Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men
A/N: Warning- original character approaching! Title this time is taken from Robbie Williams' 'Its Only Us.'
Humble neighbourhoods
02: We don't want to get a job
"Come on come on come on!" Blaze had never felt so impatient in all her life, and with good reason as she tapped her long fingers in the steering wheel of the car, practically jumping up and down in her seat as she waited for Gambit to reappear. This was taking too long, something had gone wrong. She should go, now, before she got caught too. But what if he hadn't, and he got here to find her gone? He'd be caught for sure. "Hurry up hurry up hurry up!"
Suddenly a figure dropped at a run from a second floor window, landing briefly on a large trashcan and hopped to the floor. Grinning Gambit wrenched open the passenger-side car door, looking thoroughly impressed with himself.
"Don't tell me," Blaze sniped, wiping sweaty palms on her jeans and putting her foot down. "You're a genius right?"
"You said it Chere." He laughed, twirling a sparkling CD-Rom around his right index finger. "We lie low tonight, sell this tomorrow..."
"Uh-huh." Blaze agreed unnecessarily. Like he'd care if she'd disagreed. Nervously she eyed the mirror as she turned the steering wheel. No sign of any cops yet, they may just have got away with this. She started to relax, not much, but enough so that she wouldn't make any mistakes. Now was the time to blend in, disappear, and never be seen again. "And when do I get to have some fun? Sat here waiting for you is doing nothing for my nerves."
"We see," Gambit offered nonchalantly, relaxing back in his seat. "Dis a big step up from pickpocketin', non?" He dropped the disk in his pocket and glanced at her.
"Don't patronise me Cajun." Blaze warned. "You're not leaving me sat playing taxi driver again. I'm better than this, I want in."
"We see Petite!" Gambit laughed, impressed by her enthusiasm though he'd never admit it. Rolling his eyes melodramatically he sighed. "Huh, women..."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Again, Blaze found herself waiting for Gambit, stood at the street-ward end of a Parisian alleyway. Her booted feet tapped the pavement mock- impatiently, her arms folded across her chest, wind toying with her long hair. She wasn't really all that bothered how long Remy took this time, the sun was shining in Paris, the Seine sparkled like an elixir of beauty, and after all, this was it. He'd relented; she was no longer getaway driver or lightweight pickpocket. This job, for which he was getting what details he could from their buyer, was for both of them.
A short while later at a table of a quaint pavement café, armed with beire blonde et crepes avec fraise, they poured over the plans of the building. For the most part Blaze was content to listen to Gambit's opinions, looking carefully at the papers spread between the refreshments. But spotting something she just had to pipe up, wary as she was of being knocked back.
"What about here?" She pointed to an area of the blueprints. "That window's a nice size, and there's no offices near it..."
For a moment Gambit frowned, moving a beer bottle to get a better look. Then he shook his head.
"Non, Petite. No offices, but there a lab. An' if it was Gambit designin' this t'ing, there be a security guard right down that corridor; good view of that window."
"Oh, okay." Blaze smiled, leaning back in her seat and looking up at him, brown eyes sparkling.
"What?" He asked, slightly worried.
"Nothing." Blaze countered sweetly. "Well, you just listened to something I said, and thought about it, before completely dismissing it. That's progress." She toasted him with her beer, making him smile.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In the dead of night, the full moon illuminating the Geneva streets like silver, the laboratory building was an immovable monolith of blackness. Immovable, but not watertight. All it took to crack its shell, a young man's finger tracing the seal of a ground floor window, making it glow orange. There was a slight hiss as alarm sensors short circuited, then a plop noise as the glass slipped free of the frame. It would have crashed to the ground and smashed, but for the girl counterbalancing it with suction cups until her colleague could lend his muscle to move it to the floor. She bit her lip as the glass grated on the gravely floor, conscious of every small noise they made. But nothing happened, and now they were in.
There were infrared sensors stationed in corners of most of the rooms in the building. They knew this; they had been on the plans. Silently, Gambit pointed the first two out to Blaze, seeing her nod singularly. He pressed the trigger on the gas canister he held, releasing a low fog that made the infrared beams visible and therefore easier to avoid. Only then did they enter the building.
He'd chosen to take them in as near as possible to their destination. It was a room of old-fashioned filing cabinets, a veritable treasure-trove of possible valuables to those who knew what they wanted. Blaze had the instructions from their buyer; she was quickly searching for the exact data he wanted. But what he was paying them wasn't enough to cover much more than their travel and equipment expenses. If Gambit hadn't had Blaze to do that part of the job for him, he wouldn't have taken it. But as it was, he was now free to raid the rest of the data, looking for anything that might be sellable on the black market. Anything he did find would be sold at a profit, providing they got away.
Brown paper folders secure in Gambit's moth-eaten bag, they headed back the way they had come. They had cased the building out for a week beforehand; they had less than ten minutes to get out before the guard's next patrol. Plenty of time. At least, that's what they thought.
The Swiss security guard must have been bored, taken his patrol early. He rounded the corner and entered the room with the window missing just as Gambit was swinging himself over the ledge. For a second their eyes met, then as it sunk it with the security guard what he was seeing, Gambit was gone and urging Blaze to run.
Blaze didn't argue, but even as she began to sprint back to their getaway car Remy's longer legs were driving him past her faster that she could ever manage. If he'd been on his own, she thought, if he was on his own and I was waiting in the car, we'd be away in no time... But she pushed the thoughts of her failure to one side, ignored the screaming of her leg muscles as she ran like never before. Gambit pulled open the passenger side door and flung himself over into the driving seat as the building's alarm was triggered. A hellcat screaming filled the air, as Blaze arrived mere seconds later to throw herself into the passenger seat and wrench the door shut. Gambit had already started the engine.
Sirens screeched like a sailor's doom, filling the air with ominous wailing. They had no choice but to hide as Gambit's strong arms hauled the wheel around forcefully, spinning the stolen car into a network of dark alleyways. Blaze's breath wrung out of her, a combination of exertion and nerves. Her foot tapped irritably on the car's floor as Gambit killed the engine. This was not how she'd imagined tonight would go...
"Easy Petite, they gotta find us yet..." Gambit barely breathed, not looking at his apprentice. Blaze tried to listen to him, but as usual her imagination was a little over-active. She could feel her powers building inside her. Would she ever learn to control her mutation, her ability to create fire? She'd killed her parents with it, and so far four other people. She kept trying to deny it, trying to keep it under control, but if the police were to find them... Her pulse raced, she swallowed hard, her stomach on fire. "Easy." He told her, "Relax." And he took her shaking hand in his.
Slowly, her breathing eased. His hand alternately gently squeezed and released hers. He knew what he was doing; she just had to trust him... Trust him? He was a damn cowboy! She couldn't trust anyone... No, she could trust him. He'd saved her life, saved her from the authorities before. He knew what she was and he didn't care, he was a mutant too. And a murderer? She didn't know the answer to that...
A police siren gave a brief and sudden keen like a strangled dolphin at the other end of the alley. Blaze thought her heart would stop. The other car swung around to face them, headlights the gates of the afterlife, a torrent of searching truth. They were cornered.
"It okay, Blaze." Gambit still tried to keep her calm, feeling her hand grow hotter in his. He knew she could kill him, he'd seen what she'd done to people before, charred bodies not even identifiable by their own mothers. He looked at her, not at the approaching police car gradually closing the distance. The police acted like a tiger stalking their prey, creeping forward, waiting for them to make a break for it. "They only saw me at the lab, they lookin' for one guy." Blaze looked at him, met his eyes desperately. Was he suggesting giving himself up to save her? She began to object, but he wasn't done. "We jus' gotta look like we down an alley for somethin' else, non? We get away with this..."
"What on earth would two people in a car be doing hiding down an alley?" Blaze asked shortly, naively. Gambit rolled his eyes as she cottoned on almost as soon as she'd spoken. "Oh."
"It just actin'. He tried to convince her. "An' it this or nothin'."
And then he was kissing her, lips exploring hers, as she remained unresponsive, in shock. Had she ever even been kissed before? The police car's headlights came closer; the men inside the car would soon have a very good idea what was going on here. Mentally Gambit swore, using every trick he knew to get Blaze to enter into the moment, but she was having none of it. This disguise was not going to work, and they'd both end up in jail...
In the final second before the police could see through their windscreen, Gambit's fingers found Blaze's soft red hair. Like magic she suddenly responded to his efforts, lips melting into his, body into his arms, breath low and hot. Despite himself, Gambit was blown away. The headlights blinded him even through closed eyes, but he didn't pull away. Blaze's tongue brushed his, his fingers still in her curls, her hands on his shoulders, scorching his shirt. For a moment all his senses were blinded, scalded, numbed. And then it went dark.
"Salaud." Blaze swore, pushing him away as the police car drifted off in another direction. As if disgusted she wiped her hand over her mouth, scowling. "Don't ever try anything that cheap again, or I'll..."
"Or you'll what Cherie?" Gambit was mildly annoyed at how his efforts had been received. Whether he'd meant it or not, it grated on him to be so insulted about his kiss. He'd not had any complaints before now... Belle, he suddenly thought with a swell of guilt, and totally missed Blaze's threat in reply...
A/N: Warning- original character approaching! Title this time is taken from Robbie Williams' 'Its Only Us.'
Humble neighbourhoods
02: We don't want to get a job
"Come on come on come on!" Blaze had never felt so impatient in all her life, and with good reason as she tapped her long fingers in the steering wheel of the car, practically jumping up and down in her seat as she waited for Gambit to reappear. This was taking too long, something had gone wrong. She should go, now, before she got caught too. But what if he hadn't, and he got here to find her gone? He'd be caught for sure. "Hurry up hurry up hurry up!"
Suddenly a figure dropped at a run from a second floor window, landing briefly on a large trashcan and hopped to the floor. Grinning Gambit wrenched open the passenger-side car door, looking thoroughly impressed with himself.
"Don't tell me," Blaze sniped, wiping sweaty palms on her jeans and putting her foot down. "You're a genius right?"
"You said it Chere." He laughed, twirling a sparkling CD-Rom around his right index finger. "We lie low tonight, sell this tomorrow..."
"Uh-huh." Blaze agreed unnecessarily. Like he'd care if she'd disagreed. Nervously she eyed the mirror as she turned the steering wheel. No sign of any cops yet, they may just have got away with this. She started to relax, not much, but enough so that she wouldn't make any mistakes. Now was the time to blend in, disappear, and never be seen again. "And when do I get to have some fun? Sat here waiting for you is doing nothing for my nerves."
"We see," Gambit offered nonchalantly, relaxing back in his seat. "Dis a big step up from pickpocketin', non?" He dropped the disk in his pocket and glanced at her.
"Don't patronise me Cajun." Blaze warned. "You're not leaving me sat playing taxi driver again. I'm better than this, I want in."
"We see Petite!" Gambit laughed, impressed by her enthusiasm though he'd never admit it. Rolling his eyes melodramatically he sighed. "Huh, women..."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Again, Blaze found herself waiting for Gambit, stood at the street-ward end of a Parisian alleyway. Her booted feet tapped the pavement mock- impatiently, her arms folded across her chest, wind toying with her long hair. She wasn't really all that bothered how long Remy took this time, the sun was shining in Paris, the Seine sparkled like an elixir of beauty, and after all, this was it. He'd relented; she was no longer getaway driver or lightweight pickpocket. This job, for which he was getting what details he could from their buyer, was for both of them.
A short while later at a table of a quaint pavement café, armed with beire blonde et crepes avec fraise, they poured over the plans of the building. For the most part Blaze was content to listen to Gambit's opinions, looking carefully at the papers spread between the refreshments. But spotting something she just had to pipe up, wary as she was of being knocked back.
"What about here?" She pointed to an area of the blueprints. "That window's a nice size, and there's no offices near it..."
For a moment Gambit frowned, moving a beer bottle to get a better look. Then he shook his head.
"Non, Petite. No offices, but there a lab. An' if it was Gambit designin' this t'ing, there be a security guard right down that corridor; good view of that window."
"Oh, okay." Blaze smiled, leaning back in her seat and looking up at him, brown eyes sparkling.
"What?" He asked, slightly worried.
"Nothing." Blaze countered sweetly. "Well, you just listened to something I said, and thought about it, before completely dismissing it. That's progress." She toasted him with her beer, making him smile.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In the dead of night, the full moon illuminating the Geneva streets like silver, the laboratory building was an immovable monolith of blackness. Immovable, but not watertight. All it took to crack its shell, a young man's finger tracing the seal of a ground floor window, making it glow orange. There was a slight hiss as alarm sensors short circuited, then a plop noise as the glass slipped free of the frame. It would have crashed to the ground and smashed, but for the girl counterbalancing it with suction cups until her colleague could lend his muscle to move it to the floor. She bit her lip as the glass grated on the gravely floor, conscious of every small noise they made. But nothing happened, and now they were in.
There were infrared sensors stationed in corners of most of the rooms in the building. They knew this; they had been on the plans. Silently, Gambit pointed the first two out to Blaze, seeing her nod singularly. He pressed the trigger on the gas canister he held, releasing a low fog that made the infrared beams visible and therefore easier to avoid. Only then did they enter the building.
He'd chosen to take them in as near as possible to their destination. It was a room of old-fashioned filing cabinets, a veritable treasure-trove of possible valuables to those who knew what they wanted. Blaze had the instructions from their buyer; she was quickly searching for the exact data he wanted. But what he was paying them wasn't enough to cover much more than their travel and equipment expenses. If Gambit hadn't had Blaze to do that part of the job for him, he wouldn't have taken it. But as it was, he was now free to raid the rest of the data, looking for anything that might be sellable on the black market. Anything he did find would be sold at a profit, providing they got away.
Brown paper folders secure in Gambit's moth-eaten bag, they headed back the way they had come. They had cased the building out for a week beforehand; they had less than ten minutes to get out before the guard's next patrol. Plenty of time. At least, that's what they thought.
The Swiss security guard must have been bored, taken his patrol early. He rounded the corner and entered the room with the window missing just as Gambit was swinging himself over the ledge. For a second their eyes met, then as it sunk it with the security guard what he was seeing, Gambit was gone and urging Blaze to run.
Blaze didn't argue, but even as she began to sprint back to their getaway car Remy's longer legs were driving him past her faster that she could ever manage. If he'd been on his own, she thought, if he was on his own and I was waiting in the car, we'd be away in no time... But she pushed the thoughts of her failure to one side, ignored the screaming of her leg muscles as she ran like never before. Gambit pulled open the passenger side door and flung himself over into the driving seat as the building's alarm was triggered. A hellcat screaming filled the air, as Blaze arrived mere seconds later to throw herself into the passenger seat and wrench the door shut. Gambit had already started the engine.
Sirens screeched like a sailor's doom, filling the air with ominous wailing. They had no choice but to hide as Gambit's strong arms hauled the wheel around forcefully, spinning the stolen car into a network of dark alleyways. Blaze's breath wrung out of her, a combination of exertion and nerves. Her foot tapped irritably on the car's floor as Gambit killed the engine. This was not how she'd imagined tonight would go...
"Easy Petite, they gotta find us yet..." Gambit barely breathed, not looking at his apprentice. Blaze tried to listen to him, but as usual her imagination was a little over-active. She could feel her powers building inside her. Would she ever learn to control her mutation, her ability to create fire? She'd killed her parents with it, and so far four other people. She kept trying to deny it, trying to keep it under control, but if the police were to find them... Her pulse raced, she swallowed hard, her stomach on fire. "Easy." He told her, "Relax." And he took her shaking hand in his.
Slowly, her breathing eased. His hand alternately gently squeezed and released hers. He knew what he was doing; she just had to trust him... Trust him? He was a damn cowboy! She couldn't trust anyone... No, she could trust him. He'd saved her life, saved her from the authorities before. He knew what she was and he didn't care, he was a mutant too. And a murderer? She didn't know the answer to that...
A police siren gave a brief and sudden keen like a strangled dolphin at the other end of the alley. Blaze thought her heart would stop. The other car swung around to face them, headlights the gates of the afterlife, a torrent of searching truth. They were cornered.
"It okay, Blaze." Gambit still tried to keep her calm, feeling her hand grow hotter in his. He knew she could kill him, he'd seen what she'd done to people before, charred bodies not even identifiable by their own mothers. He looked at her, not at the approaching police car gradually closing the distance. The police acted like a tiger stalking their prey, creeping forward, waiting for them to make a break for it. "They only saw me at the lab, they lookin' for one guy." Blaze looked at him, met his eyes desperately. Was he suggesting giving himself up to save her? She began to object, but he wasn't done. "We jus' gotta look like we down an alley for somethin' else, non? We get away with this..."
"What on earth would two people in a car be doing hiding down an alley?" Blaze asked shortly, naively. Gambit rolled his eyes as she cottoned on almost as soon as she'd spoken. "Oh."
"It just actin'. He tried to convince her. "An' it this or nothin'."
And then he was kissing her, lips exploring hers, as she remained unresponsive, in shock. Had she ever even been kissed before? The police car's headlights came closer; the men inside the car would soon have a very good idea what was going on here. Mentally Gambit swore, using every trick he knew to get Blaze to enter into the moment, but she was having none of it. This disguise was not going to work, and they'd both end up in jail...
In the final second before the police could see through their windscreen, Gambit's fingers found Blaze's soft red hair. Like magic she suddenly responded to his efforts, lips melting into his, body into his arms, breath low and hot. Despite himself, Gambit was blown away. The headlights blinded him even through closed eyes, but he didn't pull away. Blaze's tongue brushed his, his fingers still in her curls, her hands on his shoulders, scorching his shirt. For a moment all his senses were blinded, scalded, numbed. And then it went dark.
"Salaud." Blaze swore, pushing him away as the police car drifted off in another direction. As if disgusted she wiped her hand over her mouth, scowling. "Don't ever try anything that cheap again, or I'll..."
"Or you'll what Cherie?" Gambit was mildly annoyed at how his efforts had been received. Whether he'd meant it or not, it grated on him to be so insulted about his kiss. He'd not had any complaints before now... Belle, he suddenly thought with a swell of guilt, and totally missed Blaze's threat in reply...