Disclaimer: Still not my characters, and I am definitely not profiting off this. Awe shucks; ) Oh and I'm not entirely sure, when some characters were making there appearances at what times, but I'm gonna take the liberty again and throw in some more, just cause I can and I like em:D Sorry if any accents are not to par, I will try harder to get em right, though I'm from Cali, with my own unique twang. And any constructive criticism is still welcomed.

Gomenasia

Part I:

Chapter Five

Betsy Braddock, the one deemed Psylocke, twirled her violet tresses between her perfectly French manicured finger nails. Her other hand adorned with several bracelets and rings held a freshly brewed cup of coffee, which she had slowly been sipping for the past ten minutes. Warren her long time boyfriend, sat in a chair next to her, his legs crossed at his ankles, chin held up by his fist, his slumped back indicating the long night that awaited them. They had finally dozed off to sleep not an hour ago, when Xavier had called everyone down to the infirmary, only indicating it was about Rogue, though the tone in his voice suggested it was urgent.

Across the stale white, medical clad room, sat the youngest members of the Xmen all in various stages of Pajama's. Even Betsy had to admit they were each a good addition to the team. Piotr, or Peter as so many chose to call him, sat stiffly against the black leather couch in the corner, with Kitty dozing off every few minutes against his shoulder. Jubilee was curled up in the spot next to Kitty quietly, for once Betsy noted, chewing her pink wad of gum, while her yellow coat laid draped over her, her head with crooked pink sunglasses was slouched against the arm rest. A few feet away crumpled in a corner was Kurt. His blew fur standing on end, tail swishing against the floor where he sat one leg bent beneath him the other pulled towards his chest, head back against the wall, eyes tightly closed.

Betsy stopped twirling her hair, pushing it over her shoulder, rolling her neck to work out a few kinks. Warren sensed her movement and looked up, giving her that dimpled smiled she loved so much. She graced him with one of her own perfected smiles, and got up off the counter, taking another quick sip of her coffee. She glanced at the clock, not surprised that only a few minutes had past since the last time she looked. A few more of those long minutes ticked by, and Betsy soon found herself tugging the string of her blouse, a smiled graced her rose colored lips as she recalled an event that had made this shirt a great investment.

… … … … …

~Two Years Ago~

"Please Betsy. Please, please, please…for the sake of the women in this house." Jean's garnet lips puckered, blue eyes wide with anticipation waiting for Betsy's response.

Betsy had just gotten back from a trip to England, it had been a quick visit to see some old friends she still had left over there. All she wanted to do was take a hot shower and feel her comforter draped over her as she drifted off to sleep, but obviously Jean and Ororo had other plans for her sudden presence.

"Would you just calm down a minute. I haven't even been in the house for five minutes and your already begging me to help you out of a jam." A delicate eyebrow rose to emphasis her impatience. Jean chewed her lip, while Ororo decided it would be a good time to fix the flowers in the vase next to her. Betsy smiled, a trimmed brow always had its desired affect when put to use.

"Ugh, fine. What is it this time?" Betsy mentally slapped herself. Where the hell did the sudden burst of energy come from? She felt like she had just ran a marathon and yet her curiosity had gotten the best of her.

Jean beamed at her friends sudden change in attitude. "Ok well long story short, we have a bet going on with the men." Jean smiled, showing her pearly whites as she did her best to not lose Betsy's interest as her other eyebrow shot up. "And you see if we lose, well uhmm…we will uh…"

Betsy rolled her eyes "Oh just spill it already, I'm tired enough, and you rambling isn't helping me stay awake here." Jean now took her turn to raise her eyebrow at Betsy, crossing her arms across her chest, and tapping her foot, a nervous habit she has yet to break.

Ororo took a step forward " Well you see my friend. During a danger room session we sort of got in to a heated match with the men, which turned into a bet, which is going to take place tonight either between a game of pool or poker, depending on a coin toss." Ororo smiled, seeing Betsy shake her head at the stupidity of it all. "So we need your help to better our odds tonight, considering it's only Jean and I on our side."

Betsy put her suitcase on the floor and leaned against the couch, chewing on her lip as she thought it over "So, whose all in on this thing, anyways? You two don't suck entirely at those games, I'm sure you could take them on." With Ororo adding her emphasis to the mix, Betsy laughed "So the losing team must get it pretty bad, what's the bet over?"

Jean sighed "Well if the women win, the men have to cook us all dinner and clean the house for a week in whatever outfits we choose for them." Jean glanced down at the floor, dreading the thought of losing.

Betsy stood up "And if the women lose…" Jean glanced at Ororo who glanced back at the vase with the flowers she had rearranged over four times. "Well…"

Jean looked back up "Lets just say we can't lose, since we will have to wear whatever outfits they choose and then take us to a nearby karaoke bar where we will take our turns singing them a tune."

Betsy lost it. A full smile graced her features and a gut wrenching chuckle left her body shaking, leaving her to grasp on to the couch and collapse on it. "How…how in the world…did…did that happen!" she sputtered between laughs and intakes of breath.

Jean couldn't help but laugh with her "Well like we said it got heated, and Gambit and Warren thought it particularly funny to edge us on, implying that we couldn't beat them at a game or in the danger room."

Betsy stopped laughing "Warren, is in on it?" Both eyebrows now arched. She stood up and brushed out her shirt. "I'm in." Ororo and Jean smiled in relief, though they wouldn't admit it, they weren't the best candidates when it came to games.

"Really, that's great! We just need at least one more person and we'll be good." Jean pondered as she chewed her garnet lips some more.

Betsy looked at Ororo "Whose the other two guys in on the bet?" Ororo finally left the flowers alone and sighed "Well that would be Logan and surprisingly Scott."

Betsy did a double take finally ending on Jean "Scott betting? You've got to be kidding me?" Jean shrugged her shoulders and flipped her Scarlet locks back "Yeah I know, I'm just as surprised as all of you. I don't know what got into him."

Betsy grinned "They must be adding something to the water." she quickly stopped herself when she realized she had been the only one laughing hysterically at her own joke "Well…I wouldn't miss it for the world. So who else should we get?"

Jean looked around, Ororo stared at the vase and when Betsy caught their attention they all smiled "Rogue!" they shouted in unison.

It didn't take them long to find the Southern Beauty outside by her favorite willow tree, where she sat perched on a red and white picnic blanket reading one of her many novels . Rogue had just flipped to the next page when three strikingly different colored heads of hair bobbed in her line of vision. She smiled and laid the hard covered book on her lap. Taking in the site of her three friends. A goddess of nature with a hair like that of snow, and two telepaths from completely different spectrums, one donning scarlet locks the other violet. Rogue brushed her own auburn hair away from her eyes, the shock of white softly blowing against her checks in the Summer breeze

"Hi ya'll! What brings you gals outside?" Rogue's Mississippi twang laced with a soft drip of honey greeted their ears, reminding them how such a voice had a past thief flipping over backwards for her.

Jean smiled and took a seat next to her on the blanket, enjoying the fresh breeze instead of the chill of an air conditioner. "Well we were just wondering if you would like to help us out?"

Rogue looked around, catching the roll of Betsy's eyes and the discreet puff of Ororo blowing a wisp of bangs away from her face. Rogue looked back at Jean as she continued to talk, her emerald eyes seeking an answer as to what she was talking about.

"So what do you say…you in?" Jean asked, sitting up on her legs, head bobbing up and down like an overexcited child on Christmas.

Rogue placed her bookmark between her pages and closed her book, a confused yet amused expression crossed her features, as she sat there deciding whether to laugh or take flight and get far away. "Well may I ask what this 'In' thing ya'll want me to be in is exactly?"

Betsy leaned against the trunk of the aged tree "Now this should be interesting." Rogue glanced at her, a slight bit of fear and curiosity replacing her amusement.

"That it will be." came Ororo's elegant voice as she took a seat on the nearby grass, relishing the feel of it against her skin.

Rogue laughed with uncertainty "Is this anoth'ah one of ya'll bets with the guys again?"

Betsy laughed "That grade school down South surely paid off. She's a smart one."

Rogue's eyebrows shot up "Ex'cuse meh?" Though the smile on her lips showed the banter was all in fun. "And I reck'n them schools yah attended n'abled snobs like youh self to grow up into fine young women." Ororo and Jean didn't do their best to suppress their laughter on that one.

Betsy huffed, the corners of her mouth curling up into a delicate smile. There was never a dull moment with the sassy River Rat as Gambit so often put it. Rogue could be hot headed at times, yet she wasn't stupid, in fact she was quite intelligent from what the team gathered from all those years of training with Mystique, though Rogue rarely showed that side, comforted with not being the center of attention. Betsy and her hit it off quite well, with her English charm, as she liked to put it, they were quite a match.

"So, what is the bet anyways?" Rogue asked, directing her question to Jean.

Betsy took the liberty to answer however "Well you see, these two geniuses, decided to bet the guys that they could beat them at a game of poker or pool after a heated danger room session." The twinkle in her eyes suggested there was a little bit more to the bet.

Rogue chewed her ruby red lips "Sooo…yah need mah help for what?"

Jean decided to skip the whole story telling again, and go with a shorter route, one that would definitely capture Rogue. "Well Warren and…Gambit…were the ones who had the great idea in the first place. So…" she was quickly cut off by a wave of Rogue's hand.

"What'cha mean Gambit? He's in on this? Ha, of course he would be. Why that Swamp Rap nevah learns." she smiled up at Jean who was already standing up, reaching down for Rogue's hands to boost up. "Well ya'll can count meh in."

……………

~Present~

Betsy smiled at the memory. Unfortunately they had lost the poker game. Of course the game was rigged from the start. The women using what their mothers had gave them and flaunted it, while the men kept tempting them with taunts and flirtatious remarks, both of which could have been illegal to say and do in quite a few states. The string of her blouse now dangled against her stomach, where it swung back and forth with every breath. This wasn't the outfit she was wearing when they sang, but it was the bouse she had thrown over after the incident. The night was a rarity. All the X:men had shown up at the bar, all in good spirits, drinks went around, buffalo wings were munched on, and for a night of firsts, there was no fights or incidents, well…scratch that…no fights or incidents that were for mutant and human kind. Betsy was still reminiscing when the door slid open.

… … … … …

~ Ten Minutes Earlier ~

The sounds of burning rubber, an engine roaring, and pieces of gravel being disturbed filled the night. Logan skidded into the garage, kicking the stand and tossing the helmet on the seat, fast strides took him towards the door, hitting the button to close the garage before slamming it behind him. He was jamming his fingers into the now glowing button to take him downstairs. He was contemplating if the stairs would be quicker when the elevator door 'binged' open, with a complimentary soft spoken "Logan." Hmm, he stopped. 'That was new,' he thought to himself as he turned around and faced the woman where the velvety voice had come from.

"Hey, Storm. How is she?" He walked towards her, she had been sitting on an old Victorian styled couch down the hall, sipping some herbal tea.

"Xavier has not said yet." was her simple response. Even in a dilemma she had the ability to be calm, level headed, though this was in fact a necessity. Previous encounters with her emotions proved almost deadly, since her emotions were tied to her abilities.

Logan let out a deep sigh, he was unaware he had been holding, possibly all night. The aroma of cigar smoke and liquor filled the air around him. A small frown graced Storm's lips as the aroma surrounded her.

"Logan…you need to stop doing that." she held her mug close to her face, as the steam warmed her up. She had her legs wrapped underneath her, the blanket she had been using was carelessly tossed to the side.

Logan looked at her, knowing full well what she was talking about, but played non the wiser to it "Stop doing what Storm? Worrying bout my friends?" He chuckled, though there was no humor behind it.

Storm continued to stare at him, not being one afraid to back down "You know what I mean Logan, don't act stupid. I know your not, we all do." she sipped her tea, never taking her eyes off of him, once she was done she gently placed it back on the end table and continued "Going out and drowning your sorrows till you reach several empty beer bottles is not the way to handle things…" she hesitated, a knowing smiled replaced her frown "…every time…something happens that were unsure or…scared about."

Logan huffed at that 'scared, she did not just tell him, the Wolverine, that he was scared.' If she had not be who she was, a goddess in human form, he would have been guaranteed a brawl right about now. "I ain't scared Storm. I'm worried, bout Rogue." Needing something to fiddle with, he rolled up his sleeves from his worn out leather jacket.

Storm laughed "We're all scared Logan, that's what makes us human…including you."

Logan looked at her, a glimpse of the feral animal within him sparkled in his eyes. "I ain't human Storm…" the words slowly hit the floor, along with his gaze. 'not as much as I would like to be' he thought.

Storm stood up and took the few steps till she was standing directly in front of him. "That last mission got to you. I know it did, don't stand her and deny it."

Logan gazed back into her eyes "Storm…" she cut him off, not needing to play this game at such an hour.

"Yes I know, Rogue is hurt, and that's a priority, but if we start to lose you, then we need to fix that too." She smiled. "It is my duty to make sure everyone is ok…and just because you don't get drunk off of all that liquor doesn't mean you should be drinking it."

Logan laughed "Sure, what ever you say Storm." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and lead her towards the elevator. "But I'm okay." And as the elevator 'dinged' closed a question of what her favorite beverage was could be faintly heard.

…. … … … …

~Present~

The doors slid open and in walked Wolverine and Storm. Betsy gave them a small smile, while Warren nodded at them. Wolverine could feel the anxiety in the room, it was almost suffocating. He wanted to barge right into the infirmary and see how she was doing for himself, but he contained himself knowing the occupants in this room, wouldn't appreciate it. He was about to sit down when a melodious laugh drifted in from the other room. It was silvery, like that of a seductive woman yet it was tainted with something, and to his utter confusion it sounded a lot like Rogue's.

The tired and anxious occupants instantly became wide awake. People stirred, standing up, waiting for some news.

"Was that…Rogue?" asked Warren, looking up at Betsy, who softly nodded her head, not quite sure as to what just happened.

That was the same question pending in the room next door. Rogue had been out like a light, bruised and injured, and now she was sitting up, wide awake, a devilish smile playing at her lips, eyes sparkling with renewed energy.

"Rogue? What happened? How are you feeling?" came Xavier's voice, soft yet concerned. Her change in status and…attitude was quite drastic, and yet something else was very different about her.

Rogue was running her hands through her hair, shaking out her locks, she finally stopped when she realized all eyes were on her. A giggle, one they have never heard from those lips, graced their ears, filling the room with confusion.

"Rogue?" came the Xavier's voice again, bringing her attention to him.

"Oh sorry Professah. What'cha ask again?" she smiled sweetly at him, then caught attention of the hospital garment she was wearing and frowned. It was better then the ones worn at regular hospitals. It was a white, and cotton, that tied around the side, though it was far from anything…she…would have chosen to wear.

"Are you okay? You took a very strong hit in the danger room. You've been out for awhile." he wheeled himself closer to her. Hank and Jean were watching her closely as they shifted through results from her monitor, everything was coming back good, they couldn't find a flaw in anything.

Gambit sat next to her, relieved that she was awake and alert, yet something in the pit of his stomach and a voice in the back of his head told him something was not right. Cyclops was in the background leaning against a counter, watching the whole thing unfold, he had known Rogue for some time, and had never seen this side of her.

"I did?" came her tart reply, and before any of them could stop her, she had jumped off the bed, flexing her fingers in the process and wiggling her toes. A smile dazzled her face as she pranced around the room.

"Rogue, I don't think it wise for you to be…jumping around." came Hank's response to her new found energy.

Rogue laughed "No need tah worry Hank. I'm fihne." she winked at him, and he blinked, not knowing how to handle such a response.

Logan heard everything, a metal wall was nothing against his senses to block out the voices emanating from the other room. "That's it." he finally barged through the room only stopping in his tracks to see Rogue standing in the middle of the room, smiling right back at him.

"Oh Logan, yah came tah visit meh?" she giggled again, and stopped as she finally became aware of Remy, sitting there, staring wide eyed at her. And that seductive laugh filled the room again. "Remy, have yah been sit'n here the whole night?"

Logan stayed at the doorway, not knowing what just happened. Storm and the others had gathered behind him, filling into the rest of the room. Trying to assess if their fellow friend was all right.

Remy smiled, she looked…amazing. Which didn't make sense to him, since the ordeal she was just through, but he brushed that aside since all of her attention was on him, and as he enjoyed that sparkle in her eye, he admired those ruby red lips puckered into a smile just for him. "Yeah Chere, all night."

She walked towards him and rustled his hair "Poor Swamp Rat. Je vais faire de vous plus tard." Remy's eyes nearly bulged from his head, and a blush filled his cheeks, he knew she spoke French, but she hasn't been that fluent with him in years.

Jubilee whispered into Storm's ear "Is she like, okay?" Storm looked down at her, eyes filled with concern "I hope so child."

* side note* woo done with this chapter…okay….tell me what you think. I've been working on it for a few days, trying to get it right, and this is what I got. Sorry for the delay, but now that it's Summer, I will be starting the next chapter, possibly today or very soon. I'm sorry for the long wait, it drives me crazy, when I have to wait for ever, but I guess I can't say anything, since I frequently update late:D If you all could, tell me what you think of the Storm and Logan conversation. I intended it to be a talk between friends, with maybe a slight bit of attraction/angst thrown in. If you guys want me to expand on that, I could throw more of that in, or if you guys are appalled by that suggestion let me know, and I will continue how it is:D…thanks for still reading it…hope you enjoy.

*translation to: Je vais faire de vous plus tard. = I will make it up to you later. (at least that's what my translator told me:D