A uthor's Note: Thank you to everyone who is here. Please feel free to give me feedback here on the story or in a private message, and I promise I won't bite. As with all fanfic, I would like to remind people that the author is allowed to take creative liberties, and when it comes to universes such as the X-Men, there is a lot of source material to play with. So, as I have enjoyed playing around with the source material, I hope you will enjoy reading the ideas that have come to my mind. As for posting new chapters, I will try to get them up as soon as I finish them. I also use two different accent translators, one for Gambit and one for Rogue, and then I go back in and edit for clarity and ease of reading because, as readers, we already know both these characters have accents.
His tour guide had rounded another corner in the vast mansion, "…and this is the den, with a relaxing view of the yard and vast gardens right through those doors. I could show you them if you'd like, or I could show you to your room in the men's wing of the Institute…"
But her words, she noticed, fell on a pair of very deaf ears as his full attention was captivated by one furious lady telling off Wolverine on the basketball court. Storm knew precisely two things at that moment: her friend had just fallen in love, and he was going to suffer for it.
"Who's dat?" he asked, nodding toward the windows. Storm laughed, realizing she would eventually have to crush his heart, "That is Rogue; she doesn't do relationships, so don't get any ideas, okay?" He smirked, "I could change 'er mind, non?"
The argument from outside started to make its way indoors, "Ah swear Logan, ya did somethin' to tha ball, so ah'd lose!" she yelled at the man beside her as she held the deflated ball.
"I'm telling you, I didn't do anything, Rogue!" he yelled in reply. The pair stopped short and looked at the new face before them, "Sorry, Ororo, I didn't realize we had company. Not exactly the best way to meet your housemates. I'm Logan." The scruffy-looking man said as he stuck a hand toward the newcomer. "Da name's Gambit." He shook Wolverine's hand and turned to the woman who had caught his eye, "an' you are, chér?"
"Ah'm Rogue, an ah don't do handshakes shugah, just wavin' is fine." She said with a smile before she turned back to argue again with Wolverine over their match that abruptly ended. Gambit smiled; there was something about this mysterious woman, her eyes, those curves, that sweet southern accent, and the fact that she was so against touching him. It only made him want her more. "I would offer to mediate for you two, but I have a welcome tour to finish before training. So, Gambit, let me show you where your room is and finish getting you settled in." Storm said as she ushered him away from the squabbling pair, down the hallway, and into the foyer with two identical wrapping staircases, "We will be taking the stairs on the left, those lead to the men's wing of the institute.
His mind couldn't help but wander back to the image of Rogue as he walked up the stairs, every curve of her body slowly exposed as he began to think of what her skin-tight suit was hiding underneath. A small chuckle escaped his lips, "I would hope you're not laughing at anything too inappropriate, Gambit." Storm said over her shoulder as she reached the top step and turned down the hall. He followed close behind her past the large mahogany doors, "Non, jus' pensin'" he replied as they stopped before what he could only assume was his door.
"Well, don't think too hard. This is your room, and your stuff should already be inside. The Professor will call us when it is time for training, so until then, feel free to relax and get used to your surroundings." She said as she returned down the hall, leaving him at the door. Gambit reached for the doorknob and slowly turned it, opening the door to reveal a bright room with a large bed, two end tables, a dresser, and sliding doors that led out onto a balcony. His bags were already on the floor by the bed, not that he had much to travel with, just a leather suitcase and a small bag. He ran his hands across the white sheets; for a second, he had a very naughty image of Rogue sprawled out in his bed, and the sheets no longer pristinely stretched around the mattress. His daydream was interrupted by a knock on his door, "Entre, come in." he called toward the door as he continued inspecting his new accommodations.
An overly enthusiastic man with red hair and glasses walked through the door, "Hi, I'm Scott Summers; they call me Cyclops. I'm sure that Ororo gave you a run-down of the schedule for today, but I wanted to ensure that you had the instructor handbook, a copy of the weekly schedule, the rotation schedule for night guard duty, and to formally introduce myself. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask." he finished his monologue before shaking Gambit's hand and exiting as fast as he came in.
"Bon Dieu, 'e is somet'ing else." Gambit muttered to himself as he looked at the pile of printed papers and notes clipped together on top of the large book that had just been handed to him, "Good t'ing Gambit is no' one fo' de rules" he chuckled as he moved the stack to the top drawer in his nightstand. Seemingly, no time at all had passed before an announcement came over the intercom, "All staff, please report to the Danger Room for training. Again, all staff, please report to the Danger Room for training." the voice called.
Another knock on his door; however, this person did not wait to be let in but simply cracked the door enough to let their voice enter the room, "Hey, they called us for trainin'; let's go." the gruff voice called, Gambit remembered it as Logan's voice from earlier. "Alright den, Gambit 'ill follow y' lead." Gambit said as he made his way to the door, following behind Logan, "So y' an' dis Rogue, iz she y' fille, y' lady?" he asked as the pair started off down the hall. Logan growled and shot a glare at the man before taking his claws out, "Listen here, bub, she's not my girl, but she's important to me. Stay away from her if you know what is good for you. Got it?" he put his claws away and turned on his heel, storming off down the stairs, and through the hall to the Danger Room. "Gambit t'inks dat iz a tuff subjec'" Gambit said to himself as he followed the same path Logan had gone down.
Gambit was the last one to enter the Danger Room; everyone else was standing around as Scott went over the instructions for today's pairings. "All right, so just to be clear with everyone, I am going to pull your name tile from the bag, I will place it up on the board, and then I will pull another tile from the bag, and that will be your training partner for the entire week. Is everyone in agreement with my instructions?" Scott said, pausing to look at the group, nodding and mumbling in agreeance, "Great, I will start then… the first tile is Storm, and your partner will be…Jean. Next, we have Wolverine, and you will be paired with me," Scott dug his hand back in the bag again, the number of tiles slowly decreasing, "Shadowcat, you're next, and your partner will be Bobby. It looks like there are only four tiles left; who's next…Jubilee, and your partner is Beast. I guess that leaves Rogue to be paired up with our newest member, Gambit. As always, make sure there is someone running the simulator in the control booth during your training, and make sure you log in and out with your scan cards so we can keep track of your progress." Scott finished arranging the tiles on the board as he spoke.
Gambit leaned over to a large blue man he hadn't met yet, "Iz 'e always like dis?" he asked. A chuckle escaped the man's mouth, "Well, yes, Scott is very thorough in his explanations. He prefers to make sure the team is on top of everything as best as possible. Keeps everyone on the same page…although I don't think we've been properly introduced yet. I'm Hank, the school's doctor, and you must be Gambit. You have an appointment in my office for a physical this afternoon, so we can talk more then. It's been great to get to meet you, but I probably should get back to the medical wing." Hank said as he quickly shook Gambit's hand quickly and then ran off.
Gambit looked around the room at the team, his eyes glancing over his new colleagues, laughing and smiling, as he looked for his ideal temptation. A smirk crept across his mouth when he found her, and he knew that if things were going to work in his favor, he would need to turn up the charm. The walk from one side of the Danger Room to the other took Gambit no time at all. He slid up next to Rogue and reached his hand up to brush a lock of white hair from her face while whispering in her ear, "Allo chér."
Just as smoothly as Gambit had made his moves, Rogue's gloved hand grabbed him tightly by the wrist, "Ya don't wanna touch me." her sweet southern drawl got out through gritted teeth so as not to make a scene. "Wat if Gambit wans t' touch y'?" Gambit asked, wriggling his hand free from her grip and trying again to move the hair from her face. Rogue laughed at his determination, "Then ya either havuh death wish or wanna hang out with Hank all day."
Meanwhile, Logan watched from a corner of the Danger Room. Jean and Scott were having a conversation with him that he wasn't fully paying attention to. What he was focusing on was a pair of green eyes that were finally lighting up again and a smile he hadn't seen in months. He shook his head, knowing there was only one way this would end for everyone involved, and he wasn't sure if he could just sit back this time.