"What do you mean we have to turn around to get gas?" Jean questioned rather loudly as Gambit made a huge illegal u-turn. The noise from the motorcycle was deafening, forcing her to shout out her contempt, which she would have done anyway.
"Jus like I said, chere," shouted Gambit over the noise. "We is runnin' low on gas an' my ride needs a fill-up real soon!."
"Why didn't you do it before!" Jean snapped, sounding even more exasperated.
"Chere, Gambit knows you upset, but dere is nothin' to worry 'bout. We take a few minutes for de gas. Den we are back on de trail of our prey. Takin' in a show at de movie teeatre!"
"We don't even know if they're at a movie theatre," shouted Jean, who became more petulant. "I just sensed that Scott was eating popcorn. They could just be walking out of the movie. Or he could have picked some popcorn up somewhere."
"At dis time of night, chere! Where is your beau goin' to buy popcorn? Gambit assume dis is warm, buttered popcorn !"
"Yes!" confirmed Jean, remembering the sensation to be so. "Yes it was!"
"So de only place in de city as dis time of night dat would serve de warm popcorn would be in de teeatre, n'est pas!"
"That does make sense, I guess," Jean said loudly, unable to thwart Gambit's logic. "But there must be a dozen movie houses in this city!"
"Mebbee so, but dey probably went to de multiplex since it be de closest one to de restaurant!"
"And if you're wrong?" Jean asked skeptically.
"Well, jus to make sure, we have your 'psychic attachment' to fall back on. It will help guide us where dey might be!"
"I don't think I can concentrate when we're going so fast! Cough!" Jean said, becoming hoarse from the constant shouting. "You'll have to stop to let me use it properly!"
"Gambit thought you X-Men were trained for dis sort of thing!" Gambit inquired.
"I'm a better telekinetic than a telepath," Jean answered, a little perturbed by having to admit her shortcomings. "But if I were you, I'd stay on my good side." Jean proceeded to squeeze Gambit tightly around his ribs.
"Unh, take it easy chere, you're hurting Gambit," Gambit wheezed as Jean seemed to crush him with her wiry but strong arms.
"Just making sure we understand each other," Jean said grinning.
"Clear as crystal," Gambit replied, wincing. With his confirmation, Jean relaxed her grip, allowing Gambit to breathe properly. "You strong chere."
"My X-Men training," Jean said proudly.
Gambit formed a sly grin upon his face.
"Touché."
"Well, that was a big waste of time," Rogue grunted as she and Scott walked out of the theatre.
"I admit it wasn't the greatest movie in the world," Scott said. "But I've definitely seen worse."
"Ah mean, really though, that was just sad. How many times can you see the same tired and borin' premise."
"May I remind you that it's an action movie and plot is optional," retorted Scott. "But it still had its moments."
"Yeah, but how many times can you see the same types of stunts over an' over again. It's like they're not even tryin' to do anythin' new."
Scott saw that there was café nearby, and motioned to Rogue.
"You want to grab a cup of coffee at the café over there?"
Rogue shrugged and nodded nonchalantly, eager to continue her conversation with Scott. A diatribe over a cup of coffee seemed ideal. They both made their way across the intersection of the street to the place in question. The two mutants entered the quaint little café and were taken aback by the spectacle. Despite the fact that it was cleanest place they had been in all night, it was also apparently the strangest. The atmosphere, for lack of a better term was bohemian in nature. The walls were dark with strange monochrome abstracts adorning the walls. The floors were checkerboard creating a strange contrast within the room. The pottery and sculptures were interesting to say the least, but art if anything is subjective. While Rogue was more of an artistic type, both she and Scott found the whole visual experience quite perplexing. There was a strong and pleasant smell of coffee brewing that helped drain away any reservations they may have had about leaving, so they decided (as they had been doing for most of the evening) to make the best of it. Rogue and Scott spotted an empty corner of the establishment, free of strange characters and heavy cigarette smoke and walked towards the table. Along the way they brushed against a number of patrons that were hanging out in this particular establishment. It was amalgam of stereotypical characters that might frequent such places: beatniks, hippies, goths and a couple others that would best be described as miscellaneous. While Rogue didn't seem all that out of place, Scott with his preppy style of dress and conventional haircut, stood out like a sore thumb against the avant-garde backdrop. Scott nervously made his way through, enduring the stares of the people in the café, confirming his suspicions that he was definitely out of place here. Rogue seemed to fit in just fine, except for the fact that she was with this really square individual. She didn't pay any mind to the stares. Rogue was used to it. Scott was a little fazed, since he was used to being largely ignored, but he thought he could make a go of it. They both sat down and made themselves comfortable. Scott attempted to make contact with one of the wait staff, but she seemed to be in a daze and just walked by. Scott was a little perplexed.
"Wow, this place is freaky."
"It was your idea," Rogue said, reminding him of his suggestion.
"Yeah, but I didn't know it would be filled with all these weird people."
"Scott, we're mutants and we live with a bunch of mutants. How do we know what normal is?"
"Hey we're freaks by design, they're freaks by choice apparently."
Rogue was a little cross by Scott's remark.
"Is that what you think we are? Freaks?"
"No, no, What I mean is…" Scott stammered. "I just meant…"
"Yeah?" Rogue inquired, crossing her arms, staring Scott down in the process.
"That is to say…"
"Yeah?"
"What I mean is…"
"Yeah?"
"C'mon Rogue…"
"No, tell me right now."
"Look, I don't think we're freaks. It was just a joke. I mean, these people are freaky. They like being weird."
"You think ah'm weird?" Rogue asked intently.
"Look, I said we're not freaks. That was just a joke."
"No, ah mean, the way ah look, the way ah dress. You think ah'm weird?"
"No, of course not." Scott answered, resenting the fifth degree that he was getting from Rogue.
"So who's normal, Jean?"
"Alright, I'm sorry I said anything."
"Why? Is that why you never asked me out? You thought ah was a weirdo?"
"What brought this up?"
"Answer the question."
"Don't tell me what to do."
"Ah asked you a question, an' ah want a straight answer from you."
"Hey, if you were so interested, if you had feelings for me, why didn't you say anything?" Scott asked accusingly.
"Cause you were too busy makin' googly eyes at Jean to notice."
"Notice? Notice what? I don't have psychic powers. You had plenty of opportunities to say something."
"What? When you're too busy pinin' over Jean being with Duncan. Or hookin' up with Taryn? What was that about?"
"Hey that's not fair!" Scott answered losing his cool.
"You were too busy lookin' at everyone else to look at what was right in front of you."
"Well, I'll say one thing for Taryn. She at least has the guts to actually speak to me. But not you, you get to be the victim. You get to be misunderstood. But you know what? You like to feel sorry for yourself and everyone else has to suffer because of it. You have a lot of people who care about you Rogue, including me! If you even bothered to give them a chance, instead of treating them like garbage, you'd know that! Everyone has to put up with your self-pity and your tantrums! Well I'm sick of it! I'm sick of all of it! I'm sick of you thinking that not being able to touch anyone means you can't let people get close to you! I'm sick of you blaming Jean when it's you and your inability to see how special you are in your own right! I'm sick and tired of hearing about how alone you are when there are so many guys out there who would count themselves lucky to be with you! But you push them away! You push them away, not your powers! I'm sick of feeling guilty about you not understanding that it wouldn't have mattered to me! It wouldn't make a difference to me or anyone else that cares about you! You can't touch anyone! So what? There's always a way around any problem! But it's you Rogue! Not me, not Jean, not Taryn, not your powers, not your looks, it's you Rogue. You're the problem! And I'm not going to feel bad for you anymore! I'm not going to walk on eggshells and feel guilty about I don't know what half the time! You're a beautiful, warm, loving person and if you gave the right person a chance you could have it all! But you're the one screwing it up by being a self-pitying, self-centered child! And I'm not sorry for saying it! What I'm sick of the most is, apologizing for every blasted thing I say! So I'm not sorry! You hear me! I'm not sorry!"
Rogue broke down and cried. Everyone in the café seemed to turn to witness the spectacle. Scott was in a state of shock as Rogue crying became louder and filled with greater anguish. He wasn't sure what to do, but felt he had to say something. He was feeling more self-conscious than ever with everyone staring at them. But he more concerned that Rogue was crying and he felt completely responsible.
"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry Rogue," Scott pleaded. He went further into a panic. He had never seen Rogue like this before. Scott reached over to her trying to comfort Rogue, apologizing repeatedly.
"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Rogue, I didn't mean any of it, really. I'm a jerk, I'm sorry!"
"No Scott," Rogue sobbed. "You're right! Ah'm the one who's sorry. Ah have no right to blame you for somethin' that ah coulda done myself. Ah was bein' all testy and everythin'. That wasn't fair."
Scott handed Rogue various napkins from the dispenser to wipe away her tears and her running mascara.
"Thanks," Rogue stated, calming down substantially as she tried to clean herself up. "Ah must look like such a mess!"
"Why don't you get cleaned up and we can get out of here," Scott suggested sympathetically.
Rogue nodded meekly and got up to go the washroom to clean up. As she rose she stopped to address Scott.
"Scott?"
"Everything's cool Rogue," Scott stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Really."
Rogue felt more reassured and left the table. Scott noticed that he still had an audience watching both him and Rogue. He gave the on-lookers the best explanation that he could give at that particular moment.
"We're on a date!"
"Are you done yet?" Jean asked impatiently.
"Course, chere," answered Gambit. "All filled up."
"Don't you know it's dangerous to smoke near a gasoline station?"
Gambit paused and took another puff of his cigarette.
"Oui, chere, Gambit knows this."
"And?"
"Gambit don't care."
Jean groaned in frustration. They had spent the past while at a gas station which they managed to find downtown. While it should have taken only a few minutes, Gambit was taking his sweet time, as if he were waiting for something. He had cleaned his windshield a few times and smoked about three cigarettes. Jean was getting tired of waiting and broke the silence.
"So what's the hold up?"
Gambit had a pensive look upon his face as he tried to think of the best way to explain the delay. Jean was not filled with the greatest of confidences.
"Y'see chere, Gambit is just a lil' short on funds at dis particular time…"
"You don't have any money!" Jean gasped, interrupting him.
"Lil' louder, chere, de gas attendant didn't here ya," Gambit replied sarcastically.
Jean lowered her voice to avoid attracting unwanted ears.
"You don't have any money! Why don't you have any money!"
"Chere, it wasn't Gambit's intention to be travailin' 'round de city streets wit you lookin' fer yer boyfriend an' my soon-to-be girlfriend. Gambit only had limited funds at de time dis whole thin' started. Mebee you might have money to pay?'
"I didn't bring my purse! Don't you have a credit card or something!"
"Not at dis time," Gambit answered simply.
"What's that supposed to mean!" Jean asked, in bewilderment.
"Exactly that, chere, Gambit had credit cards, Gambit don't have credits cards on his person now, so Gambit don't have credit cards at dis particular time."
"Well, do you at least have an ATM card!" Jean asked with growing frustration.
"Sure, chere, lots."
"Well?" Jean asked impatiently.
"Gas attendant say de machine is broken." Gambit answered.
"Well then why didn't you use your ATM cards to fill up!" Jean asked, growing more frustrated.
"Ah was gonna pay cash," Gambit responded, calmly smoking his cigarette.
"But you didn't have enough cash!" Jean exclaimed.
"Ah didn't know dat at dat particular time."
"Well that's just great!" Jean uttered with some sarcasm of her own. "And just what are we supposed to do now?"
"Relax chere," Gambit said calmly. "Gambit workin' on a plan."
"We are not going to make a break for it," implored Jean, who was not interested in becoming a petty criminal.
"Unfortunately, dat's a big part of Gambit's plan," replied Gambit, maintaining his cool disposition despite the desperate circumstance.
Jean, however, was not cool. She was getting upset by the fact that she might be stranded at a gas station downtown while Rogue was trying to commandeer her boyfriend. She also faced the prospect of becoming a gas thief. Jean knew that they were losing time. She also knew that she needed to find out where Scott was before it was too late. There was no clear explanation for what she expected to happen but it didn't matter. Jean had to reclaim her man and confront Rogue. So she felt she now had to resort to a low and desperate act.
"Okay, listen, I have a plan to get us out of this without getting into trouble."
"Great, chere," Gambit replied with enthusiasm. "Do it."
"But let me remind you, that at soon as we leave we are going to the nearest ATM machine and we will get cash on hand..."
"Course, chere."
"…and that what I'm about to do goes against my morals and ethics about how my powers are supposed to be used."
"Kinky, chere."
Jean gave Gambit a gaze that would level a city skyscraper. But Gambit remained as flippant as before. He simply smiled and gave her a wink. It infuriated Jean that it was getting harder for her to intimidate Gambit. She also found it strangely compelling, which made her feel a little guilty. Maybe Gambit's charm was getting to her, and maybe he knew it.
"Anyway, come with me."
Jean grabbed Gambit's hand and dragged him towards the gas bar. Gambit seemed a bit confused and was reluctant to go.
"What are you doin' chere?"
"You'll see," Jean said in passing, keeping a firm grip on the Cajun's wrist.
Jean shoved Gambit ahead of her into the small building. At the counter was the gas attendant, a young and awkward teenage boy who couldn't keep his eyes off Jean as he was dazzled by her natural beauty. Jean noticed his apparent interest and sought to take full advantage of it, considering what she was about to do. It would make things a whole lot easier. Jean flashed her biggest smile, and sashayed seductively towards the counter.
The boy looked as if he was going to explode. Gambit was a bit bewildered himself, though he masked his body language well. He liked this side of Jean a lot and was content to enjoy the show.
"How much, handsome?" cooed Jean, batting her eyelashes in a most suggestive way.
"T-t-twenty bucks…miss," stammered the young gas attendant, trying to keep of consensus of his thoughts as they were being assaulted by the sight of this beautiful girl.
Jean kept smiling and kept staring into the boy's eyes, using her telepathic powers ever so slightly; to create a suggestion in his head that Jean had already paid.
"Thank you," said the gas attendant, with a delirious grin on his face. He seemed to be almost catatonic.
"Magnifique, chere," praised Gambit. "How long de boy gonna be like dat?"
"Long enough," Jean muttered, not feeling all that proud of herself. "Let's get going."
"Thank you," repeated the gas attendant.
"Grab some cigarettes for me will you chere?" Gambit asked politely.
"Gambit!" shouted Jean in a disapproving tone.
"C'mon, chere, when opportunity knocks, you best answer it!"
Jean grumbled reluctantly.
"Very well," said Jean begrudgingly as she grabbed a couple of packs, tossing them telekinetically to her partner in crime.
"Merci, mon ange," replied Gambit, as he gleefully pocketed his free packs of smokes.
"Ever think of quitting?" Jean asked, appalled by Gambit's smoking as a whole.
"Non," Gambit answered. "Why?"
"Never mind, let's go."
"Thank you," repeated the gas attendant.
Both Jean and Gambit scampered to the motorcycle. Remy revved up his vehicle and blasted out the gas station like a lightning bolt. Jean barely had time to fix her helmet properly while attempting to maintain her balance on the bike.
"Dat was some trick back dere, chere," Gambit shouted over the noise of his bike. "Ever tink about stealin' fer a livin'?"
"No," Jean replied with conviction. "That was a one-time deal and I'm going to pay that station back a later time. And you're going to give me money to pay for those cigarettes."
"An' Gambit thought you was gonna mix pleasure wit business," sighed Gambit.
"Not tonight, Gambit," Jean replied. "Tonight I'm all business."
Gambit sensed an ominous tone in Jean's reply. He felt it best to fall silent for a while and concentrate on both the road and the task at hand. They had a lot of time to make up for and the sooner this was all over, the more comfortable he would be.
"You okay?" Scott asked as both he and Rogue left the café.
"Yeah," answered Rogue. "Ah'm alright now."
"Guess we kind of made a scene back there, huh?" Scott said jokingly, hoping to lighten the mood. He had a nervous smile on his face as he was uncertain of how Rogue would react. She smiled back and seemed just as willing to keep things light.
"Yeah, ah guess we did."
Both mutants fell silent as they slowly walked down the city street. They each tried to formulate the best words possible, but the right words were elusive. Both felt that reparations had to be made.
"Rogue, listen…"
"It's okay. A'hm sorry too."
Scott breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, great."
Rogue nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, great."
Things fell silent once again. Scott and Rogue were having difficulty removing the awkwardness between them. A number of things were said that still needed resolving, but neither one was eager to bring it up. Finally, Scott brought up the issue the best he could.
"Rogue, I think we have to talk about what happened."
Rogue kept her head down and stared at the sidewalk.
"Ah know."
"I know this is not easy and I'm not thrilled about it but I think we need to clear the air, you know?"
"Ah know."
"Could you give me a little more Rogue?" Scott snapped impatiently. "I'm starting to think I'm all alone in this conversation."
"Ah'm sorry Scott," she replied apologetically. "Ah was just thinkin' that's all."
"About what?"
Rogue gave Scott a look as if he asked her the stupidest question in the world. Scott, again, failed to catch on.
"About what, Rogue?"
"About what ah said to you back there. What you said to me."
"Oh."
"Did you mean what you said?" Rogue asked.
"I'm sorry Rogue. I went too far. I just lost my temper…"
"And like ah said before, it's okay. You were right about a lot of things. Maybe ah didn't like hearin' them, but you spoke yer mind. Which is all ah really wanted you to do. Kinda ironic, huh?"
"I guess that's just the way things have turned out so far," Scott answered sheepishly.
"Yeah, but you didn't answer my question…"
"But I thought…."
"Ah was referrin' to when you said ah was beautiful." Rogue said with a slight smile on her face.
"Oh that," Scott said, stuttering his words. "I…uh…guess…well…yeah, I guess I did."
"Ah didn't think you noticed."
"Of course I think you're attractive Rogue. Guys tend to notice those sorts of things."
"So ah'm attractive too?"
"What?" asked Scott, who was confounded once again.
"Ah asked you if you thought ah was beautiful, an' you answered by sayin' that ah'm attractive."
"I think you're reading too much into this." Scott replied, trying to find a back door out of this line of questioning.
"Oh really?" Rogue asked rhetorically. "Ah think ah'm readin' right between the lines."
"Uh, what do you mean by that?" Scott asked, still perplexed.
"Exactly what ah said, Scott. An' ah think you know what ah mean."
"I got to be honest with you Rogue; I have no idea what you're getting at."
"Play coy all you want. Ah now know that you find me both beautiful and attractive."
"Wha..?"
"You said so. You said you meant every word that you said. Right?"
"Yes." Scott admitted, knowing that he couldn't take back anything at this point.
"Yes!" Rogue shouted in glee, relishing the truth. "You do like me."
"Knock it off!" griped Scott, who was getting tired of all this.
"Ah'm sorry Scott," said Rogue teasingly. "Ah didn't know that yer feelins for me were so hard to deal with."
"Hey! This works both ways. You like me too! You find me attractive too! So there!"
"Yes Scott," replied Rogue with playful. "Yes ah do. That's exactly right."
This wasn't the reaction that Scott was going for.
"You know, it would really help if you went back to feeling somewhat awkward." Scott said bluntly.
"No, ah like this much better. Everythin' out in the open. It's great. Ah used to be so afraid that my feelins were so one-sided. That there was no way in the world you would feel the same way 'bout me. But ah now know that ah could've stood a chance. That you could feel the same way about me as ah do about you. That's the greatest!"
"Yeah, but you had plenty of chances to ask me out and you didn't. So, shouldn't you be upset that you didn't take a chance?"
"Don't spoil my buzz, Scott!" Rogue replied defiantly. "Don't spoil my buzz!"
Rogue had a skip in her step as she was walking beside him. It was strange for Scott to see her act all jubilant. In a way he was happy for her. In another, he was largely uncomfortable. Scott never really examined his feelings for Rogue. He must have suppressed them on a subconscious level. He did find her attractive. She was a beautiful girl. But so was Jean. They were both great girls. Scott was feeling a conflict that he hadn't experienced before. He found himself looking at Rogue in a different way, a way that seemed to frighten him because it was challenging his sensibilities. Jean was always the one. In his bones he still felt that way. But all of that had transpired tonight seemed to threaten his certainty. Here he was, at one moment, with his friend and teammate. And in an instant, she becomes a beautiful girl who was vivacious and clearly interested in him. There wasn't any pretense or confusion about it. Scott wouldn't have to fight or wade through any confusion or deal with any mind games to be with her. But he had a girl already. A wonderful girl. Why was there suddenly this confusion? Scott found himself staring at Rogue again. Everything suddenly went into slow-motion. He found himself compelled by every nuance of her form. It was like unlocking a treasure that was right under your nose. He knew he had to look away, but why didn't he?
"See anythin' you like?" Rogue asked playfully. She felt Scott eyes staring at her from behind and she was enjoying it.
"Uhhh," mumbled Scott, who was at this point afraid to say anything else.
"C'mon Scott, we know we have mutual feelins' for each other. Mine are little one-sided but that's nothin' to be ashamed of. The question is…" Rogue then positioned herself right in front of Scott and looked him dead in the eye. "What are we gonna do about it?"
Scott was paralyzed. He didn't know what to do. He had these feelings now that were becoming harder to ignore and each time her tried it became more and more difficult. But Scott knew that he needed to take on all of this head on; there was no turning back now.
"We're going to do nothing, Rogue. I like you. And I do find you attractive and you're beautiful girl. I admit all that. But I'm with Jean now. I don't know how things are going to turn out in the future but for now, it's her and me. That's just the way things are. I'm sorry."
Rogue seemed to be a little disappointed but she wasn't all that surprised.
"Of course, Scott." Rogue answered. "Ah wouldn't respect you, otherwise. Ah wouldn't like you the way ah do if you would do anythin' like that. But you're kinda under my skin and all. So if ah'm a little forward with you, ah apologize. You're a handsome, attractive, sensitive man. You don't know how girls are drawn to that. You don't know yer own strength."
"Neither do you," Scott retorted.
Rogue smiled.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"So, what now?"
"Well, it is getting late…"
"Oh no," said Rogue, waving her finger in front of Scott's face. "We're not done yet! Ah want my money's worth for this date."
"Huh?"
"We still need to end this evenin' on the right foot."
"What did you have in mind?" Scott asked with reservations.
Rogue had a devilish grin on her face.
"You'll see."
And with that, Rogue grabbed Scott by the wrist and dragged him back to the car.
"Where are we going?" Scott asked, dragging his heels.
"You'll see," repeated Rogue. "It's a surprise."
"Swell."
"Oh, don't be such a pessimist."
"Wow, the pot calling the kettle black."
"Hey, ah think this will really make up for everythin' that's happened so far."
"That's really not much of an endorsement, Rogue."
"Do you trust me?"
Scott reluctantly nodded.
"So there isn't a problem then, is there?"
Scott nodded again in reluctance.
"So let's go already."
So once again, Rogue and Scott motored down the city streets to a place that Rogue said would make the evening complete. For her it would be the highlight of the evening. For Scott, he just had a really uncomfortable feeling that this date was not going to be as uneventful as he had hoped.