Work Text:
X-MEN AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE OWNED BY STAN LEE AND MARVEL COMICS.
NO MONEY WAS MADE BY THIS FANFICTION. I WROTE THIS PURELY AS A FUN CHALLENGE.
PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE NOT A FAN OF GAMBIT AND ROGUE TOGETHER AS A COUPLE.
(AUTHORS NOTE • An idea encouraged by fellow fanfiction writer, Spark187, on AO3. Thank you so much for the idea, I hope this fits the brief.
• The restaurant manager will be written as someone who is good friends with Remy and the family. And always has a reserved spot for Remy and Rogue whenever they come to New Orleans and dine at that restaurant. A violinist will be serenading the diners with a recital of "Enchanted Evening."
• For the double date, Gambit will be wearing his "hellfire gala" attire, but his shirt will be buttoned up this time and accessorised with a black, thin silk neck tie and a matching tie clip and cufflinks that show the four playing card suits.
• Henri and Mercy LeBeau will feature in this as celebrating their wedding anniversary. Henri will be bald with a moustache, and wearing a tan brown coloured suit during the double date with Remy and Rogue at the restaurant. Mercy will be blonde, and wearing her hair in a 1960's style. The photos of the dresses, were found on the internet and are simply to provide a visual idea of Rogue and Mercy wearing those dresses. (The cover illustration for this fanfiction which showcase the dresses and Remy and Henri's suits can be found on my DeviantArt page, same username as here.)
• The Coq au Vin skewers is inspired by a Rachel Khoo recipe.
• This "🌹♣️♦️♥️♠️🌹" indicates a scene change.
• Originally posted on my DeviantArt page, 2025, ARP 17th.)
ENCHANTED EVENING by NessaJayn (C) 2025, APR 17th
At the airport, Henri LeBeau and his wife Mercy stood at the arrivals area holding giant playing cards with Remy's and Rogue's name written on them.
"Do you think this is being a little cheeky, my love?" Mercy grinned at her husband, gesturing to the large playing cards of the king and queen of hearts they were holding to gain Remy and Rogue's attention as they waited for them to arrive to greet them.
Henri's moustache twitched in amusement. "It suits Remy's style, my dear. Besides, Remy and Anna Marie are the king and queen of the consolidated guilds."
"I can't help but think Rogue might be a little embarrassed by these. But you're right, my love. It does suit Remy's style." Mercy grinned as she kept a sharp eye on the passengers who checked in through the arrivals with their luggage.
Remy and Rogue exited the plane together each with a backpack as their hand luggage. Walking hand-in-hand to the luggage carousel, Remy and Rogue each found their hard shelled suitcase on wheels. Both relieved their luggage made it safely, as they removed their suitcase from the carousel and lifted the suitcase's handle to wheel the suitcase by their side. Remy swiftly reached inside his jacket to grab his mobile phone to send a text message to Henri that he and Rogue had arrived safely. A quick message from Henri made Remy smile.
"Henri and Mercy are already here and waiting for us, chère. We do best to not keep them waiting any longer." Remy whispered softly, and quickly kissed her.
"I agree, sugah. I can't wait to see Mercy again. We promised to take them out for a special dinner to celebrate their wedding anniversary, so let's make it memorable." Rogue said softly and grinned as she placed her right arm around his lower back while her left hand gripped the handle of her suitcase.
With his left arm around her shoulders, Remy placed his phone back inside his jacket and grabbed the handle of his suitcase. After a short walk through the airport, Rogue and Remy turned the corner. Mercy spotted the couple first and smiled. Rogue's white streak of her hair made it easy for the thieves guild member to spot her sister-in-law first before Henri noticed them in the crowd of commuters rushing through the airport.
"Anna Marie! Remy!" Mercy called out with her left hand high in the air and waving to gain the couple's attention.
The sight of the large king and queen of hearts cards with their names emblazoned on them, caused Rogue burst out laughing in sheer hilarity at the sight of the name cards.
"Remy, look!" Rogue said in her mirth, pointing to the cards Henri and Mercy were holding. Even Remy couldn't hold back a chuckle at the sight. Rogue instantly ran over to her sister-in-law in her heeled boots. Wheeling her suitcase behind her and the straps of her backpack sliding down her arms in her rush to greet Mercy and Henri where they stood.
"Mercy! Henri! Its so great to see you. Congratulations on your anniversary too." Rogue said as she embraced Remy's family members waiting for them at the airport. Even with Rogue wearing the inhibitor bracelet as a precaution commuting through the airports and during the flight, Henri and Mercy had quickly become used to Rogue's strength as they embraced her. Remy stopped to stand next to Rogue as Henri and Mercy pulled back from the embrace to breathe. Allowing a chance for Remy to embrace his brother and sister-in-law.
"So good to see you two again. Where are the young ones?" Remy asked after embracing Henri and Mercy, referring to their children, Sophie and Luc.
"Tante Mattie is watching them while we're here. Jean-Luc got roped into looking after the children too." Mercy grinned, causing Rogue and Remy to chuckle.
"How did that happen?" Remy grinned, as the two couples slowly started to walk side-by-side towards the exit of the airport.
"This is Tante Mattie we're talking about here, Remy. She has her ways of convincing Jean-Luc to get away from guild business and be a grandfather." Mercy grinned. "Given its the week of our anniversary, Tante Mattie insisted on looking after the children for the week so Henri and I could celebrate it."
"Well, Remy and I plan to organise a special dinner out on the town to help you celebrate your anniversary." Rogue said as they made it to Henri's car in the airport's car park, placing the luggage in the trunk of the car. "Remy will take care of the restaurant reservations, while you and I will spend the day getting pampered for the occasion. How's that sound?!"
"Sounds like a plan, chère." Remy grinned as Mercy and Rogue sat together in the backseat. Henri sat in the driver's seat as Remy sat in the front passenger's seat.
Relieved to drive out of the airport, the car drive back to the guild hall was one of laughter and a peaceful feeling of being with family. While Henri kept Remy up-to-date with guild business that happened in his absence due to his X-Men responsibilities, Mercy and Rogue chatted together about plans to spend the next day out on the town to get ready for her and Henri's anniversary. Finally coming up the driveway, the LeBeau brothers and their wives felt relieved to finally be home at the guild hall. Setting their luggage inside the guest room, Rogue and Remy happily joined Henri and Mercy in the kitchen.
"Thank you for letting us stay with you here for the week." Rogue said as Mercy handed her sister-in-law a mug of freshly brewed coffee. Remy sat down next to Rogue and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as Mercy placed in front of Remy a mug of black coffee.
"It's our pleasure, Rogue." Mercy said with a smile, sitting down beside Henri on the other side of the table with mugs of coffee for herself and her husband.
"So... should Mercy and I be worried as to what the king and queen of the consolidated guilds plans to do for us?" Henri chuckled and drank a mouthful of coffee from his mug.
"Nothin' that will get us arrested, Henri." Remy grinned. "Unless you want us to."
"Ignore him, you two." Rogue grinned wickedly and gave her husband a slight slap in ribs. "As I said at the airport, Remy will take charge with reservations, and I will take Mercy into town to get this gorgeous gal pampered for the occasion. But to say thank you for letting us stay with you for the week, Remy and I would like to cook you guys dinner tonight. Any requests?"
"I can't remember the last time we got to taste Remy's spectacular Coq au Vin. Combine that with a boysenberry pie for dessert and it's a deal, because I went shopping yesterday." Mercy said with a grin, happy in the knowledge that she would have a night off from cooking dinner for the family.
"Then how about you two go and put your feet up and let Remy and I loose in the kitchen. And don't worry, sugah. We won't leave a mess for you to clean up." Rogue giggled, lightly shooing Mercy and Henri into the living room.
Working together as a team, Remy and Rogue searched through the fridge and store cupboard for the necessary ingredients to make Coq au Vin and a boysenberry pie for dessert. As Rogue worked her skills in making the boysenberry pie, Remy set to work in chopping up some chicken thighs into cubes to marinade in a combination of red wine; garlic; onion; thyme sprigs; butter and bay leaves. Quickly covering up the chicken, Remy then placed it in the fridge to marinate. With the chicken taken care of, Remy placed eight wooden skewers in some water to soak, then cubed up five ounces of smoked bacon. Setting the bacon cubes and small button mushrooms into separate bowls, he kept his sharp eyes on the stove in par-boiling carrots and baby potatoes. After draining a jar of small, round pickling onions, Remy quickly tested the carrots and potatoes to reach the par-boiled stage to his liking. Feeling satisfied, he drained the vegetables to let them cool down.
It genuinely felt amazing for Remy to be in the kitchen with his wife, as he prepared all of the necessary ingredients needed for his Coq au Vin skewers. It didn't matter if that kitchen was inside their penthouse, or the Xavier mansion, or Mercy and Henri's kitchen. It filled Remy's heart with pride in seeing the smile on Rogue's face as she worked on making her famous boysenberry pie. Her insecurities in cooking had completely evaporated during their marriage and he felt delighted to share the space of the kitchen with her. Remy's smile increased as he watched his wife place the boysenberry pie in the oven to bake with a sense of smugness. Sharing a soft kiss with Remy, Rogue quickly cleaned up the mess she made. Washing up the baking utensils, then drying and putting them back where she found them. After the clean up, Rogue's right arm wiped her brow and let out a deep breath of accomplishment.
"There! I'm ready to help you, sugah." Rogue said softly, wrapping her arms around his waist in personal satisfaction that Mercy and Henri would get to taste her delightful dessert baking in the oven.
"Remy's proud of you, chère." Remy whispered softly and kissed her. "You've really regained your confidence in the kitchen."
Rogue couldn't help but blush a little at his compliment. "I'm still nowhere near your level, sugah."
"You don't have to be, chère. Remy loves being in this space with you, making meals together." Remy whispered softly and kissed her again. "But if you wish to help, then you can get the marinated chicken from the fridge to come back to room temperature."
As Rogue grabbed the bowl of cubed chicken thighs marinading in red wine from the fridge, the sudden sound of a kitchen timer's beeping echoed around the kitchen. Quickly handing over the bowl to Remy, Rogue turned off the oven to remove her boysenberry pie and set it down on a wire rack to cool. Mercy couldn't resist the scent of boysenberry pie wafting through the kitchen, she stepped inside to see Rogue sitting on the kitchen counter with her legs wrapped around Remy's waist and her hands in his hair as they kissed softly.
"Get a room, you two." Mercy grinned, her voice causing Remy and Rogue to pull away from their kiss in surprise. Feeling no ounce of embarrassment for being caught up in the intimacy with his wife in someone else's kitchen, Remy grinned and rested his large hands on Rogue's thighs.
"This is normal for us, Mercy." Rogue giggled, as Remy lifted Rogue from her seat on the kitchen counter to stand in his embrace.
Shaking her head with a grin, Mercy returned her attention to Rogue's freshly baked pie for dessert cooling down on the table.
"This smells delicious, Rogue. Can't wait to have some of this with vanilla ice-cream." Mercy said, holding back her blonde hair and crouched down slightly to smell the heavenly scent of her sister-in-law's boysenberry pie. "Are you sure you don't want my help with anything?"
"Don't you dare of even thinking of lifting a finger tonight, Mercy. Remy and I have got this. You sit back down and enjoy the night off with your man." Rogue giggled and lightly shooed her back into the living room.
Remy chuckled at the sight of his wife shoo his sister-in-law out of the kitchen. Grabbing a metal sieve, he placed the sieve over a saucepan to catch the marinade he planned to reduce down to a thick sauce to spoon over the Coq au Vin skewers later. With the ingredients and the soaked wooden skewers at the ready, he and Rogue set to work in loading up the ingredients in whatever order onto the skewers while a griddle pan heated up on the stove. Quickly giving their hands a good wash, Remy turned his attention to the stove and carefully placed two of the skewers into the smoking hot griddle pan. As Remy kept a sharp eye on cooking the skewers, Rogue stood by his side and wrapped an arm around his lower back, happy to watch him cook dinner.
"Remy needs you to be in charge of cooking the remaining marinade into a sauce, chère." Remy said as he turned the skewers over in the pan to cook. His smile, showing his complete faith in her culinary skills.
With a smile of her own, Rogue grabbed a whisk and cooked the remaining marinade, reducing it down to a thick sauce. Breathing in the heavenly smells of Remy's famous Coq au Vin skewers cooking right beside her.
"Mercy! Henri! Dinner's ready, you two lovebirds." Rogue giggled, turning off the heat of the hot plate on the stove.
Once Remy plated up the Coq au Vin skewers on a platter, Rogue spooned the sauce over them. Rogue then rushed over to set the table, along with serving up some cooked rice from the rice cooker. Remy set the platter of food down on the table, while Henri quickly grabbed a bottle of red wine from the fridge and some wine glasses. Everyone happily sat down at the table as Henri poured the wine.
"Bon appétit, everyone!" Remy said with his arm wrapped around Rogue's shoulders and raised his glass of wine.
"To the happy couple!" Rogue said, raising her glass of wine in the air just above the food Remy had lovingly cooked for his family.
Henri and Mercy did the same and lightly pressed their glasses together in cheers. then enjoyed the spoils of having someone else cook for them, especially on the eve of their wedding anniversary.
"Thank you again you two, for cooking us a delicious dinner and dessert." Mercy said gratefully, eating the last of her serve of boysenberry pie with vanilla ice-cream.
"Our pleasure, Mercy." Remy said, swallowing the last of the wine in his glass.
"And don't you dare think about doing the dishes." Rogue said, quickly standing up and placed a hand on Mercy's wrist to stop her from cleaning up the table. "We're treating you to have a memorable anniversary. Let us clean up. You two are entitled to and early night and some good lovin'. Because tomorrow, I'm takin' you into town to get pampered, sugah. It's goin' to be a spectacular girls' day out before your anniversary dinner out on the town."
"You know better than to challenge Rogue on this, Mercy." Remy grinned, standing up to help his wife clean up the dishes. "We've got this. Tante Mattie is taking care of your children for the whole week, and you got the night off from cooking dinner. Take advantage of the freedom you two have this week to enjoy your anniversary."
"If you say so, Remy. Then Mercy and I bid you both a good night's sleep. Just don't complain if you get woken up through the night, since Rogue encouraged us to enjoy some good lovin'." Henri grinned and gave his wife a slap on her shapely backside. Guiding her out of the kitchen and up the staircase toward their bedroom, Henri slammed the door shut and locked it.
Rogue let out a hearty laugh at the sound of the bedroom door slamming with laughter coming from Mercy and Henri. Gathering the dishes from the table, Rogue took them over to the sink rinse out and then loaded into the dishwasher, while Remy stored the leftovers into containers and placed in the fridge.
"It's too bad it's not our annverisary, Anna Marie." Remy said softly, wrapping his arms around her from behind once she closed the door of the dishwasher and set it to clean.
Turning in the circle of his arms, Rogue grinned wickedly and rubbed herself against his groin, causing his eyes to shine the most beautiful shade of ruby in his excitement.
"Well, yeah it is, sugah. Everyday with you feels like a honeymoon. All that hot lovin' every mornin'..." Rogue whispered in such a sexy drawl of her accent, Remy growled lowly and silenced her with a kiss.
"Then let's take this somewhere more appropriate, chère." Remy growled and picked up his giggling wife, carrying her to the guest room and slammed the door shut and locked it quickly. "Let's give Henri and Mercy some competition as to who's louder, eh!"
"Oh sugah. Your omega level of freak will be the death of me, but I wouldn't want ya any other way." Rogue said, as Remy laid her down on the bed and happily pulled him down to kiss him seductively.
🌹♣️♦️♥️♠️🌹
The next day, Rogue woke up early and found Mercy in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher.
"Good morning, Mercy." Rogue said softly, giving her sister-in-law a hug. As the queen of the consolidated guilds tried to assist in unloading the dishwasher, Mercy's hand immediately caught her wrist to gain her attention.
"Don't you dare, Rogue. I am more than capable of putting away these dishes. You help yourself to some coffee and take a seat and relax."
"If you insist, Mercy." Rogue chuckled, grabbing one of the mugs from the dishwasher and floated over to the coffee pot, then poured herself a much needed mug of coffee.
As Rogue lifted the mug to her lips, she kept her eyes on her sister-in-law. She couldn't help but notice the glowing look and dopey smile on Mercy's face as she put away the last of the dishes from the dishwasher and closed the door. A soft giggle escaped from Rogue's lips that grabbed Mercy's attention.
"What's so funny?" Mercy asked, raising her eyebrows at Rogue's giggling that she attempted to hide behind the coffee mug in her hand.
"The dopey smile on ya face, hun. Remy's not shy in tellin' me I often have that same dopey smile on my face. Seems ta me like you and Henri had some good lovin' last night..." Rogue grinned at Mercy's flush of embarrassment, and turned around to sit down at the dinner table. "... and don't worry, Remy and I didn't hear a thing."
"Well, it must be contagious, because you have that same dopey smile on your face right now." Mercy grinned as she poured herself a mug of coffee and sat down at the table near her sister-in-law. "I saw you floating over to the coffee pot and then to the table, Rogue. Did Remy give you a lot of good lovin' that you forgot how to walk?"
Mercy let out a hearty laugh at the sight of Rogue's face flush with embarrassment, she nearly choked a mouthful of coffee. "No need to be embarrassed, Rogue. We are married to brothers after all."
"Remy's adopted though." Rogue said after recovering herself from nearly coughing up her mouthful of coffee.
"That is true, Rogue. But Henri has always loved Remy like a brother. Henri's an excellent lover, so it could be hereditary." Mercy grinned, lifting her coffee mug to her lips to take a mouthful of the strong brew to ease her into the early morning.
"Well, with Remy's mutation, he certainly has a never ending supply of stamina. Not to mention, Remy's younger than Henri." Rogue said, holding her coffee mug in both hands.
"You're telling me, Rogue. From the sounds of it, Remy gave you some good rounds last night. If you know what I mean." Mercy grinned wickedly, causing Rogue to giggle like a schoolgirl.
Placing her mug down on the table, Mercy watched Rogue with a smile on her face. In her embarrassment, Rogue giggled uncontrollably and tried to rub her face with her bare hands as a distraction. The blonde haired thieves guild member, truly believed that Remy found an incredible choice in Rogue as his wife and someone to call a sister. She genuinely loved Rogue and her personality so much better than Belladonna's. Unable to hold back, Mercy joined in with Rogue's giggling.
"We definitely are married to the best sort of man, that's for sure." Mercy said holding her coffee mug in the air. Catching on quickly, Rogue held up her coffee mug and tapped it gently against hers in agreement.
"Well and truly. Remy's got an omega level of freak, that I won't ever get enough of. He is just incredible in so many ways, Mercy. And not just with the good lovin'." Rogue said fondly as she then put her mug down on the table. "Ever since the day we first met each other at the X-Men mansion and my powers were still out of control, he always went out of his way to remind me that no mutant power is impossible to control. That I'm still beautiful and desirable. That I have plenty of love to offer even to a scoundrel like him. Throughout everything we have been through together, even things that were meant to drive us apart, we always found our way back to each other. He was always there for me, even during times I didn't deserve it. Ever since that day I found the answer to control my powers, you would think us going at it like rabbits would die off very quickly. But it's only made us more like horny teenagers."
Mercy couldn't resist a giggle. "Making up for lost time, it sounds."
"You're not wrong. Remy really knows how to take good care of me and the cats. Even though, at times, he does forget to make the bed. But I've learned to let that slide, because Remy is a man I don't ever want to live without." Rogue said softly and smiled when she felt Mercy's hands reach out to hold hers.
"I feel the same about Henri. Like I said, we're married to the best sort of man." Mercy said as the topic of their conversation walked into the kitchen to find their wives seated at the table giggling with each other and drinking coffee.
"Look who we have here, the two most beautiful femmes on the planet." Henri said softly, walking over to where Mercy was seated at the table. Before Remy could walk over to the table, Rogue floated out of her chair and into his opened arms.
"So what were you lovely ladies giggling about earlier?" Remy asked, keeping his arms around her.
"Hmm... how Mercy and I are married to the most incredible men on the planet." Rogue grinned wickedly and set herself down to stand beside the king of the consolidated guilds. Henri grinned as he gave his wife a slap on her shapely backside and kissed her in front of his brother and sister-in-law.
"Have you ladies eaten yet? I'll cook a fry up." Remy offered. Henri nodded his head at the idea to give Remy a hand in cooking breakfast. Rogue and Mercy gave a thumbs up at the idea of their husbands cooking breakfast, then quickly exited the kitchen to change clothes and get ready for the morning of pampering and shopping in town.
"What's the bet, Remy, those two were comparing notes!" Henri grinned as he helped Remy with a southern breakfast fry up.
"Wouldn't surprise Remy in the slightest. If Rogue's floating in the morning when she gets out of bed, she got some good lovin' by yours truly." Remy grinned as he and his brother worked together to cook breakfast.
After breakfast, Mercy and Rogue drove into town in Mercy's classic car. A 1935, Chrysler Airstream Victoria. Not wanting to take any chances with her absorption powers, Rogue grabbed the inhibitor bracelet from her pocket and clipped it around her left wrist as a precaution. After feeling a slight adjustment of her body from the inhibitor bracelet, she sent a text message to Remy to remind him to make reservations at Antoine's Restaurant. Knowing where the location was of the best salon in New Orleans, Mercy drove directly to the Stardust Hair and Beauty Salon for a morning of pampering. Rogue and Mercy walked inside the salon to let the beauticians know they had arrived for their reservation.
A few hours later, Rogue and Mercy stepped out of the salon. Rogue happily paid for and offered a generous tip to the beauticians for the manicure, pedicure, facials and hair styling. Walking together down the street, Mercy found a dress shop she has always wanted to visit whenever Rogue and Remy were in New Orleans. Rogue couldn't believe Mercy's level of excitement as soon as she stepped foot inside the dress shop.
"Any idea what you're looking for to wear tonight, hun?" Rogue asked as the evening dresses caught her eye.
"I have something in mind, Rogue. Something sparkly to wear with my knee high, black heeled boots." Mercy said softly, browsing through the rack of mini dresses and then found something that excited her.
"Rogue! I think I've found it!" Mercy said excitedly, holding out the dress that caught her eye and placed it in front of her for Rogue to see and gain a second opinion. Judging by Rogue's smile and thumbs up sign, Mercy had picked a winner from the rack of party dresses.
"That's definitely you, Mercy. Go try it on." Rogue said, mirroring Mercy's excitement.
Mercy quickly found an empty change room to try on the dress to see if it fit her while Rogue continued her search to find a dress that would leave Remy speechless. Mercy grinned wickedly at the sight of herself in the mirror wearing the sparkly mini dress. Seeing the dress hug her figure and her curves in all the right places. Sliding the privacy curtain across, Mercy stood in the doorway of the change room.
"Rogue!" Mercy said and posed like a supermodel in her dress she picked out.
"Love it, hun! And I found something that caught my eye." Rogue said and went to the next empty change room and slid across the privacy curtain to try on the dress she found, while Mercy continued to admire herself in the sparkly mini dress.
Inside the change room, Rogue admired the style of the dress. A beautiful mini dress in a ruby red colour with black lace over the top and elbow length, laced sleeves. Grateful she remembered to pack her black, knee high, heeled boots with her, Rogue put on the dress with excitement, then she slid back the privacy curtain to show her sister-in-law.
"What do ya think, Mercy?" Rogue asked and did a quick twirl around.
"It's perfect! You best not to wear a lot of jewellery with this, hun. Other than your wedding ring and your special bracelet. I've got the ideal clutch bag at home you can borrow that will go amazing with it." Mercy grinned and took out her cell phone to take a selfie of her and Rogue together in the dresses they planned to buy.
Rogue and Mercy returned to the change rooms to change back into their regular clothes and paid for the dresses. Walking back to where Mercy parked her car, Rogue's cell phone rang.
"Hi, sugah!" Rogue said sweetly as she placed her bag inside the trunk of Mercy's car.
"Hey, chère. Having fun without Remy?" Remy grinned through the phone.
"Mercy and I have had the best morning, sugah. Reservations in place for tonight?"
"Oui, chère! Antoine's Restaurant at seven, tonight. At the reserved spot we always eat at. Made sure to tell Antoine what I planned for tonight. The rest is a surprise, chère." Remy whispered softly, not wanting to reveal his plans for his brother and sister-in-law.
"Very well, sugah. We're on our way home. See you soon, sugah." Rogue said softly with a dopey smile on her face.
"See you soon, chère. Je t'aime tellement!" Remy whispered lovingly.
"Je t'aime tellement, sugah." Rogue said softly and hung up, then placed the phone back inside her pocket.
"Remy, I take it?" Mercy giggled as she put on her seatbelt and started the car.
"Yep. Reservations are in place for seven o'clock tonight. Let's head back and rest up for a while until then." Rogue said softly.
The sisters-in-law made it back to the guild hall, happy to step out of the car with their shopping bags in their hands. They swiftly headed to their rooms to hide their shopping bags and returned to meet up at the base of the staircase.
"I wonder where the guys are?" Rogue asked as she and Mercy searched for their husbands.
"I have a feeling I might know where Henri is. We had a new pool table added to the game's room. I wouldn't be surprised if we find Henri and Remy in competition with each other." Mercy grinned, taking Rogue by the hand and led her to where the game's room was located.
True to Mercy's instincts, they found their husbands in competition. The sound of the cue ball smacking into the balls by Remy to start a new game, echoed into the air as Henri stood to the side with the cue stick in his hands. Watching very carefully the layout of the balls on the table after Remy's play knocked a ball into the corner pocket. Easing himself back up to stand and feeling satisfied with how far spread around the balls were on the table, Remy noticed Rogue and Mercy walk inside the room.
"Well there! The most beautiful women in New Orleans." Remy said with his accent thick in the air. His eyes glued on his wife's beauty as she walked over to greet him, while Mercy walked over to embrace her husband. Unclasping her inhibitor bracelet and placing it in her pocket, Rogue felt a slight sensation run through her. Her body re-adjusting to having her powers flow through her again.
"Sliver tongued devil." Rogue grinned, happy to rest her bare hands on the exposed skin of his arms as his arms wrapped around her.
"Doesn't mean I'm wrong." Remy whispered and pressed a soft kiss to Rogue's button nose. He took a brief glance over Rogue's shoulder to find Henri and Mercy in their own little world. Knowing his brother and sister-in-law were caught up in their own love for each other, he lowered his eyes back down to gaze at Rogue's incredible beauty. "You wore the bracelet again today. Were you in pain, ma colombe?"
With a smile, Rogue shook her head lightly and stretched up to kiss him softly. "Completely pain free with the bracelet, sugah. Thanks to Hank's improvements with it to take out the pain of wearing it for long periods. Just wanted to take precautions this morning while Mercy and I were in town. I plan to have it with me again tonight if the restaurant is busy."
Holding Rogue at arm's length, his eyes roamed up and down at her. "Hope those beauticians didn't do too much to you. You, chère, could wear a bath towel covered in rhinestones and you would still look as beautiful as the day Remy met you."
Rogue couldn't help but sigh at his level of flirting of her beauty and stepped back inside his arms. "Even after all these years, sugah. Your flirting leaves me as giddy as a schoolgirl."
"Just being honest, chère." Remy whispered softly. His intense gaze down at her left her shivering in delight.
"I was thinking, sugah. With the four of us here, why not a bit of healthy competition playing pool." Rogue said seductively, easing away from her husband's arms and walked over to grab a pool cue.
"What cha have in mind?" Remy asked as the couple then noticed that Mercy had grabbed the fourth pool cue and then reset the balls on the table to start a new game.
"Why not husbands vs wives? One game." Mercy said, moving to stand next to Rogue and raised her hand to high-five her sister-in-law.
The brothers glanced at each other at the idea and grinned wickedly at their wives. Remy couldn't resist walking up to his wife. Wrapping his free arm around her and clamped her to his body.
"As long as the winner gets a kiss from the loser, chère. Then Remy's all in!" Remy said seductively. Giving his wife's backside a quick squeeze, he then let her have the first hit of the cue ball to start their game.
🌹♠️♦️♥️♣️🌹
Remy and Henri stood outside the guild hall in the driveway waiting for their wives to appear. Standing next to Henri's car, Remy was dressed in the suit he wore during the hellfire gala he attended with Rogue... with some notable accessories. His shirt was buttoned up and wearing a thin, black coloured neck tie. Held to his shirt with a tie clip and matching cufflinks at his wrists that displayed the four suits of his playing cards. A small gift Rogue found and bought for Remy while in town with Mercy earlier in the day. Henri was dressed in a tan brown coloured suit, white buttoned shirt and a thin yellow and black coloured neck tie.
"Wonder how much longer we have to wait for our wives to get ready?" Henri asked while checking his wristwatch as Remy took a deep inhale of his cigarette. Granted, he had cut down on his smoking quite considerably over the last few years.
"Be patient, Henri." Remy grinned, lighting up the butt of his cigarette and flicked it into the air, it exploded in a small flicker of kinetic energy.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing you do that, brother." Herni snickered, as their wives stepped outside in their purchased party dresses.
Each holding a clutch bag, Rogue and Mercy strided confidently over to their husbands. Henri's jaw dropped at the sight of his wife. Holding a black clutch bag in her right hand, Mercy's blonde hair was pulled up into a 1960's style up-do. Her long sleeved, mini dress shimmered as she walked over to him. Unable to hold back a smile of satisfaction that she could still leave her man speechless, Mercy's free hand lifted his gaping jaw and then kissed his lips. His moustache tickling her and she let out a soft giggle.
"Amazing how I can still leave you tongue tied, my love." Mercy whispered softly, her free hand reached up to glide over his mustache.
"You've had me tongued tied ever since the day we met, my dear Mercy." Henri whispered softly, wrapping his arms around her more tightly. Mercy couldn't resist wrapping her arms around his neck to rest her head on his shoulder.
"Tu as mon cœur et mon âme." Mercy whispered near his ear. Feeling even more grateful that the children were being looked after for the week by Tante Mattie so she and Henri could enjoy their wedding anniversary.
"J'ai hâte de te faire l'amour!" Henri whispered seductively as his hands lowered down to grab his wife's backside.
"Neither can I, my love!" Mercy grinned in delight at the feel of his large hands grope her backside playfully.
At the sight of Rogue in her red mini dress with black lace, shimmering clutch bag in her hand and black knee high heeled boots, Remy fared no better than Henri. Rogue's only other accessories, were her wedding ring with her inhibitor bracelet inside the clutch bag with her mobile phone.
"Ma très belle femme!" Remy said once he regained his ability to speak. Unable to resist, Remy's arms wrapped around her and clamped his lips down upon hers and kissed her.
"Its always a good feeling I can leave ya speechless, swamp rat." Rogue grinned wickedly at the dopey smile on his face. She couldn't resist placing her fingers on the tie clip shining in the evening light along with the thin black, silk, neck tie. "You look handsome enough to eat, sugah."
"Remy could say the same, mon incroyable Anna Marie." Remy said in awe as his eyes roamed up and down at her beauty.
Being true southern gentlemen, Henri and Remy each opening the door of the car to let their wives sit in the backseat. Remy and Henri sat in the front seats, and Henri happily drove out of the driveway to head into town for the dinner reservations organised by Remy. They arrived at the restaurant an hour early, but the brothers and their wives didn't care. Parking the car a short distance away from Antoine's Restaurant, Remy and Henri were more than happy to showcase their wives on the town as they stepped out of the parked car.
"Its been a while since we lasted dined at Antoine's Restaurant, sugah." Rogue said softly, momentarily checking inside her clutch bag that her inhibitor bracelet was with her in case the restaurant was overcrowded.
"Well, you won't have to wait much longer, Anna Marie." Remy said softly, as Rogue reclosed the clutch bag in relief she had the bracelet with her. "You think you'll need the bracelet tonight?"
"Depends on how busy they are in there tonight, Remy. Hopefully, I won't need it. I want to enjoy tonight with you, Henri and Mercy without the bracelet. Though, there's nothing wrong in being prepared for anything."
Remy nodded his head in agreement in Rogue simply taking precautions, as Mercy and Henri walked over to stand beside the X-Men couple.
"We made it here early, let's go in and enjoy tonight!" Henri grinned, holding his arm out for Mercy to take.
"Henri and I can't thank you both enough for tonight. Being able to share our wedding anniversary with you two, makes this night more than memorable." Mercy said in sheer appreciation for being treated to a night out on the town without the children.
"Its our pleasure. Since Antoine knows us well, no doubt he'll be waiting for us. It would not be wise to keep him waiting." Remy said and reached down to hold Rogue's bare hand. Rogue's smile gave him the unspoken message that she was in complete control of her powers.
Remy gave his brother and sister-in-law a light hand wave to let the couple lead the way to the restaurant. Happy to follow behind and let Henri and Mercy take the spotlight tonight. Rogue couldn't help but notice how a number of passersby on the street, occasionally stopped to stare at the two couples dressed for a night out on the town. Henri and Mercy noticed the same looks from the locals walking around the New Orleans' main streets. Henri and Mercy stopped briefly to check for traffic, then strided confidently hand-in-hand to cross the street.
"Would you be forgiven for thinking those two were walking the red carpet for the Hellfire Gala." Rogue giggled at the sight of Henri and Mercy stride confidently across the street to reach the restaurant.
"If Remy remembers correctly, we made quite a spectacle entering that Hellfire Gala." Remy grinned and his hands smoothed across his black jacket.
"Hmm... you certainly did, sugah. I'm glad you were able to find a way to re-create that look for tonight. You look so deliciously handsome in anything you wear. But when you scrub up, you really make an effort." Rogue said, her accent thick in the air and desire shining in her eyes.
Not caring in the slightest that passersby were watching, Remy was about to wrap his arms around Rogue and kiss her senseless, until they were interrupted by the sound of Henri's voice across the street.
"Are you two comin?!" Henri grinned as Remy and Rogue unwrapped their arms from around each other only slightly.
They chuckled at the sight of Henri and Mercy waiting outside the door of Antoine's Restaurant, with Henri mockingly holding his arm in the air and his fingers tapping the wristwatch like they were running late. Keeping her arm around Remy's lower back, Rogue's smile gave Remy an unspoken message as she lifted off the ground and flew over the street to stand by Remy's brother and sister-in-law. Nearly causing a traffic accident, with surprised drivers paying more attention to the sight of a woman flying across the street with her husband in her arms, than on the road. Thankfully, the drivers and pedestrians were all safe from the unusual sight, when Rogue and Remy stopped to check the welfare of the frightened passersby. Despite a few of the bystanders running away in fright in seeing Rogue flying, she and Remy simply smiled at each other and walked over to Henri and Mercy.
"What's with this action, Henri, since we arrived here an hour early?" Rogue grinned, mimicking the tapping the wristwatch action Henri had done earlier. They all chuckled while walking in through the door of the restaurant. Looking around, the main dining area of the restaurant was filled with customers. Something that worried Rogue slightly, until she felt a hand on her lower back from Remy. It instantly reminded her that the restaurant's owner is well known to the LeBeau family and always kept a reserved area for any of the family that came in to dine.
"Good evening. Do you have a reservation?" The young waiter asked at the door.
"Oui! Remy LeBeau and three guests." Remy said, prompting the young waiter to scan through the reservations. His eyes brightened when he found the name in the log book of reservations for the night.
"Ahh! Yes, for a special anniversary occasion. Please, follow me to your table. I'll be sure to let Antoine know of your arrival." The young waiter said, grabbing the meal and wine menus before leading the LeBeau family members to their reserved seating in a spacious booth.
A mixture of privacy and still able to see the night's entertainment of young and undiscovered musical talent playing gigs at the restaurant. As they were led to their seats for the night, the couples could hear the sound of violins in the air. Some talented violinists were scheduled for the evening to serenade the diners with recitals of popular love songs.
As Remy and Henri and their wives sat down in the reserved booth, a young waitress came over to bring a large glass jug of water and some glasses, along with an appertisers menu while they waited for Antoine to come and greet them. Remy poured the iced water into the four glasses for his wife and family. Sitting back down, he raised his glass in the air.
"To Henri and Mercy's anniversary!" Remy said, and everyone tapped their glasses together in cheers, as Antoine arrived excitedly with a small platter of appertisers and a bottle of chilled red wine.
"Bonsoir, mon amis!" Antoine said excitedly, placing the platter of appertisers on the table and grabbing the menus into a stacked pile before anyone could select an order.
Remy and Henri stood up and each shook Antoine's right hand excitedly. He then reached out to give Remy a hug, given he had not seen the king of the consolidated guilds in a long time.
"Remy LeBeau! Its been a long time since you last graced your presence here. It is good to see you in New Orleans." Antoine said, holding Remy at arms length to soak in the fact his good friend had to returned to his old stomping ground, as Rogue stood up from her seat with a smile. The sight of Rogue's beauty and her smile, immediately grabbed Antoine's attention.
"Anna Marie. How great it is to see you again." Antoine said, placing a kiss to Rogue's hand. Without the bracelet on, Rogue felt incredibly comfortable with her powers and felt no tug of absorption through Antoine's touch. Just his lips leave a soft kiss to the skin of her hand. "Your beauty truly knows no bounds."
"I thank you, Antoine. You truly have not changed since the last time Remy and I were here. A shame we can only be here for a week before Remy and I must return to New York." Rogue smiled as she and Remy sat back down.
"Ahh yes... for the anniversary dinner you planned for Henri and Mercy." Antoine said as he gathered up the pile of menus and held them in his arms. "Congratulations, Henri and Mercy. To see your marriage endure for this long, is highly commendable to you both. I still remember fondly, your wedding reception here. A day filled with incredible memories that will stay with me."
"Oohh! Sounds like a good story to tell." Rogue said in excitement, glancing over at the star couple. She had not heard the story of Henri and Mercy's wedding, or the fact that Antoine's Restaurant had hosted the reception.
"A story for another time, Anna Marie." Henri said with slight embarrassment.
"Trust me when I say Rogue, that Henri knows how to sweep a woman off her feet. And he hasn't stopped ever since." Mercy said with a grin, earning a chuckle from Remy, Rogue and even Antoine.
"I can attest to that, Mercy. Remy here, stole a whole wedding for me and our honeymoon was in outer space." Rogue said softly, and rubbed her hand up and down Remy's thigh in appreciation of that incredible day of their own wedding.
"It was Remy's greatest heist, if I say so myself." Remy grinned with his arm around Rogue's shoulders and a glass of wine near his lips. "A shame though, the honeymoon was interrupted by our fearless leader of the X-Men."
"That is true, you guys. However, when Remy and I celebrated our first month of marriage, he told me what he had in store for our honeymoon if it wasn't interrupted. And I can definitely agree with you Mercy. A LeBeau knows how to sweep a woman off her feet." Rogue grinned and kissed her husband in front of her other family.
"Well, that's a story I want to hear for another time." Antoine grinned, holding the menus more tightly in his arms. "Do not worry about a thing. Remy planned everything for you tonight, and me and my staff were more than happy to assist in making sure you are all well looked after for such a special occasion."
With a smile, Antoine turned to leave his guests in peace to enjoy the night of celebration and good times. Remy couldn't help but grin at Antoine's encouragement that his favourite guests relax and enjoy themselves, and could feel two pairs of eyes stare at him in surprise. Mercy and Henri then looked at each other, wondering what the king of the consolidated guilds had planned for the evening. After grazing on the platter of appertisers, a waitress came over to the table carrying plates of the first course of Remy's planned menu for Henri and Mercy.
Unknown to Henri and Mercy, Remy had spoken privately with Antoine over the phone about the menu to have prepared. When Antoine mentioned how he never added the courses served at Henri and Mercy's wedding reception on to the restaurant's menu, an idea suddenly formed in Remy's mind. To re-create those same dishes that were served for their wedding to celebrate their anniversary. Antoine was thoroughly pleased with the idea, and still had the menu and the recipes on file in his office. With a plan formed, Remy opted to pay in advance for tonight, and offered a generous tip for the team of chefs working hard to make the plan succeed.
As Rogue placed her nose near her plate of food and wafted up the delicious aroma, Henri and Mercy each took a bite of their food. The couple instantly recognised the taste of what they were eating.
"Is it just me Henri, or does this taste familiar?" Mercy asked softly to her husband, noticing the same look of reflection on his face as he savoured the flavours in his mouth.
"You're right, my love. It does!" Henri said softly as Remy watched his brother and sister-in-law try and work out where and when they had last eaten this dish in front of them.
Remy found it quite comical to see his brother and sister-in-law try and figure out where and when they had what they were eating, and their eyes immediately darted over to Remy. The sight of his grin as he took another bite of his food, left Henri and Mercy slightly annoyed.
"Come on Remy, out with it. What's got you laughing?" Henri growled slightly, but without any sense of anger. He loved Remy as a brother, and just couldn't find it in his heart to be annoyed at him for very long.
"What's going on, Remy? What did you plan?" Mercy asked after she finished eating the starter course.
After a sip of his wine, Remy decided to come clean with his surprise and wrapped his arm around Rogue to indicate that his wife was in on the plan.
"The last time the two of you ate this, was during your wedding reception at this very restaurant. After that day, Antoine never put those dishes we ate for the reception on the regular menu. He put the menu and the recipes in a file in his office and never cooked those recipes again... until now. This is mine and Anna Marie's anniversary gift to you. A chance to re-live eating those dishes from your wedding and a chance for Rogue to enjoy them too. Even the violinists playing tonight are a part of the surprise."
The look of genuine surprise and gratitude on Henri and Mercy's face as they allowed the depth of what Remy and Rogue had done to celebrate their anniversary sank in, was priceless. Mercy began to shed tears of happiness that Remy and Rogue had planned this. With a smile, Rogue reached around the circular table to embrace her sister-in-law as she sat next to her. Henri simply stood up from his seat and embraced his brother in thankfulness.
"Merci beaucoup, frère." Henri said sincerely as he embraced his brother in thankfulness for such a special anniversary gift.
"Anytime, frère." Remy responded with a loud clap on Henri's back in the embrace, then released him with a chuckle and sat back down beside their wives to enjoy re-living the dishes that were eaten during the wedding reception.
With the starter course deliciously eaten, the main course came out of the kitchen wheeled on a trolley with another bottle of wine along with plates of bread. The main course was a classic Bouillabaisse. Something the family had not eaten in a long time, not since Henri and Mercy's wedding. The young waitress placed on the table two large pots of the classic French seafood dish along with plates of bread to dip in and a new bottle of wine to enjoy with the meal.
"Bon appétit!" The young waitress said pleasantly to the two couples.
"Merci beaucoup!" Henri grinned as the young waitress left with the trolley to use as means to clean up some empty tables on the way back to the kitchen.
Remy and Henri stood up and served the Bouillabaisse into bowls and each gave a serve to their wives and divided up the supply of bread. Remy poured the wine into the empty wine glasses and sat back down. As the two couples enjoyed eating the main course, Rogue and Mercy suddenly let out a soft giggle. Something that left Remy and Henri a little amused.
With her soft giggle dancing in the air, Rogue placed her arm around Remy's shoulders and then reached over to grab a piece of bread from his plate. Remy watched with interest, his wife's slender fingers dip the piece of bread into his serving of Bouillabaisse. With a wicked smile, Rogue held the dampened piece of bread close to Remy's mouth. Mirroring his wife's wicked smile, Remy wrapped his arm around her and opened his mouth for Rogue to feed him. His lips enclosed around the piece of bread soaked with the delicious combination of fish stock and white wine, and then closed around her fingertips. His red-on-black eyes devouring her hungrily without any hint of shame in front of his brother and sister-in-law, as his lips tasted the flavours of the Bouillabaisse lingering on her fingers. Rogue let out a giggle as she released her fingertips from her husband's mouth and kissed him.
"You two have no shame." Mercy laughed at the antics of the king and queen of the consolidated guilds, so happy and completely in love, and utterly unashamed to display it. As they pulled back slightly from their kiss, Remy and Rogue simply grinned and shrugged their shoulders at their public display of affection.
"Nothing's stoppin' you two." Rogue grinned at her sister-in-law, picking up a piece of bread from her plate and placed a piece of white flaky fish on it to eat. "I'm just feelin' incredibly comfortable with my powers tonight, hun. Just wanted to share it with Remy."
"I noticed you're not wearing that special bracelet of yours, Rogue." Mercy said with a mouthful of Bouillabaisse.
"I brought it with me tonight just in case I needed it. I simply wanted to enjoy tonight without it." Rogue smiled at her sister-in-law.
Her smile increased at the sight of Henri reaching over to take a piece of bread and soaking it in Mercy's bowl. Mimicking what they had seen from Remy and Rogue, Henri placed the soakened piece of bread near Mercy's lips and she couldn't resist being hand fed by her husband. Rogue was about to put the morsel of food into her mouth she had been holding, when Remy's hand reached out to take the bread from her hand and offered to hand feed her like she had done for him seconds earlier.
"Mon incroyable Anna Marie." Remy whispered softly, watching with hungry eyes, Rogue's mouth close around the morsel of bread with a small piece of fish sitting on it. Enjoying the sight of his wife being hand fed and her tastebuds drowning in the sensational flavours of the food he got to eat while in attendance at Henri and Mercy's wedding. He couldn't wait to get back to their penthouse and create his own version of Bouillabaisse, and continue such a sensual eating experience with his wife behind closed doors.
"Je t'aime tellement, Remy LeBeau." Rogue whispered softly, gazing into his incredible eyes as she swallowed the morsel of bread Remy fed her with.
With the main course over, Antoine returned to check up on his favourite guests dining tonight at his restaurant.
"How is everything for you all?" Antoine asked with a smile at seeing the LeBeau brothers together with their wives.
"Everything has just been fantastic. The food is exceptional. Your chef's and your wait staff deserve high praise tonight." Rogue said sincerely. Henri and Mercy nodding in complete agreement with Rogue's assessment of the night so far.
"If you're all ready for tonight's dessert, we have Bananas Foster cake. I'll personally serve you all a slice." Antoine said happily.
"Yes please, Antoine. I haven't had that for a long time." Mercy said excitedly.
"Then four slices of Bananas Foster cake coming up." Antoine said and turned around to personally provide some of the food nostalgia of the night.
As they waited for the desserts to arrive personally by Antoine, the violinists began to walk into the reserved seating area of the restaurant. Remy hailed the violinists over to their table when he saw them walk inside the reserved area. He noticed that the violinists had finished playing a song. They were just about to play what was next on their scheduled playlist of songs, when Remy called them over.
"How about a dance with these lovely ladies?" Remy said as he stood up from his seat and offered a hand to Rogue.
Rogue gratefully took his hand to stand in his arms, as Henri and Mercy quickly followed Remy's lead.
"Do you have any requests, sir?" The lead violinist asked Remy as he placed his arms around Rogue.
"How about, Some Enchanted Evening?" Mercy called out while standing in Henri's arms.
"That's actually what's up next on our playlist, so its good timing we came to this end of the restaurant." Said the violinist with a smile, placing her violin on her shoulder and walked over to her fellow violinists.
"Its for Henri and Mercy here." Remy said, gesturing to his brother and sister-in-law standing near them. "Its their wedding anniversary, and deserve to have the first dance."
"Then to play for your anniversary will be our pleasure." Said the violinist, and began to lead her fellow violinists in playing the requested melody for Henri and Mercy to dance to.
As Henri and Mercy took the lead in re-living their wedding dance, Remy and Rogue joined in not far from them. Re-living their own wedding dance as Antoine arrived with the slices of Banana Fosters cake. Realising the couples were in their own little world dancing to the melody playing near them by the violinists, Antoine placed the slices of cake on their table and left with a smile on his face.
Rogue couldn't help but grin at the sight of her sister-in-law in the arms of her husband, dancing and lost in the feeling of enduring love.
"I think we did good in giving Henri and Mercy a wedding anniversary to remember." Rogue whispered softly as gazed into his eyes with such passion flowing through her veins.
"Remy agrees, chère." Remy whispered softly and kissed her sweetly as they danced together. Suddenly, Rogue noticed the familiar wicked glint in his eyes as he swayed her in rhythm to the melody. "So chère... after tonight, who do you think will be louder? Us or them?"
"Remy! You silver tongued devil. Its not a competition." Rogue whispered, feeling her cheeks blush slightly as Remy's lips swooped down to silence her with kiss that left her breathless.
"Those two really have no shame." Mercy grinned over Henri's shoulder as they danced. "Now we'll have to think of something memorable for Remy and Anna's wedding anniversary. Got any ideas, my love?"
THE END.