This is the last part of a three part one shot (yes, I know that doesn't make any sense). I was simply writing this as an exercise, and finished it in an hour, but it worked better if I divided it up into three mini chapters. This is my first romy, I want flames and very aggressive critiques. This way, when I decide to write any serious romy (read: if I ever get up the nerve) into one of my real fics it will be good romy.

I have discovered something, if you ask for flames; people don't give them to you. Either this is reverse psychology at work, or people believe that I have no self esteem and don't want to push me into committing suicide. I want the flames 'cause I'm not very good at writing romance (in my estimation) and I want any romy in my regular fics to be so good even romy haters will like it.

I am sorry that I didn't update this when I said I would. I just forgot that I hadn't posted this chapter, and so now I'm doing it.

Just as a foot note, I was watching Stuff of Villains recently, and this quote kinda ties in with my last Chapter:

Lance:: to Todd and Fred:: We gotta move, one of Magneto's goons is heading this way.

Todd: Like which one?

:: a charged up Jack of hearts floats to the ground::

Todd: Oh, that one, heh heh.

BOOM

Disclaimer: I don't own Evo. I wish that I did. I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I could sure use the money.

Epona04: Thanks, I think that romy Evo style would be different from romy comics style anyway. Yeah, every one goes on and on about how Rogue's a Queen of Hearts, but really spades makes a lot more sense for her dark gothic Evo self. I think that Jean might be a queen of hearts, but not Rogue. Your talking of tarot books is very ironic. I was just researching tarot card stuff before I put the final touches on that chapter (winks in soulstress' direction). So yeah, I did read about the first eight chapters of your fic, then something happened, and I found myself looking at seventeen chapters. I must confess that I became slightly intimidated (yeah, the person who wrote about 200 pages of Extending Evolution got worried, I am such a hypocrite. In my own defense I loved your fic, and if I ever catch up with myself I will review it). I might write a sequel, I might not.

Pandora's Sorrow: Evo Remy is smart, you have to be if you can trick Rogue the way he did in Cajun Spice. She wouldn't have had a clue if she hadn't accidentally touched him. He ain't just after the pussy, but he is a charmer. Even if all it gets him is on pissed off Rogue (did you see Stuff of Villains? She was so angry at him that she could barely talk). Yeah, I don't know about you, but when I think there isn't a noticeable accent ;)

Soulstress: I liked the irony, too. You can either see it as fate won't let them stay apart, or that they both are coming up with excuses to see each other, and then are blaming on the other person. Ah, the errors of love. Yes, I think that paper would be terrified of John, along with ovens, microwaves, and anything else remotely flammable/ easy to blow up. Your sum up is just perfect. I even added a bit to the story making the sum up literal.

Enchantedlight: thank you very much. This is the last chapter, enjoy.

Ishandahalf: I prefer raspberry daiquiris myself. Thank you, I think that I have already covered all of my reasons for why I wrote Rogue the way that I did in the last chapter. No, your lack of sleep isn't causing you to hallucinate. But that was creepy how you reasoned it out. It was exactly like the way I decided to write this chapter. I need a better tin foil hat. Damn aliens, stealing my reasoning and planting it in innocent heads.

Episodic: Yup, I'm one of those no talkie, more writey people. Humanity is weird on general principals, and stupid on specific ones. Life is insanity on a coffee break.

Purity Black: John stealing cars is an idea that I started in Extending Evolution, and the romances thing is actually a tie in from another story of mine (I have way too many going on simultaneously) that I haven't posted because fine details are still being worked out, Pyro's Romy. The Book reader from Boston isn't Emma, but you were so close that it was funny. Remember the Hellfire Club's pet mutant team, the Hellions? (Another wink in soulstress' direction) I gave them a tiny cameo here. Basically the book reader was Tarot, the card girl that they had.

UniversalAnimeGirl: Thank you very much. I actually did fix up most of the errors on the first chapter, but I don't really feel like uploading the edits, and I probably won't for a while. You are the first person who has found something wrong and said something about thanks a ton/ bunch/ whatever you want to call it. This chapter isn't as much character introspection, as it is a 'Stop stalking me you creepy Cajun/ evil rogue!' chapter.

Cat871: I liked the ending too, thank you very much. Again, your review got in just under the wire.

By the way, the point of view has finally become omniscient.

Rogue and Remy

Sittin' in a Tree

Kitty peeped around the door. Rogue was sitting up in bed, as usual, reading. She had a frown on her face, and Kitty wondered for an instant if this was a good time. Oh, it's never a good time, she decided, but Rogue needs to reach out more.

"So, uh, you missed lunch," Kitty paused, waiting for an answer.

Rogue turned a page in that annoying way she would As if there was nothing of Earthly interest that Kitty could say to her.

"Scott asked me to remind you about the danger room session next week. I think that he's worried about you," Kitty tried the old mention the crush's name ploy.

Rogue turned another page.

"Jean said that you missed dinner last night, too," Kitty bravely plunged on into the cold waters of the silence, "You only had a piece of toast for breakfast. I was watching," there was a slight hint of accusation in the tone.

Rogue turned another page, her eyes jumping from word to word.

"Are you anorexic?!" Kitty finally burst out, unable to stand the lack of conversation any longer.

Rogue finally looked up at the volume of the outburst, "Oh Kitty, Ah'm so sorry. Ah wasn't really payin' attention. Yah were sayin?" her eyes went back to the page, even as she was talking.

"Oh, oh, never mind."

Kitty threw up her hands in disgust, and went over to the window to admire the view. There wasn't much to admire. The rain from the night before still persisted. Only now it was a cool drizzle that created patches of mist. Not very interesting to look at.

Kitty turned away from the window and back to the bed.

"What are you reading?" She asked, curiously.

"Good Omens. It's about the end o' the world. Ah'm at the part where Crowley's car has caught on fiyah for going over this road from hell, and he's just about tah meet Mr. Tyler and try to ask for directions tah Tadfield. Aziraphale's taken over the body o' Miss Tiffany, an' she and the Witch Finder Sergeant are on a flying motor scooter bound for Tadfeild. The Antichrist, Adam, and the Them are about tah take on the Horsemen o' the Apocalypse. Or, Ah think that they will, because there's four of them, and it all fits togethah nicely that way. Ah'm still not certain what Newton Plucifer an' Anathema Device are going tah do. This book is just so awesome, an', an' yah got that glazed look on yah face. Ah'll shut up."

"No, no continue," Kitty said, her mind still slightly reeling, "I'll keep up."

Rogue shook her head. She put the book down and rose to grab another one off of the book shelf. She placed it in Kitty's hands with a rather patronizing air. Kitty turned it over to read "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents" on the cover. Underneath it was a picture of some rats grouped around a candle with a grinning, scarred cat in the background.

"Ah think that yah'll get that one a bit better. It has talkin' animals in it," Rogue neglected to mention what the animals were talking about.

Kitty liked philosophy on principal, but Rogue doubted that she would enjoy it the philosophy coming from rats, or the fact that some of the philosophy involved pissing on your enemies' food. That was only a tiny section of one character's philosophy, of course, but Rogue just knew that it would be the only part that Kitty would remember if she was told about it in advance.

Kitty laughed sarcastically. She did take the book, however, and surreptitiously read the back as she settled down on her own bed. Rogue got back to Good Omens. All was happily quiet for a while.

Kitty suddenly broke the silence, "That was the same part that you were reading this morning! I remember trying to understand your convoluted explanation before breakfast. You can't tell me that you've been in here reading for five hours. What are you doing to yourself Rogue? Is it, you know, cutting?"

"What?!" Rogue dropped her book in surprise, "Are yah crazy? Who do yah think Ah am? Pietro?" she snapped her mouth shut.

Luckily, or unluckily, Kitty didn't notice the blunder that Rogue had just made, "Then what is it? You usually zip through books."

"It's nothing," Rogue looked out the window for a minute.

Kitty knew that look, Rogue had been thinking about Scott again, "Look, if it's about you know who, I can sympathize. I mean, I have the worst luck in men, too. At least Scott's only taken, he's not the scum of the Earth," Kitty tried to swallow around the lump in her throat as she thought of Lance.

Rogue looked at Kitty, "Why do yah say that?" the incredulousness in her voice wasn't feigned.

"Because you have that look that you always do when you think about Scott. Your face is softer, sort of. You look all misty eyed. It's like," Kitty struggled for a minute to express what she wanted to say, "all of your barriers have come down. The ones that keep any of us from becoming attached to you, I guess."

"Ah wasn't thinkin' about Scott, Kitty. That kinda blows yah theory out the window," Rogue responded lightly. That was it; those romances that Kitty was reading had finally gone to her head at last.

Kitty looked suddenly thoughtful, as if she was finally putting two and two together. The answer seemed to be a four of hearts. Before she could air her suspicions, however, Jean also poked her head in the door.

Rogue started up in indignation. It was one thing for Kitty to come in unannounced, this was her room as much as it was Rogue's, but Jean had no right to be here.

"Haven't yah evah heard o' knockin'?" Rogue yelled her Southern drawl thickening perceptibly in anger.

"I'm sorry," Jean smiled insincerely but prettily, "But the Professor wants to talk to you."

Rogue threw down her book with a sigh, vowing to re-read the entire section with Mr. Tyler in it. It was the funniest section in the book and first it had been interrupted by concerns over that annoying Cajun, then by Kitty and her obsession with depression, and now by Jean.

As Rogue passed Jean on the way out Jean put out a hand to brush her shoulder. Rogue stopped startled, and slightly horrified by the touch.

"If you ever need to talk about anything I'm always here for you," Jean said quietly.

"Ah'm sure yah are," Rogue told her diffidently.

Let Jeanie make what she will out of that, Rogue thought behind the steel-like psychic barricades that most of her psyches insisted she carried.

The Goth brushed coolly passed the image of perfection standing outside her door. There was neither menace, nor encouragement in that movement. Rogue had been perfecting this passive glide for a long time. She was sick of being thought of as younger and more immature than Jean because she to had a tendency to lose her temper when the suburba girl was around.

She coasted passed Jean, and walked the rest of the way to the Professor's study, allowing herself some glee at her poise back there. She would let herself blow up at Jean over something real.

"Come in Rogue," Professor Xavier said as Rogue's hand touched the knob.

She came in. Scott always got a little worried when the Professor did that. Rogue felt that it was simply part of life at the institute and she should get used to it. She was very good at adapting.

Logan was standing by the professor looking tense. Well, Logan always looked tense. He was always coiled like a loaded switch blade, waiting to happen. This time he looked tenser than usual.

"Rogue, as you know we are opening up the doors of the Institute for another batch of mutants this fall," the Professor began, "I would like you to formally meet our first new student at the train station."

Rogue looked startled, "Why me, Professor? Isn't this usually Jean's job?"

"She asked for you by name, Stripes," Logan growled out.

"This is a very special student," Xavier went on.

For a moment something that he had said niggled at the back of Rogue's mind. Special student? She? Formally meet?

"Yah finally convinced X23 tah come here didn't yah?" Rogue whistled, "But why the train? Ah mean, every secret agency on the planet wants her. The trains ain't the safest form of transportation on the planet."

"Yeah, but how many HYDRA agents would look for a fourteen year old war machine riding in coach on a legitimate errand?" Logan quizzed Rogue.

A look of sly surprise crossed her face. She nodded and went back to her room to collect her rain gear, but thought better of it. The drizzle had let up some, and it should be gone once Rogue reached the train station.

Unfortunately the drizzle hadn't let up by the time Rogue had reached the station. It was very light and misty; it didn't so much soak as chill. Unfortunately this was perfect weather for hair to frizz as soon as heat was added.

Rogue chose a spot on the platform that was still exposed to the elements. It would cut the frizz factor in half, and she secretly loved the feel of the light droplets making it past the gauzy material of her shirt and hitting her skin.

The correct train pulled in to the station, and Rogue waited patiently for X23 to appear. She was debating in her head whether to call the girl by her full serial number, X23, or try a less retrained version like '23, when the short dark girl appeared. The only baggage that she was carrying was her scowl.

"You're Rogue," was the perfunctory greeting.

"Hi to yah, too," Rogue said with slight annoyance over X23's lack of welcome. After all, the girl asked for me to pick her up, she thought.

"Yeah, hi," for some reason X23 sounded uncomfortable, "So, is it a long walk back?"

"Not really," Rogue told the younger girl, "But yah will get wet."

"Oh."

The walked down the stairs to the main part of the station, and continued on, out into the sprinkle of rain. The mist coiled around them like an eager snake. X23 watched everything in rapt attention.

"Yes, that's a Honda Civic," Rogue said as they stopped in the parking lot to peer at the cars with intense scrutiny.

"It's so," X23 stopped for a second to consider what she was about to say, "bulky. People actually use this stuff as transportation?"

"Yeah, they do. That's a Jetta Turbo. Diesel engine. Why are yah fascinated by these cars? It's not like you haven't seen them before."

"You don't have time to stop and look around when you are being chased my international agencies. Now that is what I want," '23 had found a sleek motorcycle and was all but drooling over it.

Rogue was in the same state. Motorcycles meant racing, and she loved it. One of her favorite moments had been when she had whipped Scott in a snowmobile race on a school field trip.

"That is a Desert Mongoose," Rogue felt like she was imparting scared information to a worshipper.

"Dat also be mine," a familiar voice said from behind Rogue.

X23, her nerves and reflexes strengthened by years of training, and by the genetics given to her by 'birth' whirled as quick as a viper and struck. She struck at what was thin air. Rogue had whirled faster than X23, if that was possible, and using the knowledge that Cody had accidentally given her talked Gambit.

He looked up at the two long, and sharp adamantium claws that we just above his head for an instant. Then they slid calmly back into the hand of X23. The tiny girl put a hand down to help Rogue up.

"Ah take it dat every time Ah surprise de dark fille Ah should make sure dat mah savior is as belle as you," Gambit smiled suggestively at Rogue.

"Ah wasn't tryin' tah save yah. Ah wanted tah get yah mahself!" Rogue shouted just a tiny bit too loudly.

X23 sniffed, the chemicals rushing down both Southerner's bloodstreams were very interesting indeed. She decided to go look at the cars that were parked around the train station and let Rogue and Gambit hash it out for themselves.

"Why chere do you want tah get at moi?" Gambit asked, slightly interested.

"Isn't it obvious? Yah little stalkin' game has been gettin' on mah nerves!"

"My stalkin' game? You were de one who oh-so-conveniently kissed me when you needed my powers fo' ole Apocy," Gambit retorted angrily.

"Ah was being possessed by Mesmero then! That wasn't me doing the kissin', it was him!" Rogue stopped and contemplated that last sentence, "Yah know, that sounds wrong no mattah how yah spin it."

"Yeah. But Ah will say dat yah are de most agrivatin' girl Ah ever met!" Gambit yelled back.

"Ah'm agravatin'?! Yah the one who won't open up tah anybody who might want tah help yah. Yah lie and trick people intah givin' yah the help they would have anyway! Yah let someone intah yah life an' yah shut the door in their face! Yah so afraid tah let anyone in, when yah really want to. Arrh, yah make me sick!" Rogue finished off.

"Oh yeah, what 'bout your Untouchable act? Everyone's good enough tah be your friend, but anyone who tries tah get any closer is history! You can't let dem hurt demselves if dey get too close, so you just put up a tiny force field around you. No one can see and not want to touch, oh no, so you just put out your t'orns when somebody gets too close for yah. Newsflash, Ah-- someone can love you wit'out touching you!"

They were face to face, noses about an inch away. Both were furiously blushing, although it was hard to tell because of Gambit's tan and Rogue's thick layers of make-up. They both stopped yelling at each other, and then turned away hastily.

"Ah have tah go," Rogue said icily, "X23, are yah comin'?"

She turned and walked off. The tiny dark figure of '23 detached itself from the cars, and followed. They walked about a few steps when Rogue heard the crunch of Gambit's boots on the concrete.

"Don't yah have some bar tah go drink at?" she felt ashamed of the harshness in her voice, but her mind was still reeling from what she had just heard him accidentally imply.

"Ah have tah go tah de Art supply store," Gambit said with as much dignity as he could muster.

"Why?"

"Ah left Piotr an' Johnny in dere. Ah ain't so worried 'bout de Russian, he's never happier dan wit' a can of paint. De problem is dat Johnny's also never happier dan wit' a can o' paint, flammable paint. You can always choose another way tah get tah where you're goin'."

"This is the quickest way tah the Institute. Yah can choose another way," Rogue answered Gambit.

"Dis is a shortcut," he replied and they walked on in silence.

By the time they entered the park it was an odd group. Rogue and Gambit were walking about twenty feet apart, keeping X23 in between themselves. They all walked with a nonchalant air of having nothing to do with each other.

At the point where they could see the road and the Mansion's gates on the other side of the park it began to rain heavily. The downpour matted everyone's hair down against their skulls, and Rogue's make-up began to run.

They were in a section of the park that had only one tree, and they ran for it. X23 decided not to mention to Rogue that the Institute was only a minute's walk away. She felt that there were some things that Rogue and Gambit needed to get out in the open, and she was trying to delay her entry to the Institute as much as possible. The last time that she had been there almost everyone had woken up in the hospital wing. Chances were that X23's reception would be lukewarm at best.

Gambit, however swung up onto a tree branch, and climbed further up into the foliage. He wanted to nurse his ego, and berate himself for not keeping his mouth shut in private. Rogue leaned against the tree trunk and sighed, feeling absolutely miserable. X23 decided to go up into the branches as well.

"Hey, what are yah doin'?" Rogue asked when she saw her charge disappearing among the wet leaves.

"If I stay down there much longer I'll rust or something," '23 replied, "Plus, the view's better."

Rogue followed her up. The branches were slightly slippery, but not terribly so. She just had to remember to hang on. It was nice in the misty wet world up here. Quiet, and perfect for reading in. Rogue bookmarked the place to come back to, if Kitty started in on one of her gossip columns.

"Chere, if you won't stay on de ground, could you at least find a different spot? Dis is my branch," Gambit said quietly.

"Yah drive me crazy Remy, yah know that?" Rogue said, using Gambit's real name to impress her seriousness on him, "Ah want tah help yah, but every time Ah make any progress you just shut me out," she sat on the branch next to him, "Ah've been worried about yah ever since yah took me tah N'aworlans. Ah can't get yah out o' mah head, an' I'm not talkin' 'bout yah psyche."

Gambit smiled at Rogue, "De same goes for you chere. You're addictive."

They sat together, watching the wet world. Gambit put his arm around Rogue's shoulder. She dug in her pockets for a minute and pulled up a battered rectangle of paper.

"Ah guess that yah can have this back. Ah just collected on the debt."

Gambit accepted the card, and put it into one of the many pockets in his trench coat. He turned back to Rogue and kissed her on the lips lightly.

Rogue gasped as a tiny rush of memories circled in her brain for a minute.

"Just so you know what you're gettin' chere," Remy said rather fuzzily.

He laid his head on her shoulder until his dizziness wore off. Then he just kept it there because that was where it felt comfortable. That was where he felt safe.

Please tell me what you think, I am giving out free kudos if you push that little review button. Oh, I am seriously thinking about making a sequel to this (blame epona04 people, blame epona). If you want a sequel say aye or nay in your review.