Unchained Instinct ( Complete)

Chapter 67

Rogue sighed and sipped her orange juice, the morning talk news murmuring low on the television mounted on the wall in the kitchen. She leaned back in her chair and stared at the images, none of which made for a good morning wake up call.

A noise in the hallway caught her attention and Rogue looked up to see Gambit stick his head in the doorway and gaze around.

“Finally, the kitchen,” he drawled. “This place a bit on the confusin’ side, chere.”

Gambit wore jeans and a tee-shirt, his feet bare and his hair loose and Rogue felt her heart skip a beat, pattering hard in her chest. She raised her almost empty glass to her lips to hide a silly grin.

“There’s coffee made, if ya like that stuff and the cabinets are full of food, not ta mention the fridge,” she said, once she’d gotten her face under control. “You’ll have ta make your own breakfast.”

Gambit put his hand over his heart and made a sad face. “Ah thought Rogue would have a big breakfast ready for Gambit ta celebrate ‘is first night at the Institute.”

“Well, think again, Cajun. Rogue don’t cook for any man.”

Gambit offered a shrug and poured himself a cup of coffee. He slid into a chair across the table from her, his eyes closing. He drew in a deep sniff of roasted aroma and sighed as if all was well with the world.

He took a sip and sat back, his scarlet gaze rising to meet Rogue’s. She started when she realized she’d almost lost herself in his eyes and shoved her way out of the seat to rummage in the refrigerator, trying to quell a flustered feeling.

“Rogue lookin’ mighty pretty today,” Gambit said.

She turned to look at him and Gambit smiled lazily, long legs stretched out, slender fingered hands, holding the cup. He put it to his lips and sipped again without taking his gaze off of her.

“Thanks,” she said. “Ya don’t look too bad for first thing in the mornin’ yerself.”

“Ah’ll take that as a compliment, chere,” Gambit replied with an easy nod and turned his attention to the grounds outside the window.

Rogue broke down and toasted a couple of bagels, putting out cream cheese and butter and jam on the table. She sat and shoved a plate across the table at Gambit.

“Here, since Ah was fixin’ myself one, Ah thought ya might like a bagel too.”

Gambit’s eyes sparkled like rubies and a smile tugged up the corners of his mouth. “Mon ami, ya did make Gambit breakfast. Ah knew Rogue had a soft spot for this ol’ Cajun boy.”

“Shut up and eat or Ah’ll pitch it down the disposal,” Rogue shot back with a scowl. “And if ya tell anybody Ah was makin’ you breakfast, yer a dead man.”

Gambit put up his hands in a warding off gesture, but his smile showed his pleasure. He spread butter and jam on his bagel and took a bite, making a show of his enjoyment. He sipped more coffee and looked up.

“What on the agenda today, cherie?”

Rogue shrugged and chewed her bagel. After a swallow she said, “don’t know, but it’s awful quiet around here. Kurt’s usually up by now. Ah think Hank must’ve made the coffee. Ah thought Ah heard him up and around. The Professor’s probably in his office. He usually spends the mornin’ doin’ business, makin’ calls...stuff like that. But Ah really can’t figure out why Ah haven’t seen Kurt this mornin’.”

“Ya know, chere,” Gambit began, “last night Ah thought Ah heard a motorcycle out by the gate.”

“Out by the gate? What’dya mean? Like passin’ on the road?” An anxious feeling crept up Rogue’s chest from her stomach and tried to push into her throat.

Gambit offered her a shrug. “Ah don’t know. Just thought Ah heard a motorcycle start up out there. Then Ah thought Ah heard it again and pull away with the screech of tires. Gambit sleep real light and little things wake ‘im up real easy like.”

Rogue shoved out of her seat, heading out the kitchen door and down the hall to the stairway. Behind her, she felt Gambit following, his unspoken questions hanging in the air around them.

Taking the steps two at a time, Rogue all but ran down the hallway, stopping outside Logan’s and Kurt’s room. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself then raised a fist and banged hard on the wood.

No answer came and Rogue banged again. “Kurt? Logan? Are you guys in there?” Again, no answer.

Had everyone abandoned her? Did no one care to tell her what the hell was going on around here anymore?

“Kurt!” she yelled. “Dammit, bro, open this door.”

“Rogue,” Gambit said, his voice low and tender. His hand came to rest on her arm, but Rogue shook him off and banged again then shook the doorhandle.

The door was locked.

She whirled on Gambit. “Did ya know they were gone?”

He gave her a surprised expression. “How would Ah know? Ya think Nightcrawler and Wolverine tell Gambit their plans?”

“Ah don’t know, but yer always sayin’ stuff that makes me think ya know more than yer sayin’.”

Gambit put his hands on his hips, taking a defiant stance. “Seem ta me, there lots of obvious stuff goin’ on ‘round this place and nobody noticin’ it. Gambit just know how to add things up, chere, that all. Nothin’ more. Nothin’ less. Or maybe it ain’t ‘bout noticin’. Maybe it ‘bout ignorin’ the obvious, so it don’t gotten be dealt with.”

Rogue stared at this man she hardly knew and was finding him harder to understand by the second. “What in the tar nation are you babblin’ about?”

Gambit let out a disgusted huff of a breath. “Is everybody ‘round here as dense as a post?”

Rogue put her own hands on her hips, fingers clenching into fists. “Don’t you go callin’ me dense, Gumbo or Ah’ll knock ya inta next week.”

“Rogue, that’s enough,” the Professor’s calm cultured voice sounded from behind them.

She turned on her mentor and offered him a glare. “What’s goin’ on, Professor? Where’s Kurt and Logan?”

“They have left the Institute for an...impromptu trip, Rogue. I don’t know when they’ll be back.”

With narrowed eyes, she replied, “did ya know they were goin’?”

The Professor glanced down and Rogue thought he understood her feelings of betrayal...feelings that had started when all had refused to go after Mystique right away.

With a nod, the Professor said, “I knew only that Logan would leave...sometime...sometime soon and that Kurt would not let Logan leave without him.”

Rogue’s teeth gritted together. “I can’t believe this. They’ve gone after Mystique without me.”

This time the Professor shook his head. “No, my dear, they have not gone after Mystique. Logan is running, to something...away from everything...I’m not yet sure which or perhaps if both. Hopefully, some time away will help Logan heal from Mystique’s tortures. Hopefully, both he and Kurt will be back soon and Logan will find the courage to ask for help.”

“Ya don’t sound all that certain, Professor,” Gambit injected. “Sound ta me there a lot of hopin’ and not much else goin’ on.”

“The future is not written in stone, Gambit,” the Professor replied. “And Logan needs to realize he needs help to deal with his ordeal. In time, he’ll come to that conclusion or, at least, I hope so. He’s simply not ready.”

“Wait a minute,” Rogue said. “Do ya mean Logan tried to leave without Kurt?”

“Indeed, Logan tried.” A grim smile pulled at the Professor’s mouth.

“That’s my bro,” Rogue said, her smile matching the Professor’s. “Logan don’t know what he’s got with Kurt.”

“He knows, Rogue,” the Professor said. “He may be in momentary denial, but Kurt is Logan’s strength right now. He needs Kurt more than he realizes. The only reason he tried to leave without Kurt is----”

“Because he ‘fraid of hurtin’ the boy,” Gambit injected.

The Professor nodded again. “An astute observation, Gambit.”

“Ah don’t know ‘bout astute,” Gambit replied. “What Ah see seem obvious.”

“To some, my friend,” the Professor said. “But to those close to both Kurt and Logan, obvious isn’t always so....”

“Obvious,” Rogue finished.

“Precisely,” the Professor agreed. “Gambit has a unique perspective.”

An expression of surprise lighted Gambit’s face. “Ah do?”

“Indeed.” The Professor turned his chair and headed away down the hall then stopped and turned back to them. “You have an outsider’s keen observation to aid you right now, Gambit. Use it well for soon it may be lost to you.” The Professor turned once more and rolled away, disappearing into the elevator.

“That man spooky sometimes, chere,” Gambit drawled, staring after the Professor.

“Yeah, sometimes...then sometimes, so are you, Cajun.” Thoughts tumbled and swam around inside Rogue’s mind, trying to settle into a plan of some sort. Nearly everyone else had abandoned her to her own devises, Gambit the only so called ally she had left.

Would he join her if she took off after Mystique?

She reached out and grabbed Gambit by his shirt front, dragging him along after her. He didn’t resist and that was a good sign. “Come on, Gumbo, we’ve got some talkin’ ta do.”





Chapter 67

Rogue sighed and sipped her orange juice, the morning talk news murmuring low on the television mounted on the wall in the kitchen. She leaned back in her chair and stared at the images, none of which made for a good morning wake up call.

A noise in the hallway caught her attention and Rogue looked up to see Gambit stick his head in the doorway and gaze around.

“Finally, the kitchen,” he drawled. “This place a bit on the confusin’ side, chere.”

Gambit wore jeans and a tee-shirt, his feet bare and his hair loose and Rogue felt her heart skip a beat, pattering hard in her chest. She raised her almost empty glass to her lips to hide a silly grin.

“There’s coffee made, if ya like that stuff and the cabinets are full of food, not ta mention the fridge,” she said, once she’d gotten her face under control. “You’ll have ta make your own breakfast.”

Gambit put his hand over his heart and made a sad face. “Ah thought Rogue would have a big breakfast ready for Gambit ta celebrate ‘is first night at the Institute.”

“Well, think again, Cajun. Rogue don’t cook for any man.”

Gambit offered a shrug and poured himself a cup of coffee. He slid into a chair across the table from her, his eyes closing. He drew in a deep sniff of roasted aroma and sighed as if all was well with the world.

He took a sip and sat back, his scarlet gaze rising to meet Rogue’s. She started when she realized she’d almost lost herself in his eyes and shoved her way out of the seat to rummage in the refrigerator, trying to quell a flustered feeling.

“Rogue lookin’ mighty pretty today,” Gambit said.

She turned to look at him and Gambit smiled lazily, long legs stretched out, slender fingered hands, holding the cup. He put it to his lips and sipped again without taking his gaze off of her.

“Thanks,” she said. “Ya don’t look too bad for first thing in the mornin’ yerself.”

“Ah’ll take that as a compliment, chere,” Gambit replied with an easy nod and turned his attention to the grounds outside the window.

Rogue broke down and toasted a couple of bagels, putting out cream cheese and butter and jam on the table. She sat and shoved a plate across the table at Gambit.

“Here, since Ah was fixin’ myself one, Ah thought ya might like a bagel too.”

Gambit’s eyes sparkled like rubies and a smile tugged up the corners of his mouth. “Mon ami, ya did make Gambit breakfast. Ah knew Rogue had a soft spot for this ol’ Cajun boy.”

“Shut up and eat or Ah’ll pitch it down the disposal,” Rogue shot back with a scowl. “And if ya tell anybody Ah was makin’ you breakfast, yer a dead man.”

Gambit put up his hands in a warding off gesture, but his smile showed his pleasure. He spread butter and jam on his bagel and took a bite, making a show of his enjoyment. He sipped more coffee and looked up.

“What on the agenda today, cherie?”

Rogue shrugged and chewed her bagel. After a swallow she said, “don’t know, but it’s awful quiet around here. Kurt’s usually up by now. Ah think Hank must’ve made the coffee. Ah thought Ah heard him up and around. The Professor’s probably in his office. He usually spends the mornin’ doin’ business, makin’ calls...stuff like that. But Ah really can’t figure out why Ah haven’t seen Kurt this mornin’.”

“Ya know, chere,” Gambit began, “last night Ah thought Ah heard a motorcycle out by the gate.”

“Out by the gate? What’dya mean? Like passin’ on the road?” An anxious feeling crept up Rogue’s chest from her stomach and tried to push into her throat.

Gambit offered her a shrug. “Ah don’t know. Just thought Ah heard a motorcycle start up out there. Then Ah thought Ah heard it again and pull away with the screech of tires. Gambit sleep real light and little things wake ‘im up real easy like.”

Rogue shoved out of her seat, heading out the kitchen door and down the hall to the stairway. Behind her, she felt Gambit following, his unspoken questions hanging in the air around them.

Taking the steps two at a time, Rogue all but ran down the hallway, stopping outside Logan’s and Kurt’s room. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself then raised a fist and banged hard on the wood.

No answer came and Rogue banged again. “Kurt? Logan? Are you guys in there?” Again, no answer.

Had everyone abandoned her? Did no one care to tell her what the hell was going on around here anymore?

“Kurt!” she yelled. “Dammit, bro, open this door.”

“Rogue,” Gambit said, his voice low and tender. His hand came to rest on her arm, but Rogue shook him off and banged again then shook the doorhandle.

The door was locked.

She whirled on Gambit. “Did ya know they were gone?”

He gave her a surprised expression. “How would Ah know? Ya think Nightcrawler and Wolverine tell Gambit their plans?”

“Ah don’t know, but yer always sayin’ stuff that makes me think ya know more than yer sayin’.”

Gambit put his hands on his hips, taking a defiant stance. “Seem ta me, there lots of obvious stuff goin’ on ‘round this place and nobody noticin’ it. Gambit just know how to add things up, chere, that all. Nothin’ more. Nothin’ less. Or maybe it ain’t ‘bout noticin’. Maybe it ‘bout ignorin’ the obvious, so it don’t gotten be dealt with.”

Rogue stared at this man she hardly knew and was finding him harder to understand by the second. “What in the tar nation are you babblin’ about?”

Gambit let out a disgusted huff of a breath. “Is everybody ‘round here as dense as a post?”

Rogue put her own hands on her hips, fingers clenching into fists. “Don’t you go callin’ me dense, Gumbo or Ah’ll knock ya inta next week.”

“Rogue, that’s enough,” the Professor’s calm cultured voice sounded from behind them.

She turned on her mentor and offered him a glare. “What’s goin’ on, Professor? Where’s Kurt and Logan?”

“They have left the Institute for an...impromptu trip, Rogue. I don’t know when they’ll be back.”

With narrowed eyes, she replied, “did ya know they were goin’?”

The Professor glanced down and Rogue thought he understood her feelings of betrayal...feelings that had started when all had refused to go after Mystique right away.

With a nod, the Professor said, “I knew only that Logan would leave...sometime...sometime soon and that Kurt would not let Logan leave without him.”

Rogue’s teeth gritted together. “I can’t believe this. They’ve gone after Mystique without me.”

This time the Professor shook his head. “No, my dear, they have not gone after Mystique. Logan is running, to something...away from everything...I’m not yet sure which or perhaps if both. Hopefully, some time away will help Logan heal from Mystique’s tortures. Hopefully, both he and Kurt will be back soon and Logan will find the courage to ask for help.”

“Ya don’t sound all that certain, Professor,” Gambit injected. “Sound ta me there a lot of hopin’ and not much else goin’ on.”

“The future is not written in stone, Gambit,” the Professor replied. “And Logan needs to realize he needs help to deal with his ordeal. In time, he’ll come to that conclusion or, at least, I hope so. He’s simply not ready.”

“Wait a minute,” Rogue said. “Do ya mean Logan tried to leave without Kurt?”

“Indeed, Logan tried.” A grim smile pulled at the Professor’s mouth.

“That’s my bro,” Rogue said, her smile matching the Professor’s. “Logan don’t know what he’s got with Kurt.”

“He knows, Rogue,” the Professor said. “He may be in momentary denial, but Kurt is Logan’s strength right now. He needs Kurt more than he realizes. The only reason he tried to leave without Kurt is----”

“Because he ‘fraid of hurtin’ the boy,” Gambit injected.

The Professor nodded again. “An astute observation, Gambit.”

“Ah don’t know ‘bout astute,” Gambit replied. “What Ah see seem obvious.”

“To some, my friend,” the Professor said. “But to those close to both Kurt and Logan, obvious isn’t always so....”

“Obvious,” Rogue finished.

“Precisely,” the Professor agreed. “Gambit has a unique perspective.”

An expression of surprise lighted Gambit’s face. “Ah do?”

“Indeed.” The Professor turned his chair and headed away down the hall then stopped and turned back to them. “You have an outsider’s keen observation to aid you right now, Gambit. Use it well for soon it may be lost to you.” The Professor turned once more and rolled away, disappearing into the elevator.

“That man spooky sometimes, chere,” Gambit drawled, staring after the Professor.

“Yeah, sometimes...then sometimes, so are you, Cajun.” Thoughts tumbled and swam around inside Rogue’s mind, trying to settle into a plan of some sort. Nearly everyone else had abandoned her to her own devises, Gambit the only so called ally she had left.

Would he join her if she took off after Mystique?

She reached out and grabbed Gambit by his shirt front, dragging him along after her. He didn’t resist and that was a good sign. “Come on, Gumbo, we’ve got some talkin’ ta do.”