FYI:

~Personal Thoughts~

~"Inner Voices"~

ESP

%The Written Word%

[Flashback]

"Normal Conversation (Duh)"

* Com Link or Telephone *

GAMBIT

I was one of de few who was in decent enough shape dat I wasn't bed ridden t' de med lab but I found myself staying down dere anyway. Jamie had finally collapsed from exhaustion over de end of Rogue's bed after spending most of de day and night helping Beast. Sarah slept curled up in a chair next t' mine while I sat dere wide awake holding Marie's hand. She'd been out for over twelve hours now, which was making Doc McCoy nervous. Logan had returned an hour ago after picking up some ot'er people dat de professor t'ought might be able t' help. One of dem appeared t' be a doctor of some kind but de ot'er was a mutant who had gone straight t' de professor's office t' talk. I glanced behind me t' see dat Piotr still was not moving and dat Kurt still lay comatose. ~Dis is bad. Beast and dat MacTaggert femme still haven't brought Kitty back out here. Den dere's all dose Morlocks who are hurt. I just hope people see dis isn't what I t'ought was supposed t' happen. But dis is all my fault, I shoulda known dat joining de X-Men wouldn't make my past disappear, no matter how much I wanted it t'.~

Beast walked into the room disrupting my thoughts and began t' examine Rogue. He must have t'ought I'd fallen asleep because he also brought over a blanket and placed it 'round my shoulders.

"T'anks, homme." I pulled it around my shoulders a li'l tighter and sighed as I looked back at Marie. Her chest slowly rose up and down as she breat'ed.

"You're awake?"

"Non, just talking in my sleep." I gave him a coy smile which quickly turned t' concern.

"She'll be fine. She's simply over exhausted herself. Give her a few more hours of rest." I nodded den looked mehind me t' Piotr.

"What 'bout mon ami?"

"Piotr is a different story. So long as he stays in his current state, all of his energy will seep out through holes in his armor on the microscopic level." I looked back at him confused. ~De homme's gotta start talking in English.~ "It's almost as if he's slowly bleeding to death." ~Dis is my fault…~ "Dr. MacTaggert believes that if we can negate his powers temporarily that we might be able to help him though."

"Rogue, she could do it." I looked back at her sleeping peacefully on de bed. "If she was awake dat is." I sighed. "What 'bout Petite?"

"You mean Kitty? She'll recover beautifully. She was one of the first that Miss Moira MacTaggert was able to help."

"Dat's good."

"You can't blame yourself for this."

"Oui, I can. If I hadn't done dis, den mon amis wouldn't be hurtin' right now." I squeezed Rogue's hand even tighter as de doc left.

ROGUE

Ah was awake but Ah kept mah eyes squeezed shut against the bright lights in the Med Lab. ~How many times do Ah have ta wake up in this place?~ Ah could hear people movin' 'bout the room. From the other side Ah could make out Jamie's voice talkin' ta a girl.

"See, we'll just jot down the stats off of here and then all we have to do is give it to Beast."

"That's the man who looks like a blue gorilla, right?" ~That must be Sarah.~

"Yep, come on." Ah tried ta concentrate on any other conversations goin' on but found Ah just didn't have the patience ta listen ta Jean's irritatin' voice as she talked silently ta Scott. ~Ah think Ah'll be sick if Ah listen ta that for ta long.~ Ah then felt somethin' holdin' mah hand and reluctantly opened mah eyes. Remy sat at the edge of mah bed holdin' mah hand. He was fast asleep with his head restin' on the bed while his hair fell inta his face. ~How long have Ah been out? How long as he been sittin' there?~ Ah reached over an' brushed the strands outta his eyes. He sat up an' grinned ta see Ah was awake.

"So Sleeping Beauty finally awakens."

"Is she here ta?"

"I'm holding her hand as we speak, mon Cherie." He gave meh a cocky grin that made meh smile a li'l as well.

"Do ya ever quit with the cheesy lines?"

"Non." He squeezed mah hand even tighter but his smile faded fast.

"What's wrong?"

"Piotr…he…he ain't doing so good." Ah looked past Remy ta see Kitty sitting beside Piotr's bed slowly applyin' a cool cloth ta the Russian's head. ~Kitty must be better considerin' Ah ain't seein' straight through her anymore.~

~"Like that's good news. What would you like ever do without the real me?"~

~Ah'd probably throw a big party.~

~"That was like so mean."~

"Mah God…what happened?"

"He was attacked at close range by one of de Marauders, Riptide. Did somet'ing t' his steel skin and he can't go back t' normal. Dey're trying t' find a way t' negate his powers but dere might be anot'er way…"

"An' what's that?" Ah didn't like the way he'd trailed off there leavin' meh ta guess at what he meant.

"If y' would absorb Piotr, den y'd be taking his powers temporarily and dey might be able t' help him…"

"One problem with that theory, Swamp Rat. Ah have ta agree ta it."

"Chére, he's gonna die…" ~Why's he gotta put meh through this guilt trip?~

"Ah don't need anymore psyches in mah head right now." ~"Dat's pretty weak, Chére."~ He was givin' meh a sad look that said it all. "Fine, Ah'll do it, but ya the one who has ta deal with meh when Ah go all berserk again from psyche overload or somethin'."

"It'll be wort' it for y' t' save Piotr. Besides, I t'ink Petite would be pretty grateful as well." Ah looked back at Kitty who looked completely exhausted from her ordeal an' addin' Piotr's condition on top of that. "But I'm mostly grateful y' okay, Chére." Ah turned mah attention back ta him ta see his smile was genuine as he took mah other hand an' squeezed the both of them.

SHADOWCAT

I watched as Mister McCoy okayed Rogue to get out of bed after he'd completely checked her out, her vitals that is. As Remy helped her to her feet they fell into a hushed discussion with Beast that I couldn't make out very well. I only caught a few snippets of it.

"Chére can do it…"

"…don't want to see you hurt more…"

"Ah can handle it…" Beast nodded finally as the three of them came over to Piotr's bed.

"Wait until I get Miss MacTaggert." Rogue shuffled her feet uneasily as Gambit stood there silently watching her.

"Um…like what's going on?"

"Dere might be a way t' help Piotr."

"Really! Like what is it? I'll do anything, I just can't stand to see him like this." I was on the verge of tears and blinked a few times to hold them back. Beast returned with the woman doctor at his side and nodded to Rogue. She hesitantly placed her hand on Piotr's cheek and closed her eyes. She sighed and almost sounded like she was sobbing as Piotr's armor slowly disappeared. As the last of it disappeared from view she yanked her hand back as Beast and MacTaggert moved in to examine him. He had several wounds on his chest and arms. ~We just couldn't see them before, but they were there, slowly hurting him.~ Beast turned around and ushered the three of us away.

"We need some time, but I think he'll be alright now." I nodded slowly as Rogue put a hand to her head and shook it as if to clear her thoughts.

"Y' alright, Chére?"

"Yeah, Ah'll be fine. Lets see how the others are." Both Remy's and my face fell remembering that Kurt was still comatose. "Somethin' ya guys wanna share with meh?"

"Kurt's still like out of it." Rogue's eyes flashed angrily but quickly returned to their normal green. "But like don't worry that doctor is like a miracle worker. Just look at me." She gave me a weak smile as we left the Med Lab.

MULTIPLE

I had talked Sarah into watching cartoons with me. She was amazed by everything it seemed--the television, refrigerator, the equipment in the Med Lab, everything. She sat on the floor in front of the t.v. as a commercial came on for an X Box. She watched mesmerized as I yawned. ~Can she seriously have been this sheltered? How could a television be that fascinating? Although she does make for someone to watch Dragonball Z with. No one else ever pays any attention to me but she's different. Well, that's not quite true, Roguey pays attention to me.~ I smiled as Sarah continued to stare at the screen without blinking. I noticed the plates on her shoulders and cheeks that reminded me a lot of Spyke. ~She's probably got the same powers as him if that's possible. I wonder if mutants can ever have the same powers or if everybody's just different?~ I heard someone walk into the room and looked back over the couch to see Rogue walking in. "Roguey! You're better."

"Yep. What ya watchin', Sugah?"

"Dragaonball Z. You want to watch?"

"Sure, why not?" She sat down on the couch and zoned out as well. "Um…what exactly is this about anyway?"

"There's these guys who are aliens and they save the world. Kinda like we do."

"Yeah, except their ain't any chicks kickin' ass in that team."

"Yeah…so who's your favorite? Mine's Gohan. He's the youngest, but he's the toughest." She sat there quietly for a minute as if contemplating something.

"Ah guess Ah'd have ta say Chi Chi." (A/N: For those who don't know. Chi Chi is Gohan's mother.) I looked at her strange.

"Chi Chi's not a fighter though."

"Yeah, but she can really do some damage when she's peeved. She's got an anger management problem but she really just cares 'bout her son." I nodded. ~Roguey's kinda like that. She can get real mad but then other times she's really nice.~ She lowered her voice then so that Sarah couldn't hear her. "How she holdin' up?"

"I think she'll be fine once she gets used to the fact that the garbage disposal isn't going to try and kill her." She laughed as she tousled my hair and got up.

"Ah'll catch ya later, Sugah."

WHITE QUEEN

"I'm still having trouble believing that you've come to me of all people. Would this be one of those desperate times call for desperate actions situations?" Charles frowned at me as I sat down across from him in his office.

"I believe the time has come for us to work together. Things have grown steadily worse among the mutant community and if there is any hope for us all then we must work together."

"Sounds reasonable enough, Charles but we've never had a very good working relationship."

"Maybe some things can change. I hope that we can put the past behind us for the good of the students." I sighed, him and his students. "I was hoping that you would consider staying here at the institute as an instructor. We could definitely use some fresh insight on some of our battles."

"Still worried about Apocalypse, aren't you?"

"Of course I am. He has threatened my school and the X-Men directly by using one of my students against her will."

"Rogue, right?"

"Yes, he took advantage of her powers and used her against us. With his newly gained powers he has become the most powerful mutant in the world. This pyramid in Mexico has me extremely worried."

"Well, I'm not about to simply let the world be wiped into another dark age, so I'll be more than glad to help you."

"I appreciate that, Emma." I smiled at him as I tried to think of what would happen in my company if I told them I wouldn't be back for an extremely long time. ~Vince will probably feel like killing me for leaving him with the board meeting next week but those things always bored me anyhow.~

ROGUE

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"Yes, don't worry. I'm just taking him back to Muir Island for additional treatment. Your brother will be back in no time at all." Ah didn't believe a word out of the good doctor's mouth. Kurt was deep in a coma and had made no signs of recovery over the past few days. The professor had insisted that Ah go back ta school but Ah did mah homework at Kurt's bedside so that Ah would be there if an' when he woke up. The woman saw the doubt Ah had in her an' sighed as she packed up her equipment. "I promise you that he'll be fine." Ah shrugged an' left the room irritated. Mah thoughts turned ta Bets who had returned ta England with Brian when S.T.R.I.K.E. had come ta pick up Sinister an' his cronies. ~Ah wonder what she's doin' now? Probably havin' a nice reunion with her brother, Jamie. Ah'm really gonna miss her.~

"Chere, dere y' are."

"Hey, Sugah."

"I heard dey're moving Kurt." I nodded as we walked tawards the elevator that would take us back ta the main level. "Ya gonna be okay wit' dat?"

"Yes. Why does everyone keep askin' meh if Ah'm okay?" It really was startin' ta get irritatin' an' it didn't help that Remy was constantly tryin' ta protect meh or somethin'. "Ah'm fine! Ya hear meh world, Ah'm not crazy, Ah'm not hurt, Ah'm fine!" He looked slightly startled at mah outburst an' even more so when Ah just started laughin'. "Maybe Ah am crazy."

"Oui, but I love y' anyway." He wrapped an arm 'round mah waist an' kissed mah cheek lightly.

GAMBIT

I sat in de dining room pushing de food on my plate 'round in circles as I sighed. ~Just went t'rough de biggest fight of our lives, but yet we should be mostly concerned wit' school. Don't seem like somebody got deir priorities straight dere.~ De doctor lady had left wit' Kurt for Muir Island yesterday afternoon but de ot'er lady dat had shown up was still hanging around. She was de only ot'er person in de room so far and stood at de counter stirring cream int' her coffee. "So what's your name?"

"Mon name, is Remy LeBeau." I looked up at her and noticed she had a thing for white, white skirt, white tank, and white jacket. Nearly hurt my eyes t' look at her.

"Remy, huh? So you're the trouble maker around here?" I flashed her a cocky grin.

"Dat would be me. Who told y' dat?"

"Logan. Seemed to think it was funny though."

"Dat's 'cause I'm dating Rogue. She seems t' keep me in line for de most part." Her eyes widened a li'l but seemed to be just as good as me at not letting her feelings show very much. Scott walked int' de room like he had a stick shoved up his ass and pretended I wasn't dere. ~Asshole, who does he t'ink he is?~

"Morning Miss Frost."

"Err…hello. Have we met?" I laughed inwardly as this woman treated him like a nobody despite de fact he was field leader and t'ought de whole world knew he was de best.

"Scott. I'm the leader of the X-Men." She seemed t' consider dis for a moment but still gave him a confused look.

"Don't think the professor's mentioned you." She shrugged and I couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Homme, looks like y' second rate now dat de professor can't even remember y'."

"Shut up, Cajun. You think just because the professor's going to overlook this one that you're special or something."

"I never said dat."

"It's all your fault that we're in this mess to begin with! The team's been trashed all because of your stupidity."

"Mon stupidity? Who's de one who led dem int' an ambush. Besides, y' don't know everyt'ing."

"And no one ever will because you like to keep us all in the dark!" By now I was standing up and getting in his face. It was taking all my will power not t' reach out and charge dat punk up 'til he blew int' li'l pieces.

"Y' telling me, y'd hand over y' pretty li'l ditz of a girlfriend t' a fiend like Sinister? Non, homme, I wasn't going t' let Rogue die over dis. I didn't know dat was what was going t' happen and even if I had it t' do over again, I'd do de same t'ing."

"You traitor! You should be rotting in jail with the rest of the Marauders."

"Y' don't even know what y' talking 'bout homme. Dey're in Strike hands, not y' local police idiots." I stormed outta de room having had enough of Scott's stupidity for de day. ~Can't believe I have t' put up wit' dat idiot. Wouldn't if it was for Marie, damn fool. Can't believe I have t' put up wit' all dese idiots. Y'd t'ink dat I'd purposefully started dat attack on de Morlocks. Didn't Evan tell dem I'd tried t' warn him before Sabby knocked me out?~ I walked through de front hall t' be greeted by hushed whispers from Amara and Tabit'a. ~Great just great. Now everybody t'inks I'm going t' try and kill dem in deir sleep or somet'ing.~ Dey quickly turned and left de way dey had come while I grudgingly trudged up de stairs t' de dorms. ~I'm tired of dis. I ain't putting up wit' it anymore.~

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Looks like lots of people picked up points. Damn, you guys are good.

This seems to be quickly turning into an epic. Yeesh, didn't know I had it in me.

That whole Multiple bit was just my way of saying Rogue's like Jamie's personal protector. *Shrug. It might come into play later on. And please don't hate me for writing Psylocke out of the story! She'll be back in the next one I promise! Yes, there's another one comin' after this…already have somewhat of a plot planned for it. Can't think of a good title but I've got some time to think.