Chapter 4

Rogue sighed as she sat back in her chair while the waiter departed with their order.

"Long day?" Gambit asked.

"Not really, just a bit of a headache."

"I'm sorry t' hear dat."

"Ah'm sorry ta feel it. Ah blame Gus."

"Yo' do?"

"Yeah. He turned muh powers off a couple of times like, right after one another and both times muh voices came back fast when it wore off. Like snappin' a rubber band or something."

"Mmm, I noticed him touching yo' when I came in."

Rogue shook her head in annoyance.

"Ah really wish we'd just thrown him out on the curb. Ah don't appreciate being taunted."

"Taunted?"

"Well, yeah..."

"Chére, uhh," Gambit tried to hide his smile and failed. "I don't t'ink he was taunting yo'."

Rogue looked confused.

"What else would he be doing?"

"Lemme put it this way, ma chére: He's been checking yo' out."

"He has?"

"Oui."

Rogue cocked an eyebrow as she processed this.

"Ya sure? Because Ah'm not entirely convinced he wasn't just being a jerk."

"Not all men - and t' him I apply the term loosely - are as suave and debonair as moi."

Rogue giggled.

"Okay then," she said. "That clears that up, Ah suppose. He's still a jerk."

"I t'ink I shall have t' defend your honour and kick his ass in the danger room."

"Much more satisfyin' than flickin' peas."

"Well, Bobby did insult himself t' begin wit'. Seemed a little like rubbing it in were I t' beat the snot out o' him."

Rogue snickered.

"Anyway, enough of Gus," she said, waving a hand. "Let's talk about something intelligent."

Gambit chuckled and Rogue grinned at him.

"All right chérie," he said. "Not going t' be needing t' teach any classes over the summer, what say yo' and I go holidaying somewhere?"

"That sounds nice. Anywhere in particular?"

"Non. I'm happy t' go wherever yo' want t' go."

"Really? Anywhere?"

"I distrust dat evil look in your eye."

"Camping."

"As long as camping involves a five-star hotel."

"Oh, y'know, Ah've heard that some zoos have these deals where ya get ta stay there overnight and get late night and early morning tours."

"Do they have five-star accommodation?"

"Alternatively, we can always visit an Amish settlement."

"Are yo' trying t' kill me?"

"You're the one who said 'anywhere'."

"How about somewhere crowded? Like Disneyland."

"Back-packing."

"Genosha."

"Antarctica."

The waiter arrived with their food then and conversation ceased briefly while the plates were distributed and they thanks him.

"Las Vegas," Gambit suggested with a cheeky grin. "We can elope in an Elvis themed wedding chapel."

"You'd do anything for free gambling tokens, wouldn't ya?"

"Mebbe I just want t' get in your pants."

"Ah don't think they'd fit ya, swamp rat."

"If I'm a rat, den dat would mean I could get int' anyt'ing no?"

"It would also mean ya spread disease."

"Breed like rabbits though, eh river rat?" Gambit replied with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"They also eat their own young."

"Oui but... okay I have no comeback fo' dat one."

Rogue giggled.

"Ah don't know where Ah want ta go," she said seriously. "Ah pretty much want ta go everywhere. Maybe Europe? Or were ya thinkin' something closer to home?"

"Europe's fine," Gambit shrugged. "Monte Carlo?"

"Ya just wanna gamble."

"I always want t' gamble. How about Paris and Monte Carlo?"

"Ah see Ah'm going ta need ta brush up on muh French."

Gambit chuckled.

"Dammit," said Bobby. "Why are Remy and Rogue out tonight? I want to kick Remy's ass at poker."

Jubilee shook her head.

"No way," she said. "There is no way you can beat Remy. You're deluding yourself."

"I am not."

"What's this?" asked Augustus.

"Remy's like, a total poker champion," Kitty said. "He introduced us to the game when he moved here, and he totally kicks our asses every time."

"According to Rogue he hits the high rollers tables at the casinos and always comes back with a profit," Jubilee added. "We've only played friendly here. Which is good, because otherwise we'd all be heavily in debt to him by now."

"Except Rogue," Bobby nodded.

"Why? Because she's good too? Or because they're dating?"

"Dating. I'm sure he can find plenty of non-monetary means for her to pay back her debt."

"You have issues Bobby," Kitty said.

"I don't get it. Why is he dating her when he can't touch her?" Augustus asked.

"Because they're in love," Jubilee sighed.

"Disgusting isn't it?" Kitty drawled.

"I think it's romantic."

"I think it's sexually frustrating," Bobby piped up. "I'm convinced Remy must have found a way around her mutation."

Pete shook his head.

"Bobby," he said. "You really have to stop stressing about that."

"But what if he thought of something I could have done? Rogue and I could still be together."

"You're not still pining after her are you?"

"No," Kitty interjected before Bobby could reply. "He's pining after Lorna."

"Am not!"

"Who's Lorna?" Augustus inquired.

"Oh, we met her in Genosha. Her mutant name is Polaris, and she manipulates magnetic fields," Kitty grinned. "Bobby couldn't stop drooling after her."

"That's not true. I'm too cool to drool," Bobby objected.

"I just thought it was cute seeing Pyro and Wanda," Jubilee said. "Firstly, because y'know, who'd have thought Mags would have kids our age? And secondly, did you see the way they were making eyes at each other?"

"I know," Kitty giggled. "Mags would so have John's butt if he knew."

The girls chuckled. The boys looked at each other and made general looks of disgust, disbelief and eye rolling.

"So, Gus, you play poker at all?" Bobby asked.

"A little."

"Wanna have a game now? We need to warm you up for a game against Remy. Don't worry, it'll be friendly, and I'll go easy on you."

Jubilee snorted.

"I don't care how good you think you got in Genosha, Bobby, Remy is still going to take you to the cleaners."

"We'll see."

Much to Bobby's disgust, no poker game with Gambit emerged for some time. Gambit was always going out, either with Rogue, Logan, to hit the casino or other unspecified activities that no one felt the need to extract the details of. During this time, Augustus agreed to stay on at the mansion for a time and, as Gambit predicted, was put onto the various chore rosters.

Gambit was waiting impatiently outside the danger room. He checked the time and frowned, Augustus was twenty minutes late now, and Gambit was done waiting. Thoroughly annoyed, Gambit left to go look for him.

Ten minutes later, Gambit found him in the place he should have thought to check first: the garage with Rogue. The view he was greeted with was almost identical to the one he walked in on over a week ago now. Rogue was seated on the floor by one of the motorcycles and Augustus was sitting by her, his hand on her bare arm. Gambit's eyes narrowed, seeing his fingers gently stroking her skin.

"You're late," Gambit said coldly.

The two looked up.

"Who's late?" asked Rogue.

"He is. Yo' have a danger room session with me, half an hour ago."

"Really? Sorry," Augustus replied. "I got a little... distracted... and lost track of time."

"As distracting as Rogue is, I still manage t' be punctual. Yo' might be new, but as one o' the older people here, and a potential member of the X-men team, yo' have a responsibility t' set an example fo' the students. Dat includes being on time. Danger room. Now."

"Who died and made you boss?"

"No one died, mon ami, but I have been designated your instructor. It would not be a good idea t' piss me off."

"I don't need an instructor."

"Den prove it, Pulsey."

"You'd better go," Rogue said firmly.

Augustus shrugged, stood and sauntered past Gambit with a smug expression on his face. Rogue caught Gambit's eyes.

"Ah told him Ah wasn't interested," she said.

"I'm guessing he's not getting the hint?"

"He had better, because next time Ah won't be so polite about it."

Gambit snickered.

"Dis be a no powers fight," Gambit said as he took off his trench coat and left it on a chair by the wall in the simulation. "O' course, given dat your abilities are about turning t'ings off, it's more or less a redundant statement anyway."

Augustus snorted. He was so busy being contemptuous that he didn't react in time to counter Gambit's initial attack and was quickly on the floor, wondering why his head hurt.

"Hey, I wasn't ready," Augustus objected.

"Yo' opponent ain't gonna wait 'til it's convenient fo' yo', mon ami. Get up."

Augustus started to rise, but Gambit knocked down again.

"Too slow," Gambit scorned him.

"I thought this was -" Augustus broke off after Gambit kicked him again.

"Yo' talk too much when yo' should be fighting. Ain't too many people who can hold down a conversation and kick ass at the same time. I'm one o' dem. Guessing you're not."

Augustus almost growled and in his anger was able to launch himself off the ground and fly towards Gambit. Gambit dodged easily.

"Much better," he said. "Do try t' stay on your feet now."

Augustus narrowed his eyes. The next few minutes was a flurry of activity, Gambit getting more strikes in than Augustus was, and certainly dodging more. Augustus frequently ended up on the ground, with Gambit shaking his head in disgust at his ineptitude.

"What's the matter, Gumbo?" Augustus sneered. "Sore that I can touch your girlfriend and you can't?"

Gambit looked at him steadily, refusing to so much as clench his jaw.

"Is dat the best yo' can come up wit', Pulsey?" he drawled once he believed he could trust his voice not to reveal that it did, in fact, bother him.

Augustus launched towards him again. Gambit thought he saw that flash in his eyes, and the next thing he knew he hadn't quite managed to dodge out of the way. Even stumbled slightly. Weird. Wait...

"Gotcha," Augustus smirked.

Gambit narrowed his eyes and kicked Augustus' feet out from underneath him.

"I believe I said dis was a no powers fight."

"Yeah? Well, I believe your powers include agility and dexterity, which you've been using all fight."

"Passive powers are considered exempt from dat rule, mon ami," Gambit said as he circled Augustus.

"I don't think it's fair," Augustus replied, getting back to his feet.

"Dey are exempt precisely because dey are passive. There are exactly two people in dis place who are capable of turning off powers, and Jimmy has a range limit. He also, currently, has no control. Yo' do. I also have control over all my other mutations and I was choosing not t' use dem."

"And now you can't use any," Augustus said smugly.

He try another attack, but Gambit fended him off easily.

"It's enhanced agility and dexterity, by the way. Your powers can't remove dem completely. And on dat note..."

Gambit lifted a chair and launched it at the lighting fixture in the simulated room. The room went dark.

"Hey, I can't see," Augustus objected. "Whatcha do that -"

He was silenced as he felt a flurry of attacked on his person. He attempted to fend them off, but only ended up backing into the holographic furniture. There were blows to back, stomach and finally a kick across his face. It wasn't hard enough to do any real damage, but there was a cut across his cheek now and Augustus sensed he would end up with a rather nasty black eye later. Augustus fell as close to the ground as he could with the furniture in the way.

"Computer: End Simulation," he heard Gambit said.

The simulation ended, the light came on, and Augustus fell the rest of the way to the floor. Gambit retrieved his trench coat from the floor.

"One week o' extra chores fo' breaking the rules."

"What?" Augustus objected. "You can't do that."

"As your instructor - and believe me, Pulsey, yo' need it - I'm entitled t' give yo' any and all disciplinary action I feel is necessary."

"You cheated first!"

"Deux weeks, the second for insubordination."

"This is crap!" Augustus shouted at him as he stood up.

"Do yo' want me t' make it trois?"

"Hey, I don't need to take this."

"No. Yo' can always leave. Any time yo' want," Gambit replied coolly. "No one's making yo' stay here. But while you're here, yo' will abide by the rules."

"You can't just bully me around because you're jealous."

"Trois weeks, for further insubordination and slander."

He pulled out a playing card and charged it experimentally as Augustus made an exasperated noise.

"Yo' should head down to the med lab and get checked out."

"I don't need your advice."

Starting to feel the pain from the fight, Augustus sent another pulse in Gambit's direction as he walked past, limping slightly. Gambit didn't even blink as the magenta glow vanished from the card.

"Quatre weeks for attacking your instructor after the session is over."

Augustus swore at him as he left the danger room and Gambit smirked to himself. That turned out to be a lot more satisfying than he expected. Was even worth having to waste the first half hour.

"Four weeks?" Storm repeated. "Don't you think that's just a little harsh?"

"Non," Gambit replied, his feet up on the desk as he leaned back on the chair.

"Remy, he's only new."

"He's here by choice, and I gave him ample warning before I added each week."

"Are you sure you're not just a little bit..."

"A little what?"

"Well, jealous. Because he can touch Rogue?"

Gambit gave her an incredulous look.

"Yo' can't be serious? Stormy, dere's no way yo' would have tolerated his behaviour any more dan I did. He was late - which I should have given him an extra week for - he was rude, he broke the rules and he attacked me outside the fight."

"Turning off your powers is hardly -"

"It's the principal o' the t'ing. Yo' don't tolerate misuse of power around here. It would have made no difference if it had been Bobby or Kitty or Rogue..." Gambit paused, then grinned mischievously at Storm. "Well, okay it would have made a difference if it had been Rogue, because in her case I would have taken her back t' our room and given her a good spanking."

"Remy," Storm sighed.

"But den," Gambit went on seriously, "Bobby, Kitty, none o' dem would have behaved like dat. Dey have respect for the battle rules, their instructors and each other. And dey don't run so late dey force people t' have t' look fo' dem either. Now, the students? Different story. Probably wouldn't have given dem quite as many weeks, but den, dey actually have t'ings like homework t' deal wit'. Augustus doesn't, and he's not an immature kid either. Well, theoretically."

Storm was silent.

"If he'd bothered t' apologise instead o' attacking me before he left, I would have taken a week off."

Storm nodded.

"Okay," she said finally.