The man known to most as Gambit sat in a chair next to the sleeping Jean-Luc LeBeau. You could've heard a pin drop in the room, if it weren't for LeBeau's snoring. The way he snored, you'd have thought Remy actually was his son, rather than his adopted one. People swore Remy had to have got his snoring from Jean-Luc.

At the moment, Remy's thoughts were running rampant through his mind.

Hold on a minute... Just -- Wait a minute. Who in blazes are you? Erik the Red isn't real. He's always a cover for someone else. Cyclops, the first time, as I recall! Is this your idea of some kind of joke, Scott? Or did you finally snap and go nutso-evil like Professor X? You always did follow his lead.

...Harsh words that came from a friend -- Warren Worthington, the Angel.

Good thing Scott Summers never heard them.

Remy LeBeau did, however. In Antarctica, where he lay trapped by Erik the Red. The man who had an identity, until recently, that was unknown to Gambit. He was the one responsible for his greatest secret -- that Remy had assembled the Marauders, and led them to the Morlock tunnels -- being revealed. Meaning he was the one responsible for Remy's abandonment in the cold snows and harsh winds.*

(* It all happened in Marvel's now-classic Uncanny X-Men #350 -- Dino)

Only a short time ago, Gambit found out that the man wearing the armor had been the X-Men's oldest foe.

Magneto.*

(* Check out the past few issues -- Dino again)

Gambit didn't know why he'd done it -- or more importantly how Magneto had discovered it.. But once he was done taking care of business with his father ... he had every intention of finding out.

Looking to a nearby clock, Remy sighed. "I gotta go, Pops. Savin' yer life gets harder by de night, y'know d'at, don't ya?"

With that, Gambit left..

..And although he didn't know it, Jean-Luc had a smile on his face.

Remy LeBeau stood, dressed in casual clothing, in the extremely long line for Érotique L'Endroit -- one of New Orleans' greatest night clubs. Remy had managed to charm himself to nearly the top of the line, and within minutes, was at the front.

"You on de list?" The large head-bouncer spoke in a baritone voice. He towered at an amazing 6'7", LeBeau guessed. Lord only knew what he weighed. His muscles bulged from his shirt. There was no doubt why he was the Head Bouncer here.

Remy opened up his newly acquired leather wallet, searching for the driver's license. He found it with ease, and nodded. "Leleaux."

The bouncer pulled back the rope, and closed it after Gambit had made his way through. LeBeau slipped the wallet back into his pocket, and couldn't help feel sorry for the wallet's original owner, who was pretty far back in the line. The man was in for quite the rude awakening .. especially after waiting in line for a couple of hours.

Entering through the main doors, Gambit was amazed as he took in his first glance of the club. He'd heard amazing things about the place, and now he knew why. It was a titanic three stories, although it didn't really show on the outside.

On the first level there was a bar, as well as several stages for performance acts. It reminded Gambit of his days in Vegas -- and of Tom Jones' dancers. But that's a story for another time.

There was music blaring everywhere, and dancers to accompany it. Beautiful women practically lined the entire building. Gambit wished he was here on his own time, but the truth was ... he wasn't. He was here for another of the stones. The club's owner, Tante had informed him, kept one here. She knew nothing about the owner, but Gambit had no doubt in his abilities.

Upon entering, Remy noticed a large man -- who looked like some sort of an official -- standing next to an elevator across the dance floor. He figured that would be his best bet.

LeBeau moved quickly, cutting through the crowd like a hot knife through butter. He was afraid that before he made his way to the elevator, his hormones would get the better of him. (Hey, they don't call him the Ragin' Cajun for nothing, y'know..) Women swayed all around him, and he couldn't help but take in the eye candy.

Still, he kept moving -- and finally reached the elevator. The man who seemed to be an official looked down at Remy with a sober face. He didn't speak.

Gambit took it upon himself to start the conversation, looking up to the man who intimidated so many. "I'm here t'see Goatreaux."

"Ain' nobody gettin' up t'see de boss. De boss don't wanna be disturbed. Get outta here, y'rat."

LeBeau grinned. "I was hopin' you'd say d'at." Gambit extended his Bo-staff, slamming it into the man's gut.

He barely flinched.

The man began to chuckle, grabbing Gambit by the back of his trench coat; extending him in the air. LeBeau quickly touched the sleeve of the coat, charging it instantly. He managed to slide out of it at the same time, leaving it to explode in the man's face.

Most people didn't notice it. Partly due to the fact that they were absorbed in the fun, and partly due to the fact that it could've been for entertainment. Then again, most people around Gambit and the man were sitting at a bar ... so, what's that tell you?

The elevator jerked somewhat as it began to climb upwards. "Already off to a good start, eh, LeBeau?" Gambit joked to himself quietly.

The thief and X-Man noticed a small camera in the corner, and smiled at it. On the other end of the camera, the 'boss' with the stone smiled back. "Don't give him any trouble," Goatreaux spoke. "I want him walking through that door unharmed."

"Are you sure, Jack?"

"Did I stutter?"

Back on the elevator, Gambit was free to evaluate the situation. I don' know much about dis Jack Goatreaux .. 'cept he's got de plum-colored stone, an' he's in charge of one of de most profitable, and most yearned for, places in dis city. Tante made it sound like dis Jack an' de old man have some kinda past connection. But then again .. who doesn't he have some kinda connection with?

I'm always sucked back into this life .. I couldn't escape it if I wanted to. I love m'father .. but I don't wanna do dis. My life isn't about bein' a thief anymore .. it's not who I am. Sure, I'll never escape it. It's always gonna be d'ere. And I'll always be de best at it.

But I'm an X-Man. An' for de first time in a long time, I'm ready to admit that it really means somethin' t'me.

The elevator jolted once more, and the doors slid apart. Remy casually walked out, keeping his cool as always. There was no doubt in Gambit's mind that he'd just stepped into Jack Goatreaux's office.

The office was huge. Famous paintings scattered the walls, Rare vases sat strategically throughout the room. The carpet was beautiful, the windows were huge, and covered with magnificent curtains. There was a large, wooden desk in the center of the room, a chair placed behind it. There was a door to another room on both the right, and the left, and of course -- in a glass case -- the plum-colored stone.

Gambit walked towards it, when he got a welcoming message.

"Hello, Mister. Welcome."

He turned at the fine tune of the woman's voice to meet her beautiful green eyes, as well as her to-die-for smile. She had dark brown hair down to the middle of her back, and was about the same height as LeBeau himself. He guessed she weighed about as much as Psylocke did. Other than the aforementioned, she was dressed in a woman's light-colored purple business suit, a darker purple shirt underneath the jacket.

Gambit nodded, trying not to show the instant attraction. "An' you are?"

"Jacqueline. Jacqueline Goatreaux. My friends call me Jack," she smiled.

Remy's jaw nearly dropped at the news. Goatreaux was a woman?! After a moment, he spoke. "I'm--"

"--Remy LeBeau, the adoptive son of Jean-Luc LeBeau, and X-Man known as Gambit. I know who you are."

"A woman wit' her own fair-share o'knowledge, I see."

"Knowledge is power, after all. And I didn't get on top like this just by opening a dance club."

Remy took a few steps closer, "Of course y'didn't. I came here for de stone, but now I want answers, too. Who are you, an' how d'you know what you know?"

"The stone is yours if you so desire, Remy. As far as my knowledge, and how I acquired it .. A little birdie told me, let's say."

"Y'aren't from around here. Yer accent tells me d'at much. So what's with de name? Goateaux?"

She took a step closer this time, her lips centimeters from his. "Curiosity killed the cat, Mr. LeBeau."

It took everything he had -- but he stepped back. "I don' know who you are, how you know what you know, or why you're givin' me dis stone, for d'at matter. But I do know trouble when I see it, Chere.. and you it."

He turned, pushing a button on the glass case which held the stone. The glass slid open, and the stone found itself before Gambit. He opened up his coat, placing the stone within it. They hadn't been very large, but they weren't your average size, either. The stones were about the size of his fist -- so it was easily placed within an inside pocket.

"Leaving so soon?" She spoke as he made his way to the elevator once more, "And through the elevator? How do you know I won't have you killed? This is awfully easy, don't you think?"

"I know it's easy, Chere. I just gotta trust my instincts."

"Before you go, then," Jacqueline began, "you have to see something."

"What's dat?" Gambit said as he began to float through the air, until coming to a stop before her. As an X-Man, that didn't surprise him as it should have. "I sure hope y'aren't goin' for shock value."

Goatreaux waved her hand through the air, and a small sphere appeared. "I have to show you something. I can see -- and travel -- through time, Remy. The past, the present, and the future."

"It's been known t'happen," Gambit spoke, trying not to show his interest.

Within the sphere, Gambit stood -- horrified. A bright light swirled all around him, and there were screams of pain and suffering. "The near future."

"And an even further future," she spoke again as the scenery changed to Gambit once more .. holding a newborn baby girl. "Father."

"Excuse me?" Gambit said in shock.

"I know this must be awkward for you," Jacqueline began. "This type of thing usually only happens to a Summers."

LeBeau took a step back. "Like I said before .. I don' know who you are, or how you know what you know. Or even why you're doin' what you're doin'. But I know trouble, an' Gambit's leavin' now."

"No, please! You don't understand! You have to .."

"Thanks for de break, chere. I appreciate it," Gambit spoke, cutting the girl off.

"..I made it out of d'ere without anybody stoppin' me or anything, Tante," Remy informed the old woman, "but I just don' know. She just .. up an' gave me de stone, showed me dis .. Bubble t'ing, supposedly showin' de future, an' called me her father."

"Stranger t'ings have happened, Remy. But I'll have someone from de Guild check dis Goatreaux woman out. In de mean time, you just stay focused on what you gotta stay focused on."

"Always am, Tante."

"Good. 'Cause you gonna have some real trouble with dis next stone, Boy."

"Don' tell me dat, Tante. I was hopin' for a good night's sleep."

"You got a plane flight outta dis city in about three hours. You can catch your sleep on d'ere. We ain't got all de time in the world, and neither does your father."

LeBeau muttered something before asking the dreaded question. "What's de big deal about de next stone?"

"You're an X-Man, non?"

"Y'gotta ask?"

"Hush now," she barked. "An' as an X-Man, ya've had a few encounters wit other teams, I'm sure. De Avengers, De Fantastic Four, maybe?"

"Of course, Tante."

"Even we folks down here know de name Tony Stark, and who his bodyguard is."

Remy's eyes went wide. "Y'gonna put me off against Iron Man?!"

"Well," Tante Mattie said uneasily, "hopefully Mr. Stark won' be home, boy. An' you're good. Odds are, all's y'gotta do is break into de man's house when he ain't dere. If you're guardin' somebody, you're always wit 'em, right?"

Gambit sighed, trying to reassure himself. "You're right, Tante. If he ain't d'ere, an' all.

"It's just a house."

NEXT ISSUE: It's just a house, right...? You're going to have to keep telling Remy that as he tries to break into the home of Tony Stark for the next stone!!