Reminds Me of Home
Chapter 1:
Drifting Away
He had always loved cards. Their sound and feel calmed him more than any cigarette ever would. Cards and jazz. And bourbon. They had always been his true vices, and he loved them each with great devotion.
Remy LeBeau mused to himself, a small grin playing on his scruffy face as he shuffled an old deck of cards. He was by no means a 'natural' as everyone believed. However, one poker night with his learn'ed skills flashing sealed his reputation as a 'card shark.'
Remy smirked, thinking back to the looks of horror and shock as he first set hold of a deck at the X-men table. He purposely took them slowly, unevenly, to catch everyone off guard. A moment later, he flourished the entire deck, rifling, one handed cuts, and even flares. All the while, he kept a patented grin on his face.
It was a good memory. He took the abuse of his new friends taunting him as being 'all show' when he lost a good deal of money that night. Only Logan knew that he was purposely losing; after all, if you take everyone's money the first night, they won't want to play with you again.
Remy was laying in the old rowboat, his back propped up slightly on the wooden seat. Most people would have noticed the water, the crickets and maybe the wind, however Storm had always called him a 'closet sensualist.' Remy's father was the one that taught him the importance of being in tune with everything around you, not only what was prominent. Thinking back to his teachings, he relaxed, listening deeper.
Soft in the distance, rounding the left bank of the pond was the sound of deer walking across dry leaves. They were meandering their way towards the water for a midnight drink. Leaves rustling in the breeze mostly overtook the sounds on his right side. He could hear the creak of the old oak trees bowing.
Being content with his surroundings, and glad to be out of the mansion, Remy rolled his head up to the stars then down to watch the cards in his hands. With a smooth motion, he closed the current fan, tapped the pack once with two fingers and drew the top card. Looking back at him was the ten of spades; a card he had come to know represented his adoptive father, Jean-Luc LeBeau.
Remy's aunt, his Tante Mattie, had taught him when he was young what the cards represented. The ten was boundaries & guidelines. Jean-Luc was always Remy's ten of spades. He was the most powerful of all suits and the one person that gave him a chance at life as well as love, unconditionally. Without Jean-Luc's guidance, he surely would have been lost.
There was not anything particularly outstanding about this set of cards. It was an old blue deck of air-cushion rider-backs. Compared to many other decks that had befallen him, these were simple. The only peculiar thing was that they were old. Being his trademark weapon, Remy went through packs of cards like a small child with a bag of candy. He always had unopened decks stashed away. All except for this one. This deck was never too far from him and when it was, it was safe.
The first Christmas gift Remy ever received was a deck of cards similar to the ones he had tonight. When he was little, he would get entranced, watching his brother's friends play poker for hours. Every Christmas Remy always could look forward to a new deck of cards in his stocking. Those ones he never used in battle. Every year he was with the LeBeau family, he retired a deck. The one he held now he had been using since he was 17. That was the Christmas before his May birthday, before his July wedding and before his banishment from the one place he had ever called home.
Tonight, as he thought about everything going on in his life he focused on the cards. This deck never managed to bring back the bad memories, only patience, ease and tolerance; something that was lacking from life lately.
"They say those float better in the water." Jean Grey's voice echoed across the pond as she approached the shore. She had been seeking her own solitude, yet could not resist a smile seeing her teammate lounging in the rowboat on the rocks.
Remy nodded his head slowly having noticed her approaching. "Dat a' invitation?" He drawled slowly, now craning his mischievous red-on-black eyes towards her.
Jean weighed her options. Going back to the mansion was simply not one of them. Arguments, tempers, debates and politics had finally driven her from her friends. Their lives had been in almost constant turmoil lately and she simply could not handle one more chorus of "that's mine, this is yours" about how to proceed. It was no longer about missions either, her family had degraded into bickering over dinner plates and wagon wheels.(1) Jean just would not allow herself to be dragged back into the petty everyday arguments that had been plaguing her home.
With a smirk towards him in the moonlight, she played back a phrase he had said not too long before. "If it's not, then I must be slipping."
With her response he grinned, then carefully closed his deck of cards. "Your idea…" He waited her out to see how far she would take this little game.
"Ugh. You're so lazy." She chided towards him, climbing in the front of the boat and using her power of telekinesis to shove off. He just laid there smiling, palming his deck of cards and not having moved an inch. She couldn't help but laugh.
They sat in silence for a long time. Now that she was in the boat, Jean was beginning to feel a little "up the creek…" She had noticed Remy's role in the debates, or rather, lack there of, and she was beginning to wonder why she was out there with him.
The corner of Remy's mouth lifted slightly, as she tried at least for a comfortable sitting position on the bare wooden frame.
"So Remy…" Jean finally began to settle and wanted to try to chat.
"Shhhh." He cut her off. "Jus' breathe. Lissen." His crooning voice whispered across the open waters.
She stayed still for a moment, trying to figure out what had him in such a trance. However, her curiosity got the best of her patience.
"So what were you doing for so long in…?" Jean started to ask.
"It just kills ya ta sit there quiet for five minutes doesn't it?" His demon eyes drifted down the horizon to light on her features with a challenging grin.
"...like it kills you to answer a personal question." (2) She smirked back defiantly.
Jean knew that prodding further now would get them nowhere so she tried to make the best of her situation. She considered 'drifting' them back to shore and casually leaving, but she knew he would see through it. Remy was content for a long time to continue to look into the stars.
An unknown amount of time passed before anyone made another sound. This time it was the Cajun who spoke.
"Reminds me of home." His low-pitched voice broke the silence between them.
It took Jean a moment to process what he said, having been caught off guard to him speaking. She also noted that he used 'me' not a third person reference for once.
He took in a deep breath, putting his arms up behind his head, fingering the deck of cards still held there. "S'humid out t'night. Like mid November down on de bayou. Heavy, but chilly."
Jean smiled at what he considered 'chilly.' She was born and bred in New England where mid November would range from 40F in the daytime to 10F at night. Tonight, Remy's 'chilly', was about 65.
"'Course, is hell'va lot nicer out here, den back dere." He hitched his thumb towards the mansion with a sardonic grin.
"How do you not get sucked in? I've seen you with them, but you're impervious." She began on the issue of the house. "Scott gets so mad that you won't get involved." She looked away for a moment, adding in softer, "I wish I could be more like you."
Remy cut the deck with one hand, the cards sliding across each other, grabbing Jean's attention as he began to shuffle again.
Not getting a response from him, she decided to continue with her concerns. "Ya know, I am so mad at them all. I know I got hooked into the arguments, but at least I can see that not everyone is right and that we need to stop and work together." She shook her head, slightly annoyed that he would not add to her conversation, but also feeling stupid because she joined him in the boat for that very reason; that he was neutral.
Relenting, she added to the night in sad frustration. "Someone is going to get seriously hurt or killed if this doesn't stop soon."
Maybe it was the water, the cards or the memories of home, but Remy decided to stop pushing away.
"C'mere." He spoke to her softly his eyes locked onto hers.
Jean questioned him, uncertain of his intention, however it took only a moment for her to climb tentatively over the bench to stand unsteadily beside him.
With a playful smile at her attempts, Remy sat up swiftly and took her by the hips, pulling her down hard onto him. Jean shrieked and punched him as she lay on his chest for a moment, looking deep into his grinning eyes.
"'Ere, dis'll feel better." He shifted to the side.
With that, she rolled to his right side, lying curled on the flap of his long trench duster. He was very warm in the night air and she snuggled close to his body. She thought for a moment on the fact that she had never spent any time this physically close to the man that was not mission related.
Remy wrapped his arm down behind her head, his hands coming together around them both as he began to shuffle again. With a sigh, he looked out over the moonlit water. "Back home in de Guild dere was fightin' like dis all too often. When ya get too many gens all tryin' ta be de leader, dey get consumed wid fightin' off each other, an' aren't ready when de real bad guys show up. It's true what ya said, Jean. If'n somethin' don' change soon, we're gonna start losin' people gravely."
"But also like ya said, I been stayin' out a it." He smiled then. "Dere's too many other fun things ta do den worry bout dem fightin' all de time. Dey'll get over it, soon." He added confidently, giving her a squeeze. "Gambit promise."
Jean laid with him as time slid away, watching the cards move in his slender hands. She listened to everything around her. The water lapped against the sides of the old boat softly, peepers, frogs and crickets all harmonized their chirps in the cattails nearby. She also listened to Remy. His heartbeat was steady but uncommon. It had a rhythm of its own. Every so often when he would charge his cards there was a soft hum vibrating from his soul. She could not help but believe his promise.
A moment later he made one final cut, tapped once on the pack with two fingers and flipped the top card. He smirked to himself understanding fully what it was telling him.
"What?" She inquired to his stare at that card, catching his quiet laughter.
"Mm," he started lowly, "usually you're my five: Intelligence. Tonight though, you're de Ace of Hearts. De power of spirit, of soul an' of life."
He knew that Jean had questions, everyone always did. His smile broadened as her brow furrowed with a mix of curiosity and intrigue.
"What does…?" She started slowly but stopped herself, watching as he flipped the card back into the deck and began shuffling again.
"Now's not de time. Let's jus' enjoy dis while it lasts neh?" His voice was smooth as silk. "I'll show ya later though, promise dat too." He smirked and kissed her on the side of her forehead, appreciating her company and friendship tonight more than she would ever know.
(1) inspired from "When Harry Met Sally"
(2) inspired from "Hope Floats"
So what do you think? I'm leaning towards more chapters, but I would like some feedback first, I'm not quite sure where to go. Can't wait to hear from you!