Note - to dreamer and Silver Shihouin, thank you so much for your compliments! XD I'll try and do you guys proud. Just let me know if theres anything you guys want in the story. I mean I've already got the story pretty much sorted out in my head, but I'll always try to make yous happy. Oh by the way, I'm just about to ask you guys and all of my followers a few questions. It's more for you guys than me, so up to you guys if you answer. Thanks! XD

Note: ok, i know I've started this little side story with Emma, Jean and Scott, but I was wondering if you guys could tell me who you prefer Scott to be with, jean or Emma? Personally, I've always liked Emma a little (well lots) more than jean, because I think she brings out a wreckless side to the goody Scotty boy. But the thing is jeans Scott's first love and that's always gonna be special. Truthfully, I was thinking of doing another story after this one because I think my ideas are too long for just one story. So, Jean won't be turning into the phoinx in this story, but I'm sure she will be in the next. So what should I do? Keep jean and Scott together till the next story where Jean will become the phoenix and break Scott's heart, or have Emma break their relationship up early so that Scott struggles to get through to Jean and calm her down like he did in that episode where Jean was losing control?

Another note: first what do you think of Joseph? And what are you guys thinking ofJoseph and gambit fighting over rogue?

Recap-Kitty goes to check on rogue and tries to get her to talk about her feelings towards gambit and Joseph. She reveals the fight over her in the med lab while she was asleep. Rogue refuses to answer kitty's questions but says she doesn't know what to do about them. Gambit and Joseph finish in the danger room and race to rogues room. Joseph gets there first and gambit spies on them. Joseph tells her to stay away from gambit, then questions her trust in him. She admits she trusts him, but yells for everyone to leave her alone. Joseph leaves and as gambit is about to knock on rogues door, storm stops him. Tells him to let her cool off and asks him to join her down stairs. When gambit hears Logan yelling at Joseph outside for trying to get in through rogues window, he follows storm, glad Logan has taken over patrol from Pete, who is being kept company by Kitty, after she got kicked out of rogues room. Storm asks why he saved rogue from the kidnappers. Gambit keeps to the lye of love letters and storm asks him if he likes rogue. Gambit doesn't actually answer. Storm offers him help from what he's running from, even though she doesn't know what which shocks gambit. They lean talk of Joseph and rogue and gambit makes it clear he doesn't like him. Storm talks of Logan not liking Joseph either, and then he walks in the room and gambit leaves to have a shower. Later Kitty gets walked to by room by Pete and receives a call.

Chapter 10

Gambit had finished his shower ages ago and was pretending to be asleep in his bed. He was listening for Logan and by now had figured out his regular pattern in patrolling the mansion. Being the sneaky thieve he was, gambit made it look like he was asleep under his covers, so if Logan did come to check on him, then it would look like he was asleep. He slipped out of his room and jumped out a window. He watched from the ledges he had climbed around on, Logan enter the mansion. It was then he started jumping from balcony to balcony, before he came to rogues. The curtains were shut and he couldn't see any light on in her room. Gently he tapped on the window, but when there was no reply he openned it with his pick.

When he entered her room she wasn't in her bed. Then he heard the faint sound of a shower ending and he laid down on her bed, with his arms behind his head, just as rogue emerged from the bathroom, with nothing but a small towel wrapped around her.

"Bonjour cherie." She gasped at the grinning figure lying on her bed. He winked at her, and she retreated back into her bathroom, slamming the door. "What 'r' ya doin? Get out!" Rogue raised her voice. Gambit swiftly made his way to the door, knowing that if she shouted he'd have wolverine after him. "Quiet cher. Or else you want the whole mansion ta know that ya seein dis Cajun in nothin but your birthday suit."

"Shut it Cajun! And get outta ma room!"

"Non, I came ta see ya. Why else would I be here."

"What do ya want?"

"Well why don't ya come out here so I can talk to ya properly." He said leaning against the wall.

"Ah ain't got any clothes in here ta change inta, so get out."

Gambit grinned cheekily. "Cher, ya can walk around naked in front of moi anytime. I ain't gonna mind."

"Course ya wouldn't ya stupid swamp rat. Ah need ma clothes!"

"De ones on de desk?"

"Yeah."

Gambit moved over to her desk and smiled as he saw how they were folded neatly with her underwear. Then he felt let down as he saw they were just plan emerald green pants and bra. There was no lace or anything nice about them. And her pyjamas where just a plan pair of grey pants and a long sleeved t-shirt. He wondered if she had any nice clothes to make her feel good. He picked them up though and knocked on her bathroom door, hearing rogue s moody voice askin "what?"

"Open up cher. I've got ya clothes." He waited and slowly she openned the door a peck. She noticed gambit head his head turned in the opposite direction from her, but was passing the clothes to her. She took the clothes from his arm, blushing red as she saw her underwear, and closed the door behind her.

Gambit moved over to rogue wardrobe, and openned it to see just her normal clothes. There was nothing glamourous or special to them. They were just her normal long sleeves and pants. There were very few skirts and short sleeved shirts. He knew it was because of her skin, but he was sure he could find something more elegant than these clothes. He moved to check out her draws and saw her underwear was all just plan and nothing sexy. He'd need to make sure this changed. Then his eyes came to the little purple card that was bent and worn, but he could still make it out. It was his lucky lady, the queen of hearts, which he had given to rogue. He knew she'd kept it, as he found it and left it on her pillow before he left, but somehow seeing it made him happy. Made him think of the party and fun they'd had before it all went to bits.

The door openned and gambit closed the draw, keeping hold of the card, and lay back down on rogues bed. She slipped into her room, frowning at gambit. What was he doing here? She let her hair fall damp by the side of her face, and she noticed that his hair was slit lay damp too, and he was dressed in a dark long sleeved t-shirt and tracks. Rogue moved over to her bed, but didn't sit down on it.

"What are ya doin here? What do ya want?"

"Came to see ma cher." He said grinning up at her moody face and folded arms. "Nothing else better to do."

"Nothing better ta do? It's close ta midnight, 'n' you thought you'd just come n wake me up cause your bored?"

"You're not asleep."

"Ah would have been."

"So why aren't you sleeping?"

Rogue looked away from him and said that she wanted a shower. Gambit knew she was lying. He sat up so he was close to the edge where rogue was. He wrapped his arms around her waste and brought her closer to him. She tried pushing him off, but that only made him hold on tighter. "What do you think your doin? Let go!"

"Not till you tell moi what's wrong." He asked softly.

"What's it to you?"

Gambit let her go, realising he wasn't going to get anywhere like this. She looked at him angry and bewildered, but he simply lay back on her bed and started shuffling the cards he'd brought with him. Rogue didn't like how he wasn't looking at her, but then she didn't think she could cope with those sad puppy dog eyes looking at her. She tried to focus on something else, so not to tell him what was wrong."Ya mind gettin outta ma bed?"

He grinned. "Or ya can join me. Ders plenty of room for two."

"Your discusting."

"And your a bell fammine."

Rogue rogue her eyes and let out a sound that sounded like a mix between a hiss and a tut. She looked around her room, unsure about what to do to get him to leave. "If ya don't go, Ah'll call for Logan."

"Do whatever ya have ta do Cherie."

"Ya know Logan's most likely gonna kill ya if he sees ya in ma bed."

"Oui." She couldn't believe how stubborn and ignarent he was being.

"Alright, what do ya want, n hurry it up. Ah wanna sleep some time soon n ah can't do that with you lyin in ma bed."

"Oh I think you could cher."

"What do you want?" Rogue said more firmly. Gambit looked up to her his smile lost.

"I wanna know what's troubling you cher." Rogue anger seemed to melt away a little as he said that. It seemed that he really meant it. Rogue turned her head away from him, not being able to look him in those puppy dog eyes. Why was she tryin to hid this from him? If anything, her getting close to him (skin close) and freaking him out with all the things wrong with her would scare him away so I wouldn't have yo deal with these weird feelings. She sat down near the head of the bed besides gambit. He moved up for her and stopped shuffling his cards. He was watching her intentionally.

"Ah couldn't sleep because of the voices... Inside ma head." Instead of getting the run away reaction she wanted, gambit simply took his hand in hers, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. When she looked at him he was I inchies away from her. "Go on." Why did she trust him?

"Well...they're called psychic, or personas. Every person ah ever absorbed is right up there in ma head. Ah don't only get a persons memories or powers, but I get a mini them."

"So you got a little mini me up der too." Gambit said, reaching up to her templets and stroking her head with the gloves he'd borrowed from the guest room. Rogue seemed to freeze under his touch and look at him dreamily.

"Kinda... It's complicated."

"Well," gambit said turning on his side and lying down a bit more. "I've got all night to listen"

"No you haven't. You've got about two seconds before I drain you dry and through you outta mah room."

"I ain't scared of you rogue. I ain't scared of your powers either." This hit home hard and gambit saw the shock on rogues face. He wasn't scared of her? As if to prove hid point, gambit pulled off the Cotten wool gloves, to reveal his leather ones, that had figures missing. Slow and genially he ran his gloved figures with the bare fingered very close behind, down rogues check, from her temples to her chin, where he cupped it. He wanted so badly to kiss her, and for the moment he thought he was. So did rogue, only gambit came to his senses much faster than she had. "Now tell me more bout these voices." Rogue pulled back a big and noticed that she had come to lye on her side too. They were both lay down in her bed, with their heads supported by there arms. Rogue went quiet or a moment, wondering if she should reveal more about herself, which made gambit think she wasn't going to talk.

"The psychics get stronger in ma head the longer ah hold onto a person, n cause ah only touched ya with my little fingure, your psych stays hidden in ma mind somewhere. But as for other people ah've absorbed for longer or more commenly, like Logan, well they're the more louder voices. Ah've had the professor wipe out the voices in ma head before, but that almost killed mah. So did having apocolypse drain them... The professor thinks that the reason I get these psychics in mah head is cause it's how ah store away the powers ah absorb and the memories ah take."

"What do these psychs do?"

"Well, they used to talk to each other, and me...but now...ah can hardly hear them."

"Is that bad?"

"...ah don't know. Ah think ah still hear them. Just now, well before...ah felt kinda scared and jumpy. Ah thought it was me but then ah realised it was one or maybe more than one of ma psychs. They were scared and ah could feel it. But ah couldn't tell who or which one or why, so ah tried clearin ma head by havin a 's hard to explain. It would be a lot easier if the professor was here, but he's..."

Gambit took a strong hold of her hand as if to give her strength. "Hey, he'll be still out there. Emma and Jean are gonna start searchin tomorrow after a good long nights sleep. They'll find him in no time and he'll be back here where he belongs. Then he'll be able to help you cher...why haven't you asked Emma or Jean to help you?"

"Cause ah don't trust them. Well ah don't trust Emma, don't think anyone does. And me n jean aren't the best of friends, n if she was to go searchin in ma mind ah think she'd need a lot of therapy after to get over what I actually think of her." Gambit laughter heartily.

"Why don't you trust Jean? Is it cause she's dating that crush of yours, Scotty boy."

"Scott, what? Ah don't have a crush on him! Alright, maybe ah did at one point, but that's cause ah absorbed jeans memories and thoughts."

Gambit shuck his head. "You had a crush on him before absorbin jean."

"N how would you know? You dont come into it til later on."

"I don't come into what?" Gambit grinned and strongly rogue blushed not sure what he meant. "Anyone could tell that you used ta have a crush on him from the way you look at him when he passes you."

"Oh n how do ah look at him. Cause ah lok at him just as ah look at everyone else. Normal."

"Non, when you look at Scott there's this soft kindness in your eyes, but then there's always this look of hurt. Ya feel betrayed and hurt by em every time ya see them...As for everyone else, ya just look mad at them, especially Joseph, but I can't complain. "

Rogue didn't want to blush and get embarrised over Scott and Jean, but she'd rather not get caught up with Joseph and gambit again, so she'd have to chose the first option. "So, Ya've been storkin me again. Ya know ah should be scared of you, the amount of time you just pop up in ma life and say that you've been watching me n all. Ah should decently get a rest ranging order."

"Don't joke bout that cher, or this swamp rat of yours might end up behind bars for not bein able ta avoid ya. Especially since were living under the same roof. Sleepin in the same bed. Make it awful hard to cuddle you like this." He said, wrapping his arms tightly around rogues waist.

Rogue punished him playfully in the arm, before trying to get him off her. "We ain't sleepin in the same bed gambit. Now ya can get out of ma room n leave me ta sleep before ah call ma body guard."

"So Logan's your body guard now is he?" Gambit said pulling her closer to his chest, and trapping her hands, so they were trapped on his shoulders. She stopped fighting, and instead looked quiet intreged and secretive.

"Well, ya gotta admit that he is quiet boncery."she tessed. "N you don't wanna get on the wrong side of him."

"Whys he so protective over you? Ah don't see him paying nearly any attention to the dangerous love triangle of Scotty boy, Emma and Jean."

"... Ah guess... " the twinkle faded from her eyes and she lost eye contact with gambit. He noticed this. "It's cause of the last time ah lost control... It was really horrible... And Logan under stood that." Gambit didn't like seeing her hurt and left really guilty about not being there for her. He pulled her closer into a protective hug. Rogues head was now on his chest and she breathed in the southern spices and smoke that she reckonised as gambits scent. He started to rock her in his arms and shhh her, telling her that it was alright now. It was over. "But...what if ah lose control again...ah'm scared gambit. Not of these people wanting to kidnap me. Not of mutants going missing or these murders... Ah'm scared ah'm gonna lose control again and hurt a lot of people." A tear escaped rogues eye.

"Ya not gonna lose not gonna let you."

"That's the thing. You can't help. Nobody can. Not jean or Emma. Ah might not get on with either of them. Ah mean Emma's a slut who nobody likes or trusts, and jean... Well me and jean are complete opposites who clash and everything. Neither of them would be able ta help me. They wouldn't have the slightest idea where to bein or what ta do. But the professor does. N if jean n Emma knew then, that means the mansion would know, n everyone would be actin differently towards me again, n sneakin around mah like in a walkin time bomb ready to go off. And ah couldn't cope with that. It's hard enough as it is. Ah can't deal with bein asked every five minutes if ah'm ok. It'll send me mad."

"Shhh, easy cher. You ain't a bomb. N if you don't want there help then you don't need it."

"Ah don't know what ah need gambit... The only other person who knows about the voices actin up is Joseph and possibly Logan... But Joseph knows what's really goin on up in ma head. He knows somehow how ta keep me calm."

"What does he know bout you that I don't know?" Gambits voice was slightly harsher now and rogue noticed this. She pushed against gambit and he let her go, but when she sat up, ready to leave him, he felt the cold and his arm shot out to grasp her wrist. "Rogue-"

"Don't! Ah'm sick of you two arguein. Of hearing from ma brother n best friend that you two are arguein. Ah'm sick of both of you keepin me in the dark n confusing me. Ah don't want this ta turn into an argument, n ah don't wanna talk about Joseph. Now ah think ya better go."

"Rogue-"

"Now gambit!"

"I ain't leavin ya like dis. Rogue, I just want ta know what's goin on inside that head of yours. Joseph ain't the only one who can help ya. Why'd you tell 'im anyway instead of Logan. You seem ta be more close to Logan. N I know ya trust him, but you really should be careful bout what you say around that one. He's a snake in de grass."

"The reason I told Joseph was cause ah know he won't make a scene or force me ta talk to jean n Emma like Logan would. Cause ah know he'd keep quiet bout this... N cause ah didn't know who else to turn to. He was just there. A friend who ah trusted... "

"A friend? Nothing else?"

"A friend. Nothing else. He n everyone else thinks so, but were not. Ah've told him loads of time where not, but like you he's arrogant and stubborn to the bone n just won't quit. Were just really good friends. But none in this damn house believes ma, n it's really annoying that noones takin in how ah feel bout Joseph. They just like the idea of thinkin bout me bein with Joseph, instead of bein alone n the untouchable."

Gambit could breath a lot more lightly now but felt guilty at her final words. "I'm sorry."

"What? What for?"

"For not trustin you when it came ta Joseph. I thought he had ya wrapped up round his little fingure the way he's been treatin ya, but ah heard ya yellin at him before bout ya tellin him ta leave ya alone. I'm sorry I didn't trust ya around him. I just don't trust him, especially not when he likes hangin round ya."

"Careful swamp rat. Ya sounding like a jeolous boyfriend."

"Moi? Jealous of that. I am not jealous of dat snake."

"...Ah was freakin out one time in ma room cause... Well... Ah can usually hear voices in ma, but then this cloud. Then ah...ah don't... Ah can' ."

She closed her eyes, relaxing as gambit rubbed her back making patterns. At his touch it felt like all the anger and frustration and confusion and upset was leaving her. She didn't understand what was happening, but those circles were just so calming that she just wanted to melt. "Feel better?" Gambit said, sitting up and moving closer to her so he could rub her back easier. She nodded her head and continued "usually ah hear the voices in ma head clearly, but more n more ah've been feeling them... Drift away. Ah don't know how to discribe it, but it's like a clouds taken over in ma head n it's getting stronger and stronger each day. Like all the voices are hidden in that n all their voices are muffled. Well... Sometimes ah just wanna give into that cloud..."

"...What do ya mean?" She was glad gambit was calm and less demanding than Joseph had been. Somehow she found herself lying back down on her pillow, sleepily. Gambit guided her down gently, and moved from rubbing the back of her lower back to wrapping one arm around her stomach and rubbing the other hand with his thumb. He watched amused as rogue struggled to keep her eyes open.

"It's like... Like sometimes ah feel like the clouds sucking me in. Like it wants ma to enter pull gets stronger each day...but ah scared what might happen to ma if ah do. N Ah'm scared for the voices... ah'm scared of what might be happening inside ma head... Why do ah feel so calm?"

Gambit felt bad he didn't know what to say or what to do. She already said she didn't want help and he couldn't betray her now that she'd openned up with him fully and finally gained her trust. Then he smiled at her tag question. "it's a new power I've discovered I have. It's called empathy. It helps with emotions. I can help too cher. All ya need ta do is ask, or maybe ya don't even have ta ask. Just let me be there for you. Let me help you."

Rogue frowned and struggled to open her eyes, not focusing on anything particulates. "Ah can't."

"Why not?"

"Cause ya gonna leave me... You've alright said ya planning on leaving, but you don't know when... Ah can't relie on ya gambit... Joseph might not be this good at helping me. Helping the cloud go away so it doesn't feel like ahm gonna fall inta it n neva resurface. But he's always there. N ah know he's always gonna try n be there. He ain't just gonna up and leave like you gambit... Ah can't relie on ya or anything like that cause ah know ya gonna leave me."

Gambit suddenly felt really cold. He wished he'd closed the window behind him even though he knew that probably wouldn't have helped this feeling, but instead of closing it to stop the cold from coming, he wrapped his arms around rogue and pulled her back into his chest. She was submitive, but more because she was tired. "Is dat why your mad at me? Why you were cuttin me off before...? I'm sorry cher." She didn't answer, just breathed in deeply. She loved the spicies and soap he smelt off. but now he knew. Now he knew a lot of things about rogue. He was still confused about the whole situation, but each time he saw her or thought about her, he'd just feel more like he needed to protect her. He wanted to tell her that he'd stay and be there for her always, but he knew it would never be like that and he could never make a promise he couldn't keep. Rogue was nearly asleep, feeling happy and warm in gambits arms, but there was something wrong. It wasn't being in gambits arms even though she knew it was wrong and dangerous and that she should move, but she just couldn't at the moment. She was too tired to move. But there were still these down feelings. She was upset gambit hadn't promised to stay, but that was why she was distancing herself from him. But this other sadness. It didn't feel like hers. She wondered... Was it possible that gambits empathy worked both ways? Could she feel his upset? She openned her eyes a little to peek up at gambit. He looked sleepy too, but he looked sad. What she said must have really upset him. It upset her he wasn't staying, but she couldn't sleep knowing that he was unhappy. "Gambit."

"Hmmm."

"What kinda movies do ya like?"

"Horror. Sci-fi. Why?"

"Just wonderin'. Wondering if bad upbrings all we have in commen."

"N do we?"

"Think you'll be up for a horror fest before ya go."

Gambit chuckled which made rogue smile. "I'd like that."

And they fell asleep together in peaceful slumber.

XXXXX

The house was filthy. Filther than usual. The windows were smashed and it looked like there had been a fight. A major fight. Like there were smashed plates and stuff all over the place.

"Whoa." Kitty gasped as she looked around. The place was quiet. Too quiet. "I wounded like what happened here?" Kitty said to Pete.

"I do not know. It looks like an attack. Perhaps we should return back to the mansion and inform the professor."

"No! Sorry, but we can't like do that. I mean I know we like should do, but like what if it's our falt. Well my fault."

Pete looked at her curious. "What do you mean Kayta?"

As they walked through the house, Kitty focused on other smashed things instead of Pete. But he saw her blush under his gaze. "Kayta, what is wrong?"

"We'll...I...it's...like...well."

"What do you mean it's your fault Kayta? What is?"

"We'll...everything. Everything that happenedat the mall. It was my fault. If I'd just...i don't know. Handled lance differently then we would have never gotten into that huge fight. Then...I don't know. I can't help but feel this is my fault."

Pete put his hand on the distressed kitty's shoulder. "Kayta. It was not your fault what happened there. That boy, lance, was hurting you and if he really cared for you then he should never have made you uncomfortable. The fight between the xmen and the brotherhood was not your fault."

"But if I had of just given lance what he wanted then those like creeps might not have tried to kidnap rogue and hurt her. Those people. The friends of humanity might not have made it so that were all like walking on egg shells and had to sneak out of the mansion. Which is like lying to everyone. What if this whole thing is like my fault." A tear slipped from kitty's eye and she rubbed it away.

"Kayta." Pete said taking hold of both her shoulder now and turning her away from looking out the kitchen window to face him. He lifted her chin up high to see his soft dark eyes. "None of that was your fault. These people, the friends of humanity may have attacked even if we weren't fighting with the Xmen. These people may have tried to kidnap rogue afterwards. Nothing we could have done would have changed things. Possibly made them worse. What we did was right and what were doing now is wrong. We need to call the Xmen and let them know about that call and what we've found."

Kitty attempted a smile and then nodded her head.

"Awww, how cute. I'll try to keeping you two together afterwards, but no promises." Came the beautiful woman's voice from the entrance to the kitchen. Kitty and Pete looked to her as her fangs grew larger than her eyes.