Blood Red Rose Chapter 3
Disclaimer: Not ours, they belong to Marvel, Anne Rice and the song belongs to the Tea Party.
Walking Wounded
Is it safe to look within?
And erase all that's been
And all that's been between is it gone.
Tell me what went wrong,
Cause Baby I'm not that strong
And I'm walking wounded,
All Alone Are you comfortable and numb,
Did they all succumb to all those lies,
Does it satisfy the greed
Is it all you need Is it all you want
Cause baby I'm not that strong
And I'm walking wounded All alone,
If your memories do stray, Then they betray all that's past,
And all that's been between
Is it gone tell me what went wrong
Cause baby I'm not that strong
Rogue was having a beautiful dream; it was her wedding day. She wore an elegant white satin, backless gown, which was covered in lace and beadwork. Her luxurious hair flowing free under her long sheer veil. Rogue looked down at her hands, which were covered with long white satin gloves, and in her hands, she carried a bouquet of long stemmed red roses. She smiled brightly as she walked down the aisle towards a man in a tux, for some reason she could feel the love he had for her. She assumed that it was Remy but his face was a blur to her.
As Rogue continued down the aisle she turned to look at her guests, Logan was sitting with Ororo, and he had his arm draped around her shoulders as if he was trying to offer her comfort. They were both dressed in black clothes as if going to a funeral. Logan turned his head to look at Rogue and met her gaze; he returned the look with cold hatred.
"Well, if they're not happy, why are they here?" she wondered, then turned to look at Jean and Scott.
Disappointment didn't even begin to describe the look they gave her. Like Logan and Storm, Jean was wearing black but Scott wasn't. He wore a blue suit, which made Rogue question what was happening.
"Why are they in black and he's not," she thought to herself.
Scott was looking at his wife with such sadness it made her shudder. Rogue turned her head to the other side of the church and saw Warren and Betsy watching her. Again Warren was in black and Betsy was dressed in a long purple dress. Betsy was looking at Rogue with such loathing that it reminded her of the way Betsy looked at Sabretooth.
Rogue turned and concentrated on the man before her and as she approached him, his face became clear. It was Louis. Rogue was shocked and she tried to step back, but he grabbed her hand and said, "Wake up sleepyhead." Rogue just blankly stared at Louis; confusion seemed to overwhelm her.
Rogue felt something warm and wet on her dress. She looked down and was horrified to see blood. She tried to scream but it only came out as a whimper. Rogue watched, as the roses seemed to bleed on her, their deep red color leaking onto her white dress. The blood trickled into little drops and then drizzled down to the floor. She dropped her flowers and covered her mouth with her hands, when she noticed her white gloves were covered in blood too. It started as a small spot, but seemed to grow until her gloves were soaked in blood. She turned to her teammates for help but was horrified as she looked at them.
Logan and Ororo just sat in the pews weeping, but they were not normal tears, they cried tears of blood. Rogue spun around to face Jean and Scott. Jean was crying blood also as Scott held her trying to comfort her. Rogue heard a noise from the back of the church, she turned to look and saw Warren in the aisle. He laid on the ground unconscious; his wings had been ripped from his body. What unnerved Rogue was that he had streaks of blood that running from his closed eyes and making his blonde hair wet with the fluid. Betsy was lying over his body crying and screaming his name.
"Chere?" said a voice from behind her.
Rogue spun around and in front of her was Remy. 'Why is he in full battle gear?' was her first thought. He held an open bible in his right hand and a red rose in his left. The rose began to bleed, Rogue watched the trail of blood staining Remy's gloves and his exposed fingers while little droplets spilled onto the floor. Rogue looked in to his eyes; he stared back at her with contempt, his glowing red eyes gleaming demonically. Rogue reached out a hand towards him but he just shoved the rose into her hand. Rogue stared at it but dropped it to the floor when it began to wilt. She looked to Remy for an explanation but he just laughed.
"Dis is all your fault chere," said Remy, pointing towards their friends.
"How is this my fault?" asked Rogue, bewildered.
"You let me go chere," he laughed as though it should be obvious.
"I let ya go?" she questioned.
Remy walked towards Rogue, she noticed how hollow his eyes were and that his lips were a pale blue. Rogue watched in horror as Remy raised his hand to his chest. He looked as if he was going to make a pledge to her, he smiled wickedly at her for a moment then he thrust his fist through his own chest. His hand disappeared up to his wrist and then he pulled it out again covered in blood. His fist clutching a gory mass and a jagged, grisly cavity was all that remained in the center of his chest. Rogue was paralyzed with fear as he handed her his still beating heart.
"You let go of dis, chere," he started to laugh wickedly.
Remy turned towards Louis who was just standing watching the events.
"She is your problem now," said Remy coldly.
Remy threw his heart against the wall and watched as it slowly moved down the wall, leaving a trial of blood. As it fell to the ground still beating, Remy turned back to Rogue.
"No need for dat anymore neh?" he then started to walk away from Rogue but she grabbed his arm.
"What are ya talking about?" she screamed, pulling his arm trying to make him stop.
Remy turned to face Rogue; he grabbed her arms and shoved her towards Louis. She fell to the ground at Louis' feet and as she looked back at him, she gasped. He was now crying tears of blood too.
"I will never forgive you chere," with that said he turned and walked out of the church, slamming the door behind him.
Rogue started to scream "No!" Louis dropped to his knees in front of her, he stared at her for a brief moment, and he too started to cry blood. Rogue covered her face with her bloodstained gloves and started to scream hysterically, "This is just a dream. This isn't happening to me."
Louis put his hand under Rogue's chin, looking into her eyes he said forcefully, "Rogue wake up."
Rogue sat up in bed and started screaming Louis was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Are you ok? You were making noises so I came in to check on you," he asked concerned.
Rogue covered her face and took several deep breaths. When her heart stopped pounding in her chest, she looked at Louis. At the sight of him her horrible dream faded from her mind, almost instantly. His hair was a disheveled mess; she almost laughed at how cute he looked until she realized Remy looked exactly the same way when he just woke up.
"Are you ok?" he asked again.
"Ah'm fine, I think?" she said a little dazed.
Louis put his hand under Rogue's chin lifting it slightly; he then began to examine her neck.
"What are you doing?" said Rogue, the dream now completely forgotten.
"Oh nothing, just making sure it's still attached," said Louis, standing up.
"You're weird sugah," said Rogue sitting up and stretching her arms into the air.
"You don't know the half of it," said Louis laughing, "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah, I'm starved. What time is it?" said Rogue looking for a clock, she figured it must still be early because it was dark outside.
"It's seven."
Rogue looked at the window; she turned back to Louis and asked, "Seven? Shouldn't the sun be up, sugah."
"It's seven in the evening Rogue," laughed Louis.
"What!" yelled Rogue, jumping out of bed and running to the window.
"Oh my, Ah never slept that long before," said Rogue in amazement.
""I will fetch us some breakfast," said Louis turning to leave but paused, "or would you prefer supper?"
Rogue was still staring out the window, but turned to Louis; "Breakfast would be great."
"Coming right up," said Louis, closing the door.
Rogue turned back to the window and stared out at the city lights. Her mind began to wonder and she thought about Remy. She had this feeling that there was something she needed to tell him but couldn't remember what exactly it was. The harder she tried to recall her thoughts the more quickly they slipped away. The only memory that she could recall with clarity was the scene of him in bed with Storm. Rogue sighed and decided to push that thought from her mind and get ready to go down for breakfast. She grabbed her jeans and another dress shirt from the drawer, dressed and raced from the room.
Rogue made her way down to the dining room to find Louis already there waiting for her. The table was set for two with the most exquisite china she had ever seen. The breakfast was already laid out on the table and ready to serve.
"Mmmmm that smells good," Rogue said. "Ah'm starvin'."
They sat down to breakfast and Rogue was pleased to find that the comfortable conversation from the night before picked up where it had left off. It was unusually comfortable actually. Rogue discovered she was discussing things that she didn't even discuss with her closest friends and it felt right.
"So how did you sleep?" Louis asked as he dished some eggs on to her plate.
"Great except for this dream I had. I just can't believe I slept that long," said Rogue as she picked up her fork.
"You must have needed it," Louis concluded, again sounding concerned. "Do you remember what upset you in your dream?"
Rogue thought about it and for some reason she couldn't remember what it was.
"Ah'm not sure," she said her brow furrowing in concentration.
"Does it have anything to do with what happened yesterday?" asked Louis.
Rogue's thoughts were brought back to the whole reason she was with this man in the first place, Remy, and Ororo. Her face immediately displayed her change in mood.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Louis asked, reaching out to touch her ungloved hand.
Rogue looked down and remembered. She could touch him. Her mind began to swim, how could she touch him? In her confused state, she began talking. She told him about her powers about how she came to be with the X-men. She also talked of how she found Remy with Storm. As she came to the end of the story and how she happened upon him in the park, in spite of herself, she started to cry.
Louis seemed to take the barrage of information in stride. And although Rogue half expected him to respond in disgust to the revelation that she was a mutant, he instead reached up and caressed her face. With his thumb he brushed away her tear and spoke softly, "It sounds like Remy hasn't changed much."
Rogue broke from her tearful trance to remember that Louis did know Remy. "What do you mean?"
Louis averted his gaze and said, "I am not sure if this is the time Rogue, if ever you would want to hear about Remy or the rest of the X-men for that matter."
"What do you mean?" Rogue repeated "I want to know"
"Well I know Remy from New Orleans and he was a bit of a womanizer then, but at the time he was with a woman named BellaDonna," Louis started then let it drop when he saw the effect it was having on Rogue. "I told you. You don't need to hear this now."
"Don't worry about telling me about her, I know all about her. No, I want to hear everything. You mentioned the X-men. What do you know about them?" Rogue asked.
"I know that they are just using you Rogue," Louis stated matter of factly, still refusing to look her in the eyes.
Rogue's eyes went wide, "What are you talking about?"
Louis turned his head slightly, his black hair falling in front of his green eyes; "It's simple Rogue. From what I know of Remy, and from what you've told me of the X-men. I know exactly what they are doing to you." Louis again took her hand in his in a trusting manner.
"They know about your mutation and how painful and confusing it is for you to have all these personalities in your head. Yet, they continue to put you in situations where you are forced to use your powers. Worse, yet use them against the most psychotic people on the planet. To absorb such minds can only hurt you, yet they still put you in that position."
Rogue thought for a moment. Now she really was confused. Could the X-men not have her best interests at heart. They had given up on helping her control her powers.
"They probably talk of helping you, but have they? Remy has declared his undying devotion to more than one woman," Louis changed the subject when it looked like Rogue was getting angry again, "but at the moment that is neither here nor there. You know I know someone who might be able to help you."
Rogue's expression only changed slightly. From confused to a 'deer caught in the headlights' look.
"You do? How? How can they help me?"
"With magic Rogue," Louis
"What?" said Rogue.
"I would love to tell you all about it but not right now...There is something I want to ask you," Louis said and seemed all of a sudden shy.
"What? What do you want to ask?" Rogue said trying to bring back the confident man from a moment ago.
"Rogue, I know that we've only just met, but would you...?" Louis' voice trailed off.
"What?" Rogue asked.
"Would you consider staying here for a while longer with me?"
Rogue couldn't believe she was doing this but it felt right. "Yah, I think I'd like to do that."
Louis smiled "Would you like me to accompany you back to your house to get some of your belongs? Just so you can be more comfortable here."
"Please" she answered with a smile.
Rogue and Louis stood up from the table and began to clean up the dishes from the table. It suddenly occurred to Rogue that Louis hadn't eaten but she just thought that maybe he had eaten before she woke up.
_____________________________________________________
Both Storm and Remy had been the subject of much gossip and disapproving looks for the entire day. Storm earlier that day had decided to avoid the stares and stay in her room. She wasn't feeling up to people anyway. She dozed off sometime around five.
She awoke from her slumber to see Logan straddling a chair, with his arms crossed on the back of it. He watched her while she slept.
"Logan?" said Storm, trying to clear the fog from her mind.
"Hey 'Ro," said Logan watching her intensely.
"Have you come here to throw insults at me too?" she said, closing her eyes to stop the room from spinning again.
Logan sat there and stared at Storm, he was incredibly disappointed in her but her beauty sometimes overwhelmed him. He had strong feelings about what happened, but he wasn't sure if it was jealousy or if he was mad because the situation hurt Rogue. He needed to get out of her room until he figured out his feelings.
"Sorry to wake ya darlin'. I'll talk to you later when you feel better," he said, as he stood up to leave.
Storm kept her eyes closed, and she prayed to the Goddess that she wouldn't cry in front of Logan. She heard Logan open the door to her room and she whispered, "I'm sorry."
Logan stopped, he turned around, and noticed Ororo's eyes were still closed. He could smell the regret coming off of her in waves.
"Me too darlin', me too," he said closing the door behind him.
_____________________________________________________
Remy too had been in hiding most of the day. He couldn't face his friends and say nothing happened when he wasn't even sure nothing did. After a few hours of solitude, he decided to venture out for a walk down the hall to get some aspirin to try and rid his head of the pain he was in. As he passed by Rogue's room, he could hear someone inside rummaging around. He cautiously opened the door, eager to catch the intruder in the act. He stopped cold when he caught sight of who the intruder was. Remy's heart sank as he watched Rogue throw her clothes into a suitcase on her bed.
"Rogue, What are you doing?" Remy said, coming full into the room. Maybe he could straighten everything out here and now, he hoped.
Rogue stiffened at the sound of Remy's voice. She was angry with herself that he had caught her crying again. She wanted him to think she didn't give a damn.
"Ah'm packin, what's it look like. Now will you please get out of my room!" Rogue growled at him, not even turning to look at him.
"No chere," said Remy crossing the distance between them.
Rogue spun around to face Remy and hissed, "Either you can leave by the door or you can get out using the window sugah. It's your choice."
"Chere, please listen t' me," Remy pleaded, he reached out and grabbed Rogue's arm.
Rogue looked down at Remy touching her and she jerked her arm away, "What the hell do ya want from me."
"I only wan' you chere," whispered Remy sadly.
Rogue turned to look at Remy incredulously; she laughed with contempt and walked past him to her dresser that was smashed to pieces. Remy turned and watched Rogue as she jerked the broken drawer from what was left of the dresser and then walked passed him silently and emptied the contents into her suitcase.
Rogue threw the dresser drawer into the corner of her room, as she walked by Remy she said, "Get out."
"Chere, please," said Remy, watching her walk by him again with another drawer in her arms.
"Don't play your games with me," said Rogue as she dumped the clothes out of the drawer, "we are finished."
"I didn' cheat on you."
Rogue snapped her head up and stared at him for a minute. "Then what would you call it," she said in astonishment.
Remy sat on the edge of Rogue's bed, putting his hands over his face, "I don' know what happened, I swear."
Rogue started to throw her clothes in her suitcase, and with every word she spoke she threw another article of clothing into it forcefully, "Tell that to Candra, Andrea, Clare, Genevieve and...."
Rogue paused with a look of concentration, then looked at Remy "what was that nun's name again?" she asked.
Remy sat staring at Rogue, he was shocked that she knew about them. Remy sighed and decided that it wouldn't help him at all to deny it.
"She wasn't a nun yet and her name was Katrina," said Remy, "And we were not toget'er."
"Whatever," said Rogue, zipping up her suitcase. Rogue looked up suddenly, and said, "Oh and let's not forget your WIFE now."
Rogue walked over to her closet, biting her lip to stop herself from crying again. She opened the door, grabbed another suitcase, and threw it on her bed.
Remy was furious now, Rogue being angry he could take, but this cold indifference hurt him to his very core. Remy stood up and walked to the door, with his back to Rogue he said, "Who are you running t' dis time? Petey? Or are you gonna bring home anot'er Joe?"
Rogue spun around, "How dare you," she screamed at his back.
Remy hung his head in defeat, his bangs covering his tired eyes. He decided on a different approach, "Don't go, chere," whispered Remy.
Rogue turned her full attention back to Remy. She thought he had said, "Don't let me go," and had a sudden feeling of déjà vu and it terrified her.
"What did ya say?" she said, wondering why that would affect her so much.
Remy looked at Rogue curiously for a moment. She appeared to be distraught for some reason.
"I said, don' go, chere," he said almost pleadingly.
Rogue eyes narrowed and ignored the terrified feeling she had. She continued to storm around the room grabbing items.
Remy watched Rogue for a few minutes, then decided he had better give her some space.
"You do what you gotta do, chere," said Remy in a defeated voice, as he was leaving.
Rogue snarled, "No I'm not running to Petey and no, I won't bring this boy home."
Remy stopped suddenly in the doorway and turned around, noticing for the first time that she was wearing a mans dress shirt.
"Dats always de problem chere. You trust everyone but me, you'd rat'er be wit' anybody but me," said Remy quietly.
Rogue was stunned; she could tell by his eyes that she might as well as put a knife through his heart. Her words of another man hurt him, they way he spoke made her want to cry. She was about to tell him she was sorry but he spoke before she could say anything.
"I am sorry I could never be de one you ran t'."
With that, Remy walked out, slamming Rogue's door behind him. He leaned against the door, trying to compose himself before he lost control of his powers and started to blow up everything around him. He looked down at his hands and watched as they started to glow orange. He jumped as he heard Rogue throw something glass against the wall.
"Je t'aime Rogue," Remy whispered as he left for his room.
Rogue sat on the end of the bed with her hands over her face, crying. She looked up and saw a picture of her and Remy; she leaned over and picked it up. She stared at it for a moment; the rage came back full force. With a cry, she hurled it against the wall and watched the glass fly in every direction. Rogue stood up and grabbed both suitcases, without a backward glance, she kicked in the board that was used to cover her window and she flew off to meet Louis.
Remy went back to his room and slammed the door behind him. He walked over to his bed and sat down completely exhausted. He placed his head in his hands and fought back the tears as he recalled the horrible day.
'How did everyt'ing get so messed up? Mon dieu, I can' lose her now, not like dis.' he thought.
Then the headache was back stronger than ever, as well as the nausea this time. Ever since his night out with Storm, he had felt terrible. This had to be more than just a hangover but he couldn't remember how much he had to drink. In fact, he couldn't remember anything at all after the drinks had arrived at their table. He forced himself to get up again and head down to Beast's med. lab.
As soon as Remy entered the lab, he saw Beast talking to Storm who was sitting on the examining table. Both turned to see Remy enter. Remy noticed that Storm was not looking very well herself.
"Ahh...and here is your partner in crime," Hank said in a condescending tone. "You two should set yourselves limits when you indulge yourself."
"I only remember one," Remy said defensively.
"And I had an ice tea." Storm added
Beast turned to look at her incredulously, "But you told me you were experiencing headaches, nausea, and lost time, and now your telling me you had nothing alcoholic to drink?"
"Yes," Storm said emphatically, while Remy nodded in agreement.
Beast looked them both over for a moment trying to determine if this could be the truth. Finally he pulled up a chair and sat down. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes then spoke, his tone much less accusing this time. "And you Remy. Are you suffering from these same symptoms?"
Remy nodded, holding his stomach, clearly indicating that the sick feeling was returning
"Could one of you please tell me exactly what happened last night?" Beast asked to the pair.
Storm and Remy looked at each other, silently communicating who should do the talking. Finally Storm spoke. "We went out last night to a club. You know the one we usually go to have a couple of refreshments and listen to music?"
Beast nodded, he indeed knew the club she was talking about.
"I think it would have been in both of your best interests if you had graced Harry's with your presence," said Hank
Ororo continued, "Well we sat at a table and ordered some drinks. I ordered an ice tea and Remy ordered a Southern Comfort. The drinks arrived, we paid the waitress and I don't remember anything after that." Storm was visibly upset by the time she finished telling her tale. The implications of lost time for a woman were very scary, especially for Ororo considering that she had to keep control of her powers at all times.
Beast turned to Remy to see if he had anything to add. "And you?"
"I can' remember a single t'ing after de drinks came, not till dis morning" Remy said. He then moved over to Storm and put his hand on her back. She was upset and he wanted to reassure her and let her know it would be ok.
Beast sat for a moment contemplating the situation then spoke, "Will you two allow me to take a blood analysis? Maybe we can get to the bottom of this."
Both agreed.
"If the analysis is negative would one of you be so inclined to have Jean take a look?" asked Beast
Storm saw the look on Remy's face and instantly knew what he was thinking.
"I would have no problem letting Jean in," she said.
Before letting the pair leave the lab Beast said, "You two go and rest while I run these. I'll let you know what I find as soon as they are done, probably in a couple of hours."
Remy walked Storm back to her room so she could lie down. She didn't look good at all and Remy was worried for her.
"You jus' rest chere. Everyt'ing going t' be ok." He said trying to reassure her.
"What about Rogue? We have to find her and try to explain." Storm tried to straighten up fully.
Remy didn't want to upset her anymore than she was, so he decided to keep his visit with Rogue earlier to himself for the time being.
"We will chere, but not now. You need t' rest." Remy insisted.
Remy closed the door to Ororo's room and made his way to his own.
As Remy walked down the hall, he groaned as he saw two people walking in his direction, Bobby and Warren.
"Great," said Remy under his breath.
As they narrowed the distance, Remy resolved to just walk by and ignore them
"Just coming from Storm's room?" asked Warren, stopping right in front of Remy, blocking him.
Remy knew that a brawl was imminent. He put his hands in his pockets, felt for his cards, and relaxed when he felt them.
"Oui," said Remy, flatly.
"Pretty brave thing to do Gumbo," hissed Bobby.
"Why is dat, Drake?" said Remy leaning up against the wall, trying to look as casual as possible.
"Because Rogue is gone again because of you!" yelled Bobby, turning into his ice form.
______________________________________________________________________________
Nortatem walked into his chamber, instantly becoming annoyed when he saw Lestat sitting in his chair with one leg hanging over the arm of the chair.
"What do you want?" he bellowed.
Lestat grinned at him, "Just thought you'd like an update," he said innocently.
"Well, what is it?"
Lestat stood up, non-chalantly walked over to Nortatem's table, and said, "She has packed her belongings and moved in with Louis."
Nortatem raised an eyebrow questionably at Lestat, "I hope he is not falling for her."
Lestat was shocked, "Why would he do that?"
Nortatem just chuckled and walked over to his chair and said; "You are blind aren't you."
Lestat got angry, "What would you know. Everything is as it should be. She believes Remy has cheated on her and that the X-men are really not her friends."
"I just want you BOTH to be clear on this point. I want her to be a complete emotional wreck when she gets here. I want her to think that boyfriend of hers doesn't care about her at all. I want her to believe her friends have used her from the beginning. I want her to not know whether she is coming or going. I want you to tell Louis to take the mind games up a notch." Nortatem said while pointing at Lestat
Lestat let out a sigh, biting his tongue until he could take care of this creature once and for all.
Lestat put on a fake smile and said, "Fine, I'll tell him. But I think you are worrying too much."
Now it was Nortatem's turn to become angry, " Don't take this too lightly my little vamp. I have been waiting for someone like her for 300 years, a great deal depends on her state of mind. There is no room for error in this matter. I will destroy you and your kind, if you screw this up."
Ok please review, sorry it took so long, but we had trouble with a computer. Also if the dream bothered you don't read any further, that was the equivalant to a hang nail compared to what we have planned so if it bugs you I'll say it again stop reading you've been warned. Also we are dropping tons of subtle hints to what is going to happen so read carefully, but please don't start guessing in the review. Why are you still reading this and not reviewing?
Disclaimer: Not ours, they belong to Marvel, Anne Rice and the song belongs to the Tea Party.
Walking Wounded
Is it safe to look within?
And erase all that's been
And all that's been between is it gone.
Tell me what went wrong,
Cause Baby I'm not that strong
And I'm walking wounded,
All Alone Are you comfortable and numb,
Did they all succumb to all those lies,
Does it satisfy the greed
Is it all you need Is it all you want
Cause baby I'm not that strong
And I'm walking wounded All alone,
If your memories do stray, Then they betray all that's past,
And all that's been between
Is it gone tell me what went wrong
Cause baby I'm not that strong
Rogue was having a beautiful dream; it was her wedding day. She wore an elegant white satin, backless gown, which was covered in lace and beadwork. Her luxurious hair flowing free under her long sheer veil. Rogue looked down at her hands, which were covered with long white satin gloves, and in her hands, she carried a bouquet of long stemmed red roses. She smiled brightly as she walked down the aisle towards a man in a tux, for some reason she could feel the love he had for her. She assumed that it was Remy but his face was a blur to her.
As Rogue continued down the aisle she turned to look at her guests, Logan was sitting with Ororo, and he had his arm draped around her shoulders as if he was trying to offer her comfort. They were both dressed in black clothes as if going to a funeral. Logan turned his head to look at Rogue and met her gaze; he returned the look with cold hatred.
"Well, if they're not happy, why are they here?" she wondered, then turned to look at Jean and Scott.
Disappointment didn't even begin to describe the look they gave her. Like Logan and Storm, Jean was wearing black but Scott wasn't. He wore a blue suit, which made Rogue question what was happening.
"Why are they in black and he's not," she thought to herself.
Scott was looking at his wife with such sadness it made her shudder. Rogue turned her head to the other side of the church and saw Warren and Betsy watching her. Again Warren was in black and Betsy was dressed in a long purple dress. Betsy was looking at Rogue with such loathing that it reminded her of the way Betsy looked at Sabretooth.
Rogue turned and concentrated on the man before her and as she approached him, his face became clear. It was Louis. Rogue was shocked and she tried to step back, but he grabbed her hand and said, "Wake up sleepyhead." Rogue just blankly stared at Louis; confusion seemed to overwhelm her.
Rogue felt something warm and wet on her dress. She looked down and was horrified to see blood. She tried to scream but it only came out as a whimper. Rogue watched, as the roses seemed to bleed on her, their deep red color leaking onto her white dress. The blood trickled into little drops and then drizzled down to the floor. She dropped her flowers and covered her mouth with her hands, when she noticed her white gloves were covered in blood too. It started as a small spot, but seemed to grow until her gloves were soaked in blood. She turned to her teammates for help but was horrified as she looked at them.
Logan and Ororo just sat in the pews weeping, but they were not normal tears, they cried tears of blood. Rogue spun around to face Jean and Scott. Jean was crying blood also as Scott held her trying to comfort her. Rogue heard a noise from the back of the church, she turned to look and saw Warren in the aisle. He laid on the ground unconscious; his wings had been ripped from his body. What unnerved Rogue was that he had streaks of blood that running from his closed eyes and making his blonde hair wet with the fluid. Betsy was lying over his body crying and screaming his name.
"Chere?" said a voice from behind her.
Rogue spun around and in front of her was Remy. 'Why is he in full battle gear?' was her first thought. He held an open bible in his right hand and a red rose in his left. The rose began to bleed, Rogue watched the trail of blood staining Remy's gloves and his exposed fingers while little droplets spilled onto the floor. Rogue looked in to his eyes; he stared back at her with contempt, his glowing red eyes gleaming demonically. Rogue reached out a hand towards him but he just shoved the rose into her hand. Rogue stared at it but dropped it to the floor when it began to wilt. She looked to Remy for an explanation but he just laughed.
"Dis is all your fault chere," said Remy, pointing towards their friends.
"How is this my fault?" asked Rogue, bewildered.
"You let me go chere," he laughed as though it should be obvious.
"I let ya go?" she questioned.
Remy walked towards Rogue, she noticed how hollow his eyes were and that his lips were a pale blue. Rogue watched in horror as Remy raised his hand to his chest. He looked as if he was going to make a pledge to her, he smiled wickedly at her for a moment then he thrust his fist through his own chest. His hand disappeared up to his wrist and then he pulled it out again covered in blood. His fist clutching a gory mass and a jagged, grisly cavity was all that remained in the center of his chest. Rogue was paralyzed with fear as he handed her his still beating heart.
"You let go of dis, chere," he started to laugh wickedly.
Remy turned towards Louis who was just standing watching the events.
"She is your problem now," said Remy coldly.
Remy threw his heart against the wall and watched as it slowly moved down the wall, leaving a trial of blood. As it fell to the ground still beating, Remy turned back to Rogue.
"No need for dat anymore neh?" he then started to walk away from Rogue but she grabbed his arm.
"What are ya talking about?" she screamed, pulling his arm trying to make him stop.
Remy turned to face Rogue; he grabbed her arms and shoved her towards Louis. She fell to the ground at Louis' feet and as she looked back at him, she gasped. He was now crying tears of blood too.
"I will never forgive you chere," with that said he turned and walked out of the church, slamming the door behind him.
Rogue started to scream "No!" Louis dropped to his knees in front of her, he stared at her for a brief moment, and he too started to cry blood. Rogue covered her face with her bloodstained gloves and started to scream hysterically, "This is just a dream. This isn't happening to me."
Louis put his hand under Rogue's chin, looking into her eyes he said forcefully, "Rogue wake up."
Rogue sat up in bed and started screaming Louis was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Are you ok? You were making noises so I came in to check on you," he asked concerned.
Rogue covered her face and took several deep breaths. When her heart stopped pounding in her chest, she looked at Louis. At the sight of him her horrible dream faded from her mind, almost instantly. His hair was a disheveled mess; she almost laughed at how cute he looked until she realized Remy looked exactly the same way when he just woke up.
"Are you ok?" he asked again.
"Ah'm fine, I think?" she said a little dazed.
Louis put his hand under Rogue's chin lifting it slightly; he then began to examine her neck.
"What are you doing?" said Rogue, the dream now completely forgotten.
"Oh nothing, just making sure it's still attached," said Louis, standing up.
"You're weird sugah," said Rogue sitting up and stretching her arms into the air.
"You don't know the half of it," said Louis laughing, "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah, I'm starved. What time is it?" said Rogue looking for a clock, she figured it must still be early because it was dark outside.
"It's seven."
Rogue looked at the window; she turned back to Louis and asked, "Seven? Shouldn't the sun be up, sugah."
"It's seven in the evening Rogue," laughed Louis.
"What!" yelled Rogue, jumping out of bed and running to the window.
"Oh my, Ah never slept that long before," said Rogue in amazement.
""I will fetch us some breakfast," said Louis turning to leave but paused, "or would you prefer supper?"
Rogue was still staring out the window, but turned to Louis; "Breakfast would be great."
"Coming right up," said Louis, closing the door.
Rogue turned back to the window and stared out at the city lights. Her mind began to wonder and she thought about Remy. She had this feeling that there was something she needed to tell him but couldn't remember what exactly it was. The harder she tried to recall her thoughts the more quickly they slipped away. The only memory that she could recall with clarity was the scene of him in bed with Storm. Rogue sighed and decided to push that thought from her mind and get ready to go down for breakfast. She grabbed her jeans and another dress shirt from the drawer, dressed and raced from the room.
Rogue made her way down to the dining room to find Louis already there waiting for her. The table was set for two with the most exquisite china she had ever seen. The breakfast was already laid out on the table and ready to serve.
"Mmmmm that smells good," Rogue said. "Ah'm starvin'."
They sat down to breakfast and Rogue was pleased to find that the comfortable conversation from the night before picked up where it had left off. It was unusually comfortable actually. Rogue discovered she was discussing things that she didn't even discuss with her closest friends and it felt right.
"So how did you sleep?" Louis asked as he dished some eggs on to her plate.
"Great except for this dream I had. I just can't believe I slept that long," said Rogue as she picked up her fork.
"You must have needed it," Louis concluded, again sounding concerned. "Do you remember what upset you in your dream?"
Rogue thought about it and for some reason she couldn't remember what it was.
"Ah'm not sure," she said her brow furrowing in concentration.
"Does it have anything to do with what happened yesterday?" asked Louis.
Rogue's thoughts were brought back to the whole reason she was with this man in the first place, Remy, and Ororo. Her face immediately displayed her change in mood.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Louis asked, reaching out to touch her ungloved hand.
Rogue looked down and remembered. She could touch him. Her mind began to swim, how could she touch him? In her confused state, she began talking. She told him about her powers about how she came to be with the X-men. She also talked of how she found Remy with Storm. As she came to the end of the story and how she happened upon him in the park, in spite of herself, she started to cry.
Louis seemed to take the barrage of information in stride. And although Rogue half expected him to respond in disgust to the revelation that she was a mutant, he instead reached up and caressed her face. With his thumb he brushed away her tear and spoke softly, "It sounds like Remy hasn't changed much."
Rogue broke from her tearful trance to remember that Louis did know Remy. "What do you mean?"
Louis averted his gaze and said, "I am not sure if this is the time Rogue, if ever you would want to hear about Remy or the rest of the X-men for that matter."
"What do you mean?" Rogue repeated "I want to know"
"Well I know Remy from New Orleans and he was a bit of a womanizer then, but at the time he was with a woman named BellaDonna," Louis started then let it drop when he saw the effect it was having on Rogue. "I told you. You don't need to hear this now."
"Don't worry about telling me about her, I know all about her. No, I want to hear everything. You mentioned the X-men. What do you know about them?" Rogue asked.
"I know that they are just using you Rogue," Louis stated matter of factly, still refusing to look her in the eyes.
Rogue's eyes went wide, "What are you talking about?"
Louis turned his head slightly, his black hair falling in front of his green eyes; "It's simple Rogue. From what I know of Remy, and from what you've told me of the X-men. I know exactly what they are doing to you." Louis again took her hand in his in a trusting manner.
"They know about your mutation and how painful and confusing it is for you to have all these personalities in your head. Yet, they continue to put you in situations where you are forced to use your powers. Worse, yet use them against the most psychotic people on the planet. To absorb such minds can only hurt you, yet they still put you in that position."
Rogue thought for a moment. Now she really was confused. Could the X-men not have her best interests at heart. They had given up on helping her control her powers.
"They probably talk of helping you, but have they? Remy has declared his undying devotion to more than one woman," Louis changed the subject when it looked like Rogue was getting angry again, "but at the moment that is neither here nor there. You know I know someone who might be able to help you."
Rogue's expression only changed slightly. From confused to a 'deer caught in the headlights' look.
"You do? How? How can they help me?"
"With magic Rogue," Louis
"What?" said Rogue.
"I would love to tell you all about it but not right now...There is something I want to ask you," Louis said and seemed all of a sudden shy.
"What? What do you want to ask?" Rogue said trying to bring back the confident man from a moment ago.
"Rogue, I know that we've only just met, but would you...?" Louis' voice trailed off.
"What?" Rogue asked.
"Would you consider staying here for a while longer with me?"
Rogue couldn't believe she was doing this but it felt right. "Yah, I think I'd like to do that."
Louis smiled "Would you like me to accompany you back to your house to get some of your belongs? Just so you can be more comfortable here."
"Please" she answered with a smile.
Rogue and Louis stood up from the table and began to clean up the dishes from the table. It suddenly occurred to Rogue that Louis hadn't eaten but she just thought that maybe he had eaten before she woke up.
_____________________________________________________
Both Storm and Remy had been the subject of much gossip and disapproving looks for the entire day. Storm earlier that day had decided to avoid the stares and stay in her room. She wasn't feeling up to people anyway. She dozed off sometime around five.
She awoke from her slumber to see Logan straddling a chair, with his arms crossed on the back of it. He watched her while she slept.
"Logan?" said Storm, trying to clear the fog from her mind.
"Hey 'Ro," said Logan watching her intensely.
"Have you come here to throw insults at me too?" she said, closing her eyes to stop the room from spinning again.
Logan sat there and stared at Storm, he was incredibly disappointed in her but her beauty sometimes overwhelmed him. He had strong feelings about what happened, but he wasn't sure if it was jealousy or if he was mad because the situation hurt Rogue. He needed to get out of her room until he figured out his feelings.
"Sorry to wake ya darlin'. I'll talk to you later when you feel better," he said, as he stood up to leave.
Storm kept her eyes closed, and she prayed to the Goddess that she wouldn't cry in front of Logan. She heard Logan open the door to her room and she whispered, "I'm sorry."
Logan stopped, he turned around, and noticed Ororo's eyes were still closed. He could smell the regret coming off of her in waves.
"Me too darlin', me too," he said closing the door behind him.
_____________________________________________________
Remy too had been in hiding most of the day. He couldn't face his friends and say nothing happened when he wasn't even sure nothing did. After a few hours of solitude, he decided to venture out for a walk down the hall to get some aspirin to try and rid his head of the pain he was in. As he passed by Rogue's room, he could hear someone inside rummaging around. He cautiously opened the door, eager to catch the intruder in the act. He stopped cold when he caught sight of who the intruder was. Remy's heart sank as he watched Rogue throw her clothes into a suitcase on her bed.
"Rogue, What are you doing?" Remy said, coming full into the room. Maybe he could straighten everything out here and now, he hoped.
Rogue stiffened at the sound of Remy's voice. She was angry with herself that he had caught her crying again. She wanted him to think she didn't give a damn.
"Ah'm packin, what's it look like. Now will you please get out of my room!" Rogue growled at him, not even turning to look at him.
"No chere," said Remy crossing the distance between them.
Rogue spun around to face Remy and hissed, "Either you can leave by the door or you can get out using the window sugah. It's your choice."
"Chere, please listen t' me," Remy pleaded, he reached out and grabbed Rogue's arm.
Rogue looked down at Remy touching her and she jerked her arm away, "What the hell do ya want from me."
"I only wan' you chere," whispered Remy sadly.
Rogue turned to look at Remy incredulously; she laughed with contempt and walked past him to her dresser that was smashed to pieces. Remy turned and watched Rogue as she jerked the broken drawer from what was left of the dresser and then walked passed him silently and emptied the contents into her suitcase.
Rogue threw the dresser drawer into the corner of her room, as she walked by Remy she said, "Get out."
"Chere, please," said Remy, watching her walk by him again with another drawer in her arms.
"Don't play your games with me," said Rogue as she dumped the clothes out of the drawer, "we are finished."
"I didn' cheat on you."
Rogue snapped her head up and stared at him for a minute. "Then what would you call it," she said in astonishment.
Remy sat on the edge of Rogue's bed, putting his hands over his face, "I don' know what happened, I swear."
Rogue started to throw her clothes in her suitcase, and with every word she spoke she threw another article of clothing into it forcefully, "Tell that to Candra, Andrea, Clare, Genevieve and...."
Rogue paused with a look of concentration, then looked at Remy "what was that nun's name again?" she asked.
Remy sat staring at Rogue, he was shocked that she knew about them. Remy sighed and decided that it wouldn't help him at all to deny it.
"She wasn't a nun yet and her name was Katrina," said Remy, "And we were not toget'er."
"Whatever," said Rogue, zipping up her suitcase. Rogue looked up suddenly, and said, "Oh and let's not forget your WIFE now."
Rogue walked over to her closet, biting her lip to stop herself from crying again. She opened the door, grabbed another suitcase, and threw it on her bed.
Remy was furious now, Rogue being angry he could take, but this cold indifference hurt him to his very core. Remy stood up and walked to the door, with his back to Rogue he said, "Who are you running t' dis time? Petey? Or are you gonna bring home anot'er Joe?"
Rogue spun around, "How dare you," she screamed at his back.
Remy hung his head in defeat, his bangs covering his tired eyes. He decided on a different approach, "Don't go, chere," whispered Remy.
Rogue turned her full attention back to Remy. She thought he had said, "Don't let me go," and had a sudden feeling of déjà vu and it terrified her.
"What did ya say?" she said, wondering why that would affect her so much.
Remy looked at Rogue curiously for a moment. She appeared to be distraught for some reason.
"I said, don' go, chere," he said almost pleadingly.
Rogue eyes narrowed and ignored the terrified feeling she had. She continued to storm around the room grabbing items.
Remy watched Rogue for a few minutes, then decided he had better give her some space.
"You do what you gotta do, chere," said Remy in a defeated voice, as he was leaving.
Rogue snarled, "No I'm not running to Petey and no, I won't bring this boy home."
Remy stopped suddenly in the doorway and turned around, noticing for the first time that she was wearing a mans dress shirt.
"Dats always de problem chere. You trust everyone but me, you'd rat'er be wit' anybody but me," said Remy quietly.
Rogue was stunned; she could tell by his eyes that she might as well as put a knife through his heart. Her words of another man hurt him, they way he spoke made her want to cry. She was about to tell him she was sorry but he spoke before she could say anything.
"I am sorry I could never be de one you ran t'."
With that, Remy walked out, slamming Rogue's door behind him. He leaned against the door, trying to compose himself before he lost control of his powers and started to blow up everything around him. He looked down at his hands and watched as they started to glow orange. He jumped as he heard Rogue throw something glass against the wall.
"Je t'aime Rogue," Remy whispered as he left for his room.
Rogue sat on the end of the bed with her hands over her face, crying. She looked up and saw a picture of her and Remy; she leaned over and picked it up. She stared at it for a moment; the rage came back full force. With a cry, she hurled it against the wall and watched the glass fly in every direction. Rogue stood up and grabbed both suitcases, without a backward glance, she kicked in the board that was used to cover her window and she flew off to meet Louis.
Remy went back to his room and slammed the door behind him. He walked over to his bed and sat down completely exhausted. He placed his head in his hands and fought back the tears as he recalled the horrible day.
'How did everyt'ing get so messed up? Mon dieu, I can' lose her now, not like dis.' he thought.
Then the headache was back stronger than ever, as well as the nausea this time. Ever since his night out with Storm, he had felt terrible. This had to be more than just a hangover but he couldn't remember how much he had to drink. In fact, he couldn't remember anything at all after the drinks had arrived at their table. He forced himself to get up again and head down to Beast's med. lab.
As soon as Remy entered the lab, he saw Beast talking to Storm who was sitting on the examining table. Both turned to see Remy enter. Remy noticed that Storm was not looking very well herself.
"Ahh...and here is your partner in crime," Hank said in a condescending tone. "You two should set yourselves limits when you indulge yourself."
"I only remember one," Remy said defensively.
"And I had an ice tea." Storm added
Beast turned to look at her incredulously, "But you told me you were experiencing headaches, nausea, and lost time, and now your telling me you had nothing alcoholic to drink?"
"Yes," Storm said emphatically, while Remy nodded in agreement.
Beast looked them both over for a moment trying to determine if this could be the truth. Finally he pulled up a chair and sat down. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes then spoke, his tone much less accusing this time. "And you Remy. Are you suffering from these same symptoms?"
Remy nodded, holding his stomach, clearly indicating that the sick feeling was returning
"Could one of you please tell me exactly what happened last night?" Beast asked to the pair.
Storm and Remy looked at each other, silently communicating who should do the talking. Finally Storm spoke. "We went out last night to a club. You know the one we usually go to have a couple of refreshments and listen to music?"
Beast nodded, he indeed knew the club she was talking about.
"I think it would have been in both of your best interests if you had graced Harry's with your presence," said Hank
Ororo continued, "Well we sat at a table and ordered some drinks. I ordered an ice tea and Remy ordered a Southern Comfort. The drinks arrived, we paid the waitress and I don't remember anything after that." Storm was visibly upset by the time she finished telling her tale. The implications of lost time for a woman were very scary, especially for Ororo considering that she had to keep control of her powers at all times.
Beast turned to Remy to see if he had anything to add. "And you?"
"I can' remember a single t'ing after de drinks came, not till dis morning" Remy said. He then moved over to Storm and put his hand on her back. She was upset and he wanted to reassure her and let her know it would be ok.
Beast sat for a moment contemplating the situation then spoke, "Will you two allow me to take a blood analysis? Maybe we can get to the bottom of this."
Both agreed.
"If the analysis is negative would one of you be so inclined to have Jean take a look?" asked Beast
Storm saw the look on Remy's face and instantly knew what he was thinking.
"I would have no problem letting Jean in," she said.
Before letting the pair leave the lab Beast said, "You two go and rest while I run these. I'll let you know what I find as soon as they are done, probably in a couple of hours."
Remy walked Storm back to her room so she could lie down. She didn't look good at all and Remy was worried for her.
"You jus' rest chere. Everyt'ing going t' be ok." He said trying to reassure her.
"What about Rogue? We have to find her and try to explain." Storm tried to straighten up fully.
Remy didn't want to upset her anymore than she was, so he decided to keep his visit with Rogue earlier to himself for the time being.
"We will chere, but not now. You need t' rest." Remy insisted.
Remy closed the door to Ororo's room and made his way to his own.
As Remy walked down the hall, he groaned as he saw two people walking in his direction, Bobby and Warren.
"Great," said Remy under his breath.
As they narrowed the distance, Remy resolved to just walk by and ignore them
"Just coming from Storm's room?" asked Warren, stopping right in front of Remy, blocking him.
Remy knew that a brawl was imminent. He put his hands in his pockets, felt for his cards, and relaxed when he felt them.
"Oui," said Remy, flatly.
"Pretty brave thing to do Gumbo," hissed Bobby.
"Why is dat, Drake?" said Remy leaning up against the wall, trying to look as casual as possible.
"Because Rogue is gone again because of you!" yelled Bobby, turning into his ice form.
______________________________________________________________________________
Nortatem walked into his chamber, instantly becoming annoyed when he saw Lestat sitting in his chair with one leg hanging over the arm of the chair.
"What do you want?" he bellowed.
Lestat grinned at him, "Just thought you'd like an update," he said innocently.
"Well, what is it?"
Lestat stood up, non-chalantly walked over to Nortatem's table, and said, "She has packed her belongings and moved in with Louis."
Nortatem raised an eyebrow questionably at Lestat, "I hope he is not falling for her."
Lestat was shocked, "Why would he do that?"
Nortatem just chuckled and walked over to his chair and said; "You are blind aren't you."
Lestat got angry, "What would you know. Everything is as it should be. She believes Remy has cheated on her and that the X-men are really not her friends."
"I just want you BOTH to be clear on this point. I want her to be a complete emotional wreck when she gets here. I want her to think that boyfriend of hers doesn't care about her at all. I want her to believe her friends have used her from the beginning. I want her to not know whether she is coming or going. I want you to tell Louis to take the mind games up a notch." Nortatem said while pointing at Lestat
Lestat let out a sigh, biting his tongue until he could take care of this creature once and for all.
Lestat put on a fake smile and said, "Fine, I'll tell him. But I think you are worrying too much."
Now it was Nortatem's turn to become angry, " Don't take this too lightly my little vamp. I have been waiting for someone like her for 300 years, a great deal depends on her state of mind. There is no room for error in this matter. I will destroy you and your kind, if you screw this up."
Ok please review, sorry it took so long, but we had trouble with a computer. Also if the dream bothered you don't read any further, that was the equivalant to a hang nail compared to what we have planned so if it bugs you I'll say it again stop reading you've been warned. Also we are dropping tons of subtle hints to what is going to happen so read carefully, but please don't start guessing in the review. Why are you still reading this and not reviewing?