The following weeks progressed slowly with information regarding the deadly vaccine and the people behind the global distribution. Laura was efficient with Intel about Craydon Creed's connections with the Ancient order of Maat, which followed up with the knowledge of how large the Ancient order of Maat had become. With the modifications that Forge made to the cameras, he built a watch that was used as a tracking device and built-in microphone. The spheres were modified to be used as satellites, able to record video inside buildings from space if necessary. with the device, she managed to get Craydon to confess in a drunken state to brag about how powerful he became since he joined the most powerful society on the planet, and how mutants will finally be eradicated from the earth.
Kurt, Amanda, and Moira arrived to offer their support. Jean-Luc, Theoron, Mercy, and baby Aimee were also present. In the danger room, under the instruction of Kurt, and the other X-men, Laura managed to learn and gain control of her new found powers of teleportation and opening one or more portals at a throwing objects in them to find out where they ended up. She'd been in the danger room for hours trying to focus on maintain the portals and the destination of each ball that went through them, but she failed more than she succeeded.
"Remember it's important to make sure where you or these items end up. You have to know where you going, or where you want to go before you teleport," advised Kurt. "It's the random thoughts that can get you in trouble as you teleport, causing you to lose your focus. You can get trapped in a wall; your powers are a little different from mine because you can also create portals."
Remy watched as the portals closed simultaneously. He turned and ambled over to the other side of the danger room where everyone else was and got directly in Laura's face.
"We just went over dis Laura. Why can't y' get dis right?" he asked frustratingly.
"Calm down Remy," interjected Emil. "She's doing the best she can."
"Be quiet Emil, and she ain't doin de best she can," snapped Remy. Remy's eyes flashed as he looked down at Laura. He hated to treat her like this, but Laura had to understand that time was not on their side; at least he felt that time was against them for some reason. He was getting sick and tired of the black cloud that hovered over his family. The one thing that everyone needed to understand was that he will not be losing his wife and child because someone else decided that their lives were irrelevant.
"Do it again Laura and this time y' focus on what y' need t' focus on hein?"
Laura cocked her head and then shook it. For her it was hard to concentrate with all of the other thoughts floating around in her head. Things like finding her part in all of this, and trying to help Remy and Rogue too was a constant worry.
It was evident that Remy was growing more and more agitate as time went on. Laura felt as if he was on her case at every turn; wanting her to be more efficient with her powers, and her fighting skills. and poor Emily. She'd heard about the mistake she made, and how Remy went after her. Even though he calmed down considerably from the incident, it was clear that Emily was intimidated by him even after she declared herself competent in her research with the deadly vaccine. She understood the situation they were in was precarious, and the sessions with Hank, the Professor, Jean, and the rest of the X-men confirmed it. But with Remy, it was slightly different. It felt has if he was punishing her for something.
She turned her head to Emil. "It's okay baby." She looked up at Remy while still talking to Emil. "Your cousin is right, I do have to focus." She took a couple of steps back as she made large circles with her arms, causing a large golden ball of light to appear out of thin air. The light was so bright; people had to shield their eyes. The light died down to give way to a kaleidoscope of colors in the center, and was placed directly behind Remy.
Remy felt the pull and tried to get out of the way before he got sucked into the portal, but it was no use; the portal sucked him in, but not before he shot a few curse words Laura's way before the portal closed.
Laura winked at Emil, gave a head nod to Kurt, and shrugged her shoulders at Rogue. "How's that for concentration?"
Rogue couldn't get mad at her for sending her husband off, because truthfully, he had it coming for weeks now.
"Where'd ya send him?" Rogue asked
"To his room," answered Laura. "He should be there in about five to ten minutes, depending on the timeframe of the portal. Sorry Rogue, but I didn't know if any other way to get him to back off."
"It's okay Laura, I understand, and I apologize." she pushed herself from off the wall and wen to hug Laura and Kurt.
"I'll go see about him." Rogue drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out and rubbed her growing baby bump. "Thanks for helping us Laura. You gave us a lot of information, and without that, we'd still be chasin our tails."
Laura gave a small smile and head nod. "You're welcome." She looked up to see that Logan and Scott were in the observation room with the professor and Hank. "Are you two going to stand up there and watch, or are you going to help me out…especially you Logan."
She saw Logan bend and grab the microphone. "Just keep going Goldie. I'll come down later to toss you around a little bit, but just keep working down there and pay attention to Kurt will ya?"
Rogue chuckled as she left the danger room, towards the direction of her bedroom.
XXX
Rogue stood outside her bedroom door not sure where the portal will spit Remy out. She knew for sure that she couldn't afford for her husband to land on her un-expectantly so she waited where she thought she would be safe. Flecks of golden light materialized out of thin air, forming a huge ball of light. The ball flashed like a camera, spitting Remy out in the process, causing him to land on the floor with a hard thud. Rogue walked in the room and sat down on the bed. She watched as Remy scrambled to get his barring's, ascertaining that he was in his bedroom and not in the middle of traffic in another country somewhere. When he searched the room his eyes landed on Rogue sitting on their bed rubbing her stomach. He stood up ready to go back down to the danger room and fuss Laura out for that ridiculous stunt, but Rogue stood up and placed herself between him and the door.
"Have a seat sugah."
"Non, Chére, der's no time. Y' saw what she did."
"Yeah, swamprat, and ya deserved it…sit down sugah…please."
Remy did so reluctantly. He rubbed his temples to try and rid himself of the tension headache that slowly formed and decided to permanently twist his nerve endings into a pretzel formation.
"What do y' want to talk about Chére?"
"You, and your bad attitude that's what," she answered calmly.
Remy gave her an incredulously look.
"My bad attitude? My bad attitude? I'm not the one sending people through portals t' only God knows where."
"No, but you're the one that's been hard to talk to, hard to work with, hard deal with, and people are getting tired of it." She placed both hands on his chest and gently pushed at him so he'd walk backward to the bed. Once he felt the bed touch the back of his legs he plopped down on the bouncy mattress. He ran his fingers through his hair.
Rogue saw his frustration and decided to get down to the bottom of it.
"What's your fear Cajun?"
He narrowed his eyes at her, and shook his head as if she'd lost her mind.
"W-what? are y' kidding me Anna? Where have y' been for the past couple of months."
"I'm aware of what's goin on Cajun, but I need for ya ta tell meh what's got ya in such a way that ya isolating yourself from everyone else because of ya awful attitude. We're all stressed. Hell, Y' walking around here like you just discovered that someone spit in your soup and you want to make everyone pay for it. Ya not sleeping, ya not eating, and ya treatin me like all of this added on stress that you're goin through is all my fault."
"Isn't it?"
Rogue's mouth fell open; she fixed Remy with an incredulous stare. She couldn't believe what she just heard.
"Ya wanna run that by meh again Cajun? Did I just hear you say that all of this is my fault? Like I wanted this to happen?"—he stood up and walked across the room—"don't ya dare walk away from me Remy." she followed after him as he went to the balcony. He tried to close the double doors to keep some distance from Rogue, trying to keep a rational head, but it was no use because his wife was on his heels, kicking the doors open in with great urgency.
Rogue grabbed his arm to try and spend him around to look at him. When he finally turned to look at her, she did not like what she saw. What she saw was…regret?
"It never fails does it chère," asked Remy. "I mean look at us. We try t' be normal and build a life together, but it never ends does it?"
"What are ya talking about Remy," asked Rogue reluctantly. "What never ends?"
"De bullshit! De Danger!," dat's what I'm talking about. It always seems t' follow us…it never lets up." he walked back into the room. Remy stopped and scrubbed is hand over his face. Inwardly he was berating himself for the actions and choices he's made in his relationship with Rogue. "Just once I would like t' have a life that didn't come wit drama."
Rogue watched him pace the floor. Her heart was breaking for the both of them, but instead of sorrow, she got angry. She tried to remain cordial but what he was insinuating was hurtful. Remembering her last talk with Hank regarding stress and pregnancy not being a good combination, especially after the ordeal with the vaccine, she let out a calming breath. She too was starting to have regrets of telling him anything about her nightmares, and also getting pregnant in the first place. She slowly started to feel that maybe they should not have gotten married, or even stayed a couple before that. But there was nothing she could do about it now. The only thing she could do was give Remy his space, because lord knows that she needed her space too.
She walked back into their bedroom. When she looked at him, Remy felt his heart pounding as if it were going to jump out his chest. He hurt her, and he swore that he did not mean to. It is his job to protect his wife, and right now he felt as if he was failing. He closed his eyes briefly, and reached out for her, but she stepped back from his reach.
Rogue shook her head.
"Anna bebe, I'm sorry. It ain't y'fault Chére. I'm"—she held up her hand to silence him.
"From now on, ya stay away from me Remy. Since this is all my fault, then Ah'll take care of it." She shrugged her shoulders. "Ah think ya right that trouble seems to follow us. Silly of me to think that having something special with ya would change anything. Ah mean, after all, we are mutants right? Happiness and normalcy ain't in the cards for us is it?"
Remy suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He could not believe this was happening. He shook his head trying to get her to see clearly what he was trying to express to her, but he was doing a horrible job.
"Chère wait, Dis is crazy. Let me explain."
"There ain't nothing to explain." she walk to the closet and began pulling clothes off hangers. She went to the drawers and pulled items from them and placed them all on the bed before she went to retrieve a suitcase from under the bed.
"Wait, bebe, don't do dis," said Remy. Where are planning to go?"
She turned and looked at him in confusion. "Ah ain't going nowhere. These are your clothes, don't you see that?"
Remy glanced over at the clothes on the bed, letting it register that it was he that would be leaving their bedroom.
Remy snorted.
"I'm not going nowhere Anna. We gone work dis out like we always do."
"There's nothing to work out Cajun. You've told me how you feel, and since this is all my fault, I don't need you to feel burdened anymore with having to clean up my mess."
She jammed all of his clothes in the suitcase, pulled it off the bed, and threw it outside the bedroom door, watching as it hit the opposite wall.
Remy tried to reach for her again but this time she slapped both his hands away, as tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill over the rim.
"Don't do this bebe…I'm just so frustrated. You're my responsibility, and for da life of me, I don't know how to come at a threat when I have no idea where da threat is coming from. I know it's not y' fault, and I'm sorry for even saying so. It's just so damn frustrating to fight something that I can't see."
Rogue turned her back to walk around to the other side of the bed. She sat down with her back facing him.
"That maybe so, but Ah can't have ya in this room t'night with me. It's too much Remy, and ah've had enough stress for the day. Ah'm tired and Ah want peace tonight, and Ah fear that Ah won't have it with you being here in the state you're in."
Remy picked up the suitcase, and put it back in the closet. He walked over to his wife and kneeled down in front of her. His eyes trailed down the curves of her face to the small distention of her belly. She just entered her fifth month of pregnancy, and he did not know a more radiant—more beautiful woman than the woman sitting before him. A woman that he'd hurt with this words—words said out of angst and frustration.
Rogue looked down at him expressionless. Her eyes dropped down to see his hands touch her stomach. She later looked at him.
"I'm sorry Chére. I'll stay in one of de empty rooms for a couple of nights if y' want. And I'll make things right wit Laura and everyone else."
He kissed her on the forehead and left the room.
Rogue sat there staring at the double doors to the balcony. She felt so helpless and scared about the future of her, her child and her marriage. Even through all the fear and helplessness, she refused to be blamed for all of the events that happened, including the nightmares that she's been having.
With a deep breath, followed by a heavy sigh, Rogue got up, changed into her pajamas and climbed into her side of the bed, waiting for her body and mind to relax from the day's activities.
A/N:
Sorry that this chapter is so short. This is so unlike me, but I felt that this content was enough to keep the story moving forward. Please let me what you think so far. I really appreciate your reviews guys. There is more ROMY to come too, so what out for it.