Disclairmer: I do not own the X-men
Rogue took her first bite of the pancake and nearly vomited, but she held it back and smiled at Bobby, doing her best poker face.
"Sugah, this is delicious. Where did ya learn how to do it?" She did her best to sound amazed by his cooking skills, while deep in her mind she thought 'Oh mah gawd, how can it be so awful? It's not possible someone can cook this badly. Argh.'.
"Some online recipes. Told you I was good at it. I mean, it's not as hard as people make it seem."
In that moment, Jubilee finally arrived in the kitchen with messy hair and she still looked asleep.
"Oh great, I'm starving" She just ran to the pancakes and put a huge piece in her mouth. Her eyes widened in a way Rogue thought they would explode. "Argh, gosh! What is this? A new defense mechanism in case someone invades the mansion? It's worse than Kitty's muffins. Oh freak!" She spat out all she could on Rogue's plate and drank a glass full of water. Bobby looked offended at her.
"I made it and it's not bad at all. Rogue loved it, didn't you darling?" He looked at her inquisitively.
"What? Oh yeah, it's delicious." She repeated mechanically.
"Are you out of your mind? I'm not even hungry anymore. That thing could kill anyone that takes any more than two bites." Jubilee kept spitting on the plate, making Rogue relieved that she could give an excuse for not eating anymore.
"You are just jealous I can cook and you can't." Bobby said crossing his arms.
"Why would I be jealous? You can kill people with food, so what?"
"Ok, guys! Stop this. Bobby, why don'tcha go get ready for the Danger Room? Ah'll be there in fahve minutes. Ah'm just gonna, hmm, talk about girl stuff to Jubilee."
Bobby was a bit reluctant in leaving so Rogue added "It's about her period." At that, he turned around and left in a hurry.
"Mah God, Ah can't believe Ah was able to swallow that thing!"
"Wow, you scared me when you said you liked it! I thought it had damaged your brain or something."
Rogue laughed and said "Well, he had good intentions, so that's already good enough. But yeah, the pancakes sucked. Thanks for spitting on the rest of it."
"Are you sure he wasn't trying to kill you?" Jubilee asked, drinking another glass of water. Rogue laughed louder.
"Ah hope not." Rogue paused and lowered her eyes to the table. "He seems to be trying to fix things, right?"
Jubilee looked carefully at her. "Jokes aside, yes, he seems. I wonder why your eyes are still so sad, though. What's wrong?"
"Ah don't know… Ah'm just feeling tired, ya know? But it will pass. We will make it work." Rogue sighed, put a smile on her face, and then winked at her friend, standing and leaving for the Danger Room. She knew she should be feeling happy and all, but something still felt… incomplete inside. She still waited for Bobby to do something, but she wasn't even sure what. 'He's doing all he can. I need to give him time.' Rogue walked past the Danger Room straight to the dressing room and put on her own uniform and tied her hair almost automatically, not paying attention to what she was doing. As soon as she came out, Logan showed up, grabbing Jubilee by her arm.
"Told you, wake up earlier next time. I don't want anyone late to my training, and that includes you, prick."
"But Wolvie, I'm still sleepy!"
"Great, I'll keep an eye on you and make sure you do everything right. If you don't, you will try again until you reach perfection. This will wake you up. Are we clear?" He growled as she tried to release her arm from his grasp.
Jubilee growled even louder as she took her uniform and entered the dressing room. Logan smiled to Rogue as she walked past him. "Good morning, kid. Ready for some training?"
"As always." Rogue stretched, went into the Danger Room and lined up with the others, standing close to Bobby. Logan finally came in and said, "So, today it's gonna be pretty simple. I'll teach you some defense moves and you just need to copy me. Then you'll train in pairs and finally we'll make a simulation."
Rogue copied Logan's moves. Jubilee was having the toughest time since he kept telling her she wasn't doing it correctly and then told her to start it all over again.
When everything was over, including simulations, everyone felt exhausted.
"I don't know what you kids are complaining about. It was supposed to be simple."
"Yeah, it was supposed to be simple." Amara, a new girl that was about seventeen years old, said. Wolverine shook his head at them.
Rogue showered and went to her daily classes. The morning went by really fast and Bobby was waiting for her outside her classroom by lunchtime. They had lunch together and Rogue found herself relieved when, by the time he left for his Mechanic class, she realized they hadn't argued. 'At last.' She thought and left the kitchen, heading to her room. Mr. McCoy was running tests on the diamond with Xavier so there were no classes during the afternoon, and she was glad she had that free time to relax a little. Every Monday was a tough day, since it always started with early Danger Room sessions. When she got to the dorms corridor, she saw Kitty coming down the hall.
"Hey! I'm finally out!" She jumped to Rogue's side. "Oh, you look so tired. Was Logan too tough in the Death Room today?"
"Is there any time he isn't? You're lucky that ya were in a comfy bed all day long." Rogue felt every bone in her body hurting.
"Yeah, but even luckier that I heard the Professor and Mr. McCoy talking. You need to hear this!" She pushed Rogue to her own room, right in the moment when Jubilee was coming upstairs. "You better come too, Jubilee". Jubilee looked up and pretty much crawled up the remaining steps and into Kitty's room. Kitty shared it with Tabitha but she wasn't there at the moment.
"I just heard the Professor talking to Mr. Hank. We are going to have a new student here! And it's a male student!" She nearly jumped up and down as she spoke.
"Ah can't believe this is it." Rogue was disappointed. She thought it was about the diamond.
"Kitty, this is great news! Maybe he is like, a bit older than us, and totally hot." Jubilee's mood immediately brightened and she sat up straight on Kitty's bed.
"Yeah, Jubs. That's like, all I could think about! I heard that he is coming early tonight."
"Oh, I'm so not leaving that living room until he arrives…" Jubilee whispered mischievously and the two girls laughed as Rogue shook her head. "What is it, Rogue?" She asked as her roommate frowned and closed her eyes tight.
"Headache." It was all she said.
"Again?" Jubilee asked while Rogue stood up. "Do you want me to get you some medicine?"
"Nah, it's ok. Ah'm just tired. You girls keep talking. Ah'll go to mah room and take a nap, don't worry." She reassured them and went to her room, leaving Kitty and Jubilee exchanging worried glances behind her. Rogue entered her room, closed the curtains, and lay down, massaging the sides of her head. As soon as she closed her eyes, she started to hear the familiar whispers in her mind. Was it just a coincidence or did the headache have something to do with it? She turned to her side and tried to ignore the voices but they started getting louder.
"Stop!" She muttered, closing her eyes tightly and clenching her teeth. She could feel a tingling sensation all over her body, but then, as quickly as it started, it was over. The voices stopped and her headache nearly got better. Now, she could feel her body shaking though. Sighing, Rogue sat up on the edge of the bed and tried to calm down.
'Now, that was weird.' She thought. After a few minutes, she just collapsed on her bed feeling more exhausted than before, and fell asleep almost instantly.
He packed the rest of his clothes and then looked around the room, trying to see if he had forgotten anything. Remy felt extremely relieved that he was leaving this place in a few moments. Being trapped in this house, not being allowed to leave whenever he wanted to, and taking orders from Magneto sure wasn't what he expected from this job. The more time he spent locked in his room, the more his thoughts tormented him and the more he felt like a prisoner. He needed some action, something to keep his body and mind busy. Now, he was finally leaving and going to a comfortable huge mansion, where he didn't have to stay twenty four hours a day. He wondered how long he'd have to stay there, with all those students and kids. 'Until everything is ready.' He remembered that cold voice whispering to him. Remy only hoped it wouldn't take too long. All he wanted was to get the job done and live his own life by himself, at last.
He turned around and left his room without looking back, closing the door behind him. In the hall, he walked past John, who just ignored him. Remy nearly laughed at the thought of how all the boys at this place just couldn't stand him. The only person he could say he kind of got on well with was Wanda, and that only meant they changed some words every now and then without her scolding him which, in terms of Wanda and the Brotherhood of Mutants, was incredible. Most of the times, though, the girl was locked in her room or busy practicing her powers with an old woman named Agatha and Remy had no one to talk to.
Magneto was waiting outside, looking just like a normal citizen, in normal clothes. He watched as Remy came closer and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Now, don't forget my instructions. Be careful with everything you say, and keep your mind blocked all the time. Charles is smarter than you imagine." He said firmly.
"Don' worry. Remy's smarter than y' imagine too."
"Good. Find the diamond and keep an eye on it, but don't get it until you are told. The machine will take some time to be finished but we need to have you in the Institute, in case Charles realizes what's going on and hides the diamond, although I don't think it will be the case. If I know Charles, he will want to study the yellow diamond and learn about the African Blue Giant through it." Remy knew that wasn't the only reason he needed to infiltrate in the Institute but that was something Magneto didn't need to know. That was between him and his real employer. "Keep your phone with you always, am I clear?"
"Oui." Remy nodded.
"Then this is it. You can go now." Magneto stepped back as Remy climbed on his orange and black motorcycle and put his helmet on. The young man lifted his hand as to say bye and took off.
He could feel the air rushing all over his body and that made him smile. It felt like freedom. Riding his bike always made all the worries go away, like nothing could disturb him while he was riding. Not even the slow drivers in front of him. Remy just sped it up and headed for the highway. He drove for about three hours until he could see a huge property in front of him. He got to the front gate and took a deep breath. Then, after pressing a button on the side wall and identifying himself, the gates opened and he drove in.
As soon as Remy entered the property, he realized the job wasn't going to be just like any of his other jobs before. A huge mansion was in front of him, with a forest on its right side. The gardens were well-treated and there was a sports area. Everything seemed to be in the right spot to make the place look spectacular, but still, it looked like a very familiar place.
'Dis is gonna be fun.' Remy's smile grew wider behind his black helmet. He stopped his motorcycle close to the front door and removed his helmet slowly. He shook his head and his hair fell around his face, looking messy and sexy at the same time. Looking up, he saw many windows and balconies, when something caught his eyes. On the last balcony to the right side there was a girl standing and staring at him. As soon as he saw her, she went inside, closing the glass door behind her. Something about her looked very familiar, but Remy couldn't figure out what. He climbed off his bike and went to the front door. When he was going to press the doorbell, the door opened and a man with dark shades stood in front of him.
"Hello, you must be…"
"Remy LeBeau. And y'…?"
"My name is Scott Summers. Come on in. Professor Charles Xavier is waiting for you in his office. Follow me." Scott opened the door completely to allow him in. Remy stepped inside and thought 'Dis is gonna be really fun!' The place looked even more magnificent from the inside. Many expensive vases and paintings everywhere, as were marble, tapestries and silver chandeliers.
'Dis must be heaven. Damn, how am I s'pposed to not steal anyt'ing?' He had to keep his best poker face on so Scott wouldn't realize he was doing his best not to let his jaw drop. As they passed the hall, he saw a girl with sunglasses and a yellow jacket reading a book. 'Except the book is upside down.' He grinned to himself and followed Scott through a side corridor until they stopped in front of an oak door.
"This is his office. You may go in. He is waiting for you." Scott said and Remy nodded. As he opened the door, all he could think was 'I'm in.'
A while before
Rogue opened her eyes and stretched herself on the bed. She looked at the clock and found it was nearly six pm.
'Oh great. Ah overslept.' She went into the bathroom and washed her face, trying to wake up properly. That's when she heard the roar of a motorcycle coming from the front gates. She smiled and rushed to her balcony, thinking Logan had returned from a day out. However, it wasn't Logan's bike coming in. And it definitely wasn't Logan riding it. The man driving looked much younger, taller and slim. Since she couldn't figure out who it was, she supposed it had to be the new guy. She smiled when she remembered the girls talking about it earlier. 'At least he looks about our age, a bit older, just lahke Jubilee wished he was. Ah wonder if he is hot as well.' Rogue leaned on the balcony and narrowed her eyes, trying to see his face clearer when he took off his helmet. She felt surprised when she thought his face looked very familiar.
'Where have Ah seen this guy?' She forced her mind to remember. 'Wow, he IS hot. Unless he has acne or something and Ah can't see it from here.'
Right at that moment, he looked straight in her direction and she could feel his eyes piercing hers even from so far away. She felt her heartbeat increase and left the balcony, feeling ashamed that she got caught staring at him.
'Oh, that was embarrassing.' She took a comb from her desk and combed her hair absently, wondering why that man seemed familiar to her, when suddenly the door slammed open and Jubilee came running into the room in a hysterical state.
"THE NEW GUY'S HERE! HE'S HERE! HE'S HEREEEE!" She kept jumping and repeating.
"Jubilee, be quiet! Yeah, Ah saw him reaching the front gate. Calm down girl!"
"I can't. He is soooo extremely hot. I saw him on the way to Xavier's office. He has to be a beauty god or something. You think that's his power?"
"Ah don't know, Ah haven't seen him from…" Rogue was interrupted when Kitty and her friend Lorna also came running into the room, with Betsy Braddock looking exasperated behind them.
"HE IS SO, LIKE, TOTALLY HOT! WE ARE SO LUCKY!" Kitty and Lorna squealed.
"Can you believe this?" Betsy asked Rogue in a thick British accent.
"You just don't care because you are dating Warren. But we are single and free and needy." Jubilee stated as if that was a scientific proof that they had the right to get hysterical.
"Should we get something to calm them down?" Rogue asked with fake concern in her voice.
"Well, I could always use a psychic attack on them." Betsy chuckled.
That was when Logan stopped outside of the door and asked louder than the girl's voices, "Will you ladies shut up? My ears don't heal that fast! And Chuck's busy with a new prick. He's probably thinking this is a mad's house."
All the girls got quiet and only Rogue had a playful smile on her lips. Logan gave her a small wink and left. The other girls stared at each other in shock and then started laughing. They started talking about the new arrival, his motorcycle, his clothes, his hair, and it wasn't long until Rogue was asking more about him, and telling them she felt like she had seen him before, though she didn't know where.
"Maybe in a fashion magazine?" Lorna suggested but Rogue objected saying that in that case it would be more likely Kitty had seen him, not her. Kitty thought about it for a while then shook her head negatively.
'X-men, please come to my office so I can introduce the new student.' Xavier's voice spoke in their heads and the girls rushed out of the room.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Remy was sitting in front of Xavier's desk, hearing the last information about the place and its purpose. He could feel his mind shield being threatened twice but then it stopped. When Xavier finally finished asking him questions about him and his previous activities (which Remy said was a type of bounty hunter), there was a knock on the door. Then, it opened and twelve people came inside.
"X-men, this is Remy LeBeau, also known as Gambit in his previous job. Let's welcome him to the mansion. Remy, this is the team I told you about."