I'm feeling the need to celebrate the fact that I've just started writing chapter 79 of The Air That I Breathe, and the starting year is 79. At long last, the number of years is going to supass the number of chapters. You have no idea how happy I am.

Anyway, by coincidence, the most recently posted chapter of The Air That I Breathe, Chapter 24, has an alternate opening scene, which I wrote for the fun of it. There was no way this scene was going to be the actual opening scene because it would have spoiled all my diabolical evil schemes for the story.

This scene is unedited. It may contain mild spoilers, plotholes, or continunity errors.

Alternate Chapter 24 opening scene:

Gambit woke up the next morning in Rogue's bed wearing only his pyjama bottoms. He smiled when he saw her asleep on her side and he shuffled over to spoon with her. Rogue mumbled something and relaxed into him. He smiled to himself and trailed his fingers lightly over her stomach, just enjoying the proximity. He lifted his head to kiss her next and then realised two things: her helmet was in the way, and he'd been about to kiss her.

The thought startled him, his actions moreso. They had exchanged kisses before, on the hand or on the helmet near a cheek or the top of the head. He'd certainly thought about kissing her more deeply than that, but in those thoughts there was no need for helmets. This was the first time he'd actually attempted to kiss her like he would have one of his lovers.

As Gambit settled beside Rogue, frowning at his own thoughts, he realised given their current physical position it was little wonder he might try to do that. Part of him wondered if he was over stepping his bounds, while the rest of him pointed out that they'd always had a touching relationship and the only thing that had really changed was the layers between them. Then he wasn't sure if he'd been taking advantage of Rogue this whole time. She was beautiful and sexy, and he wanted to touch her as much as she wanted to be touched. Was it mutual satisfaction or was he just a bastard taking advantage of her vulnerability and desperation? He didn't know.

Rogue sighed and turned around to look at him. He wiped the anxiety off his face as Rogue smiled.

"Morning," she said.

"Morning," he replied.

Rogue ran one hand up his bare chest, reminding Gambit that this touching business went both ways. He definitely liked being touched by her and he knew she liked touching him.

"I could definitely deal with waking up like this more often," she said coyly.

"Well, I'm here for a whole month," Gambit replied cheerfully. "I'm sure we could arrange something."

The urge to kiss her came back again and he may have done it if it wasn't physically impossible for him to press his lips to hers.

"I'd like that," she said.

He looked into her youthful face, only her eyes betraying her true age, and was reminded of his thoughts the day before about the potential of Rogue having a long life. He hoped he was right. It would be awesome if he could have her in his life and not have to concern himself with out living her like he did with every other woman in his life who wasn't Candra or part of the Guild.

Perhaps he was going about this dating business all wrong. Maybe it was Rogue he should be with.

"Rogue," he said, his voice low and husky.

"Yeah?" Rogue inquired, her hand continuing to gently caress his chest.

"I want... I, I need to kiss you," he said.

Rogue met his eyes and felt a little overwhelmed by the desire she saw in them. Her heart began to race. Was this really happening, or was she just dreaming?

"You, you do?" she asked.

He moved in as if to do just that, his hands grabbing at her helmet as if trying to phase through it. His lips pressed up against the helmet, as close to her lips as they could get. He sighed and closed his eyes when all they felt was the clear visor.

Rogue lifted her hand and ran her thumb over his lips. She'd never felt so excited or terrified in her life.

"Maybe there's somewhere else you can kiss me?" she offered. "Something more satisfactory?"

"There will never be any kiss more satisfactory than tasting your lips, ma chere," Gambit replied softly, dropping his hands from her helmet and back down her sides. Before Rogue could feel discouraged by his response, he continued: "I shall simply have to make do with making love to every other inch of your body."

"Oh," Rogue breathed as he rolled her onto her back.

This couldn't be real. She had to be dreaming. She sighed wantonly as he straddled her and ran his hands down her sides. Just as he was about to grab her chest he paused, remembering his earlier thoughts about taking advantage.

"With your permission of course," he said, if belatedly. "It's okay if you don't want me to. I don't want to make you comfortable or anything..."

Rogue knew then it was real. The issue of consent never came up in her daydreams.

"Well, that depends, Swamp Rat," Rogue said, torn between saying her next words and just telling him to go for it. "Is it me you want, or did you just wake up horny?"

She did not like the long silence that followed or the look of uncertainty on his face. She should have just told him to go for it. She started to get up.

"You," he said before she could get far. "Definitely you."

"You sure," Rogue asked sceptically, not looking at him as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. "You seemed to have to think about it."

Gambit scooted in towards her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Yeah, I did," he said. "Never even occurred to me I might have woken up horny. Does happen."

Rogue closed her eyes as he tenderly ran his hands over her body.

"But it's you," he went on, "it's definitely you that I want, Roguey. You set me on fire."

She gasped lightly as he began kissing down her spine. She grabbed his closest hand and placed it on her breast, finishing what he'd stopped himself from doing only moments before. He shifted around so that he was sitting behind her and grabbed her other breast. As he squeezed she gave out the most delicious moan he'd heard in years.

Rogue had no idea what to do with her hands. They were over his, then over his legs, then running over herself, and back to his hands again. Lost in the ecstasy of the moment, she threw her head back and almost clobbered Gambit in the face with her helmet. Fortunately, Gambit anticipated this and just missed out on having his nose broken.

He moved back around and lowered her down on the bed. His hands and lips flew all over her body, eliciting more and more of those delicious moans from Rogue. Kissing the hazmat suit wasn't the same as kissing skin, but the material was thin enough that it wasn't too much of an inconvenience... except perhaps to Rogue, who in between running her hands over every part of Gambit she could reach, phased off the clothes she had been wearing underneath the hazmat suit.

His hands ran frantically over her as she wrapped her legs around him. One hand darted between her legs to rub her, the lack of true access driving him crazy. She grabbed at the waistband of his pyjama pants and gave a light tug.

"Go on," Gambit said, pressing his hardened manhood between her legs. "Phase 'em off. It's hot when you do that."

A moment later his pants were gone and flung off the edge of the bed. He rubbed himself against her as her legs tightened around him. She continued to moan in delight and he continued to revel in the sound.

She slipped her hand down and ran her fingers around his member, or as much as she could get to of it. He pulled back slightly and she explored further, trying to keep her extra doses of super-strength in mind so she didn't hurt him. His hand curled over hers, directing her to the hows and wheres, and she took her cue from him for the pressure. His increased breathing thrilled her.

He sighed as he came, and then smiled for Rogue, unable to feel the evidence of his orgasm, continued to stroke him. He weaved his fingers in hers and met her eyes.

"Thank you," he said softly.

Rogue lifted her head to look. "Oh, right."

He leaned in and kissed her gently on her collar bone. Then he lifted his head and grinned slyly at her.

"You're still raring to go, aren't you?" he asked.

"Hell yes," she replied.

"Well, then," he said. "I'd better go change into my hazmat suit then."

Rogue lifted her clean hand to his face and smiled with anticipation at what was to come.

"Change quickly," she said.

Gambit stood and she stood with him.

"You'd better believe it," he replied.

He planted a kiss on her other collar bone and then headed for the airlock door. Rogue couldn't stand the silence and as he lifted his hand to open the door, she blurted out:

"I love you."

The door opened and Gambit stepped quickly inside the hallway. Maybe he misheard? She didn't really say that... did she? He barely registered the trip to his room, barely noticed getting into his hazmat suit. He didn't know what to do. His usual methods of getting out of the "I love you" issue wouldn't work with Rogue.

He returned to the bedroom and plugged himself straight into the air. Rogue was on the bed, still in her suit sans helmet. He sat down beside her and tried to catch her eyes, but she wouldn't meet him. Cautiously he touched her leg. Her eyes watched as his hand gently caressed her, the expression on her face telling him she just didn't know whether she wanted him to continue or tell him to go away.

"Rogue," he said started say, and then stopped. He didn't know where he was going with it.

"It's okay," she said quickly, her eyes still firmly on his hand, and not noticing his hesitation at all. "You don't feel that way about me. I get it. I mean, you go through that many girlfriends, and I guess we're going pretty fast here and—"

"I love you," he said, shocking both of them with his words.

Rogue finally lifted her head and met his eyes as if not believing what she just heard. Gambit didn't know if he did either.

"I love you," he said again, testing the words out on his lips.

"You... you do?" Rogue asked. Her hands were shaking.

"Yeah, I do," Gambit said, a slow smile spreading across his face at the realisation.

"You're not just saying it?" Anxiety threaded through her voice.

"I haven't said those words for fifty years," Gambit told her. "Not since Bella Donna. Wasn't even sure if I was still capable of them."

"Seriously?" Rogue asked.

"Seriously."

"Not even Celeste? Or Trudy?" she pressed.

"Nope."

"But surely they both told you they loved you?" Rogue insisted. "You... you probably hear it all the time."

Gambit lifted his hand and touched her face. "I have. More than I can count. Most effective method of getting out of it is to just say 'I like you too' but sort of swallow up the 'ike' sound in 'like', and then kiss them straight away. Ninety percent of the time they don't realise I haven't said what they wanted me to say."

"I... you sneaky bastard."

"Wouldn't work on you and your three-dozen doses of super hearing though."

Rogue swatted at him. "Don't exaggerate. It's only four. Individual ones, not dozens."

Gambit chuckled and ran his fingers over her lips.

"One day I'll kiss you properly," he promised her. "But in the meantime... are you going to phase that thing off or do I get to undress you?"