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  o    Kristen's collection                                         o
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  This is the Super Hero Archive. These stories were sent to me by
  friends. I did not write these stories. 

  Many have no author name attached. If you are the author of the
  enclosed work please let me know and I'll remedy the situation.

  This story, and all the stories in this archive are meant to be
  free. They where sent freely and should remain public domain.


                          Rogue and Gambit
                          By Author Unknown


   "Professor?"

   Charles Xavier looked up from his desk. "Yes, Gambit?"

   "Can I talk with you alone for a few minutes?"

   "Certainly."

   Gambit entered the study, closing the door behind him. "I need
your advice about something that I'm planning."

   Xavier frowned. "This plan wouldn't happen to involve Rogue,
would it?"

   "Yes, it does." Gambit paused for a moment, looking as close to
uncertain as Xavier had ever seen him. "May I sit down?", he asked,
doing so at Xavier's nod.

   "You know that Rogue's been becoming a bit unstable lately."

   "Yes, I know. While I have trouble directly reading her mind, I
have noticed that the other team members have been on edge when
she's around. I haven't been able to get any clear impressions,
though. Could you fill me in?"

   "Well, it's been little things that are adding up. Her temper
seems to be running a bit hotter than usual. She's taking too many
risks, both in training and in actual combat. She's becoming much
too violent than is normal for her. I honestly think that if our
last few foes had been ordinary humans rather than mutants, she
might have killed someone accidentally."

   Xavier nodded. "That fits in with the images that I was getting.
What do you think is the cause?"

   "Me."

   Xavier gave Gambit a blank look. "I'm afraid I don't
understand."

   "You know that Rogue and I have become involved over the past
few months."

   "Give me _some_ credit, Gambit. I have eyes."

   "Then you also know what she's going through because of it."

   "Well, I know that she's been under a great deal of strain..."

   "That's a mild way of putting it. She's been nasty to everybody
in both teams, and everybody's afraid to talk to her for fear
she'll tear something apart. Maybe them."

   Xavier sat in silence for a few minutes, considering. "I have an
important question for you, Gambit. Please answer it honestly. I
promise you that I won't mentally affect your answer in any way."

   "All right."

   "Do you love her?"

   "Yes," Gambit answered immediately, "I do. That's why I have to
_do_ something for her! She's tearing herself apart, and there's
nothing I can do about it! I hate seeing her in pain, Xavier. I
have an idea that might work, but I have to find a way for her to
agree to it, and she's been avoiding me because of the way I make
her feel. Professor, you've had more experience with her than I do,
and I have to admit that you're the smartest man I know. What do I
do?" He slumped into his chair.

   Xavier brooded for a minute. "Gambit," he asked, "are you
willing to take the risk that she will absorb your personality?
Perhaps permanently?"

   "Yes," he answered, "if I stand any chance of helping her. I've
already lost one woman that I loved. I don't want to lose Rogue."

   Xavier took out a Post-It Note, wrote something down on it,  and
handed it to Gambit. "Can you get to this location in the next
twenty-four hours?"

   Gambit looked at it. "Yes. I have some connections that can get
me there."

   "Good. Here's what you're going to do..."

    As Gambit left the study, he caught a whiff of cigar smoke. He
sighed. "What is it, Wolverine?"

   The enigmatic Canadian stepped out of the shadows of the hall.
"I overheard you and Xavier. I want to make something clear between
us. Rogue is going to be in a very vulnerable position if this plan
of yours goes through. I don't want to see her get hurt. If she
does, you answer to me." With that, he popped out his claws with
their characteristic SNIKT! "Understand, Cajun?"

   Gambit looked at Wolverine steadily. "I want to help her. If I
hurt her, I won't try to stop you. I have to get going."

    Rogue was flying at a leisurely pace, heading due west.
Xavier's instructions had been puzzling, she thought, but she knew
better than to defy the man. She pulled the note out of her uniform
jacket again, looking at it:

        "Rogue: You are to rendezvous with an individual in order
to gain some information which is of vital importance. This mission
is COVERT. You are to be incognito. You are to pack the following:

   1. Your best dress

   2. Makeup kit

   3. Two changes of clothes



   It is likely that you may have to spend several days at this
location. I suggest packing some toiletries.

   Good luck.

                                                  Xavier

   On the back of the note was a set of coordinates. Rogue had
memorized the location before setting out, and her communicator
gave her present position.

   Rogue noticed that she was nearing the rendezvous point and
started to slow down. Looking about her, she saw that the only
landmark to be seen was a small cabin, with smoke drifting lazily
from the chimney. She decided to land there.

   Looking at the front door of the cabin, she saw a folded piece
of paper with a prominent 'X' on it. She removed it and opened it
up:

   "Rogue: your contact will arrive shortly. You are to go inside,
put on the dress, and wait. Xavier."

   Rogue shrugged, confused, and went inside.

   The interior of the cabin was lit by candlelight. A fireplace,
with logs blazing merrily, was set in one wall. A table was set in
the center of the cabin, with plates and silverware for two. A
small kitchen was in one corner of the building. A large fur rug
lay in front of the fireplace, with a small, plush sofa behind it,
facing the fire. An open door revealed a small bathroom, and
another, shut door was next to it.

   Rogue looked about her, trying to find any clues as to the
purpose of the entire situation. She was tempted to open the closed
door, but decided that Xavier knew what he was doing. She sighed,
exasperated, went into the bathroom, and started to undress. She
looked, nervously, at the front door, and decided  to shut the
bathroom door.

   It took Rogue about ten minutes to change and put her face on.
Her dress was an exact duplicate of the one which she had worn on
the day that Omega Red had attacked. When she was done, she cleaned
up after herself and entered the main room again. She sat down at
the table and waited.

   After about ten minutes, there was a knock at the front door.
She got up, walked to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it.

   Gambit stood there, dressed in a tuxedo, holding a bouquet of
roses. "May I come in, chere?" he asked.

   "Okay," Rogue said, "I am officially stumped. Gambit, what the
hell are you doing here?"

   "I'm your contact," he replied.

   "My contact !?! What'd you do, put a gun to Xavier's head?"

   "Just trust me, chere," Gambit said, and entered the cabin. He
went over to the oven, which Rogue realized was on, and looked
inside. "Good. Dinner's almost ready."

   "Now wait a minute. You made me trek all the way over here just
to keep that dinner date that we missed?"

   "Well, you're wearing the same dress, aren't you?"

   "That has nothing to do with it! I should..."

   "Hush, chere," he interrupted. "Just have dinner with me, and I
promise to explain everything afterwards."

   Rogue fumed for a few seconds. "What did you make?"

   "Duck l'Orange."

   "Deal."

    They ate in silence. Rogue had tasted Gambit's Cajun cooking
before (and drank about a quart of water later when he wasn't
watching), but she had no idea that he was this good at ordinary
French cuisine. The duck was delicious, and the chocolate mousse
that he had produced from the refrigerator was heavenly. The
tension in the room, however, had increased to a tangible level
during the course of dinner.

   "Okay," she said after they were done. "What's this all about?"

   "Xavier decided that you needed a vacation. I offered to provide
you with a few days rest. Besides, I felt we needed to talk."

   "There's nothing for us to talk about," she said tightly.

   "I think there is. Look, Rogue, we can't keep our relationship
at the state it's in now. It's not good for you and it's not good
for the team. You're coiled tight as a spring, and you're going to
snap soon if you don't do something about it."

   "And what do you suggest I do?" said Rogue, her voice breaking.
"Damn it, what do you want from me? The one thing that I want from
you, the one thing that I need most of all, is the one thing I
can't have!" Tears started to fall down her face.

   "Do you think I don't want it?" she continued, sobbing. "Do you
have any idea how much I do? All I want is a kiss, a caress, a hug,
a goddamn pat on the back! The only time anyone touches me
willingly is when they're punching me through a wall. The one time
I was finally rid of it for good, they..." Her sobs became frantic,
coming close to a wail.

   Gambit felt totally helpless against this display of emotion. He
had steeled himself for all possible reactions, he thought, but he
was not prepared for this. Not knowing what else to do, he put his
hand on her covered shoulder. "What did they do, chere?" he asked.

   Rogue slowly composed herself. "Do you remember that time we
were in Genosha?"

   "Yeah," he said, "but it's something I'd like to forget."

   "It wasn't my first time there. Wolverine and I were ambushed
and taken there once before, before you joined the team."

   "I didn't know that."

   "Neither of us likes to talk about it much. Wolverine almost
died there."

   "Died? I thought the man was practically immortal."

   "There was a mutant there named Wipeout who could erase the
mutant powers of others. Wolvie and I both lost our powers for a
few days." She paused, hesitant to go on.

   "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Gambit said
gently.

   "I want to. I want you to understand. I don't want any secrets
between us."

   "I was placed in a cell alone. A pair of guards came in during
the night. They..." She fell apart.

   Gambit quickly put on the gloves he had kept in a pocket of his
jacket, and pulled Rogue's head to his chest. He was crying as
well.

   "It wasn't your fault, chere," he said soothingly, "there wasn't
anything you could do."

   "I should have done something," she croaked out. "I should have
been able to fight back."

   "Don't worry," he said, gritting his teeth. "I'll take care of
it."

   "No! I don't want anyone else to know! You have to promise to
keep this a secret between us!"

   "All right," he said reluctantly, "I promise."

   They sat there, Rogue's head in Gambit's lap, for a long time.
Finally Rogue got up, composed herself, and looked at Gambit
lovingly.

   "Thank you," she said. "I've needed to let someone know for a
long time."

   "Why didn't you tell Xavier?"

   "I thought about it for a while, but I was afraid he'd think
that I was too broken up by it to stay on the team."

   "Why not Wolverine, then?"

   "I wanted to be able to deal with this myself. Besides,
Wolverine has had too much in his own life to deal with lately. I
didn't want to burden him with mine. I just hope he never finds
out. He'll destroy a lot of innocent people in a quest for revenge.
I just want to leave it behind me now."

   They sat there, talking quietly and honestly, for several hours.
While Gambit was reassuring her again, insisting that she had done
nothing wrong, Rogue fell asleep on his lap. Gambit picked her up,
put her to bed, and fell asleep on the sofa.

   The next morning, Rogue awoke to the smell of frying bacon.  She
got up, changed into jeans, a T-shirt, and a turtleneck, put on her
gloves, and went out to see Gambit.

   "How do you like your eggs, chere?"

   "Over easy, please."

   Gambit fried her two eggs, serving them to her with hash browns
and coffee. He let her eat in silence, waiting until she was done
to talk to her.

   "Are you feeling any better?"

   "A little. It just felt good to be able to open up like that. I
really needed that, Remy. Thank you."

   "What do you want to do today?"

   "Do we have to do anything? I mean, couldn't we just walk around
here for a while and talk?"

   He smiled. "No problem. I'll pack us a lunch."



   They spent most of the morning wandering around the woods,
talking with one another, each trying to fill in their gaps of
knowledge about the other.

   "There's not much I can tell you about my childhood," Rogue
said. "I've absorbed the memories of so many other people over the
years, I'm not sure what memories are mine anymore. The only ones
I can really be sure about are the ones which come after I got back
from the Savage Land."

   "Why's that?" Gambit replied.

   "Because I haven't absorbed anyone since then. I lost my powers
for a while when I was there, and I've been very careful not to use
them since I got them back."

   "Well, growing up in a thieves' guild isn't exactly what I'd
call the most stable way for a kid to grow up. I spent most of my
life running from the cops. I wasn't very good when I first started
out."

   "Did you ever go to jail?"

   "I wound up in a youth center for a while. It wasn't the nicest
place to spend an adolescence."

   "Were you ever hurt?"

   "No. The guild emphasized staying in shape, so I was able to
take care of myself. How does this spot look for our picnic?"

   They had stopped at the edge of a small lake. A gentle breeze
was carrying the smell of the evergreens. A sheltered, mossy knoll
was nearby, covered in shade.

   "Looks good to me," said Rogue. "Let's eat."

   Gambit spread out a checkered sheet and they sat down. As he
took out the food, Rogue realized that the menu looked familiar.
"Hey, wait a minute. Isn't this the meal I cooked for you the last
time we had a picnic?"

   "That's right. Given what happened that day, I thought that we
deserved a second chance at the whole thing."

   "You promise that no former loves of yours are going to pop out
of the trees?"

   "Promise."

   They ate quietly, both lost in thought. Rogue seemed much calmer
than she had been the previous night. After they had finished, she
flopped onto her back.

   "Whew!" she said. "I'm stuffed!"

   "Are you sure you don't want dessert?"

   Rogue smiled slightly, getting an idea of what was going to
happen. "What do we have?"

   "Boysenberry pie."

   Her smile widened. "Why, yes. I'd love some."

   Gambit took out a large pie. "Here. You can slice it," he said,
giving it to her.

   Rogue held it in her hands, judging the weight. "I have a better
idea," she said innocently.

   "What's that?"

   *SPLAT!*

   Gambit sat there, pie crust sticking to his face, as Rogue
collapsed onto her back, laughing hysterically. "Justice has been
served!" she shouted.

   Gambit, looking as dignified as one could under the
circumstances, said stiffly, "This does not bother me, chere. Do
you know why?"

   "No, why?" she said, giggling.

   "I made more than one pie," he replied evilly.

   She stopped laughing.

   *SPLAT!*

   Now it was Gambit's turn to laugh like a lunatic. "I _knew_ you
were going to do that, chere!"

   Rogue got up slowly, looking innocently at him. "Tell me, dear,"
she said seductively, "is that water deep enough to swim in?"

   He looked at her appraisingly. "Yes, I checked. Why?"

   "Just making sure," she said, smiling. With that, she picked him
up and tossed him into the lake. He turned in mid-leap, however,
turning his dive into a cannonball which soaked Rogue as well.

   Rogue sputtered as Gambit resurfaced. "Tell me, Remy... is there
any particular charity that you're fond of? Or would you simply
prefer flowers?"

   "Oh, quit complaining and jump in! The water's fine!"

   She stood there for a moment, considering it. "You have to
promise to keep your distance. I'm not the world's greatest
swimmer, and I don't want to absorb you accidentally because I'm
thrashing around."

   "Deal."

   Rogue removed her shirt and slipped out of her boots and jeans,
leaving her in a T-shirt and panties.

   "If you take off much more, chere, I might not be able to keep
that promise."

   "Just keep back, you pervert," Rogue said cheerfully, and dived
in. She stayed under for a few seconds, surfacing about eight feet
away from Gambit.

   "What did I tell you?" exclaimed Gambit. "Perfect!"

   "Nah, I've made better dives."

   "I wasn't talking about the dive, chere."

   "That's sweet. Bullshit, but sweet."

   They swam around for a time, splashing each other and laughing.
Eventually, they both climbed out and, facing head-to- head, sunned
themselves on a large rock.

   "How do you feel now?" Gambit asked her after a time.

   "Ummm, much better," said Rogue lazily. "I haven't been able to
relax this much in a long time."

   "Well, why don't you relax on your own for a little while? I
have to get started on dinner. I'll call you when it's almost
done."

   "All right," she replied. After a moment's reflection, she sat
up and asked him, "Are we alone out here, Remy?"

   "Yep. Xavier owns the land for miles around. Apparently, he's
had this place for years. He says he keeps it in case the  X-Men
need to hide out for a while. The land is fenced off around the
perimeter. Why?"

   "Just asking. Can you do me a favor?"

   "Sure, what?"

   "When it's time for dinner, can you shout ahead and give me some
notice when you come to let me know?"

   He shrugged. "No problem. It should be a few hours anyway. Try
to stay out of trouble, chere." With that, he walked off in the
direction of the cabin.

   Rogue waited until he was out of sight, then slipped out of the
rest of her clothes and jumped back into the lake. She had
skinny-dipped all the time when she was growing up in the bayous of
Mississippi, but had been forced to abandon that guilty pleasure
after developing her powers and joining the X-Men. To be able to do
it now felt glorious, reminding the young woman of a simpler,
happier time in her life.

   Rogue bobbed happily in the water for a while, letting her body
float. She then decided to try some inventive diving, using her
flight powers to do maneuvers which would have earned her gold
medals at any swim competition. After climbing out and sunning
herself on the rock again, she started to become drowsy from the
heat, and sank into a meditative state.

   She thought back to Gambit's kindness the previous night. She
could admit to herself now that she was in love with him, but she
found that she was afraid to take the next step. Was she ready to
commit herself to a man who had only recently come into her life?
More importantly, was it fair to ask him to remain with a woman who
he could never be intimate with?

   She had never told anyone, but Rogue had seen more of Gambit
than he probably realized. A few weeks earlier, she had been flying
back from town late at night when she just happened to buzz by
Gambit's room. The curtains of his room were open, and it appeared
that he had been coming out of the shower. He was clothed only in
a towel, which he proceeded to remove in order to dry himself. The
bright lights of his room reflected off the window, allowing her to
view him unobserved. She had gazed at his body longingly until he
went to bed and turned off the lights, at which point she had flown
back to her room and masturbated in a frenzy, sobbing regretfully
all the while.

   She had been too ashamed to tell anyone, and avoided the team
telepaths for several days afterward. Thinking back to that day,
however, was arousing her again, and nobody was around to interrupt
her this time. The heat which was building between her legs was
becoming too insistent to ignore. She looked about to make sure
that she was alone. Reassured, she lay back again, bending her
knees so that her feet were flat on the rock.

   She began by slowly and lightly stroking her face and neck,
imagining that her fingers were Gambit's. She felt the feathery
touch of his caress moving slowly down her throat towards her
chest. They tantalizingly circled each breast, moving slowly upward
towards their peaks. As she felt them pinch her nipples, she let
out a soft moan, overcome by the sensations. Inching down her
stomach, they caused her to arch her back as she shivered with
pleasure. They grazed the sides of her hips, and started to move
down her legs, but then stopped, moving back up towards her sex.
They brushed softly through the curls of hair to be found there,
sending the most delicate signals to her brain. Tracing lightly
through the auburn locks, they moved slowly towards her labia. They
lightly traced the edge of her lower lips, knowing the exact spot
which would bring her over the edge, but then skirted around it,
leaving her craving for resolution.

   Rogue pictured Gambit's body in her mind, visualized him
standing before her, taking her gently into his arms, bathing her
body with caresses, drowning her in kisses. His hands moved slowly
down her body, joining hers at her sex, where they expertly played
counterpoint to her own efforts.

   The wind blowing over the lake became his breath, flowing over
her naked body. That sensation of engulfment sent her over the
edge. She came in loud gasps, writhing in ecstacy, losing all sense
of outside awareness.

   As she came down from her plateau, she was overcome by a wave of
pleasant exhaustion. Her last thought before dozing off was that it
was a good thing her invulnerability protected her from sunburn.

   The next thing she knew, she heard Gambit's voice in the
distance, calling her name. She moved like lightning, grabbing her
clothes and diving back into the lake all in one motion. She stayed
underneath the water, putting her T-shirt and panties on quickly
while holding her breath. When she surfaced, Gambit was just coming
out of the cover of the trees.

   "Chere! Dinner's almost ready. I thought you might want to wash
up and change before we ate."

   "Uh, yeah... thanks," Rogue said uneasily. "I'll be there in a
few minutes."

   "All right." He looked at her curiously. "Is something wrong?"

   "No," she said, trying to look innocent. "Why do you ask?"

   Gambit looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head, as
if he was disregarding what he saw. "No reason. You'd better hurry
it up." With that he walked off.

   As soon as he was out of sight, Rogue waded back to shore and
got dressed. She decided to beat Gambit to the cabin, and flew off
at top speed. When she got there, she threw off her clothes and
jumped into the shower, making sure that she scrubbed away the
remaining scent of her recent activity. She found a towel after a
moment's search through the cabinets, dried herself off until her
skin achieved a rosy glow, and styled her hair in a fashion which
she hoped would appeal to Gambit. She then wrapped herself in the
towel and opened the bathroom door.

   Gambit was at the kitchen counter, his back to her, slicing some
vegetables. "You all done?" he asked, not looking at her.

   "Yeah," she replied. "Don't turn around."

   "Wouldn't think of it."

   "And put down the mirror."

   "Damn."

   She went to the bedroom and closed the door, then changed into
her other set of clothes: jeans, cowboy boots, and an off-
the-shoulder blouse. She made certain to put her gloves on, put her
things away, and walked out.

   "Need any help with dinner?" she asked him.

   "Nope, just finished," he said, dumping the vegetables into a
pot of boiling water. "You can set the table, though."

   "All right. What's the main course?" she asked.

   "Well, I decided to try something fancy. I hope it turned out
okay."

   "What is it?"

   "Veal mousse baked inside a beef ribcage."

   "That must have been expensive."

   "Only the best for you, chere."

   She blew him a kiss. Gambit blinked. "You know, that's the first
physical sign of affection I've seen from you since we met."

   A stricken look came over Rogue's face. "I'm sorry."

   "There's no need to be, chere," he said gently. "You had to
learn to repress physical actions that the rest of us take for
granted. It's going to take a long time to break that self-
conditioning.

   "Break it? What do you mean?"

   "Ask me that again after dinner. Looks like the vegetable course
is almost done."

   "But you just put them in."

   "I was just blanching them."

   "Where'd you learn to cook, anyway?"

   "Part of being a good thief is being able to hide in plain
sight. The guild made sure that I learned a lot of different skills
so that I could lay low for a while if the situation with the law
got too dangerous. I apprenticed for about a year under a gourmet
chef. I picked up a few things, and taught myself after that."

   "Did you ever think of going straight?"

   "A few times. My heart just wasn't in it. I'm a devious little
weasel by nature. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if my
parents had raised me to be a stockbroker or something like that.
I might have been the next Michael Milkin."

   "I'm trying to picture you in a suit and tie. I just can't see
it."

   "Neither can I. There, the vegetables are done. Let's eat."

   The meal proved to be as delicious as the previous night's. The
meat was cooked to perfection, and the dessert, chocolate- covered
cream puffs, was a meal all on its own. When she was done, Rogue
leaned back in her chair. "If you keep stuffing me like this, I'll
have to double up on Danger Room sessions just to keep from
blimping out. Why don't you cook like this back at the mansion?"

   "Oh, sure, and have everyone expecting this kind of cooking all
the time? 'I find my life is easier the lower I keep everyone's
expectations.'"

   "Who said that?"

   "Calvin," he said, grinning.

   "Cute. What's next?"

   "Is sitting on the rug in front of the fireplace too cliched for
you?"

   "I think I could live with it."

   Gambit waited for her to get comfortable on the rug, then poured
glasses of champagne for both of them. "Here you go, chere."

   "Thanks", she said, sipping at the drink. "Now, what's all this
about 'breaking my conditioning?'"

   Gambit's face suddenly became very serious. "Rogue, I want you
to listen to what I have to say very carefully. I'm going to ask
you to make one of the most important decisions of your life, and
I want you to know what you could be letting yourself in for."

   A worried frown came to Rogue's face. "What do you mean?"

   He looked straight into her green eyes. "I love you, Rogue. I
think you've known that for a while, although I never got up the
courage to say it before. I want to do whatever I can to make you
happy, whatever the risk. For the past few months, I've been
talking with the scientific geniuses of the super-hero world,
trying to see if there was any way to permanently remove your
powers, or at least find some way for you to keep them under your
conscious control."

   Rogue swallowed. "What did you find out?"

   "Well, Tony Stark said that his research wasn't running in that
direction, and Doctor Doom wouldn't return my calls. Reed Richards
did talk to me, but the news that he gave me wasn't very
optimistic."

   "What news was that?"

   "Because we're mutants, the energy that our cells carry is a
vital part of the natural energy balance of our body's nervous
systems. Altering that energy causes changes in the energy pattern
of the organism. It doesn't do much in the short term, but
disrupting your powers with some kind of outside agent could cause
cancer, a breakdown of your nervous system, maybe even death in the
long run."

   Tears started to form in Rogue's eyes. "Then there's nothing we
can do, is there?"

   "Hold on a minute. After I talked with Richards, an idea hit me.
What do you do if someone is being electrocuted?"

   "Well, you grab something nonconductive to hold them with."

   "Exactly! If the circuit isn't complete, you can't get shocked.
Well, what if we break the circuit of your power?"

   "I don't get it."

   "I'll be right back. Don't move." Gambit got up and went back to
the kitchen, opened the cabinet underneath the sink, and pulled out
a large, wrapped gift box. He brought it to Rogue. "Open it."

   Rogue untied the ribbon and opened the box. She pulled out a
large sheet, made of white satin. "What am I supposed to do with
this?" she asked, confused.

   Gambit took it from her, and held a large length of it directly
in front of her face.

   "This."

   He quickly draped the sheet over her head, pulled her to him,
and kissed her full on the lips.

   She was shocked for several seconds, then was forced to inhale
in order to breathe. The pressure of Gambit's lips on hers was
luxurious. While she had kissed others in order to absorb their
powers and memories countless times before, she had to limit her
contact with them in order to avoid a permanent transfer, so the
entire process never took more than a few seconds. Gambit's kiss,
however, was long and lingering, and full of passion rather than
the panic which was the usual reaction of those who she had
absorbed over the years. She wrapped her arms around him and held
him tightly, wishing the moment would never end.

   Gambit, however, eventually had to breathe, and he broke the
contact.

   "I wasn't sure how you would take that," he said, panting.

   "What do you mean?" she replied, still somewhat in shock from
what had just transpired.

   "Well, some people might consider what I just did to be sexual
harassment. After all, I didn't ask your permission before I did
it. Are you angry at me?" he asked, worried.

   "Angry? How could I be angry? That was the most wonderful thing
that's ever happened to me! I haven't been able to maintain contact
with someone for that long in years! How did you think of doing
that?"

   "Well..." he said reluctantly, looking embarrassed, "remember
how I told you I had a lot of different jobs before meeting Storm
and the other X-Men?"

   "Yeah."

   "Well... I was once the bartender at a place that billed itself
as an 'exotic dance club'."

   "Uh huh."

   "Come on, chere, I'm a thief. Maybe you were expecting my
background to include psychiatric training? I had to work in some
places in order to survive that I wouldn't be caught dead in now."

   "Just go on with the story, Remy."

   "Well, there was a dancer there who was incredibly pretty, but
she was also very shy. She knew a lot about the way men think,
though. She had to find a way to entertain the customers without
actually coming into contact with them. Finally, she came up with
several ideas that worked."

   "Like what?"

   "Well, she became a very good fan dancer, for example. She
worked with a lot of backlight, so her silhouette was all that was
visible. The customers were usually entertained, and she never had
to embarrass herself. But what got me thinking was the other method
she used. She used a sheet instead of her fans in order to do more,
ah, inventive dance moves so that the customers would throw more
money on stage. I decided that if she could use a sheet as a
barrier to sight, than you could use one as a barrier to touch."

   "Makes sense. I wonder why I never thought of it."

   "Probably because you had trouble being objective about the
whole thing. They're your powers, so any ideas that you might have
had about them would be from a subjective point of view. I've been
watching you ever since I joined the team..."

   "I noticed."

   "Ha ha. I realized that you had conditioned yourself so well
that you avoided touching anyone even when fully clothed. You
hadn't just associated touching anyone with your bare skin as
something to be avoided, you had generalized it into an avoidance
of touching anyone, period. That's probably why it never occurred
to you to try this."

   "I thought you said you didn't have any psychological training."

   "I started reading up on the subject when I came up with this
idea. I wanted to be sure that I wouldn't hurt you because I didn't
know what I was doing."

   "So what do we do now?"

   "I'm leaving that up to you. If you want, I'll pack everything
up and we'll head back to the mansion right now."

   "You have got to be kidding. Remy LeBeau, you just taught me how
to deal with what's been the curse of my life. You expect me to
just get up and go home?" She sat, thoughtful, for a few moments,
then asked him, "Did you bring your costume with you?"

   "Yeah, but it's still packed, why?"

   "Can you get a few of your throwing spikes for me?"

   Gambit looked confused for a moment. "I don't understand."

   "Just do it. I'll explain in a minute."

   He shrugged, saying "All right," got up, and went to the
bedroom.

   "There's a CD player in my bag. Could you get that, too?"

   "Got them," he replied, walking back in after a few seconds.

   "Give me the spikes," she told him, while spreading out the
sheet as wide as it could go.

   He handed them to her "What are you planning?"

   She gave him an impish smile. "Trust me."

   Rogue flew up to the beam directly above them, which spanned the
width of the cabin. She laid the edge of the sheet flat against the
beam, and pinned it into place with the spikes. When she was done,
the sheet was suspended from the ceiling, blocking Gambit's view of
the fireplace. Even folded in half, a lot of it was bunched up on
the floor. "Move the sofa back and sit down," she advised. He did
so. Rogue looked at the CD in her player, advancing it to the place
that she wanted. She cleared her throat, then said somewhat loudly:

   "Ladies and gentlemen..."

   "I don't see any of either here," Gambit interrupted.

   She ignored that. "Tonight, for the first time anywhere, we are
proud to present to you the Siren of the South, the Daughter of
Dixie, the Beauty of the Bayou, the one and only... Rogue!" She
started the player. Ray Charles began singing "Georgia on My Mind."
Gambit clapped and started wolf-whistling.

   Rogue stood behind the sheet, knowing that only her silhouette
was visible to Gambit. She started a slow, sinuous dance which
caused her shadow, enhanced by the fireplace, to slide all over the
sheet. She looked down, however, then stopped the player.

   "What's wrong?" asked Gambit.

   "This is going to be pretty tough to do with these boots on.
Give me a sec." She sat down on the floor, tugged off her boots,
and tossed them into the bedroom. She then stood back up. "We'll
take it again from the top."

   "You know, if this was back at the bar, you probably would have
been fired for that."

   "If this was back at the bar, it wouldn't be a free show."

   "Point taken."

   She reset the player, and began again. She glided slowly along
the length of the sheet, turned to her side and arched her back,
stretching her arms above her head. She then lowered her arms,
peeled off her gloves, and, looking from behind the curtain at
Gambit, tossed them at him. After a few more minutes of dancing,
she twirled about, then slowly lifted her blouse over her head and
removed it. She looked around the curtain at Gambit again, holding
the blouse in her hand. "You want?" she asked him seductively.

   "I want!" he exclaimed, grinning. She tossed the blouse to him.
He caught it easily, then looked at it critically. "Maybe I can
start a collection."

   "I think that could be arranged. I wonder if the Danger Room
could be programmed to simulate a strip bar."

   "I don't know, but I'd love to see the look on the Professor's
face when you ask him."

   Rogue doubled over in laughter at that. "Well, since I've gone
this far," she giggled, "I guess I should keep going."

   "Should I start tossing dollar bills towards you?"

   "Can I keep them?"

   "We'll talk about it," he replied.

   She moved her hands down her bare chest - she had not worn a bra
- towards her waist. She began unbuttoning her jeans, bumping her
hips as she did so in order to add a bit of showmanship. Gambit's
whistles told her that she was obviously doing a good job of it. As
she slid the jeans off, she let them bunch up around her feet, and
struck a pose for him. She then picked them up and threw them to
him.

   "Well?" she asked him, looking around the curtain. "Should I go
for broke?"

   "I would be highly appreciative," he replied dryly.

   She grinned at that and ducked back behind the curtain. She ran
her hands up and down her body one last time, then slipped out of
her panties, leaving herself nude. She then tossed them to Gambit.
"Well, that's it," she said slyly. "What shall I do next?"

   "Rogue," Gambit said softly, "come out from behind there.
Please. I want to see you. Not a shadow or an image. You."

   Rogue was taken slightly aback. "I don't know if I can."

   "Please don't be afraid. I just want to see you, that's all.
I'll stay right here, I promise."

   "All... all right."

   She stepped out from behind the curtain and faced him, silently.
He gazed at her for several seconds, and then tears started to form
in his eyes. Rogue became very confused. "What's wrong?" she asked
him softly.

   It took him a moment to respond. "God, you're beautiful," he
choked out. He sat there, silently, for a few more seconds, then
got up. "Just stand there," he told her. "Don't move." He walked
around her several times, looking her up and down.

   Rogue was surprised to find that she was not in the least bit
embarrassed. She was, in fact, relieved. Most of her previous
episodes of nudity had occurred during combat, when she had no
control of her exposure to others. Now, however, she was in charge
of the situation, and she knew that she was with someone who would
not pose any threat to her. That feeling of security was a welcome
relief.

   "I've dreamed about what you looked like," said Gambit, "but I
never knew..." He composed himself, then said "Wait a minute." He
grabbed the sheet and tried to pull it down, but found that the
nails were holding it in place. "Can you get this down?" he asked
her.

   "No problem," she said. "Step back." She walked up to the sheet,
floated up to where she had placed the spikes, and pulled them out.
The sheet fell onto the floor. Gambit took it and spread it out on
top of the rug, with most of its length going beyond it onto the
hardwood floor. "What are you doing?" Rogue asked him.

   "You'll see," he replied. "Lie down. On your back."

   She did so. "Relax your body completely," he told her. "Let me
do all the work." He then picked up the free end of the sheet and
covered her with it. The size of the sheet was such that she was
covered from head to toe, with about two yards to spare to all
sides.

   "What are you going to do?" she asked.

   "Whatever you want," he answered gently.

   "Kiss me again." He kneeled down beside her and did so. Rogue
took the initiative this time, trying to keep him in contact with
her through lip pressure alone. They stayed together for a long
time, leaving them both breathless.

   "Stand up," she told him. When he did so, she peered out from
under the sheet. "Your turn now. I want to see you, too."

   "Okay. But I want you to understand something first."

   "What's that?"

   "All of this, this whole thing, I've done for you. The purpose
of tonight is to bring you pleasure. That's my first priority. I
just want you to do what makes you feel good. Tonight I'm going to
indulge you completely. I want you to be completely selfish for the
next few hours. You've denied yourself for far too long. Don't
worry about me."

   "All right."

   He got up and unbuttoned his flannel shirt, throwing it onto the
sofa. He peeled off his T-shirt, then sat down on the floor and
removed his boots and socks. He then stood up, unbuttoned his
jeans, and pulled them down. He stood for a moment clad only in a
pair of briefs, through which it was made readily apparent that he
was aroused.

   "Looks like I'm not the only one getting pleasure out of this,"
she said archly.

   Gambit looked down in consternation, then turned around and
opened the front of his briefs. "Down, boy," he said. Rogue doubled
up in laughter.

   He turned around. "So, you think that's funny, do you?" he said
sarcastically. Rogue was too breathless to answer him. "This,
chere, means war!" With that he pounced onto the floor next to her
and started tickling her with a vengeance.

   "NO!" she cried, reacting to his tickling by laughing like a
maniac. He kept her in torment for a few seconds, then stopped. She
didn't move for a few seconds, but tried to catch her breath. "Oh,
you fink... I'm going to get you for that."

   "Not tonight, you're not. Now just turn over and relax." He
covered her up with the sheet again after she did so. He then ran
his fingers over her head, massaging her scalp through the sheet.
The sheerness of the satin acted as an oil would otherwise,
becoming a medium for friction. Rogue just closed her eyes and
purred deliciously.

   "Keep your eyes closed," he advised her. "I want you to do
nothing but feel."

   He moved down to her neck, and made small circles on her
shoulders using a bit of pressure. Her spine was next to be served,
as his fingers traced its edge on either side. He moved down to the
small of her back, then back up, widening his strokes so that the
whole of her lower back was kneaded and stroked. Her shoulders were
expertly ministered to, and he lightly traced his way down to her
ass and legs. He kneaded her ass as he would a piece of bread
dough, and elicited a small moan from her.

   "Like that?" he asked. Rogue could only let out a soft,
contented hum in reply. He rubbed the backs of her knees, then
moved up slightly, moving his hands from the insides of her upper
legs upward towards him. Taking hold of each ankle in turn, through
the sheet, he bent each of her legs back, flexing the knees. He
then moved down to her feet, where he followed the arches, then
playfully tweaked each of her toes, causing a bit of giggling in
the process.

   "Turn over," he said gently. She did so, and after adjusting the
sheet somewhat, he took care of her upper thighs, then moved up to
her hips, where he moved along their edge and then advanced towards
her stomach.

   "You missed a spot," she told him.

   "We'll take care of that in time," he replied, then began making
wide circles around her stomach, making sure to contact all of her
belly muscles. "I wonder if your bellybutton is ticklish," he said
idly.

   "Let's not find out," she replied.

   "Oh," he pouted, "you're no fun." He moved up to her chest, and
traced the edges of her breasts in a figure-eight motion, moving
slowly up towards her nipples. Taking them one at a time, he placed
his thumbs on her nipples, and moved down the hills of her breasts
repeatedly, making a star pattern. This caused Rogue to arch her
back slightly, humming again. He then moved up to her neck again,
lightly tracing the outline of her throat. He cupped her chin in
her hands, and stroked its underside. Following the ridge of her
jawbone up her cheeks, he firmly rubbed the bones behind her ears.
He then lightly massaged her temples, moved his hands firmly up her
forehead, and finally glided his thumbs softly across her closed
eyelids. He ended the massage by kissing both of her eyes, and
finally kissed her deeply on the lips. "It's over, chere," he said.
"You can come out now."

   Rogue slowly roused herself. Gambit was surprised to see tears
in her eyes when she removed the sheet from her head. "Are you all
right?" he asked.

   "I couldn't possibly feel more right," she said languidly. "I
never thought I would ever feel anything like that in my life. Oh,
thank you, Remy. This has been the most wonderful experience I've
ever had."

   "Well, we're not done yet," he replied. "Come on, get up."

   Rogue slowly stood up, and untangled herself from the sheet.
"Now what?"

   "Spread out the sheet again over here, near the wall." She did
so. He measured off about two feet with his hands. "Now sit down,
with your feet at about here."

   After she had done so, he walked behind her and picked up the
remainder of the sheet, then draped it over her head, fully
covering her body.

   "What am I supposed to do now?" she asked.

   "Wait a sec," he said. Rogue heard a small "oomph" just behind
her as Gambit sat down. She felt his arms wrap around her as he
pulled her close to him. She was able to feel his warmth through
the sheet, feel his breath on her neck. "I'm going to scoot us back
against the wall, so our backs have some support." She bumped a
little bit as they moved back.

   "All set?" he asked.

   "For what?" she replied.

   "This," he said. "Just relax." He started kissing her through
her cover, nuzzling her neck, while moving his hands up her stomach
towards her breasts. She felt him lightly trace their surface, then
rest at her nipples, which he lightly pinched. She inhaled sharply.

   "Are you okay?" he asked.

   "Oh, yes," she breathed. "Do that harder, please."

   "Okay," he said with a smile in his voice. He increased the
pressure. Rogue's gasps became louder. She leaned her head back,
cradling it into his neck. She felt the pressure of his lips
against her cheek, and moved her head so that she met them with her
own, joining him in a kiss.

   Gambit slowly moved his right hand down her belly, ending when
it reached the cleft between her legs, and slowly started stroking
her labia, all the while continuing to stroke her breast with his
left hand. She gasped at the new sensation, and began undulating
her hips in time with his caresses. "A little lower," she advised
him.

   "As my lady commands," he replied. He started to quicken his
pace. The buildup of feeling quickly became too much for her, and
her gasps became louder and more frantic as she neared her plateau.


   On impulse, Gambit started nibbling at her ear. That sent her
over the edge, and she moaned and writhed as her climax hit her,
nearly flattening Gambit against the wall. Breathing became
difficult for him, but he continued to stroke her to two more
orgasms.

   When she came down, she collapsed in his lap.

   "I take what I said before back. _That_ was the most incredible
experience I've ever had," she said, gasping.

   "I'm glad," he moaned.

   "Oh my God, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

   "I'll be okay. It was worth it to see you like that."

   She leaned back into him, putting her head back into his
shoulder. "Do we have to go now?"

   "Tell you what," he said softly, "let's just stay like this for
a little while." He stroked her cheek through the fabric. "I love
you, chere."

   "And I love you, Remy LeBeau. I think I have ever since I met
you." They lay together in silence for a time, feeling the beating
of one another's hearts, bathed in the moonlight coming through the
window.

   After a while, Gambit said "Can I ask you a personal question?"

   "What," she replied, "and we haven't been as personal as
possible with one another tonight? What is it, my love?"

   "Well, I've asked all the other X-Men, your foster mother
Mystique, and checked all the records I could find, but I still
haven't been able find the answer for the one big question I have
about you."

   "And what's that?"

   He drew her closer. "What's your real name?"

   She was silent for a minute. "This has to be a secret between
us."

   "You know how good I am at keeping secrets, chere."

   "Okay, then," she replied. "I guess if I can tell anyone, it's
you. My real name is..."

                           T H E    E N D