How Many Thieves Under One Roof

Bib:

Gambit stops one mutant residant from making a huge mistake which somehow ends up with him having a heart to heart with Storm and solving a mystery.

Story:

He hadn't been expecting what he saw. Jubilee pocketing a rectangular box into her yellow coat. He shuck his head from side to side as he watched how much of an ammuiture thief she was.

He had just been minding his own business, but, of course, he couldn't just let one of his new team mates get caught stealing now could he?

The short shopping trip that Jubilee and Remy had together resulted in a small explotion and a bratty little teen giving a grown man attitude as he dragged her back to the mansion.

"Great! I'm gonna be, like, in so much trouble now! Thanks a lot Gambit! Way to go ruining everything!" Jubilee huffed as she entered the mansion.

"These consequences be better dan a trip behind iron bars, petite," Remy said.

Jubilee spun around on one foot to face his as she near screamed at him: "I wasn't going to get caught! You just made a show for nothing!"

Remy stayed routed, unphased by the teen's angry outbust and sparking fists that were being flung around in the air.

"Tell dat t' de security guard y' didn't see approachin' from behind," he said.

This seemed to still Jubilee's outburst.

"What?" She questioned.

"C'est vrai, y' were 'bout t' get caught. I just saved the Prof a trip," Remy said, acting as if the situation wasn't serious, but his tone said otherwise.

Jubilee gulped as she considered what would have happened if Remy didn't intervene.

"Whoa, I had no idea," she said.

Remy couldn't help but snort at that.

"That's for certain. Was whatever it is you took worth a quarter of your life behind bars?"

Jubilee held her head down as she pulled out the rectangular box that was still hidden in her coat. Remy's eyebrow rose as he saw the contains for an incense kit.

"My incense keeps getting stolen from me and, like, no one will tell me who's took them or where they've put them. It's not fair and it's so irritating! I spend a lot of money on these things and people just take them!" Jubilee snapped, going back to waving her hands around in the air.

"Even so, the person who's been takin' your sticks ain't gonna end up behind bars. You wouldva. Y' see mon point?" Remy asked, raising his eyebrow in warning at the junior.

Jubilee looked down once again.

"Yeah, I get it," she huffed.

"Next time y' pull a stupid stunt like dat, you on your own petite. We clear?" Remy asked.

"Yeah, we're," Jubilee said, going to scratch the back of her head, but then a spark of irritation entered her eyes. "Hey, wait a minute! You're a thief aren't you? A professional thief! Why are you, like, lecturing me about stealing when it's your lively hood or something?" she questioned.

"I never had a choice like you do. I stole out of necessity. You stole outta greed. They be two very different things and I don't like greedy thieves,"

Jubilee backed down instantly as Remy's eyes seemed to flash before her.

"R-Right. I get it. No more stealing. Well, just as long as no one take my sticks, then I won't have to-"

"No petite," Remy said in the firmest voice anyone had ever heard from him. "No more stealin'."

At his eyes flashing a second time, Jubilee backed down completely and fled to her room.

"My, that was quite something," a smooth voice said as a graceful woman made her way out of the shadows of the hall.

Remy turned to acknowledge the X-Man known as Ororo, hiding his grimace.

"Bonne apres-midi Stormy. What might I do for y'?" he asked.

Ororo approach Remy with her arms folded and an eyebrow that rose swiftly in irritation.

"Don't call me that," she said.

Remy let her comment fall through as the weather witch glanced up at the stairs where Jubilee had fled to.

"You did well handling her and keeping her out of trouble from what I heard," Ororo said.

Remy just shrugged his shoulders, brushing it off like it was nothing.

"How about some afternoon tea?" Ororo suggested.

"Ain't much of a tea drinker," he said as he began to walk away.

"I insist," she said, not moving from her spot.

Begrudgingly, Remy followed her into the kitchen and sat at the table while she brewed the tea.

"Tell me Remy, have you ever heard of someone known as Achmed el-Gibar?" Ororo asked.

This caught his attention.

"Trader in Cario. How'd you hear 'bout em?" Remy asked.

He found the weather witch's smile fascinating as she poured him a cup of tea.

"I once worked under him," she admitted.

Now Remy smirked, understanding what the weather witch was really saying. She'd been a thief at some point in her life. That was how Achmed el-Gibar came by all his jewels and riches to trade. He was a thief.

"When I was a young girl, I lost my family and was on my own for a time. Achmed el-Gibar gave me a chance to survive. I had heard about the New Orleans thieves' guild back when I was in Cairo, but I never did seek them out," she explained as she drank her tea.

"What changed?" he asked, playing with the cup in front of him.

"I picked the wrong pocket. Charles' pocket to be exact. He tracked me down and showed me the way I was living was only one possible choice. When he showed me that I could do something else with my life. With my gifts, I left Achmed el-Gibar and became a student of his," Ororo explained.

"Bet dat didn't go down well with el-Gibar," Remy said, remembering the man's temper.

"You would be correct. I had to flee Cairo for sometime and distance myself from all known thieving guildes," Ororo said.

"What be your point?" Remy asked her.

"My point is, Remy, that I understand what the transition is like. To move from a life of thieving to becoming a respectable person in the spot light. It's a hard transition to make, especially when you have to do it on your own. So, I just wish to tell you that, if you ever do feel the strain from the alterations in your life, please, seek me out and I will be there to support you," Storm said, reaching out to place her hand over his.

Remy just smirked at Ororo for a reason she probably couldn't guess.

"Thick as thieves till the very end, eh?" he questioned, finally sipping his tea.

He got a small smile out of her from that comment.

"I would appreciate it, however, if you were to keep my past experiences to yourself," Ororo asked, patting his hand before removing it.

"Your secrets be safe with me Stormy, no doubt," Remy said, relishing the glare he got off the weather witch.

"Cajun!" a voice boomed throughout the mansion.

Remy remained spralled out in his chair as a pissed off Logan entered the kitchen, dragging Remy up by the front of his t-shirt.

"What the hell you playing at?" Logan demanded to know. "An explotion in a comestic store, really? Seems to me your just beggin' for an arse whoopin'."

"That's enough Logan!" Ororo snapped at the man, slamming her hands on the table. "Release him now," she commanded.

A grunting nose came from Logan's throat as he took an angry Storm into consideration before throwing the Cajun back into his chair.

"Why you defendin' him Ro? He's just cost chuck an arm and a leg," Logan snapped at her.

"Remy has just been explaining the situation to me. His actions were for a greater cause," Ororo explained.

"Greater 'cause my arse. What lies this swewer rat been feedin' ya?" Logan asked.

Ororo's hair seemed to raise with the static that was growing in the room. Remy just watched the two argue, finding it rather amusing to see two of the supposed leaders of the X-Men go at it.

"That's enough Logan. Ororo is right. Remy was simply acting the way he deemed best," the Professor said as he rolled into the kitchen to join them.

Logan really wasn't accepting what the other two members of staff were telling him well. The conversation seemed to be going around in circles to the point where the Professor dismissed Remy as his presence was just irritating Logan further.

Rather bored of the same argument, Remy took the Professor's out and left for his room. As he was approaching his room upstairs, he spotted a figure a head taller than Jubilee exiting her room. Remy believed his good deeds for the day were about to come to an end with this last act, but then he noticed the white stripes in her hair.

Rogue seemed taken back at seeing him stood there silently watching her.

"What've ah told ya 'bout creepin'!" she snapped at him.

Remy shrugged his shoulder, letting his eyes glance over what was in Rogue's hand as he moved.

"Doesn't seem like I be de one creepin' chérie. What y' got there?" he asked, using his gaze to point at her hand.

He watched Rogue chew the inside of her lip and, eventually roll her eyes as she shrugged her own shoulders.

"Doesn't matter," she said, turning her back on him as she walked off down the corridor.

Remy followed after Rogue, catching up to her in a few long strides as he did.

"Jubilee been sayin' someone been liftin' t'ings from her room. Y' don't happen t' know whom, hmmm?" he questioned, enjoying the blatant stare he received from Rogue.

"No clue," she lied as she continued to make her way towards the stairs that would lead her down to the ground floor where he had just come from.

"Says it be her incense sticks that keep gettin' taken. Y' like incease?" he asked her.

One side of Rogue's face lifted as her eyebrow and lip rose.

"Nope. Everyone tends ta avoid usin' em here since they bother Logan's nose and send him loopy in a bad way if he gets a sniff offa one."

"Loopy huh?" Remy questioned, enjoying the image of a crazed Wolverine in his head.

"Yeah, not the fun loopy either," Rogue confirmed for him.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Logan had left the kitchen and meet the pair at the bottom of the stairs. He seemed distracted as he sniffed the air.

"You ain't messin' with those sweet sticks are you, stripes?" Logan demanded to know, looking grumpy as ever.

Rogue couldn't help the knowing smile that grew on her face. Especially when she knew Remy was in on the joke.

"Nope, not meh. Ah think someone tried ta earlier, but they thought better of it," Rogue explained.

Remy watched Logan eye the upstairs as if debating whether to go up there or not.

"I'm starved. Steak's for dinner stripes?" he questioned, turning his attention back into Rogue now.

"Sounds like a good shout ta meh," Rogue said, beginning to walk off with Logan towards the garage, leaving an amused Remy behind.

xxxxx

French Translations

Petite - Small One
Ç'est vrai - That's Right
Mon - My
Bonne après-midi - Good Afternoon
Chérie - Darling