Chapter Sixty-Three:


"Beautiful day out, non?"

Rogue looked over at her husband with a smile. "Yeah," she agreed. "It really is."

They were walking through the streets of downtown Charleston, enjoying the warm afternoon and taking in the sights. It had occurred to Rogue the night before that she didn't have any clue where to find this mutant safehouse they were looking for, so it had been decided that they should just walk around for a while and see what they could turn up.

A gentle breeze played with her hair, which had been pulled back into a long ponytail, making the trace of salt in the air even more prominent. They weren't far from the Battery, which overlooked the harbor, so every few minutes the sounds of seagulls could be heard as the birds skimmed the surface of the ocean searching for food.

"Dere's somet'ing nice 'bout dis city," Remy commented as they walked along, his sunglasses concealing his eyes as he lifted his face up towards the sun overhead. "Reminds me a bit o' home, y' know?"

"Yeah, it does," Rogue agreed, wishing she had thought to grab her own sunglasses out of her duffel bag, but they had left their belongings and their bikes down at the pier overlooking the ocean. Lucas had volunteered to stay behind with their stuff to make sure nothing was taken, but Rogue had a feeling he just wanted to rest his feet for a bit instead of walking all over the city.

Tessa had offered to stay with him, but Lucas had sent her on her way with Rogue and Remy, pointing out that they needed her powers if they were going to find any traces of this alleged mutant safehouse they were searching for.

Sometimes Ah wonder if the two o' them will ever get their act t'gether, Rogue thought with a sigh. It was no secret among the Guild that the bond between the two mutants went deeper than platonic friendship, but neither of them had yet to act upon their feelings, and it wouldn't surprise Rogue if they never did.

Some people were just too damn stubborn for their own good.

Oh, well, she shook her head. One o' these days Ah'm sure they'll figure it out.

"N'awlins will always be home, but Remy could see livin' in dis city fo' a bit if we had t'," Remy commented, still absorbed in their surroundings. "De city, she don' hold a candle t' De Big Easy, but de place is nice."

"Sure is," Rogue agreed, linking her arm with his and grinning up at him. "Personally, Ah like the scenery the best."

Behind his sunglasses, Remy raised an eyebrow, his lips curving into a smirk. "Dat so?"

"Mmm-hmm," Rogue murmured, rising up on her toes to kiss him on the lips. "Could stare at ya all day, swamp rat."

"Who could resist?" Remy said with a wink.

Laughing, Rogue smacked his chest gently. "Ya sure are a cocky Cajun, ya know that?"

"So y' keep tellin' me, chere."

Rolling her eyes, Rogue turned her head to look over some of the shops lining the street. They were fairly close to the Market, but since they had more important things to do than go shopping, she doubted they would be heading in that direction.

Ahead of them, a group of kids suddenly started shrieking, and for a moment Rogue tensed, expecting a fight, until she realized that they were shouting because of a water gun fight. The three little boys were currently chasing their two female companions, but within moments the girls had turned the tables on them, whirling around to open fire with their own Super-Soakers, the 5000 model if she wasn't mistaken.

It was horrible that she knew the different models of water guns, but after living with Emil for four years, she'd participated in more than her share of water fights.

Smiling, Rogue watched the kids until they disappeared around the corner ahead, their laughter echoing down the sidewalk after them.

"Rogue?"

Turning around, Rogue found that Tessa, who was walking several feet behind them and using her powers to scan for mutants, had come to a halt. "Find somethin'?" she asked her friend.

"Yes," Tessa nodded, then pointed further down the sidewalk. "Something familiar."

Following her gaze, Rogue scanned the crowd, and was startled to see a familiar face heading in their direction on a skateboard. The kid hadn't seen them yet, but it was only a matter of time until he did. In a few seconds he would pass right by them.

"Dat de boy?" Remy asked with a frown.

"Yeah," Rogue replied, unable to believe their luck. "That's Matt, alright."

"Well, at least y' know dat he's okay, hahn?" Remy said with a faint smile.

"Looks that way," Rogue agreed, studying him from afar. His hair had been cut since their encounter in New Orleans, which she took as a good sign. He looked good, his clothes were clean and well-kept, and if she didn't know better she would have thought he was just another teenager.

A teenager who just happens t' be able t' create explodin' orbs, she thought dryly. His power reminded her a bit of Tabitha's, but the boy had, thankfully, none of Boom-Boom's craziness.

Stepping into the path of his skateboard, Rogue folded her arms over her chest lightly and waited for him to notice her. As he approached, he brought his skateboard to a sudden stop to avoid hitting her, and he blinked, lifting his head to see who had gotten in his way.

Rogue almost laughed at the look of utter, complete annoyance on his face. It was a classic teenage reaction, one she could still recall seeing on Bobby, Ray and Roberto's faces hundreds of times over the years that she'd spent at the Institute.

Good t' see some things never change, she mused to herself.

"Hey, kid," she said with a friendly smile. "Remember me?"

From the surprised expression on his face, it was clear that he did. "Marie!" he cried, bringing his board to a halt. "What are you doing here?"

"We had some trouble wit' the Sentinels," Rogue replied with a shrug. "Thought it best t' get outta town fo' a bit till things cool down, so we headed up here t' see if ya got t' the safehouse okay."

"Yeah, I did," Matt nodded, smiling. "Thanks for checking up on me, though. I owe you and Tessa big time for saving me from the rippers."

"Rippers?" Rogue echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"It's what the soldiers are being called on the streets," Matt explained. "Most of the kids at the safehouse have either been cornered by them and escaped, or had to leave home to avoid being captured by them."

"This safehouse workin' out fo' ya then?" Rogue inquired seriously. "Ya happy there an' all?"

"Yeah," Matt assured her. "It's great. The people who run it are mutants, too, and they're pretty cool even if they can be kind of strict sometimes. It's awesome, living in one house with so many different kids from different backgrounds, that all have the mutant gene in common."

"Ah bet it is," Rogue said softly, his enthusiasm reminding her of Jamie Madrox first day at the Institute all those years ago. The younger boy had been so excited, he hadn't been able to stand still.

"You guys should come check it out," Matt suggested. "I'm sure everyone would love to meet you, and at least you wouldn't have to waste money on a hotel room for the night."

Money wasn't a problem, of course, not when your husband and two companions were trained thieves, but Rogue decided she liked his offer. It would give them a chance to check out the safehouse for themselves and make sure it was as legit as it seemed.

"Sounds good t' me," Rogue said, then gestured to her friends. "Ya already know Tessa, but this is mah husband Remy."

"Nice to meet you," Matt said politely, shaking hands with Remy.

"Likewise," Remy grunted.

Tessa nodded in greeting, actually managing a smile, which made Rogue chuckle to herself. The telepath could act as reserved as she wanted, but Rogue could tell that the boy had won a soft spot in the woman's heart.

"Where is this safehouse?" Remy asked curiously.

"Just a few minutes away," Matt replied. "It's not far, we could walk, but Mr. A is just down the street in the grocery store grabbing some milk. I came with him, he'll give you guys a ride, I'm sure. He's one of the people who run the safehouse."

"Think he'll mind waitin' a few minutes, though?" Rogue asked. "We've got a fourth man, who's back at the pier wit' our bikes."

"You ride?" Matt asked, a flicker of surprise crossing his features.

Rogue grinned, not bothered in the least. She didn't look like the typical biker, she knew, and more than once Tante Mattie had tried to argue that she ought to take up driving a car like a normal woman, but she had a fondness for motorcycles that went back to her days in Caldecott.

"Ya better believe it," she replied with a wink. "Did ya ever get that car ya wanted?"

Matt shook his head. "Not yet, but I've got a part-time job after school at the arcade, so I have some money saved up. Mr. A figures by next summer I'll have enough put away to get one."

"Sounds like a plan t' me," Rogue smiled.

Matt opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by someone shouting his name from across the street.

"Matt, time to go!" the voice called out, and the hair on the back of Rogue's neck bristled, something inside of her suddenly going very still and very quiet. There was something familiar about that voice, something that resonated in the dark corners of her mind.

"Be right there," Matt called back, and Rogue slowly turned in the direction the boy was looking, her breath hitching sharply at what she saw.

Standing on the sidewalk across the street was a young man about Remy's age, dressed in a pair of jeans and a black shirt, loading groceries into the back of an SUV parked on the curb. His dark hair was cut shorter than she'd ever seen it, and his eyes were concealed by a pair of dark sunglasses, but she knew it was him.

She knew it.

Just then, the dark-haired man looked up in her direction, and froze, staring back at her in shocked silence. Slowly, he reached up to remove his sunglasses, no doubt trying to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

When she saw his face, for the first time in years, it brought tears to her eyes.

Her knees felt weak, and if Remy hadn't grabbed her around the waist, she imagined her legs would have crumpled beneath her.

"Remy..." she breathed, unable to smother the hopeful, pleading edge to her voice.

"I see him, chere," Remy murmured in her ear, and she could hear his own breathless wonder. "It's him, he's real."

"Rogue?" the dark-haired man asked softly, hesitantly, as if he didn't believe that it could really be her. She knew how he felt, that was for sure. "Roguey?" he asked again, taking a step forward.

"Lance," she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. "Oh mah God, Lance!"



A/N: I give you the first return of people from Rogue's past! :) Hope you all enjoyed this little chapter- I have this Friday off from work, so expect a new post up this weekend. See you all then!