Fic: Perfectly Hideous Time, Ultimate X-Men Rogue for <lj site="livejournal.com" user="silvermarvels

[willowaus]

Title: Perfectly Hideous Time
Author: willowaus
Rating: T
Characters/Pairing: Rogue/Gambit, Wolverine
Verse: Ultimate X-Men
Prompt: Notorious, X-Men movieverse, Logan = Deviln, Rogue = Alicia, Magneto = Alexander Sebastian. (Um...except it doesn't get to that part of the movie with Alex)
Summary: All Rogue wanted to do was forget.

A/N: Written for the silvermarvels challenge. Thanks so much to resolute for the beta. And yes, you read that right Rogue/Gambit...yeah, I don't understand it either. Just don't tell Magneto, 'kay?



This was just what she'd needed. A place no one knew her. A little bar where she could drown herself in gin and be reckless and not give a damn what the others thought. Not that Rogue ever did care what little Miss Pryde or Jean or any of the other goodie-two-shoes believed about her. None of it mattered. The only one who'd mattered was gone. Dead and yet not--trapped inside her miserable head and unable to do a damn thing about it. All because of Juggernaut, her once good friend.

And none of them understood. Not Bobby, not the Professor. So, she didn't have Remy's power anymore but he was still there. Would never leave.

Remy could never leave his cherie.

Rogue sighed and raised her glass, pleased when the bartender refilled it, nodding towards the older gentleman coming her way.

Another lonely patron, trying to get lucky. Didn't know about her deadly skin and the fact that she could kill him with just a touch. The way he was eyeing her barely clad chest she had a feeling he wouldn't care, sliding into the stool beside her. Don't do this, cherie.

She pushed Gambit's presence back, focusing on the man. The alive one. He was talking, nothing all that interesting but she half-listened, pressing against him as she swirled around on the stool, smiling seductively. Or as close to seductive as she could make herself be at the moment.

"Like something you see?" she asked, wanting to push away Gambit's presence, ignoring his whisper in her head, telling her not to do this.

"You're a pretty little thing." The man was looking her up and down, his intentions quite plain.

"Another drink for the pretty little thing," she murmured, jostling her empty glass in front of him, allowing him to brush his hand against her leather clad thigh. Forget, forget, forget. Smiling when the bartender refilled her glass. Maybe this one would be able to help.

The man's hand was rubbing higher and she gripped the tumbler in her hands, tossing the gin back quickly. Relishing the way it burned down her throat. Gambit's laughter dying in her head, only able to focus on the man's rough hands. Nothing like Remy's gentle touch.Perfect.

And then the touch stopped and Rogue looked down, confused by the hand pulling the man's away. She knew that hand.

"That's enough, bub."

Damn it. She knew that voice too. "I'm fine, Logan," she snapped, rising on shaky feet, glaring at her would-be protector. Where the hell had he been when she really needed him? When Juggernaut had attacked and Remy had...

She choked, pushing at Logan. Unable to continue the thought. Don't cry, cherie.

"Come on, darlin'," he demanded, shrugging off his jacket and enveloping her in it. "What the hell are you doin' here?"

"What are you?" she countered, smiling sadly at the man who was already heading back to his buddies. "I was havin' fun."

"You were bein' foolish." Logan grabbed her arm, steering her out of the bar. Into the open parking lot.

No noise. And Remy's voice rang loud in her ears, mirthful and so full of life. Such a contradiction to what he really was. "Ain't bein' foolish," she growled, grabbing his keys from his pocket, dangling them in front of him. "I'm driving."

"Rogue." A warning growl and she pushed him back, skin touching his briefly. Not enough to draw, merely her own warning and then she headed to Scott's car, sliding easily into the driver's seat.

"Comin' or not?" she asked, starting the car.

He jumped in beside her and she tensed, reminded of when Remy'd done the same thing. Boyish smile plastered on his face. Nonononononono. Rogue gunned the engine, racing out of the parking lot and onto the deserted street. An uneasy silence fell between them, Remy's Cajun accent filling her mind, whispering happy little nonsense.

"How'm I doing?" Rogue demanded, hands clenching around the steering wheel, needing to break the noise in her mind with the sound of real voices, even Logan's.

"Not bad," Logan replied, leaning back in the passenger seat.

"Scared?" She smiled a little, swerving to the right.

"No."

She growled at that, annoyed. "No." Angrily she brushed hair from her face. "You're not scared of anything." Like Remy.

"Not too much." Logan didn't even flinch as she jerked to the left, passing another car.

Rogue continued to go faster, becoming more reckless. Irritated when it became hard to see. "Stupid fog."

"Hair in your eyes, darlin'." He was pointing at her hair and she sighed, realizing it was just her white streak fluttering about in the wind.

She brushed it from her face, driving faster. Wanting to scream, to not feel. "How fast am I goin'?"

"Sixty-five."

What? That wasn't fast enough. She cast a glance at him, angered by his smirk. She pressed her foot down on the gas, growling. "I want to make it eighty and wipe that fucking grin off your face."

"Pull over, darlin'."

"No." Rogue pressed on, driving recklessly, screaming when he grabbed the wheel, foot pressing against the break.

The car screeched to a stop and she punched him. He grabbed her arms, holding her until the fight left her and she collapsed against him, sobbing. He shifted them so that he was driving. "Let's go home, Rogue," he told her, rubbing her back as she curled against him. Pressing her face into his side, hands curling in his shirt.

Rogue cried harder, Gambit's voice growing louder. She was never gonna be able to find her home. It'd been ripped away and was never coming back. Why didn't any of them realize that?