Chapter 7
Flashback
"Drake, dishes!", Logan barked, secretly enjoying shouting orders at the kid.
"Ah, come on Logan," the boy started. " I have class . . . "
"I'll write you an excuse," Logan snarled. "Just do it."
Bobby looked up at Rogue pathetically as she rose to leave.
"Sorry sugah," she smiled down to her boyfriend. "Ah got an English essay due. It can't be late."
Bobby grumbled something about fair-weather girlfriends and got up and walked to the overflowing sink. Logan tossed him a dishtowel, the smile on his face a little too wide. Rogue smiled at him,
and turned to leave. However, there was already someone blocking her path.
"Bonjour, ma chère."
Bobby dropped the dish towel.
" Since when does the chère have a problem wit speech?", Remy asked casually. "All Remy did was say bonjour."
"Ah, Ah...", Rogue's voice quivered slightly, echoing across the suddenly quiet kitchen.
Remy looked calm. God, the Cajun looked as if nothing had happened, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. He leaned, relaxed, against the side of the door, his muscled arms folded over his chest. Gabrielle looked from one to the other. What the hell was going on?
Remy's breath caught in his throat for a moment as he looked at Rogue's pale face. Thanking God silently for the doorframe against which he stood, he tried to control the tremble in his knees. She hadn't changed, not in any significant way at least. Her hair was a little longer, and she seemed to have grown an inch or two, but she was still Rogue. And as far as Remy was concerned, she was still his.
Her hazel eyes were darting all over, meeting everything except his own. Look at me, ma belle, Remy pleaded her in his mind, Rogue, ma chère, s'il-vous-plaît... She was just there, standing a few feet away. God, how many times had he imagined their reunion in his mind? And now that he was indeed back, and it truly was Rogue that stood shaking before him, why was it that he could not will himself to move? Was it because he feared falling if he took a step towards her? Or was he more afraid that she would once more push him away?
"Rogue", Bobby said softly, coming up behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Ah have to, Ah can't be here right now...", Rogue mumbled, shaking away Bobby's hand as if the touch had burned her skin.
She walked with her gaze kept down, brushing by Remy lightly as she walked through the door. It was all he could do to keep himself from grabbing her as she walked past. So Remy kept his arms crossed, held them so tightly that his arm throbbed under his harsh fingers.
Bobby was still standing there, just looking, the fallen dishtowel still laying discarded on the floor by the sink. His fists clenched into fists at his side, but even he could not bring himself to look Remy in the eye. Without another word or glance at the others, Bobby Drake followed his girlfriend from the kitchen, making the effort to knock Remy sharply with his shoulder on his way.
"Well, did you get ur desired entrance Gumbo?", Logan asked, shaking his head in anger at the Cajun's disruption.
Ororo stood quickly, coming between the two men before Remy had the chance to answer. She grabbed his arm and guided him away from the door. Remy allowed himself to be pulled along, his gaze never leaving Logan's angry eyes. Ororo led him to the table and plopped him down rather forcefully in a vacant chair. She was still as commanding as ever, Remy noticed. Well, maybe he was being harsh. Ororo was just strong, she had to be. She was one of the few people in this place who understood where he was coming from. And his Tante Mattie had always taught him to never to touch a woman in anger, so he knew he had better let Storm lead him as she pleased. Besides, even if he did strike out at her, he did not doubt that Storm could lay him flat on his ass.
And so Remy LeBeau fell into the wooden chair without another word, and flopped back into it, trying to appear comfortable even though he wanted to run out of the room, screaming after Rogue. Picking up an orange casually, and rolling it on the table before him, Remy looked up to see just who had witnessed the little show.
Hank was reading, well, pretending to read what appeared to be a brown newspaper. The large man's eyes were darting back and forth across the page and he did not seem to notice that he held it upside down. Remy shook his head. He didn't care what the others thought of him now. Perhaps it had mattered before, but no one mattered to him now except for her. Logan was still there. Remy could hear him grumbling as he got started on the dishes that Bobby had abandoned. Had things been different, had Rogue not just stormed out on him and if he had not returned only to be alone, Remy would have laughed. The idea of brusque Logan up to his elbows in soap suds was amusing to say the least. But laughs were the last thing that Remy felt like making.
And of course, wonderful. The twitchy girl from last night was sitting across from him, not even bothering to pretend that nothing was happening. She was simply sitting there, her hands in her lap, looking at him. Right at him! God, did these Yanks have no manners at all? But wait, she had spoken French to him, insulted him in fact. Maybe she wasn't from around here. But why the hell did he even care? And so Remy mustered his strength to look back at her as directly, daring her to make a comment. Neither looked away.
"Vell Logan, have I missed your vonderful breakfast again?", Kurt asked Logan cheerily as he strolled into the kitchen. " Vat? Vat did I say".
Imagine poor Kurt's confusion at walking into such a normally sunny room only to receive such a cold welcome. He did not fail to notice Logan's icy vibe and the chill that seemed to hang in the air, but he did at first fail to notice the new arrival.
Walking over to the table looking a little dejected, he sat down two chairs from Remy, and much to Hank's amusement, began to munch on an apple in a distracted manner.
Hank cleared his throat. "Um, Kurt?"
"Yes Hank?", Kurt asked, swallowing his mouthful of fruit.
Hank could only smile at him, and shook his head in disbelief. He was not the only one amused. Gabrielle could not suppress the smile that appeared on her face. Poor Kurt! He truly was one of a kind, to be of such gentle nature as to not notice the obvious tension that cloaked the kitchen. But what Gabrielle did not know was that not only did Kurt notice the awkwardness, but he finally noticed what was causing it.
"Ah, Gambit", he said suddenly, sounding a little sheepish. "Good morning friend. Ven did you get back?"
Remy smiled at Kurt's embarrassment. "Too early this morning, mon ami. And don't worry, dere are better looking things to notice here den Remy". With that, he shot a sly look at Gabrielle, who snorted and looked away.
"Did he just flirt with me?", Gabrielle wondered. "God, isn't it too early to get fresh with someone?"
"Rogue, Rogue, Rogue", Remy thought to himself painfully, Gabrielle instantly forgotten. "Rogue, Rogue, Rogue..."
Ororo placed a hand on the orange Remy was still rolling, catching it in mid-voyage. With a warning look at her friend, she tossed the orange back with the other fruit and stood up. Walking over to where Logan was furiously scrubbing the paint off their blue and white, ceramic dishes,
Ororo picked up a dry towel and proceeded to wipe off the already clean, albeit peeling plates.
Kurt took this opportunity to get up and move into Storm's seat. Turning happily to face his old friend, Nightcrawler was just beaming as he patted Remy on the back.
"Vell, it is good to see you home, Remy", he said amicably. " I hope that you vill be staying this time."
"I hope so too Kurt", cut in the professor's deep voice. Remy and Kurt turned a little in their chairs to face Charles as he wheeled into the room. With a nod and a smile to Logan and Ororo, he made his way over to where those sitting were assembled. Wheeling over next to Remy, Charles looked across the table and caught Gabrielle's eye.
"Good morning Miss Delalune. I trust you slept well?"
It would be so much easier to believe all this if someone could just be rude to me, Gabrielle thought to herself.
"Fine, Professor, thank-you", she managed to reply.
"And you Remy?", the professor inquired, obviously in no rush to acknowledge the plan for the day.
"Fine Professor, but", Remy paused, "Remy be wondering if you could just tell me wat it iz you would like him ta do, now dat he's back."
Charles chuckled and nodded to Remy. "Of course, Remy. Of course."
The older man looked over to where Kurt sat, enthralled, and pointed out politely.
"Kurt, I hate to kick you out before you've eaten, but would you mind giving us a moment alone?"
Kurt looked startled for a moment, but quickly hid his confusion well.
"Or course, Professor. Right away."
The suddenly familiar scent of sulphur hit Gabrielle, and Kurt disappeared in a puff of smoke. Gabrielle coughed a little, and glared at Remy when she noticed him smirk at her. If the professor noticed the less than friendly exchange between the two he chose not to acknowledge it. Clearing his throat calmly, he looked from Remy to Gabrielle.
"Well, here we all are", he said, wondering where was the best place to start.
"I don't think we were properly introduced last night", Remy said suavely, reaching over to extend his hand. "Remy LeBeau, but most of deez people call us Gambit".
Aware the professor was watching her, Gabrielle looked into Remy's eyes calmly and took his hand in her own, shaking it with confidence.
"Rielle Delalune", she replied, "Although I'm still without a clever nickname."
Hank snorted beside her, quickly covering up with a horribly fake cough. Even Charles smiled at little at her, although he sent her a reprimanding look. Alright, so she was expected to at least be civil to this flake. Well, she always been a good actor. She smiled sweetly at Remy, who looked a little taken aback. He wasn't used to women who rebuked his charms. The only other girl who had ever tried to, well, he couldn't get his thoughts straightened out about her. He loved Rogue. He had loved her then and he loved her now. And if helping out this snotty little teenager would give him a chance to stay at the Institute, he was going to take full advantage.
" Rielle, as I have already explained to you, I have asked Mr LeBeau back here to help you learn to control your powers", Charles spoked softly, his natural leader's voice sounding calm and reassuring. She would have a hard time hating that one if he ever pissed her off.
"Rielle seems to possess the ability to charge electricity through her body", the professor explained,
turning to Remy. " She acts like a kind of conductor. She already gave quite a shock to Logan."
The wolf-man at the sink grumbled as Ororo tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
" I would like to see if you could help her control the charge, Remy. Perhaps even help her learn how to send out shocks at will."
Gabrielle looked at the professor, stunned.
"Send out, shocks? Intentionally?", she asked him in disbelief.
"It can be done, chère", Remy said, surprised at the girl's lack of confidence in her ability. "Dis thief do sometin' of de genre all de time."
Gabrielle looked at him then, her sarcasm and defences suddenly gone. Remy was surprised at the raw terror he saw there. Was the stupid girl really so unsure and afraid of what she could do? And why did she allow such feeling to show in her eyes? That was something, Remy noted to himself, that he could definitely help her with. Remy tore his eyes away from Gabrielle's deep, violet ones, preferring instead to look over at the professor. Charles looked back at him gravely, having apparently noticed the look of fear that had momentarily taken over the young woman's face. Xavier looked back at her, not failing to notice that her confident allure seemed to have disappeared. Gabrielle sat quietly, looking off into space, her fingers tightly intertwined.
"Well then, I suppose we should find you a more appropriate place to practice", the professor said,
trying to lighten the mood. " I'm sure I can find the two of you a more practical spot."
"The two of us, professor? Won't you be joining us?", Gabrielle asked in surprise.
"I would like to Rielle", the professor assured her, "But it would be impossible for me to find enough free time to help you as much as you deserve. Mr. LeBeau here doesn't teach any classes, so he will have more chances to train with you."
Gabrielle nodded dumbly at him, not daring to look at Remy. Why was she acting so childish? This was no big deal! So she would have to spend more less-than-desired time with the savvy Cajun, but she could cope. She had dealt with grabby hands and forceful patrons before. This overgrown boy would present no challenge. Gabrielle tossed back her hair, a nervous habit she did while trying to look confident. She was not going to be intimidated. Well, not so easily anyway.
The professor glanced at the silver watch that adorned his wrist, and quickly wheeled away from the table. He paused by the door to turn back towards the two young mutants, smiling at them,
reassuringly.
" I'm sorry to run away like this but I must be getting to work", Charles Xavier explained, (was that a mischievous glint in his eye?) " Rielle, Remy, I'll meet up with the two of you later."
Without another word and with surprising agility for a man in a wheelchair, Xavier spun around and left Remy and Gabrielle encased in their own silence.
Was it considered to be awkwardness when there truly was no reason to be embarrassed? What was it that Gabrielle found so stifling? Was it the fact that this stranger would be helping her with something she had never trusted anyone with before? Perhaps it was the obvious fact that he was a stranger, and Gabrielle knew not if she could trust him. The realisation that the nervousness was most likely caused by the fact that she felt awkward around this man bothered her most. That she could not blame her powers, only her own stupid lack of confidence around this person she barely knew.
" Alors, vous parlez le Français?", Remy asked her, too obviously trying to make conversation.
"Tu le sais bien", Gabrielle answered coolly, secretly impressed with his Cajun accent. It made her think of sunsets and molasses, and hot summer days. What was wrong with her?
" Mais là…, soyez gentille! Après tout, j'essaie seulment d'etre polit.", Remy replied, running his fingers through his hair in a vain attempt to look cool. " C'est juste un choc pour moi de parler comme ça avec quelqun. Y'a pas grand monde ici qui parle comme nous, tu sais?"
"I guess this means I won't be able to insult you without you understanding, huh?", Gabrielle offered, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips.
Shaking his head, Remy only grinned.
Author's note: Yeah! Another chapter finished! Alright, a few shout-outs. First of all, a virtual hug to my unofficial cheerleader, Chaotic Jinx. Your reviews always make me laugh and feel like writing! And to all the others who took the time to review, big smiles and many thanks to all of you. Silverbells, thanks for the pointers. I hope that the first meeting between Rogue and Remy was sufficient, (FOR NOW), don't worry, there will definately be better fireworks going off very soon. Maybe in the next chapter?... MUWHA HA HA HA! coughs I can NOT pull off the evil laugh... Keep reviewing, and I'll keep updating! Training starts next chapter, so don't worry, things will definitely be picking up. I know the story's a little slow at the moment, but it's necessary to get all this introduction stuff out of the way.