A/N Look at the, updates so close together! Be still my heart! It's finally showing signs of spring so it's easier to be cheery and easier to feel like typing up chapters, woo hoo!
By the time Kitty, Pete, Rogue and Gambit's 'double date' rolled around the next say, the mansion's gossip-meter had reached seismic levels. Rogue, annoyed, finally gave up on denying the rumors and simply ignored the looks and questions. Gambit on the other hand seemed rather amused by the whole thing and went along with everyone's jokes, until Logan came up to him in the hall. The students all suddenly remembered that they needed to be somewhere else and cleared out.
"Hello Logan," Gambit said somewhat warily.
"We need to talk, Gumbo," he said darkly.
"Whatever about?" Gambit asked, hand curling around a card in his pocket.
"About this date with Rogue."
"I don't know what yo' mean," Gambit answered.
"Don't play dumb with me," Logan growled. "You aren't going to do anything romance related or I swear-"
"You'll take romance lessons from me and use dem on Storm?" Gambit danced out of Logan's reach and out the front door. Logan later cornered Rogue and gave her his version of the sex talk, which solidly terrified her. There were threats of torture involved.
Kitty dragged Rogue to her room early that afternoon before their 'date', insisting that they should get ready together. Kitty chatted away, voice getting higher and higher until Rogue has to shake her to remind her to get a grip. Kitty twirled in front of Rogue wearing a black strapless dress with a very high slit up the side. Combined with her makeup and simple jewelry, the effect was stunning. Kitty looked startlingly gorgeous and very adult. Close to when they needed to leave, there was a knock on Kitty's door. They opened it, with some confusion, to see Emma in the doorway. She promptly pushed her way into the room.
She looked Rogue up and down. "No," she said.
"Excuse me?" Rogue asked. Emma circled her like a vulture and stared critically at the woman's dress. Rogue wore a long, deep green dress with long sleeves that very much brought to mind a renaissance princess.
"No," Emma repeated. "I know where you're going and you aren't wearing that."
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Rogue asked, indignant. Emma ignored this and took the garment bag from over her arm and laid it on the bed. Rogue eyed it and was unsure if anything Emma owned would be suitable for anything other than a Playboy shoot.
"I'll pretend that I didn't hear that," Emma said. Kitty blushed, making Rogue believe they were thinking along the same lines. Emma opened the bag and held the dress up in front of Rogue.
"I don't think so."
"Yes," Emma said calmly. "You can still wear the gloves but you need this dress."
"Emma, there's too much skin! What if someone touches me?"
"They shouldn't be touching you anyways," Emma answered. "This would help you, I'm not trying to use you as a living doll for kicks and giggles you know." Rogue glared. Emma sighed and set the dress down. "To help you relax and unblock yourself, yeah this will help. You need to stop separating yourself from others as if you aren't good enough for or don't deserve happiness."
"I don't think that."
"Yes you do. Wear what you want." Emma moved to the door. "If you're going to fight me on little things like this, work on your powers is going to go very slowly." Emma swept out of the room. She wasn't a fool, she knew that this wasn't a small thing to Rogue, but by making it seem like less of a big deal than it was, maybe Rogue would believe so, too. Also she'd basically just challenged Rogue and everyone knew Rogue loved a challenge.
She marched through the school and found Gambit sitting on a balcony overlooking the garden, smoking a cigarette. Emma wrinkled her nose but pressed on. She leaned against the railing he was sitting on, giving a generous look of her cleavage. Gambit glanced with a raised eyebrow before going back to his illusion of solitude.
"Gambit," she greeted. He nodded in acknowledgement, surprising her with the lack of comment about her state of dress. "Be good tonight."
"And what do yo' mean by dat?"
Emma turned and stepped closer, her body brushing against him. She brushed her lips against his ear. Gambit froze, eyebrows nearly to his hairline. She pushed her breasts against him and set her hand on his thigh then bit gently on his ear. He roughly pushed her away by the shoulders and jumped backwards, almost in terror. Emma smiled triumphantly.
"Like I said, be good. Don't be distracted by other women because let's be honest, we all know where your heart really lies and it isn't in someone like me."
"No kidding," Gambit said, still alarmed. Emma smirked and walked away. When she'd severely shocked Gambit, he'd projected one thought so loudly that she picked it up through his shield. That though fairly jumbled, basically screamed No, Rogue! What would she think? Feeling very proud of herself, she nearly waltzed back to her room. She was used to meddling in people's lives to confuse and otherwise torment, but this meddling for positive purposes, this was new. And she was having entirely too much fun.
Emma's words stuck with both Rogue and Gambit. By the time Pete and Gambit were sitting in the rec room waiting for Kitty and Rogue, Pete wasn't the only one a little nervous. Both were dressed in dressy black pants and shoes, Gambit with a nice black shirt, Pete with white. Kitty popped in wearing the black dress and silver heels and Pete hastily jumped up to greet her. Chuckling, Gambit stood too and turned to see Rogue standing the doorway. Gambit was momentarily frozen in shock and dropped the four of diamonds he was twirling in his fingers.
Rogue's hair was pulled back into an elegant knot behind her head. She had followed Emma's advice and worn the other dress. It was a deep royal purple and in a halter style, leaving much of her back, shoulders, and neckline bare. Simple makeup, gloves and black shoes completed the look. Kitty was psotively gleeful at the dumbfounded expression on Gambit's face. The only coherent thoughts forming were' beautiful beautiful', 'wow', and for some reason, 'I'm glad I didn't wear my magenta shirt, we would have clashed horribly'.
"I know it's a little much," Rogue said uncomfortably, very aware that no one had said anything in a long time. "But Emma thought…"
"Non, non ma chère! Tu es trés jolie," Gambit started to ramble away in French. "Désolé." He walked to her, took her hand firmly in his and said, "Emma's right, it's perfect."
Kitty let out a series of shriek-like giggles, causing the others to look around in alarm. She covered her mouth, a few giggles still slipping through. Slightly disturbed, Pete led Kitty out to the car. Amused. Rogue and Gambit followed.
The restaurant was nicer than any place Rogue had ever been. The waiters were all in tuxes and were the most awkwardly polite people she'd met. When they were waiting for their table, Gambit was a little worried, she kept fidgeting, jumping whenever anyone came within ten feet of her. Gambit, with his partially fingered gloves, put his hand on her bare back, making sure the gloved part only touched her, and strolled her back. The first time he tried this, she jumped so high she nearly fell out of her seat.
"It's okay," Gambit assured her. "Gloved, I won't get absorbed." She glared, but when the next person stepped a little too close and he rubbed her back, she flinched less. And the next time, she actually relaxed. "We have a secluded table, we can sit wit' our back t' de wall," he promised.
"Okay," Rogue said.
"Okay?" he asked, surprised. He expected a little more panic from her.
"Yeah," Rogue said. "I mean, yeah it's a bit terrifying that something might happen, but this actually is a little fun. I thought I'd just hyperventilate and pass out, but it's actually a little enjoyable."
"Good," Gambit said. "Dat's de whole point."
The polite waiter came and told them their table was ready. As the followed, Rogue couldn't help but feel like she was following a penguin. As promised, she and Gambit sat against the wall with Kitty and Pete across from them. Rogue and Gambit had been worried it'd be awkward, but it turned out that outside the mansion, Pete and Kitty were a lot more relaxed about their relationship. Which made sense, since there were no 12 year olds here throwing paper airplanes at them.
After the appetizers of their five course meal (Gambit instructed them in five course etiquette) one of the overly polite waiters presented Kitty and Pete with an expensive bottle of champagne. Kitty teared up and missed Gambit give Pete a wink and thumbs up. Rogue managed to turn her laugh into a rather violent cough.
Around dessert time, Kitty and Pete started getting mushy. Gambit jerked his head and he and Rogue excused themselves for a walk, leaving the lovebirds to be gooey alone. Surprisingly, the night was a reasonably warm instead of frigid, so they actually did end up taking a walk. It wasn't a sketchy area of town, not that it mattered much to their safety if it was, but it made it nicer to walk.
Rogue was content with the silence, but she was a bit curious. She hadn't noticed it until now but when she thought about it, he had been unusually quiet by Gambit standards all evening. He'd been busy, trying to put her at ease, and she'd been too nervous to notice his quietness. Guilt swelled inside her.
"Remy?" she asked.
"Oui?" he asked. He glanced behind them.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"What makes yo' ask dat?"
"You're quiet and seem…uncomfortable. Are you okay?"
"Oui," he assured her. "I'm not uncomfortable wit' yo', chère, don't misunderstand. I am…anxious."
"Why?"
"I am always anxious when I am out of de mansion," he found himself saying. Unsure why he was telling her this, though not too disturbed, he continued. "Until I know what happened t' me and who's responsible, I feel safer in a less open area."
"That's understandable," Rogue said softly.
"I thought so." Gambit got a mischievous look on his face and wrapped his arms around Rogue, cuddling in. "But dis way I get my strong Roguey t' protect me."
Rogue laughed and almost didn't wince when he touched her. He took her hand in his and they continued down the street. It wasn't turning out to be a bad night for a walk.
Everyone was asking the next morning about Rogue and Gambit's date, as well as Kitty and Pete's. The school's love of gossip manifested at the most random times, though the worst was when a student came up to Kitty and Rogue asking if they men kissed them with tongue. Storm had to make an announcement declaring that the private lives of teachers were not open to discussions, which of course just fueled the rumors of her involvement with Logan further. Exasperated and tired of handing out detentions, she decided to just let it run its course.
Emma was frighteningly delighted by the whole date affair. When she looked into their minds and saw the event, Rogue's eventual relaxation and even Gambit's openness, she chalked it up to immense progress. Gambit thought this was a bit of an overstatement considering no memories of his were back, though he admitted his excitement about Rogue's comfort level. During their next session Emma had Rogue practice touching Gambit bare skinned, something she was almost used to by now. Rogue touched him, absorbing a memory of him demolishing some old man at poker, before lettering go. It took a few seconds longer to start to absorb him and Gambit was barely even dizzy. As soon as looked, Emma beamed at them.
"What?"
"You're so close, Rogue," Emma said.
"I am?"
"Your absorption of Gambit is getting slower and slower, and some of that is due to your comfort with him, but that's the point. You learn with comfortable and safe situations and then apply that to the rest of your life," Emma said.
"I'm a safe situation?" Gambit asked with an amused smirk. Emma almost managed to control the withering glare she sent his way.
"You really think I'm close?" Rogue asked, daring to let her hope slip through a little bit.
"Absolutely. It's just a matter of finding what exactly works, like flexing the right muscle. Also, your fear is still blocking. You need to give it up," Emma said kindly.
"I know."
"What's the biggest thing holding you back besides hurting people? Which actually isn't your main fear anymore since you've accepted that you're learning to not hurt others. What is the fear holding you back?"
Rogue shifted in her seat.
"I can leave," Gambit offered.
"No, it's okay," Rogue said. "It's…it's the echoes."
"Of the people you absorb?" Emma asked.
"Yeah."
"Dey're just echoes chère, shadows of de minds of others," Gambit assured her.
"It's that…what if…what if my mind is like a bowl? What happens when there's no more room and they start to overflow? Will there be any of me left?"
Emma leaned forward and actually took one of Rogue's gloved hands in hers. "Trust me on this Rogue, the mind is my specialty. That's not how it works. Your particular mind is very unique with seemingly infinite storage capacities that from what I'm seeing aren't diminishing any time soon. And if it becomes a problem, I'll help extract what needs pruning."
"You can take the personalities out?" she asked eagerly.
"It's dangerous," Emma said. "I won't do it unless it's absolutely necessary. Relax, Rogue, you're almost there."