"Begin when you're ready?" Professor Xavier said.
Gambit nodded and leaned against the wall of the Professor's study. He looked over at those gathered in the room; Storm, Rogue, Cyclops, Jean, and Professor Xavier. Rogue already knew the story but she was there for moral support.
"I was eighteen, I left my home because de assassins guild was after me on de account dat I had killed Julien. I wondered around de US f'a couple months stealin' dis and dat. Finally settled down in Millstone Arizona. Got a job dere at a diner. T'ings were going great den I got in a fight wit' a biker. Jon saved m'life," he said.
"Jon?" Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops, asked.
"I get t'dat in a moment," Remy said and took a deep breath. "Jon brought me back t'de diner and while I was eatin' a burger told me he knew someone who could help me wit' my powers. I almost choked on my burger de. You see I barely used my powers when I was younger. Didn't need to. I decided t'go wit' Jon t'his boss. De boss was Sinister," Gambit said and looked at the ground.
There were a couple of gasps in the room. "I didn't know who he was den," Gambit continued. "I agreed t'join his 'team'. He was goin' t'help me wit' my powers while I helped him . . ." Gambit took a deep breath. "He said his team needed a t'ief to get information for him. Later on I also found people f'him. I t'ought he was helpin' them like he was me; didn't know dey became his experiments."
"You -" Scott began but Rogue cut him off. "What did ya do when ya found out he killed them?" Rogue asked.
"I stopped. I wouldn't do dat anymore. I left after Sarah was killed. Couldn't stand de job no more. She was de reason I stayed once I found out . . ." he said.
"Who was Sarah?" Storm asked.
Gambit opened his mouth but no sound came out. "Sarah was a little girl Remy found," Rogue said. "Her momma left her with Remy. She was a mutant. He brought her ta Sinister ta help her control her power. Sinister killed her while Remy was on a -"
"Non chere," Remy said. "De Thunderbirds killed her."
Rogue looked at him then at her hands. "While ah was at Sinister's base Sarah was in mah head. Ah don't know how she was there but she helped me sort out Remy's memories and understan' 'em. Ah saw somethings that even Remy don't remember or didn't know. One of things ah saw was Jon runnin' from the safe house and towards Sinister. Rashelle saw Sinister and fainted. She knew he had killed Sarah."
"Dat was why she was always afraid," Remy said.
Rogue nodded. "Was there anything else you saw Rogue?" Xavier asked.
"Yes but ah don't wanna tell everyone," Rogue said.
"Rogue if it's vital to the team," Scott said.
"No," Rogue said stubbornly. "Ah'll tell Remy and no one else."
"Okay," Xavier said. "Who was on this 'team' Gambit?"
"Dere was me, Jon, Charley, Rashelle, and Haley," he said.
"Haley . . ."
"Don't know her last name. She went by the name Switchback," he said. "Anymore questions?"
"Not for you," Xavier said and turned to Rogue. "What happened to you there?"
"Ah already told ya about Sarah. When Remy left Sinister told me he could help me control mah powers if'n ah told him everything Sarah told me," Rogue said curling up into the chair she sat in. "He said mah problem wasn't physical but mental, probably a childhood trauma ah was repressin'. He made me remember things ah wish ah didn't." She blinked back tears.
Xavier nodded. Remy knelt down by her. "Chere?" he said.
"Ah remembered mah momma, not Mystique but mah real momma. Ah . . ." She said and felt the tears spill out of her eyes.
"I think we need to talk later Rogue," Xavier said. Rogue nodded. "We're going to need a while to discuss everything. You two are dismissed."
Remy nodded and started helping Rogue up. She wiped the tears away. "One second, can ah say one more thing?" she asked.
Xavier nodded. "Ah'll be out in a sec sugah," Rogue said. Gambit nodded and shut the door. "Ah know that workin' for Sinister wasn't a very smart move for Remy and all . . . He didn't know who he was then. He was just a man who helped Remy out. From his memories ah think that Sinister was pretty much nice ta Remy. Ah know he brought people to Sinister who Sinister killed -"
"Right Rogue," Scott said. "He helped him kill them."
"He didn't know Scott," Rogue said. "He thought Sinister was helpin' them too. Mah god ah know what he did was bad but he didn't intentionally kill any of 'em. Wolvie's killed people, so has Jean when she was Phoenix, and look what ah did ta Carol. Look how many people Erik killed and we still tried ta help him. He ran the school for goodness sakes. Remy's been beatin' himself up day and night for what he did. Isn't that enough punishment. Ah . . . Please just give him a second chance?"
"Thank you Rogue," Xavier said.
Rogue walked out of the room and closed the door. "She has a point," Jean said. "He didn't mean to kill those people. He didn't even know Sinister was killing them and when he did he stopped."
"I agree with Jean," Storm said.
"But what if he's still in league with Sinister now?" Scott said.
"He wouldn't have destroyed the information then," Storm pointed out.
"I don't know . . ." Scott said.
"I have to agree with Jean and Ororo, Scott," Xavier said. "He didn't know who Sinister was then. We'll put him on a one-month probation period to be safe. Besides he'll probably know things that could help us when we confront Sinister."
Scott nodded though he didn't like it. Scott we'll watch him carefully, he heard Jean say.
The Rec Room
Wolverine watched Gambit walk in. "Ya tell them everything gumbo?" he asked as he flipped channels.
"Oui," he said. "Scott don't trust me."
"He never did," Wolverine said.
"True," Gambit said. "You trust me?"
"Yeah," Wolverine said. "You haven't been workin' fer Sinister fer years. You only did it again to save Rogue. Would've done the same if he had someone I loved."
"T'anks," Remy said. "But if dey don't trust me I have t'leave."
"If ya go ah'm commin' with ya," came from the doorway.
The two men turned to see Rogue standing there. "Now chere," Gambit said.
"Don't 'now chere' me Cajun," she said stubbornly then her voice went down to a soft whisper. "Ah lost ya once ah'm not loosin' ya again."
She flopped down on the couch beside him. Remy smiled at her. "Still as stubborn as ever. How are ya darlin''?" Wolverine asked.
"Ah've been bettah. Just glad ta be out of the infirmary. How ya doin' Wolvie?" She asked.
"Fine," he said as he flipped the channels.
"Hey wait, go back," Rogue said.
Wolverine flipped back two channels. Gone With The Wind was playing. "No way darlin'," he said.
"Aw Wolvie," she said. Rogue looked at Remy smiling sweetly.
"Sorry chere. A man can only watch that so many times," he said.
"Ah think y'all are bein' really mean raght now," she said and turned away from him.
"Aw chere," Remy said.
"It's nice to see things back to normal," Jean said as she entered. "What's on?" She sat down on an easy chair.
"Rogue wants to watch Gone With The Wind," Wolverine said. "We don't wanna and she's tryin' to get the Cajun to cave-"
"Hush Wolvie," Rogue said. "What did y'all decide?"
"Well you're, um, . . . speech made us open our eyes. Gambit stays and is on a month of probation," she said.
"Really?" Rogue said.
Jean nodded. "Beast wants to see the two of you. He's in his lab," she said.
"T'anks Jean," Gambit said.
"Everyone gets a second chance," Jean said. "Besides if we kicked you out we'd have to get rid of Logan, Rogue, me and a few others too."
He gave her a smile then looked at Rogue. "Let's go see de good doctor," he said.
Somewhere . . .
Switchback walked down the corridor of the base towards the briefing room. They'd been in this base twice before when she first joined Sinister's team. Now she was the only member accounted for. She didn't know where Jon was, Gambit was with the X-men, Charley was missing, and Rashelle was dead. She wished she could just leave but she knew it was hard to just leave Sinister. Many had tried. Remy was the only one who wasn't killed out of them.
"Haley."
Switchback turned. Sinister was there. "Yes sir," she said.
"Come," he said walking down the corridor.
Haley followed Sinister into one of Sinister's labs. She looked at the glass cylinders and shuddered. She saw that a few were inhabited. A woman, two men, and a small boy were in separate cylinders. The woman and two men were slumped against the glass and she noticed that they all cringed as Sinister walked by them. The little boy didn't; he pounded on the glass. "Help me," he screamed at her. "Pwease!"
She had to look away from his pleading brown eyes. Sinister pushed a button and the cylinder went black. The cries soon ceased and she watched Sinister take the child out of the cylinder and place him on the lab table. She looked down at her feet. "Charley has been found," Sinister said. She looked up with hope in her eyes. "He's dead." She looked down at her feet again fighting back tears.
"I need you to go to Waldorf, Maryland. There is a woman there with two twin boys. They are both mutants. I need them on the team Haley. Do whatever you have to do to bring them here. Their address and pictures are in the Briefing room," he said. "Do not fail me Haley."
Switchback nodded and walked out of the room trying to get the image of the little boys pleading eyes out of her mind.
Beast's Lab
Henry McCoy looked at the computer screen in disbelief. This is impossible. He stretched his arm towards the intercom and turned it on. "Professor?"
"Yes Hank," Xavier's voice came over the intercom.
"It appears that someone has copied all the Legacy Virus Research files," Beast said scrolling down the screen.
"I can't believe we actually believed he wasn't working for Sinister," Scott's voice rang over the speaker.
"It couldn't have been Gambit, Scott. The files were copied before he came back . . . it seems they were copied the same day our mystery girl was killed."
So the person who killed the girl and broke into the mansion probably copied the files," Scott muttered.
"Most likely yes," Beast replied.
"Hank I need to go over some new reports about mutant genetics," Xavier said. "It appears that we also need to figure out a new way to protect the computer files."
"I'll be free right after I discuss somethings with Gambit and Rogue," Beast said.
"You might want to show Gambit the picture of the young woman. He may know who killed her," Xavier said.
"Yes sir," Beast said and switched off the intercom. He looked back at the computer and opened up Rogue's health file.
"Beast?"
Beast turned around and saw Gambit and Rogue in the doorway. "Over here," he said standing up.
"Beast, mon ami, you might want to straighten dis place up now and den. One could get lost in here," Gambit said.
"Ya wanted ta see us sugah," Rogue said elbowing Gambit in the stomach.
"Yes," Beast said and looked at Rogue. "When you first came back I did a number of tests to determine your health. There was an anomaly in the tests. I don't mean to sound curt but Rogue you are still a virgin, correct?"
Rogue raised her eyebrows and nodded.
"I thought so which is why I redid the tests a couple of times but I kept getting the same results . . ." Beast said.
"De point Beast?" Gambit asked.
"Rogue, you are about two weeks pregnant," Beast said.
"Excuse me," Rogue said.
"You have a small scar above your stomach, if Sinister used a process like in vitro fertiliza-"
"Mon dieu . . ." Gambit said. "Sinister drugged me one night and I fell unconscious but when I woke up Rogue was fine and . . . I'm so sorry chere."
He collapsed onto the chair by the computer his head in his hands.
Beast walked out of the lab to let them talk in private. "I'm so sorry Rogue," Gambit said. "I didn't know . . ."
Rogue knelt down by him. "Hush Remy," she said. "It ain't yoah fault-"
"He wouldn't have been able t'if I . . ." Gambit said.
"If ya what? Ya couldn't have done a thing sugah," she said as a smile slowly spread across her face. "'Sides whats wrong with havin' a baby. Ah've always dreamed of havin' children but ah nevah thought ah could. With mah power and all it's damn near impossible."
Remy laughed at the scowl on her face. Then he became serious again. "Chere, what we gonna tell de others?" he asked .
"Rogue shrugged. "We'll tell 'em ah'm pregnant. No use in tryin' ta hide it," she said.
"Scott ain't gonna like dis," Remy said pointedly. "And I t'ought I was already in enough trouble wit' dat man."
Rogue's smile slowly faded and she slumped to the floor. "Aw chere, never mind him, ev'ryt'ing gonna be fine," Remy said brushing the hair from her face. "I love you."
"Rogue looked up at him and smiled gently. "I love you too," she whispered.
"I hate to ruin a tender moment, " came Beast's voice from behind. "But I have more news."
"Ah'm not havin twins am ah?" Rogue asked.
"No," Beast said and walked over to the computer.
"What be wrong wit' tins?" Remy asked her. "I t'ink it be nice."
"You aren't the one who has ta carry 'em," Rogue said.
Remy chuckled lightly. Beast shook his head in amusement and opened a file under DEATHS and then turned to them. "We found a young woman while you two were missing. She mentioned Gambit and Sinister. We were hoping you could help us identify her and that you might know who killed her," Beast said to Gambit.
He clicked open a picture. It was of a girl's face. She couldn't have been older the sixteen and had bruises and cuts covering her face.
"Oh mah god . . ." Rogue said.
"Shelley," Remy gasped. "I'll kill de bastard."
"You know who killed her?" Beast asked.
"Jon," Remy said angrily. "De cuts and bruises are his handiwork."
"She didn't die from those, she almost did," Beast said. "Someone broke into the mansion without setting off security and injected poison into her upper right appendage."
"Den it not Jon," Remy said. "Boy don't have de skills t'break into dis place wit' out settin' off alarms."
Somewhere
Sinister leaned back into the chair and smiled. Everything was going perfectly.