Another chapter!
Listen, 2019 was a hell of a year for me. I won't go into details, but it took up most of my time.
I'll try and update this, and other fics, when I can.
Thanks for the support and I hope you enjoy this long-overdue chapter!
Closing the door after the last mover left, Rogue let out a sigh as she walked over and plopped down on their new couch. "Directin' those movers was like talkin' to children." She said, watching Gambit as he walked over and opened the fridge and grabbed a bottled water. "Hand me one, will ya?"
"How you feelin'?" He asked, sitting down beside her and handing her the bottled water before opening his and taking a few gulps.
"Not gonna lie, I'm pretty tired," Rogue said, unscrewing the cap of the bottled water and taking a few sips. "I'm glad we didn't rush moving into this place. Taking it slow was the best plan."
"Well, I woulda moved in that same weekend we bought it." He said, placing his hand on her thigh.
"Yeah I know and I wasn't about that," Rogue said, giving him a smirk.
Smiling back at her, he leaned in. "We gonna break in de shower?" He asked, kissing her neck. "Wanna see how well dat counter holds up."
Rogue laughed. "I bet you do." She said, pulling away and looking over his face. "Been thinking about that counter since we first saw the place, haven't ya?"
"Oui." He said, watching her get comfortable on their new couch. "You feelin' up to it?"
"Later," Rogue said. "I need to rest."
Taking another sip of water, Rogue's phone beeped, letting her know she received a text. Taking her phone out of her pocket she unlocked the screen and read the text.
"Who is it?" Gambit asked, seeing a worried expression on her face.
"Dani wants you to call her." She said, looking at Gambit. "She said it's urgent."
"Hmm." He said, taking his phone out and dialing her before he stood up. "Hey, what's up?"
Rogue watched him as he walked into the kitchen and stopped. Her attention was drawn to the conversation over Gambit's tone of voice.
"What?" He asked a bit of sorrow in his voice. "When?"
Rogue was definitely curious now as to what was going on.
"Chere, I'm so sorry." He said, slightly hanging his head. "He was a good man, dat's fo' sure. Proud I knew him. Jus' disappointed in myself dat I didn't make a trip t' see him sooner."
Getting to know Dani, Rogue knew that her grandfather was sick with diabetes and heart conditions. Dani had expressed how she wanted to see him before the year was over and judging by the conversation Gambit was having with her on the phone, David had passed away.
"Jus' 'cause we live somewhere else don't mean you can't ask for' anythin', you hear?" He said. "You let me know when de funeral is. Take care of yo'self. I see y' Monday in class. Goodnight."
"David?" Rogue asked, seeing Gambit turn around and nod. "I'm sorry, hun."
Gambit let out a sigh. "Just feel like an asshole for not saying goodbye or even visitin' him." He said, leaning his hands against the cold marble counter.
"You gonna go to the funeral?" Rogue asked, getting to her feet and walking over to him, placing her hand on his upper back.
"Prob'ly." He said, looking down at her. "You mind?"
"Not at all," Rogue said. "You knew him and he obviously made an impact on your life. It would be the right thing to do."
Letting out another sigh, he smiled at her. "T'anks for bein' amazin'." He said as he leaned in and kissed her.
"You're welcome." She teased, giving him a wink as her right hand went up and combed through the back of his hair. "Now, let's go get our bedroom in order so we have somewhere to sleep tonight."
The bright morning sunlight caused Gambit to open his eyes and blink several times before he sat up and saw Rogue out on the private deck that was just off the master bedroom. He smirked as he got up and put his pajama bottoms on before he opened the door to join her. Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled as he came up beside her and snaked his arm around her waist.
"It's gorgeous out here." She said, hugging him. "Nice cool morning, too."
"How'd y' sleep?" He asked, kissing the side of her head.
"That bed is amazing," Rogue said. "I can't believe we waited so long to get a new mattress."
"Slept good, too." He said, letting out a yawn. "Suppose we should go get Leila today."
Rogue smiled. "I think she'll like it here. She seemed to like it when we brought her by to show her." She said.
"Y' see dat tree?" Gambit said, pointing to the left.
"Yeah." She said, looking back up at him.
"I wanna build her a treehouse." He said, seeing Rogue's smile widen.
"That's adorable." She said, taking a sip of coffee. "You gonna do this all by yourself?"
"Sure." He said, seeing Rogue purse her lips together to keep from laughing. "What? You don't t'ink I can do it?"
"That ain't even what I said." She said. "I'm just laughing, 'cause it's gonna take forever if you do that on your own. Leila's gonna be grown and married by the time you finish."
"Don't even joke about her bein' married," Gambit said as he headed back towards the door. "She ain't allowed t' date until she's thirty-five."
"Oh hush up," Rogue said, setting the empty coffee mug on the dresser. "I'm gonna get a shower."
"I may join you," Gambit said, placing his hands on his hips.
"Whatever you want," Rogue said as she let the robe fall to the floor before she walked into the extravagant master bath.
After showering they got dressed and head over to the school to pick Leila up. Gathering the last bit of their things from their old room, they packed them up in one of the SUV's and head back to their new house. Once they parked in the driveway, they got out and walked inside.
"You're room's all set up, baby," Rogue said as she walked with Leila to her bedroom. "What do you think?"
"It's really big." She said, walking over and touching the stuffed animals that littered her bed.
"Yep. More room for you to grow." Rogue said. "Do you like it?"
"Mm-hmm." Leila smiled as she looked back at her mom. "And where is my little sister going to sleep?"
Rogue smiled. "Well, they're gonna sleep in our room for a bit, but they'll be down the hall from you after a while."
"I can't wait until she's born," Leila said.
"Well, we don't know if it's a boy or girl just yet," Rogue said. "But either will be just fine."
"I want a baby sister," Leila said.
"Then it just might be a girl." Rogue winked at her daughter before she put her hand out for her to take. "Come on. Let's go see what daddy's up to."
Walking into the living room, they saw him bringing in the last of the boxes they had hauled over. Setting it on the ground, he clapped the dirt off of his hands and smiled at his girls.
"Well, we all moved in." He said, placing his hands on his hips. "Now we need to get us a family car."
"I guess we do need to get a car, huh?" Rogue said, meeting his gaze. "What did you have in mind?"
"I figure I let you choose." He said, shrugging.
"Me?" Rogue asked. "Why me?"
"Why not?" He asked with a shrug.
"I'm not picky." She said. "Just something to get us to and from the school that'll hold these kids."
Giving her a warm smile, he walked over and placed his hand on her stomach. "I find something." He said before giving her a light peck on her lips. "Big enough for a growin' family."
"You better not buy an SUV." Rogue spat at him as he picked a box up and placed it on the counter.
Cocking an eyebrow, he smirked. "What if I do?" He asked.
"Lord," Rogue said as she watched Leila head toward the backyard. "I don't wanna be driving a bus, Remy."
"Ain't gonna be a bus." He said. "Jus' wait. I think you like what I got in mind. Hey Leila." The little girl looked back at her dad. "How's about I make you a treehouse?"
Leila's eyes widened. "Really?" She asked.
"Yep," Gambit said as he walked over and knelt down in front of his daughter. "I'm gonna have Uncle Logan and Uncle Kurt come over and help me. Dat sound good?"
"Yeah!" Leila said as she hugged her dad in excitement, making him chuckle. "Can they spend the night?"
"We'll ask 'em and see what dey think." He said as he kissed her little nose. "Right now, I need some lunch."
They had a wonderful rest of their evening. Putting things where they thought should go and arranging rooms before it was time for baths and then bed. After putting Leila to bed, Rogue walked into the master bedroom to find Gambit turning the sheets down. Giving him a smile when she met his gaze, she walked over and slid in underneath the soft, cool sheets. Flipping the light off, Gambit slid inside the sheets as well before moving in closer to his wife and snuggling up.
"I love this bed," Rogue said as she kissed his shoulder.
"How 'bout we test it and see if it can hold up to our use." He joked.
"You're such a horny bastard." Rogue laughed. "What vehicle did you have in mind, anyway?"
"Safest car on the market for my family." He said, lightly running the tips of his fingers up and down her upper arm.
Rogue couldn't help but relive the car accident they had experienced that left Leila unconscious for a few days and gave Gambit a few scars on his face. Although they had faded a lot, they were still noticeable.
"Audi?" Rogue asked. "Mercedes?"
"I'll look into it." He said, kissing her forehead. "Could jus' buy a tank."
Lightly laughing, Rogue rolled her eyes. "Goodnight, hun." She said, giving him a hug.
After letting Gambit know the date of the funeral they planned their trip to Colorado. Arriving at the airport with Dani, Gambit kissed Rogue goodbye before they gathered their luggage and head to their plane. Dani hadn't said much the whole day, so Gambit tried to make small talk.
"David," He paused. "Yo' grandpa was a good man." He said, seeing her look up at him. "He was de first one dat didn't judge me because o' my eyes or de fact dat I'm a mutant. He gave me a chance when no one else would."
Dani smiled up at him. "How long did you know my grandpa?" She asked.
"Le'see." Gambit leaned back in the chair as they waited to board their plane. "About four months. Started working for him pretty much the day I met him."
"How did you meet my mom?" Dani asked. "She never told me how she met you."
He smirked, crossing his leg. "I stopped fo' gas and yo' mama was on de side of de street cursin' her piece of shit car to hell." He smiled, seeing Dani laugh at that. "Took her home after taking a look under de hood. David gave me a job when yo mama told him what happened."
"She just trusted you to take her home?" Dani asked, a little shocked.
"It was a different time, back den," Gambit said, looking down at his black dress shoes. "A simpler time. Fo' me, anyway."
They were quiet for a few minutes and then the announcement came over the speaker for them to board their plane. They got on and sat down in the first-class seats and waited for the plane to start heading toward the tarmac.
"My dad's gonna be there," Dani said, looking up at Gambit. "I don't want to see him."
"It'll be fine," Gambit said, smiling at the young girl. "I make sure of it."
"Do I have to sit by him?" Dani asked.
"Non." Gambit said. "Not if you don't want to."
With the plane finally taking off, they were in the air for several hours. Dani had fallen asleep leaning against Gambit but he didn't mind. He was focusing on the small town he was about to revisit and the people that lived there that he had gotten to know. He was excited, but also nervous. He had run out on these people after they had accepted him. Especially Gabby.
He had been asked if he had loved her. Thinking about it, he honestly did. She was different than the type of women he'd pick up just for pleasure. She actually cared about him. He was able to forget his past when he lived in that small town and he was grateful for that, but his past soon caught up with him and he had to leave before bad things started happening to the people he cared about.
When the plane landed and parked, they exited the plane where Gabby was there to greet them. "Danielle!" She said with a big smile as she hugged her daughter tightly.
"Hi, mom," Dani said, hugging her back.
Gambit smiled, watching them before Gabby stood and smiled up at him with tears forming in her eyes. She moved in closer and hugged him as she started to cry. Placing his arms around her, he gave her a big hug as he let her cry. Her father just died. She needed a friend now more than anything. Giving her one more squeeze, he pulled away and smiled at her as he wiped her eyes with his thumbs.
"How you doing?" He asked. "You holdin' up okay?"
Gabby sniffed and gave him a smile. "I'm trying." She said. "It's hard. Being back here. Seeing everyone."
"I get it." He said, taking a step back.
"Let's get our luggage and head home," Gabby said as they head toward the baggage claim.
After gathering their things, they head into town and down the familiar dirt road that led to the trailer house. Getting out of the car, Gambit looked at the trailer before he helped with the luggage and they all walked inside.
"It's like walkin' into a time capsule." He said as he looked around the living room. "Doesn't look any different than it did twenty years ago."
Gabby smiled, "Well, dad didn't care about keeping up with the times." She said. "You can have my old room. Dani and I will sleep in my dad's room."
"Nah," Gambit said, shaking his head. "I'll sleep in here on the couch."
"You sure?" Gabby asked.
"I'm sure." He said, giving her a smile. "Goodnight."
Watching them head into the bedrooms, he sat down on the couch and pulled out his phone, checking texts and listening to voicemails. He smiled when he heard a voicemail from Leila saying how much she already missed him. He missed her too. It was funny to think that just a few years ago, he'd be fine going on missions or being away from the others and not look back until the time came to go home. Now, he wants to be close to his family and friends. His responsibilities have changed and now he has this beautiful child and another on the way. Funny how life changes people's priorities.
Looking at what time it was, he saw that it was already way past Leila's bedtime, so he gave Rogue a call. The phone rang longer than it usually did, but then she finally picked up.
"Hey." He heard her say groggily.
"Didn' mean to wake you." He said. "Thought maybe you'd still be up."
"I dozed off on the couch." Rogue said, yawning. "Sorry. Hi."
"Hi." He said back with a smile. "Finally here."
"I'm glad." Rogue said. "Does the place look any different?"
"Not really." He let out a few small laughs. "Still an old town in de middle of nowhere. Bringing back a flood o' memories."
"I bet." Rogue said. "How's she doin'?"
Letting out a sigh, he looked down the hall. "She's hurtin'." He said. "I can only imagine what she's goin' through. Her dad dying and the divorce. Dani's powers. I feel bad for her."
"Yeah." Rogue said.
The silence was starting to get awkward. "How you doin'?" He asked her.
"Oh, I'm fine." Rogue said.
He could tell she was smiling. "Baby's good?" He asked.
She let out a few laughs. "Far as I can tell." She said.
"Good." He said, looking at the clock and seeing the time. "I'll let you go. It's after one."
He could hear her yawn, "Mm! Alright. Goodnight hun. Love you."
"Love you, too. Hope you sleep good." He said.
"Well, we'll see how it is with you gone." She said. "Night, lover."
"Night." He said hanging up the line.
Pulling his shirt off, he stood and walked over to turn the lights out before returning and laying down on the couch.
It only felt like a moment when his alarm went off, causing him to wake up. Turning the alarm on his phone off, he sat up and rubbed his face before he threw the blanket off of him and stood up. Pulling his shirt on, he walked over and turned on the light before starting up the coffee machine. A few moments later, Gabby walked out from the hall and paused seeing Gambit in the kitchen.
"Mornin'." He said with a smile. "Got coffee going."
"Thanks." She said as she leaned against the counter. "Seeing you in here is bringing back naughty memories."
Gambit smirked. "I guess we did fuck in here, huh?" He said looking at Gabby.
"Yes, we did." She said with a smile, before letting it fade. "I can't believe he's gone."
He let his head hang for a moment. "He was a good man." Gambit said, causing Gabby to give him a genuine smile.
"Thank you." She said, wiping her eyes and clearing her throat. "I need to get Dani up. Excuse me."
Cutting the last of the waffle, Rogue sat the plate in front of Leila before giving the top of her head a kiss. "I'm gonna go get a shower. I'll keep the door unlocked in case you need something, alright?" She asked her daughter, making sure she understood.
"Okay." Leila replied as she took a bite of waffle.
Rogue quickly got her shower and wished she could stay in there longer, but leaving a five year old unattended for longer than ten minutes didn't seem like a good idea. Getting dressed and wrapping her hair up in a messy bun, she walked out and into the living room to see Leila watching cartoons. Giving her a smile, Rogue took Leila's plate and cleaned it up before getting another cup of coffee and fixing it up the way she liked it.
Walking over and taking a seat beside her daughter, Rogue tucked Leila's hair behind her ear. "What do you want to do today?" She asked.
"Can we visit Uncle Logan?" Leila asked with a smile.
Rogue shrugged. "Sure." She said. "I don't see why not. Besides, it'll be good to see them. It's quiet without your daddy around."
"I miss him," Leila said. "When is he coming home?"
"Tomorrow," Rogue said, smiling at her. "I miss him, too. He makes this place fun, huh?"
"Mm-hmm!" Leila said as she hopped off the couch. "I'm going to go get dressed!"
Rogue smiled as the little girl hopped off the couch and ran down the hall towards her room. Once she was dressed, they hopped in the sedan they were borrowing from Charles and head toward the school. Pulling up to the gates about twenty-five minutes later, Rogue scanned her card and the gates opened letting them inside.
As the parked in the front, Leila started kicking her legs in excitement as Rogue killed the engine. Unbuckling her seatbelt, Leila opened the door and jumped out before running up to the entrance of the school. Rogue quickly made her way to the front door and unlocked it with her card, letting Leila enter first.
"Whoa!" Cyclops said as Leila zoomed past him before he looked at Rogue and smiled. "Hi."
"Hey." She said, closing the door behind her. "Sorry about that."
"It's alright." He said with a light laugh. "I was just heading to the Danger Room. Care to join me?"
"I'd love to," She started. "But I'm gonna sit this one out. Thanks, though."
"No problem." He said as he headed off towards the elevator to the lower levels of the mansion.
Letting out a sigh, she was curious as to what everyone was doing on this beautiful Saturday. Rogue decided she was going to go find her friends and see what was going on.
Arriving at the funeral home, they were escorted to a small room so all the guests could be seated. Gambit could tell Gabby was nervous that her husband would show up, but he didn't. It pissed him off that he wouldn't show any respect for her father. Once the ceremony started, they headed down the aisle and down to the front row. Once they sat, Gabby started crying uncontrollably. Placing his arm around her, Gambit pulled her close and she started crying into his chest.
He locked eyes with Gabby's husband from across the room and glared at him as the minister started his speech. It was honestly a beautiful ceremony and Gambit had no idea this many people knew David and were touched by him in some way throughout their lives. It made him proud to know him.
Once they finished and drove out to the burial site, a few more words were spoken before they lowered David's coffin into the ground. Dani had been surprisingly controlled, only crying once when they went to see him after the ceremony. Climbing back into the limo, they returned to the funeral home where Gambit escorted Gabby and Dani back to his rental car.
He noticed Gabby's husband out of the corner of his eye, so he turned to him. "Can I help you?" He asked, standing in the way of him and the girls.
"I have a right to talk to my wife." James said.
"Well, she ain' exactly wantin' to talk to you." Gambit said, reaching up and pulling his sunglasses down just a touch so he could take a look at James a little more clearly. "You disrespect dis family."
"Wait a minute." James said, lifting his right hand and pointing at Gambit. "Red eyes. You're that mutant she dated. Yeah, she told me about you. I bet you're the reason we have a mutant daughter."
Gambit couldn't help but laugh at his stupidity. "Ain' how that works." He said, seeing James' fists ball up.
"James, just leave us alone." Gabby said. "It's been a tough day for all of us."
"You shut the hell up." James said, causing Gambit to clench his jaw and take a step forward closing the gap between him and James.
"You better show some respect." Gambit said in a low, threatening voice.
"Or what? You gonna use your mutant powers and kill me?" James asked, getting in his face.
"Non." Gambit said as he quickly reared his right arm back and punched him in the nose.
"Ah!" James cried out as he buckled over and grabbed his nose. "You asshole!"
"Get cho ass outta here and don't you ever come round these girls again." Gambit said, taking another step closer but seeing James step back and then walk away. "Fuckin' asshole." He muttered as he turned to Gabby and Dani. "Y'all alright?"
Gabby smiled. "I've always wanted to punch that prick in the face. Thank you for letting me see that moment." She said.
Gambit cracked a smile. "Let's head home, yeah?" He said as they got in the car and head back to the trailer house.