One last thing and I promise I'll let you get to the story... I delved into a bit of Remy's history in this story. I'm sure it will end up contradicting with what Marvel will decide his past is. (I'm sure he's gonna turn out to be Sinister's boy!) However, since this is fanfiction and doesn't count in the "real" Marvel world, I figured what the heck.

Paintbrush in hand, the man paused from his task to wipe his forehead clean of sweat. It was a brutally hot August afternoon. It was no day to be painting a house, which was exactly what he was doing. The sweat caused the dark sunglasses he wore to slide down his nose. Quickly he pushed them back, effectively covering his eyes.

He heard the side door open and the sound of many small feet thumping down the stairs and coming around to the back, where he was. He grinned, knowing what would come next.

"Shades!" Sara was the first to spot him. She ran up, smiling brightly. "Mommy an' Krista said we could come out an' say hello, if we promised not to bother you too much."

"Which we won't," Timmy added.

Shades put the paintbrush back in the bucket. Immediately, Timmy and Sara hugged him, along with Jimmy, Mark, and Chrys. All of the young residents of the house except one were there. "Where's 'LizzieBeth?" he asked.

Sara, Elizabeth's older sister shrugged. "She's coming. She's such a slowpoke."

"Don' pick on your sister," Shades said, not unkindly. "She just more careful dan you. Oh, here she comes."

A young girl, wearing a blue jumper was coming towards them, holding a glass carefully in her hands. "Shades?"

"Yes, Lizzy?"

"I brung you a drink." She handed the glass to him gingerly, as if it were filled with Nitroglycerine, rather than cherry Kool-aide.

"Thank-you, sweetheart," he took the glass and gratefully tossed back the contents. Normally, he found Kool-Aide too sweet for his tastes. But with the hot sun beating on his shirtless back, it was cool, wet, and good. When the drink was finished, he put the glass on the ladder he was using and sat down on the grass. Immediately, the kids began struggling to see who would have the great honor of sitting in "Shades" lap. The fight was settled when the owner of the lap in question said Lizzy could have one half and Timmy could have the other.

He smiled as the kids spoke to him, young voices babbling excitedly about what they had been doing that day, what they were having for supper, and other things that came to mind. He liked the kids, they changed on a regular basis, but every child who had stayed in the house held a special place to "Shades."

The house that was being painted was known as the Safehouse, by the residents. It was a shelter for battered women and their children, a secret place where they could stay in a safe, warm environment while getting their feet back on the ground. Very few people knew of its existence, but those who needed it, managed to find it.

He had been volunteering at the Safehouse for over ten years. He helped them with whatever they needed, be it housework, yard work, tucking children in, baby-sitting, or running errands. He came whenever he could. There was only one person in the house, the woman who ran it, Krista, who knew that he was more than just "Shades." He was also known by most as Gambit and Remy LeBeau to the few who called him friend. The nickname "Shades" was chosen because of the dark sunglasses he always wore when he was there.

He knew it really did not matter if the residents of The Safehouse knew his real identity. They trusted him, Krista trusted him. But he stayed Shades. It was a different identity, and when he used it, he felt like a different person. Shades did not have any type of past he needed to be ashamed of, in fact, Shades had no past at all. It did not matter that Shades was a mutant. Most of his friends did not even know he was, but he had the feeling they would not care too much if they did. Shades was not a super hero, an X-Man, or really anybody. Shades was a person who wanted to help and did because it had it's own rewards.

"So when you gonna finish painting?" Timmy asked.

"Soon," Shades said, ruffling the boy's hair. "Take a long time t'paint a house."

"It sure does," Timmy said, with a sigh. "Do you think you'll have it finished before I turn six?"

Shades grinned. Another subtle hint from Timmy that his birthday was less than a week away. "I'll do my best, Timmy," he said, solemnly.

"Good, cause we're gonna have a party in the backyard," Timmy announced.

"I never get to have a birthday," Elizabeth whined.

"Yes you do, you dope," Sara said, rolling her eyes, exasperated at having to explain things to such a child, when Sara herself was a big girl of eight. "Your birthday is in January."

"But it snows in January," Elizabeth said, obviously upset at this gross injustice. "An' it's cold. I can never have a party in the backyard."

"Dat's okay," Shades said, trying to diffuse the bad feelings before they could spread further. Elizabeth was one of the sweetest, nicest, children in Safehouse, but her sensitive nature could be trying at times. She cried when someone stepped on an ant, squashed a spider, or whenever she thought anything was unfair. "We have a special party for you, your next birthday. We'll build a snow fort an' pretend we're Eskimos. How does dat sound?"

Elizabeth grinned. "That sounds fun!"

Shades did not know if Elizabeth, Sara, and their mother would be there in January, but if they were, he would keep his promise. He did not keep in touch with many residents once they left Safehouse, usually by their own choice. It was as if the residents, while appreciating and many even loving their stay, when they left they wanted to put the past behind them. Something Shades could understand. The times at Safehouse might be good, but the situations that got them there were not.

It seemed like a much shorter time than it actually was, before Krista came out and ushered the kids back in the house. They left, rather reluctantly, but cheered up with Shade's promise to have dinner with them and read them a story later.

Shades/ Remy went back to painting the house. It had not gotten any cooler while he was talking to the children. His face felt sticky from a combination of the heat and sloppy kisses from young children. Thinking he was alone, he pulled a bandana from his back pocket, removed the sunglasses, and wiped his face.

"Gambit!"

Before he realized what was being said, he turned his head to the sound of his code name. Standing about ten feet away was the latest resident of Safehouse. Her name was Martha Shelton, but everyone called her Marty. She was young, not quite eighteen. She had been there about twelve weeks, which gave time for the bruises and welts that covered her body when she arrived to heal. Her long, brown-blonde hair was tied back in a simple ponytail. While she was not exactly beautiful, she did have a very sweet face and large, expressive eyes.

She was seven months pregnant.

She had told Shades one afternoon, about a month after she arrived, that it was being pregnant that gave her the strength to leave her boyfriend. She found it ironic, since it was getting pregnant in the first place that caused her to leave her family and run off with him. Shades did not find it ironic at all. Quite often it was a desire to protect their children that gave these women the strength to leave the relationships that were filled with abuse. Timmy's mother said what made her leave was seeing her son hit a playmate, casually, as if it was his right to respond with violence to anyone who got in his way.

"I suddenly got picture in my head," she explained. "A picture of this woman who would someday be his wife. In the picture he was hitting her… and he really didn't understanding that it was wrong, cause he'd seen it all his life. I'll tell ya Shades, I didn't know who this girl was, but I already felt sorry for her. So I decided I had to git the hell outa there, a'fore it was too late." Shades/Gambit understood. When Timmy first arrived it had taken a lot of time, love, and understanding to teach him not to lash out at anything and anyone who upset him.

Quickly, Shades put the sunglasses back on and looked at Marty, frowning.

"So, I was right," Marty said, coming towards him.

"Right 'bout what?" Shades asked, cautiously.

"You’re Gambit, you're an X-Man."

He was pretty sure she could not have gotten a very good look at his eyes from the distance she had called his code name. "Yeah, right," he said, trying to bluff it off. "Sure, an X-Man gonna spend his free time paintin' a house."

"Don't try to shit a shitter," Marty advised him. "I've seen the news and read the newspapers. I suspected about a week after I came here that you were Gambit, and now I just confirmed it."

Gambit sighed. Dark glasses or not, he knew he was too easy to recognize. "Great. Gonna tell me now that I've been foolin' myself all along and everyone inside de house know who I am?"

Marty shrugged. "They haven't mentioned it to me. They might suspect, but I don't think so. Probably because they don't really care."

"But you do," Gambit said carefully.

"Yes." Marty nodded to add extra emphasis to the words. "I-I need to talk to you, Shades. It's very important."

Shades/Gambit nodded. They walked over to the far corner of the yard, where under a tree were two plastic lawn chairs. He made sure Marty was settled in her chair before he sat down himself. "What's up?"

"Well… it's kinda a long story." Marty grinned. "Where do I begin?"

"At the beginning," he suggested.

She bit her lower lip. "Well, you might have noticed I'm pregnant."

He nodded, keeping a perfect poker face. "I admit, I thought you might be. Either dat or you swallow a basketball."

She chuckled. "Sometimes it feels like the second. Anyway, so I'm pregnant. And I'm here, which tells you the father of my baby is not exactly the man I should have slept with."

"We all make mistakes," he offered, although he knew it was a cold comfort. However, what else was someone to say in this situation, 'Boy, you got that right?'

"Yeah. Well. uhm.. at Krista's encouragement, I've contacted my folks." She looked away from him, across the yard.

That did not surprise him. Krista often encouraged residents of Safehouse to contact their families, particularly if they had not kept in touch with them. She made sure first, that the person was certain the family would not contact the husband/person who had abused the resident. Safehouse had a post office box for this reason. "'Ave they contacted you back?" he asked.

She nodded. "I-I got a letter from them today. They want me to come home."

"Marty, dat is great!" He smiled warmly. "Your family can help you wit' de baby. Maybe you can even go to school. I understand that dis place is a good one, an' I'm glad it was here to help you out, but family is better. Especially wit' a baby."

She shook her head. "Shades, you don't understand, my family don't know I'm pregnant."

He frowned, then nodded. He could understand why she had not told them in her first letter. It was tough enough contacting the family you ran away from to tell them you had made a mistake, also telling them that you were pregnant might be a bit much for the first letter. "So? Tell dem. Now that you've started 'talkin' wit' dem, you can mebe call dem an' tell dem. Dey probably be glad to know dey are going to have a grandchild."

"No they won't," Marty disagreed, her voice quiet. "They won't be happy at all. In fact, they'll be furious. In the letter my mother wrote, she told me that all was forgiven and she and my dad are thrilled about me coming home, but at the very end of it, she wrote, 'I know this whole experience must have been very difficult for you, but at least you did not get pregnant.' "

He frowned. "Okay, maybe dey feel dat way, but when you tell them, when dey understand that you are carrying dere grandchild, I'm sure dey'll change dere minds. One of de joys of being a parent is someday becoming a grandparent."

She shook her head. "No, it isn't like that. This isn't something that I can talk to them about. I can't tell them I'm pregnant and suddenly they'll get all mushy and sentimental…" She bit her lower lip again, harder. "Shades, there is something you've got to know about the father of this baby… and about my parents."

"What?" he asked, head tipped to one side.

"The father of this baby is a mutant. And my parents were once members of SCAM."

He flinched at the name of the anti-mutant group. How often have I heard that name? he thought. I should be used to it, but de sound still makes the hairs on de back of my neck stand on end. "Wow," he murmured, trying to sound casual. "Two bombshells in one sentence."

"Yeah." She smiled weakly. "Contradictions, right? I think that's part of the reason why I started seeing Clarence in the first place. I was fifteen and it seemed so… cool to be dating a guy that my parents just would not approve of."

At the mention of the name, his eyes widened under their dark glasses. "Clarence?" For some reason, the name didn't fit the image he had of the father of Marty's baby. From her condition when she arrived and the stories she had told of his temper and way of dealing with it, Shades mental image was of a big muscular guy. Clarence just did not fit. A guy named Clarence should be smart and caring. Guys named Clarence should work for Microsoft as computer programmers and make big bucks. They never hit women, instead if they were unhappy, they should disappear into a room with a mega computer system and play Quake until they felt better.

She smirked. "That was his full name. Everyone called him Clay."

Clay did not quite fit either. Guys named Clay should be lawyers and own BMW's and have children nicknamed Buffy or Skip. Guys named Clay did not beat their girlfriends; they bored them to death instead. He shook his head. It was silly, these mental associations he automatically drew with names, but it was something he could not help.

"What was Clarence's ability?" he asked, curious now.

She shrugged. "It really wasn't that big a deal. I mean, he looked pretty normal. He was skinny, but a lot of people are. I think there was something different about his bones, cause he didn't weigh hardly anything. But, who is going to know that unless they try to pick him up? And he was stronger than he looked, but that's not unusual either. He probably could have gone through life with very few people knowing, but he uhm.. could do one thing… and he liked to do it."

"What was dat?"

Her cheeks flooded to a bright pink. "He could, uhm.. talk to insects."

He suppressed a chuckle. "Talk to insects?"

"Yeah, insects." She looked away, as if embarrassed to confess this. "I know, it sounds really stupid, but he could do it. And he thought it was neat. I mean, it had its advantages… when we ran away to New York and got an apartment, we never had cockroaches in our food. In fact, none of them even lived in our apartment, They visited a lot."

Visions of an old movie, Joe's Apartment, flashed in his head. The movie was silly, the basic plot about a guy with an apartment that he shared with about eight billion speaking, singing, and dancing cockroaches. He tried not to burst out laughing. It was obviously a sore subject with Marty. "Was it just cockroaches?"

"Oh, heavens no!" She shook her head. "Ants, beetles, butterflies. Especially butterflies and moths. He really enjoyed talking to them. I think that's what drove him over the edge though.. do you realize how many insects there are in the world? In one square mile? And all of them wanted to talk to him. I don't know what they talked about, or even how they talked, but I think, after awhile, he liked the insect world better than the human one. And I was a constant reminder that he really belonged to the world he hated. And the world that hated him."

"He might not have been able to tune out his ability either," Shades suggested. "If he had learned how to tune out… uhm… de insect voices, it might have been easier."

"Might have been, could have been, should have been, what does it matter?" She sighed. "I don't know if this baby I'm carrying is a mutant or not. But he or she could be. And I can't go home to my parents, pregnant."

He frowned, thinking. "You said dey used to be members of SCAM. What happened?"

"You must think they're real jerks for ever being members." She sighed. "Well, I'll be honest with you, they don't like mutants. My father isn't a doctor or a lawyer; he works in a warehouse. My folks were always scared if something wasn't done; mutants would end up getting all the good jobs. Who's gonna hire a forty-year-old guy to do heavy lifting, when there is a chance some young mutant who can lift a million pounds with his little finger might walk in. They were scared mutants would get the best jobs, then all the jobs, eventually rise in power and think that normal humans were useless. So, they joined SCAM, thinking that it would help humans fight for their rights, keep the mutants in control."

"So, again I'm askin', why did dey stop bein' members?"

"Cause they're jerks, but they haven't quite become assholes," she explained with a wry smile. "When they found out that SCAM had some pretty radical plans for making sure mutants never got the chance to take over the world they backed off. It's one thing to fight to try to make sure mutants are never better than second class citizens, it's another to make plans to exterminate them."

Remy felt that involuntary shudder go through him again. While he and the X-Men did not know SCAM's exact plans, he knew their secret motto was; We cannot rest until the threat is destroyed. He was just grateful for groups like COMAAR, who constantly fought on the front lines, in the courtrooms and the government, to make sure they did not get too much power. "Do you want to go home?" he asked, softly.

"Yes," she said, nodding. "I -I know that how they feel about mutants isn't right… but damn it, Shades, they're still my parents. And despite it all, I still love them. I-I've missed them these years. I want to go home. I want to go back to high school and graduate. Maybe even go to college."

"But you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt dey won't accept your baby? Even if you explain to dem?"

Marty nodded. "I know they won't. They'd constantly worry if the child was a mutant and if so, what would his or her abilities be. It would be too much to ask them for, to accept this child."

"So what are you going to do?" He was pretty sure he already knew the answer, but he needed to hear her say it.

"I want to give the baby up for adoption."

His breath caught sharp in his throat, hearing the word out loud. He was not against adoption, after all, his beloved niece; Sikudhani was adopted, as he was himself. However, this seemed different. Siku's mother had been a prostitute, who just thrust a baby on him without making sure she would be safe or cared for. Marty was not a prostitute, nor an uncaring person. She left an abusive relationship to protect this baby; she was taking excellent care of herself. All her outward behavior was that of a very caring, expectant mother. She would not even drink soda or coffee for fear of any harm it might do to her child. "Don't you love dis baby?" he asked.

"More than anyone else in the world," she admitted, easily. "This baby might very well have saved my life. I didn't have the strength to leave Clay on my own. Knowing I was carrying another life, a life that needed me to survive gave me that strength."

"Den why can't there be another way?"

She sighed. "I don't want another way, Shades. I want what is best for this baby. And what is best is for this child to have two parents to love and raise him or her. Perhaps even to have grandparents, who will love him or her, not be afraid of him or her. This baby didn't ask to be born, he or she deserves better."

Shades sighed. It was her decision to make, no matter what he thought. "Okay. I can't stop you. But why are you tellin' me about it?"

She bit her lip, brows furrowing. "I'm telling you because… because I figure you know people…."

"Uh-huh," he said, drawing it out slowly. A suspicion of what she was going to ask of him threaded its way into his mind.

"I know it's not a guarantee, but this child could very well be a mutant. I-I'd like to see him or her in a family where this won't be a problem, where he or she could be helped. I don't want to see this baby end up like Clay. I-I can't change the world, but I can make sure this baby has a home where no one will make him or her feel awkward or ashamed because he or she is different. I-I'd like to see this child in a family where at least one of his or her parents is a mutant." She looked at him, her gaze locking with his. "I-I thought you might know, or know someone else who would know of a family for this baby."

His brow furrowed. Bobby and Kelsey, he thought. Dey want another child so bad. "I-I might know someone."

She smiled. "I thought you might. Okay, here is the deal though. I want to meet them."

"Dat can be arranged."

"It's a little more than that. I want to meet them and talk to them. I want to decide for myself if they are the right people to adopt this baby."

"I'm sure if I tell dem 'bout dis, dey would be happy to meet wit' you."

She shook her head. "No, I don't want them to know about any of this. If they know, they might put on an act. I just want to meet them casually. Get the chance to talk to them and scope them out. If I approve, then I'll ask them if they want this baby."

"Dat's an awful lot to ask," Shades said, He was not frowning anymore, but his brows were still furrowed. Although most of the X-Men had learned over the years that he volunteered at the Safehouse, he tried not to mix these two parts of his life together. If he brought Marty to the X-mansion to meet Bobby and Kelsey, it would not look right. I need an excuse to get de t'ree of dem together wit' out making it look obvious. "Timmy's party!" he blurted out.

"Excuse me?"

"Timmy's party," he repeated, smiling now. "It's in a week. I can tell dem we could use a hand wit' entertaining de kids and helping out. De couple I'm t'inking of, dey love dis sort of thing. If I tole dem we needed dem for dis, dey would come."

Marty smiled. "I knew I was coming to the right person. Who are these people? Can you tell me a little bit about them? And are they mutants?"

"De husband is, but not de wife. Dere names are Bobby and Kelsey Drake and I know dey want a baby more dan anything else in de world…"

Springing over the sofa in one leap, Bobby scrambled to the step stool. Before Kelsey realized what was happening, he grabbed her by the legs, pulling her down, into his arms. "Gotcha!"

"ACK!" Startled, she let go of the watering can. It bounced off the stepstool, and onto the floor, splashing both of them. "Bobby Drake!"

"Hiya Hon!" He grinned, holding her in his arms as if she were a small child. "I'm home!" Water dripped from his face.

"I noticed." Kelsey stared at him, trying her best to look stern. Her efforts were a complete failure. How could she stay mad at him? "You nut."

"That's me!" he cheerfully agreed, leaning his head down to kiss her. "Miss me?"

"Well… maybe just a tiny bit," she relented. "After all, you were gone a whole three hours."

"Three of the longest hours of my life, as all time is when I am away from you," Bobby declared, walking backwards with her still in his arms.

His intentions were to walk around the coffee table with her, and settle on the couch, but his plans did not work quite that well. Instead he walked right into the coffee table, fell backwards, landing on the surface with a thump. Fortunately, as he was falling, he was able to react just fast enough to toss Kelsey on the sofa behind him. "Owww!"

Kelsey scrambled into a sitting position. "Popsicle, are you okay?" She leaned over to look at him.

He lay flat on his back on the coffee table, eyes closed, his face twisted in a pained expression. "Ow?"

"Jesus, Bobby, are you okay?" Kelsey asked again.

His eyes opened and his lips twisted upward into a grin. "Remind me never to do that again."

"Okay. Bobby, don't ever do that again," Kelsey quipped as if on cue. "Are you sure you're all right?"

He grinned and rolled off the coffee table. "I'm fine." He walked over to the sofa, forwards this time, sat down, and gathered her into his arms again. "If I can take Cyke's danger sessions, I can take falling into furniture. You aren't hurt, are you?"

"No, I landed on the sofa," she reminded him. Deep down she knew that someday, one of his little tricks was going to get him hurt. It would be total ironic justice, she thought. He can face the likes of Sinister and Apocalypse and walk away almost unscathed, but one of his stupid little tricks and he'll end up breaking his back.

"Good, I never want to see you hurt." He kissed her again. "Where is Cameron?"

"He's out with Siku and his gang of friends," Kelsey answered. "He said he'd be home by midnight. They're going to grab pizza for dinner and see a movie."

"You mean we're completely alone?" Bobby's eyes lit up.

"Yup."

"All right!" He pushed her back on the sofa, so he was lying on top of her and began covering her face, and neck with kisses. "Oh my love," he murmured in his "best" cheesy French accent. "I haf, waited zo long for zis. I need you, I want you… I must have you. Please run away wiz me…"

"Oh, if only I could!" Kelsey cried in mock despair. "But alas, my husband put the kibosh on my running off with other men."

"He iz a fool!" Bobby sneered. "For beauty like yourz is meant to be shared. Please, do not make me beg." He started kissing down her neck, his one hand sliding between them, ticking her ribs.

"Oh!" She squirmed, laughing, as he tickled her. "No fair!"

"No-zing is fair in ze game of luve," he said.

"I don't know what's worse, the tickling, or that outrageous accent!" she cried, still squirming to get away.

He was about to answer that remark, when there came a knock at the door. "Aw hell," he muttered, rolling off her and sitting up. "I suppose we should answer it."

"It would only be polite," Kelsey said, sitting up.

Tap-tap-tap.

"Can't we just pretend we're not home?" Bobby suggested.

"Go answer the door!" Kelsey ordered, laughing.

"All right, if you insist." He made a big production of sighing and rising from the sofa as if Kelsey was asking him to move a couple tons of bricks, rather than just walk a hundred feet or so to the door that separated the Drakes from the rest of the mansion. He paused at the entrance to the living room, looking back at her with his best "sad puppy-dog eyes." "Promise you'll wait for me?" he asked, his lower lip trembling.

"Just answer the door, Popsicle!" Kelsey said, laughing.

He let his shoulders slump and left the room. Once in the hallway, he straightened up and went to the door, opening it.

It was Gambit, wearing a pair of paint spattered jeans. His shirt was clean, but there were some bits of white paint on his face and arms.

Bobby grinned. "Hi, Remy. Lemme guess, you came over to borrow a cup of paint remover."

"Non," He looked puzzled for a moment, then realized what Bobby meant. "Oh, sorry. I jus' got home. I could go clean up first."

"Nah, it's okay. We'll just spread some newspaper over the furniture," Bobby said, opening the door wider. "C'mon in."

"T'ank you."

He walked inside, looking almost uncomfortable. While Remy got along fairly well with the Drakes, Cameron in particular, he had not visited their apartment often. It was not that Bobby or Kelsey were unsociable, quite the opposite, but most of the members of the X-Men realized that all married couples needed their privacy. Their apartment, a converted wing of the mansion, was considered Drake Only territory and none of the other members of the team went there unless they had to, or were specifically invited.

"Hi Remy," Kelsey called out, as they entered the living room. She stood up, running her fingers through her dark hair. "Nice to see you, can I get you anything? A beer? A soda? Some coffee, perhaps?"

"Non, I'm fine." He stood in the room, afraid to sit down in case the paint on his clothes was still wet. "I came t'ask you a favor."

"What is it?" Kelsey and Bobby asked, in unison.

" Next Saturday, dere is gonna be a party for one of de kids at de place I volunteer. I was wonderin' if you'd come an' help."

The couple looked at each other and shrugged. "Sure, we'd be glad to," Bobby said, speaking for both of them. "What do you need us to do?"

"Oh, jus' general stuff," Remy said. "Helpin' serve de food, play wit' de kids. Mebe play some games wit' dem."

"I think we can handle that," Kelsey said, nodding. It was a known fact around the mansion that Remy worked for the shelter, but it was not something that people brought up, or asked him about. He had some odd notions about keeping it a private thing, and the X-Men respected that. Kelsey was flattered Remy felt he could ask them to help.

"It sounds like fun," Bobby said, grinning. "I like kids."

"That's cause you still are one, dear," Kelsey said.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, Remy walked out of the bathroom, a cloud of steam following. He had managed to get most of the paint off with paint thinner, but he needed the shower to really feel clean again. He started walking across the room, then stopped.

Rogue was sitting on his bed, grinning. "Hi, sexy!" she called out, cheerfully.

Grinning, he walked over, leaned down, and kissed her gently on the lips. "'Ello to you too, amore." He ran his fingers gently over her face, across her cheek. He could never get enough of touching her skin. It had been only a few months that they had been able to touch at all. There were still times when Rogue pushed him away, afraid of her power kicking in, and she was still terrified of becoming completely intimate with him, for fear of losing control in a moment of passion. But that was all right, he understood her fears and he respected them. He also knew that someday, they would work everything out. They had time and love on their side. In the meantime, they at least had kisses, hugs, the chance to touch. If that was all that ever could happen, it would be more than enough for him.

She ran her fingers up his chest, gently. "Ah hope ya don't mind that Ah came in your room while you were in the shower."

"Non, I don' mind." He sat down next to her. "You always welcome in here, don' matter what I'm doin."

She smiled. "Ah heard ya come in tonight, but ya didn' stop by an' say hi, so Ah thought Ah'd pop in and make sure you were all raght."

"I'm fine," he assured her. "I had to ask Bobby an' Kelsey somet'in, so I stopped by dere place. Den I came here t'clean up. I was covered in paint."

She nodded. "What did you have to ask Bobby an' Kelsey?"

"If dey would 'elp at a party for one of de kids," Remy said. "Dey said fine."

"Oh," Rogue nodded. "If ya need anymore help, Ah'd probably be willin',"

"Non, Bobby an' Kelsey will be 'nough help," he said, a bit quickly.

"A-all raght," she said, quietly, standing up. "Well, Ah'd better let you get dressed. Ah'll see ya later." Before he could answer, she left the room.

Remy sighed. Idiot! he scolded himself. You blew dat one. She jus' wanted t'help, an' you pushed her away. She don' know de real reason Bobby an' Kelsey are bein' asked.

He stood up and went to his closet, getting out a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. He was not going to let this turn into a major problem. They had been through enough to let his own head-trips get in the way.

"Rogue?"

She looked up from the newspaper she had been pretending to read while really thinking about why Remy had rejected her offer to assist so quickly. "Hi," she said, softly. His hair was still wet from his shower, hair tied back off his face in a simple ponytail.

"Can we talk?" he asked, red-on-black eyes looking at him.

She nodded. "All right."

"Not here, on the hill."

She frowned, but rose from her chair, putting the paper aside. The hill was the spot where they first kissed, on the edge of the property, overlooking the road. It was "their" spot. If Remy wanted to go and speak there, it meant he had something important to tell her. It could be good or bad. She had a feeling in this case it was not good. "All right."

It was nighttime, but the sky was clear and sprinkled with stars. Hand in hand, they walked over to the hill, neither of them saying anything. When they finally arrived at the hill and sat down, next to each other, Remy sighed. "I was rude t'you, Chere. Back there, when you came in my room. You offered t'help an' I rejected you."

"It's all right," Rogue assured him. "If Bobby an' Kelsey are all you need…"

He shook his head. "Non, it isn't all right. An' t'be honest, we don' even need Bobby an' Kelsey for de party. Dere is another reason why I asked dem to help."

Head tipped to one side, she looked at him. "What reason is that?"

Taking a deep breath, he told her about Marty and her baby, and what Marty was hoping. She said nothing while he told the story, only held his hand gently.

"So dat's why I asked dem to help," he concluded. "So Marty could check dem out an' see if dey are de type of people she wants to adopt her baby."

"Oh my," Rogue said, biting her lower lip. "That's… quite a secret to have."

"Oui," Remy agreed. "An I don' want dem to have the slightest idea what is goin' on, in case Marty changes her mind after meetin' dem."

"Do you think she will?" Rogue asked.

He thought for a moment, and shook his head. "Non, I don' t'ink so. I t'ink she really wants to put the baby up for adoption, she really believes dis will be best for everyone."

Rogue knew the subject of adoption was a difficult one for Remy. "Do-do you think she'll like Bobby an' Kelsey?"

He nodded. "I know Marty an' I t'ink Bobby an' Kelsey are exactly de type of people she's looking for. Dey love each other very much, and dey would love her baby as much as if it were dere own."

"If they do adopt the baby, he or she will be there own," Rogue pointed out, gently. "Sikudhani is Hank's daughter, it doesn't matter one bit that she doesn't share his blood."

"True," Remy agreed. "An' Cameron is Bobby's son, even though he an' Bobby don' share de same blood, either." He looked up at the sky. "I should be really happy 'bout dis, shouldn't I? I really t'ink dis will all work out for de best. Marty will get a good home for her child, she'll be able to go on wit' her life. Bobby an' Kelsey will have another child to love an' raise. There will be another baby at de mansion for all of us to play wit'. I should be excited, I should be prayin' it all works out right."

"But you're not," Rogue said. Deep down, she hope this would all work out for everyone. If this Marty really did not want to keep her baby, she could not think of anyone better than Bobby or Kelsey for parents. And, she had to admit; it would be nice to have another baby at the mansion. "Why?"

He sighed. "I don' know… or mebe I do."

"Why don' you tell me what's on your mind then?" she asked.

He frowned. "I guess part of what is botherin' me is dat… well, Marty really does love her baby. It's not like Sikudhani's mother. I mean, de woman just turned her child over to me, not seemin' t'care what 'appened. I t'ink if she'd kept Siku, Siku would not be as happy as she is now. If she would even be alive."

"I'd say you're right on that," Rogue agreed. "An' I'll bet Siku would agree with you, 100 percent."

"I know she does," Remy said. "I know wit' Siku dat Hank's adoptin' her was de best t'ing for her."

"But you're not as sure with Marty's baby?" Rogue asked.

"Don' get me wrong, Rogue. I know Bobby an' Kelsey will make excellent parents, but I jus' can't be sure dat de baby would be better off wit' dem dan wit' Marty." He ran his finger through his bangs. "Dis is stupid, I don' know why it's botherin' me so much. It's between dem, not me."

"Maybe it's botherin' ya cause you're adopted," Rogue suggested, very gently.

He looked at her, a wry smile on his face. "Are you sure you're not a telepath?" he asked.

She smiled softly. "No, Ah just love ya, Remy, an' when ya love someone with all your heart an' soul, you can figure out things. It's only natural that this situation would stir some feelin's in you. It does in me, cause Ah'm adopted too. Ah guess there's even a part of me that is sorta… envious of Marty's baby. No matter what happens to this child, he or she will know they're loved, know an' wanted."

He nodded, not saying anything for the longest time. He put his arm around her. She moved closer, putting her head on his shoulder. For awhile they just sat there, looking at the stars, enjoying the feeling of being close.

"I remember," he finally whispered.

"Remember what?" she asked, tipping her head to look at him. She had a feeling she knew what he remembered, but she wanted him to tell her.

"My mother," he said softly.

She said nothing, afraid if she did, he would change the subject. In all the years she had known Remy LeBeau; he never once spoke about his life before he met Jean-Luc, before he was adopted by the head of the Thieves Guild. It was as if he did not exist before that time. There were times when she wondered if he had blocked those memories from his mind. If he had, they were not going to stay blocked forever, and this situation was causing the wall he had erected to keep them out to crumble.

Remy closed his eyes for a moment, remembering.

"Cause he ain't!" the woman shouted. "I don't know why!"

The boy shrugged. If his mother really was not going to eat any of the food, he was not going to let it go to waste. He ate everything but one of the candy bars. He started to open it, then stopped. Maybe Mommy was not hungry now, but she might be later. He frowned. He could eat the candy bar, but he did not really have to eat it, the hunger in his gut was sedated for now. I save this for Mommy, he thought, and popped it in his pocket.

"She never came back," Remy whispered.

"Who never came back?" Rouge asked. He had not said anything for several minutes. "Your Mama?"

He nodded. "We lost our apartment. My father had walked out on us. She-she left me in a bus station."

"Oh, Remy, Ah'm sorry!" She put her arms around him, hugging him.

He hugged her back, kissing her on the top of her head. "It's okay, Rouge. I survived. Jean-Luc found me. Gave me a home." He thought for a moment. "Changed my name too."

"What was your name?" Rouge asked.

He blushed faintly. "Jeremy. He shortened it to Remy."

"Well, if it counts for anythin' Ah think Remy suits you better than Jerry."

"Me too," he smiled.

"Are you gonna be okay?" she asked. "This is an awful lot t'be goin' through."

"I'll be fine," he said, quietly. "Dis is my own problems. I jus' wanted you t'know dat it has not'in to do wit' you or me, or us, as a couple." He sighed; hoping his words did not sound as awkward to her as they did in his own head.

"Remy, everythin' that affects you, affects us," Rogue said softly.

"Do you think I should ask Remy if I can make something for the party?" Kelsey asked. She and Bobby were in the kitchen, finishing up the last of the dishes from dinner.

"I don't know," Bobby said, taking a mixing bowl out of the dish strainer and drying it. "You'll have to ask him."

"Gee, you're so much help," Kelsey said, rolling her eyes, lips twisted into a wry grin. "I was thinking I could make cookies or something. But I don't know if the food is covered. And I suppose we should get a gift for the child, but I have no idea what to get for this child. Heck, I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl or what age they are."

"Get an Etch a Sketch," Bobby suggested. "All kids love those."

"Mmm," Kelsey nodded, pausing from scrubbing out a dirty fry pan with an SOS pad. "I'll ask Remy if he has any suggestions. He should at least be able to give me some more background on the birthday child."

"If the obvious solution is to ask Remy, then why are you asking me?" Bobby said, grinning.

Kelsey looked at him. "Just to bust your chops, Popsicle. Don'tcha know, I live and breathe to make your life difficult."

He moved behind her, putting his arms around her, his chest pressed into her back. "If this is making my life difficult, keep doing it, okay?" He kissed the back of her neck.

She twisted around in his arms so she was facing him, and put her arms around him. "Whatever you say, dear."

They stood there for a few minutes, just looking at each other, holding each other close. I will never tire of this, Kelsey thought. I will never tire of being in his arms, of having him close to me. We've been married over eight years and I can honestly say they are the best years of my life. If only we had been able to…

Although her expression did not change, her eyes clouded for a moment. Bobby noticed it immediately. "Kelsey, what's wrong?"

"Bobby… do you ever regret that we couldn't have any more kids?" she asked softly.

He drew in a deep breath. "Of course I do, Kelsey. We've admitted we’ve never been able to completely get over Anya's death."

Kelsey bit her lower lip at the mention of the child she had lost the day before their wedding. They had not known for a week after the accident that the child had been female. There had been a memorial service for the child neither of them had the chance to hold. Anya Maria, Kelsey thought. How I loved that name when Bobby and I were thinking of names for our children. It sounded so light and airy. I could picture her in my mind, six or seven years old, long limbed, graceful child with my hair and her father's eyes. My golden child. I still see her, but now she's running in Heaven. I sure hope God appreciates what a precious gift he got when he took her. Unable to stop herself, a tear rolled down her cheek.

Bobby reached up, wiping it away with the corner of the dishtowel, his own eyes feeling a bit prickly. "It's okay, Kelsey. Someday we'll get our chance to hold her. You know we will."

"Yeah, but the price to pay for that day," Kelsey whispered.

"And we have Cameron," Bobby pointed out.

"I know," Kelsey said. "And I wouldn't trade him for anything, but I wanted to have more than one child. I know you did too."

"Yeah, I did, but it didn't work out that way." He kissed her forehead.

"You still could," she said softly. "It's me that can't have anymore."

"Kelsey Drake, stop that!" He frowned. Yes, I wish we could have had another child, but the key word is we. I don't want to be married to anyone else. Even if we could find a surrogate mother, I wouldn't want that, either."

"What about adoption?"

"We've looked into that, too," Bobby reminded her. "They won't let us adopt because I'm an X-Man. It's too risky."

"So is taking the subway," Kelsey said, bitterly. She remembered all those trips to the agencies. They were treated like parasites almost. "Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Drake, we understand you want to adopt a child, but the waiting lists are so long and well, to be honest, we're a bit worried…" How many times had they heard that spiel from some social worker or another. Mutant rights had come a long way, but not nearly long enough.

"Look at it this way, Kelsey, if you must consider it your fault that we can't have biological children, then it's my fault we can't adopt." He lifted her chin with his hand, leaning over to kiss her gently on the lips. "It doesn't matter, we're a team."

She looked into his eyes. "I know, Bobby." She paused, sighing. "It's probably because we're going to this party with kids that I'm thinking about it so much."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. This is about the only thing that hurts an otherwise perfect marriage," Bobby said, a quirky, half-smile on his lips. "But we'll do all right, Kels, we always do."

It was close to midnight when Cameron Drake quietly let himself into the apartment. The only lights in the place came from living room. The folks must be waiting up for me, he thought as he headed down the hall. Well, I'll pop in and say hello and let them know I'm all right. They worry too much-

His thoughts stopped abruptly when he walked in and saw his mother and his father. They were standing in the middle of the living room floor, holding each other tightly, soft, romantic music playing on the stereo. His mother's head rested on Bobby's chest, his cheek pressed to the hair on top of her head. Their eyes were closed, their bodies swaying slightly in time to the music. Gesh, Cameron thought. If I had a picture of this moment, I'd call it, In Love, or something like that.

Cameron backed out of the room and quietly continued to his room. Oh second thought, maybe they aren't thinking about me at all. Gesh, they've been married forever and they still carry on sometimes like they just met last week.

As he shut the door to his room, he made sure it was just loud enough so they would hear and know he was home.

Kelsey took Bobby's advice and bought Timmy, the birthday child, an Etch a Sketch. She also bought him a large box of magic markers, the kind that smelled like different fruit and washed off with soap and water. She liked magic markers when she was younger, and so did Cameron, so she thought the chances were Timmy would too. The fact that they were easily washable, was more for his mother than for the child. She remembered throwing away too many T-shirts of Cameron's because of magic marker stains that refused to come out.

She asked Remy about food. Remy told her it was not necessary to make anything, but if she wanted to, it would be appreciated. She made chocolate butterscotch chip cookies, another favorite of Cameron's. Siku's too, when Hank would allow her to have one, which was not very often.

The Saturday of the party was one of those typical sweltering August days, when even the shade brought little to no relief. Both Kelsey and Bobby were worried the party would be ruined. What kid would want to run around outside when even sitting made you feel like you were going to pass out? They expressed this concern over breakfast. Cameron stared at them in open disbelief. "You really think the heat is gonna stop them?"

"Well it awful hot," Kelsey said, pouring herself another cup of coffee.

"Who cares, they're kids," Cameron said, shrugging. "If they get really hot, one of them will turn the hose on the others. Or someone will set up a sprinkler. Kids don't care. Did the heat ever keep me and my friends from playing?"

"Now that you mention it, no," Bobby said, spoon poised over the grapefruit half he was attempting to eat. Not because he particularly liked grapefruit, he did not, but Kelsey thought it was good for him.

"So? Don't worry 'bout it," Cameron finished chewing a piece of toast and swallowed it down with a gulp of orange juice. "The kids will have fun, the adults will sit in the shade and swap, 'God-Is-It-Hot' stories." He leaped to his feet, "You'll have a great time. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta run or my boss is gonna kill me. I promised him I'd help him prep for opening." He grabbed his cap, which had on it the name of a local pizza place, and rushed out the door. Cameron was working that summer both delivering and making pizza. Bobby had not liked the idea at first, but Kelsey convinced him that the boy was old enough to get a job and earn his own spending money. Bobby seemed to think having a job would rob him of his last summer of childhood before he went on to college, which was less than a week away.

"He's right," Bobby said, putting down the spoon and abandoning the grapefruit completely.

"Yeah, he is." Kelsey sat down at the table, sipping her coffee. "Sometimes I forget how resilient kids really are."

"And if any of the kids overheat, I can ice them down," Bobby said, grinning.

"That'll be a treat." Kelsey grinned, then frowned. "Aren't you hungry?"

"For grapefruit? Not really," Bobby admitted.

"But it's good for you!" Kelsey pointed out.

"So is bean curd, and I won't eat that, either."

Remy, Bobby, and Kelsey went to the party together. When they walked in the back yard, it was obvious someone else had the same idea as Cameron, because there was a sprinkler and a child's wading pool set up in the far corner of the yard. Kids of all ages and sizes were running around, having a wonderful time getting soaking wet.

When the children saw Remy/Shades, several of them stopped and ran over to him, leaping all over him, getting him wet. He was wearing a pair of cut-offs and a tank top because of the heat. Within moments, they tackled him to the ground, pulled off his sneakers and dragged him over to the sprinkler. Bobby watched the scene, grinning.

"You want to join them, don't you?" Kelsey asked.

"Uh, yeah, I do," Bobby admitted.

"Go then, have fun."

He handed her the box containing the cookies and kissed her briefly. "Thanks." Within seconds he was over with the kids. Remy introduced him to the children, who took almost a whole second to decide if he was a friend of Shades, then he must be all right. They pushed him in to the pool and started climbing all over him too. Kelsey shook her head and smiled.

"So, the big brown-haired one yours?" someone asked.

She whirled around, seeing very young, very pregnant woman. "Uh, yeah, he is."

"My, such a big boy," the woman commented, grinning. "By the way, my name is Marty, and you are?"

"Kelsey," she said, shifting the present and the cookies to one arm so she could offer the other in a handshake. "Kelsey Drake. And the big brown-haired one is my husband, Bobby. We're friends of R-Shades."

Marty took the offered hand and shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kelsey. Let me take you over to the adults and introduce you." She pointed to a table and chairs that had been set up under a group of trees. Several women were sitting, talking, and keeping an eye on the children.

Kelsey followed Marty over to the group. As they got closer, a tall woman with honey-blond hair and green eyes, wearing a skirt and a white blouse stood up and came over. Looking at her, Kelsey had the impression this woman never sweated, no matter how hot it was. "Hello," she said, smiling kindly. "I'm Krista."

"Hi, Krista, I'm Kelsey."

"She and her husband are here with Shades," Marty explained.

"We came to help with the party," Kelsey elaborated. "Although it looks like we weren't really needed." She looked at the group of women, there seemed to be plenty of adults to keep the kids in line.

"Think again," Krista, said, pointing to the children. "Your husband is quite a hit."

Kelsey turned and looked. Both Bobby and Shades were wrestling with the kids, under the sprinkler, the whole group becoming a glorious, muddy mess. "I'm glad I didn't put him in his tuxedo," Kelsey remarked.

Krista laughed, and then her face became serious. "Some of the children are…cautious around men, with good reason. So, any time we can give them a chance to see men in a positive light, it's a good thing."

"Uh huh," Kelsey said, a slight smirk on her head. "Well, in the case of Bobby, he's a big kid himself, so that plan might have backfired.

"He's a friend of Shades, too," Marty confirmed. "The kids trust Shades."

"They're taking to him easier than they did to the other fellow that comes with Shades sometimes," Krista remarked.

"Well, Worf is intimidating," Marty said, shrugging.

Kelsey's brow furrowed. Worf?

"Marty, that isn't very nice to say about Michael." Krista scolded, her eyes sparkling.

"Blame the kids, they're the ones that pinned that handle on him." Marty shrugged.

Well, it's still not very kind. He's been such a help." She looked at Kelsey. "Do you know him?"

Kelsey bit her lower lip, hoping she did not look like a total fool, then remembered, Bishop sometimes tagged along with Remy to help. Her eyes widened for a moment. Bishop is Michael and the kids have nicknamed him Worf. Oh, this is too good. I'll bet Remy picked the name Michael, too. "Uh, yes, I've met him before." The mental image of Bishop standing on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise was now firmly implanted in her mind and she knew she had to do something or she would start laughing hysterically. She was not a big Star Trek fan herself, but Bobby and Cameron loved the shows and watched them whenever possible.

She held up the box. "I brought cookies," she said, trying to change the subject.

"Great, the more food the better," Kirsta said. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the group."

The three of them went over to the table, which was carefully shaded by trees. A variety of different foods were set out, carefully covered in plastic to keep insects away. Bowls of ice were placed all around to help keep it cool, ice that was rapidly melting. "Hey everyone, this is Kelsey. She and her husband are friends of Shades and they came here to help," Krista called out pleasantly.

Kelsey put her box of cookies on one table and the present on another, that already held a few other wrapped packages. "Hi," she said, softly. She suddenly felt very self conscious. All the women looked perfectly normal, but they all had a background of abusive relationships. Great, you feel awkward because you have a good marriage, she thought to herself. Grow up, Kelsey, it's not a bad thing. 

Krista introduced her to everyone, while Marty got her a glass of iced tea from a Tupperware pitcher on one of the tables. She was invited to sit down and join the group. Within minutes, her awkwardness vanished. She had not known what she was expecting; perhaps that they would all start discussing how lousy men were, but instead they talked about ordinary things, mostly kids. Take a chill, Kelsey, she advised herself. They are normal. You're just feeling awkward cause you don't really know them.

"Do you have any children?" Marty asked her.

"Just one, our son Cameron," Kelsey turned to look at her. Marty was sitting to the left of her, and seemed to be listening to everything Kelsey said with rapt attention. "He's eighteen and he'll be going to college soon."

"You must be very proud of him," Krista said.

"We are, he's a good kid," Kelsey said. "He had to work today, or we might have dragged him along. He likes younger kids."

"How come you didn't have any more kids?" Marty asked bluntly.

Kelsey's eyes widened, not quite expecting this. "Marty!" Krista scolded, not unkindly. "That isn't very nice."

"No, it's all right," Kelsey said, her voice soft. She might as well be honest. "I can't have any more children," she said, looking at Marty. "I was in an accident several years ago."

"If you could have more children, would you?" Marty asked, studying her.

"Marty!" Another woman, who was introduced as Laura, the mother of the birthday child, scolded Marty this time. "Did you ever think she might not want to talk about it?"

"No, it's okay." Kelsey looked at Marty. If the woman was going to question her so bluntly, Kelsey was going to give her answers, whether she wanted to hear them or not. "Yes, I wish I could have had more children. My husband does too. But we can't, and we haven't been able to adopt, either."

"Why not?" Marty asked, her eyes drilling into Kelsey's.

Kelsey stared back. "Because of something my husband does, they consider it dangerous."

"What does he do?" Marty asked, probing relentlessly.

"None of your business," Kelsey snapped. She was not going to tell this woman/child the intimate details of her life with Bobby, and she certainly was not going to tell her about the X-Men.

"Marty, stop it, right now!" Krista ordered. She looked at Kelsey. "Forgive her, please? She doesn't mean to be rude."

"It's all right," Kelsey said. "I'm not exactly known for tact myself, and when I was pregnant with Cameron it got worse." She looked at Marty. "I'd rather not discuss it, if it's all right with you."

"Okay, I understand." Marty reached down and rubbed her hand over her stomach, slowly.

"Are you all right?" Kelsey asked.

Marty nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, it's just that the little one's been kicking up a storm." She looked at Kelsey. "Forgive me if I came across like an asshole. I guess it's all getting to me."

Kelsey nodded, sympathetically. She could remember when she was pregnant with Cameron, as it got closer and closer to the due date, she felt it would never happen and she would be forced to live with this enormous stomach and constant kicking in her gut for the rest of her life. "How are your feet?" she asked.

"Sore as hell, how did you know?" Marty asked, staring at her in disbelief. Several of the other women smiled among themselves. Sore feet was a common complaint of pregnant women, apparently Marty did not realize that.

"In my spare time, I double as the Amazing Kreskin," Kelsey said, with a faint trace of a grin.

Marty looked at her for a moment, as if wondering if Kelsey was telling the truth, then she laughed. "Okay, you got me."

Kelsey moved her chair so she was facing the woman. "Put your feet up in my lap," she requested.

Marty stared at her, one brow raised. "Er, why?"

"I'm going to do what my father did for me when I was pregnant and visiting him one time. I'm going to rub your feet."

Marty's eyes lit up as she kicked off her sandals and put her feet up on Kelsey's lap. "You're an angel!"

"Nah, I'm just sympathetic to what you're going through," Kelsey said, taking one of her feet and rubbing it gently.

 "Now I know why you like volunteering there so much," Bobby remarked to Remy. "It's fun."

"It's hard work too," Remy said quietly. It was evening and they were heading home from the party. "But I do like it."

"The kids are crazy about you," Kelsey said, looking over her shoulder to the back seat so she could see him.

"I like dem." Remy smiled faintly. "Dere good kids."

"Well, I had a lot of fun," Bobby declared.

Remy did not feel much like talking, but there was a part of him that felt he should at least make conversation for Kelsey and Bobby's sake. He did not want them to start probing him, asking him why he was being so quiet.

"Is everything all right with Marty?" Kelsey asked him. "I noticed she pulled you aside just before we left and was talking to you for awhile."

"She jus' wanted to ask me somet'in," Remy said carefully. He hoped they would let that subject drop and drop quickly, before he ended up telling them too much.

"She's a strange one," Bobby remarked. "Right after we all ate, when we were just sitting around, she must have asked me a million questions."

"She did the same thing to me during the course of the day," Kelsey said. "What kinds of questions did she ask you?"

"Oh stuff about Cameron, about our marriage, if we were happy. Some kinda personal stuff." Bobby shook his head. "Some of it make me uncomfortable, like she was interviewing me for something."

"She did the same thing to me, the same types of questions," Kelsey said.

"Marty is like that," Remy quickly said. "She's very young an' sometimes she jus' forget tact. I 'ope you didn' take it personally."

"I wasn't upset," Bobby assured him. "More surprised."

"And I know she's young," Kelsey added. "Poor kid, what a rotten situation to be in, so young, pregnant, and unable to count on any sort of moral support from the father…" She looked back at Remy. "Is she going to be all right? I'm worried about her."

"She'll be fine," Remy said. "She'll be goin' back to her parents t'live in a few months."

"Good for her!" Bobby said. "A kid in her situation needs her family.

"Oui," Remy agreed. I'm lyin' t'rough my teeth. She ain't gonna take her baby home wit' her.

"Are you still sure you wan' t'do dis?" Remy asked.

Marty nodded. It was the next morning and the two of them were sitting outside the mansion in the van. Remy had picked her up earlier as they had planned the day before. "From everything you've told me and from what I saw talking to them, they're perfect."

Remy nodded. "I don' mean t'sound negative, Marty. I jus' wanna make sure you t'ought dis out carefully. I mean, it would crush Bobby an' Kelsey if you tole dem dis an' later decided to change your mind."

"I won't change my mind," Marty said firmly. "Now, will you take me to talk to them?"

Bobby looked up from the kitchen table where he had been reading the paper when he heard the knock at the door. "Were you expecting anyone?" he asked Kelsey. The knock had come from their private entrance to the outside.

"No," Kelsey said, looking up from the sweet rolls she was making. "My folks are out of town, so they wouldn't be stopping by."

"Hm, I wonder who it could be," Bobby mused, rising from the chair. "Well, I suppose there is only one way to find out. Want me to get it?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind." Kelsey held up her hands which were coated with flour and sugar cinnamon. "I'm really kinda… messy."

Bobby nodded and left the room, walking to the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Marty and Remy standing outside. "Hi," he said, hoping he did not look as puzzled as he felt. "C'mon in."

They walked into the entryway. "Uhm, I brought Marty 'ere because she 'as somet'in she want to talk t'you an' Kelsey about," Remy said. "I won' be stayin'."

"Are you sure?" Bobby asked.

"Oui." Remy nodded, stepping back outside. "Dis is between her an' you an' your wife." He looked at Marty. "When you wan' to go back, let Bobby know, he'll find me."

"Thanks."

As Remy started down the hallway stairs that lead to the ground floor, Bobby shut the door. "Well, Marty, it's great to see you again," he said, still feeling baffled. What did Marty have to discuss with him and Kelsey? "Why don't you come into the kitchen? Kelsey is making sweet rolls."

"Sounds good to me," Marty said, shrugging.

"Hi, Kelsey, look who's here!" Bobby said, as they walked into the kitchen.

Kelsey looked up. "Oh, hello Marty." She shot Bobby a quick look of surprise. He returned it with a shrug, indicating he was as confused as she was to see the young woman there. "It's… very nice to see you."

"Yeah, and I'll bet you're wondering what in the world I'm doing here," Marty said, grinning.

"Well, we are curious," Bobby admitted.

"I need to talk to both of you about something." Marty looked from Kelsey to Bobby.

"All right," Kelsey said, nodding. "Why don't you have a seat? Or would the living room be more comfortable? I'm just about ready to put these in the oven, so we'll have about 25 minutes."

"The kitchen is fine," Marty said.

Bobby pulled out a chair and helped her sit. "Would you like something to drink? Some fruit juice or something?"

"Do you have any orange juice?" Marty asked, her eyes lighting up.

"We sure do," Kelsey said. "Cameron squeezed up a pitcher this morning."

"Is Cameron around?" Marty asked, as Bobby was getting her a glass of juice. "I'd like to meet him."

"Uhm, no, he's out running with his cousin Siku," Kelsey said. "They like to run a couple miles or so before it gets too hot outside. He'll be back later though."

Marty nodded. "Well, maybe it's better I talk to you two first anyway."

"Uhm, sure." Kelsey put the pan of sweet rolls in the oven, set the timer, poured herself a cup of coffee, and sat down at the table. She was more than a little curious about this whole situation. What did Marty want to talk to them about, and why did she want to meet Cameron as well?

Bobby poured two glasses of orange juice. He gave one to Marty and kept the other for himself, sitting down across the table from his wife. Marty sat on the end of the table.

"I'll bet you guys have no clue why I'm here," Marty said, a slight grin on her face.

"Err, now that you mention it, no," Bobby admitted, grinning.

"Is everything all right?" Kelsey asked. "Is there a problem at the shelter?"

Marty shook her head. "Nope. Everything at Safehouse is great. I want to talk to you about something else."

Bobby looked over at Kelsey for a moment, then back at Marty. "All right, we're all ears."

Marty grinned and took a sip of her juice. "Well, I thought about it, and there is no proper way of asking this except to just ask. So here it goes. I'm pregnant, I'm planning on giving this baby up for adoption and would like to know if you two would be interested in adopting her."

Kelsey had been raising her coffee cup to her lips when Marty dropped this bombshell. Her hand froze in midair and she almost dropped the cup. Fortunately, Bobby saw the problem and reached out, grabbing her hand to steady it. "What?" Kelsey whispered.

Marty looked at them. "I'm asking if you and Bobby want to adopt my baby. I don't know if it is going to be a boy or a girl, but I don't think you really care, do you?"

"No, of course not!" Bobby said, lowering Kelsey's hand and the cup to the table. "It's just that…"

"We're shocked." Kelsey finished for him, swallowing hard. "I mean, I just assumed you were going to keep your baby."

"So did a lot of people," Marty said, shrugging. "I thought about it, myself. After all, I owe this kid my life." She reached down and rubbed her hand over her swollen belly. "He or she gave me the guts to get out of a relationship that might have killed me. But, just because I'm grateful to this kid, just because I love him or her, doesn't mean I'm ready to be a parent, or that I really want to be a parent."

"But…" Kelsey began, then stopped. She felt torn in a million pieces right now. Here was this woman offering her and Bobby something they had dreamed of for years, another child to love and raise, but part of her felt she had to try to talk her out of it. Nothing in life every prepared me for this! "Marty, every expecting mother worries if she'll be a good parent. I did all the time. I wasn't much older than you are when I was expecting Cameron and I wasn't sure I was ready to be a parent. But when he was born, I knew I was. I just knew that I loved him and no matter what, we would work it out."

"That's you," Marty said. "That isn't me. Please, don't think I'm heartless, I'm not. I just… I want this child to have two parents. Two parents who love each other and will look at a baby as a chance to increase that love."

"But why Kelsey and I?" Bobby asked, trying to keep his expression as neutral as possible. Part of him wanted to just leap up and shout, Yes! We would love to have this baby, but he did not think that was appropriate until he found out more.

"For two reasons," Marty said, hesitantly. "The first being that I think you'll be really great parents. The kind of people I would like to see raising my baby."

"What's the second?" Kelsey asked.

Marty drew in a deep breath. "The father of this child is a mutant. This child might be a mutant. I-it doesn't matter to me, but I know how some people are. Trust me, I know. I-I want to make sure this child will be loved no matter what he or she turns out to be. I want him or her to be raised in a home where it won't matter if they are a mutant and if they are, they'll be helped to understand it. The-the father didn't have that, and I think that's most of the reason why he grew up to be such a hateful person. I don't want that to happen to my child."

She looked from Bobby to Kelsey, her eyes wide. "Look, if you're worried, I can let you speak to my doctor. He can tell you, I'm in excellent shape, and so is the baby. I don't smoke or drink or take drugs. I've been taking excellent care of myself and the baby. Honest, I'm not trying to pawn some messed up child on you!"

"Marty, we never even thought such a thing!" Kelsey said, reaching out and taking the woman's hand. "Even if there was something wrong with the baby, it wouldn't matter! We're just… well, we're overwhelmed. You don't know how many years we've wanted, we've tried to adopt a child and it just didn't work out."

"Yeah, because your husband is an X-Man," Marty said with a sigh. "I hope you don't mind, I know that Shades is Gambit, I figured that out. And I asked him to help me find parents for this baby. He thought of the both of you. I made him tell me everything he could about you both. I promise, I won't tell anyone."

Bobby looked at Kelsey, then to Marty. "I'm sure you won't, Marty. But that does bring up a point. I risk my life on a regular basis, that's why the adoption agencies won't let Kels and me adopt."

"That's the big reason," Marty countered. "The reason they can say. But I'm betting the reason they don't say is because you're a mutant."

"Probably." Bobby nodded. "But I'm not going to sugar coat things, Marty. I have been hurt in my career with the X-Men. I've come close to dying. I mean, I've always managed to come out all right, but that isn't a guarantee."

"Life holds no guarantees at all," Marty said. "Yeah, I hope you don't get killed, cause I really want this baby to grow up with a mother or a father. But, things happen. Even if you were just an accountant, you might get hit by a bus."

"Good point," Bobby said, smiling faintly.

"So, are the two of you interested?" Marty asked.

Kelsey and Bobby looked at each other. Marty watched as they seemed to hold a private conversation using nothing but their eyes. It only re-enforced in her mind that she had made the right decision. It was so obvious that they loved each other very much. Not because they fell all over each other, but because they automatically looked at the other, the way they seemed so.. relaxed around each other. They were more than just husband and wife, they were friends. Marty might have been young, but she already knew that there were times when romantic love would fade, but friendship and respect could get you through any time, good, or bad.

"I have an idea," Kelsey said, softly.

"What?" Marty looked at her, head tipped to one side.

"Why don't you stay here until the baby is born?" Kelsey said. "We have plenty of room, and there is a doctor available full time for any problems. If you're worried about safety from the baby's father, well, you can't get much safer than this place."

"Wh-why would you want me to stay here?" Marty asked.

"Because it will give you a chance to get to know us better," Bobby said, knowing exactly why Kelsey was making this offer. "You'll get a chance to see how we are as a family. You'll get to meet Cameron too, and see what kind of big brother he'll make. Yeah, he'll be off to college soon, but you'll have some time to get to know him and he will be coming home on weekends."

"Also, it will give you a chance to make sure you're really making the right decision," Kelsey said. "You might change your mind later, and if you do, we'll understand. We'll do whatever we can to help you with your baby. But, if you don't change your mind then yes, we would love to adopt your child." She looked away, trying to stop the tears in her eyes from falling down her cheeks. She could not believe that there was a chance her and Bobby might have another child, and that this woman was willing to entrust the care of her baby to them. Oh God, if this does happen, you know we will love this child with all that we are.

Bobby reached across the table and took Kelsey's hand, holding it gently. His own eyes felt prickly.

"I-I'd love to take you up on your offer to stay with you," Marty said, wiping her eyes. "Cause I'd love to get to know both of you better. But trust me, I'm not changing my mind. I've given this a lot of thought and I know it's for the best for everyone, me included. I'll have children I can raise, someday, when I'm finished with school, and I've met the right guy. While I'm waiting for that time, I'll feel a lot better knowing my child has the right family."

On October 12, at 3:32 a.m., Marty gave birth to a baby girl. There was no time to get her to the hospital, so the baby was delivered by Dr. Henry McCoy in the Medlab. Bobby and Kelsey were there to help. The child was named Charlene Martha Shelton.

Marty stayed another two weeks, regaining her strength, then flew home to be with her parents. Bobby and Kelsey were almost sorry to see her go. In the time she had lived with them, they had become very fond of the girl. They agreed that Marty could call or write anytime and ask how Charlene was doing, even visit if she wanted.

"I can be Aunt Marty," Marty said, grinning. "I can handle that."

There was a little bit of worry when she left, that Marty might change her mind and come back for her baby, but they did not talk about it. Marty called a couple of times to tell them she was in night school. She always asked about Charlene, but she said nothing that indicated she regretted her decision. She refereed to Charlene as their baby. "So, how's your little one?" Sometimes it seemed to both of them that she emphasized the "your" a bit heavy, but they realize she was only trying to reassure them.

The first Friday in November the adoption was finalized. Charlene's birth certificate was re-issued in the name of Charlene Martha Drake. That Saturday, the X-Men threw a combination surprise party/shower for the new parents. Charlene was there; of course, getting passed around so every member of her family could admire her and make fools of themselves over her. She was an enchanting child, with rosy cheeks and a head full of dark curls. Her eyes were blue, but Hank said they would probably change to green when she got older. Cameron came home for the party, and declared his little sister was going to be a heartbreaker when she grew up, and that he would personally have to interview all her dates.

"Scare them away, you mean," Siku said, remembering how he had run off a blind date Cierra once arranged for her.

"Only if they're real nasty," Cameron said, grinning. "Or, if I just don't like them."

"Oh, the poor kid!" Siku exclaimed, her eyes sparking mischievously. "You might as well put her in a convent now and save yourselves the bother. No one is ever gonna be good enough for her."

During the party, Remy watched, but said little. After the gifts were opened and exclaimed over properly, he excused himself and went outside.

Rogue watched him. When he did not return, she decided to go and check on him. She found him sitting on the front steps smoking a cigarette. Since he rarely smoked these days, she knew something was bothering him. She sat down next to him. "A-are you all right?"

He turned to look at her. "Oui, I'm fine. I jus' needed some air."

He crushed out his cigarette and put his arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder. For several minutes they just sat there. Finally, Rogue felt it was up to her to say something. "Bobby an' Kelsey are so happy. You-You did a good thing, helpin' them. A good thing for Marty too."

"I guess," he said.

"Remy, are you still havin' trouble with this?" Rogue asked.

"Yes an' no," Remy said. He turned his head to look at her. "I'm glad for Bobby an' Kelsey. I'm glad for Charlene, I'm even glad for Marty. I 'ad a chance t'talk t'her b'fore she left an' she said she feels good 'bout dis. She looking forward t'going back t'school an' gettin' her life back t'gether."

"Okay, so what's the no?"

"Well, I can' help but t'ink, first I bring home Siku for Hank, an' den I help it so Bobby an' Kelsey meet Marty an' adopt Charlene." He forced himself to smile. "Seem like I helpin' everyone t'have kids. So, when's gonna be my turn? When am I gonna have a chance t'be a father?"

Although he tried to be casual, to almost sound as if he was kidding, Rogue knew how much feeling had been put into those words. She knew because she loved him too much not to know, she knew because she felt the same way sometimes.

Leaning over, she kissed him gently on the lips. "Our day will come, Remy. As you told me the day we first kissed, we just have t'believe in what we are and what we can become. Four months ago, we couldn't even touch, an' now I'm kissin' you. If we jus' keep believin' our day will come.

He looked at her for the longest time, then leaned over to kiss her, a bit longer than she had kissed him, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "As long as it's wit' you, I can wait as long as it takes," he whispered into her ear.

"Me too," she whispered back.

This time, when he smiled, it was genuine.