Rogue awakes to the snug feeling of being completely encapsulated in warmth and love.

She can feel Remy's arm wrapped around her belly and his hard chest against her back. His soft and steady breaths on her neck tell her he was still asleep. There is a cat nestled against her belly and Remy's hand.

It's Oliver.

He was the only one of Remy's cats who was starting to warm up to their dad's new wife. All three felines were aloof with Rogue at first but they were slowly getting used to her presence in their space. Oli, in particular, was coming around faster than the other two. She didn't blame them none. She had been taking up quite a bit of their dad's attention lately...

She was admittedly surprised to discover that the Ragin' Cajun, the King of Thieves, someone as hard as Remy, was the owner of a cat, let alone three of them. But the way he dotes over them is a sight to see. And the furry trio adore Remy right back. Rogue thought the whole situation was amusing until she realized how lonely Remy must have felt prior to acquiring "his boys," as he lovingly refers to them, and how the cats were filling a void for him.

The thought had made her feel guilty and sad. She had bren so wrapped up in her own feelings and insecurities and self-righteousness for so long that she had never really paused to consider what Remy had been going through. And that wasn't even counting what she had put him through over the years. It made her heart ache.

Reveling in their closeness now... Rogue never even dared to dream that they'd find their way back to each other - not after their toxic waste of a past - let alone ascend to this level of intimacy. And then to actually marry him, the man she could not stop loving? She's still not even sure how it happened. The past few months have been a blur of happiness and pure bliss.

She had always wanted children but it was a someday dream. She would have kids when she had control of her powers. When she met the man of her dreams. When the world was safe. When she felt safe.

When when when.

It had always been framed as a hypothetical in her mind. It would happen, she would assure herself.

But as she grew up, she began to lose hope that any of these things, her dreams, would happen.

The world was never going to be a safe place for mutants and, despite her best efforts and lucky breaks, it seemed she would always struggle to gain full control over her powers. As she grew more world-weary and jaded, she finally realized her life would never be normal. Superheroes don't get happy endings.

And so she slowly accepted the white picket fence and the 2.5 children fantasy wasn't going to be part of her future. To her surprise, she was more than okay with that.

But then she and Remy got married. She had found the man of her dreams and married him. She didn't currently have control of her powers, though. The world still wasn't safe for mutants. And, most importantly, she simply didn't have the same desire to have children as she once did.

She tried to explain her feelings to Remy but she still doesn't think he fully gets it. As best as he tried to hide his surprise and disappointment, she could still see it in the way his eyes wouldn't quite meet hers. The way he stumbled to pass it off as a joke. Them having children... that was crazy, right?

But it wasn't crazy.

He hadn't been wrong for thinking kids would be in their future. During their six perfectly blissful months in Valle Soleada, when they took a break from being superheroes, they both talked about their desires to start a family and to build that family with each other.

Then something changed for her.

The betrayals. The control over her powers and then the subsequent loss of control again. The lack of trust in Remy from days past still festering in the back of her mind. Their intimacy struggles. Her internal struggles. It all built up like a charge to one of his playing cards and it exploded, hot and deadly.

They had separated and left behind a barren wasteland of hurt and inadequacies. Despite the few times they tried to find a way back to each other over the years, they hadn't been able to get it right.

Until now.

She knew how much he adored kids, how good he was with them. Growing up an orphan on the streets, she knew all he really wanted in life was a place to belong and a family to accept and love him. He eventually found family with the LeBeaus and the Guild, but his subsequent exile had left him abandoned again.

She knew what he really longed for was to establish his own family unit. One he could protect and provide for, one he could love and be loved by, one he would never, ever leave.

She wanted that for him, too. But she didn't know if she could give him that and some days she felt selfish for marrying him and taking that dream away from him.

She feels him stir. "Mm, mornin', chère," he whispers close to her ear.

She snuggles closer to him. "Mornin'," she says softly.

His hips grind against her in response and he sighs a soft moan.

"Missed y'." His tongue and lips draw lazy kisses against her ear.

It was one of the rare times that they hadn't made love the night before. Ever since Paraiso, ever since getting back together, they had been inseparable. And they had been making up for lost time.

They easily find their rhythm and it isn't long until she's on the edge of her climax. She has gotten everything she wanted - the love of her life and the ability to touch him even if she has to wear power suppression jewelry. But at what cost?

She focuses on the feel of Remy sliding in and out her, the weight of him above her. The light kisses he sprinkles along her jaw and down her neck. The sounds of his low moans as he grinds deeper into her. The way her body reacts to his movements and the pleasure she feels builds to a pressure-piercing climax.

As she sails over the edge, she thinks this life - their life - their life with all their responsibilities and risks is enough for them. It's working well. He has accepted that she doesn't want children now and maybe not ever. But for how long?

As the sweet spasms subside and her breathing steadies, she gazes into Remy's eyes. He is currently appraising her with unabashed love and tenderness. And she again wonders how long can she continue to quietly disappoint this man who has sacrificed so much for her.

How long, indeed.