Hi, everyone, long time no see. I know it's been forever, but I've just been so stuck on this story. I've been able to write excerpts up the wazoo, but when it actually came to this chapter, I just couldn't see to get it out. But, at long last, here it is, and hopefully, now that all this necessary dialogue is out of the way, I'll be able to crank these chapters out a lot faster. Thank you all so much for being patient with me, and showing your support!

Oh, and also, because I've been getting enough feedback from you guys to know what kind of readers you are, I'm sure you all know to the kind of conflict this latest installation is heading for. So, if you would be so kind, in addition to your wonderful reviews, head over to my profile and answer the poll posted there. Cast your vote: who do you think Lexiss should choose?

Chapter 17

Lexiss felt sweaty.

Ugh.

She felt sweaty, and weak. That was the worst part.

She tried to open her eyes, but only succeeded in lifting them just high enough to look through her lashes. Wherever she was, it was too bright to make things out clearly. Indistinctly, she wondered what had happened, and if Rogue was okay.

Suddenly, all light was blocked out from above her, and she could somewhat see a fuzzy, dark figure standing over her.

Clarity wavered.

Her eyes strained, trying to put things into focus. It was a man, she thought hazily. She tried to lift up her arm, but it wouldn't budge.

Another vague thought crossed her rather blank mind. Paralysis was an option, here. Perhaps she had had a seizure.

In her disconnected state, she thought she felt warm fingers brush her forehead near her hairline.

Then the blurry human form was gone, leaving Lexiss to close her eyes against the return of the brightness and to sink blissfully back into unaware darkness.

The next time she regained consciousness, she felt more awake, and could open her eyes halfway. It had to some time later, she decided, because the light was different.

She tried moving the little things first, her fingers, and then her toes. Good. Everything worked. She wasn't paralyzed after all. It was a lot harder to move her arms and legs, but she could do it. Then, taking a deep breath, she forced her eyes all the way open.

At first, she was blinded, and she could see nothing but white. She closed her eyes, and after the spots disappeared, opened them again, more slowly this time.

This was the first time, she realized, that after suffering some sort of medical-related trauma, she had awoken in her own bedroom, and not in the infirmary downstairs.

"Not… a good… sign," she groaned. Only long-term patients recuperated in their rooms.

"Lex? Oh, thank God you're finally awake…" Something moved to her left, and Warren, all bright feathers and even brighter smiles, was kneeling at her bedside when she turned her head.

"You look like shit," Lexiss said hoarsely, smiling wanly at him. His clothes were rumpled, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"I think you look beautiful." He reached up to her, stroked back her hair, and kissed her forehead. "I missed you."

She looked around her room. Monitors were set up on both sides of her bed. An IV ran down into her left arm, and several heart rate monitor patches were attached to her chest. "What time is it? How long's it been?"

"It's…" he glanced at his watch, "almost 7 o'clock at night." Warren paused, and then slid both his hands around her small one. "And it's been a little more than two weeks."

She turned and looked at him again. "When's the last time you slept in your own room?"

He allowed himself a soft chuckle. "Little more than two weeks."

"Stupid," she muttered, but she twisted her fingers into Warren's, and smiled up at him affectionately. Then she sighed. "What happened?"

His hands tightened. "I don't know if… I don't think…" He exhaled shakily. "Rogue should tell you."

Lexiss nodded, and then slid her hand out from between Warren's. She started pulling off the patches stuck to her chest. "Lex, what are you doing?" Warren asked, reaching forward and gently trying to stop her. She pushed his hands away, and with surprising quickness for her current state, pulled the IV out of her arm. She pushed back the sheets, and tried to stand before all the momentum she had just worked up left her. But, after two weeks of lying in bed, her legs just weren't strong enough, and she would have fallen flat on her face if Warren hadn't caught her.

"Hey, hey, hey," he said soothingly, pulling her up to her feet and nudging her arms up around his neck. She avoided looking up at him, but hung onto him for dear life.

"I… I wanted to go downstairs," she mumbled, an embarrassed flush spreading slowly over her cheeks, "but I guess I can't."

"That's not true," he said. He supported her with one arm around her waist, and used his free hand to tilt her face up to look at his. He gently pushed some hair out of her face, and tucked it behind her ear. "I love you. Let me help you."

He looked so reassuring. Lexiss nodded. "Al-alright."

Warren bent, and gently hooked his arm around her knees, effortlessly lifting her into his arms. "Just keep your arms around my neck, okay?"

Lexiss nodded, resting her head against his shoulder. "'Kay."

He carried her down to the first floor by the back staircase so that she had as little attention drawn to her condition as possible, all without being asked. She nestled her head into his shoulder, and Warren tightened his grip protectively around her.

"Are you feeling okay? Tired? I can take you back upstairs," he asked worriedly, looking down at her.

She shook her head, and smiled reassuringly. "I slept for two weeks; I'm fine."

He smiled back, though his was a little tighter and carried a little more worry. "You didn't sleep, Lex. You were in a coma."

"Same thing."

It seemed like he was taking her to Ororo's office. On the way, they passed the living room where, only yesterday, it seemed, Lexiss had been celebrating her nineteenth birthday. However, the room looked very, very different. Some of the furniture was missing, while the rest was covered and pushed to the middle of the room. Plastic sheeting hung down over the walls from the ceiling, and one window was covered in with a blue tarp.

"Warren?" she asked, as they passed the room. "What happened?"

He avoided her eyes again. "I think you should ask Rogue," he said again.

Lexiss rolled her eyes, and dropped her head back against Warren's chest, pouting. "I don't see why you won't just tell me what the hell's going on," she muttered.

Above her, Warren smiled, shaking his head slightly.

They reached the office door, which Warren somehow managed to get open while still keeping a steady, secure grip on her. Inside, a white head bent down over the wide mahogany desk lifted upon hearing the door click and open. Ororo's face brightened immediately when she saw Warren carry her in.

"Oh, Lexiss!" she cried, standing from the desk and rushing around its end to hurry across the room to the door.

"Hey, Ororo," Lexiss smiled. She looked hopefully up at Warren, and, after tightening his arms around her a little bit, he carefully, ever so carefully, set her down on the ground, keeping his hands on her waist but allowing her to stand on her own. Moving slowly, Lexiss stepped forward to hug Ororo. "Two weeks? Really?" she asked.

Ororo nodded against, the side of her head, and drew back. There were tears of relief in her eyes. "Yeah, baby, yeah it was. Do you feel alright? Do you want me to call Hank?"

Lexiss shook her head. "No, no, that's alright, really," she replied.

Warren pulled her arm around his waist, wrapped his arm around her back, and slowly he guided her to the small, black leather couch and made her sit. He sat beside her, his arm changing position only slightly to settle protectively around her shoulders.

"You look tired, Ororo," Lexiss said, resting her head on Warren's shoulder.

Ororo's bright, excited smile just barely touched the exhaustion that was clear in her eyes. "It's been a long couple of weeks," she said, holding the door open. "With the repairs in the living room and, well…"

Lexiss leaned forward in anticipation of the rest of that sentence, but Ororo sighed, and said, "I should probably let Rogue explain it to you."

She sighed in frustration, and fell back against Warren. "Then please, for the love of God, can we find Rogue? Honestly, the suspense is killing me," she said sarcastically. Ororo, smiling, quickly left the room, and Warren started laughing. Frowning, Lexiss looked up at him. "What?" she demanded.

He quickly quieted, but he couldn't hide the huge smile on his face. "I missed you," he said, kissing the top of her head.

She looked up at him, and touched his chin, where bright blonde scruff adorned his features. "You got something on your face, Angel," she giggled.

He caught her hand in his. "Two weeks, Calypso," he teased back. His smile softened, and he used one of his hands to brush her dark hair back from her face. Then he bent his neck down toward her, and kissed her.

After a few seconds, they parted, and Lexiss smiled up at him. "What was that for?" she asked.

"I missed you," he repeated.

"I missed you, too," she replied.

"Hey, hey, hey! Not so fast outta the gate, Warren, she just got back up!"

They pulled their heads apart, and Lexiss saw Bobby's grinning face through the door. "Hey!" she smiled. He walked to the couch and bent to give her a hug.

"We missed you around here," he said, dropping into a leather chair next to the couch.

"You'd better," Lexiss laughed back. "How's things?"

He shrugged. "Could be better."

She frowned. "What's that supposed to-"

The door opened again, and this time, Rogue slowly stepped into the room. Everyone grew silent, and even the air stilled. "Can I… Can I come in?" she asked timidly.

Lexiss' smile turned into a frown, and she moved to stand. She used Warren's hand to push herself up. "Of course you can come in," she replied. "Why are you asking?"

She noticed Bobby and Warren glance at each other, and then watched them both stand up. Warren rested his hands on Lexiss' shoulders, and kissed the top of her head. Then they left the room together, leaving Lexiss and Rogue alone.

Lexiss sat carefully back on the couch, and patted the cushion next to her. Rogue, however, bit her lip, and then moved to the chair Bobby had just vacated. And when she stepped fully into the light, Lexiss saw her, truly, for the first time since her birthday.

"You're wearing your gloves…" she whispered. Her eyes traveled up Rogue's arms. "And long sleeves."

Finally, their eyes met, and Lexiss saw Rogue's eyes had filled with tears. "Lex, I'm so sorry," she sniffled.

"What happened?" Lexiss asked.

Rogue's eyes dropped. "The cure," she began softly, "it's failed."

Lexiss covered her mouth in horror as the ramifications of what Rogue just said began to dawn upon her. "How…?"

"No one knows. It was just, all of a sudden, my powers were back, like they were never gone." Rogue's eyes suddenly darted back up to Lexiss' face. "You have to know, if I had known, if I had had any idea-"

Lexiss frowned. "You didn't do it on purpose, Rogue. It's not your fault."

The tears in Rogue's eyes started to overflow. "You're my best friend; I was afraid you were never going to wake up again," she cried.

Lexiss pushed herself up off the couch, and threw her arms around Rogue's neck. Rogue hugged her back just as fiercely. "It's okay, Rogue, it's alright. No one blames you… I don't blame you. It's not your fault," she said comfortingly while Rogue sobbed into her shoulder.

When Rogue's sobs seemed to quiet a little, Lexiss drew back, and retrieved a box of Kleenex from a small end table in the corner of the room. She handed Rogue the box, and then kneeled down on the floor in front of her. She hesitantly bit her bottom lip, and then asked, "If you're really that concerned, maybe… maybe you'd want to get the cure again? Maybe it's just that since your powers are so strong, the suppression failed the first time. Maybe a second dose-"

But Rogue was already shaking her head. "You don't understand," she said thickly, wiping her eyes. She blew her nose, and then said, "It's not just me; it's happening everywhere, all over the world. The cure's failing for all mutants."

Lexiss stared at her. "But how… how is that possible?"

Rogue shrugged. "No one knows."

Lexiss frowned, looking down at the thick red carpeting in the study, and then thought of another question. "What happened to the living room? I saw it on the way in here, it looked trashed."

Now, in addition to the red-tinged nose and red-rimmed eyes, a faint red blush rose in Rogue's cheeks. "O-oh. Well, you see, after I touched you, your powers… they were really, really hard to control, and I wasn't expecting it. Even after most of the damage was done, it took everything I had to reign them in." Lexiss looked up at Rogue, and their eyes met. "I don't know how you-"

The study's door suddenly banged open, startling both girls. Lexiss looked over to see Logan filling the doorway, an uncharacteristic upturning of the lips evident on his face. "Hey, brats," he said, stepping into the room.

"Hey, Logan!" Lexiss smiled. She stood up, and crossed the room to give the taller man a hug. Rogue glanced over, and bashfully offered a small smile before turning her face away and hurrying to hide all traces that she had been crying. Lexiss looked back up at Logan.

"You alright, kid?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'll be fine."

Logan nodded in Rogue direction, and, as she blew her nose, muttered, "Things all good with her?"

Lexiss nodded again. "We talked. It's all fine with me, anyway," she whispered. "Hard to say what's up with her, though."

Logan nodded, and Rogue stood up from the chair and walked toward them. From behind Logan, the study door opened again, and Ororo and Warren reappeared. Loud voices also began to fill the room.

"Sorry, Lex," Warren said apologetically. She looked to Ororo for explanation.

"Word got out. Everybody's really excited to see you," she said with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"Wonder how that happened…" Logan muttered to himself. Lexiss and Rogue shared a look.

"Bobby."

Lexiss sighed. "Well, alright then. Best to see them all now, I guess."

Warren shook his head. "No."

She blinked. "No? But I told you, I feel-"

"No." He smiled at her, and then stepped forward to envelop her in a tight embrace. Surprised, she automatically leaned into him. Somehow, in the ten minutes he had been gone, he has showered, shaved, and changed his clothes. She inhaled his heady cologne, and pressed her cheek into his soft grey sweater. "It might be selfish," he said quietly, so only she could hear, "but I don't want to share you with anyone else tonight. You can see everyone in the morning."

Without hesitation, she nodded against him. "Alright."

Lexiss stepped out of her bathroom, rubbing a towel over her short, dark hair, wet from the shower she had just taken. "Thanks for waiting," she smiled, peeking out at Warren from under the edge of the dark blue towel. He was sitting on the edge of his own bed, watching her. They had come to his room because Ororo and Logan had wanted to pack up the medical equipment in hers. She paused in the middle of his room, and continued trying to towel dry her hair. "So, what did you want to do?"

After a moment, Warren stood, and slowly walked toward her. She looked up at him, slightly concerned over his silence. "Warren?"

He reached for her, and tugged the towel down off her head. He held it in his hand for a second before letting it slip through his fingertips to the floor. Then, he held her face in his hands, and he bent down to kiss the top of her head. He tilted her face back, and kissed her forehead and both of her cheeks. Lexiss wrapped her fingers around his wrists.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Warren wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and pulled her into his chest.

"I wasn't sure if you were ever going to wake up again," he said softly. "You were lying there for two weeks, and there was nothing I could do about it but sit there and watch. I was totally useless."

"Warren," Lexiss said, sliding her arms around his waist and looking up to meet his sharp, clear eyes, "I am so sorry you had to go through that. If I could do anything to change it-"

He silenced her with a kiss, holding her gently but moving against her fiercely, a surprising change in Warren's usually collected and reserved manner. By the time he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers, he had left her breathless, and she could feel Warren's chest rising quicker than normal against her own body.

"I promise, I won't let anything like that ever happen to you again," Warren said, running his hand against her jaw and up into her damp hair, tangling it there.

"I know," Lexiss replied breathlessly, before he kissed her again, pulling her as close as possible with one arm around her waist. She flattened her hands against his chest, and allowed herself to feel just a little lightheaded. She barely noticed when Warren's hand moved from the back of her neck, skimmed her shoulder, and joined the first at her waist. She did, however, most certainly notice when his hands turned upward, and held the bottom of her shirt in his fingertips. Her breath caught, and she looked Warren in the eye.

"I won't, if-"

"No," Lexiss said, hesitating only slightly. "It's alright."

Warren looked relieved, and allowed himself a small smile, which she returned. She leaned forward, and pressed her lips against Warren's, and felt his smile grow a little bigger. His hands found the bare skin on her hips under her shirt, and slowly began to slide upward.

Suddenly, Warren's bedroom door banged open, startling the pair apart for the second time in Lexiss' recent memory. The two sprang apart, and Lexiss saw the red flush on Warren's face that she could feel on her own cheeks.

"LEXISS!!"

She was tackled around the middle and shoved backward onto Warren's bed. She bounced, and then was able to open her eyes to a head of bright blonde hair and eerie white and blue eyes.

"Annabeth," Lexiss said in surprise. The smaller girl managed to get her arms around Lexiss' neck, and she snuggled against her.

"I missed you!" Annabeth exclaimed.

"How did you find me?" Lexiss asked.

Annabeth rolled off of her, and propped herself up on one elbow. She arched one eyebrow. "Please," she replied, tapping one finger against her ear.

"Ah," Lexiss said. "Right." She glanced up at Warren, and then looked back down at Annabeth. "Uh, sweetheart, look-"

"Do you want to watch a movie with us, Annabeth?" Warren suddenly asked, sitting down the girl's other side. Lexiss looked up at him, and he offered a smile shrug. Lexiss smiled back apologetically.

Annabeth sat up excitedly. "Really? Ooh, could we watch Nightmare on Elm Street? Or, or how about Halloween?"

"You have had an undue influence on this girl," Warren said to Lexiss with a laugh.

Lexiss stuck her tongue out at Warren, and then stood up and went to the cabinet against the wall, which housed Warren's flat screen and a small but choice DVD collection. "How about one of the Harry Potters, Annabeth?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said, sitting up and crossing her legs. Warren was propping his pillows up against his headboard for them all to lie on. "But I want to watch the third one."

"Alright," Lexiss agreed. She opened the case and put the disc in the player before standing back up and leaping onto the bed next to Warren. Annabeth settled herself between them.

"Well, look at this," Warren said, putting his arm around Annabeth and Lexiss. "I'm watching a movie with my two favorite girls. I can't imagine a better night." Lexiss caught his eye, and he smiled back at her reassuringly as he interlaced his fingers with hers. She returned his smile, and tried to ignore the tiny bit of relief she felt at Annabeth's intrusion.

Again, thank you all so much for waiting! I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, so give me your feedback and let me know how you think I did! And I promise, John will make his triumphant (or not) return in the next chapter. So, until then, definitely check out the poll, and hopefully I'll see you soon!