"If you find someone you love in life, then you must hang on to it."
-Diana, Princess of Wales

Chapter Eleven: Settling Down

Three Weeks Later…
Ithaca

Gambit gripped the cliff's edge with one hand.

"Hold on, Remy!" cried Rogue. "Ah'm comin'!"

His body twisted, dangling perilously. "I can't hold on!"

"Don't let go!"

Raven approached the rock wall with her arms cross. "If you guys aren't gonna take this seriously, you can leave."

"Ah'm slippin'!" Rogue slid face-first over the ledge. At the last moment, she caught herself with one hand and yelled: "Heeellllp!"

"Looks like we're both in dire straits," said Gambit. Turning to Raven, he said: "Who y' gonna save? Only got time for one."

Rogue said: "Me, of course! You're forever gettin' shot or breakin' a bone. Ah, on the other hand-"

"Yes, but just think of all the sass you'll get," he said. "And do you honestly think she'll let you be in charge?"

"He has a point," said Raven.

Rogue gasped. "Ah gave you my jacket!"

"I took a bullet for you!" he said. "We're runnin' out of time, she'll be dead in a second, forget about her!"

"Unbelievable." A smile cracked Raven's face. "I love you both equally."

She'd been so blue since Nil's death, and the fallout hadn't brought much closure. His hijacking of Olympus convinced Hill – the real Hill – that the program shouldn't continue. Then a woman claiming to be his wife blamed Raven for his demise and refused to admit her to the funeral or even say where he was buried. She and Nil shared no mutual friends, so she had no one to grieve with. Instead, she cried alone at night while Marie and Sam listened at her door, anxious and unsure. Healing Hands had been the one bright spot of her life.

A limo pulled into the parking lot and Raven checked her watch. "That must be Mr. Stark. Cripes, he's early! Can you guys finish setting up? I've gotta butter up this prima donna."

She reached his vehicle as he shut the door and waved off the driver. Apologies spilled out: "Thank you so much for coming, but we don't have the track ready yet. Ryden and his parents aren't due for another thirty minutes and the photographer-"

"Do I make you nervous?" He smiled. "Don't be nervous. Walk with me."

She followed him around the rustic wooden fence that surrounded the property. Military personnel usually trained here, but she'd acquired it for the day at no cost. Like Remy, she seemed to have a knack for bringing out generosity in others.

"I'm offended you waited so long to ask me," he said. "Do kids not like Iron Man anymore?"

"I know you're a very busy man."

"You didn't answer my question."

"And Avengers have plenty of good press. Mutants, on the other hand-"

"I thought this was about the kids, not PR."

"It is."

"I love kids. Love charities. They're tax-deductible. More money I can give you means less money I give Uncle Sam. You should call me more often."

She blushed. "Thank you. I will."

"Good. Because I'm considering buying you out."

"…Why?"

"I told you, it's a tax deduction."

"No. Really."

"Don't worry about that. I like your set-up, you can keep doin' what you do. But you'll get full medical and I'll pick up your school bill, too. What's Cornell cost for a year? A hundred?" He shrugged. "I've got a driveway in Wisconsin that costs more."

She looked across the field to the obstacle course, where Rogue and Gambit were fencing with the wooden rods they were supposed to be setting up.

"Maria Hill put you up to this, didn't she? Gambit saved her life so she wants leverage on him." She shook her head furiously. "That's probably why she let me onto Olympus in the first place!"

"You're a lot more cynical than I expected."

"Sorry. It's been a rough couple of weeks…"

"You're a brilliant engineer. And you're imaginative. You know what you want and you make it happen. Every week, you get to help make dreams come true. I wanna do that for you. Don't worry about the politics - just be grateful they're on your side."

Meeting of the Cardinal Thieves

"Our attempts to rejoin with Nil's inner circle have been unsuccessful."

Gambit nodded. "Any luck findin' his grave?"

"With all due respect, aren't the living more important? Certainly you don't suspect that he's still alive..? You witnessed his death."

"I don't like loose ends."

"Speaking of-" Jean-Luc folded his hands. "Denmark was eventful."

He couldn't completely smother a smile. "I wanna bring her into the fold. Before y' say no, hear me out. She's gonna see things. We live together, I can't hide everything. Y' know Hill's gonna play her. If she trusts Hill more than she trusts me, that's a problem for all of us. Besides, she ain't the first."

"We've had associates, yes, but they never know more than they should. You're asking Council approval for pillow talk. Why should we trust her?"

"Don't. Trust me. If you've ever got your back against the wall, she's someone y' want in your corner. Don't wait till it's too late."

Mid-Town Manhattan

"So what's the verdict, Hank?" Rogue asked as she pulled her jacket on.

"I'm cautiously optimistic but it appears you've evolved."

"'Cautious'? Never heard that word."

"Homo sapien superior if I'm correct. Only a handful of cases have been documented, so I'd like to run more tests when you're available. But the evidence supports that hypothesis. Imagine every cell is a solider in your army. Until now, they've been following their own orders instinctively. But now you have the power to redirect them at will. You're no longer limited by homo sapiens shortcomings or locked into homo superior's abnormalities. You draw upon the strengths of both, apparently as needed. Of course, I strongly urge you to exercise restraint in your line of work until this is confirmed."

She raised a skeptical brow. "Not gonna tattle on me, are you?"

"Doctor-patient confidentiality. I'm flattered you came to me instead of SHIELD."

"You left the Agency?"

"I submitted my notice." He removed his glasses and cleaned them. "Despite my most impassioned pleas, Deputy Hill decided not to proceed with the Olympus Project. I believe she feels I have been… too hasty. Perhaps reckless with resources."

"So what now? Are you gonna get the band back together? Smoke dope and write bad poetry?"

He smirked. "Perhaps. And yourself? How shall you exercise your new lease on life?"

"Same way Ah spent the old one – flyin' and pickin' fights."

Upper West Side

At four in the morning, one of the cats hit the floor and slinked out. The noise disturbed Rogue enough that she reached for Remy – and realized he wasn't there. She followed Lucifer and found Remy working in the living room.

"Don't ya ever sleep?" she asked.

"That's changin' your tune. Merde, I didn't realize how late it was… I'll come t' bed."

"Spyin' on SHIELD?"

"Non, don't have to. You tell me all I need."

"Well, as long as ya ain't spyin', can ya tell me if they found Mystique?"

He turned off his laptop. "Can't believe Hill didn't put you on the task force."

"She doesn't trust my judgement," she said as they settled under the covers.

"I'm sorry."

Lucifer galloped around the living room and dove under the couch. If he kept it up, he'd get his brothers excited, too, and then they'd get no sleep.

"Ah'm puttin' him out," she sighed.

"Anna," he touched her arm. "I really am sorry that bein' married t' me cost you opportunities."

His face crinkled with guilt, and although it made her uncomfortable, she didn't respond with her characteristic sass. He would've taken it as a kind admonishment when she resented his martyr-complex, not him. Strange that they'd been together for so long and yet they still required so much work. Love, she decided, wasn't a two-step dance learned once and repeated ever after. It was an ocean, never to be contained or controlled. With no beginning and no end, it had raised bacteria into life while dragging strong men to early graves.

"Ah thought Ah knew who you were. But you're always gonna have secrets. You're a good man, Remy, despite all the stupid choices you've made. The more Ah learn about you, the more Ah believe that. Ah'll never regret bein' with you. Whatever the cost."

Ithaca

"Mon Dieu, it's… Stepford."

Rogue and Gambit surveyed the neighborhood from his quietly coasting motorcycle. Another blistering summer day was dying. In the warm twilight, school kids rode home on bikes, and middle-aged couples walked tiny dogs. Heavy-bellied men they'd never met waved as they drove past.

Raven's pastel vinyl house was the center of activity. Coolers full of ice and beer cans sat atop the freshly-cut lawn, and a banner declaring "congratulations!" hung across the garage door. Apparently, engagements were now considered an accomplishment worthy of celebrating. The man at the grill, a trim, sun-kissed blond, wiped his hands on his 'Planet Express' apron and stepped out of the smoke.

"Slipstream?" Rogue gasped. "Well, Ah'll be! Thought your name sounded familiar."

He smiled. "Come on back, the X-crew's all here."

Some staff from X-Haven, Dr. McCoy, the Grey siblings, and Heather, Neal and their boys occupied half the back yard. Everyone else came with a steady stream of casserole dishes and large gift bags that wept glitter and waved tissue paper like handkerchiefs at a funeral.

Remy leaned towards Rachel and asked: "Were we supposed to bring something?"

"I, too, am a stranger to these odd middle-class customs."

"Oh, right…"

Storm handed him a cold, dewy beer bottle. The months since Cyclops's death had aged her several years, but she managed a bright smile for her friends.

"Glad t' see y', Stormy," said Remy, twisting off the cap. "Didn't think y' ever took a day off."

She picked up another for Rogue, who casually declined. With a shrug, the Wind Rider twisted the cap and asked, "Is it strange to see your could've-been child marry before you? Be honest."

Remy felt half his mouth tip upward and when he looked to his wife, she looked guilty as sin. He took a long swig. One innocent question and a silent exchange had revealed the whole conspiracy. Apparently, everyone had overheard their friendly, tangled conversation, and now stood dumb-struck.

Raven punched his arm. "And you didn't say anything?!"

"When?" asked Rachel.

"Back in Denmark," Rogue replied. "Ah thought Ah was dyin' and didn't wanna wake up in a robot. Ah trust y'all with my life, but Remy Ah trust with my death."

"Y'all didn't miss anything," said Remy. "We went fishin' afterwards."

Raven punched Rogue's arm. "And you didn't say anything?!"

"We were gonna wait till after your party. Ah know how twisted your panties get when we don't stick to your script!"

Offended, her mouth opened and shut silently. Eventually, Rachel put her arm around Raven and complimented her hair. Content to change the subject, they abruptly slipped away.

Storm asked Rogue, "Did he get you a ring?"

"Yeah but Ah forgot it."

"She never wears it," he added. "Might as well carry a picture of it."

A medley of 80s pop music accompanied the consumption of over-cooked meats, potato chips, Jell-O salads and bite-sized cupcakes. The two clans struggled to mingle until a hefty woman bellowed: "I wasn't crazy about it at first. I thought, 'mutants? What's this neighborhood come to?' But then my grandbaby told me, she said, 'Nana, they're just people. And they gotta right to be here.' She was right. As long as the yard's clean and the house is kept, I've got no right to complain."

A man quickly complimented Davis on the quality of his grass and Remy nearly laughed. But when several more joined the conversation about fertilizer and weather that lasted through two hot dogs, he realized lawns were sacred in suburbia.

On occasions such as this, he wondered what his life would've been like if Jean-Luc hadn't taken him. Would he be soft around the center? Would his worries stretch no further than the quality of his grass and the opinions of his neighbors? Where would Rogue factor in? Or Raven? Would he sneer at them from afar or envy their incredible power? Would he still be happy if he'd been who he should have been – a nobody? Deep down, he knew he was worse than insignificant. Why else would his birth parents have thrown him away?

Rogue laced her fingers with his. "Hey. Where'd you go?"

Physically, he never left, but she saw poignant sorrow flood his eyes. He shook his head but couldn't shake his ugly thoughts.

"Are you sorry people know?" she asked quietly.

"About us? Anna, you're the one who didn't wanna say anything."

"Ah know," she said quickly and looked away.

He could've left her alone with her guilt, confused and ashamed. But as much as he enjoyed his secrets, he preferred to make her happy.

"I ain't the least bit sorry it got out," he confided. "Just thinkin'… This should've been me. All the bad I've done would never be. But then we wouldn't be together."

"Why d'ya think like that?"

"Maybe it's genetic."

"Well, stop it! Jesus! Ah love you bein' a thief who drives me crazy. Why wouldn't Ah love you for bein' dull?"

"Dunno why you love me at all."

"Times like this, me neither!"

"Wanna divorce me so we can get married again?"

"Don't tempt me!"

Beneath paper lanterns, they all heard the tale of Davis's proposal. He'd included Sam and Marie on the surprise, and dropped to one knee before presenting her with the world's ugliest ring. Apparently, it had belonged to his late foster mother, who sadly passed away a month before the couple met, but that didn't make it any prettier. Rose-gold with tiny yellow diamonds half-way around. Rogue's initial thought was 'I would've said no!' And every time she had to lie about liking it, she felt the truth slipping out more and more. Even Heather, Dave's sister, looked aside and slyly said: "It never would've fit me…"

But watching Raven talk about her past despairs and present joy, it was evident that the ring – like everything about Davis – pleased her.

The happy couple stood with their arms around each other's waists and waved as Gambit's bike backed out of the drive-way. Soon, the flowers would all bloom and Raven was worried they'd miss it. The city had too much cement. She leaned to her fiancé and asked, "Do you think they'll ever settle down?"

Rogue waved good-bye and asked her husband, "Oh my god! What kinda life is that?!"

Remy smiled, "Ain't for us…"

"…But they seem happy," Cameron said, kissing her brow.

…

The End.

…

Author's Notes: Confession time… I hadn't planned for Gambit and Rogue to get married. Even though it's what I wanted, I know loads of people who stay together forever and never tie the knot. That's what I was aiming for – those oddballs. We all know 'm. Then life happened. Some family friends of mine (two gay men) have been together since the '60s, and since the marriage equality law passed here in the States, I asked everyone "hey, you think so-and-so will get married now?" And everyone laughed at me. Said "never in a million years!" Eventually, it got back to them "isn't Kat so funny!" And they confessed to actually being married for months. I thought since they got their happy ending, Rogue and Gambit should, too! Thanks to everyone for reading and if you enjoyed, please leave a review.