Hi, all!
Firstly, sorry to anyone who's already read this, but part 2's coming shortly, so I figured I might as well post now...
Enjoy... Continuity? Just forget UXM #350, and shove something in it's place until think up something better %)
All characters belong to Marvel. Are being used without permission, don'tcha know?
Also, thanks to Keri for her help against me making Rogue use Britishisms (did I spell that right?). Sorry, Rogue! Didn't mean it!!
Enough of this tosh! Now, on with the story...

Ordinary World
by Cat Smith

Chapter 1

Rogue walked in thru the front door, dressed in a chocolate brown suit she wore for work. She sighed. It'd been a hard day.

A business deal hadn't gone thru as planned, and she had had to cope with trying to calm down her boss before he had a stroke, trying to salvage the aforementioned business deal, and showing the new kid around.

Looking up, Rogue surveyed her front room. Stairs to her left led to the four bed-rooms, in front of her was a couch, on which her teenage son, Reese, was sat, staring at the TV. She smiled at the sight of him. Her children were enough to make her smile even after the hardest day. Reese was slim, but quite small for his age. He had an easy smile, his fathers seductive eyes, and his silky auburn hair. He turned as he heard her, and smiled in greeting.

"Hi, Mom. How's work?"

"Could be better," replied Rogue, hanging her jacket up on the coat rack. "How's school?"

"Umm..." He looked away, fidgeting for a moment. "Could be better?" He answered with a nervous grin.

Raising an eyebrow, Rogue sat down next to him, and stroked a few stray hairs from his brow. "What's the matter, sugah?"

Reese shook his head. "It's nothin'. Just a coupla mutaphobes, s'all."

Grimacing, Rogue exhaled deeply and lay back. Mutaphobes. She hated that word, and the people it described. People who hated some people - like her and her family - because they had a special gene that gave them a special power. When Rogue had been younger, before Reese was born, mutaphobes had accounted for pretty much all the population. But now, thanks to hard work and eventual understanding, mutaphobes were the minority.

Rogue looked at her son, wondering what to tell him. She knew what she'd do - she'd punch them. But there was a difference between what she'd do and what her son should do - she wanted him to control his emotions better than she could.

"Ah... Ah'd just ignore 'em, sugah. Ah don't think they'll hurt ya. 'Sides..." She continued, standing, "Ah think maybe ya wanna work on them powers o' yours a li'l 'fore pickin' any fights, hmmm?"

Reese rolled his eyes, typical parental nagging from Mom. "Yeah, sure Mom. I'll go over to Chaz's tonight with Xav, look at that class Scott's doin'."

"Sure, but make sure ya polite - it's either Cyclops o' Mr Summers t' him." She muttered, walking over to the kitchen, rubbing her lower back. God, she ached.

Entering the kitchen, she stopped, seeing her husband there. She blinked.

"Hi, chere! Wan' try a cookie?" He offered her a plate of delicious looking chunky choc-chip cookies that he knew she wouldn't be able to resist. Taking a handful, she glared at him.

"Ya scoundrel! Ya know ah'm on a diet!"

Looking pointedly at her slim figure, he snorted. "I know y' are, but I have no idea why..." He gazed hungrily at the long, shapely legs that her short skirt showed off. Walking over to her, putting a arm around her waist and pulling her close too him, he kissed her cheek.

"Y' beautiful, Rogue. Just de way y' are." As he kissed her, she forgot all about her bad day, and smiled at him when he pulled back. "Y' forgive me?" He asked with a hang-dog look that she could resist feeling sorry for as much as she could not eat the cookies.

"O' course ah do, ya silly Cajun!" Frowning, "Hey! What ya doin' home early?"

"I... I got a feelin' ya might be havin' a bad day, so I decided t' come home an' make dinner."

"Hmmm..." She snuggled against his chest, closing her eyes. There were times when Remy was actually thoughtful... Whassat? She wondered as she heard a deep, whooshing sound. Her thought was answered when her good friend Ororo landed in front of their back door, Rogue and Remy's youngest, Lisa, in her arms. Rogue motioned for her to come in.

Smiling, the woman did so, and Rogue could hear Lisa laugh with delight, and ask Ororo to take her flying again.

"Perhaps next week, child. If your parents would let me look after you again...?"

"You kiddin', Storm? If can handle dis bag a' mischief, y' more dan welcome t' look afta her." Remy kissed Ororo on the cheek before bending down to tap his daughters nose, which awarded him with a bubbly laugh, and a pair of small arms around his neck. Picking her up, he turned to Storm. "Maybe you can talk some sense int' her," he said, motioning his wife. "She t'inks she needs t' go on a diet."

Rogue glared at him. "Ah do, thank y' kahndly. Ah've put on...well, enough that ah'm not sayin', this month alone!!"

Ororo looked at her, blue cat-eyes narrowed. "You do know, my friend, that there are more reasons to putting on weight than eating too much."

"Lahk?"

Ororo looked at her, a little desperately. This wasn't news she wanted to break like this. She looked at Remy, who had gone decidedly paler, and was looking at Rogue strangely. Ororo breathed a prayer of thanks to her Goddess. It was a family matter, none of her business, really.

"Um, chere? I need t' talk t' you a minute. 'Ro, would y' mind lookin' after Lise a min?"

Ororo smiled "Not at all." Taking the confused little girl from her fathers arms, she smiled at him, and whispered, "Congratulations, Remy." He flashed her a quick grin, his eyes dancing.

"Rogue, jus' come upstairs a minute..." He said, leading her up them.

"What? What are ya goin' on 'bout?" Ororo could hear Rogue say as they went upstairs. She smiled in joy. She would have loved to bring children into the world herself, but none of her relationships had seemed to last. Sitting Lisa down on the table, she smiled at her, and asked her if she would like some milk. Her green eyes sparkling, she answered 'yes'. As Ororo turned around, she noticed, with a start, Reese walk in.

His footfall is as soft as his father's, she noticed. Noticing her, he smiled in greeting, and seeing his little sister on the table, he walked up to her.

"Hi, munchkin! How've you been today?" He asked, giving her a little hug. He smiled at her, and she answered.

"Auntie 'Roro took me flying! I want to go next week!"

"You shall, child," said Ororo, walking up to them, a glass of milk in her hand. As she handed it to the little girl, Reese turned to her.

"Where're Mom and Dad?"

"Ah, they went upstairs a moment."

"Can't even wait for the sun to go down."

"Reese!" He grinned and shrugged, then his head snapped to the side as he heard a very loud "WHAT!!??" from upstairs.

"Mom?" He said, slightly worried. Ororo just smiled, which was the only thing that kept Reese in place. He listened closely, and vaguely heard what came next. His fathers voice, he couldn't make out the words, and then a wordless, joyful cry from his mother. Then a *thump*, as, Reese guessed, his Mom had ran straight into Dad, knocking him to the floor. Confused, Reese looked at Ororo.

"Your parents will tell you when they're ready, I am sure."

Ororo got up, and headed for the door. "Please ask your father to telephone me and see what time I should come around for Lisa tomorrow."

"Uh, sure." Answered Reese, with a puzzled look at the ceiling.

To be continued...

How was that? And for anyone who's interested, the title comes from a Duran Duran song. Comments to me -- Danke

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