(Two)

Remy lay on his large bed, a big goofy grin plastered on his face. He couldn't help it, not really. He was in love all over again and in a way he had never felt before. Molly was finally home after birthing the twins and she lay next to him with one of the tiny babies, Sandy, nuzzling gently at one of her breasts. It wasn't the enhanced breast size of his wife that was making him so giddy – though that was an added bonus – it was the fact that after nine long months of waiting, the twins were finally here where they could be touched and felt. The other twin, Jean Luc, lay asleep in the crook of his father's arm, his belly warm and full of milk.

Remy wasn't sure the last time he had felt so happy. Well, that wasn't exactly true. He absolutely loved to fly.

It was only a few short months ago that Seth had come for him. Remy was recovering from an empathic overload and breakdown after the Game, one that had resulted in him having a mild heart attack. He had recovered from his fright, but Henry, cautious doctor that he was, refused to reinstate him for X-men duty until he was sure the thief could handle it. Remy had been afraid his career as an X-man was over, but Seth had other plans for him.

Seth had been working on a project for the Professor, one which had just been completed. Seth was a clever Siskan and had designed for the X-men a spacecraft of their own, one incorporating Dognan technology. The Dognan used human slaves they converted for use to fly their ships. Some of the female slaves had been physically altered – they were bleached out white, given animal arm and leg grafts, and bat like wings. They were called pilots and could create Ristle energy from their bodies. It was this energy that fueled the Dognan spacecrafts. The pilots were also powerful telekinetics and steered the crafts as well. They were integral to Dognan technology and the foundation of their society.

The X-men befriended one such pilot, Fallen, one who had found a damaged Siskan hologram named Kimble. He was badly broken, missing many codes and clever as she was, she created a secondary personality to fill in those gaps – Seth. Through many trials and happenstance, the pair were eventually separated and now out in the world as twins of a sort. Kimble, the dominant and original personality, was the official Rogue of the twosome, but that didn't mean Seth wasn't without his own gifts.

Seth had completed construction of the Dragon 2, a shuttle craft that was a miniature of Fallen's own big ship, the Lucky Dragon. Once built, the small craft then needed a pilot to fly it. In an odd twist of fate, Gambit found himself elected. Remy still had not been cleared from his medical leave of absence from the X-men team proper. Henry still was leery about reinstating him on the team, unsure how he might handle himself in battle. Seth had approached Remy then with a radical idea – the Dragon 2 required two things to operate - an energy producer to fuel the engine and a telekinetic to steer it.

Seth already knew who he wanted to power the ship, he'd had Remy in mind all along. He already knew Remy's kinetic power was compatible with the ship's systems. Many years ago, the original Lucky Dragon had been damaged and Gambit had helped Fallen power the ship in flight. Of course, Remy had never flown on his own. When Seth first approached the thief about flying the Dragon2, Remy was a bit skeptical. He was a thief and a sneak, not a pilot. But a quick test flight had exhilarated him and blown him away. Such a large, unrestrained release of his bio-produced energy was a huge rush.

Kimble was Seth's first logical choice for telekinetic. Kimble had assisted Fallen many times on her flights and he knew well how to handle himself in flight. He was also quite close to Remy, the pair were bonded closer than Kimble was to Seth. Kimble had been mortally wounded injured once and Remy used his kinetic energy to repair him. As they had shared that same energy, Kimble's memories had also been shared by both, bonding them closer than brothers. Remy now spoke fluent Siskan and he shared Kimble's powerful empathy. Kimble could anticipate anything Remy wanted and the trust between then was absolute, making them the perfect team.

Of all the Siskans that had crossed Remy's path, Kimble was easily his favorite. It wasn't just the bonding, though that counted for a lot. It was that gleam in Kimble's eye, that sense of fun that brightened the Siskan's face whenever Remy was near. Like Simone, Kimble had a blended skin - that of a male pilot, a rare thing since all the Dognan pilots were female. He shared Fallen's crooked cat legs and small leathery wings, but Kimble was tall and lean, having long black hair down to his waist. He was very intelligent and quick to learn, but nothing was better than Kimble at play. He loved to sing and dance. He owned several guitars and there was music around him always. He was a physical being, enjoying anything he could do with his hands. He loved to cook, to plant things and watch them grow. He was of course sexually skilled and at times impulsive, something that had gotten him into trouble more than once.

While it was no longer the case, Kimble and Remy had been intimate in the past. It was brief, but almost inevitable considering how close they had grown to one another and the fact that Kimble was Siskan after all, and a deeply sexual being. The love affair didn't last long, Remy had needed more than Kimble could give him. Gambit had desired one thing most of all – a large family of his own. A wife and kids. Things a non-organic Siskan could never provide.

Kimble had his own reasons for needing the break up. In spite of so many of his better qualities, he suffered from a shaky self esteem, something that had come from all the abuse he had suffered. He had been a handful, wanting to go wherever Remy went and be at his side constantly. He waited on Remy hand and foot, something that sounded great until Remy was tripping over the guy all the time. Remy was much too independent to handle that for long. Kimble could be suffocating. Their relationship grew strained and it was time for them to go back to simply being friends.

Kimble, perceptive creature that he was, loved Gambit enough to let him go and the split was amicable. Kimble had since moved on himself, bringing Remy's thoughts to the final member of their little flight team - Aiden.

Aiden was also Siskan and Kimble's clutchmate. He was short and something of a blonde spitfire. He had a bit of a temper and though he didn't speak much, could have a sharp mouth when he did. He had no qualms about letting you know exactly how he felt, lacking in tact at times. He also possessed a fierce pride in his Siskan-ness, something that an emotionally dependant Kimble really needed. They became friends quickly and Kimble fell hard. The pair had formally said their vows and were now married, much to Remy's relief. Kimble would be well looked after and was in good hands. Kimble was an emotionally needy creature and it would take a fellow Siskan who understood this to keep him stable. So far, it had been a good match, though not without the occasional hiccup.

Aiden wasn't a Rogue of the Game, but he was a Kintay and had additional powers besides empathy - he had suffered from dreams about the Game before it happened, premonitions that had nearly driven him mad. It had earned him the nickname 'The Dreamer' and the name had stuck even though the Game was now over. At first Aiden was a bit jealous of Kimble's new job of flying the Dragon2. He felt left out. Kimble knew his lover well, and almost immediately began to train Aiden on the mechanics and maintenance of the craft. Like all Siskans, Aiden was a quick study and the team of three was born.

They hadn't gone on any long flights yet with a real X-men team though Remy felt they were ready. At the moment, the birth of the twins had brought their training to a temporary halt, but Remy was still optimistic. A week or two and they would be up and flying again, hopefully taking on a real mission or two.

Remy was startled out of his thoughts by a soft grunt from his wife. With her hands, she skillfully signed to him, Kimble and Aiden are arguing again.

Molly was Sabretooth's daughter and had suffered some hardships of her own. As a young child, she had been slashed across her throat by her own father and was now unable to properly speak. She had been taught sign language to compensate. While she did not possess her father's infamous healing factor, she did inherit his clawed hands and keen animal senses. Kimble and Aiden shared an apartment across the hall. Remy was unable to hear them, but she could quite easily.

"Is it bad?" Remy asked, reluctant to move. Jean Luc was quite comfortable.

Kimble is crying.

Remy nodded and carefully extricated himself out from under his tiny sleeping son. He got up and walked out of his own apartment, pausing in the hallway outside of Kimble's door.

This was where the borders of his relationship with Kimble got a little grey and fuzzy. He loved Kimble deeply, always would, but Kimble had passed on, had been given a new Master in the form of his husband, Aiden. It really wasn't up to Remy to interfere, not anymore. It didn't mean he wouldn't be concerned. He lay a hand on Kimble's door and closed his eyes, using his empathy to try and read the vibrations of the fight, hopefully without giving himself away.

What's goan' on in dere, Shi'ow-ri? he asked his inner friend, asking for her help.

When Kimble had boosted Remy's empathy and made it into a real, full blown power, Remy had really struggled with it. The vibrations of others bombarded him and nearly drove him insane. He eventually gained control of it, in part by personalizing it and allowing it to speak to him. He heard it in his own mind and it spoke to him now with an intuitive, female voice. He named this voice Shi'ow-ri, the Whisperer in Siskan.

/ Kimble grieves, Shi'ow-ri whispered to him, her soft voice loud and clear to his perceptive mind. / Listen to him speak.

"It's all my faults!" Kimble bawled loudly, the wooden door not blocking out that noise. "I couldn't protects her!"

Remy sighed with impatience and pain. This again.

Kimble's Angel had been a human child. He had found her as an infant and named her Angel since the name fit. She was later murdered in the Game, a young girl of only eight years of age. Kimble hadn't given birth to her, but she had been as good as his own daughter and the loss still stung. Kimble would always feel responsible for her death.

Kimble was a Kintay and it had come with a hefty price - he had been abused and melted, shattering his personality into four different people. One of those personalities was Zander, the Punisher, a powerful and vengeful spirit who lived only to punish those that had ever done Kimble wrong. It was he who had taken control of their body and had launched himself into the worst of the fighting the day the Game had come to the X-men's front door. Unfortunately, that rash decision had left Angel unprotected.

Kimble felt he should have controlled Zander somehow. If he had done that, Angel would never have run outside after Zander to be killed. This was a foolish hope and a misplaced guilt. Anyone who knew Zander well enough – and Remy surely had – knew the Punisher got his way, always. He was much too powerful to be denied. Zander had felt he could protect Angel best by destroying the biggest threat. He had been wrong and now Kimble was paying the price for that bad decision.

One thing that Remy knew all too well and that many folks failed to grasp, was that Siskans were little more than children inside. They were by nature innocent in many ways and easily enthralled by games and music and any form of play or amusement. They were made that way on purpose, it kept them serene and compliant in their vocation which was usually nothing more than sexual or household slavery. Their benign and gentle natures simply did not hold up well under the abuse and torture they so often found in the outside world. They were certainly never designed to endure what these Siskans of the Game had been put through no matter how well Quishnalay had constructed them. It was no accident that out of clutch of sixty or so, fewer than ten now remained alive.

Remy did his best to look after the few that had fallen into his care, trying to help them survive in this world that had caused them so much suffering. Part of that care included the occasional eavesdropping as he was doing now.

"It wasz never your fault," Aiden replied to Kimble's complaint, his voice calm and steady and wise from behind the door. Aiden had his own unique accent, a side effect of his own traumatic life. He had been melted and repaired several times, leaving his voice a bit of a wreck. "Szometimesz t'ingsz will 'appen zat we never can chanje, no matter our trying, our plansz. We jusz 'ave to accept zat and live our livesz, preciousz. One day at a time. It'sz Mar-yoo, my love. Fate. Fate and not'ing more."

In spite of any reservations Remy might have had about Aiden's ability to control Kimble, the Dreamer was holding up remarkably well. This wasn't their first fight by far, and it was less of a fight than Kimble simply airing out his woes, though this had been happening less and less. It always seemed to go the same way – Kimble would rail and fight and complain while Aiden would listen and respond in these low, even tones. As much as Aiden could be testy to others, to Kimble he was always gentle. He never added to the fight or got defensive, he only talked Kimble down and let him know he was deeply loved. This was an amazing feat considering Aiden's usual terrible temper and defensive attitude. The Dreamer was maturing. Somewhere pigs were flying and Hell was freezing over.

Remy smiled in spite of himself. He recalled the day these two had married in a beautiful moonlight ceremony. It had been beautiful and their bright happy shines had dissolved any doubt of their truest love for one another. At first Gambit had thought the emotionally overwrought Kimble would be more than Aiden could handle over the long haul, but so far the Dreamer was proving to be a remarkable husband and parent to Kimble. There had been no major crisis since Jael had gone, nothing more than these occasional squabbles.

Gambit understood that all of this was part of the grieving process. Kimble had lost his daughter and would always have this terrible void inside of him at her loss. Remy did not worry for his friend, Kimble had a large support system. There was himself and Molly always looking in on him and Asher as well.

So in spite of Kimble's history of emotional instability and Remy's concerns about Aiden being able to handle it, the pair were actually making their way decently, much to everyone's surprise. Instead of failing miserably and breaking down into endless squabbles, Kimble and Aiden had proven themselves time and time again, both at home and now, at work.

Remy felt a surge of hope as he recalled spying on the two Siskans just this morning. Molly was to be released from the Med-Lab later that day and he had spent the time waiting for her with the boys on the Dragon 2. He had been standing at the entrance way of the Dragon 2, relaxing with a soda while Kimble and Aiden were sitting in the middle of the main room, an open floor panel between them. Kimble was looking down, explaining wiring or some such while Aiden sat and listened. Kimble wasn't paying attention to the Dreamer, he was looking down and teaching, his hands doing most of the talking. Aiden was still, no longer looking down for the lesson, but gazing into Kimble's face with complete adoration, his mouth twisted into a small half smile.

Kimble paused and glanced up. "You even listenin'?" he asked with some impatience.

Aiden nodded and repeated what Kimble had just instructed with perfect recall, all the while leaning slowly forward until their lips touched. They met in a tender kiss, not one of lustful intention, but one of absolute love.

Kimble shivered as a blast of blue and green shot right through his shine.

Remy was more than just a simple empath. Like these Siskans, he could read a person's shine or aura, using what he saw to 'read' a person, to assess their moods and if necessary, manipulate them or help them if they needed it. It was like telepathy, but not as exact. It certainly assisted Remy quite a bit when it came to Kimble, the Siskan could be an enigma at times. But this blue and green? That Gambit liked to see just fine. Blue was the color of happiness and green was a mark of pride and self worth, or being valued. Colors that were appearing more and more often in Kimble's shine as he and Aiden's relationship matured and grew.

Remy hadn't been able to stop himself from smiling at the sight of these two. It was these tender and spontaneous moments that boosted Kimble's sense of self worth and being well loved and wanted. These were things Kimble needed and things Remy had never been free enough to give. The sight of these two so intimate and hopelessly in love gave Remy a sense of hope for the pair, that they could actually keep it together and be happy.

Back in the here and now, behind their wooden apartment door, Aiden continued to placate his distraught lover. "What wasz done isz done, my love. Be content zat Anjel knew your love. She isz in a good placze. One where she can sztill feel you and look into your eyesz."

Remy shivered. Aiden hadn't gone through the Game unaffected. When Angel had been murdered, strange energy had left her body. She was an Angel which meant she was more than she seemed. Aiden had been right there when it happened and he had absorbed Angel's fleeing energy into his own body. Aiden wasn't a Rogue but he carried a Blue Mark, one which announced him as a Receiver, a Siskan who could handle such an overload with little difficulty. He had absorbed her energy and made it his own. Of course, Aiden had also been quite tight lipped as to what the side effects of such a condition might be. Was she conscious in there somehow? Did she really see and hear her father?

"I miss her so much!" Kimble bawled again, breaking down into tears. It was a capitulation, Kimble was done fighting and now only wanted to cry.

"Aiden doesz asz well," the Dreamer replied and then came such vibrations of love and concern that Remy couldn't help but shiver from behind the door. It had hurt to hear Kimble's pain, to be a witness to such a tragedy, but Aiden's vibrations of hope and joy were so strong they erased his own pain as well, bringing him comfort. Remy could almost see them, his precious Kimble sitting in a chair in the kitchen while Aiden held him so tightly, loving him with all he had to give, a considerable amount.

Yesz I love 'im, Nebannon, Aiden sent out to him, using a nickname Star had given the thief. It meant 'beloved' in Siskan and described the way most of the Siskans here felt about him./ Do not ever doubt disz.

Remy jerked back from the door in surprise, not realizing that he had just telegraphed his presence, enough that the Dreamer had acknowledged his awareness that he was being spied upon. Aiden was letting Gambit know he had this under control and that Remy was not needed. At least there was a half grumbled follow up, Aiden was giving him thanks for his concern and for not barging in, even as he was being dismissed.

Remy nodded to the door and backed off. He knew there was really no worry. These episodes were coming less frequently – or at least they had been until the twins were born. Now with infants so close, Kimble had to be reminded of the glory days of fatherhood. He had cared for Angel from the beginning. The best Remy could hope for was that this was only a temporary bump in the road of Kimble's recovery and that he would improve with a little of Aiden's love and caring.

Gambit returned to his apartment and to his happy wife and brood. Molly looked up at him as he returned. Everything okay? she signed.

"Oui. Dey fine," he answered and lay back down on the bed, happy to be back home with them. "Dey just fine, just fine."

(break)

One floor down and buried in his mound of fluff, babies and a normal human life were the furthest things from Simone's mind. He was sleeping and dreaming, reliving his agonizing past in vivid computer driven detail.

Ebon had been quick to take his new prize home. He had a vision in his mind of some kind of Guardian, of a Siskan watch dog to keep him safe. Ebon was, among many things, a criminal who sold illegal drugs. He wanted some protection, something unique and scary so that he could impress his friends and intimidate his enemies. To do that, he had to get this sniveling bit of Siskan trash with the program.

Simone was still in shock from Quishnalay's harsh treatment and had only the vaguest idea of what was going on. Nothing had been explained to him but he at least understood by the exchange of money that Ebon was his new owner now. He was badly frightened and scared at being taken somewhere new and unfamiliar. He was weeping and trembling, terrified.

Ebon was disgusted at the sight of it. How was that supposed to be scary or intimidating?

Ebon began Simone's career as a terrorizing beast by chaining the stricken Siskan to a large metal eyebolt ring on the floor, giving him only a short range of movement. Simone, confused and bewildered by all this, didn't know what Ebon wanted of him. Unlike the others of his clutch, he had received no Courtesan training and had only a few pleasure files that Quishnalay had installed as a matter of courtesy. He offered himself sexually to this man, something he was programmed to do, and got a nice fat slap for it. Each and every time he tried to communicate, he was beaten, so he eventually stopped talking. Ebon had lured him with toys and soft words to speak, only to beat him for it until he learned enough never to do it again.

Simone didn't know what was worse, the startling pain of the physical blows or the ugly vibrations of hate and loathing that came from his new Master. A Siskan was a delicate and sophisticated creation. The same sensitive skin that would have allowed Simone the joy of every stroke of a lover's hand unfortunately also allowed him to feel every blow Ebon gave him with the same sharp clarity. The angry words that Ebon flung at him came like punches and wounded his tiny inner self, confusing him and threatening to break his mind. It was more than he could stand.

Frustrated with this intolerable situation, Simone began to pull and yank at his bonds. He wanted to escape, but couldn't. He just wasn't strong enough. The first bold lunge he took, the first frightening gesture he made, he was rewarded with a refreshing blast of energy from a cube Ebon had kept nearby. Simone shivered from the pleasure of it and then felt relief as the energy healed him and soothed his hurts. He was a quick study. If he was loud and belligerent when Ebon was near, he was rewarded with plasma. It didn't take long for him to become the large noisy beast his Master desired.

When he was left alone, however, he was quite happy and quiet. He liked it, the solitude. He would sometimes sing softly to himself, a murmuring croon without words since true speaking was clearly not allowed. He had learned his lessons and they had stuck, even in his solitude. Other times, he told himself stories, small childish dreams as simple as the short boundaries he had experienced in his short life. He was still quite young, an immature 'gram that was only a few weeks old now.

He was discovering his mind and his body as well.

It was only a few short weeks after his arrival here that he felt the heat of Shemusk come upon him. Shemusk was a kind of Siskan puberty and in Simone's case, it was a true sexual awakening. Shemusk didn't happen to all the Lushna-esk, but if it did, normally the Shemusk started early in newly made. Simone was already three months old at this point, but had been so traumatized by his new situation there had been a delay. Simone didn't know what was wrong, only that he was constantly hungry and never satisfied. As if that wasn't bad enough, he was finding himself aroused for no reason at all. Without the proper sexual training that his clutchmates had, he didn't know what to do with this new development, or how to make it go away. He certainly couldn't ask the Master for help, he was too frightened by the man. Besides, Ebon never once showed him any sign of caring.

Once the Shemusk began, the dreams came with it. The chemical change in him activated the sleeping codes within and he saw cold, carbon copies of sexual play in his mind without fully comprehending that these images were playback from stored files Quishnalay had given him as standard equipment given to any 'gram. It did give him some ideas, though. It wasn't long before he discovered he could pleasure himself to get some relief. It was an accident, but an inevitability considering he was a Courtesan after all. He found the place that was hurting - or in this case hard and throbbing - and rubbed it in the hopes of making it go away. The pleasure of his hands was explosive and liberating.

He managed to get off this way a couple of times before Ebon caught him. Enraged by the sight of his watchdog masturbating like a perverted little freak, Ebon punished him severely, beating him with a silver pipe, bashing Simone senseless and giving him the worst beating of his life. Ebon literally smashed the Shemusk right out of him in one horrific and apocalyptic punishing episode. Simone forever associated the brutal beating with sexual pleasure and the Courtesan in him died, seemingly for good.

After the beating, Simone was left to suffer without repair for two long days, wheezing gel and every breath a misery. His Master had wanted to make a point, but poor Simone had no clear idea of what he had done wrong, this had been so unjust. It was here that the Anger was born. Simone had finally mentally shattered into three separate and different personalities, going explosively insane and charging anyone who came near him with real hatred and rage. Where Quishnalay had failed, Ebon had succeeded. There was Simone, the poor shy and frightened original personality; the Anger, brutal and savage; and the Sadness, the one who came in the quiet and wished only for death, for escape from this cruel and horrible life.

Because of this new round of abuse, the Anger was now the most dominant personality. With Simone more violent and savage than ever and this time with true frightening rage, Ebon was beyond pleased. No matter who approached, Simone went off, howling and flapping about with his powerful feathered wings, trying to get at anyone close.

Quishnalay himself came for a visit shortly after this new change and was shocked and horrified by Simone's condition, especially when the Anger went off on him. Quishnalay had thought Ebon might be able to get Simone to act savage, but he hadn't been prepared for sight of the explosive freak that wanted only murder and blood.

The Anger saw Quishnalay and recognized him, going off even more viciously than he ever had, howling until his lips bled. He wanted revenge, seeing Quishnalay as his greatest enemy of all, he had given him away to Ebon after all. This was all his fault.

Quishnalay didn't stay long. He did his business quickly and left, his eyes down. Simone never saw him again.

(break)

Back in the holding cell at Xavier's Simone twitched and woke, whimpering softly. He was upset by the dream, by the playback of memories. It was necessary, he knew this. He had to remember the past, he had to remember the bad things because one thing was sure, no one was ever going to beat him like that again. No one.

Life was strange, Remy was thinking. It was the next day and he was sitting at the Complex's Bistro bar, sipping a beer and looking at two small wallet sized photos of the twins, sitting in stunned amazement that they were really here and his. For most of his adult life, all he had ever wanted was a fine crop of kids to love and enjoy, but fate it seemed had always gotten in the way. Now, all of his prayers had been answered and they were here and oh, so very precious.

He tried not to obsess about them, Sandy and little Jean-Luc, but he often found himself staring at these two photos and whispering soft prayers of gratitude.

This past year had been rocky to put it mildly. Kimble had been a handful, Jael had killed off most of the adult mutant population here in the Complex, and he himself had suffered some physical setbacks that still kept him off the X-men roster. Remy was surrounded by Siskans, new and old, and they kept him busy.

As well as Kimble and Aiden were doing, Skye gave Gambit no such sense of hope. Skye was a clutchmate of these two and probably the recipient of the worst abuse possible for a Lushna-esk. He had certainly reacted to his treatment in a most horrific way. Where Siskan Courtesans had been designed to please clients, Skye had become a bully and dominant, wanting his clients to serve him instead. His Kundatesh was extremely potent, almost certainly addictive. Skye made slaves of those he chose, his magic transforming the bodies of his helpless victims.

It had saved the lives of two of his more recent clients, Sabretooth and Wild Child, men who were now called Kristalay and Famayalin. Both were feral healers who had had their powers stripped by Jael only to have them returned by Skye. They got what they wanted, but they had been bent to Skye's will, enslaved to his whims. The pair had since been separated from their Master and for Famayalin at least, the rehabilitation had been a hard road indeed.

Gambit had shuddered at the thought of what Skye had done, it was so contrary to what he knew about normal healthy Siskans, but so far, all attempts to rehabilitate him had proved worthless. At the moment, Skye was still being forced to go through therapy. He was passively resisting, but with free food and board, wasn't exactly trying to run away either. He was by habit a lazy creature, liking his accommodations here and if he had to sit through a few sessions a week to keep his belly fed, well, he could handle it.

Asher had tried his best to help. Asher was Simone's HORSE MAN, aptly named as the Siskan was a centaur in physical appearance. He was a powerful Kintay du Lushna-esk trapped in a skin that forced his celibacy. He made up for it by turning to service in other ways, he was often found in the church and working with the large number of orphans that had been left behind from Jael's attack. Asher was also in charge on keeping his Siskan kin level.

Asher had tried to work with Skye, but Skye was far less receptive. Asher's best weapon in keeping a fellow Siskan calm was through use of his sparkling, healing Morrowhiem glitter. Unfortunately these treatments only worked if the recipient was willing and Skye wouldn't let Asher close. It had been suggested that Asher try to force the issue, but the centaur wasn't of the mind to shove himself on anyone. He was currently trying to reach Skye through negotiation, by doing Skye favors to show his kindness and lack of judgement. So far, Skye was resisting Asher, but Asher insisted it was just a matter of time before Skye gave in. In the meantime, Skye was under wraps and unable to harm anyone.

Star, the Siskan sister of the group, was here as well. She was a clutchmate like the others, but proving to be far more shy. She was a healer and spent most of her time down in the medical labs with Henry. The big blue doctor had taken her under his wing and was teaching her his craft as fast as she could learn. Remy couldn't help but smile at the thought of it. For the longest time it had been clear to everyone but Henry that Star was quite smitten with him, but she was patient and had finally worn him down. Now the pair were inseparable. Of all the Siskans here, Star was the one Remy worried about the least.

Simone was a whole other case. Hysterically violent, the guy was unapproachable. Remy had learned quickly that Simone reacted the worst to himself and Asher, obviously repulsed by anyone with the Kundatesh magic. Remy had kept his distance at first, but just recently he had discovered that Simone would at least allow the thief to observe him if he kept his power deeply in check.

That was the hardest thing, really. Remy had had this gift for so long now that its use was second nature to him. He wasn't used to having to control it so tightly. Gambit wanted nothing more than to see Simone calmed down and out of the cell, living a normal life and being happy. He couldn't imagine that the Siskan was thriving there under his mound of fluff. He wanted so much more for the guy and sadly, didn't have a clue of how to go about it.

Well, at least until now.

Gambit smiled again, slipping his precious photos back into his wallet. He had received some interesting news just that morning. Logan had approached him, grumbling something in his seemingly offhand way about how Rogue was spending an inordinate amount of time working, and that she was being found more and more often at Simone's cell. Oddly, enough, Simone didn't seem to care that she was there. Wasn't that funny?

Logan never said anything without a purpose, not like that, and Remy was quick to take the hint. There was something going on that needed covert checking out. Of course Remy would assist in this, he had all the motivation in the world.

His first gut reaction had been one of happiness. This might be good for both the Siskan and Rogue, whom he knew spent far too much time alone these days. As well as he knew her, he couldn't say with any certainty that she had taken a lover since their time had passed, and she had so few real friends.

But the longer Remy thought about Rogue and Simone, a sense of unease had started to sink in. The old fears and pain. He would never forget how years ago, she had left him in a flash, left him for a man she thought she could touch. Left him without once glancing back. Lordy, how that had hurt. It had also ended in disaster, mainly because of Rogue's insecurities. A relationship built on the ability to touch was not the same as one built on love and trust. Now she was expressing an interest in Simone.

Now Gambit was happy enough at the notion that his former girlfriend might have a benign interest in the rowdy Siskan, but there was still some nagging going on inside his brain. He knew that Rogue would be able to touch Simone as she would any other Siskan, something that was sure to motivate her interest. While it might be good to break Simone out of this funk he was in, it simply wouldn't do for the poor boy to get jerked around for his trouble. In short, Remy didn't know if Rogue could be trusted and as the self appointed "Master of the Xavier Siskans", it was up to him to look out for Simone's best interests.

Well, there was only one way to find out what was really going on. He finished his drink and threw a bill on the counter, heading off to Security and the holding cells.