(So, so sorry for leaving this and my other fics hanging and I do appreciate the pms attempting to hoist me off my duff to get me to update. I have been reading some wonderful fics lately and they have really inspired me, brilliant stories by Ludi and Spasticatt, among them. So I hope you enjoy this new chapter)

Chapter 21: That Which is the Other

The mid February morning had dawned grey and ugly, a misty fog had drifted in from the bayous overnight but had begun to dissipate by midday as the sun forced it's way out through the clouds and it's bright rays shoved the gloom out of the way. Warm sun but an icy breeze, it kept most people indoors but didn't stop them from looking longingly outside at the brilliant landscape; youngsters in particular pouted with their noses pressed against the cold glass of their windows. It had been a very cold winter and many occupants of the city were going a little stir crazy; they had been waiting for the sun to do it's thing but with the frigid wind twirling about, they would rather stay indoors and hope for better weather. One of the city's occupants was tired of looking out the window and decided that if she didn't see the sunshine, she wouldn't be tempted by it or disappointed by the lack of heat in the air. Well into her eighth month, she had grown weary of scooting her girth around; though her young body had stayed in relatively amazing shape; she felt no need to heft herself up and bundle up just to go outside. She knew that once she did all this, she wouldn't be outside for a few moments before she would have to head back inside to relieve herself for the fiftieth time that morning. At that point in time, it just wasn't worth it. Rogue sat by the fire with her feet propped up on a cushioned footstool and a mug of hot cocoa that had just the right amount of caramel sauce added. She was staring intently at the television which was broadcasting a documentary about the different species of ants found in the rain forest. Her delicate brows rose slightly as she watched a particular species of ant that seemed to be able to make it's way back to a tree it was crawling on. If it happened to fall from the branches, it floated back to the trunk of the tree before it reached the forest floor like a magnet attracted to a refrigerator. Her jaw slackened a bit, her green eyes widened and after another moment, the corners of her mouth tipped up to form a smile as the little ant made it's way back up the massive tree trunk with it's little bit of food that was probably ten times the weight of the tiny insect. Nodding her approval and proud of the little ant, Anna turned to her husband seated beside her to see if he too was astonished by the creature. Suppressing a chuckle, she found him fast asleep; his head tilted back and snoring slightly, Rogue felt a tinge of guilt because she knew she was the reason he seemed so exhausted. The night before, Remy had cuddled up to her only to be rebuffed because in her hormonal and emotional state, she felt she was much too large to be attractive. She wouldn't listen to his protests or assurances that he found her sexy than ever as she carried their child within her but she did relent after a while and let him hold her until they both fell asleep. At least until around 3:30am when she awoke with the most horrible craving for watermelon and began to cry when he tried to explain ever so gently that watermelon wasn't exactly in season during February. Not wishing to see her distressed, Remy dressed and went searching, finally returning from a store over ten miles away that was not only open but carried watermelon. When he returned, she was fast asleep and looked so peaceful, he couldn't bring himself to wake her.

Rogue watched her husband sleep and a great swell of love for him spread over her. She reached over and grazed his cheek lightly with the back of her knuckles, her eyes alight with affection. His eyes remained closed but his hand came up to grasp her fingers and press a soft kiss to them. "De petits bogues boring you yet, chere?" His deep, rich voice murmured, sending a little thrill through her.

"Actually," she said, still gazing lovingly at him. "Ah'm really startin' to admire the little buggers."

"I'll remember you said dat when dey find their way into ya secret stash of peanut buttah again like dey did last summer."

"Those were not the same ants as these ones. Completely different species. These are far less annoyin' an' thousands o' miles away from mah peanut butter."

Remy chuckled and opened his eyes, rolling his head in her direction as his unique eyes took her in from her propped up feet to her slightly mussed hair. He still held her fingers and she interlocked them with his as she suppressed the shiver his gaze sent running through her. Her breathing hitched slightly as she watched him, the green in her eyes darkened a bit as a spark of desire flared and her grin was seemingly more seductive. Remy's brows raised slightly at the change in her demeanor. In the beginning of her pregnancy, her hormones raging and blood flowing, her sexual appetite had flared as much as her appetite for food. There were days when she couldn't keep her hands off of him and he swore that she would be the death of him but as her girth increased, her desire dwindled. It had been well over a month since they had made love as Rogue was often discouraged with her appearance and felt less than desirable. Remy did his best to assure her that nothing was further from the truth; sometimes he succeeded, sometimes he did not. The gaze she sent him now, however, told him that his lovely wife was in the mood for something other than quippy banter and hot cocoa. Setting her mug on the table on her other side, Rogue's grin grew wider as Remy leaned in and she wrapped her arms around his neck, eager to feel his body close to hers. Careful not to crush her swollen belly, his lips found hers and she let out a soft moan as she kissed him back. Her fingers threaded through his unruly hair as he claimed her mouth again and again before his lips made their way down the pale column of her throat. Her breath quickened and her heartbeat increased as she felt his hands start to wander; she had missed making love to him so. That was why she wanted to weep when a sharp knock jolted them from their worship of one another. Whimpering her dismay, she caught his disappointed gaze as he pulled back from her. They usually spent a good deal of time with the family but they always respected the privacy of the newlyweds when the door to their makeshift apartment was closed. A knock was not something that they should probably ignore. Mirrored regret in their eyes, Remy stood as soon as he was able and went to answer the door.

Jean Luc stood on the other side and his stern countenance made Rogue shiver slightly but not in the same way that Remy had earlier. He had an excellent poker face but when it came to anything that might cause harm or discomfort to his loved ones, it shone in his eyes. He was not there for a friendly visit or to bring good news, of this Rogue and Remy were certain. "You know dat I hate t' disturb you," the older man smiled ruefully at the young couple. "But your maman is here, Anna. And she's brought along a doctor wit' some concerns about de bebe."

Rogue had felt her heart squeeze painfully when the doctor followed Raven, disguised as Emilie, into their sitting room. Her heart thudded swiftly, hindered by the apprehension that washed over her when she recognized Dr. Milbury from the hospital in New York; the one that had helped her mother keep her sedated. She should never have agreed to see him. There was something in the way that he eyed her belly that made her want to flee the room; she felt like he would dig into her womb with his bare hands to extract her child if he could. It was something that flashed in his eyes for a second before it was replaced with a false sense of serenity and congeniality but Rogue had definitely seen it. Lacing her fingers tightly through Remy's, Rogue watched this doctor with her shoulders squared as she was going into battle. Sensing the change in his wife's demeanor Remy looked from her to Emilie before nailing the doctor with a sharp stare. Rogue had been receiving care not only from Tante Mattie but from a private hospital that serviced both guilds. They were happy with the care and content with the knowledge that their child was very healthy, developing exactly as it should. Emilie had protested all along, stating that the care her daughter was receiving was not good enough and that Rogue should be moved to the hospital back in New York. Neither Jean Luc nor Rogue had told Remy of the condition she had been in while she was in that hospital; Rogue chalked it up to Raven's overprotectiveness. Jean Luc had never revealed to his daughter in law the procedure that was scheduled in her charts; he did not want to be responsible for turning daughter against mother. The fact that Rogue and the child were safe now was all that mattered. Remy's instincts were pricking even without all of this knowledge however; he had seen the way this doctor had eyed Anna's belly and he was immediately on the defensive. He had also noticed the way Jean Luc was always so wary of Emilie now; he was never far away when the woman came to visit.

"Since you refused to come to New York," Emile began with barely contained annoyance. "I have arranged for Dr. Milbury to come down here, so he can help with the delivery. He's one of the foremost experts on genetic mutation and he can make sure the child is delivered safely."

"We have a doctor, mama," Rogue reminded her. "At the hospital here and she's been with us every step of the way. She knows about mah powers an' she's already gone over everything with us. We even have a scheduled C-section to make sure that the baby doesn't come in contact with mah skin." Rogue's voice barely trembled as she said this but she squeezed Remy's hand anyway. They had been going over this for months and she didn't want to dissolve into tears in from of her mother or this doctor. She had Remy had gone over and over the fact that the baby would likely never know it's mother's touch. They just couldn't risk any contact, for even a second. As devastated as they were by this sad truth, they knew that they had to protect their child. In truth, Rogue had been attempting to practice controlling her powers, Emil and Lapin willing guinea pigs but she could never go for more than a few seconds without feeling that familiar leeching affect. Even Remy's threats about keeping their thoughts clean did much to lighten Anna's mood afterwards.

"Of course," Dr. Milbury nodded his approval over the plans and sat forward on the armchair he occupied across from them. "I'm sure your doctor has run all the standard tests on your child but there is only a very small chance that your child will not inherit your mutant genes. A non-mutant born to two mutant parents is very rare but it does happen."

"Wait," Rogue frowned at the doctor and her mother, "Ah thought there weren't any tests t' see if a baby was going t' be born a mutant."

"No, there aren't," the doctor replied. "But there are tests to see if the child is giving off a kinetic field like it's father. Or if the electromagnetic waves of it's bio signs interfere with yours."

"Kinetic field?" Remy sat up straighter. "D' ya mean dat the bebe might be able to touch Anna like I can?"

"It's not out of the realm of possibilities," Milbury said, suppressing a grin at Remy's eagerness to believe the best. "Blood relatives often share the same type of mutation, parents and children have been known to possess nearly identical mutations. Most siblings have shown immunity to the other's powers; there's nothing to suggest that it wouldn't be the same with parent and child."

"But you still couldn't be sure without mah touching the baby, right?" Rogue said glumly, not yet ready to admit that she had hope of touching the baby.

"To be absolutely sure? No, but the tests I mentioned could tell us whether or not there is anything radiating from the child."

Milbury's speech had the distinct odor of bullshit to Rogue but she begrudgingly admitted that is there was anything he could uncover that would one day help her be able to touch her child, well then, she would be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt… for now. He went on to explain a few other noninvasive tests that he could perform in detail until Remy and Anna begrudgingly agreed to let MIlbury oversee the last stage of the pregnancy. He looked as delighted as a child with free reign in a candy store. This made Anna more than a little queasy and she could legitimately excuse herself from the rest of the conversation. She stayed in their bedroom, propped up, safe in their bed until she made out the muffled sounds of their guests preparing to leave. Gripping the bedpost, Rogue managed to hoist herself up and make her way to the door. As she opened it, she found Emilie just outside it, prepared to knock. Her features softened a bit as she took in her daughter's unhappy countenance.

"How are you really doing, darling?" She said in a soothing tone. "Your family is showing Dr. Milbury to the door but I just wanted to see you. I miss you. I miss our little family. You, me, Irene… the boys bumbling around…"

"Ah miss that too mama," Rogue said softly, tears brimming in her lids as Mystique tugged at that emotional nostalgia her daughter was never able to push aside. "But Ah am happy. An' after the baby is born, maybe we can come see you more. It's just been so cold, they're all afraid Ah'll catch something. And maybe, we can convince Remy t; come out on a few missions with us."

"Of course, darling," Raven said, her tight smile not quite reaching her eyes. "As soon as we hire a good babysitter, hm?"

It was a low blow but at least she was it got the fake smiles out of the way. "Ah know ya thought we should wait, mama," Rogue began softly. "But it happened and we'll have our baby soon enough. We can raise him or her up to be proud of who or what they are and to fight for mutant rights with us."

This statement at last brought a genuine smile to Raven's face. "A whole new generation to train up," Raven mused before enveloping her daughter in a hug, careful to avoid exposed skin. Pulling back suddenly, Raven peered at her daughter curiously. "Him or her? Didn't you say you were going for another sonogram last month?"

"T bh'aby way laying on it's stomach," Rogue said with a chuckle. "The doctor even had me turn over but th' little bugger just flipped back over before we could see anything and rather than disturb it any more than we had, we just agreed to be surprised. Although, Remy is convinced that it's a girl."

"Another willful child," Mystique shook her head with a wry smile and gave her daughter another hug. "That's all that we need. I'll see you later, darling. I'll drop in for a real visit soon enough and let you in on a few developments."

"Mama?" Rogue looked past her mother to make sure they had no eavesdroppers and lowered her voice anyway. "Why did ya help him? The X-Man? While the police were distracted, y'all coulda gotten away."

"Solidarity, my girl," Mystique answered after a second's hesitation, her eyes narrowing slightly. "So often it's mutant against mutant but for that split second, it was mutants against humans. We're all fighting for a better world for our kind, even if the X-Men are going about it the wrong way. Kurt Wagner was attempting to help the baselines and look what he got for his troubles. Maybe this will help convince Xavier that ours is the more logical course. Mutants can work together to achieve this goal when they're not trying to placate or bow down to baselines."

The answer made sense to her of course, but Rogue still mulled over her mother's behavior late into the evening. After their guests had gone and the family within the house had spent a quiet afternoon; Remy had gone out with his father to make sure all was ready for Dr. Milbury to move into his temporary office in the morning leaving Rogue with Mercy and Henri. Emil and Lapin had gone out, talking a bit too loudly about getting some action; everyone knew that they would likely be sitting on barstools, hitting on girls that never looked in their direction. Anna could still hear their boasts as they headed down to their car. Shaking her head, she leaned back against the couch cushions and stared into the fire that Henri had set to ward off the chill in the old house. Her thoughts slowly swirled from one thought to the next before settling on the blue elfin X-Man. Kurt, Mystique had called him, Rogue had only ever known him as NIghtcrawler but Raven always knew more about her enemy than they knew about her. Knowledge was power, she had always said. Nightcrawler had come to the hospital to see how she was faring after her brush up with Wolverine and at the time she had figured that he was only there to set his comrade's mind at ease; too assure him that he hadn't killed a young girl. But he had come back to check on her again, even after ensuring that she was actually still alive and then there was the fact that he was willing to help her by making that call… Were the X-Men really that bad? Mystique thought they could work together for the same cause, their cause, so that meant that they probably weren't all bad… maybe just misguided? From what she had seen of baselines, it was clear that they were not willing to accept mutants at all; even some of Remy's family, while accepting, still seemed uncomfortable when Remy used his powers.

"Hey," Mercy had spoken softly but still gave Rogue a start as she was jolted from the parade of thoughts marching around her skull. "Henri's goin' t' be doin' some work in the office but I'm going up t' bed. Y' need anyt'ing b'fore I go? Tea? Pistachio ice cream and hot fudge?"

Rogue smirked at Mercy's teasing, thanks to some hormones, Anna hadn't wanted to eat anything other than the seemingly unappetizing concoction. She couldn't quite get them to believe her that the thought of eating any other foods made her sick but they indulged her anyway. "No thanks, shugah, Ah'm fine for now."

"Alright then, sleep tight, mon chou."

"You too," Rogue watched after Mercy as she headed to the stairs when she suddenly had a thought. "Umm, Mercy?"

"Pickles and hot sauce?" Mercy teased, turning back to the younger woman.

"No," Rogue shook her head with a chuckle, although she tucked that delicacy away for later. "Ah was just wondering if ya could do me a favor?"

"Name it, darlin'," the older blonde said with a genuine smile.

"Ya remember that little blue elf, the one on tv last Thanksgiving?"

"Oui."

"Well, I kinda know him," Rogue said, watching Mercy's brows raise slightly at her admission. "He was th' one who called Jean Luc when Ah was in the hospital in New York. Ah was wondering if, well… Could you fake a German accent?"

XXX

"Hey Kurt!" The young petite girl named Kitty Pride, stood at a table within the entrance of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning with the phone receiver in her hand and bellowed down the hallway. "Kurt! Phone!"

Giving an exasperated sigh, the young girl phased her head through the wall next to her to check the other room for any signs of the little elf. In any ordinary house, people might have been alarmed to see a disembodied head move right though a solid wall and look from left to right before letting out a heavy sigh. But this wasn't any ordinary house and events such as this were quite commonplace. The man and woman sitting in the next room paid little attention to the incorporeal head; Wolverine was too busy sipping his beer with his eyes glued to a very intense hockey game and the lovely X-Man Storm, was busy studying a book of horticulture in an attempt to explain why her hydrangeas were not doing very well that season. The ghostly head of Kitty Pride let out another loud sigh over being ignored and asked quite loudly: "Has anyone seen Kurt?! He has a phone call."

"He should be along soon enough," Storm answered, not looking up from her book. "Wherever he is, I have no doubt that he heard you calling."

"Though maybe you should yell a little louder, kid," Logan spoke up gruffly between sips. "I ain't sure if they heard ya in Uraguay."

Kitty hurrumped and pulled her head back through the wall in time to see Nightcrawler and Colossus heading down the hallway toward her. She flashed a flirtatious grin at Piotr, who blushed a bit, before turning to Kurt "Phone call for ya, Blue." Leaning in close, she wriggled her brows and whispered: "It's a giiiirrrrlllll. German accent… Maybe its Amanda."

"I heard your summons from the backyard, Katzchen," Kurt smiled, his white fangs gleaming as he took the phone from her. "Perhaps you have forgotten that this is a cordless phone and you didn't need to shout quite so loudly."

"Well excuuuuusssse me."

"You are excused,Liebchen," the German X-Man said jovially as he 'bamfed' out of earshot, causing Kitty to scowl at the dissipating clouds of sulfur.

"Pf, like I was going to eavesdrop," she muttered.

"We all know that you intended on doing just that, Katya," Piotr chuckled and placed a hand on the petite girl's back to lead her into the next room. "We will give our comrade the privacy he wishes, da?"

Kitty merely muttered something under her breath but drew closer to the handsome Russian and tried to suppress the tingling sensation brought on by touch.

Out on the snowy, glistening, moon-drenched landscape of the Xavier estate, Nightcrawler appeared on the rooftop, one place where he knew Kitty could not eavesdrop. His eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly and there on the quiet shingles, the only sounds to be heard was the brisk wind rustling the leaves or the occasional call of a nightingale. It was quite brisk outside, being February but the fine fur that coated his body kept him warm enough. He had just been outside, keeping Piotr company while he painted a moonscape when they heard Kitty bellowing down the corridor. Up until then, the evening had been quite peaceful and watching his friend recreate the beautiful scape had been awe-inspiring and dare he say it, almost spiritual. He believed that God had certainly given Piotr a very special gift. He could not only see beauty in the most ordinary things but he could recreate it and even enhance the beauty of his subjects. Kurt had gazed up at Piotr curiously when Kitty had called him to the phone. There were few people that would call him, fewer women and he did not wish to have anything spread about the mansion; especially since there were still a few New Mutants roaming about. He brought the phone to his pointed ear, hoping the wait for the other party had not been too long, he did hate to be rude to whomever it was on the other line. "Hello?"

"Heir Wagner?" a woman's voice on the other end with a thick German accent asked. "Bitte haben Sie einen Augenblick Geduld." *

"Still alive, shugah?" a sultry voice came over the receiver, a lilting southern drawl that was very familiar. "Ah guess y'all should thank ya lucky stars that New York's finest are such lousy shots."

"Rogue?" Kurt's eyes opened wider and he glanced at the phone in his hand as though he would be able to see her through it before a grin graced his surprised features and brought the receiver back to his ear. "That wouldn't be relief I hear in your voice, would it? Have you been holding a candlelit vigil for me since my television debut?"

"Yes, Ah've been crying into mah pillow every night," Rogue said, breathily, in her best Scarlett O'Hara imitation. "If'n ya'll are done flatterin' yaself…"

"First Mystique facilitates my escape and now you call to inquire about my health? Perhaps I have underestimated my charms. I may have to go out in disguise from now on. Can't have women everywhere pining hopelessly for me, now can I? Not that there isn't enough to go around, mind you."

"Jus' let me know when ya done, elf."

Kurt chuckled into the phone. "I won't tell anyone of your true feelings, I'll carry your secret to my grave, mein liebe." **

He finally elicited a giggle from Rogue and he let out another chuckle. "It was kind of you to call, Rogue."

"Just returnin' the favor. Ya made that call for me, after all."

"We haven't seen you among the ranks of the Brotherhood for many months, we were beginning to wonder. I still don't understand why Mystique was keeping you sedated if you were on the mend. Wolverine's healing powers should have been sufficient. Tell me you weren't being held against your will."

"Don't tell me ya missed me? Ah've just been taking a little down time. Mam-, er, Mystique was jus' bein' a little over-cautious," Rogue said, flatly, uncomfortable with making excuses for her foster mother. In reality, Nightcrawler had the situation quite correct but she wanted to believe that Raven was really trying to protect her. "She didn't know how I would handle your little puppy's psyche bouncing around mah skull. As for her comin' to your aid… We're both fightin' for the same thing right? Even if we have different ways of going about it."

Kurt set his jaw for a moment, wanting to tell her that theirs was a dream of peaceful coexistence with baseline humans while the Brotherhood were little more than terrorists. Then again, there were many who saw the X-Men that way too. He reasoned that some of the Brotherhood no doubt thought that they were actually fighting for a just cause, as Rogue obviously did. "I suppose that is one way to see it, Liebchen.*** Hopefully the day will come when all mutants can unite peacefully under the same dream. And then non mutants can learn from our example."

"It's a nice thought, especially for those who haven't been born yet. Then they wouldn't have ta deal with what we have," Rogue said, trailing her hand over her belly and received a kick against her palm in response."

"Something to hope for, something to fight for… A better future for us all."

"Yeah… Anyway, Ah'm glad yer not dead. G'night Elf."

"Süße träume, Rogue."****

(A/N: I always loved the interactions between Rogue and Nightcrawler, even before they learned of their family ties and I always thought there should have been more of them. I really would have liked to see more of Gambit and Nightcrawler too. Some people think because Kurt was attempting to become a priest that he was always chaste and proper but if you read some of the earlier comics, he was actually quite a charmer. He even flirted with Rogue in the issue they learned they were brother and sister (before they learned about it, of course) A fan of Lady's man, Errol Flynn, he emulated his hero quite a bit. I will try to update soon and please leave reviews! They do help quite a bit. And feedback helps the writing process. Anyway, I do apologize again for leaving all my fics hanging and I will try to update again. But what do you think of this one? Does Mystique know who Milbury is? Or is she just another pawn? What does he really want with that baby? Is he there to help or harm? Will Rogue be able to talk Remy into joining the Brotherhood? And what about Julian and BellaDonna, our wildcards running amok around New Orleans?)

(Translations from Free Translation and Google so blame them if I got anything wrong lol: *"One moment please."

**My dear/dearest.

***German-English translation means sweetheart or dear. Breaking the word down, "Liebe" is the German word for love, and "-chen" is a diminutive suffix used to denote smallness. Sometimes you see "-chen" on the ends of a child's name (or nickname) to show affection (i.e Hänschen). While sweetheart or dear is an accurate English equivalent, a more literal translation of Liebchen would be "little love". I always loved it when he called the ladies this and just had to share.

****Sweet dreams.