Hell in Paradise - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Keri Wilson
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 1

My name is Renee. My mother never thought she would be able to have a child. In fact, she didn't even believe she would be able to touch or be touched by anyone. That was before she met and fell in love with the man that was to become my father. When my father kissed my mother they were very pleasantly surprised. My father then surprised my mother by then proposing marriage to her.

Years later, when he told me the story of their courtship, he said that he surprised himself uttering those words,"that the feelings of the moment overwhelmed" him. However, he said that to me just as mom was walking into the room. Then he grinned and winked at me. I think he was just teasing my mom.

Anyway, when my dad proposed to my mom her enthusiastic response certainly surprised him; she made a flying leap into his arms, almost knocking him to the ground! Then she kissed him and told him "yes!".

I was a surprise to my parents too. When mama discovered she was pregnant a month before the wedding, she was happy, surprised and a little embarrassed. They discussed changing the wedding date, but decided to go with the day they had planned on, even though mama was then about two months pregnant with me! Most of their other teammates in the X-men can't believe what a long and happy marriage they've had.

Or how many kids they had: there's seven of us! The children of the X-men Rogue and Gambit, or as they more commonly are called nowadays, Tara and Remy LeBeau.

Renee continued speaking into her voice diary,looking up at the constellations that she knew by heart in the clear night sky. Yesterday one of my brothers gave them an unpleasant surprise. He ran away. It was after another argument with papa, this one was more intense than any they had recently.

Then it happened, Richard yelled at papa, telling him he hated him, always had, and told mama that she was stupid for marrying a man with no honor, and even dumber for having all of us kids with him.

He told them that he was going to New Orleans to try to restore the LeBeau family honor, that he said Papa had destroyed. Papa got angrier than I've ever seen him before and shouted at him; "you an idiot and a fool" and "Fine! Let dem fill your head wit' delusions, it sure won' give y' a decent home or life! Have your fun, but don' come cryin' t' me when the reality doesn't match y' 'magination!"

Then mama said,"Richard, whenever yah wanna come home we'll welcome yah back." That's when Richard told them he "wasn't never comin' back", but at least he added "sorry mom", and wasn't sarcastic about it, he actually looked unhappy. Then he walked out. I don't think he will be back. Richard's that way, stubborn.

"Mon fille, where you be?" Remy looked around in the dark, stopping when he thought he caught a glimpse of the dark green dress his oldest daughter had been wearing.

"Up here in the tree." Renee sees her father has changed into a black dress suit for the holiday celebration

Remy looks up and smiles at Renee. "Y' mama wonderin' where you be, what wit' Richard runnin' off, she wanna know where all her other chil'ren are,'bout ever' minute."

"Tell her I'm just watchin' the moon an' the stars come out, I'll be in soon. Besides she knows I'm almost an adult, I'm 17."

"An' your brother Richard's 16, it's time y' started makin' your own decisions `bout t'ings, y' told me that b'fore, an' I agree, so does your maman, usually, but after yest'day it'll be awhile `for she feel dat way `gin."

"Papa, I don't think Richard will ever come back."

I t'ink you're right, don' know why he feel so strong 'gainst his own pere t'ough." Remy's disapointment at himself seeped out. He wouldn't dwell on it tonight, for the sake of everyone else, but he wondered how he had failed. It obviously wasn't Tara's fault, and he had already driven himself six ways to Sunday tryingto figure what he had done differently with Richard than he had with their other 6 kids and had come up blank.

"I don't understand him either, an' we're 15 months apart, dad. I know none of the rest of us kids feel the way Richard does."

"Maybe somet'ing wrong wit' his mind, when he born an' nobody pick it up. Maybe it get worse as he gets older, who knows?" Remy mused aloud.

"I don't think it's that papa. I think, maybe it was the stories that you an' maman told us when we were little. You know, the stuff 'bout the South an' family an' all. Richard maybe thinks he's being a hero or somethin', restorin' the family honor." Renee was recalling a few things Richard had said a couple of weeks ago atthe academy. Stuff about heros having honor and things like that.It was something he was saying to Scotia Summers as she walked past. At the time she had just dismissed it as another one of Richard's rants to a friend, but now she wondered.

"She out here, Remy?"

"Yes ma chere. M' amour, do you feel okay? I know y' were still angry at me earlier."

"Why aren't yah still angry at Richard? Yah don't seem that upset that he's run off! He could be in who knows what all trouble, an' yah don't seem that concerned!"

"I'm still upset, an' yes I'm concerned, cherie. I jus' know de boy don' even care dat I am, an' he wouldn't come back with me if I chased after him, an' the same goes if y' did. Y' know that, don' you, chere?"

"Yes, Remy, ah know," she finally replies softly, with resignation. Then in a effort at changing the subject despite her strong feelings, she says, "We're all puttin' the stuff on the table foh dinner now, an' all the guests are here. Then with a touch of anger,"What a time foh Richard tah run away, Christmas Eve!"

"Maybe someday he apologize," Remy says gently. Then he looks up in the tree where Renee is still sitting, "Y' comin' in petite?"

"Yes." Renee glides down from the tree and follows her parents inside.

Meanwhile in the mansion-like old farmhouse, (converted to a school for "gifted"- mutant and mutate children, ages three to thirteen, a number of years ago) the mass confusion of a large "family" Christmas day gathering is in full swing.

"Kayley Pryde Rasputina, stop yanking that poor cat's tail, or it will scratch you! Katherine "Kitty" Pryde-Raspuntina says in exasperation, and thinks to herself, having holidays so close to each other: Hanukkah and Christmas, not to mention Buddha's birthday, Yule, Kwanzaa, the beginning of Ramadon and more makes everthing crazy in December, including the kids, but especially the parents!

"Mark Braddock, Oneada Munroe stop rocking the Christmas tree or it will fall on you!" Ororo Munroe ordered the two children.

"Christopher Dane Summers, I already told you three times to stop trying to lift up Regina LeBeau's dress! I hope you don't do this all the time you are here at school!" Alex Summers yells with irritation, and realizing at the same time how old he feels. His son is chasing girls, growing up.

"Aunt Jubilee, Louis keeps making the toy trains crash!" Catrin Cassidy-Proudstar complains.

Jubilee shakes her head and thinks; I wonder why Louis is so immature? His twin brother Lotan acts much older than him. True, they aren't identical twins- far from it! Lotan looks a lot like my dad, Louis looks like Logan. What am I going to do about Louis, he's so childish! Oh, that reminds me, I've got to check on something, I might have to tell some news tonight! I'm not sure how I'll feel if the answer is what I think it will be.

"Has anyone seen my daughter Mary or Roger LeBeau for the past several minutes? She's not answering my telepathic calls, and has been blocking my probes since they went off together a few minutes ago." Jean Grey-Summers asked worriedly. I hope they aren't doing what I'm afraid they are, they aren't old enough to understand how serious that could be."

"Rowena LeBeau, I believe that fifteen times in a roll is enough to hear 'Grandmother Got Run Over By A Reindeer'!" Betsy Braddock said in exasperation.

"Well I found out where our other missing lovebirds were, Deborah and Fion are with the rest of the other older kids in the rec room playing basketball. I saw Jubilee's other son Lotan, Scott and Jean's other two kids Scotia and John, Sean and Moira's son Ian, Ororo's other daughter Beline in there. Rogue and Gambit's son Roman, was also in there, watching the older kids playing, he told me who was winning." Bobby Drake announced on his scouting trip return. His daughter Emily, product of Bobby's third failed marriage, sat on his shoulders, playing with a stuffed animal dog, that looked well worn and chewed on.

Emily was two years old, and the joy of Bobby's life. Emily's mother Marion had a bitter divorce battle with Bobby. Not over property or even custody, but she had smeared poor Bobby's reputation whenever she could. She had announced in court that the reason why had an affair was because Bobbi was actually gay.

That had hurt Bobby worse than even if she had complained about him spending too much to with the X-men, or even if she had used the stupid, "Well I didn't know how hard it would be married to a mutant." His first wife Xi had used the first as her reason why she wanted a divorce, and his second wife Vanessa had said the other. That had pissed him off, but not hurt like Marion's attack. It hurt because he wasn't gay, and she was using that to try to justify her affair. Bobby knew a little bit of the hurt was a bit of homophobia too. He hated that he had any bit of prejudice in himself, but it was hard to overcome all the prejudices that society taught you as children.

But he did have one good thing from that marriage, his daughter. Even if he only saw her on weekends and holidays.

"Whoops! Almost stepped on you Renard! I didn't see you reading on the floor, you were so quiet. Did your father, Remy, give you that book about Louisiana?" Forge asked Renard. The boy silently nodded his head.

He's a quiet one, and smart too, that book is on an adult reading level, and he's apparently having no problem reading it. Professor Xavier told me that Renard would probably become a very strong telepath, since he was telepathic at birth, and he was three months premature! You wouldn't know it now, but when he was born he was in such a weak condition we didn't think he'd live- total life support the first three months, and having to take oxygen three hours a day for the rest of his first year. That kid's first birthday was a celebration for all of us! He's still not the atheletes his siblings are, but he makes a lot of effort to increase his phsyical abilities too.

"Moira, could you help me get this big meat platter on the table, as usual the guys are just standing around talking, not even offering any help!" Tabitha says loudly. All the men then promptly jump to their feet, offering to help bring the food out of the kitchen.

After supper the presents are opened. Soon numerous children are running around the rooms with their new toys and paper flying everywhere. After a few minutes of this the grown ups were hoping that bedtime would come soon for the kids. Logan headed outside as soon as the kids started ripping into the presents so he wouldn't have to be around "that pack of hyenas." Betsy and Warren didn't last much longer, they repaired to the kitchen for a glass of wine. Eventually only Tara, Remy, Jubilee, Sam, and Bobby were left to supervise the children until the high spirits calmed.

Eventually all the presents were opened and the younger children were sent to bed, and the older children back to the rec room. The adults drifted back into the living room and begin to talk about events of the past and their plans and fears for the near future.

"It must be hard for you two to be hosting the party this year, after what happened with your oldest son just yesterday." Psylocke comments.

"Ah'm so upset. Ah guess ah know now how mah foster mother felt when ah ran off. She loved me like ah was her real daughter, an' Destiny did too."

"Chere, de boy's made his choice. I tol' you dat yest'day evenin'. If'n he decide t'do somet'ing stupid like dis we can't really stop him."

"Remy, she does have a right to be worried, he is only 16." Kitty replies.

"An' at 16 ah made the worst mistake of mah life, doin'somethin' on my own, makin' mah own decision 'bout what tah do in a situation."

"Your fight with Carol Danvers, right?" Jubilee asks.

"Yes. Somethin' ah'll regret the rest of mah life. That ah could do somethin' like that to anybody, even though what happened was an accident, an' Magnus got her outta mah head. Ah'm terrified Richard will do somethin' now he'll regret like ah do; like kill someone in a fight, he's got such a bad temper y'all know."

"As cruel as it sounds to you now, I think Remy is right. Your son has made his choice, you have to let him live his own life."

"Professor, do ya really believe that?"

"I believe Richard knew that he did not want to be an X-man, so he made the choice that he did, Tara."

"You know when you think about it, he showed in where he chose to go, that he did care for his father, in spite of what he said." Kitty muses.

"Out of all the kids we've taught, only Richard rejected the dream." Jean says.

"M' daughter, Renee t'inks he rejected it for another one. A personal one, one I don' care 'bout no more, restorin' the Lebeau's family honor in the eyes of the Guild.

"Ah guess ah told 'em too many tales 'bout the ol' South, an' its good values."

"Stop beatin' y'self down for it, chere. Let's change de subject."

Professor Xavier agreed, and then said, "Something I'm worried about is the antimutant sentiment. After dying down for several years it's getting more vocal again. I was hoping that the dream was finally coming true. Humans and mutants would be able to live together peacefully. I know you felt this way as well. You felt secure enough to marry and have families. But now..."

"Nothin' like a economic decline to bring out the worst in people."

"Is that all it is Logan, or is somethin' else fuelin' the hysteria?" Tara asked.

"I may need all of you as active X-men if the situation continues to decline."

"But what about the small children, Professor?" Kitty asked.

"If the situation gets much worse we will try to find a safe place for them."

"Tryin' ain't doin',Professor."

"What do you suggest, Rogue?"

"Ah'm sorry but if there is a fight ah ain't goin'. Before ah had kids ah would have hated `bein' stuck' with protectin' the kids, but ah have seven of mah own now, an' ah already lost one- no don't say nothin' Remy, this is different. Someone's gotta protect the lil' ones, an' ah volunteer mahself. Part o'the reason Remy an' ah agreed tah start this school was tah keep the lil'ones safe. For 13 years,through good times an' bad we've kept 'em safe,till they're old enough tah train at Banshee's school tah become X-men."

"I understand your decision, Tara. I would like to hear from the rest of you, make your decision now, while the situation is still somewhat calm. Gambit, what about you?"

"`Less y' really need me, I stay wit' Tara."

"Scott, Jean?"

"We've already discussed this, our children are almost ready to become X-men themselves. We're all with you, Professor."

"Thank you Scott. What about you, Storm?"

"I will stay with the X-men. I know my children will be safe here."

"Katherine and Piotr?"

"For now we are both staying here, but should you really need us, Professor, we'll come too."

"Psylocke? Warren?"

"I will be with the X-men, as Ororo said about her daughters, I say about my son." Warren nodded.

"Alexander and Lorna?"

"If you need us we'll be there."

"Kurt, Amanda, Mathias?"

"But of course, Professor" Kurt answered for all three.

"Bishop, I know you will be with us, but I wanted to extend the same courtesy I gave the others to you."

"You did not need to ask, it is my duty."

"Forge?"

"Need me, I'll be there."

"I'm not an X-man Charles, but whatever help ye need I'll give it."

"Thank you Moira."

"I'm with my wife, any help I can give ye, and I'm sure my students will agree, but I will ask them."

"You should do that Sean, I will be glad to have anyone's help."

"Prof', you didn't ask me or Logan if we would be there."

"What is your decision, Logan, Jubilation?"

"I'm in Charlie."

"Jubilation?"

"I can't, I'm pregnant. Maybe after the baby..." Everyone was shocked, Logan especially.

"Jube, I thought you were sure that you couldn't get pregnant again?"

Jubilee looks at him ironically and says "oh well..."

"I've changed my mind Chuck-"

"No Wolvie, the Prof needs everyone he can get. I'll be o.k. here, I won't be here alone."

Rogue smiles at Jubilee reassuringly. Then the Professor continues to ask the rest of them if they will be able to join him.

"Bobby?"

"I'm with you."

"Hank?"

"Of course, Charles."

"James and Theresa?"

"Same as my father. After all we are both teaching at his school, and our kids are safe here." Theresa answers for both of them.

"Sam and Tabitha?"

"We're in as long as our kids are safe here." Sam says.

"Exactly." Tabitha responds.

So it went, most x-members chosing to be "on call".

Later, after everyone else had gone to bed, Remy and Rogue went for a walk outside so they could talk with some privacy.

"Tara, m' amour, you t'ink your father find out yet jus' who you are?"

"We've been careful, as few as possible written records of mah full maiden name, we even made sure it was garbled on the recordin' we made of our weddin'."

"Still, what we do if Kelly, he find out his illegitimate daughter is a mutant and was a X-man?"

"Still a X-man, Remy as far as ah'm concerned, as much as ya are."

"So what we do chere?"

"Do our best tah keep him from findin' out. If he does find out, ah don't know..."

"What y' t'ink he do?"

"Ah'm afraid he'd endanger us, an' the children, an' we haven't even told them about this."

"Do y' t'ink it might be better t' be an active X-man, so that they couldn't connect y' so quick wit' the school?"

"On the contrary, Remy, if I'm so visible, they might be more likely tah connect Rogue tah Tara LeBeau an how far is that tah Tara Rebecca Kelly? The only difference `tween what ah used tah look like when ah was an active X-man is that ah'm older an' ah dye ovah that white stripe in mah hair. An' yah bettah disguise y'self more if'n yah plan tah go out there as a X-Man."

"I t'ink chere, dat the Professor, he could tell dat it would have t' be real bad for me too. Don' wanna leave y' to have t' protect de chil'ren by yourself," he said to her in a teasing tone.

"Remy, Piotr, Kitty, an' Jubilee will be here too. Ah think there is another reason, Mr. LeBeau." she said with a flirtatious look.

"Ah, y' know me too well, no secrets from you, neh?" Remy said with a smirk.

"There bettah not be, after 18 years of marriage, M'sieu LeBeau!" Tara says with mock anger.

He grinned and pulled her close and kissed her. She pulled him in tight to her body and kissed him back passionately.

"You want we should continue dis in de bedroom?"

She giggled and took his hand, "What do yah think yah silly Cajun?"

They walked back to the house, feeling the sense of unity that people in love for years have.

Renee, looking out of her bedroom window, sees her parents walking back to the house arm in arm. She thinks, glad mom didn't stay angry at dad 'cause she didn't think he was upset enough about Richard runnin' away. Richard already left an emotional and physical absence in his wake. I couldn't deal with it causing a lastin' emotional distance between mom and dad.

From what I overhead the adults talking about, and what Banshee will ask us, we'll have plenty enough problems to deal with, without addin' to them ourselves. Not sure if it came to it I could cause mom more worry joinin' the X-men. I'd hate to cause her any more pain after what Richard did.

Well I guess I'll make my decision when the time comes, maybe by that time mom's pain about Richard leaving will have lessened and she'll be able to deal with me goin' with the X-men.

Maybe the situation won't get any worse and they won't need me.I'm sure that's what we are all hopin' for.

For now though, I need to think about gettin' some sleep, or I might sleep till noon, and miss some people leaving, and have to rush to get ready to go myself! She clicked off her reading light and got into bed, letting her body relax into the rhythm of sleep.