Home | Forum | Mailing List | Repository | Links | Gallery
 
 
Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
 
 
 

Betrayal - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Valerie Jones
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 20

For the first time in a very long time, Remy LeBeau was almost content. He was lying on his stomach on the sun-warmed wood of the dock, eyes closed, listening to the gentle lap of water beneath him. The sun on his bare back was just this side of hot, perfect for lazing in. For once, his head didn't hurt and the telepaths had decided to leave him alone. Jean and the Professor had been his constant shadows for the last three weeks, and although he appreciated their concern, the constant attention had been wearing very hard on his nerves.

His mutant power picked up motion well behind him. Someone was walking down the wide sloping lawn toward the lake. Someone female, with a light, graceful walk. That meant Ororo or Psylocke. Rogue's stride was more forceful, Jean's more straightforward. Remy sighed. The odds were fifty-fifty, at least, that it would be someone he would enjoy talking to.

He opened his eyes a fraction, letting the bright light leak in. Despite his sunglasses, the glare was painful. Because his eyes were black, they picked up more light than most people's. It gave him very good night sight, but also left him highlysensitive to bright lights and glare. When his eyes had first changed, it had seemed like the world's colors had suddenly become washed out versions of their former selves. It was something he had gotten used to, but he still made it a point not to go out in the sun without sunglasses if he could avoid it.

When his eyes had adjusted, he rolled over and sat up to meet his visitor. Unfortunately, it was Elizabeth. She was dressed down for once, in shorts and a plain T-shirt. She was even barefoot. It seemed like a deliberate effort to put Remy more at ease. Not that it was going to do much good. Remy watched her suspiciously. His shields were rebuilt, those heavy, reassuring walls that kept the rest of the world out of his head, but he wasn't about to put all of his trust in them. Elizabeth had shattered them once and he knew she could do so again.

His fingers brushed the small stash of cards he had with him as he stood. He hadn't expected to need ammunition for sunbathing. He studied Elizabeth as she approached. He would be able to feel it if she were probing him, but a surface scan. . . . He deliberately took a second look at her. She was certainly a beautiful woman, exotic both for her oriental features and purple hair. Remy had always found her attractive, especially the sensual allure Kwannon's personality had given her. Kwannon, of course, had been far more interested in corrupting their oh-so-puritanical fearless leader than in someone as thoroughly corrupt as himself. But he had always wondered if there might not have been a few tricks she could have shown him-- and vice versa. Remy kept his grin to himself. Elizabeth definitely wasn't scanning him. She wouldn't have been able to completely hide her reaction to that particular line of thought.

"Hello, Remy." Elizabeth had stopped at the edge of the dock.

She was trying not to alarm him. She was well beyond the range in which she could wield her psychic knife.

"What do y' want, `Lisabeth?"

"I came to appologize." She met his gaze evenly, chin raised.

"What? It take you three weeks t' get `round to it?" Remy had not actually been in the same room with her since the night she had attacked him.

Elizabeth's expression didn't change. "No. The Professor asked me to. . . . keep my distance until your shields were back in place. Today is the first time he has felt it would not pose a risk-- for either of us."

Remy considered her. She was determined to confront him-- he could read that in the set of her shoulders and the defiant lift of her chin. But he couldn't tell if the hard exterior covered true regret or something else. If she really did want to apologize. . . he wasn't sure what to think. Elizabeth was a proud woman. For her to humble herself that much for the sake of someone like him. . . . He held his tongue and waited for her to continue.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "What I did was wrong, and I am *very* sorry that I hurt you. I didn't mean to-- not like that, anyway." She shifted uncomfortably. "I was just afraid there was a Kwannon buried inside you."

"Kwannon?" Remy wasn't certain he was following this turn in the conversation.

Elizabeth nodded. "She was a part of me for a very long time, and there were a lot of things about her that I liked and admired. But she was also an assassin. She *liked* killing. If she had ever been completely in control of me, I might have killed people that I care about. People in this house. Does that make any sense?" Her hard exterior had softened somewhat and she watched Remy with a mute appeal in her eyes.

"I t'ink so." Remy was finding it hard to hold on to his anger. It was obvious that she had only wanted to protect the people she loved. He was becoming hard pressed to say he wouldn't do the same thing if their situations had been reversed. As much as he hated what she had done, he had to admit he understood her reasons, maybe even agreed with them. He sighed.

"F'get about it, Betsy."

Hope flared in her eyes. "Are you sure. . . ?"

"Oui. Dat's life, neh?"

"Yes." A smile lifted the corners of her mouth. "Thank you." She turned to leave.

"`Lizabeth?"

She turned back to him. "What?"

"You keep dat knife o' yours shut down around me, hear?"

Her smile died and she nodded. She understood the warning. He was willing to forgive, but he wasn't going to give her another chance to stab him in the back.

With a last look in his direction, Elizabeth turned and walked back toward the house. Remy watched her go, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to recapture his earlier peace. He considered laying back down in the sun, but abandoned the idea as hopeless. Eventually he wandered off, making sure to go a different direction from the one Elizabeth had taken.

 

GambitGuild is neither an official fansite of nor affiliated with Marvel Enterprises, Inc.
Nonetheless, we do acknowledge our debt to them for creating such a wonderful character and would not dream of making any profit from him other than the enrichment of our imaginations.
X-Men and associated characters and Marvel images are © Marvel Enterprises, Inc.
The GambitGuild site itself is © 2006 - 2007; other elements may have copyrights held by their respective owners.