There was an audible gasp from behind Rogue and Gambit in the queue and they turned just moments before half a dozen black-clad thugs entered the bank. Their guns were clearly visble.
"Every body on the ground!" one demanded loudly.
Two of the thngs headed to the counter and started demanding money while the rest of them kept an eye on staff and patrons. One of the thugs spotted Gambit and Rogue.
"Well, well, well," he said. "If it isn't Gambit. Fancy meeting you here."
He grabbed a hold of Rogue's arm and hauled her up.
"This your wife? I can see why you like her," he said with a leer. "I say, you keep your mutant abilities to yourself, and she gets to live a little longer, eh?"
Gambit glowered. He hadn't particularily planned on interfering at all as yet, but taking Rogue hostage? They just guarrenteed that he would. Meanwhile Rogue turned her head to look at the thug. He felt her stare, and looked back at her. Her stare was so penetrating that he almost had to check his mask was still on and fancied that he saw red in her eyes. Two seconds later he was on the floor, and Gambit had his gun.
Rogue turned slightly. Only one thug had noticed that his companion had gone down and Rogue started over to him. In for a penny, in for a pound it seemed.
"Hey -" the thug began to object.
He lifted his gun, and has his reaction time been even a little bit better, or had the distance between them been shorter, he may have even been able to shoot. Instead, Rogue easily disabled him. Why was it no one ever taught thugs martial arts? Between her years of classes and training as an X-men, and her absorbed skills and powers from Ms Marvel, taking down these guys was like cutting cheese.
The other two thugs guarding the hostages were certainly paying attention by now.
"Down on the floor, now!" one screamed at her. "I mean it!"
The other didn't bother with a warning. He simply aimed his gun and fired. Screams now filled the room as numberous shots filled the air. The thug that fired went down, bleeding from Gambit's newly acquired piece. Rogue fell, arching her back as she hit the ground face first.
"Rogue!" Gambit shouted.
The thug who had yelled aimed his gun at Gambit, even as he walked over to Rogue to check up on her.
"Drop it," he told Gambit.
"I really don' t'ink so," Gambit replied coolly.
"Shoot him!" shouted thug #3 from across the room.
Thugs 5 and 6, still at the counter collecting money, looked at each other. Their hands were a little full at the moment, but it was starting to look like they would need to come to the aid of their fellows.
Abruptly, thug #4 went down and Gambit grinned, watching as Rogue pulled him down. She disarmed him easily, causing thug #3 to curse and shriek that he'd shot her, he knew he had! Not even flicking him a glance, Rogue picked up thug #4 and literally threw him across the room into thugs 5 and 6, the impact causing all three to his the counter with a loud crack.
Rogue and Gambit looked at each other and seemed to hold an entire conversation in only a few seconds with only their eyes. Gambit got up off the floor, and headed over to the three at the counter, his gun trained on them, demanding their weapons (those who wrere conscious), and asked the staff to sound the alarm - if they hadn't already. Rogue stalked over to thug #3 who was even now determined to have the last word and shot at her again, and again. Each bullet hit her, forcing her backwards briefly each time, but not enough to stop her.
Thug #3 shrieked at her, demanding to know in a rather, impolite, wordy, and panicked way what on earth was she? Rogue ignored the question, took the gun from his shaking hands, and gave the wound in his side a passing glance.
"You'll live," she said coolly.
**********
Later that day, back at their home, Rogue handed Gambit a funny, flat roundish blob.
"What's dis?" Gambit asked curiously, having a feeling he knew.
"It's one of the bullets that hit me today," Rogue replied quietly. "Ah mean... Ms Marvel had been shot at before - so Ah knew that it was possible, Ah just... knowing it's possible and actually... actually being shot at? Two completely different things."
Gambit smiled, and put his arm around her.
"Believe me, I know," he said. "I remembered what yo' told me, but seeing you lie dere? Yo' have no idea."
Rogue managed a weak smile.
"And we go through all that, and never ended up getting that wretched bank business sorted. Ah don't know if Ah'm really up to going back there again any time soon."
Gambit paused, and Rogue frowned slightly at him.
"What?" she asked.
"I spoke to the manager, afterwards," he said. "Dere's nothing wrong with the account. Everything checks out fine. No one at the bank would have had any reason to call us. What's more... I got a good look at a couple of those boys when de cops picked dem up. Dey were Andys' guys."
"Andys'? One of Johnnys' kids?"
"Yep."
"We were set up?"
"Looks like it."
"Ah can't... Ah thought..." Rogue shook her head. "What did they want?"
"Probably dey wanted to get to me," Gambit replied. "But, and here's where it gets tricky, was it Andys' guys wanting to kidnap yo' to use as a hostage to keep me in line? Were they actually trying to kill me so dey wouldn' have to worry about me at all? Or did Donny just hired some of Andy's guys to kidnap - or perhaps kill - yo', so I would join up with him in revenge?"
Rogue shook her head.
"So many possibilities huh?"
"I had a feeling trying to remain neutral wouldn't work," Gambit sighed. "You have no idea the level of disgust and contempt for Johnny's boys I am feeling right now. Dey shame his memory."
"So, what are we going to do?"
Gambit paused.
"I think I'm going to see if Joey wants a hand."
Rogue smiled slightly.
"Joey wouldn't hire Andy's guys?"
"Joey wouldn't have to."