Chapter Two
Remy was sitting in Professor Xavier's office, staring at the smiling bald man. He was now thinking the same thoughts he had thought all the four years he had once spent in this mansion, his head is shinny. The Professor gave an amused laugh, hearing this thought. Thank you for noticing Gambit. My lack of hair never fails to get your attention.
Gambit grinned guiltily, "Sorry Professor," he apologized. "Y' know Gambit is easily amused."
"Indeed," the professor replied.
Behind Remy's chair stood a frowning Storm, "Remy were you thinking what I think you were thinking?"
"It's quite alright Storm," Professor Xavier said. "After having Gambit in the mansion for four years I've gotten used to it, and in a strange way I even missed it during the year that you've been gone. Which brings us to why you're here. As glad I am that you decided to return to the X-Men I am curious to why. The last time you wrote to us you were telling us the details of your upcoming wedding."
Remy shifted uncomfortably in his chair, "Well . . . things didn't go exactly as planned," he stated. He could feel Storm's interrogating eyes on him. "Y' see Belle's brother Marius wasn't exactly thrilled in welcomin' moi to de family. Especially Marius. Y' see he done start a fight at de wedding. An people got hurt, assassins as well as tieves, all cos Marius an I started fighting."
"Gambit you didn't-" Storm began bit he cut her off.
"No one was killed Stormy," Remy said defensively, almost to defensively. "But Remy was banished for N'Orleans just the same. Dere aint gonna be a wedding for awhile." Then he added under his breath, "not dat Belle would want to marry me anymore anyways."
Storm stared at Remy with a disapproving look. She never like Belle and was secretly glad he wasn't going to marry her, but that still didn't excuse the mess that came out of it. The Professor on the other hand was staring at Remy thoughtfully.
"It is indeed unfortunate to how you have come to be here," the professor said. "But we are glad just the same to have you back. The X-Men unfortunately have diminished in number since you left," he said frowning.
"Oui," Remy said sadly. "Heard about what happened with Jean. Storm told me when I called her to tell her I was coming back." Behind him, Storm's face had gone solemn and she was now gazing at the floor with a sad look.
"Both Wolverine and Cyclops left after her death," the professor went on. "That's three X-Men gone."
Remy gave the professor a puzzled look, "Who's Wolverine?"
The Professor smiled and explained, "Wolverine as fate would have it arrived along with another mutant named Rogue, the day after you left."
"Rogue?' Remy questioned. He turned to Storm, "Isn't she de one we saw last night?" Storm nodded.
"Ah, so you've already met her?" The professor asked.
"Not officially, de fille ran off befo' dere was a proper introduction."
"I see," the professor said, his lips forming a frown that matched the one Storm had on last night after Rogue had run off. She's getting worse isn't she? Storm's thoughts asked. He gave Storm a sad look, It is not so uncommon for certain mutants to alienate themselves from others, even those of their own kind, he said into her mind.
You didn't answer my question, Storm glared.
Xavier sighed and shook his head, She is getting worse yes. I fear she may even try to leave. Storm looked at him in alarm.
Remy noticed the looks the professor and Storm were giving each other and knew instantly they were having a conversation without him. He coughed loudly and they both looked up at him in surprise. "Sorry t' interrupt the mind chats, but Remy really hungry and was wondering if he could go get something to eat so y' two can talk out loud while he's gone."
The professor chuckled, "Of course, forgive our rudeness Remy you may go. You remember where the cafeteria is?"
"Oui," he said heading out the door, planting a quick kiss on Storm's cheek before leaving.
Storm glared at him playfully as he closed the door behind him and shook her head. "He hasn't changed."
Xavier nodded, "Its nice to know that some things don't." His expression went dark again as he thought about Rogue.
"Do you think we should call Logan?" Storm asked. "He is the closest thing to family she has."
"Logan was distant with everyone after Jean died," the professor said. "Even Rogue. It may be harder on her if he comes back. Until he recovers from this loss he will always be distant and that will not help Rogue but possibly make it worse."
"I could talk to Bobby see if you could-"
"Bobby has already tried," the professor cut her off. "Remember she's the one who broke up with him. I've seen Bobby try to maintain friendship with her, but like with everyone else she just pushes him away."
Storm sat down in the chair Gambit had been previously sitting in and leaned her elbows on the Professor's desk. "First we lose Jean, then Wolverine and Cyclops lose themselves in their own grief, and now we might lose Rogue to herself."
xXxXx
Gambit wandered into the loud cafeteria. It was filled with students and a couple of staff chatting loudly. He saw a lot of familiar faces and even more unfamiliar faces. Some of the faces he searched for in particular were no longer there. Like Pyro, dieu he hoped Pyro was still there. That fire starter was one of the best people to go to when wanting to start a prank, but for some reason he always hung out with Ice man. Not that there was anything wrong with him, he was a nice guy, but he was too much of a goody goody. There was no fun with Ice man.
"Hey Gambit!" A voice called out to him. Speak of the devil, Gambit thought as he turned to see Iceman sitting at a table with a couple more students, some of whom Gambit recognized.
Gambit smiled and took his tray over there and sat down, "Well, well if it ain de popcicle," Remy said playfully shaking Iceman's held out hand.
"Good to see you Gambit," Iceman said. He motioned to the rest of the table, "You remember Kitty, Jubilee, Carol and Piotr?"
"Oui," he said winking at Jubilee and Kitty. Kitty blushed and Jubilee giggled. "Dieu dere are so many new people here now."
"Yeah you know how it is here," Iceman said. "People are always coming and going."
"Speaking of coming and going where's de pyro?" Gambit asked searching the cafeteria for him.
Bobby and the other kids at the table exchanged weird looks. "He's not here anymore," Bobby said in a low voice.
Remy raised an eyebrow, "What, he found a better school for mutants?"
Bobby's eyes darkened. "No, he found Magneto."
"What?" Remy said, his voice full of surprise and anger. "He didn't." He looked from Bobby's face to the faces of the rest of the kids at the table. "Merde!" he exclaimed. "Gambit gonna kick some sense in dat punk de next time he sees him! What he thinking goin wit Magneto?" Gambit cursed under his breath. He had been an X-Men for three of the four years he was at the mansion. He had fought Magneto, and knowing he'd probably fight Pyro once he got settled back into being an X-Men pissed him off.
"Well if your joining up again you'll probably get your chance," Kitty said.
Remy looked back up at Bobby but he was no longer paying attention to the people at the table. His gaze was directed at someone walking a few feet behind where Remy was sitting, and his dark expression changed to one of friendliness, "Hey Rogue!" He called out waving his arm to the person behind Remy.
Remy's eyes widened in surprise and turned to see the girl he had seen last night carrying a tray. She was dressed in all black, most of her skin covered. Even her neck was wrapped in a thin black scarf. Remy noticed the two white stripes in her hair that he somehow hadn't noticed last night.
"Rogue over here!" Bobby called her over.
Rogue looked in his direction and gave a small smile and shook her head and then walked over to an empty table and sat down. Bobby shrank back into his seat with disappointment.
"Can you say Ice Queen?" Carol said laughingly.
"Don't call her that!" Bobby snapped angrily.
"Hey it's not my fault she shunned everyone she knows," Carol said defensively. "I mean come on, she dumps you and stops talking to everyone else. How cold can you get?"
Remy watched Rogue as she took off her gloves and began to pick at her food. She looked so lonely there sitting by herself. "Why she wear does gloves?" He asked.
"She can't touch," Carol answered. "At least not without the risk of killing whoever she touches."
"An y' were datin' her?" Remy asked turning to Bobby.
"Yeah," Carol answered for him. "But she dumped him a couple months ago, she dumped the rest of us too. Ever since Wolverine left she hasn't said so much a word to anyone."
"Carol" Bobby warned.
Carol didn't answer and kept on going, "She just sits by herself reading her little books."
Bobby was glaring at her now. "Stop."
"Some people say she's distant cuz she's got Magneto in her head and she's planning on leaving to join him just like John did."
"Shut up!"
Carol gave a fake sweet smile and opened her mouth to say more but Remy cut her off, "She got Magneto in her head?" He gave them puzzled looks.
"When Rogue touches someone she absorbs them," Kitty said quietly. All eyes turned to her. "She gets their thoughts, their feelings, and she even has their powers for a little while."
"And when did she touch Magneto?" He asked worriedly. Remy had been up against Magneto before, none of those encounters had been pleasant.
"Oh that's the best part," Carol chimed in. "You see when Rogue first came here, she came with a mutant named Wolverine. Wolverine can make claws come out of his hands and he heals himself, and on their first night here he stabbed her through the chest when she tried to wake him so he she absorbed his powers to heal herself and almost killed him in the process. But it freaked everyone out so much that she ran away right into Magneto who tried to use her to power this machine to turn humans into mutants. It took his power but would have killed him to do it, so he made Rogue take his power so she'd die instead." Carol sighed, "To bad it didn't work."
"Dat's terrible," Remy said, eyeing Rogue with sympathy.
If looks could kill Carol would have died a million time over by now from the glares she was getting from Bobby. Carol however was not intimidated and smiled sweetly at him and returned to her food only lifting her head when Remy picked up his tray and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Bobby asked.
"Remy gonna go talk to her," he stated.
"Many have tried," Carol said in a sing song voice. Then lowering her voice she added, "all have failed."
Bobby glared at her again and Kitty and Jubilee rolled their eyes. Piotr stared after Remy as he made his way over to Rogue's table. "Think she'll talk to him?" He asked.
Carol wasn't the only one to give him a doubtful look.
