Please be warned, this story
contains adult themes of violence, m/m sex, rape etc. Please only read this if you are of a suitable age, and are not
easily offended.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"SOME SACRIFICE'S ARE
WORTH THE WORLD"
By Firesong@ukonline.co.uk
Part
One:
Remy
LeBeau ran in terror, his heart beating so hard and fast that he thought it
would burst through his chest. His
breath coming in gasps because of the pain in his side. His legs felt like jelly and his mind raced
with fear. The white corridors he ran
through seemed identical, endless and cold.
All along the walls were liquid filled cubicles, each containing a
version of him. Each clawing at the
glass to get out, their eyes burning red till they almost glowed. He could feel their burning with hatred for
him, their only thoughts were to get out and tear him to pieces. He could hear laughter and echoing footsteps
all around him that just got nearer and nearer no matter which way the Cajun
ran.
He suddenly slipped and landed face
first on the cold hard floor. He
scrambled to get up, but his legs were shaking so much they wouldn't respond. His whole chest screamed in agony through
lack of air. His lungs working
furiously to give him that air but the efforts were not enough. His body screamed for rest, but the
adrenaline just shot through him again giving him the energy to push himself
back on his feet and resume the run.
His mind worked only on instinct and fear. Must get away! Can't let em 'ave me again! Got t' get away! He looked over his shoulder to see their shadows behind
him. They were not running. It almost seemed as if they were just
standing still, but their shadows just stretched along the ground towards
him. He tripped again and fell
forwards, strong arms wrapped around him pinning his own to his side, but
stopping his fall. Remy twisted and
kicked, trying to scream, but nothing came out. He didn't want to look up into the face of his captor, he only
wanted to escape. Then there were more
hands, touching him, and pulling on his hair, his clothes, and his very soul.
------------------------------------
His eyes opened, his head beaded in
sweat and the only face he could see weren't filled with hatred, just fear and
concern. The man was shaking him, by
the shoulders but stopped as soon as he realized Gambit was awake. His left eye was bruised and puffy. "Hey Rem, you o.k.?" His voice was gruff but made all the fear
from his nightmare disappear. He
wrapped his arms round his waist, pressing himself against his chest, and the
tears fell down his face as he sobbed.
Wolverine wrapped his arms round the Cajun and rocked him gently. His hand moving briefly to his face to feel
the bruise on his eye, where Remy had hit him.
Every night this week Remy had been screaming in his sleep, and into the
early hours of the morning he'd had to cradle him and console him. He stroked the long reddish brown hair out
of Remy's face and tenderly wiped the tears from his eyes. "Ya should talk to me. Tell me what yer keep having bad dreams
about, and mebbe I can help ya." He whispered, but as always the young man
shook his head. Logan felt Remy's
forehead and sighed deeply. He was
burning hot. The door opened quietly but Logan could smell at least four of the
other x-men outside the room. Jean
stuck her head round the door, her hair bedraggled and messy from sleep. "Is he alright?" She mouthed, her face too concerned and
worried. Logan nodded and made a
shooing motion with his hand; Jean smiled slightly and closed the door. Remy wouldn't like to know that he'd had
half the mansion woken by his cries. Logan, please come to my room. We need to talk. It was the professor. Great. Logan sighed and reached into the bedside
drawer. He pulled out some aspirin and
handed them to Remy. He hated giving
them to him but it was the only way to get him off to sleep quickly after these
bad nightmares. The Cajun sat up a
moment to take them with some water that he kept by the bed, and settled back
down on his side to sleep. His legs
pulled up so his chin was almost touching his knees. Logan lay next to him, careful not to lie on his waist length
hair, and put an arm over Remy’s slender waist. He rested his chin on the top
of Remy's head. "I'm sorry
Logan." Remy said sleepily.
"Don't
worry about it kid." He could
smell the coconut from Remy's shampoo and the salt from his tears. It was a strange combination. He waited until Remy's breathing had
softened, knowing that he was asleep.
Logan carefully moved his arm and rolled out of bed. He took one last look at the Cajun and left
the room, taking a cigar from his dressing gown pocket with him.
Bobby Drake was outside. His white pajamas had little blue elephants
all over. "Nice PJ's." He walked off towards the professor's room,
but Bobby stepped in front of him.
"I thought Jean told you to go back to bed. This aint no freak show." He growled.
"I
can stay with him if you want?"
Bobby offered. Wolverine rolled
his eyes and tried to walk round him, but the iceman wouldn't let him. "He should have someone with him you
know."
"Well,
I'll only be a minute. So there's no
point." Wolverine looked at him,
and grabbed his shoulder pushing him out of the way. "If ya want. Stand
outside his door and if ya hear anythin' come and get me. Don't...." He raised his fist at Bobby, his claws popping out. "Go in there." Bobby nodded, not phased in the least buy
Logan's unspoken threat and walked back to Remy's room.
The professor sat in his chair, hands
clasped round a warm cup of coffee, when Logan entered. "Whatcha
want?" Logan sat the chair
opposite. "Aint it a little for ya
ta be givin sermons?" Charles
offered him drink of coffee from the machine, but Logan shook his head.
"I
wish to speak to you about Gambit."
"Why
don't cha just talk to the swamp rat yerself, bub" Wolverine was tired. Lack of sleep over the past week was making
him short tempered. "I
have." The professor sighed, and
sipped his coffee. "His decision
was not what I'd hoped for. I was
hoping that you would convince him otherwise."
"I
aint gonna make 'im do nothin' he don't wanna do." Wolverine snarled.
"Just
hear me out Logan, you may agree to what I offer." Logan nodded, and lit his cigar. He knew this was not going to be a pleasant
chat. "As everyone knows, Gambit
has been having some disturbing dreams lately...."
"Don't
we all, at some time." Wolverine interrupted. "I seem ta remember a time or two that you've woken everyone
up."
"Yes,
but even you have to admit that these episodes are getting worse." Charles looked gravely at him. "It is my responsibility to ensure that
you all remain healthy. Remy LeBeau is
far from that. I am aware that he is
not eating, missing danger room sessions and not going to the infirmary when
requested." Wolverine took a long
puff of his cigar, and made several smoke rings. He watched them disappear before looking and the professor. "Just coz he doesn’t jump when you say
so, don't mean he's losin' it."
"I
want you to take Gambit down to Hank tomorrow, so that he can at least be
checked over. I need to ensure that all
my x-men are well, before we engage an enemy.
We cannot protect fellow mutants and humans, if we are not well enough
to protect ourselves." Wolverine
knew that the professor had a point, but what could he do? If the professor had already spoken to gumbo
and been given a no, then nothing Logan said would make a blind bit of
difference. "I'll speak to 'im,
but if he still says no, then that's something you're gonna have to deal
with." The professor nodded in
agreement. "That's all I
ask." Wolverine got up and
finished the last of his cigar; put it out in a plant pot, before throwing the
rest in the bin.
He thought of going back to his own room to shower but though
twice about it. Bobby would still be
outside Remy's room, and it didn't make sense for both of them to be up. He enjoyed walking the mansion at
night. He could hear people sleeping in
their beds, and the sounds of the night outside. He remembered that he'd agreed to take Jubilee out and have a
picnic in the woods on one of these calm nights, but with all the stuff that
had been going on, they'd both forgotten about it. He turned the corridor to see Bobby sat on the floor, resting his
chin on his knees, dozing quietly. He
prodded him with his toe, and pulled him to his feet. "Thanks ice cube."
Bobby smiled.
"I
don't mind." Logan started to go
in, but Bobby grabbed his elbow.
"I don't mind taking turns to watch him y'know."
"I'll
think about it." He watched Bobby go before entering. Remy's room was a mess. He started tiding up, putting clothes in the
washing basket and clean clothes back in the drawers. He noticed a picture stuffed in the back of his clothes
drawer. Pulling it out he noticed it
was a picture of the team shortly after Gambit and Storm had joined them. Turning it over he noticed Remy had written
family on the back. He smiled and put
it back. Sitting down on the side of
the bed he looked to see that Remy had now spread himself over the bed. His face was calm and serene, not the look
of complete fear that he'd had earlier.
Logan took off his dressing gown and settled into the armchair opposite,
and drifted off to sleep.
------------------------------------
"I'm
telling you. He was screaming like
someone was trying to kill him!!"
Warren told Betsey over breakfast.
"What about?" Betsey
asked, finishing her toast. She only
just got back from vacation and had missed the last few events. "I don't know. He was just screaming. It's getting stupid now." Warren scowled irritably. "Every night for the last God knows how
long!"
"He
can't help it." Betsey got up and
put her plate in the sink.
"Maybe
someone ought to take him out back and shoot him. Put him out of everyone's misery." Warren added. Handing her his plate.
Remy
entered the kitchen, towel drying his long hair. He was all dressed up for a session in the danger room. Wolverine had told him that regardless of
how he was, he would drag the swamp rat there and made sure he worked. Warren looked startled for a second before
he sneered at him. "Sleep
well?" Remy put the towel into the
washing machine, and tied his hair back.
"Yeah
t'anks."
"Shame,
none of us did." Warren
pushed. Betsey tapped him on the arm.
"Stop
it Warren." She hissed.
"Non,
it's alright chere. If de winged pigeon
got somet'ing to tell Gambit, let 'im."
"I
think you need to tell us. What's
wrong? Conscience getting the best of
you?" He pushed Gambit. Backing him up against the table. Remy pushed his hands off. "All the faces of those you've betrayed
getting to you?"
"You
got no idea, o' what I done homme."
Remy grabbed Archangel by the neck and shoved him back, so he was bent
backwards over the top of the washing machine.
"When you seen de t'ings ol' Remy seen, then I guarantee, you be
havin' de bad dreams I be havin'"
Warren pulled Gambit's had off him and both of them started pushing and
swinging with fists. Remy ended up face
first on the table, with both arms pulled up behind his back, unable to twist
out. Warren kept him pinned using the
leverage on Remy's arms and his legs.
Gambit screamed at him to get off, but Warren just sneered. Bending over to whisper in his ear. "If I had things my way, you’d be out
of here traitor." Psylocke pulled
at Warren.
"Let
him go Warren! You're hurting
him." Archangel wrenched Remy's
arm up a little more, almost breaking it.
Gambit quit struggling and lay still, almost trembling beneath him. Flashes from his past, of times when he'd
been in this position before, but for other reasons. He couldn't move. Fear
and pain kept him captive. Betsey
sensed it and made more of an effort to pull Warren off. She pushed him away from Gambit and helped
Remy back to his feet. He moved away
from her touch as if it burned. Backing
into a small corner, he curled into a ball, still caught up in his memories. His face buried in his knees, sobbing
quietly. Betsey got to her knees next
to him, careful not to touch him.
Warren stood dumbfounded in the doorway. "Remy, it's me Betsey.
You're all right!"
Nothing. Fear, humiliation and
terror were all she could feel from him.
She turned to Warren. "Get
the professor, Jean, somebody!!"
"But
it was only a fight. Why's he so
upset?!" He protested.
"Just
do it?"
Warren
hit the intercom, and moments later Jean, was there. Betsey had stood next to Warren to give Jean room next to
Remy. Jean too felt what Betsey had;
the feelings were strong enough to move her to tears if she let them. She called his name, sending out feelings of
compassion and love to him. Slowly Remy
looked up at her, his eyes puffy, and still filled with so many tears. She raised a hand towards him, but did not
touch him. Remy started to reach out
for her, but then alarms went off over the whole building. The Professors voice came over the
speakers. The mansion was under
attack.
---------------------------------------