(A/N: hey look at me!!! I'm not dead!! But something tell me I might be soon… ha ha, I hope you guys aren't too angry about how long I took with this update, and I'm not even going to TRY and put up any excuses, because excuses are pointless. I'm sorry it took so long, but what the hey, here it is, so go on, get reading!
Romy Forecast Update: This just in, extreme Romyness dead ahead. Don't read any further with out a raincoat and a box of tissues. (ha ha, I don't think you'll need tissues, but just giving you guys a heads up on Romyness. See you guys, I do deliver!))
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Chapter 14
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Rogue felt a chill down her spine as the sudden turn of a doorknob pulled her back to reality. She quickly wiped the residue of tears from her eyes and straitened herself up in the surprisingly comfortable Med Lab bed. She pulled in a deep breath before glancing up to see Kitty looking back at her through the doorway to her room. Her face showed brightly with the joy of seeing her friend awake.
Kitty stood there a moment, before she rushed to the bed's side. "I am like so happy that Dr. McCoy finally said it was ok to come see you." She sat herself in the chair near the bed. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything? I could go get-"
"I'm fine!" She insisted with a laugh that even surprised Rogue. "It's no big deal… I'm fine, really"
Kitty's smile faded. "Well you could fool me. Your eyes are all red… have you been cry-"
"No!" Rogue quickly cut her off before raising her hands to wipe her eyes again. "Of course not… I just…"
"Rogue…"
"I'm fine, really. It's just been a little… crazy. A lot has happened and I…" Rogue breathed deeply again.
Kitty placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Rogue bit the inside of her cheek as she thought back to earlier that morning. "I… I can't explain it..."
"What happened?" Kitty asked as she sat back in the chair and looked to Rogue like a child waiting for a bedtime story.
The southern girl began with a large hesitation, "Last night, on the roof with Remy," Rogue shook her head, "with Gambit… when I touched him…" Rogue looked up to Kitty's eyes. "I got all these thoughts of his running around in my head. I got all these memories… I know some things about him I don't think he wanted anyone to know." She brought a hand up to her temple as she pulled up one of his thoughts. "And I know for a fact that he didn't want me to find out."
"What?" Kitty asked not hiding her confusion.
'Because he cares about me! Just say it Rogue!' but the words wouldn't leave her mouth. "I think I really screwed thing up this time Kitty."
Kitty could see how torn up her roommate was, and couldn't stand to see her this way. "What did he do?"
"It ain't what he did Kitty, It's what I did. I told him to leave. I told him to get out of here," Rogue looked down to her hands as she laced her gloved fingers in her lap, "That I never wanted to see him again."
"Is that it?" Kitty asked with a chuckle, "Well that's easy to fix."
"Excuse me?" Rogue asked defensively as she straitened up from her slouch. "And how exactly am I supposed to go about fixing it?"
Kitty leaned away from Rogue almost uncontrollably. She hadn't meant to hit a nerve. "Well you just go talk to him…"
"Talk to him?!" she asked sarcastically. "Oh is that it?"
"Well… Yea…" Kitty flinched as Rogue raised her hands to her head.
"It's not that easy Kitty… You don't understand…" She said calmly.
The immediate danger left Kitty's eyes as she felt a twinge of anger in her heart. "You know what Rogue?" She asked in a demanding tone that surprised both girls. "You're always saying that. You're always saying that no one understands. But when any of us get close enough to try, you just start yelling about how you want your distance." Kitty got up out of her chair. "But Gambit, he isn't like the rest of us. You push him away, and he comes right back at you." She turned back to face Rogue, and couldn't believe that Rogue couldn't see it for herself. "At You!"
Kitty saw the build up of anger in Rogue's face, but didn't give it time to surface. She quickly sat back down in the chair and continued in a more reassuring tone. "Look all I'm saying is that you've got a man over there, and as far as I can tell, he does understand you, and he is trying his hardest to get close to you." Rogue looked down to her lap as her fingers laced together once more. Kitty reached out and placed her hand on top of Rogue's. "No one can tell you how to live your life, but if you don't want him to leave, you just have to go tell him."
Rogue didn't say anything as she stared down at her hands.
Kitty gave her friend one final reassuring squeeze before getting up to leave. "Get some rest, ok?" She didn't stay long enough to hear a response before quietly shutting the door behind her. Once on the other side, Kitty leaned against the door and let out a slow breath. "You can do it, Rogue." She said softly to herself before walking away, and out of Med Lab.
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Rogue clenched her hands into fists as Kitty's words rolled over in her mind. 'Who the hell does she think she is?! Kitty has got no right saying that to me. She doesn't understand, and I don't care how much I've said it, it's true!'
'Kitty doesn't know anything about that Cajun thief's past! She hasn't seen what I still see in my mind.' Her fists loosened slightly as Gambit's thoughts echoed through her mind. A slow montage of visions of herself rolled vividly in front of her own eyes. 'No!' She seemed to scream inside her head. 'None of that matters!'
Rogue threw her fists onto the bed beside her. 'It's a trick! You know it! He lied to all those girls. He never loved any of them. It doesn't matter how you feel about him. You can't trust him!'
She continued to pummel the bed with her fists but stopped suddenly when she heard someone laughing. Rogue looked up to the doorway on the other side of her room, which connected to the Med Lab hallway. She picked her hand up to brush the hair away from her face.
"Chere, vous devez apprendre à relâcher" {you need to learn to relax} Teased Gambit, who was leaning in the doorframe. A single playing card rolled lightly through his right hand.
Rogue's face contorted with rage. "I thought I told you to leave!" she barked at him with out any hesitation.
"The large blue homme told me to stay put while he finishes some tests." He answered, maintaining his smirk. "Besides chere, that professor of yours put some fancy locks on those exit doors."
"Please!" Rogue scoffed as she tapped the side of her head. "I've been inside your thoughts Gambit and we both know you could get out of here if you wanted."
A silence filled the air between them as Gambit's smirk faded. He looked down to the floor contemplating his next move. The only noise was the light swooshes of the card in Gambit's hand.
Rogue's sour face faded for a moment as she heard her own words and understood their meaning. 'He doesn't want to leave yet…' She quickly crossed her arms over her chest. "Well?!" she asked in an aggressive tone.
"Remy just wanted to explain himself." He stated still looking at the floor. Slowly he raised his eyes to hers. "You never gave him the chance…"
"How can you possibly explain letting Genevieve die?" Rogue asked with disdain.
"I had no choice." Gambit stated trying his hardest to stay calm.
"Not from what I saw! It looked to me like you had a big choice!"
"Some choice!" he shouted as he raised his hands in the air. "Yea Rogue, I had the PRIVILEGE of choosing between my BROTHER and some girl-!"
"Some Girl?! Well this particular 'Some Girl' loved you! And as far as she knew, it was mutual!"
Gambit mentally kicked himself for using those words. "That's not what I meant, and you know it"
"All I know is she loved you and you let her die!"
"That's Not True!" he exclaimed taking a few steps towards her bed. "You know more than that!"
"Excuse me?" she asked defensively.
"You were there! You saw what I saw!" he said as he started to lower his voice as his own memories brought him back to that night if France. "You felt what I felt… you had to… you had to of felt how hard it was for me to save Henri… you saw how torn I was, you felt it, I know you did… the way you stand up for Genevieve, you had to of felt it…" slowly Gambit sat down in the chair near Rogue's bed and ran his hands tensely through his hair.
Rogue felt a wave of remorse run through her. She had felt everything Gambit had gone through. They were his memories, not hers. She wouldn't have felt so angry at him for Genevieve's death if he wasn't already angry at himself.
Gambit turned to look at Rogue. "You felt how ashamed I was for saving Henri… you had to."
Rogue looked back to him with understanding eyes. At that moment she wanted nothing more than to apologize, to say she was over reacting, or even to take his hand is reassurance if she couldn't say it herself. But for some reason the words wouldn't leave her mouth. She settled for a sympathetic smile.
Gambit returned the gesture with no hesitation. "It must be hard for you…" he continued after a slight pause. "To go through this every time you touch someone." He paused only a moment as his expression returned to concern. "Have to sort through their memories like that."
"I don't think I'll ever get used to it." She answered honestly.
Another silence fell between them, this one more comfortable then the last. On the outside, Gambit appeared calm and collected, but his thoughts were anything but.
'Don't know if I should tell her… don't know if I should bring it up.' He thought to himself in the quiet Med Lab room. 'She might get paranoid… or scared…' Gambit mentally shook his head of any such thought. 'No I don't think that be a problem… but she might want to come with me, and that could be trouble.'
"What are you thinking about?" Rogue asked, obviously confused by his now worried expression.
Gambit snapped his attention back to her. "Nothing chere."
Rogue crossed her arms over her chest. "You were thinking about something, and it looked pretty important…"
Gambit smiled as he tried to think of a quick lie, but after looking into her eyes, he knew he wouldn't come up with one. For the first time, she looked fragile to him. She looked like she had been hurt by lies before, and that she knew one was coming.
Gambit took in a breath before saying anything. "Honestly chere, Remy is worried about you."
"About me? Please." She shook her head. "I'll be fine, I've just got to sort through some things in my head-"
"As much as Remy cares about your health, that's not what he means."
"What do you mean?"
"Rogue… Has anyone told you about what happened to you on the roof last night?"
"I think I can put two and two together. We… touched… and then you went unconscious, and knowing your powers, I probably blew something up."
Gambit gave a light laugh at her bluntness, and her avoidance of the word 'kiss', but his smile soon left as he began to speak. "Not that, about the watch I gave you."
"No, I haven't heard anything about it… but it didn't work anyway, right?"
"Actually chere, it did exactly what it was designed to do."
"But my powers still kicked in."
"But for a while, they were negated. From what I've read from that blue homme's reports, the watch was designed to negate your powers for a minute or two. Then after that, your powers kicked in, but you weren't able to tell."
"Why would someone do that?" she asked as she looked down at her gloves.
"Not sure. Think maybe Essex trying to turn you against me. Maybe punish me for not watching Magneto for him. Not sure though."
Rogue shook her head; this was all too much. "That Essex guy would do something like this just to prove a point?"
"He'd do a lot worse Rogue, this… this was a warning."
Suddenly Rogue had an idea. "Then stay here with us. If Essex is after you, then you'll be safe here at the mansion."
Gambit shook his head. "Can't do that. Not now."
"Why not? You can't leave! It's not safe!"
Gambit smirked as he looked back to her eyes. "Glad to know you care bout Gambit so much, but that's not the point." His expression became serious. "The problem isn't why Essex did it, that doesn't matter. The problem is how he did it."
"The technology he used?"
"Not really. Always knew he had all those scientists for reasons. No surprise that he could make something like that watch. The kicker is that the watch would only work on you. It was specially made for your powers."
"But how could he know so much about me and my powers?"
"That's exactly what Gambit needs to go find out."
"No!" Rogue almost shouted. "You can't just walk back in his lab. If he's looking for you – he'll expect you – it's not safe!"
"Gambit can take care of himself."
"Well I'm coming with you!" Rogue stated firmly as she started to get up from the bed. But before she knew it, Gambit was standing over her gently forcing her back.
"No rogue, you can't come."
"Don't tell me what to do Cajun!" She said as she pushed his hand off of her and stood back up. "This is about me, I'm going to go!"
"That's why you can't."
"Excuse me?!"
"Gambit don't know what Essex knows about you, or why. For all he knows Essex is trying to capture you or something." He shook his head sternly. "Sorry Rogue, can't bring you into a trap."
Rogue stared him in the eyes coldly. But soon weakened as she realized the possible danger. "Fine." She said sternly, as if she hadn't lost, "But you have to bring the X-Men with you. For all we know you could be walking into a trap."
"No. Out of the question. Gambit works alone."
"This could have all been a trick to get you to go back there alone, I won't let you go by yourself."
"Good thing you don't get a say in it." He stated as he turned to walk towards the door.
"Wait!" she called as he stopped in his tracks. "As soon as you leave I'll tell the Professor what's going on and they'll follow you anyway."
Gambit clenched his fist in anger but forced it to subside. He quickly traced his mind for his next move. 'I can't tie her up - not if I'm trying to get on her good side… but maybe some other time…' he smirked inwardly, but soon went back to the problem at hand. 'Don't want to lie to her; don't want to ever lie to her again. But I can't get in and out of the Lab with a bunch of chaperones. I'll have to calm her down first.'
He turned slowly and walked back to her. Rogue stood firmly with her hands on her hips and a poker face to rival Remy LeBeau's. With his eyes he pleaded with out saying a word. Gambit noticed a slight softening to her face as her arms dropped slightly before being crossed over her chest.
"Chere, I know the compounds like the back of my hand. Gambit knows where all the cameras are, what doors go where, and where the files are kept. He knows what access codes open which doors, and anyone else would hold him back." He said softly as his hand went to her shoulder. " If I had to baby-sit someone else, and explain what to do – It would be dangerous for them, and for myself. It would put the whole mission in jeopardy."
Rogue felt her knees almost give way as she stood there. From what memories she saw, she knew Remy had a way with the ladies, but this was too much. Rogue felt herself nod slightly before any words surfaced. "I understand," she said softly as she was finally able to break her eyes away from his and plaster them to the floor. "This is something you have to do alone, trust me I know the feeling. Just promise me you'll come back when your done." She looked back up to him.
Gambit gave a gentle smile at the request and brought his other arm to the small of her back and embraced her. "Promise." He said softly near her ear as he held her.
Rogue smiled inwardly, but after a moment's hesitation, pushed him off of her. "Go on now. Get out of here Cajun!" she said with a smile.
Gambit gave her a smirk and a wink as he turned and walked down the hall way and out of Med-Lab.
Rogue sat back down on her bed as she starred down the long hallway. A part of her felt she should be angry at him for trying to charm her, but the rest of her knew better. He hadn't tried to use his mutant powers to charm her - he didn't have to - Rogue felt that way around him anyway.
'Your so stupid!' she scolded herself as her smile vanished. 'What are you thinking getting all mushy around him! He's just a snake charmer, you should know better!' Rogue held her head as she tried to sort through her own thoughts.
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(A/N: OH MAN!!! That took FOREVER to write!!! I am a horrible Horrible person for making you guys wait like that. Bad green sandels, BAD! … I think I learned my lesson…
So lets see… what happened this chapter? Is that sweet sweet romyness I smell in the air? What did you guys think? I think its about time Rogue showed some lovn' to Gambit … I make myself smile
Just wanted to let you guys know:
I think its pretty obvious to you guys by now that I try to integrate plot and ideas from the comics into this story, and I just wanted to elaborate on what I did in this particular chapter, incase you didn't pick up on it. Many of you know (where as most of you might not) that at one point in the comics Gambit got put on trial in Antarctica where Rogue found out some horrible thing in his past by kissing him (I won't go into it) but at the end of the trial, Rogue abandons Gambit to die. Much later on, Gambit Returns to the X-men and finally talks to Rogue to find out that she didn't really want to leave him there, and that the reason she had, was because he was still inside her from when they kissed, and he hated himself so much that he didn't want her to get hurt by saving him, and that she would be better off if he were dead. I tried to use this idea in this chapter by having her obviously over react in the past chapter over Genevieve's death, and then in this chapter (after she had had time to calm down and collect HER thoughts) have a realization that Gambit hates himself over what happened, and that it was his anger that she had had inside her.
Personally, I am very pleased with the past two chapters and how I worked that in, but as always I would LOVE to hear what you think about it. A few of you even commented in your reviews about how you couldn't understand why Rogue couldn't see how hard it was for Gambit to let her die. I was so proud of the people who said stuff like that, you hit the nail on the head!!!
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anyway, here are some long over due shout outs:
Sage: what's that you say? "i don't understand how rogue doesn't get that" well look at you! That was the angle I was going for. I kind of 'revealed' it in this chapter, the whole idea that Rogue was only upset about what she had seen because Gambit was already angry at himself, and she had absorbed his self hatred. I'm glad you enjoined the chapter, I hope you liked how I resolved it in this one.
Denial: I'm so glad you liked the plot I used. I love taking ideas and plot from the comics and integrating it into my fic. I completely agree that the memory I had Rogue see did exactly what I needed it to do. I was trying to do something with how Rogue left Gambit in Antarctica (because she had absorbed his self-hatred) but scaled down, so I just had her get really mad at him, but it was actually his anger. I'm actually really proud of that part, and I hope you enjoyed it. I also thought it was funny how they were fighting in French, I figured the 'heat of the moment' would cause both of them to go into French. I was really proud of it when I finished it, and I'm really happy to find out you enjoyed it too.
ishandahalf: Man… if you thought I took to long LAST update… I actually just got the replacement crack bunny last Tuesday from the UPS guy, it jump started me back to finish this fic up. ha ha I also loved how I had her ask for something stronger than water, but I'm not sure how many memories Gambit has that consist of fluffy clouds and cute puppies… but that would have been funny in its own right lol Oh, and you are a VERY good detective for following all those SUBTLE hints I left for you about Romyness
Gothic Cajun: I'm glad you found my story too, and I'm uber glad you think I'm so funny. Half the comic relief stuff in here I wrote not even thinking about weather or not any of the readers would think it was funny. I just wrote it to make myself laugh, and then I'll get reviews from people like you saying how funny I am, and how great the Leggo waffle scene was, or the cereal bowl races, or random German (which I think is my personal favorite) Also, I'm sorry I made you cry when you read the kiss scene, but at the same time, that is such a compliment, you have no clue how flattered I am to hear that my writing drove you to tears… that didn't sound right, but you know what I mean. I really take it as a major compliment, maybe I'll start crying ;) oh yes, and I too know the joy of online translators, lets just say I took Spanish in high school (and as far as I know Gambit doesn't say "amigos")
Cuddness: you really don't know anything about Gambit and Rogue as a couple? Well don't worry, I won't yell at you like some writers would. Yes they were/are an item in the comics. The reason most Romy fans are Romy fans is because these two characters were almost made for each other. They are complete opposites, yet at the same time the complete each other. Gambit, the cocky Cajun who could have any girl he wants, he loves the chase. And then we have Rogue, the southern Belle who can't touch. She pushes people away because of her powers, which only makes Gambit want her more. You get the idea… thanks for reading
Boomkat: Thanks again for all the help with my chapters. I swear every time I go to write my shout outs, I start freaking out because I didn't write one to 'Wiccamage' and it takes me some time to remember that you have a new screen name for ff.n Thanks also for all those platinum stars, but you are easily entitled to 2 of my five
Wizardess Gal: I was laughing so hard when I read this one part of your review, "He's Pyro. He probably didn't really think about it very long before setting something on fire and forgetting all about it." so true... so true… I'm glad I'm not crazy and you also see how OOC Kurt was in telling his mom off. Well no, I know I'm crazy, but I'm glad that that bothered someone else too. Thanks so much for reading my fic, I always appreciate your input, I hope you liked this chapter.
Sarah-Crysala: I'm glad you found my fic again, but after my little writing hiatus, you probably lost it again lol. Well I hope you are reading this, and that your not to mad it took me so long, and as always I hope you liked this new chapter, I think it's a lot less sad then the last chapter was… ha ha
Chaotic Boredom: "Do not worry...I am also a person who takes forever and a day to update, so I will not criticize fur the lack on your part" I am going to hold you to that when all my readers come at me with flames and pitchforks after they find this update and find out I'm not dead, and was able to write this whole time but didn't. ha ha
lidragon: actually, the person you are talking about was Pyro, not Gambit. In the last episode, they show a group of mutants that don't become x-men, and the one in the back with the handkerchief bandana thingy is supposed to be Pyro. Also, yes, Gambit and Rogue are an item in the comics.
Zeelee: Thanks; I really am proud of how that scene turned out. When they started yelling at each other in French, and just the dynamics of it, how Gambit didn't know what was going on, and thought it was a joke because of her new Cajun accent. But once he heard Genevieve's name, he started up in French, kind of a 'heat of the moment' type thing. And no I wasn't talking about you when I was complaining about some reviewers. A couple people were sending me e-mails like every day, and they know who they are. Thanks for reading my fic
millie: "looking forward to your next update barring any intrusions of reality and it's pesky responsibilities" stupid reality!! shakes fist what is it thinking? It's always in my way. Thanks for understanding, and for reading my fic
Gambit's Gurl: Thanks for appreciating my rants! I go off on the smallest things, and I know I'm crazy for it, but I'm glad to know that my random complaints on minor details brings a smile to your face and trust me, I'm not being sarcastic when I say that!
Rogue77, Starlight12, Luna: Thank you SO much for reading my fic and giving me such awesome reviews. You guys are so cool, and thanks for saying that I'm an "amazing" writer… that's so sweet
HEY YOU!!! Yea You! Go review!!! What are you waiting for?!?!
Romy Forecast Update: This just in, extreme Romyness dead ahead. Don't read any further with out a raincoat and a box of tissues. (ha ha, I don't think you'll need tissues, but just giving you guys a heads up on Romyness. See you guys, I do deliver!))
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Chapter 14
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Rogue felt a chill down her spine as the sudden turn of a doorknob pulled her back to reality. She quickly wiped the residue of tears from her eyes and straitened herself up in the surprisingly comfortable Med Lab bed. She pulled in a deep breath before glancing up to see Kitty looking back at her through the doorway to her room. Her face showed brightly with the joy of seeing her friend awake.
Kitty stood there a moment, before she rushed to the bed's side. "I am like so happy that Dr. McCoy finally said it was ok to come see you." She sat herself in the chair near the bed. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything? I could go get-"
"I'm fine!" She insisted with a laugh that even surprised Rogue. "It's no big deal… I'm fine, really"
Kitty's smile faded. "Well you could fool me. Your eyes are all red… have you been cry-"
"No!" Rogue quickly cut her off before raising her hands to wipe her eyes again. "Of course not… I just…"
"Rogue…"
"I'm fine, really. It's just been a little… crazy. A lot has happened and I…" Rogue breathed deeply again.
Kitty placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Rogue bit the inside of her cheek as she thought back to earlier that morning. "I… I can't explain it..."
"What happened?" Kitty asked as she sat back in the chair and looked to Rogue like a child waiting for a bedtime story.
The southern girl began with a large hesitation, "Last night, on the roof with Remy," Rogue shook her head, "with Gambit… when I touched him…" Rogue looked up to Kitty's eyes. "I got all these thoughts of his running around in my head. I got all these memories… I know some things about him I don't think he wanted anyone to know." She brought a hand up to her temple as she pulled up one of his thoughts. "And I know for a fact that he didn't want me to find out."
"What?" Kitty asked not hiding her confusion.
'Because he cares about me! Just say it Rogue!' but the words wouldn't leave her mouth. "I think I really screwed thing up this time Kitty."
Kitty could see how torn up her roommate was, and couldn't stand to see her this way. "What did he do?"
"It ain't what he did Kitty, It's what I did. I told him to leave. I told him to get out of here," Rogue looked down to her hands as she laced her gloved fingers in her lap, "That I never wanted to see him again."
"Is that it?" Kitty asked with a chuckle, "Well that's easy to fix."
"Excuse me?" Rogue asked defensively as she straitened up from her slouch. "And how exactly am I supposed to go about fixing it?"
Kitty leaned away from Rogue almost uncontrollably. She hadn't meant to hit a nerve. "Well you just go talk to him…"
"Talk to him?!" she asked sarcastically. "Oh is that it?"
"Well… Yea…" Kitty flinched as Rogue raised her hands to her head.
"It's not that easy Kitty… You don't understand…" She said calmly.
The immediate danger left Kitty's eyes as she felt a twinge of anger in her heart. "You know what Rogue?" She asked in a demanding tone that surprised both girls. "You're always saying that. You're always saying that no one understands. But when any of us get close enough to try, you just start yelling about how you want your distance." Kitty got up out of her chair. "But Gambit, he isn't like the rest of us. You push him away, and he comes right back at you." She turned back to face Rogue, and couldn't believe that Rogue couldn't see it for herself. "At You!"
Kitty saw the build up of anger in Rogue's face, but didn't give it time to surface. She quickly sat back down in the chair and continued in a more reassuring tone. "Look all I'm saying is that you've got a man over there, and as far as I can tell, he does understand you, and he is trying his hardest to get close to you." Rogue looked down to her lap as her fingers laced together once more. Kitty reached out and placed her hand on top of Rogue's. "No one can tell you how to live your life, but if you don't want him to leave, you just have to go tell him."
Rogue didn't say anything as she stared down at her hands.
Kitty gave her friend one final reassuring squeeze before getting up to leave. "Get some rest, ok?" She didn't stay long enough to hear a response before quietly shutting the door behind her. Once on the other side, Kitty leaned against the door and let out a slow breath. "You can do it, Rogue." She said softly to herself before walking away, and out of Med Lab.
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Rogue clenched her hands into fists as Kitty's words rolled over in her mind. 'Who the hell does she think she is?! Kitty has got no right saying that to me. She doesn't understand, and I don't care how much I've said it, it's true!'
'Kitty doesn't know anything about that Cajun thief's past! She hasn't seen what I still see in my mind.' Her fists loosened slightly as Gambit's thoughts echoed through her mind. A slow montage of visions of herself rolled vividly in front of her own eyes. 'No!' She seemed to scream inside her head. 'None of that matters!'
Rogue threw her fists onto the bed beside her. 'It's a trick! You know it! He lied to all those girls. He never loved any of them. It doesn't matter how you feel about him. You can't trust him!'
She continued to pummel the bed with her fists but stopped suddenly when she heard someone laughing. Rogue looked up to the doorway on the other side of her room, which connected to the Med Lab hallway. She picked her hand up to brush the hair away from her face.
"Chere, vous devez apprendre à relâcher" {you need to learn to relax} Teased Gambit, who was leaning in the doorframe. A single playing card rolled lightly through his right hand.
Rogue's face contorted with rage. "I thought I told you to leave!" she barked at him with out any hesitation.
"The large blue homme told me to stay put while he finishes some tests." He answered, maintaining his smirk. "Besides chere, that professor of yours put some fancy locks on those exit doors."
"Please!" Rogue scoffed as she tapped the side of her head. "I've been inside your thoughts Gambit and we both know you could get out of here if you wanted."
A silence filled the air between them as Gambit's smirk faded. He looked down to the floor contemplating his next move. The only noise was the light swooshes of the card in Gambit's hand.
Rogue's sour face faded for a moment as she heard her own words and understood their meaning. 'He doesn't want to leave yet…' She quickly crossed her arms over her chest. "Well?!" she asked in an aggressive tone.
"Remy just wanted to explain himself." He stated still looking at the floor. Slowly he raised his eyes to hers. "You never gave him the chance…"
"How can you possibly explain letting Genevieve die?" Rogue asked with disdain.
"I had no choice." Gambit stated trying his hardest to stay calm.
"Not from what I saw! It looked to me like you had a big choice!"
"Some choice!" he shouted as he raised his hands in the air. "Yea Rogue, I had the PRIVILEGE of choosing between my BROTHER and some girl-!"
"Some Girl?! Well this particular 'Some Girl' loved you! And as far as she knew, it was mutual!"
Gambit mentally kicked himself for using those words. "That's not what I meant, and you know it"
"All I know is she loved you and you let her die!"
"That's Not True!" he exclaimed taking a few steps towards her bed. "You know more than that!"
"Excuse me?" she asked defensively.
"You were there! You saw what I saw!" he said as he started to lower his voice as his own memories brought him back to that night if France. "You felt what I felt… you had to… you had to of felt how hard it was for me to save Henri… you saw how torn I was, you felt it, I know you did… the way you stand up for Genevieve, you had to of felt it…" slowly Gambit sat down in the chair near Rogue's bed and ran his hands tensely through his hair.
Rogue felt a wave of remorse run through her. She had felt everything Gambit had gone through. They were his memories, not hers. She wouldn't have felt so angry at him for Genevieve's death if he wasn't already angry at himself.
Gambit turned to look at Rogue. "You felt how ashamed I was for saving Henri… you had to."
Rogue looked back to him with understanding eyes. At that moment she wanted nothing more than to apologize, to say she was over reacting, or even to take his hand is reassurance if she couldn't say it herself. But for some reason the words wouldn't leave her mouth. She settled for a sympathetic smile.
Gambit returned the gesture with no hesitation. "It must be hard for you…" he continued after a slight pause. "To go through this every time you touch someone." He paused only a moment as his expression returned to concern. "Have to sort through their memories like that."
"I don't think I'll ever get used to it." She answered honestly.
Another silence fell between them, this one more comfortable then the last. On the outside, Gambit appeared calm and collected, but his thoughts were anything but.
'Don't know if I should tell her… don't know if I should bring it up.' He thought to himself in the quiet Med Lab room. 'She might get paranoid… or scared…' Gambit mentally shook his head of any such thought. 'No I don't think that be a problem… but she might want to come with me, and that could be trouble.'
"What are you thinking about?" Rogue asked, obviously confused by his now worried expression.
Gambit snapped his attention back to her. "Nothing chere."
Rogue crossed her arms over her chest. "You were thinking about something, and it looked pretty important…"
Gambit smiled as he tried to think of a quick lie, but after looking into her eyes, he knew he wouldn't come up with one. For the first time, she looked fragile to him. She looked like she had been hurt by lies before, and that she knew one was coming.
Gambit took in a breath before saying anything. "Honestly chere, Remy is worried about you."
"About me? Please." She shook her head. "I'll be fine, I've just got to sort through some things in my head-"
"As much as Remy cares about your health, that's not what he means."
"What do you mean?"
"Rogue… Has anyone told you about what happened to you on the roof last night?"
"I think I can put two and two together. We… touched… and then you went unconscious, and knowing your powers, I probably blew something up."
Gambit gave a light laugh at her bluntness, and her avoidance of the word 'kiss', but his smile soon left as he began to speak. "Not that, about the watch I gave you."
"No, I haven't heard anything about it… but it didn't work anyway, right?"
"Actually chere, it did exactly what it was designed to do."
"But my powers still kicked in."
"But for a while, they were negated. From what I've read from that blue homme's reports, the watch was designed to negate your powers for a minute or two. Then after that, your powers kicked in, but you weren't able to tell."
"Why would someone do that?" she asked as she looked down at her gloves.
"Not sure. Think maybe Essex trying to turn you against me. Maybe punish me for not watching Magneto for him. Not sure though."
Rogue shook her head; this was all too much. "That Essex guy would do something like this just to prove a point?"
"He'd do a lot worse Rogue, this… this was a warning."
Suddenly Rogue had an idea. "Then stay here with us. If Essex is after you, then you'll be safe here at the mansion."
Gambit shook his head. "Can't do that. Not now."
"Why not? You can't leave! It's not safe!"
Gambit smirked as he looked back to her eyes. "Glad to know you care bout Gambit so much, but that's not the point." His expression became serious. "The problem isn't why Essex did it, that doesn't matter. The problem is how he did it."
"The technology he used?"
"Not really. Always knew he had all those scientists for reasons. No surprise that he could make something like that watch. The kicker is that the watch would only work on you. It was specially made for your powers."
"But how could he know so much about me and my powers?"
"That's exactly what Gambit needs to go find out."
"No!" Rogue almost shouted. "You can't just walk back in his lab. If he's looking for you – he'll expect you – it's not safe!"
"Gambit can take care of himself."
"Well I'm coming with you!" Rogue stated firmly as she started to get up from the bed. But before she knew it, Gambit was standing over her gently forcing her back.
"No rogue, you can't come."
"Don't tell me what to do Cajun!" She said as she pushed his hand off of her and stood back up. "This is about me, I'm going to go!"
"That's why you can't."
"Excuse me?!"
"Gambit don't know what Essex knows about you, or why. For all he knows Essex is trying to capture you or something." He shook his head sternly. "Sorry Rogue, can't bring you into a trap."
Rogue stared him in the eyes coldly. But soon weakened as she realized the possible danger. "Fine." She said sternly, as if she hadn't lost, "But you have to bring the X-Men with you. For all we know you could be walking into a trap."
"No. Out of the question. Gambit works alone."
"This could have all been a trick to get you to go back there alone, I won't let you go by yourself."
"Good thing you don't get a say in it." He stated as he turned to walk towards the door.
"Wait!" she called as he stopped in his tracks. "As soon as you leave I'll tell the Professor what's going on and they'll follow you anyway."
Gambit clenched his fist in anger but forced it to subside. He quickly traced his mind for his next move. 'I can't tie her up - not if I'm trying to get on her good side… but maybe some other time…' he smirked inwardly, but soon went back to the problem at hand. 'Don't want to lie to her; don't want to ever lie to her again. But I can't get in and out of the Lab with a bunch of chaperones. I'll have to calm her down first.'
He turned slowly and walked back to her. Rogue stood firmly with her hands on her hips and a poker face to rival Remy LeBeau's. With his eyes he pleaded with out saying a word. Gambit noticed a slight softening to her face as her arms dropped slightly before being crossed over her chest.
"Chere, I know the compounds like the back of my hand. Gambit knows where all the cameras are, what doors go where, and where the files are kept. He knows what access codes open which doors, and anyone else would hold him back." He said softly as his hand went to her shoulder. " If I had to baby-sit someone else, and explain what to do – It would be dangerous for them, and for myself. It would put the whole mission in jeopardy."
Rogue felt her knees almost give way as she stood there. From what memories she saw, she knew Remy had a way with the ladies, but this was too much. Rogue felt herself nod slightly before any words surfaced. "I understand," she said softly as she was finally able to break her eyes away from his and plaster them to the floor. "This is something you have to do alone, trust me I know the feeling. Just promise me you'll come back when your done." She looked back up to him.
Gambit gave a gentle smile at the request and brought his other arm to the small of her back and embraced her. "Promise." He said softly near her ear as he held her.
Rogue smiled inwardly, but after a moment's hesitation, pushed him off of her. "Go on now. Get out of here Cajun!" she said with a smile.
Gambit gave her a smirk and a wink as he turned and walked down the hall way and out of Med-Lab.
Rogue sat back down on her bed as she starred down the long hallway. A part of her felt she should be angry at him for trying to charm her, but the rest of her knew better. He hadn't tried to use his mutant powers to charm her - he didn't have to - Rogue felt that way around him anyway.
'Your so stupid!' she scolded herself as her smile vanished. 'What are you thinking getting all mushy around him! He's just a snake charmer, you should know better!' Rogue held her head as she tried to sort through her own thoughts.
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(A/N: OH MAN!!! That took FOREVER to write!!! I am a horrible Horrible person for making you guys wait like that. Bad green sandels, BAD! … I think I learned my lesson…
So lets see… what happened this chapter? Is that sweet sweet romyness I smell in the air? What did you guys think? I think its about time Rogue showed some lovn' to Gambit … I make myself smile
Just wanted to let you guys know:
I think its pretty obvious to you guys by now that I try to integrate plot and ideas from the comics into this story, and I just wanted to elaborate on what I did in this particular chapter, incase you didn't pick up on it. Many of you know (where as most of you might not) that at one point in the comics Gambit got put on trial in Antarctica where Rogue found out some horrible thing in his past by kissing him (I won't go into it) but at the end of the trial, Rogue abandons Gambit to die. Much later on, Gambit Returns to the X-men and finally talks to Rogue to find out that she didn't really want to leave him there, and that the reason she had, was because he was still inside her from when they kissed, and he hated himself so much that he didn't want her to get hurt by saving him, and that she would be better off if he were dead. I tried to use this idea in this chapter by having her obviously over react in the past chapter over Genevieve's death, and then in this chapter (after she had had time to calm down and collect HER thoughts) have a realization that Gambit hates himself over what happened, and that it was his anger that she had had inside her.
Personally, I am very pleased with the past two chapters and how I worked that in, but as always I would LOVE to hear what you think about it. A few of you even commented in your reviews about how you couldn't understand why Rogue couldn't see how hard it was for Gambit to let her die. I was so proud of the people who said stuff like that, you hit the nail on the head!!!
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anyway, here are some long over due shout outs:
Sage: what's that you say? "i don't understand how rogue doesn't get that" well look at you! That was the angle I was going for. I kind of 'revealed' it in this chapter, the whole idea that Rogue was only upset about what she had seen because Gambit was already angry at himself, and she had absorbed his self hatred. I'm glad you enjoined the chapter, I hope you liked how I resolved it in this one.
Denial: I'm so glad you liked the plot I used. I love taking ideas and plot from the comics and integrating it into my fic. I completely agree that the memory I had Rogue see did exactly what I needed it to do. I was trying to do something with how Rogue left Gambit in Antarctica (because she had absorbed his self-hatred) but scaled down, so I just had her get really mad at him, but it was actually his anger. I'm actually really proud of that part, and I hope you enjoyed it. I also thought it was funny how they were fighting in French, I figured the 'heat of the moment' would cause both of them to go into French. I was really proud of it when I finished it, and I'm really happy to find out you enjoyed it too.
ishandahalf: Man… if you thought I took to long LAST update… I actually just got the replacement crack bunny last Tuesday from the UPS guy, it jump started me back to finish this fic up. ha ha I also loved how I had her ask for something stronger than water, but I'm not sure how many memories Gambit has that consist of fluffy clouds and cute puppies… but that would have been funny in its own right lol Oh, and you are a VERY good detective for following all those SUBTLE hints I left for you about Romyness
Gothic Cajun: I'm glad you found my story too, and I'm uber glad you think I'm so funny. Half the comic relief stuff in here I wrote not even thinking about weather or not any of the readers would think it was funny. I just wrote it to make myself laugh, and then I'll get reviews from people like you saying how funny I am, and how great the Leggo waffle scene was, or the cereal bowl races, or random German (which I think is my personal favorite) Also, I'm sorry I made you cry when you read the kiss scene, but at the same time, that is such a compliment, you have no clue how flattered I am to hear that my writing drove you to tears… that didn't sound right, but you know what I mean. I really take it as a major compliment, maybe I'll start crying ;) oh yes, and I too know the joy of online translators, lets just say I took Spanish in high school (and as far as I know Gambit doesn't say "amigos")
Cuddness: you really don't know anything about Gambit and Rogue as a couple? Well don't worry, I won't yell at you like some writers would. Yes they were/are an item in the comics. The reason most Romy fans are Romy fans is because these two characters were almost made for each other. They are complete opposites, yet at the same time the complete each other. Gambit, the cocky Cajun who could have any girl he wants, he loves the chase. And then we have Rogue, the southern Belle who can't touch. She pushes people away because of her powers, which only makes Gambit want her more. You get the idea… thanks for reading
Boomkat: Thanks again for all the help with my chapters. I swear every time I go to write my shout outs, I start freaking out because I didn't write one to 'Wiccamage' and it takes me some time to remember that you have a new screen name for ff.n Thanks also for all those platinum stars, but you are easily entitled to 2 of my five
Wizardess Gal: I was laughing so hard when I read this one part of your review, "He's Pyro. He probably didn't really think about it very long before setting something on fire and forgetting all about it." so true... so true… I'm glad I'm not crazy and you also see how OOC Kurt was in telling his mom off. Well no, I know I'm crazy, but I'm glad that that bothered someone else too. Thanks so much for reading my fic, I always appreciate your input, I hope you liked this chapter.
Sarah-Crysala: I'm glad you found my fic again, but after my little writing hiatus, you probably lost it again lol. Well I hope you are reading this, and that your not to mad it took me so long, and as always I hope you liked this new chapter, I think it's a lot less sad then the last chapter was… ha ha
Chaotic Boredom: "Do not worry...I am also a person who takes forever and a day to update, so I will not criticize fur the lack on your part" I am going to hold you to that when all my readers come at me with flames and pitchforks after they find this update and find out I'm not dead, and was able to write this whole time but didn't. ha ha
lidragon: actually, the person you are talking about was Pyro, not Gambit. In the last episode, they show a group of mutants that don't become x-men, and the one in the back with the handkerchief bandana thingy is supposed to be Pyro. Also, yes, Gambit and Rogue are an item in the comics.
Zeelee: Thanks; I really am proud of how that scene turned out. When they started yelling at each other in French, and just the dynamics of it, how Gambit didn't know what was going on, and thought it was a joke because of her new Cajun accent. But once he heard Genevieve's name, he started up in French, kind of a 'heat of the moment' type thing. And no I wasn't talking about you when I was complaining about some reviewers. A couple people were sending me e-mails like every day, and they know who they are. Thanks for reading my fic
millie: "looking forward to your next update barring any intrusions of reality and it's pesky responsibilities" stupid reality!! shakes fist what is it thinking? It's always in my way. Thanks for understanding, and for reading my fic
Gambit's Gurl: Thanks for appreciating my rants! I go off on the smallest things, and I know I'm crazy for it, but I'm glad to know that my random complaints on minor details brings a smile to your face and trust me, I'm not being sarcastic when I say that!
Rogue77, Starlight12, Luna: Thank you SO much for reading my fic and giving me such awesome reviews. You guys are so cool, and thanks for saying that I'm an "amazing" writer… that's so sweet
HEY YOU!!! Yea You! Go review!!! What are you waiting for?!?!