Happy weekend to you all! I would have posted this last night but FFN was having issues. Thank you all for all of the reviews, alerts, and favorites. I hope you all continue to enjoy the story.
As always, I don't own the X-Men or Marvel. Just the Giant Schnauzer doing her Scarlett O'Hara impression on he couch beside me.
Hopefully I will get another chapter up this weekend. Let me know what you think!
Meanwhile, back at the X-mansion...
It was late. After dinner late. Past midnight snack late. Late enough that if Logan came in and found her still checking her e-mail she'd end up with extra Danger Room sessions. And she didn't even want to think about his reaction to finding Piotr in her room at a time like this. Granted he wasn't with her for any of the typical teen late night reasons, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to convince Logan of that before he sliced and diced Petey.
"It is time to tell them, Katya," Piotr said gently. "You have to think of her safety now."
"I know, but, I just wish she'd, like, call." With a frustrated sigh, Kitty refreshed her inbox and checked to make sure no new text messages had arrived on her cell phone. "She should have called by now," Kitty said softly. "She has to know we're worried."
Placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, Piotr gently nudged her out of her room.
Taking the time to grab Rogue's original note, Kitty shut her bedroom door and walked silently down the hall, listening for the sounds of Logan making his rounds. Neither she nor Piotr had heard anything by the time they reached the stair case, so they headed downstairs.
The door to the professor's private study was cracked, and light filtered into the darkened hallway. Ororo's calm voice was speaking, asking about how they planned to handle the situation when Kitty took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
There was a moment's pause before the Professor bid them welcome.
"Kitty, Piotr what has the two of you up at this hour?"
Unable to stop her fidgeting Kitty glanced down before looking up to meet Logan's gaze and answering. "Rogue isn't here," she said," she, like, went to New Orleans."
There was a slight pause before Logan all but growled out "If that Cajun has tricked her again!"
"No wait, Mr. Logan, it's not like that," Kitty interrupted.
Before she could continue, Professor Xavier motioned to both parties. "Calm down. I believe, Kitty, that it is time for you tell us everything. Please, start at the beginning." He motioned for Kitty and Piotr to sit down. "Now, tell us what you know."
"You knew she had gone?" Piotr asked the question, not entirely surprised that Xavier knew more than he generally let on.
Xavier shook his head. "We determined after Rogue was absent at dinner tonight that she was avoiding the mansion. We were unaware she'd left Bayville."
"Just exactly how long have you known, Half Pint?" Logan asked agitation obvious in his voice.
Kitty glanced at Piotr for encouragement before answering. "I found her note last night, about two am when I went to check on her. She wasn't in her room when I stopped by on my way to bed, so I thought I'd help her with the files so she could get some sleep too. But I just found the note."
She handed Logan the note. "She'd left Gambit's file on the screen."
Heads snapped up at that statement. "Essex worked on Gambit?" the professor clarified.
Kitty nodded, looking down. "Gambit and his dad went to him for help. You should read the file if you want the details. I didn't get most of the medical stuff, but I could tell it was bad."
Logan gritted his teeth. "Why did that send Rogue to New Orleans?"
"Someone tipped Essex that Gambit was back in New Orleans, and he hired two people to kill him. Rogue went to warn him." After she explained about digging through the computer logs to find out what name and airlines Rogue had used, Kitty explained that she'd told Piotr so he could help her get Rogue's motorcycle back to the mansion.
"I didn't think she'd be gone this long," Kitty stated, hands gesturing, trying to make them understand why she hadn't passed on the information right away. "I just figured she needed some time to explain to him, before we all went rushing in there."
Logan paused, eyeing her carefully. "Have Rogue and Gambit kept in contact since we left him in New Orleans?" he asked suspiciously. He distinctly remembered telling Rogue to let him know if the Cajun kept sniffing around.
Kitty shrugged. "I don't think so, but they must have at least a little. There's a new card on her mirror."
That statement made no sense to anyone, including Piotr, who had been silently supporting her throughout the conversation.
"Please, Kitty, explain what you mean," the Professor's words were gentle but required a response.
Kitty winced. Rogue was going to kill her for telling them about the cards. "Before leaving New Orleans, Gambit gave Rogue a card. The Queen of Hearts. Rogue kept it, saying he told her it was his good luck charm, that she, like, watched over him." Her voice dropped to just above a whisper. "It reminded Rogue that she had family here, no matter what happened."
Ororo nodded, the elegant woman clearly gesturing that they would in no way pass on Rogue's personal feelings about card. "You said she added a new one recently."
Kitty shrugged again. "It was right after the whole mess with Apocalypse. I just noticed it in her room one day. The Ace of Spades. She didn't say anything, and I didn't ask. But Gambit's the only one who'd send her cards in the first place. And she'd tucked it into the edge of the mirror with the Queen of Hearts. So I figured it had to be from him."
The adults exchanged a surprised looked but said nothing.
Logan growled. "Exactly when were you planning on letting the rest of us know that Rogue was headed south?"
Kitty winced. "Well, I'd sorta been hoping she'd be back by now, and it wouldn't matter that she'd gone."
The professor frowned, but waved off Logan's full blown roar. "Kitty, while I can appreciate your trying to keep Rogue out of trouble, as her guardian I need to know when she leaves the institute. We're here to protect and help each other."
Kitty nodded, not looking any of them in the eye. "I know. That's why I'm telling. She should have been back by now. I sent her a text saying I'd kept quiet and to call me. I've checked my e-mail and my phone, but I haven't heard anything."
Logan turned to look at Piotr with an appraising eye. "What made you decide to keep quiet, bub?"
The Russian shifted uncomfortably. He was still new enough that Logan's undivided attention outside of the Danger Room made him rather nervous. He finally shrugged and answered. "I did not think Gambit would listen well if we all went. But he would listen to Rogue, and protect her, if she went alone. Since we have not yet heard anything, it is no longer safe to keep it secret."
"Why do you believe Gambit would be more responsive to Rogue on her own?" Xavier asked.
When Piotr hesitated, trying to find the correct words, Logan swore. "I'd hoped I'd imagined that." As Xavier's questioning glance Logan answered uncomfortably. "Gambit likes her."
Xavier's eyebrows rose. "I see. Yes, that would make him weight her words more heavily." He paused briefly before continuing. "Do we know if Rogue is similarly attracted?"
Everyone seemed surprised when it was Piotr that answered. "Da. I think she is also interested."
Logan grimaced, but it was Xavier who spoke first. "Was Rogue interested before their adventure in New Orleans?" he asked, apparently concerned about possible Stockholm syndrome.
Piotr chuckled. "She was already interested. If she wasn't, I do not think Remy would have survived the trip."
The others laughed lightly in acknowledgement of Rogue's temper, although Logan looked pained.
Kitty looked him over carefully, "What makes you so sure she was interested? I know why I think so, but what do you know that we obviously don't?"
Piotr tried unsuccessfully to escape Kitty's razor sharp gaze. "I have seen them during different battles," he tried to deflect.
Logan sighed. He really didn't want to know just why the Russian figured Rogue liked Gambit. He'd been hoping he wouldn't have to come to terms with the two of them having any sort of relationship. "C'mon Half Pint, let's you, me, and the Tin Man go through Gambit's file. See what we can find about who's hunting him. Then we can go get Rogue. No point going in blind if we don't have to. Charles, can you use Cerebro to try and pinpoint them? We'll need a better destination than just New Orleans."
Charles nodded. "Ororo, if you'll prep the X-Jet." He and Storm headed immediately for the door. "Kitty, we'll discuss your punishment and Rogue's when she gets back. Piotr, I think helping out with tonight's mission should cover yours."
Kitty and the big Russian nodded and trailed after Logan, Kitty still trying to pry information out of Piotr.
Hmmm. What does Piotr know that Kitty doesn't? And just what is going on with Remy and Rogue? Much more of them to come next next time!