Well, this is the end. I want to say thank you to each and every one of you who took their time to drop me a review. I really appreciate the gesture. Each comment made my day better. I'm sorry that it took me almost five months to post this chapter, but I do hope it was worth the wait!
xXxXx
Gambit had been through more in his life than anyone his age should. From spending part of his childhood on the streets to being forced into making decisions that were not his to make but that still had an impact on his future and everyone else's around him. All the same, he thought he had made his own choices only to see them explode at his face – and not just figuratively.
He knew, like a fundamental truth that, in the blink of an eye, everything could change. He knew things would usually change for the worse.
At times, he saw himself reduced to a helpless frightened orphan again. Someone who felt he did not belong anywhere, an outsider. As if the road kept winding and taking him to places he did not want to go. As if every way he chose was a mistake.
When it seemed he had finally made the right decision and gotten his life under control, everything changed again. Recent events and decisions culminated into that moment.
His thoughts shot as he desperately ran toward the mansion, holding Rogue unconscious in his arms, wondering if it would be just another tragedy to his long collection. And, even though his thoughts kept taking him to dark places, as in a mantra, he kept repeating to himself that everything would be fine. Rogue not surviving was out of the question; it did not matter that was out of his reach.
Having seen death up close so many times did not desensitize Gambit to it. There was a certain vulnerability in him when it came to this personal and morbid matter. He had seen people lose their lives, and he himself almost met his end in many occasions. He broke into a million pieces every single time. And even after pulling himself together again, he did not feel whole, as if each time some pieces got forever lost.
Seconds went by slowly. He felt as though he had neither blinked nor breathed in a while. Like everything and everyone was suspended in the air, caught in the same agonizing seconds. All of a sudden, like magic, time sped up and he saw himself carrying Rogue along a hall. She was hanging in his arms, looking dead, her arm and head languidly fallen. He laid her down on a gurney, moving almost involuntarily.
There was chattering in the background; however, Gambit could barely make out the words. Everything seemed disconnected. He heard some fragmented sentences, whose voices he did not know who they belonged to: "shouldn't we take her to a hospital?", "Dr. McCoy is our best chance". Someone seemed to be crying.
Suddenly, his lethargy came to an end and Gambit breathed again, taking in a forcible breath through his mouth. He looked around and everything was silence. At last, he noticed his eyes were wet. It was out of his control. Once again, his hands were tied. Once again, he was powerless.
Not able to go where she was, Gambit at last gave in, exhausted. He sat down on the ground, in the hall, tumbling with the weight of uncertainty and impotence that kept pushing him down. He threw his head back, hitting it hard against the cold wall. Tears ran down his face in an uncontrollable torrent. The salty taste was on his lips, his tongue, his hands. He realized he was sobbing, like he hadn't in very a long time. His body shaking. He thought back on the moments before now, the short trip back, how Rogue looked dead in his arms, desperation as it seemed she was not breathing. Hank took her pulse; her heartbeat so weak that her body was at risk of collapsing. The next minutes would be crucial.
As it hurt to keep his legs bent, he stretched them out, blocking the hall. His hands fell numbly onto his thighs. Sighing, he wiped his tears with his sleeves, then closed his eyes and took repeated deep breaths in order to get a hold of himself.
Absorbed in thoughts, Gambit did not realize he was not alone anymore. Kurt and Kitty were there now, also sitting on the floor, downhearted, teary-eyed and scared. Gambit slid a glance at them, and they sat down closer to him. Minutes later, Scott and Jean, holding hands, joined up. The recruits passed by, incited more by curiosity than any other sentiment.
Hours seemed to go by until Kitty mustered the courage to break the silence. "The Professor and Dr. McCoy have been there for too long" her voice sound weak, her statement like a complaint mixed with preoccupation. "Where's Mr. Logan?" she added moments later.
"He isn't here" Jean said after she mentally scanned the mansion, in search of him.
"Zat's weird" Kurt said.
"Everyone has different ways to deal with pain" Jean said, resting her head on Scott's shoulder. She knew Logan well enough to be sure that he needed to be alone.
One more hour would go by before Hank and Xavier left the room. Everyone stood up quickly, almost simultaneously as they saw the older ones, and waited.
"She's stable" Hank said, more tired than he had ever been.
"She wake?" Kurt asked, hesitantly.
Hank only shook his head.
"Do you have any idea of what could've happened?" it was Scott's turn to ask. His tone of voice of more restrained than the others, almost professional.
"We believe Rogue used her ability at its fullest in order to absorb Apocalypse, therefore, her body couldn't handle the impact of it" said Hank.
"What about her mind?" Gambit asked, speaking up for the first time. He himself was surprised to notice how his voice was weak and hoarse. Still, his accusatory tone was perceptible.
Xavier, with his head slightly hung, felt the young man's dark inquisitive eyes fall on him. "There are no ways to predict the extension of the damage to Rogue's mind" he said, then hesitated. "I was in her mind, but..." he made another pause "but I couldn't find her there."
"What about Apocalypse?" Jean rushed to ask. She heard Gambit take a deep breath. She had to cut him out before the Cajun shot more accusations at the Professor. Not only that; she knew what the Professor's statement meant.
Jean had feared the consequences of their plan to defeat Apocalypse from the moment it was brought up. She decided, after giving it a lot of thought, that she would not disclose her fears, not even to her mentor, whom she trusted completely. The terrible possibility that flooded her mind was that of Apocalypse's body would be defeated, however, due to the characteristics and peculiarity of Rogue's powers, the villain would go on living in the girl's mind. The possibility did not come up, which made Jean suffer alone. She still braced herself for the worst.
"There are no traces of Apocalypse, either" Xavier said, shooting a meaningful look at Jean. She nodded her head almost imperceptively. She noticed, relieved, that Xavier had been aware of the possibility.
"Whatya mean you couldn't find her?" Gambit questioned through gritted teeth, struggling to restrain his anger.
Xavier took his time to reply. "I'm afraid that I have to dive deeper into her mind in order to find her, which might be dangerous right now. Rogue's current state is very recent. Our best option is for Rogue to wake up by herself."
Gambit, who had made a rigid and trembling fist, was taken by surprise when he felt Kitty's hand on his. The rigidness of his fists let out a little.
"She's going to come around, right?" asked the girl, struggling to hold back her tears.
"We can only hope" Xavier replied, aware that those words were a repetition. "I advise that you get some rest. Keeping vigil won't change anything."
Gambit, however, would not listen. Hank allowed him to stayed in Rogue's room, and for the next hours his solitude would not be interrupted, except for hesitant steps on the hall.
Sometime during the night, Gambit's body could not handle being awake any longer, so he fell down on the chair next to the bed, with his head on the sheet. His hands afraid of touching hers.
Early next morning, Gambit woke up frightened. He felt a sharp pain in his back and his neck stiffened. He had slept for hours in the same inadequate position. His sleep was surprisingly imperturbable, and he was surprised to see it was already morning.
He studied Rogue's face. She looked incredibly pale and beaten up. Her state was the same since she had fallen unconscious. Her breathing was weak to the point of seeming inexistent. The needle in her arm left a tiny purple pit on her white skin. Watching her so fragile made the pain of his impotence much more poignant.
Sometime later, although still early, Hank silently stepped into the room. "Get some rest, young man" said the doctor, lying a hand on his shoulder.
Gambit cleared his throat, tasting his breath. "She didn't... even move."
Hank only nodded. He was aware of it. Rogue was being monitored, so if any change occurred he would be the first to know.
Gambit finally admitted his defeat. Sleeping did not seem to make any difference; his body ached, he was thirsty and hungry, and completely uncomfortable in the same clothes for so many hours. He thought he must be smelling, with sweat caught under his uniform. Still, he hesitated to change clothes and take a shower as if he only wanted to get rid of the dirt after everything was fine. He did not want to feel comfortable, he could not while the nightmare was still going. Without recalling how he had gotten to his room, he sat down on the bed, and waited. Not sure what he was waiting for.
His thoughts dizzily alternated between preoccupations when he was abruptly interrupted by a noise of vibration coming from the nightstand. The picked up the phone and noticed several lost calls and unread messages. Remy knew what was all about. Although the problem of his exile shrunk in face of the fear of losing Rogue, it never really left his mind.
Taking a deep breath, he put the cellphone down and stepped into the bathroom, looking for a long shower. After that, he wrapped a towel around his waist once he realized there was nothing to wear. On the previous day, he had thrown his borrowed clothes on the floor and left the bed untidy. Only now he noticed that the sheet was perfectly stretched and there were clothes on the bed – different clothes from the ones he had worn before, which were now gone. There was someone in the mansion he should say thank you to. He put on the sweat shirt and pants, and boots, which were all the right size.
He intended to go back to be with Rogue as soon as possible, however, his stomach protested with painful growls. He went downstairs to the apparent empty kitchen and opened the fridge unceremoniously.
"Good morning" he heard, a voice that was strange and familiar at the same time.
"Morning" he replied, turning his attention to Sage. He was surprised that she had stayed. As she did not take part in their last battle, he assumed she had already left.
She, on her turn, was happy to hear his soft tone, instead of accusations. "How is she?"
It took Gambit a few moments to reply. He closed the fridge's door after grabbing some ingredients to whip up a sandwich. "No change" his voice came out a little harsher this time. As she was quiet, he spoke again. "Think I didn't catch your name" he said, looking at her.
"It's Tessa."
"Remy" he said, with a polite nod of his head. He noticed her voice was softer and less robotic than it had sounded before.
She hesitantly stepped closer. "I'm sorry for being part of it."
"She knew the risks" he said, coldly, staring down at the knife on his hand, mechanically putting mayonnaise on a slice of bread.
"I wish I could help" she said, as if trying to prolong the already dead conversation.
Gambit raised his eyes and nodded. Only later on would he realize her comment was actually an offer. "I appreciate it."
Sage poured herself some coffee and sat down at the table. He swallowed his sandwich. Although, they did not exchange another word, Gambit nodded before leaving to go see Rogue.
On that same morning, there was some commotion at the mansion. The four Morlocks who had been turned into Apocalypse's Horsemen and brought to the mansion before Rogue were slowly making progress in recuperating. In order to accommodate the four injured mutants, it made necessary to expand the infirmary. There were only two rooms in addition to the Beast's office. Rogue occupied on of them, three Morlocks the other one, while Caliban was in the main office. Hank kept busy with his research when Caliban woke up that morning.
Concomitantly, Storm returned from a brief solo mission. As she walked by the living room, where there was a large group of students, she noticed something had caught their attention; their eyes were glued to the TV. She stood on the back of the room, looking on. On the news, aerial shots showed cut-out scenes of the previous' day's battle. On the screen, Storm saw the plane on which the Professor and the others had taken off, and when the dome then kept by Xavier dissipated, enabling the scene to be recorded. The cameras trembled and one could notice they were at a great distance from the scene, however, it was possible to distinguish some of the scenes transmitted. The nervous voice of a reporter could now be heard, full of accusatory words.
The room was filled with whispers and groans. Once again they would not be perceived as heroes, but as out-of-control hooligans, burning down everything around them and impeding the militaries to do their job. Storm was not surprised, though. That was a bitter lesson the younger ones would have to learn, sooner or later.
Shaking her head in disgust, Ororo went to find Xavier. She found him silently watching over the injured Morlocks through the door. They were awake now.
Storm stood next to his wheelchair.
"How was it, Ororo? Did you find anything?"
"Yes, Professor. And something else we weren't expecting" Storm had gone after the other Morlocks in hopes of obtaining information on how four of them ended up captured by Apocalypse. "It took me time to find them. Turns out after the four disappeared, the other Morlocks ran away, frightened, and found themselves another hiding place. Once I finally tracked them down, it required patience and persuasion to get them to speak" she let out a sigh. "They don't know what happened. Apparently, the four disappeared in thin air."
"And how did they disappear?" Xavier murmured to himself, pondering.
"Well, we have Mesmero..."
"Not anymore" the Professor cut her out. Xavier did not need to explain any further; Ororo understood. Mesmero was gone and so was Magneto. One just had to put two and two together to know that Xavier had washed his hands. "If Apocalypse has another ally we don't know of…"
"That's the strangest bit, Professor. They didn't see anyone. They were so afraid, I didn't insist. Well, fortunately, they were relieved to know their peers are alive. Poor Morlocks. To them, it seemed like the others had disappeared magically. Despite their having singular abilities, they still explained the disappearances as something... some supernatural being."
"That's how Apocalypse would have looked like to them, as they have so little contact with the world outside."
"I invited them to come to stay with us here in the Institute. Unsurprisingly, they refused" Ororo nodded her head, bitterly. "That's not all, Professor. You won't believe who I came across" she turned her face to him "Mystique. She was hiding with the Morlocks, in disguise. I wouldn't have known had she not come to me and asked of her kids. The audacity! I did not give her an answer, so she tried to attack me before running off" she pondered whether she had made the right call.
"I can't believe she's still out there, alive. What was she planning? She could've run and hide anywhere she pleased. Do you think she helped Apocalypse to capture the Morlocks?"
"That was my first thought, Professor. But, no, I don't think so, it doesn't add up. She was also used by him. Also, if that was the case, she would have no reasons to continue to go undercover. She obviously didn't want to be found. Perhaps she stuck around to know what was happening without getting involved. What better place if not with an invisible group of people?"
Xavier shook his head in disapproval. "If the decision were mine to make, I would not let her near Kurt and Rogue again" he said, thinking back of all the hurt she had caused the pair. "Unfortunately, it's not our decision to make."
"Will you tell them? Tell Kurt that his mother is alive?"
"Yes, Ororo. They deserve to know. They'll have to decide what to do with that information."
"Do you know anything about Logan's whereabouts?" she asked after some instants of silence. "I'm starting to worry about him."
"I used Cerebro to track him down. He's nearby."
"I wish he'd come and talk to me. But he always chooses to run" she added, melancholic.
"Give him time. He'll come back."
As predicted, Logan indeed returned that night. He snuck in, hoping everyone was asleep. He sniffed and found Rogue's room, but there was also Gambit's scent. He cursed the boy mentally. He doubted he would leave Rogue's bedside; for that, and only for that, he would give him credit.
He would have to wait patiently for Rogue to be alone so he could go see her. His chance came up hours later, in the morning, when Kitty took Remy for breakfast.
Wolverine snuck into the room, closing the door behind him. He sat down next to her bed and whispered: "I'm sorry, Stripes."
The girl was persistent, Remy thought. Kitty insisted that he left the room for a little while to eat until she finally won. The truth was that talking to Kitty did him good. Even though the girl looked languishing, it seemed she never lost her optimism. It was reinvigorating after he had been in such a cynical world for so long. Jean joined up soon after.
A third person getting into the conversation gave Gambit time to think about something else. He had reached his deadline. A few more hours and he should be officially banned from his own home. He had ignored his father's and brother's calls. He had made his choice and now he would have to live with its consequences. With great effort, he pushed his thoughts away from his home.
He went back to Rogue's bedside but, this time, he found the chair occupied. Wolverine had come and gone unnoticed. However, Kurt took his place shortly after.
Bent over the bed, his head tilted and fingers entwined, from where a rosary was hanging, Gambit noticed Nightcrawler was praying. Gambit cleaned his throat unceremoniously, forcing the other to raise his head, startled.
"Es tut mir leid" he apologized, without reasons to.
"Non, go on with your prayers" Gambit said, feeling genuinely bad for interrupting as he did not have that right.
"Would you join me?" Kurt offered in a lovely voice.
Gambit could not curb a snicker in time, but the sincerity in the blue mutant's eyes made him feel self-conscious. He scoffed because he was taken off guard, that was all. "Non, merci" he answered a tad sarcastically; he shifted to a more laid-back, more familiar position. "Dat's not my thing. I don't even remember how" he added after a pause with uncommon honesty.
"Just speak from the heart" Kurt said, his voice soft, honest and convincing.
"Guess it isn't dat easy for some of us" Gambit retorted uncomfortably. He did not like the honest Kurt was taking out of him.
Gambit used to make fun of boys like Kurt. That conversation reminded him of his childhood – or a small part of it that was full of good memories. The forced Sunday mornings attending mass, the lank hair Tante Mattie inflicted upon him and the pinches to make him pay attention as his devil eyes searched for something more interesting. He remembered when Mattie forced him to be an altar boy, which she thought would be a solution to shape up a naughty boy, but instead gave him access to more possibilities of misbehaving. He suddenly found himself smiling.
He slid a glance and Kurt and quickly recollected himself. The boy had his head down, but Gambit could notice the wetness in his yellow eyes.
Gambit thought of Kurt as a contradiction. Gambit's eyes had been enough for him to be named Le Diable Blanc. He could not fathom how it was for Kurt to have a demoniac look and still keep his faith unshaken. It was admirable and sad.
"Do you zink she can hear us?" Kurt asked, bringing Gambit out of his reveries. He contemplated saying no, but held the short and rude retort in time, shrugging instead. "I want to tell her about our mom. We believed Mystique was dead, but Storm found out she isn't. Besides not coming back to us, she also ran away from the fight against Apocalypse. She was the only one who didn't fight. Rogue told you about our mom, didn't she?"
"Non. She touched on it, mais... non" Gambit had his own issues with his dad, therefore he found it was impossible not to feel empathy for Kurt. "I don't know the whole story" he said, giving Kurt the opportunity to vent.
Gambit listened in silence. If he did not have an opinion on Mystique before, now he thought he could hate her for all the hurt she caused Rogue. In addition to that, he felt compassion for Kurt. The kid certainly did not deserve that woman as his mother.
"If Rogue was awake, she would tell me to forget about Mystique" Kurt said, teary-eyed.
"Maybe she'd be right."
"But she's our mother" he said forcibly, as though trying hard to convince himself.
Gambit, who had heard the story standing, arms crossed over his chest and impassive look, took a step closer to Kurt, and stopped next to the bed. He studied Rogue's stock-still lying shape for a moment. "As I see it, Kurt, dis woman, she doesn't deserve being anybody's mother" the young man closed his eyes, trying but failing in hiding his eyes full of tears. Gambit did not feel pity, for he believed those were harsh words he had to hear. Rogue would tell him the same. Not that he was speaking for her, he just agreed with her. "What you people have here means family, unconventional, but a family nonetheless. Perhaps that's what makes it so real."
Only later, Gambit would realize what those words would come to mean to him as well.
Jean ran to Xavier to tell him that Caliban was awake. Just as the Professor got in the room, Caliban began telling exactly what had happened and how he had been captured.
"He looked like a ghost" he said, gasping. He gulped down a full glass of water before continuing.
"What do you mean by ghost?"
"He wasn't really there" he said, in a monotonous tone. "Intangible."
"Astral projection?" Jean asked. Xavier nodded.
Caliban went on. "He wanted Caliban to find a mutant for him. Caliban said no and it attacked. So afraid that I reconsidered but… Caliban couldn't find the mutant he was looking for. He was furious and attacked Caliban again. Passed out. When I woke up I was imprisoned, just like my peers."
"Was there anybody else there, helping Apocalypse?"
"No, just him. I don't know how long we were there. One day… it seemed he felt an overwhelming force. All I know is that after that it seemed it would be the end of the world."
"It might've been" Jean murmured, recalling the climatic events they faced.
"And after that?" Xavier continued. "What did he do? Did he try any other way to find the mutant?"
"No, he looked weaker after that. He seemed to be..." he paused, as if he feared the mutant could hear his words "afraid. He took out on us. We were tied up and then… then the pain. So much pain. Caliban don't remember anything else after that. All Caliban remembers is waking up here."
The telepaths left the room.
"I think he's telling the truth, Professor."
"He is. It means Apocalypse realized his need of Rogue to replenish. As Destiny had foreseen, he realized it too late."
A third day came, and Rogue was yet to show any signs of recovery. That night, Gambit was convinced to sleep in a proper room. Three nights in an armchair had taken its toe on his body, however, he wanted to be with her when he woke up. In the end, he accepted that a good night's sleep would help him put his thoughts in perspective.
Before he could rest, though, he borrowed a motorcycle from the garage and snuck out of the mansion looking for picking up some clothes and personal stuff in his apartment downtown – of which only Rogue knew.
He went back to the bedroom he had been given, a backpack hanging from one shoulder, and lay down in hopes of falling asleep. He could not. He could not stop chewing over last weeks' events. The uncertainty of Rogue getting out of her coma only gave him a moment's rest when he thought of his dilemma. He mentally corrected himself, it was not a dilemma, because he had already made his decision even before he had to look in its eyes. There were never any doubts, although that did not mean he was not tormented by it.
Next morning, repeating the previous' day's routine, he drank down a cup of coffee and went back to where Rogue was. Before he got there, he heard Jean call his name. He turned on his heels and waited for the girl to catch up to him.
"You're going to see Rogue?" she asked. After a nod of his head, they walked side by side. "The Professor and me are going to try to wake her up" she said, not able to soften the gravity in her voice.
Gambit halted, abruptly. "What are you going to try, exactly?"
Jean, taken aback by the seriousness in his voice, took a few seconds to answer. "The Professor is going to look for Rogue inside her mind."
"Thought your Professor had already tried that."
She brushed aside how he prolonged the word Professor to ridicule it and started walking again, forcing Gambit to do the same. "He didn't go deep. It would've been dangerous before. Look, we believe the reason Rogue hasn't woken up yet isn't connected to her body – it is perfectly healthy, despite everything – but it's connected to her mind."
She went on to explain that the Professor theorized that Rogue may be lost and/or hiding somewhere inside her mind, likely too afraid to come out on her own. Jean left out the part that the Professor confessed he still dreaded to find reminiscences of Apocalypse. His greatest fear, he had told her, was to find only Apocalypse, and that he would take control of Rogue's empty body. As unlikely as it were, Xavier was not ready to disregard that hypotheses completely.
And it was that fear that impelled him to hesitate to try to go deeper. Everything seemed to change when Wolverine confronted him, in the least delicate and diplomatic way possible. Wolverine accused Xavier of not trying enough. He rubbed it in his face that Rogue had risked and gave up on everything for them; therefore, regardless of the risks, they had the obligation to bring her back safe and sound.
Once in the room, Jean closed the door. Logan was also there. He and Remy would be the only ones allowed to stay. Not because they could be useful, but because it would be impossible to drag them out of the room.
"As long as you remain quiet and don't jump to conclusions" Xavier reiterated. Logan grumbled, but said nothing. Gambit did not show any reaction; he stood quiet, with his arms crossed and his face frozen in a scowl.
Xavier brought his thumb and index finger of his right hand to his temple and his left hand to Rogue's. "I need all the support you can give me, Jean" he said before closing his eyes. "If you feel something is wrong, bring me back."
She assented nervously and Xavier dove into Rogue's mind.
For hours on end he searched for her.
He walked, although there was nothing solid to step on. He walked horizontally and then vertically. Laws of physics would not apply. He felt himself shrink and stretch. He stepped through time and place that would make someone less experienced lose their mind. But Xavier knew where to go.
Until he finally got to the end of eternity.
He was now walking along a hall with walls that seemed to be made of glass. Every two or three steps a memory would light up and be reflected. These memories were not in chronological order – Xavier noticed that much right away; however, it took him longer to notice a pattern. The happy memories were being left behind and slowly bad memories took their place.
Xavier left the hall of childhood laughter and a sunny beach – these, memories so recent and vivid that Xavier blocked them as fast as he could, out of respect, for he constantly feared crossing the thin line into personal space.
After what seemed like a small curve, he walked into another hall, much more lugubrious. The taste of betrayal took literal forms in his mouth as he walked by imagens of Mystique, which got muddled with Misty's all the time, the only friend Rogue had at school, who then revealed herself to be her own mother in disguise. The shiver of fear Rogue felt as she got out of her trance and faced Apocalypse lying down in his tomb while his strength made Xavier's spine cold.
As memories and emotions became harder, and Xavier felt them more and more physically, he believed he was getting close to where she was hiding. Each step of the way gave him more conviction that there was only Rogue to be found.
"Rogue?" he dared to say out loud. His mouth moved as if he were really speaking, in an imitation of reality, for familiarity would do good when he found the girl. She had to feel safe to be brought back to reality.
The hall came to an abrupt end and Xavier found himself in the dark again. "Rogue?" he called again, and waited.
"Who's there?" she answered, at last.
"It's the Professor."
"Professor who?" he heard her say, and his blood went cold. Later, Jean would tell him he shivered in that moment.
"Professor Charles Xavier. I'm here to help you" she remained in silence. "Wouldn't you like to leave this place?"
"Ah-Ah don't know where Ah am" her voice was frightened. She sounded insecure and young, he noticed. "This a nightmare?"
"Yes. This is just a nightmare. I'm here to help you wake up. But you have to help me get to you. You have to guide me to you."
After a long moment, Xavier took another step and noticed the floor would light at his every step, showing him the way. At last, he found her. Suddenly, four dark walls closed in on them claustrophobically.
Rogue was huddled up, naked, in a corner. She did not seem to know who she was. As Xavier got closer, he comprehended. She was younger, having regressed years back into a scared little girl. She did not remember her life with the X-Men. For a moment, Xavier dreaded the possibility of that little girl returning with him. He got closer and crouched down in front of her.
"It's only a dream" he said in a soothing tone. "There's no need to be afraid. Care to tell me what you saw?"
She hesitated, squinting at Xavier. "There's something wrong with mah skin. It hurts people."
"I want to hear everything about it. What about you get dressed first?"
She looked down at her own girl shape, surprised. A glimpse of the real Rogue seeing a body that was not hers.
"I didn't… realize..."
"Let me help you with that" Xavier said, and like in a magic trick, Rogue's clothes appeared. She was now wearing her usual set of clothing that everyone knew well: black skirt and pantyhose, combat boots, a sleeveless see-through green top and gloves.
She watched her gloved hands and another glimpse of acknowledgment ran behind her eyes. When she looked up at the Professor, her true form had returned. He made a mirror appear in front of her. Her face overly covered with make-up appeared.
"Professor? Where am Ah?" there was fear and urgency in her voice. "Apocalypse... did he...?"
"Everything's fine now" he guaranteed. "Apocalypse has been defeated, thanks to you."
"Where am I?" she asked, looking around.
"Inside your own mind."
"But how? Ah didn't mean to—"
"Calm down, Rogue. Everything's okay now. You are ready to return."
She nodded even though it wasn't a question. "What do Ah have ta do?"
"Just close your eyes and focus on my voice. I'll do the rest."
Back in the room, Xavier's expression was of effort and pain.
"What's going on, Red?" Logan questioned as he moved impatiently, quitting his previous static position for the first time.
"I think the Professor is coming to."
Tension was replaced by anticipation.
Xavier opened his eyes, feeling dizzy. Jean rushed to help him. "That's okay, Jean. I'm fine, thank you."
"Did you find her, Professor?" she asked.
"Yes, Jean, I found her. She was alone" he added, shooting another significant look at Jean, the only person who knew of his fears of Apocalypse. Jean breathed in relief.
All eyes fall on Rogue, but she didn't move.
Remy stepped closer to her bed. Logan hesitated before doing the same. Their rivalry and dislike were put aside for a common sentiment.
Remy wanted to touch her hand so much. His eyes looked down at her white immobile fingers, than at her face, just as white. Nothing seemed to have changed.
Excruciating long moments went by until Gambit saw her eyelids flutter almost imperceptibly. He thought it was just his imagination as no one else showed any reaction. However, it was not wishful thinking projecting something that was not there. He saw it happen again. Seconds that felt endless had passed by when Rogue's eyes began to open, very slowly.
She tried to swallow and wet her lips but her mouth was completely dry. With her eyebrows frowned, at last, the green in her eyes came up, falling straight on Gambit's face, whether by accident or design. For a moment it looked as though she did not recognize his face. Remy's blood became cold. He had stopped breathing without realizing it.
"Remy?" she said, with her voice so weak, and all his fears just fell away.
"Hey, chérie" he said, softly. He wanted to hold her and kiss her. He made a movement towards her, momentarily forgotten of his impossibility. He stopped short. If she noticed his hesitation, she did not show.
"You okay, Stripes?"
She turned her face to Logan and tried to smile. "Careful, Logan, one might think you were worried about me" then to Xavier. "Thanks, Professor. Ah would never get out of there without your help."
"I'm sorry that it took me so long" he said, honestly.
She tried swallowing again, and Remy filled a glass with water. She raised her head and unconsciously reached for the glass.
"It's okay, chère. Let me."
She noticed the rush in his voice and let him help her with the water. "Thanks" she said, not looking at his face. He did not want to touch her, she knew it. It could only mean one thing. "I still have mah powers, don't I?" she asked, trying to remove any emotion from her voice. No one said anything, and the silence was enough for her to know the answer. "Can Ah be alone, please?"
Logan aborted a brusque movement before anyone could notice. He decided that he should not get involved, even though he was afraid that she would go back to her old habits. It was Xavier who spoke. "I'm very sorry, Rogue, but I'd prefer to have Hank examine you before anything else. Just in case."
She looked down and stayed that way, not wanting to see anyone. Hank got in minutes later and everyone else had to see themselves out. As he left, the doctor reassured that everything was back to normal and immediately Gambit made as if to enter.
"You didn't hear the girl, bub? She wants to be alone" Wolverine said full of resentment as he was aware that if there was anyone Rogue wanted to be with, it would be the Cajun, and that notion was driving him crazy.
"Leaving her alone was what caused the problem in the first place" Gambit retorted under his, but not flaring up. He ignored Wolverine's grumblings and got into the room, shutting the door behind him.
Knowing that Gambit was right did not make it easier on Wolverine; he still wanted to punch him in the face. He stood by the door because he knew the news of Rogue's waking up would soon spread out. He knew her well to know she was not ready to have people see her. He stayed because deep down he had hopes she would chase the Cajun out, and he wanted to be there to see it.
In the room, Remy pulled up a chair to the bedside. Rogue saw him do it, but did not move. She stared to the other side, as if there were a window there and something interesting outside, not just a plain white wall.
"What do you want?" she grumbled.
Like few times before he was out of words. Nothing felt right, nothing he said say could serve as comfort.
Finding his silence unusual she tried again. "You shouldn't be here. Hank told me Ah was unconscious for three days. Your deadline is over" her voice broke. "What are you doing here? You're stupid?" she asked, sobbing. "You could've just left" finally, she resolutely peered into his eyes. Hers were so blurred by tears that she did not know whether his were also wet. "In case you didn't notice, Cajun, things are back to normal. I'm back to being the girl who can't be touched. Go back to your patty thieving ways and leave me alone" she turned her face away for looking at his was too much to handle.
Everything they had been through made leaving an impossibility. Even though, he knew her bitter words were meant to push him away, it hurt. He did not anticipate such harsh words. Trying to convince her that his staying was because he loved her would be redundant; trying banter, inadequate. The best way to make her understand that she would not succeed in driving him away with such obvious and pathetic game, he thought sadly, would be taking her into his arms. But that was also impossible now.
He stood up and she thought she had won, feeling she had lost. Remy turned around and pulled the armchair in which he had slept near the bed and sat down again.
She let out an audible moan – a mix of frustration and relief. "Why won't you leave, Remy? It'd make things so much easier."
"Easier for you?"
"For both of us. What we had... Ah don't know if Ah can live without it. Going back to not being able to touch…" she could not find the words. The wrench of being given the choice of having her powers back in order to defeat Apocalypse did not compare to what she was feeling now stuck with them again. Without worrying about a villain threatening the world, her thoughts were on herself. She hated feeling pity for herself that way, but she could not help it. "I can't stand being near you knowing I can't…" she did not need to say.
He leaned in and stroke her hair, taking some strands out of her face, greasy from sweat, almost touched her skin. "You're just making everything harder" she said, closing her eyes.
He shrugged his shoulder. "I'm not exactly known for making smart decisions" he said, echoing a conversation that seemed to have happened so long ago. "What we had..." he started to say "was only the beginning of what's to come" bursting out crying was the last thing she wanted, but he was making it hard on her. He smiled but Rogue could not return. She was not thinking straight (was she ever, with him so close?) and wanted to forget.
Her stomach growled comically, which felt completely out of place. Still, it was what she needed to be by herself.
"I'll fix you something to eat" he said as he stood up.
"I need a shower, too" she needed to eat as much as she needed a shower. There was a bathroom and towels in the room, she remembered. "Could you bring me down some clothes?"
"Sure thing, chère. You think you can get up?"
She shot him a look of discontentment but it looked somewhat amusing. "I'm not an invalid. I think I can shower by myself" she rolled her eyes but again she did not look displeased, as if she was faking.
In time he stopped himself from bringing up all the showers they had taken together. Again, the moment was inadequate and he wondered if there would be another time.
After he left, she pulled herself up noticing she was wearing the same clothes she fought in. They wouldn't risk it, she thought bitterly. Her knees were stiffed, but it was only a matter of making them move. Her legs took some instants to firm on the floor, but it got easier a couple of steps later.
She took a long hot shower, wrapped herself in a towel and went back to the room. She must have taken longer than she thought, since she found a pile of clothes on the bed (which to her relieve included gloves), along with a full tray with food she liked. A lump seemed to form in her throat. She suspected that what pushed Gambit to leave the room was not consideration for her wish to privacy.
He had a lot to think about.
Rogue's convalesce was short, therefore she was allowed to return to her bedroom after only a couple of days. Her body was fine, she only needed to rest. In the meantime, some people passed by her room. Some of the visits somewhat awkward. Some of the young ones, with whom she did not have much contact also passed by her room. They brought treats such as chocolate. They would show up in groups, which meant that only one of them needed to speak while the others only nodded in agreeance. They told her that they hoped she would get better soon and other platitudes. She would say thank you and they would leave. Rogue noticed, with veiled contentment, that the looks of fear had been replaced by something that resembled respect and admiration.
Even with Logan she had longer exchanges than his usual couple of words. Twice, he sat down by her side and made an effort, a real effort, to have a conversation with her. Kitty and Kurt spent as much time as they could with her. While Kitty kept up her unshaken perky personality, Kurt seemed to be more contemplative than before, as if he was holding something back.
In the afternoon of the second day, not long before Rogue went back to her own room, Kurt, taking the chance to be alone with her, took courage and told his sister that Mystique was alive. The mood darkened in the first minutes; however, they had a more amicable conversation than in the past. In the end, they agreed that they would be better off forgetting about her, at least for now.
Hence, two days resting went by like thunder. Gambit was often there. He would not leave her side, even when they would just sit in silence. He did not try to cheer her up with juvenile banter or teasing. Still too soon. They chose to approach the banal. Nothing about the past or the future.
More than in one occasion, Rogue intended to start on his banishment, but could not do it. He did not touch upon it either, which meant it was too painful.
Despite everything else, his being there did her good. He was the only one who could still make her smile (although weak and sad smiles). Nonetheless, it was clear that they were suffering from lack of physical contact. More often than not they would curb sudden movements that used to be natural.
Mere days earlier their bodies had been inseparable. The hot weather cut their clothes down to the minimum – that when they wore anything. They spent hours in the water every day. Their lips and hands never stopped exploring. There was no one else but them.
Now, everything seemed to be upside-down. The weather, the excess of clothes, the people. Sometimes, it felt unbearable.
With his arms around her shoulders, Remy accompanied her to the room she would go back to sharing with Kitty, who Remy had a silent agreement with: she would spend long periods of time away to give them privacy. Kitty would go even further as she misled and confused Logan so Gambit and Rogue would have some time alone.
Thus, the next two weeks passed by in monotonous calmness.
The youngest mutants were still on school break, so they spent more time in the mansion. Trainings slowly got back on track. Rogue, though, was spared. However, she would hardly ever be alone, as Remy was there with her.
As he got her to go out of the mansion for the first time since everything ended, Remy took her out for dinner but they failed to turn their going out a normal date. They insisted anyway, walking hand-in-hand, but since they both wore gloves, it felt too strange. It was not only the gloves. They wore long sleeves and pants. Such a different look from the one they proudly displayed back at the beach.
In one occasion, while they watched a movie, Rogue fell asleep in his arms. Both dressed so that an accident would not happen.
Gradually, what they had lived before started to feel less real, turned into memories, hard to know what was real.
While she slept in his arms, he tried to recall the heat from the beach. He could barely do it. He knew Rogue was resisting not to regress to her previous version. But her routine and self-inflicted prison made it hard on her. The environment was claustrophobic after having a whole beach for themselves. Everything was just so familiar, forcing her to go back to being what she had been before.
Being so close that night was an exception. Despite themselves, they were starting to avoid being close. He tried to hold on to the many memories of hours spent together, with their bodies entangled, the inhibition of naked bodies, laughing in bed late at night, leaving the comfort of their bed only when their stomachs complained, the times they literally rolled on the sand as it came into uncomfortable places just for them to be rewarded with long baths together. His lips on her neck and the soft curve of her shoulders. As the mere view of her body made him burn.
Those sensations were fading away; even her scent was not the same anymore. That pale girl he was holding is his arms was all but a ghost of the girl he loved. The outdated version of what he thought she had left behind. And, still, he loved her as much as before. He knew he could not go on standing there watching her break down before his eyes. He had to do something about it.
He agreed to meet with her in a café near the mansion. It was early afternoon and the day was warm. He ordered a hot drink and waited. Sharply on time, she arrived and sat down across from him.
"Thanks for coming" he said.
Sage all but nodded. The waitress approached them and she ordered a black coffee.
Gambit studied her for a moment. Now that everyone seemed to have gotten used to her presence, Sage had become almost invisible. Or perhaps she was so sneaky that she was not noticed often. Gambit noticed her and watched her closely. When he asked her if they could talk, she did not question. Gambit was expecting to find an intrigued expression, but that was not the case.
"Go straight to the point" she said casually. "Whatever you want to ask me, you don't have to walk on eggs around me."
He raised an eyebrow; he was not easily surprised. He decided that he liked the woman. "It's about Rogue."
"Of course" she said, with a little smile that might have seen of disappointment.
"I been thinking about something you said some time ago… about wanting to help."
"You would like to know whether I can help her with her powers."
"Oui. Can you?" he sounded more hopeful than he felt comfortable showing.
She breathed in deeply. An action that made her look more human and less robotic, which was the impression she usually gave off. "In theory" she saw his eyes glow and rushed to add: "Nothing's guaranteed."
"Possible, though?"
The hope in his voice impelled her to explain. "When I brought Rogue's powers back to her, I 'saw', for lack of a better word, her genetic code, I read the sequences of her DNA" he heard her closely as she looked for the right words to explain. "My mutant abilities allow me to find the X gene, even if it is latent or if it hasn't manifested itself yet. In a nutshell, I can feel mutants and, often, understand how their powers work in a more complex manner than themselves at times" she looked up at his face and saw he was following. "Upon analyzing a mutant's DNA, I can selectively evolve existing generic traits so that I can catalyze untapped genetic potential. In theory, yes, I could help Rogue mature her powers to the point she would be able to start having control over them."
Gambit sighed, leaning back and putting his arms behind his head, pondering. He leaned on the table again. "You don't know how much I was hoping to hear that, Tessa."
She smiled a little. He was the only one who bothered to call her by her real name.
It was Saturday. Pizza and movie night. Gambit returned from his meeting with Sage, and was happy to find Rogue interacting with the others.
Curbing the urgency to tell her the news, Gambit helped himself with some food and did some small talk. Before they sat down to watch the movie, however, he called Rogue to a private corner. "There's something I want to talk to you about, chère."
She defiantly arched an eyebrow, but let herself be guided to her room.
She sat down on the bed and crossed her arms. "Spit it out, Cajun."
He sat next to her, smiling. "There might be a way for you to control your powers" he said, in confidence.
She blinked in surprise. "How?" she asked a few moments later, too astounded to form a coherent sentence.
"I had a conversation with Sage" he paused briefly. "She t'inks she can help."
Rogue's features gained contemplative nuances. She pondered silently, trying to figure out what those words meant. It felt surreal. She decided that the best way to understand would be to talk directly with Sage.
They sought her and soon found her alone in the library. She looked up from her book. "I imagined that you would want to speak with me, Rogue. Will you excuse us?" he asked, looking at Remy.
He raised his hands in mocking surrender, even though he was not expecting to be sent out, and saw himself out.
Rogue noticed, with a flash of jealousy, the interest that Sage watched Remy leave the room. Nonetheless, she brushed the thought aside and sat down. "Why would you want to help me?" there was no hint of accusation in her voice, just genuine curiosity.
Sage looked down. The answer was simple. "I was the one who brought your powers back. Helping you find control would be a way to fix it. Also Remy asked me."
The fact she called him by his real name so naturally, as if they were old friends, resulted in another flash of jealousy. It was the first time Rogue felt that and she hated it. It was a silly and petty feeling. She ignored it again.
Rogue could understand the first reason. The second one was too vague.
Sage noticed it and spoke again. "Remy didn't treat me with indifference. Many here blame me for what happened to you; maybe they are not even aware of it. The truth is, without me, the plan wouldn't have worked and you wouldn't have been through all this, you wouldn't have your powers."
The dislike Rogue felt towards the woman started to dissipate. "Ah had no idea. Look... I... I blamed you... Ah blamed the Professor, Ah blamed Apocalypse... it took me some time to realized Ah was victim of the circumstances. And Ah'm really sorry. Ah hope we can start from scratch. I'm not saying that because you're willing to help me" she rushed to add. "I am really sorry for everything" Sage assented, accepting the apologies. "How would that work, exactly?"
Sage then repeated everything she had told Remy.
"The Professor know?" Rogue always asked herself what kind of relationship she had with the professor, where he knew her from and why he seemed to trust her so much.
"He knows how my powers work. However, none of us brought the possibility up."
"Will we need him for...for the procedure?"
Sage shook her head. "There is a detail that I didn't tell Remy about" she sighed. "Changing your powers can be unpredictable."
"Unpredictable how?" Rogue asked.
"I cannot foresee all possible outcomes. The truth is once it's done, the procedure is irreversible and it might have collateral effects."
"Like what?" there was a twinge in her chest.
"Your powers will be changed in ways that not even I can predict. I'm aware you lost control once" when Rogue opened her mouth to protest, Sage began to speak again "I know there are no echoes in your head now, which minimizes the problems. That's something we can disregard."
If it could be discarded, why mention it then? Rogue wondered. She left the thought slip away in favor of another question: "What are the other possibilities?"
Sage pondered. "Your powers might be amplified. As it is now you need to make a longer skin to skin contact to cause real disastrous effects; with them maximized, a brush of your skin would suffice for the consequences to be terrible" Rogue lowered her eyes. A thousand different thoughts running through her head. "You need time to think about this" the woman said abruptly as she got to her feet. "I didn't tell Remy this part for a reason. He only wants to help, but... I believe this decision is only yours to make."
Rogue assented. She thought so too.
She recalled when Remy told her that it did not matter whether her powers were back – a lie he would believe solely so he would not put her life at stake again. And even though it was the truth, Rogue could not tell how long until physical deprivation would cause permanent damage to their relationship. She did not even know how long it would take until she lost her mind.
At first, Rogue thought she would need days to decide. However, all she needed was a few hours.
She got to the difficult conclusion that the risks did not matter if there was a possibility of obtaining control. After all, her current state was so hopeless that a turn for the worse would not seem to make such a big difference, she thought, letting herself be taken away by bitterness. She took risks for the team. This time she would do it for herself. She had to try.
Gambit did not interfere, said he would be there regardless of her decision. When Rogue told him, he did not show any kind of reaction.
For the next couple of days, the three of them set up the details, confabulating in the least crowded places in the mansion. Still, Kitty noticed their growing closer and talked to Rogue at the first chance she got.
The two girls were in the room they shared, each of them sitting in their bed, reading. However, while Kitty was immersed in a romance novel, Rogue seemed to spend too much time on the same pages, as if she was not actually grasping the meaning of what she was reading.
"Are you and Sage BFFs now?" Kitty asked, faking innocence, her voice high-pitched.
Rogue shifted as she heard the question. "You jealous, Katherine?"
Realizing she had addressed the subject the wrong way, Kitty changed her tone. "Just odd" she said, shrugging. "It's not like you to just make friends" the other girl grimaced, and Kitty mentally rolled her eyes at herself. Bad move number two "He's kinda weird."
"We're all kinda weird."
"You know what I mean" she said defensively, shifting a little. "She's always slinking around, never speaks with anyone. I don't get why she she's still here."
Rogue had asked herself the same question. "Nobody gave her a chance" she said, noticing she took Sage's side genuinely. Not that they would become best friends but her opinion had shifted; she liked the woman now.
Kitty said nothing, but was not convinced. She suspected they were hiding something. Kitty hated being left out. Rogue knew it and nearly told her about their plans. But she held back on time. Just as it was unfair to Kitty, it was to the others. If she made an exception to her roommate, she would feel the need to tell the others, and that was the last thing she wanted. From the start, they intended to tell only after it was done. Kitty would go on suspicious. She would soon understand.
The three complicits decided, as Gambit suggested, that the most fitting place for the procedure would be his apartment. Where, as Gambit had implied, would be their new beach, somewhere near, where they could run to anytime they wanted. The prospect of having a place just for the two of them was alluring.
If everything goes right, Rogue would say to herself.
In the morning of the third day, they headed to Gambit's apartment, leaving separately so not to raise questions.
So the time had come.
Following Sage's instructions, Rogue lay down on the couch, her head lying on the armrest. She closed her eyes trying to calm down. Her heart was beating fast due to anticipation. She laid her hands on her chest, feeling them tremble.
Gambit's hands covered hers. "It's going to be fine, Anna" he murmured.
She only nodded as her throat was too tight to say anything.
Gambit stood by her feet and Sage by her head. Rogue looked up, upside down. "I'm ready" she said as she closed her eyes again.
Sage assented, putting her hands closer to Rogue's head. Suddenly, her eyes were looking around as if reading something on an invisible screen as they emitted a purple color.
"It's done" she said, after a few minutes.
Rogue opened her eyes, feeling dizzy. "Is it over?" her voice was groggy.
"How long before we know it worked?" Gambit asked. There was something else in his eyes.
Sage picked on it and assented. "If your powers do not get out of control for the next hours, it means we can stop worrying about the worst. I advise you to concentrate and try to understand the mechanisms of your powers for now, before you try to use them."
Rogue nodded, even though she did not intend to use them at all.
"Feeling anything different, chère?" Gambit asked as he knelt beside her.
She shook her head. At first, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. There was only a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold, as if all the hairs on her body were up.
Back to the mansion, Rogue knew she had to be alone. So she went to the garden and walked around contemplatively. Sometimes she halted, when she thought she felt something different. She would sit down and wait. Then, she would resume her walking. The day was cool, and luckily she did not run into anybody.
Slowly she got to the back, going as farther as possible from the mansion's surroundings. For the next hours, she meditated, trying to get used to her new condition.
Slowly she began to notice deferent feelings. When she focused on a specific part of her body, she would feel a tingling sensation. She was aware it would take some time before she could absorb what she wished without hurting. But there would be time to explore her matured powers in the future. For now, she wanted to control them in the most basic ways.
The sun was going down and she found herself looking over her shoulders repeatedly. Gambit had quietly said into her ears that he would go meet her at sunset. And there he was, walking up to her.
She noticed he had already abandoned his gloves. He was back to wearing his coat, which he took off and laid upon her shoulders before sitting down next to her.
"Donc, how're we doing dis?" she smiled. "We need the final proof."
Her smile faded. "Ah don't wanna hurt you."
"I was never afraid."
She knew, and that's what made it even harder. "I feel different. Ah think I can have control if Ah focus hard enough."
"There is only one way to find out" he said so intensively that the hair on her arms went up.
Taking a deep breath, she took off one glove to touch his hand. Nothing happened. Gambit brought his hand close to her face, slowly, so she knew his exact movements, and kissed her. She felt her skin tingle and forced her powers to be contained. She closed her eyes and her concentration faded away. And once again nothing happened.
Her lips parted and she opened her wet eyes, meeting his red eyes that she knew so well. Next thing his eyes saw were her lips coming towards his.
Eventually, they stood to their feet. Rogue took off her other glove and tossed the pair away, in a symbolic act of freedom.
Before telling the others, they sought Sage. She was with the Professor in his office. Rogue hugged her without hesitation. It took Sage a moment to hug her back, awkwardly as she did not have the chance to stand up.
Since the Professor saw the scene unfold, he would be the first to know. He went pale as realization washed over him. "You were reckless" he turned his gaze to Sage. His own eyes showed more surprise then disapproval.
"It was all my idea, Professor" Rogue rushed to say. "I talked Sage into it and insisted that she did the procedure. She warned me of the risks, but Ah needed to try."
The Professor was still in shock, but ended up smiling.
Rogue rushed to Kitty and the others. They hugged her, fearlessly.
In the future, her trainings would be focused on voluntary absorption of certain characteristics of her teammates. Within weeks, she would be able to absorb powers, personalities, abilities and knowledge at her will without hurting nor leaving traces behind. She would choose the time until the prints would disappear. That, however, belonged to the future. Now, everything Rogue whished for was the mundane, the ordinary.
In a few days, she would feel comfortable to wear clothes that would leave her arms and legs bare near others. Friendly touches would become normal like it was to everyone else. She just stopped thinking about it as something special (even though it still was).
Her relationship with Remy took some steps backwards. First, they made do with holding hands and brushing their lips, and innocent caresses until she felt in control enough to lose control in his arms.
Out of spite, Wolverine refused to accept the current affair of things. There was a denied nearly comical paternal notion in his attitude. He was like a father sitting between his daughter and her boyfriend on the couch. It was almost fun to watch.
They would steal away to Gambit's apartment every time they felt like it.
Two months had passed. They were at Gambit's apartment, as they frequently were. It was evening, under the penumbra in the room, they were in bed, their naked bodies entwined under the covers. Rogue drowsed for a few minutes. She shifted position, laying her head on his chest, between his shoulder and arm. Gambit was silent. Although he looked calm, Rogue knew that melancholic look well. He was thinking of home.
He never mentioned his father again, his Guild and his city. Still, she worried, for she knew it was still a delicate matter regardless of how much time passed. "We gotta go to New Orleans" she said, suddenly.
He did not move, did not show any reaction. He said in his normal voice: "The deadline is over."
"No" she retorted, emphatically. Resignation did not suit him. "I can't just accept it" she raised her head, resolutely. "We'll go down there and… sort things out."
He stroked her face, an almost hidden smile, tucking some strands of hair behind her ear. "I think it's a little late for that, chère" this time he could not conceal the melancholia in his voice.
It did not matter how many times he repeated that he had made the right call, she still felt a flash of guilt. He had stayed because of her. For the second time.
The grip of his arms increased around her, she laid down on his chest, loosing up again. "I don't regret my decision to stay, not even for a second, Anna" he whispered, her lips brushing her hair.
She looked up at him. "We're going back there one day, and work everything out."
He smiled at her determination. "One day."
She knew his eyes were telling the truth. Rogue let it slide for now. Someday they would make things right. She promised she would find a way to help him.
"You know" he said, after a long pause, "I had a conversation with the Professor."
She raised her head again, anticipating his words. "And...?"
"I'm officially one of you now."
She smiled broadly. "You mean it?"
He nodded. "Storm invited me, and... well, I said yes. Logan didn't look very happy with the news, but Xavier welcomed me."
"How are you feeling about it?"
"Bien. Better dan I thought I would. Maybe it's time for Gambit here to walk on the side of the angels, for a change" he was taken aback by his own honesty. Perhaps he was finally ready to give himself another chance and stop the past from controlling his life. He had found his chance with her.
Rogue could not hide the huge grin the news brought up. He returned the gesture and took her into a long kiss. With a hand on her neck under her hair and the other around her waist, he rolled their bodies so now he was on top of her. His body like an armor to protect her.
"Ah think we both are at the right place" she said.
He agreed quietly, taking her into another kiss among many future kisses.
The end?
xXxXx
Glossary:
Es tut mir leid – I'm sorry
Non, merci – No, thanks
Tante – Aunt
Le Diable Blanc – The White Devil
mais... non – But... no
Donc – So
Bien – Well