(Four)
Henry hovered in the lav door. He looked at Remy who was now standing at the sink, washing his face. Remy was very pale and still shaking. He had covered his ears in a very Seth like posture the whole time Kimble was screaming, too sympathetic to the Siskan not to know what the poor guy had been feeling. Where Remy had been able to suppress it and contain all that emotion, Kimble's simple and childlike mind could not. When Kimble had quieted, Remy rose on shaky legs from the lav floor and went to the door to see for himself that Kimble was going to be okay. He then leaned quietly against Henry's big blue shoulder to listen to Kimble and Fallen speak. When Fallen had put Kimble to bed, Remy went to the sink and started to clean up.
"You all right?" Henry asked him quietly.
Gambit looked up at him, saw Henry's shimmer glowing around his body, and shook his head. "I don' know. I really don' know."
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
Remy took a cigarette from Fallen's glass jar. "Oui. I need a shot of whiskey, s'il vous plait...an' if it's not too much trouble... I really, really need ta go 'ome." His eyes met Henry's. "Gambit seen many t'ings, we all 'ave, but dis...dat was more dan Gambit ever needs to see again."
"It wasn't all bad was it?" Henry joked, hoping to cheer him. "You did get to visit a Siskan pleasure room. How much of that did you get?"
Remy lowered his eyes and shivered. "All of it."
"Fascinating. You'll have to tell me all about your adventures later when you feel better."
Gambit pointed at him. "You tell Rogue 'bout dat... 'bout what went on in dere wit Carnya an' Hayden... Gambit's gonna steal all your Twinkies, je promets. An' yo' teddy bear."
Henry put a hand to his throat in mock horror. "You know about him?" he said in a conspiratorial whisper. "But how?"
Gambit laughed and was himself again. "Bien entendu. Gambit's a t'eif. 'E knows everyt'ing."
"Hmm. Your secret is safe with me. One shot of whiskey coming up." He started to leave, but glanced back. "Welcome back."
Gambit nodded his thanks and turned away to smoke and calm down.
Henry came out into the cage and paused. Fallen was standing over Kimble and covering him up as he slept. She had wanted to stay in the bed with him, but she had her daughter to look after, too. Fallen smiled up at Henry in greeting as she took Maylee into her arms. She held Maylee tightly then slowly left with her into the galley, making a wide berth around the Clansmen tied to the cage.
Beast looked down on Kimble's tranquil sleeping face. He hoped the Siskan would be okay after this, but he doubted any kind of quick fix would overcome the wide emotional breach that he'd witnessed on the screen today.
Henry wasn't alone, Wolverine was standing guard in the doorway of the cage. The doctor nodded at him. "You all right?"
Logan was standing with his arms crossed, his suspicious eyes never leaving Kimble's sleeping face. "Takin' an inventory?"
"I am a doctor."
"I'm good. Nuthin' a shower, a shot a whiskey, and five days worth a' sleep won't fix."
"Then go get some rest. Leave Kimble and the others to me."
"I'm sick ta death of all this crap. Hope he wakes up soon an' helps Fallen finish the repairs."
Henry looked next to the Clan men still fixed to the cage. Bruce would have to be moved to the isle side of the cage because Valentin and Joseph couldn't leave him alone. "What about them?"
"We keep 'em chained. It's almost time to go. Fuck 'em," Logan growled. "Is Remy okay?"
Beast kept his voice low as he answered, "I don't know. Physically he seems to be fine. I have no way of knowing what kind of emotional damage may be there or if it's permanent." He glanced up at his teammate. "You will do as Fallen asks, right? Keep those fists to yourself? She is correct in assessing that as the source of the breach. Like Seth, Kimble clearly can't take the violence."
"A guy that weak should know when ta keep his mouth shut. He keeps himself in line, so will I."
"What is it about him that makes you so angry? He really is quite harmless."
"That's not what I saw today. Harmless people don't freak out an' kill like that."
"And you? You've done your share of damage. Yet we've all learned to see past that to the real man inside. Perhaps you should learn to do the same with him," Henry said, echoing Fallen's sentiments. He patted Logan on the shoulder and walked away.
Wolverine grumbled and looked down at Kimble. He didn't see the same thing as Henry. He saw a calm vessel holding a tempest inside, a subject he was well acquainted with. Maybe he saw too much of himself in Kimble and that's what concerned him. Kimble did not possess Logan's self control, but he shared a great deal of the rage. Not a good combination in Logan's eyes.
