The Time Trap
Chapter One
Remy LeBeau stood poised, as if prepared for the worst; as if his very concousness teetered on the words uttered in his next breath. He knew his next utterance would haunt him for the rest of his life.
"I need you," he said to the woman lying nearly nude before him. She was beautiful. Dark-skinned with full lips and voluptuous curves. Her silken hair was dark and lusty, inviting to Remy's senses. She was clad in nothing but a white silken teddy. She lie, supporting herself on one luxuriously muscled arm, looking up into his handsome face.
"Pinch me," she said sleepily in her slightly accented sexy waking voice. "I must be dreaming!"
"Might turn out t'be your wors' nightmare, chere," Remy replied with just a hint of sarcasm in his deep Cajun vibrato. He casually tossed his tan overcoat to the side and took a seat on he soft bed at her side.
Her cinnamon eyed gaze followed the coat's graceful decent, then arced to focus on the rustically handsome face of Remy LeBeau. "Okay," she said a hint of a girlish pout in her voice. "Let me get this straight." She paused for effect, leaning her lithe frame toward Remy ever so slightly; her tempting breasts grazing his shoulder as she shifted her angle. She brought one delicately sculpted hand up to gently brush Remy's russet colored locks from his face, bringing her eyes up to meet his oh-so-abnormal, scarlet-on-obsidian ones. "You're in Monaco sneaking into my bedroom at three in the morning and you don't want to fool around?" She accented her latter words with a tantalizing arc of one thin eyebrow.
"Go figure," he replied uneasily as he gently removed her hand from his face in the same manner one removes a long-worn bandage. He sighed then, not wanting to utter his next words for fear of her getting the wrong impression. Unfortunately, what he had to say had to be said, and after a short pause, he continued. "I need your help, Sek."
Sekmeht Conoway was an Archaeological Engineer. She was both brilliant and adventurous, preferring to go out and experience the history she loved so much, as opposed to pouring over artifacts in a lab. She Worked with Gambit loosely in her first Archaeological expedition; a search she code-named "The Hunt for the Tomorrow Stone." Her parents had always sheltered her, which had kept her inexperienced in many fields, including romance. Upon meeting Gambit, the only name she knew Remy by, she'd believed she'd fallen in love. This misconception had cost her dearly, and the thought of prior sacrifices made her fearful of worse things to come.
She pulled away from him then, looking at him skeptically. "I thought I just did you a big favor on the last one," she said remembering her choice to save Gambit over her father.
Remy turned to look at her, his brow furrowed with concern and regret. It hurt him to see her undying "love" for him, especially when it had caused her to sacrifice so much. He thought before speaking, not sure how to approach the subject. "You sacrificed a lot, Sek...I know..." he started. He hated groping for words. He paused before continuing. "An' this time...I need you to help me sacrifice just as much." His expression turned grave as he turned his gaze once more to meet hers.
She saw the pain burning in his fiery raven eyes and it frightened her. Grasping for some reason to prolong the inevitable, she interjected, "Let me go make some coffee and then you can explain."
As she moved to slide from the bed, Remy grasped her arm firmly, a look of earnest on his handsome face. She relented. "T'ink we'll both be needin' somet'in' lot stronger dan caffeine for dis one." He said, attempting momentary humor.
Sek looked into his eyes, fearing his explanation, but yearning for it as well. Gambit had always kept his past secret; something that had always peaked her curiosity. But then again, maybe that's why.
"Yesterday I was called down t' Nawlins--" he couldn't even manage a smile as he added the next. "That would be New Orleans for you heathen-types." he continued.
"See, technic'ly chere, I'm not a part of de T'eves Guild anymore. Got kicked years ago." Remy looked down and paused before continuing. "Doesn' stop 'em from always askin' me for help...usin' me."
Sekmeht looked at him with concern in her eyes. She could hear the pain in his voice, and feel it welling forth from him. It was a strange sensation, to share someone else's emotion. It must be one of his powers, she deduced.
Remy looked into her eyes and smiled. "Don't worry, chere." He said, taking her chin in his hand. "Gambit's okay. But back to what I was sayin'"
"Dey were havin' another one of dere 'religious ceremonies.'" The phrase "religious ceremonies" carried a ring of scorn, one that Sek couldn't interpret, but she kept listening for clues.
"Dis one's called The Revelation of Deadlife." He continued. "De past is used to show de way to de future. My adoptive father, Jean-Luc, is de clan's patriarch. He led de ceremony. Also, our Traieur--dat means healer--Tantie Mattie was dere. Dat's when you know it's important, since she's a practicin' catholic an' only does de Guild ceremonial t'ing when she has to..."