Summary: Bigotry comes in many forms and people aren't always who we think they are. Julien and Logan have much to learn. Part six of my Twilight series.
Author's notes: Well, I finally got to see my Wolverine movie and it was pretty good in spite of some reservations I had about how another one of my beloved characters – Deadpool – was going to be treated. I will say that Gambit rocked, and according to some reviews, even stole the show a bit. I am glad I saw it, even just so that I can put that distraction behind me and get back to work on this and other projects I have been putting off at home. I am going to go ahead and begin posting this even though I am not so sure it's as polished as it could be. You'll have to let me know if it sucks, lol.
I should still be updating this book each week as usual along with the art that goes with it, which can be found at my homepage.
Updated 11-8-13 to add (break)s as needed.
(One)
After lunch with Remy, Julien dragged his feet, shuffling along as he was escorted back to the interrogation room by Remy and his pair of Siskans. He was still a bit out of sorts from his brief nap and this was the last thing he wanted to do. He didn't want to know what new verbal traps they had ready for him this time around. It was getting really really old.
Logan, Scott and the Professor were waiting for them as they arrived. Kimble and Aiden hung back, dismissed now that they had all reached this destination, but Kimble patted Julien's shoulder in a wordless show of support. Julien was moved on by Remy and then they were gone.
Julien took his seat, sad to see them go. In this strange place Kimble and Aiden had been the only ones with no expectations of him, they demanded nothing. They didn't question him or do anything besides make him feel welcome and accepted just as he was. It should have made him suspicious, there were so few people in his life that he could trust, but they had set him at ease, made him comfortable. Not like these men who shared this room with him now. These fellows he did not like.
Cyclops had turned the camera back on and was speaking his opening remarks for Fury. When he finished with that, he turned back to Julien and slid a large piece of blank newsprint paper in front of him and a box of crayons.
Julien looked up at him with a sneer. Were they going to make him color now like a little kid? What the hell?
Scott was not amused by Julien's face. His voice was hard and annoyed as he requested, "I'd like you to draw us as detailed a map as you can of the Twilight camp where you guys were staying. Please label each building and what it was used for."
Julien complied, dumping out the crayons and choosing his colors. Drawing was far better than answering questions that were only designed to trap and confuse him. This activity wasn't incriminating in any way so far as he could see. There was no reason for him not to do it. It took him some time but when he was finished, the map he had made was quite detailed and not crudely made. He had some artistic skill, the buildings were in proportion and placed fairly accurately to one another. This updated map was a real tool and far more reliable than the rough one Logan had made from his single trip out alone. Of course, it was painfully noticeable that while he had drawn in the prisoner sheds, he had left out the cemetery. There was no way he didn't know about it and its omission was like an unspoken admission of guilt.
"Thank you, Julien," Cyclops said and moved the map aside. They would go over it later as needed. He then moved on to the next order of business. "I know you aren't that happy to be doing this with us but there are certain facts you just have to face. In order for us to get some sort of leniency for you, you'll have to give us something. This map is great and we do appreciate it, but we need more. You have to give us something we can use to bargain with SHIELD. Do you know who Frost was selling the Honey to or how he was distributing it?"
Julien shook his head. "I never left Twilight once I got there. He didn't tell me about anything that happened back home."
The answer sounded honest enough so Scott changed tack. "Did Frost ever keep records about what he was doing?"
Julien hesitated, taking a deep breath. Did Frost keep records? Oh, yeah. The man was obsessed with documenting everything and there were stacks of files back in the man's cabin. Of course, no one here would be able to read them, they were all encrypted. Frost had never given Julien the code but Julien was far brighter than Frost had taken him for. It had taken little effort for Julien to figure it out. Not that he had ever told Frost that, he had done it to kill time when Frost was away, not because he was concerned about catching his boss doing anything bad. It had gone too far for that.
"I know he kept a journal in his cabin," he answered cautiously. He wasn't about to reveal that he had read some of it. It had both confused and frightened him. It confused him because there was a lot of math in it – money transactions and payments going every which way. It had also frightened him because there had been a list that Julien had tried so hard to ignore, a long list of the unsaved kids that had died in all of Frost's camps. In Julien's poor brainwashed mind, he saw it not as an accounting of murders, but as a list of failures. Getting back to God was so very hard, it seemed, and if so many others hadn't been able to pass this arduous test, how was he going to pass muster himself? It had been so discouraging. He said nothing of this to Scott, of course. These men understood nothing. Let them be happy with Frost's stupid notes on accounting that had meant nothing to him. He said to them, "The book had a lot of stuff in there about money, but it was written in code."
"Can you give us the cipher for the code?"
"Yeah," Julien answered and began writing it out the moment Scott slid another piece of paper in front of him.
"Well, that's something," Scott said, pleased, when he had finished. With Simone on hand, it should be little trouble to go back and retrieve it. "Where did he keep this book in his cabin?"
Julien lowered his eyes, a habit that Remy quickly realized was a 'tell' of sorts. It meant he was discussing something he wasn't comfortable with. "He had a lock box that he kept hidden under one of the floor boards ... but you can jimmy the lockbox with a letter opener... if you do it just right." The whole time Julien explained this, his face flushed with assumed guilt. He hadn't been allowed in there, he was admitting to a crime and he was a bit embarrassed by it, squirming just a little.
"And how would you know that?" Logan questioned, his smile sly and hard. Son of a thief indeed.
"He kept the keys to the sheds in there," Julien replied, giving an answer they hadn't expected.
Logan arched an eyebrow. "Kiden's shed?"
"That's right."
"How did you feel about Frost keeping Kiden there?"
Julien lowered his eyes back to the table again. His voice was soft with guilt as he answered, "It was better for her there than in the girls' barracks. The men weren't allowed to touch the girls that were in the sheds."
"You 'ave sumptin' to do wit' Kiden bein' dere instead?" Remy asked, quick on the draw. He was reading all sorts of unlovely things in Julien's shine. He saw guilt and embarrassment at having to discuss sexual matters, but at the same there had also been just a hint of pride in there. As far as Julien was concerned, he had protected her in some way.
Remy was not surprised by Julien's next reply. It was halting and full of virginal embarrassment as he try to justify what had happened. "Frost gave her to me. He said... he said I could have her as long as I never.. you know.. touched her. I brought her food and cleaned her up when I could. I never touched her.. that way. It's a sin. It's a sin for us to be with other people... like that. Lust is a sin all by itself, but at the same time, we can't be allowed to have kids. We might spread our sin."
"I thought Frost had seen to that himself," Logan challenged through tightly clenched teeth. He was furious. "I know what he did to all of you. He made you guys take the Supramax. I'm surprised a scrawny runt like you survived it."
If Julien could have slumped down any further, he would have. His shine was swirling with all sorts of guilt and embarrassment as he replied, "He never made me take it. I mean, I wanted to because .. because I knew it was the right thing to do. But Frost ... Frost said it was too risky. He liked me and he didn't want me to die. Some of the other kids did...when .. when they took it. He... I was sterilized another way."
"What other way, fils?" Remy dared to ask, not really wanting to know. There were many options to choose from, including castration. He was forced to swallow a hard rock of horror that had lodged itself in his throat as his mind ran way with itself. It was horrific, the idea of Frost mutilating children so gleefully like this, taking away their reproductive rights like it had meant nothing.
"Vasectomy," Julien replied eventually. He really didn't want to talk about this and was squirming in his seat. "I volunteered. It was for the greater good."
"Then why didn't Frost do that for all the boys?" Logan questioned, noting the color returning to Remy's face as the man visibly relaxed with relief.
"Too expensive, but he said it was worth it in my case."
"Here's an idea," Logan replied to that, his voice full of venom. He was disgusted that Julien would not only go along with Frost's policies but had actually volunteered to have his body butchered. "Why don't you tell us just what made you so special to Frost? Were you really that good at kissing his ass? Or maybe he just liked little boys."
Julien's eyes flashed sharply to his then, his embarrassment washed away by a fierce and sudden anger. "Fuck you! It wasn't like that! Frost liked me because I knew he spoke the truth about us. We're nothing but sin and garbage. We need to suffer for the abominations we are. The suffering cleanses us and makes us holy. There is no other way. We have to serve, it is our place in this world and the only thing God will accept. All else is corruption and filth."
"Do you even know what dat mean?" Remy questioned impatiently, his voice a little sad. What Julien had said sounded rehearsed and memorized, like something taught in a classroom but not fully explained. It was meaningless because the speaker didn't breathe the heart of what was spoken.
Julien's condescending gaze turned to his father. "Sin kills, therefore I am sin," came the simple, terse reply. That at least was spoken honestly enough. "What more is there to know than that?"
"Dere's a difference between killin' fo' self defense and outright killin' for de t'rill of it, comprenez? What you done back home wasn't no crime. Jerry busted up yo' hand and given enough time, he mighta killed you or yo' mother. What Frost done to dem kids – killin' dem and takin' away deir chance to be parents when dey never ain't done one t'ing to 'im – dat was de real sin. Dere ain't nuthin' dat could ever justify dat. You gotta see dat, fils."
"No, I don't see it," Julien snapped back quickly enough. "The ones that died from the SupraMax were taken home to God. The Lord wanted them back and took them. They passed the test. The other kids that died, died because they were too full of pride to accept what they were or the teaching that would have saved them. They got what they deserved."
Remy turned away, clenching one fist and pounding it hard on the table. The other hand he used to cover his mouth before he said something regrettable in return. It was Julien's shine that had done this. He hadn't been lying, he had believed every word.
"Maybe we should take a break," Charles offered on behalf of the agitated thief. He could see Remy had pretty much reached his end with his troublesome son. "We can continue this tomorrow."
"And the squirt? Where does he go?" Logan wanted to know. He couldn't see Julien staying with Remy, they were oil and water and Remy was already hurting from it. Logan didn't want the kid with the Siskans either. With every word that Julien let slip it was clear that that relationship was going to go south quickly. The boy's aversion to anything sexual and his supposed piety would only end in disaster if he spent too much time with those two. Logan was amazed that Julien hadn't yet discovered that the pair were married. He was much too smart for that to last much longer.
"One more night with Aiden and Kimble should be all right," Charles said, oblivious to the exact nature of Logan's concern, but added quickly when he could already see Logan start to protest, "But tomorrow he will need to be moved to the minimum security housing wing, I think. I'd have him there tonight but it's already getting late. He feels safe with the boys, they can bring him down there tomorrow and show him around."
The Game had been very disruptive to the Complex and had left many kids orphaned. Some of them didn't take it well and had become a bit unruly. They were receiving therapy but in the meantime, a secure place to house them was needed. This section was no jail, the kids could come and go as they pleased during the day, but they had a curfew and their rooms were locked at night. Adult guardians had been assigned to that section, keeping watch. Asher was one of these. Having Julien there was a compromise, it wasn't the same as dumping him into a holding cell, but at the same time, he could be kept an eye on. It wasn't forgotten that some of the other Twilight kids had howled for Julien's blood.
Julien sat as he was, very aware of the tension rising in the room. Remy wouldn't even look at him now, not that he minded. He despised the man, Remy was clearly too full of sin to see the truth when he heard it. He was like those other boys who had failed, so full of pride and self righteousness. Nothing would please Julien more than to have Remy turn from him forever. He wanted to be left alone.
What he didn't understand, however, was why Logan didn't want him with the Siskans. The pair had been nothing but nice to him. He didn't see what the big deal was. For the first time, he began to suspect that his hosts were not exactly what they seemed to be.
"I'll call de boys," Remy offered as an excuse to leave, reaching for his phone. He slipped out into the hall without saying anything else to anyone. He was tired now, it had been a long day, and he was ready to have this over with and done. Perhaps tomorrow would be better.
Logan watched him go, a small frown twisting the corners of his mouth. He glared at Julien, disgusted that the boy had so disappointed his father. "Hope yer happy."
The boy just met his eyes without speaking. About Remy he could have cared less. The sooner these folks accepted the fact of their ever present sin, the better off they would be. It was a hard thing to let go of this terrible pride, but it had to be done.
"Logan," Cyclops commanded, wanting the man to back off. "Get Fury on the phone, see if we can't work something out."
Logan nodded and went the way Remy had, shutting the door behind him.
Logan stepped out into the hallway, already reaching for his phone. He could see Remy further away and making his own call, getting the boys to come down. Remy hung up his phone, done now, but kept his back turned to Logan, not wanting any more conversation.
Logan left him alone, he had his own business to attend to. He grabbed his own phone from its clip at his hip, but it was already ringing before he could even open it to dial out. Logan answered, "Yeah?"
"Hey, buddy," came Nick Fury's voice over the line, making Logan smile. "You got a minute?"
"What a coincidence. Just the guy I wanted to talk to."
"Since when do you ever want to talk me? We're not that chummy."
"Funny. You want to go back to Twilight?"
There was a pause on the other end. "You bugging my office now? That's the same reason I was calling you."
"Maybe it's the other way around. I just got some information from one of the kids we brought back with us that might interest you. Frost kept a journal and I know where it is."
"If you're telling me this, then you must want something."
"Yeah, just so happens that I do. We should meet."
"Bring your doorkey and meet me back at the warehouse at oh-six hundred tomorrow. We'll go back to Twilight and have a look around. I'm going to need more than just a walk through like last time, I want to be there at least a couple of days. I've got forensics I need to collect and that town to process. Is that a problem?"
"I think we can manage that just fine," Logan agreed with a smile. This was no real surprise. That whole island was one big crime scene as far as he was concerned and he would do anything that kept Frost and any of his crew locked away for good. "Pack up yer crew. I'll see you then."
Logan hung up and called out to Remy who had wandered further down the hall to the soda machine. "Hey, kid!"
Remy turned, his shoulders high and tight. He was still upset about Julien and hadn't liked Logan's tone. "What you want, patron?"
"Tell yer boys when they get here that we got work tomorrow. We're going back to Twilight first thing in the morning, six o'clock. Fury wants to go over the place."
Remy made a face in exasperation. "Six o'clock? Tell me dat's some kinda joke, homme." He was not a morning person.
Logan growled at him with impatience, "Is this a hardship fer you? I was tryin' to set up some kind of deal with Fury fer yer pup and all but if you've got better things to do then, well..."
Gambit bristled with his own annoyance, but wasn't up to another argument. He raised a hand in impatient dismissal and said, "Non, we'll be ready."
"Make sure Simone's there too. We'll keep him cloaked like before. He'll need protection so I'll look into having Rogue and some of the Gold Team come along too. I won't take a chance on Fury tryin' to take him."
"Bien, we'll be ready."
Remy walked off and Logan let him. It was only a couple of minutes later that Kimble and Aiden arrived, ever obedient. Julien was handed over to them and Logan let it happen, just as tired now as Remy had been. If these guys wanted to take the risk of leaving this child with these unstable Siskans, then so be it.
Logan left the Security wing and made his way home. He hadn't gone far when he heard someone call his name. He turned to see Seth coming towards him, another yellow folder in his hands. "Whatcha got fer me?" Logan asked.
"It's about the medallion you found."
Seth had been busy helping Star out with Henry but once the doctor had stabilized and been successfully moved to better quarters, Seth had been freed up to do this little task that Logan had asked of him. The medallion had a logo on it, a wolflike face with three slash marks artistically cutting across its neck. It was unique enough that Seth had no trouble finding something on it.
Logan smiled with anticipation and took the folder Seth handed him. There wasn't much inside, mostly just some information on a web site. The site was an odd one, it mainly consisted of a single screen shot of a twirling medallion just like the one Logan had found. Under it were the words. "Only the strong will survive. Enter if you dare." When Seth had tried, it had asked for a login and a password.
"I'm in the process of trying to crack that for you now," Seth promised. "...but it may take some time. So many possible combinations. I am also trying to run down the IP address of the site so I can get you an actual street address. Someone has to be hosting this thing."
"Thanks," Logan said, happy that at least they had gotten something so quickly. He hadn't spoken of it much, but he was really concerned for his half brother, Kristalay. Yeah, the guy wasn't the most honorable man, but he was out there somewhere and Logan had an idea that he hadn't gone willingly. There was no way Kristalay could have arranged something like that while he had been here, he had been too restricted.
Seth bowed at him again and walked away. Logan watched him go, his mind working. Supposedly Seth and Kimble were twins, two halves of one whole. Fallen had used the same basic body design for their skins, yet Seth seemed so much younger, or at least smaller in some way. He did possess something Kimble did not – Seth always walked tall and straight, his head held high. He might be easily intimidated by others, but on his own he had an irrepressible self confidence that Kimble had never regained once he had been ripped out of the original computer system all those years ago. It was a shame, Logan thought, Kimble would be less of a pain in the ass if he was more mature as Seth appeared to be.
Logan made his way home, happy when he smelled what would no doubt be a wonderful supper waiting for him. The kids greeted him at the door, always happy when he was home early. They came at him in an eager rush – his two girls Jessie and Leslie, and finally young Carter toddling towards him, his shy little son drawn out by all the noise. Wolverine never thought he would be someone who looked forward to being greeted at the door, but he had come to enjoy this like nothing else.
Logan gave them all their rounds of hugs and kisses. He then moved on to the kitchen and gave his wife, Karen, a kiss as she stood at the stove. Her kiss in return was cold and stiff, her eyes angry. She was upset at him and he could take his best guess why. It had to be Skye.
"Somethin' on yer mind, darlin'?" he dared to ask. He would rather have bickered about this after supper, he was hungry now and it smelled great. She had made his favorite – broiled steaks and mashed potatoes. A generous salad was already on the table, ready to be devoured. He had an idea she had made these things on purpose, all the better to further her cause.
She was firm and confident as she got right to it. "If you're planning on eating here tonight, you need to go back to your little jail and unlock the blocks on Skye's cell."
Logan just smiled in irritation, showing her his teeth. She was so fearless, not the least bit afraid to threaten him like this. It wasn't because she expected he would comply, he had eaten many a plate alone at the Bistro after similar words. Karen was well versed in feral etiquette. She knew that the best way to do things with him would be not to hide, being bold and direct was the most conducive to getting what she wanted. Games wouldn't work.
"He made Kyle cry," he offered as an excuse though his voice held no sympathy for the kid, it was just a statement of fact. "That boy doesn't need to hear any more of his noise."
"You just can't cut him off like that. Siskans do not tolerate being separated well and he is alone enough as it is. It won't help his rehabilitation."
Wolverine just snorted in disbelief. "What rehabilitation? He's a freak that needs to be destroyed. He's only got pain on his mind, nothing more."
"He is sentient and alive last I checked. We don't have the death penalty here."
"Then where is the justice for Jennah? For Kyle?" Jennah was a woman from the Complex that Skye had murdered before they had even learned of his existence. It wasn't just that he had killed her, he had also carved her up and fed her to his lions, Kristalay and Famayalin. It was horrific and made Logan's blood boil whenever he had thought of it.
"And for those you've killed when you went red?" came Karen's quick reply. She had been preparing for this whole argument while he had been gone he could see. What fun. "You weren't in your right mind then either."
"That's not the same thing."
"Oh, yes it is. I love you, so help me, I do. But if there is one thing you've neglected to learn in your long life it's that you shouldn't be so hasty to judge the failings of others. You are so quick to judge and condemn. What if that was one of your children in that cell? Who speaks for Skye who is nothing more than a broken child?"
He raised his hands at her in exasperation. Just like a woman to see things from this point of view. "Okay, so I feel bad for the creep as a child, but as an adult (snort!), he's right where he needs to be. He's a machine, darlin', no matter what ya may think. One that is broken down to the point where it just needs to be junked before it goes and hurts someone else. I'm sorry that Quishnalay abused his little toys, but it don't excuse what Skye has done."
Karen's eyes went wide with surprise. "So you honestly think that Aiden, Kimble, and even Seth are just machines? That none of them are actual people?"
He just grinned at her without an ounce of humor, his eyes hard. "That hasn't been much of secret, babe."
"Kimble and Aiden are married! Fake people don't marry!"
Logan just snorted, an ugly derisive sound. He had long considered that union to be something of a joke. He had let it slide without comment all this time because it had seemed to keep Kimble in line a bit better than he had been before, but there was no way that Wolverine would ever consider them a couple in the real sense. The only real good thing to come out of it was the neither Siskan had been seen in the clubs since, cruising for clients. They stuck to themselves. But that didn't mean their marriage was really a marriage. As it was Asher had performed the ceremony and he wasn't even a real priest. A fake preacher marrying a fake couple, that was what Logan saw and it would take a lot to change his mind on that. It was all just a facade to make the Siskans seem more real than they actually were.
Karen's face hardened at his noise and he could see that he had just lost her, that a door had just slammed shut in her mind. "Well," she said, her voice so very cold. "I find it very ironic that you would criticize Jason Frost for treating mutants like non-people because they are different when here you are doing the same thing."
"It ain't the same thing," Wolverine insisted, his voice sharp and defensive. "Mutants are human, flesh and blood. Siskans have hardware and gel and moving parts. They have mechanical break downs. They are still machines no matter how real they might seem to you."
"Machines break down. People get sick all the time. What's the difference?"
He gave a soft noise of impatience, frustrated that she couldn't see this, that none of the others seemed to. "I don't call a mechanic or the friggin' Geek Squad when one of the kids gets a cold, darlin'. That's the difference and that's the end of it."
She was looking at him icily now, not the least bit persuaded by his argument. "I'm very sorry to hear you say that, James. By anyone's reasoning, that still makes you a bigot. If you can't see that then you need to leave. Now. We can continue this conversation another time when you're more reasonable."
He glared at her, angry at being dismissed so casually, but at the same time feeling a hard hot burn of pain in his chest. He knew this was not a permanent thing she was doing to him, they had done this so many times before. She was just booting him out before this got too ugly in front of the children. That didn't mean it didn't hurt.
This was why he had waited so long to marry. He knew that sooner or later he just rubbed everyone the wrong way. Unlike him, Karen was so quick to forgive. Maybe that was why he had been so attracted to her, because she was so unlike him in a great many ways.
His voice was hoarse as he replied. "I'll go if that's what ya want, but think about this. Lots of kids have come here all screwed up, you don't see them choppin' up folks into bits and servin' them up for dinner. Skye'll do it again, too, if ya gave him half a chance."
She didn't back down, but her eyes were shiny now. "So because Skye has some issues, you'd condemn them all?"
"You don't wanna know how many people yer precious Aiden's killed, darlin'. He even admitted once that he liked it. It's all down on paper and everything any time you want to read it yerself." His reply had been a little smug, he couldn't help it. He could do this all day with her, drag out every little thing those freaks had done wrong. He would do it too, if that was what it was going to take for her to back down. He wasn't going to budge on this.
Karen turned away at that, finally defeated. It was easy for her to forget that about Aiden, he had been little trouble since he had been here. A scuffle here and there when Kimble had crashed before the Game, but since then, not a peep. She had forgotten about the diary that The Dreamer had written for Kimble, one that Logan had intercepted and read. It had been terrible what Aiden had been through in his younger years and the collateral damage that followed. As a Gladiator he had killed and yes, he had enjoyed it to a point. But he wasn't a Gladiator any more.
What Wolverine failed to realize was that even though she had been reminded of these things, it still didn't change her mind about the sentiency of the Siskans. They were real and alive to her, mutants of a different sort that had all been mishandled so badly, so badly. She thought that it was a real shame that Logan was so unwilling to share that same point of view. He just wanted them gone as far as she could tell, and calling them machines instead of people only made that easier in his book.
Logan knew she was upset with him. He brushed a lock of hair back from her face and over her shoulder. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, he just wasn't going to back down, not from this. He hadn't met a Siskan yet that hadn't made him uneasy, not even Seth or Asher. As much as he liked them, he would be willing to sacrifice those innocents to eliminate the greater threat of the others. He would sleep very well at night after he had done it, too.
Karen didn't flinch from his touch, she had moved from anger to deep disappointment in him instead. "Aiden functions in the world," she replied after a moment. "He was repaired. If a Siskan as wrecked as him can be salvaged, who's to say Skye cannot?"
"Who said Aiden's been salvaged, darlin'?" he challenged, not unkindly. He was still toying with her hair, loving the way the light reflected from it. He was at least happy that she hadn't told him to leave again. While they fought more than he liked, he had never once enjoyed it. "He's been managed, nuthin' more. Contained. Kimble, too. Fer now."
Her eyes returned to his face, so terribly sad. "Does nothing give you hope?"
"You do," he replied honestly, not just saying it to win her over. "You have a good heart, even if ya do forgive too much, too quickly."
"Will you take back the locks on Skye's cell any time soon?" She was hoping for a compromise at least, now that he had paid her a compliment. It usually meant the arguing was over.
He smiled at her and kissed her cheek, loving her just as much now as when they had first met. His touch was gentle even as he replied to her, "Not a chance."
Logan didn't even wait for her response. He backed up and out, leaving their apartment before she could throw him out again. He would eat at the Bistro and then crash in the Solarium overnight, the usual routine. In the morning he would be off to Twilight. He could focus on that and worry about Karen later.
(break)
Kimble and Aiden walked down the halls with Julien, heading back to their apartment. Kimble could see that Julien looked a little strained and depressed after his second round of being questioned. He lay a hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "You wanna goes somewheres fun?"
"Sure," the boy replied easily enough, his eyes brightening a bit.
"Disz way zen," Aiden cheered, knowing just the place Kimble had in mind, and took the next left turn down the hallway. They were taking their charge to their second favorite place – the Complex's large gym. Like the Solarium, the gym had more than one floor and access was determined by rank and badges. The levels that these Siskans had access to were more restricted, there would be no worries about any of the other rescued kids giving Julien any trouble there.
Once inside the gymnasium doors, Julien looked around a bit in awe of the magnificent facility. He had never seen such a place, exercise was not something his parents or even Frost had advocated. Frost figured the kids were working hard enough as it was and wasn't about to foot the expense even for his own men.
Aiden was a good host and explained the use of all the various exercise machines and had the boy try out a few. Aiden had been around humans enough to know that Julien's care would have to include more than just a few well rounded meals. He needed to rebuild muscle and regain some strength. He was just too thin and frail. Aiden was confident that given enough time, he could get the kid back into some kind of shape.
Aiden was careful and explained as much as he could, knowing all this was new to the boy. Julien listened carefully, happy more for the fact that Aiden was talking to him, not as a guest or as a child or even as a prisoner, but as a regular person. As a friend. It meant a lot to him and he was happy to do as Aiden suggested.
Kimble was quite patient while Aiden was showing Julien around. He wandered over to the basketball court and was tossing a ball around, content to do this by himself while he waited. By default of their programming, Kimble was just as much of an athlete as Aiden was and was skilled as he dribbled around and successfully made his share of three point shots without even using his teke to make the basket.
Aiden and Julien joined him afterwards and they messed around, just casually playing. Kimble was laughing all the while, and ever the dancer, showed off with some moves that would have made the Globetrotters jealous. Aiden was just as playful, quick and light on his feet, making sure that Julien had plenty of time with the ball himself and not left out. Again Julien was drinking up the simple comfort of these two men. They had made him welcome and had asked him no questions about his troubles. They had accepted him for who he was and didn't threaten him. Even Frost had never actually played with him like this back at the camps, he had no idea that it could be this much fun.
When Julien finally tired they all wandered back home, Aiden explaining where some of the other places were that Julien might be interested in – the library, the various stores, and the restaurants. He was treating Julien with all the courtesy of a honored guest and not as a prisoner, something that boosted Julien's spirits greatly.
Once home, Julien was happy to take yet another luxurious shower. Being here with the Siskans, it was easy to slip into this new life of comfort. There was heat, cleanliness, safety and yes, more food. Already Kimble was in the kitchen, getting ready to whip up something good. He welcomed Julien to stand beside him and without having been asked to, went right into teaching him how to prepare this quick meal. Julien was a bit awkward with the tools, he had never held a knife before or used a skillet, but Kimble was so very patient with him. Julien drank up the attention and something more – if Kimble and Aiden were doing this with him, teaching him how to do things on his own – then perhaps that holding cell might never happen. Why would you teach survival skills to a death row inmate?
This meal was smaller than the heavy lunch they'd had, another one of Kimble's famous stir fries. Julien was happy to be taught how to prepare it and he could have sworn that it tasted even better knowing that he'd had a hand in making it.
After the meal they watched a movie on the couch, another thing Julien hadn't had a chance to do in years. Kimble chose something funny and light and they had a few laughs, adding to the fun.
It had been a long day for Julien and even though he'd had a quick nap, he grew tired early. Kimble and Aiden had work early the next morning anyhow so they all went to bed at the same time.
Once Julien was safely sent off to bed, Kimble went into his own bedroom and stripped down, curling up into the bed and pulling the blankets up over his shoulder without a word. While Aiden had been happy enough to go to bed, it hadn't been sleep that was on his mind. Unfortunately, the colors in Kimble's shine had pretty much put any ideas of fooling around to rest. With a guest in the house, Kimble wasn't going to be eager to play. Kimble had never done well with change, no matter how good the company, he would need some time to adjust.
Aiden took his place beside his lover and let it go. He wasn't sleepy but was content enough to just relax, finding Kimble's soft snoring from beside him its own comfort. The Dreamer loved many things, and sharing a bed with this particular Siskan was high at the top of his list. Having the pilot in his arms and close and warm was heaven enough for him. They could play later. Aiden didn't know when he fell asleep, but found himself jerking awake hours later. Kimble was dreaming and not being very quiet about it.
"Don' goes..."Kimble grumbled, his hands twitching now. He had his back to Aiden, his voice muffled by the pillow. "I'll be goods, I promise..."
Aiden sighed, unhappy with this. This wasn't the first bad dream Kimble had had in his presence, not by far. It was that same old insecurity, his fear of rejection coming out. It was always on Kimble's mind and it came out in the vibrations of melancholy Kimble had been leaking ever since they had come back from Twilight. Kimble, like all the Siskans, was child like and insecure. He never felt fully at ease here in the world, not when it seemed to be at war with him all the time in these clandestine skirmishes - attacks and ambushes that always seemed to come out of nowhere. He had never intentionally harmed anyone, the Lover, and yet he had been in holding more than once. He had felt the condemnation of his keepers, of Logan in particular. He had been placed on a sex offenders list with freaks and monsters – something horrifying to a creature who took sexual play so very seriously - and had his daughter taken away before she had perished in the Game. He had every reason to feel insecure, though Aiden was helping with that, helping him build walls and defenses.
Aiden's only goal right now was to be a good enough keeper of Kimble that Asher's Morrowhiem treatments would not be necessary or routine. He wanted to be able to say that he was perfectly qualified to be Kimble's primary care giver and didn't require the help of anyone else. So far Asher had only had to come to the rescue just a few times and not since the baptism of the twins. Aiden wanted to keep it that way. He didn't want to depend on others for crisis management, it would make him look weak.
Of course, Aiden's talk about Gambit's potential team over lunch earlier hadn't eased Kimble's anxiety either, though Aiden was selfish enough not to regret it. The seed had been planted in Remy's mind, one he hoped he would reap the benefits of soon. Aiden knew that the problem wasn't one of Kimble's bravery, he was well aware that Kimble was more afraid of letting Remy down than of being hurt or killed.
Kimble twitched with a soft grunt and curled up just a little more, like his tummy hurt.
Aiden held him closer, stroking his hair back gently and humming a soft tune. Something Siskan, something gentle. One of his hands drifted lower, settling over Kimble's belly in slow lazy circles, Asher style, pressing him back and closer against him. Golden Morrowhiem wisped off of his fingers and melted easily into Kimble's bare skin, finding their way home to Kimble's heart like old friends.
Kimble startled awake, his dream and its evil villains now vanquished, and shifted his legs drowsily with Morrowhiem induced arousal, not sure what was going on just yet. He did know that the familiar body behind him was welcome and deliciously warm. "Dreamer...?"
"You 'ave nightmare," Aiden offered as an explanation, his hand busy still. Now that Kimble was awake, there was no need to waste all this playful warmth and love. He drifted his hand lower, even as he nuzzled the back of Kimble's neck and laid soft kisses along his bright white shoulder.
Kimble, more awake now, stiffened with alarm when he realized that as good as this felt, where it was headed. His voice was a hoarse whisper as he protested, "We cain't. Jules will hears us!"
This was new. It had never been much of a concern here at home that they might be overheard at play. They hadn't had many overnight guests besides the twins so it hadn't been much of a problem before now. Aiden, undeterred by such matters, just chuckled softly into Kimble's ear. "It will add to ze fun, non? Being szo quiet..."
"He cain't knows about us. He just cain't..." Kimble insisted, his spirits dropping even more with each word. He had no doubt that if the boy discovered the true nature of their relationship, he would shun them just as so many of the others had. Kimble regarded Remy as his Master, or as good as one, and only wanted to please him. Taking care of Julien was just another way of fulfilling his duty. To fail at that would be heartbreaking.
Aiden understood Kimble's way of thinking, he was Siskan after all, though he did not entirely agree with it. He would protect Kimble's secret, not out of a sense of duty to Remy or Julien, but because he would not see Kimble hurt if he could help it.
Aiden shushed Kimble quietly, turning him around and shifting skins, something he didn't do often. Kimble felt the woman under him and moaned a shuddery whisper of want, accepting Aiden's offer without question.
Aiden was different from Kimble, his hardware had been less damaged, and he still had the ability to change his gender at will. He had learned that Kimble reacted differently to him depending on what skin he might use for play. Kimble was naturally more submissive with Aiden as a male, but that changed when Aiden was female. Aiden was an enthusiastic team player and would gleefully let Kimble do to him whatever he wanted regardless of what skin he might be in, but for some reason the woman skin made Kimble feel more empowered and let him take charge, let him set the pace. Kimble was gentler here and therefore more quiet since it let him feel more in control. Their coupling was no less passionate or loving than their normal range of play but Kimble had been more comfortable with this and it had soothed him, just as Aiden had intended it to.
Aiden waited until Kimble was fully sated and on his way back to sleep before shifting back into his more familiar male form, pleased that he had gotten his way. Shifting skins was a small price to pay if it taught Kimble that there was no need to sacrifice everything just because there had been a guest in the house. Kimble's shine was bright and sparkly now, pleased.
Aiden sighed and settled down, contented himself that he had taken care of this minor hiccup so easily. He would need the practice since he had every intention of dragging Kimble onto the squad if Remy formed one, kicking and screaming if he had to. Aiden couldn't imagine Kimble not being there – or Zander anyhow. If that was how things went down, Aiden would have his hands full keeping Kimble regulated on his own. It was a challenge he was more than ready to take on. He had no doubts at all it would be well worth it.
In the past, Aiden had had his helpers. Like Kimble was now, he too had been split, but he had seen his other selves in the form of ghosts. Even after the reintegration that had gotten him back into some kind of normal shape, two had remained – Father and Talalanay. Together the pair had often advised him on how to tackle a particular task, including Kimble in the beginning. Unfortunately, after the Game and Aiden's subsequent changing, he hadn't seen them, not once. He missed them but at the same time, knew that he was stronger now that he was going on ahead on his own. He wanted to be no more dependant on them than he was with Asher. He would keep Kimble in line, one way or another.
