Hey people. Did you like the last chapter I posted? Hope so. Okay this
chapter is a little confusing but bear with me. Oh and even if it doesn't
make sense to some of you, read until the end and it will. This chapter is
long.or at least it is to me.
Okay so now on with the reviewers.
Review Answers:
buffyangelus- sorry I didn't update for a while but I had finals to deal with. Thanks for taking the time to review and plz review for this chapter if you can. Hope you like the next chapter!
Girl number 1- Really? Thanks. R/R again plz!
Solitaire- Thanks for reviewing again. Means a lot to me that you read the chapter when you usually skip fighting scenes. Sorry for not updating sooner! (Finals are evil)
Moranar- Okay about the Rouge/Rogue spelling thing. My computer is set to change the spelling from certain words so I guess Rogue was one of them. I stayed up all night and redid it though. I did separate some chapters but fanfic.net doesn't keep the indents that I put in unless they skip an entire space.
Fllnangel- Lol, thanx. I didn't know my chapter deserved a happy dance! There will definitely be MUCH more Romy to come but not so much in this chapter. This chapter is actually confusing enough as it is. But Romyness galore will be in future chapters. Keep those reviews coming!
Thanks for all your reviews. I need at least five for this chapter before I can post again. The faster I get more reviews the faster the next chapter is posted. I luv you guys. Hope you enjoy the next chapter.
Just so u know, this chapter is a little on the confusing side in some scenes. Try and read it through though cuz it will all make sense in the end and don't worry, I'm NOT going Off Cannon on Remy's character.
And now for the Featured Presentation. erm. Chapter!
-CHAPTER 9-
-Betrayal-
Remy sat in the Study with Logan, Storm, Hank, and Xavier. He was tired and in a whole lot of pain, having the crap just been beaten out of him by an oversized feline.
He just wanted to go home and get away from these people. He didn't need their help. The only problem was that he no longer had a home, and he did need their help.
"Now we're not telling you that you have to join us at the institute. We merely think it would be best for you and Chloe to be in an environment that will protect you and help you with your mutant abilities." Xavier explained to the rain soaked, silent boy on the couch.
Logan had his arms crossed over his chest, staring down at the boy in a sort of half not trusting, half confused remorse. It puzzled him why Remy didn't want help taking care of his sister. Gambit knew he needed it. So why was he being so closed off and stubborn about it?
Storm sat in thought with Hank doing the same. Remy hadn't said anything yet either. He had a black right eye and was bleeding under the other one but no one could see them because they were hidden well by a pair of sunglasses and a poker face blocking out any pain they were causing him to feel. Xavier of course knew about the injuries because of his telepathy but decided not to bother him about it just yet.
"We don't want to push but." Xavier trailed off when Remy's head rose up from leaning over.
"Okay." The Cajun boy answered in a quiet, yet clear voice, cutting off the Professor before he could ask again.
What was that?" Xavier questioned, not expecting him to talk.
"Gambit realize dat he can' hide de world from Chloe or vise versa." He said with a defeated sigh. "An' as much as he tried, tings gettin' worse by de minute."
Remy stood and looked out the window while he talked. "I can' protect her from Magneto. Hell, Remy can' get away from Mags himself wit out gettin' a black eye." Remy finished with a small laugh, sliding off his glasses.
Storm saw the injuries and immediately stood up, walking toward the first aid kit by the desk.
"S' okay. Gambit's fine. But he gotta know, if he puts Chloe in your hands she gonna be okay fo' sure?" He asked the professor.
"As safe as any of the students I house here." He answered in a calm voice. Remy sighed deeply again and paused in thought for a minute.
"Den its settled. Chloe gonna be stayin here wit you non?" He asked the man in the wheelchair.
"Yes, of course. But what about yourself Gambit? We always have room for more." He told the boy. Gambit raised his hand in disagreement.
"Non, as long as Mags wan' Gambit he gonna be lookin' and dats jus' one mo' ting Remy'd be riskin' Chloe's safety wit." He explained. "One condition dough." The Cajun told the old man. "I can come an' visit wit de fille non?"
"Of course. Any time you'd like. Just make sure your timing is appropriate and we know your coming so we can be ready for you." Xavier explained. The alarm system was not something to fool around with at the Xavier institute.
"Oui." Merci Professa." He said, standing to his feet.
"Logan, why don't you take Gambit to his sister? I have a feeling he'll want to tell her this himself." Xavier suggested.
Logan nodded and left the room, followed by a silent, and hesitant Remy. Gambit wasn't completely sure of what he was doing, but this was the best thing for Chloe, or at least that was what he kept telling himself.
The two were silent for a while, walking down the many identical halls and down the stairs. Logan decided to brake the silence, which surprised Remy.
"Yer doing the right thing bub. This is the best thing you could do for her right now." He assured him, still walking in front of him.
"Dats what Remy be hopin." He replied quietly.
They were silent the rest of the way. Remy didn't know how he was going to tell his younger sister the news without her exploding into whatever emotions she was keeping inside of her but he knew it had to be done weather she liked it or not.
Gambit was snapped out of his train of thought when Logan broke the silence again by saying, "Here we are."
Remy sighed and looked at the door. He put his hand on the doorknob and paused, looking back at Logan and then back at the knob.
"Merde. I can' do it." Remy said in a pained voice. Going one on one with a powerful opponent he could do. Living on his own at age sixteen in a state he'd never even been to before he could do. But telling his baby sister that the only family she had left was now going somewhere he wasn't sure of and might not be back for a long time, he was in no position to do.
How bout you do it monami? You jus' be de Wolverine. It don' matta if she hates you, oui?" Gambit asked the older mutant behind him with a hopeful, yet doubtful and desperate look on his face.
"Sorry bub, you gotta do this yourself. Don't worry so much. She'll understand.eventually. But she needs to hear it from you. No one else." Wolverine said, eying the door to the next room.
Gambit took a deep breath and muttered something in French that Logan didn't understand. Grasping the doorknob, he started to turn it ever so slightly.
The door cracked open and he watched for a few seconds with Logan as he saw Chloe and the other X-men playing a game of foosball. She had a smile on her face. A genuine smile. Something Remy hadn't seen on her face sense the accident.
She was wearing a pair of jeans and a top that looked similar to what the valley girl was wearing. Remy figured that Chloe had borrowed it from Kitty sense he hadn't recognized it from the collection of clothes in his sister's suitcase and it was dry.
Her hair was still wet but she was having fun and it made the heavy load on Remy's heart lighten to see it. He knew then that he was doing the right thing for sure.
Remy opened the door slightly and cleared his throat a bit. "Remy! Hey! Wanna play a game of Foosball?" Chloe offered.
"Not now petite. We gotta talk." He said, taking her hand and pulling her into the hallway.
The X-kids wanted to see what was going on but were denied their curiosity by Logan, closing the doors to the hallway and standing in front of them to give the two some privacy.
Kurt tried to port into the next room and hang on the chandelier but Logan caught him by his tail and he sat down on the couch, grumbling something about how his tail was always getting abused at the institute.
Logan folded his arms over his chest and eyed the group. "Hey, where's Stripes?" He asked the team.
Everyone looked around but she wasn't there. "Oh I think she like wanted to go take a shower or something when we got home." Kitty answered.
Rogue wasn't the type to be in with the crowd or gossiping or nosing around where she didn't need to be so Logan just left it alone.
Meanwhile, in the hallway by the stairs.
"Remy what's wrong?" Chloe asked, seeing her older brother shift his weight from side to side and staring at her through his red on black eyes.
She loved those eyes. They made her feel safe and at home. She remembered her parents telling her stories of how when she was a baby she would cry and cry for hours on end until Remy came up to her and looked at her with those beautiful, cryptic eyes.
She would stop crying after seeing them because she knew that they belonged to the boy who cared for her so much that he would never let any harm come to her. She knew they belonged to her older brother.
"Chloe y' know Remy loves ya an' he only does stuff dat he tinks is good fo' ya oui?"
"Oui." Chloe answered in her second language, though she felt extremely uneasy when she heard the words coming out of her brother's mouth.
Words like that could never end up in a good way. They were like your boyfriend telling you, 'We need to talk' but she nodded her head in agreement anyways.
"Well Remy been tinkin' an' he had a long talk wit de Professa an' de rest o' de X-men adults an'." He tried to find the words but couldn't quite get them out of his mouth.
"Remy just spit it out would you?" Chloe asked impatiently. The suspense was killing her.
"Remy decided dat you gonna be stayin 'ere wit de X-men." He said in one breath and waited for the arguing to commence.
"For real? Oh Remy that's great." She said, giving him a big hug, which he accepted, though totally thrown off by her reaction to the news.
"Ya mean y' aint mad at Remy?" He questioned her after releasing her from the hug.
"Mad? Why would I be mad? We're gonna live with the X-men. This is great. I'll be able to practice my powers with them and hang out like a normal kid and.and you'll be able to flirt with Rogue a whole lot more." She added with a twinkle in her eyes.
"We're?" He echoed her.
"Yeah. You and I. We're gonna do this together. Because Le beau's gotta stick together. Remember? That's what you said. That's what you told me." She quoted her brother in a Southern Cajun accent from their conversation a few nights back. (AN: read prologue if you don't remember him saying this.)
'Oh Merde. She tinks I'm moving in wit her. She's not gonna make dis easy fo' me.' He thought. He cursed silently at her long-term memory.
'I tell her to wait in the apartment and not go out and she forgets. I tell her Le'beaus gotta stick togetta an' de fille remembers like it be on de back o' her hand.'
He let out a frustrated and painful sigh, along with Wolverine who had been overhearing the little conversation through the thick walls with his sensitive hearing.
"Come on kid. The sooner you tell her, the easier its gonna be." Logan said aloud without even noticing it.
"Uh.Mr. Logan like who are you talking to?" Kitty asked him curiously as he guarded the door.
"Nobody Half pint. Just go sit down and read your magazine."
"Non petite. What Remy means is dat.dat you livin wit de X-men. Not Remy." He explained. Chloe's face softened a bit, and then turned to sadness and confusion.
"What? But.but I don't understand. Why can't you stay here too? I don't want you to leave me Remy. Please don't leave me." She pleaded.
"Non petite. Dis gonna be de best ting fo' ya. As long as Mags is afta Remy, he can' be livin wit ya. It be too dangerous fo' ya. You saw what happened at de apartment today." He explained in a firm yet soothing voice.
"But I.I cant live without you." She argued, starting to take in the information she was just given.
"Chloe, you been livin wit out Remy fo' all yo' life." He told her, trying not to make things harder then they already were.
"But that was before. I had mom and dad and Aunt Laura. Now all that's left is you and you're.you're."
"Gonna be comin back t' visit ya every chance Remy gets." He finished for her.
"You said.you promised." She stuttered. Tears welling up in her eyes and falling down her cheeks. "You told me. You said 'Le beau's gotta stick togetta.'" She quoted him in his Cajun accent once more. Tears were now streaming down her face without her trying to hold them back.
Remy tried to wipe them away but she flinched and pulled away from his reach.
"Petite, I be doin' dis fo' you. Its de best ting fo-"
"NO Remy Le beau!" She shouted, pulling further away from him. "You promised. You promised we'd always be together and you lied."
She was trying to talk in a way he'd understand her but her mind was so distant right now. So full of pain. She could barely think straight.
"And don't say your doing this for me because even if that's true the main reason your not staying is because you don't want to. You'd rather get yourself beaten to a bloody pulp by your X-teammates and some moron with a bucket on his head then have to deal with me." She told him. She wasn't crying to the point of sobbing or anything but the tears were still falling.
"You were a lot happier with the Acolytes than you are with me but sense I'm your sister you had to give it all up. Now your going back out there so they can play 'Kick the Cajun' until you bleed to death." She shouted.
All the pain, all the hatred she'd been feeling for herself and in general was all bottled up and ready to burst. She couldn't take it any longer. She'd promised herself she'd hide the pain and burry the longing she had to be in her parent's arms once more. But she couldn't hide it or fake it any longer and it felt like she was going to explode from keeping it all in.
"Its not like dat chere." He tried to explain, not changing the tone of his voice the way she had. "You gotta believe dat I'm only doin dis fo' you." Remy tried again but it was to no avail.
"No, no your not." She said, a bit louder then she'd meant to, but she didn't care at this point. "You're doing this because you don't want to be near me. Admit it. You can't even look at me straight in the face because of what happened with mom and dad." She accused.
It was true though. Remy had rarely looked Chloe straight in the eyes sense the accident, but it wasn't because he didn't want to look at her. It was useless for Remy to try and explain the present accusation at this point.
"Well.dat aint fair petite. Oui, it be true but." She cut him off with a few choice words in French which Remy had never heard her say before. Frankly he wasn't sure where she'd even learned them.
He had never seen his little sister like this before. He wanted to hold her, to comfort her and tell her everything was going to be okay but there was no way she was going to let him get close enough to do so.
"Its my fault mom and dad were in the car in the first place, its my fault I wasn't wearing my seatbelt and its my fault their dead. You know it, I know it, and from how loud I'm yelling the rest of the damn world knows it too."
She was thinking these thoughts the entire time and he had no idea. She blamed herself for the accident and was sure that if it weren't for her, her mother and father would still be alive.
This all came as a surprise to Remy. Of all the people he'd expected her to take their death out on, he didn't consider the possibility of her taking it out on herself.
"So fine! If you want to leave than leave. But I swear Remy Le Beau, if someone finds your dead, bloody body one night in an ally I will never forgive you." She told him in a pain filled voice, running out of the mansion and into one of the gardens with tears falling down her face, non stop.
"Merde. Smooth move Remy. Now she hates y' fo' sure." He said aloud, putting his hand to his temple in frustration.
"She don't hate ya Cajun." Rogue said, walking down the flight of stairs.
"So ya heard dat huh?" Remy looked at her as she stepped down off the bottom step to face him.
"Yeah, and don't worry about it. She won't be mad at you forever." She tried to reassure him. "Do ya really know dat fo' sure Chere?" He asked her as he gazed into her hazel eyes.
"Ah sure do. How the hell could she get any more angry at ya then she already is?" She asked. It was supposed to lighten the mood a little but failed at doing so.
"Ah mean it is possible. When Ah first met ya I hated yer guts but now." Rogue trailed off, realizing the mistake she'd almost made.
"And I also know that ya did the right thing. She'll be a whole lot safer here than she would have been out there." She told him, pointing to the city on the other side of the gates.
"Oui, I know dat an you know dat, but de fille.she don' an' she be takin it personal." He sat down on the bottom stair and thought for a few minutes.
Rogue paused before taking a seat next to him. She didn't usually get this close to someone, especially when she wasn't even wearing any make-up sense she had been taking a shower, but Rogue decided to make an exception for the hopeless boy.
"Ah can't tell ya every things gonna be alright cause chances are they won't. There's obstacles ya gotta overcome. All families gotta go through stuff, but they go through it together. Even our warped little family at the institute." She said with a little laugh, which caused him smile momentarily.
Chloe ran into the hedge maze in the backyard. She made her way to the center of the elegant, simple maze, which was a small, yet beautiful little plot of land.
There was a fountain with flowers and plants growing all around it. A tree was rooted into the corner of the square area and the moon, stars, and random fireflies provided the only light.
Chloe stood in silence for a minute, receiving flashbacks of Remy and herself trying to catch fireflies in jars in the Bayou during the summer when she was an infant.
She had stopped crying, leaving tear stains running down her face. This garden was too beautiful a place to be crying in. She looked around and took in her surroundings.
Chloe could tell that this was going to be her favorite place in her new home. Her new home? Could she really call it that? It was a home without Remy. A home without family.
She thought about the fight she'd just had with Remy. It wasn't actually a fight. It was more of her going ballistic on him when he needed her to act mature and understanding.
"Aw man, why'd I have to explode on him like that?" She asked the skies as she looked up and threw her hands in the air. No one answered.
She sat down on the bench by the fountain and thought for a minute. "I feel so awful." She said aloud. "He's never gonna want to speak to me again." She said to no one in particular.
"I wouldn't count on it." Chloe jumped from her seat, startled from the new comer's voice. She had her fists up, ready for a fight. The petite girl lowered her balled up hands when she realized who it was.
"Oh Remy, I.I didn't see you there." She told him as she sat back down on the bench and stared intently at her shoes.
"Look Remy I'm sorry about before. I wasn't thinking."
"No you weren't tinkin. You're a selfish little brat. And yo' right, I don' wan t' be with you and you want t' know why? It's cause it is yo' fault dat mom an' dad died. If it weren't fo' you, they'd still be alive. Why couldn't y' have died instead? Or at least died wit' em?"
After he was done letting out his feelings he looked up to see how his younger sister had taken his speech.
She looked like hell. Her face was flushed, tears welling up in her eyes, the painful look on her gentle face that could have only formed from the breaking of her now shattered heart. She looked very close to being ill as well.
She knew it was her fault but she didn't think he wanted her dead because of it. But he did. She heard it from his own mouth. It was true.
He saw her lips trembling and her legs shaking. She probably wouldn't be able to stand on her own two feet much longer. He smirked at the thought of her crashing to her knees in a fit of silent tears.
Chloe looked up at him through her tear filled eyes and took a deep breath.
"Well, if that's the way you feel.than I guess there's nothing I can do about it." She said slowly, trying not to burst into tears in front of him. In reality she mfelt like she was going to be sick. It was like the ain was somehow eating her away from the insides.
She was trying to be as calm and mature for her brother as possible but her control on her emotions was slipping and causing her to feel a bit dizzy and light-headed like the feeling she'd gotten when the man in the ambulance told her the fate of her parents.
"I won't make a big deal about living at the mansion without you sense you obviously don't want to live with me either way." She said in a quite voice that was almost a whisper, looking down at her feet again.
"Non, your not gonna be livin at de institute." He told her.
"Huh? But I thought you said."
"Dat was befo' ya gave Remy such a hard time. Now he don' see what de problem is wit sendin ya to Magneto. Maybe he can teach ya a few manners non?" He asked with an evil grin on his face.
"Okay Remy, you know what? We just had a huge fight and now I think maybe we're saying some stuff we don't mean." She tried to reason with him before he said or did something they both would regret.
"Non Petite. Gambit knows exactly what he be sayin. Now come on. Gambit gotta take ya t' Mags befo' de bonehead X-men figure out dat we be missin."
'Sense when does he refer to himself as Gambit in front of me? He never did before.' Chloe thought to herself but was pulled back into reality from what Remy had just said.
"They won't let you take me. She told him.
"Non, but dey won' know I be taken y' either. All Remy gotta do is turn on de charm an'."
He took a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. He then read it aloud for Chloe to hear.
Dear X-men and Remy
I know now what my fate is in this world. I want to be an Acolyte. Do not try and stop me. If you do I will have no choice but to do as Lord Magneto tells me and go against you.
Magneto is expecting me and assures me that unless I want to be found, I won't be. Please do not try and find me. I will be fine with Magneto and the Acolytes. Thanks for nothing losers.
Chloe Le beau!
He folded the paper up again and put it in his trench coat pocket. "Remy what the hell has gotten into you?" She asked him, but he didn't answer. He just grinned at her in an evil way.
He pulled some rope out of his pocket and stepped toward her. Her eyes widened and she stepped back, only to find herself cornered into a hedge bush.
She formed two energy balls in her fists and threw them at Remy. "Get a grip Rem." She ordered him only it was more of a pleading command.
The tears had stopped but only because of the utter state of fear and shock she was experiencing at the moment. He shook off the effect of the powers quickly.
By that time Chloe made a run for the mansion. She looked behind her to see if her now apparently crazed, unstable, older brother was following her.
While she was looking back she wasn't watching where she was going and ran into said brother.
Chloe let out a horrified, ear-piercing scream at the sight of him. 'How had he gotten in front of her so quickly?' She thought to herself briefly.
"Petite what's wrong?" Remy asked, catching his sister in his strong arms as she fell backward in shock and surprise.
"How did you. never mind, just get away from me you creep." She said, yanking her arms out of his grip.
"Wait, Chloe what's wrong?" He yelled, running after her.
The Remy from the hedge maze watched this with amusement as his red on black eyes glowed yellow and his form shifted into a blue woman with red hair. She smirked and shifted into a raven, flying over the real Gambit and a short ways past Chloe. She landed behind the hiding place of a tree.
She shifted back into Gambit and jumped in front of Chloe who was running as fast as her legs would take her.
Chloe let out another scream only this one was a little bit louder. The real Remy heard it and his motivation to run faster increased.
Mystique, who was currently going as Gambit, grabbed Chloe and pulled her behind a tree. The fact that he wasn't holding back his strength and hurting her physically now wasn't very comforting.
He pinned her to the tree, making her wince in pain. She had a scratch right above her left cheekbone that was threatening to bleed. "Remy please.your.hurting me." She pleaded between struggling from his grip and trying to breathe easier.
Chloe's eyes widened even more in terror as she saw who she thought was her big brother, pulling out a deck of cards and separating one of them from the deck.
"Shhh!" Remy hushed her quietly, yet soothingly when she began to whimper. "Dis only gonna hurt a bit." He assured her, holding up the card to charge it in front of her.
"Remy please. You don't want to do this." She insisted, trying to find the last remaining shred of sanity in her brother, if there was any left.
"Oh but I do petite." The Remy impersonator told her.
Chloe closed her eyes and kept them shut tight, trying to concentrate on her powers. Two energy balls formed in her hand once more and she punched him in the chest.
Normally both Mystique and Gambit would have been able to block or catch the feeble throw but the punch came with a burst of electric energy that zapped into Gambit's chest like a bolt of painful electricity coursing through his body.
Seeing Gambit at a weekend state, she took the opportunity to punch him in the stomach and shove her wrist up to his nose after her powers faded from her fists.
"Guess you shouldn't have taught me all that self defense, non?" She asked in mock form before losing the shred of confidence she had gained after using her powers and running faster than she'd ever run before to the house, screaming for help the entire time.
Logan was sitting in the room, watching the X-kids read or talk amongst themselves when he heard a glass shattering scream coming from somewhere outside. Scott heard it too but not as loudly as the man with sensitive hearing.
He growled and out came the claws. He opened the door of the room only to be knocked into by a terrified, hysterically crying Chloe. "Kid what's wrong?" He growled.
She was out of breath and would have passed out if he hadn't caught her when she knocked into him. He hadn't moved an inch from the collision but for her it was like getting thrown into a brick wall. One of the perks of having a metal bone cover.
He held her up when he saw that her legs had gone limp. She was crying a lot more now and all Logan could get out of her was "Remy.sob.rope.sob.Magneto.sob cards" And so on between muffled cries.
"Jean can't you just do the mind thing with her sense I'm not getting anywhere with talking?" Logan asked the redhead.
Jean nodded and used her telepathic abilities to figure out what the hell was wrong with the girl.
While in her mind Jean was able to sort out everything. The fight in the hallway, the fight in the garden, what Remy had told Chloe more or less, and how Remy had tried to use his powers against her but that was all she could pick up and it was still blurry at that.
Jean wasn't exactly sure what Gambit had said to his sister just yet but she did know that it made Chloe feel pain beyond belief.
"He said what?" Jean asked, alarmed and aloud in disbelief. She'd calmed the younger mutant down enough to be able to find out exactly what the fake Remy had said, seeing how asking Chloe to just tell them was out of the question in the girl's frantic state. Jean just didn't understand why he would say something like that to his own sister.
"Who said what?" Rogue asked, entering the room. "Gambit." Jean said, turning her head toward Rogue to answer and back to the frail form of Chloe.
Jean put a comforting hand on Chloe's shoulder but it didn't seem to help in calming the girl down. "It's okay sweetie. We're not going to let anyone hurt you." Jean assured Chloe when she saw the younger girl starting to shake from what Jean could tell was pain, betrayal, confusion, and fear.
"Well Jean? What did you see?" Scott asked her. All the X-men were waiting for some answers and because Jean was the only student that was a telepath, they had to wait for her to give them the information.
"As far as I can tell something happened between her and Gambit, and he got mad at her and said.some things, and tried to use his powers on her." Jean informed her teammates, not wanting to go into details about what he actually said.
"That aint it." Rogue said. "They just had a fight an' Chloe stormed off." She corrected Jean.
"And how exactly would you know this Stripes?" Logan eyed her suspiciously.
"I um." Rogue didn't have to finish her explanation because as soon as she opened her mouth to try and come up with one Remy came bursting in through the doors, clearly out of breath.
Chloe's eyes had a look of terror in them again, which Scott and Jean noticed immediately. She moved away and hid herself behind the safety of Logan.
She felt so stupid for doing this. She wasn't a child and could usually take care of herself but she had never seen Remy like this before and it scared her.
"What the hell happened out there Cajun?" Logan asked, impatiently.
"Yeah Remy, what happened?" Rogue repeated.
"Remy?" Kitty asked Rogue, referring to what her teammate had called him.
"Ah mean Gambit. What happened Gambit?" Rogue asked, covering up her mistake of actually calling him by his first name as if he actually meant something to her.
"Remy don' know. He seen Chloe runnin in de yard an' when she saw Remy she jus' screamed." He explained.
"Are you sure that's all that happened?" Scott asked the Cajun, not believing that he was telling the whole truth.
"Why would Remy lie bout sometin' like dat?" He asked Cyclops out of irritation.
"I don't know. But why would she?" Cyclops asked Remy, pointing to his terrified sister, hidden and protected by a confused, but still on guard Logan.
Arguing commenced as the group started to fight about who did what. Rogue had already had a huge headache and the fighting wasn't exactly helping.
"Stop yer yellin already would ya?" Rogue yelled at all the others, which silenced them all. "Gawd ya'll are loud. Look, Ahm just gonna make things a whole lot easier for everybody." She announced in annoyance and frustration from her now pounding headache.
Before she could stop herself she pulled off her right glove and very lightly touched Chloe on the cheek so as not to get all her memories, but just the most recent ones.
Rogue saw everything. The fight that she'd already witnessed herself, Chloe's discovery of the garden, and then Remy. All the things Remy was being accused of were true.
Rogue felt sick. How could he be saying these things to his baby sister?
She felt the rage boiling up inside of her. Rogue wanted to smack herself for actually trusting him and letting her guard down somewhat.
He lied. He sounded so honest but he'd looked her in the face and lied.
After Rogue felt the rest of Chloe's most recent memories she looked up to see everybody staring at her. Except of course Chloe who had fallen back into Logan's arms from her drainage.
Chloe wasn't unconscious or anything. She just needed to lean on someone for support for a few minutes.
Rogue looked up at the Cajun, completely ignoring the others. "Well? What did you see?" Kitty asked her roommate impatiently.
Rogue didn't answer her friend. She merely stared at Remy with a blank expression, perhaps trying to figure him out.
After sliding on her right glove, Rogue walked over to the Swamp Rat and without warning, punched him square in the jaw as hard as she could.
She didn't care about hurting him if she touched him. She just didn't want his sick, twisted thoughts stuck in her head. Though to see the Cajun collapse on the ground would be satisfying.
Gambit of course, not expecting this, fell back and hit the ground hard.
"Chere? What was dat fo'?" He inquired, massaging his soar jaw.
"Get the hell outta here you lyin, dead beat, Swamp Rat." She said through gritted teeth.
"Oh Chere, y' words hurt Remy." He protested in a playful way, sarcastically clutching his chest in mock pain.
"Words aint gonna be tha only thing I hurt ya with if ya don't leave now!" She threatened. He didn't move.
She took off her other glove and stepped closer towards him. "Yer loss." She said, taking her bare hands and putting them in front of him.
"Easy there Stripes." Logan told the Goth, trying to calm her down the best he could without ending up in the med bay for the night.
The last thing he needed right now was an unconscious Cajun and a Female Remy to deal with, which is what he'd be getting if Rogue insisted on sucking the life out of the boy.
"What exactly did you see Rogue?" Scott inquired, allowing Chloe to lean on him when Logan stepped into the ring to intervene.
"Him. He was gonna send her ta Magneto and make a run for it." Rogue said, through her still gritted teeth.
"I think you'd better leave Gambit." Scott said in more of an order then anything else. Cyclops stood in a now defensive stance.
"Non. Not till Remy figures out what's wrong wit de petite an' why de hell he be gettin' punched by de gothic beauty." He said firmly.
Logan stood in front of Chloe again. "Cajun, if you don't get yer sorry ass outta here in the next thirty seconds." Logan trailed off.
Remy held his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine!" "Remy don' wanna cause no trouble. He be back when y' all calm down a bit." He said, winking at Rogue and glancing once more at his terrified sister.
He hated leaving her like this but it was either that or become a human scratch post for Wolverine.
The people in the room didn't say anything. They were all looking at the ground, trying not to think about how badly Chloe must have felt. Chloe didn't want Logan to leave so he had Jean go get the Professor from his office.
Xavier would have already known about the whole fight, if he hadn't been working on a few adjustments on Cerebro. The mutant finding machine needed all his telepathic uses put into it so as long as he was working, he wouldn't hear the other people's telepathic calls.
The rain had now lightened to drizzling outside and it wasn't until 2:30 in the morning that Chloe had finally fallen asleep on the couch next to Logan, listening to him talk about Motorcycles.
A raven sat up in a nearby tree where the open window was. Its eyes turned golden and glowed for a second or two before returning to the normal black orbs and flying away.
Okay now I know that chapter may have been confusing for some of you with all the Remy-Mystique-Remy-Mystique stuff.
Basically what happened was that after Chloe got mad at Remy when he said he was leaving without her, Chloe ran out of the mansion, Mystique pretended to be Remy in the garden, and again outside the garden. Chloe thought she was Remy and now everyone is mad at Remy but he doesn't know why. The bird was Raven.
I need some reviews people. Okay I want you to try and review cuz schools out and you've got more time. I'm not updating until I get enough reviews to help or encourage continuing or stopping. Oh and for those of you who are wondering, yes aunt Laura will be brought up again as will Remy's reason for not wanting to look at his sister.
Well that's the end of this chapter.
I know it was confusing and I SWEAR I will soooo answer any questions you have. hope you liked it anyways.
REVIEW ASAP!!!!
I need at least five reviews to update again!
Neways. gtg. Huge thunder storm and my moms totally paranoid that me being on the internets gonna cause a power outage or blow a fuse or get electrocuted or something.
-Later days!
Any Q's?
Any off canons? Any Romy or confusing bits or suggestions?
You know the drillYou write em' and I answer em' in the next update.
-Later
Review ASAP kay?
-AngieX
Okay so now on with the reviewers.
Review Answers:
buffyangelus- sorry I didn't update for a while but I had finals to deal with. Thanks for taking the time to review and plz review for this chapter if you can. Hope you like the next chapter!
Girl number 1- Really? Thanks. R/R again plz!
Solitaire- Thanks for reviewing again. Means a lot to me that you read the chapter when you usually skip fighting scenes. Sorry for not updating sooner! (Finals are evil)
Moranar- Okay about the Rouge/Rogue spelling thing. My computer is set to change the spelling from certain words so I guess Rogue was one of them. I stayed up all night and redid it though. I did separate some chapters but fanfic.net doesn't keep the indents that I put in unless they skip an entire space.
Fllnangel- Lol, thanx. I didn't know my chapter deserved a happy dance! There will definitely be MUCH more Romy to come but not so much in this chapter. This chapter is actually confusing enough as it is. But Romyness galore will be in future chapters. Keep those reviews coming!
Thanks for all your reviews. I need at least five for this chapter before I can post again. The faster I get more reviews the faster the next chapter is posted. I luv you guys. Hope you enjoy the next chapter.
Just so u know, this chapter is a little on the confusing side in some scenes. Try and read it through though cuz it will all make sense in the end and don't worry, I'm NOT going Off Cannon on Remy's character.
And now for the Featured Presentation. erm. Chapter!
-CHAPTER 9-
-Betrayal-
Remy sat in the Study with Logan, Storm, Hank, and Xavier. He was tired and in a whole lot of pain, having the crap just been beaten out of him by an oversized feline.
He just wanted to go home and get away from these people. He didn't need their help. The only problem was that he no longer had a home, and he did need their help.
"Now we're not telling you that you have to join us at the institute. We merely think it would be best for you and Chloe to be in an environment that will protect you and help you with your mutant abilities." Xavier explained to the rain soaked, silent boy on the couch.
Logan had his arms crossed over his chest, staring down at the boy in a sort of half not trusting, half confused remorse. It puzzled him why Remy didn't want help taking care of his sister. Gambit knew he needed it. So why was he being so closed off and stubborn about it?
Storm sat in thought with Hank doing the same. Remy hadn't said anything yet either. He had a black right eye and was bleeding under the other one but no one could see them because they were hidden well by a pair of sunglasses and a poker face blocking out any pain they were causing him to feel. Xavier of course knew about the injuries because of his telepathy but decided not to bother him about it just yet.
"We don't want to push but." Xavier trailed off when Remy's head rose up from leaning over.
"Okay." The Cajun boy answered in a quiet, yet clear voice, cutting off the Professor before he could ask again.
What was that?" Xavier questioned, not expecting him to talk.
"Gambit realize dat he can' hide de world from Chloe or vise versa." He said with a defeated sigh. "An' as much as he tried, tings gettin' worse by de minute."
Remy stood and looked out the window while he talked. "I can' protect her from Magneto. Hell, Remy can' get away from Mags himself wit out gettin' a black eye." Remy finished with a small laugh, sliding off his glasses.
Storm saw the injuries and immediately stood up, walking toward the first aid kit by the desk.
"S' okay. Gambit's fine. But he gotta know, if he puts Chloe in your hands she gonna be okay fo' sure?" He asked the professor.
"As safe as any of the students I house here." He answered in a calm voice. Remy sighed deeply again and paused in thought for a minute.
"Den its settled. Chloe gonna be stayin here wit you non?" He asked the man in the wheelchair.
"Yes, of course. But what about yourself Gambit? We always have room for more." He told the boy. Gambit raised his hand in disagreement.
"Non, as long as Mags wan' Gambit he gonna be lookin' and dats jus' one mo' ting Remy'd be riskin' Chloe's safety wit." He explained. "One condition dough." The Cajun told the old man. "I can come an' visit wit de fille non?"
"Of course. Any time you'd like. Just make sure your timing is appropriate and we know your coming so we can be ready for you." Xavier explained. The alarm system was not something to fool around with at the Xavier institute.
"Oui." Merci Professa." He said, standing to his feet.
"Logan, why don't you take Gambit to his sister? I have a feeling he'll want to tell her this himself." Xavier suggested.
Logan nodded and left the room, followed by a silent, and hesitant Remy. Gambit wasn't completely sure of what he was doing, but this was the best thing for Chloe, or at least that was what he kept telling himself.
The two were silent for a while, walking down the many identical halls and down the stairs. Logan decided to brake the silence, which surprised Remy.
"Yer doing the right thing bub. This is the best thing you could do for her right now." He assured him, still walking in front of him.
"Dats what Remy be hopin." He replied quietly.
They were silent the rest of the way. Remy didn't know how he was going to tell his younger sister the news without her exploding into whatever emotions she was keeping inside of her but he knew it had to be done weather she liked it or not.
Gambit was snapped out of his train of thought when Logan broke the silence again by saying, "Here we are."
Remy sighed and looked at the door. He put his hand on the doorknob and paused, looking back at Logan and then back at the knob.
"Merde. I can' do it." Remy said in a pained voice. Going one on one with a powerful opponent he could do. Living on his own at age sixteen in a state he'd never even been to before he could do. But telling his baby sister that the only family she had left was now going somewhere he wasn't sure of and might not be back for a long time, he was in no position to do.
How bout you do it monami? You jus' be de Wolverine. It don' matta if she hates you, oui?" Gambit asked the older mutant behind him with a hopeful, yet doubtful and desperate look on his face.
"Sorry bub, you gotta do this yourself. Don't worry so much. She'll understand.eventually. But she needs to hear it from you. No one else." Wolverine said, eying the door to the next room.
Gambit took a deep breath and muttered something in French that Logan didn't understand. Grasping the doorknob, he started to turn it ever so slightly.
The door cracked open and he watched for a few seconds with Logan as he saw Chloe and the other X-men playing a game of foosball. She had a smile on her face. A genuine smile. Something Remy hadn't seen on her face sense the accident.
She was wearing a pair of jeans and a top that looked similar to what the valley girl was wearing. Remy figured that Chloe had borrowed it from Kitty sense he hadn't recognized it from the collection of clothes in his sister's suitcase and it was dry.
Her hair was still wet but she was having fun and it made the heavy load on Remy's heart lighten to see it. He knew then that he was doing the right thing for sure.
Remy opened the door slightly and cleared his throat a bit. "Remy! Hey! Wanna play a game of Foosball?" Chloe offered.
"Not now petite. We gotta talk." He said, taking her hand and pulling her into the hallway.
The X-kids wanted to see what was going on but were denied their curiosity by Logan, closing the doors to the hallway and standing in front of them to give the two some privacy.
Kurt tried to port into the next room and hang on the chandelier but Logan caught him by his tail and he sat down on the couch, grumbling something about how his tail was always getting abused at the institute.
Logan folded his arms over his chest and eyed the group. "Hey, where's Stripes?" He asked the team.
Everyone looked around but she wasn't there. "Oh I think she like wanted to go take a shower or something when we got home." Kitty answered.
Rogue wasn't the type to be in with the crowd or gossiping or nosing around where she didn't need to be so Logan just left it alone.
Meanwhile, in the hallway by the stairs.
"Remy what's wrong?" Chloe asked, seeing her older brother shift his weight from side to side and staring at her through his red on black eyes.
She loved those eyes. They made her feel safe and at home. She remembered her parents telling her stories of how when she was a baby she would cry and cry for hours on end until Remy came up to her and looked at her with those beautiful, cryptic eyes.
She would stop crying after seeing them because she knew that they belonged to the boy who cared for her so much that he would never let any harm come to her. She knew they belonged to her older brother.
"Chloe y' know Remy loves ya an' he only does stuff dat he tinks is good fo' ya oui?"
"Oui." Chloe answered in her second language, though she felt extremely uneasy when she heard the words coming out of her brother's mouth.
Words like that could never end up in a good way. They were like your boyfriend telling you, 'We need to talk' but she nodded her head in agreement anyways.
"Well Remy been tinkin' an' he had a long talk wit de Professa an' de rest o' de X-men adults an'." He tried to find the words but couldn't quite get them out of his mouth.
"Remy just spit it out would you?" Chloe asked impatiently. The suspense was killing her.
"Remy decided dat you gonna be stayin 'ere wit de X-men." He said in one breath and waited for the arguing to commence.
"For real? Oh Remy that's great." She said, giving him a big hug, which he accepted, though totally thrown off by her reaction to the news.
"Ya mean y' aint mad at Remy?" He questioned her after releasing her from the hug.
"Mad? Why would I be mad? We're gonna live with the X-men. This is great. I'll be able to practice my powers with them and hang out like a normal kid and.and you'll be able to flirt with Rogue a whole lot more." She added with a twinkle in her eyes.
"We're?" He echoed her.
"Yeah. You and I. We're gonna do this together. Because Le beau's gotta stick together. Remember? That's what you said. That's what you told me." She quoted her brother in a Southern Cajun accent from their conversation a few nights back. (AN: read prologue if you don't remember him saying this.)
'Oh Merde. She tinks I'm moving in wit her. She's not gonna make dis easy fo' me.' He thought. He cursed silently at her long-term memory.
'I tell her to wait in the apartment and not go out and she forgets. I tell her Le'beaus gotta stick togetta an' de fille remembers like it be on de back o' her hand.'
He let out a frustrated and painful sigh, along with Wolverine who had been overhearing the little conversation through the thick walls with his sensitive hearing.
"Come on kid. The sooner you tell her, the easier its gonna be." Logan said aloud without even noticing it.
"Uh.Mr. Logan like who are you talking to?" Kitty asked him curiously as he guarded the door.
"Nobody Half pint. Just go sit down and read your magazine."
"Non petite. What Remy means is dat.dat you livin wit de X-men. Not Remy." He explained. Chloe's face softened a bit, and then turned to sadness and confusion.
"What? But.but I don't understand. Why can't you stay here too? I don't want you to leave me Remy. Please don't leave me." She pleaded.
"Non petite. Dis gonna be de best ting fo' ya. As long as Mags is afta Remy, he can' be livin wit ya. It be too dangerous fo' ya. You saw what happened at de apartment today." He explained in a firm yet soothing voice.
"But I.I cant live without you." She argued, starting to take in the information she was just given.
"Chloe, you been livin wit out Remy fo' all yo' life." He told her, trying not to make things harder then they already were.
"But that was before. I had mom and dad and Aunt Laura. Now all that's left is you and you're.you're."
"Gonna be comin back t' visit ya every chance Remy gets." He finished for her.
"You said.you promised." She stuttered. Tears welling up in her eyes and falling down her cheeks. "You told me. You said 'Le beau's gotta stick togetta.'" She quoted him in his Cajun accent once more. Tears were now streaming down her face without her trying to hold them back.
Remy tried to wipe them away but she flinched and pulled away from his reach.
"Petite, I be doin' dis fo' you. Its de best ting fo-"
"NO Remy Le beau!" She shouted, pulling further away from him. "You promised. You promised we'd always be together and you lied."
She was trying to talk in a way he'd understand her but her mind was so distant right now. So full of pain. She could barely think straight.
"And don't say your doing this for me because even if that's true the main reason your not staying is because you don't want to. You'd rather get yourself beaten to a bloody pulp by your X-teammates and some moron with a bucket on his head then have to deal with me." She told him. She wasn't crying to the point of sobbing or anything but the tears were still falling.
"You were a lot happier with the Acolytes than you are with me but sense I'm your sister you had to give it all up. Now your going back out there so they can play 'Kick the Cajun' until you bleed to death." She shouted.
All the pain, all the hatred she'd been feeling for herself and in general was all bottled up and ready to burst. She couldn't take it any longer. She'd promised herself she'd hide the pain and burry the longing she had to be in her parent's arms once more. But she couldn't hide it or fake it any longer and it felt like she was going to explode from keeping it all in.
"Its not like dat chere." He tried to explain, not changing the tone of his voice the way she had. "You gotta believe dat I'm only doin dis fo' you." Remy tried again but it was to no avail.
"No, no your not." She said, a bit louder then she'd meant to, but she didn't care at this point. "You're doing this because you don't want to be near me. Admit it. You can't even look at me straight in the face because of what happened with mom and dad." She accused.
It was true though. Remy had rarely looked Chloe straight in the eyes sense the accident, but it wasn't because he didn't want to look at her. It was useless for Remy to try and explain the present accusation at this point.
"Well.dat aint fair petite. Oui, it be true but." She cut him off with a few choice words in French which Remy had never heard her say before. Frankly he wasn't sure where she'd even learned them.
He had never seen his little sister like this before. He wanted to hold her, to comfort her and tell her everything was going to be okay but there was no way she was going to let him get close enough to do so.
"Its my fault mom and dad were in the car in the first place, its my fault I wasn't wearing my seatbelt and its my fault their dead. You know it, I know it, and from how loud I'm yelling the rest of the damn world knows it too."
She was thinking these thoughts the entire time and he had no idea. She blamed herself for the accident and was sure that if it weren't for her, her mother and father would still be alive.
This all came as a surprise to Remy. Of all the people he'd expected her to take their death out on, he didn't consider the possibility of her taking it out on herself.
"So fine! If you want to leave than leave. But I swear Remy Le Beau, if someone finds your dead, bloody body one night in an ally I will never forgive you." She told him in a pain filled voice, running out of the mansion and into one of the gardens with tears falling down her face, non stop.
"Merde. Smooth move Remy. Now she hates y' fo' sure." He said aloud, putting his hand to his temple in frustration.
"She don't hate ya Cajun." Rogue said, walking down the flight of stairs.
"So ya heard dat huh?" Remy looked at her as she stepped down off the bottom step to face him.
"Yeah, and don't worry about it. She won't be mad at you forever." She tried to reassure him. "Do ya really know dat fo' sure Chere?" He asked her as he gazed into her hazel eyes.
"Ah sure do. How the hell could she get any more angry at ya then she already is?" She asked. It was supposed to lighten the mood a little but failed at doing so.
"Ah mean it is possible. When Ah first met ya I hated yer guts but now." Rogue trailed off, realizing the mistake she'd almost made.
"And I also know that ya did the right thing. She'll be a whole lot safer here than she would have been out there." She told him, pointing to the city on the other side of the gates.
"Oui, I know dat an you know dat, but de fille.she don' an' she be takin it personal." He sat down on the bottom stair and thought for a few minutes.
Rogue paused before taking a seat next to him. She didn't usually get this close to someone, especially when she wasn't even wearing any make-up sense she had been taking a shower, but Rogue decided to make an exception for the hopeless boy.
"Ah can't tell ya every things gonna be alright cause chances are they won't. There's obstacles ya gotta overcome. All families gotta go through stuff, but they go through it together. Even our warped little family at the institute." She said with a little laugh, which caused him smile momentarily.
Chloe ran into the hedge maze in the backyard. She made her way to the center of the elegant, simple maze, which was a small, yet beautiful little plot of land.
There was a fountain with flowers and plants growing all around it. A tree was rooted into the corner of the square area and the moon, stars, and random fireflies provided the only light.
Chloe stood in silence for a minute, receiving flashbacks of Remy and herself trying to catch fireflies in jars in the Bayou during the summer when she was an infant.
She had stopped crying, leaving tear stains running down her face. This garden was too beautiful a place to be crying in. She looked around and took in her surroundings.
Chloe could tell that this was going to be her favorite place in her new home. Her new home? Could she really call it that? It was a home without Remy. A home without family.
She thought about the fight she'd just had with Remy. It wasn't actually a fight. It was more of her going ballistic on him when he needed her to act mature and understanding.
"Aw man, why'd I have to explode on him like that?" She asked the skies as she looked up and threw her hands in the air. No one answered.
She sat down on the bench by the fountain and thought for a minute. "I feel so awful." She said aloud. "He's never gonna want to speak to me again." She said to no one in particular.
"I wouldn't count on it." Chloe jumped from her seat, startled from the new comer's voice. She had her fists up, ready for a fight. The petite girl lowered her balled up hands when she realized who it was.
"Oh Remy, I.I didn't see you there." She told him as she sat back down on the bench and stared intently at her shoes.
"Look Remy I'm sorry about before. I wasn't thinking."
"No you weren't tinkin. You're a selfish little brat. And yo' right, I don' wan t' be with you and you want t' know why? It's cause it is yo' fault dat mom an' dad died. If it weren't fo' you, they'd still be alive. Why couldn't y' have died instead? Or at least died wit' em?"
After he was done letting out his feelings he looked up to see how his younger sister had taken his speech.
She looked like hell. Her face was flushed, tears welling up in her eyes, the painful look on her gentle face that could have only formed from the breaking of her now shattered heart. She looked very close to being ill as well.
She knew it was her fault but she didn't think he wanted her dead because of it. But he did. She heard it from his own mouth. It was true.
He saw her lips trembling and her legs shaking. She probably wouldn't be able to stand on her own two feet much longer. He smirked at the thought of her crashing to her knees in a fit of silent tears.
Chloe looked up at him through her tear filled eyes and took a deep breath.
"Well, if that's the way you feel.than I guess there's nothing I can do about it." She said slowly, trying not to burst into tears in front of him. In reality she mfelt like she was going to be sick. It was like the ain was somehow eating her away from the insides.
She was trying to be as calm and mature for her brother as possible but her control on her emotions was slipping and causing her to feel a bit dizzy and light-headed like the feeling she'd gotten when the man in the ambulance told her the fate of her parents.
"I won't make a big deal about living at the mansion without you sense you obviously don't want to live with me either way." She said in a quite voice that was almost a whisper, looking down at her feet again.
"Non, your not gonna be livin at de institute." He told her.
"Huh? But I thought you said."
"Dat was befo' ya gave Remy such a hard time. Now he don' see what de problem is wit sendin ya to Magneto. Maybe he can teach ya a few manners non?" He asked with an evil grin on his face.
"Okay Remy, you know what? We just had a huge fight and now I think maybe we're saying some stuff we don't mean." She tried to reason with him before he said or did something they both would regret.
"Non Petite. Gambit knows exactly what he be sayin. Now come on. Gambit gotta take ya t' Mags befo' de bonehead X-men figure out dat we be missin."
'Sense when does he refer to himself as Gambit in front of me? He never did before.' Chloe thought to herself but was pulled back into reality from what Remy had just said.
"They won't let you take me. She told him.
"Non, but dey won' know I be taken y' either. All Remy gotta do is turn on de charm an'."
He took a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. He then read it aloud for Chloe to hear.
Dear X-men and Remy
I know now what my fate is in this world. I want to be an Acolyte. Do not try and stop me. If you do I will have no choice but to do as Lord Magneto tells me and go against you.
Magneto is expecting me and assures me that unless I want to be found, I won't be. Please do not try and find me. I will be fine with Magneto and the Acolytes. Thanks for nothing losers.
Chloe Le beau!
He folded the paper up again and put it in his trench coat pocket. "Remy what the hell has gotten into you?" She asked him, but he didn't answer. He just grinned at her in an evil way.
He pulled some rope out of his pocket and stepped toward her. Her eyes widened and she stepped back, only to find herself cornered into a hedge bush.
She formed two energy balls in her fists and threw them at Remy. "Get a grip Rem." She ordered him only it was more of a pleading command.
The tears had stopped but only because of the utter state of fear and shock she was experiencing at the moment. He shook off the effect of the powers quickly.
By that time Chloe made a run for the mansion. She looked behind her to see if her now apparently crazed, unstable, older brother was following her.
While she was looking back she wasn't watching where she was going and ran into said brother.
Chloe let out a horrified, ear-piercing scream at the sight of him. 'How had he gotten in front of her so quickly?' She thought to herself briefly.
"Petite what's wrong?" Remy asked, catching his sister in his strong arms as she fell backward in shock and surprise.
"How did you. never mind, just get away from me you creep." She said, yanking her arms out of his grip.
"Wait, Chloe what's wrong?" He yelled, running after her.
The Remy from the hedge maze watched this with amusement as his red on black eyes glowed yellow and his form shifted into a blue woman with red hair. She smirked and shifted into a raven, flying over the real Gambit and a short ways past Chloe. She landed behind the hiding place of a tree.
She shifted back into Gambit and jumped in front of Chloe who was running as fast as her legs would take her.
Chloe let out another scream only this one was a little bit louder. The real Remy heard it and his motivation to run faster increased.
Mystique, who was currently going as Gambit, grabbed Chloe and pulled her behind a tree. The fact that he wasn't holding back his strength and hurting her physically now wasn't very comforting.
He pinned her to the tree, making her wince in pain. She had a scratch right above her left cheekbone that was threatening to bleed. "Remy please.your.hurting me." She pleaded between struggling from his grip and trying to breathe easier.
Chloe's eyes widened even more in terror as she saw who she thought was her big brother, pulling out a deck of cards and separating one of them from the deck.
"Shhh!" Remy hushed her quietly, yet soothingly when she began to whimper. "Dis only gonna hurt a bit." He assured her, holding up the card to charge it in front of her.
"Remy please. You don't want to do this." She insisted, trying to find the last remaining shred of sanity in her brother, if there was any left.
"Oh but I do petite." The Remy impersonator told her.
Chloe closed her eyes and kept them shut tight, trying to concentrate on her powers. Two energy balls formed in her hand once more and she punched him in the chest.
Normally both Mystique and Gambit would have been able to block or catch the feeble throw but the punch came with a burst of electric energy that zapped into Gambit's chest like a bolt of painful electricity coursing through his body.
Seeing Gambit at a weekend state, she took the opportunity to punch him in the stomach and shove her wrist up to his nose after her powers faded from her fists.
"Guess you shouldn't have taught me all that self defense, non?" She asked in mock form before losing the shred of confidence she had gained after using her powers and running faster than she'd ever run before to the house, screaming for help the entire time.
Logan was sitting in the room, watching the X-kids read or talk amongst themselves when he heard a glass shattering scream coming from somewhere outside. Scott heard it too but not as loudly as the man with sensitive hearing.
He growled and out came the claws. He opened the door of the room only to be knocked into by a terrified, hysterically crying Chloe. "Kid what's wrong?" He growled.
She was out of breath and would have passed out if he hadn't caught her when she knocked into him. He hadn't moved an inch from the collision but for her it was like getting thrown into a brick wall. One of the perks of having a metal bone cover.
He held her up when he saw that her legs had gone limp. She was crying a lot more now and all Logan could get out of her was "Remy.sob.rope.sob.Magneto.sob cards" And so on between muffled cries.
"Jean can't you just do the mind thing with her sense I'm not getting anywhere with talking?" Logan asked the redhead.
Jean nodded and used her telepathic abilities to figure out what the hell was wrong with the girl.
While in her mind Jean was able to sort out everything. The fight in the hallway, the fight in the garden, what Remy had told Chloe more or less, and how Remy had tried to use his powers against her but that was all she could pick up and it was still blurry at that.
Jean wasn't exactly sure what Gambit had said to his sister just yet but she did know that it made Chloe feel pain beyond belief.
"He said what?" Jean asked, alarmed and aloud in disbelief. She'd calmed the younger mutant down enough to be able to find out exactly what the fake Remy had said, seeing how asking Chloe to just tell them was out of the question in the girl's frantic state. Jean just didn't understand why he would say something like that to his own sister.
"Who said what?" Rogue asked, entering the room. "Gambit." Jean said, turning her head toward Rogue to answer and back to the frail form of Chloe.
Jean put a comforting hand on Chloe's shoulder but it didn't seem to help in calming the girl down. "It's okay sweetie. We're not going to let anyone hurt you." Jean assured Chloe when she saw the younger girl starting to shake from what Jean could tell was pain, betrayal, confusion, and fear.
"Well Jean? What did you see?" Scott asked her. All the X-men were waiting for some answers and because Jean was the only student that was a telepath, they had to wait for her to give them the information.
"As far as I can tell something happened between her and Gambit, and he got mad at her and said.some things, and tried to use his powers on her." Jean informed her teammates, not wanting to go into details about what he actually said.
"That aint it." Rogue said. "They just had a fight an' Chloe stormed off." She corrected Jean.
"And how exactly would you know this Stripes?" Logan eyed her suspiciously.
"I um." Rogue didn't have to finish her explanation because as soon as she opened her mouth to try and come up with one Remy came bursting in through the doors, clearly out of breath.
Chloe's eyes had a look of terror in them again, which Scott and Jean noticed immediately. She moved away and hid herself behind the safety of Logan.
She felt so stupid for doing this. She wasn't a child and could usually take care of herself but she had never seen Remy like this before and it scared her.
"What the hell happened out there Cajun?" Logan asked, impatiently.
"Yeah Remy, what happened?" Rogue repeated.
"Remy?" Kitty asked Rogue, referring to what her teammate had called him.
"Ah mean Gambit. What happened Gambit?" Rogue asked, covering up her mistake of actually calling him by his first name as if he actually meant something to her.
"Remy don' know. He seen Chloe runnin in de yard an' when she saw Remy she jus' screamed." He explained.
"Are you sure that's all that happened?" Scott asked the Cajun, not believing that he was telling the whole truth.
"Why would Remy lie bout sometin' like dat?" He asked Cyclops out of irritation.
"I don't know. But why would she?" Cyclops asked Remy, pointing to his terrified sister, hidden and protected by a confused, but still on guard Logan.
Arguing commenced as the group started to fight about who did what. Rogue had already had a huge headache and the fighting wasn't exactly helping.
"Stop yer yellin already would ya?" Rogue yelled at all the others, which silenced them all. "Gawd ya'll are loud. Look, Ahm just gonna make things a whole lot easier for everybody." She announced in annoyance and frustration from her now pounding headache.
Before she could stop herself she pulled off her right glove and very lightly touched Chloe on the cheek so as not to get all her memories, but just the most recent ones.
Rogue saw everything. The fight that she'd already witnessed herself, Chloe's discovery of the garden, and then Remy. All the things Remy was being accused of were true.
Rogue felt sick. How could he be saying these things to his baby sister?
She felt the rage boiling up inside of her. Rogue wanted to smack herself for actually trusting him and letting her guard down somewhat.
He lied. He sounded so honest but he'd looked her in the face and lied.
After Rogue felt the rest of Chloe's most recent memories she looked up to see everybody staring at her. Except of course Chloe who had fallen back into Logan's arms from her drainage.
Chloe wasn't unconscious or anything. She just needed to lean on someone for support for a few minutes.
Rogue looked up at the Cajun, completely ignoring the others. "Well? What did you see?" Kitty asked her roommate impatiently.
Rogue didn't answer her friend. She merely stared at Remy with a blank expression, perhaps trying to figure him out.
After sliding on her right glove, Rogue walked over to the Swamp Rat and without warning, punched him square in the jaw as hard as she could.
She didn't care about hurting him if she touched him. She just didn't want his sick, twisted thoughts stuck in her head. Though to see the Cajun collapse on the ground would be satisfying.
Gambit of course, not expecting this, fell back and hit the ground hard.
"Chere? What was dat fo'?" He inquired, massaging his soar jaw.
"Get the hell outta here you lyin, dead beat, Swamp Rat." She said through gritted teeth.
"Oh Chere, y' words hurt Remy." He protested in a playful way, sarcastically clutching his chest in mock pain.
"Words aint gonna be tha only thing I hurt ya with if ya don't leave now!" She threatened. He didn't move.
She took off her other glove and stepped closer towards him. "Yer loss." She said, taking her bare hands and putting them in front of him.
"Easy there Stripes." Logan told the Goth, trying to calm her down the best he could without ending up in the med bay for the night.
The last thing he needed right now was an unconscious Cajun and a Female Remy to deal with, which is what he'd be getting if Rogue insisted on sucking the life out of the boy.
"What exactly did you see Rogue?" Scott inquired, allowing Chloe to lean on him when Logan stepped into the ring to intervene.
"Him. He was gonna send her ta Magneto and make a run for it." Rogue said, through her still gritted teeth.
"I think you'd better leave Gambit." Scott said in more of an order then anything else. Cyclops stood in a now defensive stance.
"Non. Not till Remy figures out what's wrong wit de petite an' why de hell he be gettin' punched by de gothic beauty." He said firmly.
Logan stood in front of Chloe again. "Cajun, if you don't get yer sorry ass outta here in the next thirty seconds." Logan trailed off.
Remy held his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine!" "Remy don' wanna cause no trouble. He be back when y' all calm down a bit." He said, winking at Rogue and glancing once more at his terrified sister.
He hated leaving her like this but it was either that or become a human scratch post for Wolverine.
The people in the room didn't say anything. They were all looking at the ground, trying not to think about how badly Chloe must have felt. Chloe didn't want Logan to leave so he had Jean go get the Professor from his office.
Xavier would have already known about the whole fight, if he hadn't been working on a few adjustments on Cerebro. The mutant finding machine needed all his telepathic uses put into it so as long as he was working, he wouldn't hear the other people's telepathic calls.
The rain had now lightened to drizzling outside and it wasn't until 2:30 in the morning that Chloe had finally fallen asleep on the couch next to Logan, listening to him talk about Motorcycles.
A raven sat up in a nearby tree where the open window was. Its eyes turned golden and glowed for a second or two before returning to the normal black orbs and flying away.
Okay now I know that chapter may have been confusing for some of you with all the Remy-Mystique-Remy-Mystique stuff.
Basically what happened was that after Chloe got mad at Remy when he said he was leaving without her, Chloe ran out of the mansion, Mystique pretended to be Remy in the garden, and again outside the garden. Chloe thought she was Remy and now everyone is mad at Remy but he doesn't know why. The bird was Raven.
I need some reviews people. Okay I want you to try and review cuz schools out and you've got more time. I'm not updating until I get enough reviews to help or encourage continuing or stopping. Oh and for those of you who are wondering, yes aunt Laura will be brought up again as will Remy's reason for not wanting to look at his sister.
Well that's the end of this chapter.
I know it was confusing and I SWEAR I will soooo answer any questions you have. hope you liked it anyways.
REVIEW ASAP!!!!
I need at least five reviews to update again!
Neways. gtg. Huge thunder storm and my moms totally paranoid that me being on the internets gonna cause a power outage or blow a fuse or get electrocuted or something.
-Later days!
Any Q's?
Any off canons? Any Romy or confusing bits or suggestions?
You know the drillYou write em' and I answer em' in the next update.
-Later
Review ASAP kay?
-AngieX