Zero Tolerance: No Man or Woman has the Right - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Cat Smith
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 5

Remy had put the television on, on low, as not to wake up either of the girls in his apartment, but wasn’t watching it. He felt upset, and angry. Upset because he had caused Shelly to get hurt, and angry at her husband, and at Belle, for treating people they were meant to love like this. Glancing at his bedroom door, he gave a grim smile. He wouldn’t let Shelly’s husband hurt her again, for any reason. Standing, he moved into a clear part of the room and stood still for a few moments, listening to the sounds around him, clearing his mind. He started with the 24-forms in Tai Chi to balance and calm himself, and moved onto moves from ju-jitsu and karate. Stopping, breathing heavily, he smiled as he stretched his muscles. It had been a while since he’d used many of his martial arts moves. He was a good enough thief that he never needed to use them against the police, and he never used them against Belle, no matter how she hurt him. But they were there, and what his mind could not remember was stored in his muscle memory. He would protect his daughter, and Shelly.

As he stretched, he thought of her, with a smile. A feeling that hadn’t graced his heart for a long time was creeping in there. Shelly, with her beauty, her gentleness, her caring and generous ways. For a moment, he looked in the mirror at himself, and admitted the truth. He was falling for her, and it had every sign that he was falling hard. With a sigh, he sat down and vaguely watched the television again. Picking up a pack of cards and shuffling them, he wondered how she felt, then pushed it to the back of his mind. It didn’t matter. There were more important things now, things that needed to be dealt with before anything could happen with Shelly, should she want it. Shelly’s husband and Belle. But what could they do? He heard a footstep behind him and turned to see Shelly standing in the doorway to his room. She smiled weakly, and Remy’s heart lurched at the sight of her bruised face. She walked over and sat next to him on the sofa.

"How are y’ feelin’, cherie?" He looked at her, trying to search out the emotions she was so obviously trying to hide. Her green eyes were shining with unspilled tears as she concentrated on an area of carpet.

"Ah feel... Ah feel stupid. Fer puttin’ up with Cody, fer draggin’ y’all inta this mess-"

"Non." He put a hand gently on her arm. "I’m glad I’m here f’ y’. Y’ need someone ‘ save y’. I know where y’ve been, an’ beyond. I’m here t’ help y’, if y’ let me." She looked at him for a moment, her eyes wide. For a moment, he thought she was going to refuse his help, but she surprised him by snuggling up to his chest. Feeling her body shake as she sobbed, he wrapped his arms around her and told her how he’d look after her, how she never need be afraid again. After a while, she stopped sobbing, but Remy still held her, stroked her hair as they sat there in silence, watching Happy Days.

Shelly’s voice broke the trance. "What are we gonna do?" She whispered, not moving. Remy looked down at her.

"What d’ y’ want t’ do?"

"Ah don’t wanna go back ta Cody," she said, as she drew her legs up under her. "Ah want..." Her voice trailed off and she looked away, thinking better of what she was going to say.

"What?"

"Nuthin’."

"Come on, cherie. I wanna make sure y’ safe an’ happy. I can’ do dat if’n y’ don’t tell me what would."

She lifted her head at last, and looked him in the eye, as if searching. She looked down, frowning. "Remy, ah... I don't mean this ta insult ya or anythin', but ah need ta know if ah can trust ya. Really trust ya." She looked up at him, saw he understood what she meant. "Ah can use mah power ta open a sort o' link 'tween us. So we'll both know each other well enough ta trust. Ah don't usually do this sorta thing. Ah don't lahk using powers ah have little control ovah." She then looked Remy in the eye. "Ah lahk you, Remy. A lot. An'-"

Placing a finger over her lips, Remy shushed her. "Do it, cherie. I want y' t' feel comfortable wit' me. An' I'd like t' get t' know you a li'l better, too." He offered her his hand, and she looked at it, almost as if she were shocked he'd let her use her powers on him.

"There's a risk, ya know."

"Oui. Y' can't really control y' powers. A risk I be willin' t' take."

Her eyes widened, then she smiled, relief and thanks in them. Then she took Remy's hand in hers, and held it too her cheek. Remy forced his strong mental shields down, in case they would affect this, and then immediately felt Shelly's mind touch his. It was different than a telepathic contact. Wilder, yes, but also more intimate. The feeling was comfortable. He could feel Shelly's thoughts, emotions, sense her memories, sense her looking at his shyly. There were some things he wasn't proud of, but his life for the past five years had been taken up with being a Daddy to Terri, and he was intesnsely proud of that. He saw that she had been miserable for the last five years, and felt a fierce urge to protect her, so strong it surprised even him. After a while, he felt Shelly withdraw, and he opened his eyes, and looked at her. She smiled, a tear running down her face.

"Ah want, more’n anythin’, ta stay here with you an’ Terri. If ya felt the same that ah did just then, ah hope ya'll let me."

He pulled her close to him. "Ma cherie, I’d love f’ y’ t’ do that. But we got stuff t’ sort out. Will ‘e come lookin’ f’ y’?"

Shelly pursed her lips, and her eyes flicked to the window. "Ah’m sure of it. Ah don’t think he’ll fahnd me. Not here."

Remy squeezed her hand. "We can’t run f’ever, neither of us. We have t’ do somethin’ t’ sort dis out."

"An’ what would y’ suggest?"

Remy sat back, and thought, as he watched the Fonz on his chopper. What could they do? He was dismally certain Belle would come and find him. The Californian assassins, or some bounty hunters would sort her out. He flinched at the thought. There was a part of him that loved Belle still, and didn’t want to think of her as dead. Maybe she wouldn’t try to follow him. He prayed, for both their sakes, that she would not. As for Cody, they’d have to sort something out for him themselves. They could report him to the police, but there was no assurance he’d be put away. If he wasn’t, he’d come after them with a vengence. They could go after him, but that was risky. They could hire someone else to go after him.

Looking at Shelly, he gave a hard smile, looking at her battered form. "Wit’ any luck, de man’ll jus’ stay ‘way from y’. An’ if not, we’ll sort ‘im out."

She sighed, looking away, and curling a finger around a lock of her hair. "Ah wish - ah wish so bad he would stay away. But ah doubt it." She turned back to look at Remy. He could see the fear in her eyes, and something in him hardened at that. With a shock, he realised that he would do whatever he had to to protect her, without a thought to his own safety. She had been through everything he had, but where he had no-one to turn to, not even his own family, she had him. He wouldn’t fail her. She must have seen the determination in his eyes, for she leant against his chest and clutched his hand tighter. Wrapping his arms around her, he was surprised at the warmth he felt. The ties that bound them were stronger than merely shared experience. He realised with a pang that he cared for her, and these feelings were threatening to drown him. With a sigh, he hugged her tightly. He wanted them to. He hadn’t felt any positive emotions towards anyone but his daughter for so long, and he doubted very much that it could be good for anyone. Not to mention the fact that Shelly was a kind, sweet, and gentle person whom Remy would be honoured to have love him.

"Ah-" Shelly started, then paused, as if wondering whether to continue, then deciding that she should. "Ah feel so safe in yoah arms," she whispered, cuddling closer to Remy. "Ah ain’t felt lahk this foh a long time. Ah’ve missed it." Looking up at Remy with a soft smile, she was treated to a smile, his exotic eyes warm, their strangeness softened by the look in them.

"So’ve I," he agreed, then kissed her softly. The kiss started soft and sweet, then melted into a deep, desperate clinch that neither of them wanted to end. It was Remy who eventually pulled back, with a look of sorrow. "Y’ need rest, chere," he told her softly. She started to shake her head when she heard a gunshot, and, eyes wide, saw a hole in the front door. Remy stood immediately, shuffling the deck of cards that he’d been playing with before Shelly came in. He nodded his head towards Terri’s room.

"Go in dere, stay wit’ her." The door opened, revealing a drunken Cody with his daddy’s antique revolver in his hand. Shelly’s eyes widened, and Remy pushed her gently. "Go!" He commanded, and the force in his voice was enough to get her to move.

Terri was sat up, eyes wide in fear. Controlling her own fears, and the power that threatened to break through her will, Shelly hugged the girl to her. "Don’t worry, honey, yoh da’ll be just fahn, don’t worry." As Terri clung to her, Shelly realised she herself was worrying frantically. What was Remy planning on doing? She realised she had no idea what his mutant power was, and hoped it was something that would protect him. All she could do was watch, and protect Terri.

"Ya’ll," Cody said, pointing vaguely at Remy. "Ya’ll tryin’ ta get mah wife away from me." After a moment of squinting at his opponent, Cody raised the gun. "She ain’t goin’ nowhere. She’s mine."

"Yours t’ beat an’ hurt? Non, I don’ think so." Waves of fury washed over him, for himself as well as Shelly. "You best stay ‘way from her from now on," he told Cody, his hands still shuffling the cards, his eyes on Cody’s movements. He watched as the blond’s face contorted into rage.

"So you can have her? Ah don’t think so!" Remy felt Cody pull the trigger back, and jumped forward. He vaguely heard the gun go off as he was in the air. He barrelled into the shorter man, rolled away and was on his feet before Cody had even registered what was happening. Pulling a card out, he charged it. It felt surprisingly good, to let loose with his powers. For the past few years, he’d used them sparingly in his work as a thief, but had never been able to use them in a combat situation. He was too good for that. Letting the card fly, it knocked the gun out of Cody’s hand, then he changed another and placed it next to Cody’s neck as he got him in a head lock.

"I said," started Remy, in perfectly reasonable tones with sinister undertones that not even the inebriated could miss, "dat y’ gon’ leave now, an’ leave y’ wife alone."

"Mutie freak," hissed Cody, though he was obviously scared rather than truly angry. "I’m gonna find the Friends o’ Humanity, an’ get them on ya, you an’ Shelly. Ya’re gonna get it!"

Remy pushed him out of the door. "I doubt it, mon ami." He said the last with irony dripping from his tongue. "Leave. Don’ come back." He watched as Cody glared at him, glanced down at the glowing card in his hand, then ran off down the street, staggering over his own feet. After he was convinced he’d gone, Remy shut the door, and walked over to Terri’s room. Switching the light on, he saw Shelly holding his daughter in a hug, and grinned at them both.

"He ain’ comin’ back, chere," he told her, and she gasped, leaping up to hug him tightly.

"Oh, Remy," she whispered, and pulled back to look him in the eyes. "Ya... Ya’ve freed me. Ah don’t know how to thank ya." She saw the mischievous sparkle in his eyes, and smiled. "Or maybe ah do." She stood on tip toe, and kissed him deeply, passionately. "Thank ya."

"Was nothin’," He insisted, and hugged her tightly. Then he crouched down to see his daughter face to face. "What d’ y’ say, cherie? Would y’ like Shelly t’ stay here wit’ us?" He watched as Terri’s blue eyes widened in delight. She nodded, and reached her arms out to be picked up. Hugging her tightly, Remy turned to look at Shelly, a smile in his eyes. "An’ what about you, Shelly? Y’ wanna stay here wit’ me and Terri?" Terri reached her arms out to the auburn haired woman, who looked in surprise at her and her father. Taking the girl in her arms, she looked at Remy. He was serious. She could tell that he meant long-term, not just until she found somewhere else. And though this thought was a little frightening to Shelly, she listened to her heart, and he heart was screaming at her to say yes. She loved the little girl the moment she saw her, and was falling quickly, deeply in love with the man at a rate that both excited her and scared her. Looking into Remy’s dark, beautiful eyes, she smiled. She couldn’t say no.

"O’ course ah will," she whispered. As Terri yelled out her joy, she watched Remy closely. A small smile sat on his face, and his eyes were overjoyed, but shadowed. "What’s the matter, sugah?" Shelly felt doubt inside her, that maybe Remy didn’t want her to stay with him as much as he seemed to, that she was about to be rejected, again. But his smile turned genuine, washing all her fears away.

"It’s just, if y’ stay wit’ us, y’ puttin’ y’ self at risk. Belle won’t stop comin’ t’ LA. Hopefully, de people she’s upset’ll stop ‘er. But if not... Y’ could be in deep trouble."

Shelly smiled, knowing that this was what they both wanted more than anything in the world. It was only their respective partners that could stop them, and she wouldn’t let them. "Ah don’t care. Ah’m a mutant too, ya know. Ah can protect mahself. Maybe not as well as you can, but if ya Belle comes aftah me, she’s in foh a shock. Ah’ll be ready foh her." Remy watched her closely, and nodded, smiling. He then stepped forward and hugged the both of them tightly.

"T’ank y’, cherie." He looked into her eyes and smiled, feeling fiercely protective. "We’ll both be ready, an’ den we’ll live happily ever after, non?" Shelly smiled, cuddling Terri, who yawned. She smiled down at her.

"Ya tired, honey?" Terri nodded, and Shelly lay her down on the bed. Remy pulled the covers up to her chin, and kissed her forehead gently. Shelly shyly placed her hand in his, and felt like she’d come home. She’d always wanted a loving partner, a beautiful daughter, a home where she could be happy. After her horrible mistake of Cody, it seemed she’d finally found the place she wanted to spend the rest of her life.