Remy cut the engine of his bike with gratitude. It had been a long mission, almost a month, nothing complicated, just some basic recon. Still he was very grateful to be home. He looked up at the mansion and smiled. Home, and Logan was inside. His smile broadened as he thought of his lover. They had been together for eighteen months now. Who would have thought?
His steps were light as he reached the front door to the mansion. Then, an inch from the door knob, his hand paused.
There was something strange about the house, a strange sort of energy he hadn�t felt before. It wasn�t anything easy to pin down, just a faint buzzing in the back of his mind. Maybe not a sign of danger, or anything that obvious, but caution? He�d been born cautious.
Storm met him at the door. He felt his face crack with a wide smile. �Mon petite.� He grabbed her in a bear hug. �I�m glad to see you.�
�Welcome home, brother.� Storm was also smiling, her face was bright. �It is good to see you again.�
�And how have you fared in your deprivation? Has it been lonely?�
�On the contrary,� Storms smile grew even broader. �We have had a guest.�
�A guest? Who?�
�Mr. Fabian. I don�t think you know him, you�ll meet him tonight. I know you�ll like him Remy. He�s wonderful. It�s been wonderful having him around.� Storm�s eyes were very bright.
Remy looked at her curiously. It wasn�t like Storm to warm up easily to strangers. She tended to be reserved, aloof even. He wondered if he had ever heard her describe anyone as wonderful. It was almost unsettling.
�Well, I�m sure I will like him, petite. Any friend of ma fille is�.� Remy�s voice trailed off as someone else entered the hall.
�Hello lover.�
Remy launched himself at Logan, who grabbed him off the ground and spun him around, laughing before pulling him in tight.
��allo, cher. It is bien to be home.�
�Any longer I would have come after you and dragged you home by a chain.�
�Believe me, cher, you would not have had to do much dragging.� Remy smiled up at the older man. �You want to help me take my bags up to the room?� He winked sugestively and ran his fingers down Logan�s jaw.
�Yeah, in a minute. First you should meet Fabian.�
�The guest Stormy was talking about? Well, if it can�t wait.� Remy frowned a little. He wasn�t unfriendly, but he hadn�t seen his lover in over a month. Surely this Mr. Fabian would understand. Besides it wasn�t like Logan to pay such attention to social niceties.
He must think as highly of this Fabian as Storm did. Remy felt another strange tug of anxiety. He didn�t want to be unfriendly, but it seemed like his life had finally been on a smooth track. He was a little loathe to see it disrupted, even for something as innocuous as a house guest.
�He�s great. One of Xavier�s old friends, or something. Anyway, he came a few weeks ago, just after you left. He�s great.�
Remy smiled weakly. �If even half of what I have heard about him is true, he must be very great indeed.�
Logan seemed to miss the irony in Remy�s words. �Come on.� He said, and grabbed Remy�s hand, almost dragging him down the hall.
Most of the team was already in the den, a strange occurrence in the middle of the day. They were all seated more or less in a ring, as the furniture would allow. Their attention was directed towards a man with his back to the door so that Remy could not see him as he entered the room. The famous Fabian, no doubt.
Everyone looked up, smiling in welcome as Remy entered. The man stood and turned.
Remy felt his heart stop. Then it started again, bounding in his ears as the blood drained from his face.
The tall, thin man before him smiled. �Hello, Remy. It has been a while.�
Remy couldn�t make his mouth work. The others stared at his uncharacteristic muteness. He didn�t notice. His gaze was locked on the man�s face, the face that had haunted his nightmares for twenty years.
<He looks exactly the same. Not a hair different since�>
The man turned to include the rest of the room in his smile. �It seems Remy does not remember our time together with the same fondness I do.� He gave a passing imitation of regret.
�Well, I�m sure he does.� Jean stood and crossed towards the man. �How could he not? Remy you didn�t tell us you knew Mr. Fabian. What a wonderful surprise.�
Wonderful was not the word Remy would have chosen. �Yes, I knew him as a child.� He heard his voice straining, �We didn�t call him Fabian then. He was known as the Apothecary.�
He could tell by the blank faces around him that the name meant nothing to them. Even Charles, who seemed to know everything somehow kept smiling pleasantly.
Jean laughed. �The Apothecary, how quaint.� She placed her hand on Fabian�s arm familiarly. �I�m sure you must have adored him as a child.�
Remy didn�t try to conceal his shudder. �No.� he whispered, �Adored was not quite the word I would have chosen.�
Suddenly the memories overwhelmed him, the hunger, the fear, the constant nausea from�.He couldn�t breath, he had to get away. He looked desperately around the room, at his friends, his family, staring on with vacant politeness. Why didn�t they notice? Why didn�t they see his distress? He could feel the sweat begin to drop down his back.
�I�.forgive me.� He whispered. �I have to�� He had to get out of the room, to gather his thoughts, to figure out what needed to be done.
The Apothecary�Fabian�whatever he called himself now, stepped forward. �Are you all right Remy? You look a little tired.� He placed a comforting hand on Remy�s arm.
Remy recoiled from the touch, but Fabian moved with him, catching his hand in a tight clasp. �Perhaps I can help.� His eyes, intent on Remy�s face narrowed slightly.
Remy jerked his hand away. �Non!� He almost screamed it. �I�m fine.� He tried to calm his voice.
Fabian frowned slightly, as if puzzled. �Well, alright then. I do hope you�re feeling better soon.�
Remy swayed slightly on his feet. He looked around the room desperately at all complacent faces of his friends. None of them had noticed the tension of the exchange, not even Logan, smiling blithely behind him. They went on smiling, as indifferent.
As if enthralled.
<What has he done to them?>
Remy wanted to throw himself at Fabian, to bang him hard against the wall and demand he release his friends. He wanted to scream at him and draw blood.
But if the apothecary hadn�t changed, Remy had. He was no longer the small boy huddled on his cot. He was a man now, and a warrior, and he knew better than to rush into an ill planned attack. He had to figure out what was going on, to assess the situation.
So he muttered, �I�m fine.� And shoved his way to the door, avoiding looking at his friends, with their fawning expression that twisted his stomach.
He walked quickly, out of the room, out of the mansion, and didn�t stop until he had reach his tree. He collapsed beneath it, his stomach heaving.
<What the hell was going on?> He tired to organize his thoughts. The tide of memories rose up, threatening to overwhelm him again, memories of starvation, memories of pain, and the endless sapping of his strength. He ruthlessly forced them down.
He could panic later, after he had freed his friends. His hands were shaking. He jammed them in his pocket. Oh God, the look on Logan�s face. Logan! He forced the thought away.
He had to figure out what Fabian�s objective was. If he were just after Remy, he had a little room to maneuver. If Fabian were after the others�. Remy�s breath caught in his throat.
Start with the questions. How had Fabian managed to seduce his friends so completely? He never had shown that kind of power before�..Remy�s thoughts threatened to veer of track. He concentrated. More importantly at the present, how deep did the thrall go? Would talking be enough to break it?
That would be the simplest, if it worked. He would start with Logan. Next: Why hadn�t Remy been affected. He could tell that Fabian was wondering too, that must have been what that whole business with the hand clasp was all about. So was he immune or had he just gotten lucky?
He couldn�t assume the former. He needed to contact someone outside the mansion, so that, worst case scenario, if he� wasn�t able to later, someone might still come to help the others.
He felt his throat clench at the possibility. <Oh God. I can�t do it again. I can�t live through that. I don�t know how I survived the first time.>
He concentrated on his breathing, taking slow, steady breathes until his heart returned to normal. Then he got up and walked casually towards the Control Room, not hurrying, in case anyone was watching.
It didn�t matter as it turned out. He didn�t get very far. For some reason the computer wasn�t accepting his password. He felt sweat begin to break out on his forehead. He could hack it, of course, but that would take time, time he was afraid he didn�t have.
�Problems?�
Remy turned to find Logan leaning against the door watching him. His heart sped up. <Here it goes.>
�Logan, I need to talk to you.�
�Sure kid. In a minute though. I haven�t welcomed you properly.� Logan crossed the room and took Remy in his arms.
For a moment Remy relaxed into the familiar warmth of his lover�s arms. It felt so good, so�normal. Almost he could close his eyes and pretend he had never seen Fabian, that this was all a bad dream. Then he opened his eyes and saw the strange glint in Logan�s eyes. Almost.
�Logan, it�s about Fabian.�
Beside him Logan stilled. �What about him?� His voice was gruff, not encouraging.
�Logan, I know you like him. But I�ve known him for a long time. He�s a bad man, Logan, you need to believe me.� God, it sounded inane. A bad man didn�t begin to cover it. What was he supposed to say? <I think he has some sort of strange spell on you?>
�You don�t know what you�re talking about.� Logan�s voice was angry.
�I do. Logan, I�m sorry, but I do. Fabian, he�s done things to me, as a boy. He did things to lots of children.�
�Things?�
How could he explain what he didn�t really understand himself? How could he explain things he had spent a lifetime trying to forget?
�The scars, on my neck, the ones that were made by someone forcing my head around? Fabian put those there.�
�You�re lying.� Logan�s voice was deadly.
Remy felt his heart contract. �I�m not.� Logan took a menacing step forward.
From the doorway he heard a small cough. Fabian was standing on the edge of the room. �There appears to be some sort of misunderstanding here. Logan, perhaps I could talk to Remy alone.�
Logan nodded. �Of course.�
�No!� It was pitifully close to a scream. Remy reached out blindly for Logan�s warmth, knowing only that he didn�t want to be left alone with Fabian.
Logan shook off his hand disdainfully. �Get your head straight Remy.� He said scornfully. �We�ll talk later.� Then he was gone.
Fabian advanced into the room. His voice was soft and caressing. �Well, Remy,� he lingered over the name. �It has been a long time. You have no idea how long I have been looking for you.�
Remy knew exactly how long Fabian had been looking for him. He shuddered again. �What have you done to m friends?�
Fabian smiled coldly. �Don�t you recognize it? You should. It�s yours you know.� Remy looked at him blankly. �Imagine my surprise when I suddenly found I had this mysterious ability to sway people into doing what I wanted, to charm them if you will.�
Remy felt the floor drop out beneath him. �You-�
�Oh yes, it was one of the many little gifts I received from you during our feedings.� Fabian moved forward so that he was almost pressing Remy against the console with his own body. �I have missed you, Remy. You have no idea how much. It is good to have you again.� He reached out to put a hand on Remy�s face.
Fabian�s hand froze inches from Remy�s skin. His throat moved convulsively, tickling the edge of the blade that was suddenly pressed against his throat.
�I think not, monsieur.� Remy said softly. �It seems much more likely that I will kill you where you stand.�
Fabian tried to smile. �You could do that, I suppose.� He said. �I�d think twice about it if I were you, however. Your friends, they are so attached to me. I would think that if anything should happen to me they might be �.quite upset.�
�They wouldn�t hurt me.� Remy spoke with quiet confidence.
�No, I doubt they would. With despair so profound, I�m sure that they would have a hard time doing much of anything.�
Remy felt himself grow cold. �Release them.�
Fabian smiled. �No, I think I prefer to call your bluff.�
The hand holding the knife against Fabian�s throat shook slightly, drawing a thread of blood on the old man�s throat. But Fabian knew he�d already won. Remy couldn�t do anything that might endanger his friends. Slowly he lowered the knife in defeat.
Fabian�s smile grew broader. �You�ve grown up well, Remy. I can�t tell you how I�ve missed you. I�m going to enjoy the resumption of our relationship.�
Remy raised an eyebrow. �We both know your little charms don�t work on me, old man.�
Fabian gave a little shrug. �It�s true. I thought there might be other ways you could be�.. persuaded.�
Remy sniffed.
�Don�t be so quick to turn down an offer you haven�t heard boy. After all, I always took you for someone who took the responsibilities of friendship very seriously.�
Remy stared. �What do you mean?�
�I mean I�m proposing a trade. I have a feeling you don�t remember my ministrations with fondness. You suspect they have scarred you for life. I would imagine you might wish for your team mates to be spared similar experiences.�
Remy paled. �Have you?� He couldn�t get the words out. The thought of Fabian feeding on his friends was too awful to contemplate.
�No,� said Fabian. �I haven�t.� He paused a little. �Not yet.�
Remy met his eyes over the knife he still clutched in nerveless fingers.
Fabian continued. �It is tempting, you understand, all those young, powerful bodies, practically throwing themselves at me. I would need a very great incentive to give them up.�
�Take me.� Remy�s voice was barely a whisper. His eyes were flat and dead.
Fabian pretended not to hear. �So much untapped, virgin energy at my disposal. Yes I have to say it is more than tempting.�
�You can have me.� Remy�s voice shook. �Leave the others alone.�
Fabian smiled indulgently. �There�s no need to beg Remy. You are the reason I am here after all.�
Remy felt his stomach twist in guilt. He had brought demons here, to his home, his only haven.
�We will leave tomorrow.� Said Fabian. �I�ll leave you tonight to say your goodbyes.�