Summary: Set after 3rd film. He's trying to dodge a favour, while she has something to prove. A tale of unlikely romance chock full of misunderstandings, misleads and missed opportunities. ROMY.

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men nor am I affiliated with Marvel in any way.

Author's Notes: I wanted to write a firecracker story, where its all sparks, sparks, sparks between our leads. Some burn, some tickle. A story where everything starts off wrong and ends up right. I'm taking a new spin on Remy, focusing on some of his more 'appalling'(if any of us fangirls can call it that) attributes to help play up the sparks. Marie is a much colder, stubborn and steely girl, hardened by some of her poor past choices. Also done so her character sparks nicely off of Remy's. It's kind of a 'love in bad lighting' story, where we get see our leads at their worst right up to their best. Rated M for language and sexually suggestive content. Once again, I do not know French, but I get by with a little help my friends and internet translators. I also write with minimal accents, we all know our leads have them, so I feel it's unnecessary. The power of imagination works better than all my misspelled words and apostrophes.

Bobby had called it a 'baby mission'. Marie didn't care. It was still a mission and she was excited to be on it, even if Bobby did convince her to sit in the car and wait. Since she had taken the cure, the best she could hope for were 'baby missions'. This one should be a piece of cake. Otherwise Storm wouldn't have called Marie on board.

Marie held a piece of paper in her hand. A yellow sticky note with only one name scribbled in pen on it.

Gambit.

Storm knew him from years ago it seemed, and apparently he owed her a favour. A favour Storm was now calling in. She was vague when she gave the details of the mission, and had no physical description of the man, citing mysteriously that she hadn't seen him in years to give a proper one. All Storm had done was warn them that this one might be a little slippery and to watch out for tricks.

They were to use Storm's name immediately and, by some code of honour, he would come willingly. Marie didn't quite understand why Storm wasn't going to get him herself. Even more troublesome was that Storm had insisted that Marie go get him, even though she no longer had her powers. Storm had sent Bobby along last minute as a 'just in case' and only because he complained that 'powerless Marie' should not go alone.

Bobby was acting on a level three threat alert for a 'baby mission' once they reached their destination. It was the seediest bar Marie had ever seen, and hanging out with Logan, she had seen plenty. She and Bobby had argued, and inevitably, Bobby convinced her to stay in the car with the doors locked while he went in first. If he deemed it safe, he'd come back for her.

She didn't want to sit in the car. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself— mutation or not. She trained with Logan every morning, and she was a good fighter. Despite what everyone thought, she could handle herself in a bar. Thing was, she just didn't want to fight with Bobby.

See, they were trying to be friends, trying to stay civil. They had been lovers once, briefly, until he had met the adorable and plucky Miss Kitty Pryde. The cards were then stacked against Marie. Kitty could do the one thing with Bobby that she could never do.

Touch.

That was Marie's curse, her cross to bear. Only since the cure, she wasn't bearing it anymore. There was a time when she had once gone by the name Rogue. When she could steal a soul with a mere touch. When she could siphon away a person's life and memories with a simple caress of her bare hand across skin. She had been all the deadlier when it was another mutant she touched, because then, for a brief period of time, their mutant power became her own to command.

She had been formidable before the cure. After it, she was merely human, and the grass was not as green as she thought it would be. Bobby still fell for Kitty, and Marie was left by the way side. She tried not to be bitter, but truthfully she regretted what she had done. After Bobby had left, she didn't care if she ever touched another person again. She'd become a waste of her former self. He'd betrayed her trust and broke her heart, leaving her to lick her wounds in the shadows.

That wasn't her only regret though, she had found a family in the other mutants in Xavier's and since the cure, she felt disconnected from them. She was no longer one of them. No one treated her that way, but she felt it. Call it a self imposed feeling, but that's how she felt regardless. She stayed on at Xavier's in a desperate attempt to be what she had used to be. Mutant.

Storm kept her on retainer gladly. She stated that mutant or not, Marie believed in Xavier's dream and she was welcome to stay and help where she could.

Today was Marie's first field mission since the cure and she was disappointed in herself for letting Bobby talk her into sitting it out.

Speaking of Bobby, his clean cut, boyish good looks and uniform were getting him hassled at the front doors of the bar. Bobby had finally managed to look tough enough to get inside. She laughed to herself. She'd take off her uniform jacket before entering a place like this. Wearing it was like a beacon for trouble here.

Marie drummed her fingers on the dash. The least Bobby could have done was leave her the keys so she could listen to the radio. This was stupid. She'd already been sitting here for fifteen minutes. It was her mission too. In fact, it was her mission first. Screw Bobby, she had just as much right to be in that bar as Bobby did. Without giving it another thought, she slipped off her uniform jacket and popped the lock on her door, stepping out of the vehicle. She locked it again before closing the door.

There.

Now she had no choice but to go inside the bar.

She walked confidently across the parking lot and reached the doors. She was about to enter the bar when a voice from the shadows spoke to her.

"Wouldn't go in there alone if I were you, ma petite."

A pair of red eyes glowed softly in the shadows. A mutant stood under a broken set of bar lights beside the door, cloaked in darkness. She could see his black outline against the black of the night if she squinted. Judging by where his eyes were, he had to be at least five inches taller than her. She wouldn't have even noticed him if he hadn't spoken up.

Creepy.

"I'm looking for someone," she said politely. She distinctly got a hint of danger from the man in the shadows. She was on her guard.

"'Less his name's Trouble, you won't find him in there, Miss Mississippi," the man drawled.

His accent slid down her body like hot oil. He was from Louisiana, a Cajun. She'd recognize the accent anywhere, and he'd recognized hers. She thought she'd all but lost it living in Westchester the past few years.

"Well, then perhaps you could help me. I'm looking for a mutant, goes by the name Gambit."

The dark shadow straightened up against the wall. She'd managed to secure his attention.

"What you want him for?"

"I'm not at liberty to say, but if you know where I could find him—"

"Lots of pretty girls come lookin' for Gambit. Can't help but suspect your reasons for searching him out aren't much different from theirs."

Rogue stared at him aghast for a moment. Did he just imply that she was looking for sex?

"Look," she said annoyed. "I don't appreciate the innuendo. If you know where I can find him could you please just tell me? And if not, could you please excuse me."

Marie had no intention of hanging around outside with a creepy sleaze mutant who hid in the shadows outside dive bars. When he didn't give her an answer, she reached for the door.

She was halfway through the door when he spoke up again.

"You won't find Gambit in there."

She let go of the door. If this was more games…

"And why not?" she asked, slightly agitated.

"Une, you don't know what he looks like, and deux, he's not in there."

Marie clenched her teeth and folded her arms across her chest. He was mocking her intelligence. She could hear it in his voice.

"So, do you know where I can find him then?" she asked, trying to maintain her manners.

"Oui."

"Care to share that information?"

"Perhaps," he mused. "For a price."

She could already picture the dark shadow grinning wickedly. She had a pretty good idea what his price was.

"My momma always warned me not to make deals with devils in dark corners," she answered sweetly.

She jumped back when the figure moved from the wall and out of the shadows. He stepped into the gaudy bar lights and towards her. Shit, she thought. He couldn't have been much older than her or Bobby. She assessed him quickly. His eyes lost their glow in the light, startling eyes really. Red iris's surrounded in a sea of pitch black. Very peculiar eyes. She didn't really want to look away from them. She forced herself to.

He had dark, auburn brown hair that hung haphazardly in his face. He was taller than Bobby, as she had first suspected, but not as stocky. More lithe. He wore an old, worn out brown trench coat, unbuttoned with a dark shirt and pants. Even under the tacky neon lights he looked as dangerous as he sounded from the shadows. If it wasn't for that damn friendly, familiar Cajun accent she would have been terrified.

He tilted his head curiously to the side. "I've never seen you 'round here before, and I'm not likely to help you with your blonde, cookie cutter boyfriend stirring the place up. That is, unless there is something in it for me."

Marie didn't like the way he said those last words. She also didn't like him insinuating that she and Bobby were together.

"He's not my boyfriend."

"You came with him."

"Doesn't mean I'm with him. We work together."

"Last I heard Gambit wasn't involved in any work."

"Well, that's why I need to find him," she snapped back. She was really getting tired of all this back and forth bantering. "What is it you want? Because like I said earlier, I need to talk to him."

The man smiled like the Devil. Marie took another step back without meaning to. The guy unnerved her.

He laughed. "Scared, cherie?" His eyes twinkled.

"No! I just don't like having you stand so close," she lied.

"Like lovers in a doorway," he answered almost absently.

She should have just stayed in the car. Thankfully, the bar door opened and a familiar face walked out. She was actually glad to see Bobby. That was a first in awhile. He looked at her like he was about to reprimand her for leaving the car. He was probably going to when he noticed the guy standing there, a little too close to Marie. Close enough that there was no argument that they had been speaking together.

"Who's this?" Bobby asked her, jutting his thumb over to the man.

Marie didn't know. She hadn't asked for his name. She shrugged slightly.

"Hey, buddy? Do you know where I can find a mutant named Gambit?" Bobby asked the man abruptly.

The man smiled again. Fangs would be perfect on a smile like that. "Non. Sorry, mon ami, Gambit has no interest in the gentleman. Can't find him for you."

"Asshole," Bobby murmured. He roughly grabbed Marie's arm and led her away from the man. "Come on, Marie, he's not here."

Marie looked over her shoulder at the man. He was half in the shadows again.

He gave her the same devil's smile and waved slightly. "Au revoir, Marie, ma cherie," he called out.

Rogue rolled her eyes. Thanks, Bobby. Now sleazy ultra-creepy knew her name. She got in the car as soon as Bobby unlocked the doors.

"What were you doing even talking to that guy, Marie?" Bobby asked concerned. If he hadn't have dumped her for another woman, she would have thought it was sweet.

"He said he knew Gambit. I was trying to do my job," she answered peevishly.

"That guy's a prick, and it was obvious he was just trying to pick you up. He'd say he knew anyone just to get you to follow him somewhere secluded. You really need to be more careful now. What would have happened if I hadn't have come out when I did?"

She knew what he was getting at.

Her lack of mutation.

"I would have kicked his ass, Bobby. I don't need to be a mutant to do that."