Back to Bayville – Part III
Remy's eyes flew open and his hand immediate went for his arm. At least, it tried to get there. His hand had become tangled in Rogue's hair so in his attempt to cover his injury he ended up resulted in him yanking her head off of his lap. Rogue yelped at the sudden sensation and was jolted awake. Their confusion made it quite difficult in freeing Remy's hand until Rogue, forced into coherency from the pain of having her hair pulled, held his hand still and carefully remove the strands that were caught. Once untangled, Remy rubbed the sore spot on his arm while Rogue massaged her tender scalp.
"What de hell was dat?!"
Rogue sat up slowly, scowl on her face and still rubbing the area of her head where the hair was nearly yanked out. Her reply was caught in her throat as she finally took notice of the people standing behind the couch. The professor sat silently in his chair with Logan and Hank standing to his left and right. Hank had a look of relief on his face while the professor appeared to be a bit perplexed. Logan did not really look made, but he did make a point to stare sternly in their direction. Remy noticed Rogue freeze and turned around to see what she was looking at. Seeing the three adults made Remy hold his tongue. He was not sure if they were in trouble but there was no need to head into that direction by saying something stupid. Thankfully, the professor spoke first.
"Rogue, Hank was quite worried when he went down to check on you earlier this morning and you were not there. Most people are in bed at five on the morning. Can you tell us why you are out of the infirmary?"
Rogue cast her eyes down a bit. "Ah'm sorry, professor. Last night Ah got hungry and Remy here was nice enough to help me to the kitchen and make me something to eat. He didn't feel comfortable walking around the house and he really wasn't sure how to get to the kitchen so Ah offered to go with him. Ah guess Ah was so excited to be out of the infirmary Ah didn't want to go back. Ah wanted to watch some movies before Ah went back down so that what we did. Ah guess Ah just fell asleep during one of 'em." To back up her claim, the theme song to El Dorado played softly in the background.
The professor nodded at her admission. "I understand. Perhaps we have been keeping you a bit isolated downstairs." He smiled at them. "You both need not worry. You will not be punished since you did not break any rules. Though you did give Hank reason to be concerned." He then took on a more serious tone. "However, there was a reason why we were looking for you. While you two were asleep you both started to project very strongly which is very unusual. At first, I thought it was just Rogue so I sent Hank to check on you. When he discovered you were gone the three of us went searching for you. Both of you had very strong shields in place at the time, making it very difficult to find you telepathically. That fact in itself makes your dream projections very odd. Once Logan had located the both of you. I observed the both of you for a while and what I discovered I would like to discuss with you both in private. We tried to wake you by calling out to you but neither one of you responded. Logan finally took it upon himself to wake you both."
"By pinching me in the back of the arm? People don' get tattoos dere 'cause it hurts too much. Some wake up call," Remy muttered under his breath. Rogue elbowed him lightly.
"I would like to see the both of you in my study," the professor continued. "The other students will be waking soon and I assume you do not want this to be publicly discussed." With that, the professor turned around and wheeled out. Rogue and Remy followed close behind while Logan and Hank brought up the rear. Logan had thought that his wake up call had turned out to be pretty humorous. Thus, seeing as how he really wasn't fond of the new guy anyway, he reached out and pinched the back of his other upper arm for good measure. Remy stifled a cry and turned around, glare apparent on his face. Logan simply gave him a look that said 'I dare you to do something about it.' Remy's eyes narrowed as he turned back around, mentally adding Logan to his hit list. He did so just in time to see Rogue falter. Despite having a good meal and fairly decent sleep, she was still too weak to handle walking long distances. Logan and Hank were quite surprised to see Remy quickly scoop Rogue into his arms but they were shocked to see that she put up no resistance and instead laid her head on his shoulder.
"You okay, chere?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Just forgot how far the study was."
"Professor," Hank called out. The professor stopped and turned around to see Rogue cradled in Remy's arms. "Maybe it would be best to have this discussion in the Med Lab so Rogue may lie down?" Xavier quickly nodded his agreement and turned in the direction of the elevator. Once in the lab, Remy tenderly placed Rogue on her bed and sat down in the seat he had vacated the night before. Hank took a moment to check her vitals as a precaution. Once finished, Xavier began to speak.
"Before I start, I need to ask you both a question." Both nodded their consent. "This may sound odd, but have you met before? Before meeting the X-Men and Magneto?"
Rogue shook her head. "Ah doubt it. Caldecott's a real small town. Ah'd know if we met. Ah stayed there 'til Mystique moved me."
Remy's answer was the same. "Spent most of my life in N'Awlins. Don' know where Caldecott is. Came to New York when Magneto recruited me."
Xavier nodded, while Hank jotted down their answers in his notes. "Is there any chance that you both might be related?"
They didn't bother to hide their shock. Clearly that wasn't an idea they had thought about.
"Well, Irene adopted me when Ah was a baby," Rogue started, eyeing Remy. "Ah don't know who my real parents are."
Remy's response came out a bit deflated. "I was adopted, too. I was sent to some orphanage as an enfant and taken in by m'family when I was 'bout four." He had known that Rogue was adopted and she knew that he was, too. When they had talked about it the night before the notion of them possibly being family was not even touched. He found himself really hoping that the answer to Xavier's question was a no.
"I know the questions seem a bit odd but I'm searching for a possible explanation. As I observed the both of you I discovered that you have a very strong link to one another, unlike any I have ever seen. Creating such a bond is not a characteristic of an empath's powers so I highly doubt that Remy could unconsciously or consciously created such a thing. As a telepath, it is possible to create such a link but the one that exists between the both of you far surpasses any telepathic bond that I have ever seen in terms of strength and durability. There is the possibility that Rogue has been able to create this link because she once absorbed Jean. However, I have seen a similar bond growing between her and Scott and it in no way compares to what I have seen between the both of you. Plus, I have personally removed all of the psyches that had overcrowded Rogue's mind so she would not have the capabilities to strengthen it had it manifested during your first contact together so I am also throwing that theory out. The only other idea I can think of thus far is that the link could be a result of you being related. Such a bond usually occurs with twins but the fact that the both of you are mutants with no notion of who your real parents are could make you an exception. I will have Mr. McCoy conduct a DNA analysis to see if that could be the case with the both of you. Now, as for the link itself, from what I have seen so far, it is, quite frankly, impossible to sever. The shield surrounding it is about as impenetrable as the mental shields you both possess. This also raises a confusing point. The fact that you both have such strong shields and have been able to forge such a bond is both intriguing and baffling. I do believe that this bond is what is enabling the both of you to share dreams. Have you been able to communicate mind to mind?" They both shook their heads in the negative. "Hmm. The connection appears to be growing stronger. I wouldn't be surprised if at some point you will be able to. The only issue that raises is one of privacy. Currently, whatever is transmitted across is not under the same shielding that guard your minds. As a telepath, I can quite easily see and hear what you are transmitting. If projected strongly enough, such images can be seen by non-telepaths. Quite honestly, I cannot really explain what has happened. With your permission I would like the opportunity to study it, and especially figure out how to shield what is sent through the link, but I will understand if you do not consent. Keep in mind, though, that I cannot discern whether or not this link could pose a danger."
"Whaddya mean, Chuck?" Logan wasn't too keen on the idea of the kids sharing anything, let alone a psychic bond that could be dangerous.
"As strong as the bond is, it is not completely developed. While both retain their own minds, I do not know how trauma to one could affect the other once the bond has reached its full potential. It could do nothing or it could be quite disastrous. I feel that the need to study it is quite important but I will not force them into it." He turned his attention back to the two sitting in front of him. "If you don't mind, I would like Hank to conduct his testing as soon as possible so we may eliminate as many theories as we can. When he is finished you are free to do as you please but, Rogue, I would like you to remain in the infirmary. Remy may stay as long as you like and I will have Logan bring down a television and movie player so that you are not so bored. I will have Ororo bring you your meals. Despite all of these new revelations my utmost priority is getting you healthy again. It seems to me that your body has not fully recuperated from the immense stress your power overload had placed upon it." He favored Rogue with a grandfatherly smile that she weakly returned. "I will check in with both of you periodically throughout the day and I will expect your decision in the morning." He favored them with a parting smile before exiting the infirmary, Logan close behind. Hank excused himself for a moment to gather the tools he would need for the testing.
"Ah feel like Ah'm the star of one of God's pranks."
"What?"
She lay back against her pillows but turned on her side so she was facing him. "I was adopted from the get go, my so-called "gift" is to drain people dry like some messed up vampire, said "gift" spazzes out and sticks me in the infirmary for who knows how long, since then I've been getting a new "long-lost" family member every three weeks and now I have some weird psychic connection to a guy I've spent less than twenty-four hours with. I must have really pissed someone off in my past life to end up like this. And, no offense, but I really hope you're not my brother."
He smiled. "Don' worry. I agree wit' you whole heartedly on dat one." He ran his fingers through his hair as he looked down at Rogue. *I really hope dey be wrong 'bout us bein' related. Nobody deserves dat kind a torment.* Despite only really knowing her for a day, Remy knew his resolve to not get involved with "the enemy" was fast crumbling. The more time he spent with her, the more he started to care. The more he started to care, the faster she was chipping away at the thick walls surrounding the heart he so desperately tried to guard. He continued to gaze at her this time did not resist the urge to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes widened at the sudden touch but she did not flinch.
"Why are ya looking at me like that?" she asked softly.
"Just tinkin' dat an angel like y' could never be related to a t'ief like me."
She rolled her eyes. "Please, Ah'm about as much an angel as ya are a saint."
"'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all to short a date.'"* Beast entered the room and stood next to Remy. "Do not sell yourself short, my dear Rogue. As some may see it, you already walk on the side of angels."
"Ah may walk along side 'em, but that still don't make me one." Rogue sat up. "So what do ya need for the test?"
"Just a few samples of blood and the wonders of technology shall take care of the rest." Remy moved out of the way as Mr. McCoy tied Rogue's arms and quickly withdrew two vials of blood. When it was his turn he shed his worn trench coat, laying it across the bed. He sat back down in the chair and was and was also relieved his own two vials of blood. Hank gathered all of the samples in the small caddy he had brought with him and removed his rubber gloves. "I shall have the results later on this evening. Enjoy the rest of your day. Oh, and Remy, please take note of Rogue's condition. I assume you two may be spending more time together in light of the recent developments so you would know if she were feeling better or worse. Keep me posted." He graced them with a teeth-baring smile before bounding out of the room. Before they could say anything to each other, Ororo entered the room carry a tray full of food and Logan trailed behind with a small TV/DVD player and a TV cart. The smell of pancakes and sausage wafted over to the two and their stomachs grumbled in response.
"Good morning!" Ororo greeted them cheerfully. She handed the tray to Remy and went to retrieve the small tray table propped up against the far wall. "I did not know how hungry you would be so I brought six pancakes only," she said, setting up the table. "Let me know if you would like more."
Rogue looked at the food on the tray. The pancakes were at least seven inches in diameter. A small saucer held six squares of butter and a small carafe held the syrup. The plate of sausages looked to serve at least four people. Two large glasses of orange juice and two smaller glasses of milk rounded out the meal.
"Thanks, Ms. Munroe. This smells real good and looks to be way more than enough."
"Oui, t'anks."
Ororo smiled and turned to leave. "I shall return later to collect your dishes. Logan, do not forget our appointment later," she called over her shoulder as she made her way out.
"'Appointment later?'" Rogue asked with a raised brow and a smirk.
"It ain't what yer thinkin', kid, so don't even start. I gotta go with her to the grocery store. With Buckethead and crew stayin' here we gotta stock up on extra food. Between the Ruskie and the Elf we'll be runnin' out of food every two days."
"Who's the 'Ruskie'?"
"I t'ink he means Piotr. 'Member? De big metal guy? He's Russian."
"Oh."
Logan stood up and dusted off his hands. "Ya don't got cable but at least you can watch some movies now." He tossed the remote to Rogue. "Gumbo, you better be up topside at four. You got training same as everyone else. Call if ya need anything." They watched as he left.
"Trainin'. Yippee."
"Hey, be thankful that y'r startin' off with one a day. Some of us go at it three times a day." Rogue told him, spearing a sausage.
Remy shook his head as he drowned his pancakes in syrup. *No wonder you weigh five pounds,* he thought. "Y' gotta train t'ree times a day?"
"Yeah." She took at bite of her pancake before continuing. "My power doesn't give me the offensive advantage that ya or Scott would have and Ah don't have a defensive advantage like Jean or Kitty. And Ah don't got control over my power. In the mornin' Ah work with Logan or the Professor on power control. After school we train as a team, learnin' how to work together and trust each other in combat. In the evenings Ah spar with Logan or Ororo to work on my hand-to-hand combat skills. Once a week we run a solo session to see how we're improving. It's not really that bad, I guess." She shrugged her shoulders and continued eating. They both ate in silence for a while, Remy monitoring everything she ate. One pancake and four sausages later, Rogue set her plate down, only to have Remy set another half of a pancake down onto it. She glared in protest.
"X said de utmost priority is gettin' y' better. Y' never gonna get y'r energy back by eatin' like a bird.
"Your gonna pay for this later Ah hope ya know."
"As long as y' hurry up and git out of de infirmary so we can go have some real fun I really don' care what y' do."
**********
After breakfast, Remy went upstairs to shower and fix up his new room a little while Ororo helped Rogue with her bath. She had given both of them a set of communicators that ran on a different frequency than the others so they could communicate throughout the house. Rogue had asked him to give her a couple hours to freshen up so he spent his extra time talking to Piotr and wandering through the house, trying to get a feel for the layout. When Rogue finally gave him the okay to come back down he first stopped by the Rec Room to grab some movies and found a bag of chips and some sodas in the kitchen before heading back down. When he finally made his way back down to the Infirmary, Rogue was sitting up in bed flipping through a magazine, looking a bit irritated.
"Somet'in wrong, chere?"
She put down the magazine and looked up at him. "Ororo just told me that Kitty threw out all of my makeup. Ah'm gonna have to get her for that later."
"Don' worry 'bout it. I t'ink y' look prettier without it anyway. If she didn' do it, I prob'ly woulda done it m'self at some point."
"Thanks, Ah guess." Rogue didn't really know how to respond to his comment. Nobody except Kitty had ever said anything about the way she looked. For the past couple of weeks she had been too lazy to put anything on her face seeing as how all she did was sleep anyway. Once Kurt had said it made her look less scary but no one had ever told her she looked pretty without it.
"Anytime, chere." He deposited the chips and sodas on the tray table and sat down to look through the movies he grabbed.
Rogue tried to discreetly watch him flip through the DVD's. When he had first entered the room the first thought that had popped into her head was *Wow. He sure does clean up real nice.* He was clad in a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans. She noticed how well defined his arms were and how muscular and broad his chest look, even though it was covered with a loose shirt. The shirt was tucked into equally loose fitting jeans and the outfit was finished off with a pair of black boots. *At least the boy has taste* Her eyes wandered back up to his face. Without the head mask his hair was free to fall into his eyes. The back of his head was cut close but was kept gradually longer towards his face. A single stud earring adorned his left ear and a pair of leather gloves covered his hands. "Do ya always wear gloves?"
"He looked up at her. "Yeah, but dey usually got some fingers cut out. Makes it easier to disable alarms and stuff when y' fingers aren't covered, but y' leave less fingerprints when some of 'em are covered. I figured it would make y' more comfortable if I wore dese."
Rogue was taken aback. "Ya don't have to do that for me. Ah should be the one coverin' up since Ah'm used to it an' all. Ah'll call Ms. Munroe and have her bring me a long sleeved shirt an' gloves." She had been so used to being alone in the infirmary that she didn't think twice when Ororo had brought her a plain T-shirt and sweats to change into.
"What for? Even y' need a break once in a while. Not like I can' be responsible, too. 'Sides, it's a small price to pay for the pleasure of y'r company." He winked at her and went back to rifling through the movies.
For a moment, all Rogue could do was stare at him. Nobody had ever tried to take the burden off her shoulders like that before and now Remy comes in and does it like it was second nature. It was like he was trying to make her feel as normal as possible. She thought back to the day before and remembered how genuinely unafraid he was of her powers. She herself had never felt the need to keep him at arms length. Last night she had felt comfortable enough to take the initiative to lean on his shoulder during the movie and hardly put up a fight when he carried her around or massaged her head. A sudden feeling of distress swept through her and she looked down at her hands. *Ah'm doin' it again,* she chided herself. *Ah'm trustin' to easily, lettin' my guard fall too fast. Ah need to be more careful. Ah've had my trust broken way too many times to be givin' it freely anymore.* She turned and glanced at her companion briefly. *But there's just somethin' about you, Remy, that makes me feel like I could trust ya with anythin'.* When the professor had told them about the link they shared she didn't know what to think. Really, it just served to make things more complicated. It explained the reason why they could share dreams but it did nothing to shed light on cause of the feelings of familiarity towards him. The entire situation was bizarre. After what they had learned this morning, a large part of her wanted to talk to him about it but the other part of her was very hesitant. She was enjoying the friendship she was building with him but now she didn't know if what was happening would change things between them. He never brought anything up so she didn't either. What she wasn't admitting to herself was that the more time she spent with him, the greater her attraction to him was growing. Knowing the link could eventually lead to them reading each others minds scared her. She wouldn't be able to hide those feelings forever and if he didn't feel the same way the rejection would crush her. *Doesn't matter anyway. Ya may call me pretty now and we may get along great but it won't take long for the frustration of not bein' able ta touch outweighs all that.* She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. All of her wayward thinking was threatening to fill her eyes with tears and there was no way she was going to cry in front of someone, especially Remy.
"Hey. What's wrong? Y' got all depressed on me all of a sudden." Remy sat down next to her on the bed so he could face her and took one of her hands in his. Since yesterday he had been monitoring her feelings as best he could. The feelings she emitted when they were together were like a personal high for him; he loved having the ability to make her happy and comfortable. Her sudden change in mood was definitely cause for great concern and he wanted to remedy it as soon as possible.
Rogue took a deep breath and opened her eyes. The concern was evident on his face and she couldn't help but smile a little. *At least he really seems to care.* "Ah'm fine. Just thinkin' about things Ah shouldn't be."
He was unconvinced. "Y' sure? Y' wanna talk 'bout it?"
She shook her head. "Naw. Ain't worth discussin'."
"If somethin's makin' y' dis unhappy it's definitely wort' discussin'." A sudden sense of dread materialized in the pit of his stomach. "Did I do somthin' wrong?"
Rogue's eyes widened in surprise. "No! Lord, no. You've been nothin' but wonderful ta me. What could ya possibly have done? Ya spend all this time with me when ya don't haveta, ya made me dinner, ya carry me around 'cause Ah'm too stubborn to stay in bed, and ya aren't afraid of my powers." She laid a hand on his chest and looked into his eyes. "Please don't think ya did somethin' wrong. It's just me, Ah swear. Everythin' that's happened to me lately is just a bit overwhelmin' sometimes. Ah don't really want ta talk about it right now but Ah will if it'll make ya feel better."
The feeling of dread was quickly replaced with that of relief and he smiled, covering her hand with his. "No, y' don' have to talk 'bout anythin' y' not ready to. I was jus' worried is all." He nodded towards the movies he had set on the small table. "Y' wanna pick out a movie so dat we can continue dat movie marat'on?" She smiled and nodded her head. He reluctantly released her hand so she could reach over and pick out a movie. She handed him The Matrix and he popped into the player. She pushed 'play' and he tried to get comfortable in his chair.
"Ya can sit up here if ya want." He looked at her and saw that she had scooted over to give some room on the bed. "Ah know it's snug an' all but Ah figure it's better than that chair."
"Y' don' have to do dat for me, chere."
"It's okay. Ah don't mind." She grabbed the blanket folded at the edge of the bed and encased herself in it like the night before. Remy removed his shoes and climbed in next to her, fighting the temptation to wrap his arm around her. He was contented, though, when she rested her head against his shoulder.
* Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
As always, thanks for the reviews. You guys help keep me really motivated to keep on going. :) I'm really sorry if I'm messing up their accents. I'm trying to follow how they write them in the comics and how they sound in the cartoons but I obviously don't have the hang of it yet. Happy reading!