Dear Awesome Fans:

Recently it was suggested that I may actually get tired of hearing the constant praise for this story. Let me be quick in refuting that accusation. Each of us loves these characters because in some way we relate to them in a personal way. While I confess that most of my personal traits are more in step with Rogue than Remy, there is one area in which I sympathize with our Cajun hero entirely: ego. I will never tire of praise. And in fact, your praises often prove the motivating factor behind my writing. So don't think to yourself "oh she's tired of me saying how much I love each and every chapter", because it's just not true. I grin and giggle and pat myself on the back with each and every review. Glad to have cleared up that issue. ;P

Part 15: Cat and Mouse

I was worried dat I might never be able to look at Stormy de right way. When I met her she had been a beautiful little toddler wit' big cherub cheeks, russet skin, a lot o' sass and a shock o' white hair. She had needed my protection, and how could I refuse?

Now Storm had grown literally overnight into a voluptuous, powerful, and self-sufficient woman, which my eyes could see but my mind could not perceive. It was a block. When I looked at Storm, I saw chubby cheeks and wanted to mess up her hair.

With a bit o' surprise, I realized I was glad to see her. Kinda missed de little t'ing. In fact, mostly I was glad to be back at dis place. It wasn't like everyone here was particularly nice to me, cause dey weren't, but dey were trying to do somet'ing truly good here, and it was de first time I'd ever actually been close to t'ings like dat.

Wolvie was gon' cause a problem, I could see dat straight away. Frankly it was hard to miss. De look in his eyes when he charged outta dat house to meet us at de taxi was familiar. I'd seen it before. "Stay away from my girl," was backed up wit' a potent threat. Logan's not exactly a gentleman, but would he act on dat threat if de girl wanted me around? Hmmm. I always liked to push my luck.

Though bein' back was good in some ways…I mean a man can only take so much o' his fam'ly…uddah t'ings developed de likes o' which I wasn' a fan.

I didn' see Rogue. Not half as much. Not hardly at all. At first I didn' t'ink about it too much uddah den to pout ev'ry now and again. She'd been gone fo' a few weeks, o' course she wanted to see all her old friends and settle back into her home. But den it became almos' tangible. I walked into a room, she walked out. I went to find her, she had jus' stepped out. Where was she goin' anyway? Anytime I did catch her on her own, it wasn' de same. She was guarded, de conversation was on autopilot, and after a few minutes she made some excuse about headin' to de danger room or meetin' up wit' Logan or helpin' Jubilee study.

At least she was mo' polite dan Betsy, who apparently hadn't gotten over my slight. All I ever got out o 'her was a curt an' unfriendly "LeBeau." She said my last name like it was meant to be insultin'. Truth be told, I didn' miss her all too much, so I didn' care.

But Rogue was not gon' ignore me forever, so help me. I tried de direct route first. I cornered her in de library, leadin' a study group. Her eyes flickered up, but den immediately continued wit de lesson. It was a blatant dismissal. Heh. Sometimes 's like she doesn' know me at all.

"Rogue?"

Her eyes jumped back up again. "Yes?"

"I hate to interrupt, but I was wonderin' if I could talk to you fo' a minute?"

Her face stayed cool, unresponsive. "Can it wait? Ah'm sort of in the middle of somethin' here…"

"Please?" Her please had worked on me back home…maybe mine would work on her here. She took a careful breath.

"All right y'all, maybe discuss the chart on page 59 foah a few minutes? Ah'll be right back."

Jubilee an' Kitty looked up at me, an' I winked. Jubilee blushed and looked away, Kitty giggled. Rogue stared only at de floor in front o' her feet. I led her to an abandoned aisle and it wasn't till I stopped dat she brought her eyes up to mine carefully. 'S probably just my imagination, but it seems like her eyes change wit' her moods. Right now dey looked duller somehow; like a bunch o' grey got mixed in wit' de green, or like moss wrapped around stone.

Like I said, dis was meant to be a direct approach. She's usually direct wit' me. Do unto uddahs and all dat.

"Rogue you ever gon' tell me what de problem is?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, one t'ing I always liked about you was dat you don' play games. You gon' start now?"

"Gambit, you seem to be concerned about somethin'. Ah'm tryin' to answer yoah question, but ya need to be more specific. What have ah done that's bothered ya?"

See, she called me Gambit. S' not all in my head. "It's not what yo' doin', it's what yo' not doin'."

"Well what am ah not doin? Is this a confrontation or a guessin' game?"

"Ever since we got back here you been avoidin' me like I'm poisonous or somet'ing. Tryin' to get to you is like tryin' to grab water. Now if I've done somet'ing wrong den tell me and we'll deal wit' it, but dis cold shoulder nonsense has to stop. S'not right and you know it."

Her face stayed agonizingly empty and unreadable. What de hell? She was normally so open, and I loved to watch her t'oughts and feelings play out on dat beautiful stage.

She smiled, but it looked like her lips were fightin' gravity. "Remy ah think maybe yoah overreactin'. Ah'm sorry if its seemed like ah've been avoidin' you, but while you were away ah came into a lot of new responsibilities around here, and ah have a lot of catch up to do. Now if you actually need me foah somethin', then please don't hesitate to ask and ah'll do mah best, but if not then please find some other way of entertainin' yoahself. There's a lot of jobs ah don't mind havin', but babysittin' just ain't on the top of mah list."

"Dat's not it."

She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow. "Well then let's hear yoah theory."

"I already told you. Dis is not a coincidence, dis is not in my head, you are not short on time: you are avoidin' me."

"Why would ah do that?"

"Dis is de question I posed to you. Why you got to be so stubborn all de time?"

Fo' jus a second some light danced behind her eyes. She hates bein' called stubborn. Met'inks de lady doth protest too much.

"As far as ah'm concerned, swamp rat, this conversation is over and dead. You want mah time? Get in line. Don't like it? Go make some new friends. Ah'm not the only girl in this mansion in case you haven't noticed."

I grinned at her. I knew she wouldn' like it, but I couldn' help myself. De girl's got personality. "But yo' de only one dat I find interestin'."

"Oh puhlease." She rolled her eyes and stalked past me. I caught her wrist, and her whole body went stiff as a board.

"Dis is de easy approach, Rogue. One way or de uddah, dis is goin' to stop. You sho' you wan' to force my hand? I got no problems bein' more persuasive…" My tone was meaningful…what can I say? I got a hot spot fo' women dat frustrate me.

She twisted her hand free, turned back around, and waved dismissively as she walked away.

"Ah got things to do, so scat," she said.

I smirked at her retreatin' back. Stubborn. No matter.

Plan B…reverse psychology…otherwise known as de ol' fashioned guilt trip. I ignored de life out o' dat girl fo' two weeks. I made myself terribly busy. I worked in de garage wit' Scott, earned some stripes dere, usurped Jean in de kitchen, pretended to be interested in Stormy's gardenin' until she called me out on it and kicked me out, I even improved on my pool game wit' Logan. He tried so hard to pretend he didn' like me, but we're both too shady to not be impressed by one anuddah. Dat, and we're de only smokers. If yo' not a smoker, you don' understand. We're fadin' into extinction. Dose o' us dat remain band together on balconies, decks, and in alleyways to share in de simple joy dat is respiratory recklessness.

When she walked into a room, I walked out. When I found her someplace on accident, I occupied myself as quickly as possible. Maybe you t'ink dis whole t'ing is childish, but she's de one who decided to play games. Sadly, she didn't respond but one time.

It was rainin' and dere was not'ing to do. Normally a little water doesn' keep me from doin' what I wan', but dis rain was stingingly cold and purely miserable. Dat's New York fo' ya. Unfortunately, de hour was so late dat bein' housebound was a lonely job. De last place to be when yo' feelin' lonely an' cold is in yo' room, so I wandered aimlessly fo' a bit fo' I decided on a smoke. Since de prof wasn' around to jump down my throat, I jus' opened a window in de parlor and sat on de sill. Like I said, I didn' feel like bein' out in dat nastiness.

I breathed in deeply, and den watched my breath mingle wit' de smoke as dey traveled up towards de heavy skies. I let my t'oughts wander aimlessly until I'd finished, and den tossed de still glowin' butt out de window. If I was gon' be devious and break some rules, might as well get it all out o' my system.

When I finally looked back into de room, Rogue was standin' just inside de doorway. I hadn't heard her come in, what wit' de rain poundin' all around. Fo' one split second, her face looked completely raw, and it stopped me from bein' able to respond.

Her eyes were so soft it all but took my breath away. Her face was open, sincere…and strangely affectionate. I wanted to curl up in her arms under those eyes and sleep like a child: a strange and tender compulsion that made me at once safe and vulnerable.

But her shoulders had fallen, and her arms hugged her torso fiercely, shoulders sagged in way that I couldn' quite identify. Was dis pain? Or disappointment? Or jus' resignation? How could a body like dis wear such a sweet, indulgent face?

It was a second. Less dan dat maybe, but dat image was etched into my memory as though chiseled into granite. No man, woman, or child had ever looked at me like dat. Den it was gone, and she smiled sheepishly. She lifted a book by way o' explanation, and made her way over to the bookcase wordlessly. Once de book had been replaced, she uttered a short goodnight and promptly left de room.

I was sure dat tomorrow would be different. She'd cracked, and she'd talk to me again, I jus' knew it.

She didn'. On to Plan C: brute force and bigotry.

I bided my time, lulled my prey into a false sense o' security. I kept talk polite, brief, and superficial. I waited fo' my cue.

It arrived in the form o' insomnia. Now I keep late hours fo' all kinds o' reasons, but when I finally decide to sleep s' normally a simple t'ing. Dis night I jus' couldn'. So I went wanderin' around de mansion.

You'd be surprised how many X-men have sleepin' disorders. I always t'ought de pure at heart slept soundly. Shows what I know.

Logan was in de garage, but in one o' his moods.

"Business hours are over, Gumbo. Garage is mine."

"Pardon moi homme, but I don' see yo' name on it.

"If ya needed my help dozin' off you coulda just asked, gater-bait." SNIKT.

"You really should have yo' blood pressure checked sometime mon ami. Yo' downright jumpy tonight." Logan took a step toward me, and I raised my hands befo' takin' a step back.

"All right, bon, Remy didn' come to ruffle yo' feathers. You wan' de grease pit, s' all yo's. Guess ol' Remy's gon' have to stake his own claim elsewhere."

SNIKT. "Guess so." Logan wandered back over to his mechanical companions wit'out a backward glance.

Unphased, I continued in my search fo' an occupation. I t'ought maybe I'd jus' take it easy and take in a movie. No dice. Piotr was out like a light in de recliner sawin' some big ol' Russian logs, and Kitty was curled up on de couch.

I almos' turned to go immediately, but den I stopped fo' jus' a moment and watched de kids. Now I got a sixth sense fo' dese kinds o' t'ings, but I didn' even need it to know dat Kitty Pryde had it bad fo' our big foreign friend. She's not de guarded type. De question was, how colossal were Colossus' feelings fo' Miss Pryde?

One o' dese two had actually decided to stay in de living room. De uddah one had stayed because dey didn' want to be apart from their mate. Regardless of who was who, no one had objected to de arrangement. Lookin' hopeful for de Shadowcat.

But this kind o' t'ought led me smack into annudah one: what was Rogue up to? Sheesh…a girl hadn't led me around dis bad since…ever. Was I gon' stand fo' dat? No!

I headed up to de femme's room, but I found it empty. Didn' de girl ever sleep? Really? Guess I learned dat answer down in Louisiana: kinda sometimes. I checked de normal spots, de study where she liked to read, de kitchen fo' a glass o' water, and finally headed down to de danger room.

Sho' nuff, dere she was, in all her leg swingin' glory. Sometimes de only way to get a straight answer out o' Rogue is to catch her off guard.

I t'ought o' all de ways I could use dis to my advantage. First I was gonna turn de danger room off and wander in dere. But Rogue's a little defensive and dat might get de conversation goin' de wrong way…like wit' her fist in my face. Den I t'ought about seizing de controls and making de course harder and harder until she had to cry "oncle" and agree to my terms, but den she'd never honor an agreement under dose circumstances. She probably wouldn't cry "oncle" anyway, jus' wait till somet'ing gave her a concussion and den I would feel bad.

In de end, it was simple. Eventually she'd wear herself out and try to go to bed. Befo' she could do that she'd have to take a nice hot shower. There would be a brief window o' opportunity between de bathroom door and de dresser where Rogue would be as off balance and close to defenseless as she ever was. And o' course, all I needed was a ghost o' an excuse.

I waited. She played right into my hand. I was waiting patiently outside her window when she flicked the lights on in her room and made her way to de bathroom. Moments later I heard de shower come on. Den o' course a new plan occurred. I could just slip into dat shower wit' her…dat'd be a surprise wouldn' it? But quickly I remembered dat Rogue deserved a gentleman…and dat she would probably kill me, accidentally or uddahwise.

While she was indisposed, I slunk inside de room and turned de lights back off. I sat on de bed at de top near de pillows. In dese cramped quarters I'd be hidden behind de bathroom door when she opened it. It worked jus' like it should. De shower turned off, and moments later she emerged. She paused in de doorway a moment, likely wondering whether she really did turn de lights on or not. But when she saw not'ing in de room, she just made her way back across to turn dem on again.

"Good evenin' chere!" I said wit' gusto. She jumped nearly out o' her skin and backed into de wall. Her eyes darted to de bathroom door, but realized too quickly dat she'd have to get by me. De window was similarly blocked, and de only option open was wanderin' out in to de hall. She considered it briefly I saw, but ruled it out befo' turnin' full force on me.

"Remy LeBeau you get the hell outta here befoah ah knock ya so hard each and every one of the saints cringe! How dare you barge in here like this!? Get out get out GET OUT!!"

"Now petit, don' be vexed wit' yo' Remy. You made de call an' left him no choice."

"Vexed!?! You wanna see VEXED?!?" She kept glancin' at the hand that kept her towel tucked firmly around her, probably wondering if she could still kill me wit'out it.

It was so temptin' to jump in an' goad her. She hadn't argued wit' me in so long it was almos' music to my ears. But I waited too long fo' dis moment to waste it. Time to be bold!

"Rogue." My voice was calm and serious. It wasn't enough to turn de tide, but it was enough to make her quiet down and pay attention. Now all dat was left was to get her off balance…in essence, to sweep her off her feet.

"I wan' you." Her eyes went from angry to panic in one millisecond. Still she said not'ing.

"I've never been dishonest wit' how I feel. I told you de first time on dat rooftop, though I'm startin' to wonder if yo' memory is spotty. I've always acted de way I wan' to around you, done what I wanted. Seems to me dat Remy deserves de same courtesy from you now."

I stood, and continued talkin' while I took slow deliberate steps toward her. She jus' kept starin' at me wide-eyed.

"We both know you've been avoidin' me, lyin' to me wit' yo' time. So tell me why. I didn' do anyt'ing. I'd remember. You don' wan' me? Tell me dat. I'll leave you alone, if you can' tell me why. But chere," I stopped close enough to her dat she couldn' breathe wit'out me feelin' it. "If you wan' me, tell me. Tell me now."

Her neck was craned up so her eyes could meet mine, and to my surprise, I felt dem burnin'.

Why were my eyes burnin'? Was I tryin' to scare de femme? Stop dat! No I wasn' tryin' to scare her…I was nervous. What?! Me, nervous? You only get nervous if yo' in danger o' gettin' hurt. Mon dieu had it already come to dat?

I closed my eyes befo' dey could betray me further, or hurt my cause, and turned my head ever so slightly away from her before I tacked on a heartfelt "please."

To my surprise, I felt her body crush against mine. My eyes snapped open and peered back down at her. She was never like this. Mos' o' de time she's like concrete under my touch, except once, and dat was not'ing like dis.

Her hands snaked up, dangerously tracing the line of my jacket around my neck before her bare fingers wound up into my hair. She pulled me back against her, and we fell into the wall, wit' me pinning her there, and de towel between us. I couldn' help but moan, and my arms found dere way around her waste wit'out even t'inkin'.

She used her grip on my hair to pull my mouth tantalizingly close to hers. You wan' talk about off balance? Dis plan had definitely back fired. De lady had de floor, no doubt about dat.

"Remy." My name was spoken in a low, hungry voice barely above a whisper. It had never sounded so good. I didn' speak, I jus' waited.

"Do you really believe that's the problem? Me not wantin' you?"

"I was sort o' hopin' not, but I had to entertain de possibility."

"How could anyone not want you? Me most of all?"

I shrugged. "Beats me."

Her body melted against me, and there was no part o' us that wasn' touchin'. Her curves fit against me until we formed one perfect shape, and I was seconds away from losin' my grip on reality.

"Listen closely Remy LeBeau, because ah want to make this point perfectly clear. Ah want you. In every way a woman can want a man. That's the truth. And you say you want me. Just me? Or am ah just the front runner?"

Dis messed up my mood a little. I pulled back from her just enough to be able to glare more directly.

"I. Only. Wan'. You."

Her fingers loosened in my hair, and fell down until they rested on my shoulders. She leaned forward, until her lips were nearly against my ear.

"So what?"

I drew back. Dat wasn' what I expected to hear. So what?

"What does dat mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. You want me. Ah want you. Too dang bad. There is no point wantin' and wishin' and hopin'. It is what it is. Now you have the satisfaction o' knowin' that Ah can't resist you any more than any other girl. Move on and find someone else to want, cause that's as far as it goes here. And because, while we're bein' honest, yoah killin' me."

She slipped away from me and went to de bed, sliding towel and all between de sheets. She pulled the covers up to her chin and den rolled to put her back to me.

I didn' know what to do. She expected me to leave, I know. If I was hurtin' her so bad, maybe I should. As much as I wanted her out o' her shell, as much as I t'ought I could make her happy if she'd let me close, maybe de chere was right. Maybe she needed dat shell. Maybe it was better, not fo' me, but fo' her, fo' me to be out o' sight and out o' mind.

It was that last line, "yoah killin' me", dat had me caught between what I wanted to do and wonderin' what was best fo' me to do.

I watched her, knowin' she wouldn' say anyt'ing else, but hopin' she would do somet'ing to make de decision fo' me. She stayed dere like a statue.

I decided to leave. I exited de room, and closed de door quietly behind me before I leaned against it in crushing defeat.

What else could I do? I never t'ink t'ings through. I'm not'ing if not impulsive. So Rogue has to over-t'ink everyt'ing to compensate. And wasn' she right? What, I was gonna be in love wit' someone who I couldn' touch? Couldn' kiss? Couldn' hold? Couldn' do any of dose t'ings dat I'd been able to enjoy with all my uddah girls?

And dere it was. All de uddah girls.

I stormed back in dere.

She jumped an' turned. Clearly I'd surprised her yet again. Her eyes were confused and slightly annoyed. Didn' matter. My turn.

"T'anks fo' pointin' out de obvious yet again Rogue. I know how you love to have dat fall back argument to use as an excuse to push people away. Yoah right, yo' skin is untouchable. Mine isn't. Dat's a problem, s' true, but problems happen to ev'ryone. You get over dem."

She sat up, pullin' de blankets around her. "Remy you can't sit around and bank on me gettin' control at some point. You can only work with things the way they are, not the way they might be."

"I'm not talkin' about dat. Stop arguin' wit' me and listen fo' a minute. Yo' very bad at listenin' so you might have to focus, but its important dat you hear dis: Every uddah girl in de world can touch me. Every uddah girl can kiss me, can hold me, can even make love to me if she's in de mood fo' dat. Doesn' make dem special."

I sat down across from her, so we could be on de same eye level. "Not every girl can make me feel like dis. Not even a handful. Only you. I admit dat our situation is gonna be complicated. We're gonna have to work on it. I admit it isn't necessarily a situation dat I would have chosen on paper, but like you said, 'it is what it is'. I could fight it all I wan' if you asked, but it wouldn't do no good. When yo' gone, yo' on my mind. It makes me anxious. When yo' wit' me, dere's nowhere I'd rather be. Maybe you don' believe in dese kinds of t'ings, but I do, and I know we're supposed to be here, now, like dis. Not many people get dis chance and I'm not gonna pass it up."

She opened her mouth to say somet'ing, but I held up a hand to stop her.

"Yo' listenin', remember? Stay focused. I'm almos' done. I know yo' scared, even if you won' admit it. I know you t'ink too much and can always find a justification fo' lettin' go. I don' t'ink yo' ready to make a decision. You don' know what would make you happy. As such, I don' intend to let you decide. Jus' stop dis ignorin' me nonsense and give me a chance. Let me know you. Let me try to figure this out. Stop makin' all de calls and lean on me a little. Come on, Rogue. Trust me. A little. Please."

She stared at me. She opened her mouth a few times, as though she was going to speak, but den closed it again silently. I waited patiently. Finally she sighed and closed her eyes.

"Ah don't know if ah can."

I nodded and t'ought again. Finally I came up wit' my next question. "Don't know if you can? Or if you should?"

She was pensive fo' a moment, and den replied, "If ah can."

We were dancin' very timidly. We were right on de edge o' some kind o' agreement, I could feel it. One wrong move here could botch the process up for another several weeks if not months.

Her answer led me right to my next question. "Do you wan' to?"

"Trust ya?" I nodded in reply. She paused another minute, actually t'inkin' about her answer. Dat's good. Automatic answers are usually de least true. "Yeah, ah guess ah do."

"You guess?"

"Yes ah do."

"Dat's good enough fo' me. Long as we're bot' willin' to try, I t'ink we have an understandin' dat will work."

She almos', almos' smiled. Den we were left in a kind o' awkward pause where we didn' know what should be said next. I knew dat o' de two o' us, I was de one dat was gon' have to come up with a break.

"So I got anuddah term fo' ya."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmhmm. When we were in my home, you got to ask all de questions after hours. Now we're in yo' home, I t'ink I deserve de same courtesy, don't you agree?"

"All right. Ah suppose that's fair."

"Bon. I missed my nights wit' you." I actually didn' mean to say dat, it jus' slipped out. To cover, I kept talkin'.

"So you care if we begin?"

"Ah guess not."

"Let's ease our way in wit' some easy ones. You got bruddah's or sisters?"

"No. Ah'm an only child, far as I know."

"Far as you know?"

"Mah parents divorced when ah was six. Ah stayed with mah daddy after that."

"In Mississippi?"

"Yeah, Caldecott. Born and raised."

"How old were you when you left?"

"Fourteen."

There was no inflection in her voice fo' dis answer. It caught me a little offguard. "So young petit?"

Rogue smiled sarcastically and pointed to her chest. "Mutant."

"Family didn' take too well to de news?"

"Caldecott didn't take too well to the news."

"We'll come back to dis some uddah time. I did promise you easy questions to start. What's yo' favorite color?"

"Ah don' have one."

"Ev'ryone has one."

"Not me. Doesn't make sense. There are so many different shades of colors, and they can be used for different things. Green is beautiful in a forest, but it's not a great color for shoes. Purple could be lavender, puce, royal, deep. Ah just don't have a general favorite foah starin' at."

"All right. I'll accept dat answer. When's yo' birthday?"

"Pass."

"What?!"

"Pass ah said!"

"Come on chere, its one little date."

"That's a closely guarded secret. Ah hate birthdays and ah don't want one. You would ruin it foah me. Ah know you."

"I'm gonna find it out either way."

"Yoah welcome to try, swamp rat."

"All right, I accept de challenge and we move along."

I asked softballs mostly, determined not to leave until she was relaxed and we wound our way back to a more favorable dynamic. But a funny t'ing happened. As we were talkin' I found myself movin' slowly in tiny increments up the bed, until we were side by side rather than across from each uddah.

Next t'ing I knew, she was shakin' me gently. I opened my eyes and was sort o' surprised to see her clear green ones so close to me. Den it all came back. Guess I drifted off to sleep.

She was wearin' pajamas now, layin' on top o' de covers, which I was now mysteriously beneath.

"You feel asleep."

"I was jus' restin' my eyes." I yawned hugely.

"You can stay here if you want."

I raised an eyebrow. "Yo' actually gonna let me stay wit' you?"

"No, ah was gonna sleep in yoah room. Ah don't want to disturb ya."

"Non non petit. Remy'll get back on his side o' de sheet. I can be a gentleman when de mood strikes me."

I flipped the covers away and slid off de end o' de bed.

"Until tomorrow night den, ma chere?"

She smiled at me gently, and then her eyebrows furrowed. I almos' chuckled. I could read her again.

"Spit it out, petit."

She considered it fo' anuddah moment. "Ah just don't want to hurt you, is all."

"Ah, she wants to apologize fo' kickin' me out, but doesn' know how far I'll take it. I got it chere. S'alright. Like I said, we'll figure dis out together."

I turned to go, but den I had a better idea. I turned back around and extended my hand to her. She looked suspicious, but took it anyway. Guess she was all outta steam for fightin' me off today.

I pulled her up and into my arms, stoppin' wit' our faces breathlessly close again. I searched her face and then let my gaze rest on her perfect lips meaningfully. She stopped breathin'. I wound one hand gently in her hair, and leaned forward. Then I tilted her head down so I could kiss her hair befo' releasin' her.

"Bon nuit and reve doux, ma chere."

Best she start gettin' used to me now. With a bewildered flush on her face, I left her to her t'oughts.

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