Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews, its fantastic to hear what you all think of it so far.

-Gams

Chapter Fourteen – Open Your Eyes

Remy didn't know why he didn't go after Rogue when he could've. Oh wait, he did know. Gen had practically fused her hands to him since sitting down at his side and had refused to let go even when Rogue left so abruptly. Sure he had been polite and his usual casual self, he'd joked and smiled but for the twenty minutes he was forced to endure Gen's attention, his attention was else wear or more on someone else. When he finally did manage to get free of Gen and Sam, with some cheap lie about needing to pick up his dry cleaning, he made his way immediately to her apartment to wait on her. An hour passed, two…three…four hours passed by and still there was no Rogue coming up the stairway. When the hour turned to five o'clock in the afternoon, he decided to take a break and come back later that evening. He pulled out a stray playing card from his trench coat pocket, scribbled a note across it and slid the card between the door and the frame. It remained half-lodged with the aid of the door lock as he turned on his heal and headed out the building.

He had never been so fidgety and impatient in years. When he arrived home, he sat himself down in front of the television and flicked through channels. When that only made him tired, he went to the kitchen and fixed himself an early dinner of chicken kebabs and sweet chilli sauce. It was only five-twenty when he finished that. He figured if Rogue went out with Wanda or John, she would end up coming home around nine. It was Sunday, so she wouldn't be out too late. However, the idea of waiting until nine to try and catch her at home was not a pleasant idea. Plus, he was beginning to feel the jet-lag he had suppressed all day creep up on him. He had arrived back in New York at two in the morning, so there was reason enough. He decided he would probably be better if he just left a message on her phone, told her he would come around after work and go to bed to catch some much needed sleep in the mean time. Yes, that was a good plan. He picked up the cordless phone on the kitchen bench and speed dialled her number. It rang a couple of times before her recorded voice sang in his ear.

"Hey, ya reached Anna-Marie Howlett, ah can't come to the phone raght now so drop a line after the beep. Thanks!"

He gulped silently as the machine beeped before speaking up.

"Hey chére, its Remy. Listen, since we didn't get around t' talkin' about- about whatever it is y' needed t' tell moi. I'll drop by after work, d'accord? Around eleven? See y' den. Bye."

He hung up, letting out a half-tired, half-defeated sigh. He hadn't been so terrified in all his life and it was about something he didn't even know! With that done however, he decided to sleep it off and headed to his bedroom. He stripped off his jeans and shirt and fell head-first into the comfort of the bed sheets. However, despite the comfort of the soft bed and the tiredness that ate at him from the inside, acquiring sleep wasn't so forthcoming.

Meanwhile…

"I can't blood believe this. You? Pregnant? It's like I hit the twilight zone with a sledgehammer…"

Though it was nothing like the sledgehammer she wanted to use, the pillow Rogue throttled John with provided to be release for the flash of annoyance that over swept her actions. Wanda, thankfully, wasn't in the room at the moment so John was spared any further punishments. For now. She lay on her back upon the red-velvet pin-stripe couch in Wanda and John's living room, flicking through a magazine as John continued to babble on about how shocked and 'in the twilight zone' he was about the news. Of course, after that fainting spell in her apartment, Rogue told John the full story. Sans the parts that were not for other people's ears. So basically she admitted to getting drunk, sleeping with Remy and having no recollection of how it happened. She was so glad, on so many levels, that John wasn't the one fathering her child (or any child). Rogue shuddered a little at the thought. As much as she loved John for being the maniacal Australian bloke he was, she pitied Wanda when they decided to have kids. John was a child himself in most ways, adding another one to the Wanda-John household was a complicated (and frightening) thought. Anyway, the man-child in question was seated on the floor on a large pillow-seat with a bottle of coca cola in hand and a bowl of popcorn in the other. Since Rogue wasn't allowed to drink (unless she wanted to permanently damage her baby), Wanda had declared that while she was around there would be no temptations left lying around such as alcohol, coffee and anything else they ended up finding down the track. John had pulled a face but sat contently with a bottle of coka cola in hand and popcorn. Rogue let out a small sigh as she spoke up after a few moments of silence.

"John, it's not lahke ah'm takin' a rocket trip to the moon or somethin'! Ah'm havin' a baby. It's not that out there as ya'll seem to think."

"But it's not just your's, it's-"

"Don't say it! Ah know who helped."

John closed his open-hanging mouth quietly. Suddenly that conversation he and Remy had had before Paige's eighteenth seemed like some ironic twist of fate, some incredibly cruel ironic twist of fate that John would never let Remy forget. He had the smirking suspicion that if Rogue was as livid as she was about not mentioning who co-created her first offspring, she was unlikely to ever let him forget it or forgive. That is…if she knew Remy wasn't sure if they used protection or not. John shook his head slightly as he turned back to the television. "God have mercy on him, cuz Rogue sure as hell won't if she found out…" However, it was then that a new variable about the situation came to mind. He turned slowly towards his friend as he spoke. He was cautious for a reason you know.

"Speakin' of which…"

Rogue turned a raised brow in his direction, making him smile meekly as he continued.

"Are- are you, you know, sure?"

Rogue frowned.

"Sure? Ah'm, ah guess ah'm sure. Ah mean, ah can'te for the life o' meh not have this baby-"

"No! No I mean, uh…that is I mean…"

Rogue continued to look at him with a puzzled expression. Meanwhile, John felt his face turn beetroot-red as he tried to the words out without it feeling totally inappropriate and awkward to ask. That was when the light of his life decided to walk into the room with a second bowl of popcorn in hand. She spoke up as if she hadn't even left the room.

"What he means to say is, Are you sure it's not, you know, Joseph's?"

While John continued to turn shades of red, Rogue's eyes widened. She was quick to shake her head mercilessly as she explained.

"No! No! No, it's definitely not Joseph's. Ah mean he was in Paris-"

"With little miss slut-model."

Rogue ignored Wanda's input as she continued.

"He was in Paris for a month. Ah would've known if ah was pregnant with his baby a long tahme ago. It's definitely Remy's."

She felt a little tug of panic pull at her when she let the last sentence out. 'It's definitely Remy's' she felt like she was reading out the script of a soap opera, talking about who's baby is it. But it wasn't. It was all very real and extremely scary. Wanda, who had seated herself beside her, offered her the bowl of popcorn wordlessly. As Rogue took it, she had little doubt that Wanda knew the look across her face and was quick to confirm it by reassuring her in words.

"Don't think about it right now. Just relax okay? You'll tell him when you are ready- and before you start showing, okay?"

Rogue rolled her eyes but nodded. Yes. She would….She would.

The next Day…

"Wake up sleepy head!"

Rogue gave a grumpy groan as she mumbled for the interrupting voice to go away. She had been lost in a wonderful dream and would rather remain there than open her eyes to the world of reality. The dream flashed before her closed eyes as she buried her head into the pillow, shutting out the rest of the world as she lingered in the dream.

-Dream-

She felt fire course through her skin as his lips trailed up from her chest to singe the flesh of her neck. A moan escaped her lips as her fingers lost themselves in his head of auburn hair. His hands, in turn, began their descent from her hair to trail ever so slowly down her frame until they cupped her hips. A short gasp-like-moan escaped her lips, causing him to moan huskily into her neck in turn. She didn't know why but it felt so right to be here, to be envelope in his warmth and his love like she knew she was. They fell back against the bed sheets in one fluid movement. His hands slowly moved from her hips to her waist again as her hands snaked skilfully around his neck…

-End of dream-

"Rogue! You've got a doctor's appointment at eleven! Wake up already!"

Rogue woke with a start of surprise at Wanda's loud voice. She bolted to an upright position, causing her mass of curly wild hair to fall into her face. She regretted opening her eyes as the light in Wanda's living room scorched her eyes, leaving her half-blinded. When she did manage to open her eyes without the burden of squinting, she pulled back her wild mane of hair and turned to find Wanda standing before her. She handed her a glass of orange juice and a plate of fruit. Rogue thanked her croakily and took both. Wanda was already walking back to her kitchen when she told her not to worry about it but get up because she had two hours to freshen up before the doctor's appointment. Rogue was surprised by Wanda's suddenly organised side. She was a Graphic Designer for an Indie and Rock music magazine called House of M, they weren't exactly known to be organised unless it was when meeting a project deadline. At least, Wanda wasn't known to be organised unless when meeting a project deadline. Rogue broke from her thoughts as a yawn broke out. She turned her gaze towards the table-side clock only to realise it was nine-twenty in the morning. She frowned when she realised where she was.

"Wands?"

"Yeah?"

Her voice was muffled from its place in the kitchen.

"Did ah fall asleep here?"

"No, you fell asleep on a Central Park bench and sleepwalked here. Of course you did!"

Rogue tried to recall the night before but all she seemed to remember were flickers of her dream that caused a blush to rise in her cheeks. Wanda's voice broke her trail of thoughts from a distance.

"You fell asleep watching 'The Phantom Menace" with John. Honestly, I don't think I can blame you for falling asleep through that. That George Lucas should've stopped at the third movie."

"Technically it's not the third movie, love."

Rogue couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard John's matter-of-fact tone of voice. He walked out of his and Wanda's bedroom, decked out in only a pair of jeans and a head of sopping wet orange hair. Rogue raised a hand in a mockery of shield about a foot away from her eyes as she spoke up.

"Woah there Firefly, put somethin' on b'fore ya'll go an' blind meh!"

John rolled his eyes but chuckled like his maniacal self as he pulled a random, white-T from the dry washing basket on the opposite couch. He teased her with a matching grin as he pulled it on.

"Aw, no need to blush an' tease Roguey, we both know you like seein' me in my half-naked glory!"

She rolled her eyes but smiled slightly as she sat up to eat her breakfast.

"John that is so wrong it doesn't even deserve an answer."

John actually pouted like a little boy as he replied in similar fashion. He turned towards the kitchen arch-window that was half-closed with shutter-window doors.

"You're so mean to me! –Wands! Roguey's bein' mean t' me!"

"You probably deserved it, so I don't care!"

John pouted again as he turned back towards the hallway leading the bedroom, like a wounded puppy. Rogue chuckled after him and though John didn't turn around to face her, she knew he was grinning like an idiot. He knew better not to take Wanda's words to heart. It was a skill that aided him in winning her over after all. Rogue was left alone for a good twenty minutes to eat her breakfast and chug down at least two full cartons of orange juice before being shooed out the door by Wanda. Of course Wanda refused to let her pregnant friend take the subway home, so she followed after her and gave her a lift home in her car. Once through her own apartment door however, Rogue rushed to the bathroom to empty out the two cartons of orange juice and a bowl of fruit into the toilet bowl. She flushed the toilet and progressed to the sink to rinse and spit. The nausea was something that was likely to put her off food for life but the baby within her was more likely to force the food down her throat. She was eating for two after all. After the nausea (finally) subsided, Rogue checked the clock on her bathroom wall.

10:03AM

She had some time to freshen up a little more. Rogue busied herself by taking a quick shower, blow-drying her hair and straightened it afterwards. After, she pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and a yellow turtle neck long-sleave shirt. She checked her reflection in the mirror only to sigh sadly at the skinny jeans.

"Guess ah have to make the most o' this now while ah still can. Not long now an' ah won't be able t' fit in these again…"

She stared sadly at the skinny jeans as they hugged her lower figure. She was always proud of her ability to fit into almost anything she fancied wearing but it quickly soured as the idea of maternity wear hit her. She gave one final look in the mirror before turning to her closet to pull out a pair of converse shoes. She was pulling them on when the doorbell rang.

Frowning, Rogue finished tying her shoes and walked to the door. She didn't bother looking in the spy hole as she suspected it might be Wanda checking that she makes her appointment. She pulled the door open without a second thought and made sure to set a raised-brow look on her face to confront Wanda's nagging. It fell clear off her face as soon as the door was swung open.

"Shit."

"Remy? Wh-what are ya doin' here?"

Remy frowned down at her with a puzzled face. He had shaved this morning, his face was totally clear of the slight shadow of stubble save for the reoccurring goatee on his chin. Rogue felt her heart stop for a full second before it began pounding against her rib cage like a wild animal. She stared up at him with a puzzled look (after the shock wore off) as he began to speak. His smile seemed half-hearted in effort as he did so.

"G'mornin' chére. I- I left a message yesterday- y' didn't get it?"

She shook her head. Somehow, without their knowledge, they were still standing in the doorway of her apartment as she replied.

"Uh, no. Ah- ah didn't. Ah fell asleep at Wanda's place last night. Ah didn't get back until late this mornin'. Ah haven't checked mah answerin' machine yet."

"Oh, well. I said I'd be here dis mornin' to…"

She kept a raised brow as she continued where he trailed off. She knew what he was going to say but for some reason, she needed to hear him say it.

"To?"

Remy bit back a gulp of nervousness. The worse-case-scenario ideas had left him in a restless sleep. He had dreamed of countless possibilities to where their 'important talk' would lead to. Her sobbing that she was dying of an incurable disease was the predominant nightmare that left dark circles under his eyes. He had skulled a full mug of black coffee that morning, showered and shaved to make him look less rugged and exhausted than he really was. However, despite the exhaust and the worry, he knew he had to talk this through with her. So with a silent inhale of air to stead him, he slipped past her into the apartment while he answered.

"To talk about dat t'ing y' needed t' tell moi. It…"

He flailed a little before continuing. She shut the door behind them slowly, turning her back on him as he continued.

"It sounded important, non?"

Rogue turned to face him as her head bobbed in a nervous round of nods. Remy watched as she led him wordlessly into the living room. It was obvious she was just as nervous as him. It wasn't soothing to know that at all. She began to play with the edge of her sleaves with her fingers while her gaze remained set on the floor. Remy cleared his throat to try and avert her attention to him again. She jumped slightly, as if waking again, and turned her gaze to meet his. Remy couldn't be quiet any longer, he reached out to her and grasped her shoulders gently. She jolted a little but he ignored the action as he spoke up. It was painful to keep so calm as he sounded.

"Anna-Marie, y' better tell dis Cajun what's wrong. Cuz right now he be pretty worried, d'accord?"

She nodded vigorously but remained silent for a couple of moments. Finally, she let out what Remy thought was a defeated sigh before reaching his gaze again and speaking. Her voice trembled, causing tremors to run up and down his spine like iced water.

"Ah- ah need t' call an' cancel somethin' first. This- this is more important, so…"

It was as if she was trying to convince herself of that with the way she said it but Remy nodded nonetheless and allowed his hands to set her free. She moved quickly out of the room, grabbing the hand phone that lay on the table as she did so. Remy remained but did not sit down. He began to pace to let out his anxieties while he waited. However, after only a minute or two, he became far too impatient. He pulled himself out of the suddenly suffocating living room as quick as a flash. He figured, since they would be talking for a while, he may as well make some coffee. He stopped himself when he made to fill a second mug of coffee when he remembered what had happened at Margo's the day before. He made a jasmine tea instead, just to be safe. Ten minutes later, he was walked steadily out of the kitchen in the direction of the living room. He was passing Rogue's door that was slightly open when he heard something. He stopped in his tracks to listen-

"-Yes, that's it. Doctor McCoy. Listen, ah'm very sorry about the short notice but ah was wondering if ah might be able to reschedule mah appointment to tomorrow? You see, somethin' very important has come up-"

Remy's brow furrowed in anxiety and confusion. What was Rogue going to a doctor for? Suddenly his idea of her dying from some disease or cancer wasn't so far fetched. The concept brewed and festered like a virus in his mind until he felt his heart begin to race and ram against his rib cage. He gulped down air like a dying man as he pained to learn more from the other side.

"Yes, ten o'clock is wonderful. Thank ya, -sorry about the trouble. Thanks. Bye."

Remy felt hot coffee and tea leak down his hands, causing him to look down to realise he had been holding onto the cups so tightly that they had been shaking. He retraced his steps carefully back to the kitchen and put them down on the counter before drying his hands. When that was done, he was practically sprinting back to Rogue's door. However, as he did so, he felt the floor slip underneath him and he fell back into the doorframe with a loud, toppling thud. He hadn't noticed the puddle of coffee on the floor. That, mixed with the rubber-tread boots he was wearing, caused him to fall. Luckily, he had managed to grip the doorframe with both hands to save him from falling onto his behind. Unluckily, this caused Rogue to practically rip the door off in a panic. She stared at him with wide eyes as she exclaimed.

"What the hell was that?"

Remy managed to pull himself back to a straight stance as he replied.

"Je suis désolé (I'm sorry), I spilt some coffee on de floor an' I slipped."

She didn't look completely convinced at all as she raised a brow at him.

"Ya spilt coffee?"

"Oui."

"In front of mah door?"

Remy paused for a moment before replying. Oops.

"I was bein' careful!"

She scoffed at him once as she stepped over the puddle of coffee (and tea) and moved towards the kitchen as she spoke.

"Obviously ya were not."

She returned shortly with a tea-towel in hand and bent over to wipe it up. Remy was a little quicker, and took the tea-towel from her before she could bend further enough to reach it. He mopped it up and returned the mop to the kitchen. When he came out, Rogue was already gone. He moved quickly towards the living room only to find her perched on the two-seater couch. Remy gulped slightly as the anxiety began to return. Was she really as sick as he thought she was? She must be, he figured, to have made a doctor's appointment. Rogue knew how to cure a common cold or flu. She wouldn't go to a doctor for help unless she really needed to, that he was terrified and certain of. He made his way carefully towards her and sat himself down on the opposite side of the couch. She faced him simultaneously, her hands placed timidly on her lap but her gaze remained downcast. Remy bit back all of his worries and fears to calmly take her chin with his fingers and raise her head to meet his gaze. It took a couple of more moments to actual get any words out though.

"What's wrong?"

Rogue bit down on her lower lip as she swallowed the biggest lump in her throat she had ever had in her life. She couldn't stop trembling and she knew from the pleading look in Remy's eyes that he was fighting back anxiety too. She hated to see him look so worried about her. After a full minute of staring and fighting to breathe calmly, she spoke with a shaken voice.

"Somethin'- somethin's happened R-Remy. A-and ah have no idea how ah'm gonna tell ya this…"

She bit back tears. "No! Not now! Ya don't need t' cry! Ugh, ah hate being pregnant!" She didn't understand why she was on the verge of tears. Sure it was a tough thing to get out into the open, especially to Remy, but she wasn't the woman that cried. That was usually Kitty. She blamed the surplus of hormones that were streaming through her body as she struggled to keep talking. Remy tried to encourage her by giving assurances. They were for him just as much as they were for her as he let them out.

"Hey, whatever it is, y' can tell moi. Okay? I'm here t' help y' t'rough anyt'ing dat's wrong. I promise,"

He leant forward with a daring action and cupped the side of her face in his hand. He wanted to pull her closer and kiss away all troubles or fears she might have about telling him the truth but he restrained himself. She'd freak out if he tried anything like that. He continued.

"I promise I'll help if I can. Y' know I'd do anyt'ing t' keep y' safe an' happy, amour." (love)

Rogue bit back a sob as her tears clouded her vision. She blinked them back hurriedly as a sniffle escaped her. 'No cryin', girl. Ya have t' tell him this now or things will only get worse.' With that self-reassurance, she gave a small nod to his sweet assurances and blinked back the rest of her tears. When she was certain she could talk without tearing up again, she opened her eyes and made to speak to him face-to-face but he cut her off before she could start.

"I heard y' on de phone earlier, Rogue. If y' need a better doctor den y' come straight t' moi, okay? I'll take care o' everyt'ing. Hell, I'll go wit' y' to every doctor's appointment if y' need moi to. Y' not gonna do dis alone, d'accord?"

Rogue didn't know how to breathe suddenly. Did he already know? She had been put on hold for about ten minute before she could talk to the Hospital secretary and when they had talked, she was sure that she hadn't even mentioned the words baby or pregnancy at all. "Maybe he- he figured it out! Maybe he put it all together and…" Her eyes widened in disbelief. "And maybe he's okay with it and…" She felt joy-filled tears swell at the corners of her eyes as she spoke up. Her voice bared her emotions, causing it to come out slightly husky as she spoke.

"Remy… ya- ya don't really need to. Honestly, it'll- it'll beh fahne. Ah can handle the doctor appointments an' ah'm sure mah doctor's perfectly capable. Ya don't need to take on so much-"

Maybe Remy was okay with the idea of having a baby. Okay, so they weren't together but they could work it out, couldn't they? She was sure that they weren't the first pair of friends to have a baby together…right? She could barely believe he was taking this so well- and so sweetly! Though she was flattered he wanted to take on so much.

Remy could barely believe her. She wanted to battle her health issues on her own? He wouldn't stand for it at all. No, she was his best friend, how she could expect him not to do whatever he could to help was practically beyond his understanding. He found himself shaking his head at her as he shifted his hands to grasp her shoulders. He could barely hold but his emotions as he cut her off in her ramblings to assure him she didn't need his help.

"Non, y' not gonna do dis alone Rogue. What are y' t'inkin'? Y' can't do dis on y' own. It's crazy talk!"

Rogue's tearful expression turned puzzled. What? What was so bad about her trying to be a single mother? Sure, it was nice that she didn't have to do that now that Remy had agreed to father the baby, but it wasn't an impossible feat. She was more than capable of raising a child on her own. She kept her brow furrowed as she replied in a firmer voice.

"Remy, ah think ah'm more than capable of handling this on mah own. Ah'm not that helpless and inexperienced."

It was Remy's turn to furrow his brow in confusion. Inexperience? Had she been battling some kind of cancer before? No, he couldn't believe that. They had spent the last seventeen years practically conjoined to the hip! How could he have missed this?

"Chére…how long has dis been goin' on?"

Rogue was cautious with her answer. He didn't know that much, so she assumed it might not come as easily as the 'support' did.

"Uh…just over six weeks."

"Qui?" (what?)

Okay, Remy was now officially confused beyond his understanding. Six weeks, though possible, didn't seem accurate for a life-threatening disease or cancer to fest itself. Wouldn't she have noticed something was wrong within a month? Remy's brow remained perfectly frowned as he spoke up again.

"Chére, forgive moi f' bein' wrong or confused, mais, y' are sufferin' from some kind o' disease or cancer, non?"

Rogue reacted before she even let the words sink in. She gave a loud snort of disbelief as she began her reply.

"No! God, no! Ah'm not- Wait… Wait a damn minute, what? Is- is that honestly, what- ya- oh Gawd, Remy is that what ya thought was wrong?"

Remy, surprised by her growing hysterical tone of voice, backed away slightly to give her some room. She wasn't dying? She didn't have some kind of life-threatening disease? He raised one arched brow at her as he spoke ever so cautiously. She was stared at him with wide eyes, stuttering half-mumbles with her mouth half-open.

"Rogue, please, jus' tell moi what's goin' on."

Rogue's half-mumbles and wide-eyed stare eased back to a blank face. Her heavy breathing calmed to a defeated sigh. She bit down on her lower lip for a moment and closed her eyes, let out a deep breath she had held back and opened her eyes as she began to speak. Her heart was racing again as she spoke the words she had dreaded for weeks.

"Remy ah'm pregnant."

Now that was fun. Please be nice and not send flames, just reviews!

Thanks guys! I'll update soon!

Disclaimer: Don't own the song "Open Your Eyes" it is the property of the band Snow Patrol

-Gams