Chapter 10: The Theatre

Gambit could not believe Logan and Storm had conned him into this. No, not conned, talked him into it. Yeah, he got talked into joining the X-men, not conned. Ahem.

So there he was driving through the gates and down the driveway, but not stopping at the front door like he usually did. Instead he continued following the road around until he reached the garage doors. Finding them closed, he got out of his car and made his way to the side door. He knocked, but hearing the music inside, speculated that if there was anyone in there they couldn't hear him. He tried the handle and the door opened. He stepped inside and looked around. The garage seemed empty until he looked down and spotted a pair of familiar legs sticking out from underneath the closest car.

"Rogue?"

"Ahh!" Bang!

"Uhh, desole," Gambit said, not quite hiding his smile as Rogue slid out from underneath, rubbing her head. "Didn't mean t' scare yo'."

"They never do," Rogue replied, grabbing a nearby rag to wipe her hands. "Ah suppose ya want ta get in, huh?"

"Oui, unless yo' want me t' keep the car out on the driveway."

Rogue chuckled.

"Nah. There's a spot over there," she said pointing. "And you can keep your bike over there with the others."

"Merci."

"Ah swear, one of these days we're either gonna have ta build another garage or expand this one, ha!" Rogue grinned.

She thumped a button on the side of the wall and the roller door began lifting.

"What about the bike trailer?"

"Umm," Rogue looked out the door and eyed it carefully. "Leave it attached for now. Should be room. Ah'll find a more permanent spot for it later."

"Okay den," Gambit replied.

He went back outside again and brought his car in. He then took his motorcycle off the trailer and packed it with the other motorcycles.

"Ahh, dis une is yours, cherie?" Gambit asked, pointing to a sleek green number next to his.

Rogue looked up and grinned.

"Yep," she replied. "Dat's muh baby."

"She's even nicer dan your description."

Rogue chuckled.

"Yo' might have some competition cherie."

"Oh?"

"I t'ink my bike's gonna leave yo' fo' your bike."

Rogue laughed.

"Okay well, if Ah find any mini bikes running around, Ah know who ta blame."

"Mebbe we should keep dem separated."

"Or we could get them desexed."

Gambit snickered.

"I don't suppose yo' happen t' know where my room is, chere?"

"Oh sure," Rogue nodded. "You'd be wanting ta actually get unpacked, huh?"

"Would be nice."

"Hang on. You get your stuff out of the car, and I'll just clean up."

A few minutes later, Rogue and Gambit were headed down the hallway, his things in tow. They went upstairs and made their way to the teacher's wing.

"Okay, girls wing that way, boys that way, and this is us in here. Boys are not allowed in the girls wing and vice versa," Rogue explained.

Gambit chuckled knowingly.

"Anyone caught usually ends up with early morning danger room sessions."

"Anyone caught."

"Why am Ah sensin' it's a good thing you're here as a teacher and not a student?"

"What can I say? People who tell me I can't do stuff are just setting themselves up to be proved wrong."

"Uh huh. So if Ah were ta say you can't get pregnant?"

"Good call."

"Ah thought so."

"Smart ass."

"And don't ya forget it. Okay, this is yours," Rogue said, opening the door. "There is a key, but you'll probably have ta get that off Storm."

"Merci," Gambit replied as he stepped inside. "Well, it's bigger than I was imagining."

"And comes with ensuite," Rogue grinned, pointing to the door. "Teacher's rooms come with perks. All the students have ta share."

"Hmm," Gambit considered as he looked around. "I wouldn't mind sharing wit' yo'."

Rogue rolled her eyes as he looked her up and down suggestively.

"Well, you might not, but Ah have a feelin' the first girl ya bring back might have a problem with it."

Gambit reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her close.

"What makes yo' t'ink I'd want anyone but yo' cherie?" he asked softly as his gloved fingers caressed her cheek.

"I bet ya say that ta all the girls."

He moved in to kiss her lips only for Rogue to pull back - all to aware that there was nothing to prevent her from absorbing him had he succeeded. There was a moment of silence while they looked at each other.

"Are yo' busy, cherie?" Gambit asked finally. "Or would yo' be so kind as t' give dis here Cajun a tour?"

"Umm, sure," Rogue replied. "Ah've got nothing urgent."

"Bon," he replied, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "After yo'."

Holding her hand the whole way, Gambit walked with Rogue as she showed him around. Once away from the sleeping quarters, she showed him the rec room, the war room, the classrooms, the large kitchen/dining hall and everything else above ground. The first stop on the underground areas was the med lab.

"Oh so dis is the famous med lab?" Gambit mused. "Very nice."

"We haven't even stepped inside it yet," Rogue said.

"And we're not going t' either. Dis is as close t' the med lab as I ever plan t' get."

Rogue laughed. they passed by the doors to Cerebro:

"It's largely useless at the moment," Rogue explained. "Cerebro needs a telepath and at the moment we have none. All mind-readin' around here gets done by me nowadays."

They went past the locker rooms.

"And that's the men's. Try not ta get them mixed up Swamp Rat."

Gambit chuckled.

The hallway branch off after that. One way was the hanger and Gambit eyed off the Blackbird appreciatively.

"Nice," he said. "I've been looking for a new plane since I had t' retire my baby. Say, does Logan actually go up in dis t'ing?"

"Yep."

"Bet he loves dat."

The final stop was the danger room. Rogue and Gambit stepped into the control room to watch - a class of students were already training in there.

"So you finally got here," Logan said, not looking away from the view screen.

"Oui," Gambit replied. "Is dis what yo' do all day? Sit on your butt and watch children get hot 'n sweaty?"

"You are really asking for it, Gumbo."

"I'd be worried, but I suspect you've gotten soft."

Logan checked the clock, then hit the intercom.

"Okay kids, you get a ten minute early mark. Good work," Logan said. "Computer: End Simulation."

Gambit snickered and Rogue sighed.

"Logan, he only just arrived - "

"So? Get down there, Cajun."

"My pleasure."

"Rogue? Man the fort, will you?"

"Consider it done."

Logan and Gambit headed down to the danger room as the students filed out. They looked at the two curiously, a couple of the girls taking an instant liking to the hot new guy.

"Here's how it works. On sims level five and above the doors are locked while the sim is running - y'know, to make sure some idiot doesn't get in and get himself hurt. We'll start on level seven. That should give you a good warm up."

Gambit shrugged and pulled out his telescopic bo-staff as Logan addressed the computer.

"Computer: run 'Gauntlet One', level seven."

A city-scape appeared around them and Gambit took it in appreciatively.

"Not bad," he said. "Is it supposed to make that clanking noise?"

"Yep," Logan replied. "That's wave of enemies number one."

Gambit looked around, listening out for the source. At last one skittered into view.

"Giant, mechanical spiders?" he said dryly. "Has someone been watching too much Stargate?"

"You watch Stargate?"

The wave of spiders approached. Logan picked them off nonchalantly, slicing them into pieces.

"Fore!" Gambit called.

He swung his bo-staff and whacked one of the spiders into a wall as if he was playing golf.

"Since when do you play golf?"

"Since today. Say, can you charge any o' dese t'ings?"

"Try it and find out."

Gambit paused in his golf swings to allow one of the spiders the privilege of touching his person. He charged it up.

"Nice."

He tossed the spider amongst his fellows. The spider exploded and took out most of the company.

"So, when does the hard part come in?" Gambit asked.

"Computer: move forward to second wave and increase difficulty to level eight," Logan said.


Back in the control room, Rogue looked up as the door opened. Bobby, Jubilee, Tracy and Warren entered the room.

"Hey Rogue," Bobby said. "We heard there was a show a foot."

"Last group of students got a early mark and were babbling something about Logan and the hot new guy doing a session," Jubilee smirked. "We figured Remy had arrived."

"Hey," Tracy said, peering out the window. "He's got some moves, baby."

"Naturally, we had to check it out," Warren grinned. "And there's a crowd building in the viewing room."

Rogue chuckled.

"Well they're doing the Gauntlet on level eight."

"What? Already?"

"Remy was playing golf with the spiders," Rogue said disgustedly.

"I hate those things," Jubilee said.

"Hey, what's he doing?" Bobby asked.

They all watched while Gambit pulled out a handful of playing cards, charged them and threw them at the simulated thugs headed for him. The cards exploded and Gambit finished them off quite nicely with a few more cards and his mix of savate and bo-staff fighting.

"Neat trick," said Warren.


"Y'know what dis reminds me o' mon ami?" Gambit commented between thugs.

"That time in Belgium with the Red Clan?"

"Oui. Only wit'out the red."

"Surreal isn't it?"

"I don't even recall the body count."

"Don't look at me. I lost track after thirty."

"Hmph, is dat all?" Gambit asked looking around.

"There's seven waves, Gumbo."

"Ouias? What's next?"

There was a roar behind him.

"I'm guessing dat's it."

Logan chuckled.


"Ooh! I love the griffins!" Tracy said.

"Who's idea was it to program griffins anyway?" asked Warren.

"Kitty's," Bobby nodded. "She did some... cosmetic adjustments after Logan finished programming it."

"Because we're really going to run into actual griffins in real life."

"Just like we're going to run into giant mutant hunting robots."


Come wave seven and an increase to level ten, Gambit reached into his pocket for more cards, only to discover that he'd finished that deck. Unperturbed, he reached into another pocket for a new deck, which he moved to his preferred pocket and opened the box by feel, all the while continuing to fight the simulated demons.

The same time Gambit clouted a demon across the head, he pulled out the plastic wrapped deck of cards from the box. Gambit tripped up another demon and charged up the plastic. He tossed it up into the air, the plastic crumbled into dust and he grabbed the unharmed deck of cards rather neatly as they fell. His feet made short work of the fallen demon while his staff took care of another and he shoved the cards back into their box, save two, which he charged and threw.

"New party trick, Gumbo?" Logan asked.

"Dere are only so many cards in a deck, mon ami," Gambit replied.


Not long thereafter the simulation ended.

"Well, dat was fun," Gambit said as they walked out of the danger room. "We should do it again sometime."

"Oh don't you worry, Cajun. We will," Logan assured him.

"Fun?" Rogue repeated. "You thought that was fun?"

"Don't you?"

"Ah can barely get through level eight."

"Is dat all?"

Logan snickered at the dour look Rogue gave Gambit. Gambit chuckled and wrapped his arm around her.

"Don't worry chere, we'll learn yo'. So, where's the bar?"

"This is a school."

Gambit glanced at her, then looked at Logan.

"Where's the bar?"

"Show you later. But don't tell Siryn where it is. She drinks too much."

"I do not!" Tracy objected.

"Denial," Rogue nodded.


Rogue opened her bedroom door to find Gambit standing there, a smirk on his face.

"Dis is novel," he said. "I don't usually have t' walk across a hallway t' pick up my date."

Rogue chuckled. Gambit took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Bike t'night?"

"Yep."

"Both or doubling?"

"Like Ah'm really gonna drive ta muh own date."

Gambit chuckled and slipped his arm around her, holding her close.

"Aww chere, yo' don't need an excuse t' touch me. Yo' can do dat any time and any where yo' want."

"Ah just can't say anything around you, can Ah?"

"Yo' can say anyt'ing yo' want."

Twenty minutes later, they'd pulled up outside the theatre.

"Quite a crowd," Rogue said.

"Should be headed in soon though," Gambit commented.

With his arm securely around Rogue's waist (just where he liked it), the two made their way inside to the ticket booth. Gambit picked up the tickets they ordered, then they stepped inside the waiting room. Unnerved by the crowd, Rogue pressed herself further into Gambit's side.

"We'll just wait here, no?" Gambit said. "No point in shoving through the crowd."

"Ha, yeah."

Gambit regarded her curiously, slightly thrown off by her unexpected anxiety. She wasn't afraid of accidentally absorbing someone was she? She was completely covered up. Not even a tantalising gap between glove and sleeve. Given she was wearing a scarf on this occasion, the only possible way someone could touch her skin would be to touch her face, and the odds against that must be enormous.

Gambit was distracted from his thoughts by the doors opening. He waited back with Rogue while the crowd surged forward. If the crowd was upsetting Rogue, he could at least try to keep her out of it as much as possible. He felt Rogue's body begin to relax, and finally they joined the end of the line. Their seats turned out to be aisle seats and Gambit let Rogue have the end seat - not that it made much different to him. Once settled, he took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers.

Because they had been amongst the last people in, they didn't have much of a wait before the lights dimmed and The Pirates of Penzance began.


The room applauded as the light came back on, signally intermission.

"Well, I'm in luck," Gambit nodded.

"Yeah? Why's that?" Rogue asked.

"I'm an orphan. They won't want t' come after me."

Rogue giggled.

"Y'know, Ah'm an orphan too. Looks like we're both safe from the Pirates of Penzance."

"Works out rather nicely, doesn't it?"

"Yep. The Major-General song is kinda insane."

"You're telling me," Gambit said, shaking his head.

"What astounds me the most is how fast the reprise was," Rogue nodded. "And the fact he was still articulate."

"Takes talent, dat. Hmm, I might hit the concession stand. Want anyt'ing?"

"Well, Ah can't say no ta chocolate."

Gambit chuckled.

"Okay," he said. "Be right back."

He lifted her scarf so he could kiss her through it, then got up and headed out to get munchies. Rogue watched him leave, wringing her hands. She honestly didn't know what to make of her relationship with him any more. He treated her exactly the same whether they were on a date or not. Which was nice, except it made it harder to think of as a business transaction. Although thinking of it as a business transaction was disturbing in it's own right, like she hired a gigolo or something.

"Not allowed ta fall for him," she muttered to herself.

She was worried that maybe it was too late.


The final applause died down as the actors left the stage. Rogue and Gambit took advantage of the seating arrangement to be amongst the first people out the door. They made quick work returning to Gambit's motorcycle and were soon on their way home. Conversation didn't - couldn't - start up again until they reached the garage.

"So, what did yo' t'ink, ma cherie?" Gambit asked as they made their way to the teacher's wing.

"Ah liked it. It was funny."

"Oui. Only problem is I t'ink it peaked wit' the Major-General song."

Rogue laughed.

"Yeah, that was the best part and it happened in the first act. There's something wrong with that arrangement."

"Indeed. Y'know, chere, I t'ink dis is our shortest date yet. Y'sure yo' don't want t' go out fo' drinks or somet'ing?"

"Maybe next time."

They reached Rogue's bedroom door and Gambit turned to face her. One hand rested on her hip with the other trailed through her white streak.

"So," said Rogue. "Ah umm, guess this is good night then."

Gambit moved in closer to her, his thumb tracing slowly over her hip.

"Rogue, I... I..."

Their lips met through Rogue's scarf. Gambit wrapped his arms tightly around her until at last Rogue pushed away.

"Night," she said, opening her door.

"Night," he replied.

The door clicked shut behind her and Gambit stared at it for a moment before making his way down the hall to his own room. he could not believe what had just happened. There he was, prepared to sort out this little misunderstanding about the seriousness of their relationship and he'd stammered.

Stammered.

Now that was just plain embarrassing. Since when did Remy LeBeau ever stammer in front of a lady? The very thought was obscene. Humiliating even.

Gambit slammed the door shut behind him and glowered into his bedroom.

"Girlie man," he muttered to himself.