Chapter 12

A robbery was in progress at a small, specialty jewelry store.

He scowled at his rotten luck wondering if he should interfere or not. While he hardly made use of his skills as a thief anymore, Gambit could not help but criticize these robbers. Who the hell blows up a store front? It only took a few minutes to disable a silent alarm. Any idiot could look it up on the internet. Pick the lock to the door in the back alley, slip in, take the gems, and then make your getaway with a buddy.

No, what these men had done was pull up across the street. Under a streetlight no less, and taken a crowbar and attempted to break the windows. Finding that did not work they had thrown homemade bombs at the door. Once the explosion had probably woken up half the neighborhood the robbers had rushed in. Smashing the glass as they stole all the jewelry they could get their hands on. Gambit rolled his eyes blowing a stream of smoke out into the dark.

"Idiots, the valuable pieces are the ones locked in the safe. Not on display." He muttered as he watched. Despite himself he was sorely tempted to go down there and show them how it was done.

Glancing back and forth Gambit didn't see any police cars coming. There was not even the sound of a siren as the men raided the jewelry store. With a sigh he dropped his cigarette into a nearby puddle. It went out with a small hiss as he dropped down onto the fire escape. Easily landing on his feet as he made his way across the street towards the men.

"Hey, cher!" Remy called to them. He had to hold back a laugh when the men's heads all snapped up in alarm to stare at the stranger across the street.

"Batman's here!" Remy announced. It was as if a gunshot had gone off.

The men panicked nearly tripping over themselves as they abandoned their loot. Blinking the Cajun stared as the men scrambled into their getaway car. The door wasn't even close until the car started up leaving the curb in a squeal of tires. Gambit could smell burnt rubber as the men hit the gas and sped around the corner.

Within seconds they were gone, but he could hear them speeding down the highway. Glancing at the jewelry store again he could not help but be amazed by how fast they had left the scene of the crime. Surely Batman could not be that good, could he?

Out of curiosity he crossed the street to the store. Of course Batman was nowhere to be seen. He had simply wanted to see what happened if he had raised a false alarm. Remy's boots crunched over glass as he stepped in through the broken doorway. Looking around he spotted several duffel bags off to the side. Picking one up he opened it up and peered inside. Several pearl necklaces were in there, as well as a collection of diamond rings. Sighing he placed the bag on the counter.

"They didn't even take anything. Why the fuck are you going to break in if you're not going to have something to show for it?" Gambit muttered to himself. Amateurs. Logan would have done a better job, and he was no better at stealing then most men.

Almost as an afterthought he gathered the rest of the bags, three altogether, and placed them on the counter. The men of course had gone for the register, but there was no money inside. He wrote a check for two thousand dollars to cover the damages and placed it on top of the register. Now no one could say he didn't have a heart. He was paying for a crime he had not even committed.

Just as he was leaving through the way he had come he heard a roar of a bike. Alarmed, Gambit sank back into the shadows of the alley glaring at the street. He saw no one but still he did not come out. Seconds later he noticed a flicker on the building above. With a jolt he recognized it was Batman. Narrowing his eyes his hands fell to the cards in his pocket.

Batman studied the deserted storefront with a detached interest. Then, like Gambit, he came down and approached cautiously. Seeing and hearing no one he went in stepping carefully. From his hiding place the Cajun could hear the glass crunching under Batman's boots. After a few minutes the sounds stopped. He waited patiently but still heard nothing.

Frowning, Gambit wondered what had happened. He peered around the corner of the building, but saw no one. When he came out from the alley all the way to look into the store he saw no one. He was stumped. Where the hell had Batman gone?

A hand fell on his shoulder with an iron grip. For a second Gambit felt a thrill of relief as he turned around. For a split second he thought Logan had come back. Until he noticed the man he was staring at was fart to tall. The white slits of cowl narrowed as he glared at the Cajun. Remy took a step back as Batman let his hand fall to hide beneath his cape.

"Did you do this?" Batman demanded. Gambit quirked a brow glancing at the store once again. He was almost ashamed by what the robbers had done. Almost.

"Non, I just happened to be walking by when I saw what was going on. If did this why would I stay here without taking anything?"

"Were you planning too?"

"Oh cher, I was sorely tempted. But no. I don't deal in costume jewelry." Gambit said giving the man a cool gaze. He could tell his words displeased the crime fighter.

Once again it was a standoff between the two men. Unlike before Gambit had his sunglasses on to his eyes. When he raised a brow his glasses caught the street light making them shine. Bruce narrowed his eyes when he saw the man slide his hand into his coat pocket. No doubt he had concealed weapons on him.

"You consider this costume jewelry?" Batman asked glancing at the store front. Gambit smirked but said nothing as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Funny you ask, since I cried wolf to the guys who were robbing the place. You should have seen them scramble to get out of here. Lit a fire under their asses." Gambit chuckled. There was no humor in his voice. He kept his guard up secretly wishing he had Logan with him. The Canadian always seemed to be fully aware of who was around him, what was going on, and usually served as an alarm if anyone tried to sneak up on them. Considering Batman had managed to sneak up on him so easily shook the thief to the core.

Batman said nothing as he studied the Cajun. He could not gauge how Patch would end up with such a man. After a minute Gambit seemed to make up his mind. Taking out a cigarette and a lighter he lit up. When the crime fighter frowned the red eyed man only shrugged his shoulders offering the pack to him.

"No thanks. I don't smoke."

"You going to tell me what you did with Logan?"

"I have no idea where your friend is. That's why I'm here." Batman responded calmly. Gambit frowned blowing a stream of smoke out into the night air. Now they could both hear the sirens as the police approached. Remy glanced down the street feeling a slight thrill when he heard the noise. A shame he hardly practiced his trade anymore. He would have loved to show these men in uniform a thing or two about being a thief.

"Then I guess you and I have nothing more to talk about. Sorry about your car." Gambit said calmly. The last thing he wanted was to be in close proximity to this man. As he turned to leave his heart pounding he heard a slight rustle behind him.

"Can I expect you to cause trouble?"

"Only if you hold a gun to my head." Gambit called over his shoulder as he walked away. When he got to the other side of the street he climbed the fire escape again to the rooftops. Below there was a squeal of tires as the police pulled up at the crime scene.

Unsurprisingly, Batman materialized at his side as if from thin air. The Cajun scowled wondering what the man could possibly want. Again the man reached out a hand to him to grab his arm.

"You and I need to talk."

"Not on your life." Gambit hissed. He did not trust this man. There had to be a reason Logan had told him to avoid him. He charged a card and let it drop at the man's feet just as he leapt back eyes narrowed.

Bruce had not been prepared for the blast. When Gambit jumped he went after him. The blast wasn't strong, but it knocked him off his feet for a split second. He managed to catch himself but the Cajun had already taken off. His trench coat streaming behind him as he dodged around a ventilation shaft. Batman went after him two batarangs ready in his hand. Where had that explosive come from?

"Batman to Robin, Gambit is headed in your direction. He has small explosives on his person. Cut him off."

"I see him, Bruce." Robin responded, known as Tim Drake, slightly breathless as he rushed to cut the Cajun off. They had agreed this scenario would most possibly break out. It wasn't Batman's intention to capture Gambit, but he could not have the man running the risk of raising the alarm about Patch. Whoever had kidnapped the Canadian might also be after Gambit as well.

Remy saw the kid just as he climbed onto a higher building. Reaching up he ripped off his sunglasses tossing them to the side. Once they were off it was far easier for him to see. Who did this kid think he was? He had seen him drop down no doubt thinking he was hiding from view. At most Gambit had ten seconds before Batman was on him.

Reaching beneath his coat he withdrew his trump card. When Robin came from his hiding place he barely dodged the Bo staff. It cracked on the cement leaving a good sized crack as the Cajun circled him. Smoldering coal eyes glared at Robin causing the young man to jerk back in shock. Seeing his expression Gambit gave him an icy grin shaking his finger at the sidekick.

"Should have nailed me when you had the chance." Gambit mocked him. Then he slipped down the side of the building into an alley. Robin went after him not pausing as he leapt into the alley. He took off in the direction he thought he saw the Cajun go.

"You're going the wrong way." A voice said from behind him. Robin spun around, but he was to late. He felt a searing pain as he was cracked across the head.

Gambit watched the kid go down like a sack of bricks. He had to be in his late teens, at least. Remy felt guilty about having to knock the young man out. The last thing he needed though was to be tracked. Grabbing the kid beneath his arm pits he dragged him away from the view of the street. Already the masked kid had begun to move sluggishly letting out a low groan.

Batman found Robin a minute later with Gambit nowhere in sight. His sidekick had been propped up behind a dumpster hidden from view. When the young man opened his eyes and saw Batman standing over him, he cursed. Reaching up to rub the back of his head where a headache was beginning to form.

"He got me, didn't he?" Robin asked. Batman nodded as he reached out and grabbed Robin's hand. Helping the teen stand up as he swayed on his feet wincing as the pain began to set in.

"You should have kept your guard up."

"I didn't know he had a staff!" Robin exclaimed continuing to rub the back of his head. He would definitely have a large bump in the morning. Batman only narrowed his eyes at him having to say nothing. Tim's mouth went into a thin line as he glanced away looking down the alley as if expecting to see Gambit waiting there with a smirk on his face at the small victory.

"You'd think anyone who could get the best of me would stay around to finish the job."

"Gambit isn't interested in taking us out. He's concerned about Logan." Batman explained calmly.

When his sidekick and Gambit had disappeared from sight he had thought the worst. Finding Robin knocked in the alley had not only been a relief, but offered more insight into the man's way of thinking. He didn't hurt people. At least not unprovoked, and the fact that the Cajun had run the risk of being caught by making sure Robin was hidden showed he had some level of compassion. Had Gambit anything like the characters they faced in Gotham it could have ended badly.