The door to the apartment rattled as a key turned in the lock. Instantly the young, mutant thief who had been dozing on the lime green couch in the parlor sat up straight, eyes glowing red in the blackness of the room. Silently he crept toward the door, three cards in his hand, muscles taunt, and breathing steady. The door opened but was stopped by the metal chain lock. Gambit tensed ready to charge the cards when a decidedly friendly all be it confused female voice called out.

"Uh, 'ello?... Monsieur LeBeau?...It's Bridgett….. the hospice nurse." Remy let out a sigh and shook his head as he put away the cards and turned on the light before un locking the door.

"Bonsoir chere, Je suis desole.I forgot you was coming back." He offered her a charming grin to which she gave a small shy smile, twirling her mousy brown hair around her finger.

"No, It's fine. Is everything alright?" She questioned as she entered the room and set down her purse on the kitchen counter before putting some groceries in the fridge. Remy smiled as he watched her do her normal routine with a slightly nervous edge. She knew who he was, and he knew she knew which made the whole situation a little funny. Even after all this time away from his city, Godiva was right, people still talked about Le Diable Blanc.

"Oui chere, everyt'ing be just fine." He chuckled and then stretched his lean body like a cat before walking over to the coffee table to grab his cigarettes. Bridgett went about preparing a glass of orange juice with medicinal powder in it, a gift from Tanti Manti. As she did so, her eyes glanced up at the tall, handsome man only ten feet away. He was wearing dark, blue jeans, cuffed, his black boots kicked off, a black leather belt and a small gold crucifix, nothing else. His hair was down to his shoulders and he ran his hands through it as he stretched again.

"Lord 'ave mercy but dat is de most uncomfortable couch dis side of de Mason Dixon!" He complained before sticking the cigarette in his mouth and opening the balcony doors to step outside for a smoke. Leaning over the railing, he looked down at his city. The night was young, only a little past eleven and after a few hours of somewhat rest he was feeling mischievous. Officially, he was still banished from the city, however after the whole incident with the Brood the year before he doubted either guild would give him too much grief. His mind briefly drifted toward thoughts of Belladonna but he quickly pushed them out. Hi cousin Lipan had told Remy in a letter a few months back that after waking up with no memories she was acting more and more like a,….. how did he put it,….. 'crazy, blood thirsty, psychotic bitch.' Remy chuckled to himself but it was fake, in reality the whole situation made him sad and just added to the mountain of guilt he was constantly climbing, the top, nowhere in sight.

Stubbing his cigarette out, he turned to go back inside and make up a drink or two. Bridgett was exiting Godiva's room, orange juice still in her hand as she gently shut the door.

"She's still asleep so I'll give her this when she wakes up. The pain won't usually let her rest the whole night through…. Although it smells like she's been self medicating again so who knows." She offered an amused smile as he shrugged and gave a guilty, apologetic grin.

"You know dat woman, can't tell her no." Remy laughed and slid on a white, button down shirt folding the sleeves up to just below his elbows. "Wanna drink?" He asked as he pored himself a gin-n-tonic. She nodded and waited awkwardly, not sure where to sit.

When he turned back around she was standing behind the couch, as if careful to keep the furniture between them. Gambit smirked and handed her the drink, then stepped back to give her plenty of room. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of reputation this girl had heard to be so nervous in his presence, nervous but excited. She thanked him and looked around the apartment as if she had never been there before, looking every direction except at him. The two drank in silence for a moment before Remy spoke, his tone more even and serious then she had been expecting.

"'Bout how much longer does she 'ave?" Remy watched the ice swirl in his drink before he looked back up at her, his expression unreadable. She found herself caught in his gaze, his eyes so intense and yet unfocused as if he was looking at her but not seeing her.

"Doctor said he's surprised she's held on this long. Her body's been shutting down steadily. She won't eat, has trouble breathing, and even when she's laughing I can tell she's in pain…. To be honest, I think she's been holding out for you." Bridgett's voice was soft, her eyes compassionate. The last words brought his gaze back to hers, a grim look on his face. "She's told me all about you Monsieur LeBeau."

"S'il vous plait,… call me Remy." He offered quietly with a slight smile as he turned around and fixed another drink.

"She told me about when you where just a child, about how you almost died in her arms." Bridgett felt her cheeks get hot, and her palms sweaty. Why was she saying this to him? Though his back was to her she could see that he paused for a moment then continued making the drink. "Tt must have been very hard for you. Growing up on the streets like that." She stammered as she finished her glass, internally blaming the alcohol for her boldness.

"It was." His voice seemed strained even to his own ears. Remy turned back around and gave her a smile he wasn't feeling, then took a long swig. "Life's not always a fairy tale chere,…. But, I had an Angle of Mercy, me." With glass in hand he gestured toward the closed bed room door. "Every child should be so lucky." Remy finished his drink, bid Bridgett Au revoir, grabbed his coat and headed for the door. The night was young and he was far too sober.

The X-Men where all gathered in the War room, a collective silence had fallen over the group as Cyclops glared down at the projected holograph in the center of the table. It was a recording of a man, one that strongly resembled a certain Cajun team mate of theirs, breaking into a top secret S.H.I.E.L.D facility, and hacking into the computer system. The date on the recording was over three years ago, a little less than a year before he joined the X-Men.

"Cyclops, I will repeat my question,….. is this, or is this not, a member of the X-Men, code name Gambit, breaking into a S.H.I.E.L.D facility?" Toney Stark's voice boomed over the telecom as his face portrayed his obvious indignation.

"Where did you get this?" Storm's voice was as always calm and collected but to those who knew her best, underlined with disappointment.

"Does it matter?... Look,…. X-Men and…..women and blue, elf creature,…." Nightcrawler's head cocked to the side and his tail wiped out, a look of slight insult crossed his face. Ironman continued. " This surveillance footage was sent to me by an anonyms source with one word on the envelop,….'GAMBIT.'….. So I ask you, why the hell did one of your teammates break into our facility and more importantly what did he do?... He didn't remove any information or else the data transfer would have been recorded…..Now I know that we don't always see eye to eye on everything, what with your on again off again terrorist associations and blatant disregard for U.S and international laws…"

"Look who's talking Bub!" Wolverine growled, receiving a sideways glance from Mr. Stark.

"But If the tentative bond of trust you people clam to honor with S.H.E.I.L.D is going to remain intact, we need answers and explanations now or a warrant will be issued for his arrest and whoever is harboring him will be considered accomplices!" Tony Stark sat back in his chair and took a large swallow of his scotch, eye brow cocked waiting for a reply. There was another long pause in which everyone shifted uncomfortably and stared at each other, unsure what to say. Cyclops shook his head and threw his hands in the air, jaw locked to keep himself from saying something he would regret. Jean glanced at Scott then fixed her gaze on Henry and gave him a mental nudge, insisting that he would be the best one to address the situation at hand, what with his uncanny gift with words. Beast met her gaze and begrudgingly cleared his throat.

"Mr. Stark,….. While you are correct in your assertion that Gambit is currently a member of the X-Men,….. he is at the moment,…..on leave as it were and so can not defend his actions at this time… I would also like to point out that the date on this footage indicates that this …uh …. incident, …..occurred before Gambit was acquainted with the X-Men, therefore his actions should not be considered in anyway related to the X-Men and our code of conduct…. That being said,…." Beast was cut off by an exasperated Toney Stark.

"Uggghhhhhh,… Look I get it!... You don't know where he is or why he did it so basically there's nothing you can really tell me!... Wonderful!... You people are as helpful as usually!... Fine, we'll issue the warrant and as long as the X-Men don't interfere with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s apprehension, we can keep this thing low key." He cheered the room of X-Men and finished his drink muttering under his breath. Wolverine growled and Rogue looked at Beast imploringly, the others all sitting up with wide eyes. Hank sighed again and leaned forward, his tone harder and more absolute then before, banishing the uncertainty that had tainted his earlier speech.

"Sir,… As I have said before, Gambit IS an X-Men, a part of our team and therefore officially and unofficially under our protection. I assure you that we will cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D's investigation regarding this matter by arranging a private meeting to be held here in which all parties concerned will be present and able to explore the truth behind this footage." Hank's tone commanded the attention of all those in the room and the audience of Mr. Stark who instantly began to laugh and shake his head.

"Unbelievable,…Seriously?,…Common Beast!" The man known as Ironman slammed his fist on his desk and the screen shook. "A meeting at the X-mansion?!... He should be dragged into an official hearing at S.H.E.I.L.D's Head Quarters!" There was a pause as Toney Stark rubbed his temples then poured another drink, chewing on his next words. "And he would be … but,….. for the moment,….. I haven't shown this to Nick or anyone else at S.H.I.E.L.D….. Wanted to give your teammate a chance to explain himself before I released the hounds." He scratched his chin then rubbed his neck. "And I sure as hell don't want his sticky fingers anywhere near my property!" He sighed again secretly whishing he had never received the video in the first place.

"How about the Avenger's Head Quarters?" Iceman suggested to everyone's surprise. He looked around with a shrug and slowly received several thoughtful nods.

"It would be a more,….. neutral environment in which to conduct an investigation of this nature." Jean offered, an overly optimistic smile on her face.

"And as a former Avenger It would be my extreme pleasure to assist in these proceedings to ensure that a fair and reasonable resolution can be met." Beast stared intently at Ironman as if daring him to disagree. Everyone waited with a degree of anxiousness as Mr. Stark contemplated the offer, spinning in his chair as he swallowed down another drink. Finally the genius in arms set down his drink and leaned into the screen.

"Fine… I got to clear it with the Captain and the rest of the all star team but,….sure,…..why the hell not!... Bring some chips and dip, some finger sandwiches, drinks are on me….." He lifted the empty glass and rattled the ice. "But,… If your man should resist,…. Or is unable to provide an acceptable reason for why he was tampering with our computers,….. the X-Men must hand him over to the Avengers so that we can determine what the hell to do with him!" Now it was his turn to look intently at those assembled, all of whom looked now to Cyclops for his answer.

Scott had remained facing the opposite direction, attempting to hid his face and the anger that was rising with in him. At last he sighed as if knowing the silence could only be filled with his voice, the leader of the X-Men.

"Alright Ironman,… The X-men promise full cooperation with the investigation and with whatever disciplinary actions the Avenger's chose to take against Gambit on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D,…." The gathered X-Men muttered, some sighing and others glaring at their leader. " However,…..we reserve the right to have Hank McCoy on the board of judges as a member of both teams and if he so chooses, Gambit may call upon whomever he wants to assist in his defense." Cyclops stood strait, arms crossed and jaw locked. Toney Stark studied the man, and those of his assembled team.

"Alright Cyclops… I'll talk it over with the Avengers and unless something comes up,….. which it always does, " He muttered under his breath. "We should be able to throw this little party sometime next week….. Kapeesh?" Stark offered a fake smile and saluted the mutant soldiers then sighed off, leaving a room full of emotionally tense X-Men to mutter among themselves.

"That god damned Cajun Thief!" Scott muttered, before storming out of the War room, headed straight for the danger room and a program where he could blow that smug smile off Gambit's face over and over again.