We left the car a couple blocks away. Rogue slipped a hand into one of mine. "Won't they notice that piece of jewelry you're sporting?"

I could feel the warmth of her hand through the flimsy black lace glove she was wearing. "For one thing, you have to know it's there to notice it. For another, I'm walking hand in hand with one of the most beautiful girls in the city. No one is going to notice anything about me while you're here."

She blushed slightly. "You have such a silver tongue, sugah."

"I have my moments." I paused. "So, the gloves? Not exactly a fashion statement, are they?"

"Not entirely, no. Skin to skin contact triggers the transfer. Ah get whatever powers they possess. And their memories."

"All their memories?"

"They tend to fade with the powers. Ah have 'ghost memories' sometimes. Ah'll have dreams." She blushed. "Sometimes very intimate dreams about people Ah've never met."

"Not an easy thing to live with, I'd imagine."

"Ah'd like to say that you get used to it, but Ah'd be lying." She blinked. "Why am Ah telling you mah life story? Ah barely know you."

I chuckled. "It's a gift. All my life people have been telling me things."

"So you're a secret keeper, huh?"

"You could say that."

"Everyone tells you things. Do you ever share, Kyle?" She squeezed my hand gently.

"Generally no one offers. No one asks."

"Ah'm asking."

I turned to look at her again. Damn, she made my heart ache just looking at her. A guy could get lost in her eyes … "About what?"

"About you."

"Can you be more specific?" We were nearly back to the store. Back to where we had met.

"You're not big on the whole sharing thing, are you, Kyle? Maybe Logan and you have more in common than you'd guess."

I laughed. "Yeah. Him and me are two peas in a pod."

"You're doing it again. You're changing the subject."

"Yeah. I do that."

"Ah'm not giving up, Kyle."

I sighed. We had reached the spot. The impact crater was cordoned off. There wasn't much attention being paid to it. "No one seems to particularly care about what happened here."

"It's New York. They're used to it." She touched my cheek with her free gloved hand. "Kyle. Ah want to know you."

"There's not that much to say. I'm just your standard journeyman sorcerer on his first trip to the big city."

"So let's start with that."

"With what?" I glanced over at the shop. It was closed, but still intact. Good. It wouldn't do for me to lose the Uru.

"How did you become a sorcerer?"

"I was sixteen. I found a book. A book of magic. I studied it. A lot."

"You learned all this from one book?"

"No. That was just the start. I've spent ten years learning magic. It's taken a lot of time and sacrifice."

"For what?"

"Hm?"

"You're human, Kyle. You're not a mutant. You stepped into a world of magic—you stepped into mah world. You chose this. Why? What did you want?"

"Power."

"Power? Really? That doesn't sound like you."

"As you said, you barely know me."

"You stood beside me, Kyle. You saved me. Ah've known people who wanted power. Who cared about only power. You aren't like that. Ah don't know if you believe that—if you really believe that, but it's not true."

"Sometimes we can't have what we really want, Rogue. Sometimes we have to be satisfied with what we can have. Power's as good a substitute as anything."

"For what?" She smiled gently. "Or maybe I should ask who?"

I started to reply, but then I caught sight of someone out of the corner of my eye.

He wasn't wearing that garish outfit of his for a change. His oddly colored eyes were disguised by sunglasses. He was wearing a stylish shirt and a pair of slacks and flirting with a female jogger who seemed to break out into giggles every other word that she said.

Rogue seemed to be unaware of his presence.

"I'll be right back."

"You spot something?"

"I just need to find a place to go to the little magician's room. I'll be back before you have time to miss me."

"Ah doubt that, sugah. You grow on a girl."

"That kinda makes me sound like mold."

She giggled. "You're silly."

"Oh yeah. That's my middle name."

"Kyle Silly—?" She was obviously waiting for me to finish my name for her but all I said was:

"Close enough. I'll be back in a minute. Soon as I can find a bathroom that is." As I walked away from Rogue I murmured "Mists of Munnipor."

I didn't exactly become invisible, but it was a good enough imitation to serve for my purposes. One of the first things that the Lady had taught me was that you should never waste more energy than you had to because you never knew when you were going to need it.

Unseen but not invisible, I walked over to where Tall, Dark, and Cajuny was flirting with the girl and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hi there. I was lead to believe that you had other plans today, Gambit …"

"You can call me Remy, mon ami." He smiled to the girl. "Remy has to run now, but he will be sure to remember your phone number."

The girl giggled again, shot me a dirty look, and then walked away.

"We aren't friends, Gambit." I wanted that out of the way. I don't know why.

"We aren't enemies either, mon ami." He tilted his sunglasses and favored me a look with his odd eyes. "You have the eye for my Rogue, no?"

"I have the eye for Rogue, yes." I laughed. "This is a strange conversation."

"You came over to initiate it."

"You're following us."

"Yes."

"You have no reason to be jealous." I hated to admit it, but I wasn't stupid. "I'm not her type."

"What makes you think my Rogue has a type?" He chuckled. "A Cajun Thief. A mutant terrorist—two versions of the same man, even. Magnus and I are different as night and day, but each of us had a place in her heart. No reason to think she couldn't find someone else."

"That's not exactly what I expected you to say."

He shrugged. "I love my Rogue. I want her to be happy. We are … complicated." He smiled at me. "Besides, you have only known her for her two days. I don't think I have reason to be worried just yet."

It was … strange.

Gambit was a handsome, charming guy. Put me—even magically thinned me—next to him in any contest and I couldn't imagine any woman choosing me over him for anything.

But he didn't act like that was the case.

It was strange. And it left me confused.

"So, you are nearly half the man you were last night. Was this to impress my Rogue?"

"Um, no. Just a side effect of some magic I had to work. Believe me, I wouldn't have done it if I had had another choice."

"I see." He looked at me again. "My Rogue, she an innocent girl. She beautiful, but her powers make it hard for her have much luck with men. Do not use that against her, Kyle."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

He laughed. "Then we understand each other, mon ami."

"So are you planning on joining us then?" I glanced over at Rogue who was standing by herself, her arms crossed, nodding politely to a young guy who was trying to chat her up.

"No. I have my own plans today, Kyle. I just wanted to make sure we understood each other, you and I."

"I don't know if anyone understands you, Gambit." At his look, I amended it to, "Remy."

"Remy, he a mystery wrapped in an enigma surrounded by a conundrum. That's why the ladies love him so."

"Well, being good looking helps I'm sure."

He smiled. "Now go back to my Rogue. You have work to do. And Remy, Remy have some things to do himself."

This was undoubtedly the strangest conversation I had ever had with a guy whose girl I was crushing on.

I nodded at him and turned back to where I had last left Rogue. "Remy? I think you better put your plans on hold."

"Mon ami?"

"It's Rogue. She's gone."