Chapter 6
Part I
Dice slept very peacefully, undisturbed by the minds of others.
Not everyone in the mansion shared her peaceful slumber. Remy tossed and turned in his bed, his mind bombarding him with vivid images.
//"Come on in, Sugah."
"Are you decent, cherie?"
"Nah." She pushed open the bathroom door; she was naked and her auburn hair trailed heavily down her back. "Grab me a towel, Remy."
"D'accord." He handed her a towel and she dried herself before dressing. She pulled on her gloves and looked at Remy, who was watching her. He was fascinated, as one would be by a beautiful sculpture, and also aroused.
"Are you wearin' gloves, Sugah?" she asked, pressing her body against his. He nodded. "Good." She pulled his hands to the unbuttoned collar of her shirt. She kissed him quickly; short skin-to-skin contact couldn't hurt him. If they did it enough, he would be weakened, so she was always very careful.
Her gloved hand slipped past his waistband. "Remy, Ah want you so much it hurts," she whispered.
"I feel the same way," he said, yelping slightly. "Ah, ah! Rogue..."
She kissed him again, breaking the contact as soon as she felt the tickle of his psyche against hers. "Fate's cruel, lover," she said, caressing his heated flesh. "Ah almost wish I didn't have any powers at all, just so Ah could feel you for real."//
Remy opened his eyes and found that he was crying. He wiped his eyes angrily. "Stop it, Cajun," he growled at himself. He rolled over and grabbed the pillow aggressively, tugging it to himself. Rogue wouldn't want him to be crying like a baby. By sheer force of will, he went back to sleep. He knew it wouldn't last.
Dice woke to a knock on her door. "Come in," she said hazily, barely awake.
It was too dark to see who it was, but he turned and Dice saw the raging red eyes. "Remy?"
"Sorry to wake you, fille. I couldn't sleep. I thought mebbe you could help me again."
She sat up. "I don't know if I should, Remy." He sat beside her on the bed.
"I know dat what happened before dinner was really etrange, Dice. But de dreams I's having..." He leaned back against the headboard. "I just want to sleep tonight. Dat's all I ask," he choked; he had begun to cry. Dice put her arms around him.
"I want to help you, Remy. But I'm afraid."
"We're all afraid of our powers, Dice. Dat's why we don't try to rule de world." He closed his eyes. Just her mere presence made him feel better; her subconscious was producing soothing telepathic impulses.
Dice was struggling with herself. On the one hand she was concerned and sympathetic, and that was the part she was hoping would take over. But she was in her underwear, holding a man whose bare chest was heaving with tears. He could have been a model, she thought idly. Remy was handsome and athletic, and she felt almost like swooning when his powerful arms encircled her. "Remy...I'm not doing it again, am I?"
"Non. All I feel is...calm."
She nodded. "That's a good sign," she said softly, stroking his back comfortingly. "What did you say, today?"
"Quoi?"
"You said je crois que je...something."
He pulled back slightly. "Je crois que je tombe amoureuse."
"Yeah, that was it."
Remy chewed his lip. "I...de moment ran away wit me. It means, 'I tink I am falling in love.'"
"But you didn't mean it."
"I don't know."
Dice nodded, leaning her head on his shoulder. "My mom used to tell me there were lots of kinds of love, Remy. There was family love, which she said she had for me. But when I turned out to be a freak she abandoned me." Her tone was bitter, and Remy's arms tightened around her. "There was friendly love, like you and Logan have; I saw him carry you to your room the other night. And then there was romantic love. I don't have any of those, Remy. I don't really know how to love anymore."
"I want to be your friend, Dice. I just afraid I might not be able to stop dere."
"Afraid?"
He nodded. "You're a great kid, Dice. I can tell. Et any other time, I might be interested. But my heart say it be ready to love again, when my head say non."
"I understand. I always did have bad timing," she said bitterly.
"But if you came earlier, Dice, I would not leave Rogue for you. So mebbe your timing was just right." He stroked her hair softly with one hand. "I feel better now...et you din't even have to use your power."
"I did, Remy. I...not on purpose. But I did the same thing to Kurt, when he heard about Rogue. He said he suddenly felt better. I altered your emotions. It's an invasion, Remy. I want to learn how to stop it."
"E's a gift, Dice. You learn to control it, and you could be incroyable. I believe you could do anyting." Remy pulled back, holding her face gently in his hands. "I tink dat I be a fool, Dice. I don' know if it's because you be like Rogue, or because I in pain...but I feel plus better when I around you." He kissed her cheek, and then the other. "I can' go back to my room, Dice. De dreams attack me. Can I stay?"
The two mutants curled up together and were soon asleep.
Part II
"Nothing happened."
"Did you want it to?"
Dice looked at the window. "Not really. I...I know I'm scarred, Professor. I want to love someone, and I'm afraid I don't know how. Remy is willing to return whatever I want to give him."
"He's letting you decide the nature of your relationship. And you know that your influence over him is not as strong as with others, because of his own powers." Professor Xavier considered. "I can't give you advice on your love life, Dana. It's not my place. But give yourself time, and give Remy some time. And in a while, if it still seems right, maybe it is. You need to be entirely sure of yourself, and he needs to heal. I think you can help each other."
"I thought you could help me."
"I might be able to. But you've bonded very quickly to Remy. And I know I can't help him. I want to find a solution that will aid everyone."
"Why won't he let you help him?" Dice sat on the edge of the desk.
"He's afraid to let me see what is in his mind. And I'm not good with emotions, Dana. My grasp of the mind is more scientific in nature. You, on the other hand, are an empath like I've never seen. If it weren't for your absorption powers, you might never have realized you were a mutant. I can see you as a therapist." He smiled. "Oh, and I talked Jubilee into helping you customize a program in the Danger Room. It will let you train in hand-to-hand and swordsmanship, even when no one's here."
Part II
"Hey, bro. Where were you this morning?"
"Quoi?"
"I came by your room this morning and you weren't there."
Remy's eyes were wary. "Does it matter?"
Bobby looked at him for a moment. "You weren't."
His friend looked away. "It wasn't like that."
"You slept with her!"
"Slept. Oui. It was rien, Chill. I couldn't sleep...she has dis power to alter emotions, neh? She made me feel better so de dreams went away."
Bobby rolled his eyes. "Right. Whatever you want to call it, dude. I don't resent you needing a rebound relationship. Just leave me some. I don't mind sloppy seconds."
Remy's eyes sparked, and the tips of his fingers glowed slightly. "You're my ami, Bobby. But you make me tres angry. Watch it."
Jubilee walked into the kitchen and got a mug from the draining board. "What's going on, boys?"
"Rien."
"Nothing." The two men exchanged a glance.
"Hey, the Professor wants me to help Dice write a program in the Danger Room. You guys wanna come?" She sipped her coffee.
Part III
"How are you doing this?" Dice asked softly.
The Professor raised his epee and saluted her, sliding into a fighting stance. "It's a combination of holographic images, androids, and telepathy," he said. "My image is projected over a robot, and I control it with my mind. En garde."
She slipped into position. "Attack me."
He nodded; a balestra and a fleche later, they stood apart again. "Fencing was always one of my favorite sports," he said as she lunged. He mal-parried and raised his sword to call a halt. "You're rather good, considering you haven't fenced in over a year. Champion, you said?"
"Captain of the school team and State Champion--Girls." He nodded.
They went back and forth for several minutes, neither landing a hit. Finally, Dice pushed his blade aside and touched him with the tip of her epee. "A beautiful froissement," he said, applauding. She thanked him, and they bowed formally. "Now the Danger Room recognizes you, and you can use it any time. And the more you fight here, the more it will learn about you. You can fight yourself once it gets a full profile, and the others can fight you even if you're not available."
"It's amazing."
The hologram disappeared, and the android disappeared into the floor. "Would you like to try some hand-to-hand?" the Professor asked. "We've got several great fighters here."
"Powers?"
"If you like."
"Weapons?"
"Nothing too dangerous." She nodded and went to the knife rack, selecting a number of small throwing blades and sheathing them on her thigh. Then she spotted a row of staffs and bo.
"Does someone fight with the bo?" she asked, surprised.
"Remy does," Jubilee volunteered. He had been watching, silent, the whole time. Dice picked up a bow and beckoned, and he smiled slightly.
"Give me a second to change."
When he came back he was wearing his uniform; utilitarian and black, fitted closely and lightly armored in the chest and back. She tossed him a bo and he took it. "You want me to use powers?" he asked.
"Sure," she said, taking a second bo. They squared off.
Part IV
The Black Bird touched down and vanished underground. Logan and the others arrived back at the mansion with good news and no wounds, just in time for dinner. Dice and Remy were sitting together when Logan walked in, talking quietly.
"Hey, kids. Miss me?"
"Allo, Logan."
"Hi." Dice smiled.
"How's everything? Dice, you settling in okay?" She nodded. "Remy? You making it?" Remy nodded. "Seriously."
"Oui, Logan. I'm fine. I been keeping busy helping Dice feel at home. We fought in de Danger Room." Logan's eyebrows climbed his forehead.
"I trained in Irish stick fighting when I went to visit my mother's family in Foynes." Logan looked impressed.
Part I
Dice slept very peacefully, undisturbed by the minds of others.
Not everyone in the mansion shared her peaceful slumber. Remy tossed and turned in his bed, his mind bombarding him with vivid images.
//"Come on in, Sugah."
"Are you decent, cherie?"
"Nah." She pushed open the bathroom door; she was naked and her auburn hair trailed heavily down her back. "Grab me a towel, Remy."
"D'accord." He handed her a towel and she dried herself before dressing. She pulled on her gloves and looked at Remy, who was watching her. He was fascinated, as one would be by a beautiful sculpture, and also aroused.
"Are you wearin' gloves, Sugah?" she asked, pressing her body against his. He nodded. "Good." She pulled his hands to the unbuttoned collar of her shirt. She kissed him quickly; short skin-to-skin contact couldn't hurt him. If they did it enough, he would be weakened, so she was always very careful.
Her gloved hand slipped past his waistband. "Remy, Ah want you so much it hurts," she whispered.
"I feel the same way," he said, yelping slightly. "Ah, ah! Rogue..."
She kissed him again, breaking the contact as soon as she felt the tickle of his psyche against hers. "Fate's cruel, lover," she said, caressing his heated flesh. "Ah almost wish I didn't have any powers at all, just so Ah could feel you for real."//
Remy opened his eyes and found that he was crying. He wiped his eyes angrily. "Stop it, Cajun," he growled at himself. He rolled over and grabbed the pillow aggressively, tugging it to himself. Rogue wouldn't want him to be crying like a baby. By sheer force of will, he went back to sleep. He knew it wouldn't last.
Dice woke to a knock on her door. "Come in," she said hazily, barely awake.
It was too dark to see who it was, but he turned and Dice saw the raging red eyes. "Remy?"
"Sorry to wake you, fille. I couldn't sleep. I thought mebbe you could help me again."
She sat up. "I don't know if I should, Remy." He sat beside her on the bed.
"I know dat what happened before dinner was really etrange, Dice. But de dreams I's having..." He leaned back against the headboard. "I just want to sleep tonight. Dat's all I ask," he choked; he had begun to cry. Dice put her arms around him.
"I want to help you, Remy. But I'm afraid."
"We're all afraid of our powers, Dice. Dat's why we don't try to rule de world." He closed his eyes. Just her mere presence made him feel better; her subconscious was producing soothing telepathic impulses.
Dice was struggling with herself. On the one hand she was concerned and sympathetic, and that was the part she was hoping would take over. But she was in her underwear, holding a man whose bare chest was heaving with tears. He could have been a model, she thought idly. Remy was handsome and athletic, and she felt almost like swooning when his powerful arms encircled her. "Remy...I'm not doing it again, am I?"
"Non. All I feel is...calm."
She nodded. "That's a good sign," she said softly, stroking his back comfortingly. "What did you say, today?"
"Quoi?"
"You said je crois que je...something."
He pulled back slightly. "Je crois que je tombe amoureuse."
"Yeah, that was it."
Remy chewed his lip. "I...de moment ran away wit me. It means, 'I tink I am falling in love.'"
"But you didn't mean it."
"I don't know."
Dice nodded, leaning her head on his shoulder. "My mom used to tell me there were lots of kinds of love, Remy. There was family love, which she said she had for me. But when I turned out to be a freak she abandoned me." Her tone was bitter, and Remy's arms tightened around her. "There was friendly love, like you and Logan have; I saw him carry you to your room the other night. And then there was romantic love. I don't have any of those, Remy. I don't really know how to love anymore."
"I want to be your friend, Dice. I just afraid I might not be able to stop dere."
"Afraid?"
He nodded. "You're a great kid, Dice. I can tell. Et any other time, I might be interested. But my heart say it be ready to love again, when my head say non."
"I understand. I always did have bad timing," she said bitterly.
"But if you came earlier, Dice, I would not leave Rogue for you. So mebbe your timing was just right." He stroked her hair softly with one hand. "I feel better now...et you din't even have to use your power."
"I did, Remy. I...not on purpose. But I did the same thing to Kurt, when he heard about Rogue. He said he suddenly felt better. I altered your emotions. It's an invasion, Remy. I want to learn how to stop it."
"E's a gift, Dice. You learn to control it, and you could be incroyable. I believe you could do anyting." Remy pulled back, holding her face gently in his hands. "I tink dat I be a fool, Dice. I don' know if it's because you be like Rogue, or because I in pain...but I feel plus better when I around you." He kissed her cheek, and then the other. "I can' go back to my room, Dice. De dreams attack me. Can I stay?"
The two mutants curled up together and were soon asleep.
Part II
"Nothing happened."
"Did you want it to?"
Dice looked at the window. "Not really. I...I know I'm scarred, Professor. I want to love someone, and I'm afraid I don't know how. Remy is willing to return whatever I want to give him."
"He's letting you decide the nature of your relationship. And you know that your influence over him is not as strong as with others, because of his own powers." Professor Xavier considered. "I can't give you advice on your love life, Dana. It's not my place. But give yourself time, and give Remy some time. And in a while, if it still seems right, maybe it is. You need to be entirely sure of yourself, and he needs to heal. I think you can help each other."
"I thought you could help me."
"I might be able to. But you've bonded very quickly to Remy. And I know I can't help him. I want to find a solution that will aid everyone."
"Why won't he let you help him?" Dice sat on the edge of the desk.
"He's afraid to let me see what is in his mind. And I'm not good with emotions, Dana. My grasp of the mind is more scientific in nature. You, on the other hand, are an empath like I've never seen. If it weren't for your absorption powers, you might never have realized you were a mutant. I can see you as a therapist." He smiled. "Oh, and I talked Jubilee into helping you customize a program in the Danger Room. It will let you train in hand-to-hand and swordsmanship, even when no one's here."
Part II
"Hey, bro. Where were you this morning?"
"Quoi?"
"I came by your room this morning and you weren't there."
Remy's eyes were wary. "Does it matter?"
Bobby looked at him for a moment. "You weren't."
His friend looked away. "It wasn't like that."
"You slept with her!"
"Slept. Oui. It was rien, Chill. I couldn't sleep...she has dis power to alter emotions, neh? She made me feel better so de dreams went away."
Bobby rolled his eyes. "Right. Whatever you want to call it, dude. I don't resent you needing a rebound relationship. Just leave me some. I don't mind sloppy seconds."
Remy's eyes sparked, and the tips of his fingers glowed slightly. "You're my ami, Bobby. But you make me tres angry. Watch it."
Jubilee walked into the kitchen and got a mug from the draining board. "What's going on, boys?"
"Rien."
"Nothing." The two men exchanged a glance.
"Hey, the Professor wants me to help Dice write a program in the Danger Room. You guys wanna come?" She sipped her coffee.
Part III
"How are you doing this?" Dice asked softly.
The Professor raised his epee and saluted her, sliding into a fighting stance. "It's a combination of holographic images, androids, and telepathy," he said. "My image is projected over a robot, and I control it with my mind. En garde."
She slipped into position. "Attack me."
He nodded; a balestra and a fleche later, they stood apart again. "Fencing was always one of my favorite sports," he said as she lunged. He mal-parried and raised his sword to call a halt. "You're rather good, considering you haven't fenced in over a year. Champion, you said?"
"Captain of the school team and State Champion--Girls." He nodded.
They went back and forth for several minutes, neither landing a hit. Finally, Dice pushed his blade aside and touched him with the tip of her epee. "A beautiful froissement," he said, applauding. She thanked him, and they bowed formally. "Now the Danger Room recognizes you, and you can use it any time. And the more you fight here, the more it will learn about you. You can fight yourself once it gets a full profile, and the others can fight you even if you're not available."
"It's amazing."
The hologram disappeared, and the android disappeared into the floor. "Would you like to try some hand-to-hand?" the Professor asked. "We've got several great fighters here."
"Powers?"
"If you like."
"Weapons?"
"Nothing too dangerous." She nodded and went to the knife rack, selecting a number of small throwing blades and sheathing them on her thigh. Then she spotted a row of staffs and bo.
"Does someone fight with the bo?" she asked, surprised.
"Remy does," Jubilee volunteered. He had been watching, silent, the whole time. Dice picked up a bow and beckoned, and he smiled slightly.
"Give me a second to change."
When he came back he was wearing his uniform; utilitarian and black, fitted closely and lightly armored in the chest and back. She tossed him a bo and he took it. "You want me to use powers?" he asked.
"Sure," she said, taking a second bo. They squared off.
Part IV
The Black Bird touched down and vanished underground. Logan and the others arrived back at the mansion with good news and no wounds, just in time for dinner. Dice and Remy were sitting together when Logan walked in, talking quietly.
"Hey, kids. Miss me?"
"Allo, Logan."
"Hi." Dice smiled.
"How's everything? Dice, you settling in okay?" She nodded. "Remy? You making it?" Remy nodded. "Seriously."
"Oui, Logan. I'm fine. I been keeping busy helping Dice feel at home. We fought in de Danger Room." Logan's eyebrows climbed his forehead.
"I trained in Irish stick fighting when I went to visit my mother's family in Foynes." Logan looked impressed.
