Gambit looked up from where he had gotten knocked to the floor by Rogue and smiled through some pain, "Can I take
that as no chere?" Rogue turned her back on him and faced her mirrored vanity, "Remy...why do ya do this to me? Ah can't
touch anyone that is just the way the old mutant power works. I have learned to accept it as part of who ah am, but who are
ya to sit there and tell me it doesn't matter and then try to kiss me? I don't understand why you act this way. Ya assure me that
the physical isn't important, but you constantly fixate on it. Ah love ya, but ah WON'T put you in danger of mah kiss. That and
I saw you with the red head at the mall today and she sure as hell wasn't Jean. Ya tell me ya love me, but you cheat on me, are
still married to Belle, and won't tell me the truth to "protect me". Ah have had it Remy. Ah finally figured out what ya see in me
and that is a pleasant way to die. Ya are suicidal...that is the only thing ah could come up with and it makes sense. Ya need
therapy Remy. Ya have been playing with fire for too long to know when you are going to get scorched by that flame. Ah am
leaving the X-men for a while until ah can get mah life back together...with or without you. Ah am sorry Remy, but ah don't
think ya feel true love in this...no ya just see me as a conquest and the faster ah run the more ya want it. Ah'm sorry, but I can't
take it anymore. Goodbye." With that she went to the window, picked up her duffel bag and flew away. Gambit sighed as he
got up from the floor and walked to the window. "You got it all wrong chere...I already got scorched and reborn in that flame
and am now trying to build a life back from the ashes. Ironic no?" He turned around to see...
Beast, strolling the grounds with Trish tilby. Gambit was glad that they finally got it together. He was a good man, but
Gambit had to sever all emotional attachment to the X-Men to get his job done. Feelings could not cloud his judgement. He
had to act tonight.
Gambit lay awake in bed until midnight. As the clock struck twelve he got up. It was now time to do what he was placed
in the X-Men for. "First to go is Psylocke" he thought. "She knows my secret, I'm sure." Gambit dressed in full armour and
made his way to Betsy's room. "How the hell am I going to kill her?" her thought "She's a ninja telepath, she'll sense me a mile
off. She's physically my equal. God! I'm going to have to be creative on this one, can't screw up the first one."
Gambit got to the door of Betsy's room and opened it slowly. He was greeted with the most horrific sight,
Betsy dismembered, with bits of her brutally strewn across the room. While Gambit was still reeling from
shoch he heard a scream from behind. "OH MY GOD GAMBIT!!!!!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!" tbc
Gambit turned around to see Bishop standing there with a look of horror on his face. "Bishop, I didn't..it not ...,"Remy
didn't know what to say as he saw Bishop level his plasma cannon at him. He reacted on insctint and threw a card at Bishop,
the card hit the gun causing it to explode the force of the blast knocked Bishop out but it was enough to wake the other
X-Men. Gambit ran toward the nearest window and jumped out just as the other X-men came out of there rooms, and Gambit
disappeared into the night.
There was nothing he coud do there in Westchester, at least it was not the moment. The sky outside was suddenly lit by a
huge lightening, and with a continuos and loud sound the rain started to fall. His slippery boots skated the wet streets of New
York, and he couldn't recognize his own reflection on the wet sidewalks. He coudn't believe wn what he almost did, and he
coudn't imagine who did that for him. A sure thing was that Gambit needed to find out who was the killer, to prove himself he
was not insane; to prove himself he deserved Rogue's love.
Tears threatened to slide down his face, but Remy controlled himself. he was responsible and aware of everything he had
done, and he coud not let desperation and all those emotions take over him. Looking up to the theatening sky, he decided to
react, and for that he needed to see an old friend but who was that friend? Gambit couldn't remember. The harder he tried to recapture that memory the faster it ran from
him. It seemed his own thoughts were betraying him. Suddenly it came to him. His old friend was...no, it was his old ENEMY
who he needed to find...his old enemy Storm. The completion of this thought had an unexpected effect. Remy clutched at his
temples, in severe pain, then passed out on the New York sidewalk.
Meanwhile, Rogue sat on the bed of a cheap road Inn by the Mississipi. It was like being home, in a home she didn't know.
But since she was a teenage girl she had fought against her feelings, and she had to resist. But she also had to do something,
she coudn't be away forever, she was an X-men, and nothing could ever change that, not even him.
Her feelings for Magnus hadn't been strong enough to make her quit, why would a thief be able to do this? On the other
hand...
She loved him, that was it, no way out. But she had to find out about his lies. She had to know if he was the Traitor... or the
Victim.
Gambit woke up in a bed he knew well. His old room. His eyes seemed
heavy, and he wasn't able to open them. Beside him, a voice he knew
well, too.
: : : "Remy... what happened?" A wet scarf refreshed his face, burning
as his whole body, in an awful fever
: : : "Belle... Belle.. chere... I'm going... insane..." She looked at
him witha tender smile. "Don't speak now, Remy, you have to rest!"
: : : He didn't want to rest, his life was falling apart. He wanted to
fight, to scream, to... to live. "I was going to kill Betsy! Moi! I was
that insane!!! Why, mon dieu, why???"
: : : "I don't know, Remy. The only thing i know, is that you better
dissapear for a while!" "No way, Belle! I have to find Rogue! If she
can't help me, then...
: :
: : Sobbing uncontrolably, Warren collapsed into Jean's arm. He had
already lost his firts love and now Psylocke. His emotions and those of
the other X-men threatened to overwelm Jean as she mentally eased his
pain. Quickly Scott siezed marginal control of the situation and
suggested the group step outside. The door shut with a click as the
X-Men proceeded downstairs to the war room. Blood soaked sheet and chair
littered with entrails disapeared to be replaced by Psylocke, a grim
smile on her face. A simple mental illusion for a telepath of her power.
Nothing could stand in her way, her way and the way of her lover...
Shinobi Shaw.
: Even through her psi-block of Warren's pain Jean saw through the
illusion. She couldn't let the other's know, at least not until she
figured out why Psylocke would fake her own death and fool her
teammates. All she could do was turn to her fellow X-Men and say "I know
we're all in pain, but we must move on."
: Somwhere else...
:
: "...can't help me then I be lost." Gambit focused on Belle, trying to
read her face, her emotion, when a familiar presence touched his
tortured mind. ~Gambit!? Can you hear me?~ It was Jean! Gambit almost
gave away her presence in his mind by the look of surprise and horror on
his face, but was lucky enough to have seen Belle leave scant moments be
emotion, when a familiar presence touched his tortured mind. ~Gambit!?
Can you hear me?~ It was Jean! Gambit almost gave away her presence in
his mind by the look of surprise and horror on his face, but was lucky
enough to have seen Belle leave scant moments before. ~You gonna try to
fry my brain from de Mansion, chere? Well, Gambit don' take no attack
without a fight!~ ~NO! Remy, I'm still your friend. Listen to
me-Psylocke is not dead. She faked her death. It was a telepathic
illusion. It fooled the others, but Psylocke isn't strong enough to
manipulate me. I haven't told the others; Psylocke is still here, in the
shadows. I can't risk telling them out loud, she'll hear, or
telepathically, because she'd take it from their minds. Only you and I
have the ability to keep her out.~ ~What dis mean for me?~ ~It means
that you have to get back to the Mansion.~ ~No way! You said it
yourself. De others'd toast me on sight. 'Sides, I'm home, wit Belle,
and-~ ~Remy, I can't explain now, but trust me. In my psi-scan for you I
found no other h
*Psi-talents? Wha you talkin' 'bout chere?*
*Don't play dumb with me Remy. We both know you've got em. Xavier and I
were willing to respect you wishes but not anymore. The X-Men need you,
Rogue needs you! Come quickly, Phoenix out!*
"...but chere you don'know what those powers have cost me...cost
others...I swore I'd never..." Engulfed in self pity Gambit could hardly
make out the sleek gentleman walking through the door. His black hair
tumbled down to his shoulders and he lightly shook the water off his
coat and hat. Crossing the floor with an elegant grace mastered in the
far East, the man named Shinobi Shaw stood over a dispair plagued X-Man.
A quiet click was all Remy needed to notice the emerald hilted blade
drawn from the folds of Shinobi's coat. By chance, a stray ray of light
glittered off the emerald reminding Remy of Rogue's eyes. The thought
stirred something inside the ex-thief. Something stirred to the surface
and as Gambit bolted out the door en route to the X-Mansion, he let
loose an immense psi bolt. Reeling with pain Shinobi collapsed to his
knees. Long gone, Gambit did not notice that Shinobi was not screaming,
he was laughing and as tan skin faded to silver, a more sinister villan
was revealed. As Mr. Sinister rose he spoke " At last the greatest of
the Summer seeds is finnaly ready to harvest!"
Gambit looked at Jean whom he had agreed to meet and wondered how they
were going to stop Psylocke. He knew that he had to do so, but still had
no idea how Jean expected him to pull off her "plan". He looked at her
calmly, "Chere...I don't have the skill with my psyonic gifts as you
call them to use them at will...I'll kill her or they'll not work at all
I am sure." Jean said something about how he should have more faith in
himself and Remy nodded...if he had to do it he would do it. He had
always done what was expected of him non? With that thought in mind he
started to hunt for the mysterious woman that had come to replace his
teamate Psylocke. He wondered if perhaps it had something to do with the
Crimson Dawn elixher she drank, but put it out of his mind as he became
one with the shadows of the night...reflecting how he could liken them
to his soul, and followed the telepathic urgings of his red headed
teamate. It took a while to find her, but he did...in a room awaiting
her lover Shaw. Gambit came in through the window and landed on silent
feet, but she knew he was there with instincts trained to know so. She
twirled to look at him and smiled maliciously, "Hello Gambit. So nice of
you to drop in. I suppose you figured out this was all a trap hmmmm."
Gambit concentrated as Jean had explained for him to do and looked Betsy
in the eye, "What is going on chere? Why have you done this?" his voice
was low, hypnotic and Betsy didn't look away saying, "It was Shaw's
idea. Once you were gone from the X-men you would be a wanted man for my
"death" so you would turn to anyone for help, even Shaw." Gambit almost
growled something that would have blistered her ears, but he didn't
saying instead, "Well chere...you don't want to hurt us do you? We're
your friends." Betsy looked at him silently for a moment and then
nodded, "You are my friends." at that moment Gambit realized that Betsy
had been manipulated one way or the other and that he had the power to
fix it he concentrated to his fullest and kept his eyes locked with
hers, "Chere...listen closely to me. You will remain Betsy Bradock in
form as well as body for as long as you live and you will do so without
giving into the evil influences that help to make your body whole now.
Do you understand chere?" Betsy murmured a positive sound and Gambit
sighed with relief as he used the last of his energy to say, "Then go to
sleep." with that Betsy's eyes closed and she fell unconscious into his
arms. He wondered silently if she would ever forgive him for
manipulating her mind, but he figured it would be worth it to save her
soul. He jumped out the window with one thought in his head...he had to
get this straightened out because he needed the X-men...they were his
family.
: : It was hard for them to try and kill him with Psylocke in his arms
and they quickly let him in the mansion where he laid the still
unconscious woman on the couch. He brushed her hair back from her head
and wished it was Rogue he was touching...even with gloves on. He
shouldn't have pressured her...he knew that now. He turned around to
have a form throw itself into his arms. He reacted instinctively holding
it closer and when he realized it was Rogue he held her all the tighter.
"Chere I thought you left." Rogue mumbled something into his chest and
then lifted her eyes to his and he saw heaven in their depths, "Ah...ah
couldn't leave ya Remy. Ya just mean so much to me. Ah know we can't
touch, but love is so much more then the physical and if ya can't trust
me ah understand. Ah have no choice but to love you though, so your
stuck with me." Gambit laughed the first real laugh he had laughed in
ages and hugged her close, "Ah chere...your right and I do trust you. I
got a lot to fill you in on, and if you want to leave me afterward so be
it, but there will be no more secrets between us...I promise chere."
With that he buried his face in her hair and didn't even notice when the
other X-men left the room to give them privacy. He held her close and
thanked God for this moment and then he started to talk.
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