Rogue sat on the bed in her hotel room and looked over the TV guide channel list. The day seemed to just drag on and on. Tomorrow couldn't get here sooner, in her opinion. She just wanted to be done with this whole trip. Being here gave her an eerie feeling and the people looked at her and Charles as if they knew they were mutants. She knew it was just because they were new to the town. It was small, after all. Maybe a thousand people? She couldn't recall how many actually lived there, but it was enough to start up a mob if need be.
Her phone rang and she grabbed it before it gave its second ring. Without looking at who was calling, she answered it, glad that someone was finally taking her mind off of things.
"Hello?" She asked, changing the channel on the TV.
"Hey, it's Scott." He said. "Just checking in to see how you're doing."
She smiled, pausing her channel surfing. "Ah'm alright." She said, setting the remote beside her on the bed. "Wishin' tomorrow would get here sooner."
She heard him give a light chuckle. "Yeah. I remember my first recruitment." He said.
"Well, this ain't my first recruitment." Rogue said, leaning back on her left hand. "It's just my first recruitment without ya there ta keep things civil."
"You'll be fine." He said on the other end.
"Ya know dang well ah've got a temper, Scott." She said, sitting up straight. "What if ah blow my top and screw up tha whole deadgum thing?"
"The Professor wouldn't let that happen. Besides, you know how to control it." He said.
"We'll find out, ah guess." She sighed, hearing a slight silence between them. "How's Jean doin'?"
It was his turn to sigh. "She's good. Just a faulse alarm, is all." He said.
She nodded. "Good." She said, standing and walking over to the window of her room. "Well, ya know if ya need anything, Remy will be more'n happy ta help."
"He's already offered. Thank you." Scott said.
Rogue could hear a little bit of noise on his end and listened closely. "What's goin' on?" She asked, smiling at some ruckus being made.
He chuckled. "Your daughter just brought a turtle into the kitchen." He said, causing her to shake her head and lightly laugh.
"That girl." She said, watching the cars drive by. "Ah swear, her daddy would let her get away with murder."
"Well, can you blame him?" Scott asked.
"Ah guess not." Rogue said, still smiling as she took a chunk of hair and twirled it around her fingers. "Is he busy?"
"No." Scott said. "We just finished dinner."
"Can ya have him call me?" She asked.
"Of course." Scott said. "I'll let you go."
"Ah don't mean ta push ya off tha phone." Rogue said, shaking her head.
"No, it's alright. I'll call back tomorrow evening if I don't hear anything from you or the Professor first." He said. "Have a good night and good luck."
"Thanks. Ya too, Scott." She said, taking the phone from her ear and pressing 'END CALL'.
Crossing her arms just under her bust, she waited for her phone to ring. Her eyes focused on, what almost, turned into a wreck in front of the hotel and she was glad she was on the third floor away from it all. Looking at the horizon, she watched as a few birds flew by in the distance in a V formation. They had to have been ducks or geese preparing for the winter.
When her phone rang again, she looked at the screen and smiled before answering it. "Hey, sugah." She said, turning around and walking toward the bed.
"Wha's up?" She heard Gambit ask as, what sounded like, an airplane pass by in the background.
"Where are ya?" She asked, stopping and sitting on the bed.
"Outside." He said, his voice suddenly sounding distant. "Dat's far enough! Dat pond be perfectly fine fo' him!"
Rogue shook her head, realizing he was making Leila return the turtle to the 'wild'. "Sounds like ya had an eventful evening." She said with a smile.
"Shyeah." He let out a forced chuckle. "Y' got no idea, chere. When y' away, dis girl walk all over me."
"Well, ya need ta do somethin' about that, then." She said, looking down at her flats before kicking them off.
"Y' know she a'ways get her way wit' me, mon amour." He lightly laughed.
"Oh, ah know. She's got ya wrapped around her finger." She said, hearing him laugh again.
"C'est vrai." He said in agreement. "So, she made plans fo' us t'morrow."
"Did she, now?" She asked, interested in what he was going to say.
"Mm hmm. Goin' t' de zoo wit' Kitty and Craig. Ro an' Logan invited, also." He said, she just knew he was smiling and that made her own smile widen.
"Looks like ya gonna have some great father/daughter time." She said, running her fingers through her curly hair.
"If she don' drive me crazy, first." He said.
"Why do ya say that?" She asked, hearing the squealing laughter of little girls in the background.
"She gettin' int' all kinda o' trouble." He said, suddenly chuckling and his voice was distant again. "I tol' you!"
"What's goin' on?" Rogue asked as she smiled.
He chuckled for a few short moments. "Tol' dem de turtle was gonna make a mess if dey mess wit' him too much." He said.
Rogue shook her head. "It peed on her, huh?" She asked.
"Yep." He said. "Now she know t' listen t' me."
"Make sure ya get her a bath." She said, listening to the laughter.
"Oh, I'ma t'row her in de tub ASAP." He said, his voice sounding distant again from him pulling the phone away. "Come on back, now! We gotta get y' in de tub!" Rogue continued to smile as she heard him argue with Leila. "'B'cause I said! Chere, I'ma hafta t' let y' go. Dis girl ain' listenin' an' I t'ink I'm gonna hafta go round her up."
"Alright." She said, standing up from the bed. "Call me before ya go ta bed."
"Of course." He said, the laughter growing louder. "Call y' in a few."
"Okay." She said, hearing him end the call.
She shook her head and lightly laughed. It must have been a big hoopla, because he had ended the call rather quickly. Leila was a handful with the two of them and with Gambit by himself, Rogue felt a little sorry for him.
"He can handle it." She said, as she walked over and closed the window's curtains before stripping and heading into the bathroom for a shower.
"Close yo' eyes. Don' want any soap in dem." Gambit said, taking a cup and letting it fill with water from the tub. "Tilt yo' head back jus' a bit."
With her eyes closed, Leila leaned her head back a little and held on to Gambit's hand as he rinsed the shampoo from her hair. Repeating this two more times, he pat her head before he pulled the stopper and stood up, grabbing her towel.
"A'right. All done." He said, holding the towel open for her as she stood up.
She let out a giggle as he wrapped her up and picked her up, taking her out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. "I wanna sleep with you." She said.
"Non." He said, setting her on her bed before turning and grabbing her pajamas from her dresser. "Y' stay in yo' room t'night."
"But I wanna sleep with you." Leila said, putting on her sad puppy dog face.
Turning around, he looked at her and smiled before he shook his head. "Le's make a deal, eh?" He said, getting her attention. "If y' can stay up 'til I finish typin' t'ings fo' my class, den y' can sleep in my bed. D'accord?"
"Okay!" She said standing and jumping on the bed.
"Get yo' clothes on, girl." He said, gently grabbing her arm and stopping her jumping. "Don' be jumpin' 'round naked. Dat ain' wha' ladies do."
Leila was still smiling as she pulled the shirt over her head before she put the rest of her pajamas on. Picking her up, he took her into his bedroom and sat her on the bed.
"Le's get yo' hair brushed." He said, grabbing his comb and walking over to sit beside her.
Humming a tune, she made him smile as he combed through her long, wet, auburn hair. When he finished, she crawled up to head of the bed and got under the covers. Kicking his shoes off and taking his socks off as well, Gambit grabbed his laptop and sat down beside her on the bed. He winked at her as she sat up and leaned against him, watching as his computer booted up.
"Gotta stay awake, now." He said, kissing the top of her head.
"I will." She said, leaning her head against his left arm.
"Should I read y' a story?" He asked with a smile.
"No." She said, watching his fingers type in the password to unlock the computer. "I'm not gonna fall asleep, remember?"
"Oh, dat's right." He said, hugging her before he opened the document he had been working on. "B'fore I start, I gotta call maman."
Leila jumped up with excitement. "Can I talk to her, first?" She asked.
"Absolument." He said, taking his phone out of his front right pocket and pulling the number up and handing her the phone once it began to ring. "Y' talk t' her first."
With a smile, she took the phone and put it to her ear. Gambit turned his attention to his computer screen, knowing full well that she would still fall asleep by the time he finished.
"Hi Mommy!" Leila said, watching the computer screen and the words that formed.
"Hey baby girl!" Rogue matched her enthusiasm. "How was your day?"
"Good." She said, tucking her legs underneath her.
"Ah heard ya found a turtle this evening." Rogue said. "Tell me about that."
"It wasn't very big." Leila said. "I could pick him up."
"Did he like that?" She asked.
"No." Leila said. "He tried to bite me and he leaked on my clothes."
Rogue laughed. "That's because ya were messin' with him." She said. "Are ya in bed?"
"I'm in bed with Daddy." Leila said with a smile. "He said I could, if I stay up until he finishes typing."
"Well, lucky duck." She said. "Is Daddy busy?"
"He's typing." She answered before she looked at him. "Are you busy?"
Gambit shook his head and smiled. "I ain' never busy." He answered.
"No, he's not busy." Leila said into the phone.
"Let me talk ta him." Rogue said.
"Okay." Leila said, handing the phone to her dad.
Chuckling, he put the phone to his ear. "Bonjour, maman." He said, hearing her chuckle on the other end. "A'most f'got t' call."
"Doesn't surprise me one bit, ya swamp rat." She said. "How's tha material comin' along?"
"Eh, it be a'right, I guess." He said, looking over the words he had typed. "I be gettin' a second opinion b'fore school starts."
"Don't doubt ya self, hun. Ya do this every year." Rogue said. "Ya classes are well received and tha students always have tha highest scores."
"B'cause cookin' ain' dat hard." He said, putting his arm around Leila as she cuddled closer to him. "Anyone can do it."
"Ya know that ain't true, sugah." Rogue said. "Ya had a few students that just couldn't grasp it."
"Dat's true." He said, thinking back on his second and third years of teaching. "Don' get why dey couldn' understand it. It be simple measurin', no?"
"Some kids just don't learn as quickly as others." Rogue said. "That's where ya need patience."
"Hard fo' me when dey be actin' a foo'. 'Specially dem boys." He said, beginning to lightly rub Leila's arm as she rest her head on the side of his chest.
"Ah know, but ya gotta learn ta be patient." She said. "They're just bein' typical teenagers. Ah'm sure ya remember how ya were when ya were that young."
"Well, I wasn' in no school." He said, looking down as he felt Leila hug him.
"Ah wasn't talkin' about school. Ah meant ya attitude." Rogue said.
"Oui. I was a bit o' a handful." He said, hugging Leila back and smiling down at her as she closed her eyes. "Don' y' go fallin' asleep."
"I'm not." Leila said, forcing her eyes open.
He heard Rogue lightly laugh. "Always makin' bets ya know ya gonna win." She said.
"'Specially wit' dis girl." He said, lightly combing through her damp hair. "She walk all over me if I didn'."
"What are ya talkin' about? She already does, sugah." She said, causing him to laugh.
"Mm hmm." He said, looking down at her as the silence on the phone grew.
"Remy?" Rogue asked, breaking the awkwardness of the quiet.
"Hmm?" He asked, listening intently at the serious way she said his name.
"How do ya feel about adoptin'?" She asked.
He was caught off guard by the question. "I... don' know. Never t'ought 'bout it." He said, still combing through Leila's hair.
"Well, ya don't have ta answer now." Rogue said. "Ah just want ya ta think about i."
"I'm sorry." He said.
"For what?" She asked, the confusion in her voice ringing out clearly.
"I know how much y' want anot'er baby." He said, watching Leila's head get heavier and her fight the sleep. "An' I can' give dat t' you."
"Don't ya dare be sorry, Remy." She said. "It ain't ya fault. If it's meant ta be, then we'll have another."
"A'ready been tryin' fo' t'ree years." He said, feeling Leila's head rest in his lap. "Don' t'ink dat's gonna be happenin'."
"And that's why ah brought up adoptin'." She said. "Just think about it, alright lover?"
"Oui." He said. "A'right."
"Ah'll let ya get that little girl in bed. Ah'm sure she's fallin' all kinds of asleep." She said.
He chuckled quietly. "She a'ready out." He said, looking down at her.
"She's gonna be sad when she wakes up and finds out she lost the bet." Rogue said, as Gambit placed his laptop beside him.
"She know de rules." He said, placing his hand on her head gently.
"I miss ya." She said, causing him to smile.
"Miss y' too." He said.
Hearing her take in a deep breath and letting it out, she sighed. "Well, ah'll call ya tomorrow after tha meetin'." She said.
"Sounds good." He said, leaning his head back against the headboard and looking up at the ceiling.
"Je t'aime." She said, causing him to smile at her pronunciation.
"Je t'aime aussi." He replied. "Sleep well."
"Night." She said, before hanging up.
Setting the phone down, Gambit gently got up and took Leila in his arms. Taking her to her room, he pulled the sheets down and lied her down, gently. She moved a little, but she was out like a light. Kissing her forehead, he placed his hand on the side of her face and looked at her. Adopting might actually be a good idea. Leila needed another sibling. He enjoyed growing up with Henri, after he had been adopted, and he didn't want to deprive her of the opportunity. Kissing her one last time, he turned the light out and made sure the nightlight was on before he head back across the hall and into his bedroom.
When her alarm went off, Rogue sighed. She hadn't gotten any sleep. She was nervous about today and there really wasn't any reason to be. Sitting up, she turned her alarm off and got out of bed. She washed her face and brushed through her hair before she returned to her bed and turned the TV on, searching for the news. When she found it, it was nothing but sad stories. People dying in car wrecks, bank robbers shooting tellers and the last story was about a mutant that had taken a few people hostage in order to get seen by the ER. The man was obviously insane and that wasn't going to help them in their cause.
Finally turning the channel, she found the cartoons and smiled when she saw Leila's favorite cartoon on. Reaching for her iPad, she looked through the files once more, making notes about what she wanted to say and bring up to the parents and the child. Rogue found herself so at ease with the cartoons running, she didn't realize it was time to go until there was a knock on her door. Lifting her head, she sat her iPad down on the bed and walked into the living area and over to the door, looking through the peep-hole. Seeing the Professor, she opened the door and smiled, allowing him to enter.
"Mornin'." She said.
"You aren't dressed?" He asked.
Rogue looked down at her pajamas and tank top before she looked at the clock. "Good Lord!" She said, surprised. "Ah'm sorry, ah got so engrossed with tha files this mornin', ah wasn't watchin' tha clock."
Charles smiled as he wheeled himself inside, letting the door close behind him. "It's quite alright." He said, seeing the children's cartoon on. "There's till plenty of time. At least a good twenty minutes before we have to leave. If you need to get something to eat-"
Grabbing her dress slacks and a bright green blouse, Rogue shook her head as she head for the bedroom. "Nah, ah'll be fine. Plus, ah can grab a snack at tha diner." She said, closing the bedroom door.
A few moments later, she came out running her fingers through her hair before she put it up in a bun. Grabbing her iPad and purse, they head out the door and down to the parking lot. When they arrived at the diner, Rogue put the car in park and looked around. There were hardly any cars, but the place was open.
"Looks deserted." She said, killing the engine and looking at Charles. "Ya ready?"
He nodded as Rogue got out and walked around, helping him with his wheel chair before they entered the diner. According to her, they were early, so they sat down at a fairly large table so the five of them to talk. With every person that came in, Rogue's adrenaline pumped and she finally had to calm herself down. It was as if her body was preparing her for a fight. Seeing a couple with a child walk up to the door, Rogue knew it was them by the way the man looked around as if they were breaking some kind of law just for being there.
When they entered, Rogue stood and smiled. "Hickerson?" She asked, getting their attention.
"Yes." The man said as they walked over and shook their hands.
"It's nice ta meet y'all." Rogue said, winking at the young girl. "Must be Dani."
The girl nodded and the dad put his hand on the girl's shoulder. "Let's just have a seat and discuss what we came here to discuss." He said.
"Of course." Rogue said as she sat down with them.
"We understand that you have immense, uncontrollable power, Dani." Charles said.
"Talk to me." Mr. Hickerson said.
"Ya ain't tha one with powers, Mr. Hickerson." Rogue said, seeing Charles put his hand up for her to stop.
"Mr. Hickerson, I don't mean any harm." Charles said.
"James, we're here for Dani." Mrs. Hickerson said.
"Ah know what ya goin' through, sugah." Rogue said with a warm smile. "Ah wasn't able ta touch anyone for almost twelve years before the Professor, here, helped me learn ta control it."
"Why did it take so long?" Mr. Hickerson asked.
Rogue felt her temper start to rise. "Because ah was too, standoffish. Too stubborn ta even try, thinkin' it was just meant ta be that way." She said, turning her attention back to Dani. "That was almost eight years ago and now ah'm married and we have a five year old daughter."
"And she's a mutant, too, I bet." Mr. Hickerson said, coldly.
"Ya know what." Rogue snapped at him, but calmed once Charles put his hand on her forearm.
"Mr. Hickerson, why are you so defensive? We're here to try and help your daughter. Isn't that what you want?" He asked.
"I want my daughter to be normal." Mr. Hickerson said.
"She is normal." Charles said.
"Like hell she is." He said, his voice raising slightly. "She's killed people. That isn't normal, Professor."
"This is why we're divorced." Mrs. Hickerson said. "Because you can't control your goddamn temper."
"Both of you, shut the fuck up!" Dani said over them, causing them to look at her with surprise. "This meeting is about me and I'm going to make the decision whether I want to go with them or not."
Rogue smiled on the inside. The girl was tough, no doubt, and she was finally fed up with it all. The fact that her parents were divorced had probably played a part with it, as well.
"Dani," Charles began with a smile. "Would you like to come to New York for a week and take a look at the school? If you decide it isn't for you, we'll bring you right back. No questions asked."
Dani thought about it before she looked at her mom and dad and then at Charles. "I've never been outside of Washington, before." She said, with a smile. "I wanna go."
Rogue smiled before she glanced at her parents. "We'll leave whenever you're ready." Charles said, handing her a card. "This is my personal number. Give me a call when you're packed and we'll come pick you up."
Mr. Hickerson stood up and stormed out, getting into the car and leaving the diner parking lot. "Your father's an ass." Mrs. Hickerson said, as Dani tucked some hair behind her right ear and chuckled. "I'm glad you wanna go. It sounds like a great place for you."
"All of the students there are like you." Charles said. "They're all mutants and are all learning to control their abilities. Some take more time than others, but the end result is the key. Complete control."
Dani smiled. "I'd like to be able to control this." She said, looking down at her hands. "I don't want to hurt any more people."
Rogue smiled. "Ya gonna learn, hun. Heck, ah'll even be ya guidance councilor if ya like." She said.
"What kind of powers do you have?" Dani asked, looking at Rogue.
"Ah absorb people's powers and memories." She said. "So, ya can imagine tha party that's been goin' on in my mind."
Dani snickered as she looked at her mom. "I guess we can head home so I can pack." She said, seeing her mom nod.
"Thank you for everything, Professor Xavier." Mrs. Hickerson said, shaking both Charles and Rogue's hands.
"It's our pleasure to help." Charles said as they stood and left the diner.
Rogue sighed before she rest her chin on her left hand. "Well, ah was expectin' a fight there for second." She said, looking at Charles.
"You did a good job in keeping yourself in check." He smirked. "I know your Southern Sass gets the best of you, at times."
She smiled and winked. "Well, ah'm just glad ya were here ta calm me down." She said, looking back at the diner entrance. "Ah wanted to knock his dang teeth out."
A/N: Here's the next chapter. I'm so busy with work and working on my cosplay. I just happened to get this chapter finished in free time while the paint was drying.