The six X-members combed the island of Catalina and found nothing, no physical sign of her. They spent days going over every inch of the island with a fine tooth comb but all they could find was her sent. They cut their losses, and unwillingly, went home.
Months passed and there was still no sign of the Emeryld. Most began to give up, but some tried to hold on to their hearts. Most were those who called her `friend', two others, one who thought of her as a daughter and the one who called her daughter. Wolverine would move heaven and earth to find her and bring her home.
Remy LeBeau walked slowly down a street in Greenwich Village. His mind was on the only old friend he really had, one who still called him one no matter what he'd done. A girl he's known for almost ten years, grew up with off and on. The first time he `lost' track of her, was little more than a month before his wedding to Belle. Now he's not sure if he's lost her again or not and if so, for how long.
He turned the corner to see a darken figure before him. "Gambit." Sinister's voice was unmistakable. "I have an offer you simply can't refuse."
"You have nothing that I want." He replied, turning to walk away.
"Not even this?" He tossed something to land at Gambit's feet.
Gambit kneeled to pick it up. It was a tiny silver necklace. He turned the pendant over, it was Serina's pentacle, something she never took off. He clutched it tightly in his fist, standing to face him. "Where is she?" He growled.
"Safe,...for now." Sinister purred. "Now." He turned sideways. "this offer...." He was cut off by Gambit's hand tightly around his throat, cutting off his air.
"Where is she?" He growled deeply.
"W.w.w.with her f.f.f.f.friends, S.S.S.Storm." He forced out. "I.i.if y.y.you w.w.w.wish to s.s.s.see them a.a.a.alive y.y.y.you m.m.m.must let m.m.me go."
Gambit released him with a shove. "If you've harmed either of them..."
"Now why would I do a thing like that?" He paused. "I wish to make her a gift to you. I'll even be generous and let you have them both, for a price."
"I want to see them first." He demanded, unsure of his price, but he was near to being with out a choice.
"By all means." Sinister purred, pulling out a portable monitor. "I'd hate for you to pay with out seeing the merchandise." He handed it to him.
On it Gambit saw Storm chained to a wall, her hair covered the nude top half of her body and a tattered skirt covered most of her lower half. Emeryld was chained with her arms above her head, only her hair and a few strips of cloth covered her nude body. Both held their heads down making it hard for him to see whether they had been beaten or not. "Take me to them." He growled deeply, hating him with every breath he took. Hating what he might have to do to get them home safely.
Hours Later.......
"We're here." Sinister announced, removing Gambit's blind fold. "Have a seat." He suggested as one of his strong men sat Gambit down roughly. "Gently." He scolded.
Gambit looked up to see Storm held in a contraption that encased her limbs from the wrists and ankles. "Stormy." He breathed.
"Yes." Sinister purred. "A little insurance, just to make sure you both comply with my price."
"Both?" Gambit was puzzled.
"Yes. You and her." He answered as they drug Emeryld in, dressed in a wedding dress. "You see, I am completing a plan I had for the two of you for a very long time. I am having you united and with that union you will create a child of unimaginable power. A truly supreme being."
"Never!" Emeryld screamed. "I'd sooner die!"
"All in due time, but first you'll watch your friends be pulled apart piece by piece until you both comply." Sinister stated in a tone that sounded as if he had the upper hand.
"You duenna have tha balls." Emeryld challenged.
"No!" Gambit screamed as Sinister set the machine in motion.
Storm began to scream in agony as the machine began to dislocate her limbs joint by joint. "Enough!" It sounded like thunder yet was no more than a growled whisper.
"Then you agree to my terms?" Sinister purred.
"Yes." Gambit answered angerly.
"Emeryld?" Sinister inquired.
"I'll see you in hell first!" She screeched, grabbing a knife off her captor and in one swift motion, slit her wrist from palm to half way to her elbow.
"Stop her! " Sinister yelled, as Emeryld began to fight them off as best as possible. Gambit took this chance as an opening to free Storm.
It was a short lived, but successful attempt. Now Sinister's men held the three of them, Emeryld and Storm barely conscious, while a priest recited their marriage vows. Shortly after he pronounced them `man and wife', he disappeared.
Storm's unconscious body was dumped in an abandoned building near Harlem. Gambit and Emeryld were separated after the ceremony, something to do with her injuries. Later he was pulled from his holding cell and injected with something, shortly later, he passed out.
Emeryld opened her eyes to find herself strapped down to an old pelvic exam table with a gag in her mouth. She watched as a group of Sinister's men parted, letting Gambit in. She began to feel relieved as he was allowed to approach her. Then, to her shock, he grinned, ripping her clothes from her. She shook her head, 'This caenna be happening', She cried mentally, looking at him with pleading eyes filled with terror. She screamed, arching her back as hot searing pain tore through her body, seeing Sinister's pleased face loom above her as they cheered Gambit on.
Remy became satisfied once more, only to mutter in disgust. "I t'ink I broke her." He laughed as the untied her.
"You can take her to her cell, LeBeau, she is yours to deal with once more." Sinister said with a smile.
"T'anks. Never had one do what she did." He gleamed, lifting her up and sligning her over his shoulder.
Sometime later, down the hall, he shifted her to cradle in his arms, his head throbbing. Once in their cell, he gentily laid her down, covering her with his coat. "Y'r my wife now, now an' fo'ever, Serina." Then he moved the coat and look at her nude body once more. "I jest sleep here, wit' you, so you don' run off." And laid beside her, pulling her more gentily into his arms. "Bastard ain' never gonna touch you again, Petite, I make sure of dat." He then kissed her hair and fell asleep.
After hours of repeated tortchure at the hands of Gambit, they were thrown in to a holding cell. She sat by the barred window, tears still lightly falling from her eyes. 'Why?' She kept thinking, over and over, trying to give it reason.
Gambit awoke to the sound of soft sobs and a monstrous headache. 'What in the hell did they give me?' He thought as he searched the room. He didn't see her a first, then he found her. She sat in the shadows of the window. "Renia?"
Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice. Her eyes glowing, the silver band on her left hand sparkling in the fading sunlight. "Duen touch me." She growled softly.
"What happened to you?" He asked, seeing the many bruises as he moved closer to her. She tried to cover herself with what was left of her clothes as he got closer. The bruises covered her wrists, ankles as well as most of her thighs, chest and neck. "What did they do to you?" He gasped.
"Not they." She tried to duck away from him as he reached for her. "you! You did this to me." She spoke with a teary growl. "You raped me!" She more cried than growled.
"No!" He gasped." I never..." He was shocked, 'I couldn't' He thought. " They give me somet'ing after de wedding, Petite, I don' remember anyt'ing after that. I passed out." He was almost pleading with her to believe him.
She could tell by his voice that he spoke the truth, he had absolutely no knowledge of what he did to her, brutally raping her over and over. If it had been a shape shifter or a mimic, she'd have seen them make the switch, but he'd been with her since he walked in to the room she was raped in. He didn't fall asleep till after he carried her in here. She studied him for a moment, sensing the sorrow within him almost broke her heart, but could she ever trust him again. "He claims that we are free to go, we have our powers and the door is unlocked." She finally stated softly.
This surprised him. "Why you stay then?" He asked, curious.
She looked up at him with this. "Had to know why? Why did you do this to me?" She began to cry again.
He kneeled beside her, pulling her close even though she struggled against it. "I didn' know, Renia." His eyes welled up and she could hear it in his voice. "Honestly, I didn'."
She finally gave up struggling, letting him comfort her, her hands on his chest. "I know that now, but what are we going to do?"
He lightly kissed the top of her head, trying to control his emotions. "We..ah. We go home. Try an' sort this out." He replied, the wedding band feeling foreign on his hand.
She pulled back slightly. "I caenna go back. Not as your wife. It would kill what chance you haeve with Rogue."
"No." He pulled her back to him. "If you wan', we keep it a secret, jus' till you an' I decide what we wan' to do." He told her. "But jus' for de record, Chere, Renia." He lifted her face to look in her sightless eyes. "I like to try an' make t'ings right."
This puzzled her. "Why? You duenna love me?" She replied.
"Oh, but I do, Petite, I do." He said as she teleported them home.
R.
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