Note: Sorry this took so long. Been busy. Yes, this most likely has loads of spelling mistakes in it, but I feel I owe you guys at least a rough draft for making you wait this long.
Chapter 33
Rogue was nervous as she folded and packed away another shirt. It had been over a week since the dis crowning of Marcus and Jean Luc in the forest. And during that week she had to help set up Henri and Marcus' coronation by attending and actually having to learn how to crown them. She had to be the one to give a big speech out not once but twice in front of all the New Orleans thieves and assassins and higher court members. One after the other. It was scary and nerve wrecking and she had to keep looking at Gambit in the first row to keep herself calm. Afterwards there had been a shared party with a big cake which she was happy about. She was also happy when tante Mattie had come to her side during the party and told her just how proud she was of her, saying she was taking being the head of all the guilds job well and making good choices. She'd also been confused by tante when she said that one of the reasons she was doing well was because she was finding allies and creating her own new court. Tante had to explain to rogue that she'd found two new upcoming court members in gambit and belladonna to represent their guilds. Tante also advised rogue to go and makesure she made friends with other guild member from every guild and earn their loyalty so she could continue to create her new court for when the old court that tante was apart of ran their course. Tante Mattie had made rogue stick around in New Orleans longer because to explain a few more things to her. Belladonna and Mecri made her stay so they could all go shopping. The courts made her stay for a few last couple of meetings before they all set off to return home for the time. Rogue also had to stay to fill in paperwork to make it official that Julian and Henri were the new rulers and jean Luc and Marcus had been de crowned. She left what happen to their fates up to their sons. And lastly rogue also had to help advise and create the list of all the people in the guilds and outside of the guilds who were allies. She had to add in all her xmen friends and still, she wasn't finished adding their information to it. She needed their pictures and she needed to go home. So that was why she was packing. It was time for her to go back home to the xmen.
"hey." Gambit said as he entered the room. Gambit had done wonders at keeping rogue safe from any hits or framing and just plainly keeping her out of trouble and keeping her calm. He was a little worried about going back to Bayvillie to live with the xmen too, but he was being strong and quite about his worry for rogues sakes. Only she knew about it already. Gambit had just come back from a long walk around the LeBeau mansion in which he managed to clear his head and prepare himself for leaving. He'd come back to his and rogues room to find rogue looking worriedly down into her suitcase. There were clothes till everywhere on the floor, on the bed and hanging in the room was a mess.
"hey." She said back, looking longingly into his eyes. He gave a soft smile then came to sit behind her, pulling rogue into his lap and arms.
"it'll be alright cher. Everything's gonna be fine."
"ah know that. And ah know that your gonna be finah too sugar. And if they do start givin ya anygrief guess I'll just have ta teach those kids a lesson or too."
gambit chukled. "I can take care of moi self Cherie."
"ah know. But it seems only fair. Ya took care of meh ever since ah left the xmen. Seems fitting that ah protect you from them if it's needed."
"Alright then cher. If ya really wanna protect me then ya can, just as long as I still get ta hold ya close to me during the middle of de night. N I don't wanna see anyone else flirtin with moi woman. You belong to me mon Cherie."
rogue playfully slapped his arm. "Ain't you possessive."
"over you cher, defiantly. Can't have anything happening to ya or anyone taking ya away from moi. And once I get dat ring on ya finger, ya mine forever and for always." Gambits lips gently touched rogues. He'd tried proposing twice and rogue had turned him down both times. The truth was it was driving him crazy having to share the same bed as rogue, but not being able to go any future. He was mad for the girl, but he was sure that once he did have that ring on her finger and have her his, then their wedding night would be a night he'd never forget.
Rogue had turned him down because she wanted to do what normal couples did and not rush into things like the characters in twilight. Yes, she was madly truely deeply in love with Remy LeBeau and thought why bother waiting when she did want him then and there. But she had the chance to be normal now. To expectancies dating. She wanted to experience dating before rushing into married and she'd explained this to gambit. He was up for that too. Truthfully, he'd only dated once with belladonna, but that was more kids stuff as they were friends when they liked each other. This was real.
XXXXX
Later that day, they stood outside the mansion gates just staring at it from afar. The place seemed bigger to both of them than they remembered. It was getting late but there were still kids playing mutant volleyball out front. Gambit slipped his hand into rogues bare one, but rogue moved her hand out from his. He gave her a questioning look.
"ah wanna suprize em all. Ah told Logan not ta say anything bout ma control before he left."
Gambit nodded, then instead wrapped his arm around rogues waist. "You ready?"
"bout as ready as Ah'll ever be. Come on then. Let's get all these clothes in that bell and Merci made me buy."
"oh really, Bella and Mecri made you buy black leather goth clothes? Hmmm, doesn't sound much of their style."
rogue rolled her eyes at gambit, then typed in her old pass code. She hoped it would open and when it did she felt a welcomed deja view. She was and always had been welcomed at the Xavier mansion. Rogue and gambit took the next major steps and started the long walk towards the mansion.
As they passed the mutant kids, they stopped playing their game and watched rogue pass with this new hunky guy wrapped around her waist. Then they tried guessing who he was and whispered about wondering where rogue had been. Somebody made a comment about it being obvious why she's been away if she had that huck hanging around her waist. Rogue blushed overhearing the girl but gambit just chuckled. As they got closer and closer to the mansion, the doors burst open and out pooped all of her team mates and mentors. She was worried about their attitude, but it appeared Logan had told things in her favour as she ended up smiling back at all the others smiling at her. before she could even get close to the steps up to the entrance though, a blue elf came jumping down and out at her, entangling her in a bone crashing hug.
"rogue, where've you been? You've had no idea how worried we've been."
rogue hugged him back, a tear coming to her eye. "Ah know, ah'm sorry Kurt. But ah had ta go."
"you could have come back and told us you were leaving."
"...ah know... But ah was scared."
kurt moved back, but kept hold of rogue. He looked into her eyes seriously and rogue became scared at the anger she saw in them. "You shouldn't have been. You did nothing wrong. Those jerks...grrr." Rogue spirit lightened as she figured out Kurt was mad at the guys and girls who bullied her before She ran away.
The next person to phrase past Kurt and jump on rogue, axcedentally knocking rogue backwards and falling on top of her was Kitty. "Rogue your back."
There was laughter from above and behind them then the moan of "Kitty, get off her. I was hugging her."
"no way. you had your turn." The next thing rogue knew Kurt was there nudging Kitty off her and trying to hug rogue too. they continued to argue and all rogue could do was burst out laughing at how much she'd missed their bickering.
Next to come to her side were Scott and Jean. Scott and Jean pulled Kitty and Kurt off rogue, telling them to knock it off, then Scott gave rogue a hand up. Rogue accepted it and was pulled into a hug with Scott summers. Rogue felt a bit confuesd at first, but accepted the hug until she felt a hand placed gently on the low of her back and straight away she knew who it was. "good to have you back rogue." Rogue moved out of the hug and found herself feeling the strong body of gambit behind her. a jealous gambit. rogue gave a smile to scott in return to being welcomed back.
"its good to have you back rogue." said jean grey. rogue turned to look at jean. it felt too awkward to huge her or anything really so instead she just smiled and jean smiled back. jeans eyes moved up to gambit. "hello." jean said to gambit and rogue suddenly found herself jealous.
"bonjure."
"rogue, its good to have you back. and it is good to see you helping out our rogue again gambit." said the professor as he came rolling up towards the group with logan, storm, logan and beast by his side.
"well, she helped moi first, mon ami...im sorry for taking rogue away." gambit said sounding rather guilty, rogue felt even more guilty.
"yes, logan here has already explained the situation." the professor meet eyes with logan and a look of agreed disapointment was shared. then they turned that look towards rogue. "but i cant say i agree with everything that has happened. however logan has also informed me that you understand fully how wrong you were to run away from your problems rogue."
rogue couldn't meet anyones eyes. she felt gambit give a little squze to her side. she looked up at him and into those calming caring eyes. Finally she meet the Professor's eyes.
"Yes. I'm just starting to realise that I should face my problems insteada run away from em. And that I don't need ta face em all alone either." And Rogue gave Gambit's hand a squeeze back.
XXXXX
It had taken three hours and twenty minutes to retell all the story in detail back to the X-Men, though not too much detail. Rogue and Gambit purposely left out the sharing a bed and some 'arguements' that were best if the X-Me didn't know just how bad things had gotten between them. Logan was already cracking his knucks the first five minutes into the explanation.
"I see." The Professor finally said. "Well..." He seemed a little speechless. "As long as you are safe and have nothing more in your past which will cause you problems, then I think we can leave the past behind us as you have learned from your mistakes. Both of you." The Professor looked to Gambit, who put his head down as a gentle red blush lit his checks."Perhaps now we can talk of the future. Rogue I understand that you have agreed to be a step in, erm, guild master and that you are expected to continue to be this person, but I'm afraid you are no thief or assassin. You are an X-Man Rogue. And a teenage girl. I have delt with the school. Kurt and Kitty informed me at once about the unfair actions of the school. Their places were threatened too, only my court case against Princiable Kelly was sucessful enough to have him decide to leave teaching. The new headmaster, I'm sure you'll find, is more accepting of mutants and is willing to take you back Rogue. You can pick up where you left of and continue-"
Rogue put up her hand to silence the Professor. She was starting to notice a pattern more and more. She looked at Gambit and she saw in his concerned red eyes that he noticed it too.
"Professor... Ah'm not going back to school."
"But Rogue... You must. You need to finish your education so you can get a good job."
Rogue chuckled. "But you see Professor, ah already have a job."
"Rogue, these court members of the guildes cannot make you do something you have no experiance about."
"Ah know. Ah get it. Ah do. It seems like ah've been forced or conned inta working for the guilde and, in a way, yeah ah have, but ah have ma own reasons for saying yes ta the job. Ya see, with this job comes privilages of power. Power that ah can do good with. That ah wanna do good with. And one of the first things ah wanna do with that power is open up a guilde for mutants."
The Professor looked shocked and so did the rest of the X-Men. "Rogue, you couldn't possibly think the X-Men would lower ourselves to be criminals did you?" Asked Scott.
Rogue felt Gambit tensen besides her. "No, ah don't. And that ain't what ah mean. Ah think ya best hearin me out first Scott before jumping to conclusions and judging a book by it's cover."
Jean touched Scott's shoulder from where she was sat and Scott sat back, relaxing more. "Ah've learnt alot from the past week or so. Ah've learnt that even though we fight and we try ta get equal rights for mutants, it's just not working as much as we need it to. Mutants are suffering...Getting rejected for what they are."
The Professor's frown deepened. "You're sounding a lot like Magneto Rogue. Please enlighten me and tell me you are not siding with his views."
"Not exsacly."
"Not exsacly? What does that mean stripes?" Said Logan in a growl.
"It means that ah see where he's coming from, but at the same time ah don't wanna go through a war ta make a stand against humanity. No, what ah wanna do which ah've already got permisson of the guilde leaders to do is set up a mutant guilde where any and all mutants are welcome to join and be looked after and cared for by the mutant guilde."The X-Men all looked at each other, seeming quite suprized and confused by what Rogue was saying. Rogue looked to Gambit for comfort and confidence and then turned back to the Professor. "You see Professor, the guildes were actually made to compate unjustified crime thiefs guilde was created to take money from the greedy rich and give it to the poor. The assassin's guilde was made to kill major people who disrupt the peace and abuse their power. There's the prostitutes guilde which helps look after girls, or guys, who have no chose but to sell their bodies to get by. The guilde buys them food and gives them beds to sleep in and makes sure nothing bad happens to them... It's kinda the idea I had in mind for the mutant guilde."
"Wait, wait, you saw mutants as prostitutes?" Said Scott sounding offened.
"No, well, yes. What's wrong with prostitutes anyway?" Scott went silent. "What ah meant was how they function. Mutants who have been abandoned or feel alone and need a place to call home could come and join the guilde and get help with finding food, shelter, a job and place to call home. Help them get by and be justified and know they have someone to turn to. Do y'all understand now?"
"Yes Rogue. I think we understand. It sounds quite a lot like the work the X-Men are trying to do."
"Yeah, I know. But the fact is the guilde is a lot bigger and has a lot more money than you Professor." The Professor raised his eye brow. "Ya see Professor, I wanna create this guilde cause it won't only be across America, but globle. A lotta mutants will be getting the same help you give here only from all round the world. The only problem is, well, I need your help Professor. In leading this new guilde diversion."
The Professor looked in deep thought. "Ah mean, it does sound great and all, but the guilde'll need people who know what they're doing, or who'll know how ta teach other people how ta help teach other mutants how ta control their powers."
"I see." Said the Professor. "Well the truth is Rogue is that I need time to consider this offer."
"OK." said Rogue, nodding her head, "Yeah, erm, OK." Rogue looked to Gambit. He purposely ran his fingers down her arm so Rogue could absorb his thoughts and see that he was saying to her 'we've just gotta wait now cherie. nothing more we can do.'
"How long will you be staying with us Rogue?" Asked the Professor. He did not seem happy. Rogue looked to him.
"Well, ah was hoping we could stay for a week or two since we haven't seen anyone in such a long time. Will that be alright."
"Of course." Said the Professor, a little more cheery. "Take as long as you want. We're happy to have you... But Rogue, you still need an education."
Rogue frowned. "I know." She said quietly. "But the truth is Professor, I'm not going back ta that school. The amount of problems it's cause me. That it's caused us. And all the problems we've caused it... The mutant guild will teach mutants the basics too. Math, English, Science so that they can get jobs too. Ah guess ah could just start taking class after everything is set up. But for now, ah have other duties which are more important. We have other duties which are more important. If the guilds are ta keep going and ta help mutants, then we gonna take care of all the guilds instead just one. We've got ta visit every existing guild there is and see to it that all is fair and equal. If not, we're gonna have to step in or something... Ah'm not really sure. Remy's the one who's good for that. He knows the rules better than me. Ah might know some rules from his mind, but not all of them. Ah'm just the face that's been chosen to represent the External. Gambit's the real brains behind things."
"You have brains too ya know. You did save Bella Donna and the guilds."
"Yeah, but I needed your help along the way."
"Guess we make a good team then, huh?"
"Guess we do." Rogue said moving more snuggly into Gambit. He kissed her on the top of her head.
"Gross, vill you two stop being so...interment!" Cried Kurt.
"You go without human contact for most of your life then tell meh that ya wouldn't want to be hugged and kissed as often as this by the people you love."
Kurt frowned, then smiled, jumping down from the ceiling and jumping towards Rogue. He wrapped her into a tight hug and said, "If you wanted a hug, all you had to do was ask."
Rogue laughted and patted Kurt's back. "OK little brother. Your killin meh here."
"Good cause if you ever run avay again, with him, freely or kidnapped, I mean it. Next time I'll make you suffer."
"Alright, alright. Ah get it. Now get off meh."
Kurt got off Rogue. There was a moment of complete and utter bliss they shared looking into each others eyes.
"How about a freshing meal and then bed? It has been a long tiring day, and I'm sure everyone is farmished." Said Hank.
The gaze between Kurt and Rogue was broken as people agreed and started to move out. Rogue stood up, feeling Gambit stand up behind her as she did. The others walked past her saying stuff like "good to have you back Rogue" or commenting on what a good piece of meat she'd caught.
Rogue just smiled and waved. Until Logan came over to them. She felt Gambit's hand on her lower back, but LOgan wasn't coming for her. He was going for him. "You better take care of her! You break her heart, I'll break your bones." Wolverine then lifted up his fist, flashing his claws in Gambit's face. "Do i make myself clear?"
Gambit nodded. "Mon ami, I wouldn't have it any other way if I did hurt her."
"Good then we're on the same page." And Logan retracted his claws. He looked to Rogue, placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Good to have you back strips. Stick around for a bit and don't let this one here take you away from us too soon." He was refuring to Gambit.
Rogue smiled. "I won't." She said. Then Wolverine left Gambit and Rogue on there own.
Both let out a deep breath and feel back into the sofa. "So, who do ya thinks worse? You're family or mine?"
"Defently mine." Said Gambit smiling as he pulled Rogue closer to him."You might not think they care, but I think they do. They just have a funny way of showing it. But at least nobodies trying to kill you here."
Rogue giggled. "Do you get death threats whereever you go?"
"Pritty much." Joked Gambit. "I'm just dat sorta person people hate, but woman fall for."
Rogue raised her eyebrow to this. "Oh, woman fall for you, do they?"
"Cher, don't be jealous. Think we been through enough drama for now ta last us at less, oooow, a few months. Can we not go through another large arguement just yet? I've only just got you back, and I'm enjoying this, here, what we have right now. Can't we just bask in it?"
Rogue giggled as Gambit started to place butterfly kisses along her neck. "Fraid not sugar."
Gambit pouted. "Awwww, why not?"
"Cause it's dinner time. Come on. Let's go eat."
XXXXX
Rogue lay in her own old room in the mansion looking up to the ceiling. They hadn't changed one thing about her room. It felt nice, but at the same time, strange. And cold. And empty. Rogue looked to her side where Gambit should have been, but he wasn't there. Logan had made sure to seperate them, but Rogue was missing Gambit badly. Gambit had attempted a few times to get to Rogue's room, but had to go back when someone found him seeking around. It was as if the whole mansion was on watch for him.
In the end, Rogue kicked off the quiltes, stood up and walked out of her room. She was in a large baggy t-shirt of Gambit's which had been keeping her comfort, but just wasn't the same as having a body next to her. Rogue passed Scott in the hallways. He started to say something to her, but it was too late and she was too tired to hear him moan. She knew what it was about anyway, but she didn't care.
Rogue reached her destination, knocked three times, then entered, not caring what was happening on the other side. And on the other side stood Gambit whom had just gotten off the bed to come answer the door. The bed sheets were ruffled but not slept in. He'd been struggling to sleep without her too. Rogue walked into Gambit's arms and felt like she was being envolped into heaven itself.
Gambit guided them back to the bed and under the sheets. For a long while they just lay hugging each other and watching each other.
"Are we doin' the right thing?" Asked Rogue.
"For the guild? Oui, we are mon cherie." Answered Gambit.
"But what about ourselves? We both wanted to be freed of our duties. Mine to the X-Men, you to the guild. But look at us. We're back where we started. Only this time ah'm involved in your thieves guild and your going to be recruited to be an X-Men. Remy do you think it's destiny that we'll always be working for people we don't want to?"
Gambit started twisting a piece of Rogue's white hair around his finger. "Non, mon cherie. There be no such thing as destiny. We make our own decitions. We decided what happens to us in life through the choices we make. Not some stupid made up force that controls us."
"Then how did we end up back here if it was our choices not to come back here."
Gambit stopped playing with her hair. "Our other decitions... They can effect us too."
There was silence. "You think that me deciding to take revenge was what put us here."
"Non, I think my decition to trick you into marrying me in the first place did." Said Gambit, looking away.
Rogue hooked her finger under Gambit's chin and made him face her."But, then again, we wouldn't be here with each other if you hadn't."
"No, I guess not."
"So, do you think we just failed to accomplish our wishes or do you think we found something better that we sacrifed our freedom for?"
Gambit half smiled. "I'd defently say I found something better."
"But at a prize." Said Rogue, upset.
"We have a lot more freedom than before." Gambit tried cheering her up.
Rogue rolled onto her back, away from Gambit. "Yeah... When I was on my own just then, ah had time to think about things. All kinda things. Like if ah'd been conned inta being the guild master and if ah'm going to be conned inta rejoining the X-Men and stuff... Then ah thought that ah was dragging you along for the ride and not listenin' to what you wanted. What do you want Remy?"
Gambit moved over to begin stroking the side of her check with his bare hand. He just couldn't get enough of that snow soft skin. "I just wanna be with you mon cherie and whereever you will be, I will be too."
"Seriously Remy. What else do you want to do with your life?"
Gambit looked away thoughtful. A few moments of silence passed before he said, "I've always been te bad guy. Always been ordered to steal for greed, lie, scheme... I th'ink I wanna try been a good guy for a change. Using moi skills for good work instead of bad deeds. To help more people who don't have a choice. Who are being forced into doing things they don't want to do."
"Like you were forced into marriage?" Said Rogue.
Gambit went quiet. "Oui." Rogue turned to give him easier access to wrap his arms around her and hug her tight to him. Rogue began running her hands through his hair and thinking. Thinking for a long time. For long moments. Long enough that she thought Gambit might have fallen asleep when she began talking again.
"Ah think... We've been goin' along with whatever we can ta survive. Survials good and all, but it's not living. Now we're away from the guild though, ah think it'll be easier to take control of our own lifes... Ah think... Ah think we should just do this job of peace maker between guilds and then, after that, make sure not to get pulled into any other scheme of the guilds and focus on creating a mutant guild. A guild where we can help all types of mutants. Mutants who just don't know how to control their powers to mutants who need serious help. Serious help that you needed. That you wanna do."
Gambit looked up to Rogue through half open eyes and smiled. "That sounds bon, mon cher. Very bon."
"Oui... Ah think though... Ah think it should also be a school just for mutants. Ah don't want any mutant kid to go through the same abuse ah did during high school. If only the Xaveir's mansion was a school then it would have been so much better. So much more understanding and less hate crime... It sounds like we're rebuilding the X-Men, but ah think this could be the future. If only the Professor would listen. What will it take for him to see that no matter how hard he tries there are just gonna be limits which he can't pass. Things that can't be done. You can't send kids with visiual mutant abilities to school or else they'll be marginalised and their other mutant friends won't be there for them all the time. It's good mixing with people, but trying to mix with people and accomplish something as tricky as an education at the same time just won't work..."
"Sounds like you've planned out our future pretty well and strict cher." Said Gambit.
"Oh, Remy ah'm so sorrah. Ah got carried away. You don't have ta-"
Gambit put up his hand to silence Rogue. "It's fine Rogue. I like your plan. I'm happy to go forth with it. But you do know there will be people who try to stop us, non?"
Rogue smiled. "Yeah, isn't there always."
"Oui. So, we just gotta keep a strong head and keep focused on what we want and we'll make it in the end." Gambit's hand explored Rogue's body in the most modest way possible, yet in a check manor too. "You just gotta stand up to the X-Men, and I'll be right there ta support and get ya by it-"
"And ah gotta be there for you too when you face your theives guild and support you when you start telling them non ta using you."
Gambit's grin grew more. "Well said mon cherie. Now though, I th'nk de X-Men and de guilds have had their fair share of our time today. HO's about we do something fun that only involves us two, non?"
Rogue giggled nerviously. "What you got in mind swamp rat?"
Gambit began kissing Rogue and ticking her so that she laughted and smiled as her arms tighted around the man she loved.
