The flight from Singapore to the States was long. Over half a day spent shuffling between planes, but it didn't matter. He watched movies, ate crappy airline food, and chatted with whoever ended up sitting next to him on the flights. There was a fire in his belly once again. He was going Home.
He felt the humid Louisiana air when he departed the flight in Baton Rouge. He couldn't fly into New Orleans, the pain of death still hung on his head if he crossed into his home town. But he could be in his home state, and when he departed through the terminals, wandering in a half haze as he slipped through the airport down to the baggage claim, he felt like his heart was going to burst.
No sooner had he stepped into the baggage claim area, then he had was nearly knocked over onto his ass, but strong arms clung to him, holding him tight. At first Remy was sure that it was Tante, who'd been over come with emotion. Surely it wasn't his Père or Henri. Definitely not. But when his eyes began to clear – it was the contacts that did this, he was sure of it. They stung at his overly sensitive eyes, offered no protection from that nasty light.. When his eyes cleared, he found it was Jean-Luc LeBeau, Patriarch of the Thieves Guild himself, clinging to his him as if he'd feared he'd never see Remy again.
As if realizing the show of emotion, Jean-Luc grinned, patted Remy's back, and released him, taking a step back. "Ya can't blame a man for worryin bout his son, Remy. It's good t'be seeing ya again. Ya filled out a lot in de last few years. Ya stronger da ever, tougher too. Bet ya give de gators in de swamps a run for dere money now, insteada just running from em eh?"
A wink from his old man at the light joke. Remy'd always had a more then slight fear of gators. A few close calls in his youth when exploring places he hadn't been supposed to explore had instilled that fear in him.
"Père..." He'd been about to quip back, but then there were arms around him again, squeezing him so hard he felt like his ribs should be creaking, and he felt tears against his coat collar. Henri LeBeau, crying? No.. That was impossible. Henri didn't cry, but sure enough, that was who cluched him. To his surprise it was Henri who poked him in the ribs.
"Not so hard ma petit frère." Embarassed, the brothers seperated. No sooner had Henri stepped aside, and another set of arms wrapped around him, and a warm bosom pressed against his chest. That was Mercy, pressing kisses against his cheek and feeling at him under his coat. Making sure he was all in one piece. That was his sister in law, for you. Woman would've chided him if she'd found he was missing parts, or if she felt he was too thin. Good cajun woman his brother had, there.
"Good ta see ya again, Rems. Ain't no one keeping Henri on his toes wit'out you round to give him grief." She had the decency to wink, as she stepped back and wrapped an arm around her husband.
It was then that Remy's ribs did creak. Jean-Luc was his Father, even if not by Birth, but if anyone could claim to be his mother, it would be Tante Mattie. The matronly woman squeezed him, and then gave him the same treatment as Mercy, only more in depth. Feeling at the muscles underneath his shirt, poking at his clothes to make sure there wasn't so much as a hole anywhere, and then she hrmph'd at him finding his lack of on his ribs to be adequate.
"Welcome Home, Remy." He wasn't sure which one of them had said it, he just knew it sent him into the water works, to the surprise of his family. The wrapped arms around him, got his luggage, and escorted him out of the car. All around the baggage claim, people watched and blinked away their own tears at seeing what was so obviously a family reunion of a lost family member. Military perhaps, the young man was fit. His hair wasn't too long to have precluded it. One young man even saluted the cajun, but Remy never noticed. He couldn't see a damn thing, and his spatial awareness was focused on his family.
A family that were sharing worried looks. Never before had Remy broken down into tears. Even in his exile, he'd raged or been quiet, but never broke down. He'd been in control at all times, master of the world. There was something vulnerable in their son/brother now, something that had each of those four pairs of eyes looking at each other with worry as they got him into the car and headed back to the large house they'd rented for the time being.
An hour later, Remy was in bed, sleeping the soundest sleep he had in a long time. He had his family to protect him. Sure, they weren't mutants, but Remy would've waged good money on Henri or Jean-Luc vs most mutants, and Mercy was a thief too, and a damn good one, and woe unto the man who screwed with his Tante. She knew voodoo. He'd never seen her do the bad stuff, but she knew the healing and visions, and there were whispers she'd done dark things in the past..
And they loved him. They worried about him. So emotions so strong it had overwhelmed him, broken his shields into smithereens in the airport, and took him for a ride down those deep torrents of love and concern like a man white water rafting down the Colorado River.
In short, out of all the people in the world he had to guard him, they were the four he'd have chosen.
While Remy slept, his family sat looking at each other in the parlor, sipping at coffee.
"I don't like dis. Ain't never seen dat kinda reaction from my son."
"Père ya know Remy's been doing a lot of crazy shit, de last fears. Den dat stuff with Candra.."
Both of the male LeBeau's sighed, while the women stared daggers at them.
"Was stupid of ya two to send him onto Candra, whatever ya were told. Ya know how dat woman be. How ya thought dat might be good for our boy.." Tante's disapproval rang with her voice, while Mercy just nodded. The two men wisely squirmed and were hesitant to say much.
"Remy always put everyone in the palm of his hand, Mattie. Figured he'd be safe, that he'd do the same." Jean-Luc said tiredly, his voice filled with tiredness and a touch of despair. They all knew how that had ended. Even if no one in the Guilds outside of the Four of them were aware of the real origin of Belladonna's death. A fact all four of them were sworn to never reveal to Remy.
"So what we gonna do wit' him?" That was Mercy, cutting straight to the point.
Silence reigned, coffee was sipped, before all eyes turned to Jean-Luc. The weight and responsibility falling onto the Master of the LeBeau family.
"We do what we always done. We love him. Remy needs t'know dat dere be love for him still. Needs ta know he got a family still. Dat boy needs it, an he needs ta be doing something. He ain't done well on his own. Candra, dat scientist he fell in wit', den dis craziness as Gambit.."
Mercy gasped at that name. Apparently Henri hadn't told his wife. "Remy's Gambit!?"
"Oui, chere. Dat my lil brother. Craziest sonna bitch t'ief in de world." Henri quickly stepped in, deflecting her attention by reminding his wife Remy needed love, not scolding for some of the insanity he'd perpetrated over the previous months.
Jean-Luc coughed. "As I was sayin.. De heists he been doing, de good deeds. Remy always had a hero complex, 'specially wit' de belle filles. But never dat much of one. He's trying ta make atonements for something, an it de only way he can figure out how to do it I bet. Den he spends two months in Japan, wit' free lance t'ief. A free lance Ronin t'ief none de less. De guild contacts dere were pretty detailed about dis Yukio. Dey were living together, got inta some kind of competition. Den Remy bolted. Gossip I managed to wrangle outta dem said Yukio put it off as Remy having duties t'de Guild, but a lil bit more snooping.. an dis Yukio been going a little crazy ever since he left."
Tante sighed. "He broke anot'er heart den, huh? Always warned dat boy about scorning women. She ain't gonna come after him, is she?"
All eyes turned back to Jean-Luc, who shook his head. "Non. She ain't dat type. She loved him, mebbe. She been in a horrible manic sulk since he left. Goes between crying, to fighting, to stealing, in hot flashes. But doesn't take no one t'her bed, which ain't like her de contact told me. Contact also said dey had dere good bye in an airport. Dey kissed, and not one of Remy's little blow off kisses either. So he cared bout her, to some extent."
All four were quiet, and voiced the same idea almost simultaneously.
"So he's running from something."
Except in Tante's case, it also appended "bad, afraid of love, and he's done something dat he thinks be horrible."
Four heads nodded.
Jean-Luc was the first to speak. "Alright den, we all agreed. Somet'in gotta be done. So here's what we gonna do..."
Remy'd slept clear through the evening, the night, and woke up while the sun was still struggling against the horizon. Which was to say, pretty damn early. Pulling on his faded black Saints shirt that was riddled with holes, a pair of shorts, he padded out of the room claimed as his own. He was quiet, but not too quiet in his movements. That'd make Jean-Luc or Henri get nervous if someone was too obviously sneaking around, and they were still asleep. So the snoring told him.
Yet the light in the kitchen was on. Tante? Nah, too early for Tante. Slipping in, he found Mercy standing at the stove making tea.
"Mornin, Mercy."
"Heya Remy. Looking good. Nice legs. You still wearing dat shirt? We gotta take you shopping honey, cuz dat shirt be looking like de moths got at it."
Remy just grinned at her, shrugging his shoulders. "What can I say? It's comfortable"
"Comfortable. Mhm. Dat what Henri be saying about his ratty old slippers, right up until I tossed dem in de garbage. He tried to fish 'em out, an I just about broke one of his fingers." She was giving him that warning look, and Remy shifted in his chair a little. She looked like she might well jump him and take his shirt and burn it in front of his eyes, just to prove his point.
"I get de idea Mercy. We get me a new one if we go shopping, yea?"
"You're a smart man, Remy LeBeau. A smart man indeed." She laughed, and poured two cups of tea, bringing one over to him. "So what's de plan, Rems?"
"Well. Not sure yet, Mercy. Right now, still just getting used ta being round ya all again. Spend a week or two wit' you all, I t'ink. After dat.. I dunno for sure yet. Figure I go back to playing Robin Hood along de gulf den up de coast."
"So in short, ya ain't got a clue? Typical man. Should never of let you off apron strings, Remy LeBeau. You're a dangerous man. Dem looks, dem eyes, dat smouldering sexuality dat just burns in de air around ya. If I wasn' married to ya brother, I jump ya here and now." She winked and laughed.
Remy wasn't entirely sure she wasn't lying. He didn't dare check with his empathy, because that was just a little on the creepy side. Besides, it'd been an effort to get his mental shields back up in place, and lowering them now was just asking for a repeat of what happened in the airport. Even with his shields up, he knew they were all worried about him.
"Well Mercy, ya an intelligent wise woman, why don'tcha tell me what a foolish young man like m'self ought to be doing?" He asked with a good natured grin, his voice teasing, poking at her own sense of being right to draw an answer out of her. He was pretty sure she didn't really have one.
"Why Remy... I t'ink what ya need to do is obvious. Cut de craziness out, and if ya wanna play Robin Hood? Den don't play at it Remy. Ya got a heart of golden in dat chest a yours, let de world see it. Go out dere, take from de rich an give t'de poor. An while ya at it, steal me a new stove. Henri being a putz about buying me a new one."
They both had to laugh at that, but Remy's eyes were lighted. She had a point. A very valid point. He needed to stop pretending, and make a choice. Stop reacting, stop running, and start doing. He'd been reacting to other people for years now. Ever since his Exile. Candra. Sinister. The Marauders. Yukio. All reactions, never actions. Even his 'world tour' had been a reaction, just a means for him to a little bit of good, while he ran from Sinister.
"T'anks Mercy."
"Y'welcome Remy. But if you don't go change into a new shirt – an put some pants on, I ain't gonna be held accountable. Ya hear me boy?"
Her laughter chased him back up the stairs to the bedroom and his suitcases.
It was a pleasant two weeks. Filled with fishing, shopping, a bit of theather, they even went to the zoo. Always at least one of his family was at his side, and it had filled a void he didn't know was empty. Yet as the days ticked by, he found each had similar advice for him. That he needed to make a decision, and when each of his family told it to him, he was believing it a lot more then just Mercy telling him it.
But when the time came for the LeBeau's other then him to head back to New Orleans; love him or not, the Guild needed them – he had a decision to make, and the four stood watching as he packed his belongings into a duffle. The rest was being sent to the home he'd arranged just outside of New Orleans. Far enough out to be out of the pain of death limits. A large sprawling manor.
Jean-Luc had offered to buy it for him, but Remy dropped a full payment down without batting an eyelash. He'd come up in the world, and he wanted his family to know that he wasn't hurting. It did them good to remember that he was a master thief himself. And as the old family saying went 'when all else fails, I'm a thief, and all else failed'. Not that anyone in the family but him said it.
So it was really just his saying.
Once his sole bag was strapped onto his new Harley, hugs, waves, kisses, and more hugs were exchanged, Remy floored it out of Baton Rouge. He'd start in Florida, work his way up the coast to New York. He didn't have a solid plan, because his plan consisted of stealing from people, helping the downtrodden, and rescuing many a beautiful damsels in distress.
It was a good plan, if you asked him. Maybe there'd be some poker games, a bit of booze, and some thank you sex involved too. Maybe. He'd include buying kids candy in the plan, but that would just be creepy. He'd have to settle for donating cash for education equipment to the poorer public schools he came across.
Mean while, in the great State of New York, Weschester, Greymalkin Lane, Charles Xavier sat behind his desk looking tired. The events at the Statue of Liberty had taken a toll on the X-men, and Charles still wasn't fully recovered yet. Ororo was worried about him, about all of the X-men. As quick as Logan had come, he'd gone.
"You'll have to do this mission alone, Ororo. Are you up to that? Scott can pilot the jet and drop you off, and you'll be able to arrange a flight back to New York commercially. Scott and Jean will need the jet on the mission we're sending them on."
Storm frowned. "What about Logan?"
Xavier's face mimiced her own. "He left this morning. He didn't say good bye?"
"Not to me. Although he must have to Rogue, she looked sad this morning."
Charles nodded, understanding the message. "I will have a talk with Rogue, but can you handle the mission Storm?"
"I don't see that it will be a problem Charles, as long as someone can fill in for my classes. When do I leave?"
"In two hours, if you can pack that quickly. That's when Jean and Scott had wanted to leave if they were going to be able to drop you off and get to their own missions destination on time."
"Then I better pack. I'll see you in a few days, Professor Xavier." Smiling, Ororo slipped from the Professor's office. The mansion was quiet with worry after what happened at the Statue of Liberty. Not as quiet as after the Massacre, but still quiet. It would be good to get away for a few days, and on a solo mission none the less.
Scott and Charles trust in her had been growing since the Massacre, and being sent on a solo mission was a large sign of that fact. Outside the sun shined, despite the fact it had been cloudy only a half hour ago, and Ororo hummed a soft tune to herself as she prepared.
Hmm. Georgia. I better not pack anything too prudeish, or I'll sweat to death. Tank tops, some jeans, a pair or two of shorts. My uniform of course. Maybe I'll even get a chance to visit some of the Gardens in South Carolina if I finish the mission quickly enough. The roses are supposedly some of the prettiest in the south, there.
Authors Note: Shorter then the last few, but it was a set up chapter. Obviously the next one will be longer again, and it's very likely there's going to be a Ororo/Remy meeting in the near future. Logan will be showing up within the next 3 chapters as well. Gotta have the hairy Canadian after all.