Thanks for all the reviews again. You guys are the best!

Just one question this time, the other questions will be answered in this chapter.

I thought Gambit was part of the marauders? And if so then is he in this story? IIRC, Remy put the marauders together for Sinister, but was never actually a member. Since Remy's back story is basically unknown in Evolution, and he's already an Acolyte (or was) I decided not to use the Sinister/Mauraders storyline. It's cannon so a lot of people use it, but I wanted not to for a change. He really did rescue Sarah from the FoH, not from the Marauders as in comic canon.

If you really mean was gambit an Acolyte, then yes he was, however I'm assuming they disbanded once they all thought that magneto was killed by Apocalypse in season 4. Remy then stayed in New Orleans once he had rescued his father (with Rogues help).

Chapter Ten

Though she hadn't been able to sleep, the next morning Rogue set about helping to fix cerebro. Thankfully with Forge and Hank there to help, the repairs seemed to be going pretty well. How she had ever hoped to fix this with just her and Remy, she would never know. She was probably hoping that it would be fine or just need a fuse changing or something. Well, if the X-Men hadn't been here, she would have been in for a severe disappointment.

Thankfully the danger room was also damaged, although that didn't stop Logan from putting the kids through their paces in more traditional ways. Rogue decided to make herself useful in cerbero in the hopes that she might skip Logan's lessons today, since she had a feeling that he would be taking his anger out on her.

Needless to say, when she levitated to the near the top of cerebro to reattach a panel, she drew a few shocked gasps but Rogue refused to say more than, "They did this to me, now leave it alone."

Obviously her new flying ability made her an excellent candidate for working on cerebro and she was indeed spared lessons with Logan.

She tried not to think about Remy or when he might be back but as the hours ticked by, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that he wouldn't return. Lunchtime came and went with no sign of him. Had she been wrong about him?

She hated that she thought about him so much. She felt as if she was becoming reliant on him, and that wasn't a feeling that someone who called herself Rogue enjoyed. It wasn't like they were married anyway, so chances were that one day he would leave her. And even if they were married, didn't something like two thirds of marriages end in divorce? Marriage was just a bit of paper anyway, it didn't actually mean anything.

And why the hell was she thinking about marriage? Remy had only rescued her a little over a month ago, she had no business thinking about life long commitment.

Where was he? What was taking him so long!

She tried her best to chat to her friends over lunch but they just kept telling her how sorry they were that they hadn't found her, and how much they wanted to make it up to her. If she heard once how hard they tried to look for her, she must have heard it a hundred times that day, but she tried not to let it get on her nerves and kept assuring them that it was okay, but it wasn't.

They were supposed to be heroes after all, so why didn't they find her? Why could one man, a thief no less, do what they couldn't? She bit her tongue though, which felt much easier than it might have been in the past. She tried not to think about it, but the only time she acted mad lately was when she or Remy felt threatened. That wasn't like her. The old her would have simply told them to stop apologising, accompanying it with a glare or threat, and they would have feared her temper enough to stop. She didn't want to think too deeply about where her fire had gone, because what if it never came back?

Instead she tried asking them questions, trying to catch up with what she had missed in her 4 months away, but she was distracted by Remy's absence and to be honest, this was just all a little too 'normal' for her. She remembered sitting with them, sharing hundreds of meals but now, she felt like a different person.

She supposed that nothing would ever be quite the same again, because she wasn't quite the same any more.

Oddly enough, she felt most comfortable the few times she was left alone with Scott. Her crush was long over but unlike the others, he didn't ask her questions, he didn't demand her attention, he just let her be, which she was thankful for. In return, she didn't try to make him talk about Jean either.

He wasn't the same boy that she had left either. For the past few weeks, he had believed that the love of his life was a killer. Even though he now knew the truth, and even if they somehow got Jean back, he would forever be scarred by this incident, as would Jean, she suspected.

There was also a new addition to the team, Piotr Rasputin, also known as Colossus. Rogue had been surprised to see him here, he had been Gambit's fellow acolyte after all, but Kitty quickly filled her in on the reasons he had worked for Magneto, namely that his family had been held hostage. Now that he had freed them and sent them somewhere safe, he wanted to atone for his time with Magneto by joining the X-Men.

At first she had hoped that his presence might bode well for Remy, but it soon became clear that he was such an unassuming, quiet person that it was unlikely he would ever be associated with Remy in any way that benefited Remy.

Okay, maybe Remy was a cocky, slightly immoral, womanising, thief, but damn it, he was a good man too! You just had to look a bit harder with Remy.

The rest of the kids seemed surprisingly resilient to the troubles of late. Some had returned home after the mansion exploded, but most had stayed to help rebuild.

When they finished for the day, she headed into the kitchen for a drink when Bobby ran in, looking like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Rogue, you have got to get up top now!"

"What? Why?"

"You'll see, come on!" He was so excited that he even grabbed her gloved hand and dragged her after him. She could easily have broken his hold even without her new powers, but she hoped that Remy was back and that was what he wanted to show her.

As she got close to the access hatch, she could hear a car horn and wondered what the hell that meant, but Bobby pushed her up the ladder before she couldn't think too much about it. The horn had stopped by the time she climbed out of the hatch and she found herself looking at a massive Winebago parked half way down the driveway, Remy climbing out of it.

She flew over to him so that she didn't have to walk through the rubble.

"What is this?" she asked, stunned by such a turn of events.

"This is our new home, also knows as getting around the rules since we won't actually be living under M'sieu Serval's roof any longer."

The other kids had soon caught up with them and were just as eager to look around as Rogue was. Remy proudly guided Rogue inside and began showing off the features. He didn't care if the other students were there to not.

"It has a 40" flat screen TV, home theatre sound system, satellite TV, seating for 7 in the lounge, an extendible dining section, fully functional kitchen, double fridge freezer, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher."

Rogue looked around in shock. This was more like a posh hotel room than a camper van. This was like something that rock stars used.

The bedroom had a queen sized bed, a 32" TV, wardrobe and large set of drawers. Then she looked into the bathroom, which had a real toilet and a full sized shower.

"What the hell did this cost?" she asked as he guided her into the bedroom.

"Cost doesn't matter," he said blithely. "It's ours now."

The other kids were making themselves at home in the lounge area, turning on the TV (which still needed to be tuned in) and playing around with the music system.

"You break it, you buy it," was all Remy said, apparently quite happy to have them crawling all over his stuff.

"It'll take me a few hours to set up properly." Remy explained as Rogue still seemed rather speechless. "And we should really clear some of the rubble so we can be closer to the mansion for power and such."

Rogue just nodded.

"Chère, the suspense is killing me here, do you like it or not?"

She thought her shock was enough to convey how lovely it was, then she realised that she hadn't said anything but ask what it cost. She threw her arms around him and hugged him.

"I love it!"

Remy held her tightly.

"Wow," one of the Jamies said as he opened the fridge. "You even stocked it." His other multiples were going through the cupboards.

Bobby was behind the wheel, pretending to drive it like a race car, Rahne was exploring the games console, Sam was plugging his iPod into the sound system, one Jamie and Ray were jumping on the bed, while Roberto was lounging on the seats, testing their comfort.

"Okay," Remy spoke up, quietening the noise from the kids. "Anyone who helps us clear the driveway and set this place up gets to stay for dinner tonight."

There was a general cry of happiness and they got to work. Rogue cleared most of the driveway with Sam's help since he too had super strength. Bobby and Roberto called on Forge to help them set up the satellite system. Remy and the Jamies set about sorting the water, power and waste, with Rahne supervising.

News of Remy's offer to cook dinner made it back to the basement, though somehow without the 'help' aspect attached, which is how three hours later, once the Winnebago was parked closer to the mansion and fully functional, Remy found himself preparing Jambalaya for everyone. He toned down his usual spices though, since most of these kids wouldn't share his love of all things hot.

The kids were making themselves at home wherever they could find room, Storm and Hank had claimed the main television since they hadn't been able to watch the news properly since the mansion exploded. The kids had claimed the bedroom TV and were watching movies in there. The only person missing was Logan.

He had come to see what all the fuss was about, looked around briefly, then left. Fifteen minutes later they heard the roar of his motorcycle as he tore out of the mansion.

"Where's he goin'?" Rogue asked Storm.

"He wants to try and locate Emma Frost," she said, though she didn't sound like she believed it herself.

"Big baby," Rogue muttered, but Storm heard her and decided that now might be a good time to bring up something that had been troubling her.

"Look, Rogue, I know that you're an adult now and I respect your right to make your own decisions but I just need to know, are you being safe?"

"Safe?"

"Yes, sleeping with Remy?"

"Oh, don't worry, I'd never hurt him."

Storm assumed she meant with her new found strength. "I, uh, no, that wasn't what I meant. I mean are you taking precautions?" Rogue looked confused so she continued. "Against pregnancy."

Rogue's mouth formed an O.

"Storm, I can't touch him. We can't have sex, unless maybe they make a head to toe condom or somethin'."

"But I thought..." Storm blushed. "I'm sorry. Clearly you two are very close and then you say you want to 'sleep together', so I put two and two together and made 5. I thought that as well as using other peoples powers, maybe Weapon X had been able teach you control of your own. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. I should probably have told you everything they did but it's hard, you know? I don't like remembering it. The truth is I don't have control of my own or anyone else's power. The flight, strength an invulnerability that I have all came from one girl, who they made me drain almost dry. Those powers are mine forever now, I guess."

Rogue looked miserable.

"I'm sorry, Rogue, I shouldn't have made assumptions."

"No, it's not your fault. Truth be told, Remy wanting to go out with me anyway kinda threw me for a loop an'... Well, I can't help wondering how long it'll be before he gets tired of the no touching thing. It's not like he doesn't like sex."

"True, but perhaps there are other things you could do that would give you both pleasure but be safe?"

Rogue blushed. "Remy's mentioned that once but I'm not ready. Honestly, I'm scared."

"Has he pressured you?"

"What? God no! He wouldn't. He didn't even pursue me, I had to make the first move, and he's said he'll wait as long as I want. He hasn't even brought it up again. I know he has a bad rep, but just give him a chance, Storm. I mean look." She turned back to the Winnebago, where kids were literally swarming in, on and around the vehicle. "How many men would let a bunch of mutant brats loose on a brand new motorhome? Roberto already burned a hole in one of the leather seats, and I don't even wanna think about what the whole thing cost. I have a feelin' that if I know, I'll be shooing everyone out and wrapping everything in bubble wrap."

Storm laughed. "You have a point. And I will give Remy a chance, I promise."

"Thank you, he won't let you down."

Remy had been busy preparing the meal, having borrowed the mansions catering size pots and pans, when Piotr stepped into the Winnebago.

"Gambit, it has been too long," The Russian boomed.

Remy's knife almost slipped, and it was not generally considered a good thing for a pickpocket to lose a thumb.

"Pete!" Remy couldn't help the grin that spread across his features, near fatality to his thumb or not. "My God, what are you doing here?" He enveloped Piotr in a bear hug. "It's good to see you, man."

"And you too. I am hearing that you rescued the Rogue?"

Remy shrugged it off. "So what brings you to the X-Geeks?"

"I am here to atone for what I did with Magneto."

"And your family?"

"Save and sound. So, what brings you to join the X-Men."

"Don't know if I can join yet, let alone if I wanna," Remy admitted. "Hey, how come I didn't see you last night?"

"The children tell me that the Rogue is back. I am not knowing Rogue, so I think it best I leave her to her friends and not intrude. Had I known you were here too, I would have come to greet you."

Rogue noticed that many people were watching their interaction and she began to hope that maybe if the affable Piotr liked Remy, the others might see some redeeming qualities in him too.

"You joining us for dinner, mon ami?" Remy asked.

"I am. I have very much missed your cooking."

"So you're the reason I'm suddenly cooking for the whole mansion?"

Piotr shrugged and smiled.

"Well, at least make yourself useful and slice those peppers, would ya?"

The meal went down well with everyone and between the extended dining alcove and the regular seating, everyone found themselves a spot. The music was varied, depending on who got the the music system first with their MP3 players, or who snuck in while no one else was looking, but the atmosphere was more relaxed than Storm could remember since the mansion blew up. Even Scott looked happier, though he kept to himself.

Storm took the opportunity to watch Rogue and Gambit that evening and was somewhat surprised to see that despite everything, Rogue seemed more confident in herself than she used to be.

She had nothing to compare Gambit against, other than a few fights and her own preconceptions of him, but he seemed a thoroughly laid back and easy going kind of man, which was a stark contrast from when they fought him. Though he never seemed to lose his sense of humour, in battle he was controlled and precise. She found it hard to match that image up with the young man who was now walking around, serving seconds to anyone who wanted more and laughing at something Colossus had said.

He also paid Rogue a lot of attention, which is not to say that he was constantly at her side but wherever he was, he kept looking over to her.

Storm wouldn't claim to be an expert in matters of the heart, but she would bet good money that Remy LeBeau was in love. Rogue on the other hand, well she too seemed very smitten with the Cajun but it looked like she was trying to fight it. She looked to him just as frequently but when caught, she would blush and look away, while Remy didn't seem to care who saw him staring.

Unfortunately, it didn't matter how hard Rogue tried to deny how she felt, Storm could see that if she wasn't in love, she certainly cared very deeply for Remy and were anything to happen, Rogue would be devastated.

Unlike Logan, Storm didn't believe that Rogue needed to be protected from heartache, she believed it was something everyone experienced, some more than once. At the same time though, first love was rarely so strong as this and Rogue just wasn't well equipped to handle heartbreak.

Storm vowed to keep her eye on Remy and make her own judgement about him. The flaws she held against him were mostly by reputation (other than being an enemy, but he was hardly the first X-Man to have changed sides) so she vowed to try her best and view Remy for what he did now, rather than what past sins he may have committed.

He earned his first point when he noticed Rogue flagging and ushered everyone out, despite the still relatively early hour.

Storm waited until almost everyone was gone to wish them goodnight, and then she pulled Rogue into a hug.

"It's so good to have you home," she said. Then she turned to Remy and held her hand out. "Welcome to the Institute, Remy."

"Merci, Storm." His smile was surprised.

Rogue awoke the next morning to find Remy's warm chest pressed into her back as his finger tips traced unrecognisable patterns on her stomach. It felt wonderful to awake in his arms. She couldn't help but wonder how much better it would feel if there wasn't a sheet between them.

"Well this is new," she said, turning to face him. "You're usually up well before me."

"It's our first morning in our new home," he said with an impish grin. "It seemed fitting that we wake up together."

Rogue was touched by the gesture, then a scent caught her nose.

"Is that bread?"

"Croissants to be precise." His smile turned a little sheepish. "I had to do something to keep busy."

Rogue could have been offended that he had still gotten up before her and then tried to pretend that he hadn't but truth be told, the delicious scents from the kitchen were enough to make her forgive him any sin. Well, almost any sin.

She wished that she could reach over and kiss him.

"You know, if you keep making tasty treats, the others are going to be camped outside full time."

"I already took them a basket full," he smiled triumphantly. "So we'll be left in peace, for a while at least."

Rogue wished that there was something other than eating breakfast for them to do with that peace. She settled for snuggling into Remy's side, her head resting on his shoulder. He wore long sleeved T-shirts to bed now so as long as she was careful, it was relatively safe.

"Did you do your meditation yesterday?" Remy asked. To be fair, he hadn't been around for much of the day so he couldn't be certain.

"No."

"You should, you know, at least for few weeks. If you don't, the good work Ginny did will unravel."

"I know. It just seems weird to try and hypnotize myself."

"The more you do it, the more normal it will seem."

"I know. I'll do I after breakfast, I promise."

Remy twisted his head and kissed her hair.

"That's my girl."

As Rogue meditated (she found it easier to think of it that way than self hypnosis) she realised that she could control the voices in her mind. At the moment they were walled up behind barriers that the professor had put in place, but they didn't need to be, they just needed to feel at home.

She didn't know how she knew this, nor did she understand how she knew to create a mental landscape for them, but she did and once she was done with her meditation, she law back on the bed and set about creating a place in her mind for them to live.

It was almost like she had more than one mind, which she had never realised before. A bit like a painting that has been painted over, except that the canvas behind her own mind was still blank. She had never even realised that the canvas was there until now.

She set about creating a landscape, starting with the institute since a lot of her psyches knew the place.

'Hey!' Kitty's psyche appeared beside Rogue, making her jump. 'Whacha doin'?'

'Making somewhere for y'all to live.'

'Really?' Kitty clapped her hands. 'Yay! Like, no offence, Rogue, but your mind isn't exactly an interesting place to be.'

'None taken,' Rogue said dryly.

'Oh, it's the mansion, isn't it?' Kitty said as the scene before them began to appear.

'Yep.'

'Can I decorate my own room?'

Rogue thought about it. 'I don't see why not.'

'Yay! I'll go find the others.'

Pretty soon all her psyches had converged and were helping her create their habitat. Some were building places that she knew, like the Brotherhood house, and others were making structures that she didn't recognise, but she didn't really mind. This was their home, not hers, but it was very odd to see the mansion, the brotherhood home and a house that she didn't recognise, sitting side by side each other.

She wasn't able to stay for as long as she liked but she gave the psyches carte blanche to finish in her absence. She'd check in later to see how they were getting on

As she opened her eyes, she realised that for the first time ever, her voices were completely quiet. Whatever space she had given them she couldn't hear them any more. A little disconcerted by that, she called on Kitty.

'Kit, you there?'

'I'm here. What's up?'

'Nothin', I just couldn't hear you, that's all.'

'Yeah, we can't hear can't hear what you're up to any more either. Weird, huh?'

'So how are you here now?' Rogue asked.

'Well, you called, so I came.'

'As simple as that?' Rogue thought.

'Looks like. Anyway, can I get back? I was decorating my room.'

'Sure. Bye.'

A big smile spread over Rogue's face as she left the Winnebago; for the first time in years, it felt like she was the only one in her head, and it felt wonderful.

With nothing to do, Remy set about clearing the grounds of debris. In short order, skips and equipment were delivered and Remy divided the kids into groups. The students with strength or other useful powers, like Kurt, were assigned the mansion clearance where larger chunks of the rubble were. They were overseen by Colossus. Those without super strength or useful gifts took the grounds and driveway, loading the fragments into wheel barrows to be dumped into the skips.

Pretty soon he turned it into a competition, dividing the driveway and grounds team into two teams and having them race. The first team to fill ten wheel barrows would win $100 each to be spent at the mall that weekend.

By the time Storm discovered this, it was too late to put a stop to it but Storm raised her concern as they were taking a well earned break. She didn't want some of the kids feeling left out.

"They'll all win something," Remy said with confidence.

"You can't guarantee that."

"Course I can. This isn't about improving productivity, it's about these kids having lost most of their possessions, without making it seem like charity. One way or another, they'll all get to go on Saturday, even if I have to pay one or two of them to clean the motorhome, or wash and blow dry the blue elf's fur."

Thought it was wrong, Storm laughed at the image of the kids grooming Kurt like some kind of poodle.

"You know, the rate these kids are goin', I reckon we might have this site cleared by the weekend." Remy suddenly changed the subject. "Have you given any thoughts to rebuilding?"

"Just thoughts so far. First we have to find Jean and stop the Phoenix."

"You know, from what Rogue saw in Emma's head, that might not be so easy."

Storm turned to look at him. "We don't give up just because things aren't easy, Remy."

"I didn't say anything about giving up, but you should always prepare yourselves for the worst, even while hoping for the best."

"Is that the motto you live by?"

"I don't have a motto but in a pinch, I steal the boy scouts, 'Be prepared'." He smirked at her and she couldn't help but smile.

The next two days proceeded along much the same lines and by staging various competitions according to skills while they worked, Remy had managed to have every student win something.

"Told ya," he grinned at Storm as Kitty, who really hadn't stood a hope of winning a rubble clearing competition, finally won the 'best lemonade maker' competition. He didn't tell Storm that he had given Kitty his Tante's secret recipe.

Storm was actually impressed with his scheming. It was in a good cause, after all.

"I'd offer you and Hank some money," he said. "But you'd probably turn it down, non?"

"No offence, but yes. Besides, we do have some savings."

"What about Scott and Jean?"

"They're still college students, so no and besides, Jean isn't here."

"Last I heard, we were hoping for the best, no?" Remy raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Storm conceded the point with a nod.

"I'm happy to give them some money too but somehow I doubt Scott would take it from me."

Storm was silent for a moment as she considered her reply.

"You've already offered 100 dollars each to the kids, can you afford more?"

"Drop in the ocean," he said, as though it was nothing.

"Well, if you're sure, I can say it's the Institute's money."

"Merci, cher."

"What about Rogue?" Storm asked. She had lost everything too, and they hadn't arrived with much in the way of luggage, but he hadn't mentioned giving her any money.

"Don't worry about Rogue, she's all set." He smiled enigmatically.

Storm decided that she didn't want to know.