I've decided that not only will I update twice in the same month (:o!) I'm gonna go ahead and give you guys a plot monster this chapter (:O!) Like, a really big plot monster. Plot Godzilla.

And now, I ramble.


Remy Lebeau was not a stationary man. Xavier himself had hypothesized that it was the pent up energy that he constantly expelled through his mutation manifesting in a more subtle way that caused his constant fidgeting, but Remy had always seen it as a nervous tic. He didn't like being still. Being still implied relaxation, and relaxation implied the inability to react effectively to unseen or unheard threats. Though he slouched chairs his knee would bounce in time with his tapping foot, his fingers might drum out an incoherent rhythm. When he leant, which had been interoperated as his equivalent of standing, he would fiddle with any idle object within reach- pens, papers, hair, mechanics. And, of course, the cards he constantly wore out between his fingers- cutting, snaking, bridging- there was never a moment where he was truly inactive. His languid muscle was always active, moving in his particular liquid fashion.

Except for now.

It had taken Xavier a few moments to even realize that he had not only entered the room but taken a seat directly in front of his desk.

He sat stiffly, teeth clenched, fingers balled. A tenseness surrounded him that would have been shattered with any sort of movement or sound.

Xavier tested the tenseness by clearing his throat softly.

Remy's eyes switching focus from the window to Xavier was the only indication that he was paying attention.

"Good morning, Remy." Charles started delicately.

Remy nodded in response.

Though Gambit had never really been… warm to Xavier, once apologetically slipping in to conversation that 'Psychics make m' teeth itch*', he had never been so cold.

Remy, for his part, was expending so much energy holding up his mental blocks he barely had any concentration left to apply to the man in front of him. If anyone in the house could undo him, it was the man who could read his mind and tried to save every lost soul that crossed his path.

"How are you feeling?" Xavier decided that the best place to start would be in a fairly neutral question.

"Fine." Remy said firmly.

"You did quite a number on the Danger Room this morning."

"I didn't realize that was an issue. 'M sorry. Won't happen again." He assured. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He made to stand.

"That's not why you're here." Xavier knitted his fingers together. "And you know that."

Remy settled back into the chair stiffly.

"Would you like to talk about what's troubling you?" Charles continued, everything about him practically understanding personified.

"No."

Xavier bit back a frustrated sound in his throat, stifling it with a smile. "I understand."

Remy swallowed a 'No you don't', oppressing the words by grinding his teeth together. "I know."

A mildly terse silence settled in the room.

"Can I go now?" Remy shattered the silence remorselessly, simply eager to escape the room.

"I have one more question." Xavier cleared his throat, realizing that, while his understanding face worked on the young and vulnerable, Remy was neither. His face slipped into a more stern expression. "I appreciate that you may not want to speak to me about any issues you are facing currently, though I wish you would allow me to assist you," He didn't notice Remy tense. "My first priority is the safety of my X-men. Remy, you are one of the X-men; I would expect you to have similar priorities. However, today in the Danger Room, you did not exhibit any regard for Piotr's safety, nor your own. I need your assurance that whatever it that is possessing you, it will not get in your way of being there for your team or taking in to consideration your own personal safety. Can you give me that?"

Remy stared. Xavier was asking him to give his word that he was going to take care of himself.

A bark of bitter laughter was barely swallowed.

"You have my word." He lied.

Xavier scrutinized him for a moment and Remy felt the pressure of a mental prod around the barriers of his mind. Though the walls must have made him even more suspicious of Remy's sincerity, he gave one curt nod of dismissal.

Remy practically tripped over himself as he bolted.


The wind tousled her hair, occasionally casting a white or brown curl in front of her grayish green eyes. The chill of the air had forced a blush to settle on her cheeks and a deep red to cover her lips. She scanned the ground below her dangling feet.

Remy had known he would find Rogue on the roof. In much the same way she wrapped herself in his blankets when she was upset with the rest of the world, she isolated herself on the roof when she was upset with him.

He didn't say a word as he plopped down next to her on the edge. She would talk when she needed to and he had learned to be patient.

They sat there in silence for at least an hour. They both had enough to brood over to keep them occupied.

Rogue reached over and took his hand in both of hers. She ran her thumb over his knuckles.

They sat there in silence for another hour.

She settled her head on his shoulder and he was allowed to wrap his arm around her shoulder. She continued run her fingers over his.

A half an hour passed, though Remy hummed through this one.

"You lied to me…" Rogue mumbled eventually.

He just kissed the top of her head.

"You said you were alright." She continued. "You aren't. I'm not dumb."

"I know you're not, chere." He sighed.

"But you're not going to tell me what's the matter." She stated.

"I can't." Remy whispered. "I wish I could, but I can't."

"Can't or won't?" She looked up in to his eyes.

"Both."

"Why?"

"I don't want you to get hurt."

Rogue sat bolt upright, yanking herself out of his arms. "You don't want me to get hurt?" She repeated. "You don't want me to get hurt?" She cried indignantly. "Hun, you better start thinking of a better excuse real fast."

"Don't worry, chere." He said soothingly. "I'm taking care of the problem. I'll tell you about it when everything's all over. When it won't hurt you." He assured her.

"That's not good enough!" She shook he head violently, hair flying wildly in every direction.

"That's all I can do right now." He said softly. "I know you don't like it, but every now and again we havta suffer thing we don't want t'. I promise you, soon enough, you'll forget this even happened."

She glared at him suspiciously. "Do you swear?" She demanded.

"On my life."

It would have been funny if it hadn't been sad.

She eyed him suspiciously for a moment, but slowly the weight lifted off of her chest. That was better than nothing, and though she'd prefer to know everything now, she would take what she could get.

Remy saw her eyes soften and took it as a good sign.

"C'mon." He tugged on her elbow.

"What?" She grumbled, rising to her feet along with him.

"I told y'." He grinned at her, covering a cough with a laugh. "We're goin' out."

"Out where?" She called, caught up as he started running away with her arm.

"I've got this whole list of things I've always wanted to do before I died, but I ain't never had the time t' do 'em." Remy explained, grinning. "I'd like t' do 'em with you, if you'd do me the honor."

Rogue pretended to think about it for a moment.

"Very well, Mr. Lebeau. If you insist." She smirked.

"Oh," He smiled impishly. "I do."


"Spit?"

"Spit!"

Rogue peered over the side of the ledge again.

"What if it hits someone?"

"We laugh."

She snorted.

"Come on!" Remy grinned. "Count of three."

She laughed and nodded.

"One." He drawled.

"Two." She chuckled.

"Three!"

They both leant out and spit.

"Ewww…" They chorused and imagined they could hear two little splats below.

"Do they sell 'I spit off the Empire State Building t-shirts?" Rogue wondered out loud.


"You're never too old to jump on mattresses." Remy assured her as the peered in through the window on a Mattress Discounter.

"I concur." Rogue smiled deviously.


"Who knew they'd get so mad at people for swimming in a fountain?" Remy mused out loud.

Rogue shrugged as she rung out her hair.


"Duck."

"Blob."

"Diamond."

"Suspended ice crystals."

"Y'r awful at cloud watching."


"Don't. Move."

"I didn't!"

"I can tell you're breathing!"

"Your lips are moving!"

Remy and Rogue glared at each other playfully from their contorted positions.

"Hey!" Someone called from behind them, causing them to start. "What are you two doing in the window display?"


"Oh," Rogue laughed from her spot on a bench in front of a small coffee shop. "This has been the most fun I've had in weeks. I feel like a child." She licked the curl off of the top of the ice cream cone in her hand.

"It's a good feelin', ain't it?" Remy smiled, pleased with himself. Vanilla ice cream in one hand, unlit cigarette in the other.

"Aren't you gonna smoke that?" Rogue asked when she finally noticed the cigarette wasn't lit.

"I'm tryin' to cut back."

She smiled. She had always frowned upon his smoking habit.

He tried to contain the bitter twang that sounded like 'If only I had listened'. For the most part his day had been amazing, he wasn't going to let as trivial a thing as dreaming of the way things could have been get in the way.

There was no room for 'coulda, shoulda, woulda' s in the present.

This was how things were.

He couldn't change them.

"You alright?" Rogue asked as he sighed, tucking the cigarette behind his ear.

"Yeah..."

She leveled a look at him.

He just wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close to his chest.

She rolled her eyes and adjusted the ball cap he had gotten her so that she could still see him.

"I changed my mind 'bout that hat." He informed her.

"Really?"

"Covers up your hair. I don't like it." He nodded.

"Hmm. Well I changed my mind about your sunglasses. They cover up your eyes. I don't like it." She shot back.

"I'm not taking off the sunglasses."

"I'm not taking off the hat."

"It seems we're at an impasse." Remy grinned.

"Indeed." Rogue smirked back.

"Excuse me." Someone cleared their throat pointedly, drawing both Remy and Rogue's attention away from one another. It was a generally rounded woman with rosy cheeks and a tawny frizz of hair on her head.

"Can I help you?' Remy inquired, not exactly 'coldly', but he wasn't being a ray of sunshine either.

"I don't mean to be frank, but, have you two heard about the mutant problem?" She asked seriously.

Rogue and Remy shared a significant look.

"Yes." Rogue supplied. "Terrible animals. Wrecking the natural order of things."

"Beasts." Remy added for good measure.

The woman's face brightened. "My name is Anne, and I represent an up and coming association that is looking for new recruits."

"Really?" Rogue and Remy pretended to be both surprised and interested.

"Oh, yes." Anne smiled, achieving a toad-like expression. "Here," She handed each of them a bright yellow flyer that she had been clutching to her chest. "Our next meeting is in about a week and a half. We're going on a 'March Against Mutants'. Everyone is invited, though I'd bring some sort of weapon along if I were you. Our walk goes right past that dreadful Xavier place, and it can't be guaranteed that everything will remain peaceful." She smiled like the cat who caught the canary.

"Xavier?" Rogue tilted her head to the side. "What's an Xavier?"

"Oh, Charles Xavier runs a training facility for mutants not too far from here. In Bayville. There's about twenty of them holed up in there, learning how to use their unnatural monstrosities against us normal folk"

"Those sneaky bastards." Remy spat vehemently.

Anne nodded. "If you ask me, the entire house should be leveled, with those freaks inside of it."

Rogue and Remy nodded seriously.

"You can call that number on the flyer if you have any questions, and make sure to wear your walking shoes if you do decide to come next week." She gave them a bright smile before moving on to the next gaggle of people, spreading her message like a virus.

Rogue and Remy stared down at the papers in their hands. Disgust and fear churned Rogue's stomach as she read the words there. Something different churned in Remy's. A mixture of his chest hollowing out and him feeling hopeless and a swell of duty and resolution. He felt sick and relieved. His spine chilled and a sweat broke across his forehead.

In bold letters stretched across the canary yellow page were dangerous words.

'Friends of Humanity'.


(* Ten points if you know where it's from!)

FOH? Fuuuuuuuuuuu-!