Gambit moved his chair back and stood up, a mild smile on his face. Johnny was hosting a poker tournament that night, one that would probably last most of the night. Ten million dollars was at stake.
Gambit's standard of living had greatly improved since he started working for Johnny. Gone were the days of ramshakle housings, poor clothes and the need to regularily resort to petty theft. Now he had a regular, modest salary, respectable, good quality clothes and a stately home. His actual work was a mixture of legitimate and not-so-legitamate, and his burgalry skills stayed in practice. However, his con-artist skills also got a work out, and now he was putting his slight charm ability to more use than just on pretty ladies.
"Congratulations," said Bella Donna smoothly, stepping in front of him.
"Merci'," Gambit replied, but his voice was void of plesantries.
"You've always been so good at cards... sometin' more to yo'r mutation dan red eyes and blowin' tings up, perhaps?"
"I can't read minds, if dat's what yo're asking," Gambit replied smoothly.
There was a tap on his shoulder, and he turned, and smiled when he saw Rogue there.
"Hi Remy," she said. "Sorry Ah'm late."
"Dat's perfectly fine," Gambit replied, taking her gloved hand and kissing it. "I'm glad yo' could come."
Rogue smiled.
"Remy?" Bella Donna inquired.
Gambit gave her a sharp look.
"Ahhh... Bella..." he said slowly. "Dis is Rogue. My fiancee."
"Fiancee?" Bella Donna repeated, sounding just as surprised as Rogue felt.
"And Rogue, dis is Bella Donna. My ex."
Rogue raised her eyebrows briefly.
"Wife," Bella Donna interjected. "Ex-wife."
Rogue's mind whirled. Gambit had an ex-wife? Since when? Deciding that it mustn't have been much of a marriage, else she would have remembered it from the time that she absorbed him, Rogue decided to play along.
"Oh, yes," Rogue replied in a dismissive tone of voice. "Ah think Remy mentioned you. Once."
Gambit made a point of making sure the relief he was feeling didn't show on his face.
"Indeed," Bella Donna replied. "Well, I should go back to makin' de rounds. Ta-ta."
"Shall we dance?" Gambit asked Rogue, as Bella Donna turned away.
"Certainly," Rogue replied.
They stepped out onto the dance floor and Gambit was now able to admire her dress.
"Yo' look very beautiful tonight," he said.
"Thank you," Rogue replied. "And you look quite handsome. Won much?"
"Oui," Gambit replied. "Goin' onta the next round."
"That's good. Care to tell me what that was about?"
"It's a long story, and while dis may be da time, it's certainly not the place," Gambit admitted reluctantly.
"Ah understand," Rogue nodded.
She put her head on his shoulder, Gambit leaned over and whispered into her ear:
"It was an arranged marriage. Da type dat's supposed to bring peace to two warring... families. It only lasted all of ten minutes - her brother had a problem with me."
"Ahh," Rogue replied. "Because of the previous warring?"
"No doubt. Da marriage was annulled and I was banished from New Orleans."
"Ouch. And you told her we were engaged, because?"
Gambit was silent for a moment, and Rogue lifted her head to look at him.
"Because... because I didn' want her ta kno' yo' were my girlfriend. She would have... misunderstood."
"Oh?"
Gambit touched her cheek tenderly.
"I love you dearly, Cherie," he said. "I... I know... in the past..."
"Ahhh," Rogue nodded. "You thought she might think I was just your latest fling?"
"Something like. She probably would have tried ta get yo' alone sometime tonight ta tell yo' all about how I was going to dump yo' when I got bored with yo'," Gambit considered. "She might do it anyway."
"Is she really that spiteful?"
"We have... a strange relationship. We were lovers once, as yo' now kno'. And we've been enemies. But we're not really either."
"Huh. Maybe she still likes you?" Rogue suggested, a teasing smile on her face.
"Maybe," Gambit replied seriously. "In which case yo' should be doubly careful."
He rested his head on hers and whispered into her ear again:
"She's an assassin."
Rogue's eyes widened at the news appreciatively.
After the dance, they made their way to the buffet table for a light snack. They filled their plates and moved to the side to eat. Not long after their food had been consumed, a bell rang.
"Ahh," Gambit said. "Time for the next round. Excuse me."
"Good luck," Rogue replied, giving him a kiss.
Gambit kissed her back, and then made his way to the tables. And Rogue found herself alone. It was not often that she came to Gambit's work. Indeed, it was rare, Gambit being concerned for her safety. In his line of work, he did not deem it wise for his colleagues to learn too much of his private life. This was how innocent people get hurt.
"So, you're engaged ta Remy."
Rogue looked up to see Bella Donna.
"This has been established," Rogue replied.
Bella Donna took Gambit's empty seat.
"And how long have you been seein' each other?"
"A few years."
"Huh."
Bella Donna was slient for a moment, this not being the answer she expected.
"You a mutant too?"
Something in Rogue railed at answering the question.
"Let me make things clear," Rogue said quietly. "Ah have no intention of becomin' friends with the woman who caused muh fiance to be exiled from his own home."
"But if he hadn' been, yo' wouldn't have met him."'
"Maybe, maybe not," Rogue was tempted to add more, but decided it would not be wise.
There was more silence, and Bella Donna left again.
Gambit won the next round. He had another dance with Rogue before the bell rang for the next one.
It was during that round (which Gambit also won) that Rogue made a trip to the bathroom. She pulled her gloves off to reveal a ring on her right hand that she had aquired while travelling. She pulled out one of the extra bobby pins that were in her handbag and then used her atom manipulation to twist it into a ring of the same shape as the one she had bought, and put it on the finger her ring had been living on. Then she tended to her ring. She manipulated the band into something a bit more exotic. She dared not manipulate the actual gemstones, fearing that she could not change them back, but she did move them around a bit. She flattened it as much as possible.
It all came to what she had been learning from Ms Marvel, and at this very moment it was almost like she was giving her instructions. Not knowing how observant Bella Donna was, Rogue had to assume that the moment Gambit announced they were engaged to her, that her eyes would have flickered to her hands and see the ring-shaped buldge in her right-handed glove, but seen none in her left. She realised that she could not improve the quality of her ring to something a bit more engagement-worthy, and she couldn't help the lack of diamonds. She could only hope that if it came up, her attempt at creating a ring would pass.
Soon after strategically flushing the toilet and washing her hands, Rogue put her gloves back on and went back outside. Not long thereafter the round was over and Gambit came out for another dance.
"Three mo'e rounds left," he said cheerfully.
Rogue grinned.
"Already decided what you're going to do with the money?"
"Pretty much," Gambit said cheerfully.
Rogue chuckled. It was at that moment that Johnny and Bella Donna joined them.
"Gambit!" Johnny exclaimed. "When did this happened? Why didn't you tell me?"
"About what?" Gambit frowned.
"Why, your engagement, of course."
"Ahh," and Gambit's eyes flickered to Bella Donna's. "It was a recent occurence."
"Last night," Rogue put in smoothly. "We were going to tell you first, after Gambit won the tournament, but things do slip out prematurely."
Gambit and Johnny chuckled.
"That confident of the tounament, are we?"
"I wouldn' be working for yo' if I wasn'."
"Hmm, well, you'll need the money, since you're getting married and all," he said. "Congratulations."
"Merci," Gambit replied.
He promised himself he would appologise frevertly to Rogue after this.
"May I see your ring?" Bella Donna asked.
"Uh oh," Gambit replied and was about to respond, when Rogue did.
"Sure," she said, pulling her glove off to show off her attempt.
"Huh," Bella Donna said, a slight smile on her face. "So small. No diamonds. Couldn' afford anything better huh? Yo' really do need to win tonight, don't yo'?"
"Don't talk like that to him," Rogue glared at her. "We picked it out yesterday. Okay, Ah picked it out. Remy just bought it. Ah love rubies. Ah think it's pretty."
Gambit recongised the ring as the one she had bought on her travels, and figured that she must have used her powers on it to change the shape.
"Whatever she wants," Gambit replied more calmly than he felt.
"Hmm," said Johnny, peering at it. "Take no offence, my dear, but the quality of this ring is not very good. If you liked the design so much, you could have had one custom made."
"Ah didn't think of that," Rogue said ingeniously. "Is it really that poor a quality? Ah'm afraid Ah have no eye for gems."
"I would have thought Gambit did," Johnny said, looking at him curiously.
"It was what she wanted," Gambit replied. "Who was I to argue?"
Then he kissed Rogue's cheek.
"But if yo' want something nicer?"
"Ha!" Bella Donna smirked. "And here yo' were tinkin' yo' were so lucky to get out of it cheap."
"Well that's a very shallow thing to say," Rogue said, glaring at her. "Ah am not won over by money or expensive presents. Ah love Gambit, and he loves me, and that's what is important. Ah have no diamonds because Ah don't like diamonds. They're so... plain. Rubies have vibrant, beautiful colour. And they match his eyes."
She smiled lovingly at Gambit.
"Puh-lease," Bella Donna said rolling her eyes. "It was a cheap present because he has no actual intention of marryin' yo'. He's just going to dump yo' as soon as he gets bored with yo'."
Johnny coughed.
"I shall go back to making my rounds," he said. "Congratulations again, you too. Be sure to invite me to the wedding."
"We will," Gambit replied pleasantly.
Johnny left the growing tension, and Gambit didn't blame him.
"Let me tell you a little sometin' about Remy," Bella Donna said. "Remy goes through girls like you change your underwear. One-night stands are a way of life to him."
She gave Gambit a arrogant smile.
"Why, our own marriage didn't even get that far before you murdered my brother."
"Julien challenged me to a duel, and yo'r guild couldn' handle da fact that I defeated one of their best assassins," Gambit replied. "Da duel was completely unneccesary."
"Please, he knew yo' would just throw me away as soon as it was convienent," Bella Donna snarled.
"I did not throw you away. For the sake of peace between our guilds I was forced to leave. Which was the whole point of us getting married in the first place. 'Throwin' you away' would have defeated that purpose - and I'm not in the habit of breakin' my word. Our marriage was serious to me," Gambit replied. "I'm sorry that things didn't work out, but perhaps it's better this way? Now I get to marry someone out of love, rather than obligation."
And that was when the bell rang for the next round.
"Good luck," Rogue said softly.
"Merci," Gambit replied.
He kissed her cheek and departed. Bella Donna and Rogue matched eyes for a moment, then Bella Donna turned on her heel and left.
It was well after midnight when Gambit displayed his final hand on the table. He would have liked to have had something a little more dramatic than a two pair, to win the match on, but hey, a win's a win. It beat his one remaining opponants' bluff with a Queen high card no problems.
And thus the ten million pool was his.
**********
"I'm so sorry about tonight," Gambit began on the car trip home.
"You're sorry you won ten million dollars?" Rogue asked, teasing.
"No," he laughed. "I'm sorry about Bella Donna. And y'kno'... the whole... I didn' mean for it to blow out of hand. I just wanted to save yo' unneccesary misery."
"It's okay, Ah guess," Rogue replied. "Ah mean, we're kindah comminted now that your boss 'knows'. Ah mean, lots of people have long engagements, and all... so we can get away with not gettin' married for awhile. And people even call engagements off, so we could still do that."
Silence.
"Rogue? I'm really, really sorry about dis."
"It's fine. But next time you want to declare us engaged, can you propose to me first?"
"Absolutely."
Inwardly, Gambit was seething. There was no doubt in his mind that Bella Donna told Johnny deliberately to cause trouble.
"Dat was good tinkin' with the ring. How did yo' kno' she'd ask?"
"It's a girl thing. Personally, Ah'm surprised she didn't ask soonah. Maybe she's too busy bein' an ahssassin."
"Maybe. I'm sorry yo' had ta remodel yo'r ring though. And dat they belittled it."
"Aww, it's okay. Ah know it was cheap - that was kindah a sellin' point at the time," Rogue's nose wrinkled. "Ah still hate diamonds though. Ugly white things. Ah really don't understand why anyone can like them."
"Hardest substance in the world. Da only ting dat can cut them is other diamonds. Kinda helps their longevity."
"Ah suppose. Rubies are the second-hardest gemstone though."
"So dey are. And I think dey're much prettier too. Like you."
Rogue smiled.
"Do... do yo' mind if I borrow your ring?" Gambit asked tentatively. "Y'know, so I can get yo' something similar to what you remodelled it to?"
"To continue the facade, huh?"
"Partly. And partly because after what I put yo' through tonight yo' deserve an expensive present."
"You can't buy muh forgiveness. Not that Ah really feel a need to forgive you when you were only trying to protect me. Ah do ahppreciate that, even if it did all get out of hand."
"I kno'. That I can' buy yo'r forgiveness, dat is," Gambit assured her. "But I want ta do sometin' nice fo' yo. Yo're allowed ta say no. Hey, you'can even suggest another idea if you'd prefer something else."
Rogue smiled.
"Whatever you want," she said. "Ah'd feel like an opportunistic, moochin' girlfriend if Ah asked for sometin'. Especially aftah you gave me the car and stuff."
"Which yo' didn' end up using yo'r whole trip."
"It's a little hard to drive a car intended for the right side of the road in a country where they all drive on the left."
"True," Gambit chuckled.
**********
Their arrival back at Gambit's place quickly resulted in them retiring to their separate rooms. Gambit had set aside a room just for Rogue when she came over.
The moment Gambit was alone in his room, he let loose, hurling verbal abuse about his ex-wife and what a scheming, conniving, manipulative little bitch that she was, and was greatly thankful that he had actually managed to get their marriage annulled before she got it into her head that that would be a good way to torment him. There were times when Bella Donna and he could be so civil and even friendly with each other, and there were other times where he knew she hated him for killing her brother, as if she refused to admit for that time that Julien had brought it on himself.
Meanwhile, in her own room, Rogue curled up in bed, oblivious to Gambit's ravings, and cried herself to sleep.