X-Men Fan Fiction ❯ Origins ❯ Ch 6 ( Chapter 6 )

See disclaimers, notes and warnings in first chap

 

CH 6

 

* flashback *

 

“How it feel to come to your first Guild meeting, mon petite frere?” Henry's eyes were dancing with humor at the nervous boy standing beside him.

 

Putting on the brave face he didn't feel, Remy grinned “Dis? Ah dis be not'ing Henry. I can handle it. Just proves I be a man.”

 

“A man huh?” Seeing the smug face of his older adopted brother, he knew the lie was transparent.

 

He sighed heavily and bowed his head slightly, allowing long auburn bangs to hide his eyes. “Well, maybe, I be…just a little mind you…scared to death. Just don' wanna disappoint poppa.”

 

Remy started when he felt the muscular arm of his adopted brother wrap itself around his shoulder. “You gonna do fine boy. Just don' let de elders see you nervous s'all. Dem vipers just waiting for de chance to take poppa's title from him. And dey always looking to use you for dat purpose since you not born wit' Guild blood.”

 

They entered the large warehouse turned meeting hall for the Thieves Guild of New Orleans. From under his arm, Henry could feel the slight tremors running through the shoulders of the sixteen year old adopted brother beside him, but he couldn't be more proud. It was funny how completely assimilated into the LeBeau clan Remy had become. The former street rat had only been with the family for a few short years, after being lucky enough to catch Jean Luc's attention in a failed pick pocketing attempt. At the time, the Guild doctors and Tante Mattie estimated the boy to be about thirteen years of age. But it took a long time for him to trust the family and lose the wariness always present in those ruby orbs. It was sad for one to be old before their time at such a tender age. But such was the usual short life of a child on the streets.

 

At the front of the room that was nearly filled to capacity with Guild members sat a long table covered in an ornate ceremonial cloth. Behind the table were ten men known as the elders. They were the heads of the various families within the tribe. At the very center was the most distinguished figure Remy had ever seen, that of the man he had come to call poppa.

 

“Remy LeBeau - step forward and assume your place in the circle of honor.” Jean Luc commanded the boy not as a fatherly figure, but as the patriarch of the Guild.

 

Remy moved forward as the crowd parted around him. Directly in front of the table was a circle drawn in colored chalk, bearing the crest of the Guild of Thieves. Remy kneeled, bowed his head to all the elders, then lay his body down to assume a prostrate position with his forehead touching the outer top ring. His toes were planted firmly on the lower portion of the ring and both arms stretched out so his hands could touch each side of the circle. There was a slight tingling in his fingertips, as there had been on and off for the past few weeks, but Remy ignored it assuming it was his nervousness over the right of passage ceremony.

 

Jean Luc looked down on the boy then shifted his gaze to the crowd so that all may hear his words. “Remy Lebeau - having passed the final test as required by our laws, you have shown yourself to be a master of your profession. And so, as Guild Master Patriarch, I bestow upon you the title of Master Thief, and present you with the most cherished possession such a title holds.”

 

Jean Luc rounded the table and stood before the prone boy and chanted something in an ancient dialect. “Rise Remy LeBeau and accept your staff.”

 

Remy rose to one knee and held out both hands palm side up as a proud father placed the prize within his grasp. “From this day forward, you shall be known by the codename Gambit. You have now become one of a select few to have earned this title. It is no small accomplishment. You will be expected to live up to this position and bring honor to the Guild in your achievements for as long as you are a member of this clan.”

 

Jean Luc leaned forward to clasp a strong hand on Remy's shoulder, indicating he rise and stand tall. As he did, his adopted father hugged him and whispered how proud he was into Remy's ear. With that, he turned to the rest of the members and proclaimed it a time for celebration. There were whoops and yells, clapping of hands on his back and congratulatory comments all around. The food and spirits flowed freely throughout the evening as everyone reveled in the joy of the moment. It was the first time Remy had partaken of the special brew reserved only for Guild members. As his mind numbed with the effects, the tingling in his fingertips grew stronger and his head began to ache. Before he knew it, the mug in his hand started glowing. With a startled gasp, he flung it from him, watching as the glowing object arched in slow motion towards the elders' table. It exploded in a brilliant display, and a chain reaction began, sending Guild members in all directions as chaos ensued. Grabbing his head in both hands, Remy screamed as objects around him began to glow and explode on contact. The warehouse creaked and groaned, the foundations shifting to cause the walls to shake and begin to collapse in on itself.

 

“MON FILS” He heard his father calling to him and to his brother, but could barely respond. Everything was a blur as the ceiling pieces fell in great chunks to crush clan members. The smell of burning flesh and blood, and the cries of men in pain assaulted him. Remy panicked as he looked around at the chaos he caused. Everything was on fire or collapsing. There were dead bodies strewn about, either burned by the flames of exploding objects or crushed by the weight of steel and concrete.

 

His eyes lighted on the half buried face of his adopted brother. “HENRY!!” He yelled, his throat hoarse from all the screaming he had already done. But the lifeless eyes of his brother just stared at him, unblinking. Remy felt someone grab him by the waist, physically lifting him up to haul his carcass to safety. The tingling sensation he had felt only a short time ago was now gone.

 

*end flashback*

 

Remy woke with a start. “Dieu” he hissed as he brought a hand up to rub his temple. It had been a while since he had that nightmare, and it had never been quite so vivid as to allow him to actually smell everything. The words of his father still haunted him in the aftermath of that episode in his life.

 

*flashback*

 

“De remaining elders have ordered your death. I begged dem for mercy because of your young age. Dey agreed to your banishment if I give up my position as patriarch. Dis I agreed to do.” Jean Luc could not even look the boy in the eyes as he spoke.

 

“Non poppa. You can't give up your position. It mean too much to you.” Remy pleaded with the man to see reason. His guilt overwhelmed him and he would rather be put to death than see his father suffer any more.

 

It was then that Jean Luc looked into Remy's eyes, great sadness and resignation displayed so plainly on his face. “It mean not'ing to me. Too many Guild members were killed tonight. Dey won't follow me no more. Besides, my heir is dead.” The unspoken `by your hand' hung in the air like smog between them, and Remy flinched at the implication. “Go mon fils. Never come back. I can't look on you no more and my heart is heavy at de loss of both my chilluns dis day.” With that, the man that had taken him in and given him a new reason to live turned his back on Remy and walked away, not looking back once.

 

*end flashback*

 

“Merde” Remy whispered as he angrily wiped the tears from his eyes. He felt like an old drunk with a bad next day hangover. He didn't remember making it back to his room or falling asleep, which means that Logan must have brought him back. At least he was no longer in that damn lab, the very thought of which sent a shiver down his spine. Glancing around to the digital clock beside his table, it was early afternoon which meant he had slept only a scant amount. Funny how only a short amount of time had passed when the dream seemed to last forever. The sun through the window was high in the sky, but slowly making it's descent towards the horizon. He had obviously missed lunch, which was just as well seeing as how his stomach didn't feel up to cooperating at the moment. Sick of lying in bed, Remy decided to move around, hoping that activity might make him feel better.

 

Making his way downstairs and out the front door, he noticed that Storm was working in the garden and decided to head that direction. As he approached her, the feelings of euphoria surrounded him, easing the throbbing behind his eyes. She was humming softly as her hands worked the rich soil of the garden.

 

“Need some help?” Remy donned his most charming smile as he knelt down beside her.

 

“I would love some Remy. Thank you for asking.” She handed over a trowel and directed him to dig some small holes for her.

 

Despite the chill of the day before with the onset of fall, today was quite warm as if summer was making one last attempt to hold on. More than likely the humidity from the previous night's rains was to blame for the unusual elevated temperatures, but Ororo was not one to complain when good weather allowed her time in the garden. Not that she couldn't make the weather around her pleasant. She simply chose to let mother nature run things as her Goddess saw fit, never interfering with her gift unless it was necessary.

 

As he worked, sweat broke out on his brow and his breathing became labored. Remy didn't do sun and heat. Well, the heat he could tolerate usually. One didn't grow up in the state of Louisiana and not become accustomed to wet heat that was rivaled only by the temperatures in hell, welcome it even in the bitter cold that was the north. But the sun was a completely different story. He was, by default, a creature of the night. It didn't help that he was nursing a bad hangover from whatever the Professor had done to him. Remy could feel the sun baking his pale skin, a nasty burn just waiting to happen, and he started to droop. Sensitive red on black eyes squinted and teared up at the brightness all around. Ororo noticed him, equating him with a flower that wilts under heat and drought. Briefly her eyes turned white, and a small gray cloud appeared over the boy to shade him from the onslaught of the sun. The wind blew lightly over his skin, cooling him instantly and he glanced up at the woman beside him to see her smiling.

 

Returning the smile with gratitude, he said “T'anks chere.”

 

“You are quite welcome.” She returned to her work, resuming the humming as she went.

 

They worked together for several hours, periodically asking each other general questions, though he was very careful what he revealed to her. Every so often, he would say something to make her laugh outright. From his vantage point on the porch where he appeared earlier to watch them, Logan strained to hear what was being said, but failed to grasp anything. He made himself comfortable in one of the chairs, content to just watch them.

 

“I see we have an audience.” She said after a while, never once turning to glance in Logan's direction.

 

“Yeh I noticed. He always like dat or are we just special?” Remy scooped some dirt over one of the bulbs she placed in a previous hole.

 

“Logan is an observer of human nature. He won't admit it, but I believe he loves to people watch. Though I have to admit he very rarely spends time observing my gardening skills. Then again, I almost never have an assistant working with me.” She didn't elucidate further but Remy caught the meaning behind her words nonetheless.

 

Remy chewed his bottom lip as he tried to analyze the situation. He thought back over the day before when he felt mixed emotions from the feral during the tour. He recalled the previous night when the older man let him pass with the bag of food he had stolen from the pantry. And the way Logan acted in the med lab when Remy came around, showing concern and something else. It was starting to add up for him and the sum of the parts caused a flutter in his gut that he couldn't yet name. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize that Ororo had reached over to gently pry the trowel from his hand. She patted him on the shoulder to gain his attention. “Where did you go?”

 

He had the decency to look guilty for briefly tuning her out. “M'sorry chere. Just daydreaming I guess.”

 

Ororo smiled warmly at him as she moved to stand, signaling the end of the day's work. “He is a good man Remy, loyal to a fault to those that he holds dear. He is not one to take to another soul so readily. To have caught his interest, there must be something special about you indeed. Remember that.” Patting his shoulder one last time, she headed away from him towards the gardening shed.

 

Remy sighed and glanced towards the porch to the man sitting there smoking a cigar. He really didn't know what to make of anything. His own feelings were just as mixed up. Remy dusted himself off and headed towards the feral, noting the older man tense slightly as he approached.

 

“See ya're feeling better. Was worried about ya there for a moment.” Logan chewed on the end of his cigar as he watched the boy draw closer. “Got anything ya wanna talk about regarding what happened in the Danger Room?”

 

“Non” The reply was curt he realized. Taking a breath, Remy decided that Logan really didn't deserve to be talked to in such a way when he was only trying to help. “T'anks, mon ami, for everyt'ing. Don't t'ink I coulda made it to my room wit'out your help.”

 

Logan puffed on the stoagie for a moment. “S'alright kid. Why don't ya go on in and get cleaned up for supper. I'm cooking tonight.” He smiled wide as he turned to look at the boy. “Hope you like meatball poboys.”

 

Recognizing the change in topic for what it was, he returned the grin while shifting a piece of his long hair behind his ear. “Oui. Sounds bon, homme. Why don't you add some cayenne pepper to de mix to spice it up some?”

 

Logan chuckled. “We'll see.” Remy moved past the older man towards the door when Logan called after, causing him to pause. “Tomorrow morning you start working with me. Gonna teach ya how to meditate to help ya learn control.”

 

Remy blinked at the feral for a moment, then nodded his head in understanding before making his way back into the house.

 

End ch 6

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