I figured since you've seen Leena's morning after, you might like to see Remy's, too!
Chapter 7:
Gambit stood in the misty morning air, leaning against the railing of a second floor balcony with a hand-rolled dangling from his fingers. He had just watched the sun come up, its rays breaking through the mist, and as beautiful as it all was, he had other things on his mind. After he'd left Jaleena's room, he'd wandered and ended up here. He was sure Laurel had assigned him a room, but he'd never quite been shown where it was.
Turning his back on the view, he leaned against the railing and lifted the cig to his lips, taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes, savoring the taste before releasing the smoke from his lungs. He watched it dissolve into the mist and focused on the building before him. It was a large stucco-covered structure with a tiled roof. There were windows everywhere to let in the natural light. The deck was a large wooden structure covered by a few table and chair sets and some Adirondack chairs closer to the railing to allow people somewhere to sit and enjoy the view. To one side was a large built in grill that made him smile as he was struck by a memory.
The room was dingy, but it was large. Wallpaper was peeling off in places, and the carpet had been ripped away in patches. Several mismatched and stained pieces of furniture were arranged around the room. They had found most of the house's furnishings left along the curb waiting to be taken away as garbage. But the condition didn't matter to them. It was their home, and they were proud of it. Seven mutant teenagers—all orphans in their own ways had banded together not only to live together, but to take care of each other, to be a family. Remy stretched one foot out to nudge StarFire, who was laying on her stomach writing something in a spiral notebook.
"What ya doin', Cat?" She glanced over her shoulder at him, tugging the book closer to her body. She wore a stained, plain maroon dress with a small hole cut out in the back for her tail, which flicked at him in an annoyed fashion. The length of the tail was covered in short orange-gold hairs with a blond tuft at the end. The blond hair matched that covering her head, which hung around her face in an untidy mess. She narrowed her lime green cat-like eyes at him, her pupils thin slits in the light of the sunny room. While her nose was cat shaped and seemed to be pressed into her face rather than sticking out like a human's, the rest of her face appeared fairly normal—she did have long whiskers and eyebrows, but she plucked those out regularly due to self consciousness.
"None of your damn business, Cajun." She tossed back at him, sneering the last word.
"Leave her alone, Remy," Leena admonished from her spot next to him on the couch. "You know she hates being called that." She was painstakingly sniffing and mixing together different flavors of tobacco. She hated that he smoked, and when he'd refused to give it up, she'd insisted that he at least smoke something that smelled pleasant. She had been putting together different flavors for weeks, trying to find something they could both agree on. He didn't care what it tasted like as long as it had nicotine, but it was a lot more fun to tease her and pretend like he didn't like the ones she favored. He had had her sniffing and mixing for weeks, and he planned on continuing the game for at least a couple more.
Violet danced into the room—literally danced, twirling as she went, her arms stretched wide and her gossamer wings bending and flowing after her. "It is SUCH a beautiful day! We should all be outside doing something. We should go to the park—maybe a picnic!" She had long, light blue hair pulled into a high ponytail atop her head and wore cut-off jean shorts and a flowered top that hung off one shoulder. Her feet were bare, showing her webbed toes.
Bonesetter grunted from where he was sprawled on a couch, his eyes still closed. "Picnics. Hmph." Violet grinned and skipped over to him, using her wings to lift her until she settled on his chest. He opened one brown eye to peer at the face grinning closely into his own, then closed it again. His shaggy white-blond hair spread out on the ugly plaid of the sofa. He was probably the most kind and sensitive of all of the males, but he seemed to have the gruffest attitude. "I willna be goin' tae eat sandwiches at some silla tea party at the park. If yer goin' tae eat outside, ye need tae have meat. Lots of meat cooked over open flames. It's the only reason tae brave all them bugs and kids." He pretended to shudder, and they all laughed.
Gambit took another long drag of smoke and smiled to himself. It looked like Bonesetter had gotten his wish and could barbecue to his heart's content here—though it didn't look like he'd be able to get away from the kids. Gambit rubbed at his eyes and moved to sit in one of the chairs and stare up at the cloudy sky, watching the wisps of smoke travel up uninhibited.
The next thing he knew, the sound of ceramic clinking against glass drew his attention. He sat straight up in his seat, turning to see Storm settling into the chair on the other side of the table. She was dressed in slim black slacks, a soft tan poncho, and had golden accessories at ears, neck, and wrists. She crossed one foot over her knee, showing off matching golden gladiator sandals. She smiled at him kindly, tilting her head so that the ponytail of thick white hair slid over her shoulder. "Good morning, Gambit. I saw you out here and thought you could use some tea." She lifted her own cup to her lips, blowing at the steam before sipping.
"Thanks, chere." He murmured. He dropped the butt into an ashtray—funny, he wasn't sure how long he had been staring at the sky, because it had burned out at some point—and lifted the cup into his hands, cradling it and enjoying the feeling of warmth that seeped into his fingers. He hadn't noticed how cold he was. He glanced at Storm again, but she was simply holding her cup and looking out over the railing.
He was grateful. Of all of the X Men, she knew him perhaps the best, having been the one to introduce him to Charles Xavier in the first place. He knew she would be there for him in whatever way he needed and would never push him to talk about what was going on if he didn't want to. He took a sip, not caring much for the herbal blend but enjoying the warmth it provided. They sat in silence for a while, just listening to the distant sound of waves crashing and of birds chirping in the trees that surrounded the building.
A while later, he set the empty cup back on the table and opened his cigarette case, his fingers unknowingly tracing the designs on it for a few moments before he extracted and lit another cigarette. Leaning his head back against the chair, he sighed without realizing it.
"Remy, I will not push you, but if you need to talk, you know that I am here." Storm said softly, not looking at him, but keeping her white gaze leveled on the horizon.
He smiled to himself. "I know." There was more silence. "I don't know where to start."
Storm turned her head to look at him. "Who is she?"
He grinned again, inhaling and exhaling a plume of smoke again before he responded. "Well, I guess she's my wife." From the corner of his eye, he saw her jerk of surprise. "I know. I know. But she was de first one. De real one. I met her when I was 15 and was in Paris for de first time. Dat's how de headmistress know me. We all ran together." He turned the cig in his fingers and continued. "We had two babies." He couldn't bring himself to say any more, and he wished he hadn't drank the rest of the tea as his throat suddenly felt parched and made it difficult to swallow.
Storm let this sink in for a few moments, allowing him the time to compose himself. Then she carefully set her cup on the table. She seemed to be weighing the words of her next question carefully. "Are your children here with her?"
He laughed without humor. He pushed himself to stand and took a few steps forward to lean against the railing, not wanting to be able to see her when he shared the hardest part. "One of dem is here." He paused for a few moments, and she respected his silence. "De other died right before I left to go back to de US."
Storm paused for a few moments, and then stood beside him, resting one hand on his arm. "I am sorry, Remy."
He nodded and kept staring out at the ocean. "I dunno what to do, Ororo. Our daughter…She be here, but she don't know who we are. I never told her I was her daddy. She never met Leena either."
This time Storm's surprise didn't show, but she did stroke her fingers along the fabric of his coat sleeve before turning to face the sea again, folding her hands in front of her on the railing. "I can't imagine any child who would not be happy to know her parents. She will only be happy, Remy, especially when she realizes that you have been with her all of this time." When he looked up in surprise, she smiled at him and bent forward to rest her weight on the railing. "I have not known for very long—just a few weeks, and I was not sure."
"Why didn't you say anyting?" Gambit asked, completely shocked.
Storm only smiled, "I knew you would speak to me when you were ready for others to know. Tell me, have you ever seen Jubilee use her powers without her glasses on?" When Gambit shook his head, she smiled. "You should ask her to do it for you some time. You'll see that she shares a family trait when concentrating her powers." She lifted one manicured finger to tap the side of her eye, the golden bangles on her wrist making a pleasant chiming sound. "I'll admit there isn't much more resemblance between the two of you. She does seem to favor her mother."
He grinned. "She lucky in dat respect, eh?"
Almost as if they'd conjured her by speaking, he heard Jubilee's laugh ring out below them as a door slammed shut. Looking down, they watched her running out, yelling in front of her. "You can't have a race with someone if they can't see you! It isn't fair, Keesha! You could be cheating!" Not far behind them Bonesetter and Wolverine jogged at a more sedate pace.
He called down to them, "Wolverine, you keep a close eye on dem girls, you hear? It ain't safe for dem to be out here."
The two men paused and looked up at them. Before Wolverine could respond with a pithy comment, Bonesetter called up. "Ye think yer telling me something I dun already know, Remy LeBeau? Ye just sit there on yer arse as usual, and we'll take care of the real work." He thumped Wolverine hard on the back, and the two trotted off after the girls, Wolverine only sending one curious glance over his shoulder. Despite himself, Gambit smiled at the larger man's pithy retort.
Behind them, the door opened and Cyclops emerged. "You two, we need to get downstairs now. Jean says there's going to be a meeting."
