmat suit and her hand covered up. She phased for a moment, long enough for her hazmat suit to drop to the floor, and wrapped her hand around his. Tears pricked at her eyes. While one hand curled around his, her other hand reached out to touch Gambit's face. Tears began pouring down her cheeks. Skin! She was touching real life actual living breathing skin belonging to another human being! It was glorious and mind boggling and made her body shake with the sheer enormity of it all.

She whimpered as Gambit slowly slid his other hand onto her waist and then pressed herself against him, only to be frustrated by the fact that he was still in a full set of clothes. She needed more skin contact, and she needed it now. Without even bothering to stop and think, let alone ask, Rogue phased Gambit out of his clothes too. Her head swam with utter amazement as her skin touched his and she wrapped herself around him.

Gambit stood dumbly, finding himself in nothing but his boxer shorts, his arms wrapped around Rogue as she whimpered and sobbed and rubbed herself against him. He had never been more acutely aware of Rogue's body in his life and he suspected Rogue felt the same way about his body, only a thousand times moreso. He realised that it was completely platonic from Rogue's side of things, but for his own part he found himself becoming aroused by her.

He swallowed hard as he felt Rogue's top and bra drop on the floor and breathed out slowly as her breasts rubbed against his chest. His hands tightened around her waist, suddenly not trusting himself. Her hands ran all over him, up his back and arms, around his neck, along his side. Her legs rubbed against and wrapped around his. One rubbed against the side of his boxer shorts, and evidently Rogue was upset by the fabric standing in between her skin and his for the next thing Gambit knew, his boxer shorts and the last of her clothes dropped to the floor too.

"Rogue," he murmured, feeling incredibly guilty and turned on at the same time. "Rogue, we have to—"

"Touch me," she cut in needily.

"Rogue—"

"Touch me!"

Nervously, Gambit ran his hands slowly up along her back and she made a noise that made Gambit wonder if she was going to orgasm right there and then. Every fantasy he'd ever had about her came back in a flash, seemingly piled on top of each other, all of which he thought he'd long forgotten. He growled under his breath. He wanted her so badly right now.

"Roguey, chere," he said, "we have to stop."

"Talking crazy," was Rogue's muffled reply.

Before Gambit could get another word out, he found himself floating in the air and then being laid down on her bed. He swallowed hard as she pinned him down and continue to writhe against him like a cat in heat. He was turned on and terrified at the same time, knowing they had to stop and knowing that Rogue was well within her power to force him to do anything she wanted.

"Rogue we have to stop," he said determinedly, trying to stop his hands from wandering over her. "Rogue, please, this is the theromoregulating hazmat suit all over again."

"Can't stop," she replied. "I need you."

Gambit bit down on his tongue.

"I need you so bad," she said and began kissing along his neck.

Gambit groaned and the sound spurred Rogue on, not that she needed any more encouragement.

"Well we need to…" Gambit flailed, trying to form coherant words, "to… to slow down at least. This is too far too fast, Rogue."

"I don't care."

"Rogue, please," he pleaded with her, wondering how something could feel so wrong and so right at the same time. "Please we can't do this right now. I know it's been sixty years but we have to take this slow or you'll just hate yourself for losing control and we'll both hate me for taking advantage of you. And I'll hate me for cheating on my wife."

Rogue made a noise of euphoric desire and frustration.

"I can't… I can't!" she insisted. "I need you. I need you too badly."

Gambit captured her face in his hands. Desperation, need and tears were in her eyes. He understood; just like the hazmat suit, Rogue couldn't let him go right now even if she wanted to.

"Okay, okay," he conceded, his voice gentle. "How about we just lay here and try not to paw madly at each other? I'll hold you until we fall asleep?"

Rogue nodded and settled herself down on top of him.

"Uhh, just one thing," Gambit went on. "Can, uhh, can you make sure the door's locked? I really wouldn't want Nessie to walk in on us."