Rogue groaned as the sunrays touched her long eyelashes, she wasn't hangover but her mind needed some processing about the last couple of days' events and put them in order.

She turned around and stretched her arms above her hand, relaxing her body in her double bed. Realizing the Cajun wasn't there, a frown appeared on her face and she sat up, her green eyes studying the room in blankness.

He was sleeping on the couch.

Okay, she was surprised. Apparently, there was some chivalry left in him somewhere and he liked to point out otherwise. With another stretching of her legs, she stood up and grabbed the extra sheet which was on her bed and covered his sleeping figure with that. Despite his devilish eyes and dangerous demeanor, he was sleeping like an angel with his handsome structure.

She went to the bathroom, deciding to take a quick shower as she was feeling dirty from all the battling and kidnapping, of course. Closing the door behind, she undressed herself quickly and studied her figure in the mirror. Alright, there were no bruising aside from the one on her right arm and she was fine, anyway.

Stepping into the shower, she felt the hot water cleanse through her soul. She was still having moral issues with stealing someone else's goods, but she made up her mind by thinking she was going to prevent it going into the cruel hands.

Her mind wandered off to the images she had witnessed when she absorbed Remy, the steam and the wetness in the shower provoked the feelings she had literally lived. Never in her entire life, had she experienced something so passionate and so erotic –which made her feel all tingly below the stomach. She felt her breathing fasten as the shampoo mixed with water poured down on her skin, down to her legs.

No, she wasn't going to do it. A man she had met two days ago couldn't possibly get under her skin that easily, she didn't even do this for Bobby and he was her fucking boyfriend, for god's sake.

But her hand found their way to her intimate spot and she held her breath momentarily, letting herself explore her own as the images of Rio kept playing in her mind, the rain type of shower head falling down from her long hair as she closed her eyes and pictured the rain in Rio from his thoughts.

It wasn't normal that she was being turned on by someone else's memories, was it?

As if the question itself wasn't distracting enough, a knock on the bathroom door surely took her mind off of it.

She cleared her throat and put her face in her hands, trying to wash off everything that was about to happen. She got out of the shower a moment later, wrapping herself in the white towel. With the extra one, she squeezed the wetness of her hair and began drying it. All of her clothing had been dirty, also, but she had no other option to wear them again.

"Chére," the voice on the other side of the bathroom door caught her off. "If y' need a shirt, jus' let me know, I have extra."

She bit her bottom lip and weighted her options. Her turtleneck was torn, dirty and useless, so she could use a new one. Her leather jeans, however, was safe but still needed a wash. She had to do with a clean shirt, anyway.

She opened the door and cast him a thankful look, reaching out for him to hand her over the clean one. His red irises lingered on her figure wrapped in a towel momentarily, as if memorizing her sight in his mind. She waved her hand, trying to snap his attention back to the shirt and he gave her a sheepish grin in return and grabbed a black, v neck shirt from his leather bag, handing it to her.

After a quick changing session, she cleaned up her mess and sat on the bed. "Alright," she began. "Ah'm done, you can go."

Remy eyed her from the couch and nodded his head, making his way to the bathroom and closing the door behind. After a moment, she heard the shower going on and sighed as the previous images appeared in her mind again. Okay, she wasn't going to feel shameful for discovering her likes but it wasn't nice to do that based on someone else's memories, after all. Especially that someone was him.

Huffing in annoyance, she turned on the television and started channeling until a news report showed up. A blonde woman was hosting the news as she informed that the long waited process of the new Sentinel project finally had a release date. Rogue frowned, how come everyone was okay with this? More likely, why was everyone okay with taking down every mutant ever existed?

She studied the man from the news cautiously, Dr. Bolivar Trask was well known for his anti-mutant campaigns and propagandas. She knew the name back from the institute, anyway. He was an annoying little man with big cruel plans for the future and she was quite surprised at the fact nobody was stopping his legal-but-illegal experiments.

Snapping back to reality, Remy walked into the room with a towel wrapped around his thigh, revealing his muscular chest once more and she hesitantly gulped at the sight. He truly was a Roman statue and the worst part was, he knew the effect he was giving and she was aware of that, but neither of them said a single thing.

He grabbed his bag and looked for a few things before finally putting a black shirt over his head and flashed her a smile, before going back to the bathroom again.

Fuck, she was nearly drinking in his sight.

When he was finished in nearly fifteen minutes, she cocked her head and cast him a look. He shrugged in return and sprayed on some perfume, gesturing her to get up. "Let's get goin'."

"Where are we goin'?" she asked, putting on her leather jacket and her gloves.

"Some shoppin'," he replied, grabbing his phone and glancing around the room. "I promised t' buy y' new stuff, didn't I?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Just 'cause you messed up mines and stole my cash, let's be clear 'bout that. I wouldn't normally let ya do that, swamp rat."

He smirked at her comment and nodded his head. "Duly noted, ma chérie," he said, walking behind her as she walked out of the room.

Once they reached the elevator, he seized her up and down. She shifted uncomfortably, wrapping her arms around her as if she was naked under his intense gaze. He resisted the urge to laugh out loud. "I thought we were past t' starin', p'tite."

Her cheeks felt warmer as she avoided his gaze and held her chin up, facing the elevator doors.

"What can I say," he murmured against her cheek, his body close to hers. "Y' jus' quite the sight."

Just as she was about to turn and say something about his annoying womanizer behavior, the doors opened and they walked into the lobby. The redhead from the register gave a glare at their way and Rogue suppressed another eye roll. What was up with her anyway?

Remy also didn't mind the glare, but kept on walking as they both reached the car. The road trip to the nearest avenue was silent, they only listened to some music and barely spoke with each other on the way. However, it wasn't weird but rather they minded their own peacefulness.

He drove her to some street where she saw a couple of clothing stores. It wasn't like anywhere she had been in Westchester, so she assumed they weren't as near as she had originally thought. He parked somewhere and soon after she found herself in a store where a bunch of jeans and 2000's attire took place. She cast him a glance and rolled her eyes, was she in Mean Girls or something?

"Hey, Bree," he leaned against the counter and called for the cashier as Rogue looked amazed. Did this guy know every single woman in this place? Shaking her head disapprovingly, she looked for a couple of tops, only to find crop and texty tops. Surely she wasn't going to wear something that said Got Blow? 2001's Paris Hilton much?

A beauty with dark hair and matching skin showed up behind the counter and actually cheered when she saw who was approaching her. "Remy LeBeau, what a great surprise," she held her hands in the air and wrapped her arms around him in a very friendly gesture.

"Y' know me, chére, I'm full of surprises."

"And ain't that the truth," the woman shook her head but a smile appeared on her full lips. Her wavy black hair was long and her light pink top was showing off her beautiful figure. She was older than him, but still she had an interesting aura that made the younger woman look at her in awe. "And you are, my dear?" she asked, her brown eyes lingering on the white streaked woman.

"Rogue," she said, holding out a gloved hand politely.

"Rogue," the woman repeated, looking at her gloves momentarily before giving her a handshake. "I'm Bree."

"Nice to meet ya."

"Oh, another southern?" she raised an eyebrow at him instead. "Don't see much around here."

"Oui," Remy smirked, checking out the stuff on the register. "That makes trois of us."

"You're southern, too?" Rogue asked the other woman, leaning against the wall and studying her figure. She didn't seem to have an accent like them, but she surely had some sass.

"Born in Nashville, grew up in N'Awlins," she replied, waving a hand in the air. "Anyway, what can I do for you?"

Remy clicked on his tongue and let his eyes linger on the younger woman. "We need some clothes and a phone."

"Clothes I can manage, but-"

"Bree."

The woman paused and gave him a long sigh. She gestured towards the door behind the counter as Remy turned the open sign on the main door to the closed one, before walking into the door with her. Rogue followed the duo hesitantly, secret passages in some thrift store wasn't quite her daily activity.

The inside of the passage was another room, of course. But it was filled with mystical stuff such as tarot cards, voodoo dolls and crystals. Rogue wanted to touch them all, but knew better than to mess with magic. She surely wasn't a true believer when it came to magic, but she couldn't deny its existence, either.

Bree led them to a corner where an old, wooden commode stood gracefully and opened a drawer. There was three cellphones in and she frowned, checking their sim cards. She made a proud sound when she selected one and handed it to him. "That will do," she announced. "That was my last one, you handsome little charmer."

"I truly appreciate it, chére," he replied with an amused grin. "You're an angel."

"Oh, hush," she shrugged nonchalantly and made her way to the ancient armchair. "So, what's the story with this one?"

This one? Rogue frowned and raised an eyebrow at the older woman. She was right there, why not just ask her anyway? But Remy didn't seem to mind, he placed himself on the other chair in front of her and leaned back. "Y' tell me, Bree, what do y' see?" he asked in deep interest, as Rogue looked at the two with a blank look on her face. What the hell was she witnessing?

Bree cast a glance at her direction before grabbing a deck of tarot cards and spread some on the wooden table. While she was deeply focused on the cards, she kept looking at her direction every once in a while. "The Magician," she said, frowning at the card. "Something about the desire, a wish, an agreement."

Rogue got the chills.

"The Chariot," she announced, pointing out the reversed card. "It's reversed. Lack of control, lack of organization and thought."

Remy didn't seem to be bewildered at all.

"The Wheel of Fortune, you are doing something that's inevitable by fate," she nodded her head, focused on the cards. She had spread the cards in some order altogether. Page of Wands, Two of Wands, Ten of Cups, reversed Eight of Swords, reversed Ace of Swords and Page of Pentacles. "You're on some exploration, freedom is your guidance. You left your home behind, making new decisions for your better self. What you wished for all along will come true, but at what cost?" she asked, staring at the cards, her question could have been directed at both of them. "Are you willing to do anything for freedom? Are you ready for self-acceptance? Because there will be chaos at the end. It's only up to you to decide what you truly wish for is the right thing to do, only then chaos will turn into fulfillment."

Both were silent, trying to make some sense into her words. Remy broke the silence first, thanking the older woman with a soft smile and fixing his leather coat to get up, however Bree touched his gloved hand to sit down as her brown eyes were fixated on his deeply. Rogue realized that he wasn't wearing any shades, meaning that him and the woman had a long history of acceptance together.

Bree raised a hand and mouthed a 'give me' with patience. With a frown on his face, Remy lifted the deck of playing cards from his pocket and handed them to her. Although Rogue was sure it was his, Bree spread the cards and laid them onto the table randomly. The first card she had chosen was Queen of Hearts and she nearly laughed, making eye contact with him. "Oh, Remy," she muttered, shaking her head approvingly with a grin on her face. "Always putting yourself in bigger situations, ain't you?"

Remy eyed the card carefully, cast a glance at Rogue briefly then focused back on the older woman with a forced smile. "Y' know me, chére."

"Be careful," Bree nodded her head as she drew another card, holding Seven of Clubs. "You're working on something, be wise enough to separate your heart and your mind."

She drew King of Clubs and Queen of Diamonds and Remy nearly snorted at the last one. "What or whom you're about to get yourself into is dangerous and you're facing some strong people. I advise you to be careful with what you planned ahead."

A frown appeared on his face as a series of unspoken thoughts washed through his face.

"Can Ah draw one?"

Both eyes fixated on the younger woman as she approached the two, she had been watching the whole scenario from the corner as the older woman went into some fortune-telling mood. Bree gave her a smile and gestured the man to leave his space for the woman. They exchanged positions as Rogue bit her bottom lip and drew a single card randomly, Ace of Hearts. Bree sighed as another grin appeared on his lips, exchanging looks with the red eyed man before looking back at her. "You will find a companion, an acceptance on who you are, which may turn into a long partnership."

A small frown appeared on her face, romantically? Jokes on her, she had just ended something romantically and she wasn't up to making new relationships now. Especially considering the fact that she wasn't able to touch anyone.

Thanking her, she nodded her head and moved to get up but Bree reached out and held her gloved hand, making her jump from the sudden contact as her brown eyes pierced through her emerald ones. Rogue couldn't seem to take her eyes away from the other woman as Bree cocked her head aside, eyes fixated on hers still. When she finally let go of her hand, Rogue got up and wrapped her arms around herself in a soothing demeanor.

Remy looked at the dark haired woman with a questioning look before casting a glance at the younger woman, making sure she was fine after the unwanted touching. His eyes rested on Bree again, asking silent questions. Bree shook her head, a frown appeared on her face. "So much power," she had said, finally. "So much self restraint and despair. It's almost suffocating, like a lone wolf in need of a pack, in need of acceptance."

Rogue shivered, feeling a lump on her throat. She felt exposed and not to mention, annoyed. She had no right to just… touch her out of the blue, sure she was making predictions and everything, but she still felt terrible hearing these things again. That was all she had heard in her entire life anyway.

Remy cleared his throat and touched her shoulder hesitantly, she didn't jump as he had expected. "Y' okay, p'tite?" he asked, studying her face carefully which earned him a nod. "Bree can be a little unexpected."

"Be careful, Remy LeBeau," Bree said in a sitting position, her eyes darkened at the thought. "For all you know, you may be playing with fire."

"Merci, ma chérie," he forced another smile along her way and pointed towards the door, but still the older woman caught the darkening of his eyes momentarily and nodded. "We appreciate the predictions, really. But we need some clothes."

That seemed to smooth the vibe around the room as Bree nodded her head and walked out of the room, the duo followed the woman as they came across a bunch of tops and jeans. Rogue shook off the eerie feeling and focused on the clothing. They were either too short or too tight and she gave him a frown, as he showed her a crop tank top that looked like a bra.

She ended up getting a pair of tank tops and blue jeans, he insisted on getting a revealing shirt and she rolled her eyes, but he got them anyway. He even chose a black lace bra and her jaw dropped at his bluntness. "Ah can buy my own lingerie, swamp rat, thank you very much."

"But y' know y' cant, p'tite," he gave her a smirk, emphasizing on her lack of cash and held a matching lace panties. "It's my treat and y' know it."

She gave him a long sigh and grabbed them off of his hand, he pretended to be hurt by the behavior and looked for more lingerie. She still got the pair anyway, along with some other panties.

Bree smiled as they were done with their small shopping trip, accepted the money and made a discount on his behalf. Before they left the shop, she had turned to Rogue and nodded her head. "I'm sorry about the sudden predictions, sometimes they get the best of me."

"It's okay," she replied back, also giving her a small nod. "Ah was just surprised, it's all."

"They're just predictions, don't think too hard on it," she advised as she gave them a hand wave and the duo were back in the car.

After a moment of listening to the radio, Remy glanced up at her. "She's right, y' know. Don't worry your head on some future tellin'."

Rogue was watching the road from the side window as he spoke, she leaned her head against the window and faced him. "Ah know," she said, nodding. "But still, it's stuck there somewhere."

"You'll learn how t' control 'em, I promise."

She bit her bottom lip and took her glance away, staring at the endless trees on both sides of the road. "Yeah, well," she began, her gloved fingers playing with each other anxiously. "Ain't the first time hearin' it."

He lifted his right hand, taking hers in a gentle hold. She sucked in her breath briefly before letting him hold her hand, he squeezed it lightly. "Oui, p'tite, mais they ain't me," he said, not removing his hand. He wanted to see her limits, to see if she would begin to feel comfortable around him. And the strangest thing was, he didn't know where this confidence came from. He wasn't one hundred percent sure if he could teach her how to control her mutation, but from his previous experiments with her, he had found some loopholes and that could mean she would be able to learn it somehow.

She didn't say anything for the rest of the trip, he didn't make a sound either but held her hand until he stopped at some restaurant and decided to get some take away. Rogue kept leaning against the window, her eyes cloudy from the thinking and sudden melancholia. Bree was nice and everything, but there were limits to people's boundaries and there were things some people didn't wish to hear, not to mention if such were her deepest insecurities.

Remy came back with a huge carton bag and placed himself on the driver's seat, handing it over. Rogue hastily checked through the bag, a smile appeared on her lips as she caught a glimpse of hamburgers and fries.

Once they were back in the room, he cleaned the couch and made a room for them. Turning on the television, his eyes fixated on the news channel momentarily before she placed the bag in between them. "It's strange," she observed, taking a bite from her hamburger. "Here we are hangin' out like we know each other more than a couple of days, yet Ah don't know anythin' 'bout you, swamp rat."

He let out a small laugh and cocked his head aside, unwrapping his hamburger. "Y' hurt my feelings, p'tite, I was thinkin' of gettin' us a pair of Cartier's already."

Rogue made a face and tried again. "Ah'm serious," she shook her head. "Tell me 'bout yourself."

"This, again?" He glanced up at the ceiling and gave her an exasperated sigh. She nudged his shoulder and gave him a frown, waiting for him to give up which he did while taking a sip from his drink. She was obviously not letting this go. "D'accord," he glanced up at her. "What do y' wanna know?"

She was surprised to see he was on board with this, but she wasn't going to comment on it. Instead, she bit the inside of her lip and raised a brow. She wasn't going to blow her luck with a stupid question that could trigger him off, but rather, she could ask him things to make her feel comfortable anyway. "You are a thief," she began, not so much of a question and he nearly snorted at the obvious. "What's the most expensive thing you've stolen from someone?"

Now, that got his attention as his crimson red eyes flashed at her in a way that he almost said are you serious and a little of why are you asking this instead of other basic hundreds of questions.

Well, yes, she was trying to figure out what kind of a thief he was, after all. The kind that burst into homes and steal some cash, or steal from the banks or from the rich people? What were the limits of theft, anyway?

A grin appeared on his face based on her confusion, as he leaned against the couch, taking a bite from his burger. "Guess," he said, eyes on the television.

She frowned again, she was asking the questions because she couldn't guess for god's sake. He was good with his hands, with the ropes and everything. That could mean he would go inside a bank without a doubt, but stealing from the bank was kind of huge and it needed more than just hand skills. On the other hand, he was okay with stealing this ring from a club, too. He had mentioned that there were going to be top security levels, so if he was in total faith that he was going to pull this up, so yeah maybe he wasn't the type that went into regular homes.

So, yeah, no burglary.

"Banks?" she tried, her green eyes searching for answers on his finely structured face, but instead, she earned a laugh and it made her frown again.

"Really, chére?" he clicked on his tongue disapprovingly. "But I'll give y' benefit o' the doubt since y' new to all these things, non? Remy's had a good run with diamonds, cash, gems and jets. But my personal favorites were the ones without a regular value, like the sex tape of the president or top secret discs for government projects. The real thrill is that."

Rogue's jaw dropped and she stared at him in disbelief. So she was facing a masterful, professional full time thief and she was… just Rogue. That led to another question. "So you're a pro in this field, why do ya even need me for this ring?" she asked in awe.

He gave her a small grin and took another bite. "Always better with company, chére," he said and she rolled her eyes, poking his shoulder with her coke and demanding a real answer. He sighed and positioned himself to face her better. "Sure I can try and get t' ring myself, but why put myself in the greater risk of gettin' caught by Shaw? Whereas y', mon p'tite agent, can easily absorb his mind and see t' codes for the case yourself."

She stared at him in confusion. Did he really think she could pull this off? It wasn't like she knew what to absorb from people, sometimes they were traumas and sometimes they were… well, Rio. Nobody taught her how to manipulate her absorbing to get the useful memories and she surely didn't have any clue on how to do that.

He sensed her self-doubting and cast a glance at her hands briefly. "Y' will learn," he insisted. "It's jus' a couple of more tries, then y' will learn what to get from me."

"How are ya so confident in me?"

He raised an eyebrow at her lack of self-confidence, he couldn't even shake off the annoyed feeling at the thought that why she was feeling like this or who made her feel like this for god's sake. Okay, having a mutation that could kill people would do that to some people, but there was a difference between being distant and being afraid. She had the looks that screamed confidence and toughness, yet again, he was surprised to see how fragile she was.

Remy put whatever was between them aside and positioned himself in a relaxed position in front of her, she was watching everything with a strange look. He grabbed her left hand and held it in his palm, she was about to protest but let it slide. "Look," he shot her a look as he raised their conjoined hands even though she was wearing her gloves. "Suis je mort? Non, so just have some faith in yourself, p'tite."

Sure, he wasn't dead but she could kill him with that same touch he was mocking with.

That earned him a sigh as she took her hand back. He could play the not afraid part easily, but it wasn't easy to forget the sadness and the hurt she had caused upon others before. No, she was glad that he was willing to touch her and teach her how to control her mutation, but deep down, that very same voice was always questioning and doubting her self-control.

It didn't take an empath to see she was doubting her abilities once again, so instead of talking her into a better mood, Remy stood up and got the whiskey bottle from last night. It was still half full and he served two drinks between them. Rogue put her head on the back of the couch and sighed, either she was going to fully control her powers after this whole thing or she was going to be an alcoholic.

But she knew she needed to calm her nerves before another session, anyway.

Placing himself in front of her, he made a cheers gesture and gulped the whole thing down, she mimicked his action right away. Shaking her head at the sudden burning of her throat, she made a face and he actually chuckled at that, before renewing their drinks.

"Ready for the upgraded session, chére?" he raised a brow, a devilish smirk appearing on his lips and she felt a shiver at her spine, nodding her head. "Both gloves are off, so are mine. Feel free t' explore y' map," he said, removing his leather gloves as she began taking off hers.

Rogue bit her bottom lip shortly, the alcohol was beginning to show its perks in her bloodstream and she was rooting for herself silently. She could do this, she could at least try to get a new record on the time, couldn't she?

She raised her right palm, stretching it nervously before taking a deep breath and eventually, letting her fingertips brush his exposed arm through his t-shirt. His arms were another sight, they were defined and toned and she was literally feeling like exploring a whole new map. They were also covered in some little scars and she let her fingers touch every damn cell. "Where did you get this?" she asked in silence, mentioning the larger cut on his forearm.

His red irises were focused on her fingers before he glanced up at her in interest. "Madripoor," he answered, studying her face.

She nodded her head, as if that reply rang any bells in her mind, but still she got an answer and was happy about it. It was a few seconds more before she felt the pull and she pulled away hastily.

He looked okay, his eyes were still on hers. He held his glare for another moment, before gulping down his second drink and waiting her to do the same, which she did happily. He stretched his whole body briefly, positioned himself in a better position and looked at her with bright eyes. "My turn," he said, not waiting for her approval.

She didn't freak out as he was expecting, but instead she closed her eyes and nodded her head, readying herself for the contact. She wasn't going to think about it, she wasn't going to mess this up. And she felt his fingertips touch her wrist so gently that she doubted herself whether it was real or she imagined it. Slowly exhaling, she focused on the feeling that she was having at the moment as his fingers traced upwards leisurely. Chills, she got literal chills.

Remy touched her as if she was the rarest piece in an art gallery, afraid of breaking her but couldn't resist to touch her anyway. He could tell that she was shivering from his touch, based on her rapid but brief exhaling of breath and he just needed to make her feel comfortable under his touch.

His thumb gently brushed her inner arm, again making her hold her breath. She was feeling that tingly feeling in her stomach again and she didn't like it, it was overwhelming her thoughts and she needed her mind to work properly around this guy. But still, she couldn't help and enjoy his stolen touches.

Then it happened again and she pulled away, he cocked his head aside with a smirk. "Not so bad, hein?" he stared at her amusingly. "Still alive."

Instead of coming with a smart reply like he could have been hurt and etcetera, she only nodded her head. A part of her was screaming her to stop with this whole thing because it was going to end up with him being hurt, another huge part of her wanted him to continue. Selfish as it may have been, she wanted more of his touch and she was actually feeling bad about it.

He poured some more whiskey and emptied the bottle eventually, handing her the other glass before drinking his. She looked at him and gulped the whole glass and put it on the table.

"My turn," she said, earning an approving smirk from him as he laid both of his arms in front of him comfortably, palms facing the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, she let her fingers go through his toned arms. After he was sure that she was comfortable with touching him for a few seconds, he raised his right hand and touched her arm as well. Her emerald eyes were shining brightly at him, unsure of what to do with all these sudden touching. His thumb carefully travelled through her upper arm, towards her neck, taking her breath away. Her gentle fingers on his arm stopped moving, her eyes piercing through his red irises in sudden thrill. He cupped her chin with his right hand, his thumb nearly touching her bottom lip as she felt herself smitten under his intense gaze. Her palm shakily reached to his upper arm, her fingers brushing his toned bicep in a soft manner. She sucked in her breath as his palm caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes, resting her cheek on his palm as her left hand went ahead and cupped his hand on her face, exhaling slowly at the overwhelming emotions. When she opened her eyes, all she could see was a pair of crimson eyes burning brightly and the scent of rich bourbon a few inches off her face.

Her face was still resting on his right palm, as hers was gently brushing his bicep. She was so beautiful that it actually hurt not being able to touch her properly, he couldn't take his eyes away from her green eyes or how she was aching for a simple touch such as a caress of a cheek. He slowly drew her closer, her face inches away from his as she held his glare. Her lips turning into a small pout, her hand still on his over her cheek as the other one drawing circles on his arm softly and all he wanted was to gamble, to put all of his money into this one bet and to feel her full lips on his and feel her hands all over him and he nearly lost control when she gave him a shaky breath in return.

Then it happened again, this time he didn't pull away right away but a couple of seconds later and felt as if he was stung repeatedly with a couple of needles in the most absurd areas and he drew a sharp breath.

Rogue blinked a few times to come to her senses, but a few seconds of her mutation was enough to give her some memories.

Thanksgiving. He was spending time with his brother and his family for a change. His brother was giving his girlfriend some stolen kisses and an old woman shushed them with a spoon, a blonde man ran in the hallway and the same woman whopped his ass with that spoon this time. Remy laughed and went into the kitchen as the others were occupied with something else and he stole a walnut and cinnamon cookie from the newly baked tray. The woman caught him on his failed mission and chased him out of the kitchen with a French curse but she was kind of amused. The blonde man told him to run as his brother shook his head ridiculously. The smell of fresh cookies and cinnamon filled the living room as the men placed themselves around the long table, the woman came back with a finely roasted turkey and they all smiled at each other.

Remy studied her face carefully, trying to read what she had gotten from him. She looked plain blank, eyes focused on his face as well until she cocked her head and gave him a small smile. "Lucky you," she said, closing her eyes briefly before facing him again. He was puzzled still, his mind racing to find out what she was talking about. "It must be really nice to have a lovin' home," she added, leaning back as she tore her gaze away from him.

So, she saw something about his family.

His red on black eyes watched every single emotion coming off of her, he didn't need his empathy to figure out what she was feeling but sure, her feelings were all over the place. Feeling isolated and lonely, Rogue eyed him from her position and gave him a reassuring smile that she was okay and wore her gloves back, letting him know that the session was over for tonight.

"It was," he revealed out of the blue, getting her attention back on him again. "Feels like a long time ago, t' be honest."

"At least you got some, sugah."

"Yeah, y' could say that," he said, not realizing that his lips curved into a soft smile after talking about his family. It had been a long time since he thought about the good times, especially after his exile.

She curled into a little ball, her hands supporting her head on the back of the couch as her body faced him. He leaned back and met her gaze, both didn't break the eye contact until she spoke again.

"Did you always spend thanksgivin' together?"

Remy shook his head softly and smiled at the thought. She saw one of the family gatherings, which he didn't know for sure whether it was the one he accidentally burned the turkey or the one where they turned the food table into a poker game and got smacked in the head by Tante Mattie, or entirely something else. "As much as we could," he answered honestly. "But y' see, there are ups and downs in our… line of work," he chose the words carefully. "It wasn't always we could get together, not every single one of us anyway."

"There was a woman that baked cookies and threatened everyone with a spoon," she spoke in such low voice that he had to actually lean in a little to understand. "Was she your mama?"

He shook his head again. "That was Tante Mattie," he replied with the same aloof smile he had been wearing since she mentioned his family. "Kinda the mama figure this Cajun had ever known."

"She looked nice," she said, matching his smile softly before a mischievous look appeared in her eyes. "I wonder what she'd think if she knew that you kidnapped me."

"Hey, now," he gave her an annoyed look and she rolled her eyes playfully. "Thought we were past that, p'tite."

"We are, Cajun," She shrugged. "But can't a gal have some fun with teasin' you?"

She could swear that she saw a spark in his crimson red eyes before he glanced up at her intensely. There was that similar feeling in her stomach that she wasn't fond of as she faintly batted her eyelashes from where she was curled up.

"Oh, chére," his eyes travelled from her eyes to her full lips, making her shiver softly. He licked his lips and leaned in a little. "Don't worry 'bout teasin' me, y' doin' hell of a job with that."

She looked puzzled briefly before her eyes widened in his innuendo, a smirk appeared on his lips as recognition was written all over her face. She shoved him back and rolled her eyes and he chuckled in return.

After a moment of eyeing him firmly, she gave him a sigh before she stretched her arms lightly, standing up and heading over to the bed, making herself comfortable under the sheets. Casting him a look with one eye open, she saw that he also did exactly the same and grabbed his pillow and sheets before finding a comfortable position on the couch. After she was sure that he was still, she reached out and turned off the lamp.

Silence filled the room with darkness and she realized that she often found comfort in that.

"She'd whooped my ass."

Rogue lifted her head and glanced up at him. "Hm?"

"Tante, she'd whopped my ass if she knew."

A genuine smile appeared on his lips shortly after she gave him a wholeheartedly laugh. "Goodnight, Remy."

"Bonne nuit, chére."

His mind wandered off to the free fortune telling session they had with Bree earlier today, thinking and reviewing everything the older woman had said to both of them. New beginnings, chaos, thrill, danger and love. Eh, these were the main tags of his life, concepts that he wasn't very much foreign to.

Ace of Hearts.

Maybe he could learn to not fight against the fate itself.