~ represents telepathy and thoughts

CH 7

********************************

It was the day before Christmas and he didn’t sleep well the previous night, tossing and turning fitfully.  Finally, he decided he might as well get up.  It was very early in the morning, not even Wolverine was up yet.  Gambit decided to put on his clothes and collect the paper.  It wasn’t a task he usually performed, but since he was up anyway it was the least he could do in the spirit of the holiday.  ~Mon Dieu, I got to learn to control my emotions round Stormy~ he mentally chided as he trudged through the snow towards the front gates. 

As he opened the gates to pick up the paper, he noted another package leaning against the brick columns.  Again, it was addressed to him.  He made his way back to the mansion and quickly plopped in front of the den’s fireplace, wrapping himself in a blanket.  The package stood in front of him as he sat Indian style staring at it with his back to the fire.  He had been sitting there for a little while when Wolverine strolled in, having caught the boy’s scent in the hall.

“Well look who decided to rise with the birds” grinning widely as he noted the paper sitting on the coffee table.  “Thanks for picking that up Gumbo.  Cold enough for ya outside?” he quickly added as he watched the shivering man wrap the blanket more fully around him.

Logan left the room for a moment and returned with two cups of coffee.  Handing one off to Gambit, he moved to sit on the couch.  Grabbing the paper, he plopped his feet up on the coffee table and began his morning ritual.  After twenty minutes of silence, he had finished the first section of the paper and put it up, about to grab the next section when he noticed that Remy was in the exact same position staring at the package.

“Ya gonna open that Cajun or ya working on your X-ray vision?”

Gambit looked up at him for a moment and then returned his gaze to the package.  “Don’t know mon ami.  Not sure I want to see what’s inside.”

They sat there for another thirty minutes when Wolverine decided he couldn’t take it any more.  “Oh for the love a…” He moved over and extended one claw, slicing the top of the package off neatly.  “There, decision made.”  With that, he settled back onto the couch and picked up the next section of paper, ignoring the thief altogether.

Gambit blinked a few times, then tentatively reached in and pulled out a very expensive bottle of wine with another note attached. 

-         ~Looking forward to sharing this with you very soon, Love your Secret Santa~

A low whistle from the couch brought Remy out of his fog.  “What’s that all about Gumbo?”  Gambit sighed and told Wolverine everything, all the gifts and all the notes.  “Sounds like ya got a problem there, bub.  Whatcha gonna do?”

“I dunno, mon ami.  I wish I knew who was doing dis so I could put a stop to it.  Dey need to know I ain’t interested in no one but Rogue.”  Gambit rested his head in the palm of his head as he looked sadly back at the package.  “Don’t want to hurt no one’s feelings.”

“Looks like you don’t have a choice, Cajun” Logan finally stated as he picked himself up from the couch.  “Why don’t ya put that up in your room and come on back down.  I’ll make ya some pancakes and sausage.”  He left for the kitchen while Gambit made his way back to his room.

He had hoped for a phone call that day, but it never came.  The day wore on with everyone completing chores.  The women had started some of the cooking for the next day’s feast, but Remy had insisted that gumbo was best when fresh and that he would wait until the next day to cook it.  Everyone was aware of the depression the Cajun was in, having not received a call from Rogue.  As the evening wore on, most had retreated to their own rooms to finish wrapping last minute gifts.  Jean, Cyclops, and Wolverine were sitting in the den drinking some hot cocoa in front of the fire. 

Jean sent a telepathic message to Gambit. 

~ Remy, why don’t you join us for some hot chocolate in the den?~

Gambit had been sitting in the window sill of his room staring out the window at the snow when his head snapped up.

~ Don’t feel much like visiting, petite~

She frowned slightly, but refused to give up.

~ Please Remy.  It’ll be fun.~

She thought for a moment and decided to play dirty.

~ And it’ll mean so much to Rogue~

He leaned his head back against the window frame, closed his eyes and sighed. 

~ D’accord, be down in a sec~

He pushed himself up and made his way to the den.  When he arrived, she had already prepared him a cup with some marshmallows melting on top.  “Merci, Jean” he said as he plopped down in front of the fire.  “Where’s Stormy?”

“She had to run into town for a last minute gift exchange.” Logan stated.

Cyclops looked over at Logan and cocked his head to one side.  “Is that what that phone call was about earlier?  She sounded pretty excited.”

Logan quickly glanced to Jean who leaned in close to her husband.  “Yes, dear.  She wasn’t expecting it to come in before Christmas, so when the store called earlier this evening she made a mad dash to town.”

The four of them sat there for awhile talking about little things.  Scott and Jean were huddled close, snuggling up to each other.  Wolverine was nursing a beer, preferring that to the sweet chocolate drink, and Gambit was looking at the angel on the tree. 

“Well, I guess this will be your first Christmas feast as an X-man.  You’re in for a real treat, Gambit.”  Scott attempted to engage the thief in polite conversation.

“Yeh.  I have to admit I’ve enjoyed helping everyone get ready for it.”  Remy took another sip of his cocoa.

“The gift exchange tomorrow evening is what I look forward to most.  I love seeing everyone’s expressions as they open their gifts, especially the younger ones.”  Jean’s face was all smiles.

“You’d make a good mère, petite.” Gambit flashed a charming grin at her.  Jean blushed and snuggled closer to Scott.

They sat for awhile in silence.  Periodically, either Scott, Logan, or Jean would hold a conversation, but Remy didn’t have anything to say.  His mind was slowly numbing and his vision was beginning to blur.  He was having difficulty focusing on the three team members before him.

“Gambit, are you feeling alright?”  Scott leaned forward on the couch in order to get the young man’s attention.

Remy’s head lolled forward and he had to reach one arm toward the floor to catch himself.  Raising his eyes slowly toward Scott and Jean, he replied “Gambit feeling a bit strange.  T’ink I’ll call it a night.”  With that, he started to lift himself.  Just as he managed to get into a standing position, he collapsed.  Logan shot out of the chair and caught him before he hit the ground. 

Jean gasped and put her hand to her mouth.  “Oh no, you think I gave him too much?”

“How many did you give him darlin’” Wolverine grunted as he struggled to get a good hold on the boy.

“Only one, maybe we should call Hank?”

“What’s this about?  What did you give him Jean?” Scott turned to his wife demanding immediate answers.

“I mixed an aspirin into his hot chocolate.  He hasn’t been sleeping well the last couple of days and his shields have been slipping allowing his emotions to broadcast.  Or haven’t you noticed the drastic temperature shifts outside.” 

“Storm.” Scott determined.  “Why did you give him an aspirin?”

“He said that aspirin knocks him out.  Don’t worry, I confirmed it with Hank before I mixed it in his cocoa.”  Although she knew she had followed Hank’s instructions to the letter, Jean was still concerned at the reaction they had gotten from the Cajun.

“Don’t worry, darlin’.  He’ll be fine and he needs the rest.  I’m gonna take him on up to his room and get Hank to check on him just to be sure.  If it works like we expect, he’ll be feeling a whole lot better tomorrow.”  With that, Logan easily lifted the boy over his shoulder and headed for the stairs.

“I wish I knew before that it only took an aspirin to shut Gambit down” Scott muttered to himself.  Jean glared daggers at him.  “What?” he asked her innocently.

Translations

mère – mother

Mon Dieu – my god

D’accord – agreed, ok

<><><><><><><><><><>

on to part 8

Back to Jukebox Fics