This is the shortest part (probably because season 4 didn't have as many small things to draw upon as the other seasons).

Thanks to thehazeofdusk (per usual) for reading ahead of time :D

Hope you enjoy and thank you for reading :)

Part 4

It's been 3 days since she gave him hope again and he gets a call on his phone. It's his brother. He hasn't heard from anyone in New Orleans since he was banished and it's an overwhelming lot to hear from his old home. It's too much to hope his brother just wanted to say hi though, and soon Remy is sitting at his table with his head in his hands.

His father's been kidnapped by beginner assassins and as heir to the guild, Henri can't do anything. Henri doesn't even know which hideout Jean Luc is being kept in or what kind of security they have.

It's been 4 days since she gave him hope again and he sends her a text, asking if she wants to meet for coffee. He does not intend to nor will he let himself ask for her help with his problem, but he does want to check in on her and their coffee shop is a whole hell of a lot more neutral than his apartment.

He's not really surprised when she declines, but he takes it as a good sign she texted him back.

It's been 5 days since she gave him hope again and he thinks of a foolproof plan. A plan he knows he cannot under any circumstances try.

It's been 6 days since she gave him hope again and all of his sources in New Orleans have gone dry. He's on his own now.

It's been 7 days since she gave him hope again and a better Remy wouldn't ask this of her.

It's been 8 days since she gave him hope again and he sees her at school. She is lonely and withdrawn, as he expected. He hears her get into a fight with Cyclops and Nightcrawler. He sees the conflict and anger in her every move and wishes he knew of a way to help her.

It's been 9 days since she gave him hope again and a better Remy really wouldn't be considering if a trip to the south could soothe Rogue in her time of turmoil as well as help him fix his problem.

It's been 10 days since she gave him hope again and he hears her in another fight about Mystique. He is not surprised Rogue's anger got the better of her and she destroyed her mother, but he is sad for the extra pandemonium it brings her.

It's been 11 days since she gave him hope again and he knows if he doesn't get to his father soon, he won't have a father anymore. He knows Jean Luc wouldn't dream of doing the same for him, but a good person probably would save their father this once. He knows what he has to do, even if it puts knots in his stomach. He tries to convince himself he's going to be helping her get past some of this shit going on if she comes with him.

It's been almost 12 days since she gave him hope again and he berates himself for seriously considering this. He could ruin everything he's trying to build for a man who hasn't given two shits about him in years.

It's been 12 days since she gave him hope again and he takes a deep breath before pulling her into an alley.

She is on the attack and ready to fight as she whips around to see it's him. She is confused enough she doesn't attack right away. His words feel caught in his stomach and it takes her telling him to spit it out for him to tell her the whole story; his father, the Rippers, why he's the only one who can save Jean Luc...and why he is asking her for help. He is not a babbler, but he finds himself unable to stop his pitch once he starts and tells her the second part: maybe she needs a breather. Maybe getting down to the south and out of Bayville could be good for her. That he knows he's got no right to ask, but he has to try and she's the only one he trusts with something like this.

There are so many different emotions on her face he cannot figure out what she's thinking. He focuses on keeping his face still and not talking more, overwhelming her. She considers long enough that he is not expecting it when she asks when they'll leave.

It's been 12 days since she gave him hope again and he still can't believe she said yes. They spend the first hour or so in the train car discussing the best course of action once they get there. He's already thought most of this through, but he takes care to give her the freedom of suggestion and autonomy as they finalize things. They are then left with many hours left on the train to fill.

He pulls out his cards as a way for them to fill the silence, knowing conversation is not a route either of them can currently handle. As time flies by he relaxes himself, knowing it will help her relax in turn. They keep topics light and eventually he is unable to stop himself from beaming with pride as she lets out a real, full laugh at something he says.

It's been 12 days since she gave him hope again and being back in New Orleans is making him anxious. He is surprised when she takes the deck of cards he'd been constantly shuffling since they got off the train and slips her hand into his. She looks up to him with a question in her eyes he can only answer by smiling down at her and giving her hand a squeeze back.

It's been barely 13 days since she gave him hope again and if his father asks about her powers one more time Remy's leaving him in the bayou for the gators.

Not only are they under attack, but he will not let his father try to drag his girl into the guild life. Luckily she isn't buying Jean Luc's bull either. They make it across the bayou just in time for her family to show up, all immediately crowding around her and overwhelming her with questions about why Gambit had kidnapped her.

Wolverine heads straight for Remy, pinning him to a tree and waving his claws in Remy's face. He can't say he's a fan of all the accusations, but he does understand where they're coming from.

Rogue intervenes, pulling Logan off of him. She tries to explain as quickly as possible to her mentor and Remy stands there quietly for once, letting her handle this, just happy to see the spark back in her eyes.

Wolverine is pissed, ranting and raving about how wrong and irresponsible her choice was. Was she even intending on coming back? Did she even consider how worried they were for her? Especially considering what happened the last time she went missing?

Her voice cracks as she yells back that sometimes people do the wrong thing for the right reason.

There is a stunned silence and Remy barely allows himself to hope she means more than her neglecting to tell her family she was running down to New Orleans; that maybe she understands the reason for his mistake was good too. He did all the wrong things by lying to her, but he really did love her (still loves her, he knows. He doesn't think he can ever stop, if he's being truthful, and he's okay with that now).

It's the morning of the 14th day since she gave him hope back and again he wakes up to a knock on his door. He runs from the bedroom, stumbling over his jeans as he pulls them on, not bothering with a shirt. He barely has the door open before she is kissing him and he knows this is a dream he never wants to wake up from. He feels the smooth silk of a scarf between their lips and is left to wonder if maybe this could actually be real.

He cannot stop to think about that when she is kissing him with so much passion he almost forgets how he ruined them in the first place. He kicks the door shut and picks her up, settling between her legs once he places her on his kitchen counter. He groans when he feels her legs wrap around him, melding them together. Her hands run over his bare torso and although their recent lack of practice could make his lack of shirt dangerous, he finds kissing through a barrier is like riding a bicycle.

He pulls back, trying to form a coherent thought, but then her lips are on his neck, sliding the scarf with her as if no time had passed and her gloved hands are playing with the band of his jeans and he feels like she's leaving behind a trail of fire everywhere she touches.

He manages to speak, telling her he doesn't want to do something she'll regret. She stops kissing him for a moment and looks up at him. He almost wants to cry when he sees the look in her eyes. She softly kisses his lips before replying they won't, as if it's now the simplest thing ever, and then the kisses start anew and he is lost in her once more.

He cannot think past her hands unbuttoning his jeans and his newfound ability to finally be able to touch everywhere on her he has missed. They are both gasping into their kisses as they frantically move against each other, hips rolling and creating friction they have both been craving.

He stills her hands and tilts her chin up, needing to see her face when he makes his only request. He can't handle having her back for only a night. If she wants this (them), he needs her to be sure they are wanting the same thing. He cannot be a temporary dock for her boat. He will be her home, her harbour, but he will not be able to handle thinking she wants the same things, only to find out she doesn't and he has lost her again.

She smiles his favorite soft smile he's missed so much and tells him she doesn't know how fast she can go, but she knows what she wants now.

He doesn't need to hear anymore as he lifts her and carries her to his bed.

When he wakes up in the morning, she is gone; the only indication she was there is a rumpling in the other side of his sheets.

His heart drops until he looks on the pillow next to him and sees both a queen and king of hearts lain there next to each other.

She won't take her key back yet and she is still too scared to talk to him freely again like they used to, but she shows up every night and he'll take what she is able and choosing to offer at whatever speed she needs, especially on the newfound hope that they can fix this over time.

Every time she shows up he is newly grateful, and every time she shows up he finds another moment of peace and some confirmation that maybe, just maybe, if she is able to try to forgive him after how badly he betrayed her, he did set himself on the right path.

He is shocked to find he is even more grateful that while she inspired said path, he's doing this for himself too.

Sometimes they sit in compatible silence, just wrapped up in finding comfort with one another. Sometimes they make their way to the coffee shop, although more for the ability to hold hands while they walk than for the actual coffee. Sometimes they hurriedly rip each other's clothes off in a struggle to get their bodies as close as possible. Sometimes they cook, also pretty quietly. They're not exactly what they were before, but Remy's heart feels like it's overflowing with the amount of affection he is able to freely show her again and the ability to see her smiling back at him outside of his dreams. Being able to touch the slope of her back as he moves around her in the kitchen, or plop a kiss on her head, or lean down for a kiss is something he'd not let himself hope for. He doesn't know what to do with himself now that she is back, but he knows he is headed somewhere he feels hopeful about for the first time in a long time.

Apocalypse is coming and the final battle plans are drawn up. She sits on his couch, trying to calm him after telling him the plans. He's not having it.

Of course, she is put right in the middle of it. Of course they couldn't come up with a different plan or let someone else take on all the danger.

She stands and puts her hand on his chest to stop his frantic pacing. He tells her if she's about to tell him she has to finish what she started he might scream.

So she says nothing and instead takes his hand to pull him to the bed.

When they have finished, she is curled up at his side just like old times, but he still cannot remove the furrow from his brow in worry. She brushes long bangs from his head and this time she leans in to kiss him.

She tells him there's more to the plan. He closes his eyes and nods. He might as well hear it now.

She puts her hand on his cheek and turns his head towards hers. He opens his eyes just as she tells him she wants him to be there with her so neither of them have to worry about the person they love getting hurt.

He bolts up, staring at her in shock and can't keep himself from dumbly demanding she repeat that.

She grins back at him and simply tells him she got clearance for him to be there with her in the final battle.

He tackles her then and finds himself covering her face with kisses as they both laugh. Her breath catches in her throat as he kisses down it, thankful for the large number of scarves constantly littered around his apartment again, hands already working their way down the curve of her hips to the insides of her thighs.

He pours every ounce of feeling right back into her, kissing and nipping and touching every place he knows will make her sigh and moan. They are grasping at each other tightly like they never want to come apart. He pulls his face back from her body momentarily, never stopping their body's rhythms, before leaning down and kissing her face over and over, whispering the words he has wanted to say to her for so long, the words he never thought he'd be able to tell her: He loves her. He loves her so damn much.

He is shaking and gasping when they both finish, but nothing leaves him more breathless as when she leans up to his ear and whispers that she loves him too.

He knows the X Men aren't a fan of her demand that he join them in the final battle against Apocalypse, but he's glad they know that like hell is Remy going to let her go save the world without him there to watch her back as well.

It kills him to watch her take off with Cannonball, but he knows enough to stick to the plan and stay behind to help everyone else.

When all the pieces finally come crumbling down and Wolverine radios Apocalypse is gone, Remy waits at the entrance of the pyramid until he finally sees her, helping her brother along. The relief he feels at seeing her whole and well overwhelms him and the second Kurt lets go, he is twirling her around before finally gathering her in his arms tightly and kissing her with everything he has, telling her he loves her and thrilled to hear her confirm again that she loves him too.

Almost shyly, she pulls away. He looks at her questioningly before she finally looks up to meet his eyes. She smiles, a full smile with flushed cheeks and he hears the second set of words that finalize the path he's been working towards this whole time: "Ready to join the X Men, Swamp Rat?"

-end-

thanks to everyone who stopped by to read and i hope you enjoyed :D