A/N Another update? Well aren't you just spoiled.
There was still no news on the mutant murders, though the deaths seemed to taper off a bit. Or they were better hidden. Emma didn't pick up anything from Cerebro about the murders, but she did manage to sense a mutant rapidly growing in power. Storm took Rogue with her to talk to the girl, hoping Rogue's kind demeanor would be comforting, but also to show Rogue she was confident in her. They took the jet down to Florida to meet the 16 year old, Camille.
Rogue and Storm dressed casually instead of in X-Men uniforms, walked up to the well manicured lawn to the small cottage on the outskirts of Tampa. Storm knocked on the door and frowned when there was no response. She knocked again and again and the door finally opened. Rogue and Storm just stood there with their jaws open. Standing in the doorway with a cocky grin was Pyro.
"J-John?" Rogue asked. ""What're you doing here?"
"Just visiting," he said casually. "Same as you."
"Where's Camille?" Storm asked, pushing her way into the house. She walked through the small house but they were the only three there.
"She's safe, probably as safe as she'd be with you," he said. He kicked back on the couch, completely at ease though Rogue noticed a tightness in his eyes.
"John," Rogue said slowly. "Are you okay?"
"Fabulous," he answered.
"And Magneto?"
John just smiled. "Nice try."
"John, Camille's an innocent girl…" Storm started.
"Relax Storm," he interrupted. "Consider me a messenger, I was sent to explain. We asked if she wanted to come and learn about her powers. We're like a school now, like you. Just trying to help. Consider us a Brotherhood changed. We turned over a new leaf."
Rogue snorted. "I can't really believe that," she said. "Last time we heard from you, it was about a violent, murderous rampage, remember?"
John winced and the tightness remained. "Consider this our version of going green," he said. "Buckethead says he learned his lesson and is avoiding that kind of public crap."
"Yeah, he says," Storm snorted with contempt. John just shrugged.
"I'm told what I'm told. We just want to advance mutant-kind. Less…messily than last time." Rogue and Storm just stared at him. "Well, tell Bobby hi." He saw the muscle in Rogue's jaw twitch and his smile turned to a frown.
"Tell him yourself. Or kick him, whatever works," Rogue said impassively.
"Oh no, what'd Bobby do now?" John asked.
"None of your business," Rogue said.
"Okay, okay," John said, throwing his hands up in a sign of surrender. "Well, congrats on finally kicking that wimp to the curb, maybe now you can find a man who actually has a set."
"Are you done?" Storm asked.
"Yep," John said and stood. "We're trying to be peaceful here, just passing along the message."
"By kidnapping people?"
"What? No! She came because we explained we could help her, isn't that what you guys kept trying to get us to do with the whole mutant school sales pitch? We're just trying to do the same. Run along home now. And give Bobby a kick in the nads for me, will ya?" John turned to leave.
"Wait, John!" Rogue called after him.
"Yes my dear?"
"Look, there has been a rash of mutant murders. We don't know who did it but they've all been powerful and violent. Just keep yourself and your people safe ok?"
"Wow," John said. "Seriously? Who'd be able to kill that many without leaving a trace?"
"We don't know," Storm said.
"Wow…yeah, I'll pass it on. Stay safe, too." John saluted them and hopped on his waiting motorcycle and sped off. Rogue looked at Storm.
"Uh, what just happened?"
They got incredulous looks when they shared what happened. "They're recruiting?" Logan asked.
"Yeah, that explains why the Brotherhood's been so quiet," Storm said.
"Do we know how many they've convinced?" Kitty asked.
"Emma's checking into it, I'm not sure how we'll know either way though," Storm said.
"Do what do we do?" Gambit asked.
"I have no idea," Storm said.
"They say they're doing it for peace?" Pete asked.
"Bullshit," Logan said. "We all know that's a load of crap. The Brotherhood is about terrorism and fear and death, ain't nothing going to change that."
"It's weird, John seemed pretty convinced," Rogue said.
"Then he's being lied to," Logan said. "We all know what Magneto wants and what he is. Nothing will change that."
They filed out, Rogue contemplating whether or not the take John's words seriously and kick Bobby in the nads. Luckily for Bobby, Gambit walked up to Rogue right then and pulled her out for lunch. Gambit took her hand in his, winked over her shoulder at Bobby and marched away. Over the next month, Emma found three more mutants that decided to go to the Brotherhood. Storm was about ready to tear her hair out.
Rogue and Gambit started training their class more advanced techniques and luckily, their problem kid Johnny kept in line.
"We're going to have to teach them something harder eventually," Rogue pointed out.
"I could give yo' something harder," Gambit said with a wink. Rogue rolled her eyes.
"Nice try."
"In all seriousness though, and sexual innuendos aside," Gambit said, cleaning his bo-staff, "maybe we should go out."
"Go out?" Rogue repeated absentmindedly, thoughts still on the class.
"Oui. Well we already did de nice dinner, long walk and all dat." Rogue looked around at him, unsure if she was really hearing this from him. "We should go and do something else. Maybe we could go rock climbing, or dey're dis great festival coming downtown." Gambit's voice was casual, but his pulse was dancing the tango in his neck. Why had he said that? He hadn't been planning on asking her out yet. Sure he'd wanted to, nothing possessed his mind quite like her, but he wasn't planning on asking now. It just popped out.
"You're…asking me out?" Rogue asked slowly. Gambit mentally kicked himself. He was not living up to his suave reputation.
"Oui," he said. "Seems like de right thing t' do."
"Well," Rogue said walking to stand in front of him. "I'm going to need a better reason than 'it's the right thing to do'."
"Come again chère?"
"Well the normal reasons people ask others out are things like they're attracted to them or like them or something like that," Rogue said, staring into those black and red eyes. "So I'm afraid that after Bobby, I'll need a better reason than 'it seems like the right thing to do'."
"Ah," Gambit said, comprehension drawing. "Dat isn't how I meant dat t' sound at all. By saying it seems like de right thing t' do, I meant it seemed natural for us t' do, it's automatic, you can't deny dat." He stood so the lines of their bodies were nearly touching. Rogue felt as though they were charged and little shocks of electricity jumped between them. "You know dat dere's something here, something between us. And if we don't explore dis, I'll regret it later."
"Remy, I…" Rogue stuttered. She hadn't known what she expected, but t it hadn't been this.
"Give me a chance ma chèrie. Give me a chance t' show yo' how a real man treats a woman." He took her hand in his, stroking her gloved knuckles. "Let me prove t' yo' dat dere are real men dat treat dey're woman right. Give a chance, please."
Rogue stared at him for a second before smiling nervously. "You know you are one of my closest friends…"
"I know."
"I don't want anything to ruin that."
"It won't," Gambit promised. "I care about yo' nothing will change dat. If anything, it's going to get better." He waited, all but holding his breath.
"I can't…you know, touch you…"
"Oh chère," he said. "You know I'm not worried about dat. I'm touching yo' right now."
"You know what I mean."
"I do," he said. "I also know dat I'm interested in yo' for more dan your touching abilities." There was silence.
Then, "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay. Remy LeBeau you can take me on a date."
Logan was less than thrilled by this turn of events. While he was all for Gambit helping Rogue with her powers, but dating her? That was just a little too close for comfort.
"You break her heart, I break your legs," Logan promised him.
"I would expect nothing less," Gambit said calmly.
When word spread Bobby was even less enthusiastic than Logan. He was still searching for engine parts courtesy of Rogue and Gambit, so when he found out they were going out that weekend.
"So it's true?" Bobby stormed to Rogue and Gambit in the hallway.
"Excuse me?" Rogue asked.
"It's you two? I told you Rogue, I told you he was going to try to get you from me!" Bobby said.
"We've been broken up for over two months and you cheated on me. Gambit did nothing wrong," Rogue said calmly. Bobby turned bright red and stormed away.
"Dat creepy obsessive stuff is getting old."
"Little bit."
"I don't suppose blowing him up again would help?" Gambit offered.
"Probably not," Rogue said. "Maybe next time."
"Too bad. Tomorrow it'll be just yo' and me, and no need t' worry about de silly ex." Rogue laughed.
"We don't need to worry about him anyways. He isn't really who's on my mind."
"Oh would dat be me den?"
Rogue smiled. "Maybe."
True to his word, Gambit didn't take her to another plain dinner.
"This better not be rock climbing," Rogue said warningly from the passenger seat of the car.
"Why?" Gambit asked with a laugh.
"Because you're a jumped up acrobat, total unfair advantage," Rogue said. Gambit laughed again.
"Well no, no rock climbing."
Rogue couldn't get another word out of him on the matter and it wasn't until he stopped the car that she saw where they were. She grinned.
"The zoo?"
"I'm appealing t' your inner child," he said smartly. Rogue followed him in and went along with great amusement as he dragged her right to the penguins.
"Look at dem swim!" he said, pointing to a pair engaged in what seemed to be an energetic game of tag. Rogue grinned.
"Penguins your favorite?" she asked.
"Oui," Gambit said happily. "What do yo' want t' see?"
"Bats," Rogue said promptly. "Nocturnal house."
"Bats eh?"
"Hey, bats are cute!"
"Dey're flying rats," Gambit said, pulling her into the nocturnal house.
"Says the swamp rat," Rogue muttered. "Shut up and look at the animals." Rogue hadn't really considered what going into a dark room with Gambit would mean, but she was discovering the oddest tingling sensation whenever his body came close to hers. She nearly jumped out of her skin when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Yo' okay?"
"Fine," she said, trying her hardest to remain calm. She was certain he could hear her heat beat. She let him keep his arm around her through the rest of the nocturnal house and throughout the rest of the grounds. As for Gambit, only half of his mind was on the wildlife, the other half stayed solidly focused on Rogue for the rest of the day.