By Raven Adams

The man sat in the tree limb. If anyone could see him they would think it was comical, a seven foot, 250 pound man sitting in a tree like a little kid. The branch he sat in over looked the wall around the X-Mansion, so that he could, for the most part, see the comings and goings of the X-Men and His Elizabeth.

He stretched, his mussels screaming out in pain from being in one position for so long. He had been sitting there since yesterday morning when he and His Elizabeth had come here. He had seen the one with the glasses, he thought his name was Cyclops, grab His Elizabeth and pull her inside. He would have jumped down then and there and killed the man who even thought to touch her, but he knew His Elizabeth wouldn't like that too much.

So he sat and waited. He knew she would come out soon, would tell these people not to be afraid of his size, and he would make new friends. But he would wait only a little longer. If he didn't hear from His Elizabeth soon, he was going to crack a few heads.

They has stayed up until 3:30 in the morning talking the night before. When Gambit had show Lizzie to the room Jean had prepared for her, she had hugged him, saying "I didn't want to come here at first, but now I'm glad I did." That touched Remy's heart like nothing else ever had. "I glad too Petite. Me too." He whispered back before she went to bed.

He had wondered the halls for a while, thinking. It was six when Rogue walked into the kitchen where he was sitting watching the sunrise out the window. Rogue's arms snaked around his neck and gave him a hug before she sat down beside him at the table. The professor said he would tell everyone this morning about Lizzie, but he had said he would tell Rogue himself, only now he didn't know how.

"Remy, sugah, ya didn't stay up all night, did ya?" He nodded. "Did yer friend wake up?" Another nod. "Is she okay?" Nod.

Rogue's brow frowned, she could feel something in the back of her head, a memory, one of Remy's, but she couldn't reach it. Spat kept coming to mind. Was this girl like Spat? She had come, stolen files off of Cerebro, then disappeared. Two weeks later she comes back, and goes berserk. Now that she thought about it, Remy had been distant these past two weeks, more so then he had ever been. The two of them had become really close sense the thing in Antarctica, but for the past two weeks, Rogue couldn't remember Remy saying more then a few words to her.

"Okay, sugah. Ah thought we put all o' this behind us with Spat and Gravel in Antarctica." She put her hand on his shoulder. "Tell me, Remy, please."

Remy was quiet for a while. This was going to be much harder then he thought. So, he took a deep breath, and let it fly. "Rogue, Lizzie, de girl, is ... is ... um..." Well so much f' lettin' it fly, Remy.

"She's what?" Rogue prompted.

Remy stood up and walked to the sink poring himself a glass of water and drinking it. He sat the glass down and stared out the window, this might be a little easier if he didn't look at her. He took another deep breath. "Lizzie is my daughter."

He braced himself for anything. He was ready for screaming, ready for something to be thrown at him, ready for her to slap him, or to run from the room, not using a door but going right though the wall. He waited five minutes, she didn't say or do anything, so he turned, still bracing himself. He was ready for anything ... except for what he got.

Rogue had her head in her hands, and she was crying. "Oh cherie... I sorry... I didn'..." He walked over and knelt beside her. "Please cherie, don' cry."

Rogue lifted her head from her hands, tears staining her checks, and slapped him. It surprised him, they were both lucky she had put on her gloves this morning. "Ya lied t' me."

"Non chere, I ne'er tell I not 'ave a daughter."

"Ya never told me ya did, same thing!" She started to slap him again, but he caught her hand before it reached his check.

"Listen t' me, Rogue, please?" After a moment, she nodded. Remy sighed and sat back on his hunches, her hand still in his. "Lizzie's momma an' I knew each other long time ago. I loved her very much, wan'ed t' marry her, but my poppa said no. Lizzie born not to man an' wife, but t' momma and poppa. She was an angel, I loved her more den I loved her momma or my poppa, and it hurt to say it but, even af'er so long I love her more den you. How couldn' I? She my daughter. But taken 'way from me by Belle. Belle had ... had..." Someone was coming toward the kitchen.

Bobby walked in. "Hay Gambit, isn't it your day to-"

"Go away!" Gambit growled. Bobby rased his hands in defense and backed out of the kitchen. "Eight years 'go, Belle send a le'er t' Juliet, Lizzie's momma, sayin' t' meet-"

"I ain't smellin' no bacon fryin' in here, Gumbo, yer suppose ta fix... Whatca doin' on th' floor-"

"GET OUT!" Both Gambit and Rogue yelled this time. Wolverine usually would have just walked in and sat in one of the chairs and waited for one of them to tell him to get out again. But seeing Gambit kneeling on the floor, holding Rogue's hand in his, something clicked in Logan's mind and he walked out of the room, leaving the two alone again.

"'Fore dere be any more in'erruptions, let me finish. Sinister kill Lizzie's momma, took Lizzie and did some t'ings t' her. She escape. Now she work f' de government, and a friend o' de professor's. I didn' know her momma dead. I t'ought her momma take her away from me an' dey live somewhere happy now, but it didn' happen like dat. Rogue, I love you and I didn' tell you 'fore 'cause I never t'ought I see Lizzie 'gain. But she here now, I didn' know how much I miss her until she came. Don' make me feel bad now, I hurt more den you could know 'cause her momma's dead and f' what Sinister did t' her, an' dat I wasn' dere f' her f' so long. Don' hate me f' not tellin' you. I hate myself enough."

Rogue didn't say anything, but tears came to her eyes again and she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. That spoke clearer to Gambit then any words could ever have.

Lizzie walked out of the bathroom drying her hair, the smell of black Cajun coffee coming from the open window. She sat down on the edge of the bed listening to birds chirping outside, but that wasn't the only thing she heard.

"Cayenne pepper on the cheese toast? At least you didn't put it in the coffee."

Lizzie grinned, remembering her momma's coffee and that when she was little she couldn't even drink it, apparently Scott hadn't tasted it yet, and when he did...

"YEEOOOOWW."

This threw Lizzie into a fit of laughter so loud she was sure the X-Men could hear her down stairs.

The man sat on the tree limb and smiled as musical laughter floated out of the mansion to his ears. How long had it been sense His Elizabeth had last laughed? He guessed he wouldn't have to go crack a few heads after all ... at least, not yet.

Lizzie was still chuckling when she came down to the kitchen. She couldn't remember ever waking up and being this happy, at least not when she was so far from her partner. And her good mood didn't disappear when she walked into the kitchen and all eyes turned to her. Instead her smile got even bigger, as she noted that she was the only one fully dressed to start a new day, and bigger still when she saw Jean helping Scott to drink water to take the fire out of his mouth.

"Good morning Lizzie." Jean said leaving her husband long enough to take Lizzie to a chair at the table.

"Morning Jean, Professor, Gambit." She gave a slight incline of her head to each.

"Mornin' Petite Belle." Gambit said cheerfully as he set a plate of eggs and a cup of coffee in front of her.

"Umm, you were reading my mind, thank you." She said picking up the mug and smelled it. It was so strong, it burned the insides of her nostrils. She smiled lightly into the coffee and bring the mug up to her lips.

"Careful, that stuff's spicy!" Scott spit out coughing on water.

Lizzie tipped the mug to her lips and drank the liquid in two swallows. Her eyes crossed and uncrossed as the fire hit her tongue. At first her throat clamped shut, not wanting to let her swallow, but she forced it open, and the liquid went down in a swirl of warmth, and was left with a strong, but not unpleasant, after taste in her mouth. "You know," she said looking up at Gambit as he pored her more, "I remember Momma's coffee being a lot stronger. But it's been eight years, I could be wrong."

"Non. You right, Petite Belle, yer momma made good strong coffee, de way Cajuns like it, dis diluted. These people couldn' drink it when it good an' strong."

"Diluted?" Scott said hoarsely as Jean pored him yet another glass of water.

Lizzie smiled.

Rogue stood up and walked around the table toward her. "Uh, hi sugah. Um, Remy and ah talked this mornin' an' he told me 'bout you." She was very nervous, she didn't ever think she would run into her lover's daughter, didn't know he had one, and didn't really know what to say to her. But with the smile Lizzie gave her, all of her uneasiness seemed to dissolve, and she pulled the girl up and hugged her, making sure at the same time that Lizzie didn't touch her skin. "Welcome t' th' family."

Lizzie laughed as she hugged the older woman back, "Maybe I should be welcoming you to the family." Rogue smiled at her and squeezed her one more time before letting her go.

Gambit was beaming, his girls liked each other, that was all that mattered.

"Yeah, I guess we should all welcome you to the family." Bobby said pushing his plate of uneaten eggs away, there were nods and grunts of agreement all around the room.

"Yes, Bobby is correct. You are welcome here as long as you want to stay." Storm stood from her seat and put her arms around both father and daughter. "Remy has said many things about his Liz, but I never knew who Liz was until now. I am happy the two of you are together again."

"Not only that, but I suppose there are some apologies to be made." Scott said, putting down the glass on the conner

"Don't worry about it," Lizzie turned and gave Scott her most charming smile, "I should be thanking you. I now know why I hate stairways"

Scott started to say something else, when the door burst open and five teenagers stalked into the room.

"Wolvie!" a dark haired girl called out as she rushed forward and threw her arms around Wolverine's neck.

The rest of the teenagers stood by the door, looking around. One of them, a boy who's gray skin seemed to be too loose on his bones, stared opened mouthed at Lizzie. "'Allo 'gain, chica." He said when he remembered his voice.

Lizzie rolled her eyes and sighed inwardly wishing she had decided to ware a bigger dress this morning. Gambit noticed the look the boy was giving his daughter and steeped forward cutting off his view of her.

Two adults came though the door next. A woman then a man carrying two identical children in his arms. They were followed by a red girl who squatted by the door.

"We're 'ere, and we brought the wee ones fer ye t'look after, Charles." The man said.

"Yes, not all of the students will be staying, but we appreciate your watch... Oh. You didn't tell us you were having company." Emma Frost's words were just like her name, laced cold and hard, as she looked down her nose at Lizzie, who just smiled back at her. "Had we known, we wouldn't have come?"

"We didn't know we would be-" Charles started only to be cut off by a squeal as Jubilee unwrapped herself from Wolverine's neck and she and Husk ran over to throw their arms around Lizzie.

She grinned at them and hugged them back, as she reached out a hand to Jonothan.

**How 'ave y'been, Rav?** Chamber asked grabbing hold of her arm and wrenching her free of the two girls to pull her into a short hug.

"Better and better every day. The virus is almost completely out of my body. I've almost stooped molting."

Gambit spun around to look at her, "Virus?" he asked as Rogue said "Molting?" at the same time.

"A long story, one that will have to wait for another time ... but for now, it's good to see you all again." She pulled Everett into a hug, and then when on to give one to Skin, who hugged her a little longer then Gambit liked. "Even you Emma."

"I hope you won't be offended when I say the feeling isn't mutual."

"You only hate me because I won't let you into my mind. Don't worry, none of the telepaths here can get in either." She turned to take a look at Banshee and the little girls in his arms. "Monet?" At his nod, she reached out and touched them both. "I'm sorry."

"You all know each other?" Jean asked.

"Yeah," Jubilee started before Lizzie could say anything, "Liz-Biz has save our butts lots o' times."

"I don't think twice could be considered 'lot o' times', Jubes. And I've told you not to call me 'Liz-Biz', I hate it enough when Kert calls me that."

"Why are you here, Elizabeth?" Emma asked ignoring the look of pure hatred that Lizzie shot at her when she said that version of her name.

"CMS business."

"Well, I would love to stay and talk to you more, but we've a conference to attend"

"Mon Dieu! De conference! I forget 'bout it!" Gambit hit the ball of his hand to his forehead.

"Conference?"

"I sorry, Petite Belle, but I suppose t' go t' a conference t'day. Now I don' know what t' do."

"Go." Lizzie shrugged her indifference. "I've waited eight years to see you, I can wait a few more hours. I'll be here when you get back. I won't disappear on you." She winked at him and he grinned back.

"You better n't."

It was then that her wrist started to beep. Lizzie sighed. "May I use a phone?"

"Here." Bobby said tossing her the cordless.

She caught it in midair and started to dial a long stream of numbers into it. The phone on the other end of the line picked up, and everyone could hear someone yelling. Lizzie winced and lifted the phone away from her ear. It was a while before she was able to say anything.

"No." She said firmly

More yelling

"I won't do it." Just as firmly. "No way, Connie, he won't agree with it either... Fine, you talk to him." She handed the phone out to Professor Xavier. "Conrad want's to speak with you." The Professor took the phone, and Lizzie grinned, thinking that he wouldn't go along with it either

But her grin faded when Xavier smiled, "That is a great idea, old friend. I will see if anyone will join her."

"Oh no." Lizzie sighed and rolled her eyes.

"It would seem the Conrad want's one of the X-Men to accompany Lizzie on a job. I think it is a wonderful idea, any volunteers?"

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