Story [X-Men:FC] X-Men: Among Thieves (Gambit/Rogue) - Chapter 6 - 3/19/12

Title: X-Men: Among Thieves
Author: RedGold
Genre: Caper, Mystery, Romance, Mutant
Characters: Remy LeBeau (Gambit) and Rogue featuring Courier, Jean-Luc, Thieves Guild, Assassins Guild, Brotherhood and various as to not spoil surprises.
Timeframe: Story assumes that all movies before X-Men: First Class do not exist and goes from there regarding X-Men characters (but don?t worry, you don?t have to have seen the movie or read the comics to read this). Rogue and Gambit would have been born in and around 1980s and be in their mid to late 20s in this story which puts it in the 90s to 2000s, give or take. We?re dealing with mutants here so anything goes, right?

Summary: Professor Xavier and Magneto have long gone their separate ways in their belief of human/mutant relations and now each vies to build a group of special individuals who would do either great good, or great harm, to the world once the truth about mutants gets out.

But what about those who fall in between?

Remy LeBeau, sometimes called Le Diable Blanc, often referred to as Gambit, is a card hustling, smooth talking New Orleans native with a tortured past that would make Shakespeare proud.

The woman known only as Rogue has possibly the most powerful mutant gift of all, the ability to absorb other mutants powers, but the demons in her closet are much more real than imagined.

Thrown together by fate, their attempt to solve a mystery will take them across the world, deeper into their pasts, and closer to each other? if it doesn?t kill them first.

[image=http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p96/jdbartha/cover.jpg]
Image by vagabondx

Note: As I said, this story assumes that X-Men: First Class is a reboot, this way we can get a proper Gambit/Rogue story. I liked Anna Paquin and Taylor Kitsch?s turn at the characters but if those movies stay cannon in the film universe then the best X-Men couple will never be together, gah! That?s why I dreamed up this Origin story. One that fits in with the First Class film and can lead into another super-sized X-Men film (ignoring the first four films of course).

I?ve designed this story with the acceptance that there are three types of people out there, those who know the G/R romance inside and out, those who only know the characters from the movies (and perhaps the tv animated series) and those who have no idea what RoGambit is. It?s an origin story in the realistic style of the films and therefore should serve everyone. I am going back to the tradition backgrounds so those who have watched the movies are going to be a little? shocked? to see Rogue?s back story is so much different from the films but I?ll not let that out of the bag yet.


Imagery: I envision this as the film RoGambit?s will probably never get, so I will be putting in visual and audio cues such as a soundtrack and casting direction. They aren?t required for reading but are recommended.

Accents: Both characters are known for their thick Southern/Cajun accents and are written that way in the comics? in a film it would definitely be toned down, just to make sure people could understand them, so I won?t be writing the ?southern speak? thickly but it will be there. Feel free to give the characters as thick an accent as you like.


I do take PM Requests.

 

Audio Cue: X-Men: First Class Sountrack: Pain and Anger

Visual Cue: In this reboot I am imagining Rogue as being played by Abbie Cornish ala Sucker Punch. [IMAGE] But feel free to see Rogue as Anna or the comic book version if that is more preferable.
Yvonne Strahovski as Carol Danvers [IMAGE]



Prologue

A beat up Olds drives by a two story house, the driver taking a second to admire the structure. Not as classy as the homes back down in Mississippi but a decent interpretation of the plantation style. What?s advantageous is that each residence had a fair amount of yardage between them.

Distance meant silence, stealth. Her mother taught her that.

Eighteen year old Anna Marie pulled the stolen vehicle into a small park down the road, fall temperatures in upstate New York keeping most people away from the picnic tables and children?s play ground. Good, it would be awhile before anyone realized the car was abandoned there, hopefully she?d make it back before anyone bothered to call the police.

Not bothering to lock it, Anna Marie slid her hoodie up like she was a jogger and set out to take in a nice run. One that ended at her house.

She set a decent pace, not wanting to stand out, that was the key to deception: act like you belong and others will believe it. More than once on the sidewalk she passed the signs of a normal family life. Bikes in the yard, toys strung about. Even a mother pulling her baby girl from the back of the car as her husband toted bags from the trunk. All the things that could never really be hers.

Finally, as her chest was burning, Anna Marie made it to the house whose address she spent months hunting down.

She was a stupid woman, trying to live a normal life in a normal house in the normal upper-class suburbs. All Anna Marie needed was to find the right people with the right information, a name, an address. Almost too easy.

Kicking up off the curb Anna Marie headed towards the back yard, a wooden fence blocking access, but the gate wasn?t locked only closed from behind. A little jiggering and a whole lot of attempt to look like she belonged later and she slipped inside. One quick look back to make sure no one saw her? it was three o?clock on a Thursday, normal people should be at work or getting ready to pick up their kids from school.

The back door was locked, that was too be expected as it?s the contents of the home people usually didn?t want stolen. Hang around enough with her mother?s friends and one does learn all manner of useful trades like lock picking. It wasn?t her strongest skill but she knew enough to get around a simple dead bolt.

Now, a security system, that?s a whole other kettle of fish.

Some family?s had board games, Rubik cubes, toys that weren?t illegal in all fifty states, but not Anna Marie?s. Popping the cover off the control panel as it beeped its one minute warning she found what she was looking for, a hardware connection port. Slipping the small device out of her hoodie?s front pocket she plugged it in and hit the button. A few breathless seconds later the beeping stopped and returned to armed mode.

It wasn?t the most sophisticated alarm system on the market but then a woman like Carol Danvers didn?t exactly need help against possible intruders. A member of the US Air Force, Danvers would have had her fair share of combat training, but that was simply a fine tuning of her pre-existing abilities. Talent?s that Anna Marie had seen firsthand, the day that Danvers murdered her mother.

Of course, at the time she didn?t know who the tall blonde woman had been who flew away from the scene of the crime? but all it took was the right minds to get into?

Now that she was in the murderer?s home

 

This is off to a great start! I'm not generally much of a shipper, but Rogue and Gambit are one couple I've always rooted for.

Interesting idea to treat First Class as a reboot. I'm eager to see where you take this!

 

I've always been a Gambit/Ro shipper. I hated that they completely messed up the ships in the live action films. However, I'm gonna skip this tale because 1. The chars are too young for my tastes but they do make sense for an origins like tale, I guess. 2. I'm also very pro-X and Magneto friendship. It looks like they are going to be utter foes here so I'll save everyone the frustration of my pro-Magneto sympathy/hope for redemption.

Thanks for tackling Gambit/Ro, RedGold. I wish you luck.

 

Tarsier - Thanks! G/R is my fav next to L/M, both are such complicated and angsty relationships they are absolutely delish! I hope you like what I got in store for them.

Dooku-Darklight - I hated X3 simply cause three movies and still no Gambit, seriously? Blah!
And while I respect your opinion and I've not read stuff for similar reasons, I just want to let you know this is just the prologue to set up Rogue's background, the story picks up eight years later so they are much older. As for X and Mags, their mention in the summary was simply to let everyone know where we are, the most they might have in this story is a cameo appearance, it's a RoGambit story through and through.

 

Great start, gal!! I haven't read X-Men since 2001, but am a fan from way back. I read all through the 90's, especially when I was in high school. I remember I had this like, X-Men pin-up swimsuit comic and it had a sexy Rogue/Gamit pic in it. LOL I'll have to look for that.

Will Storm be in here? She was always my fave and I loved her and Gambit's bro/sis type relationship. Stormy. hee.

Anyway, I like this beginning with Rogue how you changed up the back story just enough to make it your own. I've always liked her complicated relationship with her mother--Rogue has enough angst to go around. LOL

Am looking forward to more (after new 'Symbols', right?? ).

Gotta lub me!!

 

Great start so far! Looking forward to more!

 

ginchy - I've always read the X-Men off an on, usually only noticing when Gambit was around, do love a good scoundral. This really isn't going to see much of the X-Men, especially since I want this to kinda stand alone (in my mind). But yeah, I love Gambit's nicknames for people so I have a few ideas...

Rogue did have a pretty messed up pass, reminds me a lot of Mara in that respect so probably why I like her so much. Put her with Gambit and it's exactly the right receipe. The backgrounds for the characters will sometimes be dead on the same from the comics and then others points traded out for something much more realistic. Should be fun!

And yes... I know... working on it... /headdesk

mrjop2 - Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy the wild ride I got planned!

 

Mira_Jade - I do love Rogue, she's right up there with Mara in my favorite female characters, both are so darn broken. You know, I liked the Alt series were she hooked up with Magneto too, crazy fun. But ultimately I think she and Gambit are the most perfect fit.

Glad you like the whole psyche angle because going to see a lot more of that, and this character is going to be different from the movie version in her personality. Much more comfortable with her powers but still trapped by them. Should be a fun ride!

~~

Audio Cue: Cage the Elephant ? Ain?t No Rest For The Wicked - Instrumental
Visual Cues: Ian Somerhalder as Remy LeBeau (Gambit) [IMAGE] but wearing Taylor Kitsch?s Gambit wardrobe [IMAGE] with a few changes. Frankly, I?d take either of them as Gambit any day of the week.
Matt Bomer as Courier [IMAGE]

Chapter One

Latvia ? Eight Years Later

?Remy,? the sharply dressed man with a neatly coifed hair cut and cheap six hundred dollar suit asked casually, ?have I told you in the last ten minutes how much I hate you??

There was a chuckle from the slightly disheveled man standing at his back, ?Yes you have, mon ami.?

?Good,? Jacob resisted the urge to straighten his tie, he could feel it was crooked and if he was going to die today he wanted to go without a single hair or piece of cloth out of place.

?Search ?em,? barked one of the fifteen security men, mercenaries more likely, who currently had Jacob surrounded in the courtyard his friend had lead him into after the handoff did not go as planned. Each of the dangerous looking men had assault rifles drawn, not a sight the courier considered pleasant at all.

?Watch the suit,? Jacob grumbled as he was given a rough pat down. The merc wouldn?t find anything, Jacob never carried a weapon and why would he? He was the essence of neutrality. It was the man standing behind Jacob that was questionable on a good day.

A bruiser with a badly set nose held Jacob?s briefcase in his hand. ?Locked.?

?We?ll take care of that later,? said the leader, his weapon trained on the bigger threat.

Jacob?s merc finished patting him down, ?This one?s clean.?

?This one has something up his sleeve,? another spoke and the courier tried to hide a smirk.

?What?? the lead merc just had to ask, didn?t he.

?Cards,? the other responded, a likely confused look evident in his voice. ?They aren?t even high cards.?

?Day for a magic trick, mon ami,? his friend said lightly, ?wanna see??

They should say no, they should always say no, but no one could ever resist.

The neatly dressed man risked turning his head to look over his shoulder as his Cajun companion flipped two cards between his fingers expertly as if they were coins. A nine and a ten, these lackeys were clearly only worth a three and four.

There was a sizzle, a sound Jacob knew well from his long friendship with the man, and it was his cue? to drop into the fetal position and stay out of the way.

Jacob Gavin Jr was not a coward, he?s stood tall in front of all manner of dictator, sycophant, and lawyer, but his strength came from his complete removal from the situations he found himself in. He was a courier, the Courier. You needed a message or item delivered safely and securely between friends or enemies without even a hint of reproach, you called him.

You wanted something stolen? with style? then you called his friend, Remy LaBeau. Of course, this meant that the Cajun thief got himself out of a jam with equal panache.

Jacob squatted, not wanting to get dirt on his suit, after all it may be cheap but he loved the pin striping on it. He held his hands over his head to protect himself as LaBeau?s biochemically charged playing cards hit

 

I always loved Gambit.

 

Am on nook so might be a bit short. Last night was too nutty to think straight. Anyway, really enjoyed this update. You have Remy pegged! Can't wait to see where you take this!

 

mrjop2 - Gambit is my fav X-Men and mostly the reason I wrote this. I hope I can do him justice.

ginchy - I hope everything is much better now, everyone is okay! And as for Remy, I love me some Cajun!

~~~~

Audio Cue: X-Men: First Class ? Rage and Serenity
Visual Cues: James Nesbitt as Henri LeBeau [IMAGE]


Chapter Two

London - Westminster

A man walked down a paved walkway which took him around the famous fountain of water nymphs at Queen Mary?s Garden?s in London?s Regent Park. He was a simply dressed man, slacks and a polo, nothing to make him stand out one way or another from the tourists and Londoners alike. For a person of his trade, this was the strongest weapon he had, well that and his tendency to check behind him every minute or so.

Henri LeBeau was older than his adopted brother, thinning on top, and nowhere near as stylish, but that suited Henri just fine. Thieves don?t like to be noticed, any thief other than Remy that is, and Henri was more than happy to hide in his brother?s shadow in that respect.

Several more casual steps later and he reached the meeting point, a foot bridge over a creek which ran through the park. A couple of tourists where moving on from snapping pictures, and no sign of Remy. Perhaps he was early, maybe Remy was late, if asked, both where there exactly when they were supposed to be.

?Mon cher frère,? a voice called from behind him.

?Knew you were there,? Henri chuckled as he turned. Once upon a time Henri would only pretend that his little brother could get one over on him? nowadays he didn?t want to admit that Remy was that much better than him, than anyone.

?Course you did,? Remy smiled and moved forward, capturing Henri in his interpretation of a bear hug.

?Good da see you, little brother,? the older LeBeau smiled, hugging his friend as well family tightly. ?It?s been too long.?

?It has,? they pulled back and took stock of each other. Remy likely noticing Henri?s continuously thinning hair and only slightly widening middle. He was doing less stealing and more politics lately, it was having an effect.

His brother was just as he always was, half a shade ruffian and two shakes a scoundrel, but he wasn?t as gaunt and troubled looking as he had been the last time they had met. Perhaps his little brother was finally getting over the past, not that it was an easy thing for anyone to overcome. Remy?s mutant abilities made him tougher than most, but then it?s hard to break something already broken.

?So,? Remy was grinning, ?how?s the family??

?Mercy?s good,? Henri smiled at the thought of his wife, as he always did. ?Lifted a Picasso from dat collector in San Francisco a few months back, anniversary present.?

?Heard about dat,? his brother chuckled, ?thought it be Mercy, had her style.?

The two of them took a second to enjoy the moment but they both knew the only reason for a face to face meeting was never for good news. ?Father is thinking of retiring.?

?Is he now?? it was a stalling statement, casually spoken but made to mask the silence as Remy?s mind ran the consequences of that statement through his head and Henri let him.

?Hasn?t said it directly to the Council,? Henri eventually admitted, ?but you know father, he doesn?t let any rumors run about he doesn?t want da be there.?

Remy nodded slightly, ?That would make you heir to the Patriarch position.?

The older man gave a half laugh, ?It?s not exactly hereditary.?

?No one is gonna challenge ya,? and his brother was right. ?You?d make a great Patriarch of the Thieves Guild. Congratulations.?

?Don?t congratulate me yet,? Henri sighed, leaning against the railing, there was too much going on, something wasn?t right in New Orl

 

Looking forward to Chapter 3, to see what happends next.

 

Poor Henri. I loved how you wrote his death. Very sudden and shocking. And Gambit's reaction was perfectly done. You are on a roll with this, gal!!

 

mrjop2 - In two words: "Gambit happens."

Mira_Jade - I really wish we'd get some more stuff dealing with Gambit's young life, him and Henri running around, getting into trouble, Mercy getting them into trouble. Would be cool. As for the accent, helps that I'm from the south too... and I watch a lot of Swamp People... LOL So glad you're enjoying!!

ginchy - Thanks! Gambit is considered the 'most mysterious X-Man' and I'm taking that a little to heart here, won't be a lot of POV for him, he'll be speaking for himself.

~~~

Audio Cue: X-Men Origins: Wolverine ? Logan Meets Gambit
Visual Cues: Jesse Spender as Saint-John Allderdyce (Pyro) [IMAGE]
Tom Felton as Pietro Maximoff (QuickSilver) [IMAGE]
Wentworth Miller as Dominikos Ioannis Petrakis (Avalanche) [IMAGE]

Chapter Three

St. Petersburg ? Three Weeks Later

This time of night, the twenty-four hour news was about the only show on worth watching when he got off the late shift. ?<And London Metropolitan Police are set to answer questions today how the body of the John Doe involved in a possible terrorist attack on London?s Regent Park simply vanished shortly after arriving at secure facilities.>?

Vladislav scoffed, ?<Stupid English.>?

The lady behind the counter handed over his cold sandwich which would do for a late night snack. He thanked the woman and then set towards home. It was spring, but the night was cold, a northerly wind breezing down the thoroughfare. At least it was a straight shot to his apartment, then he?d be nice and warm.

A soft sounding voice rang off a few expletives just in front of him and he saw a woman on her knees next to a small car trying to gather the contents of her purse. She was lithe, not too skinny, from what he could tell of her jeans which fit her nicely formed rear end. A fur half-coat covered her top so he couldn?t be sure of the rest of her. But what kind of woman would be out at that time of night on a weekday?

He had been warned about situations like this.

Still, her lipstick was stuck in a crevice behind her, she couldn?t see it. Glancing around they were alone and there was no way he could be ambushed, it was the worst place for one. He?d see any approach for meters.

Perhaps if he got to know this lady just a little, it wouldn?t be so bad.

?Fräulein,? he said as he picked up the lost item, she straightened and turned towards him.

?Da,? she took his offered hand and he helped her to her feet, she frowned a little at his gloves, perhaps they were too rough on what looked like delicate skin. He then showed her the cosmetic and she smiled, ?<Oh, thank you, thought it got away,>? her accent was off, not a native of St. Petersburg, that was obvious.

Chuckling softly, he placed in her hand. ?<I rescued it for you.>?

She smiled and he realized she was very pretty, sharp features that accented high cheekbones and a dazzling smile. It was hard to tell in the light from the street lamps, but she had dark red hair, long and wavy with a white streak. Perhaps a punk rocker of some type.

?<My hero,>? she laughed, slipping the lipstick into her bag. ?<Think you could help me with one more little thing before you disappear into the night?>?

He glanced around again, still no one around, so, ?Da.?

?<Excellent,>? she reached up to touch his face in a completely non-threatening manner, ?<don?t think about your passwords.>?

That?s the last thing he would remember until the next morning.

***

Never fails.

Rogue touched the guard?s face and instantly absorbed his memories but she didn?t want to have to wade through them. Surface thoughts always came

 

I can definitely 'see' this all in my head like a movie, girl. That ending with Gambit's entrance was awesome!!

And I love:

?Hey, guys,? Pietro came over the radio, ?what just happened??

?Gambit just happened,? Pyro answered, his annoyance as deep as hers.



Love how Rogue said 'Cajun!', too.

Great, action packed update!!

 

Mira_Jade - The Brotherhood is pretty cool, I mean, they really are like a family and I'm taking the stance that, like the comics, eventually Pyro and QuickSilver join up with the X-Men so I wanted to give them this dynamic to show they ain't so bad. And if you love the working dynamic, then I think you'll love this next part even more.

ginchy - w00t, cause I see it as a movie in my head too! And I'm so glad you liked how she called him 'Cajun'...

Author?s Note: Okay, I kinda screwed up on my dates in the first couple of chapters, I for some reason thought a particular date was in the spring, not late winter, i.e. March. Blame the unseasonably warm temps my state has been having recently. I?ll be fixing it for future readers, but note that Henri?s death took place in February and it?s now early March. Sorry for the confusion!
~~~

Audio Cue: X-Men Origins: Wolverine ? Logan Meets Gambit


Chapter Four

Catherine?s Palace

A pack of guards, dressed down in heavy SWAT gear, flak vests, assault rifles at the ready, jogged down a hallway to a double door.

?<At the level three access stairwell>,? the squad commander spoke crisply into the radio.

?<Intruders on level six>,? a voice came back.

?<How did they get down there?>? one of the men asked and the commander gave him a sharp hand gesture.

?<Join up with Bravo team,>? the voice on the radio continued, ?<apprehend if possible, terminate if necessary.>?

?<Understood,>? and with that the leader made several more hand gestures and with military precision the six member team went through the doors and down the stairs covering every corner and ambush point as they went.

After they were well on their way to confront the thieves breaking in downstairs, a man in a brown trench coat walked brazenly down the hallway as if he was on a Sunday stroll.

***

They made it two rooms before they came across the first dropped wall.

?They are cutting off access points,? Pyro slammed his hand against the thick metal, ?can you get through it??

Rogue punched the heavy, thick steel, barely denting it. ?Titanium and carbon-polymer enforced, probably, and I?d say at least a foot thick. It would take me time.?

?Time we don?t have,? her friend clicked the radio. ?QuickSilver, status.?

?Was able to zip me and Avalanche through before the doors went down,? the silver haired mutant came back breathless, ?I think the man eats rocks. Where are you??

?Not so lucky,? the Australian?s eyes darted around as he thought about the situation for a second. This was his mission to command, Magento put him in charge and Rogue knew he had the whole thing planned out perfectly. ?Go ahead and get out, they?ll find the tunnel soon enough and looks like we?ll be finding another way.?

?Alright,? Pietro didn?t sound exactly happy but he knew, they all knew, there was no point in the whole Brotherhood getting caught when a job went south. ?I?ll stay in radio range if you need me to come back.?

?Sounds good,? Pyro clicked his radio and glanced over at Rogue with that look people sometimes get when they hope someone in the room has a plan.

?This way,? Rogue took the lead, Vladislav?s map still in her head. There were many reasons the Vault was a death trap for anything more than the most experienced thieves, one of which was, ?They drop tha walls in a pattern, ta funnel us to an ambush zone.?

?And we?re heading towards the ambush?? he questioned while on her heels, keeping pace.

?Want out don?t yah?? she called back, taking a corner at another dropped wall then skidded to a stop.

In front of them they could see an access stairwell, flanking the walls were a dozen security men dressed to the nines in the latest combat gear. Trying to walk, run or fly through that would be suicide, the smart choice would be surrendering.

?Thinking what I?m thinking?? Rogue asked to her friend.

Pyro nodded and grinned, ?I?m thinking Pho

 

Vegemite. Oooh, memories. ack!!!

The sprinkler system went off sending gallons of water pouring down on him.

Nobody needed to know about that part in the retelling.

Priceless!!

I loved the scenes with Pyro and Rogue. Very intense!! Excellent work at ratcheting up tension, gal.

 

You write too fast for me RedGold, I can't keep up!

I love Courier! I hadn't heard of him before, but he's awesome. And I think Matt Bomer is perfect for the role.

Sorry to see Henri die. But I liked seeing Gambit chase down the assassin.

I really like this line:
?Hey, guys. . . what just happened??
?Gambit just happened.?

Interesting that the brotherhood has had run-ins with Gambit before. (My knowledge of the comics is very spotty, I don't know if that's the case in the canon of not.) Now I'm curious what happened in Bahgdad.

I like Pyro's attitude toward Gambit - I don?t hold a grudge, he was there to steal, so were we, he won this round is all, though more like a tie, anyway, we?ll get him next time. He?s not really worth the hassle.

Now I'm eager to see Rogue track down Gambit!

 

ginchy - Vegemite!!! A bit cliche but I just couldn't help myself. And you can't have a character named Pyro and not have a little fun with fire, no?

Mira_Jade - They are definately a disfunctional family, but one none the less. Unfortunately we won't be seeing much more of them but I think you'll like what I have planned for later. And Pietro, I admit, don't know as much about him so kinda stole his personality from the X-Men: Evolution series. Rogue's ability is her story-line in this while Gambit's history is his story, so glad it's working out the way I imagined it would.

Tarsier - LoL, I'm usually getting yelled at over on Beyond about not updating enough. Courier is pretty awesome, only really shows up in the Gambit Unlimted comic series... I could tell you what kind of trouble he gets into with Gambit, but not sure you'd believe me. As for cannon, I can't recall off hand any direct relationship to the Brotherhood but he's kinda one of those neutral mutants that just does what he does, been both a bad guy (with Sabertooth) and good (with X-Men), so making an assumption here in order to set up the characters knowing who he is and not particularly liking him. Bahgdad was just the first random 'over there' city I could think of.


~~~

Chapter Five

St. Petersburg

Twelve establishments so far and nothing for her trouble except three broken hands, not hers, but of the guys who got too close and couldn?t take no for an answer. She?d try one more seedy club before calling it a wash.

Slipping a few Euros to the bartender, she discovered the back room was running a high stakes poker game. At the table was an American with a funny accent. Could be anyone, could be LeBeau, wouldn?t know until she had a look for herself.

Following directions around back she stayed close to the bar, away from the throngs of dancers with their arms flaying about. Just a light brush against her cheek was enough to at least send the person to the ground dizzy and that would only cause a scene. Besides, she had enough thoughts in her head, she didn?t need to add more if she didn?t have to.

A bouncer at the entrance was easily bought off and she walked down the hall to the last door on the left. The room itself was fairly big in size, enough to hold a poker table, wet bar, a sofa and chairs. Several scantily clad women sat around, hanger-ons who likely hoped to go home with the highest winner. Smoke hung heavily in the air from two men who puffed on cigars. At least three bodyguards immediately eyed her as she walked in, assessing if she was a threat.

She was of course, but only to the man who specifically positioned himself with his eye-line to both the door and back entrance so that he could be at a tactical advantage.

?Ah, cheri,? he acknowledged her almost immediately, folding his hand.

?Gumby.? Rogue replied back, the Cajun pausing ever so slightly at the name but then grinning as the winnings went to the player across from him. He didn?t seem bothered by the loss as he had a fairly decent pile in front of him.

?Well, gentlemen,? he directed to the other players, ?looks like Remy only has a couple of hands left in him, if da lady permits.?

?Give me whatever yah stole,? she added casually from across the table, ?and you can keep playing as long as yah merry content.?

He picked up the cards dealt to him by the player to his right, Rogue kept a good watch on the mutant?s hands. ?You don?t even know what it is I stole, petite,?

?Got to be valuable though,? she reasoned, shrugging as she stood with her gloved fingers tucked in her pockets. It wasn?t particular cold in the room, not exactly hot either. The fact she always had to wear gloves, long sleeves, and usually a jacket or scarf to cover her neck, meant she got used to being a few shades of warm all the time. ?I?m sure I can figure something out. Besides, sugah, I?ll have it, and you won?t.?

?Is that all cheri wants from Remy?? he asked as he traded in

 

?Believe? You?? she scoffed, ?Why would I believe anyone who tends ta refer to himself in tha first person??

Love it!!

And I love the scene in the alley-way, with the stolen kiss and Gambit's reasoning for it. Her seeing Henri's death was very well done. And I can just see that ending with her as mad as a rattle-snake and him grinning his angel grin.

Great update and I'll be following it on ff.net during the board down time!!!