AmberLady42
Thank you for your review!
Hey, sometimes you just need a good fuck, lol. Can you blame him?
Yes, it's a shame the kid lost his life, but hopefully we'll find out WHO is behind all this...mess.
And thank you for following me on Instagram and for your kind words regarding my art. I truly appreciate it!

Guest
Please log in or give a handle / name so I know who you are :(
I was off that particular weekend, so I had plenty of time to crank out 3 chapters. I hope I didn't disappoint!

Tx Peppa
Thanks for the review, as always! I'm glad you're enjoying the closeness.
As for arguments, there will be some coming, so don't you worry about that. No relationship is argument free, huh?
Like I said, I'm trying to make this as real as I can, so hold on! Lol

Maria Fabricia
No worries! Leila is a handful and you will see that in the next couple of chapters.

Dead-Raccoons
I'm glad you're enjoying the story! I hope you'll stick around until I finish it! :D


Sitting by the window, Rogue read the Sydney paper as she sipped on a bottled water she'd gotten from the complimentary fridge. Her phone began to buzz, causing her to take it off the arm rest and look at the screen. Seeing it was Betsy, she answered it.

"Hey." Rogue said, quietly as she stood up and opened the sliding glass door and walked out on to the balcony.

"I hope I didn't wake you." Psylocke said.

"No, no." Rogue said. "Ah've been up for a while."

"How did last night go?" Betsy asked. "Did you find Nockston?"

"Yeah, we found him. Found tha boy, too." Rogue said. "But everything went ta hell real fast."

"What happened?" Betsy asked, worry apparent in her voice.

"Ta summarize it, we found where tha boy was, but when we got there the place was guarded. We got inside, cleared out tha goons and had ta chase tha kid down several blocks. The boy got shot." Rogue said. "We lost him. Not ta mention Remy had ta blow himself up."

"Damn." Betsy cursed. "Is Remy alright?"

Rogue glanced back inside the room to see him still asleep on his back. "Yeah. He's still sleepin'." She said. "Just some cuts and bruises. Nothin' serious. But Betsy, before that kid died, ah took his memories."

"Good. Then we know where to go next." She said.

"No, that ain't it." Rogue said, turning around and looking at Gambit. "His brother was in on this whole thing. Well, at least from what ah saw from tha boy's memories."

"Wait, Remy's brother?" Betsy asked. "Are you sure?"

"Ah know what ah saw when ah took on those memories, Betsy." Rogue said almost offended. "And ah need ya ta be honest with me. What is it that ya needin' back? What's so important that this kid had ta die?"

Rogue heard her sigh on the other end of the phone. "Honestly," Betsy began. "I can't talk about it over the phone. It's a powerful little thing, though. Ancient. Getting into the wrong hands-"

"Could mean disaster." Rogue finished. "Ah get it. We face this shit all tha time. We're X-Men."

Betsy laughed and then let out another sigh. "I'm sorry." She said. "About the boy and about this whole situation. I didn't know it would be this complicated."

"It always is, hun." Rogue said, seeing Gambit roll on to his right side. "Hey listen, ah'm gonna let ya go. We'll touch base later."

"Alright. I'll send room service." Betsy said. "Cheers."

Ending the phone conversation, Rogue tossed her phone in the chair she had been sitting in before she walked over and crawled back into bed. Gambit was still asleep and that proved he was worn out and exhausted. Brushing his hair from his face, she leaned in and kissed his left temple causing him to roll back on to his back and let out a deep breath. Laying beside him, Rogue moved in and wrapped her arm around his torso and listened to his deep breathing. She didn't want to wake him and she hoped the room service would be quite when they knocked. Let's face it, they never were anywhere they went.

Looking up at him, she looked over his features as well as the cuts and bruises that were starting to form. The cuts from the car accident were looking better. Perhaps they wouldn't scar. She smiled when he let out a deep breath and moved his head toward her. She was expecting him to be awake, but he was still out. Still smiling, she kissed his lips as she closed her eyes and listened to his breathing again.

A knock on their door made Rogue realize she had dozed off. Gently getting out of bed, and checking to see if the knocks had woken Gambit, she quickly made her way over to the door and opened it to see a cart full of food.

"Morning." The man said with a smile as he pushed the cart forward a little. "Here's your breakfast. Do you need anything else?"

Placing her hand on the cart, Rogue smiled at the man before shaking her head. "No, ah think we're fine. Thanks." She said.

"Let us know if you need anything at all." The man said with a smile before he left.

Wheeling the cart in, she locked the door before guiding it over to the bed. The food was nice and hot and it looked amazing. She suddenly felt her stomach growl once she took in the aroma of delicious food. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she made herself a plate before she sat back against the headboard and watched Gambit sleep.

The smell caused him to stir and he finally opened his eyes and blinked a few times, focusing on the ceiling before switching his gaze to Rogue. "Hey." She said with a smile. "Ah'm wain' on ya like one pig waits on another."

He smiled as he tried to sit up but moved slowly, due to his protesting muscles. "Mm!" He grimaced as he slowly moved up and leaned against the headboard.

"Ya hurtin'?" She asked, taking the plate in her right hand and placing her left on his right thigh.

"Jus' a li'l." He said, looking at her. "How long y' been awake? Y' seem bright eyed an' bushy tailed."

She smirked as she took the sausage link and bit into it. "A few hours." She said, chewing up the food. "Tha time difference is still messin' with me."

"Maybe y' should'a got blown de fuck up, too." He smirked back, seeing her eyebrows dip as she took a bite of the pancake-looking thing. "Do wonders."

After chewing it up, she looked at him and in a motherly tone said. "Ya need ta watch ya mouth."

"S'funny," He started as he moved closer to her and kissed her shoulder. "Y' didn' mind m' mouth yesterday mornin'."

Rogue smirked as she cut him a glare. "Fuck you, Cajun." She said, making them both laugh.

"Wha' be all on dat cart?" He asked, leaning over her.

"Kinda tha same stuff. Pancakes, at least ah think they're pancakes. Sure taste like 'em. Eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit." She said, naming off what she saw. "There's some yogurt. Coffee or juice?"

"Wha'd y' t'ink?" He asked, giving her a sly grin.

"Motor oil it is." She said, hearing him chuckle as she poured the black coffee into one of the white mugs that were provided before handing it to him.

"T'anks." He said as he took a sip. "Mm. Dat's good."

She smiled seeing him close his eyes and savor the bold flavor. "Ah'm glad." She said, patting his thigh. "Now come on and help me eat this food up."

Getting a plate full, they sat there in silence as they ate. Almost finishing off everything on the cart, they stacked the plates and put the lid back on before Rogue wheeled it back out into the hall for them to pick up.

Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, Gambit slowly stood up and stretched his arms over his head. A few pops in his sternum and back caused his breath to get caught in his throat as the pain quickly came and went.

"Ya alright?" Rogue looked at him with a smile.

"Yeah." He replied, putting his arms out and twisting his torso left and right. "Jus' gotta stretch it out."

Shaking his arms out and getting the blood flowing, he walked over to Rogue and ran his fingers through the right side of her hair. Placing his hand on the back of her head, he pulled her in and kissed her for long while before pulling away and smiling at her.

"What was that for?" She asked, placing her hand on his when it came down to rest on the side of her face.

He slightly shook his head as his eyes looked into her's and smiled. "Jus' love you." He said, kissing her one last time before he walked over to the suitcase and opened it. "We stayin' here or headin' back?"

Rogue shook her head as she watched him get dressed, stepping into some dark washed jeans. "Ah talked ta Betsy for a just a moment this mornin'." She said, crossing her arms. "She didn't say whether or not we'd be stayin', but it's somethin' ta ask her for sure."

Taking out a white undershirt, he pulled it over his head. "Maybe she want us t' check out dat warehouse. See if we find who's b'hind dis." He said.

"We know who's behind it, Remy." Rogue said, seeing him stop for a moment before he pulled the Heather Grey shirt over his head.

"Y' know I can' believe dat Henri be playin' a mob boss." He said, looking her way. "Dat ain' him."

Sighing, she glanced at the sliding glass door that she had left the curtains drawn. It was a sunny day, aside from a few fluffy clouds.

"Ah know what ah saw." Rogue said, narrowing her gaze at him.

He looked and held her green eyes in his red and black ones. "Ain' doubtin' y', chere." He said. "Trust y' wholeheartedly, but t'ere gotta be mo' to it."

"God, ah hope so." Rogue said softly as she looked away and hugged herself. "Ah'm sorry."

"Ey." He said, walking over and placing his hands on her shoulders, trying to make her look at him. "Y' didn' do not'in'. Y' took de boy's memories and tol' me wha' y' saw. Don' be 'pologizin'."

"Ah know, but ah hate tha fact that there's gonna be tension between y'all when we get ta New Orleans." She said looking up at him.

Cupping her face, he gave her a loving smile. "It'll be fine." He said, leaning in and kissing her softly. "Promise."

They slightly jumped when Rogue's phone rang loudly. "My word!" She said as she placed her hand on her chest before she looked at it. "It's Betsy."

Setting the phone on the dresser, she answered the call and placed it on speaker.

"Hey hun." Rogue said, looking at Gambit.

"I hope breakfast was acceptable." Psylocke said.

"Y' spoilin' us, chere." Gambit said with a smile.

She laughed. "Well, you two are doing me a huge favor. I simply want to repay you however I can." She said.

"It's been great." Rogue said, crossing her arms. "But hey, ah'm glad ya called. Are we stayin' here or leavin'? What's tha plan?"

"Honestly, I'd like you to just go and have fun." Psylocke said. "I'll call you later tonight and let you know what I'm planning."

"Alright." Rogue said.

"Have a good time." Psylocke said. "Cheers."

Pressing 'END', Rogue turned to Gambit. "Well, what do ya wanna do?" She asked.

He smirked. "You." He said, making her laugh.

"Listen, ah wanna go out and see tha sights." She said seeing him pout. "Oh stop."

Chuckling, he placed his hands on her waist and pulled her close. "Where y' wanna go first?" He asked, leaning in and kissing on her neck.

"Ah don't know." She said, smiling as his kisses ran down her neck to her shoulder. "Let's go check out tha Opera House."

"Sound borin'." He said, watching her pull away and walk over to where her black flats were.

"Well, ah'm dragin' ya along whether ya like it or not." She said, running her fingers through her hair before she grabbed her clutch purse.


"Ugh, my feet are tired!" Rogue sighed as she plopped down on the bed. "Would ya mind massagin' them for a bit, sugah?"

Kicking his shoes off, he walked over and sat down at her feet and gently took her flats off. "Y' know I don' mind." He said as he started to massage the ball of her left foot.

"Mm." She moaned as she closed her eyes. "God, ya too good at that."

He smirked as he moved up to her calf. "Glad y' likin' it." He said as he took the left foot and began to massage.

Her phone ringing caused her to sigh as she took it out of her pocket and looked at who it was. "Jean?" She asked as she answered it. "Hello?"

He looked at her as he continued to massage her feet.

Rogue smiled widely as she sat up. "Hey sweetie." She said, changing her tone of voice before making eye contact with Gambit. "Ah've missed ya too. We'll be home soon, so don't ya worry. What have ya been up to?"

Smiling, he listened to their conversation as he stopped rubbing her feet and let them sit in his lap.

"Sounds like fun!" Rogue said enthusiastically as she swung her legs over the bed and walked over to the balcony. "Have a ya been behavin' for everyone? Good. How's ya time with Aunt Jean going?" She opened the sliding door and walked out. "Good. Ah love you, baby girl. Yeah, he's right here."

He smiled wider as she walked inside and over to him, holding the phone out. "Leila." He said, listening to her sweet little voice on the other end.

"Hi daddy!" She said excitedly. "I miss you."

"Aww." He said. "Miss y' too. Y' ask Ms. Betsy when we gonna come home. She callin' de shots."

"Okay!" Leila said.

"Y' makin' sure everyone stay in line while we gone?" He asked, smiling as he heard her giggle.

"Mm hmm!" She said. "Bobby got me some new cars!"

"Y' gonna have a whole set soon." He chuckled.

"Mm hmm. He makes ice roads for them." Leila said. "They go really fast!"

"I reckon dey do." He said looking up at Rogue and seeing her smile as she listened in. "How school?"

"Good." She answered. "I like my classes with Jeanie better."

He smiled. "Why's dat?" He asked.

"Because there aren't any kids in there that can be afraid of me." She said, her tone changing.

"Aww, chere." He said, putting his hand to his heart. "Dey ain' afraid o' you. Dey jus' don' know wha' dey need t' be t'inkin'. Dey at least bein' nice t' you?"

"Sometimes." Leila said.

"'Ey." He said, making sure she was listening. "Y' jus' do y' best an' learn all y' can from bot' o' dem teachers, a'right?"

"Alright." She said, a little laugh escaping her. "Uncle Logan is going to take me to the zoo with Tante Ro on Saturday!"

"Well, sound like y' don' need us t'ere den. Dey got y' covered." Gambit said as he stood up and walked over to Rogue. "I t'ink we stay here in Australia, no?"

"No! I miss you!" Leila said.

He chuckled. "Y' know I couldn't live dat far away from y', petit. Make me sad not seein' y." He said. "Nous serons bientôt à la maison, d'accord?"

"Okay." Leila said.

"I know it be early mornin' t'ere, so I'ma let y' go an' get t' class. Je t'aime, petite fille." He said, seeing Rogue smile at him.

"Je t'aime aussi, papa!" Leila said.

"Bonne journée." He said.

"Bye!" He heard her say as she hung up.

He chuckled as he handed Rogue her phone. "Damn, didn' realize how much I missed her until I talk t' her." He said. "Break m' heart."

"See?" Rogue said. "Now ya know how ah feel."

Watching her pocket her phone, he pulled her closer to him by her waist. "Y' know wha' I wanna do?" He asked.

"Hmm." She thought, playfully. "My guess would be us knockin' boots again."

Gambit chuckled as he shook his head. "Close" He said. "Kinda wanna go back an' check out dat warehouse. Kinda see wha' dem guards done wit' de place. See if dey even usin' it today."

Rogue glanced back and forth between his eyes. "They ain't there." She said. "They got caught. No one's there, ah can guarantee that."

"So y' ain' even de leas' bit curious as t' wha' we find t'ere?" He asked.

"Remy, ah know ya just wanna go and try and find something that will prove your brother isn't apart of this." Rogue said.

"He ain'." Gambit said, pulling away. "I know fo' a fact he ain' doin' wha' we t'ink he's doin'. T'ere gotta be anot'er expl'nation. He leadin' dem on."

Rogue sighed. "Would it make ya feel better if we checked it out?" She asked.

He smirked. "Yes." He said as he crossed his arms over his chest and put his nose in the air. "Yes, it would."

"You ass." She chuckled as she lightly slapped his arm. "Well, let's get dressed. By tha time we get down there, it'll be dark."


"Well ah'll be damned." Rogue said as they crouched on the rooftop of a building across the street from the warehouse.

They watched as some guards surrounded the building. Something was going on inside. There was a light that was shining through the holes they had put in it yesterday.

"Y' was sayin'?" Gambit asked, raising and eyebrow as he rest his right elbow on his knee.

"So ah was wrong." Rogue said, glancing at him and winking. "It happens once in a blue moon."

He chuckled as he looked back down at the warehouse. "How many y' counting, mon amour?"

"Hmm." Rogue thought as she surveyed the guards below. "Ah'm counting twelve, just standing outside. Can't tell how many are actually walkin' around, though. They're all wearin' tha same damn thing."

"Look at t'eir shoes." Gambit said.

Rogue squinted to focus her vision and watched as the many guards turned into only a handful. "Well, look at that." She said. "Only five."

"Mm hmm." Gambit answered as he looked down at the warehouse. "Wanna get in t'ere."

Looking over at him, Rogue let her eyes wander over his profile. "How ya plannin' on doin' that, sugah?" She asked, letting her eyes settle on his lips.

He slightly pointed. "We come down from de top, like yeste'day." He said.

"Really?" She asked. "Ya don't think they'll be expecting us after what we pulled?"

"Non." He answered. "Dat light shinin' too bright fo' dem t' notice us. Blindin' dem selves more. Les imbéciles."

Rogue chuckled, knowing exactly what that meant as she stood up. Hovering above him, she took hold of his hands and lifted him up into the air. Quietly making their way over to the warehouse, Rogue was careful to say out of sight as she lowered them both to the roof. The window they had used yesterday was boarded up along with the door that led to the catwalk.

"What now?" Rogue asked quietly.

Looking around, his eyes finally landed on her. "We go in from de back. Didn' see nobody when we was flyin' over. Le's double check." He said as he quietly made his way to the edge of the roof.

Looking over, subtly, he didn't see anyone so he turned and head back over to where Rogue was standing. "How we lookin'?" She asked.

"Clear." He said. "Allons-y."

Getting to the ground, they quietly went over to one of the holes that Rogue had made yesterday. They found caution tape covering it and crates were blocking the inside. There was a small gap that they could probably squeeze through to the right, but there was no telling what was on the other side to greet them.

"Remy, Ah don't think this is such a good idea." Rogue spoke softly. "They've beefed up their security. There's somethin' goin' on in there. Somethin' serious."

"I gotta know wha's goin' on." Gambit said as he walked closer to the crates and got on his stomach.

Crawling to the hole between the crate and the wall, he looked through and his eyes flew open.

"Mon Dieu..." He said quietly as he pulled away and looked back at Rogue.

"What's wrong?" She asked, kneeling down beside him.

"Dat boy dat got shot. He ain' dead." He said. "He be alive."

"That's impossible. Ah was there when he died. He died in my arms." Rogue said as she got on her stomach and took a look, seeing the boy chained to a post. "What tha hell are we gettin' ourselves into, Remy?"

Gambit sighed as he shook his head. "Wish I knew, chère." He said as he met her gaze. "Part o' me don' like dis one bit."

Getting to her knees, she looked into his eyes. "We can always back out." She said, taking his hands. "Let's just go ta New Orleans and talk with Henri. Avoid this mess. Ah feel like we're going to open a huge can of worms if we waltz right in there."

Looking down at her hands he then met her gaze again. "De memories y' took on. Could y' tell when dey were?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No idea." She said, looking into his eyes as she thought about them. "Nothing's there that helps me out. Sorry."

Looking behind him, Gambit gently took Rogue by the hand and led her behind the crates that were stacked beside them. Placing his finger on her lips, Rogue stayed quiet as three guards slowly walked by them. When they stopped just in front of them, Gambit tossed a rock to the other end causing them to head that way.

"Le's get outta here." He said quietly. "We'll go talk t' Henri. See what he says."

"Ah'm right there with ya." Rogue said as she grabbed him and took off toward their Hotel.

Once they arrived, Rogue sent a text to Psylocke letting her know their plan. She called back immediately and they discussed for about an hour what their next step would be. Psylocke let them know she would have everything arranged for them to leave Sydney and head to Louisiana in the morning.