Howdy! Here we are again... another day, another chapter. First up, thanx for the amazing reviews! They're keeping me motivated. RogueFreak, I wouldn't say 'beating' per say... Roguechere, I wanted to update right away just for you, but that wouldn't build any suspense, now would it? And I wish I could say that everything works out nice and dandy, but... Remy'sRose, I'm totally all for the bag idea! But it didn't really fit in very well, so maybe I could just give Joseph the boot, hmm? hint hint:D :D :D Hawaiichick, right now we're at syrup... just wait for the molasses!!!

All these reviews are so encouraging, I've decided to start a new tradition. At the end of every chapter from now on, you'll see a SNEAK PEEK into the upcoming chapter. My next update will be soon...let's aim for a total of 20 reviews. So all of you readers that don't review, you're cornered now!

Onward and out.

DISCLAIMER: You know the drill, it all pretty much belongs to Marvel's ...I'm just the pupeteer (dance puppets, dance!)

"That one is from me." Professor Xavier pointed to a purple present sitting on the table. Rogue gently turned the present to its side and began lifting the taped folds, careful not to rip the wrapping paper.

"C'mon Stripes, we don't got all day!" Wolverine grunted through a mouth full of birthday cake. All of the X-Men had thrown Rogue a wonderful surprise party in the Recreation Room. She would be lying if she said she hadn't suspected it, but it touched her just the same. She smiled at all of her friends, no…her family, who surrounded her. To know that so many people cared for her deeply was all she could have ever asked for as a birthday gift. Yet she couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was missing, or rather someone. "Surely Gambit would have wanted tah come to mah birthday party...Ah haven't seen the Cajun foah weeks!" A small weight seemed to reside in the pit of her stomach. It was an undeniable fact that she missed him, no matter what she tried to convince the others of.

"Now Logan, Rogue may open her birthday gifts however she wishes." The Professor smiled warmly at Rogue, focusing her mind back on the celebration. She stuck her tongue out playfully at Wolverine and dug her nails into the wrapping paper, vigorously tearing it off. Her smile broadened from ear to ear as she held the mahogany box in her hands, examining its every curve and indent.

"It's wonderful, Professah!" she said. Professor Xavier smiled affectionately, and nodded his head. "It's a jewelry box. Enjoy it, Rogue, …and Happy Birthday."

"Ah will!" She stressed, and placed it carefully on the table next to her other opened gifts, showcasing them proudly. "Well, then. There's only one moah. Ah wondah who this one's from?"

She turned to face Joseph, grinning facetiously. He simply smiled lightly, and shrugged his shoulders. There, in the midst of the paper cups, plates, and cake clutter, stood her final gift. She grabbed the last outstanding package and brought it in front of her. It wasn't wrapped as elegantly as the rest had been, covered in brown shipping paper, but she didn't care. Her fingers ripped wildly at the packaging as she giggled, barely able to control her excitement. When she had torn off the last taped piece of paper, she nearly winded herself with such a sharp intake of breath. There, in a polished-silver picture frame, was a detailed painting of a sun setting gracefully over a rolling hillside. She tilted the painting in her hand, examining how the light reflected off of the brushstrokes. She was totally and utterly flabbergasted.

"(gasp) Oh, Joseph! Oh, Ah don' know wha' tah say, sugah!"

"Umm, Rogue…" He staggered.

"Aw, it's exactly lahke our fist date! Yah remembahd! It's beautiful! Ah …ah'm speechless!" She cooed.

Joseph furrowed his brows. "I'm very pleased you liked it Rogue, darling, but it isn't from me."

"Oh…" Rogue frowned, slightly taken aback. "But then who –"

She turned the painting over in her hands, and found a small yellow note taped loosely to the backing of the frame. She read it out loud for the entire room to hear.

"Anna Marie,

Here's hoping your moment in the sun lasts an eternity.
Remy"

Bishop coughed loudly into his paper cup. Everyone else just sat in bewilderment, completely stunned. Joseph was the first to break the silence. "Who's Anna Marie?"

"Ah am, sugah." Rogue croaked, her eyes welling up with joyful tears. She was beaming, obviously lost in happy thought.

"Oh, well, I didn't know…"

"Of course you didn't." Scott rolled his eyes, only to be jabbed in the chest by his wife Jean's elbow. He stammered quickly to retract his statement. "- because no one has ever told you, I bet. And… now you know." He forcedly took a sip of his drink to give the floundering comment a sense of finality. Joseph scowled sourly for what seemed like forever, and then continued on.

"Yes, yes. Okay, fine. Now open my gift!"

She wiped away a single tear that trickled down her cheek. "Sure, Joe."

Rogue placed the picture upright, propped up against the vase of yellow roses sitting in the middle of the table. Joseph held out a long and slender velvet case, offering it to her. After a moment of hesitation, she reluctantly peeled her eyes from the intricate painting and turned to accept the navy-blue case. As her ungloved fingers ran over the case's fuzzy exterior, she let her mind dance with ideas of what expensive piece of jewelry awaited her once she flipped the lid. It's a sapphire bracelet. No, wait, a diamond necklace, or a...

"A pen?" Her eyebrows raised into her hairline. Logan groaned.

"Yes!"

Okay fine, her expectations were way too high when she had seen the box, but a pen?

"What am Ah gunnah do with a pen?" She stated flatly.

"Well, it's for writing, sweetheart!" He grabbed the red pen from its cradle in an enthusiastic swoop of the hand. "But understand that it's not just any pen! It has a specific internal mechanism that allows you to write upside-down!" He went through the motions of pretend-writing above his head into the air, and then lowered it down in front of Rogue, seemingly satisfied with his own generosity. "I nearly bought one for myself, but…"

"…A pen." She repeated disdainfully.

"Uh... yeah." His smile began to gradually fall as he finally picked up on her dissatisfaction with the gift. Rogue blinked, staring at the pen in her hands, and then stood up from her chair. "Excuse me."

"Wait! Darling! it comes in other colors if you'd like!" Joseph called out, chasing after her as she sped from the room.

SNEAK PEEK:

"Yeah." Rogue smiled softly out of sympathy. She understood the pain she was causing him at the moment, and knew it was going to hurt for a while, but it was most definitely one of the more accurate decisions she had made for months. "If we didn't do it t'naht, then it just would've been some other naht."