(Like you all don't know this already.) Disclaimer: I don't own X-men Evolution
Seriously, if I owned X-men Evolution I would have continued the series after that battle with Apocalypse. Or at least kept it on the air so that more people could become attached to it and write to those people and tell them to continue it or else they'd be tarred and feathered.
…
…Okay fine!! Or we could just PEACEFULLY march around until they continued it. HAPPY JIMMENY CRICKET?!?!
Pinocchio's conscience, or the goody two-shoes side of me.
Fighting the Power
"Shouldn't you be sleeping, Cherie? You know what dey say, sleep is de best medicine." Gambit said shuffling his deck of cards. A rumble of thunder roared outside, and he smiled to himself. On a day like this, what could possibly be better? Here he was in a cozy room, with a le belle femme, a good sturdy deck of cards, and no crazy Wolverine had come in and torn him up yet.
"Can't." Rogue replied turning on her side and propping herself up on her elbow to get a better view of this card juggling trick.
He grinned pleased with himself. He swished his cards through the air from one hand to the next in a way that was believed to be only seen in those exaggerated cartoons. Apparently it was possible to do something like that with a deck of cards though. Go figure? "Up for a game of speed den?"
"You're on." Rogue replied smirking and pushing the covers off of her so she could sit comfortable, Indian style. There wasn't a single living soul in the institute that was able to beat her. She had beaten every one so much that they refused to play it with her. She hadn't played in… what was it? 2 months?
"You may regret dat, Cherie," Gambit said trying to hide a grin.
He dealt the cards expertly, flipping them through the air first for show, and then shuffling them and tossing them down to their proper place. Rogue could feel a slight pang of dizziness from her medicine while watching the cards fly through the air, but she shook it off and picked up her cards. The two sat momentarily calmly arranging their cards in the order they pleased trying to shake off the nervous anticipation.
"Ready, Chere?"
"Ah am, but are you?" She ignored the chills from her fever, no need for blankets to get in the way of a game of speed.
He grinned, once you got past that poisonous viper attitude, she wasn't so bad. "On de count of t'ree…
Un.
Deux.
Tro-"
And the door was thrown open. Startled, Gambit fell out of his chair trying to move out of sight, but tripped and he fell onto the bed, his head now resting between Rogue's Indian style crossed legs. Rogue stupidly threw the covers over her legs trying to hide the cards, and to her own surprise, covering up Gambit as well.
Beast smiled cheerfully holding some heavy box that only he, with his powers, could lift. "Ro---..." He stopped short seeing the mess of two people in front of him.
Under the covers.
A boy and a girl.
…
Rogue was so lucky it was him who was sent up to check on her and not Logan. So, so, so, soooooooo lucky.
"This isn't--" She said throwing her covers off and kicking Gambit off of her bed and onto the floor, "Ah mean--"
"Homme, we weren't--"
"Ah never would --"
"Really, Mon sieur--"
"Hold it!" Beast said holding up his free hand. Maybe he was too much of a softy, but he just couldn't bring himself to shout. He was 'The Beast,' and yet his temper didn't flare like Logan, or any one else's for that matter, would have. Things didn't add up. "What's going on here?"
"I-" Gambit began, but was cut off.
"He just came by to check up on me and we were playing cards… Honest!" She added after seeing that skeptical look pass over Mr. McCoy's face.
He looked at the two, first at Rogue, in all of her flu-pale faced, runny-pink-nosed glory; and then to Gambit. He never really did have too much of a problem with the Acolyte called Gambit. Sabertooth, yes, but this one… in Beast's own opinion, Remy, or Gambit, never really seemed to belong there anyways.
Maybe that's what kept him from alerting the others of Gambit's presence…
Or maybe he just wasn't as dumb as his ape like appearance and knew better than to meddle in young romance. Whichever, he smiled in an all-knowing manner that made Rogue's cheeks turn red and Gambit grin, and closed the door without another word.
The two rested in an awkward silence and lightning flashed outside breaking them out of their worlds. "Hmm, you know I always have like him." Gambit said smiling while Rogue pulled a blanket over her shoulders and fumbled with the cards," Now, where were we?" He asked wrapping his arms around Rogue's waist and pulling her against him. She was so close he could feel her shivering from the chill of her fever.
"WHAT ARE YAh DOING?!" Rogue croaked in her high-pitched fever-raspy voice. Good thing she had that soar throat, or otherwise her screech might have shook the walls of the institute.
"What? Just picking up where we left off…" He grinned leaning in.
"Stay ba-" She broke off into a fit of coughs, the first couple right in Gambit's face until she finally managed to wriggle free of his grasp and cover her mouth.
She had coughed on him. Normally most men would have gotten up and left, seriously, she had coughed on him, in his face. For some reason though, he didn't. He actually laughed. "You know, most femmes just give a man a kiss."
She shot him a look in between her fits of coughing. "The only satisfaction I get ahtta this, is that maybe, you'll get mah cold too."
"Oh, Cherie, a gift? But I didn't get you a thing," he grinned.
She glared at him, why couldn't he just get mad? It was so frustrating knowing she had no effect on him. "Whatever." She snapped, "Deal." She said handing him the deck of cards and pulling the blankets farther over her shoulders so they wouldn't fall off during the game.
He grinned taking the cards out of her hand, and purposely running his gloved finger tips over her palm gently when he took them. He could see her fever-red cheeks turn an even deeper shade of scarlet and she snatched her hand back. He quickly dealt the cards. "Once again, on de count of t'ree. Un… deux…" He paused and the both of them looked to the door, the only sound came from the thunder outside, "Trois."
The game began. Card after card. Gambit was faster than what Rogue had hoped. She was slower. Her eyelids were already heavy from the Nyquil, and her reflexes were slow. She was bound and determined to win though, he wasn't going to beat her, not no way, no—"Done." He declared slamming the last card down dramatically making the springs of the bed bounce the two occupants.
"You-you cheated!" She growled also slamming down her cards. "You took advantage of me!"
The last comment made Gambit laugh. Hard. "Chere, when I take advantage of you, you'll know it."
She shot him a look, and he returned it with a grin. And then he sniffled.
Rogue snorted and pulled the covers further over her shoulders, "Ha! You've got mah flu!"
"A small price to pay for an afternoon wit' a le belle femme," He said leaning in closer to her.
"Get away!" she said falling backwards onto her pillow in a futile effort to lean away from him.
"Aw, come on, I've already caught your flu, dere's nothing left to lose right?" he said hovering over her and getting very close.
"How about consciousness?" Rogue growled weakly pushing him back.
Gambit sat up and Rogue yawned, "So much for that 'not tired' t'ing, huh?" He smirked. Secretly though, he was also starting to feel tired himself. Maybe he did catch her flu? That couldn't be good, now what?
"That's because you tire me out!" She said in the middle of a yawn and sliding back under her covers.
"You're tiring yourself," Gambit said sliding over to her side of the bed and putting his arm around her. He didn't plan on leaving any time soon. The thunder and lightning outside was ten times as un-welcoming as Rogue's viper attitude.
"Don't- Don't get any… any i-… ideassss…" She said sleepily settling in under her covers and closer to the warm body beside her.
"You know you shouldn't try to stay awake when you're sick like that Cherie. Don't fight the power of Nyquil." He said yawning as well. Yawns were contagious…
"You-… y-… you can't… tell me what to do…"
Thanks for all of the encouraging "continue the story" reviews. I'm really sorry I carried it out this long. I even told some one I'd get this story out within of a week if she let me use one of her suggestions. I didn't think I got a reply though. (I don't know how to check my inbox…) I only found the message when I was checking my old email address today (June 16th, 2007) for good chain-letters. So to that person, I'm sorry. I hope this was worth the wait.
Notes:
Native American, I know, I know. That's what is still called today. Would you guys really have gotten it if I had said "she was sitting Native American style"?