Dawn found him moving slowly back to the mansion. In the end nothing would be served by hiding in the woods. He had to find Remy, talk to the kid, learn what was going on.
There was a slight figure standing on the edge of the lawn as he approached. At first he thought it was one of the students, out for a jog or something. Then she hesitated, a moment of indecision. She seemed lost, maybe a hiker too far off the trail.
�Can I help you?� He called out.
She whipped around at the sound of his voice. Her eyes were glittering strangely. In a flash he knew who she was. The person they had been searching for had found them instead.
�The Cabrini Angel.� He whispered.
His claws flew out, but before he had even raised his arm she had struck out at him, a mental blow that brought him to the ground. He curled up tightly as the world spun around him, trying to get his bearings among the tide of despair that threatened to overwhelm him.
Only seconds passed, though it felt like far, far longer. His body, adapted to deal with all kinds of assault started to move again. He cracked open his eyes as the pain began to ebb.
His attacker was halfway across the lawn, abandoning stealth for speed as her strides kicked up showers of the early morning dew.
Logan groped for his com. �Scott.� His voice came out as a croak. He tried again. �Scott, she�s on the grounds. Cabrini. West side. Get the professor. Scott?� The simple effort had exhausted him. His head dropped back to the ground.
His team came in a wave. First the flyers out of windows and then the French doors opened and the rest of the X-men poured onto the lawn, just before the woman had reached the steps.
By this time Logan was on his feet and running, but he was sick and the nausea slowed him down. He opened his mouth, tried to shout a warning.
He was too late. Kurt had apparated and appeared instantly by their attacker, grabbing her from behind. �Play nice.� He said.
She didn�t turn on him, barely acknowledged his presence, but Kurt suddenly collapsed, falling hard and not moving.
It was the instant of distraction Xavier needed. A shining translucent halo formed around the woman, tightening in on her. She flinched away from it, but it did no good. The circle of light was all around her. As it touched her she fell, writhing as if bound.
Xavier did not even spare her a glance. His attention was fixed on the still figure behind her. He guided his chair over to Kurt and levered himself out of his chair until he was propped up beside the still, blue mutant.
�Remy,� he yelled, �she hit him hard, you�re going to have to hurry.�
All movement on the lawn stopped. Everyone froze, eyes fixed on the Cajun. Remy stood the stillest of all, very pale. He didn�t meet anyone�s gaze.
�Remy, there isn�t time. I can�t do this, you know it. Only an empath can undo what an empath has done.�
Then Remy began moving, slowly at first as if he had to force his feet forward, then faster, until he was almost running, falling next to Kurt�s body.
He laid his hand on Kurt�s cheek. �It will be alright, mon ami.� He whispered. �Trust the Cajun.�
He clasped Kurt�s head between both hands and bent his head down until it was almost touching the still forehead. For a moment nothing happened. The silence was absolute. No one watching even seemed to breath.
Remy�s mouth started working silently. Logan thought he could make out the words, �Come back. Come back.�
It seemed to last for hours, but was only about ten minutes when Remy raised his head and almost smiled. He brushed his fingers along Kurt�s ridged forehead. �Good my friend.�
As his fingers left Kurt�s skin, the other mutant gave a shuddering gasp and small cry of pain. Remy bent to embrace him. �It�s okay. You�ll be okay. You�re home now.� Then he released Kurt into the waiting arms of Hank and Jean.
The woman standing under Scott�s guard lurched up and fixed her gaze on Remy. �You.� she breathed. Logan thought he had never seen anyone with such hate in their eyes.
The kid didn�t look at her. �He�ll be alright, once the headache has passed.� Remy kept his gaze fixed on Kurt, not speaking to anyone in particular. He pushed himself up slowly, using both hands, as if unsure of his balance.
�Excuse me.� He began to walk slowly towards the house, still not meeting anyone�s shocked gaze. His team mates parted silently to let him through.
Already Scott was shouting orders. �Warren, and Rogue, get the woman to the containment cell. Logan, help Hank and Jean get Kurt to the lab. Bobby, you�re with me. I want to know exactly how that woman managed to get through the perimeter. Come on people, move.�
They moved slowly at first, then recollecting themselves went faster, with the efficiency drilled into them. Logan didn�t think, he silently picked up Kurt, battling against the thinking the entire time. If he didn�t think, none of this would be real.
Leaving the lab after dropping Kurt off, he didn�t even know where he was going, but somehow inevitably he found himself standing at the doorway to Remy�s room.
Remy was standing at the window, looking out on the lawn. He had been sick, Logan could smell the faint tang of vomit, along with the toothpaste the Cajun had just used.
Remy didn�t look up, he gave no acknowledgement that he knew Logan was behind him.
He had to know though. He had to be as impossible to sneak up on as Jean or the professor. All those times Logan had jumped out at him and Remy had laughed pretending to be surprised, they had all been lies. Everything between them had been a lie.
�You�re an empath.� His voice was cold, he barely recognized it.
�Oui, the curse.� Remy turned to look at him then, Logan smelled before he saw the small flask of Bourbon the Cajun held. Remy saw his glance. �The alcohol, it helps with the�. after effects.�
�The Cabrini Angel.�
Remy stretched his lips in what might have been an attempt at a smile. �In my defense cher, I didn�t choose the name.�
�You lied to me.� Logan said. Remy opened his mouth, then closed it again. It was true, he had lied. His lies had been lies of omission and they crowded the room now, standing as mute sentinel to his deception. �Everything between us was a lie.� Remy still didn�t speak. �Answer me, damn you!�
�Oui.�
�Every time you held me, every time you�.every time you held me after the nightmares, nightmares about telepaths,� Logan felt his stomach tighten at the memory. �It must have been hilarious for you. You must have been laughing to yourself at how you�d tricked a rube like me.�
�Logan, -�
�I don�t even know you. I never knew you until today.�
A faint drop sounded through the room as something wet hit the windowsill. A trail of blood was oozing down Remy�s lip, brilliant red against his white skin.
�Remy, your nose.�
Remy put his hand to his face then pulled it back to stare dully at the blood on his fingers. His knees suddenly seemed to weaken beneath him. He started to fall, grabbing at the windowsill for support. Logan started forward.
�Don�t touch me!� Remy threw out a hand to keep Logan away. There was panic in his voice.
�I�m not going to hurt you.� A scene flashed strangely before Logan�s eyes, another scene, just like this, months ago. It felt like another lifetime. His voice was not gentle now. It was strange how completely everything could change�no not change, his kid hadn�t changed, he�d never been real.
�It�s not� you don�t understand, my shields aren�t strong after the work. I wouldn�t be able to control the curse.�
�You need to be in bed. Can you make it alone?�
Remy nodded. Logan watched him warily as he made his way slowly across the room. It was the same room they had spent so much time in together. It looked exactly the same. Funny really.
Logan pulled back the covers on the bed so that Remy could climb inside. The Cajun practically fell onto the sheets. The bed had the same sheets on it that it had the first time�..the mahogany headboard was still silken under his fingers, but now the bedpost was bare.
�Your rosary�s gone.� It sounded inane at a moment like this, but Logan grasped onto it, one tangible thing that had changed while his life had turned itself inside out.
�Oui. I took it down.� Remy laid his head down on the pillow, already his voice was slow with sleep. �God has turned his face from the light. I can not see him now.�
Logan brought the blankets up over the thin form. Remy was asleep.
He went out onto the lawn. He needed to think, but he couldn�t. His head spun, Remy kneeling over Kurt, Remy holding him as he talked about his fear of telepaths. He shuddered. Remy�s face just now, as he admitted he had lied, already defeated, already sentenced, waiting for a reckoning he must have been dreading since he woke that first woman from the hospital more than a month ago.
Logan walked to a nearby bush and threw up. It had been a lie. All of it, every memory he had cherished, every secret hope he might have harbored, all hinged on a man he had never known at all. He tired to think, to work out what he should do, but all that came were waves of despair, as every memory of Remy thrown before him again and again, stained now, and dirty. Remy didn�t have AIDS, he wasn�t dying. In a secret part of him Logan wondered if that revelation wouldn�t have been easier to bear.