AN: Some people apparently thought this fic was over! Don't Panic! We're barely 1/3 of the way through, so there's plenty more to come.

I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Chapter Four

Rogue and Remy sat outside a café on the banks of the Seine in Paris, sipping wine and chatting. Although alcohol didn't affect Rogue, nor Remy very much, she felt more relaxed than she could ever remember feeling. She had money now, two million to be specific, sitting in a numbered account on the Cayman Islands. That meant she had means, which meant she had freedom, and maybe a little power.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason for her relaxed state. This last month spent planning the theft had been good for both of them. They had fought often but thankfully it had served to bring them closer together. They didn't know much more about each other's pasts than they did before, but they knew a lot more about each others character.

"Oh, but M'sieu, I simply cannot agree. Bunnies are the cutest animals in the whole world." Gambit said in a high voice, eliciting a laugh from Rogue.

"Madam, you are quite insane!" Remy continued in a low voice. " Those twitchy noses make any sane person shudder."

Rogue giggled. This little game was something Gambit liked to play when they saw couples talking, imagining the insane conversations that they might be having. It always made Rogue laugh, but sadly she didn't have the talent for it that Gambit did.

"Stop it," Rogue cried, wiping tears from her eyes before they could cause her make-up to run. They were laughing so hard that they were beginning to get odd looks from passers by.

Remy grinned at her, unrepentant.

"What do you say we get the bill and walk off lunch?" Remy suggested.

"Sounds good to me."

"And maybe visit the Louvre? I have a few stories I can tell you about breaking into that place."

Rogues jaw dropped. "You broke into the Louvre?"

"Three times. The last time I did it alone, that was how I qualified as a Master Thief."

"Fine," Rogue smiled, even as she shook her head at his sheer gall.

Rogue was feeling a little uncomfortable about this evenings excursion. They had been out most evenings, but tonight they were dining on a river boat as it cruised up and down the Seine. Remy had bought her a new dress for the occasion and was himself dressed in an expense suit.

It felt like a date.

Remy kept assuring her that it wasn't but that everyone had to experience a dinner cruise on the Seine, so reluctantly she had agreed. Besides, ever since the 'almost kiss' Remy had been the perfect gentleman, so she decided that she would trust him, for now.

The glass topped boat looked beautiful as she boarded, lit with candles and low lighting that wouldn't reflect off the glass too much. They were shown to a table in the forward of the boat and Rogue looked around as their waiter poured their wine. There was a singer in the middle of the boat, currently singing something in French which she didn't know, but she liked very much.

Soon afterwards, the cruise began and the starters were brought up. They cruised past Île de la Cité, home to Notre Dame, which was beautifully lit up for the evening; Pont-Neuf and Alexander III Bridges (to name just two), the Louvre, the statue of Etienne Marcel, the Orsay Museum, Concorde Square, Palais de Chaillot, Île aux Cygnes, complete with it's own Statue if Liberty and of course, the Eiffel Tower.

They had a booklet that gave information about the landmarks that they passed but with Remy there, Rogue didn't need it. He was full of fun facts and Rogue enjoyed listening to him. For example, he told her that the Statue of Liberty was given to the city by the American town of Paris in 1889, to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution. He explained that Etienne Marcel was the first mayor of Paris, in the 1300, and not afraid to get a little royal blood on his hands.

Remy had a lot to say about Notre Dame, from the crypts underneath containing a wealth of historical information, dating right back to the first Paris settlements, which including the first example of underfloor heating, to how the Wolves of Paris, man eating wolves that terrorised the city in 1450 and killed 40 people, were eventually lured to, trapped and killed in the cathedrals plaza.

Rogue could have listened to his stories forever. His honeyed voice, combined with the music, the views, the atmosphere and the wonderful food, made her wish that this night would never end. Despite his taking in all the scenery, Rogue felt like she was the centre of Gambit's universe, as if he would cease to exist if she did.

Surprisingly, that didn't scare her. She was attracted to him, sure, but there was more to it than that. She felt like he was her best friend, something she had never had before, and she was so comfortable with him that she truly believed that he would never hurt her or push her boundaries.

She was still cynical enough to realise that this feeling was probably as a result of being in one of the most romantic cities in the world, and would probably fade in time but while she felt this way, she intended to enjoy it.

Remy was having similar feelings for Rogue. He had realised earlier that day that since they began training for the museum heist, he hadn't been out on his own once. Even more surprisingly, he didn't miss it at all. Okay, he spent perhaps a little longer in the shower these days, pleasuring himself, but he had absolutely no desire to find anyone else to do it for him. Well, other than Rogue, and he had a feeling that even if she agreed, he wouldn't be enjoying that for very long, unless he liked life long comas. But still, he got more from being with her than he ever had from being with the succession of women who usually occupied his bed.

Rogue understood him, she didn't probe or pressure, she didn't ask where the relationship was going, nor did she pester him to tell her how much he loved her. She was her own person and he wasn't going to change that. In return, she didn't want to change him.

Only one other person in his life had ever given him such unconditional acceptance. Thinking of her usually brought his mood down but somehow the memories were more bearable with Rogue by his side.

With the exception of sex, Rogue was everything to him. And he could live without sex, especially since she was actually rather affectionate. She wasn't a hand holder or a hugger, but she did a lot of little things that made him feel appreciated. She always did his laundry for example, despite being repeatedly told that she didn't have to. Whenever she went out along, she always returned with a little something for him, from a bag of peanuts he liked, to a flower she'd picked in the park.

No one had ever given him a flower before, and he kind of liked it. For whatever reason, Rogue hadn't been raised with the societal norms of boy/girl relationships, and he didn't care one jot.

He already knew she was stronger than him; she could bench press a large house, she could fly, she could kill him in a few seconds but being physically weaker didn't emasculate him at all. In fact, though he had no right to, watching her use her powers made him feel proud, and he wasn't at all averse to being held in her arms as she flew them somewhere.

And if friends, or even best friends was all he could hope for, then he would gladly settle for that. He prayed that one day she might learn to control her powers, but he wouldn't bet on that. Remy was never much of one to dwell on what might be, preferring to live in the moment, and he intended to enjoy every moment that he spent in Rogues company.

They had ordered different deserts so Rogue held a spoon of hers out for him to try. As he allowed her to feed him, he realised they were already a couple. He smiled warmly at her, then fed her a piece of his desert, watching as her eyes closed while she savoured the taste.

He swallowed and looked away before her long, creamy throat could tempt him too much. He had a feeling that there was going to be a lot of showers in his future. As Rogue let out a soft, almost orgasmic moan, he amended that to an awful lot of showers.

They were sharing a picnic of pate on French bread, near the la statue de la Liberté on Île aux Cygnes, or Isle of Swans, when Rogue spotted a couple arguing.

"Gambit, what are they saying?" she pointed to them.

"Ah, well he brought her to this romantic island to propose but the lady just refused him."

"Aw, that's sad." Rogue was used to his theories being amusing so she was a little perturbed by his change in tone.

"Non," Remy assured her. "You see, the homme is a from a long line of dress makers, while the fille is from a family who for generations have made undergarments. There is a fierce rivalry between the families. It started when the head of one family lost a lot of money at the casino and accused the head of the other family of cheating at poker. He denied it but there was no proof, either way. The rivalry simmered for generations, until it culminated in the dress makers burning down the underwear factory five years ago, in retaliation for their presumed slights. They could never prove who burned the factory, but the families have been at war ever since.

"The homme thinks that love can overcome the divide, but the fille believes that her père will execute him if he discovers their liaison."

"So what are they going to do?" Rogue leaned forward.

"Well now he is suggesting that they elope, head to Vegas and get married, then the families won't be able to stop it, but the girl knows that her father will never forgive her for that, and she suggests a different plan."

"What?"

"She suggests that they each steal from their family. She will steal the dresses of her family, while he will steal the underwear of his family. Each only likes the best quality, so they will be forced to buy from their rival family, causing each to come to an accord and finally become friends."

"You are so weird," Rogue laughed.

"Me? I'm not the one burning down factories because I lost a card game!"

Rogue lightly thumped his shoulder.

"What's that for?"

"Being an idiot." Rogue smiled.

"Well you're with the idiot, what does that make you?"

"The idiots apprentice," she answered with a wicked smile.

They were in the airport waiting to catch a flight home, though to rogue it seemed more like some ancient, torturous labyrinth.

Rogue had died her white streaks brown using with temporary die. It should last three washed, but it usually only lasted one. Still, it was long enough to get her home though. Remy had explained that all international travel must be done using her brunette identity since her white streaks were so unique. Rogue understood the implication, her APB would mention white streaks as the first most noticeable feature.

She knew that Gambit had figured out that she was on the run but to her eternal gratitude, he hadn't pried.

Remy was wearing his contacts. They irritated the hell out of his eyes but like Rogue's hair, it was necessary. Mutants were still hidden from most people, so red on black eyes were not something that people liked. He hadn't earned the nickname of the White Devil for nothing. One on one, in a bar it wasn't too bad but at an airport, especially in the wake of 9/11, they would surely single him out for special treatment. Like the real devil would ever need to fly American Airlines!

They had just got through security when they noticed a commotion around one of the duty free shops. It was an electronics shop and people were crowding around the televisions, computer and laptop screens. They managed to get close enough to a screen to see a devastated area and a giant robot.

"What's going on?" Rogue asked Remy. He only shrugged but someone else in the crowd heard and answered.

"They say it's mutants!" he told her gleefully. "People with genetic defects that give them special powers and stuff."

"It's so cool!" A boy of about 10 said.

"It is not cool, James, its dangerous. Look at the havoc they're creating!" Clearly this 'helpful' man was only interested in spreading hate and distrust.

"Looks to me like the giant robot is doing most of the damage," Rogue could help saying. "Oh my god!" Rogue exclaimed as one of the flying mutants was hit and fell to the ground, hard. "Is she all right?"

Remy watched closely for signs of movement from the girl but the camera was so shaky, not to mention, zoomed in over such a great distance, that it was hard to know if she was moving or it was a trick of the light.

Finally though, she got up, only to be hit by a big blob of goo.

"She'll suffocate!" Rogue cried, becoming visibly distressed.

"Good!" the formerly helpful man answered.

"Good? That robot is trying to kill those people!"

"They aren't people," he said bitterly. "They're monsters."

"Come on, chère," Remy put an arm around her shoulders and guided her away from the spectacle.

The flight home was mostly silent. At Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport, they bought half a dozen daily news papers, any that had mutants on the front page. Once they had found an short term let apartment, they turned the news on, even before unpacking.

The flight had been 12 hours, including waiting for take off, and a lot had happened in those 12 hours. They tried to stay awake and catch up with what was happening but they had been up all night, and it was now almost noon in Arizona's time zone, so they soon dozed off.

Remy awoke to a scream and found Rogue thrashing around on the couch beside him. It took a few momenta for Remy to find a safe way to grab her, since her thrashing was exposing a fair amount of skin. Once he had her though, he held her tightly to him and began speaking softly to her.

"It's okay, petite, Remy's here and I won't let anything hurt you. You're save, chère."

Recently her nightmares had been becoming less severe, but this was the worst one he could remember. Perhaps she had a back up of nightmares to catch up on or more likely, the events of today had frightened her, and possibly reminded her of who she was running from?

She calmed somewhat under his ministrations and he sighed.

So mutants were now public knowledge. The whole game had just changed, and as yet he didn't know if it was for the better or worse (though he feared the latter). Knowing he would get no sleep now, he gently let go of Rogue and got to his feet.

AN:Yes, mostly filler, I know, but I needed to move their relationship on a little without getting into the "next bog thing" so to speak. Hope you liked anyway.

AN2: I really have been on that Paris cruise and seriously, both times number among the top 10 experiences of my life. It's hard to put in to words why, exactly (though I tried in the story) but it's just a magical experience. And it's really not that expensive, about 40 euros inclusive of three course meal and unlimited wine. Might be a bit pricier now but I guarantee you, it's worth it. They also do lunch time cruises if romance isn't your thing.

I should be on commission!