(Five)
Remy wasn't two steps out of the Lab when he was confronted with a new and just as painful problem. A large blonde, winged man was approaching him quickly from the elevators and it wasn't Maylee's fiancé, Max. This was Warren Worthington the Third, codename Angel. He was the manager of this facility and at the moment, that made him as good as the Professor's alternate Second in Command. Since his arrival here in Arizona, Remy had been able to avoid Warren's presence, the two of them would never be friends. Looked like Kimble's little fiasco had put an end to their mutual separation.
Warren's gait was strong and authoritative, he was the son of a billionaire and it showed. He was dressed in an expensive Armani suit and tie, giving off the airs of one in charge. He was in control here and it came off of him in ways anyone could read. His hair was blonde and shoulder length, carefully groomed as was the rest of him. His light blue eyes normally were bright and slightly amused, but not today. Today he was furious.
Warren was currently shouting into his cell phone, no doubt upset at the day's events. He used the words, "Kimble" and "asshole" clearly before grumbling something else and hanging up. He came to a stop and glared at Gambit. "Remy," he greeted stiffly, ruffling his wings slightly.
It was hard to believe, but those feathered appendages were really clever fakes. His real wings had been shattered, destroyed by a murderous Marauder in the Morlock tunnels under Manhattan years ago. The Marauders had gone to the tunnels to slaughter the ugly mutants living there, mutants called Morlocks. The X-men had gone down there to stop it and Angel had been one of the worst casualties in that crisis. One of the Marauders had tacked him to the wall, running his wings through with metal pipes and shattering the tiny bones within. His wings had to be amputated and it had ruined him. Desperate to help his friend, Henry had used some of the alien technology given to the X-men by the Shi'ar to create the prosthetics he now wore. They would never be his real wings, but he had recovered his ability to fly and that had been enough to keep him alive. Flight was the only thing that had mattered to him, he would've killed himself if not for Henry's intervention. Later, when Remy's role in the Morlock Massacre was revealed, Warren and Remy's limited friendship was over for good. The two men were lucky to be in the room a few minutes with each other without things turning ugly indeed. Circumstances and now the running of this Complex had kept them continuously operating in different circles, events most likely puppeteered by Charles to keep the peace.
"Wings," Remy replied, keeping his eyes low. He would always be submissive to this one's anger. Even though he wasn't directly responsible for it, no amount of time would remove the guilt he felt for Warren's loss.
Remy's crime had taken place years ago, the tragic mistake of an embittered teenager. He had gone through his ups and downs dealing with his guilt and shame. The truth be told, Kimble had helped him with that and he hadn't had much time to dwell on it. Gambit had joined up with the X-men and considered his service there to be an atonement for what he had done. He had done so much good work over the years, he had considered himself caught up or at the very least, well on his way. With his close family and his loving wife supporting him, that huge mistake of his past had just sort of faded away as life went on and he hadn't thought about it much. Seeing Warren again caused some of that ugliness within him to wake and swirl about, making his stomach feel a little ill.
Suddenly it occurred to him that with the influx of new mutants coming in everyday, he might be confronted by someone who recognized him. The accusations might fly, maybe something even worse. He didn't know how he would handle coming face to face with a Morlock, not all of those underground mutants had been killed in the Massacre. Would he fold or fight? He wasn't sure he wanted to know.
Warren interrupted Remy's thoughts with his grating, aristocratic voice. "You know we don't like each other, so I'll make this brief. What happened here today? I thought you had this Siskan on a leash."
Gambit's anger surged, goaded on by this man's arrogance, but he swallowed it. Instead he gave Warren the explanation he had requested, listening to Shi'ow-ri as she read Warren's vibrations. / He just wants to know how much trouble Kimble's going to be to control, she whispered. / He's in charge of this place and he isn't sure how to handle all of this. /
"Kimble is to be restrained until further notice?" Warren questioned, his broad shoulders relaxing under that expensive suit.
"Oui. Logan's orders. Just so you know, I'm fightin' to get 'im out. 'E was defendin' 'is daughter, Angel. De real concern 'ere is Jael movin' in, not what Kimble's gonna do next."
"That freak isn't going anywhere," Warren sneered, referring to Kimble. "He puts people at risk. You put people at risk by not keeping him in line. No way will I accept his release!"
Remy bristled and raised his red on black eyes to Angel's for the first time. The smouldering rage in them was enough to make the winged man swallow and clench his fists defensively. Remy wasn't intimidated and spoke his mind. "Si bien. You wanna blame Gambit fo' dis, dat's just fine. Blame all you want. But firs' mebbe you'd bes' take a long 'ard look at 'ow one of Jael's terrorists got past your security checks. T'ought you 'ad dis place locked up tight, homme?"
"How do we know Kimble's victim was a terrorist and not some poor innocent?" Warren countered, his voice clipped and tight.
"She was Mary Green. One of Saby's goons back when Kim was livin' wit 'im. She workin' fo' Jael now, tryin' ta find 'er way in here and take back what Saby didn't deliver b'fore."
Warren took a step back, showing his relent. He wasn't pleased, but Gambit's arguments had some merit. "I'll look into the security breach. It's possible Jael tampered with our files somehow to get her past us. She should have been on record. Still, the matter remains clear here. Kimble murdered someone. Self defense or not, he has to be watched and investigated."
"Logan's taking care of dat," Remy replied. It wasn't that he approved, Logan was just as big an obstacle to his ends as Warren. It was just easier if Warren went on his way back to being administrator and got out of his face.
"Well, all right then," Warren said and turned on his heel, heading for Logan's office.
(break)
Remy knocked on Fallen's door, tired and aching from his conversations with Kimble and Warren. He had wanted to put this off, but he had promised Seth he would come by and here he was. Fallen answered the door and looked at him with some surprise. "Yes?"
"Can I come in, chere? Set' called me."
Fallen cocked her head at him. "That's impossible, he doesn't have a phone."
"Dere ain't one in yo' bedroom? Funny, I seen one dere b'fore," he replied with just an edge to his voice, enough to let her know he knew exactly where Seth was and who had put him there.
"You gave him a cell phone," she said, voicing her realization with an arrogant sneer.
"Of course. You take it away? Gambit's just gonna give 'im another. Now how 'bout you let me inside so we can talk 'bout dis reasonable, eh?"
Fallen sighed impatiently and let him in, shutting the door behind her. "He's asleep."
Remy breathed deep, half closing his eyes as he searched out the apartment for vibrations. He sensed that Seth was very much awake and standing by the door of his prison, waiting to be set free. He smiled at her, "Let's talk, hein? How come you doin' dis? Why you be hidin' Set' away?"
Fallen went into the kitchen area and reached for an all too familiar bottle. Kyrule whiskey. Fallen always had some around. It was an off world brew, but she had taught Seth how to make it and they had a small still in the belly of the Lucky Dragon. It was a potent liquor and a small amount would make even him tipsy. She poured a shot and gestured with the bottle. Did he want some?
"Sure."
She poured him a shot while he sat at the table, getting comfortable. It was a bit awkward for him, Fallen and Seth both had wings so the table was surrounded by stools instead of regular chairs. His legs were a bit long for this but he settled in all right.
She downed her shot and poured another. "What happened today?"
Remy began to explain, "Someone went after Angel, or at least dat's what it looks like fo' now. 'Er name Mary Green. She use' to be one of Creed's people, but it look like p'etetre she workin' fo' Jael now. She come lookin' for Kim. Got him all high on plasma, den she look for 'is Angel. When 'e came 'round and understood what was goin' on, he come after 'er and kill 'er."
"With a sword."
"Oui. De magic sword."
"What it did wasn't magic, it was evil! I won't have him near Seth now!" she hissed, her body sending off unconscious vibrations of her fear. / I won't allow Seth to be corrupted! I have to keep him safe!
Remy downed his drink and fished for that traitorous pack of cigarettes. He understood her fear and was thinking of the best way to try and work around her concerns. He sifted a cigarette out of the pack, snapped it lit and drew on it, regarding her with his mysterious eyes. "Kimble was defendin' 'is own. Dat ain't never evil."
"Kimble did this? Passive little Kimble who's half afraid of his own shadow sometimes? Funny, I always thought the sword was Zander's," she countered with some sarcasm.
"Zander might've 'ad a 'and in it, oui," he admitted reluctantly with an offhand shrug. Damn, she got me on dat one. Didn't t'ink she gave enough of a shit to keep all of Kimble's people straight. Mebbe she care more dan I t'ought.
"I thought Kimble was fixed."
" 'E is fixed, 'e's just 'avin' a 'ard time wit everyt'ing right now, eh? Dat last big bombin' of Jael's t'rew him fo' a loop. He's better now."
Fallen snorted loudly, sloshing the whiskey in her glass as she tossed her second shot down with one gulp. "I can't believe you're sitting at my table saying that with a straight face after what happened today. Get out!"
Remy didn't move, but began to gently release a soft vibration of comfort. He hadn't mastered the violence of the Kundatesh, the rage that could be used as a weapon, but he was more than talented enough to use comfort and vibrations of peace to manipulate and coerce. Lord knew, he'd had enough hysterical Siskans to practice on. Fallen wasn't aware of it, but he was quick to note subtle signs of her relaxing a bit.
He knew this must be hard for her, listening to him. Not because of his words, but the fact that she was here listening to him at all. She had been the one to bring the Siskans here, yet when it came to Siskan affairs, it was Remy that folks turned to now. It should have been her, but that's just not how things turned out. His rapport with these strange children had been uncanny and unexpected. She was a tad jealous and not about to take his advice about Seth without some gentle persuasion. His deep whiskey and cinnamon voice was easy as he spoke to her, bringing down her level of agitation.
"I know you scared, chere. Dis a strange time, when t'ings seem all crazy. De one t'ing I do know dat ain't crazy is Set', eh? 'E's gonna be fine. Don't be 'idin' im away. It scares 'im worse dan yo' anger, d'accorde?"
Fallen didn't back down, but finally gave voice to her fears. "I won't let him break. I won't let Kimble break him down."
Remy stood, his movements slow and carefully graceful as he took a step towards her. " Set' ain't gonna break, chere. How could 'e wit you watchin' over 'im and givin' 'im de love Kimble never got?"
"What do you want?" she asked, her voice lowered now and her stance less suspicious. His manipulation was working in that he'd calmed her down enough to listen.
"Jus' wanna talk wit Set', make sure 'e's okay. Dat's all."
"You won't take him away."
"I'm not takin' 'im anywhere, chere. Dat's a promise."
She nodded towards the bedroom door. "He's in there."
"Merci," he replied, taking her hand. He kissed it and said, "We ain't gonna let nuthin' appen to yo' Siskan. 'E gonna be fine."
"All right," she said, reaching out and plucking the cigarette from his fingers, taking it for her own. She was shaking now, still worried.
"Don't worry," he said and gave her a bigger vibration this time, one of peace and happiness. "Dis just a another hiccup on de road of life. A pat on de back an' it'll be gone like all de rest, n'est ce pas?"
She smiled, warmed by his hopeful words and lovely vibrations. She was no longer shaking and the whiskey and nicotine were making her all the easier to persuade. "I'll be right outside."
"Bien."
He left her and made his way to the bedroom door, knocking softly before entering as though Seth had been there by his own will. There was a soft whispering sob as Seth wrapped himself around him, his white body shaking with relief.
"Paisible, cher. It's over, eh?" Remy soothed, squeezing him tightly. He took a few more steps inside, but left the door open to show his imprisonment was over. "She gonna let you out."
"I have to see Kimble!"
"Non. 'E a mess now anyways, fils."
"Henry said he was okay!"
" 'E is. Just dat he so upset, comprenez? 'E's gonna sleep some den Gambit's gonna see 'bout gettin' 'im out in de morning. Even if you go down dere, nobody's gonna let you in. Stay 'ere and make Fallen 'appy."
"She locked me up!" Seth hissed in a savage whisper, sending out a vibration of hate and resentment Remy felt like a slap.
Never had Seth reacted this way in anger towards Fallen and it gave Remy pause. Seth had always been passive and very accepting of her decisions. He had never given Remy any idea that he was unhappy or heaven forbid, might want to leave his Mistress. Gambit was quick to reach out and try to calm Seth's jangled nerves. "Non, non. You jus' gotta understand. Yo' Mistress, she terrified. She so afraid what 'appen to Kimble's gonna 'appen to you."
"I know that, but how exactly is locking me up going to solve that?" Seth replied, his voice cracking with pain.
Remy released more vibrations of comfort, moving them to the edge of the bed to sit. He could still feel Seth's intense, smoldering anger, something he had never felt this strongly from his friend before. Funny thing, this wasn't the only time by far that she had ever done this to him. Seth had been carefully isolated from day one, Fallen's protection gears whirling into hyperdrive. What was puzzling, was why had Seth come to reach his end with it. Why this today? What had changed?
Gambit reached into a one of his deep coat pockets and slid out a bar of chocolate. He unwrapped it and broke off a good sized piece, handing it to Seth. He had found long ago that this wonderful substance had almost a calming effect on both Seth and Kimble. It was either the chocolate or simply just his presence with it, he didn't know, but it never failed to make them smile and take a breather. He was never without this wonderful substance in one pocket or another if he could help it.
Seth took the offered sweet and munched it quietly, his anger dissipating with every bite. "She's such a hen," he replied morosely after a moment.
"It's only cause she love you. But if it bother you dat much, tell 'er."
"I made my resentment fairly obvious." He gestured to the door where he had splintered some of the wood on the door in his anger. "She ignored me. Maybe you should teach me how to be a thief, it's unfair how easily she can lock me up." The last part was said in jest, but a vibration Seth let leak out told Remy he was serious enough about it to mention it.
Dese vibrations real strong from Set' today, Remy spoke to Shi'ow-ri.
/ Something about him has changed. Perhaps he's just tired of being Fallen's plaything. /
Fallen does what she do 'cause she love 'im.
/ Too bad it's making him nuts. This will drive him down faster than anything Kimble would do to him./
Remy leaned in close to Seth's ear, almost close enough to kiss. He whispered softly, "Yo' Mistress love you, fils. But...but p'etetre, Gambit show you a t'ing or two 'bout locks an' doors. Later, when she ain't around."
Seth fell against him, relaxing now and letting out all of his anger in one long breath. "I love you."
"Je t'aime aussi, fils. Don' let Fallen get you down. She just needs some time. Kimble scare 'er real bad today, she ain't de only one. Go out dere an' kiss 'er, show 'er you ain't so mad now, eh? Make love to 'er and show 'er you okay. We go see Kimble in de mornin'."
"Okay," Seth agreed, swallowing the last of the chocolate Remy had given him. "Is he really all right? Henry said he was okay."
" 'E okay fo' de now, but de sooner we get 'im out de better."
"I'll do whatever you need."
"What I need is fo' you to be patient. Gambit usually gets what 'e wants, one way or de other. I'll get Kimble out, but it's gonna take all of m' wits, fils. Can't be worryin' 'bout you an' 'im at de same time."
"I'll be good," Seth promised, lowering his eyes.
"I didn't mean dat you should take yo' Mistress' shit," Gambit corected firmly, giving Seth a squeeze. "Just you gotta speak yo' mind, tell 'er what you feel. A relationship gotta 'ave conversation, secrets don' do nuthin' but destroy, eh? You listen to me, Gambit knows."
"I'll talk to her."
"Good."
"Now Gambit's gotta go. He dead dog tired. Gotta get some sleep."
"Thanks for coming," Seth said, rising.
"Anytime you call, Gambit's gonna come. Dat's just 'ow it is."
Remy stood and gave Seth another hug and quick kiss on the cheek. He left the bedroom, taking Seth with him in a show that he was in fact free. He watched as Seth went to his Mistress and smiled as they readily embraced one another. He nodded once at Fallen and left, ready for his own bed.
Gambit made his way home quickly, weary to the bone. It was now quite late and he had hardly eaten, his stomach was growling. He walked in his apartment, nodding slightly at the team of Logan's guards who stood next to the door. They were really there for Angel. Wherever she was, they would follow and Angel had been brought directly here after she was released from school. One of them thanked him softly for Molly's good care, she had fed them and brought them drinks. Remy couldn't help but smile, she was so very thoughtful that way.
Remy was limping now some from the strain of all of his running around and he couldn't wait to sit and take a load off . He should be using his cane, he knew it, but detested it, equating it with old age and being feeble. The moment he opened the door he couldn't help but smile even wider. He could smell now what his dear wife had fed the guys outside. Molly had made his some of favorite dishes, Jambalaya and Red beans and Rice. Food from home. It was late, but there was a plate of steaming food on the table for him as if she had known he was coming.
"Molly? You around, chere?" he called out as he stripped off his coat and hung it by the door.
She barked at him from the guest room letting him know she was putting Angel to bed. He went there first, wanting to give Angel a kiss and a hug before she fell asleep. He came to the door and saw that Angel had already nodded off, Molly must have just moved her from the couch to the bed. He kissed her anyway and brushed her cheeks, happy as always to have her close by.
She tried to wait for you, Molly motioned quickly with her hands. Poor thing, she's exhausted. It's been quite a day.
"You tellin' me," he complained, rubbing his eyes. "I'm wasted."
Go on and eat, I'll be there in a minute.
Remy gave her a kiss and retreated, eager to eat while the food was still hot. He was still munching happily when Molly closed the guest room door and went to him. She undid the claps of his chest plate with care and pulled it off of him, loosening him up. She could smell the scent of tobacco on him and knew it must have been pretty bad today to drive him to that. He had been very good about not smoking, something her animal keen senses could pick up right away. Her hands found his shoulders and began to gently knead. Karen had learned how to make tense men relax and she passed the knowledge on to Molly, finding a ready and eager student.
"You spoil me, chere. You really do."
She didn't answer, she would have to remove her hands to do so. Instead, she grumbled a happy snuffle in his ear, tickling him with her nose and making him laugh. He finished eating and she continued her fine treatment of him, stripping him down and pulling him into the shower. Her plan was to scrub him down for play, but he wasn't about to wait for the bed to get started, not with her so close and his heart so needy. The emotional strain of the day was cracking his thin veneer of control and he let go on her in the shower as she washed him, venting his frustration in careful loveplay.
"Je t'amie, chere..." he mumbled in her ear as he kissed her neck, trying to remember if there were any spots here he might have missed over the years. He would see to it that that never happened.
He was so glad to have her. It had been a rough day, he had left sometime that morning with no explanation and had been gone all day, leaving her to fend for herself as all the bad news came in. He had called her on the video phone, but it wasn't the same as talking fact to face and their conversation had been brief. She had every right to be upset or lonely at being so abandoned, but if she had been, she wasn't showing it now. No, she had cooked him supper and soothed his hurts. What better wife could he ask for?
They moved from the shower to the bed at last and he showed his appreciation with every touch of his hands and then with vibrations of his intense love for her. She was here in his arms, real and solid, her shine so bright now with love for him.
They made love slow and easy, letting it build and then finishing with a passionate joyful noise, spurred on by Remy's release of an especially loving Kundatesh vibration, one that made Molly shiver against him with pure animalistic delight. They lay tangled around one another, gently kissing until Remy's eyes grew heavy and he threatened to drop off at any moment. Determined to end his day on a high note, Molly gently rubbed her fingers against his palm. You still awake?
"Hmm...barely."
I went to see Henry this morning.
"Why's dat, chere?"
I've been feeling a little sick.
One red eye opened a crack. "Sick? 'Ow sick?"
My stomach. At first I thought it was stress, but... I've been throwing up, just a couple of times, but I still feel sick — especially in the morning, she ended suggestively.
The other eye opened and Remy's heart started moving a little faster. He didn't dare to hope. He had seen the change in her shine, sure. But they had been trying for so long, so very long. "What did 'Enry say?"
I'm pregnant. Not for long, I mean, my period has only been late for a few days. He just did the blood test anyway when I asked him to. He said —
Her sentence was cut off abruptly when the full weight of what she had said plowed its way into Remy's brain. He had come fully awake, all the woes of the day evaporating as he was overcome with joy and happiness. He couldn't stop himself from rolling her back under him and covering her with kisses, garbling elated, unintelligible French against her neck.
She laughed, letting him drown her in his love. She had always known this was his most deepest desire. Like him, she had felt frustrated that it was so late in coming, and it had been a long slow torture to hold the news inside until now. Kimble had chosen the worst possible day to freak out, she'd had to wait so long, but at least she was able to use the news to relieve her husband's stress. Look at him now, it was as if the emotional disasters of this day hadn't happened at all.
"Je t'aime, chere, je t'aime..." Remy kept repeating, rubbing his chin against her, all the better to breathe her did something then he rarely dared to do, he lowered some of his mental shields and let slip a real burst of Kundatesh, one that carried a true taste of the euphoria he was feeling deep inside. He wanted Molly to feel what he was, that this was the best news he ever could have had.
Molly gasped softly as it hit her. The rush was very familiar, it brought back a sharp memory of when Kimble had done a very similar thing back in his kitchen, on that day she had nearly wrecked it all by demanding he lay with her. He had done this instead and now Remy was here doing the very same thing, making her realize that all this time her husband had been holding back. If she had believed Kimble was by far the more powerful of the pair, she was woefully mistaken. Gambit might not be Kimble's equal, but he was pretty damn close. She shivered, her body quaking as Remy's waves of love rippled through her, bringing her to the brink of orgasm, certainly close enough to make him laugh in her ear at her reaction. He was riding his own rush and more than happy to share.
They lay like that for a moment, both of them laughing now and just feeling that, simply absorbing the ripples of love until they faded away of their own accord. When she felt Remy calm, she reclaimed one of his hands. Henry wants to do some more tests.
"I seen it, chere. It's true. I just was too scared to believe," he whispered against her, happy tears leaking out of his eyes.
There's no doubt that I'm pregnant, it's not that. He said he didn't like how I was sick so soon, but said he didn't think it was anything to worry about.
Some of Gambit's happiness dimmed at that. "What?"
Just some tests. It took us so long, you know. He was surprised I could even get pregnant at all though he waited until now to say it. He didn't want to worry us I guess. He said he thought maybe since it was my first time, it might be a little rough on me. I've been sick. He said not to get upset if I might —
His hands covered her own before she could finish the thought. ...if I might lose it. He didn't want to hear it or even to think it. Still, his words from earlier today, spoken to Kimble in the holding cell, came back to haunt him like some kind of omen, "Sometimes you just 'ave to take chances, cher. Fo' all I know, Molly gonna die tomorrow. She could 'ave a stroke, 'eart attack, anyt'ing. You know we been tryin' for a baby, she could die just bringin' it into dis world."
"Non. It ain't gonna 'appen. We gonna be just fine, all of us," Gambit promised next with such conviction, Molly just had to believe it. "Dis was promised to me. It gonna 'appen if I gotta bully de Big Man his'self. I'll pray every day if I 'ave to."
Long ago, a psychic friend of Logan's, a woman named Anya, had predicted that not only would he marry the very woman he currently held in his arms, he would have those kids he desired so badly. He had grasped onto that promise fiercely, never letting it go. And now, with his goal so close in hand, he would do anything to make sure it was fulfilled. Remy wasn't known for his church going habits, but Molly knew that his belief in God had never been shaken. He would see this as a sign that maybe he had finally been forgiven for his crimes.
Molly gave him a squeeze, grunting her happiest noises in his ear. She knew her husband was elated, but he was also very tired. His weariness soon overpowered his happiness and his loving touches slowed in their enthusiasm if not their spirit. A few minutes more and he was dead asleep beside her, his arms still lovingly draped around her.
Molly stroked his shower damp hair back, combing it with her claws. This he had always enjoyed, the simplicity of her touch on him, her gentle mothering. She had worried for him all day in spite of all her good news to tell, knowing he was always the one to shoulder the burden of Kimble when things went so terribly awry. This day had been particularly bad and she had seen it in his eyes the moment she had seen him, though he had tried to hide it. She had seen him through it just as she had all the other disasters, she loved him so very much. She might not be an official X-man, but she was a warrior in her own way, fighting to keep Remy sane as he worked through Kimble's madness. She worried for Kimble, too, but her priorities were very clear. Her husband came first.
Heaven help us get through this, she prayed quietly to Remy's God. She wasn't particularly religious herself, but sometimes it helped to speak to a higher power. Help us stay in one piece, all of us.
She closed her eyes, her hands steady slowing until she herself fell asleep, warm from her loving husband's body beside her.