Disclaimer: Unlike what the seagulls seem to think, the characters here are not mine.
Streetwise Girl Nah, I won't. Got loads of thoughts I wanna put in the story. Acolyte reunion coming up. Just see :)
Star-of-Chaos *Bows* Thank you, thank you very much. It wasn't the best of scenes ever, but I just had to do it.
Ima Super Mute Ant Yes, sir, ma'm, coming right up. Working, see? Working. Like a good li'l maniac.
Enchantedlight Romyness is coming up, in the next chapter, because this chapter is going to be just Pyro and Gambit, so...but I'll get there soon.
**Okay, I really like ff.net, but they had me worried for a few days. I thought I made a nice chapter, but no one reviewed, well at least I couldn't find them on the review page and I didn't receive any e-mails about them. I didn't feel loved and I cried. No, not really, but I'm a sucker for dramatics. Then I realized that the counter under the summary said 99, while the counter on my 'stats' said 85, so I wrote ff-support about it. They kindly gave me my reviews. And e-mailed them too...in hundredfold. Hurray for ff.net. If I missed out on any reviews, sorry. But thanx for reviewing.**
Leann Oh right, Romy...hmmm....that's bound to happen somewhere...eventually. I've got a nice dinner for two planned...
Shadow-Spider More Pyro coming up. Much more. An entire chapter and some more actually...
Andi Explorer...grrr...I have some unresolved issues with it too. Btw, due to the whole review-history (above) I had I received your review, oh about thirty times (and no, I'm not exaggerating). Ff needs a vacation...
Piotr's Girl Caught? Gambit? In one sentence? Only if followed with ...but blabbing his way out of it. ;D He might go for a bigger heist, though...Curious? Read!
Anamaniax I know, I know. But what can I say? I'm evil. And loving every minute of it. He-he.
Ishandahalf Ah, yes, I made the entire chapter that long to be able to put in that line as last line. And no, it's not the end...Don't worry!
Me Well...okay, because you asked so nicely. :)
T. Yes, Pyro. I need him for the story. Hope you don't mind. It's a nice Pyro I've got here. A bit of a maniac but an alright guy. Hope you like him.
Bad-Girl4 In summary: A memory-flood. Hope you like it! :)
Caliente Gambit's an arse, always will, be always was. The slick comments, the girls, the phone numbers. It's his nature. He's an arse by nature. Wonder what evolutionary process took place to let that happen...*ponders*. Oh well. Remy cannot have no bike. It goes too well with the arse thing. Emil is a bit of a must, I like him too much not to show up in the story. Got a big role for him in another story too...Remy naked? See the arse-thing. The card issue, he has no clue. (see the phrase 'messed up nonsense memory'). I don't like everyone knowing about the Guild. It's a secret underground organization. To me it is. Cannon. Got it, should've known. My bad. I'm supposed to be able to speak French, supposedly. Yeah. Well, this just about covers it all. Read on! :)
Girl number 1 I know, punk is underrepresented. I put nofx cameos in my other story. B.R. is, oh, just about my favorite band. They've got that political air to them (left-air), love it. Heard that song, and had to think of Gambit. 'My pleasure center is a shelter for a reptile'. So wrong and so double-entendre. Gambit all over. :)
Rachel Don't worry. I adore suckups. The reason I write. Really. Need more suckups. :)
Takara, Lady of Western Lands *cough, cough* *waves smoke away* Pyro, oh yeah, that might be bad. Scott's clothing shall be burned and disinfected, and yes, in that order. Tell your friend mendari to relax and take a nice deep breath before reading this chapter. And break it to her gently, *whispers* there's more Pyro, here...
Lisalynayus Tell your friends! Have them review. Sure that next chappie will be up soon then!
Yersi Flanel Hey, I was just about to post it, but ff wouldn't let me log in so I read your review just in time! Glad you liked it!
Dark Elf3 My Gambit is a bit cliche. But I think it's real fitting. :) FF didn't let me update these past few days, so that's why I put it on today. Had it planned for two days…
A/N Ah, a quiet stroll down memory lane.
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All those happy memories...
Fissie
Remy looked around but saw no one. Thinking he dreamed it, he went back to staring at the jewelry shop. He'd need something to pick the lock on the display cases. He could use his powers, sure, but somehow, the thrill of stealing diminished when using such advantage. He couldn't remember ever using his powers in a heist. Of course, he didn't remember all his heists by far but he did notice a pattern. A paperclip should suffice. Yeah, he'd bring a paperclip. Quickly a plan formed in his head; he would come here at, say, three in the morning and...
A figure jumped next to Remy on the bench and sat down, disturbing his musings. ''I thought you were a goner.'' The figure said laughingly. Remy turned to the guy and scanned him. Orange hair, baggy pants, yellow coat, about his age, crazy man's grin. He had the word psycho written all over his face. An idea strengthened by his black shirt, which had a white print of Jack Nickelson peeking through a door with a toothy grin and mad eyes; a copy of the famous 'Here's Johnny' scene.
''Sorry, homme, but who are y'?'' Remy asked genuinely and a bit annoyed.
The kid looked at him questioningly, but quickly regained his cheerful mood. ''Very funny.''
Remy didn't think so. ''Do I look like 'm jokin'?''
The guy looked at him disbelievingly. ''I'm Pyro, mate.''
''Do I know you?'' Remy was getting increasingly irritated.
''Know me? What's wrong with you? Bumped your head or something?'' Pyro laughed that maniacal-laugh of his and slapped Gambit on the shoulder. ''We thought you were dead. But when we didn't find your body...''
The kid was hallucinating, Remy was sure of it. And babbling like franticly. Without doubt this was the most annoying Australian Remy had ever encountered. Wait a second, ~Australian?~
Remy entered the mainly black and gray kitchen and saw the figure standing behind the oven. ''_You're_ cookin'? I'm eatin' out.''
''What's wrong with my cooking?'' The orange haired guy turned around away from the boiling pot of whateveritwas and faced Gambit, anger written on his face.
Remy matched his glare. ''I like my food cooked not scorched.''
''Are you insulting my cooking?'' Insanity struck the guy. The fire from underneath the pot flew towards him and started to twirl around his hands.
Remy backed away and changed his expression. ''Pyro, look out, homme. Y'r gonna burn somethin'.''
He let out a maniacal laugh. ''It's just a little fire.'' His eyes were set to raving psychotic madman.
Remy backed away some more until bumping into the table. ''Jus' don' come near m'.''
Pyro smiled, and laughed a bit of a healthier laugh. He stepped nearer to the cornered Cajun. ''Just joking!'' Gambit was not convinced. Not as long as fire was still circling the Australian. ''Don't worry mate, I _control_ fire, remember?'' Reassuringly, he slapped Remy on the chest.
Instinctively, Remy reached for his chest. ''Y'r de one who burned m' chest.''
Pyro stopped talking. ''Still worked up about that? It was an accident, mate.'' He shook his head and continued talking. ''Wait 'till I tell Maggie you're alive...'' Pyro kept chattering, but Remy's thoughts were somewhere else. Were they housemates? It was all he could come up with. And who was Maggie?
~A girlfriend?.~ He shuddered to think.
''Welcome.'' The door was opened and Remy stepped in to the room.
''Thanks. When can I leave?''
''Not in a long time.'' The white haired man that had led him there said.
''Figures.'' He looked around. He could get out of there, easy. No more then ten minutes separated him from freedom.
''This will be your room.''
''Cozy.''
''Leave your bag here.'' Remy did. ''Come with me.'' Remy lay himself down on the bed.
The man stared at him and motioned him to get up. ''Been a long trip. Turn off de lights on y'r way out.''
''Come with me, now.''
''Sorry, you mus' be mistaking me for a lackey. Wake me up tomorrow, an' we'll talk den.''
''If you do not come with me, it will not be _me_ regretting the consequences.''
Remy reluctantly stood up and walked behind the man.
~ Guess not.~ Who was that man? Why were these memories being triggered? Too bad they consisted of only voices and blurry images. A headache was starting to form in the back of his head. More and more loose information popped up in his head, not forming anything, just making him dizzy. If only that irritant guy could stop talking.
''...So I stood up to him.'' Pyro stated proudly.
''Dat's very nice.'' Remy was too confused and too irritated to be able to listen to what that annoying guy had to say. More memories began flooding his mind.
''These are your new…associates.'' The same white haired man pointed at three figures that sat in a dark everything-but-cozy den.
Pryo was the first to speak up. ''Hi, mate.'' He shook Remy's hand. ''Good to have you around. Tell me you talk. Cos Petey here doesn't and Vic, well, can't even pronounce the word conversation, and it just drives me mad! I mean, I need dialogue, you know, human speech. So, where did he find you? I'm from Down Under...''
Remy interrupted. ''Name's Gambit. New Orleans.''
''Great. Another conversational wonder-boy.'' Pyro sighed. ''What's your power?''
''Gambit can convert the potential energy of inanimate matter to kinetic energy...'' The white haired man started.
''In English.'' Pyro dryly commented.
Gambit took a card from his pocket, closed in to the Australian, cornering him, and put the card near the guy's neck. ''I take a card. Charge it. Card go boom. End o' weirdo. End o' story.''
Pyro didn't dare moving. ''Ah. Interesting.'' He said fearfully.
Good, at least he would not bother Remy anymore.
Apparently this Pyro guy and him had never been real friends. He was right about being annoyed with the Australian. Speaking of which...
''...Oh and I checked the computer, but I couldn't find anything. Maybe you can take a look at it, cos I'm really curious why Maggie wanted it gone so bad...'''
Remy stopped listening again. It was hard to let memories come back to him and listening at the same time. And somehow the flood of memories always took priority.
''An' y' need t' destroy it.'' Gambit asked with visible indignity.
''Indeed.'' Same white haired man, same dark setting. This looked like an office.
''What is it?'' Remy asked.
''Non of your buisness.''
Remy should have been insulted, he didn't like being left out of information, but there wasn't much he could do. ''Great. Any chance we're gonna do dis de subtle way?'' He was still bothered.
The white haired man raised his voice and spoke with anger. ''We have no time for subtlety. We must act fast and effective.''
Remy raised his hands and made a 'calm down' movement. ''Jus' askin', jus' askin'.''
Who was that man? Could it be an employer? Being a professional thief, the conversation sort of made sense. But did he live in the same house? It was odd.
Pyro tugged his sleeve. ''Well, come on, we gotta go back.''
More memories came to him. Blurry, dizzy, vague...A fight, but what the fight was about and against who he fought he could not make out. There was just one memory clearly visible in his mind. ''You left me t' die.'' He said matter-of-factly.
Pyro let go of the sleeve and looked down in shame. ''Eh...yeah...sorry 'bout that.'' The sorrow didn't last longer than half a second, as he continued. ''So, where have you been hanging?''
Like Gambit was going to tell some nosey Australian he only remembered to dislike and who left him to die. ''Non o' y'r business.''
''Oh.'' It was silent for about ten seconds, then he looked up in shock. ''You're with Xavier, aren't you?'' Did this guy know Xavier? If only he could get rid of the headache the flood of memories was causing. He needed to focus and find out more, but he couldn't. He decided he would try and think about it later, right now he needed to be left alone. ''Look homme, yr presence is boderin' me. I suggest y' go an' leave m' be.''
Pyro's eyes went wide open. ''You are?! Man, that's bad. You _do_ remember that he is...''
Remy looked him straight in the eyes. ''Which part o' leave m' be didn't y' understand?''
Gambit seemed pretty serious. Pyro was honestly confused. ''Leave ya? Can't, mate. You gotta come back.''
''Don' think so.'' He wasn't about to go home with someone who had left him dying, whatever the reason, whatever the cause.
''It's not like you have much choice.''
''De way I see it I have all de choice I need.'' He said as a thought stuck him hard.
''Might I remind you that choice, my boy, is not a word in your current vocabulary.''
The low angry voice in his head startled him. But he didn't let it show. He glared at the orange haired guy that still had not left.
''Okay, so you're not coming with me. Not a very bright idea if you ask me,'' Remy's glare did not diminish. ''But I see you've made up your mind. Got it. So, what do we do then?''
Remy snorted. ''We? Non. I. I ask de cards.'' He took out a card. His eyes lit up with anger and the ace of spades started glowing. ''Dat answer your question?'' Deep inside, Remy was stunned at his own action. The movement was based completely on instinct and he had no idea why he had done it. But it felt good and threateningly speaking, a burning ace of spades, generally seen as the card of death, was a pretty good one.
Pyro, however, wasn't as startled as Gambit had hoped he would be.
''Yeah.'' He simply nodded and almost...smiled? Of course, for a mad man it might not have been such a weird reaction.
Pyro looked around and saw Rogue and Kitty coming out of a store. ''Well, gotta run.'' He left before being spotted.
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At night
Remy hadn't told anyone of his encounter with Pyro. Somehow it seemed for the best. At least not until memories made sense. Why would he live with people he disliked? How did he end up with them? Why did he obey an old white haired man? What was the deal with the card? Why did it seem like a routine movement? So many questions. So many suspicions. He would think about it tomorrow. Recovering his memory was a pretty exhausting activity. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep.
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A/N He's so confused. Should've listened to Pyro but couldn't. All those memories bombarding his mind. Po' li'l boy.
If the chapter is too confusing, tell me. It's kinda supposed to be a bit confusing though…
Any suggestions for an Aussie accent are welcome.
Well, I'm thinking about giving Romyness a try in the next few chapters. Bear in mind my idea of romance is a pizza and a bad movie, so suggestions or ideas are welcome. And do warn me if I get too mushy or corny. I must never get too mushy or corny. Never.
Review, or I'll cry and I'll be handing you the water damage paycheck. :P