RIGHT LOVE, WRONG TIME
SUMMARY: A new student comes into the Mansion…
THANKS: First thanks to Fostersb and bologna121, two of my most dedicated subscribees--is that a word??? Lol! Thanks for always leaving a review on every chapter!!! Much appreciated! Also to: adv. reader, Alan Ramsey Grey, and my sisters ^_^
NOTES: I'm SOOOOO sorry for the LOOOOOONG absence. See--long story short--I just moved into a new apartment and it has been the biggest bitch in the world to try to get internet access here. 3 weeks without it has seriously made me a complete bitch to AT&T and the management on my building! Grrr! And then, these stupid characters were giving me a hard time in their dialougue. But anyway! I hope this VERY long chapter makes up for my absence. ^_^
DISCLAIMER: All of the X-Men belong to Marvel…but "Right Love, Wrong Time" is all mine!
CHAPTER 9: "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum (I tend to use all of their songs!!!)
Three Months Later…
"Checkmate," Nightcrawler said with a most smug look on his face as he made his next move that threatened his sister's king.
Rogue glared at him. "Ah don't know why we can't just play basketball instead."
He chuckled. "Because you use your powers as an advantage."
"And you don't with chess? Ya know this gave better than me. Ain't a fair game if ya ask me." She stared down at the stupid board beneath her, wanting to crush it into a million pieces. She hated losing.
"Then practice, little sister." He got up from his chair, walked by her to give her a peck on the head, and walked off.
She stared after him, fighting the urge to reach for his own king and throwing it at his head. She could hear him laughing softly at her.
And just as she thought she couldn't, Gambit came into view.
"You look like you wish to kill," he said as he snickered. He took a seat in Nightcrawler's empty chair, saw the game in front of him, and began to reassemble all of the pieces back.
"Tempted," she said as she took her eyes away from the stupid blue figure and turned towards Gambit. "Don't know why brothers gotta be such a pain in the ass."
Gambit held back a laugh. It was rarely the time when Rogue grew frustrated at her brother. He was probably the only person--aside from the professor--that she never rose her voice to. Even when she was bothered by him completely; like she was now.
"Brothers tend to beat the best of us," he said under his breath as he continued placing all the pieces in their proper spots.
Rogue frowned. "You got a brother, Remy?"
Neither really spoke of their family to each other or ever mentioned it. Even though they had been teammates for over two years and knew each other pretty well, they still knew nothing of each other's past, let alone family. And Rogue very much had the want to know everything there was to know about Remy LeBeau. Wanted to know who his parents were--his brothers and sisters. Where he grew up. What had led him to thievery. But as much as she wanted to ask him these questions, she bit her tongue down with force. Because she knew that if she asked and pushed it, he would question her own past. And she would have no right to deny him.
However, asking him a simple question, like wanting to know if he had a brother, didn't make her think it was too much to ask. He already knew about her own brother.
Gambit hesitated a little before answering. His thinking process was the same as hers. He wanted to ask her every single question there was to ask, but afraid that she might want to know his own past as well. And he knew that if she were to know the real him, the real Remy LeBaeau, she would run the other away.
He looked up at her and stared into her green eyes. There was a need inside of there. A wanting and longing that made him want to give him. He took a breath and stared down at the chess board, wanting to occupy himself. "Yes. One."
"Older or younger?" she asked before she could stop herself.
The uneasiness came back. However, he still answered her. "Older. His name is Henri."
Rogue nodded, biting her lip.
He saw this from the corner of his eyes and smirked. A most curious kitten. "What?"
She frowned. "What?"
He rolled his eyes and moved one of his pawns. "Anoder question is wanting to leave dat mouth of yours."
She let her teeth loose her bottom lip. "Have any other siblings?" She took one of her own pawns and made a move.
He shook his head. "Non. Just Henri." He made another move. "How about you? Your parents have any more children?"
Parents. The word stung at her core. She had none. Never had. And the one mother-figure she had for just a little while hadn't done her any good. She looked up at Gambit and saw that there was something in his eyes that truly made her want to tell him her entire past, but she was too scared to. But maybe telling him just a little bit wouldn't be so bad. She looked down and moved one of her knights, a move she knew her brother would have been against. "Folks. Didn't really have any."
Gambit's heart sunk and leapt at the same time as he heard this. They sunk for the image of a little red-haired girl growing up without the love of a parent stung deep within him. The thought of her crying out for that sort of love made his heart ache. However, it made a leap because an image of his younger self also popped into his head. He too did not truly have any parents; aside from his adoptive father who had really damaged him.
She took a breath, she could sense that he wanted her to continue. She looked around her, wanting to make sure that no little ears were tuning in to her conversation with Remy. When she was more than sure that they had complete privacy, she continued on. "Mah momma died when Ah was just a baby. Don't know from what though. All Ah know is that mah daddy turned real ugly afterwards. Became enraged with hate and anger. Took it out on me. But when Ah was 15, Ah ran off, not bein' able ta' stand anymo'. A woman took me in and raised me. The only mother-figure Ah've ever had."
Gambit waited for her to continue, knowing there was much more to be said. However, she wasn't continuing.
She was trying to block it all out. Block out what life she had lead. Forget what Mystique had made her do at such a young age.
"So what happened?" Gambit asked. He didn't want to push her, but he could tell that she wanted to continue on--to let it out.
Rogue took a swallow. "We had a big fight. Ah knew Ah couldn't stay there anymo'. So, Ah packed mah things and left. The professor found me soon after and invited me to the school." She said it in a tone that said 'And that's it.'
But he knew different. He leaned closer to her. "And you haven't spoken to her since?"
A pain shivered throughout her body. "Yes." Almost every time I go on a mission, she wanted to say. And you know her all too well. She goes by the name of Mystique. Rogue looked up and saw that Gambit had his brows raised, wanting to press her further. "The damage is done. Nothin' can go back ta' the way things were."
Gambit sighed. He had a feeling that Rogue wasn't going to let on about this. It was an issue that still stung her pretty bad. He looked down at the game and saw that he still had not made a move. He knew that it was best if he continued to play. "So, where does Nighcrawler come in to all of this? Is he your biological brother or adoptive?"
"Adoptive. Mah momma--adopted one--is his biological mother. He wasn't there when she first adopted me. We crossed paths very few times when Ah was livin' with her. They didn't hold a good relationship. It wasn't until Ah came here to the X-Men that we really grew close like brother and sister. He was here before me and was really the only one that befriended me right away."
"Why is that?" Gambit had always thought that Rogue had been one of the favorites. She was certainly one of the first ones Cyclops wanted on their missions and though they did not have the best relationship, he had high respect for her.
Rogue shook her head. "They didn't really trust me at first. You've seen the way they were to ya when ya first got here. They've improved. Before they were much worse when a new member was added." She hated to lie to him, but knew she had to. She couldn't tell him that the reason why this team did not trust her at first was because her mother--just like herself from the ages of 15 to 20--had been part of the Brotherhood of Mutants.
Gambit gave a slight nod. "Well at least you and the blue spider man have each other now."
Rogue nodded. She knew she was very lucky to have Kurt in her life. Would have loved to have been with him growing up as well. She knew that if they had been biological siblings and had been together from the start, they wouldn't have had to suffer the childhood they had. Nightcrawler would have put a stop to her fathers beatings. And she would have beat the living shit out of anyone who dared picked on him for looking the way he did. He wouldn't have had to hide in a church.
A smile spread across her face as she thought this and Gambit caught it. He was about to ask her what the smile was about, but was suddenly cut off.
"Scott is holding a meeting at the auditorium!" Announced Kitty to the mutants in the room.
They all got to their feet and headed out.
Gambit turned to Rogue. "Wonder what Scotty has in mid to tell us."
Rogue shrugged her shoulders and walked out with him behind her.
****************************
Cyclops was standing in the middle of the stage with all of the students sitting in the audience. He was discussing a very important mission that had just appeared out of nowhere. He had held a small meeting with some of the X-Men to let them know that the mission was about and had soon taken the stage with the rest of the X-Men seated behind him. "I'm taking Rogue, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, and Havok with me. The rest of the X-Men will be covering our classes and everything is to go according to schedule. Anything that Storm tells you to do, you will obey. I do not want any trouble while I'm away," his eyes lingered on a couple of students as he said this. "This is the first time that I will not be in the mansion since the professor left. Therefore, this will be Storm's first time alone managing all of you for this length of time. I wouldn't leave if I didn't think she could handle it--or you all. So, please, for the next couple of days--maybe even weeks, depending on how long this mission takes us--I want you all on your best behavior…. And I'm not just talking to the students." He turned towards the X-Men teachers all sitting behind him.
"He means you, Rookie," Wolverine said as loud as he could to Gambit.
Gambit cracked a grin. "Why you tink he's taking you wit' him, mon ami? You worse than de rest of us."
Wolverine sent him a warning glare.
"Why don't you just sleep together and get it over with? This sexual tension in the air gets too thick sometimes," Rogue teased her two friends.
Havok, who was sitting right behind the three of them, began to laugh. Polaris, who was at his side, could not contain back her laughter as well.
Wolverine sent Polaris a glare as well and growled at Rogue.
Rogue only sent him a smile and turned back to Cyclops, who was continuing on with his speech.
Suddenly, Rogue felt an arm being wrapped around her shoulders. Gambit's warm breath was soon right on her ear. "Don't tell me you be jealous, chere?"
Rogue, with all her inner strength, suppressed a shiver. However, her breath did catch inside her throat. She still managed to roll her eyes. "Of what?"
He simply gave a smile. "You know dis Cajun only got eyes fer you." His raspy voice was going to shatter her in pieces!
Why did he do this to her? Try and push her over the edge? Ugh. It was irritating her. With that in mind, she turned and gave him a death stare as he grabbed his arm and pushed him away. "How many times I gotta tell ya? Hands off, Remy."
He just gave her a smile and turned away, focusing his attention back to Cyclops speech.
Cyclops finished his last words to the students. "So, again. If you have any problems, don't hesitate to go to Emma. Storm will have much on her plate and Emma has agreed to help her as much as she can with you guys. She is second-in-command while I'm away. And also, in two days there are new students coming in. I hope you all welcome them in any way you can. Make them feel like home. Now…" he looked down into his notes to see if he had gotten everything said. "Any questions?"
One student raised her hand.
Cyclops motioned to her. "Yes?"
"What about Rachel?" the student asked.
"Rachel will be kept here. Beast, Polaris, Kitty, and Jubilee are doing me a big favor by keeping watch over her while I'm gone," Cyclops answered. Then he looked around. "Anyone else?"
None of the students raised their hands.
Cyclops nodded. "Alright. We will see you guys soon. Study hard. You're all excused."
The young mutants immediately got up from their seats and left the building.
Cyclops turned to the team behind him. "Alright, the ones that are going with me, I will meet you on the jet in fifteen minutes. So, grab your stuff." He took Storm by the arm and led her away to discuss some last-minute stuff, then motioned Emma to follow him as well.
Rogue began to head out so she could get all of her stuff ready. They only had a while before they were to fly off.
Just as she was in the hall, she felt someone rush to her side. She turned and found Gambit there. "Ya forget somethin', Cajun?"
He placed a hand on her arm, motioning her to stop.
Rogue saw a look of concern on his face and wondered what this was about. She turned to face him, concerned now herself. "What is it?"
He didn't know why he felt so worried, but this was the first time that he was not going to be accompanying Rogue on a big mission. They were always on the same missions together and although he knew he shouldn't be worried for her, because she was completely capable to taking care of herself, he couldn't help but not to.
He looked deep into those gorgeous green eyes. "Make sure that you're careful out there, chere."
She rolled her eyes. He was worried??? "Please, Gambit." There was no reason for him to.
He dismissed her comment and placed his gloved palm against her cheek. "Promise me that you'll be careful out there, my chere."
Her heart began to beat faster than ever before. Those eyes could completely make her melt into oblivion. In her mind, she knew this was ridiculous--his concern. But her heart was saying different. He cared for her. Worried for her just as she worried for him. And she couldn't blame his worry--not really. This was their first mission away from each other. Even though she hated seeing Gambit in a state of danger when they were off saving the world, she felt comforted and at ease when he was only within reach. This time…it was different. He wouldn't be her third eye, as he tended to be for her when battling. And she wouldn't be his shield in case something were to attack him.
However, she felt fine with leaving him here. There was nothing that could harm him here. And even if there was an attack in the school, there was plenty here to help him out.
She gave him a small assuring smile. "Ah will. S'long as ya stay outta trouble," she teased.
That made him grin. "I don't make promises."
She stared right into his eyes after he made this statement. "To me, you will," she said with complete confidence.
Something tugged at his heart once she said those words. He loved the fact that deep down she knew he cared tremendously for her and did not regard her as he did with other women. She was different to him and he appreciated her knowledge of that. And for her, he would make any promise and keep it.
He caressed her cheek. "I promise you, chere."
Rogue felt herself leaning in and placing a hand over his broad chest. How was it that this man looked so rough around the edges, but held the most softest touch?
"Rogue! We have three minutes!" Cyclops barked at her, tearing her away from her serene state of mind.
She blinked and began to step back out of Gambit's reach, suddenly feeling a cold. "See ya later."
He tried to reach for her again, but she was gone before he could.
****************************
Gambit occupied himself in any way he could while Rogue was off. It was the second day of her being gone, but he felt it had been weeks. And even though it seemed to him that he only did it a couple of times--where in fact he did it every half an hour--every day, he sent her text messages.
She was unable to answer him quickly and sometimes was unable to do it at all. With Cyclops on her ass constantly about not being focused enough and being too distracted, she had to keep her cell phone on silent and would only be able to text Gambit back very seldom.
--I swear, if this laser beam don't quit breathin down my shoulder every five seconds, I'm gonna have to give him a good bloody nose.-- She had just text him. He had sent her a message about three hours ago and she was now writing back.
He let out a low chuckle as he read her message. He was outside on the basketball courts watching Bobby and Beast playing a game. His fingers quickly answered her back.
--Please don't. I wanna be right there when it happens. And if you can't sustain yourself, have Wolverine take a picture for me. Or better, have him record it.--
It took a little while for her to answer back. He suspected it was because Cyclops was around.
--How are things going?--She finally wrote back.
He let out a sigh. --Good,--he wrote. --We're just missing a little spitfire very much.--
Again, she wrote back minutes later. --That little spitfire I'm sure wants to be back home soon as well.--
It made him smile, knowing that she missed home just as much as he missed her being there. --How long do you think you'll be there?--It was a question he had asked yesterday, which she had responded back with a simple 'I don't know. Soon, I hope.'
Minutes later, she answered. --I don't know. It's not looking too good. We haven't found Magneto's source and Wolverine thinks it might be a trap.--
He frowned. She hadn't said this yesterday. --Why?--
--Too long a story. Tell ya when I can.--
Another sigh erupted from him. --Please be careful, chere.--It was like torture not being there right next to her.
It took her a good forty minutes for her to answer back. --I will. Don't worry about me, sugar.--
--I can't. Don't feel right without you here.--He didn't even think twice about sending it. It was the truth. But he wasn't sure how she would respond to that. She tended to avoid their feelings towards each other.
This time, her text came back within a minute. --I know what you mean. Feels a bit cold not being there…with you.--
It caught him by surprise. She never willingly admitted her feelings for him and he couldn't help but wonder why she was doing it now. He had two guesses. Either people were right with saying that "distance makes the heart grow fonder" or she felt more comfortable writing this down because she was unable to look at him in the eye.
Whatever the reason might be, he didn't care. Didn't care why it was that she was opening up just a little. He didn't want it to stop. --Can't wait til you get home, chere.--
It was almost an hour before she replied back. --Y is that? ; ) --
He really could see her giving him a flirtatious smile. --So, I can do something I really wanna do.--
This time, it was quicker. --And what's that?--
He loved their flirtation. Even through text messaging, it was unavoidable. And maybe it was the fact that they weren't able to face each other that was driving him to say more to her. Because if she were here, she would put a stop to his words sooner than he would have liked.
And with an evil grin on his face, he wrote down the first thing that popped into his mind whenever her face passed his mind. --Place my arm around those round hips of yours. Pull you up close. Bring up my fingers to that beautiful face and lightly touch every inch I can reach as my lips breathe down that luscious throat of yours. Je tiens à vous faire goûter.-- (I want to taste you).
He sent it quickly, leaning in and waiting for her answer.
It took her a while to answer back. She didn't know what the last time meant, but picked up on 'I', 'you', and 'want'. She couldn't figure out what the other words meant, but just with the information she already had, she could only imagine what they said. She could ask Kurt, but she was too embarrassed to. He would see who the text was from immediately.
She stared at the message for a while, reading it over and over and imagining it actually happening in her head. She knew that if he could placed those lips on hers, she would be a lost cause.
She forced herself out of her reverie and swallowed hard, forcing herself to answer back. --Ya sure know how to make a girl blush, Remy.-- It was ten minutes later.
He could literally see her cheeks growing red, even if she wasn't right in front of him. ----And how you like it.--
She felt her face grow hotter. It baffled her how much she enjoyed his teasing, though. If it would have been any other man, she was sure to have punched the daylights out of him from day one. But there was some sort of enchantment that Remy LeBeau held over her that made her want to do the complete opposite. She wished for him to continue--worse, she wanted him to take further action and put his money where his mouth was.
She didn't write back immediately. A big part of her wanted to continue on with this, but she knew she should put a stop to it and soon. --Gotta go. Scott's sending us out on the field.--
Gambit didn't know if this was a lie or not, but he was not about to question her. He let out a sigh. Even know in the last few hours they had shared very few words, it still kept him sane. he didn't want to let her go, knowing fully well that he wasn't going to communicate with her at all until either late tonight or early tomorrow morning. --Alright. Careful.--
The next message came within seconds. --I will.--
The conversation should have ended with that. However, he wasn't able to let her go. Not yet. He wanted to postpone it as much as he could. His fingers were already typing. --Come home soon.--
Again, it didn't take her longer than a minute to answer back. She must be unwilling to let him go as well, he thought. --I promise.--
He stared at it and fought the urge to keep his fingers from moving against that taunting keyboard on his stupid sidekick. He let out a groan after what he thought was minutes of fighting, when really it had only been ten seconds of him resisting. There was something he really wanted to tell her and he knew he couldn't hold back anymore. --I miss you.-- He sent it before he could have any second thoughts.
Minutes passed. his heart was both thumping fast but staying frozen at the same time.
She replied back. --I miss you more, Remy.--
She turned off her phone right after. She didn't want him trying to contact her any longer and if he did write her back, she didn't want to see what it read. It might make her say something else she might later regret.
However, Gambit didn't answer back. He knew that whatever he was to write to her, she wouldn't respond. She had just let herself get too loose and she wasn't going to let herself be out of control again any time soon. He just kept on staring at the screen, the brightest smile written across his face.
"Gambit!" Iceman threw Gambit the basketball, sending him almost backwards.
He finally came to his senses and sent Bobby a glare. "What?!"
"New students just got here. You're in charge of a group of them, remember?" Iceman retreated the ball and he and Beast went back to playing their game.
Gambit let out a grunt. He hated watching over kids. They annoyed the hell out of him. Why was it that Storm had to give him such a stupid assignment.
He got to his feet and headed over to the professor's old office, which was now Scott's. When he got there, it was Emma, not Storm, who greeted him.
"Gambit," the blonde greeted.
He gave her a slight nod. "Where de rugrats be?"
Emma motioned her head in the other room. "Waiting for you. You have three to watch over. Here are their files," she said as she handed him three big stack of folders. "Polaris, Psylocke, and Angel have six each, so I don't want to hear any whining."
He stared down at the stupid paper. She knew him too well.
She walked over to the opposite door and opened it.
Right on the other side were three new students. Two girls and a boy. The boy looked to and one of the girls appeared to be in their early teens while the other female appeared to be in her early twenties. He frowned at this. They usually didn't recruit anyone bellow the age of 18. He turned to Emma, the frown still on his face.
Emma could tell what he was thinking. "This is David Alleyne and Sooraya Qadir. They are both promising students and eager to learn. And this is Marie Foxx. She's already graduated from high school and going to college, but she wishes to learn more. We agreed to have her take a few classes, see how everything works out."
They all gave him a smile. Gambit reached over and shook hands with every one of them. "Name is Gambit. You go by any nicknames?"
The boy shook his head. "Just David."
Gambit turned to the young girl. She was shy and extremely quiet. She was Muslim and held one of the prettiest brown eyes Gambit had ever seen. Although most of her face was hidden, Gambit could not help but grow found of this girl. He gave her a gentle smile. "How about you, petite?"
The girl took a small breath before she answered nervously, "Soor."
Gambit smiled at the sound of her small voice. "That's a pretty name."
Behind her veil, she smiled.
Gambit then turned to the young lady and shook hands with her.
She gave him a dashing smile. "Foxx is fine." She batted her eyes at him and swung her long wavy hair over her shoulders.
He gave a slight nod. She sure was pretty, he wasn't going to lie. She had a great figure and bright green eyes. Something about her reminded him of someone, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.
He tried to shake the feeling off. "Lets start with a tour." He motioned for the three students to head out of the room first.
The two youngest went first, with Foxx following, giving Gambit a flirtation wink.
He didn't think much of it and was about to follow them out. However, Emma's hand to his shoulder held him back. He turned and frowned at her.
Emma wasn't looking at him, however. Her glance was following Foxx. Still, she spoke to him. "All isn't as it appears." She slowly turned to meet him in the eyes. "Careful around her, Remy." Then, she released his shoulder and turned away from him.
The frown on his face only deepened. He wanted to ask her what she was talking about, but he noticed the three students were starting to look impatient. He decided to ask her about it later.
**************
Gambit never got to ask Emma what it was that she meant…because he quickly found out.
Foxx was an extremely friendly girl. Whenever she spoke to him, she liked to place her hands on his shoulder and rub them up and down. She tended to giggle and lean in to him after he would say something. Liked to toss back her long, wavy, red hair just so he could smell her strawberry scent. She loved to hold his eyes with her green ones as long as she could, flirting and taunting him.
And everywhere he went, there she was just around the corner. She was the first and last person he would see every day.
At first it was flattering, and boosted his ego a bit. But that was only the first two days. Suddenly, it also made him extremely uncomfortable. Her closeness made him more than uneasy and he wished nothing more than to push her away. However, his stupid gentlemanly ways got in the way.
There had already been two occasions where she had attempted to kiss him on the lips, but he was quick to avoid them.
He wanted to go to Emma and ask if she could be given to Polaris, but he didn't want to bother her or Storm. They had more than they could handle right now with Scott and some of the other most important X-Men gone. So, he tried to swallowed it.
Foxx was now sitting next to him on the couch. They were there with some other students and a few of the X-Men, watching a movie. He kept moving away, but it seemed as if every inch he moved away from her, she got two inches closer.
He let out a sigh of annoyance and saw Kitty raising a suspicious brow at him. He rolled his eyes at her and shook his head, hopeful that she got the hint that he wasn't leading Foxx on.
"It was pretty funny. Beast just got--" Foxx's very annoying voice would not stop. Her fingers were starting to linger up and down his arm.
He kept pretended to hear what she was saying, but what was really going through his mind at the moment was another redhead. He looked down at his phone. He had text her five hours ago and she still hadn't responded. Last that he knew was that the team was thinking of moving in on Magneto. If they had moved in on him, the battle would have been over by now. She should have called by now.
Suddenly, Foxx stopped her talking. She saw how distracted he was, more than usual. She brought her hand up to his face and her fingers lingered there. "What is it, Remy?"
He didn't hear her question, he was debating the urge to call Rogue at the moment.
It certainly annoyed her when people didn't pay her much attention. "Gambit!"
His head shot up. "What?"
She shook her head. "You're distracted."
"Oh, sorry." He turned back to his phone.
Foxx couldn't take it anymore, she took a hold of his hand and led him out of the room.
He frowned, but allowed her to move him to the outside, mainly because he didn't have the energy to resist her.
When they were finally out of sight from everyone around, she turned to Gambit. "What is it with you, Gambit? Here I am trying to get your attention, but your head is elsewhere."
"Sorry," he mumbled again. His phone was still in his hand and he thought he felt it vibrate. Immediately he brought it up and checked it to see if Rogue had texted him, however he was wrong. There was nothing there.
Foxx had had enough. She took a hold of his stupid phone.
He made a dash for it. "Foxx! Give it back! I'm waiting for a call!"
"From who?" She demanded, walking away from him.
He let out a grunt and walked after her. "It not be yo business." He tried to reach for his phone again. "Now give."
Foxx still held it away. "Not until you tell me who you always seem to be waiting to call you. I see you holding this thing like glass. You never let it out of your sight. And whoever it is every time they finally get a hold of you, your little fingers don't seem to be keep away from that keyboard."
All the while she is talking, he tried to take a hold of his phone but she made a quick dive from him.
She frowned at him. "Who is it?!"
Gambit let out a grunt. "If I tell ya, you promise to give it back?"
"Yes." She gave him a sultry smile. "Now…who is it?"
He let out a sigh. "Rogue."
She stood frozen, not saying a word for a good while. When she finally came to her senses she held a slight frown. "Isn't that another member of the X-Men? She's on a mission right now?"
Gambit nodded. "Yes. Now will you give it back?"
She stepped back from him. "Why are you waiting for her to call you so much?"
Gambit bit down a yell he really wanted to give her. "Why it matter for?"
"It just does. You never let on that you had a girlfriend. I want to know, since I practically have thrown myself at you ever since I got here because I thought you were single." Her eyes threw accusation to him.
He shook his head. "Rogue is not my girlfriend, but I'm not exactly single either." And he wasn't. His heart, his soul, his brain, his thoughts, his feelings--everything he once owned did not belong to him anymore. Rogue possessed them all now. He was hers, whether he said the words out loud or not. Whether they never had a date or even shared a kiss. It didn't matter. It didn't stop the fact.
"What does that mean?" Foxx asked, very curious.
"It be complicated." He didn't even know how to explain it out loud. All he knew was how his heart felt and that was all that mattered.
"Try me," she demanded. And at that very moment, his phone went off.
Gambit knew immediately it was Rogue. It was her ringtone for a text message. He made a quick dash for it.
However, Foxx was quicker and moved away just in time.
Gambit had now lost all his patience. "Give it! That's enough!"
Foxx checked the caller ID and almost stopped in her tracks. There on the front screen was a picture of a red-head woman with the brightest green eyes. And the most blinding smile. "She's beautiful," she breathed out.
Gambit took advantage of this and snapped it away from her. "She is." He opened up the message.
--Where are you?--
He frowned and wrote back. --In the back by the tennis courts. Why?-- Although it was an odd question, he was still more than happy to read it. He could read anything from her at this moment. Anything that would keep him from going bonkers.
Foxx observed this. "You love her," she stated. It was not a question at all. She could see it as Gambit looked into that message.
Gambit looked up. "What?"
But now, it was more like she was talking to herself. "I knew she was but never that you were."
Gambit was about to ask her what she was talking about, but he was quickly interjected when another message from hers came in.
--Sorry. I meant to text Kurt. I lost him and can't find him.--
He quickly wrote back. --Are you able to talk?-- He really wanted to hear her voice. He hadn't heard it in nearly a week.
She responded immediately. --Soon. Give me thirty minutes--max.--
It was like a nice fresh air to his lungs. He would be able to speak to her! He quickly wrote back. --Hurry! I need to hear that voice, chere.--
And as he was gone to another world, Foxx kept talking to herself. Gambit only heard the last of it and still it didn't make any sense to him whatsoever. "What?"
Foxx turned to him and had a surprising look upon her face as if she had forgotten that he had been there all this time. But she quickly composed herself and looked at him straight in the eye. "Gambit…do you find me attractive?"
It was an odd question. Out of the blue really.
She saw his confusion, but still pushed him to answer.
"Um…" He looked at her up and down, observing her. It was no lie. She was very good looking. Great body, gorgeous face, killer legs. "Yeah."
She glared. "Yeah? That's it?"
He didn't know what else to say.
Then, she asked another question. "How about Rogue?"
A million thoughts came into his mind as her name was brought. And before he could remember to answer Foxx, something happened that made him stop all thinking process.
Suddenly, it wasn't Foxx that was standing right in front of him. But Rogue.
Gambit frowned at the sight. It couldn't be.
The Rogue in front of him gave him a smile. "What is it, sugah?"
The accent sounded the same and her looks were identical, but still…something was off. Gambit stared down into this Rogue's eyes and quickly knew who it was once she smiled at him. A growl almost erupted from his throat. "Mystique."
The fake Rogue gave a small giggle. "Guilty." She quickly changed into her regular blue-self.
And as he looked at her, he now knew where Nightcrawler got his skin and eye color from. How was it that they looked so much alike…but were such opposites?
"What are ya doing here, Mystique? What do ya want?" Gambit quickly reached into his coat and charged one of his cards.
"Just thought I'd check in on the kind of…man that has my daughter swooned." Mystique looked at Gambit up and down.
Gambit frowned. "Daughter?" And then he remembered. "Rogue?"
Mystique frowned. "She actually told you?"
"Why you sound surprised?" Gambit questioned.
"My daughter has some sort of a trusting issue."
"Any idea why?" Even though Gambit didn't know the entire story, he could take a guess that one of the reasons why Rogue didn't let people in so easily was because of her parents. She had been hurt many times, he could tell. And it was because of those people that kept her from moving forward.
Mystique knew she was to blame. She knew the damage she had done Rogue and regretted some of her actions. But it was all because she loved Rogue very much. No one could judge her parenting skills. They did not understand what it was like to be a mother under those kind of circumstances.
However, she wasn't about to defend herself to some worthless Cajun who was ruining her daughter's life. Rogue deserved better. More than this petty thief had to offer.
So, she looked at Gambit straight in the eye. "I came here to make you a deal."
He frowned. "Why would Gambit want to do dat?"
"Because we both want something that evolves Rogue. Both want the best for her, I assume."
Gambit said nothing. He just kept staring at her.
So, Mystique continued on. "I can give you something that you really want under a condition."
Still, he said nothing.
She walked very close to him. "I will give you what you want, if you promise to leave my daughter alone. If you stop chasing her and leading her on to this ludicrous relationship that will never be between you two."
"Why would I do that?" he asked. This woman was crazy if she honestly thought that she could give him something that was more valuable to him than Rogue. It was idiotic!
Mystique gave him a smile and finally got close enough for her to wrap her arms around him. Quickly, she changed forms. She was Rogue again. "I can give you Rogue. A night with her that you will never forget."
And before Gambit had a chance to react, Mystique leaned in, still in Rogue's form, and kissed him on the lips.
It took Gambit about a second or two to wrap his mind around all of this. He took hold of Mystique's shoulders and pushed her back.
He was about to say something to her but those green eyes made him stop right in his tracks. She looked so much like her. Felt so much like her in his arms….
The hips, the legs, the arms, the breasts, the length, the hair, the eyes! It was Rogue. Right here in front of him for the taking. There was nothing in the features that weren't real. Every scare Rogue had on her face was in this face in front of his. The small mole just over her right eye was there. The freckles against her neck… Every inch was right…!
Mystique-Rogue smiled up at Gambit and leaned up for another kiss….
He did not pull away.
******************
Rogue hit sent on her message that read: --Soon. Give me thirty minutes--max.--
She turned to Cyclops who was driving the jet. "Ya think ya can hurry it up a lil' more?" She looked down at her phone, wanting to know if he had already answered her.
She was completely grateful that the mission had been over with soon. Wolverine had been right. Magneto had lead them to a place where there was no sign of danger, but had made it out to be so. They had no clue as to why Magneto had gone through the trouble, but they intended to find out. Which was why they were headed home quickly. Cyclops had gotten a hold of Storm and Emma and both women were now working quickly in the mansion. Cyclops had good reasons to believe that Magneto might be planning something on the mansion since he had led so many X-Men away from home.
Rogue hoped not. If Cyclops was right, then that meant everyone in the mansion was in danger. Including Gambit.
Her heart rate picked up. "Faster, Cyclops."
Cyclops let out a grunt. "I am going as fast as I can. Don't forget that I have a daughter to get to as well. I want to be home as soon as you do."
She was about to say something else, but then her phone vibrated. She immediately read it. --Hurry! I need to hear that voice, chere.-- He didn't know how he had the power to make her smile just by saying something so small, but significant.
She wanted very much to write back, but she didn't want to chance it. She wanted to give him a surprise. Wanted to get to the mansion as soon as possible and see that breath taking face of his.
So, she stayed as still as she could, checking the stupid time every five seconds and cursing the stupid jet for not being faster. She knew she was annoying the hell out of her teammates, but they didn't say a thing. Well…almost all of them. Wolverine gave her a few snarky remarks. She ignored them, however.
Then, twenty minutes after Gambit had last text her, they finally arrived. She was the first out of the door, soaring through the air.
She was headed straight to the back. She had just gotten to the family room, which was full of mutant students as well as a few X-Men members, when someone stopped her in her tracks.
"Rogue!" Emma caught Rogue by the arm.
Rogue frowned. "What's wrong?"
Emma gave Rogue a cautious and serious look. "There's something you have to know. I think I know why Magneto went through all the trouble of sending you all over there--most especially you, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine. Since you and Nightcrawler know her very well and Wolverine would have smelled her in a second, there needed to be a mission where the three of you were definitely gone from here."
Most of the students were too into what they were doing for them to care what Emma and Rogue were talking about, so Emma decided it was alright to talk to Rogue right here.
Rogue frowned. "Why is that?"
Emma took a deep breath. "First I need to apologize. I should have picked up on it sooner. I kind of had, but there were other things that were going through my head, that I allowed it to slip from my mind because I didn't think it was so big as it turned out to be. But then when I got the call from Cyclops, around the same time I picked up on it again. So, I focused on it and then it didn't take too long for me to figure it all out. But it shouldn't have taken me this long. I'm sorry. I--" Rogue was starting to get a little impatient. She could tell this was something serious and Emma really needed to get to the point. Quickly! "Emma! Just tell me!"
Emma gave Rogue a most sympathetic look. "It's Foxx. She's the entire reason."
Rogue frowned. Who was Foxx? She was about to ask when suddenly, Jubilee and Kitty were right on her side.
The two young girls hadn't heard much of their conversation, but they did catch on Foxx's name. They wouldn't butt in at the moment but they girls had seen how that little vixen had been with Gambit and they believed Rogue deserved to know.
"You mean the slut of the mansion?" asked Kitty with a most disgusting look on her face.
"The one that's been all over Gambit?" Jubilee added.
Rogue turned to both girls. Now she really wanted to know who this Foxx was. "What are you girls talkin' about?"
Emma was motioning the girls not to say a thing. She knew this wasn't going to help Rogue any.
However, the girls did not see Emma and told Rogue everything about how Foxx had been since the moment she first stepped into the Institute. Told their friend how this vixen had been trying to seduce Gambit all this time she had been gone. And how Gambit had not gotten rid of her.
Rogue was fuming by now. She had completely forgotten everything Emma had said to her and was now focused on beating the shit out of this Foxx…and Gambit! "Where is he now?" Rogue asked through clenched teeth.
"In the backyard," Kitty said. "Foxx dragged him out there not more than thirty minutes ago."
"Rogue, I think you should know something--" Emma began to say, however, Rogue was long gone.
Rogue was to the backyard and had gotten a glimpse of Gambit within five seconds. And instead of her heart soaring by seeing his face, it only grew enraged. Because she was not ten feet away from him, walking away as he stood still in his spot staring off into nothingness.
He was running his fingers through his hair and looked stressed as hell. The slut was swaying her hips back and forth, thinking she was tempting him still even though she didn't know that he was looking away from her.
Rogue walked closer, more than ready for a fight. With who, she still did not know.
Then, she met the bitch's eyes. The vixen stayed frozen, looking at Rogue. Almost looked afraid.
That's right bitch, Rogue thought to herself, be very afraid. "Hope Ah ain't interruptin' anythin' between the two of ya." Venom slipped out of her words.
More fear came out of the girl's eyes. And it was then that Rogue thought she saw something familiar.
Gambit's head snapped up once he heard her voice. He knew that it wasn't Mystique this time. He didn't believe anyone could match Rogue's real tone when she was angry. "Chere?"
Rogue's eyes drew away from the girl and turned to Gambit. Her tore a little at the nickname. How dare he use it on her right now? She sent him a glare.
Gambit caught her eyes and forgot about her tone. He forgot everything that had just happened in the last 30 minutes. Only one fact stayed in mind. She was here! Really here! He ran to her. "Chere!"
Rogue took two big steps away from him and held up her hand. "Don't, Gambit."
His heart sank a little. Wasn't she happy as he was to see her? "What's wrong, chere?" He had been sure that she had missed him just as much as he had her.
Rogue bit back her fumes as much as she could, but still there wasn't enough will power in her for her not to yell at him. "Ah don't know, Gambit. Why don't ya tell me?!"
He knew the reason why she should be angry, but wasn't sure how much she knew. He wanted to tell her about Mystique. But he didn't want to add to their estranged relationship. Rogue needed a mother still and although Mystique was a bad one, today he had seen that she very much loved and cared for Rogue…in a strange and bizarre way. And to him, anyone who loved Rogue with any kind of devotion, he could never hate. "What is it, Rogue?"
Rogue sent him dangers through her eyes. "Ah heard how this…woman and you have been spendin' the time together. Care to explain?" She sent the girl Foxx a most threatening look. "Or ya wanna elaborate on it?"
Foxx turned to Gambit. "I think you should tell her." She gave him a secret look that Rogue could not interpret. It was then that she knew something had happened. What it was, Rogue did not know. Although, she had her suspicions.
Gambit shook his head, knowing perfectly well what was going through Rogue's head right now. "It's not what you think, chere. Nothing happened between me and Foxx. She brought me up here because she's going through some…family problems. She's new here and does not know who else to go to."
It was partially true, which was why he looked so convincing to Rogue. She didn't know if she should believe him, so she turned to the girl to see if there was a trace of evidence that stated differently. However, she found none.
She turned back to Gambit, who was stepping closer to her.
His eyes pleaded with her. He didn't want her angry with him. All he wanted was for her to be happy and at ease. "Please, chere. Don't be angry." He reached out his gloved hand towards her head.
And the moment she leaned in and had given up, a voice broke her out of her state.
"Thought I smelled a rat," Wolverine let out a growl. His claws came out and he got closer to the girl Foxx.
Foxx sent Wolverine a harsh glare. And she got into a defensive position.
Rogue frowned. "Wolverine--" She didn't think the claws were a necessity. She didn't like the bitch, but not to this extent.
Then, she saw it. Foxx was suddenly not Foxx anymore. She quickly had turned blue with a long, white dress wrapped around her body.
Rogue's eyes grew in shock and she let out a gasp. Then, her lips slipped out, "Momma?"
The harshness in Mystique's eyes had immediately vanished once she turned to Rogue. "Hi, baby."
Rogue frowned. "What are ya doin' here? How did you--? What--?"
Mystique smiled at her. "Just thought I'd stop by and say hi."
Before Rogue could let out another question, Kurt was suddenly at her side. "Is that why you sent us both away, Mother?" Emma had just filled him in on how she had just picked up on Mystique.
Mystique turned to her son. "Hi, sweetheart."
Kurt shook his head. "Mother, what are you doing? Why can't you just let Rogue be?"
"I can't," she answered honestly. "I can't stand back when she's making a mistake."
"It is her life. She will do what she chooses is best. You have no right--"
And mother and son were off, arguing about what was best for Rogue. It was like a bad family reunion. Much like any other time that Rogue and Nightcrawler met with their mother.
"He is not worth anything! She deserves more!" Mystique had forgotten where she was. All she saw was her son and his disapproval of her disapproval on who Rogue was choosing to give her whole heart to. Mystique was not an idiot. She kept a very watchful eye on her children. She had come to see over the last few years how Gambit had been slowly making his way into her daughter's heart and was now very much on the verge of being her daughter's everything. It was something Mystique hated. She knew how men were and knew they were not to be trusted, especially with a woman's heart. She had thought she had taught this to Rogue! She should know better.
"You have no right--" Nightcrawler defended his sister.
Rogue had had enough. "Stop it! The both of you!" She absolutely hated when the two of them would go off like this. Her brother never argued, but somehow their mother brought it out of him like something natural. She sent her mother a glare. "Leave."
Mystique hated that look. "Honey, you must know that I only did it because I wanted to prove that he was like every other man. That he could not be trusted. That he--"
"So you tried to seduce him?! You, my mother?!" Rogue was more than furious. She had a great desire to throw a punch at her mother.
"I needed to prove that he--"
"And did he fail?!" Rogue demanded. She really wanted to know. Wanted to know if something had in fact happened between her and Gambit. She turned to Gambit then.
A most sudden fear washed throughout his face.
With that look, Rogue didn't need to hear it. That look said it all. Something had happened! Damn him!
"We did kiss…twice." A most smug smile appeared on Mystique's face as she looked at Gambit. "I have to say that he lasted 100 times longer than any other man I have tried to seduce. For a few seconds there, I thought I would lose…but sure enough, he fell like any other man. Showed truth that he was a pig…just like a man."
The words stung Rogue like nothing else. Her heart breaking into a million pieces. She turned to her mother. "And it didn't matter that ya hurt your daughter during the process right?"
Tears of hurt stung Mystique's eyes as she saw the pain Rogue was feeling. "No, honey. It wasn't me that betrayed and lied to you. He did. Not me. He gave in to temptation."
"But it was you that gave him the temptation! And you did it on purpose!!!" Tears were on the brink of falling from her eyes. Her voice was cracking with every other word. "Willingly! You also betrayed me! You're supposed to be my mother! Supposed to be the one that shelters me from everything!"
"That's what I'm trying to do! Want to break this you have with him before you get in too deep!" Mystique needed her daughter to see the truth in her words. To believe that she did love her, like any mother did her child.
It was impossible to argue with her, Rogue know. She shook her head, not feeling the energy to fight with her any longer. "Leave, Mystique. Get out of my life." She turned to leave.
Gambit could not sustain her pain. Every time a yell came out of her or a tear appeared on her eyes, a small part of him died. He stepped in front of her, wanting to explain himself. Tell her the reason why he hadn't told her the entire truth. "Chere--"
Rogue looked up at him with disappointment written all over her eyes. "Ah'm not much surprised with her actions, Gambit. But you! Ah thought Ah knew you." With that, she walked off.
He followed her and in the background, he heard Wolverine and Mystique battle for a little bit, then heard her disappear by probably using some sort of magic, as she always did. Gambit didn't give a care at the moment. He needed to set things right with Rogue.
"Chere! Let me explain!" he begged her. They were now out of earshot from everyone else.
She turned sharply to him, tears still in her eyes from fury. "How are ya gonna explain?! Nothin' ya say can make all this disappear, Remy! Ya kissed mah mother!"
Gambit's head hung down. "I know, chere, but not when she was disguised as Foxx. She could never get close to make me want her while she looked that way, even if she had some of your features. Because dere is only one you, petite."
Rogue wanted nothing more than to fly off. Get as much distance between them. She never thought she would feel so betrayed. And it was crazy because they were nothing. They weren't together. Weren't in a relationship. However, she had thought that even though these were all facts, he would stay loyal to her. If he truly loved her, he would wait until she would be ready! Right?! Or had she gone crazy?! Had she grown possessive over something that was not hers?
If she would have asked that out loud, Gambit would have told her that she had every right to be possessive, because he was already hers. He didn't know since when, but somewhere in these two years, he no longer belonged to himself. He was utterly hers. Only hers.
"But then she changed…into you. She said she could give me you and then she changed into you--"
Rogue opened her mouth to yell at him some more, tell him that didn't erase the fact of what he had done. It didn't help at all!
However, he wasn't able to allow her to interrupt him. "And she kissed me. I was shocked at first and didn't push her away at first. But I did."
"Alright. I'll let that one pass. But what of the second one?!" Rogue demanded to know.
Gambit remembered. "When I pushed her away, I was about to yell at her and demand for her leave, but…as I stared at her…. Rogue…I thought there was no one in dis world dat knew your face beta dan me, but…I was proven wrong. Mystique has memorized every inch of your face as much as me. The o'der times she disguised herself as Wolverine or Cyclops or Emma, dere has always been some fault in her appearance, but…not you. And it was so believable. I was too taken aback by it that when she leaned in and kissed me a second time, I could not stop her. Because in my head, it was you that was kissin' me. I kissed back for a fraction of a second--but my mind caught up wit me and I stopped. Then I pulled back and asked her to leave. She did, but not before askin' me to not tell you anyt'in about what had happened. Said it would only hurt you. As she left and I thought about lying to you or not…dat be when you came."
Rogue thought of this for a while. Processed it through her mind.
"I didn't do anytin' wit her, chere. I swear to ya." He wanted for her to believe him. Needed for her to.
And she debated with herself. And as she stared into his eyes, she could not fight the feelings he gave her. Could not stop her heart for fluttering with the love she held for him.
He reached over and caressed her cheek. "Believe me, chere. I promise you."
Tears stung her eyes. And she gave in. "Don't eva' lie ta meh again, Remy," she pleaded.
Air entered his lungs for the first time in the last hour. She was giving him another chance. Forgiving him…almost. He smiled and came closer to her, embracing her in his arms. "I promise you, chere."
She leaned into his touch. "Ah've been around too much lies and neva' cared much for it. Ah've survived it all. But yours…Ah can't survive well through." Finally the tears slipped out of her sockets.
He held her as close as he could. "I won't." He kissed her hair and smoothed her back gently with his hands.
She didn't hug him back, but allowed him to gather her in his arms.
The image of him and her mother together kept coming back to her head and she couldn't completely believe that he had pulled away from her. Men never pulled away from him. Her mother had taught her how predictable men could be with seduction.
However, his embrace gave her warmth and she tried to make herself forget….
NOTE: Yay! I finally got it up. Alright so this chapter really centered around issue 171: "Bizarre Love Triangle". I have been trying to find it everywhere (the actual comic) for LESS than $10 at least! Anyone know where I can order it??? Other than Ebay?? I also tried to find some quotes on it and had no luck.
Well, I hoped you enjoyed it. I would have made it longer, but then it would have turned into a good 3 chapters and I don't think I have the energy to do that. Sorry.
I wanted to keep it as close to the comic as possible, which is why you don't really get to see the conversation that takes place between Gambit and Mystique, you just have to trust Gambit's word. I know that Mystique looked differently as Foxx in the comics but I decided on the red hair and green eyes because I think that it would have proven Mystique a lot more if Gambit were to reject someone who looked very much like Rogue but was NOT Rogue. It would have made Mystique realize that Gambit loves Rogue for her and not for the looks.
So…REVIEW! Hopefully, I can get the final chapter to this Part 1 up soon. Give me a little while though cuz I am taking FOUR English classes this semester--two of whcich are Creative Writing!!! Ugh! I don't know how Im going to live through it!