"Wake up."

The French-accented voice drew Kurt out of his dream, which he regretted. He had dreamt of being back at the Institute. He opened his eyes to see Remy looking down at him, making sure he was up before walking off, saying over his shoulder, "Get ready. We're heading out."

Kurt knew he meant another score, and groaned, saying as he stretched, "Again? Don't we have enough?" Remy flicked a glowing card at him and the unexpected explosion knocked Kurt backwards into a wall. He then grumbled, "Okay, okay, I get it; no questions."

Remy smiled and packed the rest of his cards, saying, "Good boy. Now come on." They dressed and left the base and Kurt saw it was nighttime. He sighed inwardly. He missed seeing the sun. He wasn't allowed to wear his inducer anymore under the threat that it would be crushed, so he could only go out when the sun had fallen. Remy walked to a motorcycle, straddling it and turning it on. Kurt hopped up behind him, wrapping his arms around the Cajun's waist as he gunned the throttle, shooting them into the night.

They drove for a solid four hours, down backroads and silent neighborhoods. Kurt had no idea where they were going, but he'd gotten to the point where he didn't care. All he knew was that they'd get to a building, Remy would have him 'port them inside, he'd take care of any guards while Remy worked the computers, and then he'd be given the goods to shrink to an easy-to-carry size and they'd leave.

He ducked his head, pressing his forehead to Remy's back, between the shoulders. He could feel the warmth of Remy's body through the clothing. How had things gone so wrong? He sighed deeply. One day he was an X-Man, living in safety at Xavier's School for the Gifted. The next he was a branded murderer and had to live by helping a thief, shunned by his friends.

It was getting colder as the night drew on and he shuffled a little closer, pressing his body to Gambit's. Winter was coming. Kurt chuckled softly at how the changing seasons resembled his own life. The summer had been wonderful, playing baseball, swimming with his friends, but the fall had come and everything had fallen apart. The professor had been killed and his 'talent' had popped up.

Yet he didn't regret his talent. It was just another part of him now and had no blame. As he embraced it, however, others had recoiled; disgusted, terrified. He shut his eyes and let go of all thoughts, letting the wind whisk them away. He sighed once more and was silent.

Another two hours later found the thief and his accomplice deep in the woods, by the mountains that bordered the edge of Bayville. Knowing it was risky, Kurt asked, "What are we doing here?"

To his surprise, Gambit just parked the bike, saying, "We're here to find something very special, Bleu."

Kurt got off first, asked as Gambit dismounted, "What?"

"You'll see." came the cryptic reply. He looked at the Cajun, and saw that his eyes were glittering in the darkness. "Now come." Remy spoke softly, as if fearing to be overheard, and his breath plumed before him. The temperature was dropping fast. Kurt wasn't bothered, but Remy didn't waste time in starting to walk, keeping himself warm by moving.

They walked into the woods and faced a cliff-side. Remy pointed upwards and Kurt nodded. About 200 feet up was a tiny dark spot, but Kurt could tell that it meant a cave entrance. He put a hand on Remy's shoulder and they both vanished in a puff of smoke. They reappeared at the entrance of the cave, which was about eight feet tall. Both able to see easily in the darkness, they could tell that the cave extended deeper into the mountainside, going straight for about 50 yards before turning. Without a word, they started walking. The tunnel led them through curves and dips for over an hour and a half. Both had no problem with it, Kurt's agility making it an easy hike, while Gambit was toned from years of experience.

Eventually, Kurt began to notice that on the walls were funny carvings. He didn't stop, but looked at them as they walked, studying them. They were mostly stick-figures and leaves, trees, animals and other simple stuff, but every now and again, there was a repeated picture. It looked like a pointy rock. He shrugged and followed Remy as he walked on, either not seeing the drawings or ignoring them. The tunnel finally opened up to a huge cavern, about the size of a baseball diamond. It was bare but for the middle of it. There was a pillar of stone there, about ten feet high and twenty wide, shaped like an enormous brick.

Coming closer, it became evident that it wasn't natural. The sides were too smooth, the corners looking like they had been made with a ruler. Kurt put his hand to it and it felt smooth as glass, but so much colder. It was metallic. He looked quizzically at Gambit, who withdrew from his thieving pouch a small hammer and chisel, circling the block. Kurt followed, asking, "What is it?"

Gambit found a spot and kneeling, began to work, chiseling off bits and flakes of metal as he answered, "It's what we came for."

The teleporter looked it over and said, "I can't 'port something that big. I'll kill myself."

Remy chuckled darkly as he hit harder, saying, "Easy, Bleu. I'm not asking you to transport it. We just need what's inside it. If I can get it open!"

Kurt looked back at the block. How on earth did Remy want to try and open this thing? It was solid metal! It was a wonder he was chipping it at all! Wait… Metal? "Why didn't Magneto come and get this thing? He can manipulate it."

The thief chuckled, replying, "Because he's lazy, that's why." Kurt smiled at that and was silent as Remy kept working. After twenty minutes, he'd actually gotten a good 6 inches into the metal and had uncovered a weird little keyhole. He then put the hammer and chisel away and withdrew an oddly-shaped key from his pocket. He put it in and turned it. There was an echoing creaking sound as the brick suddenly fell apart. Kurt quickly 'ported out of the way while Remy back-flipped to safety, both watching the hunk of metal cautiously.

In the middle of what used to be a solid metal block now lay several shards of a weird red-purple crystal. It glowed softly in the darkness, bathing them in its light. Gambit started to walk towards it, but Kurt got there first, a soft bamf the only sound in the silence. He stood beside the crystals, reaching out to touch, asking, "What are they?"

A steel pole whacked his hand and he yelped, withdrawing it. Gambit gave him a thin smile, saying with a playful scolding tone, "Ah-ah! Ne les touche pas, Bleu. [Don't touch, Blue.]" and collapsed his Bo Staff while Kurt rubbed the injured hand, muttering in German. He then kneeled and got a glove out of his pocket, sliding it over the finger-less ones. He then began to pick up the crystals and put them into a leather sack, careful not to move them too fast or let them touch him. He spent the next ten minutes doing this, shifting bits of metal to find any pieces that had escaped, and finally closed a leather sack holding over four pounds of the crystals. Kurt sighed and held out his hand, knowing already what Gambit would want him to do. But Gambit surprised him by chuckling, "Non. Not this time." and held the bag himself. Kurt gave no further argument and they walked out the way they had come in.

As they left the cavern they began to notice how much the temperature had dropped. It was easily down into the 20's now (F) and still dropping, and the wind only made it worse. Gambit closed his trench-coat and huddled down inside it, shivering slightly. Kurt wasn't much better off. While his fur gave him some protection from the cold, this was too much! His tail quivered as his teeth chattered. "Not fun…" he muttered quietly and thought he heard Remy laugh softy. But maybe he had imagined it.

They reached the bike shortly, and both were shivering violently. Remy paused to put the bag under the seat, then started up the bike. Kurt crawled on and clutched at Remy's body, trying to warm himself against the older man. Remy then started the engine and they rode off as snow began to fall. After an hour of riding, the snow had increased to big thick flakes, the kind that will fall hard and for a long time. Both were shivering despite being pressed together, and Kurt called out over the rushing wind, "We should pull into a hotel or something!" He had long ago curled his tail around him, sliding the barb under his thigh to try and keep it warm, but it wasn't working very well.

Remy gave a nod and they pulled onto the highway, heading toward town. But the storm got worse as they went and more than once on turns, Kurt felt the tires skid ever-so-slightly under them. The wind picked up it's pace and Kurt ducked his head down, shoving it between Remy's shoulders blades again, trying to protect his ears and nose from being frozen off. Remy's fingers, where they were bare to the elements, were almost as blue as Kurt's and that wasn't a good thing.

Suddenly though, everything spun as the front tire hit a patch of black ice. It was a confusing moment. One minute, they had been riding along just fine, the next they were thrown forwards and the bike fell on it's side like a slain beast.

Kurt rocketed forward, hit the road, slid and tumbled, coming to a halt only when he hit a snow bank. It had all happened too fast for him to teleport. He looked up, feeling a warm liquid trickle down his face. He was bleeding, but he ignored it as he looked at the scene before him.

Remy, because of his position at the front end of the bike, had gotten a leg caught under the bike and while it hadn't broken anything, he had just had over half a ton of motorcycle fall on top of him. Kurt ran to him, slid and hit a nearby tree. He shook blood from his face, wiping it from his eyes and he carefully 'ported to the thief's side. Gambit was unconscious, pinned under the bike. Kurt quickly touched him and 'ported him out from under the hunk of metal, trying to wake him. He had no idea where they were and so he couldn't 'port to town.

He saw Remy wasn't going to wake up anytime soon and considered his options. He could leave Remy here and try to find help, but with the snow, he doubted that the Cajun would survive. He couldn't stay here, though. He was freezing too! Because he had such a fast metabolism, it meant that Kurt had no body fat to help keep him warm.

Kurt looked up, trying to see through the storm, but it was not possible. He then looked straight up, and 'ported. He appeared about fifty feet up and quickly, before gravity could claim him, looked around, trying to find shelter. He caught a glimpse of a car about half a mile away and quickly 'ported back to the ground.

He then pulled Remy so one arm lay over his shoulder and pulled him to his feet. Remy groaned and leaned on his heavily, slurring. Kurt tried to wake him, but Remy just went limp. Kurt then began to walk the mutant towards the car he had seen. But upon getting there, his hopes fell. It was a broken-down relic, abandoned for what looked like years. Kurt chewed his lip nervously. Remy wasn't even shivering anymore and Kurt was lost in the woods.

He then sighed and made the best of it. He 'ported them into the backseat of the car, where it was large enough to accommodate them both. He lay Remy down, but realized a problem. There was a blanket in the car, but it was only enough for one person. What could he do?

An idea came to him, but it was desperate. But as Remy gave a rattling breath, Kurt decided it was worth it. He then gently took the other mutant's trench coat off, wrapping it around his own body. It was still warm from the thief's body. He then concentrated and quickly snatched up the now tiny body, cradling it to him as he used his tail to wrap himself with the trench-coat and blanket. He gently rubbed at the body in his hand, trying to warm it with careful friction. It worked and Remy curled up by himself, shivering mightily. Kurt grinned. At least he was sure that the Cajun was alive now. Kurt gently cupped his hands around the thief and held him close, sharing his body heat.

But the situation wouldn't work. Because of Remy, Kurt couldn't curl up enough for the blanket and coat to cover him, so he was shivering just as badly as the tiny thief. If he didn't figure something out soon, they'd both freeze. A solution perked up in his mind, but he winced and tried to think of something else. But he could think of nothing else and grinned as he muttered quietly, "He's going to kill me for this." He then gently put the tiny thing into his mouth.

He searched around and found an old bit of branch and as he curled up tightly and warmly, he stuck it between his teeth like a pipe-stem, ensuring airflow. It was the best course he could think of. This way, Remy would be warm and so would Kurt.

The teleporter then grinned and sighing deeply, went to sleep.

Remy woke early the next morning, curled up tightly. He moaned and winced as it made his head hurt. What had happened last night? He remembered going to get the crystals with Nightcrawler, then the ride back and the accident. Where was he?

He shifted a little and realized that he was nice and warm. He smiled and guessed that the blue teleporter had found a hotel for them or something and had snuck them into a room. But if he was in a room, why were there no sheets on his body? Why was he still in uniform, though minus his trench coat with his valuable cards? His body tensed as he opened his eyes.

Kurt woke to a vicious kick inside his mouth and quickly sat up, throwing off the blanket and coat as he hastily spat the Cajun out. Remy fell ungracefully, sprawling on the sleeve of his coat, wet and angry and scared. He quickly got up and started yelling at Kurt in French, who stared at him blankly before saying, "Umm… English?"

Remy then switched languages, never stopping his rant. "How DARE you! After all I've done for you, you try to off me at the first chance you get, eh? You ungrateful demon! I swear, if you try that again I'll charge your clothes and splatter you all over the room! Got it, bleu?!" He then stopped, panting and shaking.

Kurt then blinked, saying, "You're welcome for saving your life."

Remy stopped mid-scowl, asking, "Quoi? [What?]"

Kurt then shed the two layers he had covered himself with and saw that the rest of the inside of the car was covered with a medium-thick layer of icy frost. He pointed to the white ice, saying, "See? It was that, or we both froze."

The thief then asked hesitantly, "So… you weren't…"

"No. I wasn't going to hurt you." Kurt supplied. But then he grinned at the little mutant, adding with a fanged grin, "Though I won't say I wasn't tempted. You taste great." He licked his lips, and Remy's eyes got wide. But Kurt chuckled and sitting up, began to stretch like a cat, purring, "Relax. I won't eat you."

Remy visibly relaxed, his shoulders loosing their tenseness. But then he began to shiver. The cold was affecting him again. Kurt smiled and beckoning him to come, began to dry him off using an edge of the blanket. As the blue mutant worked, Remy asked, "And why aren't you putting me back to normal?"

Kurt rubbed a finger on his head, messing up his hair as he chuckled, "Because you're cute like this."

Though he would normally be pleased at being called cute, Remy scowled and huffed.

As soon as they were done, Kurt grabbed Gambit, and 'ported them both outside, where he put Remy back to his proper height. Remy swayed, the dizziness following such changes making the world spin before him. Kurt giggled at his expression, and Remy glared at him, walking off to prove he was fine. And falling over into a snowdrift.

After some time, they finally got back to the bike, which was buried under half a foot of snow. They dug it out, checked that their bounty was still there, then started it and let it warm up. To pass the time, they sat on the edge of the road, not looking at each other. For a while, Remy would pick up pebble, charge them and chuck them into the road, watching the fire-cracker-sized explosion. Finally, he asked, "So… You do that often?"

Kurt, who was curled up on the blanket (he had brought it with them) looked up, asking, "What?"

"What do you think?" Remy glared at him, his red eyes blazing with indignation.

The teleporter let out a sigh, asking, "Oh, come on, Gambit! You're still sore about me saving your life?"

"Non, I'm sore as to how you saved my life." Remy quipped, charging another pebble. He then asked sternly, "What if you had rolled over?"

Kurt smiled, understanding the Cajun's concerns and said while snuggling down into the blanket again, "I don't roll over. I curl up and stay that way all night. Have all my life." He then shut his eyes, signaling an end to the conversation.

For a while, Remy let him be, the soft explosions the only sound besides the rumbling purr of the warming motorcycle, the dripping of the melting ice and the wind whistling in the trees. But then Remy's accented voice added to the world as he asked, '"Why'd you do it?"

Kurt froze, knowing he couldn't say why. Gambit would think him soft and that would lead to some serious trouble. So the blue mutant leered up at the Cajun, grinning, "Well, I couldn't go back to Magneto alone. He would have cut me open." He rolled enough for his stomach to be exposed and traced a finger across it, grinning before curling up again.

But Gambit wasn't fooled and stared at Kurt, red eyes glowing softly as he said bluntly, "You're lying."

"N-no I'm not." came the soft protest. Remy grinned and said while pointing, "Bleu, your tail's twitching."

Kurt looked and saw that indeed, his barb was writhing in the snow, flicking up small amounts as it expressed his anxiety. He glared at it, growling out, "Traitor." He sighed and then said quickly, "Fine. I didn't want to let you die. There. Happy now?"

"Why?"

The question was innocent and simple. Worth answering, right? "Because I'm a softy like that." Kurt muttered, curling up tighter.

Remy then cocked an eyebrow, saying, "But when we steal…" He let the sentence trail off, obviously implying Kurt's part of the job when they stole.

Kurt then grinned at Remy, fangs bared as he purred in his most dangerous tone, "I'm not soft all the time."

Remy stared at him, trying to see if he was playing or being serious, but Kurt had turned away, curling up again. They sat in silence for a while before Remy got up and checked the bike, deeming it ready. They both got on, and Kurt grinned as he allowed his tail to slither forwards and wrap around Remy's waist. The Cajun froze and then growled out, "Bleu, get your tail back on your end of the bike before I blow it off." A card was suddenly in his other hand, glowing a soft purple-ish red. Kurt laughed and hugged Remy tighter, withdrawing his tail slowly, tickling Gambit as he intentionally dug it between his ribs. Remy restrained himself from laughing, though he did grin. He then reached and smacked the barb, growling, "Knock it off."

Kurt then chuckled, "Bite me." but obeyed.

After several hours of riding, they got back to the base, where Magneto was furious at them not reporting sooner. Gambit soothed him, presenting him with the sack, saying, "Doucement [Easy]. We had some motor trouble."

Magneto glared at him, but took the bag and stalked off, silent.

Gambit then called out, "Je t'en prie! [You're welcome!]" He walked back to his room to find Nightcrawler already there, up in the rafters, nibbling on a burger.

When Remy asked, the blue mutant grinned, "Pyro wasn't watching his plate." Remy shrugged and went into his bed, snuggling down into the covers.

In a different part of the base, Colossus stood patiently and silently under nearly ten tons of solid steel, holding the odd contraption up easily as Magneto floated above him, twisting pieces here and there, modifying it.

It was almost ready.