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Remy heard a new person enter the room. A slight muttering came from somewhere past his head and the woman who had been examining him left to walk towards it.
Now's my only chance, Gambit thought desperately as he attempted to snap upright. Unfortunately he hadn't noticed the restraints around his wrists. Just as fast as he had tried to get up he was flung back to the table like an elastic. His stomach revolting against the sudden strain. He clenched his teeth and hissed at the pain in his side and at his own stupidity for not noticing the restraints in the first place.
The person who had came in noticed what he was doing and ran over to him. "Gambit!?! Oh my God Remy what are you doing?" She said in a shocked tone, putting her hand on his bare chest to hold him down.
At this he started to strugle. He had heard the compassion in her voice but choose to ignore it. Often times Sinister would speak to him as if he were his best, no, his only friend. It didn't fool him then and he sure as Hell wasn't about to let it fool him now.
"Non..." he muttered as the hands of a second person, a man, came to aid the first.
Gambit, calm down. A familiar voice appeared in his mind. The warmth that was emitted by her touch was completely sincere.
Reaching out for it, he subsided somewhat in his convulsions. Qui...? J-Jean? Dat you?
Yes Remy. Calm down. You're going to be alright. She assured him.
Jean? Where am I? Where Henri? Why Gambit tied down? Why can' I see?
You're in the infirmary. You're restrained because your powers were being triggered while you were unconsious. Hank is just across the room, dealing with some injuries that Bobby sustained, and you can't see because your eyes are bandaged. They were bleeding, Cecilia belives--
Cecilia?
She's a doctor. Someone Bobby met while you and the others were off on Chandalar. She believes the bleeding probably had something to do with the psychic blow you threw at Sauron. If it was anywhere near as powerful as what Storm and the others say it was, I have no doubt that she may have been right.
Storm an' de others? Panic began to surface on the top of his mind again and he pushed against the restraints, trying to get up again. Sacre Mere! Dey FELT dat?!? Are dey alright? Did I hurt--
They're fine Remy. Right now you have to worry about yourself. Just get some rest, okay?
...Okay, Chere.
Jean put her hand to her head and looked up at the other people in the room. Jubilee, who had been sitting behind her next to Bobby and Joseph looked at her with nothing but worry written across her face. Warren, who had just arrived back- without Betsy Jean noted- looked at her with confusion and anger in his eyes. He was still standing in the door where he had been when Gambit first woke up.
Wolverine stood directly across from her on the other side of Gambit's now still form. He had jumped up from his own bed when he saw Gambit jolt upright to help Jean hold him down. He stared at Jean intently with a questioning gazed in his blue eyes and one eye brow quirked upwards. He had only concern for his fellow team mate written on his face.
Jean nodded her approval and stepped back from the prone fomr in front of her. Wolverine mirroring her actions hesitantly but trustfully. She was happy she was not the only one who shared a difference of oppion over Rogue's actions.
The doctors went to work on Remy, removing the wrist bands among other things, and Bobby and Joseph both stared at them as if to say 'Why bother?' A cold glare from the X-Men's mother glen had the senior members keeping their words to themselves.
Jubilee looked as if she were going to burst if someone didn't tell her what was going on so Jean took the opportunity to reassure her. "He'll be fine," she smiled soothingly, "He's just a little disoriented."
At that the young X-Woman let a breath she was vaguely aware she had been holding. I exited as a huge sigh of relief that was as visible as it was vocal.
Wolverine gave her a sideways glance, taking in her dishelved state and inquired, "Are you okay, Jeannie?"
She smiled at him the same warm way she had to Jubilee and stated in a confident tone she didn't entirely feel, "I'm fine Logan." Logan stared at her until she became uncomfortable enough to embilish. With a partailly annoid sigh she continued, "It would appear Gambit's mind was a bit annoyed at being tricked into getting stabbed. He subconsiously set up shields to prevent himself from getting hurt again. I was an unwelcome presence in his head and so was seen as a threat. In response his shields snapped up around me, effectively trapping me in place. I was lucky he recognised me and reached out for me. Otherwise..." She trailed off contemplating.
"Otherwise what?" Angel inquired.
Jean shrugged dismissively, "There's no telling really what would have happened."
"Fascinating. What clues then did you have that he was disoriented?"
Jean blinked at Hank. It seemed to her an odd question. Clues that someone was disorientated? "In the true sense of the word, he simply didn't know where he was," Stating the first thing her tired sarcastic mind brought to the surface. She understood that Hank was just trying to do his job but took the remark as a slight at her ability to judge another person. Being a telepath it was something she prided herself at being good at.
Voices flooded the room cutting off any response Hank might have made.
"I've got a better question. WHY was he here in the first place?"
"Iceman is correct. Gambit had no right to come back here after what he did."
"Growwwlll... No more then you Joseph."
Bobby crossed his arms and stared at Wolverine. "Growl?" He repeated in a mocking tone.
Ignoring Bobby's comment Joseph's left eyebrow twitched up and he looked inquisitively at Wolverine. "I assure you that I am no longer the man you clain I once was. The sins of my past in no way reflect on the man I am today."
At that Jean cut in a calm, quiet anger hinted at in her characteristically sweet voice. "I assure you that your redemption is no different than Gambit's. I can feel what he feels for all of us and I know what he has in his heart for this entire team. The ONLY difference between your past and his is that not only does he REGRET the choices he made, but he has tried every day since that one flaw in judgement to set straight his wrongs. At least he feels grief for what he did and is trying to REPENT for those sins unlike SOME people I know, who chose to IGNORE a past instead of FACING it."
Joseph opened his mouth as if to reply. He gazed at Jean and saw the tightly controled anger eminating from her features and then closed it with a snap of his teeth, realising she had a point he couldn't argue.
Jean turned calmly around, taking the silence as a victory and walked out the door. Warren pushed right up against the frame so that she didn't hit him as she stormed out. "If anybody needs me I'll be in the War Room."
"Remind me to stay out of the War Room for the next hour or so," Warren commented to Hank, who was the closest to him at the time.
"Perhaps someone should venture after to speak with her." Hank replied thoughtfully turning to the others for support.
Shortly following Iceman slapped him on the back and said, "Thanks for volunteering furball."
Hank looked at his best friend caught in an unusual loss for words and sighed. "You owe me BIG time Popsicle. And I mean BIG!" He took one last look at Cecilia to confirm that she could handle the situation and headed towards the War Room.
Marrow entered the room before the door had even closed. "What's stuck up the red head's ass?" She commented casually, then she looked up at all the people in the room. She quirked at the number of people overcrowded in the room and noticed the various bandaged X-Men. "Did all the pretty upworlders fall and scrape their knees?"
"Marrow, as you can tell it is very busy in here right now. If you are not injured I suggest you leave." Cecilia replied firmly. It was hard to tell if the stress was getting to her, if she didn't like Marrow or if she was just a mean person. By any means it was a lie. Gambit was the only serious patient right now, what with Wolverine already healing and Bobby's injuries not being that severe.
"What de...?" Gambit muttered to no one in particular reaching for the bandages on his eyes.
"What are you doing?" Angel asked coming towards him more to get away from Marrow then out of actual concern.
Gambit got up and walked towards him, stumbling a little from his wounds and squinting from the sudden light. Cecilia caught him before he could fall and helped him to stand, when he refused to be lead back towards the bed. "C'rebro? Intruders..." He muttered.
That got the others attention they all stood up and got ready for an attack.
"Cerebro, locate the intruders..." Wolverine growled. "Cerebro? respond!"
...
"Shit! Gambit what's going on? How many? Where are they coming from?"
For now Wolverine seemed inclined to trust Gambit. He had known after all when his brother, Henri, had broken in before anyone else even had a clue. Wolverine decided that there was no reason not to believe him now.
His gesture of trust did not go unnoticed by Gambit. For a moment, he just blinked at him, trying to get his bearings on what was happening around them. "Too many." He finally answered.
"Can you estimate?" Joseph asked, inclined at least to trust his judgement even if he did not the man himself. If there was one thing that Remy LeBeau was good at it was protecting his ass.
Remy sighed and closed his eyes again. His brows dipped and his forehead creased as sweat droplets appeared on it. Then his eyes snapped open, "Get DOWN!" He yelled but he was too late.
The door cracked open and a grenade bounced into the room oozing an odd green gas. As one fell in front of Gambit he fell back into the doctor's arms as both stumbled and gagged, falling to the floor. Angel stood in front of them and swept at the gas with his wings, rushing the door.
At that same time the door flew open and the room was bombarded with weapons fire. Through the sounds and confusion of the explosions and gun fire Gambit looked up to see a tall man dressed in a S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. He was sure he had seen him before. Just as Gambit concentrated on putting a name to the face the agent yelled to them all, "Good Bye X-Men! I'll see you in HELL!"
Cecilia held onto Gambit as tight as she could, terrified and yet somehow clarified at the same time. She realised with asick clairity that her mutant power would be able to protect her, but Gambit would burn to death unless somehow she could extend those accursed shields around him too.
Hell in deed... She thought ironically, holding on stronger to the frail form in her arms.
Risking a glance up she noticed that it was working. Gambit held tight to her arms in a pained sickly determination. The heat was almost too much to bear but outside the shields she was willing to bet it was a LOT hotter.
"Chere?"
She heard his cajun voice and looked down at him. His eyes were filled with tears and she had to wonder if she was holding him too tight.
No that's stupid. The alternative is MUCH worse.
"Chere?" He repeated more urgently.
"Yes?" she asked putting her head down on his shoulder. Tears spilling down her cheeks.
He sivered as if a deep cold had seeped into his soul and grabbed hold of his heart. He paused for what seemed an eternity before responding "...Neve'mind."
She considered him. "You can tell something about the people around you right?" He nodded. "The others?" She asked almost afraid of what the answer would be.
"Iceman got t' Warren an' Sarah b'fore de fire hit an' Joseph got up a shield 'round Lee..." He trailed off, swallowing another mouthfull of searing air.
Cecilia nodded. "The others?"
"Wolverine is..." He broke into uncontrolled sobs. "De others upstairs... Dey're just... It's... I can' feel dem anymore. Dey're just... gone."
"No."
TBC...