Disclaimer: The X-Men don't belong to me. If they did, do you think I would be writing these stories on-line? Oh wait… I probably would.

Chapter Four

"So Red, does all of this high tech equipment actually tell you what's wrong with them," Lance impatiently sighed as he looked over the six immobile figures lying on the hospital beds.

"Well," Jean thoughtfully replied, "I'm no doctor, but these readings show that the light did no physical damage to them. However, I have no idea what type of mental damage they may have."

"Are you saying dat dey might never wake up?" Piotr softly asked in his deep Russian accent, staring solemnly at Gambit, his only true friend in America.

"I'm afraid so," Jean whispered sadly as she gazed at Scott; now she didn't have a date to spring formal… unless she called up Duncan, hooray, her problems were solved.

"Not necessarily," Kitty reported from her seated position in front of a computer that she hacked her way into, " I ran some tests on the dust that the white light left behind and it turns out that it's some sort of sleeping powder. It hasn't messed up their brains, they're just in a deep sleep."

"Wow, pretty Kitty, I'm impressed… you didn't use like once," Lance teased his ex-girlfriend playfully.

"Don't be like, immature Lance," Kitty huffed, blushing a faint pink from the attention.

"Dat was amazing," Piotr murmured quietly as his moved to Kitty's side and bent down to stare at the computer screen, "you are very smart."

Kitty looked in awe at the muscular man beside her and felt her stomach do somersaults as she stared at his cute facial features. "That is like, the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," Kitty smiled softly and turned her blue, doe-like eyes to gaze adoringly at Piotr.

Lance felt his gut tighten as he watched the interaction between Kitty and Piotr. 'She used to look at you with that loving expression,' Lance's mind taunted, causing the young man to tear his gaze away from the pair and stare off into space as he silently wondered why a sharp pain had settled in his chest.

"Wow Keety, does the Professor know you can do that?" Kurt mumbled through a mouthful of powered doughnuts.

When she didn't answer or even acknowledge that he had spoken (because she was so smitten with Piotr), Kurt shrugged his shoulders and shoved another doughnut into his already full mouth. He had made a side trip to the kitchen before poofing into the med- lab with the rest of the group.

As he reached into the box to pull out the final doughnut he discovered that it was gone. Letting out a shriek of horror, Kurt raised his tawny eyes to frantically search throughout the room for his beloved snack. He quickly spotted his "kidnapped" doughnut in the hands of the fiery-orange haired boy, John "Pyro" Allerdyce. John was innocently staring up at the ceiling, whistling a happy tune as he rocked back and forth on the heels of his feet. He slyly had the doughnut partially hidden in one hand; his other hand was busy flicking his lighter on and off. Kurt watched in shock as John raised the doughnut to his mouth in what seemed like slow motion to the fuzzy blue elf. Letting out an exaggerated "NO!" Kurt poofed directly next to the Australian Acolyte and made a desperate grab for his stolen pastry.

Unfortunately, Kurt's timing was off and he lunged for the wrong hand, grabbing the lighter instead of the doughnut. John screamed in panic upon realizing that his lighter was gone. The doughnut forgotten, he lowered the tempting delicacy from his lips and stared at Kurt in shock. "Gimme back me baby," John pleaded, staring at his precious lighter with watering eyes.

Kurt's eyes lit up in surprise, the day was not lost… he had a bargaining tool that could get his doughnut back. "Ve make a trade, your lighter for my doughnut," he negotiated, sending a hungry glance towards the doughnut.

"Anything for me baby," John quickly agreed, offering the doughnut to a now drooling Kurt.

The two quickly exchanged items, Kurt wasted no time as he shoved the doughnut into his mouth and chewed it very slowly in order to savor each and every bite. John tenderly held his lighter in the palm of his hand, softly stroking it for comfort.

Unfortunately for John, the lighter wasn't in his possession very long for once again, the X-Men's nosy redhead decided to meddle in others lives. John watched despairingly as his lighter levitated in the air and flew across the room into Jean's awaiting palm. "I'm sorry John, but you're a hazard in our home with this lighter, I'm going to have to confiscate it," Jean plastered a sugar sweet smile on her face and pocketed the lighter.

A string of curses surged through John's mind as he tried to think of a way to get his lighter back. "Now John," Jean's airy voice floated across his mind, "those aren't nice things to call me."

"You fucking bitch! Get out of me head," he shouted and menacingly approached the snobby red head, his stormy blue gaze blazing with fury, "and give me baby back!"

"Now John, I thought I already explained that you're dangerous with this lighter," Jean sighed in a condescending tone, "so I'll keep it until you leave."

Piotr saw his friend about to charge Jean and quickly grabbed the hysterical Pyro before he could do any real damage to the girl or anyone else in the room. "How would like it if I took away your mind so that you couldn't use your powers shiela (this means girl in Austrialian lingo, one of editors didn't know this and I didn't want to leave anyone hanging ) )… would you like that," John threatened the cowering Jean.

"Calm down my friend, why don't you leave for a while and come back when you have cooled down… maybe you could swing by the store and pick up a new lighter," Piotr quietly whispered in John's ear and releasing him from his hold.

John ceased his struggles and inhaled deeply before addressing the group of mutants. "Well mates, I don't know about you but I need some fresh air, I'll be back later… oh and shiela," John evilly smiled at Jean before exiting the room, " read me mind again and I'll come after you while you're sleeping."

Piotr brought his hand up to his forehead in a mock slap at his friend's antics, wishing the throbbing headache to go away. 'Dat vas not John's best exit… now this will be awkward,' his thoughts sighed.

"Don't worry about it," Kitty sweetly smiled up at the tall Russian and rested her small hand on his arm, "Jean gets on like, everybody's nerves, no one blames him."

Kitty stared into Piotr's steel blue eyes and inwardly squealed with delight. It wasn't going to be hard for her to fall for this tall, dark and handsome man… not to mention those muscular arms; they were enough to make a girl swoon. She was brought out of her dream like state when she heard Lance announce loudly, "Well, they're not waking up so this must be in more than a deep sleep," and was it her imagination or did he sound more pissed off than he usually was.

"Yo man, how do you know?" Toad asked while scratching his head; he was obviously confused.

Lance grinned deviously before answering, "I tried to wake Pietro up regularly by shaking him, but since he didn't respond to that I slapped him around a bit and believe me, Pietro is a crybaby and he would have definitely woken up by now if it was a regular sleep."

-----

"I cannot believe that there is no way to get out of here," Scott grunted in dismay, toeing the ground next to a brightly lit stand.

Fred grunted in response, feeling helpless in his weakened state. He tried punching a hole through the high, concrete, carnival walls and ending up with sore knuckles and growling stomach, he couldn't remember how long it had been since he ate last.

The two had tried every possible way to get out of this carnival. Unfortunately, there was no exit or entrance for that matter and a fifty-foot concrete wall enclosed the entire area. After Fred's plan of punching a path through the wall failed, he decided to search the deserted fairgrounds for some food and Scott helplessly trailed after him, all the while contemplating what the Professor would do in this same situation.

Scott finally raised his pitiful brown gaze to rest on the contents of the stand in front of him. A large banner proclaiming "Love Tarts" draped over the front of the counter that displayed a tray filled with tempting cherry pastries. Scott looked for Fred and spotted him rummaging through the Cotton Candy stand, struggling to make the machine work. Believing in every man for himself out in this bizarre world, Scott shoved three delicious pastries into his mouth and then quickly devoured the remaining sweets. The blissful feeling of a full stomach turned uncomfortable when Scott's stomach let out an unnatural groan and racking pains caused him to double over in agony. His eyes quickly hazed into a red glow that wasn't associated with his mutation. Scott crumpled to the ground as one last bolt of pain shocked his body, leaving him in a state of paralysis. And then just as soon as the pain occurred, it was gone and Scott abruptly sat up and groggily looked at his surroundings.

Fred saw Scott crumple to the ground and quickly (if that's even possible) lumbered over to his prone figure. By the time he reached Scott, the teen had already sat up and was looking around in bewilderment. "Scott, are you alright?" Fred asked, not really sure what to do in this situation.

Scott felt happy… happier than he had been in a long time. A warm, fuzzy feeling had settled in the pit of his stomach and he felt hot… very hot. His feverish gaze frantically met the gaze of Fred's troubled eyes and he felt something he only normally felt around Jean… desire. He didn't know why he didn't see it before, beneath all of the rolls, drool, and size; Fred was a sexy guy. And Scott wanted him, to be near him, to touch him; he couldn't hide his feelings any longer. "Fred," Scott breathlessly whispered, "you have beautiful eyes… will you hold me?"

A look of pure confusion past over Fred's face, and then it all became clear to him and a look of fear clouded his features. "Scott," he stammered out while slowly backing away from him, "something is not right with you… I'm not gay so keep your space."

"Oh Fred," Scott gave him a sultry smile, "I just want to be close to you, will you let me love you?"

Fred stood there blinking for awhile and took one more look at Scott before turning around and running away as fast as his 300 pound body would let him.

Scott watching his love flee from him, he secretly enjoyed this game of cat and mouse. "Fred… my darling, I just want to be loved," he shouted and started chasing after Fred's retreating form.

-----

His breath came out in short, ragged bursts of air as he slowly peered around the corner to check if his sister was anywhere in sight. Pietro couldn't remember the last time he ran out of breath from running. It was an unnatural feeling and one that he hoped he wouldn't get used to. His bright blue eyes widened in fear as he heard the familiar click click of his sister's heels as she rounded the corner and met his gaze.

A sadistic smirk graced her lips as she closed in on her brother. The shard of glass she clutched had cut her hand, causing a steady trail of blood to follow her every move. Wanda stealthily approached her brother's cowering figure and raised the dagger in a stabbing position. Just as she was about to strike, a dark figure rounded the corner and into her line of vision. She paused her attack to evaluate her new opponent. A tall, thin, darkly-dressed clown watched her from the end of the hallway, tufts of green hair stuck out from his crumpled flower hat; blue, bloodshot eyes regarded her closely from a white-paint encrusted face with a twisted smiled stretched across the figure's blood-red lips.

"What the fuck is that?" Wanda muttered as she stared bewildered at the clown.

The clown stared at the siblings eerily, smiling at them and raising his hand in a jerky wave. His lips suddenly stretched wide open and an ear-splitting scream resounded from the thin body. The clown maniacally charged at the siblings, raising his hands to reveal sharp, pointed claws and laughing hysterically as he sought out his prey.

If Pietro had drank anything that day he would have pissed his pants. Shrieking in fear, his eyes searched for a quick escape only to find the hallway had mysteriously turned into a dead end. He began pushing at the walls, hoping against all odds for an escape. His frantic eyes turned to spy the clown almost upon him, and his sister staring at the approaching circus freak in shock. Pietro desperately rammed his shoulder into the wall one last time and jumped when a hidden door opened, offering him an escape. Without thinking, he grabbed his sister and roughly pulled her through the door with him, slamming it shut just as the clown collided into the door. His bright eyes scanned the dark, empty room before letting out a sigh of relief and slowly sinking to the floor, attempting to slow down his rapid breathing.

Wanda miraculously snapped out of her shock-induced trance to peer at a dark room and her brother's crumpled, shaking body. Some force had taken over her body, freezing her limbs and paralyzing any movement she might take. She was completely prepared to fight that clown when she was rendered helpless by some unknown force. In fact, that clown would have killed her had her brother not stepped in and saved her, an action she couldn't understand. "Why did you help me?" she demanded, looming over her brother.

Pietro immediately stood up and faced his sister, determined not to show his fear of her. "I don't know," he quickly replied, running a somewhat shaking hand through his silver hair, "I couldn't just leave you there."

Narrowing her violet eyes to ascertain her brother's honesty by peering at him, Wanda insisted, "but why? I'm trying to kill you, why would you help me?"

"Because you're my sister Wanda!" Pietro exclaimed, "I couldn't leave my own family member out there to be killed by some demonic clown!"

Wanda remained silent, pondering over her brother's seemingly truthful words. She wanted to believe him, but she had been hurt and betrayed by her family in the past and wasn't ready to believe his seemingly new found affection towards her. Throwing the shard of glass she still clutched to the ground, she ripped the hem of her shirt off to make a make shift bandage around her bleeding palm. "Because you saved my life I will spare yours. But I still despise you, so keep your distance," Wanda spat and stalked away from her brother to search for an exit.

-----

"Ready t' fight chere?" Remy whispered, tightening his grip on the bo-staff.

"Sugah, Ah'm always ready for a fight," Rogue replied, clenching her slender fingers into fists.

"Knights," the nobleman shouted from his stallion, "this thief has my daughter under some type of spell. You'll have to take them by force, but don't hurt my little girl."

"Little girl," Rogue muttered in disgust before charging at the knights, squarely punching the first knight through the opening in his helmet, knocking him off balance as other knights closed in around her.

Sighing in disbelief at her rush into battle, Remy rammed his indestructible bo-staff into the body of the nearest knight who surrounded Rogue. He quickly swiped his staff under the feet of the slow knight, bringing him to the ground with a heavy crash of armor before delivering a quick blow to the head to render the knight unconscious. He had to take care of a few more knights before he was able to join Rogue's side.

"Welcome to tha fight Remy," Rogue smiled as she threw punches at another knight who was already weakening from her stream of hits.

"What's with the solo battle charge chere? Remy thought y' X-Men believed in teamwork," he questioned while fending off another knight.

"Ah prefer fighting alone, that way Ah only have to worry about myself," she shrugged, refusing to acknowledge the painful throbbing of her sore knuckles as she slammed her fist into the face off another knight.

Remy silently agreed with her statement, he preferred fighting alone as well. However, since he woke up in this bizarre world, he developed this odd need to protect Rogue, even though he was positive she could look after herself. Banishing this disturbing thought that he might have deeper feelings for this girl he pouted, "Why chere, y' make it sound like y' don't care bout Remy's well being… what if Remy was in trouble?"

Snorting in amusement at his statement, Rogue suddenly came to the conclusion that she would not hesitate to come to his aid if he indeed was in danger. Realizing that the Cajun was beginning to grow on her, she ignored her constant stream of bothersome thoughts and tried to concentrate on fighting. "Stop yah rambling Cajun, it's distracting," Rogue ordered, narrowly missed the swipe of a sword at her side.

"Y' have Remy's sincerest apologies chere, Remy can't help his voice is so sexy and he's so good looking it's distracting," Remy smirked, egging on her fiery temper that never failed to amuse him.

"Remy," she warned, "stop it, Ah can't concentrate."

No sooner had she finished her statement that an armored arm snaked past her defenses and roughly grabbed her in a headlock. Rogue gasped at the unexpected move and tried to wiggle out of her captor's grasp when the cold, tip of a blade stilled her struggles. Never before in her life had she felt so powerless, and with the absence of her life draining mutation she couldn't reply on the guarantee that her poisonous skin would save her.

An unsettling weight settled at the pit of Remy's stomach when he glimpsed Rogue's capture and he charged towards her captive figure, leaving his back open for an attack. He should have known that with all his luck a knight, who normally was regarded as virtuous and honorable, would strike him in the back. Remy felt the hilt of the blade slam into his unprotected back, causing him to stumble to the ground as tried to catch his breath. His slowly raised his trembling body from its vulnerable position and spun around to block his opponent's next attack. Sadly enough, his reaction time was slower than usual and he turned just in time to be knocked unconscious with a blow to the head.

Rogue let out a choked sob when she heard the unnatural crunch caused by the knight's steel fist when it struck Remy's head. She watched his body crumple to the ground with watering eyes as she increased her struggles, heedless of the blade digging into her side.

"The lady still struggles m'lord, what should I do?" the knight asked, still maintaining his tight vise on Rogue.

"You'll have to bind her hands," the noble sighed and winced when he saw Rogue make an attempt to kick at an adjacent knight, "and her ankles as well."

"And for the thief?" another knight inquired, his foot squarely planted on Remy's unconscious form.

"We'll take him back to the castle dungeon and decide from there what to do with him," the lord ordered and silently watched his knight assemble into their lines before leading the march back to his keep.

'Think Rogue think,' her mind screamed in frustration as she darted a quick glance at Remy's now semi-conscious form being dragged by another knight, 'there has to be some way out of this dream world… nothing is making sense, we can actually get hurt here."

Rogue glanced around at her surroundings and jumped in surprise when the area abruptly changed from the lush forest in a sweltering desert and back to a forest. She tightly closed her lids to clear her mind and opened them to a forest once more. Forcing her thoughts not to dwell of the scenic changes she began to tune into the conversation around her. Rogue was startled to find that everyone was speaking with a different type of accent. 'What tha hell is going on here, the scenery is all jumbled, everyone sounds different, our powers were somehow negated… either Ah've completely lost it and have gone insane or that new mutant did something ta us,' Rogue reasoned with herself until be snapped out of her train of thoughts when "her father's" curt voice interrupted her.

"My darling little girl, don't you recognize your home?" the man claiming to be her father asked, motioning to their estate.

Rogue's jaw dropped in shock upon seeing her "home." A towering white castle that seemed straight out of a fairytale loomed above her as the procession of knights made their way inside the gates. Five lean, whitewashed towers sparkled against the approaching sunset; brightly colored flags rustled in the calm wind from on top of the blue-tiled steeples. A large group of people rushed at the knightly procession when they reached the inner courtyard outside the steps of the palace. Nobles, knights, and peasants greeted the procession, welcoming them all home. A few people cried out their thanks to the heavens for the safe return of their beloved Princess Marie. "Oh mah god, Ah'm a princess," Rogue softly whispered to herself as her legs were untied and she was escorted through the throngs of people and up the stairs to the palace.

The whispers regarding her odd clothing and the bonds around her hands snapped Rogue out of her dream-like state and she remembered Remy. Quickly turning back towards the inner court, she saw him being led through a heavy wooden door and down a dark pair of stairs before she lost sight of him and was guided into the palace.

The sheer size of the lengthy hallway distracted her from her previous thoughts of rescue; causing her to gape at the expensive white marble columns and shiny oak floor that adorned the inside of the palace. A variety of winding stairwells led from the huge ballroom, making it very difficult for Rogue to gain her bearings. However, an ingenious plan began to form in the young woman's mind, causing a devious smile to grace her soft lips. Rogue quietly let her knightly escort lead her to the throne upon which "her father" was sitting. She quickly pinched the corners of her eyes when no one was watching, causing her eyes to well up in tears as she raised her eyes to meet those of the king. "Oh papa," Rogue sobbed in her best Yankee accent, "I'm so scared, why am I a prisoner, what happened to me!"

Rogue wretched away from her captor's hold and ran to the king, collapsing a fit of sobs at his feet. "My darling daughter, you have returned to me," the king sighed in relief, dropping to his knees and pulling Rogue into a tight hug. She raised her tear-stained face to smile at the king and held up her bound wrists before innocently asking, "Papa, why am I tied up and whatever am I wearing?"

Motioning for his guard to cut her bonds, the joyful king took Rogue's now free hand, linking it through his arm and leading her out of the common room and up a winding set of stairs. "My dear, the leader of the thieves kidnapped you, for a ransom I assume, and put you under some type of spell. We found you today, dressed like so and in an indecent action with the thief. Can you remember none of this?" he asked in a slightly suspicious tone.

"None of it father… that rascal must have… drugged me," Rogue replied, widening her eyes and giving him the most innocent look she could muster.

"I believe you my angel, now I've ordered Jeanine to have you fed and dressed for bed, the hour is growing late," the king ordered and softly placed in the arms of petite, heavyset redhead and kissing Rogue on the cheek and whispering good night before making his way down the hall.

Rogue turned to face the servant who face was twisted in a sour grimace. "Now then," the plump woman boomed in nasal voice, "you heard your father, get a move on your highness."

Rogue drew in a deep breath and let the woman lead her into a private dining area, willing herself keep up the act in order to save Remy and get of here.

Meanwhile, in the darkest corner of the dungeon...

The young Cajun was slumped against the corner of his cell, peering at the heavy granite blocks, family of rats, and skeleton of what he believed was his roommate, searching for a possible way of escape. Willing his pounding headache to go away, Remy stood up and stretched his legs, still hoping to find a weakness in the seemingly impenetrable walls. The only possible exit was a tiny grating that let in a few beams of moonlight; unfortunately, it was about ten feet above his head. Letting out a bitter chuckle in his isolated cell, he could shake his head in disbelief at his present predicament. "Unbelievable LeBeau," he muttered to himself, "y' get yourself trapped in a dream world and y're still a thief."

Resting his head against the cold wall, Remy let out a heavy sigh at the irony of his life. Remembering his last thoughts of Rogue being led up to palace, the people calling her a princess, her beautiful green gaze meeting his before his was dragged down to this hellhole. "Mon chere is a princess in a palace, and Remy is a lowly thief, oh the irony of your life LeBeau," he mumbled and once more sank to the ground in a current state of defeat.

"You know talking to yourself is one of the first signs of insanity," an echoing voice gruffly teased from above the Cajun.

Remy's head jerked up at the person's voice and he stared in doubt at the grating above him. A loud wrenching sound echoed throughout the entire dungeon as the grating was torn out of the wall and a smiling face poked through the hole. "What no thanks Remy?" the man joked and threw down a rope for him to grab, "how is it that you got caught anyway?"

Remy didn't hesitate to grab the rope and began climbing it to his mysterious savior who seemed to know him. "A girl was involved," Remy smoothly replied, hoping this general comment would bide well with the man as he hoisted himself through the tiny hole and into the cold moonlight outside the palace.

"Ah so you two finally got caught. It's to be expected, nothing lasts forever," the broad shouldered man shrugged.

Remy peered at the short, stocky, hairy man who had a ferocious air about him. This man reminded Remy of someone from Bayville but he just couldn't place it. The dark-haired man expertly placed the grating back over the hole before the two quickly darted into a nearby alley. "Y' knew about us?" Remy continued his bluff, hoping to gain as much information as possible.

"Of course I knew about you and the princess, it wasn't hard to figure out where you kept stealing off to every night."

"Mon dieu, those knight really hit Remy's head hard. Do y' know how long I've been sneaking off to see her?" Remy asked, not yet ready to believe that he and Rogue were actually real people in this world.

"Hell, I don't know," the man mumbled, "at least a month."

"Remy must see his chere tonight, where's her room?" he questioned.

"You can't be serious Remy, you were just in jail because of that girl."

"Mon ami, dis would be the perfect opportunity to see her. De knights all believe Remy is captured, their guard will be down," the Cajun reasoned with his "friend."

"What is it with this girl, you never acted like this before," the man muttered under his breath, running an agitated hand through his wild sideburnsbefore scratchinghis scalp,letting out a resounding sigh and added, "where do you think her room is? In the highest room, in the tallest tower."

"Merde," Remy cursed as he craned his neck to stare at her room, "so much for scaling de walls."

"You really did hit your head hard, let me show you the door you usually sneak through," the man offered, showing Remy to small side door, "I have no idea how you get to her room from here."

"Thanks, but Remy will be able to find it. Could you meet Remy here at dawn to get back… to camp?" he guessed, hoping he did indeed live at a camp.

"Sure thing, your highness," his friend replied, dipping into a mock bow, "say hi to the princess for me."

Remy nodded and quietly opened the door, preparing himself for a lot of stairs.

Rogue let out an annoyed sigh from her seat in front of her vanity. Her hair was still damp from her bath and was being brushed by her maidservant in silence. Her emerald gaze swept over her appearance in the mirror, refusing to believe that her hair was only one color; she had no makeup on, and was in a high-necked silk nightgown with a silk shift underneath. "Well miss, off to bed with you," Jeanine ordered, motioning to the huge canopy bed against the far side of the wall.

"Just out of curiosity Jeanine, why isn't my bed made," Rogue asked, motioning to the rumpled mass of covers and sheets.

"M' lady, you don't let us ever make your bed, you said it was useless to make something that you would sleep in that same night," the maid retorted and slowly began to lead Rogue to her bed.

The statement caused Rogue to smirk; at least she shared some similar ideals with her princess self. "I'll see myself to bed, your dismissed for tonight," Rogue ordered and walked away from the snippy maid, taking a seat at the window, in awe of the view.

"Very well miss," Jeanine mumbled and quickly exiting the room, leaving Rogue alone for the first time all day.

"About time," Rogue muttered under her breath in her southern twang as she listened to the maid's retreating footsteps down the stairs.

Rogue rushed across the room to the door, halting at her view in the mirror. Looking at the billowing, white mass that shrouded her body in disgust, she quickly yanked the nightgown off and dropped it on the floor, leaving her in a silk, knee length shift that's semi-transparent texture left little to the imagine. Slowly twirling around in front of the mirror, Rogue shyly smiled at her reflection, smoothing the shift over her flat stomach and curvy hips, satisfied at her appearance. 'If only ah could show off this figure in Bayville,' her mind sighed, flooded Rogue with images of a bustling social life back at the mansion, 'then again, with ma powers ah couldn't.'

Banishing any thoughts of Bayville from her mind, she began formulating her rescue plan. "Now ta find some real clothes and save Remy," Rogue muttered under her breath as she made her way to her closets.

"No need t' chere, Remy already be here," a muffled voice came from under the covers of her bed.

Jumping in surprise, Rogue spun around to watch Remy throw the covers off and sit up in her bed, sending her a playful smirk. "Remy loves de outfit chere," the Cajun smiled, sending a heated gaze over her thinly clad body.

Gasping in realization, Rogue hurriedly picked up the forgotten nightgown and held it in front of her body. "Chere, don't cover up, y' got nothing to be ashamed off," Remy chided, hopping from the bed, trench coat and all, to stand in front of her.

Raising her eyes to defiantly meet his amused gaze, Rogue lightly scolded, "Yah shouldn't have been peeping Gambit."

"Ah Chere, don't go calling Remy Gambit again, y' have Remy's sincerest apologies," he pleaded, removing his trench coat and draping it around her shoulders, "see, chere, Remy be a gentleman."

Huffing at his response, Rogue bit back a smile and turned away from him, quickly lowering her gaze to drop her nightgown and slip her arms into his coat, closing the flaps with the thick belt. Raising her gaze once more, she met Remy's gaze from the mirror where he had been watching her every move. "Remy LeBeau!" she yelled in anger before his hand quickly clamped over her mouth, snaking his arm around her waist and quickly pulled her against his body.

"Quiet chere, dere be guards at the bottom of de stairs," Remy whispered in her ear, tightening his hold on her and burying his nose into her sweet smelling hair.

Rogue watched him from the mirror and felt her body shiver when he whispered in her ear. 'Remember Rogue, you're angry at him, do not give in to…' her inner voice quieted when Remy pressed a soft kiss on the tip of her ear and began trailing a warm hand down the side of her body.

Rogue felt her body sag against his, her back molding perfectly to his front as she raised one hand to slide through his hair, bring his lips closer to her body, her lids fluttering closed. Smiling at her response, Remy kissed the side of her neck this time, working the belt of his coat open while his other hand traced small circles along her hip. The knot finally came undone, allowing Remy to slowly slip the coat off of her shoulders as he rained kisses along the bare skin. 'Mon dieu, de fille is wearing silk,' his mind chanted as one hands fisted in the material, slipping the coat off of her body and wrapping his own arms snuggly around her waist. "Chere, y' are beautiful, open y' eyes and look at y'self," Remy gently commanded, resting his head in the crook of her shoulder.

Rogue's lids slowly fluttered open and she gazed at her body, a small smile settling on her lips before raising her gaze to meet his own through the mirror. "Remy, Ah know Ah have a gorgeous body," she slyly boasted, turning around in his arms to gaze at him, "Ah knew yah couldn't resist me."

Placing a quick kiss on his lips, she slipped out of his arms and playfully distanced herself from him, using a large, red velvet settee as a buffer between them. Smirking at her game, Remy moved towards the sofa with a cat-like grace, unsuccessfully trying to reach her on the other side. "Remy," Rogue taunted, "aren't yah gonna tell me how yah got out of jail."

"But of course chere," he winked, once more trying to catch her, "apparently, Remy has friends here, his very own band of thieves, and they broke him out of jail and led Remy to y' chere. Speaking of which, Remy wants t' know about y' Yankee accent chere, Remy's jaw dropped when he heard y' speak."

"Oh that, Ah figured that's how Ah'd speak in this world, it went along with my story," she shrugged, narrowly avoiding his latest attempt to catch her.

"Story?" he questioned, pausing in his attempt to get her.

"I pretended that yah drugged me and that's why Ah kissed you," Rogue sheepishly shrugged and awaited his response with teasing eyes.

"Dere were no drugs involved," Remy grumbled under his breath before smirking, "passion and lust, but no drugs."

Smiling at his response, Rogue dodged his final attempt to grab her and watched his shoulders slump in defeat. Sighing, Remy collapsed onto the settee and softly asked, "How do y' like being a princess chere?"

Leaning over the sofa to gaze down at him, she grinned. "It's wonderful. How do yah like being a thief… oh wait, yah already were one," she laughed teasingly.

Mocking her laugh, Remy propped up on his elbows, and slowly rubbed his nose against hers, letting his lips linger close to her own, silently asking for a kiss. Smiling at his gentle manner, Rogue lightly pressed her lips against his own, not quite sure if she was doing this right.

Remy felt his heartbeat quicken as her innocent kisses tenderly teased him. Rising to a sitting position, he slowly slid a palm along her smooth, milky skin to gently grasp the nape of her neck and pull her closer. He gradually increased the pressure of their kisses, playfully nipping at her lower lip, savoring the sweetness.

Rogue never thought something so simple could feel so good. But as their kisses became more heated and his responses became more demanding, she didn't know what to do next. "Remy," she whispered, abruptly breaking away from the sweet kisses and shying away from his grasp, "what are we doing?"

"Well chere, most people would call it kissing," he smiled, maintaining a solid hold on her hand when she tried to turn away.

"Remy, yah don't understand," Rogue sighed, slowly making her way around the settee to sit beside him.

"Den explain it to me," he asked, pulling her into a gentle embrace.

"This morning Ah couldn't do this," she replied holding up their linked bare hands, bringing his palm against her cheek to rest against it, "and now Ah can touch yah."

"Chere, Remy understand dat we're taking dis too fast," he began.

"Yah got it all wrong Cajun, yah're moving too slow, only… Ah'm not sure what ta do. Believe me, if Ah knew what Ah was doing, we wouldn't be talking right now" Rogue whispered, refusing to meet his searching gaze.

A low laugh broke through the silence of the room, causing Rogue to glare at the chuckling Cajun. "Asshole," she gritted through her teeth and grabbed the nearest pillow, stuffing it over his grinning face.

"Chere," his rich voice muffled through the pillow, "Remy wasn't laughing at y'."

"Sure yah weren't Cajun, Ah get it, laugh at tha naïve, little girl," she muttered, briskly standing up and walking away from him.

"What about dose kisses we shared today, y' weren't very naïve then," Remy reasoned, lowering the pillow from his face.

"Ah made it up as Ah went along. And Ah wasn't myself today, Ah don't know how I kissed you, it was all very hazy," Rogue mumbled, leaning against the wall and gazing out the window.

"Remy admits that dere was some weird force between us earlier, and if dose kisses were spur of de moment, dat's fine with Remy, he enjoyed them," he stated, gazing at her moonlit profile.

"That doesn't excuse the laughter Cajun," Rogue reproached.

"Aw chere," he muttered, shoving the pillow off of him before rushing to her side. "Remy be laughing at his own dumb self, not y'. Listen to Remy chere," he ordered, tilting her face up to meet his gaze, "de entire time, Remy's telling himself 'Watch it LeBeau, one wrong move an y'll lose dis fille forever. So, Remy try not to push his luck and den y' give Remy de sweetest kisses he's ever gotten. Remy sees himself as de luckiest man alive to have gotten those. Y' see, Remy was hoping dat we could teach each other a thing or two."

"What could Ah possibly teach yah Cajun," Rogue sighed bitterly, holding back the tears she knew were threatening to spill.

"Well chere, for starters, y' could teach dis Cajun how y' get to smell so good. Cause every time Remy gets near y', y're scent drives him crazy," he whispered, dragging his stubbled jaw over her shoulder as he placed a soft kiss in the crook of her neck, inhaling her feminine scent.

Rogue felt a small smile break through her gloomy exterior as she let Remy's soothing words reassure her. "Or how y' have the sexiest curves," he sighed, running his hands over the sides of her arms, past her hips, lifting her off of the ground, pinning her against the wall, guiding her legs to lock around his hips, "mais, y' are still so light. And mon dieu, don't get Remy started on y' skin. It's so smooth, a tease t' touch."

Rogue softly laughed, her insecure tears turning to ones of joy at his words. "Let me get this straight Remy, yah want me ta teach you how ta smell like a girl, get a curvy, lightweight figure and have smooth skin?"

Remy placed a lingering kiss on her smooth collarbone before raising his gaze to meet her own, "Oui, do y' think y' can help Remy?"

"Ah'll try mah best," she smiled and lightly kissed the tip of his nose, "but Ah'm not sure you'll be too happy with tha results."

"Remy will take his chances," he smirked, slowly sliding her body back to the floor.

"Now then," Rogue whispered, "what are yah gonna wear ta bed cause Ah'm feeling kinda silly standing here in poor excuse for a dress and yah are still in you're fighting uniform."

"Are y' sleepy chere?" Remy questioned, sending a quick glance to the comfortable bed.

"Remy, Ah didn't say we were going ta be sleeping," Rogue brazenly smirked, sending a heated gaze over his body, dragging her fingers over his torso searching for the seam. "My my," she smiled, her fingers finding the hem of the tight shirt, "look what Ah found."

Remy closed his eyes in pleasure as he felt her soft palms slowly pull the shirt off of his body and teasingly stroked his bare chest. Rogue quickly discarded the shirt and ran her hands over his sinewy muscles, savoring the feeling of his bare skin. Remy's eyes snapped open when he felt the warmth of her hands leave his body. Catching her palm, he placed a kiss on it, grinning, "merci for de assistance chere, Remy couldn't have gotten that shirt off without y're help."

Smiling at him, Rogue slowly made her way towards the bed, adding more of a sway to her hips as she walked, causing the silk shift to ride up on her legs. Savoring his heated stare, she motioned for him to join her, stretching out in the middle her bed, beckoning, "Come join me Monsieur LeBeau, you're eager pupil is waiting."

Remy swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, willing himself not to drool over this gorgeous woman. He forced his heavy limbs towards the bed, noticing the way the moonlight played off of her ivory skin and drew attention to her long, well-toned legs. He slowly sank onto the soft mattress, and unhurriedly made his way to her side. Rogue suddenly sat up leaned forward to capture his lips in a heated kiss. She quickly wrapped her slender arms around his neck, pulling her body closer to his. "Yah were moving too damn slow Cajun," Rogue explained in between kisses.

"Remy's apologies chere," he smirked against her lips, rolling on his back, dragging her body to rest on top of his.

Rogue's body sighed in delight at the feeling of his bare skin's warmth seeping through her thin shift. She vaguely felt his hands cradle her face and draw her closer and heard his groan of approval when she lightly nipped his lower lip. "Chere, do y' want to continue or stop here," Remy asked, breaking away from the kiss.

"Continue," she softly replied, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

"Remy was hoping y'd say that," he breathed a sigh of relief and slowly moved her onto her back allowing him to stretch his lean body on top of hers, bracing his weight with his elbows, "if y' ever want t' stop just say so."

Nodding her head hastily, Rogue felt her body tense up in nervous anticipation. "Relax chere," he soothed, " keep y're mouth a little open when we next kiss."

Before Rogue could offer a retort, he placed a chaste kiss on her lips as his hands roamed over her body. As her body began to relax, Remy began to kiss her more roughly and smiled in approval when he felt her lips slightly open. His hand lightly glided alongside her breast, teasingly brushing across the taut peak, causing Rogue to arch against his body. Hearing her soft gasp of pleasure, he ran his thumb in a slow circle over the tight bud once more, slowly thrusting against her curvy form when she arched and slipping his tongue into her parted mouth.

Rogue's eyes widened in surprise; too scared to move in case he changed his mind and stopping kissing her. Her tense frame began to relax when she felt the tip of his tongue teasingly run over the upper contours of her mouth, causing a warm, heady feeling to spread throughout her body. His hands continued gently teasing, coaxing her body through the thin material. She froze when his tongue lightly pushed against her own, not sure how to respond. When he pushed again, Rogue softly pushed his tongue back, earning a smile from his lips as he began circling her tongue. Rogue recognized the game he was playing with her and followed his lead as she began to circle his tongue with her own. Grinning, Remy slowly pulled away from her tempting tongue and began to probe her lips, stretching the kiss into a teasingly slow pace as his thumb continued the circular motion around her taut peak. Rogue began gasping against his mouth, threading her fingers through his silky hair, forcing his lips down harder on her own, hooking one of her legs around his legs and arching against him again. Remy tore himself away from her tempting lips with a groan and buried his face in her shoulder, trying to slow his breathing and control the aching hardness between his legs.

"Remy?" Rogue questioned, confused by his sudden abandonment.

"Chere, we might have t' stop here," Remy whispered in ragged breaths as he rolled off of her luscious body.

"Why?"

"Cause Remy's finding it hard t' keep himself in control. It's probably for the best, Remy has to leave at dawn tomorrow," he sighed, glaring at the silk canopy above him, wishing he had better control over his body.

"Dawn is rather early, will yah come over tomorrow night?" Rogue questioned, draping one arm across his chest and intertwining a leg with his, teasingly resting it against his hardness.

Remy raised his eyebrow at her bold leg, regarding her coy smile as her fingers slyly traveled down the length of his torso, drawing light circles around his bellybutton before growing bold and continuing their descent. Remy caught her wandering hand and pushed it off of his body, sending her a warning look, "Do y' think dis is a game chere?"

Smirking at his obvious discomfort, Rogue propped up on her elbows brushed her nose against his, whispering a throaty, "oui," to his question and teasingly brushed her lips over his.

When he opened his lips to offer a snappy retort, Rogue swiftly straddled his stomach, placing a heated kiss on his open lips, daring to slip her tongue into his mouth, mimicking the same techniques he just showed her.

Remy's eyes widened open in shock at her boldness, slowly responding to her teasing kisses. Closing his eyes, he roughened their kisses, demanded more from her soft lips, lifting her yielding body to firmly straddle his hips. Rogue gasped when she felt the pressure of his hardness directly on her womanhood. "Dis is why we have t' stop chere. Y're not ready to take it dis far yet," Remy explained earnestly, gauging her reaction.

"Don't think yah know me so well Cajun, you have no idea what Ah can or cannot be ready for," Rogue retorted, sending him a heated glare.

"Y're right chere, Remy don't know y' very well… so why would y' want t' continue dis with Remy. Chere, not even two hours ago we were enemies, why d' sudden change?" he asked.

Rogue was floored; the Cajun had a point. 'Maybe Ah am taking things too fast,' her mind reasoned with her as she slowly slid off of Remy's body to lie by his side. Turning her confused emerald gaze to stare at Remy, she softly inquired, "Do yah still think Ah'm your enemy Remy?"

"Non (No)," he smiled, turning on his side to face her and asked, "are y' still going to fight with Remy?"

"Not unless yah deserve it," she teased and inched closer to his body.

Chuckling, Remy draped his arm over her waist and pulled her gently against his warm body before pulling the blankets over them and positioning his head comfortably on the pillows. "Sorry if Remy snores chere," he mumbled sleepily as he closed his lids.

Smiling, Rogue snuggled closer into Remy's arms and as her eyes slowly fluttered closed, she softly muttered, "Sorry if Ah drool on yah Swamp Rat."

Remy smirked at her reply before he drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a green-eyed angel that had somehow managed to worm her way into his heart.

A/N: I just love this chapter. Hopefully this will answer some of your questions and shed light on the "plot" of the story. I just love steamy Romy scenes, Wanda being a hardass, and Kitty's tricky dilemma of too many men in her life. Hmm, I betyou all can guess who my favorite characters are. On a more serious note, I decided to post this chapter earlier than expected because of the expected problems with login scheduled to happen on June 5th. Once more, thank you for the wonderful reviews!