Denigoddess2001@aol.com
9/27/01 3:11:35 PM
X Marks The Heart
The Ways Of The Wild Heart 2.0

SUMMARY: FOR NEW READERS TO MY WORK THIS SUMMARY IS FOR YOU. THIS TAKES PLACE IN AN ALTERNATE GARGOYLES UNIVERSE IN 2005. WREN WAS A FORMER X-MEN THAT DIDN'T CUT THE MUSTARD AND SO SHE LEFT. SHE TOOK A JOB AS A RESEARCHER FOR XANATOS ENTERPRISES (READ MORE ABOUT THAT IN THE 'SAINTS IN THE NIGHT' STORY ARC.) SHE MET A GARGOYLE NAMED DEMETRIUS AND THEY FELL IN LOVE. SKIPPING AHEAD, NOW THE DUO HAS COME OFF A RECENT BOUT OF INTERDIMENSIONAL TRAVELS AND HAS A RELAXING TIME AT HOME. WREN HAS TO FACE HER PAST BEFORE THE X-MEN. DEMETRIUS WITH HIS EMPATIC ABILITIES WANTS TO HELP BRING HEALING AND CLOSURE TO THIS HORRIFIC PART OF HER LIFE. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS EMAIL ME AT THE ADDRESS ABOVE.

THIS STORY IS A FLASHBACK CONTINUED FROM LOVE'S GAMBIT 1.0. THESE ARE THE MEMORIES OF WREN SUMMERS AS DEMETRIUS THE GARGOYLE EXPERIENCES THEM THROUGH THEIR EMPATHIC LINK.


DISCLAIMER: GARGOYLES DON'T BELONG TO ME. THEY BELONG TO DISNEY. X-MEN AREN'T MINE. THEY BELONG TO MARVEL. ALL ORIGINAL CHARACTERS BELONG TO DENIGODDESS2001. PLEASE DO NOT SUE.

X Marks The Heart
The Ways Of The Wild Heart 2.0
Summerlands Estate
Sometime in 1997



The first rays of morning streamed though the large bay windows of Remy's bedroom. The gentle warmth of the dawning sun tenderly awoke him. The soft, warm feel of the fresh cotton sheets was a caress on his bronzed skin. Slowly, he sat up in the large four-poster bed. A delicious aroma tantalized his nostrils. He breathed in the smoky smell of honey-cured breakfast ham being prepared in the kitchen at the end of the east wing.

'Mmm,' Was the opinion from Remy's grumbling midsection. "Wren do make a mean breakfast. Dat girl works miracles."

He reminisced how he had made her breakfast on many occasions. She had always been in a mad dash to get to her classes at the Institute. There was always another test to take or another problem to solve. Her life was a constant struggle to overcome the atrocities experienced in her past. Remy always made sure she had a nutritious breakfast and a tasty sack lunch. He arose from the bed and donned the robe that Wren had lain out for him.

[Dat girl's sure do t'ink of everything.]

As he walked down the hall, he remembered their morning banters across the breakfast bar. It brought a warm, sentimental feeling to Remy that he had not felt in a very long time...

"Good mornin', mon belle. You need a cup of Java, non?" A baritone timber addressed the young woman slaving over the overworked microwave

"Sorry, no can do, Remy. But thanks!' She raced by him to retrieve her coat from the coat rack. He gently put a hand on her arm.

"Belle, you can not do this to yourself. You have ta eat.' He noticed that he and Wren were the only two people in the kitchen. Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered that Armand had aided in his rescue. Highly unusual, it was a rare gem of a moment with his favorite songbird.

"Mmm...what is that I smell?" Wren did not pull away from his gentle hold. "Do you have an extra slice or two of French toast to spare for dis Cajun?' He facetiously batted his dark lashes. She raked her gaze along the lean, hard contours of his sculptured physique.

"Always for you, Remy."

"You won't be hungry with Remy around... not for food anyway.' He gave a sly wink.

"Lech."

"Ah, Belle!' He melodramatically grasped his heart. "You wound me with your biting tongue."

"Oh, you think so, Monsieur? My tongue can do many things...." She saucily licked her lips bare inches away from his. "And I only bite where it doesn't show."

He mentally shuddered in arousal. [Damn! She was good.] She was the only woman other than Rogue that could make him grow hard just by talking to him.

"Now, make yourself useful and serve me some toast, dammit." He voice was menacing but her grin betrayed her true demeanor. In silence, he handed her a plate of fluffy golden French toast smothered in dark maple syrup. She quickly devoured the homemade sweet delicacy. He noticed a drop of syrup on her lips. Remy want to lick that tempting little drop. He wondered if she would taste sweeter.

"Remy... Remy..." A distant voice called to him. "Earth to Remy. He inhaled a whiff of floral scent of lavender and roses.

Their steamy flirtations had always been a source of amusement for both of them. It had developed first in jest then became more heated as he used his emotion control to aid in the healing of Wren's mind. This plain little girl somehow made her way under his skin. She had a way of making Remy LeBeau overheat, and sometimes, burn. Since she had rescued him the evening previous, he held no desire to think about the one woman to whom he had given his heart. It was too painful to think how Rogue had given it back to him in pieces. Wren provided a cheery release from his descent into emotional Hell.

"Sorry, Belle. My mind just did a little wanderin'." He gave her an irresistible smile. "What is dat wonderful smell in the kitchen?"

"Hash Browns, Canadian Bacon, and Strawberry pancakes are today's menu, ALA Wren."

"No French toast?"

"French toast?" She looked at Remy as if he were slightly insane. "Let's be real here, Gumbo. I am not a culinary master. If it can't be cooked in a microwave in less than five minutes, I don't touch it! Be happy that I actually did the pancakes from Bisquick. I never cook."

"Merci, Belle." He gallantly bowed to his saucy hostess. "My hungry stomach humbly thanks you." They walked down the corridor the kitchen. Sitting at the table reading the paper was none other than Wren's faithful "manservant", Armand.

"Ah, greetings and salutations to you both." The Elf cheerfully greeted them.

Remy, after all the time he had known Wren, was still dumbfounded by this maddening Child of Oberon. She had encountered the "elf" when introduced to him as a child by her grandfather, Robin Goodfellow. On the mystical isle of Avalon, Armand had been a very talented alchemist, thaumaturgist, and adroit metaphysical pedagogue. Big words for a little individual, Remy chuckled. When it all came down to the basic, Armand had been Robin's lover for many years and in many guises.

He was a diminutive being about 5'4". He had flowing ebony locks that flowed freely about him. He wore a colorful burgundy tunic adorned with silver embroidery. Over than he wore a flowing white toga that came to his knees. He wore black leggings tucked stylishly into white doeskin boots. His cerulean eyes twinkled with mischief every time Remy saw him.

"Mornin'." He shuffled over to the breakfast table and joined the cheerful Child of Oberon. "Wren said that you would be hungry this morning."

"She was right."

"You should have seen her, Mr. LeBeau." Armand spoke in hushed tones. He motioned Remy to come closer. "She was so nervous that the breakfast would not turn out just right. She really went to-"

"ARMAND." Hazel eyes blaze with embarrassment as she glared at the meddlesome demihuman.

Remy knew that the paternal instinct in Armand for Wren ran high. He also knew that Wren did not like being embarrassed. She was the type of woman who sought perfection. Remy chuckled at how many times he had seen her temper flare over the smallest situations. Logan had called her 110% anal-retentive on more than one occasion. How right he was, thought Remy as a wry chuckle escaped him.

The remainder of breakfast went without incident. Armand prattled incessantly about his new experiment with nannotechnology. He wanted it perfected before the end of the week. He wanted to use the advanced process to renovate the old mansion and the rest of the monastery. He wanted to build new defense perimeters with the strange little robots.

"Microscopic Golems are what they are." He poured the last of the juice into his glass. "Just imagine, no one would ever have to worry about food, clothing, or shelter. Just let the nannobots do it."

"Just don't depend upon them too much.' Wren placed the empty juice pitcher in the sink. "There is such a thing as too much of a good thing."

"There are hundreds of uses for the little buggers. I just have to think of them." His agitation was palpable. "Excuse me! I must get to work on it at once." He dashed from the table toward his laboratory in the basement. "Oh the possibilities..." Were the last words the two humans heard as the gnome bolted down the corridor.

"Is he always dat...ancy?" Remy gave a quizzical look in Armand's direction.

"Usually, he's worse.'

"Next, he'll be sayin', 'oh, my stars and garters'."

"You've got that right, Cajun. Never put Hank and Armand in the same room." She said with a mouth full of homemade strawberry pancakes. "The last time that happened, they talked for over twenty hours. It took all the strength I had to pry their brains apart."

"He just takes some gettin' used to."

"Don't worry, Remy. You'll get accustomed to it after awhile."

Remy gladly assisted Wren when she began clearing the breakfast table of dirtied dishes. A stray beam of sunlight caught the highlights in her hair giving it a golden shimmer. She rinsed every dish under a steady stream of water and placed them in the dishwasher. [Simple tasks like 'deese make ol' Remy forget that he almos' freeze to death yesterday.]

He closed his eyes. He focused his attention upon the highlights glimmering in her hair. He immersed himself in the scent of her natural scent of lavender and roses. He imagined the silky texture of her hair between his fingers, so soft to the touch. He heard her quiet laughter as she smiled at him. He wanted to brush his lips against her cheek to savor her.

This Mademoiselle made him laugh. She made him think. She gave him survival. She risked everything to rescue him from the frozen clutches of the Antarctic. He never acknowledged the true chemistry between them until now. He had never thought about the depth of his emotions for her. She was so young and had been through so much but hadn't they all? Recently, he had recognized the magnitude of their link. He only now comprehended how much he had needed her friendship. He only now realized how much she risked by their extrasensory amalgamation.

Tears. An everlasting ocean of tears came from the silent lamentation of her spirit. She longed for love and affection. Her heart lay about her feet because of her father's betrayal. Her mind barely clung to sanity because of the horrors experienced in the camps. She realized it was better to remain alone.

[I should be accustomed to loneliness by now.] He thought as she loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. [I know what that is all to well.]

[I have an accessory to murder helping me clear dirty dishes. He was a henchman for Sinister. Yet, how can I turn my back on him? I have felt his passion, shared his convictions, and have touched his basic nature. He doesn't have the heart of a selfish ...damn, he taught me that phrase the other day! Nouveau riche, an opportunist. His heart was with the X-Men until yesterday. Where is it today? Will he return to Sinister's fold? Will he betray us the way he betrayed the Morlocks? Maybe then, he would have committed such an act. Now, I know he would find such duplicity amoral. I hope that my teammate's mindless prejudice will not make him turn on us.]


The Cajun heard every frightened thought as though they were broadcasted on a loudspeaker. He cast a glance in her direction as he handed her the empty juice glasses. Their eyes met briefly and then Wren decided to study the intricacies of the dishtowel in her hand. Remy experienced Wren's fear as if it were his very own. Her inner battle of logic versus compassion was ripping her apart. She still doubted him. It was a psionic slap in the face.

He felt a nudge at the brink of his consciousness. [It's so good to have him here. He always listened to my problems without complaint. Rogue found a little happiness with him. Why did she have to throw it away? She could have had a good life with him. It would have taken ingenuity and effort, but they would have made it. Why did she have to do something so asinine? I know he's hooked on her. I just hope someday I'll get over this foolish hope...]

Wren let her mind wander as she rinsed each glass and carefully placed them in the dishwasher. More than once throughout the year she had found herself in Remy's room talking with him about life and love. On the brighter days, they played Poker or Blackjack. His expertise with cards came as naturally as his kinetic charges or his newly discovered empathy. How often Remy's room was devoid of light and laden with the stench or cigarettes. More than once she'd chirped at him. "Ever hear of air-freshener?"

Now, she stood beside him and inhaled deeply. The blended scents of cigarettes, cologne, and sweat met her nostrils. She stood quietly beside Remy and stole a quick look. Even now, she noticed he was still working on recovery from his trip to the Arctic. The chestnut-tresses were slicked back to his head. Beads of perspiration collected on his brow. His breathing was harsh and labored. She felt his anxiety and smelled his fear. His agitated state pricked like a thousand needles into her skin. He shuttered violently and called out her name. Spasms racked his lithe, sculptured physique. Wren watched with primal fascination. She realized that she had never noticed the luxuriant thickness of his hair. She liked how the warm brown mane fell to his shoulders. He was like a cougar in the bayou; dangerously gorgeous!

He staggered backwards toward the kitchen island. Remy covered his mouth as a wave of nausea washed over him. He stumbled over to the counter and leaned against it. A sharp bolt of pain pulsed in her temples. It happened more than once during their sessions. Her mind had innate defenses resulting from the mental agonies of the camps. What affected her affected Remy through their link. A confused look crossed her features. She turned to look at Remy. He saw her bewilderment change to shock and then, at last, understanding.

"So you finally figured how to tap our psionic link?" A grave voice brought him back from his retrospection. "I hoped that you would never do that."

"Why, Wren?"

"Remy, I don't like it when someone can creep around inside my mind without my permission." She returned his crimson gaze. "When a friend also has the gift of empathy, it can be a volatile combination."

"Jean explained it to me. With this new power of yours, you can be quite adept. Not only can you read my thoughts, Remy, you can also use them as a tracking device. My memories and defenses can trigger specific reactions." She looked out the window to the garden. "You have to be careful, Remy, Jean says the link we've formed is permanent. You can read my mind as easily as an open book and you don't want to do that."

Realization hit him. She felt his shame and his vulnerability. Perhaps, they were her feelings.

"Exactly, Remy, I never know where the other person's thoughts end and where mine begin." He gave her a look and then glanced toward the kitchen door. "Fresh air?"

"Oui, Belle. My stomach's churnin'."

"Not a problem." She followed him to the patio behind the kitchen.

"Mind if light up, Chere'?" He slowly sat down so not to irritate his queasy stomach.

"Those things will kill you." She drew up a chair as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"99 percent of everyt'ing, Wren, is gonn' kill me." He reached into the pocket of his jeans for matches and found that he had none.

He said nothing as he reached for the ashtray on the patio table. She pulled out silver lighter. He noticed the phrase engraved in ornate script, "Belle."

"I gave you for your birthday." He observed as she lit his cigarette. "I lived to see twenty. That was a minor miracle."

He nodded and inhaled a long drag. He felt the cool sensation of the menthol fill his lungs. He felt the tension hang between them ready to cut them both.
"So dat is how you knew 'bout my past?"

"Correct."

"If you knew 'bout my dealin' with Sinister, why didn't you say something to Armand?"

"I had my own battles to fight, Remy. Besides, a traitor doesn't help bring a woman back to reality after eighteen months of hell. A person's past is his or her own business." She licked her lips nervously while the Thief inhaled his cigarette and stole a lengthy drag. "I didn't know all of it. I only knew that you had worked for him sometime in your past. It was only recently that I received the visions of your connection with the Marauders."

"Is dat why you don' let Jean inside yo' head? Because you t'ought dat you'd betray me."

"Yes. I won't lie." He saw a lone tear trail down her cheek. Her love for her Remy caressed the edges of his consciousness. "I wasn't going to turn on you. We shared sights, scents, touches, hunches, sounds...all of it through the link."

"Belle, I never knew it was like dat for you."

"Every day for the rest of my life will be that way with you." Wren rose from the chair. "There are several side-effects to the link." She refused to return his gaze as she walked inside. She came back to him with two cups of coffee. "Want some?"

"Please. Any whiskey?"

"Are you kidding?"

She gingerly sipped her java. "It's been bothering me, Remy. I've felt the tension between us since last night when I picked you up from the Arctic. I'm not comfortable with those feelings."

"Wren, I never knew." He ran his fingers through his chestnut mane. "I always thought dat it was just natural. I t'ought dat it was just all in good fun."

"Not for me." She set down her cup and took his hand. "It's very real for me, Remy. I love you. It's fun on the surface, but underneath, it's very tangible." She added two packets of sweetener to her coffee. She seemed to try to front her next question. "Is it just a pastime for you to flirt with me or is the interest genuine?"

"Oh, Chere', it be genuine." He felt himself shutter at the intensity of the link. "It not all fun and games for Gambit. You're like da itch dat I just can't scratch."

"Sounds like a personal problem." She smirked. "I can recommend an excellent dermatologist."

"I'm serious, Chere. I love my queen of hearts, but, da Queen of Spades keep showin' in my hand." He took her hand in his and the warmth almost scorched her. "Does it bother you so much?"

"I'm not ready for the intensity of such a link. I don't want to be under it's influence. I don't like knowing that you can pick though my thoughts and feelings as easily as browsing magazines at a bookstore."

"Belle, I'm sorry." Shame and guilt coursed through him. "I didn't know da size of da situation. I just felt so. ...alone. I just wanted to know dat you were there." He moved closer to her. Just inches away from her, he smelled lavender. He curbed the impulse to pull her against him and kiss those full sweet lips. "Da t'ief of heart and da Queen of Spades would make quite da pair, non?"

A link like ours can be a great source of comfort. It also leaves both parties very vulnerable." She let go his hand. "Remy, when you explore the sexual aspect of the link I also feel the compulsion of it. I am not strong enough to explore that or deal with it right now. You're not ready for that as well. I don't want to be a surrogate for Rogue."

"You're not a surrogate for Rogue. You be different dan her, Belle." Anger tinged his lilting Cajun accent." Why you keep t'inkin' dat nobody gonna love you? You're somet'in', but you don't know it.' He smashed the last of the cigarette into the ashtray. "You so afraid of rejection dat you keep everybody at arms' length. You not meant to be by yourself. You got too much love to give to shut yourself like dat! You savin' my sorry ass be proof of dat. You got ta heal, Belle, or you ain't never gonna be whole."

"Out of the mouths of Babes..." She looked at Gambit with those hazel eyes. [Gee, Gumbo, maybe you should listen to your words and take them to heart for your own emotional survival. Put that in your deck and shuffle it!]

"You t'ink dat you'll ever love again, Wren?" She felt emotion well within her. What was she feeling? Was it anticipation? Was it Remy trying to soothe his wounds left by Rogue's rejection? " I t'ink that I could love again. I know we'd be so good together."

She said nothing. What could she say? Her father's betrayal left her devastated. He'd sold her down the river in the name of patriotism and genetic purity. Wren found it difficult to trust anyone after that treachery. She covered her mouth to muffle her ragged sob. She closed her eyes tightly, willing the brimming tears not to fall. To hear Remy's words left an ache in her soul that shattered all the walls that she had built around her heart the past few months.

[You think that I'm unique and precious, Remy?]

[You are da sweetness of life dat helps me keep on livin'.]

He knew her pain. The intensity of it made his crimson orbs brim with unshed tears. Her heart felt so hollow and empty. His had been broken, yet hers had been shattered. He knew he was lost when he saw her tears glisten like liquid diamonds and fall into her coffee.

Remy was out of his chair and by her side. She felt strong arms embracing her to his broad chest. He held her as if she were a fragile porcelain doll. Sobs racked her body. He felt his own emotional barriers crash down around him. He let loose the pain of Rogue's rejection in his steady stream of tears.

"It'll be okay, Belle. It'll be okay." He whispered as he lovingly stroked her thick black tresses. "We got each other. Nobody's gonna hurt us anymore."

"It just hurts so much."

"I know, Belle, I know." He used the endearment that he called her since the first day he met her. It was her undoing. She sobbed harder.

It would be so easy to kiss her. Her tears were an elixir that maddened his senses to a fever pitch. He wanted to commune inside her soul and live the bond that was building between them. He didn't understand yet, he knew instinctively what they both needed. He knew that they needed each other.

Over the course of the next several days, Remy's health steadily improved. Wren learned to be strong for him and he became her rock of Gibraltar. Together they forged a unity that gave them what they needed to survive the darkness of their pasts. Over those days, Wren fell deeply for the charming Cajun much to her chagrin.

On the fifth evening, the two sat down to a wonderfully prepared pot of homemade chili ala Remy. While they had not discussed the link for several days, it still bothered him to know it was there. Remy and Wren used the last several days to talk about their hopes and their dreams. He reminisced how he used to tease Rogue about a kiss. Wren told him that she had teased Logan about getting a manicure. They sat in front of the huge stone fireplace in the living room. A fire crackled in the hearth, casting a dim light in the room. They sat upon a large braided throw rug in front of the warmth of the blazing flames.

She quietly ate her chili con Remy. The flickering flames gently illuminated her form in soft shades of amber and crimson. He noticed that she kept her eyes fixed upon her chili bowl or the fireplace. Remy noticed that Armand's two feline companions, Grimalkin and Moriarty, kept a rigid, silent vigil. The silvery shorthair, Grimalkin, lay contentedly curled at his mistress's feet. The Black Bombay, Moriarty, stretched leisurely upon the recliner's matching ottoman. He watched her eyes lose their uncanny gleam and take on a very natural appearance.

"Penny fo' your thoughts, mon Belle?"

"I'm not thinking much of anything, Remy. I'm just enjoying my chili."

"You lie like a Persian rug, mon ami. You tell Gambit what is on your mind." He gave her a devilish grin. "Maybe I tell you what be on mine."

"You never give up do you?"

"You are so right." He moved closer to her. He thought he heard the beating of her heart. He saw a pulse point on her neck that he longed to kiss. "No distractions, Wren, what's on your mind?"

"I need to return to the Institute and help my friends get back on their feet."

"Wren, dose people ain't gonna want your help once dey know dat you rescued me from da snow in da Arctic."

"Who says that I'm going to tell them?" She raised a sardonic eyebrow. "What they won't know won't hurt me."

"Belle," Desperation became visible on Remy's face. "Don't play dat game. I did and da stakes were too high. I lost everyt'ing. I don't want you to da same stupid bullshit I did."

"Like they have room to talk, Remy." He felt her anger singeing his psyche. "Storm tore the heart from Chalets. Xavier psionically ripped Magneto's mind apart. Logan has killed more people that I can count on one hand. Bishop hunted and killed mutants. Need I go on?"

Remy remembered each sin committed every day that he spent in Sinister's employ.

"The point is that they will accept you eventually back into the fold. We just have to be patient."

"But, I have lost everyt'ing...my friends, my home, my love. Sometimes you can not go home again, Belle."

"Too true, my friend. Nevertheless, you can choose to go forward and forge a new existence for yourself. The question is," Wren paused to gingerly sip her hot chocolate. "What is your choice going to be?"

He thought about her question. The minx was so good at turning the tables on him without his notice. She had, once again, diverted his questions and placed the focus upon him. [What is my choice going to be? I want to be here with you in Nebraska. I want to hide from the world. I want it to be just you and me. I want the pain to go away. You make it go away so easily, Belle.]

"I don't want to lose you." The Cajun spoke his heart aloud.

"You're not going to lose me, Remy. I'll be gone for a short while."

"How long will you be gone?"

"I may be gone a week, perhaps two." She arose from the brown braided throw rug in the den. "You can stay here as long as you need."

He followed her to the kitchen. "Chere, I hope dat we could do somethin' for da holidays."

She rinsed her empty mug and soup bowl. "Remy, I'll be back before Thanksgiving."

Where was the cocky Cajun that she knew so well? His entire world had been taken away. He had lost his beloved Rogue. He had lost his friends and teammates when his heinous deeds had become known. Wren wondered would she have been so forgiving if his past had been revealed to her in a different manner?

Wren knew that forgiveness was her road to salvation. Yet, she couldn't find the strength she needed to forgive her father. Jean had said that through through forgiveness, she would find freedom from her father's betrayal. Remy had committed many crimes. His conscience was his judge, jury, and executioner. He would forever be incarcerated in his own prison until he learned about forgiveness.

"Remy, I promise to call once a day until I return." She laid a gentle had upon his broad shoulder. "Peace is found in forgiveness and acceptance. That is the one gift you do not have because you can not yet forgive yourself."

"How do I find that?"

"In truth. You must give yourself permission not to torture yourself anymore. Only then will you find acceptance. After acceptance, forgiveness will come to you. Once you have this, then peace will be yours."


************

Later that morning...

It was a brisk western breeze that blew that chilly autumn morning. Remy's face was an emotionless mask as he followed Wren to Armand's private jet. The sunrise peaked over the eastern horizon. She said nothing as she boarded the craft and placed her suitcases in the cargo area. He said nothing as he followed her in with her duffel bag.

"Belle, I am gonna be missin' you somethin' fierce." She heard his ragged breath tease her ear. She felt the unnamed emotions growing within him surround her in a penetrating sending of energy.

She felt a leap of anxiety inside her. She did not want to leave this man. She wanted to explore that unnamed emotion. The warmth she felt for him was metamorphosing into a long, slow burn. By the gods, he looked delectable. His stubble contoured the chiseled features of his face. She longed to reach up to him and entwine her fingers in his thick chestnut hair. She wanted to pull his head down to hers....

"I will miss you as well, Remy LeBeau." Their eyes locked onto one another. He felt her well-nigh uncontrollable urge to stay. Gods, he did not want to let this woman walk out of his life, not even for a day.

"Sacre Bleu, Belle!" Desire turned his voice to granite. He could not endure it any longer. She made him ache worse than a virgin with his first woman. His desire for her overrode his good judgment. [T' Hell with good judgment!] An inner voice yelled. He pulled her to him, embracing her in his muscular arms. He fought the temptation to plunder her sweet lips. He used every ounce of knowledge he possessed as a man to incite a woman. He had stolen priceless treasures throughout the years. Now, he wanted to steal this woman' s heart and keep it for his own. He wanted to take her breath away and lose himself in the spell of passion.

Remy tenderly brushed his lips against hers. He heard her sharp little gasp of surprise. He was bewildered by the extrasensory onslaught of her carnality dominating his psyche. Remy never thought that he would virtually taste paradise. Wren's sweet flavor was of honey and cinnamon. It was addictive. Remy wanted more. He wanted to plunder her mouth and taste all of her. He wanted to submit to her captivating charms. He took advantage of her vulnerability and slipped his tongue inside.

She felt his fingers weave themselves through her cascading chestnut tresses. He gently pulled her head back. He teased her by letting his tongue dance against hers. He backed her up against the side of the craft and let his arousal brand her. He felt her knees begin to buckle. He caught her in his arms. His control snapped as she shuddered in anticipation against his broad chest. He pulled her head back to savor the sweet flavor of her mouth. Each plunge of his tongue imitated the sweet intimacy that they both yearned to know with each other.

"Remy, Saints preserve us! We can't be doing this. This isn't right."

"Don't think about what is right, Belle. Think about what we both need!"

Wren's thighs seemed to part of her volition. She wanted to feel Remy's pulsating heat penetrate through her blue jeans into her feminine core. Remy groaned with her ardent response. He cupped her taunt, curvaceous bottom. He effortlessly lifted her until her back was against the craft and his throbbing masculinity branded her with his desire. He gently pressed himself into her as his tongue danced with hers. His pelvis rhythmically imitated his tongue's thrusts. She tore her lips away from his and let loose a string of blue curses.

"Belle, think about this while you're away." He brought his lips down to a dancing pulse point on her throat. He nipped her as he drew into his mouth that throbbing spot at the side of her neck.

"So what about Rogue?" She breathlessly gasped the forbidden question.

[He knows how to set me on fire without even trying.] She felt his heated breath tease her earlobe. She felt the hot droplets singe her skin.

"Rogue don't want me, Wren. You know dat. She don't want tainted goods." He looked at Wren harshly. "This is just a taste of what it will be like between us, Belle."

*********
October 2005
The memories of almost a decade ago brought renewed passions to Wren's conscious mind. She found herself breathing rapidly as she remembered that wonderful kiss eight years prior. She was suddenly thrust back into reality as the visions in her mind became black. The scene abruptly was interrupted by a bestial haze prowl at the fringes of her subliminal self. It had sensed the eroticism occurring between the Thief of Hearts and the Queen of Spades. It conveyed dominion and jealousy. Wren abruptly shut down her receptors to the primitive emotions.

"Demetrius, it was a long time ago. You wanted to know what happened. You wanted to see everything. Remy and I aren't a couple anymore." Wren heard the primal roar of male possession thunder in the dining room of their Summerlands estate. The feral raged faded from her mind. Left in its place was a lingering heartache.

"He made you free in ways that you will not be with me." She heard remorse in his voice. "Even in the heights of passion, you withhold your innermost self. In your memories, you offer him your affection and fervor without reservation."

"Demetrius, it was a long time ago. I was a different person." Wren felt frustration blocking her ability to find the right words to explain everything to her Gargoyle mate. "You wanted to share this burden with me. I am doing so...but, if you're going to judge me on things that happened before we met...I'd rather carry this pain alone."

"Nay, Love." His tail slinked about her waist when she turned away from him. "I beg your forgiveness for my rash bout of temper. I wish to know all."

"It's been said that a woman shouldn't share her past with a lover." She whispered.

"I'm not only your lover." He pressed his brow to hers in that wonderful sign of Gargoyle affection. "I am your mate, Wren. I will be your protector and provider all my days. I will gladly lay down my life and bear any burden you carry just so that we are together. Please, don't close yourself off from me."

"No more jealous outburst?"

"None, I promise." His prehensile tail made an "X" over his heart.

"Fine..." She said warily. "I don't know if I can do this."

"I know you can, Love." Demetrius let the last images of the torrid memories flow from his mind. He sensed Wren slowly loosing herself in the visions of another time and place carry her back as if traveling through time. He felt her body slowly relax. He swept her in his arms and sank to the floor. As he rested against the wall, the final reality blended with the memory of yesterday. The dining room faded away and the airfield took it's place...


LINOMA BLUFFS
SUMMERLANDS ESTATE AIRFIELD
1997

Remy felt the grips of the instinctual need of the link conquer his better judgment. He wanted Wren so much it burned him from the inside. He wanted to lie on his back and submit to the fever that swept over him. He opened that psionic gateway that he had stayed away from for the past several days. He opened his heart and emotion came flooding from his breast. He felt his regard for her turn into cherished tenderness. He sent to her his camaraderie for his Queen of Spades. He sent to her the inexorable yearning to stroke her with his manhood. He sent to her his overwhelming need to feel her envelop him with her taut warm essence.

Remy saw Wren's fantasy engulf his mind. She felt herself surrounding his presence within her. She wanted him to be the one to teach her about love. He looked down at her and saw her eyes meet his with an expression of unrestrained pinnacle. He felt her convulse against for several seconds as he held her to him as she breathlessly cried out his name...

"Oui, Belle." He pressed kisses against her hot, flushed skin.

He heard the sounds of engines break into their passionate reverie. Something cold pressed into his back. Remy had backed into the backside of the aircraft. He saw beads of perspiration on Wren's forehead. She was breathing quietly in his arms ...unconscious. He also saw the smile that graced her delicate face. He felt the immense dampness between her thighs. It had permeated her blue jeans. She had ascended to that stirring zenith in his arms.

"Oh Belle, precious Belle." Remy brought his cool lips gently to her forehead. "Now, I know that you feel somethin' for me. Now, I can wait for you. Wren, when da time be right and you be ready, Remy gonna love you right."

"Mmmm....Remy." She stirred gently in his arms. "I can't wait."

"Wake up, Wren. You need to get goin' if you want to make Xavier's by noon and Armand's waitin' in da plane for you."

"You're right." It slowly came to her that she had felt release in Remy's arms. He saw her cheeks stain with a severe blush. He knew her embarrassment from her psychic emanations.

"Belle, don't be ashamed of your response. Please..." she heard quiet urgency in his voice.

"I'm not ashamed of what just happened, Remy." She tenderly cupped his face in her hands. "I'm just surprised by the intensity of our chemistry."

"I'm not afraid, Belle. I just don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Remy, our lives our too complicated to deal with this episode right now. With your feelings for Rogue and my current mental state, I don't the exploration of the link would be good for either of us."

His hands came to capture her face. Sanguine scrutiny locked with hazel eyes. "Don't deny this bond dat we have between us, Wren. It is so strong dat neither of us can ignore it."

"You're still recovering from Rogue's rejection. Slow down and step back from it all. Don't try to loose yourself in a poor substitute for your former sweetheart."

"You don't know that."

"Perhaps, it would be better if we discussed it upon my return." She stood upon her feet. "I have to go, Remy."

"What am I gonna do while you're gone?"

"Get a job, Remy." She laughed as the hatch of the craft closed.

He watched as the private jet lifted for take off. Things had accelerated between him and Wren in the past few days. As the plane flew off into the East, he thought about his Beloved Rogue. He recounted the one night of passion they shared in Magneto's old lair. It was the only night of love he would ever share with Rogue. It still was not enough for her to have faith in him. That cut him deeper than any banishment from the person.

Now, he was exploring the potential of a link with Wren. It felt so good and so familiar to him. It was addictive to his body and his mind. He could lose his mind inside her and it would be worth it to know that kind of love. It was so soon, but Remy wanted to know if they could have a future together. He was willing to take the chance...the question remained. Was Remy willing to take that step and love again? [Love? Yeah, given enough time, I feel more than just friendship for Belle. It would consume my soul.