Disclaimer: Shadow, the twins, Sword, and Violet are mine (mine! all mine, I say!). The X-Men belong to Marvel – I do not own them and probably never will.
A/N: Yes, I'm finally getting round to the Ororo/Remy section.
She awoke again, to find herself lying on a bed. Her body no longer hurt; but there was still that empty hole in her mind, the one where she knew memories should be.
A petite blond woman, huge purple eyes in her doll-like face, leaned over he.
"Oh! You're awake!"
She stretched a hand out; it began to glow purple, followed by the rest of her. A mutant. She was also a mutant, although she wasn't sure how she knew this. And people didn't like mutants very much.
"Well, you seem fine, physically, at least. Do you remember anything yet?"
She shook her head.
"You're going to have to choose something for us to call you." The blonde woman leaned forward. "You have such pretty hair, you know. Hey, since I'm Violet, why don't you be Silver.'
Silver shrugged. "I suppose." Her voice cracked, like she was out of practice.
So now she had a name, and, as Violet led her down the stairs, she found she had a lot of friends, apparently. The leader was a tall dark-skinned man with eyes that looked right through you, and whose footsteps made no sound – his name was Shadow. The twins who looked like statues, Violet's husband, Sword, and then; last of all, a lean, handsome man with the most incredible eyes that seemed to glow in the dim light of the room.
He introduced himself as Remy LeBeau, kissing her hand with a flourish. The others laughed, and she wondered if they'd seen her blush; then she realized they were teasing him for his flamboyance.
"There are a couple others not here." said Violet. She turned to her friends. "Where are Kurt and Rogue?"
Sword inclined his head out towards the fields, where a distant argument could be heard.
"Perhaps it would be better if Silver met them a little later."
"So, Chere, y' been given the big tour yet?"
"Actually, I was planning on showing her around." said Violet, but as she stepped forward, she stumbled, clutching her stomach, and was caught by Sword.
"Unless you were planning to start and finish the tour at our bedroom, Vi, you better let Gambit do the honors. Behave, Thief."
With that, he carried his wife upstairs.
Smiling, Remy looped his arm through hers.
"Remy t'ink we start with de kitchen, petite. Y' too skinny for his liking."
Silver just laughed and hit him. Yeah, she thought she would like it here.
Rogue stormed away from Kurt, but he kept following her. Didn't he understand that the discussion was already over?
"Liebling, we still need to talk."
"There's nothing ta talk about, Kurt. Ahm gonna do mah exercises, and your gonna go away."
Suddenly he bamfed right in front of her, angrier than she'd ever seen him.
"How about the fact that yesterday you touched an enemy, skin to skin, for longer than you've ever let yourself touch me. Perhaps that is something to talk about, ja?"
"That was different."
"How? You didn't kill him. You kept control, Rogue. And you told me just taking power was harder than taking nothing at all."
"It was different, because Ah don't love Magneto! Ah could hurt ya, or worse!"
"Mein Rogue, I trust you. And if there were an accident – I would forgive you. But I will not see you live like this, never trusting yourself."
She shook her head. "It isn't that simple."
"Well, make it that simple!" He placed one of his hands on her bare cheek, but she flinched away.
"Don't."
"Don't what, Liebling? If you're going to tell me not to love you, you're a little too late."
His tone was biting, sarcastic, but there were tears running down his face to mirror her own.
"Kurt…"
But he was already gone.
Down in the gym, Logan worked away at an already well abused punching bag.
Repetitive actions helped keep the beast locked away. Unfortunately, they didn't do anything against annoying mutants with hero complexes.
"Kitty's on the computer, looking for any weather anomalies. And Xavier's back in Cerebro. We've got everyone working on this, Wolverine."
"Good fer you."
Cyclops sighed, turning to go. "Is there anything you need?"
*snikt* The punching bag landed in pieces on the floor.
"Fer you ta get outta my way."
The bike roared, and he growled in anticipation of the hunt.
He would get her back himself, no help needed from the kiddies, and any man who stood in his way would be dead.
The tour ended out in the little gardens behind the house. Silver looked quizzically at her tour guide when he reached for his sunglasses before going outside.
"Remy's eyes not so good in de light." he explained.
She looked around the garden, settling herself down on a small bench. "No roses." she noted.
"Y' like roses?"
Remy's answer was a *bamf*, and a furious looking figure stalked inside from the cloud of smoke.
"An' dat was Kurt. Remy t'ink today really not a good day to talk t' 'im. Mebbe later."
Kurt. Kurt and Rogue. "Why was he so upset?"
"Don' know, but Remy can guess. Rogue 'n Kurt, dey complicated. Not Remy's story t' tell."
Silver nodded. "Then tell me something about yourself."
"What y' want t' know, Chere?"
"Why did Sword call you 'Thief'?"
He laughed. "Because Remy is a t'ief. Best t'ief in Nawlins!"
"And modest too!" replied Silver, jokingly. "So why are you out here?" She gestured in the general direction of the miles and miles of fields and farmland spread out in front of them.
"Dat another complicated story."
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"Non, Chere. Remy tell y' anything y' want to know." He sighed, gazing out across the empty fields.
"It wasn't jus' because Remy a mutant. Non, da T'ieves Guild t'ink someone who can do dis – " and he tossed a charged card up in the air, where it exploded. "- t' a safe door is jus' fine by dem. But one day, Remy lean against a table and *boom*." He shrugged. "After dat, seem like no more control. Some days no problem. Some days Remy scared to put 'is hands in 'is pockets in case de loose change blow up. Some days don' even touch anyt'ing, and still…"
He waved his hands vaguely. "Bad t'ings. Everyt'ing going crazy. Den, dis fellow Doctor Essex, he say he can help Remy. Dis homme, he give Remy dis bad feeling. Tell 'im wait a day, let Remy sleep on it, non?"
"What happened?"
"By dat time, Remy have so many problems, he t'ink, why not? But de twins," he paused. "De twins know dis Essex. He do somet'ing to dem, link them, oui? Remy not sure. Anyway, dey tell Remy, Essex bad news, better off coming wit' us."
He laughed. "Darkling, he not leave Remy much choice. Pretty determined Remy coming back here wit' dem, one way or another."
Silver's eyes widened. "You mean he…"
"Non. It not come t' dat. Remy t'ink, he gotta do somet'ing. Dis seemed better dan de Doctor."
"So Shadow helped you get control?"
"Y' see anyt'ing blow up around here yet?"
"Then why didn't you go back, afterwards?"
Remy shrugged, his eyes unreadable behind the glasses.
"Don' know. Jus' never got round t' it."
There was a moments silence.
"Besides," he added. "If Remy go back t' Nawlins, Chere would be deprived of his company, non? An' dat would be a great tragedy!"
"So," said Silver, "Are you planning to steal anything from me?"
A smirk spread across his face. "Mebbe a kiss, Chere?"
"Maybe later." she replied. "Right now, I'm starving."
And out in the fields, a lone figure continued her work.
Control is part of the way, Strength is Part of the way, Power is part of the way, Love is part of the way, Love is part of the Way, Love is part of the Way.
Tears streaked down her face, but she struggled to continue.
Damn it all, Kurt. Why'd ya have to fall in love with me?
A/N: Next up, 'Silver' and Remy get closer, Kurt and Rogue struggle to cope, and Jean figures some things out.