Chapter One
Rogue awoke early, yawned, stretched, and climbed out of her bed, wearing a men's long t-shirt to maintain her decency. She made her way to the room next to her own.
Declan's room. Her five-years-old son's room. She opened the door and made her way to his small bed. She sighed as she watched him breathe peacefully.
His unusually bright, red-on-black eyes were shut. His auburn hair was tousled but a single white bang hung straight at the side. Declan was half his father, half his mother, but still one hundred percent himself.
Rogue sighed again as she gently brushed his hair with her fingers. He stirred slightly and she left the room, leaving a gentle kiss on his forehead.
Rogue sighed for the third time as she set herself down on a stool in the kitchen, her cup of coffee in front of her. She stirred it with a teaspoon thoughtfully as she got caught up in memories. Of Remy.
She remembered him as the other X-Men remembered him. The mischievous, handsome and full-of-himself Cajun.
But, then she remembered him as only she could remember him. The scent of his cologne when he held her close, the feel of his warm arms around her as she cried out her fears, the pleasantness of the feeling she got when he looked at her with those love-filled red-on-black eyes.
Then, she felt a heart-breaking pain and betrayal on the night he looked at her with those same eyes filled with guilt, when she found out that he was going back to Belladonna.
Rogue clenched her fists, shut her eyes and gritted her teeth to force back her tears, emotions, and memories of the night he betrayed her and she walked out of his life.
"Momma?" Declan's voice broke her out of her reminiscence. She opened her eyes and looked at the boy staring at her from the doorway.
"Yes, Momma's lil' boy?" she asked, getting up from her chair and tipping her untouched, cold coffee down the sink.
"Are y' okay? Me know y're upset," he stated cutely, setting himself on a stool. Rogue laughed lightly. "He's already picking up on his father's empathy," she thought vaguely.
"Ah'm all-raght, baby boy. Now, what do yah want for yah breakfast?" she asked, changing the subject.
"A muffin. Momma, please don' call me baby-boy. Ah'm five years old!" he whined. Rogue laughed, went over to him and ruffled his hair. She set his blueberry muffin in front of him.
"Ah know that. But ya'll always be mah baby boy," she said, affectionately.
"What about, mon papa?" he asked hesitantly. Rogue froze and went to wash the dishes, her body slightly rigid.
"He...he's gone away, Declan," she explained briefly.
"Why don' he come visit?" Declan asked.
"He's bein' kept...busy, at the moment," she answered, lips tight.
"'Kay, Momma. Shall ah go change? Ahre we goin' anywhere t'day?" Declan said, immediately changing the subject at sensing his mother's discomfort.
"Yeah, baby boy. Shoppin' an' then we're goin' tah see Uncle Logan and Auntie 'Ro," Rogue explained.
"Oui!!! Yeah!!!," Declan shouted and ran of too change his clothes. Rogue laughed and shook her head. "What an energetic little boy!"
Rogue awoke early, yawned, stretched, and climbed out of her bed, wearing a men's long t-shirt to maintain her decency. She made her way to the room next to her own.
Declan's room. Her five-years-old son's room. She opened the door and made her way to his small bed. She sighed as she watched him breathe peacefully.
His unusually bright, red-on-black eyes were shut. His auburn hair was tousled but a single white bang hung straight at the side. Declan was half his father, half his mother, but still one hundred percent himself.
Rogue sighed again as she gently brushed his hair with her fingers. He stirred slightly and she left the room, leaving a gentle kiss on his forehead.
Rogue sighed for the third time as she set herself down on a stool in the kitchen, her cup of coffee in front of her. She stirred it with a teaspoon thoughtfully as she got caught up in memories. Of Remy.
She remembered him as the other X-Men remembered him. The mischievous, handsome and full-of-himself Cajun.
But, then she remembered him as only she could remember him. The scent of his cologne when he held her close, the feel of his warm arms around her as she cried out her fears, the pleasantness of the feeling she got when he looked at her with those love-filled red-on-black eyes.
Then, she felt a heart-breaking pain and betrayal on the night he looked at her with those same eyes filled with guilt, when she found out that he was going back to Belladonna.
Rogue clenched her fists, shut her eyes and gritted her teeth to force back her tears, emotions, and memories of the night he betrayed her and she walked out of his life.
"Momma?" Declan's voice broke her out of her reminiscence. She opened her eyes and looked at the boy staring at her from the doorway.
"Yes, Momma's lil' boy?" she asked, getting up from her chair and tipping her untouched, cold coffee down the sink.
"Are y' okay? Me know y're upset," he stated cutely, setting himself on a stool. Rogue laughed lightly. "He's already picking up on his father's empathy," she thought vaguely.
"Ah'm all-raght, baby boy. Now, what do yah want for yah breakfast?" she asked, changing the subject.
"A muffin. Momma, please don' call me baby-boy. Ah'm five years old!" he whined. Rogue laughed, went over to him and ruffled his hair. She set his blueberry muffin in front of him.
"Ah know that. But ya'll always be mah baby boy," she said, affectionately.
"What about, mon papa?" he asked hesitantly. Rogue froze and went to wash the dishes, her body slightly rigid.
"He...he's gone away, Declan," she explained briefly.
"Why don' he come visit?" Declan asked.
"He's bein' kept...busy, at the moment," she answered, lips tight.
"'Kay, Momma. Shall ah go change? Ahre we goin' anywhere t'day?" Declan said, immediately changing the subject at sensing his mother's discomfort.
"Yeah, baby boy. Shoppin' an' then we're goin' tah see Uncle Logan and Auntie 'Ro," Rogue explained.
"Oui!!! Yeah!!!," Declan shouted and ran of too change his clothes. Rogue laughed and shook her head. "What an energetic little boy!"