Summary: Gambit tries to deal with Kimble's absence while trying to help Aiden cope with his own losses. Part 14 of the Game.

Rated M for profanity, violence and some sexual content.

Disclaimer : I do not own the X-men or any of their associated villains, but the Siskans, the Dognan, Jael and the Outkasts are mine. Please do not use them without my permission. Thanks. :)

Updated 10-29-13 to add (break)s as needed and fix fix fix.

(One)

I lay here in pain, even as I dream, my soul bleeding. The events of this horrible day have carried over into my pathetic personal little nightmares, robbing me of all desire to participate. Seth has been saved from the nightmare of Shemusk, but at a terrible cost. Once more the unfeeling Chuckfet have caused ruination with their unforgiving ways and perpetual lack of understanding. I am supposed to fight, to save them?

Why?

My body is in a holding cell but my mind is dreaming, showing me stupid worthless visions that do nothing but tear my soul apart. I lay here weeping in my misery. I know I'm supposed to stand up and watch, to learn my stupid ass mission, but all I can do is lay here and cry. How can it possibly be my fate to simply observe all the ones I love die and fall apart? I am a creature of action, I feel best when I am doing, when I can create real change.

No, I refuse to participate in this Game any more! They can't make me, these horrible Spirits with no heart! Screw them! Screw them all!

"Dreamer, if all is lost, then how can you still be dreaming this?" comes a voice.

"I do not care. Disz isz all bullshit!"

"No, Dreamer. It is simply Mar-yoo."

"Non!" I shout, outraged. How dare this Spirit dare to use that word. Mar-yoo, it was Asher's favorite word for Fate, for all that we are unable to change and must simply accept. It was always so wise and strong, that word, when it left his lips. Asher is the strongest of us all but he is lost to me now. I will not be mocked. " 'Ow can it be zat all I love muszt be loszt?"

"You give up too easily. Observe and learn. It doesn't have to be this way."

"Non. Fuck you. Wake me! Show me your sztupid horrorsz! It mattersz not!" I wail, the tears pouring down my face.

"Very well."

This is what will happen if you fail :

I scream, it cannot be helped. My eyes are flooded with horrors, this time more vivid than before, a punishment for my insolence. I see two armies of men collide in bloody mayhem, a terrible explosion of powers. Plasma balls fly, some crashing and leaving terrible rents in the earth, searing the blacktop into an oozing black slag. Black clouds fill the sky, conjured by a tiny black weather witch flying up high, bolts of lightening fly from her fingertips. She is so very proud, but only for a moment. I witness her destruction, she is lost in a fiery inferno, melted from the sky by a powerful pyrokinetic, one held aloft by a black winged monstrosity that was once a man, but is now only one of Jael's monsters. I see a horrible burst of energy and the Xs fall screaming, their bodies piled high in black drifts like burnt leaves. The war is over, the Earth is done. I see it all. The wars that follow - human armies and Jael with his own, winning. I see the diseased and starving children, the slaves murdered at the whim of their mutant masters. Blood everywhere as storms rage across the land.

Finally I am tossed to space, all the better to see the great ball of this Earth crack and explode. All that was good and green and peaceful and beautiful is lost. Monsters such as Jael can never hold anything without killing it and this world is just that, a thing. He cares nothing for it and so sows his own destruction.

I wail, I weep in the blackness of space, drifting. Of course all of this is bigger than my own selfish wants and needs, that's the message here. My childish pride and bravado is gone, leaving me pale and shaken to the very core. I cry out, begging for forgiveness. "I am szorry! Pleasze! Show me no more!"

"Learn, Dreamer. You have so little time. You cannot fail."

(break)

Aiden lay quiet now, his face still wet and flushed from crying. The dream he had just had had been nearly as bad as yesterday's events. His punishment was never ending. His night had been restless and painful, the loss from the previous day still hurting him like a brand. Babette's note still lay crumpled in front of him. He'd woken from his nightmare and seen it, prompting another crying jag. Seemed like all he ever did was lose.

You done now? Father said, coming into view and disrupting the Dreamer's morbid thoughts. He had been lingering close by while Aiden made a fool of himself, bawling like a little baby. Now that the Dreamer had had a night's sleep and another good cry, it was time to get back on track. He came in close to Aiden's ear, chiding fatherly, Crybaby.

Go away, Aiden said, closing his eyes.

What a long and trying episode this had been. It was only just yesterday morning that he had been in his bed, the warm bodies of his kin surrounding him. He was never one to sleep much, certainly not as much as Kimble who often slept through the entire night. No, the Dreamer had laid there quiet, his green eyes lingering on the face of his lover. Kimble was asleep next to him and deeply so, his eyes were not moving, the Lover wasn't dreaming just then. The pilot lay perfectly still, his pale face in a blissful calm, a small smile curling his lips just a little bit.

How the Dreamer had shivered with love at the sight of it. At the miraculous beauty of that perfect white face. The drift of his long black hair, some strands of it escaping from the backtie and fanning out over the pillow, too soft to touch. The curve of his ear, the inner folds of it. Aiden knew if he were to touch it ever so gently, Kimble would shudder and wake, eager for play.

It hadn't taken long for Aiden to learn Kimble's best places, those areas where the slightest touch could bring the most amazing squeals of laughter or the softest gasps of want and need. Kimble might not have a smell, but he had a presence, one the Dreamer could sense on so many levels. Kimble's air had drifted over him there, stirred on by his soft slumbering breaths. The sound of it was music to Aiden's poor shattered soul, a healing balm that he couldn't have lived without much longer, he knew that now. How he had needed this, a true lover. How empty his life had been.

Back in the holding cell now, his hand burned and hurting, the Dreamer shivered and another tear dribbled out. All of that goodness was now gone, destroyed by stupidity and rash actions. Babette was gone, as good as murdered by Jael himself, Kimble locked away by his own hand. Was it possible for this to get any worse?

We have work to do. Can't do it in here, Father grumbled impatiently.

Aiden sighed, as if merely closing his eyes was going to be good enough to rid him of the man. Comin' 'ere wasz a misztake.

No, you getting caught up in some stupid romance was a mistake. Now that that unpleasant episode is behind us now, it's time to get working.

You okay, Aiden? Talalanay whispered, materializing at the call of Aiden's misery. He came close and lay a hand on Aiden's head. Don't you worry, we'll get Kimble back. He loves you, I can tell.

Father snorted. We've got work to do. Can't do it in here. We gotta get out. The only way to do that is to suck up to these assholes. Give 'em what they want, Dreamer. Say some stupid garbage, just enough to get us out of here. Jael's coming. I can smell it. Won't be long.

Aiden sat up, groaning at the stiffness in his body from lying in one position for so long, and wiped his face. He didn't want to do this, he just wanted to lay down forever and give it all up. Stupid humans. They understood nothing. He snatched at his clothes and dressed, unhappy.

"Decided to join the real world, Z?" Wolverine growled. He was standing in the doorway now, an arrogant grin on his face.

"Go fuck y'szelf, you!" Aiden snapped, flashing his teeth with real anger. He just couldn't help it, the sight of Wolverine's arrogance made him shiver with fury.

"Uh huh," Logan grunted and started to walk away.

"Non! Wait...wait!" the Dreamer called out, trying to make his body and will submit against his anger, to form some sort of conciliatory image that Wolverine would accept.

Logan stepped back into view.

"I want out," Aiden said, keeping his eyes down. He wanted nothing more than a nice big brawl but Father was glaring at him, demanding his obedience. "Pleasze."

"Why should I? You been nuthin' but a real big pain in my ass, boy."

"Aiden... Aiden isz szorry." It was hard to make it sound it believable. It couldn't have been further from the truth.

Wolverine wasn't about to be fooled by so insincere an attempt. "You ain't sorry 'bout nuthin' an' I don't think yer ever gonna be. Trouble is, I got no real reason ta hold ya. Fallen an' Seth went on home. They ain't gonna press charges against ya, but you'll leave them alone. Yer officially off the site, got that? No more ship buildin' fer you. You wanted a job in Security? Fine. Somebody's gotta clean my toilet. Looks like it's you."

Aiden snarled, burying the insult already burning a hole in his mouth.

Dreamer! Father snapped. Do this! We have to!

I can't be workin' for disz asszhole! I'm gonna kill 'im!

This guy doesn't own you. Nobody owns Aiden but Aiden, remember that. You go to work, then you go home. We watch, we learn, we do what must be done.

Wolverine watched Aiden simmer. He could almost hear the conversation happening. Kimble used to do this before the Games Master came, he would blank out but you could smell the burning. He was out of the room, but still right there in front of you. He saw Aiden smile and say in a sickly sweet voice, "It would be Aiden'sz mosztezt greateszt pleaszure to clean your moszt preciouszeszt of toiletsz, Maszter Wolv'rine, szir."

The words sent a shiver down Logan's spine. It was dripping with malice and hatred, but he wasn't about to be intimidated by this jerk. He scanned his hand and opened the door to the cell. "Max here will see ya back to yer place. Best git some rest. I want ya in my office first thing tomorrow mornin'."

Aiden stepped out and looked up at the young man behind Wolverine. Max was large, easily twice his body mass. Aiden can take disz jerk. Szend 'im on a cruisze around de worl', me.

Aiden isn't going to do anything but go home and go to bed, Father ordered. Get moving!

Aiden bowed his head and stomped off, not looking back. Max walked behind him and said nothing as they walked back to the room he shared with Babette. He went in and Max took a spot outside his door.

Aiden walked to the center of the tiny room and never felt more lost than at that moment. This place was so cold and empty. Babette was gone, Kimble was trashed. He was alone.

Don't be afraid, Dreamer. You're never alone with me, Talalanay said, taking his hand. He looked down into those tiny child's eyes and saw the boy smile up at him with such love. He patted the boy on the head and nodded. Talalanay laughed. Let's go have a bath!

All right. We go. Feel like shit nohow.

(break)

While Aiden was making his exit, Remy shifted in his seat at his kitchen table, rubbing his eyes. His night's sleep wasn't a whole lot better than Aiden's and he still wasn't quite with the program. His leg throbbed with pain and though he had popped a couple of the pills Henry gave him, they hadn't had a chance to kick in yet. He had a full day's work ahead of him, he had some plans to try and coax Kimble out of his shell, but he wanted to try and squeeze in the last of the files Seth had translated. There wasn't much left and he was eager to finish where he had left off the night before. Gambit sat himself down to read.

When Asher withdrew from me, Trishnar began to spend more time with me in Asher's place. He began by simply being close by and hanging around. He had a table and chairs moved out onto the lawn and he would take his meals there just outside of my enclosure. Sometimes Asher would join him, but Trishnar most often ate alone with only the company of his servants who waited on him. Trishnar didn't talk to me directly, but would eat and then bring a small plate of scraps to my enclosure and slip it through a slot in the bars that was made for this purpose. I was insulted at first, eating the Master's scraps, but the fact was his scraps were leftovers from food of the highest quality. It didn't take me long to accept them and enjoy them, in fact I started to look forward to his mealtimes, becoming saddened if for some reason he was unable to come. The truth was, I was lonely and was ready to take any company I could get.

When Trishnar saw I regularly accepted this small token of his affection, and even began to mourn his absences, he next had a plate served to me at the same time as his own, trying to make the point that I was not regarded as a lesser person. That took time for me to realize and even then it was difficult for me to accept any of the Chuckfet thinking this way.

After a short time of this, he next surprised me by actually inviting me to sit at the table and dine with him. "If you are not violent, you may sit here," he said in gentle Siskan, gesturing to the table. He'd gone out of his way to have my favorite dishes made that day, all the better to tempt me.

I wasn't sure what to do, but Father was quick to advise, "If you want out of here, you have to accept these little gestures of his. Kiss his ass a little and then we'll have more freedom. Perhaps then we can find some means of escape."

Understand, I had no loyalty to this Master, he was nothing to me. Whatever codes that demanded my compliance to his wishes had been burned away, I suppose. I had no desire to serve him, I wanted only to be left alone now that Asher had stopped coming around. But Father was right, you had to give a little to get a little. I nodded and came out of the enclosure, being very shy and nervous about it. I sat at Trishnar's table and began to eat, not meeting his eyes.

"Asher tells me you're very intelligent," Trishnar said, making polite conversation.

"Like you would care," I answered in the Muzla, knowing he wouldn't understand. The Muzla is a complicated language, having over fifty dialects. There was no common speech among them and I had been implanted with all known variations. I wanted to speak with complete freedom and this was how I achieved that.

Trishnar nodded absently, obviously a little frustrated I would not address him in a way he could comprehend. "Asher told me Quishnalay saw fit to teach all of you to read. I thought you might like this." He handed me a book, holding it out so I would be forced to take it from him if I wanted it. It was a book of Siskan fairy tales. If I accepted it, he would know for certain that I spoke the Siskan and was being deliberately stubborn about not responding in kind.

Very well. I nodded and took the book, greatly desiring it. There was little to do in my enclosure and any form of entertainment was very welcome. Just the same, I made sure not to physically touch Trishnar as I accepted the book, I didn't want to feel his heat or his skin, the thought of it filled me with revulsion. In spite of this gift, this man would never be allowed anything more from me than words, nothing.

He seemed not to notice my unwillingness to touch him, he simply went on to say, "I have more books when you are finished. My library is quite extensive."

And that was how our fragile bond was formed. Over time, I read a great many of Trishnar's books. As he had done with Asher, so too it became a ritual that as he traveled, he would make a point of bringing me new texts, always the work of fiction since he knew I enjoyed them best.

Some time later, when I at least tolerated Trishnar's regular presence, Asher came to see me. He made sure I was well and then said, "The Master wants ya ta come lives with him up at the house."

"Why?" I asked a little sharply, put out that Asher had been neglecting me. He had made it quite clear that none of my advances would be accepted, cementing that in by staying away for longer periods of time. I was being very stubborn about this rejection, taking it very personally. I was hurt that he had refused me but at the same time had felt very alone with him gone. In my mind, Trishnar was not a proper substitute.

If Asher noted my tone, he gave no sign. He was his usual passive self, coming up to me as if it hadn't been days since I'd last seen him. "Cuz this is a cage and he don't wants you in it no longer than you haves ta be. You ain't been fightin', there ain't no need fer yous to stay in it. He just wants to knows you won't run off."

"Where would I go?" I asked, but inwardly Father was elated. He had to be careful to hide his eagerness, Asher was too clever and might see it.

"There really ain't no safe place, but yer still kinda raw from the repair and might try it. It would only lead ta more sufferin' fer yous. Here ya gots nice food, good sun, books. That ain't all there is. The Master's got someone he wants ya ta meet."

"Who isz zat?"

"It's a surprise, but I kin tells ya, ya won't be disappointed. If you wants ta sees what it is, ya gots to say you'll give stayin' up at the house a try."

I had to admit my curiosity was piqued. I no longer had any fear of injury from Trishnar, it would have happened by now if it was going to and with the added freedom, I knew I could put up a fight if I had to. So far, all of Trishnar's surprises had been good ones and so I was willing to give this a try.

"Good," Asher said with a smile. "Pack up yer stuff."

I didn't have much, just some books and clothes. Asher helped me and I was taken up to the house. Trishnar was kind enough to give me some time to adjust to this new change, he was nowhere in sight as Asher gave me a quick tour of the place. The house was magnificent - polished hardwood floors, fancy wallpaper and lots of sparkling glass statues and art. But the most beautiful decoration I was to see was this person I was supposed to meet. She was waiting for us in the grand parlor.

"This is Babette, yer sister," Asher said, introducing us. "Babette, this is Aiden."

I hesitated, I couldn't help it. She was so beautiful and her shine was sparkling blue with happiness to see me. I wasn't sure what to feel, only that I was very interested in knowing her. She was my kin as Asher was and he had been nothing but wonderful to me.

"Hello," she greeted, coming closer, not even hesitating as she bent to give me a kiss. And such a kiss! This was no peck on the cheek, this was the deep throated kiss of a happy Siskan, one who had never seen trouble. I was too stunned to resist and then found myself melting in her arms, happy only to be held by her.

"I'll leaves yous two alone", Asher said, bowing with a knowing, happy smile and then leaving, closing the doors behind him.

"Who are you?" I asked my sister, breathless in her embrace.

"My name you heard, dear brother. You have only to say it."

"Babette," I whispered, liking the strange lilt of her voice. I knew there was something wrong with it, but it never occurred to me that she'd been through anything like I had. She was much too happy and gentle. "Asher says you've been lonely, you. Here am I to see that you no longer are."

I just looked at her, unsure of just what she was saying.

She laughed and then was kissing me again, ending the debate of that matter immediately. We were in the Master's house and I was his property, yet here alone in this room with her, that was the furthest thing from my mind. Without hesitation she was touching me and rousing me with her hands. I wanted her and she was so willing that I soon lost myself in play, forgetting that this might not be allowed. It was typically the Master's discretion as to who was to be served, but the man was nowhere in sight.

Screw him! I couldn't help but think. This was so wonderful and I had needed it so badly. I heard soft mumbles, murmurings of my former selves clamoring for this, but mostly it just felt right. I had needed to unload and now I had that chance. She didn't care that I was still in this body of a child, she knew that appearances meant nothing to us and I could manage this all the same. She let me have her and I was shaking, her body electric in my arms. She was Tillamay, she was anyone Talalanay had ever enjoyed. More than that, she was Lushna-esk and I felt her Kundatesh wrapping itself around me in its own secret embrace. It was magical and wonderful, so terrifically pleasurable. I couldn't stop myself from crying out as I finished, the explosion of my cumming stunning me and at the same time blacking her out.

Now, this was the first time this had happened, the blacking out of our partner. I would later be told that it had happened because our Kundatesh had grown exponentially in strength from us being so badly altered by the abuse we had suffered. I didn't know that then of course, I only knew that the love we had just shared had been far more powerful than anything I had ever felt. I was too out of it at first to fear for her, but as I revived I was nervous.

Fortunately she wasn't out long and woke cheerfully, her lack of fear convincing me she had felt this before and that it was okay. She wrapped herself around me and held me, laughing softly as she rocked me. There was no greater pleasure than that moment.

"You can be with me anytime you want," she said to me. "Help you to remember the love I will."

Like I needed any further invitation! I was ecstatic. Later, she dressed me and brought me deeper into the house, showing me my quarters. I was given a lavish bedroom filled with anything a Siskan could ever want. Toys, clothes and most importantly, art supplies were given to me in generous amounts. The bed was massive and I wasted no time in dragging Babette into it.

She was loving and indulgent, granting my every wish. It was as though nothing would be denied to me here. - except Asher's intimacy and my freedom.