French Translations:

Mon amour, pourquoi pleures-tu? Qui a causé la douleur du cœur? Gambit seront les traquer comme un chien, et puis il va leur montrer ce qui arrive quand copine Gambit en prend un coup!-My love, why are you crying? Who has caused your heart pain? Gambit will track them down like a dog, and then he will show them what happens when Gambit's girlfriend gets hurt!

Chere-Dear

…

With Christmas coming nearer and nearer, the whole Mansion was going nuts, and Crystal was starting to get annoyed. She had been up until two in the morning listening to everyone running around and decorating for Christmas. She wasn't in the best of moods to begin with because of her training session yesterday, but not sleeping made her mood worse. So as she sat at the dining room table and looked outside at the snowy field, she muttered to herself about how people "should be considerate of others" and "just stop and continue the next day".

In the middle of her moping, Crystal heard the whole kitchen gasp. She turned and saw Gambit rolling in, a deep slash mark fresh and bleeding across his right eye. "S-Someone here ta s-see Wolverine," he muttered. The Professor, who was now examining the Cajun's cut eye started talking to him and asking questions like, "What did they look like?" and "Is he still here?". Logan got up and left the kitchen, his claws popping out of his hand. Crystal felt like dying or killing herself. Gambit's hurt enough already! He's in a wheelchair, for God's sake! Crystal thought she'd faint from this, but instead she ran toward him, knocking over a chair.

Jean stopped her telepathically and thought sharply, "What do you think you're doing? Can't you see the Professor is working with Gambit?" Crystal felt hurt and offended. How could she say such a thing? "Yes, I see that! I'm not blind!"

"You might not be blind, but you are a little aggressive."

"Aggressive? You're gonna call me aggressive for wantin' ta see my boyfriend?"

"So he is your boyfriend!"Kitty cut into their little fight and Crystal heard two wheelchairs roll out of the room. "N-No…Gambit is not my boyfriend!" She was blushing hard now, and everyone turned to stare at the three girls, mainly Crystal. "Why the change of opinion, Crystal, dear?" Storm strolled into the room, hitting Jean with this creepy stare. Jean rolled her eyes at the gesture and walked out, a couple of people following her.

Crystal sat down with her arms crossed on the table and silently cried into her elbow. Everyone else left besides Storm now, muttering things and laughing quietly. "What is it, Darlin'?" Logan came back in, retracting his claws. He walked over and sat next to her. Storm picked up the fallen chair and sat in it to Crystal's left. "Yes, do tell us, sweetie," Storm gently put her hand on the crying girl's shoulder as she spoke calmly and quietly. "I-It's just…" Crystal stuttered through the sobs, "Gambit, a-and Jean—"

"What about Jean?" Logan growled defensively, not liking the idea that Jean was involved with his daughter's problems. Gambit on the other hand…Yeah, Logan could see him in this. "Well," Crystal calmed down a little at Logan's over-protective-dad instincts, and sat up. "It's just…Earlier at breakfast, when Gambit, uh, rolled in with the…c-cut," She had trouble fighting more tears as she talked about her "boyfriend" getting hurt again. Logan and Storm both patted her shoulders protectively, and she continued. "Well, when that happened, I got up and ran to him—well, I 'tried', I mean…Jean stopped me with her stupid force-field, and was all, like, "What do you think you're doing? Can't you see the Professor is working with Gambit?' and I was offended, 'cause I could definitely see that! A-And…and," Logan was going to tell her to calm down, but then her temper blew up. "AND IT WAS STUPID, 'CAUSE THEN I STOOD UP FOR MYSELF, BUT I CALLED GAMBIT MY BOYFRIEND, AND THEN KITTY INTERRUPTED AND SAID 'SO HE IS YOUR BOYFRIEND' AND, I-I… I just…"

She burst into tears again just as Gambit rolled in next to the Professor. He glanced at Logan, who was basically staring at his white temporary eye-patch, (not like a pirate eye-patch, it's gauze and medical tape, people,) and rolled over to the crying girl that he loved. "Mon amour, pourquoi pleures-tu? Qui a causé la douleur du cœur? Gambit seront les traquer comme un chien, et puis il va leur montrer ce qui arrive quand copine Gambit en prend un coup!" Crystal peeked up at the sound of Remy's French words. "Gambit…?" The Cajun's cocky smile caught her completely off guard and she smiled with him, completely forgetting her sadness. "De one an' only, chere. Wat you need?" Crystal didn't even need to answer, at least not with words. She sat on Gambit's lap and they kissed. Logan snarled disapprovingly, but Storm put a hand on his shoulder and just sighed. The Professor watched and smiled, glad to see everyone happy again.

…

"So, watcha want for Christmas?"

"Me? Aw, chere, Gambit don' need anyt'in fo' Christmas 'cept you."

"No, really! I wanna get ya somethin'!"

"Well, Gambit ain't sure he want anyt'ing…"

"Aw, c'mon, Remy, surely ya can find somethin' ya want!"

Crystal and Gambit were laying on his bed, in his room, the TV still cracked and unusable. She really wanted to get Gambit something he really wanted, because he had done so much for her. She'd thought about a new TV, but Gambit never really watched that TV anyway, he'd said so himself! She had also gone to a couple of people in the Mansion, but no one really knew the mysterious thief that well. So, instead, she asked him about what he wanted, but Gambit was so stubborn! If he really was thinking about what he'd like to have, he sure wasn't showing it.

"You really can't think of anything you want?" Crystal pushed her Cajun boyfriend, but he didn't take the bait. "Nope, abs'lutely not'in, chere. Gambit ain't a needy kinda guy, ya know?" She rolled he eyes and sighed. This was going to be really difficult. "Well, okay, if you won't tell me, I'll ask Kitty," she teased and Gambit put his hand sarcastically over his mouth. "Oh no! Krys's gunna ask KITTY! It da end uh-da world!" He jumped into the wheelchair next to the bed and rolled in circles yelling about "the attack of the fifty foot Kitty". Crystal laughed until her sides hurt, and when she walked out of the room full of yelling and laughter, she ran straight into Kitty. "Uh, like, what were you two doing in there?"She giggled. Crystal was still laughing, but she was blushing now as well. "Well, uh, I was asking Gambit about what he wanted for Christmas, and then he wouldn't tell me anything so I told him that I'd ask you, and he started rolling around talking about the attack of the fifty foot Kitty, and—"

"—uh, like, the attack of the fifty foot me?"

"Yeah, basically…"

"Wow, like, okay…So, about Gambit's Christmas present—"

Kitty led Crystal down the hall and into her room, which didn't really appeal to anyone that pink didn't appeal to. [Did you understand that? ] It was painted pink, with a pink fuzzy rug and pink sheets on the bed. There were posters of famous boy-bands and singers covering the walls, leaving only enough space for a bulletin board, and a couple of mirrors. On the board were various phone numbers, including Lance's, (a.k.a Avalanche.) A picture in a frame was on the table next to her bed. It showed Kitty on Lance's back, both teens smiling at the camera. Also on the bedside table were a couple of Sharpies in various shades of pink, and her pink sparkly cell phone plugged into a charger, which was plugged into the wall outlet. Over all, if you were to describe Kitty's room in three words, they would be:

Pink

Girly

Kitty

*** [Let me tell you something, I would so barf if I had to stay in that room!] ***

"So," Kitty sat on the bed and Crystal pulled up a chair and sat down. Kitty leaned in and asked, "How are you two, ya know, getting along?" Crystal rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Kat, I'm not telling you what's going on between us. I'm here for help and advice, more or less." Kitty looked at her with that "I'm-not-giving-up-you-know" look and giggled. Then she pulled lipstick out of her purse and started applying it to her already perfect lips. She leaned back on the bed and pulled out a compact mirror before continuing their talk.

"Okay, so, like, you wanna know what to get Gambit for Christmas, right?"

"Well, yeah, that's what I came here for."

"Get him a guitar."

Kitty didn't hear a response, so she looked over only to see Crystal with her mouth wide open staring at her. "What, you, like, didn't know he played?" Recovering slightly from her shock, Crystal shook her head slowly. "Nooooo…" Kitty sighed. "Well, okay, I'll bet you the Professor will like, so, get him one if I ask him to." She went back to her makeup and Crystal thought, Wow, I never knew he played guitar! Maybe we can go the music store in town tomorrow and I can ask him to play for me! Oh, that'd be so cool!

"What about a pet?"

Crystal snapped out of her thoughts. "Wh-What?"

"I said, 'what about a pet?'"

"Hmm…" she had to admit, that was a pretty good idea, but would Professor X allow it? All of a sudden a voice rang through her head. "Yes, Crystal, I would allow that. If that is what you would like to give Gambit for Christmas gift, you may do so." It was the Professor, and Crystal replied, "Thanks, Professor X!"

"Sure, that sounds good! And it's in my price range."

"You mean Wolverine's price range!" Kitty laughed, putting away her stuff. "Well, yeah, kinda," Crystal admitted, blushing lightly. To be honest, she was broke, but Logan would always let her borrow money. And when he didn't, she would steal some when he wasn't around. Logan really couldn't care less about what she did, unless it involved Gambit, or her getting hurt.

"Okay that's, like, totally cool and all, but, like, what type of pet are you gonna get him?" Crystal had to think really hard about that. Was Gambit a cat person? No. Definitely not. Kitty didn't wait for an answer. "Well, like, the legal pets are like, cats, dogs, hamsters, snakes, chinchillas, guinea pigs, omg, I, like, so love guinea pigs!" That earned a strange glance from Crystal, but Kitty just kept going, not even looking at her. "Okay, Kitty, focus…There are, like, guinea pigs, fish, birds, and sometimes monkeys. On the illegal side, which I totally don't recommend, are alligators, crocodiles, monkeys, raccoons, electric eels—" Crystal could tell Kitty was getting way out of hand, so she tapped her on the shoulder. "What?"

"Kitty, I'm not getting him an illegal animal!"

"Oh, that's good, 'cause they're, like, really hard to get."

"Okay, I really don't think Gambit's a cat person, or a little-cute-rodent type person."

Kitty frowned. "Darn, okay…"

"Yeah, so that leaves snakes, monkeys, and dogs."

"And fish!"

"Right. So, no monkeys or fish, but a snake or a dog might be a good idea."

"Like, totally, 'cause Gambit's just like that!"

Crystal stared. "I have no idea what you just said."

"Uh, never mind…Anyway, I think a snake would, like, be a total bore, ya know?"

"Yeah…so, a dog?"

No response came from Kitty as Crystal saw that she was texting Lance. So she walked out of the room, happy but a little worried. A dog, that would definitely make him happier, and he could play with it. It was a perfect idea! Wasn't it?