The adults turned and looked at Remy, who was leaning in the doorway with a relieved look on his face. He knew that his cousin was injured, but was otherwise okay, at least physically. Emotionally, maybe not, but Remy couldn't tell just then. He needed to speak with Emil first and get to the bottom of his wayward younger cousin's sudden trip to Westchester.

"What can you tell us about him Remy? Do you know him?" Professor Xavier asked.

Remy chuckled. "Know 'im? You could say dat, Professor. He's my cousin. An' one of de best friends I've ever had. He's also de reason I wasn' payin' much 'tention in class today, but I'd rather not get into dat. It ain' important."

"What's his name?" Jean asked, looking sympathetically down at the still-unconscious Emil's bruised face.

"His name is Emil." Remy replied. "An' I'm willin' to bet dere's a whole lotta people down in Nawlins worried sick 'bout 'im, too. Dey ain' gon' be surprised...mon cousin tends to act impulsively...but dey will be worried. I'll have to call 'em later an' tell 'em he's okay." He looked at Hank. "He is okay, right...?"

"Well he got beaten up very badly, we're not really sure why, to be honest with you Remy. But yes, he is okay. Or he will be, with rest and nourishment." Hank replied.

"I'm curious as to why he's here and why he got beaten up in the first place." Scott commented.

"When he wakes up, I'll find out an' be sure to let you know." Remy's voice was slightly sarcastic. Whatever had brought Emil to Westchester was Guild business and that wasn't something to be openly shared with non-Guild members.

"We do have a right to know these things...we don't know what we're getting into, having him here." Scott retorted. "He may be your cousin, Remy, but he could be dangerous and you could be keeping that fact from us."

Remy rolled his eyes, prompting Professor Xavier to shoot him a warning glance. "He ain' dang'rous, Scott, don' worry 'bout dat."

Scott was about to say something else when they were interrupted by movement and a slight groan on the bed beside them. Emil was regaining consciousness, much to Remy's unspoken relief. The assembled X-Men started to move closer to the bed, but Remy stopped them.

"Don' get too close to 'im...y'ain' fam'ly an' he's gon' be disoriented an' prob'ly more'n a little spooked once he fully wakes up."

Emil groaned again, his voice cracking, as he struggled to open his eyes and focus on his surroundings. When he caught sight of the group of strangers in the room with him, he nearly panicked. He tried to sit up, to find a means of escape, but failed, crying out in pain his body caused him when he moved too much. It occurred to him that he was at the Xavier Institute, because one of the strangers was obviously a mutant...or else the result of a science experiment that went horribly wrong. Then he saw Remy hovering near the rest of them and sighed with relief.

"Remy..." Emil choked out. Remy moved so Emil could see him without having to move and even from the distance of a few feet, when Remy's red eyes locked onto Emil's blue ones, the knowledge was instantly shared. Something very serious had happened and Emil, having nowhere else to go, had come to Remy for help.

"It'll be okay, Lapin. I promise." Remy assured his cousin softly.

Emil shook his head slightly, unsure if Remy could keep that promise, when he didn't know what the trouble was to begin with. He tried to move again and winced in pain. His actions brought Hank closer. "You have some serious bruising and swelling on your face and your stomach, young man. I can give you some painkillers to help if you wish."

Emil looked questioningly at Remy. Remy smiled and nodded. "It's okay, Emil. He's a doctor, an' a damned good one at dat."

With a small frown, Emil looked back at Hank, who looked more like a character out of a fantasy story or a video game than a doctor, with his blue fur and general beast-like appearance and then raised his eyebrows at Remy. "You're kiddin', right?"

"Actually, he isn't." Hank replied. "My name is Dr. Henry McCoy and I can assure you he is not lying."

Emil sighed. "In dat case, painkillers would be good, t'anks..."

Hank brought two small white pills and a glass of water to Emil's bedside and waited for the teenager to sit up before handing them to him. Emil dutifully swallowed the pills and drained the glass for good measure. When he was done, he took the opportunity to get a better look at the other people in the room.

Aside from himself, Remy and Hank, there was a tall, slim man with brown hair wearing what appeared to be red-tinted sunglasses. To his left, there was an older, bald man in the coolest looking mode of transportation Emil had ever seen aside from a Stealth bomber. Standing closer to the bed was a slight young woman with red hair who looked so kind and concerned that it almost made Emil blush. And, leaning in the doorway where Remy had been earlier, was a short, stocky man with wild dark hair and a scowl on his hardened face.

Remy saw that his cousin was studying the other people there and chuckled. "I s'pose you should be introduced to dem, neh? De man in de hoverchair is Professor Charles Xavier, de man who started dis here school dat you're in. Next to him is Scott Summers. De lovely lady beside you is Jean Grey, an'..." He noticed Logan for the first time and grinned. "De man in de doorway is Logan."

"Bonjour..." Emil said.

"We won't try to find out why you're here in the first place," Professor Xavier said with a smile. "Because Remy has made it clear that's his job and we'll respect that. However, do you know who beat you up so badly?"

"Dunno who dey were...four guys...little older'n Remy an' me...but I do know why." Emil answered frankly. "Dey don' like mutants."

"But you're not a mutant." Jean interjected.

Emil looked at her. "I know. I told dem dat too, so dey asked me why I was comin' here den, if I wasn' a mutant, an' I told dem it was b'cause my cousin's here. So dey beat me up b'cause Remy's my cousin an' jus' happens to be a mutant. It's so stupid..."

"What do you mean?" Scott asked.

"I don' really see de reason for all dis hatred...Tante Mattie an' my father always taught me to be tolerant...I look at all'a you guys an' I know dat somehow you're all mutants, jus' like Remy is, but I don' see it dat way. T'me you're all human bein's, you're jus' diff'rent. An' it don' make you any better or worse dan me...but so many people don' see it dat way..."

The X-men stood in silence for a moment, letting Emil's words sink in. Professor Xavier looked at Emil, kindness in his eyes. "If more people thought the way you do, there wouldn't be so much hatred in this world."

Emil smiled briefly for the first time in over twenty-four hours. "Je sais."

"Uhm, guys? If you don' mind, I'd like to talk to my cousin alone." Remy said.

"Alright." Jean said, moving over and walking out of the MedLab with Scott. They were preceded by Logan, who had only really been there because he followed Remy after the latter's training session was over. Professor Xavier followed them and Hank smiled.

"I'll be in my office, with the door closed. If either of you need me, just come get me."

"T'anks Hank." Remy smiled in return. He was grateful that they were respecting his wishes. He knew that Emil wouldn't say a word about what was really going on if any of them were within earshot. Once they were officially alone, Remy turned to his cousin. "Okay, Lapin, spill it."

Emil looked at Remy, finally allowing his grief to show in his eyes. He had been doing his best to hide it from the others, and it hadn't been easy, but he hoped he'd succeeded. "My father's dead, Remy..." With those words, everything he'd kept bottled up all day while he traveled came spilling out with the tears from his eyes.

Remy's jaw dropped in shock. He sat down on the bed beside Emil and put an arm around his best friend's shaking shoulders. "What? What happened?"

Emil took several deep breaths but was uanble to speak for a few moments. Remy waited patiently, knowing how difficult all this was for Emil. Finally, Emil spoke again, explaining his story to Remy around his quiet sobs.

"Was comin' home from de library las' night after finishin' up dat hackin' program I been workin' on...an' when I got dere, I heard Papa an' Uncle Marcel fightin'...you know how dey're always doin' dat...dey didn' know I was dere...Papa said somethin' dat really made Uncle Marcel angry...an' he pulled a knife outta his uniform...an'...he stabbed Papa in de heart..."

Emil completely broke down at that point, rocking back and forth on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably as if his heart was broken. Remy, feeling helpless and angry at the same time could do nothing except wrap his arms around his cousin and let him grieve. But he knew that wasn't everything.

"Dat's not de whole story, is it..."

Valiantly trying to regain his composure again, Emil shook his head, his blue eyes swimming with salty tears that were leaving tracks down his bruised face. "Non...Uncle Marcel caught me...knew I'd seen everythin'...said if I told anyone in de Guild de truth 'bout what happened...he'd kill me too...I didn' know where else to turn...Remy...I'm scared..."

"Does anybody know you came here?" Remy had to ask. He was afraid that Emil had run off without telling anybody and that they were all over the place searching for him.

Emil nodded. "I'm implusive, Remy, but I'm not stupid..." He sniffled. "I left a note for your father, tellin' him where I was goin', even if I didn' tell him why...also told him Tante Mattie prob'ly knew what had really happened...so even if Uncle Marcel lied...which I know he did...dey prob'ly know de diff'rence by now...but...Remy...what if he comes after me...?"

Remy's red eyes flashed dangerously. "I ain' gon' let him hurt you, Emil, you know dat. An' I may have been kicked outta de Guild but dey'll all back me up on protectin' you too, so you don' have to worry. But I do have to call dem...tell dem you're okay..."

Emil sighed. "I know."

Remy grabbed the phone off a nearby table and brought it over to Emil's bed. He turned it on and dialed the number. The library was the only section of the Thieves Guild underground home that had a phone, and that was only because Minister Tome had stolen it and the line that went with it. The phone company never could figure out what had happened or where the phone line was being used at. It baffled them enough that they eventually gave up trying to figure it out.

Within minutes, Tome had picked up the phone. Several other members of the Guild were there, waiting breathlessly, praying that Remy or Emil was on the other end of the line. "Hello?" He sounded gruff and mean even when he answered the phone.

Remy rolled his eyes and Emil giggled, knowing that Tome had picked up the phone. "Bonjour Minister Tome. Dis is Remy. May I speak wit' my father, s'il vous plait?"

"Oui." Tome replied and handed the receiver to Jean-Luc. "C'est Remy. He wants to speak wit' you."

"T'ank God..." Jean-Luc breathed, taking the phone. "Remy? Please tell me Emil's dere..."

"Yeah, Papa, he's here. Got beaten up by some guys but he'll be okay."

"Can I talk to him?" Jean-Luc asked hopefully.

"Sure." Remy handed the phone to Emil.

Emil, his hand shaking, reached up and took the receiver from Remy. He wasn't entirely sure if Jean-Luc was angry at him for leaving or if he was just relieved he was okay or both. On top of that, he was wondering if the truth was out and what they were going to do with Marcel as punishment. "I'm sorry..." he whispered into the phone.

"Don' be sorry, child. You've done nothin' wrong." Jean-Luc assured his nephew.

"Do you know...?"

Jean-Luc sighed. "Oui. He tried to tell us de Assassins did it, but you were right, Tante Mattie did know better. Dat fact explained why you left in such a hurry wit'out sayin' why. She told us 'bout him threatenin' you...everythin'. Are you okay?"

Emil shook his head even though his uncle couldn't see him. "Non...not really..." He whispered. "What're you gon' do wit' him...?"

"He's been kicked out of de Guild, Emil. As soon as I found out what he'd done, I called an emergency meetin' of de High Council an' we immediately voted to excommunicate him." Jean-Luc confirmed. "I arranged to have him followed, to make sure he didn't go after you up dere, so don't worry 'bout dat."

"Okay..."

"Since it's Friday now, why don' you stay up dere wit' Remy for de weekend?" Jean-Luc suggested, thinking that spending some time with Remy might help ease Emil's pain and fear somewhat. "I'll come up on Sunday to bring you home."

"Okay..." Emil said again. "Remy'll have to ask first, t'ough..."

"Of course. May I talk to him again?"

"Uh-huh." Emil handed the phone back to Remy. "D'you t'ink dey'd mind if I stayed de weekend?"

"Doubt it." Remy took the phone. "Oui Papa?"

"Marcel's been excommunicated an' is bein' followed to make sure he doesn' try to go after Emil. I've suggested, if it's okay wit' de teachers dere of course, dat Emil stay wit' you for de weekend, an' I'll come up on Sunday to pick him up. Are you okay wit' dat, mon fils?"

"Sure. Dey won' mind. I t'ink dey kinda like him already to be honest. But if dey do, I'll call you back." Remy agreed. "An' if Marcel does come here, don' worry...I already promised Emil I wouldn' let him hurt him."

"Bien. I'll talk to you soon, Remy. Take care of him for us."

Remy hung up the phone and smiled at Emil. "Looks like you're under Hank's care for de weekend."

"What if dey say no?"

"Dey won'. You're more charmin' dan I am...had 'em all hooked when you were talkin' 'bout bein' tolerant. But jus' to be sure..." Remy got up and went over to the intercom system near the door, pushing a button. "Professor?"

"Yes Remy?" The Professor's voice came clearly over the system.

"Is it okay if Emil stays here for de weekend? My father will come to pick him up on Sunday."

"Certainly, Remy. We'd be glad to have him."

"T'anks." Remy winked at Emil as he turned off the intercom. "Told ya."

Emil crossed his eyes. "Yeah whatever." His stomach growled loudly and they both laughed. "I haven' eaten since lunchtime..."

"Well, if you're up for a little walk, I could take you on a little tour of de mansion on our way to de kitchen for a late night snack." Remy suggested as they were joined by Hank, who had decided it was time to come out of his office to make sure everything was okay.

Emil looked at Hank. "Can I? I'm really hungry."

Hank smiled. "If you're feeling okay enough, I don't see why not. Just no running or otherwise over-stimulating activity."

"Got it." Emil replied, getting up with only a slight wince. The painkillers were working.

Fifteen minutes later, Emil and Remy were seated at the kitchen table making...and eating...peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and reminiscing over their childhood together. Before too long, Emil started yawning in spite of himself and he smiled sadly at Remy.

"Now dat I'm full, I'm suddenly tired, go figure..." He said. "Can we go back to de MedLab now...?"

"Sure."

As they walked back to the MedLab in silence so they wouldn't disturb anybody, Emil couldn't help thinking about how lucky he was that he had Remy to turn to when he needed help. Once he was settled back in bed, he voiced his gratitude to his cousin.

"Hey Remy? T'anks for bein' here...for always bein' here...whenever I need you. You're de best friend I could have."

Remy smiled at Emil. "What goes 'round comes 'round, Lapin, you know dat. For as long as we've known each other, you've always been dere for me. Always been on my side even when no one else was. You're my best friend an' my cousin. It only make sense dat I be dere for you too. No matter what. Now get some sleep."

Emil smiled and closed his eyes. "You too..." He murmured before drifting off into a dreamless slumber.

Remy watched his cousin sleep for a few moments before settling down in a rather uncomfortable chair nearby and closing his own eyes. He knew Emil was safe, but just to be sure, he wasn't going to leave his side until Jean-Luc arrived to pick him up in two days' time. And if Marcel made any attempt to attack Emil, Remy was going to see to it that it didn't happen. He would keep his word and protect his friend from any danger that might threaten him.

CHAPTER FOUR

BACK