Disclaimer: Several new characters are mine, including the plot. X-Men belongs to Marvel and Fox.

I did half of this chapter at 2am and the other half at 6am.. I've had little sleep for the past three nights. I just think my body clock has just lost the plot. There's nothing worse than lying awake in bed, alone, watching it turn to daylight in slow dragging hours. ):

Mind you, that said, the last two chapters were written when I was really tired, this too. I think tiredness inspires me somehow. I just feel my writing has been getting better these past few chapters.. hm.. (Note: Tiredness also explains the barrage of typos in the last few chapters.. and this one. -.-)

Blix: Hehe, it was a good point I reckon =P He was asking for it though, saying all those things (even though some are true!) I was particularly chuffed to be able to refer back to the first film, and to Jean. And yeah, Aurora should be jealous. But she's not really up to date on Roxanne and Logan; she's never caught them doing anything remotely suspicious. But it's not Aurora that's going to start getting jealous. Quite a few characters are soon ;)

Xcoolcomic: That's what made the fight particularly interesting, because we knew Scott was right, but we can't help having some sort of pity for Logan. Well, I couldn't! =P Hehe, don't you worry, it won't be two girls he's got ;)

Angelica: All the questions of Roxanne will be answered! =P Just keep reading! I'm glad you liked their confrontation. I tried to make it rather easy to understand and yet still be in character. I don't think anyone would want to be in a fight with Logan! Since he likes to solve them with his fists, or should I saw claws? Yeah, I like that line too. And I thought it would sound so good for Logan to say it back, it just worked so well with the situation!

Chapter 20

That angered glint had yet to leave the eyes of the Wolverine. Snarls still emitted softly as he breathed, hands coiled into fists as the words replayed through his mind of what Scott had said. They had hit him with such an impact. The anger that came from his simple speech was incredible. What was it? Did he feel the need to protect because he knew he once knew her? Or was it more than that? Did he recognize past love when confronted? Logan's trail of thoughts faded away to the back of his mind when he saw Siren far up ahead walk across the main corridor. His head tilted with vague interest, ears coming alert naturally as he listened as her sounding heels moved away from him.

Gambit had not stayed around in the underground area of the school. He found the silent watch of the sleeping Charles much too tedious and eventually rose up to leave the level without so much as a backward glance to neither Adrienne nor the group in general. He found himself back in the wooden corridors of the mansion a little while later, his head turned curiously to the running footsteps he could hear in the distance of Logan and the others as they proceeded to the supposed corridor of Roxanne. Turning, Gambit looked around the corridor he was in, surveying the exquisite lamps, the beautifully crafted ornaments, and the wealthy paintings that lined the wood of the walls. His eyes turned upon a door further along that was slightly open, and sunlight spilled from it onto the duller corridor. Interested, he moved on quietly, he paused by the doors, listening as inside he heard a gentle voice humming quietly as the occupier busied themselves within. Without so much as a knock, Gambit pushed open the door. The sight of a kitchen greeted him, with shining tiles of blue covered worktops, rich honey shaded wood panelling on the cupboards. His eyes briefly took in the room, but his eyes trained more or less instantly on the figure ahead who stood with their back to him.

He was yet to be noticed, and so Gambit took the time to study the person - a young woman with an admittedly pleasant figure. Her brown hair fell straight, contrasting pleasantly with the pale of her slightly visible neck. But, oddly enough, no more of her skin was on view. On the contrary, her flesh was heavily covered in different items of clothing. A dark navy shirt sat over her upper torso, black gloves travelling up to seal her skin from view as far as her elbows. Ever her lower half wasn't free from the obsessive coverage, for long pale jeans sat there, flaring over her shoes.

In response Gambit gave a sarcastic expression, eyes rolling a little before he decided to make himself known. He rapped his knuckle on the opened door, leaning nonchalantly on the frame. Instantly after the knock the woman turned, blinking as she saw Gambit stood watching her, "Oh!" came a reply, "Hey.. "

"Greetings," Gambit announced courteously, nodding his head gently. His brow rose a little however, noting the white streaks that framed her pleasant features. Fashion mistake?

The female turned partly back to the counter, taking two pills from the surface and swallowing them with aid of water. The look on her face proved they probably didn't taste all too good.

"What's that ya havin'?" asked Gambit curiously a moment as he watched her. She wasn't unattractive; he saw no need for the excessive use of clothing to hide her figure.

She looked back to him, lowering the glass, "Oh, just headache pills. Got a migraine or somethin'," she mumbled, not looking too positive about the choice of words used.

Gambit however nodded his head understandably, "Ah, all right," he answered gently.

"You're the new guy aren't you?" the white streaked woman asked, "Siren's friend?"

"Brother," corrected Gambit as he suavely straightened the collar of his coat.

"Brother.." she repeated in confirmation, "Well, welcome to the Mansion. I'm Rogue." She extended her hand politely.

Gambit eyes lifted to her at her name, "Sounds interesting," he admitted with a light smirk playing his lips, "Gambit.. but you, chere, can call me Remy."

Rogue smiled a little, but it turned to a slight grimace, "Interesting is damn right.." she murmured half-heartedly.

Her hand was met by Gambit's bare one and he turned hers so the palm face downwards and he leant forth to press a gentle kiss on the silky threaded texture of her gloves, "Such a shame ya wear these things. Flesh is a privilege to man and likes to be shown off." His fingers trailed gently up to her elbow, intending to roll the glove down.

"I wouldn't do that," warned Rogue, talking hold of his hand and removing it from her arm. She was still sheepishly smiling from his form of greeting, "I 'ave my name for a reason."

"Dangerous?" asked Gambit with a sparkle in his crimson eyes.

"Oh yes."

"Perhaps Gambit likes a bit o' danger, chere?"

"Perhaps Gambit would like to stay alive?"

"Oh?" Gambit questioned, straightening and raising his brow, "How do ya propose to hurt Gambit?"

"I don't, not purposely, "Rogue quickly explained, "You see.. you can't touch me.."

Gambit's brow rose some more.

"I.. I got harmful skin.. "she murmured gently, turning from him as she pulled open a tall silver refrigerator to retrieve a can of drink, "No one can touch me.. I draw their life force from them.. And a few other things." she added the last few words with a bitter tone, shutting the refrigerator door heavily in mild frustration. Gambit remained politely quiet as she explained her condition. "Here." said Rogue simply as she pressed a can of drink into his hand, "You've not had anything since you got 'ere.. want some lunch?"

Gambit's eyes lifted from the cold can in his palm and levelled his eyes steadily on hers, "I'm fine, Rogue." His tone was now quiet, it had lost it's animated inner from the news of her harrowingly tragic tale.

"I'm goin' back to the Library, you comin' Remy?" She asked as she moved by him, brushing past his side without so much as a lure of her mutation. Thanks to the clothing she had to so desperately wear.

Gambit's eyes followed after her, "Why not?" he said softly, turning to follow the young woman down the corridor and to the Library. His brow lifted slightly as he heard Scott's voice shouting from the distance.

The door of the Library was pushed open with the soft noise as the pair entered the room. There was a quiet din in the air from the several voices of chatter in the room. The students had respectfully acted with good behaviour as far as Gambit could tell. Most were sat around in groups as they talked, some reading from the immense collections of books the Library owned; some were sat at computers to the right of the room. However as Gambit shifted to allow the door to shut, he saw a distressed looking male come striding up to them, "Rogue! Where've you been? I've just had Jamie trying to levitate Sarah Brotcher across the room! It took me almost fifteen minutes to persuade him to read a comic instead!" He waved a small collection of books at her with a passion, colourful pages flapping noisily - titles of 'Spiderman', and 'The Hulk' flashing at the pair.

Rogue had lost any smile to her lips when the boy began his mild rant, "Bobby, I just needed some quiet! I have a migraine!"

"You could have warned me you were about to leave me alone with this rioting lot!" expressed Bobby, dropping the comics on the table beside them heavily. Gambit raised a brow inquisitively; he surveyed the room over Bobby's shoulder and saw no signs of unruly or bad behaviour. All right, so one child was sticking their head up the fireplace and calling to his friends that he could see Santa Clauses' boots. But even so, Gambit found that Bobby was exaggerating.

And so did Rogue apparently, "God, Bobby. I was only gone ten minutes!" she exclaimed irritatedly, dragging open the tag of her can.

"14 minutes actually. I timed it," replied Bobby in a serious tone.

Rogue made a loud groan of annoyance, turning from him to walk over the room, picking up the top comic from the dropped pile. Once a good distance away she dropped down in a chair alone, leaning back and studying the front page nonchalantly.

"I don't know what's got in to her lately," murmured Bobby, mainly to himself. Suddenly he turned his head, and blinked at Gambit, as if noticing him for the first time, "Oh, hey!"

"Hi," came the simple reply. Gambit paused a moment before offering some advice with a gesture of his can to Rogue, "Perhaps you should give her some space for a bit. She seems troubled, no?"

Bobby paused to give Gambit an aghast stare. In the silence that issued between them, cries of joy whooped from the right of the Library as a voice distinctly cried out, 'He's come early! We must have been really good to make him come in August!' Bobby placidly ignored the continued cheers before he put his voice to work, "She's my girlfriend," he replied as coldly as his mutation.

"Then you more than anyone should know when she needs some time alone," explained Gambit with a nod. Bobby gave Gambit a small glare before he turned his head to see a young girl floating over to the couch, her arms waving wildly as she expressed her displeasure in a form of an incessant squealing.

Bobby made a light scowl, turning from Gambit as he began to stride back down the aisle of bookshelves, "Jamie!!" he yelled, "Put Sarah down this instant or I'll freeze off your – "

Gambit didn't wait to listen to what exactly Bobby was going to freeze off of Jamie's and he quickly made his way over to where Rogue was sat. She didn't register his arrival, her eyes trained upon one of the comic's pages. Feeling slightly awkward a moment, Gambit lingered beside her chair, absently preening his hair in a nearby mirror.

"Yer' can sit y'know., Rogue suddenly muttered gruffly as she stared fixatedly at the page.

Without any words Gambit lowered himself into a large plush chair beside her, looking idly at the front page of what she was reading. 'Spiderman,' he made a light huff to himself as he turned his head horizontally to view a red and blue cladded man scaling a skyscraper on the front page in a dazzling costume. He was snapped from his thoughts when Rogue lowered the book to study him, "Sorry about that," she said quietly, obviously about the incident with Bobby.

"I do not need any apologies, chere. Nothin' was done to me."

Rogue shook her head dejectedly, "He just doesn't understand."

Pulling upon his drink Gambit answered her quietly, "Of course he won't. You haven't told him."

"Haven't told him what?"

"What you're keeping from him."

"You think I'm keeping something from him?"

"I didn't say dat."

"Ye' did!"

"..Ok, maybe I did.."

"Why do you think that?"

"It's obvious, chere. You feel so alone and vulnerable, and you insist no one else can help. So you don't tell no guy, and ya don't get no comfort, an' then you feel even more lonely."

Rogue pursed her lips gently, "Well, it's true. No one can 'elp.."

"Tell me what's wrong first, beb."

"You? I hardly know you!"

"Even better. I cannot hold any judgement."

A frown came upon Rogue's brow, and her eyes dropped back to looking down at a page of the comic stubbornly. Gambit could tell she wasn't reading, for her eyes didn't move, they just bore down through the comic. Gambit remained quiet as he allowed her to mull over the exchanged words. He took a small sip of his drink, looking over his shoulder to watch Bobby run after a floating Sarah. In the background he could hear some shouts as to why Santa had disappeared. Gambit turned his attention back to Rogue, who had been watching him whilst his eyes were averted. She made a sheepish sort of smile at him before she spoke up, "Perhaps y'right.."

"Gambit is always right," he announced with a slight wink before turning somewhat more serious, "So.. Rogue, we've sussed there's something wrong, ah?"

She made a small but silent nod.

"I thought dat," he announced morosely, "Gambit can feel somethin' about ya."

"He can?" Rogue asked mysteriously, before correcting herself and snapping out of third person, "I-I mean.. You can?"

A nod confirmed this from Gambit, "Gambit can sense de empathic waves all folk emit. Most are pretty simple, ya know? But yours.. oh.. yours are so mixed up, chere. Ya got a million emotions runnin' around in dat sweet lil 'ead o' yours." He leant forth to her, "This is what Gambit don't understand. 'Ow can one person feel so much at once? Eh?"

Rogue looked down to her lap shyly, running a finger over the ink front of the comic idly, "Well, the only reason I can think of.. is cos of my mutation."

"The skin business?"

"Mm. You know I said I like, take people's life force? Well, I take their memories too.. Their thoughts and feelings." Rogue shifted slightly in her seat, eyes now upon Gambit, "I've not hurt many. Only touched a few. First being Cody - my first proper boyfriend.. then Logan.. Magneto.. Bobby.." she murmured her list of names softly, "An' then a whole bunch o' humans back in England last year when I wer' fightin' for the X-Men." Her hands tightened to small fists as she continued to speak, "But with the mutants.. it's like.. I tend to take their power more than their memories. So theirs soon fade away. It's the humans I can't 'andle. They won't go." Her breathing had become increased, eyes fluttering rapidly with the sting of tears, "Every night, I dream their nightmares, every day, I can recall how each individual died to my power, emotion from emotion. I feel their death inside me." Her voice was now no higher than a shaky whisper, "I can feel their torture of pain as I kill them, every living moment."

Gambit had respectfully remained silent as he listened to her, frown lowering over his gaze the more she told.

"I can't separate my memories and my emotions from theirs anymore. Tha's why I can start crying for no reason! Suddenly feel like laughing when I shouldn't! It's drivin' me crazy Remy!"

Gambit lifted from his seat and moved to sit on the couch beside Rogue. He placed a comforting arm on her shoulder, and she automatically inclined to him in tears, "And to add insult to injury. I still can't touch no one, I still can't wear appropriate clothing." Gambit continued to hold her close, carefully moving his face to hers, but keeping a distance between them,

"Ssh beb.. "he murmured softly, "Listen, I might be able ta 'elp ya. I have a way with emotions, like I said. Being an empathic, I could just be able to sought out this mess of yours inside there," he gently nudged a white streak from her face, indicating her head with a crooked smile, "Gimme a chance, chere."

From across the room, Bobby was watching them stonily from his seat; he only became distracted when another student tried again for the fifth time to get Bobby's attention. His eyes turned slightly to the door however, when he saw Siren enter.

"Remy?"

(And to end any possible confusion. The Gambit/rogue happening took place during the Scott/Logan/Storm happening. I assume you will have all guessed that, for when Logan was walking away at the beginning of this chapter, he is seeing Siren head for the library and she's just arrived now.)

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