Tx Peppa:
Yep, everything is back to normal. Or is it...? I'm actually looking forward to their vacation as it won't be all fun and games.
Maria Fabricia:
I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you mean.
Ana Xpert:
More of Leila and Dani's mind ahead. Okay...maybe Leila in this chapter, but there will be more in future chapters.
And more mind reading of women who like to look at Remy. One being Rikki ;)
"Alright, baby." Rogue said, placing Leila on the ground right outside her classroom. "Ah'll be back ta get ya for lunch, okay? Have a good day in class and be on ya best behavior."
"Okay." Leila said as she smiled up at her mom.
"Ah love ya." Rogue said, kissing the top of her head before she waved at Rikkie as Leila walked into the classroom.
Heading back down the hall, she tucked her hair behind her ears as she saw Jean exit the kitchen. "Good morining, Anna." She said, holding her belly.
"Mornin'." Rogue answered walking up to her. "How ya feelin'?"
"Surprisingly good." Jean said as they walked toward her office. "I've been bonding with her this morning."
Rogue gave her a warm smile. "Ah love tha fact that ya get ta bond with her this early in her life." She said as they entered Jean's office, turning the light on.
"You know, it was something I just wanted to try." Jean said. "I'm glad I did. Scott still doesn't know it's a girl."
"Well, ah'll keep it a secret for sure." Rogue said, giving her a wink. "Ya need any help this morning?"
"I did want to talk with you. Do you have a moment?" Jean asked as she sat down behind her desk.
"Sure. What's up?" Rogue asked, resting her hands on her hips.
"I've observed you over the years with the students and they really respond to you." Jean started. "I was curious on how you felt about becoming a councilor."
"Oh wow." Rogue said, her jaw slightly opening. "Ah ain't really thought about it. Ah mean, ah love these kids, but ah don't see myself as qualified ta be in such a position."
"Please." Jean said. "You've been here for years and had it so much worse than most mutants who've come through these doors. The students open up to you. You're very likable."
Rogue chuckled. "Ah'll give it some thought." She said giving Jean a wink. "Ah've gotta go pack for Sydney. Ya need anything else before ah go, hun?"
Jean shook her head with a smile. "No, thank you." She said.
"Ah'll catch ya later." Rogue said, leaving Jean's office and heading toward the stairs but stopped when she saw Henry and Mercy. "Hey y'all."
"Remy say y' goin' on a trip t' Australia." Henri said.
"Yeah." Rogue let out a sigh. "Gonna go help a young kid. That's what we do."
"When y'all leavin'?" Mercy asked.
"Looks like Wednesday." She said.
"We best go, den." Henri said, looking at Mercy. "Dey got plans."
"Y' should take a vacation and come visit us sometime, chere." Merci said.
"One day we will." She said. "It's just so busy with Remy teachin'. It'd have ta be summer break. Ah'd love ta come visit."
"Den we be plannin' fo' y' dis summer." Henri said, giving a wink. "An' no buts."
"Yes sir." Rogue said giving him a salute. "Well, if ya'll will excuse me, ah've gotta go pack. Come find me before ya leave. Ah wanna see ya off."
"Let's see." Rikki said looking at the sentence Leila wrote out. "Oh wow, Leila. Excellent job!"
"Thank you." Leila beamed with delight as Rikki gave her a gold star on her paper. "Can I color?"
"Sure. Go right ahead." Rikki said as she grabbed the pack of crayons and set them on Leila's desk. "It's almost time for lunch."
Turning to a cheetah, Leila took out a yellow crayon and began to color as best as she could inside the lines. It wasn't but a few minutes later that Rikki dismissed the class for lunch. Putting the crayons away, Leila closed the coloring book and walked to the door. She smiled when she saw her mom, aunt and uncle.
"T'ere she be." Henri said, picking her up. "Me an' yo' aunt gotta go."
"No." Leila said, hugging his neck tight.
"Leila, ya daddy and ah gotta go on a trip." Rogue said, tucking her daughter's hair behind her ears.
"Why?" Leila asked, looking into her mom's eyes and seeing the reason. "Is that kid in trouble?"
"They could be." Rogue said, giving her daughter a smile. "That's why me and daddy gotta go find 'em. Make sure they're alright."
"Is miss Betsy going?" Leila asked.
Rogue shook her head. "Ah don't know." She said. "She might be stayin' a little longer ta help ya with ya training."
"I like miss Betsy." Leila said. "She's pretty and nice."
"She's a good friend, that's for sure." Rogue said as she felt a hand on her waist, making her jump.
"Sorry." Gambit said with a smile.
"Hi daddy!" Leila said, reaching out for him.
He took her from Henry and kissed her cheek. "How's yo' class?" He asked, watching her inspect the cuts on his face with her fingers.
"I got a star." Leila said, feeling the cuts before she felt his stubble.
"Bon." Gambit said as they turned and head toward the kitchen.
"Ah went ahead and packed for us." Rogue said, pulling out one of the bar stools for Leila.
"Sounds good." Gambit said, turning and opening the fridge. "Le's see what we got in here."
"I t'ink we takin' off after lunch." Henri said.
"Aww." Leila whined.
"Yo' mama promised y' come visit dis summer." Mercy said, winking at Leila.
"Really?" Leila perked up.
"Wha'?" Gambit asked, looking at Rogue. "We ain' goin' down t'ere."
"Please, please pleeeeeease?" Leila begged.
"Ugh." Gambit sighed as he rubbed his face. "Dis girl. Can' say no t' her."
Rogue smirked. "Looks like we're goin'." She said as she winked at Leila.
"Yay!" Leila said happily as the put her arms in the airn.
"We be ready fo' y'all." Henri said as they all grabbed a bite and talked over the lunch hour.
After saying goodbye and seeing them off Gambit and Rogue dropped Leila off at Jean's office where Betsy and the professor were also. "Good afternoon." Charles said with a smile. "I'm going to sit in and watch, if that's alright, Leila."
"Sure." She said with a smile as she went and took a seat on the couch beside Betsy.
"Alright, Leila." Jean said taking the cards they had been using and shuffling them up. "Let's show the professor."
"Ah'm kinda excited about this trip." Rogue said walking slowly with Gambit toward his classroom. "We'll have time ta ourselves. Ah hope that don't sound terrible."
Gambit smirked. "Non." He said, wrapping his arm around her. "Need a break every now an' den."
"Ya think we'll even get ta spend some time together?" Rogue asked. "Betsy might keep us busy with this kid."
"I'm sure we'll have some down time t' utilize." He said as he looked over her face. "After dis week, we need it."
"Damn right." Rogue said as they stopped at his classroom. "Ah'll see ya later, hun."
"Maybe we go out t' dinner tonight." Gambit said as he took her hands. "Jus' us."
Rogue smiled as she took her left hand from his and placed it on the side of his face. "Ah'd like that." She said, leaning in and kissing him softly. "Tell me when and ah'll be ready."
Smiling back, he winked at her. "I let y' know once I'm done." He said as more students passed them to enter the classroom.
Giving her a quick kiss, he turned and head into his classroom and shut the door. Turning around, Rogue decided she wanted to sit in on Leila's training.
Heading down to Jean's office, she poked her head in and smiled when Jean saw her and smiled back. "Hi mommy!" Leila said, looking back with a smile.
"Ah just wanted ta come and see how ya trainin' is goin'." Rogue said as she walked over and leaned against Jean's desk.
"It's good." Leila said as she looked back at Jean. "Right?"
Jean smiled. "She has more control over her power now." She said as she placed the cards down in her lap.
"She has remarkable power and control for such a young child." Betsy said.
"I'm five." Leila said, offended.
"Of course." Betsy smiled. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Leila said as she pushed the hair out of her face. "Are we going to play some more?"
"Of course." Jean said as she shuffled the cards up before picking up the one on the top.
"Boat." Leila said as she watched Jean placed that one on the coffee table and pick up the next one. "Clouds. Bike. Banana. Shoe."
"Wow." Rogue said as they continued on.
"Frog." Leila said as Jean switched cards and dipped her eyebrows. "I don't know what that is."
Jean smiled. "It's called a wheelbarrow." She said, showing Leila the card.
"What's a wheelbarrow?" Leila asked.
"Well," Jean explained as she pointed to the picture. "You load heavy things in here and then you pick up the back with these two handles and you wheel it away."
"Oh." Leila said, taking the card and looking at it. "But my mom doesn't need this."
They all chuckled. "Leila, let's take this class outside." Jean said as they all stood and head toward the back door.
Holding Leila's hand, Rogue looked at Jean and felt her enter her mind. 'How's tha trainin' really goin'?' She asked.
'Anna, Leila has so much more control over her powers now than she did before. I think when she hit her head in the car accident, it opened up this door in her mind.' Jean said, a sense of worry in her words. 'We need to make sure she understands the importance of her powers and how NOT to use them.'
'Ah'm with ya.' Rogue said as Leila looked up at her, so she smiled down at her daughter.
"This looks like a good spot." Jean said as they walked under a large tree. "We're going to do the same thing like with did with the cards, except you're going to guess what I'm thinking about. Do you understand?"
"Mm hmm." Leila nodded as she looked up into Jean's eyes.
They were out there for a half hour before they decided to come inside. They dismissed Leila's training due to Dani's training coming up in mere moments. Rogue took Leila back to her classroom before she head to Jean's office.
"Hey, hun." Rogue said, getting her attention.
"What's up?" She asked, handing Betsy the cards they used for Leila's training.
"Can ah ask a favor?" Rogue asked.
"Of course." Jean smiled as she placed her hand on her stomach.
"And if ya ain't up ta it, ah can ask Logan or Ororo." She said.
"Anna. Please." Jean said, placing her hand on Rogue's shoulder. "What is it?"
"Well, Remy and ah are gonna go out ta dinner this evening and ah need someone ta watch Leila and get her in bed on time." Rogue said. "Like ah said, if ya ain't up for it I'll get someone else."
Jean shook her head. "I'd love to." She said, smiling at her friend. "I want to connect with her as much as possible. Show her how to use her powers. This will be a perfect opportunity."
"Thanks, gal." Rogue said with a smile.
"No problem." Jean said. "Where are you two going?"
Rogue shook her head and shrugged. "He told me he'd let me know after classes let out." She said, smiling at Betsy as she joined their circle.
"He's quite the romancer isn't he?" Betsy smiled.
"That's puttin' it lightly." Rogue said as she sighed with a smile.
"I wish I could have been around to see the two of you grow to where you are today." Betsy said as she crossed her arms in front of her. "I remember the dangerous flirting he'd do knowing full well about your powers."
Rogue chuckled. "That man." She said. "He was somethin' else."
"Was?" Betsy asked. "I haven't seen a change in him."
They all chuckled. "Well, he tries his best for as much action as he can, but with Leila bargin' in our room a lot during the night we ain't got time ta ourselves." Rogue said.
"Well, this trip will give you the peace you two need." Betsy said with a smile. "Enjoy yourselves to the fullest."
"Oh ah'm sure we will." Rogue said as a knock interrupted their conversation.
"Hi." Dani said shyly with her mom beside her.
"Danielle, please, come on in." Jean said opening her arms. "The professor will be here shortly. Will you be staying, Gabby?"
"If that's alright." Gabby said.
"Of course." Jean said with a smile.
"Anna, are you going to stay?" Dani asked.
"Ah can if ya want me to, hun." Rogue said with a smile.
"Please?" Dani asked a little nervousness in her voice.
"Ya got it." Rogue winked as she sat down beside Gabby on the couch. "Ya tour tha school?"
Gabby looked at Rogue and smiled. "I did. I got to see a lot more today. This place is very impressive." She said.
"It's quite tha sight, that's for sure." Rogue said crossing her right leg over her left. "How long are ya stayin' for? A week?"
"Oh, no." Gabby smiled. "I'm heading out tomorrow morning. I feel comfortable with Danielle being here. Plus she has you and Remy."
Rogue smiled. "Anything she needs, we'll help her out like she's our own daughter." She said.
"Thank you." Gabby said with a smile. "You don't know how much that means to me."
"Don't even mention it." Rogue said as Jean took a seat in front of them as the Professor entered.
"Good afternoon." Charles said.
"Hello." Dani said.
"Are you ready for the next step in your training?" He asked.
"I guess." Dani said quietly.
"See you tomorrow, Mr. LeBeau!" Gambit looked back and smiled at the student as she was the last to leave his classroom.
Letting out a sigh, he turned his laptop off and placed it in his bag before he slung it over his shoulder and started to whistle as he killed the lights. Closing the door, he made his way to the stairs where he went to the bedroom. Tossing his bag on the floor, he opened the closet and pulled out a charcoal suit. Looking at the other end, he pulled out a red dress he hadn't seen Rogue wear in ages and it was perfect for where he wanted to take her. Placing it on the bed, he pulled out his phone and shot her a text letting her know he was in their room.
By the time she arrived, Gambit was dressed and looking quite dashing. "My, my." Rogue said, looking him over. "Where exactly are we goin'?"
"T'ought maybe a fancy restaurant." He said as he picked up the dress he picked out of her. "An' y' gonna wear dis one."
Rogue chuckled as she took the dress. "Ah haven't worn this since before Leila was born." She said, taking it off the hanger. "Not sure if ah can even fit into it."
"Le's find out, eh?" He asked as he placed his hands at the bottom of her shirt and slowly pulled it up and over her head.
"Ya know ah've gained weight, right?" Rogue asked as she slipped her jeans off before stepping into the dress and slowly pulled it up, but finding it a little snug at the hips. "Ah don't wanna risk it."
"Keep goin'." Gambit said, taking the dress and pulling it up over her hips.
"It's really tight." Rogue said, looking down the front as she felt him drape her hair over her left shoulder and zip the back up.
"Look good t' me, chere." He said, turning her so she would face him.
Rogue smiled as she walked over and looked in the mirror. "Ah guess it looks alright." She said, turning to see every angle. "Lord."
He chuckled as he walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Wha's wrong?" He asked.
"My thighs." She said, facing the mirror. "Ugh."
Placing a gentle kiss on her neck, he hugged her. "I t'ink y' look great." He said.
She turned around and cupped his face. "Ya too kind, lover." She said. "But seriously, my body ain't what it use ta be."
"'Ey, I gained a few pounds." He said, placing his hands on his stomach.
"Yeah, but ya can't tell." She said, looking at herself in the mirror again. "This dress shows everything ah hate."
"Den change." He said, shrugging.
"No, no." Rogue said as she reached in and grabbed a black shawl. "Ah'll make it work for ya."
"If y' don' feel comf'table, don' wear it." He said as he smiled. "Want y' t' feel good."
"It's fine, hun." She said, walking up to him and placing her hand on the side of his face. "Let's go. Ah'm starvin'."
"Let's paint our nails." Jean said with a smile.
"Okay!" Leila exclaimed as they sat down on the couch in the rec room.
"What color do you want?" Jean asked as she watched Leila look at all the colors she had.
"Um." Leila thought as she reached in and grabbed one. "Purple!"
"Excellent choice!" Jean said as she took the nail polish and began to shake it up. "We can do your toes, too."
"Yeah!" Leila kicked her shoes off as Rikki entered with Storm.
"What's going on in here?" Rikki asked with a smile.
"We're gonna paint our nails and toes!" Leila said excitedly as Jean unscrewed the nail polish.
"Sounds like a good time." Rikki said as she sat down in the chair opposite of them and turned to Storm, continuing whatever topic they were talking about before entering the rec room.
"Alright, show me your hands." Jean said as she took the brush out of the container.
Leila put her hands out and watched as Jean put the first coat on. "It's cold!" Leila giggled.
Jean laughed with her as she went to the next finger. "What's goin' on in here?" Wolverine asked as he walked in.
"We're painting our nails!" Leila said. "We can paint yours!"
Wolverine chuckled. "No thanks, kid." He said, looking at Leila.
"Boys can too wear nail polish!" Leila said, reading his mind. "My daddy lets me paint his nails."
Jean raised an eyebrow. "I had no idea." She said with a smile.
"Cajun's gotten real soft on us." Wolverine chuckled.
"I think it's adorable." Rikki said. "And I bet it looks good on him too, huh Leila?"
"Yep!" She said, watching Jean finish her left hand.
"Does he pick out the color?" Wolverine asked with a smirk.
"No, I do." Leila said as she looked at the tips of her left hand as Jean worked on her right.
Walking up to Leila, Wolverine tucked her hair behind her ear. "How's your head, kid?" He asked. "I heard ya hit it real bad."
Leila paused as she looked down at her nails. She suddenly relived the wreck all over again. Her mind suddenly went into overdrive and her eyes darted back and forth at her hands.
"Leila?" Jean asked as she placed her hand on the young girl's shoulder. "Honey, are you alright?"
Snapping from her thoughts, Leila looked at Jean and started to cry.
"Honey." Jean said as she grabbed her and hugged her tight.
"Somethin' I said?" Wolverine asked, worry shown on his face.
'I think she just had a flashback with you mentioning her head injury.' Jean told him in his mind. 'When she hit her head, I think it opened up her ability to fully comprehend her powers and it's overloading her. She doesn't know how to deal with it.'
Calming down, Leila pulled away and put her hand out for Jean to finish. Smiling, Jean didn't say anything because she could feel Leila in her mind, so she let her know how worried and sorry she was that this was happening.
'Everything will be fine, sweetie.' Jean told her. 'I went through the same thing when I was younger.'
Leila nodded as she watched Jean paint her pinkie finger but looked up when Gabby entered the room. "Hi." Leila said, making Gabby smile at her.
"Ooh, painting nails." Gabby said with a smile.
Leila looked into her eyes and saw she was thinking about her dad but she was sad about it and she didn't understand why. "Why are you sad about my daddy?" She asked, catching Gabby off guard.
"I..." Gabby thought, but decided to just say it. "I didn't realize how much I missed him until I saw him again. We were very good friends a long time ago."
Leila narrowed her gaze as she looked into Gabby's eyes. "You kissed my daddy?" She asked confused.
"Leila, we don't use our powers to pry." Jean said as she looked at Gabby and mouthed, 'Sorry'.
Gabby shook her head with a smile. "Children are curious." She said shrugging and watching Jean start on Leila's toes.
"Evryt'in' a'right?" Gambit asked, lifting his right hand up to Rogue's neck and lightly massaging it. "Y' seem distant t'night, chere."
Rogue shook her head. "Ah've just got a lot on my mind. This week has been a whirlwind, ta say tha least." She said smiling at him. "Leila, tha adoption, Gabby." She saw him lift his eyebrows at the mention of her name. "This week has been rough and now Jean wants me ta be a councilor."
"Dat be a good t'in', yeah?" He asked, looking over her face.
"Ah don't feel like ah'm qualified for tha job. Ah ain't no councilor, Remy. Ah'm just... me." She said, seeing him give her a loving smile.
"If anyone be qualified, it be you, mon amour." He said, seeing her smile back at him genuinely. "Y' connect wit' de kids on a level ain' none o' us can. Not even Jeanie. Y' be parfait."
Letting out a light chuckle, Rogue picked up her glass of wine and sipped on it before letting out a sigh. "Ah'll think it over." She said, feeling Gambit brush her hair back behind her left shoulder.
"T'ink it over t'morrow. T'night be 'bout us." He said, placing a kiss on her neck.
"Remy, we're in public." Rogue said, pulling away with a smile. "And don't go gettin' any ideas. Ya know full well we'll be interrupted by Leila tonight."
"Maybe." He said, kissing her jawline. "Maybe not. Take de chance an' find out."
Lightly giggling at his kisses, Rogue pulled away again. "Horny bastard." She said, giving him kiss.
"Can I get you two anything else for this evening?" The waiter asked, ruining their moment.
Sitting up straight and pursing her lips together, Rogue felt Gambit run his hand up her back and rest it on her neck. "Non. We be fine. T'anks. Y' can bring de check now." He said, going back to lightly massaging her neck and moving up to the base of her head as the waiter left. "Y' really tight up t'ere."
"'Cause ah'm stressin'. Ah told ya ah got a lot goin' on." Rogue said, closing her eyes at the sensation.
"Could help y' unwind." He said softly into her ear. "Once we leave dis place."
His voice was husky and it caused her to shiver. This man knew exactly how, and which buttons to press, to turn her on.
Turning it around on him, she bit her bottom lip, making him look at it as she looked over his face. "What did ya have in mind?" She asked, her voice low and sultry.
"Got plen'y on m' mind." He said, running his hand up her thigh. "Where y' want me t' start?"
Rogue giggled as she grabbed her clutch purse. "Then let's get home." She said, seeing the waiter heading their way with the check.