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Chapter 2
 
 
 

Nothing to Chance - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Jacque Koh
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 1

The Garden of Destiny:

Destiny's hand moves to flip through the pages of his book, as two others stand near by patiently.

"Thanks for the assist, big brother."

"It is a reasonable request, my sister."

The third figure stays silent as he holds her pale hand in his gloved hand. Gloves which might be considered strange since they lack the fingers for the index and little finger. His other hand fumbles for a cigarette, which is plucked from his lips before he can light it.

"It's a dirty habit, Cajun."

"Chere, what harm it gonna do t' me now?"

"Not a thing, but it's still a dirty habit. Now behave yourself."

He muttered to himself as he dug into his pocket for a deck of cards. She held on to one hand firmly, so he contented himself with twirling the deck and cutting the cards with one hand.

"Stop fidgeting. He's ready to start."

Destiny found the page he was looking for, and his fingers began to trace the etched words on the page. The three turned their attention to the scene which was appearing before them. It opened into the foyer of a house known affectionately as the X-Mansion.

[The mansion was a place which Charles Xavier had long ago set up as a refuge for the X-Men. It was a place of comfort and security for these children of the atom. But this day, there was little of the under currents of the comfort which they had come to expect of this home. Today, the emotions ran more to anger, pain and despair.]

X-Mansion, Foyer:

"HOW COULD YA?! How could ya let them take him away from us?!! How could ya let them take his body!!"

Joseph and Bishop hung on to Rogue's arm grimly as she held Scott in midair with her other hand. Their determination was undoubtedly the only thing which saved Scott from serious injury.

"Rogue. Rogue, please calm down. Remy's family ... his real family has a right to take him home." Jean tried to tell her soothingly as she floated between Rogue and her husband. "He'll be laid to rest in the family tom - "

"Family? REAL FAMILY?! They exiled him! His real family threw him out of New Orleans!" Rogue shook Scott like a rag doll even as she turned her anger on Jean.

"Rogue-"

"We are his family! He was an X-Man! He was an X-Man and he died on account of us, didn't that mean anything ta ya?! He's earned his place among our dead! In our cemetery!"

"Rogue-"

"He was an X-Man! HOW COULD YA LET 'EM TAKE HIM AWAY FROM US?!!"

With her last words, Rogue threw Scott back at the two X-Men who held her other arm. It startled them enough to let go and allowed her to slip away from them.

"Rogue!"

The sonic boom outside the mansion announced her departure from the grounds.

"Is she-?"

"No." Jean helped her husband to stand, "She won't go after Gambit's body. She promised not to disrupt his funeral."

"Shou - should we really have stopped them, Ororo?" Scott protested as he found his voice again, "They are his family."

"I know Remy. He would wish to be laid to rest by those who loved him."

Scott's head jerked back towards her. But he wasn't the only one to catch the slight emphasis.

"What are you saying 'ro?" Jean looked from her husband to Storm.

"Jean-Luc exiled Remy for his protection. They sent him away because they loved him. And they loved him undoubtedly more than the X-Men ever did."

Scott looked away guiltily, his ears burned, it was no secret that he never liked Gambit. In all the time Gambit had spent with the X-Men, he never really got along with the enigmatic thief.

"This is not an issue over where we would lay Remy to rest. Rogue is angry that we let him go so easily. I think she believes that, even after all that Remy has done for us, even after his sacrifice, some of us still do not accept him as one of the X-Men. And that this is why you did not argue with his cousin to let us keep his body; because you do not think he deserves to be interred in our cemetery."

"That's absurd!"

"Is it?"

"'ro, do you believe this too?"

Ororo did not answer immediately as she looked at the faces of the X-Men before her. More than a few of them could not meet her gaze.

"Yes."

The Garden of Destiny:

["'ro, do you believe this too?"

Ororo did not answer immediately as she looked at the faces of the X-Men before her. More than a few of them could not meet her gaze.

"Yes."]

Destiny's hand brushed over the words etched on the page opened before him. A tendril of smoke draws his attention back to the young man who now stands beside him, watching the image fade before them.

He had noticed his approach, when the images started appearing, but did not comment when he stopped beside him. It was beyond a doubt that he had heard and seen everything.

"Mortals rarely come to my garden."

A grin spread on the youth's face, as he discarded the spent cigarette into a convenient ash tray, and lit another one with a kinetic charge.

"Y' knew I'd be comin', mon ami. If y' not want visitors, den y' should have closed de paths t' y' garden. An' by de way, thanks f' de ash tray."

"You should not have seen this."

"If I'm not s'pose t' see dis, den why it written in y' book, neh?"

"The future is not-"

"-f' mortals t' see. I know, I know. Y' t'ink we find out, we try an' change de future? No reason not to, if y' don' like what y' see, neh?"

"Remy LeBeau -"

"Ain't changing nothin'. I already put t'ings in motion, jus' needed confirming. Now, I know I will succeed."

"You will proceed with the path, even after having witnessed this?"

"So dey don' understand, never understood me before. It doesn't change anything. Why I do dis, is more important dan how I feel 'bout it." He shrugged, "'Sides, it will happen, so looks like I won't change my mind, neh?"

"You are ... very much like my brother."

"Y' sister will probably say dis when I see her."

"You would greet her without fear?"

The Cajun blew out a stream of smoke before he smiled at the hooded man.

"Y' should know. You know everyt'ing dat happens, an' is t' happen. In de Garden o' Destiny, all time is now. Y' wan' t' see how it go, y' read 'bout our date in Samara, heh?"

They faced each other for a moment, both silent as they faded in the Garden of Destiny. An echo of a time long past.

[They faced each other for a moment, both silent as they faded in the Garden of Destiny. An echo of a time long past.]

Destiny's hand touched the words on the page confirming his current viewing of that scene again. Of seeing himself talk to the mutant Cajun who so quickly rose in power. Who would learn enough to travel unaided to the realms of the Endless, and who recently passed through the realm of their eldest sister.

A low wind picks up and stirs the pages of his book. Destiny lets the wind lift and turn the restless pages, returning him to a page he had read a little over two years ago.

~ flip ~ flip ~

Down a cold hallway, Bishop runs screaming for the resident doctor as he cradles Gambit in his arms. The smell of alcohol hangs heavily about the limp form.

~ flip ~ flip ~

The X-Men stare in shock and confusion as Gambit takes the hand of Delirium. Man, girl and dog become a swirl of psychedelic light which vanish into itself, leaving behind two blind multicolored humming birds which evaporate in the Westchester sun.

~ flip ~ flutter ~ flip ~ A gust of wind picks up the edges of the pages.

In a dark laboratory, charged cards fly from Gambit's right hand as he leaps over the fallen body of the Marauder, Vertigo. He holds an arm band in his other hand together with his Bo.

~ flip ~ flutter ~ flip ~ flip ~

Vertigo stands alone, with her back to the wall and arms out stretched before her, inundating the room with wave upon wave of her mutant powers. Sweat pours down her face, and her eyes are wide in fear as she watches the turbulent, murky green depths of a cloning tank.

~ flutter ~ flip ~ flip ~

Sam looks at the bespectacled boy who is standing over him, with his hands in his pockets.

~ flip ~ flutter ~

The pages turn one way and then the other. Destiny makes no move to stop the turning of the pages. He only watches as the images continue to flash before him.

~ flutter ~ flip ~

Scott Summers sits in a living room nervously sipping tea opposite two men. Much of his nervousness can be attributed to a green gargoyle, named Gregory, who towers over him as it sips its tea delicately, with its pinky in the air.

~ flip ~ flip ~

Gambit stands beside Mr. Sinister to watch his Marauders ready themselves for a mission. His expression is unreadable, though he is shuffling a deck cards.

~ flip ~ flutter ~ flip ~

In a library, the Beast stands in stunned amazement, as he stares at the rows upon rows of books which surround him on all sides.

~ flip ~ flip ~ flutter ~ flip ~

Sand drifts from the Dream Lord's hand to create three dreams. His other hand touches a black pearl pinned to his lapel. From the shadows, three women approach. Beside the pale Dream lord, Gambit shuffles a pack of cards, betraying his nervous tension over the impending meeting.

~ flip ~ flutter ~ flip ~

Remy looks up in surprise at the pale dream lord who is seated beside him.

The images fade as the wind drops, and Destiny's hand reaches over to smooth the pages of his book.

He is about to closed his book when he sees you. He flips through the pages of his book until he finds the moment to confirm the presence, before he speaks to his watcher directly.

"Wake up dreamer, you have strayed from the path of my brother's realm. It is time to depart. Wake up."

"Wait!" You hear yourself cry to the shrouded man, "Please where is this place. Why did I just see, Gambit alive? What were those scenes that I saw?"

"It is not given for mortals to understand all, precognitive. Seek first to understand that which surrounds you, before you dwell on that which you cared nothing of. Wake."

"Wait! Please!"

"Wake."

You don't want to leave. You know that this man can tell you much. All the secrets you have ever wanted to know. The truth of all the events which have twisted your life, and your memories. The unbiased account of all that you have ever encountered, and will encounter.

Everything is in that book. Everything!

You cry out to him again, "Please!"

"Wake."

"Don't send me away!"

"Wake."

"I need to know!"

X-Mansion, Recreation room:

"I need to know!"

Betsy sat up on the sofa gasping for breath. She stared around her in confusion, she was in the rec room. The TV was on. Bishop and Warren were looking at her with curious expressions. She must have fallen asleep. The dream, which did not feel like a dream, was already beginning to fade.

"I have to remember. It's important. I have to remember." She gritted trying to grasp at the fading threads of memory. But it was gone, and she could no longer remember why it was so important to her.

 

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