Having been tenant long to a rich lord,
Not thriving, I resolved to be bold,
And make a suit unto him, to afford A new small-rented lease, and cancel th' old.


The Prayer 12:20am

In heaven at his manor I him sought:
They told me there, that he was lately gone
And about some land, which he had dearly bought Long since on earth, the take possession.

Deep within the house around the midnight hour a whisper can be heard:

"Saints pr'serve dis tortur'd soul. Let dis boy live 'gain." the man looks around the place he has called home for sometime now and sighs, "Sol' m'soul t'de devil, paid 'nough pain t'buy it back." He slips into the bed falling into a fitful sleep.

5:30am

The alarms sound.. an intruder. All are awake and dressed in an instant as a voice echoes through many heads, X-men, to the war room! We have a mission! Upon entering the room the man moves to the wall gazing at the others. Scott, as always, wide awake and ready to command, Jean at his side. Ororo, as beautifully regal and at peace as ever. He envies her, she radiates confidence and internal peace, she is pure and good, and he is the opposite. Logan, groggy and grumpily glaring at the stranger. Rouge; beautiful, strong enough to break every bone in his body with two fingers, yet fragile enough to cry in his arms. Jubilee, a spitfire no doubt, but, the picture of innocence. He drifts away with the thought of innocence, to times past, before his soul was cold.

"X-Men I would like to introduce Draydeece, she runs a halfway house for mutants. At approximately 4:15 this morning they were attacked by, from her description, the Marauders." The man's head snaps up, pulled from his thoughts, his fiery eyes burn with something more than hatred as he concentrates on the professor's words, ".. They took all of the alpha class mutants from the home and killed the rest, which were beta class." Hank, who has been standing next to the woman, rests his hand on her shoulder as she shudders. "We have managed to trace one of the abducted mutant's signature because of its uniqueness, and they are being held in a hidden lab connected to the old Morlock tunnels. I have chosen the eight of you to go down and bring these innocents home."

All present make their preparations and head for the old tunnels.


The Mission 6:00am

I straight returned, and knowing his great birth,
Sought him accordingly in great resorts;
In cities, theatres, gardens, parks, and courts:
At length I heard a ragged noise and mirth


The tunnels are no different than he remembers, he knows where they are going, and is leading the way. He had once called this place home, until he sold his soul and helped destroy it. Everyone is watchful waiting for anything, expecting everything. They are close, he can feel it in is bones, the familiar sounds of working machinery and pumping water. He removes a tool from his pocket and slides it against the metallic wall; the squeal of metal on metal is short as it ends abruptly when the tool catches on the hidden panel. He smirks slightly at the irony and ignores the stares of those around him as he punches in the code that has been burned into his memory since the first time he set foot in this hateful place. A door slides to the side opening into the hall and he slips inside, the others following uncertainly. His instincts are at work now, no conscious thought, if he were to let himself think about this he would loose his sanity as he lost his soul. Only one thought stands clear as Jean touches his mind questionably, 'Redemption'.

He moves through the corridor disabling lasers, motion detectors, and other obstacles before they can be enabled. He knows these passages like the back of his hand. He leads them deeper, almost to the very heart of the complex. 'Hmmm ... dis is new.' It's the only thought that he can muster as he triggers a silent alarm that he didn't know existed. The passage behind them closes in, blocking their escape, as the wall infront of them opens to reveal the Marauders between them and the captive mutants.

Don't think.

Fight.

Don't think.

Preserve innocence.

Don't think.

Redemption.

7:30am

He didn't see the blast coming as it struck him point blank in the back. The pain is sharp and numbing, as the darkness closes around him the last thing he hears is the tormented scream of his lover. "REMY!"

He hears no more.

He feels no more.

He is no more.


Redemption

Of thieves and murderers: There I him espied.
Who straight, Your suit is granted, said, and died.


He gazes around and sees nothing, he feels his tortured soul return to him, he feels it heal. He smiles slightly to nothing and sighs, "Merci" With that he drifts to the first peaceful sleep he has had in a long time.

"Mah Gawd. I saw it, I saw'im fall." Rouge bursts into fresh tears. Logan shakes his head slightly, his voice choked with emotion, "An' here I was doubtin' the kid. The way he was whippin' through that place it was like he knew right where he was goin'," he looks to Jean, "Ya saw it to didn't ya darlin'? Ya thought he was settin' us up to." Jean nods sadly, her voice quiet, "I scanned him in the passage, the only surface thought I could pick up was ... redemption. I don't understand." She shakes her head slightly. Jubilee looks up from her folded hands; "He saved those kids. After he hit that trap, he went right for the kids. Nothing else mattered. He died for them." They stand as Hank steps out of the infirmary. He looks over all of those gathered and is surprised to see everyone who lives in the house before him.

Clearing his throat, "The children are well, the mission was a success, with one fatality. Remy LeBeau was struck with a blast that could have seriously wounded Rouge. His heart stopped almost instantly and I don't think he felt very much pain. Being the first to reach him I would like you all to know that he smiled as he took his last breath." He bows his head, "Try to get some sleep, we'll make arrangements tomorrow." Slowly he moves passed them all and down the hall, they follow slowly all pondering Gambit's thoughts in that final moment.


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Please send feedback, all constructive critisim welcome, after all this is my first fan-fic.

(The poem used in the story is: Redemption by George Herbert/1593-1633)