One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Disclaimer: Any characters previously mentioned in a Marvel Comic, I do not own. Marvel does. I'm not making money off of this.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Part Three

"Maybe dis weren't such a good idea. It be too soon."

"Well, they are already on their way, Remy. It is too late."

"Who's idea was this t'ing anyway?"

"The Professor's. But you booked no opposition. It is about time your two families met."

"Yeah, but…"

{DING, DONG}

"Oy."

Ororo clapped a hand on his shoulder and led the man from his dresser mirror, out the room.

"Come my friend. Time to face the music."

"Oy." He groaned.

It had been several weeks since Remy found her and he had been shocked one day when his mother had asked, "So, how long have you been an X-Man?" Danielle had figured out his occupation. She had a quick mind, so it hadn't taken her long to figure out. She was also wise enough to know that this was not new Remy wanted broadcasted. It gave Remy a warm feeling to think that his quick deduction skills had a source. His abilities had not come out of thin air.

The holidays had come and gone. Remy had spent a great deal of time with his newly found family, and Ororo had even consented to meeting them the previous week.

Remy had been fretting about feeling as though he were imposing on Danielle by always being over there. The Professor suggested that for a change, Remy invite his family over to his place.

And now they were at the door. And Remy was looking for the nearest rock to hide under.

Coming to the top of the stairs, they could see Bobby had already let them into the lobby and was taking their coats. John and his wife Lana, Marie, his sister and her husband Mark, Steven, Cindy, and of course Danielle.

"Unc'a Remy!" Cindy squealed and ran to him, barely out of her coat.

Remy picked her up in a hug.

"Hey, petite."

"Say it! Say it!"

"Comment ca va aujourd 'hui, petite?" (Fr: How are you today, little one?)

Cindy covered her mouth and giggled. She loved it when her new Uncle Remy "talked the funny talk".

"Jeez, Remy. Ya could'a mentioned this place was the size of Buckingham palace." John joked. "I was convinced this was the wrong place till we saw the sign."

"Well it is a school, John." Danielle said. She walked over and gave Remy a tight hug, once he'd put Cindy down.

The rest of the household had filed into the foyer. Most of them anyway. Marrow wasn't interested in dining with the rest of the team on normal occasions. She wasn't about to attend this little "family get-together". The second missing member was Rogue. In the months following his return from exile in Antarctica, Remy had scarce said ten words to Rogue. She said even less.

Remy, a little more shyly than the X-Men were use to, made the introductions. When Mr. and Mrs. Summers were introduced, Mrs. LaRoche gave them both a wide hug.

"Thank you so much for bringing my boy back to me."

Scott scratched his head awkwardly.

"Well, we didn't want him anymore, anyway." Jean said jokingly.

"Okay, I t'ink dat's enough embarrassing Remy for one night." He said, ushering everyone away from the foyer.

"Oh, no. We plan on spreading the embarrassment throughout the evening." Bobby said. "I mean how often do we get a chance like this."

"Is it too late for me t'leave?" Remy whispered loudly to Storm.

"Yes."

"Damn."

* * * * *

Remy climbed the stairs to Storm's attic apartment. He found it more than a little odd that she had not been down to breakfast this morning, even to say hello if she was not going to eat. He ran into Hank coming out, when he reached the door.

"Henri? Everyt'ing okay?"

"Oh, fine, fine, Remy. Ororo is just feeling a little run-down this morning—a headache and what not. I believe she has contracted that flu bug that is going around."

"Uh-huh." Remy said flatly. The fact that Hank was not looking him in the eye did not go unnoticed.

"Can I see her?"

"Oh, of course. Of Course." Hank waved him on.

Remy nodded and hopped up the lead steps to the attic landing and into Ororo's room. He didn't see her.

"'Roro?"

"…"

"Stormy?"

Ororo stuck her head out of her walk-in closet.

"Good morning, Remy." She said with a smile, then went back in.

"You didn' know I was here? You always know when so much as a fly set foot up here."

"Oh… I am… out of sorts this morning-- a headache and such. The beginnings of a cold… nothing of consequence."

"…You don' get colds Stormy."

She walked out of the closet a silk wrap in her hand. Ororo shrugged and smiled again weakly.

"There is a first time for everything my friend." She said softly. "Is this what you came up here for?"

"'Course. You weren't downstairs… gotta come see where my Stormy is."

"And…" She placed the wrap around her shoulders and proceeded to water the small plants along the one of her windowsills.

"And what?"

"And what else? What was it you wanted to talk to me about? I can see it in your face."

Remy sat on the edge of her bed.

"…I t'ink I'm gonna tell her."

"Tell her what?" Ororo automatically took the "her" to mean Danielle as Remy had talked about little else lately.

"Everyt'ing. 'Bout me bein' a t'ief, 'bout d'Guilds… Sinister."

"Sinister?!" Ororo spun around, and tried to ignore the head-rush it gave her by placing her hand on the sill. "Are you certain? I mean… at such an early time…"

"…Longer I wait, harder it gonna be t'tell. Been d'ere before… Couldn' stand dat again. Better she kick me to d'curb now den round Mother's Day."

"Oh, Remy… I am certain it will not be that way."

Gambit shrugged, sadly.

Ororo pointed at him. "Walk in with that face and you shall have her eating out of your hands."

He laughed and she went back to her plants.

"If she sees in you what I do… you have nothing to worry about. You are too hard on yourself. You never forgive yourself for anything. Those few who would still strive to make you feel guilty are not worth you worry or time. Life is too short to be spent worrying about things in the past… or things we cannot change. Enjoy what you have now, Remy. Tell your mother. And once she has forgiven you, please, once and for all, forgive yourself and move on."

"T'anks, Stormy."

Ororo continued water.

"…Ain't ya gonna tell me not to call you Stormy?"

Remy could see the edge of a sad little smile from Ororo's reflection in the glass. She stopped her tending once more for a second, then continued.

"No." she said quietly.

Remy raised an eyebrow.

* * * * *

'Why don' she jus' disown me and get it over wit?' Remy thought.

When he'd gone to visit Danielle, Remy suggested a walk. The day was pleasantly warm, but Remy's true reason was that he didn't think he could sit still while telling what he was about to tell.

They walked through the park as he told his tale, and Danielle listened intently. When he'd finished she said nothing.

That was fifteen minutes ago.

They were now sitting across each other in a little coffee shop, each staring down at their own beverage in their hands.

Remy dared not speak. He was afraid any sound he made now would shatter her into a million pieces right before his eyes.

Instead he took a sip of his Capachino.

"Remy…" Danielle said quietly and found she couldn't stifle a small laugh when he looked up in surprise-- a foam moustache covering his top lip.

He shyly wiped it away with a napkin.

Danielle looked down a moment and then back up to her son.

"Remy, why did you tell me all of this?"

"Why?"

"Chances are I never would have found out about it otherwise."

"…I lied 'bout it for years to d'people I was closest to. It almost ruined everyt'ing I had wit dem. I don'… didn' want dat t'happen wit you. Figured if… ya never wanted to set eyes on me again, it'd be easier for you too. B'fore… well… b'fore…"

"…I got too attached? Honey, that happened the moment I saw those baby reds of yours." She reached out and touched the side of his face.

He blushed slightly. Another first.

"I'm very proud of the young man I see sitting in front of me. He's honorable and has a kind heart."

Remy looked down and began to shake his head.

"…And he's made some mistakes. Big ones." She touched his hand. "But a blind man could see how sorry you are for them."

"Dat I am."

"What you did for that man… Sinister, was it?… You didn't take money for it."

"How you know dat?"

"Because I'm getting to know you. You would not do something that serious without a serious reason. And money isn't worth that much. I know that more than anything, you want-- need to belong somewhere or to someone. And when you don't feel that, when you're not secure—you do stupid things." She smiled. "I'm the same way."

Remy raised an eyebrow. "What'd you do?"

She sat back and laughed. "Maybe I'll tell you… when you're a little older."

This set Remy to laughing.

Danielle took a sip.

"I love you, Remy and I always will. Never doubt that. And what you've told me, you have my confidence. It is going to take me a while to really absorb it all. Your life is so… unusual. The thing you do, or have done are still a little surreal to me."

"You forgive me den?"


"You have nothing to ask me for forgiveness for. Your actions weren't against me."

"Dey were against any decent person in d'city. 'Specially you."

"…And you'll never work for that monster again?"

"Dey be ice skating in Hades first."

"… I forgive you then. But only if you forgive yourself as well."

"You sound like Stormy."

"She's smart. …Well?"

Remy dropped his head.

"Remy…" She said in a motherly/scolding voice.

He smiled despite of himself. "All right, all right. I forgive me too."

"Good. Now finish your Cap before it gets cold."

"Yes'm."

* * * * *

Remy walked in the front door his head in a bit of a fog. If it weren't for his heightened, quick reflexes, he would have been hit in the face with a flying basketball. He caught it only a hair away from his face.

"Hey, Cajun. 'Tryin' ta get a game together. Wanna join?"

"Jubilee?"

"The one and only." She said coming down the stairs. "Hey, I heard about the family thing. Congrats!"

"T'anks. Whatcha ya doin' up here? Long way t'go t'play hooky."

Jubilee rolled her eyes. "Uhhh! Don't even get me started on that subject. I just talked Jean's ear off about it. Some people are getting on my nerves. That's why Wolvie suggested I come home for a couple of days. Cool off b'fore I fry somebody."

"Uh-huh." Remy chest passed the ball back to her. "Dat somebody's name wouldn't begin wit an "M" now would it?"

"I confess nothing. So you wanna join?"

"Who's playin'?"

"So far, Wolvie, Kitty, Ice-boy and the Ruskie."

"C'lossus play basketball?"

"Gonna find out."

"Dis I gotta see."

* * * * *

Ororo sat down at her vanity; a rare thing as Ororo spent precious little time looking at herself in mirror. There were a few odd bottles of perfume, rarely used, and nail polish scattered about the faux black marble counter top.

She picked up a small but intricately fashioned bottle of perfume that Wolverine had brought her from his last trip to the Orient. She sniffed it lightly—a light orchid scent. She placed the fragile container back to its place and looked hard at herself in the mirror.

'Are you in there?'

The blue eyes staring back at her looked up and traced around her hairline, then down to her chin. It studied the shape of her mouth and her nose, then back up to match her eyes.

The colour of the sky was still strong there, but the eyes seemed distant and disconnected.

"Ororo?"

The eyes in the mirror looked past Ororo to the doorway behind her.

"Jean." She said smiling.

Jean sat beside Ororo on the cushioned stool, facing the opposite direction. She said nothing for several seconds.

"…Are you ever going to tell me?"

"…Tell you what?"

"What's wrong with you."

"…"

Ororo opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind. She stared back into the mirror.

Jean dropped her head.

"…Okay. Then just tell me you're going to be all right."

"I am all right, Jean. I have a wonderful life, I live with people who love and care about me. Things are all right." She looked a Jean. "I am happy."

Jean shook her head and hugged Ororo.

"You-are-a-mule, you know that?"

"And I am not going to change." She said returning the hug with a smile.

Jean stood up and put a hand on Ororo's shoulder. "You do know that there is nothing you can't ask…"

"I know." Ororo said patting Jean's hand.

Jean nodded and left. Ororo brought her eyes back to the mirror.

'Smoke and mirrors.'

* * * * *

"What is it with this house and pancakes anyway?" Jubilee asked.

"We haven't had them for a few days."

"Yeah, but when we do, it's like a national holiday or something."

"Well, if you don't want any…"

"Well now I didn't say that."

"Where's Remy? He's usually the first one down for pancakes."

"He's taking his mom out for breakfast then they're spending the morning together."


"Again?"

"They have a lot t'catch up on."

"Make room!" Jean said placing the first of many stacks down on the table. "Did anyone see Storm up there this morning?"

"She sleepin' in again?" Logan asked.

"I'll get her." Jubilee said swallowing a forkful of 'cake and hopping up from the table. "I wanna borrow something of hers anyway." She ran out the door. "Drake, stay away from my cakes!" she yelled back. "That means you too blue boy."

"We didn't do nuthin'!"

"Ah think that school's havin' a strange influence on that girl."

* * * * *

"Storm? Ororo?"

Jubilee knocked as she ran up into Ororo's loft.

"Storm? Hey you awake?"

She looked into her bedroom. The bed was made.

'Well, she must be up.'

"Ororo?"

Jubilee walked into the greenhouse area. "Hey, Rain Lady?"

'Maybe she's out on one of her cloud walk—'

Jubilee froze in her tracks. Something behind a large planter caught her eye. She took a step forward… and then another.

'Wha— Is that a—?'

"Oh my god!"

She ran towards the arm that she saw lying on the floor. Coming around the planter, she saw Ororo lying partly on her side—mostly on her front on the wooden floor. A now-empty water can lay discarded just above the outstretched hand Jubilee had seen.

'Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.'

Jubilee turned Ororo over and checked for a pulse. It was racing. Her breath was far too shallow and her eyes were rolled back in her head.

"Oh m—Ororo!" Jubilee shook her. "Ororo wake up! Oh, please wake up!"

She stood up and ran to the door. She stopped in the doorway but didn't leave, opting to scream at the top of her lungs instead.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!!!"

To Be Continued…