Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men!

Chapter 11: Entrée.

"Wait wait wait chere, hold up there for a sec" he went to lie on his stomach by her side, propped on his elbows: "Lemme see if I got this straight: Y' telling me that y' used poor… innocent…"

"Oh Gawd…"
"…clueless Remy, for sex? Y're telling me just that?"

Technically, yes, that's exactly what she was saying. But the last thing she expected was the he would be somewhat amused by this?

"Well Ah didn't see you complain!"

"And I don't, at all! Remy can be your sex slave any time. All the time."

They both were facing the large rectangular mirror attached to the closet's door, and there she could see his messy brown hair, and her own auburn and white sex hair.

"Thank-yah" she raised a brow at the Remy in the mirror: "But, what Ah mean to say's that Ah know this is pretty weird and… doesn't it freak yah out, a little bit?"

"Freak me out? More like it turn me on-"

"Remy, no, yah don't get it! This ain't a good thing, it's made me do some pretty shitty stuff, okay?"

Another smartass remark instantly drew up on his mind, but he dismissed it. After all, she was trusting him with this.

"'Kay… alright, can imagine what y' mean."

"When Ah'm under its influence it's like… being drunk out of my mind, like my body and my brain are disconnected." Her eyes were now on the floor, wandering around shoes and clothe items. "And it's so hard to control, Ah mean, Ah've controlled it, Ah've stayed locked in my room like a sort of... animal, it's pathetic…"

"Allons chere, don't say that."

"…but that's the way it is, and that's why Ah…" It'd take some extra courage to continue. However, she had gathered it and stocked it, on the preceding days; she'd just spit everything out: "Ah've never really dated much, just a few times, going out, then a little kiss and that was it, 'cause I don't wanna be dating a guy and then this thing comes and Ah might fuck another guy, yah know? It'd be wrong, that's not me, that's not something Ah wanna do..."

"Hey don't worry 'bout it" he said to her reflection in the mirror, but then turned to the real her, the one by his side: "See, Remy's willing to sacrifice himself and lock in here with y' and have sex 'til we trash this whole apartment down, how 'bout that?"

"That's gotta be the sweetest and most romantic thing anyone's ever told me."

"And I got more where that came from. See, being with someone's always a risk. But I'm sure we can make it."

She wouldn't have thought the cocky player she met at the club could ever say something like this and sound so sincere.

"Yeah… yeah, we can".

The idea that it was probably past midnight and she should call home or at least text someone, ran through her head. But briefly, too briefly, because she was feeling way too good right now. No need to spoil it with reality. In fact, now that she thought about it: this was reality, too. It felt real and comfortable and right, lying by his side and putting out there all of the burden she had carried around for so long.

"So, chere, from what y've told me, I can connect the dots here and there and I can assume y'd only done it when y' were in those… days?"

She lied on her side, facing him, and got a little closer:

"Crazy, right? Ah mean, that's why Ah took some time before actually going out with yah, 'cause Ah wanted to make sure Ah wanted this. So yeah, today was sort of a… first time, in a way."

"Hmmm, I like that" he pulled her closer, placing a hand in the small of her back.

"Really? So yah don't think Ah'm a nutso?"

"Y' thought I would?"

"Are we ever gonna stop replying to questions with other questions?"

"Y' really want to?"

"Why would Ah?"

There was that smile of hers again. He could stare at it for hours, but then, it was even better to kiss the lips it belonged to.

(…)

The grocery store around the corner was a packed little place, shelves filled with food items that reached the ceiling and narrow aisles where you had to sidestep every now and then. The cashier was an old man who greeted Remy in French and said "enchanté, mademoiselle" to Rogue, after making a sort of reverence. So, besides playing poker in clubs, getting it on with stranger women and stealing stuff plus causing explosions and stampedes in public places, this was a small piece of the life of this man she met when randomness became coincidence. Mutants, lovers, now French toasts ingredients shoppers.

After breakfast, they got on his bike and took off. At every turn of a street or curve of the road, she just let her body tilt to a side against his, looking at the city around them. She liked seeing his hands in those fingerless gloves, on the bike's handles; the same hands that had done most of the work with the French toasts and that had showed her (well, his hands and everything else) that it was possible to wipe away shame and regret from her little issue.

The main gates of the mansion cut the road way sooner than she expected.

"Here y' are cherie, safe and sound, see? Wasn't so bad to let Remy bring y' home."

She got off the bike and went to face him:

"Yeah, it was a good ride."

The way she said that, raising her brows and with that hint of naughtiness, made him want to put her back on the bike and go wherever they could be alone again.

"Indeed. Probably the best."

There was no one around and the air was quite still. Only the bike's hum broke the silence.

"So…"

"So…?" he echoed, taking his sunglasses off: "When will I see y' again?"

Now that he asked…

"How 'bout tomorrow?"

"Sure, where y' wanna go?"

"Anywhere yah wanna take me."

"Alright" he agreed. How could she possible make herself even more beautiful with each thing she said? "It'll be a surprise, then. Hope y're ready."

"Always."

They both grinned at the other, acknowledging their little games.

"Pick y' up at 7?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

"'Kay, see y' tomorrow" he put the glasses back on.

"Bye" she nodded. But none of them moved.

Would it be okay to…? What the hell.

She approached for a goodbye kiss, or better, for a see you soon kiss.

"Bye" she said again and gave him one last look before turning around and heading to the entrance, where she placed her thumb in a small panel that made the gates open for few moments to let her in.

"Au revoir" she heard behind her back.

As she walked away, she knew he was staring at her, for the bike's sound hadn't changed its pace or intensity. But she wouldn't turn around. She wanted to leave him wanting more.

It was hard to brush away the smirk form her face, as she made it to the mansion. There was no one in the hall, and she hoped to God she wouldn't have to meet anyone in the way to her bedroom. She didn't feel like giving explanations or making stuff up.

She had reached the second floor and was starting to make her way down the hallway, when, goddamn:

"Stripes!"

She turned around slowly to the person that stomped towards her:

"Yeah?" she ventured.

"Tell me I hit my head and fucked up my vision and smell, and that that wasn't the low life we bumped into at the terminal."

Stupid security cameras, stupid Logan's senses. She'd have to roll with it.

"Yah hit your head and fucked up your vision and smell, and that wasn't the… guy we met at the terminal?"

His frown got even deeper:

"Not in the mood, Stripes."

"Okay, it's him, so what?"

"So what? Not much, only he's a criminal working for Trask who's a mutant hunter, and trust me, I know gutter trash when I smell it."

Couldn't he at least keep his voice down?

"No, no, that's not true! He took the chip from Trask to give it back to the seller, they just took his money."

Okay, saying that final part out loud didn't sound so good.

"And you believe all that crap, why? Because he told you so?"

"Well yeah! He's not… bad."

He grumbled something she couldn't make out, then continued:

"And why the hell were you with him?"

Now, that would be a long story to tell. Why was she with him? She was… they were…

"We're kind of dating."

Logan's eyes widened in something like disgust:

"You're kind of dating a goddamn thief?"

"Logan, come on, Ah'm 22 years old and…"

"I don't give a damn if you're 40!" She could hear it, oh no: there were people behind her back now, coming closer: "And another thing: if that scumbag's going to drop you home at 10 in the fucking morning, he better show his face around here so I can rip it off."

After saying this, he walked away, still saying God knows what under his breath. Anyway, she felt so good, she thought this rant was actually sweet, in a way. He was just worried about her.

Now, she'd have to walk past a bunch of giggling girls:

"Woohoo!"

"Good morning, girl!"

"…how was your night?"
"Better than ours, that's for sure".

Rogue just laughed and kept on walking, as Jean, Jubilee, Amara, Tabitha and Kitty continued teasing her.

"Oh-my-God, if you don't tell me this whole story from top to bottom" Shadowcat raised a finger: "I'm gonna totally hate you for, like, ever."

"Ah will" she lied. Sure, she could tell Kitty about Remy. But, from top to bottom, including genetically induced heats? No, thanks.

When she made it to her bedroom, she dropped her bag and jacket on Kitty's fuchsia pouf (which was hideous but at least useful) and let herself fall backwards on her bed. She stretched her arms and legs, and sighed.

Kind of dating. Not bad. To begin with.

END.

Note: Omg, I'm kind of sad about finishing this. I gotta say this chap took long to write and I'm not sure why; I knew what would happen in it, it was just a little hard to find the right way to express it. I hope it's okay like this. Also, I called this chap "entrée" because in French it means "first course" so, I though that even though this is the final chapter of this fic, they're just starting. So that's it. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing and I hope to be writing a new fic soon; actually, I have it on mind already.