Title: Day To Day
Author: PrincessOfQuestionableMorals
Characters/Pairings: Rogue/Gambit, Kitty/Piotr, Logan, Storm, Bobby, Jubilee, Hank McCoy, Emma Frost, the Professor
Genre: Drama
Note: Canon with all four X-Men movies, but uses the alternative Rogue ending for X3.
Note 2:Sorry for the wait, I've been incommunicado for a while, and didn't have time, but welcome to all the people who review, read, put me on story alert or favorites.
Summary: The battle had been won. Peace had been made. And so they started to rebuild, with new friends and new enemies.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"This…man you were fighting…" questioned Hank. "What did he look like?"
"Gambit don't know," said Gambit. "Couldn't see his face," he elaborated.
"This is pointless," said Emma, exasperated. She stalked over to Gambit, eyes narrowed, and put her fingers on his temples.
His eyes narrowed to slits and he slammed the walls around his mind down as hard as he could. "Don't even try," he growled. Wolverine snorted, not able to hide his grin.
"Gambit don' like telepaths," Gambit informed Emma, glaring. "The only person who should be in Gambit's head is him."
Emma rolled her eyes, not at all threatened. "You think you scare me, Remy LeBeau? My skin becomes diamond—think even you could break through that?"
"The question remains…" said Storm, steepling her fingers. "What are you going to do? We have no way to send you home, nor could you return there without causing panic. One option is for you to stay here—at Xavier's Institute for the Gifted, where people like us can be safe."
"Safe?" said Gambit sarcastically. "With a telepath pokin' around in people's heads, an' a hundred mutant powers manifestin'?" He snorted. "Merde, you all are crazy. Pass."
"If that is your decision," said Storm calmly. "Meanwhile, you may at least stay here the night. Feel free to walk around the grounds, but be careful—though some mutations are less obvious than others, they are no less deadly." Her lips curled into a smile. "Take the—what was the phrase?—belle fille you had your eye on." At this, Logan growled.
Gambit looked around the room in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"That's for Rogue to tell you, pretty boy. But I should warn you, I've known Rogue for a while, and she's picked up some of my…" Logan smirked. "…less merciful traits."
Gambit was out the door before anyone in the room could make any more cryptic comments, the door behind him slamming shut.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rogue and Jubilee, walking down the hall in search of one Kitty Pryde who had mysteriously vanished from the library, were so engrossed in their conversation about who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Wolverine that they failed to notice the group of twelve-year-olds barreling down the hall towards them.
"Heads up!" screeched a girl, whizzing past Rogue. Rogue, caught by surprise, was knocked over by tiny girl with bright yellow hair, while Jubilee stepped safely into a doorway until the group had passed.
Rogue, groaning, struggled to raise herself off the ground. A hand appeared in her vision, and she took it gratefully. "Thanks, Jubi—" She stopped when she was greeted not with her friend's face but with one less familiar. "Hello."
"Bonjour, chere," said Gambit easily. "Why is it that every time Gambit sees you, you're on the ground?"
Rogue blushed. "Ah'm not your anythin', Cajun," she snapped, but the sentiment was softened by the grin that spread across her face.
Jubilee cleared her throat loudly and Rogue started, not realizing that she had be staring at the handsome man's eyes since he had offered his hand. She hurriedly turned to her friend.
"Um, we should keep lookin'…" she trailed off, determined not to look anywhere besides her friend's face, which was now wearing an amused expression.
"Our friend, Kitty, gave us the slip in the library," explained Jubilee to Gambit. "We need to find her because we have a Danger Room session in ten minutes."
"Can Gambit come wit' you to find le chaton?" asked Gambit. "He keeps getting lost in this school, and the belle filles seem to know their way around."
"Ah think Ah know where she is," said Rogue, struck by sudden clarity. Jubilee's face held a question and Rogue just stared back, eyebrows raised. Jubilee's eyebrows shot together, and her face cleared.
"Ohhhh," said Jubilee. "Oh. Oh."
The two girls took off at a quick pace, a confused man behind them. They passed several doors on either side of them, some open, some not, before stopping at one. Jubilee and Rogue exchanged a look, and Rogue stepped back while Jubilee put her hand on the doorknob.
"Hand check!" yelled Jubilee, marching into Piotr Rasputin's room, where a surprised Piotr and irritated Kitty were sitting. "Lemme see 'em!"
Rogue snorted. "They're across the room from each other, Jubilee," she pointed out.
Jubilee deflated, and an irate Kitty glared at her. "Um…we have a Danger Room session in five minutes." Gambit hid a smile as the tiny Chicagoan continued to level a death glare at Jubilee, who was now uncaringly popping her bubblegum. "You too, Piotr."
"Nice to see you, homme," said Gambit, waving. Piotr inclined his head in response.
They waited patiently as the two inhabitants of the room got to their feet and joined them outside, and all five began to walk towards the Danger Room.
"So…what's the Danger Room?" ventured Gambit in the tense silence.
"It's where we train," explained Rogue. "We learn to use our powers in battle scenarios, especially people like Kitty, Piotr, and me, whose powers are, for the most part, defensive."
"Defensive?" asked Gambit.
"We split powers into two categories—defensive and active," Kitty took over. "For instance, Jubilee, with her fireworks, is an active, while me—" She phased down into the floor. "I'm a defensive."
Gambit turned to Rogue. "So, chere, what's your power?"
"What's yours?" She shot back.
"Gambit can charge objects with energy, and then they explode," he said, winking.
Rogue rolled her eyes, while Kitty, missing the double entendre, egged him on eagerly. "Is that why the cards turn pink when you hold them?" She asked excitedly.
Gambit removed a card from it's pocket, charging it until it was bright pink. He prepared to let it fly, but Rogue put her hand on his arm to stop him. "Save it for the Danger Room." She dropped her arm back down to her side and kept walking.
It was only then that Gambit realized he had never seen her not wearing gloves.
