APOCALYPSE

I do not own, you do not sue. You comment, I write. (for the long, eloquent version, see the prologue.)

CHAPTER FIVE:

MEMORIES

Scott put the letter down. If he could have rubbed his eyes at that very moment, he would have, because he was having a hard time believing what he had just read.
The silence in the War room was deafening. The Cajun's confession had left everyone stunned. But there was one man who's silence was caused for something more than astonishment. He sat quietly on a dark corner, looking down, holding a cigar between his sharp teeth. He'd listened to Scott reciting the letter as quietly as he was now. He wasn't shocked, or outraged as some of his teammates. As he saw it, the past was the past. The kid had proved his loyalty to them over the years.
It was something else in the letter that had caught his attention. It wasn't a word or a phrase. It was a nagging feeling at the back of his brain. Something he felt he should know; he should remember.
Around him, people started talking, trying to make decisions and form opinions. He looked at the faces of those he felt would be most affected by the news.
Storm was silent, her face unreadable for someone who didn't know her as much as he did. As far as he was concerned, he knew she was fighting her feelings. Trapped between resentment and love. And he also knew she would forgive him eventually. It was written all over her face, for those who knew how to read the goddess.
Warren was livid. He'd never seen the winged man so angry in his life, and it had been a long life. He was shouting that they should go after him, make him pay. It was still odd to see those fluffy wings spread wide on his back again. Betsy was pretty much the same. She said something about sensing Sinister in the Cajun's brain, that he couldn't be trusted, that now the entire mansion was at danger because he knew his way around. To his surprise, Jean agreed with her.

"I must confess I have a hard time holding this against him." She begun. "But the truth is that there's something about him that makes me nervous. The last couple of days I've noticed something that put me on guard, and after a lot of thinking and his confession, I'm pretty sure Gambit is an empath."

"What?!" Scott gasped. "How can that be possible? The professor would have known!!" Logan was a little surprised by that himself. He didn't like telepaths, and an empath was almost the same, if not worse.

"Not really, Scott. Remy has never been easy to read. Remember how he pushed Betsy away from his mind? And he was weakened! He has a very powerful mind, and I can't help to think that he might have been playing us all. Not letting us see who he really was. He was probably working for Sinister all this time." She said bitterly.

Rogue shook his head in tears. He felt really sorry for the girl. That was the one thing he was mad about. The Cajun had hurt her badly.

"Ah was in his head too, in a way. Remember? Ah couldn't make out most of it, it was too confusing. but Ah remember Sinister now. His memories of him weren't pleasant, lemme tell ya! He hates the guy!"

"But he worked for him! He gathered the marauders!" Warren roared. Rogue seemed to be searching the depths of her memory. His memory.

"He didn't...he didn't know that would happen...Ah'm not saying he did it out of the goodness of his heart, no...he was a thief, sort of a mercenary in that job, like me...he owed Sinister something...he played him, tricked him...but he never meant...he didn't know people would die." It almost looked like she was reliving the whole thing herself. Joseph held her and she cried harder.

"Rogue, I understand what you are saying. I won't make a judgement so quickly as some of you. but we need to find him. He has a lot of explaining to do." Scott said in his full 'fearless leader' mode.

"He asked to be left alone. He deserves his space." Storm said in a small, uncertain voice.

"What if Jean is right, 'Ro? What if he was just a spy? Can we take that chance?" he answered kindly. "We have to look for him and bring him here. But no one will hurt him, or judge him, before he has a chance to explain."

Warren left the War room enraged, and Betsy followed him. The rest just nodded. Rogue, on her part, pulled away from Joseph rather abruptly, leaving the young man stunned.

"Ah'll go. But Ah want to go alone."

Logan stared at her. The nagging feeling in the back of his brain became stronger. He knew this, he had to remember!

"I can't let you go alone, Rogue. He might be dangerous." Scott said determined.

"We know him! Gawd! He's our friend! I will go alone, even if I have to fight ya for it, one-eye!" she snapped.

"Listen, Rogue..." Scott started, but something in Logan stirred,

"Save it Cyke, I'll go with her." Rogue was about to protest, but he held up a hand. "Ya can say whatever ya want kid, but I'm goin', and I wouldn't mind fightin' ya for it either." He grinned, showing her his teeth, and she pouted. "But just the two of us. I would like to have a word with Gumbo anyway."

"Ya ain't hurting him, ye heah me?!"

"Nah, it'd be a waste of a good set of claws." He grinned again. Rogue crossed her arms, looking snippy. All in all, he knew that from all of them, he wasn't going to be rejected by her to come along.
'Talking 'bout rejection...' he thought, glancing at Joseph, he was staring at her with pain in his eyes, and he couldn't help feeling sorry for the kid. 'I could have told ya not to come between those two. They may seem doomed to disaster, but that's just them.'
Rogue and Scott resumed their bickering, but at least Scott wasn't fighting him, so he knew he was going along, and on his terms. He walked to where Ororo stood.

"Hey 'Ro." He said casually, and she gave him a sad smile.

"I guess he was right." She shook his head.

"'Bout what, 'Ro?" taking a long whiff of his cigar, he leaned on the wall next to them.

"About our reaction. But he was right about something else. He's a coward."

"Kid said he was a coward?"

"Yes. And then he ran away, dropping this bomb on us. He should have staid to face the consequences. We would have heard him, let him defend himself. Yes, we would have been mad, but..." Logan shook his head.

"That's not why he left." Why was he so sure about that?

"Well, he says that in the letter, but that's just an excuse.,," she started, but he shook his head again.

"No, 'Ro. Don't ask me how I know, but he had to leave. He just wanted to tie loose ends. He may..." What the hell was he talking about?! He frowned.

"Logan, did he talk to you before he left?" Ororo seemed curious of how he had such an insight on her brother. "He may..., what, Logan?"

"He may not survive," he said deadpan. "I don't know how I know 'Ro. This is getting creepy. I should go talk to Cyke now."

He turned around, leaving her with a baffled look on her face. 'She must think yer crazy!' he thought. On the outside, he just growled.
Apparently, the quarrel between Cyclops and Rogue was over, because as soon as he reach them, she gave him a nasty look and fled out of the room. Logan just grinned.

"So, I get to go?" Scott nodded tiredly. "Just the two of us?" Scott nodded again. "Great!" he patted his shoulder, heard him sigh and left for his room to start packing. He was grinning all the way up to the second floor.
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