The nightmare was what had woken her up. At this point, she wasn't even sure if it had been her nightmare. It was quite possible that the many psyches living in her mind had dredged up some horrible memory. Either way, she was awake now, and Rogue felt the distinct rumble that told her it was time to head to the kitchen.

She found the last frozen pizza and stuck it in the microwave. It was times like this she was glad the Professor had thought of buying a machine with a "silent" option. She definitely did not want to wake anyone up, seeing as she had no gloves on and her nightgown was far too silky to be seen by a teacher.

When her food was finally hot, she sat down at the table. For a moment she contemplated eating the pizza with her hands, but after a brief touch and burn of her fingers, she opted instead for a fork and knife. She sat at the table, concentrating on her food and enjoying the quiet of the mansion.

"I'll have to have more midnight snacks," she said with a quite chuckle. A voice in her mind wanted to say, 'That's lame' but she chose to ignore it. What she couldn't ignore, however, was the thud that came from the living room.

Leaving her place, she took the knife in hand, recalling the few Danger Room sessions she'd had. Could this be Logan, home finally? Maybe he just didn't want to wake anyone…a feeling deep within her told her to keep dreaming.

Rogue crept along silently, wishing she had night vision and a pair of gloves. Shoes would be nice too…

The sound of muffled footsteps broke her out of her thoughts. She got a better grip on the steak knife, and planned for the worst. As she entered the living room, she hit the swift quickly and yelled, ready to stab at whatever solider was attacking them now. Instead she was met with a face she never thought she'd see again.

" 'ello petite, miss me?" The Cajun voice nearly knocked her off her feet. His red eyes quickly spotted the knife. "Mabbie you don' miss me too much, non?"

"Wha- wha-" Would she be able to finish this word? Maybe get a sentence out?

"Don' tell Remy you don' remember our promise?"

"That was so long ago…I thought you would have forgotten…"

"Ah, you underestimate this Cajun. A promise to a friend is never forgotten. You tol' me that if I didn' hear from you in two years to come fin' you because you'd be in trouble. Used to be a time when you'd want to keep in touch."

"I got busy. I came here. You knew I was heading up to Alaska. I mean, did you really think we were going to stay friends forever? I figured you would be the first to move on."

Gambit frowned a little. "Oui, he did. He made a life for himself, but he see dis femme on a press conference, standing behind Scott Summers…It made him remember. He wanted to make sure you ok." He moved over to her then and traced her jawbone with his gloved finger.

It was then Cyclops stormed in, his hand to the dial on his eyewear.

"What's going on here!" her teacher demanded.

"Um, Mr. Summers, this is an old friend of mine. Just dropped in for a visit. He'll be leaving real soon." She motioned over to Gambit, only to see him sitting on the couch with his feet resting on the coffee table.

It was obvious she'd have to get used to having him around. He just brought back too many memories.

Three years ago:

David looked at Marie with expectant eyes, "So I'll see you after school today? Maybe we can hang out?"

"Sounds like fun…just the two of us?" Marie was being very coy today and it seemed to be working. Just then Remy had come up behind her and wrapped his around around her neck.

"What do we 'ave 'ere? A little date? Marie, Remy didn' know you lowered your standards."

"Hush, Remy. Don't pay any attention to him, David. He thinks he matters to me."

David eyed Remy suspiciously, "Whatever. I'll come by at four."

Marie smiled, "Sure. I'll see you then."

Once he was out of hearing distance Remy made another snide comment, "So you two are seeing each other now? Isn't that something you'd tell your 'best friend'?"

"Don't make me regret saying that Remy, you know how much I like David."

Remy frowned slightly, but let her go as the bell rang. "Don't forget boyfriends fade, friends are forever!" he shouted back.

She pretended to ignore him. Sure they flirted, but that was all part of the game. He had a new girl every couple of days and she teased him about that. Now that she had someone, it was only fair that it was his turn. They were an unlikely pair, but somehow their friendship seemed to work.

Of course, he had been the first person she had gone to after the accident. While her parents were meeting with a lawyer, she packed her suitcase and headed to his house. He was staying with some distant relative for a reason she never completely knew. She had called him the day of the incident, and now that she was leaving, she thought it was only right that she say goodbye. He had always been a good friend.

No cars in the driveway meant she could knock on the door. It opened in a matter of seconds. Marie left her bag on the porch and walked inside.

"Remy, I'm here to say goodbye. I'm leaving for Canada, and I'm not coming back. You know I can't stay here with all the whispers and fears. I can't be the "dangerous mutant" for the rest of my life. I'm going. I'm leaving right after we say our goodbyes."

Remy blinked once before responding, "You're leaving. Dat's it? You're really talking 'bout 'dangerous mutants' with a guy who has to wear contacts to school everyday? I don' believe dis."

"I'm going. That's all there is to it."

"And what if something 'appen to you? 'ow will I know if you okay?"

"How about this, I need to disappear for a while. You won't hear from me for probably a long time, but I'll get in touch with you in two or three years. If you get nothing, come and find me."

"Remy don' know about this one…"

Marie laughed, "Since when do you talk in the third person? Listen, you're my best friend. I wouldn't leave you in the dust. Trust me."

They hugged, a little closer and a little tighter than Marie had expected, and that had been it. She hadn't forgot about him, but she took it for granted he didn't remember her. Last she had known, he'd gone back to New Orleans and finished school there.

Although, here he was now, sitting in her living room, looking at her with a smirk in his red eyes. She'd only seen them once or twice back home and it was nice to think he wasn't hiding them anymore. She'd always thought they were beautiful.

"Remy can get out of your way if you want petite, but he'd prefer to stay and catch up. Seems like you've changed a lot." He motioned to the knife held in her hand.

She turned to Scott, "What do you say, Mr. Summers? Can he stay for a little while?"

Scott sighed in defeat, and left the room. Rogue jumped onto the couch and embraced her friend. Now that the shock was gone things could be casual.

He spoke first, "So, how was Canada?"

This was going to be a long night.