Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men.
A/N: Here's a key that will help make the story a little bit easier to read:
' ' Thought
" "Spoken word
Dreams
Chapter 5
He was silent. Not an angry silent, but a disbelieving silent. Remy carefully looked over at the sleep woman next to him.
Wearing a pair of faded jeans and a long sleeve button down shirt, she sat, curled up in a ball in the copilot chair beside him. Her white bangs had fallen in her face, blocking her tear stained face from his gaze.
How he wished that he could reach over and push her hair out of the way and wipe away the teardrops from her face. But he couldn't; he knew that; and it was killing him.
Sighing, Remy turned his attention back out the window. He hadn't expected this, never in a million years. With six small words, Rogue had changed his entire outlook on life. After she declared that her powers had turned against her; she had collapsed against the dresser. Grabbing the blanket off the bed, he had wrapped her in it, carried her onto the balcony and held her close as she cried herself to sleep.
He sat there like that, holding her close to his heart for the entire day. Not once did he think of putting her down; for he needed to hold her, even if it was through a blanket. For the first time in his life, he felt utterly helpless.
Watching the clouds blow by the window, Remy thought about fate and destiny. Why had they both decided to deal Rogue and himself an awful hand of cards? The cards that they had been dealt would have made most gamblers fold before the first bet. But they had played with what was handed to them, but would it cost Rogue her life?
The beeping sound of the X-jet coming off the autopilot brought Remy out of his thoughts.
Slowly, with one hand, Remy reached over to her and grabbed her clothed shoulder. "Chere, we're home."
Though her eyes popped open, her green gaze was still clouded with sleep. "Already? Whad ya do, break the all-time speed record gettin us home?" A small smile crossed her face, but quickly faded as the mansion came into view. Rogue kept her eyes focused out the window in front of her; the silence returned.
Remy wanted to tell her something that would assure her, but for once, he was at a loss for words. 'What does someone tell the person they love when they're dying? I know that telling her "Everything will be all right" would be a bold-faced lie, for I don't know if they will or not.' He gave himself a mental shake. He hadn't come to terms with what she had told; probably never would. But he would be there, helping her every way that he could.
"Remy, ya pull on that anymore and ya'll have to land the jet without it."
Looking down, Remy noticed his white-knuckled grip on the steering column. He loosened his grip on the controls and flashed her a casual smile. "Just making sure ya hadn't fallen asleep on me again, Petite."
With little effort, Remy landed the jet in the hidden hanger. As he flipped off the switches, he notices Rogue's defeated look.
'I can't go in there and pretend that everything's fine when it isn't. No one will believe me after the way that I took off.' Hanging her head in her hands, Rogue held of the urge to cry. 'Crying won't do you any good.' Running her shaky hands through her short auburn hair, she tried to regain her composure.
Remy crouched down beside her. "I have no idea what you're goin through, Chere. But ya can't keep it bottled up inside ya. The X-Men take care of their own, right? Let us help you." Turning her face toward his with a gloved hand, he added, "Let me help you."
A solitary tear fell down her face. "Okay, Remy." He rose as she stood up. For a moment, they stared at each other.
'I need you, Remy.'
'I'll always be there for you, Rogue.'
Putting his arm around her shoulders, Remy lead her off the plane and into the mansion.
****************
She was happy to find the mansion deserted. She didn't want to deal with the puzzled looks and questioning gazes she would be subjected to.
Sighing a breath of relief, Rogue followed Remy into the kitchen. She sat down on one of the stool to the breakfast bar while Remy rummaged through the refrigerator and cabinets.
"Ya haven't eaten in two days. Remy, make you some lunch. Ya need to keep up your strength."
Rogue smiled as he continued to open and close various cabinets in the kitchen. "Ya'd think wit all the people livin here, there'd be plenty of food in dis place." Finally, he was able to locate some bread, cold-cuts and mustard. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "Dis ain't no Po-Boy, but it'll do for now." Within a couple of minutes, he plopped down a huge sandwich in front of her.
She wasn't at all hungry, but she didn't have the heart to turn away the meal he made for her. Slowly, she picked up the sandwich and took a bite. She laughed as she said, "Ya know somethin Cajun, you're not half bad in the kitchen."
"Why thank you, Chere."
The rest of the meal was taken in silence. When she couldn't force herself to eat anymore, she pushed the plate toward him. "Remy, Ah'm stuffed." He only looked at her for a second before grabbing the plate, throwing away the rest of the sandwich and putting it in the dishwasher.
The sound of approaching voices nearly sent Rogue into a panic attack. Remy froze when he saw her widened eyes. Her frightened eyes. "They're goin to find out sooner or later, Chere."
Pushing off the stool, she sent him a pleading look. "Later, Remy. Ah'll tell them later. Promise me you won't say anything. Promise me?"
Remy ran a hand through his messy main of hair. "I promise, Rogue." She fled the kitchen through the back door while Storm and Beast entered into the kitchen through the main entrance.
Upon seeing Remy in the kitchen, Storm smiled. "So, you're back. I take it that you found our AWOL team member?" She questioned.
"Yea, Rogue's upstairs unpacking as we speak." Remy turned to her, a serious look etched on his face. "Stormy, where's the Prof? I really need to talk with him."
Throwing Remy a confused look, she replied, "He's in the study. Remy, is everything all right?"
Placing a hand on her shoulder, Remy somewhat smiled. "Thank you, Storm. But I can't talk about it right now. You will know soon enough." Turning, he left the room.
"What was that all about?" Beast asked, a perplexed look on his face.
"I have no idea, but any time you see our happy-go-lucky Cajun with a serious look on his face, you know that it's not a good thing."
****************
She slammed the door to her bedroom and turned the lock. 'Not like that is going to keep this thing out of my life.' She thought as she walked over and fell on the bed. Grabbing one of her pillows, she hugged it tight against her body.
"I hear you're picking up bad habits from that Cajun, river rat."
Mentally sighing, she turned and found Logan sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the room. 'See, locks never work in this place.' Pulling herself up into a sitting position, she asked, "Haven't you ever heard of knockin and privacy?"
Drawing a drag off of his cigarette, he replied, "Yup. Overrated. Okay, river rat, what secrets are you keeping from me this time?"
Taken back by his bluntness, Rogue said, "Secrets? What are you talking about?"
Clearing his throat, he proceeded to list a few. "Let's see there was the time you went to Dr. Agee's lab; searching for Remy in Antarctica; and I know that your real name isn't 'Marie'...would you like me to continue?"
"All right! Ah get the picture already." Rogue turned her face into the pillow she had been holding. 'What had Remy said? "They're going to find out sooner or later" Well I guess it was sooner than I thought.'
Lifting her head, she looked at Logan through the tears in her eyes. Her voice barely above a whisper, she simply said, "I'm dying."
Had Sabertooth jumped him from behind, he wouldn't have been more shocked. He repeated her statement, making sure he had heard her correctly. "You're dying?" As Rogue shook her head, he got up from the chair and sat down on the edge of her bed.
"The Professor has been runnin tests for the past two months. It seems mah powers have finally turned against me."
"But the Prof found the cure, right?"
"Not yet."
An awkward silence spread between them. Logan took a deep breath and asked, "Who else knows?"
" 'Sides you, only the Professor and Remy. No one else knows, not even..."
"Mystique?"
"Not yet."
Logan sat there, staring at her hung head. He had seen her upset before, but never defeated, not until today. "Don't worry, Rogue. The Professor will find a cure."
Rogue looked up at him and thought, 'We'll see.' but she said to him, "If you don't mind, Wolvy, I need to get some rest."
Logan looked at her for a long minute. "Are you going to be okay?"
"I'm fine, just tired."
"All right. I will leave you alone" Placing a hand on hers, he added, "Remember, you aren't going through this alone." Pushing away from the bed, Logan left the room.
Once the door was closed, Rogue jumped off the bed and walked to the window. 'We'll since you got the ball rollin, you might as well go talk to her.' Opening the window, Rogue jumped through it and headed toward Manhattan.
A/N: Here's a key that will help make the story a little bit easier to read:
' ' Thought
" "Spoken word
Dreams
Chapter 5
He was silent. Not an angry silent, but a disbelieving silent. Remy carefully looked over at the sleep woman next to him.
Wearing a pair of faded jeans and a long sleeve button down shirt, she sat, curled up in a ball in the copilot chair beside him. Her white bangs had fallen in her face, blocking her tear stained face from his gaze.
How he wished that he could reach over and push her hair out of the way and wipe away the teardrops from her face. But he couldn't; he knew that; and it was killing him.
Sighing, Remy turned his attention back out the window. He hadn't expected this, never in a million years. With six small words, Rogue had changed his entire outlook on life. After she declared that her powers had turned against her; she had collapsed against the dresser. Grabbing the blanket off the bed, he had wrapped her in it, carried her onto the balcony and held her close as she cried herself to sleep.
He sat there like that, holding her close to his heart for the entire day. Not once did he think of putting her down; for he needed to hold her, even if it was through a blanket. For the first time in his life, he felt utterly helpless.
Watching the clouds blow by the window, Remy thought about fate and destiny. Why had they both decided to deal Rogue and himself an awful hand of cards? The cards that they had been dealt would have made most gamblers fold before the first bet. But they had played with what was handed to them, but would it cost Rogue her life?
The beeping sound of the X-jet coming off the autopilot brought Remy out of his thoughts.
Slowly, with one hand, Remy reached over to her and grabbed her clothed shoulder. "Chere, we're home."
Though her eyes popped open, her green gaze was still clouded with sleep. "Already? Whad ya do, break the all-time speed record gettin us home?" A small smile crossed her face, but quickly faded as the mansion came into view. Rogue kept her eyes focused out the window in front of her; the silence returned.
Remy wanted to tell her something that would assure her, but for once, he was at a loss for words. 'What does someone tell the person they love when they're dying? I know that telling her "Everything will be all right" would be a bold-faced lie, for I don't know if they will or not.' He gave himself a mental shake. He hadn't come to terms with what she had told; probably never would. But he would be there, helping her every way that he could.
"Remy, ya pull on that anymore and ya'll have to land the jet without it."
Looking down, Remy noticed his white-knuckled grip on the steering column. He loosened his grip on the controls and flashed her a casual smile. "Just making sure ya hadn't fallen asleep on me again, Petite."
With little effort, Remy landed the jet in the hidden hanger. As he flipped off the switches, he notices Rogue's defeated look.
'I can't go in there and pretend that everything's fine when it isn't. No one will believe me after the way that I took off.' Hanging her head in her hands, Rogue held of the urge to cry. 'Crying won't do you any good.' Running her shaky hands through her short auburn hair, she tried to regain her composure.
Remy crouched down beside her. "I have no idea what you're goin through, Chere. But ya can't keep it bottled up inside ya. The X-Men take care of their own, right? Let us help you." Turning her face toward his with a gloved hand, he added, "Let me help you."
A solitary tear fell down her face. "Okay, Remy." He rose as she stood up. For a moment, they stared at each other.
'I need you, Remy.'
'I'll always be there for you, Rogue.'
Putting his arm around her shoulders, Remy lead her off the plane and into the mansion.
****************
She was happy to find the mansion deserted. She didn't want to deal with the puzzled looks and questioning gazes she would be subjected to.
Sighing a breath of relief, Rogue followed Remy into the kitchen. She sat down on one of the stool to the breakfast bar while Remy rummaged through the refrigerator and cabinets.
"Ya haven't eaten in two days. Remy, make you some lunch. Ya need to keep up your strength."
Rogue smiled as he continued to open and close various cabinets in the kitchen. "Ya'd think wit all the people livin here, there'd be plenty of food in dis place." Finally, he was able to locate some bread, cold-cuts and mustard. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "Dis ain't no Po-Boy, but it'll do for now." Within a couple of minutes, he plopped down a huge sandwich in front of her.
She wasn't at all hungry, but she didn't have the heart to turn away the meal he made for her. Slowly, she picked up the sandwich and took a bite. She laughed as she said, "Ya know somethin Cajun, you're not half bad in the kitchen."
"Why thank you, Chere."
The rest of the meal was taken in silence. When she couldn't force herself to eat anymore, she pushed the plate toward him. "Remy, Ah'm stuffed." He only looked at her for a second before grabbing the plate, throwing away the rest of the sandwich and putting it in the dishwasher.
The sound of approaching voices nearly sent Rogue into a panic attack. Remy froze when he saw her widened eyes. Her frightened eyes. "They're goin to find out sooner or later, Chere."
Pushing off the stool, she sent him a pleading look. "Later, Remy. Ah'll tell them later. Promise me you won't say anything. Promise me?"
Remy ran a hand through his messy main of hair. "I promise, Rogue." She fled the kitchen through the back door while Storm and Beast entered into the kitchen through the main entrance.
Upon seeing Remy in the kitchen, Storm smiled. "So, you're back. I take it that you found our AWOL team member?" She questioned.
"Yea, Rogue's upstairs unpacking as we speak." Remy turned to her, a serious look etched on his face. "Stormy, where's the Prof? I really need to talk with him."
Throwing Remy a confused look, she replied, "He's in the study. Remy, is everything all right?"
Placing a hand on her shoulder, Remy somewhat smiled. "Thank you, Storm. But I can't talk about it right now. You will know soon enough." Turning, he left the room.
"What was that all about?" Beast asked, a perplexed look on his face.
"I have no idea, but any time you see our happy-go-lucky Cajun with a serious look on his face, you know that it's not a good thing."
****************
She slammed the door to her bedroom and turned the lock. 'Not like that is going to keep this thing out of my life.' She thought as she walked over and fell on the bed. Grabbing one of her pillows, she hugged it tight against her body.
"I hear you're picking up bad habits from that Cajun, river rat."
Mentally sighing, she turned and found Logan sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the room. 'See, locks never work in this place.' Pulling herself up into a sitting position, she asked, "Haven't you ever heard of knockin and privacy?"
Drawing a drag off of his cigarette, he replied, "Yup. Overrated. Okay, river rat, what secrets are you keeping from me this time?"
Taken back by his bluntness, Rogue said, "Secrets? What are you talking about?"
Clearing his throat, he proceeded to list a few. "Let's see there was the time you went to Dr. Agee's lab; searching for Remy in Antarctica; and I know that your real name isn't 'Marie'...would you like me to continue?"
"All right! Ah get the picture already." Rogue turned her face into the pillow she had been holding. 'What had Remy said? "They're going to find out sooner or later" Well I guess it was sooner than I thought.'
Lifting her head, she looked at Logan through the tears in her eyes. Her voice barely above a whisper, she simply said, "I'm dying."
Had Sabertooth jumped him from behind, he wouldn't have been more shocked. He repeated her statement, making sure he had heard her correctly. "You're dying?" As Rogue shook her head, he got up from the chair and sat down on the edge of her bed.
"The Professor has been runnin tests for the past two months. It seems mah powers have finally turned against me."
"But the Prof found the cure, right?"
"Not yet."
An awkward silence spread between them. Logan took a deep breath and asked, "Who else knows?"
" 'Sides you, only the Professor and Remy. No one else knows, not even..."
"Mystique?"
"Not yet."
Logan sat there, staring at her hung head. He had seen her upset before, but never defeated, not until today. "Don't worry, Rogue. The Professor will find a cure."
Rogue looked up at him and thought, 'We'll see.' but she said to him, "If you don't mind, Wolvy, I need to get some rest."
Logan looked at her for a long minute. "Are you going to be okay?"
"I'm fine, just tired."
"All right. I will leave you alone" Placing a hand on hers, he added, "Remember, you aren't going through this alone." Pushing away from the bed, Logan left the room.
Once the door was closed, Rogue jumped off the bed and walked to the window. 'We'll since you got the ball rollin, you might as well go talk to her.' Opening the window, Rogue jumped through it and headed toward Manhattan.