Logan and Marie both spun towards the sound of the voice. Searching the room, their eyes finally landed on a figure standing about twenty feet away from them, right inside the door to the Danger Room. He was about 6'2" 180 lbs. His thick auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail that hung down to his shoulders and he wore a long brown trench coat that wafted around his legs. A faint smile played on his lips as he took in Logan and Marie's bewildered expressions.
"Who the hell are you?" Wolverine growled. He was furious. He'd been so caught up in beating Marie; he hadn't even sensed the man come in. And that little stunt the stranger had just pulled with the fireworks hadn't exactly helped endear him to Wolverine.
The man simply smiled wider and stepped closer. Marie heard a sound and noticed he was shuffling a deck of playing cards in his hands. Wolverine growled as the man approached Marie and moved to stand between them.
"I said who the hell are you?" Logan was losing patience. Ignoring Wolverine completely, the man sidestepped him and gracefully took Marie's hand in his.
"Bon jour, Chere." Leaning down he planted a soft kiss on her glove.
That was the last straw. Wolverine growled and moved to shove the man away from Marie. Easily spinning out of his reach, the man grinned again as Marie hurriedly rushed to lay a hand on Logan to keep him from any further attack.
"I don 'tink he like me, Chere."
Finally finding her voice, Marie spoke quickly before Logan could kill him. "It's all right. You just hurt Logan's pride. An you are . . .?" As she raised her eyes to his face Marie could hear her voice trailing off. Mesmerized, she couldn't tear her gaze from his eyes. Blood red irises rested against velvet black, giving the stranger an almost satanic look that would have been unnerving if they hadn't been so . . . gorgeous.
"Ah, forgive me, Chere. Remy LeBeau, at y' service." He said the last part with a sweeping bow. Rising, he once again took her hand in his.
"An' de name dey seen fit t' call y' captivating self?"
Marie couldn't speak for a moment as she watched his strange eyes trail slowly over her body. Any words she may have managed were abruptly cut off as Wolverine made a sudden leap for Remy.
"Wolverine, stop!" A gust of wind halted Wolverine's charge as Storm entered the room and took in the situation. All three of them turned to face Ororo as she approached.
Sensing that Wolverine was about to explode, Storm silenced him with a look. Even Wolverine was no match for the calm dignity of the weather goddess. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she gestured to Remy.
"Marie, Logan, I would like you to meet the X-Men's newest member - Gambit." At her introduction, Remy smiled and took Ororo's hand in his.
"An may I add dat it be an honor f' dis Cajun t' be included in de company of such beautiful women." As he kissed Storm's hand he turned his head to wink at Marie.
"That's quite enough, Remy," Ororo replied as he released her hand.
Marie was amazed. She could just swear she saw Storm blush. Turning to their newest member, Marie smiled shyly.
"A pleasure ta meet you, Gambit. Ah'm Marie, but most folks call me Rogue. Welcome ta the X-Men."
"A pleasure t' be here, Chere." After giving Marie a stunning smile that made her heart flutter, Gambit turned to face Wolverine. Silently the two sized each other up. As each one refused to give, a low rumble sounded in Logan's throat. Usually that would have sent any man running the other way, but Gambit didn't even blink. He calmly returned Wolverine's stare with a steady one of his own, his red-on-black eyes glinting in the light. In an attempt to ease the mounting tension, Storm broke in.
"Gambit, this is Logan. He is also called Wolverine." Still maintaining eye contact, Gambit smiled politely.
"Another member of de esteemed X-Men, mon ami?"
Wolverine gritted his teeth. Though he had been back at the mansion for some time now, he still had not accepted a position on the team. What was worse, Gambit seemed to sense that.
"Gambit take dat as a 'no.' Den again surely a man of your breed has better 'tings t' do wit his time den save de world." Turning so Storm and Marie couldn't see his expression, Gambit flashed Wolverine a mocking grin. Before Logan could react, he'd already spun around to face Marie and Ororo once again.
"Remy would be honored if you two belle femmes would give dis poor Cajun a tour of dis impressive mansion."
Smiling graciously, Storm gestured for him to follow her for the tour. As they turned to go, Gambit offered Marie his arm.
She almost took it, but stopped. Shaking her head slightly, she turned and walked back to stand beside Logan. Gambit smiled and gave Wolverine a nod of congratulations. Something in his eyes suggested that nothing had been decided yet.
* * *
"You're kidding! Omigod, I'll bet Wolverine was pissed!"
Jubilee's mouth was going a mile a minute as she tried to express just what Logan was going to do to Gambit after the stunt he'd pulled in the Danger Room. She and Kitty were at their college dorm talking to Marie on a speaker phone. Marie was sitting on her bed as she told her friends about what had happened. Logan had ended their training session when Gambit left with Storm. He had been fuming, and Marie knew he needed a hard core fight in the Danger Room to cool off. She had gone up to her room and called her friends to tell them about what was happening.
Naturally, Jubilee's reaction was very vocal. Kitty was a little shocked.
"Doesn't he know it's a very bad idea to make Wolverine mad?" She whispered.
"Ah thought Logan was gonna kill him," Marie agreed.
"I can't believe he didn't! I mean Wolverine couldn't be intimidated by him, we don't even know what exactly it is Gambit does!"
Marie considered that for a moment.
"All Ah know is he hit Logan with a bunch of glowing pink light. It was like an explosion."
"Sounds like my powers," Jubilee commented. She raised one hand absently and multi-colored sparks began to shoot off in a tiny fireworks display. Marie heard the noise over the phone.
"Sort of."
"At this point I think my powers are the only ones that would help him," Kitty spoke up sadly. "He's gonna wanna phase right through the floor when Wolverine finds him alone."
"Somehow Ah don't think he's much for bein' intimidated, Kitty."
"He'll learn." Jubilee said dryly.
Marie looked up at her clock. "Well, Ah better get down to dinner. Ah'll call you guys again if anything else interesting happens."
"Okay." Jubilee and Kitty agreed. As Marie went to hang up the phone she heard Jubilee call out. "Hey Rogue! If he's hot, why not nab him before someone else does!"
Marie just laughed and hung up the phone. The thought of being with anyone but Logan had never crossed her mind. Still, Jubilee's suggestion rang in her mind, long after she hung up.
* * *
Logan was feeling much better. His rage had kept him going for two hours in the Danger Room, but he had once again held onto his humanity and kept his beast inside. After his rage had worked itself through his system, Logan started thinking about the situation more clearly. He did not like this Gambit character. The Cajun had had no business interfering in his training session with Marie. That had been a blow to Wolverine's pride and he made a mental note to pay Gambit back for that. Also, Logan had to admit the way Storm and Marie had practically drooled over the stranger had irritated him. Well, the way Storm had drooled over him anyway, he corrected himself. He knew Marie had a thing for him and only him. Not that he cared either way. Marie was just a kid and besides, Wolverine had a thing for redheads. In any case there wasn't any reason for him to track the Cajun down tonight. He would catch him in due time. Logan headed for his shower with a smile. It was a drinkin' night.
* * *
Marie hurried down the hallway. She didn't want to be late for dinner, in case Logan didn't stay there long.
Marie was in such a hurry wasn't paying attention to where she was going. Turning a corner she collided with someone, bouncing off a very hard chest and toppling backwards. Before Marie could hit the ground, two strong arms swept under her and pulled her up. Suddenly she found herself staring into a set of red on black eyes.
"Chere, I 'tink you missed Gambit." Remy teased. His eyes were bright with amusement.
Marie's breath caught in her throat. His arms were against her back holding her up, while her hands were braced on his chest. She could feel strong muscle under her fingers and his face was only inches from hers. For one wild second Marie thought he was going to kiss her. Panicking, she desperately shoved hard against his chest. Falling to the floor she scurried out of his reach, her heart racing.
Startled by her reaction, Remy looked down at her. Concern knitted his brow and he cautiously offered her a hand up.
"Chere, Gambit didn't mean t' scare you."
Thoroughly embarrassed, Marie accepted the hand he offered. Kicking herself mentally, she realized she'd never told Gambit about her powers.
"It's all right. Really. It not you. It's mah powers . . ." Marie trailed off as she realized that she couldn't explain why she had been afraid of hurting him without admitting she'd thought he was going to kiss her. Vaguely she wondered if she could outrun him.
As if he could sense what she was thinking, Remy smiled. "Maybe we go get dinner at a quiet little cafe, eh? You can tell Gambit all about y' powers."
Marie shook her head and held back. "Ah can't. Ah don't wanna miss Logan."
"De gentleman wit de claws?" Gambit asked dubiously.
Marie nodded. "Yeah."
"I hope he didn't promise you any'ting, Chere. Gambit saw him leave ten minutes ago. though if he did promise y' it wouldn't be too suprising. De man has no manners. My maman woulda beaten dis Cajun senseless if she'd ever caught me sitting on a femme with knives above her heart."
"He was jus trainin' me, Gambit."
"Please, Chere," Gambit interrupted. "Call me Remy."
Rogue blushed. "Okay, "Remy. Logan was just tryin' to help me. Mah battle skills need work and if Ah wanna pull mah weight on the team Ah need ta be able to defend mahself." Marie responded on Logan's behalf.
"Still, Chere, Wolverine had de advantage. Dose knives could do some damage. Gambit didn't see you usin' your powers. It was only fair dat Gambit even de score."
"Ah can't use mah powers. Ah'd kill him."
Gambit looked surprised at her simple statement of that fact. "You dat confident or is de Wolverine dat bad?"
"Ah'm that deadly," she whispered.
Gambit waited silently for her to continue. Sadly, Marie decided that now was as good a time as any to tell him about her powers.
"Mah skin can kill. All it takes is a touch of mah skin to someone else's an Ah suck their powers, memories, strength, an possibly their life right out of them."
"Can' you jus take dere powers?"
Marie shook her head. "Ah can't control it at all. Ah can't even control the transfer long enough to shake hands with someone." Tears began to well up in her eyes as she thought about all the things she couldn't do. Bracing herself, she waited for his response. She waited for the fear that seized people when they found out what an accidental brush with Rogue would do to them. She waited for the pity that showed in the eyes of all her friends when they looked at her. Standing in front of a perfect stranger who had made her feel like such a lady in the span of the day, with tears threatening to stream down her face, Marie waited.
"Chere," he said softly. He tilted her chin up to face him. "Chere, come wit me." Gently reaching down to take her hand he turned and led her over to a window. Confused, Marie watched as he climbed out onto the roof, motioning for her to follow. Crawling out after him, Marie worried that her balance wasn't good enough, but he laid a steadying hand on her arm. They walked further onto the roof and he sat down, gesturing for her to sit beside him. For a moment they both just sat there in silence, watching the sun go down. It was so peaceful.
"Ah, magnifique, nest pas?" Remy turned to her and smiled.
Marie offered a cautious smile. She didn't understand what was going on. This was not the reaction she had been expecting. She wondered why he had brought her out here. Looking around, Marie took in the purple sky and the soft shadows cast by the trees scattered around the mansion grounds. It really was magnificent. Her smile became a little more genuine.
"Chere, you have a beautiful smile. Gambit wonder why you don show it more often?"
Marie's smile wavered slightly. Turning to him she let her questions show in her eyes. Gambit understood. Turning to face the setting sun he began to talk.
"Chere, when I first got m' powers I had no control. One day I was jus Remy LeBeau and de next I was a mutant wit de ability to charge 'tings wit kinetic energy." At Marie's confused look he smiled. Reaching into his brown duster he took out a pack of playing cards. He removed one and held it up for her to see. Suddenly the card began to glow with the same bright magenta light that had knocked Wolverine off of her in the Danger Room. Tossing the card into the air they both watched it explode.
"Voila."
Understanding dawned on Marie. "Ya charged anything ya touched."
"Oui. I was an interesting person t' sleep wit."
Marie couldn't help but blush as she pictured herself in that situation. Lying in bed with Gambit's arms wrapped around her. A little corner of her mind was shocked that she could have a thought like that about anyone but Logan. Sneaking a glance in Gambit's direction she wondered how it was that he had this effect on her. The look on his face sobered her up. His smile was gone as he stared off into space. There was a faraway look in his eyes that told her he was thinking of something that had happened long ago. She reached out and carefully placed her gloved hand over his. Patiently, she waited for him to go on. When he finally spoke his voice was so soft she had to strain to hear him.
"When I was jus a thirteen I had a girlfriend. Belle. She had golden hair and a laugh dat made y' forget all your troubles. One night we got stuck in de woods after sneakin' out t' go dancin' an' we had t' spend de night in de forest. She fell asleep in m' arms. Dat's when m' powers started." His eyes grew strained and flashed with unshed tears. The corners of his mouth tightened.
"I charged de leaves we were layin' on. The explosion knocked us both unconscious. When her brother found us he blamed me. We fought." He shook his head and looked down. "I won."
Marie's eyes grew wide. "What happened then?"
Gambit let out a breath. "I had t' leave. I swore I'd do anyting t' control m' powers." His eyes darkened. "An I did." For a minute, he stared off into space, a haunted look on his handsome features. Then he seemed to shake it off. "Still, I haven't been back since," he finished.
As he finished, Marie squeezed his hand with hers. For a while, they sat in silence, both just staring at the darkening horizon. Marie knew he'd shared something incredibly personal with her just now. It was only fair she returned the favor.
* * *
After he'd finished his story, Gambit waited for the false sympathy people always gave to bleeding heart stories. He expected her to comment on how horrible it was, maybe tell him how sorry she was for his loss. But Rogue just squeezed his hand and remained silent. He was touched that she seemed to care. Something told him the fact that she'd taken his hand was not something he should take lightly. The absolute terror he'd seen in her eyes in the hallway told him just how dangerous she considered her touch. How afraid she was to touch. Despite the severity of the moment, Gambit couldn't help but wonder what her touch would feel like. He couldn't see much of her skin because her bodysuit covered her well. Still, Gambit was no innocent when it came to women. And the skin-tight fit of her clothes showed off every curve a woman could dream of having. She was definitely well built. Turning slightly so she wouldn't notice, Gambit looked at her. Her legs were a little short, but they suited her height and they were shaped and muscled. Her stomach was smooth and firm with that tiny pouch all women seemed to have on their abdomen. His eyes followed her stomach up to her breasts. They were full and perfectly proportionate to the rest of her. Trying to fight the urge to stare at them in male chauvinist style, he quickly moved his gaze up to her face. Her eyes were a shade of brown so dark they were almost black. Her hair was a deep chocolate brown with a platinum streak down the center. Remy briefly wondered if her hair was really as soft as it looked. He was just about to find out when she spoke.
"Ah know how ya feel."
Snapping back into the moment, Gambit turned his full attention back to the conversation as he waited for her to continue.
"Mah powers showed up when Ah was thirteen. An it was mah boyfriend that got hurt. We were layin' on mah bed plannin' a road trip. Then he kissed me." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly to keep any tears from starting. "He went into a coma," she said quietly.
Moved by the pain that was so similar to his own, Gambit reached an arm around her shoulders and hugged her to him.
"Ah know he doesn't hold it against me. The part of him that's still in mah head told me that. But our families weren't nearly so understanding. Mah father disowned me and Cody's family wanted to hunt me down. Ah had to leave Caldecott county."
"No man could look you in de eyes, Chere, an hold any wrong against you."
She sighed. "That's sweet, Remy. But the worst part was Ah ruined mah mama's life too. When Ah put Cody into a coma, everyone wondered where Ah got mah x gene. They turned on mah mama, and she had to run away too."
"So why aren't y' with her?"
"By the time they found out about her, Ah was in Canada, with Logan."
Remy nodded. "Well, mah Chere, no one can say our lives are dull, eh?"
Marie laughed and smiled up at him. He smiled back. In comfortable silence they both turned and watched the sun go down.
* * *
Marie couldn't sleep. Raising her head off the pillow she looked at the clock for what seemed like the billionth time. 3:11 am. Sighing, she gave up and got out of bed. Not even bothering to put her long robe on, she just went downstairs in her shorts and baby tee. At 3:11 in the morning, she wasn't that worried about running into anyone. Besides, it was a rare moment of freedom to walk around the mansion with so much skin showing. Going straight to the kitchen, Marie began to search for a snack.
* * *
Gambit checked his watch as he scaled the mansion's perimeter gate. The Professor's defenses were impressive. Remy had seen more than his share of good defense systems and the Professor's was definitely ranked in the top three. However, despite its impressive credentials, it was still no match for Remy LeBeau, Prince of Thieves. It had taken him less time than he'd thought it would to finish his business. He was going to start a new life here as an X-Man and he didn't want his past to catch up to him and ruin it. Sprinting across the yard and making sure to stay in the shadows he made it to the mansion. Punching in the code the Professor had given him he quietly slipped inside.
As he made his way through the living room, Gambit heard a rustling sound in the kitchen. Quietly tip-toeing to the doorway, he peeked in.
Marie was kneeling on the counter with practically her whole top half buried inside a cupboard. She seemed to be looking for something. For a minute all Gambit could do was stare. Her shorts, if you could call them that, barely covered her underwear. Vaguely Gambit wondered what she was wearing under them. He didn't see any lines so he assumed it was a thong. At that thought Gambit felt his blood temperature go up a notch. Moving his eyes up he noticed the smooth lines of her stomach leading up to where she disappeared into the cupboard. As very man-like thoughts started parading around his head, Gambit found himself being drawn to this mutant with the poisonous skin. He'd always loved a challenge.
So caught up was he in his thoughts he didn't notice Marie pulling out of the cupboard - that is until she screamed.
"AHHHHHH!!!"
Her piercing shriek shocked Gambit back into reality quick enough for him to dive across the room in time to catch her as she fell. Marie landed hard in his arms causing them both to fall to the floor amidst a rain of potato chips.
For a moment both of them were too busy calming their respective heartbeats to move. Marie recovered first.
"What in tarnation are ya tryin' ta do?! Give me a heart attack?!" she screeched.
Gambit just lay there dazed. All he could hear was the blood pounding through his ears. Blood that redirected itself as he became aware of where Marie was sitting. Groaning, he closed his eyes. Somehow he remembered being more suave than this.
Marie interpreted his groan to be a sign of pain and she suddenly realized she was still sitting on top of him. For a second, panic overtook her as she scrambled off; making sure none of his skin had touched her.
"Oh mah god! Ah'm so sorry!"
Regaining some semblance of composure, yet sorry she'd moved, Gambit flashed her a smile.
"S'ok chere, Gambit can 'tink of worse 'tings dan havin' a beautiful woman fall into his arms."
Marie looked at him speechless, searching his eyes for some trace of fear at being so close to her with so much skin showing. Finding none, she noticed he was wearing black leather gloves and his duster. Visibly relaxed that he hadn't been in any real danger, her mind picked up another thought. He'd called her a woman. And not just a woman - a beautiful woman. Surprised and flattered Marie couldn't think of anything to say. Gambit smiled again and tilted her chin up with one gloved hand. However, before he could say anything they were both jolted out of the moment as the mansion's alarm sounded. The Professor's voice filled their heads.
"X-Men, gather in the War Room quickly."
Reluctantly, Marie moved to stand up. Together she and Gambit raced to the War Room.
* * *
Five minutes later the Professor, Storm, Jean, Cyclops, Gambit, and Rogue were all gathered around the table in the War Room. They all glanced at Marie's skimpy attire and she flinched inwardly. Sensing her discomfort, Gambit removed his duster and put it around her shoulders. Gratefully, Marie accepted, sitting down and pulling it closer around her. Everyone in the room visibly relaxed and the Professor began to speak.
"I have just received a call from an old colleague of mine, Carol Danvers. Most of you know her as Ms. Marvel. One hour ago--"
The Professor was cut off as Wolverine made a noisy entrance into the War Room. Obviously back from a night of drinking, he hazily surveyed the room. When his eyes fell upon Marie wrapped in Gambit's trench coat he quirked an eyebrow. However, he didn't have time to ponder it much further.
"Wolverine, I'm glad you're here."
"What's goin' on?" Logan asked, growing more alert as his healing factor proceeded to detoxify him.
Turning his attention to everyone once more, the Professor continued. "One hour ago Ms. Marvel came upon a small community home for young mutants. The building was under attack by the Sentinels."
Everyone in the room gasped. The Sentinels were giant robots made by the government to deal with the "mutant threat." The X-Men had dealt with them on a few occasions and they were formidable adversaries.
"Ms. Marvel is currently helping the mutants defend their home. I want you to take the Blackbird and get there as quickly as possible."
The X-Men needed no further encouragement. Scott and Ororo stayed with the Professor as he gave them the location and the details of the area. Jean went to prepare the jet with Gambit while Rogue and Wolverine left to get suited up.
Ten minutes later they were strapping into the Blackbird and preparing for battle. As they all took seats on the jet, Wolverine was surprised to note that Marie didn't try to seat herself next to him. He hadn't even thought she would be going on the mission. Kitty and Jubilee were both in college, and he'd just assumed Marie would have done the same. Noticing the direction of his gaze Ororo spoke up.
"Marie decided that her place was with the X-Men. She joined the team when she graduated, two years after you left ."
Wolverine snorted. "She's too young to be fighting."
Storm gave him a withering look. "She is twenty years old. She has trained hard to earn her place on the team."
"One-eye agrees that she needs more training," he responded. He ignored Storm's pointed reference to Marie's age. He still thought she was too young.
"Cyclops thinks she could improve her battle skills," Storm corrected. "Not that she is not skilled enough to fight. Besides, it is her choice. At least she has chosen a side."
Wolverine refused to give her the satisfaction of wincing as she repeated the line she'd said to him the first time he had met the X-Men.
"I've chosen a side. I'm here ain't I?"
"And how long will it remain so Logan? How long before you leave us this time?"
"Who says I'm leavin' again?"
"If you are so certain of that, you would have declared yourself a formal member of the team."
"Is that what's botherin' you? You want me to say the words? Is that what counts? Shit, I'm here, by your side helping the fight, but you're upset because I haven't given you my word? Is there paperwork I need to fill out? What do you want from me?!"
Throughout Wolverine's outburst, Storm remained calm. She knew that people did not lash out this vehemently without a reason. Something was bothering Logan. Deep down, he felt it. He felt the need to formally tie himself to these people who obviously cared so much about him. Wolverine was right, there was no paperwork that went with joining the team. There was no special badge or any specific process one had to go through. In any case, nothing he had not already done. But contrary to what he claimed, there was a great deal of importance behind the verbal acknowledgement of his joining the team. Part of Wolverine was deathly afraid to truly commit himself to the X-Men. Afraid to let himself care about their well-being and recognize them as his family. By not saying those words, he was refusing to admit it to himself that this situation was indeed permanent. However, if he was not ready to admit it, it was not Ororo's place to force it on him.
"I want you to be happy Logan."
That was not the response he'd expected. Wolverine had nothing to say to that. Dumbfounded and frustrated, he and Storm finished the ride in silence.
* * *
Across the jet , Marie silently observed Logan's outburst. Deep down she prayed that he would say something about permanently joining the team. Something that would calm her fears that he was going to leave again. She'd let him leave once, she wasn't sure she could do it again. Unfortunately, she did not seem to have the same affect on him as he did on her. She sincerely doubted he would think of her if he decided to leave. Why would he stay here because of her?
When Wolverine had walked into the War Room, Marie had almost been embarrassed that she was wearing Gambit's coat. She had searched Logan' face for some sign of jealousy, but had found none. Disappointed despite the futile nature of her hope, she sat back and let her eyes wander around the jet. Gambit was talking with Storm about what action they were going to take after they arrived at their destination. Gambit was new to the team so he didn't know much about their strategy. Marie would have joined them, but she probably wouldn't be in the actual battle anyway. Her powers would be useless against giant machines. The only reason she came along at all was to help with anyone who might be wounded and to take care of the mutants they were saving. Not much more than glorified babysitting. Marie didn't have any more time to contemplate her role as Cyclops announced they had arrived. It was time.
As the X-Men disembarked and went to the aid of the young mutants and Ms. Marvel, not one of them could have guessed what would happen.