Stories by Amanda Sichter

"After Midnight"
Jean, crazed by grief and loss, takes to killing babies, and the X-Men must stop her. An alternate version of what happened during the six-month gap.

"All Creatures Great and Small"
The mansion becomes home to mutant farm animals. Don't ask -- just read it.

"And I Alone Am Escaped to Tell Thee"
The story of how Gambit became the Witness.

"Cigarettes Will Kill You"
Gambit explains to Rogue how he escaped Antarctica.

"Dealing with the Devil"
Gambit, trapped in Hell, tries to win back his soul in a blackjack match with the Devil himself.

"Hungry for Your Touch"
Before she absorbed Ms. Marvel and gained a second personality, Rogue's attitude toward her powers may have been very different.

"Love Lies Bleeding"
Gambit from the future has to come back to the present -- and kill Rogue.

"Pangs"
Gambit explains what he wants in a relationship, and what's not working when he's with Rogue.

"The Princess, the Thief and the Tall, Stone Tower"
Once upon a time, a maiden fair was imprisoned within a stone tower, and only a thief could free her from it.

"Something Just Like Weeping"
Rogue gets married and finds that "normal" life isn't as nice as she'd hoped. Especially when it includes abuse. The sequel is "Dreams to a Reality", by Aimee Boling Sze.

elsewhere in Alykat's World:

"Appassionata"
A short, emotion-centered story wherein Bobby Drake and Bobby DaCosta get together. Slash.
(mature themes, sexual content)
(at (un)frozen)

"A Day at the Races"
Bobby and Hank try their luck at the racetrack, betting on horses.
(at (un)frozen and Stars & Garters)

E-mail: wolf@hawknet.com.au

Someone on Gambit Guild asked the question of how Gambit could be pledging his eternal love for Rogue in X-Men while (at the same time) boinking a girl named Minnie in his own series. Now, you and I know that it's just editorial carelessness (bordering on disdain) but I must admit that editorial carelessness does tend to bring out the writer in me, so here's my attempt to explain it. Vignette angst, if you want.
For those who read Gambit #25, consider this thought process as happening just before the phone rings on the last page.
And this isn't the fic I'm writing as per my Dark Phoenix questions (thanks for the many replies). That's coming out as soon as I can work out a way to get Hank and Bobby on the moon together (not as easy as it sounds ). And maybe when the temperature drops - it was 50 degrees C at my place today - for those that only speak Imperial that's about 120 degrees F. Sitting in front of a computer is not that alluring, as you can imagine.
Anyway, on with the tale. PG-rated, very mild.
Disclaimer: Marvel's, blah blah blah. I'll care more if they do.

Pangs
by Amanda Sichter

I'm just so tired.

It's been so long that I can't even remember when being in love stopped being fun.

It used to be fun, I know that. I remember fighting with Belle - mon Dieu, but she had a temper - but I remember how much fun we used to have together as well. I remember it with you, as well, remember dancing and flirting and dating and laughing til we were fit to bust.

I just can't remember the last time that was.

I know we've been pledging our love a lot lately. Earnest talks over long dinners, anguished gazes above the heads of team-mates, lots of angst and star-crossed lover stuff. But I honestly don't remember the last time we laughed together.

I don't know whether that makes me want to laugh or cry. Better laugh, I think. If I start crying over it, I might just never stop.

Maybe it'd be better if you hadn't forgiven me. I'd understand it then. There'd be a reason. But you've forgiven me everything, forgiven me things I don't think should be forgiven, merde, you've forgiven me things I don't think I've even done.

So why the hell do you keep pushing me away?

I know about the whole powers, can't touch, absorb me til I die thing. It's not like you haven't shoved that down my throat every single day we've been together.

And yeah, so they're out of control at the moment. Another good reason to push me away - after all, it's not like I've got any experience with out-of-control powers, non?

Oh, that's right, you're about to do something dangerous with the team retrieving Destiny's diaries. Of course that should mean I should be sent as far away from you as possible because it's not like I know how to deal with anything dangerous. Oh, and merci for undermining my authority in front of my team, too.

Or is it being head of the Thieves Guild that you don't like? Or the colour of my hair? Or my aftershave? Or the breakfast cereal I eat? What is it that makes you push me away from you all the time?

Because you don't want me near you because you might hurt me and then you'll just die?

Did you start thinking that way after the - actually how many times have you tried to murder me so far?

And the worst of it all is that I still love you so much that sometimes I think my heart will burst with it. Irony is a bitch like that.

It's just too hard. I can't do this any more. I can't keep hurting like this, can't keep being this tired. Everything inside is churning all the time, all this heat and passion and love like wildfire, and I just don't want to deal with it any more.

I don't want to have the only woman in my life to love me so much she'll die for it, but never, ever let me close enough to touch her.

I want . . .

. . . the taste of a mouth on mine

. . . someone who laughs when I flirt with them

. . . a body next to mine in bed

. . . better yet, someone who rolls over in the night - *into* my arms

. . . a hand drifting over my chest

. . . a kiss on the top of the head when I get given a coffee

. . . to be tickled

. . . a conversation in a restaurant that revolves around basketball

. . . or shopping - just so long as it's not about noble love and mutant rights

You know, it's finally got to the stage where all I want is someone who doesn't take me all that seriously. Maybe then I won't be so angry all the time. And so very tired.

So now there's Minnie.

I want her.

She wants me.

It's not love - it's not even close - but it's simple and it's fun and that's all either of us wants out of it.

It isn't love but it gives me something that love - that you - haven't given me for a long time.

Peace.

The End

On that note, I should add that X-Men #109 sucked beyond earthly belief. Hank & Trish Tilby? Nightcrawler & Cerise???? And the Remy/Rogue thing is just becoming more ghastly with each hideous attempt to amp up the angst. I'm giving them one more issue and then I'm dumping them and saving up my money to buy Neil Gaiman TPBs instead.