Jean Grey Summers settled herself in a chair at the head of the unconscious boy's bed, then plunged herself straight into the boy's mind.
* * * * *
Luc smiled as he looked out onto the parade below him. It was Mardi Gras, and the city had never felt more alive. He watched in awe as a troupe of jugglers on stilts walked down the streets, deftly avoiding the tourists that literally choked the roads. Steel drum music wafted up gently from somewhere below, and he yelped in pain as somebody tripped into him. "Gabby!" He yelled turning away from the window. "Watch what y' doin'."
"Sorry Luc." She smiled back at him; "I'm playin' make-pretend."
Luc just shook his head and turned back to watch the parade. "What are you pretending?" He heard Bishop ask from the corner where he crouched. It seemed Bishop was always crouching in corners, like he was afraid of being seen.
"Bout the party tonight." Gabrielle answered, twirling absently around the room. "Grand-pear's gonna buy me a new dress, an' I'll meet my Prince Charming."
"Grand-pere!" Luc shouted from his seat by the window, correcting her pronunciation. "Sides, how you know he gonna buy you a dress?" Luc shouted over his shoulder.
"A cuz, he always buys me a new dress. An' this year maybe Carmine'll get one too." She laughed as she continued twirling around the room. Carmine just looked up from her coloring book and giggled before concentrating on adding another scribble directly over some cartoon character's face.
"Who'd want to be your Prince Charming?" Luc mumbled, then returned to his gazing out on the parade. He watching as a group of voodoo dancers passed by, and was so preoccupied by the sight he didn't realize his father was in the room until he heard Gabrielle's high pitched screech.
"Papa!" She screeched and flew like a rocket to cling at his legs. "Papa, didja get me somethin'?" She asked him.
Laughing, Remy picked up the little girl and hugged her close. "We talked bout dis p'tite." Remy said, tapping her on the nose. "I can't be buyin' ya somethin' every time I walk out dat door. Yer gonna put me in the poor house!"
Gabby just giggled. "Guess what I've been doin Papa?" She asked him.
"Why don't ya tell me." Remy said, as he sat down on the couch opposite Luc.
"I've been dancin', and pretendin' I was at the party. Watch!" She cried as she started twirling in circles faster and faster until she knocked herself over.
"I see." He said, trying desperately to keep a straight face. Absently he reached for Carmine and sat her down on his knee. "An' what you been doin', ma petite ange?"
"Color!" Carmine shouted as she lifted her marker-covered hands up to his face.
"I can see dat." Remy laughed as he looked over the multi-colored baby and down to the multi-colored carpet. "Everyt'ing been alright, Bishop?" Remy asked, looking over at the boy in the corner.
"Yessir. I gave her the markers so she couldn't eat them like she did the crayons." He managed to say it seriously. "I'm sorry about the carpet though."
"Dat's okay, I kinda like it." Remy smiled as he returned the baby to her coloring mess, and went to look out over Luc's shoulder, resting a hand protectively on his head. "An' what y' been doin', mon fils?" Remy asked him in an almost whisper.
"Watchin' de parade, Papa." Luc answered into his father's warm red eyes. "Can I go down dere? I wanna see what happens during Mardi Gras."
Remy stepped back and looked into his six-year-old's face. "Y' t'ink y' be ready for Mardi Gras?" He asked seriously. "It gets kinda crazy down dere."
"I know Papa." Luc pleaded. "Please?! I just want to see what it's like down there. I love Mardi Gras, please?"
Remy sized the boy up for a minute then shook his head; "Alright Luc, but you stick right by me, and no matter what y' don' let go of my hand. Understand?"
"Thank you Papa!" Luc shouted as he ran across the room to tackle his father's legs. "I'll do whatever you say!"
Remy just laughed, and slung Luc up on his back.
"Papa!" Gabrielle shouted from her position on the floor. "I want to see the Marty Grass too!"
"Non p'tite. Y' too young still. Mebbe next year, mon petite amour." With that Remy and Luc left the apartment and headed out onto the streets.
The sights and sounds surrounding him amazed Luc, and from the vantage-point of his father's shoulders he could see most of what was going on. But he was only up there for a short time before Remy brought him down, following a group of people Luc vaguely recognized into a deserted back alley. "What y' want Lapin?" Remy asked his cousin, whom Luc now recognized as Uncle Rabbit. "What be so important?"
Lapin just looked at the ground, tears silently falling onto the pavement. "Assassins in the parade." He muttered as he pulled out a sword that looked suspiciously like his grand-pere's and handed it to Remy.
"Assassins!" Luc shouted and ran for the mouth of the alley to watch them pass by.
"Luc!" His father yelled after him, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and dragging him back down the alley towards the other men.
"But Uncle Rabbit said dere were assassins." Luc tried to reason. "I never seen one b'fore."
"Dere's no assassins Luc." Remy answered dully as he took the sword out of Lapin's hands.
"But..." Luc tried to argue before his father cut him off.
"I don' care what Uncle Lapin said!" Remy shouted at the boy. "I'm ya father, y' do what I say, now stay with Cousin Christophe. Y' hear!"
"Yessir." Luc mumbled to the dirty paved alley floor as he watched his father take off in almost a panicked run.
"Come on Luc." Cousin Christophe smiled as he took his hand. "We're gonna take y' back to de estate."
* * * * *
Jean shook her head as she pulled herself out of the boy's psyche. Looking over at her husband on the other side of the table she gave him a weak smile as she stared down at the face of the boy in front of her. "Wow," she mouthed silently.
"What is it Jean?" Scott asked worriedly, taking her hand and massaging it gently.
"Who knew Remy would make such a great father." She almost laughed at the look on Scott's face after she said it. "Scott, meet Luc Henri LeBeau, Remy's son."
Scott tried to get his mouth to work twice before he finally got the words out. "Name certainly gives it away, huh?" Scott stared in shock at the boy in front of him, tall and lanky, definitely Gambit's build. The white streaks in his hair, well Scott could guess where they came from. "Rogue's too?" He asked over their link. Jean nodded. "And the other?" Scott continued.
"Too soon to tell." Jean answered back. "But I would assume so, from what I saw of her I'd say the two are definitely related, and she's in his memories as an annoying younger sister."
"Guess that clinches it." Scott stood up and walked away from the table switching back to verbal communication. "No clue why they're here though?"
"Guarded." Jean responded. "Pretty heavily too. Whoever did it is better than I am."
Scott sighed, "So who?"
Jean let out a short laugh and looked into Scott's visor. "Remy." She answered, taking his hand in hers on the way out the door. "Team meeting time?"
Scott nodded and led her down the hall to the War Room.
* * * * *
Luc smiled as he looked out onto the parade below him. It was Mardi Gras, and the city had never felt more alive. He watched in awe as a troupe of jugglers on stilts walked down the streets, deftly avoiding the tourists that literally choked the roads. Steel drum music wafted up gently from somewhere below, and he yelped in pain as somebody tripped into him. "Gabby!" He yelled turning away from the window. "Watch what y' doin'."
"Sorry Luc." She smiled back at him; "I'm playin' make-pretend."
Luc just shook his head and turned back to watch the parade. "What are you pretending?" He heard Bishop ask from the corner where he crouched. It seemed Bishop was always crouching in corners, like he was afraid of being seen.
"Bout the party tonight." Gabrielle answered, twirling absently around the room. "Grand-pear's gonna buy me a new dress, an' I'll meet my Prince Charming."
"Grand-pere!" Luc shouted from his seat by the window, correcting her pronunciation. "Sides, how you know he gonna buy you a dress?" Luc shouted over his shoulder.
"A cuz, he always buys me a new dress. An' this year maybe Carmine'll get one too." She laughed as she continued twirling around the room. Carmine just looked up from her coloring book and giggled before concentrating on adding another scribble directly over some cartoon character's face.
"Who'd want to be your Prince Charming?" Luc mumbled, then returned to his gazing out on the parade. He watching as a group of voodoo dancers passed by, and was so preoccupied by the sight he didn't realize his father was in the room until he heard Gabrielle's high pitched screech.
"Papa!" She screeched and flew like a rocket to cling at his legs. "Papa, didja get me somethin'?" She asked him.
Laughing, Remy picked up the little girl and hugged her close. "We talked bout dis p'tite." Remy said, tapping her on the nose. "I can't be buyin' ya somethin' every time I walk out dat door. Yer gonna put me in the poor house!"
Gabby just giggled. "Guess what I've been doin Papa?" She asked him.
"Why don't ya tell me." Remy said, as he sat down on the couch opposite Luc.
"I've been dancin', and pretendin' I was at the party. Watch!" She cried as she started twirling in circles faster and faster until she knocked herself over.
"I see." He said, trying desperately to keep a straight face. Absently he reached for Carmine and sat her down on his knee. "An' what you been doin', ma petite ange?"
"Color!" Carmine shouted as she lifted her marker-covered hands up to his face.
"I can see dat." Remy laughed as he looked over the multi-colored baby and down to the multi-colored carpet. "Everyt'ing been alright, Bishop?" Remy asked, looking over at the boy in the corner.
"Yessir. I gave her the markers so she couldn't eat them like she did the crayons." He managed to say it seriously. "I'm sorry about the carpet though."
"Dat's okay, I kinda like it." Remy smiled as he returned the baby to her coloring mess, and went to look out over Luc's shoulder, resting a hand protectively on his head. "An' what y' been doin', mon fils?" Remy asked him in an almost whisper.
"Watchin' de parade, Papa." Luc answered into his father's warm red eyes. "Can I go down dere? I wanna see what happens during Mardi Gras."
Remy stepped back and looked into his six-year-old's face. "Y' t'ink y' be ready for Mardi Gras?" He asked seriously. "It gets kinda crazy down dere."
"I know Papa." Luc pleaded. "Please?! I just want to see what it's like down there. I love Mardi Gras, please?"
Remy sized the boy up for a minute then shook his head; "Alright Luc, but you stick right by me, and no matter what y' don' let go of my hand. Understand?"
"Thank you Papa!" Luc shouted as he ran across the room to tackle his father's legs. "I'll do whatever you say!"
Remy just laughed, and slung Luc up on his back.
"Papa!" Gabrielle shouted from her position on the floor. "I want to see the Marty Grass too!"
"Non p'tite. Y' too young still. Mebbe next year, mon petite amour." With that Remy and Luc left the apartment and headed out onto the streets.
The sights and sounds surrounding him amazed Luc, and from the vantage-point of his father's shoulders he could see most of what was going on. But he was only up there for a short time before Remy brought him down, following a group of people Luc vaguely recognized into a deserted back alley. "What y' want Lapin?" Remy asked his cousin, whom Luc now recognized as Uncle Rabbit. "What be so important?"
Lapin just looked at the ground, tears silently falling onto the pavement. "Assassins in the parade." He muttered as he pulled out a sword that looked suspiciously like his grand-pere's and handed it to Remy.
"Assassins!" Luc shouted and ran for the mouth of the alley to watch them pass by.
"Luc!" His father yelled after him, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and dragging him back down the alley towards the other men.
"But Uncle Rabbit said dere were assassins." Luc tried to reason. "I never seen one b'fore."
"Dere's no assassins Luc." Remy answered dully as he took the sword out of Lapin's hands.
"But..." Luc tried to argue before his father cut him off.
"I don' care what Uncle Lapin said!" Remy shouted at the boy. "I'm ya father, y' do what I say, now stay with Cousin Christophe. Y' hear!"
"Yessir." Luc mumbled to the dirty paved alley floor as he watched his father take off in almost a panicked run.
"Come on Luc." Cousin Christophe smiled as he took his hand. "We're gonna take y' back to de estate."
* * * * *
Jean shook her head as she pulled herself out of the boy's psyche. Looking over at her husband on the other side of the table she gave him a weak smile as she stared down at the face of the boy in front of her. "Wow," she mouthed silently.
"What is it Jean?" Scott asked worriedly, taking her hand and massaging it gently.
"Who knew Remy would make such a great father." She almost laughed at the look on Scott's face after she said it. "Scott, meet Luc Henri LeBeau, Remy's son."
Scott tried to get his mouth to work twice before he finally got the words out. "Name certainly gives it away, huh?" Scott stared in shock at the boy in front of him, tall and lanky, definitely Gambit's build. The white streaks in his hair, well Scott could guess where they came from. "Rogue's too?" He asked over their link. Jean nodded. "And the other?" Scott continued.
"Too soon to tell." Jean answered back. "But I would assume so, from what I saw of her I'd say the two are definitely related, and she's in his memories as an annoying younger sister."
"Guess that clinches it." Scott stood up and walked away from the table switching back to verbal communication. "No clue why they're here though?"
"Guarded." Jean responded. "Pretty heavily too. Whoever did it is better than I am."
Scott sighed, "So who?"
Jean let out a short laugh and looked into Scott's visor. "Remy." She answered, taking his hand in hers on the way out the door. "Team meeting time?"
Scott nodded and led her down the hall to the War Room.
