I want to thank all of you who had read, reviewed and added this fic to your alert and/or favorite list. I'm really glad you're enjoying reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it (as hard as it could be). I also want to thank the unsigned reviewers since I can't reply you the other way and finally Wanda W for helping me with the beta-read, if you're reading this is largely because of her help!!

Disclaimer: All X-men belong to Marvel!!

Recapitulating: the X-men are on their way to New Orleans since Emma Frost was able to locate Remy. Pietro told Rogue to get the collar once and for all (also he's kind of jealous of her 'relation' with Remy) and Rogue is confused because the way she's feeling for Remy, her 'loyalty' to the BOM and the promise she made to herself when Logan walked away from the X-men: trust no one. As for Remy he's dealing with her feelings for Rogue, the entire BOM and his role as Master of the Guild... ok now here we go!!

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Chapter 4.

-New York-

Once Logan, Emma, Kitty and Kurt were aboard the Blackbird heading to New Orleans, Kitty decided to ask how they're suppose to retrieve a stolen collar from a master of thieves. Being the one who located Remy using Cerebro, Emma took the pilot seat, since she was -so to speak- the only one that 'knew' the place they were heading.

"So what's the plan?" she asked in general but addressing Logan.

"I don't have one."

"What?" Kitty unlocked her seat belt in order to lean over Logan's copilot seat. "What do you mean you don't have one?"

"I mean that I don't have one."

"Logan," said Kurt joining the conversation. "You know we're about to crash into somebody's house uninvited."

"We've never needed an invitation," Logan said calmly. "Besides, I don't need one, that thief has something that belongs to us."

"Well yeah but... isn't this guy a member of some kind of Thieves Guild or something?" Kitty insisted, "what if the entire house is full of thieves? I mean they must be good fighters."

"They might be trained thieves but we're X-men, kid."

"It's their territory not ours," said Kurt.

"Hmph," Logan snorted. "Ok, you wanna plan, here it is. As soon as we get there Frost will telepathically give us a map of the place. Pryde you get us in. I know the guy, his scent will guide me... once we get him, recovering the collar will be a piece of cake."

"I wanna see that," said Kitty with a skeptical chuckle that made Logan turn his head and look at Kitty and Kurt.

"Listen, this doesn't have to be any different from our past missions. We get in, we find the collar, and I beat up that filthy Cajun who fooled me... we'll be back in New York for tomorrow's breakfast." After saying that Logan rearranged himself in his seat and didn't say another word. While Kitty gave Kurt a 'whatever he says' look as she invited him to read her lips.

He totally can't overcome the fact that this Gambit guy fooled him, Kitty smiled and Kurt smiled back, squeezing her hand in response to her little mocking.

Kitty fixed her eyes in Kurt's hand and then turned to the window with a little sigh. The well-mannered and nice Kurt Wagner, God knew how much Kitty has missed him. After a rough beginning Kurt became one of her best friends and one of the team members she cared for the most, well he and Rogue, but things haven't ended up well with her, even so, Kitty truly missed her and she was sure that Kurt did too, after all she was his foster sister. Her sigh proved how much she missed the old days...

...

Standing in front of a huge wall Kitty and Kurt waited for Logan's directions. Emma, her hands over her temples and eyes closed was trying to find Gambit's presence, but somehow it was almost impossible. The manor was huge, elegant and beautiful; Kitty didn't expect a Thieves headquarters to be like that.

"I think I got him?" Emma finally said.

"Frost what's wrong?" Logan noticed the confusion in Emma's eyes.

"He's not alone..."

"Hello... Thieves Guild!" Kitty said in a mock.

"I'm not talking about humans," Emma said turning her glare towards Logan. "In fact I don't understand... he has like this kind of protection over his mind. I'm totally unable to get in, I'm only perceiving his presence through another's mutant mind."

"What do you mean?" Logan asked.

"Rogue is in there... with him."

Kitty raised her glare almost piercing Kurt's eyes with it. Clearly this was the last thing they expected. What was Rogue doing in New Orleans and specifically in the Thieves Guild quarters? And does that mean that the Brotherhood was around? Apparently ignoring Emma's words, Logan ordered her to give them an idea of the property, and proceeded with the initial plan.

"Ok now we all have an approximate idea of how the interiors are." Logan said as he looked at them. "Kurt take me where he is," with a snort he corrected himself. "Where they are." Kurt nodded and grabbed Logan's arm, ready to teleport them.

"Frost, Pryde," said Logan turning towards them. "Wait here, I've the feeling he has the collar with him right now, but if he doesn't I'll contact you and you two will look for it. Stay alert, this could get tricky."

-Inside the Thieves' manor-

As soon as Rogue arrived, she asked to see Remy. Her head was a mess, she was utterly nervous as she kept playing with her fingers. It had taken a lot for her to finally accept that Remy LeBeau and the feelings she was experiencing were much more important than Pietro Maximoff, his arrogant and superior father, and her supposed loyalty to the Brotherhood of Mutants. She didn't want to lose Remy so she was determined to tell him the true reason why they were in New Orleans and why she began to flirt with him to begin with. Rogue considered that it could be a little late to be honest, but she wanted to believe that a thief could understand. Besides not everything was a lie and a scheme, her feelings were sincere, as somehow at some point she had fallen deeply for him.

So here she was sitting on a cozy couch, waiting for him in the same library she had met him weeks before. Then the door opened and the tall and slender figure of Remy LeBeau entered the room.

"Chère... y're early. Can't wait for de night to meet moi?" Remy said as he placed a slight kiss in her gloved hand. "Y' ain't wearing de dress I sent, though."

"Cut it out Cajun."

"I thought we'd gotten passed de rudeness Rogue," said Gambit without loosing her hand and fixing his red on black eyes on her green ones.

"Listen," she took off her hand from his grip. "Ah've something to tell yah..." The nervousness was betraying her, and she began to play with locks of her hair in order to fake a non-existing calm. "And... and Ah don't have much time."

"Tell m' den chère," said Gambit nonchalantly, he couldn't help noticing her anxiety. Something must have gone wrong with that Pietro guy, yet he wanted to discover whatever she might be hiding as his father had said. "Y' know y've caught all m' attention since de first time I saw y'."

Rogue was about to speak, to tell and explain to him everything when a too well known rough voice caught her attention.

"Well, well, well... isn't this curious." From the corner of the room the silhouettes of Logan and Kurt emerged from the shadows, leaving a little cloud with sulfur smell behind them.

"Logan?" asked Rogue astonished.

"Surprised to see me Rogue?" asked Logan, before turning then his eyes towards Gambit. "What about you Cajun?"

"Well Mr. Logan to be honest I expected y' would pay moi a visit some time..." Remy gave him a cocky smile. "Mais, I certainly thought it would be sooner," then added in a chuckle. "Took y' a little long to find dis Cajun, hein?"

"Save it bub," said Logan, and a distinctive sinkt echoed in the room as his adamantium claws popped out. "You know why I am here."

Kurt decided to remain in the back, as the mere sight of his sister working with the 'enemy' was still too painful for him to handle the way Logan was doing. A way he despite it all he didn't like and found rude.

"What I really wasn't expecting was to find you here Rogue," said Logan scowling at her. "This is how you play it now... the seductress?" Ignoring the presence of Gambit and the reason why they were here, he started to harass Rogue. In Logan's eyes the opportunity was too good to let it pass. "That's what Quicksilver told you to do? Kind of low, don't you think?" Rogue didn't say a word, her eyes jumping from Logan to Gambit. "Anyhow, I'm gonna tell you one thing, Gumbo here," he said with a gesture, "isn't that easy to fool... quite the opposite."

"Ah... Ah never intended to fool him." Rogue mumbled.

"Really? Then what are you doing here? What is the entire Brotherhood doing here?" He asked brusquely. Rogue was becoming more and more upset. She bit her lower lip, and fighting hard the upcoming tears she lowered her gaze. "I must say I've got to admire Maximoff's reasoning, sending the untouchable girl to seduce the thief is indeed a smart way to get it."

"Ah... He didn't send meh," raising her glare she fixed her moisty eyes on Remy's ones. "Please Remy don't listen to him."

"It's kind of late for dat chère," said Gambit. "Besides y' were here for one t'ing, weren't y'?" He asked, trying to get the truth from her and remembering his father's words. "I never liked de way Pietro acted 'round y', now I kind of get why he was dat obsessive and manipulative."

"Don't be flattered Cajun," Logan intervened. "You weren't the only one fooled by the Brotherhood through little miss Rogue here."

"What are y' talking 'bout?" said Remy giving them a questioning look.

"You didn't tell him how you played us, Rogue? Faking regret and convincing us you weren't like them, only to set up us at Senator Kelly's press conference, while you and your buddies attacked Worthington's house."

"Ah never wanted to hurt Warren's father it was just..." Rogue covered her face with her hands and shook her head in order to get more control over her feelings as the images of the Worthington house in flames came to her mind. "Ah didn't know exactly what the Brotherhood planned to do."

"Oh but you do now, don't you Rogue?"

"Yes, Ah... Ah do but that doesn't mean Ah agree with the way Pietro..."

"Save it kid. Somehow you Brotherhood knew about the collar, so here you're wanting to steal it." Logan insisted.

"Remy please yah have to believe meh..." Rogue pleaded Remy and unable to hold it any longer the tears started to run down her face.

"I wouldn't trust her if I were you Cajun. But anyway enough of this bullshit you know why I'm here, I want the collar and I want it know."

"Uhm Logan," said Kurt as the little figure of Katherine Pryde holding Emma Frost by the hand phased through the wall.

"Pryde what are you doing?" Logan asked confused, and at that exact moment a group of four armed men entered the room.

"Don' move or I shoot de petite." One of the men said as he grabbed Kitty from behind, just to notice how the girl phased his arm and one blue creature appeared from nowhere and disappear alongside with the girl whom a minute before he was grabbing. The other men cocked their guns ready to pull the trigger.

"Arrête!!" Remy ordered. "Everyt'ing is ok Etienne," he said addressing one of the men. "Emile don y' dare to harm de girl!" he pointed at the man who grabbed Kitty before. Then addressing to the last of the men, the one who was by the door he added, "our guests are leaving. Bernard escort dem to de door." Before they left, Remy opened his desk's drawer and threw Logan a little black box.

"Alors, va-t'en!! (Now, go away) standing by his desk, with his back to the rest of them, including Rogue, Remy yelled.

Satisfied with the success of retrieving the collar that he held now in his hands and escorted by Remy's men Logan left the room (not that he could do much else), followed by the rest of the X-men. Kitty turned back one last time and looked at a sobbing Rogue who knelt down beside a large couch, she tried to say something to her even if she wasn't sure of what but Kurt stopped. Putting an arm around her shoulders, they walked away together. He didn't need to say anything, Kitty knew that Kurt was feeling bad for Rogue too, that it tore his heart apart to see her sister like that. Lost, confused, sad and defeated…

Once Rogue and Remy were left alone in the room, she walked towards him and grabbed his left hand with both of her gloved ones. "Remy... Ah came to tell yah the truth. Pietro does want the collar but the moment Ah met yah..." she pulled him, forcing him to face her but he didn't move. "Ah knew Ah could never go ahead with..." it was impossible, Remy didn't want to look at her, so she lowered her gaze and closed her eyes.

"Y' almost fooled m' chère." He finally spoke and turned to see her, standing in front of him. "I noticed there's was somet'ing you weren't telling moi mais I didn' expect dis... I was actually falling in love with y'... Y' seemed so different." Remy sighed.

"Please Remy yah've got to believe meh," Rogue said without loosing her grip on Remy's hand. "What Logan told yah is true but this is different, yah're different... back then Ah hated him and Ah wanted to be as far from the X-men as Ah could, betraying them seemed to be the right thing to do, later Ah found that Ah did that more to prove something to myself than a stupid loyalty to the Brotherhood." She began to tremble as the sobs came back. "It didn't work out well, as yah could see Logan still hates meh, and mah former teammates... mah best friend and mah own brother didn't trust meh anymore. But... but yah have to!"

"I wish I could Rogue... I really do." Remy wrapped Rogue in his arms holding her tightly. She buried her face in his chest and they stayed like that for a few minutes, lost in a tender yet painful embrace. Her scent was as sweet as he remembered, and the tenderness of her hug almost made him weak at the love he was feeling for her.

"Ah'm telling yah the truth, Remy please." Rogue managed to say almost convinced that he believed her. But at that instant she felt his body move away as he broke the embrace and turned his back on her.

"Y' don't have to go back with de Brotherhood ma chère... mais y' can't stay here."

"Remy?"

"Y' know de way." said Remy exiting the room and leaving her behind, alone.

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And that's all for now. I hope you liked it please don't forget to tell me what you think, come on guys let me know! drop me a review!! I'm working on the next chapter, and I really hope to update this soon.

take care :D