Chapter 2
Too many men

"Rogue?"

She turned around to find out that it was only the red-head following her. She was wearing shorts and tank top and the untouchable mutant sized her with a dead glare. With an annoyed sigh she removed few white locks from her face.

"Tomorrow, on your mission-"

Rogue cut off her teammate before she even could get to the point.

"Oh Gawd, it's just a chit-chat with a twelve years old! It ain't a proper mission..." Rogue growled furiously and turned on her heel and walked away.

"What was that?"

Speechless Jean was staring at Scott who was going to the kitchen. He came closer and gently closed her mouth. She stole a short kiss not breaking her stare into his crimson red sun-glasses.

"Don't know. She's been acting weird ever since she returned. Maybe you should speak with her. Or I could ask Logan-"

Once again she wasn't allowed to finish her sentence.

"I'll talk to her."

Jean chuckled at her boyfriend's jealousy; even if it was unreasonable it always made her blush.

Rogue nearly sprinted out of the hall way back to her little sanctuary. She was hoping Gambit would still be flirting with some random students, so she would have her peace. However at the same time, she wanted him to be there, waiting for a chance to tease her.

"Rogue, wait!"

She froze. It wasn't the voice she was hoping to hear as she turned on the first step. She saw Scott Summer, her first crush at Bayville, running towards her.

"I-I'm,... W-Whe-where-."

"Scott, come and sit down, would ya?" She took his arm and made him sit on the stairs, while holding her laugh. Her hand was still on his back as his breathing slowed down.

"So, once again – what did ya want?" A huge smile has spread across her face.

Scott was surprised how calming was listening to her laughing.

"Jean's worried about you." The smile was gone within a second. Rogue was praying he didn't notice. Her crush on Cyclops was long gone, but he stayed special for her. But he had Jean, a girlfriend he could touch, kiss or caress in a gentle embrace. All the things she could never do. And that was eating her alive. She removed her hand from his back and restlessly started crushing her knuckles.

"You practically shut yourself in here, only coming out for sessions or when the professor calls us. You keep wearing all those layers of clothes and everybody can see that you're suffering. Try taking class like Jean and I do, at least until the professor allows you to join us with bigger missions."

"Thanks Scott, but Ah'm fahne." Her voice wasn't as convincing as she wished for it to be. Rogue was thinking what more to say, to act as an adult she was.

"Chére! Here y' are. Remy's been looking for y'; wanted to take y' out f' a lil' moonwalk."

"Great." She didn't try to cover the sarcasm. "Scott, Ah'll think 'bout that class stuff. G'night."

Not paying any more attention to the Cajun, she went to her flat.

Once in her room the rogue changed into black short-sleeved t-shirt and bright red pajama shorts. She walked out of her room and sat next to the davenport sofa into her big armchair. Usually it was hid in the back of the living room as she was sprawling on the sofa, but today that was taken.

"Is dat especially b'cause Remy's here?" Asked Gambit as he was leaning against the French door and whistled as he was checking her out.

"Ah want t' watch my series an' Ah want t' watch it in peace. Buzz off, Swamp Rat."

"Remy was complimentin' y'. No need to get angry, cherie."

Gambit lied on his temporary bed. Rogue was affably surprised that he left his trench coat and boots near stairs. He looked at the television. There was just starting Dr. House. With a puzzled look he shifted his eyes from the screen on her face. She wasn't paying full attention to the episode. Gambit felt as if she was staring at him and he missed her eyes just by seconds. He returned to the TV. The silence was suffocating.

"Ya always so much fun to have around, Swamp Rat?"

"Excusez-moi, Remy didn't know, y' wanted t' be entertained. In dat case, Remy's got an idea." He walked away and returned with a deck of cards. "Y' know how t' play poker, Cherie?"

This time she rose from her chair. Remy's stare followed her to the kitchen. When she re-entered the room, she had her t-shirt folded caring a great amount of sweets of all sorts. Remy raised his right eyebrow.

"Where did y' hide dose?" The Cajun asked as he started dealing the cards. "So, the winner has to eat all o' dose? Dat ain't much o' a win."

She chuckled at his joke and the ladies' man felt truly happy. He wanted to tease her a little, asking for a kiss as prize, but immediately rejected that idea. Rogue was smiling and he didn't want anything to wash away that smile from her full, tempting lips.

As she was deciding on how much to use as the first bet, Remy began to study her face. She was wearing an expression that was new for him - a little troubled, but playful. She was biting her lower lip and playing with her hair. After a short while she pushed half of her candies in between them.

X

"Ah'll be all raght, I promise. It'll take just two day ya know that. Anyway, why are ya all here? Ah'm not dyin' or anythin'." She encouraged the little crowd that has gathered around her. It was 8 am and she was taking one of the X-mini-Jets.

"What's all the commotion about?"

"Stripes has just left for her mission and everybody is getting ready for school. Get used to it, Cajun." Wolverine was drinking his black coffee, avoiding bunch of running teenagers. "Want to have a little fun at the Danger Room? Bet I can beat ya in a minute."

Both men finished their breakfast and went to the basement into the Danger Room. It was a specially adjusted training room. It had many simulations from a relaxing stretching for Beast to real-life fight against Apocalypse or the Sentinels for Wolverine.

X

The next morning was the worst that Remy LeBeau had ever lived through.

Rogue has returned from her mission and took a quick shower. Refreshed she walked through her flat. She noticed that the sofa was untouched. When she was leaving she made the beds and they still were the way she left it. The young woman knew what it mean and it wasn't surprising – the Cajun has spent a night out.

When she entered her room, she nearly fainted. In her bed was lying a demon. He was wearing black boxers and nothing more. And there was her blanket thrown over his body. A wave after wave she fought her anger. Silently she took a t-shirt and pair of jeans from her drawer and crawled out. With the same caution she opened every window in her flat. After few minutes it was freezing in there. She returned to the bedroom and with precise speed she pulled off the blanked and at next second she threw a bucket full of ice-cold water at Remy.

"Fuck!" He jumped shouting mixture of French-English curses. I took him few more minutes to realize that in front of him was standing an angel with a devious grin.

"When I catch y', just wait, when I catch y'! Y'll beg f' forgivness!" With this threatening, Remy started to hunt Rogue all over her flat. She was bursting with laugh as she once again escaped him by mere inches.

She left the apartment running for her life and he followed. They continued their chase inside the school. And even though they've met with quite a few bemused looks from their friends neither seemed to care.

After about twenty minutes of running they both fell on the grass somewhere in the mansion's grounds. They were lying close to each other, still careful since Remy was nearly naked and Rogue had short-sleeve t-shirt and no gloves.

"So, how was y' mission?"

"Shit! Ah was supposed to report to professor as soon as I got home!"

Rogue jumped from her place and flew away. Remy watched and rolled over on her spot.

"Good to have y' back. Good to be back near y'." He whispered to the grass, which gently caressed his cheek. After a while he was freezing, therefore decided to head back home. Home. Remy LeBeau had a home, this thought was just a flash in his mind, but it left a huge mark. Right, his home was with her. Now, he had to make the most beautiful, yet shy and distrusting woman in the world.

"Ah'm really sorry, Professor Xavier. Ah…"

Rogue was standing in front of her mentor's desk and trying to explain this morning. She was wearing long brown trousers and slightly lighter brown long-sleeved shirt. On her hands she had black leather gloves.

"First things first, Rogue. How did your mission go?"

"Yeah, raght, the mission. Ah'm really sorry, but by the tahme Ah got there Magneto has already started pulling his strings. Ah tried, honestly, but the gal was already convinced to join him. Mind if Ah ask ya something? Her name was Lorna Maximoff –" Rogue's assumption was cut in the middle. She felt a little useless.

"Yes Rogue, she is indeed Magneto's daughter. You might think that it's bad to separate families, but I wanted to try it. Did you get a chance to speak with her? Did she know anything about her father or his Acolytes?"

Now was Rogue interested. It wasn't professor's style to ask little girls about daddies' bad business.

"No, she didn't even mention Pietro or Wanda. Ah doubt that she knows anything about her family. Am'm sorry." Once again she apologized and carefully studied the floor.

"It's alright Rogue. You may go now. And, what do you say we skip today's session. Have som free time."

Rogue was having sessions with the professor to learn to control her powers. It was a great disappointment when he couldn't promise to help her. The only thing he could do was try.

Rogue left the professor's office and wandered the mansion. She wanted to peek into each classroom to see if Storm or Warren were teaching. After a lost hour she went outside. She will have to fly alone. Rogue was still feeling a little insecure with her new powers, but she loved to dance in the air.

To her delight she found Warren and some kids outside. Not caring whether they were in the middle of a lesson or not she came to Warren Worthington. He was a well-build man, around her age. His alias was Angel since with his blond hair and sea blue eye he looked like one, but he also had a pair of feathered wings growing from his back.

"Hi, Angel."

"Roguey, how's life? We were just about to go for a short flight. Care to join us?"

She took a closer look at kids around her. Now she knew why the group was so small. They all had ability to fly. A little bit unsure of herself she bit her lower lip.

"Ah don't know, Warren. Ah'm still a bit scared. Maybe later, sugah."

With a little saddening in his expression he nodded and took off. Rogue watch as a half a dozen of small dots disappeared.

Rogue returned to her flat to find out that all the windows were closed and her beddings were in the dryer. She sunk down in her chair and hugged her legs and rested her head on the top. Then suddenly she spotted something. There was a memo left on her television.

What about a dinner?

I'll pick you up at 8.

Dress in something semi-formal.

No name signed. Not even secret admirer. However Rogue knew what this mean. She had to visit her "fairy godmother" Kitty. She wasn't on best terms with Kitty since Remy came, to ttell the truth the two weren't talking. However if Kitty would have found that Rogue had a date and didn't tell her… Rogue would rather fight Apocalypse alone.

Remy returned to the flat just to find some clean t-shirt. He was once again training with Logan and didn't feel like moving at all. He just removed his sweaty old one and put on a new one. To his surprise he found out that even his own clothes were starting to smell like Rogue. He could tell the fragrance from miles. Gentle lavender scent, it was everywhere; still he couldn't touch it; so much like her. He got up and noticed a memo lying on the table.

Was she playing with him? This wasn't her style and not her handwriting. He wandered the room and found a box of labeled CDs. That was her handwriting; it was much neater and cuter than the one on the memo. She used a mixture of block capitals and her own add-ons.