Ha HA! Back again in record time! I bet you thought I was going to make you wait months and months again. Not this time(and hopefully never again!)!

So here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Madmen are God's children, too!

Dawn grumbled from her position on the floor of the gym. She looked down at the cold meatloaf on her cafeteria tray. Normally, Dawn wouldn't have even considered eating the food from the cafeteria but finding herself under the watchful eye of Miss Knoll, she began to jab the substance with her plastic fork.

She and Kurt had decided to fill their pockets with their treats and search for the others. They had run into Mrs Pound, Remy and Rogue while walking down the East stairs. Not wanting to explain how they were full from eating candy the hadn't paid for, and knowing the teacher wouldn't believe they'd had more that forty dollars worth of change on them, they had allowed themselves to be dragged to the cafeteria in search of a 'good hearty meal' as the optimistic teacher had put it.

Now they found themselves in the gym, along with Scott, Jean and Miss Knoll, all of who had a heaping helping of the meatloaf. Scott and Jean had been busy setting out mats for everyone to sleep on, while Miss Knoll supervised.

Dawn glanced sideways at Kurt, who was wolfing down his meatloaf like there was no tomorrow. She shook her head, unable to decide whether he was still hungry, or was just fearful of what the teachers would say if he didn't finish his meal.

Looking up and finding Miss Knoll distracted, Dawn quickly forced her meatloaf into the crack between two mats and stood up to join Rogue on the other side of the gym. Kurt, having finished his meal to Miss Knoll's satisfaction, went with her.

Rogue, who was looking every bit as displeased as Dawn, had opted to simply stare at the food on her plate, as if she suspected it would walk away the second she blinked. Remy, who was sitting not three feet from Rogue, was savouring his meal. Dawn was certain that the only reason he was enjoying the meatloaf was because Rogue hated it.

'How immature,' Dawn thought, as she took a seat next to her friend.

Mrs Pound stood up, grabbing everyone's attentions.

"Okay, everyone," she began, pushing her bushy brown hair out of her face and eyeing each student in turn. "It appears that we will have to spend the night here. I, for one, see this as an opportunity to get to know one another. Fate has brought us together tonight, and I think we should follow it by becoming closer as a community."

"Or," Miss Knoll drawled, glaring down her pointed nose in obvious disdain for her colleague. "We could all NOT get to know each other and get some sleep, instead."

Without waiting for a reply, Miss Knoll started barking out orders.

"Mrs Pound and I will be sleeping over here," she said, pointing to the North end of the gym. "I don't care where you kids sleep as long as you stay in this gym and away from me. And if any of you make so much as a peep tonight, you'll regret it." On that finalizing note, she marched over to her side of the gym and lay down on her mat.

Mrs Pound looked them all over again, disappointment in her eyes. "Good night, children." She droned, turning off the gym lights before following after her colleague.

The 'children' in question exchanged a look before grabbing mats of their own and placing them about the gym. Everyone noticed that Jean and Scott placed theirs remarkably close to one another.

"Zis rots!" whispered Kurt to Dawn. "In bed by seven o'clock! Vhat a rip!"

Dawn nodded her agreement and glanced up as she heard Miss Knoll closing the curtain that separated the two halves of the gym.

"What a witch!" she murmured. She glanced over at Rogue, whose mat lay not far from the ever-present Remy.

Motioning to the two, she remarked, "For people who hate each other, they've sure spent a lot of time together today." She gave Kurt a meaningful look.

Catching the hint, Kurt's eyes bulged. "You've got to be kidding, Dawn. Zis is MY sister ve're talking about. She'd never fall for ze likes of HIM." This last word was punctuated by a glare in the direction of a certain French boy.

"I think they'd make a great couple," argued Dawn quietly, making sure they weren't overheard. She needn't have worried. Scott and Jean were of in La La Land, staring into each other's eyes, and Remy and Rogue were caught up in yet another argument.

She sighed. "They just need to stop fighting for a while. I can tell they like each other. They could be really happy together." She gave Kurt another look, this one accentuated with puppy dog eyes.

He frowned. "I am NOT playing matchmaker vith my sister and zhat creep. She'd kill me."

Dawn's eyes got even wider, and her bottom lip began to quiver. "She's my best friend, you know," she whispered, a hint of a whine in her voice. "I just want to help her. Please, Kurt?" She cocked her head slightly and tried to look as innocent as possible.

As predicted, Kurt relented. "Fine, I'll help," he sighed. Dawn grinned in victory. "I just hope you know vhat you're doing," he added, with a sidelong glance at his half sister. "I'm not the one who'll be getting ze life force sucked out of them vhen this goes sour."

While Kurt and Dawn were planning their big idea, Rogue and Remy were busy not talking to each other. Both of them were staring determinedly at the floor, neither one wanting to risk eye contact. Finally, Rogue decided she had had enough and stood up.

Remy looked up suspiciously from where he sat.

"Where're you goin', chere?" he asked quietly.

Rogue's eyes narrowed. "To the bathroom," she replied coldly. "Not lahke it's any of yer bussniss," the Goth added, turning to leave.

Remy was beside her in an instant.

"Can' have you getting lost, now can we?"

She rolled her eyes in frustration. "Fahne. Jus' don' make yerself too much of a nuisance."

Together they marched determinedly down the many hallways of Bayville High.

Remy glanced at Rogue, who was keeping her head down. 'She looks so beautiful when she angry,' he thought softly to himself.

Rogue caught him looking at her. "What are YEH staring at?" she demanding, using her iciest glare. She whipped her head around to face him, her bangs falling into her eyes.

Remy smiled his sly smile. "Your beautiful face," he replied truthfully, although the smile he purposefully added made her think he was being cruel. He reached up his hand to gently push the bangs from her eyes.

Rogue tried to pull away, but there was no time before the French boy accidentally brushed the bare skin on her face. There was a shock, and the sensation of being pulled that Rogue associated with her powers. She felt his emotions and memories crashing over her like a wave. Quickly, she pulled away, waiting to see what he would do.

Remy wasn't sure what to do. He had just had the strangest feeling that his very soul was being sucked from him, and he was sure that the cause had been Rogue. But that couldn't be right. He was the only one who did strange things like that. Normal people like Rogue didn't go around stealing souls from semi-innocent boys.

"Remy," came the voiceless whisper. Rogue's eyes were filled with worry directed at him. "Are yeh okay?" Suddenly she was assaulted with memories of him as a child, as a teenager. She could see him running around with other children, picking locks. One memory in particular stood out to her. The one where he held a single card in his hand. It shone in pink radiance as he flicked it towards some unknown foe like it was no problem. The resulting explosion made Rogue gasp.

'He's a mutant too,' she realised, looking at him in a new light. Unsure of what to do, she waited for him to respond to her earlier question.

"Chere," he began softly, returning her gaze. "What jus' happened?"

Rogue took a deep breath. There was a lot of explaining to do, but the Professor would be angry if she didn't tell him everything.

Some time later, Rogue and Remy found themselves at a loss. They both knew each other's secrets. They had acknowledged that the both of them were mutants (which had further explained the incident earlier with Mrs Pound). However, neither of them knew what to do next.

"We should head back before that witch, Miss Knoll finds out we're gone," offered Rogue, not meeting his eyes.

Remy nodded his agreement, and began to follow her. Every few steps he would move strategically closer to her. Soon he was shoulder to shoulder with her.

Rogue stopped walking and sighed heavily. Then she turned on his with a force that knew no boundary.

"Jus' what do yeh think yer' doin'?" She demanded in a voice that was quiet enough to not disturb her fellow captives, but loud enough to show Remy (or Gambit as he had revealed himself to be) just how angry she was.

"I was jus' t'inkin," he began softly in a melodic and well-practiced voice. "You're a mutant and I'm a mutant. There's no need for dis hostility between us." He topped it off with an award-winning smile.

Rogue's emerald eyes narrowed again, her eyebrows contorted in anger. "Jus' cus we're mutants doesn't mean anything. This doesn' change things."

With that, she whipped around and stalked back to the gym at lightning speed, leaving Remy staring at her back, confused.

He could live a thousand years and never understand this girl. He chuckled softly to himself as he began to trot back to the gym in her wake. Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't try.........

Well that's the next chapter of this fic. I hope there was enough Romy to suffice. Sorry again about the lack of updating thing I went through. Please write and tell me what you want.

The next chap will probably be more Brotherhood stuff, although it's going to be lighter and just basic stupidity.

I'M GETTING A DOG!!! A Papillion! It's cute and fluffy and has huge ears!! It's a boy and we're either calling him Pippin or Buster. (I wanted to call him Dodger or Briar, but NOO...)! ;P

Anyways, read and Review, right?

Keep Smiling! :D

Ja Ne!

September 2, 2004