Remy walked out of Dr. McCoy's office and expected the waiting room
to be empty. Instead it held Alex, Kurt, Jean, and Scott. The last was
leaning against the far door. The first three rushed right up to Remy
right away. "What did he say?" asked Jean.
Remy reached inside his jacket and pulled out a pair of glasses. He put them on and tried to give a half smile. "Whachyall tink?"
"You look distinguished," Jean said with a kiss on the cheek.
"Now you look even more like Scott," added Alex. "We just have to cut that hair now, or maybe Scott could grow his out."
Scott and Remy replied at the same time. "No," said Scott. "Non," said Remy.
As Remy passed Scott, Scott grabbed his arm and whispered, "This isn't a truce or anything. It's just what's right."
Remy pulled off his new glasses and looked at him. "Remy Respect dat." With that he left.
Thus Remy began a new world. He spent hours with the Professor and Dr. McCoy trying to learn to read. In truth the best lessons he had were the tutoring sessions he had with Piotr. The first book Remy read front to back, no matter how much he insists it was an issue of Hustler, was The Cat in the Hat. He always had trouble remembering when he was reading in French and when he was reading in English.
Another twist in Remy and Jean's relationship came in the form of a letter. They were sitting in the Rec. Room on a Thursday afternoon. Remy had no tutoring to do. there were no scheduled simulations, thus everyone was lazing about. Kitty walked by with Dazzler, Jubilee, Kurt, and Alex in tow. They said they were going to an ice cream shop in town. They offered Jean and Remy, but they opted to stay at home. "Oh, before I forget," Kitty said, "Your mail."
Jean had a small stack of mail, two pieces of junk mail, two college recruitment letters and one personally addressed envelope. Remy watched as she read it. He took out his glasses to try and peek over her shoulder. He didn't even get the chance to as she crumpled the letter and said, "Damn it."
"What wrong Cheri?" Gambit asked like a good boy friend. He caught very few words. Only the words "Sister" and "Visit" were decipherable to his still developing literacy.
"Oh, sorry Remy. It's just a letter from my stepbrother," she looked back at the letter, somehow surprised she had crumpled it. She smoothed it out and mumbled, "Sorry Brian."
"Was' wrong wit yo brutha?"
"It's not him. He and I get along great; it's his sister that drives me up the walls. You see a few years before I was committed to the psych ward, my parents split up. My mom was spending a ton of time in England for her job, she curates a museum there now, and she had met someone else there. Anyway, this other guy is okay enough, but I still am not over calling my stepfather 'Lord Braddock.'"
Jean took a deep breath. "That was when the whole thing with my stepsister started. Everything I do she tops me at. I get good grades, she gets better ones, I do gymnastics, she aces martial arts, I get boobs, and hers are bigger. And she even carried it into mutant powers. I got telepathy, she is apparently stronger, I have telekinesis, she can make weapons from her thoughts. I join the X-Men, she joins X-Caliber."
"What is 'X-Caliber'?"
"Its sort of the English equivalent of the X-Men, but better looked upon by the government, and better supported. Meaning that Mother thinks it is more respectable. Ironically the Professor funds them both."
"So, Remy take it dat you tink you momma like 'Betsy' betta den' you?"
"It's not just my mother," Jean said standing up to pace. "It's everyone. Even my father is crazy about Betsy. Scott looses his tongue around her, Dr. McCoy finds her psionic weapons fascinating. I just hate the way I become second string around her."
"you neva' be secon' in Remy's heart Jean." The Cajun pulled her down into his lap.
She giggled softly. "Charmer," she accused.
They sat there cuddling all after noon. Unbeknownst to them, for a short period they were watched by two individuals. If Jean had been probing with her telepathy, she would have picked up their jealousy. One jealous of the Cajun, the other jealous of what they were able to do.
Jean informed everyone, well the student X-Men anyway, that X-Caliber was coming to visit in one week. Scott was excited, he wanted to show off his new team, Kurt was happy he was going to see fellow Europeans. Jean however was nuts. She became a cleaning nazi. The X-Men had cleaning duty the week before the visit. Jean had everyone scrubbing and polishing everything. Kurt was dusting chandeliers, Kitty was wiping down crawlspaces and other areas others couldn't reach, Dazzler was making sure the crystals had their best sparkle. And Remy was just trying to calm his girlfriend down.
It finally came to the day before the visit. Jean was with Remy in his and Scott's room, telling him all about the different things that might happen. "And if she tries to seduce you, just kinda brush her off, she does that to all my boyfriends. Can you wear a suit?"
"Hol' on dere cheri. Remy not gonna be seduced by some british bimbo. And why you wan' Remy wear a suit?"
She turned around and hugged him for what he said. "Oh, its just that I want to make a good impression."
"Cheri de only suit Remy got he savin' fo' weddin's an funerals, mah own included."
"Please?" she begged. "and you can wear your glasses with them, you will look so good. We can just say . . ."
"You ashame a' Remy?" he asked bluntly.
"What?" she turned around sharply. She had been rifling through his closet trying to find the right style for him.
"Are. You. Ashame'. A'. Remy?"
"what, No! Why would you ask that?"
"Cause you act like it." He put the clothes she was holding on his bed. He sat her on Scott's bed and said, "Remy lahke you cheri. Ah lahke all a' ya. Ah lahke yo' looks an' you laughter. Remy also lahke yo' tears an' yo' anger, and yo' bes' friend. Remy lahke all dis' cause it what make you, you.
"but Remy tinkin' dat you lahke Mah charm, an' mah looks, but when it come to de fact dat Remy po', and Remy illiterate, and Remy a t'eif. . . . well dats' where Remy tink yo' love stop."
"Remy," she said as she tried to touch his face. "I'm sorry. Your right. I've let my sister make me nuts. I'm sorry I thought for one second that you weren't good enough." A tear made its way down her cheek.
Remy wiped it away and said, "Cheri, Remy undastan' if you wan' preten' Scott yo' beaux' while Betsy here."
She put her arms around him and said, "Not a chance. You cant get rid of me that easy. Besides," she cooed as she moved over onto his bed. "Then Betsy might think you're available." They started kissing, and probably might have gone too far, had they not been interrupted by a throat being cleared. The jumped apart to see Scott in the doorway.
Scott said nothing about the serious rule infraction. And the next day they all gathered in the school's launch bay. That was when the jet black plane landed. It looked just like the Blackbird. Scott leaned over to Alex, who was standing beside him and whispered, "They call it the Raven. It's a little faster than the Black Bird, but it doesn't have our maneuverability. Its all in the modifications."
The ship landed and a large congregation marched off. A woman with a cane lead, and the professor wheeled right up to her. "Moira! It is so good to see you again."
Moira leaned over and kissed Charles on each cheek. "Its good to see you again Charles it has been too long." Remy raised a brow as he saw a little more there than professional courtesy. "Allow me to introduce my core team of teens, X-Caliber."
With that, six teens filed off the Jet, their uniforms just as wild and erratic as the X-Men, but somehow more orderly. In the lead was a seventeen year old in a costume that looked like someone had wrapped him in the Union Jack. Beside him was a girl who had apparently stretched a black rubber glove over her torso and let that be it. The boy went straight to Jean and said in a warm voice, "Jeanie! How are you?"
"Brian!" Jean said in an equally warm way as she hugged him. "I'm fine, but two years without hearing from my favorite stepbrother is far too long"
"You are too right." He smiled a winning smile.
The girl who had been standing at his side broke in and shook Jean's hand, "Big news Jeanie girl" said the skimpily clad beauty. "Brian has been named Captain Britain by the Queen herself."
Jean's smile faltered only for a minute, unlike Brian's, which faded completely a the mention of his new title. Betsy continued, "He will be the symbol of our nation against super-terrorists."
"Its good to see you Betsy," Jean said. She would have congratulated Brian on his title, but she could tell that he was actually feeling apprehensive about it.
"So Jeanie-Girl," Betsy drawled. "Introduce us to your team."
"Why don't I let Scott do that, he is our team leader, but you know that right Bets."
Scott shook his head and stepped forward. "Well a lot of us you two have already met like Colossus."
"Why Peter," Betsy said with a hand on Piotr's chest, "You are just getting more and more handsome."
"Thank you," Peter said not taking anything Betsy said too seriously. The last time he had seen her, she had talked him into a date, only to stand him up, Warren Worthington had asked her out.
"And Kurt," continued Scott.
Betsy ignored Kurt, whom she considered lower class because of his appearance and because he was German. Brian however went right up to him and shook his hand like an old friend. Kurt took notice of the broadsword at Brian's him. "Vould you like to spar some time?" Kurt asked, gesturing to the cutlass at his own hip.
"Sounds like a plan," Brian said with his huge kind smile.
"Probably not a good one though Brian," Betsy interrupted. "That is Excalibur you posses, who knows what it would do to Mr. Wagner's butter knife."
"Vogner," Kurt corrected her pronunciation tersely.
"But," Scott continued to try and avoid a fight, "We have many new faces to our team. "including the girls here, Shadow Cat, Jubilee, Dazzler, and Rogue." Each girl waved in turn except for Rogue who merely nodded. At each of their smiles (again except Rogue) Brian blushed a little harder, and this caused the girls to giggle.
"We also have, get this, Havoc. Also known as Alex Masters-Summers." He looked to his brother to make sure had had said it right. It was Scott's habit to omit the name "Masters" from Alex's full name.
"Wait," said Brian. "Wasn't your brother's name Alex. . . Masters-Summers . . . Scott is this your brother? I thought he was dead?"
"So did I," smirked Scott. "He thought that of me. But the professor found him and now, he is the best surfboarder at the Academy X. of course he maybe the ONLY surfboarder here." Alex hit him good naturedly.
"And allow me," Jean chirped. "To introduce the last, and newest member of the X-Men. Remy 'Gambit' LeBeau." Remy stepped forward and made a sweeping bow. As he stood Jean took his arm and smiled as she said, "He's my boyfriend."
"Really?" pressed Brian as he narrowed his eyes on Remy.
"Don' worry none, mon ami," Gambit reassured Brian. "Remy not do a tin' to hurt his Cheri." He gave Jean a peck on the cheek.
"So what part of France are you from again Remy?" asked Betsy haughtily.
"None, Remy from . . ." but he was cut off.
"Remy hails from the bayous of Louisiana." Jean supplied. Her smiled didn't fade. Remy liked that.
"Well," Brian said, trying to stop his sister from making a cruel comment, "How about we introduce our mates?"
"You know me and Betsy, or Psylocke as she likes to be called. Standin' over there are the Cassidy twins; Theresa and Sean, also known as Siryn and Banshee. Then you have our resident werewolf, Rahne St.Clair AKA Wolfsbane. Last but not least, Jono Starsmore, our Chamber. We got a problem. How we gonna challenge you lot to a fight if you got four more than us?"
"well," Scott began, "Alex had an idea that might work."
"I call it," Alex swelled with pride, "either Flagball or Mutantball."
Remy reached inside his jacket and pulled out a pair of glasses. He put them on and tried to give a half smile. "Whachyall tink?"
"You look distinguished," Jean said with a kiss on the cheek.
"Now you look even more like Scott," added Alex. "We just have to cut that hair now, or maybe Scott could grow his out."
Scott and Remy replied at the same time. "No," said Scott. "Non," said Remy.
As Remy passed Scott, Scott grabbed his arm and whispered, "This isn't a truce or anything. It's just what's right."
Remy pulled off his new glasses and looked at him. "Remy Respect dat." With that he left.
Thus Remy began a new world. He spent hours with the Professor and Dr. McCoy trying to learn to read. In truth the best lessons he had were the tutoring sessions he had with Piotr. The first book Remy read front to back, no matter how much he insists it was an issue of Hustler, was The Cat in the Hat. He always had trouble remembering when he was reading in French and when he was reading in English.
Another twist in Remy and Jean's relationship came in the form of a letter. They were sitting in the Rec. Room on a Thursday afternoon. Remy had no tutoring to do. there were no scheduled simulations, thus everyone was lazing about. Kitty walked by with Dazzler, Jubilee, Kurt, and Alex in tow. They said they were going to an ice cream shop in town. They offered Jean and Remy, but they opted to stay at home. "Oh, before I forget," Kitty said, "Your mail."
Jean had a small stack of mail, two pieces of junk mail, two college recruitment letters and one personally addressed envelope. Remy watched as she read it. He took out his glasses to try and peek over her shoulder. He didn't even get the chance to as she crumpled the letter and said, "Damn it."
"What wrong Cheri?" Gambit asked like a good boy friend. He caught very few words. Only the words "Sister" and "Visit" were decipherable to his still developing literacy.
"Oh, sorry Remy. It's just a letter from my stepbrother," she looked back at the letter, somehow surprised she had crumpled it. She smoothed it out and mumbled, "Sorry Brian."
"Was' wrong wit yo brutha?"
"It's not him. He and I get along great; it's his sister that drives me up the walls. You see a few years before I was committed to the psych ward, my parents split up. My mom was spending a ton of time in England for her job, she curates a museum there now, and she had met someone else there. Anyway, this other guy is okay enough, but I still am not over calling my stepfather 'Lord Braddock.'"
Jean took a deep breath. "That was when the whole thing with my stepsister started. Everything I do she tops me at. I get good grades, she gets better ones, I do gymnastics, she aces martial arts, I get boobs, and hers are bigger. And she even carried it into mutant powers. I got telepathy, she is apparently stronger, I have telekinesis, she can make weapons from her thoughts. I join the X-Men, she joins X-Caliber."
"What is 'X-Caliber'?"
"Its sort of the English equivalent of the X-Men, but better looked upon by the government, and better supported. Meaning that Mother thinks it is more respectable. Ironically the Professor funds them both."
"So, Remy take it dat you tink you momma like 'Betsy' betta den' you?"
"It's not just my mother," Jean said standing up to pace. "It's everyone. Even my father is crazy about Betsy. Scott looses his tongue around her, Dr. McCoy finds her psionic weapons fascinating. I just hate the way I become second string around her."
"you neva' be secon' in Remy's heart Jean." The Cajun pulled her down into his lap.
She giggled softly. "Charmer," she accused.
They sat there cuddling all after noon. Unbeknownst to them, for a short period they were watched by two individuals. If Jean had been probing with her telepathy, she would have picked up their jealousy. One jealous of the Cajun, the other jealous of what they were able to do.
Jean informed everyone, well the student X-Men anyway, that X-Caliber was coming to visit in one week. Scott was excited, he wanted to show off his new team, Kurt was happy he was going to see fellow Europeans. Jean however was nuts. She became a cleaning nazi. The X-Men had cleaning duty the week before the visit. Jean had everyone scrubbing and polishing everything. Kurt was dusting chandeliers, Kitty was wiping down crawlspaces and other areas others couldn't reach, Dazzler was making sure the crystals had their best sparkle. And Remy was just trying to calm his girlfriend down.
It finally came to the day before the visit. Jean was with Remy in his and Scott's room, telling him all about the different things that might happen. "And if she tries to seduce you, just kinda brush her off, she does that to all my boyfriends. Can you wear a suit?"
"Hol' on dere cheri. Remy not gonna be seduced by some british bimbo. And why you wan' Remy wear a suit?"
She turned around and hugged him for what he said. "Oh, its just that I want to make a good impression."
"Cheri de only suit Remy got he savin' fo' weddin's an funerals, mah own included."
"Please?" she begged. "and you can wear your glasses with them, you will look so good. We can just say . . ."
"You ashame a' Remy?" he asked bluntly.
"What?" she turned around sharply. She had been rifling through his closet trying to find the right style for him.
"Are. You. Ashame'. A'. Remy?"
"what, No! Why would you ask that?"
"Cause you act like it." He put the clothes she was holding on his bed. He sat her on Scott's bed and said, "Remy lahke you cheri. Ah lahke all a' ya. Ah lahke yo' looks an' you laughter. Remy also lahke yo' tears an' yo' anger, and yo' bes' friend. Remy lahke all dis' cause it what make you, you.
"but Remy tinkin' dat you lahke Mah charm, an' mah looks, but when it come to de fact dat Remy po', and Remy illiterate, and Remy a t'eif. . . . well dats' where Remy tink yo' love stop."
"Remy," she said as she tried to touch his face. "I'm sorry. Your right. I've let my sister make me nuts. I'm sorry I thought for one second that you weren't good enough." A tear made its way down her cheek.
Remy wiped it away and said, "Cheri, Remy undastan' if you wan' preten' Scott yo' beaux' while Betsy here."
She put her arms around him and said, "Not a chance. You cant get rid of me that easy. Besides," she cooed as she moved over onto his bed. "Then Betsy might think you're available." They started kissing, and probably might have gone too far, had they not been interrupted by a throat being cleared. The jumped apart to see Scott in the doorway.
Scott said nothing about the serious rule infraction. And the next day they all gathered in the school's launch bay. That was when the jet black plane landed. It looked just like the Blackbird. Scott leaned over to Alex, who was standing beside him and whispered, "They call it the Raven. It's a little faster than the Black Bird, but it doesn't have our maneuverability. Its all in the modifications."
The ship landed and a large congregation marched off. A woman with a cane lead, and the professor wheeled right up to her. "Moira! It is so good to see you again."
Moira leaned over and kissed Charles on each cheek. "Its good to see you again Charles it has been too long." Remy raised a brow as he saw a little more there than professional courtesy. "Allow me to introduce my core team of teens, X-Caliber."
With that, six teens filed off the Jet, their uniforms just as wild and erratic as the X-Men, but somehow more orderly. In the lead was a seventeen year old in a costume that looked like someone had wrapped him in the Union Jack. Beside him was a girl who had apparently stretched a black rubber glove over her torso and let that be it. The boy went straight to Jean and said in a warm voice, "Jeanie! How are you?"
"Brian!" Jean said in an equally warm way as she hugged him. "I'm fine, but two years without hearing from my favorite stepbrother is far too long"
"You are too right." He smiled a winning smile.
The girl who had been standing at his side broke in and shook Jean's hand, "Big news Jeanie girl" said the skimpily clad beauty. "Brian has been named Captain Britain by the Queen herself."
Jean's smile faltered only for a minute, unlike Brian's, which faded completely a the mention of his new title. Betsy continued, "He will be the symbol of our nation against super-terrorists."
"Its good to see you Betsy," Jean said. She would have congratulated Brian on his title, but she could tell that he was actually feeling apprehensive about it.
"So Jeanie-Girl," Betsy drawled. "Introduce us to your team."
"Why don't I let Scott do that, he is our team leader, but you know that right Bets."
Scott shook his head and stepped forward. "Well a lot of us you two have already met like Colossus."
"Why Peter," Betsy said with a hand on Piotr's chest, "You are just getting more and more handsome."
"Thank you," Peter said not taking anything Betsy said too seriously. The last time he had seen her, she had talked him into a date, only to stand him up, Warren Worthington had asked her out.
"And Kurt," continued Scott.
Betsy ignored Kurt, whom she considered lower class because of his appearance and because he was German. Brian however went right up to him and shook his hand like an old friend. Kurt took notice of the broadsword at Brian's him. "Vould you like to spar some time?" Kurt asked, gesturing to the cutlass at his own hip.
"Sounds like a plan," Brian said with his huge kind smile.
"Probably not a good one though Brian," Betsy interrupted. "That is Excalibur you posses, who knows what it would do to Mr. Wagner's butter knife."
"Vogner," Kurt corrected her pronunciation tersely.
"But," Scott continued to try and avoid a fight, "We have many new faces to our team. "including the girls here, Shadow Cat, Jubilee, Dazzler, and Rogue." Each girl waved in turn except for Rogue who merely nodded. At each of their smiles (again except Rogue) Brian blushed a little harder, and this caused the girls to giggle.
"We also have, get this, Havoc. Also known as Alex Masters-Summers." He looked to his brother to make sure had had said it right. It was Scott's habit to omit the name "Masters" from Alex's full name.
"Wait," said Brian. "Wasn't your brother's name Alex. . . Masters-Summers . . . Scott is this your brother? I thought he was dead?"
"So did I," smirked Scott. "He thought that of me. But the professor found him and now, he is the best surfboarder at the Academy X. of course he maybe the ONLY surfboarder here." Alex hit him good naturedly.
"And allow me," Jean chirped. "To introduce the last, and newest member of the X-Men. Remy 'Gambit' LeBeau." Remy stepped forward and made a sweeping bow. As he stood Jean took his arm and smiled as she said, "He's my boyfriend."
"Really?" pressed Brian as he narrowed his eyes on Remy.
"Don' worry none, mon ami," Gambit reassured Brian. "Remy not do a tin' to hurt his Cheri." He gave Jean a peck on the cheek.
"So what part of France are you from again Remy?" asked Betsy haughtily.
"None, Remy from . . ." but he was cut off.
"Remy hails from the bayous of Louisiana." Jean supplied. Her smiled didn't fade. Remy liked that.
"Well," Brian said, trying to stop his sister from making a cruel comment, "How about we introduce our mates?"
"You know me and Betsy, or Psylocke as she likes to be called. Standin' over there are the Cassidy twins; Theresa and Sean, also known as Siryn and Banshee. Then you have our resident werewolf, Rahne St.Clair AKA Wolfsbane. Last but not least, Jono Starsmore, our Chamber. We got a problem. How we gonna challenge you lot to a fight if you got four more than us?"
"well," Scott began, "Alex had an idea that might work."
"I call it," Alex swelled with pride, "either Flagball or Mutantball."