Two years have passed since the last chapter. Now our soon to be lovers
are twelve (Lynx) and fourteen (Raptor). Gambit is busy training them in
hand to hand combat when we step in. And now, for our story...
"Come on, petite," Gambit said to his daughter as he picked her up and ruffled her blond and brown hair. "You know how to toss Miller: use his momentum and size against him."
"Oui, papa," the twelve year old replied, taking her stance once again.
"Okay, mon ami. Charge her."
Miller cracked his neck, already big for his age. He sighed and ran towards Gigi, intent on tackling her, once again, to the ground. He nearly succeeded, but at the last moment, she managed to crouch and toss him.
"C'est magnifique, ma cherie," Gambit praised as he hugged his girl. "Now help monsieur Munro up while I go round everyone up for a pizza night in town."
She grinned down at her best friend. "I tossed you."
"I noticed. Now help me up."
Gigi reached a hand down and screamed as soon as their hands connected. She jerked away as Gambit came running.
"What happened? What did you do to her?"
Gigi was curled up on the ground, hands over her ears and her eyes shut.
"She touched me and screamed. I didn't do anything to her, I swear!"
Gambit crouched down and began to stroke her back. "She touched you? Bare skin to bare skin?"
"Yeah. She took my hand to help me up."
Miller watched as her father picked her up, whispering in French to her. He jerked his head in a gesture for the boy to follow him as he headed towards the house. "Jean's waiting in the med lab for us, mon ami."
"The med lab? What's wrong with her?"
"I believe that her powers are manifesting. Rogue and I always hoped that she'd get mine, but that apparently didn't happen."
They were silent all the way down to the med lab. Gambit laid his daughter down on a table and Jean began the examination. Miller stood out of the way, watching Jean examine Gigi and draw her blood for tests. Rogue walked in and her husband held her as they watched as well.
"Angelica, run this blood through the full spectrum of X gene tests. Find out everything you can about her mutation."
The winged blond took the vial and disappeared with a "Yes, Dr. Summers."
Jean turned to Gigi. "Okay, Gigi, tell me what happened.'
"I touched Miller and all these images flooded my brain. It hurt, Aunt Jean, and I think I screamed."
"What kind of images?"
"Me flipping M over, but it was from his eyes; the chase scene from the movie that Papa rented for us last night..." her voice trailed off. "It's all just jumbled snatches."
Jean nodded and took the test results from Angelica. She read them, twice, before asking her next question. "How did you feel when you touched Miller?"
"Feel? Well, um...proud...but stupid."
The doctor looked at Miller.
"What?"
"How did you feel when Gigi flipped you?"
"I was happy that she managed, that she was able. Well, more proud actually. Proud of her accomplishment but I felt dumb because a tiny girl took me down."
Jean nodded again and turned back to Gigi. "I want to do one more test, but I need you to touch someone." The girl began to shake her head. "No, it'll be okay. They're going to concentrate on one image, one thought and then on one feeling. You won't be bombarded like you were earlier. Will that be okay?"
"I guess so."
"Good. So who do you trust?"
"Miller," she answered automatically . "Okay," she drew him close to the exam table. "Miller, I want you to concentrate really hard on one image, one thought."
He searched his mind and came upon an image that never failed to make Gigi laugh: his father after his mother had gotten mad at him. Rain and lighting had been the result. "Okay, I've got it."
"Touch her arm but do it very lightly and don't let go of that image."
He reached his hand out and made contact with Gigi, carefully keeping the image in his mind. She burst out laughing. "Oh, M! That was the funniest thing I've ever seen!"
"Okay, Miller, take your hand away." He obeyed. "What did you see, Gigi?"
"Wolverine after Storm had gotten really mad at him. You remember, she made it rain on him and then there was lighting—"she lost it in a fit of giggles.
Miller took up the story. "So Dad was wet and his hair was even more all over the place than usual from the lighting." He smiled. "The image never fails to amuse her."
"One more test and then you'll be done. Miller, I want you to concentrate on one emotion and then touch her again."
He closed his eyes and thought of mediating in front of a temple with his father in Japan, of being calm. He touched her again. She sighed ever so slightly and he opened his eyes to her smile.
"Thanks, I needed that."
"No problem," he smiled back. "Anytime." He withdrew his hand.
"So what did you feel?"
"Calmness. He calmed me."
Jean looked around the room at the curious faces. "It appears that Gigi is a tactile telepath and empath. For the moment, until she learns control, if she touches someone without both parties concentrating, she'll be overwhelmed by their thoughts and feelings."
"But she will be able to control it?" Rogue asked, worry evident in her voice.
"You learned to control your skin and hers is nowhere near that level." She turned to Gigi. "You just need to be careful, that's all."
The next day.
Gigi finally moved into the school section of the mansion and out of the huge suite that she'd been living in with her parents and younger brother. Miller helped by carrying boxes across the building to her new room. She was going to be sharing with another new student, Nightcrawler's daughter and so her cousin Trisha Wagner, but she hadn't arrived from England yet.
Miller set the last box down on the floor and watched as the tiny Gigi bounced around the room, unpacking.
"You have got way too much energy, G."
She stuck her tongue out at him. "I seem to remember you being happy when you moved into the boys' corridor after your powers manifested. Not that yesterday was quite so happy of an occasion considering." She looked down at the gloves that covered her hands and lower arms.
Miller rose and hugged her, already avoiding her skin with ease. "Hey, none of that. You heard the doctor: you'll learn to control it. And you know that you can always use me for practice."
She hugged him back and grinned. "You're the best, M!"
"And don't you ever forget it."
"Come on, petite," Gambit said to his daughter as he picked her up and ruffled her blond and brown hair. "You know how to toss Miller: use his momentum and size against him."
"Oui, papa," the twelve year old replied, taking her stance once again.
"Okay, mon ami. Charge her."
Miller cracked his neck, already big for his age. He sighed and ran towards Gigi, intent on tackling her, once again, to the ground. He nearly succeeded, but at the last moment, she managed to crouch and toss him.
"C'est magnifique, ma cherie," Gambit praised as he hugged his girl. "Now help monsieur Munro up while I go round everyone up for a pizza night in town."
She grinned down at her best friend. "I tossed you."
"I noticed. Now help me up."
Gigi reached a hand down and screamed as soon as their hands connected. She jerked away as Gambit came running.
"What happened? What did you do to her?"
Gigi was curled up on the ground, hands over her ears and her eyes shut.
"She touched me and screamed. I didn't do anything to her, I swear!"
Gambit crouched down and began to stroke her back. "She touched you? Bare skin to bare skin?"
"Yeah. She took my hand to help me up."
Miller watched as her father picked her up, whispering in French to her. He jerked his head in a gesture for the boy to follow him as he headed towards the house. "Jean's waiting in the med lab for us, mon ami."
"The med lab? What's wrong with her?"
"I believe that her powers are manifesting. Rogue and I always hoped that she'd get mine, but that apparently didn't happen."
They were silent all the way down to the med lab. Gambit laid his daughter down on a table and Jean began the examination. Miller stood out of the way, watching Jean examine Gigi and draw her blood for tests. Rogue walked in and her husband held her as they watched as well.
"Angelica, run this blood through the full spectrum of X gene tests. Find out everything you can about her mutation."
The winged blond took the vial and disappeared with a "Yes, Dr. Summers."
Jean turned to Gigi. "Okay, Gigi, tell me what happened.'
"I touched Miller and all these images flooded my brain. It hurt, Aunt Jean, and I think I screamed."
"What kind of images?"
"Me flipping M over, but it was from his eyes; the chase scene from the movie that Papa rented for us last night..." her voice trailed off. "It's all just jumbled snatches."
Jean nodded and took the test results from Angelica. She read them, twice, before asking her next question. "How did you feel when you touched Miller?"
"Feel? Well, um...proud...but stupid."
The doctor looked at Miller.
"What?"
"How did you feel when Gigi flipped you?"
"I was happy that she managed, that she was able. Well, more proud actually. Proud of her accomplishment but I felt dumb because a tiny girl took me down."
Jean nodded again and turned back to Gigi. "I want to do one more test, but I need you to touch someone." The girl began to shake her head. "No, it'll be okay. They're going to concentrate on one image, one thought and then on one feeling. You won't be bombarded like you were earlier. Will that be okay?"
"I guess so."
"Good. So who do you trust?"
"Miller," she answered automatically . "Okay," she drew him close to the exam table. "Miller, I want you to concentrate really hard on one image, one thought."
He searched his mind and came upon an image that never failed to make Gigi laugh: his father after his mother had gotten mad at him. Rain and lighting had been the result. "Okay, I've got it."
"Touch her arm but do it very lightly and don't let go of that image."
He reached his hand out and made contact with Gigi, carefully keeping the image in his mind. She burst out laughing. "Oh, M! That was the funniest thing I've ever seen!"
"Okay, Miller, take your hand away." He obeyed. "What did you see, Gigi?"
"Wolverine after Storm had gotten really mad at him. You remember, she made it rain on him and then there was lighting—"she lost it in a fit of giggles.
Miller took up the story. "So Dad was wet and his hair was even more all over the place than usual from the lighting." He smiled. "The image never fails to amuse her."
"One more test and then you'll be done. Miller, I want you to concentrate on one emotion and then touch her again."
He closed his eyes and thought of mediating in front of a temple with his father in Japan, of being calm. He touched her again. She sighed ever so slightly and he opened his eyes to her smile.
"Thanks, I needed that."
"No problem," he smiled back. "Anytime." He withdrew his hand.
"So what did you feel?"
"Calmness. He calmed me."
Jean looked around the room at the curious faces. "It appears that Gigi is a tactile telepath and empath. For the moment, until she learns control, if she touches someone without both parties concentrating, she'll be overwhelmed by their thoughts and feelings."
"But she will be able to control it?" Rogue asked, worry evident in her voice.
"You learned to control your skin and hers is nowhere near that level." She turned to Gigi. "You just need to be careful, that's all."
The next day.
Gigi finally moved into the school section of the mansion and out of the huge suite that she'd been living in with her parents and younger brother. Miller helped by carrying boxes across the building to her new room. She was going to be sharing with another new student, Nightcrawler's daughter and so her cousin Trisha Wagner, but she hadn't arrived from England yet.
Miller set the last box down on the floor and watched as the tiny Gigi bounced around the room, unpacking.
"You have got way too much energy, G."
She stuck her tongue out at him. "I seem to remember you being happy when you moved into the boys' corridor after your powers manifested. Not that yesterday was quite so happy of an occasion considering." She looked down at the gloves that covered her hands and lower arms.
Miller rose and hugged her, already avoiding her skin with ease. "Hey, none of that. You heard the doctor: you'll learn to control it. And you know that you can always use me for practice."
She hugged him back and grinned. "You're the best, M!"
"And don't you ever forget it."