Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men, though I certainly wish I did!
We were strangers, starting out on a journey. Never dreaming what we'd have to go through. Now here we are, and I'm suddenly standing, at the beginning with you…
***
Rogue sighed, brushing her hand along the thin layer of dust that still covered any open space in her room. Two weeks since Remy had returned, and he had hardly spoken to her. To any of them. The other had just said that he needed some time to re-adjust, but she had been watching him far more closely. He was feeling his feet itch, feeling tied down after two years of wandering.
Suddenly, a noise outside caught her attention. Slipping her head out of the window, she saw him on his cycle, speeding out of the mansion gates in the pouring rain. Shit. With a will her powers returned, and she rushed out the door and sprang to flight, finally catching the speeding young man.
"REMY!" She screamed, knowing he was going fast enough that he would be seriously injured on the wet ground, maybe killed, if he even made one wrong move.
Slowing down slightly, he just hunched his shoulders and shook his head. "It's over. It's over." Though she felt like screaming, she just quickened her pace until she was flying over Gambit, matching him turn for turn. Deciding to do something drastic, she sped and then dipped and slowed. He was coming straight for her.
Slowing his vehicle to a stop, Remy leaped off and stood, watching has Rogue landed and fought the tears she willed to cease. "Chere, Gambit loved you. Loved you, and you hurt him like nobody, nothing, has ever hurt him before. The others don't care. The wild card, dey say. They don't blame themselves for the trickster leaving, they say. They say he could have come back." Before mounting his cycle he put one of his arms around her and let his lips brush her forehead gently. "But you didn't ever wanta see Remy again."
Watching him leave for the second time, something in Rogue snapped. Damn it, what was she supposed to do? What was everyone else supposed to do? With a dull roar that could have been either the wind or her voice, she sprang into full flight before letting her powers go, dropping on Gambit's back and making him swerve sharply to avoid toppling over onto the road. "YOU TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF?" He snarled, making her flinch, as if he'd slapped her.
"At least I'd be with you. Remy, you're gonna kill yourself one of these days if you just go out there without hardly any money, speeding on these wet highways and throwing caution to the wind. I know that's your nature, but don't do it because of me, damn it."
Staring at the woman behind him, he untwisted his neck and got off, then put his arms around her and held her tightly. "I've missed you Chere." His hands stroked her chestnut and white hair mindlessly, and she just took a trembling breath and remained in his arms.
"Ditto, surger" She muttered, using the affectionate term she had dropped when the fiddling in her brain had cut off her accent. "And it ain't happening again."
***
They returned back to the mansion with nobody knowing they had been gone. The pounding rain had stopped, and droplets of rain skidded off Rogue's hair as she reluctantly pried her fingers from their place around Remy's waist.
"Easy Chere. We don't want Wolvy on our tails. He's turned into a regular father figure to all you guys, noticed dat? Older then dirt, but might as well be older by the way he's been acting." Flinging off his cycle he lowered Rogue down, then smiled lightly at her. "Well, looks like we're on again for now."
Hugging the secret knowledge of their new relationship to her, she stole inside, unawares of the angry eyes in the shadows, who had heard every word.
***
"Father figure? Who the hell does he think he is? I'm just making sure a close friend isn't hurt by some bastard!" A few moments passed before he realized he had just ripped the curtains to shreds. Oops. What the hell, they had had flowers on them. He had meant to get rid of them before.
He had had slunk in from another night at some sleazy bar he couldn't even remember the name of. Too much to drink, as usual, but his healing factor made sure that all the effects were cancelled, except his mind being a bit foggy.
Apparently his judgement must be really clouded, because his next thought was the easiest way to kill Gumbo. No. Stupid. But… so easy, To get rid of the painful memories. She had been just some kid he had picked up off the street, some homeless waif. Didn't want to be a pansy in front of the others, so he had hid her, fed her, bought her some clothes, and sent her on her way one night. Just some fourteen year old. And Gambit… damn the bastard. He knew better. He knew that the Cajun wasn't evil enough for rape but… he had been known to take advantage of a situation.
Poor girl, didn't remember her own name. She slit her wrists a couple of months later, couldn't deal with the trauma of not knowing who she was or what she was. His fault. Knew that whole thing was his fault, refused to even speak to her. Even an animal has a conscience.
He unsheathed his claws. Somebody was going to pay, and it might was well be Gumbo.