Disclaimer: Just for the lawyers, I, Tsugath, do not own, nor probably will I ever be lucky enough to own the rights to the X-Men. Now back to the more important stuff.

A quick explanation of the character usage in the story:
" " Verbal communication
/ Telepathic communication
'' Someone holding a mental conversation with themselves.
( )Empathic or emotion-based conversation. You'll understand what I mean when you read it in the later chapters.

PROLOGUE

Etienne looked out the window at the other X-Men playing a variation of soccer out on the lawn of the mansion. Had it only been six months since he had come to live here?

He flopped down on the couch, wishing for the umpteenth time that he could be outside playing with everyone else. He had tried, but his cousin Remy had given him THE LOOK and then Kitty had politely asked what he thought he was doing since Dr. McCoy hadn't even taken the cast off his right arm yet. He had just sighed in defeat and come back inside. Currently he was trying to get interested in a fantasy novel by one of his favorite authors, but the thought of telepathic Companions and Heralds with exceptional gifts just didn't hold the same fascination when you were surrounded by those kinds of people every day.

He thought back to the events that had brought him here. Not that he really wanted to dwell on his own torture, but it had been a blessing in disguise. Since his arm had been so smashed that it was unlikely he'd ever regain full use of it, his Uncle had given him semi-permanent leave from the Thieves guild back home in New Orleans. He was like his cousin in that respect, neither of them could really return to the lives they had led previously. His thoughts turned dark. Of course Remy was still a great thief with all his skills still intact and his body hale and healthy. 'Life just ain't fair sometimes.'

He hated feeling indebted to his cousin. Gambit had led the other X-Men to the place where Etienne had been left for dead in New York City. When they had brought him back to the mansion, Dr. McCoy had put his broken body back together again. After he had regained consciousness, Gambit and Rogue had stopped the ensuing guild war between the New York and New Orleans Thieves Guilds by proving no one from New York was responsible. He knew they had found the guilty person, but he didn't know exactly what had happened to the culprit. Gambit had never offered the information, other than to say he had handled it.

He looked down at his hands. His mutant ability had developed and been forced to mature from all the pain he had experienced during his abduction. The small empathic ability he had been born with was a thousand times stronger, till he could sense any strong emotion unless he was shielded. Even with the strongest mental shields he could muster, if he touched someone he could still tell exactly what they were feeling. It was a scary thought. He laughed to himself. When he had been recovering from his injuries, the drugs he was on made it impossible for him to shield at all. Either Professor Xavier or Jean had to be in the house at all times to make sure he didn't turn the rest of the X-Men into quivering balls of pain and dizziness. There had been a couple accidents, but everyone had forgiven him since he couldn't help it.

He heard someone come in the room behind him and turned, seeing Dr. McCoy in the doorway. "Bonjour Henri!" He smiled at the furry doctor who had become a close friend since his sojourn in the Medical Bay.

"Hello Etienne. I had some time and wondered if you would like to see if that cast is ready to come off."

Etienne jumped off the couch faster than a rabbit. "Dat would be great." He followed Hank downstairs.

Hank laughed. "I also have some good news. My friend, the orthopedic surgeon who helped put your arm back together sent a little present over for you."

Etienne looked surprised. "What is it?"

"It's called a bone stimulator. It should help the bones in your arm repair themselves faster even if you don't have to stabilize them with a cast anymore." He took out a saw. "Now hold still while I take this off."

Etienne looked down at the white flesh of his arm. He turned it so that he could see the scars where the screws had been used to hold the larger pieces of bone together.

"Okay, lets take a couple X-rays of it to see how you're doing." McCoy moved the machine and took a few pictures, moving to the computer monitor to view them.

"Well, it looks like everything is knit together enough so that you don't need the full cast." He looked up. "You still won't be able to play football or soccer I'm afraid."

Etienne grinned at him. "At least I can reach all the places it's been itching."