------------------------------------------------------Remy Essex Lebeau: Road to Forgiveness------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I have no rights to any recognizable characters contained with in this Fiction Produced by me, a Fan. All characters are owned by Marvel Comics. I will not make any money off the story you are about to read.
Summary: This is an Alternate Universe where Remy Lebeau is the son of Nathaniel Essex (Mr. Sinister) and Maria Lebeau (Jean Luc Lebeau's sister). This is the story of his life. Some events taken place in the actual Marvel Universe, but for the most part this is no specific timeframe to place this in.
Now on with the Story…
-----------------------------------------------Chapter One: How I got where I am today-----------------------------------------
***23 Years Ago…***Tante Mattie walked into the room with a mixture of sadness and joy in her demeanor. She turned to look at the two men who had refused to sleep until the ordeal was over. The first man was a great man whom she had worked with and for, to care for his own son Henri, as well as many nieces and nephews. The other man was a mystery to her. He had come into their lives roughly a year ago, he fell into the heart of Jean Luc's baby sister, Maria, and soon she fell pregnant by him. His name was Nathaniel.
"De baby is here, but Maria, de poor fille, did not make it." Maria said with a tone of regret.
"Her pregnancy was hard on her, even she knew dat dis might happen! But it is still so unfair, I refused t' accept it, I should have said m' good-byes." Jean Luc, a proud and strong man was breaking into tears. Nathaniel put his hand on his shoulder and started to comfort him.
"Your sister, my sweet Maria, she was a strong woman, she would not want you to blame yourself for anything that happened. She would just want to be remembered. And she will, in your heart, and mine." Nathaniel spoke comfortingly to Jean Luc. Jean Luc placed a look of strength and nobility on his face.
"Shall we at least go see y'r fils, and my nephew?" Jean Luc said with no emotion held with in his voice.
"Gentleman, before y' go in, there's something you must know, the chille, he has been born wit eyes, eyes o' power. His pupils burn wit a crimson flame, and surrounded by pure black. He is destined f'r great things I sense." The men nodded gracefully at this, as Tante Mattie led them into the room where the baby slept. Nathaniel Essex trailed behind, with s small smile upon his lips as he thought 'my son is here, and at the cost of a worthless human life. This boy will be my greatest weapon.'
***One week later…***"Jean Luc, I have a favor to ask of you." Nathaniel Essex stood in Jean Luc's study holding his son.
"Oui, Nathan, what would dat be?" Jean Luc said as he strolled over to take his beloved nephew in his arms.
"I wish for young Remington to be brought up as a guild member. I have much work to be done, and myself would make a horrible father. I want you to raise him. Teach him the things Maria would have taught him." Nathaniel said flatly.
"Oui, it would be m' pleasure t' raise m' neveu. Well y' be around for de boy though?" Jean Luc asked as he twirled his nephew around.
"Yes, I will, I will check back upon him, as often as my work allows. I have dangerous work though, and some people may try to use my son against me. I want him to know me as his father, but perhaps it would be safer for you to become his legal guardian." Nathan said with a fake tone of regret. "It would also be best for his last name to be yours and not mine, but I believe it would be safe for his middle name to be Essex."
"Well den, young Remy Essex Lebeau, welcome to de guild life." Jean Luc said with a very cheery voice.
***Fifteen Years Ago…***
"Mon pere, y' made it. Did y' bring m' any ting!" A young boy with demon eyes screeched joyfully as he launched himself into his father's arms. The man picked his son up and spun him around.
"Of course my son. I have gotten your letters, and since it has been a few months since I last saw you, I thought I'd drop by. Besides, I remember it being your birthday. As another present, I thought I'd take you to see a play, it's all the way up in Seattle, but it will be fun." Nathaniel Essex presented his son with a wrapped gift. They took a seat on the couch, where Jean Luc, Tante Mattie, and Henri joined them in the living room.
"It's good t' see y' again Nathaniel. Young Remy here, dat boy has done noting but complain'n about y'r being gone so long dis time." Tante Mattie said in a playful manner.
"I hope Remington, you are not giving your Uncle much trouble are you?" Nathaniel asked.
"O' course not mon pere!" Remy replied innocently, "and it's Remy…Remington makes m' sound like dat razor dey sell in stores!"
Nathaniel eyed Jean Luc as if asking if, Remy was being any trouble. Jean Luc replied "Non, Nathan, he has been a perfect chille, and his training be impressive, coming long, quite well."
Later that week, after returning from Seattle, Nathaniel and his young son Remy were walking in the garden. The moon shown brightly, and Remy's face was overjoyed with the presence of his father.
"Pere, why don' I live wit y'?" The young boy asked as he looked up at his father.
"Remington, I would like nothing more, than for you to live with me, but my work is to important. Besides, your Uncle Jean Luc, he can teach you many things that I cannot, skills that will prove to be quite valuable to you, when you are much older. Your Uncle treats you well, does he not?" Nathaniel replied softly.
Oui, Oncle Jean Luc, he treats m' very well." Remy said, while he gazed down at the ground. "Will I ever be with you?" Remy finally asked after they walked for about ten minutes.
"Yes my son, one day you and I will do great things together." Nathaniel Essex said in an almost eager tone.
"I look forward t' dat day." Remy said as he looked up at his father excitedly.
"So do I." Was Nathaniel's answer.
***Eleven Years Ago…***"Remington, you must focus. Hold the power that flows from you back. Do not let it consume you, and do not let it leave you!" Nathaniel Essex's tone was harsh and strict. His son, Remy Lebeau was strained, kneeling upon the ground grasping for air. His hands glowing, the floor seemed to be charging with a great flaming light.
"Pere! What is wrong wit m'? It feels like m' whole body gonna burst." Remy cried out in pain.
"Just focus son, it is your power to control, not the other way around. Just will it back into the recesses of your mind." Nathaniel spoke more sympathetic this time. Remy seemed to comply, and the floor's bright charge flowed back into Remy. His hands began to cool off, and fell to the floor in exhaustion.
"I don' know if I can control dis, why do I have dis power, is it 'cause of m' eyes?" Remy asked.
"No, my son, your eyes are like that because of your power. Like I said we are destined for great things. And you will learn to control it, I will be here every step of the way for you." Nathaniel said as he picked his son from the floor and embraced him into a hug.
Remy struggled to look his father in the eyes. When he was finally able to, he asked, "Y' will?" Nathaniel Essex just smiled and nodded at his son.
"Of course I will, would I ever lie to you?" Remy hugged his father tight. He knew he was going to be okay, as long as his father would be there with him.
***Six Years Ago…***"You're a stupid red eyed freak! How dare y' tink y' could touch 'y sister? Much less propose t' her. Not just are y' a dirty freak, whose name on de streets be Le Diablo Blanc. But you're a thief. How could y' even tink dat we assasins let y' be wit her!" Julian Boudreaux screamed in rage.
"Well, I have y' know mon ami, we did plenty of touching last night! She screamed for more! I guess dis thief knows how t' get a fille's concentration of his eyes, non." The young teenager known as Gambit stated in a very crude voice.
"I'll have y' head!" Julian lunged forward with his dueling sword. Remy swiped it away effortlessly. Remy knew that Julian's rage would lead to his defeat. But he reminded himself not to get to cocky, or sloppy. Rage can also be focused into an intense concentration. His father taught him that. 'Non, he thought to himself, can not think about him, been almost two years since he's visited me, I need to keep my mind on this fight.'
"Y' won't be de first person t' want dis Cajun's head. But y' might be de first one who's not an attractive fille." Remy berated his older, better built opponent. Julian lunged at him again. A serious of swipes and jabs with the two fencing swords continued for several minutes. Finally blood was shed. And to Remy's surprise it was his own blood. Julian had gotten his arm, and he wanted more. It finally dawned on Remy thst Julian was out for blood. His blood.
"Julian! Are y' mad! We can' kill one another! Our families, our guilds will b' out f'r blood!" Remy exclaimed as if the realization of what was happening finally hit him. Julian eyes showed no mercy. They filled with a look of rage, Julian's eyes hunger for his sister's honor.
"I don' care, y' defiled ma soeur, y' made her impure. I will have y'r blood upon de end of m' blade!" With that final statement, Julian lunged forward with his blade. Remy swiped up with his own, causing Julian to lose grip. Julian's sword flew through the air. Upon instinct, Remy thrusted his sword into Julian's chest, right where his heart would be. Remy withdrew his sword, and watched his opponent fall to the ground. He lied there, life leaking away. Remy stared at his sword, with blood grazed along it's deadly edges. He could barely here the sound of Julian's laughing. He barely made out Julian's final words.
"Y' may have killed m', Diablo Blanc, but soon, every assassin in Nawlins will b' efter y'. Dat will b' m' final revenge." And with that, Julian took his last breath.
***Four Hours Later…***Remy Lebeau stood nervously in the shadows that cloaked every inch of this alley. He awaited for one person in particular hoping he would be there soon. Only hours after the fight…the duel for honor ended, he was a wanted man. Him, the Prince of Thieves. Second heir to the Patriarch of the New Orleans Thieves Guild. Remy Essex Lebeau, but known to the world at large as Gambit, a master thief, and according to international authorities one of the top five master thieves to ever walk the world. His whole world came crumbling down tonight. He let down his Uncle Jean Luc, his cousin Henri, Tante Mattie, as well as his fiancé, Bella Donna Boudreaux. What would he do now, where would he go?
"Remy?" a low whisper spoke into the shadows. Remy watched the figure, and then scanned the area to make sure no one followed him. Finally Remy left the shadows to embrace the figure.
"Henri, I am so glad y' came." Remy said with a forced smile.
"I don' have much time. Tante Mattie and mon pere said they understand what happened, dey don' blame y' but we al know y' a wanted man here in Nawlins. Mon pere sent dis for y'. It's de place y' can find y'r pere." Henri said in a said quiet tone.
"Oui, den I guess dis be au revoir, tell dem, tell dem I loved dem, and I'll miss dem. Bella to, tell her I'm sorry, dat I never wanted t' hurt her." Remy said as he hugged his dear cousin, the young man he grew up with.
"Dey know mon ami. And Bella knows too. She gave me dis f'r y'. She said read it when y' safe." Henri said as he gave Remy a sealed envelope. Remy put it in the pocket of his trench coat. And in a flash, he adorned his sunglasses, and was gone.
***A Week Later…***"And this is your room young Remington. I must say I am quite glad that you are here." Nathaniel Essex said as he showed his newly arrived son where he would be sleeping.
"Dis lab, pere, is dis why y' haven't been around lately?" Remy asked, he so wanted to see his father again. But not this way, he never wanted to have to flee his home in New Orleans, be exiled because of a woman.
"Yes, Remington, it is. I have several labs like this, my work has blossomed in the past years, I am so sorry that I have not visited you, my enemies, they would wish to see my work ended, I have been forced into seclusion." Nathaniel Essex said quickly.
"D'accord." Remy said as he removed his trench coat, tossed his duffel bag in the corner, and flopped upon his bed. "Well, I'm here now. I guess dat's a silver lining…non?"
"Yes, it is my dear boy. For what its worth, I am sorry. I am so glad to have you by my side, but so sorry it had to happen like this." Essex said in a convincing tone.
"Pere…" Remy said, as Essex was about to leave the room. He turned to face his son, a saddened look upon his face. "Je vous aime le père." He said in a quiet tone.
"And I love you to, my son." With that, Nathaniel Essex left the room.
Remy looked around his room, there wasn't much their, but he would make do. He flipped through his coat and pulled out a deck of cards. He shuffled them in his hands as he paced back and forth. Finally he pulled a card out, and held it in front of himself. It was the Ace of Spades. It glowed violently in his hands. He pulled the power back into himself. Then he pulled something else out of his jacket that he had draped across a chair in his room. It was the letter from Bella Donna.
Dear Remy,
I know you did not mean to kill Julian. When he found out about our engagement, he went hysterical. He said he would have your blood. I didn't think he would go that far. I want you to know that I will always love you. But with can not be fools, our love wasn't strong enough to work before you killed Julian. And it sure as hell isn't strong enough now. For your own safety, I hope you stay away from New Orleans. We were fools, I am sorry.
Love, Bella Donna
Remy watched as a ring fell from the envelope. He held the letter in one hand, the envelope in the other. He stared down upon the ring with tears in his eyes. The letter and the envelope began to glow furiously, just as the Ace of Spades had down moment ago. But instead of drawing the energy back into him self. He watched as the power ate them away until there was nothing. He charged them so much, the atoms became unstable, and dispersed, as if they were never in his hands. Remy looked down upon his hands, usually there was a boom, and explosion. But this time, it just vanished, he had never been so angry, so hurt, so out of control of his emotions to do something like that. Just how much power did he behold?
***Later That Evening…***
Remy and his father sat in some sort of a dining room. Their conversation centered on Remy's powers. His father wanted to know, just what he could do with his powers. When Remy explained what he usually did, then told him what had happened earlier in his room, his father was quite surprised, and impressed. His response was:
"Years ago Remington, I taught you how to control your power, how to hold it back from destroying yourself and others. Now I will teach you how to harness it. I want you to continue the fighting lessons your Uncle Jean Luc had taught you, and I also have information that you could easily acquire with your thieving skills for me. But most of all, I want you to harness that great gift that resides with in you. What do you say?" he asked his son, with a serious tone of joy.
"Oui, anything f'r y' mon pere." Remy stated simply.
***Three Years Ago…***Remy screamed to his teammates. "Dis is not what mon pere wanted! We were only s'pose t' capture de dangerous ones! Dis was suppose t' be an army of mutants dat was gonna kill all of New York! Dey only kids, dey helpless! Stop it! Dey just wanna live in peace!"
"BOY! Your father is a Sinister man! This is exactly what he instructed us to do! Now I suggest you turn around, run home and take it up with him. Or prepare to join these pathetic mutants that call themselves Morlocks!" the cat like man, Remy had come to known as Sabretooth growled fiercely at him. Then instructed the rest of the Mauraders he had recruited for his father to continue the slaughter.
Remy could feel the fear flowing around him. It left the poor mutants who he thought were a threat to society, the pain, the fear, the anguish…all the feelings, every emotion that each Morlock who feel to the ground, or ran in terror felt flowed into him. It was overwhelming. His shields couldn't keep it out. Remy had no choice but to take it all in, and place it with his regret. Bottle it up and live with it. He tried to save the Morlocks, but he was too burdened down with the emotions. He fell to his knees and wept with guilt as he strengthened his walls to keep those emotions he had not yet felt, out. Once he was able to compose himself, he ran violently away. He ran as far as he could from the tunnels beneath New York City. He needed to escape the Morlock Massacre. A massacre that he had caused.
***A Few Days Later…***Remy Lebeau stood in the middle of this abandoned theater. He stood here in Seattle, a place that rained perpetually all the time. It fit his mood. The past few years that he was with his father, were great. He thieving career prospered. He increased his skills with weapons, as well as hand to hand combat, his natural agility made him feel free, and help in all areas of his life. Now he waited here, for the man he called father. He needed to know if what Sabretooth said was true. And if it was, he needed to make sure that this heartless man who he thought loved him, who he thought was a good man, couldn't trap him with some unknown gizmo of his. He so hoped that Sabretooth acted with out his father's orders.
"Remington? Why have you called me here? What is the point of this?" Essex asked his son as he walked unto the stage of this abandoned theater.
"Y' member when y' brought me here? I was eight years old. It was de first time we took a trip t'gether. Y' said we'd come again. I have a question, about de tunnels. I want an answer. If I don' get de answer I like, den dis will be our last trip t'gether." Remy said bluntly, not even turning around to look at him.
"Remy, I do not like your tone. Your will address me with more respect than this! I am your father!" Essex said with anger growing in his voice.
"Did y' order dose mutants killed, de weren't an army like y' said, de were a people, a society. I watched an entire civilization b' murdered. I destroyed an entire Civilization because of y' how am I suppose to f'rgive m'self? How do I make it up t' de world? I want t' know why? And why'd y' lie t' m'?" Remy said in the same blunt uncaring tone.
"I was told they were an army. I thought that it was true. I felt it imperative we get them, before they got the world." Essex said, he sounded sincere, but Remy knew better. He could feel his father's nervousness. His empathic powers let him know his father was not being honest.
"Y' know, one of de first things Jean Luc taught me, was t' never let all your cards be seen. A good thief keeps something hiding from even dose he cares most about. A secret weapon. I have one pere, one that tells m' your lying. Y' see Gambit, he be no fool. But Remy Essex Lebeau, he trusted y' he followed y' with out worry. He believed y'…unconditionally. He shoulda known better, de people y' had m' gather, dey were all psychotic. Y' lied to m' y' made me a murderer. And for dat, y' no longer m' father. Y' just be Sinister. Dat's what y'r maurader's call y'. I heard dem say it in de tunnel." Remy said devoid of emotion, as he spun on his heal to face the man he now called Sinister.
"You little brat, you think you can turn on me! You think you can keep secrets from me. Yeah I had them killed. They were genetically worthless. They was no need for their existence. I merely trimmed down the gene pool I researched! How am I to create the most perfect being to stop The Apocalypse, if my specimens, are tainting themselves. Thos pathetic mutants did not deserve to live. Now you will come home, and continue to do as I say!" Sinister was losing his temper. He never cared for insolence, and in his own son, he hated it more.
Remy Lebeau removed his sunglasses, his eyes flared with power. He put his hand to the beamed that he was leaning against minutes before Sinister arrived. The beam began to charge, than the building began to glow. Floor boards, chairs. Everything glowed with a bright flaming color. Sinister stood in awe. "Y' think y know m' so well. Y' remember, y' taught m' t' harness dis gift o' mine. De whole building, be charged to de breaking point, one silent command from me, and we both go boom. I've read your journals Sinister, I know all about En Sabah Nur, I also know y' ain't immortal. Y' feel dat, I suggest y' teleport away, de power seeping from de floor, into y' tampered body. Y' ain't human, I know dat now. Y' be a monster. Leave me, I have de power to kill y' and I will. Out o' respect f'r de man I loved as a father, I'm gonna let y' leave dis time, member dough, dere won' be a next time." Remy said as boards began to combust. Seats became a blaze. The wood splintered barely able to hold the kinetic energy that Remy had charged into it, back. The air began to heat up with power radiating from the theater.
Sinister stood in awe of what he saw unfolding before him, he had underestimated his son. And he could feel a power that he knew could destroy him pulse through him. He looked his son in the eyes. He smiled like the devil and said. "Young Remington, I always knew you were an Omega, just don't let the power destroy you." And with a flash Sinister teleported, hearing only the sounds of bursting boards, and exploding chairs.
***One Week Ago…***
Remy lied in a hotel room, in some city, a beautiful girl lied asleep next to him. She was just some girl that Remy picked up at some club he had been to earlier that night. After all, it was the weekend, and it's been awhile, with all the grand heists he been pulling, the careful planning. He deserved something to release the tension. To ease the muscles. Tonight should have done it, maybe if he hadn't left the Television on.
Remy dreamed that night, not the typical nightmares that usually flooded his slumber. Those he had grown accustomed to, learn to accept he would be forever hunted for his naive ness, his gullibility, and his stupidity, that fateful sin of his past. No this nightmare was just one sentence that was spoken over and over in his mind. 'I watched an entire civilization b' murdered. I destroyed an entire Civilization because of y' how am I suppose to f'rgive m'self? How do I make it up t' de world?'…and with that came screams, blood, just boiled over. He could deal with the recurring memories that plague his dreamland, but that one sentence. He still had not made it up to the world.
He awoke with a jolt. The girl that laid next to him, she didn't seem to notice. He focused on the T.V. It was the only thing making any noise in the room. It drawed his attention right away.
On The T.V:
"The Legacy Virus is plaguing mutant kind. Many normal people don't seem to worry about this. They see it as God's way of smiting the holy. But there are those few Geneticists that hope to cure. Many of these Doctor's are accused of being mutant sympathizers. But there is one Doctor who says its Imperative that all who have knowledge, should try to cure it. You may ask why, here is former Avenger, and Mutant Doctor himself, Dr. Henry McCoy." The newswoman on T.V. said.
"What many people don't understand, is that this plague, much like aids only started out in homosexuals, the Legacy Virus only started in mutants. But who's to say that it won't spread, to the human population, if that happens, there is no saying if the populace of earth would be able to survive. It's imperative that all resources be, all information about the Legacy Virus be put towards finding a cure. This plague upon humanity, and when I say humanity, I mean both humans and mutants, we maybe watching the entire civilization of earth be destroyed." Hank McCoy said.
Back in the Room:
Remy was getting dressed and packing. Hank McCoy's last sentence plagued his mind. 'I mean both humans and mutants, we maybe watching the entire civilization of earth be destroyed.' With out waking his sleeping companion, Remy Lebeau left the room quietly. Thinking to himself, 'Merde! I can' believe I'm gonna risk dis! But I know dat Sinister b' a brilliant Scientist, he must have r'searched dis virus, I'm thief, I get de info, help out de world.'
***Present day…***Remy Lebeau sat outside the door of Xavier's School for Higher Learning. He was getting no answer at the gate speaker, so he simply led himself to the door in case the Gate was out of Order. It was simple enough to find one of Sinister's labs, download all the files on the Legacy Virus. He knew this wasn't enough to make up for what he did all those years ago, but it was a start. "Save de World, one day atta time, I guess…" Remy muttered as he pressed the doorbell yet…again. He could hear a voice scream from in the house.
"Ah'm coming, woulda ya'll just calm ya'slef dawn!" A sweet southern voice rang from inside seconds before the door opened. Remy's sunglass hidden eyes stared straight into a pair of bright green emeralds. "Can ah help ya Sugah?"
A/N: Ok, chapter one done, most of the chapters won't be this long, but I wanted to squeeze out who exactly Remy Essex Lebeau was into this one. All the X-men that we meet will basically have the same history as they do in the comics. So review and let me know what you thought of it, if you want more, or if you think I should scrap de whole thing.