Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men
characters. Thanks also to my good friend Corrinth for the use of the
character Ilehana Xavier.
A/N: Don't forget to review : )
Scene Eighteen
Gambit stood back from the dazed Blaze, giving her one last chance to get up and leave. She didn't. Standing slowly she suddenly launched herself at the man in front of her. With supreme agility she swung a roundhouse kick at his head, both feet leaving the ground. He staggered back before Blaze's fist slammed into his ribs. Again and again she pummelled him, driving him back calmly into the centre of the room.
With a hiss Gambit began to fight back, also agile he landed punches quicker than Blaze could block them. They battled like they were possessed, but neither seemed to gain ground against the other. Then in an instant Gambit grabbed a large chunk of equipment, ripping it from the laboratory wall and slamming it down on Blaze's head. She fell back, and for a second she felt the fire building inside her. Almost naturally she found herself doing as Xavier had taught her. She looked into the core of her being, found the wellspring of her power. Instead of grabbing for a tendril of her fire, she let it wrap itself around her, welcoming it.
Blaze opened her eyes. In her hand balls of bright orange fire grew, beautiful and alive. Looking up at Gambit she smiled, and launched the fireballs at him. Fire consumed him, sent him flying across the room, crashing over equipment and slamming into the wall. Then all was still.
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"Did I know you could do that Petite?" Gambit asked, intrigued.
**If you did you were steps ahead of me. ** He frowned as she spoke in his head. But then she smiled, ran over to him and hugged him. "I've missed you so much!"
They held each other for only a second, friends reunited. Then almost coyly Blaze spoke again.
"So who's the shape shifter?" She nodded to the prone blue form by the back wall.
"Mystique." Remy spat the name like it left a bad taste in her mouth. "She promised she wouldn't hurt you, just send you away."
"Why Remy?" Blaze turned her eyes from Mystique to look pleadingly at her friend. "Why do you want me to leave?"
"You've new friends now. Powerful friends. A telepath..." Remy shrugged unsmiling. There was a small taint of fear in his New Orleans accent. "I don't want nobody messing in my head."
Blaze frowned for a second. Then she could almost feel Xavier smiling trustingly back in Cerebro.
**Blaze, when I first met you, you didn't trust me either. I hope by now I have earned that trust. ** Xavier didn't wait for her confirmation. **You may by now have realised that you too have a small amount of telepathic ability. Gambit certainly has. Whilst you have been apart, your subconscious has been reaching out for him, trying to support and assist him...**
**The dreams? The dreams were real? ** Blaze was shocked.
**Yes, I do believe so. ** The Professor continued. ** That link you have forged is a powerful one. I would like to use it now, if I may, to introduce myself to Gambit. With any luck, I will be able to convince Gambit too that the X-Men can be trusted. **
**By all means Professor, but why do you need this link to talk to him? **
** Technically I don't, ** The Professor was smiling again. **Consider this an introduction by a mutual friend; you. It's just polite. **
"Blaze is you okay?" Gambit was looking at her strangely.
** I'm fine. Just talking to a friend. ** She smiled again, trying to reassure him. ** It's not such a bad thing, telepathy. **
** But then you got nothin' to hide Petite. **
** Gambit? ** A strange voice asked in his head, male and powerful, yet kind and trusting. ** You needn't worry. No telepath with any sort of control would enter another's mind without permission. **
** You did it to Blaze. ** Gambit replied, and then wondered how he knew.
** I did. ** The Professor replied. ** But only to save her life. And, I seem to remember, you approved at the time. **
Suddenly Gambit remembered, as though remembering a dream on waking, or words to a song thought forgotten. He had been in his cell, alone and bored. He'd fallen asleep, and begun to dream of Blaze again. But this time was much worse. She was lost, scared. She didn't want to carry on. The more he tried to help her the more she pulled away, getting weaker and weaker. Then someone else had intruded on the dream. For a while Blaze fought him too, but neither would she let Remy help her fight. Finally he had revealed himself, everything about himself, his life and his loves. He had earned both their trust in that moment. But now it turned out not to be a dream, but reality?
Through the bond between Blaze and Gambit, Xavier poured his self again. This time to the X-Men he added his pride at Blaze's progress with her powers, and her loyalty to both the X-Men and to Gambit. At the same time, Blaze poured her trust of Xavier and her friends the X-Men, adding her own feelings to the Professors. Awed by his friend's new grasp of her powers, Gambit did not consciously decide to trust the Professor. It was simply that he no longer distrusted an unknown telepath who had corrupted his friend. He knew this telepath as well as he knew himself; Xavier hid nothing.
Finally Xavier retreated, allowing the friends their privacy. He left only one image in both their minds, that of the mutation accelerator.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Jacobi offered you a go, didn't he?" Blaze asked as they both stood by the impressive machine.
"Yeah." Gambit wasn't sure how he felt about destroying it.
"I saw it kill someone. A mutant." Blaze looked up at the tall man stood next to her; saw his red-on-black eyes narrow as he dragged his hand through his mop of hair.
**I know. ** He answered, **I've had many strange dreams lately. **
** You want to do the honours? ** He nodded, going round to the computer console at the foot of the machine. Placing bare fingers on the screen for a moment, the computer began to turn yellow, then orange as Gambit charged it with his explosive power.
"Stand back." Gambit order Blaze. With a tumble he flipped back and out of the way, just as the computer exploded with a crash!
"My turn." Blaze said with vehemence. She clicked her fingers, creating a small flame that danced on top of her glove. Going to where Gambit had destroyed the console she flicked the tiny fireball into the pump below. In seconds the fire was raging throughout the machine's pipes and into the cylinders of potent mutation accelerant. The whole machine began to burn, flames running up the extendable arms and lapping over the metallic surface.
"Time to go?" Gambit offered.
"One second." Blaze replied. She went to where Mystique had fallen. On the floor beside the shape shifter a palmtop computer lay discarded. Picking it up, Blaze discovered detailed plans for a second machine. Blaze clasped the device between her hands and moments later it dripped heavily to the floor.
"What about her?" Gambit asked, nodding to the unconscious Mystique.
"Drag her outside. Then I can torch the place properly." Blaze answered darkly. Gambit was only too happy to oblige.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Not too long after, with the laboratory burning merrily, the black X-Men jet took off from the helipad. Ilehana tended to Storm, Cyclops was at home at the controls and Blaze lent sleepily on Gambit's shoulder.
** You know what, Gambit. ** She said telepathically.
** What Petite? ** He asked.
** I could really murder a pizza right about now. **
A/N: Don't forget to review : )
Scene Eighteen
Gambit stood back from the dazed Blaze, giving her one last chance to get up and leave. She didn't. Standing slowly she suddenly launched herself at the man in front of her. With supreme agility she swung a roundhouse kick at his head, both feet leaving the ground. He staggered back before Blaze's fist slammed into his ribs. Again and again she pummelled him, driving him back calmly into the centre of the room.
With a hiss Gambit began to fight back, also agile he landed punches quicker than Blaze could block them. They battled like they were possessed, but neither seemed to gain ground against the other. Then in an instant Gambit grabbed a large chunk of equipment, ripping it from the laboratory wall and slamming it down on Blaze's head. She fell back, and for a second she felt the fire building inside her. Almost naturally she found herself doing as Xavier had taught her. She looked into the core of her being, found the wellspring of her power. Instead of grabbing for a tendril of her fire, she let it wrap itself around her, welcoming it.
Blaze opened her eyes. In her hand balls of bright orange fire grew, beautiful and alive. Looking up at Gambit she smiled, and launched the fireballs at him. Fire consumed him, sent him flying across the room, crashing over equipment and slamming into the wall. Then all was still.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Did I know you could do that Petite?" Gambit asked, intrigued.
**If you did you were steps ahead of me. ** He frowned as she spoke in his head. But then she smiled, ran over to him and hugged him. "I've missed you so much!"
They held each other for only a second, friends reunited. Then almost coyly Blaze spoke again.
"So who's the shape shifter?" She nodded to the prone blue form by the back wall.
"Mystique." Remy spat the name like it left a bad taste in her mouth. "She promised she wouldn't hurt you, just send you away."
"Why Remy?" Blaze turned her eyes from Mystique to look pleadingly at her friend. "Why do you want me to leave?"
"You've new friends now. Powerful friends. A telepath..." Remy shrugged unsmiling. There was a small taint of fear in his New Orleans accent. "I don't want nobody messing in my head."
Blaze frowned for a second. Then she could almost feel Xavier smiling trustingly back in Cerebro.
**Blaze, when I first met you, you didn't trust me either. I hope by now I have earned that trust. ** Xavier didn't wait for her confirmation. **You may by now have realised that you too have a small amount of telepathic ability. Gambit certainly has. Whilst you have been apart, your subconscious has been reaching out for him, trying to support and assist him...**
**The dreams? The dreams were real? ** Blaze was shocked.
**Yes, I do believe so. ** The Professor continued. ** That link you have forged is a powerful one. I would like to use it now, if I may, to introduce myself to Gambit. With any luck, I will be able to convince Gambit too that the X-Men can be trusted. **
**By all means Professor, but why do you need this link to talk to him? **
** Technically I don't, ** The Professor was smiling again. **Consider this an introduction by a mutual friend; you. It's just polite. **
"Blaze is you okay?" Gambit was looking at her strangely.
** I'm fine. Just talking to a friend. ** She smiled again, trying to reassure him. ** It's not such a bad thing, telepathy. **
** But then you got nothin' to hide Petite. **
** Gambit? ** A strange voice asked in his head, male and powerful, yet kind and trusting. ** You needn't worry. No telepath with any sort of control would enter another's mind without permission. **
** You did it to Blaze. ** Gambit replied, and then wondered how he knew.
** I did. ** The Professor replied. ** But only to save her life. And, I seem to remember, you approved at the time. **
Suddenly Gambit remembered, as though remembering a dream on waking, or words to a song thought forgotten. He had been in his cell, alone and bored. He'd fallen asleep, and begun to dream of Blaze again. But this time was much worse. She was lost, scared. She didn't want to carry on. The more he tried to help her the more she pulled away, getting weaker and weaker. Then someone else had intruded on the dream. For a while Blaze fought him too, but neither would she let Remy help her fight. Finally he had revealed himself, everything about himself, his life and his loves. He had earned both their trust in that moment. But now it turned out not to be a dream, but reality?
Through the bond between Blaze and Gambit, Xavier poured his self again. This time to the X-Men he added his pride at Blaze's progress with her powers, and her loyalty to both the X-Men and to Gambit. At the same time, Blaze poured her trust of Xavier and her friends the X-Men, adding her own feelings to the Professors. Awed by his friend's new grasp of her powers, Gambit did not consciously decide to trust the Professor. It was simply that he no longer distrusted an unknown telepath who had corrupted his friend. He knew this telepath as well as he knew himself; Xavier hid nothing.
Finally Xavier retreated, allowing the friends their privacy. He left only one image in both their minds, that of the mutation accelerator.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Jacobi offered you a go, didn't he?" Blaze asked as they both stood by the impressive machine.
"Yeah." Gambit wasn't sure how he felt about destroying it.
"I saw it kill someone. A mutant." Blaze looked up at the tall man stood next to her; saw his red-on-black eyes narrow as he dragged his hand through his mop of hair.
**I know. ** He answered, **I've had many strange dreams lately. **
** You want to do the honours? ** He nodded, going round to the computer console at the foot of the machine. Placing bare fingers on the screen for a moment, the computer began to turn yellow, then orange as Gambit charged it with his explosive power.
"Stand back." Gambit order Blaze. With a tumble he flipped back and out of the way, just as the computer exploded with a crash!
"My turn." Blaze said with vehemence. She clicked her fingers, creating a small flame that danced on top of her glove. Going to where Gambit had destroyed the console she flicked the tiny fireball into the pump below. In seconds the fire was raging throughout the machine's pipes and into the cylinders of potent mutation accelerant. The whole machine began to burn, flames running up the extendable arms and lapping over the metallic surface.
"Time to go?" Gambit offered.
"One second." Blaze replied. She went to where Mystique had fallen. On the floor beside the shape shifter a palmtop computer lay discarded. Picking it up, Blaze discovered detailed plans for a second machine. Blaze clasped the device between her hands and moments later it dripped heavily to the floor.
"What about her?" Gambit asked, nodding to the unconscious Mystique.
"Drag her outside. Then I can torch the place properly." Blaze answered darkly. Gambit was only too happy to oblige.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Not too long after, with the laboratory burning merrily, the black X-Men jet took off from the helipad. Ilehana tended to Storm, Cyclops was at home at the controls and Blaze lent sleepily on Gambit's shoulder.
** You know what, Gambit. ** She said telepathically.
** What Petite? ** He asked.
** I could really murder a pizza right about now. **
