A/N: I am not completely pleased with this chapter, but I like the ending. If there are any helpful suggestions on how it could be improved, please let me know. Thanks.

Chapter 6

+1. Invitation

Gambit looked across the desk at the man he was now in business with. The ink from their signatures and two witnesses was still drying on the contract that they had meticulously drawn up. Gambit had been thinking about this opportunity for a while and was fairly sure he was making a wise choice, but as a thief, he never liked to enter anything without an exit plan. The contract insured he could leave at any time if he so desired and got him out of wearing the outfit normally required for the job, among other things.

"Well, Mister LeBeau, everything seems to be in order. We're very glad to have you part of the team. I'll have someone show you around," the man said as he shook Remy's hand.

"Merci," Gambit replied graciously, his poker face not revealing that he was already extremely familiar with the building's entire layout.

"Yes, well, I suppose I should come out and introduce you to everyone," the man said.

Gambit couldn't help the wry smirk that pulled against his lips, "I'm pretty sure everyone remembers me."

The older man had a twinkle of amusement in his eyes as he steepled his fingers underneath his chin, and replied, "That's what worries me. But, I've assembled everyone in the library and will escort you myself. I'm sure everyone will be very welcoming."

"I'm sure," Gambit replied, wondering if the non-threatening personage in front of him was going to ensure that they were. He mentally sniggered at the thought.

"Lead de way," Gambit said.

He followed behind the man and his two associates that had served as witnesses to the muffled din coming behind thick double doors. He wisely kept a step back, out of sight as the white-haired woman opened the doors, and the chatter from the other side instantly ceased.

The bald man rolled himself in on his wheelchair, flanked by the mutants known as Storm and Beast.

"Thank you for being here. I have good news. I want everyone to welcome the newest member of the X-Men," Professor Xavier said to the rest of the household.

Remy stepped into the light and leaned nonchalantly against the door frame and reveled in the surprised gasps of the younger population of the mansion.

"Bonjour, mon amis," he said casually.

There was a rise of noise as protests fell from the lips of Scott and Jean, and the distinct snikt sound of the Wolverine's claws released. Gambit ignored them all, his focus on the girl with white streaks in her hair, and the shy smile gracing her face. That one look was enough to convince him he had made the right choice. He winked at her, unnoticed by the others, and was rewarded when a dark blush suffused her pale cheeks.

"Now, calm down," the Professor was saying, and the voices abruptly ceased. "Gambit is no longer our enemy and has shown a genuine interest in following the rules of the Institute and joining our team. For now, it is on a trial basis. But, for as long as he is here, he is to be treated as a member of the team. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Professor," came the replies of the students, some more hesitantly than others.

Charles Xavier smiled, "Very good. Now, Rogue, could you please show Mister LeBeau around?"

A deep growl resonated from Logan's throat, as Rogue, suddenly flustered, replied, "Oh! Um, yes."

"Charles," Wolverine said in warning, but the rest of his response was lost to them as Gambit pulled her out of the library, shutting the doors behind them.

Rogue crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him as they walked away. "And, just what do ya think ya are doing here, Swamp Rat?"

He grinned deviously at her. "What you mean, chéré? Didn't you hear de Professor? I'm here to be an X-Man."

She snorted. "Oh, really? Magneto not paying you enough?"

"Paid plenty, but was boring," he said casually. Then, he added, "Besides, Xavier's has better perks."

Her eyebrow arched up, "Such as?"

"Well, for one t'ing," he said, draping an arm around her shoulders before whispering in her ear, "Xavier's has much better looking femmes."

She shoved him lightly, and he pretended to be hurt.

"Don't ya trust me, chéré?" he asked with a grin.

"About as far as I can throw ya," she quipped.

"But, you can throw pretty far now, non?" he asked innocently, referencing her powers of flight and super strength.

Realizing her mistake, Rogue could do nothing more than huff, and Gambit chuckled at her reaction.

Before she could gather her wits, he asked, practically purring, "Aren't you supposed to be giving me a tour?"

"Why, so I can show you where all the good silverware is kept?"

"Non, already know where everything of value is. But, I never say no to spending time in the company of a belle femme," he hummed.

She rolled her eyes at him, and said with exasperation, "Don't you ever get tired of hearing yourself talk?"

"Not when it's about you, chéré," he said, and Rogue wasn't sure whether to believe him or not.

"Come on, Swamp Rat," she finally said, and started the completely unnecessary tour.

As they walked, Remy kept getting closer, brushing her gloved hand with his or coming next to her ear to ask clarifying questions in a dramatic whisper. He made it look accidental, but Rogue knew perfectly well just how intentional it was.

Rogue couldn't say she minded, as long as none of the other residents saw them. She wasn't ashamed of Remy, but she didn't particularly want to answer nosy questions from her teammates who wouldn't understand why she was so willing to have the ex-Acolyte next to her.

She had started the tour from the library and went to the lower level after they were done on that floor.

"And, this is the Danger Room, where we do training exercises. I imagine Logan is just itching to have ya down here, so he can methodically torture you," she said with a smile.

Gambit seemed unconcerned. "You also fight each other in dere, non?"

"Yeah," she drew out the word, her eyebrows raising in silent question.

"Bon. I t'in One Eye was looking at me funny. Be nice to know there's a place where I can lay him flat on his ass and not get in trouble," he said with a mischievous smile.

Rogue laughed. That would be one session she would have to be sure not to miss. "I thought you liked getting in trouble," she said instead.

He gave her a grin that could only be described as wolfish that told her exactly how true her statement was but said nothing.

It took Rogue a moment to regain her composure enough to continue the tour.

"And down that hallway is the Med Bay," she was saying.

He pulled her to a stop, "We can skip that," he said softly.

She looked up at him, remembering his nightmares and experiences with Sinister, understanding passing across her features. She gripped his fingers in a reassuring squeeze and nodded before moving toward the elevator.

When they arrived on the floor where the dormitories were, she started leading him down the left. "All the boys sleep on this side. You're in luck. You make an odd number, and everyone else is already paired up, so for now, you'll have your own room," she said stopping at a door that looked exactly like the four they had just passed.

"This is where you'll be sleeping," she said.

"Will it, chéré?" he asked in a tone that made her blush to the roots of her hair.

"Yes," she said firmly, but catching his hypnotic gaze, she felt compelled to add, "Most…most nights."

"How about tonight?" he asked, and normally the statement would have dripped with innuendo, but he just seemed curious, and even a little bit hopeful.

She seemed too flustered to respond and turned on her heel and began walking the other direction, spouting off the names of each room's inhabitants as she passed by them.

"And, this is mine and Kitty's room," she continued rambling, not sure what else to do.

Gambit walked silently behind her, and suddenly wrapped his arms around her in a soft embrace and laid his head on her covered shoulder. Rogue's power of speech suddenly abandoned her, and she held herself stiff in his arms for a moment before relaxing against him.

"But, of course, you already know that," her voice had dropped of its own accord.

"Qui," he whispered against her ear, a hair away from touching her skin, "It's my favorite room in the house."

"I suppose it is easier to sneak down the hall than climb up a balcony," Rogue said thoughtfully.

Remy couldn't stop the grin that formed on his face. "So, I can see you tonight?"

Rogue shrugged half-heartedly. "I suppose if you found your way into this particular room, I wouldn't necessarily object."

"Bon," he said and pressed a light kiss to her hair.

Gambit could normally be patient. It was a requirement for thieves. But, tonight, he found himself impatiently drumming his fingers on the small desk in his new room, glancing at his watch every few seconds. The treacherous miniature clock seemed to be going slow on purpose.

He didn't even know why he was so impatient. He had waited hours for Rogue before, spent weeks planning how he would see her. But, it had always been on his own terms, when they were still technically enemies.

Now, he was on the same side, and living in the same house as her was going to drive him crazy. He hadn't accounted for that.

He had assumed that being in the same house, constantly being able to seek her out at a moment's notice would help cure the strange ache he got in his chest whenever he wasn't around her or it had been too long since he had seen her. He was wrong. Having her in such close proximity was far worse.

For he constantly wanted to be by her side, holding her, laughing with her, trusting her, running his fingers through her hair, and generally always keeping her in his embrace. The fact that he didn't have to travel more than a few feet to be able to do such a thing made the temptation that much more unbearable.

Though he and Rogue had built up some sort of rapport, he knew she wasn't ready to let her housemates know about it yet, and he wasn't going to push her. Still, having to remain stiffly a foot away from her, not being able to touch her at all, when they had finished their tour earlier and come across her teammates, had been a new kind of torture for him.

Mon Dieu! He was addicted to her!

Still, he couldn't have asked for a sweeter vice.

When he had made the decision all those months ago to break into the mansion the first time, he had intended to steal a piece of Rogue's heart. He hadn't realized how capable of a thief Rogue was though and had ended up having his own heart swiped out from under him.

But, he couldn't have lost it to a more worthy thief.

Finally, by 11:15, it seemed as if everyone in the mansion had settled down for the night, and Gambit cautiously emerged into the hallway. Seeing no one, he began sneaking towards Rogue's room.

"Going somewhere Gumbo?" a gruff voice asked as Logan detached from the shadowy staircase.

Despite his night vision, he had failed to notice the burly man as his focus had been on seeing Rogue again as soon as possible. A rookie mistake. Apparently, crossing the hall wasn't as easy as climbing the balcony.

Still, Gambit casually placed his hands in his pockets and began speaking nonchalantly, "Just to the bathroom. No crime in dat."

"The bathroom is down that way," Wolverine growled, pointing his thumb in the other direction.

"Merci. Easy to get lost in a big place like dis," Gambit replied with a straight face.

Wolverine growled again, the sound coming from deep within his throat. "Listen, bub, I know you've been here before. I've picked up your scent on the grounds a few times, so don't pull any of that crap with me. Second of all, I know you have some strange fascination with Rogue."

"What's so strange about wanting to be near a beautiful woman?" Gambit interrupted.

Logan continued as if he hadn't spoken, "I don't know what your game is, but you better stop playing it before Rogue gets hurt."

"It's not a game," Gambit's quiet admission surprised both men. "At least, not anymore. I care about her."

It was the first time he had admitted the fact out loud, and he really wished it hadn't been to Rogue's somewhat unstable father-figure who had very sharp claws. There was a pregnant silence as both waited for the other to react.

Finally, Logan grunted, the sound indeterminate of what his feelings on the subject might be. "Reckon you'll have to prove that."

Remy smiled, "I look forward to it."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Go to bed, kid."

Gambit gave him a cheeky, mock two-fingered salute and swept back to his own room. As he was turning the handle, Wolverine's voice stopped him.

"Oh, by the way, Gumbo, don't know if the Professor mentioned it, but we recently got an upgrade to the security system, since we had been having so many break-ins lately. The windows are all now equipped with pressure-sensitive alarms that are tripped if someone from the outside tries to open them," he said with a grin that was far too self-satisfied.

Instead of becoming upset, Remy merely smirked and replied, "Thanks for the tip, Mon ami."

Then, before the Wolverine decided to forcibly remove the smug expression from his face, Remy slipped into his room and shut the door behind him.

He laid down on his bed and got ready to sleep. As much as it disappointed him, Remy recognized there was no point trying to make it to Rogue's room again tonight. It was clear the Wolverine would be keeping up his vigil outside her door all night, and with the new security measures, Remy knew to cut his losses.

A devious smile slowly made its way across his face.

There was always tomorrow, though. And, after all Remy dearly loved a challenge.

The End