Disclaimer: Marvel's, not mine.

This story is AU. It's an end of the world scenario, but it will focus mainly on the relationships of the people involved and the beautifully complicated process of falling in love, Rogue and Remy being the main focus.

………………..

Her back slammed up against the cement barrier as she braced herself for the explosion behind her. She wiped sweat from her brow and clenched her fists. The leather tightened around her fingers and she readied herself to move forwards, ever away from the noise, the violence, the fear. The toes of her black leather boots trailed across the dirt as she rose to the sky again.

She was just thankful she'd worn an outfit she could run in today. It wasn't as if she'd expected the world to end on a crisp, clear evening, three days before Christmas. She had always known there were others out there like her, but she supposed she had been too naive to imagine they would try to take over the world.

As she landed on a rooftop still standing and watched the city below her collapse, she couldn't help but think there should be a superhero saving the day.

The destruction of it was beautiful, a word she nearly berated herself for using. She knew people were dying down there. And yet, she couldn't help but stare. She couldn't help but grind her feet into the cement, and watch an end to the dreams of millions.

A dream. It was as simple as that.

………………………

Remy LeBeau cursed his luck. He narrowed his eyes at the rubble that had been the location of his next heist. He looked to the sky, red with the blood of explosion.

He supposed none of it mattered now anyway.

He felt like he was in a war zone, as he began to follow the masses of people fleeing in the streets. Screams could be heard from all angles, burning buildings crackled, cars lay abandoned. No, maybe not a war zone, more like a Hollywood movie now.

And despite the situation, he felt himself chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

Pulling himself from the crowd, Remy jumped up a nearby fire escape, determined to have a good view to the end of the world. As he reached the top, his hand already automatically reaching for a cigarette, a flash of movement caught his eye.

She stood clear across the rooftop, long hair blowing in mesmerizing waves of auburn and white. She stood still, as if unmoved by what was happening around her. Remy felt his eyes wander up and down, taking in her all black attire, a common color for the people of the city. But on her it seemed to be simply a color of mourning, as if she knew what was to come.

He inched forward slightly, his steps quietly trained. But as he lit his cigarette and watched the smoke blow forward, he knew his cover would be blown. The instant the nicotine cloud hit her nose, her face whipped around, as if torn from a dream, forced back to reality.

Remy swallowed, but his eyes remained hardened, composed. He had never let himself melt for any woman, and he had no intention to do so now.

Her face seemed angered, as if she wanted this moment all to herself. He didn't blame her; that had been his desire too. But as he watched her eyes relax and her face soften, he couldn't help but feel he needed her. He didn't even know who she was.

Remy nimbly threw the cigarette to the side, letting it blow away with the now contaminated air. His eyes never left hers as he moved closer. She said nothing, but made no movement to stop him.

As he reached the edge of the building, he allowed his eyes to become unglued and capture what was going on around them. It was an amazing concoction of reds, blacks, grays, and blistering clouds of smoke.

"They neveh told meh the devil was so handsome."

Her voice was quiet, nearly breathless, breaking the silence with unnerving sound. The soft tones warmed his ears. He let himself glance privately in her direction, but she wasn't looking at him, she was staring forward.

"Y'talkin' bout' de man or de massacre petit?"

Her mouth curved into a small smile.

"Your eyes sugah, they're very unusual." Remy couldn't help but smile now himself as she slowly turned to face him again. "Ah don't suppose y'all are behind all o'this?" With that she gestured to the landscape ahead of them, a teasing tone to her southern drawl.

"Non chere, can't say dat I am."

It was all he could find to say, and it seemed enough for her as she drew her eyes forward once again and became silent.

"What do ya think de chances are we'll die up here?" Remy asked, but no fear was evident in his approach.

The girl glanced to her side again, her eyes tracing his body up and down.

"Well, for ya Ah imagine the chances are good."

Strangely, she finished it at that and turned away again.

Remy quirked an eyebrow up, confused. "And what about you chere?"

"Ah'm invulnerable."

She said it so nonchalantly, as if it should be obvious, or as if it didn't matter.

"So, you're like me den?"

"Perhaps." She turned back then. "But don't worry, Ah won't let ya die here. Unless ya want to o'course."

"Well, den where to chere?"

Her smile came as quickly as the explosion did to the building beneath them. He felt the bricks crumble beneath him as if gravity had been stolen. Remy was fast, born with inhuman agility, but that wouldn't help him much now. His hands caught on to the outside structure of the building, grasping on tightly.

Whatever hit him on the back of the head knocked him out cold. Falling was his last conscious thought as he believed that perhaps this wasn't the way it was meant to be.

…………………….

Rogue looked down at the man in her arms one more time as she flew through the clear sky, uncertain of her destination. She hadn't practiced flying much in her lifetime, it didn't seem a practical thing to do in city that never slept. Mutants as a whole had remained fairly unaccounted for by the general public. Until now.

She had felt a pulse on the man's neck, so she knew he was alive. Her thoughts drifted to their conversation, to his question about whether they would die there or not. It had been an intention of hers, although she knew it wouldn't work with her invulnerability, a power she cursed, one that wasn't even originally hers, stolen accidentally.

She let out a frustrated breath, pushing past memories back where they belonged.

Her vision began to be spotted with gleaming reds and greens as she caught sight of a town below, scattered with Christmas lights.

As beautiful as the man was in her arms, as much as he intrigued her heart, she wished desperately to be alone. And she imagined he had felt the same way when he had scaled that building.

An intent to end all things. It was perfect that the world was ending too.

As she landed in a small park, she placed the man on a bench, wrapping his long coat tighter around him. She kneeled down, her breath nearly reaching his skin and removed one leather glove. Carefully she lay her hand against his skin, relishing in the warmth, the slight stubble meeting her fingers.

She wasn't sure why she had done that, but she wasn't sure why she did anything in life. Putting the glove back on, she stood up and walked down the snow lit path, away from a possibility. Away from another life.

………………………..

Remy awoke with a massive headache, as a shiver cascaded down his body. He looked around at the snowy wonderland, raising himself up.

Placing his feet on the ground, the snow crunching below his feet, he blinked a few times. "Now, dis sure ain't hell. And I doubt I made it ta heaven."

Stepping forward, Remy discovered another set of tracks. And then it all came back. He wasn't dead. And either was she. But she had abandoned him, on a bench, in the cold, with a concussion.

Not knowing how long he had slept, he quickly began to follow her footsteps through the snow.

………………………

Rogue sat at the empty diner, a cup of coffee resting against the palm of her hand. A soft tune played in the background and she hummed along quietly.

The ringing of the front door bells drew her out of her reverie as she glanced up.

And there he stood. The man she had abandoned.

She inhaled a sharp breath as he marched towards her, his body moving so gracefully, too gracefully for a man who had nearly died.

He slid into the booth seat across from her and clasped his hands in front of him. The intense glare from his red on black eyes made Rogue squirm in her seat, but she forced herself not to look away. His dangerous aura seemed distant to her.

"Service is terrible round here, huh chere?" His husky voice met her ears in neutral tones.

"It's a serve yourself situation round here sugah. Good help's hard to find these days."

They both spoke calmly, their expressions serious, as if the world around them were stable, still alive and vibrant. The man stared harder, as if tearing her apart, as if trying to read her thoughts, or maybe even her soul as a demon might.

"The front door was unlocked when Ah got here. Not a soul in sight." Rogue paused, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "The coffee's still hot though. Made it myself."

For a second Rogue thought the man might kill her. But it was only a flashing moment, very brief in its falsity.

He stood up, removing his long trench coat, then sauntered over to the counter towards the coffee. Rogue kept her eyes forward on the door, and the snow that was now falling outside.

When he came back, he brought the whole pot with him, and two pieces of apple pie. He shoved one plate towards her across the table. She was amazed he had been able to carry it all in one trip.

As he sat down again he took a sugar packet from the end of the table and began to stir it in to his coffee.

"So what's your name chere?"

Rogue was surprised at the question, as if they had already passed that first stage.

"It's Rogue."

He continued to stare into his coffee cup, watching the sugar swirl in and around.

"Rogue huh?" But he asked nothing more of it and looked up. "Remy LeBeau chere." He paused, taking a sip of his coffee. "Do y'know where we are Rogue?"

Rogue looked at him with wide eyes, feeling apprehensive all of a sudden.

"Aren't ya gonna ask me why Ah left ya in the snow?"

Remy pursed his lips together, and looked to be pondering the question.

"Non chere, I'm not. I imagine y'had your reasons."

As he went back to his pie and coffee, his gaze sometimes averting to the falling snow outside, Rogue continued to stare, a feeling of astonishment overwhelming her.

She couldn't explain it. She didn't even know this man. But as she moved her eyes to the large glass window to their side, she couldn't help but think that this was the perfect man to be stuck in an unknown city with, watching the snow fall as the world around them did as well.

"Where were you when dis all started petit?" There was a sense of caring in his voice that one might give to a friend or a loved one. But he didn't know her.

"Ah was." Rogue paused, the rim of her mug grazing her lips. "Ah was leaving a coffee shop. Nothing too exciting. Where were you?"

"I was trying t'rob someone. But de building exploded when I was a block away."

Rogue blinked. Then her eyes roamed over his attire. A tight black suit, a utility belt hugging his hips.

"Ya ain't kidding, are ya sugah?"

Remy shrugged as if to say no. He figured his identity as a thief wouldn't matter once the world ended.

"Do ya have anyone that matters to ya Remy?"

She could tell her next question knocked him off guard. He probably thought she would question his profession more.

"Depends where else was attacked. I ain't got anyone in New York."

"Oh." Rogue nodded. "Me neither. Ah'd just moved there out o'college."

"College huh?" Remy leaned back in his seat and put a cigarette to his mouth. "That degree won't be getting you anywhere now."

"Ah don't understand why this is happening. What kind o'mutant with what kind o'powers is doing this?"

Remy looked at her with curious eyes.

"How good's your vision chere?"

"Umm.."

"Did you see anything in the sky when we were on dat building?"

"It was so cloudy, it was hard ta see much o'anything but different colors."

Remy nodded and exhaled from his cigarette.

"So what's your power Rogue? Besides invulnerability."

He was changing the subject, but she begrudgingly let him. Maybe he hadn't seen anything either.

"Well, Ah can absorb the memories and powers of anyone with a single touch. And Ah-

"So y'can't touch anyone den?"

Rogue examined his expression carefully. She considered lying to him, but saw no wrong intentions in his gaze.

"Ah can control it."

"Dat's good chere." Remy paused, swallowing and extinguishing his cigarette. "Where are y'planning on going now?"

Rogue opened her mouth to respond, her eyes still catching on the white snow flakes outside. "Ah-don't know Remy. Ah don't feel like movin' much at all right now." She didn't really want to tell him that she had felt like that for close to two years now. That all she wanted to do was sleep and watch the snow fall and drink her coffee in peace.

It was as if Remy could sense her distance. She felt his warm hand capture hers gently, but she was afraid to meet his eyes, as beautiful as they were.

"It's a strange feeling, huh chere? Sitting alone, in a town, no one else around. It's as if we're the only two people left in de world."

Rogue slowly turned to face him, taking in a deep breath as she did so. "We should probably leave."

Remy sat back, releasing her hand. He didn't think he had scared her with his words. He was fairly certain he had understood her emotions quite clearly. They were written in her emerald eyes, he didn't need to be an empath to see that.

"Ah suppose we should avoid the major cities for now. Maybe try to find someone who knows what's going on."

"Or knows where we are."

"Well, Ah don't got many people Ah could call, and Ah doubt the phone lines are working-

"It's ok Rogue. I think I know a place we can go."

He let her finish her coffee first. He gave her space.

Rogue felt she could faint, as a million past voices rushed forward. She took a deep breath. The past no longer mattered.

She could start anew now. And perhaps this man would understand her.