Ace of Hearts

Chapter 6

By Kanshisha Tenshi

~[ 3 ]~

            It wasn't until very early the following morning that the X-Men all gathered together to discuss their intruder.  Logan thrust Nega forward with a grunt, keeping a close watch on her.

            "Caught her last night.  Looks like Mystique was tryin' to fool ya again, Stripes," he informed Rogue.  A look of pure rage flashed across her face, and she grabbed Mystique by her shirt collar.  She didn't notice that the shirt charged up with the stolen powers she had gotten last night.

            "Ah'm tired o' seein' ya face, Mystique.  If Ah ever, ever see ya again...Ah'll kill ya," she swore.

            "Um, Rogue, vhat's vith the gloving?" Kurt asked, indicating the fact that Mystique had been charged.  The rest were staring at her silently.

            "Ah...um...Ah can explain..."

            "Ya'd better start talkin', Stripes, 'cause I want some explainin'," Wolverine grumbled.  "If that Cajun was around here, I've got every right to know...so I can go an' cut him to pieces."

            "Yeah, he was here.  But Ah wanted him t' be.  Ah wanted t' know wha' made him tick.  So just calm down," Rogue snapped.  "Anyway, does anyone have any problem with meh killin' Mystique here an' now?"

            "Un-charge her, Rogue, and I'll confine her in the medical lab," Hank commanded.  Rogue sighed, and let the other mutant go.

            "Ya won' be so lucky, next time," Rogue informed her mother.

            "By the time they catch me next time, it'll be too late," the woman warned.

~[ 3 ]~

            Rogue tossed Remy a note during their first period together.  Slowly, he picked it up, staring at the teacher to make sure she didn't know what was going on.  He opened the note, and it read:

            Well, congratulations, swamp rat.  Thanks to your little kiss I can't get you out of my head now--literally!  You sure know how to get a girl's attention, don't ya?  And I know about your mission.  Don't think you'll be able to get me or Lauren.  Try anything and you'll regret the day you were born, courtesy of the Rogue.

            Amused, he scribbled something and tossed it back.

            Remy up for a challenge, petite.  But he'd rather make love than war to such a belle femme like you. ;)  Name the time and place, and Remy be there to...fight you, chere.

            Rogue's face turned to an expression of horror, then disgust.

            Ya make me sick, swamp rat, she wrote.

            Remy love you, too, chere.

~[ 3 ]~

            The day passed quickly until lunch time.  Neutra was sitting with Phillip and his friends, which left Rogue alone under the tree.  That is to say, she was alone until she saw a shadow pass over the book she was reading.

            "Mind if Remy join you, chere?"

            "Yeah, actually, Ah do.  When's it gonna get through that thick skull o' yours that Ah ain't gonna fall fo' your tricks?  Nothin' is ever gonna happen between us, Cajun, so just...leave meh alone."

            "Remy don' t'ink you sound too upset t' see him, non?"

            "Non is right, swamp rat.  Ah'm not gonna join ya, an' neither is Lauren.  So just back off, will ya?"  Instead, he sat down next to her--so close his body almost touched hers.

            "Remy ain't doin' this jus' fo' de boss, chere," he whispered huskily in her ear.  "Remy like charmin' his chéri."  His warm breath and voice sent shivers down her spine, and she closed her eyes.

            "Even if it weren't just for Magneto," she said, trying to keep her voice from breaking, "Ah still wouldn't date ya, Cajun."  He looked at her, and she continued.  "Ya shouldn't bother with someone ya know can't ever touch ya, Remy LeBeau.  Ya know we could never do anythin' other than restricted hugging.  Ya'd get tired o' me eventually an' move on t' some other girl."

            "Remy would never get tired o' you, chere," he insisted, leaning closer.

            "Don't..." she protested.

            "Why not, petite?  A kiss from you is worth de consequence."

            "Ah don' wanna kiss ya..."

            "Not very convincin', chere."  Rogue felt a small tingle forming in her stomach, and she wasn't entirely sure if it was from butterflies or...

            She looked over at Lauren and, sure enough, she was targeting the younger girl with a grin.  Rogue scowled at her, and Remy noticed.

            "Not'in' stoppin' us, chere," he whispered.  "One kiss wouldn' hurt."  She closed her eyes again, fighting against tears that threatened to overwhelm her.  She'd been longing desperately for another touch since two nights ago, and what better form of touch than a kiss?

            "Just one, swamp rat, an' only 'cause Ah'm so desperate..."

            "Any excuse t' kiss you is a good enough excuse fo' Remy," he replied, leaning forward and kissing her sweetly on the lips.  Rogue wrapped her arms around him, experimenting.

~[ 3 ]~

            Lauren watched the two kiss with a smile plastered to her face.

            She won't admit it to anyone--not even herself--but she's so happy with him.  Maybe I'll make a couple out of them yet...but with a few sacrifices...

            She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself, thinking about what she knew would eventually come to pass.  She opened her eyes again, pleased to find the two still kissing.

~[ 3 ]~

            Remy pulled away slowly, reluctantly, and looked at Rogue's closed eyes.  They fluttered open, and he stared deep into them.

            "See, chere?  Dat wasn' so hard.  Maybe we should do dat mo' often..."

            "No way," she said shakily.  "Ah ain't kissin' ya again, swamp rat."

            "Is dat so?  Wanna bet?"

            "Yeah."

            "All right.  If ya do, ya gotta be Remy's girlfriend."

            "No."

            "Okay, then a date will do."

            "Fine.  An' if Ah don', ya gotta back off."

            "Fo' how long?"

            "Indefinitely!"

            "Dat could mean minutes, chere."

            "A lot longer than that, then.  Oh, an' this'll have t' be valid 'til midnight tonight."

            "You mean if you kiss Remy by midnight, it's a date, an' if not, Remy leaves you alone?"

            "Exactly."

            "Okay.  How 'bout we seal it wit' a kiss, den, chere?"  She scowled at him, and he grinned back at her.  "Guess dat's a 'no'."  The bell rang, and they got up to go to P.E.

~[ 3 ]~

            "What were you two arguing about?" Lauren asked before she left for her next class.

            "He wanted meh t' kiss him again."

            "Go for it!  Your powers are negated 'til sundown."

            "Why should Ah?"

            "'Cause I'll keep them negated 'til you do.  And while they're negated, I could get some of my friends to make you.  I'd suggest doing it."

            "But..."

            "And I'll ask him after school, before we go home, if you did or not."

            "But Ah..."

            "No 'buts'.  I'll see you after school, Rogue."

~[ 3 ]~

            "Cajun, deal's off," Rogue mumbled to him during their physical education class.

            "Not a chance, chere.  A deal's a deal, remember?"

            "Not a deal with a thief..." she tried, to no avail.

            "You could admit defeat."

            "Ah'm only gonna admit that Lauren's tryin' t' make meh kiss ya.  If Ah don't, well...Ah'm not sure Ah wanna know what she'll have her friends do.  But she said she'd ask you after school if Ah did or not."  Remy grinned slyly at her.

            "So dat means you'll be free Friday night, petite?"

            "Guess so," she mumbled, leaning forward and brushing her lips against his softly.  Needless to say, Remy LeBeau carried a grin on his face the rest of the day.

~[ 3 ]~

            Lauren went to find Remy after school, but didn't bother to ask if Rogue had kissed him.  Judging by his confident smirk and occasional crooked grin, the girl had done her job.  Remy caught sight of her and, if at all possible, grinned even wider.

            "T'ank you, petite; Remy in debt t' you now, non?"

            "I didn't think making her give you one little kiss would make you so happy..."

            "It's not de kiss, chere, it's de date dat matters."

            "Date?  She actually agreed to a date?  Wow."

            "She didn' tell you 'bout de bet?"

            "No," she said, confused.  "What bet?"

            "She an' Remy made a bet.  If she didn' kiss Remy 'fore midnight, Remy had t' leave her alone indefinitely.  If she did, she date Remy.  Now Remy get a date fo' Friday night."  A smile crept onto his handsome face.  "T'ank you, chere."

            "Um...you're welcome, I think."  Then a thought came to mind.  "Hey, Remy, want to really impress her?"

            "O' course."

            "Then come with me."

~[ 3 ]~

            Rogue collapsed on her bed with a sigh.  She had a date with disaster Friday night, and she wasn't happy about it.

            "Nice goin', Rogue," she chided herself.  "Shoulda known fate was gonna find a way t' screw ya over.  Didn't ya know by now that ya're the joke o' the century?  Everyone wants t' make ya miserable 'cause someone in this world thinks it's funny."

            It's not so bad, is it?

            Yeah, it is.

            But he's bein' real nice to ya...

            Ah don' care.  He's th' enemy.  Ah hate him, an' Ah shouldn't'a made that deal with him.

            See how ya try t' convince yaself o' that?  Ya know ya don' mean it, Rogue.

            "Great, just great.  Now he's got meh arguin' with mahself," she mumbled.

~[ 3 ]~

            Hank McCoy walked into the med lab carrying a tray of food, humming to himself.  He was surprised not to see the shape shifter anywhere.

            "Mystique?" he called, looking around.  He didn't see her anywhere.  "Oh, my.  I had better inform the professor."

~[ 3 ]~

            Mystique waited until she was far away from the mansion to revert back to form.  That had been so easy!

            All she had done was change into a mouse and slip out once Hank had come in.  She had then waited for Logan to burst out the door to hunt her down, and she had gone through the open entryway and headed the other direction.

            No one could contain Raven Darkholme.

~[ 3 ]~

            Remy groaned as he saw where Lauren was taking him.

            A large sign loomed ominously ahead, signaling certain doom for the likes of him.

            It read:  Welcome to the Bayville Mall!

~[ 3 ]~

            "Oh, come on, Remy!  It's not going to hurt you!"  Lauren said, struggling to drag the Cajun thief through the sliding glass doors.

            "Dat's wha' you t'ink, chere," he replied, struggling to get away.

            "Hey, you did say you wanted to impress Rogue," she pointed out.

            "Remy didn't know you really meant 'go shoppin', petite!"

            "Fine, if you don't want me to help you pick out a nice gift that she'd die for..." she trailed off with a hidden smile.  Remy groaned in resignation.

            "You win, petite.  Take Remy t' de gift."

~[ 3 ]~

            Lauren led Remy by the hand to the jewelry store.  She didn't actually have to lead him that way, but what girl in her right mind would pass up a chance to hold Remy LeBeau's hand?  After all, if the plan she was working on came through she may never have the chance again.

            Rogue, I don't think you know what you're missing.

~[ 3 ]~

            Lauren came home just in time for dinner, which aroused some suspicions, but no one said anything until after the meal.

            "So, like, where were you?" Kitty asked.  They had steered her to the library, an Lauren had requested the absence of the boys.

            "I'll get to that in a sec.  You'll never believe what I found out from Remy!"

            "What?" Jean piped up.

            "Looks like little Roguie's got a date Friday night with everyone's favorite Cajun."

            "Like, oh my God," Kitty gasped.  "Rogue?  On a date?  With Remy?  Whoa!"

            "My thoughts exactly," Jean said, stunned.

            "I've been at the jewelry store in the mall helping Remy to pick out a beautiful necklace for her.  I think she'll love it when she gets it.  Anyway, I need you girls' help in getting her ready for the date.  As far as I know, this is her first date, and I think with our help it could be one of the best nights of her life."

            "Like, wow," Kitty breathed.  "We could totally take her shopping after school and get her a dress for it!  This is, like, gonna be tons of fun!"

            "That's the plan."

~[ 3 ]~

            Remy chuckled to himself as he fingered the small box in his trench coat pocket.  Lauren had actually believed him when he said he needed to go home to get some money to buy the necklace with.

            Dat Rogue's got some crazy amis, non?  Or maybe she didn' tell de fille 'bout Remy's profession.  She really expected Remy t' pay fo' dat gem!

            The two had gotten split up by a convenient mob of people on their way out, and Remy had snuck back to the store.  He charmed one of the salesladies into letting him see the necklace, which, in the group of people coming in, she decided she had "lost."  She oddly remembered him handing it back, but then it was gone.

            Gambit smiled to himself on the way back to the base.

~[ 3 ]~

Author's Notes:  Sorry if it takes me a while to update this story during the week.  I'm trying to average a chapter a day, but I have some tests to make up for school so it may go slower than expected.  Nevertheless, it will be updated (hopefully) regularly.  I'm really starting to have fun with this story, despite my own impatience about how long it's probably going to be dragged out, but reading is good for you. ;)  So is reading reviews (hint, hint).

By the way, I'd like some reader input as to who should get Rogue and Lauren:  Magneto or Mystique?  I'm trying to plan up until then, and once it's actually decided I'll work on past that and how I might finish it.  So PLEASE review and tell me whose "minion" you'd like to see the girls go with.  I'll introduce Mystique's "minion" probably in the next chapter.  Please review!