Chapter seven: Fishing

Remy and Olivier's Sunday wasn't at the father and son Sunday game but they managed to have fun all the same. Remy couldn't take Olivier on the adventures that he originally wanted too, sure he could attempt but it would be risking all the progress he had made.

Instead Remy convinced the guys of the house to make two basketball teams for Olivier's entertainment. The original X-Men vs The young guns. It was quite a sight watching all of them put on all serious faces for a childs amusement. They had incentive from Remy though, promises of switches for teaching duties, Danger room training, Rounds duty and so forth.

The court was mapped out like any other real basketball game with benches on opposite sides. The court was marked, Some girls volunteered to be cheerleaders there was even a half time presentation. Remy's homemade basketball game brought much needed excitement to Olivier's little face.

"There's less then fifty seconds left in the game and the Old Crows call a time out…" Tabatha announced from the side scoring table. "With the Old Crows down three points it's anyone's game people."

Remy and Olivier sat in the 'audience' of about fifteen junior students on the edge of their seats in anticipation. The popcorn was gripped in Olivier hand but he was frozen, unable to connect the delicious treat to his mouth.

"What's going on?" Kitty asked she had just returned from the mall and spa with Rogue and Storm.

"Only the biggest sporting event of our lifetime! Go Cardinals!" Amara head cheerleader for the young cardinals chanted from the stands.

Storm and Rogue wondered into the backyard when they couldn't find anyone inside. "Mama…" Olivier waved her over to the bleachers.

"Basketball game…" Rogue question to herself.

"The finals, Old Crows vs Young Cardinals." Remy explained fast not wanting to miss anything.

"And there's a foul! Foul on the Cardinals!" Jubilee shouted she was also reefing the game, she loved basketball and had the costume of a reed from last Halloween.

"And that's Bobby Drakes sixth, he's out for the game."

Boo's followed from the crowd.

"At one point six seconds left in the game the Crows have chance to take it all. It all comes down to this; this is what dreams are made off people."

Rogue sat in the middle between Remy and Olivier both of them biting their nails in anticipation.

"Beast is going to foul line he gets to shoot two." Tabatha voice heightened the pressure….

"And he nails the first one! The Cardinals are sweating on the sidelines."

The backyard fell quiet and all eyes were on the Orange ball in Hanks hand. The ball took off his claws like hands. It went up in perfect arch and circled the rim one twice, three times…

"And it volleys out! It volleys out! The Cardinals take the game! The Cardinals have taken the game!" Tabatha screamed "The Crows lose! It's history people!"

The group goes wild people are cheering and the audience runs onto the court dropping their poorly constructed signs. Rogue was confused to what was happening she cheered too but remained seated watching Olivier jump up and down around Remy's shoulder in victory.

Remy dropped Olivier everyone cheered the whole event was made for his honor.

Scott blew a whistle to get everyone attention. "The barbeque is going so the celebration for the Young Cardinals can start!"

Rogue was speechless Scott was glowing, not to mention sweaty but all the guys were.

Slowly the group dispersed making their way to the patio area in high anticipation of food. The game went on forever everyone was starving. Logan emerged from the defeated Old Crows making his way over to Olivier and Remy.

"Good game Logan!"

"Would have been better if I won." Logan came and gave Olivier the game ball.

"Yeah…" Olivier tried to sound sad, he was a Cardinals fan though sporting Bobby's name and number thirty-three on a plain white t-shirt that Remy help him make.

"Remy" Rogue called from behind him.

"Come on kid lets get some that food." Logan reached for Olivier's hand. "They better have steak."

"Yeah steak." Olivier tried to dangerous like Logan.

"What can I do you for?" Remy directed his attention to Rogue.

"A basketball game, I'm curious?"

"I was going to take Olivier fishing but I figured that it would have pissed you off and you would end up giving me a deadly kiss."

Rogue bobbed her head side to side at the idea, it sounded about right.

"I decided to play a game instead."

"This was hardly a game, the bleachers, ref, announcer, homemade 'jerseys'"

"It had to be authentic…" Remy smiled.

"Defiantly felt real." Rogue approached Remy.

"You look different…" his eyes flickered trying pin point what had changed.

"No…"

"Yeah"

"No!" Rogue fiddled with her hair shying away from Remy.

"Yes you do."

He stepped closer it was a distance he wasn't allowed to venture, but he dared the waters.

"I don't know want, but you seem different it's nice…" he told her and backed off scared that Rogue would have a major mood swing from being close together.

Remy, headed off to the barbeque leaving Rogue in the middle of the court. She stood alone in the middle of the black tar in amazement at Remy's astonishing act. Only he could take nothing and make something that spectacular out of it. He brought the mansion out of a runt, bringing them closer and most importantly it made young Olivier smile and forget about his father worries.

"Mom!" Olivier called from the Barbeque "You want a sausage?"

"Yeah Cher a sausage?"

Remy picked up Olivier from behind making him giggle as he held his bun the best he could.

"Yeah I coming"

Remy was manning the grill alone with the majority of the male population. Olivier started a game of touch football with multiple Jamie's and Rogue sat with some of the ladies of the house drinking some ice tea enjoying the sun.

"I'm going to get some more corn anybody wants some?"

"No, No,"

"Alright" Tabatha left the table allowing Storm and Kitty to have a minute with Rogue.

"So you going tell what that little spark on the court was or you going to make us use our imagination?" Kitty questioned while sucking on her straw.

"Nothing." Rogue answered.

"Didn't look like nothing?"

"What did he say?" Storm asked.

"He said I looked different." She humored them.

"Hmm…" Kitty smiled.

"Told you people would notice a day at the spa, it does a woman good."

"Well no one else noticed just him." Kitty tapped her head to mouth watering Cajun. "That should say something?"

Storm hit Kitty's hand for pushing things to far. "If you don't mind me saying so, the tension isn't as thick today what's going on…"

Rogue gave her answer some thought and shifted her eyes back from Remy to Olivier again and again.

"…He did something for my son that I could never give him not because I'm incapable but…" she paused and looked back to her support group "…If I had done this, the result wouldn't have been half that."

Storm and Kitty wrinkled their faces "Rogue you couldn't have planned this if you really tried too."

"That's exactly it. I would try…you think he tried that hard?"

"Rogue" Kitty interrupted

"That wasn't the result I was referring to anyway."

"Then what?" Stormed hoped that Rogue wouldn't clam up now. Rogue wasn't frowning but smiling in fact and it only grew by the second.

Rogue smiled wide in amazement "Have you ever seen him smile that bright?"

Storm and Kitty followed Rogue's stare to Olivier wearing Remy's chef hat. He was in the middle of the group of guys Barbecuing, being held up by Remy and flipping meat like a pro. Olivier loved taking pictures and that was the one picture Rogue would approve of, she actually wanted to take it.

"I don't know about that…" Storm said when they broke their stare from the father and son. "I do know that I never saw a smile that bright on your face…"


The festivities came to a close and the mansion was deeming down for the night. Everyone had a good time, even the Professor was seen cheering for the Old Crows.

Most of the residents had gone to bed, it was minutes after curfew and all the adults lingered the halls still riled up about the morning events.

In the social hive also as known as the kitchen was Kurt, Peter, and Bobby who sat snacking down and preparing for a possible game of poker.

"Gambit went all out today." Kurt opened a can of pop.

"You X-Men don't know Gambit he never does things small." Peter explained.

"Yeah and Oli forgot about that basketball game. I was happy to see a Sunday where he didn't have a fit."

It was common knowledge about the father son games, anyone who watched basketball knew it was father son Sunday and the local team did it once a month. It always made Olivier upset, causing him lash out in someway. Not eating, not talking, and acting disrespectfully were only a few examples of his past random behavior.

"No, you two aren't seeing the big picture" Bobby joined the circle at the table popping back left over wings. "Did you or did you not see the racks on…"

"Oli!"

Peter and Kurt welcomed him into the kitchen. He wearing his Magic Man pajama's and holding his camera in his tiny hands.

"It's way passed your bed time little man. Why do you have your camera?"

"Cause there's something living in my closet, I don't wannna to miss it."

They had to admit the kid had a wild imagination.

"What brings you down, did you catch it?" Bobby asked he was believing the story of the creature in the closet, Peter and Kurt only rolled their eyes at their gullible teammate.

"No I'm trusty but moms in the shower."

"I'll get you a drink." Kurt pulled out a seat for him to sit on and went to the fridge to get some water for him.

"Had a fun today?" Peter made idle conversation.

"Yeah! Cardinals rule" he sat on his legs to reach the table properly.

"Sure do!" Bobby high fived him as Kurt gave him the water.

"Next time me, you and Gambit will play." Bobby suggested.

"Gambit's cool."

"Oh yeah?" Kurt took his seat munching on some more chips.

"Yeah I wish he's my dad sometimes." Olivier licked his lips finishing his water.

His answer was unsuspected and Kurt choked on a Cheto in sheer shock at the odds he would name his real father. Peter and Bobby stared in vain at the pair of glowing eyes behind Olivier.

"Oli you're mom is looking you." Remy said from behind him.

"Ok." Wiggling out his seat Olivier ran passed Remy only to back up "Night Gambit." He hugged Remy's leg and took off for the stairs.

"We won't talk about what just happened or mention it to anyone." Remy stated in a serious tone, to the dumbfounded men at the table.

The group of men have witnessed stranger things being apart of the X-Men team, however these acts were heavily revolved around violence not out of innocent love. What they saw gave a new respect for Remy.