Disclairmer: I do not own the X-men

Remy stared at each of them, evaluating, but then one face caught his eye. The girl with white streaks on her hair. The girl from the mall! Now he finally remembered where he had seen her before and why she had looked so familiar when he saw her on the balcony.

'Rogue.' He thought. It wasn't easy at all to forget such a pretty face, and her unique hair which made her even sexier. But the main reason he remembered her was because of her reaction when they first met. He would never forget the fear in her eyes when he came closer, almost like she didn't want him to touch her. And then there was the sadness. That was the weirdest. He kept staring into her eyes, which still held a bit of melancholy in them. She also stared right back at him, appearing to be kind of shocked. Wouldn't she ever look delighted to see him, like the other girls did?

'His eyes! It's the guy from the mall. How could Ah forget?' For some reason, tonight she had dreamt about his eyes. There was something about them that was so… hypnotizing. Their unusual color, its dim red glow, the way they were narrowed by the smirk on his face. It took Rogue a couple of seconds to realize he was actually looking straight at her… or maybe staring would be the right word. Before she could help it, there was a sudden heat wave crawling up her neck until it reached her face, and she knew she must've been looking like a tomato. She felt a hint of annoyance that he wouldn't look away, because she couldn't do that either. Their eyes seemed to be locked to each other.

"X-Men, let me introduce our new arrival at the Institute. Remy LeBeau, these are the older X-men: Scott Summers, Ororo Munroe, Logan, and Hank McCoy. The younger ones are: Robert Drake, Piotr Rasputin, Warren Worthington, Katherine Pryde, Jubilation Lee, Lorna Dane, Betsy Braddock and Rogue."

Remy complimented each of them and then took Rogue's gloved hand, bowing to kiss it, but before her hand reached his lips she pulled it from his grip. Remy nearly winced at the unexpected reaction but then his expression softened when he saw her face turning bright red.

"Nice t' see y' again, chérie." He looked up into her eyes and gave her a little grin.

"Ah, hm…" her voice got caught in her dry throat. Bobby glared at him and then walked to Rogue's side, putting his arm around her, a mix of surprise and jealousy on his face but Remy didn't even seem to notice his approach. Jubilee, Kitty, and Lorna just couldn't believe she knew that guy and exchanged glances amongst themselves.

"Oh, Rogue, I didn't know you had already met Remy before." Xavier remarked, smiling at her.

"No, Professor. Ah just… Ah ran into him once at the mall. That's all."

"Aw belle, we didn't just run into each other, did we?" Remy asked teasingly. Rogue looked at him with her mouth open like she couldn't believe what he had just said. Logan snarled, making Ororo nervous.

"Excuse me! I'm her boyfriend!" Bobby interrupted.

"Oh, pardon. And y' are…?" Remy asked like he didn't really care about the answer.

"Call me Iceman." Bobby shook Remy's hand, and it was suddenly covered with a thin layer of ice. The Cajun was surprised for half a second and then shook Bobby's hand harder, making the ice melt, charging it with kinetic energy. Iceman stepped back quickly and narrowed his eyes. A wicked expression appeared on the other man's face but it faded away when Xavier spoke.

"So, Ororo, could you please show Remy around the place?" The Professor felt it was time to speak and break the ice, almost literally.

"Yes, Professor." She said, feeling relieved and walked to the door. "Come, Mr. LeBeau."

"Please, the name's Remy, ma belle." He said seductively, making Jubilee and Kitty nearly drop dead. He picked up his bags, excused himself out of the office, and checked Rogue out one more time before leaving after Ororo.

"Scott, do you have a minute? The rest of you are free to go back to your normal activities. I only ask that you please try to make Remy feel comfortable here." Xavier said, and the X-Men, except for Scott, started to leave.

"I think he already feels way too comfortable." Bobby said loud enough for everyone to hear, before closing the door.

Scott sat on a leather armchair in front of Xavier's desk. "Why do I get the feeling we will be having a little bit of trouble soon?"

Charles sighed. "Why does this bring to memory the arrival of another person here at the Institute? Have I ever mentioned how Robert reminds me of you?"

Scott's face softened with the shadow of a smile. "He's a good boy. A little immature at times but… maturity comes with time and experience."

"And what was your first impression of Mr. LeBeau?" Xavier always considered Scott's opinion on the new arrivals, since he was the leader of the X-Men and had great experience on first impressions from all the time he had lived in the Institute, helping to train the students.

"He is the provocative type, in search of a challenge and probably a good fight if someone takes the bait. But, opposite to the person he reminded you of, he evaluates his chances and opponents much more quickly, and less impulsively. Did you see how his eyes drifted through each of us? Until he stopped at Rogue, of course. But he had the same attitude while I was bringing him here. And there's something about his stance… did he have any training before?"

"He used to be a bounty hunter before coming here. I agree with what you said, and I should add that, beyond this, he is very difficult to read. As you said, his emotions and thoughts are well under control, differently than Logan. In fact, I couldn't read his mind."

That surprised Scott. "He was able to keep you out?!"

"Yes, but I don't think it was on purpose. There is an aura of static energy around him which acts like interference on a phone call. That surely is related to his energy manipulation powers. He can turn static energy to kinetic energy, charging objects and making them explode." Charles organized a few papers that were scattered over his desk and then stopped for a second before saying: "There is also another thing I want to ask you about Mr. LeBeau… What do you think of him as a substitute instructor for the younger kids?"

"Oh… that was unexpected. Why…?" He hesitated.

"Don't get me wrong, Scott. You are a great instructor. I just thought you would like to be our spokesman on full time. The way you embraced Jean's projects and gave continuity to them… It impressed me, really."

"It's the least I could do for her, professor. She had so many ideas… I couldn't let them fade. I never thought of myself going to congress, conventions, or having a dialogue with politicians but I think it is what she would want me to do. This makes me want to work harder. I've been having really good progress and people seem to be finally listening. There is even this British scientist who contacted me a few weeks ago, saying he is very interested in what I have to say."

"I'm sure she would be proud of you, Scott. That's why I want you to dedicate more time to this. I see how hard you are trying and how much you want it to work. Remy will substitute as instructor for the children. As you said, he has skills and he seems to have a lot to teach them. You can help him out on the first days to make sure he follows your program and does everything properly. So, what do you say?"

Scott took a deep breath and smiled. "I say it is an honor for me to keep your dream, and her dream, alive. I'm not sure about Remy, but I'll see how it goes. Thank you so much for your confidence in me, Charles."

As Remy and Ororo walked through the front hall, many students gave Remy curious looks. Ororo chuckled to herself when she realized most of the mansion's girls were coming out of their rooms to take a peek at the new student. If for a moment she thought he would feel uncomfortable about it, she was proved wrong. He didn't change his posture or expression; still she could almost sense his charm pouring from him. She couldn't blame the girls for giggling and blushing whenever he laid his eyes on them. 'I sincerely hope the boys are ready for some competition, or we will have some serious fights around here.' In a place full of teenagers, the power balance, so to say, was always in its limit and sometimes it took only a miscalculated comment to start fights and arguments. And in a place full of mutant teenagers, even the tiniest arguments could become explosive. 'For the Goddess…' She sighed when he opened a wide smile to a girl who walked past them with her boyfriend by her side, who luckily was talking on the phone and paid no attention to it.

"Dis is truly a wonderful place, Ororo." He said, looking over his shoulder and then turning his gaze to the woman by his side.

"Indeed. It's even better when you get to make friends." She answered.

"Don' worry, Remy loves t' make friends, especially wit' the belle filles like y'." He gave her a devilish smirk. Ororo just gave him a soft smile in return. It wasn't the first time a man tried to charm her, and sincerely she never really felt attracted to younger men.

"I'm glad you do. So, here we are." She said as they reached the third door to the right on the second floor. "This is your room. I hope you feel comfortable. Did the Professor tell you about the meals time?"

Remy nodded.

"Ok. If you need anything, let me know, but I think you'll find everything you need already in here."

"Merci, Ororo."

"You're welcome. I'll see you later, Remy." Ororo waved at him and left.

Remy entered the room and dropped his bags on the floor. He looked around the elegant room. There was a bed on the left wall next to a wardrobe. There was a door on the right wall, which Remy assumed to be the bathroom. He walked to the white curtains in front of him and opened them. There were glass doors behind them, which he opened, and a balcony with a beautiful view of the mansion garden. A light breeze played with his hair when he stepped outside and looked up to the sky.

Remy leaned on the balcony, lit a cigarette, and took a drag. As he watched the smoke curling on the air, he thought about his talk with Professor Xavier.

'Good evening, Mr. LeBeau. I'm Professor Charles Xavier. You may sit down.' The old man said, gesturing to a comfortable chair in front of his desk. Remy thought he was somehow similar to Magneto, but at the same time very different. He had the same power coming from him, which made people respect him naturally. He also seemed very intelligent. However, his eyes made him different. They were not cold, but strangely familiar and sympathetic. Remy nearly frowned when he realized the man looked at him gently. He surely was different than Magneto.

'Good evening. It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor.' Remy shook his hand and then sat down. A sudden tingle feeling in his head warned him someone was trying to enter his mind. Remy forced his shield around him, but even before he did that he felt the tingling stop.

'So Mr. LeBeau, what brings you to this school? Have you been experiencing any problems with your powers?'

'Actually, non. It's just it's been pretty hard out dere wit' all dese anti-mutant groups, y' know? I was tired of runnin' and hidin', no matter where I went. Dis place wasn't my first option, t' be honest, but then I heard about the job y' do here, helping mutants who have nowhere else t' go. I thought it'd be good t' do somethin' useful as well, so I decided to come an' see if I can join your crew. Mus' tell y' dis is a beautiful work y' 're doing here.'

'People who want to help will be always very welcome here, for sure. I'm glad you want to share my dream, and believe me, I wouldn't have gotten this far without people that wanted to share and help me with it. I assume you've already heard about the X-Men?'

'Oui, a few times. Dere was a lot about them on the TV after dat thing at Alcatraz.'

'Yes, that was indeed their most famous action. But they work full time to make sure mutants and humans coexist in peace. That's our main goal: peace. If this is what you believe in too, you are welcome to stay, Mr. LeBeau, and maybe one day you could even join them, if it's your choice.' The Professor gave him a wide smile. 'However…'

Remy had to hold back the urge to roll his eyes at him. There was always a but.

'However…' Xavier went on. '… living in this Institute is not as easy as it may seem. Do you have any experience working with kids or teenagers? It gets chaotic here at times.'

Remy quirked an eyebrow, as he was caught off guard.

'Er, hm… not really.' Was all he was able to say.

'Ok. What did you work with before?'

'Bounty hunting.' He quickly answered, trying to look as innocent as his red eyes allowed him to.

'Well… guns are useless to hold back these kids from making a mess. Especially when some of them are invulnerable.' Xavier laughed. 'But I suppose you must have some good fighting skills. That's a great start. We need some fighting instructor for our youngest students, since the main instructor is usually out, attending conferences. How does it sound?'

'Sounds great! Got some good stuff to teach dese kids.'

'Alright. Then you are more than welcome to stay here, Mr. LeBeau.'

'Y' can call me Remy, sir.' That 'Mr. LeBeau' sounded very weird to Remy, who wasn't used to such a respectful treatment from others.

'Remy, there are just some rules here I'd like you to follow. No alcoholic drinks allowed, and no smoking inside, ok?'

'Oui.' Remy knew it wouldn't be hard for him to hide some stuff under his bed, like he did when he was younger back at home.

'Breakfast time is from 6am until 8am, since classes start at 8:15. Lunch time is from 11am until 1pm. And dinner, well… some students order pizza after class, others fix something to eat. You will find anything you need in the kitchen.'

'No worries, Remy's familiar with kitchens.'

Then there was a knock on the door, and the so called X-Men came inside.

Remy took his last drag before throwing away the cigarette and running both hands through his hair, letting out a heavy sigh. He wondered how he had gotten himself into this mess, although the answer was clear in his mind: he didn't really have an option. 'Argh, I need to stop thinkin' about dis.' Remy rubbed his face and decided that the best thing to do was to swallow those feelings and forget about them. And what better way to swallow them down than with some beers? "As Henry used to say… if life gives y' a cage, put some women to dance in it." He felt the weight disappearing from his shoulders as the memory of his brother came to him. Remy turned around and put his trench coat on, grabbing his Harley's keys on the way out of the door.

"Rogue, why didn't you tell us?! I didn't know you were so selfish." Jubilee pouted while sitting in front of Rogue on her bed.

"Jubs, Ah told ya, Ah only saw him for like, 10 seconds. How would Ah remember?" She asked, while thinking 'Why did Ah remember?'.

"Yeah, right. He talked as if you two had more than just 10 seconds together." Jubilee looked suspiciously at Rogue.

"Well, he sounded like a pervert to meh. Did ya see the look on his face?"

"Hmm, I wish he was giving me that look…"

"Gosh, Jubilee".

"What?! C'mon, he is hot."

"Well… he seemed kinda cocky to meh." 'But still hot.' She thought with a hint of guilt.

Jubilee was about to make a dirty comment when Kitty came through the door.

"Hey, girls. We're starting a poker match in ten minutes. Do you want to play?"

"What are we betting?" Jubilee asked. "If it's money, I'm out."

"Don't worry, we're just using chips."

"We're in." Rogue said, standing to get her shoes. Kitty moved to the next room to call Tabitha.

Jubilee was already waiting in the corridor and Rogue rushed to meet her, but she didn't expect someone to be passing right in front of the room at that moment.

"Ouch!" Her head made contact with something.

"Merde!"

"Ah'm … oh." She looked up and gasped when she saw two red eyes glowing right in front of her. Just like her latest dream… or should it be a nightmare?

"Perfect timin', chérie. Dis is the second time. If y' want t' get close t' me, jus' ask."

Her surprise vanished when he said that and she narrowed her eyes. What was he thinking?

"Cut it out! Ya talk like that and ya don't even know meh. It will give people the wrong idea."

"Pardon, belle. Why don't we get t' know each other better and solve this problem, eh?"

"Are ya always like this?!" Rogue asked exasperatedly, fully aware Jubilee was paying total attention to their conversation.

"Hmm…" Remy pretended to be thinking a bit. "Yeah, I guess." And smirked at her.

"Argh. Let's go, Jubs." She took Jubilee by the arm and headed to the stairs. Remy followed close behind them.

"Goin' for a night out?" He asked.

"None of yer business." Rogue answered at the same time Jubilee said "We're playing poker!" She gave her Asian friend an angry glare.

Remy seemed to consider that for a moment then shrugged. Tonight he wasn't in the mood to stay inside. He had spent too long in the Brotherhood hideout and felt the need to go out, drink a few beers, and meet a girl or two. He was about to make that offer to the girls in front of him when they arrived downstairs and he saw the Iceboy waiting for Rogue there. The boy didn't seem pleased at all to see him, and Remy had to hold back the urge to provoke. 'She deserves somethin' hotter than this.'

"Hey, sugah." Rogue put her gloved hand over Bobby's mouth and kissed it. Remy thought that was a very weird thing to do but decided to just walk by.

"See y', belles." He said over his shoulder.

Bobby crossed his arms. "You were with him?"

"He was coming downstairs as well. We just had a friendly talk." She said out loud, putting as much sarcasm as she could on the word 'friendly'. Jubilee chuckled and shook her head.

"…ok." Bobby didn't understand the sarcasm. "It's just this guy seems pretty cocky."

"Oh, ya think?" More sarcasm.

Remy heard that last part before closing the front door and smiled. 'She's got attitude.'

"So, who's playing?" Jubilee asked, trying to divert Bobby's attention.

"Us, Pete, Sam, Lorna, Kitty, and probably Tabitha. Warren and Betsy are going out." He shrugged.

'Yeah, 'cause that's what couples do.' Rogue thought before she could help it, feeling guilty about it immediately afterward. "We could order some pizza, what do y'all say?"

"Already ordered." Bobby kissed her hand and led her into the Rec Room. There, she saw about nine boxes of pizza piled on the table. "You think that's enough? There's a pepperoni one just for you." He said proudly. Rogue felt she could kiss his lips right at that moment.

"Sugah, ya read mah thoughts!" She blew a kiss at him, which he returned.

Much Later…

When the surface of the water was covered with steam, Rogue turned off the swimming pool's heater, let her towel drop on the ground and sat on the edge of the pool. She slowly got into the water, enjoying the warmth that seemed to embrace her. It had been a while since the last time she decided to swim so late in the night, but tonight she had a terrible insomnia thanks to the excess of pizza, and swimming always helped her relax. She had asked Bobby to join her, even though she already knew what his answer would be. The same answer he always gave when she asked him to come take a swim with her: 'I'm not feeling very well, Rogue. I need to sleep.' So she just came by herself. Rogue lay back and let her body float on the water, looking at the stars above and feeling all the tension slip away from her.

He stood there in the shadows for a while, sipping on his beer, slightly groggy, wondering if he should go talk to her or just observe her from distance. Remy had just left his motorcycle in the garage and was coming back to the mansion when he saw Rogue walk into the pool. He had to stop at that sight. Finally she wasn't all covered up and he had to admit it was shocking that her body was so beautiful. He had imagined that maybe she was covering up scars or something… it was the only reason he could see for the girl to hide under so many clothes. Remy approached the swimming pool, stumbling twice as he felt the ground move, unable to resist the temptation of taking a closer look.

It was only when he was standing on the edge of the pool that Rogue realized someone was there. "Bobby?" Her boyfriend's name escaped her lips before she saw it was actually Remy who was there. "Oh, it's you. What are ya doing here?" She asked, a bit harsher than usual.

"I was takin' a walk and ended up here. Do y' mind if I sit?" He pointed to a white sun lounger to his left. Rogue evaluated his question, wondering if there was any chance someone showed up and had the wrong idea. It was nearly two in the morning on a Tuesday, so it was very unlikely that happened.

"No." She whispered, and observed as he took off his trench coat and leaned back on the sun lounger. He raised the bottle of beer to Rogue but she declined. "Ya know, you're not supposed to be doing that." Rogue said as he drank.

"Hmmm…" He took another sip and gestured to the swimming pool, the bottle in his hand. "Is dis dat 'swimming pool' area kind o' thing?"

"No. It's that 'school area' kind of thing."

He shrugged and finished the beer, then put it on the ground by the chair's side.

"Problem solved, chérie." He said and took a cigarette from his pocket. Rogue's eyes widened.

"Seriously?!" She exclaimed and he lifted his eyes to her with an inquiring look while lighting the cigarette. "Remember that list of things the Professor named? Those are the things you cannot do, not the things you must do before your first day is over."

Remy took a drag then let the smoke slowly out, his lips curving up in a malicious smile, teasing her on purpose. Rogue groaned in exasperation and swam to the further side of the swimming pool, avoiding the smell of tobacco. Remy couldn't help but appreciate the effect of the moonlight on her wet pale skin, making her look almost like a porcelain doll. From this distance, he could see her shiver a little when a cold breeze suddenly came up, and along with it came also the desire to get in the water and warm her up. He was debating whether or not to do that when she spoke to him.

"What are ya looking at, swamp rat?"

"Swamp rat? Are we givin' each other pet names already, chérie?"

"Ya started it, calling meh chérie. Mah name is Rogue." She said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Non, dat's not your name. And chérie suits y' much better than Rogue, in case y' want t' know. If y' want t' tell me your real name though, I'd be glad t' hear it."

"Never mind it, then." She said, putting an end to that conversation. Remy finished his cigarette while watching her swim from one side to the other of the swimming pool, the water just above her shoulders, her hair opening like a fan behind her as she used her arms to propel herself forward. She was indeed very beautiful; plus, the little frown on her face made her look even more attractive. There was something really unusual about this girl that intrigued him and turned him on at the same time.

"So, what's with comin' t' the swimmin' pool at dis time of the night? Are y' allergic t' the Sun?" he joked.

"No. Ah thought this would be the best time to enjoy some peace and relax, all by mahself." Rogue answered, stressing the last words and trying to make it clear she wanted to be alone.

"Did y' manage to?" Now he was really pushing her patience to its limits. Rogue closed her eyes for a second then tilted her head to the side.

"Do Ah look peaceful and relaxed to ya?!"

"Honestly, chérie? You're lookin' way too tense. I could get in dere and help y' relax, what do y' think?" It was what he had been waiting for. He didn't give her time to answer and took off his shirt. All of a sudden, Rogue was at a loss for words, barely realizing what he had just said. Unconsciously, she bit her lower lip as she let her eyes wander over his naked chest, his broad shoulders, and his defined abs, enraptured with his muscled lean body, which showed more agility than pure strength. Remy's excitement grew seeing her mute reaction, thinking it would be a great ending for his first night. It was only when he stood up that she got back to her senses.

"Ya better stay right there!" She exclaimed, lifting her hands, and Remy froze, then settled back on the chair, quirking his eyebrow to her. "Ya want to drink, fine. Ya want ta smoke, fine! But if ya step into this swimming pool, Ah'm leaving!" Rogue said, pointing to the mansion, and laid a stern look on him. She could swear that she saw his brows furrow and his lips twist, but in less than a heartbeat his face had a blank expression again.

"Y' asked me a question earlier… now I'll throw it back t' y': are ya' always like dis?" He leaned back on the chair and stretched his long legs. "I'm just tryin' t' be nice t' ya."

"Ah'll tell ya something. If ya knew meh at least a little better, ya would never be offering meh that. So stop doing this! Stop invading my personal space, stop trying to be nice to meh, and then perhaps Ah'll start being a little nice to ya!" That was it. Her attempt to have a peaceful swim was ruined completely. In that moment, Remy's very presence was making the irritation boil inside her. She climbed the edge of the swimming pool, took her towel from the ground, wrapped it around her body, and stormed into the mansion, not even giving a glance back at Remy. He sat there with his mouth open, startled by that unexpected reaction. 'What the heck?' It was all he could think.

When he finally decided to go inside, he saw someone standing in the doorway and realized it was the man called Logan. As Remy moved to enter the mansion, Logan blocked his path.

"What were you doing with Rogue?!" Logan grunted right away, crossing his arms. "I saw her coming inside and she didn't look happy at all."

"We were just hangin' out by the swimming pool. Chattin'. Anythin' wrong 'bout it?"

Logan looked at him, evaluating whether to trust him or not.

"No, but you better stay away from her. I've seen kinds like you before in my life, bub, and your smell doesn't lie. She is not the type of woman you are used to, so watch it!"

Remy looked at him in amusement.

"Is she your daughter or what?"

"She is like one to me, and I'll rip your head off if you treat her the wrong way. Get it? You're new here and let me tell ya, I don't trust you."

"Merci for yer confidence in me, Logan. Now she is safe and warm in her room, so I think y' should be a lil' less aggressive, non?"

Logan glared at him.

"Don't forget what I just told you, Cajun. Watch your behavior around her." He gave Remy one last glare and left.