Author's Note: This takes place in the Evo Verse several years after the conclusion of the show. I would put Rogue at about 29 years old, and Gambit at about 31 years old. And, I am aware in the show that Rogue's eyes can appear more gray at first glance, but if you look closely, you will see that they are actually green. And, in the comics and animated show from the 90's, they are vividly green, so that is what I went with.

Please excuse any mistakes in French grammar.

I would love to hear your thoughts if you would like to leave a review, whether it is something you particularly liked or constructive criticism. Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, X-men Evolution, or any of the characters already familiar to readers.

From a very young age, Gambit had developed a more than healthy aversion to authority. Being told what he could and could not do grated on his nerves like nothing else, and even when he knew it was good for him, he did all he could to avoid following such directives. Therefore, he grew up with a strong sense of independence, living according to his own free will, making decisions based on his own instincts and experiences rather than even the best of advice from others. He reveled in being able to say "yes" or "no" as he so pleased and was convinced nothing could ever move him to act in any other way.

He was proven wrong with one pair of extraordinary green eyes. Though green was such an ordinary word for something so incredible. He couldn't define the exact shade, somewhere between dark emerald and light forest, surrounded by stunningly dark lashes, but whether they were sparkling with uninhibited joy, twinkling with her particular brand of mischief, or glimmering with tears at her misfortunes, they possessed an almost supernatural power over Remy LeBeau that he was defenseless against.

He had tried, of course. With all his wits and willpower, he had tried to resist the pull of those green eyes, but nothing worked. Having his defenses stripped back to nothing and leaving him so openly vulnerable was not a feeling he particularly enjoyed, so of course, in the beginning, he had used every weapon in his arsenal to try to break away from that powerful force contained in those green eyes. But it was no use. Despite his clever attempts, those green eyes called to him as surely as a siren's song called to a doomed sailor. He was completely and utterly defeated. Before he could even attempt to strategize another battle plan, his free will had been shackled to the slightest whims and most absurd commands that those green eyes conveyed. And the worst part was that he was as willing a slave to them as ever existed. His happiness was now inexplicably tied to those green eyes. And because of that, the boy who had grown up on the streets of New Orleans and laughed in the face of police, the young man who had risen through the ranks of the Thieves' Guild even as he mocked centuries of tradition, the villain turned hero who hated answering to anyone for his actions, Remy LeBeau, Gambit, le diable blanc, Master Thief and X-man had completely lost the ability to say the simple word, "no."

Or to be more accurate, he had lost the ability to say "no" only to the owner of those entrancing green eyes. To anyone else, it continued to cause him no trouble and little effort. In fact, he reveled in saying that word on a regular basis to his teammates and field commander simply for the fun of it and to continue to prove that he could.

And nothing gave him quite so much pleasure as saying "no" to Rogue. He had been saying it with the utmost sincerity and decided cheekiness to her almost from the moment he had arrived at the Institute several years ago, long before they had been husband and wife. In fact, he took particular pains to say "no" to her because riling her up was just too much fun. Baiting her by saying that one little word made her even more of a belle femme than she normally was, with her green eyes snapping with fire that he felt and thoroughly enjoyed down to his bones, a healthy rosy flush that bloomed across her porcelain cheeks, and her hands poised against her luxurious hips, which all in all made quite a pretty picture that Gambit was too eager to see to curb his tongue. Besides, seeing how she made him pay his penance for saying "no" to her was just as much fun as actually saying "no" to her.

It could be considered highly ironic that he frequently could say "no" to her green eyes, but not the other pair, especially since to the casual observer, the two sets appeared almost the same, the only difference being that one pair was set in a miniature face. Of course, Remy was not the casual observer and could easily pick out the subtle differences, such as how the green eyes belonging to the younger of the two women who were most important in his life was half of a shade darker than Rogue's and contained a tiny black fleck in the corner of the left iris. Inconsequential as these small details might have seemed, they apparently made all the difference in making Remy unable to resist them.

Remy was constantly amazed that someone so small could wield such immense power over him. It shouldn't have been possible, and yet, day by day, he was proved wrong. Those green eyes could demand any number of humiliating feats, and Remy was absolutely at their mercy. On multiple occasions, he had shown up at the X-mansion with his fingernails decorated in a rainbow of colors or his hair pulled back with bright bows or sparkly clips. He endured the relentless teasing from Monsieur Claws and Old One-Eye when he appeared in such a way, and he endured Rogue's mischievous grin when she caught him wearing a large floppy hat and some of her old lace-covered gloves amid yet another tea party. He willingly suffered those things because those same green eyes that held him captive, that nullified his ability to say "no", that made him act like a complete and utter fool also would brighten and shine like emeralds with innocent delight whenever Remy had fulfilled the request written within them.

His inability to form the simple syllable that he had once thrown so carelessly around had become a bit of a running joke amongst the X-men and had landed him in trouble with his wife more than once. But he just couldn't help it. Really, he couldn't. And, if he was being completely honest with himself, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to, despite the consequences.

Of course, he hadn't realized his surrender would come quite as easily as it had, especially after the fuss he had made. When Rogue had first told him that they would be welcoming another LeBeau into the family, he had been understandably overjoyed and noticeably nervous. He and Rogue had sat down together and calmly discussed if they wanted a boy or a girl. They had mutually agreed on a boy. They felt they could just do a better job as parents to a little boy than a little girl, and after all, boys were so much more fun. Therefore, when Hank McCoy had informed them that they would most definitely be having a girl, the expectant parents had been sufficiently surprised. Rogue had actually scowled at Remy and went so far as to badmouth him as if this unexpected development was his fault. In response, Remy had grinned deviously at her and told her he supposed it was just because he had a special way with ladies. Rogue had rolled her eyes at him but then began immediately adjusting her mental plans for the future.

Despite Remy's joking tones, the truth was that he had been very slow to get over his disappointment. He had really wanted a boy, had planned for one, had built up a thousand expectations in his mind for what he would do with his son, had promised himself he would be the father he wished his own had been, and now it would never come to fruition. In fact, while he never admitted it to Rogue, his opinion had not changed until they were in the delivery room.

The very instant that Hank placed the little wrapped-up bundle into his waiting arms, something changed within him. This was his daughter, his baby girl, and for the first time, Remy completely ceased thinking he wanted a boy. Why would he want a boy when it was so abundantly clear that he was meant to be the best father he could be to this precious little girl? Why had he even wanted a boy in the first place? Surely no boy could ever compare to this.

Remy was entirely convinced that he couldn't possibly love the baby in his arms any more than he already did. But then, she opened her eyes. Her green eyes.

His breath had caught in his throat, and it had taken a long pause before he remembered how to exhale. And, forever from that moment on, Remy LeBeau was lost. From then on out, he would live and die for his little girl.

It was a common misconception that Rebecca LeBeau had her father wrapped around her little finger, but Gambit knew how matters really stood. It was those damned, wonderful green eyes that kept him at her beck and call. Her little finger had no bearing on matters. Perhaps, he was overthinking this, and it was merely an expression. Regardless, it seemed no demand was too ridiculous for him to fulfill. He sent up regular silent prayers of thanks that his little girl was terrified of horses because he knew he would grant the request of a pony in a heartbeat, and Rogue most definitely would have killed him slowly and painfully if he did.

It was this sort of mindset and those abominable, lovable green eyes that constantly landed him in hot water. His current predicament was no exception, and he knew he had no one to blame but himself.

"More?" his two-year-old daughter asked sweetly, her green eyes pleading in the way she already knew he wouldn't deny. It was one of her favorite words in her limited vocabulary.

Remy sighed, already knowing he was fighting a losing war. "Don't you think it's time you went to sleep, petite?"

Though actually saying no was outside of the realm of possibility for him now, he wouldn't have considered himself a man if he didn't even attempt other battle tactics against his cunning adversary, however futile they proved to be in the end.

"No," she said with an emphatic shake of her head that sent her auburn curls bouncing.

She had absolutely zero trouble saying the word.

Another weary, defeated sigh escaped his lips. He loved his daughter more than anything in the world and enjoyed spending time with her as much as he possibly was able to. But her high energy combined with a long day of performing heroics for the sake of the X-men made him feel his age, and nothing sounded quite so good as collapsing into his bed and sleeping the rest of the night away, even if it was only 8:30 in the evening. Still, it was obvious he was going to give in eventually, so he might as well save himself some trouble and give in now. Though his voice was starting to get a bit scratchy, he obediently started the bedtime story again from the beginning, his timbre going a bit lower in his "storytelling voice." Rebecca gave him what Remy was sure was a triumphant smile, the little imp, and pulled her favorite stuffed teddy bear closer to her, planting a kiss on its fuzzy brown head. The toy was a gift from the rest of the team and sported little overalls with large snap buttons with red x's painted onto them as Rebecca was considered an honorary X-man, and she was rarely without her favorite companion, especially at bedtime.

When he was halfway through the story, Remy happened to glance up and noticed with an audible sigh of relief that those green eyes had fluttered closed. Not willing to risk waking her up when it was clear she wasn't yet deeply asleep, he allowed his voice to continue in the same soothing cadence as he read through the rest of the story. As he concluded, "the end" still resonating softly throughout the room, he placed the book on his daughter's shelf, finding a place among the crammed space where all her favorite stories resided, he came close to his daughter's sleeping form. He gently brushed a stray lock of cinnamon-colored hair away from her forehead to behind her ear and then placed an affectionate, feather-light kiss against her soft cheek.

"Goodnight, my petite ange. Pleasant dreams," he whispered as he pulled the covers around her shoulders.

He indulged himself with one last loving look toward his daughter before he finally turned away. And then immediately froze.

A different pair of green eyes were watching him closely, amusement shining from their depths. Remy had the decency to look sheepish as a knowing smirk played across his wife's face.

But Remy had never considered himself a coward, and thus bravely came forward to accept whatever punishment his wife decided to dole out. Rogue allowed him to sidle past her, though her eyebrows were raised in a clear challenge. Then, she peeked at her sleeping toddler before closing the door behind them.

Remy opened his mouth to begin his defense, but Rogue was quicker, "I do believe putting her to bed is supposed to include just one bedtime story."

Though her voice was chiding, a smile twitched at the corner of her lips, threatening to burst through at any moment. He could definitely work with that.

"It was just one story, Rogue, honest," he replied, sounding far less contrite than he should have.

He pulled her close to him and held back a grin as she willingly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and began playing with the soft, fine hairs at the back of his neck in a way she absolutely knew drove him crazy. He suddenly didn't feel quite so exhausted.

He forced himself to continue his defense, "I just happened to read the same story five times in a row."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head in fond exasperation.

"You spoil her, Remy."

It wasn't the first time she had said that very thing or something in a similar vein. He knew she was right and felt guilt tug at his heartstrings.

"Desolé, chéré," he whispered sincerely, "Can't help it."

And that was the truth of the matter, as they both well knew. He couldn't say "no" to his daughter, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware that sometimes he should.

But, if Rogue's dazzling smile that she flashed toward him was anything to go by, he could safely say that in this instance, at least, she wasn't truly upset. His assumption was proven further correct when she pulled his lips down to meet hers in a slow, lingering, purposeful kiss that they both savored the sensation of for far longer than was decent. To Hell with decency, he thought to himself.

It was a long, perfect moment before they finally pulled apart. Remy watched with growing fascination and delight as his wife licked her lips. Then, she blinked slowly before turning her eyes to face him. For a moment, they were clouded and hazy, but then they cleared as she turned the full power of them on him, and he felt a thrill race through every inch of his body at the emotion contained within their depths.

"Come to bed," she said simply.

A wicked grin tilted the corners of his mouth as he obediently followed his wife. Apparently, there was more than one pair of green eyes he couldn't say no to.