A/N: Wow, it's been a couple of days since I last wrote. Sorry guys! I usually have like a chapter a day. Well, hope you like it. I'm trying to write longer chapters! Oh, and this chapter comes with a key. "This is normal speech". This is telepathy.
Remy sighed as he stared down at the grass in front of his feet. It wasn't the grass he had traveled an hour to see. It was what lay below the grass. A headstone rested a few feet from him, one that he had paid for. Rogue had no family, it was he who had to arrange her burial. She was buried under the name Anna Raven, the one she had chosen for herself so long ago.
But it didn't seem right staring at that name. It was as though it were a different person he were mourning for. Not his beloved Rogue, with her auburn hair, and charitable laugh. No, this didn't seem right to him.
He bent down, picking up a rock in the palm of his hand. He used the cool gravel chunk, the thing he would call a rock, to carve the word "Rogue" beneath the name. Standing back, he would admire his work. Now it looked right.
"Rogue, Remy be makin' some mistakes cherie. He don' know what t'do anymo'..."
Remy sighed, staring down at the headstone he knew would never speak in return to him. He truly was holding a one sided conversation, and yet it didn't matter. Somehow he knew she was listening...
"It be t'ree days since Remy be kissin' Kylie, Rogue. An' she hasn' been t'see Remy since. Remy be feelin' guilty Roguey. He t'inks he might like dis girl cherie. But he'll never love her de way he loved yo' cherie. Not at first. But she can' replace yo'. Nobody can petite..."
Remy gently placed a single red rose on Rogue's grave, before turning around in a swish of his infamous trench coat and heading home. Home. The only place he could call home, where he wasn't feared or jeered. at. Home. Xavier's mansion.
The first person to greet him when he returned to the mansion was tiny Aisha. She flew up to say hello to him, settling herself down upon his shoulders. He didn't mind. The fact that she felt comfortable enough to fly in front of him filled him with a warm feeling of purpose. He was helping her to come out of her shell.
" 'Lo dere petite. Where yo' be goin'?" Remy made a mental not to work on his accent. The thickness of the cajun dialect often made it hard for others to understand him. Most people weren't shy about letting him know that either.
"To see you silly. Professor Xavier wants to speak to you about something."
Her childish giggle filled his ear as he slowly pulled her off of his shoulder to hold in his arms. She was unbelievably light, something that didn't truly surprise him as much as interest him. It was most likely due to the need of lightness for her wings. Still, she was a pleasant child to hold if you weren't that strong.
"What does de Prof want t'see Remy fo' Petite?"
"I don't know", she shrugged at him, speaking as though this were the most obvious thing in the world, "he just said 'Aisha, would you like a mission?' and I said yes. So he said 'Go tell Mr. LeBeau that I wish to speak with him' so I did..."
Remy smiled warmly down at the child, once again staring at the markings on her neck. He'd ask the Professor about them if she wouldn't tell him.
"Well, yo' did a good job petite. Remy be very proud."
He set her down on the ground gently, taking the few dozen steps necessary to reach the Professor's private office. He knocked twice, know that the Professor probably sensed him coming. He was right.
Come in Remy. The door is always open to the inhabitants of my school.
Remy smirked to himself in amusement. He had yet to get used to have the old man's voice directly in his mind, despite the fact that he never pried. Maybe it was his fear of voodoo that made him weary of telepaths. The ability to enter others' minds seemed magical. Then again...so was making cards explode.
"Aisha said yo' wanted t'see me?"
"Yes.." Xavier spoke outloud, having sensed Remy's discomfort at his mindspeak. "I have been watching your progress for quite some time as a teacher. I have to admit, I had some doubts at first, but you've improved greatly. Please, have a seat. We have much to talk about."
Remy stepped inside a few steps more, just enough to reach the arm chair facing Charles Xavier and take a seat. For a few moments the two men just stared at each other. Then Xavier broke the silence.
"I thought you had quite a bit to speak to me about Gambit. I must confess, i'm not used to you being this quiet..."
"Remy isn' much fo' talkin' dese days Professor."
"Ah, yes. The tragic death of Rogue. Of course. It's been hard on all of us, but I should have known it'd be hardest on you. I suspect that's where you were this afternoon?"
"Oui." Remy stated simply. Why bother elaborating unless he had to?
"She is gone physically, but her presence still lingers Remy. She lives on inside of you. She will always be with you. Don't dissapoint her by throwing your life away..."
"Righ'. Remy be keepin' dat in mind Professor.."
Remy thought it a bit quaint that the Professor was speaking to him like that. After all, hadn't he mourned the death of his beloved Moira? However, even Remy knew when he should keep his mouth shut. These were one of those times.
"I suppose you've been wondering about the marks on young Aisha Campbell's neck..."
"Oui. De petite won' tell Remy what dey are..."
"They are markings from the tribe she grew up with. She is too young to actively remember it, but I was able to retrieve some memories that have allowed me to put pieces of the puzzle together."
"An'?"
"And those markings are scars. Scars caused by her tribal leader marking her as a threat to their village."
"A threat, ami? Mais, she be a small child. How can' somet'in' so tiny be a threat?"
"The human race fears that that it does not understand. Her wings, hair and eye color...They were very different to this group of people. They feared she was a child sent by the devil to uproot their way of life. They feared destruction.."
"All dat over a pair o' wings?"
"Look at how your parents reacted to your eyes Remy. Or the world to Kurt's mutation. Or Storm's tribe to her abilities. Each of you possessed things the people around you had never seen before It was scary, so they perceived it as a threat. Aisha, though young, was still different."
"If dey were so scared o' de petite..why didn' dey jus' kill her?" Remy was almost afraid of the answer he would likely get. Almost.
"Because I hadn't allowed them the chance. I am constantly using cerebro to locate trouble spots, mutants in dire need of saving. I went to Venezuela...and I saved her."
"An' she doesn' remember any o' dis?"
"She was too young to remember this Remy, and I trust you not to tell her."
"Remy won'..." Silence followed that as Remy thought about what he had just learned. Then, another question floated to his mind.
"Professor, wha' abou' Janine? She be pickin' de boys better?"
"Yes, Remy. I have spoken to her about her choice in young boys. She has agreed to make better choices."
"Why did yo' take her in? She could be dangerous.."
"I'm afraid, Remy, that that is something I cannot share with you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must attend to cerebro. Good day..."
Remy left the Professor's office filled with newfound revelations. Yet, he couldn't help but feel he had gained more questions than answers inside that room.
Remy sighed as he stared down at the grass in front of his feet. It wasn't the grass he had traveled an hour to see. It was what lay below the grass. A headstone rested a few feet from him, one that he had paid for. Rogue had no family, it was he who had to arrange her burial. She was buried under the name Anna Raven, the one she had chosen for herself so long ago.
But it didn't seem right staring at that name. It was as though it were a different person he were mourning for. Not his beloved Rogue, with her auburn hair, and charitable laugh. No, this didn't seem right to him.
He bent down, picking up a rock in the palm of his hand. He used the cool gravel chunk, the thing he would call a rock, to carve the word "Rogue" beneath the name. Standing back, he would admire his work. Now it looked right.
"Rogue, Remy be makin' some mistakes cherie. He don' know what t'do anymo'..."
Remy sighed, staring down at the headstone he knew would never speak in return to him. He truly was holding a one sided conversation, and yet it didn't matter. Somehow he knew she was listening...
"It be t'ree days since Remy be kissin' Kylie, Rogue. An' she hasn' been t'see Remy since. Remy be feelin' guilty Roguey. He t'inks he might like dis girl cherie. But he'll never love her de way he loved yo' cherie. Not at first. But she can' replace yo'. Nobody can petite..."
Remy gently placed a single red rose on Rogue's grave, before turning around in a swish of his infamous trench coat and heading home. Home. The only place he could call home, where he wasn't feared or jeered. at. Home. Xavier's mansion.
The first person to greet him when he returned to the mansion was tiny Aisha. She flew up to say hello to him, settling herself down upon his shoulders. He didn't mind. The fact that she felt comfortable enough to fly in front of him filled him with a warm feeling of purpose. He was helping her to come out of her shell.
" 'Lo dere petite. Where yo' be goin'?" Remy made a mental not to work on his accent. The thickness of the cajun dialect often made it hard for others to understand him. Most people weren't shy about letting him know that either.
"To see you silly. Professor Xavier wants to speak to you about something."
Her childish giggle filled his ear as he slowly pulled her off of his shoulder to hold in his arms. She was unbelievably light, something that didn't truly surprise him as much as interest him. It was most likely due to the need of lightness for her wings. Still, she was a pleasant child to hold if you weren't that strong.
"What does de Prof want t'see Remy fo' Petite?"
"I don't know", she shrugged at him, speaking as though this were the most obvious thing in the world, "he just said 'Aisha, would you like a mission?' and I said yes. So he said 'Go tell Mr. LeBeau that I wish to speak with him' so I did..."
Remy smiled warmly down at the child, once again staring at the markings on her neck. He'd ask the Professor about them if she wouldn't tell him.
"Well, yo' did a good job petite. Remy be very proud."
He set her down on the ground gently, taking the few dozen steps necessary to reach the Professor's private office. He knocked twice, know that the Professor probably sensed him coming. He was right.
Come in Remy. The door is always open to the inhabitants of my school.
Remy smirked to himself in amusement. He had yet to get used to have the old man's voice directly in his mind, despite the fact that he never pried. Maybe it was his fear of voodoo that made him weary of telepaths. The ability to enter others' minds seemed magical. Then again...so was making cards explode.
"Aisha said yo' wanted t'see me?"
"Yes.." Xavier spoke outloud, having sensed Remy's discomfort at his mindspeak. "I have been watching your progress for quite some time as a teacher. I have to admit, I had some doubts at first, but you've improved greatly. Please, have a seat. We have much to talk about."
Remy stepped inside a few steps more, just enough to reach the arm chair facing Charles Xavier and take a seat. For a few moments the two men just stared at each other. Then Xavier broke the silence.
"I thought you had quite a bit to speak to me about Gambit. I must confess, i'm not used to you being this quiet..."
"Remy isn' much fo' talkin' dese days Professor."
"Ah, yes. The tragic death of Rogue. Of course. It's been hard on all of us, but I should have known it'd be hardest on you. I suspect that's where you were this afternoon?"
"Oui." Remy stated simply. Why bother elaborating unless he had to?
"She is gone physically, but her presence still lingers Remy. She lives on inside of you. She will always be with you. Don't dissapoint her by throwing your life away..."
"Righ'. Remy be keepin' dat in mind Professor.."
Remy thought it a bit quaint that the Professor was speaking to him like that. After all, hadn't he mourned the death of his beloved Moira? However, even Remy knew when he should keep his mouth shut. These were one of those times.
"I suppose you've been wondering about the marks on young Aisha Campbell's neck..."
"Oui. De petite won' tell Remy what dey are..."
"They are markings from the tribe she grew up with. She is too young to actively remember it, but I was able to retrieve some memories that have allowed me to put pieces of the puzzle together."
"An'?"
"And those markings are scars. Scars caused by her tribal leader marking her as a threat to their village."
"A threat, ami? Mais, she be a small child. How can' somet'in' so tiny be a threat?"
"The human race fears that that it does not understand. Her wings, hair and eye color...They were very different to this group of people. They feared she was a child sent by the devil to uproot their way of life. They feared destruction.."
"All dat over a pair o' wings?"
"Look at how your parents reacted to your eyes Remy. Or the world to Kurt's mutation. Or Storm's tribe to her abilities. Each of you possessed things the people around you had never seen before It was scary, so they perceived it as a threat. Aisha, though young, was still different."
"If dey were so scared o' de petite..why didn' dey jus' kill her?" Remy was almost afraid of the answer he would likely get. Almost.
"Because I hadn't allowed them the chance. I am constantly using cerebro to locate trouble spots, mutants in dire need of saving. I went to Venezuela...and I saved her."
"An' she doesn' remember any o' dis?"
"She was too young to remember this Remy, and I trust you not to tell her."
"Remy won'..." Silence followed that as Remy thought about what he had just learned. Then, another question floated to his mind.
"Professor, wha' abou' Janine? She be pickin' de boys better?"
"Yes, Remy. I have spoken to her about her choice in young boys. She has agreed to make better choices."
"Why did yo' take her in? She could be dangerous.."
"I'm afraid, Remy, that that is something I cannot share with you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must attend to cerebro. Good day..."
Remy left the Professor's office filled with newfound revelations. Yet, he couldn't help but feel he had gained more questions than answers inside that room.