With a whoop Remy launched himself off the top of the tall pine tree. He flew through the air for a split second, almost parallel to the ground before starting to fall, catching himself on a branch from another tree and re-launching himself into a graceful parabola of flight, twisting end over end until at the last moment he straightened into a dive and let his fingertips break the calm surface of the lake.
When his head broke out of the warm water Logan was standing on the dock. The first time Logan had seem Remy�s diving trick he�d nearly shouted himself hoarse- an impressive feat for someone with healing factor. Now he had apparently decided it was a lost cause.
He satisfied himself by growling, �You�re going to catch some awful disease from that lake. It isn�t clean.�
Remy grinned. Logan, immune from disease himself, had an almost morbid fear of illness where his teammates were concerned. �Come on in Cher. The water is great.�
�No way.�
Remy gave an exaggerated sigh. �Well then I guess I will have to come to you.� He hoisted himself out onto the dock.
�Get away from me.�
Remy cooed in mock sympathy. �Oh, is poor little Logan afraid of the icky water?� He flicked a little on the other man.
�I�m warning you.� But he turned away to hide his smile and Remy took the opportunity to wrap his arms around him. �Ugh. You smell like the lake.� Remy grinned and gave him a big watery kiss on the cheek. Then he went limp and tumbled off the deck, taking the other man with him.
Logan came up spluttering. �You�re going to pay for that Cajun.�
�I don�t think so homme. First you have to catch me.� And Remy was off, cutting through the water in long strides, followed closely by Logan, laughing through gulps of air.
Later they lay out in the sun on the deck drying off. Logan looked over at the narrow body of his lover. �I didn�t know house cats liked the water.�
�Cheetah, cher. How many times I gotta tell you. Remy is a cheetah.�
�I don�t know, you purr like a big fat tom especially when I- Ahh!� Remy had pushed him off the edge of the boards.
When his head broke the water Remy�s big black and red eyes were inches from his own. The Cajun was laying stomach down on the deck his head sticking out over the water so close to Logan�s that he could feel Remy�s warm breathe on his cheek.
�I think you�re confused cher. It is you that purrs like a cat. Especially when Remy does this,� he reached out with his hands and pulled Logan�s head up to his own, catching the other man�s lip in his teeth and massaging it gently, �uh, and this,� his tongue darted in and out of Logan�s mouth, reveling in the soft, warm heat, �and especially this.� He deepened the kiss, reaching around to grab the back of Logan�s hair and pulling his hair so that Logan�s mouth was higher than his own and began sucking and nipping with animalistic intensity. Beneath him Logan moaned. He reached out his own arms and pulled the Cajun down into the water with him.
That was the last bad thing Logan ever had to say about the lake. He called Remy �tomcat� for about a week, until the Cajun caught and held him on the edge of climax for almost an hour, making him beg and scream for release and promise, swear, to never, ever say it again.
Logan loved the moments he spent with the Cajun. He loved the time talking, the times of making love and the times of good rough sex. He loved the poker games, and the nights at the bar. He loved the Cajun�s eyes when he drank, how they would get all blurry, but shift quickly from side to side, determined that no one get a beat on him.
With Remy he felt safe to relax, something about the kid calmed the beast in him in a way that even Logan didn�t understand. It was probably the empathy, he thought. The empathy combined with a wildness in the boy that mirrored his own instincts.
He loved watching Remy blossom under his care, loved the knowledge that he gave this beautiful, exotic and feisty creature something no one ever had, simple unconditional love and what comfort he could offer from the horrors of Remy�s past. It seemed like such a small payment for the hours he spent in Remy�s arms.
But Logan also liked to hunt, a lot. So when he had put it off for the first month of his and Remy�s relationship because he didn�t want to be out of the Cajun�s bed, the animal in him got antsy. Eventually Remy himself kicked Logan out.
�You go get blooded cher, work off some of this energy. I be here when you get back.� He gave him a feral smile that matched Logan�s own.
So Logan let the beast slip its chains for awhile, stalking silently through the night, cutting down prey, and feasting on the warm meat. He gloried in the taste of blood in his mouth. God he�d needed this! Sometimes it seemed like Remy knew him better than he knew himself.
The attack came from up wind and with superhuman speed. Falling back he cracked his head against a rock and lay momentarily stunned. He smelled a familiar stench in the air.
Sabertooth! He lunged up.
�What do you want punk?�
�Just a little fun.� Creed swiped at Logan�s chest. He jumped back. �I saw that the runt has got a new pet. Looks sexy. I wouldn�t mind having a poke at the little fox myself. Bet it has a nice sweet ass.�
Logan growled and lunged for Creed, but Creed was ready for him and caught him in the neck with a blow that left him stunned. Logan fell into blackness, for a second or an hour he didn�t know.
He awoke with a start. Creed was gone.
<Remy!>
He rushed back to the mansion, pushing himself to his limit, tormented by images of Remy, asleep in his bed, of Creed standing over him, of-
He thrust open the door to his room, wide eyed in fear at what he�d find there. The door banged against the wall. The hinges groaned in protest.
Remy bolted up in bed. Alone. Fine. Safe. �Cher, what�s the matter?� He gave Logan a sleepy smile, �you all worked up?� His eyes took in the blood on Logan�s claws, the sweat, the hard breathes. He paused, unsure of whether to be aroused or afraid. �Cher?�
Suddenly Logan was powerfully turned on. The beast in him rose up demanding that he claim the Cajun, mark him as his own, protect him. He crossed the room in a stride and jerked Remy to him almost violently. Remy reached towards him with passion that matched his own in intensity and together they fell on the bed, both tearing at Logan�s clothes.
�Here, let me.� gasped Remy. In the next instant Logan�s shirt and pants had exploded away in a shower of gold sparks, so hot that they flashed too briefly to burn. He ran his tongue down Logan�s chest tasting the salt of sweat and animal blood and the unique fresh taste that was no one but his lover�s.
�Oh, God Remy.� Logan whispered. �Oh God. I need you so badly.�
�I�m here cher. Remy�s not going anywhere.�
In the morning Logan looked down at Remy�s face, nestled against his chest. As always he wondered at the innocence in that face. <No one who�s seen the shit the kid�s seen has a right to look like that.> But somehow, regardless of how bad things got there was a part of Remy that seemed untouched. A part that showed most clearly when he was sleeping.
Last night, before an exhausted Cajun had drifted into sleep after the passionate, and urgent love making he�d asked, �What was all that about?�
�I�ll tell you in the morning love.� Logan had replied. Now he didn�t know if he could . Could he shatter the Cajun�s security like that? Saying what? �I bumped into Sabertooth last night and he made some crass remarks.� What possible good could it do? The Cajun was already on guard, jumpy as a cat-er cheetah. Why add to the burden? Better to let sleeping dogs lie.
Still, he�d keep an eye out.
After four days there still had been no sign from Creed. Logan began to relax ever so slightly. But then on the forth night as he and Remy were leaving a bar he heard Remy make a sound of dismay. Looking over Logan�s heart leapt into his throat. Remy had picked his jacket from where it had been hanging on his chair. Across the back were three jagged, parallel gashes. How was it possible? How had Creed gotten so close in a crowded bar?
�I�m sorry love. I must have done that when I fell over.�
Remy frowned. �It don�t really look like you. The cuts are too rough.�
�Yeah, well, I must be more drunk than I realized.� An inane excuse, coming from him, and Remy knew it. Logan saw him watching from narrowed eyes, but Remy didn�t say anything. For the time it seemed he would let Logan have his secrets. Logan said nothing, telling himself it was for the kid�s own good.
Probably a mistake as it turns out.
Logan left the kid at the front door. �I�ll be up in a few hours.� he said. Then he unsheathed his claws. It was time to go hunting.
He had no luck that night, nor the next night, nor the night after that. Creed was in the woods. Logan could pick up traces of his scent everywhere, but the trail never seemed to lead anywhere. It was unbelievably frustrating.
To make matters worse he didn�t know what to tell Remy. �I really started something with that hunting idea didn�t I?� the Cajun joked. Logan stood mute, not able to say, �Believe me love I would much rather stay home with you.� for fear Remy would ask �Why don�t you then?�
It was on the forth night, returning to the mansion after another fruitless expedition that he caught a whiff of the familiar stench. It was coming from his own room. His heart began to hammer. He tried the doorknob, it was unlocked. He pushed the door open cautiously, on guard, afraid of what he might find. The smell grew stronger. His fists clenched�..
The room was silent.
Remy laid sprawled on the bed, wrapped in Logan�s mounds of furs and blankets. He rolled over and grinned sleepily, opening hazy eyes. �Gonna come to bed cher?� He held out a hand.
Logan stiffly lay down on the bed, letting Remy warm his trembling skin, cooing soft remarks about the night air. He pulled the kid closer, as close as he could, and lay awake feeling the kid�s heartbeat against his chest and the brush of Remy�s silky hair beneath his chin.
Logan had never been familiar with personal fear, his near invincibility, coupled with his amnesia had made him immune from terror for himself. He could fear for teammates, or abstract strangers, but never before had he been afraid for himself.
Now, lying with this delicate body tucked into him, he felt the first inkling of what it must be like to live within a breakable body, how fragile life was. What he loved most could be taken so easily, a slip, a bullet from the crossfire, a speeding driver.
An assassin.
Sabertooth had been here, in this room while Remy slept. The thought chilled Logan to the marrow. He didn�t know what Sabertooth wanted, or why, but one thing was clear, he wasn�t after Remy. Remy was a tool to get to him, Logan, and in that Creed had succeeded admirably.
<I�ve put Remy in danger>
.
One thing was clear, he couldn�t let Remy be used in Creed�s game. If Remy was no longer near, the Cajun would present no temptation to Sabertooth.
His heart sank.
<It�s only for a little while. After I catch Sabertooth I�ll explain everything I�ll make it up to him.>
He pulled Remy a little closer. He�d do it tomorrow, right now he�d give himself one more night to hold his love. He�d give himself tonight to say goodbye.
Remy woke up smiling the way he had every day for a month. He reached across the bed, but felt only cold sheets. Logan was gone.
<Darn.>
Well one couldn�t expect the man to be at his beck and call all the time.
Remy took a shower, brush his teeth, shaved. He was just going over shirts when he looked up to see Logan in the doorway.
�Bonjour, mon couer.� The expression on Logan�s face made him pause. �What�s wrong?�
�We need to talk.�
�Hmm, that�s not something any Cajun likes to hear. What�s up?�
Logan braced himself. He took a deep breath. Keep it casual. �I think it would be best if we didn�t see each other anymore.�
Remy blinked. �What?�
�I mean it�s been fun, but it�s time to end it now, when there can be no hard feelings.�
Remy looked up at him, bemused. �Why are you saying this?�
<Oh god, it�s not working. He�s not buying it.> In desperation Logan struck where he knew Remy was most vulnerable.
�Look kid, don�t get all coy with me. It won�t wash. I mean we both know you MO right?�
�My MO?�
�Yeah. And you deserve every inch of that reputation. You have one of the sweetest little asses that it has ever been my pleasure to come across, so to speak. But now let�s move on before things get boring.�
�Boring.� Remy repeated. Something indefinable crossed his face. Then this-� Remy made a gesture. �This was just about the sex?�
�Well, yeah. What did you think?�
�I thought maybe we had-� oh god it sounded so stupid now, �a connection.�
�Jesus. You didn�t get carried away in your own romantic bullshit did you? You want to force me to say you were an easy lay Remy? Fine I�ll say it. You�re a slut, but a mighty fine one.�
Logan could feel the shaft slide home. He watched the kid fold in upon himself, retreating into barrier he had built years ago. Remy�s hair hung down across his face, hiding his eyes, but Logan knew what they would look like. His heart ached.
<Remy!> He wanted to shout. <Don�t listen. You are precious to me, please look at me. Please look up and see that I am lying.>
Remy didn�t look up. Logan stood there waiting. After a few moments Remy said quietly, �If you don�t mind I�d like you to leave my room now.� It was done. It had taken less than 30 seconds to undo what months of patience and longing had built.
Logan turned and crept away. He could barley breathe. He had always known he would kill Creed, but for this he was going to kill Creed slowly, He headed for the woods.
The trap was well hid, placed along a familiar trail. He barely felt the tug of the trip wire as his foot brushed it, or the sound of the dart as it hit his skin. His body, as the ground came up to meet it, made only the faintest whisper of protest.
************************************************************************
For a long time Remy sat on his bed, staring at the wall. He felt numb. <How could I have been so stupid?> He felt himself breathing, in out, in out. He felt his eyes blink. But really he couldn�t feel anything else. <Silly Cajun.> He wondered if he would be able to feel anything again.
<How could I have been so stupid?> He heard Logan�s words again and again. � You want to force me to say you were a slut Remy? Fine I�ll say it.� So obvious. So completely undeniable that there was no possible response he could make. He could do nothing but stare, stare and think, but... <But I love you?> How ridiculous. What possible difference could it make? He had always been trash. He could hardly blame others for recognizing it.
<How could I have been so stupid?> His time with Logan had given him a respite from so much of the self-hatred, but now it was back, full force. Repulsion, disgust, so much hatred of what he was, what he had always been. Whore, slut, traitor, thief. And now idiot.
<I should have seen it coming. I should have known.> There had to have been some sign. He searched his memories of the past few weeks, every moment, ever remark, every burst of feeling from Logan that had penetrated Remy�s shields. There had to have been some sign. There had to have been some hint as to Logan�s real intentions. But there hadn�t been. Even the night before, when Wolverine had stumbled in wild and half feral and pulled Remy to him so hard it left bruises he hadn�t seemed like a man out for a casual lay. He had seemed protective and possessive and afraid.
<Afraid.>
Remy stopped breathing. He stopped staring at the wall. He <had> been stupid. There had been a sign. There had been a dozen. Not signs that Logan�s interest was waning, signs that something was wrong.
Why would he say those things? <To keep Remy away from him.> Why? <To protect me.> Protect from what? Suddenly everything clicked together, the ruined jacket, the frequent night hunts. Last night. Something had scared Logan, something Remy hadn�t been able to sense.
And if Logan was trying to protect Remy from danger by keeping him away that meant�.
Remy jumped up. �Cerebro, where�s Logan?� There was no response. �Cerebro?� This time slight static and digital whir came from his com. He swore violently.
He was running through the mansion. Logan�s room, empty. The den, empty. The danger room. The game room. The control room. He stopped.
The circular room was empty, littered with bits of wire and casings that had been pulled from the wall. Attached to the big screen was a note that said, �Gone for parts. �H�
The work station where Remy usually sat had a little light blinking on it. Incoming message. He walked over and hit the button. The screen lit up.
Le Beau,
You have been a bad boy. You have robbed me of my favorite subject. Luckily I have a new one. I have a fascinating experiment planned. It involves cutting off bits and seeing which ones won�t grow back. Victor Creed is eager to help me. I had never thought the man much interested in the higher pursuits, but apparently I have been a good influence on him.
I have several other interesting experiments to perform on the subject after this first is completed. We have such a lot to learn about those with healing factors, pain thresholds, susceptibility to mind control, reactions to brain damage, and of course, instances of mortality.
Of course, healing factor is not my primary interest. I am much more interested in energy manipulation, and forms of telepathy, especially the empathic powers. If you know of any subjects I might be interested in be sure to send them my way soon. As soon as I get a more suitable subject I will be able to release the current one back into the wild and it would be such a shame if he came to irreparable harm before then, damage to the gene pool and all that. Well there are prices to pay in the name of science.
I am transmitting my current coordinates, just in case you are curious. Feel free to stop by for a chat. We could talk about old times.
Yours, etc.
Sinister.
Remy straightened. His vision narrowed until the edges of the room were shrouded in shadow. He felt very calm. Sinister had Logan, getting him back was all that mattered. He turned to walk from the room.
In the hallway he met Scott.
�Have you seen the control room?� He asked Remy angrily. �These are Hank�s newest upgrades. They wiped out half our hard drive, the drivers for the printers, the trackers, the weapons monitoring, not to mention the danger room. It has taken us all morning just to get the network back on line. When you have a second I need you to start going through our files and installing what backups we need okay?�
�Okay.�
Scott looked at the Cajuns vacant expression. �This is top priority Gambit. You�ll get on it?� The Cajun nodded woodenly. �Okay. Good.� He stomped back down the hall.
Remy went to the garage. He would take his bike, it would take longer for them to notice that was missing. He didn�t need much time, just a little head start. By the time they noticed he was gone, looking for him wouldn�t do any good.