Hola everybody! Once again, sorry about the update time. I won't bother you with a long explanation and excuse, but I seriously have been crazy busy. I am a returning college student, and I go to school year round. It seems like I am always taking midterms or finals.

About the reviews. Wow. With the exception of a few people, you guys REALLY did not want Rogue to hook up with Warren. There were so many good ones; I couldn't even pick a selected few for shout outs. I love the encouragement, and it's nice to know that people are actually reading my work.

Well I will keep this A/N short. * muah * to all of you who reviewed. Keep em' coming!

Previously on Testing Boundaries chapter 8: She flung on her short satin robe, and quickly headed out of her door.

She hurried down to the opposite end of the hall, where she stopped in front of Warrens door. She inhaled deeply, the nerves getting the better of her. It was now or never.

She knocked lightly on his door. Warren answered, and was very surprised to see her, especially dressed the way she was.

Rogue heard someone coming up the stairs. When she turned to see who it was, her eyes met a pair of crimson colored ones. She quickly turned around and kissed Warren with as much passion as she could muster.

When she broke the kiss, the look on his face was pure bewilderment. She smirked at his response. "Can I come in?"

He couldn't even reply. He just stepped aside, allowing her to enter. She gave one last look at Remy, before turning and entering Warren's room, the door closing behind her.

Remy couldn't move. What the hell had he done?

To be continued…

Chapter 10

Unexpected

As she entered his room for the first time, she was surprised to find that it was decorated so plainly. There were no fancy furnishings, or anything showcasing Warren's wealth. Warren didn't like to brag about his fortune, so why would his room be any different? She also noticed it was very organized, and virtually spotless. She was tidy herself, but was nothing compared to him. The bed sheets looked crisp and straight, like he actually ironed them before he made his bed.

The bed.

It was so tidy, and it looked cold and uninviting. It brought her back to her senses on why she had made her way to his room in the first place.

She nervously tugged at her satin belt that looped lazily through her short satin robe. "You're room is really…clean."

He blushed slightly and crossed his arms. "Yeah. If you grew up in my father's house you would understand why I am the way I am. He had a military upbringing, and he expected everything to be perfect in his household as well. I guess I kind of brought my habits with me."

She uncomfortably shifted her stance. She had never done this before.

He noticed her movement and took a seat on his bed. "Listen, I am sorry about the way that I acted earlier. I just despise the man that is my dad. He treats me ok I guess, but then goes on national television and demonstrates his hate for the mutant population. I just don't get it. If I could only make him realize that we are all the same…"

When she saw how frustrated and hurt he looked, she sat down next to him and rested her hand on one of his angelic wings. She knew that he had fought this internal battle with his father many times.

"We can't force the idea of mutants and humans living together peacefully on anybody, but we sure as hell can try to persuade them. That's why we are all here, isn't it? We all want peaceful coexistence. Even if it takes another hundred years, followers of that belief will never give up. Maybe one day you're dad will get with the program and come to his senses."

He turned to face her and gave her a weak smile. "We can only hope so."

He looked down and noticed that her robe had fallen off of her shoulder, and he could see the black lacey bra working hard to keep her breast from escaping their lacey prison. He knew that she was blessed with a perfect body, but this was the first time he had seen her assets in flesh form. Normally she kept them well covered.

He looked up into her sea green eyes. She blushed and bit down on her lower lip. She turned her head away from him, and attempted to move the robe back up onto her shoulder.

He detected her intensions on covering back up, and gently placed his hand on hers, interrupting her movement. She froze and removed her hand, placing it back on her lap.

He felt an urge come over him, and he gently traced his finger along her bra strap, slowly moving his hand lower over her mounds of flesh, until he could feel her erect nipple through the lacey material underneath his finger tip. It felt tiny and perfect, and he proceeded to move the bra out of the way so he could see them for himself.

She froze as soon as his hand began to trace her shoulder and undergarments. She knew it was natural to be nervous, but was it normal to dread what was about to come? Her body betrayed her when his finger traced the sensitive area outside of her bra, and her body screamed at the sensation. He proceeded to move her bra out of the way, and she abruptly stood up.

She didn't care what anybody else said. She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready for it to be with him. And it wasn't fair to him either. If they did this, their relationship would go to a whole different level, and she wasn't prepared for that. She immediately felt guilty. He loved her, and she just couldn't love him back.

She quickly adjusted her robe properly, and wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm sorry, I just can't do this."

She expected him to kick her out of his room. She momentarily debated if she should just run out of the room herself, but figured that would just make the situation worse.

She was surprised when she felt a hand on top of hers. She saw a look of sadness on his face. "Rogue, its ok. I know you don't love me now, but hopefully one day that will change. I don't care how long it takes. We don't have to be intimate until you are ready."

How could he be so naïve? She could never love him the way that he deserved. She sagged her shoulders in defeat, and allowed him to hug her.

He decided it was time to lighten the mood. "Although, I don't suggest wearing that little ensemble around me anymore. I might want to take pictures and brag to my friends."

He felt her giggle into his chest, and felt better.

She looked up at him, and tilted her head back. "I feel like an idiot."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't. We all have our moments…" He silently contemplated whether or not he should say what he was about to say next. "You didn't do all of this because you needed me to talk to my father, did you?"

She was tired of lying. She decided to tell him the truth. "I'm not going to lie. That was partially why I did it. But I also wanted to do it to make you happy. I'm not exactly the perfect girlfriend, and you have been so patient with me."

"Don't ever feel like you have to bargain with me. If it makes you feel better, I already talked to him."

She quickly turned to him, surprised. "You did?"

"Yes. Your plan worked. He wasn't going to help, but when I mentioned that I thought it was a good idea for me to come out as a mutant, he quickly changed his mind."

She was shocked. Even after their little fight, he still came through for the team. He was such a good guy. What the hell was wrong with her?

She moaned and placed her face in her hands. "Now I feel like even a BIGGER idiot."

He laughed, and forced her hands down. "If I knew you would do this after an argument, I would have started one a long time ago."

She playfully slapped his arm. "You aren't going to drop it, are you?"

He playfully grabbed his chin and pretended to think. "Well…no."

She smiled and shook her head. "I need to get some sleep."

She turned to head towards the door, but paused. "Warren?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for being so understanding."

He nodded his head, and she left his room.

XXXXXXXXXX

He paced his room back and forth. He was going to go crazy. Every time he would detect the slightest noise, he would peak out of his room to see if Rogue was entering hers.

He couldn't believe that she actually did it. It was his own fault. How could he have treated her like that?

He stepped outside on his balcony and lit up a cigarette. He had stopped smoking since she had returned, because he knew how much she hated it. But right now the stress was getting to him, and he couldn't fight off the addiction for one more moment.

He lit his cigarette with his fingertip, and deeply inhaled his first drag. Five puffs later, he figured it was doing nothing for his nerves and he discarded it.

He walked back inside, and heard someone's door open. He silently ran to his door and opened it slightly.

Rogue was leaving Warren's room. She had a smile on her face, and seemed content.

He couldn't bare the sight. He quickly shut his door and stood there momentarily, for he didn't know what to do next. She had gone through with it. And judging by the grin on her face, it went good.

He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated at what he had just witnessed. There was a part of him that thought that she wouldn't go through with it. That she would come to her senses and just leave that winged asshole hanging high and dry.

But what did he expect? He had turned down all of her attempts to get him to confess his true feelings for her. This was his punishment, and it was awful. He had never felt this way about any woman in his life.

He slowly sat down on his bed, hunched over and tapping his fingertips on his knee. He couldn't take it anymore. This just wasn't working. He stood and walked over to his brown duster. He rummaged in one of his many hidden pockets and took out a cell phone. He dialed the only number that was preprogramed in the device. A tired voice answered the phone. "Bonjour?"

"It's me."

"Remy? What time is it? Are you ok?"

"No, I'm not. I want out of this arrangement. I can't take it anymore."

"What are you talking about Remy?"

"I am talking about Kara. I want out. I don't care about your deal with her father anymore. It isn't worth it. I don't care if I am banished forever, staying with her isn't worth it."

There was momentary silence on the other line.

"Didn't you speak with your brother?"

"I tried to return his call, and Mercy said he was out on business."

Mercy was his brother Henry's wife. She was a good woman and wouldn't lie about Henry's where abouts. If she said he was out on business, he was out on business.

His father cleared his throat. "That's right, he is still gone. Well I guess I will inform you. The deal with her father is off. Turns out he wasn't as big of a deal as we thought he was. That deal was over weeks ago."

Remy couldn't breath. He had to resist the urge to throw his phone across the room. He growled into the receiver. "Don't you think it was important that I get that message before Henry left?"

His father snorted on the other line. "You are pretending to court a beautiful woman, how hard can it be?"

"It has been unbearable."

"Well, my son, I am sorry to hear that. I do have other news though. News that will be welcomed by you."

Remy sincerely doubted that he could care about anything his father said right now. "What is it?"

"Marius has died from a heart attack. The old fool always thought it would be one of us to get him, and instead his own body did. You know what this means…"

Remy couldn't believe what he was hearing. Marius was the leader of the Assassins. At one point in time he was engaged to Marius Boudreaux's daughter, Bella Donna. It was an attempt to form an alliance between the guilds. It wasn't all that bad. Bella was a beautiful girl, and Remy had thought himself to be in love. On the day of their wedding, her brother had a change of heart, and attempted to kill him. In an act of defense, Remy beat him to it. The Assassins were enraged, and Remy was exiled from the only home he had ever known to keep the peace between the guilds. With Marius dead, the new ruler of the Assassins would be his only child left, Bella Donna.

"So Bella Donna is the new leader of the Assassins, what does that mean to me?"

His father snorted on the other end of the line. "What does it mean? It means that she has called an alliance between the guilds. The girl ain't a fool. She knew how the Assassin numbers were dwindling down to almost nothing. Remy, she also has lifted your exile. You can finally come home!"

Remy didn't know what to say. He was in shock. "Why would she lift the exile?"

He could almost hear his father shrug his shoulders. "Who cares why! The fact is that you can now come home!"

He thought about this new opportunity. He could leave right now, and no one would know he was gone until morning. But he had unfinished business to attend to. "I am home, for right now."

He hung up the phone.

XXXXXXXXXX

Class was almost over. She had to have looked at the clock at least twenty times during class. She was glad that they only had a month left until summer vacation. When it was finally over, she rushed to take off her coverall.

"What's the rush Stripes?"

Wolverine had noticed her impatience during class. She barely said a word the whole time.

She turned around, frustrated at him for holding her up. "I have to talk with Emma. Warren's father has agreed to find out some information about William Stuart. This is a huge deal. Hopefully, we can find a lead that will be able to tell us why Sinister was cloning, and why a Trask agent was funding the experiment."

He pulled a cigar out and lit it. "Yeah, it all doesn't make any sense."

She scrunched her nose up at the smell of the cigar. "You know the professor doesn't allow smoking inside."

Logan smirked in her direction. "Do you see him around?"

She enhanced her accent, and had a look of mock shock on her face. "I do declare Mister Logan, you are just a pure rebel!"

He lifted a corner of his mouth. He was happy that she had lightened up slightly since she had first arrived. "Don't call me 'mister'."

She smirked in his direction and headed out the door.

When she arrived at the med bay, she found Emma in her usual spot. She looked much better. She looked like she had gotten some sleep, and she actually had bathed and did her hair.

"You look good Emma"

The blonde woman turned her head to face her friend. "I figured that if this is Christian, he would wake up and be absolutely shocked at my appearance, and most likely would pass out and fall into another coma."

Rogue grinned at Emma's attempt at humor towards the serious situation. "Well guess what? Warren talked to his dad, so we finally have an in!"

Emma smirked. "So, you did the deed then?"

Rogue shook her head. "Nope. I decided I don't care what anyone says. I want to be in love before I do that. I have waited this long, so what's the difference?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "You can't fool me. I know your private feelings about Mr. LeBeau. You are quite a projector when it comes to your sexual fantasies."

Rogue turned a shade of deep red. "Emma Frost, you better stay out of my head! And I don't fantasize about him…"

Emma quickly cut her off. "You are such a horrible liar. Anyway, we need to attempt to look for Shaw. The sooner we locate him, the better."

Rogue had almost forgot about the little task of finding him. "I know, I just didn't know if you were ready to leave the med bay yet."

Emma looked towards the handsome man on the hospital bed. "Unfortunately, I don't think he will be coming back to us anytime soon."

Rogue didn't know what to say. She just reached out to rest her hand on Emma's shoulder.

Emma quickly backed away from the contact. "Anyway, I was thinking we could go out tonight, since no one knows about Shaw. It would really help if you flew us to the location you last left him to save some time."

Rogue pondered the idea. To be honest, she actually was excited about flying. She loved the sensation, even if the power was stolen. "Sounds like a good idea. Let's meet at eleven. All the teachers will be in bed by then."

Emma nodded. "I'll meet you in your room."

XXXXXXXXXX

She closed her bedroom door behind her, and proceeded to make her way to her bed. She knew that they would be gone half the night looking for Shaw, so she decided it might be a good idea to take a nap. She took off her clothes, and tossed them into the hamper. She put on an oversized t-shirt, and pulled her hair up.

As sleep just started to take her, she heard a noise outside her balcony door. She cracked her eyes open, and wasn't surprised to find Remy standing over her. She huffed and rolled onto her stomach, placing her pillow over her head. "If you don't mind, I'm trying to sleep."

"Why are you tired Chère? Long night?"

She became agitated with his sarcasm. "Sure. Whatever. Will you leave now?"

Instead of leaving, he jumped onto her bed and laid right besides her. "Your bed is comfortable. We could have some fun in it."

He knew that would get her attention.

She rolled over and sat up. "You wish!"

He smirked in her direction "You're right, I do." He quickly changed his tone. "I need to talk to you."

His serious tone caught her attention. She tucked a white tendril behind her ear. "I can't imagine anything we would need to talk about."

He quickly grabbed her hand, and held it tight within his. "We do need to talk. "

She loosened her hands from his grip and stood up. "Oh no you don't Remy LeBeau! I have made myself look like a desperate idiot in front of you too many times. You can't just barge in here and try to swoon me again!"

He couldn't help but grin at her. She was so cute when she was angry. He also thought it was funny that she had actually just used the word "swoon".

"What the hell are you smiling at?"

He stood up and turned towards her. "I am not trying to, as you say, 'swoon' you. I need to explain some things to you."

Ok, now she felt like an even bigger idiot. It seems she was doing a lot of idiotic actions recently. She saw his solemn expression, and became worried. "Is everything ok?"

He smiled weakly. "Everything will be. I lied to you."

She wrapped her arms around herself, noticing for the first time that she was only wearing a large t-shirt. "What are you talking about?"

He crossed the room, and cupped her face within his hands. She looked in his eyes, and swore she could see his soul.

He took in her beautiful features. The natural curl of her dark lashes, the way her lips always seemed full and pouty, like they were swollen from a passionate kiss, the way her exotic white streaks seemed to do an elegant dance across her face. She was so beautiful and enticing, and she had mentioned numerous times that she had chosen him. He knew he didn't deserve her, but he was selfish and wanted a chance to be happy.

They could be happy.

She remained still, but became worried when he didn't say anything. If he kept on looking at her like that, she would lose all self control and let him have his way with her. She swallowed hard and cleared her throat. "What did you lie to me about Remy?"

Her angelic voice brought him back to his senses. He grabbed her hand, and kissed her fingertips. "When I told you I didn't feel anything, I was lying. There is no way for me to describe how I feel when I am around you. You never leave my thoughts."

She immediately felt the familiar fluttering of butterflies in her stomach. This is what she had wanted since she returned to the mansion. She allowed him to place her hand on his chest. She could feel his chest rise and fall with his heavy breathing. When she lifted her gaze to meet his, she could see the truth in his eyes. She could sense his yearning for her.

He slowly lowered his mouth to hers, and let it hover momentarily before her own lips. She nodded her head, and he quickly placed his lips on her own.

This kiss was different for her. It was slow and passionate, and made her whole body feel like she was going to melt. When they had last joined, it was in the heat of the moment and full of lust and need. This kiss was full of….full of…..could he actually love her the way that she loved him? She didn't care at the moment. His exotic sent filled the air, and she deepened the kiss with her tongue.

Her forwardness surprised him, and he smirked against her mouth. He moved his hands to the back of her neck, and gently brought her closer to him. He wanted to kiss her every day like this for the remainder of time. The moment ended when she slowly pulled away from him. "What's the matter Chère?"

She sighed and plopped down on the bed. "This isn't right Rems, we are both with other people."

He had become so caught up in the moment that he had forgotten to tell her about his father's dealings with Kara.

"Chère, there is something that I need to tell you, that I should have confessed to you the moment you stepped foot in this mansion."

She self-consciously messed with the hem of her shirt. "Remy, you're worrying me. Just out with it already!"

He proceeded to tell her everything. About his father's dealings with Kara's father, about his part in her recruitment, about him lying about his real feelings until the deal was done, he told her everything. When he finished his explanation, she continued to stare at him.

She scrunched her eyebrows, and slowly stood from the bed. "So let me get this straight. You're telling me that this whole time your relationship has been an act?"

He nodded his head.

The more she thought about it, the more it pissed her off. This whole time she was upset because he was taken, and it had all been an act?

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Wel. was it an act when you were sleeping with her right across from my room?"

He ran his hand along the back of his neck. "I had to be intimate, or else she would suspect something was up."

She looked at him in disbelief. "You should have told me what was going on! " She paced the room, and suddenly stopped. "You knew I was hurt, and instead of telling me the truth, you were getting your rocks off and doing everything you could to push me away!"

The conversation wasn't going exactly as he had thought it would. He thought she would be happy, but it appeared she was getting angrier by the minute, which in turn made him angry. "I did tell you the truth. What do you think the purpose of this whole conversation was?"

"Maybe you just wanted to get into my pants! That's all you are! A womanizing whore! And have you forgotten the little fact that I am with somebody?"

He had enough of this. Here he was, confessing his feelings for her, and it was getting turned around and thrown in his face. He knew he was foolish to believe he deserved to be content. He turned to leave her room.

"I wasn't trying to get into your pants Chère. Besides, Remy don't like sloppy seconds."

She was enraged. He thought that she had slept with Warren. "Every whore you have been with has been sloppy seconds!" She picked up her pillow, and tossed it pretty hard in his direction. Due to her strength, it hit him pretty powerfully and caused him to stumble forward. He was surprised by her outburst, and even more surprised at the force behind the pillow. He tightened his lips and slammed her door behind him.

She paced her room back and forth. How could he say he cared for her, and talk to her like that? She hated him. She hated his stupid smile, and his gorgeous eyes, and his kissable lips, and his rock hard body….

She shook her head. Who was she kidding?

She sat on her bed and ran her fingers through her hair. He had come to her room to tell her the truth, and she had rejected him flat. No wonder the man had issues when it came to women. She immediately felt guilty, but it quickly turned back to anger again when she thought about him calling her sloppy seconds. Granted, she did call him a whore first, but what he said was worse. Wasn't it? She sadly realized why she was upset. She was upset because he thought that she had quickly gotten into bed with Warren, and she couldn't stand the idea of him thinking she was easy and desperate. The thought of him having that opinion of her had her on the verge of tears. She knew what she had to do. She had to swallow her pride, admit she was wrong, and go apologize to him. She looked at the clock. It was getting pretty late, and she needed to get some rest before her and Emma's own little private mission. She laid down and closed her eyes, and allowed her mind to carry her off to a dreamless sleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

She awoke to Emma clearing her throat loudly. "Rogue, I need my beauty sleep too, but we have more important things to do at the moment!"

Rogue slowly sat up, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She really didn't feel up to this tonight. She looked in Emma's direction, and had to resist the urge to snicker. She was dressed head to toe in black. Rogue had gotten so accustomed to seeing her in white, that the sight looked very unnatural. "Whoa Emma. Are you trying out for a part in mission impossible? I bet you'll get it. You got the look down."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Ha Ha. The less attention we receive, the better. Although I look fabulous in white year round, I figure it might get too much attention, especially on me."

Now it was Rogue's turn to roll her eyes. "You're so conceded."

Emma nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. "You would be too if you looked like me. Now get up and get ready. We cannot waste any time."

Moments later, Rogue was dressed in an ensemble similar to Emma's. Emma headed towards the balcony and opened the doors. She beckoned out to the night air with her hand. "Will you do the honors?"

Rogue slowly stepped outside, and grabbed Emma underneath her arms. She abruptly leapt up and took to the sky.

The spring air on her face felt marvelous. She had actually missed the sensation of flying. She had the sudden impulse to do a summersault in mid air. She looked down and noticed that Emma was turning an odd shade of green. Rogue could only laugh as they headed for their destination.

XXXXXXXXXX

When they returned home, it was nearly 4:00 A.M. They had searched for hours, and had gotten no leads to the where abouts of Sebastian Shaw. It was as if the man had disappeared of the face of the earth.

Both women were tired, and hungry. "Rogue, you should have flown us to a Denny's. I could really go for some pancakes right bout now."

Rogue was tired, but the idea of pancakes woke her up. "Want to make some? We might as well. It's not like we are going to get much sleep tonight anyway."

"Sure. Let me get out of these clothes, and I will meet you down there." She left the room and closed the door behind her.

Rogue quickly undressed, and put on a tank top with pajama bottom shorts. She made her way to the kitchen, and switched on the lights. She almost had a heart attack when she noticed Remy sitting at the table. "Oh my gosh, you scared me."

Remy glanced up in her direction, and turned his attention back towards his coffee without saying a word.

She leaned against the counter, feeling the tension in the air. "What are you doing up anyway?"

"My mutation makes me constantly generate energy. All I need is about five hours of sleep to feel rested. Anyway, I couldn't sleep tonight."

She began to pick at an invisible fuzz ball on her shirt.

He felt agitated at her intrusion of his alone time. "Where's your man? Or are you coming down here to make him some after sex goodies?"

Ok, she deserved that. But one more outburst from him like that, and she was going to slap him.

"No. You can't be mad at me for being with someone else, especially after you lied to me about being in a relationship. Did you just expect me to mope around?"

He hated to admit it, but he did kind of expect her to wait around for him.

She sighed at his silence and made her way over to him. She surprised him when she sat down right next to him. "Remy, I am sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have reacted like that. I was just…surprised."

He took a sip of his coffee. "Remind me never to throw you a surprise party. What was in that pillow anyway? Bricks?"

She laughed out loud, and rested her face on her hand. "We're a mess, aren't we?"

"Yup."

She casually twirled her hair around her finger. "So, have you talked to Kara yet?"

"I tried to today. She said she was busy and would catch up with me later. I haven't seen her since."

He was actually nervous to have the conversation. He didn't want her to go all psycho on him.

Rogue could see the tension on his face, and it was as if she had read his mind. "You want me to be your body guard incase she goes all tiger on your ass?"

He smirked at the thought of her protecting him. "Nah, I can handle the tiger. It's the great white that I'm scared of."

"I don't think that a shark will do much damage out of the water."

"That's what you think."

She smiled at their pointless banter. There moment was cut short by the arrival of Emma.

"I'm sorry, I had to take a shower and—" She stopped short when she saw the limited space between the two. She knew three would be a crowd. "You know what, I'm not as hungry as I thought I was. I will see you tomorrow."

Remy raised his eyebrow "You two have a date Chère? If you were into women, you could have just told me that to begin with. Although, it's probably a good thing you didn't. You would have to put up with my consistent begging to let me watch."

Rogue laughed, and Emma looked at him with a look of disgust. "Ew. " She turned towards Rogue. "That is the type of guy that turns you on? You aren't right."

The light mood was cut short by an abrupt thud up above. Emma was the first to speak up. "Did someone just fall in their room? Who is right above us anyway?"

Rogue felt an uneasy feeling go throughout her chest. "It's Warren's. Something's not right. I can feel it."

She quickly stood up and began to run out of the kitchen and head towards the stairs. Here she was flirting with Remy at four in the morning, and her BOYFRIEND was upstairs possibly being attacked. She pulled her borrowed psychic abilities to the forefront of her mind, and her fears were confirmed. She detected another mind in his room, and it was full of animalistic rage. She quickened her pace, the other two following right behind her. When she made it to his door, she didn't give a second thought when she kicked down his door. She did, however, have to take a second glance when she saw the sight before her.

Warren was naked.

Warren was naked in bed.

Warren was naked in bed with Kara.

To be continued…