The Jack of Spade and the Queen of Hearts (June 2012)

Two weeks had passed and Serena and Gambit both remained busy. The trip they were supposed to be taking to New Orleans was in a week and it wasn't clear if they were going to be going or not. Serena had been looking forward to the trip, but now she wasn't sure what was going on with them. She missed him though. She missed his company and being able to talk to him. She missed his kisses and his passionate whispers into her ear. She had tried talking to him several times, but he had not wanted to talk to her. She kept his Jack of Spades card with her at all times. At night she would lie in bed just looking at it and wishing he was there with her.

It was the final days of classes and originally Gambit had been planning to take her out to celebrate. Now, she stood in her classroom alone after dismissing the kids and sighed as she began to get things cleaned up.

Nightcrawler was a fairly timid sort. He was kind, well mannered, never became angry and had become a pretty good friend to Serena over the past few months. He ducked his head into her classroom. “Hey, I just wanted to return the book you loaned me,” he said as he came in all the way when she invited him. He approached her and set down the book on her desk. He looked...surprised.

“So you will go to your tower then for the break?” he asked.

——————————————-

Gambit packed light. He didn’t know what he really needed. If he needed more he knew he could just Gamble for the money to buy it if he really wanted to. New Orleans was great like that. He hoped Serena would understand why he was doing this. He knew she was going to be angry though, him leaving without telling her. He needed to fix the loose ends that had him worrying constantly and living a lie. Serena had shown him that he didn’t have to live that way but she didn’t know what she was really saying. The Thieves and Assassins guild were not just criminals, they were a brutal, heartless sort that ‘would’ kill her just to get to him. He could not allow that. He pulled away and he didn’t look back…

Serena heard some movement at her classroom doorway and hoped it was Gambit, but it wasn't. She tried to hide the disappointed look on her face when she saw it was Nightcrawler. She liked Kurt a lot. He was kind and genuine and had been a good friend to her over the past few months that she had been at the mansion. She invited him in and looked at him as he put the book he had borrowed on her desk. She saw the surprised look on his face and had a suspicion that he knew something.

"I'm not sure yet...why?"

Kurt’s grin faded and he guessed he had somehow strayed into something he would rather not have. He knew that Serena and Gambit were a couple but lately, he rarely saw them together these days. “Uh…” he shrugged and looked somewhat uncomfortable. “Well...I saw Gambit leave alone and just assumed it I guess,” He said simply. “I helped him with his suitcase a few hours ago and he didn’t mention anything about going to the Tower,” he said and hoped he didn’t overstep.

Serena just blinked at Nightcrawler. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Gambit had left and gone to New Orleans without her? She had been hoping to make amends between them. She had been clearly trying and he had done this? She had to realize that it was truly over between them.

“Well...” she said as she felt a few tears come to her eyes. “I guess I’m going back to the Tower.”

Kurt frowned. “Why would you do that? You’re needed here. You don’t like teaching? Or the X-men?” he asked. “If...uh...you two aren’t getting along...Gambit doesn’t define who you are Serena. You made your own path when you came here,” he said.

Serena sighed. “No, of course I do like it here and I do like teaching and being apart of the X-Men. I’m just upset about Gambit is all. I thought I could make things right, but I was wrong. Of course I’ll stay.”

Kurt smiled when she said she wasn’t leaving. “Well...if it helps, I know where he’s staying. He always stays at the same place, the Harrah over on Poydras Street in the French Quarter. Everyone...knows...that,” he said and then looked down when Serena’s eyebrows drew up. Obviously ‘she’ didn’t know that and she was his girlfriend. Kurt’s cheeks colored in embarrassment.

Serena was surprised by how much Kurt knew about where Gambit would be staying in New Orleans. She felt herself grow upset over that. She wasn’t mad at Kurt, but at the situation. He clearly told people some things about his life.

“Well...good for him. I hope he enjoys his time there alone. Thank you for bringing back the book. I hope you enjoyed it.”

She picked it up and quickly left her classroom. She went up to her room and threw the book against the wall. She had been looking forward to this trip and now she was going to be alone. She laid on her back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling for a long while. Suddenly, a decision was reached. She got up and started packing a bag. She didn’t need Gambit to have a good time there. She would go anyway. She booked a room at the same hotel where he was staying and then booked a flight.