Hey, guys! Thanks again for all the great reviews! Man, it's been hectic down here. My semester is about to end and I think my profs are trying to see who can give us the most work. Evil, I tell you! Anyway, here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it!

To Kirabi and Karone: I appreciate both of your replies to the flame left by Crazy Eights, that was very sweet of you both! Don't worry, nothing said in that flame bothered me at all (in fact I got a big laugh out of it), and I intend to continue on w/ this story as if nothing was said. Lol.
~BQ


Chapter Forty-Seven:


"May I have dis dance, Madame LeBeau?"

It was strange, but even after three months of marriage, Rogue still felt the ridiculous notion to giggle whenever Remy addressed her by that title. She turned to face her husband, her eyes raking him over appreciatively. He was once again dressed in a black tuxedo, and that only served to enhance his naturally his suave demeanor.

"Look at y'," Mercy teased him with a grin. "Bowin' an' scrapin' already. De girl's got y' trained well."

Rogue laughed, glancing over at her sister-in-law, who was sitting around the candlelit table, resting. It had been a long day, and the festivities had taken a lot out of the blond woman. With only a month left in her pregnancy, the entire family, the entire Guild, really, was on edge. "Ah've got ya t' thank fo' breakin' him in over the years, sugah."

"Hey, dat ain't funny," Remy scowled, but the effect was ruined by the amusemed gleam in his eyes. "If anybody's whipped in dis family, it's Henri."

"What was dat, petite frere?"

Rogue flashed Henri a brilliant smile as he came up behind Remy, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder for good measure. Henri, Rogue decided, was more like his adopted brother than anyone gave him credit for. They were both charming, handsome, brave and kind, but they were dangerous, too. If it were anyone other than Remy on the recieving end of that cool glare, they would have been intimdiated.

"I know dat I didn' jus' hear y' callin' me whipped," Henri accused with a smirk. "After all, I'm not de one dat bought dix different kinds o' chocolate at de store jus' because y' didn' know which one yo' wife liked."

"Don' know what y' talkin' bout, Henri," Remy replied dismissively, taking Rogue's hand in his and helping her to her feet. She left her purse behind knowing it was safe with Mercy and Henri at the table. Besides, who would be stupid enough to steal from a bunch of theives?

Rogue let Remy lead her out onto the crowded dance floor, and a smile flickered across her lips. A few years ago she would have been horrified at the very idea of dancing in a crowded room, her experience with Cody back in Caldecott had left a deep scar, but here she was, dancing without a second thought.

Ah'm a married woman, too, she thought with a grin. Somehow Ah doubt this is what Magneto had in mind when he gave me mah bracelet.

"What's dat smile fo'?" Remy asked as he slid his arm around her waist, intertwining his other hand with her own.

"Jus' thinkin'," Rogue replied as he began to sway with her in his arms. Knowing he was going to inquire what about, she beat him to it. "Ah was thinkin' Magneto would most likely have himself a heart attack if he could see us now."

Remy's lips twitched into a sly grin, and Rogue had no doubt that he was picturing the scene in his mind. "Dat he would," he agreed. "He always liked y', chere, did y' know dat?"

"No," Rogue admitted, shaking her head. "Ah didn't. What makes ya say that he did?"

Remy shrugged as he twirled in time to the music. "Don' know, really. Jus' a feelin' dat Remy got. Ol' Buckethead never seemed as cold when y' were in de room. An' dere were all dose times dat y' got all mouthy an' insolent-"

"Ah was not insolent!" Rogue protested.

"Procacious den," Remy replied, without missing a beat. "De point is, y' got away wit' t'ings dat de rest o' us would have had t' run fo' our lives fo', chere."

"Maybe he jus' appreciated havin' me around," Rogue retorted. "Seein' as how he was surrounded by idiots the rest o' the time."

Remy tilted his head down to rest his forehead on hers"Y' wound me, chere," he informed her.

"Poor baby," Rogue drawled. "Want me t' kiss it an' make it better?"

Remy waggled his eyebrows suggestively, no doubt about to make a remark, but she silenced him by placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "Dat's a start," he said dryly.

Rogue rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling. She laid her head down on his shoulder, her face turned outwards to watch the other couples dancing around them, and her eyes immediately found Jean-Luc and Mattie doing the waltz, which made her smile turn into a grin. "Yo' father sure can dance a mean waltz, swamp rat."

"Y' outta see Lucas when he's drunk enough," Remy said with a laugh.

Glancing over at where Tessa and Lucas were sitting, talking over champagne, Rogue shook her head, unable to picture the stoic mutant traversing across the dance floor. "Remind me t' make sure we have plenty o' alcohol at the party fo' Tessa's birthday then- an' a video-camera."

"Why wait?" Remy grinned. "Dere'll be plenty o' time t' celebrate wit' drinks when de baby gets here."

"Y' plottin' t' get de whole Guild drunk under de pretense o' celebratin' de birth o' my firstborn, petite frere?" Henri demanded, coming up behind them. "Den I guess dat y' won' object t' me stealin' yo' wife away fo' a dance, hahn?"

Remy slowed to a halt, offering her hand to his brother. "Non, take her off my hands, s'il vous plaît," he said, winking at Rogue as he backed away. "De two o' y' deserve each ot'er, dat's fo' sure."

"Ha ha," Rogue said dryly, placing her hand on Henri's shoulder. "Ah'll remember that later tonight when we get home, swamp rat."

"M' quakin' in my boots, chere," Remy shot back, slipping off the dance floor in search of something to drink. Rogue watched him leave, then turned to smile at her brother-in-law.

"How's Merc feelin'?" she asked.

"Not dat good," Henri admitted as they began to move in time to the music. "She's anxious fo' de baby t' be born, dat's de truth."

"An' ya?" Rogue inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Ya excited 'bout bein' a father?"

"Oui," Henri replied with a nod. "Bit nerveux, too. Remy keeps makin' promises t' spoil my son rotten, so no doubt de two o' dem will be a handful."

"Ah'll see what Ah can do about the swamp rat," Rogue promised with a grin. "As fo' the li'l Cajun... yo' on yo' own there. Ah intend t' teach that kid every trick in the book."

Henri groaned, rolling his eyes. "Jus' keep in mind dat we gon' send him over t' yo' wing o' de house when he acts up, Auntie Marie."

Rogue grinned at the title, her heart warming in anticipation. It meant a lot to her that Mercy had asked her to be her nephew's godmother, and as the due date got closer Rogue found that she was just as excited about the new addition to the family as Jean-Luc and Mattie were. She had spent the day before helping the two of them put the finishing touches on the baby's room, and they'd painted the walls a soft baby blue, much to Mercy's delight.

"Ah have a feelin' it'll be a while b'fore he's sayin' mah name, but Ah like the sound o' it," Rogue laughed. She was about to comment on the handful of names that he and Mercy had finally narrowed it down to, but Tessa's laughter caught her attention. It wasn't often that the solemn telepath laughed, so Rogue turned to see what had sparked her interest.

What she saw made her grin, and got a chuckle out of Henri, as well.

"Dat boy's never gon' grow up," Henri muttered.

Watching Emil trying to charm one of the female assassins into a dance, Rogue was inclined to agree.

"Reminds me o' when he tried t' get Zoe t' be his date t' mah weddin'," she snickered, recalling how Emil had constantly chased after the Japanese thief, only to be shot down again and again. He'd been persistent, though, and she had finally caved, leaving a smug grin on his face for weeks. "Speakin' o' which..." she tore her gaze form Emil's antics to fix Henri with a dry smirk. "That was a nice speech ya gave fo' Bella an' Theo. Almost as sweet as the one ya gave at mah reception."

"Don' know what y' talkin' 'bout, chere."

"Don' give me that, LeBeau," Rogue poked him playfully in the shoulder. "That li'l bit ya said 'bout me bein' yo' sister an' our family comin' t'gether an' all... that was beautiful. Ya had yo' father gettin' all misty-eyed, an' ya did the same t' Bella an' Mercy t'night."

"Bella?" Henri echoed, surprised. "Dat's unexpected. She don' usually get all teary an' all. Mercy on de ot'er hand... well, her hormones are out o' whack more dan ever. Y' could get up dere an' say how y' t'ink dat de people who invented Coke deserve de Nobel Peace Prize an' she'd get emotional."

Out of loyalty to her sister-in-law, Rogue tried not to laugh, but failed, and her laughter was infectious, causing Henri to chuckle along with her.

"I know Henri's a bad dancer, but he ain't dat bad."

Rogue stuck her tongue out at Bella as Henri spun her past the bride and groom. "Yo' not the one gettin' yo' feet stepped on, sugah."

"Hey, now," Henri prosted, deigning insult. "None o' dat."

"Mind if I snatch yo' dance partner from ya fo' a minute, Henri?" Bella asked.

Henri shrugged dramatically. "I s'pose, since it's yo' weddin' day an' all..." He draped an arm over Theo's shoulders. "C'mon, mon ami. Let's go help Remy drain de bar, hahn?"

"Don' y' boys dare get drunk!" Bella called a warning as they headed off to find Remy. When she turned to face Rogue, she was smiling boradly, and her eyes were glittering happily. "Y' look merveilleux, Marie."

"Me?" Rogue responded with a snort. The other girl looked heavenly in her white silk gown, and the lace and beaded bodice was easily the most intricate and captivating thing Rogue had ever seen. "This from the glowin' bride?"

"Y' don' t'ink de hair is a bit much?" Bella asked, touching a hand to the intricate tossle of golden curls atop her head.

Rogue rolled her eyes, taking Bella's hand in hers. "Bella, Ah tol' ya once already t'day b'fore the ceremony stared, an' Ah'm only gon' say it once more." She brought her eyes even with Bella's and smiled softly at her friend. "Y' look beautiful."

"Merci, Marie," Bella said, her cheekbones flushing slightly. "An' ta'nks fo' bein' one o' my bridesmaids, too. Dat really meant a lot."

"Jus' returnin' the favor," Rogue replied. "Ya'll excited 'bout yo' honeymoon?"

"Oui," Bella said with a sly grin. "Especially de weddin' night."

Rogue laughed. "Ah reckon it's killin' Theo havin' t' wait anot'er hour till ya'll can split. Remy kept tryin' t' convince me that we needed t' sneak out early from our reception."

"I remeber dat," Bella responded with a snort. "De audacity o' dat man. T'ank goodness y' came along, Marie, or I might have been forced t' marry him."

"Now that would have been an interestin' marriage," Rogue drawled. "The two o' ya would have killed each other before the end of the ceremony."

"De sad t'ings is yo' probably right," Bella agreed, making a face. "So I'm glad dat y' came along when y' did.

"Ya got rid o' one fianc, an' gained another."

"I got more dan dat," Bella said seriously. "I got a vraiment bon ami."

"That goes double fo' me, sugah," Rogue smiled. "C'mon, let's go find our men. Can' leave 'em without supervision fo' too long, or who knows what trouble they'll manage t' get themselves in t'."

They found Remy and Theo leaning against the bar with the other boys, engaged in conversation as they nursed what looked suspiciously like whiskey. As the two girls approached, Emil glanced up and nudged Remy with his elbow.

"They're up t' no good," Bella muttered.

"When are they not?" Rogue replied in kind.

"Dere y' are, chere," Remy grinned, handing his drink to Lucas and taking a step towards her. "C'mon, let's go finish dat dance."

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Do Ah even want t' know?" she demanded.

"Non," Julien answered, shaking his head as he took a sip of his drink. "Y' really don'."

Rolling her eyes, Rogue let Remy lead her back out onto the dance floor. "What was that all about?" she asked, giving her husband a pointed look, the kind that meant 'tell me or I'll just drain the thought right out of your head'.

"Not'ing," Remy said innocently, a sly look in his dark eyes. "We were jus' discussin' Theo's weddin' night, dat's all."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Rogue asked sarcastically.

"Yo' guess is as good as mine, p'tite."

Instead of replying, Rogue pressed her face into his chest, closing her eyes and letting him wrap his arms around her waist tightly. "This is nice," she murmured as they swayed.

"Oui," Remy agreed softly, kissing her hair. "Dis is de life."

"Yeah," Rogue whispered with a smile. "It really is."


Translations:

Madame- Mrs.
petite frere- little brother
dix- ten