"I'm glad you all could join us," Charles said, looking at the group gathered before him. "but I want to make clear the danger of the situation. We know that Mystique has or has had contact with Scott and Jean. She is a very dangerous assassin and was lastly under the employment of Magneto. We don't know where Rogue is, she was kidnapped yesterday morning by Remy LeBeau, a mutant known as Gambit, who is employed under Sinister. He is also extremely dangerous, believed to be an Alpha level mutant. As I said you will be rewarded for your work, or, in the worst case, your loved ones shall be. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir," was the chorus of replies.
"If anybody wishes to leave they may do so at anytime with no repercussions. That said, does anyone wish to go now?" No one replied. Charles nodded his head gingerly.
"Alright, then we'll split into teams. Beast, Storm, and Collosus will search for Rogue. There was a brief flare of her power here," he said, pointing to the computer-generated map of New York, around 12 a.m. last night. Sinister has suspected bases here and here. Those will be the areas designated for your search. Angel, Psylocke, Iceman, and Shadowcat, your mission will take you here, to the Brotherhood's Base. Also these are the coordinates for Magneto's base. I have an operative there, as well as in position where Rogue's power was spotted, available for radio contact on our frequencies, call names Alpha and Beta. I wish to keep constant radio contact. Beast, your group will take the Blackbird for your search is less localized. Angel's group, you shall take the X-jet. Any questions? Good. Remember what I said about constant radio contact. If there is any type of problem, do not hesitate to pull out."
Charles watched them go with a mixture of apprehension and guilt. While he had had his X-men do various things, growing increasingly dangerous in the past few months, nothing had been to this level. A direct attack on Magneto's base? He'd have never considered it previously. But Scott and Jean were like a son and a daughter to him. He hated that it was his fault that they were in danger, and that he had to put more lives at risk to rescue them, lives that hadn't the least to do with himself and his dream.
His head was pounding. He reached into his drawer and pulled out a bottle of pills. He wanted to be as lucid as possible, but he needed something to take the edge off. He would be no help in the state he was in now.
"Be safe," he said, his mind voice projecting, "my X-men."
"Fancy meetin' you here."
"Isn't this a cute reunion?" a voice sneered, then shoved the pair back into the cell.
"Fuck you, Sabretooth!" Gambit said, slamming his fist on the door. There was a chuckle from the other side.
"It's getting right crowded in here," Scott remarked sourly.
"You!" Rogue shouted. "Ah'm gonna kick your ass, Swamp Rat!"
"Try it, chere. Remy's itchin' for a fight!" he replied, crowding his face close to hers and biting the air in front of her nose. She let out an infuriated breath then leaped on him, her hands wrapping around his neck and causing him to go crashing to the floor. He rolled easily, placing her beneath him and breaking her hold. He smiled at her and kissed the tip of her nose. This caused Rogue to grow even angrier, and she drew her fist back to punch the living daylights out of his smug little face when he caught her hand easily.
"If you wanted to give Remy a kiss, chere, all you have to do is say pretty please," he mocked grinning at her. She spat on him, squirming beneath him. She finally gave up, face red and flustered. He was grinning at her and she wondered if it was because of the squirming. Well, that's all he'd ever get!
"I wouldn't kiss you even if I were able to!" she retorted. Not that she wasn't able to now, or that his face was tantalizingly close, or any of that. It was all she could think of as a comeback with his demonic eyes glowing into hers. And his lips. And his… elbow was digging painfully in her ribs. And his knee was in a rather awkward place.
"I missed you too, darlin'," he said, playfully.
"Get offa me!" she growled at him. "Before I castrate you and feed your penis to donkies."
He rolled off of her laughing. "Donkies, chere? Vicious animals, oui?"
"Shut up," she snapped, pushing her tangled hair out of her eyes. She glared at him, then glared at Scott who was watching her with an angry expression, then glared at Jean for the hell of it, although she merely looked amused. Maybe concerned. Maybe it was pain from her gunshot wound. Well, she'd just glare at Gambit then.
"What does Sinister want with Jean?" Scott demanded of Gambit. Remy cocked an eyebrow, tilting his head to side. Rogue wished she didn't find it appealing. Because she did, she wanted to bash him over the head with something heavy…something like a metal pot that would make a satisfying sound when it connected with his scraggly locks.
"Don't know. Don't ask. Jus' doin' my job."
"Obviously not," Rogue amended, "if you got me instead."
"Perhaps dat was what I was goin' for, non? It was love at first sight, chere!"
Perhaps a steel girder would be more satisfying. Ooh, or a bedpan! A full bedpan. Definitely better than a pot. She made a face at him.
"Your beauty," he said, kissing his fingers and flicking them at her, "is immeasurable."
"So you were just going to turn over an innocent woman to a pyschotic murderer?" Scott said. "Without knowing why?"
"Non. I was goin' t'pretend to give her t'him, t'get my…well…den I was going t'rescue her. I'm a fool for a damsel in distress. 'Specially if she be as lovely as you, chere," he said to Jean. She giggled. Rogue wanted to hit her too. In fact, she wanted to hit them all.
"If your plan was ta rescue her like you did me, Ah think she'd be better off on her own," Rogue said, bitingly.
"You wound me," Remy said, dramatically clutching his heart.
"Don't tempt me, Cajun."
"Stop your bickering!" Scott shouted. What was it about Gambit that made him act like such a dick? He shot a glaring look at the two Southerner's, who were sporting twin angelic smiles. And Remy was casting flirtatious glances at Jean, and she was preening like a damn peacock. He wanted to hit somebody.
"Guten tag, freund. I am Kurt, but in ze Munich circus, I vas known as ze Amazing Nightcrawler!" Yellow eyes peered through the window, blue fingers curved around the bars that separated them. He smiled and waved enthusiastically.
"Mon dieu! What in Tante Mattie's gumbo is dat?"
"That," Rogue said "Is my brother."
"Hello!" Kurt said cheerily.
He stared at his enemies hard, trying to read their expressions. The eyes stared back at him, hard, cold, and indifferent, respectively. They were good; he'd give them that. But he was better. He was trained to be. He couldn't be bested at his own game. He took no prisoners and left no soul untouched from his wrath. No one was safe. He smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.
"Rogue," he said, his voice husky and deep. She started and looked at him, eyes heavy. "Do you have any t'rees?"
"Go Fish, swamp rat!" she said, gleefully.
His hand lingered over the Fish pile and he pulled the top one so fast it was almost as if it had never been there.
"Ah ha!" he said, not containing the excitement in his voice. "Fished my wish!" And showed the three of hearts with a gleam of triumph.
"Jean, do you have any Queen's?"
"What are you doing?" Scott demanded. "It's my turn!"
"I fished my wish, mon ami, dat means I go again."
"Since when?"
"Since de game was invented, homme."
"Your cheating!" Scott hissed. "I won't play with a cheater! You're nothing but a swindler, a punk, and…and…a bad man!"
"Ooh!" Rogue said, laughing. Even Jean hid a smile. "That's a comeback if Ah ever heard one. Remy, ya gonna defend your honor, sugar?"
"If I had honor t'defend, petite. You, Scott, I challenge you to a game of War, winner makes Go Fish rules!"
"Fine," Scott said, viciously.
Remy produced another pack of cards from his pocket with a smile. He tossed it to Jean. "Remove the Jokers, madame," he said, with a wiggle of his eyes. "But Rogue is okay t'stay."
"Beat the pants off him, Scott," Rogue said.
"So you do want to see me wit' my pants off! You do love me! I never doubted for a minute chere!" he said, pulling Rogue into his lap and dipping her over his knees. "Now we seal our love wit' a little kiss!"
"Go ahead and try it," Rogue said. Her hand crept to his rather sensitive areas. "I triple dog dare ya!"
"It's okay t'be shy. We wait till we have more private surroundings." He shoved her off him unceremoniously. She kicked his shin with her combat boots and sat down by Jean. The two boys squared off, Remy grinning and Scott's face hard as rock. It was a rather vicious game to watch, neither man gaining a clear advantage and neither wanting to budge an inch. Remy took the lead, only to have it snatched back by Scott, but Remy managed to pull out the victory.
"Can't beat a t'ief at cards!" he said.
"You can shove those cards up your ass. If you hadn't been hiding an ace up your sleeves!"
"You insult me!" Remy said, the smile never leaving his swarthy face. "I would do no such t'ing!"
"Boys," Jean said. "Do I have to separate you?"
"Oui, I've been a bad boy," Remy said. "I t'ink I need a spanking!"
"Oh please. Does anybody fall for that shit you spill from your mouth?" Scott asked, bitter that he had lost. He couldn't help it. The man flirted shamelessly with both Rogue and Jean in the same breath. And while Rogue seemed to detest the very air he breathed, Jean smiled and batted her eyes.
"You got somet'in' better?" Remy asked.
"Sure," Scott said.
"Prove it," Remy prodded. "Go on, flirt wit' Rogue."
"Me? Nothin' works on me. Flirt with Little Miss Bat-my-eyelashes-one-hundred-times here."
"Rogue, black is a really good color for you. It doesn't make you look fat."
"What?" Rogue said. Remy laughed.
"Jean," Scott said, smiling. "Your so smart you don't have to look good."
"Excuse me?" Jean said, twin spots of red marring her cheeks. Rogue laughed.
"Well, Ah'm fat, you're ugly, and the Cajun here is a bad man. Tell us what ya really think, Scott," Rogue said between giggles.
"What?" Scott asked.
"Mon ami," Remy replied. "Dose were de single saddest lines I ever heard. A woman wants t'be tol' she's beautiful."
"I said that!" he bit back.
"No, what you said was Rogue, black don't make you look fat, therefore she t'inks she looks fat in everyt'ing else. But how a body like dat could be fat, I swear I'd spend every moment of my time eating! And you tol' Jean she's so smart she doesn't have to look good, derefore, she doesn't look good. But her astounding beauty is only enhanced by her magnificent brain."
"Can it," Rogue said. "Ah think Ah liked Scott better. At least he didn't make me feel dirty," she said. "Just fat."
"You are not fat!" Scott said.
"Only when Ah'm not in black, right?"
"What?" Scott said.
"It's women, Scotty-boy. You will never understand dem. Dey take everyt'ing you say and twist it in their small, weird little minds into somet'ing mean an' horrible. It's a feminie t'ing. I t'ink it has t'do wit' dere," his voice dropped to a whisper, "mont'ly visitor."
"Oh please," Jean said, rolling her eyes. "It has to do with thinking instead of walking where our penises point us!"
"Hello, chere," Remy said, suddenly at her side and smiling at her. She pushed him away with a laugh. Rogue wanted to hit him. Scott wanted to bash his face into the door.
"Can we get back to Go Fish?" Scott asked.
"Yeah," Rogue said, "I want to finish kickin' ya'll's asses!"
"I'm hungry," Remy remarked. "When we getting dinner in dis joint?" he spread his cards out in his hands.
"More importantly, how are we gonna break out?" Scott asked.
"You have any Kings?" Rogue asked.
Rogue200315: If I even tried to write Rogue and Bobby I think I'd barf. Although, Shawn Ashmore is a cutie!
DemonicGambit: If you command, I must obey!
ishandahalf: takes gold stars and sticks them all over her gambit shrine.
sanae: nice to know you're still bumbling along with me!
