X-Men Fan Fiction ❯ Origins ❯ Chapter 26 ( Chapter 26 )

Reviewer Response:

Shin Yuy and Whatwhatnow - Thank you both!  It seems like the X-men section of MM.org is very small and I wasn’t sure if anyone was reading the story here or even interested.  I’m glad to know that you are enjoying the fic. There will be more =)

See notes, disclaimers, and warnings in first chapter

Warnings #2: This chapter contains a non-graphic, mostly implied, sexual scene that would be considered non-consensual/dubious consent.

Words between / / are thoughts or mental speak

Words between * * are flashbacks

Words between ~ ~ are lyrics to any songs that may be used in the fic

CH 26

Time seemed meaningless and everything around him blurred. The whirlwind of activity that took place following the fight was ignored, and all Remy could focus on was Logan. He had no recollection of how they had managed to get back to the mansion, or what happened to the ones they had been fighting. All that Remy knew was that Logan’s eyes were closed, his heartbeat was faint and his breathing was shallow. It was unacceptable and the Cajun willed his lover to open his eyes. But the older man never did.

Speculative gazes from the Professor found him several times during the chaos, but Xavier never approached Remy with his thoughts. While his ruby eyes remained locked on Logan’s face, he dimly heard Hank briefing Xavier on the status of the teams. It appeared that Storm had come away from the fight reasonably sound. Burned patches of skin adorned her body, and with topical crème in hand she was allowed to retire to her loft for much needed bed rest to rebuild her depleted energies. Cyclops had several broken ribs and contusions all over his body. Scratch marks as well as deep bruising of tissue with possible internal bleeding were also diagnosed. He, along with Bobby who had a concussion from the blow to the head, was relegated to the infirmary for a few days. Logan would keep them company, though he would be in a private area of the wing; his condition being the most critical of all. Xavier himself was only slightly battered from the ordeal and was ordered to get some rest as well. With one final thoughtful gaze at the boy sitting diligently beside Logan’s bed, the Professor left the medical lab.

If anyone spoke to him, he was unaware as his eyes stayed riveted on the feral laying so still on the bed. The beeping and whooshing of machines droned in the background, a constant source of white noise that drowned out the voices of those around him as he focused on Logan’s prone figure. Periodically, Dr. McCoy would attempt to coax the young man away from his patient’s bed, but felt like he was talking with a brick wall. It was the pre-dawn hours of the morning when Hank finally had enough, insisting that the young Cajun would leave his medical ward by force if necessary; ordering Remy to get some food and sleep. But Remy was still tense from the fight and the worry over the man he loved.

Love…..

It was still a shock to him that he held such strong emotions for the older man. Remy made his way outside, moving a good distance from the mansion and venturing into the crop of trees that marked the beginnings of a deciduous forest. The rough bark of a Hickory bit into his back through the layers of cloth as he sat against it. Both knees were drawn up as he wrapped his arms around them and leaned his head back to stare at the sky. Fingers of deep, rich peach and burnt orange clawed through the darkness, causing the stars and moon to slowly fade from his view as rays stretched from the burgeoning sun that was pushing its way above the horizon. A heavy sigh joined in the chorus of crickets and awakening birds as Remy breathed in the crisp air. Now that adrenalin no longer surged through his body, the wintry temperatures made him shiver under the chilly early morning frost. A cigarette was pulled from his pocket and lit before he slid one leg to the ground with the palm of his hand resting on his thigh. After a slow, deep pull on the stick, the other hand dangled over his upraised knee while the smoke drifted away from the lit cigarette held between two fingers. If he had enough energy, he would have headed back to the mansion for a cup of coffee, or maybe a beer. But he felt drained, both emotionally and physically, unable to do more than curb his nicotine craving and think about these past hours. He had seen it in Magneto’s eyes before the man fled. There would be a penance due, Remy knew without a doubt. Strangely, though, the Cajun couldn’t seem to find it within himself to care. The longer this assignment took; he was starting to realize there was more at stake than simply the theft of information from a genetic database. He was well aware of what his master was capable with that kind of data. But he wasn’t sure about Lehnsherr. The man himself was an expert on genetic manipulation. What was he planning to do with the data?

He felt her coming before he heard her and ended his musings. After the lecture the Professor had given him, Remy needed to be cautious around the girl. Having witnessed her powers as well as the fact that she most likely had touched at least one of the telepaths in the house at some point, Remy wanted to take no chances that she might unknowingly pick up his thoughts and innocently transfer them to Xavier.

Rogue stopped several feet away from the tree, chewing her lower lip as she stared at the boy’s profile. He seemed as lost as she did, gazing at the sky above with half-lidded eyes. Arms wrapped about her to ward off the chill, she wondered what to say to him and felt the awkwardness that had developed between them since that night in the recreation room. Remy could feel it almost like a tangible object within his grasp and internally sighed. It was yet another problem he needed to deal with. After several minutes of silence, leaving her twisting in the wind of her indecision, he took the first step.

“Y’know, chere, it gonna give dis ol’ boy a complex if you keep standing dere and staring a hole in me.” Slowly his head turned to face her, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Ain’t got de sole claim on dis here tree, if you wanna sit.” He patted the ground beside him.

Startled, she hesitated a moment before moving to sit beside him. Rather than lean against the trunk, she sat cross-legged and slightly hunched over, her forearms resting on her thighs as she picked up a large brown leaf and began to twirl it between the fingers of both hands. Silence again hung between them until Rogue started to systematically strip segments of the leaf along the withered veins. When she completely obliterated the once vibrant plant to small piles of dried up debris, she reached for another and started the process again. The crinkle and crackling noises that her hands made in the destruction of one leaf after another audibly emphasized the nervousness that was vibrating through her body. It was enough to make Remy’s teeth hurt as he clenched his jaw in frustration; the last of his patience dwindling away.

As Rogue collected yet another leaf, Remy reached out and grasped both of her hands in his free one, squeezing just enough to still her motions. “It’s dead, girl. Leave it be.” After a moment, he patted her hands before withdrawing, taking a pull on the cigarette in his dangling fingers and watching as she dropped the leaf and fisted one hand within the palm of the other in an attempt to resist the temptation of shredding yet another.

Expelling the smoke from his lungs, Remy continued to gaze above him. He mused that quiet solitude may be over-rated as the silence between them became suffocating. It wasn’t so much the lack of human voice that was pushing Remy to the edge. Rather, the emotional turmoil sitting beside him, battering away at his already weakened shields, was unhinging him. With a flick of his cigarette and a deep sigh as he leaned further back against the tree, the Cajun decided to end the silent stalemate. “ M’sorry, chere.”

Rogue looked up at him. “What for?”

Remy turned his head sharply, a sarcastic barb on the tip of his tongue until he took in her perplexed look as well as what he could feel from her, and realized that she was genuinely confused by his apology. His cigarette filled fingers came up to rub along his jaw for a moment while he collected his thoughts. “Uh, well for dat time.” Looking up at the deepening furrow of her brow, he clarified. “Y’know, in de rec room. When I finger f…uh…did dat wit’ my fingers. I shouldn’a done dat to you.”

The light of comprehension was in her eyes as she blushed and looked back down at the little pile of dried debris she had created earlier. “It’s ok, Remy. It was my fault for doing what I did.”

He grabbed her chin and gently turned it towards him so he could look her in the eye. “Non, chere. What you did was a bit much, and you shouldn’ be using yor powers to spy on friends. Mas, dat don’ give no one de right to touch you intimately wit’out yor permission. What I did, it weren’t right, either.”

A small smile appeared on her face as she said “Two wrongs don’t make a right, do they.”

“Non.” Remy smirked before releasing her chin.

“I’m sorry, too, Remy.” She bit her lip and glanced back at the pile of leaf parts in front of her. “Yor right. I was trying to spy on ya. It was stupid.” Taking a deep breath, her face turned towards the sky. “When ya first came here, I was so jealous of ya. The way Logan watched ya, and always wanting to be with ya. I wanted him to look at me that way, ya know?” She graced him with a sheepish smile before turning away again to pick at the leaves. “I love Logan. Guess I always have. But he don’t look at me that way. He sees me as a little girl, like his daughter or sister, or something. I dunno.” A sigh escaped her as she wiped her palms along the fabric of her thighs. “So, when I saw how he was falling for ya, I was angry and tried to find a reason to make him see that you were…” She shrugged her shoulders as if the reasons didn’t matter anymore. “Anyway, that’s why I did that.”

Remy held his tongue, listening to her explanation with a twinge of guilt and sympathy in his gut. She really was a lonely young woman. Rogue shifted her body around so that she was facing his profile, her knees barely touching the side of his leg before continuing. “What ya did, it was something I never experienced with anyone before. And after ya left, I felt ashamed of myself for being so forward and driving ya to do that. But, ya stopped yorself. Ya could have, you had every right ta…” When she saw him start to shake his head in the negative, she reached out and touched his arm. “…no, wait. Listen, now. This is the way I see it. I didn’t say no. Maybe cause I was overwhelmed, but I didn’t say it. Ya stopped anyways, knowing I wasn’t ready for that kinda thing. It opened my eyes and let me see that maybe I wasn’t treating ya fairly. I’d been so sure you were the enemy. But, after that night, I started watching ya. It was little things, Remy. Like helping out Storm in the garden without her asking. Or, cleaning up the dishes when it wasn’t yor turn.” A tiny laugh burst forth. “It probably sounds stupid, but those kinds a things tell something about a person. And then, you saved Logan and the Professor.” Her eyes were moist and shining when he finally looked at her. “Ya coulda run, but ya didn’t. Ya faced down one of the most powerful mutants we’ve seen, all by yorself, risking yor life for people ya only met a few months ago. Now I know yor a good man, Remy.”

He couldn’t stay and listen to this any longer. It was making his stomach churn with guilt and unnamed feelings he didn’t want to address. He gracefully rose to his feet and dusted off the dirt from the back of his pants. “A bit tired, chere. T’ink I’m gonna get some rest like de doctor ordered.”

As he stood before her, preparing to walk away, she reached out and touched his knee. “For a long time, I was jealous of the way Logan looked at ya. But I never thought I’d ever be jealous of Logan.” She stared hard at where her hand grasped his leg. “Until now.”

The Cajun stood there, lost for a moment in her confession before finally crouching down in front of her. Her emerald eyes were fixed on his chest and he gently cupped her face. “One day, chere, you gon’ learn to master yor power. Maybe even learn to use all de powers you done pulled from ot’ers over time. Den, you gon’ find de person you was meant to be wit’. And it’s gon’ be beautiful.” He leaned over and brushed his lips against her forehead in a chaste kiss, before standing and striding away, leaving her with her thoughts.

Sleep did not come easily that night, or for the next few nights as Remy struggled against his own conscience. The longer he delayed facing the inevitable with Magneto, the worse he knew things would be for him. But, he could not make himself leave the mansion while Logan was so incapacitated. Several days passed before Hank released the much improved feral to his own bedroom. Logan was still fairly weak from the metal poisoning, but the doctor had given him a clean bill of health with the note that Logan would be back to his grumpy self with a few more days of rest. Remy knew he needed to face his boss and try to repair any damage done. Hopefully the few days that had passed would find the other man less angry. He decided to leave that evening, after first spending some time with Logan.

The sun hung low in the late afternoon sky as Remy made his way to the feral’s room. As quiet as the thief he was, he entered the room and moved to stand beside Logan’s bed, staring at the older man for many long minutes before Logan’s eyes opened to greet him. It was testament to Logan’s weakened state that he didn’t immediately sense the younger man when the Cajun first entered the room.

“Hey Gumbo. Heard ya put the hurt on Magneto.”

Remy grinned down at the man. “Oui. Gambit blew him away wit’ my special card tricks.”

Logan shifted to get more comfortable. “Wish ya’d killed him.”

The grin faded as Remy sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Logan’s chest. “Was worried ‘bout you, homme.” He whispered.

One strong hand came up to capture the thief’s roaming fingers and bring them to his lips for a soft kiss before Logan answered. “Take more than a metal manipulatin’ bastard to kill me, kid.” Logan tugged on the younger mutant’s hand, calling the boy forward to capture lips that tasted sweeter than he remembered.

Remy straddled the other man; leaning down to pepper kisses along the feral’s jaw. “Need you, cher. Need to know yor alive and not just a dream; need to feel you.” He needed something to hold onto when he faced his boss.

The older man panted as the young mutant’s talented tongue rimmed the shell of his ear. “Not gonna be much help, I’m afraid. Got almost no energy.” He could feel the boy’s smile against his neck.

“Don’ worry, mon coeur. I’ll do all de work. You just lay back and enjoy.” The Cajun made short work of their clothes, hands roaming over the ridges and planes of the older man’s chest. A pink tongue laved the dark areole circling a pert nipple before latching on to nibble at the pebbled flesh. Logan’s eyes rolled back and he groaned low at the sensation. Remy was everywhere, causing Logan’s skin to burn with his touches, nerves set aflame from talented tongue, teeth, and fingers. Before the older man could process the feverish pace, Remy swallowed him whole; lavishing focused attention on Logan’s cock until the feral thought he might come undone from the overwhelming pleasure. With his eyes closed, he let his sense of touch run free, relishing in the feel of the boy. Sense of smell wide open, he was intoxicated with the mixture of aromas, the fruity tang of shampoo marrying with the sweet spice of perspiration and the heady musk of Remy’s sex. He felt the shift in weight, the movement of the very air around them just before he was encased in the tight heat of the boy as Remy lowered himself onto Logan’s hardened member, sheathing the older man completely.

Head thrown back and guttural moans of ecstasy escaping his throat, Remy rode Logan with something akin to panic, lifting himself rapidly up and down on the feral’s thick shaft in wild abandon. Logan could only watch in a lust filled daze, eyes glazed over with the pleasure the boy was giving him and the love he felt for the Cajun. If he hadn’t still been recovering, his mind a little clearer, Logan would have recognized the coupling as desperation – desperate love, desperate fear.

Their love-making was frantic, pushing higher and higher until it reached the ultimate crest, waves of passion crashing over them as they filled and were filled with seeds of their love. Their cries of completion echoed around the room, until at last Remy fell forward to lie on the older man beneath him. He was content to remain joined with the man. /Just a while longer./ Remy laid his cheek against the wiry curls of the older man’s chest, rubbing along the coarse hairs as if trying to leave his scent mark. Sated, it didn’t take long for Logan to fall into a deep sleep of the righteously exhausted. Remy’s chest was tight with emotion as he gave the older man one last kiss before silently slipping away. He couldn’t put it off any longer.

The ride to the warehouse district seemed to take longer than usual, the lonely winding roads stretching impossibly further as he sped towards imminent danger. When he reached the building that housed his current employer, it took every ounce of will power to make his feet move towards the door. The lack of Creed at the entrance to harass and grope him set warning bells off in his head. He didn’t like deviations from the norm, not when it was his life on the line. With a grim set to his mouth, he steeled himself and moved through the building until he reached Magneto’s office. A knock yielded momentary silence before he heard the orders to enter the darkened room. His steps faltered as he felt the presence of both Magneto and Sabretooth in the office, but he could only immediately see the master of magnetism as he kept his head straight and walked towards the desk.

Remy stood in the middle of the room, all too aware of Creed skulking in the shadows somewhere behind him. Magneto sat at his desk ignoring the Cajun as he continued to scribble notes on some papers before him. But Remy wasn’t fooled into believing the man was calmly working. The anger and tension radiated off the older man like the surface of the sun, making the air in the room almost suffocating and hot to the touch. Finally, after what seemed like hours but had only been a few minutes, the older man carefully laid the pen down and stood. Raw power oozed from the mutant as he moved with purpose to stand directly in front of Remy.

“Explain to me, thief, how you came to be with those fools the other night instead of obtaining the data as I requested?” The sheer control in that baritone voice sent shivers down Remy’s back. “I seem to recall informing you that I would provide the suitable distraction you claimed you needed. And yet, to my surprise, you arrived with the X-Men to do battle against me.”

It took an effort not to grind his teeth before answering. “De Professor, he insisted I go.”

Ruby eyes watched warily as the master of metal slightly nodded, as if coming to some kind of decision, and then suddenly the older man’s arm whipped around and backhanded the Cajun hard. “YOU FOUGHT AGAINST ME!!!!!” Remy’s head snapped sideways and he almost lost his balance as his teeth cut into the side of his mouth, barely registering the angry words that flew from the older man’s mouth over the ringing in his ears.

Remy gasped, breath stolen for a moment at the unexpected blow. One fingerless gloved hand reached up and smeared away the blood forming at the edge of his mouth. “Tried to convince him I should stay at de mansion, but he wouldn’t listen.” He panted, trying to avoid the fury he knew he would see in the other mutant’s eyes.

Small vibrations thrumming through his body were the only signs of his anger as Magneto clenched his fists and turned his back on the boy. He walked towards his desk, but did not shift to move behind it. Instead, he stood facing the wall as if he were the one answering to an imaginary boss sitting on the other side of the furniture, his rigid back the only thing in Remy’s line of sight. The tension filled the room as the other man remained silent; a pregnant pause that did nothing to ease the coil of dread that had been building in his gut. Remy knew he was outmatched with both mutants in the room, but he was determined to be prepared for what he felt was coming.

Erik sighed deeply, forcing his muscles to relax. Part of him knew he had been unrealistic to expect this mission to be successfully completed in such a short time, but the other more dominant less rational part of his mind simply wanted to lash out at the source of his current frustration. “Where is my data?”

The Cajun pursed his lips. He’d been expecting the question, but still felt unprepared to give a sufficient answer. “I’m close.”

“You said that last time.” Magneto stated, the calmness of his voice belying the underlying anger he felt. “How close are you and when can I expect the results I seek?”

“Soon, M’sieur.” Remy cajoled, hoping that his deference to the master of magnetism would ease the man’s anger. Perhaps he could walk away from this meeting with little more than a headache and wounded pride.

Erik frowned, not at all pleased with such a vague answer. “And what does ‘soon’ mean in your terminology, LeBeau? You’ve been with them for months.”

The answers he had carefully constructed in his mind on the way to meet with Magneto played through his thoughts like flash cards. “A couple months, I t’ink. Gotta find some time alone wit’ de main computer, den get t’ru de last of de encryption.”

Magneto smiled though it could not be seen with his back to the boy. A couple more months didn’t seem unreasonable after all the amount of time and effort he had already invested in this plan. Still, the boy needed to learn a lesson in regards to attacking his employers. “Very well. I shall endeavor to patiently wait for you to complete your assigned tasks.” Blue-grey eyes flickered to two metal pieces on the table in front of him, raising them to hover in the air behind his body out of Remy’s line of sight as he turned around to face the boy.

There was no warning in the older man’s blank face as he stared dispassionately at the Cajun. Suddenly, Magneto’s arms shot outwards to his side, a parody of Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man for a few moments before thrusting both arms towards Gambit. Two metal spheres flew at the boy, wrapping themselves around his hands and wrists before he could even gasp in surprise. Magneto fisted his hands on his outstretched arms, commanding the material to obey him, pulling Gambit’s arms forward. Remy struggled against the hold, a mixture of shock and fear reflecting in his crystal eyes as his hands yanked away from the side of his body to extend in front of him. The controlling hands of the older mutant vibrated with power, and he brought both his fists together. A few feet opposite, the metal around Remy’s hands slammed into one another with a powerful magnetic attraction. Magneto used his mutant abilities to place tremendous pressure on the metallic substances to liquefy and reshape them as the components began to fuse together, effectively forming one metallic block. The weight of the contraption was unexpected, causing Remy to fall to one knee as his metal encased hands hit the floor with a loud ‘thunk’ when Magneto released control. The Cajun was peripherally aware of his boss’s approach as he continued to blink at his hands in surprise.

“That does not, however, excuse your participation in the battle against me.” Lehnsherr hovered above him, satisfaction at his handiwork oozing from every pore. “I have given you too much leeway and it is now time to remind you of your place.” Eyes the color of steel flickered briefly towards the figure in the shadows before turning to stride towards the door. “Teach him well.” Stopping at the threshold, Magneto turned to give one last hard look at the boy, relishing the horror in those ruby orbs for a moment before he turned that stern, commanding gaze on the feral. “But you know my rules, Creed.” He warned, and then he was gone.

Still kneeling, Remy was speechless as he continued to stare at the closed door through which Lehnsherr had left. He heard the larger mutant shuffling towards him, a low rumbling purr in Creed’s throat that caused Remy to pant in equal parts of anger and fear. “Looks like it’s just you and me, Cajun.” It was easy to picture the leer on the feral’s face, even as Remy’s back was to the man. Remy looked down at his hands one more time and counted heartbeats until he felt the larger mutant directly behind him; felt him bending over to grab.

“Fuck dat.” Remy spat, summoning all his strength to jump up from the floor and swing his heavy metal cased hands around like a club to strike Sabertooth across the cheek, hearing the crunch of bones as the steel block connected. The feral went sideways, slamming into the wall from the unexpected blow. A massive gash exposed muscle and tendon as blood ran freely down the older man’s face and neck. It took Creed a few moments to gather his scattered wits, but already the wound was healing. The impact against the big body did nothing to slow the arc of the swing, and it pulled Remy’s body around until he was once again sprawled on the floor with the echoing pinging sound of metallic strikes in his ear. He wasted no time, struggling with the weight of the steel case as he tried to bring himself into a position to make a run for the door. But it was not enough. No sooner had he brought himself up to his feet, his body bent over with the weight of the metal still holding his hands to the floor, when Creed’s arms circled round his chest. The impact of the larger body against his back sent them both to the floor. Creed pulled Remy back against his chest and they both sat there on their knees, the outside of Remy’s thighs nestled securely against the inside of Creed’s as they panted from the pain and exertion.

“You know, I always like it when you struggle Remy, makes things more intense. But Magneto don’t want you too damaged, which is fine by me. I don’t like to hurt my pets ….much.” Creed’s hot, vile breath blew across the back of his ear as he hissed, raising the hairs on the nape of Remy’s neck. “So what’s it gonna be, sweet cheeks?”

It wasn’t really a question or a choice. Remy knew exactly what the man wanted….capitulation. What was it about this particular feral that demanded submission from him? Sabertooth could take what he wanted, violently and with no remorse, had done so on many occasions giving no mercy to his victims. But with Remy it was some kind of sick game, and the Cajun was in no real mood to play. Creed got off not on the rough sex with the thief, but rather the chase and the domination. It was always the edge of consent between the two. There was predator and prey in the naked jungle, and Remy knew he skirted the border between the two. Perhaps it was this that seemed to attract ferals to him. He didn’t know. All that really mattered is that ‘this’ feral had a need to conquer him, but no desire to damage too much in the process, as if therein lay the rare challenge.

Remy remained tense in his arms a few minutes more, struggling with himself over the conflicting desires to fight, flee, and surrender. Ultimately he knew which path he would follow and wasted no more time. With a shaky sigh, he lay his head back on the larger mutant’s shoulder, bearing his neck and closing his eyes. It was exactly what Creed wanted as the older man chuckled and began licking a path along Remy’s neck. The thief suppressed a shudder and managed to keep a smirk off his face. Magneto had no clue when it came to the real relationship between himself and Creed. If the master of magnetism truly thought this would be some kind of painful punishment, he would be partially disappointed. There would be some pain, Creed would insist, but the physical damage Remy would sustain would be far less than Erik expected. Then again, Remy mused, the man wasn’t that stupid. It was quite possible the physical pain wasn’t what the silver haired mutant was after, and would be merely a bonus.

He could survive this; had done so before as memories from a distant time came forward to remind him. The single dull yellow street lamp, with its hordes of worshipping insects buzzing around the bulb, was the only illumination on the glass case of a side street bookstore in the middle of the night. But it was enough light for a street rat whose only escape from the shadows of despair was pure imagination. It was with wide eyed wonder that a young boy stared at the cover art of historical and illustrative books on display, melding the scenes from each into a single sanctuary deep within him. It was an inner sanctum he would visit time and time again to help him deal with the harsh realities of his life.

Remy’s mind began to close and slip away; escaping to the haven deep within that he had created in the early stages of his life. He was vaguely aware of the feel and sound of clothing being ripped by talon-like claws, tearing away fabric as well as the tender skin underneath, leaving ravines of varying depths within the flesh from which blood began to seep and run. Slowly, the dark pain of reality faded to brilliant sunshine as he walked among magnolia trees, pecan trees and majestic old oaks with moss draping down through the limbs and swaying with a gentle breeze. The air was fresh, sweet with innocence and undisturbed by the taint of man. Carpet like grass tickled under bare feet as the melodies of birds and the crunch of pecan shells filled his ears. As Creed gave him a perfunctory prelude kiss to the inevitable act, the nutty taste of the fruit was the flavor tantalizing his tongue in the depths of his mind. And as his body was rocked to the sounds of grunting, it was an old wooden bench rope swing hanging from a massive oak limb that creaked and groaned with his weight as it lazily swung him among swirling magnolia petals. It was a utopian place he pictured in his mind, and it would cradle him safely through the next few hours.

End ch 26

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