The Tests of Love

Rhythm awoke 3 days later, still lying on a bed in the middle of a glass room. It was dark in the rest of the lab, save only a few dimmed wall lights placed in various spots. She sat up and looked around, letting her emotions scan for people as well as her eyes and ears. Finding no one in the room or coming down the corridors, Rhythm slid off of the bed and took a closer look at her surroundings.

Her wet clothes had been replaced with a pair of light cotton 2-piece pajamas, and she was clean from the pool water. Her hair had been neatly tied back into a french braid, and around her right wrist was a thick silver band with a blinking round red half-bubble. She stared at her bracelet and hadn't noticed she wasn't alone until they spoke.

"Ah, good, you've awoken. How do you feel?" Charles sat in his chair, not 5 feet from the glass and examined her as she stood before him.

Rhythm hadn't looked up from the blinking light but answered under her breath. "Like a caged rat in a gator's tank." Glancing over through her bangs, she raised an eyebrow. "You sellin tickets to de freak show? Or, am I a private monkey?" She hadn't been amused that she was considered the enemy amongst friends, family and peers but in the same thought, she wasn't sure how to ask any other way than how she felt.

Charles sat back and tilt his head at her annoyed tone. "My dear, you are not a freak show here."

"Den why were you in my head?" Stepping closer to the glass, her temper flared but no powers resulted.

Clearing his throat, Charles continued. "I had to stop you before you either hurt yourself, or another. It was your father's decision to place you in the room until you came back to reason. That band, on your wrist, prevents you from using your abilities at such dangerous levels. I understand your frustration and as soon as you calm down, you are free to go."

Rhythm exhaled inwardly and crossed her arms in front of her. "And, when will dat be?"

"I imagine when you can act as a young lady should." Charles smiled and turned his chair back to the door. "It is breakfast time, I will have Jean bring down something for you to eat."

Turning to sit on the bed, and stare at the door that Charles had left by, she sighed and looked around the room again. Her room was small but big enough for another bed to be placed beside hers. "Nine by nine, figures." She mumbled.

Ten minutes had gone by when the door to the lab opened again and in walked Jean with a tray of bacon, eggs (scrambled), unbuttered toast and some orange juice. "Hungry, sweetie?"

Her mouth flinched as she sighed again and looked for a door into her cage. "How'm I gonna eat? By osmosis?" Rhythm had already tested every inch of the glass and found no door or slit for food.

Jean smiled softly and concentrated her mind on the tray as it floated over to Rhythm, going through the glass without stopping. "The glass is only in your mind. It will disappear when you are finally relaxed enough to be with the other students." Placing the tray on the bed beside Rhythm, Jean glanced at the machines on the table beside the room, to the right of her, and took note of the readings.

"I'm fine. How much more relaxed do I have to get? Dead?" Not touching or even glancing at her food, Rhythm stared coolly at her. "Do I at least get a bathroom time?"

Looking back to the young woman, Jean nodded and smiled. "Of course, there is a personal restroom behind you; shower, toilet, sink. I can bring down some of your clothing, if you'd like?"

"Swell." Rhythm hunched over and placed her elbows on her knees while resting her chin on her knuckles.

Sighing, Jean remembered what was in her back pocket. Reaching around and removing the envelope, "Remy wanted me to give this to you when you felt up to it," Stepping forward and handing it to her, Rhythm took it as it passed through the glass. "I think it's from Kim." She smiled as Rhythm had smiled and stared at the envelope. "It came yesterday."

"Thanks." Rhythm turned away and lay down, opening the envelope and curling up as she read the 2 page letter, forgetting the tray of food.

************

Dear Mac,

Your momma is so nice that she is even letting me stay in your old room. It's nice here and I have plenty of pics of you and your adorable smile so, I won't get too lonely. I'm actually sitting at your desk, writing this, so I really feel like "Rhythm LeBeau" now.

I know when I left, I didn't explain it to you but, it was my idea to go. I wanted to tell you when we went for ice cream but, we kinda got side-tracked and I thought it would just bust the mood. I tried again to tell you at lunch but, you were talking to that furrball. Yesterday went so fast, that I guess we didn't get to have the talk about where we go from here, huh?

Hon, it ain't your fault that we're in two different places. Xavier had something completely different in mind, for me, but it really wasn't what I wanted to do. It wasn't like washing windows or anything. I just wanted to do something like what you were doing, and when your mom brought this up, I just couldn't say no. I'm coming back for Christmas, and I'm gonna try for your birthday but I have a feeling I'm going to get really busy here.

Now that I'm writing you, and staring at your picture, I'm kinda gettin depressed and miss you. I miss bein in your arms, under the willow tree back home. And, I miss sneakin in to your room after lights out, for one of your stories before snugglin down with you 'til mornin. I could really use a nice, slow kiss while dancin to Les Brown in your poppa's barn. I don't think even a dream of you would compete to how you make me feel all warm inside.

Your momma is tellin me that it's time for supper so, I guess I should go. I'm gonna mail this after supper, and I'll try to call sometime this weekend.

I hope you don't mind if I wear some of your pajamas. I hope you don't miss me too much, and try to stay out of trouble. I'll send a few pics of me when I get the chance.

Love & kisses,

Kimmy!

***********

A few days later, Remy came down to see her. Blue jeans and a T-shirt as he had just come from a class in the Danger Room. "Time's up, Rhyt'm. Stop poutin, an' let's go upstairs, non?" He stood before her and folded his arms. During the time she had spent in the room, he had been trying to talk to her about why Kim left, each time she had only gotten further and further away from him.

"I'm not pouting." She lie on her back, with her hands behind her head, and stared up at the ceiling. "In fact, this is kinda great! I don't have to go to school, no bratty kids hangin around me wantin me to teach them how to do their own stuff. I kinda like it. I got a few letters from Kim, so I'm a happy camper."

Remy's anger flared and he couldn't stop himself from continuing the discussion in French. "Zut, Rythme ! Cette boîte ne durera pas à jamais. C'est votre crainte de votre pouvoir qui vous tient là dedans. Le plus tôt vous le remettre de, le plus tôt vous pouvez vous déplacer sur." He huffed and stepped closer. (Dammit, Rhythm! This box won't last forever. It's your fear of your power that holds you in there. The sooner you get over it, the sooner you can move on.)

Sitting up and turning towards him, she sneered and growled before spatting back her retort. "Ma crainte? Je ne suis pas craintif de qui je suis, poppa. Je ne suis pas enfant plus! me permets de grandit en haut!" She glared as her eyes burned with a faint surge of kinetic power. Her breath came in angry pants as her nails dug into the side of the bed. (My fear? I'm not afraid of who I am, poppa. I'm not a child anymore! let me grow up!)

"Je sais que vous n'êtes pas, petite." Remy dropped his temper and sighed as he finished. "Du temps que vous pouviez parler, vous les avez eus et les a détestés. Ils sont trop forts pour vous, et il vous effraie que vous pourriez blesser quelqu'un ferme. Nous tout le sait, même Kim. Et, jusqu'à ce que vous apprenez à les contrôler, elle ne revient pas." (I know you're not, girl. From the time you were able to talk, you've had them and hated them. They're too strong for you, and it scares you that you might hurt someone close. We all know it, even Kim. And, until you learn to control them, she isn't coming back.)

Rhythm stopped. The realisation hadn't been clear until that instant that Remy had voice it. "She really told you, it was because of me?"

Lifting his arms and waving her into them, Remy could tell he had hit the core of her feelings but, hadn't meant for it to have been so easy to say.

She hesitated but swallowed and hopped down from the bed and ran into his arms. The machines beside the glass room had cycled off as she passed through the glass.

"I'm sorry, baby." Letting her cry into his chest, Remy held her and felt her pain and longing. "She didn't wan' ta scare you, or make you t'ink dat it was all your fault. So, she agreed to go wit' your momma while we work on your powers. We ain't against it, jus' wanna help you, dat's all." He rubbed her back and felt as bad as she did but, the truth had finally come out.

Charles had come through the door with Jean on another matter, and stopped as Remy and Rhythm separated. "Good to see you have finally calmed down. I am assuming you are willing to work on your weak points," arching a brow at Rhythm "and your attitude."

Sighing and letting a corner of her mouth tug upward in a twitch, Rhythm blinked at him and then back to her father. "I spose."

"Good. The first thing we need to work on, is not to set off Def Con 4."

Rhythm turned to stare back at Remy as he nodded casually before smiling at her and then Jean. "No promises, I just want my girlfriend back."

"In time." Charles turned around and waved for them to follow him to the lift for dinner.

***********

Within two months, she had been able to manage getting her kinetics under control and only blew up a few things. She had practiced four nights a week, after dinner, with Logan and Remy. Getting her ground with her own powers, she had become quite good with controling her charges and using already learned ways of defending herself against Logan's settings in the Danger Room.

It had been during one of Logan's courses that they decided to up the anty on her skills and see how she would do with Remy firing back at her. While she was distracted with the program, he snuck in and tossed a card, letting it hit purposely a few inches from her.

Turning, Rhythm smirked at him and back flipped away from three more he had sent, this time aiming for her.

"Don' get too cocky, girl. Ya still a long way from done." Remy was firm but showed a small fragment of care as they continued with the session.

As she backflipped again and pushed herself higher into the air, a card landed square in her chest and exploded on impact, sending her sputtering to the floor and landing several yards away. Pushing herself up as the hologram clicked off, she gave Remy a dirty look and stood up completely as he came to help her. "What was dat for?"

"Ya looked like you needed a break. Sides, you have to be aware of the real danger an' deal wit' it." Draping an arm around her shoulders, Remy led her out of the room.

The door opened and they stepped out to meet Charles as he passed by. "Ah, Remy, I would like to see you both -and Logan- in the War Room. As soon as you two change." He continued on down the corridor and turned into the room he referred to.

"Me?" Rhythm stood there in shock that Charles wanted to see her in the War Room, with the trained X-Men.

Remy patted her back and nudged her towards the changing rooms. "Go get changed. I don't think it's anyt'ing to worry about, petite."

************

Remy, Logan, and Charles sat in the War Room and talked about maneuvers on a mission into Sinister's main base. The matter of the mission had come to Xavier's attention weeks before and was confirmed by recent outbursts of a "Mutant Enhancing" virus, and he was about to explain it when the door slid open and Rhythm reluctantly stepped in.

Charles nodded and waved a hand to an empty seat, for her. "I have asked you here, not because you have extraordinary abilities but for the fact that you know how to amplify them in terms of immediate threat. Gambit and Wolverine will be with you but, I want to see how much of an amplification you have to survive against these new brands of mutants."

"You want me to go out into de field when I'm not ready?"

Remy stood up. "Non! I'm not letting my child near dat madman!"

"But you are ready, Rhythm. When you were here as a 5 year old, you managed to start Def Con 4, do you remember?" Charles held up a hand to calm Remy and silence more outbursts.

She nodded. "It was an accident."

Charles shook his head. "No, in your mind, you knew exactly what you were doing. While you were pre-occupied with screaming for your father, your mind linked with mine and did what it thought was saving you from harm. Now that you are grown, and have your other abilities under control, and Remy has come forth with his knowledge of what Sinister has done during your mother's pregnancy with you, I think you are ready enough to join them." Lowering his hand as Remy sat down quietly, he watched her for signs of emotion as she processed his words.

Looking at Logan, who sat in his seat beside her, and then to Remy, beside Logan, Rhythm started to feel sick. She hadn't really known the story of how Sinister was linked to her birth but, she agreed with a nod to go with, out of her own curiosity.

"Good," he smiled as he turned back to the table and pulled up a map of their way into the lab.

As Charles talked, Rhythm's mind was full of questions and thoughts of why she was so advanced, and the real reason why Remy was unwilling to let her go out into the field when she had been training for it. She listened and took it in as she snapped casual glances at her father and Logan. The last thought she had before they adjourned was a thought of "Who was this Sinister guy, and why was poppa involved with him?"

Next....