FYI:

~Personal Thoughts~

~"Inner Voices"~

ESP

%The Written Word%

[Flashback]

"Normal Conversation (Duh)"

* Com Link or Telephone *

*Sound Effects (usually just Kurt's bamfing)

{Background noise--music, crowds, etc.}

GAMBIT

"Ya ta cocky for ya own good!" I heard her shout t'rough de door and smiled knowing she'd still be dere even if it was jus' f' curiosity. I slowly walked home as if I were on cloud nine. I found d e house t' be quiet as I slipped in unnoticed at t'ree in de morning. F' de first time in weeks, I got a good night's sleep.

I got up de next morning t' Tante Mattie pounding on de door. "Time t' get up, boy. T'ink y' going t' sleep all day and get away wit'out doing y' chores?" I opened de door and smiled at her despite de fact dat I'd nearly missed a rapping t' de head. "T'ought y' were dead in dere. Dat'll teach y' t' stay out and drink all night."

I rubbed de sleep from mon eyes and yawned. "Remy wasn' drinking."

"Den where were y' 'til de crack of dawn?"

"Wit' a fille."

"Remy LeBeau! How many times do I have t' tell y'…" I held up mon hands t' stop her in an apologetic fashion.

"Not'ing happened! Remy swear." She looked at me suspiciously den began t' smile.

"Dis Rogue girl, y' saw her didn' y'. Dat's de only reason I can t'ink of f' y' being in such a good mood after moping 'round her f' t'ree mont's straight."

"As usual y' know Remy better den anyone else."

"So when are y' going t' bring her here? Only right dat y' family gets t' meet dis girl." Mon smile fell immediately.

"Dat ain't a good idea. T'ings are bad enough wit' Bella."

"Den maybe it's time y' do right by y'self and bot' dem girls and get a divorce." I'm sure mon jaw went straight t'rough de floor. ~Did I just hear her right? Tante Mattie's telling me t' get a divorce?~ "Don't look so surprised, boy. I know y've been considering it f' a long time now."

"Remy can' do dat and y' know it. If Remy does, den de families will go back t' fighting. Don't see non choice dere."

"Dere's always a choice, so don't give me dat pitiful excuse." She turned and walked away leaving me wit' mon t'oughts. "And don' forget 'bout dose chores of y's. Might have a date, but y' still live in dis house."

ROGUE

~What am Ah still doin' here?Ah should left hours ago.~

~"Like it's called curiosity."~

~Well, curiosity killed the Kitty-cat.~ Ah stood in front of the mirror lookin' at the face starin' back at meh. It seemed so strange an' foreign ta meh with the curly hair that now framed it an' the much softer features. The only thin' familiar 'bout it, were the emerald green eyes. ~How could he even recognize meh last night?~

~"A rose by any ot'er name is jus' as sweet"~ (A/N: William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet)

~That's nice, but Ah didn't change mah name but mah looks.~

~"Oui, but y' stil jus' as sweet."~ Ah looked at the clock an' saw it was 9:58 p.m.

~If Ah leave now Ah may still be able ta get away b'fore he forces meh out on this date.~ Ah grabbed mah bag an' bike keys an' opened the door ta find Remy leanin' casually 'gainst the door frame playin' with a red rose. "Ya early."

"Oui, had t' make sure y' didn' skip town on me." He glanced over mah shoulder ta the digital clock an' grinned. "Ten o' clock, Chére, and I see y' already t' go." He handed meh the rose an' smiled. "A bella rose for de bella femme." Ah rolled mah eyes as he took mah bag an' keys from meh.

"Ah was just leavin'. Now please get outta mah way an' give meh mah stuff back." He simply smirked as he carried mah stuff down the hall an' stopped only ta wait for the elevator.

"Deal's a deal, Chére. I get une night t' convince y' t' stay." He led meh ta his bike where he tied mah bag ta the back an' pocketed mah keys. "Helps if y' get on." Ah crossed mah arms over mah chest an' stood stubbornly on the sidewalk. He caught meh off guard when he walked over an' picked meh up like a groom carryin' his bride.

"What do ya think ya doin'?!?! Put meh down!" He did eventually so Ah was seated sidesaddle in front of him on the bike. Mah eyes must have been as wide as saucers as he gunned the engine an' prepared ta leave. "STOP! Are ya nuts?!?! Let meh off b'fore ya get meh killed!"

"Will y' ride on de back like a bene fille den?" Ah was so pissed but Ah didn't have much choice other than ta nod mah head. He let meh off an' Ah obediently got on behind him.

"Ya evil, ya know that?" Mah words were lost in the wind as he sped of topping eighty miles per hour within seconds. Ah clung ta his waist for dear life so Ah didn't go flyin' off the back of the bike. Ah could tell he was enjoyin' every second of it.

GAMBIT

I pulled up outside mon usual bar where Marie had found me de night b'fore. "This a regular hangout for ya?" I turned 'round t' look at her before answering.

"Oui, dat okay?" I wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or she was upset 'bout mon choice of where t' go. She shrugged as she got off and handed de passenger helmet back t' me. I slung it over de handlebar and took her by de wrist and led her t' de back of de bar where dey had pool tables. I could see de band setting up f' deir show later and glanced back at Marie t' see what her reaction was. She didn't really have one so I decided t' just ask. "Play pool, Marie?" She scowled when I used her real name.

"Yeah, why?"

"T'ought we'd make t'ings interesting. Whoever wins, gets t' make a request of de loser. Can be a question, anyt'ing at all."

"Within reason." Ah raised an eyebrow at her input. "Ah mean, nothin' that'll get either of us killed, like a kiss or somethin'." Ah frowned figuring dat would have been mon first choice once I won a game.

"Alright, but den it can't be anyt'ing t' big eit'er like telling someone t' get lost f'ever." She glared at me and I could tell dat was her first pick as well. "Deal?" I held out mon hand waiting f' her t' take it.

"Deal." She grasped mon hand and I shook it once den pulled her close t' me quickly.

"Now how 'bout we seal dat deal wit' a kiss?"

"How 'bout, no. Gotta win a game b'fore ya can ask thin's like that now." I grinned as I racked the balls and prepared t' break.

"Sound pretty confident y' gonna win."

"Yeah, an' the first thin' Ah'm gonna ask if for ya ta leave meh alone for the rest of the night." I cocked my head t' de side and watched de balls spin 'round de table. I smiled when I saw two solids sink.

"Deal wasn' t' make de requests t' big now…"

"Didn't ask ya ta go away forever. Ah'll just have ta win a lot of games ta work mah way up there." I got t'ree more balls in before I missed.

"Merde…y' turn." She smiled prettily as she picked up de cue and chalked it.

{I'd like t' welcome y' all to our show tonight. So let's get this party started!

Saturday night and the moon is out, I wanna head on over to the Twist and Shout}

She got a majority of dem in b'fore she missed as well giving me anot'er chance.

{Find a two-step partner and a Cajun beat, When it lifts me up I'm gonna find my feet, Out in the middle of a big dance floor, When I hear that fiddle wanna beg for more, Gonna dance to a band from a-Lou'sian' tonight}

I easily shot in the rest of mon balls and quickly looked f' de easiest shot t' get in de eight ball. Dere was none way t' get it in wit'out knocking in une of her balls or having dem in de way. I frowned den struck de cue ball int' de middle of de table so dat it was outta her reach. "What the hell did ya do that for?" De only response I gave her was a grin as she circled de table looking for a shot. "There's no way Ah'm gonna be able ta make a shot."

{Well I never have wandered down to New Orleans, Never have drifted down a bayou stream, But I heard that music on the radio, And I swore some day I was gonna go}

"Y' could always lean over de table, or jus' sit on it." She shot me a deat' glare but I only continued t' smile.

"Ya set meh up for that."

"Maybe…" She frowned as she considered her options. She chose t' lean over de table giving me a very good look at her backside. "T'ings are looking good from here." She straightened up and looked like she was ready t' t'rottle me.

{Down Highway 10 past Lafayette, To Baton Rouge and I won't forget, To send you a card with my regrets, Cause I'm never gonna come back home}

She rolled her eyes den went back t' concentrating on her shot. I realized dat she was going t' make it jus' t' spite me so I decided t' make some distractions. I placed mon hand int' de back pocket of her jeans as she lined up de shot again. "Damn it, keep ya hands off!"

"Can' make non requests 'til y' win." She glared at me again an' sunk de eight ball easily.

{Saturday night and the moon is out, I wanna head on over to the Twist and Shout, Find a two-step partner and a Cajun beat, When it lifts me up I'm gonna find my feet}

"Get ya hands off, Swamp Rat." I pulled mon hand back and held dem up apologetically den set t' work racking de balls 'gain.

"Least y' didn' tell me t' get lost." She smacked herself on de forehead f' letting me distract her from what she'd really wanted t' say when she won.

ROGUE

{Out in the middle of a big dance floor, When I hear that fiddle wanna beg for more, Gonna dance to a band from a-Lou'sian' tonight}

~Ah can't believe Ah let him do that ta meh! Ugh…he makes meh so mad sometimes!~ Ah watched him carefully rack the balls an' then break them. This time none of the balls were sunk an' Ah started. Ah was able ta easily sink five of the striped balls but saw no way of gettin' the next one in. He leaned on his cue stick smiling cockily as he watched. Ah made the shot an' missed the pocket horribly. "Can' get dem all de time. But dat's okay, 'cause I already know what I'm going t' ask." Ah glared at him tryin' ta figure out what could be goin' through his mind.

In minutes he'd sunk all of his balls an' simply stood there starin' at meh. "Well ya gonna make ya request or stand there all night?" His face broke out inta a grin as he began talkin'.

"Tell me who y' absorbed after y' couldn' control y' powers." Mah jaw dropped in surprise. ~Ah was expectin' somethin' stupid or perverted from him.~

{They got a alligator stew and a crawfish pie, A golf storm blowin' into town tonight, Livin on the delta's quite a show, They got hurricane parties every time it blows}
"Why do ya want ta know?"

"Jus' want t' know what I'm up 'gainst when y' angry. So who'd y' absorb Marie?"

"Kurt an' Storm. It was kinda crazy how it all happened. Everythin' was goin' just fine an' Kurt gave meh one of his brotherly hugs an' it just happened. Before Ah knew it, Ah was absorbin' him. He dropped an' Ah started runnin'. Storm found meh an' she tried ta comfort meh by placin' a hand on mah shoulder an' Ah absorbed her ta." It was tough talkin' 'bout it. Ah hated lookin' weak an' uncontrolled in front of anyone, but in front of him it was a thousand times worse.

{And here up north it's a cold cold rain, And there ain't no cure for my blues today, Except when the paper says: Beausoleil is coming into town, Baby let's go down}

He listened quietly but never said anythin' as he reset the table for another game. ~What's goin' on inside that head of his?~

{Saturday night and the moon is out, I wanna head on over to the Twist and Shout, Find a two-step partner and a Cajun beat, When it lifts me up I'm gonna find my feet}

Another game flew by an' Ah won. "Alright, Chére, do y' worst." He looked slightly down cast as if he honestly did expect the worst.

{Out in the middle of a big dance floor, When I hear that fiddle wanna beg for more, Gonna dance to a band from a-Lou'sian' tonight}

"Umm…what are ya thinkin' 'bout?" He looked up at meh surprised then laughed. "Hey, Ah'm not jokin'. Ya been real moody with meh an' Ah wanna know what's goin' through ya head right now."

{Bring your mama, bring your papa, bring your sister too, They got lots of music and lots of room, When they play you a waltz from 1910, You gonna feel a little bit young again}

"I'm t'inking 'bout how dere's dis belle femme standing in front of me, and how I'd like not'ing more den t' just hold her." He looked completely serious as he spoke but Ah couldn't help but think that he was keepin' somethin' from meh.

"Right…an' there's probably more than that."

{Well you learned to dance with your rock'n'roll, You learned to swing with a do-si-do, But you learn to love at the fais-so-do, When you hear a little Jolie Blon}

"Dere is, but it's not appropriate f' public." He was now grinnin' cockily again an' Ah rolled mah eyes realisin' Ah wasn't gonna get the answer Ah wanted from him. He slid an arm around mah waist an' rested his chin on mah shoulder. "Lets jus' say it involves anot'er hotel room and lots of blankets."

{Saturday night and the moon is out, I wanna head on over to the Twist and Shout, Find a two-step partner and a Cajun beat, When it lifts me up I'm gonna find my feet}

"Ugh, ya impossible. Just get off of meh b'fore Ah have ta hurt ya."

"Can' do 'til y' win anot'er game." Ah sighed in frustration as Ah went ta break the next game. He made it extremely difficult ta shoot anythin' when he refused ta let meh go except for when he was makin' his own shots.

{Out in the middle of a big dance floor, When I hear that fiddle wanna beg for more, Gonna dance to a band from a-Lou'sian' tonight}

He won the game an' again looked ta be in deep concentration. "Just get it over with already."

"Jus' want t' remember de look on y' face when I ask." He was grinnin' from ear ta ear. All Ah wanted ta do at that moment was knock it off of his face as hard as Ah could. "I want a kiss."

"WHAT?!?! Ah said nothin' that was life threatin' an' ya go an' ask for a kiss?!?! Ah ain't doin' it." Ah slammed the cue stick back inta the holder an' made ta leave but he grabbed meh around the waist an' pulled meh back.

"What if it wouldn' hurt eit'er of us?" Ah looked up at him confused.

"That ain't possible an' ya know it."

"But I t'ink it is." He grabbed the scarf 'round mah neck an' placed it over mah mouth then leaned down an' kissed meh. Ah was ta shocked ta do anythin' but stand there as he pulled meh closer ta him. His body felt so warm an' it was somethin' that Ah'd been wishin' for for three months. At first mah eyes were wide with shock but Ah closed 'em as the kiss deepened. Ah felt his hands on mah waist an' back as Ah moved mah own ta his chest. Ah finally pushed back on him causin' the kiss ta end.

"What the hell did ya do that for?" He held the scarf in his hands an' playfully twisted it. He cocked his head ta the side an' gave meh his puppy dog eyes as well.

"What? T'ought y'd like it."

"Ah did…" He grinned with his usual cockiness. "…but that ain't the point. This just proves ta meh that ya'll end up dead if Ah stick 'round here ta long." He now frowned as he tied the scarf inta a not then picked it back out again.

"Non, I'm being real careful." He moved tawards meh but Ah backed away but was stopped by the pool table. He brushed the hair outta mah face as he leaned closer ta meh so that no one could over hear us. "I jus' don' want y' t' go away."

"Ah have ta for mah sanity an' ya life. Last thin' Ah wanna see is ya dead." Ah felt like cryin' simply 'cause Ah didn't want that kiss ta have ended an' yet Ah knew it was wrong for us ta have kissed in the first place.

"Y' tellin' me dat y'll go insane staying here, but what y' gonna do if y' leave?" He had a point an' Ah hated him for it. If Ah left there would be no one else who'd take a chance on meh. No one else who would come near meh with a ten foot pole let alone with only a scarf or gloves between us. Ah turned mah back on him so that he couldn't see the tears that were beginnin' ta fall. He wrapped his arms 'round mah waist an' this time when he rested his chin on mah shoulder it felt comfortin' an' not cocky like b'fore. "Chére?"

"What?"

"Y' gonna be okay. I promise I'll be careful wit' y', jus' don' go." Ah turned ta look at him an' saw his eyes were clouded over slightly as if he were in pain. "Promise me, Marie."

"Ah…Ah can't promise ya that. Ah just can't do that."

"Why?" ~Why indeed? Ah haven't got a good reason not ta stay here. There ain't any place for meh ta go.~

~"Jus' tell him y' love him and kiss him 'gain already!"~

"'Cause Ah love ya an' Ah'll never forgive mahself if Ah break a promise ta ya or if Ah hurt ya." He smiled as he brushed the tears of mah cheeks an' kissed the top of mah head.

"I love y' t'. Dat's why I don' want t' see y' run away." There was no playfulness in his voice, his attitude, his stature, nothin'. He was being completely serious for one of the few times Ah could remember. Ah just rested mah head on his chest as he continued ta hold meh as Ah let the tears fall.

"It's getting late, Chére, we best be going." Ah looked up at him as he took mah hand an' led meh back outside the bar ta his bike. Mah tears had passed but Ah was still feelin' extremely confused. ~If Ah leave, Ah'll go nuts 'cause no one'll ever look at meh twice, but if Ah stay, then Ah'll go nuts knowin' Ah can't really be with Remy even if he is right there. Then there's this whole marriage thin' that's really throwin' meh through a loop.~ Ten minutes later he was pullin' inta the driveway of a small modest house slightly outside the rush of the city. "Dis be mon home."

"Maybe Ah should just go back ta the hotel…"

"Nonsense, y' gonna stay here. A hotel ain't non place f' a femme, especially une as bella as y'." Ah rolled mah eyes as he took mah stuff an' Ah followed him ta the front door. He opened it up an' led meh up the stairs ta the bedrooms.

"This really ain't a good idea."

"Non? Why not?" He glanced back at meh curiously.

"'Cause Ah know ya, an' ya'll go an' get the wrong idea." He smiled playfully at meh as he opened the door ta his room an' ushered meh inside.

"And getting a hotel room is any less suggestive?"

"Ah hate ya." These words only made him smile all the more.

"Non, y' don'. Y' said so y'self dat y' love me."

"Ah knew that would come back ta haunt meh." He slid his arms around mah waist an' Ah gave in an' rested mah head on his chest. "If ya don't mind Ah'm really tired. Is there couch or somethin'?" He scoffed at meh an' laughed.

"Y' be usin' mon bed, Chére. Dere non need f' y' t' sleep on de couch, ain't proper." He pushed meh ta his bed as if he were leadin' a small child.

"Ah can get in bed just fine on mah own, thank ya very much." More smirking. ~Ah should just wipe that right off his face, but he'd probably like that.~ Ah suddenly felt extremely tired an' was startin' ta feel rather grateful for a warm bed ta sleep in. As Ah sat down on the bed Ah slid mah hand under the pillow gettin' ready ta lay down an' hit somethin'. Ah pulled out a picture frame an' smiled. "Hidin' somethin'?" He looked down at meh from his desk where he was drapin' his coat over the chair.

"Non, jus' put it dere f' safe keepin'."

"Uh huh." Ah raised an eyebrow in disbelief as Ah moved the frame an' the letters Ah'd written him ta the bedside table an' laid down. As soon as mah head hit the pillow Ah was asleep.

GAMBIT

"Bonsoir, Cherie." Ah moved de chair over t' next t' de bed so dat I could watch her sleep. I felt hypnotized by de risin' and fallin' of her chest as she laid dere so peacefully. ~What's different 'bout her. Why is she so different from de dozens b'fore her dat I've been able t' leave wit'out a regret.~ I sighed as she continued t' sleep never knowin' was dere watchin'. ~Well, I might as well, she's so far outta it t' even notice or get mad.~ I crawled in under de covers next t' her and wrapped mon arms 'round her waist careful not t' wake her up an' disturb her peace. Wit'in moments I t' was asleep.