Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men

On the following morning, Rogue woke up wishing a lightning would strike her before the party started. Or a less drastic solution would be running away. But Jubilee would find her. She had her own spies all over the Institute. She rolled on her bed and saw her roommate was already up and out. And it was only 9am on a Saturday! That was a record for Jubilee.

She rolled over again and decided to stay in bed a few more minutes, when she heard footsteps right above her. She jumped out of bed thinking 'What the hell?!' and opened her balcony doors.

Trying to be silent, she looked up the roof but there was no one there. She narrowed her eyes in thought and went back into the room, closing the doors behind her.

'Wait! The doors were supposed to be locked.' She kept thinking with her hand still on the door handle. 'Or maybe Jubilee unlocked them before leaving.'

Rogue stood there for a while, looking around the room, sensing something weird, but then shrugged.

"Ah guess Ah'm becoming paranoid after more than a week preparing for this party."

"Magneto? C'est moi." Remy tapped his fingers on the window, staring at the garden and the kids running around it. "I've been keepin' an eye on the diamond whenever I get the chance, but the place Dr. McCoy keeps it at night is too difficult t' get in. They have all kind o' sensors and…" he switched his position impatiently, an angry expression forming on his face. "Of course I can! But I need a higher payment f'r dat. I need tools… Oh well, use those lackeys o' yours, they must be useful f'r somet'ing. Raise the payment or I'm out." He was about to hang up but Magneto said something that made him stop and listen again. "Dat's better. I'll show up t' get my money as soon as ya' have it. Trés bien. Don' worry, Remy is very discreet. Oui, I am sure! Bye!" He finally slapped his mobile shut and rested his forehead on the window glass, trying to cool down. If he had to do this job, at least he should get a good payment for it. He was hoping that more money would make him feel less guilty about betraying those people.

'Non. I'm not betrayin' anyone. I came here t' work and dat's what I'm supposed t' do.' He thought while softly beating his head repeatedly to the glass. 'Y' fool. Dat's what happens when y' play too much while doin' a serious thing. Think 'bout the money, all y' can do wit' it, and your freedom. Y' will be free, Remy y' idiot. Free f'r once in your life. Then there will be cars, trips, casinos, drinks, femmes…' At that last word he frowned. The first image that came to his mind was her.

Her… that thought was growing stronger in his mind and that pissed him off. He punched the wall and groaned. It wasn't right to get involved during a job, even if it was just some flirting.

"It's just flirting." He muttered but it didn't sound like those words belonged to him. Remy realized he had been repeating that every single day, at least three times, and each time the words sounded more and more uncertain and cold. And the colder those words got, the warmer he felt when he was around her. 'She is my best friend here… how am I gonna do this t' her?' he thought right at the same moment someone knocked on his door.

Remy gave a quick glance in the mirror and cursed, seeing how awful he looked. He hadn't shaved yet, and his hair was a complete mess, with locks of hair falling over his eyes.

The person didn't wait for him to open the door, and peeped inside. And there she was smiling at him, just like he had imagined a few seconds before.

"Rogue! Hey chérie, come on in." He cursed himself mentally for looking like a vagabond in front of her.

"Sorry, Ah should have waited for ya to answer but Ah had to tell ya something!" She closed the door behind her then started laughing, unable to hold it back. Her laugh immediately cleared the tension in the room and Remy felt lighter. "You won't believe what Ah just overheard." She grabbed his arm, sat on his bed and forced him to sit by her side. He waited patiently for her to control her laugher, eyeing the beautiful figure sitting on his bed.

"Logan… oh Gawd…" More laughter. "He was talking to Ororo. It seems he made a promise to her so she would cheer up and stop thinking about her nightmares."

"What's funny 'bout it?"

"He promised… he promised he would dress up as…" At that point the tears that had been filling her eyes started to drop. "He will be a werewolf." Remy snorted out loud at the same time Rogue did.

"Puppyrine." Remy said and Rogue stopped laughing for a second, staring at him. And then they started laughing again even louder.

"Remy, ya are no good, sugah." Rogue said when she was able to control herself.

"I know." He smirked. "Y' are no good either, listenin' t' private conversations."

She shrugged, sitting Indian style and carefully analyzing at him. It reminded Remy that he was looking like he had just woke up, all messy and unshaved.

"Nice look. What did ya do?" His jaw dropped at that question. Rogue carefully removed a lock of hair from his face. "Ah lahke it. Why are you giving meh this look?"

"Chérie, I look like trash."

"Yeah, ok. Like ya could do that even if ya wanted to." She shook her head and he did the same.

"Mabe' y' laughed jus' a little too much. It affected y'r brain." He said in a fake concerned voice. "If y' lay down for a while, I may find a way t' fix it."

"Remy, shut up!" She tried to smack him on the head, but in a quick motion Remy held her wrist gently.

"Y' are out o' y'rself, ma belle! Come, lie down." He pushed her, making her lose her balance and drop on her back over his pillow.

"Swamp rat, what do ya think yer doing?" She muttered with gritted teeth but it didn't sound as threatening as it should with the shaking of her voice and wide eyes. Remy leaned over her, his arm next to her head and making her freeze in the spot.

"I'm healin' y', ma chérie." He said, still smiling at her funny shocked expression. Her lips parted but she couldn't find anything to say. Somehow Rogue felt that line could refer to something else other than her head… at least the physical part of it. Her eyes met his and once again she was lost in those red orbs.

Remy saw the change in her face and realized what he had just said. His smile disappeared and suddenly he was aware of how close he was leaning over her, their chests nearly touching, her breath reaching his lips. He lowered his eyes to her own parted lips, and then stared into her eyes. The most beautiful emeralds he had ever seen, more than any he had stolen before, were now staring right back at him and the grudge inside him faltered and faded.

Rogue lifted her hand and put a lock of his hair behind his ear, never taking her eyes off his. She abruptly inhaled in surprise as she felt his bare fingers on her cheek, but the contact lasted for a second, not enough for absorbing him. Remy took his hand away, but his eyes reassured her it was ok.

"Y' won't hurt me, Rogue." He whispered and his warm breath caressed her face, making her relax.

Right in that moment, a skinny blonde opened Remy's door and purred his name, not realizing Rogue was in there.

"Remy, what about that massage you…oops! Am I interrupting something?!" She covered her mouth with her hands and a confused expression formed on her face. "Rogue?"

Rogue instantly pushed Remy and jumped out of the bed, running a hand through her hair in an awkward way. "Hey…Alison. You're not interrupting anything, Ah was just… chatting with Remy. Ah'm leaving now. Ya'll have fun." She rushed to the door without giving any look back to Remy. When she passed by Alison's side, she could feel the blonde stiffen and move out of the way.

"Rogue, wait!" Remy crossed the distance to his door with two steps but she was already gone and Alison wrapped her arms around him.

"Let her be, hon. You can have much more fun here with me." She whispered, trying to draw his attention to her.

"Alison, I…" Remy paused and sighed, still looking at the corridor where Rogue had disappeared. Why the heck was he refusing to stay there?! He was still Remy LeBeau, and there was a beautiful blonde in his room. He entered the room again and closed the door behind him. "So, about that massage…?"

Rogue was feeling awful for being caught in such a moment with Remy. Lying on his bed! She missed a step of the stairs when she thought of that and her stomach chilled.

'Dang, it's only a matter of time 'til everyone knows about it.' she bit her bottom lip.

"What's bothering you, kid?" A gruff voice behind her spoke and she turned to find Logan observing her with a shadow of suspicion on his face.

"Logan, hi. Nothing's bothering meh." When he gave her a skeptical glare she completed: "It's just that this party is getting on mah nerves. But it's nothing serious."

He still didn't look very satisfied with her answer.

"What do ya want meh to say?" Rogue asked in exasperation, fully aware he would only be satisfied when he got the answer to a question he hadn't asked yet.

"You smell like a certain Cajun these days." There it was!

Rogue closed her eyes for a second. "Please, not you too, Logan."

"Kid, I ain't got nothing to do with it. But if he did something that bothered you, just tell me and I'll cook Gumbo for supper." The worst part was that he sounded serious about it as always. Logan wasn't one to get involved in people's personal lives, but when it came to Rogue, he was extremely over protective. She was like a younger sister to him, or even a daughter, though he would only keep it to the friends word.

"Logan, Ah told you nothing's bothering meh and Ah mean it. Remy has nothing to do with it." She assured him, tapping his shoulder. "Thanks for asking anyways." For a moment the Puppyrine word came to her mind but she immediately waved that thought off.

Honestly she did feel a bit uncomfortable about Alison entering Remy's room like that, without knocking, and asking for a massage. It was so impolite and vulgar and…and now she was in there with him.

"Rogue?" Logan raised an eyebrow and waved his hand in front of her face.

"Ah…So, how's Ororo?" That question caught him off guard and Rogue felt relieved she diverted his attention.

"She is much better now." His mood seemed to change all of a sudden and he became grumpier than usual. "We made a…deal."

"What kind of deal?" Rogue asked innocently, doing her best not to laugh in Logan's face.

"Kid, I need to fix something at the garage. I'll see you later." He walked away and disappeared down the hallway in a matter of seconds.

'Yeah, sure.' She thought and went into the Rec Room, only to be met by a worried Jubilee.

"Rogue, there you are! I sent Kitty looking for you all over the mansion. Where were you?!" Rogue opened her mouth but Jubilee didn't wait for her to answer. "Sit down, please. Now!"

"Jubs, are you in a sugah rush?"

"I wish. Rogue, I need to tell you something really serious…" Rogue didn't move so she went on. "It's about Bobby." At that last word, Rogue stood and crossed her arms.

"Jubilation Lee, Ah already told ya Ah don't wanna hear a word about him."

"But Rogue, listen to me. He-"

"Don't! Ah don't wanna know." And to her own surprise, she really didn't.

"This is serious! I'm sure you will be mad at me for not telling you, chica."

"Sugah, Bobby and Ah are through. Don't worry, Ah won't be mad at you for whatever he did or said." She reassured her friend.

"Promise me?" Jubilee was biting her lip, a clear expression of worry which wasn't normal was on her face.

"Yes, Ah do."

"Alright." She still looked in doubt whether to say it or not. "But don't say I didn't try to warn you."

Rogue nodded and sat down again. "So, how's the preparation for the party?"

Jubilee's face suddenly glowed and there was a flood of words which went on for more than thirty minutes until Rogue could speak again.

Five minutes before the party, Remy was still checking his looks in the mirror. It took a while to find a nice version of the costume but he managed to do it. He was sure he was looking way better than Gerard Butler's phantom of the opera, even though the outfit was extremely similar. He combed his hair back and tied it, doing all he could to make it look less rebellious, then took half of a white mask from his desk, adjusting it properly to his face. His eyes fell to a pink plastic earring lying on his bed and he made a mental note to give it back to Alison. He made her promise that she wouldn't tell anyone what she had seen when she came into the room by giving her a massage and much more. Anyway, she said she wouldn't have known how explain to people what she was doing in his room, since she had a boyfriend who lived in the mansion too. He didn't want to cause any trouble to Rogue because of that situation.

"Mon ami, ya're hot." He stated, grinning to himself in the mirror. One last detail and he was ready to go pick up Rogue in her room, as they had agreed before. He took a red rose from the vase he had put it in and took off in the direction of her room.

Finally he was going to see what costume she had bought. He had spent the last few days trying to sneak into her room but it seemed she was keeping it somewhere else. Stopping in front of her door, Remy could feel his anticipation grow so he just took two deep breaths before knocking.

Rogue had just finished putting her red lipstick on, thanking God Jubilee had left 5 minutes before with a boy she didn't recognize because of his scarecrow mask. She tried to calm down and put her hand on the door knob.

When she opened the door, Remy's body tensed. It was the sight of heaven. Or should he say hell?

Remy looked at her from head to toe, and back again, completely breathless. Rogue was the perfect mix of catwoman and dominatrix, with cat mask and high ponytail in place. She was wearing a leather black suit which covered most part of her upper body, but with a low cut that caught his eyes for a few more seconds. It didn't help that she also put a black corset over it, stressing the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. The gloves were still there, but they were made of shiny leather as well and went right above her elbow. He took some time admiring her shaped body, tight waist, but his eyes wouldn't stay in the same place for a long time since all of her looked simply…tempting. But the most amazing of all was that she was wearing a skirt! His heart skipped a beat. He could only see a small part of her legs since she was wearing high stiletto boots that nearly reached her knees but still, he never thought he would get to see her dressed up in this way, except in his dreams. He unconsciously groaned, feeling something warm build inside of him.

Rogue could feel a shiver running down her spine when his eyes glowed furiously as they reached her leather skirt. Jubilee had insisted for about half an hour that she would buy that outfit and she was still surprised she had agreed with it. It was hard to admit, but part of her wanted to see how people would react to it. She wanted to look sexy, and she wanted people to realize she could be sexy, even if she could not touch. Just because she couldn't have a relation with someone didn't mean she had to walk around like an old lady, or all covered up as if her body was full of scars. And the shiver that was running all over her body now felt good. For sure Remy had seen many girls dressed and undressed, but there he was, frozen and breathless in front of her. She was sexy. Then there was something she didn't expect to feel: power.

When Remy looked into her emerald eyes shining from behind the black mask and grinned, he was positive she would blush and look away, or maybe just lower her eyes. She didn't. Instead she smiled back, slightly lifting her head, never breaking eye contact and whispered the sexiest meow he had ever heard. The word was finished with a pout of her red lips and that was it. He could feel something snap inside of him, so loud he was sure she had heard, and it took all his strength to keep control over his body. If he didn't, they would probably be inside her room right now, door locked behind him, and all of that body would be pressed against his. Remy had to take two steps back to try to break that magnetic attraction that had suddenly formed, thanking all of his years playing poker for his straight face. The move didn't work the way he wanted because there was still something pulling him to her.

Rogue chuckled, closed the door behind her, and shook her head. "Swamp rat, is that a blush?"

His mouth dropped at her words and he realized his face did feel hot. But again, what part of him wasn't feeling hot seeing her like that?! It wasn't her clothes, or red pouty lips, or her thighs…Well, they surely helped but mainly it was her attitude… her confidence. That was new. They had been flirting for the last few days, but she never sustained his gaze the way she was doing now, she had never had such a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

"Non chérie, it's just dat suddenly it got so hot in here, don't ya' think?" he smirked, hiding his surprise at this new Rogue. Or was she there all the time, but they just hadn't been introduced yet? "Can y' purr as well?" he blinked mischievously, handing her the red rose and she gave a clear laugh.

Rogue walked to him and enlaced her arm with his. "Later, Remy… later." His mouth nearly dropped again at that line and he felt that pull coming back. "Thanks." She said while smelling the rose.

"No problem. By the way, dis looks way better than the red baby doll, chérie." He said while leading her downstairs.

"Ya don't look bad either."

"Merci. Y' like the mask? Makes me look mysterious." He smirked.

"No need to wear a mask for you to be mysterious, sugah."

He turned his face to look at her but she just kept looking straight forward, a playful smile still on her lips. A few people were heading in the same direction as them, and no one could help but stop for a second, amazed by the unlikely couple. Rogue smiled to herself when she realized most of the amazed looks were directed to her. The boys had never imagined to see her dressed like that instead of hiding herself. A ghost outfit was the most common bet among them instead of something involving shiny leather and a skirt. It was like seeing her for the first time ever. Each look she got made her more confident and as they got to the Danger Room, she was surely feeling like a diva. 'Diva? Argh, maybe Ah'm hanging out too much with Jubilee.' She shook her head.

"Ready, chérie?" Remy asked before entering the Danger Room. Rogue nodded firmly and the door opened.

So, can anyone guess who's Alison? ;) hehehe A little Easter Egg

Reviews, pleasee