Scott flinched horribly as he caught the look on Rogue's face. Now that her powers had upgraded from rendering people comatose to killing them with a single touch, he was sure that she would whip of her glove and kill him on the spot.
Rogue's eyes were still on him, "What the bloodah hell is he doin' here?" she growled as she shielded her children from Remy as if he might attack.
"Rogue. I can explain." Scott calmly reasoned as he put in his hands up incase she attacked him.
"Yah bettah." She growled softly, her green eyes burning with hate and disgust at the sight of Remy.
"Mama, what's wrong?" Bekka asked as she tried to move around her mother, but Rogue wouldn't let her.
"We need t'talk chere. Now." His arms were folded over his chest, and his voice sounded guttural.
"We have nothin' tah talk about Gambit."
"I t'ink we do!" he yelled. His hands were glowing a faint pink color. She eyed him for a moment, if he wanted to talk then fine. This was a long time coming.
"Fine," she turned to Scott "Cyclops, take my kids out. And Ah want tah talk tah yah latah."
Scott nodded as he opened the door to lead the twins out. Bekka followed behind him, but Oliver stayed back, something about the guy put him off. "I'm not goin'" He said stubbornly, his eyes glued to the Cajun. If the man thought he could yell at his mother like that he had another think coming.
"Go Oli. Ah'll be fine." She gently pushed him towards the door. "But mom!"
"Go." Her tone was firm. Oliver gave Remy one more look, and silently whispered to his mother "If he hurts yah…"
"Ah'll let yah have the first punch." She winked at him. Rogue closed the door; it was now only her and the Cajun.
Rogue leaned back on the door, "What do yah want?" she asked him.
Remy sneered as he looked her over. She was no longer a goth, and her hair had grown past her shoulders. Even her uniform had drastically changed: from the black and green spandex to green with silver lining robe complete with a hood and cape. She looked so much older and tired.
"Don't y'dare play dumb wit' me!" he yelled "Why didn't y'ever tell me dat I had kids?"
He was expecting "It's not your business" or "I was scared." But the answer he got just about floored him.
"Who says they're yoahs?" she asked him coolly as she walked over to the desk and sat down on it. She was trying to control herself, from taking off her gloves and draining him on the spot, from snapping his neck. But she stayed firm.
"Dieu, I may not remember a lot from my past, mais I remember how I looked like! And dose deux kids look a helluva lot like moi!"
"Really?" She took off her gloves to examine her nails "Ah see no resemblance."
Remy was now fully aware that her gloves were off, he held his chin high in hopes of showing that her powers didn't scare him at all.
He took two steps forward to get closer to her. "Den tell me, what's do de boy gotta wear sunglasses inside?" He asked, lowering his own shades to reveal his red on black eyes. Rogue titled her head to the side, smiling her own little smile.
"He aint the onlah one in the mansion tah wear sunglasses inside," She had a point, Remy had seen the class photos in Cyclops office of the x-team: a lot of the students had own sunglasses.
"And besides it's just an eye infection. He was born with it."
Remy couldn't tell if she was lying or not, her mental shield had vastly improved.
"Eye infection my ass! Dose are my kids Rogue! MY KIDS!" He started to pace around the faculty lounge, rubbing the tension building in his neck.
"They're yoah kids?" her question was spoken in a quiet deadly whisper. Her mouth set into a frown as she bit the inside of her cheeks. "They're yoah kids?" she asked again louder this time. She got up from the desk to face him, "So yah were there when Ah gave birth?" she asked him as she walked towards him. "No…that was Logan and Jean-Paul."
"Rogue."
She ignored him as she continued on "Were yah there when Ah changed their diapers and fed them? No, that was Storm and Jean."
"Rogue." He repeated her name louder, but she was determined. She was ticking everything on her fingers. She was on number seven now.
"How about when Ah taught them how tah read? Or when Ah showed them how tah ride their bikes? Or when Ah took them tah school?"
She looked through his sunglasses into his eyes that were burning red.
"Were YAH there for anah of those?!" she yelled in his face.
Remy sighed as he hung his head, "Non."
"Ah thought so." She nodded her head "Ah thought so."
Remy bit his mouth to keep from charging one of his knives and throwing it at her. She never told him about them, she had no right to yell.
"How old are dey chere?"
"Don't yah dare evah call meh that." She snapped, but he ignored her. "How old?" he bit off his words.
"Thirteen. Eight months till they're fourteen."
He did the math in his head, there was no way that those kids didn't belong to him "Why didn't y'tell me?" his voice cracked.
"They aint yoah kids. Therefore yah don't need tah care."
"Damn it Rogue. Stop being stupid. Who's else could dey belong t'huh?" he grabbed her shoulders and shook her little "I was de only one t'sleep wit' y'." he shouted angrily.
Rogue bit her lip, she pushed Remy far from her and yelled before she could think "What makes yah think that Ah onlah slept with yah?!"
Her question made his heart stop beating for a second. Just a second, before his arms collapsed to his sides, heavy and numb.
"Y-Y'…Qui?" his hand was on his heart, trying to feel a beat. He couldn't imagine her doing that with anyone else. Just some random guy?
"Don't look tah shock Gambit, aint lahke yah neveh had a one night stand befoah. Did yah honestlah think that I was gonna mope around foah yah? After yah left Ah went tah the clubs…and met a few men." She looked at him again. "Few days later Ah found out Ah was pregnant." She shrugged.
"Dieu." Remy took a seat, laying his head in his hands as he absorbed what she had just said. If what she said was true then that meant…
He wasn't going to give up.
He stood up, and wiped his sweaty hands down his pants. "I want a blood test."
"What?"
"Y'heard moi. I want a damn paternity test."
Her eyes widened. "Ah just told yah-"
"If dey aint my kids den y'don't have t'worry."
Rogue looked at him through peered eyes, hands on her hips. "What do Ah have tah worrah about?"
Remy walked right up to her, close enough that barely an inch stood between them. "Lots of t'ings."
His voice sounded cold and made Rogue slightly tense before she sucked in some air. "Fine, yah want a blood test? Yah'll get yoah damn test." She started to walk away but Remy grabbed her wrist. "We're not finished yet."
She snatched her wrist back and walked out, "Leave a note."
-----Kitchen----
Bobby stretched his arms, hearing each little bone pop has he took the cranks out of his muscles. The entire mansion seemed to be buzzing with energy, something about 'new guys'. But he ignored it, coming back from mission he was too tired to focus on gossip.
As he walked into the kitchen he wished he looked around first.
'Oh, God.'
There sitting at the kitchen table was Pulse, drinking something from a mug. This guy was one of the particular reasons why Rogue decided to take the position as field leader. To get away from him, Pulse and Rogue used to date until Rogue had found out about his situation with Mystique.
"Hey Bobby!"
Was it too late to run and hide?
He winced a bit as he pulled out a bottle of soda from the fridge and took a seat across the blond mutant.
"Hey…um Gus."
"Where's Sam? Thought the guy would be around."
Bobby tried to focus on anything else beside the man. He had wished he brought his cell.
"Lila dragged him out of here as soon as she saw him. Something about catching up." He scratched the back of his neck.
"Poor guy. Can you think of any thing worse than coming back from a four month mission and then being dragged to a date with out rest?" Pulse asked smiling as he took another sip from his mug.
Bobby just tapped his nails against the table. 'I can think of a few things.' He thought, he tried fighting the urge to freeze the mutant to death.
Bobby looked at Pulse again. The man shrugged. 'Here it comes. 3, 2…1"
"So how's Rogue? Do you know where she is?"
Bobby took another sip of his soda. 'Probably trying to hide her self from you.'
"Last time I saw her Cykes was trying to get her attention.
"Oh."
They sat in silence for a few minutes until Wallflower and Icarus walked in. Each wearing a face of confusion and humor.
"Do yall know who Gambit is?"
Pulse sprayed out whatever contents of the drink was in his mouth all over the table. Bobby scooted away from him, while keeping his eyes on the two students.
"Ah'll take that as a yes." Jay smiled as Laurie handed Pulse a towel to wipe up the mess.
"So who is he?"
Bobby raised his drink in the air in mock solute. "Gambit. Former acolyte, former x-men, former marauder. Current status: butt hole."
"Why do you ask?" Pulse coughed. He had heard the name mentioned before he and Rogue started to date.
"Well…he's here."
Bobby eyes widened "What!?"
"He's here. We just heard Miss. Raven going off on Mr. Summers for inviting him in."
The two grown men looked at each before rushing upstairs to Cyclops office. "Now I know why Scott was so eager to talk to her." Bobby said as he rushed up along side Pulse up the stairs.
Jay and Laurie watched as the two left.
"You think they're gonna duke it out?" Laurie asked smiling.
"Ten bucks Miss Raven is gonna drain him dry."
------------Cyclops's office---------
Scott Summers had faced a lot of things in his time as an x-men, from a million year old demented mutant to the FOH. But he rather face all of his opponents then go up against his toughest most scariest opponent.
"Rogue, seriously can you calm down?" Scott tried reasoning with her. Rogue was tossing a fire ball back and forth between her hands. She had already thrown three at him, which Scott barely missed. To bad he couldn't say the same for his office.
"Ah past calm thirteen years ago, Ah'm pissed as hell now!" she threw the fire ball. It singed his office curtain.
"Damn it!" He pulled the curtains down from there rods and stomped on them to extinguish the flames. "Rogue, can we just talk?"
Rogue crossed her arms over her chest, "What do yah want tah talk about? The fact that yah let him in here. Or that yah let mah kids get near him?!" She threw another ball of flame, it barely missed his head.
"Look, I know that he's the last person you want to see." He explained calmly, as he tried to inch close to his desk. He heard her scoff at him "But he and his friends have no where else to go. I think you can handle him for a day."
"Ah don't think so Scott!"
Scott lowered his glasses a bit to rub his eyes, "It's been thirteen years Rogue, cant you just get over what happened? We all moved on with our lives, Oliver and Rebecca should know who their real father is. Your situation with Gambit shouldn't get in the way."
Rogue, who was sitting down, smiled darkly. Her finger nails tapping lightly against the chair's handle. "Should yah reallah be the one tah give family advice?"
Scott's eyes glowed red behind the visors, "No, but as your superior I'm giving advise to follow."
"As in ordering meh?"
"Yep."
Rogue breathed in and out, she never cared to take orders from Scott. The fearless leader could preach a whole day, but never cared to follows his own set of moral rules.
"You should tell him Rogue." He advised her again. His voice was firm as he watched Rogue's reaction.
Her face twitched at the idea, and then something hit her. "Yah seem calm for a man who a couple of years ago hated him as much as I do."
Scott coughed and moved around some papers around his desk. "This has nothing to do with that."
"And Ah think it does. This doesn't have tah do anythang with mah kids; this is about yah and Gambit. Isn't it?" she asked outraged, but already knowing the answer, even if he didn't admit.
"Rogue-"
She held up her hands in front of him "No, yah listen tah meh, Scott Summers, Ah don't care whether yah tell him yoah little secret. But if yah evah dare tah tell him mine, Ah swear they won't be able tah find yoah bodah, and Ah'm a lawyer. Ah can do that!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.
She stormed out angrily from the office, slamming the door so hard that a few photos fell off the walls. Scott released a pent up sigh, 'That actually went better than I imagined.' He pulled out a bottle of Stoli and a shot glass from the bottom drawer of his desk. "So this is where you hide the bottle." An amused voice spoke up. He looked up to Emma smiling at the sight of her him drinking in the middle of the day; she took a seat in his lap.
"It suddenly hit me." Scott commented after a while.
"What?"
"There's no difference between Rogue's power and her skills as an attorney. They'll both drain you dry." He took a long swing from the bottle.
--------Hallway--------
Aliyah looked down and smiled kindly at her friend. "Do you mind?" TJ shrugged, "Free country." Aliyah slid down against the wall to sit next to her.
"Are you okay?"
TJ didn't answer, she wrapped her arms around her knees against her chest and laid her head down.
"Look, he didn't know. You shouldn't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault." Aliyah comforted her. "Hey, think about it. Whose family isn't screwed up?" she tried laughing, but it came out as forced.
"Some kids can run away from their parents, but I'll always feel trapped." Tears started to run down TJ's face as she continued to talk. "Imagine being five years old, and everybody is saying that you're an accident. That you were never wanted." She smiled through the tears, "Even your own mother and father saying that after they just said that they loved you." She finally broke down, and started to sob.
Aliyah hugged, "Wanda and Kurt don't know what they're talking about. Neither do those damn young avengers."
TJ pulled away from yeah, sniffing. "Yeah right."
Aliyah wasn't having any of this. She shook her lightly, "Listen to me. None of us come from a perfect family. We all have over come the crap our parents give to us, whether we like it or not."
TJ wiped away a tear, "Yeah, I know. But it's just-"
"But nothing, we don't have to prove anything to anybody, especially to our parents." TJ sniffed again "Thanks."
Aliyah poked her shoulder "No problem." She sighed. "You should consider your self somewhat lucky. At least you had a both parents at one point. Most of us never saw our moms or dads."
"I actually kind of wished I was in that situation." TJ laughed "I'm going to be in therapy till I'm forty because of those two." They laughed together, it was sad reason to laugh but it was the only thing that kept them strong.
"We all may have grown up in a broken family. But we're family; nothing is going to change that." Aliyah promised, she took TJ's hand into her own.
From afar, Bishop watched the two girls comforting each other. He was drawn to them when he heard the crying from TJ. At first he didn't believe his eyes; he shook his head, trying to see if he was just hallucinating. But he wasn't.
Silently he pulled out a wrinkled aged photo from his wallet, and looked at it. The picture was of a woman and a little girl.
The woman's eyes were dark, but glowing with happiness as she held her two year old daughter in her arms and pointed at the camera.
The little girl had thick curly black hair and a marking over her left eye. Bishop could feel his heart sink into his stomach as he looked up from the photo to the two girls sitting. He knew that it was her, there was no doubt.
'Aliyah'
-------------Rogue's House------------
Sam rang the door bell. After coming back from his date with Lila, Bobby and Gus had told him what had happened. The southern x-men was pissed as hell when he was told that Scott had actually agreed to let the Cajun stay at the mansion. When Scott refused to talk about it, saying that his decision was final, Sam punched him square in the face.
Damn the consequence, ol'Scotty boy didn't care about anyone besides Emma and himself anyway.
Rogue answered the door, "Sam, what are yah doin' here?" He smiled "Nice question tah ask, don't yah think?" He looked down at her wrist, the Genosha bracelet was on and working. He pulled her wrist, pulling her body closer to his and kissed her fully on the lips.
Rogue blinked as she pulled back, "Yoah date with Lila ended earlah, Ah'm guessin'?" She closed the door once he was inside.
"Ah heard what happened." He thought Rogue would be angry or at least upset, but she looked calm. 'Can never be to sure' He thought, her famous temper was something that he always somewhat admired.
"Oh." She led him into the kitchen. The smell of fried fish, macaroni & cheese and mashed potatoes assailed his nostrils.
"Yah cooked?" He asked amused, Rogue had a bad habit of burning food after coming back from a mission or work. The food though looked and smelled delicious.
"Yah kiddin' meh, right?" Rogue leaned her head back laughing. "Nah, the kids cooked. Yah wanna bite?" she offered.
"Yeah."
After she prepared him a plate they walked outside and watched the twins practice fighting from the patio. "Uncle Sam!" The twins cried running up to him. "Missed y'all two." He told them, giving them a huge bear hug and kissing the top of their heads.
"Guess who we saw." Said Bekka as she latched onto Sam's arm.
"Who?"
"Sarah's dad, we finally got to meet him.
"Aint nothing to be blabin' about, Bekka." Oli grumbled as he twirled a bo-staff in his hands. "The guy aint much, I can take down that pretty boy in ten seconds flat." Oli took the staff and hit it against a tree branch, breaking it apart.
"Ah believe it." Sam chuckled; he nodded thanks to Rogue when she passed him a can of soda.
Becca poked her brother in his rib with her staff, "He aint so bad, he was cool with us." Oliver scowled at her; he swung his staff, but missed her head by a foot. "The jerk yelled at mom! How the hell do yah think he's cool?"
Sam looked at Rogue, frowning. "He what?"
"He yelled at mom, when she didn't want to talk to him. Was about to burn the jerk to ashes" Oliver informed him. Sam could feel his muscles twitch. "Why don't y'all go practice?" He told the kids.
As soon as the kids were out of ear shot, Rogue let out a breath of frustration.
Sam put down drink on the patio table, "He yelled at yah?"
"Don't start it Sam."
"Don't start what? Yah should have told meh."
Rogue rolled her eyes, "Didn't really plan on seeing the damn fool, so sorrah Ah didn't have time tah make room for yah!" She got up, too agitated to sit down. "Thirteen years Ah was able tah protect them from him and now…" She started to sob in her hands.
"Rogue," she could feel his arms wrap around her waist, his chin rest on her shoulder. "Ah'm sorrah, just…aftah what happened. Ah promised-"
Rogue smiled as she leaned into Sam's chest, "Ah know, Ah know." She could feel his lips on her neck. "Ah miss him, so much. He would have punched that Cajun tah a bloodah pulp."
They laughed; Sam walked her to rails of the patio. "If it makes yah feel anah bettah, Ah punched Cyke's in the face." He offered lamely.
It helped, she looked happy at the thought that right now Cyclops was holding a bag of ice to his face.
"He wants a blood test Sam. Ah don't think Ah can tell them if they asked." Rogue said numbly, her head still resting on his chest. "Didn't yah tell him-?"
She turned to face him; her eyes were wet with tears. "He still wanted tah take the test. Sam, Ah can't lose mah kids. Ah can't. Ah just can't!" She started to shake in his arms. Sam was thankful that the kids couldn't see her crying or hear their conversation. "Hey, Hey!" He grabbed her shoulders. "Yah not gonna loose those kids, Rogue." He brushed away a tear. "Ah promise, okay?"
She bit her lip, but still shook her head yes. He kissed her again on the lips, deeper this time. His hands tangled in her hair as her hands cupped his face.
Rogue pulled away, needing to breath. "Okay."
------------Next Day, Xavier's Mansion------------
"Don't do it man." Johnny advised Remy as they sat in the kitchen drinking coffee (Irish coffee for Johnny) and watching a short blue eyed black haired woman talking to Emma and Kitty. Even though the woman was talking to them, her eyes were glued to Remy.
Johnny saw the woman lick her painted red lips, getting impatient and bored with the two ladies. She was hot, no doubt. But Remy was already treading on thin ice around the mansion.
"Dude, you got a list of woman who want you dead. Do you really want to add another one?" he asked smirking.
"Nothin' wrong wid flirtin'."
"You mean sex?"
Remy gave him an 'innocent' look, "Now what kind of man do y't'ink I am?" Before Johnny could answer a sultry British voice interrupted him.
"Hullo."
The two looked up to see the woman stand in front of them. She was leaning in a bit, showing some cleavage. "Can I sit here?"
Remy stood up and pulled out the chair for hair, "By all mean, chere." He took her hand and kissed the back, "What kind of man says 'non' to a belle lady like y'self?"
The woman closed her eyes, taking in the feeling of his lips on her skin. She loved it. She crossed her legs; the short skirt crawled up to expose the creamy skin of her legs. With out knowing, Remy brushed his fingers against her knees, enjoying the heat she was radiating from being close to him.
Johnny rolled his eyes at the two. There was only so much the midnight rider could take in one morning; he stood up to leave the "couple". Knowing fully well that the Cajun lady killer could woo the woman into bed and then come in time for the blood test.
'And Punisher says I'm the one who causes trouble. At least I ask women what their names are before I take them.'
"Now how is it that I have been here for eight years and never saw your handsome face, luv?" the woman asked flirtatiously. Her hand on top of his. Remy looked down, no wedding ring. Time to play.
"Don't come here usually, t'ough if I knew y'were here, I would come more often." He scooted the chair closer to hers. He brought his other hand to her neck and massaged it. The woman began to purr, "Mmm, is that a fact?"
"Damn straight." He whispered huskily into her ears.
"I don't come here a lot anyway, just came to visit a friend."
Remy's eyebrows went up, "Boyfriend?"
"Not really. I'm usually on the road; I have my own band and everything." To the woman's disappointment Remy removed his hand from her neck as more people came into the kitchen.
'Damn them!'
"Y'Lila Cheney?" Remy asked smiling; he thought he recognized the singer. She was somewhat a hit down in New Orleans.
"So you do know me. I was beginning to feel disappointed that you weren't a fan." Lila could feel the eyes around the room focus on them. Behind her were Emma and Betsy, each wanting to ring the little rockers neck so badly.
'Jealous cows.'
"I know y'. Y'kind of big down in N'Awlins."
Lila's eyes grew wide. "You're from New Orleans?"
"Oui."
All of a sudden Remy could feel her emotions switch from excited/happy to worried/scared.
Did she know about him and Rogue?
Lila looked down at the watch on her wrist, "Oh bloody hell, I really have to get going. I have an appointment with…a friend."
Lila pushed back her chair and made a break for it. She felt Remy pull her arm, "Do y'want t'meet later chere?"
He lowered his sunglasses, his red and black eyes began to burn right through her. Lila could feel herself fall right for his charms.
"Gambit!"
Fortunately the spell was broken at the sound of Scott's voice. Lila was never so grateful to the x-men leader.
Scott's arms were crossed; his eyes were looking back and forth at Remy and Lila. "You're going to be late."
Remy rolled his eyes as he pushed back his sunglasses, "Merci homme." He answered sourly. He left the kitchen to meet Rogue at the lab.
"Scott, I can explain-"
Scott held up a finger to Lila, her naivety was always something he never liked about her. "Don't, just don't."
-----------Med Lab---------------
"Yah still scared of labs, Cajun?" Rogue asked teasingly, behind Remy was Kevin, Frank, Lucas, and Johnny.
"Yah know yah didn't have tah bring yoah boyfriends down here, hell yah didn't have tah take this damn test."
The guys took great offense to that, Johnny pointed a warning finger at her. "I would hit you if you weren't so cute."
Rogue scrunched her face in disgust as she led them to the pit where the mansion's resident doctor was at this time. Before she could open the door, three identical tall blond girls walked out. Each wearing the same things and walking the same way.
"Good morning Miss Raven." They said in unison as they passed her and the men.
"Oh, Gawd." Remy heard Rogue groan as she burst in the pit. Inside was a woman sitting on a swivel chair, her head leaning back and looking upward. Her long black hair spilled down against the chair's back, and the white lab coat with a gold snake pin on the lapel showed that she was the doctor.
"Swift?"
The woman turned her body to face them, but didn't look at them.
Remy looked around the room, eight beds were pushed back to the white walls, a desk full of needles and tongue depressors were set to the left side of the room, along with a cabinet full of medication and other medical tools. The smell of ammonia and the sight of needles made his stomach twist in knots. He hated labs!
"Yah alright there Swift?" Rogue walked closer to woman. Swift stood up and took a long swallow from a bottle of water set on her desk.
"Damn Stepford Cuckoos." Swift pulled her hair into a high ponytail. Remy looked over her, she was pretty. Her dark brown eyes shined through her cat shaped lavender glasses. She looked Egyptian, the name on her lab coat proved him right: Dr. Amina Nurrahsain.
"The only damn thing that Phoenix did good was burn the other damn clones, otherwise…"
Rogue gave her a look of pity, "How long were they here?"
"Eight hours, eight hours of 'My water isn't cold enough', 'My pillows aren't fluffed enough', and my personal favorite: 'You know, if you put on a little more make-up you could actually attract a man.'"
Rogue tried desperately not to snort, she covered her mouth to stifle the laughter but it was pointless. She knew that Stepford Cuckoos could irritate some people with their love for perfecting everything and everyone around them. Hell, a couple of time she felt like she wanted to ring the clones's necks.
Swift took another long swing of her bottle of water, and looked behind Rogue to see the five men stand behind her.
"Um…which one am I-?" her finger wavered around them, trying to pick which guy Rogue looked compatible with.
Remy lifted his hand in the air, "Dat would be moi. Marhaba" (hello/hi/welcome) he took Swift's hand to his lips. Swift smiled at his chivalrous charms, and the fact that he knew Arabic. Remy turned and smirked at Rogue. "Unless y'want t'admit dose are my kids."
Swift looked between the two; she could see the vein in Rogue's forehead pounding. "Those kids are mine and onlah mine, yoah wastin' yoah time with this."
Remy pulled back his sleeves and sat on one of the beds. His eyes never left Rogue's "Let's do dis."
Rogue scowled at him, and looked at his friends who all shrugged. They didn't want to be dragged anymore than they already were.
"Fine, but Ah got bettah thangs tah do."
"Rogue, we should really talk. You still need to-"
Rogue drowned out the doctor's voice, "Ah got the bracelet on meh, Ah'm good." She walked out with saying another word.
"She's nice." Bishop commented dryly as he watched her leave, he tapped his foot impatiently against the stark white tiles. "Can we get on with this?"
"Nice support system you got there." Swift mumbled as she took a cotton swap from a jar. She tapped the bottom of his chin, signaling him to open up his mouth.
Remy decided this was the best time to get some information.
"Have long have y've been working here, sugarina?" (Sweetie) Swift ignored his term of endearment as she put the cotton swab in a small container. "A few years, I'm just here till Beast gets back from his mission."
She plucked a strand of his hair from his head and put it in a separate container. "How do you know Arabic?" She smiled.
"Went to Cairo a couple times, picked up some things." The rest of the guys stifled their laughter as they watched Remy starting to sweat when Swift pulled out a long tube and a needle to draw blood.
"Then you have got to know the 99 and Zein."
Remy breathed in and out as the smell of the rubbing alcohol made his head spin. "Yeah, I know dem. Zein still teaching?" He had to focus on anything to keep from throwing up.
"You know it, you actually look like him. Sort of." She told him to get his mind of off the needle, she could feel him tense up as the needle drew closer.
Remy let out a groan as the needle went into his arm, he forbid himself at looking at the tube filling a small bag with his blood.
"You okay, Gambit?" he heard Kevin ask. The man could see the Cajun start going pale. So he decided to take things into his own hands, remembering the conversation Remy told them last night after his fight with Rogue.
"Rogue's son, does he really have an eye infection?" Kevin asked the doctor.
He and the others watched Swift smile knowingly, "Yes, he was born with it. He has poor eye sight and on top of that corneal ulcer." She sealed the bag of blood, and gently pulled the needle from Remy's vein.
"Do you think there's a chance dose kids are mine?" Remy asked, his voice soft spoken at the thought of being absent from his kids lives for so long.
"I-I really don't know. Um…you'll find out by tomorrow."
Frank arched an eyebrow, "Tomorrow? Don't blood tests usually take more than 24 hours?" he asked, the others agreed with him.
"Thanks to Shi'ar technology we usually get stuff done in half the time than normal top of the line hospitals do." Swift informed them, pulling her gloves off with a loud snap and throwing them in a waste dispenser.
"Shukeran." (Thank you) Remy hopped off the bed, he could feel the color return to his face. Hopefully all this was worth it. He wanted to know, he needed to know.
"Gambit, may I ask?"
"Shoot." He replied, pulling his sleeve down.
"Do you really want these kids? I mean, from what I heard you live more than a thousand miles, you have your own business, and do you realize how hard it is for those kids to warm up to people? It took Joe like months to get on their good side and they were-"
Remy frowned; his mind reeled to the name. "Who's Joe?" The men all of sudden seemed interested in the conversation. Swift went pale and began to flutter her hands to her face.
"You? You don't know…?"
Remy shook his head 'no' to her unfinished question.
"Yah Allah. Umm, this is not a conversation to be having with me." Swift said sternly as she put the sample's from Remy into a large numbered zip lock bag. "You'll get the results tomorrow." She said in a hurry and walked out, eager to get out before anyone of them asked more questions.
Remy stood still, more questions floated in his mind. "Joe?" he repeated looking at his friends.
"Seems like your girl may be right." Johnny chuckled; he barely missed one of Remy's knives aiming for his head.
"HEY!"
---------Next day, Med Lab----------
"What? No boyfriends today?" Rogue asked as this time Remy led them to Swift's office. He so desperately wanted to gloat in Rogue's face that he was right, and she was wrong. Remy took the sight of her in, she was out of uniform, wearing a long sleeve green t-shirt and jeans. Her hair pulled high in messy bun. Remy's eyes went straight to her neck, red marks could be clearly seen run along side her jaw line and lower neck.
Rogue unconsciously covered her neck with her hand. 'Damn it, Sam.' She cleared her voice, "After yah." She opened the door for him.
"I would t'ink so." He replied grumpily walking into the office. It took every fiber in Rogue's being for her to not burn him into ashes.
"Swift." Remy called out. The office had changed dramatically since Beast had owned the office; the walls were now painted a light purple color with a large dark wooden furniture and state of art line computers. A high arched leather chair behind the desk was vacant. "Swift?"
The doctor poked her head from behind a cabinet. "Sabah alnur." (Good morning) Remy greeted her with a wink. "Caf Halic?" (How are you?)
"Alhamdillah, I fine. Thanks for asking." She smiled.
Rogue looked between the two of them, making note to remind herself to warn Swift about the Cajun's charms and games.
Swift pulled out a manila folder from her desk, waving it back and forth in the air. "Got the results for you."
Rogue snatched the folder from her hands before Remy could. "Cajun, yah sure yah want tah see?"
He stared her down, and stretched out his hand. "Give me de damn t'ing." He growled, the sooner he knew, the sooner he could meet his kids.
Rogue unceremonious handed him the folder. Remy flipped through a couple of signed documents till he saw the results.
He gulped down the heart break he felt, he had to sit. And soon before his feet gave out.
"Well?" Rogue questioned him.
Remy coughed, trying to push back the sob that threatened to come out. "Oliver J. Raven and Rebecca R Raven are proved not be de son n' daughter of Remy E. Lebeau. De blood test showed dat de children are .01 match with Remy E. Lebeau." Remy read the results in hallow voice. He didn't want to look up at Rogue, to see her smiling and saying 'Ah told yah so.'
"Satisfied Cajun?"
He was too numb to speak. "Dere not my kids." He said out loud to himself.
"Now, since that was clear up, Ah take it yoah gonna stay away from mah kids from now."
"Dere not my kids." He repeated again. He was shaking in the seat, trying not lunge at the woman who he used to love.
"Ah know." She made her way towards the door, but paused to turn to him one more time. "And Cajun, if Ah do evah see yah near mah kids again, Ah will kill yah."
Swift shook her head in dismay, even though she knew the history between Remy and Rogue, she could tell that he did really want those kids.
"I know it's not the news you wanted to get." She started to speak, taking a seat behind her desk.
"Is dere…is dere a chance dat y'could-"
"I did those tests three times, each time showed the same results." She watched at he sagged lower in the chair. "I am so sorry Gambit."
"I-I j'st t'ought dose kids were mine. I wanted dem t'be mine." He got up, and ran his hands through his hair. "Dey look so much like me, are y'sure?"
"Not everyone looks the same in there family. Do you know Bliss? Tall woman, blue hair, enough tattoos to cover an entire wall?"
'Yeah… y'point here?"
She smiled, "She's my sister."
"Y're kiddin' me, right?"
"Nope," Swift pulled out a photo of the two sisters hugging each other when they were ten. "Same parents, same life, totally different taste." She laughed as he handed her back the picture.
"You know just because you're not related to them doesn't mean that you still can't get to know them."
Remy rolled his eyes, "I doubt de chienne would let moi get ten feet near her children."
"I'll give you some advice, if you want to get to know the kids and get back on Rogue's good side; this is what you have to do."
Remy sat straighter in his chair, listening intently to what she was going to say. If she could get him on Rogue's good list he would be grateful to her forever.
"Get close to Becca, and as soon as you do then Oliver will be alright with you. But watch out around him, he's very protective over his mother. Anyone she hates, he hates."
"And dis is gonna get moi on her good side?"
"Yep. Rogue can't hate anyone her kids love. It's impossible for her."
He stood up to leave already eager to start getting to know Rogue's kids better. "Thanks Swift."
"Oh and before you go." She handed him a sealed envelope. "It's for your friend Bishop. Tell him he was right. And good luck."
After he left, Swift turned around; she already sensed their presence before they could speak.
"Satisfied?" she asked with disgust.
------------Kitchen----------
Bekka blindly looked around for a spoon in the drawer in the somewhat dark kitchen. It was two o'clock in the morning, and she was starving.
Bekka usually loved spending nights at the Xavier mansion, but the one thing she hated most was that she, her brother, and mom couldn't eat or drink a thing unless the kitchen was empty of people.
She and her brother had to beg her mom to spend the night. Rogue was usually alright with it, but she seemed rather disturbed that her kids wanted to spend the night here now. She was thankful to Sam and Bobby who had coaxed her mother into spending the night with them too.
At least then, they told her, she would be able to watch her kids and not have to worry. 'About what?'
But her mother refused to answer her and her brother's questions.
Rogue had only two rules while they were there, 1) do not go around the mansion by yourself, and 2) do not speak with Sarah's father.
'Wonder what happened between them.' She pulled out a carton of mint chocolate chip from the fridge and began to eat.
She paused when she felt another presence approaching, it wasn't her mother or her brother. 'Oh, crap!'
"What y'doin up, petite?" Gambit fumbled into the kitchen, dressed in a sleeveless beater and black sweatpants, sunglasses still on his face. His empathy had woken him up. He hated being in a house full of hormonal teenagers.
"Nothin'." She shrugged. Bekka looked over him, he looked nice. She wondered why her mother was so afraid of him. She tried once more to read his mind, but was halted again by his mental shields.
"Y'shouldn't be readin' people t'ought wid out der permission petite."
Bekka shrugged indifferently, "Sorry." She took a seat on the stool next to the island and dug into her ice-cream.
"Mind if I join y'?" Remy asked her, he too hadn't gotten a bite to eat. He could feel Becca waver a bit in her decision. She wasn't supposed to be no where near this man. 'What mother doesn't know won't hurt her.' She used her telekinesis to pull out a spoon and give it to him.
He smirked, "Merci." He dug in.
"Yah speak French?"
"Oui."
Bekka smiled, "That's cool, so do me and my brother."
Remy's eyebrows rose above his sunglasses, "Y'mere tought y'and y' frere French?"
Bekka took another spoonful of her ice-cream. She was careful not to say too much. Just because Remy was Sarah's father didn't mean he was that nice. Otherwise why would her mother be so cautious?
"Yep."
"D'accord. So…do y'like your mere?" he asked, he wanted to know how Rogue treated her children. And if Becca was the best way to get the answers.
"Do yah?" she twirled the spoon in her fingers, and looked up at Remy. She couldn't see his eyes, but if she could, she betted that they were probably wide in shock.
"I saw the picture of yah and her in your wallet. You guys looked young, were you a couple?" If Remy thought he could only ask her questions then he had another think coming.
"Something like dat." He licked his spoon clean; the memories of him and Rogue were coming back. They were so happy at one point together.
"Did yah love her?"
His mental shields were slipping, and Becca was able to get a glimpse of past before she could get caught.
"Aint y'little young t'ask dose type of questions?"
She smirked, "That's a 'yes'."
Remy could feel that he was losing the battle here, "Y'didn't answer my question."
Bekka laid the spoon down, and rested her head on her fist. "She's a good mama, the best anyone could ask for."
Remy nodded his head silently, a bit happy, and a bit disappointed. "What y'got dere?" He picked up the small i-pod next to her elbow, and looked through her choice of songs.
'How did he see that in the dark?' The man had dark shades, how could he possibly notice her i-pod next to her?
"Y'like jazz music?" He asked with disbelief. She had all the classics that he loved to listen to when he was little: Louis Armstrong, Hugh Boynton, Bunk Johnson.
"Some of dis stuff is older den me."
She snatched her i-pod back, "They aint that old."
"I aint insulting y', just surprised. Dose are some of mon favorites." He could feel she was warming up to him after saying that.
"Really? Wish my brother liked it."
"What does he like?"
"Mostly rap music, I can't stand it. But mama and him love it. I think it's the only thing that can drown out the voices after she absorbs someone."
Remy laughed, the image of Rogue bouncing her head along to rap music was an odd sight to see.
"The only thing we can agree on is Better Than Ezra. Mama took us to New Orleans for their reunion concert a few years ago."
"She what?!" With the spoon still in his mouth it came out mumbled and conjoined. Becca laughed as she took the spoon from his mouth. She liked him, "She took us to New Orleans. We always go there for Christmas or summer sometimes."
Remy couldn't believe it. The times he had came up to New York to visit where the times that Rogue and the kids went to Louisiana? Unbelievable.
"Are yah alright? Yah look pale."
"I'm fine, just…hey, do y'want something t'eat? I know ice-cream is good and all but how about some real food?" he stood up, throwing the spoon in the sink with a soft clang.
"Sure, I guess."
"Y'like chocolate chip pancakes?"
He watched Bekka's green eyes widened with glee. "Yeah!" She nodded her head excitedly. She put back the carton of ice-cream in the fridge and got ready to help him.
About an hour later that sat to a plate full of pancakes. Remy watched as Becca stuffed her mouth full of pancakes, sugar, and whip-cream. She looked so much like Rogue that it hurt to look at her with out feeling guilt.
"Is there any reason why yah couldn't have gotten up later?" asked a slightly deep and tired voice. Becca turned to see Oliver. He stood there watching them in his black t-shirt and blue shorts. His eyes were covered by a blind fold.
"Hey, I was wondering when yah where going to wake up." She teased him, waving a forkful of pancakes in the air. "Yah want some? Its chocolate chips"
Oliver looked between her and Gambit.
"Ce qui sont vous faisant ici avec lui? (what are you doing here with him?)
Becca sighed "il un mauvais type, il est gentil" (he isn't bad, he's nice.)
"Le est un âne de cric !" (The guy's a jack ass.)
Remy cleared his throat, "Je comprends le français, vous savez" (I can understand what you're saying)
Oliver didn't look apologetic; he scowled at Remy for talking to him. "You could have told me that."
Bekka laughed as she pulled out the stool next to her, "Thought it be funnier this way."
Oliver really didn't want to sit with him. The only reason he was up because he noticed Becca was missing, he wanted to find her before their mom woke up.
But then again, he was hungry.
And those pancakes did look good.
"Aw, come on frere. I know you're hungry." Bekka waved the plate in front of his face. Remy had to admit, the girl was good at suckering her brother. He could see the boy's face soften into a sad smile. "Fine, but we eat then leave before mama gets up." Oliver grabbed a plate from the cupboard.
'Wait, aint the boy supposed to have poor eye sight?' Remy continued to watch as Oliver set up a plate for himself in the dark kitchen. Something seemed off.
Remy languidly stretched his arms, a plan already forming in head. "Saw y'all battling dose sentinels. Y'two are pretty strong."
Oliver didn't look up at him, he just stabbed his fork into his pancakes. "Thanks."
"Hey, Remy. You never told me what your powers were." Becca quickly spoke up before her brother could say another word. The boy had a bad habit of starting arguments.
"Can blow t'ings up." He charged the fork in his hand, the metal glowed a faint pink before he reabsorbed the charge.
"Y'?"
Bekka sat up a little straighter, proud of her powers. "I have super strength and invulnerability. I have some psychic abilities also."
Remy scrunched his face. "My mama absorbed someone named Miss Marvel a long time ago before we were born. So my powers are from her"
Remy remembered that, Mystique had kidnapped Rogue and made her absorb the blond superhero. Permanently. For weeks he comforted Rogue as she was being tormented by the woman in her mind.
"What about y'?" he turned to Oliver.
"Mama absorbed this one guy named Sunfire when she was pregnant with us." He wiped of the milk on his upper lip with his arm. "The guy was going crazy."
"So y'can…?"
"I can turn into fire, along with other things."
Remy sniffed, "Merde!" his plate was on fire! He threw the thing into the sink and turned on the faucet, letting the water extinguish the flames.
Bekka slapped her brother's head. "You idiot, that aint nice." She wished that he wasn't immune to her powers; otherwise she would have loved to have his body fly into the wall for pulling a prank like that.
"It's okay Bekka. No harm, no foul." Remy took his seat again and looked straight at Oliver.
"Dat's some pretty fancy powers y'got." He tapped into Oliver's emotions, but all he got was the feeling of being shoved into a wall/
"Did I mention that Oliver's an empathy too?" Bekka told him coyly. She could see Remy turning slightly green after being violently pushed out.
"Merci pour l'avertissement." (Thanks for the warning) he took a gulp of his milk to him ease the nausea.
"Shouldn't have done it." Oliver laughed shoving a forkful of pancakes in his mouth.
"I wish I was empath, at least you guys have more control over your powers."
"Being a spook, aint no fun now?" Remy smiled, he liked the two kids. They were full of spunk and funny.
"Nope. Though I rather be psychic than be a medium." She mumbled in disgust, "Talking to dead people, it's amazing that yah sleep."
Remy looked at Oliver, "Y'can talk to dead people? Like that little boy in the movie?"
The twins looked at him in connfusion, "What movie?"
Remy shook his head, downing the last of his drink. "I'm showing my age. Never mind, it don't creep y'out?"
"Nah, it isn't that bad. At least I can talk to our dad."
Remy tensed a bit, they knew their father?
"Your fat'er died? Sorry t'hear dat." He was really apologetic; he too had lost his father a few years ago. He knew how it felt.
"He wasn't our real dad; he was our step-dad." Bekka spoke softly, her green eyes wear tearing up.
"Did y'know your real pere?" Remy pretended to be more interested in his glass of milk then on the question.
"Nope, we just know that he's Scott's brother."
Remy choked on his drink, spitting out milk all over him. "CE QUI?!"
"Shh! Geez, yah want the whole damn mansion to wake up?" Oliver berated him, throwing some napkins in his directions.
"Desole, it's just date. Rogue and Alex?" he could fathom over the idea. Of all the men to sleep with, ALEX???
"It's not Alex, believe us. It's another guy, we don't know who though. Mama and Cyke found out when they came back from a mission. We just know that, nothing else."
Remy massaged the back of his neck, the results of the blood test made sense now. So Rogue was right, there was no mistake. But something seemed strange...
Remy watched as Oliver got some more napkins from the cupboard under the sink.
"What?"
"Nothin', just t'ought y'had an eye infection. No one I know wears glasses in the dark."
Oliver scoffed, and leaned against the counter. "Aint that a bit weird coming from yah?"
Remy smirked, "I got my reason, but you t'ough are just faking it. Dere's no way dat y'can walk around here in de dark wid out bumpin' into t'ings"
Remy could sense the boy getting frustrated. "I lived here for five years; it isn't that hard to know where things are."
Five years? Where were they for the other eight years?
"Anyone can say dey got an eye infection, but when y're in here, den it's all lies. Y' j'st ashamed of y' eyes is all." He could see Oliver's anger, and Oliver's fists were turning bright orange.
"What the hell do you know?"
"A lot actually." He slipped off his sunglasses, but his eyes remained shut. "Took me years to get used to my eyes."
"What do you mean?" Bekka asked, she was starting to get worried. Where was this guy playing at?"
Remy opened his eyes. Bekka let out a gasp, almost choking on her last bite of pancakes. Remy's red on black eyes were glowing in the dark, the faint moon light streaming down the open windows made them glow even brighter.
"You don't have to ashamed of your eyes. After a while y'get used t'it."
Oliver was stoned frozen to his seat until his sister's half spoken words broke him out of his spell. "You-the-oh gawd!"
Oliver wiped his hands clean, "Well thank you very much for the food Gambit. But we got to go now." He said quickly, grabbing his sister and throwing her over his shoulder. He ran quickly up the steps till he reached their room leaving the Cajun alone and confused in the kitchen.
Oliver set his sister down. Her face was red with anger and shock, "He-he. What the hell was that!?" his sister whispered loudly. Her entire body was shaking, along with his.
"I don't know." He untied his blind fold to reveal his own red on black eyes. They glowed bright in the dim lit hallway. "Just know that someone is not telling us something."
---------------------------------------------------------------
Part two of Remy vs. Rogue is next.
Google Zein (AK comics) and The 99.
Tell me what you all think. Love it? Hate it?
X-men 204: I was expecting hate, fighting, but all I get is Gambit crying for her to wake up and forgive him.
X-men 205: wolverine vs. gambit. Two words: Cajun kabobs.