28 January

Big. –n. 1. large, as in size, height, width, or amount 2. of major concern, importance, gravity, or the like 3. outstanding for a specified quality 4. important, as in influence, standing, or wealth 5. grown up; mature 6. elder 7. doing business or conducted on a large scale; major in size or importance 8. consisting of the largest or most influential companies in an industry 9. known or used widely; popular 10. magnanimous; generous; kindly 11. boastful; pompous; pretentious; haughty 12. loud; orotund 13. made of or distinguished by voluminous fabric that is loosely or softly shaped and fitted 14. having more than the average flavor, body, and alcoholic content 15. filled; brimming 16. pregnant 17. very strong; powerful –adv. 18. boastfully; pretentiously 19. with great success; successfully

Rogue woke up to hands on her body. She flailed outwards, letting the training Kurt put into her to good use. She wasn't successful, but she wasn't quite awake either.

"Shh! Quiet!" a voice hissed at her. She paused, her hands trapped against her chest. A heavy weight kept them there no matter how hard she struggled. Her legs were also pinned down.

"Get off me," Rogue said crossly. The mysterious attacker was Remy. It was still completely dark outside so she couldn't see him. She knew he was going to wake her up, but she didn't expect it to be in the dead of night.

Remy quickly obliged her, sliding off her bed in a smooth movement. Rogue propped herself into a sitting position, though she couldn't really look at him. She could see vague shapes in her room, but nothing more than that.

"Di'n't mean t' scare ya, chere," he said apologetically. "An' can't have you touchin' me wit' yer flailin' about."

"Ah wasn't flailin'," Rogue huffed.

He didn't answer her, but she suspected he was laughing at her. "I could'a turned on da light. I t'ought dis would be less mean."

Rogue hummed an indecipherable answer at him. With this experience under her belt, she thought she would prefer the lights than getting touched. As she had the curse of these powers longer, she didn't like anyone touching her without permission. It was too dangerous, whether she was clothed or not.

"So I step outside while you get dressed?" Remy suggested. "Meet me in da hallway?"

"Sure," Rogue said. She forced back a yawn. "Ah'll jus' be a few."

"D'accord." She couldn't hear him move, but the sound of the door closing behind him gave him away. He didn't even turn on her light.

Kicking the covers aside, Rogue expertly crossed the room to turn on the light switch. She squinted hard against the intruding light, but it gradually got easier to see. She had already laid out her uniform the night before to Remy's suggestion, so slipping into the day's clothes wasn't so bad. Topping her look off with her coat, gloves, and a scarf, Rogue opened her door again in record time.

"I ever tell you how nice you look in dem clothes?" Remy asked. He held out his hand to her.

Rogue immediately felt her face warm up, so she ducked her head. Gingerly taking his hand, she let his fingers settle around her own. "Ah don't think so."

"Shame. Lotta wasted opportunity." He started moving, his hand keeping her right by his side. Traveling hand-in-hand was a lot easier than Rogue expected it would be. They made it all the way out the front doors into soft darkness without a hitch. It was only after he kept going, stepping over the snow in what looked like metal boots, that Rogue got confused.

"You're not drivin'?" she questioned.

"Nope. No need. Sure ya can't see much now, but it's gonna be worth it." He made a great effort in catching her eyes. "I guarantee, ma chere."

Rogue couldn't really tell where they were going. Not only was it dark, but Rogue had no idea what the property to the Xavier Institute looked like. She hadn't gone outside more than to load herself up or out of a car. Remy appeared to know exactly where he was going. He led her through a rather thick swatch of trees, carefully dodging thick trunks and brush alike. The snow was a lot thinner here, which made travel a little easier. By the time they made it out the other side of the woods, the sky was beginning to lighten up to dawn.

"Um, Remy?" Rogue stopped beside him a few feet away from the trees. Rogue heard him chuckle, but that wasn't an answer. "That's a cliff."

"Yup."

"Ah don't get it."

"There's a better way down dis way. I t'ink we got time b'fore da sun rises. I jus' don' want us missin' dat." His hand tugged lightly at hers again, signaling he was on the move. Rogue followed him without question, even as the terrain got harder to navigate. Soon, they were scooting and sliding down rocks on a downward trajectory to get to the short beach below. The sun was just beginning to rise over the waves.

"That's beautiful!" Rogue exclaimed.

She could now see Remy's grin on his face. "Mmmhmm. I told ya." He took a seat in the sand with his back to the rocky cliff and patted the ground beside him. Rogue took her seat, soaking in the beautiful sight before her. They didn't have sun rises like this in the south.

They didn't say much until the bottom of the sun cleared the water. "So what'd I tell ya?" Remy asked her. "Was it worth wakin' up f'r?"

Rogue nodded. "An' worth the walk. Ah guess you know your stuff."