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Whenever Rogue stared at her own reflection she seemed to see someone else. An accusing, cold-eyed stranger looking back at her. She would close her eyes and run off just to find that reflection again somewhere else.

The image reflected haunted her until the girl was not able to know who she really was behind all that makeup, which slowly had become her mask.

Eventually, she stopped running and turned into that reflection.

Over time, Rogue realized that if she stared long enough into the mirror, she would find imperfections that grew more conspicuous, weirder, turning her into a distinct being from the previous one, further distancing herself from whom she would like to be, from whom she could have been.

These imperfections, she knew, were more than pouches under her eyes, freckles or fatigue; she perceived details no one else could see.

On the other hand, when she glanced at her reflection by accident, her face would resemble a fragile and incomplete shadow. She tried hard to turn it into her face, and as soon as she did it, she would watch her transformation into a white ghost, wandering aimlessly, lost and miserable. A ghost clad in black.

The saddest girl who had ever lived. Deprived of the most basic human need. Deprived of touch.

Bent over the river of the most limpid blue-green water she had ever seen, except on a screen, Rogue did not see any of that anymore. All she could see then was the young and healthy face of a girl whose beauty leaped to the eyes. A fact that had always slipped her attention, for all that blinded her.

Her reflection, however, became whole only after another young face joined hers.

The image then dissipated into water rings in the moment their lips came together. His arms grabbed and pulled her closer to him as her arms wrapped around his neck and her white fingers clenched his wet hair.

Rogue's mind was filled with oneiric memories. Reliving surreal sentiments through that gesture. It was still hard for her to believe as she woke in that very morning that she had found, as in an impossible fantasy, her body close to his. She could not stop thinking about how everything seemed to fall into place just like that.

She felt their entwined legs, one arm under her neck and the other around her waist, his hot breath in the back of her neck, lips brushing her hair.

Rogue ran her slender fingers along the blue veins on his hand. Felt the touch of his lips on her shoulder and turned to feel it on her lips as well.

Back in the river, Rogue wondered how she could have been naïve to the point of thinking she could ever live without knowing how it felt...

Rogue looked up with absente-minded eyes and, through the mirror, saw him standing at the door.

"What?" she asked, somewhat bewildered, her mouth full of toothpaste. Clumsily tried to hide a smile, which for days had refused to leave her lips.

"Jus' enjoying de view, Anna" he replied, showing a smile that had certainly gotten him out of trouble in many occasions.

Her name now flowed naturally from his lips. Rogue, in her turn, was still getting used to it. She still felt a peculiar shiver every time he called her by her other name.

Funny how something so trivial could be so soothing. "Well, Ah'll be! We do look like a couple" she teased. Nonetheless, the gravity of the true meaning of her words hit her. Finished brushing her teeth, and then started brushing her wet hair in order to keep her hands occupied.

"We moved in together, non?" he said in jest; still, his eyes did not leave her. While she flustered, he seemed to get more comfortable; leaned on the doorjamb, crossed his arms and heels.

As she realized he would not let up on her, Rogue put her brush aside, leaned back on the sink and turned to him. "This is vacation, Remy" she said softly; could not think of anything better to say.

"It's a good start" he retorted. He then moved forward, closed in on her as if she were his prey. "Doesn't mean I can't introduce you as my girl" he concluded pulling her closer to himself.

She chuckled genuinely. "Introduce me to who? It's just the two of us here" the laughter made her voice sound shrill.

Gambit remained unshaken. Her laughter faded away and she smiled shyly. "You making this official, Cajun?" her voice was sweet and darer. She arched an eyebrow of doubt to taunt him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I am" he replied without hesitation; the gravitas lasted only a second. "No way I'm asking Wolverine for your hand in marriage, though."

Rogue guffawed. When he leaned to kiss her, though, she chased him out of the bathroom for his intrusion.

With her cheeks flushed from the effort of pushing him out, Rogue rested her back against the door, smiling like a fool. She looked into the mirror, deeply into her own eyes, and found beauty on her face, at last. Not only that, she thought to herself, wrinkling her eyebrows a little. There was something that resembled happiness.

When Gambit was about to finish doing the dishes from the lunch he had prepared, Rogue finished sweeping out the pile of sand that snuck into the house on a daily basis.

Putting her broom aside, she sat down comfortably at the counter; her legs spread, only her tiptoes touching the floor, sleepy eyes, chin rested on her hands and her elbows on the table.

She caught herself smiling as she watched Remy. He was wearing a ridiculous fuchsia apron. Her words, not his. Remy considered himself to be the only one who could wear the piece with style. He finished his chores and rested on the counter, drawing near to her. "What you wanna do today, Anna?"

Not that there were that many options. Their days were all about walking, exercises, swimming and spending most of the day in each other's arms.

Days full of swimming in the sea, snuggling in bed at night, breakfast on the sand, words spoken without hesitation, teasing followed by passionate kisses, the certainty it felt right, that for the first time there seemed to be a tomorrow.

Above all else, there was the comforting fact that Rogue knew it had not been abrupt. They had had plenty of time, time to get to know each other and somehow try to figure out what they were feeling for each other, with no interference of any sort. It was more than Rogue could ever have hoped for.

How relieving it was to know that she did not have to be tormented by the notion that some voice in her head had something to do with the decisions she made. Finding out she was not who she thought she was. All her gothic girl attitude was still there; she would never stop being Rogue. Nonetheless, she had left behind her trying to be invisible and her keeping people at arm's length at all costs.

She felt that, for the first time, she was also Anna Marie. She was turning into the person she would have been had she not been cursed with uncontrollable powers. All it took was getting away from everything she knew to find out. And she was enjoying this life much more than she should for her own good.

The days Rogue spent contemplative, miserable, blaming herself for setting Apocalypse free, making up the worst case scenarios, concealing, saying she was fine were most certainly gone.

It did not mean she had forgotten about it all, it was just that she had learned to be patient, realized that worrying would not lead to a solution, accepted there were things that inevitably were out of her hands. Something that was much easier to accept when she had the control over what mattered the most.

On a night hotter than usual, Remy found himself having trouble to fall asleep, for his mind filled with nostalgic memories insisted on reminiscing. And if there was something he hated was dwelling on his past.

He gave himself a headache from thinking and trying not to think. Feeling his temples throbbing painfully, he got to his feet to get himself some medication. There was a small but sufficient stash they took with them.

Going back to bed as stealthily as he had gotten out of it, he could not help stopping for a moment to watch through the mosquito net over the bed as Rogue slept. She was lying down in the same position she had fallen asleep in.

Perhaps it was the medication kicking in or because it was the middle of the night or the atmosphere, whatever it was, Remy looked at her feminine shape and curves as if she was not real. He must have lost his mind because he felt more and more in love with that girl. Tried hard to talk himself into believing that making their relationship official had been a joke, but he knew that was a lie. He wanted to be with her, regardless of what or who he would have to fight against.

He moved the net aside and lay down next to her, shut his eyes. When he felt he was finally drifting off, as if in a punishment, he felt the weight of her arm and leg on his chest and thigh, respectively. Rogue rolled over in her sleep to nestle against him.

For the girl who could not touch, that was a meaningful gesture. Rogue had come a long way. He knew she trusted him, so much so that he felt a sudden and cold fear of letting her down.

Remy put his arms around her, as if she could hear his thoughts, reassuring he could never hurt her. With his shifting positions, Rogue shifted a little too, pressing her body further into his, brushing her thighs against his. He then felt a different kind of pain. There was no lying. It was not easy having her sleeping next to him every night and keeping chaste, pretending he did not want her in other ways as well. She slept like a log next to him, unaware of what was running through his mind.

As he barely slept during the night, Remy ended up falling asleep when it was almost dawn. So when Rogue got up, he did not even feel the soft kiss she planted on his cheek.

She went back to bed later on, wearing her habitual shorts and tank top; with a naughty smile, crawled silently, wanting to deliberately wake him up. Lay down next to him and caressed his face until he woke up few minutes later.

"Morning" he murmured.

"Morning" she replied with a smile.

Remy noticed he had slept late but there there was no point in asking what time it was. "I slept in" he stated as he stretched.

"Breakfast's just about ready" she said, kissing him on his face again. Remy, however, held her in a long and intense kiss.

They drew apart breathless. Rogue could not help but casting him a questioning look; instead of answering he covered her with more kisses.

Just to tease him, Rogue squirmed out of his arms when the kettle whistled in the kitchen, got up despite his pleading, her legs quivering. Gambit sunk his face in the pillow in order to muffle a frustrated groan.

In the afternoon, their plans of spending the day in the sea were frustrated when a sudden storm forced them to run back to the house after just a few minutes of walking.

As soon as they reached the front door, soaking wet and gasping, they fought against the wind until they finally slammed the door shut; hair pasted on their faces just like their clothes on their bodies. They exchanged glances before bursting out laughing and falling into each other's arms, in that order.

Remy pressed her against the door. One arm around her waist, one hand on her thigh, he kissed her on her neck and nape, tasting the drops of rain in the tip of his tongue blending with her scent. His hands longing for more, pushing her tank top up almost despite himself. Fighting against the urge to just pick her up and take her to bed.

Each touch more irresistible.

Gambit mustered up the strength to draw back and cut their kiss short, even though his hand still held her, resisting.

"What's wrong, Remy?" she asked, blinking in confusion, unconsciously leaning forward, wanting more.

Remy gulped; words surprisingly escaping him. Could she be that clueless?

"We better stop here, Anna" he said at last, aching, gasping for air. Moved back, even though deep down he hoped she would stop him – she did not.

Rogue stilled her arms in time, struggling not to repress her feelings again. She thought their relationship had been progressing in a comfortable pace.

Remy dared to smile. "Guess it'd be a lot easier if we were on de couch at Xavier's living room, holding hands, wit' Wolverine checking on us."

Rogue could not help but laughing as she pictured the scene in her mind. How silly and ordinary that would be.

In a way, walking around semi naked in a place where there was no one else around was not ideal.

"You can go back to sleeping in the sofa if that makes you feel better" she suggested, feeling comfortable enough to tease him after his comment had relieved the tension. In the end, she could not go through with it. "Sorry. Ah didn't know you... Ah just... Ah don't wanna be all covered up again, Remy, especially now that Ah've been… comfortable."

"I don't want you to" he said, placing a kiss on her forehead, unlike the previous kisses but not less sincere. "Jus' try to go easy on me, ok?" he said with a blink.

She gave him a sympathetic smile and laid her head on his chest; Remy gave off an aching moan and stepped back in a humorous fashion. "Dat's what I'm talkin' abou'."

She giggled. "I'mma take off these wet clothes" she said as she turned on her heels and sashayed away from him as if not a word he said was heard. Turned to him one last time. "By myself... in the bathroom... behind a locked door."

He smirked. That girl would be his undoing. The Prince of Thieves had his heart stolen by a Rogue.

Doctor McCoy's eyes could not hide his anxiety as the Black Bird made his way to the place where the coordinates indicated. Hank hoped to finally find the Genesis Chamber, which they hoped would turn into Apocalypse's new – and final – tomb.

"We're here" Cyclops cried out from the pilot chair. The trajectory had been ridiculously short. His voice interrupted the silence and thoughts of the rest of the group in which Xavier, Jean, Shadowcat and Nightcrawler also took part, the latter two had gotten themselves a spot in the mission through annoying pushiness.

Without any fuss, the ship landed in the middle of the Mojave Desert, a place shrouded in mysteries, known as a plane cemetery as if there was something attracting them there. Maybe there really was.

"Here?" Kitty asked in utter surprise as they stepped down. When she questioned where they were headed, California sounded like a joke. Cyclops joking should have tipped her off, though, she thought somewhat amused. "Why here? Shouldn't the pyramid be in Egypt or something?" she intended her question not to sound stupid. Failed.

Frowning, the doctor pondered. "The coordinates point to this location here. The hieroglyphs suggested that Apocalypse was aware of neither this chamber's location nor its existence..." he wandered again.

"But if we managed to get here, then Apocalypse can also do it easily" said Cyclops.

"Undoubtedly" said Xavier, "however, do not forget that the path that brought us here was a succession of mysteries unraveled with much effort."

"And also," The Beast continued "whoever brought the chamber here – assuming it is in fact here – did it, purposefully mixing it up with The Eye of Ages. They must have brought the chamber here and hid it for centuries" he went on conjecturing. "It was expected that Apocalypse wouldn't find it in the New World, that he would see it as no more than a metaphor, instead of a real chamber, just like we did at first. Quite clever. There would be no reasons for Apocalypse to believe there was another chamber. Might have seen the coordinates as a simple error."

"I say it's a stroke of luck that the chamber is buried in a desert" said Nightcrawler. "Since it was brought here centuries ago, it could've been buried by skyscrapers by now."

Beast smiled, kindly. "Perhaps they knew."

"What do you mean?" questioned Cyclops.

"Many things are not plain twists of fate... there are parts of this picture that are yet to be unraveled."

Without further ado, the tracking devices were brought. In few minutes, they were all set.

After scanning approximately two hundred feet, something was found. They gathered around, eager for news.

Xavier scanned the underground. There was in fact a pyramid buried in the appointed place.

"I go first, like the last time?" questioned Kitty.

But Xavier had different plans. "Allow me to try something else instead."

With his mind, Xavier went through the pyramid, examined every corner. Saw the chamber safely hidden inside it. There were unfamiliar inscriptions all over the place, not hieroglyphs; looked like it could be from another world. The Professor made an attempt to pick into the chamber. His vision, however, was suddenly cut off and Xavier felt an excruciating pain pierce through his body.

Everyone rushed to assist him.

"I was hit by an extremely powerful psychic wave. Not to worry, I'm fine" said the Professor with effort despite his words. Suddenly, like in a magic trick, everything became clear. The inscriptions came back to him, legibly. Xavier could not explain how but he knew what to do next.

He closed his eyes, and struggled until the ground began to tremble and the capstone of the pyramid emerged through the sand.

As soon as it was completely visible, the Professor promptly covered it up in order to deceive whatever eyes with illusion of a formidable magician.

However, the trick was not over yet. The pyramid split in half and opened a door.

The Beast carefully drew closer and gently slid his fingers along the carving, fascinated. "This is identical to the chamber in which Apocalypse was imprisoned. It certainly is the other chamber's twin" he suddenly came back down to earth. "You guys feel free to leave. I'll stay" he said as if realizing they could not transport the chamber. "The Professor needs rest."

"I'm fine" Xavier assured. "Our priority is for the pyramid to be concealed."

"I can do this, Professor" said Jean. "At least for the time being. We'll figure it out for the long haul."

Cyclops took the lead. "I'm taking the Professor back to the mansion. Kurt, come with. The others set up camp. We'll be back soon."

Sunlight forced its way through the trees as birds sang in unison. Clouds moving nonstop, covering up and then releasing the sun as they went, making shadows dance on the sand. The scent of the previous day's rain filled the air as raindrops fell of the trees.

Rogue halted, pretending to be tired due to their long morning walk. Rested her hand on her knees and wheezed. Remy went on; he knew she was faking it, trying to cut their walking short. She had tried to pull that one on him before.

Realizing he was not convinced, Rogue set out running, on her face an expression of someone who accepted a challenge, and she threw herself at his back. Caught by surprise, they both crashed down on the sand. Rogue rolled over and, flat on her back, laughed until her belly ached. So did he. Both reminded of their first day on a beach not unlike that one.

A whole life seemed to have come to pass since then.

As soon as Remy was able to stop his laughing, he turned his face and stared at her. Rogue was alive. The confidence pouring through every pore of her body was evident; she looked taller just by shifting her posture and attitude.

When her burst of laughter ceased, Rogue closed her eyes to feel the heat on her body. The sun was good for her. She thought she was home for the first time.

She raised her eyes to the blue sky, instinctively holding her hand above her head to protect them. With half-closed and crystal-clear green eyes, as if mesmerized, she watched the sunlight between her long white fingers, formerly mortal fingers.

Observed as if the back of her uncovered hand, devoid of gloves and the fear of touching, was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. Fascinated by the dispensability of her gloves and her growing need for touch.

Propping up on her elbow, she leaned over him, throwing her hair back and biting on her lower lip. Touched his lips with hers to tease him. In a swift and familiar move, Remy shifted their positions, and, with one hand around her waist and the other on her neck, he kissed her. Remy took notice of the faraway look in her eyes and asked if there was something wrong; hoarse voice, caressing her face with his fingers.

"Ah'm glad you fell on that beach with me" she said as in a confession.

"Actually, I followed you dere."

"Ah don't want this to end" she said, looking away in order to hide the lump in her throat. "It's not enough. Ah want more."

He pushed away a lock of hair from her eyes. "We'll have to go back eventually, Anna."

"Ah know" she said, diverting her eyes. Although it was what she wanted to hear, she could not blame him for saying; it was the truth, as painful as it was.

"I'll go wit' you" he said, pushing her to look into his eyes. "To Bayville, wherever you go for as long as you want me dere" the spontaneity in his voice made his words sound the more real. She believed.

Just like that it was as if there was hope for a less dark future.

To be continued…

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