Memories
Broken Hope
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men or any of their characters. Tora and Weapon X-ii are my own though.
Logan could smell her. He crept up downwind. He knew she wanted some time alone but he worried about her. She was sitting cross-legged on the earth, hands cupped and reaching out, head tilted back slightly. She was speaking with great respect, even more respectful than with Charles.
"Am I doing the right thing? Please help me make the right decisions. I'm lost and confused and afraid. Jean seems to have taken over. Ororo's trying to help and Jubilee seems to think she has the right to plan decorations. And I'm worried as to how my…family will react. Am I rushing this? Am I being foolish? Father, help me make the right decisions."
She lowered her head and seemed to listen. Knowing he'd seen something she would hate him to see, he crept away, realizing she was deeper than he had thought. A lot deeper. She sounded as devout as Kurt. She rarely opened up like that to him. And she'd been pleading, begging, asking for help. She never asked for help.
The two women didn't say anything. It was sometimes better not to say anything. Peace was hard to come by. They were both remembering times long since dead. A world consumed by fire and water. Two men so unalike. Oddly the personality was the opposite of their respective element.
He wished he could understand the words being screamed in the room next door. Both Tora and her mother were yelling at each other. The words were dropping thick and fast and he was beginning to regret coming. He had heard his name twenty-four times in total. Tora's mother hadn't taken well to the knowledge her daughter had got engaged without asking for advice. He heard "Xavier" then "divorce". He heard Tora snarl, never a good sign because she rarely lost control but when she did, she was deadly.
Logan?
He shook his head. There weren't any telepaths here.
Please Logan. It's me. Eloise.
Oh, please let him be imagining it.
Logan, I'm scared. I can hear Maman's thoughts.
He was going to have to start projecting.
How long have you been doing this?
It's only just started. Maman's so angry. I can hear Papa and you but not Marie.
Tora has telepathic shields. Not even the best telepaths can get past them.
Oh. Can I come with you? I can't block anything. Everyone is hurting.
I don't think your parents would like that.
Please…
He was stopped by Tora marching out of the door. She turned and fired a parting shot.
"Ils sont plus de ma famille que vous!"
She reached out for his hand and pulled him up. She was marching, murmuring under her breath. He didn't want to know what she was saying. She was in a quiet rage he had grown to know as her 'only just keeping a grip on self' state. When she was like that it was normally better to be quite far away. Like on a different continent. She was walking quickly, like she was afraid she'd turn back and attack her parents if she slowed. She deliberately slammed the front door on exit and broke into a run, towards the far off Blackbird. When out of site of the house she chikted out her claws and slammed them into a tree, keeping on punching until she mangled her fingers to a pulp. She then ran even faster, until she got to the Blackbird and was initiating the start-up procedures when he finally caught up. Tears were slicking down her face and she was shaking.
"What darlin'"
"She…she said it would never work out. That Charles should stop it. That it'll end in divorce and unhappiness. That I should be marrying someone closer to my own age. That I'm not their daughter."
He held her close as she began to shudder.
"And I said terrible things. I said it didn't matter what she thought because she wasn't there when I was screaming for her. That you're the only person who can understand. I told her that the others were happy for me. And…and I said that they were my family. I can't go back. I can't."
She cried quietly, sorrowfully for a long time as she let the bitterness out. Then she sat up and returned to her usual efficiency. She flicked the last few switches and set the Blackbird for take off. He could tell she didn't want to talk for a while. She just sat there, hands clenched tightly so her knuckles went white. He sensed she wasn't mad at him but she might snap if he tried to talk to her. He waited until they were over the Atlantic and she had relaxed a bit before he dared speak to her.
"You want food?"
"D'accord."
He unstrapped the safety harness and walked over to the storage locker when a scent caused him to stop.
"Oh, please no! This can't be happening."
He carefully opened the locker to find Eloise napping in it.
"What Logan?"
"Your sister, that's what!"
She turned in the seat.
"ELOISE!"
The girl shook her head to wake herself up.
"Quoi? Oh, hi Logan, Marie. I decided to hitch a lift."
"Right, we are turning straight back round."
"Please Marie. I'll even call you Tora. Just I can't shut them out."
"Shut whom out?"
"Everyone. All their thoughts and feelings."
Tora just looked like she wanted to thump her head off something.
"By the way, I'm totally cool with you and Logan."
"Eloise, there's a mobile in the third locker along. Ring your parents."
"They're your parents as well."
"Not anymore."
"Mais…"
"Just do it, OK."
"Good idea to do so kid. Tora ain't exactly in a good mood today."
"Remember what happened when she returned home?"
"It's hard to forget. She was very protective of Eloise."
"Phoenix, do you ever regret things that we sacrificed to save the world?"
"Everyday, every single day."
As they walked towards the door to the kitchen, they heard something being said in French. Eloise giggled and Tora snarled before marching in.
"WHO SAID THAT? There's an impressionable young girl here whose first language is French."
A man with auburn hair and sunglasses glanced round. He was leaning on the fridge, giving the impression of complete boredom.
"Gambit say dat. Problem chere?"
"To right there is a problem. I don't ever want to hear anyone say that when my sister is in earshot. And who are you anyway?"
"Remy Le Beau cherie."
Logan could tell she wasn't impressed.
"The Remy Le Beau with a thirty page Interpol file?"
"How you find dat file?"
"I take it from your indignant expression that you are The Remy Le Beau, Prince of the Thieves Guild."
"Dat be Gambit."
"Two things. One, stop referring to yourself in third person. Two, try pronouncing TH."
"Remy be tres upset."
"Take it from a native French speaker, your accent is atrocious."
Logan couldn't help but laugh. She was running rings around him and was now mocking his accent.
"Who's da shortie?"
"SHORTIE?"
He was going to gut the newcomer when Tora beat him to it. She struck out, knocking his sunglasses off to reveal red on black eyes.
"I think I'm going to enjoy being an X-Man."
"Eloise, you are not joining the X-Men. You are here to learn to control your powers."
"Not fair."
"Logan, take Eloise to Charles."
"How come…"
"Because I don't trust you to not kill Mr Le Beau here."
"Da name's Gambit."
"I read your file. Let's see. Street kid, adopted by Jean Le Beau of the Thieves Guild. Speaks English and Cajun French. Early twenties, notorious ladies man, correctement?"
"How da…"
"Expert thief, exiled from New Orleans for killing your brother-in-law the day you got married."
"No more, please no more!"
"Goes by codename of Gambit. Risk taker, mutant with ability to do something with cards, that bit of the file had been wiped, suspect for over three thousand major thefts…"
"Please cherie, stop dat!"
"Don't call me cherie. Major gambler, worked for Nathaniel Essex-"
She was cut off by him running out of the room screaming about freaky women who knew too much. She gave a slight smile.
"Hopefully that will teach him not to swear when kids are around."
Etana appeared in a flash. She was allowed to teleport in the house, as all she was responsible for were flash burns to the eyes. As she walked over to the fridge she smiled at Tora.
"Why was that rather nice young man screaming?"
Eloise was looking at the black-furred and winged mutant with her mouth open.
"Wow…"
"Hello. Are you Eloise?"
"Er…oui."
"Pleasure to meet you. I haven't been to France in centuries."
"Er…"
"When she says centuries, she means it."
"I don't think I've been there since I rescued Jeanne. That was a close one. I did tell her not to get captured."
"You're the Dark Angel…"
"I think I was going by that name at the time…"
"Huh?"
"A student of mine got into some trouble so I rescued her at the last minute. According to the history books she died but the English didn't exactly want people to know a black angel had flown down, beaten up a crack regiment and rescued the Maid of Orleans from the stake. They rounded everyone up and told them 'this didn't happen right'."
"Maid of Orleans… I've heard that name…"
"Jeanne d'Arc or Joan of Arc."
"You mean…"
"Look, it doesn't matter. Eloise, I am Etana. I am three thousand years old but don't let that bother you. I find it easier to tell people straight out."
Eloise just gaped at the matter of fact way Etana mentioned her age.
"Etana, you just terrified the poor child."
"She'd have found out anyway. And if you enrol her in a normal school, it would make it easier for her school history projects. I have the unfortunate habit of being where the action is most of the time."
She shrugged, found the pitta bread and disappeared.
"I can see why you turned out like you did Logan."
"Shut up."
"What?"
"Etana calls Logan her son."
"Cool. So she's my future brother-in-law's maman?"
"No! She sort of adopted me."
"So she is your maman."
"NO! Tora will you explain…Tora…"
For Tora had managed to disappear yet again.
"Remy never got over that first day did he?"
"He started shaking every time she entered the room for weeks afterwards."
"And charging cards when she said hello."
"And then she beat him at poker."
"Logan taught her well. I never saw a poker face like that."
"Lucky she refused to gamble for money."
"He was doing all her laundry except her underwear for three weeks though."
"But if she hadn't… Can you imagine Logan's reaction if he tried to flirt with her…?"
And despite her repeated comments on cosmic entities not giggling, she joined in with Phoenix.