Thanks for all the reviews, guys :D Glad to see everyone is enjoying reading this story as much as I am writing it ;) The following chapter is kind of short, but there will be another one up tonight, so look for a longer one then. Enjoy!
~BQ

Chapter Sixteen:


The Acolytes didn't get back in time for dinner, but Rogue was nice enough to leave some food for them in the refrigerator. She'd made more than enough for even Fred to be full, so there was plenty left over for Remy, St. John and Pietro.

And Sabertooth, too, if he decided to act somewhat human and eat human food. Though Rogue was skeptical he was capable of acting human at all.

Hank had been surprised to learn that she could cook, and even more surprised that she was actually quite good at it. Rogue had just smiled ruefully when he jokingly scolded her for keeping that bit of information to herself. Harmony had been relieved that she didn't have to cook that night, and had thanked Rogue profusely for doing the job for her. Even Magneto had managed to compliment her on her culinary skills, though she had to force back a snicker as his words brought back the mental image of him in a little white apron.

Dinner conversation had been pleasant enough, she supposed. Hank had commented that school should have been starting soon, and Evan had declared that at least there was a bright side to all of this-they didn't have to take classes anymore.

Magneto had taken that cue to remind them, however, that school would not be safe for them anymore. Not now that their secret was out. It was all Rogue could do when he said that not to jump over the table and slam him into the wall. It was, as she pointed out in a quiet, steady tone, his fault that their secret was out. Astonishingly enough, he had conceded her point, and had even apologized for the necessity of using them in his plans.

Not that an apology meant anything, of course, but Rogue and the others were still surprised, and a long moment of shocked silence had fallen across the table until Harmony had engaged Hank in a conversation about something or other having to do with Chemistry.

The rest of the meal had gone smoothly after that, with Magneto discussing Asteroid M with Hank, who was fascinated with the idea of a base on an asteroid. For Rogue, who had been a prisoner on that asteroid, the idea was less than appealing, but she managed to remain silent through the discussion.

When they'd finished eating, Harmony had roped Evan and Fred into doing the dishes, and, with much nudging from Hank, they had agreed. Magneto had disappeared back down into his lab, and Harmony and Hank had settled on the couches to watch the evening news, so Rogue found herself able to slip upstairs unnoticed.

Tired, she had changed into the black pajamas that Hank had gotten for her when he and Harmony went into town. She didn't even want to know how he had disguised himself, which she knew he must have, since she hadn't see any reports of giant blue apes on the news. Maybe Magneto had given him an image inducer, like the one the Professor had given to Kurt. She didn't know, and she didn't give it much thought, because that would have led to her inevitably thinking about Kurt and she wasn't in the mood to cry herself to sleep that night.

Normally it took a while for her to fall asleep, but sleep had come easily that night. Maybe it was because she'd spent so much of the day laying on the roof in the sun, she didn't know. She only knew that minutes after she laid down in bed, she had drifted off to sleep.

She dreamt for a while, of friends she had lost, of family she would never find again. She'd had some pretty awful nightmares since learning of the destruction of the Institute, but, thankfully, tonight her dreams were pleasant. Pleasant, but sad, for even in her dream she knew that she wasn't really out by the pool playing volleyball with the others. The pool was gone, so was the volleyball court. And Scott and Bobby couldn't be splashing each other, because they were both dead.

Still, as terrible as she would feel when she recalled the dream the next day, it was nice to see their faces, to be home, if only in her dreams. Because it was only in her dreams that she could ever go home again. Her home was gone.

But in her dreams, it was still standing, and their lives were back to normal, back before Magneto had interfered. Jean, Tabitha, Kitty and Amara were lounging by the pool, reading magazines and giggling at the stupidity of the boys in the pool. Kurt, Roberto, Ray and Jamie were having a competition to see who could do the best cannonball off the diving board, and, naturally, Sam beat them all, effectively soaking all of the girls in the process.

Ororo and Logan watched, amused, as the girls chased Sam around the yard, yelling and brandishing their wet magazines like weapons. Xavier and Hank were playing chess off on the patio, casting glances every once and a while at the water basketball game going on in the pool.

But it was just a dream, and dreams were never real, no matter how much she wished they were.

She slept soundly for most of the night, but her sleep was disrupted sometime hours after she'd fallen asleep, when she heard her door creak open ever so gently. She had always been a light sleeper, awakening the moment anyone stepped foot in her room. It was a reflexive instinct for the life she lived, one both impressive and sad at the same time. At the Institute, Logan would go around at night, after everyone else was asleep, and prowl the halls one last time to be sure everything was right. He would always open her door just a crack to peer in at her, to make sure she was alright. Whether or not he knew that she was awake, she had no idea. No one else knew about his nightly rounds, and he never mentioned it to her, so she had never said anything about it.

She doubted he wanted anyone thinking he'd gone soft or anything.

She was laying on her side, her back to the door, so she didn't roll over, just laid there in silence, listening carefully. Soft, light footsteps traveled across the room and she felt a presence drawing near to her bed. She tensed slightly, careful to keep her breathing even and shallow, but ready to react if there was any danger.

What is it? Carol asked tensely, and Rogue didn't bother trying to block her out. Right now she had more important things to worry about.

Ah dunno yet, she replied shortly. Now hush up, will ya, so Ah can hear what's goin' on.

Somebody has a nasty temper when they lose sleep, Carol muttered.

Rogue ignored her as a quiet ruffling sound filtered into her ears. From the shadow playing across the wall, she knew the person was sitting something down on the floor next to her chair. Her bed tipped slightly as the figure lowered himself down beside her, and she relaxed as she recognized the rich, spicy scent.

Oh, puh-lease, Carol groaned, rolling her eyes, more than a little annoyed now that she knew there was no threat. I get woken up in the middle of the night for this?!

Danvers, would ya jus' shut up fo' once?! Rogue snapped, struggling to keep her heart from pounding or a sigh from escaping her lips as she felt him lean close to her.

A hand touched her hair gently, and she felt the soft cloth of gloves touch her hairline. "Sommeil bien, ange," he whispered huskily in her ear, his voice fraying with exhaustion, a weary edge to his breathing.

Rogue couldn't help wondering just what he'd done that day to make him so tired.

Magneto's dirty work, no doubt, Carol muttered.

Rogue didn't argue. She had a feeling that Carol was right.

Another soft creak sounded as he quietly rose and started back across the room, moving as quickly and lightly as a ghost. The door shut silently behind him, and Rogue waited until she heard the door down the hall open and close before she opened her eyes and rolled over in bed.

What the hell was that all about? Carol wondered curiously.

Dunno, Rogue answered, her tone easier now that she didn't have to worry about him hearing her heart pounding. But Ah'm gonna find out.

She slipped out of bed, her bare feet touching the cool wooden floor, sending a shiver through her entire body. On the floor beside her chair was a paper shopping bag, from some store that she couldn't make out the name of in the dark. Not that she was naive enough to think that he had actually bought anything from the store anyway.

He was a thief after all.

Curious, she moved across the room and knelt down on the floor, opening the bag as quietly as she could, so as not to wake anyone up. She peered down into the bag, and what she found inside almost made her burst out laughing.

It was full of shoe boxes.

He remembered, she thought, smiling faintly to herself. She shook her head slightly, and tipped over the bag gently, letting the three boxes clatter softly to the floor. She lifted the lid off the first box, and her smile turned into a full grin at what she found. Inside was a pair of small, black sandals. Oddly enough, they were exactly the right size. She opened the second box to reveal a pair of black and white sneakers. The other two boxes both contained boots, one pair brown and one pair black, but unlike her X-men boots, they were casual, built for comfort instead of performance.

Shoes? Carol echoed incredulously. The moron wakes us up in the middle of the night because of shoes?!

Hush, Rogue said, her eyes brimming over with happy tears. She wiped them aside with the back of her hand, her heart soaring like it never had before as she looked over the four pairs of shoes in front of her, all of them the perfect size. She didn't wonder how he knew what size to get, there were just some things about that boy that you were better off not even trying to figure out.

Ah can't believe he went an' got me shoes, she thought with a soft laugh.

She glanced over her shoulder at the closed door, a smile creeping onto her lips. "Remy," she whispered, a wave of warmth washing through her. "What am Ah goin' t' do with ya, ya swamp rat?" she mused aloud, gentles fondness working its way into her voice.

I'm sure he could come up with a few ideas, Carol replied dryly. But, oh, wait, none of them would work, would they? Because you can't touch him.

At that moment, though, that hardly mattered at all.


Translations:
Sommeil bien, ange- Sleep well, angel