"Y' cheated, chere, s'an unfair advantage over Remy dat y' know da place better."

"Yo' just a sore loser, Swampy," Rogue laughed, entering the mansion before Remy. Emma perked up when she heard the voices, peeking over the couch curiously. "Ah won fair an' square."

"Only cuz Remy let y' win," Remy pointed out quickly. Rogue quirked a brow.

"First Ah cheated, now ya let meh win, sugah? Somethin' 'bout yo' story ain't addin' up."

Remy shrugged and sighed, wrapping an arm around Rogue's waist. Emma was pleased to see Rogue didn't shake it off immediately.

"Well, Remy can' say da price o' losin' is all dat bad. I t'ink I c'n handle takin' chere out f'r a night on da town."

"Excuse meh? Th' bet was th' loser buys th' winner dinner, Ah didn't say nothin' 'bout no night on th' town! 'Sides, if ya don't think it's all that bad, ya obviously ain't seen how much Ah can eat."

"Oh, Remy seen it," Remy said with a look of mock-horror. "Roguey c'n definitely pack it away. Remy t'inkin' his chere won' eat dat much though, not since Remy be da one payin'."

"Hah! You obviously don't know meh well enough, Swamp Rat!" Rogue laughed tauntingly. Turning, she walked up the stairs, Remy following her, voicing his newly created worry about his wallet size.

Emma chuckled as she settled back on the couch and flipped open her magazine to the page she'd left off at. The words didn't really reach her though, she was too busy thinking about the exchange she just saw. Rogue won the race, which meant Remy would be taking her out, a date that wasn't a date. Even better, Emma thought, Rogue hadn't corrected Remy when he called her his chere. She doubted her friend even noticed.

"This is going to be too easy!"

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"C'mon, Em, Ah don't need t' dress up!" Rogue protested, pushing the black knee-length dress Emma pushed in her face away. "It ain't like this is a date or somethin'! Remy's just takin' meh some place simple, no fuss no muss."

"Uh huh, if you say so..." Emma drawled, quirking a brow. She'd have to make sure she changed Remy's plans before Rogue could see him. "Look, Rogue, when was the last time you went somewhere you could dress up for?"

"Ah go out with Joe all th' time!" Rogue protested. Emma raised her other brow.

"Uh huh. I know you go out to fancy places with him, Rogue, but he barely ever takes you out unless it's a special occasion!"

"So what?" Rogue huffed, crossing her arms. "Joe an' Ah got a good thing goin' on, an' it ain't like he forgets our anniversary or anythin' big like that."

"Anniversaries are one thing," Emma pointed out. "Taking his girl out just to take her out is another thing entirely, but it's just as important in a steady relationship!"

"Like yo' one t' talk," Rogue grumbled. "You barely evah have men over."

"Only because I know what I like, and very few men around her qualify."

Rogue sighed and leaned back on her bed, eyeing her dress. She didn't plan on going anywhere special with Remy, it would feel too much like a date then. But Emma did have a point. Joseph wasn't the best when it came to taking her out on days that weren't special, and she did miss dressing up somewhat. It was always nice to pretty herself up every once in a while, but Joseph never took notice unless it was their anniversary or a birthday of some sort.

Emma grinned, seeing the contemplative look on her friend's face. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything," she said, shutting the door. Rogue didn't hear her, too busy gazing at the dress.

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"C'n Remy help y', belle?" Remy asked, leaning against his doorway and eyeing Emma curiously. He knew the blonde, had seen her around Rogue quite a bit, but he hadn't really talked to her personally. It surprised him that she would suddenly show up at his bedroom door, looking eerily serious.

"I want you to take Rogue out somewhere special," she said simply. Remy blinked, straightening his posture unconsciously as he stared at the woman.

"Come again?"

"I want you to take Rogue out somewhere special, fancy, where you have to dress in a suit and everything."

"Eh...May Remy ask why?" Remy questioned, eyeing the blonde suspiciously. He'd had his fair share of trouble with blondes, and he didn't want to go through anything like that again.

"Joseph is an idiotic bastard who doesn't deserve Rogue's affections," Emma stated bluntly. "He only takes her out on special days; he doesn't notice when she pretties herself up otherwise."

"So...Y' wan' Remy t' take Roguey somewhere special cuz da homme ain't doin' his job?"

"Exactly!" Emma said. She pulled out her wallet. "I'll even give you more money for the place, just make it special."

"Well, who is Remy t' turn down free money?" he asked no one, accepting the cash Emma handed him with a smirk.

"Remember," the blonde said dangerously, "take Rogue somewhere special!"

"Right, right, Remy understand," Remy agreed, nodding. He wouldn't have taken the money from her if he didn't plan to use it on Rogue, but he decided not to tell Emma that.

"By the way," Emma spun around to face Remy once more, "don't tell her I told you to take her somewhere besides the local McDonalds."

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Remy felt his breath catch when he next saw Rogue. The southern belle was truly...Well, belle. He'd seen his share of gorgeous women, but Remy was sure none of them compared to the auburn-haired woman walking towards him.

Smirking to hide his initial shock, he held out an arm to the smaller mutant. Rogue grinned almost shyly and looped her arm with his, not sure why she suddenly agreed to get dressed up. It was worth it, though, she thought, admiring Remy's three-piece suit. The only part not fancy about his outfit was the shoes, as he wore his usual boots, but Rogue liked them better than the dress shoes Joseph was fond of anyway.

"Y' ready, chere?"

"Always, sugah," Rogue said, blushing lightly.

She felt odd, like she was going on a real date and not just because she won a race. Really, she should tell Remy that the whole thing was off, that he didn't need to take her anywhere. She could run upstairs, wash away the makeup she'd adorned and pull on her sweats. They could spend time talking about motorcycles or joking around, anything but go out to eat together, just the two of them.

Even if it wasn't a real date, Rogue would be cheating on Joseph in some roundabout way by doing this. She should be disgusted with herself, should call the whole thing off and not speak to Remy ever again! Yet, she found herself following him into the garage, climbing into the red convertible she agreed to let him drive this once, since going on motorcycle wasn't exactly the ideal.

Rogue should be disgusted with herself, yet she wasn't.

"So, where we goin', sugah?"

Remy smirked. "Somewhere special."