All mutants belong to Marvel. The Strange Pairings Challenge originated with Falstaff. This story is copyright to me.

**

   These moments were the kind that Remy savored the most. A softly romantic rainy night, super food, intelligent conversation with a beautiful red-head. He smiled as he watched her take a sip of her brandy. His cigarette smoke drifted upwards as he listened to the fluent Italian surrounding him.

   She smiled back at him as she set her glass down. "See what I like best about this place?" she asked as she made a gesture with her hand. They were high above the city streets and, in the distance, starlings flew in ever changing combinations in the soft moonlight.

   He shook his head and took that hand in his. "I see what I like right here." He kissed the gloved hand. "Enjoy the opera?" he asked again. It had been her idea to fly to Italy to see the entire Ring saga performed for their rendevous.

   She nodded, carefully masking her accent. "It was grand. I've always wanted to see the whole thing from start to finish..." These meetings had rules to them. Nothing could remind them of their other lives. They worked to remove any traces of their accents from their speech, and did not mention mutual friends or mutant relationships. These rare intervals were special, reserved just for them and the fantasy world they created.

   "It was a good idea," he admitted as he pushed his plate away. "Even if I had to read those reference books a couple of times to have a chance to follow the action."

   "Education does a man good," she pointed out.

   "I'm more used to reading about art than music," he pointed out. "That's why I sent you those books on Da Vinci..." Remy was actually a huge fan of the inventor, artist, and poet and had secured two seats for a week long lecture series. One of his most prized possessions was a poem the man had written on a sheet of paper and illustrated with a bawdy sketch.

   "I enjoyed them," she admitted as she brushed her hair back. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched a native look at her with appreciation. She smiled back at him and then leaned back in her chair. It seemed like a night to splurge for cheesecake, she decided.

   How she had needed this trip and the chance to escape from her role as quasi-den mother to a great team, the work that she always had, and just the ordinary stresses of her life. Nothing but a good friend, a soft comfortable bed, beautiful scenery, and the chance to stretch her mind in new directions. Moira smiled again at Remy. "I've enjoyed all of this," she said again.

   "So have I," he agreed. There were times when it just got to be too much- trying to balance being a good guy against being a thief, an angst-fulled relationship with a woman he claimed to love but couldn't touch, and a friendship with another woman who was too proud and stubborn to ever relax. He smiled again and tossed a couple of bills onto the table. "Want to get that cheesecake to go?" he asked, treating her to one of his most dazzling smiles.

   Moira shook her head as she looked down at the dreamy treat. "I'll share," she promised instead. "And I won't even tie you down and make you drink my coffee in the morning."

   He laughed, and quickly banished all thoughts about Rogue and Storm. "I liked the part about sharing... and not making me drink your coffee," he admitted as he picked up a fork.

   "And the part about nae tyin' ye down?" she shot back, sighing as she realized that she'd broken the deal. He was going to get to call the shots back in their room. His wolfish grin quickly erased all thoughts about Sean and Emma from her mind.

   "Gambit maybe got some ideas about that one." He caught a glance of the two of them in a mirror and shook his head. They did make the original odd couple, seeming with nothing in common. That was only on the surface. They both understood what it was like to live with relationships that seemingly needed flowcharts for outsiders to follow, stereotyped for just a few aspects of their personality, and what it was like to be branded by a past that they didn't want to talk about. But most importantly, they did understand each other.