"So, you've got a sacrifice to free Rachel from the clutches of the overprotective Summers clan? How much do you hate this guy?" Warren asked. "You know how pissed Scott gets when you just flirt with her."
"It be easier on dis po' boy wit'out him. He a good boy dough. She like 'im. Even Mattie goin' t' approve." The conspirators shook their heads. Warren, Betsy, Sam, Jubilee and Bobby were in on this one. Hopefully, they'd be able to keep Scott from killing the man, but they weren't sure if they'd be able to move that quickly.
*****
Rachel giggled as Remy cautiously slid her a phone number. "Call him if'n y' don' want t' go out on Saturday at six. Ot'erwise he come pick y' up. Bets an' Warren be takin' Scott t'… dat place." Rachel nodded.
"Thanks, Remy."
"He don' do good by y', Remy beat him."
*****
Scott was actually glad of Logan's solid presence beside him as he climbed up onto the large rocks to stare out over the calm sea. He rubbed his eyes, forcing away the tears. He felt Logan squeeze his arm, in one of the odd off-hand gestures of comfort he seemed to make all the time now. It still startled him, but as long as he didn't get… er… fresh, Scott was willing to let him have those touches.
He swallowed and turned in order to climb down. He stopped and knelt to touch the carving in the rocks. "For there is no greater love of life than sacrifice. Here we remember Phoenix and Rogue." Beneath was an "x" in a circle and a date.
"What is this?"
"Gumbo made it I think. When he kept vigil for them."
They looked up when an older woman with a wreath of flowers started across the beach to them. She smiled. "Must be your first time. Here, put this up there. My old bones complain something awful about climbing." Logan settled the wreath on the top of the rocks. "Susie told me about the X-men saving the world from her boy. The pastor thinks it's a shame for no one to remember them, so we bring flowers whenever we can. We get visitors. Once they find out the story, they come to say thanks. Wish I knew…" she trailed off. "You know how they died?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Warren answered.
"Wonder how they carved that rock though. There ain't any chisel marks, according to my son. You take care." She left her dumb-struck audience.
"Never underestimate the power of gossip," Betsy stated.
"I didn't know Gambit has this much control."
"Kid can charge up a brandy just enough to make it perfect." Logan looked into the distance with a smile. He remembered Scott's first taste of good brandy. And the incredibly enthusiastic bout of lovemaking that had followed it. Scott caught the memory and smacked Logan across the back of the head. Wolverine leered at him.
*****
Rachel linked her arm through her date's. Paul LaRoche was a wonderful dinner companion. He was witty, intelligent, and gorgeous. Jubilee would adore him. Or at the very least, his ass. He was tall and thin, with short, dark hair and chestnut eyes. His smile and laugh were quick to appear.
She didn't mind the guns he wore under his splendidly tailored suit. They'd already arranged to go dancing the next week. They were on the front step when she decided that she didn't want to face what would be waiting for her on the other side of the door.
"What is the custom here?" Paul asked, giving her hand a pat. "Do I get a goodnight kiss on the first date?"
"How about coffee down at Harry's before we call it a night?"
The door opened to reveal Jubilee. "Like, the two of you have got to come in before the fam goes postal. Scott's about ready to strangle everyone who had a hand in this. He's with your brother in the den." Rachel sighed. Paul patted her hand where it sat in the crook of his arm.
"I would be the same way if it were my sister dating someone recommended by LeBeau."
"Why don't you like each other?"
"Different world views, my sweet." Cable was pacing in the den. Scott was sitting, having abandoned pacing a few minutes earlier.
"Hi, Dad, Bro." Mentally, Paul tagged Cable as "pissed off father" and Scott as "over-protective big brother."
"Rachel! What were you thinking? A blind date? With someone LeBeau suggested? Are you completely insane?" Scott snapped.
"Dad! I can take care of myself! And Paul's a cop. It's not like…" Paul blinked.
"And that's another thing. He's a cop. An Interpol inspector. What on earth makes you think…"
"Bishop's a cop."
"That's different." Paul was growing steadily more nervous as the crowd in the room increased. The large black man with the weapon and a proprietarial arm over the Cairo Thief Goddess made his hand itch for a gun. And he wanted to put a fist through the grinning Cajun's head. He heard a "snikt" and found a short man with foot-long claws next to him.
Okay, Paul, he thought to himself. Catalog. These are the X-men. You know that. Cyclops must be daddy-dearest. Wolverine with the claws. Storm the Bitch Goddess. Gambit the brat. When did Angel turn blue? Hmm, the model was Betsy Braddock. The doorwoman had to be LeBeau's protegee Jubilee. The big black man he couldn't identify. Nor did he know the one with the metal arm. Where was Xavier? Or the Iceman? Or Beast? They had to be around somewhere.
"I apologize for my family, Paul. They aren't all idiots. Just most of them." Paul shrugged.
"They put up with Remy. That should nominate them for sainthood." LeBeau flicked a lightly charged card at him. He dodged it. It disintegrated without leaving a mark on the wall. "I'm not dating your family."
Mattie chose that moment to come in. "Is dat little Lawrence's boychile I see dere?" she exclaimed. Paul's jaw dropped.
"Mattie? You didn't warn me I'd be facing her," he accused. Remy shrugged.
"Tante, she do what she want."
"What exactly are you plannin…" Scott started.
"Ta do with our girl?" Logan
"Rachel, I'm not prejudiced you know. I don't care if you've got two fathers. I think it's sweet. I'm not even going to … er, what's wrong?" Scott stared at him in horror.
"Scotty don' admit dat he love de furball yet," Remy said rolling his eyes.
"But the connection is so bright. I haven't seen the much white since…"
"He's an empath?" Rachel interjected. "And you didn't tell me?"
"Y' didn't tell him y' be a telepath. Fair's fair." Scott started laughing. Something inside snapped. Logan growled and put a hand to his head.
"Why is Daddy turning paisley?" Rachel asked.
Remy and Paul blinked at her. "I didn't know telepaths saw things the same way empaths do," Paul stated.
"We can see the 'colors' as Remy says, but we can't manipulate them in any way. Usually, we ignore them."
"I dink dat be de wallpaper in Scotty's office."
"The green and white are the jealousy and love. The yellow is trust. The blue is usually calmness. But I've never seen them turn into a plaid."
Remy paled. "Remy seen dat once. Logan! Take de boy t' bed! He need t' be safe. Dis what he be like That Day." Logan scooped his leader up and left the room.
Cable took out his gun and took Scott's chair. "With Slymm out of commission we get to take over this interrogation." Cable smiled.
"Cable!" Rachel exclaimed. "You have no right to…"
"What are your intentions towards my sister?"
"I intend to date her and possibly in the future to marry her." Remy studied the colors. There was affection and attraction. They should sync perfectly given time.
"Who are you? Where are you from? What is your family like? Have you ever been married?" Betsy asked, settling on the arm of the couch.
"How many sibs do you have?" Jubilee asked.
"I am Paul LaRoche, Inspector for Interpol. I currently live in Paris. However, I have been offered a position at the Met. One word and I'll smack you, LeBeau. I have two sisters, one brother, four half-brothers and one step-sister. Father's remarried. I have never been married. My family is insane. Most have studied law in one form or another. We come from landed gentry that survived the Revolution."
"Why does LeBeau want you out of the way?"
"Because I'm probably the only cop that's ever come close to catching him."
"He's got a crush on you," Rachel said, snuggling against Paul. Oh, he didn't mind that at all. He put an arm around her. Remy threw a pillow at her.
"Do not. And he wouldn' be dat good if his father hadn't met up wit' my father during a… restoration attempt."
Paul snorted. "Restoration. Right. Try forgery."
"Copyin' masterpieces is an age ol' met'od of teaching."
"Says the forger." Remy raised a brow. "No, I can't prove it."
"Now, boychile, y' watch y' mouth," Mattie stated.
"Oh, I got de balls a de encule dat morder po' Genny?"
"Literally?"
"Oui."
"Sapriste! How did you manage that?" Paul switched to French.
"He pissed off the wrong man. Attacked his property. Got tortured to death in the name of science. I'm saving the equipment for a charm."
"Did you get tapes?"
"English for the rest of the class," the professor stated as he joined them. "Ah, Inspector LaRoche."
"Headmaster Xavier, I am honored that you remember me." Xavier smiled.
"Had I known you would be dating our Rachel I would have interrogated you more fully."
"Oh, I believe your… students are doing an admirable job in your stead."
"They can be… enthusiastic. We don't get many new faces here. At least, not usually. And for someone to date Rachel, he must be extraordinary indeed to survive her family."
"Remy believed that he was setting me up for death, or at least a maiming. So far your students have resisted the temptation. Of course, dealing with the brat prince would give one patience."
"Actually, there are LeBeau sized dents in some of the walls," Cable interjected. "I'd be glad to show you the same courtesy."
"Cable!" Rachel snapped. Cable looked at her quizzically.
"What's wrong, Sister?"
//I'm going to tear you into tiny bits if you lay one hand on Paul.//
//Really. I'd like to see you try.//
//Don't test me, Cable. I'll take you down and you know it.//
//That's my sister all right.//
While Cable and Rachel were arguing, the professor was discussing more delicate matters.
"I do hope you are planning to remain in New York for awhile. It would be a shame for you to begin a relationship and disappear."
"I'm not in the habit of leaving my companions high and dry. That is the specialty of the Cajun."
"Remy never leave a femme cryin'."
"And the men?"
"Paul!"
"A fair question. You have no sexual morals after all."
"Says de homme stupid enough t' follow Candra after she leave him f' de day?
That broke Rachel away from her argument. "Candra, the external bitch?"
"To my chagrin, it was. And just because you warned me, doesn't mean you can pull it up any time you feel it necessary to…"
"Warn y'? I tol' y' flat out 'xactly what de bitch be like. I tol' y' not t' get involved. Remy warn y'. In fact, he try t' show y' de trut'. Knew y' could see it by den! But y' didn' listen t' Remy. Or y' own senses. Y' a fool boy."
"Was a fool. And where do you get off calling me a boy? Just because you're two years older."
"An' a hell of a lot smarter."
"Brat."
"Cop."
"Stop it, chilen. Y' two argue like y' born t' it. Mebbe we set up de wrong two, hmmm?" The two men shuddered.
"That is probably the most disgusting suggestion you've ever made, Mattie."
"Tante, de man is a cop. And a Parisian!"
"He is a Thief! And a Cajun!" Paul looked affronted at the suggestion. He tightened his grip on Rachel. "Rachel, Darling, I know we've only just met, but please, save me." She laughed, grabbed his hand and stood.
"We're going out for coffee. If any one of you follows us from this room, I will personally see to it that you face me, one on one, in the Danger Room. That goes for you too Cable."
TBC