What Someone is Willing to Give

What Someone is Willing to Give
By: Vainglorious696

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Disclaimer: Gambit, the X-Men, Essex, and anybody else that you probably recognize is Marvel's. Sin, Dr. Kiltchner, Madeleine, and any unfarmiliars are mine. Please don't sue me, Marvel- I'm poor. Besides, I spend more $ on your comics than any lawsuit could possibly ever win.

This is a brutal story containing graphic violence, MATURE THEMES, and dark imagery. You have been warned, therefore, please use your discretion accordingly. Thank You. ~Vain

Vain: They came back, but the Kaiser says that they won't talk to you. Sorry, he's something of a prick.

Kaiser: I heard that!

Ken: I think he's getting his whip, Vain.

Vain: REMY!!!!!

Remy: Eer?

Vain: Ken, Wormmon, get the Kaiser off me!! Remy?! A little help here! Ouch! You bastard, that hurt!!! AAHHH! Take that!

Remy: Quoi—oh mon Dieu. Merde, chere . . . I t'ink ya killed 'im.

Vain: So?

Ken: Don't you kind of need him?

Vain: Umm . . . Crap.

Wormmon: . . . What about the pale man?

All: Sinster!!!!!!

Sinister: Simpletons. Enjoy the story.

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PART 6


"You did what?" Scott Summers was angry. Scott Summers was very, very angry. "As team leader, I should have been informed-"

"Why? Ya never were 'informed' before." Apparently Logan was angry, too.

"Enough!" Xavier speared both men with a sharp look and favored Logan in particular with a dark frown. The Canadian had just stepped way out of line.

"What do you mean, 'before?' " Scott looked at Logan then at the Professor, anger quickly replaced by confusion and a growing sense of dread. "Sir?"

Charles sighed. He looked away from his oldest student to the wall, suddenly unable to meet their eyes. He was getting too old for this. "When Gambit. . . No. When Remy first came to us, the two of us privately agreed on certain. . . conditions of his stay. He was very adamant that the conversation stay between the two of us."

Storm frowned. "But surely he would have said something to me, if no one else. . ."

The Professor shook his head. "No, Remy was very, very specific about the terms of his 'privacy.' I normally wouldn't have agreed, but I needed him. We needed him. And he knew it. He wanted to be certain that our conversation would remain private, and I-"

"Private with you and Wolverine, right?!" Scott sneered.

Logan sensed the other man's growing frustration and decided to intervene. If he hadn't lost his temper earlier, this issue probably never would have arisen. "Chill out, Slim. It was the kid's call. He's smart- a lot smarter than most people, including you, think he is. He knew that he would need an ally, somebody who knew the ropes and understood the way things worked. And somebody to cover for him or watch his back if things went wrong. The kid didn't like me, and didn't know me, but he knew right off the bat what kinda person I was- that I could be trusted."

"And we couldn't?"

"No, ya couldn't. The kid's been running 'errands' for Chuck practically since he walked through the door." He paused so that his words would carry more weight. "And I've been doing it even longer than that."

The other man stiffened noticeably. His voice was soft and betrayed. "What?"

Logan felt his temper flair again. "Look, Cyke, ya ain't stupid: put two and two together."

Charles stepped in before things got out of hand. "Scott, this has nothing to do with your leadership abilities. I needed someone who could get where we can't, do things and be places where we cannot. Logan did an excellent job alone, but when Remy came he opened a doorway to practically another world. The young man has proven himself more than valuable to me, and to the team. And he has saved all your lives more times than any of us will probably ever know. I know that this is difficult for you to understand but-"

"No," Scott interrupted him. "It's not difficult at all."

Charles reached out a hand as though the gesture could somehow close the widening rift between him and Scott, a rift that had begun with the advent of Onslaught and continued growing ever since. Scott didn't look at him and the professor's hand dropped. It was an effort to keep the spasm of pain from crossing his face.

Storm was the first to break the silence. "So what happens now?"

Ignoring Jean's earlier look of warning, Logan lit his cigar. "First, we're gone find ourselves a Cajun. Then we're gone find who took him and why."

"And then what?"

Scott stood, surprising them all. "Then we're going to make them pay." He looked directly at Logan as he spoke the next words, "The X-Men stick together."

Xavier made no effort to hide his smile of pride.



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