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A/N.

So I read all the chapters to make sure all the details I was about to add would all match up (a task I had been dreading because I was sure they would be awful). But hey, they doesn't suck. I think I like my story.  I feel pretty happy now. Anyway, on to the next chapter.

Sorry for the delay. I've been writing this in bits and pieces for about two weeks. Hopefully you'll think it was worth the wait.

Chapter 9.

Her colleagues might call her aloof, and she supposed they would be right. Cold, apathetic, calculating, unscrupulous, driven might sum up who Mystique was. Overprotective, her children would call her. Loving, if not outwardly affectionate, supportive, as long as they adhered to her prescribed course of action (Mother knows best after all); they knew they could count on Raven when they needed her, even if she had been more often away than with them.

Most of her colleagues would have a hard time believing Mystique was a mother.

Raven Darkholme knew the necessity of keeping her identities separate. An unnaturally long life by typical human standards had taught her that true friends were hard to come by in a dangerous world. She'd had precious few. She prided herself on having stripped away all her illusions about life and love, and tried to instil in her children the same clarity: how vital it was to know people, size them up. Knowing what they wanted from you was as important as knowing what you want for yourself.

Raven picked up the large framed picture from the mantel piece. Irene was sitting in a large chair, Kurt and Rogue grinning happily on either side of her. Raven had taken it on Rogue's thirteenth birthday, the summer after Rogue had first run away from home. For years, Irene and Raven had disagreed over whether to force Owen's hand so that he would give Rogue to them to raise. Irene refused, saying that they needed to trust Rogue to make the right decision when the time came. It had infuriated her that Irene could tell, with the precognitive senses that earned her the name Destiny, if or when that time would come, but refused to give details, always conscientious that they should not alter what could be by interfering with destiny. As much as she loved Destiny, she had a little trouble believing in destiny. She preferred more tangible things. After all, it was actions, rather than faith, that shaped the future. In the end, Owen had refused to let Rogue go permanently, despite having no interest in raising a child by himself. Waiting, she knew for the opportunity to arise when Rogue would be an asset to him.

Looking at the photo now as she often did, she saw very little of herself in them. Kurt was a devout Roman Catholic who now spent his time in training to become a priest: a difficult pill for someone like her to swallow. A contradiction in terms, Kurt had taken the mutant name Nightcrawler. His demon-like appearance complete with the requisite forked tail belied his kind, gentle nature, deep spirituality and willingness to believe the best of everyone.

While it was Kurt who resembled her physically, Rogue was the child after her own soul. While they were not related genetically or legally, Rogue had become, in the truest sense of the word, the daughter she never knew she wanted. That seemed to be the story of her life. She had struggled with the idea of becoming a mother when she was carrying Kurt, but it seems children grow on you, until you can no longer remember what it was like before they were in you life. Guarded, slow to trust, a loner at heart, quick-witted, intelligent, never afraid to stand her ground, Rogue was more like her, than either of them cared to admit. Especially now that Rogue's decision to withdraw from participating in the political process had become a source of contention between them.

It had been a difficult few weeks. She was having a hard time coping with the knowledge that she had failed so miserably as a mother that the cause she had devoted her life to had now been thoroughly rejected by both her children.

Raven poured herself a glass of red wine before turning down the volume of Wagner's Die Walkure. A hint of a frown played upon her lips. She was optimistic that things may yet turn out as she had hoped, but it could easily backfire. Was it worth the cost?

It was no coincidence that Rogue and Katherine had ended up in the motel room next to Scott Summers. She could almost see Irene's face, her mouth turned down in staunch disapproval. Raven would say "Oh, don't be so goddamn righteous. It is for the best." The image of Irene disappeared, and she sighed softly. "This is what happens without you around to be my conscience, dearest."

As the telephone began to ring in the adjoining room, she roused herself, trying to shake off the melancholy feeling that had seized her. Life is for the living. And she still had plans to make.

-----------------------------

"So I take it Gambit is now full recovered?" Raven was asking her goddaughter.

"Pretty much. Tante Mattie just wanted him to rest for a couple of days."

"Who?"

Rogue sighed. She knew where this was headed. "Tante Mattie is the traiteur."

There was silence for a few seconds. "A healer? How positively archaic. And this … person wants us to delay further."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "The man almost died for heaven's sake. Another day isn't going to hurt you. He'll be ready for your indoctrination then."

"Don't roll your eyes at me, young lady. Fine. I suppose we have no choice but to wait."

Rogue smiled. She had never gotten used to that. As a child she thought that was one of her godmother's special powers. Destiny could see the future, and Raven could see the present- everything you were doing behind her back. Now she knew better. Its one of the uncanny traits that mothers mysteriously develop, and apparently it doesn't go away after you grow up.

"Raven, I've got to go now. The Lebeaus are having a dinner celebration for Remy, being alive and all. And don't start. Its not like we're deliberately cutting into your busy schedule for world domination, or whatever you all are calling it these days."

It was Raven's turn to roll her eyes. "It's a wonder we don't just call ourselves the Evil brotherhood of mutants and write about our misadventures in a comic book, the way you make it sound. But I'll let it go for now."

Rogue was not surprised. Raven letting it go forever would have been asking for too much. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Ok… Have fun."

Fun. Rogue's eyebrows shot up. She wanted to ask who she was speaking to and where had they disposed of her godmother, but that would be rocking the boat.

"O.k. I will. Are you sure you're ok?" Rogue was really concerned now.

"Of course. Tomorrow then. Love you. Bye."

"Bye." Before she had completed the word, she heard the click of the phone as Raven hung up on the other end.

The sounds of laughter coming up from the party outside were inviting, although Rogue was distracted by the thought that Raven had seemed out of sorts when they spoke. She was actually looking forward to going to New York. Being in such a family-oriented environment, she found herself missing her own little family unit.

She felt an assault on her leg as she descended the stairs. Looking down, she saw that the blonde head of Marc as he ran into her. "Je regrette Tante Rogue. Don't tell anyone you saw me." He whispered, his eyes large.

"I didn't see anyone." Rogue whispered back conspiratorially as he ran off in the direction of the play room.

As she reached out into the open air of the backyard, Mercy commandeered her arm and steered her around, introducing her to the other invitees. Besides the family, there were about thirty adults, members of the guild and friends of the family. Finally, Rogue was able to sit down, picking a spot next to Lapin and watching as he, Merci and Theoren played blackjack. Henri was the dealer.

"You guys are really serious. It must be a family thing." Rogue commented.

"Well, we thieves are also serious gamblers." Henri grinned.

A few feet away, Etienne was chatting amiably to three teenage girls. He whispered something to one of the girls who smiled and brushed prettily. "Etienne!" She exclaimed in mock reproach.

"I guess that also runs in the family."

Henri laughed. "You talking 'bout the infamous family charm, chère?"

"Is that what you call it?" Mercy muttered.

"Don't let her fool you Rogue. Mercy found me irresistible when we first met."

"You thought you were irresistible. I thought you were a jackass. Spending a fortune of someone else's hard earned money sending enough flowers to start a florist shop every day to a woman who wasn't even interested."

"I worked hard to acquire that money, and it worked eventually, non? The charm always works, even on as unromantic a soul as yours, ma cherie."

Mercy's response was to look to the heavens. "God, grant me the patience to live with him."

"Etienne does remind me a lot of Remy when he was younger, n'est-ce pas?" Henri continued.

"That's because he worships the ground you r brother walks on. Too bad its too late to set a proper example for the boy." Mercy said sternly.

"Don't be so hard on Etienne. He's being your typical teenage boy."

"Who's talking about Etienne? I meant Remy."

Lapin and Theoren hooted with laughter, cut short by an all too familiar voice.

"Don't you know you can't start the party without the guest of honour?" Remy sauntered over, looking as good as always in a crisp white shirt, unbuttoned low enough to give a tantalising glimpse of his chest. He had a pleased look on his face, so Rogue decided not to inflate his ego further by drooling in front of everyone. She ignored him as he took the seat beside her.

Lapin grinned. "I guess we missed that memo, coz."

Mercy snorted. "It probably got lost along with the one that says 'Don't be late for your own party.'"

Remy looked confused. "I thought the guest of honour was supposed to be fashionably late."

"Less talking, more playing. Henri commanded, as Mercy seemed to be considering it." Mercy pushed forward her chips raising the bet. Her hand was worth 20, beating Henri.

"Don't get too happy. You haven't had a real challenge yet." Remy boasted.

Before Henri could respond to his brother's teasing, they heard a loud crash from upstairs, where the children had been playing hide and seek. Mercy looked at Henri. Henri looked at Mercy. Neither budged.

"Its your turn now." Mercy informed him. "If I have to hand out any more punishment today, I may just have to strangle the little pests, just to get a little peace and quiet."

Henri sighed dramatically but wordlessly left the table to check on the source of the noise.

"So…" Remy spoke as he resumed Henri's position. "What have I missed?"

"Not much. Jean-Luc talking business as usual. It must be something about old age, makes you forget how to have a good time. We managed to get away eventually. Oh, and Henri, trying to convince la belle Rogue, and his wife, that the men of this family are irresistible."

Lapin winked at Rogue before continuing somewhat theatrically.

"It's a curse really. Oh how I tire of it. Beating off the femmes and the occasional home I might add, with a stick. It takes its toll on a man, as you can only imagine." He looked pityingly at Remy. "What I would give for a quiet Friday or Saturday evening spent in solitude with a good book, or even saving the world. But the femmes, they wouldn't hear of it."

"You can read?" Remy cut in.

"Don't hate me cause I'm beautiful, man. Or because I can kick your ass."

"Turns out you're not much competition, then, on either front." Remy smirked as Lapin went bust.

"Merde." Lapin lamented his loss.

"Come on, Rogue, you should play." Theoren surprised Rogue when he addressed her. It wasn't that he was introverted, as Rogue knew from the past few days. It was just that in the company of the loud and crazy Lapin, and the talkative, self-praising Lebeau brothers, he seemed quiet in comparison.

"Ummm….I don't know how."

"Well its time you learned then. Its not that complicated." Theoren shifted so that Rogue could take his spot around the table.

Remy looked suspiciously at Theoren. While Lapin was on a losing streak, Theoren had quietly amassed a small fortune. Theoren grinned. "O.k. Chere. Here's the rules."

-----------------------------

Rogue grinned triumphantly as she pulled her winnings toward her. The others went off to get food, leaving her alone with Remy for the time being.

"Well, it seems Lady Luck was on your side, chère."

"I'll treasure today for the rest of my life." Rogue sighed dreamily. You know, I think I enjoy this game after all." She looked adorable when she gloated, Remy decided. She looked every inch the southern belle, wearing a long white sundress and wedge sandals. Her long ponytail swishing around as she moved.

"Well, I reserve the right to call a rematch in the future." Remy smiled, making her heart do flip-flops.

"You're not upset?" Rogue queried tentatively.

"Why would I be?"

"Well, its just that another man might get upset after losing his shirt to a girl, and a novice no less."

"Well, a real man wouldn't see that as a problem. I quite enjoyed being your first, eh bien, no need for veiled threats chère, if you want me to lose the shirt, just say so."

Rogue couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing. "I'm sorry" She managed to get out in between breaths.

"Not quite the reaction I had in mind." He complained. In his experience, Rogue often got upset at his innuendos. While he didn't want to push it too far, he always enjoyed knowing he affected her. So he hadn't anticipated this.

"So much for the irresistible Lebeau charm." Remy heard a snicker behind him. Henri. And Mercy, who was now also laughing just as hard at Rogue's response. As engrossed as he had been with Rogue, he hadn't even heard the two of them come up. Damn sneaky thieves.

"Don't you two have somewhere you need to be? Who's taking care of your children?" Remy sounded a bit irritated.

"No. And Tante Mattie has things under control."

Great. "I don't think I'll live this down." Remy addressed Rogue.

"Awww. Poor baby." Rogue said jokingly. She surprised him by leaning forward and planting a quick kiss on the side of his mouth.

"Is it all better now?" Her eyes twinkled playfully.

"Not yet."

He challenged her silently to repeat the gesture. To his disappointment, she only smiled suggestively before leaning back into her chair. Remy was tempted to really kiss her, but Henri and Mercy were near, exchanging knowing glances. He groaned mentally. Standing quickly, he extended an arm to Rogue.

"Ready to eat, chère?"

Rogue nodded. She'd been eyeing the huge buffet for the past few minutes. She put her hand in his as she got to her feet.

-----------------------------

Rogue poured herself a glass of water then wandered out to the porch. She stood there a moment enjoying the solitude before noticing the scent of cigarette smoke wafting through the cool night air. Following the direction it was coming from, she turned the corned of the wraparound porch to find Remy on a wooden bench.

"Rogue." Before she could say anything, he had put out his cigarette. The first day they had spent together after leaving Scott and the others behind, Rogue had pointed out, with a great deal of indignation, that he had no right poisoning her body in the pursuit of his own addictions. She flashed him grateful smile, as she went over to join him on the bench.

"Sorry I disturbed you." She began.

"Not at all." He said it so softly she barely heard him.

"I felt good to be out here. It's just been a long day. I mean, it was great though. I enjoyed myself."

"I'm glad. My family's enjoyed having you here."

"Really?" She nervously twirled a lock of hair around her fingers.

"Really." Their reaction to Belladonna had been chilly in comparison.

"Well, I think your family's great. You're really lucky."

"Oui."

As far as Tante Mattie and Mercy were concerned, Rogue was welcome to stay there. Even Jean-Luc liked her. When they had first arrived in the state, Remy had called Henri to let them know he might come home with a guest. At Henri's shocked response, he hastily added that she was just a friend, and a potential recruit, so no hassles from anyone. That was a mistake. Lapin had made more than his fair share jokes in private, since Remy had woken up.

"Just a friend, huh? I should have known better. Anyway, I'd love to stay and chat mes amis, but I've got plans."

"Avec une amie? " Henri asked innocently.

"Oui. But not after tonight." Lapin chuckled as he left.

"I can't believe you joining in with that fool." Remy grumbled.

"If you hadn't spent the entire day flirting with the girl, we'd have nothing to joke about." Henri pointed out.

"How was that different from how I always am?" Remy was perplexed.

Henri gave him an exasperated look "For one thing, you're usually an equal opportunity flirt. I noticed you monopolized Rogue."

"She's my guest. It's my duty to show her a good time."

"Right. So, have you decided yet what its going to be? Business or friendship? Or something else?"

Remy instantly recognized the reference to their phone conversation. He lit a cigarette before replying. "I don't know. Maybe it's up to her, hein?"

Henri had left a while before Rogue came out, giving him time to think. The past two days had been a great respite from the real world. Rogue had been as relaxed as he had ever seen her, flirting, joking, laughing, in his company. Remy hated that they had to leave the next day. He wanted more time.

"Remy?" Rogue's voice cut into his thoughts. "I'm gonna go."

"No. Why?" Remy caught her hand as she tried to walk past him.

"Sugar, you look like you've got a lot on your mind."

Remy pulled her into his lap. Her face was only inches from his own. She had obviously just bathed. Her hair was still damp, pulled away from her face and tied back loosely. He inhaled her faint fragrance. He couldn't identify it, but it was heady and feminine. He noticed the long elegant line of her neck and realized his fingers were tracing a path down her collar bone, down the center of her chest. He noticed she was breathing faster. As he looked up, their eyes connected and he felt himself drawing in to where she waited expectantly.

In that instant, he made his decision. He pulled away and the moment was lost.

Rogue snapped back to reality. "I don't think we should." He was saying. She was confused, but her pride kept her from asking questions. She felt the rejection acutely, and she hadn't seen it coming. She hadn't expected it to sting this much either. She tried to pull out of his lap, but he held her fast.

"Don't be upset. It's not that I don't want to. But, there's no hurry. You should probably take some time to decide what you need."

Rogue bit her lower lip, as she thought about what to say. "So, let me get this straight. You think I'm incapable of deciding whether I want to spend the night with you."

"I'm saying I think we could have a hell of a lot more than one night. But I don't want you to jump into this on the rebound, and regret it afterwards. Like tomorrow morning."

"I wasn't sure then, but I am now." She sighed in disgust. She sounded like she was pleading, and she really hated that. She tried again to get out of his grasp, more forcefully this time.

"You know what, if you don't want me, that's fine Remy. You can let me go now."

"Rogue, I think you can tell right now how much I want to." Her squirming around in his lap had only excited him further. His eyes darkened as he looked into her eyes.

"I'm not running away, chère. I don't want anyone else. I'll be waiting right here, until the time is right."

"When is that going to be?" She was smiling.

"I don't know. I've never done this before? How long is a respectable time to get to know someone?"

Rogue laughed. "A year or two minimum."

"Maybe not that long. How about a month?"

"A month of being in each other's company, and no sex?" Rogue asked, for clarification.

"Oui."

"You know, it shouldn't be that difficult. In theory. But we already don't have a good track record of keeping our hands and other body parts to ourselves. "

Remy frowned. "You're right. We should make it no kissing either. To avoid temptation."

"Well what's left?"

"I'm disappointed in you, naughty little Roguey. There's more to relationships than sex. How about stimulating conversations, walks in the park, poker lessons, for starters?" He grinned.

"I don't know, Remy. I'll have to think about it." She said teasingly, although the hint of a smile on her lips gave him the answer. Those very kissable lips. He reluctantly released her arms, as she moved so she was sitting beside him. He put an arm around her shoulder as they sat in silence.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked after a while.

"Teaching you strip poker." He grinned lecherously. "What are you thinking about?"

"I was just wondering if beating the best blackjack player in New Orleans, makes me the best blackjack player in New Orleans." She smiled up at him.

"Don't press your luck."

-----------------------------

As she lay in bed, Rogue sighed. She was deliriously happy after staying up for several hours in Remy's arms. But as she remembered that tomorrow they would be leaving, she began to feel uneasy. She was far from eager to return to the world she had tried to leave behind. Things were so much simpler here. But, that would all change soon.

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Next: No more fuzzy happy family reunions. It's on to the big apple where the mutant action is.