~Chapter 3~
Viewing the reports before her and sighing, her dark hues scanned the room. "I again apologize for awakening you all at this late hour, but the Brotherhood is after a mutant and I fear he may be captured." Storm began. "I need a small team to fly out to New Orleans and aid him, as well as hopefully persuade him into joining us here." Pressing a button on the built in keyboard on the table, a hologram appeared. "His name is Remy LeBeau, or Gambit. He has the ability to charge any object that he touches, into an explosive. He is mostly known for being in route at the..."
"Casino's." Rogue finished, covering a yarn with a satin gloved hand.
Nodding, she eyed her. "I take it, you know of him?"
"Ah wouldn't exactly go and say that, but he and ah go a ways back. After ah got the cure, he helped me out..." Pausing her suddenly saddened gaze landed on Logan across from her, with a sleepy Jubilee leaning into him. "Seeing as ah held a certain someone's dog tags at the time."
Leaning forward, he eyed her. "He knows me?"
"Yeah, it would seem you worked together a few years back." Returning her gaze to Storm's patient one, she sighed. "Ah'll go. He will listen to meh if nothing else."
"And why is that?" He demanded.
Noticing the Wolverine in his gaze begging for freedom, she smirked. "While some people didn't want to acknowledge the woman ah became, he sure didn't hesitate." She hauntingly bit out.
Jumping to his feet and ignoring his wife that damn near fell onto the floor, he growled. "So you went elsewhere, because I didn't..."
"Logan, that is enough!" Hank yelled, coming to his feet and appearing rather wide awake now. "This is not the time nor place for such. We are here about a mission and it shall remain as so. Now, please take your seat and let us continue."
Narrowing his eyes, but promptly closing his mouth, he did as told. Feeling Jubilee lay a hand on his bare chest, he effortlessly shrugged it off. Frowning, she leaned back in her seat and shot her ex-best friend a heated look.
Rolling her eyes at the pair, Rogue merely stared ahead at the hologram. "The picture's a little off. His hair touches his shoulders now and...Ah have a recent picture if you would like?"
Nodding, Storm motioned towards the low and flat computer screen before her.
Coming to her feet and quickly accessing her email account, she pulled up a picture. Instantly, the hologram morphed into a 3-D photo of her and a smiling Gambit having a casual drink in a dank bar.
Spotting an emblem on the wall behind them, the white haired woman came to her feet. "The Thieves' Guild, you were part of it?"
Glimpsing the room and seeing the shock on everyone's face, she sighed. "Not was...still am. Once a member, always a member." Pulling her hair back and revealing the back of her neck, there lay the same symbol from the picture.
"Why, Rogue? I would've gladly gave you money to help you support your new life?"
Hearing the disappointment and clear hurt for her misdeed, she frowned. "Once ah taken the cure, ah needed to leave. With the Professor, Jean, and Scott gone, ah didn't want to become a bother. And at the time, ah needed to run and escape this life. You know the pain ah felt every day and once ah've taken the cure, it was a new meh. And if it makes you feel much better, ah was only an active member for the first year."
"Why is that?" Hank asked, placing a hand on her arm.
Staring down into his eyes of such golden trust, she gave a sad smile. "Ah miscalculated that a house would be empty of any residence and got shot." Blinking, doughy brown hues glazed over as she unconsciously touched her left shoulder. "Ah remember the agonizing pain that raced through me at that moment, as he came closer. He was going to shoot me in the head as ah lay bleeding in his living room, wheezing for oxygen. Knowing my life was going to end, ah closed my eyes and awaited my fate...Yet it never came. Instead, he picked meh up and helped me to the sofa and dug the bullet out."
Giving a short laugh, all could clearly see the pain she was in. "Ya' can imagine the shock ah felt as he did that. But as he murmured that it didn't hit nothing fatal and began to chat with meh, ah felt my heart go out to this man."
Clearing her throat, Kitty gained her attention. "Who was he?"
Blinking, a tear fell. "The man who got meh to straighten my life out and love meh. His name was Richard Yamaha."
"Was?"
She nodded. "He died yesterday from my kiss, as we wedded." Hearing a collection of gasps throughout the entire room as well as seeing the pity they gave her, she headed for the exit. Pausing in the entrance, she kept her gaze frontwards. "Ah'll be in the jet waiting." And with that, she swiftly exited.
Once the door sounded and her steps faded, Hank slowly came to his feet. "Did you know?"
Shaking her head, Storm sighed. "She called me two hours before her arrival and said that she would visit. Upon such, we only spoke of her mutation returning and when asked about the wedding, she promptly left my office. I just figured it didn't happen." Running a hand through her shortened locks, she frowned. "But to have killed him, when they kissed to finalize it, must've been agonizing. From all the words we shared on Mr. Yamaha, all I could hear was pure love." Clearing her throat, she gazed at the remaining of the members. "Kurt, I want you and Hank to remain here along myself to see to the school. Kitty, Logan, Jubilee, and Bobby, suit up and get to the jet. The coordinates have already been programmed into the system. Report back when you arrive and of the situation. From what I have been told, the Brotherhood has been causing mayhem and the FOH are on the scene as well. Tread lightly, and God be with you."
Giving a nod, all stood and headed for the door.
Swiping her bangs out of her face, Jubilee frowned.
"Still thinking about what she said?" Kitty asked, from beside her.
Rolling her eyes, she stared out the window at the lights below.
"Don't let what she said get to you. I know it hurts how she threw out your marriage being wrong and all, but..."
"Just cram it. You can't even fathom how I feel." She bit out, glaring at the smaller female. "Whereas you took her boyfriend from right under her, you were never friends with her. So you have no idea how I fucken feel. So zip it and keep it to yourself."
Skin gaining a tint of red, Kitty looked down at her lap embarrassed.
Watching as his wife returned to the view outside the window, Logan sighed. Running a hand through his hair and glimpsing Bobby and Rogue talking at the controls, he frowned. No matter how things were now, he knew nothing could come from Storm's confession of her feelings.
Yet his eyes of yearning couldn't seem to agree.
Shaking his head, he concentrated on the mission at hand. Hopefully he could pound a face in and rid himself of the tension that he was feeling.
"I give up." Bobby exclaimed, as yet again the five of them exited another casino empty handed. "The story is going to be the same at every place. They haven't seen him. We might as well call it in and wait for help or..."
"It's one more place we can try." Rogue stated, as she began to walk down the street.
Falling in step behind her and glowering at a man who rudely bumped her, Jubilee frowned. "And where would that be? In case you forgot, we tried all the motels, hotels, and damn near every casino in this God for saken city. There's nowhere else he could possibly..."
"We're going to the Thieves' Guild." She rather coldly stated. "If he doesn't want to be found, he'll be there."
Eyeing her, Logan shook his head. "No."
Locking gazes with him, she raised an eyebrow. "And why the hell not?"
"It's too dangerous and not to mention all them meat head criminals." He growled, coming to stand before her.
Smirking, she damn near laughed. "Meat head criminals, yeah. Dangerous... uh no. The only one here that would have something to worry about, would be me." Turning away from him and his angry darkened eyes, she addressed their small team. "Once we enter, do not act. Ah will be...they have a protocol and bringing ya' all in will go against it. So ah repeat, do 'not' act on ya' instincts." With nothing more to say and not even giving them a chance to speak upon what she shared, Rogue quickly crossed the street and headed down a dark and shady alley.
Sharing looks with each other, they slowly followed her.
With her head down in shame for being told off, Jubilee glimpsed her angered and mute husband. "Wolvie-bear, I..."
"Just don't." He bit out, quickly walking past her and attempting to catch up with the now silent and fleeing Rogue.
Biting her tongue to quiet her anger at being tossed to number two in her feral lover's mind set, she balled a fist. No way was she going to let Ms. Jealous come in and ruin her happy ever after. Hell, it was never a happy ever after, but at least it was something. Knowing she was in the wrong for keeping her marriage to her now ex-best friend's all time crush was one thing, but she wouldn't admit the guilt she felt. There were many times when they would message each other and share news of their lives, but when Rogue told her about Richard she just couldn't bring herself to tell her. Part of her was afraid that she would be pissed and stop talking to her, yet that already happened. But losing Logan after all the work she put into him and their relationship, would ultimately crush her.
Blinking back tears as she watched him rush towards the brunette with white streaks, she feared it was already coming true.
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