Rues d'Or
By Gables
Author's Note: This fic came from a couple places, one was Gambit not being what he seemed, and the other being, 'What would be Gambit's reaction to kids on the street?' Comments are appreciated. 5/10/01 3:31am
~~~~~~~~
Gambit leaned against a dark wall at the edge of an ally. He watched the flow of people around a movie theater on the opposite side of the street. The theater's marquee lit the sidewalk with pink and blue neon lights. In and among its shadows stood people from all walks of life. The friends hung out, waiting for more people to show up before entering, the lovers walked hand in hand, not seeing anybody else, and the then there were the kids who hung out, waiting and watching, looking for a good mark.
Gambit's focus on the people by the movie theater didn't hamper his ability to sense the small body approaching him from behind, but he did not turn and look to see who it was. Finally when the sneak was next to him, Gambit glanced down to study the girl who had approached him.
She looked about eight or nine years old. Old enough to know some harsh realities, but possibly young enough to still be innocent of touch. She wore three layers of shirts, the outermost being a denim jacket with rips in it, and what appeared to be extra stitching for added pockets on the inside. She wore faded jeans that had holes at the knees and had started to fray at the cuffs of each leg. Her hair was cropped awkwardly at her ears, and with a hat on, she could probably be mistaken as a boy. The scruffy clothes would add to that androgynous appearance. However, her face was still young and too feminine to be mistaken for a boy up close.
Gambit inwardly smiled when he saw her take a deep breath to finally speak to him.
"My name is Rachel." She stated. She looked across the street toward the movie theater, just as Gambit had been before she arrived. Her hands were stuffed in her pockets, but she stood still.
Gambit was well known along these streets, but he was never quite sure by which reputation. So he let her address him before he would speak.
"You are Master Gambit, right?"
"Oui." He took out a cigarette and lit it with a fingertip to prove his credentials.
"I want to become your apprentice." She said the words in a very controlled and very formal tone. Gambit raised an eyebrow as he fingered his cigarette and look down at her again.
"Dat so?"
"Yes." She was still staring at the movie theater, but her eyes shifted quickly to his face. When she saw him watching her, she jerked her eyes back across the street.
"An' why would I wanna do dat?" He took another drag of his cigarette.
"Because you are looking for an apprentice. That's what thieves do."
Gambits raised his eyebrow again in amusement.
"Wha' y' know 'bout t'ieves?" He sounded coolly interested, which he was. His response would be deeply affected if she knew anything about the thieves' guild. His expression though, only let on a slight amusement.
She finally turned to look at him. Gambit was still leaning against the wall but had rolled back a bit to open up his body language.
"You, uh, learn to be a thief by training with one." She gestured vaguely across the street, generally in the direction of the movie theater.
Gambit chuckled and then took another drag on his cigarette.
"Y' got parents p'tite?"
"Kinda." She slightly scowled.
"Wher're dey?"
"My mother's dead and my father's somewhere in New Jersey for killing her."
She looked extremely uncomfortable talking about the subject, but he doubted that she was lying. She didn't look stupid enough to ask for his help and make up a story to ensure his acceptance through pity. It had been known to happen before, but Gambit was almost positive that this was not such a case.
"Y' got other family? Aunts? Uncles? Grandparents? Neighbors?"
"I think somebody out there, but they decided that they weren't able to raise me. "
"So, y' a ward of de state?"
"Yeah."
"Den wha' y' doin' on de streets?"
"Because they are all idiots. Nobody knows how to do anything."
"Y' t'ink dat y' can do it by y'self?"
"Yeah" she mumbled.
"Den why talk t' Gambit?" He looked back down at her with an amused smirk.
"I don't wanna live on the streets. I wanna get off, but on my own terms."
He looked back up at the movie theatre. She had probably been on the streets for six months at the most, and obviously still held onto childish romances about life. Gambit finished smoking his cigarette before answering her. He pushed off against the wall and flicked it to the ground. Then he pulled out a deck of cards and began to shuffle them from hand to hand.
"First of all," The cards flew from one hand to the other, "Anybody dat get y' off de streets now, is gonna do it on dere own terms." The cards flew across his body again into the other hand, "An secon' of all, dat bein' said, why come to dis t'ief?" The cards continued to arc from hand to hand with a series of flicking sounds that created a soothing rhythm.
"I've seen you stand here watchin' people. And I see who you talk to. Some are rats with information to tell you, and some are real bad dudes who aren't seen around here again. I've also seen you talk ta kids. And they too disappear."
"An' why dat a reason to talk wid Gambit?"
She lowered her head and looked down. Finally, she made a bold decision and looked back up at him. He was easily two feet taller than her.
"Word is that you help kids..." She paused but decided to add, "all types of kids."
"Dat so?" Gambit raised his eyebrows again and his amused smirk returned.
She nodded. "Word gets around, the kids who disappeared with you occasionally see somebody they used to know. They talk. That's why I think you're looking for an apprentice. All the kids I knew were cool. They were just getting into serious pinching. And they were all smart."
"Like you, p'tite?"
"Yeah, like me."
Gambit pocketed all of his cards except one. "C'mon" He jerked his head toward the sidewalk and then stepped out of the alleyway and began to walk. Rachel followed, hands still in her pockets.
She eventually had to take her hands out of her pockets and swing her arms to keep up with Gambit's long gait. He led her to an all night diner two blocks away.
Inside he sat down at a booth and picked up the menu. He nodded for her to order anything, and then he just asked for some coffee. They sat in silence until the food arrived. Rachel began to eat with the intense appetite that he expected. But she was also watching him sip his coffee. This was probably the best look she'd ever seen got of him, now that they were in better lighting. Gambit took off his sunglasses and looked her direct in the eyes with his red gaze. She gasped slightly, but then held his stare firm.
Gambit sighed and looked down. He played with a card in his hand, flipping it between his fingers on one hand.
"Y' right, but y' also wrong, p'tiet." He paused to see what conclusion she would jump to.
"You're not looking for an apprentice?"
"Non."
"But you do help kids off the street?"
"Oui"
"All types of kids?" She stressed the word 'all' with a hint of fear.
"Are y' a mutant?" He asked it just as a manner to breach the topic that clearly was worrying her.
"No."
"Non?" Gambit was surprised with her answer, and tilted his head looking intently at her.
"The state tested my blood like a million times. I don't have the gene."
"Den why y' afraid dat I wouldn't help?"
"The rich folks only help the regular kids, waving their arms and crying about how horrible it is to live on the streets. Then there are the bosses who search for just the mutants. Think that their gonna hit the jackpot and recruit some kid with alpha potential. But you talk to everybody. I just wanted to make sure. "
Gambit nodded, "Uh-huh" Finally, he seemed to make a decision. "Like Gambit tol' y' b'fore, anybody who gonna get y' off da streets is gonna do 't in dere way. Dat means m' way."
She finished her hamburger and started picking at her french fries, still looking at him, but trying to look more interested in the finger food.
"But y' do get a couple a options p'tiet. Y' can't live wid Gambit, but dere are a number a good schools dat y' can go to."
"Oh" She looked slightly disappointed.
"First, if y' wan' t' learn how t' be a t'ief. I'll show ya.. but only after I make sure dat y' ain't gonna rob a bank. Dere's a right time an place for being a t'ief."
She nodded, a bit of hope back in her eyes.
"Second, nobody knows 'bout you bein' a t'ief. Y' tell anybody den it's over. T'ird, if y' ever caught, y' call Gambit first. No matter wha'."
She nodded again, and began to smile slightly.
"Dat's about bein' a t'ief. Dat's de fun part. Here de hard one. Y' gonna be livin' in a school. Dat means y' gonna be goin' ta school, and y' gotta do it right. Y' can read, non?"
She nodded.
"Good. Cause here de catch. Y' aint gonna grow up ta be a professional t'ief."
She opened her moth to object, but Gambit held up a hand and leaned in with the other hand on the table.
"Dis is de deal. Y' right. Gambit been watchin' de streets. He grew up on dem, and he don't want any p'tiet t' do dat. Gambit been watchin' y' too. Y' too smart t' be livin' out dere, and too smart t' want t' grow up t' be like dis poor t'ief." He grinned.
"So, then, where are you going to stash me?" her words sounded bitter, but his grin was too infectious for her to truly be mad.
"Dat's up t' ya. Gambit'll show y' de schools. Dey all got mutants in dem. You don't got a problem wid dat do ya?" His red eyes narrowed, daring her to put down mutantkind.
She gingerly ate another french fry, but kept her eyes on him. She nodded her head, agreeing to his terms.
"Good. Can ya leave t'night?"
"Yes." The sparkle of hope was back in her eyes.
"Y' got a family on de streets? Kids dat you watchin' out for?"
"Uh, no, I'm like the youngest with the kids I hang out with. They're not gonna miss me."
Gambit finished his coffee and stood, pulling bills from a hidden pocket and dropping them on the table without looking. He replaced his sunglasses and smiled to the waitress when she came by to clean off the table. Rachel took one last gulp of water and then scurried out of the booth, trying not to think about the fifty dollars that Gambit had just left on the table.
Gambit paused at the exit, and held the glass door open for her. As she passed by him, he smirked once again and held up a hand blocking her momentarily.
"Gambit almost forgot. Dere's one more t'ing."
"Yeah?"
"Y' can't tell anybody dat Gambit is de one helpin' y'."
She looked at him puzzled. "Why not?"
"Can't have everybody know dat I do dis, nobody'd take Gambit seriously if dey knew."
Rachel laughed, and Gambit grinned. "I won't tell anybody I promise... But what do I say when somebody asks?"
"You been sponsored b' de Rues d'Or Foundation."
"Rues d'Or?"
"French for 'Golden Streets.'"
"That sounds a bit cheesy to be your private foundation."
He winked at her. " 'Xactly."
~~~~~~~~
Gambit stayed with Rachel until he got her into a school that morning. When she was settled, he left and grinned as he drove back to the X-mansion.
Strolling in at noon, still dressed in his nightclothes, Gambit gained the attention of the X men sitting in the rec room.
If he could see them, Gambit was sure that Scott was rolling his eyes.
"Nobody's ever going to take you seriously if you spend all night drinking and gambling." Scott's lecturing words only made Gambit chuckle.
"De streets were paved wid gold las' night, homme. How could Gambit refuse dem?" Gambit walked on by up on to his room grinning. His offhand attitude only infuriated Cyclops more.