Pulling his gloves on his hands, Gambit saw Wolverine walk up to him out of his peripheral. "Can I help y', homme?" He asked, calmly.
Leaning against the locker beside Gambit's, Wolverine crossed his arms over his chest. "Where'd ya go last night?" He asked.
Gambit cut his eyes to Wolverine, but continued to play it cool. "Wha' y' talkin' 'bout?" He asked, taking his brown coat and putting it on.
"You know what I'm talking about." Wolverine said. "I saw you get in at four this morning. Where the hell were you?"
Popping the collar of his jacket, Gambit closed his locker door and glared down at Wolverine. "Dat ain' none o' yo' business." He said, the short man standing up straight.
"I bet you were out fucking another woman." Wolverine said with a growl.
"I wasn' wit' no woman." Gambit sternly said. "It ain' nobody's business but mine wha' I be doin'."
"Does Rogue know?" Wolverine asked.
Slightly looking down, he knew he wasn't playing it as cool as he should.
"If you don't tell her, I will." Wolverine said. "She can't see what a piece of shit you are, but I can."
Flaring his nostrils in anger, Gambit balled his hands into fists and let his powers crackle to life. "Guys! Save it! Holy shit." Bobby yelled out to them as he turned to ice. "It's time to go."
Growling, Wolverine pushed past Gambit and stormed off out of the locker room. Opening his locker, Gambit grabbed the other seven decks that were in there and distributed them throughout his jacket, holster and uniform. He wasn't gonna hold back against anyone. Especially Wolverine.
When they all arrived, Beast and Iceman took on Shadowcat and Nightcrawler. The match lasted just under an hour with Kitty and Kurt winning. They then went against Gambit and Rogue and the match lasted a little longer, but they lost just barely. Beast and Iceman decided they wanted to take on Wolverine and Jubilee, so while that when on Gambit and Rogue rested up until the match was over. Wolverine and Jubilee came out on top. They had been in the Danger Room just over three hours and it was finally time for the match that was originally set up. Gambit and Rogue verses Jubilee and Wolverine.
"Ya ready, sugah?" Rogue asked, winking at Gambit.
"A'ways, chere." He winked back as they head down to the arena where Wolverine and Jubilee were waiting for them.
"Finally!" Jubilee called out with excitement.
"Alright." Beast called out over the speaker. "Begin!"
Rogue immediately took to the air and flew into Wolverine while Gambit made his way over to Jubilee. Her stance was nervous and novice and he knew he should exploit that. Extending his staff, he did a few flashy tricks, catching her off guard before throwing three cards at her feet. Jumping from the explosions, Jubilee shot her powers at Gambit but he dodged them with no effort, sweeping her off of her feet with his staff.
"Look like y' need mo' practice, petite." He said, spinning the staff as he watched her get to her feet.
"Yeah, whatever." Jubilee said as she shot at him.
Doing a back handspring, he fluidly grabbed a card from his breast pocket and threw it at her, knocking her back. "Wha'ever, indeed." He said, placing his staff on his shoulder. "Y' can a'ways give up. I let y' off easy dis time."
"In your dreams, Fabio!" Jubilee said, shooting a large blast at him.
Dodging to the right, he hit her again with a card and used his staff to sweep her feet out from under her again. "'Ey! I be better lookin' dan Fabio, no?" He joked, seeing her get angry as he stood over her.
Suddenly feeling someone kick him between the legs, Gambit fell to his knees and leaned over in pain. It felt like he was hit with a metal beam and he knew exactly who did it. Feeling his powers surge through him, Gambit was ready to kill that fucking dwarf.
"Piece of shit." Wolverine muttered as he stood behind Gambit.
"Wolverine!" Rogue called out, landing beside him. "What tha hell kinda shallow move was that?"
"Yeah, Logan." Jubilee agreed. "That was low."
Rogue knelt down beside Gambit. "Are ya okay, hun?" She asked.
"I probably ruined his night." Wolverine joked. "He's nothing but a inbred, cheating, piece of trash."
In one swift move, Gambit grabbed his staff, charged it up and quickly turned, smashing it against Wolverine's head causing a large explosion that knocked him back several feet. Growling in anger, Gambit quickly ran over and pinned the dazed Canadian down, straddling him. One by one, he threw charged cards into Wolverine's face as fast as he could. He didn't realize he was screaming in anger until he was suddenly picked up by his jacket and tossed back.
"Remy, cut it out!" Rogue said, looking at Wolverine, who's face was a mess. "God damn."
"He deserve it!" Gambit said, charging another card and throwing it at Wolverine. "Fucker!"
"Stop it!" Rogue said to Gambit with a stern voice as she put her hand up for him to stop. "He's down, dammit!"
"Jeez, Gambit." Jubilee said as she looked at Wolverine's face. "He's lucky he'll recover, otherwise you'd probably've killed him."
"Si seulement je pouvais." Gambit muttered as he stepped back a few steps.
"Beast, ah'm takin' Logan ta ya lab." Rogue said, scooping the small man up and taking him out of the room.
Word quickly spread and later that evening everyone who took place in that afternoon's session found themselves in the professor's office with Cyclops and Jean.
"What the hell happened?" Cyclops asked looking around at the six before focusing on Jubliee. "Jubilee?"
"We were just sparring, you know? Gambit knocked me down and then Logan comes up behind Gambit and kicks him right in the balls." Jubilee said looking at Gambit with a painful expression. "I hope you're okay. That looked like it really hurt."
"He deserve everyt'in' I give 'im! If I could kill 'im I would!" Gambit raised his voice. "Y' don' kick ot'er team mates in de balls!"
"Gambit's right." Cyclops said, looking at Wolverine. "Even if it's training against each other, we've established cheap shots are out. No hitting below the belt."
Wolverine let out a growl. "He deserves worse. He was out until four in the morning last night. Probably sticking his dick in some whore he found on the street." He said.
"Remy was with me last night." Rogue said, glaring at Wolverine.
"Uh huh. Tell her about the other woman, Cajun." Wolverine said.
"Dere is no ot'er woman!" Gambit raised his voice, getting to his feet and taking a step towards Wolverine.
"Calm down!" Cyclops said, putting his hands up.
Rogue grabbed Gambit's arm and pulled him back to his chair. "Cool ya jets, hun." She said looking at Gambit when he sat down. "Were ya gone last night?"
Looking into her eyes, he knew he couldn't lie to her. "Oui." He said, immediately looking down at his feet before he glared at Wolverine. "But I wasn' wit' no woman."
"Where were you?" Cyclops asked. "There's no need for anyone to be out in the middle of the night."
"Had a job." He said, looking at Rogue who knew exactly what he was talking about.
"Ah thought ya gave up thievin'." She said, with a let down expression.
He sighed as he ran his hands through his hair before rubbing his face.
"You can't keep doing this, Gambit." Cyclops said. "You're apart of the X-Men now. We help people, not steal from them."
"Only stealin' from de bad guys." He said.
"And that makes it right?" Rogue asked.
Looking at her, Gambit suddenly felt like a piece of shit. Fingers were now pointing at him and it was all Wolverine's fault.
"So was that ya plan last night?" Rogue asked. "Tire me out and then go do ya job?"
He could see the hurt in her eyes turning to tears. His chest started to ache. He wanted to say more, but the words weren't coming out.
"Ah take it ya silence means yes?" Rogue asked before she stood and looked down at him. "Ah can't believe this. Ya such an asshole, Remy."
Storming out of the office, Gambit looked down at the ground as Cyclops started to say something else, but he wasn't listening. He had hurt the woman he loved and he knew it would be a long road to earn her trust back. He'd have to find out after this lecture if they were even still together. Looking up, he locked eyes with Jean who seemed to share his sadness. As soon as they were dismissed, Gambit quickly got up and left to go find Rogue.
Coming up to their bedroom door, he placed his hand on the door knob and found it locked. "Anna?" He asked, waiting for a response. "C'mon, chere. Open de door."
She didn't say anything.
Placing his nose at the seam of the door, he spoke louder. "Anna," He started, trying to choose his words carefully. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't 've gone out but I can' stop bein' me an' doin' wha' I know. Been doin' dis m' whole life." He stopped and listened to see if she had anything to add.
"Then why did ya use me?" She asked, her voice was shaky obviously from crying.
Rubbing his face with his left hand, he kept his nose at the door. "I didn' use y', Anna." He said. "Got de job after we plan las' night."
"Ya still used me, Remy." She said, sniffing. "Ya knew full well ah'd be worn out so you could slip outta here easily!"
He let his forehead hit the door with a thud. The last thing he wanted was to see, or hear, was Rogue crying. The click of the lock made him stand up straight. Opening the door, he saw Rogue heading into the bathroom.
"Wait!" He tried to grab her before she shut the door and locked it. "Pour l'amour de Dieu." He said under his breath.
Sighing again, he walked to the bathroom door and sat down on the ground with his back against it. Bringing his knees up, he rest his elbows against them. He decided to stay quite and his chest hurt again when he heard her trying to keep her sobs quiet. Letting the back of his head hit the door, he swallowed hard as he looked up at the ceiling. His eyes were starting to get hot as her sobs continued on.
"Please." He said softly with desperation in his voice. "I'm sorry."
A moment later, the lock on the door clicked and he turned around to see the door open and Rogue standing there looking down at him. Her eyes were red and her face was wet with the tears. Getting to his feet, he took a step closer but Rogue stepped back and sniffled as she looked up into his eyes.
"Ah... ah need some time alone." She said, blinking a few times. "Please?"
Forcing a smile, Gambit nodded. "D'accord." He said softly. "I see y' t'night."
He turned and left their room, closing the door behind him and head down the stairs. Heading toward the garage, he decided a little fresh air would probably do him some good. Straddling his motorcycle and bringing the engine to life, he sped down the driveway and toward the gates of the mansion.
"Anna?" Rogue sighed as she looked at the bedroom door.
"Go away, Jean." Rogue said. "Ah wanna be alone."
"You and I both know that isn't true." Jean said.
Getting to her feet, Rogue walked over and opened the door giving Jean a hug. Feeling her hug her back she started to cry again.
"Ah'm so mad at Remy, but then ah ain't." Rogue said.
"Well, I can tell you he feels horrible." Jean said, pulling away and placing her hand on the side of Rogue's face. "After you left the professor's office, he looked at me and I could feel his pain. His sadness. I haven't felt anything like that from him before. He's crushed."
Rogue shook her head as she stepped back and sat down at the foot of the bed. "Ah don't doubt he regrets it. Ah don't even think he realizes that he did use me even though he says he didn't."
"He didn't use you. You guys, apparently, had plans for an intimate evening and he wanted to see that through before he went out and took care of whatever he needed." Jean said. "He could've called off last night with you and just gone and done whatever it was he did, you know? He's trying to balance his old life with his new one, but he's now finding out that he can't have both. Where is he now?"
Rogue shrugged. "Hell if ah know. Ah told him ah needed some time alone." She said, sniffling. "He said he'd see me tonight."
"Do you want to see him tonight?" Jean asked.
Rogue sighed. "Ah don't know." She said. "Ah'm too upset ta think about that right now."
Jean gave her a warm smile. "Welcome to the world of relationships." She said. "Listen. You guys just need to talk."
"He tried already, but ah wasn't in tha mood." She said.
"Well, you need to talk to him." Jean said as she stood up and smiled down at her. "So tonight when you see him, talk it out."
Rogue nodded, seeing Jean wink at her before she left the bedroom. Sighing, she lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, thinking.
"What is wrong, my friend?" Storm asked as Gambit walked in from the garage.
He sighed, still feeling horrible about the whole situation. "I fucked up 'Ro." He said. "Fucked up bad."
He saw the concern on her face. "Are you alright?" She asked.
He shook his head. "Don' know." He said. "Me an' Anna..."
"Walk with me." She said, taking his right elbow and locking her left in it as they head outside. "Tell me what is going on."
"Took a job las' night." He started.
"Remy." Storm said in a disappointed tone.
"I know, I know." He said. "I can' keep doin' dat, but dis wha' I know. It be de only t'in' I be good at."
"That is not true." Storm said. "Please, continue."
He shrugged. "We plan yeste'day t' have fun las' night and den I got de job after. I figured I had plenty o' time. Didn' need t' meet dem 'til one and we was done way b'fore den." He said.
"I suppose Rogue woke up and found you gone?" Storm asked.
"Non." He said, looking at her in anger. "Wolverine see me get in at four."
Storm sighed and shook her head. "I am sorry." She said. "So he is the one who 'opened the can of worms' so to speak?"
"Eve'yt'in' be fine if he kept his fuckin' mout' shut." Gambit said with a sigh. "Now Rogue t'inkin' I used her jus' to tire her out so I could go do de job while she sleepin'. Which isn't true."
Storm looked at him. "Are you sure?" She asked.
He looked at her confused. "Wha'?" He asked.
"So it did not cross your mind at all that she would be too tired to notice you leave and return?" She asked.
"Non." He said, shaking his head. "De only t'in' dat went t'rough m' mind was de time I was suppose t' meet wit' de client. I mean I hoped she fall asleep fast, but dat wasn' m' plan." He smirked. "Y' suppose t' be on my side, chere."
Storm gave him a smirk back as she continued to lead him through the garden. "Tell her these things." She said as she stopped and faced him.
"Don' t'ink she wanna see me fo' a while." Gambit said, looking back at the mansion. "Maybe y' tell her, eh? Y' be one o' her bes' friends."
Storm shook her head. "She needs to hear it from you." She said, placing her hand on the side of his face. "It will be fine. Everything will turn out fine."
"Sure hope so, Stormy." He said, seeing her give him a slight glare at the nickname so he smirked back at her.
Finally leaving the bedroom, Rogue head down the stairs. "You finally ready to face people, kid?" She heard Wolverine say behind her.
"Don't think we're on speakin' terms either, Logan." Rogue said, stopping and looking back at him. "Ah'm still made at ya, too."
"Come on." Wolverine said, walking down the stairs and catching up to her. "Cajun had it comin'. It's about time he got caught."
"Don't ya dare!" Rogue said, shoving Wolverine against the wall, causing two pictures to fall to the floor. "Ah suggest ya get tha hell outta my sight. Ah ain't in tha best of moods, in case ya haven't noticed."
"Yeah alright. I'll give ya space, kid." Wolverine said. "Just keep in mind Gambit ain't telling you everything."
Turning around, Rogue head out and down the hall toward the library but stopped in her tracks as she saw Storm and Gambit walk in through the side door.
"I shall leave you two alone." Storm said, giving Gambit a warm smile before heading in the opposite direction.
They stood there in silence for a while just staring at each other until Gambit decided he needed to be the one to make the first move. Walking up to her, he looked down into her bright green eyes before taking her hands.
"Anna," He started but Rogue cut him off with a hug.
"Why can't ya just be honest with me?" She asked, burying her face in his chest before she looked up at him.
Wrapping his arms around her, he placed his hand on her head and pulled her close. "I'm tryin'." He said. "Swear I'm tryin'. It jus' some t'in's...be a habit."
Slightly pulling away, Rogue looked up at him and raised her eyebrow. "A habit?" She asked.
"Dat ain' wha' I meant." He said, sighing as he shook his head. "Y' makin' it harder fo' me t' plead m' case."
Pulling away, she took his hand and led him into the library where they sat down in her favorite chair. "Remy, ah don't wanna fight wit' ya. Hell, ah feel like shit and ah can't even explain what ah'm feelin'." She said as she took his hands. "Just tell me ya gonna be completely honest with me from now on. Okay?"
He smiled for real this time as he took his hand and placed it on the side of her face. "I try m' bes'." He said, seeing a small smile form on her face.
Leaning against him, they sat back and relaxed for a bit. "Ah almost sent Logan through the wall a bit ago." Rogue said, looking up at him with a smirk.
Gambit cocked his eyebrow. "Wha' fo'?" He asked.
"He was pushin' my buttons." She said, placing her hand on his left thigh. "He said ya ain't tellin' me everythin'. Ah know ya got ya secrets. Lord knows ah got mine."
"Ain' keepin' not'in' from y'." He said, placing his hand on hers. "Y' know y' jus' ask an' I answer anyt'in'."
"Ah know." Rogue said, resting her head on his left shoulder.
"So," He started, getting her attention. "Can I come back to de room?"
Rogue chuckled. "Yes." She said, kissing his cheek. "Of course ya can. It's not like ah can keep ya out, anyway."
"True." He said with a smirk.
"I see you two made up." They looked over to see Wolverine leaning against the frame of the library entrance.
"Ah suggest ya get tha hell outta here, Logan." Rogue said, glaring at him as she stood and pointed to the entrance of the library. "Ya causin' all kinds of tension that nobody needs right now."
"I'm causing tension?" Wolverine asked. "He's the one sneaking off and committing crimes in the middle of the night."
"Do ah agree with what he does? No, but ah understand him more than y'all do." She said, looking back at Gambit. "Everyone needs a second chance and ah'm willin' ta give him more than two."
"Gumbo ain't gonna change for no one." Wolverine said, looking at him and glaring. "This kid is just mooching off of Chuck."
Getting to his feet, Gambit took a few steps toward Wolverine. "Y' wanna go, Monsieur Minuscule?" He asked, his power surging through him. "I whoop yo' ass again."
"Remy, stop it." Rogue said, grabbing his right wrist before looking at Wolverine. "Logan, go on and leave before ah escort ya."
Turning, Wolverine head into the hall but stopped and turned back. "That was some power back there, Gumbo. Didn't know you had it in ya." He said as he turned and left down the hall.
Rogue smirked as she looked at Gambit. "That's a compliment, sugah." She said. "Ah think ya should take it."
"T'ink I should kick his ass mo' often." He smirked, making her chuckle.
"C'mon." She said, taking his hand. "Ah need some dinner."