'Death…pain…betrayal…' Those were the words that haunted Rogue after she left Madame Labossières place. Somewhere deep down in the back of her mind she could sense the woman's warning. Knew that there was a reason for the fear in the woman's eyes as she looked at her.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to stop her own fears as her heart continued pounding in her ears. She didn't know whether she wanted to cry, scream, feel sorry for herself or just bury herself in this room to avoid facing the reality that was her life.

She had been so occupied with her own thoughts that the sudden knock on the door startled her, allowing her to look down at her feet where she could still see the water slowly being drained away.

"Rogue?"

She could hear the concern in Remy's muffled voice from behind the door, but she didn't trust herself enough to get past the lump in her throat to speak. During their walk back to the hotel he tried to make small talk to try and get her to talk, but she couldn't mutter a single word until they came back to their room and locked herself in the bathroom to take a shower again. The humidity made it feel like she needed a shower every five minutes as the sweat trickled down her covered body as soon as she stepped out of the AC conditioned building. One of the many things she'd forgotten after being gone for so long she supposed.

Luckily he didn't try to pry about what had gone on with her and Madam Labossière, and she didn't think that she could. All she wanted was to live a normal life but anytime she tried, things just never worked out the way she'd hoped.

He had told her that Madama Labossière was hoping to see her again in the future and not to worry because any visit to her would always be on the house.

After another knock, she choked back her anxiety and was satisfied when she managed to make her voice sound normal and steady. "Ah'll be right out!"

That at least was the plan until she couldn't find herself wanting to leave the warm massaging feeling on her back as the water continued to trickle down, allowing her a little more time to gather herself together before leaving the small sanctuary.

"Rogue, would you hurry up! Some of us would like to get our shower in 'fore it gets late," He shouted through the bathroom door. That was all the reminder she needed that he was just on the other side of the locked door. The only thing that currently stood between her and a man who knew how to pick locks for a living.

"Crap…"

"An' there better be some hot water left too!"

So much for his understanding side.

"Hold your dang horses! Ah'm almost done!"

"Why? You need any help in dere?"

"Don't you dare think about it Cajun!" She furiously began washing herself off, not wanting to know what he would do if she stayed in here any longer.

He grinned to himself as he walked on over to the bed to try and distract himself from the girl constantly setting up camp in his mind and showering only a few feet away.

A long hot shower helped ease some of the tension in her neck for which she was truly thankful for as she blissfully sighs and towels off her hair. Glancing back at the face staring back at her through the mirror, she wondered if she should just give up on straightening her hair for now since the heat here didn't necessarily agree with her natural curls being hidden for so long and now demanded her attention.

Grabbing the towel and wrapping it around herself she started to scan the bathroom to see where the heck she had left her clean clothes. "Oh gawd…" It didn't take her long to realize that throughout her sudden need to be alone she'd forgotten to bring her clothes with her. "Could this day get any worse?"

After a few agonizing minutes she reluctantly made the decision to just get it over with since she couldn't very well stay here any longer, as much as she wanted to. And they were both mature adults so there was nothing to be ashamed of, right?

Surely he'd seen his fair share of girls that this wouldn't bother him.

With a deep breath she gripped the towel that still remained snug around her body as she dashed out of the bathroom to see him shuffling his cards on the bed while the TV was playing in the background.

Maybe she could sneak by him without he even noticing, she could only hope. But she froze as she watched the cards in his hands instantly fly in every which way possible when he set his eyes on her.

She would have found it comical as his eyes widened in surprise, following the droplets of water still trailing down the nape of her neck and disappearing into the towel.

A slight smile began to tug on his face as he took in her appearance with a burning gaze she wasn't familiar with.

"Not one word." She hissed as he raised his hands up in surrender, letting her know he had no intention of doing so. She quickly walked over to her small duffel bag scooping up her clothes, before almost running and hiding back into the save heavens of the bathroom.

Frustratingly dragging his hands down his face he seriously wasn't going to say anything since the image her solely wrapped in a towel too small for any adult to wear would no doubt be replaying in his mind over and over again until the day he dies, and the last thing he needed right now was his imagination running even more rampant than it already was.

Honestly, he didn't care what she wore, but now there's no way he could concentrate without thinking about the nothingness underneath that damn towel while stuck in the same room as her. Gathering his cards he needed a distraction, and he needed it fast. Anything other than what he wanted to do at that moment. So he willed himself to focus on playing.

After five minutes of a game of solitaire he decided to give up all together as he stuffed them back in his pocket and jumped to his feet.

Pacing the room, he stopped more than once to look at the locked door. Was she alright? Wondering if she was feeling the same way. Should he knock and…

No. Scratch that. He shook his head. He wasn't thinking straight, it was just the lack of sexual activity he had to endure during his unpleasant stay here. Not that she wasn't a sight to see, quite the opposite actually. He saw more than once how people drooled over her in the street earlier today. Not that he would ever disagree. She was truly a southern belle with beautiful auburn hair with rare white streaks that he would love to tie around his fist and… "Shit I need to get out of here."

Stomping towards the door he didn't bother turning around before he closed the door behind him.

While the sun went down and the twinkling lights shone upon the city of New Orleans with the faint music wafting through the air, Remy took in a deep breath allowing himself to be back home and let the night decide where it would take him from there. As long as he was far away from the hotel, far away from her, he knew he was safe. That she was safe.

-X-

As she lay in bed still awake, she found herself staring out the window watching as the city seemed to glow with the bright lights that pierced through the night.

It wasn't at all surprising that when she finally emerged from the bathroom Remy wasn't anywhere in the room. She had to admit she was somewhat relieved because at least she didn't have to immediately face him right after. But she couldn't deny the disappointment she felt that yet again, she was stuck here while he was off doing who knows what. The whole point for her to leave the mansion was so she could get out, get some distance for herself, and she was sure that if Kitty and Jubilee were here, they'd make a night out of this.

She wasn't sure if it was just out of habit or if maybe Remy just didn't like being around her 24/7. Perhaps that was the reason for his quick vanishing acts.

Well, if he thought it was a good idea to run around and enjoy himself then maybe she should too. She was an X-man after all and could take care of herself if it came down to it right?

So instead of being cooped up here by herself she decided to go for a walk and see what this city really was about. She excitedly smiled at the thought of finally doing something so spontaneous after so long.

Walking along the paved path she wore a simple pair of jeans and long-sleeved purple shirt as her high-heeled boots clicked on the ground beneath her. Remy was right. This place was completely different at night.

There were people laughing, singing and dancing on the streets or maybe they were just drunk she wasn't sure, but they seemed to be having a good time. The ongoing music was a bit louder now that it was late at night in hopes of enticing people to come and check out their bars, nightclubs and restaurants.

She was so enthralled with everything in sight that she missed the footsteps following behind her until she was suddenly yanked by the arm and harshly shoved against the wall on the nearby alley to her right, making her lose her breath at the forced impact as pure naked fear exploded through her.

"What the-" She flinched when she felt the end of a knife being pressed against her throat making her worriedly look to stare back at a pair of dark eyes.

"Not from here, are ya girlie?"

Damn it. Was she that obvious? She might as well have a large camera around her neck, a fanny pack with a shirt that says I heart New Orleans! Such a rookie mistake. Logan would be ashamed.

"Um, no?" she responded back as the man began cackling that made her have to turn her head to avoid getting another whiff of his alcoholic breath. She was so tempted to tell him just that, but she at least knew not to tell the nice man who was currently poking a knife to her throat about proper hygiene.

"Good. Now give me your money!"

"Ah don't-" she winced when she felt the knife digging further into her skin.

"Money!"

"Ah don't have any!"

"Don't play games with me girlie!" he stepped closer to her, and it made her want to puke.

"Eww gawd." Crinkling her nose to try and removed the sudden smell from invading her nose she briefly wondered what she could do to get him to stop talking. "Ah'm not playin'! Ah really don't have any!"

"So you're broke too?" he frowned down at her.

"Yeah." She sadly admitted, hating the sound of that too.

"Nice try. There's no way a tourist like you came all the way here with no money." He repositioned his hold on the knife which was all she needed for her to grab his wrist immediately, pulling it down and not giving him the option to think twice, raised her palm on her free hand and slammed it into his face just like Logan taught her.

Hearing the knife drop she quickly kicked it away while the man cried in agony, dropped to the ground and grabbed his bleeding nose. "You broke my damn nose bitch!"

Shrugging she put her hand to her throat just as she felt a hand on the back of her shoulder. Whirling around she reacted before she could think and began punching, kicking and scratching at her new attacker, hearing the satisfying painted grunts in the process and knew for sure they'd think twice before trying to sneak up on her again.

"Ow! Ow! Ok!" He winced as she continued to throw punch after punch at him. "Stop it! Rogue! Hey it's me!" he held up his hands, trying to stop her from aiming another brutal attack on his face and backed away.

"Remy?" she frowned, continuing to breath heavily from all the adrenaline and fear still coursing through her body after just having a damn knife at her throat. She saw him slowly rise to his full height as he lifted his hands in surrender and wince after the assault she just unleashed on him. "It's just you." She breathed a sigh of relief right before she started up with her attacks again.

My God, she was really going for the full-frontal attack here and he couldn't help but be quite impressed and possibly worried.

"Ow Rogue what de hell?!" he painfully winced when she managed to get a good kick in before grabbing her by the shoulders and shoving her away, enough so he could at least move out of her reach.

Narrowing her eyes at him she was just about to ask him what he was even doing here when the man lunged himself at her again.

Remy was about to step in and help her when he saw her grabbing the man's arm before twisting it, making the guy kneel in pain and ram her knee up his face.

Stepping back, she watched the guy groan and grab his face again and knew he wasn't getting back up anytime soon before returning her attention to a now speechless Remy as he blinked back at her. "What are you doin' here Swamp Rat?"

"I was…" looking down, he amusingly chuckled to himself as he gestured to the bleeding man on the ground. "…I was here to save you Chere."

"Oh." Blinking back, she looked down at the guy. "Well you've got lousy timin'."

Opening then closing his mouth he took a deep calm breath before averting his gaze down the alley. "You should get back."

"What about him?"

"Don't worry. They'll find him. Usually don't take cops too long to check dese parts." He said as he shoved his hands in his coat pockets and began walking out of the alley. "Go back to de hotel Rogue."

"As if." She scoffed. Watching as he briskly walked out and down the street. Should she go back? Everything told her that maybe that would be best, but she found her feet moving before she could convince herself to turn around.

She continued to follow him at a safe distance, knowing that if she didn't her boots would surely alert him to her presence, and she really didn't want to have to explain to him why she was following him in the middle of the night. But she did promise herself that if he so happens to stop at a house or apartment then she wouldn't think twice about fleeing the scene. Who knows, maybe he was visiting one of the many names on his list of women he's wooed.

"Gawd. We've only been here a day and he's already makin' his rounds." She whispered shouted before she saw him turn the corner and disappear into a lively looking building. She only stopped long enough to check out the sign which only made her even more confused. "Shimmers?"

"In or out?"

"Huh?" tilting her head to the side she was startled to see a bald looking man give her a slow once over.

"Ah'm just tryin' to find my…friend."

"In or out?" he repeated this time with more urgency.

"Um…in?" she hoped that would answer the man's question and stop leering at her.

"Good." He pressed his lips together in an approving grin before he ushered her to another metal door that had the word employees on it.

"Wait!" When she heard the echoing sound of the door closing behind her, she slowly turned to see a room full of girls quizzically watching her before they continued on with their work.

"You the new girl?" An inpatient older man walked up to her, and something about his face told her she didn't want to make him mad.

"For what?" she asked and found herself being dragged further into the room that smelled like strong perfume and hairspray.

"You're late." He said gesturing for another one of the girls to bring something to him. "Alright hurry up. Crystal called in sick, and chandelier twisted her ankle in her last act. So, you're on in ten."

"Ten what?" She frantically asked, letting her eyes bounce around the room as she was being shoved in every way possible until he handed her a pair of glittery heels and what she could only assume to be a barely concealed outfit. "Oh no. No no no no no! Wait Ah'm not-"

"Hurry up!"

"But these are stripper heels!" She stuttered as the man only shrugged before pushing her to sit on one of the chairs that had pink glitter to it. At least now she understood why this Chandlier girl twister her ankle and why this place was called Shimmers.

-X-

Walking over to the bar he raised his hand to gesture for the bartender. He knew this was where Jacques would be. Or at least based on what he found on the computer at the school.

"What can I get ya?" the bartender asked.

"Just lookin' fo' someone. You may know him by de name of Jacques. Used to bartend a few blocks down."

"Dat was a while ago." The man nodded. "Been a while since my Père did any of dat sort. Now he just layin' back an' enjoyin' de show."

"Père huh." Remy glanced down at the bar hoping to at least get to talk to him. That was the whole point of coming here tonight after all. Jacques was one of the few bartenders around these parts that were in the know with the guilds. Knew any little things he cared to know since being the one to pour the drinks, tent to have those perks when people became loose with the tongue and let things slip every now and then. "Any chance he here?"

"Tell him…Gambit's here." He saw the man eyeing him warily and that only made Remy smile. Everyone had always heard of the legendary Gambit. Whether it was from one of his latest conquests or a job well done. Or at times for money. Regardless, he was now stuck in a place and time where none of that mattered. Hoping to find out something about what happened to everyone. To his family.

"Stay here." The man sternly answered before nodding at one of the bouncers, no doubt to make sure that would indeed be the case. Not that it would stop him if he had to make a quick exit.

He patiently waited until he heard loud laughter to his left.

"Remy?! Remy LeBeau! I can't believe it!" Jacques's grin grew as he quickly approached him to give him a rough hug. "Boy look at yourself! You ain't aged a day in your life!" he chuckled as they walked over to a small table, and he slapped him on the back.

"Good genes I s'pose." He said watching the now older man simply nod.

"Been a long time Remy."

"Too long." He agreed, aware of the sad look in Jacques' eyes.

"Last I remember sein' you you was drinkin' with good ole Henri close to your weddin' day." Jacques chuckled remembering it like it was yesterday. "Henri LeBeau."

"Jacques…" Remy felt the lump in his throat, but he needed to know. He needed to push past it and find out. "What happened after I left?"

-X-

"Oh my gawd. Ah can't do this." Was there a name worse than nervous? Perhaps terrified which still didn't begin to cover how she felt at the thought of these creepy men watching her attempt at dancing.

When she said she wanted to explore the city, she wasn't expecting this. Or to get the full nightlife VIP version. But she supposed it was a bit better than staying up half the night trying to figure out where the heck he'd gone off to. But now that she knew, she really wished she hadn't.

She felt nauseous as her nerves continued to grow in the pit of her stomach. Her gaze shifted to the other girls dancing on stage in a way she had never seen before- unless you wanted to count the small clips in movies. When she looked to the left, she could see Remy standing up as he was warmly greeted by another man like they were old friends.

Being so far away she couldn't make out what was being said, but based on the seriousness on his face she could tell it wasn't just for pleasure that he was here- until he momentarily turned with a smile when the man slapped him on the back to check out the dancer before turning back to his conversation.

Or maybe it was. "That sneaky Cajun…"

When she looked back at the dancer, she could see her sliding down the pole headfirst as her legs remained in the air. "What?!" she gaped wondering what the hell this woman was doing here instead of being in the Olympics.

There was no way she could do that. She would be lucky enough to make it out of here without a sprained ankle unlike Chandelier. You had to have some skill to effortlessly do that, and the men seemed to agree based off their howling.

She wasn't even going to attempt to do that least they'd have to call an ambulance to get her out of here. Good luck having to explain that to Logan or Bobby.

She gulped hoping and praying that by the time it was her turn Remy would be too busy talking with the man to even notice here, the same way he seemed to not acknowledge the current dancer which made her frown.

This woman had great talent, so why wasn't he ogling her the way the other men were doing? What was wrong with him? Was he broken?

"Alright new girl your up!"

"Ah don't think so." She quickly shook her head and began wobbling away from behind the curtain.

"You'll be fine." The girls behind her said as they encouraging shoved her forward, before peeking their heads out.

"You should go for that guy." Another girl pointed towards the one person she most definitely wouldn't and instead wanted to avoid at all costs. "He's hot."

"That's what I said!" Another girl squealed right in her ear.

"And have you seen him smile?" Another girl began fanning her face. "Boy I'd love to know what else he can do that'll make me want to give him a private dance for free."

"Try a migraine." Rogue flatly said.

"New girl!" The guy angrily ushered her to go.

"Ah sprained my ankle!" she shouted back which only made the man even angrier. 'Great…'

As she got on stage- which was quite difficult with these kind of heels- she was instantly greeted by the obnoxious spotlight shining in her eyes. She wondered how these dancers managed to do all this dancing while not being blinded in the process.

Her nerves skyrocketed the moment she heard the loud clapping and cheering from the crowd as they moved closer to the stage with their mouths already hanging open.

Alright it was now or never. No time like the present to channel your inner Carmen Electra, right?

"Ah am so gonna fall on my butt in front of all these people and will need to be carried out in a stretcher." She smiled weakly.

-X-

Thanking the waitress as she dropped of their drinks, Remy saw her seductively grin before she walked off when his attention returned to the man sitting opposite him.

"What's de matter Remy? Things change since last I saw you?"

"Somethin' like dat." He responded taking a much-needed gulp of his drink.

"Not gonna pretend to know what happened to you…" Jacques said as he looked at his untouched drink. "Nor am I askin. Got out of dat business a long time ago."

"Why?"

"Maybe got tired of dem things de guilds were doin'." He shrugged. "All dat fightin' an' killin' ain't doin' anybody any good, lease of all someone with ears."

"Jacques I have to know. What happened to my family? What happened to de guilds?"

"Things were bad Remy. Real bad."

"So I heard." He said leaning back in his seat as he draped an arm over the chair. "Stormy told me so."

"Stormy?" Jacques chuckled. "Glad to know you still talk to her considerin' she was one of de ones dat took your leavin' de hardest. Other den your family of course."

"Yeah, she told me she left."

"Dat's what I heard." Jacques nodded as he took his first sip. "Smart kid too, to get out while she could."

"An' de guilds?"

"Oh boy de guilds still out dere." He chuckled, knowing full well they'd always be around. "I just don't make it my business to know anymore."

Slowly nodding, Remy knew all too well what could be lurking in the shadows from the moment he and Rogue stepped foot in this city, which made him wonder if that's what he's been feeling this entire time.

"If you wanna know 'bout de guilds… I suggest you seek out Tanya."

"Tanya?"

Nodding Jacques gestured for another round of drinks. "You remember her, don't you? Used to be an independent contractor to the Assassins. Maybe she still is, who knows anymore."

"Right." Looking over his shoulder Remy briskly eyed the place before turning to Jacques.

"You know after you left…your family ain't been de same from what I know Remy. Even your Père."

"Hard to imagine dat considerin' I was exiled."

"Although I don't agree with what went down, your leavin'…did a number on him too." Jacques's expression changed when he remembered the many nights he had to call upon Henri after Remy left, where he had to drag the leader of the Thieves Guild out of his bar. "Bein' de leader of somethin' like de guilds an' havin' de responsibility of takin' care of your family…while tryin' to keep de Assassins from slaughterin' your whole guild…well dat can weigh heavily on one's heart."

"Yeah." Remy regretfully nodded, knowing he was responsible for most of what happened. "An' what of de Assassins?"

"Well when dere was no weddin' like everyone had hoped…Marius went on a rampage basically throwin' all de blame on de Thieves Guild. Things only got worse an' within a couple years dey were at each other's throats more so dan usual. Reason I got out an' retired. Got out an' got myself dis fancy place." He chuckled as he gestured around them.

"An' Bella Donna?"

"Dat femme is a whole 'nother story. Once you left, she was heartbroken from what I heard. But while everyone was hopin' you'd return or dare show your face after what happened…she didn't make an effort to come lookin' for you. Which I thought was odd considerin' how much she claims to love you, but with dat woman you ain't never know."

"Ain't dat de truth." Remy bitterly chuckled downing the rest of his drink before once again looking over his shoulder.

"So how long you here fo'?"

"Not sure." He admited but his eyes wandered over to that new girl on stage who looked a little out of place as the music began playing. She wasn't very different from the other girls except that she wore something a little more modest in the form of a dark blue mini dress that hugged her curves deliciously but unlike the other girls, her outfit left more to the imagination which he assumed had all the men in this place already asking to see more.

Smart girl. Remy thought as he followed the dip in her breast that were barely contained by the heart shaped neckline. He had to give it to her since she wasn't bad to look at from what he could tell since all the girls here at Shimmers were obligated to wear face masks and at times wigs for their own safety when they weren't working.

He didn't care much for the black hair, but what caught his attention was the way she began swaying her body to the music before timidly smiling and doing a leisurely turn around the pole, allowing him to get a good view of her backside.

Reaching over for his drink Remy only nodded at what Jacques had said next before returning to watching the girl on stage.

Jacques leaned forward to see what had suddenly caught Remy's eye since that boy never seemed to keep his attention on just one girl for more than a few seconds. "How's 'bout a toast?" he said trying to make his voice heard over the music. "An I buy you a lap dance with de new girl? Seems to me you could use it." Jacques laughed out loud as he clapped Remy on the arm, which in turn made his lips curve into a small smile.

He watched her raise her arms over head before seductively running them down her thighs. He could feel himself growing hard at the mere sight of this girl and found himself beginning to smile more when he realized he'd found a way to at last to subdue his urges for the time being.

Anything to try and make him forget about the girl peacefully sleeping back in their hotel room. To finally get rid of all the pend up energy he'd been harboring for her since landing here.

She wrapped her leg around the pole before letting her body twirl around as she held on. She knew by the end of this that she would definitely feel it the next day but couldn't stop herself from smiling. Never in her wildest dreams would Rogue have ever imagined doing something as crazy and embarrassing as this.

The moment he saw her smile his own slowly faded when he zeroed in on her eyes and his whole world suddenly shifted. Those eyes who continued to taunt him every day and night. "Mon Dieu…" he breathed out.

What the hell was she doing here?!

"You alright Remy?" Jacques raised a questioning brow, only receiving a nervous shake of his head.

The black mask she wore made her eyes shine more and didn't help the way his pants felt uncomfortably restrained.

He couldn't deny that he felt uneasy watching Rogue dance like that. Not because of the dance itself since that femme was quite talented- not taking into account of course the clumsy way she barely managed not to fall flat on her ass a few times with those heels of course, or the way he at times caught her holding on to the pole for dear life as she tried spinning which only made the corners of his lips raise- but more uncomfortable of the fact that there were other men here who were hungrily eyeing her. Eyeing Rogue.

Now if he could just close this place down and make all these sick assholes disappear while he took her to the back, then everything would be fine.

But he couldn't. And that was another problem. He had thought he finally had a way to distract himself and be rid of her haunting face, but come to find out the one person who he thought could do that for him was still her.

"Remy?" Jacques carefully shoved the new drinks the waitress had brought them before Remy quickly turned to swallow his down in one go. "Woah dere. You sure you're alright?"

"Non." He shook his head again before reaching for the other. "Dat dere femme be de death of me." He pointed at the stage.

"You know her?"

Scoffing Remy regretfully nodded his head before pointing at the scratch mark on his cheek.

"She be de one to do dat to you?" Jacques chuckled. "Thought you pissed off a cat on your way here. So what… she your fille or somethin'?"

"Non, more like…sister." He shrugged not wanting to get into the fact that she was an X-man since things like that didn't sit well with anyone who found out about it down here.

"Sister huh?" Jacques only grinned before raising his own glass.

Working his jaw Remy knew what Jacques was getting at, and he wasn't going to entertain him with the details about who she really was.

When he heard loud whistling from one of the men in the audience it took everything he had to remained seated and not lunge at the man for looking at her.

Was this really happening?! Did he fall asleep on the bar while he wasn't paying attention? That was the only explanation he had for seeing Rogue of all people currently dressed like that.

Nervously shifting in his seat his eyes continued tracking her movements as much as he tried not to, desperately gripping his glass he intended to finish it off. He stopped midway when he saw her closing her eyes while gripping the pole, tipping her head back and losing herself to the music. She spun one more time before placing her back on the metal pole and seductively raised herself up and down.

With a shaky breath he felt the glass crack under his fingers a second before he heard the faint sound of glass breaking.

"So adoptive sister den?" Jacques knowingly raised a brow when he saw Remy's jaw nearby hit the floor.

-X-

When the music slowed down and began to fade, Rogue could actually say she was rather proud that she managed to finish her little number before humiliation decided to take over. Nonetheless she was startled to find everyone applauding and whistling once she finished, and awkwardly stood back up before rushing off stage.

Hurriedly putting her regular clothes back on, she quickly excused herself after being told by the man that the owner of the place had told him to let her be since she wasn't supposed to work there which she was grateful for. She was still feeling the rush of embarrassment for what she did when she spotted Remy sitting alone by the bar.

-X-

Glancing at the playing card between his fingers he placed it down with the pile before he scoffed and took another sip of his drink.

Eight of Clubs…

He closed his red-on-black eyes that remained hidden for the people to see, allowing the warmth of the alcohol to infuse his body with a dull numbness he much welcomed right now.

He wasn't in the mood for any more chit chat, looking at the rest of the dancers or allowing the thoughts in his head to consume him. He just wanted to stay here and drink until it all faded away.

"Hey handsome, how about a private dance?" A woman slid next to him.

Shaking his head, he didn't bother turning his head as he raised his glass to his lips. "As I'm sure you must be pretty talented…mais perhaps some other night."

He didn't check to see if the woman had left, nor did it really matter as he took the remaining cards and began shuffling once more. He wasn't sure anymore whether sharing a room with Rogue was the best idea or not.

It seemed to have been a good idea at the time and safer too since it lessened the risk of anyone trying to get to her because of him. But now he wasn't sure if that was the right move after all. Hell, right now he hated his past self for allowing her to come all the way out here in the first place. Drawing another card out of the deck he looked it over before placing it on the same pile as before.

Nine of hearts…

"Wow. Ah think that's the first time Ah saw you declinin' a gal." The very girl he'd been trying to avoid hummed out loud as he lowly chuckled to himself before downing the rest of his drink and gestured for another.

"Well if it isn't la nouvelle fille." He lazily drawled as he looked over at his empty glass.

She couldn't tell if he was intoxicated, but she could tell this wasn't his first drink of the night and if that was the case, then he sure as hell could hold his liquor. "Are you drunk?"

"Non." He shook his head never once turning his head as he frowned. "Takes more den dat." He honestly admitted since drinking from a young age seemed to do that to someone.

When the bartender walked over Remy offered to give her the same thing he was drinking to which she politely declined.

"Figured you'd come lookin' for me." He muttered after the bartender left.

"Is that why you decided to come here?" she looked around, frustrated that he'd even want to come to a place like this. "Thinkin' Ah wouldn't find you?"

She watched the sly upturn of his lips as he raised the glass to his mouth before his eyes skimmed over her body before turning to his glass again. "Also offers great entertainment if I say so myself."

Unamusingly scoffing she managed to push down her blush, not sure what else she'd been expecting. Of course he had known that was her the whole time.

"S'pose Rogue's not as innocent as we all thought." He grinned to himself before taking another gulp of his drink, allowing the bourbon to burn down his throat and numb him down. "Maybe I should expect de unexpected when it comes to you Chere."

"Are you sure you're not drunk?" she frowned which only made him laugh harder.

"I assure you I'm not." He briefly glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "Just be rather t'inkin' 'bout nothin' at de moment is all."

"And Ah could understand how that would be too much for ya." She loudly exhaled as she sat herself down next to him.

"You've got no idea…" He clicked his tongue, but his brow arched as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Where'd you learn to do all dat?" He gestured behind him where another girl could be seen dancing now.

"Ah don't know…movies Jubilee had us watch I guess." she embarrassingly admitted.

"Well, remind me to thank her later." He slyly grinned when he saw her face flush, deciding it was a good color on her before raising the glass to his lips, but before he had the chance, she instinctively grabbed the glass in his hand.

"Ah think that's about enough for ya Swampy Rat. Next thing you should put your mouth on is some coffee."

"Next thing I put my mouth on could be you Chere." He seductively murmured as he allowed his eyes to take her in once more. "If you play your cards right."

"W-what?" Did he really just say that?!

Ok maybe he was feeling the bourbon a little now he could admit that as he shook his head and pulled out another random card from the deck.

Queen of hearts…

He quickly downed his drink, reminding himself again why he came here. "Came to see an ole friend here is all." He began to explain. "Thought he could help me."

"Did he?" she curiously asked remembering the man she had seen him with. He simply nodded but didn't offer much else.

"Should go back." He said after a few minutes of silence.

"And you?" she frowned before irritatingly adding. "Oh wait let me guess, you've got things to do."

Slyly grinning he regarded her for a moment before answering. "You know how every once in a while…someone amazin' decides to come into your life?" he saw her frown deepen as he raised his hands on either side of him. "An' here I am. You're welcome Chere. Thanks to me you've got the chance to experience the world outside that mansion."

"You're insufferable." She rolled her eyes while he let out a harsh breath as the same man from before walked towards them and placed a hand on Remy's shoulder.

"Here Remy for your sister." The guy handed her a good amount of money. "Good job today. Quite de talent."

"Stepsister." Remy waved his hand around dismissively.

"Friend of yours." Rogue annoyingly squinted her eyes.

"Course not." He grinned down at his drink.

Blinking once then twice she saw the man pat Remy's shoulder with a hardy chuckle before excusing himself.

When she was sure he was gone, Rogue immediately turned back to Remy who began silently mouthing the words to a song that was playing in the background. "Oh, so Ah'm you're stepsister now?"

"Non." he shook his head as he slowly turned to her. She could feel his heated gaze melt her to the spot as he slightly leaned towards her. His voice was terrifyingly low and husky as he stared back. "Because when de moments right an' you want me to, you'd be my woman."

Holy shit! Her face felt like it was on fire as she stared back at him with wide eyes. How was it possible that she could literally feel the heat travel all the way down to her panties he paid for?!

Swallowing down her shock she quickly narrowed her eyes. "Ah know what you're tryin' to do."

"Oh yeah an' what's dat?" he quickly looked away as the bartender walked up and placed the bottle of bourbon in front of him.

"Doesn't matter." She dismissively shook her head, beginning to get irritated by his carefree attitude right now. "We should go anyways."

"Non, you have to go. I be right where I belong."

Just as quickly as those words left his mouth something occurred to her. Something she should have seen coming a long time ago but was too busy not to. "You never planned on comin' back, were you?"

"Can't make any promise Chere…" he mumbled as he topped off his glass.

A good long minute passed between them where he wouldn't meet her eyes, telling her that he'd planned this since before leaving the Institute. Which was why he had offered to take her back but never claimed he would come back with her.

And somehow that thought alone made her feel such a sudden disappointment she couldn't neglect. It was surprising how during such a short time, someone like Remy managed to weasel his way into her life despite her not wanting him to. But then again what did she expect from a thief? He could probably sneak his way into every part of her life without her even realizing it before she could stop him.

She couldn't very well force him to come back to the mansion. Understanding that this was his home too, and she wouldn't be responsible for taking something else away from him when he already lost everything he knew.

"Ah'm leavin'." She suddenly replied as she got to her feet only watching him still staring at his glass. "You said this trip would only take a couple of days and didn't even feel the need to tell me you never wanted to come back." She turned to leave but stopped when he still didn't say anything. "So if you want to stay here then Ah won't stop you."

With one last look over her shoulder she only hoped he would be careful and possibly come back with her. But then with Remy you never really knew what was going on in his head, and if anything he only seemed to keep proving her right.

If she still had her powers, she could have easily stopped him from leaving the mansion in the first place - not that she was looking forward to putting her hands on him- she continued to try and convince herself. But she didn't have her powers right now.

Just one of the many regrets to add to the list of things she's done ever since taking the cure. And when she was fast asleep and in bed Remy was still nowhere to be seen.