He blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust to all the light flooding into the pale room. He stretched, feeling the black, silk bedspread against his bare skin. He'd become familiar with the room. Rogue's wooden dresser sat next to her closet door on the left side of the room. Next to it was a small wooden vanity. The make-up that once lined it lay scattered across the floor. The bathroom door, next to the bed, was still open. He smirked when he noticed the towels still on the floor. The pillows had been shoved off the bed at some point; the silk sheet had been near them. Now, however, it was missing. He smiled to himself, thank goodness for the weekends. He looked back towards the balcony. At first he saw nothing. The wind blew the cream colored curtains. He caught a glimpse of what looked like more black silk. He stood up and stretched again, not caring that he was still stark naked. He walked quietly across the jet black carpet to the open doors.

His eyes drifted to the left. He examined how the dew on the grass glowed. The Mansion, usually so full of life and laughter, was now silent, peaceful. The perfect yard, which was normally flooded with children and teens playing game, was now void of all life. Besides the birds frantically searching for food before they could be interrupted or chased away. The trees cast slight shadows along the lawn and gravel path leading to the mansion. He noted that the fountain wasn't on yet.

His eyes fell upon Rogue. She was leaning lightly over the railing. The silk sheet looked like a gown. It clung to her chest where she'd tied it. The rest flooded around her, flowing down to the stone balcony floor. Her porcelain skin almost glowed in the rising sunlight. He noticed bits of natural red highlights in her hair. She ran a pale hand through the shoulder length, brown hair. The bits of white got caught, mixing in with the brown, then fell back to frame her face. He stepped out, feeling the cold stone against his bare feet. He didn't catch her smile and close her eyes, her skin warming as the sun rose higher.

"Morning chere," he greeted her, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist.

She rubbed his arms, "Morning. I'm surprised you're awake sugar."

From far away it went unnoticed, but up close he could see bruises on her arms. Her back still had rug burn. He smiled to himself, remembering the events of last night. He leaned into her, burying his face in her hair. It smelled like strawberries. It was intoxicating. He kissed her neck through her hair. He ran his hands up her arms; they were as soft as the sheet. He slowly turned her around, immediately mesmerized by her eyes. The light caught them perfectly, making them twinkle. The light cast shadows across her face, highlighting her cheekbones. Her lips looked slightly swollen on the right. Her pale skin was void of all make-up, showing her natural beauty. He touched her face lightly then kissed her forehead. He ran a hand through her velvet hair.

"You're beautiful, Rogue. I hope you know that," he examined her expression, "You look tired, why don't we go back to sleep?"

"In a minute," she leaned into him, running her hand along his scratched back, "Sunrise and sunset are my favorite times of the day. It's so peaceful, reminds me of home."

She pulled away, collected the sheet and headed back inside. Remy followed closely behind, grabbing the brass doorknobs as he walked. The doors closed with a light 'click'. She blinked at the disaster that was once her room. She sighed heavily, walking towards the mess of make-up on her floor. She felt his hand grab her bare arm. He pulled her into him. In one swift movement he picked her up bridal style. She reached toward the mess as he carried her to the queen sized bed. She crossed her arms in silent protest. He picked up both pillows and placed them against the wooden backboard. He stood her up and slowly unwrapped the sheet. Once naked he pushed her shoulders, forcing her to sit again. He lifted her legs and swung them on the bed. He pushed her shoulders again, this time forcing her to lay down. Her heart began to race in anticipation. He picked the blanket up off the floor, covering her.

He kissed her forehead, "Sleep chere, I'll clean up the mess."

He walked into the bathroom before she could object. She thought about getting up anyway but she was so comfortable. She couldn't fight the urge to sleep. She slowly closed her eyes. He emerged from the now spotless bathroom several minutes later, a pair of black sweat pants now on. He picked up the damp, white towels, placing them in the plastic, cream colored laundry basket near the bathroom door. Next, he fixed all of Rogue's make-up, putting it in no specific order. He smiled as he crawled in bed next to a still naked Rogue. He kissed her forehead, pulling her into his still bare chest. He heard a knock on the door. Rogue shot up, all feeling of tiredness leaving her body. There was another knock. Rogue threw off the sheet and stumbled out of bed, to her closet. She struggled, awkwardly putting on her uniform before answering her door. Logan stood there, arms crossed over his chest.

"I know. I forgot about the Danger Room session this morning," she spoke quickly.

His gaze fell upon Remy, "You too Gumbo. Go get dressed, I didn't come in here just for her."

Remy folded his arms behind his head, "But I'm so comfortable here homme. Besides it's Saturday, time to sleep in."

Logan glared, "Not in this house," he turned on his heels and stalked off, "You got ten minutes!"

Rogue sighed then followed, leaving Remy alone in her room. He reluctantly got out of bed and left the room to change. They returned to her room four hours later. Both were tired and drenched in sweat. They collapsed on the soft, black carpet, too tired to make it to the bed. Rogue shot daggers at Remy. He'd been late and as punishment they all got an extra two hours in the danger room. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Chere," he spoke softly, "if you're gonna kill me, just do it already. The look you're giving me is making me feel very uncomfortable and that's no easy feat."

"Oh I'm sorry, I'd hate to make you feel any type of way. My face must be stuck like this after the two extra hours of Logan's hell session," she all but hissed.

"I didn't think being two minutes late would warrant such punishment," he sighed, "I'm sorry, honestly."

Before she could answer a tall, tan beautiful blonde approached the doorway. She looked at Remy and smiled, completely ignoring Rogue. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He must be seeing things. Maybe he hit his head a little too hard in the Danger Room. Rogue's eyes narrowed as she propped herself up on her elbows.

"Can I help you," Rogue asked, hostility lacing her every word.

The blonde continued to ignore her, "Hello lover, been a while non?"

Rogue abruptly stood, "Lover?! You come in my room uninvited, ignore me when I speak to you and now you're gonna call my boyfriend you're lover! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

She spoke calmly, her voice high pitch but sweet as honey, "Belladonna, Remy's fiancé."

He watched as Rogue's face turned red. Her knuckles turned white as her hands formed into fists. She turned slowly, staring at Remy. Her eyes looked enraged, her expression cold. He quickly stood. Her silence was deadly. Then it was as if the room exploded. She stood right in front of him.

"FIANCE," she all but choked out, "YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF? Actually, forget it. I don't want to know. Out, both of you!"

"Chere…," he began.

"DON'T YOU CHERE ME GAMBIT! NOW GET OUT BEFORE I THROTTLE YOU," she faced Belladonna, "AND TAKE YOUR TRASH WITH YOU!"

He did as he was told, the use of his code name striking a nerve. He grabbed Belladonna by the arm, pulling her roughly. He would give her time to cool off before he explained everything. He listened as she slammed her door shut, leading Belladonna to his room. She sat down on his bed seductively, crossing her long legs. He wondered how many men she'd wrapped those legs around. He studied her as her denim skirt rose up a bit. Her chest was larger than he remembered. She wore a low cut, skintight red shirt, exposing a mass amount of cleavage. The top cut off mid-stomach. Her hips were curvy but small. Her stomach had become toner since he'd last seen her. Not that she ever minded showing off some skin.

She stared at him with deep blue eyes, "This place seems nice. I told them I was a friend of yours and the sweet boy at the door let me right in. Even told me what room you'd most likely be in."

"When'd you get the boob job," he asked dryly, ignoring her comments.

"A few months ago for my eighteenth birthday," she smiled, exposing her bleached teeth, "You missed it."

He shorted, "Wouldn't have come even if I remembered when your birthday was. I told you before, we're done. I have someone that I actually want to be with and unlike you, she cares about me."

"You mean that girl with the white in her hair. Yeah, the way she kicked you out of her room was real caring," she smirked, "Now come over here and I'll make it all better."

"No thanks," he smiled, "I'm not in the mood for crabs and possibly herpes today. Maybe in a month or so."

She pouted, "You never used to turn down a good time."

"You never used to sleep with any man that walked up to you," he shrugged, "Things change. People change. Speaking of change, I'm pretty sure it's illegal to walk around in just your underwear. Do you really have no self-respect anymore?"

She glared, "Remy LeBeau, you're the rudest man I have ever met. Has living up North made you lose all of your manners? You know better than to talk to a lady that way."

"I'm not talking to a lady. I'm talking to a morally corrupt cheater that couldn't care less about the feelings of another human being," he fumed, "I'm not sixteen anymore, I'm not part of the Thieves Guild, and I'm not gonna marry you! I'm an X-man, I found a place where I belong and the person I belong with! Maybe someday I'll marry her, if she'll have me. And it'll be because we love each other, not because it'll bring peace between the Guilds! Go marry someone that's part of that world because it's not my world anymore. This is my world."

She stood, "You have no idea what you are missing. You are making a mistake and some day you will live to regret it," she stormed out of the room.

He sat on his bed, his head in his hands. This was turning out to be a pretty lousy day. He looked around his rather plain room. Blue carpet, white walls, one dresser, a closet and a bathroom. He'd done nothing to make it his own, even his sheets were a simple blue. He liked Rogue's room better. She'd done a black and white theme. She had small, circular mirrors placed on one wall; another had black picture frames with classic looking black and white photos. Even the wood of her dresser, backboard, vanity and end tables were black with cream colored knobs. The only thing he liked about his room was the pictures wedges in-between the mirror and its frame. They were from a photo booth Rogue had dragged him into at the mall when they'd gone shopping. He smiled as he examined them. One was silly, one was serious, and one was supermodel. But his favorite was the last one, the one where they were kissing. He always noticed how they were both smiling as they kissed.

"You know, you've been here for almost three months and you still haven't done anything with this room," she leaned against the doorframe, "I was going to do some shopping today, you're more than welcome to come along if you'd like."

"You're not still mad at me," he sounded so tired.

She looked around, "That depends on what happened to the blonde."

He chuckled slightly, "She's gone. Look, I can't blame you for being upset. If some guy came in and said he was your fiancé I'd be pretty pissed. But she's not, she never was. My family and her family had certain expectations of us when we were younger. But that's not my life anymore."

She crossed the threshold, taking a seat next to him, "I should have let you explain. It's not that I don't trust you, I just don't know a whole lot about you. About your life before here, before us. I don't want to press because I know you've had it rough, but I wish you'd open up to me a little more."

He sat up straight, "I know and I'm sorry. No one has ever asked before and when I've offered no one's wanted to actually listen. So, I kind of just stopped trying I guess. How about this? We go shopping and later while you help me set up, I'll answer any questions you have for me."

She took his hands in hers, "Sounds like a plan to me. Now come on, we should probably shower before we go. You smell horrible."

He couldn't help but laugh, "Because you smell so much better."