Authors Note: Sorry all these chapters are quite short, this seems to be the main complaint I get whenever I write. I find it really hard to write chapters that are long, but hopefully I'm making up for it by having a lot of chapters overall. I don't know if that's a good pay off though. Anyway, shout out time!

NiNab, bant, Sweety8587: thanks very, very much for reviewing! As it's nearly Christmas, I'll make you a mince pie :-)

Freak87: I'm a little like Holly Golightly with my keys. I'm just really forgetful and put them down somewhere, but then can't remember where. Luckily they usually turn up after a bit of a search. Maybe I should have more sets, yours sounds like a sensible plan!

Chica De Los Ojos Café: that's a pretty name. I came up with something about eyes and coffee, then my pigeon Spanish went into overload and actually exploded. If you think that's bad you should see me listening to Juniper Moon…

Ms.Rogue LeBeau: the Ritz is beautiful, but they sure didn't appreciate dripping wet teenagers trying to wait in their lobby. Glad you like the story!

Ishandahalf: pineapple Wednesday sounds like fun! You have an arch nemesis ish? Try chucking a pineapple at her, they're pretty heavy y'know ;-) But do you know where I was yesterday? With the lovely Mr. Morrissey! Oh it was brilliant! He had another super-suave dinner jacket and played me some Smiths songs. I wasn't close enough to the front to attempt a stage invasion, but I did blow him a kiss and laughed at the people being kicked out by security for trying to jump the barrier. And you're right, he is quite buff considering his age… ;-)

Heartsyhawk: I think most of the fancy hotels are like that, if you don't look like you have money, they don't wanna let you through the door. Good on you for trying though!

GothikStrawberry: he was vague, but we all know Remy's secrets, and they can't stay secrets forever ;-)

- - - - -

Music When The Lights Go Out
Chapter Five (Something about friends)

Rogue had all but put the date, if you could call it that, out of her head. Or at least she had tried to anyway. As much as she despised him, she had to say there was at the very least something very memorable about him, though that didn't necessarily have to be a good thing.

Now, with her keys in her hand this time, she walked down the busy street towards her gallery ready to open up for the day. However, even from down the other end of the road, she could see someone had beaten her to it and was already waiting outside the door. And here she was thinking she had actually been early this morning! It turned out to be a deliveryman.

"You Rogue Darkholme?" he asked, rather gruffly.

"Yeah."

"Then these are for you." The man thrust a huge bouquet of roses into her hands before starting back towards his van. Rogue was taken aback.

"Wait!" she cried out, making him turn for a second. "They don't have a card, do ya know who they're from?"

The man shrugged. "Beats me, it was a phone order, man at the other end said you would know…"

"Rahte, thanks." Rogues face darkened. Oh yes, she knew all right.

She was about to open up the gallery and then go and find a suitable place to dispose of the flowers, but a high pitched shriek from behind her told her it was too late.

"Oh lord," she muttered under her breath. "Kitty!" she turned around to find an incredibly over-excited Kitty running over too her, having spotted the flowers.

"Oh my god! They're like, beautiful! Who sent you them?" she asked, all in one breath, skidding to a halt.

"Would ya believe me if Ah said 'no one'?" asked Rogue, hopefully. Kitty shook her head exuberantly, ponytail bobbing behind her.

"Who?!"

"Why are ya here? Don't ya have work today?"

"Nuh uh, its my day off. Just tell me already!"

Rogue gave Kitty the bouquet to hold for a second whilst she unlocked the doors. Shooting her a quick glance out of the corner of her eye, Rogue could see Kitty practising tearful imaginary acceptance speeches with the flowers to an audience no one could see but her. Rogue rolled her eyes and went to find a vase.

"So come on, you still haven't told me where they came from!" Kitty wined as they went through to the small and cluttered back room Rogue sometimes used as an office when the mood struck her.

"Fine," sighed Rogue, finally admitted defeat. "They came from that LeBeau creep who was at the exhibition opening." Kitty squealed.

"See! He's totally not a creep! He totally likes you!"

"No Kit, he's a jerk who's only after one thing, Ah've seen load of men like him before."

"Oh Rogue you need to like, take a risk once in a while! Go on a date with him, see what he's really like."

"Ah did go on a date with him, Ah went out with him yesterday."

"Really?! Why did you not tell me?!" Kitty squeaked in mock outrage.

"Ah was locked outta this place, he got me in, so Ah went out for coffee with him ta kinda repay the debt. We talked for a bit, Ah went home, there ain't that much ta tell sugah."

Kitty still looked annoyed she hadn't found out about this as and when it had happened. "And you still don't like him anymore than you did a few days ago?"

"Not really."

"Well I think it's very romantic."

"Well it's a good thing Ah never asked ya then."

Kitty slumped down in Rogue's chair in a huff whilst Rogue put her flowers on the windowsill.

"This room is like, so untidy." Kitty complained, payback for what had just happened. She picked up a handful of papers from the desk in front of her and tried to shuffle them tidy. It didn't work. Rogue sighed, rolled her eyes, and ignored her. If she had a dollar for every time Kitty grumbled about the mess Rogue lived in, she would be on some kind of magnificent round the world holiday by now. She soon found herself getting lost in the daydream.

"So you're sure you never want to see him again?" Kitty suddenly piped up, breaking the dream.

"For tha last time! Yes!"

"Jeez…I was only asking."

- - - - -

Much later that evening, Remy found himself sitting in a bar after he had left work with Piotr and their hyperactive friend, St. John Allerdyce. John was currently preoccupied with the wholly engrossing task of trying to throw the peanuts that they had taken from the bar into a pint glass that he positioned some way across the room. It was utterly pointless, but hey, whatever keeps the kids amused.

"Dat lil' Rogue o' y's Petey, she be a tougher one dan I first t'ought…" Remy began, still watching the Aussie and his peanuts.

"Well the longer it takes before you break her heart the better it is by me," Piotr offered helpfully, taking a drink.

"I'll get her eventually homme, its jus' gonna take a lil work is all."

"Who's this?" St. John interjected suddenly.

"Rogue Darkholme, she is perhaps the only woman in New York City who will not sleep with Remy." Piotr said helpfully.

"Ha!" John practically screamed. Now that wasn't fair, even John was making fun now.

"Don' y' go laughin' Johnny boy, I can't even remember de last time y' went on a date, hell I wouldn't be surprised if I found out y'd never got laid in y' life!"

"Lies! Its all lies!"

Piotr coughed firmly into his drink to break it up

"Well for what it is worth Remy, I am almost glad she keeps knocking you back. You will get over it and she will not get hurt, this way, everyone is happy."

"Hey c'mon homme, dat ain't nice."

"All you want to do is sleep with her, it is not like you wish to have a proper relationship with this woman, she deserves better."

"How do y' know I ain't gonna wanna see her again? And y' only frettin' cos y' worried about y' exhibition!"

"She may be my boss but she is my friend as well."

"Ahh, so that's where you found her!" John remarked, as if a great revelation was suddenly just dawning on him that very second. "So what's so special about this Shelia that you both seem to want so bad?" Both Remy and Piotr shot him, and then each other, the evilest of evil looks.

"For the record," Piotr started out, "I do not 'want her', she is just a friend." John rolled his eyes back into his head before turning to Remy.

"She's de most belle femme I ever laid eyes on. She's honest an' passionate and everything a low-life like me don't deserve t' have, which is probably why she won't even gimme the time o' day." Remy had started out smiling when he thought about Rogue, but when the reality that she didn't want to see him sunk in, so did the misery.

"Blimey." Was all the helpful advice John was capable of at that moment and Piotr just stared stoically into his drink. Around the table, the silence was deafening.


The one and only appearance of Pyro in this fic ladies and gentlemen! I wanted to get him in there somewhere…

I think this will probably be the last chapter before Christmas as I'm going away. I hope you all have brilliant Christmas's and fantastic New Year's! Please REVIEW! It would make a lovely Christmas present ;-)