Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! Hope this is a great holiday gift for everyone!
Best Christmas present to ME would be Lots and lots and lots of REVIEWS! Just pick 1 thing/part you liked and let me know why!
X~X~X
It was relatively quiet in the banquet hall of the Daniel. At least, it was quiet for the students at Xavier's. Everyone was chatting and discussing holiday travel plans, but at a much more subdued level than normal.
Kitty glanced over at the empty chair next to Kurt and scowled. She couldn't believe her best friend had chosen to 'study' rather than come to the annual dinner. Everyone knew Rogue wasn't exactly a bookworm. It figured that she'd just use it as an excuse to get out of a social event.
And it sucked, too. Not only had Kitty and Kurt shelled out a pretty decent chunk of change for Rogue to have a nice outfit for this specific event, but Rogue's unwillingness to compromise AT ALL on something to cover her arms proved that the Southerner would likely never wear it.
Kitty's expression softened as she noticed Kurt staring sadly at the chair. A waiter was yet again trying to take the extra bread plate and silverware away, and Rogue's brother was constantly fending them off. The Professor had assured them that Rogue wouldn't be joining them, but Kurt didn't seem to want to believe it.
After they'd been seated for nearly 10 minutes and everyone had put in their orders, however, the furry blue teleporter's resolve seemed to be waning. Just as Kurt allowed a fourth waiter to take the unused dishes, the maitre d' entered and walked over to speak quietly with Professor Xavier.
Just as the Professor looked up and smiled, the sound of squealing car tires created a hush over the room as they all glanced toward the front windows.
Sam was the first to speak as everyone strained to see what was going on through the slightly open curtains.
"Fancy car," he stated, a bit of longing in his voice.
"Looks like a Ferrari or something," Tabitha called as she stood and peeked out the window.
"Ah think it's a ... Lamborgini, actually. Has a little bull on the hood, any road."
A few of the boys nodded wistfully while the girls went back to their salad plates. Suddenly, the group turned, almost at once to stare in shock at Rogue, who had quietly entered the room during all the commotion. She was waiting as the maitre d' pulled out her chair, and all eyes were suddenly on the late comer.
Kitty practically vaulted out of her chair to give her friend a hug, as did Kurt.
"Oh my gosh, I'm like, so glad you're here! I thought you weren't going to make it!" The brunette pulled back slightly to admonish her friend when she caught sight of Rogue's outfit.
She squealed as Kurt gave Rogue a quick, careful hug hello and the three of them sat back down at the table. "You're wearing the dress! It looks fabulous! Oh my heck, you look gorgeous!" The Professor and Logan winced at Kitty's piercing tone.
Rogue blushed slightly and placed her napkin on her lap just as a waiter placed a salad bowl in front of her.
"We're glad you made it, Rogue," the Professor greeted her warmly. "Do you need a menu?"
Rogue smiled and shook her head, picking up her salad fork delicately between her gloved fingers. "No, thank you. Ah just ordered the same thing as last year."
Conversations resumed as Rogue ate her salad in silence and Kitty continued to gush over her friend's outfit.
"Oh my gosh, I just like, can't get over how good you look! I'm so glad you came! When the Professor said you called and said not to wait up I was so sure …" Kitty bit her lip, but then brightened. "But you're here! And before the entrees even came out!"
"We must have just missed you," Jean interjected before Kitty could make another comment about how amazing Rogue's outfit was. "We could have waited for you."
"Oh, well," Rogue shrugged. "It took me a spell t' shower and get dressed. Finished the rest on the drive over."
"You didn't take my bike, did you?" Logan narrowed his eyes at Rogue from across the table near his seat to Xavier's left.
"No, Logan, ah didn't take your bike," Rogue looked at Scott, who appeared equally suspicious. "Didn't take your car either."
Kitty seemed a little disappointed for a minute as she made eye contact with Kurt, "Hey, Kurt and I can drive back with you, so you don't have to go by yourself."
"Ja," said Kurt, nodding. "I can even drive back with Kitty if you want to take a ride in the limo. It's pretty cool!"
"Oh," Rogue raised her eyebrows, "Ah didn't even think about checking - there's room for all of us in the limo, right? Ah don't have a vehicle with me."
Ororo nodded from her chair on Rogue's left. "Yes, of course there is."
"But if you don't have a vehicle, how'd you get here so quickly?" Jean queried.
"Ah, uh, ah caught a ride," Rogue raised her flute of sparkling cider to her lips slowly, waiting for the inevitable.
Scott provided.
"Really? With who?"
Rapt attention was now paid by those who had already been listening or participating in the conversation, consisting mostly of the main team and their mentors.
"Gambit." Rogue said quietly, finally taking a sip of her drink as silence descended on the entire table. Just as quickly, the younger students burst into uproarious chatter, Scott and Kurt began simultaneously berating her judgement, Logan growled under his breath, and Kitty was suspiciously silent.
"Alright, alright, everyone. Please, settle down." The Professor held his hands out to try to bring the room back to a place of calm. "We are trying to enjoy our last night together before the new year. I trust Rogue's judgement, as should you all. Now please, let's all calm down and have a pleasant time."
The students quieted significantly this time, although some under breath grumblings could still be heard. Thankfully, any malcontent was quickly put to rest when the delectable smells from the kitchen wafted in with their entrees.
X~X~X
In the limo, Kitty felt Rogue's silky soft gloves for the fifth time that night. She was sitting on her friend's right, with Kurt on Rogue's left this time.
"I just can't get over how SOFT they are!"
Rogue smiled a bit and nodded. "Soft, smooth, warm, but thin…"
"Expensive," Amara chirped up from her seat next to Kurt. The Nova Roman Princess leaned over the furry blue mutant to get a closer view. "See the tiny stitches right there on the seam? Those aren't from your standard machine stitch. They're hand made - whoever crafted these put their 'signature' on the stitch work. These were custom made."
Rogue smiled softly, then chuckled. "Well, after the crap he pulled last year, he better've shelled out a pretty penny."
Some of the girls giggled, but Jean just bristled. Scott was downright livid.
"After the 'crap he pulled' I can't believe you would accept anything from Gambit. As if letting him drive you down here wasn't bad enough."
Rogue glowered. "At least GAMBIT was considerate enough to give me a gift. Unlike some people. By the by, your tie goes great with that outfit." Rogue folded her arms and turned to look out the window.
Scott looked down at his lap and fiddled with the edge of the blue silk tie - a gift from Rogue.
"So, um," Kitty tried to break the awkward silence. "What kind of car did he have?"
Rogue pulled her slightly wavy hair over her shoulder, thinking for a moment of how Gambit had so casually done the same thing earlier in order to zip up her dress the last inch or so. They'd been stopped at a light, and she'd been struggling to reach around and pull it up when he'd just leaned over and tugged it up like it was the most commonplace thing in the world.
"Hmm?" she asked, coming back to the conversation. "Oh, that red one outside the restaurant. The Lamborgini?"
"Holy shit, really!?" Bobby nearly fell out of his seat across the narrow aisle as he scrambled to learn more about the vehicle. In fact, all of the boys aside from Kurt and Scott were now captivated by Rogue's story.
"Bobby, language," Ororo chided from the back of the limo.
"Dude, a Lamborgini!" the ice manipulating mutant proclaimed. "How was it? How fast did you go? Did the engine just purr, or was it more of a lion's roar? Was it a smooth ride? Was it amazing? Was it…"
"Was it stolen?" Scott's eyes were dark as he interrupted Bobby.
Rogue folded her arms and leveled her gaze at their team leader as she responded sarcastically. "Ya know, it didn't come up, but ah'll be sure to get a straight answer out of him next time ah see him."
"You're seeing him again?! Why?! When?!" The occupants of the limo once again fell silent as Kurt shouted at his sister in disbelief.
Before Scott and the others could add their two cents, Rogue rolled her eyes and squeezed her clutch and coat tightly. "Oh, we're dating now, didn't ya know? He's gonna come join the X-Men and everything. Ah know we really just met and all, but it's really serious. We're holdin' hands and makin' out and we're gonna get married and have babies, and … oh wait. That's right…"
Rogue's knuckles were turning white on her bag as she raged at her teammates. "Ah'm sorry that ya'll 've got your panties in a twist over Gambit given me a damn RIDE t' dinner, but ah saw inside his head down in Louisiana and he's NOT a bad guy. He may not have the morals of a saint, but he didn't hold a gun t' mah head when he dragged me t' New Orleans. Ah could've drained his sorry ass and come home any time ah wanted."
The Professor and the others were oddly silent as the let Rogue vent.
"But why would I!? At least HE didn't treat me like a monster. HE didn't walk on eggshells around me, and he certainly didn't lecture me or question mah decisions. Fact is, ah WANTED t' stay down there with him, and ah'm beginnin' t' remember why!"
She turned to Kurt before anyone could say another word. "Sorry little brother." She leaned over and kissed his cheek quickly before teleporting out of the vehicle, leaving the others in stunned silence.
X~X~X
Rogue ended up back in her own bedroom moments later, seething. She immediately began to remove her boots and gloves before tackling the zipper of her dress in frustration. After a few seconds of fighting to reach the thing, she wondered if it was possible to just teleport out of it and much to her excitement, found that it worked - perhaps a little too well.
She ran over to the heap of clothing on the floor and grabbed her undergarments, tugging them back on quickly. She was furious with her friends. They all had their own demons and skeletons, and yet they were so quick to judge others like Gambit who was just trying to be nice and make amends.
Rummaging through her closet for something to wear, Rogue tossed one outfit after another out on the floor. She wasn't in the mood for her normal dark and dreary. In fact, she really wanted to wear something that would just stun the others into silence for once. And, when she reached the denim half jacket, green blouse and jeans from her secret admirer, she knew she'd found just the thing.
She dressed quickly and then paced around her room, kicking a few of her black shirts for good measure. Rogue didn't want to stand around all night waiting for the others to get back, and now that she was thinking about it, she really didn't want to deal with another confrontation from them. Not to mention the lecture she'd likely get from the Professor and Logan.
So, she quickly scribbled a note and left it on her bed. With a deep breath, Rogue closed her eyes and concentrated on a place that she could safely let off a little steam.
She ended up at a little night club just on the outskirts of town and snuck in through the back door. She'd grabbed her ID and credit card, shoving them inside the top of her brown leather boots just in case someone tried to pick her pockets. However, this was a 21 and older place and she wasn't really in the mood to be bothered right now.
At the bar, she ordered a soda and tapped her foot to the beat, letting the music soothe her nerves.
From her peripheral, she saw someone sidle up next to her at the bar and sighed. So much for being left alone. She could tell the person was watching her intently, and just as she was about to 'politely' tell him off, he spoke.
"Didn't think ya liked crowds, cherie."
Rogue turned quickly, shocked to see Gambit - dressed in his uniform once again - sitting next to her.
"All right, now I KNOW your stalkin' me Cajun," she gave a small, amused smile, and went back to her caffeine.
"Technically, you'd be stalkin' moi since I was here first."
Rogue chuckled, dropping her head in amusement, and Gambit smiled widely.
"New outfit? C'est tres belle, but what happened to y'r dinner?" He ordered a drink, putting up two fingers as a signal to the female bartender.
Rogue rolled her eyes as the platinum blonde in a push up bra quickly brought out two whiskey sours on the rocks. The gal never bothered checking Rogue's ID as Remy flashed one of his smiles, and the Cajun silently slid one of the drinks over nearer to Rogue - not exactly offering it, but not denying her either.
Without comment, the Southerner fished out the maraschino cherry and stirred her drink with it.
"Ah left during the drive home. Everyone was real obnoxious about you drivin' me to the restaurant, so ah gave 'em an earful and split." She finally held the cherry by the stem and brought it to her lips, sucking on it a moment.
"Dat explains d' sulfur smell, den. Borrowed Nightcrawler's powers?" Remy took a sip of his drink as Rogue nodded.
After a moment of silence, he cocked his head to the side, watching her take a swig of her own drink. He was impressed that the strong drink didn't even make her flinch. "How you plannin' on gettin' home?"
"You wanna drive me?" Rogue smirked from behind her glass.
He chuckled and picked up his own drink. "For you chere, anything." He tipped his glass toward her and she reciprocated, clinking them together lightly.
X~X~X
All in all, Rogue was surprised by how nice of a time she'd been having with Remy. They'd grabbed a little booth that was tucked away from the noise and bustle of the club goers and just talked. They discussed Christmas plans, the stick up Scott's butt, her friends, his friends, a tiny bit of their family history, and even the car he'd borrowed.
She'd shivered a little once, completely forgetting her coat at home in her flustered state, and Remy had draped his own leather jacket over her small frame without a word.
Eventually, long after Rogue had lost track of time, she yawned and asked Remy for the time, her face turning white when he announced that it was half past two in the morning.
"Oh man, ah'm so dead," Rogue bemoaned, climbing out of the booth quickly. "Everyone's gonna be up in just over an hour t' head to the airport! Ah can't believe it's so late already. Logan's gonna kill me!"
"Relax chere," Gambit's bike is just down de street 'bout a mile. Let's stop and get some coffee on d' way. You up f'r dat?" He held out his hand to lead the way and Rogue exited first.
"Yeah. Ah wanna be awake t' say goodbye t' Kitty and Kurt, and ah'm gonna need some serious java t' accomplish that."
Remy nodded and guided Rogue up the street at a brisk pace as she hunched against the frigid night, still wrapped in his coat.
"Remy prob'ly shoulda made y' call home hours ago." He gave a small side smile, and Rogue knew he was feeling a little guilty.
She smiled at the thought. "Ah kinda already did. 'Bout halfway through that third song, ah psi-linked to the Prof to let him know where ah was."
"And who you're with…?" It came out as a statement, but Rogue could hear the light hearted question in his voice.
She smiled sheepishly. "He did promise not t' tell the others - 'specially not Logan."
Remy chuckled as they crossed an empty intersection and passed a few more bars and clubs. The streets were starting to fill with club hoppers and drunks.
"De man certainly plays d' 'overprotective father' card well, doesn't he?" Remy asked, glad Rogue couldn't see him glaring down a couple of guys across the street who were leering at the girl.
"Does he ever," Rogue agreed, oblivious to the men. "You know, ah love the man like a father, but sometimes his hoverin' drives me crazy!"
Remy nodded. "Dat IS why he does it."
"To drive me crazy?" Rogue laughed, stepping around a snow drift that was spilling from the road onto the sidewalk. The streets were kissed with a light sprinkle of snow, and it was cold enough outside to keep most people off the streets - save for a few overly saturated drunks.
Laughing, Remy gestured Rogue to the other side of the street and turned right. "Love. De man treats y' like his own daughter, chere. Course, he's more protective of you den Laura, but hey, dat girls' probably more deadly den Logan 'imself. No need t' worry much 'bout her. You t'ough…"
"What about me?" Rogue scoffed, wondering just how far his motorcycle really was and why in the hell he'd parked it so far.
"You ain't as tough as y' make y'rself out t' be chere, and he knows it."
Rogue scowled and started to defend herself when Remy interrupted her, "Gambit ain't trying t' make you mad. You're strong, smart, capable, and can take de pressure, but you ain't flexible. You don't let y'rself be anything BUT tough and withdrawn, and all that hurt and lonliness just chips away 'til dere's nothin' left."
He guided her down the street a ways and made another right.
"De man's protective 'cause he sees t'rough dat tough guy image o' yours and knows what y'r really like."
Rogue found herself somewhere between amused and defensive, and shot him a look as she huddled deeper in his coat. "Oh really, and what am I 'Really like'?"
"Sweet," he responded almost immediately. "Sensitive, caring, feminine and delicate, but still tough as nails. Ya deal wit' stuff most grown men couldn't handle, and ya don't want others t' see how hard it really is. You want t' protect everyone, so you keep 'em at a distance."
Rogue bristled and stopped abruptly, turning to face him, but Remy quickly put his hand on her lower back and urged her forward at an even quicker pace.
"Don't stop walkin'." The order was spoken quickly, but with such a serious tone that Rogue's heart skipped a moment. She fought the urge to go on the defensive and look around, instead keeping her voice low. Remy turned right yet again, effectively taking them in a large circle just a street down from the club they'd left only a few minutes ago.
"What's goin' on?"
"Dere's about six or seven guys been tailin' us for de last few blocks. Can't tell if dey're armed, but dey been givin' off one hell of an angry vibe. Dey're tryin' t' find their moment."
"Well, let's give it to 'em then," Rogue retorted, a bit confrontational from Remy's assessment of her.
"Dere's a good chance dey could have guns. Ain't gonna start nothin' unless we have t'. Sides," Remy turned to look behind him. "Looks like dey ain't followin' us no more."
"Or," Rogue stopped dead, staring ahead, "They just cut us off."
There were seven tall men dressed in heavy coats and hoods that covered most of their faces. Rogue couldn't see anything in their hands, but that didn't make them any less dangerous. Especially since there was no telling what their game was.
"Well, well, well, look who we have here, boys. It's our little party crasher, out on a date."
Rogue wouldn't have believed it if Duncan hadn't pulled the hood of his parka off his head. All the tension and worry over mutant hunters or the like deflated out of her as she took in Duncan and his dunderheads.
"Ha!" Rogue laughed. "You have GOT to be kidding me. Don't ya'll ever give up?"
Duncan scowled at Rogue, but said nothing to her. Instead, he turned toward Gambit.
"I don't know if you're a mutant or not, but I'm giving you one chance to get out of here friend. We just need to have a little chat with our girl here, and there's no need for you to get involved. So why don't you just run on home. Trust me, she isn't worth it." Duncan pulled a piece of pipe about 8 inches long out of his coat, holding it against his leg as a silent threat.
Gambit took a step forward and to the side, not quite in front of Rogue, but close enough to make his intentions known. Rogue could see his red eyes flare and glow in the darkness as he dropped his retractable staff from his sleeve into his hand, mimicking Duncan's stance.
"Wouldn't be very gentlemanly t' leave de lady alone wit' you thugs, now would it. Besides, seven against one ain't very fair odds."
Gambit let his eyes flare again angrily, trying to intimidate without using his powers.
Duncan snarled and the pack advanced on them. "She's not a lady, she's a mutant whore!"
"Oh, now," Gambit bit out, "Y' know I'm gonna break y'r nose f'r dat." With three swift steps forward, Gambit came at the former quarterback. Before he had time to react, Gambit had punched him so hard in the face that Duncan was knocked backward, unconscious.
Rogue was stunned for a moment before the intensity of the impending fight finally registered and she dropped Gambit's coat on the ground, reaching her companion's side just as the six other men simultaneously descended on the Cajun.
Rogue faced off against two of the smaller boys while Gambit took on the larger, heavier set ones that remained. The football players were much larger both in mass and in height than Gambit, but the former Acolyte moved with a speed they could never hope to match. The Cajun twisted and turned, using his staff to block most of the punches, and maneuvering away from the rest. Only one hit managed to get him right in the side, and at that point he switched from defensive tactics to offensive.
With a sweeping kick, Gambit knocked the knees out from one boy while simultaneously hitching his staff backwards into the gut of another.
While Remy was on the ground, a third launched himself onto Remy's back, getting him in a sloppy choke hold.
Rogue managed to dodge and block the blows from her own two attackers easily enough, and even managed to break one's foot. But, she hadn't figured on one of the boys Gambit had dropped moments before to suddenly rush her from behind.
Before she could react, he had grabbed her under the arms and locked his gloved hands behind her neck, trying to get her in a sort of reverse choke hold. Recalling her training as her airway was cut off, Rogue first grabbed onto the man's forearms and used him as leverage to deliver a double heeled kick to another former player.
Once he had been dealt with, Rogue let her head drop, brought her hands up to her forehead, then leaned back as far as she could and dropped her elbows hard and fast, causing the young man who had held her to lose his grip. She quickly placed one foot behind his knee and threw her now freed elbow back, connecting hard with his nose and knocking him off his feet.
Still fighting his own battle with a chokehold, the experienced Cajun simply used his opponent's hefty weight to slam the boy backward against the sidewalk, instantly breaking his hold. Then, rolling quickly to the side, Gambit used his staff to launch both feet into the fourth boy's chest, sending him tumbling over the top of another who was gushing blood from his nose.
With most of the boys now on the ground, groaning in pain, Duncan stood, blood pooling down his face as he snarled. A knife glinted in the glow from a nearby streetlamp, and the blonde leveled his gaze at Rogue, momentarily forgetting Gambit.
"I swear to God I'm gonna kill you, mutie!" he yelled, advancing on the X-Man as she kicked out at a boy that had grabbed her ankle and tried to pull her down.
Gambit, however, quickly threw a card at Duncan's feet, creating just enough of an explosion to startle the boy without causing him serious harm. He let a stack of cards fall into each hand and displayed them to Duncan and his gang as they glowed.
"Why don't you just run on home. Trust me, it isn't worth it," Gambit threw Duncan's own words back at him and stood closer to Rogue.
With one last scowl, Duncan met Rogue's gaze. "We'll get you someday you mutie bitch. You can count on it." Then he and the rest of his friends stalked away quickly.
Rogue and Gambit watched as the boys got into a large SUV and drove away. It was only after the vehicle was out of sight that Gambit stooped down to pick up his trench coat. Silently, he placed it back over Rogue's shoulders as she stood watching the now empty street.
"You okay?" He asked gently.
"Yeah," Rogue replied slowly, not looking away from the street. "They just uh, they seemed pretty serious."
Gambit grasped Rogue's forearms, turning her to face him. "They WERE serious Rogue. Don't you play around wit' dis. They catch you alone, and you might not be able t' defend y'rself."
"Ah could…"
"Non," Gambit squeezed her arms a bit harder than necessary. "You see them comin' and you run, comprends? 'M serious chere. If they hurt you I'd…" He took a breath and released her arms, reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. "Just promise me ya won't go wanderin' off on y'r own or try t' take 'em on, d'accord?"
Rogue swallowed hard and nodded, her stomach full of butterflies again.
"Bien," he replied and wrapped an arm around her waist as they continued toward his motorcycle. "Now let's get dat coffee and get y' home."
X~X~X