A/N: Little side story I had lying around, fixed up, and posted. Because Kitty loves ones shots… and author's notes. So she's happy all around…

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-Sibling Day-

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It happened on days unknown. No one would see it was coming until it had arrived, to which every one warned would promptly make themselves scarce. But there were a select few of X-Men who weren't up on current events, that had to be forewarned in the midst of it happening to give them a fighting chance at escape…

Logan sipped his coffee on such a day, reading the newspaper. Remy came down around seven, before the crowd stampeded in for breakfast. Remy was wearing a pair of jeans and his trusty trench coat, and his hair was a mess. Must've decided to skip the shower this morning, Logan figured as he sniffed the air. But, Gambit's strong smell today wasn't just of body odor, it was something else too. Some foreign scent that practically filled the whole room. Logan took a deep whiff and chuckled when he finally realized what the scent was.

"Rogue sleep okay?" Logan teased. Gambit didn't catch it. Must not be quite awake yet.

"Huh?" Remy said, facing him. "What?"

"Did Rogue sleep well?" Logan said again, his eyebrows raising.

"Oh, yeah, great," Remy replied passively.

Boy, he was slow today. Must've been some night.

Finally, Gambit got it, straightening upright and smirking at Logan slyly.

"Oh, yeah… Rogue slept great."

Having said his peace, Remy helped himself to a root beer and some of Logan's newspaper, and got comfortable in the chair across from him. Rogue came stretching into the room next, wearing nothing but one of Remy's oversized shirts. The now identified scent was strong on her too. Logan smiled. Kids.

Then Logan realized something-- how in the world were they able to touch? He noticed a ring on her finger. Must be Gambit's little stolen parting gift from Belladonna. That ring that took away the powers of the wearer… Caused Gambit quite a bit of trouble back in the day… That explained it.

"Have fun last night?" Scott asked Rogue as he walked though the room to the fridge to grab a water for his morning Danger Room workout. His very predictable routine. "Drake was complaining all night about how he was able to HEAR you."

Rogue blushed a deep red as Scott headed out again. She cast a shameful glance at a smirking Gambit, who just chuckled to himself and shook his head at the part of the newspaper he had stolen from Logan. She went even darker when Bobby came into the room next, looking like a walking zombie. He mumbled some things that Rogue couldn't hear, probably cursing the thin walls of the mansion. She didn't want to hear. Instead, she left the room as quick as she was able. Jean entered next, something that Logan sat up straighter for. She pulled out some bread from the fridge and placed it in the toaster.

"You guys do remember it's the G.C.'s monthly Little Sibling Day, don't you?" Jean reminded cautiously.

"The Gossip Committee has a Sibling Day?" Gambit said, taking another gulp out of his root beer. "Man, I hate dat club a' nosy little eavesdroppers."

"Yes, well, it means that we're going to have a lot of little ones running around, so don't scare them with… your…" Jean was suddenly at a loss for adjectives.

"Selves?" Logan offered helpfully.

"Yeah, that," Jean agreed. "Or you can just do what I do and hide out in the TV room until the midget invaders leave."

Right on cue, Lea entered the room with a little tike hanging onto her hand, so Jean quickly headed back to her comfort zone on the living room couch.

"Let's see what num-nums we can dig up," she said. Remy inhaled abruptly at the sight of the little one. Logan could smell what he was feeling. He could sense that longing to be a father. Too bad he'd probably suck at it.

While Lea was fishing in the fridge, the little one strayed over to Gambit, looking up at him with huge brown eyes. Gambit tried to act like he didn't care.

"Whadayu want?" he asked it. Lea looked up when she heard his voice, then examined the situation. The little one smiled at Gambit's voice.

"Look, she thinks your accent's funny too," Lea laughed.

"Ain't that a hoot?" Logan mumbled sarcastically.

"Com'on, Mei," Lea called as she left the room. It didn't follow her, just stayed and stared at Gambit. Logan shook his head, laughing only in his mind, and left the room.

Gambit hadn't wanted to let anyone know he was curious about children, for fear of his manhood being questioned, but now that she was gone…

"Hi," he said to it.

"Hi," it said back. Interesting little creature.

"What's yo' name?"

"Mei," it said.

"Like da month?"

She shook her head no and giggled.

"Well, dat's pretty. You t'ink dats pretty?"

The little one nodded and smiled wider.

Lea was going to come back in the room to fetch the girl, but stopped when she saw this rare moment. Being vice president of the Gossip Committee, it was only natural that her first thought would be: who could she tell?

Lea raced up the stairs and pounded on Rogue's door.

"Rogue, you gotta see Gambit!"

"What's wrong with him?" Rogue said, whipping open the door and suddenly very worried. "Did you catch him kissing someone else?"

"No, look!" she pointed. "In the kitchen…"

Rogue silently walked down the stairs so Remy wouldn't see her, but she could clearly see him. The black haired girl was on his lap, smiling like she thought he was the funniest thing in the world. Lea took off in another direction to tell somebody else.

"An' how does a… horsie go?" Gambit asked her.

"Oink," Mei replied.

"No, dey go neigh. Now, how does a chicken go?"

"Oink."

Remy chuckled.

"No, dey go cluck. C'n ya say cluck?"

"Oink!" she said giggling.

"Okay den," Gambit sighed, giving up. "How does da piggy go?"

"Oink."

"You got it. You so smart."

Rogue laughed, startling Gambit, who hopped to his feet.

"Chere!" he hid the laughing girl behind his back. "I didn' see ya dere…"

If only the dumb kid would shut up and stop playing with his coat back there…

"Been standin' dere long?"

Mei giggled again.

"Talk to her again," Rogue commanded.

Gambit gave Rogue a look of suspicion, quirking an eyebrow. Still, he obeyed, and set the kid back down on the floor, leaning down to her short level.

"Mei, dis is Rogue. Can ya say 'Rogue'?"

"Og," it replied.

Gambit got back up and scratched the back of his head.

"Dat's da best I can git outta her in dat department," he said regretfully.

Lea came back in the room, along with the other G.C. member's and their little brothers and sisters. Rogue took off in search of a camera.

"See, what I tell ya, he's great. She loves him. And he'll give us a well-deserved break, won't ya Gambit?"

"Uh…" he started. Without waiting for an answer, they dragged Gambit into the library, setting the tikes on the carpet.

"Great!" the others said. They abandoned their little ones around Gambit, taking deep sighs of relief as they scurried off.

"We'll be in Kitty's room if you need us," Lea informed him. "Just tell them a story or something. They like Beauty and the Beast."

Thus, Gambit was suddenly alone with a lot of pudgy faces and huge eyes.

"Ya guys like stories, eh?"

They nodded.

"Ya like Beauty an' da Beast?"

They nodded again.

"Alright, den ya gotta shut up an' listen, kay? Okay, once upon a time," Gambit was suddenly aware he didn't know how that story went. "Dere was dis beauty, see. An' den dere was dis beast…"

Rogue came in later, having given up on the idea that there was a camera left in the world. The kids had happy looks on their faces, giggling constantly. She hadn't realized how good Gambit was with children-- She stopped when she heard him talking.

"An' den da beauty kissed 'im like a girl on death row, shovin' 'im on da bed--"

"Gambit!"

Gambit jumped, startled.

"Chere! Yo' jest in time fo' da best part…" he said, motioning to an empty chair.

"Best part, mah foot! That is NOT how you tell the kids a story!"

Gambit was suddenly aware that he had done something wrong, though he was still trying to figure out what.

"Wha's wrong wit it?"

"Kids haven't figured out love yet, Gambit. Especially that type…"

Gambit glanced at the group of big innocent eyes.

"Uhh, alright… I'll change it."

Rogue nodded then helped herself to a book. She guessed she might have to stick around and supervise. She got lost in an interesting part in her own story, when the gasping of the kids in delight interrupted her.

"So the Beauty looked out her window, and there were dead bodies all around…"

Rogue was so appalled she couldn't tell him to stop. She saw Lea and the others in the doorway checking in on Gambit. Their faces turned into the same expression that Rogue felt.

"And da maniac showed him da head a' his own wife, head clear split open, only little shreds a' tissue over da hole in her skull…"

Kitty looked like she was going to vomit, put her hand over her mouth and ran from the room. The others looked ready to do the same. The stupid, unknowing kids were just eating it up.

"Making him watch as da maniac dug a spoon into her head, eatin' up her brains like dey was a bowl a' jambalaya…"

Rogue felt sick as well.

"Gambit!" she yelled. He jumped from surprise, then was just annoyed.

"What?"

"Ugh!" Rogue exclaimed, trying to speak and keep from vomiting at the same time. "You're the worst story-teller in the countr-- in the worl-- in the universe!"

"You are sooo fired!" Kitty cried. "Get out of here!"

Gambit got up to leave. Funny how many people had been telling him to leave the room lately. What did he do?

"Sheesh," he mumbled as he left. "Ya try an' do someone a favor…"

Mei got up and started to follow Gambit, but Lea grabbed her.

"Oh, no you don't. I'm not letting that insensitive jerk poison your mind with--"

Mei started to scream and cry.

"What do you want, Mei?" Lea said, picking her up and looking her in the face. "You hungry?"

Mei shook her head and pointed out the door.

"Bitty," she whined.

"Huh? Gambit? No way…"

Rogue didn't hear the rest of that conversation because the rest of the kids started to cry. She left the room, away from the noise.

She caught up with Gambit, who was fishing another soda from the fridge.

"How did ya do that?"

"Do what?"

"Make them like you so much."

Gambit got close to her face.

"Chere, I c'n make any woman like me if I really wanna."

"You are extremely self-confident, you know that?" Rogue smirked, then sighed. "Ah'm sorry, Gambit, 'bout what Ah said before, about never having kids with you…"

"I know." He took a large drink, then looked at her seriously. "Hey, Chere, ya know… I c'n do dis. Dis… father t'ing."

"Ah don't know 'bout that," she laughed. "But Ah'm willin' to let ya try."

It was the sexiest thing she had said all week.

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Later, Remy had soon found himself back in the library, of all places, hanging out with the kids again. Or maybe they followed him in there, Rogue didn't know. She listened in on his story to make sure it was legit.

"An' so da Beast did some t'ings he wasn' proud of, an' da Beauty still forgave him, again an' again. It was only da last time when he realized dat he didn't deserve a gal like her."

"Why not?" one of them piped up. "Didn't he love her?"

"Oh, more than anythin'," Gambit agreed. "But da prince had been so wild and mean dat he didn't t'ink she would ever settle down wit' him."

Rogue joined in.

"But soon enough, the Beauty saw that in him, and loved him even more for it. And they lived happily…. ever…"

She caught Gambit's eye and smiled.

"After," she finished. "The end."

Gambit set her on his lap, then kissed her. The little ones loved it.

"Smoochie!" one yelled. The rest just laughed and clapped their hands together excitedly.

Gambit laughed and broke off.

"Dat wasn't how I was gonna end my story, ya know."

"It is now."

"Kids!" Kitty called into the room. "Time to go home! And Big G-- Prof wants to see you and Rogue in the study. Some 'Friend's of Humanity' riot in the midwest."

"Oh, goody." Rogue sighed in relief, getting up.

"Got dat right," Gambit agreed, getting to his feet too.

Mei hugged Gambit's leg and hung on while he walked.

"Clingy little thing, ain't she?" Rogue observed.

Gambit smirked.

"Can't say I haven't had DAT reaction befo'," he commented. He bent down to her and pried her off. "Sorry Mei, official Bitty business."

Gambit and Rogue made their way inside the elevator to the lower levels. The door beeped with the final bell before it closed and departed.

"'Bitty' huh?" Rogue teased. Gambit smiled and put his eyes straight ahead.

"Shuddup."

"By the way, Gambit, one more thing I've been meanin' to tell ya," Rogue smirked to herself as she watched the meter above the doors counting down the seconds until they made it to the bottom floor.

"What's dat?" Gambit asked.

"I'm pregnant."

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Please review!
Signed,
--RedRogue