Author's Note: The third installment. This is the longest section, ripe with introspection. YAY!! :P I'm not trying to be confusing, but just about every paragraph switches from Rogue to Remy and vice versa with the bartender thrown in a couple times just to add more chaos. I think it makes sense, but if anybody is confused… sorry!! Oh and the section intro is in Remy's voice. Just so you know.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters 'xept the bartender. That fat 50 year-old is all mine baby!! Yummy.

"talking" - 'thinking' - section introduction/foreign languages

Sometimes

by, Caliente

Reunion

Jus' when you t'ink dat you're over it. All de pain. All de heartache. It always comes back. Like a never-ending vicious circle. An' it hurts, jus' as much as de day dat y'left de first time. It feels like no time has passed, an' more den anyt'ing else, y'want t'ings t'be back de way dey were. But dey're not. An' all y'left wit' is de pain. Again.

New Orleans. That's the last place Rogue ever expected to find herself again. It had been years. Many years. She was nearing 30, Remy would have already passed that benchmark. Over five years. Almost a decade. And now here she was. In his hometown, the most likely place in the entire world that she would find him. If she was looking. Which she wasn't. And thank the good Lord for that. Unfortunately, her search for Jacob Gavin Jr. had brought her right into the French Quarter. More specifically, the Guild territory. She just wanted to find the Courier and be done with it. She did not want to be stuck in a place that reminded her of the man she had struggled for years to forget.

White stripe. That was the first thing Remy noticed that seemed out of place. But, then again, a lot of people dyed their hair in strange ways nowadays. Maybe he just wasn't hip to the new fad. He knew for a fact that his lingo was out of date. Remy shrugged, trying to forget about it. So what if he had seen some person with white hair in the front? It didn't mean anything. It could have been Nate Grey with grown out hair for all he knew. But curiosity forced Gambit to investigate. Some sort of masochistic desire to see if it really was the woman he had pined over for years. The one that got away as his Tante Mattie put it.

The bar wasn't particularly clean. In fact, dingy would have been the perfect adjective to describe both the environment and the clientele. Rogue had heard Jake frequented this place, but who was she to judge. Maybe this was just the Cajun version of Harry's Hideaway. She almost laughed at the thought of Storm, Jean, and Scott in this place. Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen. Well, maybe Storm. She went up to the bar and smiled winningly at the bartender, who looked to be in his mid-50s. "Ah was just wonderin' if a fella by the name o' Jacob Gavin Junior, also goes by Jake an' Courier, had been in recently?" she inquired in a sultry tone. "Ah'm an ol'… friend o' his."

"Uh, I, uhm, don' t'ink so," the bartender stuttered. "Can ask around if y'like."

"That's all right sugah," Rogue replied with a slightly pained smile. Cajun accent, she should have been prepared for that. "But could Ah please have a shot o' Southern Comfort? Ah have a feelin' it's gonna be a long night."

"'Course," he told her gruffly, trying to save face. He poured her a shot and watched her down it without losing her smile. When she reached to pay, he stopped her. "It's on de house chere. Not every day we get such a belle fille in a dive like dis."

"Thanks sugah." The Southern belle's smile grew and she gave him a friendly peck on the cheek.

Remy followed the white stripe into a seedy bar. Actually, it was the kind of place he liked to frequent when he wasn't working. And occasionally when he was. Hey, he was that good. Remy lit a cigarette to calm his nerves before he entered the bar. It was mostly empty, with the exception of a few patrons shooting pool in the back and the complimentary sloppy drunk asleep on the bar stool. Remy's eyes caught the white stripe again, but her back was still facing him. A very attractive backside, but it had been at least 7 years, so it was hard to say if it was still her. He could hear sultry words flitter through the smoky room, but he couldn't make them out. His heart was beating too loudly. He watched as she took a shot and then gave the bartender a kiss on the cheek. A kiss. Skin to skin contact. Then it couldn't be… could it? It had been 7 years. A lot could happen in seven years. He approached her from behind, and tapped her on the shoulder. "Rogue?"

She heard the words echo in her mind, and for a second she thought she was hallucinating. But then she whipped around, her long hair flying in her face, and gaped at the Cajun man standing behind her. Seeing him for the first time in so long was like falling off a cliff. She was completely unprepared for the surprise, pain, and joy all at once. It was like freefalling. Finally able to regain her bearings, she cried "Remy!" in surprise, her bright green eyes wide. She was completely unaware that her mouth was hanging open.

Even before she turned around, he knew. The way her shoulders had stiffened when he spoke her name. Pure Rogue. When she turned around, her hair seemed to fly around her in a halo. Like a fallen angel. For a moment she had just stared at him, like she wasn't sure he was real. But the moment she spoke his name, it all came back. All the feelings for her. Everything. He dropped his cigarette in surprise, but quickly stomped it out, trying to shrug it off. "Been a while p'tite," he commented, as if it had been a matter of weeks, not years that had separated them.

His words cut her into a million pieces. How could he? Didn't he know how he hurt her? How it destroyed her to know that he cared so little. Especially after all that they had been through. It belittled everything they had once shared. Acting as if all of their love was meaningless. She felt her heart shatter, but she couldn't afford to fall apart. No, that wouldn't be fair to either of them. She had to be strong. Fighting all of her emotions, she settled on indifference. "Yeah it has Remy. How ya been?"

As much as he knew it pained her, because he could feel her pain as well as his own, he admired her for putting on the brave face. For being the strong woman he had fallen in love with. That he was still in love with. But she must have moved on by now. Especially since she had at least partial control over her powers. He had seen her kiss that bartender on the cheek after all. And he was still standing. Realizing that she had asked him a question, he quickly smiled at her and answered. "Been good chere. Working hard, playing harder. De usual." He added a wink for effect, as he took the seat next to her. "An' yo'self?"

The old Rogue would have been livid. She would have beaten the living tar out of that filthy swamp rat for treating her like she was nothing. But the new Rogue, the Rogue who actually understood what he must be feeling, knew better. He was hurting just as much as she was. Maybe more. Who could tell? But she knew he was hurting, and there was no sense in making it worse. She wasn't that sadistic of a person. So, she threw on a smile of her own. "Been just fine Swamp Rat." She noticed his smile grew at the use of his old nickname, but his eyes held a hint of sadness. "'Specially since Joe helped me gain control over my powers."

"Dat's wonderful p'tite." Remy was all smiles as he replayed what she had just said in his mind over and over again. 'Specially since Joe helped me gain control over my powers. 'Specially since JOE helped me gain CONTROL over my powers. So that was it. She had moved on with some fella named Joe. Joe. He hated the name already. And the man, though he didn't know him from the next guy on the street. This was surely his replacement. But Remy couldn't afford to lose control; that would only make this more difficult. Instead he gave her an awkward hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Jus' wonderful," he repeated absentmindedly. "So, y'still wit' de X-Men?" he inquired conversationally. "Or have you an' dis 'Joe' fella settled down somewhere."

Rogue knew she didn't imagine the pain in his eyes when she mentioned Joseph. It was the truth, the clone of the Master of Magnetism had been key in unlocking the mystery of her mutation. Part of her had wanted to hurt him by telling him of how another man had saved her from her curse. But she got no joy from his response. It tugged on her heart, and she silently scolded herself for even mentioning it. "Ah'm not really with the X-Men anymo'. Moved out o' the mansion an' got a job. Ah'm a mechanic, can ya believe it?" Remy shot her a lopsided grin, obviously entertained by the idea of her working with her hands. "But Ah still live close by an' go on the occasional mission when Ah'm needed. An' baby-sit fo' Jean an' Scott whenever they ask. Ah just love li'l Rachel ta death."

He listened to what she was saying, or more accurately, what she wasn't saying. So she wasn't an X-Man anymore, but she was still fighting for the dream. She was living a normal life, but she didn't mention this Joe person in it. She tried to divert the attention off of her by mentioning Jean and Scott's offspring. Interesting. Apparently she was just as uncomfortable as him. He still smiled at her with that lady killer smile. "So dey decided t'name her Rachel. Even though our Rachel is technically from a diff'rent reality. Or somet'ing insanely confusing like dat."

Letting out a small laugh, Rogue found herself pleased that he had taken her bait and changed the subject. Joseph was not a subject she wanted to talk about with her former lover. Especially after he… it was of no consequence. He was gone but Remy didn't need to know that. Remy didn't need to know anything. He abandoned her, not the other way around. Trying to quell her angry thoughts, Rogue turned back to their conversation. "Yeah. Jean said that she 'always liked the name Rachel anyways' an' that she 'couldn't think of a better name for such a beautiful baby girl'. Personally, Ah was feelin' a li'l nauseated by the whole thin'. Ah swear that family is mo' messed up than mine."

There was a hint sadness and anger in her words, but Remy brushed it off. He knew that she didn't want to approach the subject, but he couldn't stand not knowing. "But you didn' answer my earlier question." Rogue feigned confusion, hoping he would get the hint, but Gambit pressed on. "Tell me 'bout y'life. Who you're wit', who y'hang out wit', why you're here. Everyt'ing. It's been a long time chere." 'I've missed you. I can't stand not knowing anymore,' he added silently.

"Everythin' huh?" Rogue let out a small snort. "Ya wanna know everythin'? Fine." She wanted to yell at him. Scream out her anger and hurt. But she couldn't. What would that do? Just make it hurt more when he rejected her. Again. And she had no doubt that he would. "Here's everythin'," she sighed. "Started a relationship with Joseph but he died." 'Left me just like you did,' she thought bitterly. "I couldn't live in the mansion anymo'. Too many memories." 'Of you and me, when we were happy. Of us. Of our love.' She fought the tears of pain that threatened to fill her eyes. She had cried enough over the Cajun man who didn't give a damn about her. "Started a new life. An' Ah'm happy. Happier than Ah been in a long time." 'But nowhere near as happy as I was with you,' she finished in her head.

"'M sorry 'bout y'friend," Remy said sympathetically. He didn't like the idea of another man, but clearly she was hurting. Having a friend, a lover die was hard. He knew from experience. "Shouldn' have pushed you." Her expression softened, letting him know that she had forgiven him. For this transgression at least. "Glad t'hear dat y'got yo' life on track. Dat you're happy." He hated saying the words. They tasted sour in his mouth. He knew he was lying through his teeth. Sure, he did want her to be happy, but part of him hurt know she was happy without him. When he was unable to get over her, she had clearly moved on.

"Thanks Rem, that's really sweet of ya ta say." Her smile hurt her cheeks. She hated lying to him, to herself, but she couldn't let him know the truth. That each day she wished he would return to her. That every morning, when she woke up alone, it hurt just a little bit more. Knowing that she had never, would never move on. It was like she died a little bit more every day. "So, ya still with the Guild. Still robbin' people blind." 'The rich of their treasures, the girls of their hearts,' she continued to herself. 'Know you still have mine.'

"Somet'ing like dat chere," Remy responded, his cocky grin returning. "Like mon père would always say, a t'ief's work is never done." Rogue let out an appreciative chuckle. Remy felt his heart ache with her casual response. How he wished she still cared for him the way he still cared for her. "An' de Assassins an' de T'ieves Guilds have united. We're de United Guild of Assassins an' Thieves. Long name, non?" His smile grew. "Sometimes I feel like de Prince of N'awlins 'stead of de Prince of T'ieves." 'But what's a prince without his princess?' he wondered silently. 'Always feel like a piece of me is missing, and no girl could ever fill it. Except you.'

"So, Ah guess you're workin' pretty close wit' Bella Donna," Rogue commented nonchalantly. 'Blonde haired bitch,' she added angrily in her mind. 'Knew I should have drained her dry when I had the chance. Bet she still loves you too. And you probably are an "item" again. I knew coming here was a bad idea.' She smiled tightly. "Must be just like ol' times. The Prince of Thieves an' the Princess of Assassins tagether 'gain."

Remy shrugged. "Working t'get'er, sure. But not'ing more. Learned after she tried t'kill me, numerous times, dat it's sometimes better not t'mix business wit' pleasure." He smirked, a default expression for him. "Well, mostly." 'Of course, it's not like I care about any of that,' the Cajun pondered for a moment. 'Don't even bother with any of it anymore. What's the point? When somebody owns your heart, why bother with all of the games? Even after it's over.' He stared intently into her emerald green orbs. "Meant t'ask you. Why're you down here anyway?"

"Can't a girl fly down fo' some Southern Comfort?" Rogue questioned with a flirtatious grin. Remy raised an eyebrow, as if to say, 'You really expect me to buy that?' Rogue let out a small sigh. 'And the pleasantries end.' "Ah'm lookin' fo' a fella by the name o' Jacob Gavin Jr. The Professor was wonderin' if he could speak with him. Ah think it's about Beast's research on the Legacy Virus." 'Back to business as usual,' she thought with a hint of sadness. 'The reunion is over and it hurts. Worse than before.'

"Jake?" Remy was surprise, to say the least. Hadn't seen the Courier in quite some time. "Had a few dealings wit' de fella a while back. Nice 'nuff, but a real rookie. Know what I mean?" Rogue nodded, curious where this was going. "Last I knew, he was stuck in de form of a woman. T'ink he took up a new name… uh, Jackie or somet'ing. Black haired babe, if you're looking." 'Not a great kisser though,' he commented to himself. 'Don't think she'd like that bit of information. Actually, can't say she's rightly care.'

"Oh, thanks sugah." She offered him her brightest smile, feeling herself quickly running out of things to say. 'Guess you really don't care anymore,' she concluded silently. 'I should leave before I say something I regret.' She almost laughed at herself. 'Like how I really feel.' Rogue felt that she would explode if she spent any longer in such close proximity to the sexy Cajun. Why did he have to torment her so? And he didn't have a clue. "Ah guess Ah'll keep searchin' then." Rogue rose from her bar stool and moved to leave. She paused and turned back to him. "It was really good ta see ya again Remy." She felt her heart break again with her words. Probably the last time she'd ever see him again. And he didn't give a shit. She placed her arms around him in an awkward hug. 'One more for the road,' she rationalized, relishing the brief touch with him. She pulled away, meeting his eyes one final time.

Remy felt frozen with her touch. How he wished it could be more, that they could remain like that forever. But eventually, like all good things, it came to an end. And he was met with the emerald orbs that had haunted his dreams for years. "Yeah chere," the Acadian agreed with a lopsided grin. The perfect expression, designed to disarm the men and charm the ladies. Never quite worked on Rogue, he knew, but he still felt more comfortable with his mask in place. Why bother hurting himself anymore? She obviously wasn't losing any sleep over him anymore. 'Good to see you moved on,' he complimented her inwardly. 'Wish I could, but how do I? Wish you would tell me. It still hurts, every minute of every day. It's my own fault.' "Mebbe I'll see you 'round." He felt more pain with his casual words than with hers. He was lying to her. He still loved her, never stopped. But he couldn't force the words out.

"Maybe," she echoed as she exited the bar. Once outside, she immediately took flight. She kept replaying the scene over in her head, finally allowing her emotions out. She couldn't stop herself from crying as she hovered in the air. As all the feelings she had suppressed for so long finally exploded. How she hated him. For making her love him. For not loving her back. For causing her so much pain and anguish. But it wasn't enough. It was never enough. Because no matter what, she always loved him.

Remy turned to the bartender with a sad expression. "Jack Daniels please," he ordered calmly, completely prepared to drown his sorrows.

"Ex-girlfriend?" the man asked conversationally. "Quite a belle femme if I do say so m'self."

"Dat she is," Gambit nodded, not really in the mood to talk about Rogue. Rogue. The girl who owned his heart but didn't seem to know or care. The girl who had moved on, leaving one heartsick Cajun behind.

"If you don' mind my asking homme," the bartender started, "why'd y'give a fille like dat up?"

Remy closed his eyes and sighed. "Don' rightly know," he answered honestly. "All I do know is dat I still love her an' she don' give a damn. An' who could blame her? I left her an' never returned. Too scared." He downed the whiskey the 'tender handed him, then slammed the glass down forcefully. "Dieu I was a fool!" he cried angrily. "I shoulda gone home. Why didn' I go home?" He let out a pathetic sigh. "'M so sorry chere," he murmured. "F'r bot' of us." He turned to the bartender and said curtly, "Anot'er." 'What difference does it make? Nothing matters anymore. Nothing but her. And that's over.'

The bartender shook his head at the poor man, knowing that the couple must have been through a lot. Being a bartender, he could read people. And these people were hurting. Pity, seemed nice enough. Too bad they couldn't get it together.

Review Responses: Y'all totally rock!! Thanks to everybody who reviewed!! Don't forget to do it again!! I hope it wasn't TOO confusing. LOVE you all!! Sorry if I missed anybody. Adios. - Panther Nesmith: Poor thing is right. But, as this chappy showed, they're both suffering. In silence. Ororo's a kind spirit like that. Remy's a guy… he needs to maintain his "manliness" and not hug. :P Rogue did hug him this chappy, kinda bittersweet tho. I dunno about this "angst overload" you speak of… I guess I'll just take your word on it. Sorry you went to bed depressed tho. :( Not my intention!! Hehe. Lost in Space. Hehe. SoUS fan, that's me. :^D Big nose, heh. People you attract… freaks. Like me!! *grins while reader rolls eyes* w00t back atcha. - Aro: Stupid gravity!! I agree. *watches items start to float away* I TAKE IT BACK!! Don't let my TV escape!! Hehe. Spelling issues, have those. Oh yes I do. :) It SHOULD be Remy, but it's not. 'Course it wasn't Joe forever either. Move on… maybe the title should have been "attempting to move on". *shrugs* You know they didn't. Emotional after you wake up, huh?? Good thing I update while you sleep then. :P Gracias amiga. - Jukebox: Good reason?? Hmm… I think he just might. Well, at least in his eyes. :) It'll all come out in the Part titled "Confrontation", but that won't be for a couple more updates. BWAHAHA!! :P - The Rogue Cajun: Thank you!! Happy moment. Hmm… don't think that'll be happening for… awhile. But I'm pretty sure they'll find a happy ending. *looks over shoulder for angry ROMY fans* Fantasmigorical?? Thanks?? I think. :P You're TOO sweet!! - Remy's Ange: If I told you why he didn't go back, I'd have to kill you. *reader rolls eyes at horrible pun* Okay, but it would spoil the whole story. Well, not the whole thing… most of it. :) Couldn't call 'cause of his "mission" but afterwards, it was a choice. He really did get a divorce in the comics… I think. 'Cause Belle died. I don't know. It's too fu– *censor comes in and beats the authoress senseless* er, confusing to understand. :P All will be explained, I hope. Someday. I promise. Thanks!! - Gothic-Rogue LeBeau: Thanks for reviewing!! :) I like your fics "Chocolate Fantasy" and "Bought: One Husband". They're UBER cute!! - Lady Sir Henry Morgan: Aw. You're TOO sweet!! *blushes* Nah, creatamative isn't a word. I was just babysitting and these kids were watching "Winnie the Pooh" and Tigger says stuff kinda like that, so I incorporated it into my review response. *blushes harder at the "definition" the reader gave* But thanks!! :^D You guessed it, they met up in a couple of years. Only Joseph's outta the picture. Aw. You really are TOO kind. Give me a big head. - Ishandahalf: You didn't really believe I would be so evil as to end it there, did you?? *reader points out fics like "So We Meet Again" and "Running Away"* What's your point?? :P You said GOOD depressing angsty stuff… why the glare?? Oh, I get it. *slaps forehead* I'm sorry my disclaimer killed your spirits. *backs away from a sobbing Ish* Well, I guess you're probly happy Joe's dead then. And that Belle and Remy are divorced. I think Joseph was a necessary evil, so I agree with your "device" theory. Uh… Rogue doesn't know if Remy will return, so she'd think "if". Yeah. Let's go with that. I could say why Remy didn't come back, but don't you like the suspense?? *watches out for readers wielding weapons* It will be resolved, promise. Yep, love all around. Go ahead and hug Emil, not enough love for the red haired prankster. -_- I LOVED the "men" comment. Classic. Riled up and depressed, my work here is done. Hehe. Why are all my reviewers twitchy?? Is it contagious?? I'll say no more about the ending. Mostly 'cause I haven't quite finished it yet. - T.: Storm… motherly?? How did that happen?? It's so out of character. *reader deadpans* Okay, so I'm not so good with sarcasm. Nobody likes Joseph, why do you think they killed him off?? :P But a necessary evil in my book. Love lost but not forgotten. Got it!! - The Sphinx Minx: Erica, you can haunt me with all the reviews you want!! I LOVE 'em!! :) I don't write angst?! You lie!! *reader gives the authoress a LOOK* Okay, so maybe that's pretty much all I write. I'm humor deficient. :P Why Remy didn't come back… someday you'll find out. Promise. Hehe. Belle the Assassin. Did you know there are two "ass"es in assassin? Think about it. Thanks!! - Risty: Fun but depressing. Yep, that sums it up. :P Possibilities abound!! Huzzah!! Thanks for the review. :) - Star-of-chaos: Duly noted. All future Remy beatings are dedicated to you. :P Thanks for the review!! - Roguelebeaux003: Sad?? Surely you jest. *reader deadpans* Okay, so maybe it's a tad bit sad and angsty. :P Why didn't he go back?? The million-dollar question. Joe is only a second-rate replacement. It's the sad truth. And, as for Storm's speech, YAY!! that you liked it.:)  I think Rogue has some self-confidence issues, and would need some moral support. Emil for comic relief!! Ah the Guild, priceless. - Rogue77: Why did he leave?? Mission. Better question… why didn't he return?? Have to wait and see!! :P Depressing… yep, that describes it. Explanations are a'comin'. Just have to wait. *reader glares* Eeep!! Sorry. Remy's always been an ass, you're just noticing this?? Hehe. Thanks, you're UBER sweet!! And an awesome reviewer!! :) - MelodyFaith: I'm surprised a wrestling fan likes my stuff. *gloats* Awesome!! Hehe. I might have a happy ending in store, we'll see. :P How's that for ominous?? - Smirnoff Ice Lover: Skippy… reminds me of peanut butter. Mmmm… peanut butter. *makes Homer Simpson noises* O-kay, where was I?? Hehe. Thanks for the review!!