Author's Note:
Two stories updated in two days…wow I am on a roll! I have finally been able to sit down and type for the first time in a few weeks, so hopefully I can crank more stories out this week while the motivation still lasts. Again the link to the list is: http (colon) journal/Updates-50-Themes-Challenge-MOTM-227053727 (just remove the words with the appropriate symbols and delete the spaces….) So here's numero dos and a continuation to the first. Let's do this! *charges blindly forward*
Disclaimer: So yeah…X-Men is unfortunately not mine…*cries in a corner*32: Hidden
It had been a year since Logan's dearest friend was taken over by a monster. A year of trying to ignore the fact one of their own was trapped deep in the subbasement, due to her sacrificial actions. Many of the X-men had given up on the lonely girl that had stepped in and gave herself up instead of letting others fall. Chuck's visions had come true, all of them.
Logan sighed from his spot in the Danger Room control room, watching the newest recruits being put through the paces by Magneto. A grimace spread across Wolverine's face, that was a very recent change in the order of things, but one he should have expected. A month ago, the metal-controlling mutant appeared at the mansion's gates to join the X-men. The only reason Logan didn't fight the clear loss of sanity on Chuck's part was that Mags claimed he knew how to fix her. Her meaning Jean, but Logan had hoped that it would eventually mean the other "her." He hadn't seen her in months. He just couldn't bring himself to see her like that, broken and so lonely. Unlike Gambit who went as often as he could, as time drew on his visits to the lost girl were becoming more and more frequent and lasting longer. It brought Logan some semblance of hope that she was fighting the Phoenix that she had stolen from Jean Grey a year ago.
"Rogue asked for you today." Logan nearly jumped a foot in the air and immediately reprimanded himself. He was far too distracted nowadays. With a quick glance over his shoulder he confirmed who it was. Gambit, yes it was Gambit, the Cajun was only Remy with Rogue now. Logan's eyes widened as what the Cajun said sunk in. She wanted to see him? He whirled around to face Gambit trying to comprehend just what exactly that meant. The man now in front of him did not let one emotion even flicker across his face at Logan's surprise.
"What if—" Remy held up a hand effectively silencing the shorter man.
"Not now, but soon, is what she said." And with that the thief walked out of the control room, leaving Logan to contemplate the change of events. Could he go see her? What if it just brought them both more pain? Though now that he thought about it, when did Rogue and Remy have conversations during his visits? Phoenix often ended them before Rogue could speak more than a couple sentences in order to remain in control. The last time Logan had seen her, Rogue had barely said two words before he was forced to leave her. That she had been able to speak long enough to ask for him was odd and it brought hope.
The next day Logan caught Gambit asking Hank if he could possibly bring a brush and perhaps a pair of scissors to his next visit with Rogue. The Fur-ball eyed the Cajun seriously before giving his assent. Logan briefly wondered what that was about before continuing on towards the Danger Room. That night Gambit became Remy, shocking everyone at the dinner table as the man joked and laughed with Pitor and Bobby. When Logan confronted him about it afterwards, Remy had simply said he was in a good mood.
The following couple of weeks continued in the same fashion; Gambit asking for another item he could bring to Rogue (books was the most recent) and the Cajun was becoming more and more like himself again. Logan was very happy with the way things were going, it finally meant something was happening, changing with in her and that meant progress. Well he was happy until Gumbo asked him to go see her the next day.
"And the Phoenix?" he growled. There was no way he could witness another emergence of her. Remy gave him a level look.
"Wait dat monster out," Remy state calmly like they weren't talking about one of the most powerful entities in their universe. At the Canadian's skeptical look he said simply, "She's hidden. Jus' wait. Rogue is fightin' her way back."
"Are you sure?" There was a long silence that sat between the two men before Remy walked away.
"She's not gone. Jus' hidden," Gambit called over his shoulder be fore he turned to enter his room. Logan stood in the hallway for a long time thinking about what Remy had said before deciding a good bike ride would help with his decision.
The next morning he followed Gumbo down the subbasement hallway with Chuck, Mags, Fur-ball, Red, and Elf. Apparently Rogue wanted to see everyone, but Remy had managed to compromise for just the six of them. The six that needed to see her the most; Jean because the red head was absolutely miserable for making Rogue like this, Kurt, well he was simply her brother, Hank, Chuck, and Magneto would be able to see how she was doing and help her onto the road to recovery, and Logan because the man was the closest person to her besides the Cajun. The six X-men waited with bated breath as Remy typed in the code and the door slid open.
The cell was surprisingly neat, a definite contrast from the disaster it was when Logan saw it last.
"Rogue," Remy called softly, but clearly. And they all waited for what seemed like an eternity for something, anything to happen.
"Remy!" came the happy cry, breaking their anxious silence. Rogue practically bounded to the bars from the bathing area within her cell, a small alcove hidden from the door's view. Logan's breath caught in his throat, along with everyone else's. She looked like the Rogue they all liked to remember not the dirty, broken prisoner they had trapped down here. Her hair was longer, falling just past her shoulders, but it was perfectly straight, not a tangle in sight. Her pale face was clear of makeup and lacked the haunted look Logan had last seen it with. The skin was glowing with health with only the hint of dark rings under her eyes. The two southerners embraced each other tightly through the bars, Rogue completely oblivious to everything, but the man cradling her in his arms.
"Rogue you have visitors," Remy said after a moment. The girl froze in his arms, lifting her head to slowly peer around him. She stared in awe at the group who stared in awe right back.
"They came?" she asked quietly. Remy nodded, moving to give the group and Rogue a clearer view of each other. The Phoenix didn't like that though, instantly grabbing at the Cajun, who simply moved further away. When Remy slipped behind the six other X-men, Rogue's eyes turned dark and fiery and her cell began to rattle. Pride and Prejudice slammed against the bars followed swiftly by the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Logan winced; this is what he didn't want to see. Rogue screamed at the group, demanding Remy to come back to her. She grabbed the bars and shook them as hard as she could, trying to break through and get over to the calm thief. This continued on for several minutes before Remy stepped in.
"Remy don' want to talk to you Phoenix," he stated clearly. Rogue paused in her rampaging to look at the man with hurt etched into every fiber of her being. "Remy doesn't have to talk to you." Rouge reeled back as if he had slapped her. Her fingers buried into her now not so tidy hair. "Mon River Rat." Rogue froze, looking at the ground meekly.
"Shud up, ya Swamp Rat. I don' have to talk to ya neither. I have visitors besides you!" came Rogue's sharp quip. Logan gave a surprised bark of laughter that was Rogue. Her emerald green eyes blazed with something other than the Phoenix for once. They were finally Rogue's eyes.
"Stripes."
"Hiya, Logan," she said softly. How she did that while still death glaring the smirking Cajun, he would never know. Everyone took this as a sign and began their greetings, apologies, and general inquiries. Rogue laughed brightly as all six rushed to catch up with their lost comrade, though Magneto was simply trying to figure out how to help her. Remy joined her in laughter and moved back by her side, wrapping one arm around her waist through the bars. Rogue rolled her eyes, but allowed the Cajun to keep his arm there. Logan gave one of his rare smiles at the couple. Things were finally starting to look up.