SquidgeWorld Archive

author: Lucinda
rating: pg 13 for strong language and possible violence
pairing: this chapter mentions the Gambit/Rogue history
disclaimer: I do not own the X-men
distribution: Charity's site, others please ask.

Storm and Logan had been away from the mansion when the Shi'ar had needed help and carried away everyone that had been there. They had gone to make sure Jubilee had been studying for her classes at the Frost Academy. That had led to an interesting adventure... but that wasn't the point. They had ended up on another mission, along with Scott and Jean after that, and had therefore missed the return of the X-Men from Antarctica.

They returned to the mansion feeling tired, cranky, and hungry. The air was filled with the smell of fried chicken. It appeared they had got home in time for dinner. The whole team appeared to be seated around the table.... wait, someone was missing.

"Where's Gambit?" Logan was the one to ask the question.

His words made it clear that he had noticed the absence of Gambit. They hadn't ever seemed particularly close, but Storm considered Gambit to be her brother, having essentially adopted him. Rogue seemed oddly calm, considering the absent Cajun was supposed to be her great love.

"He didn't make it. Could you pass the potatoes, Betsy?" Warren had never liked the Cajun, but this was not right. There was a slight twitching of his feathers as he spoke, as if he was repressing something. He seemed to casual about it. Most of the others at the table seemed to share his determined unconcern. Warren had never liked Remy, their personalities clashing, but this wasn't normal.

"What do you mean he didn't make it?!" Storm's voice was upset, demanding an explanation from someone, anyone. The various people looked awkward, uncomfortable at being forced to discuss this dark mystery. People shifted in their seats, not wanting to answer.

"The citadel was collapsing, and everyone had scattered to get out." Joseph looked as if it was at least a matter of concern, not the look of someone upset by Remy's loss, but at least like he had some feelings. " I only know that I didn't see him on the outside." He was the only person willing to meet Storm's eyes.

It turned out that the last person to see Remy had been Rogue. Logan frowned. Shouldn't she be upset by the apparent death of her love? "What happened?"

" He didn't come back. Besides, he wasn't the man we thought he was." Rogue sounded far to composed, as if she were trying to turn off her feelings. She also sounded as if she were repeating a line that she had used so often it had become rote, empty words stripped of meaning. She wouldn't meet their eyes. She was definitely hiding something.

" That damn Cajun betrayed us all!" Warren finally shouted. "He worked for Sinister! He led the damn Marauders down to slaughter the Morlocks. It's because of him that I lost my wings, that several X-Men nearly died down there in the tunnels! He didn't deserve to live!" His wings flared out behind him, lending emphasis to his feelings.

" I left him there. It's up to him to decide if he makes it or not. He didn't deserve anymore than that." Rogue's voice broke the silence that had followed Warren's explosion. Her voice was a soft whisper, something that should have been lost in the dining room. She was stabbing her fork into a piece of chicken, mangling it without eating any.

Storm had a brief flashback to Warren, his face twisted with anguish and despair, leaving the mansion. The next time she had seen him, his skin was blue, his eyes empty of all warmth or hope, and he hovered at the side of Apocalypse, renamed Death of the Horsemen. He had participated in a rampage of destruction and terror that the X-Men had barely been able to halt. He had pleaded with the team to be allowed back, to be given a chance to fight for his redemption.

This was followed by images of a younger Rogue, her hair short, standing at the side of Mystique, threatening to destroy a munitions storage facility, causing an enormous explosion if Mystique's demands were not met. How the young woman had on another occasion been attempting to steal a military aircraft until Ms. Marvel interfered. Rogue had not taken the plane to complete whatever plan she had intended, but instead she had drained Ms. Marvel of all her powers and memories - gaining her enhanced strength, flight, and resistance to all physical damage. Rogue had come to Xavier, not to make amends for her crimes, but in hopes to learn a method of controlling her power.

"He didn't deserve more than that?" Logan's voice was different than anything the X-Men had heard from him before. He didn't have the slight roughness of his normal self, nor the deeper growl that warned of him loosing his temper. His words were accent-less, and flowed like frosted silk. "I suppose that a wanted terrorist that had been responsible for the destruction of billions of dollars in property damage and the death of probably a hundred people who's only crime was to be near somewhere that the Brotherhood of Mutants chose to destroy deserves more? Someone that deliberately sucked the powers and memory from a hero trying to save lives deserves better? You were a damned terrorist before Xavier brought you in here, Rogue. You never should have been made an X-Man. Now, you sit there, pretending that your hands aren't stained with the blood of your own victims, that you didn't commit those acts of terrorism, and say that Gambit didn't deserve to be an X-Man?" Logan looked at the now silent group sitting at the table, their food forgotten.

"You are all sickening. You claim that the X-Men will give a second chance to anyone willing to try to make amends, and abandon one of your own to freeze. Count me out." He turned to go upstairs. His words stirred reminders of Rogue's own clouded past, like poking at the embers of a dying fire.

"Warren Worthington, how dare you call Gambit a traitor! You say that he cost you your wings, that he shouldn't have been here because of his past. You forget yourself. After the loss of your wings, you turned your back on the X-Men and sought out Apocalypse. You sold yourself to him, offered up your honor and your very soul and he took it. You become his Death, killing thousands at his bidding. Eventually, you returned here, and we took you back. You have no room to say that Gambit has betrayed us." She turned and left the room. Thunder rolled outside.

She met Logan on the stairs. He was carrying a box.

"Logan? What are you doing?" Storm felt awkward, as if her sense of balance in the world was askew.

"I refuse to stay in this place with that pack of hypocrites. I'm packing my things and I'm going to get the hell out of here. You're welcome to go with me, although I don't think we can take your garden."

They packed things from their rooms, and put them into Logan's truck. He fastened his motorcycle to the back next to Gambit's, and they prepared to leave. Storm noticed that Logan had also packed some things from Remy's room.

"Logan? Do you think that what they said was true? Do you think Remy had anything to do with the massacre?" Storm's voice was hesitant. She wasn't certain that she wanted to hear Logan's answer, but she was certain she needed to know.

"I know that he was down there. His scent was in the tunnels. But it wasn't in the main hall. I don't know why he was there. That's something I want to ask him when we find him. Besides, that was before we ever met him. He wasn't an X-Man then, so he couldn't have betrayed us. What I know it that he was there, and he never told us. I want to hear his explanation before I pass any judgements on him."

Logan's words hung in the air. She knew that they would have to find him alive before they could ask Remy any questions. If Rogue had actually abandoned him in Antarctica, the chances of finding him alive were slim to none. Her heart was heavy as they left the mansion behind them.

Nobody at the mansion seemed to be very worried that Remy had been abandoned. Those that were a bit concerned had decided to conceal it or avoid talking about it due to the extreme feelings that some of the core team members on the matter. Which meant they would be no help, and would not help with any supplies or assistance.

Remy had been abandoned in Antarctica, they would have to go there to find clues about his fate. With any luck, they wouldn't find a frozen corpse that had once been their team-mate, and practically a brother to Ororo. They would first have to find a way to get there, without the resources of the X-Men at their disposal.

Ororo sat in the truck with Logan, her eyes nearly as dark as the night sky. She was radiating a feeling of profound sorrow for the loss of her brother in all but DNA, and a deep pained confusion that he could have been abandoned like that. It made no sense, they had accepted back members who had done terrible things, even taken in Magneto, who claimed to be amnesic and was calling himself Joseph. Now, she lacked even the resources to find Remy.

Logan had his own feelings about the matter. While he had never been particularly close to the Cajun, abandoning him like that had been wrong. Not only had it been a terrible wrong, violating the basic concept of a team, but the utter lack of concern that had met the action was a sure sign of deep problems among the X-Men. He glanced over, seeing Ororo trying desperately not to fall apart into tears at the loss of her brother and felt something stir inside.

He had always respected Storm. Her powers were impressive, and her control over them was even more impressive to him. She had proven herself to be a capable leader, and level-headed under pressure and stress. She was also a beautiful woman, but he had always viewed her as somewhat remote. She had a tendency not to date, especially after that disaster with Forge. Honestly, he was a bit jealous of the fact that she had opened up so much to Remy. Now, she was so upset by he way he'd been abandoned.... Logan found himself wanting to be able to make her smile.

"I got an old friend. Known him for years, and he owes me a few favors. It's not quite the same as the blackbird, but I think I can get us the use of a SHIELD jet for a while. I know how to fly the things, we can go check out the land of frost ourselves." Logan volunteered a few words, an offer of aid.

She turned, looking at him with eyes full of hope. "You can get a plane? How is it that I did not know you could pilot?"

"Yeah, Nick and I have known each other for years." Logan paused a moment, considering many of the people that had known of him for a long time. "He's never tried to kill me either. He's in SHIELD, we stay in touch. Shouldn't have much trouble letting us borrow a plane. As for how you didn't know, you think Scott would ever let me fly the Blackbird? That plane's practically his firstborn child."

They found a place to stay the night, a small hotel along the road. Frustratingly, there was only one room left, so they would have to share it. Once checked in, Logan called his old pal, explaining some of the situation. He assured him that there shouldn't be anyone shooting at him this time, and yes, he planned to return the plane when he was done with it. After a while, Logan hung up the phone, and turned to Ororo. He was grinning, a most unexpected expression.

"All we have to do is show up at the SHIELD Helicarrier tomorrow and we have the plane. I'm supposed to try to return in relatively unbroken. He's even promised to arrange some cold weather gear for us to use."

end part 2.

Logan had slightly understated the matter. He had said they simply needed to show up at the helicarrier. He hadn't mentioned the fact that it was currently hovering above New York city. Nor had he mentioned the alarmed responses of the assorted members of SHIELD. The concern was abated when an older man, still fit, and almost concealing a bit of stiffness in his leg walked towards them. He had an eye patch, and a cigar that had to come from the same place as the ones Logan smoked.

He had made a comment about Logan never doing anything quite like people expected, and told everyone to stand down. He had then shown them to a plane, sleek and shining in the sunlight. There had been supplies loaded, and he simply had Logan sign a paper stating that he had borrowed the plane with the listing of equipment, and fully intended to return it. There had also been something else that he had said to Logan, but Ororo had missed exactly what it had been.

They had made excellent time to Antarctica, and had managed to refuel several times using a military looking identification that Logan had carried. They had an excellent tailwind on their trip.

Ororo was fascinated by what she was seeing from Logan. He was dealing with the military as if he were a well placed official, easily understanding all the behaviors. He seemed wholly confident of his actions, and he piloted the aircraft with practiced skill. There was a great deal to Logan that she had missed.

Eventually, they piloted towrds the interior of Antarctica, and landed at the fallen remains of a structure that could only have been the Citadel of Erik the Red. This had ben the site of Remy's so called Trial. Here was the place where Rogue had abandoned him, marked by a hollow in the snow. There was a faint disturbance, the bare remnants of a trail. Unfortunately, that remnant had been broken by a storm. They looked for any sign of him, but could find nothing.

That idea having been exhausetd, they searched the ruins of the Citadel, seeking some sign of who the armored figure had been. Perhaps they could find something to tell them why he had done this, why he had sought to separate Remy from the X-Men. The clues were few. There was the remnents of a landing hanger, where an aircraft had been stored. There was a small kitchen area, with a few left-over bits of now frozen food. There was also a glove, misplaced from the armory. It carried only a bare trace of the wearer's scent, not quite enough for Logan to identify.

They were left with one idea left to try. The partial path, before it had been destroyed by a snowstorm, had bean headed in the direction of the area frequented by research groups. There was a faint possiblility that Remy, or some sign or news of him might have been found by one of the research groups that had been here. It was all they had left, beyond the minute unpleasant possibility that some supervillain had spirited Remy away for some dark plan.

They would have to look into the matter.

end part 3.

Remy would possibly have been relieved to know that not everyone from the X-Men had decided that he was a horrible person that should die. In fact, Ororo, the woman who had practically become a sister to him, and Logan, an enigmatic fighter that had chosen to support the dream of co-existence, were searching for him at this very moment. It was also possible that he would have been worried. Logan had never been a close friend of Remy, or really of anyone else for that matter. Logan was also the best there was at what he did, and if he wanted to find Remy, it would only be a matter of time.

Actually, Logan had just acquired a listing of all the research and scientific groups that had been in Antarctica in the recent few months. It had been the hope of Ororo that one of the groups had found Remy, and rescued him from a frozen grave. He shuffled the papers, and smiled slightly.

"Hey, 'Ro. Listen to this. Yale group, researching ozone depletion, departed on 17th of March. All members present, as well as one additional person, serving as cook. Interesting thing, they didn't have a cook when they down here." Logan's breath made interesting patterns in the cold air. His eyes gleamed with triumph.

"Do you think it could be Remy?" Ororo was hopeful that they might have found evidence that Remy was alive.

"Possible. We know he isn't still here. They were here during the right time, he might have met up with them. Only way to be sure is to find the group and ask someone about their new cook, see what they can tell us." The pair began their plans for the trip out of Antarctica, both eager to return to more normal climates.

The fact that the Yale group had made their return to New York was a little irony that Logan could appreciate. If their new cook had indeed been Remy, they had been closer to him before they left than they were after beginning their search.

"Something for you to think about, since you're better with people than I am. When we find him, how do we convince him to stay long enough to find out the answers to out questions? Considering that Rogue dropped him to freeze, the X badge might not be his favorite emblem, and he might not want to talk to anyone from the mansion." Logan brought up this point as he began the plane. He hoped that Ororo could find a solution. Making friends or having people stay to talk had never been his strong point.

Ororo pondered that question during their trip back. She had been so focused on other things that she hadn't considered the possibility that Remy might not want to see them. Logan could find him, she was certain of that. But Logan had raised a valid concern.

"I suppose we will have to do our best to approach in a non threatening manner. Without wearing our uniforms, so that means something comfortable." Ororo could only hope that he would still have some faith in her, enough to listen at least.

There was no difficulty returning the plane to the SHIELD helicarrier, though Logan's friend made quite the show of surprise that Logan had brought the plane back undamaged. He had expected there to be someone shooting at Logan. They were able to reclaim Logan's truck, and return to a more normal means of travel.

Now, they would have to find the people from the expedition, and talk to them about their cook. With luck, they wouldn't have to much trouble about that.

end part 4.

The first person they found was Dr. Amanda Calder, who had been the physician for the expedition. She looked to be in her late forties or possibly her early fifties, and had dark hair streaked with grey piled into a bun. She had dark eyes that were rather unreadable to the pair as they looked for some information about the man that might have been Remy. They felt like they were being measured against some unknown standard.

"Doctor Calder, can you perhaps tell us something about the man that returned with the Yale expedition that you were on?" Ororo sounded concerned, hoping that the man had been Remy. Her voice was soft, and held a faint tremor. If Remy had not returned with the expedition, his only hope of life was the idea of being abducted by some powerful villain. Death might be preferable to something like that.

"Most of the information would fall under patient confidentiality. I will say that he ended up serving as our cook, which I did give him medical clearance to do. He has great skill in the kitchen, and a liberal hand with spices. I will not say where he is currently, but I think he should stay in good health there." Dr Calder's voice was calm, sounding slightly fond as she thought about the meals.

"That isn't particularly helpful, Doc." Logan's voice was gruff, and he was standing in the doorway, slightly tense. He didn't like doctors as a general rule, and this woman kept looking at him, like she was making mental notes about everything he did.

She looked at him, and folded her hands on her desk. "It isn't my job to help you find this person. I do know that there were some people that he did not want to see again, and I have no idea who those people are. For all I know, IF he is the man you are looking for, he might have wanted to stay lost."

Feeling a bit cranky, Logan and Ororo left the office. Logan relaxed slightly when they were once again outside. They walked across the parking lot to the truck, mulling over what the Doctor had said, and how she had said it.

"If the Doctor will not give us the information because of doctor-patient confidentiality, would we have better luck with someone who is not a medical doctor? Perhaps one of the students?" Ororo's voice was quiet, still hopeful that they might find Remy.

Ororo's question prompted a slow smile from Logan, and he pulled the folded list of the group from his pocket. Unfolding the paper, he scanned the list. "We got a couple grad students, they might be more talkative. There's Kim Darnell, and Jeremy Lake. At least one of them should be able to tell us something useful."

They found Kim first, a slightly heavy dark haired young woman with a stack of books in her arms. She looked entirely serious, and a bit nervous, as if they frightened her. With a single glance, Ororo conveyed the suggestion that perhaps she should be the one to speak to the student.

"We are trying to find a friend of ours. He was supposed to be on a trip somewhere very far south, and we were hoping that you might have seen him? About so tall, "She gestured at the right height. "He has dark auburn hair, and a Cajun accent. I…He didn't come back when he was supposed to, I've been very worried. There was a listing of someone returning with your research group?" Her face was pleading, the expression of someone who's friend has vanished, their fate unknown. It was even the truth.

The young woman smiled slightly. "yeah, we did bring somebody back with us. His name's Remy, he never gave us a last name. He was about that tall, kinda on the skinny side though. Probably because he nearly froze to death before Willow found him. She was out checking the monitors, and I'm sure you don't want all the details, but she went out to do a few inspections and brought back this half frozen guy. He had the weirdest eyes though, red on black. Kinda gave me the creeps a bit."

"Willow? Who's this Willow?" Logan's voice disturbed the moment of quiet thought, making Kim jump slightly.

Looking at Logan, Kim's eyes widened slightly. She took a step back from him, pulling her books closer to her body. "Ahh, her name's Willow Rosenberg. She's an electronics person, she was there to make sure everything kept working in the extreme cold. Remy moved in with her after we got back. No idea where she lives though, sorry." Kim adjusted her stack of books, and shifted her weight a bit. "Look, I really have to go get to work on this paper, so I have to go now. Good luck finding your friend."

After the young woman essentially fled the scene, Ororo looked at Logan. She smiled slightly, thinking that he had a definite tendency to make memorable impressions of people. "So, if we find this Willow, we should find Remy, correct? How do you suggest we begin searching for her?"

Logan chuckled. "Well, since Kim ran off, I suggest we find the other grad student and ask him a few questions about this Willow person. What does she look like, who does she work for... Then, if nothing else, we can start simple and check the phone book for Rosenberg's. If she has Remy, it might be good to know something about the situation first."

end part 5.

They had talked to Jeremy Lake, the other grad student, who was a tall skinny fellow. He had told them a bit about the man found in Antarctica, called Remy. He had explained that Remy had seemed very determined not to talk about his past, and had ended up lost after some sort of accident. Great cook, wicked poker player, they had gotten along fairly well, but he hadn't actually learned much of anything about the guy.

Somehow, Ororo and Logan were not surprised to learn that this grad student hadn't learned very much about Remy. However, when Ororo showed him a picture that she had of Remy, laughing at some now forgotten joke in front of his motorcycle, Jeremy had confirmed that that was definitely the Remy that they had brought back with them.

When Logan asked if he knew where Remy was now, Jeremy had confessed that he wasn't certain of the details. He did know that Remy was now living with Willow Rosenberg, who was an electronics designer. He said that she wasn't from Yale, she was from the electronics R&D company that designed the equipment they had used. He also described her as 'not to tall, green eyed redhead, definitely hot. All they had to do now was find this Willow person.

They made the discovery that of all the Rosenbergs listed in the phone book, none of them were Willow or W Rosenberg. The fact that her telephone number was unlisted made the search slightly more complex. Instead of tracking from the individual, they would start with her job, and find her through that avenue. Then, with luck, they would find Remy with her, hopefully safe and well.

Ororo had a great deal on her mind. It was wonderful news that Remy had been rescued from Antarctica, even if they hadn't found him yet. To know that someone had possessed the decency and kindness to bring him out of the snow and help him to recover was a pleasant surprise, something all to seldom encountered as an X-Man. She also found herself thinking more about Logan.

Not in the vague way that she had as a member of the X-Men, when she had originally joined. Then, she had seen him as a mere fighter, someone that, while impressively muscled, did not give the impression of planning ahead. Her first impression had been that he was a very primal individual, all power and strength. He did not give an impression of subtlety. She had gradually learned more about him, but it had taken her a long time before she had actually made an effort to learn about Logan, the man, not Wolverine the fighter.

He didn't talk about his past, not because he was ashamed of it, but because it had been taken from him. Where others had memories of the years behind them, Logan had only scattered and confusing fragments of memory, some of which had been proven false, implanted to make him controllable by the people that had laced his skeleton with metal. Other fragments were still unexplained. His body was nearly indestructible, between his unbreakable bones and his astonishing healing factor. His spirit was that of a protector, someone that would risk almost anything to give help to those he counted as family. The many times those he cared about had been ripped away by death had left him scarred in heart and spirit. He was reluctant to risk his heart again, reluctant to allow himself to care. Once he did care, it was forever, only severed by death, if then.

The thought of that much intensity of emotion left her awestruck.

Even if he had not admitted it, Logan had come to view Remy as one of his people, the very fact that he was willing to search to the ends of the earth showed that. The only other explanation would be that he was searching for her sake. That idea left her somewhere between hopeful and terrified. Logan didn't give his feelings in the casual way of so many people, he gave all of himself over if he loved someone. He devoted himself, mind, heart and body, as he had with the Lady Mariko. Her death had left him devastated. It was an idea that had appeal, he would ever abandon someone he loved, never decide that their life was secondary to his own. But, anyone he cared about would be a weakness, exploited and abused by his enemies.

No, it was simpler to think that Logan was doing this simply for the reason he had stated: You don't leave a team-mate behind. They would find Remy, make certain he was alright. Then, they could figure out what to do next. Would Remy stay where he was? Would they take him away with them? Where would they go?

She didn't think that Logan had any close bonds to any of the other X-Men. His two protégées, Kitty and Jubilee had both left the X-Men to join other teams. His long-time obsession with Jean seemed to have finally cooled and been left as dead embers. That whole scene at the mansion had most likely weakened any feelings of team loyalty he had for the team as a group.

Her musings were interrupted by Logan's voice, a gravely murmur in the room.

"Found her. Willow Rosenberg, electronics design and networking, listed right here in their files. There's also an address, so we know where to lurk to find out what's going on. Since Remy's supposed to be there as well, we should be able to make sure he's healthy."

end part 6.

They had lurked near the building where Willow worked. Eventually, they had got a look at her, a smallish redhead who had gone to a nondescript blue car. They had lost her in traffic, but had an idea of where to look for her.

"You realize that we have gone from using leading edge technology to locate individuals to the laughable extreme of loitering in an area, hoping she will walk by. I feel rather silly." Ororo had been thinking about what they were doing. While she definitely wanted to find Remy, she wasn't used to just lurking in an area, hoping to see somebody that might lead them to the person she really wanted to see.

Logan chuckled. "Technology isn't everything, 'Ro. We know what she looks like now, and I've got her scent. We can find her again. How about we go for a bit of a walk, look at some green things in a park and hope the things are plants."

Ororo smiled at Logan, surprised by his effort to lift her spirits. She kept wondering if he had always had this way of lifting the spirits of those around him or if it was something new. If he had made such effort before, why had she never noticed? "A walk in the park sounds good."

So they had found a park, and walked around, following the little trail that was supposed to make you feel as if you were walking through a real forest. There was even a little stream, although it had a few bottles and wrappers and some other junk that had found it's way into the water. Somehow, the two had ended up holding hands, and they were listening to the birds and crickets. They felt more relaxed, better prepared to try to talk to Remy peacefully.

Logan paused unexpectedly, and Ororo felt the tug on her arm as he simply stood there, sniffing the air. His expression was surprised, and he gradually got a smile over his face. "I can smell them. Willow's over there, and she's walking with Remy. Talking about a couple of friends of hers that have been staying with them for a little bit now. We've found Remy."

"He's really here? We have to go talk to him. I have to see that he's alright, and I have to make him understand that I don't hate him, that I could never hate him.... How can we get there from here quickly?" She turned to Logan, her eyes bright with emotion. Her voice was at first soft, filled with a hopeful tone, as if this chance could be snatched away, then gradually changed to show a fierce determination. She would not rest until he knew that he was still her beloved brother.

Logan had expected a question like that. He gave a small wave of his hand, a follow me gesture, and stepped off the path. The began to go through the trees and shrubs towards where he knew Remy and Willow were. It wasn't particularly difficult, and there were definite signs that they were not the only people to have left the marked trail. After a short time that had undoubtedly stretched into a very long time for Ororo, they emerged from a group of shrubs.

Remy was standing by the pond, tossing pieces of bread to a few ducks. He was dressed casually, in jeans and a shirt. He looked healthy, although his hair was shorter than it had been, not quite touching his shoulders. Willow was standing beside him, holding a yellow and clear bread bag, from which she would pull a slice of bread, handing them over to Remy. Remy kept tossing the bread to places where the ducks weren't, and they would watch as the ducks all swarmed to the bread.

"Remy! Please, I have to talk to you." Ororo spoke to him, needing to talk to him now that they had found him.

Hearing her voice, Remy spun around, looking at her and Logan with a surprised expression. He wasn't wearing sunglasses. He looked nervous about their presence, in a way he hadn't a few moments before. He reached out, catching the Willow's hand in his. She was rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand, clearly intended as a soothing gesture.

"Stormy? You here.. and Logan is with you." Remy's gaze moved from Ororo to Logan and back to Ororo. They couldn'tread his face to know what he was feeling beyond surprise. "Why?"

"I had to find you. You're family to me Remy. Please, will you at least listen?" Ororo's voice was full of emotion.

"Yeah, family." Remy looked at the ground for a moment before glancing back at her. "You've been looking for me. Least I can do is hear you out. We can talk over there, at the picnic table."

Everyone walked towards the table, to wrapped up in their thoughts to say anything until they got there. At the very least, they now knew that Remy was alive, he hadn't perished in the ice and snow of Antarctica.

end part 7.

They had all moved over to the picnic table, and had settled uneasily around it. Willow was sitting next to Remy, still rubbing his hand soothingly. Remy was watching Ororo and Logan as if he expected them to do something, to suddenly attack. It was an odd change... one they didn't particularly like. What had happened to cause that?

"So... you were at Chuck's with Rogue last we saw you. Now, you're here. What the hell happened?" Logan's words were harsh, nearly growled, and to the point.

Remy flinched slightly at Logan's words. "You know the Shi'ar decided they needed a bit of assistance while you were out shopping, an' they grabbed the people that were there to go help with the mess? After that, we ended up in Antarctica, 'cept for Bishop. Deathbird had him. There were...complications. We got captured, and someone in armor decided to put me on 'trial' for one of my more glaring mistakes. The others were cast with Warren as my supposed defense, an' the rest as witnesses an' jury."

Ororo felt something very cold forming in the pit of her stomach at his words. None of them had spotless pasts. They had all made mistakes, done things that were less than perfect. Trial... at the instigation of a man holding them all captive? She had the feeling that that had to have turned out very very badly. "Trial for what? What happened, Remy?"

Remy seemed to pull himself away, emotionally if not physically. "The massacre. I found the Marauders for Sinister." His voice was barely more than a whisper, and seemed to vibrate with suppressed emotion. "They found me guilty, and when the building collapsed, Rogue pulled me out an' left me in the snow. Alone." His words trailed off, and they could see that he was turning his attention to his memories, possibly of the trial, or what had happened after.

The redhead, still holding his hand, looked at them. Her expression was protective. "I found him out there. He was nearly frozen to death. We nearly lost him to a fever after that. He didn't want to contact anyone, didn't want to let anyone know that he was alive." She was watching them, trying to read their reactions.

Seeing that they looked shocked an surprised by this news, Willow continued. "He was convinced that the people he had trusted with his life had rejected him. That the people he should have been able to count on, the woman who had claimed to love him, had abandoned him to a slow, horrible death. Nobody went to look for him. Nobody tried to contact him. He was afraid that if he tried to get let of any of you know he was still alive, someone would be along to change that."

Logan was stunned. The facts were harsh. While he had never been close to Remy, he would never have abandoned him like that. Remy was, or at least, he had been a member of the team. You don't leave a team-mate behind, especially in hostile territory. While he'd like to know a good deal more about why in the hell he'd had anything to do with assembling the Marauders, that wasn't the main point. Nobody on the team had a spotless past, and some had things that were pretty damn dark in their past. He wasn't certain of all his past, but he knew there were parts of it that were bad.

There was also the cold fact that the people at the mansion had been willing to let Rogue's decision stand. She had been a terrorist with Mystique, and had probably accomplished more than the massacre herself, but they would let her pass judgment for them all. That made his spine run cold, and he knew that he could not return to Xavier's. The dream might be good, but the team working for it had fallen astray.

For her own part, Ororo felt pained. The cold lump that had formed when Remy had spoke of a trial had swollen, encompassing her whole body. He had been left to die by those he trusted. He had felt so betrayed that he had been afraid to even try to talk to her, to any of them, because he feared that someone would try to kill him. A few months ago, she would have told him such fears were crazy. She would have thought the idea of Rogue leaving him to die equally crazy. Now, she couldn't tell if he was right to fear, she had the sinking feeling that there were some at the mansion that would be willing to kill him.

Storm felt her head spinning. This was to much, to fast. Remy had assembled the Marauders for Sinister.... why? What could have made him do such a thing? But for the X-Men to leave him to die...it was horrible. She had known that Rogue had left him, but... There had been a small part of her that had hoped that someone had tried to redeem things, had tried to help him. To hear, so bluntly from this woman that Remy had been abandoned, had been convinced that the rejection of those individuals had spread so far that his life would have been in danger....It hurt. Even more, it hurt that he had feared that she would reject him as well.

"You are my brother in all but the actual DNA, Remy. I would never abandon you to die, nor would I try to kill you myself. I wouldn't let anyone do such a thing to you." She was on the verge of tears. Tears of relief that he was alive and safe, tears of pain at the agony and abandonment that he had gone through, tears from the hurt that it had given her to hear his doubts.

Remy was holding her then, offering a shoulder to cry on, real and tangible and there as he hadn't been for so long. He held her as she sobbed from to many emotions, murmuring little soothing sounds and words. They were the words that say nothing more complex than that she was not alone, that he was here, that it was okay to cry.

Logan watched as Remy held Ororo. He felt something he couldn't identify well up when he wrapped his arms around her, something dark and jealous and possessive. He pushed it down, deciding to figure it out what it meant later. "Teams don't work that way. I don't leave people behind."

Then Willow touched his arm, lightly. It was a gesture carefully calculated to get his attention without appearing threatening. He looked at her, wondering what she wanted.

With a small smile, she spoke, her voice quiet enough not to interrupt Ororo's tears. "He wasn't working for Sinister. He was trying to get away from him. You can also relax, there's a lot of things between them, but he isn't interested in her that way. He was afraid, and confused, and when that happened, he didn't have anyone to turn to. When it came out, everything he thought he'd built with his life seemed to fall like a house of cards. I know he won't go back to the X-Men. I also know that he isn't going to be dating Ororo, he's otherwise involved. He didn't betray the team, but the team definitely betrayed him."

The four stayed at the table for a while, letting wounded hearts heal with the discovery that Remy was safe, that not everyone had turned their backs on him. The fact that he would not return to Xavier's was not a problem, Logan and Ororo wouldn't be going there either. They didn't know what the future would hold, but it seemed a bit brighter now.

end part 8.

They had talked for a long time, not about what things Remy had in his past, but the fact that he was missed, at least by Logan and Ororo. Ororo especially didn't want to loose track of him again. Remy was almost the only family that she had. Logan had admitted that things weren't quite the same without Remy, and it wouldn't hurt to stay in touch. Ororo also wanted to learn more about Willow, to try to determine if this person was good enough for her brother.

Logan was the one that eventually brought up the bit of conversation he'd heard from the two earlier. "So, who're these people, Harmony and Spike, and what has them so, how'd you put it.. wigged?"

The two had exchanged glances, and Willow had explained that Harmony was a friend of hers from high school, and Spike was Harm's boyfriend. There was some sort of operation in Sunnydale, with tazer armed men in camouflage kidnapping people. They suspected some sort of horrible experiments going on, and Harm and Spike had fled here to ask Willow to help them hide from someone in Sunnydale.

Logan had figured that her friends worries were understandable, and had said he had an old friend that he'd ask to look into the matter, and then he'd reassured them that his pal Nick had plenty of back-up. They had both seemed very happy to have a solution to that sticky problem, and had relaxed a bit after Logan's promise to have his friend look into it.

Ororo had suggested that they might want to get together again some time, to spend some time just being friends.

Willow had grinned impishly, and mentioned a little music festival next week, and then suggested that they could all go, like a double date. She and Remy had both smiled when Ororo and Logan had both blushed, and insisted, without much heat, that they were not dating. Neither Willow or Remy looked like they believed them, but they went along with the claim.

Logan wasn't certain what to think. He knew very well that he and Ororo weren't dating. Not that he wouldn't want to, but.. She'd always gone for a more high class sort of guy. Someone that could take her to nice restaurants, the sort of fellow that went to black tie events and could discuss high dollar wines. Someone that was as elegant as she was. He didn't think that he could ever be that sort of person. But the idea of having Ororo in his life, as more than a friend... ehh, best not to get his hopes up. He doubted it would ever happen.

Ororo was still blushing. On one hand, she wanted to learn more about this Willow, wanted to make certain that she would be good to Remy, although she was clearly already better for him than Rogue ever had been. On the other hand, she had no idea where the red head had gotten the idea that she and Logan.. the idea made her blush more. Not because the idea was unappealing, but because she could all to easily think of many things she'd want to do with Logan if he was really her boyfriend, instead of just a friend. He was all male, primal energy and rippling muscles... and yet, he still accepted that she was a capable, intelligent individual. In her experience, those two traits were hard to find together.

She knew that he wasn't still hung up on Jean, but... that didn't mean that he was interested in her. She wasn't like the sort of women that she knew of Logan beingn involved with in the past. She remembered them, Elektra and Silverfox, and she wasn't certain what his relationship with Yukio had been, But...there was a trend. They all had a wild side, all thrill seeking dark haired women...and there was also Jean. Ororo wasn't like either sort. Obviously, he wouldn't want quiet and pale haired...he was associated with wild dark haired women, or lusted after confident redheads. She didn't have a chance. When had she started to lust after Logan anyhow?

It was good to have found Remy, better to know that he was healthy, and for the first time in a long time, he was happy. She hoped that she could be that happy some day.

end part 9. End A Brother Lost.