Disclaimer: Would I ever own a company that is ruining Romy for the masses?

Author's Notes: Save the Romy! Before you go any further, please go to my bio/profile and sign the petition on Romy. We will make Marvel listen to us and save the Romy.

You know when you finish a chapter and you're just brimming with ideas for the next one. Well, I had that, but then, I had this month that was weird, which really made me feel horrible, a sort of crisis where I lost my sketchbook and part of URX when they got stolen, so it was weird because I was working from ground up…I know what I want to happen, it's just I needed a big refresher. I'm just lucky that all my notes I wrote were either saved on my main computer or left forgotten at home where they lay safe in my notebooks. Luckily, from there I was able to ascertain exactly what I wanted for this chapter, which looks to be long…but I'm going to try desperately to fit it all in. It's gonna be even more conversations and moments between Rogue and Remy and the other characters and guys, yes, it's finally NOT Valentine's Day…it's February 15th, which I suppose is an unintentional nod to Ish.

Please do me a favor and go over to my bio/profile to the link to the Romy petition and sign it. Oh and Simon Kinberg, one of the writers for X3, answers questions for a forum on thexversedotcom, and when I asked if he would ever consider doing Romy, he said, yes, he loved Romy in the comics, but Remy has to get in there first…and on the French Quarter web site, two of the answers to my questions are quoted from there…yes, I'm smiling in glee! Go me! I suppose we could start a mass fan protest to Simon over at the community there…so everyone can join up…and the other writer, Zak Penn is there too…lol.

But for now, I'm kinda freaking out on how I'm gonna write this all that I have planned out…eep.

February 24th, 2006...the state of the comics.

I must rant! It's so horrible. After reading the newest news on the Romy in the comics from The Joker and the Queen Website, I'm just more and more aware about how horrible the plot in X-Men is and Peter Milligan should just NOT be handling the characters, especially when you get Remy, becoming a horseman. You know, I'm kinda not opposed to Remy becoming a horseman, it could be an interesting plot, with great character development for him and Rogue, but when you make him a horseman because he 'isn't listened to'...like WTF? I scoffed, I spat and laughed at the screen when I read the dialogue of when Remy turns sides, it's horrible. It is just the crappiest thing I have ever heard. Like no explanation like maybe he's doing it so that Rogue can have a chance with Pulse who can touch her, like he's leaving her, so she can have a chance of happiness, which would make it totally believable and just SO sweet and maybe just make us Romy fans happy. We're not asking for much, but we just want to see more justification for why you're doing this to them and that would be a sweet, incredibly ROMY way to do it.

Rogue is now this totally snappy, bitchy, weepy, sulky girl, which is not her at all, sure she feels like that, but to make her SO down in the dumps...plus, that totally lame thing with making her absorb Shiro, so she can have her old powers back, without any inclination of what's going on in her head...horrible!

And Remy is this whiney guy who does nothing to defend his woman...frankly, he looking like a wimp, not the kind of charming Remy we're used to. I just want to see him act brash or something you know? Be debonair and what not...sigh. Plus, I'm SO tired of the endless string of soap operas...it's been done before, so why don't you come up with something new, oh wait, you're Peter Milligan and you can't...Yes, that's mean, but argh! I'm just so frustrated.

The truth of the matter is, this isn't Rogue and this isn't Remy and it most certainly isn't Romy...when Mike Carey moves in with his random spew of misfits, I hope he makes a few changes to this and reintroduce Remy to the fray in a good way.

On a different note, guess how many actors in X3 are former models? Four. Yes, four. Famke Janssen, Halle Berry, Rebecca Romijn and James Marsden. Yes, Cyke was a model, a Versace model…odd huh?

But, without further adieu, complaint or excuses…to which mostly it's procrastination and business…I give thee…


CHAPTER 12: EGYPTIANS


"Good morning, Avalanche," mocked a snug, dominating voice in a cultured accent. A cruel self serving laugh followed. It was the cacophony of an off key symphony that was now his life. There was something blatantly wrong with it…but maybe if he closed his eyes, just for a little bit longer, he'd wake up to find it was all a dream.

But it wasn't…

As he all too soon found out, when a firm grip was placed on his chin, painfully lifting his head up at an odd angle. He opened his eyes to see the man who would forever be synonymous with hell to him, General William Stryker. He had dark hair, that began showing his age in the scattering of white, and cold, steel grey eyes, that seemed almost soulless.

"You are very much the wraith, the street urchin, aren't you, Avalanche. No more than a half rate beggar, wanting more in your idyllic dreams, fantasies, really… but never one to follow through…You've got no respect for elders, the true disgrace of the human race, an utter failure, so of course all you do is lay there like a pathetic drugged fly, all prepared for the greater humans to manipulate every state of your future and being, you cower and shake in the slightest breath, unable to do anything but quiver in weakness and watch your legacy truly amount to nothing. For you are nothing, my dear boy, nothing, but a blemish in the great history of man, because I will it so, and so does the world," whispered his embodiment of hell, full of a hidden rage, a startling ambition and an ominous bout of foreshadowing that did nothing to quell the feeling in his stomach. The man's words were taunting, filled with smug laughter, a sardonic smile stretching his lips.

(To understand this passage, I suppose first of all, you have to know that in Bio, we're breeding fruit flies (Drosophila malengasgar, can't remember the species name correctly…) for genetics. Fruit flies are the animal of choice for testing genetic inheritance patterns. You're given three types of flies, normal ones, aka, the wildtype or original flies, white eyed flies and vestigial winged sepia eyed flies, and you breed the latter two with the original flies to find the inheritance patterns of the different characteristics of flies. And to do so, you obviously have to get the flies into different labeled vials and have males and females in there to do their business and lay their larvae…well, anyway, first of all, you have to dump them into a container and drug them with fly nap, which makes them go to sleep. Of course, you have a limited time to work, to figure out which are the females and which are the males, as they're only drugged for so long and during this time, when the flies start to wake up, their legs sort of twitch and that's when you know you've gotta hurry up. Flies only live for about two weeks, then they die, hence the short legacy and yeah. That's what Stryker is referring to, that he manipulates the flies, the mutants, in the sake of genetics. It's quite a burn.)

"But my pet, I'm about to make you more. Think of it this way, you'll finally amount to something. You were a horrible boyfriend to that naive girl, Shadowcat, I believe, a terrible son and brother, why do you think they abandoned you, and an abysmal friend and teammate to your little group of miscreants. Oh wait, you're leader, so I suppose your little bout into captivity is YOUR fault," antagonized the wrathful man, but he'd heard this too many times to care anymore, to do anything. It didn't matter anyway, he always went back to the lab, the table, the shackles, the pain, the horror…the humiliation, the shame…

'This is hell, this is truly hell,' it was a singular though running through Lance's head with no end.

The bed, though soft and comfortable, did nothing to soothe him, nothing did, not anymore. His room was a cell, nothing could change that and he was due for another trip to the lab and its many terrors.

"Give him his shot now, Gus, can't have him milling about while we do what must be done, now can we?" addressed Stryker to a smiling assistant.

"Of course not, General, Dr. Zaitsevitch, would not be pleased to have his subjects such a state," spoke the man behind Stryker wearing a white lab coat with easily accessible needles, clamps, scalpels and all sorts of medical items that would not be used in a kind manner beneficial to Lance's health.

Lance had no bearing on time, he just knew that he'd been in this place too long, but it had no end, only an unbearable continuation. He didn't even flinch, or fight back anymore as the man known to him only as Gus, came to his side and administered the drug, for he craved it, those few moments when he was gone from the world, asleep, though a cheap imitation for death, but gone nonetheless, he was away from this new set of human horrors for the history books.

"Behave now, little Avalanche," mocked Stryker, in a patronizing tone.

The needle embedded into his arm couldn't even be felt anymore from the many other pin pricks littering his upper arms and the sleep came quick, welcomed and for a few moments, it was perfect, perfect peace.

(I really surprised myself with this section here. I can't believe how evil I made Stryker sound…and I just really like my dialogue. Stryker seems very creepy. I must admit that he's kinda inspired by the movie version since I rewatched X2.)


That day, waking up that train to the bayou, I knew I should've been afraid, truly scared and frightened. I didn't even really know Remy then and he had abducted me…taken me, without my consent and I had no idea where he was taking me or what he'd make me do. He was the enemy. I knew that he could've had his damn way with me. Still, the thing is, I wasn't afraid of him and I don't know why. It was instead like this strange adventure that had grasped me suddenly and everything disappeared like I was some heroine in this fantasy novel. I felt like Sabriel and he was like my Touchstone. Even then, why did I trust his intentions? Why didn't I question it? Even then, it seemed like I trusted him, when he had given me every reason not to. I don't know if it means I'm incredibly dense and gullible or hopeful and naïve.

For some reason, unknown to me, I just knew he wouldn't harm me and would try as hard as he could not to. Looking into his eyes, I knew I should've been afraid. They're hypnotizing, enchanting, and darkly devilish but they gave me peace, for the first time in weeks and I was surprised to find that they were beautiful, the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. His eyes were so dark, piercing, almost frightening, but they were also haunting with a pain I had never seen before and I had never seen something so alive, the way they flashed, glowed and glimmered, smoldering at me. They would twinkle at me, both filled with laughter, joy and intense heartache…and his eyes have been a specter lingering in my mind since.

And I'm so happy when I'm with him, I think I could burst. Remy has this hold on me. He can make me believe that anything is possible, make me hope, but I don't think he believes it himself, and I know he'd never tell me lies; it's just he's so lost. He believes in me, though, honestly and completely, and that scares me, because I think I'm going to disappoint him and I'd hate to do that. It'd just tear apart my soul to do that to him.

(I guess this is a response to 'Cajun Spice'. I mean, if you think about it, Rogue is captured and she's on a train headed God knows where with some guy who's intentions are probably not that great and instead of freaking out, getting scared or panicking, she just gets really mad at him…)

I dreamt about him last night. We weren't doing much, just laying next to the Mississippi River, on the bank of lush, long, brilliantly verdant grass and talking about stupid things like the shapes of the clouds. He lay next to me, holding my bare hand in his and with his exotic eyes gazing into the sky, full of hope and laughter, I could see what he must've looked like as a boy, carefree and just starting to be a charmer with that infectious smile. The skies were a perfect blue and the sun blazed across the sky, giving off this perfect warmth. It was sweet and wonderful, crazy even, but it was a nice fantasy and I've long known the difference between reality and fantasy. Fantasy is beautiful, fun and perfect, and reality is ugly, flawed and harsh. My reality is the worst though. But it was nice when it lasted and it was good to be able to sleep for once, really sleep and waking up made me feel restful and at peace, unlike yesterday, when it was nothing but utter dread. I guess he brings me peace.

And I like this, just he and I together but I shouldn't.


In a way, happiness for me is simple. It's Rogue next to me, as I hold her bare hand in mine as we lay on the idyllic grassy banks of the Mississippi River, listening as the water passes us by and watching the clouds intently with easy conversation, the sky is flawlessly blue and the sun casts a golden glow on everything, making her face look so utterly carefree, highlighting how magnificent she is at that moment, with that achingly beautiful smile. She looks so free, so beautiful and her porcelain skin looks like an iridescent pearl, her smooth, silky looking skin that I'd love to touch. I only wish that she'd go without that Gothic makeup more often, not that she doesn't look good with it on, it's just without it…well, it's a whole new ball game. Seeing her this way, it warms my heart, makes me feel light and gives me hope. I don't think I've felt that for a long time. It's wonderful, like last night, in my dream. But life has a funny way of making things complicated and happiness is not so simple after all. She looked so content then, so at peace with everything…

I knew when I woke up, it'd all be different, but in that moment, I forgot about it all and just enjoyed it.

She's everything I'm not. There's still hope for her. She's still innocent. Not like me, one of the tainted souls on this earth. Rogue came back. She didn't have to, but she did, which says a lot about who she is. Given the chance, she'd never turn anyone away, the right chance anyway. When I'm with her, I'm the good guy, the hero and somehow, I know I have to be good for her. She makes me good, makes me want to be good. But I'm not meant to be the hero, never was. It's not written for me. I'm a poor substitute for someone as amazing as she is.

But she's trapping me. Maybe she always has. It's those eyes of hers, those eyes that I've never seen before, eyes that can make your heart break, that tell me of all the suffering in her past, festering her present and lingering for her future. And when those eyes look at me, they're so alive, like the color Spring and everything's new again, they're this deep emerald, that I've come to love. I've never seen more perfect jewels than those eyes, and I've seen a lot. When she looks at me, I could die; they're so pure, they penetrate, she can see me. And I know I have to do everything in my power to preserve it. They're the eyes that look to me for something to lean on, for something to keep her going, keep her living. But I can't be that. I want to be, so desperately, but I can't.

I want to give this up. I want to give her up, but I can't, because that would be hell, pure and simple and I can't live it again, not when I've felt her. I may be addicted. Sometimes she makes me think that I can be good again, redeemed, but I know I can't, no matter what I do. I can't be saved. It's far too late for me. But then, she lures me in again, and she makes me believe…again. And I'm aware that, every time I'm with her, I can't help but be for a moment, just a moment be happy. It's perfect.

I like it, but it's a dangerous line I'm walking on. I've lead her there with me and when we fall…it will hurt like no other.

(This part to me, is really probably expressing all the irony, pain and torment, what their relationship is, why it's beautiful. It's the perfect romantic tragedy. And my Gosh, Remy is just so torn. Their voices just really came to me, almost like they were talking to me and I couldn't help but sense how dark everything got.)


By the time she awoke the next morning, Kitty had disappeared to breakfast, a surprise to Rogue since Kitty was nearly as hard to wake up as she was in the early morning. Rogue was pretty sure that her roommate didn't have a scheduled session in the Danger Room…but then it clicked for her. Piotr had an early class that morning and Kitty had probably woken up early to say goodbye to him, before he left. That made her smile. The pair was so cute, and so oblivious, completely shy and constantly blushing in each other's presence it was a wonder they ever said two words to each other. Rogue thought they deserved each other though, both so compassionate, thoughtful, kind, pure, innocent, sweet and selfless.

'Not like me.'

Trying to conserve whatever warmth she had left in her blankets, Rogue turned to one side, in a cocooned huddled position, away from the streaks of the pale morning light. Combing her hand through her hair, she was aware of how much she needed a shower. She then flipped the blankets off and stretched her cramped body, working out all the kinks that had built out during the night. She stumbled half asleep off her bed and groggily made it to her and Kitty's bathroom, shivering slightly at the chill.

After using the toilet, brushing her teeth and hair and washing her face, she ran the water in the shower and waited for it to reach a scalding temperature, something that she could truly feel. Stripping herself of her clothing, she was aware, for the umpteenth time, as she looked into that taunting mirror, that she would never be touched. She sighed. Kitty had always said that she was one of those girls with the perfect body, not the perfect Hollywood body, mind you, it was the body that would make guys crazy, that was sexy, that was curvy, flawless and beautiful, but it was wasted on someone like her.

Wanting no more of this grief, she opened the glass door to the shower. It was a nice bathroom, somehow she and Kitty had agreed on the blue color scheme, like an imitation of the sea. The tiles lining the floor were large and a dark cerulean with baby blue metallic flakes in it. The tiles lining the shower and part of the walls were tiny and a dark blue that had a large amount of gloss and shine to it, which highly contrasted with the white porcelain of the toilet, the tub and the marble counter top which dipped to form two sinks. Visible walls were pale blue with silver streaks running through. Their large mirror was encased in an antique gilded elaborate silver frame with rhinestones artfully embedded in it that the pair had found in a hidden corner of an antique shop in town. The cabinets under the sink and embedded adjacent to the mirror were framed with frosted silver metal with a heavily frosted glass center obscuring the objects that they held. Since the cabinets had shelves on the sides, Kitty and Rogue had placed on them lots of seashells, pearls and other decorations, as well as scattering them on their countertop. All the fixtures that held up things like toilet paper and towels were silver and interesting in design.

Rogue ran her hands through her damp hair as she allowed the hot water to scald her body. Somehow, she knew that this was only way she could be touched. The water in her shower was the only thing that could touch her skin and make her feel something, anything in her skin, that seemed dead to her, but she couldn't let her thoughts keep running, for they would only lead to more despair and she couldn't handle much more than this. So she allowed herself to relax, as she massaged in her shampoo, lathering her hair, and then her body with the sweet smelling raspberry body wash and finally untangling her hair with the conditioner. It was only in the shower that she allowed herself to truly relax and be pampered, fully letting her guard down. It was a moment to herself and nobody else.

When at last she felt clean, she exited the shower and grabbed her teal colored towel, that was thick, fuzzy and infinitely warm, located beside Kitty's baby blue one. After toweling off, she wrapped it around her middle and secured it to her body, before grabbing one of her smaller teal towels to dry her hair and twirl it into a turban onto the top of her head. Taking her discarded clothes, she tossed the ones she deemed dirty into her hamper for laundry, but threw the others into one of her draws.

She then proceeded to get dressed, which found its way into today's form with a pair of black baggy cargo pants complete with, many pockets, zippers, as well as safety pins, rings, ribbons and many other various paraphernalia dangling from it. A red pleated plaid skirt that went to her knees, with a black and silver dragon embroidered on one side was worn overtop her pants that was reminiscent of an English school girl's uniform. Her tops consisted of a black long sleeved fish net style mesh shirt under a long black tunic style race back tank top, with a blood red three quarter length cotton T-shirt that stopped a few inches under her breasts that had a few artful rips in it and sleeves that were laced together with black ribbon, leaving an inch of space open in between. A pair of studded black leather belts dangled at her hips. Leather cuffs, bracelets were at her wrists, a large leather collar, as well as a Celtic cross dangling from a silver chain was on her neck. Completing her look was a form fitting black Emily the Strange hoodie with white writing on the hood, a few cats on the front, as well as Emily's pale face and a large cat face on the back and a pair of large clunky boots with many buckles.

Before slipping on her black gloves, Rogue began to brush her hair, fingering the lingering wetness, taking longer than usual, if only to delay the time when she would need to be wearing her gloves again.

CRASH!

"LEE! DRAKE! WHAT DE HELL ARE Y' DOIN'?" shouted an imposing furious voice.

"Dammit! Mission failed! ABORT ABORT! Back to the Batcave before he gets us!" someone shrieked dramatically.

"Just shut up and run, you dumbass!" bellowed a feminine voice.

Curious, Rogue slipped on her gloves quickly, dropped her brush and ran out into the hall, just in time to see Jubilee and Bobby streaking through the halls at breakneck speed, as if the very hounds of hell were on their trail, snarling and howling, nipping at their heels with their rabid mouths filled with jagged teeth. The effect was ruined by their cackling like idiots.

Littered in the hallway were hundreds of… ping pong balls?

Carefully stepping through the maze of ping pong balls, Rogue made it to the middle of the hall, where the disaster had began. A giant Ming Dynasty Chinese vase lay shattered on its side in hundreds of pieces. Rogue winced at the sight. The professor would NOT be happy to say the least, but then, he did seem to have an endless supply of them for all the ones the students had destroyed time and time again. Also within the central mess of things were an odd array of thongs, in many different colors, patterns and materials that were just plain trashy, some kitty litter, cans of coke and a pair of fins for swimming. Rogue raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

Moving on from the odd scene, she picked up some obscured muttering in French from an open door, Remy's door. Being befuddled, Rogue decided to ask Remy as to what went on.


Bellowing in an ominous voice that would make his father proud, Remy watched as Bobby and Jubilee fled the crime scene on another one of their escapades. He shook his head. He would never understand the pair…

He had awakened that morning to the sound of snickering, not just any snickering, and the snickering of Bobby and Jubilee, which was NEVER good. Damned miscreants interrupting his sleep. So, stumbling out of bed, he groggily walked to his door and peeking from it was met with an strange sight.

…Jubilee and Bobby trying to stuff as many thongs as they could into a poor expensive beautiful priceless vase.

"Dammit! We won't have enough room to put in the Twinkies to go along with the 500 trashy thongs!" cried a dismayed Bobby.

"Just stick your leg in there and compress the thongs into the bottom of the vase," suggested Jubilee.

"What! No way I'm doing THAT," backed out Bobby.

"Well you're the only one with legs long enough," explained Jubilee.

"Damn you and your dwarfism!" cried Bobby dramatically. Jubilee glared him in the way her grandmother did when the grandchildren were 'forsaking the elders and leaving them to rot in some germ infested nursing home and destroying the family honor…'

Bobby relented, "Fine, I'll take one this time…but you owe me," he started as he climbed on top of a table and began to stick his leg into the mouth of the tall vase, that could literally be used to hide a person in, and began to compress the 500 thongs…

"Jubilee, I'm, uh, stuck…" he panicked.

"Bobby! What?" asked Jubilee disbelievingly.

"I'm stuck," he repeated.

"Shit," cried Jubilee as she began to grab Bobby's arm and attempted to yank him out of the vase.

"Oww…oww, that hurts, careful…" cried Bobby in pain.

"Oh suck it up, you baby," rebutted Jubilee.

"Just because you have horrible pulling skills, doesn't mean you get to call me a baby, Lee!" cried Bobby.

"Oh please…" said Jubilee as she rolled her eyes.

"I'll have you know that—OH SHIT!" cried Bobby as he lost his balance and tumbled to the floor, along with the priceless vase which began to overturn with him….and…

CRASH!

Remy was more convinced now than ever before that Jubilee and Bobby would never learn…

Stalking deeper into his room, he pulled his shirt over his head, leaving him clad only in his boxers and flannel drawstring pants, wincing slightly as the stitches weren't used to strain, he really needed a shower after this, especially to clear his head as to what the pair had been thinking. He sighed for he could've had an extra hour or two of sleeping before he had to leave, since he didn't have classes today in the morning, but because he was woken up by Jubilee and Bobby, he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. Oh well.


As Rogue was just about to turn into Remy's room, she called his name, "Hey, Remy…" and finally making it into his room, was met with a very shirtless Remy LeBeau turned to see who had called his name. And suddenly Rogue was entranced with his perfect, lean, muscular, rock hard body. 'Oh damn, is saliva dangling from my chin,' she thought briefly, but that was replaced with some rather explicit thoughts rather quickly as her eyes raked his perfect nude upper body. His skin was tanned and had several tattoos along with a sexy nipple ring, and several scars, some deeper than others, some older, some thinner and some larger than others, showing signs of his harsh life, still, it somehow completed him and made him all the more desirable, Rogue couldn't help but lick her lips and swallow as her throat became dry.

Remy smirked at her, slyly, but suppressed a shiver of pleasure as that tongue of hers crossed her lips in an oh so sexy manner. Stalking up to her, he braced his arm against the doorframe and leaned right in front her against said arm, propping himself up for her, invading her personal space, giving her an excellent view of his…ahem…assets. His smirk grew as he saw her eyes travel the length of his body.

"Mornin', Chere," he greeted in a low husky purr and a winning smile that made Rogue's stomach flip and her heart speed up. His eyes smoldered and burned into her own, as she finally looked into them, with his hair haphazardly obscuring them slightly.

"Mornin'," squeaked Rogue shyly, a deep blush flooding her cheeks which had not yet been covered with makeup along with the rest of her face. Remy nearly sighed, she was SO utterly adorable.

Leaning close into her ear, he whispered, "Enjoyin' de view?" and he could've sworn that he saw her nod, which just about made his knees give out and thoroughly melted him. The response that he was most confident of was an even more furious blush.

Suddenly, he sucked in his breath quickly, as a sharp pain hit his side. Again with the damned stitches on his side, they were getting to be a real pain, no pun intended.

Remy watched as Rogue's sweet eyes turn from glazed over to deep concern as he clutched his left side with the seventeen stitches.

"Are ya alraht?" Rogue asked, her voice thick with worry, worry for him, which made him want to jump for joy, despite the pain in his side.

"Fine," said Remy stubbornly.

"Ya shure?" asked Rogue to confer as she fingered the neat stitching with her silk encased fingertips, which gave Remy a shot of pleasure.

"Yes, don' y' worry 'bout ol' Remy, Chere. M' fine," he responed.

She raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Yes, really, Chere," said Remy giving her a warm smile as he deftly brushed strands of her wet silvery bangs out of her face and behind her ears.

She frowned, an expression of guilt and sadness crossing her features which made Remy's heart sink. She wouldn't meet his eyes as she said, "Ah just feel so bad about yesterday…and stabbin' ya…losing control…all tha damage Ah caused…tha people I heart, that care about meh…And it's all mah fault, but I cahn't do nothin' about it…and Ah'm SO sorrah…Ah just hate this! It seems lahke Ah only evah cause the people Ah care about harm…and Ah'm just SO tired of it all…Ah just wish I didn't have this….I just—" Her voice was cracking and she began to cry, which slowly tore at Remy's heart and drilled holes into it.

"Shh…Chere," he started in a soothing voice, pulling her into a tight embrace, despite his bare torso, "Please don't cry…It's not your fault…"

Her longish hair sheltered her skin from touching his as she rested her head against his chest, but still, she protested, "But…"

Remy stepped back slightly, making sure to look into her eyes to make sure she knew, because he had to reach her, "Look, Rogue, it's NOT your fault. Don't let anyone tell you differently, don't believe anything differently. I know it's hard, but you don't have control over everything that happens. We're all mutants here; we understand that, we understand that these are the kinds of things that happen with our powers. We're not all that different from you Chere, despite what you may think. I was injured, so what? I got through to you and that's all that counts and that's all I care about. I care about you," he said, with passion and sincerity burning into his eyes, "So don't apologize or feel guilty."

Rogue smiled a sweet, tentative, but genuine smile which lit up her face and Remy's heart, "Thank ya, for everything, saving me from mah mahnd, ya Tante…now…You're too good to me."

He placed a kiss on her damp head, inhaling her fresh clean scent, "Well, you deserve it, don't doubt that, Chere…and Lord help us, but sometimes we all need rescuin' when Mattie gets one of her grand schemes in her head," he said warmly and was glad to see the blush return to her face and a bright smile.

His Chere was fragile, he sometimes felt at ends that he was one of the few who could see that, this girl was NOT as strong or brave as everyone believed, she was only brave out of necessity, inside, she was quavering and weakening always and a smile was rare and to be savoured. If anything, it had become his self appointed job to make her smile and he would stop at nothing to complete his task. 'Wait...HIS Chere...'

Remy then ruined the moment by taking a hand through her silky hair, roughly petting and pulling at it, so that the ends through in every which direction, creating a mass mess of wavy locks.

"Remy! Stop it! Do you know how frizzy yah're mahkin' mah hair!" she squealed, as she tried to escape his reach.

"Yes!" replied Remy with a loud laugh.

"Argh!" cried Rogue in frustration, "Yah're unbelievable, Remy LeBeau."

"And y' love m' fer it, Chere," replied Remy.

Struggling and stifling her laughter, she told him, "Well, don't let it get to your head." Rogue then pushed against his stomach in an attempt to get away from him, but Remy overpowered her easily. However, she did notice, as her hands skimmed just under his ribs, a certain spot fluttered against her fingertips. Curious, she tried again, and was met with the same response.

"Yah're ticklish!" she said wickedly, in surprise. Finally, she had something to use against him in the many tickle matches they had participated in.

"Non," denied Remy, giving nothing away as he continued to mess up her hair.

Unbelieving, Rogue retaliated by tickling his ticklish spot and was rewarded with Remy wriggling in a hilarious ticklish spasm trying to escape her reach. The silk gloves only worked in her advantage. Remy's assault on her hair weakened as he was forced to divert his efforts into evading her hands. He began to break into hysterical laughter, "Stop….it!" he cried in between laughter.

"NO WAY!" cried Rogue.

"Den it's war!" replied Remy.

Before she had time to react, Remy grabbed her waist and hoisted her over his shoulder and carried her like a sack and as Rogue struggled, he only laughed, "Blame only y'self, Chere!"

Remy then flung her onto his bed, where the pair broke out into a full scale tickle war, laughing, writhing and breathing hard.

"Stop, stop," squealed Rogue, having had enough of his attack.

"What d'y' say, Chere?" asked Remy evilly.

Rogue groaned in response.

"Say it, or I won't stop and y' know I won't," smirked Remy.

"Fahne. Yah're sexy and handsome and no one can resist your charm," said Rogue in a monotone voice with no conviction.

"Wit' some feeling, Chere, c'mon now. I know y' can do it," replied Remy.

"Yah're pushin' it, Swamp Rat!" exclaimed Rogue.

"Hey, aren't y' especially ticklish on y' stomach…" started Remy.

"No, NO!" panicked Rogue wide eyed.

"Say it…" pushed Remy.

"Remy, yah're the sexiest man alive and it was an obvious snub by People Magazine since ya can charm anything t' pieces!" proclaimed Rogue dramatically.

"Y' got dat right, Chere…and I'm touched, I really am," said Remy putting his hand over his heart.

"Just get off meh, befoh Ah decahde ta gouge ya eyes out…then yah'd reallah have problems bein' tha 'sexiest man alive' and the world would beh such a better place," she air quoted.

"Have y' no sense of grace, and humility, Rogue?" asked Remy dramatically with a mock hurt expression.

"Only when it comes ta narcissistic Cajuns lahke yahself, sugah," said Rogue with a laugh.

"Well that's good t' know…" said Remy, "And to t'ink, I t'ought y' inflicted y' venom on de entire population…"

"Ha ha," said Rogue, as she was still trapped underneath Remy's body, the one which hadn't moved an inch.

A silence formed between them, one that didn't seem to be noticed by either mutant. They began to become more aware of each other, his forearms on either side of her shoulders, his knees on either side of her hips, the way his bare chest and abs looked up close, the way his hair flopped over his smoldering ecstatic eyes, the way her hair looked, damp and glistening, splayed all over his blankets, the way her skin glowed in the rays of the morning light, the way her eyes sparkled with mirth and something he couldn't ascertain, the rare smile on his lips, the way his face seemed to be closing in on hers…

"Oh damn, I can't find the bologna!"

The moment was officially ruined as both their attentions centered onto the voices in the hallway and the closed door. Still, Remy remained on top of Rogue as their heads spun to the door.

"What de hell are dey up t' now?" moaned Remy, "I've really had enough of deir constant oddness 'round here…"

"Do we really wanna know? It could be more than just…odd…" said Rogue with a raised eyebrow.

"It could be worth it…" said Remy with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Rogue groaned, "This will end badly…Ah know it…"

"But think of the possibilities…dey'll never do dat again…and…the humiliations galore…" said Remy passionately.

"Alright, let's find out," said Rogue instantly, Remy brightened and smiled.

"Are ya sure that this is a good ideah, we won't get blamed will we?" she knew all too well the workings of Remy LeBeau's brain.

"OF COURSE, Chere, besides…It could be entertaining…" he said with his best smile and a wink.

"What do you have planned in that sick little mind of yours?" asked Rogue with a raised eyebrow.

"You love my sick little mind…but for the record…it's…" uttered Remy, as he leaned into her ear and whispered his devious plans.

Rogue laughed impulsively, "Oh that's brilliant…Ah love it"

"I knew y' would," said Remy with another wink.

"Great…now…GET OFF MEH, SWAMP RAT!" requested Rogue.


"What do you mean we're out of tartar sauce!" screeched Bobby, "It was a VAT of tartar sauce. Who eats a VAT of tartar sauce?"

"How should I KNOW?" asked Jubilee, accusingly, he was lucky he was cute…and funny…and sweet…and smart…and a joker…and somewhat immature…impulsive…but on the whole charming… and her best friend, who listened to her and everything she had to say, otherwise she'd never but up with this… "Besides, we've got bigger problems, our stash of Spice Girls bubble gum has disappeared…" she said completely seriously.

"What! Who would want bubble gum close to ten years old?" exclaimed Bobby, dramatically. Jubilee smiled. She had such a sweet smile, it went along well with her cute face and shiny shimmering, sleek raven hair and she was so cool, because she was the only one who knew the true mark of a prank and how to do them…the rest were amateurs, but the two of them were pros and it was nice to have someone to share that with. But other than that, she was the girl and the only person to see who was behind the jokester and that was truly special, his best friend.

"Well, look at who we live with…besides, Tabby was grounded for the past week, which meant no candy runs, and more importantly, no bubble gum runs, which means that she was low on bubble gum and probably, in desperation, stole our stash…although why on Earth do you have SPICE GIRLS bubbly gum?" reasoned Jubilee.

"Umm…well," started Bobby, his face going red, "I knew I'd have use for it in a situation JUST like THIS…Yeah, that's right, a situation, just like this one," stated Bobby.

"Riiight," replied Jubilee rolling her eyes.

"It's the truth…" said Bobby. Jubilee only gave him a look, that read, 'you can't fool me.'

"Okay, fine! Geri was HOT! She posed nude for some Turkish magazine, and Emma was all goody goody, but YOU KNEW that behind that act, was a naughty little girl that just needed some…" he began to get very into what he was saying and his eyes glazed over as if envisioning all he would do to Emma…but that was interrupted with the slamming of a door and the emergence of a pair of figures…

"Bobby…Jubilee…fancy seeing ya here…now what on Earth can ya beh possiblah doin'?" started Rogue, glaring at them with an ominous smirk.

Jubilee gulped, "Hey, guys…you know…we're just…uh…Bobby, what are we doing?"

"Filling Logan's order of 500 thongs…for uh…forgetting Valentines Day as an apology to Ororo…and the ping pong balls…the fins…they're just for some Danger Room session…we asked what they were for and everything…but Logan well, you know him…he just sorta smiled and said, 'That's fer me ta know, and ya ta find out, bub…'" stuttered Bobby with a nervous laugh.

Remy emerged from the shadows of his room, his face hidden in darkness, ruby onyx devil eyes glowing brightly…too brightly…

"What d'ya have ta say about that, Rem?" asked Rogue rhetorically, Remy only gave Jubilee and Bobby a wide smirk, his eyes locked on the misbehaving pair.

"RUN!" bellowed Bobby, but it was much too late…


A crowd was gathered in the front foyer, composed of students waiting for one of Ororo's grand breakfast feasts and a few saying goodbye to Piotr as he left with a few muffins and coffee for class. Remy's family was still asleep, as they were still a bit unaccustomed to the change in time zones.

Bobby and Jubilee casually descended the grand staircase that lead into the foyer, no one expecting anything from the pair that was overly…unusual…That is, until…

"Hey Jubilee," said Bobby, rather loudly, "Guess what? I wet my pants in bed until I was ten almost every night; I love the Care Bears and Tinky Winky; I was pantsed in seventh grade in front of my crush who told me I was small; I once ate my own poop when my brother told me that if you did, you'd get to see pigs fly; and I like you as more than a just a friend, Jubilee!"

"That's awesome, Bobby!" said Jubilee, louder than usual, "I once wore a white shirt without a bra to school, only to have water soak my shirt through in a water fight; I peed in the pool at the swimming party at the end of the summer; I told my grandmother she was being a whiney old bitch and mooching off my parents through guilting them in English, since she only understands Chinese; I love to sleep with my stuffed dog, Albert, whose real name is Mr. Stinky Poo because he likes to swim in a crappy toilet; and I too like you more than just as a friend Bobby!"

Both proclaimed their heart's desire with unparalleled joy and enthusiasm, only to the intense laughter of everyone else.

Suddenly, they snapped out of their current state.

"You peed your pants until you were ten!" screamed Jubilee.

"You did a wet T-shirt contest in school!" shouted Bobby.

Both were laughing, but then, they realized their embarrassment and what they just admitted.

"Oh my God," started Jubilee, her cheeks growing red with embarrassment, "I can't believe I said that…"

"I'm never gonna live this down…" mourned Bobby. They were both completely mortified and sinking to the floor in the wake of the gathered crowd's laughter.

"Wait," paused Jubilee, "You like me as more than a friend? Is that really true?"

"Yeah, Jubes," said Bobby shyly, looking at the floor. This day was truly horrible. First his plans fail, and then, he reveals all his darkest secrets.

"I really like you," he continued.

"Really?" asked Jubilee, needing confirmation.

Bobby nodded.

"I like you too," said Jubilee with a smile.

"Really?" asked Bobby.

"Really?" said Jubilee.

"Then will you go to 'The Life of Brian' showing at the Plaza tomorrow night?" asked Bobby shyly.

"I'd love to, Bobby," replied Jubilee sincerely with a wide grin.

"Aww…" vocalized the crowd that had witnessed the whole strange event.

Just then Ororo entered the foyer with a puzzled expression, having missed the event, but nonetheless, she announced that breakfast was ready and sheep herded the students into the breakfast nook before the food got cold.

"Vell, zhat vas interesting…" understated Kurt.

"A little odd…though, if not, strangely romantic," mused Kitty.

"Ooh!" squealed John, whipping out a notepad, "PLOT BUNNY ALERT!"

"Da…" muttered Piotr, "I must be going, I shall see you all later. Goodbye Katya."

"Bye, Piotr," said Kitty with a giggle, that was interrupted by laughter coming from a pair leaning against the railing on the second floor.

"Oh mah Gawd! That was amazing, Remy!" laughed Rogue uncontrollably.

"Well, it definitely worked better dan I expected," said Remy laughing along.

They leaned against each other, unable to stand straight from the laughter racking their bodies.

"That IS a CLASSIC. Yah're devious," admitted Rogue, trying hard to control her laughter, but failing miserably and snorting which sent Remy and her into hysterics...

"Don't I know it, dey'll never live dis down…Imagine de toast at de wedding…" trailed off Remy, tears starting to roll of the corner of his eyes as he clutched his stomach.

"Brilliant! And we finally took them out of their misery" gasped Rogue.

"No kidding, dey've been dancin' 'round dis f'r far too long…" laughed Remy.

As the pair disappeared into the halls to continue getting ready, with Remy's arm loosely hanging off Rogue's shoulder, four conspirators that had seen the exchange only filed it away into their vast arsenal to matchmaking heaven.

"Vell zhat certainly settles it…" started Kurt, but he was interrupted by a dramatic yell.

"JOHN SMELLS LIES! LIES OY SAY! THEY SURROUND JOHN!" he bellowed dramatically, falling to his knees and raising his hands to God, an overacted tormented expression on his face a la Leonardo Di Caprio in 'William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet'. (Inspired with my friend Keaton's words one summer, "Keaton smells lies.")

Kurt, Piotr and Kitty stared at him blankly.

"Hoy, everyone!" waved John excitedly and quick from the floor, a cheery smile on his face. Then something caught his eye in the window.

"…Ooh, pretty squirrel, lookit 'im dart up tat tree, now that's entertainment." (For you, Cat, for you.)


Hey, everyone, I hoped you liked this. I was gonna include some more interaction between Remy and Rogue and the others, but I sort of ran out of time, plus, I want to at least post one thing a month and it's once again, looking too long, so I cut some bits out…but there' still plenty to go, and the next chapter will show that. We have some more interesting convos and circumstances… And yeah, I know this is relatively shorter than usual...but there's lots of odd diologue...and a little drop in with Lance...I say the state of Raven is up next. Erik and the Morlocks come into play later. How bad has it gottne for her?

Hey, Spring Break is soon and so is my birthday, so you might find a quicker review than usual…but it's onward to 'URX' next…

I really hoped you enjoyed this. I had a LOT of fun with Bobby and Jubilee and I hope no one is offended by me messing with them a bit…and yes, there is a parallel there to Rogue and Remy. Also, the title sort of justified itself, really it did. To Ish, I'm SO sorry I haven't reviewed your last chapter, I've been busy…and lazy…plus, everyone started updating…and now, lookit, I am too…

UP NEXT: CHAPTER 13: SUSPICION

See ya around and PLEASE SEND ME A REVIEW!

simba317