Chapter Eight

Declan ran ahead of his mum as Pietro walked them to their home. Rogue couldn't believe that she had let Pietro kiss her! She felt her cheeks burn as she recalled it.

"I saw Gambit at the park," Pietro commented, breaking the silence. Rogue nodded, thinking hard about what was going on between her and Pietro.

"Yeah. Ah saw him an' his...his son," she managed to say and Pietro looked automatically at Declan before mentally kicking himself.

"Oh. That was his son?" he asked, thinking it better for Rogue to let everything out than bottle it up inside. Rogue nodded again, no emotion showing on her face. They reached her house and Rogue unlocked the door without a word. Declan rushed in and looked at his pet puppy.

"Hiya, Rusty! Did yah have a nahce day? Ah had thah best day evah! First ah played Napstoch wit' Jade an' Stuart an' Tammy an' then..." Declan stopped, plopped himself down in front of his dog who then stretched out on Declan's legs as Declan continued the story of his day. Rogue smiled at him.

"Ah'll be in thah kitchen if yah need meh, baby-boy," she said to him and Declan smiled back at her.

"He sure is energetic," Pietro commented as they walked into the kitchen.

"Mhm," Rogue answered, "Yah want some Pepsi?" she asked, opening the fridge. Pietro shook his head no and Rogue shut the fridge and sat opposite him.

"Talk to me, Rogue," he said to her, taking her hand into his. Rogue looked at his hand that was covering her own. What was he doing?

"About what?" she asked, casually taking her hand out of his grasp and tucking her hair behind her ear.

Pietro noticed when Rogue took her hand out of his. It hurt him that she didn't like him in the way that he did. He cleared his throat.

"Well, everything," he answered; shifting in the stool he was perched on nervously. Rogue frowned slightly and put her head in her hands, her white bang falling to the side of her face. To Pietro, she looked so adorable, sitting there with a confused look on her face.

"Whah?" she asked again. Pietro looked at her, slightly shocked.

"Well, if I'm going to be the father of your child, we might as well talk about stuff," he explained. He briefly saw a look of anger pass across Rogue's face but as soon as it came, it was gone. She stood up and walked away from him.

"Ah didn' say yes, Pietro," she said shortly. Pietro frowned. Why was she being so stubborn?

"But why?" he asked, confused. Rogue sighed harshly. She looked at him in sudden anger.

"Pietro, ah'm a bit unstable raght now an' in no state tah make decisions that will change mahn's an' mah son's life forevah! Do yah even know what ah'm actually goin' through raght now? Declan's father is parading around Bayville with a to-be-wife an' son for showin' off! Ah've just gotten an offer that'll give mah son a fathah but will take mah love away from meh! Do you even know what kind of position ah'm in?!?!?! Plus, if that wasn't enough, how can Declan be lied to all his life that you are his father when you're not. You're not!" she exclaimed, tears starting to build up in her pain-stricken eyes.

Pietro stood up, shocked by her outburst, and headed for the door. His insides were tearing him apart. He had known and loved Rogue for a long time now. He admired her strong ness. He had loved her from even before the Remy incident, when her and Remy were officially a couple and going out. She had never doubted her ideas or suggestions and spoke up when her heart said it was right. Wanda and Rogue became best friends and Pietro was over the moon. His feelings for her had never waned. But after this, he thought it would be for the best if he just left so they could both be left alone to sort through their problems.

"I think I should go, Rogue," he said quietly, " We both need to really and seriously think this over. I'll come back when I've thought this over and when I think you have made a decision," he finished and left, hurt beyond words.

Rogue stared after him, longing building up in her heart. Not for him as a potential life partner, but longing for him as a good friend who she could turn to. Rogue put her hands over face and thought seriously about what she was going to do.

"Momma?" Declan's timid voice came from the doorway. Rogue looked through her fingers and almost screamed. Declan was standing there with tears streaming down his face and a bloody hand. Her motherly instinct came over her and she rushed over to him, taking him quickly by the un-bloody hand and leading him to the bathroom. Once in there, she held his hand under the cold tap and let the water wash away the excess blood with Declan whimpering next to her.

"Ssssh. Declan. It'll be okay. Ssssh, baby-boy," she comforted, forgetting her own troubles and focusing on her shaking son. Once the blood was gone, Rogue saw a nasty gash across the back of his hand. She took some antiseptic out the medicine cupboard and placed some on a cotton bud. She looked at the trembling Declan.

"Now, baby-boy. This might hurt a lil' bit but be brave for your momma, okay?" she proposed and began rubbing the antiseptic on the gash. Declan was quiet as a mouse but kept biting his lip now and again. When that was over, Rogue took some bandages out the cabinet and began wrapping it round her son's hand carefully. Once that was done, she gripped him by the shoulders tightly.

"How did yah get that cut?" she demanded to know. Declan looked away as she looked at him angrily.

"Ahwasplayingwithaknife," he said quickly. Rogue shook him by the shoulders.

"Declan! How many times have ah told yah not tah play with dangerous stuff lahke that! You see what happens now?" she chided. Declan nodded slowly and Rogue wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Don't yah evah scare meh lahke that again, sugah! Yah almost gave meh a heart-attack!" she joked meekly and Declan laughed.

"Oh momma! Yah really do care!" he retorted, laughing. Rogue pulled back and looked him straight in his red-on-black eyes.

"Ah care, Declan. Ah care 'bout yah so much that no one can count how many numbers mah love equals to. Ah will always love yah, baby-boy an' nothin' will ever come between us. Nothing," she promised and hugged him again. But she wasn't exactly sure she could keep her promise. But hell, she would try for the sake of her son.

"Nothing,"

Remy woke up to a grey and dismal day. It reflected exactly how he felt. He turned and saw Belladonna lying faced him, eyes shut. She was sleeping and by the look of the slight smile she had on her face, she was having a nice dream. Remy studied every detail of her face, knowing that for the rest of his life, he would be waking up with her in his arms. Belladonna. Remy replayed the times in his mind where he would watch his chere sleep.

Flashback

Remy LeBeau sneaked stealthily past the Institute's security and made his way to his potential girlfriend's balcony. He climbed up and looked through the bay windows to see that she was sleeping. He undid the lock on the windows and crept silently to where she lay. Remy stared at his angelic beauty.

Rogue was in a deep sleep, it seemed. Her head was turned to the left as she breathed deeply. Her chest rose slowly with every delicate breath she took. Her porcelain skin looked even paler at night than it did during daytime. Her face bore no make-up and her lips were full and a cerise colour. Her lashes were black crescents on her cheeks.

Remy trailed his gloved finger down her cheek. She stirred slightly and turned over and Remy retreated to the shadows, watching her until the early-mornings of the morning.

End Flashback

Belladonna was not the woman he had dreamed of waking up next to. She was not the woman he had thought he would have beautiful children with. She was not the woman he wanted to grow old with. She was not the woman he loved.

Remy sighed deeply and crept out of the bed quietly, so not to wake her. He padded silently to the other bed where Julian lay sleeping. He was lying on his back and his blond hair was messy. His left arm was over his eyes and the other was hanging off the end of the bed. Remy sighed again. He felt a slight wetness in his eyes but blinked it away hastily, not wanting to become prey to his emotions.

Remy went into the joint-bathroom and freshened up. He grabbed his trench coat and pulled it on swiftly. He wrote a hasty note to Belladonna saying that he was going out and would be back later, before leaving the room to go to the one place where he could just sit and relax and not think about anything.

Rogue walked through the same forest in which her childhood love had insulted her terribly. She moved some branches out of the way before seeing smoke rising from the place where she had sat just a few days ago, waiting for Remy. She went forward some more and felt like crying when she saw what she saw.

Remy LeBeau was sitting against the oak tree, smoking a cigarette. He looked deep in thought and kept running his free hand through his hair. Rogue debated on whether to go forward or to just turn around and walk away. She didn't have time to decide because Remy turned around and looked straight at her.

A/N: Hey, readers! Hope you enjoyed reading this chappie! I wonder, does this count as a cliffhanger? I'm like so sorry that I haven't been updating sooner but schools started and my teachers haven't spared us any sympathy and are giving us a truckload of homework every night! But, I'll try anywayz and try to update sooner! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll have the next one up soon!

A/A/N: Thank you to all the reviewers out there who have been reading my story and taking the time to review! Thanx again and keep up the good work! LoL.

{Anam}