Parents

Disclaimer: Characters and Premise are borrowed from the Marvel, I'm not making any money.

Jean-Luc stood stiffly on one side of the front room in his home. On the other side of the stairs Belle sat on the settee, her knees pulled up to her chest, looking miserable and scared. Remy's other friends hovered near her, stealing worried glances toward the stairs and by implication the room Tante Mattie and Delores had vanished into as soon as they'd been summoned. Henri and Mercy stood together speaking in hushed voices. Josette was conspicuous by her absence.

After what seemed an eternity Tante Mattie came down the stairs. "Remy's goin' to be jus' fine wit' a little res' an' recovery," she said. A relieved sigh echoed around the room.

"Can I see him?" Belle asked.

"Not today chile," Mattie replied kindly.

"Dat means yo' won' be sneakin' 'round an' climbin' in his window," Jean-Lu warned. " 'M sure Delores will let yo' all know when Remy's up for visitors. 'Til den, I t'ink it bes' if yoall' head back home."

Lapin and Pierre looked stunned by their abrupt dismissal. Singer glared venomously at the Patriarch of the Thieves Guild, but Belle quietly walked out without protest. The rest of the little group followed her lead in Remy's absence.

"Dat was uncalled for," Mattie said frowning at Jean-Luc. "Dey're his friends, dey're worried."

Mercy and Henri quietly slipped away leaving their elders to their discussion.

"It be dat femme's fault dis happened," Jean-Luc said.

"As if Remy needs help getting' hisself into trouble," Mattie reprimanded gently. "Yo' did right gettin' him home so quick."

Jean-Luc met Mattie's eyes for a moment the stress and fear of the last few days showing in his face. "We didn' even go back to de safe house, jus' stopped at a gas station to get de blood off Remy's face," he said.

"We drove all night. 'Round t'ree we changed cars, took de new one from a rental agency, even spent de time to fill out deir records so dey wouldn' question it bein' gone. Dumped de firs' car 'bout twenty miles on down de road."

"Belle an' I took turns drivin' an' keepin' Remy 'wake. I didn' tell dem, didn' wan' to panic dem, mais I knew Remy was in trouble. It was 'bout ten 'o clock de nex' mornin' when he tol' us he was feelin' nauseated. Remy's 'ttention started driftin'. Half de time I don' t'ink he knew where he was or what was goin' on. He talked a lot 'bout a Grey Crow, Logan an' 'bout his Scott dyin'... De boy may be an 'mpath mais he don' know how to deal wit' his own feelin's."

"By four in de afternoon Remy started fallin' 'sleep, rien we did could keep him goin'. Dat's when I called yo'. De las' four hours, I 'xpected him to die any minute, I didn' know dat he'd evah wake up. Mattie, I t'ough I screwed up, I t'ought I cost him his life. If I'd taken him to a hospital dey would have treated him... after dat I don' know what would've happened, s' I took de chance and kept him close."

"Yo' did right Jean-Luc," Mattie said. "He'll be fine."

"It shouldn' 've happened. Remy's careful, he didn' survive s'long on his own by actin' de fool, dat didn' start 'till Belladonna come into de picture. An' rings, what de hell is dat boy t'inkin'."

"Dat she's pregnant," Mattie said. "An' it ain't Belle's fault, de boy started feeling dat he had a safety net to fall back on. Dat be why he risks more now. It ain't all Belle's fault, or even Lapin's... De jet was Lapin's idea 'member?"

"Hell," Jean-Luc swore. "We're not goin t'rough dis 'gain."

"It won' be like Josette an' Armand," Mattie protested.

"Cause dey ain't gettin' married."

"Jean-Luc!" Mattie exclaimed hands on her hips.

"No, I'll happily take 'sponsibilty for de chile, but dey ain't gettin' married, cause yo' know what de difference 'tween dem and Remy's parents might end up bein'? Dey'll bot' fight when t'ings don' work out, when it ain't s'easy dey'll fight. Wit' his powers an' history an' her trainin' dey'll kill each other."

"We'll be dere for dem, we'll help dem t'rough t'ings."

"Dey aren' ready for dis," Jean-Luc said forcefully. "Belle, she t'inks it be some sort of game gettin' Remy to risk his life. An' Remy, jus' a year ago he didn' even understand how to be a friend, de only 'xample of family he truly 'members is de one he ran 'way from when de abuse got too bad."

"De Guilds live an' breathe tradition," Mattie replied quietly. "Marius will see Remy dead if dis weddin' don' happen. Beyond dat de alliance 'tween T'ieves and Assassins, it needs somet'ing like dis to cement it. Wit' de Benefactress gone, defeated, half our traditions are gone, de res' meanin'less. A weddin' 'tween de families, a chile wit' de blood of bot' Lebeau an' Boudreaux it be de oldest way to seal an alliance. Dis is 'xactly what de Guilds need to feel comfort in what yo' an' Marius be doin'. An' we'll be dere for dem, we'll make it work out."

"S'Remy an' Belle an' deir chile get sacrificed to de Guilds' greater good," Jean-Luc said bitterly, but Mattie could see acceptance beneath his unhappiness.

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

Josette paused for a moment outside the door to Jean-Luc's office. Catching the tail end of what, was for her, a familiar lecture drifting through the closed door she took a moment to think about it and realized today must be the day Mattie had released Remy from bed rest; Jean-Luc always waited until a person was back on their feet before laying into them about whatever actions might have put them there in the first place.

Feeling oddly sympathetic toward her son, Josette decided to wait for him.

When Remy emerged from the office several minutes later with a confused aura of embarrassment, regret and irritation hanging around him Josette offered him an understanding smile. "It's a hummer of a scoldin'," she said. "He got to refine it on me 'nough times, it should be."

" 'M not like yo'," Remy said coldly. "We have rien in common."

"Oh yo' aren't are yo'?" Josette sneered any sympathy she felt evaporating. "Sixteen, 'xpectin' a kid, gettin' married... sound familiar, neh?"

"I'll be a bettah parent dan yo' were," Remy shot back. "S'not like yo' set de bar vera high."

"If yo'd been born right..." Josette snapped.

"Oh, s'dis time it's m' eyes, not 'cause 'm stupid or 'cause I backtalk or 'cause I 'ttract trouble or..." Remy broke off with a light, extremely fake laugh. "Josey-chere I've heard dem all an' I don' even 'member a time when I was naive 'nough to believe dem. As yo' said, 'M a mutant, Mother. A freak, devil spawn, what have yo', I can see inside yo'. Daddy didn' hurt us 'cause I was bad... he did it 'cause it made him happy. An' yo'... yo' a'ways were a liar. Miserable an' mad all de time, jus' waitin' for me to do somet'ing to give yo' de 'xcuse to start screamin'."

"Yo' screwed up so much I nevah got de chance to get ovah de las' time 'fore yo' did somet'ing else," Josette spat.

"Keep talkin' Josey, yo' a'ready got me half convinced dat Essex was a bettah parent to me dan yo'. He wanted me to be 'kay wit' mass murder shor, mais at leas' he could admit what he was."

Henri leaned over the balustrade. "Could yo' two take it elsewhere?" he asked. "Mercy an' I got midterms to study for."

As Remy brushed past Josette on his way to the door she hissed. "Why don' we talk 'gain in a year, when we've seen what sort of parent yo' turn out to be."

Remy paused to turn back toward her. "I t'ink dat be a conversation I'll enjoy havin'," he said.

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