"Don' you worry non', chere. Everythin's gonna be fine."

"Now, here you go. No! Not that way!"

[He sounded so worried. Did he care for her that much? Did Joseph care for her more than that? What did she feel for them both?]

"Don't turn left. Go right. Okay stay put. A gentleman's supposed to seat a lady first before he sits down. That's what me friends always said. Of course by then they'd also stolen most of the money in the very same lady's wallet. And they probably would die in a few moments since they were going to eat poisin laden food. They always did date the assasins."

He said almost as an after thought, "Oh, you can take off your blind fold now."

She did.

"Remy I don' know if you'r jokin or not." She said quite emphatically.

"Well, neither do I, so I guess we're on equal terms, non?"

She almost gasped when she saw where she was.

"What's all this secrecy about? You going to quit the team? Or perhaps are you going to ask me out on a date? I know!" She began to change the modulation in her voice to emulate an air head. "You're going to become an actor, loose any self respect you have and then die a horrid death by alchohol over load, and of course keep your full head of dark hair."

"Actually, I felt that if we were both relaxed I could broach this subject safely. So let's do it after we eat, non? It's a bit sensitive."

"Remy, you are the most direct and to the point of all men I've met in my life."

"Thank, yah chere."

"Yah welcome."

"Waiter. Some menus please."

"Remy, why do you have me and you come to a fancy resturant like this, to broach a "sensitive" topic?"

"Because I was always more relaxed on home cookin' than on Hank's."

"So you come to the New Orleans house?"

"Well, I admit. It's not Mom's but it's close."

And so they ordered an meal. Enjoyed it. Bantered back and forth. Reminsesed. But throughout it all, Rogue was slightly puzzled. Yet, she didn't admit or show it.

Right before they finished she said, "Well, what do yah want tah know?"

"Uh. . ."

"You can ask it. I promised not to bite your head off."

"Well. . ."

"Come on."

"I don't know. . . It was someone else's suggestion."

"Remy! OUT WITH IT THIS SECOND. SPIT IT OUT!"

The volume of Rogue's voice shocked even her. Yet not one person in the entire establishment: said one word, looked in her direction or even seemed to notice.

"I guess that they're used to such volumes, non?" He said quite boyishly. He seemed so cute. Why couldn't she make up her choice?

"Well, Ah'm not. I'm sorry, Remy. I shoul've controlled my temper."

"It's not that important. I swear."

"For spending $100 on this question - plus my time and yours it better be."

"What's your name?"

"Huh?" "I said, 'What's your name?' "

"Rogue."

"No, your real name. Like Hank McCoy. Or Magnus Lensher. Or Professor Charlies Xavier. Your name."

"Sorry can't tell you."

His face looke more shocked than hurt.

"You run away from me, because of my past and now, you, can't tell me your name. Why?"

"Can't tell yah, don' know."

"Your name or why?"

"Both, maybe neither."

"Come on, chere. What is it?"

"I'd tell yah, but you'd laugh."

"What is it? Jeremy? Roxanne? Belle?"

"It's most certainly not the last one."

"No hints?"

"No. I work for a secret organization known only to certain people. I don't know if it even exists. Maybe you work for it to. I don't know. All I know, is that my name is on a need to know basis. And almost no one can."

"Even yourself?" His reaction was surprising.

"Maybe."

"You're a pest sometimes, chere." He was begining to go down the inevitable road of . . . good humor.

"I learn from the best." [Great! Now ah've done it too!]

"Me?" He seemed to recover some of his "normal" suaveness.

"Why, Remy, that'd be telling."

"I hate you." [Definately humor filled so blatantly that a blind many could see it.]

"Good. I'm glad we've effectively closed that chapter in both our lives form now on. Maybe I'll marry, Bishop."

"You mean Joe's out of the picture?" He sounded so much like a school boy she barely kept a straight face. He of course could tell Apocalypse that he was his the big "A" ' kid and the "Big A" probably would believe him."

"I thought his name was Joseph."

"He's goin' by more aliases than I have, I can tell you that."

"Like what?"

"Can't tell yah. Don't know."

And Rogue began to smile. . .