Disclaimer: See previous chapter.
A/N: Lots of dialogue.
"You miss him a lot." Annie said.
Jean-Paul sighed, "Of course I do."
"Do… you… want to talk about it?" She asked softly.
They were sitting in the Infirmary. Annie was taking are of paperwork and Jean-Paul was sitting on the edge of the examination table where he always sat when he shared his troubles with Annie. He swung his legs back and forth in front of him, "Jono listened." Jean-Paul shrugged, "Like you listen. Except he actually knew what if felt like." He glanced over at her, "No offense."
"Hey, none taken. I get it. You and I don't necessarily have too much in common." Annie replied understandingly.
"Yes."
"So. I'm guessing you guys related because Jono…"
"Had feelings for someone who he thought could never return them." Jean-Paul answered tersely.
Annie frowned, "Really? It didn't seem like he really… thought much of anyone here. Besides you, of course."
Jean-Paul snorted, "You need to spend more time outside of the medical rooms of this mansion."
"So who was it then?"
"Jono had feelings for Gambit. Even though he never mentioned it, I could tell. It is tragic, Annie."
She choked, "Gambit? That is tragic. I mean, Gambit's a lady's man."
"Non, he is attracted to anything beautiful." Jean-Paul corrected. He didn't say anything more, but it made Annie wonder.
"Say what now?" Rogue blinked.
"You were his friend before. Jus' because he don' remember dat doesn't mean y' don' still care f' him. Y' went on a goddamn road trip a few months ago." Remy said, "Y' have t' know more about him den anyone except maybe Jubilee. Jus' get him out o' his room."
"Wait just a second here, Gambit. Yah can't be tryin' tah pull favors again already!"
"It's Bobby, not me!" He replied, throwing his arms up in distress, "He ain't been out o' his room f' three days. Y' gettin' worried, too, aren't y'?"
She sighed, "Well, yeah."
"Then can't y' try talkin' t' him?" Remy pleaded.
Rogue crossed her arms tightly and huffed another sigh, "Fine. Ah'll go aftah dinner."
"Julian,"
He started, almost dropping his plate, as Laura appeared next to him. She had snuck up so quickly, he hadn't noticed at all.
"Jesus, X! Can't you, like, stomp a little when you walk up behind someone?" he scolded.
"I must show you something. It is extremely important." Laura informed him.
He looked down at his food, then at the dinner table nearby and then back at Laura, "Uh, can this wait, Laura? I'm kind of hungry."
"No. Come now. Tell the others that we will be back soon." She turned and started for the exit of the cafeteria.
Julian put his food down on the dinner table and told Cessily, Santo, Anole and Sooraya, "I'm going to be right back. Santo, don't touch my stuff." And he followed Laura to where she had disappeared outside the cafeteria. He crossed his arms and gave her a this better be good look before they started down the halls.
On the way, they passed Rogue, she glanced at them for a moment, but didn't seem interested in calling them out on not being at dinner.
Laura led Julian outside and down into the fields. It was dark and soon the lights of the mansion were very distant.
"Okay, X, what the hell is it that I need to see? Because at this rate, I probably won't be able to." Julian said as he stumbled along in the dark.
"Sh." She replied, reaching out and stopping him.
He was silent immediately. A soft breeze swept through the air and the trees around them rustled as their branches swayed.
Julian shivered.
"Do you hear that?" X-23 asked.
"Hear what?" he snapped, "the crickets? Damn it, X, what are we doing out here?"
"This is the school cemetery." Laura told him, "We were here yesterday."
"Yeah?" Julian grumbled, rubbing his arms to keep warm, "So?"
"The grass. It has mutated due to Elixir's touch." She explained.
Julian looked down and let out a startled yelp, having noticed that his ankles were being wrapped by the grass. "Holy shit!" he flew into the air immediately. He looked at Laura, "So Josh mutated the ground when he was trying to bring Chamber back? What else did he mutate?"
"Nothing. And the grass is harmless, Julian. But that is not what I brought you out for."
"What, then?"
"Chamber. I can hear him underground."
"Yeah?"
"He's starting to revive."
"Bobby?" Rogue called through the door, "Yah in there?"
There was no answer, but she knew for certain that he hadn't left.
"I brought you dinner, figured, yah didn't eat yet." She told him, "Brought a Twinkie, too. Know yah like 'em."
"What do you want?" Bobby asked.
"Figured yah needed tah talk tah someone." She replied softly.
The door opened a crack. Blue eyes stared out.
Rogue waved the platter of food enticingly before him and the door opened all the way.
Bobby didn't look very well. His blonde hair was a mess, there were light shadows under his eyes, and his skin was a sickly white. He invited Rogue in and took the food she had offered.
She looked around. The room was dark and for Bobby being holed up inside it for so many days, it was surprisingly clean. The air was a bit chilly, though.
"How yah doin'?" Rogue asked.
"I killed one of my teammates, I still can't remember most of my life, and I have a freezing piece of ice growing across my chest, and I feel like my mind is going to melt." He replied, glancing over at her as they sat down on his bed, "What do you think?"
"Yah have what?" Rogue frowned.
He stood up, handing his plate back to Rogue. He was wearing a ratty old t-shirt, which he took off slowly, yet in a very nonsexual manner.
Rogue's eyes widened and she gasped softly as she saw the glint of ice in the dark. "Yah aren't supposed tah use your powers." She told him, even though she had a feeling…
"I'm not." Bobby said, sitting down next to her again.
She was silent and they didn't speak. Bobby poked at the food on his plate.
"Does it hurt?" she asked quietly.
"A little. It's just kind of sore, I guess." Bobby shrugged.
"Why are yah holin' yourself up in here?" Rogue wondered, "Don't yah wanna go out an' see Hank or Jubilee or someone?" 'Someone' here meaning 'Remy'.
Bobby ran a hand through his hair, "I've been messed up, lately. After the whole incident with Jono, I've been flooded with so many memories it makes my head hurt like crazy."
"Memories? Of what?" she asked, curiosity flaring up.
"Everyday conversations. Pranks. Some mission stuff, I guess. Some things that make zero sense." He added, grumbling. "And not the 'I don't remember these things' zero sense, I mean 'this doesn't seem like reality' zero sense."
Rogue thought about it, "A lot of things we do in the X-Men doesn't seem like reality." She reasoned.
Bobby put his plate on the ground, having only touched a few things, "No, I mean like picnics. I was on a picnic. And there was no one there. It's like… I don't know, a dream, I guess. But even if those things were dreams, they still don't make sense. In fact, now they make even less sense!" he declared, throwing his arms up in the air.
Rogue grasped for something to say, "Well, why don't yah see Xavier about it?" She asked.
"I stopped having private sessions with him. There's only so much my head can take. I feel like it's going to explode." He groaned.
"Yah don't hafta get your mind probed. Yah can just talk. Like your talkin' tah me right now." She told him, "And if your uncomfortable with that, yah can always talk with Jean. Ah know that could be a lot less intimidatin'."
Bobby was silent as he thought it over. "Maybe." He replied silently, "But for now, I think I just really need to get some sleep. My headache is killing me."
Rogue took this as her cue to leave, and she stood up, "Ah should get goin' right now, anyway. Got some things tah do." She lied.
He nodded and followed her to the door, picking up his shirt and putting it back on as he went. The ice on his chest disappeared under the cloth. "Thanks for stopping by." He told Rogue as she stepped outside. "It was really nice of you."
"Sure thing, Bobby. But if Gambit comes by again? Open the door for him. Seriously." She told him, "He's a nuisance when he sulks."
A/N: Mwahee hee hoo. Jono will be making a reappearance soon! Do not be discouraged! Sorry for the late update. Review and tell me how much you hate me? : )