Times Change and We With Time: Chapter 14

by Muir

 


Standard disclaimer applies

**_** denotes telepathic speech.


Riga.

"How are things there?"

"Fine, good, I'm studying."

"Good."

"Yep・"

"Good・

Silence.

"Ororo sends her love."

"Well, right back at her."

"I'll pass it along."

Silence.

"・Dani's here."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, we're studying."

"Good."

Silence.

"Hey, Mr Reticent, what's the deal?"

"What?"

"Are you being all freaky paranoid? Where are you?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm in your room, Dani's in the bathroom."

"Oh, that's fine, den."

"Duh. Is someone there? With you?"

"No."

"Then why are you all let's-speak-in-coded-grunts-'cause-the-walls-have-ears."

"There's no code," pause, "I didn't grunt."

"Whatever・you got anything else to say to me?"

"I don't t'ink・"

Interrupted by a shrieked, "I'm not asking for phone sex here!"

Sigh.

"Forget it, save all your conversation 'til you get home."

"Ju-"

Click.

"Bye, Jubilee," spoken into a dead connection.

Carefully replaced the receiver, left the room and headed for the kitchen. Expression as imperturbable as always, no evidence of being screamed at by girlfriend.

Ororo lifted her head from the crossword she was filling in when Remy entered the kitchen.

"How is Jubilation?"

"Stressed. Is that coffee?" He nodded at the mug near her elbow.

"Yes, pot's full," she smiled, "decaffeinated."

He grimaced but filled a cup regardless.

"Exam pressure affecting her?"

"Yeah, just 'bout got my head bitten off."

"Trouble in paradise, my friend?" teasing lilt to her voice but he frowned.

"Stormy・"

"The house is empty, Remy. Betsy and Neal have gone souvenir shopping, Tessa is carrying out some last minute reconnaissance and the others are sight-seeing," she gestured to the chair opposite her, "we are free to speak."

Remy cast a suspicious glance around him, as though expecting to find eavesdroppers lurking in the shadows.

"About what?" studious ignorance.

"Whatever catches your fancy," she flashed a quick grin, playing along, "but first tell me about Jubilee. Is she overwhelmed?"

He accepted the seat, a wry look upon his face, "Un peu, mon amie. She has quite a lot of catching up to do, as well as both the SATs and her A2 exams to study for."

"Hmm," she tapped the pencil against her teeth, "and what is she hoping to study in college?"

"She wanted to do physiotherapy, but I don't t'ink she's doing enough science subjects to get it・" Remy strained to remember the last conversation he'd had with Jubilee about her future. He had asked her recently, but then she'd・he smiled to himself.

"I don't believe I want to know what you're thinking right now," Ororo said primly, noting his smirking expression. Remy's grin only grew wider and she sighed, "What does she want to do instead?"

"Uhh, psychology・I think."

She raised an eyebrow at his uncertainty, "Hmm."

"I've been busy!" he protested, "Helping you."

She pursed her lips in disapproval, "Excuses, excuses."

Remy opened his mouth to defend himself, but changed his mind and took a drink of his coffee instead.

"And how is she otherwise?" Ororo leaned forward, expression mildly questioning although the true intent of her query was clear to him.

"Stormy・"

"I assure you Remy," she gestured broadly, "we are quite alone." Seeing his doubting expression she rose and crossed to the doorway, "Hello? Anyone up there?" she called up the stairs.

"All right, all right," he grinned, "siddown ch・e, you're embarrassin' yourself."

With a haughty air, she returned to her seat and waited expectantly for him to speak. He cleared his throat.

"So, she's getting on well・"

Ororo regarded him with calm eyes, "Have you discussed when you are going to inform the team of your relationship?"

He fiddled with his coffee mug, "Eh, not exactly."

She tilted her head in inquiry.

"Jubilee's been preoccupied with her study, and I've been doin' jobs for the Guild and helpin' you・" Remy faltered beneath her piercing gaze, "No, we 'aven't talked about it."

Laying the pencil down on the table, Ororo spoke carefully, "You do intend to tell them, yes?"

"Of course," he said, "just waitin' for the right time, ch・e."

"And when would that be?"

Remy remained silent.

"Do you think that there will be a time when they will accept this with equanimity?" she asked mildly.

"What's wrong Ororo?"

"Wrong, my friend?"

"What are you tryin' to get at?" he prompted.

She sighed quietly, "I am afraid relations will be strained between you and the team once more because of this."

"If dat does happen," he shrugged, "I'll manage," he grinned, "I have before."

"If it was any other person, no one would mind・"

He frowned, "I didn't plan it・"

"I know," she raised a hand to her eyes, massaged her forehead briefly

"But I'm gonna stick by it, with her, now that it has."

"And how far will you go?"

"Pardon?"

"Do you not realise that you are the only one who will suffer from this mess?" she asked quietly.

A muscle quivered in his jaw, "I don't think ya understand how much I care for her."

"I understand how much you care for her, Remy," Ororo replied firmly, "I only question how you love her."

He stood up, "I let you go further than most, ch・e but I think you should stop now."

"I'm not trying to argue with you, my friend."

"Then I suggest you don't start telling me how I feel or think," he responded coldly.

She rose to her feet also, eyes level with his, "Is this how you plan to deal with the challenges others will make? Dismissing their words out of hand?"

"Ororo," he groaned, "stop playin' devil's advocate for five seconds." He sat down again and fixed his gaze on her, "What are ya trying to show me? That they'll question my motives? Or is this what you really think?"

She folded her arms across her chest and stared out the window, focusing on the spire of the Dome Cathedral in the distance, "You know I've never been quite comfortable with the idea of a romantic relationship between you and Jubilee. I accepted it・for you, for our friendship's sake. And yes, I am aware that I can't profess to be privy to your thoughts and emotions," her mouth compressed into a thin line, "but I know my reaction will appear moderate in comparison to others'."

Remy listened in silence, expression carefully controlled.

Ororo sat down and reached across to grasp his hands, "She is only eighteen. She has a lot of life ahead of her before she can be ready to make the kind of commitment you want." Seeing that he looked ready to contradict her she continued on, "Yes, I know she is quite mature for her age and yes she has experienced much but Remy," she squeezed his hands to ensure his attention, "how can you be certain that the intensity of her emotions match your own?"

His eyes met hers, "Because she's told me and I believe her."

"She would not be the first teenage girl to believe herself to be in love."

"She wouldn't be the first to be right, either."

Ororo released his hands and leaned back in the chair, "I don't think you are even listening to me."

"I'm listening."

"Then do you see what I'm saying to you?"

"Yes," Remy regarded her evenly, "you want me to end it with Jubilee."

"No・" she denied, "well, not quite. I merely think you should put your relationship・on hold, so to speak. At least until she has finished college."

"You want me to break up with her."

"Remy, I'm trying to help you," Ororo said despairingly.

"I think our definitions of 'help' are different."

"You're not listening to me," she repeated, resigned.

"Yes I am," Remy leaned forward, voice soft but angry, "you want me to distance myself from the person who has made me happier than I've been in a long time."

"Happier than when you were with Rogue?"

He started and stared at her for a long moment, "That's not fair."

"Why? It is a simple question, easily answered I would have thought."

"You know how that ended."

"That is not an answer, my friend," she pointed out.

"Why does it always come back to her?"

"I believe you know why."

"Ch・e, let this go. Please," he requested wearily, but with a certain bitterness lacing his words.

"I'm not trying to hurt you," she told him gently, "I just want to prevent more pain being caused by this continuing further."

"You make it sound like its inevitable result."

"No good can come from lying to yourself, of that I can be certain."

Remy stood up angrily, "I'm not gonna listen to this shit anymore Ororo. I came here to help you and I'll do that but don't," he made an impatient gesture to halt her from interrupting, "but don't talk to me about anything outside the mission. Dat clear?"

She stood, resolute, "Are you still in love with Rogue?"

"That's enough," he bit out and turned on his heel to stalk from the kitchen.

"If you're not being honest with yourself it's not fair on her," Ororo called after him.

Remy ignored her, walking rapidly through the hallway and slamming the front door after him, never seeing the frozen form of Rogue in the darkened cloakroom.

*** *** ***

London.

Jubilee picked up a pillow and, covering her face with it, let out a frustrated scream. She then calmly replaced the pillow and left for the living-room to await Dani's return from the bathroom.

German notes were dispersed across the coffee table and a tape player sat on the floor, ready to play German tapes to test their aural skills. Jubilee picked up a page and skimmed it quickly, not truly absorbing what she was reading. She was taking four subjects for her A-level exams. She had attempted to do history as a fifth subject, but had been forced to abandon it when she realised that she couldn't attain the standard she wanted by the time the exams rolled around. Five subjects had been madness, her plate was full with four.

Dani wandered into the room and Jubilee picked up another sheet to hand to her.

"I think we should translate this, it's hard enough so it'll be a good test of how prepared we are."

Heaving a long-suffering sigh, her friend settled down and began to painstakingly translate the document into English. Jubilee glanced over her shoulder then settled down to begin work herself. She didn't really want to study, she had given the work to Dani solely to prevent the girl from talking.

Ever since her dramatic reunion with Ned all she had been able to think about was her wonderful perfect boyfriend. Jubilee, cynic to the core that she was, simply could not take much more. The finer intricacies of German grammar seemed much more appealing at the moment.

"You know・" Dani pondered aloud.

"What?"

"I think breaking up actually brought us closer."

Jubilee suppressed a groan, "Really."

"Yeah, he would never have realised how much he needed me if we had stayed together," at Jubilee's snort of laughter she added, "and the same for me・of course."

"Course," Jubilee put her head down again, hoping that her friend would take the hint.

"I might have been too demanding before・"

"Mmhmm."

"And he's not going to ask me to any of his stupid rugby practises anymore."

"You mentioned that before."

"Oh, did I? Never mind," Dani returned to her work and Jubilee sighed quietly.

"You just don't realise how much you like being part of a couple until it's over."

"Yes Dani."

"Honestly, don't you think so?"

"I guess."

"Don't you miss being with Josh at all?"

Jubilee pretended to think for a minute, "No, not really."

"Well, you missed your chance. Again. He's with Eloise now."

"Very happy for them," Jubilee mumbled, digging around in the pile of papers for a dictionary.

"The boy does get around, doesn't he?"

"Yup, village bicycle," she muttered in reply followed by, "aha," when she found the dictionary.

Dani giggled, "You cannot honestly tell me you prefer being single."

"Haven't really thought about it."

"I'm going to have to fix you up with someone," Dani decided, determined to share the joy of love with all mankind, "I'll have to make a list."

Jubilee made a last attempt, "German?"

"What are you talking about? There're no Germans in our school."

Feeling close to tears, Jubilee finally accepted that she had been bested.

"I'm putting down Paul. I know you said no to him already, but that can be easily fixed."

"No it can't."

"Quiet. Right, how about Alan? I know he, well, sprays when he talks but he's very good looking."

"Alan? Alan who stole my calculator and never gave it back Alan?"

"You're so possessive. Fine, cross him off," she cast Jubilee a reprimanding glance, "you're already limiting your options."

Dani continued on, listing, dismissing and evaluating every single boy of Jubilee's acquaintance.

"Now that's all the guys the same age and older. Would you say no if he was younger?"

"I'm not single!" Jubilee burst out.

"What?" Dani eyed her as one would a perplexing scientific display.

"I'm not single."

"Of course you're single, Jubes. You haven't had a single date since you broke up with Josh, so stop trying to put me off."

"I'm not."

"Please, it's not as though you've had some secret boyfriend to be sneaking・around・with," Dani slowed, watching her friend's face carefully, "my God! You have a secret boyfriend!"

"You know what we need? Coffee! Lots of coffee. I'll just go make it," Jubilee hopped up, already regretting her outburst. Dani grabbed her hand.

"Sit."

Pouting, she sat.

"Now, give me all the details," she fixed Jubilee with an excited stare, "I can't believe you didn't tell me this, you're such a bitch."

"Can we accept that I have a boyfriend and just, umm, I dunno, get back to the German?" Jubilee asked hopefully.

"I don't think so. Details, now. What's his name? Do I know him?"

"No you don't know him."

Dani's eyes narrowed, "Why did you keep it a secret?"

"Umm, he's a little older than me."

"How much older is older?"

Jubilee decided to be creative in her description of her boyfriend, "About six years."

"Hmm, twenty-four. I guess it's not that old, but you'd have to be careful."

"Yup, careful. Goin' to get the coffee."

"Not yet, missy. Stay."

Pout firmly in place, Jubilee remained in her seat.

"Does Remy," Dani paused, swooned momentarily then recollected herself, "er, does he know about him?"

"Umm・no, they're friends and I think Remy would disapprove."

"Does your family back in America know about him?"

"They know him but they don't, uh, know about us. They'd kinda feel the same way."

"Who is this guy that they'd all think he'd be so bad for you?"

Jubilee stared at the ceiling, "He's kinda got a rep."

"For what?"

"Oh, you know, being popular with women."

"Oh."

"Oh? What 'oh'? There is no 'oh' here."

"Yes there is," Dani scrutinised her friend, "you've slept with him, haven't you?"

Jubilee tried to respond with an are-you-crazy look but it somehow evolved into I-cannot-deny-it.

"Maybe your friends have a point?"

"No," Jubilee shook her head furiously, "he wasn't my first or anything. I knew what I was getting into."

An idea occurred to Dani and she regarded her friend with shock, "When did you start seeing him?"

Knowing where she was heading with this, Jubilee replied meekly, "Um, New Year's?"

"My God!" then "Oh my God!"

"You said that already."

"Be quiet. I have words in my head which I am trying to keep inside."

"Okay・thanks?"

"Poor Joshua."

"I think he recovered fairly well. Anyway, I probably would have dumped him even without R・Raoul."

"You dumped a perfectly good boy for one you can't even go public with?"

Jubilee frowned, "When you say it like that, it doesn't make sense."

Dani snorted, "Do you think so?" She took a deep breath, "All right, give me all the details on this guy. Is he from England?"

"No, he's um, Spanish," Jubilee proposed.

"Spanish?"

"Yes," she stated firmly this time, "he's Spanish."

"How do you see him then?"

"Well he has a place in London where he stays sometimes, if he's doing some work here."

"What kind of work?"

"Umm," Jubilee scanned her brain for a job that required travelling, "a photo-journalist?"

Dani looked impressed, "Good money?"

Jubilee thought of Remy's scattered apartments, various offshore bank accounts and stock market investments, "Good enough."

"You see him often?"

"Yeah, he's busy a lot. Doing, um, jobs around the place but we meet up when we can."

Dani regarded her scrupulously, "Are you going to tell me everything or just the boring details?"

Jubilee considered her situation. On the one hand, she really should not have given the slightest hint to Dani regarding a relationship with anyone. But on the other hand she was dying to discuss it with someone, anyone besides Remy. She made her decision quickly.

"There's an ex・" she started with the minor issue, which occasionally grew in importance but for the most part, merely hovered in the background.

"Ooh, an ex," Dani leaned forward, "tell."

"Well, she works with・Raoul sometimes, and I'm pretty sure she wants to get back together with him. They kinda had this whole undying love thing going on."

"Does he want to get back together with her?"

Jubilee shrugged, "I'm not sure. I mean, he does work with her a lot. But he's told me over and over that they're finished and she kinda treated him badly so I don't think he'd go back to her."

"You don't think so, huh?"

"No・"

Dani examined her fingernails, "If Ned was hanging out with his ex all day, I'd kill him."

"The ex isn't important," she scratched her nose, "I don't know why I even brought her up. There's no way he'd cheat on me."

"Sure?"

"Positive."

"So he's perfect?"

"I never said that・" Jubilee smiled wryly.

"Well?"

"He's just so・" she tugged at a wayward lock of hair, "he's always trying to bloody protect me. Like I'm twelve years old or something."

"There is an age difference, Ju."

"Yeah but・never mind, that just bugs me 's all."

"Is that the worst thing?"

Jubilee shrugged, her need to share and discuss was fading. She wanted this conversation over as soon as possible.

"Well I guess if you're happy I shouldn't be trying to undermine it," Dani said quietly, "but I'd be careful if I was you・"

"Dan," Jubilee placed a firm hand on her friend's shoulder, "I'm not going to get hurt here."

"Ju・"

"Believe me," she continued with certainty, "it's under control. Now," she stood up, "I think I'm going to make that coffee."

Her friend regarded her a little anxiously, "There's something else, isn't there・"

Jubilee merely gave her a sunny smile and disappeared into the kitchen.

*** *** ***

Riga.

A figure detached itself from the shadows on the rooftop and slid silently to the roof edge, crouching as it peered down into the street below.

**We've got tighter security than expected**

**They're probably expecting you Gambit, just sit tight**

Following instructions, he remained in his position and surveyed the building across from him. It was well lit, unfortunately, and patrolled by plain clothed guards, distinguishable only by the ear-pieces they wore. Two were outside the front door, loudly discussing football. Another pair guarded the back entrance, while Remy was certain that the two men parked down the street were observing the building also.

He pulled a pair of small, but powerful, binoculars from a pouch on his belt and scanned the street. A group was gathered at the Monument of Liberty further down the road, but he dismissed them as mere tourists. Satisfied that all possible threats had been detected he replaced the binoculars and waited.

He was startled when he found Ororo's voice in his head.

**Gambit, can you hear me?**

**There a problem?**

**I had Sage open a channel between us, for a moment**

**Unless this is mission related, you can save it**

**Please・I wish to apologise for offending you earlier**

**Apology accepted**

**I know you, and I know you are only saying that to be rid of me**

Remy swore mentally.

**Honest Storm, I accept it. Let me focus on dis**

He heard the mental equivalent of a sigh reverberate in his mind.

**All right, good luck**

Blissful silence once again. He was beginning to regret opening his mental shields for the purpose of this mission.

He waited, tensed. Light drizzle began to fall, becoming increasingly heavier as time went by. Ororo was preparing the area for him. A dark rain slicker kept him dry but he watched as the guards retreated to the doorways for shelter. Good, less opportunity for them to see him.

**They've entered the trance. You ready?**

**Ready**

He discarded the rain slicker as the wind whipped up around him. Eventually it lifted him into the air and slowly carried him towards the building under scrutiny. He gritted his teeth as the various air currents buffeted him around, relieved when he was able to place his feet on the narrow ledge outside an upper floor window. The room inside was in darkness. He took several slender tools from his coat pocket and began to work on the catch on the window. A short time later it swung inward and Gambit smiled to himself in satisfaction. Quietly, he dropped into the room and closed the window behind him.

**I'm in**

**Good. The safe is on the first floor, two floors down. There are twelve guards inside, two guarding the safe, four guarding the room where the precogs are. It's the other six you have to watch out for**

**I know** he answered impatiently, creeping to the door and listening intently for any movements outside **give me the frequency of the guards' radios**

Sage did and he tuned his radio, slipping a receiver into his ear.

**Positions**

**Besides the two outside the safe, the rest are on the ground floor. Two near the elevator, two in the back room and two in the front hallway. Plus those guarding the precogs**

Thus assured of the security of the floor, he opened the door and slipped quietly into the hallway. The radio was strangely silent in his ear, but a brief check of the tuner showed that it was working. As he moved towards the stairway he noticed a faint glimmer on the wall and froze.

**Sage, we have video cameras monitoring the stairs. Can you take care of that for me?**

**One minute**

He waited patiently, straining his ears to catch the sounds of any approaching guard.

**Done. Cameras now on thirty second loop, once you leave the view of each one it will return to normal so no unnecessary backtracking**

**Got it**

Moving rapidly, Gambit descended the stairs, adhering to shadows as much as possible out of habit. On the second floor he moved into the doorway of a bedroom, outside the range of the video cameras. The silence on the radio was now perplexing him.

**Sage, I have no communication on the radio. Are you sure you gave me the right frequency?**

**Yes**

He frowned and fiddled with his radio, testing it on various frequencies and picking up other signals with no problem before returning it to its original setting.

**Recheck it Sage**

**I have・oh SHIT!**

Barely stopping himself from jumping at this, Remy glanced around the hallway.

**What's happening?**

**We have a telepath Gambit. It must have been shielding before, but it's broadcasting now**

**It's co-ordinating the guards** Remy realised.

**I think so・two guards just entered the elevator**

**Fuck, they're gonna corner me**

**Storm says get to a window for extraction**

**No, I can still do this**

**Two guards ascending stairs from ground floor**

**It's picking up my position. I have to put up my shields**

**Storm says get out, some of these guards are suspected to be mutants. We don't know their capabilities**

**Where's the telepath?**

**Ground floor, back room**

**Dammit. Try and take the telepath out of action or at least distract it. Time to get out of my head now Sage**

**Storm says-**

He cut her off by re-erecting his mental shields and effectively protecting himself from telepathic detection. But he still had to contend with the guards converging on his position.

The precogs must have been more prepared for his arrival than they'd supposed. They had hoped that by entering while they were in their trance state, it would cut down on their effectiveness to counteract Gambit's mission.

He only had a brief amount of time. According to their intel the diary would remain in the safe while they were in their trance, before they removed it to be handed to a new group member until the next meeting. He didn't feel like chasing this diary around the globe and trying to break into better prepared and better protected safes to get it.

He rifled through the pouches on his belt before finding what he needed.

Across the hall, the elevator doors slid open.

*** *** ***

London.

The German grammar book tumbled from Jubilee's limp hands, clattering on the hardwood floor and drawing Dani's attention.

"Ack, I can't look at this page anymore!" Jubilee moaned, "I think I'm going to go insane."

"It was your idea to study," she was reminded smugly.

"Well, I was wrong. German is an evil language," she stood up abruptly, "I need food."

Dani lay her textbook on the coffee table, yawning delicately, "I suppose it is kind of late."

Jubilee meandered into the kitchen, "You want to stay for dinner?" she called back over her shoulder.

"I suppose, what are you having?" Dani had followed her in and now leaned against the doorframe, watching the other girl hunker down to rummage through the various presses.

"Umm・ok・" she pulled one packet out, "we got pasta or・" she dug in further and pulled out another packet then swivelled around on her heels, "we got pasta." She weighed the two in her hands, "Which you want?"

"Oh・err・I'll go with the," Dani tapped her chin thoughtfully, "oh・not sure."

"Okay, never mind," Jubilee stood up, "we're having pasta."

Dani snapped her fingers, "Damn, and I really wanted the other thing・"

"The pasta?"

"Yeah."

"Tough."

Dani straightened, "Want me to do something?"

"Maybe shove all the books off the coffee table so we can eat out there?"

"Okay."

She left the doorway and moments later Jubilee could hear the shuffle of papers in the living-room. She turned her attention to their dinner. This pasta was designed for the kitchen virgin; just add water. She filled the kettle and stood, elbows resting on the counter-top behind her, as she waited for it to boil.

She could not help remembering how she had first deceived Remy as to her culinary ability. True, her year alone had forced her cook for herself, but she hadn't specified.

Stir-fries. The only meals she could ever cook without burning. She simply did not possess the patience to watch over a hot stove. Her mind would wander and when she returned to earth she would usually find the meat burning under the grill, or the water boiled off the vegetables and the cloying acrid smell of burnt carrot filling the kitchen.

Remy's assumption that she could not cook had mildly insulted her, despite its veracity, and she had determinedly set out to prove him wrong. However, he later learned that the soup she served him had come from one of the Baxter's tins in the cupboard (topped with cream to suggest freshness), that fruit salad was the limit of her dessert capabilities and that it would take him nearly a week to educate her in the workings of the coffee machine.

The kettle clicked and she moved forward, removing a saucepan from an overhead cupboard and pouring the powdery pasta into it followed by the boiling water.

She had probably wanted to impress him too. Show him just how grown up and competent Jubilee was now. She smiled to herself and moved to the refrigerator to take out some margarine. As though the ability to cook reflected maturity and life skills. Bobby could not cook to save his life and no one thought of him as less than an adult.

Jubilee frowned to herself, perhaps not the best example. She cut a little margarine from the block and dropped it into the saucepan. The water was beginning to be absorbed by the pasta so she stirred the mixture slowly. She would not tell him that Dani knew. She had been stupid to say a word, even if she had made up an imaginary boyfriend to fit the bill. Her desire to discuss her relationship had overridden her sense of discretion. Dani had attempted to draw more information out of her, but Jubilee had shut down, her responses coming in the form of half-joking throwaway comments. Her friend had pursed her lips, raised her eyebrows and clucked her tongue to no avail. When she had eventually dropped the topic, Jubilee had no doubt it was merely part of a strategy to lure her into a false sense of security and the questions would resurface in time.

Twin furrows appeared between her eyebrows as she stirred the vaguely appealing whitish mixture. Dani believed she was being taken advantage of by a Spanish lothario who called 'round for a quickie on the weekends. She sighed and poked at the pasta with the spoon. Remy need not know, she resolved, since, after all, Dani did not actually know anything either.

Convinced she had made the right decision for all concerned, Jubilee spooned the pasta onto two plates, grabbed some cutlery and returned to the living-room. Dani sniffed doubtfully at the concoction before her but quailed under Jubilee's narrow-eyed gaze.

Satisfied that her friend was enjoying her meal, Jubilee's thoughts began to meander once more, starting to ease their way back into the territory of Remy. No. She told herself firmly. She spent enough time thinking about him. Too much time, she confirmed after a little deliberation. She doubted whether he returned the favour.

*** *** ***

Riga.

Gambit threw the two darts in rapid succession and the two guards slowly sank to the floor. He moved over to their prone bodies, quickly dragging them into one of the empty bedrooms. Their weapons he rendered useless by emptying the ammo and then charging the firing mechanisms of the guns so that they exploded.

Voices drifted up from the lower floor. The other guards Sage had warned him about were talking quietly to those guarding the safe. Footsteps on the stairs.

He reached into his pouch and removed two more darts, carefully taking off the caps. He crept onto the landing, closing the door behind him and slipped into a room opposite the stairs to wait. The guards appeared, slowly climbing the stairs. One of them reached to turn on the lights and Remy threw a dart. He crumpled soundlessly. The other guard had ducked and rolled, the dart meant for him hit the wall behind. Mutant. Reflexes too fast to be human.

Cursing mentally, Gambit edged into the hallway and into the next room, changing his position in order to make locating him more difficult. The guard had pulled out a gun with an infrared scope. Shit. He shouted something down to the guards below, in Russian, Remy guessed. Shit shit. Answering shouts but no approaching guards. Asshole obviously thought he had him cornered.

Stealth no longer a viable option. Three playing cards were removed from his pockets, glowed dimly in his hand for a moment before streaking towards the guard who nimbly dodged them but couldn't avoid the cumulative explosion they caused. He was thrown against the opposing wall, sliding to the floor with a barely audible moan.

Gambit hesitated before approaching the still form, turned him over not too gently. The man groaned, hovering on the edge of consciousness, eyes shifting beneath their lids. Remy took his gun and knocked him out with the butt before making the weapon unusable.

The radio in his ear suddenly crackled to life and a rapid flow of German assaulted him. Russian now German, could they not stick with one language? He listened carefully, hoping to glean some information on the movements of the other guards. At least Sage had taken care of the telepath.

If his translation was correct, and it probably wasn't, the voice on the radio was trying to ascertain the same thing as him. The positions of the guards. Several other voices chimed in. One in English; a guard protecting the precogs.

He glanced at his watch, time was running short. He didn't have time to tidy up after him. He went to the lift and jabbed the down button, then once the doors opened he reached inside and quickly pressed the button for the first floor before withdrawing his hand again. He moved to the stairs and crept down as quietly as impossible, removing his last two darts from a pouch and waiting for the sound of the elevator doors opening.

He heard the soft grating sound he had been waiting for and sprang over the banister, throwing with deadly accuracy the two darts at the necks of the guards who had turned their backs to the stairs upon the opening of the elevator doors. One slumped almost immediately to the ground, gun clattering noisily beside him. The other staggered momentarily before removing the dart from his neck and turning on Gambit. Another mutant.

"Oh fuck・" He grabbed the doorframe of an adjacent room and swung himself inside, slamming the door behind him. Bullets shattered the wood of the door and Gambit backed away, withdrawing several cards from his pockets.

The radio fired up again in his ear, rapid exchange of Russian. The man outside the door was barking into his receiver and firing simultaneously. Then a break came. Gambit wrenched the door open, taking advantage of the pause, and flung the cards at the guard. The explosion threw him backward, merely stunning him and Gambit quickly leaped on him, turned him onto his stomach, took a length of wire from a pouch and tied him up. Then he removed the other's radio receiver and microphone, crushing it underfoot.

Almost immediately the guard regained his senses and began to struggle. Remy picked the other gun from the floor, released the safety and aimed it at the squirming man's head.

"Don't make a sound, you understand?"

The guard glared but nodded.

Not trusting him, Gambit removed the shoe and sock of the unconscious man and placed the sock in the sneering mouth. A venomous glare was sent Gambit's way, which he received with a smirk.

"Don' spit that out or I'll get upset."

With little time to waste, he quickly located the master bedroom. He estimated that two more guards, at most, would come after him. The others would be more concerned with protecting the precogs and the telepath.

Behind a full length mirror on the wall he knew there lay a safe. Not enough time for finesse. Remy charged a single card and stuck it in the space between the door of the safe and the surround, took a few steps back. The card exploded and the safe shuddered. He moved closer, pulled on the door and it swung open. Inside lay a flat velvet box, which Remy had to restrain himself from pocketing, several files and finally a battered notebook. He grabbed the latter, scanned it briefly and satisfied that it was what he was looking for, shoved it into an inside pocket of his coat.

A creaking floorboard on the landing notified him of company. He still held the gun in his hand and fired it repeatedly through the doorway, causing the guards to dive for cover. Then he dashed out and up the stairs, firing behind him until he ran out of ammunition and then discarded the weapon. Just as he turned the corner on the stairwell, the guards began to return fire. He charged a few cards and dropped them below, sprinting up the staircase to the top floor. Shouts and the sound of bodies being thrown against a wall.

Footsteps again, fast after him. Stupid, goddamn mutants. On the third floor now, threw another card behind him. Pushed through one of the doors, one guard catching up, on his heels. Couldn't afford to stop. He had to run for it, and hope for the best. He raised his arms to protect his face and crashed through the window. Air currents caught him, tossing him into the air while his pursuer toppled over the window ledge, tumbling three floors down. Gambit winced at the crack of the body hitting the pavement.

In the safe embrace of Ororo's winds he was carried across the rooftops.

*** *** ***

Remy relaxed back against the pillow, hoping to grab a few hours sleep before he left Ororo and caught his return flight to London. With the retrieval of another volume of the Destiny diaries, the team had decided it was time for a little celebration and had descended on a club on Dzirnavu, determined to enjoy themselves.

He had wanted to attempt to catch an earlier flight home, but Ororo would not hear of it. First she had chewed him out for disobeying an order, but followed it by apologising for upsetting him that morning and for presuming to know him better than he knew himself. He noted wryly to himself that she never apologised for her comments on his relationship with Jubilee. It did not give him much comfort to know that even his closest friend could not support him in this.

The club had closed at five, but the team merely moved their party back to the house they were renting and continued. Betsy and Neal had disappeared early on, much to Remy's amusement. Those two were like horny teenagers, constantly touching, groping each other. He had to admit to a pang at the fact that he could not hug Jubilee in public, let alone kiss her.

It was late morning now, practically afternoon and he had to check in for his flight at seven. He turned over, burying his face in the pillow and strove for sleep.

*** *** ***

Cool, smooth hands slid over his torso.

A pleasant weight on his groin.

Warm breath feathering over his ear, his throat.

He shifted restlessly and tried to touch her.

"Remy."

Her voice was deeper than usual, huskier. She leaned forward, her hair falling over his face and enveloping him in her scent. He breathed in, briefly confused by the scent of smoke which clung to her as well as a heady fragrance, but then she moved against him and he gasped, eyes flying open. He stared unseeing at the face above him for a moment, vision dimmed by the darkness of the room and the hair that fell in a curtain around him.

But she continued to move against him and his eyes shuttered closed. A sheet separated their bodies but her movements were enough for his breath to be coming in harsh pants. He attempted to move his hands up to her head to bring her down for a kiss but she shied away.

"You know・better than that."

He opened his eyes immediately to stare at the woman above him. She tossed her hair back from her face and he was able to see.

"Rogue・"

She smiled seductively and ran a gloved hand over his mouth, thumb drawing down on his lower lip.

"What are," he stuttered when she moved her hands down to his nipples, "what are you doin' here?"

She stopped moving and leaned closer to whisper confidentially in his ear, "I know, sugah. I heard you talking with Ororo."

His heart skipped a beat.

"I know you're still in love with me."

*** *** ***

London

Remy slipped silently into the apartment, shutting the door behind him quietly, before making his way to his bedroom. His hand was on the light switch when he noticed the lump under the bedclothes and realised that Jubilee was asleep there. Guilt rose like bile in the back of his throat but he suppressed it. He lowered his suitcase gently to the floor and rapidly stripped down to his boxers then slid under the sheets to lie next to her, wrapped an arm around her. She stirred almost instantly.

"Remy?"

He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, "I'm home, petite."

"Missed you," she murmured, turning around to snuggle against him.

"Me too," brushing gently back some hair from her face, Remy kissed her forehead gently, caressed her cheek. Jubilee smiled, eyes fluttering open. Smile faltering a little when she saw the intense expression on his face.

"Gumbo?"

Remy pressed his mouth to hers, slid his hands under the thin cotton of her top and pulled her closer. She responded after a moment, bringing her own hands to rest on his bare shoulders.

"Missed you," he whispered harshly, eliciting a gasp from her as his mouth moved lower.

"Remy・"

He had already begun to pull the pyjama shorts down over her hips.

"Remy," she tugged on his arm and he reluctantly lifted his head to meet her eyes. The strange expression she read there gave her an eerie sense of d・・vu and the events that had occurred in a bedroom in Westchester flashed through her mind.

She bit her lip.

"You all right?"

"Just missed you ch・e," he replied, a little impatiently she thought.

She regarded him carefully, and he grew restless under her scrutiny. Reading his uneasiness she reached out to him.

"Come here."

(End Chapter 14)

*** *** ***

Many thanks to those who sent me comments, encouragement and criticisms on the last chapter. Any further feedback and/or constructive criticism would be much appreciated.