A/N: I've always been a bit reluctant to write stories that take place in the main universe because I think it's too intricate, full of incongruities and with too many loose ends. Going against my own advice, here I am. Since the Rogue & Gambit miniseries served the purpose of putting these characters' long and convoluted relationship in perspective, I chose to start here. Therefore, this story will take place inside the series. In this first chapter I used most of the book's dialogue and added more scenes. With no further ado, I hope you like it and if you do, please drop a comment.
xXxXx
In strange times like that it was hard for him to find his place. Even the Xavier Institute, which he called home for so many years, now felt alien and harsh. He felt as if he was no longer welcomed there. So much had been forgiven, so much had been forgotten, and still, leaving the past behind was never an easy task; he would come back looking for whom he loved, yearning to capture the sentiment that mostly resembled happiness, in a painful circle of nostalgia.
He stood at the door of the Danger Room and genuinely smiled at the sight of Storm. A long-standing friend, the reason he had joined the X-Men in the first place, perhaps one of the few people who had never turned their back on him.
In his combat outfit, his bo-staff ready in his hand, he comfortably rested his right shoulder on the doorjamb, feeling the cold steel piercing through his coat. "Have I stepped back in time?" he said in a cynical tone of voice, tailor-made to tease her. "Do I see old-school sentinels in a Danger Room training sequence, Stormy?"
The corner of her lips distorted as she replied: "You and that infernal nickname. When will it die, Gambit?"
"'fraid that's never, Stormy" he replied ironically. "Can't kill a nickname. Your complaints only give it strength."
That was their dynamic: he would say anything to get under her skin, she would snap back in fake irritation.
Storm let out a phony snort before saying: "As for the 'old-school sentinels', they were specifically requested."
"D'accord" Gambit nodded, bored. "But aren't we a bit long in the tooth for Danger Room games, Ororo?"
"Rogue is in there" Storm said straightforwardly, knowing that would catch his attention. She knew from experience that the life they led would always stand in the way of love. There was resentment and scars that were hard to let go of. It wasn't hyperbolic to state that a lot had come in the way of the two Southerners. Ororo would be lying if she said she hadn't always wished them a happy ending, though.
"Well, why didn't you say so?" Gambit asked rhetorically. "Deal me in" he would never waste the chance to play, much less when Rogue was part of the game.
As he walked toward the entrance door that led directly to action, to the stage where simulations ran, Gambit cracked a smile as he lied to himself, pretended he wasn't excited to take a stroll down nostalgic roads. The automatic doors split open, revealing a familiar and artificial view all at once, a conflict that evidenced the long period of time since Gambit had taken part in a simulation like that one.
He swaggered into the gigantic room oozing a confidence intrinsic to his personality as his eyes inevitably searched for Rogue. Gambit realized (as he fought against admitting to his conflicting feelings) he hadn't seen her in months. Months that felt like years. Contradictorily, the hectic life they led would make the time go by too fast at times. There were moments when it felt as though little had changed. Then why did he feel nothing was the same?
His last encounters with Rogue were clumsy and products of chance. They bore no resemblance to what it used to be, with all the passion and urging, and a desire that couldn't be fulfilled. Of late, in the rare occasions they crossed paths, there were the polite words of long-time friends who had lost touch along the years and felt the overwhelming awkwardness at each other's presence, a discomfort that consumed what was left of the physical attraction between them.
Regardless of their admitting that their relationship hadn't worked out and probably never would, they tried over and over again and would always end up as victims of the circumstances or of themselves. They were like addicts coming back just to agonize a little more after a brief taste of happiness. Regardless of the many times they had split up and accepted it was over, that it was really over, there were still hints of something that lay deeper inside.
Had they gotten over each other, had some kind of closure, things might have been different. However, the feeling that it wasn't really over – that it would never be over – tormented and afflicted them. The only solution was to keep apart so not to be constantly reminded of their failure. Gambit knew it in his heart of hearts and, still, there he was, about to make the same mistake again. Once again he became the addict that urged to quit abstinence.
The Danger Room door closed behind him as an automatic voice spoke:
New player entering. Codename: Gambit.
Hearing his name almost made Rogue's heart stop. Using all her will power, her irritation came out on top, and she showed it by rolling her eyes. "This is a closed session, Gambit!" she yelled mid-flight as she destroyed a sentinel, shattering it in a thousand pieces.
"Tell it to the control room, chère" Gambit answered back with his deep voice as he took determined steps towards the action. His eyes oozing energy due to excitement.
"Storm?" Rogue yelled; a yell that asked why.
A click of the microphone and Storm's voice echoed in the room, loud and clear even in the midst of destruction. "You said you wanted something unexpected, Rogue" one could notice the laugh in the weather witch's voice.
Rogue hissed before saying: "If you're in Gambit, get in."
A smirk formed on his lips. "I was sorta of waiting on a formal invite" charged cards, sparkling with pink power, were thrown out of his agile hands, hitting one of the sentinels straight in the chest. "You know how I am with politeness an'… things of that nature."
"Oh, yes. You and politeness. The first two words I'd put together" she retorted, subtly turning her head at him as she threw a punch in the closest sentinel. Noticing the satisfaction on his face, she felt a tightness in her chest and the corner of her eyes burn. She quickly came to the conclusion that that simulation had been a mistake, for it brought back too painful and deep memories. A deluge that made her emotionally unstable and, in a careless split of a second, she noticed, then too late, that she was about to be hit and couldn't help but to be smashed by the sentinel's huge fist.
"Rogue!" Gambit screamed as he saw her fall under the weight of the impact.
It didn't matter that Gambit was aware that Rogue was once again invulnerable. There was a feeling of hopelessness in seeing someone you loved disappear beneath tons of steel. It was as though his rational mind was nullified by emotions. In moments like that, Gambit seemed to forget his trainings as a thief and as an X-Man, and he feared for her life. On a certain level, he was aware of how dangerous that was. The reason why he and Rogue together in battle was never a good idea. In a real situation, such a distraction could potentially be fatal.
Still, Gambit leaped, with his bo-staff upright, and pinned it down into the giant's purple fist, charging it until it caused a massive explosion. As in a symbolic gesture, he used his body as a shield in order to protect the girl with the indestructible skin.
The room announced that the sequence was terminated.
Lying on the ground on her back, Rogue found herself paralyzed, forgotten of her anger. Having him so close caused too many memories to emerge. Too familiar. Too comfortable. Too dangerous. "I had it under control" she stuttered, not moving; didn't even notice she had wrapped her right arm around his neck.
"Sure, but more fun dis way, no?" he said in a low hoarse voice, as if everything around them had vanished. The voices in the background were barely audible. That was how it was with them: everyone else turned into a blur and then there were only they. "You picked the training program, didn't ya?" he asked, however slightly stunned by the familiarity of their position.
"So what?"
"Seems to me like maybe you're yearning for the past a bit" and his face drew close to her.
"A simpler time, maybe. Not the past" she stuttered again, feeling as danger approached, his lips too close to hers. "Not the past" she finally went out of her trance and got her voice back. She pushed his face away with her gloved hand.
Gambit brought up Rogue's unpredictability, and as it had always been. Instead of dealing with it, she ran away as fast as she could, like she always did.
He watched as she walked out the door, swiftly and decisively, felt like for the millionth time. Her words reverberating in his head. So that's what he was? Just a fragment of her past? It didn't matter whether his motivations not to step back were petty revenge or grief or real sentiments, Gambit wouldn't let it slide.
Gambit put back in his pocket the ace of spades he had been playing with as he made his way down the hall. He knocked on Kitty's office door, current leader of the X-Men.
"What'd you wanna see me for, Kitty?" he said bluntly as soon as he stepped inside the room.
Kitty Pryde exhibited the smile of a politician upon seeing him; she laid the pen she had been using down on the desk and crossed her fingers in a gesture that resembled Professor Xavier's. "I'll cut to the chase" she said looking into his eyes after he had settled in the chair across from her. "I need you for a bit of… an odd mission. We've uncovered this place" she displayed holograms of pictures of the said place. "An island, sold as 'private retreat', that promises to 'free mutants of their traumas.'"
"Sounds awfully shady" he said, squinting his eyes.
Kitty nodded. "We think so too. The truth is the mutants who've sought this island are disappearing, winking out of existence – for lack of a better word. We need to send in a recon team..." she trailed off.
Gambit pondered for just a moment, running his index finger and thumb on his upper lip. Kitty's tone of voice made it sound like she would ask for something unpleasant, and Gambit was curious to find out why. "I'm your guy for dis kinda mission, for sure, but you got me thinking. Who's going with?"
Kitty smiled almost timidly. "We need a couple."
"Oh..." he said gravely.
Kitty wetted her lips and leaned forward before continuing. "We suspect there might be telepaths involved who could verify the legitimacy of the couples."
Gambit held her eyes but Kitty did not back down. "You talk to Rogue yet?"
"Not yet" she answered evasively.
Gambit was silent for a moment. He slid his back down the chair back and rested his chin on his hands before sliding a sideways glance at the woman across the table. He was aware of the reasons for his being the first to learn of the mission. "Rogue ain't gonna like it."
Kitty smiled without showing her teeth, she knew that already. "I'll talk to her and use my influence as leader. You in, Gambit?"
He hesitated but only for a second. "I'm in."
The ace of spades was weaving around his fingers again as Gambit left Kitty's office. He wondered whether he should speak with Rogue before Kitty did so he could set the stage for what was coming. Decided to leave it to fate. He would knock on her door, and if Rogue wasn't there, he would let it be.
She wasn't in her room. Gambit let out a frustrate sigh. He was on the way to his room when his sharp ears caught the sound of approaching steps. He halted and leaned onto the wall. With her head down, Rogue passed by him, so he called for her.
Rogue started at his voice and turned on her heels, pissed. "One of these day I'amm put a bell on you" she said it fast, stumbling over her words.
"Let's go out for dinner?" he made his invitation and took a step closer to her. His eyes showing interest, which in fact, served to conceal whatever his true feelings were. She held still and he put his hands on her arms near her shoulders, a move that could have only two possible outcomes: she would either run away fast or hesitate. As Gambit had anticipated, she hesitated.
"Ah don't know" Rogue said as she flinched. Regardless of how much time had gone by and how more mature she had become, her indecisiveness remained one of her worst flaws.
Gambit, on his turn, could not help but feel a hint of irritation. Things would be much easier if she said no. Her indecision would always give rise to his giving another shot at them. "Doesn't have to be a big thing, Rogue" he went on without questioning his own motivations. Maybe, deep down, he wanted to pressure her until he saw her break. "Even if our romantic life is on pause, you're still my best friend. I can't have dinner with my best friend?"
It wasn't that simple, he knew it well. They were either lovers or nothing. Their past together wouldn't allow for them to be only friends as long as there was sexual tension. But Gambit was trying, in spite of himself, even though it seemed useless and redundant, even though their last "dinner" had scarred them both.
"It's never just dinner" she said in a quiet voice as she closed her eyes for a moment, pushing back a particularly poignant memory. If she did nothing, all those feelings would emerge with a vengeance. Remy knew it and still insisted on opening wounds that had never been healed. It seemed cruel. She pulled away before he succeeded in changing her mind.
Silence fell on them. It was absurd how after so many years their roles remained unchanged: he would pursue her, she would run away. If Gambit knew it for a fact that nothing would ever happen between them ever again, he would stay away; nonetheless, Rogue kept dropping hints that she still had feelings for him. Maybe she kept him around as a backup, he thought bitterly. Pushing away that thought, he once again tried to convince himself of the preposterous idea that they could be just friends, that they could get together for a few hours and cordially talk about the weather, confide in each other, talk about other relationships.
"I just don't think it's a good idea" she stated, breaking the agonizing silence as she strode away from him.
Watching her run away from him again made Gambit lose his temper. He sulked, crossed his arms. "You're always overthinking everything."
"Well, one of us has to" she snapped back angrily, not looking back at him. Last time she didn't overthink her actions around him, it didn't end up well. However, she changed her mind and looked at him, over her shoulder. "You know I've lost control of my powers again, right?" her question sounded like a challenge, although her frustration was directed at herself, at her inability to keep control, at her everlasting fear.
He felt like she had been repeating those words forever. Still, his voice softened. "I know. Don't mat—" he started to say. Maybe that's why he was insisting, maybe he wanted to make up for the last time, to make it right this time around. Whatever he had to say next was interrupted by Kitty requesting Rogue to go see her.
"Sorry, Remy" but she did not look back.
She ran away as fast as she could manage.
Rogue took resolute and heavy steps after leaving Kitty's office. She went straight out to find Gambit in order to let him know of the mission and, perhaps, talk him into refusing. Kitty, in a cunning move, succeeded in getting Rogue to feel guilty until she agreed to the mission. Now, as she walked down the hall, trying to cool down, she thought there might be another way, she just had to persuade Gambit to say no.
She took a deep breath as she approached Gambit's room. His door was ajar, and she knocked lightly, peeping in. "I need to have a word with you" she said before noticing he was packing. She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to accept she had figured it out already.
"Is it about the mission?" Gambit asked as he turned to her, an impartial expression on his face.
She breathed in deeply and loudly, trying to take hold of her frustration. "You already knew?"
"Oui."
"And you're okay with it?" her voice was accusing.
"Why not? It just another mission" he said, and, despite his own words he also felt reluctant and uneasy, as if he doubted his own motivations. It wasn't like him to shy away from a mission, even though he had agreed to that one begrudgingly, like Rogue obviously had.
She felt her throat go dry and increased the grip of her crossed arms. "We'll have to pretend we're a couple."
His features hardened. "We used to be a couple."
"Ah know, but..." she trailed off as frustration took her by storm. "Doesn't it bother you… to have to pretend?" she regretted her question right away. "Never mind" she rushed to add before he had the chance to answer back. She turned around to leave but his voice calling for her made her stop. She stared at him, or at least, tried to. There was so much resentment on his face that she wished it to be over soon.
"Spendin' a couple of days wit' me really that awful?"
The hurting in his voice was palpable, a reflection of her own pain. Rogue felt like she was about to fall into pieces. There was a time she would have given anything just to be with him. Right now, though, her head was spinning around and her lips moving like she were a fish out of the water. Teary-eyed, she ran without saying another word.
Gambit stood there, staring at the door she had slammed close. It hurt deeply. However, pretending was his specialty. Therefore, he finished packing and changed clothes. They would leave that same day.
Rogue slammed the door of her room and stopped short not knowing what to do. Her chest went up and down slowly as she tried to control her breathing. She inhaled through her mouth noisily and exhaled slowly until she could hold back the tears. When she sat down on her bed, resting her elbows on her thighs and her face in her hands, she let herself weep. Her body shaking as weak noises escaped her throat. The memories she so bravely kept away burst out in a wave of pain and sorrow.
She had agreed to meet him for dinner months earlier.
Awkwardness and embarrassment of seeing each other as friends dissipated as glasses of wine were emptied. Gradually, they relaxed until guffaw came easy, just like the teasing and the sarcastic remarks that alluded to a past full of happy and fun memories. In moments like that one it was way too easy to forget the bad times.
At some point, Remy suggested that they went to his apartment, and she said yes. They sat down on the couch, holding another glass of wine. Rogue started to feel she was losing her soberness; Remy, on the other hand, looked as sober as before they started drinking.
"You can't take your liquor. Never could" he stated, smirking, after she mentioned how unaffected he looked.
She raised an eyebrow in disapproval. "Well, all those drinks and card games you so innocently introduced me to made me more resistant."
He laughed out loud. "You were always losing on strip poker, chère."
She bit her lower lip before offering a naughty smile. "I lost on purpose."
He returned a smile and nearly leaned in for a kiss. Rogue brought the wineglass near her lips and the moment was gone.
"You don't need alcohol" he said as he laid the glass down on the coffee table; she did the same. "to act impulsively."
"Think I've got my impulsiveness under control now" she moved a little so she would be more comfortable.
"That's hard to believe, chère."
She looked into his eyes, her eyelids half-closed. "You always know when Ah'm bluffing."
"Dat's why you were always losin' at poker" he paused. "Whatty you wanna do next?" he asked despite knowing the exact answer to that question.
"Something Ah shouldn't" still, she leaned in closer to him.
"Why's that?"
"'Cause it's complicated."
"It's always been complicated."
"Yeah, it has."
And in that moment Remy realized the unforgivable mistake he made when he invited her out as friends. The overwhelming physical attraction was always there. However, so was the hurting and disappointment. Those peaceful moments masked the pain that had never been really gone. Gambit would be lying if he said it no longer hurt. After all, she was the one who dumped him. What right did she think she had to be there looking at him that way? That was when Gambit realized he could satisfy his desire for her and at the same time get back at her. Or that's what he thought.
"Doesn't have to be with love" he said before kissing her. Not a tender but a dominating kiss, with his tongue, hard and wet, guiding hers. Rogue returned the kiss (later she would blame the wine, even though that was a lie) blaming the forcefulness and lack of softness on the urgency to make up for the time they had been apart. He was right: she was impulsive. Better yet, she enjoyed being impulsive. Overthinking made her unhappy. Yet, if Rogue had been thinking clearly, she would have run out of there as fast as possible. But deep down she wanted him, she loved him in ways that escaped her grasp, so intense that it made her scared.
His hand went up her thigh to her butt cheeks. Rogue moved and straddled him. He lifted her dress up and stripped her out of it hastily. Just as fast he took his shirt off. He got to his feet, her legs firmly around him, and walked to the bedroom as other pieces of clothing were left on the way. He laid her down on the bed and his mouth moved down to her neck and then to her breasts. Soon, any remaining clothes were on the floor. She wrapped her legs around his waist again and he slid inside her, applying the pressure and speed he knew would drive her crazy.
She looked for his eyes but didn't find them. Their mouths no longer touched. He was quiet as he continued his repetitive and automatic movements, which had the desired effect on her. Even though that was unlike all their other times together, she let herself be carried away, let him set the pace, let him turn her over until she was on her hands and knees. She bit her lips hard when she felt him inside of her again. She could barely move, although his indifference hurt she moaned in ecstasy at his every move. His hands held her by her hips, impelling her to almost howl in pleasure at every hard deep hit. Her hands caved in and she held herself on her elbows, grabbing the sheet with her fingers. The slight shift in position made his movements even more torrid and unrestrainable. At last, she cried out as her body convulsed in pleasure as she reached climax. She heard a groan coming from his throat and the grip of his hands was gone.
He rolled to his side, grabbed a pack of cigarettes on the night-stand, lit one up and took an indulging drag as he leaned back naked on the headboard. She lay on her side and looked up at him, bewildered. This time, unlike every other time before, he didn't embrace her, didn't cover her with the sheet, didn't kiss her on her shoulder, didn't whisper in her ear how much he loved her.
She moved herself to a sitting position, still panting, and pulled the wrinkled sheet up tightly against her body. She felt strangely exposed as if her nudity made her vulnerable. "What was that?" she asked with her throat dry and clogged.
He turned his face at her slowly as he blew the smoke. He stared down at her coldly as though her question was stupid. "Sex" he said sarcastically. "I don't think I have to explain it to you..."
The smirk he shot at her made her feel like some random woman in his bed. That was how he wanted her to feel. He wanted to punish her, even though it hurt him greatly, deeply. She had it coming for discarding him as if he were a toy she got sick of playing with.
She didn't argue, just got to her feet and hastily grabbed her clothes. She fixed him with a glance of repulse before turning around and leaving. He stood still, and heard when she slammed the door.
After her anger had subsided, she hated herself more than she hated him. That was her punishment for her disregard for his feelings. Days later, she would still remember his eyes, how cold they looked. She realized that, as much as it hurt her, he had died a little. He wanted to punish them both.
Right on time, they boarded the private jet that would take them directly to the island.
Rogue got there right after Gambit and avoided meeting his eyes. Nonetheless, she sat down next to him, in the window seat. She hoped they could have a civilized conversation eventually as it was a long way to their destination.
Gambit said nothing and didn't show any reaction when she sat down. Paraíso, he repeated mentally, imagining how inappropriate the name of that island was.
Rogue stared out the window, although there was nothing more than the blue of the sky and the sea.
Around ten minutes had passed by before Gambit decided to resume his character and break the silence. "For once I get assigned the right kind of mission" he said as he lay back, his legs stretched out and his hands behind his head. "I been waiting years for this treatment... private jet, champagne, the whole nine!"
She did not take her eyes off of the window while he chattered. Unlike him, she sat uptight. "Kitty should have told me you had already agreed to go."
"I can't believe you doubted" a smile on his lips as he leaned in a little. Of course he had doubted it himself. His posture, however, did not give away his reservations.
Rogue backed away from him. "Well, things have been..."
He cut her off. "Been what? Same as ever?" sometimes he felt as if they were trapped in a loop. Gambit leaned in closer to her, his fingers drawing near her face, daring her. His character faking interest, when in reality, he wanted to see where she was willing to go.
Rogue flinched and backed away from his touch. "Remy... Ah... my powers... Ah can't" she stuttered, in a morbid repetition of the first times he tried touching her years earlier.
Gambit only realized how fed up he was with that speech every time he heard it again. The same old tired excuse. When she finally gained control of her powers, he was there by her side. He was understanding when she said she needed time to think things over. To think about him and them. He stayed there for her, didn't pressure her, he supported her emotionally. She, in return, turned her back on him. The period of contrived cordiality had likely been the worst phase. After that, they would see each other sporadically and, still, hurt every time.
Gambit must've been feeling masochistic for continuing to pursue her. Tasted like spicy food: he knew he would regret eating too much of it, but he would always come back for more. "Your powers what?" he snapped back, rethinking his going on that mission. "Lack of control didn't stop you from kissing Deadpool" he accused, even though he didn't have the right. They weren't together back then but he couldn't hold it; it was too frustrating. However, he was aware of his hypocrisy.
He was by no means a saint. He would never be alone in bed when he didn't feel like it. For a guy like him it was too easy. If he were to count the number of women he had slept with, he would've probably lost count. On the other hand, relationships that lasted longer than a few days would fit into his fingers. Remy didn't feel guilty, though, for he liked the excitement, the flirting, the conquest, the casual sex. A one-night stand was only that, and it would be clear from the get-go; no breakfast in bed, no calling the next day, not a commitment, only carnal pleasure. And that's why the thought that that kiss meant something more to her hurt so badly. "Deadpool, Rogue. Deadpool" his indignation grew. "He doesn't even have a face."
"Ah didn't kiss Deadpool" she tried to say, her own indignation showing.
He snorted. "Don't even try it, Rogue. The X-Men gossip grapevine might as well have a phone tree. Eight different people called to let me know. Eight!"
Rogue crossed her arms over her chest, outraged by his ridiculous remarks. "You think I don't get calls? How many calls you think I've gotten about you over the years, Remy?" then, in a moment of soberness, she decided to change her tactics. "Besides, I wasn't finished. I was going to say I didn't kiss Deadpool. I made out with him. Huge difference" she knew exactly how to get under his skin, which buttons to push to annoy him. Messing up with his pride was infallible. She left him speechless. "And I'll have you know. Face or not, he's a fantastic kisser" she turned her face away to hide her smirk at seeing him dumbfounded. "Maybe not having a face makes people, I don't know… try harder. Maybe people as pretty as you have it too easy."
"Are you... are you suggesting Deadpool kisses better than me?"
"You said it, not me, Cajun."
Gambit blinked repeatedly until he escaped his torpor. "You gotta be kidding me" he knew by the mocking in her voice that she was messing with him and his confidence came back with a vengeance. "I bet he didn't have a clue about who he was making out with."
"Wade isn't this idiot you peg him to be" she rushed to defend him.
"So it's Wade now" he snorted, disgusted. The playful atmosphere dissipated all at once. "For your information, Wade is clueless of his surroundings most of de time."
Rogue held her breath and felt her face flush as she struggled to bite a retort. Her motives to have kissed her teammate, Wade Wilson, had been an honest bond. Obviously it wasn't love but a fondness that could have grown and turned into something else, in case things had turned out differently. Therefore, to have Remy mock her former teammate, her friend, was infuriating. She had come to know a part of Wade that few people had. Genuinely hurt, Rogue held a reply back in time as she didn't want to get into another argument. Remy wasn't finished, though.
"You got a weird taste in men" he grumbled.
"What does it say about you?"
"That I'm the exception, the one you got right" he stared her in the eyes.
Rogue looked away first. "Don't be so full of yourself."
But he couldn't go on pretending it was just a joke. To know that once again Rogue had conveniently brushed aside brutal acts of a murderer while his own sins were rubbed in his face at every chance hurt deeper than the worst physical pain he had ever endured. That pain was precisely what motivated his next words. "I must be the only one on your list who isn't a coldblooded murderer."
She shut up. His words hit her like a punch. She felt her eyes hurt and swallowed in a dry throat. There was no rational answer to that argument.
They made the rest of their way to Paraíso in silence.
A woman formally dressed in tones of beige with short blond hair readily came to greet them when they stepped out of the jet. "Anna and Remy, I presume. I'm Dr. Grand. I hope your flight was satisfactory."
"It was" Rogue lied after a moment of hesitation. Gambit just snorted.
The doctor's eyes squinted. "You're in the right place to take care of this tension I sense between you" she said in a professional and monotonous voice. "Not only are we in a literal paradise but we're going to start your first session this afternoon, as soon as you get settled in your room."
"Room?" Rogue echoed as she felt her irritation grow. "Don't you mean rooms with an 's'?"
"I'm sorry, but we find with couples, a more intensive… immersive experience is best" the woman replied with a tone that indicated that she heard that same question every time a new couple arrived. "But I'm sure you'll be quite comfortable" she pointed to the bungalow they would stay in.
Gambit and Rogue exchanged disconcerted glances before heading to a bungalow on the sea, bringing their luggage with them.
"Wow. She wasn't kidding" Rogue exclaimed once inside the spacious room.
Under their feet there were two glass openings, through which you could see the sea. To their left a king-size canopy bed embellished with rose petals. On the bed, a tray with champagne and grapes. Two bedside tables and a couch.
"Incredible. You think we have time for a swim?" Gambit said, feeling that place's soothing effect already kicking in.
"Probably not" her voice was yet to regain its spontaneity. "She said to make our way down to the main building as soon as we were settled."
No time to unpack so Gambit pulled his suitcase near the couch. "You can have the bed" he said. "De couch looks comfy."
It was obviously a lie – Remy was too tall for a two-seat couch –, Rogue didn't refuse, though. It wasn't something she wanted to concern herself with. They had enough on their plates as it were, which included their mission.
They stepped outside as a cheerful voice was heard. "Hello, neighbors! Welcome to Paraíso."
"Friendly" she whispered.
"Very."
A couple from the next bungalow jumped into the water and swam straight to them.
"I'm Janine," said the young woman with dark hair and shiny red eyes "this is Theo."
"I'm Remy, this is Rogue."
"Sorry for being so forward" said the black man with elf ears. "Janine's very much a 'meet the neighbors' kind of person. Back home it comes with homemade brownies… here it's apparently just shouting at you from a ladder."
"Not at all," said Rogue, smiling "it's good to meet you."
"Absolument. Maybe we could get some drinks later?" Gambit suggested.
"Just what we were going to suggest" said the other man.
The woman agreed. "We can give you the inside tour. We've been here six days, it's glorious."
Some more small talk later, the couple swam back to their bungalow.
Remy's face, then friendly, turned serious. "Mind control?" he suggested as soon as the couple was far enough so they wouldn't hear it.
"Whatever it is, it's not normal. Nobody is that happy" Rogue replied grumpily, almost envious.
Remy turned his face, contorted, at her direction. "You that cynical, Rogue?"
"You know what Ah mean, Remy" she argued, though deep down she felt relieved for his wearing sunglasses, so that she wouldn't have to deal with his eyes. "We better get going…" she pulled up her gloves. "Looks like it's a bit of a walk to the beach to the center."
They headed to where they were expected dressed as they were. Gambit wore a short-sleeve shirt and shorts, and Rogue a short sleeveless green dress, supplemented by long gloves and high boots.
They walked in silence for long minutes. Gambit took off his sunglasses, put his hands in his pockets, his eyes following the movements of his own feet. To Rogue it was a strange look to see him with his head down and slumped shoulders; it just didn't suit him. The silence made her feel responsible for their melancholic mood. As they drew near the building, Rogue suddenly stopped, getting up the courage to say before it was too late.
"Remy..." she said in a weak voice. He stopped and turned to her. "Whatever happens in there… whatever is unearthed in this 'therapy session'..."
He cut her off; his voice hurt. "Don't say that."
She felt she was being torn apart. "Don't say what?"
"I don't know" he said, shrugging, then managed to keep his voice neutral. "Something about us being broken, about it never being able to be fixed. You're always saying this to me, Rogue. All our lives, if feels like."
"But isn't it how you feel, too?" that was her defensive question/answer. She tried hard to believe that was the way she felt. She had repeated that to herself so many times before that she started to believe it. "Don't you feel broken? Our baggage feels like something even I can't lift. And I can lift literal mountains" she snorted and finally looked up at his face.
She didn't have to tell him how heavy it was. "I don't know, chère. It's heavy, but it's never something I wanted to drop. But I admit it's getting' harder to carry alone" he said it like in a confession.
"Alone?" she echoed, her voice weak. The effort to keep herself whole seemed to be draining all her energy. Maybe that was how people she touched felt, she thought.
"You stopped lifting long ago" he stated gravely as he turned to face her; his voice dropped a few octaves. "And I don't have super-strength, girl."
"So why don't you just let it go?" she suggested as if it really were that simple. Was she that pathetic to want so bad to hear his answer, even though she thought their relationship was ill-fated?
He choked back an ironic laughter. Wasn't it obvious? "You know why" his fingers itching to touch her face. "Maybe... well, we know we're not really here for us, but maybe this can help us anyway. Look around" his voice softened as he held her gloved hand and offered her a genuine smile, wishing he could believe in his own words. Again, not questioning his own motives. "This is literal paradise. How can things not get better in a place like this? Can we not enjoy it just a little bit? It maybe not the best and easiest mission we've ever been on, but it definitely could be worse, don't you agree?"
And there she was fooling herself into believing things could be different this time. Just this time, one more time. She reciprocated his smile. "You're frustratingly persuasive, Remy."
"Must be my charm" he said with a smirk.
"You mean silver tongue?" she teased and let go of his hand, out of stubbornness, trying to ignore the butterflies his touch stirred up... still stirred up.
They took the last steps toward the entrance side by side. A secretary with a plastic smile greeted them and took them to another room. "Would you lay down, please. You'll be submitted to a few tests before you can start your therapy sessions."
"I'm sorry, what tests?" Rogue questioned, smelling something fishy.
The woman hesitated for a few seconds, as if she was choosing her words. "Lab kinda tests" and her plastic smile was back on.
"What for?" this time it was Gambit who spoke.
"It's routine" she claimed, evasively. "Don't worry. It won't hurt" and left the room.
"Is it me or she emphasized the hurt part?" he said in jest as he lay down on the table.
Rogue vacillated. "You think this is safe?"
"It's part of the procedure, non? Mabbe that's what's used in place of telepaths?"
Rogue vacillated a little longer before lying down on the table next to him. "Still, I rather not have my head scanned."
As soon as they were both lying down, their wrists, legs and upper body were automatically tied down.
She shot him an angry look. "You were saying?" she should never let her guard down. "Why do I always listen to you?"
Gambit grimaced. "Let it be, Rogue. If I believe we're in actual danger, I get us outta here in no time."
Rogue buffed but complied. After all, if she really believed they were in danger, she would've already used her super strength to break the cables.
So they waited.
XxXxX