Chapter two: making a reputation

Later that day, the entire school gathered for lunch. All the students were talking excitedly. The only time we all ate together at lunch was when something interesting had happened. Not interesting like the time Bobby and John got into a fight and blew up the lab, interesting as in a mission or, in this case, a new arrival.

I was sitting with the rest of the teachers, watching Remy- Gambit- watch the Professor introduce him to the student body while the female half of his audience stared openly. Gambit pulled a deck of cards from his pocket and started shuffling idly. Seeing me, he sent me a lazy wink and touched the brim of his hat.

I glared at him.

"Hey kid, what's up?" Logan pulled out the chair next to me and sat down, drawing a look- I was willing to bet it was evil one- from Scott.

"Back from your top-secret mission, Scottie?"

I cut in before things got ugly. "Actually, the swamp rat at the end of the table was the mission. The Professor wanted him to join the X-Men."

"A bit young…"

I pointed at myself. "Nineteen. Can kick your butt up between your ears. Swamp Rat is older than me."

"Swamp rat? Geese Cait, what'd the kid do to you?" he leaned down the table. "Stormy!"

Ororo got up and walked over to us. "Logan?"

He pulled her down for a quick kiss. "Cait won't tell me what happened with the new kid."

She smiled. "She-"

"Storm! No!"

I saw Gambit's head snap up and he grinned at me before getting up very deliberately and walking over to us.

"Logan, been too long."

Logan looked at him, squinting slightly. "I know you from somewhere."

"Alkali Lake, helped ya get ya lady friend out'a dere. Remember? Ya wanted ta kill ol' Striker."

Logan shook his head.

"Well, Ai heard ya wanted ta find out what happen'd with chere an' me back in N'awlins."

"Don't you dare."

"Auw, chere, ya wound dis one terrible. Actin' like ya did somethan' ta be 'shamed of."

Logan looked from me to Remy. "What are you talking about, Cajun."

"De chere made a bet with me an' lost. Now… well. Ai'm sticking 'round so's Ai can collect."

Through sheer force of will, I stopped myself from beating the smirk off his face. Logan was not so restrained. He was on his feet with his claws pointed at Remy's face before Storm could stop him.

"Listen, Cajun. Cait can take care of herself, but if I hear you've done anything, I will cut that pretty face right off."

I tugged on him arm. "Logan, there are kids watching."

He sat down stiffly and took a deep breath. Gambit straightened his hat and went back to his seat.

"I hope he's in my class." Logan groused.

"Why?" Storm and I asked.

"So I can pound the kid into the floor."

~OoOoO~

I buried my face in my pillow and screamed. Remy LeBeau was going to be the death of me. So far the idiot had managed to alienate Scott, no surprise there, Logan, again, not a surprise, Ororo, me, Hank, and Bobby. Most of the female population was in love with him. This was only the first day.

Someone knocked on my door. "Who is it?"

"Hello, Caitlyn? I vas vondering, are you up to a bout in ze Danger Room?"

I got up and opened the door. "Hey, Kurt. Pirates, right?"

"Ja, no powers?"

I shut the door behind me. "Of course. I don't think anyone from Pirates of the Caribbean could teleport."

~OoOoO~

Swish, clang!

I parried Nightcrawler's blow then swung at his collar bone. He blocked me easily and returned with a cut to my side. I grabbed a passing rope and swung out of the way.

"You missed!" I yelled, landing in the rigging.

Nightcrawler launched himself at me, forgetting that we had banned the use of our powers. I threw him a rope.

"Ai sure hope ya wouldn't do dat durin' a real fight, chere." Remy called, leaning on a dark wood Bo staff.

I held up my hand and Kurt stopped mid-blow. I jerked my head at Remy and made a motion with one finger like swinging a sword. Kurt nodded, yellow eyes glittering, and held out a hand.

Bamf!

We appeared directly in front of Remy, fake swords raised. Remy jumped about a foot in the air and raised his Bo staff.

"Easy, chere, no need ta take Remy's head off!"

"I wasn't aiming for your head."

Nightcrawler laughed and teleported back onto the shipwreck the Danger Room had provided.

Remy picked his hat up and tucked it under one arm, "Fancy setup ya gaut."

"This is the Danger Room. We use it for training. Kurt uses it to act out scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean."

"Why did ya tell me dat?"

I shrugged. "No idea, I just…" I shrugged again and sat down in the control room to watch Nightcrawler's antics.

"Ma chere, Caitlyn, Ai was wondrin', why'd ya make dat bet with ol' Remy if wasn't gonna pay up?"

I shrugged. "I was kind of hoping you would forget about it."

"Ouch. Why's ya always woundin' dis one?"

My train of though was abruptly cut off by one of Remy's arms snaking around my waist. His other hand went to the back of my head and tangled in my black hair.

"Chere, jus' thought Ai should warn ya. Gonna kiss ya now."

I nodded mutely, still trying to remember what I had been thinking.

Remy's lips touched mine, feather light and warm. I ran my fingers over his jaw and into his hair, pulling him closer. He pulled away after another moment.

"Ai'll see ya at dine'ah den?" with that, he stood up and walked away.

Kurt teleported into the control room. "Caitlyn, I have finished vith ze program. Vill you turn it off? I have to go and speak to Doctor McCoy."

"Not a problem." I replied numbly.

Kurt teleported out of the Danger Room, leaving a waft of sulfur in his wake.

~OoOoO~

About ten minutes later, I was cursing Remy LeBeau even as I fretted over what to wear to dinner. I felt like a seventh grader again. I grabbed an armload of clothes and knocked on Storm and Logan's door. Knocking on Ororo's door had been a risky business ever sense she and Logan had got together. Luckily for me, it was Ororo who opened the door.

"Hello Caitlyn. Come in."

I followed her into her surprisingly neat room. "I'm having a fashion emergency."

"Jean's better at dealing with this sort of thing."

I set my armload down on a chair. "She would get the right idea, and then Summers would find out, then the whole school."

Ororo picked up a draped green shirt and held it up to me. "Is this about Remy?"

"It's silly, I know, but…" I trailed off and picked up a pair of dark wash skinny jeans.

Ororo exchanged the green shirt for another in a deep violet. "Let's get started."

Logan walked in just as we finished getting ready and eyed the small pile of clothes warily. "Glad I missed that."

I gathered them up and gave Ororo a one-armed hug. "Thanks, Ro."

Five minutes later I heard a knock on my door. "Caitlyn, com'on!"

I gave myself one last look over and walked into the hall. "Right here Logan, your stomach can rest easy."

The three of us made our way down to the kitchen, half running to keep up with Logan's quick gait. I was tall- five feet nine inches- but Logan was taller than Remy by about three inches and he had a habit of rushing from place to place as quickly as he could. Ororo was bordering on short and had to break into a jog a few times.

"Logan, slow down. The food isn't going anywhere."

He forced himself to move at a more normal speed and we made it to the dining room without anyone falling down the stairs and breaking their neck. Logan and Ororo sat down in their usual seats but I hesitated, looking for Remy.

"Ma chere, you're breakin' ma heart." He whispered.

I turned and saw him leaning against the doorframe behind me, grinning like a cat with cream, a canary, and basket of clean laundry arranged for his enjoyment.

"Ya look too nice ta stay here. Would ya go out with Remy ta'nigh? It's ma treat, no strings attached."

I glanced over at Ro and she made a shooing motion with one hand, nodding. Logan didn't notice.

"Alright."

Remy opened the School's main doors, bowing slightly. I laughed and pretended to curtsey. He offered me his arm and we walked out, gravel crunching underfoot.

"How old are ya?"

My eyebrows drew together. "What? Hasn't anyone ever told you that you should never ask a lady her age?"

Remy shrugged. "Non, do ya mind?"

"Not really. I'll be twenty in six months."

He nodded to himself set one of his hands on mine.

"So… where are we going?"

"Dere's dis li'l restaurant Ro told me 'bout. An' Ai saw dis nice motorcycle in da garage…"

"Don't even think about it. That's Scott's."

He raised his eyebrows. "Dat stick in da mud has a motorcycle? Really? He never seemed da type."

"I didn't think so either but I heard him yelling at Logan for taking it once and it wasn't pretty. I had to break them up before Summers decided it would be worth punching a few holes in the school to get rid of Logan."

"What's his mutation?"

"Lasers for eyes. If he opens his eyes and he's not wearing those shades, stuff gets fried."

"But he's with dat redhead, da scientist. How does-"

"I prefer not to think about that, thanks very much."

"D'ac." Remy looked dubiously at a model-t, "Does dat thang even work?"

"I don't think so. C'mon, let's take mine." I opened the driver's door and slid inside.

"So sweetheart, what's yo power?"

"I can control plants. Limited telekinesis or something. I can make new ones if I have seeds and enough energy to spare but I don't most of the time."

"C'est incroyable!"

"Merci beaucoup, et toi?"

"Ai cain charge ino'ganic material with kinetic energy. Basically blowin' thangs up."

"I understood you the first time. Now, I'm going to need directions."

Remy guided me down the winding rode and through a small town before we reached our destination.

We pulled up in front of a stone-faced restaurant with roses snaking their way up the walls.

"Mademoiselle. Souves-moi, s'il tu plait."

I laughed and got out of the car. Remy offered me him arms and I took it. Together, we walked into the restaurant.

The hostess was a pretty woman in her early twenties.

"'Scuse me, Ai have a reservation fo' two at seven."

The girl looked up and did a double take. "Your… your name, please?"

"Remy LeBeau."

She checked the register, nodded, and led us to a table in the far corner of the low-lit room. "Your waiter will be along shortly, here are the menus."

Remy stopped her. "Could you have him bring a bottle of da house best an' two glasses? I'd be very grateful."

I took mine and opened it without really looking. "You got cocky again."

Gambit rolled his eyes. "How so chere?"

"You made the reservation before I gave you my answer."

He just shrugged and changed the subject. "So chere, why did ya agree ta come out with Remy?"

I fidgeted. "Not really sure."

"How 'bout dis den," he grinned, "If Ai ask ya a question ya won't ans'ah, ya fill yo half'a da bargan we made in N'awlins when we get back. If ma chere asks Remy a question he won't ans'ah, Ai'll do somethan' fo' ya. But Ai won't cancel yo debt."

"Anything I ask as long as it's within your power and legal?"

"Ai don't care so much 'bout legal, darlin'."

I settled back in my seat, "Alright then, ask your first question."

"Why'd ya agree ta come out ta dinn'ah with me?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "I agreed to go out because I felt like it. Now, what was the last thing you thought before you blacked out back in New Orleans?"

"Ai don't quite rememb'ah, think it was somethan' long the lines of 'Remy ya imbecile, what'cha gone an' done now?'"

I laughed.

At that moment the waiter came over with a bottle of red wine and two glasses to take our orders. When he left, Remy offered me a glass.

"I'm not legal. Besides, I don't want to find out what that will do to my power."

Remy shrugged. "Ai understand lil' lady, 'sides, one of us has ta drive back."

He didn't waste any time getting back to the questions.

"How'd ya get yo name?"

I told him the story. I had gone with Jean, Logan and some of the other students on a practice mission about a month after I came to the school. We had been ambushed in a parking lot behind an old greenhouse. When I saw that one of the people attacking us had hold of Warren, I had ordered a rose vine to wrap itself around the man's neck and pull him off. The thorns had cut so deep into his neck that they had hit an artery.

"Remind me naut ta make ya angry, chere, d'accord?"

"Not a problem. What is the stupidest bet you've ever taken?"

"Ah… well, if it weren't fo' da fact dat ya still haven't paid me back, it'd be da one dat ended with Remy in dat School. Mais… it's gotta be da taime Ai had ta… well, it was a bit like what ya bet me."

"Oh dear…"

He laughed. "My turn, sweetheart. Which one o' dem X-Men am Ai gonna half'a steal ya from?"

"No one."

"Honest, chere?"

"Yes. Logan's with Ororo, and Scott's too old for me, not to mention engaged. I don't really have any other options. Besides, Summers gets on my nerves and Logan's too good a friend."

"Well chere, looks like Ai just might have a chance aft'ah all."

I decided to ignore that comment. "How did you find out about your power?"

"Ai was livin' with mes amis in N'awlins when Ai was a kid and blew a door off its hinges. What 'bout ya?"

I blushed. "My first kiss. It wasn't anything flashy but my mom's honeysuckle climbed off its trellis. It kept moving for a few seconds and I figured out that I was the one doing it."

"Yo control's bettah. Ai didn't see any plants moving around earlier."

I changed the topic as quickly as I could. "What's your favorite song?"

"'Afta' yo gone'. Ai'm curious, if yo powers react ta… how'd ya, well…?" he trailed off meaningfully.

"I… eem… well… heh… jeeze. Really? Fine. Haven't. My control was pretty terrible before I came to the school and it's not like there's anyone there I'd even consider…"

"Don't lie ta Remy, sweetheart."

"I'm not!"

He tossed his head back and laughed. "So dat's why… Chere, don't ya worry, Ai'll be nice."

"Are you always this overconfident?"

"I'm neve'ah overconfident."

Our food came and I took a bite of mine to avoid further questions. If Remy continued down this line much longer, I was going to lose.

"Yo question?"

I decided not to tell him that I had accidentally used mine. "I can't really think of any… Oh! Best bet you've ever won." The instant it was out of my mouth, I knew I had made a mistake.

"Do ya really need me ta answer dat?"

"No. Best thing won in a bet, then."

"Ma baby, beautiful flyer. Ai think it was jacks ov'ah fives."

"You won a… helicopter… in a card game?"

Remy smirked. "Ma turn ta ask the question chere. Ever wondered if ya were on da raight side?"

"No. Both my parents are human. When they found out about my mutation, they helped me. I won't kill humans, well, anyone, unless they try to kill me first. What about you? Did you ever work with the Brotherhood or some other group?"

"Dat's private."

"I guess I won then."