"Where are you taking me?"

Rogue struggled slightly in Gambit's arms, but, truth be told, she was totally comfortable where she was.

"Hmmm…where would you like to go, Cherie?" he asked her teasingly, leading her to a sleek black car.

"Ah dunno, maybe, home? That sound good to yah?" griped Rogue.

"Mais non," he laughed, "I'm sure you don't quite mean that. Trust me."

He opened the door for her, waiting like a gentlemen, then got into the car himself. He hit the gas and the locks at the same time, grinning cheerily at Rogue.

"Ah meant what ah said. Take me home as soon as possible." She folded her arms across her chess and stared stubbornly out one window.

Gambit chuckled.

"See, Cherie, you've already changed your mind about coming! Why would you come willingly, though?"

He let the question hang in the air, watching from the corner of his eyes as she squirmed uncomfortably. He gave a little smirk, then focused his gaze on the road. Gambit was surprised when she finally broke the silence with a sigh.

"Okay, maybe ah was getting a little tired of the Xavier Academy," she admitted, "or maybe ah was just mad at Kitty. What's it to you, anyways?"

Her fingers tapped against the seat nervously, and her gaze shifted away when he looked at her.

"Gambit, mah thoughts are all so jumbled up. What you said before about understandin' how ah really feel, ah don't think you do."

"You might be surprised, Cherie," he answered quietly.

The car slid to a halt in a copse of trees. In the dark, the faint sheen of starlight provided just enough light to show Rogue that they were still in the neighbourhood.

Gambit opened the door of the car and strode out into the cool night, his robes flapping out behind him. Rogue stood up hesitantly, then followed him into the forest. He plucked a leaf off the nearest branch, then threw it over his shoulder. It exploded in midair, right before her astonished eyes, in a tiny halo of bright light.

"Just like the first time we met here." She realised aloud.

Gambit gave her the smallest of grins, continuing into the darker parts of the forest. Suddenly, he turned to face her, his eyes blazing in the darkness.

"There was a girl I once knew, Cherie. She and I were enemies to start with, oh, maybe even enemies now, because we were from different sides. Enemies. But I realised that it didn't matter anymore, because she was that girl. You know who she was?"

He shuffled his cards, then flicked them out into the air one by one, in a long trail. They sparkled and winked out, forming the word Rogue.

Rogue stared, openmouthed at the mini display of fireworks, her heart hammering loudly. She couldn't be sure whether this was real or whether it was just another one of his tricks.

Gambit took a step forward, then tossed the last surviving card in the deck to her. She watched the Queen of Hearts flutter through the air before ending in a shower of sparks.

"I thought she was your lucky lady. Your guardian angel? Why…?"

She was cut off by Gambit as he hugged her close to himself.

"You are the Queen of my heart now, Rogue."

She found herself gasping in disbelief as she pressed her lips against his, even though her brain was screaming at her to stop. They were enemies. This could not be happening. This could never be allowed…

And yet she liked it. She liked the way he caressed her gently, the way he wasn't afraid that she would absorb his powers. She liked his passion and his impatience.

Rogue hesitated, then closed her eyes and lay her head against his chest.

"I love you, Remy LeBeau."

"Tu es le Reine de mon coeur, ma Cherie. My Rogue."

And that's who they were. A rogue and a thief. But nothing mattered anymore, not their aliases and not their names, not even who they were. Because they were finally together.