Chapter Three - Fearless

Rogue stared through the huge glass windows of the observation room looking into the main lab. The RGT chamber inside was closed securely, and Moira MacTaggart was standing at it's control panel reading from a monitor.

Remy LeBeau was inside that chamber, healing as far as Rogue could tell. On a large plasma screen doubling as a monitor just to her left, she could see an x-ray of Remy's body; she could see the breaks in his bones that had been causing him so much pain, the pieces of his shattered tailbone, the break in his left wrist, the crack in his skull. Rogue watched the monitor, wondering how quickly it would heal; there seemed to be no change as far as she could see.

The door behind her opened and she turned to see Sean Cassidy stepping into the room with Jessie's hand in his, Jessie looked timid, her large grey blue eyes taking in the sight of everything as she entered the room.

"She wanted to see him," Sean said softly, "I told her she won't be able to see much, but...maybe just for her peace of mind," he whispered quietly to Rogue as he approached.

"Yeah..." Rogue nodded, she glanced down at the little girl.

Remy's daughter, she thought, and it felt so absurd to be thinking of it. Remy's little girl...how could I have been so blind...not knowing this whole thing had been going on under my nose?

"Is he in there?" Jessie asked, she pressed her nose against the glass to look into the lab below, her eyes glued to the chamber.

"Yes," said Sean, "he's inside that chamber...and it'll be a long time before he can come out..."

Rogue glanced at the x-ray on the monitor, "he has so many broken bones..."

"They're healing – very quickly...it's just not very noticable to the naked eye," Sean noted, "inside the chamber the x-rays are taken every ten minutes – you'll see a significant change soon enough."

"How can I trust that?" Rogue asked quietly, folding her arms.

"I don't understand all the jargon they're talkin' about down there anymore than you do, Rogue. What I do know is that Moira is the most determined woman I've ever known – and when she sets her mind to doing something, she does it, five hundred percent. She won't rest until Gambit is back on his feet...trust me."

Rogue hugged herself, she felt a chill run through her despite the oppressive heat in the room.

Jessie turned to look at the x-ray, her eyes were curious, and large, reflecting the image of the bones in bright blue, making her eyes look almost electric. "Is that what broken bones look like?" she asked.

"Yes it is," said Sean. "On the inside, anyway..."

"Will he have them forever?" Jessie worried.

"No," Rogue said, trying to sound reassuring, "his bones will heal and he'll be fine again. Better than he ever was."

Jessie moved into Rogue and slipped her arm around Rogue's thighs, she let her head rest against the woman's hip and stared back into the lab. "He can't feel it, can he?"

"No...he doesn't feel anything. He's asleep..." Rogue gazed down at her. It felt odd, having this child near her, touching her. This child, so aware of what her powers could do and yet so unafraid all the same.

She's so...fearless. It's as if she has nothing to lose, Rogue thought, she gently put her hand on the little girl's head.

"How are you holding up?" Sean asked.

"I'm fine," Rogue said, swallowing her emotion back hard as if it were a large lump of raw food.

"You're exhausted."

"We all are," Rogue said, she glanced down and noted Jessie's eyelids drooping, her cheeks flushed with exhaustion.

"You should take a nap. I'll show you to a room if you like," Sean offered graciously.

"No, it's fine. I'll be fine," Rogue assured.

"Haven't you ever heard that old thing about a watched kettle never boiling?" Sean asked with a slight smile.

"So many times," Rogue feigned a smile back. "You're right...it's not doing any good...for either of us?" she stroked Jessie's bangs away from her face, "c'mon, kiddo...lets go watch television or something."

"Okay..." Jessie nodded, she seemed at least momentarily satisfied now that she'd seen seen Remy in some form or another.

Jessie took Rogue's hand and they walked along the halls together, Rogue was silent, her mind still reeling with so many questions.

"Did you see Mr. LeBeau before he went into that machine?" Jessie asked, she was walking slightly ahead of Rogue, practically dragging the woman along with her as much as she could.

Rogue pondered if it was alright to tell Jessie the truth. Logically, she knew it might only scare her, but at the same time, she didn't want to lie to the little girl. "Yes," she finally said.

"Is he really okay?"

"Yes," Rogue nodded, she took a deep breath and sighed slowly, "he...uh...asked...for you."

"Really?" Jessie asked, and she smiled – her two front teeth were growing, two tiny white bumps on her pink gums.

"Yes. He misses you very much," Rogue said; she could see the delight on Jessie's face at the revelation of this news, and she didn't feel guilty for making up the lie as she was sure if Remy hadn't been delirious and out of his head, he probably would have said it himself if he'd had the opportunity to see the little girl.

His daughter, Rogue reminded himself. She's not just any little girl anymore. She's his daughter. God it sounds so fucked up to even think of the word...

"Is he coming back to Bayville soon?" Jessie skipped a little.

"I'm not sure. He might need more time...but he will be coming back..." Rogue assured. She'd questioned that he might come back several times since he'd left to go for the treatment, and she'd always had to assure herself that he always returned eventually whenever he left. This time, there was no question that he would be back.

Of course he'll be back, Rogue frowned. He can't leave now...he has a daughter.