Author's note:

We'll, you'll have to excuse us for the complete insanity at the end of the last chapter. Thank you for all your lovely reviews – we never get tired of receiving them, and they make the entire process much quicker!

So without further ado, here is the next chapter, and a lovely long one at that…now please excuse us while we go hide from Rogue!

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The next morning, Kaya, the no-longer-inebriated Tea, and Remy 'ported back onto the set. Remy, looking not too great from all the 'porting, flumped straight down into one of the director's chairs.

"You're the one taking the blame for this," Kaya said, as she looked around nervously.

"I am not," Tea retorted. "I was drunk."

"Oh, and that's such a great defence!" Kaya shot back.

"Do ya always feel this bad after teleportin'?" Remy asked, rubbing her forehead.

"Nah, it's worn off on me," Kaya said. "Ever since that day Tea got sick a couple of months after her powers manifested, it's not really gotten to me. Of course that could be because she took me on a tour of the twenty dimensions no one ever knew existed until then!" she added, getting ever so slightly mad at the memory.

"Well, at least it was educational," Tea said, shrugging it off.

"Back to moi," Remy said, lifting his head at last, hoping to at least find out some remedy to stop the literal travel sickness he was feeling.

"Well, you were the one who hitched along for the ride," Kaya pointed out.

"Try black coffee for the sickness," Tea said, giving a wave of her hand. Remy nodded, and got up carefully before going over to the coffee machine.

"Don't suppose we could get him to take the blame?" Kaya asked.

"We could just blame him anyway," Tea said.

"Yeah, I suppose. It was his own fault for grabbing on at the last minute."

"Ah can still hear ya, chere," Remy called over.

Just then, Rogue came storming onto the soundstage, heading straight for the two sisters, a murderous glint in her eyes. Kaya wondered for a moment if the other girl would notice a telekinetic shield being put up, but then decided against it. It would only make her even more angry.

"All right, Ah hope the damn swap rat is with ya, 'cause Ah'm gonna kill him!" Rogue yelled.

"Or you know, Rogue could just blame him for us," Tea said.

"Yep, that works too," Kaya said as Tea helpfully pointed to the Cajun, who looked then rather like he'd been caught in the headlights of a large truck.

"Remy LeBeau!" Rogue shouted as she marched over to him.

"So that's his full name," Tea said in something akin to wonderment as Kaya slapped her own forehead.

"Oui, Chere?" Remy asked nervously, calculating the chances of him being able to charm his way out of this.

"Don't call me chere!" she snapped. "Where did ya go?"

"Uh…to another dimension?" he offered.

"Well maybe ya shoulda stayed there," she huffed, tempted to just have at it and slap him.

"I don't think he really meant to go back with us, Rogue," Kaya said cautiously. After all, at this point in time, speaking in Remy's defence was a dangerous thing to do.

"Stay outta this!" Rogue warned, and Kaya held up her hands in defence.

"Staying out now," she said quietly. By now, some of the other cast members had come onto the soundstage. While some were pointedly ignoring the argument, others had gathered specifically to watch.

"Chere, Ah was jus' curious about their dimension," Remy said.

"Right, so you get there, an' ya saw it. Why didn't you come back?" she asked.

"Ya'll really want me to risk an extra dimension hoppin' trip with a drunk mutant?" Remy asked pointedly.

"Just how drunk was I?" Tea asked Kaya quietly.

"Very," Kaya replied. "You started mumbling about the tiger hat."

At this, Tea burst out in hysteric laughter, rolling around in her chair. She wasn't even trying to stop laughing or keep it down for the sake of the argument raging around her, until she saw Logan staring at her in surprise.

"What?" Tea asked, wiping away the tears of laughter. "Ain't a girl allowed to laugh?"

"Just never seen you do it before," Logan replied with a shrug. "Except for when you were drunk."

"It happens," Tea replied, giving a shrug of her own.

Meanwhile Rogue and Remy's argument had descended into a full-blown verbal war, with various insults, in English, Cajun and Creole being thrown into the mix.

"Guys?" Kaya asked, wanting to just get on with the play before the entire building came crashing down. "GUYS?" she yelled, then slumped back into her chair, having given up.

"Can't you do something about this?" Magneto asked Charles as they watched their protégés arguments escalate.

"I'm a world-powerful telepath, not a miracle worker or an agony aunt," Charles replied.

"Allow me," Ororo said as she breezed past them both. She turned her face to the sky, her eyes turning white as she called upon her powers. "Enough!" she shouted as a bolt of lightening struck the ground between the quarrelling couple, her voice rolling around the room like thunder.

Finally, both Rogue and Remy stopped, both too stunned to do anything but stare.

"Thank you, Ororo," Charles sighed.

"Just call me a Goddess," Ororo replied good-naturedly.

"Finally!" Kaya sighed. "Can we get back to the play now?"

"Fine," Rogue practically growled. "But Ah hope ya'll don't have any fluff scenes with me an' him in them today."

"Actually…" Kaya ventured, but with the glare that she received, she elected to stay quiet.

About five minutes later, the cast were finally all assembled and dressed in their costumes.

"Pyro!" Kaya shouted as she saw him playing with his lighter dangerously near the set. "What did I tell you about that lighter?" she asked, speaking to him as one might address a five year old.

"We'll steal your lighter," Tea said in a teasing singsong voice.

"Aww, ya wouldn't do that to me, would ya, Shiela?" John asked, doing a really rather sweet pouty face.

Tea tried to scowl at him, but it ended up as being more of a sweet smile. "Nah," she said at last.

"Oh God, no," Kaya muttered as she stared at the two of them. "Places!" she shouted out before Tea agreed to let John burn the entire set down in a fit of crushy stupidness.

Tea 'ported her bullhorn in from somewhere, and announced through it, "Lights! Camera! Action!"

The scene opens on Mystique and Toad standing by the front door to the De Ghent mansion, the two of them obviously in deep and secret conversation.

"What news of the engagement?" Raven asked Toad.

"Cancelled, yo," Toad replied. "Rumour has it he must find himself a bride before that very night."

"Well, that doesn't give us very much time," Raven said thoughtfully, then brought out her purse. "I shall need to know who the competition is, every move he makes, his agenda, and any other titbits you might pick up," she said, placing a coin in his hand for each piece of information he might bring.

Toad looked around, then leant in the speak to Raven, his voice lowered. "He's playing tennis with the Marquis de Limoges tomorrow at noon."

Raven smiled quite scarily at him, making Toad wish he could just run away. "A skin of such elegance...concealing such... ruthlessness. I've grown rather fond of our intrigues together. Surely you must know that."

Toad swallowed, deciding that he much preferred Mystique when she was just out and out mean, rather than pretending to be so nice.

"I'm having an inkling, yo," he said, backing away a little.

"When my daughter is Queen perhaps we might come to a new arrangement?" Mystique offered.

"You mean I won't have to be the underdog in the Brotherhood no more?" Toad asked hopefully.

"Toad! The script!" Kaya yelled pointedly.

"Sorry, yo," Toad muttered, then bowed slightly to Mystique and left as the scene ended.

The camera shot cut to a scene out in the gardens of the manor. Rogue and Tabby were out there collecting honey, dressed in clothes that would protect them from the bee's stings.

" I'd have given anything to see you all dressed up like a courtier, speaking to the Prince like a lady," Tabby said wistfully as she went about collecting the honey.

"Scolding him is more like it," Rogue said, turning just long enough to glare at Remy again. "Ah can't believe Ah gave him my mother's name. The man is insufferable."

"Yes. You've been saying that…all day," Tabitha said pointedly.

"Well, it's as true now as it was this mornin'," Rogue said as Tabitha cut out a bit of honey from the hive and placed it onto the plate Rogue was holding out for her.

"Darling, he's a thief," Tabby said, scowling over at Remy. Apparently, she had joined Rogue's side of the fight. "They're born like that."

"Then Ah suppose the penalty for being wealthy is havin' to live with the rich," Rogue said, deciding for now to stick to her lines.

"I'll bet he's quite charmin', once you get to know him."

"Ah think he an' Jean deserve each other," Rogue said, taking delight in the looks this got from Remy, Jean and Scott.

"Oh! Bite your tongue!" Tabby scolded as they began making their way back towards the house. "The only throne I want her sitting on is the one I have to clean every day!"

"And cut!" Kaya shouted.

"Thank god," Rogue sighed. "Is that all for today?"

"No, we just have film one of the scenes inside, and then it's off to change location to the lake," Kaya said lightly. "Where we get to shoot a you and Remy fluff scene. You know, the kind you like so much."

"Ah swear, Ah'm gonna end up killing someone!" Rogue nearly shouted.

"Nah, ya love him really," Kaya replied, before getting up to go to the inside set.

Amazingly, everything went smoothly while they were switching sets, and they were soon settled in to shoot the next scene.

"What's wrong with this one?" Raven asked, holding up yet another dress for Jean to look at.

"It's blue," Jean said as if that explained it all.

"Henry loves blue!" Raven said in a consoling voice.

"And all the other girls will be wearing the same colour," Jean replied.

"Very good, Jean," Raven said, smiling approvingly.

Just then, Kitty arrived in the doorway, wearing a lovely dress that was made to look just a little too tight.

"This one is too small," Kitty complained, pulling at the dress.

"We shall just have to get you a tighter cinch," Raven said sharply.

"I cannot breathe as it is," Kitty said quietly.

"If one cannot breathe, one cannot eat," Raven said nastily.

Piotr was standing just outside the set, his fists clenched as Raven continued to insult his dear Katya. Remy glanced at him nervously, wondering if he was going to have to restrain his Russian friend soon.

"Mother, focus, please!" Jean yelled, meaning 'please focus on me!'. Either she really was this bratty, or she'd just been cast in far too many of these roles.

"Perhaps if I knew what you were looking for!" Raven said, slightly testily.

"Something fit for a queen!" Jean replied as she flopped back onto the bed.

Raven looked around for a moment, before having an idea. She smiled, which quickly turned into an altogether evil look, making just about everyone on set worry about her.

"Come, ladies. I have just the thing," Raven said gleefully, clapping her hands together before leading her daughters out of the room. "But we must speak of this to no-one," she cautioned as she turned back for a moment.

"Oh, I do love a good intrigue!" Jean said happily as she climbed over the bed to follow her mother.

They went down into one of the lower rooms, where Raven looked around cautiously before opening up a large chest at the foot of the bed. She untied the parcel that was resting on the very top, and unfolded the material.

"Waste not...want not," she said evilly as she pulled out a most beautiful dress. It was a palest blue colour, beautifully cut, with little white gemstones sewn in all around it.

"Oh, perfect!" Jean cried out as she went over to take the dress from Raven.

"Oh, look at these shoes," Kitty sighed as she pulled an equally beautiful pair of shoes out from the chest. "Where did you get these?"

"They're Anna's dowry, for her wedding," Raven announced smugly.

"Cinderanna? Married?" Jean asked sceptically. "To who, the chimney sweep?"

"Nah, to moi," Remy said happily from the sidelines.

"In ya dreams, Cajun!" Rogue yelled from where she was waiting in the wings. "An' mine," she admitted softly to herself.

"If that dress is hers, perhaps she'll want to wear it to the ball," Kitty suggested.

"Since when does a royal function include commoners?" Jean asked meanly.

"Well, never," Kitty admitted, then paused before speaking again. "But she is our stepsister... and the invitation did say, 'To the ladies of the house'."

"She's not of noble blood!" Jean protested.

"And who would notice?" Kitty asked.

"Honestly, Katherine, whose side are you on?" Raven asked snidely.

It was at that moment that Rogue walked into the room, and saw them, with Jean holding her dress up against herself to see how it fit.

"What are ya doin'?" Rogue asked suspiciously.

"Airing out your dress... for the masque," Raven said quickly.

"Her dress?" Kitty asked, confused. "But you just said..."

"I suppose for a commoner, it'll have to do," Jean said with spite. "I mean, look at it; it's practically an antique."

"You wish me...to go to a masque?" Rogue asked, pretending to be touched by the thought.

"Of course," Raven said, giving her daughter her best fake smile.

"I don't know what to say," Rogue stammered.

"Say? Honestly, Anna. It hurts me you don't feel like one of my daughters."

"Maybe that's cause ya lied to me an' betrayed me, an-"

"Rogue!" Tea shouted, reminding her to get on with the script.

"Fine…" Rogue muttered, rolled her eyes, and then carried on. "Ah only meant..."

"I thought we could all go, as one big happy family," Raven said, pretending to like the idea. "That is, if you complete your chores in time, and mind your manners till then."

Kitty gave Raven a look of utter disgust for her deception. It was beyond her how cruel she could be to her own daughter. Well, all right, so this was only a play, but it wasn't like she'd never done anything like this in real life. She looked to Jean, as though she might get some help, but Jean only looked at her with that same self-satisfied smile that she seemed to have perfected for playing this character. After a moment, she gave up and sighed, throwing the shoes back down before storming out.

"What's the matter with her?" Rogue asked as she watched Kitty go.

"Oh... She doesn't want you to go," Jean said snidely.

"And cut!" Kaya shouted. "I'd say this is going quite well today, don't you think Tea?" When she received no reply, Kaya looked to her sister's chair and found it empty. Looking around with a slightly panicked look on her face, Kaya finally found her sister, standing over by one of the other sets with, of all people, Pyro.

Kaya sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. How did a Goth get a crush on a pyromaniac?

"Tea!" she yelled to get her sister's attention.

"Yes?" Tea replied, 'porting into her own director's chair.

"Were you flirting with John?" Kaya asked, trying not to laugh.

"Uh…why would you think that?"

"Because you were flirting with him," Kaya replied bluntly. "I don't know. For all the times you've ranted when I see some cute guy, you're just as bad!"

"I don't go after every guy," Tea said.

"Neither do I," Kaya replied.

"Nearly every guy then," Tea conceded.

"Okay, so nearly every guy, but still," Kaya said, agreeing. "Can you just help us get the cameras and props over to the lake? We need to film a fluff scene," she said, raising her voice a little, just so Rogue could hear.

"Don't remind me!" came the voice of the annoyed southern Goth.

"Why can't you just do it all telekinetically, anyways?"

"Because I don't want to collapse and die from exhaustion," Kaya replied.

"Okay, but John's helping, too."

"Say what, Sheila?" John asked as he trotted up beside Tea.

"Fine," Kaya sighed. "Just don't let him burn any of the props."

About an hour or so later, the entire cast and crew had made it down to the lake. John hadn't been able to resist burning a couple of things on the way down, even though Kaya gave him a severe reprimanding for it.

"Okay, ready everyone?" Kaya asked, then, before she could get a reply, "Good. Lights, camera, action!"

The opening shot of this scene was of Rogue, out in a wood, looking for truffles with the aid of a pig. Forge hadn't told anyone, but the pig was actually Fred with an image inducer tied to his trotter. Which would explain why the pig was feeling so vocal about his current predicament. Unfortunately, no one understood him, and neither did they understand why Forge was rolling around, laughing so uncontrollably.

After a while Rogue got fed up of trying to find the truffles, and decided to let the pig go and head down to the lake. Once there, she sighed happily to herself, slipping into the water.

Across the lake though, Prince Remy and Leonardo Da Charley, were on the other shore, apparently trying out all manner of crazy inventions while Remy tried to make sense of his life. Charles had long ago given up listening to his ramblings, but he wasn't letting this show as he pottered around with his inventions.

"Do ya'll really tink dere is only one perfect chere?" Remy asked, skipping stones over the water, charging the occasional one with his power so that it resembled a water firework as it went off.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Charles replied.

"How can ya'll be certain ta find them?" Remy asked, this matter clearly puzzling him. "An' if ya'll find them, are dey really the one for ya, or do ya only tink dey are?" he paused then to look at Charles before skipping another flat stone. "What if the person ya'll are meant ta be wit never appears? Or she does, but...but ya'll are too distracted to notice?"

"You learn to pay attention," Charles said simply.

"Then, let's say God puts two people on earth, and dey are lucky enough to find one another," Remy began again. "But... one of dem gets hit by lightning. Well, den what? Is dat it? Or perchance ya meet someone new an' marry again. Is dat the lady ya should be with? Or was it the first? When the two of dem are side by side, were dey both the one for ya, and ya'll just met the first one first? Or is the second one supposed ta be first? An' is everythin' just chance...or are some things meant ta be?"

"You cannot leave everything to fate, boy," Charles replied. "She's got a lot to do. Sometimes you must give her a hand."

"What's this project?" Remy asked as Charles brought out what looked like two small elongated boats and a propellor.

"Would you care to see if they work?" Charles asked, smiling.

The camera cuts to a scene of Charles…merrily wheeling his chair across the lake! Strapped to both wheels of the wooden chair are the elongated wooden boat models, allowing it to float of the water. And at the back of the chair, a propeller is stuck in the water, and by means of a hand-turned crank, the propeller is powering the entire contraption across the water.

In the middle of the lake, Rogue swam happily on her back. It was like paradise out here. No bossy mothers ordering her around, no stupid Cajuns hitting on her constantly. Best of all, from here she couldn't even hear the directors. Not even when Tea re-found her bullhorn. Absolute bliss.

"It looks like rain," Charles said nonchalantly as he floated past in his contraption. Genuinely surprised, Rogue looked up, saw him, and screamed loudly. Charles was also taken aback slightly, and he would have toppled into the water were it not for Kaya holding the whole thing upright with her telekinesis.

Once they reached the opposite shore, Remy came stumbling into the water to help them out.

"Signor Da Charley!" he called out as he towed the wheelchair to the shore. "Are ya all right?"

"I should leave walking on water to the Son of God," Charles replied, sighing with relief as he reached the shore. "Fortunately, I tripped over an angel."

"Comtesse!" Remy cried in surprise as he finally recognised the woman that had swum to shore with Charles.

"Your Highness!" Rogue called out in reply, not having expected to see him here. "Oh!" she cried as she slipped back into the water, while Remy gently caught her by the arm. "Oh, careful, it's very slippery right there," she explained, embarrassed.

"Here, please. Allow moi," Remy said as he helped her out of the waters.

"Thank you," Rogue said as he wrapped his cloak around her shoulders.

"Where are your attendants?" Remy asked, looking around and yet seeing no one.

"Ah decided to give them the day off," Rogue said quickly, while trying to appear convincing.

Remy laughed at the very idea of it. "Day off?" he asked incredulously. "From what? Life?"

"Don't ya tire of people waitin' on you all the time?" Rogue asked.

"Yes," Remy replied uncertainly. "But... they're servants. It's what they do."

"Ah wish Ah could dismiss mine as easily as ya'll do yours," Rogue said quietly. "Ah must be going."

"You're angry with me," Remy said as he began to follow her.

"No," she said quickly.

"Admit it."

"Well, yes, if ya must know."

"Why?" he challenged, making her stop and turn to look at him.

"Because ya are tryin' to bait me with your snobbery," she replied.

"Ah'm afraid, mademoiselle, you are a walking contradiction...and Ah find that rather fascinatin'," he said, smiling at her.

"Me?"

"Yes, you," Remy replied. "Ya spout the ideals of a Utopian society, yet ya live the life of a courtier."

"And ya own all the land there is, yet ya take no pride in workin' it," Rogue returned. "Is that not also a contradiction?"

"First Ah'm arrogant, and now Ah have no pride," Remy said, giving one of those confident smiles that drove her crazy. "However do Ah manage that?"

"Ya have everythin' and still the world holds no joy. Yet ya make fun of those who would see it for its possibilities," Rogue replied softly.

"How do ya do it?" Remy asked, frowning.

"What?" she asked.

"Live each day with this kind of passion? Don't ya find it exhausting?"

"Only when Ah'm around you," she confessed. "Why do you like to irritate me so?"

"Why do you rise to the occasion?" he returned, giving another one of those smiles.

"Like, Anna!" Kitty called from some way off.

Rogue looked around in alarm, and realised she had to leave before she was found out. "Forgive me, Your Highness, Ah've lost track of the hour," she said, handing Remy back his cape before beginning to head for home.

"But the wind...It's perfect!" Charles protested, holding up an old fashioned kite.

"Ah am sorry," Rogue apologised as she rushed past him.

"Ah'm playin' tennis tomorrow," Remy called out, making Rogue stop and turn to face him for a moment. "Will you come?"

Rogue stopped and seemed to consider it for a moment, but then she turned around and carried on, calling back, "Ah must go."

Remy watched her go, half intrigued and half utter confused. "Why does she keep doing that?"

"And cut!" Kaya yelled out. "Finally," she sighed, somewhat quieter.

"Yeah, now we can go home," Tea said. "Without Remy."

"Amen to that!" Kaya said, just as Rogue walked up to them. "Hang on."

"Look, Ah know ya'll didn't mean for Remy to go back with ya last time," she began. "But if ya ever try to steal that swamp rat, Ah'll-"

"Agreed," Kaya said quickly. "I might like him, but I don't want to steal him away from you."

"Really?" Rogue asked.

"Nah, you guys are just such a cute couple," Kaya replied with a smile before Tea 'ported them both out.