Chapter 2
Snow
Gambit was inclined to believe in luck, both good and bad. And at the moment his was very good. The smoke-filled dingy atmosphere of the underground gambling den was something familiar, and almost comforting to him. It also helped that he had been on a winning streak for the past few rounds of poker, and his current hand ensured it would probably continue.
He laid down his cards with a flourish, and a smug smile pulled at his lips as the other players expressed their disappointment in their own hands and anger at his own good luck.
Gambit collected his winnings and nodded his head in something reminiscent of a bow. "Alright, gentleman, and lady," he inclined his head toward the only female player at their table, "better quit while I'm ahead."
"Not gonna give us a chance to win back any of our money?" one of the players asked, a scowl marring his ugly face.
"Another time," Gambit replied, unfazed, leaving the table before anything else could happen.
He walked out of the establishment and up the stairs that led outside. It was already dark, and Gambit sighed. He hadn't meant to stay out so late, but there was a reason there were no clocks in places like that.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he became aware of something else.
"Merdé," he cursed under his breath. He knew his luck had been too good. Luck was a fickle mistress, and she wasn't inclined to favor her suitors with too much of her favor for too long.
Why else would it be snowing?
He hated snow. Born and raised in the humid swamps and dazzling city of New Orleans, snow was something more of a myth than a reality. He had seen snow before, and even on the rare occasions the fluttering white flakes had made landfall in his home city and everything shut down for the half inch of precipitation that covered the ground when he was a child, he had enjoyed the novelty of playing in it with his brother.
But, that was before he had moved up north where snow could often be measured in feet rather than inches, and it didn't melt away the next day. Annoying, hazardous, and dang cold!
It had been chilly and windy when he had entered the gambling den several hours earlier, but there hadn't been a single cloud in the sky. He briefly wondered if the white-haired weather witch over at Xavier's had something to do with it, but he quickly dismissed the thought. There was nothing supernatural about this snowstorm.
Gambit huffed out a breath that formed a little cloud of fog as he pulled his duster tighter around him, making his way to his motorcycle. Lady Luck continued to snub him as he tried to turn the engine over and nothing happened.
The battery was probably dead from the sudden cold. He cursed again, no longer under his breath. He could probably charge it with his powers, but he had never done it before, and didn't want to risk slipping and blowing his beloved bike to smithereens.
The wind was picking up, and while just a few flurries had stuck, it showed no sign of stopping soon, and unless he missed his guess, the world would be completely white by morning.
The Acolyte base was over five miles away, and thus not an option. He briefly considered going back into the gambling den, but decided against it. It was likely that if he showed his face again so soon, it would have a collection of bruises come daylight. There were no cabs in such a small town as Bayville, and if he had to wait for one from the city, he would likely freeze to death before it arrived.
There was really only one place to go, barely a mile away that was sure to be warm and relatively safe.
He huffed out an annoyed sigh and began walking. He used his powers to keep his body temperature up, and moved at a reasonably quick place, but that didn't stop the snow from coating his hair and eyelashes and slipping down beneath the upturned collar of his coat.
He really hated snow.
His teeth were chattering and the tips of his fingers were starting to go numb, despite his powers, by the time his destination was finally in sight.
The strong, imposing bricks and mortar of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Students had never been a more welcoming sight.
He remembered all the layouts and security systems from the last time he broke in. But, he had tools and planning time last time, and there had been no snow.
Gambit was smart enough to recognize that if he had knocked at the front door and explained his situation, Professor Xavier was the type of man who would probably understand and offer him overnight accommodation just out of the goodness of his heart. But, Gambit didn't want to do that.
For one, he didn't particularly relish having to ask anyone for help. For another, what could he say? He liked a challenge.
But, the main reason he remained outside, going through his previous routine with more caution than last time was because the good professor would no doubt put him in a guest room, or worse make him share with one of the boys. Gambit shuddered at the mere thought of having to bunk with one of them.
After all, the only place he intended on sleeping was next to a tres belle Mississippi femme. That motivation alone made it worth the extra fifteen minutes he had to spend creatively dodging the mansion's security system.
Still, he couldn't help but breathe a silent sigh of relief when he entered Rogue's and Kitty's shared room, where it was blessedly warm. He shut the window behind him quickly to keep the frigid temperatures outside where they belonged.
He made his way quietly across the room, and smirked when he saw the King and Queen of Hearts still sitting on her nightstand. It was nice to know she still thought of him. He wondered if it was as often as he thought about her.
Rogue was asleep, curled up on her right side with the blankets clutched tightly around her, the very picture of peace.
Gambit hated to disturb her, but he was exhausted and still cold, and he wanted to sleep. He carefully removed his boots and his wet trench coat and laid them beside the bed where he could easily reach them if needed. Then, without another thought, he pulled the covers away from her enough so that he could climb in beside her.
The sudden draft woke her, and she rolled over dazedly to see the source of the disturbance. She groaned when she saw him but offered no further protest.
As he sidled a little closer to her, she gasped.
"You're freezing!" she hissed in an accusatory tone. Even through the sheet which he lay on top of so as not to graze her skin which was covered with it, she could feel it.
"Exactly, I'm freezing," he said as he pulled more of the blanket toward him.
"Whattayadoinhere?" her Southern drawl slurred together into one word in her half-awake state.
"Wouldn't throw me out into the snow, would you, chéré?" he asked innocently in a whisper.
She lifted her head from the pillow to look out the window to see the silvery precipitation falling rapidly in validation of his claim.
Her head dropped back down onto the pillow. "I hate snow."
Gambit smiled. "You and me both, chéré."
Her silence on the subject was enough to reassure him that she wasn't going to throw him out.
"You're hoggin' the covers," she complained, and tried to wrestle them back with no success.
"Dat's alright, chéré, I'll warm you up," Gambit absolutely purred.
She glared at him, and Gambit had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. It sure was fun to make her angry. And, she was very, very beautiful when she was angry.
"I meant wit' my powers," he said with a cheeky smile. He didn't but as beautiful as she looked when she was angry, he didn't have a death wish either.
She looked at him warily for a few minutes, but finally she gave one short, sharp nod.
"Come a bit closer," he grinned.
She scootched a half centimeter closer, and he pulled her up against his chest. She glared at him again but settled more comfortably against him. His arm wrapped around her waist and stayed there as if it belonged there.
He smiled down at her and gradually began using his powers to warm the sheet. He was being very careful so that neither of them exploded. His concentration almost broke when she let out a soft sigh of contentment and wiggled a bit closer to him.
"This is nice. My feet are finally warming up," she murmured, already being lulled back to sleep by his warmth and soothing presence.
Even though she couldn't see it as her face was pushed up against the fabric of his shirt, he smiled in one of his genuine, slightly crooked smiles. Rogue was right. This was nice.
In fact, having Rogue once again in his arms was more than nice. It was comfortable, familiar. More so than it should have been since it was only the second time he really had her in his arms.
It was almost like coming home.
He shook his head quickly at the thought. It was far too domestic. Still, it didn't scare him as much as it once would've. And, he definitely wasn't going to cut his time short.
Gambit carefully reabsorbed the charge into himself. The blankets were plenty warm by now anyway.
"I've missed you," he whispered softly into her hair.
He had thought she was asleep and that his voice was too low for her to hear anyway, so he wasn't ready for the slight shock and unexpected, delicious thrill that went through him when she murmured back, "Missed you too, Swamp Rat."
Maybe snow wasn't so bad after all.