As long as time is concerned, people will come and unfairly go. That lesson he had learned very early. Time won't stop in this cruel world. And it was ticking, tick, tock, tick, tock. If only he could make it stand still for just a little. He watched his sweetheart's body on the floor and reflected on how one mistake could ruin you whole. That too, he knew from experience.

Time was of the essence, he knew it. Of all the people he had ever met in his life, she was the one who mattered most. He just couldn't explain it, but she was. Even his family were not as constant as she had been, for the life of him, he couldn't just let hers slip away.

"While I live, you don't die." He remembered how those words popped out of those lips so vividly. He hated her then, for not letting him die as a hero. But now, he could understand her perfectly well. He could never let go of her either. She was his person, his rock throughout the years. Even if she was not around, just the fact that she was somewhere out there, alive, carrying him in her heart, was enough. Besides, if he ever got to grow old, he wanted it to be around her. They would be like two old grumpy men, continuously arguing and insulting each other. Oh, the joy!

He crouched down and kissed her forehead lovingly.

"We gotta do something." He spoke earnestly.

Betsy didn't respond with words, but let out an audible sigh. Remy could feel it how tension emanated from her.

With each passing moment, Gambit and Psylocke came closer to the conclusion that the task at hand was doomed to disaster. Since it couldn't be estimated how much longer they would need to bring their friends back to the outside world, they knew the only way they could keep them alive and well was to have Anna and Lucas on life support.

"I could always carry Anna to the hospital." He continued. "Leaves you with the lighter of the two. Can't anybody say my daddy didn't raise a gentleman." He joked lightly, trying to lighten up the British lady's mood.

Betsy Braddock hardly registered what he said as she paced restlessly around the room until she had a Eureka moment.

"We'll surrender! They think we are the enemy, but we are not. If I let them have me arrested amicably, they'll take Rogue and Bishop to a hospital," the telepath spoke hurriedly.

"Non! We will be gone for God knows how long and they'll be forever lost!" Psylocke tried but couldn't get a word in edgeways. "Betsy, no one is going to believe you. You were possessed by an invisible entity and that's why you were fucking up all of London? Right, that sounds completely non-crazy. Besides, they are already biased against mutants. We'll be taken into custody and…"

"Please, Gambit, for the love of God! You're a thief! When was the last time you let the cops get a hold of you?"

"You got a point there. I'm listening."

"What if…" She paused for a moment, lost in thoughts. She took a lingering glance at both Rogue and Bishop lying unconscious on the floor, their breaths shallow. "What if I took you to the Astral Plane and left you there? You'd be just another body on the floor and they'd hook you up to machines like the two of them. This would buy you more time to fix it."

"But you know the authorities would take you and then, mon ami, you wouldn't be there to guide me and monitor the three of us."

"That was the 'but' I was just going to tell you about. Looking at the brighter side, though, I could try to, you know, save the world, fight against Shadow King."

"Oui, I see."

"Your call, LeBeau. I always took you for a risk-taker."

"I don't mind risking my life for her, it's her wellbeing that I worry about. What if I don't make it in time?"

The silence around them was interrupted by Rogue's soft moaning. Gambit sat down next to her and caressed her hair, his brows were drawn together in a frown, his heart overwhelmed by apprehension.

"Oh, Remy." She breathed out.

"So we know what's happening on the other side. It appears that your latest visit to their reality left some good impressions. Gambit, you're already breaking her dream. It might take a bit more pushing, but those walls are going down. However…"

"Oh, there's always one."

"However," she continued. "You have to remind yourself why you're there. I don't want you to fall for the illusions yourself. You know that's a possibility, don't you?"

"Oui, je sais."

"So are you in or are you out? We got no time to waste."

"You know my answer already. Why do you ask?"

"Take it as a disclaimer agreement." She blinked at him. He simply laid down next to Rogue, took one last glance at her and closed his eyes.

"Au revoir, Madame Braddock."

"See you later, LeBeau. And… good luck. You're probably gonna need it."

-O-O-O-

Before the day had started for everyone else, she was already in her kitchen, fully dressed and ready to go. Outside it was still as black as night, only by the clock could she tell the difference between the time to sleep and the time to rise. The dawn would come as she packed her little one's backpack and fixed her husband's uniform.

She took a look around her and was invaded with a feeling she couldn't quite name. She missed the vibrant hues of the bigger cities, the noise and even non-stop noise of passing cars. She wanted to see and be seen, be a big city girl and have a life like those ladies in the women's magazines she used to read.

"You like boots! And… and… expensive perfume!" His voice rang in her head.

The person he got her mistaken for, she wanted to be that person. The lady in his life, the one that had evoked such a passionate kiss, she must wear makeup and party clothes every day, she naively decided.

The picture of another version of herself wearing an expensive evening gown and seated in a high-class restaurant popped in her mind. She behaved in a way that was fitting to her attire and surrounds. Then, Mr. LeBeau would come along, the lady she would never be stood up to meet him and was greeted with a breath-taking kiss. His lips crashed into hers while he held her hips, pulling them slightly up and towards him, in a very manly way. His hands on her hips made her feel lighter, dainty and sexy.

Noise upstairs, her little family was up and out of bed, making her daydream fade away.

Maybe she should apply for a job, do something to change her life, even if just a little, give it more meaning, somehow.

Skipping her way into the kitchen, the little one smiled and greeted her mom. She was a vision to behold. Her eyes were alight, her every muscle needed to move, to dance, to jump. Anna couldn't help smiling broadly every time she walked into the room. There was sunshine in her smile and a certain melody to her voice.

"Hey, there, sleepyhead! You okay? Slept well, sugar?"

"Yep, mom. What about you? Did you dream of unicorns?" She asked her mom with her squeaky voice. Rogue laughed at the unexpected question.

"No unicorns for me today, hun. You?"

"I dreamt I lived in an enchanted forest and had two unicorns: a pink and a purple one. I got to brush their hair all day long."

"You mean their mane?"

"No, there was no man in my dreams, just the unicorns, and their beautiful hair."

"It's called mane, love. I'm just trying to teach you a new word. M.A.N.E." The girl repeated the letters and smiled at her mom. They say you can't bottle love but as a mom, Rogue knew these people were wrong. Her beautiful daughter was the proof. That bouncy stride of hers, how wide her smile was and how wide she reached for every hug… that kid was love in a bottle; just seeing her made Rogue glad to be alive, and sure the little sacrifices she made for her were worth it.

Then, her husband walked in and her stomach twisted into a knot, she could hardly breathe. The way she acted the previous night made her embarrassed. She blushed fiercely, and Lucas knew why.

Last night, she asked for sex, she used him knowing exactly why she was doing it. She needed to let out the feelings and thirst for sex she had bottled all day.

She did all sorts of things she had never done before. Brazenly, she got on her knees and sucked him off. Oral sex for her used to be only a tease to get him ready, she had never gone all the way. The previous night, though, uncharacteristically she swallowed every single drop of him. Not only that, she had been different in every single way. It was not like her to ask him to fuck her hard, dictate positions, bark orders at him, and swear shamelessly as she came hard. It was like she was a whole different person, but at the same time, she seemed to be comfortable in her skin. It was as if she blossomed into the radiance and magnificence she was always meant to possess.

"The perfect definition of a lady in the street but a whore in the bedroom." Lucas thought as he eyed her curves appreciatively.

When their eyes met, she drew a deep, shuddering breath. He noticed. He walked towards her and planted a sweet kiss on the top of her head, she closed her eyes and sighed. What he didn't know is that, also last night, she couldn't sleep. Resorting to the couch downstairs, she had touched herself until she climaxed and then, called out another man's name.

They exchanged a few words, no heartfelt love confessions, no mentions of the night before, just discussed the practicalities of the day ahead.

"I'll take her to school."

"Will you pick her up from ballet today or will I have to leave work earlier?"

'Can you get the groceries today?'

'We need coffee."

"Working late? Oh, no. Not again!"

The uneventful conversation went for as long as it needed to go. When everybody was set for the day, they left. She dropped him off at the police station and headed straight to the school after that.

"Goodbye, honey. You have a nice day at school, okay?" She said as she hugged her daughter tight.

"Mom! Don't make a big scene!" The little one complained.

"I love you, my precious little girl." She said, not giving a single fuck about her daughter's complaint.

"I love you too, mom." The girl replied with a smile, admitting defeat.

She looked around the car park, secretly hoping the stranger, no, not a stranger anymore, Remy LeBeau would be there stalking her.

'You did tell him to fuck off and leave you alone, didn't you, girl? What the fuck did you expect?' She muttered to herself.

She went back home, cleaned, cooked and felt boredom was threatening to engulf her. The man didn't make an appearance. It had been so easy to get used to his attention. She was upset, depressed even, hardly touching her coffee. On the spur of the moment, she got the car keys and decided to go to the nearest mall.

The place was a sensory overload and it lulled her somehow. The messages and carefully styled images to seduce consumers were wherever her eyes fell. There was everything she wanted to be for sale, the person she longed to be came with a price tag. She remembered his words, uttered in such desperation.

"This is not you. Look at you!"

Those words had made her feel so inadequate, poorly dressed and groomed. Knowing she didn't have a place in the world, she had settled for just that. For being the queen of her home, and only there she was meant to be loved and accepted. But why should she think that was enough? All she had to do was to find that spark, the spark to just start her fire back up. And, the truth was that she had found it, the spark was in his kiss, his wanting of her, her of all people: Ms. No One Knows You Exist. His smile, his interest, that kiss, all of it brought back her true colors. Who knew a stranger could change her life, forever.

She strode on, touched by confidence she never knew she possessed. That man was crazy, but he did do something for her. Remembering him and his crazy claims brought a smile to her lips.

There were professional shopping guides smiling at every shop entrance, always ready for more business. She roamed the aisles, thinking how she couldn't afford any of that. Until a green silky dress caught her eye, she cracked her neck to take a better look at it. It was so beautiful! A shop assistant quickly picked up on her interest and invited her in to try it on.

The green sheets of the dress slipped onto her shoulders, peppering her body with soft, sensual kisses. Like a lover, it seduced the senses and conveyed with utmost skill the art of seduction. It clung onto all the right places, her hips, her breasts, that perfect behind of hers she so constantly hid with ill-fitted jeans. She looked at her old clothes pooled on the floor with disgust. Taking another good look at herself in the mirror, she flashed a beaming smile for her own benefit. She came in feeling ordinary and if she were to take that dress, she knew she'd leave as if she were walking on a podium.

"Can we take a look, darling? How does it fit?"

She shyly left the changing room, and as soon as the shop assistants caught a glimpse of her, they showered her with compliments.

"You look amazing, sugar. Can I take a picture of you in it to add to the store Instagram account?"

"What!? No way! Are you serious?"

"Ms., I admit I may pass out fake compliments from time to time, just to make people buy, but you, you look stunning. I mean it!"

"Why, thank you, sugar." She smiled warmly at the woman. God knows words of encouragement and appreciation were much needed.

After having her pictures taken, she changed back into her old clothes and thanked the lady, but said she couldn't afford the dress and returned it to the shop assistant.

"I'll get the manager to give you a discount. This dress looks fabulous on you. You are meant to have it."

She was going to say she still couldn't buy it, but decided to throw all care to the wind, reached inside her bag and got the credit card they had for emergencies and paid for the dress and also new shoes that went with it. The lady serving her could see how she was in a moral conflict to spend that kind of money on herself.

"I don't mean to be rude, but, we are hiring at the moment. Perhaps you could apply, just leave us your name and number. I could put a good word for you, we'll give you a call."

The old Anna would have thanked but refused, the new Anna jumped at the opportunity. She ended up leaving the shop wearing her new clothes, feeling like a million dollars. So distracted she was that she bumped into a man the moment she stepped outside.

Unsurprisingly, the man in question was no other than Remy LeBeau. She found herself in his arms as he held both her shoulders while looking down at her, smiling mischievously, very pleased with what he saw.

"Nice to see you again, chére." He couldn't help but smirk at her. "You tell me to leave you the hell alone, only to go and throw yourself into my arms? You got me confused, mon coeur."

"Mr. LeBeau!" she exclaimed. Her heart raced and when he opened his mouth to speak again it was with that thick Cajun accent of his that made her hair stand in the back of her neck. The hand he offered to shake was much more delicate than her husband's, the skin softer than a baby's. His face was one of utmost confidence, whatever game this man played he wasn't used to losing it.

"You remember my name. I know, I"m nearly impossible to forget." He winked at her, took her hand in his and kissed it. She pulled away, stepping back and widening the space between them.

"I'm sorry about yesterday." He continued. "You know, I'm new in town. I'm feeling homesick and then, I saw you. And you… oh, chére, you look so much like somebody I know, somebody that is so very special to me. I'm truly sorry. You must think I'm a creep, huh? Desolée, chére."

"That's okay, I suppose." She whispered. Inwardly wishing he wouldn't apologize for kissing her because she was not sorry, not in the least. That kiss brought her back to life. The raw emotion in his stare was electrifying, and it filled her with unprecedented boldness.

"Listen, Mr. LeBeau. I have some time to kill before I have to pick up my daughter from school, would you like to grab a coffee? I'm sure they have a Starbucks somewhere in here."

"Nothing would make me happier, chére."

He guided her through the crowd by the small of her back. It didn't feel invasive, but gentle, caring even. She knew she should have stopped him touching her in public, but instead, melted into his soft touch.

Life was suddenly very good, it was great indeed.

-O-O-O-

A/N – Thanks for all the support I've been getting. I'm not sure I replied to all reviews, I appreciate every single one of them. And sorry, no smut this chapter, guys. But as people predicted, she's slowly changing. What will it take to break the spell, for once and for all?