Title: The Angel's Gift
Author: Jukebox
Pairing: Remy/Secret Santa
Rating: PG-13
Feedback: Always appreciated
Archive: If you think it's worthy, then absolutely. Permission
granted. Just let me know where so my fragile ego will be stroked.

Disclaimers: I don’t own any of these characters.  Didn’t ya know they belong to Stan Lee?  Now that’s a man with a truly brilliant imagination!  And, I usually think poorly of my own writing, so I'll never make money off of this or any others like it that I write.

Summary: Gambit doesn't see what's so special about Christmas, especially when Rogue is sent away on secret mission. But the others and a secret Santa are going to try to help.

Warnings: I don't know French or Cajun French, so my apologies to people of those areas if I butchered the language in this fic. If I put any in this fic, it came from online translators and LA library archives. Last, but not least – there are thousands upon thousands of X-men fics on the internet. So if this one resembles another you've read, it's purely oincidental. But, let me know who & what so I can go check it out for myself to see. If I see it's real similar, I'll write that author and offer him/her condolences for having a mind like mine.

Few little notes: 

~ represents telepathy
italics represent thoughts

I’ll try to remember to post any French translations at the end of appropriate chaps.  As for accents, they’re really hard to write, but I tried.  However, I didn’t go too far (i.e. no substituting AH for I).  That’s just too much for me.  And speaking of translations, here’s one to start off with.

Y’all – short for you all, as in ‘y’all can’t touch this’ (translates to you all can’t touch this – generally used when communicating with more than one person)

Ya’ll – short for you will, as in ‘ya’ll just have to trust me’ (translates to you will just have to trust me)

Note the difference in the location of the apostrophes. 

Hope you enjoy the story and happy holidays to all!!!!!

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The Angel’s Gift

“T’ain’t fair.”  Gambit slammed the back of his fist into the wall on which he was leaning as a deep scowl crossed his face.  Having just heard the news that Rogue had been assigned a solo mission is not what upset him so much, as hearing that the mission will keep her away over the Christmas holidays.  “Dis be our first Christmas toget’er and you not even gonna be here.” 

“Now, sugah, that’s not really true.  We got together before Christmas last year.  Technically this is our second one.”  Rogue was trying to calm the situation by appealing to his more rational side.  In truth, she knew this was tearing him up that she wouldn’t be here.  The holidays were not something the Cajun ever had the opportunity to truly appreciate or enjoy in the past, having nothing really to celebrate.

“Last year don’t count.  We were too new and I wasn’t welcome here.  Still not really welcome, but accepted now.”  He continued to pout with his arms folded across his chest and one ankle crossed in front of the other.  He couldn’t even look at her for fear that his depression would deepen even more.  He let out a small sigh and finally raised his gaze to meet hers.  “I wanted to see your face when you opened de gift I got you.”

“hmmmff.  Stole ya mean.  Look here, Gumbo, she’s got a job to do so quit being selfish and making her feel bad.”  From the look on his face, Logan immediately regretted the harshness of the statement he had just made to the resident thief. 

Gambit sneered at the beast like man and spat out a nasty reply.  “SHUT UP, Wolverine.  You don’t know what de hell you talking ‘bout.  Stay outta t’ings don’t concern you, homme.” 

SNIKT  Wolverine’s blades extended from both hands.

“Why don’t ya come over here and make me, Cajun.”  Logan grinned, showing an impressive row of canines as he snarled out his threat.

As Gambit pushed away from the wall, he immediately went into a defensive posture, two cards appearing out of nowhere and charging in his hands.  “Anytime, ole man” he said disgustedly.

At this point, Rogue decided she had had enough of the whole scene.  Floating in between the two testosterone charged males, she put both arms up with her hands making the sign for stop and held an arm in each of their directions, as if to push them back away from each other even though they weren’t close enough for her to touch. 

“That’s enough.  Remy, all your pouting and temper tantrums don’t change the fact that I got a job to do.  We are X-Men.  Protecting mutants and fostering tolerance comes above all else, even Christmas.”  The disappointment in her face was overwhelming and Gambit had to look away, choosing the carpet on the floor as his primary focus. 

She turned her head round to look over at Wolverine, brows knitted together in anger and frustration.  “And Logan, how dare ya accuse him of stealing my present.  Remy knows full well that I would never accept anything from him if he didn’t get it legitimately.  It’s too important to me and he wouldn’t do that.” 

“Ya’re right, darlin’.  I was just trying to help in my own stupid way.  Charlie’d be proud of that little speech ya just made.”  Logan walked the few feet separating him from his teammate and reached out his hand, making sure to retract his claws first.  “I’m sorry, bub.  Didn’t mean it the way it came out.” 

Remy looked down at the Wolverine’s outstretched hand and immediately withdrew the kinetic charge from the cards.  After pocketing them, he too reached out his hand and grasped the other in a firm handshake.  “S’alright, mon ami.  Gambit just feeling sorry for himself.”

“Still on for pool and some beer later, then?”  Logan arched his eyebrows expectantly.

“Sure, mon ami.  But right now, Gambit gonna talk to le professeur.  Gonna see if dis mission can be postponed or maybe Gambit go too.”  Remy started moving away when Rogue grabbed his arm.

“Sugah, ya know things are the way they are.  Don’t go starting any trouble.”

He placed his gloved hand on top of hers and smiled sadly.  “Gambit gotta try, chere.”  With that, he left the two of them behind in search of Xavier.

“Damn girl, ya really know how to pick em.  He must be upset to be talking in the third person.”  Logan chuckled at the sight of the retreating thief.

Rogue spun round on him and put her hands on her hips.  “Look who’s talking Mr. ‘we still on for pool and beer’.  Ya got about as much chance of convincing me ya don’t like him as ya do of picking me up and tossing me three states away.  Ya better keep him outta trouble, and ya know what I’m talking about.  No girls.” 

“Yeh, well, what can I say.  I like hanging with Gumbo.  He’s a chick magnet.  I just try to catch his hand offs.”  Logan cast a feral grin at all the times he had scored a date thanks to the Cajun’s flirtatious charm.

“LOGAN” she huffed.  “He better not cheat on me.  I’ll knock him back to the swamps he came from.” 

Wolverine looked at her with an _expression she knew all too well as deadly serious.  “Ya know better than that Stripes.  Despite that everyone else thinks he’s a ladies man, he only has eyes for ya.  Hell, girl, he’s about as loyal as a puppy dog to ya and I should know.  I’m the one gotta listen to his sexually frustrated ass at three o’clock in the morning after a drinking binge.  Relax darlin’, I won’t let him do nothing that would hurt ya.”   He paused a moment to put a cigar in his mouth and grinned.  “But just cause he’s out of the game, don’t mean I can’t play.” 

“Logan” she gasped as she lightly popped him on the arm.  “C’mon, help me get my stuff down to the hangar.”

*************
Translations:
Homme – man
Mon ami – my friend

on to part 2

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