Disclaimer: The only compensation I am making from this fic is the warm and fuzzy feeling in my heart whenever I open my email and see that someone took the time off to review it. Obviously, none of the characters are mine. It's Marvel's. And Warner Brothers'. I think.

A/N:

A LOT  of Romy moments below. Enjoy.

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Immunity Challenge: Chapter 4: Drive Me Crazy

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"AAAAHHHH!"

"Wanda!" Anna called out in distress as she and Kitty Pryde bolted to their feet. "Wanda!" She cried out again as her friend took off running up the stairs.

Kitty's eyes widened as she immediately grabbed the nearest furniture she could use as a weapon—a thin lampshade made out of metal.

"The bat's in the cabinet," Anna whispered as she silently made her way to the storage where she and Kitty kept their sports equipment. Bat held in hand, she nodded to Kitty and together, they made their way to the door.

The three women were enjoying a quiet Sunday evening in the house shared by Kitty and Rogue, gossiping, watching movies, painting each others nails, and trying on the latest fashion cream that guarantees the maintenance of young looking skin, when the doorbell rang. Wanda volunteered to open the door while Kitty's nails were still wet and Rogue's feet were being pampered in a home treatment foot spa. Seconds later, Wanda gave a bloodcurdling scream and ran for her life up the stairs.

Determined to be frightened inside their own home, the two women silently agreed to confront whatever it was that scared Wanda.

"On three," Kitty whispered as she nodded to the door, which Wanda must have unwittingly closed.

Anna nodded and gripped the bat tighter and raised it above her head.

"One," Kitty whispered. "Two."

Anna took a deep, calming breath.

"Three!" Kitty jerked the door open as Anna prepared to swing down her bat forcefully.

"Chere!" The voice was more amused than scared at the sight of two women in their sleeping gear (which, to his immense disappointment, consisted of an oversized shirt and boxers for the object of his hunt and a long dress for her friend) attacking him.

Kitty's mouth fell open. She blinked. Twice. "Remy LeBeau?" It seemed forever before she got her voice working. "The Remy LeBeau?"

Remy grinned as he captured one of the brunette's hands in her own and kissed it with a flourish. "Pleasure to meet your acquaintance miss—"

"Pyrde," she sighed. "Kitty Pryde." She had heard Wanda's story of Remy LeBeau pursuing Anna in the club but that fact never sunk in until that moment when she opened the front door and he had stood in their front porch in all his glory.

Anna rolled her eyes as she reluctantly lowered the bat she was holding.

"And I suppose that the one who answered the door underneath all that green goop on her face is your friend, Wanda?" Remy asked, mindful of using the first person pronoun in his Roguey's presence.

Kitty and Anna exchanged a look. No wonder Wanda hightailed it out of sight. She must have forgotten the facial mask that she insisted on wearing earlier to ensure a young, healthy glow of her face.

"Oh," Kitty stepped back from the front door, dragging Anna with her. "Come on in," she smiled at Remy.

"Merci, petite,"

Kitty almost swooned at the sight of his smile being directly solely on her. "Er, I, I'll go and straighten out the living room," she said as she made small steps backwards.

"No, it's alright, I'll do it!" Anna volunteered immediately.

"No. No. I'll be happy to." Kitty insisted as she gave Anna a little push forward. "Entertain Mr. LeBeau in the meantime," with that, she turned around and almost ran out.

Anna regarded Remy warily for a moment. "Come in," she finally said, her upbringing forcing her to mind her manners.

Remy smiled at her. "Non, it's OK, chere. Just dropped by to give you something,"

It was then Anna noticed that one of Remy's hand was kept at his back during the duration of their exchange.

"No!" Anna exclaimed, never one for flowers and chocolates. "It's OK. You don't have to give me…a box?"

Remy handed her the box wrapped in a green ribbon. "It's the DVD of the first season of Gambit," he explained. "Thought you might like to get acquainted with the series."

"Oh."

"Remy's leaving for Las Vegas tonight for a shoot, chere," he continued. "Be out for a few days. Think of me when you watch the show?"

Anna fought the urge to roll her eyes. Ego much? How can she help but think of him while watching the DVD he gave her since it was his show? "Er, right. Thanks. I'm just going to put this here," she said as she turned around a bit to place the box, which suddenly felt as if it weighed a ton, on the table behind her. And when she turned back around…

"For you, Anna," in Remy's grasp was a long stemmed red rose, which he handed to her with much flair.

Anna felt her cheeks redden, unable to do something about it. "I—um—thanks," she said. "Wait. How did you know that my name was Anna?" She looked at him suspiciously.

"Let's just say that Remy took the effort to learn his fille's name."

"I am not your fille or whatever!"

"Not yet." Without waiting for Anna to react, the Cajun leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Miss me a little while I'm gone?" The question was more of an almost-desperate plea.

And Remy was gone before Anna could gather her wits to reply.

"Where is he? Where is he?"

Anna could have stood there near the door for seconds, minutes, or hours, grasping the stem of the rose in her hand, before Wanda came running to the door, her face devoid of any odd-colored cream, looking for the Cajun actor.

Anna shook herself mentally out of her stupor. "H-He already left."

Wanda's hands flew to her waist. "What did you say to him that made him leave?" She demanded.

"I don't think you'll believe me if I tell you."

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There's one in every family.

His mother was a lawyer. His father, may his soul rest in peace, was a law professor. His half-sister was a law student. His grandfather was a judge. His great-grandfather was a Justice of the Supreme Court.

And he?

He was a gymnast, and damn proud of it.

He scanned the airport for any sign of the woman who was to pick him up.

Fresh from Germany where he spent one year training in gymnastics, he was looking forward to seeing everyone again and show off stuff he picked up.

He craned his neck to search for any familiar face. Nope. Nothing.

Funny, you think after one year of not seeing him, they would've been excited to see him again.

"Kurt! Kurt! Over here!" A familiar yet foreign sounding voice interrupted his reverie.

"Schwester!" Dropping his bags dramatically on the ground, he opened his arms wide as a figure launched itself into his arms.

Green eyes looked up curiously at his own bluish violet. "Schwester?"

"Ja." Kurt grinned wider. "Means sister. Miss me? And what took you so long?" He dropped all four bags he was carrying and opened his arms. He bodily picked up Anna and twirled her around.

"My boss had me finish up some last minute stuff before he let me leave," she replied with an easy grin. Pulling herself out of his embrace, she shouldered one of his packs. "And what's with the accent?"

"Like it?" He asked. "I said I'm tired of the old one so I got myself a new one. So, how's my big sister Anna?"

Anna shrugged. "What's wrong with the accent, sugah?" She asked, her question intentionally thick with a southern drawl.

"Nothing," he grinned. "It's just that it's suits you more than me." He winked at her.

"So, how are the Wagners?" Anna asked as she shouldered one of Kurt's bags, referring to her brother's family in Germany.

Kurt's father can trace his roots in Germany. In fact, some of their relatives still lived there, which cemented Kurt's decision to go to that country to train in his craft. He figured it would be hitting two birds with one stone.

Kurt's father was a lecturer in a law school, where he met Raven Darkholme as a student. The two eloped just after one semester of law school and Kurt was born the summer thereafter. Unfortunately, Herr Wagner died in a vehicular accident when Kurt was ten.

Kurt grinned. "Same old, same old. Lawyers and judges, the lot of them."

"Ah." Anna gave her brother a knowing look. "No pressure, right?" She knew the pressure exerted by the Wagners for her brother to take up law, but she also knew that he wouldn't give up gymnastics for the world.

"Oh, wait!" Kurt frowned as he examined all the bags that surrounded them. "I'm still one bag short. Left one in the conveyor-thingy because I can't carry them all." He shrugged. It's not that he had a lot of stuff, it was just he was a bad packer. What an average person could pack in one bag would take him two or three bags. "Watch over my things, ja?" Without waiting for an answer, Kurt dashed back inside.

"Ja?" Anna repeated in disbelief. It's going to be one loooong summer! She fought off a smile as she dropped down to sit on one of Kurt's suitcases as she waited for him. It felt good to finally have her brother back.

She noticed that there was a commotion somewhere inside and it was slowly making its way outside, towards where she was seated. She sighed. That, whatever that was, was probably why Kurt was taking too long.

"Cherie!" A familiar voice shouted, which sent a tingling sensation down Anna's back. "You came for Remy."

And for the second time that hour, Anna was picked up and twirled around, this time by an ecstatic Cajun. Before Anna could protest, she felt the actor's lips press firmly against her own. What was more surprising was that instead of pulling back, she found herself closing her eyes and responding eagerly to the impromptu kiss.

That is, until cameras started flashing.

Anna gasped as she pushed the Cajun actor away, albeit belatedly. The kiss lasted only seconds, but it had made its impact largely felt. "N-no…I-I…Er…" her voice was barely above a whisper.

Microphones were suddenly shoved in her face.

"Are you Remy's new love interest?"

"How long have you been together?"

"Is it true that you are the one who bore Remy's love child?"

"I—er—WHAT?" Anna wanted nothing more that moment than for the earth to swallow her up. What on earth was she doing, kissing the famous actor in front of the press.

"Now, now," a largish man with a kind face pushed his way towards Remy and Anna, clapping his hands enthusiastically. "Any and all of your questions will be answered later at Remy's press con later at the hotel. You are all invited."

But the bloodsuckers were not to be appeased, still firing question after question at Anna and Remy.

"PUTAIN!" A feminine voice shrieked which startled the media men into silence. "Are you stupid? Look what you've done!"

And suddenly, the media people thinned, flocking instead to furious Bella Donna who had just excited the terminal.

Anna breathed a sigh of relief as the crowd slowly disappeared in front of her. She sent out a prayer of thanks when she saw Kurt walking towards her.

"Chere?" Remy prodded softly which made a dazed Anna take several baby steps away from him.

"Let's go, liebchen," Kurt cheerfully announced, appearing suddenly, oblivious to his sister's fifteen seconds of fame and the Cajun actor beside her who made it all happen. He took the bags on the floor and led the way, looking forward to seeing his American friends again.

It took Anna a minute or two before she can respond. "Later, Remy," Anna tossed out to Remy as she adjusted the bag strap on her shoulder and hurried after her clueless younger brother. In her haste, she did not see the triumphant smile on Remy's lips as he watched her ran away from him. "Wait a minute," Anna called out after Kurt. "Liebchen?"

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"You are going down Elf!" Pietro announced gleefully as he stole the basketball from Kurt.

Kurt winced at the use of his childhood nickname. It wasn't his fault that his growth spurt waited until sophomore year of high school before it manifested itself. All throughout his youth, his elder sister had towered over him, as well as his friends and classmates. "You'll pay for that, Herr Maximoff!" He yelled as he ran after the quickest player of their game.

"What is it with him and inserting random words of German?" Lance groaned to Anna before jogging after the two.

"Ahn! Heads up!" Pietro shouted as he passed the ball to his teammate.

The four of them—Pietro, Kurt, Lance, and Anna—were enjoying a good-natured game of basketball to celebrate Kurt's joyous return to the US of A. They were to meet Wanda and Todd later for the celebratory pizza and beer.

Anna easily caught the ball. "Three points, no rim," she announced before Lance could run back to guard her.

And sure enough, the ball easily sunk into the basket.

"Nice shot, cherie,"

Four surprised eyes swiveled towards the entrance of the gym where they were playing in. They had reserved the courts for the evening, no one but them were supposed to go in.

"Oh. It's you." Anna resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Kurt, who went after the ball earlier, dribbled it threateningly. "Do you know this guy, Schwester?" He asked.

"It's Remy LeBeau," Pietro spat the name out. "He's been bothering her since a few days back, in Logan's bar."

Lance narrowed his eyes in remembrance. "And he's asking around about her, too."

"Is that true?" Kurt tucked the ball under his arm.

"It's nothing," Anna frowned, uncomfortable with the rising level of testosterone inside the gym. "Just ignore him and we could just go back to the game."

"Remy'll be right here to cheer you on, cher," Remy grinned unrepentantly.

Anna could have sworn she heard her normally good-natured brother growl.

"What are you doing here, LeBeau?" Anna demanded.

"Just thought I'd head over the courts for some work-out, challenge the local players a bit." He replied easily. Actually, he had called her earlier, only to learn from Kitty Pryde that Anna had head over to the courts with her friends.

"This is a private court," Kurt spat out.

"Yeah." Pietro affirmed. "Get out, or we'll escort you out."

Unwilling to look weak in front of the woman he's wooing, Remy crossed his arms in defiance. "Make me."

"Hey!" Anna tried to hold back the short-tempered Pietro by holding on his arms. "Stop it."

Pietro managed to calm himself.

"Let's just go back to the game," Anna almost begged.

"Not until the fille tells me to go."

"Remy, just leave." Anna said.

"Not until you give Remy a good bye kiss," he leered.

"That's it!" Everyone, save one, was shocked when Kurt suddenly lunged for the actor.

Remy reacted immediately, sidestepping Kurt's attack.

Kurt, who fell on the floor due to his velocity, immediately picked himself up to launch another blow against Remy.

Pietro and Lance tried to intercept, but they were all shocked when they heard the gym door slam close angrily.

"Anna?"

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"Excuse me, would you know where the wash rooms are?"

"Sure, it's just around—" but Anna's cheerful words died on her lips when she looked up and saw who was interrupting her case studies. "You!"

An infuriating Cajun smirk was the answer to her unspoken accusation. "Chere," he murmured huskily as he easily captured one of Anna's hand in his own. "Seems like Madame Destiny's bent on putting us together,"

Remy hid a smirk. He couldn't believe his luck when he arrived in the airport and saw his chere seated on a group of baggage as if waiting for someone, for him in particular. The basketball game was just an impromptu thing. He didn't make any conscious decision to go to where she was, he just found himself going to the gym.

But this current meeting had nothing to do with chance or spur-of-the-moment action.

When Belle had handed him the paper containing Rogue's particulars, he had made the connection between her and Attorney Darkholme because of the similar last names and the fact that he had seen her earlier in the lawyer's office. That, coupled with the older Darkholme's protective nature at the slightest hint of Remy's interest on the Rogue, led the Cajun to the belief that the two are related, if not mother and daughter. A few research on his part confirmed his theory.

That day, when he arrived on the set of the shoot and learned that he was not needed for the day, he decided to work his knowledge to his advantage. He decided to visit the law firm where he knew for a fact Anna was working.

And he wasn't disappointed. The moment he entered the plush law office, he saw Anna inside an open office, poring over stacks of paper.

Not that he was going to admit the fact to her.

"Wait," Green eyes regarded him in suspicion. "I'm mad at you."

Remy gave his best wounded puppy look. "If Remy says that he came here to apologize, would you accept?" He asked. "He would even volunteer to take you out for coffee to make it up to you."

"No!" Anna glared at him. Then, a look of suspicion crossed her face. "Just what are you doing here?"

Remy resisted the urge to pout. Alright, so the idea didn't really proceed according to plan, but that doesn't deter him from trying! "Er—Remy's here for," he paused, thinking that the woman in front of him would not be impressed with his track record with the law so far. "His last will and testament," he finished weakly.

"Last will and…" Anna frowned. "What, are you dying or something?"

"If Remy says oui, would that earn him at least a pity date?" The infuriating smirk was back.

"It wouldn't even earn you a look of pity," Anna grumbled. "The wash rooms straight down the corridor," she then turned back to her work, clearly dismissing the man before her.

"Later, cherie," with a cheerful and undaunted wave, the Cajun went off his way, thinking to himself that he could almost hear the sound of her heart breaking because of him.

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~tbc

Don't forget to go to triple w dot xanga dot com slash khayee for updates, teasers, spoilers, beta-reading and other stuff!

And now onward ho to the reviews!

Just want to send a general shout-out of thanks to those who took the time off to write me a note. A double thank you to those who answered my flower power question.

Girl number 1, I'll try my best not to fall under the cliché-ish trap. =) and I'll keep your suggestions in mind. Thanks.

JexyBaby, thanks for the note you left in my blog. Your feedback really helped. I adjusted the scene for it to make much more sense. I'm afraid that there are times when things are clear in my head, unfortunately, I fail in trying to articulate it. So thanks. I appreciate it lots. And your review really made my day. You have no idea how flattered I am that you were willing to slave through my unedited chaps and tell me that you liked the final one best. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Hope to hear from you again soon. =)

Steph Silverstar, so, ff.net been giving you trouble, huh. Usually what I do is use another computer, or wait until the next day so I can access it again. Hope the tip helps! =)

Caliente, What's up, Buttercup? Thanks for the personal email. I saved it in my hard drive so I can read and reread your showers of praises upon my person. My brothers actually watched my head become bigger and bigger. =) Glad Belle disturbed you, my mission in life is now complete ;) I'm not saying why Cody called Rogue, tho. Maybe he just missed her—not! Alright. This is a special Romy chap because when I went over my fic I realized that there is a serious need for Romy moments in 'em. So hope this made up!

rika-or-ri, thanks for the affirmation on Rogue's name. I was really apprehensive about them. I read stories where the readers were complaining because the author used Anna instead of Marie or whatever, so I just made Marie her second name. I really like the name Anna. Glad someone agrees with me.

Extacy, glad you liked my version of Belledonna. (Un)fortunately, she's not in this chapter. And I'm happy with the fact that you like my Remy, even if he is a jerk. Well, you know what they say about love and blindness and faults and all. OK. Rereading that statement made me realize that it made no sense. Blame it on the sugar rush. Tip: Eating one giant bar of chocolate by yourself is NOT a good idea especially if one bite of it could make you hyper for a good ten minutes.

Alyxandria, Aha. Another one of those women who likes a little attitude in their men. =) Thank you. And this note, when are you going to update your rocking stories?

evosmylife, wow. What has Belle done that made you hate her aside from stealing Remy away from Rogue, trying to kill Remy, standing in the way of Romy fluff, kidnapping Cody, conspiring with Candra…oh…I see your point. =) Don't worry. I'll make sure that in this fic, Belle would get what's coming to her. Mwahahahaha!

Society's Dirtbag, thanks for the exhaustive ego stroke. Reading your review pretty much left me grinning like a lunatic for the rest of the day, a fact that my brothers never tire to point out. Rest assured that I would do my very best to update this story every other week and not to start any new stories until this or my other XME fic gets finished. How's that?

Lady Farevay, Sorry, the Cody mystery won't be solved until later—much later. Don't worry, I'll be dropping a few hints about it now and then. About my inspiration, it comes from different sources. Regarding this fic, this was pretty much inspired by a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fic I read which is archived in another place. As I read from one of my favorite local author, inspiration is pretty much all around you, you just have to look really close and think. =)

evanescence kicks ass, thanks. I realized that I've been torturing Rogue with all the Cajun charm turned on her full blast. But then, if that's torture, Remy's free to torture me any day wink wink

GreenFairyGirl88, thanks for the flower answer. I was pretty much undecided until I wrote the chap so I decided, what the heck. I'll just make him give her one single-stemmed. The rest would come later, I guarantee it.

Nigihayami Haruko, pardon my ignorance, but what does naruhodo mean? What language is it? =) Thanks for your compliment on the title of last chapter. As I wrote previously, that song made the writing of the chap flow.

driftinkowgirl (of driftinkowgirl@aol.com), thanks. I pretty much started the same way—writing fanfics for myself and myself only. You wouldn't believe the amount of self-motivating speeches I had to give myself before I can post my first story in the Net. But it becomes easier over time. The advantages of having other people read your work is that more eyes can spot your mistake and correct you so that you can develop as an author. But, hey!, that's just me. =)

dreamschemer, never thought about cruel intentions…I know of the general story and watched bits and pieces of it, but I never really watched the whole movie. But thanks for the comparison. Made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

ishandahalf, out of the numerous responses I got, only two said that Remy would not give Rogue flowers. Although majority is for it, your answer gave me serious second doubts. I mean, it was the Queen of Romyness herself who said that there would be no giving of flowers, who am I to say otherwise? So I decided to compromise. I had loads of fun writing it. Hope you have fun reading it, too.

MorriganFearn, another convert to the AU things. Thanks. I'm really, really flattered. And as a reward, the fuzzy dude had made his entrance, unfortunately, he ain't fuzzy no more. I'll try to think of a way to write in 'chicks dig the fuzzy dude' as Kurt's dialogue. Hmmmm….

Leishy, Hey! I like the brotherhood too. I hated the fact that in cannon evo, the 'hood is portrayed as this wishy washy bunch whom Mystique abandoned on their own. I mean, they did kick X-Men butt by in part one of the season ender of season 1, right? And when Wanda was added to the mix, they became more powerful, right? So what's up with that? ahem I'm ok now. Thanks for the Belle comment. It went straight to my head.

Cathain Nottingham, thanks. I'll try to make other evo characters make a cameo too. =) And I'll do my best for more John, Spike, and Piotr exposure.

The Rogue Cajun, you're the other dissenter who said that Remy won't give flowers to Rogue. Unfortunately, majority said yes. So, that's what happened. Anyway, thanks for your feedback. It was muchly appreciated. =)

willa. j., thank you, dear. And read above, Remy gave a long-stemmed red rose. Wish someone would give me a long-stemmed red rose.

spankychaff, thanks for the load of compliments and to the answers to my questions. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal the Cody mystery because that is essential in my plot. No one but me, myself, and I know about what it is. Of course, the beauty in that set-up is that I could change the secret at will. But I won't. I promise that I would reveal the secret if one reviewer could correctly and specifically guess what it is. Care to render a guess?

Cheers Darlin, ah, now your comment made sense. Unfortunately, I'm a Romy shipper through and through. =) So you would have to bear with my perception of Logan as Rogue's father figure. Can't really see them together, not even in the movies. Of course, that may be due to the fact that I view life through Romy-vision. =)

And to

Star-of-Chaos, dude, you made me very happy. Your review came within twenty minutes of my posting the chap. You rawk! And the answer to your question as to whether Remy made the connection between Rogue and Raven is answered above. Hope you enjoyed my fic!