Surprise
A Story of Gambit & Rogue
"Hey Remy," she said with a smile on her lips but a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. When Rogue had agreed to their date, she had been ecstatic at first. Days later, since he had been avoiding her, she began to feel apprehension. What was wrong now?
Gambit smiled back at Rogue and carelessly tossed aside his cigarette. "After you, chere," he said as he motioned for her to sit on his Harley. Not romantic, true enough, but she had never minded all that much before.
Her apprehension began to fade somewhat as she sat on his motorcycle and laughed. "Still know how t'treat the ladies, huh Gumbo?"
He shrugged and started the engine. As they took off, he felt her arms wrap around his waist for support. Did she know? Pushing those thoughts away, he simply replied, "De only lady 'round here is you, chere." He glanced back quickly to look at her.
Rogue was beautiful, but especially so tonight. She was dressed in a full-length evening gown of green that only accentuated her eyes, and the curls in her hair were held together with a green ribbon.
He, on the other hand, looked like his usual self. Torn jeans, a white T-shirt, and black leather jacket completed his outfit. He smirked to himself as he turned the corner a little too quickly - just for fun - and parked the Harley at Cafe d' Orleans.
Rogue sighed as she jumped off the bike. "More jumbalaya, Remy? Ah don't think mah stomach can handle it." Her hands on her hips, an eyebrow raised, she waited impatiently.
"Don' you worry none, chere. Everyt'ing gonna be fine tonight."
So, why didn't she feel any better?
The maitre'de took Rogue's green wrap carefully and Remy's leather jacket with disdain. "Do you have a reservation?" he asked them, sarcasm dripping from his lips.
"No, we jus' like ta come and play wit' your head," Remy replied as Rogue poked him in the ribs. "Ow, be careful dere, Rogue!"
She grinned. Remy could be such a scoundrel at times. That was probably the reason she both loved and hated him.
"Oui, reservation for two. LeBeau is de name."
The maitre' de looked in his book, shocked to see there actually was a reservation. "Yes, well...this way please."
"When they were seated and alone, Rogue's impatience got the best of her. "Hey, Cajun?"
"Hmmm?" he replied, thoroughly engrossed in the menu.
"Gambit?" she said, more forcefully.
"Hmmm?"
A new tactic was needed, she thought. "Remy, Sugah, Ah was just wonderin' if ya ain't busy after dinner...well if there was a place we could be alone. If ya catch mah drift." She slid her left shoe off and began running her foot along his jeans, higher and higher and...
"Yes?!?" Startled devil-red eyes looked at her as he dropped the menu and spilled his water everywhere.
Rogue laughed as she slipped her shoe back on. "Gotcha."
He smiled in spite of himself. Little did she know...
A loud crash was heard in the kitchen as two waiters ran out, on fire from head to toe. One was screaming something about a man made of fire as he ran past Rogue and Gambit's table. The two X-Men looked at each other and said the same thing at the same time.
"Pyro!"
Gambit reached into his jeans and opened up a new deck of cards as the rest of the patrons screamed. "Why does dis happen on all our dates, chere?"
Rogue was already up and after the two waiters, trying to help them. "And Ah just bought this dress!" She grabbed the men by their collars and flew them out of the building to the nearby hotel. "Sorry, Sugahs. Hope y'all can swim!" she said as she unceremoniously dropped them into the hotel's swimming pool to put out the fire. A sigh of relief came when she saw they could, in fact, swim...and she quickly flew back to the restaurant.
Gambit by that time had already run into the kitchen with charged cards in hand. It was deserted now except for Pyro, who was standing in the middle of a circle of fire grinning.
"Why're you doin' dis Limey, huh? Teaming up wit' de bad guys, I understand." A charged card was sent flying towards Pyro. "Even robbing banks, I understand." Another card. "But a restaurant? You must be getting desperate."
"You don't have a clue, do you Gambit?" Pyro replied.
"Nope, and he doesn't need one. Ah'll wager you do though," Rogue said from behind Pyro as she landed a punch that sent him flying across the kitchen. He got up, slowly, and smiled.
"Perfect. Now I've got two of you." Pyro smirked as he sent a huge fireball in Gambit's direction.
"Remy, watch out!" Rogue said as she flew in front of Gambit and took the blow of the fireball herself. While her body was invulnerable, she still felt its impact nonetheless and was thrown towards the floor.
"Damn you Pyro, if you've hurt her..." and damn himself, for letting Rogue take the blow that was meant for him. He ran to the set of kitchen knives and began charging them up with kinetic energy. "Alright, I try to be nice to you, but no!" Gambit started throwing the charged knives at him. " 'Dis time, de gloves are off!"
Pyro tried to dodge the knives and threw up a flame-barrier, but a few got through to him anyway. He was knocked unconscious by one as Gambit ran over to Rogue.
"You okay, chere?" he asked, touching her hair as she stood.
"Nothin' hurt but mah pride, Remy," she replied as she walked over to Pyro and stared at him. "He must have followed us here...but why would he be after us?" she pondered.
Gambit shrugged as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it with the fire Pyro had caused in the kitchen. "We're X-Men. Isn't dat reason enough?"
Rogue sighed and grabbed his hand with her gloved one. "Take me outta here, Remy."
He nodded and grabbed their coats as they walked out of the restaurant. Amazingly, the maitre'de was still there, standing in shock. Remy tossed him a quarter as he put on his leather jacket. "Keep de change" he smirked, as the two left the same time the police and fire department arrived.
They got on his Harley and took off. Remy began to wonder if Rogue would even listen to what he had to say after tonight's incident.
"Remy, stop the bike."
He did so immediately and looked at her. Rogue was troubled and didn't know what to say. Except the truth.
"Remy, Ah've been thinking. A lot, lately. 'Bout when Ah left you in Antarctica..." she looked away briefly at that memory. "Ah just don't know if..."
"Shhhh..." he replied, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. She was going to say it, say what he feared most in the world. That they'd be better off without each other. "Don' say it, chere. Don' even think it."
Rogue smiled at him. He could jump to conclusions so easily. "Sugah, you don't even know what Ah'm thinking! So, you 'shhhh' yourself! And lemme finish!"
He stood and threw the cigarette on the ground, stomping it out. He didn't want to face her when she said it.
"What Ah was tryin' t'say was...Ah love you, Remy. But Ah don't know if you can ever forgive me for what Ah did."
He turned and looked at her, his red eyes aglow with mischief. "Is dat all, girl? You had me scared. 'Course I love you, Rogue, you should know dat by now."
"Yes, but..."
"But nothing! I forgave you for Antarctica a long time ago when I realized it was my own fault. Not yours, chere. Never yours."
Rogue stepped off the bike and walked towards him smiling. "Oh, Remy...Ah..."
"No, now I can say 'shhhh' because dere's some'ting I've been wanting to say to you all evening. Basically is de reason for our date."
Rogue's apprehension grew again. She had forgotten about that...the feeling had left her as soon as Pyro had interrupted their dinner. "Remy..."
"Shhhh!" he repeated and she waited.
"I've got news for you. Good news, I hope. I t'ink. De Professor has finally...well, I asked him if I could be de one to tell you..." he ran his hands through his hair nervously.
"Hurry up and tell me, Cajun, before Ah strangle your neck!"
He laughed and held her hands as he whispered, "De Professor has found a way for you to control your powers."
Rogue was dumbfounded. What?! After all these years of hoping and praying and..."You better not be lyin' t'me, Remy, or Ah swear..."
"I'm not lying."
The tears of joy fell down her cheeks as she hugged him. "Ah can't believe it..." she managed to choke out. "Is this why you've been avoidin' me these past few days?"
"Uh-huh. If I saw you, I knew I'd blow de secret. Good surprise, non?"
"Oh, yes! Sugah, Ah..."
"There's more."
She frowned as she wiped away the tears. More? How could there be more? What could...and then Rogue gasped as she saw Remy LeBeau, thief and scoundrel, get on his knees before her. He pulled out of his jeans pocket a ring with a large diamond in the shape of a heart.
"Will you marry me, Rogue?"
She said the first thing that came to mind. "Not if that ring is stolen, Ah won't."
They both laughed as he handed it to her. "My Queen of Hearts," he said.
She held the ring and smiled. " 'Course Ah will marry ya, Remy. If for no other reason than t'make sure you'll behave yourself."
A mock look of innocence spread on his face. "Who me?"
Rogue reached down to pull him up. "Thanks, chere," he replied as he stood. "I was beginning to wonder how long you'd make me stay down dere." They were inches apart from each other as he leaned down to kiss her...
And she didn't stop him.
It was short, a simple brush on the lips since Rogue's powers were still in affect, but neither of them cared. She saw brief flashes of Remy's meetings with the Professor...buying the ring...his nervousness and trying to mask his feelings like usual. As they pulled apart, his red eyes stared into her now green-black ones.
" 'Dis is gonna be fun, non?" Rogue said.
"Oui, chere," Remy replied.
THE END...BUT ONLY THE BEGINNING!