Chapter 4

"Gambit," Gambit said upon answering his business phone.

"Have yo' broken dat poor fille's heart yet?" came Jean-Luc's voice.

Gambit chuckled. Jean-Luc had been asking him that since the day he found out that he and Rogue had been dating for over three months.

"Non," Gambit replied. "Although, if you've read the news on the Worthingtons lately, she's broken mine."

"Dat was Rogue dat saved young Warren den?"

"Oui."

"Quite a stir dat's caused, no?"

"I t'ink the whole t'ing's been blown out o' proportion myself," Gambit replied. "By the way, have I ever told yo' how t'ankful I am yo' adopted moi? Seriously, when I see how some other mutants turned out, exile doesn't seem so bad."

"Well dat's saying somet'ing coming from yo'," Jean-Luc replied good-naturedly. "And speaking o' which, I have... news."

"Dat sounds ominous. Good or bad?"

"Hmm, depends on your perspective. Marius died last night."

"Heart attack?"

"Oui."

"Belle okay?"

"Like Bella Donna would admit t' grieving anyone, let alone t' the T'ieves Guild."

"Point taken."

"Don't know when the funeral is just yet, but Bella Donna's likely t' be officially sworn in the day after. Den it's just a matter o' waiting fo' her t' consolidate her position and voilà! Your exile is over," Jean-Luc said and Gambit could practically hear him rubbing his hands together gleefully. "And den I can retire."

"Yo'? Retire? Ha! Like dat'll ever happen," Gambit said scornfully.

"It'll happen, mon fils," Jean-Luc insisted. "The same day Bella Donna lifts your exile, I'm retiring."

"Suuuuure."

"I'm serious. No one's going t' be waiting around fo' my death so it becomes a good t'ing/bad t'ing event," Jean-Luc said fiercely. "I'm going t' step down, hand over the reins t' Henri and den spend some long over-due quality time wit' mon autre fils."

"I look forward t' it," Gambit replied softly.

"Besides," Jean-Luc went on, "it's past time I met dis fille o' yours."

Gambit chuckled.

It had taken him a few weeks, but Gambit finally figured out the best way and time to get into Purifiers missile manufacturing plant. The first step was to have Psylocke teleport herself into storage and tag one of the missiles due to leave on the next shipment with a tracking device. Gambit kept an eye on it, but once it reached the place on the map where the empty warehouse in Tennessee was, they lost the signal. They'd debated waiting until the next shipment before going onto the next step, but decided they should proceed after all.

A few days after the shipment left, before they could make too many more missiles and a resupply of the explosives could arrive, Gambit donned one of the Purifier uniforms and invited himself inside. He bypassed security at the gate, and once inside the building started going around with a clipboard and a pen. At first the rest of the group had been rather sceptical about Gambit's ability to get away with doing this unchallenged, but Gambit assured them that no one ever bothers the official-looking guy with the clipboard.

His first stop was to one of the empty offices. He plugged in a drive, tricked the network into logging him in as administrator and set it up to start copying data. He'd take whatever he could get in the short window of time he would have available.

His second stop was to the store room where the missiles were kept. It was one thing to see them on security cameras, quite another to see them in real life. He did a quick survey of the room, making sure he had all the missiles accounted for and check any camera blind spots.

Gambit's third stop was to another store room on the other side of the where the explosives for the warheads were kept. He had been pleasantly surprised to find that the missiles they were making weren't very high yield (how they were planning on destroying Genosha with them, he had no idea; either Psylocke's information was wrong or there was more to their plan than met the eye). Like with the other storeroom, Gambit entered and conducted a quick survey before heading to the power station.

Estimates showed that the amount of explosives on the base wouldn't be enough to harm any civilian properties outside of the Purifier base. For the matter, the destruction Gambit had planned wouldn't completely destroy the base at all, which was why he had to target multiple locations to make sure production – at least at this location – ended.

Gambit arrived at the power station and casually made his way to the fuel supply. Just a small charge was all that was required – a small charge and a quick evacuation through the fire exit. Simultaneously, the fuel blew and the fire alarm went off. Gambit ran back to the hallway leading to the explosives storeroom. He threw a series of charged cards at the door – which broke open – and through the doorway right at the explosives. As soon as enough had gotten through for his taste, Gambit bolted once more, racing past the office with his drive – which he yanked out of the computer – and then for the final store room.

This time, instead of charged cards or a single spark, Gambit ran inside and located the most central missile, which he had identified earlier. He charged it up as high as he could without completely draining himself and ran for the door. He barely made it out of the complex before the store house and all the missiles therein exploded.

Using his staff, Gambit jumped over the fence and made a beeline for his motorcycle. In moments he was gone, the Purifier base up in flames and smoke.

"Now we just have to find the other base," said Marrow after their small celebration later.

"Yeah, about dat," Gambit said seriously. "Yo' might want t' look at getting some help, chére."

"I did," Marrow replied. "I called you."

"I'm not a one-man army, Sarah," Gambit replied. "We don't know how many missiles dey have, nor do we know anyt'ing about how dey plan on delivering dem. Dis is too big fo' just us."

"Didn't you call Genosha?" Erg asked. "It's their country."

"Oui, I did," Gambit said as he began packing up. "But it would bear more weight coming from the X-men, dan it would coming from moi as an individual. I don't carry dat much weight wit' the Genoshan government."

"We're not going to the X-men," Marrow practically snarled. "They're nothing but a bunch of flatscan sympathisers."

"I'm not asking yo' t'," Gambit replied calmly. "I'm going t' be going back t' New York fo' Christmas and come back after the New Year."

"You're leaving?" Marrow exclaimed. "But we still need to –"

"Told yo'," Gambit said firmly. "We need more help, and more t' the point, more resources. Not t' mention we need t' find the second base in the first place. We've stopped their missile manufacturing – assuming dis is the only place they're been manufacturing them. I'm taking a break. You're welcome t' join me. Christmas in a mansion might be a nice change of scenery from sewers and abandoned buildings, no?"

"It's not the location. It's the company," Marrow replied hotly.

"I'd like to go," said Psylocke. "If you're extending the invitation to me as well, that is."

Despite the fact that Psylocke was the last person he wanted to spend Christmas with, Gambit replied with a cheerful "O' course, chére. Wouldn't want t' leave any o' yo' behind."

"You want to go?" Marrow demanded. "Why?"

"Curiosity," Psylocke replied. "And any excuse to get out of this hole for awhile."

"You could always go back to England," Marrow said sharply. "No one's making you stay here, you know."

"No one's making you stay here either, love," Psylocke replied lazily. "Except maybe you. So, Erg? You up for scamming Christmas dinner off the X-men?"

"Well, when you put it that way," Erg replied with a smirk. "Count me in. What about Anole?"

"Can't leave him behind," Gambit replied. "So, Sarah? Yo' in? Or are yo' going t' be spending Christmas alone dis year?"

Marrow looked at Gambit for a long, silent moment.

"Come on," Psylocke said coaxingly. "You know you're just dying to meet this girlfriend of his."

Marrow looked at Psylocke and then back at Gambit, Erg hid his laugh behind his hand.

"I hate you," Marrow said finally.

"Aww chére," Gambit replied mildly. "We both know dat's a lie."

Gambit called ahead to let Xaviers know to expect company, and two days later their van pulled up at the gates. Gambit leaned out the driver's window to plug in the code to get in and they headed down the driveway to garage.

Rogue looked up as the garage door opened and the van with the motorcycle trailer entered. She grinned and began wiping her hands when she realised that it was Gambit in the front seat and waved as he drove past into a parking space. She threw the rag down as Gambit stepped out of the van into view and then practically pounced on him with a cry of "Remy!" She wrapped her arms about his neck and her legs around his waist.

"Aww, chére," Gambit replied as he slid his hands down her legs to her behind. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you missed me."

"Nah," Rogue replied. "Not at all."

"Well," said Psylocke with a wry grin as Rogue and Gambit kissed. "I'm guessing that's the girlfriend."

"No? Really?" asked Erg. "What gave it away?"

Eventually the reunited couple pulled away and Rogue floated back down to the floor.

"Roguey," Gambit said, "dese are mes amis; Marrow, Erg, Psylocke and the grumpy one is Anole."

"I'm not grumpy," Anole insisted grumpily, his arms crossed firmly over his chest.

"He's just sore 'cause he can't get any more Overdrive," Gambit said. "Everyone, dis is Rogue."

"Nice ta meetchas," said Rogue as she tried to ignore Marrow's critical gaze. "We've got rooms made up for you guys. Ah can take ya'll there now, if you'd like."

"That would be great, love," Psylocke replied. "Oh, and you can call me Betsy."

"Okay, Betsy," Rogue said with a grin. "Ah'm just Rogue."

"You're never 'just' anyt'ing, chére," Gambit said.

"Charmer."

Psylocke laughed. Rogue picked up the rag while the group got their things, such as they were, and wiped more of the grease off her fingers. When they were ready, she set the rag aside once more and led them into the mansion.

"Things are a little quieter than usual," Rogue said. "And at the same time, noisier. Anyone who can has gone home for the holidays and as school's not runnin' right now, everyone who is still here's doing their own thing."

"Sure is a nice place," said Psylocke.

"School, interesting," said Marrow. "Are you a teacher or a student?"

Erg snickered and Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Sarah t'inks dat more dan five years difference is 'creepy'," Gambit said with a smirk.

"Ah'm a teacher," Rogue said tersely. "Ah'm twenty, and if ya'll have any problems with the age difference, get it off your chest now, or keep your comments to yourself."

Gambit chuckled when he heard Rogue mutter something under her breath about "Kitty all over again".

"Twenty," Marrow repeated. "Hell, Remy. She's younger than me, and we met when I was eight. My family was being murdered and your girlfriend was still running around in diapers."

"Damn Sarah," said Gambit. "Stop trying t' make me feel old."

"You are old," Marrow retorted.

"Yeah? I wonder if you'll still t'ink dat in twelve years time when you're thirty-seven."

Psylocke laughed.

"Well I say; Go Remy," said Erg.

"Merci, Erg," Game replied.

"Seventeen years isn't that bad of an age difference," said Psylocke. "Now, forty years age difference, that's creepy. I don't know if they really loved each other or if she was just a gold digger, but they looked more like grandfather and granddaughter than husband and wife. But they seemed happy with each other, and that's the important thing, right?"

"Right," Rogue agreed as she led them down the hall to the guest rooms. "All right, these two rooms here and those two next to them are yours. They're all pretty much the same. Ah have ta get back ta work, but Ah'm sure can show ya'll around."

"Aww, you're not leaving me again so soon, are yo'?" Gambit asked, sticking out his bottom lip.

"Ah haveta finish Bobby's car," Rogue replied, "or he's never going ta get home in time for Christmas."

"Ahh, the Icecube has decided t' try and fix t'ings wit' his folks, den?"

"Yeah."

"I'm surprised he's not sticking around t' spend some time wit' the Firecracker."

"Actually Jubes and Logan have taken off."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah," Rogue said with a nod. "Logan's really taken Jubes under his wing since you've been gone. They'll be back in time for Christmas day."

"Hmm," Gambit considered, "Do yo' t'ink we can freak Kitty out by making insinuations about Jubilee and Logan?"

"So, officially, I haven't told yo' anyt'ing," Gambit said later that evening. "Sarah would probably kill me if she thought I told yo' 'flatscan sympathisers' what was going on."

He was in a meeting with the Professor, Storm, Kurt and Hank. Rogue was switching between keeping an eye on their guests and the students who remained at the school.

"Is young Sarah of the opinion that we would condone what the Purifiers are planning?" Hank asked with a frown.

Gambit shrugged.

"I think she just doesn't trust anyone, period. She probably doesn't even trust Erg, and she's known him the longest. Dey've had it rough and I've done what I can fo' dem over the years but," Gambit stopped and shrugged. "Well, Sarah. Erg and Anole have had it rough. Don't know about Psylocke; she's new. Joined 'em after Alcatraz, but dat's all I really know. My point is, I'd really like t' be able t' get dem out o' the sewer once and fo' all."

"Of course," said the Professor. "If we can at all persuade them to stay, we shall, but at the end of the day it's their decision."

"I know."

Rogue snuggled up to Gambit in bed that night, her head rested in the crook of his arm and her hand on his chest. She sighed happily.

"Missed you," she said.

Gambit kissed her forehead.

"Miss yo' too," he replied. "And I missed dis bed."

Rogue giggled.

"Way, way better dan dat excuse fo' a mattress I'd been sleeping on recently," he went on. "Smells better too. It smelled like faeces and mildew. Definitely not the smell yo' want t' go t' sleep on."

"I can agree ta that," Rogue said, turning up her nose at the thought.

"Dis bed smells o' clean," Gambit said. "Better yet, it smells o' Roguey."

Rogue laughed.

"Ah always thought it smelled of Remy," she teased him. "By the way, Ah used your pillow while you were gone."

"Hmm, so dat explains why it smells so good."

Gambit and Rogue arrived in the dining hall for breakfast the next It was only half full, but they figured that the current population of Xaviers was in there. Psylocke, Marrow, Anole and Erg were seated at a six-seater table. Gambit was quick to take the seat next to Erg while Rogue sat on the spare chair by Psylocke more sedately with her plate of food, a little curious at Gambit's rush.

"And how is everyone dis morning?" asked Gambit.

"Just peachy," Marrow replied dryly. "You speak to Genosha yet?"

"Oui, last night. Dey need t' confer and dey'll get back t' us," Gambit replied. "So what shall we do today?"

"Something," Storm said, approaching Gambit from behind, "that won't prevent you from cooking dinner tonight."

"Dinner? Moi?" Gambit asked, twisting around to look back at her.

"I took the liberty of making some changes to the roster yesterday," Storm replied with a slight smile.

Gambit sighed. "I suppose dis means dat you've put me on Christmas Day lunch too?"

"Of course."

Gambit gestured to those at the table with him. "I have guests, Stormy."

"And I'm sure your guests would appreciate your cooking as much as the rest of us do," Storm replied smugly.

During the course of the day, Gambit kept the four occupied doing things that wouldn't terrify the younger students or destroy the house. Mid-afternoon, Gambit decided that they didn't have the ingredients for what he wanted to cook for dinner, let alone Christmas Day, so he took off down town to get supplies before he had to start cooking. He left his charges in Rogue's hands.

Rogue had spent the day monitoring the danger room (when she hadn't been using it herself). It had been far too cold to go out (she thought Gambit was nuts for going out when he didn't really need to) and a lot of Xavier's residents had decided that the danger room was an appropriate place to play. Given some of their games of choice, this was probably true. Nevertheless, when Marrow, Erg, Anole and Psylocke were left in Rogue's hands, she informed the students that they had monopolised the danger room quite enough for one day and it was now their guests turn.

"This is your training facility?" Erg asked as he looked around at the demo simulation. "Very cool."

"Whatever," Marrow dismissed.

"So, how does this thing work then?" asked Psylocke.

"We have all sorts of simulations in the computer," Rogue replied. "Battle and tactical, recreational, general power training. Remy's got some, ahem, stealth training sims."

"In other words, thief training," Marrow said.

"Pretty much," Rogue said. "The personal favourite rec sim is our Pirate one."

"Pirates, huh?" Psylocke asked with a laugh.

"Yep," Rogue replied proudly. "We even programmed in Captain Sparrow."

"Oh, I love it," Psylocke said. "Let's run that one."

"Aye matey," Rogue said. "Computer: stop simulation and run 'Pirates'."

The landscape vanished and was just as swiftly replaced by a pirate ship in the middle of the ocean. The five found themselves on deck.

"Arr," said Rogue and gestured to a table on the deck. "Now this be our weapons cache. Pick your weapons, and when everyone's done the table will go. We can bring it back if ye be changing your mind. The next question be, what ye be wanting to do as pirates? Fight other pirates? Board merchant vessels? Go looking for buried treasure?"

"Merchant vessels," Erg said gleefully as he picked up a sword. "Hey Betsy, fancy using a holographic sword instead of a psionic one?"

"Now that would be a novel experience," Psylocke replied.

"Psionic?" Rogue asked.

Psylocke nodded and mentally created a katana that glowed purple.

"A mix of telepathic and telekinetic energy," Psylocke explained. "It can slice through anything I want it to and disrupt neural pathways."

Psylocke let the katana dissolve and then selected a holographic katana and dagger from the table.

"This is stupid," Anole muttered, his arms folded across his chest.

The look on Marrow's face clearly said that she would rather be doing things other than 'playing pirate' but in response to Anole's sour attitude she thrust a scimitar at him.

"You would be the authority on stupid then, wouldn't you?" she said scathingly.

Anole pulled a face, but Marrow didn't see it as she immediately turned her back on him and picked out a weapon for herself.

"You're telekinetic?" Rogue asked Psylocke.

"That's right," Psylocke replied.

"Ah assume Remy knows?" Rogue asked as she picked up her usual choice.

"Of course."

Rogue nodded and Psylocke looked at her curiously.

"Am I missing something?" Psylocke asked, and then added after Rogue's hesitation: "Does this have anything to do with why he keeps his distance from me?"

"He keeps his distance from you?" Marrow asked with obvious scepticism.

"You haven't noticed?" Psylocke asked, looking amused. "He avoids coming anywhere near me, never makes eye contact unless he has to and he flinches every time we get close enough to touch."

"No," Marrow replied. "I hadn't noticed. That's weird. If it weren't for girlfriend over here, I'd have expected him to be all over you."

Psylocke shrugged and looked expectantly at Rogue.

"If Remy hasn't mentioned it, then Ah probably shouldn't," Rogue said finally. "Let's just say he had a bad experience with a telekinetic not that long ago."

"Oookay then," Psylocke replied, not really satisfied with that answer, but suspecting she'd have to make do.

"What happened?" asked Erg.

"Computer;" Rogue said, deliberately ignoring the question. "Remove table and bring in random merchant vessel."

AN:

mon autre fils = my other son