Darkness Gathers

Part One of the Darkness Trilogy

Chapter Seven

The following morning after she was finished in the barn, Kat was settled in at the table devouring the breakfast Jean had cooked. As usual she was absorbed in her meal and didn't immediately realize that others had joined her until she glanced up at the general morning conversations. Renegade sat across from her shooting her a smug grin before attacking her own plate of stuffed French toast. Gambit had settled in on her right while Wolverine ended up next to Renegade shooting dark looks at the Cajun anytime he caught the silly, happy grin Kat shot him.

"So what are we up to today, Cher?" Gambit questioned when Kat had slowed down in her eating.

Kat shrugged sipping her orange juice as she sat back in her chair, her plate empty, "I need to get in some training and I have a class to teach."

"Sounds like an exciting day," he chuckled.

Kat shrugged, "If I get bored I'll go for a ride."

"You'll be confined to the indoor arena though," the professor pointed out taking the chair next to Kat. "Since you came in for breakfast it's really started to snow."

Kat sighed, "Damn. Alright maybe watching movies or something unless Storm can end the blizzard."

"You better than to even ask," Storm pointed out good naturedly settling in next to the professor and Kat grinned.

"Always gotta check. Guess I should head out for my class then."

She didn't miss that Wolverine followed her from the room. She stopped at the main door to grab a jacket and turned to face the other feral as she slipped on the garment.

"Logan, I'm serious. I have a class in twenty minutes."

"I know. I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into with the Cajun."

"As much as anyone can ever know."

"And you're sure there isn't outside influence with him?"

"You mean other than Renegade?"

"I mean…" he sighed really not wanting to be the one to voice this particular concern to her, "you're sure there's empathic influence?"

"Are you suggesting," she growled narrowing her eyes and suddenly thankful that the foyer was as of yet empty except for them, "that I'm causing his attraction to me?"

"Not consciously but you've always had a thing for him and when he first got here your control wasn't what it is now."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she snapped before storming outside and to her class.

Wolverine sighed again and scrubbed a hand over his face. He knew that wasn't going to go well but he hadn't thought she'd take it as hard as she did. Slowly he turned back and headed for the Danger Room to work out his feeling of guilt at making her doubt herself.

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Renegade was wandering around the empty halls of the mansion after breakfast and the classes had started for the day. This time of the day she seldom knew what to do with herself. Today however was a little different for her and she was just getting up the courage to follow through with her plan. Today she had decided that it might not be so bad to have some answers about what she was or at least have a better idea as to what had been done to her. There was something about Beast that had brought her to this point; a kindness in his eyes and a gentle nature that put her at ease. So she had decided that if he still wanted to have a look into her physiology, she would let him. Ten years of wondering seemed like long enough as she walked down to his lab finding him inside; as usual buried in work.

Beast was settled in at his lab with old and new blood samples spread before him as he entered information into the computer in front of him. He was waiting on the latest run of tests on the samples but was going through some old data he'd needed to refresh his memory on. Each sample around him at the moment was labeled with Kat's name. He still couldn't fathom half of what had been done to her before she'd been found by the professor and based on what he'd seen when she had joined them at the age of sixteen, he wasn't sure he really wanted to know. Still she deserved answers and there was more than a good chance they were doing the same things, if not worse, to other mutants as well. He was not so absorbed, however, that he missed the entrance of Renegade even before she spoke and he gathered the samples, carefully obscuring the labels.

"Hi, Hank," Renegade greeted him.

"Oh, hello, Renegade; how are you today?" he smiled warmly turning towards him.

"I'm doing good; how about you, are you busy? I can come back later," she hadn't missed all the samples that he'd gathered though she made no effort to read the labels considering what her own condition was going to be to letting him look into her and she was suddenly half tempted to not go through with her plan.

"I am well and your timing is excellent. I'm mostly just reviewing old data and waiting on the computer to finish up a few tests."

"So…uh…you remember the first time we met?"

"Hard to forget; you really know how to make an entrance," he replied with a light chuckle.

Renegade smiled and relaxed a little, "Well…you had expressed an interest in…you know…seeing how I run, checking the engine and all that."

"I recall."

"Well, I have some questions on that."

"I have one of my own first; are you sure you're ready to discuss this? You seem uncomfortable with the subject."

Renegade let out a small sigh, "What gave me away?"

"This is the longest I have ever seen you take to get to a point. You are usually so direct."

"I'm not really comfortable; I have some serious reservations but I'm also tired of not knowing. This place and you people are turning my world upside down. Everything isn't as black and white as it used to be. I feel a little like everything is spinning out of my control but that I can trust you. I admit I feel a little disarmed around you. So bottom line is if you promise doctor/patient confidentiality I'll let you…you know…" she couldn't bring herself to utter any of the words she associated with what she was allowing; lab rat, guinea pig, experiment.

"If you're really sure about this then I'm happy to agree to your terms."

"I'm sure."

"Okay then I can start right away if you like."

"Why not? Can't say I have much to do until Logan and I beat on each other later so…just tell me what you need from me."

Over the next couple of hours, Beast took blood and ran a variety of tests including EKGs and MRIs before finally sending Renegade on her way promising she would know more when he did. Finding it was near lunch anyway, she grabbed a quick bite to eat once she was back on the main floor and once she'd ate dug a bottle of Scotch out of her room before heading to the roof deciding she didn't need any more lectures and not wanting to be too bad of an influence on the students.

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It was just after lunch when Kat found some time to herself after having spent the morning riding her own horses and teaching her class. After a quick meal she ducked into her room just long enough to change into her plain black body armour with silver accents before heading down to the Danger Room for an hour of training.

Leaving her hair down, she set up her favorite program and vented her frustration at Wolverine's words that morning even as she contemplated the truth in them. After an hour the program shut down automatically and she had a quick shower trying to force the comments from her mind as she snagged a sketch pad and drawing instruments before heading to one of the large rec rooms on the main floor, dressed once again in low rise jeans and long sleeved grey shirt.

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Gambit had ended up being talked into teaching a French class a few years earlier, though he still wasn't sure why he'd agreed to do so. Still he made it as much fun as he could and factored in as much history and information as he could manage on his beloved New Orleans; even if he was banished from the Crescent City he still loved and deeply missed it. He caught sight of Kat heading down to the sub levels dressed for combat as he left his classroom and he sighed heading for the roof for a cigarette and deciding he'd catch up with the elusive feral after her training. Stepping out at his destination he paused, flipping the collar of his coat up against the snow, catching sight of Renegade there as well. Moving up beside her he pulled a cigarette from his pocket holding it between his lips as he searched his coat for an actual lighter realizing just how many cards he went through lighting his smokes and he barely noticed that Renegade was drinking from a bottle of Scotch.

"Not annoying Wolverine dis afternoon, Cher?" he questioned around the cigarette still in his lips as he finally gave up finding a lighter and, as he usually did, lit the tobacco with a charged playing card.

"Who me?" she asked with an innocent smile before offering him the Scotch.

"Don't act all innocent, Cher; it's a little creepy," he shook his head at the offer of the drink. "I'm a bourbon man myself."

Renegade shrugged, "Yeah, I wouldn't have bought that either."

Gambit chuckled at that, his gaze fixed on the horizon, "I don't think dere's anyone who would."

"So…what brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"Boredom…and da stairs."

Renegade shook her head muttering under her breath, "Smart ass."

Gambit just grinned, "Dat's me."

"Has she stopped being a scaredy cat yet?" Renegade questioned referring to Kat.

"Seems dat way but she been busy today; I was gonna catch up to her when she finished in da Danger Room."

"Alright…has Wolverine attacked you yet?"

"Naw, haven't seen him since breakfast."

For the next hour the two talked lightly until Gambit excused himself and headed back inside figuring he could track Kat down…besides he was getting cold. He tossed his coat in his room before going on his search. Her usual haunts inside the mansion were empty and he only hoped she hadn't gone back out to the stables for some reason.

Finally he managed to find her as he opened the closed door on one of the larger rec rooms on the main floor. It wasn't very often the feral was relaxing somewhere frequented by students so he was a little shocked to find her there.

Kat was settled back in the corner of one of the leather couches, her back to the doors. The majority of her focus was on the sketch she was working on, the book propped on the arm of the couch. The pencil paused briefly when the door opened but resumed when Gambit's scent reached her nose and she recognized his footfalls as he approached the couch. Still her attention didn't shift from her page, at least until he tossed his lanky form beside her and dropped his head and shoulders into her lap.

Kat growled as her pencil skidded across the page, "Damn it! Remy!"

Gambit grinned even as he closed his eyes, "What? It's fixable, Cher."

Kat growled snatching an eraser from the table next to her, "But I shouldn't have to fix it."

Gambit chuckled and opened one eye, snatching her wrists in one hand when she shifted to fix the sketch, "Come on, Cher. Don' worry 'bout dat right now. Play wit' Gambit instead."

When Kat glanced down at him he gave her his most charming grin and she found her mouth dry, skin tingling where his fingers were curled around her wrists.

"What am I going to do with you Remy LeBeau?" she muttered when she could get her tongue to work again.

Gambit merely held her eyes with his and continued to smile, "Anything you want but if you need suggestions I have a list. Unfortunately it's in my other pants."

Kat only shook her head, laughing a little and returned the grin, pushing Wolverine's earlier words from her mind yet again, "Alright; alright. What did you have in mind?"

"Lots of thing but let's start wit' a game of pool."

"Fair enough but you have to let me up and give me back my hands."

Gambit chuckled and rolled to his feet after releasing his grip on her wrists. He headed for the room's pool table while Kat moved her supplies to the table and finally followed him over, pulling a cue from the wall while Gambit racked the game. She had no doubt that he had a plan but at the moment she had no idea what it might be.

They were halfway through the game before she realized that maybe she'd been wrong and he didn't' have some master plan. They laughed and talked as they played until Kat found herself faced with a difficult shot. She was pretty sure she could make it but took her time finding the right angle to manage it. With her attention fully on lining up her shot, she missed Gambit moving to stand behind her as she leaned over the able, his own cue leaning against the wall. She nearly jumped out of her own skin when he shifted in against her chuckling deep in his throat next to her ear at her reaction as he slid his hands down her arms to aid her in lining up her shot.

Kat suddenly found she was unable to concentrate on anything aside from the feel of his body against hers and his hands on hers. Somehow the shot still worked though it had less to with Kat's ability and more to do with luck. Her body seemed to follow Gambit's as he straightened with no thought on her part but he didn't move away. One hand took the cue from her grasp while the other gripped her hip and turned her to face him. The cue was dropped on the table behind her and his now free hand moved to brush her hair from her eyes before he closed the slight distance between them until they were standing flush against one another and Kat's hips were pressed against the edge of the pool table.

Finally Kat seemed to recover slightly and in one quick move wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his lips to hers, fingers burying into his hair as he kissed her. As the kiss deepened and intensified Gambit's fingers slid under the edge of her shirt brushing skin that suddenly quivered and tingled in reaction; a slight gasp of surprise escaped her lips against the kiss her fingers threading through his hair and fingertips teasing the back of his neck.

Emboldened slightly by her response Gambit pressed her back harder against the pool table, knocking balls and the cue out from under her back with one hand as she folded back onto the felt half laying on the table. Needing air he shifted his head away from hers slightly, shivering a little when she caught his bottom lip in between her teeth in protest until he turned his attention to the side of her neck, nibbling gently as they both drew much needed oxygen into their lungs.

Finally a fraction of her control slipped and she hooked on leg around his hips turning her head slightly to expose more of her neck to his lips which he took immediate advantage of. A second later he slid his hand higher up under her shirt which she retaliated by tugging his head away from her neck only to capture his lips with her own again. They were both so involved in one another neither hear the door open or the startled yelp from Rogue. What finally snapped the two apart was the sound of something breaking and the stuttered apology of the Southern woman as she back pedalled out of the room.

"Rogue, just because it is called a rec room does not mean you wreck it," Storm's voice filtered into the room from the hall as Kat turned a vibrant shade of red, dropping her leg from around Gambit's waist though he made no move to let her up, his weight continuing to pin her to the pool table.

"Sorry! I'll clean it up…later!" Rogue sputtered.

Gambit chuckled next to Kat's ear again as he lowered his head to her neck feeling the slight shudder the sound elicited from the woman beneath him and he grinned to himself as he moved to resume their activities. Kat, however, was very aware of the sounds of students in the hall now and squirmed away from his lips even though it felt too good for her peace of mind.

"Remy…we need to…stop," she murmured softly.

"Can't we jus' pick dis up again…somewhere a little more private, no?"

Kat swallowed hard and gently pushed him off her with the heel of her hand in the middle of his chest, "Sorry, no. Come on, we need to straighten this place up."

Again Wolverine's comment filtered into her head as Gambit reluctantly got off of her. Together they cleaned up the broken lamp and Kat gathered her sketching supplies. Gambit walked her upstairs to her room but before he let her duck away into her room away from him like she had after their night out, he pulled her against him for one last hard, hot kiss not caring who saw it…even if it was Wolverine.