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xp_logsBackdated due to LJ issues - Amanda and Remy catch up at Charlie's grave and Amanda discovers what Remy did on his vacation.
The sun beat down on Amanda's head as she bent over the grave, trimming the rosemary that had grown into a wild tangle. She paused, wiping away sweat with her forearm.
"You know, Charlie," she said conversationally. "You are way too good a fertiliser. These things are going crazy."
"Dat's almost speaking ill of de dead, petite. He was better den a good way to bring up herbs for a roasted chicken." Remy said, quietly coming up the trail behind her. Even with the cane, Remy still moved with as much noise as a light breeze, and he took a seat at the bench near the headstone.
Amanda beamed as she dropped her shears and pushed herself to her feet. "Remy!" she exclaimed, moving to sit next to him so she could wrap him in a hug. "It is so fucking good to see you."
"Good to be seen." Remy said, still moving carefully after his odyssey. "Glad to see dat I made it back in time. Wasn't sure dat de Red Skull would give me de time off dat I needed."
"Now who's being morbid?" she teased, nudging him gently with her shoulder. She smelled like rosemary and cigarette smoke. "I had a feeling you'd turn up here today. How was France? The Baron and everyone else?" The witch knew full well where Remy had gone to recuperate.
"Same as always. You know de town - hasn't changed much in de last couple hundred years, and decided dat dere's no real need to." Remy leaned back on the bench, enjoying the sun. "Good to be back. Looks like you all handled things well enough wit'out me here."
"Yeah, we did. Well, we had the odd meltdown and I got to threaten Angie and Jubes with my cane, but we managed as best we could." It was clear from her tone that it hadn't been exactly an enjoyable time. Then she brightened a little. "Angie shot Cammie in the arse. That was fun."
"Good to see dat you all learned so well from me." He grinned, having already gone through the reports from the mission. "Hate to say an 'I told you so', but dose risks dat Remy been mentioning since day one? Dis is one of dem. I'm glad to see dat you all kept going."
"It was the only thing we could do," she replied, matter-of-factly. "The only way we could hope to..." She didn't say 'save you', since that hadn't been the only option. She shrugged. "Keep going," she said at last. "'M glad it wasn't the other thing."
"Me too. It might seem morbid, but it is good to know dat it will keep going." He gave her a thin smile. "Something interesting about torture is dat it focuses you mind a lot. To get away from de pain or isolation, you end up going over things in detail. Like what we do here. And... well, how important dat is actually is to me."
She nodded, thinking back to Candra's ritual, the scars on her back. Not comparable to what Remy had gone through by any means, but she had an inkling of what he was talking about. "It's more than just making up for the past now," she agreed, looking out over the cemetery. "It's bigger than just us, now."
"It always was." Remy nodded, leaning on the cane and looking at the grave. "Just took us a while to figure dat out."
"Well, we do want it to be all about us, or at least that's what Sof says." Amanda chuckled, enjoying just being there with him. Remy was more than a friend, he'd become family to her over the years. "I guess it's time to retire the whole Junior Trenchcoats nickname," she continued. "We're not raw recruits any more."
"Non, but de learning has just started, 'manda. Dis life always changes, and de people dat don't change wit' it get left behind - or ground up and what's left spit back out." His eyes went distant, as if he was tracking something on the horizon. "Dere's changes dat are happening now dat we need to deal wit' before dey catch us unprepared."
"We're not as safe as we thought we were, that's for sure." Being set up the way they had been was deeply disturbing. "This Red Skull's got our number."
"Not just him. Our enemies know a lot more den is safe for us, and we need to deal wit' dat." He paused, and then shook his head. "Remy have a few ideas. Dey not going to find us an easy target, dat for sure."
"I guess the honeymoon's over," Amanda replied with a sigh. "As long as we keep the mansion kids out of it - things are bad enough as-is over there without our shite landing on their doorstep."
"It's a nice thought, but dat's not something dat we can control. Like it or not, our business is intertwined wit' Xavier's. Always has been, and unfortunately, pretty sure dat it always will be."
Amanda wrinkled her nose, a mild reaction for what she was actually feeling. Then again, it had always been that way, she knew it. "Sometimes I think it'd be easier to cut ties with them altogether," she said at last. "But it won't happen. Family, friends... 's what makes us human, not just robots programmed to do the dirty work."
"It would be de safest, smartest thing to do in some ways. But dat's exactly de way dat led me to becoming Gambit in de first place. Dere's always going to be risk, and de only way dat we can protect people is going back out and doing de job de right way every day."
She cast him a sly look. "Says the man with his own reasons to do things right. How're things with 'Ro? I tried to keep an eye on her while you were gone, best I could."
"Dey good. De time away was what we both needed; get everything back in perspective. Mind you, dat's always been de advantage of France. Nothing else to distract you but each other."
"I remember." There was a nostalgic smile on Amanda's face. She shifted, a flash of sunlight reflecting in her eyes and drawing her attention to his hands. "That's new." She indicated the ring that had caught the sunlight.
"Hmm?" Remy looked down at the gold band and resumed his gaze of Charlie's grave. "Guess dat it is."
"Never figured you as one for bling..." Amanda began, before something else registered. "Wait." She looked up into his face, trying to read his expression. "Is that what I think it is?"
"Of all de talents dat Remy's shown you, has telepathy ever been one of dem?"
She punched him lightly in the upper arm. "Smartarse," she told him, sticking her tongue out at him. "But seriously, is that a wedding ring? Do you and 'Ro...?"
"You were expecting someone other den 'ro? You seen de temper on dat woman? She'd have my hide if I tried dat."
She refrained from hitting him again, harder. "Of course it'd be 'Ro - I've seen how you two are. But... married? Remy LeBeau, the man who insisted his only future was to wind up dead in a ditch somewhere, got married?
"She asked, Remy said oui."
"Simple as that." Amanda shook her head, exasperated by his tone. "I swear, you are the most..." She gave up trying to think of a word that would describe his sheer... Remy-ness and grinned broadly. "So, she asked, you said yes and then you got hitched. You sneaky bastard."
"Prefer to think of it as efficiency." Remy shrugged. "After all, 'manda, dis could all change in a second. So why wait?"
"You could have, oh, I don't know, said something? To your friends?" She snorted then and shook her head. "No, wait, look who I'm talking to. The king of keeping things close to the chest." She gave up then, and settled for another hug, tighter this time. "Congrats, Remy. I don't need to ask if you're happy, since you wouldn't have bloody done it otherwise, but 's good to see any way."
"Likewise, petite."
The sun beat down on Amanda's head as she bent over the grave, trimming the rosemary that had grown into a wild tangle. She paused, wiping away sweat with her forearm.
"You know, Charlie," she said conversationally. "You are way too good a fertiliser. These things are going crazy."
"Dat's almost speaking ill of de dead, petite. He was better den a good way to bring up herbs for a roasted chicken." Remy said, quietly coming up the trail behind her. Even with the cane, Remy still moved with as much noise as a light breeze, and he took a seat at the bench near the headstone.
Amanda beamed as she dropped her shears and pushed herself to her feet. "Remy!" she exclaimed, moving to sit next to him so she could wrap him in a hug. "It is so fucking good to see you."
"Good to be seen." Remy said, still moving carefully after his odyssey. "Glad to see dat I made it back in time. Wasn't sure dat de Red Skull would give me de time off dat I needed."
"Now who's being morbid?" she teased, nudging him gently with her shoulder. She smelled like rosemary and cigarette smoke. "I had a feeling you'd turn up here today. How was France? The Baron and everyone else?" The witch knew full well where Remy had gone to recuperate.
"Same as always. You know de town - hasn't changed much in de last couple hundred years, and decided dat dere's no real need to." Remy leaned back on the bench, enjoying the sun. "Good to be back. Looks like you all handled things well enough wit'out me here."
"Yeah, we did. Well, we had the odd meltdown and I got to threaten Angie and Jubes with my cane, but we managed as best we could." It was clear from her tone that it hadn't been exactly an enjoyable time. Then she brightened a little. "Angie shot Cammie in the arse. That was fun."
"Good to see dat you all learned so well from me." He grinned, having already gone through the reports from the mission. "Hate to say an 'I told you so', but dose risks dat Remy been mentioning since day one? Dis is one of dem. I'm glad to see dat you all kept going."
"It was the only thing we could do," she replied, matter-of-factly. "The only way we could hope to..." She didn't say 'save you', since that hadn't been the only option. She shrugged. "Keep going," she said at last. "'M glad it wasn't the other thing."
"Me too. It might seem morbid, but it is good to know dat it will keep going." He gave her a thin smile. "Something interesting about torture is dat it focuses you mind a lot. To get away from de pain or isolation, you end up going over things in detail. Like what we do here. And... well, how important dat is actually is to me."
She nodded, thinking back to Candra's ritual, the scars on her back. Not comparable to what Remy had gone through by any means, but she had an inkling of what he was talking about. "It's more than just making up for the past now," she agreed, looking out over the cemetery. "It's bigger than just us, now."
"It always was." Remy nodded, leaning on the cane and looking at the grave. "Just took us a while to figure dat out."
"Well, we do want it to be all about us, or at least that's what Sof says." Amanda chuckled, enjoying just being there with him. Remy was more than a friend, he'd become family to her over the years. "I guess it's time to retire the whole Junior Trenchcoats nickname," she continued. "We're not raw recruits any more."
"Non, but de learning has just started, 'manda. Dis life always changes, and de people dat don't change wit' it get left behind - or ground up and what's left spit back out." His eyes went distant, as if he was tracking something on the horizon. "Dere's changes dat are happening now dat we need to deal wit' before dey catch us unprepared."
"We're not as safe as we thought we were, that's for sure." Being set up the way they had been was deeply disturbing. "This Red Skull's got our number."
"Not just him. Our enemies know a lot more den is safe for us, and we need to deal wit' dat." He paused, and then shook his head. "Remy have a few ideas. Dey not going to find us an easy target, dat for sure."
"I guess the honeymoon's over," Amanda replied with a sigh. "As long as we keep the mansion kids out of it - things are bad enough as-is over there without our shite landing on their doorstep."
"It's a nice thought, but dat's not something dat we can control. Like it or not, our business is intertwined wit' Xavier's. Always has been, and unfortunately, pretty sure dat it always will be."
Amanda wrinkled her nose, a mild reaction for what she was actually feeling. Then again, it had always been that way, she knew it. "Sometimes I think it'd be easier to cut ties with them altogether," she said at last. "But it won't happen. Family, friends... 's what makes us human, not just robots programmed to do the dirty work."
"It would be de safest, smartest thing to do in some ways. But dat's exactly de way dat led me to becoming Gambit in de first place. Dere's always going to be risk, and de only way dat we can protect people is going back out and doing de job de right way every day."
She cast him a sly look. "Says the man with his own reasons to do things right. How're things with 'Ro? I tried to keep an eye on her while you were gone, best I could."
"Dey good. De time away was what we both needed; get everything back in perspective. Mind you, dat's always been de advantage of France. Nothing else to distract you but each other."
"I remember." There was a nostalgic smile on Amanda's face. She shifted, a flash of sunlight reflecting in her eyes and drawing her attention to his hands. "That's new." She indicated the ring that had caught the sunlight.
"Hmm?" Remy looked down at the gold band and resumed his gaze of Charlie's grave. "Guess dat it is."
"Never figured you as one for bling..." Amanda began, before something else registered. "Wait." She looked up into his face, trying to read his expression. "Is that what I think it is?"
"Of all de talents dat Remy's shown you, has telepathy ever been one of dem?"
She punched him lightly in the upper arm. "Smartarse," she told him, sticking her tongue out at him. "But seriously, is that a wedding ring? Do you and 'Ro...?"
"You were expecting someone other den 'ro? You seen de temper on dat woman? She'd have my hide if I tried dat."
She refrained from hitting him again, harder. "Of course it'd be 'Ro - I've seen how you two are. But... married? Remy LeBeau, the man who insisted his only future was to wind up dead in a ditch somewhere, got married?
"She asked, Remy said oui."
"Simple as that." Amanda shook her head, exasperated by his tone. "I swear, you are the most..." She gave up trying to think of a word that would describe his sheer... Remy-ness and grinned broadly. "So, she asked, you said yes and then you got hitched. You sneaky bastard."
"Prefer to think of it as efficiency." Remy shrugged. "After all, 'manda, dis could all change in a second. So why wait?"
"You could have, oh, I don't know, said something? To your friends?" She snorted then and shook her head. "No, wait, look who I'm talking to. The king of keeping things close to the chest." She gave up then, and settled for another hug, tighter this time. "Congrats, Remy. I don't need to ask if you're happy, since you wouldn't have bloody done it otherwise, but 's good to see any way."
"Likewise, petite."
