Disclaimer: The story is mine…all the characters belong to Marvel…except Canon and Zeal.
Archive: Sure, just ask me first at smokhea@aol.com
Special Note: Why is this seemingly PG-13 fic rated R? This chapter will shed some light.
Warning: This chapter has some sexual references and not all of it is good. Ooo, scary.
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Chapter 14
Massive Confusion
(Rogue/Logan)
Rogue walked through the doors of the weight room and was surprised to see that the equipment had been rearranged.
"Ah suppose this is your doing." She stated as Logan followed behind her, dressed in workout clothes.
He rubbed his hands together. "We needed more space for your lessons."
She turned around to face him. "Says you! Ah don't need much space to toss you around like a rag doll."
"Karate is not about tossin' people around." He explained as Rogue rolled her eyes. "It's a defensive art form."
" 'The best defense is a good offence!' Ah learned that watchin' basketball on TV with you guys."
He raised an eyebrow. "Glad to see you using the game of basketball for real life situations." She laughed and began to stroll around the room. Logan followed her with his eyes for a few minutes. "Get over here."
"You know, you need to work on your people skills."
"You're still not over here."
She stood her ground. "Why don't you come to me?!"
" 'Cause I was testin' you. I gave a simple order and you couldn't follow through on it. It's obvious you need to develop discipline first."
"Great! You are gonna teach me discipline? Ah've seen you knock people out for looking at you funny."
He smiled. "Makes you wonder what I would have done if I didn't have discipline."
She laughed. Ah guess he does have a point.
Out of everyone on the team, Logan had been the one person she touched the most. He understood her in ways that most people did not and because of that they shared a bond. She looked at him standing across from her with a smile.
Not a lot of people would have volunteered to teach me anything. Ah have to admit Ah can be a difficult at times. "Before we get started; Ah want to thank you for doing this with me. Ah'm sure you could have spent your first day of vacation doing something else instead of being here. Ah really do appreciate it." She was sincere in her statement. "Ah had to get that out the way first, 'cause Ah know by the end of the day we will get on each other's nerves."
He nodded his head in agreement.
"Now that we got that junk out of the way…All Ah really need is a touch up lesson. Ah want the quick study to karate. First, teach me how to do a karate chop. Ah could always jus' knock a bad guy out with a punch, but a karate chop looks cooler.
"Then Ah want you to teach me how to stop a person's blood from running with one touch to their throat. Ah've seen it on TV before; you can do that right?" She didn't wait for an answer.
"As for now, Ah want to know that move where a bad guy is holding a gun to me, and Ah can take it from him in a swift movement. Sure a bullet can't hurt me, but that's not the point. Ah want to add style to mah attacks."
"The first thing you should do is shut up!" He said sternly. "Let's get one thing straight. I am the teacher, and you are the student. I teach you. You don't order me around."
"You see?! We're not even 10 minutes into the lesson and it's already started. Ah knew this was going to happen. There's no way I'm playing Robin to your Batman. Ah'm not Jubilee, Ah'm not your li'l side kick!"
"Never said you were my sidekick."
"You implied it with your attitude. As if you have the ultimate knowledge and all Ah can do is sit still and listen. Ah could teach you a few tricks, don't let my sex and age fool you. Shit, Ah can out bench press you right now…but Ah know the male ego bruises easily."
"Strength doesn't go over someone with experience."
"Yeah it does!" She answered ignorantly.
"Don't be stupid." His tone then changed to emphasize the importance of his words. "There will always be someone out there that has more strength than you."
"And there will always be someone out there with more experience than you." She smiled with satisfaction. One point for me!
"Sometimes I don't know why I even put up with your back-talk."
" 'Cause Ah'm worth it, that's why. Admit it, Wolvie. You love having me as a mission's partner."
He shrugged. "Yeah, you're good. So, what?"
"Good? Ah'm great!" He shook his head with disapproval. "Hey, if you're not gonna kiss mah ass, Ah'll do it mahself."
"I noticed."
"Out of all the girls, who did you like partnering up with on missions? Storm, Jubilee, Shadow Cat, Jean?" She did not wait for him to answer. "Ah was the best female partner you ever had, and you wanna know why? You didn't have to look after me on the battlefield. Ah could always take care of myself."
"I won't deny that." Rogue was the only one I didn't have to worry about in a fight. I could focus totally on what I had to do without havin' to look over my shoulder to see if she was all right. Still, there was one time I wasn't able to help her when she needed me the most. I don't think I could ever forgive myself for that.
"Still, your strength doesn't make you invincible." He replied with a deeper meaning, however Rogue did not catch on.
"No, mah invulnerability makes me invincible." She stepped closer to him. "And mah absorption power makes me dangerous."
In one swift motion, Logan tripped her onto the floor. He placed his feet on the middle of her back and held her feet at an angle so that she could not get up.
"You don't look so dangerous lying on your face, darlin'" He snarled.
"Okay, okay, Ah get the point. Get off of me now!"
"You better try that again."
She huffed. "Can you please let me up?"
"That's better." He said with satisfaction. He removed his feet from her back and watched as she got up. "Kids, nowadays. You all don't know the meanin' of respect."
"Ah was jus' playing with you, Wolvie. You know Ah'm your friend."
He shook his head. "I've got to get some friends my own age."
"Well you know, there's a nursing home down the street." She teased.
"So now you're a comedian? You've been spendin' too much time with Bobby."
Logan walked over to a blue workout mat that was placed in the center of the room. She followed him without being asked. Once he reached the mat, he sat down and crossed his legs then gestured for Rogue to do the same. She obeyed him, with some apprehension.
"What are we doing?" She asked, facing him in the same position.
"Like I said before…discipline." He answered casually.
"How does this teach me discipline?"
"We're going to mediate."
"You're joking, right?"
"Does it look like I'm joking?"
"Fuck mediation. Ah wanna fight!"
"You can't make it to lesson two without completing lesson one."
She sighed. "Shit! Is it too late for me to back out?"
"There's the door." He looked as if he was daring her to leave. "I knew you would bail out, just didn't think it would be this soon."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You have no problem starting new things, it's finishing that you need to work on."
"Please, tell me more about mahself, Mr. Know It All."
"This isn't the first time that I tried to teach you Karate and you backed out when things weren't going your way. There's the door, use it. I got better things to do with my time."
She felt hurt knowing that he would give up on her so easily. She smiled. "Oh Ah see, is this your idea of reverse-psychology? Better be careful, Logan; Ah might call your bluff." He stared at her without saying another word. It was clear that the choice was hers. "What are you waiting for. Let's mediate!" She yelled with fake enthusiasm.
He nodded. "Relax your muscles, touch your three fingers together and rest them on your legs." She did as he ordered. "Now, close your eyes."
"For how long?"
"Until I tell you to open 'em." She finally closed her eyes, knowing that he was doing the same.
Doesn't he know that mediation is impossible for me? She stayed in the darkness of her mind. Soon, instinctively, she began to slip deeper into her inner thoughts, in time she hit the astral plane.
What's going on here? Rogue wondered as she looked around her mind. Faint shadows of people she absorbed years ago were walking aimlessly around in her head. They were lost psyches and because they were blank, they didn't complicate her mind too much.
But Ah know Ah locked them in doors long ago. How did they get out? She didn't have to wonder for too long. It was clear that The Voice was behind what was going on. Rogue decided to go deeper into her mind on a quest to find the foreign psyche that was determined to cause chaos wherever he went.
It wasn't long—though keeping track of real time in the astral plane was impossible—before she came across a familiar face.
The man that she knew as The Voice, stood in front of her with a smile. Rogue was taken aback by what he looked like. Normally, the voices in her mind would look transparent and fade even more as time went on. Not this man. She was shocked to find that he was really clear in her thoughts. Not as solid like Carol Danvers or Remy were, but solid enough to cause her to worry.
He stood, over 6 feet tall, gazing down on her with a sparkle in his blue eyes. His black hair was cut close, and he had a handsome face—in an evil sort of way. "So we finally meet face to face again. I was starting to get the feeling you were trying to ignore me."
"Well, aren't you sharp."
"Actually, I'm Canon. We never did get properly introduced, did we? I guess it was kind of hard since we were trying to kill each other on the battlefield…"
She wasn't in the mood for small-talk. "Cut the bullshit. What are you doing back here?"
"Why are you so upset? You're the one who pushed me here, now you're mad because I haven't been to the front of your mind pestering you?"
"Yeah, that's right. You've been here far too long." She gave a quick scan of her surroundings. "Ah know you mus' be up to something."
"I'll save you the trouble of beating around the bush. I am up to something." He looked at her with amusement.
"Ah know you're the one who let out all these psyches. Why?"
"You want me to come out with my plan now? What fun would that be?"
"Ah'm sorry. Ah wouldn't want to spoil your fun."
He gave her a big smile, loving her awkward sense of humor. He was about to give her a witty reply when a faint psyche walked in between them ruining his comedic timing. "How rude. He didn't even say excuse me!"
"It's not his fault. He's probably forgotten the English language."
"The people here in your mind are like empty shells."
"Because all they are, are lost memories and empty psyches."
"They're just like puppets."
"Puppets?"
"Yup…" His voice dropped for dramatic affect, "and I'm the Puppet Master."
She shrugged. "Ah guess that's a step up from being a villain".
He laughed. "You're ruining my moment. These voices are really easy to control, watch this." He turned to the crowd of psyches walking around. "Kiss my ass…kiss my ass…" He chanted.
Soon, one of the psyches started to repeat him. "Kiss my ass…kiss my ass…"
Then another psyche caught on. "Kiss my ass…"
After a few moments a crowd of voices joined in. "KISS MY ASS…KISS MY ASS…" They were almost deafening.
"Shut up!" Canon ordered. To Rogue's amazement the voices became silent. In all her years, she had never even attempted to control the voices. "Ain't that something? It took me awhile, but I'm now able to control the voices in your head. Looks like the balance of power has shifted in my favor." He was pleased with himself.
Yes, this was something new, but overall Rogue was unimpressed. "So you have yourself a nice li'l co-ed cheerleading team. Is that what you've been doing? And here Ah was actually thinking you were up to no good. Ah have to say, Ah'm very disappointed. You've wasted mah time long enough, Ah'm out of here." She turned to leave.
Her lack of a response to his trick pissed him off. Luckily for him there was always a plan B. "Not so fast. I want to show you something deeper in your mind."
She turned back to face him. "Ah don't think so."
"It wasn't a question. Zeal…now!" He demanded.
She looked at him confused. "What's a Zeal…" Two arms from out of no where grabbed her. The person's grip had amazing strength. "Get your hands offa me!" She yelled trying to pound him.
Canon smiled. "This is Zeal. I'm sure he looks familiar; he was the mutant that tried to pull me off of you in the battle. It took me a while to find the door you locked him in…it was pretty easy to brake open, you did a shitty job as usual. In case you're wondering why Zeal hasn't been interrupting your mind as much as I have, it's because he is what they call, 'mentally challenged'. Zeal only does what he is told." Rogue continued to twist in his grasp. As she struggled she looked up at her bulky captor, and noticed a deep cut in his throat. She gasped at the site of the scar.
Canon noticed her reaction. "Don't worry about that. His vocal chords were cut out in a battle long ago. I guess he's much like the other empty shells in your mind…except, he can hurt you. Make no mistake of that."
It was quite apparent that these two voices were not strong enough to take over her body, but were strong enough to cause her physical harm.
"Zeal, don't let go of her and make sure you don't touch her flesh. I don't know what could happen if she absorbs you in here." Zeal answered him with a firm nod. "Follow me!"
"Where are we going?" Rogue asked still struggling.
He smiled. "Why, we're going to dig up your forgotten memories, of course."
Intoxicating Talks
(Remy/Betsy)
By the time they made it to the men's section of the mansion, Remy was now leading Betsy to his room. She followed him with dread, not knowing if she could maintain a decent conversation with someone she truly hated. He stopped at his bedroom door and took out his keys.
"You do know that you're the only one of us that actually has a lock on their door."
"Xavier has a lock too." He answered with a smile.
"Yeah, and he bought it the week after you moved in."
He tilted his head. "Dat was a bad move on his part. When Xavier locks one particular room in a mansion filled wit' unlocked doors, he's only asking for me to brake in."
"Are you saying that you've broken into Xavier's room?"
"How dare you even t'ink such a t'ing. Why, dat would be a violation of his trust." The sarcasm in his voice did not escape her. He turned the lock and opened the door. He stepped back and made a gesture with his arm, "After you." She gave him a slight nod and walked in.
Betsy had never before been invited to his room, therefore she was not prepared for what she saw. Remy's room was immaculate. His furniture was priceless, a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and a Persian rug covered the floor. Add to that a small table and a long couch by the windowsill and you had one hell of a room.
Remy switched on the light.
"No, turn it off." Betsy ordered. "There's enough light coming from the moon through the window." He turned it off allowing the light of the moon to seep in through the darkness.
She circled his chambers leaving a trail of expensive perfume behind her. Remy knew it was expensive because it was a very popular brand among the rich women he would meet.
Her final destination was in front of Remy's entertainment center—minus the television. In the middle of the shelves sat a costly stereo. She traced her fingers around the machine and stopped where the serial number would have been. It was scratched off.
Betsy made a mental note to herself. By the look of his room, it was apparent that he was as rich as she was, maybe even more. However, as far as Betsy was concerned, if you have to steal in order to gain wealth, you're still dirt poor in her book.
"Are you too good to pay for a stereo, Gambit?"
"It was a present from a friend." He answered without missing a beat.
"Did you know that your friend gave you stolen property?"
"It would have been rude on my part t' criticize a gift from a friend."
I'm not buying that. "You're nothing more than a street rat." She turned back to his stereo system and began to dig through his CD collection. "Louie Armstrong, The Neville Brothers, Sir Duke, BeBe King…you've got to be kidding me?"
"I'm from New Orleans, de home of Jazz and blues, what did you expect?"
"I guess I'm supposed to believe that you are really this deep."
"You don't have t' believe anyt'ing you don't wan' to."
"What the hell does that mean?" She knew she would not get a response from him so she placed his CD's back on the shelf. "Why don't you make yourself useful and get me some alcohol."
Remy walked over to his liquor cabinet and unlocked the sliding door. He got down on his knees and took out two bottles. "What's your poison? Wine, champagne…"
"I want something hard. Rum, scotch, vodka…whatever. Give it to me straight, I don't want it deluded with ice."
"You sure you can handle it?"
She opted not to dignify his question with an answer.
He smiled. "As you wish." Remy reached for a bottle of Vodka and poured the drink in a glass.
Betsy walked over to the windowsill and gazed into the night sky. She was about to turn her attention back to Remy when she noticed a figure walking gracefully into the distance. It was Ororo, dressed in a white dressed that flowed loosely as the wind blew through it.
Where is she going dressed like that? Betsy did not have to wait long for an answer. She gently sent her telepathic signals towards the weather goddess. Whereas Jean and Xavier made an effort to avoid reading the minds of others unknowingly, Betsy did as she pleased. After a slight touch of Ororo's mind, she withdrew her powers. Betsy stood flabbergasted for a few seconds. Isn't that interesting…and know one else knows.
"What are you lookin' at?" Remy asked as he handed her the drink.
She looked at the glass with displeasure. "You should keep the bottle handy. I'm bound to go through more than a glass."
"Not t' worry, there's free refills."
"Aren't you going to join me?"
"Not tonight." I'm Not stupid. Dere's no way I'm going t' risk getting drunk and dropping my defenses wit' Psylocke around. She's almost as sneaky as me.
"You got a cigarette?"
He gave a quick scan of his room not remembering where he had placed his last pack. He finally went over to his night table and found it after a few minutes of searching. He took out a cigarette and gave it to her, watching as she placed it between her lips.
"Since when did you start smoking?"
"You disapprove? I'll try anything once." She sat down on the windowsill. "Light it." She ordered, though he would have done it anyway. He generated his mutant power through his fingertip and released the kinetic energy on the end of the cigarette. A soft red glow and a trail of gray smoke gave evidence that it was lit. Betsy inhaled the cigarette deeply and choked on the strong smoke.
Remy laughed. "Too much for you, eh?"
"This is horrible! Here take it back."
He happily took the cigarette from her and puffed on it. He felt a relaxation as the smoke passed through his lungs. Wait a second. Didn't I quit smokin' months ago 'cause of Rogue's nagging? He guiltily stole another puff then threw the remaining butt out the window.
He grabbed a chair, placed it in front of Betsy and watched as she downed her drink in record timing. She then motioned for him to refill her glass; he complied without hesitation.
Remy prided himself on being a ladies man. Giving his empathy, he had an advantage of understanding the emotions of women at times when regular men would be left scratching their heads. This being the case, he was a favorite among the X-women. Of course, there were always exceptions to the rule. Because Rogue's mind was filled with dozens of psyches, he couldn't connect with her on an empathy level. Then there was Betsy.
Remy would be the first to admit that he and Betsy had a strained relationship. She knew the type of man he was; she had met plenty like him in her lifetime, so Betsy always had her guard up when dealing with him.
But dat didn't mean we never had our good moments. Betsy is a fun, adventurous, independent woman. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in her at one time. I learned really fast dat she had a snobby side. Dere was no way she would ever get involved wit' a common thief; which made me want her even more. However, de opportunity never presented itself. I started t' flirt wit' Rogue, and soon focused my total attention on getting one woman—which was somet'ing I rarely did.
Betsy and I continued t' have an okay relationship. We would talk when we had de chance, but we would never go out and seek each other's company. Dat was de way it was until she invaded my personal space.
I will never forget de day she tried t' enter my mind when I was in a coma. She was so sure I was hiding a secret from de X-men and was willing t' get information from me while I was unconscious. Luckily I had de ability t' block psychic probes, which dey weren't aware of until den.
Soon Betsy told me dat she knew I had a secret. She made it clear dat she would expose it if she ever found out exactly what it was. Dat alone put her at de top of my Fuck You List, and dere she has remained ever since.
I know dat she still doesn't trust me, which is okay 'cause I don't trust her. But I do like de fact dat she's open wit' her distrust, where as others would hide it.
He continued to stare as she slowly brought herself passed the legal limit of alcohol consumption. "What could Warren have done dat was so bad to drive you t' de bottle?" He wondered out loud.
"Don't even mention his name. You're not even good enough to lick the bottom of his shoe."
"But you look so sad." He was insincere. "What do you miss most? Warren's companionship, or his charge card?"
"Warren and I both come from a wealthy family. He can't give me anything that I can't get myself."
Ah-ha! Dere's de independent femme I know, I t'ought I'd lost her. But the look in her eyes revealed her false façade.
"Yet you still morn him wit' a bottle of vodka." If he felt anything for her at that moment it was pity, or nothing at all. He was beginning to lose what little respect he had for her. "Sulking over a man, never t'ought I would ever see you like dis. I never knew a man could brake you, of all people." He smiled, "Warren's dick mus' have been candy coated."
SLAP! That was the sound of Betsy's hand making impact with his cheek. She then tossed the remaining contents of her drink in his face with the other hand.
He sat, too stunned to even speak. No she did not jus' slap me and t'row a drink in my face… He looked up at her smug expression.
"That shut you up! Now pour me another drink, before I really get angry."
…Yes, dat's exactly what she did. Heat flowed throughout his body. De Lord himself better stop me now 'cause I'm gonna drag dat bitch by her neck and t'row her out my fuckin' room…better yet, de window!
*
Zeal followed Canon while carrying Rogue across his broad shoulders. She had stopped putting up a fight long ago knowing that her strength was useless against the stronger mutant.
'There will always be someone out there that has more strength than you.' Logan's earlier words came back to haunt her.
What Ah could use now is some experience. How did Logan tackle me to the ground? Ah guess Ah have been depending a li'l too much on mah strength nowadays. Before Ah had Carol's powers, Ah used to be skilled in hand-to-hand combat. It's been a long time since Ah practiced.
Canon stopped suddenly. They had traveled deep into her mind to a place she rarely visited. "Here we are, finally." He pointed to a large door that was clamped shut. It was a very familiar sight to Rogue.
"Put her down, but don't let her go yet." Canon ordered.
Zeal placed her down, but still kept his hands on her shoulders. "That's a locked door Xavier made for me a long time ago. There's no way you can open it."
"I don't have to…look." They took a couple more steps forward.
She squinted her eyes in disbelief. "It's cracking."
"Didn't I tell you?" He smiled proudly. "Looks like even the great Xavier can't make something that lasts forever."
"But, it's jus' cracks, Ah still can't see anything."
"Some of the walls have holes in them. Go take a look." He nudged her forward, away from Zeal's grasp.
Rogue stepped up to the gray door that was solid steal in her mind. She traced her hand along the cracks in the wall until she finally came across a gapping hole.
She looked inside. "It's dark in there." A sudden chill ran through her body. She turned back to Canon. "Ah've never been scared of the dark, since Ah was a li'l kid." Again she looked in the hole. "Ah don't see anything else."
"It's probably the angle you're at. Try another hole, on a different side."
She did as she was told. "Ah still don't see anything…wait…Ah see something. It's a girl; it's me." Before her eyes, trapped in the four walls was a young teenager with short spiky hair. It was a memory of Rogue from years before. "Ah'm hugging my knees, 'cause Ah'm cold. That shouldn't be. Ah'm not affected by extreme cold or heat. Ah guess that means Ah don't have mah powers. Ah'm…naked." She stepped back in fear mixed with confusion. "No, wait, this doesn't make sense. That has never happened to me before."
"Of course you would think that. You still don't remember the entire memory. Most of it is trapped in the door."
"Ah've never been like that before…except in Genosha, but Ah remember everything that happened to me on that island. This has to be something else, but what?"
He shook his head. "Hmm, where's Colombo when you need him?"
"Who?"
"Colombo, you know the detective show? Colombo was a guy who went around solving crimes. It got cancelled long ago."
"Never heard of it."
"It was very popular in its day."
"Watch it, Canon. You're showing your age."
"It's still on in re-runs."
"Yeah, sure." She replied sarcastically. She focused back on her present situation. "Ah don't know what that memory is, but if Xavier locked it away, it must have been for a good reason. Ah'm not going to worry about it."
"Rogue, Rogue, Rogue." He shook his head with disapproval. "Didn't you listen to anything your boyfriend said to you?"
"What?"
"I was listening to your conversation with…Remy earlier. He said, 'You lying on a couch, unconscious, wit' a telepath, left you vulnerable…' "
"Yeah, so."
" 'And when you're vulnerable…don't trust anyone.' "
"Ah know!"
"Yet you still trust Xavier."
"What are you talking about?"
He smiled. "All I know is, if I had a pretty young thing like you unconscious on my couch…"
She knew what he was implying. "Ah'd like to see you try anything while your trapped in a wheelchair…"
"I've searched your memories. I know that when you first arrived on the team Xavier loved taking you with him on trips without the other X-men…"
"They weren't trips. He would go on conferences and would bring me with him so that he could continue to help me with mah powers…"
"I also know that in those times Xavier was given an improved body where he had the use of his legs again." He smiled. "And if I had a pretty young thing like you unconscious on my couch I would…"
"How you gonna touch something that's untouchable."
"There are Genosha collars all over this mansion. It's here just incase there is an emergency and you have to be operated on. With one click of the collar, the untouchable is now touchable. And if I had a pretty young thing like you unconscious on my couch I would…"
"You bastard. How dare you even think that Xavier is capable of something so awful."
"What, are you a little nervous now? I guess you aren't so disappointed in me anymore, huh? Anyway, how can you be so sure nothing happened."
"Ah'm a virgin, Canon, that's how." She could always pull that Ace from her sleeve. Everything Canon had just said had no implications on her. She walked over and stared him dead in the eyes. "Fuck you, you can't get to me."
He shook his head. "How can someone who knows so much, be so naïve? I am intelligent, and Xavier is a genius. I like him know that there is more than one place to stick a dick without leaving any evidence behind…"
With all her strength she closed her fist on his jaw. The punch caught him by surprise. Rogue saw her opportunity to escape and took to the air, flying towards the front of her mind.
Canon picked himself from the floor still holding his jaw. "Shit, that hurt!" He turned to face Zeal who had not moved from his spot. "What are you waiting for you idiot! Get her!"
In an instant, Zeal took flight in the sky with Canon on his back. Within a matter of time they were hot on her tail.
"What's the matter, Rogue. You having second thoughts…" He yelled behind her. "…Maybe Xavier blocked out that memory because he didn't want you to know that he's been screwing you, which I can understand…"
Ah have to get out of here. Below her she could see the many psyches following them blindly to the front of her mind. Shit, shit, shit! Why are they following us?
"…But you are right about one thing...you are technically still a virgin…"
"Leave me alone!" She screamed.
"…Did you ever wake up from a session with Xavier and have an unfamiliar taste in your mouth…"
"Ah'm warning you!" She started to see the front of her mind up ahead, but the others where gaining on her.
"…Did you ever wake up with a throbbing pain in your ass…" He shouted.
She made a quick landing and ran the rest of the way out of her mind's eye. Soon she met up with the invisible shield that would usher her back to reality. She turned around to see Zeal and Canon coming at her. She took a step through the shield and looked back triumphantly knowing they would not be able to follow her—they were not strong enough to have full control of her body. She knew now that it would be dangerous to ever go back in her mind.
"You might be able to leave us, but you won't be able to stop hearing us…"
Rogue opened her eyes. Logan still sat in front of her and opened his eyes a second after her.
"Did I tell you to open your eyes?"
"Ah'm tired of this li'l exercise. Ah'm ready for lesson two."
"That's impossible considering that you still haven't passed part one."
"Blah, blah, blah. Are we goin' to…"
Rogue, Rogue? You left without saying goodbye… Canon was at the front of her mind and was determined to confuse her conversation with Logan.
"…Are we goin' to…" She repeated.
…That was very rude of you.
"Are we goin' to…"
'Are we goin' to'…you ever think about finishing your sentence?
"What are you talking about?" Logan asked confused.
She focused on Logan. "Nothing, Ah jus'…"
You just found out you got molested by—what did Beast call him again, oh yeah—your 'Father Figure'.
Fuck you!
No, I believe you were actually the one who got 'fucked'.
"Rogue, what's going on?" Logan asked again with concern.
Tell him, Rogue. Tell him that his god of a Professor is a pervert.
She focused on the Canadian. "Nothing, Ah'm fine. Ah can do this."
"Do what?" Logan asked. She did not hear him.
You're not goin' to get the best of me, Canon. You don't have the slightest idea what that lost memory was. You're jus' making up lies.
To quote your sex deprived boyfriend: 'When you're vulnerable, don't trust anyone.' You were never more vulnerable then when you were with Xavier.
Logan continued on with their conversation. "Okay, maybe we can go further on."
Poor vulnerable, Rogue...
She turned to her temporary teacher. "Ah think Ah should go tell Remy not to wait for me." She was always good at juggling two conversations, not anymore.
…She had to learn the hard way…
"Don't worry, I already told him." Let's see if I can get her to talk about the Cajun. "I'm thinkin' you still got him hooked on you. You plan on turning on the bracelet anytime soon?"
…Trust only leads to hurt…and a good fuck up the ass!
"Ah'll do it when Ah'm good and ready!" She answered Logan.
Hey, I think it is a good time for me to test out my 'cheerleading team' with you on the outside.
"Don't lie to me. You'll never be 'good and ready'. How hard is it to press the button?"
Don't trust anyone…Don't trust anyone… Canon started to chant trying to entice the voices to join in; it didn't take long…
DON'T TRUST ANYONE…DON'T TRUST ANYONE…DON'T TRUST ANYONE…
Rogue eyes widen in response. Her head began to pound with all the voices speaking at once. Logan's voice began to get softer; it was harder for her to concentrate.
What's happening to me? She thought, or tried to think. It was impossible for her to hear her own thoughts through the noise. It was maddening.
DON'T TRUST ANYONE…DON'T TRUST ANYONE…DON'T TRUST ANYONE…
Mah head is going to explode!
"Rogue, answer me." Logan yelled. Unbeknownst to him, Rogue could not hear anything he had just said.
She got up from the mat and headed to the doorway. Logan slipped in front of her blocking the exit.
"Not so fast, kid. Why do you always want to run when I bring up Gambit."
Rogue did not stop walking and forcefully made her way past him and out the door holding her head.
"Rogue, Rogue!" He called after her. She didn't even look back.
"I'm glad I found you!" Logan turned around the other hallway to face Scott. "I need you to finish computing the new passwords."
He crossed his arms. Computing the new passwords was not a simple task. "Can't. I'm doing somethin'."
"I wasn't asking you, Wolverine." He stated in a leader tone.
"Ain't I supposed to be on vacation?"
"We all have to make some sacrifices. I still have to finish up some reports for Xavier."
He raised an eyebrow. "Reports can wait 'til anytime. Shouldn't you be at home with your wife?"
"Like I said, we all have to make some sacrifices."
"Sacrifice is one thing. You need to set your priorities first."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Scott asked defensively.
"Nothing." He turned around to leave. "I'll do your fucking passwords."
"And a fuck you, to you too." He mumbled to himself as he made his way back to the Control Room.
Canon watched from Rogue's mind as she trampled around the mansion, knocking into walls. He loved it. Ain't this something? It seems as if I really do have the upper hand.
DON'T TRUST ANYONE…DON'T TRUST ANYONE…
Canon! Make 'em stop!
I don't think so…I've got a great rhythm going. All I need is a drumbeat.
Ah'm serious! Make 'em stop!
Calm down. It can't be all that bad.
Ah'll do whatever you want. Jus' make 'em stop!
Bingo! That's just what I wanted to hear. I'll make them stop if you just do me one tiny favor.
Anything!
Get…Me…Out!
*
Remy stood looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He had already washed the alcohol from his face and had just put on a clean white undershirt with gray seat pants. He was burning mad when Betsy slapped him and left the room before he could follow through on his homicidal thoughts. He stayed in the bathroom for a long time until he was sure that he could control his temper.
He entered his room quietly, immediately he could feel the anger begin to rise at the sight of the silent ninja. These were the times he was glad that he had empathy. He slowly let his powers reach out to her. She was sad, depressed. She was in one of those moods where nothing seemed to be going right. She had lost control.
Who de fuck cares! Not'ings wrong wit' being in a bad mood, but dat doesn't mean you have se right t' take it out on others. His powers stayed with her, feeling her out, but that was not the extent of his mutation. He began to draw in his powers, taking her emotions with them. Soon his body was filled with her feelings. Now he was sad, depressed. He was now in one of those moods where nothing seemed to be going right. He had lost control.
I'm mad at everyone and everyt'ing, damn it. How dare everyone else be happy when my life is miserable. I deserved getting' slapped… Remy stopped the flow of empathy. I didn't deserve t' be slapped. He was back to his own feelings again. The little trip into Betsy's emotions gave Remy insight into how she was feeling. His anger for her decreased.
She looked up at him from the window. She had the Vodka bottle in her hand instead of the glass. The bottle was almost finished. "You can come closer. I won't bite."
"I t'ink it's best dat I stay over here until I calm down."
"If you're expecting an apology…"
"Nope. I'm not expecting anyt'ing from you." He knew that she felt no remorse for what she had done. He slowly walked up and sat down on the chair in front of her.
"I guess you calmed down. That was fast."
They sat in silence as she finished the last drop of the bottle. Remy was amazed that she wasn't visibly drunk yet. She spoke perfectly and her thoughts seemed clear. Then again, it is a known fact that telepaths could handle liquor better than others. It had to do with the fact that they used 80% of their brain whereas the average person only used 10%. For them, alcohol takes longer to slow down their motor skills.
Betsy placed the empty bottle on the floor and faced Remy. She was ready to talk. "What would you do if the person you are in a relationship with decides that they want to brake it off?"
He shrugged, not giving much thought to the question.
"The way I see it, you can only do one of two things. You can change who you are, your very essence so that the other person will except their version of you. Or you can accept yourself for who you are—with all your faults—and leave the person behind even though you really did love them." She sighed. "Either way, you lose."
Remy contemplated on what she had just said. Dat can't be right. Dat would mean dat I would have t' change myself for Rogue t' love me, or jus' give up and leave her. I don't like dose options. "You're missin' one scenario: You can keep on being yourself and hopefully your partner will come t' accept you for who you are."
She was unconvinced. "I never knew you were so optimistic. For some reason I get the feeling that you were speaking for yourself."
"Oh really?"
"If you're waiting on Rogue to change her mind…"
"Ain't nobody talkin' about Rogue." He interrupted sharply.
"…You must have a lot of time on your hands." She finished.
"Dis ain't about me and Rogue. Dis is about what happened between you and Warren. I guess he finally discovered how pointless your relationship was." He noticed the slight reaction in her face. "Looks like I struck a nerve."
"You're walking a thin line."
"Why buy de cow when you can get de milk for free."
"This is coming from the expert milk tester, so it must be true." She got up and helped herself to a bottle of whisky. Remy was surprised she was still able to walk. Again she took her seat on the windowsill.
"All you X-men are the same."
"How so?"
"You're all looking for the perfect woman."
"I don't see a problem wit' dat."
"You all want Jean."
"Humph." He shook his head adamantly. "I don't wan' Jean."
"Oh, you don't want a woman who plays the loving wife perfectly? You don't want someone who supports you in whatever you do and gives you unconditional love? You can't tell me that you don't go to bed at night wishing that Rogue had those qualities. You, like all the others, want Jean."
He chuckled. "You don't know what you're talkin' about."
"Don't I?" She took a slip of the strong drink straight from the bottle. "It goes the other way around too, you know. Just as the men want Jean, us women want Scott. Don't think for a moment that Rogue doesn't secretly wish you were like him. A man without secrets, lies and mind games, that's Scott."
"He's also a man who takes boredom to de 10th power. How can someone play de responsible, predictable role 24/7?"
"As oppose to the irresponsible, impulsive role that you play? A girl needs normalcy and calm once and a while."
"Yeah, once and a while being de operative words. You can't fool me, if you had a man like dat you would go stir crazy."
"No I wouldn't. I have had every other type of relationship and they lose steam pretty fast. I could use a change." She took another long sip. "Scott and Jean have the perfect relationship."
"Not'ing's perfect."
"Except their love for each other."
"Not'ing is guaranteed, not even love." Remy quoted Jean's words from their night in the kitchen. The phrase wasn't lost on Betsy.
"So now you're pessimistic on their relationship. Am I missing something? Do you know something I don't?"
She isn't as drunk as I t'ought if she caught on t' what I said.
"I heard a crazy rumor that Rogue has a bracelet that controls her powers." Actually, I picked up that information when I was searching Ororo's mind. "What does that mean for you?"
"You mus' really be drunk if you t'ink I'm going t' talk t' you 'bout Rogue."
"Isn't this interesting? Rogue always pushed you away because she couldn't touch. Now, she can touch, yet you're here with me. What's with your girlfriend?"
"Not'ing."
"What do you like most about Rogue? Is it her indecisiveness? Is it her inability to trust anyone completely?" She knew the answers to her questions would be 'no'. "Or maybe it's just the primal things that attract all men to a woman who is innocent. You love the fact that she isn't damaged goods. You love the idea of being her first."
"Dat's not it."
"It's not?" She slipped off her seat and got onto all fours on the floor. She crawled to him in a seductive manner as his red eyes took in her cleavage. She kneeled down in front of him and traced her hands up his legs. "How strange is it that Rogue never satisfied your needs while you two were dating? Yes Rogue couldn't touch your flesh, but I'm sure she could have seen the tension she caused in you." Her hands moved up rubbing his inner thighs, "Yet she didn't…help you out. As you can tell, it's not that hard…" she smiled eyeing the center of his pants, "Actually, it's quite hard from what I can tell."
He quickly covered her hands with his. "Stop."
"Why? I can tell you're enjoying yourself."
He grinned. "Dere's no way I'm gonna trust your hands so close t' my balls."
"You're right not to trust me." She removed her hands, but remained in the same position between his legs. "Still doesn't change the fact that Rogue's never been this close to you before. What, I'm a wrong? Don't you ever wonder why?"
"You don't know anyt'ing about what we did, or didn't do."
That's true, but I have my suspicious. "The first chance I get I'm going to warn her about you. Her virginity is the one thing that you love about her and is the one thing that you want to take from her. Then, after you are finished using her, you'll throw her in the pile with all your other used up women."
He smiled. "I'm sensing dat you secretly wish you were part of dat pile."
"Everything's a joke to you, Remy. No wonder people don't take you seriously."
"I don't care what people t'ink of me."
"I don't believe that. I'll tell you something. In some ways, even though I hate you, I still have some respect where you're concern."
"Really?"
"Uh-huh. Fuck it! You're a good-looking guy; I'm not telling you something you don't know. Even your freakish red eyes are alluring."
"You tryin' t' give me a big head?"
"I always thought that you were the type of guy I knew most of my life. The only thing you ever cared about was yourself. I had you all figured out the first day I met you. Then you took a turn. You actually started to care for the people here, namely Rogue. This went totally against my theory of you."
"De thief has a heart."
"I found it amazing that a man could actually fall for a girl he couldn't touch…and be faithful."
"Yes, I'm a great guy, aren't I?"
"Nope. 'Cause as soon as Rogue uses her bracelet, the myth will be gone. There won't be anything special about you, Gambit. You will be just like any other man."
"What if Rogue and I come toget'er and have a meaningful relationship?"
"You and Rogue?" She started to giggle uncontrollably. Remy reasoned that the liquor might be starting to take affect. "That will never happen." She jumped to her feet; her mind went black for a moment.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself in Remy's arms. "You fainted."
Her mind was a whirlwind. "I still feel dizzy."
"You should. You were more than half way t'rough de bottle of whiskey."
"Don't remind me. I need to lie down."
He walked her over to his bed and she rolled onto her back. "Do you feel better?"
She rested her hand on her forehead. "Yeah, a little."
He sat over her with a smile on his face. "You had me going for awhile, I thought you were invincible. But now it's quite clear; the little girl can't hold her liquor."
She raised her upper body to meet his face. "What happened to your accent?"
She's not dat drunk… "What can I say? It comes an' it goes."
"You see, little things like that make me suspicious. I'm on to you Remy, don't forget it."
He leaned into her. "Don't go lookin' for trouble where dere isn't any."
"You're one to talk about looking for trouble. You could have easily put me to lie down on the couch, yet you choose the bed."
He shrugged. "It's a force of habit."
A smile played on her lips and her eyes danced with mischief. She ran her fingers through his hair and slowly brought her head closer to his lips. Remy watched her not knowing how far she was willing to go. To his surprised she went all the way. Her lips brushed lightly against his.
He pulled back slightly. "What was dat for?"
She smiled. "It's a force of habit."
What de hell is she t'inking? In that moment, everything became crystal clear. "You bastard…" She grabbed his head with both hands and forced her tongue into his mouth.
"Remy!" Rogue shot through the door just in time to witness Remy on top of Betsy. He clumsily tried to get off of her.
"It's not what it looks like."
"It's exactly what it looks like." Betsy added with a laugh still trying to hold on to him.
"Shut de fuck up!" Dat was really good. Betsy could sense de many voices in Rogue's mind and knew she was about t' enter de room.
Remy got off the bed and walked towards Rogue and noticed the bewildered expression on her face. The weird thing was she didn't seem to react to seeing him on Betsy. Or was it that she didn't care? He pulled her aside, as far away from Betsy as he could manage without leaving the room. "What's wrong, chere?"
"Ah don't know, Ah can't think."
"I don't feel good! Shit!" Betsy stumbled off the bed and tried desperately to steady herself
"What's wrong?" He asked Rogue.
DON'T TRUST ANYONE! DON'T TRUST ANYONE…
Get me out of here, Rogue. I'll stop all this if you get me out!
GET ME OUT! GET ME OUT! GET ME OUT! GET ME OUT! GET ME OUT… To his surprise, the voices began to chant another slogan without his order.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up! Ah'm going to fucking kill you, Ah swear!" She began to beat her head.
"What?" Remy stared at her in shock. "Chere, snap out of it…"
"My head is pounding!" Betsy held her head while staggering to an unknown destination. "I think I'm going to throw up." That last part caught Remy's attention.
"De washroom is over dere." Remy said pointing in the direction, but she did not see him. He rolled his eyes and led her to the right area. "Here it is. Make sure everyt'ing goes into de toilet bowl. I'm not cleaning up after you!" He left her in the washroom and went back to Rogue.
"Chere, Rogue, can you hear me?"
"Uh-huh." Her voice was unusually calm. Her eyes were wide, her iris were shifting rapidly. Betsy could be heard throwing up in the background.
"Is it de voice in your head? De guy dat's been causing you problems?"
She did not hear him. "Ah have to get him out of mah mind…"
"How?" He asked, but she still could not hear him.
"…One way or another."
"Ewww! This is so gross!" Betsy shouted after she finished emptying the contents of her stomach. She flushed the toilet and made her way to the sink. She rinsed her mouth with water, trying desperately to get the awful taste off her tongue. Using the wall for support she walked drunkenly out the washroom and headed for the stairwell. Remy watched her leave the room from the corner of his eye. He was glad that she was gone, now he can focus his attention entirely on helping Rogue.
"One way or another? I don't like de sound of dat, chere."
What's it going to be, Rogue? I can go on like this for hours; I have nothing else to do. I can make them stop yelling, just promise me that you will get me out.
GET ME OUT! GET ME OUT! GET ME OUT! GET ME OUT! GET ME OUT…
That's impossible, and you know that…
That's not what I want to hear. You want to call my bluff, go ahead. I'd rather drive you to insanity then be stuck here.
GET ME OUT! GET ME OUT! GET ME OUT! GET ME OUT! GET ME OUT…
There's no fucking way I'm going to stay in your mind and risk becoming an empty shell!
"Why don't we…" Remy's voice trailed off as his sensory perception kicked in. He could sense that someone was about to move down the stairs. Normally, that would not have bothered him, however he reasoned that the person was Betsy. She was in no condition to walk down the winding staircase. Every part of him wanted to stay by Rogue's side, but he knew that Betsy was in immediate danger…he had to help her.
"Rogue, stay right here. I have to go get Betsy." She did not acknowledge him. "Rogue, Rogue, did you hear me?"
"Huh?" She responded blindly.
"I'll be right back, okay?"
"Uh-huh." She answered, not really comprehending anything that he had said. She vaguely saw him exit the room.
Wolverine is right. You always start things but never finish them. You pretend to be tough, but you're nothing but a little girl; a little girl who's afraid to trust…love…and press the button.
PRESS THE BUTTON…PRESS THE BUTTON…PRESS THE BUTTON… Again the voices began to chant his last sentence without an order.
It seems as if they are starting to grow a mind of there own.
Rogue wasn't even paying attention to him. Her mind was in turmoil; her head was pounding, she longed for peace but knew that Canon would make good on his threats. If Canon became a permanate fixture in her mind, she knew she would crumble. It was hard enough when Carol Danvers had control of her body.
No, there's no way Ah'm going through that again.
You haven't got a choice. He yelled over the continued chanting.
But Ah do. There's always a choice.
What are you going to do, jump out the window? That won't work a second time.
No, Ah'm going to kill you.
You always tell me that I don't exist, so how can you kill something that doesn't exist?
Ah'm going to kill…me.
Yeah, right. Anyway, there's no way you can kill yourself.
Where there's a will… She did not bother to finish the popular phrase.
Rogue walked towards Remy's dresser still in a trance. There, resting on the furniture were a pair of scissors, just like Remy told her earlier. Andamentium Scissors.
*
"Okay, I can do it." Betsy stood at the top of the stairwell, fighting to keep her vision steady as she made her first step down the stairs. She smiled, "That wasn't so hard." She took the next step with more confidence. However, her leg gave way underneath her and she started to fall…
Betsy felt a familiar arm grab her waist and pull her roughly up the top of the steps.
"What de hell do you t'ink you're doing? You trying t' brake your neck?"
"Don't touch me!"
"You're coming wit' me."
"I can take care of myself!"
"Not tonight. I'm taking you back t' your room."
"No! I'm hungry, I want to get something to eat!"
"Shut the fuck up! Shit, you could wake up de dead!" He said in a loud whisper. Remy carried her kicking and screaming to the women's section and into her room.
*
Canon watched as Rogue held the scissors in her shaking hands. He felt her mental stability slipping.
What are you doing? She ignored him
PRESS THE BUTTON! PRESS THE BUTTON! PRESS THE BUTTON! PRESS THE BUTTON…
Rogue opened the scissors that were sharp enough to slice mental in one hand and raised her other wrist. Canon watched from her mind's eye in total horror.
Answer me damn it! He started to freak out. She's going to do it. She's actually going to slit her wrist. She was indeed, mad; one would have to be in order to go through with suicide.
PRESS THE BUTTON! PRESS THE BUTTON…
Shut up! All of you shut up now! He tried desperately to quiet all the voices, however they were not giving in to his plea. They were on a roll and nothing could stop them.
Rogue closed her eyes as she prepared to take the finally step toward eternal sleep. Her mission: silence the voices…
Rogue, Rogue, don't!
PRESS THE BUTTON! PRESS THE BUTTON! PRESS THE BUTTON! PRESS THE…
Silence.
*
Remy kicked open Betsy's room door and threw her down onto the bed. "Now shut up and sleep it off!" He was furious.
"Fuck you!"
I'm not going t' let her get away wit' what happened. "What de hell where you trying t' pull kissing me?!"
She smiled proudly. "It would have worked if Rogue wasn't so fucked up."
"Yeah, well you're lucky she didn't notice anyt'ing…"
"And if she did?" She challenged.
Nothing made him angrier than someone interfering in his relationships. "I would have…" He stopped short trying to control his temper.
"What? Kill me? No, you wouldn't want to get your hands dirty. *Maybe you would rather leave me to die in our next battle."
He paused. She'll never let me live dat down. "You're still alive ain't you?"
"Only because you grew a conscience at the last possible moment."
In spite of his better judgement in gave into his anger. "Be careful, Psy. I might not grow one dis time."
"Take your intimidation else where. You don't scare me." She was lying; he could feel it.
He took a deep breath and tried to settle down. "Jus' keep your mouth shut and stay in your room."
"You can't order me around."
"I'm warning you. Last t'ing I need is for you to get into a drunken accident."
"Is it that you care so much for my safety? No, that can't be it. You know that Scott would have your butt for having alcohol on the grounds. Section 10 of the X-men handbook: Alcohol is not to be brought on the property. Exception goes to Wolverine because of his healing factor."
"Section 11: Alcohol is not t' be consumed on de property. If I go down, you go down wit' me."
"For some reason I think Scott would be more leaneate with me. I'm willing to take the risk. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of getting into a drunken accident."
"You better keep your ass in dis room."
"What are going to do, guard me around the clock? How are you going to do that when your girlfriend's waiting for you?"
She was right. There was no way he could baby-sit her and help Rogue at the same time. He took a quick scan of her room and notice two silk scarves that hung over her mirror. He reached for a purple scarf and faced her.
"Hey, that's very expensive. What are you doing?" His eyes were filled with delight. He tightened the scarf between his hands. "Don't you dare…" Her warning came too late. In a flash, Remy jumped on top of her, her waist between his knees, and forced her arms above her head. In a swift motion he tied her hands together around the bedpost with expert knots. He removed his hands from her admiring his handy work.
"Sometimes I amaze even myself."
Normally this would be a turn on but…"This is not funny, Gambit. Let me go!"
"I don't t'ink so."
"I'll scream." She warned. He got up off of her and grabbed the second scarf. He faced her with a smile.
She opened her mouth to say something, and before any words could escaped Remy tied the scarf around her mouth. He was looser with these knots, considering that there was no way for her to remove it without using her hands.
"Don't take dis de wrong way, but you're so much prettier wit' your mouth closed." He joked; She replied with a muffled sound. "Now, be nice and maybe I'll come back t' check on you."
He left her tied up to the bed with every intention of returning once he figured out what was going on with Rogue.
Remy sprinted back to his room knowing that he spent longer than he had originally intended with Betsy. He pushed open his room door and closed it behind him.
"I've done some t'inking. If your head is really that messed up I think we should go and talk to Jean…" He looked around the room and noticed that Rogue was not were he had left her. "Rogue?"
She was slumped over by the head of his bed, sitting on the floor. Her legs were pulled up to her chest and her head was resting on her knees. Her long hair covered her entire face from his view. He noticed the scissors he had borrowed so long ago opened beside her on the floor. Remy stood, still a short distant away, nervous that she did not respond.
"Rogue?" He repeated louder.
To his relief, she slowly lifted up her head. She gazed upon him as if it was the first time she ever saw him.
"Remy…" She whispered.
He looked deep into her eyes; it seemed as if something was wrong. "Oui, chere?"
She slowly pulled up her long sleeve and lifted her wrist to him. "Ah turned on the bracelet."
******
Tah-Dah!
Author's Note: *This alluded to something that happened between Remy/Betsy in the comics. It will be explained in a later chapter for those who don't know about it.
Answers: Jean 1: The only reason Logan notices the tension between Remy/Jean is because he witnessed it first hand. Therefore the only way he would react to Jean/Rogue is if one of them tells him what happened. There will be more things coming up in the next chapters that will add drama to the story. Hopefully this chapter added something, if not the next chapter definitely will. :0)
Lateo: I still remembered the first time you made a request for Jubilee. I'm still working on it.
Loved the pic, Slug. It gives me some inspiration.
Thanks for the continued reviews. My loose estimations has this story at fewer than 30 chapters, so I'll try to get each part out as fast as I can.
Next Time: Rogue is alone with Remy and able to touch (I'll just let your imagination wander) Someone comes to Betsy's rescue, Jean and Scott prepare for a night of passion, Ororo takes a long walk and so much more…