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A dish best served cold written by Soar.
Disclaimer: Yeah I don't own the X-Men or any other character you immediately recognise. Yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah.
Archive: I don't mind but please ask first, unless you already have permission and archive my other stuff, in that case go ahead.
Feedback would be welcome at soar38@hotmail.com
Warnings: Not really, don't know about later on though.
Just want to say thanks to all my lovely beta readers: Kaleidopy, Shana Cat, Beth, JennL, and Zingo. Thanks you guys.
Summary: A grudge against Jean-Luc LeBeau has serious consequences for his son.
Prologue
The grey haired man pulled the young woman gently towards him. He pulled a silk handkerchief from the pocket of his Armani jacket, and softly wiped the drool from the girl's mouth.
"It's okay," he murmured pulling her into an embrace. "Papa's here now, and everything will be okay. I'm never going to leave you again."
The young girl did nothing. She rested passively in the older man's arms, her eyes staring vacantly at the wall.
"I will have my revenge LeBeau, you will pay for what was done. You will pay in kind," the old man muttered vengefully.
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Jean-Luc LeBeau sat in his study going over monthly reports. This was an aspect of being Guild and Clan Leader that he hated. He preferred to be out in the thick of things, but there was only so much trivial work that he could delegate.
He sighed heavily. He also knew that these day to day trivialities had to be dealt with in order to keep both Clan and Guild operating at Peak efficiency.
A knock at the door awoke him from his reverie, and he gratefully called out for whoever it was, that had saved him from being bored to death, to enter.
It was young Jacques LeBeau. A relative of Jean-Luc's and also a guild apprentice. He noticed the hesitant look on Jacques' face.
"Entrée Jacques. What is it?" he asked the young thief.
Jacques moved over to Jean-Luc's desk, and handed over a manila envelope.
Jean-Luc took the envelope and examined the outside markings. The envelope had been posted in New York, yesterday, by Federal Express, but there was no return address.
"I assume you ran de usual checks b'fore bringin' it to me?" Jean-Luc asked Jacques.
"Oui. It's clean!" Jacques stated.
Jean-Luc nodded thoughtfully and grasping his paper knife slit the seals on the envelope. He then hesitantly pulled out the contents.
There was a newspaper clipping and a smaller white envelope that had also been sealed.
Jean-Luc read the clipping first. The headline read: "Arson Attack At Clayton Health Institute."
Jean-Luc felt a cold knot of dread form in his stomach as he read the rest of the article. It explained that there had been an arson attack on the hospital. However, only the psychiatric ward had been damaged. There were no casualties, but they had been unable to locate one patient, 26 year old Julia Darcy.
Jean-Luc wasted no time in grabbing the small white envelope and ripping it open. Inside was a folded sheet of paper, and Jean-Luc opened it, fearing what might be inside.
Jacques noticed the sudden change in the older man with alarm. The blood had drained from Jean-Luc's face as he read the newspaper clipping, and now a small muscle was jumping in his clenched jaw. The hands grasping the sheet of paper were white and the paper crushed beneath them.
"Sir, are you alright?" Jacques asked hesitantly, he had never seen the Guild Master display such a lack of control before.
Jean-Luc turned startled eyes towards Jacques, as if just remembering his presence. Then he thrust out the sheet of paper towards the younger thief.
"Get dis to de lab immediately. I want it checked out thoroughly," the Guild Master ordered tightly.
"Oui sir," Jacques replied and quickly left the room.
He looked down at the paper in his hands, wondering what could have upset the Guild Master so badly.
Written on the paper was a simple message; "What once you took from me, I now take from you."
Attached to the bottom of the paper was a lock of auburn hair.
End of Prologue.