I checked, and the disclaimers didn't
escape—they're still in chapter one…
***
*** ***
Rogue stood off to the side as Jean tried to get Remy
stabilized on the X-Jet. Marie kept tell herself that he was going to be okay,
that Jean was a very component doctor, and she could fix him, but Rogue also
knew that Jean could only do so much. Remy had lost a lot of blood, and Jean
had said he was going into shock.
Rogue felt a strong hand on her shoulder, and she
looked up to see St. John. "Hey," he said softly.
She turned around, burying her face in the chest of
her old friend and crying. St. John held her the way he would a sister, trying
to comfort her in a time when he knew nothing could really give her solace.
From the cabin of the jet, Logan looked back to see
Rogue crying over Remy. He growled low in his throat. Gambit shouldn't have
even been there. Marie never should've met him—never should've even left. She
should've just stayed there with Logan. They could've worked things out, he
could've changed.
Logan told himself that for Marie, change would be
easy.
"I told you you'd lose her, too."
Logan looked up, fire in his eyes. "Don't,"
he warned Bobby.
"I'm not afraid of you, Wolverine," Bobby
said. "Never have been. And if you ask me, you got what you deserved. I
never knew why Rogue even wasted her time with you, and it looks like maybe
she's finally wised up. Even a thief is better than you."
Wolverine's unsheathed his claws, and Jubilee jumped
up, quick to come to her husband's defense. "Bobby, stop it," she
said. She glared at Wolverine. "And you, control your temper. You make a
widow, and you die."
Something in her eyes made Wolverine think she was
probably serious—though he wasn't sure exactly how she'd go about killing him.
He slouched in his seat, telling himself that he was wasting his time fighting
with Drake anyway. He wasn't a threat anymore, if he ever even had been.
Remy LeBeau, on the other hand, was definitely a
threat to his territory. And the Wolverine had never backed away from a threat.
*** ***
***
Rogue waited outside the medlab as Jean worked on
Remy. It felt like torture as she sat for hours, desperate for Jean to walk out
and tell her everything was okay. She thought back to before, after the Statue
of Liberty, when it had been Logan who almost died trying to save her. She'd
blamed herself for that, as she now blamed herself for Remy's injury as well.
If anything happened to him after this—if he didn't make it—it would be her
fault.
"Rogue?"
Rogue looked up and the desperation in her eyes made
Jean's heart break. "Is he…is he gonna make it?" Rogue asked, her
voice small and pitiful.
Jean sighed, wishing she had better news. "I
have him stabilized, but he went into shock and now he's in a coma. I'm not
going to lie to you Rogue, his chances of making it aren't very high."
Rogue burst into a whole new fit of tears. Jean
hugged her, trying to comfort her friend. "Can…can I see him?" Rogue
asked.
"If you want. He doesn't look very good right
now, Rogue. It may be worse for you if you go in there."
"I want to, Jean. Please, let me see him."
Jean nodded, knowing she'd feel the same way if it
was Scott laying in there. "Go on, Rogue. I'll be right out here if you
need anything."
Rogue went into the room. She saw Remy's pale form
lying on the bed and gasped, the pain she felt seeing him like that becoming
almost something physical. She walked over to him and sat down in the chair
beside the bed, talking his hand in hers. It felt cold and lifeless, and she
had to stare at him for a moment until she absolutely sure he was really
breathing.
"Hey, Remy," she said softly, reaching up
to push his bangs away from his face. She placed a soft kiss on his forehead.
"I am so sorry," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I
am so sorry. You shouldn't even be here. If it wasn't for me, you'd be back in
Louisiana right now, living your carefree life the way you always did
before."
Rogue stroked his hand with her thumb. "Just
don't die on me, okay? I don't know what I'd do if you died, especially knowing
this is all my fault. You have to wake up. You just have to, Remy…"
She was crying too hard to speak anymore, so she just
held his hand, silently begging him to wake up and live.
*** ***
***
Rogue was curled up in the chair, asleep but still
holding Remy's hand when Jean came in later.
Jean gently shook Rogue awake. "Here, I brought you something to
eat," Jean said, handing Rogue a plate with a sandwich and some apple
slices.
"Thanks," Rogue said groggily, taking the
plate. She took a couple bites of the sandwich, then asked. "How are
things in Washington?"
"Magneto's army was neutralized, and Magneto,
Mystique, and Sabretooth were all captured. It's going to take some rebuilding,
but I think the city will recover."
"Mystique's alive?" Rogue asked. "I
thought Logan gutted her. At least that's what Kitty said."
"He did, but he did the last time he faced her,
too," Jean replied. "I think that she may be able to recover from
injury when she changes form."
"Wish I could've done that when she shot
me," Rogue muttered.
Jean stroked Rogue's hair in an almost-motherly
gesture. "Everything's going to be all right, Rogue. You'll get through
this."
"I don't know if I'll be able to make it if Remy
never wakes up. It's my fault he's there, Jean."
"No, Rogue, it isn't. Don't tell yourself that.
It wasn't your fault that Magneto kidnapped you. It wasn't your fault that
Sabretooth attacked Remy."
"But Remy was trying to save me when he got
involved in this whole thing, and he was trying to save me again when
Sabretooth got him. I ruin everything, Jean. Even when I can control my powers,
everything I touch is cursed. I ruined anything I ever had with Logan, and now
I've gotten Remy killed."
"Rogue, listen to me," Jean said, he voice
stern. "First off, you have not killed Remy. As long as he's breathing, I
refused to give up hope, and you need to do the same. I haven't known him very
long, but I can tell he's an incredibly strong person, and something tells me
that if anyone can beat the odds and pull through, it's him. And second, don't
you dare blame yourself for what happened with Logan. That wasn't your
fault."
"It was, Jean. I pushed him into a relationship
when he didn't want one and then expected him to give me more than he was able
to."
"You didn't do anything out of the ordinary with
Logan," Jean said. "You were young and in love, and you didn't want
to give your chance of having the man of your dreams. And Logan accepted the
relationship, especially when he came back and broke up your engagement to
Bobby. He promised you he'd be there for you, and he fell through on that
promise."
"Sometimes I wonder if I should have just given
him another chance," Rogue said. "If I'd never left Westchester, this
wouldn't be happening now. Maybe I could've been happy with Logan. Maybe we
could've worked things out."
"Almost any woman would've left in your
situation," Jean said. "Heck, I don't think I would've been able to
forgive Scott if he'd run off to see an ex-girlfriend, didn't tell me where,
why, or for how long he was going, and stayed away for four months either."
"I did love Logan, though," Rogue said.
"More than anything. He was the only thing that meant anything to
me." She looked over at Remy. "But now…" Her voice trailed off
as she began to cry again. "Jean, would it be all right if I just slept in
here tonight? I want to be with him…"
"I'd be okay with that," Jean said with a
warm smile. "It would probably be for the best if someone is here when he
wakes up anyway."
Rogue felt a little better at hearing Jean say
"when he wakes up" as opposed to "if he wakes up."
"Thank you, Jean."
Jean stood up. "If you need anything, let me
know. I'm here for you."
"I know."
*** ***
***
For the next three days, Rogue sat by Remy's bedside,
barely sleeping or eating, leaving the room only when it was absolutely
necessary. Jean came in and sat with her some, but the doctor could tell that
Rogue wasn't really up for company. Mainly, Rogue just sat there with Gambit,
pleading for him to wake up.
"Rogue?"
Rogue looked up, still holding on to Remy's hand. She
rarely let him go anymore. "Jubilee?"
"Hey, um, can I talk to you for a minute?"
Jubilee asked.
"Sure, come on in."
Jubilee pulled up a chair and sat down on the other
side of Remy's bed. "How's he doing?" Jubilee asked.
"No change," Rogue said. "I over heard
Jean telling Scott that if he isn't out of the coma by the end of the week, he
probably won't ever wake up."
"Wow. I'm sorry, Rogue."
"Save your condolences for if he actually
dies," Rogue replied.
"You're still mad at me, aren't you?"
Jubilee said.
"I don't know if I'm really mad. Hurt, I guess.
Some of the things you said were hard to get over. You were my best friend,
Jubilation."
"I'm sorry, Rogue. I was wrong. I feel really
bad for the way I treated you. You were right when you said I was putting
intentions on your actions that just weren't the case. I guess I didn't
understand what you felt for Logan, and it made me angry that you would put
yourself through that. I'm sorry. I should've been there for you."
"It's all right."
"Can we maybe put it behind us?" Jubilee
asked. "My biggest regret in life is throwing away the friendship we
had."
Rogue nodded. "Consider it forgotten."
Jubilee looked at Remy for a moment. "Are you
with him now?" she asked.
"Things are sort of complicated between
us," Rogue said. "I guess I'll have to wait until he's better for me
to figure out where we stand."
"Do me a favor, okay?"
"What, Jubes?"
"Whatever you have with Gambit, don't throw it
away for Logan. I don't want to watch him hurt you again."
"I promise you, whatever decision I make in my
love life, it'll be what's for the best," Rogue said.
They sat in silence for a little while longer.
Jubilee played with the rings on her left hand. "Did anyone tell you Bobby
and I are married now?"
"Yeah, I knew. Congratulations," Rogue
said. "I'm sure you'll make her happier than I ever could."
"Thank you," Jubilee replied. "I found
out yesterday that I'm going to have a baby."
Rogue smiled a little. "I'm happy for both of
you."
"Thanks. Bobby and I haven't been married long,
but we really wanted a child."
"I remember Bobby talking about wanting kids
when we were together," Rogue said. "He said he wanted to prove to
himself that he could be a better father than his ever was."
"He will be," Jubilee said.
"I know. And you'll be a great mom."
"Thanks. It means a lot to me for you to say
that." Jubilee took a deep breath. "I guess I've always been insecure
when it comes to you and Bobby. I used to feel like if you wanted him back,
Bobby would've left me in a heartbeat."
"I don't think he would," Rogue said.
"Anything we had is long since past. And don't worry—I'd never try to
steal him from you."
"I know," Jubilee said. "He just loved
you so much. Hard for the woman after to deal with, you know."
"He loved me, yeah, but I doubt he does anymore.
We're definitely over."
Jubilee just smiled. She sat in there with Rogue for
a while, and Rogue found herself actually grateful for the company. It felt good to have her best friend back,
and Rogue felt like she knew where she belonged. She'd enjoyed her time in
Louisiana, but it had never really felt like home.
The mansion was her home, and she knew it always
would be.
*** ***
***
Logan stood in the medlab, watching Marie from the
window looking into the room where Remy was. He glared at the way she touched
Remy so gently, the way her lips formed soft, tender words that even Logan's
hearing couldn't pick up. He hated that she was crying, and he hated that she
was shedding those tears for another man even more so. She was his
Marie, and even when she had left, Logan had been sure that she would come back
to him eventually—that he would have her in his arms again.
He hadn't counted on her falling for anyone else. And
even if she had, Logan had been sure that he could've wooed her back easily. It
certainly hadn't been hard for him to get her away from Bobby Drake. Logan
wasn't sure what Rogue saw in the Cajun thief.
"Probably the same thing she saw in you," Logan
thought to himself. "Apparently she likes 'em a little rough around the
edges."
"You know, if you'd like to be in a coma, too,
I'm sure I could arrange that."
Logan whipped his head around, surprised that anyone
had been able to sneak up on him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean,
Jeannie?"
"It means that you're looking like you'd rather
that be you in there, just so you could have Rogue crying over you the way she
is Remy."
"So what if I do?"
"That's sick."
"I don't need this from you, Jean. I'm havin' to
see the woman I love with some other man. That's not somethin' that's easy to
deal with."
"How do you think Rogue felt when you were off
with Mariko for so long."
"That was different. Nothin' was goin' on with
me an' Mari."
"Don't insult my intelligence like that."
"What are you talkin' about?"
"Don't stand here and try to act like nothing
happened with her while you were gone. I'm not stupid enough to believe
that."
"You readin' my mind or somethin'?"
"I don't need to, Logan. You're not as hard to
figure out as you think."
Logan ran his hand through his hair. "Look Jean,
I'm not sayin' I didn't make some mistakes with Rogue, but I've learned from
them. Living without her has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do, and I
don't wanna have to go through it anymore. I have to get her back."
"I'm sorry Logan, but I think it's too late for
that."
"It can't be, Jeannie. I'm not gonna give up
that easily."
Jean glanced at Rogue and Remy. "Then I think
maybe you better get yourself prepared for disappointment." She walked
off, her heels clicking on the tile floor.
Logan turned back to the window. He knew Jean was
wrong. He would have Marie again.
*** ***
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