tx peppa
Read on! They arrive in NOLA here in this chapter! Things get heated next chapter or two.

MARIA FABRICIA
No worries! And I appreciate you reading and reviewing!

NOTE: This is where it gets fun! ... I hope...

They had been in the hair for what seemed like an eternity and Gambit was getting restless. Standing up, He walked back and forth to stretch his legs. Looking up from the book she was reading on her phone, she watched him for a few moments before she turned her phone off and stood up to meet him when he walked back by.

"What's wrong?" She asked, running her fingers through his hair.

"Tired o' sittin'." He said. "No more long trips, eh?"

She lightly chuckled. "Well, let's hope we can get all our answers." She said seeing his demeanor change. "Ah'm sorry. Ah didn't mean ta-"

"Y' didn' do not'in'." He said. "Jus' hopin' dat Henri ain' part o' dis."

"Hey." Rogue said, cupping his face. "Like ya said, ah'm sure there's an explanation for all of this."

"Hope yo' right." He said, placing his hands on her wrists.

"Come on over here and sit with me." Rogue said as she took his hand and led him back over to where they had been sitting.

Sitting him down, she smiled as she sat in his lap sideways and looked into his eyes. He smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair again before she planted a soft kiss on his lips. Kissing her back, he let his hand wander up her leg and thigh before he rest it at her hip. Breaking the kiss, he trailed then to her cheek and then jaw before going down to her neck.

Lightly giggling, she moved just out of his reach. "Careful now." She said. "We don't wanna give these people a show."

"Could tell dem t' give us a few hours alone." He said as he planted more kisses on her lips.

"This is Betsy's plane." Rogue said as he continued to kiss her neck. "Ah promised we wouldn't do anything like that."

Pulling away, Gambit cocked an eyebrow. "Why de hell would y' tell her dat?" He asked.

"She said it." Rogue said, playing with the hair behind him at his collar. "Ah'm just respecting her wishes."

"Fuck her wishes." He said, making her laugh as he kissed her neck.

"Remy!" She laughed as he shut her up with a kiss to her lips.

Picking her up, he walked her over to the couch and placed her on her back. "Now, no mo' talkin'." He said as he crawled up her body and kissed her lips.

"Mm!" She said as she gently pushed him off. "At least let them know."

Looking at the cockpit door, Gambit looked back down at her. "Dey haven't bot'ered us dis whole flight. I t'ink we're safe." He said as he went back to kissing her neck. "T'ink Betsy warn dem 'bout us, eh?"

Rogue laughed as he pressed himself against her. "She probably did warn them." She said as she watched him lift himself with his arms and look down at her.

"Y' like it when I do dis?" He asked.

"Do what exactly?" She asked, placing her hand on his chest.

He smirked. "Take y' wherever." He said as he kissed her neck again.

"Well, ta clarify ya don't take me wherever." She said. "Ya just get frisky."

"Do y' like me gettin' frisky, den?" He asked.

"Maybe." She said, giving him a flirty grin.

"Maybe?" He asked, grinning back as he kissed her forehead.

Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled him down on her and let out a sigh. "Ah honestly just wanna go ta sleep." She said. "Ah'm exhausted from traveling every other day it seems like."

"We catch up on sleep soon." He said as he got off of her and sat beside her head.

Lifting it, he moved closer and placed it on his lap as he gently started to comb through her hair.

"Jus' go on and get some sleep, mon amour." He said, smiling down at her.

"What about you, hun?" She asked as she reached up and touched his left shoulder.

He shook his head. "Ain' really tired. Jus' restless." He said. "Can't stand bein' in dis plane fo' so long."

"Ah hear ya, sugah." She said as she closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. "When we're done with all this shit for Betsy, ah just wanna take a week off and sleep."

Gambit chuckled. "Y' know dat ain' gonna happen wit' Leila." He said. "She be too excited t' see us."

Rogue opened her eyes and smiled up at him. "Ah'm excited ta see her, too. Ah miss her so much." She said. "Almost an ache in my heart when ah talked ta her last night."

"Same." Gambit said as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Miss her wakin' us up."

She chuckled. "Well, ah don't know about that." She said, making him laugh.

The cockpit door opened, causing them to look in that direction as the stewardess walked toward them. "We'll be touching down in D.C. to refuel in about thirty minutes and then we'll be on our way to New Orleans." She said.

"How long's de wait in D.C.?" Gambit asked.

"About an hour. We're going to check the plane and make sure there aren't any maintenance issues before we take off." She said.

"Dat be a good t'ing." He said as he watched the stewardess walk back up to the cockpit.

"Thirty minutes, huh?" She asked, looking up into Gambit's eyes. "It's about damn time. Feels like we've been on this plane longer than tha last time."

"Mm hmm." He agreed as he continued to run his fingers through her hair.

"Are ya excited about going' back ta New Orleans?" She asked.

A loving smile crossed his face. "Excited, but nervous?" He asked. "Given why we goin', I be a li'l nervous."

"Ah understand." She said as she sat up and rest her head on his shoulder. "It'll be fine, hun. Trust me."

Sitting at the table alone, Leila combed the mane of the lion she was playing with. Lightly humming to herself, she stayed in her own little world as the other kids played with one another.

"Leila?" She looked up to see Rikki smiling down at her. "Honey, why aren't you playing with your friends?"

She looked down at the lion. "They don't like me." She said.

"That's not true." Rikki said, kneeling down and placing her hand on her back. "You're over here all by yourself. Why don't you go over there and play with Micah?"

Looking back at Micah, she saw him playing with a set of cars. "Micah is scared of me." She said, looking at Rikki. "I saw it in his eyes."

Rikki smiled at her lovingly. "I know it's tough with your powers." She said, rubbing her back. "I was scared when I discovered mine. It's something we learn to live with and accept. It's not easy at first and people will look at you differently, but it's only because they don't understand."

Leila looked back down at the lion.

"Would you like to go to Jean's office?" She asked, seeing Leila perk up.

"Yeah!" She said.

Rikki chuckled as she stood up. "Alright. Head straight down there." She said as she watched Leila quickly gather her backpack and leave the classroom.

Quickly walking down the hall toward Jean's office, Leila smiled at Beast who came out of the kitchen. "My goodness. Where are you heading?" He asked.

"Aunt Jeanie's office." Leila said.

"May I walk you there?" Beast asked.

"Mm hmm." Leila said as she took hold of his index finger.

As they walked down the long hallway, they finally came to Jean's office. Knocking on the door, Beast opened it for Leila and she walked inside.

"Leila, honey, what are you doing here so early?" Jean asked.

"The kids are afraid of me." She said. "They don't wanna play with me anymore."

Kneeling down, Beast put his big blue hand on her tiny back. "You are an amazing little girl. Don't let their misunderstanding ruin your happiness. They will learn to understand your abilities in time." He said.

Leila smiled at the furry blue man and gave him a hug before she walked over to the couch and sat down. Taking her backpack off, she opened it and took out her homework.

"Leila, sweetie?" Jean asked, getting her attention. "I can't have you leaving class so early."

"I don't like it there." She said as she started to color the page. "The kids don't like me there, either."

Inwardly sighing, Jean walked over and sat down beside Leila with a smile. "You'll go throughout life meeting people that don't like you, but you have to continue on. You can't let how others feel about you make you sad." She said, seeing Leila look up at her. "I know it's difficult to try and pretend as if nothing has happened in your classroom, but the children remember you controlling that boy and that's what they're afraid of."

"They think I'm going to control them." Leila cut in. "I see it."

"I know, honey." Jean said, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. "But you aren't."

Leila went back to coloring her homework. "No." She said.

'Betsy, when are Anna and Remy coming back?' Jean asked telepathically.

'They'll be home in a few days. Why? What's wrong?' Psylocke replied.

'It's Leila. With her classmates afraid of her and her parents away, it's taking a toll.' Jean said as she watched Leila color the sky.

'They should be landing in New Orleans now. Once they are done there, they will head this way.' Psylocke answered.

'Why are they in New Orleans?' Jean asked.

'We'll talk over lunch.' Psylocke said. 'Too much to go over through telepathic conversation. Plus, you have your hands full with that little one right now. I wouldn't want to interrupt your time together. She adores you. You know that I hope.'

Jean smiled. 'Yes.' She said, watching Leila switch to a green crayon and start to color the trees. 'She's definitely been good practice for Scott and I these last couple of days.'

'I can imagine.' Psylocke answered. 'I'll leave you two alone. She needs you.'

"What do you think?" Leila asked, showing Jean her picture.

"I think it's beautiful." Jean said with a smile. "I like the red bird."

"I just added that." She said.

"And I love it." Jean said as she gave Leila a sideways hug.

Pulling up in their rental car, Gambit put it in park and killed the engine. "Well, dis is it." He said, looking through Rogue's window at the old house he remembered so well.

"It's beautiful." Rogue said.

Gambit chuckled. "No need t' be nice. It be a piece o' shit." He said, seeing some familiar figures walk out the front door.

Getting out of the car, he walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for Rogue to get out.

"Well, I'll be damné." One of the men said. "Remy fuckin' LeBeau. Whachu doin' hya?"

Smirking, he walked up to the man and gave him a hug. "Bonjour. Be here on business." He said seeing him eye Rogue. "Dis m' wife, Anna."

"Enchanté." He said as he took Rogue's hand and kissed the back of it. "I'm Eloi."

Rogue smirked. "Such hospitality." She said, giving Eloi a wink.

"Dis dat belle Jean-Luc be talkin' 'bout, eh?" Eloi said, nudging the man beside him. "Dis Bernard."

"Bonjour." Bernard said shyly.

"Chère, y' gonna see jus' how fucked up t'ese hicks are." Gambit said, making her laugh. "M' accent might get worse b'fore we leave."

"That's what ah'm afraid of." Rogue said, making them all laugh.

"Entrons à l'intérieur." Eloi said as he and Bernard turned toward the door.

Placing his hand on the small of her back, Gambit escorted Rogue up the steps and inside the house. The wood creaked under their feet as they walked inside, seeing a few more men in the foyer.

"Remy?" One of them asked as he got up and hugged him. "Hell, son!"

Gambit chuckled as he pat the man's back. "Been too long, no?" He asked.

"Daaamn right." He said, looking at Rogue. "Elle est assez belle, oui?"

"Merci." Gambit said as Rogue shook his hand.

"Attendez." The man said, looking behind them. "Tot y' have a li'l one, no?"

"She back home. We here on business." Gambit said. "Actu'lly here t' talk wit' Henri."

"Ah." The man said. "He wit' Jean-Luc."

"When dey comin' back?" Gambit asked.

The man shrugged. "Any time?" He asked, looking at Eloi. "Ey! Wha' time dey's comin' back?"

Eloi shook his head. "À tout moment?" He shrugged.

Rogue looked at the men standing there. "What's a gal gotta do ta get a drink around here?" She asked with a smirk.

"Shiiiit, honte à nous!" The man said. "We fuckin' dis up mes amies! Whachu wan drink, chère?"

Rogue couldn't help but laugh at their forwardness and lack of filter. "Ah'm guessing water's fine." She said. "Unless y'all got somethin' else."

"T'ese hommes pro'lly got not'in' but Dixie Beer in dat ice box." Gambit joked.

"Toujours." The man said as he motioned for them to follow him into the kitchen. "Ain' not'in' change 'round hya."

"Ah apologize, ah didn't catch ya name." Rogue said as the man opened the fridge door.

"Je m'excuse." The man said. "Everard."

"He be de cousin no one like. Ey, how many times y' been removed now?" Gambit joked, making them all laugh.

"Damn." Everard said. "Y' still a li'l connard."

"Ah actually know what that means." Rogue said. "Ya always talk like that around women?"

"Ooh!" The other men said.

"Merde!" Everard laughed.

"Ah'm startin' ta think ah snagged tha only decent one of y'all." Rogue teased as she wrapped her arm around Gambit.

"Ha!" Eloi laughed. "Remy a'ways been le plus beau."

"Dat 'cause he adopted!" Everard joked as he took a bottled water out of the friend and handed it to Rogue. "Voilà, mon chère."

"Thank ya kindly." Rogue said as she opened it and took a sip. "So, may ah have a tour of this beautiful home?"

"Y' come wit' me, chère." A man said from down the hall.

"Emil!" Gambit said with a smile as he hugged him. "Ça va?"

"Eh, comme ci comme ça." Emil said as he looked at Rogue and extended his right elbow to her. "Shall we?"

"We shall." Rogue said, wrapping her arm in his and winked at Gambit before she walked with him down the hall.

"Remy, Jean-Luc say yo' wife was beau'iful, but she be un ange du ciel." Everard said making Gambit smile. "Mm!"

"Garde toi pour toi." Gambit said. "She call out yo' bullshit. Avertissement juste."

"I bet." Everard said. "So, whachu needin' Henri fo'?"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Gambit shook his head. "Un sujet personnel." He said.

"Ah." Everard said, placing his hands in his pockets and nodded. "D'accord."

"So, y's only got un enfant?" Eloi asked.

"Oui." Gambit said, looking at him.

"Es-tu sérieux?" Eloi asked.

"Wha'?" Gambit asked.

"Figure y' have mo' dan one. 'Specially wit' yo' wife lookin' like dat. Mm!" Eloi said making them all laugh.

"And dis where y' two pro'ly stay." Emil said as they walked into a bedroom that was upstairs.

"Probably?" Rogue asked as she looked over the room that was nice a clean.

"Oui." Emil said. "Dis here Remy's ol' room."

"Makes sense, then." She said as she smiled at Emil. "Where to now, sugah?"

"I t'ink we head back. Make sure dem hommes didn' teast yo' husban' too much, no?" He said, making Rogue chuckle.

"So, are all y'all family?" Rogue asked as they made their way back down the hall and to the stairs.

"Non. Mos' o' us are." Emil said. "Me an' Remy be cousins. He pro'ly one o' m' closest family members."

"Aww." Rogue said, smiling at the red haired man. "Ah take it y'all got into trouble?"

"All de damn time." He laughed. "Course, he blame it on me, 'cause I de han'some one."

Rogue chuckled. "Well, ya are quite charmin', hun. Givin' Remy a run for his money." She said, adding a wink.

He smirked as they reached the first floor and head toward the kitchen. "Yo' wife. Sain et sauf." Emil said as he handed her back over to Gambit.

"I knew y' take good care o' her." Gambit said as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "Wha' y' t'ink?"

"Ah like this house. It's got a coziness to it even though it's mighty big." She said.

"Been in de family fo' generations." Gambit said. "Leas' dat's wha' Jean-Luc say."

"C'est vrai." Everard said as the front door was heard closing.

"Qui est la voiture?" They heard Jean-Luc ask from the foyer before he came around and froze at seeing Gambit and Rogue.

"Howdy." Rogue said with a smile, causing him to smile as he walked up and gave her a hug.

"Dis a nice su'prise, chère." He said as he kissed her cheek. "Où est ma petite fille?"

Gambit shook his head as he put is hand out. "At home. Here on business." He said as he shook Jean-Luc's hand.

"Bah!" Jean-Luc said. "Coulda brought her wit' y' deux."

"Où est Henri?" Gambit asked.

"Still in de city finishin' up." He said. "Pourquoi?"

"Need t' talk t' him." Gambit said, looking at Rogue.

"I can tell t'ere somet'in' bot'erin' y', boy." Jean-Luc said, lowering his voice as he stepped closer to Gambit. "Wha's wrong?"

Shaking his head again, Gambit looked him in the eyes. "B'tween him an' me." He said.

Cocking an eyebrow, Jean-Luc slightly pouted. "Wha' de problème?" He asked.

Rogue watched them for a moment and felt the tension in the air. "I need t' talk t' Henri." Gambit said.

"Fine." Jean-Luc said as he looked at Rogue and smiled. "How y' been, chère?"

Rogue smiled. "Good." She said, seeing the other men watch on while they talked.

"Leila controllin' dem powers?" He asked.

"Well, yes and no." Rogue said, seeing the confused look on his face. "She knows how ta use tha ones you knew about."

"She got mo'?" Jean-Luc asked, the shock on his face made Rogue smile in amusement.

"She can kinda control people." She said.

Jean-Luc let out a whistle. "Y's in fo' it, boy." He said, slapping the back of his hand against Gambit's stomach. "Dis wha' y' get fo' puttin' me t'rough hell."

"Oui." Gambit said, placing his hand where his father hit him. "Deserve it."

Rogue chuckled. "Hell, don't we all?" She asked.

Sitting across from Psylocke at a small café, Jean let out a sigh before she locked gazes with her friend. "So, why are Remy and Anna in New Orleans?" She asked. "Did they take a small vacation after finishing up with you?"

Taking a sip of the tea in her cup, Psylocke shook her head. "No." She said, watching as Jean got comfortable before sipping on her decaf caramel latte. "They're still working on my case. Rogue, apparently, absorbed the memories of someone who had inside information and saw Remy's brother was apart of it."

"What?" Jean asked, a bit of surprise in her voice. "Henri?"

Psylocke nodded. "I'm not quite sure how he's involved, but they went to New Orleans to investigate." She said, seeing the worry on Jean's face.

"Is that wise?" Jean asked.

"Well, what else would you propose?" Psylocke asked.

"Betsy," Jean started as she leaned forward just a bit. "Remy's family is, well, complicated to say the least."

"Yes, I know." Psylocke said with a smirk.

"You don't understand." Jean said. "He's been trying to mend whatever happened in the past ever since he and Anna got married. Having Leila surly helped with that, but-"

"Jean," Psylocke cut her off. "If you're afraid that this will cause a rift between them, it won't."

"How can you be so sure?" Jean asked.

"Anna's expressed her worry and concern to me while they flew to New Orleans." Psylocke explained. "While Remy slept, she told me he promised he would keep it civil and she trusts him. As do I. He knows how to be professional when need be."

Jean slightly shook her head. "I don't know how I feel about all of this." She said, placing her hand on her stomach, feeling the child kick.

"I can't pull them out now." Psylocke said. "They've been there for," She glanced at her watch. "Three hours now. I'm sure they've already talked with Henri."

"Have you heard from them since they arrived?" Jean asked the purple haired woman.

She shook her head. "No." She said.

Jean narrowed her gaze. "This is taking a toll on Leila." She said. "She needs her parents here, Betsy. She's been skipping out half the day of her class to come to my office."

Psylocke smiled. "You and I both know Leila is too smart to be in kindergarten. She is well advanced for her age." She said.

"Well yes, but I'd like to have her around children her age." Jean said. "Plus, we only have seven children that are five years old. We don't have the staff, or resources, to have multiple elementary classes."

"Why don't you teach her?" Psylocke suggested, causing Jean to cock an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry?" She asked.

"Be her teacher throughout her elementary years." She said. "Both scholastic educator and mentor of her mutant abilities."

"Elizabeth," Jean said. "I'm the councilor of the school. I don't have time to educate Leila in the ways you're proposing."

"Are you the councilor?" Psylocke asked. "I remember you telling me Anna was going to take up that mantle."

Jean sighed. "You know what I'm trying to say." She said.

"I do." Psylocke said. "Leila adores you. She looks up to you because you know what she's going through. You've been there. Even if her powers are slightly different, they are in the same family as ours. She likes the fact that she can ask you any question about her powers and you know the answer."

"I think I'm protecting her because she's so young." Jean said. "She's confused."

"As are Remy and Anna." Betsy said. "Children discovering their mutant abilities at five years of age is rare. Very rare."

"Don't I know." Jean said glancing to the right and watching the people walk by. "Betsy?"

"Mm hmm?" She answered.

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" Jean asked. "Showing Leila how to control people."

"I think you showing her is important." Psylocke answered. "She needs to understand how it works, but also how not to take advantage of it. I was afraid at first, but I can see the benefits from her knowing now rather than discovering that on her own."

"She's scared the hell out of her classmates, that's for sure." Jean said. "And I think that was enough to let her know that it's unacceptable."

"Well, here's to smooth sailing." Psylocke said as she lifted her cup of tea.