Chapter 8

"Remy," said Bobby with a frown as he approached the bus for the trip back to Westchester. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Gambit asked as he tossed a bag in the luggage compartment.

"Umm, correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't your hands been burnt to cinders?"

"Okay, you're wrong. My hands haven't been burned t' cinders."

"I..." Bobby began, blinked and then grabbed the next bag. "Smart ass."

"Why Bobby," Gambit said, "have yo' been looking? What will Jubilee say?"

"What will I say about what?" asked Jubilee as she approached, supporting a rather tired and miserable looking Rogue.

"Roguey? Yo' okay, chérie?" Gambit asked.

"Ah'll be fine," she replied, stifling a yawn.

"She was up with nightmares again," Jubilee said. "Apparently the life experiences of a Purifier don't make good dreams, go figure."

"Aww chére -"

"Ah said Ah'll be fine," Rogue said firmly. "Ah've got Pietro and Betsy up there too. Ah just need some time. And some sleep."

Without another word, Rogue grumpily got on board the bus. Jubilee shook her head.

"I don't know how you do it, Remy," Jubilee said.

"Do what, chérie?" Gambit asked as Bobby took the next bag away from him before he could touch it.

"Well, you know, sleep in the same room, when she has nightmares and stuff," Jubilee said awkwardly. "You know, with all the throwing up and the pacing around the room and yeah. I mean, I tried to hep but..."

Gambit gave her an amused smile. "I have ways o' helping her get back t' sleep."

Jubilee paused as she noted the mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"A part of me really wants to know, and the other part suspects it wouldn't work coming from me," she said finally.

Gambit chuckled as Jubilee got on board. Soon everyone had arrived and off they went.

Rogue quickly feel asleep, curled up into Gambit's side with his arm around her.

"I suppose we should probably head right back to Genosha after we get back," said Havok.

"Yeah, probably," said Domino.

"The idea doesn't appeal?" asked Bobby.

"Things are pretty crowded, 'specially in Hammer Bay these days," Pyro said. "And even if a lot of the flatscan population has been leaving, Genosha's population had literally doubled in the last year."

"Not enough infrastructure or resources," Pietro said. "Genosha also got a lot of its revenue from tourism. The tourism industry is not what it used to be, and since there's no slave labour any more..."

"No official slave labour," Skids said dryly.

"Fortunately," Pietro went on, "our agriculture industry is flourishing. There are definite advantages to having mutants who can manipulate water, plant growth, fertility, to say nothing about being able to seed and harvest without having to use expensive equipment. Power and water aren't a problem either."

"It's just housing, transport, education, health, high unemployment..." Pyro said cheerfully. "Other than that, we're just peachy. Oh and I forgot the crime rate."

"There you go, Remy," said Bobby. "You'd fit right in."

"S'il vous plaît, don't insult me by lumping me in wit' the amateurs," Gambit replied loftily. "I stopped being one o' those when I was younger dan yo'."

"Yeah Bobby," Kitty said with a wink. "He's only had a million years experience."

"Impossible," Gambit said. "Dat would make me older dan Logan, and no one's older dan him. He's so old, he can't even remember his own birthday."

From the driver's seat, Logan lifted his hand and stuck up his middle claw at him. Gambit chuckled.

"What about you guys?" Skids asked, looking at Marrow and Erg. "You planning on going back to the sewer?"

"Oh don't do that," said Kitty. "You're welcome to say with us, if you want."

"Or you could come back with us," said Pietro. "You'd be more than welcome on Genosha after this."

"Even if it is over-crowded?" Psylocke teased him.

"We can always use more people we can trust."

"I'd like to go," Erg said.

"Yeah, me too," said Marrow. "What about Anole, though?"

"Unless he starts going feral, he's probably better off with the X-men," said Skids. "The Overdrive stubs have been removed and I noticed that Logan over there has been giving him plenty to focus on the in danger room. The only other thing we've been doing is counselling. He'll get more personal attention here."

"Is that a hint to stop sending you guys junkies?" Kitty asked.

"It's okay," Havok said. "You're a school, not a rehab clinic, and some of those guys are dangerous, especially the ones who took high doses, like the ferals with the faster healing factors. But, ahh, maybe we could start sending you guys students? Like Pyro said, education is one of the areas we're lacking in right now."

"You'd have to talk to the Professor," Kitty replied seriously, "but I don't see why not as long as you didn't send more than our capacity."

"What about you, Betsy?" asked Marrow. "Coming to Genosha with us? Or are you going to go back to England?"

"Actually, I'd like to stay with the X-men, if I may," Psylocke replied.

"Sure," Jubilee said enthusiastically. "We'd love to have you."

Rogue woke up some hours later. She lifted her head with a sigh and looked around sleepily.

"Have a nice nap, chére?" Gambit asked.

"Mmmhmm," she replied. "Where are we?"

He told her and Psylocke swapped seats to the seat in front of them.

"Hey sleepy-head," she said. "You okay, love?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Jubilee told us sometimes you get nightmares from absorbing the wrong people?"

"Yeah. Let's just say that people with anti-mutant sentiments aren't exactly on the top of muh list of people to absorb," Rogue said dryly. "For that matter, I have quite enough soldiers and holocaust survivors without adding any more. Ah hate relivin' atrocities."

"I don't blame you," Psylocke replied. "So, I have to ask, how much of me have you got in there?"

"Curiosity? Or just trying to work out if I've found out any deep dark secrets?" Rogue asked teasingly.

"Bit of both maybe," Psylocke said with a grin.

Rogue clicked her tongue for a moment and finally said: "Ah know about Kwannon."

"Ahh," Psylocke replied, the grin fading from her face. "Enough said."

"Who's Kwannon?" asked Jubilee.

"She's none of your business, Jubes," Rogue said firmly, and then looked Psylocke in the eye. "None of mine either."

"Thanks," Psylocke said softly.

"Roguey's pretty good at keeping secrets," Gambit said. "Which is good, because she knows most o' mine."

Rogue giggled.

"And mine, and Kitty's and Pete's and Jubilee's..." Bobby said, grinning away. "Welcome to the club, Betsy."

Psylocke laughed.

"Me too," said Pyro.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Bobby mused.

"And ya'll wonder why Ah have nightmares," Rogue said.

Rogue ended up sleeping most of the day, so she ended up doing some of the driving overnight. Gambit, being a night owl himself, stayed up with her. At about one in the morning, Psylocke awoke, and finding everyone else still asleep, she wandered down the front.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hi Betsy," Rogue replied as Gambit gave Psylocke a brief nod. "You're up."

"It's hard to get a decent night's sleep in these places," Psylocke replied.

"Got that right," Rogue agreed.

There was a moment of silence.

"So, Remy," Psylocke said. "I was wondering if I might have a word?"

Gambit shrugged and leaned back in the chair.

"Sure, why not?"

"Well the thing is," Psylocke said with a quick glance at Rogue, "Rogue mentioned to me that you had a bad experience with a telekinetic not that long ago."

"Oh?" Gambit replied tightly.

"Ah didn't say what," Rogue said firmly.

"I'm not asking what," Psylocke said quickly. "What I am saying is that, well, frankly I resent being lumped into some kind of 'all telekinetics are bad' basket. I'd really like to join the X-men -"

"So join," Gambit said. "I'm not an X-man. I have no say in who joins and who doesn't."

"But you still live there, at the mansion," Betsy pointed out. "You teach and you join them on missions. I would like to think that if we're going to be living together that you'll at least be open to get to know me and find out I'm not a bad person."

Rogue decided that the wisest course was to stay out of this one. Gambit was silent for a moment.

"I'm sure you are, Betsy," he said finally. "Yo' know how it is; rational part o' yo' says 'not all telekinetics are alike' while the irrational part is busy panicking."

Betsy snickered. "Yeah, I get that."

"Look, dat irrational side can't wait t' see the back o' yo', but I ain't stupid," Gambit went on. "Telekinesis is a reasonably common power. I'm going t' have t' learn t' deal wit' yo' sooner or later. Just, umm, don't hold me immobile... ever. I hate dat. I really hate dat."

"Okay," Psylocke agreed. "If it makes you feel any better, my TK is kind of lousy. I can make psiblades and generally kick ass, but I can't move a coin to save my life."

Gambit laughed.

"Seriously, anything small I can't budge even a millimetre. It's a pain in the arse," Psylocke said with a grin. "My 'fine motor control' is none existent."

"Strangely enough, chérie," he replied, "oui, dat does make me feel better."

Marrow stared out of the window, watching the scenery fly past. Gambit hadn't spoken to her at all since they left Florida, not directly anyway. She didn't know whether she was glad or angry. She remembered when she first started questioning herself about Gambit rescuing her. He'd always been so good to her; she just never wanted to believe that he was a Marauder. She kept inventing elaborate scenario after scenario to explain his presence at that critical time, and even thought about asking him, but she'd always chickened out. A part of her knew the truth, but she never wanted to say it or hear it out loud.

Strangely enough, as much as she wanted to, Marrow just couldn't hate Gambit. A part of her really wanted his approval and the very idea of him comparing her to Mr Sinister hurt all in itself.

She wasn't a monster.

Marrow had been called a monster before, usually by people who had freaked out at the sight of her bones. She had long since learned, though, that there was a difference between a monster on the outside and a monster on the inside. The idea that she might be a monster in and out...

She was not a monster.

Was it really so wrong to want to kill the people who had been killing her and hers for as long as she could remember? She'd often believed that people who killed "outside monsters" were the real monsters. They were the ones who weren't looking past appearances. It was their fault she'd lived in sewers for most of her life. They killed her friends, and tried to kill her.

She was nothing like Sinister. She didn't think they were a waste of genetic material at all!

Or... did she?

"Gambit," he said as he answered his Guild phone.

"So, have yo' proposed yet?" asked Jean-Luc.

"Dat's going t' be your new favourite question, isn't it?"

"Oui."

"I'm going t' start avoiding your calls."

Jean-Luc laughed.

"What's he asking?" Rogue inquired.

"You're happier not knowing," Gambit told her.

"So Remy," Jean-Luc said slyly, "mind if I speak t' Rogue for a minute?"

"Oui, actually I do," Gambit replied. "Is dere a reason fo' dis call? Or did yo' just want t' ask the question?"

"Does dere have t' be a reason fo' a man t' call his son?"

"In other words yo' were going nuts sitting on your hands not asking the question."

"What question is dat?"

"You're not going t' trick me int' saying it aloud either," Gambit said firmly. "Dere are too many o' the wrong people in ear shot."

"Oh yo' have visitors? Yo' should put me on speaker."

"I'm not putting yo' on speaker, Père. None o' dese kids want t' talk t' an old fart."

Rogue giggled.

"Did he just call his dad an old fart?" asked Jubilee.

"Yep," Rogue replied with a grin.

"Yo' watch your mouth, boy." Jean-Luc said.

"I can't," Gambit said. "My nose is in the way."

To say that the X-men were happy to be home was putting it mildly. Sure, playing tourist in Florida had been rather fun, but the whole Purifier thing did rather put a dampener on the situation. Nevertheless, everyone was glad to be able to sleep in their own rooms when they arrived at the mansion well after dinner.

Gambit was particularly happy to wake up beside Rogue in the morning. He hugged her close and planted the occasional kiss on her shoulder.

"Mornin' sugah," she said.

"Mornin'," he replied. "Sleep well?"

"Yep."

"Bon,"

Rogue turned over so she could face him. She traced her hand over his face.

"Ah hope you're not planning on any more trips without me," she said. "Ah'm just not going ta let ya go."

Gambit chuckled and kissed her lips gently.

"Désolé ma chére, but you're stuck wit' me fo' now."

"Yay."

"Actually..." he began and then trailed off uncertainly.

"What?" Rogue asked, looking at him curiously.

"I'm... t'inking... of mebbe biting the bullet and officially joining the X-men."

Rogue's face lit up. "Really?"

"Oui, really," Gambit replied with a smile. "Let's face it chére, it's probably just a formality at dis point. I'm teaching, going on missions, getting stuck doing chores..."

"Living here."

"Dat too."

"What about the Guild?" she asked. "And stealing?"

Gambit gave a half shrug.

"Mostly just stealing fo' kicks dese days," he said. "I stopped needing t' steal fo' a living years ago. I get plenty o' kicks out o' the danger room and missions. And I get my best kicks out o' yo'."

Rogue smiled. "Ah love ya too."

Gambit cupped her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.

"You know what this means?" Rogue said softly when they pulled away after a few minutes.

"What?" he asked.

"Ah'm finally gonna see ya in the uniform."

Gambit laughed as Rogue waggled her eyebrows at him.

The Brotherhood, Marrow and Erg were packing up and preparing to leave when Warren arrived.

"Hey," he said, almost shyly. "I was hoping I could talk to you guys..."

"Go ahead," said Domino. "We'll let you know when we're ready to leave."

Marrow watched as the X-men walked off. Gambit still hadn't spoken to her. She wondered if he would even say good bye.

"Sarah?" Erg asked. "You okay? You've been quiet ever since we left Florida."

Marrow shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Okay," he said dubiously. "If you're sure."

That was the thing; she wasn't sure about anything any more. She kept going over and over her decision to sent Gambit to bomb Chicago and hope that the Purifiers were right about the amount of damage it was expected to cause. She kept denying she was a monster, all the while wondering if maybe she really was ugly in and out. A growing need for Gambit's approval was nagging at her.

She'd never needed it before. Why did she need it now?

"See, here's the thing," Warren said to the group before him, "Kitty, you remember I told you about the modelling contract I'd been offered after that Purifier tried to kill me?"

Psylocke stiffened at that particular piece of news. Warren, also a mutant got offered a modelling contract, while she had been blacklisted? The injustice rankled.

"Yeah," Kitty said.

"Didja take it?" asked Jubilee. "Do I foresee pin up in your future?"

"No, I didn't take it," Warren replied. "But I did remember what you girls said about... about being a, ahem, poster boy for 'mutants are awesome'."

Rogue and Jubilee giggled at Warren's obvious embarrassment.

"And it got me to thinking about positive press," Warren went on quickly. "There's so much negative press about mutants these days, it's little wonder why everyone's scared of us. I thought it might be a good idea for the world to start seeing mutants not only doing good, but also using their gifts for good. Which is why…"

Warren was about to continue when the door opened and everyone followed his eyes and he looked to see who was there. Marrow avoided everyone's gaze except for Professor Xavier's.

"Umm, I was wondering," she said tentatively, "would it be too late for me to join the X-men?"

"Of course not, my dear," the Professor replied. "Please, come and join us. Warren was just telling us about a project he would like us to be involved with."

"Right," said Warren as Marrow took her seat. "Well, as I was saying, I was hoping that you guys might join me in building some houses for the homeless."

"You can do that?" Marrow asked in surprise.

"Sure," Warren replied. "Thousands of houses get built all over the world every year."

"Well," said Kitty, "I think it's a great idea. Count me in."

"Me too," said Pete.

"Love to," said Rogue with a nod. "Remy would too."

"Heh," Bobby said to Gambit with a snicker. "You have no choice in the matter now."

He followed this up with a whipping noise.

"That was quite a good impression," Gambit said dryly. "I guess we now know what you and Jubilee get up to in the bedroom."

"We do no such thing," Jubilee replied, paused and then added, "yet."

"I do not want to know," said Kitty while Bobby laughed.

"Ahem," Kurt said. "I would like to help, also."

"Great," said Warren.

"Yeah," said Marrow. "I'm in too."

While everyone else expressed their interest in helping, Gambit could feel Marrow's eyes on him. He kept his face impassive, but inwardly he smiled.

AN:

S'il vous plaît = please