(Six)

"Logan really told you all that?" Remy asked, unable to hide his surprise.

"Yeah. 'S funny thing, huh? He didn't yell, he just... he just tried ta teach me sumpthin'. I think maybe he don't hate me like he used to."

Remy smiled, happy that things were better between Kimble and Logan. " 'E never really hated you. 'E just didn't understand you. We all been workin' on dat. Glad to see our efforts been payin' off."

Kimble laughed softly at that. "Yeah, so I figgered that Angel really is my Mistress, there ain't nobody else. I gots ta think 'bout what I do cuz she's watchin' me, learnin' from me. I gots ta stay away from the bad things. I been doin' good, stayin' calm. Stayin' outta trouble an' focusin' on the people what care about me, not big guys with fists what don't really love me."

"You should know dat already, cher."

"It's different fer me. A guy comes up ta me, I see a client. He touched me an' everythin' else just went away, y' know?"

"Non, Gambit doesn't know. 'E ain't never been like that."

"No one's ever touched ya and just made yer whole world spin around?"

Remy grunted a laugh and replied a bit enigmatically, "Yeah, but it wasn't no touch dat did it. It was a dance."

"A dance?" Kimble repeated, a bit confused. It wasn't that the reply was so odd, it was the strange swirling in Gambit's shine when he said it. This wasn't an offhand remark, it was leading up to something.

"Yeah," Remy answered, shaking his head a bit sheepishly, a wry grin on his lips. "One of dose freaky t'ings. Was far from 'ome, not feelin' all dat good. Was gonna go fight some war dat wasn't even mine de next day, but funny t'ing, dat dance. Fo' just dat one moment, it ain't never felt so good to just be alive. I never got to t'ank dat guy for dancin' wit me. T'ink mebbe it's time to rectify dat," he finished, making sure he was looking right into Kimble's eyes when he said it. It was Kimble he was speaking of and he wanted the Siskan to know it.

Kimble was motionless at that, not sure he was hearing what he thought he was. The words were innocent enough, but Remy's shine was saying something entirely different. It was a mistake what was there, it had to be. Kimble, disbelieving, shrugged his shoulders and said dismissively, "It wasn't no big deal."

Remy smoothly slid from the bench onto his feet, all the better to get closer to Kimble and palm his face with one long, slender hand. "Non. It was a big deal to me."

Kimble couldn't believe it, not even when Remy leaned in for what had to be the most unexpected and perfect kiss of his life. Oh, Kimble had been a Courtesan of the highest quality and had performed well, but nothing from then compared to this gift he had just been given. When it was done, there wasn't a part of Kimble that wasn't shaking. "Remy..." he gasped, unable to say anything more.

Remy just shushed him, laying a finger across his lips. "Dis long overdue and we bot' know it. I ain't gonna lie, Kim. I ain't never done dis sorta t'ing an' I ain't got one fuckin' clue what to do -"

" -You don' hafta -" Kimble sputtered in protest. He still couldn't believe that this was being willingly done, it was too much to hope for. Good things like this just didn't happen to him, not for real.

He was cut off himself when Remy decided that talking wasn't helping. He silenced his friend with another kiss, laughing a little when Kimble's tools fell to the bench with a clatter as the poor Siskan was a bit overwhelmed by it.

This hadn't been entirely unplanned on Remy's part. After hearing what happened with Big Mike, Remy knew he had to bring Kimble's present celibacy to an end or he would just keep taking up with trash like that. Kimble needed to be told – no, to be shown – that he was worth more than that and deserved much better. There was only one way he knew how to do that and that was his own surrender to all the love he felt in his heart for Kimble. He would do this thing and he would do it all the way – he wasn't going to take Kimble like he had with Aiden, that was no different than being with a woman and carried no risk on his part. The only way to do this right was to give himself to Kimble, not the other way around, a thought that was both scary and terribly exciting all at once. Remy was a risk taker, had been his whole life, but heck, most times, it worked out for the best.

Kimble's trembling grew worse, his legs almost giving way as he was blown away. He was the Courtesan, the one who was supposedly the more sexually experienced of the pair, but here he was, being knocked off his socks, his hands up in the air and flopping about uselessly like a virgin. The two of them shuffled around a bit in a rough dance, Kimble trying to retreat and get his bearings and Remy not letting go of his mouth with his own. Remy didn't dare, he wasn't going to give Kimble the chance to worm out of this. Besides, he didn't want to think too much about this himself, there was no way he was going to back down. Not now. Not after he had initiated this.

SQ – I just want to take a moment as the author of this little fanfic to say that we've been building up to this moment for like what? 20 books now? In order to do it justice there is simply no way I can legally publish the rest of this chapter the way I have written it. Not with the M rating restriction this site has imposed (squeekness has already pushed the bubble of that rating a little too far already!). So,those folks who are interested in reading a fully detailed accounting of what would normally follow should kindly look to my homepage (you can get to it through my profile here). I have posted a text document there with the proper chapter as I think it should be read. It will contain – obviously – strong sexual content and should not be read by anyone who would be offended by that. The link on my page will not be obvious, I don't want anyone casually viewing my page from one of the message boards I go to to see it (too many youngin's there!). On the Kimble gallery page, the page that lists all of the books in the Kimble series, there is a blue and red border with blue swords sticking into it. If you click on the upper right hand sword you should see a text document come up labeled "Tryst". It has the same beginning of this chapter on there, but the ending is well, quite different. The link is already set up and it seemed to be working, but if anyone has any trouble with this link please PM me and let me know. – SQ