Ummmm, I love this chapter

Turning Point - Chapter 20

Graceful Decisions

Remy lifted the towel off of the thin bench to his right and wiped the sweat from his face, and then his arms.

He only felt relaxed in the gym. His daughter would still be sleeping in the morning hours, and he would finally get a moment to himself. He'd finish his workout in about forty five minutes, and then join Logan in the Danger room.

It had become his routine for weekday mornings, and he liked it that way. He liked having something to do that was just for him. He would give up anything for Lily, and he loved her so much, but sometimes it was nice to have a moment to himself.

He pulled the damp t-shirt over his head, and used the towel to blot at the sweat on his chest. Approaching the far end of the room, he stepped out of his shoes and peeled off his workout gloves.

Now he was down to just his shorts. Contrary to popular belief, Remy did not agree that loose clothing was the best workout attire. He wore a tight pair of spandex and nylon bicycle shorts, hugging him around the waist and fitting him snugly right above his knees. When he headed into the danger room, he didn't need any loose clothing distracting him. He dressed in an outfit that he'd ideally be wearing for a fight. The tighter the clothes, the more control he had of how they moved with his body.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he stepped onto the scale and waited for the digital numbers to appear.

He placed a hand on his perfectly sculpted stomach and tried to feel for any lack of muscle or fat.

He grimaced, knowing it could go either way.

He could've lost weight in the last few months, he knew that for sure. Despite his four hours a day working out, it wasn't nearly consistent with his time in New Orleans. Granted, working out did let him escape Bella which was partly why he was always in the gym, but it was also expected. Thieves had to be in tiptop shape, otherwise how would they fit into those tiny air vents?

Remy was aware of every muscle on his body, and also aware that he had lost some muscle mass since moving in. He knew that he wasn't eating enough, at least not eating enough calories to counter act the ones he'd been burning off.

It was harder than he expected, though, without someone preparing all his meals. Sure, he could cook for himself, but he didn't feel entirely comfortable in the kitchen because it was always occupied by some resident of the mansion. He didn't feel 'family' enough to join in on their group meals. He just wasn't part of that, even if a teeny voice in his mind was whispering that it might be nice to be part of a family again.

It was easy to focus on Lily, and feeding her in the kitchen's off hours. He measured all her food and made sure she had fruits, vegetables, and protein. Having eaten garbage in his childhood, he only wanted the best for her and gave her everything fresh and non-processed. It was easy to keep an eye on her food, but harder to make sure he was getting all the nutrients he needed.

Speaking of getting food...His mind wandered briefly as he suppressed a small smile. Rogue had brought him lunch yesterday.

He sighed again and looked back down at the blinking LCD screen on the scale.

On the other hand, there was a chance he could've gained weight, too. It's like he all ready thought, and less exercise would surely tack some pounds onto his frame. He pinched at his stomach, looking for some fat there.

He watched as the numbers blinked back at him: 183 pounds.

That meant he lost 5.2 pounds since moving in. That was not ideal. He'd have to start eating some carbs and soon.

Maintaining his weight was a necessity for him. He had been trained intensely for years, and every muscle he had, every move he made was calibrated for a 6'2", 188.2 lb body.

He may not have attended a traditional school, but he knew it was simple physics. Like the Guild often reminded him, his body was a tool. He moved in a way that he expected his body to follow, and the results would not be the same if his weight was off.

He frowned; he trusted that if he pivoted off of one foot, and flipped into the air, that his body would tuck into a precise 75-degree angle on the upturn before he flipped around and his feet hit the ground. He could not expect precision if he couldn't maintain his weight.

"What are you doing?" Kitty giggled as she stuck her head into the weight room, "Trying to maintain your girlish figure?"

He had heard her approaching but was surprised at the time. Kitty was hardly a morning person. He was actually surprise to find that he wasn't exactly unhappy to see her. "Someting like dat. What has y' up dis early, Chaton?"

Kitty subtly looked over the definition in his abdominal muscles, before smiling at him, "I know! It's like much too early for me! But Jean and Scott have the dance studio booked for some dumb school exercise with the younger kids today. Figured I should get in early, even if it is the butt crack of dawn."

He gave her a sideways smile, "Butt crack, eh?"

She was grinning, "You like totally heard me."

Remy couldn't help but smile back at her. Her brunette hair was up in a petite bun on the top of her hair, and she was wearing a leotard in pale pink, with a thin white skirt around her waist, and white tights under the leotard. She was carrying her ballet slippers in one hand.

She stared at him for a moment, slightly titling her head to the side and pursing her lips, "Do you want to dance with me?"

Remy hesitated, looking at Kitty with a bit of apprehension. It was time like this he could understand his best friend's feelings for her. The idea of dancing with her shook him a bit, but when he looked over at her with her large smile and hopeful eyes, it was hard to say no. He would be the first to admit that Kitty rubbed him the wrong way in the beginning, but over time, and watching the way she looked at his daughter, well, now he found her off beat goofiness kind of endearing. He wouldn't tell her that, but he did let Piotr know that he was a lucky man.

"C'mon," She lifted her shoulders and turned her head to the side further, with an even bigger grin, "It'll be fun!"

He took a deep breath, all ready regretting the decision, "Aw, what de hell, petite?" He shrugged and stepped off of the scale to step back into his shoes. "I got a bit o' time."

Grabbing his towel and t-shirt in one had, he followed her down the hall and into the dance studio.

"But don't you even think you're gonna drag your dirty gym shoes across the floor. There's extra shoes in the basket." She gestured to a bin near the far wall. When they had the studio updated, Professor X had purchased a number of extra pairs of shoes, she wasn't sure any of hem had gotten used, but she was happy to have them now.

Kitty walked over to the bar along the wall, and waiting for Remy, pulled her ballet slippers on to her feet.

Remy dropped his shirt and shoes against the wall. It was easy to find a pair of men's slippers in his size and he quickly slid them on.

Kitty watched as Remy stood in front of her, facing her, and placed a hand on the bar, just as she had done. Lucky for her, she was not Jubilee and could still function with his delicious pectorals directly across from her face. She watched curiously as her mirrored her movements, moving his feet from first position to second to third.

Surprisingly enough, Remy felt comfortable. There was an easygoing atmosphere in the room, and he found that if he wasn't angry or annoyed with Kitty, he kind of enjoyed her company, "Pete don't dance wit y', Chaton?"

Kitty's laugh ended with a snort, which seemed completely opposite of the polished ballerina form she had, "Piotr? The Big Guy? Are you kidding me?" She laughed again as she raised an arm and bent her legs to plié. Remy continued to mirror her movements, "Have you seen him? Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, and he is pretty graceful for someone the size of a house... But still, he's the size of a house."

Remy couldn't help but grin in response. He couldn't defiantly see her point there.

As he mimicked her moves effortlessly, something occurred to her, something that Kitty never would have guessed in two billion years, "Remy, how long have you been a ballet dancer? I've been dancing since I could walk, and there's no way your form and movements are beginners luck."

He shrugged, "I'm a tief, petite. We're trained t' move silently, t' go unnoticed. It takes a lot o' grace t' do dat. We're required t' take ballet lessons."

Something told Remy that he and Kitty grew up taking entirely different kinds of ballet lessons. Sure, judging by the way Kitty moved, he assumed both of them had award winning, dance company teachers; but he doubted that Kitty's lessons were overlooked by a Guild Elder who brutally beat her with his Bo staff every time a mistake was made. He could admit that it wasn't the nicest way to learn, but it sure made every thief learn quickly. The classes served their purpose, he supposed, (outside of bloodying the young men in the class), and every thief he knew was graceful and light on their feet.

"Huh," Kitty seemed intrigued by his statement and smiled. After she finished warming up, she walked over to the iPod dock sitting on a counter near the back corner of the room. She hit play and classical music began to fill the room. She turned back to Remy, excited to finally have a dance partner. Sure, some of the residents in the mansion joined her in the beginning, but they were all inexperienced and she found herself doing more teaching than dancing.

She held out a hand to Remy, and he took it, joining her in the middle of the studio.

As she twirled toward him, he moved behind her, putting his hands on her waist. With no effort at all, he lifted her into the air as she curved her feet out behind her.

Remy supposed he shouldn't be surprised that Kitty was a ballet dancer, she had the body for it; she was all slender with nearly no curves. Not to mention, as he lifted her, that she was incredibly light. Someone should tell her to eat more carbs as well.

As Kitty danced around the room, she was smiling. Remy matched her pirouettes with perfect form. At one point, she danced to the corner of the room, and when she had built up her momentum, did a leap into the air. Remy was in the perfect position to catch her and he did so with ease, placing his hands around her waist.

Logan cleared his throat and laughed, "I thought it was supposed to be Swan Lake, not Swamp Lake."

Looking up to see Logan waiting in the doorframe, Remy stopped dancing and gave him a sheepish shrug.

Kitty laughed, and hit the stop button on her iPod. "Like you should have anything to complain about Logan. If Remy will dance with me, then I'll stop trying to get you to put some tights on and give it a go."

Logan actually grinned, "You got me there, Half-Pint." He turned to Remy, "Ready, Cajun?"

Remy nodded as he put his gym shoes on and dropped his slippers in the bin. "I tink dat's my cue t' exit, Chaton."

Kitty nodded, "Hey, Remy?"

His head turned as he was heading through the doorframe, "Oui?"

"I think we should be friends."

"Hm, maybe." Remy couldn't help but smile as he followed Logan to the Danger room.

. . . . . .

ONE MONTH LATER

This was not good.

Oh no, not good at all.

The question of the matter was how 'not good' exactly.

Remy paced frantically back and fourth on the balcony of his room. The doors were shut tight, but he could still see his daughter sleeping in her crib, although not very peacefully. He sucked hard on the cigarette in his mouth, wishing for it to calm him down just the smallest bit.

It didn't work. As he flicked the butt into he air, it exploded with a pop, and he all ready had another in between his lips. Again lighting it and inhaling deeply, he tried to find calm, but failed miserably.

He continued to pace, a certain sickness rising in his stomach. He fought the urge to puke, and did so successfully, but clearly the nerves and half pack of cigarettes weren't doing much for him.

The hand that wasn't holding his cig, ran through his hair as he could feel anxiety in every fiber of his being.

He continued to pace and lit up a fresh cigarette. Back and fourth, back and fourth; he looked down at his bare feet as he did it. It was unseasonably chilly for that early fall morning, but Remy didn't even notice. Clad only in a pair of black and gray plaid pajama bottoms, he was too preoccupied to even notice the cold air on his skin.

In the past, Remy had never quite understood the phrase 'fear of the unknown.' He had just take what life had dished out at him and 'made lemonade.' He didn't stop to worry about the future; he just figured he'd roll with the punches like he always had.

Funny how things change when you're responsible for someone else.

Mon Dieu! What could it be?! Balling his hands into fists, he slammed them against the concrete rail along the edge of the balcony. The brief flash of pain broke through his anxiety, and, trying to think logically, used the moment to review what he all ready knew.

He had had zero contact with New Orleans since he'd left for New York, except for the security manual he'd received along with a card from Mercy. That was it.

Mercy was the only one who knew his location. It was just safer that way.

The secure Sat phone he'd brought with him 'just in case' had buzzed this morning, alerting him of a new text message.

The message had contained a mix of fourteen letters and numbers.

Remy felt himself feeling sick again and he took a deep breath to quell the feeling.

It had been easy to decode the message he'd received, and that was when the worrying started. It was obviously written quickly which put him even more on edge. The first thing he noticed were the numbers in the beginning, this obviously indicated a thief by rank, and in this case told him that his dear sister in law sent the message.

Then followed Mercy's equivalent of '911'.

Yes, something was wrong, dangerously wrong by the looks of it, and Remy had no idea what it was. He was getting nervous, obviously Mercy had sent the message, but he didn't know if something was wrong with her or if something had happened to her.

Mon Dieu, if anything happened to her and he could've stopped it, he'd never forgive himself. That was the Remy LeBeau everyone knew and loved: the one that was always too little, too late.

Or, what if she needed him now? What could he do?! He had a baby! It wouldn't be safe to bring Lily back into the city, not with all those assassins running around. And he sure as hell couldn't leave her behind!

Oh no. His stomach flipped again. What if something happened to Henri? No, no, no, his shoulders fell, not his brother.

Okay, okay... Taking a deep breath, and another puff, Remy willed himself to calm down.

. . .

Charles looked around his office at the young (and some not so young) faces looking back at him. Extra chairs had been pulled into the room and situated around the desk so each face could see each other.

He hadn't wanted to call such a meeting, but in his mind it was a necessity. With so many people and so many strong emotions kept under one roof, some times extra effort had to be put fourth to keep peace. And, despite everything, peace and a happy, healthy household were his number one priorities.

He looked at the faces, so proud of every last one of them. Kitty had a chair pulled close to Piotr's chair and was grinning at him and weaving her fingers in between his. Rogue seemed lost in thought, which hadn't surprised him, and Logan was leaning against the wall behind her chair. Ororo stood to the side of Logan, arms crossed at her waist, and a hand lightly resting on his forearm. Jean and Scoff sat next to each other on the other side of the semi circle, near Hank who was smiling, as per usual. Jubilee was subtly poking Piotr in the side and turning away every time he glanced at her. Jean stifled a laugh as she watched.

"Now," Charles cleared his throat and watched as eyes swiveled towards him, "I'm sure you're all wondering why I called this meeting." As he heard murmurings agreeing with his statement, he continued, "There have been, for lack of a better word, some concerns with the newest resident of the mansion. As senior members of the team and responsible, reliable members of the household, I would like to hear your opinions on that matter."

Logan, looked surprised, and started to add his two cents to the conversation, but Charles lifted a hand before he began.

"I most certainly do not want anyone to think that we are going behind 's back and attacking him. I figured, as we traditionally have a team meeting after new recruit has hit the three-month mark to discuss their strengths, weaknesses, and best way to help them, that we could do the same thing here. Remy has been here for a little over five months now, and I'm sure that all of you have got to know him, at least a little bit."

There was a moment when the silence was so awkward that Charles thought that no one would respond.

Kitty looked around, and bit her lip. Seeing Scott directly across from her ended her hesitation. There was no doubt in her mind that as team leader, Scott's opinion carried extra weight, and that he was the one with so-called concerns. She spoke up, "I don't think Remy wants any help."

Piotr looked as his girlfriend curiously. Kitty knew how important Remy was to him, so he highly doubted she'd say anything against him, but he wasn't sure he appreciated that comment.

Charles could see that everyone was about to start speaking at once, so he quickly intervened. "What do you mean, Kitty?"

"You said we should figure out the best way to help Remy," She shrugged, "I like Remy, I like him a lot, but I think anyone that has like talked to him for a minute knows he doesn't really want any help."

Piotr quickly picked up where Kitty left off, before anyone else had a chance, "What Katya is saying is true. Remy has a hard time accepting help from others."

Charles nodded slowly.

"I think it's rude." Scott took the opening to jump in.

"What's rude?" Kitty looked confused.

"We all know he's a parent," Scott looked around and saw some nods, "And we all know that Hank has been the doctor for the little girl. But doesn't anyone else mind how he treats Hank? He's rude and short tempered, not to mention that he hasn't been appreciative at all."

Charles looked surprised, "Hank, is this true?"

Beast took a moment to think it over, "Remy has been rather short with me at times, but only in the Lab. He's been very agreeable whenever I've bumped into him outside of that."

"So what?" Scott responded sarcastically, "Lots of people don't like 'going to the doctor's''." He used his fingers to make air quotes, "This doesn't give him the right to mistreat a member of this team."

"It's the lab," Rogue responded quietly. She wasn't looking to be the center of attention, but everyone's eyes turned to her. She thought it may have been personal information, but she couldn't let Scott continue, so she had to share her observation, "Remy likes Hank, it's the Lab he doesn't like."

Kitty looked interested, "Like isn't that what Scott was saying?"

Rogue looked at Kitty, and then around to he rest of the group, "Haven't any of y'all noticed it? Remy tries to act all cool or whatever, but he looses it in the basement. He avoids the hallway if he can. Yeah, there are times he has to be there for Lily, but he doesn't go there if he doesn't have to. He gets all tense and twitchy if he even gets a little close."

Hank nodded, "He does seem rather tense when I've seen him. I've also watched him draw his own blood. I originally thought it might be an aversion to needles, but he took a syringe from me and drew it himself."

"Huh." Logan grunted as he thought over the situation, "That Cajun doesn't get riled up easily, outside of the danger room, so I think we can safely say that there's something about the Lab he doesn't like. That's his business, but it does tell us he's not 'mistreating' anyone." He shot Scott a look.

Scott frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine, that's one thing, but there are more concerns, I'm sure. What about how he doesn't talk to anyone? He spent three months holed up in his room. That's not normal and we can't be sure he's not planning any trouble."

Kitty shrugged, "He talks to me, kind of, sometimes, and especially when The Big Guy," she gestured to the man to her left, "is around."

Piotr squeezed her hand in response, "Remy has a hard time to talk with others, but I am talking to him plenty."

A very small, soft smile appeared on Rogue's lips, "He talks to me."

Logan nodded, "Don't talk to the kid too much, but I see him in the DR and gym every morning."

"He might not leave his room very often, but I think he does more now." Jubilee smacked her chewing gum, "I never used to see him; he was always in his room or the gym, but now it seems like he's out more. I saw him on the lawn playing with Lily one day, and other day I walked past the Rec room and he was in there. It was empty besides he and the baby, but at least he was out. Maybe he's finally getting comfortable here."

Jean's eyebrow furrowed, "Why wouldn't he be comfortable here? He did choose to move in."

"Isn't it obvious?" Scott scoffed, "He doesn't want to be here, he's just here because of the kid. He wants to use our resources for her, but otherwise he wants nothing to do with this place. He's just going to be trouble."

Beast frowned, "I don't know if that's entirely sure. I do know that he does want the best resources for his daughter, but any parent would want that. We also have to sympathize that little Lily LeBeau would have quite a tough time finding healthcare with such a visible mutation. I mean, some doctors are hesitant to treat mutants at all, and I doubt that many would react kindly to a marker at such a young age."

"I get that, I really do," Scott put on his best 'understanding face', "But you guys know that this household isn't equipped for toddlers."

A slow nod was Jean's response, "Well, that is true."

"Bullshit." Rogue's eyes narrowed at Scott, "Remy doesn't need any facilities to take care of his daughter, outside of Hank, that is. He is doing just fine on his own. Frankly, Ah think it would be exhausting to take care of a toddler all day. Remy doesn't expect anyone to help him, he does it all on his own."

"Just because he's doing it on his own doesn't give him an excuse to misbehave. We're all adults here and have to set an example for the students."

"Misbehave?" she was confused, "What are yah talking about?"

"Kitty told me once that she had given the little girl a toy, and Gambit literally blew it up. That is not acceptable behavior."

The professor looked surprised, "Kitty, is this true?"

She looked a little embarrassed, "It was my fault, really. Remy had just moved in so it was a while ago, but I got a Barbie for Lily. He blew it up, and at the time I was upset about it. I mean, I paid $15 for that Barbie and I was just trying to be nice. That's when I told Scott, right after it happened. The next day he apologized."

Scott looked shocked, "He apologized?"

"Well yeah," she shrugged, "It was kind of weird though. He said that Barbies weren't made for kids that young, and that Lily could choke on the shoes or other pieces. Like then he got all shifty and did that squinty eye thing he always does and he asked me if that was what I had planned. Totally weird. I was caught off guard, but of course I told him I like wasn't trying to make his kid choke. That'd be totally weird. He kept staring at me, so I literally said 'I'm not trying to kill your daughter.' I just said it because the situation was all ready weird, but he like stood there and considered it."

Jean blinked, "Then what happened?"

She shrugged again, "He kept looking at me all shifty for a minute, but then he just turned and walked away. For a moment I thought something was seriously wrong with the guy, but he hasn't acted that weird since. "

"What a strange reaction," Hank's voice trailed off thoughtfully.

"Does he," Jean paused, slightly confused, "Does he honestly think we would purposely harm his child? We would never do that."

"Not on purpose anyway," Rogue muttered with a helpless shrug.

Scott looked confused, "There is something not right about that whole situation."

Logan had an eyebrow cocked and his head tilted towards Chuck, "Maybe the Cajun is quick to jump to conclusions, but something like that seems extreme."

Rogue thought it over, "Maybe he's just overprotective."

Scott looked unconvinced, "What do you mean?"

"It was when he first moved in, right?" Rogue waited for Kitty's nod before she continued, "Ah mean think about it. He just moved it, with the exception of Piotr, he didn't really know any of us. He's a single parent. It had tah be a huge change. Livin' here is quite the experience, and there's no way tah really prepare for it. It's gotta be hard to expose your kid to a whole bunch of new people all at once. Not to mention, by the way Remy acted, Ah don't think he really let a lot of people close to his girl in the first place."

Before anyone could contribute, Scott powered on, "Fine, fine, but let's be honest here: Can any of us really trust him?"

Rogue didn't even miss a beat, she was quick to respond, "Ah trust him."

It was strange though; she wasn't even sure why she trusted him. Given the checkered past she had with the Cajun, little would question her reasons not to do so.

She shot an icy glare at Scott. Maybe she couldn't put her trust for Remy into words exactly, but with every part of her, she knew she did. More than that, she wanted to trust him, wanted to believe in him.

The realization surprised her, but she went with it. It was okay, she reasoned. It was okay that she put her trust in him, and it was even okay that she cared about him. That couldn't be a bad thing, right?

She also had an overwhelming urge to let Scott become acquainted with her right hook. There was no doubt in her mind that Scott was the one with all the "concerns" about their new housemate. He probably pushed the professor into calling this meeting. She wanted to defend the Cajun, and make Scott eat his words, but she didn't think that Charles would appreciate that very much. What she could do was support him, and be on his side. That is exactly what she could do.

Piotr was right on her heels, "I am trusting Remy with anything."

Ororo gave a soft smile, "I see no reason not to trust the Child."

Logan rolled his eyes, "He's hardly a child, 'Ro."

She grinned back at him.

Logan turned back to the group. He lifted a shoulder, "I'm with the Cajun and mini Cajun."

Kitty jumped in as soon as she had the chance, "Like me too."

Suppressing the look of frustration that was trying to make its way to his face, Scott took a deep breath and looked up disappointedly, "Really, Kitty?"

"How could I not?" The girl tilted her head to the side, "He's my dance partner."

There was a brief pause, when Jean shook her head and turned to Kitty in disbelief, "He's what?"

Kitty grinned, "My dance partner. We do ballet every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during nap time."

Jean's jaw dropped.

Scott nearly groaned before muttering out loud, "You have got to be kidding me."

Before anyone else could respond, the double doors to Charles office were thrown open.

Everyone's heads turned to the door, when Remy stood, one hand on each door handle, looking frenzied.

Logan was the first to speak up, "Jeeze kid," His nose wrinkled, "Did you smoke the whole pack?"

Remy's head whipped side to side to locate the voice that was talking at him. His eyes were wild and unfocused, "I need t' borrow a jet."

"Yeah," Scott responded sarcastically, "I'm sure 'borrowing' is your specialty."

Rogue bit her lip, worried. She hadn't seen Remy like this the whole time he'd been living with them. It was clear something was wrong, and she knew there had to be something very wrong to coming storming in like he did. That was completely out of character for him. She looked up, trying to make eye contact with him, trying to connect with him.

Quite alarmed and surprised to see Gambit in such a state, the professor spoke calmly, "Now, Remy, is everything all right?"

Remy slammed a fist against the door next to him in a panic, "No! 'S not all right!"

Before Charles could respond, a buzz from the intercom on his desk distracted him, and he heard Tabby's voice, "Hey Professor?"

Slightly thrown off at the timing, Charles frowned. Clearly the situation at hand was more imperative than Tabby's questions, but he didn't think it would be fair to brush it off. He'd just hope to get through it quickly, "Yes, Tabby?"

The intercom buzzed again, "There's some lady buzzing in at the gate. I don't have her on the list of approved visitors, but she says she's Remy's sister."

Charles watched, again in surprise, as Remy pivoted around and shot down the hall, undoubtedly towards the front door. Clearing his throat, he responded, "By all means, let her in."

Logan smirked, "Aw, this ought to be good." He pushed off from the wall behind him, and leaving the office, followed the Cajun down the hall.

Yeah, and you thought all that smooth sailing from last chapter was going to stay smooth?! Where would the drama be in that!

Also, if anyone is curious, I took ballet when I was four. We have photos of me in my leotard with my underpants hanging out the sides. Classy.

Reviews = Love!