Chapter 6

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't show," said the striking brunette at the door.

"Apologies, chérie," Gambit said gallantly, kissing her hand. "Got held up at the office."

"Thought you stood me up."

"Never. Ready t' go, Katie-chérie?"

Kate cracked a smile and took his arm.

"I was ready half an hour ago."

"I said I was sorry. Come, I shall give yo' a wonderful, romantic evenin' so fantastic you'll have no choice but t' forget my tardiness."

"I'm going to hold you to that, Remy."

Rogue shot up in bed, gasping for breath as she shook. Her sheets were damp from sweat and she swore to herself.

It wasn't really unusual for her to have nightmares but it was unusual for them to be this bad, at least nowadays. The last time she had a particularly bad nightmare was when she and Gambit had been on their road trip, and that was months ago. Even then, she felt that this one was worse.

Rogue laid back down again, trying to calm herself down.

"It was only a dream," she told herself.

But that was a lie. It wasn't a dream, it was someone's memory. Something that really happened to one of the people in her head.

Rogue closed her eyes and promptly opened them again. She got out of bed and ran for the bathroom where she threw up. Shakily, she slumped to the floor and leaned against the wall, tears streaming down her face. Great, it was going to be one of those nights. She was there for a few more minutes before the urge to throw up came on her again, and she lost the rest of her dinner. She flushed the toilet and rinsed the vile taste out of her mouth. Her eyes were still watery and she leaned on the basin, trying to steady herself.

Rogue was halfway down the hall before she realised she wasn't actually heading to her room, but to Gambit's. She hesitated before knocking on his door, but there was no answer.

"Why am Ah even here?" she muttered to himself.

Because he'd been there for her last time.

Rogue pressed her lips together, then tried the handle. To her surprise it was open, but as she peered inside she saw his bed was empty. Oh, right, he had a date that night. Rogue closed the door again and headed back to her own room, where she tried to get back to sleep. She'd hoped she'd be able to get through the rest of the night without vomiting again.

Logan looked up as Gambit entered the control room of the danger room.

"About time you got back."

Gambit chuckled as he took a seat.

"How they doing?"

"Not too bad. I'm thinking we could probably start upgrading them to level 5."

"Whose idea was it to create a simulation involving giant, mutant hunting robots anyway? I mean really, who would actually go to all the trouble of creating such a thing? The resources involved in such a project would surely be enormous and we all know how the government is about spending money."

Logan shrugged.

"I think the Sentinel program was Scott's invention."

"I never met Scott, but I feel the urge t' beat him up."

Logan chuckled.

"Say, where's Rogue?" Gambit asked, as he looked into the simulation. "Bobby I can see... and the firecracker. Kitty's over there with Pete, but I can't see Rogue."

"Oh she's..." Logan frowned, not seeing her either.

Simultaneously, they looked down at the computer to check where it believed she was and her medical readouts.

"Merde," Gambit hissed, and raced out of the room even as Logan shut the program down.

"What the -" Pete began as his swing failed to hit anything.

"Umm, okay," Kitty said, looking around.

"Oh, hell Rogue!" Jubilee exclaimed.

She got to Rogue's prone body just as the door to the danger room opened and Gambit came running in. Logan wasn't far behind.

"She's bleeding," Gambit said. "Head wound. What the hell happened? You're supposed t' be watching out fo' each other."

Logan reached out and touched Rogue's face with his hand. The absorption began almost immediately, and Rogue regained consciousness and pushed his hand off after only a few seconds. Logan grunted as he fell back and Rogue sat up, rubbing her head.

"Chére? Yo' okay?" Gambit asked, his arm around her back to support her.

"Umm, yeah, Ah think so," Rogue mumbled, then look at Logan. "Thanks, Logan."

"No problem, Stripes," Logan said sounding a little groggy as he stood up and glowered at her teammates. "And as for the rest of you -"

"No, Logan it was muh fault," Rogue cut in. "Muh reaction time's been off this mornin'."

"Rogue," Logan began sternly, then frowned at her, his tone downgrading to a gentler one. "Are you tired?"

"A little."

"Better get her to the medlab, Cajun. Fatigue isn't something my healing factor can take care of."

Gambit scooped her up and carried her out of the danger room as Logan gave the X-men a dressing down for their negligence.

"It's called a danger room for a reason -"

"So?" Gambit asked Hank.

Hank waved his hand at him.

"She really is just tired," he told him. "Bad nightmare apparently, kept her up half the night."

"Oh one o' those."

"Yeah. The Professor's been trying to help her with that, but while she can contain the voices more or less during the day..." Hank shrugged.

"They manage t' escape at night?"

"Yes. Although, as I understand it, it's not as bad as it used to be. After Ellis Island she had nightmares this bad every night for a month."

"Sheesh."

"Well, I don't imagine we'd do too much better if we had memories of the holocaust or being experimented on or whatever else she may have picked up in there over the years."

"Probably not. She staying here, or shall I take her back t' her room?"

"Medically, there isn't really any reason to keep her here. Logan would have taken care of any injuries sustained in the danger room. She really just needs a couple of hours of sleep."

"I'll take her back t' her room then."

Hank nodded and Gambit entered the room where Rogue was dozing off on the bed.

"Hey chére."

"Hey."

"T'ink you'll be more comfortable in your own bed?"

Rogue smiled.

"Probably," she said as Gambit picked her up again. "Ya know, a gal could get used ta this."

"Y'know chére, if yo' were that tired, maybe yo' shouldn't have gone int' the danger room t'day."

Rogue yawned.

"Ah've done it before. Lots of coffee. Didn't really work this mornin' but then Ah'm not usually up until six either," she sighed and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Six? When did you wake up?"

"One."

"And when did you go to bed?"

"Eleven."

"Chére, two hours of sleep?"

"Three. Ah got up at seven."

"Yo' should have stayed in bed. I wonder yo' got up at all."

"Alarm clock."

"There's a snooze button for a reason, chérie."

"Logan gets annoyed if ya miss trainin' sessions."

"I t'ink he would have been more annoyed if yo' got killed."

Rogue sighed sleepily as Gambit deposited her on her bed. He took her shoes off and pulled the covers over her.

"Have a good sleep, chérie."

"Mmm Remy?"

"Oui?"

"Stay with me? Just... just for a little while..."

The faint knock on the door was the only warning Gambit had to put down Rogue's book before the door opened and Jubilee poked her head in.

"Rogue - oh, Remy, you're in here?"

"What was your first clue?"

Jubilee chuckled softly. Rogue's head was on Gambit's lap, one of her arms curled around his leg.

"You appeared to be have been adopted."

"It would seem so."

"So cute."

"Did yo' want somet'ing, petite?"

"I just came to see if Rogue was awake. It's kinda lunch time so..." Jubilee was now grinning like an idiot.

"I t'ink she's going t' be asleep fo' awhile yet."

"Okay..." she giggled. "I think I need to come back with a camera."

Gambit reached into his pocket, pulled out one of his playing cards and charged it.

"Don't make me throw dis at yo'."

Jubilee giggled and shut the door behind her as she left. Gambit sighed, decharging his card and putting it away. He probably should have left ages ago, but he hadn't wanted to disturb her. On the flip side, sitting around while someone slept on you was fairly boring, which was why he'd picked up the book Rogue had left on her bedside table.

It was a romance novel. A trashy, explicit romance novel. And it was lame to boot. He couldn't believe Rogue read these things.

Heck, he couldn't believe he was reading it.

And of course, Jubilee had to show up before Rogue woke up, didn't she? The gossip queen would probably tell everyone exactly what she saw in exaggerated detail the moment she got back to the dining room.

This could only end badly.

Rogue stirred and opened her eyes. Huh, she appeared to be on someone's lap. She closed her eyes again.

Wait...

Rogue opened her eyes again and started to sit up.

"Ahh, chére, you're awake."

"Remy? What... what are you doing here?"

And why had she been using his lap for a pillow?

"Uhh, yo' asked me t' stay."

"Ah did?" Rogue frowned. "Oh, Ah think Ah remember that."

"Do yo' also remember almost getting yourself killed in the danger room?"

Rogue paused.

"Ah absorbed Logan?"

"Oui."

"Okay, that explains the weird dream."

"I'm t'inking yo' dream too much, chére."

"No, the dreams are okay. It's the nightmares Ah have a problem with. Have ya been readin' muh book?" she asked in surprise, seeing it in his hand.

Well, that was embarrassing. Now he knew she read smut.

Gambit shrugged, closing it and putting it back on the side table.

"I was bored."

"Ya didn't have ta stay."

"Didn't want t' disturb yo'. Figured yo' had been disturbed enough fo' one day."

"Well, uhh, it was very good of ya. Ah hope Ah didn't put ya out."

"Aww, chére, what possible cause could I have t' complain about having a femme's head in my lap?" Gambit asked with a slight smirk.

"What? Ya didn't get enough of that last night?" Rogue retorted hotly.

"There are some t'ings yo' can never get enough o'."

"What time did ya get back anyway?"

"After nine this morning. Oh, by the way Jubes popped in earlier about lunch. She said we were 'cute' and threatened t' come back wit' a camera."

"Okay well, now that the whole school knows..."

"Thought you'd appreciate the warning."

"Meh. Well, Ah suppose Ah have ta go back out there sometime."

"Yeah... Say Rogue?"

"Mmm?"

"Wanna see if we can't get the upper hand?"

"What do ya mean?"

"Well, the Firecracker's had at least an hour t' exaggerate and otherwise blow dis whole t'ing outta proportion..."

A smile crossed Rogue's face.

"What did ya have in mind?"