Soon the infirmary was quiet and all Justice and
Rayne could hear was the rhythmic thumping of the baby monitor. Justice sat up
in bed using his knee for a brace as he continued to work on some case loads.
Rayne sat back watching the news and
caught the escapades of her brother and friends at the dinner, "Dey sure
like ta put mutants on de news, hanh?"
Justice looked up and sighed, "Well
young lady," He smirked, "Only believe Half of what you see. Twenty-five
percent of what you read and nothing of what you hear." He pointed to the
news, "They’re just trying to get good ratings."
Rayne looked at him a bit puzzled that he
didn't make a joke. He was certainly another person when he was in a working
frame of mind, "What kind a work do yo’ do?"
Justice sighed realizing he wouldn't get
much done right now, "I'm a lawyer, but don't hold that against me,"
He winked.
Rayne wrinkled her nose and smiled,
"Don’ have much use fo’ lawyers. Only you don't seem too much like one.
Yo’r funny." Justice finished gathered the rest of his papers, "I
hear that a lot."
"Ah bet yo’ do," Rayne
settled back on the bed and draped an arm over her eyes.
Justice was about to give her a
rebuff but decided to let the jab go, for now. They heard Hayley moving and
mumbling now in her sleep.
Rayne looked over at Justice who pressed
a finger to his lips, hopped off the bed and moved to her curtain quietly. He
peeked then held up a finger to indicate he would be right back.
Justice looked at Hayley who was sound
asleep but moving. Her head thrashed about on the pillow and her fingers were
twitching. He felt choked up hoping that she wasn't reliving the battle they
had earlier.
He bent down and kissed her head,
"Hayl." He touched her face and she jolted awake. Her eyes moved
around wildly at first then finally she seemed to recognize Justice and where
she was. She threw her arms out to him and he held her quickly.
"Were you having a nightmare?"
He sat on the bed, carefully avoiding the monitor's wires.
She nodded, "Things can change so
quickly." She rested her head on his robed chest.
"Sometimes," He sighed,
"But you can't let this keep you down, Hayl."
Hayley looked at him hard, "My child
could be crazy Justice! Considering our father and it’s father. What chance
does it have of being normal?"
"It's half you," Justice
stroked her hair, "So it has at least half a chance. Even if you add the
half of our father in you the baby would still be one quarter you, and I think
you can love it enough so it wouldn't matter anyway."
Hayley sighed thinking about it,
"What about Remy?" She pulled back to look in his eyes.
"I don't think he cares one way or
the other," Justice smiled weakly, "I think he cares about you and
that's what matters, right?"
"I was shaky about him with this kid
to begin with, and now I’m afraid he's going to run," She bit her lip
nervous.
"Give the guy some credit,
sis," Justice countered, "Would I do that?"
"No."
"There you go."
"Justice, how can I face him? How
can I face anybody now that they all know?" She tossed her head onto his
chest and cried.
"Slowly and cautiously until you
have your footing again," He let his arm trail down her back and wrapped
it around her waist. To his surprise she didn't even flinch this time. He
listened to the heart-beat of the child in the speakers and touched her belly
lightly, "I can’t wait to meet this kid."
She pulled away and looked at him, "Really?"
"Really really, chere,"
He tried to grin like Gambit but failed miserably and Hayley laughed a little.
He grinned, "Should be an awesome kid." Then a playful look hit his
face, "I mean look at Jordan. She turned out great and she’s half
me!"
Hayley nodded her agreement. Jordan had
more of Justice’s traits then Chloe’s. Hayley smiled, ‘This child could turn
out to be a little Fire-cat.’ She kissed Justice's cheek, "Guess I
hadn't thought of it like that." She touched her belly maternally for the
first time, "All this time I just assumed that I and 'it' were in the same
prison for a 9 month sentence." She felt her heart jump at the thought of
what the child would look like and then shuddered, "What if it has Silver
hair like Eric or claws like Vic?"
"I doubt it. Magneto probably didn’t
have silver hair as a young man," He reassured, "And you can always
clip the nails. Whatever comes up, you’ll deal with it."
A shadow crossed her face at the thought
of it but Justice scolded her. "You are not in this alone, kiddo. We are
all here for you," Justice held her hands, "And I get the feeling
nobody's going to treat you any differently now, except perhaps they might be
happier for you. Well, except perhaps…." He gestured over towards Rayne’s
bed and laughed, "Good thing is, Scott's weaning off the idea of being a
dad so he might give you and Remy some space now."
She smiled and thought of her and Remy's
day in the shower, "If he wants me anymore." She pulled away from
Justice, "I’m not sure he really wants to be a father or a mentor, but the
kid and I are a package deal now."
"You need to talk to him then,
Hayl," Justice stood up, "But don't sell him short. Give him a chance
at least."
"Has he been talking to you?" She cocked her head and watched
him intently. "Not really," He squirmed, hoping she wouldn‘t want any
further details, "I slept most of the day. I heard he flashed his family
jewels for the infirmary guests today."
Hayley laughed and Justice smiled thinking that her laughter was
the prettiest thing he had heard in days. "Want to explain?" She
smiled. Then she looked down realizing the mention of his antics made her smile
and she clasped a hand over her mouth shocked at the obvious.
"What's wrong," Justice made a
made grab for the trash can, "You sick?"
"I think, I just realized
something," She said slowly.
Justice sat back down so they could talk
some more, "What, that you are in love?" He whispered.
"I am?" She looked at him,
"Is that why this hurts so much?"
"Hayl, it’s no secret to the rest
of us. It can be seen a mile away," He smiled and whispered it like it was
a secret. "Listen to the people that know and love you. This should be a
good thing to cherish and enjoy. Not something to be hidden away," He
nudged her, "So, tell how you feel. Find out how he feels. And let nature
take it’s course."
Her face fell, "No! Not now, not
after everything that happened," She looked at the floor, "I don't
want him to feel pressured, and I need to explore my own feelings more."
She suddenly looked sad, "I want him to feel free to change his mind if he
wants."
"I think he feels the same
way," He sighed, and she looked at him puzzled. "I know it’s scary
Hayl, but I think your love for one another could get you through this. And if
you really aren‘t that in love it‘s better to find out now. Right?"
She shook her head and pulled some hair
out of her face. This love business was still so new to her, "I don't
know." She touched her abdomen again, "Sabretooth would have killed
the baby and me back there. And he might yet hunt me down." She shook her
head. "It's not safe for me or Remy. I don’t want him hurt or killed
because of me."
"You're a mutant, Gambit’s a
mutant," He sighed, "Mutants will always be hunted by some crazed
maniac, but we have to live our lives, Hayl. We can’t deny our happiness
because of what might happen. What would that accomplish?"
She didn’t want to pursue the
discussion any further so she just hugged him tightly. He hugged her back then
stood up. "So, will you find out what you are having?" He smiled and
she shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it ‘boy or girl’ is going to need
something to live on," He grabbed an apple that was left on her tray and
handed it to her, "You need to feed that kid."
Hayley sighed and took a bite. He was
right and she wanted to make Justice proud of her. Perhaps he was right on
other things too. This could be a cool kid. Justice pulled the curtain back and
stepped out, "I' m going to go get you some milk and some real food.
Rayne heard most of the conversation and
felt tears sting her eyes. Justice loved Hayley like Remy loved her. She wiped
her eyes as Justice's smiling face ducked around the corner.
He pulled Hayley's curtain back and
strolled to Rayne's side noticing her despondent look, "Are you all
right?"
Rayne shrugged and kept her eye’s
downcast.
He pointed to the door, "I'm going
over the wall so cover for me."
He joked but Beast heard him and cleared
his throat. "If you need something, Mr. Adams, I will be more than happy
to provide it," Beast gestured Justice back to his bed.
Justice hung his head comically and
shuffled his feet back to bed. He jumped on the bed and grabbed his work
papers, "Hayl's awake and I think she's hungry."
The shock was easy to register on Beast's
face, "Really? Then I shall have to get her something to keep her strength
up."
Justice sighed, "I feel fine Hank. I can get it."
Beast sighed and thought it over.
"Ok, but only to the kitchen and back," He ordered.
Justice smiled and leapt happily from the
bed.
"Justice?" Beast gave him a
serious look, "Healthy food, please." Beast looked down his nose at
him knowingly.
Justice nodded with a silly grin and ran
out.
Rayne watched him go, "Dat homme is a
lawyer?"
Hank chuckled and nodded, "We
live in a world full of wonders, child."
Justice knew that Beast meant for him to
come back quickly, but he had been penned up all day and wanted to relish this
brief bout of freedom.
He could see Logan coming his way with a
towel wrapped around his neck and dripping sweat.
"Danger room?" Justice smiled.
Wolverine nodded, "Beast let you
go?"
Justice sighed and shook his head no,
"Hayl's awake and I talked her into eating some food." Logan changed
directions heading for the med lab, and Justice smiled, 'She’ll be glad to
see him.' He was taking the stairs instead of the elevator and spent the
extra time thinking about Victor Creed. He stopped walking when found he
was clenching the railing on the stairs too tightly and saw his grip in the
metal.
‘Oops,’ He sighed knowing that people
around here would probably guess it was his hand print in the metal, but he
smiled also, knowing that his strength was returning. He thought about
Logan's turn of direction towards the lab and thought of somebody else who
might want to see her too.
Remy sat on the bed in his own
room and sighed as he flipped cards into a waste can. Until Hayley was better
he would have to amuse himself. He smiled at the thought of his and Rayne
cooking. He would have to go shopping soon to get all the necessary
ingredients. He wondered if Charles liked spicy cooking, or even Hayley for
that matter. There was so much he didn’t know about her.
'Hayley,' the name floated through
his mind like a sweet song. He couldn't ignore the skip of his heart when he
thought of her. He decided it was best to stay in his room for a while, but he
didn't have the heart to get his stuff from Hayley's room.
He knew that for his and Hayley’s
relationship to work out, she would have to tell him about her past relations
and the experiments. Also he would have to tell her about Belle and the guilds.
He smiled thinking about how much fun it would be to take her to see New
Orleans, but knew it was not possible.
What would Belle say if she saw
Hayley? More importantly, what would she do? Hayley was very different from
Belle. Many people saw Hayley as nothing more than a pretty model type. Remy
has seen a different side of Hayley. Her eyes seemed to dance like a wildfire
unlike Belles sweet yet calculating gaze.
Remy had known Belle since he was a kid
where as he had just met Hayley. The thought of their last intimate encounter
came to mind and he sighed, wishing he could be with Hayley now. He couldn't
help but wonder if the tiger he knew had been silenced or if his relations with
her would be the same. He reached to his face and found tears and looked at
them on his fingers in amazement.
'Tears?' he stared at the liquid
emotion on his hand, 'She has bewitched me.' He became a little afraid
of how in love he was that he had been crying for her and didn't even realize
it. Gambit could probably count on his fingers how many times he actually had a
reason to cry over a female. He remembered when Rayne was taken from him and
the sleepless, teary nights that followed. Recalled too were memories of tears
when he had to leave New Orleans and Belle. He had loved many women in the past
but never shed a tear for them.
Though now the tears came for Hayley. He
didn't really care who the baby's father was although he knew that they would
have constant trouble from Sabretooth. He wondered what role he would play to
the child, remembering the time he had Ally's twins in his arms and Hayley
jealously snatched them away. Would Hayley want him to be a father to her child,
or just want him around for herself? Where would he fit in? He swallowed
hard at the thought and felt a little sick.
He walked to the bathroom and splashed
some water on his face, then heard a knock at the door. 'Pull it together,
Remy,' He told his reflection. 'She just a femme after all,' He said
that to bolster his ego but his face still reflected the uncertainty he felt
inside. He couldn't answer the door like this.
"Who’s dere?" He called to the
pounding.
"Justice," The voice called.
Remy grabbed a robe, worried something
had happened to Rayne or Hayley because Justice was supposed to be in the
infirmary all night.
He toweled off the his face and shot the
door open to see a smiling Justice who stopped smiling when he saw Remy's face.
"You look like shit, son,"
Justice whistled low, "You feel sick or something? Did you drink any wine
or beer?"
Remy shook his head, "Gambit’s
fine, homme," He looked at Justice expectantly as the red headed man
seemed to look around the hall a little nervous. Justice's nervousness wasn't
lost on this thief.
"Jail break, eh?" Gambit was
almost laughing and opened the door wider to let him in.
"Not exactly. I was temporarily
released," Justice said watching Remy light a cigarette, "I am
supposed to get some food for Hayl. She’s awake and hungry and I thought I‘d
let you know."
Remy looked hopeful, "Dat's a good
sign, non?" He turned and looked at him, "T’ink it’s ok if ah see
her? Did she ask for me?"
"I think she wants to see you,"
Justice stated then quickly held his hand up over his eyes when Remy tossed his
robe off and reached for his pants. Now Justice understood why Rayne said her
brother wasn’t shy.
Justice turned his head quickly,
"What, are you out to make sure my whole family knows what it looks
like?" He groaned, "Next time, give me some warning so I can pull
something over my head."
Remy chuckled pulling on the pants.
"Sorry homme," He said walking past him with pants on now searching
for his shirt.
"Wait!" Justice said, "You
didn't give me a chance to tell you, ‘NOT TONIGHT ROMEO.’"
Remy's face fell and he sighed going back
to his cigarette. He was a little jealous that Justice was allowed to spend the
night with the two women and he had to keep his distance. "How's ma Rayne
girl?" He asked as he sat on the bed to put his shoes on.
"A little sad when I left," He
shrugged, "I tried to cheer her up but it didn’t work very well. I just
came by here to tell you Hayley was awake. I’d better get back soon or Beast
will send out a search party."
Remy laughed, "Hayley actually
tell yo’ she wanted ta see me?"
"Yeah, sorta," Justice smirked,
"You'll see her tomorrow for sure though." He noticed Remy looked disappointed
and felt like he was passing notes in class, "She's worried about the
baby."
Remy looked upset, "What about de
bebe?"
Justice was surprised at his concern,
"Just about the father and how you’ll react."
"She don’ need ta worry ‘bout dat
now," Gambit took a drag from his cigarette. He knew Justice wanted to
know where he stood in regards to his sister, "Yo’ look lik’ yo’r feelin’
better, Justice."
Justice shook his head, "I feel a
lot better."
Remy chuckled, "Ah wouldn’ leave
her over de baby. If she wants Gambit, den she has Gambit." He sighed
feeling a little vulnerable.
Justice nodded with an impressed look,
"Not bad for a N’awlins thief." He watched Remy's face, "So, you
are in love with her aren't you?"
Remy chuckled and changed the subject,
"Rayne an ah will have ta give yo’ some of de food we gon' cook. See what
kind a man yo’ are, hanh? See if yo’ can take de spice."
Justice nodded a little afraid to ask
about the food. He wasn’t sure he wanted to find out how spicy a food he could
eat. With that, there could be serious repercussions. He grabbed the door and
Remy jumped up to walk out with him.
"Why’d yo’ ask me dat?" Remy
said with a hard drag on his cigarette.
Justice donned his most innocent
expression, "Ask you what?" He closed the door behind them.
Remy met his gaze, "yo' know what ah
mean."
"Do you?" Justice teased him
further.
Remy gave him coy smile,
"Mebbe." Then laughed, "She tol' yo’ somet'in’"
Justice laughed, "Mebbe."
Remy sighed and walked down the hall with
him, "Yo' don' fool me none. Gambit knows she tol' yo’ somet'in’."
Justice laughed, "Well, actually she
didn't tell me anything, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see two
people in love."
"Sleeping in your own bed tonight
Cajun?" A voice called from behind them. They both turned to see Warren
sauntering up the hallway.
Justice grabbed Remy before he could
pounce on Warren, "Yo' got somet'in’ ta say ta Gambit, homme?"
Warren chuckled as he began to pass
them, "Perhaps I will talk to Justice since I can understand him."
"Justice old man, shouldn’t you
be in the medical facilities?" Warren smiled.
Remy looked at Justice, "Gambit, me
t’inks it’s time ta mop de floor wit’ feathers!"
Justice patted him on the back, and
mouthed, 'Trust me.' And gave Remy a gentle push back towards his room.
Justice wasn't dumb he knew Warren had a
thing for Hayley and he knew that Warren wanted in with Justice in hopes of
getting closer to Hayley.
"What do you want Worthington?"
Justice said with a deep sigh.
"I was going the kitchen for some
tea," Warren asked, "Where are you headed?"
"The kitchen as well," Justice
smiled.
"Then why were you here talking to
the street rat?" Warren looked confused.
Justice stepped in the elevator,
"He's my friend." He cleared his throat. "And Hayley's
lover," He added with a grin.
"How did they ever end up
together?" Warren rolled his eyes.
"Love?" Justice said plainly
enjoying Warren's pain expressions.
"I don't think that jerk knows what
love is," Warren scoffed.
"No more or less than you do I
suppose," Justice grinned. The elevator stopped and they both stepped off.
"Justice," Warren sighed,
"How can you allow her to be with that low life?"
"I should let her sleep with
somebody like you, huh?" Justice laughed and began putting Hayley's tray
together with the dinner leftovers.
"How about somebody she can
understand what he’s saying, for a start?" Warren joked.
"Like you?" Justice glared at
Angel, "I sure don't understand you."
Warren poured his tea and grabbed a lemon
to cut it, "Justice, you could end up related to that man. You have no
idea what kind of background he has. How could he provide for her and a child?
What kind of father would he be? Would he teach the child how to pick locks or
pick pokets for a living?"
"If the fates are kind to
Hayley," Justice smiled.
Warren glared at him, "I am sure he
will go over well at your benefits and high society functions for your
firm."
Justice finished the tray, pushed some
apple juice on it and walked to Warren threateningly. He pushed him against the
wall, "Look, I know you might be hung up on my sister but she's with Remy
right now so deal with it!"
Warren stood there with his mouth open.
He wanted to protest but knew Justice could knock him through the wall. Justice
pointed his finger in Angel‘s face, "You bother those two right now and
I'll rip your wings off! Understand?"
Then he backed off Warren and grabbed his
sister's tray.
Remy had followed them to the kitchen
waiting for a chance to get Warren alone but when he heard the conversation he
stopped his advance.
He smiled thinking how much fun it would
be to see Justice shove ‘feathers’ through the wall. He heard Justice's
powerful footsteps coming towards the door and hid himself quickly.
He smiled again watching Justice walk
past with a tray of food and almost chuckled as he heard Justice whistling as
if nothing had happened.