"De first t'ing we do be training' up dose muscles. Dat mean y' gon'a t' jump high, run fast an' be able t' lift a certain 'mount of weight without dyin'. We don' wan' y' t' lift an object, charge it up and drop it on y'self." Gambit chuckled at the image he had conjured up of Gamine dropping her charged up object on herself, quickly brushed the thought away and continued seriously. "Y' understand wat' Gambit be sayin'? It be no game outside. Either y' die or y' survive." Gambit paced around the room, neatly side-stepping the piles of sports equipment that was scattered all over the room, nodding his head to emphasise his points. The Danger Room had been programmed into a gym just for Gamine's training as not to disturb the other X-men who also wanted to use the gym.

What have I gotten myself into this thing I wonder, Vadeline muttered under her breath. Gambit's sharp senses picked up her words and he looked sharply at her. "Y' get wat' Gambit saying' Gamine?"

Gamine nodded her head quickly, her neatly ponytail jerking up and down in time with her movements. She mentally dissed herself. How could I be be so stupid as to forget that he had heightened senses?

Gambit walked over to a corner where weights were neatly piled up. He turned around and motioned with a slight jerk of his head for Vadeline to come over. Gambit would have much preferred to train her stamina and strength in a more traditional way, the way he was trained. By climbing airwells and running through dark alleys where you could not see your footing, best so if you had a cop behind hot on your heels. However Remy was sure that Cyclops would have a fit if he so much as TRIED to bring the girl along for a night's picking or a bank heist and would have taken away his charge from him immediately. Remy was not that willing to vanquish his rights as a training instructor to Vadeline to Cyclops so fast yet. He pushed his thoughts aside and turned his mind back to Gamine's training. He would just have to use the normal methods then.

Gambit, his lean firm muscles hardly rippling with any effort, casually picked up a 100 pound weight and tested its weight. He didn't think it was heavy. Gambit handed the weight to Gamine. Gamine, not noticing the inscribed letters that said 100 pounds, grasped the weight from Gambit. She almost fell flat on her face! It was so heavy! Had Gambit not been still supporting part of the weight, Gamine was certain she would have dropped the weight on her toes, reducing herself to a squished up pancake that would have left her squealing in pain.

Gambit upon seeing her difficulty with the weight and realising his mistake as his eyes swept across the inscribed weight, quickly took the weight away from Gamine and set it down on the ground carefully. He held out his hand to Gamine who was now sitting on the floor and grinned ruthfully, " Guess Gambit be too used t' Rogue bench-pressing 50 tonnes. My apologies Gamine."

Gamine grasped his hands and he hefted her off the floor easily onto her feet. " It's ok Gambit. It's not your fault. It's just that you're not used to dealing with people my age yet. I'm ok." Gamine swiftly swept back her long black hair which had fallen over her face into a neat ponytail and announced cheerfully, "Let's continue!"

"Dat be ok Gamine since y' say so. We continue with de weight trainin' den."

Gamine groaned mentally. It was going to be a long day.

Vadeline sniffed the smells in the air hungrily. It had been a long day training with Gambit and she was hungry. She was certain that Jean was cooking her renowned chicken casserole. She went to the kitchen, stomach rumbling.

To her horror, she found Jean holding some celery with telekinesis, hitting Remy on the head. It was comical, seeing Gambit running around frantically with the celery following closely behind whacking him relentless. However, Jean and Gambit stopped immediately after they noticed Vadeline. Jean released the celery from her telekinetic grasp the celery, with a resounding slap, landed neatly on Gambit's head.

"Look like de celery got de last say non?" Remy joked cheerily, brushing bits of celery off his head.

"That will teach you to mess in the kitchen when I'm cooking." Jean laughed, picking up the celery again and throwing it casually into the dustbin.

Vadeline burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as she did so. She was unable to stop. However she stopped after she had this thought. Will there come this day when humans learn to live with mutants and they stand in the same kitchen like Gambit and Jean are doing and laugh?

Brushing those thoughts aside, she grinned cheerfully and bustled around the kitchen with Jean while Jean chased Remy out with a hovering chopper.

"Jean I swear, this is the best chicken casserole I've ever tasted. " Gamine said almost inaudibly, her mouth full of the food. All around the table, everyone was doing the same. Jean blushed. She was not used to having her food complimented on as the X-men had never had the thoughts of complimenting her, not even Cyclops.

"Since you like it so much, eat some more!" Jean offered, ladling some more food on Vadeline's already full plate while glaring at Cyclops, mentally berating him for never ever complimenting her on her cooking. Cyclops quickly slouched lower in his chair, trying to avoid Jean's accusing look. Rogue who was sitting next to Vadeline, looked jealously at her plate.

"Hey Jean, how come ah don't get extra food?"

"Well Rogue. That's because you aren't a growing girl!" Storm answered, smiling as she picked at her dinner.

Gambit who was sitting on the other side of Rogue, looked at Vadeline in mock jealousy.

" 'ow could y' say Jean cooking be de best? Dat 'cause y' haven't tasted my spicy Cajun cooking!" Gambit groused cheerfully.

"Well Remy, tomorrow is your duty to cook so get it your best shot!" Jean challenged, daggers in her voice.

" 'k so Gambit be cookin' tomorrow! Everyone get ready 'k? De chef of New Orleans gon'a be cookin' tomorrow!"

Everyone groaned, except Vadeline and voices were heard all over the table.

"Oh my stars and garters. I shall not be taking dinner tomorrow." Beast immediately excused himself from the next day's dinner.

"Vadeline, you have no idea what you have just gotten yourself into." Bobby aka Iceman grinned at her.

"Ah think you're in big trouble Vadeline" Cannonball chipped in.

"Quit it bub. The Cajun ain't that bad at cookin'." Wolverine who was sitting next to Cannonball defended Gambit.

"Yes suh."

Vadeline suddenly had a real bad feeling about tomorrow's dinner.

Find about Gambit's disastrous dinner in the next chapter of Gambit My Love.....