Chapter Three: Rendezvous

* ~ *

The park was filled with more people than Remy expected on a Tuesday afternoon, but he had soon realized that the inhabitants of this Brady town had nothing better to do. He almost missed the wild, carefree home he had come from. Watching children laugh and play, Gambit was reminded of the family he had left behind. It was the only family he had ever known.

Who woulda t'ought dat I'd end up with a bunch o' t'ieves, he thought to himself with a small smile. Guess back den, it didn't matter who took me in, jus' so long as I got some food. B'fore de t'ieves, I only stole t' survive, but den stealin' f'r money was de most excitin' t'ing I'd done in my life...

The young man shook the thoughts from his head. This wasn't the time or place to think about those things. After all, anytime Rogue would arrive for the rematch. He just wished she would hurry up so he could leave soon.

"Ready t' tussle, sugah?"

Remy grinned at Rogue wickedly. She looked too cute today in comfy black pants, a green, long-sleeved shirt that fell off her shoulders and displayed her muscular stomach, and a pair of black combats. Quite controversial for a fight, Remy thought, chuckling. Although, her breath- taking appearance gave the Cajun an idea.

"Oui <yes>, chere," he said. "But on one condition."

"An what's that?" she retorted, hands on her hips.

"Dat we have a prize for de winner. How about whoever wins gets t' pick de place for our date."

"An tell me what's exactly in it f'r me. After all, we're still goin' on a date," she said with a roll of her eyes. "How about if ah win, which ah'm gonna do, you'll stop pesterin' me?"

Gambit shook his head. "Dat I can't promise, chere. Remy might get lonely without his petite amie."

"In y'r dreams, creep! Ah'd never be y'r girl-friend in a million years!"

He took her gloved hand and kissed it. "I do believe we've already met in mon dreams, non? We must find another place t' rendezvous."

Rogue wiped the slimy kiss on her pants. "Ewww, don't you evah do that again!"

The charmer chuckled. "Well den I guess we're ready for de fight, although Remy don' know if it'd be appropriate 'round all dese chillen <children- Remy talk, not French> an such."

"It was y'r idea, anyway," Rogue snapped. "An do you always talk about y'rself in third person?"

"Oui <yes>, most of de time. Qui <why>?"

"Don't people find it annoyin'?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. Not many people say anyt'ing 'bout it. Do you?"

"Ah find most thangs about you annoyin'," she snapped. "But ah guess we should get straight t' fight."

"Ladies fires," he said with a small smile.

She took the invitation and threw the first punch.

Gambit didn't bother dodging the blow. His original theory that Rogue couldn't hurt him because she was a girl was quickly proven wrong as her fist slammed squarely into his jaw. The girl threw a mean punch, all right!

"Chere, can't we play nice?" he asked, charging a playing card behind his back. "Your behavior is not very ladylike."

She laughed. "You've got a lot o' nerve, you know! Ah thought y'all said you could beat me!"

He threw the card at her feet. It exploded on contact, throwing Rogue back a few feet. "Remy asked nicely," he mocked.

Rogue groaned and quickly forced herself up from the ground. "Hilarious, Cajun," she said sarcastically. "But the fight ain't over yet. Ah gotta lot more ticks up mah sleeve, too."

Gambit smiled. "An what's dat, chere?"

"You'll see."

By this time, the humans had cleared out of the park. After only a few mutant fights, normal people had adapted to running and screaming. Remy and Rogue were completely alone.

Rogue was beginning to think Gambit hadn't lured her here just for a rematch. Heart hammering, she circled the boy ready for his next move.

"You know, it's a pity dat you ain't part o' Maggie's gang, too," he said. "You're much to good of a fighter for de X-Freaks you hang wit."

She found herself glaring and jumping to her teammate's defense. "Those 'X-Freaks' are mah friends," she snarled. "Ah sure as hell don' see y'all hangin' in a clique t' call y'r own."

"You know you're very cute when you're angry," Remy said with a smirk. "Too bad about your powers, non?"

Rogue flinched. His comment had struck a nerve, even though she was sure he hadn't meant it in a bad way. It was some sort of compliment in his eyes. "Ah wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole!"

As though to demonstrate the point, she gave Gambit a nice roundhouse kick. "An apparently, many people feel th' same way about y'r cockiness."

He swept Rogue to the floor and threw a card, which she rolled to avoid. "Remy has lots o' filles dat like him."

She tried to hit him, but he dodged. Going for a second blow, Rogue grunted. "Yeah, well, maybe it's all about looks. Perhaps the way y'all see gals?"

"Non, chere, I like de filles wit de cerveaux <brains> as well as de corps <body>," he said. Her punch sent him stumbling backwards, but he quickly recovered and countered with an exploding card.

"Do y'all have t' use y'r powers all th' time?" Rogue snapped as she winced in pain. "Ah mean, ah ain't usin' mahn."

"I might like it too much, non?"

Rogue tried to crawl backwards, but Remy took her hand and pulled her up. "Let's be friends, okay, chere?"

She looked at him suspiciously. "But ah thought-"

"You proved you could beat Remy by lastin' dat long," he said with a smile.

"Y'all didn't even try t'-"

"Friends?" he asked. Suddenly, he was much too close to Rogue for comfort. "How 'bout we seal it wit a kiss?"

Rogue gasped as realization hit her. He didn't want to fight her! He wanted a kiss. But she could kill him! Why would he want to kiss her of all people? He knew about her powers. "No, a simple handshake'll do," she said rather nervously. She tried to push him away, but he only drew closer to her.

"But what's de fun it dat?"

"Knock it off! Ah might hurt ya! Don't even joke 'bout things like that!"

He smirked. "Who said I was jokin'?"

Remy was so close Rogue could smell the cigarette and cologne on his trenchcoat. "Please. Gambit. don't," she said, trying to free herself from his grasp.

He frowned and pulled away. "If I'm dat repulsive."

Rogue felt herself stiffen. Who did he think he was? "Look, ah never said that. Ah'm just untouchable. Even someone dense as you can understand that."

"Ou peut-être vous ne voulez pas me toucher <or maybe you don't want to touch me>," he mumbled.

Rogue didn't know why, but she felt herself walking towards the Cajun. With one sudden, irrational movement, she grabbed him by his shirt collar and gave him the most passionate kiss she could before her powers sucked the life force out of him.

He tasted like an ashtray with a hint of minty-freshness. Her knees grew weak at the tang as Remy groaned and began to collapse.

She wasn't a girl for mushy stuff, but she couldn't help this thought: Could ah love this guy that ah hate so much. Do ah. like Remy more than ah want t' admit?

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