WEDENSDAY
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight.
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold
In the morning, Remy was already up and making coffee when Rogue emerged from the bedroom. It had been a stressful night for both of them. Rogue's powers had flared twice, and she'd been too scared to come near him after that. Neither of them felt bright or fresh this morning and Remy was beginning to regret taking on Courier's family problems – let him sort them out for himself.
"Mornin', River rat."
"Mornin', Swamp rat. That coffee?"
"That's what it smells like." He handed her a cup, cream already added. "I t'ink this is your order?"
"Genius. Thanks." She sipped it gratefully, retreating to the couch. Neither of them were really morning people, so they had made a silent pact not to try to talk before the first coffee of the day. Remy took his own mug, strong and black, and joined her, stretching his legs out in front of him. Rogue was curled up, apparently fascinated by the steam rising from her drink.
"You still wanna do dis, chére? I can ring Jake and…."
"No. You were right. It's just….it was just a bad night, that's all."
The first of many to come, thought Remy, keeping the thought to himself. He sipped his own coffee, wincing slightly at the bitterness – he'd made it a little strong this morning. He hadn't exactly slept peacefully himself. Something was bothering him about the whole business with Courier, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. Maybe it was just something his thieves instincts were picking up that he wasn't able to put into words yet. Maybe it was some hitherto unknown mutant ability choosing to make itself known at the most inconvenient of times. Whichever way it worked, there was something screwy about the whole thing, and he had no intention of walking in with his eyes closed.
"Oh, Ah forgot, with everything last night." Rogue was fumbling down the side of the couch, eventually producing a mobile phone. "Ororo rang yesterday. Just a check in. The team's in New York at the moment." She smiled gently. "'Ro wanted to know if we 'wanted to have dinner' – her words, not mine."
"Dinner?" Remy laughed. "Dat would be somet'in'. Although I understand Bishop's a fair to decent cook."
Rogue's smile broadened. "He sure is. You should have seen him at Irene's old house, apron and everythin'." They took a moment to consider the image, and shared an amused look. "Anyway, the offer stands."
Remy thought for a moment. "I think it might be an idea to let dem know what we're doin'" he said slowly. Rogue looked surprised.
"You lookin' for back-up, sugah? Ah thought we were just goin' to talk to this girl."
"Oui, mais….Je sais pas. I jus' think it might not be a bad thing if de rest of de team knew what we're up to. Jus' in case."
"You're serious, aren't you. Heavens, Remy, you are spooked. What d'you know that Ah don't?" She looked at him accusingly
"Nothin'. Honestly, nothin'. Like I said yesterday, I have a bad feelin' 'bout this. I don' want them to come hold our hands, but if we get into problems, I wan' them t'know where t'look." He drained his coffee and rolled the empty mug between his palms. "We don' know what we're getting' into here, Rogue. An' for all that I like my independence, at de moment, if we run into serious problems, backup could be jus' what we need."
Rogue was still staring at him, mouth slightly open. As if suddenly aware of this, she looked away and took a mouthful of coffee.
"You get a personality transplant when Ah wasn't looking, Remy? Ah've never seen you like this."
"Yeah. Well. Call it instinct. Call it trainin'. Call it what you like." He got up and took his cup towards the kitchen. "But call Ororo."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The street door to the house in Greenwich Village didn't shut properly, so Remy was able to forego his lock picks. Disappointed, he returned the pouch to one of his coat's numerous pockets. He'd convinced Rogue to come at least half in uniform, although she kept giving him puzzled glances, and when he'd first suggested she'd actually laughed.
*******************
"C'mon sugah! Y'all 're not serious. Are ya?" The Mississippi drawl increased with her surprise. "It's one lil' girl, not the re-invasion of earth"
"I know, chére, I jus' think it's a good idea." It sounded lame even to him. Deciding distraction might work better, he crossed the room and stood close, resting his hands on her hips. "B'sides." He murmured, "I jus' love you in skin-tight spandex"
She removed his hands firmly. "You pay any attention? They're X-men uniforms. A bit tougher than spandex"
"But still skin-tight"
"Ah'm gonna wear jeans on the top"
"But I'll know."
Giving in, she shook her head and began rummaging in the chest of drawers.
***************
Now at the house, the familiar feel of the material was comforting against his skin, despite the t-shirt and jeans that hid it. The coat had stayed, no debates about that. As they climbed the stairs he automatically noted the positions of doorways, windows, possible weak points, anything that told him more about the place.
"You casin' the joint?" Rogue looked amused.
Remy smiled back. "No more than usual." He paused as they reached the second floor landing. "Did you notice that van 'cross de street? All de equipment, but no sign o'de workmen. Where d'you t'ink they be workin'?"
"Maybe they were inside or out the back. How should I know?" Rogue sounded exasperated. "Remy, if you're gonna start getting paranoid on me we can just turn round right here."
"Chére, you're not paranoid when everyone is out to get you"
Rogue laughed and pushed him on up. Louisa Gavin lived on the top floor of the converted house. It was obvious the current landlord didn't take as good care of the place as it deserved. There was only one door at the top and Remy raised his hand to knock, then stopped and put his palm flat against it instead. Rogue went to speak when he put up his other hand to stop her. Seeing Remy had gone into business mode, she didn't argue.
Leaning onto his hand, Remy listened more closely to the noises coming from the other side of the door. He closed his eyes and tried to separate them from the general street sounds. There was the muffled voice of a girl, possibly in anther room; distant traffic; the sound of moving furniture; a shower running in another apartment; a chair being knocked over. And then he heard a male voice, low and gruff and definitely unfriendly.
Rogue also heard the chair fall over, making a mental note to work out how she knew it was a chair. Something in the quality of the sound, perhaps. Pushing that to one side for the moment, she touched Remy's shoulder. In answer, he stepped back to the top of the stairs and produced his bo-staff from a pocket. He checked she was keeping up and, at her nod, took two long steps towards the door. His foot came up and hit it just above the lock. As it flew inwards, he let his momentum carry him into the apartment.
Letting his staff out to its full length, he surveyed the room as he had done the building. It was a decent sized room, clearly decorated by someone with good taste, with distinctly minimal taste. Sofa, chairs, books, no ornaments or paintings. The walls were a stark white, making the room seem larger, particularly in the bright sunlight pouring through two large windows opposite the door. There was a doorway off to the left that was probably the bedroom and a large opening on the right that gave a clear view into the kitchen.
And it was this view that had his attention.
"LeBeau." The gravelly voice was all too familiar. The tall figure stood half in, half out of the kitchen, holding a semi-conscious girl in his arms. Remy guessed she had to be Louisa Gavin, but she must have dyed her hair. Deciding to worry about her later, he kept his eyes on the man holding her. The kitchen behind him was sparse – she clearly wasn't a keen cook – with a cooker of the shiniest stainless steel giving a perfect reflection.
"You gonna stay behind de wall, girl, or you gonna come out where I can see you?"
She walked, or rather sidled out from behind the protecting wall. Behind him, Remy heard Rogue inhale sharply.
"Hi there, stranger. Long time no see."
"You always bring y'girlfriend wit'you on de job, Scalphunter?"
Rogue had come up to stand beside him. "Ah thought you were in the Savage Land."
One of the few things Remy knew of what had gone on down in Antarctica was that the team had tangled with the mutates, including Vertigo. Storm seemed to have put everyone off talking about it in detail
"Savage Land?" Vertigo laughed. "Sorry, girlfriend. Wrong me."
Gambit caught up faster than Rogue.
"Cloned you again, did he? So there's two Vertigoes running round now?"
"What can I say? Something about two heads being better than one, perhaps?"
"'Cept what's in yours belongs to Sinister, don't it." It was not a question. Every time Sinister cloned his Marauders he found a way to make them more obedient to him. He could only hope that their current programming didn't order his death, just to deal with interference. At the moment, if Scalphunter wanted him dead, he'd pretty much had it. The man himself hadn't said a word, watching the exchange silently. Grey Crow was never one for chatter, even before Sinister messed with his genes.
Gambit decided bravado might be called for.
"You been introduced to de lady, or is this jus' a cold call?" He kept his tone light, bantering, while keeping a tight grip on his staff. He could sense Rogue also bracing herself for a fight. At least he could rely on her to keep one of them off his back.
"Stay out of our way, Gambit. I don't want to have to move you."
Bingo. No 'kill Gambit on sight' order, then. He decided not to be insulted that Sinister no longer considered him enough of a threat to bother with. Right now he'd take every advantage he could get. Grey Crow had been his friend once and might shoot to warn before he shot to kill. Of course he might not, but there was no point being pessimistic yet. As this thing in front of him was his friend in body only, Gambit felt no such compunction, however hard it was to remember that this was not the man he had known, and killed at least once before.
Before he could make a witty reply, Rogue broke in
"Ain't gonna happen, metal mouth."
He grinned. She sure had a way with men.
"Jus' put her down an' we all walk away from dis."
"You going to make me?" Scalphunter's tone was mocking. "I heard you got problems. Heard you went and lost your powers. Careless."
"You t'ink I need powers to deal with trash like de two of you?" It was perhaps a little stronger than he'd intended, but he wanted his opponent's attention on him, away from the girl.
It seemed to have worked, as Scalphunter's face twisted in a scowl and he dropped the girl from his arms, none too gently, and held out his hand. Through his powers, the metal on his costume began to shift and change, until he was holding an all too effective weapon.
As he was taking aim, the figure on the floor groaned and stirred slightly. Suddenly, a ripple passed through the room, like nothing Remy had felt before. It was like a strong wind had ripped through him, right through his body. He grunted slightly and noticed the others were similarly affected. Vertigo's hand went to her head, Scalphunter shook his and he felt Rogue's hand come down on his shoulder to steady herself. It came down hard.
"Remy, Ah think…."
Before she could finish, it happened again, harder this time. Remy remembered the penetrating cold of Antarctica, biting right down to his bones. That was what this felt like. That complete and overwhelming feeling that a rushing wind was penetrating right through him. This time, as it faded, he could feel something else. And it felt good. He raised his head to look at Scalphunter.
"Well, mon ami? We gonna jus' stand here all day?"
In reply, Scalphunter snarled, raised his gun and pulled the trigger. Remy dived left, Rogue right, both rolling out of danger. But the expected shower of bullets never arrived. Poking his head out from behind the sofa, Remy saw Scalphunter looking at his weapon in surprise.
"Powerless, eh? Look to me like you're de one wit' de problem. An' you're about to get more." Remy swung his staff out and planted in the centre of the sofa. Using it as a vaulting pole, he launched himself across the room.
He hit Scalphunter with both feet in the centre of the chest. The bigger man stumbled back, still getting over the surprise of his gun not working. Rather than land on top of him, Gambit used the impact to spring backwards, landing between the Marauder and the girl.
"You wan' her, you're gonna have to go t'rough me." For emphasis, he produced a card from his pocket and charged it. It was worth it just to see Scalphunter's reaction. He hadn't thought the man could look any more surprised. He'd been wrong.
The gloating was short lived, as Gambit felt the room spin under him. He hadn't forgotten Vertigo, targeting Scalphunter as the more immediate threat. Her power was disabling him, and he clung to the card, desperately trying not to let it explode in his hand or anywhere he didn't want it to. Then gravity reasserted itself, and he fell to his knees in relief. Behind him, he heard bodies hit something in the kitchen, pots and plates clattering. It had taken Rogue longer to cross to the kitchen than he'd expected.
Before he could turn and see what was happening, Scalphunter was on him. The bigger man wasn't as good hand to hand, but he hadn't just been hit by Vertigo's powers. Remy was carried backwards by the charge and lunged to one side, carrying the fight away from the prone figure of Louisa Gavin. As he warded off the kicks and blows, his staff blurring, he tried to see what was happening in the kitchen. If his powers were back, then hopefully Rogue's were as well. He thought so, judging by the ache in his shoulder where her hand had landed.
Rogue was, in fact, enjoying every moment of having her strength back. She had hit Vertigo from the side, tackling her to the floor. Now she was concentrating on stopping the other woman from recovering, although, to give Vertigo credit, she was warding off more blows than Rogue would have expected. With Rogue's skill, there was no real doubt about the outcome, although she really didn't want to kill the woman, just stop her. Finally she managed to land a sweet blow to the Marauder's chin. Vertigo stumbled back, hit the cooker and slid to the floor.
Satisfied that this part of the fight was over for now, Rogue turned back to the main room. The girl she supposed was Louisa Gavin with a new look was still lying on the floor, showing signs of stirring. Reassured, Rogue checked on Remy. He was holding on, but she could see he wasn't going all out. Grey Crow had been a friend and however much Remy tried to forget, it had to be at the back of his mind as they fought. Shaking her head, Rogue decided to see how far back her powers had come. Leaning forwards she was delighted to feel her feet leave the floor instinctively. Well, if Remy wouldn't help himself, she'd just have to do it for him.
Gambit was backing off, trying to find a chance to end the fight with no-one having to die. His calves hit the back of the sofa and he knew waiting time was over. Letting the power flow into his staff, he carried on hitting out with it. The blows he landed smoked with the small explosions, the strength in the staff preventing it from blowing up. Just as he thought he was going to have to step up a level, a blue streak flew across the room and hit Scalphunter hard.
The momentum carried the two figures across the room, through the wall and into the bedroom, but Rogue was able to pull up before they flew out of the building, knowing the roof might fall in if they took out the outside wall. Just as she was about to send Scalphunter to dreamland, she was hit by a wave of nausea. Forced to let him go, she tried to turn, finding it hard without being able to work out which way was up. She fell to her knees, exposing Scalphunter to the waves coming from the other side of the room. He too fell, ending up sitting with his back against the dresser. Using him as a reference, she managed to turn herself to face Vertigo. She knew she should have hit harder.
The Marauder was still standing in the kitchen, arms extended, filling the room with her disorienting waves. Gradually, Rogue became aware of a sound, hard to hear through the chaos in her head. It was the sound of a girl, screaming in pain. The sound penetrated through, and Rogue was just able to make out Louisa Gavin, lying in front of Vertigo and clutching at her head. Gambit caught her eye, and she tried to shake her head. She felt sick and dizzy, but whatever was happening to her, it looked like Louisa was getting it a hundred times worse.
Trying to get to his feet, Gambit found the carpet didn't want to stay where it was put and he ended up flat on his face. He was just grateful there hadn't been anything in the way to hit his head on. He fought down fresh waves of nausea as he lifted his head to see what was happening. The screaming was continuing, high and shrill. He'd heard people scream like that before, but didn't know Vertigo could inflict that kind of pain.
If he hadn't have seen it himself, he wouldn't have believed what happened next. Still screaming in pain, Louisa Gavin pulled her hands away from her head and held them out towards Vertigo. He felt the ripple go through the room again, cutting through the dizziness, and realised the girl must be the source of it. The effect on Vertigo was immediate. She dropped her arms, a vacant look came over her eyes and she folded up, lying crumpled on the floor.
Pushing himself to his feet, still not quite trusting his balance, Gambit staggered over to the pair. Louisa had curled herself up and was sobbing quietly, hands once again clutching her head. Leaning over carefully, Gambit looked down into Vertigo's open eyes. She was dead.
He heard Rogue and Scalphunter pulling themselves to their feet. He looked across the room, through the wall.
"You ok?"
"Ah'm fine. Hang on." Rogue turned neatly, smiled and punched as hard as she could. Scalphunter's head snapped back, then rolled forwards again, grin wide.
"That all you got?"
"Oh dear." Rogue was understating. What a time for her powers to flake out again. Backing off, to get a better angle, she stumbled in the remains of the wall. As she struggled to keep her balance, Scalphunter had got complete control of himself and his gun.
"I'm going to enjoy this" He reached them forwards again, eyes meeting Rogue's. "You know what? I'll be kind and let you go before your boyfriend."
As Scalphunter took aim, Gambit vaulted the sofa to get to Rogue. He'd only got about halfway when he caught sight of a movement outside the apartment's open window. Changing his mind, he grabbed her shoulders instead and pulled her to the ground. As they fell and the bullets traced across where they had been, a single, bright bolt of lightening came through the window and hit Scalphunter. It threw him across the room, slamming him into the wall. He slid to the ground again, and this time he didn't get up.
Rolling over, Rogue still in his arms, Gambit addressed the window.
"You know, Stormy, I t'ink you been working on this whole 'nick of time' t'ing."
"You are welcome, Gambit. And do not call me that." Storm was hovering outside the window. She was in street clothes, and Gambit could imagine the looks she was getting from passers by. Hearing heavy footsteps coming up the stairs, he smiled.
"You t'ink I should open de door, or is Bishop looking forward t'breakin' it down?"
The decision made itself, as the door was flung inwards. Surrendering to too much abuse in such a short space of time, it came off its hinges and crashed into the room.
"C'mon in, my friend, join de party"
Bishop surveyed the room.
"I'll say this for you, LeBeau, you never do things by halves"
"No fun any other way"
Rogue shook her head again.
"You sure have a warped idea of fun, sugah. You gonna let me up?"
He hadn't realized he'd still been holding on to her, probably out of relief. And a little surprise that they weren't both spattered all over the walls. And that his strange foreboding had been right. Spooky. Letting go of her shoulders, he kissed the back of her neck.
"You ok, cherie?"
Rogue got to her feet and brushed some of the brick dust from her jeans.
"Ah think so. All in one piece anyway."
"Always a bonus"
Sage was close behind Bishop, and she too took in the wreck that had once been an apartment.
"Where's this girl who was worth this insurer's nightmare?"
Gambit also took in the trashed kitchen, the burned carpet and the large hole in the living room wall.
"D'you t'ink de X-men count as an act of God?"
This earned him a grin from Rogue and a glare from Bishop. Sage seemed to process the statement, and classifying it as 'humorous', dismissed it from consideration. Giving in, Gambit picked his way through the remains of the furniture to where Louisa Gavin was still lying.
She had stopped sobbing, but remained curled up, rocking slightly back and forth. Recognising the signs, Gambit crouched down next to her, holding out his hand, not touching her.
"Louisa?"
She raised her head a little at the sound of her name.
"Louisa? We're here to help you."
This got her attention. She murmured something, clearly still terrified. Leaning close, Gambit was just able to make out what she was saying.
"Them? You don' have t'worry 'bout them anymore. We're goin' t'look after you." Deciding to risk it, he gently touched her cheek. To his relief she responded by turning her head into his hand. He looked up at the others. "She's ok. But I t'ink we should get out of here. Someone will've called de cops."
"I'll stay and deal with that." For once, Gambit was glad to have an ex-cop on the team. Bishop might not have been his best friend, but he'd keep the heat off of them, at least with the official authorities.
Turning back to Louisa, he looked at her more closely. She looked completely different to her photograph, the blonde waves replaced by brown curls, tight and spiraling. Her eyes were now open and looking up at him, fearfully. They were a deep green, set wide apart in a face that was nothing like he had been expecting. This girl was pretty, in a homely way, with no similarity to the "cute kid" he had expected. Still, she was clearly a powerful mutant, and if she was a Gavin, maybe she had used her powers to change her appearance. It would fit with Jake's abilities, although she clearly had more success.
Deciding explanations could wait, he slipped his hand from her cheek, down her neck to her shoulder, drawing her up against him. He lifted her easily into his arms, noticing as he did that Rogue had disappeared. A moment later she stepped back through the gap in the wall, a large holdall over her shoulder.
"Figured she'd want some of her stuff. She can't exactly send for it."
Agreeing, Gambit tipped his head towards the kitchen.
"De fire escape's out here. Gonna be better than down through de house." Gambit nodded a farewell and thanks to Bishop and made his way towards the outer door, Rogue and Sage close behind him. He let them pass and lower the ladders to the ground. Storm flew round to meet them.
"Give the child to me, Gambit. It will be easier for you to descend"
He handed his burden over to Ororo's safe hands and took hold of the top of the ladder. Keeping his hands on the vertical bars, he braced his feet against the outside as well and slid down quickly. On reaching the first floor, he vaulted over the railing, executing a perfect somersault and landing neatly in the alley. He even managed to avoid the more slimy parts of the trash. Rogue and Sage gave him withering looks.
"Show off." The comment was barely audible, but it carried well.
Remy grinned and bowed extravagantly.
"If you got it…."
Storm landed neatly beside them, also shaking her head. She handed the girl back to him
"Whenever you are ready, Gambit, the car is round the corner."
"Don't know what you're all making such a fuss 'bout. We made it out, didn't we? Got to let off a little steam"
That didn't even get a look, just the back of the three women's heads as they left the alley. The police had already arrived at the front of the house and he was grateful to see Sage get behind the wheel. For all that he loved to take risks himself, Rogue's driving was one of the few things that actually scared him and the last thing they needed now was more police attention. As it was, Sage pulled away smoothly, past the arriving police cars and into the heaving traffic of the city.
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They also serve who only stand and wait
On his Blindness by John Milton
They went up to the apartment directly from the garage. Gambit was always careful about the image he presented to the doorman here. It had taken the concierge long enough to get used to jeans and t-shirt. This kind of entourage would have created too much attention. He was also not entirely comfortable about bringing Storm and Sage back here, to his private bolt-hole. Bringing Rogue hadn't been an issue. But bringing more people here was definitely not what he had planned. Still, it was too late to worry about it now, and at least with a penthouse there were no nosy neighbours to get past.
At the door, he let Rogue fumble for her key, not wanting to disturb the still sleeping figure in his arms. Judging by her deep breathing that continued despite the rather bumpy journey and elevator ride, she must have been drugged. If the performance back at the apartment was anything to go by, he could understand the even the Marauders not wanting to deal with her while conscious. Jake's words kept ringing in his ears.
*****" Especially ones that could blow the lot of us to Kingdom Come if she ever figured out the physics."*******
He didn't think any of them had taken the warning seriously at the time but the same niggling feeling he'd felt that morning was suggesting that they should.
Rogue had finally located her key and let them in. Ever the gentleman, Gambit indicated for Sage and Storm to enter first, wanting to see their reactions. He knew the apartment looked good, that was why he had chosen it, and their appreciative stares were more than worth it. Sage seemed particularly interested in the painting over the fireplace. Gambit just hoped she didn't keep an eye on the art world as well as the mutant one. That painting had cost him a week's surveillance and a hard night's work although somehow he didn't think Sage would appreciate that.
Rogue had already disappeared through to the bedrooms, and he could hear her opening one of the doors.
"Make y'selves at home, ladies. Coffee machine's t'rough dere, although I guess y'know better by now than t'let 'Ro make it." This last comment was addressed to Sage. She rarely smiled, but Gambit thought he saw some amusement in the grey eyes. He chose to ignore the affronted look Storm was giving him. She knew him too well to offended.
"Just for that, Remy, I am tempted to make some and force you to drink it."
"If you don't mind, Storm, I think I will make it. Otherwise the rest of us will have to drink it as well." The corners of Sage's mouth twitched slightly as she turned towards the kitchen. Gambit grinned widely before turning away himself to follow Rogue.
She had chosen the first room off of the corridor, as he would have done, to be close enough to be heard from the living room if necessary. The black bag was sitting on the end of the bed and Rogue was rummaging around in it. The room wasn't big but he didn't think that would bother Louisa too much, not at the moment at least.
They had to shuffle round each other so that he could lay the sleeping figure on the bed. Now that he had the chance, he looked at her more closely, trying to see any kind of resemblance to the photograph in the file. As the picture had been a head and shoulders portrait, there was no way of telling if she was the same height, shape or size as that girl, but instinct said this was her. Something about the shape of her shoulders perhaps. For all that her overall appearance was vastly different, there was an indefinable something that told him she was the same girl. That and the fact that she'd answered to her name.
"You never seen a girl before, sugah?" Rogue was watching him watching her.
He shrugged. "Jus' tryin' t'see if it's her."
"Is it? Do we have t'send her back if it isn't?"
"You'll have t'wake Scalphunter up first." He came along beside her. "Find anything int'restin'?"
"Just the usual, clothes-wise at least. I found this in the bottom of the wardrobe." 'This' was a large black file box that Gambit could tell was heavy from the way Rogue was holding it. She flipped it open. The papers inside were seemed to be bank letters, statements, and the usual personal stuff. Rogue flicked through a few papers before handing it to him.
"You're better with all this money stuff than me. Ah'm goin' to take a shower."
He smiled slowly at her, only to see her expression close.
"Remy," she began.
He held up a hand. "S'okay, chère. We got company anyhow."
"Remy, it's not that. Ah thought....when we got in the car…..Ah thought you noticed." The words came stumbling from her.
He put his hand on her shoulder, careful to avoid the tears in her shirt. "I kinda hoped it was my electric personality."
This got him a small smile, but she clearly wasn't in a 'comfort me' mood. "Course it couldn't have been the other way round and turned off this one 'stead of the other, could it?"
Despite the tangled grammar, Gambit knew what she meant. Whatever Louisa Gavin had done back there, it had switched off the access Rogue had to her strength and flight, while leaving her absorption power on. He pulled her into his arms, ignoring the fact that every muscle in her body was stiff and protesting.
"It's gonna be ok, Rogue. We'll be ok." His voice was muffled by her hair.
She didn't yield to him at all and after a moment she pulled out of his embrace.
"Ah'm gonna take that shower. You could use one y'self."
He had no doubt that he looked as untidy as she did, probably worse in fact. But their uniforms had protected them, even if the t-shirts and jeans had probably had it. He reached out and tousled her hair, sending up a small cloud of brick dust.
"I'll use the main bathroom. Take your time."
"D'you think we should leave her alone?"
He followed her gaze at the sleeping figure on the bed.
"Don' see why not. They had to give her enough of whatever it was to let them transport her somewhere. I'm guessin' she'll be out of it for a while yet."
"'Kay. You'd better go make sure Sage and Storm are lookin' after the place." She smiled at him and was gone, heading to the main bedroom and no doubt a long hot shower. The sound and the water would give her the privacy she needed right now. And wash away any traces of tears.
Shaking himself out of his reverie, Remy forced himself to head back into the living room. Rogue knew they had other things to deal with right now. Coping was for now, dealing could wait.
Storm was sitting by the window, the file on Louisa Gavin open in front of her. She looked up as he entered.
"I thought you would be taking a shower yourself."
Gambit shrugged. "Jus' wanted to check you found everythin'. I see you did." He indicated the file.
"Having saved her life, I felt the least I should do was know a little about her. Although I am somewhat puzzled, given the fact that the girl in this photograph bears little resemblance to the one we brought back with us." It was phrased as a statement, but Gambit knew it was really a question.
"Your guess is as good as mine, Stormy. Though if she's Jake's cousin, she prob'ly shares the family powers. Ok, Jake's havin' a few problems with them at the moment, but if she isn't, she could look like anything she wants."
As he was speaking, Sage came out of the kitchen carrying two cups of coffee. At her questioning look, he shook his head.
"Thanks; keep mine hot. I really do need to go shower. Make y'selves at home." He left them looking through the file together.
Standing under the spray, he was grateful he'd chosen a large apartment this time. The last penthouse he'd owned had only had the master bathroom. He'd grown quite fond of this place, bought during his exile from the X-men. It had been somewhere none of them had known about and all thieves needed a place to lie low sometimes. Nevertheless, he'd grown too attached to the place, confirmed when he'd 'acquired' that painting for it. Interior decoration wasn't usually his thing. He would have to detach himself from it now. He trusted Storm, and probably trusted Sage and Bishop as well if it came to it, but he could never be comfortable hiding where people could find him. He felt it defeated the point. It was also a reminder that while he could fight alongside them, be friends with them, there was always a part of him that belonged elsewhere, to New Orleans and the Guild. Living two lives was nothing new; it was just a little harder when there were two of you trying to live them.
After his shower, he took a minute to check himself in the mirror. There were only a few cuts and scrapes on his arms, the uniform having protected him from the worst of the blows. Apart from a rather nasty bruise on his right side, he'd got off lightly. He carefully avoided looking at the small white line on his stomach, echoed by the one on his back. Beast had done a good job of stitching him back up so there was no raised scar, but the mark had remained pale compared to his swarthy colouring. He also knew he was still thinner than he should be, with as many ribs showing as muscles. There hadn't been time for any serious workouts, even if he'd been allowed to do them. Maybe he'd have to make the time now. Denial was comforting, but it had an annoying habit of falling apart in the face of reality.
Wrapping himself in a towel, he bundled up the ruined t-shirt and held up the jeans for examination. Generally speaking, he didn't mind them ripped. However these were beyond ripped and were verging on ruined. After a moment's hesitation he decided on ruined and wrapped them round the t-shirt. He was in and out of the master bedroom quickly, grabbing what he needed and hurrying back while the shower was still running. He knew Rogue wouldn't want to see anyone yet and he didn't want to make things more difficult for her.
He was still towelling his hair dry as he entered the lounge, where Sage now had possession of the file. At least that meant they had a back-up copy if anything happened to the paper one. Storm was gazing out of the window at the view of the park. He knew she favoured apartments with large windows and high ceilings. Maybe she'd like to buy this one off him when he decided to sell. A thought struck him.
"Stormy, how'd you like this place as a city base for de team?"
She turned to look at him. "What do you mean? This is your home."
"It used t'be." He kept talking as he headed into the kitchen for coffee. "It's not exactly a secret hideaway when everyone knows 'bout it. But I'm fond of de place now, and you could really use a place in de city rather than have to rent every time." He leant against the doorframe, mug in hand.
Storm had her back to the window now and was watching him closely, looking for the catch. It was Sage who raised the question.
"How much would you want for the place, Gambit? We have substantial resources, but I'm not sure they could stretch to buying this place along with everything else we have to spend."
Storm got in before he could answer.
"Gambit isn't talking about selling to us, are you? He's talking about giving it to us."
"Got it in one." Gotcha, he thought. It was the first time he'd seen Sage actually surprised.
"I'm not sure I follow."
Pushing off the frame, he came in and sat at the other end of the sofa from her. "Well, y'know how 't'is. I'm hardly here, what with one thing and another. I could transfer it over to 'Ro, then the team'd always have somewhere to come in town. Somewhere to rest your head when needed. That kind of thing."
"We could equally do that if it was in your name, Remy."
Damn. He should have known Storm would pick up on that. He took a mouthful of coffee, buying time before answering. "I jus' thought, what wit'you bein' our esteemed leader an'all, you'd be de better choice." He hoped they took his exaggerated drawl for his usual nonchalant attitude.
Storm clearly wasn't buying it. There was silence for a long moment, although Gambit fancied he could hear the cogs in her brain turning as she composed her reply.
"Very well, Remy," she said at last. "It would be good for us to have a more stable base in the city. However, I believe it will be sufficient for us to have the spare sets of keys rather than transfer ownership." Her serious face softened into a smile. "I can see you are fond of this place and appreciate your generous offer. However, it would be wise for us not to advertise the fact that this is our base. The school is quite public enough. I believe you will have hidden the true ownership of the apartment well and trust that you will keep it hidden. But I will encourage the others to see this as home as well."
Gambit nodded, momentarily and unusually at a loss for what to say. Storm had the annoying gift of being able to see straight through him, so he appreciated her generosity. It would have been a shame to have all his hard work at covering the paper trail go to waste. He raised his coffee mug in a salute of thanks before draining it. Getting up, he picked up their empty mugs from the table and took them into the kitchen.
When he came back, Rogue was entering from the opposite door. Her long sleeved t-shirt and jeans would prevent any inadvertent contact, but he was pleased to see she hadn't put on any gloves. She could trust the people here enough to know that they wouldn't accidentally touch her and she trusted herself enough to be careful as well. He knew she was comfortable here; actually seeing it pleased him more than he'd expected.
He realised he was staring and rather than be embarrassed he continued in a long, appreciative look, clearly liking what he saw. She smiled back, shaking her head slightly at his frank gaze, before turning to Storm.
"Ah checked in on the girl as I came through. She's still out cold."
"They must have wanted to take her somewhere quite a distance away." Storm looked at her watch. "It has been well over an hour since the attack."
"Any news from Bishop?"
Sage fielded this one. "He called in while you were in the shower. The police were suspicious, but he thinks he put them off investigating too closely. The Feds could be a problem, so hopefully all they'll find is a dead end and 'suspicious mutant activity', which is nothing too unusual at the moment." She leant down and opened the bag that she had brought up from the car. There were several pairs of the red glasses they all used, as well as some more expensive looking equipment. "I was able to gather some data back there, and together with Bishop's, we might be able to get a better idea of what we're dealing with." She unfolded a pair of glasses and put them on.
Gambit had been impressed with them, finding the strange red tint they gave the world too distracting to wear constantly. Leaving her to the analysis, he picked up the black file box from the coffee table.
"You bring dis in?" he asked Rogue.
"Thought that since we were here and waiting for her to wake up, it might be worth takin' a peek. An' you're better at money stuff than me. At least," she considered, "this kinda finance."
"The dodgy kind, you mean?"
Storm looked up sharply at this, trying to gauge if he was offended or flattered. As a matter of fact, he was neither, just surprised that Rogue had suggested rifling through the papers. They were both so fiercely protective of their privacy, it seemed strange for her to suggest violating someone else's.
She just shrugged. "There's something dodgy goin' on, Remy. Got to be. An' if you're pretendin' you know nothin' 'bout that kind of thing….." She left the statement hanging.
"Not pretendin' anyt'in', chère. Jus' checking I understood you right." He opened the file and scanned the first few pages. "Didn't know savin' someone's life included dis kinda thing."
Storm clearly felt the need to intervene. "Normally I would agree with you, Remy. However, this situation is more serious than a runaway child and there may be information in that file to help us get to the bottom of it. I feel sure you will be able to tell one way or another. And keep it to yourself if it does not concern us."
"Fine. De group vote seems t'be in favour, so I'll have a look. Don' blame me if dere's not'in' more interestin' than where she shops regularly." He took the file to a table by the window, sitting with his back to the rest of the room. A comfortable quiet descended. He moved through the pieces of paper, gathering what information he could.
Behind him, he could hear Sage's regular breathing as she manipulated the gathered data; Storm moving about in the kitchen, probably looking to make lunch; Rogue helping her, occasionally talking softly, occasionally humming snatches of tunes under her breath.
He had reached the bottom of the file, without really knowing what he was looking at. What was clear was that Louisa Gavin was definitely involved in some creative accountancy. There were accounts in about five different names, only one of which was hers. He glanced at the clock on the desk. It had taken him about 45 minutes, and that was just skimming.
Rogue, he guessed, left the kitchen, heading towards the bedrooms. She was only gone a moment, returning as quietly as she had gone. Clearly their guest was still sleeping peacefully. Gambit turned back to the file.
Lying under all the pieces of paper was a slim black notebook. The pages were filled with a neat, rather childish handwriting. There were initials and numbers on almost every page up to the half-way point of the book. Gambit guessed that this was the key to the paperwork and started to try to unscramble it. It was hard going at first, as he didn't want to risk writing anything down, but as he got more familiar with the system, it began to unravel in front of him.
Absorbed in the work, he was only dimly aware of people coming and going. He heard the front door open once and, without looking round, raised a hand to wave 'hello' to Bishop. Then he continued.
When he finally looked up, he noticed absently that two hours had passed. Bishop was installed on the sofa, polishing one of his guns and offering opinions to Sage. Storm and Rogue had provided sandwiches all round - there was one at his own elbow, untouched - and were now talking softly together at the other end of the room.
He still had a few pages of the notebook to go through, when something had made him look up. At first he couldn't identify the feeling, just a vague sense of unease. Then it came more strongly. He was on his feet and to the door almost before anyone else had looked up.
"She's awake." He threw the statement over his shoulder as he passed through to the bedrooms. He listened for a moment at the door, then decided to knock. If she was scared, perhaps that would reassure her that she wasn't a prisoner. When there was no answer, he knocked again. The others had stayed in the living room, not wanting to crowd the girl, who was probably terrified.
When there was no answer to his second knock, Gambit took a deep breath and opened the door.
He wasn't quite sure what to expect. Probably confusion, a little fear, maybe a bit of anger if she had any spirit. But he was at least expecting her to be awake. Instead, he found her barely conscious, bleary eyes trying to focus on the world around her. He'd felt her reaching out, felt the same kind of effect she'd had at her apartment. It had been a mere fraction of the strength, but it was unmistakable. He figured it must be a kind of automatic reaction, more instinct than thought. Making a mental note to ask, he sat down gently on the edge of the bed.
"Louisa?" He spoke softly, not wanting to startle her. Although she made no effort to look at him, he felt the - what was the word for it? Pulse? - intensify around him.
Quickly he said, "S'okay, p'tite. Remember me? I'm wit' de ones who rescued you."
This time she did turn her head, eyes opening. As she drew in breath to speak, it caught in her throat and she started to cough. Gambit grabbed the glass of water from the bedside table and helped her take a sip. Leaning back against the pillows, she tried again.
"Who are you?" Her voice was soft, scared.
"Mos' people start with 'where am I?'"
"Or 'what do you want?'"
"True." He helped her sit up a little. "Which do you want to know first?"
She frowned, obviously confused. "I'm not sure. I can't seem to……focus properly."
Not wanting her to drift off again, Gambit decided to take the initiative. "Lesse if I can help. We pulled you out of your apartment." He paused again, considering the best way of phrasing it. "Do de names 'Scalphunter' and 'Vertigo' mean anythin' to you?" When she shook her head, he continued. "'fore we got there, they drugged you wit' somethin'. Dat's prob'ly why you can' focus. It should wear off. Dey didn't wan' t'hurt you, just take you."
"And you?" She had the fear under control now. "How did you find me? Why did you?"
"Were asked to by y'cousin, Jake." That got a reaction. Her eyes widened further and she looked away, processing the new information.
"Have you told him that you've found me?"
"Not yet." His suspicions deepened as she exhaled the breath she probably hadn't realised she was holding. "Thought if you were hidin' you prob'ly had a good reason."
"I did." If she'd noticed the implied question, she'd chosen to ignore it.
"Okay. Guess that can wait. What else was there?"
She smiled weakly. "'Who are you?', I think"
"Oh yeah. My name's Remy. Ororo, Rogue, Sage and Bishop are in de living room, dyin' t'know what we're talkin' 'bout, but tactful 'nough t'wait."
Her smile broadened a little. "I'm guessing you're not with the NYPD"
"Nope. Strictly unofficial."
"Good."
Although she wouldn't look at him, Gambit thought they had made enough progress to push a little.
"Mind tellin' me why those two lowlifes were so keen t'get their hands on you?"
There was a longer pause this time. Her eyes closed, apparently considering how much she could say. Not wanting to rush her, Gambit waited patiently. Finally she opened her eyes again and when she spoke it was slowly and cautiously.
"I'm not exactly sure. If you spoke to Jake, you know I'm a mutant, like you." He didn't bother asking how she knew, adding it to the mental checklist. "I can only assume they want me for what I can do."
She'd left an obvious opening for him. "What is that, 'xactly?"
She pressed her lips together, again considering how to answer. As she did so, there was knock at the door.
"May I enter?" Storm leant round the door. When Louisa nodded her assent, she came into the room. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I was drugged and nearly kidnapped. By the way," she turned to Gambit, her vacant eyes still not meeting his. "I don't think I thanked you for saving me, did I?"
"Not yet. But I was sure you'd get around to it."
"I'm sure I would have. Thank you."
This done, she closed her eyes and leant back against the pillows. Storm came into the room and sat on the opposite side of the bed to Gambit. "Do you need anything? Lunch, perhaps?"
The girl smiled. "Lunch would be good, thank you. And I suppose you've got about as many questions as I have."
"We will take it in turns."
Gambit got off the bed before he could be dismissed. "I'll go see if there's anythin' left in de kitchen. Wit' Bishop here you can never be sure." As he left, he looked back. She certainly looked worn out and pale, but she seemed to be coping alright at the moment. Closing the door behind him, he wondered if she knew what she had done to Vertigo.
Back in the living room, he reported progress to the others and asked after the sandwiches. Rogue nodded and went out to the kitchen. Bishop had moved to a chair nearer the window for better light and was still methodically polishing.
Gambit turned his attention to Sage. "Get anywhere wit' de analysis?"
"Somewhere." She offered him a pair of glasses.
"S'okay" he went over and rummaged in one of the desk drawers. "We kept them safe." Well, the 'kept them' part was true. Locating them at the back of the drawer and blowing off the dust, he sat down in one of the armchairs and put them on.
The red lenses filled with numbers and images, just about recognisable as the trashed apartment. Sage's voice was as dispassionate as ever.
"I did a detailed analysis of the data gathered by myself and Bishop at the apartment." The images swirled as she adjusted the view. This time he saw an extreme close up of what he assumed was a wall. At least, it was large and white, so unless the glasses had broken….. "There was nothing to indicate any kind of damage as a result of the wave you described. That was until I had Bishop focus more closely on one area. You can see here," an area of the whiteness was highlighted and enlarged even further, "that there is very minor damage to the room on a microscopic level."
"You tell me it's there, Sage, I'm gonna believe you."
Ignoring him, she continued. "The change was hardly severe enough to be called damage, but it was there."
"Meanin'?"
"I can't be definite without further data."
"Best guess?"
"I try not to guess, Gambit."
"Jus' for me?"
She shook her head. "I can only draw the obvious tentative conclusion that she is some kind of telekinetic." In a rare moment of sarcasm, she added, "That means she can move things with her mind."
"Thanks. I t'ink I got that. Is this standard for a teke?"
Sage considered. "Unusually powerful perhaps, in someone young. Telekinesis varies from mutant to mutant, from those such as Phoenix whose power is only limited by her imagination, to those who would struggle to lift a book. It's not even clear whether this is the only thing she can do, or if it is just one aspect of her powers."
Rogue had returned with another plate of sandwiches and Gambit helped himself to one, thinking as he ate.
"I t'ink she can do more."
"You got privileged information, sugah?" Rogue had perched herself on the arm of his chair. He leant back to see her better.
"Not 'xactly, but I could feel her doin' somet'in."
"That's how you knew she was awake before we did."
"Right. I could feel her reachin' out. It wasn't as powerful as what she did to de apartment but it was de same."
"And you felt this but none of us did."
Before he could reply, the door opened and Storm led Louisa into the lounge. The girl still looked pale and tired, but was managing to stand on her own two feet. She accepted the offer of the soft armchair with a grateful smile and sat down carefully.
"How y'doin'?" Rogue asked.
Louisa's smile became rueful. "I seem to have gotten a little bruised, although I don't remember how exactly."
Gambit and Rogue exchanged a look. If they started explaining in too much detail, things were going to get complicated. Better to wait and see.
Storm was passing Louisa a sandwich so she wouldn't have to get up. They all watched as she took a bite, then looked up at them.
"Am I doing this wrong?" she said, amused at their stares.
Far from being embarrassed, Gambit continued his close examination, as he had done when she'd been asleep.
"Just tryin' to spot any similarities."
She looked confused. "To Jake?"
"To de girl in de photo he gave us. Get bored of blonde?"
He'd thought the tone was light enough to pass, but clearly not. The colour rose in her cheeks and she dropped her eyes.
"What do you want from me?"
The X-men looked at each other, puzzled by the remark. Storm, sitting closest, put a hand on the girl's knee.
"Nothing, child. We want to help you, if you let us."
"Help me?" Louisa repeated. "That sounds strange. Most people I meet are more interested in how I can help them."
"You clearly have a remarkable power." Storm's tone was gentle. Gambit had forgotten that Storm had played surrogate mother to several young X-men. She knew how to handle a frightened teen. He rested an arm round Rogue's waist and waited.
Louisa took another bite of sandwich before answering.
"I'm telekinetic. Not just big things, not just small things. I can go right down to the molecular level, move atoms about."
Behind him, Gambit heard Bishop whistle softly. It wasn't even what he'd been expecting. It was certainly in line with the rest of the Gavin family powers and it would explain how she'd changed her appearance.
The next question came from Sage.
"To what extent?" When all she got was a perplexed frown, she continued. "I mean, can you just move individual atoms, molecules? And how far away from them can you be?"
Louisa's face cleared. "I see what you mean. Let's see if I can summarise the usual answers." She thought for a moment. "I can move solid objects - the atoms are so tightly linked it makes it easier. I can also rearrange the individual atoms in a solid object, although the less solid, the easier it is. I have a range of about two metres for moving things, a bit further for sensing them."
Something at the back of Gambit's mind was bothering him again, although he couldn't quite put his finger on it yet. Pushing it to one side, he tuned back in to what Sage was saying
"That's how you see." It was a statement, not a question.
Louisa nodded. "I can sense the atoms around me and build them up into a picture of what's out there. That's why my range is only about three or four metres."
Sage nodded. "Any further than that and there'd be too much information for your brain to process. Fascinating. How long have you been able to do this?"
"It started when I was about ten. Uncle Jacob thought I was going mad at first. My brain couldn't process the information. But what with Jake going through the same kind of thing, he was able to find someone to help me. She helped me shut down the signals. Get them to a level I could cope with. It's taken me years to get up to the level I'm at now."
"Could you go further?"
She shrugged again. "Maybe. At the moment I don't want to." She looked up, her eyes not focussing on anyone, just taking them all in. "Do you understand now why I asked you what you wanted? I've been asked to do everything from redecoration to life-saving surgery."
At the last word, the piece fell into place in Gambit's mind. The surprise pushed him out of his chair. Momentarily and unusually embarrassed, he went over to the window. Rogue was also on her feet, pulled by his momentum. She followed him and turned him round to face her.
"What is it, sugah?"
He gestured angrily. "That's what he wants her for." Seeing that even she was lost, he spat the word.
"Sinister. That's why he wants her." Rogue was still frowning. "Don' y'see? He manipulates genes, cells, DNA. Last time I checked, that was a pretty big molecule. An' she can see it, can't y'?" Without waiting for her to answer, he pressed on, "Y'knew I was a mutant before I told you. You could see it, see right down to the cells, couldn't you? Imagine what Sinister would do with that kind of ability. He wouldn't need a lab, he'd just need her."
He was vaguely aware that Rogue had her hands on his shoulders and was trying to calm him down. The red haze that usually descended when he thought about Nathaniel Essex cleared a little and he realised he must have terrified Louisa.
"M'sorry" he mumbled to no-one in particular and stalked out of the room. For a long moment, none of them moved. Rogue, torn between following and giving him some space, stood like a statue by the window.
Finally Storm stirred herself and turned to Louisa. The girl was looking concerned, but no more than anyone else.
"Are you alright?"
Louisa jumped. "Huh? Oh, yes. I'm fine."
Deciding the best thing to do was to move on, Storm continued, "It might be helpful for all of us if you could tell us why you ran away."
"I suppose it might." Her brow furrowed in concentration, clearly trying to compose a suitable answer.
The second silence was too much for Rogue. Without apology or comment she hurried from the room after Remy ignoring the sympathetic glances from her teammates.
She found him, as expected, in the main bedroom. Facing the same way as the living room, it had stunning views across the city and park. She was sure that its beauty and brilliance had been Remy's way of balancing the dark and loneliness of other parts of his life. He was sitting looking at the view now, perched on the edge of the bed with his back to her, apparently entranced by what he could see.
"Hey."
He raised his head a little, but didn't turn round.
"Ah would ask if you're ok, but Ah guess that's a stupid question."
"I'm fine." His voice was soft and calm now. She came around the bed and sat beside him. Glancing at her, he asked, "How's Louisa?"
"Fine, Ah think."
"Good." He nodded absently. "Ev'ry time I t'ink I got away from m'past…"
"It catches ya up and slaps y'in the face."
He smiled wryly. "Or kicks me in de ass. I'm never gonna be free of him, Rogue. No matter how much I kid m'self, he's always there."
"Ah know. Ah may not like it, but Ah know."
Her simple acceptance surprised him and gave him the encouragement he needed to continue. "Wasn't such a big deal wit' only m'self t'look after, but I got responsibilities now." He turned his head towards her, his red eyes glowing fiercely. "An' not jus' t'you. D'you know how long it is since I been home?" He looked away again, returning to the view. "Some Guild Master, eh?"
"Ah know, Remy." She was starting to feel like a broken record. "But…"
"You don't know Rogue, none of you do." His tone softened, his mind thousands of miles away. "I've got responsibilities," he repeated. "It's more than jus' bein' team leader of de X-men. It's heart and soul and duty and family, or at least it should be. I left them jus' about peaceful, but I stay 'way much longer…" He left the sentence hanging.
Rogue was still trying to console him. "Don' be so hard on y'self, Remy. You keep an eye on things. You're always talkin' about what's goin' on down there." She trailed off as he shook his head.
"An email ev'ry coupla days ain't not'in' like bein' dere. I do m'best, but," he spread his hands out, helplessly, "They made me Guild Master, Rogue. An' de first t'ing I did was get de hell outta town."
"Oh c'mon, they must know-"
"Must they?" He interupted her. "All they know is ev'ry so often I vanish off t'my superhero friends an' de next time they see me, I'm lyin' half-dead on TV."
Rogue was getting angry herself now. "Is that really what you think of the X-men? Of us? Some second-rate alternative?"
"Not second-rate, chère. You should know better than that." His voice was quiet and, she realised, resigned "I've got a duty t'these people. A blood-oath isn't somethin' you can jus' ignore.".
"You're runnin' again, ain't ya?" She tried to match his cool tone, despite the anger was rising hot in her now. "Things have got hard again, haven't they? We might actually have t'deal with some of the difficult stuff 'stead of keep on ignorin' it, so you decide to bail."
"Is that really what you think of me, Rogue?" he echoed. "You think I only jus' decided dis? You think dis is jus' 'bout us?"
"What else am Ah s'posed t'think?"
"Dat maybe I want you t'come wit'me."
Rogue felt her heart leap into her throat. The surprise had left her momentarily speechless. When he got no answer, Gambit kept going.
"I don' promise it'll be easy on you. De Guild's not 'xactly welcomin' to outsiders, I jus' thought we could try."
For a moment she just stared at him, fighting the impulse to throw her arms around him and kiss him. That amongst all the other things going on, with Louisa Gavin and half the X-men and Marauders and Sinister to worry about, he still thought about them first. A hundred things were running through her head and she didn't have the words for any of them. Before she could pull herself together, he spoke again.
"I know it's asking' a lot of you, chère, but-"
"Remy, Ah - " When their eyes met, she felt a jolt of electricity shoot down her spine.
Words suddenly seemed unnecessary. She leant against him and he wrapped his arms around her.
**************************************************************************************************************************
Louisa's sentence trailed off as all eyes turned to look at the returning couple. Gambit untangled his arm from Rogue's and went over to her. Crouching down next to her chair, his eyes were about level with hers.
"Sorry if I scared you, p'tite."
She smiled, understanding. "You didn't scare me. We all have things we'd rather not think about."
Feeling that was settled, he got up again and threw himself down onto the other end of the sofa.
"So. What d'we miss?"
"Louisa was just about to give us a small demonstration of her powers." Storm explained.
Gambit looked over. "Wit'a pencil?"
Louisa just smiled. "That's about it." She was turning the pencil round in her fingers, apparently feeling every contour and splinter individually. Satisfied with her examination, she broke it in half and wrapped her hands around the two pieces. Her eyes closed, she gently rubbed her hands together.
For about a minute, nothing happened, except that Remy had run down his reserves of patience.
"Would it help if we all did that? Kinda like a séance?"
This earnt him a glare from Storm and a light cuff round the ear from Rogue. Only the corners of Louisa's mouth twitched. After another minute of fidgety silence, she opened her eyes. Looking directly at him, she smiled properly this time.
"Didn't you know that everything comes to he who waits?"
Gambit was about to produce a witty yet cutting reply to this when she opened her hands. Lying there amongst the splinters of wood that had been a pencil was a small, perfect diamond.
There was no fidgeting in the silence that followed this time. Even Bishop looked impressed and Gambit knew that behind Sage's calm expression she was already coming up with uses for this remarkable ability. Storm reached out and took the diamond, holding it up to see the light play across its facets.
"That the real t'ing, Stormy?"
Everyone, even Sage, jumped a little as Remy spoke into the silence. Wordlessly, Storm passed him the jewel. He too held it up to the light. It wasn't large by anyone's standards, but it was completely flawless and beautifully cut. Or at least looked beautifully cut. Dragging his eyes away from its valuable glow, he looked at Louisa Gavin. She was brushing the last of the splinters from her hands into the ashtray on the coffee table. Feeling his stare, she sat back in the armchair taking up her abandoned mug and swirling it round, apparently unconcerned at the others' surprise. Gambit watched her for a long moment, turning the possibilities over in his mind as he turned the diamond in his fingers.
Finally, he said, "Carbon"
Louisa sipped her coffee to hide the fact that her smile had become a grin.
Sage nodded in agreement. "Remarkable."
"And for those of us without a chemistry degree?" rumbled Bishop
"Graphite in pencils is pure carbon." Sage explained, "Just as diamonds are pure carbon. In theory, if you leave diamonds for a few million millennia, they'll turn to graphite, which is a more stable form. Forcing them back the other way must take some doing."
The last sentence was addressed to Louisa, who shrugged, still swirling her coffee.
"Takes practice, but once you know how…." She shrugged again. "It's a living."
Sensing an opening, Gambit leant forward and put the diamond on the table between them.
"That's how you survived wit'out de Gavin fortune." If he'd hoped the statement would surprise her into answering, he'd underestimated her.
Matching his tone, she replied, "Amongst other things" He wondered if she'd guessed they had her files and knew about her 'creative accountancy'. She clearly had guessed that this wasn't nearly enough for any of them. Sighing, she put down her coffee mug and answered a different question.
"Look, let me just give you the headlines. Uncle Jacob wanted me to work for certain groups interested in my powers. I refused. We argued. I ran away." She spoke in a flat, unemotional voice, with the air of someone who'd already told the story too many time.
"If they're de headlines, what's de story?" asked Gambit
"Remy" Storm's voice carried a warning.
"Non, 'Ro. We, well you guys, saved her life. I t'ink we're entitled to a bit more than jus' de headlines." He turned to Louisa. "'M not tryin' t'get at you, p'tite. But it'd help if we knew what was goin' on. Saves mistakes further down the road. Trus' me on that one."
He could have sworn he felt the temperature in the room rise at his last statement. As they all knew, he was the expert when it came to secrets.
Whether Louisa recognized and responded to his sincerity or the inquisitive stares of the rest of the X-men, he wasn't sure. When she spoke again, it was clear she was choosing her words carefully.
"Actually, there's not much more to it than I've already told you. When Uncle Jacob found out exactly what I could do he began contacting groups he thought might be interested in my…." She searched for the word. "Services."
"Whether you like it or non, huh?"
"You got it. Actually I suppose I should be flattered that so many people were prepared to pay so much for me." She laughed without much humour. "Anyway Uncle Jacob chose the best bid and then informed me where I'd be going to college."
"Ah'm sorry? Ah think you lost me there," put in Rogue
"The group in question had its facility near the campus. They thought it'd be better if I kept going to school and worked for them on the side. Less suspicious. What they hadn't counted on was my not really wanting to got work for them. Uncle Jacob said I had to; I said I didn't; he said he'd cut me off without a cent; I said I didn't care as I'd come into my own money at 18 anyway; and it all went downhill from there really"
"An' ended wit'you runnin' away."
"Basically. I had a little saved and knew I could always get more"
"Wit' dose" Gambit waved a hand towards the diamond still lying on the table between them.
"When I had to." She smiled ruefully. "Their quality more than made up for their lack of provenance. If you talk to the right dealer at least."
And know how to quietly siphon off bits from the Gavin Fortune was the unspoken thought, but this probably wasn't the moment to raise that.
She continued, "And it wouldn't matter in 3 weeks' time anyway. I'm eighteen in 19 days. Uncle Jacob won't have any hold on me then, and I'll have enough from the various trusts Dad set up for me to live quite well."
Gambit nodded. The story checked out as far as it went, but it didn't go nearly far enough.
"That's your uncle dealt wit' then. What 'bout Sinister?"
"I've no idea I'm afraid." Her expression was helpless. "I don't know how careful my uncle was about who he approached. I suppose almost anyone could have heard, if they were interested."
"He'd be interested alright." Gambit managed to keep his tone fairly neutral, grateful for Rogue's grip on his shoulder. He looked up at her and found his reassuring smile met with an equally warm one.
"It's probably best to get you out of the city for now." Storm suggested.
"Where am I supposed to go? At least I know New York. I'm going to be even more vulnerable if I go somewhere else."
"I'm not suggesting you go on your own."
"What about Xavier's?" Suggested Bishop. "Or the New York branch of X-Corps? At least we know they could protect her."
"True. Although it's not always the safest of environments."
Gambit knew there had been problems between Storm and the Professor, and her cool tone told him it was more than just a tiff.
"It certainly won't be for them if I'm there." Louisa added. "While I'm sure the X-men would be fine, I'm reluctant to endanger the students."
"Most of them would be fine too, but I understand your concern." Storm thought for a moment. Before she could speak again, Louisa broke in.
"Look, I really appreciate all you've done, and if I had any way of repaying you, I would, but I guess you folks aren't in it for the money. As it is, I owe you, big time. But I've disappeared before and I can do it again. There's plenty of cities out there. I'll just have to pick one."
The X-men exchanged a look.
"That won't cut it, p'tite. Sinister has ways of tracking people down, 'specially when they don't want t'be found."
"Remy" Rogue barely breathed his name, but he understood.
Equally quietly he asked, "Vous permittez, cherie?"
There was a reluctant acceptance on her face. She nodded quickly. "Oui."
Gambit took a deep breath before speaking.
"I need t'take a trip home, 'Ro. She can came wit'us. De Guild'll look after her."
Sage frowned. "Why would they?"
"F'r one, they'll do what de Guild Master – that would be me – tells 'em. F'r another, they can't resist a damsel in distress any more than I can. An' f'r a third," he leant forward and picked up the diamond from the coffee table, "can you make more of these?"
Louisa's broad smile mirrored his own.
"Until you run out of pencils."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
It was decided to wait until the next day to head out of town. Louisa was starting to pale again, and Gambit knew that he and Rogue could certainly use a night's rest. They'd hit the ground running when they reached New Orleans, and he wanted to sleep while he could. It also gave him time to make his own special traveling arrangements.
Despite this, it looked like the time before they left was going to be taken up with a debate over who should be coming with them. As first all three of the X-men had wanted to come, until the difficulty of taking a cop to the Guild of Thieves was pointed out. Bishop had argued that with the Marauders looking for them, they needed all the back-up they could get, until Storm overruled him, agreeing that the Guild might not be willing to help if they arrived with a policeman in tow.
It was when Gambit refused to take Sage that the argument really began. They went round in circles for a while, until Gambit broke the stalemate.
"De simple fact is that I won't take you."
"Gambit, Bishop is right. You need all the back up you can get."
"We'll have that once we reach N'awlins. An' as Guildmaster, I can't let jus' anyone wander in." least of all a living tape and video recorder, he thought. Out loud, he said, "Stormy has at least her own background as a t'ief. They won' like it, but they'll accept it."
"And Rogue? She's not a thief."
He looked at her for a long moment before answering. "For someone so smart, you sure do ask some dumb questions."
And that more or less settled it, although Bishop and Sage still insisted on accompanying them to the airport.
Louisa had kept silent through the arguing, only reacting when Storm suggested she go put her things together and have a lie down. She started, nodded and pulled herself out of the chair. As she left, Storm looked across at Gambit. Understanding, he nodded and started to get up himself.
Rogue's hand on his shoulder pushed him back into the cushions.
"Ah'll go." Before anyone could argue, she was on her feet and out of the door.
Louisa was gathering up the clothes she'd spread on the bed and folding them neatly before putting the into her holdall.
"Can Ah come in?" Rogue asked from the doorway.
Keeping her back turned, Louisa shrugged.
"Why not? It's your apartment."
"Actually it's Remy's, but thanks anyway." She came in and sat on the bed so Louisa would have to look at her. What the point was inthat when the girl was blind she wasn't quite sure, apart from making her feel better. "Y'know, they're only tryin' t'help."
Louisa stopped folding and packing. "I know that, really I do. It's just…" she shrugged again. "It's like it was with Uncle Jacob, only in reverse. No-one bothers to ask me what I want to do or what would be best for Louisa the human being. They've just considered the best place for this dangerous weapon so that no-one else can get their hands on it."
"Ah understand why you'd feel like that."
"I know you know more about this than I do, what with running around saving the world and everything, but it's still frustrating. Not being in charge of your own destiny."
As ever the word sent a shiver down Rogue's spine.
"Don' ever believe that", she said with sudden warmth. "No matter how set things seem, you can always change them. Always."
Louisa frowned at the tone of the other woman's voice. "You sound like you know something about that."
"Remind me to tell you about Destiny's Diaries sometime."
"I will." Louisa said quietly. "Sinister's bad news, isn't he. I mean, really, bad news."
Rogue took a deep breath, deciding not to go into details. The girl didn't need the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Not at this point, anyway.
"Sugah, he's the worst."
Louisa nodded, her frown clearing. "Then I guess I'm just going to have to trust you guys, aren't I?"
"F'r now you are. We're not just doin' this for us, you know."
"I know. How do you manage, always having to take the world into consideration?"
Rogue smiled, standing and putting her hand on the girl's shoulder. "I'll let you know when I do. Just let us worry about that now. You try to get some sleep."
Louisa nodded wearily. "Thanks. I'll try."
As Rogue left the room, she turned, hand resting on the handle. Louisa was lying on the bed, face to the wall, eyes closed. She looked young and vulnerable, not much like a super-weapon to anyone's eyes. And, thought Rogue, she won't be one, not if we can help it.
Despite herself, she stopped by the master bedroom to pick up her gloves. She hated having to wear them around those she loved, but she had enough else going on in her mind without having to think about where she was putting her hands.
Back in the living room, all was peace again. Bishop and Sage were apparently engrossed in something on the red glasses they were both wearing; Storm was looking out at the view and Remy….
Remy was simply lying on the couch, looking at the ceiling. For a moment, Rogue thought he was falling asleep, but the vacant look in his eyes came, she knew, from deep thought rather than tiredness. It had taken her a long time to learn how to read the black depths and the red glow, and even now she couldn't always tell what he was thinking. However, this was a look she knew. Louisa's appearance had raised too many uncomfortable memories for Gambit. He was trying to push them back in, not deal with them now so that he could deal with the task at hand.
Wandering over, she sat down on the edge of the couch, looking at him.
"You ok, sugah?"
He pulled himself away from wherever it was he'd been and turned his head to her.
"Fine, chére, jus' fine. Jus'…y'know." He trailed off.
Rogue nodded. "Ah know."
He smiled at her – 'number 7, thank you for understanding' – and reached out to take her hand.
"This ain't gonna be easy for you, y'know. De Guild's gonna be pretty upset. And Belle's practic'ly running it day t'day now."
"Ah understand. Ah think you're more worried than Ah am."
"Mebbe. I'm not doin' this lightly, Rogue. Y'know that, right?"
She did know. For all his 'one day at a time's and 'live in the moment's, Remy wanted her as much as she wanted him. This would probably be the closest she'd get to an answer to the previous night's argument. He had listened, taken her seriously and done something about it. The next move would be up to her.
"Ah know" she said simply, squeezing the hand that held hers. Despite the thin cotton of her glove, it was warm and comforting. "Ah can only do ma best, you know that?"
"That's more than enough for any man" he tugged at her hand, and she let herself be pulled down against him, careful to rest her cheek on his t-shirt rather than his bare neck. His arm wrapped around her, the steady rise and fall of his chest underneath their clasped hands was soothing, and she could feel herself drifting off to sleep. After all, it had been an eventful day.
Gambit also drifted for a while, pleasantly between waking and sleeping, letting the day just melt away. Trying to ignore the knot forming in the pit of his stomach. Taking Rogue to the Guild might not be his cleverest idea ever, but it was done now. He'd just have to face down the trouble as it came. For now, the warmth of her against him was enough and he decided to let himself doze for a bit.
Being able to wake up on cue was an essential skill for any half decent thief, and he stirred again half an hour later. Rogue's deep breathing indicated that she was still well away, and he was careful not to disturb her as he slipped off the sofa, grateful he'd chosen one with a low back. That too had been deliberate – you couldn't be vaulting over high furniture if you needed to make a quick getaway. The sun had almost set now, and he could see a figure silhouetted against the darkening sky.
"Stormy?"
"Do not call me that, Remy" she didn't turn to face him, still watching the view of the city.
Gambit grinned. "You been watching over us?"
"I have been watching over the city. It is good sometimes to stop and consider things."
"What you considering?"
"Just…things."
"Right. Them." Gambit wasn't sure about his friend's tone. Was it an invitation to talk, or just to share the silence with her? He padded over to the window, taking the other seat.
Lights were starting to come on in the various buildings while the darkness of Central Park was becoming deeper.
"You can nearly see de Met from here."
"Are you considering a job there?" Despite the darkness, Gambit knew she was smiling.
"Nah. It'd only upset them. Not 'nough money in it anyway. No-one'd buy anythin' they knew came from there."
"True."
They sat in silence for another few minutes, watching the deep red of the sky darken to black.
"You ok, Stormy?"
"As I said, Gambit, do not call me that. I am fine, thank you."
Right, strike one. Maybe a more subtle approach?
"We were up at de mansion yesterday" Was it only yesterday? It felt like a lifetime ago.
"Rogue told me. I am sorry, my friend."
Gambit stared out into the darkness. "Thanks." Damn. She'd ambushed that attempt. Strike two. Well, if all else failed.
"You gonna tell me, or we jus' gonna sit here de rest of de night?"
Storm considered this for a moment before speaking.
"Thank you, Remy, but I believe I will be fine."
Even Gambit couldn't ignore three strikes. Giving up, he looked around the now dark apartment.
"Where're Sage and Bishop?"
"They retired to your second bedroom for more analysis."
"Is that what they're calling it these days?"
Storm shook her head, amused but chose not to rise to the comment. "They are also going to do further research in Jacob Gavin senior. Since they must remain behind, we thought it would be a good idea for them to do some investigating, since that is their specialty anyway."
"Sounds sensible." However, Gambit knew Storm too well. "And?"
She shifted in her chair a little. "I am still a little…uncomfortable…about our traveling to the south without further back up."
"Really." His tone was neutral, giving nothing away.
"Yes. I do not believe it is wise. While I do not underestimate my own abilities, if Sinister sends the Marauders after us…."
"Don't underestimate me either, Stormy." He was unable to keep all the bitterness out of his voice. As she opened her mouth to protest so he pressed on. "I'm Guild Master, Master Thief, and while I don't make claims like Wolvie to be the best, I'm pretty damn good. Possibly the best at what I do. You know better than these guys what that means. I'll get us all the back up we need, don't worry about that."
"Remy…"
"Thieves, Stormy. They listen t'me. I'm in charge, remember." His voice softened a little. "You trusted me to lead you guys once before. I'm not saying that worked out perfectly, but we all got out alive." In fact he still had some nightmares of being turned into a living statue, although he managed not to shudder at the memory,
"I trust you, my friend." Storm's voice was firm, killing any doubts either of them might have had.
"T'anks, 'Ro." He found her hand in the darkness and raised it to his lips. "Now," he said, getting up, "I gotta make some calls. You check on Louisa?"
"Sleeping peacefully as of an hour ago."
"I'll look in as I pass."
He left her looking out at the now twinkling city. Postcards had got nothing on this panorama, he thought, idly wondering when he'd see it again. Soon, he promised himself, turning his back and going through to the bedrooms. He could hear low voices from further down the corridor, and Louisa was indeed still sleeping peacefully. Pushing open the bedroom door he made a mental list of the calls he needed to make. Seemed it was going to be a busy night.
