33Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Should Have
Summary: Romy What if Gambit had been at the mansion during X3? What if he had been there as Rogue was watching Kitty and Bobby and decided to speak up? Now edited.
She should have known this was going to happen. She should've known that sooner or later, he would no longer be able to handle it…her. It was her, her mutation, her stubbornness, and her walls. She should've said no the first time he had even asked her to join him and his friends.
She had seen all the warning signs of this happening. The way Bobby was constantly around Kitty, always managing to touch some part of her bare skin whether it was her shoulder or her hand. Like a fool she had ignored it. And now she was watching as her boyfriend was getting cozy with another girl.
Since kissing David and being forced to leave her home, she had grown used to being a loner and keeping others at bay for fear of touching them and destroying their lives like she had David, most of which was why she took the name Rogue. But Bobby had looked past her mutation and started a relationship with her even though she couldn't touch.
She wanted nothing more than to go to her room, to scream, to curse, to cry, but she couldn't take her eyes off the scene below. It was the very thing that happened in all those trashy romance novels she kept under lock and key. Things she had wished Bobby would do for her, comfort her and take all the pain away. He was doing all those things, only with another girl and it hurt, immensely.
They kissed.
That did it. In a flurry of motions, Rogue finally managed to tear her eyes away from the scene and march angrily down the hall tears threatening to spill, only to stop short of her destination when the thought of the cure entered her mind.
The professor had been the only one to have given her any real hope concerning her powers. After absorbing Logan her first night here, she had known what he had said about the possibility of her touching again but like he was constantly reminding her, nothing was impossible. They were proof of that after all. With his and Jean's help she had been slowly learning to build up her mental shields, something she may never be able to fully do now.
It hurt thinking about Jean, what she had become, Scott, and the professor. Like Xavier, Jean had been helping her before her death. In a way, she had come to look at the red head as an older sister and Scott like a brother. He knew what it was like to have an uncontrollable "gift" and at times, only he knew how to comfort her when she was down.
But they were gone now.
She honestly didn't know if she could continue here at the mansion. Everything was different now. Her hope was gone along with the professor and the others. Maybe the cure was the answer. Maybe not the answer Storm was looking for, but it could be for her. It wasn't even about Bobby anymore, but any future she could have with another person.
All week long, Storm had been lecturing the mansion about the cure. "There's nothing to cure," she was constantly reminding them, especially her. But she couldn't help but feel differently. Storm wasn't the one who had to go through life without touching another person. She also wasn't the one who could never have a normal relationship with a lover or otherwise or be a mother even.
With her mind set, Rogue was about to head to her room and pack her things when a deep voice suddenly snapped her out of her current, frantic state of mind.
"Where y' goin cherie and can I join y'?"
Rogue rolled her eyes as she swore under her breath. Of all the people she had to run into right now it just had to be Gambit, the self dubbed "Ragin Cajun". In his first week here he had hit on Storm and gone out with not only Jubilee, but Tabitha and Hisako. He often tried flirting with her but she always rebuked his advances and it wasn't just because of Bobby. The Cajun was a total player who oozed sex. He was good looking and he knew it.
"What do yah want Gambit?" She let out a long sigh.
"Now, that's no way to treat a teammate now is it?" He spoke, stepping closer to her.
Scoffing, she bit back. "Since when are yah a team player?"
"You wound me Roguey but y' know, I wouldn't mind bein on y'r team." He smirked. Everything he said came out so, dirty.
"You're a pig." She snapped.
His smirk only increasing, he took another step forward only for her to take one back. Not in the least bit deterred, he managed to slink in front of her finally noticing her watery eyes. "What's the matter Rogue?"
"Nothing." She muttered, pushing past him and darting into the kitchen.
Confused, Gambit was about to pursue when he caught site of the scene outside. He instantly let out a string of curses. Bobby Drake was a fool. From day one at the mansion he had been allured by the southern belle simply known as Rogue. He had gone out with so many girls just trying to get her out of his mind but nothing worked. He honestly didn't care that she couldn't touch, he loved just being around her. She was stubborn, quick tempered, and sharp with her words and well, honestly, a bitch at times. She was also very compassionate and was only cold to others because she thought she was protecting them by keeping them away.
Gambit immediately followed her into the kitchen. She was staring blankly at a glass of water. He hated seeing her this way. He said it before and he'd repeat it a thousand times, Bobby Drake was a fool. It didn't even take his empathy to tell she was hurting.
"So chere, I know this great authentic Cajun restaurant. How 'bout the two of us go grab a bite to eat?" He casually asked.
She let out a snort. "Not interested."
Taking a seat next to her, he persisted. "C'mon Roguey, it'll be good to get out of the mansion for a night."
"What do yah take meh for Gambit? Ah can't touch and ah probably never will. What's the point of yah even botherin to ask meh when ah know there's only one thing yah want. All guys want one thing." Rogue vented all her pent up feelings, abruptly getting up from her spot.
Gambit knew she was upset, so he ignored her harsh words. He attempted to place a hand on her shoulder, but she only shrugged it off. "Rogue, Bobby should be called Ice-Boy, that's all he is, a boy scout. Too immature to handle a women like y' cherie."
"Thought yah could trust a boy scout. Aren't they supposed to be loyal?" She sneered in response.
Gambit inwardly cursed himself, but he didn't let that discourage him. "Nobody's pure cher. Like I said Rogue, Bobby's a boy who wouldn't knew what to do with a women like y' cherie. Y' need a man."
"And what, yah think you're it. Ah've seen yah around other girls Gumbo."
He raised an eyebrow at the nickname but ignored it. "So, y've noticed me too, eh?"
"You're unbelievable ah hope yah know that." Rogue rolled her eyes, hopping up on the counter top.
Grinning, he joined her on the counter top. Grabbing the last peach, he took a bit before saying, "See y' didn't deny it. It's okay if y' can't keep your eyes off me, I understand. Hell even I can't keep my eyes off me when I look in the mirror."
That deserved another roll of her eyes. Taking his peach, she pushed him off the counter. "As if ah'd be interested in yah." And with that she took a bite of the peach.
Gambit was mesmerized as the peach juice trickled down her cheek and as she licked her sticky fingers. Not for the first time where Rogue was involved, Gambit found himself jealous and of a piece of fruit no less. "Mon dieu. What I wouldn't do to be that peach right now." He huskily stated.
Rogue had to fight back a blush. Bobby never joked around like he did or even looked at her the way he did. Instead she rumpled up her nose in disgust. "You're disgusting."
"What y' call disgusting, I call an appreciative fondness of the opposite gender." He bantered.
"Like ah said, you're disgusting yah perverted swamp rat."
"You're sweet words are just melting my heart, mon river rat." He placed a hand over his heart.
Throwing the pit away she countered, "Shame, ah was hopin to melt something else swamp rat."
"Ouch. You're harsh cher." He replied. Running a hand through his hair, he said, "Call me Remy."
"Remy eh, it suits a swamp rat like yah." Rogue gave him a small smile and soon a comfortable silenced settled over the two. Each lost in their own thoughts.
"Where is everybody, it's too quiet to be a Friday." Gambit spoke after a while, never been one for silence especially in the company of a women such as Rogue.
"Yeah," Rogue wistfully replied, "normally Scott would be trying to get everybody to keep it down, threatening them with the Danger Room and Jean, she'd be standing behind him, sometimes imitating him or winking at us. She was the only one who could ever get him to loosen up."
Gambit right away picked up on her change of attitude. Getting up from the floor he went to her side and tried for a second time to place an arm around her shoulder. This time she let him.
"Ah still can't believe they're gone." Rogue murmured, leaning into his embrace. "They were good people. Scott and the professor didn't deserve what happened to them and especially to Jean. It's still hard to believe that's her."
"That's not Jean Rogue. That women is a disgrace to Jean's memory. The real Jean Grey wouldn't have ever done that to the professor let alone Scott." Gambit tightened his arm around Rogue. "Thing'll be better, you'll see. Y' don't need that cure, y' will get control of your powers cher, I'm sure of it."
"Doesn't feel like it." She muttered.
"The night is darkest just before the dawn Rogue."
Rogue busted out laughing. "Did yah just quote Alfred from the latest Batman movie?"
Letting out a chuckle himself, he replied. "Possibly, 'sides it fits, don't y' think so."
Shaking her head Rogue had a huge smile on his face as she shrugged his arm off and jumped off the counter. Tentatively, she said, "Thank yah Remy."
"Any time Rogue." He responded. "Y' know, my offer still stands, if y' want that is."
"Ah don't think so," Rogue was saying until she saw his crestfallen look. It appeared for only a second but she was positive she saw it. She didn't want this instant to become a what if moment. She was tired of should haves. "ah've been here longer and ah know a much better place than your wannabe Cajun place yah claim to know of."
Grinning, he followed out into the garage.
"Oh and one more thing Remy."
"Yeah what is it Roguey?"
"Stop calling meh all those stupid nicknames, ah have a name yah know."
"Really, and what is it?" He inquired, not really expecting her to answer.
"It's Marie." She smiled.
End