Dismal Angel 2010 - Episode 23
Chapter 1: Fix it
Remy LeBeau barged into Betsy Braddock's bedroom with rage burning through him, the dagger from his bedside cabinet drawer firmly in his hand. He was not silent, in fact he was far from silent. He stomped his way across the carpeted floor, his teeth gritted together.
The room was swathed in darkness except from a few pillar candles that had been lit and were standing freely on the bedside cabinet, flickering in the breeze from the open window.
Betsy Braddock – who'd been sleeping naked on the bed – shot up from the bed in panic, perhaps caught a little off guard, her hair slightly mussed, eyes slightly puffy, she reached over and turned on the light, "what the—" she asked, she dodged out of the way as Remy's dagger came down and nearly caught her on the shoulder, she blinked, unsure of how in the world he could have caught her so off guard like this at all.
"Fix her! Fix her now!" he screamed at her.
"What are you whimpering about," Betsy stumbled out of bed tiredly, unabashed about her nakedness. She rubbed her eyes carefully, as if she were trying to avoid smudging makeup – which she hardly wore, "it's two o'clock in the morning for Christ sake…" she noted, pointing towards the clock on the other bedside cabinet.
"I want you to fix her now or I'll slit your fucking throat!" he cried at her, his eyes were flashing dangerously, even she had never seen him quite this enraged.
Betsy smirked a little, "my my, we are angry, are we," she raised an eyebrow. "Saw your little girlfriend fucking someone else did we…?" she asked. Within this rage in him his mind was open to her powers, and she could read him as easily as a comic book.
Remy flung himself towards her, threw her to the wall, pressed his weight against her and put the edge of the blade against her throat, "fix this!"
"You know the deal," Betsy looked at him now seriousness, her violet eyes staring coldly into his own, "if I fix her, I want help."
"You can kill Sinister alone!" Remy said, "You're capable enough."
"And you're capable of fixing this if you try!" Betsy swallowed, she could feel the knife pressing into her skin, she was almost sure he had already cut her, there was a slight stinging sensation upon her neck. "And slitting my throat will not help her any faster."
Remy was so angry he was shaking, "you did this, didn't you?!"
Betsy decided to take hold of the situation, she kneed him in the groin and heard him howl in pain, he dropped to his knees, doubled over, the dagger dropped to the floor with a clunk. "And what if I did?" she asked, her voice bitter, "It's no less than you deserve."
Remy looked up at her, "you did…" he whispered, "You fucking did this!"
Betsy kicked him over, "because of you and your meddling, I lost my brother. The only person in the world I had left that I could trust! My own flesh and blood…you and your lies about how we were making a difference, and behind it all, all you wanted to do was get revenge…you used us – and Brian got killed!" she kicked him again. "I could have done worse, I could have killed Rogue with my psychic knife…" she looked at him.
"How could you have brought Carol forward?! You were out cold!" he cried at her.
"I was at first, but when I came too, I pretended to remain unconscious. Your professor and Jean are too moralistic and 'good' to use their powers to check, I used my powers to suss each and every one of you out as quickly as I could – and when I saw in Rogue's mind what you did to Carol Danvers, I knew that I wasn't the only innocent in this who lost something because of your stupidity and selfishness."
"Carol told us all she done it herself!" Remy cried.
"Carol only thinks she done it herself – it's quite straightforward to implant such ideas into someone's psyche…" Betsy frowned, "and I think after all you put that woman through when she was barely eighteen, it's time that she got to live life the way she wanted and not behind the eyes of a woman who just happened to suck her life up into her own."
"How did you free her?!" Remy demanded, he sat up, holding his stomach.
"Easily," Betsy uttered.
"But the professor can't!! That doesn't make sense, he's more powerful than you!"
"Of course he is," Betsy shrugged, "I'm not denying that at all. But where he's weak, I'm strong, and freeing Carol was as easy as switching a lamp on inside her head, and I can free Rogue JUST as easily. All I need is your help to get Sinister – and all this will be over."
"No…the price is too much. I can't lose Rogue again," he said, his voice pleading now, although he knew Betsy wasn't likely to take sympathy on him. She wasn't the sympathetic type.
"As usual, this is all about you," Betsy rolled her eyes, "You don't want my help because you'd lose Rogue. What about what Rogue would gain…her LIFE."
"You can't make me choose!" Remy cried at her.
"I can and will," Betsy said, "You have until the end of this week to make your decision. I'll be leaving at the end of this week, just so you know," Betsy sat on her bed, she folded her arms, "If you're not coming with me, then Carol Danvers will be remaining in Rogue's body for the rest of her life..."
"No…" Remy whispered.
"Rogue's fate is in YOUR hands now," Betsy remarked with a bitter relish, she smirked ever so slightly. Her eyes twinkling in delight.
"I can't go after him again!" Remy cried, "I can't!"
"You're such a whimpering little baby," Betsy rolled her eyes, "you need to grow up, LeBeau. For christ's sake, strap on a pair of balls and face the creep."
"I faced him already, in Genosha. It's YOUR turn to face him now!" Remy yelled.
"You started this, you can finish it," Betsy retorted. "If you had left well enough alone none of us would be in this mess."
"You know that's not true," Remy said, "Hundreds more might have died if it weren't for us."
"What good is saving hundreds if we couldn't save my brother?!" Betsy demanded. "You need to see that there are consequences for your actions. You, I and Brian MADE a pact that we'd kill that bastard Sinister."
"He can't be killed!" Remy yelled at her, "Don't you think I tried?! I blew up the control centre in Genosha with BOTH of us in it and he still survived!"
"Then we just have to find another way."
"If you're so GOOD at implanting suggestions in peoples heads, why can't you just implant a suggestion into my mind that'll make me do it then?!" he demanded. "Isn't that your style? To be a devious bitch and mess with peoples minds, just like you did with Rogue?!"
"Actually," Betsy said, she examined her fingernails absently, "for some reason, although I can read your mind like a book, I can't seem to implant suggestions into it. Besides, its much more fun watching you squirm making this decision – although its growing a little tedious."
Remy felt helpless, and yet, he persisted, "I can't make that decision! You know that!" he shouted.
"What is all the noise…?" came a yawning voice
Remy turned, he'd left the bedroom door wide open, and Jean Grey had stumbled in, her red hair in pigtails, her lime green cotton pyjamas wrinkled, one leg of the bottoms hanging higher than the other.
"Nothing," Remy said quickly, he sucked in a breath and tried to contain his anger, he sneakily kicked the dagger under the bed when Jean wasn't looking. He didn't want Jean – nor anyone else – to see it.
"Nothing at all, dear," Betsy responded, sitting primly, naked as the day she was born. "We were just having a little discussion is all, would you care to join it?"
"I'd rather not, if it's all the same," Jean tried to contain her embarrassment from Betsy's nakedness, "perhaps you can curb your arguing for the night…and keep all door's closed…" she glanced at Remy perhaps a little suspiciously, and Remy suddenly realised how this must have looked. "You must remember that this is a school, and the last thing we need are these students – who are impressionable enough already – to see and hear the things that go on within these walls – or to be wakened up by your loud arguing," Jean frowned a little, "in the war room at nine tomorrow, we're going to be discussing this…some new rules need to be set as to the behaviour that goes on in this mansion – especially at night."
"I always assumed Professor Xavier was in charge of the rules?" Betsy asked insolently, holding her head high.
Remy had wondered the same thing. "Since when are you in charge of everything?" Remy asked curiously.
"Since the Professor is under a lot of stress from large workloads, I'm alleviating some of that work load at the moment by taking complete charge of the school AND it's rules while the professor is working on more important matters," Jean said puffing up her chest indignantly, her bright green eyes squinting slightly at the thought of her authority being questioned. "I think for now, that we should end this discussion," she glanced towards Remy pointedly and gestured towards the open doorway.
"I was just leaving," Remy retorted coldly, he pushed by Jean gently to leave, as the anger began to ebb away it was replaced with sadness and exhaustion that was pulling him down like weighs tied to every limb.
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out," Betsy muttered sharply, her British accent always seemed so broad when she used such a tone.
"If it does," Remy glanced over his shoulder menacingly at Betsy, "I'll know just who to blame."