Ch. 14 Aftermath
John was not surprised that Remy did not want to go back to the base that night, nor was there any need for them there anyway. He pulled the black vehicle into the parking garage. This was what John called Remy's "Bayville Pad". He knew that Gambit also had a place New York, even though he'd never been there, and probably a few more scattered about the area. It was just the way his friend was part thief, part wanderer. Pyro often wondered if Magneto realized the last part.
Neither spoke until Remy opened the stately oak doors and clicked on the foyer light.
"Ya alroight, mate?" Gambit nodded as he tossed the trench over the back of a chair and headed into the kitchen. The soft click of another light switch and the gleam of brushed steel and black over every surface in the kitchen but the floor preceded a question.
"Beer?"
"Afta' t'noight?" John snorted and flopped on the couch. The thump of his boots on the antique table finally brought Remy out of his black mood enough to wince. 'Spen' weeks workin' on 'im n' dat homme still t'aint learne' no mannahs.' " Ye da'n roight!"
"John," Remy asked in the voice one might speak to a two year old as he walked back in the living room. Already Allerdyce flipped through the channels with a look of annoyance before he gave Remy his attention.
"Ya, mate?"
"Wha' did Remy tell y' 'bout shoes on dis table?" John brightened a tad. He remembered this rule.
"Don't put 'em on tha table." He said with confidence.
"Mhmm, good. " A second or two passed with the two men looking at each other in silence before Remy cleared his throat. One finger pointed at the table.
"Whoops, sorry, mate," In a flash Allerdyce pulled his boots off the table. Remy winced when he saw the small scar left in the wood. "S'mtahmes Ah jus' don' know 'bout dat one.' He handed the cold bottle to John and promptly sunk into his favorite leather chair with a long sigh.
With all of John's attention consumed in finding something to watch, Remy sunk back into his own thoughts that were conflicting to say the least. Not that he was conflicted about saving Rogue. No, that was the one clear thing about this night. It would not have mattered if it were another girl; Remy still would have helped her. His family had not just instilled Southern Charm in him, but Southern Chivalry as well.
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"Filles, now de be wild 'uns. N' ohhh do dey got a tempah. But remembah dat mos' o' 'em be smallah n' weakah den y'. 'Less she tryin' t' fight y' lahke a homme, y' treat 'er lahke a fille. Don' let 'em run ore' y', but don take y' anga ou' on dem ei'd'a. Y' see a fille in trouble wit' some bad hommes y' help 'er. Hommes dat go afta a fille be nut'in bettah de laches. Comprenez?" Jean-Luc looked at his adopted son and showed no fear of that devilish gaze.
"Oui, Papa. Remy comprend," The boy, no more than ten, nodded solemnly as he looked up at his Father. Even in his youth Remy had a smooth voice ripe with accent of the Cajuns. His hair unruly, as it would be for the rest of his life, shifted in and out of his vision as he nodded. His Father's words imprinted themselves in Remy's mind, more sure and permanent then if they had been etched in stone. "But wha' d' y' do if a fille git mad at y' fo' no reason?"
"Lahke, Ah said, y' walk away. Don' let 'er beat y' son, but don' hurt 'er. A'side it jus be bes' t' stay away from dem filles anyway. De un's dat get mad fo' no reason be crazy." Jean-Luc grinned at his own memories. Some that he would come to share with the child in front him, some he would not. "But 'lo, y' make a fille mad n' she g't good reason ta be mad at y', take it lahke a homme shoul'. " Again the youth nodded in complete seriousness.
"So de bes' t'ing 'is no' make 'er mad?" His Father laughed and nodded.
"Oui, dat be de bes' t'ing. But," The older man shrugged. "S'metahmes t'ings jus' don' work out lahke dat."
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Remy smiled at the memory. Without thinking he had pulled a card from one of his pants pocket and now it worked through his fingers. John did not notice this time as the Baywatch marathon kicked into full swing. A smirk lined Remy's lips as he noticed. ' Non, dat 'un t'aint got no style.' He leaned his head back. The dark leather molded to his skull and it helped relieve the physical tension in his mind.
But it did nothing for the rest. No, helping Rogue was not the confusing part. The rage was only mildly confusing. He was not surprised that he felt angry over the incident, just at how angry he had gotten. He rubbed his closed eyes with one hand, and then replaced it with the bottom of the bottle. The cool sweat drizzled into his eyes; the cold seeped into his eyelids. His thoughts drifted back to those moments when he and John had jumped out of the Hum-V.
"Rem," John's voice broke his silent contemplation.
"C'n it wait, ami?"
"Well it could if ya been meanin' ta clean ya ca'pet with tha foamy brew, mate," Remy opened his eyes to see the faint pinkish red outline on the bottle he held against the arm of the chair.
"Merde," A frown formed as he pulled the charge back into himself. All the moisture was gone from the side of the bottle due to the heat of the charge.
"Allroight, mate. 'Nough 'a this," John clicked off the TV. "What's goin' through ya head?"
"Wish Remy knew," That took John aback. Truth be told he had expected the usual brush off and a sly grin that marked Remy all the time.
"Well cahn ya 'least tell me whot in the 'ell happened in the car on the way there?"
"Just knew dat she be needin' 'elp," Both John's brows shot up.
"Uhhhhh, yeah… 'xactly how did ya know that, mate?"
"Be a lot o' t'ings. Mos'ly lunch. Knew whoeva be watchin' 'd be waitin'. Figured de game be de best place t' strike fo' 'em."
"Roight… ahhh, this is that thief thing 'gain, huh?" Remy chuckled and took a drink only to frown. Not only had the heat from the charge dissipated the sweat on the side, but it had also raised the temperature of the brew above room level.
"S'mt'in' lahke dat," He chuckled as he rose and walked to the kitchen for another cold run. 'Doh at dis rate remy gonna run ou' b'fore he even git t' drink one.'
"Rem," John started again, "Ya ain't acting like yaself, mate."
"Jus' angry, John." He paused, "Y' know dat Remy only wit' Mags 'cause o' a contract."
"N' afta tanoight yar thinkin' a stickin' around when it's done," Remy's jaw tightened as he nodded to his teammate.
"Wonderin' if maybe de man t'aint raght afta' all."
John fell silent as he watched his friend walk down the road that he already had. Part of him had always envied Remy's distance from the Acolytes. Sure he always did his job and did it well, but that was all it ever was to Remy: a job. But tonight it had become personal. He knew how weighty that decision was for him, and he had even regretted it a few times.
LeBeau leaned against the tall window frame that stretched floor to ceiling and overlooked the sleeping town of Bayville. He wondered in this small town how many people hated him for what he was. He wondered how many did not. Then he wondered if it would even matter in the end. He raked a hand through his hair, tousling the already messy auburn strands further. The quiet night offered no answers.
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Rogue awoke the next day tucked into one of the med lab beds with a heart monitor attached to her finger. She looked down with a yawn and a half grumble. 'Least they didn' put meh in one a them ugly gowns this tahme.' Her head hurt, and she knew there were several bruises on her back and legs, but none of it hurt nearly as bad as the Sentinel episode. 'But how?' She wondered with a frown and tried to jog her memory.
She had felt Vans spring up behind her, but there was not enough time to turn around before she had felt the board hit her head. The world had twisted and spun around at multiple angles in multiple directions just before darkness had rushed up to claim her. Then nothing of substance filtered upward. Just a barrage of strange images and emotions so mixed up that she could not tell which belonged where. Even attempting to figure it out made her dizzy.
It took three tries to sit up, and even then she had to brace herself with both arms as the white sterile room swam in her field of view. The bed sheets coiled in between her gloved fingers as she fought off the waves of distortion. Each time her head pulsed another scene from the fight replayed itself. The whole thing felt similar to when she absorbed too much of someone. So much that their thoughts and feelings got mixed up with hers for far longer then they should. Had she?
Rogue felt herself pale. Had she absorbed them? A soft groan left her lips as her hands shook in their grip upon the sheets. More people stuck in her head did not appeal to Rogue, especially ones that she did not like in the first place. Nor was she thrilled about letting the Professor down.
"Ah, I see you are up and around, my young charge," It never ceased to amaze Rogue that Hank McCoy had such a gentle voice. The blue, furry, fanged man who had been mistaken for Bigfoot sounded like a scholar. But then again he was. A former science teacher at Bayville with a love of Shakespeare, he had tried to suppress his mutation until he developed a tolerance to the treatment he had created. Since then he had been at the Institute, teaching, researching, and remaining hidden from a world he thought would better off without the rageful beast he felt he had become.
"Hank?" The single syllable intoned so many different questions that Hank was not sure where to begin. With a gentleness that belied his large hands, Hank took both of Rogue's much smaller ones in his.
"Rogue, my dear, you will be fine. You suffered minor trauma overall and you will heal just fine." She did not see the haunted look on Beast's face with her hair covering her still sensitive eyes. They had almost lost her. Only Logan, Charles, and he knew that, but it was enough.
"No, mah head…. Thirsty…" Light dawned in Beast's eyes on both counts. His thoughts sent a call to Charles as he got her a glass of water.
"The water is easily remedied. As for your cranium, I assure you, once the bump goes down a bit, so will the pain leave." A puzzled look crossed him when she shook her slowly, but not before taking a drink.
"Memories," She said, her voice finally gaining some strength just as Charles and a glowering Logan entered. Beast looked to Charles though he had no problem telling Rogue that she had absorbed Gambit, what he did not want to tell her is why it happened. It was selfish in a way. Just thinking about it made Beast angry, and his rage was something he wanted to forget. Charles gave him a brief smile.
"Rogue," The Professor began in that calm voice that would ease even the most hysterical person. 'Great, Ah musta done something really bad if 'es usin' that tone.' Rogue took another long drink. The cool water helped not only to easy the ache in her throat, but to clear her head as well. "Let's start with what you remember."
"Ah went t' go git mah wallet outta tha Jeep," An involuntary shiver wracked her only to abate with a strong grip on her shoulder. Logan watched as her gaze turned to her hands, his remained on her shoulder. "They came outta nowheah. Seven of 'em. Ah knew their names but Vans was tha onlah one tha' Ah eva spoke t' befo'." She frowned, her fingers threaded into each other. " 'E wan'ed meh ta go ta the school dance with 'im. When Ah said no 'e threatene' ta go afta, Kitty. That's when tha faght stahted. One of 'em caught meh from behahnd. Tha's all Ah rememba' clearly."
"Rogue, Gambit and Pyro arrived right after you were hit. They scared off your attackers and brought you back here," Even though the Professor's voice was calm, Rogue knew something was wrong when Logan's hand tightened on her shoulder.
"But Ah feel lahke Ah absorbed someone. Ah remeba things but Ah know it's not meh seein' it."
"You absorbed Gambit, Rogue. Don't worry, he is fine." Now even Charles hesitated.
"How?" A long pause followed her question.
"He and Pyro had to give you CPR," It took a moment for the implications to sink in to Rogue. When it did, Logan saw the blood drain from her face.
"How did Ah git home?"
"Gambit brought you here. Since you had absorbed his powers, he had to remain until they faded." She laughed at that, but the sound was nervous, strained.
"So Ah died, huh?" They all flinched with her words, and none of them knew what to say. "What tahme is it?" She said when the silence became too much.
"'Round ten in the morning," Logan answered in a subdued voice.
"Ah," She began and chose each word with care, "Ah think Ah'd lahke ta' git a showah n' maybe somethin' ta eat."
Logan looked to Charles. The Professor nodded. He knew Rogue was not ready to talk about what she had just learned and he had not expected her to be. 'It may take some time for it become real to her, Logan. Her mind is still confused from absorbing Gambit.' Logan arched a brow at his friend. The contact had not been that long. 'I think it has something to do with a possible second mutation of his. Though I cannot be sure.' A grunt was Wolverine's only reply as he helped Rogue to her feet. It took a lot of will power to keep his anger in check, but he had to… for now.
By the time they reached her room, Rogue no longer shook with each step. But she had not spoken a single word either.
"Just come down when yer ready," He stopped and waited to see if she needed anything.
"Thahnks, Logan," She smiled, a faint weak expression before she closed her bedroom door.
Rogue went about undressing much the way a sleepwalker might perform the same task. With the warm terry cloth robe around her, she headed down to the bathroom through a suspiciously empty hallway. Her soft steps echoed through the high ceiling and she wrapped her arms tight about her as she watched the shadows carefully. Her mind refused to hold onto a single thought for long. 'Must be shock.' She thought with that part of her still capable of rationality.
The steam rose fast and once the water approached unbearably hot, Rogue stepped into the shower. Each drop that hit the bruises stung like small needles, but Rogue welcomed the sensation. It reminded her that she was alive after finding out that she had died, even if only for a minute or two. The shock of it hitting her face caused her to suck in a deep breathe. Her mind drifted under the relaxing heat to not so relaxing memories. At first Rogue thought the rage she remembered was not her own. But as the water washed away the fog in her mind she knew that a good portion of it at least was in fact hers.
Rogue shied away from the uncomfortable implications and forced it all to the back of her mind. Methodically, mechanically she washed her hair and her body, not even wincing when she lifted her sore shoulder to rinse out her hair. Numb, that is what she felt, completely numb. 'Yeah, Ah'm in shock.' Water gurgled down the drain and shower hushed just before she emerged. The soft towels treated her tender flesh with gentle strokes, and the robe, now warmed from being in the steamy bathroom further soothed her muscles.
She watched the pale flesh of her hand with studious care as she wiped a section of the mirror. Her eyes peered back at her, wide but blank. Slender fingers traced the outline of her eyes. A touch that felt real even if she did not believe it was her looking back from the water smudged surface. The same fingers touched the glass in the exact place her eyes were reflected. In a strange, disjointed moment, it felt more real to touch the glass than it did to touch her skin.
Her eyes squeezed shut to blot out her reflection. 'Get it tagethah gal.' She told herself time and again. Ritual is what saved her in the end. The order in which a person brushes his or her teeth or hair, applies lotion and deodorant can get someone moving when conscious thought and control fail. So it was for Rogue, though each time she looked towards the mirror, she refused to look in it.
She drifted back to her room, where she curled up on the soft comforter. She felt the tears rise. 'No, not yet.' She thought. One hand reached out on what seemed its own accord and turned on the small water globe. A small sigh issued as her walls came alive with the soft patterns. With the black curtains closed over the balcony doors, Rogue could almost pretend she lay on the riverside on a quiet evening. A place she loved a place other than Bayville where things happened she refused to think about right now.
Within moments, Rogue fell asleep.
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An hour or two later, Kitty crept in. Her eyes still red and bloodshot from crying on Kurt's shoulder since they had overhead the conversation in the med lab with Rogue. Suddenly, the danger had become all too real to both her and Kurt. They had not said a word to anyone else, not even to Mr. Logan that they had overheard. The wood floor creaked softly as she crossed over to the bed, though she was very carefully to stay silent as she slid a chair over to the edge.
Kitty Pryde, sixteen years old, full of sunshine and gentle grace felt the import of her special gift for the first time. Sure it had been a shock when her mutation awakened. Nor had her parents been thrilled over sending their little girl off to a school with other kids like her. No, they had not been accepting at first, but the promises of Xavier and the shining example of Jean Grey had shown them what needed to happen.
In time they had accepted that Kitty was different. Neither good nor bad, but just different though in a way they would never fully comprehend. What would they think now? She knew that they worried about her since the destruction of the school and the rise in anti-mutant sentiment. But much to her surprise, they did not pull her out of the Xavier Institute.
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"Angel, I won't lie," Her Father said as he sat on the couch across from her, holding her Mother's trembling hand. They flew in the day the school was destroyed and had remained in Bayville the whole time, hoping to find their daughter. Now that they had and reconstruction of the school under, they started the talk Kitty feared. "There are times that I wish you were not a mutant. At first, I just did not understand. Later because of fear that you might be hurt."
He paused then to whisper words of assurance to her Mother. Kitty sat with her hands balled in her lap and waited for the removal order she thought would surely come.
"But," He sighed, "With everything that is going on in the world. I know you would not be safe with us. You… you need to be here angel, not just for your protection, but because it's important." Kitty looked up in shock. Her Father struggled to find the right words. "I want to take you home, but we can't. We know that our little girl will have to help fight, for a better world, where she won't have to hide what she is, or feel ashamed for being different."
Mr. Pryde stopped there when tears choked his throat. He wanted to take his daughter home as any Father watching his daughter face these times would. But he had watched, if only through her letters, Kitty grow here and start to become the woman she could be, the woman she would need to be. She was safer here than at home, though that seemed a cold solace in light of the world climate. Kitty threw herself into her parents' arms and felt an old raw wound of insecurity finally close since her mutation had made itself known.
"I love you guys," She choked out around sad but happy sobs.
"And we love you, angel," Her Father said.
"Always," Her Mother smiled even through the tears that streamed down her cheeks.
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Kitty Pryde, mutant, a.k.a. Shadowcat watched her friend sleep a moment or two longer. 'None of us were ready for this.' Even though her voice never left it her head, it was quiet, subdued. 'But now we have to be.' The weight settled over her, but her shoulders squared as she accepted and reached out. Her hand shook Rogue's shoulder, still covered by the robe. Dr. McCoy was right, Rogue's body was still recovering and she needed to eat.
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Logan found Kurt on the roof at the same time Kitty entered Rogue's room. The elf had a love of heights, and when he had not come to lunch, Logan had gone to find him. Hunched over near the edge, Nightcrawler watched the new recruits in a game of mutant ball on the front lawn. The attack on Rogue had not phased them, not that they did not care, but attacks were becoming the norm around here. Then again, they did not know what he knew.
"Elf?" The gruffness never left Logan's voice even when he was being gentle, or at least as gentle as Wolverine ever came to it.
"Ve heard. Kitty and me, I mean. In ze med lab," Logan frowned. That was not something Chuck had wanted the students to know, and Logan, Beast, and Storm had agreed with him. Logan came to stand next to Kurt. The laughter below drew his attention.
"And now yer startin' to wonder."
"No, Zis," A three fingered, furry hand swept out in front of him, "Zis is important. I know zat. I know vat it is like to be ridiculed for being different." Like Beast, Kurt was covered head to toe in blue fur, though unlike Beast Kurt was slimmer and sported both the tail and yellow eyes. When he had arrived at the Institute he had been covered head to toe. Only the image inducer given to him by the Professor had allowed Kurt to take the guise of a 'normal' human. "But, it is still scary. I vish zer was a way so zat no one got hurt."
Logan sat next to him and watched the kids below who were still oblivious to their presence.
"So do I, elf, so do I." They sat for a long time in silence.
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Phew, all right, so this was a very heavy chapter, and hard to write at that.
Blink182dbzluver – Here ya go!
Aro – I just hope I don't have to give back the golden cookies after this chapter. Lol
Just Call Me Angels – Well I've heard the fifth season is still up in the air, but at this point I'm not holding my breathe :(. I liked Jean/Logan just because Logan is one of my favorites and deserves some happiness I think. But with the age difference in Evo it'd just be a little weird. Scott did get un-chumped in Evo, but I think they kept him and Jean pretty straight laced for balance. Need a little stable in the insanity! Mmmm I don't think it'll go the Romeo and Juliet line, but to be honest I have no idea yet! This chapter took some very different turns then what I had originally planned for it, and I have feeling this will steer the story in ways that I didn't anticipate.
Katrina5 – Glad you liked it. I think it is one of the more endearing chapters so far and if nothing else helps to solidify Remy's ties to Rogue.
Jukebox – I don't know if this one is any less evil though. Lol
Ishandahalf – As I said to Kat, this is one of my more favorite chapters. I dunno why, just is. Though I'll admit chapter 14 makes me a little nervous more so because I have no idea right now what effect this is going to have on Remy and Rogue, especially with the direction that Remy's mind is taking. I think I had Logan a little too mellow in 13, but I admit that I was concentrating more on Remy's reactions and such in that one. As for what the Professor senses… well I ain't telling! Not yet anyway. Hope you enjoyed the movie.
Krys Xanthina – As long as that's a good wow ;)!
Yumiko – Cool, cool. I'm interested to see how that fic turns out.