Title: (there is no title)
Fandom: X-Men: Evolution
Characters: X23, Remy LeBeau
Prompt: #24, Family
Word Count: 1135
Rating: G
Summary: X23 and Gambit discuss the merits and failures of new lives.
Author's Notes: Yeah, I don't really have any. Not this time.

Apparently the design of doorknobs has changed enough that peering through the lock into another room doesn't work anymore. Instead, Laura kneeled and listened through the gap between the bottom of the door and the floor.

Remy, wandering through the halls of the mansion in search of something amusing (on the logic that in a private school full of teenagers, something interesting is bound to be happening somewhere) paused beside where Laura was lying. He silently watched her for a few moments, absently eating an apple, and then gave up.

"What are you doing?" he asked, and was immediately shushed.

"What are you doing?" he whispered, squatting down beside her. Laura sat back against the wall.

"They're talking, I'm listening," she explained vaguely. Remy digested this.

"Who's talking and why are you listening?"

"What do you care?" Laura narrowed her eyes at Remy, who smiles happily and offered the remainder of his apple as a token of peace.

"I have absolutely nothing better to be doing. I'm bored out of my mind and you're being weird. It's highly amusing," he informed her. Laura glanced at the door, then took the apple of peace."

"Storm and Beast are in there-"

"Y'know, you don't have to use codenames all the time."

"Shut up, and they're talking about the students."

"So?" Remy raided an eyebrow.

"I'm bored too," Laura grumbled, "There's nothing to do around here." She laid down on the floor with her head by the gap again, officially dismissing Remy. Undeterred, he spread out on his stomach and listened as well. Laura tried not to pay attention to him, but the absolute lack of sound he made led her to wonder whether he had any combat in his past. Jean had told her that he had been one of the bad guys until recently.

"What did you do before this?" she asked quietly after a few minutes of silence. Remy blinked quickly. He'd actually been listening to Ororo and Hank.

"I got that apple from the kitchen and killed a fly that was following me around,"

"No, before coming here."

"Mercenary. Worked for whoever p aid. And before that, Thieves' Guild in New Orleans."

Laura thought this over. "Was it better?"

"Than what, this wonderful new life? Knowing I have a safe place to sleep, three meals a day, a TiVo?" Remy shrugged, "Yeah. I feel like I'm losing my edge, cooped up like this, but what else is there? It's go straight now or die young, wondering what the hell happened."

Laura nodded, beginning to understand. There could be someone else who, possibly, understood if not what she had gone through as a child, than what she was going through now trying to adjust to a relatively normal life. It was a nice feeling, sort of like a warm blanket.

"You?" Remy interrupted her thoughts. She looked up from where she'd been studying the floor and saw him watching her calmly, chin resting on folded arms.

She smirked (an expression she'd recently picked up form Logan). "I took a shower and rearranged all the toothbrushes, and later I'm going to use that to frame Tabby."

Remy rolled his eyes. Laura's smirk disappeared.

"I killed people. Usually important or rich people. Remember Johnson, that guy who was running for president a few years ago? It's what I was made to do, but I'm not supposed to anymore."

"Generally people frown upon murder," Remy agreed. Laura was mildly surprised at his lack of reaction, but didn't press it. It wasn't important.

"So now what?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I do now?" she asked, still softly. They'd both stopped eavesdropping on Ororo and Hank long ago.

"What do you want to do?" Remy asked blandly.

"What do I…?" Laura didn't understand.

"You know what wanting something is, right?" Remy asked doubtfully, sitting up.

"Yes, kind of…. I wanted pie yesterday, so I distracted Jubilee and took her piece."

"Okay, what about wanting…hmm. Things normal people want," Remy struggled to come up with things that normal people would probably like, "Friends. Or wanting to care about someone, or wanting a family. Or at least a driver's license."

"I could have a family if I wanted one," Laura said skeptically. "I didn't think it worked like that."

"Most of the time it doesn't," Remy waved a hand as if to shoo that detail away, "But the way I see it you have an ideal situation here- a bunch of people to pick from for your family. Logan could be the grumpy pain in the ass man of the house. Ororo could be the loving but overworked and underappreciated mother. I could be your masculine and charismatic older brother or something." He paused in thought, then chuckled evilly. "Jean could be a fairly useless plot device posing as a responsible, trustworthy older sister. Rahne could be the family pet."

Laura stood up slowly, thinking hard. Remy got up and waited patiently (listing other roles people could play in the imaginary "family".

"This is going to sound really dumb," she began slowly.

"I doubt that anything you say could sound dumb. You're much too intimidating for that."

"Shut up again. But…strictly as my unofficial masculine and charismatic older brother, of course-"

"Of course," Remy agreed, nodding.

"Can you…teach me to make buildings out of playing cards? I tried on my own but they always fall."

"Absolutely. As your unofficial masculine and charismatic older brother, it is my duty to teach my life's skills to my unofficial scary and confused and kind of short younger sister."

"I'm not that short," she grumbled as Remy took her arm and led the way to the big table in the dining room.

"Whatever you say, darling unofficial sister."

Laura growled and wriggled her arm out of Remy's.

"Don't patronize me."

On the other side of the door, Ororo Monroe raised an eyebrow at Hank, who was shaking his head slowly.

"Remy LeBeau overseeing Laura's development…," he spread his arms, "I didn't see that coming."

"I'm sure they'll both benefit from it," Ororo smiled calmly and sipped her tea.

"Quite so, but I am still surprised. Do you think Logan will approve?"

Ororo didn't have to think about it. "Not at all. But I think if anything that will help enhance anything Remy teaches her."

"As long as she doesn't develop an ego like his." Hank laughed quietly to himself.

"What do you mean?" Ororo looked up.

Hank winced, "Masculine and charismatic?"

Ororo paused mid-sip and looked slightly worried. "Good point."