**Remy:
When he woke up he felt like he was on fire, his entire body burned painfully.
He had no desire to open his eyes and instead pressed his eyelids together tightly.
'Why are you doing this to me?' was his first thought and he tried desperately to say the words. He tried, but failed and the words were left unsaid.
The only cool spot on his body radiated from a hand that held his. He tried to concentrate on that feeling; leaving him unable to let go like he would otherwise have desired.
"Remy," he heard a voice say, "open your eyes." His mind fooled him into thinking that it was Sinister who had given him the command.
He forced them open at the perceived order and immediately regretted it as the bright lights made his eyes water. "Hurts," he tried to whisper, but he was unsure if anyone would hear him. He closed his eyes again.
"I'm sorry," Jean replied sadly.
He forced himself to remember that he was no longer with Sinister.
A cool towel was placed on his forehead bringing him temporary relief.
"Remy, has this ever happened to you before?" Jean asked.
He opened his mouth to speak, but found himself unable to answer. He had never tried to absorb this much power back before and he would never try it again.
His breathing came in short gasps.
"Let your shields down and maybe I can help you," she suggested.
He lowered them upon hearing her suggestion, but then instantly slammed them back into place. He was certain he couldn't trust her enough to do that.
He tried to speak again, but the hot pain was overwhelming.
He squeezed his eyes tighter as the temporary effects of the towel left him.
He shuddered.
"Hot," he tried to force the word out.
"I think you have to let the power out," Jean informed him.
"Oui," he stuttered, he would try almost anything to make the pain stop.
"Remy do you think you can throw a card if I give you one?" She asked him.
"No," he forced out as ironic chills suddenly attacked him.
"Alright, I'll give you a card and you drop it, I'll contain the blast," she suggested.
He couldn't respond but he felt the card placed into his hand. He had no choice but to do what she requested.
He tried to force his eyes to open and she met his unfocused gaze momentarily. "Whenever you are ready," she assured.
He charged the card and dropped it over the side of the bed like she had requested.
He waited to hear an explosion that never sounded. She must have contained it like promised.
He immediately felt better.
"Again," he whispered, he hoped that it was said loud enough to be heard.
"Alright, whenever you're ready," she told him as she handed him another card.
He let more power drain into it now that he knew she would contain it.
After he let go of it his eyelids once again closed as he sighed with relief.
"Try to stay awake for a few minutes," Jean encouraged him.
"Tired," he persisted.
"I know," she acknowledged as she removed the towel on his forehead and replaced it with her hand.
"You still have a fever," she explained.
He didn't care, he felt better.
"We were all worried," Ororo told him and he turned to her finally realizing that it was her hand that still held his. He allowed her to keep it.
He tried to give her a weak smile, but ultimately failed. He didn't have anything to smile about. Had he achieved it, it would only have been for her benefit anyways.
He was tired.
"Has that ever happened to you before?" Professor Xavier questioned him, forcing Remy's attention to the man.
'Of course it had happened before' was Remy's immediate thought. When his powers had first manifested he couldn't get angry without blowing up everything around him.
Remy had accidently killed his adopted brother Henri because of his uncontrollable power, which was why Jean-Luc had chosen to send him to Dr Essex. That's why New Orleans would never again be his home; the man who had raised him could barely even stand to look at him, but that didn't make Remy love him any less.
It was the same reason why he had been so worried to test his powers when he returned to the mansion; controlling his power is how Sinister normally controlled him. It seemed quite fitting somehow.
He decided not to answer.
"I'm tired," he persisted as he allowed his eyes to fall closed once again.
"Kid," he heard Logan's voice and flinched.
He was able to force his eyes back open to find the man's location.
He was nervous under the man's stare and his eyes involuntarily watered as he thought about the events that brought him to the lab.
Logan was going to kill him after what happened.
"I'm sorry," Logan told him.
That was unexpected.
He didn't believe Logan, he was unsure if he would ever believe the man again.
He was unsure if he would ever believe any of the X-Men, no he corrected himself; he was unsure if he would ever believe anyone at all ever again.
Everyone lied.
Everyone used him.
**Logan:
He wasn't surprised that Remy didn't seem to believe him.
In truth he wasn't sorry, he still wanted; no he needed answers.
It wasn't enough that Jean was sure that the kid wasn't lying.
Logan wasn't completely sure.
Remy had closed his eyes again and Jean seemed hesitant to stop him this time. He was unsure of why they didn't let the kid sleep, but he wasn't a doctor.
He needed to know who Lilly was desperately; it was almost an obsession. Her aura at the lab held a sense of arrogance, but Logan also sensed that she had cared deeply about the Cajun. When she told him to 'promise he'll be safe,' Logan had believed it to be the sincerest request that he had ever heard.
Remy's angry words had agreed with that, he gave her his trust freely.
Logan wanted to know why.
"Logan," he looked towards Jean and realized that it must not have been the first time that she had tried to get his attention.
"Yeah," was the only way he could reply at the moment, he was still too lost in his thoughts.
"I'm not sure you should be here," she explained.
He didn't need more of an explanation, she was right. He nodded and walked out without another word. So he was out of the loop that quickly.
It was his own fault.
Still lost in thought he found himself led outside to the porch where he normally did his thinking.
The way they had rescued Remy still bothered him. They had found him locked in a cell, from Creed's own admission the kid had been tortured, yet when the X-Men came to get him out he refused.
Could Remy honestly be more afraid of the X-Men then he was of Sinister and the Marauders?
Right on this very porch Remy had very truthfully asked him if the X-Men were going to kill him.
Is that really how little faith the boy had in them?
'Why am I supposed to trust you?' The words had been ringing in his ears since Remy had said them.
Logan couldn't think of an answer.
Logan normally jumped into things before considering consequences, like he had done with his interrogation earlier. He admitted that's what it had become.
Logan couldn't help his desire for answers. They needed to know more about the kid's past. Hell, Logan didn't even know how old he was.
He sat there in silence for what seemed like hours to him.
"What were you thinking?" she asked him from the doorway.
"I wasn't," he replied, never turning to look at her.
She sighed, "that's obvious."
She came to stand in front of him and he resisted looking up at her from where he sat.
"If you truly doubt him, then I think you need to leave him alone right now Logan," she told him seriously.
"I don't know what to think right now Jeannie," he admitted.
She placed her hand on his arm and he was forced to look up, "it's only been a few days Logan, don't give up on him yet."
He looked down at the floor, her words hurt him. He wasn't giving up; at least he hoped that he wasn't.
"What do we do now?" he asked her.
"When he wakes up the Professor and I are going to convince him to let us help him," she explained.
"I'm not sure that will get you anywhere," he admitted.
"We cannot just force ourselves into his mind!" she said angrily.
He had a feeling she had already had this conversation with someone else. "I wasn't suggesting it Jeannie."
She sighed again, "I know," she admitted as she leaned against the railing in front of him.
"What were you hoping I would say?" he asked her.
She laughed sadly, "I have no idea."
"Do you think he'll be able to control his new power?" Logan asked her.
"I intend on trying to help him," she explained.
"Are you ready for him to reject your help?" he questioned seriously.
"No," she replied honestly.
"Maybe Chuck should do it?" he suggested.
She shook her head, "we've already discussed it, and there is a better chance that Remy will trust me."
He nodded in agreement, she was right.
"Ororo filled us in on your conversation with Remy," she informed him.
He shrugged, he wasn't surprised.
"Why is that doctor so important to you?" she questioned.
"I don't know," he admitted, "it just seemed like a good place to start."
"To start what?" she asked him.
"Piecing together his past."
"Perhaps we should focus on the present first," she suggested.
He remained silent, but he didn't agree.
A/N: So I am back with a new chapter much sooner than I had anticipated thanks to reviewer encouragement. I apologize that I'm not thanking everyone individually, but I truly appreciated everyone's support (you all know how you are).
Toulouse: my lack of updates is not your fault
Missy Sue: I love the songs