Recovery

Bib:

Remy tries to cheer Rogue up after she has gone through a trying experience.

Story:

Rogue was trying not to show her limp as she made her way out of the medical lab. Hank had suggested she rest a bit more and take as much time as she needed, but she just couldn't take his sympathetic doctor routine any longer. He was treating her as if she was a scared and frightened victim, but she was fine. All she had was a few deep bruises and cuts. Oh, and maybe a bruised ego. After all, getting captured and tortured by a ridiculous mad man who calls himself Lord High Evolutionary, well, it was embarrassing. But the one thing that killed her more than ought else while Hank was running his sympathetic doctor routine was the look he gave her.

Scott and Jean had visited her in the med lab while Hank had been finishing up her physical. They hadn't been much better than Hank. They were friendly and tried to make conversation. Scott even cracked a joke which made things lighter. But even they gave her that look which Hank had been giving her.

Rogue knew the Professor had paid her a visit as well, but that was when she had first been brought into the medical lab unconscious. He had worked on her mental state and was ensuring that Lord High Evolutionary's psychics had not left any damage. She was rather glad she hadn't seen him when he'd paid her a visit. She knew she was resting up in his bedroom now after spending the night ensuring she was mentally stable. She didn't think she could take receiving that look from him as well. Although, the fact that he spent so long in her mind, making sure there were no loose ends, that said everything really.

When Rogue was making her way to her room from the med lab, she ran into Bobby and Jubilee in the hallway, or more, they ran into her. It looked like Jubilee had been chasing after Bobby in childish delight, but then they had both slowed down and stared at her as they noticed her.

"Hey Rogue, how you holdin' up?" Bobby had asked, coming to stop beside her. Again, there was that look.

Rogue snorted at Bobby's question and folded her arms over her chest.

"Ah'm walkin' aren't ah?" Rogue said in response.

Bobby and Jubilee glanced at each other as if they were exchanging some kind of notes. Rogue tried not to roll her eyes at that. Instead, rather than sticking around to make small talk or answer any annoying questions they may have had, Rogue pushed forwards.

She was finding herself more and more desperate to get to the sanctuary of her room. She needed some alone time away from everyone.

When she noticed Tabitha and Amara heading down the hallway she was planning on taking, Rogue dipped into the first room she could find which just so happened to be Logan's.

"-you can't really think they did that to her, can you?" Amara's voice came into focus as the pair began to pass Logan's doorway.

Neither had noticed her in the hallway nor seen her slipping into Logan's bedroom.

"Why not? After all, it's not the first time Rogue's been kidnapped for her powers by some power-insane mutant. I just hope Xavier managed to remove all the crazy from her mind before she blows her top or something…" Tabitha said, her voice beginning to fade as the pair walked away from near Logan's door.

Rogue frowned to herself, having picked up on what the whole mansion was talking about. She found herself sliding back slowly against Logan's door. Hank had given her strong painkillers, but the longer she walked the more pain she could feel in her side. Rather than letting herself drop to the floor though, as she figured once she ended up down there, she wouldn't be getting back up again for a really long time, she headed further into Logan's room. It was empty and she was rather glad she had stumbled into Logan's room considering no one in their right mind would enter it without a good reason or unless it was Logan himself. But she wouldn't have minded Logan's company. As long as he didn't give her that look.

Rogue took a seat on Logan's bed, finding it hard to get comfortable. She ended up leaning back and lying down on Logan's bed. She felt tired and worn out from her little trip from the med lab to Logan's room. She still had another flight or two of stairs to go to get to her room and as she planned to keep dodging everyone, she figured it was going to be a long and tiring journey. She decided to take a break briefly in Logan's room and give it a bit more time for anyone passing to get by. She didn't plan to stay in there too long, but she found herself falling asleep with no power to stop herself.

Xxxxx

"Chérie? Cher," Rogue heard a voice calling out to her. This then followed by a hand gently shaking her shoulder.

Rogue opened her eyes a little to see Remy stood above her with an amused smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. It was that smirk and twinkle that first had her questioning what was happening. Remy only got that smirk and that twinkle in his eye when he was up to something devious and clever, and no one was none-the-wiser. Except, the way he was aiming that smirk and twinkle, it didn't look so much like he was proud of himself for doing something mischievous. More like…

"Y' know, there be better places t' take une sieste," he said teasingly.

Rogue sat up, really staring at him in question as she tried to make out what he was telling her. As she took in more of the room though, she realised what had happened.

"Shoot! Ah wasn't supposed to fall asleep here! How long was ah out?" Rogue asked Remy.

"'bout deux heures. Gotta say chérie, y' picked une bonne cachette" he said, nodding his head in approval and glancing around Logan's room. "De Badger's room definitely weren't one'a de first places I thought t' look for y'."

"Did you find meh first?" Rogue asked him, reaching out and grabbing his arm with quite a grip.

Remy glanced down at her, noticing the panic in her grip. As his eyes scaled her arm and came to her face, he found a matching set of worried eyes. It dipped his mood a little as his suspicions before he found Rogue seemed to be somewhat true.

"Oui," he responded simply, deciding to let Rogue's words and body language tell him more.

"Has anyone noticed ah've been gone as long as I have?" she asked next.

Remy's eyebrow rose a little at Rogue's next question.

"Non, not yet. Pourquoi?" he asked.

Remy watched Rogue force herself to sit up on the bed in discomfort. He watched as one of her gloved hands went to her side where he'd spotted a large bruise forming when he had gotten her out of the dungeon she had been trapped in. Rogue kicked her feet off the bed and stood up. The strong pain killers Hank had given her had worn off quite a bit so she was definitely feeling more pain now when she moved.

"We best get outta Logan's room before he finds us," Rogue said as she made her way towards the bedroom door.

Rogue felt Remy reach out and grab her arm, halting her.

"Maybe walkin' straight out de Wolverine's bedroom door isn't de best option if y' plannin' on not gettin' caught," Remy said, knowing full well that Logan would smell that they had been in his room, so it didn't make much of a difference. Except that it seemed to matter to her if they were discovered coming out of Logan's room. And on another note, he figured he could find a way to get Rogue to wherever she planned to go a lot faster and with less pain if he knew where she was going.

"Oh, right," Rogue said glancing around Logan's room as if struggling to think of anything logical.

"Where is it y' headin'?" Remy asked her.

"Ah was just plannin' ta head ta my room. Why?" Rogue asked him.

Remy didn't respond verbally. Simply walked towards the open balcony windows. From Rogue's answer, he figured he was right to worry.

"If y' wanna get t' your room without gettin' caught, there be an easier way then walkin' out de Badger's door," he said, turning slightly to face her.

"You've really gotta stop callin' Logan that nickname. He's gonna kill ya someday," Rogue responded to Remy's offer.

Remy couldn't help but smirk at Rogue's concern. His smirk seemed to get some small reaction out of her. It was only slight, but he noticed how her head tilted a little to the side and the edge of her own lips go up at his smirk. She seemed to ease into her old self before she was captured. The way she leaned on one leg and folded her arms over her chest. He was glad to see it.

Although, he still figured her time trapped in that dungeon and being tortured still had an effect on her and was going to have a lasting effect on her for quite some time. He wasn't too sure how to help with that, but he did think he could keep her smiling.

"But not today," was Remy's reply as he held his hand out towards her.

Rogue glanced at Remy's extended hand, then back to his face. Although that smug smirk of his which was just so full of amusement that he'd caught her doing something she really shouldn't have been doing irritated her a little, she found that smirk more comforting than those looks she'd been receiving off the other X-Men. His smirk was warm and welcoming and she felt much more attracted to Remy's presence than usual.

Rogue approached Remy and took his hand in hers. Slowly, he pulled her in towards him so that she was quite close. The next thing she knew, Remy had taken out his bo staff and was aiming it up at a balcony above their heads.

"Y' might wanna hold on chérie," he said.

Rogue, acting in a grump about needing to wrap her arms around him, did as she was told. Remy's free arm wrapped around Rogue's waist. He took hold of her where he knew her bruise ended. He then pressed a button on his bo staff, releasing a long wire that shot up and hit Rogue's balcony. He tugged at it slightly, feeling that it was secure and then pressed the same button to have his bo staff reel them up to her balcony. Remy did most of the big, awkward climbs in order to get up properly on to Rogue's balcony and then he pulled Rogue up onto her own balcony for the most part.

"There. Facile," he said, letting go of his secure grip around Rogue a little and seeing how well she did on her own two feet.

She seemed to be rocking a little, but besides that, she appeared to be fine. He watched her pause for a moment, glancing at him as if she was unsure what to do. Whether she should say something or not. In the end, she headed towards her bedroom. Remy stepped forwards and unlocked her balcony for her, letting her into her own room.

"Thanks," Rogue muttered out.

Remy tilted his head to one side as he watched Rogue enter her bedroom. She had sounded somewhat defeated as she thanked him. He stood by her balcony, watching her for a time, unsure himself if he should back off and give her time to recuperate or if he should follow her in and talk with her like.

"So, la belle dame needs more beauty sleep?" he asked her.

"What?" Rogue asked him as she turned to glance at him. Her eyes wide and vulnerable looking.

Remy tried to keep his facial expressions in check, but it was rather hard not to seem concerned when Rogue seemed to be as confused and lost as she was. If anything, that one look he didn't see coming broke his charming façade.

"Y' sure y' doin' alright cher?" he asked her.

This got him a massive eyeroll from Rogue just before she turned her back to him.

"Ah'm fine swamp rat. Now go annoy someone else for the night, will ya?" she said as she near flopped onto her bed.

Now Remy really did frown since asking that question had appeared to be the wrong move as she shut him out. He tucked his bo staff away fully as he made his way into Rogue's room.

"Come on cher," he said, falling on his side at the end of Rogue's bed. "Don't go takin' moi for a fool now, y' hear girl. I know some homme fou an' a few bruises ain't enough t' get de Rogue down, so what really be eatin' at y'?" he asked her.

Rogue glanced up at Remy from where her face lay against her own covers. Although it wasn't the look everyone in the mansion was giving her, that seriously concerned look in his eyes felt just as irritating. Rogue snorted at him and glanced away.

"Ya wouldn't understand," she said, knowing he really wouldn't unless he experienced the same thing she had when something big and bad happened to her.

"Not if y' don't even attempt t' explain it t' moi," Remy said in reply.

Rogue slammed her fist against her bed as she turned on Remy.

"Ya really think ah wanna be explainin' things ta ya?" she demanded to know.

"Cher, I know what y' been through been tough, but one'a de best ways of gettin' through dis would be by talkin' 'bout it," Remy said, finding his own words rather irritating.

If he'd experienced what she had and someone had said that to him then he figured he wouldn't have taken kindly to the person who spoke those words either. That's why he understood her next actions pretty well.

"Just get out Remy!" she snapped at him, picking herself up from the bed and forcibly removing him from her room.

Remy didn't fight back as Rogue pulled and shoved him over to her bedroom door. He felt like he was playing the role of some inexperienced boy who was learning how to handle a woman for the first time as he was being pushed away. He especially felt the helplessness of a man who was inexperienced with handling a woman's feelings when Rogue slammed her bedroom door in his face.

Remy snorted, stomping away along the corridor as he made his way through the mansion: mad at her and mad at himself.

Xxxxx

Remy ended up finding himself sat at the island in the kitchen, flipping cards in between his fingers as he thought of Rogue. He tried to figure out what it was he had done wrong and how to go back to being on good terms with her whilst also giving her space.

"What were you doing in my room earlier Gumbo?" Logan demanded to know as he entered the kitchen.

Remy rolled his eyes at the huffing man and tucked his cards away as he figured Logan's presence meant he was being evicted from the kitchen since he could no longer hear himself think.

"Throwin' une fête an' puttin' green frogs underneath y' pillows. What else do y' t'ink I'd be doin'?" Remy remarked sarcastically as he went to pass Logan.

Logan's hand shot out, grabbing Remy by the arm and pulling him in closer.

"I smelt Rogue in their too. You better not be botherin' her right now Cajun. She doesn't need your sorry arse hangin' around her," Logan threatened.

And, as if something had clicked in Remy's mind, he had an idea as to what may have been bothering Rogue about his question and how to resolve it.

"Not a bad idea Monsieur Claws. Not bad at all," Remy said.

Before Logan could retort back with an annoyed remark, Remy dropped the cards he had been playing with to the ground, letting them spark and explode. Logan released his grip on Remy and stumbled back while Remy used the opportunity to sneak away.

"Cajun!" he heard Logan yell after him.

Xxxxx

As Remy made his way up stairs towards Rogue's room and to get himself away from the Wolverine who would be chasing after him soon, he found Hank heading up the stairs with a small tray in hand.

"What y' got there Blue?" Remy asked him as he approached.

"Oh, Rogue's pain killers should be wearing off round about now. I was just taking her another dose so that she would not have to remain in pain. Although, I rather have the feeling she may reject the medicine," Hank said, seeming to look uneasy as he reflected upon his task of approaching Rogue.

Remy kept his frown held back. He wondered if that's the face he had pulled in front of Rogue when he had been asking her to explain her experience. If so, then he really couldn't blame her for kicking him out. Seeing a reluctant face like that, one that didn't actually want to be around you or hear what you had to say, well, it had it's draw backs.

"That's it swamp breath! When I get my hands on you-" Logan could be heard yelling as he got closer to their position.

Remy quickly slipped the tray out of Hank's hands and into his own.

"How's 'bout I handle this for you huh? An' you can take on keepin' a worked-up Badger away from our Roguie's room," Remy said while he took off up the stairs.

"Erm, Remy, I don't think-" Hank began to say, obviously much more uncomfortable with the situation he was being placed in.

"Wouldn't want our patient suffering wit' dat homme's mood, non?" Remy shot back at Hank as he quickly vanished down a hallway.

Xxxxx

Rogue had returned to lying on her front after she kicked Remy out of her room. Her side had definitely begun to hurt more, especially since she shoved Remy out. It definitely was a mistake on her part to be so reckless when it came to physical action, and she didn't want to even attempt the journey downstairs to retrieve some more pain killers. She figured the journey there would be more painful and embarrassing than dealing with the pain itself.

Rogue lifted her head to glance up at her balcony window as she heard a gentle tapping at it. Of course, who else would be there than Remy LeBeau with a wide stretched smirk. Although, the tray in his hand did seem new.

Her balcony door was already open so Remy let himself in.

"What do you want swamp rat?" Rogue demanded to know, going on the defensive straight away.

"Figured y'd be too stubborn t' go down an' get some pain killers when y' be actually feelin' pain, so thought I'd save y' the journey," Remy said, placing the tray on her bedside table.

"Ah don't need a nurse," Rogue stated.

"Non, but it never hurt t' have one as diablement beau as dis here Cajun," Remy said, letting his mischievous twinkle sparkle in his eye.

Rogue was… honestly not too sure what to say to that. She could feel her side hurting more as she stretched to lean up and see his face. She figured he wasn't worth the pain of throwing him out again and lay back down on her front to ease the pressure on her side.

"What'd ya do ta piss Logan off this time? Ah can hear him from all the way up here?" Rogue asked, deciding to try and get as much intel about the outside world as possible considering she wasn't planning on venturing out there any time soon.

"Why'd y' always reckon it be mon faute?" Remy asked her.

"'cause it usually is," Rogue declared, trying to hide the little smirk she had on her face. "Did ya make him mad 'cause ya thought ah'd find it funny?"

"Do you?" Remy shot back at her, coming to sit on the edge of her bed.

He couldn't see her face, but he could feel that she was smiling.

"Why would ah?" Rogue shot back.

"'cause y' know I'd annoy dat papa ours of yours anytime t' make y' smile," he replied.

"Back ta bein' a snake charmer then, huh?" Rogue asked, turning her head to glance up at Remy.

"Don't know 'bout snakes, but I always be charmin'," Remy said, letting a smirk come naturally to his face as he saw Rogue start to turn towards him.

He handed Rogue over the glass of water first. Rogue moved back a little so that she was leaning on her elbows for support and took the glass off him.

"Ya weren't before," she said as she took the pills he offered and began to swallow them.

"Quoi? Y' mean 'cause I be askin' 'bout y'?" Remy asked.

He watched how Rogue's eyes rolled and an unpleasant grimace took over her face. He reckoned it wasn't just because of the pills she'd had to take.

"Honestly, not quite sure why I asked," Remy said, glancing away from her.

He felt Rogue's eyes return to glaring at him in a rather peculiar manner. Remy just shrugged his shoulders.

"Y' obviously tough enough t' endure a bulk load of merde un fort southern belle like you," he said.

Now Rogue really was thrown by what Remy was getting at.

"In English," she requested.

Remy glanced at her from out of the corner of his eyes, seeing that this was either a make it or break it situation.

"Folks fussin' about y' as if y' some sort'a breakable China doll. Figured dat must be annoyin'," Remy said, letting the chips fall where they may.

For some time, Rogue just looked at him and he couldn't quite get a reading on what she was thinking. Then finally, she turned her head away and sighed.

"Yeah, they tend ta treat meh like ah'm made of glass an' will break at any moment after somethin' like this happens," she said, resuming her position on her bed of lying on her front.

As much as Remy wanted to congratulate himself for getting it right and being accepted into the Rogue's private thought circle, he found it rather easy to remain composed and, surprisingly, disappointed for her.

"Happens often?" Remy stated more than asked.

"Yeah," Rogue said, having visions of all of those looks she'd received from her fellow X-Men wash over her.

"It just hurts, you know? And it's embarrisin'. Ah know ah've lost control in the past when somethin' bad an' unexpected has happened, but ah'm not a tickin' time bomb for cryin' out loud. Or at least, ah hope ah'm not…" Rogue said, drifting more into her own mind than concentrating on the conversation at hand.

Remy understood what she was doing and where she was going. He wasn't going to push too hard though as he knew how fast those walls could come up. Instead, he stretched out more on her bed, making himself at home.

"Y' talkin' 'bout dat time y' lost control at de concert?" Remy asked, trying to guess where her mind could be travelling as best as he could.

Rogue actually looked taken back by what he had said.

"Yeah…" she muttered. "Ah… ah completely lost control then. An' ah hurt people. Ah hurt people ah didn't mean ta but… ah just thought they all hated meh.

"But they don't," Remy said, trying to follow what her mind might have been telling her, but it was extremely difficult, especially when she wasn't looking at him.

As if reading his mind, Rogue turned to face him. She moved onto her unbruised side so that she was parallel to him.

"No, they don't. They pitied me… Only, an' ah know how mad this is to say this, but… sometimes, ah just wished that they would hate meh when ah screw up. It feels as if them hatin' meh would be a lot easier than dealin' with them pityin' meh," she said, once again glancing away.

Remy wondered if she was glancing away once more as she felt like this was something he couldn't understand. As if only she could understand it.

"Non," Remy said, placing a hand on her thigh to try and bring her attention back to him which had the affect he wanted. "it does." He stated.

Rogue seemed to look touched by his confirmation of understanding.

"It's just… the way they look at meh… Ah just can't deal with it. They have meh thinkin' that ah really am about ta burst out in ta insanity an' it's just hard ta have ta keep fightin' an' tellin' mehself that ah'm not," she explained.

"They're treatin' y' as if y' gonna fall apart now?" Remy asked her, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah," Rogue mumbled.

"As if y' gonna fly off de handle an' torch the place down now dat ya've been through somethin' tough?" he asked, thinking as he went along with ensuring Rogue that he understood her.

"Yeah," Rogue muttered again.

"And if I touch y' here," Remy said, moving his hand to Rogue's rib cage where he knew she wasn't bruised and poking her lightly.

"Hey!" Rogue yelped out, curling in on herself and moving away from Remy's touch as it tickled her when he poked her there.

"An' here," Remy said, moving up more on his elbows and moving his other hand so that he tickled another part of Rogue's hips that had her squirming.

"An' here, an' here, are y' gonna lose control now?" Remy asked as he continued to tickle Rogue's sides until she was laughing.

"Remy, stop!" Rogue belted out in between laughter.

"Are y'? Are y' gonna lose control chérie? Y' gonna show moi what y' do when y' do lose control?" Remy asked her as he persisted with the tickling.

Rogue had rolled onto her back, trying to escape the tickling but Remy kept pursuing and tickling her.

"No, ah'm not. For God's sake Remy, stop! It hurts ta laugh!" Rogue said in-between fits of laughter.

Remy finally let up on Rogue and let her recover.

Rogue stayed on her back, taking deep breaths as she tried to even her breathing to make her sides not hurt as much. The pain killers she'd taken were definitely acting fast and helping with the pain.

Remy had worked his magic and she was smiling again and it felt so much easier to smile. She felt a whole lot better and, for a time, forgot about how depressed she was from being viewed by the other X-Men.

"See, ain't as fragile as they t'ink. Least, not in dat sense. Y' be a strong woman chérie. It be quite a turn on," Remy said, moving his face closer to Rogue's as he hovered above her.

"Yeah, right," Rogue said, pushing Remy away by his chest and sitting up a little so he was no longer towering over her.

"Look cher, I know it maybe hard facin' ces imbéciles, mais y' an' me both know y' ain't on de verge'a losin' control. An' if ya were, y' know I'd be right there besides ya ta help bring y' right back down t' earth, non?" Remy asked her.

This had Rogue's neck blushing red. She thought the blush away even though her face was already tickled pink from all of the tickling from earlier.

"Unfortunately, y' just gotta show those fools they bein' idiots an' show ya face t' em. Y' need t' keep fightin' Chere. And I'll be right there by y' side t' help keep y' fightin' when y' get knocked down," Remy said, reaching up his hand and letting his fingers get lost in Rogue's hair as he cupped her cheek.

"Cajun!" Wolverine growled from Rogue's bedroom door as it burst open and slammed into the wall.

Wolverine extended his claws just as Remy climbed up onto his feet. As the Wolverine launched at him, Remy jumped away from Rogue's bed and into an area of her room which had much more space. Wolverine managed to stop himself just before he landed on Rogue who had gone to shield herself from him. Re-composing himself quickly, Wolverine redirected himself, aiming to tackle Remy. While Wolverine had been slightly distracted, Remy had pulled out his bo staff and moved to trip the Wolverine who stumbled greatly and fell into Rogue's wardrobe.

"What the hell are you two doin'? Ya gonna wreck mah room!" Rogue screamed at the pair.

"Time t' go Chérie," Remy said as he tucked his bo staff away and scooped her up bridal style.

"Remy, what on earth are ya doin'?" Rogue demanded to know as Remy began to run with her still in his arms towards her bedroom door.

Remy shifted Rogue so that she was now hanging over his shoulder. He was carful not to put pressure on her side where he knew she was hurt.

"Dat papa ours ain't gonna touch moi if you be around Chérie," Remy responded to her.

"So ya usin' meh ta fight ya battles?" Rogue asked in disgust.

"Don't pretend like y' ain't enjoyin' dis," Remy said, unable to keep the smirk from his face as he noticed bedroom doors opening and members of the X-Men laughing at the scene that was playing out.

"So help me Remy, when ah get mah hands on you!" Rogue threatened loud and clear in front of all the other X-Men which only made Remy's smirk grow.

"There be dat tough Goth girl we all be missin'!" Remy said, knowing that his punishment after tonight was going to be harsh, but he'd take that if it meant Rogue's problems were eased as many of her mutant friends saw the same old Rogue they were used to rather than fearing the appearance of a Rogue who was helpless. Remy just hoped Rogue would see what was happening and not kick his butt too hard later when he finally did put her down.

xxxxx

French Translations

Chérie/ Cher - Darling/ Dear

Une Sieste - A Nap

Deux Heures - Two Hours

Une Bonne Cachette - A Good Hiding Place

Oui - Yes

Pourquoi - Why

Mon/ Moi - Me / My

Homme Fou - Crazy Men

Une Fête - A Party

Homme - Man

Non - No

Diablement Beau - Devilishly Beautiful

Mon Faute - My Fault

Papa Ours - Father Bear

Merde - Shit

Un Fort - A Strong

Ces Imbéciles - Those Fools

Mais - But