Ski: This one's for you, =)
Miser: I know how he talks is frustrating, but lol it's almost ridiculously true to his character in the 90's TV show... The comics are a little harder to duplicate so I had to stick with the TV Gambit. Just bare with me, ok?? And PLEASE don't stop reading after this chapter, cause I know you'll hate me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.
The next day the group spent lounging around in the house, and at the beach beneath it. Ivy slept in until one in the afternoon, while Layla and Taylor were up bright and early making breakfast again. Speed and Zach spent the day playing Frisbee on the beach, while Will, Magenta and Dara went swimming again. Warren stayed in the house reading and talking with Taylor, and Layla spent the day getting to know Gambit, who she decided, wasn't as bad as Ivy was convinced. Late afternoon rolled around quickly and everyone started to get dressed for their night out. The boys were ready first in their slacks and button downs, while the girls, of course, took longer to dress. Will, Warren, Zach, Lash, Speed and Gambit kept each other company, lounging in the living room, waiting for their friends.
Dara and Magenta were the first ready. Dara in a long brown strapless dress, Magenta in a purple halter dress, that came down just beneath her knees. Shortly after they joined the boys waiting, Taylor, Layla and Ivy met them, too. Taylor wore a long satin blue gown with thick straps and a plunging neckline. Layla had bought a dark, forest green and gold dress that had a full skirt and a soft V-cut with thin spaghetti straps. Ivy felt quite unlike herself when she had been shopping with the girls. She had bought a full-length white dress with silver trim. It was an empire waist and a deep V-cut, unlike Layla's conservative one. It had thin straps, and two mid-thigh slits up the sides of both legs.
As soon as they had all gathered in the living room, Zach made the executive decision that it was time to go to the restaurant. It was a nice restaurant that was constantly busy, and he wanted to make sure they got a table together instead of two separate ones. While they were all loading in the van, Layla noticed that Gambit had taken his weird gloves off. She smiled at it since she had asked earlier in the day if he would leave them behind while they all went out to dinner. At first he'd said no because he never went anywhere without them, but she was glad that he had fulfilled her request.
They got to the restaurant and were lucky a large group had just left, vacating a table big enough to fill all eleven of them. Zach bowed, taking credit for the coincidence; he had, after all, convinced them to leave so they'd make it to the restaurant.
Everyone sat at the table with their respective partners, save Lash and Dara who sat next to each other, and Gambit, who sat at the head of the table. After ordering, everyone fell into conversation with those around them, and Gambit fought not to take out his cards. Dinner went by quickly, and before any of them noticed, dessert had come, too. Out of nowhere, Gambit excused himself from the table and went towards the entrance. Layla and Ivy both looked up and watched him exit the restaurant.
"Is he OK?" Layla looked concerned, while Ivy settled for annoyed.
"Does it matter?" Ivy took a sip of water.
"Ivy, you should go talk to him." Layla urged from the other side of the table, and Warren's attention was caught.
"Why her? Why don't you go talk to him? You guys were being buddy-buddy all day." He was too defensive for Layla's liking, so she snapped right back.
"Because I don't actually know him. If something's wrong, I wouldn't know how to help."
"What makes you think I would?" Ivy scoffed. Layla pleaded again; she hated it when her friends were unhappy. Ivy scowled and left the table. She could feel Warren's anger rise and emit heat waves throughout the restaurant, but ignored it and followed Gambit outside.
Walking outside, Ivy looked around a few minutes before spotting Gambit across the street under a lamp post, chewing on a toothpick. Ivy crossed the street and marched over to him.
"Would it kill you to be social?" Gambit didn't even look at her, just continued to gnaw on the small pick. Ivy reached up and yanked it from his mouth.
"No need to be rude." He snatched it back from her, and put it back in his mouth.
"You're impossible. Why is it so hard for you to be normal?" She crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.
"You one to talk about being normal." Ivy dropped her arms and sighed. She turned to leave. "Why do you like dat boy?"
She stopped and turned around lazily, as if she hadn't heard him. "What?"
"Why do you like him?" Gambit took the pick out of his mouth again and stepped towards a shocked Ivy, who wasn't sure how to respond. "Because he takes care of you? Because he doesn't know you?" He tilted his head to the side.
"Warren does know me..." She shook her head confused.
"Ah knew you better dan he does, and you was silent at da time." He stepped towards her again, closing the last foot between them.
"Warren knows me better than you ever did." Ivy looked into Gambit's red and black eyes, and knew she wasn't fooling him.
"Gambit not da brightest, Cher, but he ain't da stupidest, eider." He lightly ran his fingertips up the side of her arm, and she shuddered as she tried to pull away.
Staring at Gambit's dark eyes, she knew she was paralyzed, and she knew she couldn't have moved if her life depended on it. He slid an intense, muscled, left arm around her lower back as his right hand reached her face. She involuntarily took a small step inward.
"Remy, this isn't right--" She stopped herself mid-sentence, and continued to stare at him.
"Ah been waiting for dis for years. No stopping now." He leaned down and she felt his hot breath tickle her cheek. He barely let his lips brush hers, before she lost her own control and kissed him; wildly and passionately.
They only shared a single kiss before she snapped back to reality and realized what she'd done. She pulled herself away from him completely, leaving him shocked and confused, but unable to hide his amusement.
"Gambit never knew it was in you." He smiled the charming way he did, and Ivy raised her fingertips to her lips, trying to wipe away what she'd done.
"Oh, God." She lost focus on Gambit, and felt a hot tear stain her face. Her voice cracked as she looked back up at him. "Rogue." Gambit's entire face fell flat and drained of color, until he was as pale as Ivy. "Warren." She stammered.
She took a few steps backwards before turning on her heel, and practically running across the street back to the restaurant. Once inside the door, she wiped away what was left of the tear, and composed herself. She sat back down at their table and was greeted with curious stares and raised eyebrows.
"Everything OK?" Warren was concerned and angry, but he wasn't sure which was more important.
"Yeah, everything's fine." Ivy smiled, and saw Warren relax a bit. She stifled a sigh of relief when he believed her, and she returned to her desert, which Zach had nibbled on.
Gambit stayed outside for a few minutes more, realizing what'd he'd just done to Rogue. He knew they weren't actually together, but he also loved her, and what'd he'd done was in no way acceptable. Or, he thought he'd loved her... But when he'd seen Ivy in that white dress...
He rejoined the table, and sat down silently. He glanced at Layla who smiled at him, and he smiled in return; a fake, unconvincing smile, but a smile nonetheless. The drive back to the house was quiet, and once they'd all gotten inside, everyone went their separate ways to pack their things and straighten up the house. They had an early flight, and didn't want to worry about anything in the morning.
Ivy gathered all her things, shoving them into her duffel, not bothering to fold anything. She left a change of clothes and her toothbrush out for the morning, and changed out of her fancy dress into one of the bathrobes that Taylor had found in the linen closet. After she was packed, she went down the hall to take a quick shower so she didn't have to in the morning.
The water was hot and pierced her skin. She felt it run over her body, not leaving an inch dry, and she remembered kissing Gambit. Trying to forget the horrible thing she'd done to both her best friend and her new boyfriend, she picked up a bar of soap and began to wash her arms. She trailed the soap down the arm Gambit had run his fingers over and she threw it across the tub, sinking to her knees crying. She stayed huddled over herself for what seemed like hours; trying to forget, wishing she hadn't, praying no one would find out. Why did everyone always want her? Couldn't she just be with Warren? Why had Lash come into the picture. Why Gambit. Why Blake, or Dylan, or whatever his name was. She didn't even know anymore. She just wanted Gambit.
Wait. Gambit?!
After turning the water off and wrapping herself in the long white bathrobe, she forced herself to French braid her hair, even though she was having a hard time standing on her own. She felt weak and defeated and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. She left the bathroom and walked down the hallway, towel dragging on the floor behind her. She reached her door right as Warren came out of his.
"Hey." He smiled at her briefly, before it faded to concern. "Everything OK?"
She smiled tiredly, and took a few steps over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She took a deep breath in, memorizing his smell. Old spice. She smiled to herself. "I'm exhausted."
Warren gave a small chuckle, before releasing her from his hug. "Well, yeah. It's like, two-thirty. Go to sleep, I'll wake you up in a few hours." She nodded and squeezed his hand. She turned back around and turned her door handle. Warren had already started down the hall but turned abruptly. "Oh hey! Have you seen Gambit?" Ivy looked at her boy and shook her head silently. Warren grumbled something that Ivy couldn't hear and he smiled and continued down the hall.
Ivy went into her room, closing her door and locking it so she could change into her sweatpants and tank top.
"We need to talk."
Ivy screamed and fell back against the door, clutching her heart as it raced and pounded deep inside her chest. Gambit stood at the open window, back turned to the breeze, red and black eyes glowing, staring at the girl across the room. She quickly regained herself and stormed across the room hitting him repeatedly across his arms and chest angrily. "Don't you ever do that to me again! Do you hear me! You scared the shit out of me!" She slapped him upside his head.
"Stop! Cher!" He held her at arms distance so she couldn't reach him. They stared at each other for a moment before he let her go and she dashed back across the room so she was as far away from him as possible. She reached up and pulled her bathrobe closed farther for her own comfort, and rested her back against the wall.
"Talk fast." She wrapped the other arm around her waist so her body was as closed off from him as it could be.
"About tonight. Outside the restaurant. Gambit didn't--" He stopped short and rethought his sentence. "Ah shouldn't have done what Ah did, and Ah'm sorry."
"I kissed you. You shouldn't apologize. I should." She looked at the ground shamefully.
"Cher, Gambit put you in dat position." He took a step towards her hesitantly, but when she didn't make any move to back away he closed the distance between them and stood before her. "Gambit would never want to hurt you or da Rogue. Ah made a mistake. Rogue important." He looked as defeated as she felt, and she knew he felt it, too. Ivy didn't think twice before pushing herself off the door and hugging him tightly.
"The last thing in the world I want to do, is hurt Warren and Rogue." She let go a bit and looked up at the thief. "We can't say anything to anyone."
"Trust me, Cher. Ah would never." He smiled his normal, charming, sick smile that Ivy had grown to despise, and he left her alone in the room. As soon as he was gone, Ivy crawled into her bed, forsaking her sweats, and fell asleep.
She was woken the next morning by an abnormal amount of heat pulsing through her body. She opened her eyes the tiniest bit to see Warren lying next to her peacefully.
"I don't remember you being in here last night." She groaned into her pillow and shifted her body so she could face him.
"You owed me a morning." He smiled at her blushing cheeks. "We're not leaving for another hour, so I figured I could let you sleep a little more." She pulled herself closer to his chest and buried her face in it mumbling something about how thoughtful he was.
Six hours later, she was back in her own apartment helping Gambit set up the couch so he could sleep on it comfortably. After they finished, she retreated to her room and went to sleep. She felt like she hadn't had a good nights rest in years. It was hardly six-thirty in the evening when she was asleep. Gambit went to check on her once, and upon seeing her passed out on top of her bed and not in it, he laughed softly at her laziness, and pulled the covers over her. He returned to his makeshift bed and called the Professor to check in and let him know everything was OK.
14 chapters left. The countdown has begun.