Marvel owns the x-men not me. Boohoo! I go running out of the room I'm back now.
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Hi, my computer died a bad death so this has taken longer then I would have liked. I'm on my Mother's computer right now but I can only get on when schedules permit. Hopefully soon I will have enough money saved up to buy a computer and I can get these chapters out faster. But don't worry I had my notes and chapters backed up so I didn't lose any info. ------------------look
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But before I go to the story I thought I would answer some point's people have brought up and clear up a few things that may have been confusing. Of course this is my opinion on events and characters which may differ from your views on them. So here goes…
Well, those theorizing on who it is well, I'm not going to tell you that here. ;) But go ahead and keep guessing it does make it fun!
As for the x-men being a little slow about Rogue being in danger well, back in chapter 1 it was stated that Rogue had left and didn't want anyone following her, that is what the x-men were led to believe by her when actually she of course was meeting with the writer of the letter. The x-men including Rogue have taken so many leave of absences that there really was no reason to be alarmed until the letter reared it's ugly head.
As for a telepath reading Gambit's mind telepath's have a hard time reading Gambit's mind. It's been stated several times and explored more in the Gambit comic an explanation they gave was Gambit's mind was like looking into static for a telepath. Also I don't see Gambit liking someone looking through his head he is used to keeping secrets.
As for the hate trio they all have very personal reasons for disliking Gambit and not trusting him. This can really blind people to see the balance of things it tips the scales in the other direction. Someone I know actually acts this way towards a mutual acquaintance of ours to the point it is kinda silly at times. There is a lot of evidence against Gambit but it is circumstantial but since they already don't trust him, and there could be motive considering the recent events of the trial it paints Gambit guilty in their eyes. In the last meeting I tried to get across that even Storm, Wolverine and Gambit himself were doubting Gambit's innocence in the matter so if they are doubting, the hate trio would be in a riot mode at this point. As for doing stuff besides sneering Psylocke has been trading off with Jean scanning for Rogue. Iceman went along on the first trip and really did the same thing everyone else did they looked around for trouble. Archangel went the second trip and I had a part already planned for him in this chapter. Really there hasn't been a lot of fighting which they would probably do more in. But there will be more action soon.
As for Wolverine and Gambit being friends I think they have been shown to be. They enjoy a lot of the same things smokes, cards, women, trouble not necessarily in that order. Wolverine/Gambit victims really showed some friend heart to heart talks and there have been others. In the beginning I think they were really sizing each other up like the one where Gambit kicks Wolverine's butt. But since then I think they have come to respect each other. As for the traitor line everyone during this time was out of character I don't think the x-men or Rogue would have really abandoned Gambit but still it's been shown in continuity and this is my take on it. Wolverine heard a version of what happened from Rogue or Warren or whoever and got mad. Wolverine is a hothead, it was a stressful time and he shot off his mouth to Cyclops like he is prone to do. I think once he calmed down he saw how ridiculous it was to call Gambit a traitor when he hadn't betrayed them. Wolverine hasn't since then ever said anything bad about Gambit and when he has been around Gambit he hasn't seemed distrustful of him or anything. So I think it was a bad day coupled with the fact that he was already mad at Gambit at the time.
As for Rogue being dead (whispering answer) Got that? Good!
Thanks so much for the reviews everyone has done it really helps me write because I know there are people out there enjoying it. It really helped me stay motivated to continue writing with all the setbacks on top of normal life stuff. I know I love when I find a fan-fic that hooks me and I hate if they don't finish them. Plus I just couldn't leave everyone hanging off that cliffhanger so on with the next installment (Using a deep voice I say CHAPTER 7 OF CONFLICTING INTEREST)
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+ means that at the bottom of Conflicting Interest is a reference to the comic it came from. Theres some older comics mentioned that some people may not have read.
Gambit, Cyclops, Angel, and Wolverine ran out of the public storage unit after the same scented person as who had touched the bloody glove. Gambit's eyes scanned the area there was no one in sight. Everyone came to an abrupt stop and all eyes from the assembled x-men landed on Wolverine. Wolverine put his hand up and said, "I lost it." Gambit watched Wolverine impatiently his head whirled with ideas of who could be behind this and if Rogue was ok?
Gambit looked around feeling the wind rush by him and realized the wind must of changed direction making it harder to pickup their culprit's scent. Cyclops apparently realized this too, "Angel, do a survey of the surrounding area let us know if you see anyone fleeing or anything suspicious." Angel nodded and took to the skies in a blur. Gambit watched him go feeling powerless there wasn't anything he could do right now. He looked back to Wolverine their resident bloodhound and waited anxiously. Wolverine tilted his head to the side, pointed and said, "The person went that way." Cyclops hit his communicator and said to Angel who was already in the sky, "Head northeast from where we are. Try and keep some cloud cover if you can."
"Will do. Hey, I see someone running. What the... a portal just opened up. They're running towards the portal. Should I try and stop them?" Angel asked.
"No, wait for backup we don't know who we are dealing with here." Cyclops commanded. Cyclops, Gambit and Wolverine ran in the direction that Angel had gone as fast as they could.
"Cyclops, the suspect just ran through the portal! Your not going to get here in time before it closes. I should go after..." Angel said franticly.
"No, were coming!" Cyclops shouted.
"The portal is closing! I'm following the suspect it will lead us back to Rogue. I'll try and get in touch with you on the other side if I can." Angel stated.
"No, Angel this is an unknown force. Angel?" Cyclops yelled. Static was the only response. They searched the area but there was no sign of the suspect or Angel, he had apparently gone through the portal. Gambit eyed Cyclops and could tell he was getting frustrated and he didn't get frustrated easily. Cyclops looked to him like the pillar of virtue might start swearing or biting his nails and other bad habits. Gambit chuckled inwardly and decided not to share his smartass observation. Not that he couldn't sympathise with him he was worried too. Not only had they not found out the whereabouts of Rogue but now there where no leads to find out the whereabouts of Rogue, and Angel.
"So, now we are missing two x-men." Cyclops announced to no one in particular. Gambit tried to bring some levity to the situation and faked counting on his fingers and said, "Yep, that would be two."
"We also have no idea where they are." Cyclops ignored Gambit and continued ranting.
"Well they're not here but they're in the same place so that narrows it down." Gambit said sarcastically.
"Yeah, this way Angel can keep Rogue company." Wolverine said chuckling when he saw the jealous look flash across Gambit's face.
"Rogue's not into Angel." Gambit said pointedly at Wolverine.
"Yeah, women hate men who have a lot of money." Wolverine said picking at Gambit.
"Rogue's not interested in Angel like a boyfriend." Gambit stated.
"Who you trying to convince Gambit, me or yourself?" Wolverine said with a feral grin. Gambit looked at Wolverine and part of him knew he was pestering him but another part of him, the insecure part of him didn't like the line of joking.
Cyclops interrupted the discussion that was probably about to turn to bloodshed and said, "Let's head back to the blackbird. We've done all we can here." They walked back dejectedly to the storage unit and slammed the door shut. Cyclop's checked to make sure the diary was tucked away in his pocket and found that it was. They then turned and climbed aboard the black bird and headed back to the mansion. It was dark outside by time they arrived at the mansion and they all had filed in and were quickly greeted by Jean.
"Any news?" Jean asked but judging by the looks on their faces only bad news would come. She then noticed Angel wasn't with them either and asked, "Where's Angel?"
"Tell everyone to meet in the war room we will discuss it in there." Scott said suddenly feeling very tired.
"Well, Scott I was going to say the same thing because we have news too." Jean said looking anxious.
"Well, I hope your news is better then our news." Remy said in an undescernible tone.
Five minutes later everyone was sitting in their designated seat except for Jean who was now taking her turn on cereabro scanning for Rogue and now the recently missing Angel.
Gambit sat back silently listening to Scott recounting what had happened at the storage unit. Betsy had paled when she heard the part where Angel had gone into the unknown. Gambit felt a wave of sympathy for her. Sure she could be a bitch but she was a bitch in love who was missing her loved one. He guessed he had always been a romantic at heart. After Scott had finished telling the tale of their adventure he sat down and Storm went to the front of the room to tell the news from the mansion.
Gambit winked at Storm just as she got to the front causing her to smile before she began. "Well, today I found a letter laid across the counter in the kitchen and it was addressed to no one so I opened it to see what it was I read it and realized it must be related to the other letter. This is what it said..." Gambit smiled to himself that's what he liked about Stormy she was to the point when it came to relaying information. Storm opened the letter and then began reading it outloud, "Hope your enjoying our little game, trying to figure out my name. Win or lose don't want to play, your darling Rogue suffer's my way." The room was dead silent as Storm folded it up and sat down.
Cyclops walked back up to the front and said, "When did you find it?"
"It wasn't here this morning. I found it right after you and the team had left for the storage unit." Storm stated while glancing at the various assembled x-men.
"Did you leave something behind?" Psylocke asked looking pointedly at Gambit. Gambit winced inwardly at the venomous look she was giving him.
"We chased after who did it we just didn't catch 'em. My nose recognized the scent." Wolverine snarled.
"I suppose you've never heard of an accomplice? Or an evil team like the marauders?" Psylocke snapped back. Gambit jerked his head as if he had been slapped.
"Uh, doesn't Sinister open portals? Is anyone else thinking here? We have lost Rogue and now Angel, whose next?" Bobby said looking around the room.
"Bobby, Gambit could not have predicted that Angel would fly through the portal. If it's anyone's fault it's mine because I sent him ahead of us." Cyclops said with a slump in his shoulders. Bobby sat back thoughtfully and said, "Well I guess that would be a longshot, and he's not here." Laughter erupted around the room soothing the tension in the room somewhat.
"It's not your fault Scott, it's the fault of whoever is behind this." Storm said looking Scott directly in the eye she knew how he felt responsible about everything. Scott nodded in response and then said thoughtfully, "Is it possible to teleport through our defenses and to have left the letter that way?"
"Anything is possible it's been about six months since we did a security upgrade." Gambit said.
"I will run a diagnostic test to see if cereabro noticed any changes in pressure, temperture or anything significant in the mansion. I suggest everyone that was on the team that went rest until we find out more." Storm said authoritively. When protest began around the room she put her hand up as if to stop them and said,"You need to be ready for anything at a moments notice. Now go! Meeting adjourned." Storm pointed to the door with a slight smile on her lips.
Everyone slowly dispersed from the war room. Gambit pretended not to see the suspicious look that Psylocke was sending his direction as he retreated from the room and continued walking. Remy headed to his room he really didn't want to have to talk to anyone right now. He was relieved when he closed his bedroom door behind him and no one had followed him to his bedroom. He opted for a quick shower and smiled as the heat soothed his tense muscles he could tell he was going to have to drag himself out of the shower. That was one deadly temptation of the mansion there were so many water heaters that you never ran out of hot water so you never wanted to get out. He grinned to himself thats the real reason I stay if they only knew. He thought it was pretty funny that most of the x-men didn't know why he stayed. He stayed for many reasons but the main reason was he considered the x-men his family. He had never run out on family they always ran out on him or sent him away but he hadn't ever done that to them. Gambit frowned feeling a wave of melancholy taking over. He shook his head and tried to think about something else like how good the shower felt. He finally decided his skin was pruny enough now and he needed to try and get some sleep like Stormy had suggested.
After drying off Remy crawled into bed. He was so tired but he didn't think he would be able to fall asleep as he laid down on the bed he couldn't help but agree with Storm that this was much needed rest, he was sure the others felt the same. His mind wondered to the recent events before he drifted off to sleep, and then dreamland.
It was a good dream so he obviously had dreamed of Rogue. Rogue and him were at a picnic and she was laughing. She pointed to an apple pie and said, "I made it for you." Remy smiled as she handed him a piece. He passed her a fork for the piece she had cut for herself. She leaned forward as if to kiss him and then began tickling him and then quickly jumped up and ran before he could retaliate. She ran into a forest and Remy ran after her but then he couldn't find her. He looked every direction and didn't see her and he began to get worried he began calling her name out, "Rogue where are you? Are you ok chere?" Then suddenly he heard her calling him, "Remy."
He ran from the woods and into the clearing. Just as he had stepped out of the trees Rogue jumed out from behind one saying, "boo." She then ran ahead of him her raucous laughter floating behind her. Remy relaxed relieved to see she was ok and ran after her. He chased after her and finally caught up to her he then wrapped his arms around her and picked her up. They both were laughing so hard that they finally collapsed onto the ground.
He began tickling her to which she exclaimed, "Stop Remy, stop. I'm gonna pee all over myself."
He relented saying, "Don't start something you aren't prepared to finish." He then laid back onto the ground with a dignified air about him.
"Oh I'll finish it." Rogue said answering the challege. Remy then sat up preparing for her revenge when Rogue sat up intending to tickle him but then smiled instead causing Remy to hold his breathe at the site of her. Her auburn hair seemed to flicker like a flame, the brightness of the sun caused a halo silouette around her face and the intensity of her smile was intoxicating he thought the sun must be jealous. Rogue saw the reaction and wondered what had come over him and said, "What?"
"Nothing your just beautiful, inside and out." Remy grinned at her feeling suddenly very open and unsure of how she would respond. She then leaned forward and kissed him. Rogue's lips felt silky against his lips and he luxoriated in her kiss. She then pushed him backwards onto the ground kissing him all the way down. Remy heard a moan escape Rogue's throat turning him on he returned the kiss with vigor but then something about Rogue didn't seem right she felt different somehow. Rogue's kiss became rough and not in a good way it was as if she was trying to hurt him. He suddenly woke up and realized someone was kissing him. He pushed her off of him and then tried to see who it was.
The moonlight shined against her face and then Remy saw who it was but it couldn't be her Storm said she was dead. "Whats the matter Remy? You used to like my kisses." Candra said fake pouting. +1
"Well I learned along time ago your kisses are like poison Candra." Remy said while glanceing around the room because he was sensing someone else in the room sure enough there was a weasly looking man in the corner of the room. Candra looked in the direction Remy was looking and said, "Oh don't mind him hes with me. He's a teleporter you know? It is the only way to travel. You non immortals can keep your planes and cars."
"You use to like riding on my bike." Remy said conversationly appearing completly calm but in actuality Remy felt unerved that she had simply decided to appear in his room. His fist clenched the thin sheet subconsciously pulling it closer around him. Candra smiled and said, "Well I did love the feel of the wind racing through my hair. But the main reason I liked your bike was because it was an easy way to rub up against you it had little to do with the contraption."
"To each his own I guess. So can I ask why you decided to drop by univited?" Remy questioned.
"Whatever happend to your southern hospitality?" Candra asked.
"Well it's not my house. Besides, do the dead get invitations?" Remy replied.
"Oh, that. Well, blame that on Storm for trusting her own eyes. She saw the gem break, she knew it was my heart, she saw me disappear, she drew her own conclusions." Candra smiled mischeviously. + 2
"Care to explain?" Gambit asked.
"Of course anything for my Remy." Candra said fluttering her eyes.
"Cute." Remy said sarcastically, ignoring the my Remy part.
"Well, you know I'm an external and the only way to kill me is to pierce my heart. So a long time ago I had my heart energies transferred into the gem, for protection." Candra said. +3
"Yeah, then little Stormy steals it and then you find out grownup Stormy has it and thats how the gem got broke. I know all that, what I don't know is why you didn't die when the gem shattered." Gambit said irritated. Candra loved the sound of her own voice meaning she would talk endlessly, being an external that could be awhile. +2
"I saw Storm toss my heart and before it hit the ground I simply transferred by heart energies into another host. Then I was teleported away and they believed I had died. I had someone standing by I then contacted them telepathicly. You don't live as long as I have Remy and not be prepared." Candra answered unhappy with being cut off.
"But if all you had to do was transfer the energy from the gem why didn't you do it in the first place?" Remy questioned.
"I had to be within a foot of the gem to transfer it safely. Besides Remy, obviously it was the principle of the matter. It was mine! If things are taken from me I will eventually get them back. Broken or otherwise!" Candra cut her eyes into a hateful glare as she stared at Remy.
"So, why did you take Rogue? Because you were jealous of her?" Gambit asked reading into her subtext.
"It's complicated." Candra said alluding to more.
"Is she ok?" Remy questioned.
"That would be too telling now wouldn't it Remy, dear." Candra responded.
"So why did you frame me? Did you do it just to make me miserable?" Remy asked angrily.
"Yeah, pretty much. I have given you every opportunity to come back. I invited you to the ultra realm to start a fresh start and you turned me down. You convinced me to stay in this world yet haven't ever even spoken to me since then." Candra stated. +4
"Candra, I was told you were dead. What did you expect me to do contact a medium?" Remy said sarcasticly.
"I mean before that!" Candra said.
"Look, I just didn't think you knew what you were getting yourself into. I knew you were down and I've done stupid things when I was down. Jumping into some other realm isn't the answer to any of your problems. Believe me they will just follow you wherever you go. I didn't want you doing anything rash that you might regret. At one time we were important to one another and I know you and I didn't think you would enjoy being trapped in that realm once you were bored. You always said mutants were your favorite toys and there weren't any mutants in that realm. More importantly I wasn't in that realm to look after you." Gambit said giving Candra a flirty smile, while pouring on the charm.
"Well you could have said something to me." Candra said losing her resolve somewhat.
"I know and I am sorry about that." Gambit continued with his most sincere smile.
"Remy, you know I can't stay mad at you." Candra said smiling from ear to ear.
"I feel the same way about you. So do you think you could bring Rogue and Angel back here?" Remy asked.
"Well sure---. No, I mean no. This is out of my hands now. You started this and the game has to continue until it is finished." Candra finished.
"The game? This isn't a game Candra your playing with peoples lives here!" Gambit snapped.
"Whatever happened to life is a game?" Candra asked. +5
"I'm all about having fun but not at the risk of someone dying or being hurt. Candra this type of thing is why we broke up. You get your kicks off of watching people hurt. It's cruel and not fair to involve other people when I'm the one your angry at. Take me and send Rogue and Angel back." Remy said.
"I want you to come back to me." Candra said.
"Okay, I said I will, but you have to send Rogue and Angel back first." Remy said looking Candra directly in the eye.
"I can send Angel but not Rogue." Candra stated crossing her arms.
"It's no deal unless you send Rogue too." Remy said.
"No, only Angel. It's you for him." Candra responded.
"Why won't you let Rogue go?" Gambit asked impatiently.
"Let's just say I have an enemy of Rogue's who is helping out with all of this and... Rogue's enemy won't let her go." Candra said thoughtfully and then smiled. Gambit sat back trying to figure out who the other conspirator was. He needed as much information as he could get from Candra if he was going to figure out how to get Rogue and Angel back.
"Well, let me ask you this, Candra. Why did you show up at the mansion now?" Gambit questioned.
"I was tired of waiting for you and your stupid y-men to figure this out." Candra said.
"X-men." Gambit stated.
"Whatever pick any letter you like." Candra said.
"How about the letter f?" Gambit stated.
"Well Remy when this is all said and done you all still couldn't figure out who was really behind it and now I have another one of you x-men." Candra said smugly.
"Yeah, well you can keep him. I'm just kidding." Remy said referring to Angel.
"I might keep him as a boy toy anyway." Candra said.
"No, you really can't keep him either. Rogue and Angel both need to be returned alive, and with all their toes." Gambit said seriously. Candra stuck her lower lip out and then said, "Well, you are really in no position to argue with me now are you? Although you are in the perfect position for something else." Candra said purring while sitting on the bed and tugging on the sheet Gambit had around him.
"So wheres your heart now?" Gambit asked while choosing to ignoring Candra's suggestion. Candra sat back angrily and answered, "You use to know."
"When you transferred it from the gem being tossed where did you put it then?" Gambit pressed.
"I'm not going to tell you that." Candra said firmly.
"What did we miss in the clues? What should have pointed us to you?" Gambit asked.
"Well, Remy you showing up at the club when you hadn't ever been there I thought would have struck you as an obvious frame up. It had to be a shapeshifter or a telepath who can psyciclly project one to see who they want to." Candra said.
"Well that is what I thought but then I doubted." Gambit finished feeling very foolish.
"Also the bartender's name was the same as that club I opened in Fort Worth, Texas." Candra said.
"Billy Bob's." Gambit said.
"Yes." Candra said.
"That guy's name was Billy Bob?" Gambit started laughing.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone named Billy Bob who is a current bartender in Colorado?" Candra said joining in laughing.
"Well I guess you wouldn't have been able to find a bartender named after one of your other clubs like planet hollywood or stab." Gambit said.
"True. Also I thought it was a clue considering what we use to do all the time." Candra asked.
"Sex." Gambit said.
"Well the second thing we use to do all the time." Candra said.
"Clubs. Well I thought you were swimming with the fishes. So you didn't spring to mind." Remy said.
"Oh, you mob brats and your lingo." Candra said half joking.
"What are you talking about? The guild doesn't say that, I heard that in the Godfather." Remy said and then stuck his tongue out.
"Now whose being cute?" Candra said.
"I'm always cute so can you tell me about Rogue's enemy and your helper? Anything?" Remy questioned.
"I've already told you too much. I guess I should be leaving." Candra stated ignoring Remy.
"How are we supposed to find you? I'm assuming your psyciclly covering you,Rogue and Angel so we can't find you." Gambit asked.
"Your a smart man Remy I'm sure you'll come up with something." Candra said.
"Candra---" Remy started.
"Open the portal." Candra said as she got up. She focused her attention on the weasily guy in the corner and he shook in fear and then opened the portal.
"You just can't find good help." Candra said turning back to face Remy. Remy debated running in after her but she would just have him captured along side Angel and Rogue. One advantage he could give the x-men to aid in finding the missing x-men was that he did know Candra. Candra smiled seeing him debate what to do.
"Coming?" Candra pointed towards the portal.
"Later." Remy said. Candra shrugged and said, "Suit yourself." The weasily man dissapeared through the portal and then Candra stepped back and dissapeared.
Remy sighed he hoped he had made the right decision by not running in after her. He hoped Rogue was okay. He knew Candra and she could be very cruel when she didn't know someone but she could be especially cruel when she didn't like someone. Remy got up knowing his nap had been cut short he was going to tell Stormy right away what he had found out. This new knowledge maybe could help them find Rogue and have her back soon. Hopefully they would find her still alive and with all her toes.
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+1 the first Gambit limited series # 3
+2 second series x-men # 61
+3 second series x-men # 60
+4 Nightman Gambit limited series # 1-3
+5 Gambit has said this many times especially in the early issues of the second series of x-men
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Well it has been revealed one member who was involved in abducting Rogue. Did you guess her? Do you have any idea who the other member is? Also we are barreling towards Remy and Rogue's first reunitement since the trial of Gambit, assuming Rogue is alive of course. I hope ya'll enjoyed this latest installment of my labor of love. Again I appreciate each and every review it has helped me to continue writing and also just made me smile knowing that people out there are actually reading this and loving it. Please review and let me know what you think so far.
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Hi, my computer died a bad death so this has taken longer then I would have liked. I'm on my Mother's computer right now but I can only get on when schedules permit. Hopefully soon I will have enough money saved up to buy a computer and I can get these chapters out faster. But don't worry I had my notes and chapters backed up so I didn't lose any info. ------------------look
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But before I go to the story I thought I would answer some point's people have brought up and clear up a few things that may have been confusing. Of course this is my opinion on events and characters which may differ from your views on them. So here goes…
Well, those theorizing on who it is well, I'm not going to tell you that here. ;) But go ahead and keep guessing it does make it fun!
As for the x-men being a little slow about Rogue being in danger well, back in chapter 1 it was stated that Rogue had left and didn't want anyone following her, that is what the x-men were led to believe by her when actually she of course was meeting with the writer of the letter. The x-men including Rogue have taken so many leave of absences that there really was no reason to be alarmed until the letter reared it's ugly head.
As for a telepath reading Gambit's mind telepath's have a hard time reading Gambit's mind. It's been stated several times and explored more in the Gambit comic an explanation they gave was Gambit's mind was like looking into static for a telepath. Also I don't see Gambit liking someone looking through his head he is used to keeping secrets.
As for the hate trio they all have very personal reasons for disliking Gambit and not trusting him. This can really blind people to see the balance of things it tips the scales in the other direction. Someone I know actually acts this way towards a mutual acquaintance of ours to the point it is kinda silly at times. There is a lot of evidence against Gambit but it is circumstantial but since they already don't trust him, and there could be motive considering the recent events of the trial it paints Gambit guilty in their eyes. In the last meeting I tried to get across that even Storm, Wolverine and Gambit himself were doubting Gambit's innocence in the matter so if they are doubting, the hate trio would be in a riot mode at this point. As for doing stuff besides sneering Psylocke has been trading off with Jean scanning for Rogue. Iceman went along on the first trip and really did the same thing everyone else did they looked around for trouble. Archangel went the second trip and I had a part already planned for him in this chapter. Really there hasn't been a lot of fighting which they would probably do more in. But there will be more action soon.
As for Wolverine and Gambit being friends I think they have been shown to be. They enjoy a lot of the same things smokes, cards, women, trouble not necessarily in that order. Wolverine/Gambit victims really showed some friend heart to heart talks and there have been others. In the beginning I think they were really sizing each other up like the one where Gambit kicks Wolverine's butt. But since then I think they have come to respect each other. As for the traitor line everyone during this time was out of character I don't think the x-men or Rogue would have really abandoned Gambit but still it's been shown in continuity and this is my take on it. Wolverine heard a version of what happened from Rogue or Warren or whoever and got mad. Wolverine is a hothead, it was a stressful time and he shot off his mouth to Cyclops like he is prone to do. I think once he calmed down he saw how ridiculous it was to call Gambit a traitor when he hadn't betrayed them. Wolverine hasn't since then ever said anything bad about Gambit and when he has been around Gambit he hasn't seemed distrustful of him or anything. So I think it was a bad day coupled with the fact that he was already mad at Gambit at the time.
As for Rogue being dead (whispering answer) Got that? Good!
Thanks so much for the reviews everyone has done it really helps me write because I know there are people out there enjoying it. It really helped me stay motivated to continue writing with all the setbacks on top of normal life stuff. I know I love when I find a fan-fic that hooks me and I hate if they don't finish them. Plus I just couldn't leave everyone hanging off that cliffhanger so on with the next installment (Using a deep voice I say CHAPTER 7 OF CONFLICTING INTEREST)
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+ means that at the bottom of Conflicting Interest is a reference to the comic it came from. Theres some older comics mentioned that some people may not have read.
Gambit, Cyclops, Angel, and Wolverine ran out of the public storage unit after the same scented person as who had touched the bloody glove. Gambit's eyes scanned the area there was no one in sight. Everyone came to an abrupt stop and all eyes from the assembled x-men landed on Wolverine. Wolverine put his hand up and said, "I lost it." Gambit watched Wolverine impatiently his head whirled with ideas of who could be behind this and if Rogue was ok?
Gambit looked around feeling the wind rush by him and realized the wind must of changed direction making it harder to pickup their culprit's scent. Cyclops apparently realized this too, "Angel, do a survey of the surrounding area let us know if you see anyone fleeing or anything suspicious." Angel nodded and took to the skies in a blur. Gambit watched him go feeling powerless there wasn't anything he could do right now. He looked back to Wolverine their resident bloodhound and waited anxiously. Wolverine tilted his head to the side, pointed and said, "The person went that way." Cyclops hit his communicator and said to Angel who was already in the sky, "Head northeast from where we are. Try and keep some cloud cover if you can."
"Will do. Hey, I see someone running. What the... a portal just opened up. They're running towards the portal. Should I try and stop them?" Angel asked.
"No, wait for backup we don't know who we are dealing with here." Cyclops commanded. Cyclops, Gambit and Wolverine ran in the direction that Angel had gone as fast as they could.
"Cyclops, the suspect just ran through the portal! Your not going to get here in time before it closes. I should go after..." Angel said franticly.
"No, were coming!" Cyclops shouted.
"The portal is closing! I'm following the suspect it will lead us back to Rogue. I'll try and get in touch with you on the other side if I can." Angel stated.
"No, Angel this is an unknown force. Angel?" Cyclops yelled. Static was the only response. They searched the area but there was no sign of the suspect or Angel, he had apparently gone through the portal. Gambit eyed Cyclops and could tell he was getting frustrated and he didn't get frustrated easily. Cyclops looked to him like the pillar of virtue might start swearing or biting his nails and other bad habits. Gambit chuckled inwardly and decided not to share his smartass observation. Not that he couldn't sympathise with him he was worried too. Not only had they not found out the whereabouts of Rogue but now there where no leads to find out the whereabouts of Rogue, and Angel.
"So, now we are missing two x-men." Cyclops announced to no one in particular. Gambit tried to bring some levity to the situation and faked counting on his fingers and said, "Yep, that would be two."
"We also have no idea where they are." Cyclops ignored Gambit and continued ranting.
"Well they're not here but they're in the same place so that narrows it down." Gambit said sarcastically.
"Yeah, this way Angel can keep Rogue company." Wolverine said chuckling when he saw the jealous look flash across Gambit's face.
"Rogue's not into Angel." Gambit said pointedly at Wolverine.
"Yeah, women hate men who have a lot of money." Wolverine said picking at Gambit.
"Rogue's not interested in Angel like a boyfriend." Gambit stated.
"Who you trying to convince Gambit, me or yourself?" Wolverine said with a feral grin. Gambit looked at Wolverine and part of him knew he was pestering him but another part of him, the insecure part of him didn't like the line of joking.
Cyclops interrupted the discussion that was probably about to turn to bloodshed and said, "Let's head back to the blackbird. We've done all we can here." They walked back dejectedly to the storage unit and slammed the door shut. Cyclop's checked to make sure the diary was tucked away in his pocket and found that it was. They then turned and climbed aboard the black bird and headed back to the mansion. It was dark outside by time they arrived at the mansion and they all had filed in and were quickly greeted by Jean.
"Any news?" Jean asked but judging by the looks on their faces only bad news would come. She then noticed Angel wasn't with them either and asked, "Where's Angel?"
"Tell everyone to meet in the war room we will discuss it in there." Scott said suddenly feeling very tired.
"Well, Scott I was going to say the same thing because we have news too." Jean said looking anxious.
"Well, I hope your news is better then our news." Remy said in an undescernible tone.
Five minutes later everyone was sitting in their designated seat except for Jean who was now taking her turn on cereabro scanning for Rogue and now the recently missing Angel.
Gambit sat back silently listening to Scott recounting what had happened at the storage unit. Betsy had paled when she heard the part where Angel had gone into the unknown. Gambit felt a wave of sympathy for her. Sure she could be a bitch but she was a bitch in love who was missing her loved one. He guessed he had always been a romantic at heart. After Scott had finished telling the tale of their adventure he sat down and Storm went to the front of the room to tell the news from the mansion.
Gambit winked at Storm just as she got to the front causing her to smile before she began. "Well, today I found a letter laid across the counter in the kitchen and it was addressed to no one so I opened it to see what it was I read it and realized it must be related to the other letter. This is what it said..." Gambit smiled to himself that's what he liked about Stormy she was to the point when it came to relaying information. Storm opened the letter and then began reading it outloud, "Hope your enjoying our little game, trying to figure out my name. Win or lose don't want to play, your darling Rogue suffer's my way." The room was dead silent as Storm folded it up and sat down.
Cyclops walked back up to the front and said, "When did you find it?"
"It wasn't here this morning. I found it right after you and the team had left for the storage unit." Storm stated while glancing at the various assembled x-men.
"Did you leave something behind?" Psylocke asked looking pointedly at Gambit. Gambit winced inwardly at the venomous look she was giving him.
"We chased after who did it we just didn't catch 'em. My nose recognized the scent." Wolverine snarled.
"I suppose you've never heard of an accomplice? Or an evil team like the marauders?" Psylocke snapped back. Gambit jerked his head as if he had been slapped.
"Uh, doesn't Sinister open portals? Is anyone else thinking here? We have lost Rogue and now Angel, whose next?" Bobby said looking around the room.
"Bobby, Gambit could not have predicted that Angel would fly through the portal. If it's anyone's fault it's mine because I sent him ahead of us." Cyclops said with a slump in his shoulders. Bobby sat back thoughtfully and said, "Well I guess that would be a longshot, and he's not here." Laughter erupted around the room soothing the tension in the room somewhat.
"It's not your fault Scott, it's the fault of whoever is behind this." Storm said looking Scott directly in the eye she knew how he felt responsible about everything. Scott nodded in response and then said thoughtfully, "Is it possible to teleport through our defenses and to have left the letter that way?"
"Anything is possible it's been about six months since we did a security upgrade." Gambit said.
"I will run a diagnostic test to see if cereabro noticed any changes in pressure, temperture or anything significant in the mansion. I suggest everyone that was on the team that went rest until we find out more." Storm said authoritively. When protest began around the room she put her hand up as if to stop them and said,"You need to be ready for anything at a moments notice. Now go! Meeting adjourned." Storm pointed to the door with a slight smile on her lips.
Everyone slowly dispersed from the war room. Gambit pretended not to see the suspicious look that Psylocke was sending his direction as he retreated from the room and continued walking. Remy headed to his room he really didn't want to have to talk to anyone right now. He was relieved when he closed his bedroom door behind him and no one had followed him to his bedroom. He opted for a quick shower and smiled as the heat soothed his tense muscles he could tell he was going to have to drag himself out of the shower. That was one deadly temptation of the mansion there were so many water heaters that you never ran out of hot water so you never wanted to get out. He grinned to himself thats the real reason I stay if they only knew. He thought it was pretty funny that most of the x-men didn't know why he stayed. He stayed for many reasons but the main reason was he considered the x-men his family. He had never run out on family they always ran out on him or sent him away but he hadn't ever done that to them. Gambit frowned feeling a wave of melancholy taking over. He shook his head and tried to think about something else like how good the shower felt. He finally decided his skin was pruny enough now and he needed to try and get some sleep like Stormy had suggested.
After drying off Remy crawled into bed. He was so tired but he didn't think he would be able to fall asleep as he laid down on the bed he couldn't help but agree with Storm that this was much needed rest, he was sure the others felt the same. His mind wondered to the recent events before he drifted off to sleep, and then dreamland.
It was a good dream so he obviously had dreamed of Rogue. Rogue and him were at a picnic and she was laughing. She pointed to an apple pie and said, "I made it for you." Remy smiled as she handed him a piece. He passed her a fork for the piece she had cut for herself. She leaned forward as if to kiss him and then began tickling him and then quickly jumped up and ran before he could retaliate. She ran into a forest and Remy ran after her but then he couldn't find her. He looked every direction and didn't see her and he began to get worried he began calling her name out, "Rogue where are you? Are you ok chere?" Then suddenly he heard her calling him, "Remy."
He ran from the woods and into the clearing. Just as he had stepped out of the trees Rogue jumed out from behind one saying, "boo." She then ran ahead of him her raucous laughter floating behind her. Remy relaxed relieved to see she was ok and ran after her. He chased after her and finally caught up to her he then wrapped his arms around her and picked her up. They both were laughing so hard that they finally collapsed onto the ground.
He began tickling her to which she exclaimed, "Stop Remy, stop. I'm gonna pee all over myself."
He relented saying, "Don't start something you aren't prepared to finish." He then laid back onto the ground with a dignified air about him.
"Oh I'll finish it." Rogue said answering the challege. Remy then sat up preparing for her revenge when Rogue sat up intending to tickle him but then smiled instead causing Remy to hold his breathe at the site of her. Her auburn hair seemed to flicker like a flame, the brightness of the sun caused a halo silouette around her face and the intensity of her smile was intoxicating he thought the sun must be jealous. Rogue saw the reaction and wondered what had come over him and said, "What?"
"Nothing your just beautiful, inside and out." Remy grinned at her feeling suddenly very open and unsure of how she would respond. She then leaned forward and kissed him. Rogue's lips felt silky against his lips and he luxoriated in her kiss. She then pushed him backwards onto the ground kissing him all the way down. Remy heard a moan escape Rogue's throat turning him on he returned the kiss with vigor but then something about Rogue didn't seem right she felt different somehow. Rogue's kiss became rough and not in a good way it was as if she was trying to hurt him. He suddenly woke up and realized someone was kissing him. He pushed her off of him and then tried to see who it was.
The moonlight shined against her face and then Remy saw who it was but it couldn't be her Storm said she was dead. "Whats the matter Remy? You used to like my kisses." Candra said fake pouting. +1
"Well I learned along time ago your kisses are like poison Candra." Remy said while glanceing around the room because he was sensing someone else in the room sure enough there was a weasly looking man in the corner of the room. Candra looked in the direction Remy was looking and said, "Oh don't mind him hes with me. He's a teleporter you know? It is the only way to travel. You non immortals can keep your planes and cars."
"You use to like riding on my bike." Remy said conversationly appearing completly calm but in actuality Remy felt unerved that she had simply decided to appear in his room. His fist clenched the thin sheet subconsciously pulling it closer around him. Candra smiled and said, "Well I did love the feel of the wind racing through my hair. But the main reason I liked your bike was because it was an easy way to rub up against you it had little to do with the contraption."
"To each his own I guess. So can I ask why you decided to drop by univited?" Remy questioned.
"Whatever happend to your southern hospitality?" Candra asked.
"Well it's not my house. Besides, do the dead get invitations?" Remy replied.
"Oh, that. Well, blame that on Storm for trusting her own eyes. She saw the gem break, she knew it was my heart, she saw me disappear, she drew her own conclusions." Candra smiled mischeviously. + 2
"Care to explain?" Gambit asked.
"Of course anything for my Remy." Candra said fluttering her eyes.
"Cute." Remy said sarcastically, ignoring the my Remy part.
"Well, you know I'm an external and the only way to kill me is to pierce my heart. So a long time ago I had my heart energies transferred into the gem, for protection." Candra said. +3
"Yeah, then little Stormy steals it and then you find out grownup Stormy has it and thats how the gem got broke. I know all that, what I don't know is why you didn't die when the gem shattered." Gambit said irritated. Candra loved the sound of her own voice meaning she would talk endlessly, being an external that could be awhile. +2
"I saw Storm toss my heart and before it hit the ground I simply transferred by heart energies into another host. Then I was teleported away and they believed I had died. I had someone standing by I then contacted them telepathicly. You don't live as long as I have Remy and not be prepared." Candra answered unhappy with being cut off.
"But if all you had to do was transfer the energy from the gem why didn't you do it in the first place?" Remy questioned.
"I had to be within a foot of the gem to transfer it safely. Besides Remy, obviously it was the principle of the matter. It was mine! If things are taken from me I will eventually get them back. Broken or otherwise!" Candra cut her eyes into a hateful glare as she stared at Remy.
"So, why did you take Rogue? Because you were jealous of her?" Gambit asked reading into her subtext.
"It's complicated." Candra said alluding to more.
"Is she ok?" Remy questioned.
"That would be too telling now wouldn't it Remy, dear." Candra responded.
"So why did you frame me? Did you do it just to make me miserable?" Remy asked angrily.
"Yeah, pretty much. I have given you every opportunity to come back. I invited you to the ultra realm to start a fresh start and you turned me down. You convinced me to stay in this world yet haven't ever even spoken to me since then." Candra stated. +4
"Candra, I was told you were dead. What did you expect me to do contact a medium?" Remy said sarcasticly.
"I mean before that!" Candra said.
"Look, I just didn't think you knew what you were getting yourself into. I knew you were down and I've done stupid things when I was down. Jumping into some other realm isn't the answer to any of your problems. Believe me they will just follow you wherever you go. I didn't want you doing anything rash that you might regret. At one time we were important to one another and I know you and I didn't think you would enjoy being trapped in that realm once you were bored. You always said mutants were your favorite toys and there weren't any mutants in that realm. More importantly I wasn't in that realm to look after you." Gambit said giving Candra a flirty smile, while pouring on the charm.
"Well you could have said something to me." Candra said losing her resolve somewhat.
"I know and I am sorry about that." Gambit continued with his most sincere smile.
"Remy, you know I can't stay mad at you." Candra said smiling from ear to ear.
"I feel the same way about you. So do you think you could bring Rogue and Angel back here?" Remy asked.
"Well sure---. No, I mean no. This is out of my hands now. You started this and the game has to continue until it is finished." Candra finished.
"The game? This isn't a game Candra your playing with peoples lives here!" Gambit snapped.
"Whatever happened to life is a game?" Candra asked. +5
"I'm all about having fun but not at the risk of someone dying or being hurt. Candra this type of thing is why we broke up. You get your kicks off of watching people hurt. It's cruel and not fair to involve other people when I'm the one your angry at. Take me and send Rogue and Angel back." Remy said.
"I want you to come back to me." Candra said.
"Okay, I said I will, but you have to send Rogue and Angel back first." Remy said looking Candra directly in the eye.
"I can send Angel but not Rogue." Candra stated crossing her arms.
"It's no deal unless you send Rogue too." Remy said.
"No, only Angel. It's you for him." Candra responded.
"Why won't you let Rogue go?" Gambit asked impatiently.
"Let's just say I have an enemy of Rogue's who is helping out with all of this and... Rogue's enemy won't let her go." Candra said thoughtfully and then smiled. Gambit sat back trying to figure out who the other conspirator was. He needed as much information as he could get from Candra if he was going to figure out how to get Rogue and Angel back.
"Well, let me ask you this, Candra. Why did you show up at the mansion now?" Gambit questioned.
"I was tired of waiting for you and your stupid y-men to figure this out." Candra said.
"X-men." Gambit stated.
"Whatever pick any letter you like." Candra said.
"How about the letter f?" Gambit stated.
"Well Remy when this is all said and done you all still couldn't figure out who was really behind it and now I have another one of you x-men." Candra said smugly.
"Yeah, well you can keep him. I'm just kidding." Remy said referring to Angel.
"I might keep him as a boy toy anyway." Candra said.
"No, you really can't keep him either. Rogue and Angel both need to be returned alive, and with all their toes." Gambit said seriously. Candra stuck her lower lip out and then said, "Well, you are really in no position to argue with me now are you? Although you are in the perfect position for something else." Candra said purring while sitting on the bed and tugging on the sheet Gambit had around him.
"So wheres your heart now?" Gambit asked while choosing to ignoring Candra's suggestion. Candra sat back angrily and answered, "You use to know."
"When you transferred it from the gem being tossed where did you put it then?" Gambit pressed.
"I'm not going to tell you that." Candra said firmly.
"What did we miss in the clues? What should have pointed us to you?" Gambit asked.
"Well, Remy you showing up at the club when you hadn't ever been there I thought would have struck you as an obvious frame up. It had to be a shapeshifter or a telepath who can psyciclly project one to see who they want to." Candra said.
"Well that is what I thought but then I doubted." Gambit finished feeling very foolish.
"Also the bartender's name was the same as that club I opened in Fort Worth, Texas." Candra said.
"Billy Bob's." Gambit said.
"Yes." Candra said.
"That guy's name was Billy Bob?" Gambit started laughing.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone named Billy Bob who is a current bartender in Colorado?" Candra said joining in laughing.
"Well I guess you wouldn't have been able to find a bartender named after one of your other clubs like planet hollywood or stab." Gambit said.
"True. Also I thought it was a clue considering what we use to do all the time." Candra asked.
"Sex." Gambit said.
"Well the second thing we use to do all the time." Candra said.
"Clubs. Well I thought you were swimming with the fishes. So you didn't spring to mind." Remy said.
"Oh, you mob brats and your lingo." Candra said half joking.
"What are you talking about? The guild doesn't say that, I heard that in the Godfather." Remy said and then stuck his tongue out.
"Now whose being cute?" Candra said.
"I'm always cute so can you tell me about Rogue's enemy and your helper? Anything?" Remy questioned.
"I've already told you too much. I guess I should be leaving." Candra stated ignoring Remy.
"How are we supposed to find you? I'm assuming your psyciclly covering you,Rogue and Angel so we can't find you." Gambit asked.
"Your a smart man Remy I'm sure you'll come up with something." Candra said.
"Candra---" Remy started.
"Open the portal." Candra said as she got up. She focused her attention on the weasily guy in the corner and he shook in fear and then opened the portal.
"You just can't find good help." Candra said turning back to face Remy. Remy debated running in after her but she would just have him captured along side Angel and Rogue. One advantage he could give the x-men to aid in finding the missing x-men was that he did know Candra. Candra smiled seeing him debate what to do.
"Coming?" Candra pointed towards the portal.
"Later." Remy said. Candra shrugged and said, "Suit yourself." The weasily man dissapeared through the portal and then Candra stepped back and dissapeared.
Remy sighed he hoped he had made the right decision by not running in after her. He hoped Rogue was okay. He knew Candra and she could be very cruel when she didn't know someone but she could be especially cruel when she didn't like someone. Remy got up knowing his nap had been cut short he was going to tell Stormy right away what he had found out. This new knowledge maybe could help them find Rogue and have her back soon. Hopefully they would find her still alive and with all her toes.
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+1 the first Gambit limited series # 3
+2 second series x-men # 61
+3 second series x-men # 60
+4 Nightman Gambit limited series # 1-3
+5 Gambit has said this many times especially in the early issues of the second series of x-men
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Well it has been revealed one member who was involved in abducting Rogue. Did you guess her? Do you have any idea who the other member is? Also we are barreling towards Remy and Rogue's first reunitement since the trial of Gambit, assuming Rogue is alive of course. I hope ya'll enjoyed this latest installment of my labor of love. Again I appreciate each and every review it has helped me to continue writing and also just made me smile knowing that people out there are actually reading this and loving it. Please review and let me know what you think so far.