Dismal Angel 2010 - Episode 8
Chapter 1: Surprise Visit
Rogue stared down at the keyboard blankly, her mind wandering yet again for the fifth time that morning since she'd sat down to try and program her Danger Room session for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning. Every time she tried to focus on the task, her mind become more and more clouded with the thoughts of another – the thoughts of the one person she'd tried for seven years to forget, and yet, found it impossible to.
Remy.
She sighed and glanced towards the monitor, surveying the work she'd done so far. She'd barely programmed the first thirty seconds of the Danger Room session, this wasn't a good outcome from half an hour's worth of sitting at the control panel in the annex of the Danger Room itself. She found it rather pathetic in several ways. She pulled herself together and tried again, her mind drifted, drifting to thoughts of staring into those intense dark eyes of Remy's. Seeing him look back at her with a love that no one else had ever given her.
It was no use, with a sigh, she gave up with the program, deciding she'd re-run one of the old pre-programmed sessions and hope to god the kids didn't complain about monotony.
"Rogue!"
Rogue jumped, turned to see Illyana Rasputing standing with her hair in pigtails, her cornflower blue eyes staring back at her with a delight that was often seen in the child.
"Oh…Illyana, don't jump out at me like that, sugar," Rogue laughed, pressing a hand to her thudding heart, "what's wrong?"
"Piotr is here!" Illyana jumped up and down excitedly, perhaps more excitedly than a fourteen year old should. Rogue didn't care, she found Illyana's enthusiasm so encouraging. She'd always been Rogue's favourite student.
Rogue stood, "Where is he?"
"In the foyer, he would like to say hello."
Rogue stood and followed the blonde teenager into the elevator, then up to the ground floor where Piotr Rasputin stood tall and handsome in the foyer, his travelling bag upon the floor. "Hi there, stranger!" Rogue greeted brightly, some of her depressive mood beginning to lift at the sight of an old friend.
"Hello, yourself," Piotr smiled, the happiness in his expression lit up his face, and almost the whole room, Rogue had forgotten how good it felt to have Piotr around.
Illyana excused herself, "I must get back to class – Storm hates tardiness," she explained, and rushed off down towards the library where the class was being held.
Rogue looked up at Piotr, his cornflower blue eyes – identical to Illyana's – stared back at her. "You're looking well, Pete…"
"As do you," PIotr replied smiling brightly.
"What brings you to Bayville in February," Rogue asked.
"Illyana asked me to visit – she said she missed me terribly," he explained, "I thought I would take her out for a movie tonight – it has been so long since me and Illyana just went out for an evening of normality."
"That's sweet, I wish I'd had a big brother growin' up," Rogue commented, then made a face, "I had to make do with Kurt, but he was more like the annoying little brother I never had…" she smirked, "so anyway, how's life treating you?"
"Very well," Piotr responded, "I did hear life has been somewhat troublesome for you though," he admitted.
"How so?" Rogue asked, already feeling that she knew the answer. "What'd you hear?" she swallowed back her frustration and tried to seem positive.
Piotr looked at her, "I heard Gambit is back once again in your life."
"Who told you?" Rogue asked, feeling a little defensive.
"I ran into Sam not so long ago – he told me. So is Gambit still here?"
"That's a matter of opinion," Rogue confessed, she led the way to the kitchen intent on making some coffee, hoping it might make her senses a little more alert than they were feeling this chilly morning.
"I am not sure what you mean," Piotr responded to this as he caught up with her, confusion building in his voice..
"It's a long story," Rogue sighed, she headed towards the coffee pot, the coffee still warm from someone's previous percolation. "I'm not sure I really wanna talk about it," she added.
"Something in the sadness of your voice makes me think you do," Piotr said softly, he stood beside her, watching her expressions closely, as if he thought he could read her thoughts just by the look on her face.
Rogue stopped pouring the coffee, standing staring into space, the thought of having to explain it all from the beginning made her heart sink deep into her chest as if it had been suspended by a frail string that had suddenly given way and frayed to let it fall.
Piotr touched her back tenderly, he bowed down a little to speak in a low careful tone to her, but with such kindness still evident in his deep voice, "it would do you good to talk about it,"
"He has amnesia, Piotr," Rogue grabbed two cups from the nearby cabinet and poured coffee into them, "and the Professor reckons that he isn't going to make it back to how he was before…"
"How bad is the amnesia?" Piotr accepted a cup of coffee from Rogue as she handed him one, he made his way to the table and placed the cup down.
"Pretty bad," Rogue said, "He remembers absolutely nothing…"
Piotr pulled a chair out for her, let her sit and pushed it in for her, he then sat down himself, "nothing at all?" his expression betraying no surprise.
Rogue stared down at the table top, her gloved hands surrounding her cup, she could feel the warmth seeping through her gloves, "he can still talk and walk and think like he could…but…he has no memories of anything. Of the X-Men, of his home, his family…of himself…of me…" she swallowed, emotion building up in her one again. "The professor went into his mind and could retrieve absolutely nothin'…said everything had been wiped…"
"How did this amnesia occur?" Piotr seemed most confused.
"He was shot in the side," Rogue responded softly, "the trauma got to him I guess…"
Piotr nodded slightly, "yes, I've read this can happen to gunshot wound victims," he stated, "some lose their whole lives because of it."
Rogue shuddered, "I…I can't stand to think of him losing his whole life, Piotr…as worthless as I know he was…" she swallowed again, and forced herself not to cry as the emotion welled further inside her, "I know he still had a lot to live for."
"I had heard rumours of him working as a petty thief in Illinois," Piotr admitted, "this to me does not sound as if he has much to live for."
Rogue almost felt insulted at this, "what about me?" she asked, glancing over at him.
Piotr took a sip of his coffee, waited momentarily, then spoke, "what about you?" he asked.
"Am I not worth living for?" she asked.
Piotr gave a deep sigh, "after all he has done…I doubt his life would be worth living even for you," he admitted.
Rogue frowned, "Now you sound like Bobby. Wants me to just pretend like Remy LeBeau is dead and this guy in the hospital wing is…someone else…" she got up and paced a little, "I just…I can't give in that easily…and this whole amnesia thing…I don't buy it…I mean it seems too…suspicious."
"But it does happen," Piotr stood too.
"Not to people like us," Rogue frowned, "We're mutants, we have all these powers but we can't bring the real Remy back again? It's just…its just bullshit," she shook her head.
Piotr remained silent, deep in thought, "If…you like, I shall speak with Remy – to see if I can help him in any way that I can," he offered.
"If Kitty can't make him remember anything, what makes you think you can?"
"I have known him longer than all of you," Piotr said, "I may be able to remind him of something…" he shrugged.
Rogue sighed, "Okay…I…I'd go down there with you but…I—"
"The pain is still too near to the heart?" Piotr asked.
Rogue nodded.
"Alright, I shall go down there alone."
"I think Kitty is down there, tell her I sent you if she asks what you're doing there," Rogue said, "I suppose I should get back to programming the danger room session for this afternoon."
Piotr smiled and left the room, Rogue sat back down to finish her coffee, hoping that Piotr might be able to do what the others had not.
"Good morning, pretty lady," Bobby Drake entered the kitchen, looking bright eyed and cheerful, he headed over to the coffee pot, "ooh, coffee."
"Mornin'," Rogue said downcast, she tucked her hair behind her ear and stared down into her black coffee.
"Uh-oh, I know that tone," Bobby poured coffee for himself and sat down at the table, "what's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothin'," Rogue forced herself to seem positive again, extremely difficult as her heart seemed to sink even further until her stomach churned against it, "I'm just a bit tired, is all."
Bobby sipped his coffee, "so…any plans for Valentines day?" he asked.
Rogue paused, "Valentines day?" She asked, "today is Valentines day?"
"It's the fourteenth of February, isn't it?" Bobby pointed out.
Rogue took some time to think, "wow…I forgot all about it…" she scratched the back of her neck, "I guess I don't have any plans…I'll do what I do every other year, join the kids on a marathon of taped 'Charmed' episodes, eat too much Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey until I make myself sick, drink a half a bottle of vodka in my room then make out with my Johnny Depp poster."
"You don't have a Johnny Depp poster," Bobby pointed out, his pale blue eyes twinkled, he gave a massive grin.
"Oh, yeah, I swapped it over for a poster of Josh Lucas," Rogue joked.
Bobby smirked, "so…since you don't have any other apparent plans, how about a movie, some popcorn, dinner, and dancing?" he asked, looking down at the table as if he were absently searching for something.
Rogue smirked, "a pity date? Aww, you're so sweet," she giggled, and got up, "I'll think about it, in the meantime I have to go finish programming the danger room session for the kids," she explained, "I only have an hour to finish."
"Better get cracking then."