Summary : Kimble's shattered selves prove to be most troublesome while Remy waits for the Games Master. Part 25 of my Kimble series.
Notes : Rated M for language, violence, and sexual situations.
AU but only because I chose to change a few things in my dear friends' histories for simplification, nothing drastic so please forgive. I've been working on this story for years so I do ask that you don't use any of my non-Marvel universe characters without my permission. I love my Siskans as I do my children.
Updated 10-21-13 to add (break)s as needed and to do the usual...
(One)
It took a little while, but Kimble slowly began to come out of his plasma induced stupor. Zander had taken such a heavy dose of plasma from Neal that he had been out cold for almost two hours after Remy had left him. Gambit had withdrawn from the cell to let him sleep, but hadn't gone far. He was hanging out in the Lab and waiting, catching a quick bite to eat, wanting to be there the moment Kimble woke. Henry kept checking in on Kimble and knew he was coming out of it when the Siskan began to tremble as if he was cold. The doctor called for the thief to join him down at the holding cells and they waited the last few minutes for Kimble to come fully around.
Earlier, Beast brought Remy up to date on the things that had happened while he was away, specifically Creed's little visit. Gambit was quiet as he was told about Molly's encounter with Sabretooth in the hallway. She had freaked out, went savage, and had to be restrained. It upset Remy greatly to hear it. He cared a great deal for her and would go looking for her right that moment if Kimble hadn't needed him more. He had been wondering why she hadn't sought him out after he arrived. When he was finished here with Kimble, he would go look for her.
Henry informed him that Molly was okay now, just a little out of sorts. She claimed that Creed was the Lion Man from her nightmares, but no one knew for sure if it was true. Henry knew Gambit hadn't been told Sabretooth was Molly's father and didn't offer anything more about the DNA evidence he had uncovered. Henry's attempt at secrecy was a waste of time, Shi'ow-ri was quick to whisper to her host, / He knows it's true but doesn't want to say. /
How can you be sure?
/ I can't, but maybe we can sneak around the Lab later and find out. /
You a girl after my own heart, chere.
Henry went on to speak about how the purpose of Sabretooth's visit was to release Kimble. He had known that SHIELD and Jael were looking for him and he had nowhere to run. He came to release Kimble and then allowed Fury to take him away. Henry had noted the change in Creed. He was passive, not so angry and arrogant as before. Kimble had definitely been a positive influence on him. Remy was glad to hear it. It justified his own beliefs that the Kundatesh could be used for good things and that Kimble had never intended to hurt anyone by using it. No matter where Kimble had gone – the Freedom Kings or with Creed – he had made it better for someone. As much as Kimble insisted he was a sickness, Remy knew better than to believe it.
After a couple more minutes, Kimble finally woke. He had twisted out of the blanket as he had slept and was shivering now. They went into the holding cell and Beast lay the blanket back over him, grimacing at the horrible welts across his waist and chest. Although most of the damage Kimble had done to himself was gone, five large red scars still remained. At least his skin was nice and warm, he wasn't freezing like he had been before.
Kimble took the blanket numbly as Henry gave it to him and slid it clumsily over his shoulders. His hair was a tangled mess and his lips were dry and cracked. He was incredibly thirsty but Henry had learned from when Kimble had first came home - he had been thirsty then, too, and had gobbled water down only to vomit it right back up again. This time Beast only gave him a couple of ice chips at a time, watching him closely to see if he would sick them up again. Kimble didn't, he just chomped on the chips sloppily and drooled a bit, not completely awake. He blinked repeatedly, unable to see clearly. His eyes kept tearing up from being dry and scratchy. "I feels like shit..." he complained. "What happened ta me?"
"We found someone who could repair you."
"Why?" Lakotashay asked roughly as she came to the fore, her anger returning.
"It was Remy's decision."
'Shay looked up as Gambit walked in and snarled at him, "You asshole!"
She had no clear memory of being revived or of the playful spill Kimble had taken with Remy. The words he had shared in the cell with Remy remained Kimble's and he had taken them with him. 'Shay was no fool, she had some idea something had gone on behind her back. Remy's arrogant, beaming smile only made this belief stronger. She didn't trust him, not one bit. She could see that something in his shine had changed, too, from the last time she had seen him. It was brighter, stronger, more confident. It didn't make her the least bit happy to see it.
Gambit's mood was much too bright to be dimmed by the Quitter's words, he didn't falter or lose the teasing smile he had come in with. He remembered Kimble's laughter well enough for the two of them and how good it was to hear it. He had anticipated Lakotashay's stubbornness and wasn't about to be regret his decision to keep Kimble alive. "Now dat's no way to greet a friend, especially when he happen to be yo' Master."
"You ain't our Master! You wants some stupid cunt faced girl, not us!" 'Shay snarled, all too ready to use Kimble's last hateful words to her own advantage.
"Gambit is yo' Master and no girl's ever gonna keep me from doin' right by you, chere," Remy replied nice and easy, his arrogant smile still wide. This angry child would never be able to scratch the surface of the hope the Lover had given him only a scant couple hours ago. He would wear her down by whatever means he had to, his love was that powerful.
'Shay could see she hadn't scored on that one at all. It didn't silence her. "You wants ta do right by us? Kills us! If you ain't got the balls, I kin do it myself!"
"Non. Nobody dies on Gambit's watch."
She growled at him, an angry sneer on her face. "Yer not our Master! Yer just some asshole with a heart full of lies! An' we ain't under nobody's watch! Not no more! You ain't gots no right ta decide when we's gonna die or not! Not you! Not nobody!"
"I beg to differ," Henry corrected, asserting himself. "As a doctor, it is my duty to preserve life. You are not alone in that body of yours. So long as any one of you desires life, it is my duty to uphold that wish and I intend to do so. Zander's desire for life is quite strong. It is you who hasn't the right to decide his fate."
"Amen ta that!" Zander cackled in gleeful agreement.
Lakotashay snarled, shoving him down. "Fuck you!"
Beast wasn't finished. "Besides, I distinctly remember you giving a promise to your former Master that you would allow us to care for you. Are you now saying you're backing out on that?" Henry tossed out for good measure, using anything he could think of to persuade this shattered Siskan to see reason. It was creepy to hear the fractured pilot speak like this. More and more, Beast was becoming convinced Kimble's fracturing was real. With every conversation he overheard, his doubt became less and less. Kimble was in real trouble. At least Gambit was here to help him now.
"Kimble done that, not me! You ain't gots no idear whatcha done!" she snarled, spitting in her rage. She couldn't fight his logic so she just bawled out, "You jus' don' get it! This life just ain't worth it! Not none of it! Everyone hates us! Nobody's ever done right by us 'cept Father and he's dead! I hates livin'! I hates all of you! I hate you! I hate you!" she bawled, the tears beginning to stream from her eyes.
At that moment, so confronted with Kimble's hurt and rage, Remy was thankful for the gift he had been at Trishnar's. He knew this was coming and so was braced against it. It cut him, but not so deeply that he would let it show. He couldn't afford to show this one any weakness. Of all of Kimble's fractured selves, Lakotashay would prove to be his worst adversary. All the Jaels and Magnetos of the world be damned, defeating her might be the hardest battle he would ever fight. "Je suis de'sole, chere. Gambit knows life been real hard fo' you. But you home now, we goan' take care of you, just like I promised."
"Fuck you!" she bawled again. She backed away, her hands balled in white knuckled fists of rage. "You don't fuckin' know nuthin'! I'll hurt you, I swears it! You come nears us an' I'll rip yer fuckin' face off! I'll hurt you fer not givin' me what I wants!"
"We done the baddest things!" Lin cried suddenly in his hysterical Siskan, bursting out and shoving 'Shay aside. He snatched for the blanket, fumbling with it in his haste to cover himself. "We's bad! We's bad and we kills! Gots ta stay in the small spaces! It's too big out here! We kills an' kills an' kills!"
"None of us are dead," Henry replied gently after Remy thoughtfully translated. Henry was doing better with his Siskan every day but was happy for the assist nonetheless. He braved 'Shay's rage and dared to come close enough to give Lin a hand with the blanket, helping him to form his trademark shroud. Beast was happy to help - with Kimble's body restored, it didn't matter now if Lin covered himself. Whatever made him happy.
Lin calmed only when he had been covered completely. Only his tiny face and hands could be seen as he replied, "Not yet. Not yet, but yer all sufferin' cause a us! We kills an' we hurts people. We done it before and we'll dos it again. If we wuz dead you could all just go on, but now we're back here an' yer all sufferin' again. You said you could fix us, stops us from hurtin' peoples, but it's a lie. 'Shay said so! She said she's gonna hurts somebody and she means it! You gots ta let us die 'fore she does sumpthin' bad!" he insisted, sounding so small and fragile as he spoke his words of doom.
"I don' t'ink so, petit," Gambit said, speaking Henry's mind. " 'Shay de one full of secrets and lies. Gambit ain't gonna let 'er pain kill of de rest of you. We goan' work dis out, you'll see."
"You tell her what for!" Zander happily cackled. "Show her who's boss!"
Remy cocked his head with a wry smile. He never would have imagined the angry Punisher as his ally, but he kept popping up on his side time and time again. He would need the help, it seemed Kimble was at war with himself, all of his fractured selves bickering and unable to reconcile themselves.
"It ain't up ta you!" 'Shay shouted and gave off a telekinetic pulse, happy now to have their additional powers restored. She was going to have her say and was pissed Lin was here and getting in the way, even if he did support her. She pushed the two X-men back until they stood outside of the door of the cell and refused to let them enter, using her telekinesis to keep them out in an odd reversal of roles. "Ya think yer so smart, ya stupid Cajun piece of shit! I'll fix you! I'm the strongest! You ain't never seein' Kimble again! If I cain't gits what I wants, you cain't have what you wants neither! I'll bury him so deep you'll be sorry ya ever done this!"
"Nice try, darlin'," Zander said next with a laugh, his voice wrapping around hers with a creepy duality. The shield she had used to push them back fizzled out - Zander had cut off her power, leaving her defenseless as he had back at Cameron's training camp. "You don't gits nuthin' without my sayin' so. The power's mine an' I kin shuts it off anatime I feels like it!"
Remy laughed, happy to hear that. "You 'ear dat, chere? It look like Gambit's gonna win dis game. He got some friends helpin' 'im out, n'est ce pas?"
"You don' know what yer sayin'!" Lin wailed. "How many more gots ta die 'fore ya listens ta me!"
Gambit reactivated the door screen, satisfied now that things would go his way in spite of what Lin had to say about it. It was time to go. He spoke again to cement his position, "Dere ain't gonna be no more dyin', no more killin'. Jus' you wait 'n see. Gambit's got a plan, y'all. You just gotta wait a little while, den alla dis is gonna get a whole lot better."
"No...no. That's impossible!" Lin sobbed. "It's jus' another trick ta hurts us!"
"Gambit wouldn't ever hurt you dat way, petite. You jus' gotta give me some time, d'accorde?"
"I cain't b'lieves ya, I just cain't. We's been too bad. We's always been bad." Lin turned away, covering the rest of his face. He scootched up, back and into a corner, back in the small spaces where it was safe. He balled up and continued to cry.
"Dem two are pretty stubborn, non?" Remy said to Beast, still smiling. Even though nothing had been resolved here, he couldn't help but still be happy. Kimble's body was healed and in a couple of weeks, if he was lucky, his mind might be, too. All he had to do was hang in there until then.
"Yes, they most certainly are," Henry agreed. "Though perhaps they'll see the light when they find they don't get their way. Now, tell me. What's this plan of yours?"
Gambit smiled at him and began to explain. This was the first time he had spoken of the Games Master since his return – there had been no time - and was pleased that Beast was very encouraged by the idea. The idea was simple, fly out to Yosemite and find the Games Master. How hard could that be?
(break)
"You gonna tell us why you were gone fer so long, Gumbo?"
Remy glanced up from his thoughts, startled. He had left Kimble to his fractured selves for the night and had come up to the kitchen looking for some real food. He was in luck, Karen had cooked up some steaks for her and Logan and the Professor had joined them. Lucky for the thief there was plenty extra for him to scrounge. He had eaten well and was now a bit drowsy and thoughtful. He had zoned out just a little bit, thinking of Kimble as he toyed with the necklace he now wore around his neck. It was the one Trishnar had given him to show the Games Master, the dangling charm an exact replica of Kimble's large tattoo.
"I was upset about my father, but dat's not de only reason. I went to look for Babette," Gambit answered to Wolverine's question, his fingers still on the necklace. It wouldn't leave his sight until it had fulfilled its sacred duty. He was encouraged to speak about his adventures in New Orleans by Henry's positive response to his plan and was happy to share it again with his teammates. He had an idea he would need some help along the trip anyhow.
"Who's Babette?" the Professor wanted to know.
"She de one I tol' you about at Christmas. De other Siskan. I t'ought mebbe if I could find 'er again, she could 'elp me wit Kimble."
He gave them a brief run down of his mini-vacation at Trishnar's house, leaving out the juicy parts. He explained what he had learned about the Game and the Games Master, but his own fun and games with the Siskans he kept to himself. He went on to instruct them on what he had learned about the Siskans there and how he saw they needed to be loved and frequently used to be truly happy. What he had observed there only justified the things he had been trying to say back in the beginning as an explanation for Kimble's misery. The lessons taught to him by Aiden and the others there reinforced what he'd already believed. He would no longer be afraid to openly express his love and affection for his pilot friend and he didn't care what anyone thought about it.
He told them about Aiden and how he had been broken. The Games Master had fixed him, or at least made him as well as he was ever going to be. Aiden was still clearly haunted by the horrors of his breaking, but had achieved some level of happiness, mainly because he was being used and loved. He wasn't left alone.
Best of all, Remy now had his plan - in March he was going up to Yosemite to find the Games Master. He would bring Kimble with him or arrange some kind of transport for the Games Master to come here if that couldn't be done. Kimble would be fixed if he had to camp out the whole month, he could care less. Gambit got the response he wanted from this group, the Professor offered him the use of one of his Blackbirds, Fallen had already installed one of her cloaking devices in it and it was working beautifully. A small team would go, a group powerful enough to protect Remy in case there was trouble. Gambit nodded, grateful for the support. March couldn't come soon enough for him, it was only two weeks away.
Logan listened silently, knowing Remy wasn't saying everything. He knew Gambit must have romped like crazy with Trishnar's Siskans, but he could have cared less. He could see that it had been good for him, whatever had happened there. Gambit's eyes were glowing with renewed excitement and he didn't have that hopelessness that had been haunting him before Kimble's return. Gambit worked better with a real plan and now he had one.
"So this Games Master is going to fix Kimble just like that?" Karen asked, a tone of disbelief making her voice a little sharp. Unlike the others, she knew things just couldn't be that simple. Maybe Kimble was only a machine, but he was sentient enough for her to doubt any kind of quick fix.
Remy looked at her, trying to figure out where she was going with this. "Dat's what Trishnar say. Said de Games Master know de codes. Gonna fix Kimble dat way."
"And what if you don't find him?"
Gambit just shrugged. "One problem at a time, chere."
"I suggest you let me try working with him, just for the meantime," she offered. It was a big deal, Kimble's problems were quite severe. She wasn't a fully fleshed psychologist, not just yet. She had the schooling, but not the experience. She was getting better every day - she was working with Molly and now some of the other troubled kids here at the school. She was loving it, too, relating with these kids who struggled to fit into this world with their various mutations. Kimble wasn't much different then them in many respects. Kimble was certainly a challenge, but at the same time she doubted she could make him any worse, he was a complete mess.
"I dunno, Karen," Logan growled. Truth be told, he didn't want her anywhere near the guy. "Kimble's dangerous."
She let Wolverine's remark slip by unnoted, knowing he was just being protective. It was Gambit's approval she needed, not his. She looked at Remy, considering him to be Kimble's primary guardian now. "How about it?"
Remy paused before answering. The tension that passed between the pair hadn't escaped his notice. It amused him, Karen wasn't a pushover and he liked that. She would need it if she actually tried to do this thing. "Didn't t'ink 'Shay liked you much. 'Eard she was kinda mean to you."
"She's defending her right to control the body. She's afraid to let the others out. The best way to help Kimble is to try and get the personalities to reintegrate themselves. Perhaps by showing her that she's got reasons to live for, that she has value. It might be enough to get her to back off from the others. At the very least, I could try to get them all to make peace with one another."
"You t'ink you can do dat?"
"I would very much like to try."
Gambit smiled, he liked what he saw in her shine, her self confidence and genuine desire to help. They just might be enough. "I don' 'ave no problem wit it, chere. Kimble need all de 'elp 'e can get right now."
"How do ya know this Trishnar guy was fer real?" Logan tossed out, distrustful. "He said Kimble got his Mark as part of the game, but Fallen's the one that put it on him."
Gambit shrugged. "P'etetre, she put dere what she see. P'etetre, it was 'is destiny, Gambit doesn't know. What I do know is I seen de 'appiest bunch of Siskans dere ever was. Dey all got de Marks like Kimble does. Gambit knows now what Kimble suppose' ta be. Gonna do whatever it takes ta make 'im dat way. After dat 'e don' give a shit."
"You have to give a shit, Remy," Karen interjected. "Like or not you have a close relationship with Kimble, one that anyone with a pair of eyes can see. You said yourself that a Siskan needs to be used frequently to be happy, but yet you know he cannot leave the grounds. If you're considering doing the honors yourself, you could be setting yourself for some real trouble," Karen boldly cautioned, making Remy choke a little on his beer. Like Logan, she hadn't been fooled by what Remy left out about his stay at Trishnar's. Something in his eyes when he spoke of those Siskans, he had done far more than merely speak with them, she knew it.
"Now you gettin' a little personal, chere," Remy protested, wiping his chin. He hadn't been prepared for her sharp mind seeing right through him. She was right of course, he just wasn't comfortable with her saying such things out loud. Not that he had anything to fear from this group, but that wasn't the point.
Karen wasn't put off by his protest or the least bit apologetic, what she had to say was too important. "Whatever you decide, you think about this. He's a mess and not even close to stable. Kimble starting any kind of physical relationship with you or with anyone else right now would be a mistake. Not in the shape he's in. You start it in some kind of noble attempt to heal him and then back off, he won't survive it."
Remy wouldn't look at her. She had a good point of course, but he wasn't sure he entirely agreed. He picked at the label on his beer bottle and considered his response. "Gambit seen what a 'appy Siskan is, seen what even a shattered Siskan can become if 'e loved enough. Dis what I want for Kimble. He my brother, de closest t'ing I ever 'ad to a real friend. Whatever it takes, Gambit's gonna do it. 'E would do dis for me."
"My only suggestion to you is to wait, to be sure about Kimble before you do something you regret. Some things you can't take back."
"I would take Karen's advice," the Professor agreed. "I still don't understand what it is between you two. You haven't been very forthcoming about the files you shared and why you've taken to Kimble so personally. I'm not disappointed to see it..." the Professor was quick to say when he saw a small flash of defensive anger behind Remy's eyes. "...you've needed a good friend here for a long time. I know you've broken things off with Rogue and you and Storm are not close like you once were. But you should be treading very carefully here. Relationships with mentally ill people are not easy or painless for either party. You have both your hearts to consider. All I ask is that you think about what you're doing if you take this to the next level."
"Why all of you t'inkin' dis way, eh? All I said was dat I was gonna take care of 'im. Why does dat mean me an' Kimble gonna be more dan friends?" Gambit snapped. He felt cornered.
"It's the look in your eyes when Kimble is happy," Karen said. "Anyone who's ever been in love know what it means."
"I am not in love wit Kimble!" he insisted just a little too emphatically, knowing it was a blatant lie even as he said it. Admitting it to himself was one thing, but saying it out loud to a group of his peers was something else all together. He was very uncomfortable with this and was quick to make his case. "What I feel is real strong, sumptin' I can't explain so I ain't even gonna try, but it ain't like dat. I'm gonna 'ave a wife. Gonna 'ave some kids. Dis what Anya say. Dis all Gambit wants. Gambit's made 'is choice an' told de Kimble so. Kimble knows. Don' even 'ave to say it, an' Kimble knows," he finished softly, lowering his tone. "Dat's 'ow close we are."
"And you're going to balance all of that how exactly?" Karen couldn't help but ask. She couldn't swallow Remy's utopian idea, that he could carry a wife and Kimble both. She had read and heard enough about Remy's promiscuity to know the wife would be a handful for him enough on her own without adding a potential Siskan lover into the mix.
"Gambit will find a way," Remy said with some finality. He really didn't want to discuss it and it showed.
Karen was sympathetic to his discomfort enough that she was willing to back down - for now. "Just be careful, all right?"
He grinned at her playfully, his eyes a little bitter and hard. "Gambit always careful, don' you know? He always lookin' out after his'self. Dat's what 'e do best." He rose and skillfully tossed his bottle into the recycle bin. "Night, y'all," he said as he walked out, all done with this conversation.
"Oh, yeah. That's trouble walkin' on two feet," Logan grumbled unhappily, leaning back in his chair.
"He's had a rough time. Let's just give him some space," the Professor advised. "Keep an eye on him, Logan, but don't box him in. If he takes off, he'll take Kimble with him and that I cannot allow to happen."
"No problem. Did ya tell him about Creed's little package?"
"No, not yet. Tomorrow when he's settled in."
Kimble's dear Kristalay had done more than simply dismiss Kimble as his slave and possession. Two days after he was taken away, a package came in the mail. It was a set of papers and bank account slips, everything tidy and very much legal and binding. Kristalay had left Kimble a startling fifty million dollars in hidden off shore accounts, money that he had squirreled away over the years and now no longer had any need for. He also left Kimble the deed to the cabin up in Maine. He had kept on the maid there, paying her for a year's caretaking in advance. He named Xavier as Kimble's executor, knowing the man could be trusted to manage Kimble's affairs.
The team had been stunned, everyone but Seth. He hadn't said a word, but knew all too well the bonding that could occur between the Siskan and his Master. It mirrored his own life. Fallen was his Mistress and he would never leaver her. He just hoped his brother would recover enough to enjoy his new found wealth.
What Kristalay had done was give Kimble some amount of independence. He was no longer dependant on anyone for his room and board, he certainly would never have to actually work another day in his life unless he chose to. Kristalay had done this weeks before the Rally, but had left the papers with a trusted friend, asking that they be sent off should anything happen to him. They had been faithfully delivered and Kimble was as good as free, if he could ever sort out his emotional troubles. It was a princely gift and only something a man truly devoted would do. Kristalay's trust in Charles was well placed, the Professor was more than happy to see to Kimble's affairs.