Hi All,

This is the last story in my X-Men/Sandman arc. Hope you liked the ride. One little plea before we begin. This story wrote itself, my fingers just did the typing.

Regards, Jacque Koh, June 1997

DISCLAIMER: Gambit and the X-Men belong to Marvel Comics, the Endless belong to DC/Vertigo and in particular Neil Gaiman. All these characters are used without permission, and I'm not profiting from this piece of fan fiction, so please don't sue me.

The Sound of Wings

"Remy?"

Gambit shook his head as if to clear his mind of a fog. For a moment, he wasn't sure what had happened to him, until he saw her …

"Dieu." He breathed, "De Cajun luck finally ran out, neh?"

The pale woman smiled apologetically as she approached him.

Gambit looked back at the screaming which had begun behind him. It seemed strange for him to be watching the scene unfold; To see Bishop and Rogue kneeling in his pooling blood, and performing CPR on his inert body.

"Don't do this ta me, Swamp Rat! Breathe, damn ya! Breathe!"

Bishop's tears fell on his face as the big man blew air into his mouth.

"You can't be dead, Remy. You can't be dead." He kept repeating this, each time he took a breath.

"Remy! Don't ya die on me, damn it!" Rogue screamed as she pumped his chest rhythmically, "Ya can't die, Gambit! Ah love ya! Ya hear me, Swamp Rat?! Ah love ya! Breathe! BREATHE!!"

Gambit sucked in a deep breath as he took out a cigarette, and lit it with the tip of his finger.

"Not gonna work is it?" He asked her.

"I'm sorry, Remy."

He took a long drag on the cigarette before he spoke again, "We each get w'at we always get, neh? A lifetime."

They watched for a moment, as the other X-men began to limp towards the two from around the battle strewn room.

"Will dey be all right?"

"Should be. Tell me, Remy … did you plan all this?"

He flashed her a grin, his red on black eyes twinkled in the shadows, "W'at make y' say dat, chere? Y' t'ink Gambit got a death wish?"

"No. Just a thought. Your deal with my sister made you immune to Vertigo's powers."

"True enough."

"She was the only one among the Marauders, who you couldn't have handled wasn't she?"

"Go on, chere."

"I've already picked up Nathaniel. So he won't be disturbing the X-Men any longer."

"Dat's good t' hear."

"Gambit … "

"Dis be de best, chere. 'Least Gambit know he can't be de traitor no more."

She slapped him on the shoulder. "You really are as bad as my brother."

"Y' t'ink so, chere?" He grinned as he turned away from the scene.

"I know so." She looked back at the group as the screaming subsided to give way to sobbing. "Couldn't you have worked it out any other way? They really did love you."

"Stormy, Rogue, even Bishop maybe. But de rest? Dey never trust dis Cajun." Remy blew out a stream of smoke, "Remy sorry dat they have to hurt like dis, but he also know dat knowing his past would hurt dem worse. Dis way, Gambit free de X-Men from Sinister, an' he get t' keep his secrets."

She looked at him skeptically.

"If Gambit not take down Essex, y' be taking dem now, 'stead o' Gambit. De kindly ones said dat much."

"My brother told me of that particular deal." she sighed, "You … are a better man than you give yourself credit for, Remy LeBeau."

Gambit shrugged, as he snuffed out the cigarette with the toe of his boot. "It time yet, chere?"

She nodded, "Remy, give me your hand."

"Dat de only part of Gambit y' wan', chere?" He grinned at her, his red on black eyes twinkling.

"Don't be naughty, Cajun. Just give me your hand."

Ororo turned her tear streaked face up, as Bishop gently laid his bandanna over Gambit's face. For a moment … she thought she had heard the sound of wings.

Okay, I'm *sorry* I killed Gambit! Please put the flame throwers down! The story wrote itself. *Honest.* I like him too much to want to leave him dead. But this is the last story I have on the X-Men/Endless Arc, so I'll be quiet now.

If anyone wants more, or if you want the stories with all the details of the innuendo I had in my trilogy, you're going to have to write to me :-)

If you want Remy back, you're going to have to help me come up with a convincing story. Death doesn't have a revolving door in her realm.