Chapter Text
“Rogue, would you jus’ listen to me?” Remy LeBeau yelled across the campus grounds of the Jean-Grey School for Higher Learning. Students and teachers alike were not around this practical walkway.
Oliver was happy that was the case; otherwise, he was sure his parents' fighting would have caused an entire scene. The twelve-year-old boy stood behind his father. His heart hammered against his chest. He had no idea how this was going to end because he had never seen his father so angry before.
His mother, who had been walking away from his father after saying her peace stopped. She gazed back at them from over her shoulder. Had she decided to listen? “Remy, Ah can’t go back yet. Rain, she needs me. Ah’m the only one she can trust.”
“Our family needs you,” his father shot back.
“Just a few more days. Then Ah’ll be home.”
“You keep sayin’ that. Just a few more days, another mouth. It’s been over a year since the kids last seen you.”
It had been a year and five months. Olivier knew because he had kept track on his calendar. He didn’t say that. He was a kid, and it would probably only make things worse.
“Our kids are growing up without a mother,” his father continued. “You were only suppos’ to be here for a simple mission. Now you become a full-time member of the X-Men and teacher. We said we leave this life behind.”
His mother turned fully around to face them. “Ah can’t, Remy. Ah can’t just abandon people who need my help. If Ah don’t help this girl, Ah know Ah’ll regret it.”
“We miss you, mom.” Olivier couldn’t help himself. Then again, his dad brought him along to help remind his mother how much her children were growing up without her. His sisters had been left in the trust of Tante Mattie.
Her beautiful green eyes shined with recognition as if she had just noticed that he was there. He hoped that meant she agreed to come home.
“Ah’m sorry, Oli. Ah promise Ah’ll be back soon.”
“Rogue!” His father bit down on his teeth. “Anna, if you don’t come home with us right now… I’ll leave and raise the kids how I see fit.”
Olivier looked up at his father. What did that mean? He couldn’t even begin to figure out how that would be different from how he had been raising him and his sisters.
“Don’t you threaten me, Remy.”
His father held out his hand. “Den come home, chere. That's where you're supposed to be.”
His mother walked toward them. A relief came to the boy’s chest. She was going to come back. They would be a family again, and everything would return to normal. Everything would be-
Rogue patted him on the head. “Ah’ll be back in a few days, sweetheart. Then me and your father will have a proper talk.” The woman glared at his father and walked away.
This couldn’t be. This had to be some sort of mistake. Who was this Rain, and why was she worth more to her than them? Olivier’s feet moved without him thinking. Why couldn’t his mother understand how mad his dad was for her being gone so long, how his sisters, how much he needed her?
His father blocked his path. He was about to argue when he saw his father’s face. The man he knew had died. Olivier’s heart shattered with it.
Remy took Olivier’s hand, and they walked away from Rogue and the school.
“I told you to go pack your things!” Remy slammed the suitcase on his bed. He glared back at his three kids, who stood in his bedroom’s doorway.
“Where are we goin’?” Rebecca, Remy’s youngest, asked.
“To our new home.”
“But I like this home.”
“I don’t care!”
Rebecca and Irene hugged each other. The girls were clearly frightened by their father’s yelling.
“It ain’t their fault. Mom was the one who left us.” Tears ran down Olivier’s face.
“Mom, left us?” Rebecca asked.
“Yes. She made a choice.” Remy sat on the bed. He broke down into sobbing. Any fear his girls had toward him had clearly faded as they came over to comfort him. Their small hands rubbed his back to try and soothe him like he had whenever they cried.
“Go pack your things, girls. We have to get to our new home.” Remy’s voice was broken and without strength.
The girls hugged their father. “Ok.”
Rogue soared through the skies of New Orleans, her home. At least it had become so after she and Remy decided to retire from superhero and thief life to raise a family. They had both kept their word for eleven years. Then Scott asked her to return for one last mission, as her powers were needed.
Remy had agreed it would be fine, that he would take care of the kids until she got back; however, the one last mission took a little longer than Cyclops had described on the phone. Then, when they returned, there was an attack on the school, the dorms needed rebuilding, and they were short on senior staff. One thing after another, and she had to postpone going home.
She couldn’t blame Remy for being upset when he arrived a week earlier, but she just couldn’t leave. Rain was a new student who didn’t have control of her power. Rogue was the only one the girl was willing to trust, and Rogue could tell she was on the verge of a breakthrough.
Remy didn’t need to bring the kids into this and threaten her. She knew her husband wasn’t going anywhere. He might throw a fit, blow a few things up, but leave. There wasn’t exactly anywhere he could go that she didn’t know about. They’ve known each other for so long, and they knew everything about each other.
Rogue landed in front of her French-style mansion. It had been a while since she had seen the milky cream-white front doors. She lifted her key to the lock only to realize that it was already unlocked.
Her heart sped up. Rogue opened the door to see several things scattered about. Besides that, it felt empty. “Remy! Olivier, Irene, Becka!”
No answer.
She ran up the steps, continuing to call her family’s name. Each door hung open. Rogue rushed through each room for any sign of her kids. Tears ran down her eyes.
“Remy! This isn’t funny. Come out here right now, and let’s talk this out. Remy!” She looked around at the remains in her bedroom. Her stuff hadn’t been touched, but Remy’s had.
She ran through every room of her house. She didn’t feel like she could even breathe, and every room she entered showed no signs of life. This can't be, this can’t be, this can’t be, this can’t be, THIS CAN’T BE!
Rogue collapsed over the kitchen table. Tears rushed down her face, her mind a haze with confusion and pain, and her heart was about to burst. “Dis isn’t funny, Remy. Where did you go? Ah told you Ah was comin’ back.”
She fell to her knees and cried.
Six years later…
Olivier felt at peace; at the very least, he was smiling. Then again, the boy always smiled after he got laid. He still felt his conquests’ arms wrapped around him. Their soft breasts pressed on either side of his chest.
It would be nice if he could stay here. They would probably be willing to play with him some more if he asked. They seemed so interested in him last night, and how they clung to his body now showed they still held some interest.
The young man opened his eyes. His left eye shimmered like a jewel, as it had always done since his powers had awakened. The whites of his eyes had become black, and his irises were as crimson as his father's since he had turned thirteen. He looked to his right and then his left. The twins sure were beautiful even as the sunlight hit them. I guess it wasn’t that one drink he had that night that made him want to take them to bed.
He smiled to himself. The Cajun had never handled two girls at once before, let alone twins. He guessed he didn’t get the code name Ace for no reason. He carefully moved the girls’ arms off his body as he pulled himself out of bed.
He quickly gathered his clothes and put them on. There wasn’t a good reason to change yet until he took a bath. He took one last look at the girls before leaving his room.
He had entered his home's stone hall. If he wasn't careful, his feet would easily echo through the hall, just like when he had first arrived from New Orleans. He had grown since then, taller, stronger, and far too skilled to sound like a clumsy child inside an echo chamber.
All he had to do was get to the bathroom—simple enough since the rest of his family loved to sleep in. He could have a nice warm bath. He smiled and thought about reliving his time with the twins simultaneously. No, they should still be there when he returned, and it wouldn’t be hard to convince them to come again that night.
He stopped.
His father’s door opened. A pretty blond in a short mini-dress stepped out. She blew a kiss back inside before heading in the same direction Olivier was going. She hadn’t noticed him.
Not that he minded. He wanted to go unnoticed for now, though he had to admit that his father had good taste. Maybe in a few days, he should... He stepped by his father’s door.
“Olivier, is that you?”
He guessed he didn’t go completely unnoticed. He needed to get better at this if he was going to be the son of the world's greatest thief. He shifted his gaze to see that his father had finished putting on his pants, at least. Olivier pushed the door open. “Do you need somethin’?”
“Oui.” His father spun around from his spot near his window. “Though I’m curious, how good of a mood are you in?”
So, his dad had a job for him. He wouldn’t ask him that otherwise. “How big is the job dis time?”
Gambit stepped in front of Olivier. The man still stood a few inches taller than him, making the young Cajun wonder if he would ever be that tall. “We have a client who personally requested you.”
That was a surprise. Compared to other members of the International Thieves Guild, Olivier was basically an amateur. Gambit had only started to train him in the ways of thieves after they left New Orleans.
Things became more complicated when his powers awakened, and he had to train in both. Plus the moral compass he was raised with. Since both of his parents were former superheroes before settling down, he struggled with even the idea of pickpocketing.
As time passed and he hung out with more thieves, it became easier. He still struggled from time to time. No clients should personally request him.
“Don’t be so surprised, mon garcon. You are de Prince of Thieves.”
“Only because I’m your son.” He knew he deserved no such title, and yet he desired it at the same time.
Gambit smirked. “Den prove yourself.” He poked at Olivier’s chest. “You’ve got control of your powers now. Use dem to fulfill this contract for me.”