Title: Hold fast that which is good 3

Author: Morgana (morganalebeau@yahoo.com)

Website: http://www.oocities.org/morganalebeau/

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Hold fast that which is good

By Morgana

 

Chapter Eight

Westchester
Bobby had used the key that Nicholas had given him to enter his lover's apartment. "Nicholas? Sorry that I'm late, but?" Bobby apologized, as he stepped into the bedroom. It was way passed midnight and Nicholas had already gone to bed. Bobby smiled at his lover, who seemed deeply asleep. The one thing he absolutely loved about Nicholas was his lover's tendency to sleep naked. It was rather warm inside the bedroom and Nicholas had kicked off the sheets during his sleep. A gorgeous, lean, agile body lay in the center of the bed and seemed to beg Bobby to caress it. Licking his lips, Bobby stole closer and sat down on the side of the bed.
Last week they'd made love for the first time. Nicholas had taken him, claimed him, and Bobby still blushed, remembering his outcries of passion when Nicholas had entered him. The next evening, they'd reversed roles and Bobby had buried himself inside Nicholas' warm body. Now, one week later, he still quavered, as he remembered the sensations that he'd felt when Nicholas' tight passage had massaged him, making him come. Making love to a girl had never felt that good.
Bobby leaned in closer and involuntarily his breath caught. His eyes drifted down the perfect back and came to rest on the two tempting mounds of flesh. Nicholas had fallen asleep on his stomach and Bobby wished he could run his hands over his lover's buttocks again. He vividly remembered how soft and inviting Nicholas' skin had felt beneath his fingertips. But it didn't feel right to take advantage of his lover like this. Nicholas was asleep after all. //But a few caresses won't do any harm.// Bobby crept closer to his lover and let the tip of his tongue tease Nicholas' earlobe. Softly, he began to nibble on it. //Damn, this is a mistake!// Touching Nicholas like this was making him hard!
"Bobby?"
Nicholas' sleepy voice shook Bobby from his guilty feelings and he pressed kisses on the back of his lover's neck after easing back the dark locks. "Yeah, it's me, love. Sorry that it took me so long to get back to you."
"I'm sure your friends appreciated it that you attended the funeral," Nicholas mumbled. He'd heard Bobby enter the apartment, but had feigned sleep. "How are Warren and??" He pretended to have forgotten Remy's name.
"Warren and Remy are doing as well as can be expected." Bobby wondered why Nicholas wasn't sitting up, facing him. Was it a hint that Nicholas wanted Bobby to continue the caresses? Boldly, he let his fingertips slide down his lover's back. "Missed you."
"I missed you too, darling," Nicholas mumbled and cocked his head so he could lock eyes with Bobby. "That feels good." He'd never expected to fall in love with the Iceman, but the attraction had been there from the start.
"Want me to keep on going?" Bobby failed to keep his desire out of his voice. "You look like?"
"What, darling?" Nicholas smiled invitingly. Bobby was the most attentive lover he'd ever had and it was probably due to the fact that the X-man was new to this kind of love. Bobby's first time had been with Nicholas and his lover had certainly surprised him. The gentleness and consideration had been a giant turn on for Nicholas. "I want you to take me," he murmured softly.
"Oh God, I want that too, love," Bobby was tempted to turn Nicholas onto his back, but then he'd lose the stunning sight of his lover's backside. "But it's already late and you've got classes tomorrow and?"
"Do me, Bobby, please." Nicholas couldn't remember begging a lover to claim him before.
"I'm a little surprised," Bobby admitted as his hands kneaded his lover's ass cheeks. "I figured you'd want to top."
"Bobby," Nicholas gasped briefly as one of Bobby's fingers slipped into his cleft, teasing his puckered entrance. "Oh, but you last *so* long!" Discovering that Bobby could go on forever had made being on the bottom much more pleasurable. Some of his former lovers had come too quickly, leaving him behind, but not Bobby. "Do me quick and hard."
Bobby grinned. He'd already noticed that Nicholas liked it hard and fast. He didn't know how he felt about that. He liked to take his time to make love, but Nicholas was convincing him quickly. "Do you have condoms and lube?"
"Oh yes," Nicholas whimpered, as Bobby's finger teased against his entrance. "I love you, Bobby," he whispered, as his lover pulled back his finger to lubricate it. "Under the pillow," Nicholas informed his lover and watched how Bobby retrieved the necessary items. Bobby had expressed fear that he would unintentionally hurt Nicholas while they had anal sex and insisted they'd use every precaution in the book, which meant a generous amount of lube and special condoms. "Hurry!"
Bobby kept one hand on his lover's buttocks and continued to massage the soft flesh, as he spread the lube over his fingers. "Gonna prepare you first, love."
"Don't need it," Nicholas panted and rubbed his erection against the sheets.
"What about doing it doggie style?" Bobby suggested. "You'd have to get up to your hands and?" He hadn't even finished the question when Nicholas raised himself on all fours, wiggling his ass. "I take it that's a yes?"
"Oh, yeah!" Nicholas grabbed the head board firmly and arched his back. "Fuck me." He'd never made a secret of his desires and believed in telling his lovers what he wanted. He loved sex; it was as simple as that.
"Lemme prepare you first, okay?" Bobby circled the little pucker and gently pushed inside. His finger easily slid passed the guardian muscle and nestled deeply inside his lover's hot passage. "You feel so good, babe."
"More!" Nicholas pushed back, urging Bobby to move. "Fuck me silly!"
Bobby hesitated. Although Nicholas seemed terribly relaxed, he didn't want to run the risk of hurting him. "Two," he announced and his index finger crept inside too. "Are you still okay?"
Nicholas threw back his head, looked over his shoulder and whispered, "How much longer do you want me to beg? Hard and fast? please, lover." Bobby's fingers stretched him, scissoring inside his passage. "I'm going to come if you keep this up and I want you inside."
Bobby gave in and nodded his head. "Alright, love." He removed his fingers from Nicholas' slippery entrance and unbuckled his belt.
"Don't take off your clothes," Nicholas instructed. He was tempted to steal one hand to his groin and stroke himself to completion, as the tension was becoming unbearable.
"You like it that way?" Bobby asked, a little surprised. Nicholas was turning out to be one hell of a lover, who continued to surprise him. Bobby unzipped his jeans and pushed them down. His proud cock bobbed free.
Nicholas licked his lips. "Want to taste you."
"Not now," Bobby said firmly. "Or don't you want to be fucked silly?" He gave Nicholas a mischievous smirk and kneeled behind his lover. Bobby released a strangled breath when Nicholas' hands released the head board to claw in the pillow.
Nicholas leaned forward, presenting himself to his lover and rested his head on his forearms. "Fuck me."
Bobby couldn't ignore the urgent plea and slipped on the lubricated condom. "Are you ready?"
"Yes," Nicholas raised his ass a little further in invitation. The next minutes would be a mix of pain and intense pleasure. No matter how relaxed he was, Bobby entering him would hurt.
Bobby's fingers were curled around his cock, holding the condom in place. He used his other hand to spread Nicholas ass cheeks and then positioned his erection at his lover's puckered opening. "Love you, Nicholas."
Nicholas felt the blunt head of Bobby's cock and tried to relax. He bit his lip as Bobby pushed his way inside. "Oh, fuck," he panted as Bobby's cock pushed passed the tight ring of muscle. Bobby was inside him, but barely.
Bobby's right hand massaged the small of Nicholas' back. "Can't believe you're letting me do this, *again*!" A velvet tightness surrounded his cock and he was tempted to push further inside, but realized that his lover needed time to adjust to the invasion. "Stroke yourself, love."
"Can't," Nicholas gasped. He'd collapse if he couldn't lean on his arms. "I want you inside? completely. Come on, Bobby, push!"
Bobby looked down and a surge of passion swept through him at the sight of his cock disappearing into his lover's body. "You asked for it, love," he reminded his lover and pushed harder, opening Nicholas up.
"Oh, God," Nicholas panted hard as Bobby slid deeper inside. He tried not to breathe too deeply. Bobby was big and they'd go at it for long minutes. He had to save his strength.
"I'm inside," Bobby whispered, stunned. He was buried to the hilt in Nicholas' body. "Babe?"
"I'm okay, but I might kill you if you don't start fucking me, Drake!" Nicholas tried to rub the head of his cock against the sheets, desperate to get some stimulation. Bobby's first thrust took his breath away. "Fuck?"
"You like it when I fuck you, don't you, babe?" Bobby whispered passionately as he set up a slow and gentle rhythm. He'd make this last.
"Yeah," Nicholas rasped as he pushed back hard. "Oh, God." The friction inside his body was overwhelming and his cock began to leak pre-ejaculate. His erection had faded a little when Bobby had forced his way inside, but his hard shaft was throbbing again. Then Bobby stopped moving. "No," Nicholas moaned. "Don't."
"I wanna savor this," Bobby announced. For some reason his eyes where locked on that little hole and his cock that had buried himself inside. "You're gorgeous." He kept perfectly still. Bobby's heart beat frantically and picked up speed when Nicholas moved of his own accord, pushing back, rocking forward.
Nicholas couldn't take much more. "Please," he begged, desperate for Bobby to start thrusting again.
"Come here, babe," Bobby whispered and wrapped one arm around his lover's shoulder. "This should feel even better." He pulled Nicholas close to his chest and supported his lover.
"Bobby." Nicholas whispered the name. The new angle enabled Bobby to thrust against his prostate and Nicholas moaned deliriously.
"Fuck yourself," Bobby whispered. Until a few weeks ago he'd never imagined it possible that he could let go like this, but Nicholas was quickly teaching him that there shouldn't be any holding back in bed.
"Yes!" Nicholas placed his hands on Bobby's arm and rode his lover. The perpetual movement of falling and rising was quickly becoming his entire world. "Don't come yet," he begged Bobby. He wanted to come first and clench his lover's cock to completion.
"Don't come yet," Bobby whispered in return. He'd last a little longer and playfully bit Nicholas' neck. "How about this?"
"Uh?" Nicholas felt Bobby shift beneath him and suddenly he was squatting on top of Bobby. "What?" Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Bobby had lain down.
Bobby smiled hungrily. "Set your pace, baby," he encouraged Nicholas and watched as his lover impaled himself over and over again. "Beautiful," he whispered passionately.
"Make me come." Nicholas didn't know why he lasted this long. It only seemed to happen when Bobby was inside him.
"Sure, baby." Bobby grabbed his lover's waist and pushed Nicholas onto his side. Spooned up closely behind Nicholas, he began to thrust again. His hand reached across his lover's belly. "Hard or slow?"
"Hard," Nicholas moaned as his fingernails dug into the sheets. Bobby fisted him hard and fast, in the same rhythm as his thrusts and Nicholas felt orgasm approach. "Bobby," he whimpered and came in his lover's hand.
Bobby couldn't control his thrusts any longer and they grew wild. As he buried himself completely inside his lover's spasming passage, he came hard. "You're mine," he whispered passionately.
Nicholas shook fiercely as Bobby's come marked him as his lover's. "So good," he whispered, sated. Bobby was still buried inside him and he cherished the connection. "Stay inside as long as you can?"
"You'll be sore," Bobby warned him.
"I don't care."
"Just one more minute and then I'm going to pull out." Bobby cuddled his lover closer. "You're incredible."
Nicholas giggled softly. "So are you! I've never known anyone who can keep going for that long!" He pushed back, hoping to keep Bobby's softening cock prisoner a little longer.
"I'm gonna pull out, love," Bobby announced. "I'll be careful." When Nicholas had made love to him, pulling out had been the only thing that had really hurt.
"I'm ready." But Nicholas bit his lower lip until it bled as Bobby pulled out.
Bobby noticed Nicholas' flinch and rolled his lover onto his back. He quickly disposed of the condom and then focused on Nicholas again. "Lemme check." Nicholas had done this too the first time they'd made love. "Spread them," he instructed teasingly.
Fatigued, Nicholas opened his legs and allowed Bobby to check for any tearing.
"Damn, I hurt you," Bobby whispered upset as he found some blood. "Don't move!" They'd bought condoms, lube and some soothing salve. The man who'd advised them in the store had insisted they took the salve as well, just in case. Bobby felt thankful now. "Lemme get in there again."
"Bobby, I'm fine," Nicholas whispered, drained. "I'll be a little sore, that's it."
"Don't tell me you're fine when I just made you bleed, Nicholas." After squeezing some salve onto his finger he gently worked it into the abused passage. The anus simply wasn't made to be penetrated like that. "Better?" Bobby inquired after applying the salve.
"Yeah, come here, darling." Nicholas pulled Bobby on top of him and made sure his lover was settled comfortably between his thighs. "You're a very special man, Bobby Drake."
"You're the first to say that," Bobby whispered, taken aback. "The girls I was with? I couldn't get it up and?"
"Hey," Nicholas whispered and brushed Bobby's lips. "You don't like girls that way, remember?" He hoped that his attempt at humor would succeed.
Bobby chuckled softly. "Yeah, I know *now*!" Bobby pushed some stray locks behind Nicholas' ear. "Can I stay the night?" Originally, he'd only planned to kiss Nicholas goodnight.
"Yes, you can stay because you fucked me silly," Nicholas teased warmly. "But I think I'll clean up first and your hand is covered in come."
"Stay here." Bobby moved quickly and retrieved a damp towel from the bathroom. He cleaned them up and then settled down again. Nicholas shivered beneath him and Bobby pulled up the comforter. "Let's try to sleep?"
Nicholas nodded his head. Bobby was spread comfortably on top of his body and Nicholas sighed as Bobby pressed him down. Nicholas decided that he liked that particular sensation. "Sleep tight, darling."
"Sweet dreams," Bobby whispered and kissed his lover goodnight. "God, I love you so much," he added as Nicholas drifted off into sleep.
///
Honeymoon Island
Warren fondly looked at Remy, who'd fallen asleep on the big four- poster bed. He'd suspected that the funeral had tired Remy, as the empath had been forced to keep his shields up all the time. And later on, the confrontation with Jayce had exhausted Remy as well. Remy lay cuddled up to him. The Cajun had made himself comfortable in his arms and Warren loved holding him. "My sweet angel," he whispered softly now that Remy couldn't hear him. In Remy's eyes, Warren would always be 'ange', but Warren felt similar about his lover, whose soul was half angelic.
He should get to his feet and seek out Jason. The boy still hadn't apologized to Remy and that worried Warren. He hoped that Jason would give in. If not, it meant that the youngster was determined to defy and challenge him.
Remy stirred in his arms and Warren used the opportunity to slip away from his lover. Warren gently pushed a pillow into Remy's arms and his lover immediately pulled it close and clutched it to his chest. After tucking the comforter in around Remy's body, Warren whispered, "I'll be back soon, promise." Remy didn't react and Warren sneaked out of the room, softly closing the door behind him.
Determinedly, he turned into the next corridor and headed for Jason's room. They'd have a good talk and Warren was resolved not to take any crap from his nephew.
///
Warren knocked on the door, announcing his presence. "Jason? I want to talk to you."
"Go away!"
Irritated, Warren raised an eyebrow. "I'm coming inside."
"NO!"
Warren ignored Jason's protest, opened the door and froze in his tracks. He'd expected to find Jason angry, but not crying.
Jayce quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. "I didn't say you could come inside."
Warren waved away the protest. "Why are you crying, Jason?"
"It's Jayce! Not Jason!"
"All right," Warren mumbled thoughtfully and approached the bed. The youngster pushed himself into a sitting position and faced him. "What's going on?" His eyes sought out Wolvie who lay on the foot end of the bed. The canine seemed sad.
"Leave me alone," Jayce repeated stubbornly. He didn't want Warren to see him crying.
"Jason? Jayce, come on, talk to me. I *am* your uncle, you know." Resolved, Warren straddled the chair beside the bed. "There's got to be a reason why you're crying. Is it because of your father's death?"
Jayce hated himself for mumbling, "Yes." This was *his* pain and Warren should leave him alone with it. He'd been dozing off with Wolvie close, keeping him warm when the image of his father, dying in the car, had startled him fully awake again.
"Want to tell me about it?" Warren knew he had to handle this carefully and forced down the anger he'd felt only moments ago. The boy obviously needed something from him, even though Jayce was too stubborn to admit that. "You saw your dad die, didn't you?"
"He c-c-couldn't unb-b-buckle the s-s-seatbelt," Jayce stuttered. "He h-h-hung upside down in the c-c-car and I couldn't h-h-help him." Tears threatened to leave his eyes again, but he forced them back. It was bad enough that Warren saw him this vulnerable.
"Jayce," Warren said compassionately and he rested his right hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to see that. It must have been awful."
"You c-c-can't know what it was l-l-like!" Jayce stammered, slightly angered.
"You're wrong. I do know what it's like. I saw friends die and couldn't do a damn thing about it. I know it hurts." Warren suddenly realized something important. "And it makes you angry, doesn't it? The fact that you couldn't help him. It sure as hell made me angry that I couldn't stop it."
Jayce didn't want to listen, but Warren sounded sincere. Subconsciously, he reached out and petted Wolvie's head. "I can't seem to get the images out of my h-h-head," he admitted.
"Working through trauma like that takes time. Believe me." As Warren looked at Jayce again, he saw the vulnerability in those brown eyes. "You don't have to work through it on your own. Remy and I?"
Indignant, Jayce glared at Warren.
"Why? Why do you hate Remy that much?" Warren had to know. He understood that the boy was angry, but why aim it at Remy? "He never harmed you. You barely know him!"
"He's a faggot!" Jayce didn't really know why he wanted to hurt Warren intentionally, he just did.
Warren tensed. "Say that word one more time and you'll regret it, Jason Worthington!"
"Why? Isn't it the truth?" Jayce remained rebellious.
"Why does his sexual preference matter? You don't seem to have a problem with me being gay?" Warren really didn't understand the kid and was losing his patience.
"I hate gays," Jayce said in a trembling tone.
"So you hate me too?"
"You're family," Jayce protested, but realized that his reasoning was crooked.
"Remy's family too." Warren considered his next move. "Why do you hate gays?" he repeated his question. There had to be a reason why!
Jayce suddenly blurted out, "Because I walked in on one who was sexually assaulting one of the younger students! I don't trust them!"
"You witnessed an attempted rape?" Warren said, stunned.
"Carl was notorious for his behavior and the smaller boys couldn't fight him off."
"What did you do when you walked in on them?" Warren wasn't sure how to handle this. Having witnessed a sexual assault would explain Jayce's behavior.
"I kicked his butt." Proudly, Jayce locked eyes with Warren. "I couldn't stand there and watch it happen."
Warren's brain worked things out quickly. "And now you think Remy's like Carl and abusing me?"
"Your trust. He's abusing your trust. He's got to have some secret agenda. You should dump or divorce him, whatever you need to do to get rid of him. He'll hurt you."
Jayce's determined tone stunned Warren. "Oh, my God. You've got it all wrong." Warren didn't know how much he could tell Jayce. Remy himself had to tell Jayce the truth. "Remy's not an abuser," Warren said eventually. "Give him a fair chance? He wants to help you."
Suspiciously, Jayce moved away from Warren and rested his back against the head board. "Help me? Yeah, right!"
Warren got to his feet. "Listen up. During dinner, you *will* apologize to Remy for your behavior. You won't use the word faggot again while you live in this house and you'll treat Remy respectfully. Got it?"
"Am I still grounded?" Jayce didn't avert his eyes, as Warren's locked with his.
"Yes, you are, for one week." Warren headed for the doorway. "I suggest you try to get to know Remy."
"I don't want to," Jayce said arrogantly. "I'll be back at Saint Andrew's shortly."
"I'm really trying to understand you, Jason," Warren said honestly. "But I don't get it. Remy and I are offering you a permanent home in case you hadn't noticed."
"Only until you get fed up with me."
"What?" Warren halted in his tracks and looked at Jayce. "Why would you think that?"
"My dad always grew quickly tired of me," Jayce said and shrugged his shoulders. "Why would it be any different with you?"
"Did he ever give you a sense of? home? Of belonging?" Warren suddenly found himself holding pieces of the puzzle and Jayce's behavior started to make sense. The boy felt unwanted, unloved and was protecting himself the only way he could.
"I was hardly ever allowed to come *home*," Jayce replied and his tone sounded sarcastically when he pronounced the last word of his sentence. "He was too busy to spend time with me."
Warren remembered something Remy had said, that Sam had given his son a lot of material things, but hardly any love. "Dinner will be served in one hour," Warren said and straightened his shoulders. "I want you on your best behavior."
Jayce remained quiet, but his fingers still stroked the canine's fur.
Warren walked into the corridor and closed the door behind him. Jayce was full of conflicting emotions; anger, sadness, fear, loneliness. //Remy's an empath, maybe he can? no, Remy's still dealing with his own trauma and can't handle Jayce's pain. I have to deal with this myself.//
///
When he returned to their rooms 30 minutes later, Warren found Remy seated behind the computer. His lover looked rested, but Warren didn't allow himself to be fooled by Remy's outer appearance. The empath had to pick up on Jayce's emotions. "Hello, love," Warren greeted Remy and stopped when he stood behind his lover. Very slowly, he wrapped his arms around Remy, remembering that sudden skin contact could trigger memories. "What are you doing?"
"Writin' poppa back. He wants to visit. I told him he could." Uncertain, Remy looked up at Warren. "I hope y' don' mind? Or do y' want me to?"
Warren silenced Remy with a soft kiss. "I'd love for them to visit. Give them our location, love?" Warren released Remy and walked towards the bed. He lay down and stared at the canopy. "I talked to Jayce."
Remy sent the message and then joined his lover. "He's upset. I've been pickin' up rough emotions."
"He told me why he hates gays," Warren announced and claimed Remy's left hand, which he caressed tenderly. "He witnessed a younger boy being sexually assaulted. Jayce thinks you're doing the same thing to me."
Remy's eyes grew sad. "Explains it, cher, doesn' it?" Suddenly, he felt tired. "Can' fight a memory, cher."
"You're not giving up, do you hear me?" Warren stated passionately, as he sat upright. "You told me to hang in there and we will. We'll make him see he's wrong!" Warren had taken hold of his lover's shoulder and barely kept himself from shaking Remy. "You aren't giving up!"
"I'm so tired, ange." Remy lowered his eyes and stared at the floor. "His emotions? dey're so strong. I can' keep de shields up all de time." Remy had never managed to rebuild his shields to the way they were before Antarctica and the memory-loss.
"We'll have dinner together in 30 minutes." Warren cupped Remy's chin in his hand and raised his lover's face. "Look at me, Rem. What changed your mind?"
"Had a nightmare," Remy admitted softly and closed his eyes.
"About?"
"*Him*," Remy whispered in a choked tone. "He was tellin' me 'gain dat everyt'in' was my fault, dat I made him rape me."
Warren grew angry with himself. He should have been there when Remy had woken up. He forced himself to calm down, knowing that Remy was tired due to locking out such intense emotions. "He lied, love. He lied."
"It still hurts," Remy whispered and tried to pull away from Warren.
"What's going on, Rem?" He barely recognized his lover. Only hours ago, Remy had been determined to face every problem they might encounter.
"Don' know. Ange, I feel tired."
Warren was tempted to suggest that Remy skipped dinner, but refrained. Remy needed to eat and they had to confront Jason. "I'm so sorry that you have to go through this, love."
"I'll be strong for y', cher."
"Rem, you've been strong all this time," Warren whispered, touched. "Lean on me? Let me be your strength?" It looked like his lover was exhausting himself, trying to deal with everything at the same time. "I love you," he added instinctively and folded his arms around Remy's frame. Gently, he pulled Remy down until they lay on their sides, facing each other. "I'm sorry that I wasn't here when you woke up from that nightmare."
"Y're here now," Remy whispered, blissfully. He'd missed his lover's presence. "Hold me?"
"Until the end of time," Warren vowed and cuddled Remy close. "I'll never let you go."

 

Chapter Nine

Honeymoon Island
Remy sat down at the dinner table, wondering how Jayce would react to finding him there. Mentally, he replayed the information Warren had given him earlier. //De petit witnessed an attempted rape?// Could he find a way to make Jayce understand that Warren wasn't in any danger?
"Are you okay, Rem?" His lover looked worried and Warren couldn't blame him. The next confrontation would be hard on all of them. "I'm here for you, love."
Vincent, who'd joined them for dinner, felt concerned. Warren had only hinted at Remy's past, but Vincent could tell that Remy felt vulnerable.
"I'm nervous," Remy admitted. "I don' know what to expect."
"Aren't Jayce's emotions giving you some indication of how the boy feels?" Warren stood behind Remy and folded his arms protectively around his lover's shoulders.
"Dey're foggy, cher. Can' read dem properly. So many feelings are runnin' t'rough him." Remy leaned into the embrace. //I'd never have survived wit'out y'.//
Jayce's cough startled them both. Three pair of eyes met Jayce's brown ones. Warren stared hard at his nephew. He wanted to hear that apology now. Jayce wouldn't get another chance to make things up to Remy. "Loud and clear, young man."
Jayce clenched his hands into fists behind his back. Although Warren had planted the seeds of doubt in his heart, he wasn't looking forward to apologizing to Remy.
Wolvie stirred beside him, probably sensing the tension in the dining room. The canine left Jayce's side and walked over to Remy. Looking up at the Cajun, Wolvie rested his head in Remy's lap, rubbing the side of his head against the human's thigh. He wanted to be petted, to be reassured that Remy didn't feel abandoned because he'd spent some time with Jayce.
Remy ignored Jayce and smiled at Wolvie. "Did y' miss me?" he said teasingly and gently scratched behind the canine's ears. "C'est bien."
Jayce felt some stinging jealousy now that the wolf had deserted him in favor of Remy. Warren's eyes told Jayce that his uncle was still waiting for that apology. His stomach growled softly, telling its owner that it needed food. It urged him to speak up. Jayce drew in a deep breath and addressed Remy. "I'm sorry."
"C'est bien," Remy whispered, peeking hesitantly at the boy.
"No, tell us what you're sorry for," Warren urged Jayce on. He didn't want any more misunderstandings. His nephew would treat Remy respectfully. If not, Jayce would find himself on his way to Saint Andrew's, just like the kid wanted.
"I shouldn't have called you a faggot." Jayce locked eyes with Vincent, who nodded approvingly. Earlier, the lawyer had told him to behave, but Jayce had refused to listen. In a certain way he was also apologizing to Vincent.
"D'accord," Remy whispered in a nervous tone. "Y're angry, I understand."
But Warren silenced his lover by gently squeezing Remy's shoulder. "Let him finish."
"I also called you a gold digger," Jayce admitted and heard Warren's surprised intake of breath.
"You did what?" Warren said in disbelief.
"He said that on our way over here," Vincent said. "I told him that Remy didn't need your money, Warren."
"I apologize," Jayce said, barely keeping his anger in check.
Remy felt that anger and fortified his shields. "Mais y' don' mean it, petit."
Jayce's glance quickly shifted from Vincent to Remy. "This isn't easy," he admitted. "I still don't trust you."
"I don' expect y' to trust me," Remy clarified. "Mais try to stop hatin' me?"
Warren deemed this the best moment to tell Jayce about Remy's mutant powers. He walked away from his lover and only stopped when he stood in front of Jayce. "You should know that Remy's an empath and your hatred hurts him." Warren heard Remy's soft groan and locked eyes with his lover. "Trust me, Rem."
Remy nodded his head. It was too late anyway. Warren had already told Jayce. Remy wished Warren had kept his powers secret a little longer. Now the boy might think that Remy was manipulating his emotions.
"A what?" Jayce mumbled, confused. "What's an empath?"
Warren looked to Remy to answer that question. Remy sighed deeply. He pushed back the chair and joined Jayce, who immediately took a step back.
Wolvie was at Remy's side and ready to protect him in case of trouble. Yes, he liked the boy, but Remy came first.
Remy made eye-contact with Jayce and felt the boy's apprehension. "It means dat I can feel what y' feel."
"Remy's also a healer," Warren added.
"Listen, petit. I won' ever mess wit' y'r feelings. Don' be 'fraid." Remy sensed Jayce's fear, shock and even a twinge of curiosity. He felt encouraged by that and continued. "I know y're hurtin', petit, and dat y're angry, mais y' need to realize dat y're not angry wit' me, mais wit' life."
Jayce didn't know how to react. He knew that the anger, which he felt was his. Remy was being honest. The mutant wasn't screwing around with his feelings. If Remy were, no way Jayce would be this hostile towards his uncle's lover. For the first time since Jayce had met Remy, he tried to see the man as he really was, without prejudice coloring his perception. Shocked, Jayce stared into the gold on black eyes, which radiated truth. Swallowing hard, Jayce wondered if he'd misjudged Remy. "Why do you want me here?" he asked suddenly. He'd never intended to voice that question.
Pleased, Remy nodded his head. It was a first step. "Mon poppa adopted me when I was 'bout 10. Until den, I didn' have a family. I don' want y' to grow up 'lone."
"You were adopted?" Feeling curious, Jayce followed Remy towards the dining table. He mirrored Remy and Warren's movement and sat down. "Do you *really* want me here?"
"Why is dat so hard for y' to believe?" Remy asked, concerned.
"My dad never wanted me around. I even spent most of my holidays at Saint Andrew's," Jayce replied. He tried to ignore the stabbing pain that pierced his heart.
"You t'ink he didn' love y'," Remy stated, convinced.
"I caused my mother's death." Jayce's eyes grew big, as he realized what he'd told them. He wished he could take back those words, pull the pain back into himself. Then he remembered what Remy had told him about being an empath. "You're feeling what I'm feeling?"
"Oui, y' feel 'lone and guilty. Angry 'cause of de way y'r dad treated y'." Remy hoped he was getting through to the boy. "I ain' de enemy, Jayce."
Jayce looked down at his hands, which had relaxed during the conversation. The clenched fists were gone. A part of him wanted to believe Remy. The man seemed to understand and accept him the way he was, which was a first. No one had ever accepted him. Not even his father, so why would Remy be different? The man was probably trying to befriend him for Warren's sake.
"Y' don' believe me," Remy realized, sensing Jayce's doubt. Saddened, he stared at the food. He'd lost all appetite.
"Give him time," Warren whispered, as he claimed his lover's hand. "We're still getting to know each other, love."
Jayce looked up, hearing that last word. //Love, does Warren really love Remy?// The question haunted him. Had he really made such a terrible mistake in judgement? Had he?
///
Westchester
Bobby deeply inhaled Nicholas' scent. They'd fallen asleep in each other's arms and he loved waking up while his lover was still dreaming, snuggled close to him. //I never knew it would be like this,// he thought in contentment. //I know now that I've never loved someone before, *really loved* someone.// The thought of leaving Nicholas to go back to the mansion made him feel queasy. But Nicholas had to attend classes and Scott had scheduled a training session at 09.00. Bobby had better not be late. //What if I send Scott a message, telling him that I'm calling in sick? That way I could spend more time with Nicholas and I can drop him off at the University.// The thought was extremely tempting and Bobby quickly gave in.
Cautiously, trying not to wake his lover, Bobby released Nicholas and sneaked out of bed. Only then, he realized he was butt naked. They'd fallen asleep after making love. His cock stirred a little, as Bobby remembered the way Nicholas had moved against him during their lovemaking.
Bobby blushed, slightly embarrassed that he'd been so eager to try all those different positions, but he'd heard and read about them and had wanted to know what would work best for them. They all had. Bobby grinned and headed towards Nicholas' desk in the adjourning room. He sat down and switched on the computer screen. Great, Nicholas' inbox was already open and all he had to do was open a new message, address it to Scott, and then...
//LeBeau?// Why was there a message in his lover's inbox with that name on it? //Does Nicholas know Remy? No, he would have told me.// Confused, Bobby wondered whether he should have a look at that message. //It's not Remy's E-mail addy, Warren gave me that one, so... what the hell's going on?// Bobby stole a glance at Nicholas, who hadn't woken yet and then tried to open the message.
#Enter password.#
"Damn!" Bobby whispered the word. Nicholas had secured his messages.
"What are you doing, Bobby?" Nicholas opened his eyes. He'd woken when Bobby had climbed out of bed, but had remained motionless.
"I want to send a message to the mansion, telling Scott I won't participate in today's training session." Bobby hoped his voice sounded steady.
But Nicholas heard the odd tone. "What's wrong?" He sat upright in bed. The sheet fell down to his waist.
Bobby swallowed hard at the beautiful sight of his lover. He didn't even want to think that Nicholas was hiding something from him. There had to be a perfectly logical explanation. "Why are you receiving messages from a certain LeBeau? Is it Remy?"
Nicholas suddenly tensed. Damn, he should have deleted that message, but he'd been so tired that he'd forgotten. "Darling, let me explain." Nicholas cringed, seeing the sudden apprehension and distrust in Bobby's eyes. He'd never intended for Bobby to find out.
"If it isn't Remy," Bobby said firmly. "Who is it?"
"His father, Jean-Luc LeBeau," Nicholas whispered and watched helplessly as Bobby created this emotional distance between them. Oh, he understood that Bobby felt left out, possibly even betrayed but... "I couldn't tell you."
Bobby understood perfectly. "You're his spy?" When Scott and he had visited Warren and Remy in Ireland, the Cajun had hinted that Jean-Luc had spies in Westchester that kept the former patriarch up to date. But Bobby had never expected Nicholas to be one of them.
"Jean-Luc wants to make sure that Rogue won't try to hurt Remy again," Nicholas said and wrapped the sheet closely around his body. He felt vulnerable and exposed all of a sudden. //Please, I don't want to lose Bobby over this!//
Bobby got up from behind the desk and returned to the bedroom where he put on his clothes. He hardly looked at Nicholas, as he was too busy trying to figure things out. "You used me," he stated eventually. "I was your main source of information." He felt utterly betrayed. "I trusted you and you were only using me." A strange sense of detachment coursed through him. Reality would hit him later on.
"You don't understand, Bobby," Nicholas replied in a worried tone. He got out of bed himself and clutched the sheet tightly. "Remy's very important to Jean-Luc and I..."
"Are you a trained thief too?" Bobby slid into his sneakers and grabbed his coat. He felt dirty and used. //I thought he loved me!//
"Yes, but Bobby..." Nicholas went after Bobby, who marched towards the front door. "Please listen to me!"
Bobby turned around and glared at Nicholas. "Come on, just admit it. You needed inside information and I was dumb enough to confide in you. Geeze, I've been so stupid to think that you loved me!"
"Bobby, wait!" Nicholas took hold of Bobby's right arm and tried to keep him from leaving. "Let me explain this and then you can leave." He was beginning to panic. He was utterly in love with the X-Man and seeing the loathing in Bobby's eyes made him nauseous.
"You should have told me before we started to date," Bobby said in an accusing tone. "Where you afraid that I'd break things off once I knew the truth? Dammit, Nick! You must have laughed hard when I fell for you!"
"No, Bobby, please..." Nicholas fought back his tears when Bobby slammed the door hard behind him. "Let me explain..." But Bobby was gone and could no longer hear him. Leaning heavily against the wall, he let go of the tears that swam in his eyes. "I never used you. I never laughed at you. Fuck, I'm so sorry, Bobby."
Sliding down the wall, his knees gave out beneath him. He held onto the sheet for warmth and comfort and cried softly.
///
"Bobby?"
Scott had been on his way to the Danger Room, when the younger man crashed into him. Bobby obviously wasn't paying attention where he was going and Scott noticed the faint impression on Bobby's face that revealed that he'd cried. "Stop right there," Scott instructed and grabbed Bobby's arm.
"Lemme go, Slim."
Scott raised an eyebrow, hearing the angry tone in his friend's voice. "Let's talk, Drake." Not taking no for an answer, he pulled Bobby into the professor's study, which was empty. "Sit and try to calm down."
"I can't fucking believe it!" Bobby sneered angrily.
"Believe what?" Scott sat down opposite his friend, behind the professor's desk. "What happened?"
"It's Nicholas," Bobby hissed between gritted teeth.
"Lover's quarrel?" The glare that Bobby shot him alarmed Scott. "What the hell happened?"
"He's a fucking spy!" Bobby blurted out. "Nicholas works for Jean-Luc LeBeau, who wants to know what's going on at the mansion. He used me." Those last three words were a desperate whimper.
"A spy?" Scott repeated, stunned.
"Nicholas is one of them, a thief." Bobby shook his head. "I trusted him, Slim. I thought he loved me."
Scott watched Bobby closely. "Nicholas told you?"
"Come on, man. It's way obvious that he was using me to get his information." Bobby dug his fingernails into the armrest of the chair. "I was so stupid."
Scott saw the pain and sadness that hid beneath Bobby's anger. "Did Nicholas tell you or did you draw these conclusions yourself?" he asked again.
"He didn't need to tell me, Slim." Bobby made eye-contact with his friend. "I feel used."
Scott considered his advice carefully. "Why don't you give Nicholas a chance to tell his side of the story?"
"What's there to tell?" Bobby asked, embittered. "I'm going to my room, Scott. Don't expect me to take part in the training session. I don't want to hurt anyone accidentally." He got to his feet and turned away from Scott. "I don't want to talk to him, so in case he calls, you can tell him I'm not in."
"Bobby, running away from this won't help."
"I'm not running away, Slim. I just need time to deal with this." Bobby was angrier with himself than with Nicholas. He'd walked into the trap with eyes wide open and he couldn't really blame Nicholas for doing his job. It just hurt that their love wasn't true.
///
Later that night, Nicholas sneaked over the mansion's premises, easily avoiding all safety measures. The security cameras didn't pick up on his presence and confidently, he began to climb the outside wall. His destination was Bobby's window and he was determined to reach it. Dressed in black clothes, he didn't stand out against the dark wall.
When he reached Bobby's window, he carefully peeked inside. He'd expected to find Bobby awake or pacing, but the young man was asleep in his bed and Nicholas envied him. He'd tossed and turned after Bobby had stormed out on him and in the end, he'd decided to carry out this plan.
Agile fingers opened the window and he soundlessly slid inside. //Bobby, I'm so sorry. I never wanted you to find out that way. I'd have told you once Jean-Luc had given me permission, but he's out of reach.//
Nicholas tiptoed over to the bed and looked at the sleeper. //My God, Bobby, I do love you. I never used you. If only you had given me a chance to explain.// But now that his cover had been blown, he'd never get another chance to explain himself to Bobby. He'd move to another city in a few hours and he'd never see Bobby again. His heart ached.
He gently took hold of the flowers that he'd stacked away in his backpack and placed them on the bed next to Bobby. "I love you," he whispered sincerely and managed to control the urge to lean in and kiss Bobby. //It's over,// he reminded himself and returned to the window. In a few minutes he'd sit in his car, leaving Bobby behind forever.
"I wish things had been different, Bobby." Nicholas forced himself to turn away from the sleeper and headed for the window. Making no sound at all, he climbed down the wall and disappeared from sight.
///
Bobby groaned as he woke the next morning. He felt depressed and had absolutely no desire to leave his warm bed. //The first thing I used to do was to call Nicholas... So why get up?// Lazily, he stretched his body and hated the fact that warm sunbeams had found a way into his room. He could have sworn that he'd closed the curtains before going to bed.
Turning onto his other side, he cursed loudly as something sharp stabbed him in his side. "What?" Bobby threw off the sheet and stared at the three roses that lay beside him. Next to the roses was a closed envelope. "Nicholas," he whispered, realizing the thief and spy had broken into his room last night. "We need to upgrade our security system," he mumbled absentmindedly.
Attached to the stems of the three red roses was a note. Bobby picked up the flowers and turned the note around so he could read the words.
One red rose for every time that we made love.
Bobby's eyes began to water. "Damn you, Nicholas. Why are you doing this to me?" Bobby's heart felt heavy with pain and regret. His hand trembled as he opened the letter. Only now, he realized that he was clutching the red roses to his chest. Bobby's eyes scanned the content of the letter.
Bobby,
I didn't want to leave Westchester without explaining my actions to you. If you throw away this letter, so be it, but I can't leave like this.
I do love you, Bobby. I never planned on falling in love with you, but for me it was love at first sight. I'd never have made the first move, but when you came to the grocery store, which I was using as a cover, I couldn't help myself and agreed to meet you for coffee. Things got worse for me from that moment on. I was falling head over heals in love with you, but I knew that we couldn't be together. You're an X-Man and I realized that once you found out that I was here to gather information on Rogue, you'd kick me out.
Yes, I spied on the X-Men, but I never used you to acquire information. As you might have noticed by now I'm quite capable of sneaking inside to gather my information without anyone knowing about it. I never used you, Bobby. Never!
You'll probably wonder why Jean-Luc sent me to spy for him. He needed someone whom Remy wouldn't recognize. Remy and I never met and Jean-Luc thought I was the perfect man for the job. Yes, I'm a trained thief and I know how to misguide people, but I always tried to be honest with you.
I hope that you can someday forgive me for misleading you. It was never my intention. I suddenly found myself between a rock and a hard place. I didn't want to let Jean-Luc LeBeau down, but I didn't want to lose you either.
I'll leave Westchester and won't bother you again. I wish I hadn't hurt you like this.
Nicholas D'Arcy-LeBeau
The letter dropped from his fingers and dumbfounded he stared at Nicholas' last name. D'Arcy-LeBeau? Why had Nicholas signed the letter with LeBeau?
Absentmindedly, he clutched the roses harder and one thorn slipped beneath his skin. Bobby brought his finger to his lips and suckled it, trying to stop the bleeding.
Nicholas' letter sounded sincere, but the sense of betrayal was still there. Why did he feel like he still didn't have all the answers? There was only way to make sure, he'd have to confront Nicholas. But what if Nicholas had already left Westchester?
"I shouldn't have walked away. Damn, Scott was right. We should have talked this through!" He didn't even know who Nicholas truly was. Had he fallen in love with the real Nicholas? "I need to know!" he realized and jumped out of bed. Within minutes he was dressed. When he left the mansion, he still carried the roses in his right hand.
///
Richmond International Airport
"Did I ever tell ya that I hate flyin'? Never got enough leg space. Gimme the Black Bird anytime." Jean-Luc had arranged seats for them on the next commercial flight to Florida.
Amused, Jean-Luc watched him. He could tell that Logan was trying to distract him. He was still greatly worried about Remy. Something didn't feel right.
"Ya'll be with Remy in a few hours, Cajun," Logan reminded Jean-Luc. Hopefully, his lover would grow less restless by then. "Honeymoon Island," he growled softly. "Why doesn't it surprise me that Warren would buy a place with that name?"
"Cher? Stop complaining. It isn't working." Jean-Luc stared at the plane, which was almost ready. "Let's board." He led the way and handed the ground stewardess their tickets.
Logan followed reluctantly. "I can't believe ya don't own a private jet."
"I do."
"Then why ain't we usin' it?" Logan sighed, exasperated.
"I don't want anyone to know dat we're heading for Florida. Dat's why we're flying under aliases."
"Gettin' paranoid, Cajun?" Concerned, Logan studied Jean-Luc, but he refrained from making any more comments. Jean-Luc looked seriously worried and he decided to support his lover whatever way possible. "Let's get movin' then."
///
Honeymoon Island
"Vincent? We need to talk." Warren signaled Vincent to follow him into the library. He caught Remy's slightly panicked expression, as his lover realized he'd stay behind alone with Jayce. "We'll be back in a moment, Rem."
Remy nodded his head and watched them leave. Sitting on the sofa, Remy closely observed Jayce, who was busy surfing the net. "Any interestin' sites?" Remy asked, trying to engage Jayce in some conversation. Thankfully, the boy's feelings of hatred had diminished. They were still there, but not that strong any longer.
"Not really," Jayce replied, thoughtfully.
"Are y' interested in art?" Remy felt at a loss. Jayce wasn't really cooperative.
"Art? No." Jayce exited the program and switched off the computer. He turned to face Remy. He'd had some time to think things over and was getting worried that he'd misjudged Remy completely. Oh, man. If that was true he'd made a complete ass of himself. "How long have you and Warren been together?"
Jayce's question surprised Remy. "A few mont's."
"How did you meet?" Jayce walked over to the couch and sat at the other end, maintaining distance between them. He noticed how tired Remy looked and wondered why dark circles were starting to show beneath his gold on black eyes.
"We... were bot' X-Men..." Remy had chosen for the past tense because they were no longer officially on the team.
Jayce considered the answer. "But you weren't lovers all the time?"
Remy sighed. Why was Jayce suddenly asking these questions? And why did the boy use the word lovers instead of faggots now? Was he really getting through to Jason? Mon Dieu, he fervently hoped so! Remy remembered Jayce's question and replied, "Non, we weren' lovers. Y'r uncle hated my guts when I was still an X-Man."
"Hated you?" Growing interested, Jayce moved closer to Remy. "Why?"
"I'm a trained t'ief, petit and he didn' t'ink much of dat."
"A thief?" Jayce wondered how many more revelations would follow.
"Oui, a t'ief."
"What about the accent? Where are you from?"
"N'Awlings... New Orleans," Remy explained quickly. "Grew up dere."
"With the family that adopted you?"
"Oui, lived dere wit' tante and Jean-Luc."
"Where you already an empath back then?" The empath thing puzzled Jayce.
"Oui," Remy whispered, feeling uncomfortable. //I ain't gonna t'ink of de Antiquary. He's gone.//
Jayce registered the sudden discomfort on Remy's face. "Sorry, didn't want to pry. You're entitled to your privacy."
"Merci." Remy reached out and petted Wolvie's head, who had unceremoniously draped himself over Remy's lap after the Cajun had settled down on the sofa.
"Can you feel his emotions too?" Intrigued, Jayce's eyes followed the graceful movement of Remy's hand.
"Oui, de're wonderful."
"I bet it feels better than sensing mine." Jayce felt guiltier with every passing moment. "I'm sorry I called you that name."
"Merci, petit. Means a lot to me." Remy wasn't sure what was going on, but Jayce's hostility seemed to be diminishing. Hopefully, it would stay that way.
///
In the library Warren and Vincent exchanged concerned looks. "We'll talk about the boy in a moment," Warren started, "but first... did you manage to make the name change official? Am I Warren LeBeau now?"
Vincent opened his suitcase and handed Warren a stack of papers. "You will be after you signed these."
Warren sat down and quickly scanned the documents. Resolved, he signed them.
"That one gives Remy power of attorney," Vincent pointed out when Warren reached the last document.
Warren smiled as he signed it and handed the papers back to Vincent. "I'll tell Remy tonight."
Pleased, Vincent put the documents back into his suitcase. "What about Jason? Are you sure you want to invest that much time and energy in him? He doesn't listen and he's really stubborn."
"I think Remy's making progress with him," Warren replied, as he leaned back into the comfort of his chair. "I don't know a thing about the boy. Can you gather some information on him? He told me he witnessed an attempted rape at Saint Andrew's."
"So that's why he's so angry with Remy and you?" Vincent took out his notebook and wrote down the school's name. He'd follow up on it.
"Yes," Warren sighed the word and then looked thoughtfully at Vincent. "In time I'll arrange for a private tutor. Let's give Jayce some time to recuperate first."
"Yes, Jayce witnessed Sam's death. That shook him up pretty bad."
"I wondered about that," Warren mumbled and sought out Vincent's eyes. "Do you know what caused the accident?"
"I asked Jayce before we attended the funeral."
"And?"
Vincent closed his eyes, trying to remember Jayce's exact words. "They were on their way to a farm, which Sam wanted to buy. Sam was ready to settle down and wanted to spend more time with Jayce. Jayce told me that the sun had just set when a bright light blinded them. At first, they thought it was a car and expected to collide with the other vehicle, but they never did. The light grew stronger and Sam lost control over the car. It was suddenly catapulted over the road and they ended up upside down when a tree stopped them."
"Go on," Warren said, intrigued.
"They had both buckled their seatbelts and Sam was trapped. Jayce tried to unbuckle his father, but couldn't reach him. Sam didn't die on impact. He struggled for breath for a few minutes. Several ribs had punctured his lungs, causing internal bleeding."
"How did Jayce get out?" Warren wondered what emotional damage witnessing this scene had done to Jayce.
"A car that passed them by stopped and turned around. The woman called 911 and she managed to get Jayce out of the car. But Sam was already dead at that point." Vincent clasped his hands in his lap. "I only managed to get Jayce to talk about the accident once. He doesn't know how to deal with it."
"Can you blame him? He saw his dad die." Warren got to his feet and paced slowly. "He'll stay here. If anyone can help him, it's Remy."
"I didn't know that he was an empath." Warren had only told him that Remy could charge lifeless objects with kinetic energy.
"He doesn't like people to know everything about him." Warren suddenly had the craving to hug his lover tightly. "That's all for now, Vincent. When will you leave?"
"I've got a boat standing by to take me to the mainland." Vincent rose from his chair and shook Warren's hand. "I'll try to find out more about Jayce."
Warren nodded his head once and opened the door. Vincent left quickly and Warren returned to the living room, wondering if Jayce was still behaving himself.

 

Chapter Ten

Westchester
Feeling nervous, Bobby tried to locate Nicholas in the massive crowd. He'd gone to Nicholas' apartment first, but had only found empty rooms. The furniture had either been removed or covered up by sheets. Next, he'd imagined what he would do if he were in Nicholas' shoes. The letter had mentioned that Nicholas was leaving Westchester, so Bobby had driven to the nearest airport, hoping to find him there.
During the ride, he'd had time to think things over. He'd read the letter again and the roses were on the back seat of the car. Maybe he'd overreacted. Nicholas deserved a chance to explain everything. Yes, he knew bits and pieces now, but could he let Nicholas leave like that? No!
"Nicholas!" Bobby called the name loudly, as he located the young man, who'd just handed the stewardess his boarding pass. "Don't go on board yet!" Nicholas didn't react and Bobby suspected that the other man hadn't heard him. Bobby fought himself a way through the crowd and grabbed Nicholas' jacket before the other man could disappear. "We need to talk, Nicholas."
"Bobby?" Stunned, Nicholas stared into his former lover's eyes. "What are you doing here? My flight's about to leave."
"You can catch the next flight, if you still want to leave after we talked," Bobby said resolved and pulled Nicholas away from the exit. "I found your letter... and the roses."
"I wanted to say good-bye," Nicholas whispered, taken aback. What was Bobby doing here? He'd never expected the X-Man to come after him. Why had Bobby decided to track him down?
"I should have given you that chance," Bobby replied, regretfully. "Can we talk now?"
Nicholas watched, as the plane he was supposed to be on, started to taxi. "I suppose so. I missed my flight anyway."
Bobby's heart missed a beat, seeing the expression in Nicholas' eyes. It was apparent that the other man expected this to be an unpleasant conversation. "Come on, let's find a place to sit down. I'd kill for some coffee." He'd left the mansion without eating breakfast. Bobby's stomach growled demonstratively.
Nicholas followed Bobby and they picked a table at the back of the restaurant. Bobby ordered coffee and some sandwiches, and Nicholas stuck to tea.
"What do you want to talk about?" Nicholas asked softly.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Bobby maintained eye contact the entire time.
"I couldn't. Jean-Luc didn't want anyone to know I was out there." Nicholas nodded thankfully as the waitress brought their order. He sipped carefully from the hot tea.
"Which reminds me..." Bobby uncovered the letter. "Why did you sign it D'Arcy-*LeBeau*?" Bobby suddenly realized how stupid it'd been to walk out on Nicholas. Those answers had to come out into the open, if they wanted to move on and settle this. He still loved Nicholas and wanted to give their relationship a second chance. He refused to let Nicholas walk out of his life like this.
"Jean-Luc's my father."
Bobby caught the defiant expression in Nicholas' eyes. "Your father?" Remy had never mentioned having a... what? Half-brother? Foster-brother? Jean-Luc wasn't Remy's biological father and that made things even more complicated. Then another question surfaced. "Does Remy know?"
Nicholas shook his head. "He doesn't." Thoughtfully, he stared at his tea. "Do you really want to hear this now?"
"Yes, tell me."
"Why?" Nicholas locked eyes with Bobby. "You made up your mind yesterday. Why should I tell you?"
"I shouldn't have judged you that quickly," Bobby admitted. "But I felt hurt."
Nicolas understood, but wondered why Bobby was here in the first place. "Why did you come after me? You told me in very clear words that our relationship was over."
Bobby swallowed hard. He'd made one hell of a mistake. "I came after you because I love you."
Nicholas' eyes grew big, hearing that admission. "Even after I *betrayed* you?" At least, that was how Bobby saw it.
"Did you betray me?" Cautiously, Bobby sought out Nicholas' hand beneath the table. Once he'd found the precious limb, he felt how tremors coursed through it. Nicholas was nervous too. "I've been thinking about that."
Nicholas waited patiently. The next move was Bobby's. "I never used you to get the information I was after."
"You broke into the mansion before?" That still puzzled Bobby. "How? The mansion is extremely well secured."
Nicholas shrugged his shoulders. "I had excellent teachers, the best."
"Will you tell me your story?" Bobby asked after he'd sipped from his coffee.
"Everything?"
"Yeah, everything," Bobby confirmed as he took a bite from his sandwich. "If you want this relationship to work, you've got to come clean. I feel like I'm in love with someone I don't know."
Nicholas licked his lips. Had Bobby just hinted at the fact that they might still have a future together? "Do you think we can... stay together? I would want that very much. I love you, Bobby." Bobby blushed and Nicholas' heart leaped in his chest. The answer was obviously yes.
"Just tell me," Bobby mumbled, shyly.
"After Jean-Luc's wife Louise died, he met my mother, Marie. They started to see each other, but Jean-Luc felt like betraying Louise. They never got really close emotionally and one day my mother discovered that she was pregnant. She never told Jean-Luc and left. She felt like he didn't really love her because he kept holding back. We left for Europe and she settled down in Paris."
Bobby gently squeezed Nicholas' hand to encourage him to continue.
"When I was 12 she told me who my father really was. I already knew his name, but didn't know that he was the patriarch of the New Orleans' Thieves Guild. She gave me the chance to meet my father. When Jean-Luc and I first met, I couldn't stop crying. He told me that he'd only known of my existence for the last 2 years. My mother had kept my birth secret and Jean-Luc desperately wanted to get to know me."
"So what happened?" Bobby had already forgiven Nicholas in his heart and he suspected Nicholas knew that as well.
"We agreed that I would spend 3 months with my father each year. I traveled to New Orleans, but Jean-Luc made sure that no one knew that I was his son."
"And he never introduced you to Remy? You must be about the same age."
"I never met Remy. There was always a power struggle going on in the Thieves Guild and Jean-Luc wanted to keep me safe." Nicholas smiled. "I always wanted to meet Remy so when Jean-Luc suggested I'd go to Westchester, I gladly accepted. I hoped to finally meet my brother, which I did."
Yes, Bobby had introduced Nicholas to Warren and Remy. "And you never told him?"
"I couldn't. It was obvious that Remy was having a rough time and I didn't want to spring this on him." Nicholas only now realized that he was rubbing Bobby's knuckles. "I wanted to keep Remy safe, that's why I accepted this assignment."
"How did you become a thief? And are you really a history student?" Bobby wanted to get to know the real Nicholas.
"My mother died when I was 16. She had cancer. Jean-Luc found me a foster family. I wanted to be a thief because I hoped it'd make my father proud." Nicholas paused briefly. "I was working on my master's degree in History when Jean-Luc sent me here and I decided to take some classes at the University."
"You live in New Orleans then?"
"No, I live in Paris. Jean-Luc asked me to be his contact there and I accepted. I was studying at the Sorbonne." Nicholas felt encouraged. Even after his confession, Bobby was still holding his hand. "Anything else you want to know?"
Bobby carefully considered his answer. "Nicholas, would you stay here? I want things to work out between us. I can't let you go. I love you too much to lose you."
Surprised, Nicholas forced back the tears that threatened to leave his eyes. "Do you really want me to stay?"
"Now that the secrets are gone, yes. Give us another chance?" Bobby remembered the three roses, which he'd found in his bed. "Why the roses?"
"I wanted you to know that I care." Nicholas averted his eyes. "Making love with you is beyond words."
Bobby placed the money that they owed the waitress on the table and pulled Nicholas to his feet. "Let's get going."
"Where are we going?" Dazed, Nicholas allowed Bobby to pull him towards the exit.
"Some place private," Bobby stated firmly. "We still need to do a lot of talking."
"Bobby." Nicholas stopped him. "Are we still together?"
"Yes," Bobby replied at once. "We are."
///
Honeymoon Island
"Rem?" Warren watched as his lover disappeared into the bathroom. "Are you going to take a shower?"
"Oui," Remy replied and caught Warren's glance. "Wanna join me?"
"What about using the jacuzzi?" Warren walked over to Remy, who was already taking off his clothes. Lines of worry were etched onto Remy's brow and Warren wanted to help his lover relax.
"Bien," Remy said listlessly and turned the water on so the jacuzzi would fill up quickly.
Remy's apparent lethargy worried Warren. "Hey, what's the matter?"
Remy slid into the warm water and pulled up his knees so he could rest his chin on them. "Feelin' melancholy, cher."
Warren didn't waste any time, stripped and joined his lover in the water. "Can I hold you?" He'd learned to be careful when Remy was in this kind of mood.
"I'd like dat," Remy replied after thinking it over. He moved closer to Warren, who opened his arms to capture him in them. Remy nudged Warren's legs apart and sat between them. Content, he rested his back against Warren's chest. "Bien."
"What's bothering you?" Warren asked softly as he single-handedly massaged his lover's shoulders. His other hand was holding Remy's. "You've been gloomy since this morning. Is it because of the nightmare?"
Remy closed his eyes and bit his lip. He'd known Warren would want to address this. "I'm gettin' so tired of havin' de same old dream all de time."
"About the Antiquary?" Warren caressed Remy's fingers and pressed a gently kiss on the back of his lover's neck.
"Oui," Remy admitted at once. "When will de dreams stop? I should have dealt wit' it by now. It happened many years ago and he's still dere in my dreams."
Warren heard the edge of panic in Remy's voice and wrapped his arms and legs tighter around his lover. "Rem, this will affect you forever. I doubt it'll ever go away completely. The emotional scars run too deep. You've got to accept that it's part of who you are."
Remy's eyes opened slowly. "For de rest of my life?"
"Yes, but you also know that we can heal those emotional injuries. You just need time. You've got the tendency to push yourself when you're not ready to take the next step." Warren had told Remy this before.
Remy turned in the embrace and wrapped his long legs around Warren's waist. They now faced each other and the warm water reached onto their armpits. "I want to make love wit' y', cher."
Cautiously, Warren tried to gauge Remy's intentions. "Why now?"
"Because I need to feel y'." Remy took the initiative and kissed Warren hard. "Mais I ain' sure I can go all de way, cher."
"What do you want to do?" Warren welcomed the hand that wrapped itself around his awakening cock. Semi-hard already, his shaft was definitely interested in Remy's ministrations.
"Like dis?" Remy's voice trembled a little, but he sighed relieved as Warren's fingers curled around his erection. He only hoped that limiting their activity to handjobs wouldn't disappoint Warren.
Warren smiled and arched his back as Remy's strokes grew harder. "Whatever you want, you'll get, love." He realized that Remy was setting boundaries and was saying no because he wasn't in the mood to make love. Warren respected his lover for that. It was one thing he'd always hoped Remy would understand; his right to say no.
Warren matched his strokes with Remy's and it didn't take them long to reach climax. Warren came first. He moaned as Remy continued to milk him dry. "I love you, Rem."
Remy blushed. Suddenly Warren rolled Remy's left nipple between his fingertips and that unexpected stimulation pushed Remy towards orgasm too. He came in Warren's hand and he thrust wildly, as he reached completion. "Oh, cher..." The intensity of the feelings between them would always baffle Remy. Warren constantly radiated love and affection, but when they were this intimate those feelings intensified to a level he'd thought impossible.
"The glow's back," Warren mumbled, pleased. It was very faint, but the golden glow surrounded their bodies, binding them together. "How do you do that?"
"I don' know, cher," Remy admitted and caressed Warren's face.
"Wow," Warren groaned, as a wave of delight coursed through him. "Touch me again?"
Remy obeyed and stroked Warren's shoulders with his tingling fingertips.
Warren quivered and his cock saluted again.
"Cher? What's happenin'?"
"I feel like I'm about to come again," Warren moaned, not fighting the ecstatic feeling that pooled in his groin.
Warren's reaction puzzled Remy and he opened his shields completely to feel what Warren was experiencing. He yelped softly as a tidal wave of lust and love washed over him.
"Rem, touch me again?" Warren couldn't stop himself from making that request. He'd never felt this raw need before. "I wish you could take me," he added softly. "But I understand."
Overwhelmed by Warren's reaction to his touch, Remy struggled to phrase a reply. "We don' have lube, cher."
"Can you feel it too? Do you, Rem?" Warren bucked against Remy, seemingly begging his lover to help him find release. "I never felt this... complete before." It was like Remy's feelings were mingling with his, until they became one mind.
Remy felt the need too and rational thinking deserted him. All he knew was that he needed to get closer to Warren, to touch him, caress every part of his body, and possess him completely. He'd never felt Warren's crushing need this clearly and it urged him on, leaving only the desire to please his lover. He wasn't thinking logically when he pulled Warren out of the water and placed him on the floor.
"Oh yes, please, now..." Warren spread his wings until they rested comfortably on the tiles. He pulled up his legs, hooked his arms around his knees and presented himself shamelessly. "Rem, inside, now!"
Warren's frenzied need became his and Remy poured some bath oil over his erect cock. "Soon, cher... soon," he soothed his lover. A small voice in the back of his head told him that he should prepare Warren first, but when his lover's eyes locked with his, Remy acted instinctively. "Cher, je t'aime."
Warren quavered as Remy's cock pushed passed the ring of tight muscle. As soon as his lover was inside, Warren released his legs and threw them over Remy's shoulders. With his hands he managed to grab his lover's ass and pulled Remy deeper inside. "Yeah, inside me... all of you. Mine..."
Both men's thoughts had stopped being rational some time ago and only animalistic grunts left their throats as they settled into a wild rhythm.
"More, harder... deeper!" Warren no longer recognized his own voice. He let go of his lover's buttocks, satisfied that Remy filled him completely and stroked himself hard, eager to reach orgasm again. Remy leaned over him, both his hands rested on the floor to support him. It was one of the most beautiful sights Warren had ever seen.
"Cher, touch me... dere..." Sharing Warren's feelings, Remy experienced the pleasure that his lover felt. Part of that pleasure was due to being penetrated.
Warren reacted at once. "Suck it," and he offered his lover his index finger.
Remy bathed the fingertip in saliva and guided his lover's hand, as it crawled down his lower back. "Oui, cher," he moaned and stopped thrusting.
Warren used the momentary rest to his advantage and inserted his digit into Remy's body. "Hot, tight," he moaned, as he began a thrusting motion himself.
"Cher, we're gonna come," Remy announced. He wanted to push back so he could take Warren's finger deeper, but at the same time his lover urged him to thrust again.
Both men released a whimper as they reached orgasm. "Cher," Remy buried himself inside Warren's passage and tensed as his lover's finger stroked his prostate. Their orgasm was ripped from them and they released their come in short spurts.
Feeling Remy reach completion like this, Warren roughly sought out his lover's lips and bruised them in one brutal kiss.
They clung to each other for long moments afterwards. Warren removed his finger from Remy's body and shivered.
Remy's sated sex slipped out of Warren and he collapsed on top of his lover. Unable to move, Remy lay there panting. A film of sweat covered their bodies and Remy managed to catch Warren's eyes. "Cher?"
"Rem," Warren mumbled. "Best loving I ever had!" he whispered enthusiastically.
"Same for me, mais..." Remy tried to roll off his lover, but his body refused to move.
Warren saw the exhaustion in Remy's eyes and gently rolled them onto their sides. Facing each other, they tried to regulate their breathing. "Look, the glow!" It had never been this strong before.
"What did we do?" Remy asked in a shaky tone.
"You let go, Rem. It was the first time you really let go." Warren expected to see guilt and shame in Remy's gold on black eyes, but they were only draped with satiation. Remy seemed speechless, so Warren continued. "It felt like you *really* took me this time. You didn't constantly ask me if I was fine, or if you were hurting me. You took what you wanted, what *we* wanted. Oh Rem, it was amazing. I can still feel the tremors rocking my body."
"Y' wanted me to take y' dat way," Remy said softly. "I... saw what y' wanted."
"You *saw*?"
"Wrong choice of words," Remy said quickly. "Felt like y' guided my actions." Remy gently caressed his lover's face. "Dis feels right."
"Feels fucking amazing," Warren agreed and blushed. Oh God, how he loved that little aggressive streak Remy had just displayed. "You're healing, Remy. This was the first time you let go of your fears and memories. We just have to be patient."
"Oui, I wasn' 'fraid."
Warren's fingers tangled in Remy's locks. "I don't want this... *enchantment* to end." The air was filled with the scent of honey and sugar and he even detected a hint of roses beneath them. It felt so good to see Remy's eyes free of fear. //And he isn't hovering over me to make sure he didn't hurt me when we made love. Oh, I already feel sore, but it was worth it!//
"Wanna go back into de water, cher?" Remy's hand wandered down Warren's chest and briefly caressed his lover's sated organ.
"Yes," Warren panted, surprised by the touch. //Remy said that my urges, my need had guided him when we made love. Isn't that amazing? I wonder if I can do that again the next time we have sex.// Warren allowed Remy to help him slide into the jacuzzi. Then he remembered the one thing that would have stunned him, if he'd been thinking straight. Remy had asked him to enter him too. Only with one finger, yes, but Remy had wanted it.
"I'm tired, ange," Remy mumbled as he pulled Warren close. Gently, Remy forced Warren's head against his shoulder so his lover could rest. Beneath the warm water, Remy's hands continued to caress Warren's body. They stroked the soft flesh of the insides of his lover's thighs, played with the pubic hair and slid up and down Warren's stomach.
The sensuality in those caresses surprised Warren. He'd never seen this quality before. Something had happened when that glow had urged them to make love. Something very profound, but Warren couldn't figure it out. Deeply content, Warren rested in Remy's arms.
///
Richmond to Florida
"How much longer?" Logan complained. He tried to stretch his legs, but there wasn't enough room. "Ya could have bought first class tickets."
Jean-Luc gave him a sharp look. "Something's wrong."
"Whadda ya mean?"
"One of de engines sounds... off," Jean-Luc tried to peek at the engines through the small window. "Don't you hear it?"
"Was dozin'," Logan admitted, but focused his hearing on the four engines. "Yeah, yer right." Alarmed, he exchanged a look with Jean-Luc. "Do ya think the pilot noticed?" He'd barely asked the question when a soft chirp sounded.
"This is your captain speaking. Due to minor technical problems we're forced to land on a nearby airport. I apologize for the inconvenience, but our first priority is your safety." The chirp sounded again and the 150 passengers stirred. The stewardesses tried to calm everyone down, but a hint of panic remained.
"Dis isn't a coincidence. Someone sabotaged dat engine."
Jean-Luc's statement startled Logan. "Why? Why would anyone do that?"
"Dis is about us, mon ami." Jean-Luc nodded his head. "Someone's trying to keep us from reaching Remy."
"How can ya be sure about that?" Logan's mind raced, trying to find a logical solution for their predicament. "Maybe the plane was already malfunctionin' when it took off?"
"We would have heard," Jean-Luc corrected him. "De noise started only minutes ago."
"Ya really think that someone's tryin' to stop us? Who?"
"I don't know, cher, but I've got de feeling we'll find out soon."
///
Honeymoon Island
Remy and Warren were about to go to sleep when loud banging on their door alarmed them.
"Mister Worthington, we've got an emergency!"
Warren raced over to the door after quickly donning some clothes and opened it. He recognized the man in front of him. Jim was in charge of the stables and the horses. From the corner of his eye, Warren registered that Remy had put on some sweat pants and was now joining them.
"We just heard that a fire's eating its way over to the ranch. It's burning everything that blocks its path," Jim informed his boss. "It'll reach the ranch in less than an hour."
"Damn!" Warren cursed. "Why didn't you inform me sooner?"
"We didn't know." Jim looked embarrassed. "I've never seen a fire spread that quickly."
"Rem, stay here." Warren smothered his lover's protest by saying, "They'll probably start bringing in injured people and I need someone in charge here. If we can't stop the fire, you've got to evacuate everyone." Warren quickly collected his boots and coat and slid into them. "I need you here, Rem."
Remy stopped himself from protesting. Warren was probably right, but he wished he could stay at his lover's side. "I'll take care of de people."
"Thanks," Warren whispered and quickly pressed a kiss on his lover's lips. "You know what to do, Rem. Don't doubt yourself, you hear me? We'll stay in radio contact. Okay?"
Remy watched as Warren dashed into the corridor. He realized that the threat was serious. From all over the house he was picking up on people's fear and panic. Remy quickly grabbed a pair of jeans, and a heavy sweater and changed into them.
He'd have to check up on people and start planning a possible evacuation.
"Remy? What's going on?"
Remy looked up and found Jayce standing in the doorway. The boy was still wearing his pajamas and was obviously half asleep. Suddenly, he realized that Jayce had said his name without any loathing in it. In spite of their dire situation, Remy smiled. "Get dressed properly, petit. A fire's headin' our way. We might have to leave in a hurry."
Jayce tried to understand what Remy had told him. "A fire?"
"Oui, it's comin' dis way. We have to take care of de personnel. See if dere are any old people dat require help? Get movin', petit."
Jayce blinked his eyes. "You want me to help?" There had been a fire once at the school and they'd dismissed him when he'd offered to help.
"Oui, petit, now move!" Amused, Remy watched as Jayce started to run. Jayce was a good kid, but awfully confused. "Now what?" he wondered. He had to assemble the people that had stayed behind after Warren had taken the rest to fight the fire.
///
Jayce halted dead in his tracks when he reached his room. He quickly went inside, slammed the door and leaned heavily against it. Suddenly, it struck him how badly he'd misjudged Remy. //I had it all wrong. Oh my God, the things I said! I can't face him again, not now, not now I know that he cares!// Jayce paced his room and then threw his backpack on the bed. Frantically, he stuffed it with clothes.
//I can't stay here! Not after the things I've said. I called him a faggot, and... Shit, why did I do that? I acted like a prejudiced jerk. Warren and Remy can't want me around after the way I behaved and I won't get a better chance to leave unnoticed. I still got my credit cards. I can head for the next big city and... arrange for my transport back to Saint Andrew's.//
Jayce quickly dressed and grabbed his backpack. No one would pay him any attention. //It's a good thing that Wolvie stayed with Remy, or he might have stopped me. That wolf is way too intelligent!//
Sneaking through the corridor, Jayce observed Remy take charge. The Cajun seemed driven and Remy's concern for the injured workers showed in his voice and gentle touches. //How could I make such a mistake in judgement? Why didn't I see the real Remy? I always prided myself on being there for the younger pupils and now that I really needed my wits, they let me down.//
Jayce turned around, left the house and continued to walk. He didn't look back.
 

Chapter Eleven

Westchester
"Scott?" Cheerfully, Bobby walked into the living room. Nicholas was at his side and they both looked radiant.
"Bobby, Nicholas," Scott greeted them. He was in the middle of eating breakfast when the two men arrived. They were alone in the living room and Scott remarked, "Did you talk things through?"
Bobby had told Nicholas that Scott knew of his doubts and that it was because of Slim that he'd decided to seek out his lover. "Yeah, we did and Nicholas wants to tell you something."
Now that his father was out of reach, Nicholas had made some personal decisions. "My father sent me here to watch over Remy. Jean-Luc didn't want to take the risk that Rogue turned you against Remy."
Surprised, Scott raised an eyebrow. Had he heard correctly? "Jean-Luc LeBeau is your father?"
"Yes, but Remy has never met me. He doesn't know." Nicholas leaned into the embrace, as Bobby folded one arm around his shoulders. "I can't reach Jean-Luc any longer and we decided you should know. However, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell the others."
Scott nodded his head once. "I understand your concern. I won't tell the rest." Scott took a moment to study both men. "Are you going to stay now, Nicholas?"
"Yes." Nicholas lovingly looked at Bobby. "We'll try to repair the damage. I really love Bobby."
"Good," Scott stated, pleased. He was about to add something when Joseph walked into the room. Scott could tell from the look on Joseph's face that something unexpected had happened.
"We just received a message from Corsair," Joseph informed them.
Scott shifted nervously on his chair. "What message?" He'd been trying to reach his father since he'd found out that Remy was his younger brother. Had Corsair finally received his message or was this just coincidence?
"He'll arrive in 20 hours." Joseph grinned as he caught a glance of Bobby and Nicholas. The two men were obviously in love.
"Thanks for telling me," Scott mumbled, nervously. Corsair would be here in 20 hours and then he had to tell his father that the baby, whom Corsair presumed dead, had survived after all. Fighting down a light panic, Scott watched Joseph leave. //How to break the news to Corsair? Tell him that Sinister arranged for the baby's abduction? That his son is still alive? You never met him, dad, but Gambit's been with the X-men for some time. How do I tell him that the team left Remy to die in Antarctica?//
"Scott?" Bobby released Nicholas and walked over to Scott, who had a distant expression in his eyes. "Corsair coming here is a good thing. You'll tell him about Remy, won't you? Remy has every right to meet his biological father."
Nicholas registered the information. He knew that Jean-Luc had adopted Remy, but it was new to him that they'd found out who his biological father was.
"I don't know how to tell Corsair," Scott admitted eventually.
"You'll find a way." Confident in his friend's abilities, Bobby squeezed Scott's shoulder.
///
Richmond to Florida
"We're going to attempt a controlled landing," the pilot announced and panic broke loose.
"We're gonna crash!" Logan corrected the pilot in a sarcastic tone. He considered their options. "There must be somethin' we can do!"
Jean-Luc sat quietly and shook his head. "You can't stop de plane from crashing."
"We should have taken the Black Bird," Logan cursed as the plane suddenly lost height.
"You'd better hold on, cher." Jean-Luc stared at the hysterical passengers that were either screaming or praying.
"Ya don't seem too concerned," Logan pointed out to him. The plane dove forward and continued to fall.
"We can't stop de plane from crashing," Jean-Luc stated rather calmly. Logan stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "After de crash we'll help de survivors to de best of our abilities. Dis is out of our hands."
"Who do ya think is behind this?"
Jean-Luc remained silent, lost in thought.
All conversation stopped as the plane made contact with the Earth.
///
"Mon Dieu," Jean-Luc gasped. Almost 20 people had died in the crash. Others were badly injured. "How are you doing, cher?"
"Healin' power's kickin' in," Logan mumbled as his spine recovered from the impact. "I'll be fine." Logan stared at the dying flames around them. "We need to help them." One look at Jean-Luc told Logan that the man would be fine. Jean-Luc had only sustained a broken wrist and the elixir of eternal life would keep the Cajun going. Logan ripped off a piece of cloth from his coat and bandaged his lover's broken wrist. "Let's move. Some of those people are in a bad shape."
Jean-Luc nodded his head. "We need a first-aid kit, cher."
"Why don't ya get things organized? Separate the critically injured from the people with minor injuries." Logan stalked through the remains of the plane and cringed as the stench of burned flesh attacked his nostrils. He hoped that Jean-Luc was wrong and that no one had arranged this plane crash.
15 minutes later, he returned to Jean-Luc with the first-aid kit that he'd found. "The pilots are dead," he told his lover, who was trying to stop a young man's bleeding. A steel rod had eaten itself a way through the man's shoulder. Applying more pressure, Jean-Luc told Logan to help him. They worked silently for a few minutes and then moved on to the next critically injured passenger.
"Dere are too many," Jean-Luc whispered, saddened. "We can't help dem all."
Luckily, some of the survivors followed their example and tried to help their fellow passengers.
While Logan concentrated on applying first-aid, Jean-Luc and the other survivors began constructing a camp at some distance from the plane. Then he realized that he had to take care of the deceased passengers. The hot sun already attacked their remains and the stench would quickly become unbearable.
"We'll bury them," Logan said, finishing Jean-Luc's thoughts.
Jean-Luc stared hard at the remains of a young girl. She couldn't be older than 14. "Someone sabotaged de plane, Logan."
Logan noticed the sharp tone in his lover's voice. Jean-Luc was mad as hell. "Any idea who?"
"Non, but we'll find out."
"Why don't ya look after the passengers? I'll take care of the corpses," Logan offered.
"Non, we'll bury dem together. Will be hard on both of us, but I won't let you do it alone." Stubbornly, Jean-Luc stared into Logan's eyes.
"Look, Cajun. Yer wrist is broken. Ya won't be much help." Logan's voice sounded gentle. "I can deal with it."
Still reluctant, Jean-Luc finally gave in. "Call me should you need help?"
"I will," Logan promised. To his surprise a handful of the passengers offered to help dig the graves and Logan considered refusing them until one man told him that the young girl who had died was his daughter. Logan gave in and led the men to the spot where he intended to bury the dead.
Jean-Luc glared at the sky. "Coward," he hissed angrily. "If you want us, you'll have to come and get us. All you accomplished was killing innocent people!" His eyes watered as he watched the father carry his daughter to her last resting place. "You'll pay for dis!"
///
Three hours later, Jean-Luc had the improvised camp pretty much organized. Logan had offered to scout ahead in search of food and water and had returned with fruits. After telling the survivors where they could find the fruits, Logan watched them leave. They would bring back enough food to keep everyone alive.
A few of the injured people were getting worse, their fever climbing. Some were getting better. Jean-Luc was simply growing frustrated.
"Easy, Cajun. Yer doin' all ya can," Logan reassured him.
"I want to make de person pay who did dis."
"Yer really convinced someone staged this crash?" Logan didn't know what to make of Jean-Luc's accusations.
"Oui!" Jean-Luc placed a wet cloth onto a woman's brow, who was burning up with fever. "I'm sure!"
Logan wanted to ask Jean-Luc why he was that certain when a loud explosion shook the earth beneath their feet. At first, Logan thought it was the plane, but then he smelled the gas that filled the sky. "Tear gas!"
Jean-Luc fell onto his knees when the aggressive gas attacked his neural system. "Cher!" He coughed and was only faintly aware of the fact that Logan hauled him to his feet.
"Damn Cajun was right!" Logan cursed and dragged Jean-Luc, who was nearly unconscious, over to the cover of the trees. Looking over his shoulder, he saw several passengers succumb to the gas. He could no longer deny that Jean-Luc had been right. It certainly looked like someone wanted them. "Well, they won't get us!"
"Oh, I'm afraid you're wrong, Wolverine."
Logan wanted to spin around, but Jean-Luc's dead weight prevented him from moving with his normal speed. A tranquilizer dart hit the back of his neck. Although it wouldn't render him helpless for long, his body needed time to deal with the chemical and he dropped to his knees, swaying. A moment later, something hard crashed into Logan's skull and he lost consciousness.
///
Honeymoon Island
"Rem? We've got the fire under control. You don't have to evacuate."
Remy sighed, relieved. Although they could only talk over the radio, it felt good to hear Warren's voice again. He needed a beacon in this whirlpool of negative emotions that surrounded him. His shields were weakening, but thankfully the workers began to calm down, as they heard the good news over the radio. "Bien, Warren."
"How are the injured people doing?" Warren asked. He then shouted instructions at the workers, which were closest to the fire. His wings had already saved the lives of several people, who had been surprised by the fire. Warren had flown them out.
"I managed to heal some of dem," Remy replied truthfully. The workers had given him an odd look when he'd placed his hands on their injuries. In most cases the wound had started to heal. He had to be careful not to exhaust himself while concentrating on one injury. A large number of people needed his help. Now, he felt drained and tired. Using his healing power demanded most of his energy.
"I'll be back in a few hours," Warren informed Remy. "Make sure there's no panic?"
"I calmed dem down," Remy assured him. He wasn't sure if he'd used his empathy to talk some sense into the workers, but eventually the panic had subsided and the people had settled down.
"Remy?" One of maids called out to him. "Steve's getting worse."
"I've got to go, cher. Come back quickly," Remy whispered and handed over the radio to one of the workers, who would monitor the current situation closely. Remy quickly followed the young girl. Steve was one of the hands that helped Jim with the horses and the elderly man had suffered a heart attack and severe burns when he'd helped Warren earlier.
Remy sat on his heels and placed his right hand over Steve's heart. The man had nearly stopped breathing. Concentrating on his healing powers, Remy let the golden glow seep into Steve's body.
"Thank... you," Steve rasped a moment later when his breathing eased down. "Was... suffocating..."
"Y're welcome." A beaming smile flashed across Remy's features. He really loved having this healing power because it enabled him to help people.
Looking around, he suddenly wondered where Jayce was. He hadn't seen the boy since he'd told Jayce to get dressed and help the older workers. "Janet," he said, as he addressed the maid. "Have you seen Jason?"
The girl looked about. "No, I haven't."
Worried, Remy got to his feet and tried to focus on Jayce. Usually, the boy's feelings pulled him close, but the emotions were gone now. "Merde!" he cursed and hurried towards the boy's room. When he opened the door, he realized what had happened. The room was a mess and Remy noticed that the kid's backpack was gone, together with some clothes. "He ran 'way!" Remy didn't stop to consider his actions. He immediately went after the boy. Somehow, he'd find Jayce.
///
Remy's thoughts ran in endless circles as he set foot on the mainland. "Go back to de ranch," he instructed. "Dey need all de help dey can get." He'd been lucky that this worker had still been on board. The man had also told Remy that he'd taken Jayce to the mainland. "De fire's under control, mais y' never know what will happen next."
"Yes, sir," the worker replied and turned the boat around.
Remy watched him leave and then looked about. He needed some form of transportation. Luckily, the jeeps that had taken them here were still parked nearby. Remy relied on his old thieving skills to open the door and hotwire the engine.
"Where did y' go, petit?" Remy concentrated, trying to locate the boy's emotions. He caught a very faint echo, after filtering all other people out. Jayce's emotions tasted raw. Remy sensed the youngster's confusion, fear and loneliness. What had possessed Jayce to run away like that? Remy vowed to find out.
The jeep picked up speed and Remy headed for the next city, Tampa, praying that Jayce hadn't run into trouble yet. The boy's emotions were dark and tangled, but Remy felt reassured as long as he sensed Jayce. //Why? Why did he run? I t'ought we were doin' bien. He seemed less hostile, even friendly. Why run 'way? Did I do somet'in' wrong?// Remy felt guilty for not paying more attention to what was going on with the boy. After Warren had left to fight the fire, the boy had become his responsibility and he'd messed up. Angry with himself, Remy stepped on the gas, eager to find Jayce as quickly as possible.
Long minutes passed by and Remy started to wonder how Jayce had been able to cover this distance. The boy must have gotten a ride from someone who'd passed by, but who would be out here in the midst of the night? //What if I can' find him? Non, I can' t'ink like dat! I *will* find him!//
Remy slammed onto on the brakes as the faint echo of Jayce's emotions suddenly died. Only a moment ago it'd felt like he was getting closer, as the boy's emotions had grown stronger. Now, they were gone. "Oh, merde!" Remy shivered. It felt like Jayce had stopped to exist.
///
Tampa
Jayce thanked the friendly woman who'd given him a lift into town.
"Be careful, sweetie. The city's a dangerous place for a young boy like you. Go find your parents."
Jayce had told her that his parents lived here and that information had made her cooperative. She'd almost pulled him into the car to deliver him home safely. "I will. Thanks for the ride." He felt a little guilty for telling the nice lady lies, but he had to get away from Honeymoon Island... and his mistakes.
The car drove off, leaving him alone. Jayce looked about and wondered where to go next. "Transportation," he mumbled softly. Maybe he could catch a bus home. What about traveling by plane? They would ask for his papers, which he didn't have. And what if someone came looking for him? In that case they'd probably check the airport first. "Hey, who should come looking for me?" Jayce didn't believe for one second that Remy or Warren would come after him. The two men were probably still caught up fighting the fire. Maybe Warren would ask Vincent to find him, but Jayce doubted it.
"Let's try Greyhound first." Jayce swung his backpack over his shoulder and walked down the street. It was busy even though it was almost midnight. He'd seldom been outside this late. They had to go to bed at 22.00 at school and when they'd been visiting a town his father had accompanied him. Now he found himself in unfamiliar territory.
"Can you spare some change, son? I'm a veteran, lost my right leg in Nam."
Startled, Jayce jumped back. He'd been so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed the beggars that were moving closer. There were at least 6 of them and he realized he'd ended up in a bad area. "I don't have any money," he whispered and tightened his hold on his backpack. All he had was his credit card.
"A cute kid like you must have something to eat. Did your mummy make you sandwiches?" the beggar asked.
Another beggar interrupted him. "What's a kid like you doing on the streets this late? You'd better run home, boy!"
Jayce clutched his coat closer to his body. Why were these people out on the streets? Weren't there any shelters where they could spend the night? "Leave me alone! I don't have food or money!" Panicking, Jayce started to run.
A wave of laughter erupted behind him. Once the voices had faded, he stopped running and leaned heavily against a wall, trying to catch his breath. "I need to find a hotel where I can spend the night," he realized, but as he looked about, he only saw neglected houses. He'd walked straight into the city's slums.
"Hey, Leroy, look what the cat dragged in!"
The voice sounded nearby and Jayce pushed himself closer to the wall. His eyes had gotten used to the darkness and he made out five forms. Damn, why wasn't the street lighting working? He could hardly see a thing. Were there 5 people out there or more?
"I want those boots!"
"I dig that coat. I bet it's warm!"
Jayce registered the voices and shrunk into himself, trying to make himself invisible. He didn't stand a chance fighting these street kids. Now that the full moon appeared from behind the clouds, Jayce noticed their haggard looks, too skinny, too bruised and way too vicious looking to put his troubled mind at ease.
"Hand over the backpack and strip, rich kid."
"I'm not rich!" Jayce exclaimed in a loud tone, hoping to attract attention from someone who could help him. "I don't have any money!" Startled, he stared at them as the kids moved in closer. Why weren't they at home with their parents? Why weren't they in bed, asleep? What were they doing here after midnight? //What the hell am *I* doing here?// He should have stayed at the ranch where he was safe.
"You smell of money, brat. You're wearing Nikes, expensive clothes and that's a Kipling backpack!" One of the boys lit a cigarette and reached out for him. "You wanna do this the hard way?"
Jayce needed a moment to think it over, but the street kids were impatient and attacked. Defensively, Jayce raised his arms and tried to protect his head. Suddenly, one of the kids kicked his legs from underneath him and he dropped onto his knees. More kicks followed and one fist connected with his chin, knocking Jayce out cold. He collapsed onto the concrete and lost consciousness.
///
A moan left Jayce's lips as he regained consciousness. He felt awfully cold and his body hurt. His stomach felt tender and his temples throbbed painfully. As he wanted to crawl onto his knees, he released a yelp of pain. "Ouch," he whispered, realizing that his left knee might be broken. He also tasted the metallic sting of blood on his tongue. //Please, don't let me be bleeding internally.// He didn't even know where to find the nearest hospital.
"I'm so stupid," Jayce chided himself. "I had it all!" Tears flowed down his face as he realized that he'd thrown everything away. Warren had offered him a *permanent* home and he'd turned it down. And why? Because he'd allowed prejudice to control his rational thinking.
He looked down and realized that his backpack was gone. They'd also taken his Nikes, coat and sweater. All he had left were his jeans and a T-shirt. Damn! His wallet was gone too. //They took my credit card!//
Jayce no longer fought his tears and released them. The cold of the concrete sneaked through his clothes and into his bones. His left knee hurt and his head felt like it would explode any moment now. Sobbing softly, he wondered what to do. He'd never expected to fall into the hands of criminals.
"Daddy," he whimpered softly, but then the terrible memories crashed over him again. "He's dead," Jayce whispered and rocked himself. He'd never felt so alone, so helpless. "Uncle Warren... Remy..." The words brought no comfort, knowing how badly he'd treated the two men. "I'm sorry." And this time he really meant it.
///
Remy halted in his tracks. For the last 30 minutes he'd failed to pick up on Jayce's emotions, but now, the faint echo was back. There were many people around and that made it hard for him to pinpoint Jayce's location. As he started to walk, he quickly realized that he was leaving the main street and heading for dark and shadowy alleyways. Why had the boy chosen this direction? Desperation and a sense of loss filled this particular part of the city and Remy felt people's anger at being forced to live in the slums. Their living conditions were bad, unemployment high and the kids dropped out of school too early.
"Jayce, where are y', petit?" Remy mused aloud and he stopped walking to get his bearings. The echo of Jayce's emotions guided him and Remy followed his instincts. People were watching him closely. A warning was in order or they might decide to move in on him. He reached for the deck of cards he always carried with him and charged two cards. Their light helped him find his way and also served as a warning, as he allowed one of them to explode. The stench of violence subdued a little. His trick had worked. They now kept their distance.
"Jayce?" he repeated the boy's name again, hoping Jayce would answer him. The youngster felt close and Remy briefly shut his eyes to focus on the emotions. "I'm comin' for y', petit, don' give up." The sense of abandonment that Jayce radiated was overwhelming.
Remy headed towards a large garbage can and pushed it aside. "Oh, petit," he whispered, saddened. Jayce had used the garbage can to hide behind. Remy sat on his heels and pushed back Jayce's dirty locks, which were covered with dried blood.
"Jayce? Petit? Can y' hear me?" Reaching out empathically, he tried to get a better impression of the boy's emotional condition. Jayce's mind felt empty and lonely. "Hey, open y'r eyes, petit. We've got to leave dis part of town."
Jayce struggled to open his eyes. The right side of his face was black and blue and Jayce desperately tried to determine whether a friend or a bully was talking to him. "Who's... there?"
"It's moi, Remy. Y'll be bien, petit." Remy felt how panic overwhelmed Jayce. "Non, petit, don' be 'fraid. I'll take care of y'." Remy wondered what to do next. Should he get Jayce into safety or heal his injuries first? He could carry the boy, but doubted Jayce would go along with that.
"Why... are you... here?" Jayce whispered. His mouth felt awfully dry. His lower lip had been split and blood dripped down his chin.
Remy made his decision. He'd start the healing process and then take Jayce into safety. "Shst, be quiet, petit. Y're hurt." Remy rested his right hand on the top of Jayce's head. "Dis might tingle."
Jayce managed to lock eyes with Remy. He still couldn't believe that Remy had come for him. "What are you... doing?" Remy was right. His head tingled a little and an odd warmth descended down his neck, shoulders, chest, into his left leg, finally reaching his injured knee.
"Takin' de pain 'way," Remy whispered reassuringly. "Y'll feel better soon, petit."
"I'm sorry," Jayce mumbled. He surrendered to the comfortable warmth that settled into his abused bones.
"Why did y' run 'way, petit?" Remy drew in a deep breath. He'd healed a large number of people back at the ranch and hadn't had the time to recover from the power drain. Now Jayce needed his help, but Remy was quickly reaching his limits. "I've got to stop, sorry, petit." He pulled away his hand. If he exhausted himself, he wouldn't be able to get them into safety.
"I couldn't face you," Jayce admitted, feeling better already. His knee still ached, but the stinging pain was mostly gone. "I never gave you a chance. I just assumed I knew who you were, what you were."
"Sounds like y' learned y'r lesson, petit." Remy got to his feet and helped Jayce up from the concrete. "We should go to de 'ospital."
"I don't need to go to the hospital. I'm fine." Jayce didn't want to trouble Remy. "I'd like to lie down though."
"We'll find ourselves a comfortable 'otel, oui?" Jayce swayed on his feet, clearly favoring his left leg and Remy folded a supportive arm around the boy's waist. "Bien?" He didn't want to make Jayce feel threatened, so he wanted to know if this was okay with the boy.
"Oui," Jayce replied, shyly. He really wanted to make up for past mistakes and it looked like Remy was willing to give him a second chance.
"Ah, y' took French at school?" Remy tried to engage Jayce in some conversation to take the boy's mind off his surroundings and the pain.
"I was trying to get back to Saint Andrew's," Jayce explained. "I didn't think anyone would attack me."
Remy's eyes grew clouded, as he remembered the years he'd spent on the streets of New Orleans. "People are hungry, petit. Dey don' have any money. Sometimes takin' it from de weak is de only way to survive."
"You talk like you know them personally," Jayce remarked and peeked at Remy's draped eyes.
"I lived on de streets when I was younger dan y're now, Jayce."
"You lived on the streets?" Jayce repeated, surprised.
"Didn' have a family, Jayce. Had to support m'self. Got beaten up like y' did." Remy wasn't sure Jayce was ready to hear this, but continued. "Ate from garbage cans, begged people to give me deir change and sometimes, I stole de food when I was hungry."
"And no one took care of you?" Jayce gestured Remy to stop walking. They were almost back on the main street. Only a few more steps and they would leave the darkness behind.
"My parents didn' know dat I was still 'live. I lived wit'... a vile old man." Remy shivered, as the face of the Antiquary blinked in his mind.
"Vile?" Jayce's stomach contracted nervously and it wasn't because of the beating he'd taken. Everything he'd ever believed in was swept away. Remy's choice of words made him wonder; vile?
"I can' tell y' now," Remy said evasively. He concentrated on supporting Jayce as they moved towards the main street.
"Remy?" Jayce raised his right hand, following a hunch he couldn't really believe. But when Remy flinched away from his touch, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The boy whom Carl had attacked had reacted in the same way when Jayce had tried to shake his hand while saying good-bye. //Oh my God, I can't believe this! Martin flinched like that when I tried to touch him. Can't be. This can't be happening. A vile man?// Jayce knew that he'd reached the only logical conclusion, but the impact of his former accusations hit him hard. //I assumed he was taking advantage of Warren. That Remy was like Carl but... Remy's been abused in the past. Fuck...// He'd felt bad before, but now he felt like a bully. "I'm sorry, Remy. I didn't know..." Jayce mumbled his apology, which came straight from the heart. "I..."
"Stop it, petit. It doesn' matter. I need to get y' home." Remy realized that Jayce had figured it out and he didn't know how he felt about that.
"Jayce," Remy started, but paused as something sharp penetrated the skin at the back of his neck. "Merde, what...?" Remy swayed on his feet as vertigo made his head spin.
Jayce leaned against a nearby wall and watched horrified how Remy went down. The gold on black eyes closed and Remy's mouth remained slightly agape. "Remy?"
"At last..." A dark voice hissed the words.
Jayce turned around as quickly as he could, cursing his injuries. In the shadows he made out the vague contours of a man. "What did you do to him?"
"Shut up, Jason."
Jayce's hand went to his throat as a small dart broke the skin there. "Who... what?" he whispered, as he slid onto the concrete.
"At last, revenge will be mine!"

 

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