Little later that day Remy found his self making his way back to his room.
He had a lot of cleaning to do.
When he entered his room for the first time that day, and got a good look at it in the daylight he knew he would be occupied for a while.
But that was ok, he didn't have anything important to do that day, except for Rogue's birthday party, but that was hours away.
And the fact that Rogue had gone off to do some shopping with Kitty and Jean left his afternoon pretty wide open.
An hour later, after cleaning up a lot of glass and different object that were scattered across his room, he decided that he had spent more than enough time on it.
He was just putting that last of the glass into his trash can when he heard a rough knock at the door.
"Come in"
In walked Wolverine, always the last person he ever wanted to see.
Remy nonchalantly sat down on his now clean bed.
"Dere somethin' Gambit can help ya with Wolverine?"
Wolverine looked around his room slowly and then his eyes made contact with Remys.
"You seen Rogue around?" he asked gruffly.
"Rogue left t'go clothes shopping with da girls, what'cha need her for?" he said his eye brow raised to emphasis his question.
Wolverines eyes narrowed at Remy.
"Nothing I want to talk over with you" Wolverine said crossly.
"Well den, deres no reason why you have t'be here in my room anymore den is dere?" Remy replied cooly with a bit of disdain making it's way into his voice.
Wolverine just snorted, looked once more around the room, gave Remy a look that would have knocked most men over dead, and then walked out, shutting the door behind him loudly.
Remy got up off his bed and started to make the way to his door, deciding he would go for a bike ride to pass the time.
Halfway there someone started to knock on the door again.
Remy could tell right away from the knock that it wasn't wolverine again.
He was glad of that.
He could only take so much of the wolverine every day.
Remy opened the door.
He found Scott and someone he had never met before waiting in front of it.
"Need something Scott?" he asked while looking at the newcomer.
"No, just wanted to introduce you to the new member of the x-men"
SO this must be the new student that Rogue was talking about he told himself. Although he is obviously to old to be a student.
The person he was looking at now was definitely interesting.
He looked to be between the ages of 18-25.
The first thing he noticed, was the person's shocking white hair and bright blue eyes.
The person put out his hand to shake Remy's.
"I'm Joseph" he said while waiting for Remy to shake his hand.
Remy looked down at Joseph's hand, but didn't take it. He didn't know why but for some reason he didn't think he liked the guy.
He always trusted his gut feelings.
Joseph dropped his hand back down to his side, not really showing any emotion from Remy's coldness.
"Well this rude guy is Gambit" Scott said, while looking back at Remy with his lips pursed in agitation.
Gambit was sure if he could see Scott's eyes behind his red glasses that he was shooting daggers at him with them.
But Gambit didn't care.
"Joseph, Kurt and I were about to go get some pizza, but I can see that you obviously don't want to go" Scott said to him.
"Who's Paying?" Remy found himself asking.
"I am" Scott replied.
"Well den, dere's no reason for Gambit to pass up free pizza." He grabbed his coat off the wall where it hung and casually put it on. "Ready t'go when you are" he said with a smirk on his lips.
So now sitting at a booth with Scott, Kurt, and Joseph he found himself more bored than when he was cleaning his room.
He silently wished that he followed them on his bike instead of riding with Scott and the others. And now because of his mistake he was paying for it.
They had just finished a third pizza, and Scott and Kurt were talking about some of the things the X-men do.
Merde he cursed to himself. He pulled out a deck off cards and after moving some of the pizza pans and basket of breadsticks over he started to play solitaire.
The conversation drifted and they were now talking about some of the people Joseph has met at the mansion.
"So that wolverine guy is part of you guys?"
"Yes" Kurt said while taken another sip from his drink.
"He always that angry?"
"Depends" Scott said.
"On what?"
"On whether or not he likes you" Gambit said breaking his silence. He didn't bother to look up just kept playing his game.
The waiter came over and started to pick up the pizza trays.
"Does he like anyone?" Joseph asked as if in disbelief that he could.
"Well, he's pretty close to Rogue and he's nice to Kitty too" Kurt told him, while grabbing the last piece of pizza that was on one of the trays the waiter was taking away.
"So that pretty red head is your girlfriend?" Joseph asked.
"Yep" Scott said and started to smile wistfully.
"And who were those other girls with her?"
"Oh, that was Rogue and Kitty." Kurt offered between his chewing of the pizza.
"Which one was the girl with the exotic white streaks in her hair?"
Gambit found his hand stopping in midair from where he was about to place a nine on a ten.
"Oh, she's Rogue" Scott told Joseph readily.
"Damn, are all the X-woman that beautiful?" He grinned mischievously at Scott "Just getting a chance with that girl would be enough to join you guys right there"
Remy suddenly smelled something burning, he looked at the card he was holding in his hand, it was glowing with energy, he knew that if he applied any more it would explode.
He found he wanted to throw it in the direction of the white haired imbecile.
But instead He let out a long breath and concentrated, stopping the process. The card stopped glowing.
He put the card on the table, sat up straighter in the booth and openly seethed with animosity at Joseph.
"Dat girl be taken" Remy grated.
"By who?" Joseph said, while actually looking at Remy for the first time since there arrival at the pizza place. Joseph's face was passive still showing little emotion.
"By Remy"
"Who's Remy?
Scott coughed and indicated Gambit with a hand, Kurt started to laugh, nearly managing to tip over his glass in the process.
"One of the things you got to get used to is that Gambit here" he said his hand still in the air pointing at Remy "is that he likes to talk about himself in the third person."
Remy found he was getting extremely agitated. And Scott pointing at him like a moron made him want to jump over the small table that was separating them and punch him. Or he could at least blow up the table in front of him.
That would show him.
"Your one lucky guy" Gambit heard Joseph telling him, bringing him back to reality, He seemed to hear some sort of threat laced behind those words.
Remy still had his eyes on Scott's hand which was finally making it's way back down to his side.
Glancing back at Joseph he finally answered.
"Luck has nothing to do wit winnin' dat one" he finally said while looking at him square in the eyes.
Joseph returned the stare and they both sat there, gazes fixed on one another and neither one looking away, as if challenging one another.
"Well" Scott said loudly breaking the sudden silence that had fallen on the table "Probably time for us to head back" Scott looked pointedly at his watch.
Remy narrowed his eyes at Joseph hoping the animosity was burning brightly in them.
They then broke contact.
Remy grabbed his cards and put them in his pocket. Then grabbing his drink he downed the rest of it in one gulp.
Then he stood up.
"Bout time, Gambit was ready t'leave an hour ago."
Scott paid they bill, left a tip on the table and they left.
Remy's eyes on the back on Joseph as they exited the restaurant.
The silence on the way back was deafening.
Kurt tried to lighten the mood by telling some jokes but nobody laughed. Scott tried to fill it by turning the radio on.
But the tension was still there. Drifting throughout the car.
It was Scott driving, with Joseph next to him, and then Remy and Kurt in the back.
Remy had forgotten how much he hated to be driven somewhere, unless of course it was Rogue behind the wheel..
He craved his motorcycle all of a sudden and found he had a sudden urge to kiss it when he saw it once again.
When they finally reached the garage, Remy opened his door before the car even stopped and burst out of the car.
Before any of the others got out of the car, Remy was already on his bike, he pulled the keys out of his pocket and the machine roared at them, as if emulating Remy's mood.
Then without a word or a backward glance he sped off, tires screeching and rubber burning.
They others got out of the car.
"What's his problem?" Kurt asked Scott.
"You have to ask?" he said indicating the departing form of Joseph who was making his way back into the house.
"Oh, guess he shouldn't' have mentioned Rogue like that"
"Guess not"
"Why do I have a feeling things are about to get interesting around here?" Kurt inquired.
Scott didn't answer...
Joseph heard the question echo at him on his way out of the garage and found he couldn't stop the malicious grin from forming on his lips.
Interesting indeed. He told himself.
Gambit was angry. More angry than he had been in a very long time.
He found he was speeding recklessly, cars honking at him as he changed in an out of lanes and darted about.
Remy didn't know where he was going, he just knew he had some steam to let out.
That guy really got under Remy's skin he realized.
Is it because of da way he was talkin' about Rogue?
No that wasn't it entirely he knew. It was the way he had looked at him -when he mentioned Rogue.
The look of a man who thought he could take her away from him.
Your just imaginin' dat he urgently told himself.
Another car honked at him as he sped by them.
Remy don't imagine things.
Sometimes Remy wasn't sure were he stood with Rogue, one minute she was warm and affectionate and the next she preferred to be alone by herself, reading a book or being on the computer. He just didn't understand that.
But when he finally heard her tell him that she loved him, it was if things finally locked in place.
She was his, and he was hers.
He found his tank was nearing empty and he drove into a gas station, he quickly cut off a car who about to take the pump he was aiming at. Reaching it he turned off the motorcycle.
"Jerk!" He heard someone yell at him.
But he didn't pay any attention.
He just sat there. Looking at his gas meter. Empty. Empty. Empty.
The word kept repeating over and over in his head until they turned into a mantra.
He knew why.
That is how he would feel if Rogue every left him.
He hadn't let anybody in like he had Rogue in a very long time.
And Remy knew he was the first of a lot of things in Rogue's life. That was why he had been taking it slow with her.
Brought out of his contemplations, Remy suddenly felt as if someone was watching him.
He turned his head and started to look around him.
And quickly found the person.
It was a blond woman, about 25, her boyfriend? was filling up the tank, and she was sitting in the passenger side of a red convertible, ogling Remy who was still sitting on his motorcycle.
He lowered his sunglasses for a closer look.
A looker alright. he told himself.
The boyfriend noticed Remy looking past him and turned around to look at his girlfriend.
His girlfriend who had a very suggestive look written across her very pretty features.
The man put the nozzle back into the pump, paid for the gas with his credit card, ripped the receipt out of the machine and then jumped back into the car. He proceded to start it up loudly, then gave Remy a look that was meant to be hostile and sped off.
The girl turned around and watched him until he was out of sight.
Remy let out a soft chuckle.
Still got it he told himself while he knew he had never lost it.
Getting off his motorcycle he started to fill up his tank.
The anger started to dissipate and was replaced with self assurance.
Rogue was his, and if anybody tried to take her away there was going to be hell to pay!