"The Thief's Tale"
Vash and Jono stared at Static in shocked horror.
"You what?!" they both yelled at the blue-eyed electrokinetic.
"I told him, everything and I mean everything." Static said as he dropped down on Vash's bed. "He used his empathy on me; I didn't stand a chance, Vash!"
*Remy's an Empath? * Jono asked.
"Yeah, 'cept we're not supposed to know it." Vash said rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Everyone was supposed to find out years later. Where'd he go, Static?"
"After it was over, he calmly told me he was going out for a smoke. He was white as a sheet." The boy replied.
*That's doesn't sound so good, love* Jono interjected.
Vash through up her hands in frustration, grabbed her coat, and disappeared in a cloud of yellow sulfur.
*I'll never get use ta that.* Jono said wide-eyed.
[Outside.]
Vash ended up in the middle of the school's snow covered east grounds. As soon as the smoke cleared she was hit with a wave of raw emotion so strong she knocked to her knees. She forced herself to take a few deep breathes to keep from losing her dinner. Tears welled up in her eyes. She'd felt this before. Remy was near.
She tried her best to fight the lump in her throat, but failed miserably. When Remy got like this it was useless to fight. The intense seething loneliness, pain and bitter self-loathing was almost too much for the raven haired girl to bear. She dropped to her knees in the snow and let loose hard sobs.
"Oh, Remy." She gasped in the freezing air.
Her sight was so blurred with tears that he was almost too hard to see, huddled underneath a huge oak tree. She could barely make out green army fatigue pants and his brown trench coat. She crawled over to him on all fours, unable to stand. And there he was, sitting on a slab of rock, long legs pulled close to his chest, head lowered, broadcasting his pain to anyone in a 50-foot radius.
The Cajun hadn't noticed her approaching. He was numb to everything at this point. He raised his head wearily to acknowledge her, but he didn't say a word.
He slowly blinked puffy, tired eyes, taking her in. His face was flushed and red from the cold. Not many people had gotten to see the Cajun like this. He always acted like he didn't have any emotions at all. He was cool and suave Remy LeBeau, Gambit, the Prince o' Thieves. Nothing fazed him. But it was all an act. He did have emotions. He probably felt things much deeper than most people could ever hope to. Remy was an empath; this and his eyes had been a mutation that had been apparent at birth. He had built strong psychic shield to protect his self from the emotions of others. His 'gift' had the potential to drive one mad if they let it. As he got older he began using his power to his advantage when it suited him best. What he called his mutant charm abilities.
But tonight, Remy was tired. He no longer had the strength to keep his shields up and now everyone who got near enough was going to pay. Vash stared into the thief's crimson and jet eyes, he looked just like a scared little boy. She inched right in front of him, unable to say a word. Even if she could've, what good would it have done? She couldn't change what had happened to the young Cajun up until now. But maybe she could change his future.
Vash took a deep breath and reached deep down with in herself. She would beat the Cajun at his own game. She would counter his negative emotions with some positive emotions of her own. In return for his cold wave of loneliness, pain and self-hatred, she gave him a warm rush of companionship, understanding and unconditional love.
The boy gave a deep soul-cleansing sigh. Try as he might he couldn't out do the girl. She was an old pro.
"How can y'not hate me?" he asked in a voice so low that she barely heard him.
She smiled weakly at the auburn haired thief.
"How can I hate you when I love you so much?" She finally admitted.
They stared at each other in silence as the boy took in her words. He'd finally won his prize, but somehow it just didn't feel right.
"How can ya love me afta de way Ah treated ya, Vashoba?" Remy asked. "Static told me e'eryt'ing. Ah hurt ya real bad. Ah almost killed ya." The last remark was the barest whisper.
Vash flinched involuntarily. She had hoped that her brother had not gotten that far along in the story. The painful memory washed over the girl before she knew better. The Cajun responded accordingly, he lowered his head in shame.
"Remy," Vash began. "That hasn't even happened yet. You-"
"Not ta me, chere." Remy whispered. "But it happened ta you. Ah hurt ya, chere, an' who's ta say Ah still won't? Ah'm fucked up, Vash. Ah don't deserve ta be wit ya. Ah don't even deserve ta be here."
"Remy-" Vash tried. "You wouldn't hurt me."
"An' how do ya know dat?" he asked.
"Because you're not the same Remy LeBeau that I knew. And now we both know better so we can change things for the better." She answered.
"How do ya know Ah'm not de same person, Vashoba?" Remy replied. "Ya don't know me as well as ya t'ink."
"Why is he saying this?" she thought.
If there was anybody she really knew it was Gambit.
"Do ya know dat Ah was seven years old when Ah turned my first trick?" he asked quietly.
Vash was visibly shaken. She knew of Remy's childhood in New Orleans. She knew that no one would take the boy in because of his obvious mutation. The locals had given him the name 'Le Diable Blanc', which means the white devil in French, just because his eyes where a little different. He had never gone into too much detail about his life on the streets. She decided that she would humor him and listen quietly.
"Ah was living wit dis prostitute at the time an' her customers were more interested in me dan her." He said ruefully. "She said dat Ah had ta do it or else we'd be on da street again and she said she needed de money. She made me-"
The boy sighed deeply as if retelling the tale was as painful as living it.
"Remy-" Vash began, but the Cajun cut her off.
"The first time is always de worst." The red eyed boy continued. "The guy said dat he'd teach me e'eryt'ing. He said Ah could practice on him."
Remy ignored the horrified look on the teleporter's face. He just kept going on as if nothing was wrong.
"He hurt me real bad. Dat bitch didn't do nothin' to try an' stop him. She just sat dat dere watchin' her TV like nothin' was happenin'."
Vash stared directly into her friend's crimson and jet eyes. She could feel the bitter feelings rolling of the Cajun in waves. He needed to say this and he needed her to listen. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she obeyed none the less. She could feel the shift in the Cajun's emotions, the bitterness had begun to fade.
"Ah stayed wit her a while afta dat. In her own fucked up way she was da first real mama Ah ever had. She fed me. She kep' clothes on mah back." He paused briefly. "De police, dey find her in an alley one day, her t'roat slit. Ah was on mah own again den. Until, Jean Luc find me."
Remy paused again and Vash saw a hint of the Cajun's smile. Vash knew how Remy felt about his adopted father Jean-Luc LeBeau. Those had been the only truly happy years of the boy's short life. That was until, Belladonna, the infamous granddaughter of the leader of the Assassins' Guild, showed up. The Guilds. Remy had once told Vash everything about them. Jean-Luc had arranged a truce between his Thieves' Guild and the Assassins' Guild, effectively ending their legendary feud. The truce included the arranged marriage of the Thieves' young prince Remy and the lovely Belladonna.
It was true that Remy had been married once. Belladonna had been Remy's first love and the two of them were eager to get married, but Bell's brother, Julien had other plans. Julien challenged Remy to a fight at the happy couple's reception. You see, Julien knew Remy's little secret. The young prince was a filthy mutant and Julien could not have his one and only sister married to a mutant. Unfortunately, for Remy, this would be the night of one of his greatest regrets.
The first power surge.
Remy's mutant power of kinetically charging inorganic objects emerged when he was only thirteen. Jean-Luc knew of mutants and had been convinced that Remy was one when he'd first laid eyes on the boy. He had kept it a guarded secret as best he could; claiming that the boy's eyes were the only thing abnormal about him.
Remy's gift had matured along with everything else. He'd gained a level of control over it but that fateful night was another story. Everything had happened so fast that he couldn't rightly recall what really happened. All he knew was that he caused a hell of an explosion, killing Julien and who knows how many others. But he hadn't meant to, but none of that mattered to the Assassins, they wanted the mutant's blood. Jean-Luc convinced them to have mercy and they only banished the boy from New Orleans and his adopted family forever. Of course, this meant that according to the Assassins, he and Bell's marriage was nonexistent.
His mutation had cost him everything once again. It always had.
He left New Orleans with nothing more than the thieving skills that Jean-Luc had taught him. Those skills, coupled with the Cajun's superior agility and flexibility, had made the Remy a superb thief. But he was only able to survive but for so long working for others, until his employers discovered that he was a mutant.
He was in St. Louis at the time, bumming around, when it happened again.
Another power surge. The first time this had happened, Remy had not been aware of the feeling. The tingling sensation that spread throughout his entire body, usually the sensation had only been located in his fingertips, the feeling of intense heat, and then the feeling of exploding but not. He felt it coming before hand and it scared him senseless. So he ran to the only place that he'd ever felt safe, besides Jean-Luc's, a local Catholic Church. Jean-Luc had always drug the boy to church in New Orleans for Sunday mass. He remembered the delicate statues and beautiful stained glass. He'd never felt so safe in all his short years. He would go there now and pray for a better ending than he had gotten before. The priest had tired to calm the boy, but there was nothing to be done. Remy's power had grown too far out of his control. The church was nearly destroyed, taking the kindly priest's life in the process.
Even after some semblance of normality was restored to Remy's 'gift', he refused to ever use his mutations again. That meant that his thieving days were over. Which left but one option for the obvious homo-superior; he'd return to the life he'd known before becoming someone's child. He was attractive in his own way. Men seemed to like him even with his odd colored eyes; besides, once a whore, always a whore.
But that was until Nathaniel found him. That was before Nathaniel saved him.
Dr. Nathaniel Essex, the mad scientist. He was a geneticist. He helped Remy when no one else would. No one had ever really explained to the boy what exactly he was. All Remy knew was sometimes when he touched things, they went 'BOOM'. Essex explained everything to Remy. He told him that he was an Omega class mutant, one of the most powerful in the world. Unfortunately, for Remy, his mind was no longer capable of fully controlling his immense powers. The good doctor promised the thief that he could give him treatment to dampen his abilities. Of course, after all the awful things that had happened, the boy jumped at the idea. He was from then on an Alpha class mutant, still very strong, but no where near as unstable and he was forever in the mad scientist's debt.
To even the score, Essex enlisted Remy to build a team of his very own mercenaries, called the Marauders. This is where the story becomes familiar to Vash. This would be the beginning of one of Remy's greatest regrets.
The Morlock Massacre was the mutant equivalent to the 9-11 disaster. Essex had used the Cajun's strong sense of self-confidence in his skills to trick him into finding out where it was that a group of mutants were hiding. He told the young thief that he only wanted study the group and that no harm would be done. That, of course was a HUGE lie. Remy didn't even realize what was going to happen until it was far too late. He tried his best to intervene, he had the scars to prove it, but to no avail. The Morlocks were slaughtered by the Marauders, all because Essex thought that they were an inferior breed.
In the end, this was the reason why Remy LeBeau had taken his Stormy up on her offer to come to the mansion. He had hoped that one day he could repent for his terrible mistake and for his life in general. He could become someone else that even he could stand to look at in the mirror. He would be brave and unselfish. He would be an X-Men. He would make sure that no other mutant would have to go through what he had to survive. But now he knew that would never be. His new friends would soon find out about his terrible secret. He would be judged and convicted by his teammates and left in a frozen wasteland to die by the one woman he thought might truly love him.
"Ah deserve e'eryt'ing dats comin' ta me, chere." Remy concluded. "But Ah most definitely don' deserve you."
Vash stared into the snow at her feet; hopefully, it would have the answer she most desperately needed. 'What to say now?'
"Ah can see why Ah loved ya, Vashoba." Remy whispered softly.
Vash looked up at him with teary eyes. Remy stared into those glowing orbs and he knew that he couldn't really leave. He would do what he hadn't done in the future, he would tell the X-Men everything and pray that they would let him stay. He also knew at that moment that any hopes of a real relationship with Vash were gone. He couldn't hurt her the way his future self had.
"But Ah can' let y'love me." He said raising to his feet.
She watched his boots as they disappeared toward the mansion. Funny how just a while ago, Remy was the one sitting under this tree in need of consolation, now here she was. She was his Pit'e Ange' and she was supposed to always be there. He was supposed to always be there for her. How could he not want her? He'd always wanted her. The slim girl picked herself off of the ground. She'd never felt so empty in her life. For the first time in almost two years, she felt truly alone. She felt cold down to her very bones; she hadn't realized she been outside so long. She trudged sadly back to the mansion. She didn't have it in her to 'port.
"No more crude sex-related comments. No more 'unwanted' kisses, grabs and caresses. No more beautiful glowing red eyes to turn her insides out." She thought.
She suddenly realized that in all her time with the Cajun thief, future and past, it wasn't him that had depended on her, it was her that had depended on him.
"He doesn't want me." A small voice squeaked in her mind.
Another more rational voice countered, it sounded strangely like her brother, Static. "Of course he wants you. But he already sees what you refuse to. You two are just no good together. He needs to figure some things out and so do you."
It made such perfect sense now. In the future, Remy had been sort of a father figure. Logan was great, but nowhere near as affectionate as the Cajun was. It was a weird relationship, of course.
"How many people do you know that WILLINGLY have sex with their fathers?"
"God." She sighed aloud. "I'm a freak."
However, this Remy wasn't like the older one. He was much sweeter, gentler. It wasn't just raw lust she saw in those oddly beautiful eyes; it was something much softer. She loved him hanging around. She realized that she had truly enjoyed their odd friendship.
"Well that's completely fucked now." She thought, sighing loudly.
She didn't even notice that she'd taken a left at the kitchen door instead of a right. She didn't even notice the sinking feeling as she descended the staircase that lead to the basement, instead of the level feeling of walking down the hall to her room.
****
Jonothon Starsmore was glowing and it wasn't from the field of psionic energy contained in his chest. The London Goth's pale skin glowed under the light of the television; he'd fallen asleep with it on again. He'd probably been waiting up for her. She knew he wouldn't have troubled her about what had happened outside. He would just say; 'Yer okay, ducks?' and hold her until she felt better. Which was in actuality a huge thing on the boy's part? Vash sensed how hard it was for him. He said his family was never big on touching and after the accident; it became even harder for him. Nevertheless, he had tried so hard with her. Imagine a serious toucher who is best friends with a serious non-toucher. The teenaged teleporter smiled to herself. She had a warm spot in her heart for the boy. He was so very beautiful and he really had no clue. Hiding in the basement like this when he had a beautiful girlfriend waiting upstairs.
"Paige?" she thought. "What does he see in her anyways? They can't possibly have anything in common."
That strange Static sounding voice returned, "You are so jealous!" it teased. "I mean you're like glowing green!"
"Am not!" She retaliated. She exhaled loudly.
"And just when did I fall for Jono?" she thought to herself. "No way girly, you're not gonna fuck this up like ya did with Remy. We're just friends. Period. The last thing that boy needs it to be in another fucked up relationship. Besides he has his lovely, blonde, Kentucky Fried Chicken eatin' girlfriend for that now." She smirked.
*Wot's that about chicken, love? *
Vash turned around to see a pair of glazed big brown cow eyes staring at her.
"Nothing." She whispered.
*So yer stayin' the night, then? *
"Sure." She answered. "Scoot over."
The Brit obeyed. Vash climbed into bed facing her bandaged friend and just smiled contently and Jono crinkled back.
*Yer okay, then, ducks? *
"I am now." She replied before closing her eyes.
Author's Note:
Chapter Fourteen will be up soon as I can get my life together. Computer died and now I can only type and post at school, but I am writing by hand all the time.
Up Next: "The Morning View and The Love Bunny-Part One" it's a trilogy.
PS: Sorry for all the Remyness, I am a closet fan. Also I have just fallen for Jono as well, so I might go on a Chamberfest soon too. Just a warning. Don't worry, the next chappie has a lot of Kurt and Storm and some Jono and Paige thrown in for fun.
Vash and Jono stared at Static in shocked horror.
"You what?!" they both yelled at the blue-eyed electrokinetic.
"I told him, everything and I mean everything." Static said as he dropped down on Vash's bed. "He used his empathy on me; I didn't stand a chance, Vash!"
*Remy's an Empath? * Jono asked.
"Yeah, 'cept we're not supposed to know it." Vash said rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Everyone was supposed to find out years later. Where'd he go, Static?"
"After it was over, he calmly told me he was going out for a smoke. He was white as a sheet." The boy replied.
*That's doesn't sound so good, love* Jono interjected.
Vash through up her hands in frustration, grabbed her coat, and disappeared in a cloud of yellow sulfur.
*I'll never get use ta that.* Jono said wide-eyed.
[Outside.]
Vash ended up in the middle of the school's snow covered east grounds. As soon as the smoke cleared she was hit with a wave of raw emotion so strong she knocked to her knees. She forced herself to take a few deep breathes to keep from losing her dinner. Tears welled up in her eyes. She'd felt this before. Remy was near.
She tried her best to fight the lump in her throat, but failed miserably. When Remy got like this it was useless to fight. The intense seething loneliness, pain and bitter self-loathing was almost too much for the raven haired girl to bear. She dropped to her knees in the snow and let loose hard sobs.
"Oh, Remy." She gasped in the freezing air.
Her sight was so blurred with tears that he was almost too hard to see, huddled underneath a huge oak tree. She could barely make out green army fatigue pants and his brown trench coat. She crawled over to him on all fours, unable to stand. And there he was, sitting on a slab of rock, long legs pulled close to his chest, head lowered, broadcasting his pain to anyone in a 50-foot radius.
The Cajun hadn't noticed her approaching. He was numb to everything at this point. He raised his head wearily to acknowledge her, but he didn't say a word.
He slowly blinked puffy, tired eyes, taking her in. His face was flushed and red from the cold. Not many people had gotten to see the Cajun like this. He always acted like he didn't have any emotions at all. He was cool and suave Remy LeBeau, Gambit, the Prince o' Thieves. Nothing fazed him. But it was all an act. He did have emotions. He probably felt things much deeper than most people could ever hope to. Remy was an empath; this and his eyes had been a mutation that had been apparent at birth. He had built strong psychic shield to protect his self from the emotions of others. His 'gift' had the potential to drive one mad if they let it. As he got older he began using his power to his advantage when it suited him best. What he called his mutant charm abilities.
But tonight, Remy was tired. He no longer had the strength to keep his shields up and now everyone who got near enough was going to pay. Vash stared into the thief's crimson and jet eyes, he looked just like a scared little boy. She inched right in front of him, unable to say a word. Even if she could've, what good would it have done? She couldn't change what had happened to the young Cajun up until now. But maybe she could change his future.
Vash took a deep breath and reached deep down with in herself. She would beat the Cajun at his own game. She would counter his negative emotions with some positive emotions of her own. In return for his cold wave of loneliness, pain and self-hatred, she gave him a warm rush of companionship, understanding and unconditional love.
The boy gave a deep soul-cleansing sigh. Try as he might he couldn't out do the girl. She was an old pro.
"How can y'not hate me?" he asked in a voice so low that she barely heard him.
She smiled weakly at the auburn haired thief.
"How can I hate you when I love you so much?" She finally admitted.
They stared at each other in silence as the boy took in her words. He'd finally won his prize, but somehow it just didn't feel right.
"How can ya love me afta de way Ah treated ya, Vashoba?" Remy asked. "Static told me e'eryt'ing. Ah hurt ya real bad. Ah almost killed ya." The last remark was the barest whisper.
Vash flinched involuntarily. She had hoped that her brother had not gotten that far along in the story. The painful memory washed over the girl before she knew better. The Cajun responded accordingly, he lowered his head in shame.
"Remy," Vash began. "That hasn't even happened yet. You-"
"Not ta me, chere." Remy whispered. "But it happened ta you. Ah hurt ya, chere, an' who's ta say Ah still won't? Ah'm fucked up, Vash. Ah don't deserve ta be wit ya. Ah don't even deserve ta be here."
"Remy-" Vash tried. "You wouldn't hurt me."
"An' how do ya know dat?" he asked.
"Because you're not the same Remy LeBeau that I knew. And now we both know better so we can change things for the better." She answered.
"How do ya know Ah'm not de same person, Vashoba?" Remy replied. "Ya don't know me as well as ya t'ink."
"Why is he saying this?" she thought.
If there was anybody she really knew it was Gambit.
"Do ya know dat Ah was seven years old when Ah turned my first trick?" he asked quietly.
Vash was visibly shaken. She knew of Remy's childhood in New Orleans. She knew that no one would take the boy in because of his obvious mutation. The locals had given him the name 'Le Diable Blanc', which means the white devil in French, just because his eyes where a little different. He had never gone into too much detail about his life on the streets. She decided that she would humor him and listen quietly.
"Ah was living wit dis prostitute at the time an' her customers were more interested in me dan her." He said ruefully. "She said dat Ah had ta do it or else we'd be on da street again and she said she needed de money. She made me-"
The boy sighed deeply as if retelling the tale was as painful as living it.
"Remy-" Vash began, but the Cajun cut her off.
"The first time is always de worst." The red eyed boy continued. "The guy said dat he'd teach me e'eryt'ing. He said Ah could practice on him."
Remy ignored the horrified look on the teleporter's face. He just kept going on as if nothing was wrong.
"He hurt me real bad. Dat bitch didn't do nothin' to try an' stop him. She just sat dat dere watchin' her TV like nothin' was happenin'."
Vash stared directly into her friend's crimson and jet eyes. She could feel the bitter feelings rolling of the Cajun in waves. He needed to say this and he needed her to listen. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she obeyed none the less. She could feel the shift in the Cajun's emotions, the bitterness had begun to fade.
"Ah stayed wit her a while afta dat. In her own fucked up way she was da first real mama Ah ever had. She fed me. She kep' clothes on mah back." He paused briefly. "De police, dey find her in an alley one day, her t'roat slit. Ah was on mah own again den. Until, Jean Luc find me."
Remy paused again and Vash saw a hint of the Cajun's smile. Vash knew how Remy felt about his adopted father Jean-Luc LeBeau. Those had been the only truly happy years of the boy's short life. That was until, Belladonna, the infamous granddaughter of the leader of the Assassins' Guild, showed up. The Guilds. Remy had once told Vash everything about them. Jean-Luc had arranged a truce between his Thieves' Guild and the Assassins' Guild, effectively ending their legendary feud. The truce included the arranged marriage of the Thieves' young prince Remy and the lovely Belladonna.
It was true that Remy had been married once. Belladonna had been Remy's first love and the two of them were eager to get married, but Bell's brother, Julien had other plans. Julien challenged Remy to a fight at the happy couple's reception. You see, Julien knew Remy's little secret. The young prince was a filthy mutant and Julien could not have his one and only sister married to a mutant. Unfortunately, for Remy, this would be the night of one of his greatest regrets.
The first power surge.
Remy's mutant power of kinetically charging inorganic objects emerged when he was only thirteen. Jean-Luc knew of mutants and had been convinced that Remy was one when he'd first laid eyes on the boy. He had kept it a guarded secret as best he could; claiming that the boy's eyes were the only thing abnormal about him.
Remy's gift had matured along with everything else. He'd gained a level of control over it but that fateful night was another story. Everything had happened so fast that he couldn't rightly recall what really happened. All he knew was that he caused a hell of an explosion, killing Julien and who knows how many others. But he hadn't meant to, but none of that mattered to the Assassins, they wanted the mutant's blood. Jean-Luc convinced them to have mercy and they only banished the boy from New Orleans and his adopted family forever. Of course, this meant that according to the Assassins, he and Bell's marriage was nonexistent.
His mutation had cost him everything once again. It always had.
He left New Orleans with nothing more than the thieving skills that Jean-Luc had taught him. Those skills, coupled with the Cajun's superior agility and flexibility, had made the Remy a superb thief. But he was only able to survive but for so long working for others, until his employers discovered that he was a mutant.
He was in St. Louis at the time, bumming around, when it happened again.
Another power surge. The first time this had happened, Remy had not been aware of the feeling. The tingling sensation that spread throughout his entire body, usually the sensation had only been located in his fingertips, the feeling of intense heat, and then the feeling of exploding but not. He felt it coming before hand and it scared him senseless. So he ran to the only place that he'd ever felt safe, besides Jean-Luc's, a local Catholic Church. Jean-Luc had always drug the boy to church in New Orleans for Sunday mass. He remembered the delicate statues and beautiful stained glass. He'd never felt so safe in all his short years. He would go there now and pray for a better ending than he had gotten before. The priest had tired to calm the boy, but there was nothing to be done. Remy's power had grown too far out of his control. The church was nearly destroyed, taking the kindly priest's life in the process.
Even after some semblance of normality was restored to Remy's 'gift', he refused to ever use his mutations again. That meant that his thieving days were over. Which left but one option for the obvious homo-superior; he'd return to the life he'd known before becoming someone's child. He was attractive in his own way. Men seemed to like him even with his odd colored eyes; besides, once a whore, always a whore.
But that was until Nathaniel found him. That was before Nathaniel saved him.
Dr. Nathaniel Essex, the mad scientist. He was a geneticist. He helped Remy when no one else would. No one had ever really explained to the boy what exactly he was. All Remy knew was sometimes when he touched things, they went 'BOOM'. Essex explained everything to Remy. He told him that he was an Omega class mutant, one of the most powerful in the world. Unfortunately, for Remy, his mind was no longer capable of fully controlling his immense powers. The good doctor promised the thief that he could give him treatment to dampen his abilities. Of course, after all the awful things that had happened, the boy jumped at the idea. He was from then on an Alpha class mutant, still very strong, but no where near as unstable and he was forever in the mad scientist's debt.
To even the score, Essex enlisted Remy to build a team of his very own mercenaries, called the Marauders. This is where the story becomes familiar to Vash. This would be the beginning of one of Remy's greatest regrets.
The Morlock Massacre was the mutant equivalent to the 9-11 disaster. Essex had used the Cajun's strong sense of self-confidence in his skills to trick him into finding out where it was that a group of mutants were hiding. He told the young thief that he only wanted study the group and that no harm would be done. That, of course was a HUGE lie. Remy didn't even realize what was going to happen until it was far too late. He tried his best to intervene, he had the scars to prove it, but to no avail. The Morlocks were slaughtered by the Marauders, all because Essex thought that they were an inferior breed.
In the end, this was the reason why Remy LeBeau had taken his Stormy up on her offer to come to the mansion. He had hoped that one day he could repent for his terrible mistake and for his life in general. He could become someone else that even he could stand to look at in the mirror. He would be brave and unselfish. He would be an X-Men. He would make sure that no other mutant would have to go through what he had to survive. But now he knew that would never be. His new friends would soon find out about his terrible secret. He would be judged and convicted by his teammates and left in a frozen wasteland to die by the one woman he thought might truly love him.
"Ah deserve e'eryt'ing dats comin' ta me, chere." Remy concluded. "But Ah most definitely don' deserve you."
Vash stared into the snow at her feet; hopefully, it would have the answer she most desperately needed. 'What to say now?'
"Ah can see why Ah loved ya, Vashoba." Remy whispered softly.
Vash looked up at him with teary eyes. Remy stared into those glowing orbs and he knew that he couldn't really leave. He would do what he hadn't done in the future, he would tell the X-Men everything and pray that they would let him stay. He also knew at that moment that any hopes of a real relationship with Vash were gone. He couldn't hurt her the way his future self had.
"But Ah can' let y'love me." He said raising to his feet.
She watched his boots as they disappeared toward the mansion. Funny how just a while ago, Remy was the one sitting under this tree in need of consolation, now here she was. She was his Pit'e Ange' and she was supposed to always be there. He was supposed to always be there for her. How could he not want her? He'd always wanted her. The slim girl picked herself off of the ground. She'd never felt so empty in her life. For the first time in almost two years, she felt truly alone. She felt cold down to her very bones; she hadn't realized she been outside so long. She trudged sadly back to the mansion. She didn't have it in her to 'port.
"No more crude sex-related comments. No more 'unwanted' kisses, grabs and caresses. No more beautiful glowing red eyes to turn her insides out." She thought.
She suddenly realized that in all her time with the Cajun thief, future and past, it wasn't him that had depended on her, it was her that had depended on him.
"He doesn't want me." A small voice squeaked in her mind.
Another more rational voice countered, it sounded strangely like her brother, Static. "Of course he wants you. But he already sees what you refuse to. You two are just no good together. He needs to figure some things out and so do you."
It made such perfect sense now. In the future, Remy had been sort of a father figure. Logan was great, but nowhere near as affectionate as the Cajun was. It was a weird relationship, of course.
"How many people do you know that WILLINGLY have sex with their fathers?"
"God." She sighed aloud. "I'm a freak."
However, this Remy wasn't like the older one. He was much sweeter, gentler. It wasn't just raw lust she saw in those oddly beautiful eyes; it was something much softer. She loved him hanging around. She realized that she had truly enjoyed their odd friendship.
"Well that's completely fucked now." She thought, sighing loudly.
She didn't even notice that she'd taken a left at the kitchen door instead of a right. She didn't even notice the sinking feeling as she descended the staircase that lead to the basement, instead of the level feeling of walking down the hall to her room.
****
Jonothon Starsmore was glowing and it wasn't from the field of psionic energy contained in his chest. The London Goth's pale skin glowed under the light of the television; he'd fallen asleep with it on again. He'd probably been waiting up for her. She knew he wouldn't have troubled her about what had happened outside. He would just say; 'Yer okay, ducks?' and hold her until she felt better. Which was in actuality a huge thing on the boy's part? Vash sensed how hard it was for him. He said his family was never big on touching and after the accident; it became even harder for him. Nevertheless, he had tried so hard with her. Imagine a serious toucher who is best friends with a serious non-toucher. The teenaged teleporter smiled to herself. She had a warm spot in her heart for the boy. He was so very beautiful and he really had no clue. Hiding in the basement like this when he had a beautiful girlfriend waiting upstairs.
"Paige?" she thought. "What does he see in her anyways? They can't possibly have anything in common."
That strange Static sounding voice returned, "You are so jealous!" it teased. "I mean you're like glowing green!"
"Am not!" She retaliated. She exhaled loudly.
"And just when did I fall for Jono?" she thought to herself. "No way girly, you're not gonna fuck this up like ya did with Remy. We're just friends. Period. The last thing that boy needs it to be in another fucked up relationship. Besides he has his lovely, blonde, Kentucky Fried Chicken eatin' girlfriend for that now." She smirked.
*Wot's that about chicken, love? *
Vash turned around to see a pair of glazed big brown cow eyes staring at her.
"Nothing." She whispered.
*So yer stayin' the night, then? *
"Sure." She answered. "Scoot over."
The Brit obeyed. Vash climbed into bed facing her bandaged friend and just smiled contently and Jono crinkled back.
*Yer okay, then, ducks? *
"I am now." She replied before closing her eyes.
Author's Note:
Chapter Fourteen will be up soon as I can get my life together. Computer died and now I can only type and post at school, but I am writing by hand all the time.
Up Next: "The Morning View and The Love Bunny-Part One" it's a trilogy.
PS: Sorry for all the Remyness, I am a closet fan. Also I have just fallen for Jono as well, so I might go on a Chamberfest soon too. Just a warning. Don't worry, the next chappie has a lot of Kurt and Storm and some Jono and Paige thrown in for fun.