Title: Ghost
Author: Lornadane (Email)
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Ghost 4
By Lornadane
Remy Lebeau, aka Gambit, was at that moment in the rec room of the Xavier mansion with his feet kicked up casually on the coffee table and his arms crossed. The TV blared some old badly made movie, but Remy wasn't watching. His chin rested heavily on his chest and his breathing was slow and deep. He was asleep, taking a well deserved rest after a particularly rough session in the Danger Room with the love of his life, Rogue.
Without warning a hand came down on the collar of his T-shirt and he was dragged unceremoniously across the back of the couch. Remy's eyes snapped open and his arms and legs flailed wildly in surprise. He was able to yelp
out a "Que!" before being thrown at a nearby wall. Then Logan's meaty hand secured Remy's throat against the wall and his claws popped out of the other hand, the points just digging into Remy's stomach drawing blood.
"Don't even think about chargin' that card." Logan growled low and deep as he nodded toward the Ace tucked between Gambit's fingers. "You wanna bet I can't gut ya before ya let it go?"
Remy's eyes narrowed in anger, but he dropped the card. "What's dis about, mon ami?"
"I ain't your friend, you lying traitorous bastard!" Logan said. The quiet controlled tone sent a shiver down Remy's back. Logan was more dangerous at this time than in any berserker rage. "I want some answers and I want 'em
now."
Remy looked at the angry X-man in confusion. Then he shrugged. "I got nothin' ta hide, anymore. Ask what ever ya want."
"Why is Creed alive?" Logan asked, the points of his claws going a touch deeper. Remy winced and flinched back but didn't say anything. "And why did ya help him get his adamantium back?"
Remy considered lying, but knew deep down he was through with the lies. Instead he said, "Don't really t'ink it's any of your business, hein."
Logan nodded as if considering something. "I guess ya might think that, Gumbo. But ya may reconsider your answer after ya see what I got ta show ya." Releasing his hand and claws from the Cajun so fast Remy stumbled forward, he grabbed the man once again by his collar and dragged him out of the rec room.
"You're gonna come with me and if you so much as charge a piece of lint, I'll kill ya." Logan said has he pulled Remy roughly after him toward the elevator. The Cajun reached back to grab his hands trying to steady himself
as he was dragged along. Unable to understand all that was going on he took Logan's threat to heart and kept his powers in check. Besides, even though Logan was the only X-man that really made Gambit nervous, the man had
mentioned Sabertooth and his own involvement in the return of the killer's adamantium. An icy chill of foreboding was slowly creeping up his spine. Surely New Son had put the psychopath on a short leash, he tried to tell himself. But he knew very little about New Son and his motivations. Maybe he didn't care what Creed did on his off time, as long as he did what New Son wanted when he was ordered to.
Logan nearly threw Remy into the elevator and pushed the down button viscously. Catching himself against the wall, Remy steadied and looked warily at Logan.
"What 'ave you got ta show me?" He asked cautiously, in case the feral mutant decided he didn't like his tone and gutted him right then and there.
"You'll see." Logan answered harshly in a tone that suggested Remy shutup before his beserker rage kicked in. Then the doors opened and Logan grabbed his arm before the Cajun could react throwing him out and down the hall. As Remy stood up, his body belying the control on his anger, Logan pushed him roughly down the hall.
"Surveillance room," he ordered gritting his teeth.
"Okay, okay!" Remy said moving ahead just a little to keep Logan from pushing him again. He entered the darkened room and was shoved once more to the chair facing the projection console.
"Sit." Logan ordered. Remy hesitated a second too long and Logan grabbed his shoulders tightly, guiding him around the chair and shoving him down into it. As Remy made to protest, Logan reached around him and punched a button. The horrifying video evidence started to flicker in front of Gambit's eyes and he stopped in mid-protest as Sabertooth walked into the clearing.
"Non!" Remy protested as he saw the girl hoisted over Sabertooth's shoulder and the border collie being dragged along behind.
Logan stepped back and leaned against the wall. "Yep," He said, his anger barely controlled. "You saved his miserable life. Now you watch what he did to that girl. Keep your eyes open, boy. And if you so much as put a hand in front of your face I'll gladly remove it permanently."
For the next three hours Remy Lebeau sat in front of the screen cringing often, whispering "non" and "mon dieu" over and over as the tragic scene played out once again. He was so close to running from the room most of the
time that he often made a move to stand, before a strong lethal hand came down on his shoulder and a quiet angry voice would say, "Sit yer ass back down, boy."
As the woman on the video took her last breath, tears were coming freely from Lebeau. This was his doing. He'd allowed this to happen because he'd saved Sabertooth's life. How could he possibly explain? Not only to Logan but to himself. The image continued to tick away silently on the screen as even the animals of the forest appeared not to want to come near the slaughter.
Finally Logan broke the silence. "You wanna rethink your answer now?"
Remy swallowed hard and rubbed his tear-streaked face. "I.." he started and faltered. He sniffed and began again. "I needed his help. He was dyin' from de lack of de adamantium in his body and I needed his help to get into
Sinister's base."
Logan inhaled sharply and Remy turned to face him quickly putting up his hands in a negative gesture. "It's not like dat. I needed somethin' from Sinister. I wasn't goin' back to him. I'm never goin' back for his help. Ya gotta believe dat!"
"I don't have'ta believe a thing from your lyin' mouth." Logan growled.
"I swear, Logan! I swear on my tante Mattie, I t'ought I needed his help! He was dyin' so I promised to save him if he got me into de base. And New Son..."
Remy stopped as he realized what he'd just revealed. None of the X-men knew anything about New Son or the debt Remy owed the man. And they knew nothing of how he'd stolen information from Moira for New Son. This wasn't looking good. Remy closed his eyes as Logan narrowed his own. But the images of the woman played back at him against his eye lids. What did it matter now, his own sorry hide, after what that woman had been through. New Son, his thieving, his half-truths and omissions all because he owed a debt. How did this even compare to the torture and death of this one innocent woman? And all because he'd trusted New Son to keep the psychopath from killing again. He should have known. He should have let the man die in Argentina and gotten what he needed from Sinister some other way. As it turned out, Sabertooth hadn't been much help. Sinister had discovered them anyway, and Remy had had to bargain with the villain to keep the vial he had needed.
He opened his eyes and looked at Logan. With a deep sigh he began to talk, revealing everything, every minor detail since the day he'd been left to die in Antarctica. Logan let him talk, saying nothing.
When he'd finished, Remy looked down at his hands and exhaled slowly.
"So you helped him survive cause ya needed his worthless help?" Remy nodded. "And ya stole information from Moira, too?" Another nod. "All because o' some debt you owe this New Son fella?" Remy rubbed his eyes.
"Tell me somethin' Cajun..." Logan asked quietly, "Don't ya ever learn from your dealin' with devils? Did ya really believe this New Son could keep, or would *want* to keep for that matter, Sabertooth in check? Do ya even know
much about this guy you owe so much too?"
Remy shook his head.
"You're a fool, boy. You keep tryin' to walk the line between good and bad. And look what happens. An innocent woman dies." Remy shook his head. Logan pushed himself off the wall and went to stand in front of the young man. Placing his hands on the arms of the chair he leaned his face in close to Remy. "An innocent woman DIED because you THINK you can control these people you deal with!" Logan was yelling now, furious at the lame excuse, and the continued lies of his teammate. "I thought Rogue leaving ya to die in Antarctica was a truly shitty thing to do! I thought that you didn't deserve that because you were a kid when you led the Marauder's down into the Morlock tunnels! I thought you might have learned a lesson from all the crap that went down! NOW I'm beginning to think I was wrong!"
Logan shook the chair violently in his rage. "This is Sabertooth ya saved! He tore your guts out in the tunnels and left ya ta die down there! He dropped Geneviere Darceneaux to her death and almost killed your brother!" Logan
nodded as Remy's eyes grew wide. "Thought we didn't know about that didja?! Why?! Why would you be so stupid ta let him live?! I thought more of ya than that! I came to respect ya, for Christ's sakes!" Suddenly he pushed back off the chair. "Even when *I* worked with Sabertooth, I knew enough not to trust him and not to believe that anyone could keep him in check." Logan's voice had lowered. He turned away from Remy and walked to the door. Over his shoulder he said, "Well, I hope ya aren't leavin' anything out. And I hope ya got no reason to protect that psychopath, 'cause you'll only be protectin' a corpse."
Logan made to leave the room when he turned back to look a Lebeau. "Don't be here when I get back, Remy." Gambit winced at Logan's use of his given name. He never called him that unless he was serious. He was deadly serious now. "I don't intend to tell Storm or the others what you've told me. You can tell 'em yourself or not. But I don't wanna see your sorry hide at this mansion ever again." His eyes softened momentarily as he looked at Remy almost as if it hurt him to order the Cajun to leave. But then, as they moved to take in the still playing scene of the woman's decaying body, they hardened just as quickly and he stormed out of the room.