A/N: Sorry for the late update again. You know that schedule dictating my life? Well, it's messed up again. So to make up for it, go check out Night on the Town. It's a quickie fluff. Okay, last chapter. Hope ya'll love it. By the way, Toxic Hope is winning still and you have 3 more days to vote. I'll post the winner then!
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Kurt had transported Jean to the Staff Lounge where she had sensed Scott upon their return. He waited in the hall to give them a few private moments together, not knowing that the rest of the group was already inside. Deciding that perhaps he should give them a little longer he was just about to retire to his room when Remy came rushing out to the hall toward him.
"So how did it go? Did she say ja?"
"I'll tell y' later. Now, y' got t' help moi, mon ami."
No sooner had Remy spoken the words than a playfully angry Rogue came tearing out after him. The only way Kurt would know what happened would be if he got the other man to safety. Agreeing to help, he transported them to the Kitchen just in time to escape a charging Rogue.
Once safely out of harm Remy walked around the island to take a seat at one of the barstools. Kurt moved over to the fridge, hungry after the long flight. Digging around for something quick and easy his voice was muffled by the surrounding stainless steel box.
"So vat happened, mein freund?"
"She said oui, but she wasn' too happy wit' th' way I asked."
"I told you zat meine schwester vould not be pleased."
"How else was I 'sposed t' keep ot'er hommes away from her until Joe was finished?"
Kurt hadn't been in on this plan the whole time, but he had objected to it from the moment Remy had told him. Understanding both Southerners, however, gave him all the explanation he needed for the Cajun's reasoning. The couple had hurt each other too much and were too stubborn to back down. Rogue needed time away and a chance to explore other relationships. Remy needed to realize being with Rogue wasn't just the challenge he had perceived when they first met. While both had learned their relationship was deeper than a little flirtation, they didn't truly comprehend that knowledge until their separation. It was a lesson each had to experience for themselves. Kurt didn't exactly agree with the way they had learned it, but he was happy both had matured enough to appreciate what they had.
"You should not have listened to Jubilee in ze first place. She vas just trying to make you jealous so you vould go after Rogue."
Keeping himself guarded, Remy smoothly avoided the other man's point.
"Well….dat's not th' only t'ing she's mad 'bout."
"Ja, what about all your 'coincidences'?"
With a questioning look on his face Kurt held up a beer to Remy. Taking the offer, he slid it across the smooth granite counter to the waiting man before setting his own choice of food on the island and shutting the fridge.
"Oh she believes dem. I haven' tol' her 'bout th' guys, but 'm sure she knows."
"Vhat are you going to do about all ze rings?"
"Bobby didn' have one. No problem dere. Scott bought his fo' Jean, so I was able t' convince him t' practice on Rogue. Joseph's on loan from Harry Winston. An' Logan, well, I don' know 'bout his. Not sure I wan' t' know."
"Sounds like zings are finally coming together. I am happy for ze both of you. Die besten Wünsche."
"T'ank y'."
"No problem, mein bruder."
Remy smiled at his blue skinned friend before exiting to the hall. At least someone in Rogue's family was happy to have him even if she wasn't too thrilled at the moment. Making his way through the halls and up the stairs, he covertly hid in the shadows just in case she was about to jump him. Thinking over the last few months he began to realize just how much could have gone wrong and exactly what he had put on the line for his gambit.
Remy would never forget, or forgive, that he had just let Rogue go. When Jubilee told him Rogue was see someone else, he vowed he'd never interfere with her happiness. It was a good thing he never really showed much restraint. After a few months of self pity, he decided he couldn't live without her and started to plan how to get her back.
At first, the idea was to find a way around her mutation and surprise her with it when he next saw her. Going to the Professor, he was introduced to Joseph, an acquaintance who was knowledgeable in mutant genetics. Remy approached the man, who said a project like he was proposing would take years. First, Joseph would have to study Rogue's DNA, then the device would have to be designed specifically for her needs, and finally practical implementation needed to be planned to the exact detail. Remy was willing to wait.
As the research progressed, he had more time to decide exactly what he would do and say to get Rogue back. Realizing the depth of his feelings for her, Remy decided if she was to agree to a relationship with him again, she would do so as his wife. However, even with all his planning, he couldn't possibly expect what would happen next.
If she hadn't done enough already, Jubilee was constantly telling him how close Rogue was getting to other men. It was the mention of a serious relationship that prompted desperation in Remy. Seeking out Rogue's recently discovered brother, he explained everything to Kurt. While impressed with the elaborateness of the plan, he did not understand why Remy didn't just tell her how he felt. It was one of Kurt's offhanded comments about taking action before she committed herself to a man that prompted Remy to go to Joseph again.
At first, Xavier's friend refused the suggestion to date Rogue, but after meeting with her a few times and realizing she cared for Remy as much as he cared for her, Joseph agreed. What would be the point of continuing two years of work if she attached herself to a man she did not love? And so Joseph began to juggle a halfhearted relationship with a devoted undertaking.
With the device needing only one more month of work, Remy tried to think of a unique way to propose to Rogue without being blatantly cheesy or obvious. It was at this point that a brilliant idea struck him. He had kept Kurt in the loop ever since he had first told him his plans, and let the other man in on his newest plot. Try as he might though, Kurt couldn't discourage Remy from continuing. It took a little bit of work, but he was able to get a few of the X-guys to help.
Bobby was a shoe in from the moment he realized it would be the biggest prank he ever pulled. Joseph also was just as easy since it was upkeep on the façade they had already created. A little bit of blackmail made Scott jump on board, and Remy had to use a favor owed to him for Logan's involvement. Since the Professor already knew what he was attempting, the only people left to tell were Storm, Warren, and Hank.
It was a good thing Jubilee had gone back to California. If she had gotten word of what Remy was planning the surprise would not have stayed secret. Though, David's arrival could have spoiled it all.
Even though he had followed Rogue around all day, he really hadn't intended to trail her to the mall. While she was gone, he had tried to make some coffee to give him something to do during the wait. Realizing he was out and desperately needing a fix, Remy took the chance of going to the mall's café. Once there, he noticed her sitting with an unknown man. Using all his skills as a thief, he realized it was the guy she once told him was her first kiss. Thinking nothing of it at first, Remy began to sweat as the man pulled out the engagement ring box. Even with all his planning, he hadn't counted on an outside factor forcing it's influence upon Rogue. Needless to say, he breathed a sigh of relief as the man collected his things and left hurriedly.
At least it was finally over and he could be at ease with the life he was embarking upon with Rogue. Arriving at his room, Remy thought he had made it without being noticed. Deciding the best safety was inside, he opened the door and immediately his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Mon Dieu!"
"Mon Dieu is right!"
In all his wildest imaginations he never thought she would be this sneaky. There, spread out across his bed like he had dreamed so many times before, lied a completely nude Rogue. Shutting the door behind him and throwing the lock just in case, he made his way over to her. Remy reached out to touch her, intending to do much more by the end of the night. She, however, had a much more tortuous idea in mind as he lied down on the bed next to her.
"Just thought we could give Joe's present a little test run."
"An' what did y' have in min', chere?"
Already his pupils had dilated with the thoughts running rampant in his head. He struggled to keep control as he reached out to caress the bare skin of her arm before sliding to a rest on her hip. She leaned in to him, anticipating a sweet kiss. Not ever able to deny her anything, Remy pulled her closer before planting his lips firmly on hers. With her eyes closed she was able to enjoy the first tender, chaste sensations. As the heat rose between them, he gently teased her lips with his tongue. Rogue knew she had to keep control, but deepening the kiss only made her want to give herself completely to him.
Slowly his hand moved away from her hip and began caressing its way up her back only to settle in the smooth, silky tresses of her hair. After filling the need to know the feel of the whiskey colored strands, Remy cupped the side of her face. Opening her eyes, Rogue saw that he had been watching her the whole time. She was so quickly lost in the carmine and coal liquid pools that she barely registered his lips leaving hers. Before she knew it, he was nipping lightly on her ear while steadily moving down her neck with his lips and hands Coming back to her senses, she remembered her little plan
"Uh, uh, uh. We're playing by mah rules now!"
Regrettably, she pulled away from him before standing. Grabbing the thick black robe he never wore, she threw the soft material over her shoulders. Once safely tied in place, Rogue turned around to give him the 'rules'.
"Ah say ya have ta wait for thah honeymoon after what ya put meh through. Have fun with yer cold shower, sugah!"
And with that she went to leave his room for the security of her own. Remy just lied in place, painfully frustrated, while letting her get away. He could chase after her all he wanted, but there would be no convincing her of bending that rule. Truth be told though, he deserved much worse for his little scheme. He would just have to make sure they got married soon. Like, tomorrow soon. Maybe a trip to the Justice of the Peace would be enough for now.
Resigning to his fate, he rose from the bed and walked into the bathroom for that cold shower she had mentioned. She was definitely going to pay for this. Smiling mischievously, he came up with his next move. Rogue was going to be sorry when he was finished with her. As the chilly water hit his warm skin he focused on the sounds she would make when more than his name passed her lips.
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.R/R: As usual, Thanks to everyone taking a look! Don't forget to vote for the next fic - just hop onto my profile page for details. And to my Special Lookers:
WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: Yay! Hope you liked the end. :) Thanks for the review!
kyo-kitty: Hope I did better with the end, too:) Thanks for the review!
Prexistence: Well, Rogue kinda forgot her revenge on the other men. She's more interested in the war with Remy now :) As for my posting, I get distracted very easily. I'm bothered when I don't have certain details to my liking, so I can spend hours looking up what I want and therefore, hours away from what I should be doing. Plus, even my short stuff seems to take an hour to write just one page. I have this horrible habit of editing while I write, which is a super big no-no since you'll end up on it forever, like I do. As for the two fics, well, promise you won't kill me until the end of both, k? There are some ugly chapters there in the middle. At least I'm gonna give you a new person to want to beat the crap out of and you'll forget all about the Joe beatings from this one! Thanks for the review!
ishandahalf: See, and now you know exactly what Remy had in his control and what came later! Yep, you're right, only he could get away with it. I think some other people would have ended up toasted. Plus, this was only an experiment in 'what if'. And now you also know that Joe wasn't exactly a willing partner at first in Remy's little plan. Thanks for the originality points blows dust off top shelf and displays points proudly as a trophy :) But Remy's plan wasn't flawless, since David had him sweating there for a while! My whole idea for this elaborateness came from a Gambit site where they had favorite quotes or something and it said whether he let anyone know, he was always five steps ahead of the game. So I thought, if he's that good to know his moves that far ahead, why not here? Well, what did you think of Rogue's revenge? Thanks for the review!
sakura5tar: Well, I almost wrote myself into a corner there. I came up with this elaborate plan that lasted a few years and then just let the cat out of the bag. Even in my own head I was so mad about 'hey, by the way…surprise!'. I'd already written too much to try to edit it, hence Jean came in to show them a little lesson and that seemed to help some. But now you know the rest of Remy's plan, and how Rogue got back at him, so I hope that satisfied enough:) Thanks for the review!
rogue87: Cool! I got your vote down. I think I suck at summaries, so you'll have to tell me if I did good with the angst or not:) Thanks for taking the time to vote!
MJK: I don't know if Remy anticipated all of Rogue's reactions or not, or if he just got really lucky on some good guesses. I found this quote about Gambit that said he was always five steps ahead of the game, so I think that's more of what he was doing. But you're right, it does sound a lot like he played her. As for the wrap up, was that fluffy enough, or do I need to add more next time around:) If not, I've got a few up my sleeve that might satisfy your fluff craving! Thanks for the review!