------------------------------------------Redeeming Myself------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------

AngieX: How am I making the Professor to lenient on Remy, just curios, was it the whole smoking only gets him dinner duty thing? I know that was kind of lame, I hope you can deal with it though.

Ishandhalf: Eighties rock fan huh, can you tell me whose song it was, and the title of the album its from, just curious.

Flitz: Not sure f we'll ever actually see Remy and Kurt fencing.

Everyone else who reviewed, thanks, you have in questions or comments, let me know.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- Poker anyone? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------

Remy was in the kitchen with a big pot of something brewing on the stove, and 'Enter Sandman' blaring out of a portable C.D. player that Kurt believed belonged to Bobby. The smell was delicious but yet different.

"Isn't Keety vonne be cooking tonight?" Kurt asked.

"Neh, Prof caught me smoking in de mansion, again." Remy answered nonchalantly.

"Well, you ever think maybe you shouldn't smoke in the mansion Gambit?" Kitty asked as she entered the kitchen, turning down the radio.

"Hmm, Remy don' mean t' habit I guess, y' know use t' doing what ever Remy wants, no one ever round t' tell me not t'." Remy answered while he added some spices.

"Well, at least it saves me from cooking." Kitty said.

"Thank God, it saves us vrom eating it to." Kurt whispered to Remy. Remy let out a small laugh and Kitty looked hurt. Remy sensed this and quickly changed the direction of the conversation.

"So, it's a Friday night.what's everyone up t' t'night?" Remy asked quickly steering the conversation from how horrible and dangerous Kitty's cooking actually is.

"Vell, Bobby, Sam, Scott and myself, ve got a poker game scheduled tonight, do vou play Remy?" Kurt said as he lent in to take a whiff of Gambit's meal.

Gambit tried to hide a grin from appearing on his face. This did not go unnoticed by Kitty. "Remy play a bit, Oui. Y' mind if I join y?" Gambit asked. Kurt nodded his head in approval before asking the next question. "I heard vou and Rogue vent to the store. Where is she now?"

"Rogue, she b' up in my room, watching 'Interview wit a Va'pire.' She say's m' T.V. and surround system b' better den de Rec Rooms." Gambit added as he turned the stove down to simmer, and pulled some corn bread with little red bits in them from the oven. "Y' can go talk t' her if y' want." Remy added as he tossed the 'Jalapeno Cornbread' into a nice biscuit basket.

Kurt exited the kitchen and Kitty began laughing immediately. Remy looked at her quizzically. "Some ding wrong petite?" He asked.

"You play poker a little. Like how slow is Kurt. Your codename is Gambit, like your signature weapon is a playing card. Your gonna so take all their money aren't you?" Kitty asked through gaggles of laughter.

Remy smirked before saying, "Oui, dats another good ding bout coming here, every one in de Acolytes refused t' play poker wit Remy after de first month I was dere. Really, y' dink de others gonna believe I don't play often?" Remy finished off his question laughing.

"Well Sam and Bobby are like so gullible. Scott might not buy it, but I've noticed he so has you under like this huge microscope. Early today he ran into the Professor's office just screaming that you and Rogue stole the Rolls Royce. It was so funny." Remy smiled as he began fidgeting with another one of the many Cajun delights he was preparing for supper.

"Oui, dat boy has it out f'r me, any idea why petite?" Remy asked kind of frustrated, but easily slipped back into his calming manor.

"I really don't know Remy, but I got a question if you like don't mind. What's up with you and Rogue?" Kitty asked while staring intently at Remy, letting him know she wanted a straightforward answer.

"Jealous petite?" Remy asked, his eyes holding that flirtatious nature they always seem to have. Remy was secretly hoping to avoid the answer of this question. Kitty started to giggle a little bit before she reclaimed her composure. She definitely surprised him by being able to stop her giggling.

"Not at all Remy, we're" while saying this, Kitty pointed to him and herself, accenting the 'we're' "friends, but Rogue is always in your bedroom, I mean I like know you guys aren't doing anything, but you've let her borrow your bike on more then one occasion, and she isn't ever like rude to you. I mean I know she doesn't mean to be so bitchy to everyone, but I think we all just bring it out in her, and she acts like she can barely stand any of us, even me, and I am like her only room mate, but you and her!" Now she pointed to him, then with her other hand pointed towards the ceiling, signifying upstairs where his bedroom would be, stressing the 'you and her' "you guys like seem to be best friends and you've only been here a week. I just wanna know if there's anything more there?" Kitty let out all, in almost one great big sentence.

Remy looked down as he began stirring his gumbo again. "Petite, Rogue and me, I dink we just be friends. And Remy likes it like dat, she be a good person once y' get to know de femme."
BAMF. And with that Kurt appeared in the middle of Remy's bedroom. Rogue had herself propped up on her elbows while lying on Remy's bed. When she saw Kurt she lifted a pillow and whipped it at Kurt's head yelling all sorts of vulgar comments. Finally her out burst ended with: "Gol Darm it Elf, ah was watching that, and yah go an plop ya big blue butt in front of mah face!"

"I am so sorry Vouge, but I was bored, and if I stayed in vhe kitchen any longer with Remy's food, by vhe vay, it smelled so good, but Keety was there, and I kept accidentally making fun of her cooking! I vad to get out before I pissed her off." Kurt said quick paced trying to avoid another verbal and physical attack from Rogue.

"Ah, ah, umm Kitty was in tha kitchen with Remy, all alone?" Rogue asked with way too much interest in her voice. Kurt picked up on this; he to, like Kitty had been very curious as to what was going on between Remy and Rogue. "What, were thay talking bout?"

"Vell before I left, I invited him to vlay poker vith me and vhe guys tonight. Kitty just asked him vhy he keeps smoking in vhe mansion." Kurt said trying to figure out a way to probe Rogue for information, with out forcing Rogue to go all, well Rogue on her.

"So, ummm He's not going out tah night with Logan?" Rogue asked now looking down to avoid her foster brothers eyes. Kurt was really curious now, he didn't mind Remy, but did he want him and Rogue to hit it off. Of course she did seem a whole lot happier around him, than she did around anyone else. Finally Kurt realized that just maybe it wasn't any of his business. He wouldn't try to stop her, or trap her, from doing what ever she wanted to do with Remy. 'Sometimes, a brother just has to know when to let go I guess.' Kurt thought to himself.

"No, Rogue, Remy said he vell be playing Poker vith me and vhe guys." Kurt finally answered her, and gave in just a bit to his curiosity. "Vhy do you vant to know shwiester?" Kurt asked very seriously.

"Well, ah was juts curious yah know, no reason at all besides ah was just curious." Rogue said hastily before returning her gaze back to 'Interview with a Vampire.'

Kurt noticed her reluctance and basically gave up before he even started a subtle interrogation. "You Know, Remy's ventertainment system is much vetter then the Rec Room's" Kurt said as he to became engrossed in the movie playing on Remy's flat screen television.

Dinner was quite eventful. Most of the students did not appreciate Remy's cornbread. Although Logan and Hank did. In there words, 'the hotter the better.' The Gumbo which Remy had prepared, he admitted he spiced down for 'all y' soft tummy y'nkees.' as he put it. Of course not all the students thought it was toned down enough. Surprisingly Sam Guthrie came to Remy's defense and pointed out that he had some Cajun cooking several times when he was younger, and this was definitely toned down. Over the course of dinner, many shocked faces were seen around the table as Sam, Remy, and Rogue talk very passionately about the South and how the North was just too damn cold. Sam had asked Remy to cook some true Cajun food one day, as Spicy as taste would allow it, Remy surprised him by saying when he did, the young Kentuckian could join him in the Kitchen. Topics such as the Mississippi River and the Bayou flooded the table. Sam went on and on about great barn dances, and Remy even said that in his younger days, he had been known to line dance a time or too. For these three teenagers, talking about the south brought back a lot of memories. A bit, the longer the conversation had gone on, the less the rest present at the dinner table could understand because all three accents became thicker, and they started speaking much faster the more intense the conversation became.

After the dinner came to a close, Sam surprised Remy by helping him clear the dishes, and wash them. This too was part of Remy's "Punishment" for smoking in the house. Sam and Remy continued to talk of southern ways. What was even more surprising is that Rogue joined them also by putting away the dried dishes as the two boys washed them. Kurt eyed this curiously wandering if it was nostalgia for the south, or Remy that brought her back into the conversation after dinner was over. Soon though all the dishes were cleaned and put away and Sam, Remy, and Rogue entered the Rec Room. Sam and Remy joined Scott, Kurt and Bobby around the card table, and Rogue surprised the other students who were gathered in the Rec Room, by sitting by the window closest to the card game and began reading a book. Usually she read in the study or her own room, not the Rec Room.

"So Gambit, Kurt tells me that you've played Poker a bit in the past." Bobby asked him as everyone took their seats around the card table. "We play every couple weeks, I hope you brought a lot of money." Bobby finished with a snicker. Bobby is usually the one to clean out the others on Poker Nights.

"Yeah, we have a lot of fun, I am so glad you could join us tonight." Scott said sarcastically. Scott obviously not liking Gambit being there at all. This got him a look from Kurt and Sam, who both seemed to begin thinking of Gambit, as a friend, and another look unknown to anyone else in the room from Rogue.

Remy was about to reply when Logan could be heard shouting from another room. "Gumbo, I'm heading to Harry's, ya coming bub." Finally Logan followed his scent into the Rec Room, and gave Gambit a look. "Your playing poker with these guys?" He said while he let out a laugh.

"Don't worry Mr. Logan we'll go easy on him." Bobby said very confidently.

"It's not him I'm worried about, how dumb are your four, his code name is 'GAMBIT' and look at him." Logan said trying to contain a smile. Everyone at the table turned to Gambit to see him masterfully shuffling the cards. With a huge smirk on his face, than he began dealing the cards. Numerous gulps could be heard from around the table.

---------------------------------One Month Later, another Poker Night------- ---------------------

"Ya damn CHEATING Cajun!" Scott screamed out loud. "There is no way in hell you could win almost every hand if you weren't cheating. You've cleaned up single night we've played!"

"How could Remy b' cheatin, y' already made him take off my jacket, and wear short sleeves! And don't even start, I've felt dose feather light touches on m' mental shields from Jean! I know y' asked her to help ya!" Remy said really perturbed at another insinuation of cheating.

Scott stood up now; stark mad. "You can't prove I had anything to do with it, and I don't care what you say, as long as your touching cards, I know your cheating some how!"

"Well what y' want me t' do, homme.not touch m' cards?" Remy let out exasperated.

"Ya know that suggestion has some prahmise." Sam integrated into the argument.

"Vhat do you mean Sam?" Kurt asked also trying to stop a repeat of their last game night where Remy 'accidentally' charged a card that he dealt to Scott. Scott refused to believe it was an accident, but Remy to this day insists it was purely unconscious on his part.

"What ahm saying is we gat one of tha girls to hold Remy's cards, and not let him touch em." Sam said softly.

"That's a great idea. But we'll have to pick a girl that won't be giggling the whole time, so that cuts out Jubilee, Kitty, Amara." Bobby started.

"Tabitha and Rahne." Kurt finished.

"So dat leaves who, Jean and Rogue?" Remy asked rolling his eyes. "Dis is stupid, I can't believe y' don't trust Remy!"

"No.NO!" Jean shouted from across the room. "I am not getting in the middle of this, you guys better ask Rogue, and even I know her well enough to know she won't go for this!" Everyone at the table and in the Rec Room turned to Rogue who was trying to look like she wasn't listening. She once again was sat in the corner by the window reading a book.

"Ya'll got tah beh kidding meh!" Rogue rolled her eyes. "Ah hate tah say it, but Jean's right."

Remy turned towards Rogue, he flashed his most charming grin, which few have noticed that in the past month, Remy only flashed these to Rogue. And the flirting with all other girls in the institute had pretty much dropped to zilch. Well it wasn't totally gone, he wouldn't be Remy Lebeau, if he didn't flirt with all 'de femmes.' "Come on chere, help me prove t' dese sore losers, Remy doesn't cheat." Rogue looked contemplative at this, but still wasn't convinced. "Maybe I give y' half m' winnings Rogue?" With this Remy gave her a half pout, she melted. Over the past month she has noticed Remy's digression in his flirting ways with everyone but her, and she silently cheered about this.

"Half of all yah winnings Cajun?" Rogue replied as she wandered over to the card table. Only Kitty and Jean noticed the flirtatious way she had spoken and walked over there. "O.K., boys make some room for meh." She finished as she got to Remy's side. Bobby and Kurt who were seated next to Remy started to slide over before Remy stopped them.

"Non, no need t' crowd everyone Chere." Rogue gave him a questioning look as he took her hand and pulled her down onto his lap. This caused some silent gasps and a lot breath holding from the students in the Rec Room, waiting for Rogue's outburst and physical harm she would surely inflict upon Remy. "Besides Rogue, dis way b' easier t' communicate wit out every one else hearing us." Remy whispered into her ear.

Surprising everyone in attendance, she merely adjusted to a comfortable position, took the cards in front of Remy and began dealing as Remy wrapped his arms around Rogue's waist. "Ready boys, tha names Fahve Card Stahd! Fahve dallar anty!" Rogue said just as cocky as Remy would have, and began to deal much the same way Remy does. Gulps much similar to the ones gave at Remy's first poker game were given from The boys seated around the table.

--------------------------------Somewhere Else------------------------------ --------------------

Sabretooth could be seen standing in the doorway looking very annoyed. His breathing was low and sounded more like growls. A man hidden in Shadows wandered around the room that Sabretooth was about to enter.

"Creed, have you assembled those on the list I gave you?" the man from in the room said in a low and sinister voice.

"They've all remembered you, and have agreed to working for you again, outta fright or some sort of twisted debt that you hold over them, I do not know. Nor do I care?" Sabretooth growled out

"I see, then the grab for the Grey girl is in reach. My plan is coming along very nicely. Well you let me know when my Marauders arrive." The sinister voice was heard saying once again.

"Just outta curiosity Sinister, when am I going get the chance to gut the Canadian and Cajun?" Sabretooth growled out, some would say they head a pleading tone in his voice. Of course no one would ever say this to his face.

"The one known as Wolverine is of no consequence to me, when the girl's teammates come for her, do with him as you wish, but young Gambit, that boy owes me so much, he will return to my fold, or he will die at my hand." Mr. Sinister said with a fury in his eyes.

"Will Gambit be a problem to contain?" Sabretooth asked.

"No, at one time he may have been, but right now, he doesn't have the power to pose a threat to me. Containing him will be easy enough." Mr. Sinister said almost im a joyful and devious tone combined in one.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------

A/N Ooh, dramatic.well maybe not. So how was it, yes there is a big fight coming soon. And oh so much will be revealed. But first, the Marauders make a grab for Jean Grey, and Cyclops and Gambit argue again, with an explosive ending.

Oh yeah, am I butchering Kurt's accent. I think I am.