Welcome a new story titled Voyageur

Written by k1ttycat

It revolves around a couple we love so much Remy/Rogue

I wanted to write a story unique to others and I hope you like the idea…It will be a romance with bits of action and self discovery thrown in there also. I want to test the two characters and you'll hopefully see a gradual change in them. The entire story is all planned out, even the conclusion, so updates shouldn't take too long. This takes place a few months after series 4.

Credit to Enigma for the title.

Chapter One

With tears still fresh in his eyes, he stepped away and faced his friend with grim determination. He knew that this particular mission, if he could call it that, would be trickier than anything he'd ever faced before in his life and he tried not to think of the outcome if he messed it up. It would be the difference between success and failure, freedom and enslavement...life and death. His shoulders shook from pent up emotion and Forge adjusted something on the machine. "Ready?" he murmured, already picking it up. Kitty was standing beside him and her large eyes were silently begging for him to be careful. The recent loss had shattered her and she couldn't face another friend being wiped out… He nodded to Forge without speaking and held out his arms, readying himself. Going back was the only option. He could not fail her.

"Two minutes, Rogue!"

It was the first day of the new school semester and Rogue was already late. She hurried out of the bathroom, tugging a hairbrush through her long hair, and she rushed back into the bedroom she shared with Kitty. Unlike the other rooms there's was a very oddly decorated one and any visitor would agree. Usually the room mates would come to an agreement but both Rogue and Kitty remained stubborn, so half of the room was decorated to Kitty's taste and the other to Rogue's. She glanced at the music posters above her friend's bed now and she frowned at the airbrushed images. Shaking her head, she picked up her beige school bag and the notes she needed for today. Kitty was already gone and she suspected she'd hitched a lift with Lance again since he had that car. Scott no longer attended Bayville High so Rogue usually got a lift from Kurt who would teleport them both close to the school gates. However, if she didn't get a move on then she would be walking. She went out of the room and hurried to the front door to find him tapping his foot. "Ah'm here!" she said breathlessly. "Sorry, but Amara was hoggin' the bathroom as usual."

"No problem," Kurt held out his hand and a few seconds after she took it they were by the High School. She sniffed, trying to get rid of the smell of brimstone. No matter how many times he teleported them she still couldn't get used to it. "New day, new start. Ze canteen is already crying out to me. Looking forward to it?

The two of them walked over the road and through the gates. The campus was already filled with students and Rogue recognized a few. A few jocks had by now started a game of catch and students had to duck in order to not get hit. Three girls from her Gym class stood together and they started to whisper as she walked passed. A few other teenagers looked at the two newcomers and conversations hushed. "Oh yeah, this is totally fun," she replied miserably, hugging her notes to her chest. The student body had long ago abandoned making fun of her for her Gothic streak since she refused to rise to the bait so her face was covered in the usual dark make up. Her clothes were pretty nondescript; a pair of black sneakers, blue jeans, a dark purple wrap top with long sleeves and her usual black gloves. Her mutant powers were still as bothersome as always but she'd begun having lessons with the professor to try and repress them.

They hurried into the school hallway, expecting to feel safe and sound inside but to their surprise they found a few of their housemates standing together by the principles office. Bobby, Rahne, Jamie and Sam were standing closest to the door, deep in conversation, and it looked like Bobby was trying to hear what was going on inside. Kitty was there too standing with Lance by the opposite lockers and Rogue went over to them. The two weren't a couple anymore even though they had quite a history together. They'd dated officially following the events of the Apocalypse and it was her idea for him to join the x-men. He'd tried really hard to fit in at first…but over the months resorted back to his old behaviour and her room mate realised that he was too immature to make her happy. He'd been pretty pissed off when she told him but decided she might be right and the two were still friends. Rogue had seen him flirting with Tabitha recently but wasn't sure whether or not Kitty would be glad of the news; sometimes it was difficult to figure out what the brunette was really feeling. "What's goin' on?" Rogue asked curiously.

"Kelly wants to see us all," Lance replied shortly. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and didn't look too troubled. After all, he'd been in the principles office more times than the classrooms. He sent her a little smile as though guessing her thoughts.

"About what? Please don't tell me Toad's slimed up his car again," she sighed, rolling her kohl lined eyes.

Toad, who was standing by them with Fred and Pietro, stuck his tongue out at her. The three were now living at the Xavier institute like Lance, though mostly just to have a roof over their heads rather than any moral decision. Pietro's twin Wanda stayed there too but at the moment the black haired girl was off with her father Magneto. Rogue didn't know where since the two weren't close and didn't ask. Honestly, the girl scared her a little bit. They weren't the only new recruits either. Wanda had brought along her on/off boyfriend that crazy orange-haired and with him came the oldest Gambit and Colossus. The mansion was positively stuffed but Xavier, being the caring soul he was, hadn't turned anyone away. As long as they weren't caught breaking the rules or harming the students then they were allowed to stay until they wished. Rogue hadn't had a chance to find out what they were like yet as they pretty much kept to themselves.

"I don't think so," Kitty answered. She was dressed in a pair of blue cut off's and a pink cardigan. Her hair was tied back like usual. "He seems pretty happy with himself though."

"And that means trouble for us," Lance added.

"Heads up!" Bobby warned and scooted away from the door as it opened. A smug looking Edward Kelly looked around at them and motioned for them to go in. Once inside the office she positioned herself by the windows seeing as there were only three chairs. Rahne, Kitty and Toad took them and the others stood behind them. Jamie, who was the youngest, went and sat on Kitty's lap and she put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. Mr Kelly took a seat behind the desk and folded his hands, eyeing them all as though they were diseased.

"As I'm sure Mr Drake heard, I've just got off the phone with the governors committee."

"What's that got to do with us?" Rogue asked resentfully.

"A proposal has been put forward to ban your type from attending the school."

"Our type?" Kurt repeated angrily.

"Safety is the school's foremost priority and we can't chance the regular student's safety by having mutants here."

"But that's totally unfair!" Kitty cried. "You can't just get rid of us like that. We haven't hurt anybody."

"Oh no?" Mr Kelly raised an eyebrow. "Fires…explosions…a destroyed football stadium…sound familiar?"

"But that wasn't their fault," Lance replied, a little sheepishly. "You can't punish everyone."

"I assure you, I can."

"We deserve an education!" Rogue tried. She was mentally abusing the principle with every foul word she knew and she balled her hands into fists with fury. She was near graduating too!

"It's not right," Rahne growled.

"Silence!" he cried, standing up. He pushed his chair back so suddenly that it hit the wall behind him. He didn't seem to notice. "You are all excluded from Bayville High school, starting straight away. You will either leave the premises quietly or I will call for an escort. The choice is yours."

"Some choice," Bobby muttered.

"Fine. Who cares anyway? S'just school," Fred mumbled. He slammed the door open and squeezed through, the floor shaking with each footstep. Toad hopped out after him. Rahne and Sam followed after shooting glares at the principle and Sam pulled a protesting Bobby with them. Little Jamie followed with a sigh and his defeated look broke Kitty's heart.

"Please, sir," Kitty tried pleading. "We didn't ask to be like this…"

Mr Kelly hissed, "Get out, freak!" The look he gave her made her grimace.

Rogue gasped and Kitty stepped back in surprise. "Too far, Kelly!" Lance threatened, holding out his hand. His eyes rolled back as his powers took control of him. The floor jerked dangerously under their feet and the windows smashed. The bookcase behind them fell and the books scattered across the floor. Rogue ducked, holding her arms above her head. She heard a bampft noise and realised Kurt had teleported away.

"Lance!" she heard Kitty protest but Rogue grabbed her hand.

"Let's go, Kitty, he won't stop."

Kitty nodded grimly and phased the two of them through the floor. Phasing was a strange sensation even if you were used to it and the tingles didn't stop even after you were finished. At first she'd found it horrible but was now used to the idea of her body becoming intangible. She kept it going until they came up outside the school. Students were running passed them out of the doors and screaming that the building was going to collapse. By the looks of it they weren't wrong. The two girls made a run for it.

When they finally reached the mansion they were exhausted but found that Lance had beaten them back there. He was sitting in the lounge, bent over and grimacing. Pietro and Jamie were at his side and Colossus was standing by the door looking furious C. Kitty was usually a pretty peaceful girl and generally disliked confrontation but at the moment she wanted nothing more than to shout at Lance until she was hoarse. "You idiot! What the hell were you thinking?" She asked, rounding on him angrily. Rogue decided not to bother stopping her as she was pretty interested to hear his reasoning too. She sat down in one of the comfy chairs and dangled her legs over the armrest.

"He called you a freak!" Lance replied loudly. "Did you think I'd let him get away with that?"

"He can call me whatever he wants, I don't care. He thinks we're all freaks. They all do. That's no excuse to destroy the school."

"He had it coming."

"Yeah he did," she replied. "But not from you."

"Leave it, Kitty, your man is hurt," Colossus injected quietly.

Lance straightened with a snarl of pain and held his side. "I'm not hurt."

"He's not my man, and this is exactly why we broke up. We could have tried arguing some more. You've blown our chances."

"Like he'd let us back in," Pietro cut in, crossing his arms. "He hates us; he's been looking for a way to get rid of us since day one. So if I were you I'd retract those claws. Lance did us all a favour."

"He could have hurt somebody!"

"But he didn't. You're taking this way too seriously."

"And you're not taking this seriously enough!"

Rogue wanted desperately to say something in her friends favour but honestly Pietro was speaking a lot of sense. They'd faced troubles since day one and somehow she'd always expected this to happen. With a mutant hater like Edward Kelly in the principles chair it was inevitable. She noticed Gambit (Remy LeBeau, she quickly reminded herself) slipping into the room and he murmured something to Colossus, who sighed and left. Rogue took this opportunity to study the new recruit since this was probably the first time she'd been in a room with him without trying to knock him out unconscious. Ever since he arrived with Colossus he acted like the mansion was too dull for him and she knew that he snuck out most nights on that motorcycle of his as her bedroom was above the garage. Sometimes she would catch him flirting with Jean or even Storm but he didn't seem to be serious about anything. A few weeks ago he'd gone out with Amara but she'd confessed to Kitty the next day that he'd all but blanked her afterwards. She thought about the card he'd given her on their trip down south before Apocalypse. She'd never discussed his behaviour on that night with anyone…due mainly to the fact that she didn't want anyone to find out she'd been duped so easily.

She didn't realise she'd been staring until he turned and winked at her. She blushed hotly and looked away, concentrating on the subject at hand.

"Even if this does top the tabloids, it's finished now. No point crying over it."

"If it helps any, Jean's going to try and organise some sort of protest," Jamie offered with a shrug.

Rogue shook her head. "Yeah, 'an that will help a treat. Ah can just imagine all the support now," she added unenthusiastically. "Ah can't see anyone comin' out to help us. No one in this town is for mutant rights."

"You'd be surprised." Jean herself walked in and handed a cup of water to Lance, obviously hearing him think of getting one. She had her flaming red hair plaited back. "Under the surface a lot of people aren't happy about what's going on. It's just the more radical people who make the fuss and they only make up a small percentage."

"I don't see why we should go back anyway," Pietro piped up. "It's just school."

"It's the principle of the matter," Kitty frowned.

"Ah guess it can't hurt," Rogue sighed, she looked to Jean. "Ah'm goin' upstairs. Count meh in if you need any help. Doing something's better than nothin'." She got up to leave and made her way down the hallway to the stairs. Colossus was on the phone by the door and speaking in rapid Russian to who she presumed was his family. When she climbed the first step she heard somebody's heavy footsteps behind her and they spoke her name. Turning, she saw Remy behind her and an unpleasant smirk was playing at his lips. "Yes?"

"Gambit was just wonderin' where that smile o' yours had been hidin'…It's a pity too for it's a tres belle one."

She raised an eyebrow deliberately. "Do you have a point to this or are you just here to annoy me?"

"Aw chere, y' wound me. Why so cruel?"

"Let me think," Rogue replied sarcastically. "Perhaps it's 'cause this is the first time you've really acknowledged my presence here since arrivin'? You had no quarrels 'bout knockin' me out and usin' me to rescue your father…and yet you expect me to be weak at knees after hearin' that pathetic line? Don't bother, Gambit, go try it on someone else."

He watched her for a moment and she saw something like irritation flash across his handsome face. He was obviously not used to being shot down like this and that thought made her feel triumphant…he needed being pulled down a peg or two from what she'd seen.

She quickly hurried back up the stairs and she threw herself down onto the purple sheets on her bed. She was just about to sort through some school books when Kitty phased in through the door and made her drop them out of surprise. "Kitty! Warning?"

"Sorry," Kitty apologized but she looked like she was deep in thought over something else. Rogue watched her curiously.

"The school thing will get sorted; you don't have to worry 'bout it."

"I'm not worrying."

"You're pacin'."

"Oh…" she sat down and fiddled with the silver bracelet she wore for a moment. "Rogue?"

Rogue rolled onto her stomach and propped her head up on her hands. "Yeah?"

"Do you think Lance loves me?"

She'd been expecting a question…but not about Lance! She bit her lip and wondered how she could reply. Her mind screamed to reply with the negative but after remembering Lance's actions today was unsure. Why was she even asking her anyway? Kitty usually went to Jean with romance type enquiries. Rogue knew as much about relationships as she did about deep sea diving.. "Aw Kit, you know ah'm no good with this sorta' stuff. Ah'm-"

"-Do you?"

Rogue sighed. "What do you want? Me to say "yeah, Kit, ah think he does. Maybe you should get back with him" Even though we both know it wouldn't make any difference. You want to know what ah think? Ah think your as different as night an' day, an' ah also think you have enough on your mind right now to worry 'bout romance."

"You're right…" she sighed, but her cornflower blue eyes looked sly suddenly. "You know, Remy was watching you earlier in the Lounge."

"Ah can hardly contain myself."

"He's pretty cute."

"He's also a womanizin' scoundrel who speaks in third person."

"Scoundrel's can be interesting," Kitty replied, a little mischievously. "Very interesting."

"Go back to worryin'."

"Well, you can hardly blame me for bringing it up. I still hold onto hope of one day helping you get ready for dates and stuff," she said conversationally. "Want me to paint your nails?" she added, hopping over onto her bed with a silver nail varnish and Rogue obediently took off her gloves and spread out her fingers.

"Fat chance of that ever happenin'. Not whilst my powers continue to play up…"

Kitty threw her a sympathetic glance. "You'll get control one day."

"How can you be so certain? Even the professor isn't."

"Well…you're one of those most stubborn people I've ever met…I know you won't give up."

"Ah'm not sure if that was a compliment or not," Rogue smiled weakly and watched until Kitty was finished. When she was done she waved her hands about to dry them. Kitty was about to reply when the two girl's heard the professor send them a telepathic message. It seemed to be directed to everyone in the mansion.

"PLEASE WILL ALL SENIOR STUDENTS AND STAFF MEMBERS REPORT TO MY OFFICE IMMEADIATELY"

Rogue frowned. Even after years of living here she still wasn't used to hearing him in her head like that. Even though she knew he had strict ethical views on reading his students minds she still wasn't very comfortable with him in there, even if it was only to relay a message. Still, she pulled her gloves back on before she and Kitty started to make their way out into the hall. Only outside did Kitty break the silence.

"You ever get the feeling that something's about to change?" Kitty asked suddenly.

"Like a premonition? Sometimes. Turns out to be wrong usually."

"I've had this feeling all day…and it's not about being expelled either."

"Maybe you have a hint of the telepathic in you?" Rogue joked playfully.

"If I did then I wouldn't have to worry about Lance so much."

"If you start goin' on 'bout him again then the gloves are coming off. Ah'm warnin' you."

"Bitter hag," Kitty rolled her eyes and held out her hand so she could phase them both down through the floor. Travelling with Kitty always seemed to involve phasing even if it was only to the next room and she seemed to consider walking unnatural and slow. When they reached the Professor's office, Rogue saw that many of her friends were already there. The well lit room was far too packed and all of the available seats were long gone. The two girls went and stood by Kurt and Sam near the windows to wait for the professor to come in as he seemed to be the only person missing. Even X-23 is here, Rogue realised, spying the short girl standing besides Logan. It suddenly dawned on her just how many mutants the x-men consisted of as their ranks had grown increasingly after Apocalypse. Of course there was always Scott, Jean and the rest of the old members but there was also the new mutants and the individuals who had nowhere else to go…Angel, Boom Boom, X-23, Colossus, Gambit, Pyro, Scarlet Witch, Avalanche, Toad, Blob, Quicksilver…Only the other week Angel had gone on a recruiting mission with Jean and picked up a British woman they named Psychlocke. Rogue had yet to meet the woman but another psychic couldn't hurt.

She eyed the mutants before her who were from all different walks of life; some privileged, some poor, some orphaned, some from loving homes, some with control, some – she added bitterly- without. No matter what their reasons were for being here they were all united under one common banner.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door opening and a wheel chaired man came inside, the students parting a little so he could get to his desk. Once behind it, Professor Xavier spoke, his face serious. "Thank you all for attending so promptly. Rest assured I have no more bad news for you today and it is with excitement that I've called you all in here…"

"He doesn't look very excited," Sam whispered. He was right; Xavier didn't look excited at all…more weary than anything else. His shoulders were slumped and he had the tips of his fingers pressed together.

"We have a guest."

There was a sudden movement at the door and Rogue realised that someone had been standing there silently. The figure was swathed in an over-larged cloak that looked extremely well used but at Xavier's words he lowered his hood with a gloved hand. A gloved hand that left two of his fingers exposed. When his face was revealed there was a collective silence and then, at the same time, several people started talking loudly. Rogue recognised the features before she registered who they belonged to. She glanced across the room at Remy, who looked like he'd seen a ghost. And she didn't blame him. For the man standing by the door was Remy.

An older Remy.

Reviews, flames, suggestions, milkshakes, critique…all welcome.