Note : It is now official ; I have changed my mind about a short story (duh). The title is, after all, Through Time, so it would make sense if this story was long, non? Let's have some fun. Okay, so I was feeling mushy when I wrote that one… I missed the cuteness between Rogue and Remy, I've had it with their fights! More Sinister to come… later.

Special thanks to each of you who review, and to my loyal reviewers, T., Tammy and ishandahalf (I was wondering when you'd review! I was faster than you, dun dun duhhh! Oh and Sinister didn't die, because it would have killed Remy and you would have been soooo mad at me. And I do not want that, no more than you!), for reviewing each and every chapter I come up with. You guys are soooo encouraging! I'm so glad you like it!

Enjoy!

Chapter 15

As the snowflakes fall

The Professor had contacted us shortly and, learning we had killed Essex, had made Gabrielle bring us back. The return was much harder than the going, though, and the feeling of hitting a wall was even more realistic, and we had both been in a light coma for several days.

I opened my eyes, emerging from sleep, to find myself still lying on a bed in the med lab. I had awakened from my coma the day before, but Remy hadn't came back yet. I turned my head on the pillow to look at him, to find his eyes were opened, looking at me. He made a wry smile.

"Hey, sugah" I said in a low voice. "How are yah feeling?"

"Like a car wreck… Damn, I'm hurting everywhere." He squinted his eyes, trying to flex his arms. He tried to sit up but laid down again, grimacing.

"Yup, that's right… Ah felt like that yesterday too." I took a deep breath. "Remy, sugah, are yah all right?"

"I've just told…"

"That's not what Ah meant."

He closed his eyes, thinking. "I said I wasn't mad at you anymore, Rogue. And y'know it's true. Why do y'want to bring it on, again and again?"

"Because Ah saw something break in yah, is all, Remy. Ah want yah to be happy, and Ah know yah're not, right now." I sat up. Felling somewhat better than yesterday, and seeing no nausea what attacking my digestive system, I got on my feet and walked to his bed. He looked at me all along, but didn't say anything. I reached to pick his hand but remembered I hadn't taken my pill. I put it on his shoulder instead. He smiled a bit, unsure.

"Ye think ye're Jean, putting me into therapy like dat?"

"Yah would joke on yer deathbed, wouldn't yah? Oh, Remy, Ah'm so sorry Ah was wrong. Ah never wanted to fight yah, never wanted to hurt yah…" Tears were coming to my eyes, but I fought them. His eyes were deep into mine, listening. "Ah just wanted to convice yah, and it looks like Ah was wrong. And yah were right." He closed his eyes.

"I've been feelin'like garbage a long time, Rogue, and being close to ye has always made me forget dat. But when ye yelled dese things at me, chérie, I felt like a damn screw up again, even with'ye by m'side."

"Remy, yah're not a screw up, now stop saying that. Yah have to put the trial behind, honey. Everyone's forgived yah, except yaself." I put my hand on his other shoulder and locked my eyes with his. "Ah love yah. The way yah are. Just like that. And yah don't go and change anything about yaself, Gambit, or Ah'll slap yah until yah understand. Comprende?" He smiled for real this time. He closed his eyes and solemnly nodded.

"Comprende."

"Now all that's left for yah to do is get better, while Ah go to mah room and change."

***************

I woke up one morning  to a weird feeling of coziness and silence. I got up, cast a look through the deep blue curtains and restrained a yelp of pleasure. Snow! I turned around and jumped on the bed, almost crushing Remy's chest in the process.

"Hein? Wha? Wazza?" he said, sitting up straight in the bed, eyes half opened.

"It's snowing outside!" I yelled. "Snow!" He mumbled something about some merde blanche and laid back down in the bed, putting a pillow on his face to stop hearing my squeaks. Snow didn't fall often, if ever, in Mississippi and I was always delighted to see some. They didn't have much of it either in New Orleans, but Remy couldn't stand the cold. He hated winter. But I wasn't in the mood to discuss anything. I wanted a walk in the woods, with the snowflakes falling in my hair, ending up with a snowball war and a roll up in the snow. Wich usually was followed by a deep kiss and a hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. Cliché? Maybe, but I wanted it. And I said so. It resulted in the apparition of a glaring red eye from under the feather pillow.

"Ye watch too much of dese mushy movies with de other gals, Rogue…" his muffled voice said. "I ain't going rollin' in de snow, we'll be wet all over and catch a cold." The pillow returned over the eye and I sighted. I jumped a few times on the mattress, high enough to make it squeak, and left. I closed the door of the bathroom just in time to avoid receiving the feather pillow in my face.

I got out of the shower and draped a large towel around my body. I was coming out of the bathroom, combing my hair, when a snowball as big as my fist hit the top of my chest. I gasped, then roared when I saw Remy, in jeans and T-shirt, wearing black combat boots and his winter mid-thigh leather jacket, and a diabolical smile on his face – and another snowball in his hand. I yelped and got back into the bathroom, closing the door just in time to hear a loud thump on it, indicating the destruction of the second snowball.

***************

A little snowflake made its way down from the clouds to land on his nose. It tickled and he rubbed his gloved hand on his face to get rid on the sensation. Rogue was almost dancing at his side, making neat boot prints in the snow and turning back to "aaawww" at them. He smiled. If a little snow was all it took for her to be happy, then they'de move in northern Canada in the second. He shivered and put his hands in his pockets. Damn, it was so cold here! He missed the damp, hot temperatures of New Orleans. The Northern states were fine in summer, but he hated cold temperatures. Always had, for as long as he'd known. But for Rogue's face and dashing smile, he'd do everything. Even freeze his ass off in the woods behind the mansion. "Well we're here, might as well try to like it" he thought. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The silence of the surroundings was enjoyable, and the muffled sound of their footsteps was soothing. Suddently he felt a movement behind him and whirled around, but couldn't avoid the snowball Rogue had thrown at him. He rubbed the cold snow from his face with his hands, cursing in French. Rogue giggled and  jumped out of the foot path and into the bushes, and towards the mansion – and a nice warm fireplace, he thought with delight.

He ran to her. With her powers, she could have escaped fast, but she had taken her miracle pill and he ran much faster than her, even in a feet deep of snow. He lunged and landed on her, but she was waiting for it. She screamed with delight when they touched the ground, and she flipped him so she sat on his stomach. His jeans began to be wet with the snow melting under him and it filtered through his scarf, seeping in his back. He was cold. This was a terrible cliché. But he smiled at her.

Her emerald green eyes were bright with delight. Her cheeks were pink with the cold and a cloud of mist was coming out of her slightly opened mouth. She had pinned him on the ground, or pretended to, with her hands on his shoulders. He could have switched the roles easily; he weighted at least fifty pounds more than her. But she radiated joy, he could feel it in his stomach. She was happy. He was too. She smiled, her teeth flashing in the winter sunshine.

"Ah'm cold, let's go inside" she said.

"I love you" he murmured. Her smile widened, if it was possible, and she moved to get off from him.

"Ah love yah too, sugah, but my feet are frozen." He took her arms and flipped her on her back. He put his knees each side of her, and let his weight rest on his elbows, just above her shoulders. His face was not more than an inch from hers, he could feel her hot breathing on his cheeks. She squirmed, a grin on her face. "Have mercy for me, sugah. Ah was serious when Ah said Ah was cold."

"And I was serious when I said I love you." Her smile faded and she looked into his eyes, searching. He locked his eyes in hers.

"Remy? What…"

"Will you marry me, Rogue?"

To be continued!