Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men.
Thank you to everyone who is following this story, your support keeps me writing. The biggest thank you is for Wanda W for her AMAZING Beta work.
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Standing amongst the trees on the outer wall of the Xavier Institute Gambit considered his chances of success. He had the skills to evade the mansion security system undetected and as long as he stayed well clear of any open windows and doors Logan shouldn't pick up his scent unless he came outside downwind from Gambit's position. It was already dark though, so the occupants of the mansion should be inside beginning their nightly routines. Xavier could have been a problem but Gambit had confirmed that the professor had left a few hours ago to visit his friend on Muir Island in Scotland so he would definitely not be back tonight.
With no excuses left he walked round to the part of wall he knew to be closest to Rogue's bedroom. He peered over it before lifting himself up and over, landing nimbly on the other side. Crouching behind a bush, he scoped the area again. The sky was mostly clear and the wind was still, which was good news for Gambit and bad news for Logan's nose. From his position behind the bush he could see into Rogue's bedroom window. He had taken a gamble guessing that she would be in there but when he spotted her exiting her en suite he knew it had paid off. Gambit re-positioned himself behind the bush, ready to spring forward but as he took one last glance at Rogue he noticed that her hair was wet and she had only a towel draped loosely around her body. She had obviously just showered.
Gambit cocked one eyebrow enjoying the sight of her wet hair cascading down the pale skin of her back. She had let it grow since last time he had seen her; her auburn locks now fell to just below her shoulders. Letting a smirk grace his lips he turned and sat behind the bush again. He would give her a few minutes to get dressed before he got any closer. Gambit could be called many things but a peeping tom was not one of those things. He ran his fingers over his lips absentmindedly, checking for any cracks in his plan while he waited.
His inspiration had come in the form of a movie he watched with Pyro yesterday. It was some old Batman & Robin film where Robin had tricked Poison Ivy by coating his lips with some sort of rubber to protect himself from her poisonous kiss. Enlightened, Gambit hadn't even stayed to watch the end of the film. He went straight to a local theatrical make-up shop to inquire about the mysterious rubber. Thirty minutes and two gooey eyed sales girls later, Gambit found himself walking out of the shop with a little bottle of liquid latex in his hand. Now with an almost invisible layer of latex protecting his lips, he was safe to plant a small kiss on Rogue cheek and so have her playing into his hands.
After a few minutes he gazed up at her window again, trying to see if it was safe to move. He could see Logan walking passed the window so he assumed that Rogue was now decent and, like a shadow, he slid out from behind the bush and crept up to the wall of the building. He climbed the ivy covered trellis next to him with ease, keeping himself out of sight he stopped when he was level with her window. Even through the shut window he could hear every word that was being said inside.
xxxxxXXxxxxx
Sometime later Gambit was still clinging to the trellis that was fastened to the side of the mansion. The muscles in his arms were growing stiffer with every passing second but he wasn't complaining; he was busy reeling from what had just transpired in Rogue's bedroom. From what he'd heard, he knew something had happened involving Rogue and himself. He guessed it must have taken place in one of the X-Men's training sessions as hehadn't seen Rogue in quite some time. Whatever it was, Logan wasn't happy and Rogue was clearly embarrassed. He was desperately curious as to what could have possible happened between Rogue and an unknown version of himself that wasn't normal etiquette for enemies nor appropriate behaviour between friends. He couldn't help but let his mind wander.
He smirked to himself, what was it Logan had said? 'You sure as hell didn't react to him like a friend neither.' Gambit liked the sound of that more than he probably should and it would seem that Rogue didn't hate this Cajun as much as she made out she did. That was definitely good news for him; perhaps she would resist murder after he betrayed what little trust she may have in him when he kidnapped her and delivered her to the person that has caused her so much pain in the past. He gave himself a mental slap before that sobering thought could develop further; it would do no good now to dwell on the thought of being responsible for hurting Rogue
Logan had left her alone in her room a few moments ago, thus giving Gambit the perfect opportunity to initiate his plan. He peered through the window to see where she was but his gaze was met by two green eyes staring back at him in shock. He quickly rearranged his features into his best smirk and gave her a small sloppy salute. Her eyebrows knitted together instantly and she yanked the window open, sticking her head out into the cool night air.
"What the hell are ya doing here?!" she snapped.
"It's nice to see you too petite." Gambit replied politely as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to dangling outside someone's bedroom window.
"Gambit if Logan finds you sneaking around outside he is gonna gut ya," she warned.
"Well den you better let Remy inside, non?" He wagged his eyebrows suggestively at her. She snorted and scrunched her nose up in disgust.
"Ah don't think so; in fact, give meh one good reason why Ah shouldn't go and get Logan mahself." It was an empty threat. Gambit knew she wouldn't really go and find the dreaded Wolverine. If he pissed her off she was more likely to try to hit him herself rather than get someone to do it for her.
"Dere is no need t' be like dat chéri, Remy don't want no trouble." He let the smirk fall from his lips as he tried to appear sincere.
"Then what do you want?" She narrowed her eyes at him. Either she wasn't fooled by his attempt at sincerity or she just didn't trust him; the latter seemed much more likely to Gambit. He couldn't help but let a small smile return to his lips.
"Dis Romeo just wants a kiss from de belle Juliet." He watched the blush rise in her cheeks while she grasped for something to say in response. He always had enjoyed leaving women blushing and speechless but with Rogue it seemed more rewarding. Maybe it was because her sassy attitude usually kept her well supplied with responses or perhaps because the blush, that crept down her neck and dipped beneath her sweater, was so alluring against her pale skin.
"Well ... ya got the wrong window swamp boy. Juliet's room is third on the left." She stated sarcastically. Gambit had to snap his attention back to her face as she spoke. The blush was now slowly ebbing away and he found that he couldn't wait to see it again. It had left a glow in her skin that only added to her beauty, oh yes Gambit thought she was beautiful, he just didn't think much of it; he thought of a lot of women as beautiful. Though looking at her right now he couldn't think of anyone else he would call anything more than pretty.
It was hard to see sometimes, what with all the make-up she insisted on hiding under but it was there, right now, in her freshly cleaned face. It was her striking greens eyes, framed perfectly by her long black lashes and the soft glow in her high cheeks that balanced her face flawlessly; each feature complimented the next.
"Gambit what are ya staring at?" her voice was quite with an edge of nervousness that he didn't pick up on. His focus was fixed on her full lips. Without thinking, he placed a hand on her arm to prevent her from moving away and slowly leaned towards her. He stopped just short of making contact with those delicious lips that were calling out to him.
He looked up at her to see her reaction. She was frozen in place and appeared to have even stopped breathing but Gambit was pleased to see that her blush was returning and her eyes had widened in response to his close proximity. The corners of his mouth twitched up slightly and he returned his attention to her lips. -Remy what de hell are ya doing, dis is not part o' your plan -Despite knowing he shouldn't, he closed the distance between them and placed a soft lingering kiss squarely on Rogue lips. For a fraction of a second he was consumed by the need to pull her into his arms, to drown in the intoxicating feeling of her warm luscious lips pressed against his own. Being in no position to do either though, he gradually pulled away and saw her eyes even wider with shock, her lips parted slightly as she sucked in a breath.
"Remy'll come back for Juliet another time den." Gambit whispered trying to regain some control of himself.
"How did you...?" She didn't finish her sentence; she seemed a little dazed.
"A magician ne'er reveals his secrets."Gambit studied her face as he recited without much thought. It was meant to be a cocky retort but he didn't smile like he'd planned to; it just seemed like a revised line now. He needed to get control of himself and quickly, he could see Rogue's face change as she recovered; a soft frown was settling back into place on her eyebrows.
"What? No, ya have to tell meh how ya just did that." The anticipation was clear on her face and for the first time Gambit realised that he shouldn't have used touch to lure her out of the mansion. Giving her that kind of hope and then snatching it away again was just plain evil but it was too late now. If he had to play the monster to protect her then a monster is what he would be. He just hoped that she would give him a chance to make it up to her somehow.
"Did what?" he forced a smirk back into place on his lips, it felt false but he knew it would look normal to her.
"You know what!" she snapped.
"Haven't got a clue. Exactly what is it you t'ink Remy did?" He was playing with her, forcing her to say it out loud knowing that when she did she would blush again. He found it strangely additive and he was going to entice as many out of her as possible while he still could.
"You ... you ..." Rogue turned her head away from him trying to hide the fact that her face was already slowly turning red. "You ... touched meh and nothing happened."
"A lil' kiss is not'ing t' be embarrassed about Rogue." He cocked his head to the side to get a better view of her face. He teased her knowing full well that she was never going to forgive him for this. What he wasn't sure of was why that bothered him so much but he pushed that thought to the side and tried to focus on the present.
"Why would Ah be embarrassed?You kiss me!" she shot back at him even though they both knew it was pointless for her to deny it; the rosy blush on her cheeks was clear evidence that she was.
"Vrai so dat must mean you're embarrassed 'cause you liked it, non?" He put extra emphasis on the word 'liked', letting it roll of his tongue seductively. The blush suddenly took on a vivid shade of scarlet giving him the true answer before the lie could tumble from her lips.
"You wish!" She scrunched her nose up in false disgust, "Just tell me how you did it gawd dammit."
"Non." Her temper was growing short and he was sure she was about ready to hit him, in fact Gambit thought that if he wasn't hanging to the side of a building she probably would have launched herself at him already.
"You can't just kiss meh then run off." she said in disbelief.
"Really? Y' better stop me den." He quickly dropped back to the ground and began walking away. It was all down to her now. If she followed him his plan would be successful, if she didn't he would have to snatch her off the street like he did last year but that would limit his get-away time. He was silently relieved when he heard the telling creek of wood as she began to climb down the trellis after him. He inconspicuously peered over his shoulder to make sure she made it down alright before breaking into a jog as he headed for the outer wall.
"Hey wait!" she quietly called after him.
He lifted himself onto the wall, sitting with one leg on either side while he waited for Rogue to catch up. It was taking her longer to get to him than he thought it would have but he put it down to the fact that it was dark, perhaps she didn't know this part of the garden like he did. She appeared out of the darkness a few seconds later, looking thoroughly pissed off.
"You know you shouldn't chase after a guy chéri, we like it when girls play hard t' get." He smirked down at her.
"You're so full o' yourself. Quit playin' games with meh and get your ass off that wall!"
"As you wish." He swung he leg over the wall and let his body drop down to the floor on the outer side of the perimeter.
Rogue let out a growl that even Logan would be proud of. From where he was standing on the other side Gambit could hear her attempts to scale the high wall but he couldn't see how much she was struggling because of her injured leg. After a moment or two he became concerned that she had given up chasing him and really had gone back for Wolverine. He pulled himself up so that his head was sticking over the top just as Rogue managed to haul herself up to the same level leaving them face to face once more.
"Would you like me t' slow down for ya petite?" he smiled, cocking his head to the side teasingly. She just growled at him and kicked her leg up onto the wall, heaving the rest of her body up so that she was now sitting on top of the brick structure.
"Shut your yap swamp boy." He rolled his eyes at her insult and with one firm yank on her leg, brought her falling into his arms bridal style. He looked down at her, moving his face closer to hers causing her to freeze in place once more.
"I am getting sick o' you calling me dat, ya know Remy isn't no boy." He whispered softly to her.
"Mebbe ya prefer swamp rat then."
"It's a start." Running his hands over her legs, he slid her from his arms. Gently, her feet fell to the floor so she was left stand in front of him with her back softly brushing against the hard wall. He found himself wrapping his arms around her, pressing their bodies together intimately. His gaze once again dropped to her succulent lips. Lowering his head to her, he wanted nothing more than to capture them with his own once more. As he moved, though, he felt her body tense as she suddenly brought her knee up; aiming for his 'personal area'.
Quickly twisting his body so that his leg took the blow instead he snapped his attention back to the present. He looked up, meeting her angry green eyes and smirked.
"You missed chéri. Mebbe you would like Remy t' show you where t' aim for next time?" His smirk broadened as he snatched up her hand and pulled it towards himself. Appalled by his suggestion, she yanked her hand out of his and pushed him away, turning so that he was left staring at her back.
"Just tell meh how ya touched meh." She ground her teeth together in annoyance.
"You don't wanna know." Unable to look at her, he dropped his gaze to his feet, knowing she was going to be devastated when she found out he'd tricked her.
"You can touch meh. Of course Ah want t' know how, moron!"
"Well your gonna have t' make me tell you"
"Fahne!" She quickly pivoted on one foot and swung her leg round aiming for his torso but he was faster than she was and he easily dodged it. Something was off about the way she held herself but he didn't give it much more thought than that as he prepared himself for her next assault. He avoided her attacks easily and decided that it was time to end this little dance; he reached to his hip for his compactable staff but it wasn't there, his belt was empty. He looked down in disbelief but only confirmed that his staff was not where he it belonged.
"Ya loose something, sugah?" Rogue teased, Gambit looked up to see her twirling the small metal staff in her hand. His mouth dropped open in shock. - When de hell did she get dat? -He speedily rearranged his features so they did not betray his confusion.
"I must say I am impressed chéri," he straightened himself up as he watched her extend the staff, "and here I thought you were being slow tonight."
"Well Ah'm just full o' surprises, Gambit." She smiled at him invitingly and he grinned back as he pulled packet of cigarettes from his pocket. He took his time putting one to his lips, hoping that it would distract her from the movements of his other hand.
"So am I." As he spoke he pushed a button on the small device he was now holding, instantly a small bust of gas erupted from the end of the staff that was closest to Rogue's face. She threw the offensive object away but it was too late, already effects of the gas were taking hold of her. She swayed on the spot, her eyes shifting in and out of focus as the gas pulled on her consciousness. She stumbled forward, unable to keep herself upright as the gas plunged her into darkness but just before she hit the ground Gambit swooped in and caught her. He sat there for a moment, with his arm stretched around her mid-drift and her head resting on his shoulder, just enjoying the feeling of her warmth combining with his own. -Dieu, what's de matter wit' me - He shook his head to himself as he scooped her up into his arms and began to make his way through the darkness away from the Xavier Institute.
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Sorry guys but next chapter may be later than a week as I'm at college for 30 hours a week and working 35 hours =( not much time left for FF sadly.
If you have time please R&R, it really does help keep me going.
Aza x