The next few days passed in a whirlwind of activity for Spencer. Looking back on it later, he wouldn't be able to quite pin down anything. All of it seemed to jumble and swirl together into this chaotic mess. The only constant in it all was Remy's presence at his side. Remy's, and Logan's, surprisingly. The feral man was there with them the whole way, a solid presence beside or behind them, not really talking when they were around others. He was just there, playing not just the part of friend but of bodyguard as well. Spencer wasn't quite sure it was necessary but Remy apparently thought so and it was something that Spencer didn't feel the need to argue on. He didn't really feel the need to argue about anything.
One of the first things they did after arriving in New Orleans was head to the LeBeau house where Spencer finally met Jean-Luc LeBeau for the first time. The man was kind and friendly, welcoming Spencer not just to the city, but openly welcoming him to the family. "Y'r important to Remy and dat makes y' important to us." Jean-Luc told him, after stunning Spencer by kissing both his cheeks. "We protect what's ours around here, petit. Y'r Papa won't touch y' here. Not while we're on guard."
Everything after that was a blur of meetings, it seemed, the faces in them not even Spencer's amazing memory would be able to recall later on past the haze of shock that sat over everything. There were meetings with two different lawyers and even one with a doctor, though Spencer balked at that one. Seeing a doctor had always been on his list of things to avoid. But Remy told him that he wanted to make sure Spencer was okay, that there was no serious damage they needed to worry about, and Spencer ended up giving in. Really, he gave in on pretty much anything, letting Remy lead him through it all. At another time Spencer might've found that pathetic. In some moments, he still did. He couldn't help but feel that he should be able to handle all of this. That he should be able to take care of himself and all of this crap around him. It left him feeling guilty, too. Remy hadn't asked for all this. He hadn't asked to deal with all of the crap that was being thrown Spencer's way, let alone to come in and take over. Spencer knew he should man up and take care of it himself even if it was just because it wasn't fair for Remy to have to do it. In those moments, he couldn't help but worry that maybe he should've stayed at home. That maybe he never should have left. He usually managed to banish those thoughts, though. Remy's presence at his side helped him to let go of some of the stress and fears during the day.
His first few nights were surprisingly peaceful. Maybe it was just that there was too much going on for his brain to really dredge up the strength for nightmares. That changed on his third night there.
All others times that Spencer had been asleep, his mind and body had been too exhausted to even dream. Now…now his dreams were making up for it with a vengeance. Memories and fears twined together to make a horrifying mixture that ripped through Spencer's dreams and tore past any of the mental defenses he'd put up. He woke up screaming, his body jerking on the bed, only vaguely aware of hands holding him down. Terror and panic were twined inside of him and all he knew was that he had to go, had to go now. He had to get away!
Something broke through the fog, hands holding him tight and keeping him in place, drawing his attention from that dark world and to the present. "Spencer! Spencer! Hey, firefly, hey, it's okay. Y'r okay. Was just a bad dream, cher. Y'r safe here. Remy's right her and he's got y' and y'r safe. Come on now, need y' to breathe fo' Remy. Need y' to calm down b'fore y' tear somet'ing open."
Like a bucket of water, Spencer remembered where he was and who that voice belonged to. It wasn't his Dad holding him down. Wasn't some stranger that had come to take him away. This was Remy. It was Remy, holding him still so he wouldn't hurt himself and it was Remy talking to him. No one else was here. He was safe. He was safe. Letting out a choked sob, Spencer did something that surprised the both of them. Instead of denying the dreams or pulling back in embarrassment, as he'd done once or twice before when a nightmare had woken him while sleeping out in his hiding spot during one of those long summer nights, he turned his head and tried to bury himself against the other man. Remy didn't even hesitate to shift in the bed and wrap his arms around Spencer, bringing him in close so that Spencer could curl against his chest. Weak hands lifted, not clutching at him but just resting between them, needing that connection. Tears flowed freely from his eyes and sobs threatened in his throat.
One of Remy's hands stroked over his hair oh-so-gently. "Dat's it, cher. Y'r safe here. Was just a bad dream, yeah. Just a dream. Go ahead and let it out."
"T-They were hhhittting m-m-me." The words came out; broken by the sobs he was trying to choke off. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his face more against his. Remy was real and safe and he was here. No one was going to get past him. Remy had told him that countless times already. No one was going to get past him or Logan to get to Spencer. The young teen let reminder wash over him and push back some of the darkness, trying to use it to chase away the bits of his dream that were still tugging at him. Broken words tripped their way past his lips. "They h-hit me over a-a-a-nnnd overrr. They w-wouldn't ssstop."
Remy's grip tightened just slightly, ever cautious of Spencer's injuries. "Aint no one gonna hurt y' here, Spencer."
Buried here, in a place he knew he was safe, Spencer found himself speaking without thinking. "I'm scared." No truer words had been spoken. He was scared. Scared of his memories, scared of what he'd left behind and what was waiting ahead, scared of what his father was going to do if he ever found him here, scared of what might happen to Remy for taking him in…just, scared. So fucking scared.
In a low voice Remy made soothing sounds because really, what words were there to say?
Never before had Remy ever found himself so tempted to commit an act of murder. Oh, sure, he'd thought about it, the same as anyone else on the planet. Half-formed fantasies of making someone pay for something. Everybody has those. Remy had entertained plenty about William Reid over the years ever since that first day he'd met the young and terrified little Spencer and had figured out what it was the supposed 'man' of the house did to his son. He'd come up with many a creative way to kill the bastard for what he'd put Spencer and Diana through. But never before had the urge ever been so strong. It wasn't a matter of creativity, or of drawing it out and making him suffer, or of making him feel the pain that he'd made Spencer feel. This was rage, pure and simple, demanding that he go to Vegas and make absolutely sure that the connard couldn't ever lay another hand on Spencer ever again. He knew countless different ways to do it without getting caught. Besides, Belladonna would help. If there was anyone that knew how to kill someone and cover it up it would be her.
The only thing that kept Remy from doing it was the knowledge that Spencer would become an instant suspect if anything happened to William. A young mutant who had run away from home? Oh, yeah. They'd blame it all on Spencer. That was the last thing the kid needed. So that meant that, for now, Remy had to restrain himself. For now, he'd stick with what he could do. Get the emancipation paperwork through for Spencer so that he could safely and legally stay here, get him settled in at Remy's place, help him get started at college, and make damn sure that he was safe and that he got a chance to heal both physically and mentally from this.
The physical wounds were easy to heal from. The bruises would fade, the cuts would heal. Spencer was moving tenderly now but it wouldn't last long. It was the mental scars that would take some work. He'd always known that Spencer was—damaged. Growing up in the house that he did, it was no wonder. But damage could be fixed. He wasn't broken beyond all repair. Remy was determined to do whatever it took to help him fix what William had done to him.
From the first day that he'd met eight year old Spencer Reid there had just been something about the boy that drew Remy to him. Something in those wide, fiery eyes. There'd been fear there and a courage that no small child should ever have. There'd also been pain and resignation. As if the pain he felt were simply a part of his life that he'd come to accept would always be there. It had reminded Remy too much of some of the younger kids on the streets. The ones that he'd run into that hadn't been forced onto the streets like him, but who'd chosen it, because even a life on the street where you had to watch your back and you never knew when or if you were going to get to eat was a better alternative than the life that waited for them at home. Those kids had always been the jittery ones. The ones who had learned the cruelty of people before they'd ever slept their first night on a cold street. The only thing that had kept Spencer from reaching that kind of fate just to escape his father's tyranny was his mother. He stayed for her. To keep her safe and to make sure that she was always cared for. His mother was out of the picture now, safe and being cared for the way that she needed, and look how long it had taken Spencer to run. Not long at all. Luckily, he wasn't alone anymore. He didn't have to simply hit the streets and hope for the best.
It had terrified the hell out of Remy when he'd gotten that phone call from Spencer. All he'd been able to think of was getting to his friend before anything more happened to him. And when he did get to him, when he saw the damage that had been done—once more, Remy's mind had come full circle and he was back to contemplating murder again.
The damage that William did on his own to Spencer was bad enough. For that alone, Remy could cheerfully strangle the man. He'd take absolute pleasure from watching the light leave his eyes. But the connard had crossed a major line in Remy's books when he'd actually had the gall to try and pimp the boy out to someone. Just thinking about it was enough to have Remy's temper swelling so bad he actually felt the crackle of power around his hands, his charge aching to be set free.
The Cajun took a deep breath and carefully sighed it out. Now was not the time to let his temper get a hold of him. Spencer was currently sleeping after a really rough night. Last night was the first night that Spencer had woken up from nightmares. For the first few days, Spencer had moved around in a daze, and Remy had seen enough people hurt to know what shock looked like. This wasn't just a physical shock. It was mental; emotional. After what had happened, that was just to be expected. But last night it had finally worn away and the nightmare had hit with a ferocity Spencer was helpless under. His screams and cries had been enough to rouse Remy from his own sleep and the terror that poured from him had yanked the Cajun from his bed and sent him running. It took far too long to wake Spencer up and he'd had to pin him down to the bed first to keep him from hurting himself. Then, once Spencer was awake, the tears and pain that had poured from him had been heartbreaking.
Remy had stayed with him through the night and held Spencer safe in the circle of his arms. With his charm, he'd soothed down any nightmares that he'd sensed, replacing the fear or pain with calming sensations. It left Remy a bit tired, his self-imposed vigilance not leaving him much in the way of sleep, but it was worth it. Spencer had gotten through the night and finally settled down into a deep, easy sleep, and that was what mattered to Remy. Only when he was sure Spencer was really out did he slip out of the bedroom and down here to the small patio off his living room. The night air swirled around him and the smoke from his cigarette curled lazily around his head.
He wasn't really that surprised when he heard Logan coming up behind him. He'd figured his friend would come out soon enough.
Logan came out with his usual quietness. He didn't say anything to Remy at first, just made his way to one of the metal patio chairs and lowered his bulk down into it. It wasn't until he was seated with his legs stretched out, crossed at the ankle, and his cigar tip lit and glowing that he finally spoke up. "The kid settled in now?"
"Oui." Remy drew in a drag off his cigarette, blowing the smoke up in a steady stream. "Should sleep t'rough till morning."
"He seems like a pretty tough pup."
The word pup made Remy smile a little. Only Logan would get away with calling anyone 'pup' and have it not be offensive in the least bit. He did that with pretty much anyone younger than him. Or, younger than he looked. "He is. He's tougher dan most people give him credit fo'." He had to be to have survived this long.
Logan turned his head towards Remy and the look he wore was both contemplative and amused all at the same time. A corner of his mouth quirked up and he pulled the cigar from his lips. "You're in love with him."
An answering smile curved Remy's lips. "Oui." That had never been in question. He looked over at Logan and didn't even care that his grin was big and sappy. "T'ink I loved de boy from de first day he looked at me wit' dem big ol eyes of his an told me I was weird."
"Does he know?"
"Non, cher. Least, I don't t'ink so." Pausing, Remy tipped his head in thought. He'd never really thought about whether or not Spencer realized it before. "Y' know, I don't know. Dere's no telling wit' him. Sometimes he don't pick up on de simplest t'ings, at least in de emotional sense. Other times he'll surprise y' wit' just how much he's noticed. So, yeah, dere's no telling what dat big ol' brain of his has picked up on." Remy slanted a look sideways at Logan, watching him carefully in the low light. "Aint y' gonna tell me how young we are, how young he is?" A little over four years really wasn't that much of a difference. But it was the fact that Spencer was only sixteen while Remy was just freshly twenty one.
Logan snorted and glared at him like he was being stupid. "Gumbo, you've been stuck on this kid for as long as I've known ya. You really think I'm gonna bitch now over the fact that he's sixteen? Don't be fucking stupid."
And that right there was approval as only Logan could give it. Remy's grin came back, bright and amused. "Aw, cher, y' say de sweetest t'ings." He said teasingly as he charged his cigarette butt and flicked it into the air where it exploded with a small pop.
Claws swiped his direction almost lazily, easy enough to dodge. "Go curl back up with your boy, Cajun."
"Y' jealous, Wolvie? Want Spencer and Remy to keep y' warm?"
Another swipe of his claws, a little more serious this time, had Remy darting inside. Laughing, he made his way down the hall and back towards his boy. Better if he got back in there anyways. He didn't want Spencer waking up alone after the nightmare he'd had.