Disclaimer: Any characters
previously mentioned in a Marvel Comic, I do not own. Marvel does. I’m not
making money off of this.
One Step Forward, Two
Steps Back
Part Two
‘What you doin’ here
LeBeau? You mus’ be outta your t’ievin’ mind.’
Remy quietly paced back and
forth outside the apartment door.
‘Dis is stupid! I’m
outta here!’
He got three steps away
from the door before he stopped and dropped his head.
‘Coward.’
He turned and went back to
the door.
‘3… 2… 1…’
{KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK}
‘Now run, you fool.’
He never got the chance.
The music and voiced quieted and the door opened. A beautiful middle aged woman
stood there and smiled.
"Hello, Merry
Christmas."
"H—hello." He
stuttered. ‘It’s her…’
"May I help you?"
She asked, still smiling.
"Uh, I, uh… My name’s
Remy LeBeau, ma’am. I’m—I’m lookin’ for someone. Uh, Danielle LaRoche?"
"You’ve found
her."
Remy was suddenly having a
difficult time breathing. It did not go unnoticed.
"Are you
alright?" She stepped forward and touched one of Remy’s hands.
"Why, you’re an ice
cube! Come in."
Remy was cold, mostly
because before he was pacing in front of this door, he had spent twenty minutes
pacing in the snow in front of the apartment building.
"T’anks." He said
stepping inside.
There were several other
people in the room. Three men, two women and a little girl who looked to be
around two or three years old. They were decorating the apartment and tree in
holiday flavor.
‘Oh, boy.’
"Ma, who’s this?"
Asked one of the men. He had a friendly but questioning smile.
"This is Mr.
LeBeau."
"A little dark out for
sunglasses, Mr. LeBeau." The man said extending his hand, which Remy
shook.
"Sensitive eyes."
Remy said, with a shy grin.
"This is my eldest
son, John." Mrs. LaRoche said. "So, Mr. LeBeau, how can I help… you?
H-have we met before? You look awfully familiar."
"I—uh, well."
Remy shook his head. "I’m sorry. Dis was a mistake." He turned to the
door."
"Wait." She held
out her hand to stop him. "You came here. You must have wanted
something."
Remy turned to face her
again.
"I—I jus’ t’ink maybe
dis was bad timing." He motioned towards the tree. "What with the
holidays an’ all. Didn’ want to bring up anyt’ing… well…"
"Well, now I have to
know. You’ve peeked my curiosity. Out with it."
Remy sighed.
"Ma’am, um, did you,
um." {SIGH} "Some years ago, did you file a report for a missing
child…? A baby?"
There was a crash from the direction
of the tree. One of the ladies had dropped a glass ornament and was staring at
him, as were everyone else in the room.
He turned back to Mrs.
LaRoche who was standing frigidly still, her face a frozen mask. Only her eyes
indicated that Remy had hit a nerve.
She swallowed with some
difficulty.
"Yes, I did.
Twenty-five years ago." She spoke in a low, steady voice. "My last
child was stolen from my hospital room in the middle of the night. He was two
days old. I was supposed to take him home the next morning…"
"What’s this
about?" John asked more sternly.
"You’re a cop,
right?" One of the other men said. "Let me guess. The statute of
limitation is up and you want to dump the file."
"There is no statute
of limitation on a kidnapping, Steven." The woman who had dropped the
ornament hissed.
"Maybe they found the
body." John muttered.
"John!" The other
woman reprimanded.
"Non, non! It’s
nothin’ like dat."
"Then what is this
about Mr. LeBeau?" Danielle LaRoche asked, her voice still low and steady.
"…I…"
Remy shook his head. ‘No
turnin’ back.’
He cautiously reached up
and removed his dark glasses. His eyes remained closed. Remy faced Mrs. LaRoche
again, then slowly opened them.
Danielle gasped and took a
step back, her and covered her mouth.
"I t’ink… dat I’m
d’one you been lookin’ for." He said turning around so the others could
see. Their reactions were similar to Danielle’s.
"Daddy what’s wrong
with his eyes?" The little girl asked John.
"I…" This time it
was John’s turn to be speechless.
Remy closed his eyes and
shook his head slightly.
"Dis was a mistake. I
shouldn’t a’ come. I’m sorry." He tried to leave again, but Mrs. LaRoche
ran in front of him.
"No! Please…" She
hesitantly put her hand up to his face, as though if she touched him, he would
disappear. "Are you really…?"
"How…"
"I don’t believe
this…"
"Weren’t dat easy for
me either."
"Jason… You look like
Jason, my younger brother. He died years ago, but you… you look just like
him."
She studied his face
carefully then her eyes flickered over towards his left ear.
"I’ve got
d’mark." He said sensing what she was thinking. He folded his ear down to
show her. "See."
Mrs. LaRoche gasped again,
then through her arms around Remy.
"My baby! My baby, my
baby." She whispered over and over again.
Remy cautiously brought his
own arms around the now weeping woman.
‘Dis ain’t happening. I
hug her, and she disappear.’
But he did… and she didn’t.
"Daddy, is he hurting
Grandma?" The little girl asked.
"No Cindy."
"Then why is she
crying?"
"She’s happy."
"…I don’t
understand."
"Neither do I
honey." He said picking up the girl. "I think that this is going to
take a little explaining."
* * * * *
"Henry."
Hank jumped and fumbled the
beaker he was holding like a football. He caught it before it hit the floor.
"I think we should
hold a contest to determine which one of you moves the more stealthily, Ororo:
you or Logan?"
"I apologize for…
um…" She shook her head. "…startling you… Henry."
"Ororo?"
She made certain the door
behind her was closed, then sat down on one of the stools next to a lab table.
There was a folder in her hand.
‘She looks far too
tired.’ "I
heard about what happened in the Danger Room the other day. How are you
feeling?"
Ororo gave a weak smile.
"Poorly. But… I am afraid the cause began long before this morning’s
exercise."
"Really?"
He waited for him to
continue. Instead, she held the folder out to him. He took hold of it but she
held on.
"Henry, as a
physician, I will expect full confidentiality with this."
"Of course, Ororo. You
know me well enough not to have to question that."
She nodded and released the
form. Picking up a glass stir-stick, she watched her hand as she twirled it
between her fingers over the table. She did not wish to see Henry read her
file.
He read silently for a few
minutes, then slapped the file close. He hopped off his stool and went to one
of his computers, frantically typing away.
Eyes still glued on the
twirling stick as her arm rested on the table, Ororo sighed.
"Henry…"
"We can start you on
Grohyden Trioxiden. It’s a new treatment, but it has been giving excellent
results." He wasn’t looking at her either.
"Hank…"
"I don’t have the
medical ingredients in the right dosage, but I can have them sent over from NYU
right away."
"Hank." She
finally looked up at him.
"At this advanced
stage…"
"Hank!" She
clapped a hand on his shoulder and turned him to face her.
"I am dying. And there
is nothing you or anyone else can do to stop it."
"Well, I suppose I
should be honored you decided to share these results with me. Since you
obviously didn’t have enough faith in my medical ability to come to me with
this in the first place!"
"It wasn’t like that
Hank, I swear it! I have every faith in your abilities. You are a brilliant
scientist and doctor."
She took a breath.
"But you are also a
close friend. When my health started to fail and I began to suspect… I did not
want to put you through needless worry. Not unless there was reason. I did not
want to see you look at me the way you are now, unless it was absolutely
necessary."
Hank sat back down on his
stool.
"I’m sorry, Ororo.
That was completely unprofessional of me."
"No apologies are
needed my friend."
He flipped open the folder
again. "Dr. Martin. He’s very good."
"He said the same
about you."
"You do play the odds
Ororo. An adult mutant with Cancer – Striker’s Leukemia, the rarest, most
vicious and most recently discovered form. Your, x-factor gene is mutating the
disease. You fight against the dangers of the universe and come out virtually
unscaved… and this…"
Ororo gave a weak smile.
"Everything happens for a reason, Henry."
"I can find no reason
in this." He said abruptly, shaking his head and tossing the folder down
onto the table. They were both silent for a moment.
"Why have you come to
me Ororo? If you do not want treatment, why come to me?"
Ororo folded her hands
slowly.
"I… need you to give
me something for the pain, the dizzyness. Nothing too strong mind you, I would
like to keep my head about me."
She inhaled deeply.
"I… thought, I could handle it… but it is getting progressively worse. My
concentration is faltering. There are… things… that I need to take care of. I
need to set things in order."
"I… can have something
for you within the hour."
She nodded.
"I can’t believe I’m
having this conversation with you." He rubbed his eyes. "I don’t want
to believe this is happening."
"Please Henry. Do not
bury yourself in a cloud of doubt. I need you here."
She hugged him tightly.
He returned the hug.
"I shall be here fair lady. For as long as you need me."
"That is all I ask. Well…
that and if you could possibly withhold this information from the others… for
as long as possible."
"…Aye, for as long as
possible. My word lady."
* * * * *
"Good morning,
Rem—whoo!"
"Mornin’ Stormy!"
"Remy, Please…"
"Huh? Sorry. Hey, you okay?
You don’ look so hot."
"I am fine. It is just
when you spin me around like that… so early in the morning."
"Sorry. I’m jus’
happy. You sure you okay?"
"I am still standing,
am I not? I take it things went well last evening."
"Better dan dat.
Perfect! It was amazing! I met ma mere… plus I got two older brothers an’ an
older sister. Also got a niece. She t’ree years old. You gotta meet my ma,
Stormy. She beautiful like an angel, smart she got a sharp wit and a tongue to
match…"
"I am starting to see
the resemblance."
Remy stopped walking and
Storm did likewise. His face was dead serious.
"She never stopped
wantin’ t’find me, Stormy. She never gave up on me. Ain’t nobody ever care
‘bout me like dat Stormy… ‘cept for you ‘course. Everyone else at one time or
ano’der, dey give up. From Jean Luc to… Rogue. But dis lady don’ know me five
minutes an’ I can see it. Can’t do no wrong in dis woman’s eyes."
"Is that not what
mothers are for?"
He grinned.
"I wan’ you t’meet
her."
"O-of course. But do
you not think you should get to know her a little more first? Spend a
little time with her."
"Mmm. Maybe."
"Gambit? You’re
actually on time for a morning session?"
Cyclops and Phoenix, coming
from the opposite direction, met up with Storm and Gambit, right in front of the
Danger Room doors.
"Cyke, Jean. Jus’ the
folks I wanted t’see."
"Really?" They
could see his right eyebrow raise above his visor.
"Yeah, really. I
wanted t’thank you. Both of you."
"For what?"
"Remy has found his
mother."
"Wit d’info y’all gave
me, didn’ take more’n a few clicks t’find her. She livin’ in the city now.
‘Bout an hour away."
"Remy that’s
wonderful!"
"Is that where you
were all evening?"
"Yeah. Met my whole
family too."
"I don’t think I’ve
ever seen you smile so much Remy." Jean said.
Remy shrugged happily.
"What can I say? I feel good. You ready t’go trash some robots
Stormy?"
"Actually, I shall be
monitoring today. Logan will be replacing me as field leader."
Remy knitted his brow
questioning. "Okay… So you be my angel over d’battlefield den, neh?"
"Always."
To Be Continued…