Author's Note: the day I updated the story to chapter 7 I stayed up until three writing most of 8! That's bloody unbelievable! Inspiration is a lovely thing. Anyway, the plot is thickening! More mysterious and questions to be asked and answered along with a spicy kissing scene! (Oh al la) I'm so glad chapter 7 was reviewed nicely! I really thought that it wouldn't do so well. I really appreciate it, guys. Anyway much more Romyness in this chapter. John had his fifteen minutes of fame. Now it's Piotr's turn! I wonder what could happen! ^___^ I know what happens, but I'm not telling!
Disclaimer: I don't own the x-men. Never have, never will. I just borrow the characters for my own amusement. Please dun sue me!
~*~*~*~
Chapter 8
A Meeting of Truth
"I'm glad to see that you are finally on time for once," Mrs. McPherson snickered unpleasantly from her desk as Rouge walked into the empty classroom. The old hag gestured to a pile of papers near her with one long bony finger. "You know the drill. Drop your bag and start grading these tests. And do hurry up. I need them done by four so I can book them."
Rouge frowned and muttered a strained, "Yes, ma'am." She walked up the to desk, roughly snatched the stack of papers, and found a seat to work at.
She sighed as she fingering through the thick pile. It was unbelievable. How many tests could a single teacher give her students? If Rouge didn't know better she would have thought the hag made countless of unnecessary test just to have Rouge grade them forever. But she knew that complaining didn't solve anything so she forced herself to swallow her aversion and began to grade the first paper.
Silence filled the room and for a brief moment she realized that she might actually leave early today. The hag wasn't giving a boring lecture about god knows what and if Rouge kept working she could finish the test in an hour. It was too perfect.
Rustle…rustle…creak…
Disgruntled at the disrupted silence, Rouge glanced forward and scowled. The hag was sitting at her desk, idly looking through the newspaper and sipping her tea as if she didn't have anything better to do.
If she needed something to do she should get off her lazy ass and help me, Rouge thought.
Mrs. McPherson continued to slurp her tea and read the newspaper ungodly loudly until Rouge made herself to ignore the irritating sounds and concentrate on grading. The hag was probably just doing it to piss her off anyway.
Slurp…sluuuuurp…rustle…rustle
Biting her lower lip, Rouge angrily pushed the red pen into the test hard enough to rip the paper a little.
"Tsk, tsk," the hag's soft murmur came from the deck.
Rouge tried to ignore it and continued to work. The hag was probably just disappointed that Dr. Laura hadn't put up her Q&A in the paper that day.
"Tsk, tsk, all the trouble down in New Orleans," she muttered under her breath. "Rivaling gangs, murders unsolved. Hoodlums every last one of them."
Rouge's interest was suddenly peaked. "What did you say?" she asked sharply. "What about New Orleans?"
Mrs. McPherson scowled at Rouge over the top of the newspaper. "I thought I told you to grade those tests, miss. And I must say, I don't know how I feel about you eavesdropping on me. What if I had been talking privately with someone? Shame on you, Rouge. Be a young lady and learn some manners."
Rouge glared at the hag. "If you hadn't been talking so loudly, I wouldn't have heard you over the cumulating dust," she replied. "Now will you just…"
The intercom turned on, fuzzed for a moment, and soon a hazy voice came over the air. "Mrs. McPherson?" it asked politely.
A look of annoyance passed the hag ancient face as she puckered her lips with disrelish. "What is it?" she called out in an unladylike bark.
"You have a telephone call. They say it's urgent."
"All right. I'm coming down."
The intercom clinked off and Mrs. McPherson climbed to her feet. "I'll trust that you wouldn't steal anything or run away while I'm gone, miss. I'll be back before you know it," she threatened as she tossed down her paper and walked out of the classroom.
Rouge waited a moment after the door shut to slide out of her seat and hurry towards the hag's orderly desk. She snatched the newspaper and pulled it open, searching for the right article.
"'Murders in the mysterious bayous of Louisiana still go unanswered'?" Rouge said aloud as she read. " '10 years since the rivaling gangs of thieves announced New Orleans as their territory, an unprecedented number of people have lost their lives to the violence of the gang wars, the latest murder happeningly only 7 months ago. The murder victims had all been members of different gangs and so far no one has been prosecuted for the murders. Jesus Christ!"
Rouge set the newspaper down and tried to swallowed but found that her mouth was unbearably dry. "Those poor bastards," she murmured to herself. "New Orleans sure must be a dangerous place now. No wonder Gambit left."
~*~*~*~
"Man, that was, like, totally fun!" Kitty exclaimed, smiling, as she and Rouge walked home from the Acolytes home. "That was, like, the best study session I've ever went to."
"Between John making fire animals from his lighter and Piotr adding the soundtrack to it, I have no idea where studying came into the picture," Rouge replied, sounding more than a little angry.
"Hey, we, like, got a good hour in before all hell broke loose," Kitty told her. "And if memory serves me right you and Gambit where doing just fine when you got up and left us, like, saying it was so noisy to study."
"Well it was!" Rouge snapped malignantly.
Kitty looked a little shocked by Rouge's sour behavior. "Like, what's wrong with you, Rouge?" she demand. "I saw you walking alone with Gambit outside. How can you be so mad?"
Rouge frowned and stopped walking. "It's a long story, Kitty," she said after a moment, running her hands through her hair.
"What happened?"
"I've just been…picking up clues about Gambit and," Rouge paused. "God, I hope I'm wrong about this."
Kitty looked a little scared. "Wrong about, like, what? Tell me because this is totally freaking me out."
Rouge sighed. "Fine. I'll tell ya."
~*~*~*~
Rouge was five seconds away from closing her book and slamming it into John's obnoxious head. She didn't care if that started a war between the Acolytes and the X-men. She just wanted the kid to shut up so she could study. And she wasn't about to let Piotr or Kitty off either. It was Piotr's fault that all the noise and commotion started. He was the one who made the pot of coffee that John all but inhaled. Kitty was busy laughing up a storm with John making a fiery Sabertooth dance around in a dress from his lighter and egging him on.
Rouge felt a comforting hand on hers. Frowning, her eyes snapped to Gambit. They were sitting on the couch with Kitty, John, and Piotr sitting on the floor next to the long coffee table that served as a dance floor for the mini warden at the moment.
"It ain't worth it, chere," he told her, shaking his head. "They are just having some fun."
"Yay, well, while they are having some fun, my brain is turning to mush trying to learn my French over the damn noise!" Rouge growled.
"You poor baby," Gambit purred, reaching to run his fingers through her thick brown hair. With his other hand, he closed the French workbook. "You've studied enough for now, chere. Why don't we take a break?"
Rouge sighed and massaged her aching neck. "Très bonne idée," she murmured hesitantly in French. "A break sounds great." (That's a very good idea)
Gambit smiled proudly. "Tres bien, chere. Let's get some fresh air from outside. Too stuffy and loud in here." He stood up and held out his hand for Rouge to take. (Very good, dear)
"Oh la la, we be the Gambit and Rouge going?" John asked teasingly as he looked up from the fountain of fire he was controlling. There was a goofy grin plastered to his face.
"Break," Gambit replied, leading them out of the living room.
"Hmm, sure," John murmured, effortlessly changing the fire to a picturesque figure of two people kissing. Kitty and Piotr laughed.
Rouge glared at him but Gambit wordlessly pulled out a couple of cards, kinetically charged them, and threw them over his shoulders. The three other mutants had to dive for safety as the dangerous cards flew everywhere.
"Come on, chere," Gambit said, pulling Rouge out of the living room. "Wouldn't want you to be hurt." He led her to the front door just as a loud boom and several surprised yelps came from down the hall. Rouge jumped but still smiled.
"You sure they aren't hurt?"
Gambit wicked at her as he pulled open the door. "Oui, chere."
Rouge trusted his word and let him grab her hand and lead her into the cool evening air outside. Rouge took a deep breath of air, feeling the chilly air waking her up. The Acolytes house was deep enough in the surrounding tress to make the air feel fresh and exhilarating.
"It's so nice out tonight," Rouge murmured. She glanced up into the sky and was pleased to see a few tiny stars twinkling as the sun set in a blaze of colors. "I hardly ever get to enjoy the evening at the Institute. Everyone is so loud. No one really stops to smell the roses, ya know? Logan, er, Wolverine found out how much I lot looking up at the sky at night so he fixed me a spot on the roof so that I could sit up there and just look without having any distractions."
"That must be nice," Gambit said, beginning to stroll slowly away from the house. "To have some one look out for you like that."
Rouge shrugged. "That kind of treatment doesn't happen very often with so many of us living under one roof," she replied, walking beside Gambit. "You of all people should know how that is."
Gambit chuckled. "John, god bless 'im, can wake the dead if he really wanted too."
Rouge smiled. They let a comfortable silence settle between them and they walked side my side. The only noise was from the gentle breeze that stirred the leaves of the trees and their feet crunching twigs underfoot as they moved. It really was a beautiful night out. Peaceful, too. Rouge glanced at Gambit from the corner of her eye. The company wasn't half-bad either, she remarked, smiling to herself.
Gambit looked over at her and caught her blatant stare. Contrite, she quickly looked away into the darkening grove, her face growing hot.
"What are you thinking about, chere?" his whispered voice was like heat ready to make her melt.
"That I hope to God I'm not blushing," she replied in a strained voice, making Gambit laugh.
"Where did that come from?"
"Kitty told me that I blush when…when I talk to you." She looked over at him. "Do I?"
Gambit looked over at her and smiled when he saw her trying to hide her face behind her hands. "I'm afraid so," he murmured, pulling her hands away. "But you have nothing to hide, chere. You're face so beautiful and the blush is endearing."
Rouge frowned. "It's damn embarrassing, Gambit. That's what it is."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not suppose to blush," Rouge said, exasperated. "If you hadn't noticed, people like me aren't suppose to blush. Before you came, I was fine. I didn't smile, hardly laughed, and never once blushed when a boy so much as looked at me! I was proud in the fact that I could make myself so tough that no one would think about hurting me. Now you're here and my guard flies out the window and I turn into a pile of simpering goo! It's unbelievable!"
"My apologies, chere," Gambit chuckled, grabbing her hand.
"What is your secret?" she murmured to herself. "What is it about you that me want to trust you?"
Gambit shrugged and replied, "There is no secret about Gambit. There is nothing special."
"Well, whatever it is, it breaks my defenses like nothing I've seen."
"If you don't mind me saying, Gambit prefers this Rogue over the other one. Like this, you seem so human." He moved closer to her and raised a hand to her face, his gloved finger hovering over her flushed skin. "You seem so soft, so touchable, just like the first time I saw you, when you are like this" he purred, stroking her face. "Your big green eyes get drowsy. Your cheeks get rosy and your lips part…" he traced her bottom lip with his thumb, his dark demon eyes lingering on her mouth as he drew closer.
Her heart skipped a bit and she nervously swallowed. "Just stop, Gambit," she begged, weakly trying to push him away. "Please don't do this to me." She shouldn't get any closer to him. It would be too dangerous. But, like a searching moth to a light, she was drawn to him, to his warmth, his charm.
"Do what, chere?" he asked.
"Don't you know who I am?" she asked, her voice almost breaking. "What I am? What I'm capable of?"
"Oui, chere," Gambit sighed. "I know."
When he stepped away from her she felt like she could break down and cry like a baby. She could still him around her. Damn, she wished with all her might, that she could kiss Gambit. Never before had she wanted to touch someone since she discovered her powers. Why did he have to be so goddamn sweet and sexy? The combination killed her!
She felt tears rise up and blur her vision. She closed her eyes so that Gambit wouldn't see. After a moment, she felt a tickling at her throat and hurt fabric race across skin as it was pulled away. Rouge opened her eyes and looked at Gambit. He was holding her scarf in his hands. Automatically her hands shot up to her throat and found that her skin was bare.
What was Gambit up too? She wondered.
He stepped towards her once more and she could see the gentleness in his brilliant crimson eyes. Slowly, he raised the fine fabric up until it was covering her face like a mask. Her eyes widened when she realized what he was doing and her heart sped up. But she didn't stop him.
She closed her eyes when he lowered his face to hers and felt his lips touch her gently through the thin material. The kiss was soft and innocent, making Rouge's inside turn into maudlin slush. She felt him wrap his arms around her waist and pull her close to his warm body. Not sure what to do but loving every minute of it, she hesitantly raised her hands and rested them against his chest. Through all the fabric sheltering her palms, she could still feel his heart racing in his chest. That made her smile.
When Gambit pulled back a bit, ending the sweet smooch, Rouge sucked in a deep breath, a little out of breath. He smiled down at her and kissed her for a second time. She sighed into the kiss, loving the feel of his lips on hers. Her mounting desire getting the best of her, Rouge parted her lips a little. Gambit took the hint and deepened the kiss.
She made a little sound in the back of her throat when she felt him press his tongue pass her swollen lips but she eagerly accepted him and gingerly brushed his tongue with her own. It felt a little strange with the moist scarf between them but Rouge didn't care. All she knew was that this was her very first kiss and she loved it!
She quickly got over her timidness, and the kiss turned very warm very quickly. Over and over, Gambit's mouth slanted over hers. Lips meshed and tongues caressed despite the barrier the scarf served as. Rouge moaned softly, pressed herself against Gambit as she threw her arms around his neck, holding him close. It felt like she couldn't get enough of his touch. He was intoxicating.
Finally they were both breathless and weak from the enticing kiss to last any longer. Flushed and a little dazed, Rouge could hardly stand on her own when the kiss ended.
"Damn," she panted, pulling the scarf away from her face with one hand. Still, holding on to Gambit, she collapsed in his arms and buried her burning face in his shirt. He laughed gently, holding her tight.
"Damn is right," he murmured softly, running a hand through her hair. "That was some kiss, chere."
Rouge nodded wordlessly. This was the closest she had ever gotten to touch someone. She found it a little overwhelming. She felt her throat tighten up and she knew that she was going to cry soon if she didn't stop herself immediately.
"Chere?"
"It's nothing, Remy," she sniffled quickly. "Just a little light headed."
A finger placed under her chin forced her to raise her head. She met Gambit's stare and offered a small smile as her eyes filled with tears.
"S'okay, love," he whispered, stroking her face.
"I don't want you to think of me as sentimental kinda gal or something like that," Rouge told him as she wiped away her tears and sniffed.
"Remy would never think to do so," he replied gently.
Rouge smiled sheepishly up at him. "Ya know, people at school think we're going out," she told him.
Gambit grinned back. "Ain't surprised. When they asked, Remy hinted to the possibility."
Rouge was floored. "You didn't!"
He shrugged. "Guilty as charged, chere."'
"So," Rouge murmured shyly. "You want me to be your girlfriend?"
Gambit lowered his face to hers. "Oui," he replied, all humor gone from his voice.
"But it couldn't work out," Rouge said. "I mean, look at us. I'm an x-man and you're an Acolyte. What if…"
"Magneto is away on vacation. What he don't know won't hurt him," Gambit told her. "What do you say? Would you take this lowly swamp rat to be your boyfriend, chere?"
Rouge smiled and nodded silently.
Gambit looked relieved as he straightened up. Grabbing her hand, he said, "Come on. Let's go inside before they blow up the house or something."
Rouge laughed. "Jeez, between living in a house with a guy like John or living in New Orleans with the gang wars, I don't know which one is better."
She had meant it as a small joke but Gambit didn't laugh. Instead he stopped walking and stood completely still. Rouge squeezed his hand.
"Remy, are you all right?"
"What did you say?" His voice was so quiet that it was almost inaudible.
Rouge gave him a quizzical look and didn't answer. He turned to her sharply.
"How do you know about the gangs of New Orleans!?" He practically yelled at her. There was a stormy look of anger and anxiety going in his eyes.
Rouge jumped back. "I read it in the newspaper today," she stammered, flustered. "There was an article about all the homicides down there that are never solved and how the gangs are so violent. There was a gang-related murder only seven months ago…"
Even in the thickening darkness, Rouge could see the murderous red of Gambit's eyes. And he didn't look happy.
"What's wrong? I'm sorry if I said anything wrong," she pleaded. "I didn't mean to upset you."
Gambit didn't say anything for a moment. He just stared at her. She half expect him to hit her or something and she started to tremble. Finally after a moment he backed away from her. He turned and walked away. Speechless, Rouge watched him disappear into the darkness. She stayed until she heard his heavy footsteps fade away to nothing. Then she turned and hurried toward the house, ready to get Kitty and leave.
~*~*~*~
"He, like kissed you?" Kitty asked when Rouge was done with her tale.
Rouge frowned. "That's not the point, Kitty!"
"How was it?"
"Err…nice? Fine. It made me weak in the knee and starry-eyed. Happy now, Kitty?"
The other girl sighed dreamily and nodded.
"What am I saying? Haven't you been listening to me, Kitty? I think there is something Remy isn't telling me," Rouge said.
"What do you mean? Do you, like, think he was involved with the gangs in New Orleans somehow?"
Rouge shrugged. "I don't know. It seems possible don't you think with the way he acted tonight…" she didn't go on but looked away.
"Did he really, like, look he'd hit you?" Kitty asked. Her voice was soft as if she was scared to ask.
Rouge nodded. "Yeah. But he just turned and walked away. It really scared me." She was still trembling when she remembered what happened.
"Totally! I thought Gambit was, like, totally a good guy."
"I want to know what he's hiding, Kitty," Rouge murmured.
"Maybe Gambit doesn't, like, want you to know?"
Rouge shook her head. "I don't care. I want to find out. If I'm right, we are probably on the right track to know what Magneto has against Remy. Maybe we can help somehow. I want to help him, Kitty. I want to help all of them."
"It seems really, like, dishonest. Why don't you just wit until Gambit tells you the full story?" Kitty asked.
"I don't think he ever will," Rouge sighed, looking up to see the shadowy institute drawing closer. "I'll just have to find out for myself. The professor said that he would look into the Acolytes to see if Magneto was blackmailing them. Maybe he found something tonight."
Kitty stopped. "Rouge, what if Gambit did some horrible thing? What would you do? Would you stop seeing him?"
She frowned, contemplating. Finally she shook her head. "No."
Kitty smiled. "You must really like him."
"I care for him if that's what you're asking," she said.
The younger girl's eyes moved past Rouge to look at the institute. Rouge saw her tense. "Um…speaking of professors. Logan's, like, right over there and he doesn't look very happy."
Surprised, Rouge looked over her shoulder and saw the shadowy figure leaning up against the cast-iron gate, his arms crossed over his chest. Even from a few feet away, she could clearly see Logan's disapproving glower.
"Shit," she murmured.
"We're totally in trouble now," Kitty added.
"It's good to see that your girls are finally home," Logan said from the gate, slowly straightening up. He looked at one then the other. "So, how are the Acolytes?"
"Huh? How did you, like, know?" Kitty stammered. "Oh, I, like, totally forgot about your sense of smell…darn it."
"Nothing happened," Rouge told Logan, walking over to him. "We just studied together."
"By yourselves?" Logan asked. "Not smart. Three buys against two girls." He shook his head. "Not smart at all."
"You, like, think they would attack us?" Kitty asked, frowning as she joined Rouge.
"Did that thought pass through your mind at all today, half pint?" Logan replied. "You were in enemy territory. It could have happened."
"Well, nothing did!" Rouge snapped.
Logan turned his eyes over to her, his nose twitching a bit as he sniffed the air. Rouge frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. Finally Logan shook his head and murmured, "So say the girl with the scent of that swindling Cajun all over her."
Rouge gasped, looking completely abashed. "Logan, stay out of my business! Now could you please step out of the way? I really would like to speak with the professor. It's urgent."
Logan frowned at her. "I don't want you doing something that stupid again, you hear?" he questioned. "Never trust the enemy."
Rouge rolled her eyes and roughly pushed her way passed Logan. "Thanks for the pep talk, dad," she called over her shoulder, "but I can take care of myself." She entered the mansion and quickly found the Professor's office. Hoping that he was in, she knocked gently on the door.
"Professor?"
"Come in, Rouge," a voice came from the other side of the room as the door opened by itself.
Rouge sucked in the breath and walked in.
"Good evening, Rouge," the professor greeted from his desk. "Have a seat. We need to talk."
"All right," she murmured, swallowing nervously. She found a sit by the desk and sat down. "Is it about tonight? About me and Kitty going over to see the Acolytes?"
The professor shook his bald head as he searched through some papers covering the top of his desk. "No, Rouge, it's not about tonight. Though, to be honest with you, we wouldn't have minded a quick call from you, telling us your plans."
"I'll keep that in mind," Rouge murmured. "Sorry. I just didn't want you to tell me not to go."
"I trust you both, Rouge. You can see the good in those three boys and you trust them. Logan, however, cannot at that moment," the professor said. Finally the older man found what he was looking for. He placed three large folders on his desk. Confused, Rouge looked over at him and saw the heaviness weighing down the corners of his mouth.
"Rouge, I want to talk to you about the Acolytes," he murmured. "After you came to me saying that there was a possibility that the three young men might be in Magneto's charge because of coercion, Storm and myself searched everywhere for the background of the three boys." He sighed deeply. "The search was successful but what we found…" he paused and handed Rouge one folder.
She took it. "What it is?" she asked, flipping it open. Surprised she saw a photo of John grinning up at her.
"John Allerdyce's life on paper," the professor remarked somberly. "As you can read, he comes from a very wealthy, powerful, and influential family from Australia. However, that's not all. What people don't know is that the entire family buys and resells drugs in South America. If word got out about that, the house of Allerdyce would fall quickly into the hands of police. Magneto no doubt knows that."
"Oh, god!" Rouge murmured. "If Magneto knows, and is using that to control John, then John is with him just to protect his family."
The professor nodded and handed Rouge another file and she quickly flipped through it. "This is Piotr Rasputin," the professor began. "He comes from a small middle-class family from Russia. His father and siblings have all dead from tuberculosis. He was living with only his mother when she was diagnosed with cancer. I looked into her bills from the hospital and found that a man by the name of Erik Lenshire pays the doctors."
"Magneto?!"
"Yes, Rouge. I think Piotr is an acolyte because Magneto promised to take care of his mother," the professor said. "If the young man chooses to leave the Acolytes, Magneto could very well retaliate by not paying the hospital and let Piotr's mother die."
She frowned. "That's horrible," she murmured softly to herself. "I had no idea."
"Neither did we until you said something about blackmail," the professor said, shaking his head.
"What about Gambit, Professor?" She hated to ask but she needed to know.
Another thick folder was handed to her. "Remy was part of a rivaling gang of thieves in New Orleans for most of his life," he told her. "He made quite a name for himself. Unfortunately, just before he moved to Bayville, well, why don't you read it for yourself, Rouge?"
She paled and swallowed hard, with trembling hands, she opened the folder and read the contents. Silence filled the air and was only broken by the sound of falling papers when Rouge roughly pushed the folders off her lap as if they were on fire.
"Oh, god!" she sobbed, burying her tear-stained face in her trembling hands. "Oh god! That's why Magneto has him. He knows that Remy killed someone!"
To be continued….
Author's Note: and the truth shall set you free! Well, on a happier note, I'm very pleased with this chapter. But you guys are recovering from the kissing scene or yelling at me, saying cliffhangers are just so evil. Especially cliffhangers involving favorite French swamp rat. Surprised? Shocked? Not really? Is Gambit killing someone to overdone? Oh well, I tried to build some suspense. ^__^ I hope you liked what you read! I really enjoyed writing it. I feel bad for Remy. I think I will go cry. **sobs**