NOTE: Ami, that was the nicest review I've ever read! I'm afraid I might
be letting you down in the future. Thanks so much for your reviews,
everyone! =)
When they landed on the ground, they all exited the jet.
"So whea' exactly is dis crystal?" Gambit asked, flipping a card between his fingers. He wasn't exactly happy to be stuck with Ice-boy here. Heh. This was Florida. Maybe if he was lucky, Ice-boy would melt. He smiled to himself and awaited Storm's answer.
"We don't know where the amulet is, exactly, but we must remember that when we find it, we must destroy it. Since we do not know where it is, we will spend this time searching for Benjamin, the mutant here that has the power of absorption," she explained to them, waiting for the Professor to tell her where Benjamin was.
He suddenly entered her mind as if on cue. **He is on the beach. I will guide you.**
"He is on the beach," Storm dictated, "Professor Xavier will guide us."
"Yes! He's on the beach!" Kitty exclaimed, excited that finally a mission wasn't in a place where it snowed 10 months of the year.
They walked the short distance to the shore and the Professor led them straight to where Benjamin was sitting on a picnic blanket all alone. It was quite easy, considering that the beach was empty this time of year.
"Benny!?" Rogue exclaimed staring at the guy. "How did yah get to Florida?! Does your Mam know yah here? No, ah'm sure she don't or she'd give you one helluva whippin'." This was outrageous.
"Who is dat, chere?" Gambit asked, a little jealousy rising in him. Another boyfriend perhaps.
"This here's mah cousin Benny," she said impatiently.
"Hold up, Marie! When's the las' tahme YOU spoke tah anybody in our fam'ly, huh? Three or four YEARS?" he demanded, standing up.
Storm saw this as a good opportunity to step in. "Why don't we all just calm down." If Benny really did have the amulet, he could kill them all in seconds. Then she spotted it. It was around his neck. He'd already found the crystal and was wearing it. Storm decided not to highlight her newfound information, for fear that he would become frightened and run away, or worse, use his power on them.
"Shut up!!" They both yelled at Storm, too caught up in their family affair to care what she thought.
She had to do something to stop them. She conjured up hurricane winds. Not such a great idea, considering that sand blew into everyone's eyes and pushed them around uncontrollably. She meant for it to be a diversion, but it just didn't work out that way.
Suddenly, Benny toppled over onto Rogue, his bare arm smashing into her face. Rogue felt the strangest sensation. It wasn't the pain from being elbowed. It was as though---
Benny jerked away from her. "Oh mah God! Marie! Are yah ok?? Ah didn't mean tah touch yah!" Benny's mind was flooded with Rogue's memories of her life with the Brotherhood. Magneto, Mystique- everything. He had never known that she was a mutant, and so much like himself, before now.
"Ah," Rogue started, "Ah feel so weird," was all she could say to describe how she felt.
"Ah'm so sorry, Marie.. Ah musta' taken your powers when ah fell on yah."
This suddenly registered in her mind at the same time it registered in Gambit's. He had taken her power. Which meant that she could touch.
Gambit took this opportunity to approach her. "Can Gambit touch you, chere, jus' to test it out?" he asked.
At first she was hesitant, but she nodded, having a feeling she was powerless. Expecting him to touch her wrist, she held out her hand to him. But Gambit could think of plenty other places to touch that would be more pleasing to them both than her wrist.
He stepped even closer to her, so that his red/black eyes could burn into her soul like they had before. Her heart fluttered when he took her arm and moved it to his shoulder. She could feel his hard muscles beneath the light material of his T-shirt. Then he leaned in slowly, so that she could stop him if she wanted to, and grazed her lips with his own. And then it was over. Rogue opened her eyes again and saw him still standing there with her hand on his shoulder and his arm around her waist. His eyes still burning into her.
"Ah-Ah didn't feel anything," she stuttered, still staring into his eyes.
"Den perhaps we should try again, jus' to be sure," he said leaning in slowly again. This time, rather than just grazing her lips, he pressed his against hers, taking in her taste, and the pleasure of feeling her kiss him back.
When he had pulled his lips away from her the second time, he said, "I sure felt sometin' dere, Rogue."
Rogue could feel her face get hot and was suddenly aware of all the people around them.
But particularly Bobby. He was about to do something she could never forgive him for.
When they landed on the ground, they all exited the jet.
"So whea' exactly is dis crystal?" Gambit asked, flipping a card between his fingers. He wasn't exactly happy to be stuck with Ice-boy here. Heh. This was Florida. Maybe if he was lucky, Ice-boy would melt. He smiled to himself and awaited Storm's answer.
"We don't know where the amulet is, exactly, but we must remember that when we find it, we must destroy it. Since we do not know where it is, we will spend this time searching for Benjamin, the mutant here that has the power of absorption," she explained to them, waiting for the Professor to tell her where Benjamin was.
He suddenly entered her mind as if on cue. **He is on the beach. I will guide you.**
"He is on the beach," Storm dictated, "Professor Xavier will guide us."
"Yes! He's on the beach!" Kitty exclaimed, excited that finally a mission wasn't in a place where it snowed 10 months of the year.
They walked the short distance to the shore and the Professor led them straight to where Benjamin was sitting on a picnic blanket all alone. It was quite easy, considering that the beach was empty this time of year.
"Benny!?" Rogue exclaimed staring at the guy. "How did yah get to Florida?! Does your Mam know yah here? No, ah'm sure she don't or she'd give you one helluva whippin'." This was outrageous.
"Who is dat, chere?" Gambit asked, a little jealousy rising in him. Another boyfriend perhaps.
"This here's mah cousin Benny," she said impatiently.
"Hold up, Marie! When's the las' tahme YOU spoke tah anybody in our fam'ly, huh? Three or four YEARS?" he demanded, standing up.
Storm saw this as a good opportunity to step in. "Why don't we all just calm down." If Benny really did have the amulet, he could kill them all in seconds. Then she spotted it. It was around his neck. He'd already found the crystal and was wearing it. Storm decided not to highlight her newfound information, for fear that he would become frightened and run away, or worse, use his power on them.
"Shut up!!" They both yelled at Storm, too caught up in their family affair to care what she thought.
She had to do something to stop them. She conjured up hurricane winds. Not such a great idea, considering that sand blew into everyone's eyes and pushed them around uncontrollably. She meant for it to be a diversion, but it just didn't work out that way.
Suddenly, Benny toppled over onto Rogue, his bare arm smashing into her face. Rogue felt the strangest sensation. It wasn't the pain from being elbowed. It was as though---
Benny jerked away from her. "Oh mah God! Marie! Are yah ok?? Ah didn't mean tah touch yah!" Benny's mind was flooded with Rogue's memories of her life with the Brotherhood. Magneto, Mystique- everything. He had never known that she was a mutant, and so much like himself, before now.
"Ah," Rogue started, "Ah feel so weird," was all she could say to describe how she felt.
"Ah'm so sorry, Marie.. Ah musta' taken your powers when ah fell on yah."
This suddenly registered in her mind at the same time it registered in Gambit's. He had taken her power. Which meant that she could touch.
Gambit took this opportunity to approach her. "Can Gambit touch you, chere, jus' to test it out?" he asked.
At first she was hesitant, but she nodded, having a feeling she was powerless. Expecting him to touch her wrist, she held out her hand to him. But Gambit could think of plenty other places to touch that would be more pleasing to them both than her wrist.
He stepped even closer to her, so that his red/black eyes could burn into her soul like they had before. Her heart fluttered when he took her arm and moved it to his shoulder. She could feel his hard muscles beneath the light material of his T-shirt. Then he leaned in slowly, so that she could stop him if she wanted to, and grazed her lips with his own. And then it was over. Rogue opened her eyes again and saw him still standing there with her hand on his shoulder and his arm around her waist. His eyes still burning into her.
"Ah-Ah didn't feel anything," she stuttered, still staring into his eyes.
"Den perhaps we should try again, jus' to be sure," he said leaning in slowly again. This time, rather than just grazing her lips, he pressed his against hers, taking in her taste, and the pleasure of feeling her kiss him back.
When he had pulled his lips away from her the second time, he said, "I sure felt sometin' dere, Rogue."
Rogue could feel her face get hot and was suddenly aware of all the people around them.
But particularly Bobby. He was about to do something she could never forgive him for.
