(Seven)
Remy sat in the limo, his eyes gleaming and a smile teasing the corners of his mouth. He was out with the boys, something that he hadn't done in a long time. They had a regular driver this time and Etienne was in the back with him, already raiding the tiny cabinet of booze that was there for the Guild clients.
Jacques and Phillipe were there as well, joking and teasing each other around, taking bets on who was going to score first. These were the younger LeBeaus, cousins from an aunt Remy hardly knew. The Guild was large and the families were huge with children. At twenty-five, Remy was already starting to feel like an old man compared to these guys. They were into completely different things and far more in tune with the changing world. Just a few minutes told him he had a lot of catching up to do on the new technologies the Guild was using in surveillance and entrance tools. He knew some computer tricks, but these guys were serious hackers that would challenge Seth in many respects.
Remy's spirits were high. He had spent most of that morning out Christmas shopping with his Tante and some of the kids. He had brought nothing down with him from New York in his haste to escape, but loved to shop for other people anyways. Just being back here and out on streets with happy people had made him almost giddy with joy and all of his woes had melted away. He should have done this a long time ago.
They came to a Club and were dropped off out front. The Guild was well known and respects paid, these LeBeaus got in without having to pay. They were escorted in and given the best table. Remy was struck by the familiarity of the place, it was a large club with multiple floors and filled with plenty of young women, the pickings would be good. He felt a surge of regret at what was around him, it was a lot like Raul's place and he missed his good friend, but mostly, he ached for Vanessa.
You are not gonna be all moody tonight! he chided himself. Dis for you to 'ave a good time an' get your stride back. Been messed up, sad an' angry for long enough.
Gambit found a seat, wanting a couple of drinks in before the prowling began in earnest. The Club was tightly packed and people would gently brush him as they passed. He found he had to put in a little effort to clamp down on all the vibrations here. Good for him, most of the folks here were happy, but it was a crowd. He didn't want to risk being swamped.
He had a flashback memory of when he and Kimble had shared files. Young Kimble had walked into a Siskan pleasure room and had paused a moment, arms outstretched to better soak up all of the happy vibrations in the place, drinking them up like wine. Remy closed his eyes and smiled, daring to open up just a little. He could hear and feel the laughter of the folks around him. It cheered him and his gloom dissipated. He was happy now and glad to be here.
Remy leaned back in his chair, delightfully buzzed from the drinks and the vibrations of happiness around him. His cousins were having a blast and he could feel their gaiety and cheeriness as well while they joked and played around with one another. He had really needed this night out and was already beginning to feel like his old self again.
"Yo, check it," Etienne said, tapping Remy's elbow. "De one in de back. She eyeballin' you, homme."
Remy looked up and saw a gorgeous brunette looking him over with great interest from the back of the room. She was dressed in a long, sleeveless, brown sparkling dress that came up to her throat. She also wore long opera gloves that covered most of her arms, something that was an instant turn on for him. It reminded him of Rogue the way she was dressed, but her eyes were all hunger and need. He was surprised by the corresponding desire in his own body. He was lonelier than he had thought and the idea of being with this gorgeous woman was very appealing.
He still felt a tremor of fear, fear of what could happen. The truth be told, he was ready to bust a gut from holding himself back. It had been months now since he had been with a woman, longer than he had gone in a while. His heart was aching, he really needed the release. He needed the personal attention and the ego boost of a good lay. He would just be careful, that's all. "I am Gambit, Prince of T'ieves, T'ief of 'Earts," he muttered to himself softly in Siskan, psyching himself up.
Remy found his feet and smoothly cruised on over, hearing the laughter of his friends cheering him on from behind him. The woman smiled as he approached and they circled each other, predator and prey. "Late for sunglasses, is it not, handsome one?" she purred in halting English, her voice lightly accented.
He slid the glasses down and removed them, showing her his eyes. It was a necessary evil, he couldn't get as close to this woman as he wanted to without taking them off at some point. Better off doing it now than wasting all night on a girl who was going to freak on him at the last moment. "You so bright, chere. Gonna blind dis boy wit yo' beauty."
"Oh, my. Talks as pretty as he looks, this one," she responded, accepting his mutant appearance and pulling him close. She kissed him boldly, giving him her tongue and flooding him with her passion.
Remy staggered a little, not accustomed to this kind of attack without at least a little more foreplay. He shivered as a strong vibration of her lust and need blasted into him. He had felt this before, oh yes. Even this far away, he couldn't escape Kimble's legacy. He swooned, drowning in her heat, feeling her desire pound right through his brain right down to his crotch. He was sprung instantly, a throbbing demanding ache that destroyed any other item on his agenda. He wanted to fuck her, right here, right now. So what if he got arrested. He had to have her, he had to feel her cum all over him. He had to, he had to...
Remy tore himself away, staggering back as he tried to regain his control. She was a mutant, an empath, and had used her power to try and seduce him, the bitch. He had always been repulsed by mind control, hating it. Like Wolverine, he was a creature of will and disliked being forced to do anything. He glared at her, a bit put out, and squinted when her shine burst out all around her and poured into him, making him feel a little buzzed onto top of being horribly, terribly aroused. They regarded each other with mutual surprise.
"Tay esken Kundatesh! But you- you're human! What magic is this?" she gasped, taking a wary step backwards.
"No magic, chere," Remy replied, woozy from her power and not quite with the program. Did she just speak in Siskan? No, that was impossible. "What's goin' on?" The room was spinning.
She snatched at him and he felt her rip into his mind again. "A Hunter are you?"
"Non, chere. Jus' huntin' a good time, is all," his drunken mouth slurred in a feeble attempt at humor. He struggled to collect himself, to get his brain working. He focused on her, reaching out feebly with his power as he had with Logan. He agreed with his Tante that this power was tool he could use to his advantage if he could only learn to control it. He would give this a try. He opened his mind to it, listening with internal ears. It whispered to him, shocking him with a clear, firm voice that demanded his attention. / She spoke in Siskan, find out why. Get with the game, LeBeau!
Gambit reeled. This he had not expected. A voice in his head? He had heard something of it when he was with Rogue that last time, but had dismissed it as a fantasy of love. Apparently, he had been woefully mistaken. But why was he hearing it now? He wasn't having sex with this woman - not yet anyhow - she had merely kissed him. The kiss. Yes. She had kissed him and more. Her empathic power must have boosted his own, giving strength to it and allowing it to boldly communicate with him.
"Touched by one of the Kintay du Lushna-esk, you've been!" the woman in front of him gasped ominously, snapping him from his thoughts. Her eyes had gone wide and her emotions swamped him, drowning him. Her emotions tumbled into him in a rush - she was afraid, she was intrigued by him, she was much too wary to ask him for anything more. It was enough to clear his head and that helpful voice began to get through. /She thinks you want to harm her somehow. Find out why, you idiot!
" 'Ey! Where you goin'?" he shouted after her as she bolted from him in fear.
"Hey, Remy! You losin' your touch, old man!" at least one of his friends cackled at her sudden flight, but he wasn't listening. He took off after her, but was losing ground in the crowd. There were too many people in here. That and it was amazingly difficult to run with a raging hard on. Her touch had set his body on fire, it was still burning, even now.
They raced through the back of the room and out through the kitchen, bringing startled cries from the help. She ran out through one of the service doors and outside into the alley behind the Club. He followed her, slamming the door open with his speed and she took off, fleet of foot as she left her shoes behind.
"Espe're!" he shouted uselessly. "Wait! Gambit just want to talk to you!"
He watched with dull surprise as she leapt up suddenly with telekinetic grace and began to climb the wrought iron fire escape towards the roof. Figures. He wasn't going to catch a break, not this night. He jumped up and gave chase as best he could, grunting and wheezing from the effort. He had removed the splint on his wrist, not finding it really fashionable, but cursed that decision now. He could feel small bolts of pain shooting through his arm as he pulled himself up.
She was very fast and he was quickly left behind. When he got to the top, she was nowhere to be seen. He was startled when he found her dress on the rooftop beside her gloves and he picked it up, sliding the smooth silky material through his hands as his mind raced with questions. Why had she stripped down?
He looked around him, figuring she had taken off to the sky, but paused when he saw a woman shaped shimmer silhouetted against the brick of the housing for the stairs. There was his answer. She could hide herself but not her dress and so had abandoned it. Their brief exchange of the "charm power" had done more than cause a little voice to speak to him, it had turned on that invisible switch in his mind and he could see her now. She had blended into the shadows of the night, her body a chameleon against the bricks. She would be invisible to anyone who couldn't see the shines as he did. This mutant girl had quite the range of talents - chameleon, empath, telekinetic - oh, and instant aphrodisiac.
"Paisible maintenant. Easy, chere," he said softly, maintaining the distance between them. "You an' me, we got off on de wrong foot, Gambit's t'inkin'."
"See me, you can?" she whispered in wonder, moving away a little.
"Sure. Got touched by an angel. Now Gambit sees de shines. 'E's t'inkin' mebbe you do, too. Look at 'im real 'ard, you see dis boy don' mean you no harm," he said, doing his best to charm her and make her see he wasn't a threat.
"Who are you?"
"M' name's Remy LeBeau. I'm jus' a boy passin' t'rough. Nuthin' more."
"You've lain with another like me. Felt it I did!"
"Now Gambit, 'e gets around some. You gonna 'ave to be more specific dere, girl," he teased smoothly, trying to set her at ease. He wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about. Remy had always been a little loose when he and Rogue were 'off'. He got around. He would like to think he would remember a girl like this, but no one came immediately to mind. Her garbled speech reminded him a little of Yoda from Star Wars. That alone would have made her memorable, but he had no clue who she was.
The woman slowly came away from the wall and her skin shifted back to normal. She was naked and beautiful with lightly tanned skin like a California girl. Her lovely breasts were covered with a massive ornate tattoo, just as Fallen's were. The difference was, instead of an emerald, winged woman along the sword, she had a brown winged woman with two tools crossed over her chest, a pick and shovel beautifully made to show power and strength.
Remy's eyes opened wide. She was talkin' 'bout Kimble! She Siskan! What she doin 'ere? Gambit's gonna find out, dat's one you can count on! "Gambit seen sumptin' like dat, sure. De green."
"Channeler," the woman recited as if she had some knowledge of this.
Gambit's curiosity surged as did his hope. He remembered how Leon had spoken that word as well, it was part of this thing Kimble was to become. Apparently she knew about it, too. What an unexpected surprise. Guess this trip had been worth it after all. He gave her his best charming smile and went right to work. "Now you got dis boy at a disadvantage, fille. You know 'is name, but 'e don' know yours."
"Babette I am called. I am a Builder."
"Sounds like you a girl with a career choice made. You wanna fill Gambit in on what's goin' on?" he teased in spite of not having a clue what she was talking about. He came closer to her, taking her in. Her Mark was very striking, but he thought not as nice as Kimble's.
"You don't know? Recognize the Mark, you do," she said with suspicion.
"Gambit's guessin' my good buddy Kimble didn' get de memo. 'E had no clue about bein' any kind of Guardian."
"That's impossible. A Master we all have."
Remy groaned inside. Everyone but Kimble. He didn't think for a moment that Sabretooth really counted, even if the freak called himself one.
"Kimble got a little sidetracked, is all, chere. He on 'is own."
"In danger he is."
Tell me sumptin' I don' know, Yoda girl! Gambit thought impatiently. "Mebbe you can 'elp me 'elp 'im, neh? Gambit didn' get de memo either."
"How do I know you're not a Hunter, me?"
"Did I kiss like a 'Unter?" he challenged, giving her a winning smile.
She laughed, charmed. "Of course you do. But as a Hunter of Siskans? Perhaps not."
He grinned at her tease. "Honestly, girl. Gambit come 'ere for a dance an' a drink, dat's all. He didn' expect to find you 'ere, but now 'e's got you...shall we say, in 'is sights..." he leered at her shimmering naked body with appreciation, "P'etetre, you an' me can go somewhere quiet an' talk."
She raised an eyebrow at him and arched her back seductively. "Just talk?"
"Well, Gambit...he never one to turn down anyt'ing more, chere. 'Specially not from one as lovely as you."
"Who is this Gambit you keep speaking of, you?" she asked playfully. She had relaxed now and wasn't so defensive. He had won her over for the moment. The boy still had his natural talent for gaining trust.
Remy laughed. "I'm Gambit an' Gambit is me, chere. We are de same."
"Like the way you talk, I do," she said, coming close to reclaim her dress. She brushed up against him deliberately and once more Remy felt her need. She was so like Kimble this way, it was coming off of her in waves. He was a little more prepared for it now and it didn't swamp him, it just renewed the throbbing in his groin. It didn't escape her notice. She stroked him playfully, making him shudder with desire. "The rest of you I like, too, me."
She kissed him again and flooded him with her power, laughing when he groaned and clutched at her. "Not just yet," she teased and withdrew, taking her dress. She slid it back over herself like a sleeve and smiled at him as she walked over to the edge of the building. She looked down over the edge. "My poor shoes, mine..."
Remy took a step, his sides heaving as he struggled for air, for control. He couldn't let her blow him away. There was too much he needed to know. "Dat's no problem. Gambit a good t'ief. Le meilleur. Best in town. He get you some more."
"Then let's go, us," she said and scooped him up, throwing them both over the edge. He flailed wildly, momentarily forgetting she was telekinetic, but then laughed as she caught them. "For a mutant, jumpy you are!" she teased once more, kissing him again.
"Yeah, Gambit gets dat a lot," he laughed and took her hand as they landed safely down at the street. He yanked her playfully out onto the sidewalk and they ran down the street towards some shops with large windows. She was laughing gaily and he knew he was right about her. She was like Kimble had been, out here on the loose looking for kicks. He was getting the idea perhaps her Master didn't even know she was out. He stopped in front of a shoe store. It had a large glass display window with many expensive shoes spread out. "See anyt'ing you like?"
"That pair in the front, me. Right size, you think?"
"P'etetre, p'etetre non. Let's find out, us?" he replied playfully in a gentle tease, making her smile.
The store was closed and it was quite late, but Remy didn't care. He reached into a coat pocket and took out a small box. It held a diamond glass cutter on a suction cup. He licked the cup with an eager tongue, giving her the eyes, and stuck it on the glass. He took the cutter and fast as lightning, made a rapid circular motion and the piece of glass was his. He lifted it out carefully and removed the cutter silently, faster than she could see. He snatched at the shoes she had selected and the alarm went off.
"Losin' my touch!" he complained merrily and they were off and running again.
Babette squealed with laughter and they melted away into the night, already a distant memory by the time the cops showed up. They ran a short distance then slipped into an alley way. The shoes were a little big, but Babette didn't care. She fastened them as tightly as possible and they were off, arm in arm. She allowed this bright young man to lead her, curious what he was about but already certain what the night's ending would be. She wouldn't be disappointed.