Note: I'm so sorry it took this long for me to update this ch (I never intended to leave a cliffhanger like that so long) but I had some important things that got in the way of me continuing this story or even be on the web. This should have been updated weeks ago. It's weird because the story is completely finished in my head, but this chapter was difficult to write. So to make it up, I've combined two chapters.
If this story is lacking in anything it is probably in the descriptive area---it's so hard to write details with so many people in one room---so if this sucks, you know why…
Oh, and someone will die in this chapter…
Interactions
Chapter 21
Organized Chaos
(Full Cast)
It was like slow motion…like everything happened in slow motion. Remy looked at Rogue's still form, his head slowly looking up to see Logan with his claws extended, lunging at him from across the room. He saw Betsy about two steps behind Logan yelling something…what---he didn't know. His mind was too busy swarming with the fact that he had somehow killed the woman he loved.
Without a second thought Logan leapt to where Remy was with a sneer, "You son of a bitch…"
"Logan!" Betsy screamed running behind him. It was too late; he had already jumped on Remy, pushing him away from Rogue's body in the process. "Logan, stop!"
However he did not heed her command, instead deciding to pummel Remy in the face repeatedly—though careful enough not to cut him with his sharp claws. I'll slit his throat only after I get my fill of beating him to a bloody pulp. To his surprise, Remy didn't seem to be putting up much of a fight. It seemed to Logan that his mind was elsewhere, only returning to reality every so often to block a punch.
Betsy kneeled before Rogue as Logan dragged Remy away in a headlock still punching him in the face, yelling cruses. She heard someone approaching the lobby and looked up to see Bobby's shocked and confused face.
"What the hell is going on?"
She waved him over with her hand. "Bobby, help me."
He looked down to see Rogue on the floor. Oh Shit! He turned to see Logan all over Remy, catching a part of his deranged rant, "…You killed her!"
"He did what?" Bobby asked looking back at Betsy. "She's dead?" Still a bit disoriented he immediately formed into his ice formation, walking toward Remy in a heated trance.
Betsy ran toward him, forcefully placing a hand on his cold chest. "Bobby, stop!"
"Get out of my way Betsy."
She was prepared to blast him with her powers, but knew he would be of better use to her if he was conscious. "Bobby, wait. Rogue's not dead, okay? She's not dead, but she will be if you don't help me." She could tell that he was still itching to attack Remy. "Bobby, you have to help me. Let Logan take care of Gambit. Rogue needs us!"
I can help her. His rage for Remy subsided as he gave into Betsy's plea. "Okay." They both went toward her body, kneeling on opposite sides.
She lifted Rogue's wrist, hoping for the best and instead getting the worse. "She has no pulse."
"I thought you said she wasn't dead." He said in despair.
Fucking Moron! "We can resuscitate her, jackass! Find her heart and pump five times. I'll giver her air."
He nodded and did what she said; hesitating a bit until he saw that Rogue's bracelet was active. Who'd a thought our first touch would be like this? He thought with sadness. "1-2-3-4-5." He counted as he pumped her heart with the palm of his hand. After every count Betsy pinched Rogue's nose and blew air into her mouth. "1-2-3-4-5…blow…1-2-3-4-5…blow…1-2-3-4-5…blow…1-2-3-4-5…" He stopped, looking up at Betsy. "Check!" He ordered as she took Rogue's wrist searching for a heart beat. "Is there a pulse?"
"Hold on!" She yelled, frustrated that she couldn't feel anything.
"Does she have a pulse?!"
She heard him ask her again but refused to answer, trying to concentrate on finding a pulse. It crossed her mind that she could go into Rogue's thoughts and try to pull her back into consciousness. But that's too dangerous…if she dies suddenly, I die with her. Still I would take the risk if the chances of me finding her were good, but her mind is a mess…X is the only telepath that has been in her head…
"Does she have a pulse?!" He yelled again snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Fuck! Shut the hell up!" She responded with her hand still on Rogue's wrist. "I don't know."
"What the fuck—you don't know?!" He pushed her hand aside to check Rogue's wrist himself.
Betsy looked at the strain that filled his face. "You feel anything?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Again!"
He placed his palm over her heart, repeating the procedure. "1-2-3-4-5…blow…1-2-3-4-5…blow…1-2-3-4-5…blow…1-2-3-4-5…blow…1-2-3-4-5…blow…" Bobby stopped again as she checked for the pulse. "Anything?"
Blood Hell! I can't believe this! She looked up at him. "No."
He threw his hands in the air in hopelessness. "I told that bastard not to hurt her…"
"Bobby, calm down." She said capturing his attention. "Again!"
"Wait!" Why didn't I think of this before? "Shit, why don't we just take off her bracelet? If her bracelet is off, she can absorb Logan's healing factor—she does it all the time!" Without waiting for a response, he began to tug at her bracelet, searching for the release button.
Even with Logan's strong hands firmly around his neck, Remy was able to hear Bobby's comment. The only thing racing through his mind was one of the warnings he read in the booklet. If Bobby takes it off before the 8 hours is up, she could go into cardiac arrest—but does it really matter is she is already dead? He tried to speak in spite of Logan trying to strangle him. "No, don't…" His efforts were in vain. His voice was cut off due to lack of oxygen.
Betsy looked at Bobby as if he was the stupidest person on the face of the earth. "She can't absorb him if she's dead, idiot!" I'd slap him if it wouldn't just be a waste of my energy. "We get a pulse first, then we take off the bracelet." She pinched Rogue's nose looking back at him. "Again."
"1-2-3-4-…"
Betsy could hear Remy and Logan smashing each other in the background. She took the time to send a mental message to Scott, Jean and Ororo: X-men, report to the mansion at once—emergency!
"Pulse?"
"Nothing." She said as her fingers shook anxiously around Rogue's cold wrist. "Again."
"It's too late."
"Again!"
"Fuck it! She's gone!" He turned to see Remy charging an object and throwing it in Logan's direction, hitting his intended target. He got up and headed toward Remy.
"Don't you dare walk away from me." Betsy said in a harsh whisper. Bobby continued to walk, leaving her alone with Rogue. "Bobby!"
Bobby tried to choke Remy from behind, only to have Remy flip him over. Instantly, Logan was on top of Remy again, punching their way through the doorway into the hallway. Logan managed to get the upper hand on Remy and with his claws inches away from his face. He figured that Remy was bloody enough for him to finally take a swipe at him with his claws. Logan held Remy with one hand and brought his other hand to Remy's face.
"Logan, let him go."
He paused at the sound of Ororo's voice, looking up as she entered the mansion. "Rogue's dead 'cause of him."
Rogue's what? She couldn't even comprehended fully what Logan was talking about. He must be mistaken. She watched as his sharp claws stayed close to the throat of her dear friend, ready to rip through it at any moment.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tear out his throat."
"Because I am asking you not to."
Fuck, fuck, fuck!!! "You're lucky, you li'l shit." He growled dropping Remy to the floor in disgust. He turned toward the lobby.
Remy started coughing as Ororo ran to his side, helping him up. He stared at Logan, speaking with a raspy voice, "A second longer…and I…I would…have charged the…de fuckin' metal runnin' t'rough your body."
"Remy!" Ororo yelled in disbelief.
He turned around. "Anytime, Gumbo, anytime."
He brushed Ororo aside, trying to balance himself on his own two feet. "What about now…"
"Stop it—both of you!" She cut in, her eyes turning white threatening them with a dose of her electricity. It was after she stepped through the doorway that she finally realized what Logan was talking about. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw Betsy over Rogue. Ororo looked at Remy in shock. What could he have done to her?
"Oh my God!" Jean screamed as she entered the room. "Rogue?"
Logan responded. "She's dead, Jean."
Dead? Her face turned pale as she stood in shock. "What happened?"
"Ask the guy with the criminal record." Bobby said pointing to Remy.
"Fuck you…"
"No, fuck you!" He countered.
Jean turned to Remy. "You did this?"
"I didn't…"
Logan started to pace back and fourth grumbling to himself in the process. "I should have never left him with her…"
Bobby stepped toward him. "I warned you, Gambit…"
Ororo stood in front of Remy. "Just everyone back off…"
She's dead? Jean's mind was still reeling with the news. She turned back to Remy. "What did you do to her?"
"I don't know…"
Bobby mumbled a loud. "You just had to force her to use the bracelet…"
Logan continued to pace. "I don't know why I ever trusted you to take her."
"I can't believe it." Bobby stopped, looking at her on the floor with Betsy still performing CPR. He walked over to her body.
Remy moved to go to her said but with intercepted by Logan.
"Stay away from her…"
He gave a quick rabbit punch to Logan's temple, instantly dropping him to the floor. Logan popped back up, but Ororo prevented him from getting back at Remy.
Remy bend over wanting just to touch her, however Bobby saw what he wanted to do.
"Don't you dare…" He warned getting up from the floor.
"Bobby!" Jean called out ready to use her powers if necessary.
"Remy!" Ororo watched Remy's right hand searching for an object to charge. Winds suddenly began to pick up around the house as she prepared to separate the two.
Jean was about to use her mutant power that is until she saw Logan from the corner of her eyes. His claws were extended and he was closing in on Remy from behind. "Logan, don't!"
"That's enough!" Everyone stopped what they were doing to see their leader standing in the center of the room.
Scott took the time to survey the area noticing the damage of the room, blood on both Remy and Bobby and finally Rogue lying on the floor with Betsy over her. He rushed over to her body, scooping her up in his arms.
"I think I got a pulse…I'm not sure though," said Betsy.
Scott then turned to everyone. "X-men, to the Medical Lab at once."
Upon hearing his command, their mindset switched as if they were on the battlefield. Immediately they all obeyed his order.
*
"Psylocke, hook her up to the EEG." Scott ordered once they were all in the medical lab. He placed Rogue on a bed so that Betsy could hook her up to the machine.
"Check." Betsy began to connect wires to Rogue's head, which would monitor her brainwave activity.
Scott then turned to his wife. "Jean, connect her to the EKG."
"Right away." She answered as she pulled down Rogue's dress straps in order to connect the wires that would monitor her heat rate.
"Wolverine, get Beast in London on the phone now."
"I'm on it." He replied running toward the lab phone. He frantically dialed the number to Henry's cell phone.
"Iceman, run a blood sample."
With careful speed, Bobby extracted blood from Rogue's arm taking the sample to be tested in another machine. "Done."
Scott eyes roamed over the people under his command, each working diligently on their assigned tasks. Looking across the room he could see Remy's eyes focused on Rogue, blood dripping from cuts on his face. "Storm, tend to Gambit."
Ororo nodded, pulling Remy by the arm over to another medical bed. She sat him down, taking out a cloth soaked with alcohol and placing it wherever she saw an open wound. All throughout the process she noticed that his eyes remained looking over her shoulder at Rogue.
"I know you did not do anything to her." She whispered to him.
Remy sensed a sort of distrust in her words…it was faint, but it was there; it was very familiar to him. He chose not to give her a response as she ran a small Shi'ar-healing device over his bruises, easing the pain he felt.
"Wolverine?" Scott asked impatiently.
"He's not picking up." Logan growled slamming down the receiver after dialing three times and not getting an answer.
"Shit!" Scott turned to Betsy. "Psylocke, how long were you performing mouth-to-mouth on her?"
"Maybe…7 minutes."
That's a long time. He thought nervously. "How long was she out for?"
"You might want to ask Gambit that question."
He turned to Remy, who seemed only focused on Rogue as Jean and Betsy worked on her. "Gambit?" Scott called to him, getting his immediate attention. "How long was Rogue out for?"
He thought back to a moment that he would rather soon forget, trying desperately to think up a timeline. He shook his head in frustration. "I don't know…maybe 5 minutes…I don't know."
Jean finished connecting the last of the equipment to Rogue's body and realized that Betsy was also finished. Turning to Scott she said, "Rogue's all hooked up."
He rushed over to her bedside, glancing over the medical screen, which displayed her vital signs. Scott turned to Betsy anxiously. "What are the readings?"
"We have some brainwave activity." She answered happily.
"She has a pulse!" Jean added with excitement. "She's going to make it."
A huge sigh was heard throughout the laboratory. Logan hung up the phone, reasoning that he didn't need to get in contact with Henry anymore now that Rogue would pull through. Bobby wiped the sweat away from his forehead. He was relieved, but he didn't feel like celebrating just yet. Scott's heart rate began to steady in his chest, his tense muscles finally able to relax.
Ororo was thankful that everything worked out. She was now able to breathe again without a heavy heart. She focused on Remy, who was by her side, however he did not seem to share the same joy that she felt. His eyes were still focused on Rogue, no emotion escaped his face.
"You hear that, Remy?" She asked, whispering in his ear. "Everything is going to be okay."
He did not acknowledge her. His eyes remained on Rogue, only hearing the beeping noise coming from the equipment that traced the beating of her heart.
***
…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…
As the sound of Rogue's heart monitor pounded a steady rhythm in the background, The X-Men gathered around the meeting area located in a section of the medical lab. Scott had called an inquiry so that he could find out exactly what lead to Rogue's circumstance.
The leader looked around the room at his teammates. He took the time to collect his thoughts, knowing that this gathering could get out of hand if he didn't keep a firm handle on everything. After a couple of seconds of silence, he began his speech with a warning. "Before I begin, I want to make it clear that this is an information meeting—I don't want to hear any accusations." This has all the ingredients to turn into another Trail of Gambit and that is the last thing I want this to be. "Now…how did this happen?" He asked no one in general.
Logan was the first to speak and he wasn't concerned about being diplomatic. He knew exactly what caused Rogue to almost die and he wasn't going to bite his tongue just because someone's feelings would get hurt. "I think it's safe to say that this all started when the Cajun got Rogue drunk."
Instantly Remy was faced with eyes zeroed in, in his direction. He knew that he was their target, everyone aiming for the bull's eye.
Scott couldn't help but get angry. "You gave her alcohol after I confiscated yours?"
He nodded his head in response. There was no way he could talk himself out of what happened to her, but still there was so much even he didn't understand. "I gave her beer, but she didn't drink dat much—less than half a bottle."
Bobby finished looking over the printout from Rogue's blood test. "You don't get alcohol poisoning drinking a half bottle of beer."
"Alcohol poisoning?" Jean asked in disbelief.
He retracted the ice cube he had placed on his bruised cheek. "That's what this printout of her blood test says. Her blood was saturated with alcohol."
"Explain that, Cajun." Logan stated folding his arms in a way that suggested that he wouldn't believe anything that came out of Remy's mouth.
Ororo did not like the direction the meeting was heading. She placed a protective hand on Remy's chest. "I am sure he has a perfectly good explanation." She looked him deep in the eyes. "Maybe she drank more when you were not looking."
Remy's face remained still, but he was filled with emotion on the inside. Poor, Stormy. She wants so much t' believe in me dat she's feedin' me excuses. She wants t' take my word for it, but my explanation doesn't make any sense t' her. She t'inks I'm lying. Remy whispered his response slowly, "She only drank less than half."
Ororo lowered her head, wanting to hide her distrust.
"Fuckin' liar." Logan growled in disgust.
"Wolverine." Scott warned him, turning back to Remy. "Are you sure, Gambit?"
"Positive." He answered in defiance of everyone who wanted to believe the worst about him.
…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…
Suddenly, Jean remembered noticing a difference on Rogue's bracelet. "I've seen Rogue when the device was a solid red color, but when we were working on her I noticed that it was now flashing red. Could that have something to do with her condition?"
Scott was now confused more than ever. "How could it be flashing red?! A blinking red light signals as a warning."
"I never noticed a blinking light when she used it yesterday." Bobby added.
"What?" Scott asked, dumbfounded. "You mean, this wasn't the first time she used the bracelet?"
"De night when Betsy was drinkin' in my room—after I carried Betsy back t' her room, I went back t' mine and Rogue had already turned it on. I'm not even sure why she did it. I was surprised dat she did."
Scott rubbed his chin, thinking about what could have happened. "At what time did she turn on the bracelet the first night?"
"A bit before 10:00pm."
Hitting his forehead he thought, That meant that it went off at around 6:00am—8 hours. Shit! "What time did she turn on the bracelet tonight?"
"I don't know…when I saw her it was a bit before 10:00pm and it was already on." Remy reasoned. "She knows about de 24-hour rule. Rogue wouldn't have used it before de 24-hour on which it was first turned on."
"Fuck the time she used it at! He's lyin' about everythin' else!" Logan growled impatiently. "The time still doesn't explain how she got drunk on a bit of beer."
…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…
"Yes it does." Scott muttered to their amazement. I guess Beast plays some kind of role in this. The bracelet should have been better explained. "The bracelet is suppose to be activated only 24-hours after it is deactivated. Meaning, if she used it at 10:00pm and it went off at 6:00am, she would have to wait until 6:00am this morning to use it. The colors are what tell you. It's only safe to activate when it's on green or neutral. The red warns you not to turn it on yet." He focused on Remy. "When she activated it tonight was it set in red?"
"Don't know. She came t' me in de livin' room and it was already activated."
"Yeah right." Bobby chimed in sarcastically. "You must have pressured her to use it or something. She told me this morning that she wouldn't use it again for awhile."
Why would she have gone and said dat? Remy thought to himself. He then looked toward Bobby. "But I wasn't wit' her when she activated it." The look on everyone's face told Remy that they weren't buying his story…everyone except Logan.
Logan spoke again in a whisper, "It was me." All eyes turned in his direction in shock.
"You?" Bobby asked confused. "Why would you make her turn it on?"
"I was with her in the weight room. I didn't know anythin' about no rules—I saw the red light. I asked her about it, but she wouldn't tell me what it meant." I guess she didn't even know herself. "I kind of badgered her into turnin' it on." He said too ashamed to look at anyone. "If I'd-a-known, I wouldn't have made her do it." He thought back to the moment after the bracelet was switched on. "I should have known somethin' was up. She fainted when it was activated."
Ororo's heart ached because she couldn't be by Logan's side to comfort him as she did Remy. All she could do was speak to him from across the room. "You could not have known, Wolverine."
"It's not your fault." Jean placed an arm around his shoulder. "I noticed the red light too. She basically told me that it was nothing and I had no reason not to believe her."
…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…
Scott nodded his head, then turned to Betsy. "Did you notice the red light, Betsy?"
"Nope." She answered, shaking her head casually. "I haven't seen Rogue all day."
Scott spoke to the group as a whole. "I've seen her today, but my red haze prevented me from differentiating between the colors." Looking over to Rogue he added, "I can barely notice the blinking red light now, even though I know it is blinking." He looked over at Remy. "Something tells me that you two were counting on me not noticing it was activated."
He shook his head in agreement. "I didn't wan' you t' know she used it 'cause of what you told me in de kitchen de other night."
I warned him about Rogue and the bracelet. Sighing, he mumbled, "As you can see, I had my reasons."
"She didn't wan' you t' know 'cause she was afraid you would tell Beast. She said somet'ing about not wanting him t' be mad at her."
Looking around the room he stated, "This could have been avoided. Someone should have told me she was using the bracelet." He made it a point to look directly at all of the X-Men. "If we were all communicating with one another, she could have been better monitored." He watched as they all looked toward the floor as if in deep thought. "So, only Gambit, Iceman and Wolverine were aware of Rogue using the bracelet?"
"No." Ororo added calmly. "I knew as well."
"You?!"
I am surprised he is so shocked. "Yes, me. I did not see her when she had it on, but Remy did confide in me when she first used it."
"And you didn't inform me?"
…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…
She would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. "I think that question would be better used if I had asked it." Crossing her arms, she continued, "You did not inform me or anyone else of the dangers of that device. You were the only one who actually read the booklet. It would have been a wise choice to at least give me the run down of the rules or tell me you did not want it to be used. You know how close I am to Gambit. You know he would have confided in me before anyone else." She watched as he shifted his feet in uneasiness. "Why the big secret?"
"You're right. If there was anyone that I should have told, it should have been you."
Irritated she looked at him thinking, Is that suppose to be some kind of apology?
Jean's voice was the first to break the moment of silence. "Well, it's over now and we all learned a valuable lesson," she said dusting her hands together. "We can all just take a deep breath and relax."
"She was out for too long." Folding out the paper reading of Rogue's vitals, Bobby added, "Not enough oxygen to the brain so there's major damage. Her liver is shot to hell."
The doomsday reading came as no surprise to Scott now that everything about the bracelet came into light. "She was already more responsive to her senses, stimulants, etc, but because she used the bracelet too early, her body became even more so—extremely weak. The alcohol was then able to have a deadly impact on her immune system. "
"And now?" Betsy asked Scott.
"We wait." He looked at his watch. "Since Gambit said she used the bracelet around 10:00pm, at approximately 6:00am, the bracelet will turn off. When it is deactivated, her absorption powers will return and then we do the usual." Without saying anything more, Logan stepped to him.
"I'm already ahead of ya."
"You can give her some of your healing factor when she's ready and a little more in a couple of hours—it's safer for you if you give her small doses every couple of hours, so don't get too crazy."
Bobby listened to his leader, his mind still concentrating on the printout of Rogue's vitals signs still in his hands. It can't be that simple. She's still weak. His eyes dashed nervously around the room.
Lifting up his shades, Scott carefully rubbed his tired eyes. "It's been a stressful time, but we know everything will be okay. Everyone get out of here and get some sleep."
…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…
Remy spoke without hesitation, "I'm not leavin'."
"Neither am I." Bobby added just as fast.
Scott could see the look of concern that still covered Bobby's face. He noticed that Remy's face was eerily still. It's best that I don't argue with either of them. "You can both stay."
"I'll stay with you." Ororo said, squeezing Remy's hand.
Her movement caused a surge of jealousy to flow through Logan. "Same here."
Jean looked toward her husband. "Me too."
Betsy rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Well, if everyone is staying then so am I." I'm so tired, but I don't want to miss anything.
…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…
"Fine." Scott shook his head, So now, everyone is willing to spend some time together as a team. "We all stay. Wolverine, you be ready by 6:00am."
"No problem." Logan muttered leaning against the wall.
Betsy looked toward Remy, whose eyes remained on Rogue. "Gambit, take out your cards before we die of boredom."
A card game sounded like a good idea to Jean to pass the time, however she hated the fact that it came from Betsy. "I doubt that anyone will be up for a card game."
Bitch! Betsy thought to herself then responded smugly, "I've scanned the minds in this room. There's enough people here who want to play…Jackass."
Jean shot her a look from across the room.
She spoke with a sly smile, "I wasn't calling you names. I was talking about the card game Jackass."
"Psylocke." Scott warned in response to her reading minds. "What have I told you about…"
"Cyke?" Bobby interrupted softly, however Scott continued.
"…reading minds…"
"Cyke?" He repeated a bit more loudly.
"…without the person's knowledge…"
"Scott!"
"What?!"
After staring at the readout of the seriousness of Rogue's internal injuries, Scott's plan didn't seem to be so fool proof to him. "I was just thinking…what if Rogue's heart doesn't make it 'til six?"
Everyone in the room froze, contemplating his question…
…Beep…Beep…Beep…Beeeeeeeeeeee…
The sound snapped everyone out of their relaxed positions.
"She's flat-lining!" Betsy yelled in shock.
"Psylocke, Jean—defibrillator now!" Scott ordered as everyone rushed toward the medical equipment.
The two women rushed to the machine. Jean waited for Betsy to turn on the defibrillator, giving Rogue mouth-to-mouth in the process. Betsy set the machine without difficulty having done so on many occasions. She programmed it to Rogue's settings that were already saved on the machine like the rest of the team.
Scott turned to Logan and ordered, "Get Beast on the phone now—no excuses!" He could see Bobby and Remy out of the corner of his eye, but didn't trust that they had the ability to be a useful part of the team at the moment. "Iceman, Gambit, stand down!" To his relief, they obeyed his command.
As soon as the defibrillator was on, Psylocke looked across Rogue's body to Jean, who was on the other side. "It's on."
Jean held the two electrically charged devices in her hands. "Clear!"
"Wait!" Scott yelled from across the room where he was with Logan. He ran over to Rogue's bed.
"Check the modifications. Make sure it's not set on Rogue's old settings when she was almost invulnerable."
Betsy checked the level of the defibrillator. "Shit, it's on 7 out of 10!" We almost killed her! She looked up to Scott in a panic. "What should we change it to?"
Without thinking he responded quickly, "Set it to the average person."
"Put it on 3." Betsy ordered Jean.
She did as she was told, decreasing the machine's electricity. "We have to wait until it powers down."
After dialing for the third time, Logan finally heard the phone pick up. "Beast…"
"Logan is that you? Of course it is. I just returned form the museum. How is the day been treating you…"
"Shut the fuck up! We got trouble!" Logan growled into the receiver.
Henry's entire body went cold. "What happened…"
"Listen…Rogue's bracelet is flashing red. She's flat-lining." He turned around to get a view of Rogue. "Jean's about to shock her now…"
Henry's heart stopped in his chest. "Stop!"
"Clear!" Jean called out signaling that she was reading to pump Rogue with electricity.
"Stop!" Logan yelled, getting everyone's full attention.
"Shit!" Jean cursed, almost dropping the shockers out of her hand.
Betsy looked over to Logan. "What the fuck is it now?!"
"Beast says to stop." Logan answered as he put the phone on speaker so that Henry could talk to everyone at once.
His voice protruded loudly from the speakerphone. "You have to modify the defibrillator."
"Fuck!" Scott said in frustration, thinking that Henry was wasting valuable time. "We already did! We set it to that of the average person."
"If the bracelet is flashing red it means that she is now weaker than the average person. Set it on level 1."
Scott slapped his forehead, thinking that he was an idiot. "I should have known that."
Betsy immediately changed the setting. "Shit. We have to wait again for it to power down." Within seconds the machine was ready to be used.
Betsy looked up to Jean. "Okay it's ready."
"Clear!" Jean yelled as she then placed the device on Rogue's chest. Instantly her body responded to the shock.
Betsy looked toward the computer screen to check for any vital signs. "No pulse."
Jean nodded in response. "Clear!"
Betsy looked at the screen. "No pulse."
"Clear!" Come on…come on…come on! She looked to Betsy.
She shook her head in frustration. "No pulse."
"Clear!" Jean could feel all the eyes on her from her teammates around the room.
Betsy examined the screen, but a flat line still remained. Fuck this! "No pulse!"
"Clear!" Please, please, please…
"No fucking pulse!" She yelled harshly. She's dead! She looked Jean in the eyes knowing that Jean was thinking the same thing. However, Betsy knew that they were not able to give up on a friend without another chance.
"Clear!" She yelled pumping Rogue full of electricity. It was like music to her ears…
Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…
"We're back on line!" Betsy screamed as the others were finally able to exhale.
"Beast…Beast…" Scott yelled.
"We lost him. His cell died out." Logan said disconnecting the line.
"I'll get back in touch with him later." Scott looked around the room at the relieved faces of everyone. There were hugs exchanged and a couple of high fives. For a brief moment everyone was working together, everyone was celebrating together…it was exactly what he wanted to see on their vacation together. A sudden sadness overtook his body. Too bad one of us almost had to die for me to finally get all of us in a room together.
Even if Scott wanted to hold on to the little moment of happiness in the room, it soon disappeared as quickly as it came. The smiles were placed with looks of worry as it finally sank into everyone minds how close they came to losing a friend. He watched as the group celebration turned somber and everyone began to drift into smaller circles.
Jean noticed Bobby walk off by himself. She could sense the turmoil going through his mind without having to go inside of it. She walked over to him with a soft-reassuring smile. "Everything's fine now."
"No it's not." He whispered shaking his head. "She might not make it through the night." From where he stood he could see how pale Rogue's face was. "And if heart doesn't make it—Wolverine's healing factor won't mean shit."
Jean took a quick glance at her watch. "We only have three hours to wait 'til 6 o'clock. Hopefully, she'll make it. Bobby…"
"She has to pull through." He looked from Jean over to Rogue. "I don't know what I'd do if she doesn't."
Jean put her arm over his shoulder. She wanted to tell him that everything will be okay, but she knew that he wouldn't believe her. "We'll get through it. Whatever happens, we'll get through it."
He looked down at her, remembering their earlier conversation when they were strolling outside. "You know what I regret?"
"No, what?"
"I regret how Rogue and I drifted apart in the first place." He sighed wishing that he could turn back time. "There was a gap—months—where we stopped talking to each other 'cause we had other stuff going on in our lives." He held back his tears as he spoke on. "I'm just thinking about all the things I missed during that gap—all the things that could have happened." Again, he looked toward her lying form. "If she doesn't make it…"
She started to rub his back in a circular motion.
He closed his eyes, unable to look at her body anymore. "Excuse me." He walked past her to a far corner of the room and stood by himself.
Scott noticed Betsy standing alone. He inched up beside her. "You okay?"
She spoke with indifference, "Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?"
He shrugged his shoulders, knowing that she was really hiding her true emotions as usual. "Just wondering."
Despite not wanting to, she opened up to him. "We were never close—Rogue and I."
"I'm aware of that."
"After she returned from the Savage Lands, I'd talk to her forgetting that she wasn't Carol. Took me a long time to program it into my brain that Carol had died when Magneto choose to tear her out of Rogue's body." She whispered. "I never really liked Rogue because I was loyal to Carol. If I had befriended Rogue, I thought I would be betraying Carol, and so I never did…"
Hearing the built up of emotion in her voice, he put his arm around her.
"…But I touched her today for the first time. Her body was so cold…" She turned to face him. "I don't want her to die."
"I know you don't." Giving her a little squeeze he added. "You did good, Betsy. The only reason she has a chance now is because you resuscitated her in the lobby. You did good." They both stared at Rogue's body and Betsy rested her head against his chest.
Jean watched them from across the room as rage built within her.
Remy sat on one of the beds a short distance from Rogue with Ororo at his side. It's like I feel like I'm waiting for de other foot t' drop. "She's not gonna make it."
That was the fifth time he said that to her during their long wait for Rogue's bracelet to deactivate. "Remy, stop talking that way."
"She's gonna die."
"Why must you say such things?"
" 'Cause we were so close. We were so close t' connecting. We were about to have a storybook ending." He spoke with determination, "She'll die. She has to."
His tone of voice sent shivers down her spine. "Stop it."
"And she'll die because of me…" He continued in a hush voice with a far away look in his eyes. "Because I loved her. She will die."
"Remy, you are putting negative energy into the air." She snapped at him. "It is as if you are wishing her to die."
"Maybe dat's what's best."
Her eyes flashed uncontrollably, letting out a ripple of thunder in the distance.
"If she dies—it'll all stop. Everyt'ing will stop. Dat way I'll know better de next time." Didn't de other Remy warn me that somet'ing bad would happen? "I tried t' warn myself." But by then it was already too late.
"What are you talking about?"
He didn't hear her question. "Rogue will die." He snapped himself out of the daze and looked up at her for the first time in a while. "But I don't wan' her to." He sounded desperate. "Dere's so much I wanted t' say, but never did 'cause I was too afraid."
"You'll have your chance…soon." As soon as she spoke she regretted her words. He believes me. I shouldn't have said that.
"Would you do me a favor?"
"Anything."
"Say a prayer for her."
"I have already said many, but for you I will say more."
"No." He stated adamantly. "I don't want you t' say any goddess or nature prayer bullsh…" he cut himself off, not wanting to offend her, knowing that he already had. For a split second he saw a look of hurt on her face. Shit! "I'm sorry."
"I am not Catholic, Remy."
"I know." In a soft whisper he continued. "But I chose t' walk away from de light—God won't listen t' me. You search for de light—He'll listen t' you. Pray for her—t'rough Jesus Christ." He was asking her to do it for him, even though it sounded more like a command.
"I will." She took his hand and began to pray.
Logan watched them from afar in silence as Betsy's words from earlier flooded his mind:
It doesn't take a telepath to uncover their attraction for each other.
He wanted to erase her words from his memory. It was obvious to him that Ororo was just comforting her friend. He could hear their innocent conversation with his sensitive ears, however he still felt a twinge of jealousy.
Betsy observed Logan watch Remy and Ororo from across the room. Logan then turned to her, catching her eyes on him. A smirk escaped her lips. Sure, Logan would think that she was hinting at something, but she was just happy that she was able to manipulate him so. However a feeling of guilt prevented her from fully enjoying the moment as she turned back to Rogue. I should be focusing on Rogue's well being instead of taking pleasure in Logan's suspicion of his girlfriend.
Jean noticed that Logan seemed to be in bad shape. She made her way over to him from across the room. "How are you feeling, Wolvie?"
He shook his head with remorse. "I'm feeling like I got Rogue into this shit."
"It's not entirely your fault. Scott already went over this, Logan."
"I just feel like I should of looked out for her. It's like I let her down." Again. "I wasn't there to help her." Again.
"Why not think about it this way." Placing his arm, she took the time to collect her thoughts. "You will be able to help her tonight. You're the only one here who has the ability to restore her to perfect health. By giving her your healing factor, you will have your redemption."
It's not that easy. "That's only if she can make it through the night."
"Only time will tell." Jean reflected on the last couple of days she spent with Rogue. "I just wish I could have gotten through to her. I just wish that she could have trusted me enough to confide in about the bracelet. At least she told you about using it, Logan. I always thought we were close—I guess I was wrong."
"Don't take it to heart, Red. You heard Gumbo, she didn't want Scott finding out. That's probably the only reason she didn't tell you."
"Right, 'cause me and Scott are joined at the hip." She rolled her eyes, "Despite what everyone may think, I don't go running to him with every little thing."
He turned to her with suspicion, then looked over to Scott and Betsy. "There somethin' going on 'tween you two?"
"Nope." I need to calm down. Even Logan's beginning to pick up on my feelings toward Scott and Betsy. She quickly changed the subject. "Rogue will make it. She's too much of a fighter to give up."
"Don't bet on it. I've seen her give up before."
She looked at him curiously, thinking that his words had deeper meaning then what he was willing to reveal. But instead of asking questions, she gave him a hug. Logan held her in his arms for comfort then noticed Ororo's eyes in his general direction. Gently, he moved away from Jean's embrace.
The Wait
(Full Cast)
"You know the plan." Scott said to Logan as the entire team stood around Rogue's bed. Three hours had past and Rogue's bracelet was about to deactivate. "Only a little touch. She doesn't need that much to survive; it'll just take her a longer time to heal. After another two hours, you can give her a bit more…understand?"
He waved him off with his hand. "I know the drill."
Scott turned to the rest of the team. "When he's done, we'll know for sure that she'll be okay, which means I don't want this place clogged up with so many people." He pointed to Remy and Bobby. "You two will go in the waiting room—no arguments."
"I'll leave too." Betsy said yawning. "I'm really tired."
"I will stay." Ororo stated, wanting to be by Logan's bedside.
Jean nodded in agreement. "Me too. I want to make sure Logan is okay."
"Fine. Jean will look after Logan and Storm can look after Rogue." He then focused on his second in command. "You can take over for a couple of hours, while I get some rest."
Ororo looked unimpressed. Am I suppose to jump for joy for his generosity?
"After we will…." He was interrupted by beeps from the bracelet. It was a few minutes to six and the bracelet was deactivating. "Okay Wolverine, show time."
Logan stepped up to Rogue, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. He was ready to restore her back to health. Suddenly, a feeling of dread overtook his body. "What if it doesn't work?"
Remy slammed his fist against one of the medical tables. "What de fuck are you waitin' for?!" His eyes were blazing. "Jus' do it!"
Without another thought he grabbed Rogue's bear arm with one hand, instantly feeling the life being sucked out of him.
Scott's eyes locked on Logan. One Mississippi…two Mississippi…three Mississippi…that should be enough. "Okay, pull back now." He ordered, however Logan did not remove his hand. "Wolverine, pull back that's an order!"
Defiantly he placed his other hand on her flesh, his life force being drained in more abundance.
"Shit!" Scott cursed as he stepped toward Logan.
"Just let him do it." Remy whispered as Scott pulled him back by his arm.
"Logan! Let go of her this instant!" Ororo yelled.
Scott shrugged Remy off of him. "Help me out." He commanded Bobby as they both pulled Logan away from her, careful not to touch his exposed flesh.
They rushed Logan to a medical bed while Jean and Ororo began to hook him up to machines that displayed his vital signs.
"How is he?" Scott asked.
"He could have got himself killed." Jean then read the information on the screen. "He'll make it. He gave her so much of his healing factor, he won't have to touch her again. Should be out for a couple of hours."
"He's so fucking stubborn." Betsy mumbled to no one in particular.
"Everyone, besides Jean and Ororo, out." Scott ordered. Betsy was the only one to obey his command leaving the room.
Scott faced Remy and Bobby. "I'm not going to ask you two again. You can stay in the waiting room."
"Go on, you two." Ororo said, gently pushing them along. "I'll keep an eye on her. You don't need to be here."
Bobby and Remy did as they were told and left the room.
"Storm, hold down the fort. I'll be back in 6 hours, after that you can both rest." Before he left he turned back to his wife. "Are you sure you want to be here? 'Ro can look after both Rogue and Wolverine on her own."
"I want to stay."
He gave her one last look and headed for the door. Jean rolled her eyes and walked over to Logan's bedside.
Ororo watched as Jean stroked her boyfriend's hair, wishing that they could trade places. I better not obsess on those two over there…least I go mad. She thought wisely to herself.
Instead she focused on her long time friend Rogue, who had been getting a tad bit on her nerves the last couple of days. She was about to touch her then remembered that the device was now turned off. Woow, that was close. Looking at the monitor that listed Rogue's vital signs she noticed a slight increase in Rogue's brain activity.
I wonder what she is thinking about now?
*
Rogue's mind was black. She sat huddled in nothingness for longer than she had ever remembered. She was too scared to move, or so she thought, but soon realized that she wasn't able too move. It was as if she would be stuck in that same position until the end of time.
Out of the blackness came a bright light, exposing the hidden figures of the darkness. Within moments, she was able to move from her huddled position. Considering that she has had experience with this situation before she knew right away that she had just received a dose of Logan's healing factor. She then started a journey through her mind, reasoning that she should find Logan as quickly as possible. He never did like being in mah head.
Soon she saw a stumbling figure a short distance away. Logan? That was pretty fast. She ran in his direction. "Logan! Logan!" However, soon she realized that she had been calling out the wrong name.
"Remy?!" She ran up to him, seeing him collapse to the ground. She could see the agony in his face as she moved to help him up. "Are you okay?" She asked, knowing that it was a stupid question.
"Chere!" He called to her in a drunken fashion. "I seem t' be experiencin' some difficulty." He tried to brace his weight on her shoulder, however it was difficult for her to support him because she was not back to her full strength. "My head feels like it's gonna explode."
"You'll feel better soon." She was glad that she didn't have to explain the process of making a door to him, because he had already experienced it.
"Rogue?" He asked as she walked with him to an isolated area. "How long has it been from de time you absorbed me on Asteroid M?"
"It's been a long time, Remy."
Did she not hear my question? He thought in frustration. "Yeah, but how long? A couple of weeks?"
"Longer than that."
"A month? Two months?"
She shook her head no.
Shit, shit, shit! "Three months." Not hearing an answer from her and fearing the worst, he skipped a lot of months. "A year?"
"What does it matter?" She asked, but could tell that he seemed really anxious to find out. Ah guess it must feel weird being trapped in a place where you can't keep track of time. In mah mind sometimes an hour is like a year and a hear is like an hour. "It's been longer than a year—way longer."
He was beyond shocked. Too shocked to even concern himself with the pounding of his head. "You're kiddin' me! You're fuckin' kidding me!" He looked at her with distrust. "What happened? Why am I still at de mansion?"
"Ah don't know." She shrugged casually. " 'Cause you like it?"
"Hell no, dat can't be why!" He again began to feel the steady pounding in his head beginning to increase. "It's 'cause of you isn't it? I'm here 'cause of you." He shook his head in hopelessness. "You don't know everyt'ing about me, chere. I've done some stuff in my past."
"Oh, you mean the Mutant Massacre?" She said almost laughing at his surprised reaction. This Remy is unaware of a lot of things that happened in our lives outside mah mind because Ah absorbed him so early after he joined the team. "That's old news, sugah. Tell me somethin' Ah don't know."
He was surprised to see her lighthearted attitude. I was responsible for de deaths of hundreds of innocent people and she's still helping me? What de hell?! "You all found out about me and you still let me be part of de X-men?" I would have never told dem what I did…unless maybe I'm not de same guy now on de outside world. Maybe de outside me has changed for de better…nah! I mus' be pullin' another scam. "So I told you everyt'ing?"
"Everythin'?" She looked at him with curiosity. "The Mutant Massacre…you told us everythin' about that."
Jus' de Mutant Massacre? I guess I didn't tell dem everyt'ing. He was relived. I'm not dat stupid after all, 'cause de other stuff I did could never be forgiven. He decided to change the subject before she would ask anymore questions. "How's Stormy doin'?" He asked with a heavy heart.
"She's great?" She answered indifferently.
"We still friends? I mean, after findin' out about de Marauders—do we still talk t' each other and stuff?"
"You two are even closer. She's forgiven you."
That was too good to be true, for Remy to accept. She forgives, but she doesn't forget—Forge is a testament t' dat. "She forgave me? How is dat possible?"
"Ah don't know. She mus' have a big heart or somethin'."
Remy was willing to accept her answer, if only for a moment. He could admit to himself that he had taken a liking to Ororo, even after she regained her older body. Still he would have preferred that she never found out about the massacre. I don't even know how de outside me can even look at her now dat everyt'ing is out in de open. He shook his head not wanting to think about Ororo anymore.
Rogue set him down on the ground and tried to concentrate on making a door to place Remy's persona in, saving him from a death of sorts. Making a door was usually easy to do, however because she was still weak it was a bit more difficult.
"So what about us?" Remy asked breaking her concentration.
"Dere is no us. We are jus' friends, Remy."
Shit! Seems like I wasn't able t' work my charms on de Mississippi Rat. He let out a moan, as another pain hit him. "Den you're one of de smart ones."
She turned away from the half-made door. "What do you mean by that?"
His mind was spinning as it began to slip away. " 'Cause you never fell for my lines…my act." He shook his head, trying to regain his senses. "I talk a lot of shit… a lot…jus' t' get what I want…wit'out givin' myself." Out of his squinted eyes he could see the door she was making near completion. "I need t' feel needed…it's like a compulsion…and I'll do whatever I have to, t' get it. You would t'ink dat I would have learned my lesson wit' Genevieve." He noticed that the door was finally finished. He braced himself as Rogue helped him to his feet, still listening to his every word.
"I slipped into your body when you were unconscious. I saw myself…I had a conversation wit' myself…"
Her heart skipped a beat upon hearing that revelation. He spoke with the outside Remy?! Her mind focused back on his mumbling, as she walked him to the door.
"…Not'ing's changed. Don't believe anyt'ing he says t' you…" She then placed him in the door, waiting for him to finish before she would close it. "I need t' feel needed…'til de next one comes along…it's jus' part of de game…" He closed his eyes, sinking onto the floor.
She shut the door, locking him into her safe haven. She wanted to know more of what he was talking about, but he didn't have the strength to continue and could run the risk of a painful death if she let him out a moments longer. 'Jus' part of the game?' What the fuck was he talkin' about?
The eerie silence she was experiencing was interrupted when out of nowhere she heard a dark laughter.
*
Scott and Betsy walked side-by-side through the lobby. Betsy broke away from his side to scurry up the stairs, however she stopped once she realized Scott wasn't heading for the outside door. She watched as he walked toward the living room.
"I thought you were going to catch some Z's." She called out from the steps.
He stopped and turned to her. "I am. The boathouse is too far if anything goes wrong with Rogue. I want to be close by."
"So you're going to sleep on the couch?"
"That's the plan."
"Doesn't sound like much of a plan." She thought about how uncomfortable sleeping on the couch would be. "You'll get a bad back if you sleep there."
"You have a better suggestion?" He asked despite his better judgement.
She gave a sly smile, always ready to take advantage of an opening. "You know I have a really big bed…"
"See ya, Betsy." He said with a smile.
"Or…why can't you just crash in Rogue's room—she's not using it."
He turned back around, reasoning that she had a good idea. "Hmm. Might as well."
She waited for him to catch up to her and they made their way towards the woman's section. "I guess the basketball game is cancelled."
"Postponed." He answered as they both stopped outside their room doors, which happened to be in front of each other. "We can have the game tomorrow. By then Rogue will have fully recovered."
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to knock on my door."
"I should be fine." He said turning the doorknob. "Later, Betsy."
"Don't forget to talk to 'Ro and Jean, sweetie."
Laughing to himself he replied, "I won't, dear."
He entered Rogue's room, closing the door behind him. He walked around the space, examining the dolls that covered the surface area.
"Spooky." He whispered as he sat on her soft bed feeling troubled. This thing with Rogue is far from over. I have to do something before anything like this happens again. He got up from her bed, picking up the phone on the nightstand. He proceeded to dial a long series of numbers. The phone rang twice before someone picked it up.
"Hello…hello?" answered a desperate voice.
"Hey, Hank. It's me." He could hear his blue colleague let out a deep sigh through the speaker.
"Scott." He answered seriously. He dreaded the worst.
"As you know, we really need to talk."
*
After a short walk, Rogue managed to put a face to the voice filled with dark laughter. Cannon sat on the ground, clutching his side as if he were in pain, though a bright smile was frozen on his face.
He looked up at the venom she had for him in her eyes. "Doesn't that shit just blow your mind?!" He asked in response to all that Remy had revealed to her.
"It was you that let him out." Her voice was filled with contempt.
"I warned you that I was going to mess you up." He huffed, trying to make out her image through a dull haze. "Don't get mad at me. In fact, you should be thanking me. I've just exposed how fucked up your man is."
"You don't know anythin'."
"You're still in denial. I guess the saying is true: love is blind…deaf and dumb." He added laughing darkly. A sharp pain cut through his head, turning his laughter into a heart-filled scream.
"Listen, the fun is over. I'm really hurting now." The pain subsided a tiny bit for him to collect his thoughts. He looked at Rogue, who gave him a blank stare. "Make me one of those doors you made for Remy." He ordered; however he did not get a response.
He looked her over anxiously fearing the worst, hoping for the best. "Rogue, come on. I know you let Zeal slip away, but you weren't around to watch him suffer. I know you won't allow me to go out in agonizing pain."
She squatted down beside him, enjoying the look of anguish expressed on his face. "Then Ah guess you don't know me very well, sugah"
"Cut the bullshit!" Pain began to build in pressure inside his mind. He looked at her desperately, wanting to wipe the smile off her face but knowing he did not have the energy to do it. "You can't let me die this way! You're suppose to be the good guys! You're suppose to be better than this!"
She titled her head and whispered, "You'd think so, huh?"
"Bitch! You fucking bitch!"
"That's no way to talk to a lady." Ah think Ah'm enjoying this a li'l too much.
The pressure in his head increased gradually as it searched for a way to break free. Cannon clenched his teeth, "You're screwed, Rogue! Your entire life is screwed thanks to me—and you won't ever know why…until it is too late…" It felt as if his head was expanding, almost reaching its breaking point. With his last breath he moaned. "…That'll be my one pleasure from beyond the grave."
She lowered her face to his, watching his once pale face turn bright red. "Die, Cannon…die slow."
He let out another scream of agony as his essence was ripped from his body. Rogue watched in astonishment as his light floated around her then burst into nothingness. All that remained was his body…an empty shell.
*
Scott sat up in Rogue's bed, too uncomfortable to sleep. There were just too many things racing through his mind for him to settle down after his talk with Henry.
He noticed the room door was opening without a sound. He waited to get a description of the intruder. "What are you doing here?" He asked when the person was in clear view.
Remy shut the door behind him with a playful smile on his face. "I could ask you de same question. After all, you are in my girl's bed."
He blushed slightly, removing the covers from his body. "Betsy's suggested that I crash here instead of sleeping on the couch. That way I can be close by in case of emergency…and it's more comfortable."
"Oh." He answered with little interest in Scott's explanation. "I jus' came t' get one of Rogue's teddy bears and her gloves." He stepped into the room rummaging through her things. " 'Ro t'ought it would be a good idea for Rogue t' have her belongings decorating de medical lab. Really I jus' t'ink she was givin' me somet'ing t' do—clear my head. She sent Bobby t' make her some herbal tea." He said with a light smile.
Scott got up from the bed. "You doing okay?" He asked sincerely as he followed Remy around the room with his eyes.
"I'm fine now. Rogue's gonna pull t'rough."
"I noticed that Rogue had a couple of bruises on her body." He was hoping to get some kind of reaction out of Remy, wanting to catch him off guard. However, his plan did not work.
He gave Scott a blank stare. "Uh-huh."
"You know anything about it?"
"Uh-huh." I better calm him down. "Don't worry about it." He said with a wave of his hand. "It's already been taken care of."
Scott didn't like the sound of that, but chose to drop the issue for the time being.
Remy had all he needed: a couple of Rogue's stuffed animals and her gloves. Before he left, he turned back to his leader. "Hey, Scott."
"Yup."
"T'anks…for what you did earlier." He took the time to further gather his thoughts. "For not jumpin' on de bandwagon and railroadin' me wit' de others in de medical lab."
He's actually thanking me? Scott thought in disbelief. "You're welcome."
Remy gave a firm nod of his head and left the room as silently as he came.
He sat back in the bed in complete shock. Never saw that one coming.
*
Although the figure was far away and had its back turned, Rogue knew immediately that it was Logan. Taking her time, she crept up behind him.
"Hey, Logan." She said as swung her arm over his shoulder.
"Don't you 'hey Logan' me." He pushed her arm from him and looked at her with fury in his eyes. "Don't you know how much shit you put everyone through tonight?!"
"Ah can imagine." She answered without much regret. "Ah'm sorry. Ah didn't mean to get knocked out."
"Knocked out?" She doesn't even know what happened. He shook his head in frustration. "Rogue, you were considered legally dead…twice!"
"Ah died?!" Her eyes widen in horror. She never believed that things were so serious. In desperation she asked, "Ah'm gonna get better though, right?"
"You're expected to make a full recovery. Turns out you had alcohol poisonin'."
"How? Ah never had that much to drink…jus' a half a bottle, honest."
"Yeah well, you were using the bracelet wrong." Seeing the confusion in her eyes, he continued, "It's suppose to be activated 24 hours after it is deactivated, not startin' from when it is activated."
"Shit! That means Ah used it 8 hours too early."
"Yup. That 8 hours did a number on your body. It totally messed up your immune system, your senses, your heart rate…everythin'. We had to wait a couple of hours 'til the bracelet deactivated before I could give you my healing factor." He paused a moment, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We almost lost you durin' the wait, kid."
She lowered her head feeling guilty. "You did warn me that there might come a time when you wouldn't be around to help me." Cracking a soft smile she whispered, "Thanks for bein' around."
"No, don't thank me. I was the one that made you turn on the bracelet ahead of time."
"It's not your fault."
He nodded his head even though he didn't agree with her. "That's what Scott said…he said we all share part of the blame." I still don't believe him. Looking around her dark mind he remembered that Rogue still had problems of her own to deal with. I want to help her now, but this isn't the time she's time recuperatin'. "Your head is pretty fucked up."
Rolling her eyes she mumbled, "You say that every time you're here."
"I keep on forgettin' that this isn't the first time I've been here." Damn! How many times has it been in all these years? "That means I won't remember…"
"Yup. You won't remember a thing when you wake up, but Ah'll remember everythin'." She could tell that he seemed to be freaked out at the notion of losing his memory of their conversation.
"How much time do I have with you?"
Taking a moment she examined his solid figure. "From the looks of you, you mus' have touched me a long time. You could be here a while." Now that Ah have his healing factor I shouldn't leave him exposed to mah open mind for longer than is necessary. "Follow me."
Without another word he trailed behind her, trekking deeper into her mind. Finding the perfect spot, she stopped and with deep concentration began to create an object.
Patiently, Logan waited until she finished. "What's this?"
"It's a door." She answered stating the obvious. "It'll keep your mind from gettin' destroyed in here."
"So, I'll still be conscious once I'm inside?"
"Not really. It'll feel like you're in a deep sleep."
Looking at her the with apprehension he mumbled, "Uh-huh." There's no fuckin' way I'm goin' in that thing.
She knew exactly what he was thinking. Ah can tell he's scared—he always is when we go through this. "Wolverine, the alternative is far worse. You have to remember that everythin' here isn't real." She noticed that he was still reluctant. She then started to wine, "You've gone through this many times before and we always go through this!"
"All right, fine!" He lashed out with a wave of his hand. Opening the door, he stepped inside the darkness. "See you on the outside."
" 'Night, sugah." With a wink she closed the door.
*
Jean let out a huge yawn as she stretched the muscles in her arms. She sighed as she monitored Logan's heartbeat on the machine; it had been steadily increasing with each passing hour. It shouldn't be too long now. She thought, looking down at his unconscious form.
Jean looked up from his body, over to her best friend across the room. "How's Rogue doing?" She asked with concern, even though Rogue had Logan's healing factor running through her body.
"She's coming along great." Ororo answered happily. "She'll probably be fully conscious in another couple of hours."
"When she wakes up she better kiss Logan's feet…"
"How is he doing?" Ororo asked cutting her off.
"It's Wolverine. His body is recovering remarkably. You know if it were anyone else holding on to Rogue that long they would have been killed." She began to comb her fingers through his thick black hair. Her voice became soft, "I just want to be here for him when he wakes up. I want to make sure he is okay, and that he will never be that stupid again." She looked back at Ororo. "He didn't have to give her so much at once."
"Yes, he does need a stern talking to." She stating, shaking her head in agreement.
"That's what I…" Her voiced cut off, as soon as she realized his body was stirring. "Logan?" She called out to him. "Logan it's me…Jean."
Ororo's mind wandered from her patient to Jean's patient. She wished that she could be by his side as he woke up, but didn't dare trust her reaction in front of Jean's sharp mind. Instead she waited patiently in silence for her moment of opportunity to appear.
His eyes flickered open to see the red hair woman in front of him. "Jean?" He mumbled, looking up at her as if she was an angel. The scene was very familiar to him.
"We have to stop meeting like this." She replied, bringing up an inside joke.
Even in his disoriented state he still knew what she was referring to. He was very near to death long ago when Magneto extracted the metal from his bones through the pours of his skin. He would have died, but it was the soft call of Jean's voice that brought him back to the light of day. "Every time I think I'm gonna walk into the darkness, I hear your voice callin' me back."
"I'll always be here to lead you back." She whispered, taking his hand.
"I'm gona hold you to that."
Her soothing voice, changed suddenly as she scolded him, "And the next time you even think about doing something so stupid you better…"
He waved her off, not wanting to be nagged. "I know, I know. Don't worry, Red. It won't happen again." He sat up in his chair, now able to see Ororo in the background. Suddenly, Betsy's voice came back to haunt him. He now believed that Ororo was watching everything he did, trying to look for any hidden meaning. He started to go over everything he had said to Jean, hoping that he couldn't be construed into something bigger than it was. Fuck! I gotta stop thinkin' like this. Psy was just tryin' to mess with my head. I know how I feel. I know I don't love Jean. He focused back on the woman in front of him. "You been here all this time?"
She nodded her response.
"Why don't you go get yourself some sleep? I don't need anymore lookin' after."
I am pretty tired. She confessed to herself. She planted a kiss on his cheek. "You've been redeemed." She stated in response to him saving Rogue's life. Her mind flash with the image of Scott consoling Betsy earlier in the lab. After I get some sleep, I'll track down Betsy. There is no way I'm going to put up with her shit another day. She left his side, saying goodbye to Ororo as she left the room.
As soon as the door closed, Logan jumped out of the bed and dashed to Ororo's side, kissing her aggressively on the lips. Within time, they stopped to get some air.
"I thought she'd never leave." Ororo muttered after taking in enough oxygen. I know I shouldn't be mad for him risking his life to help a fellow teammate, but I can't help it. She slapped his arm. "You could have gotten killed…"
He rolled his eyes, not wanting to have her pick up from where Jean left off. There were much more important things to do at that moment. " 'Ro, you can chastise me forever tomorrow. But now…I can't wait." He spoke with an intensity that seemed as if it would overtake him. "If it doesn't happen today, it's never gonna happen—no more excuses, no more interruptions…now."
She looked around the room. "I am not going to have sex in a medical lab over an unconscious teammate."
"You know what I mean." He said pulling her arm. "Let's go."
"Okay…" There was no way she could turn him down. She wanted him more than he wanted her---if that was possible. "No wait." She pulled back her arm. "I have to stay here until Scott relieves me." She looked at her watch. "He should be here in another hour or so." She ignored his grumbling and continued to speak, "Meet me at our spot. I will be there in an hour."
Despite wanting to yell in frustration, he laughed instead. "No you won't be there in an hour. Something's gonna happen to prevent you from reachin'…you'll trip and sprain your ankle or some shit."
"Then I will fly," she countered back with a smile. "I will be there. Promise."
He stopped to give Rogue a quick kiss on the forehead, her hair prevented him from touching her skin. "An hour?" He asked wanting assurance.
"An hour and a couple of minutes."
"Fuck! Here we go!" He said throwing up his hands in defeat.
"I need some time to freshen up."
That was hard for him to believe, seeing as thought she already looked so beautiful. Then again, I guess I could really use some freshening up as well. "An hour and a couple of minutes." He confirmed backing away from her. With a smile he turned around and dashed out the room. Though somewhere in the back of his mind he could still hear Betsy's taunts from hours before when they were in the living room:
You look at Jean with the same loving eyes you give 'Ro…You talk to Jean with the same soothing voice which should only be reserved for your girlfriend…And when you look at 'Ro, she senses that Jean is always somewhere in the back of your mind…
He shook the thoughts out his mind. Fucking Pyslocke!
***
Scott stepped into the room amazed to find Ororo sitting next to Rogue looking alert instead of slumped in the chair sleeping like the Bobby and Remy in the waiting room. She looked over to him, not scowling, but not smiling either—just looking.
"You're free to go." He commanded.
"Great!" She jumped from her seat, happy to be relieved from duty so that she could finally get together with Logan. She stroked Rogue's hair, before leaving her side.
Before she could pass him, he stepped in front of her blocking the exit. "Listen…Ororo. There are some things we need to discuss."
She faced him steadily, showing no sign of her irritation. He is using my real name. It must be serious. "Can't this wait until some other time?"
"No, actually it can't." He took the time to think through how he would bring up the subject. "It's about your leadership status…"
"Or lack thereof…" She mumbled crossing her arms over her chest.
"Hey, don't get defensive on me…" He stated before he could stop himself.
"Defensive? I am not getting defensive."
"I'm sorry, I must have gotten the wrong impression from your crossed arms." He stopped himself a little too late. Shit, I shouldn't have said that.
She relaxed her muscles, willing to believe that her impatience could easily be perceived as being defensive. Yes, I would like to get my leadership status cleared up, but right now I have other priorities. "You know what Scott? I cannot deal with this now. Let's just stop before we say anything we can't take back. I have some place to be." She had officially ended the conversation.
"Fine, we'll discuss this later." He concluded as she walked past him. "The basketball game has been postponed 'til tomorrow."
"Uh-huh." She muttered, leaving the room.
Scott shook his head in frustration, thinking that Ororo was a hard person to offer an apology. Taking the seat next to Rogue's bed, he waited for her to awake…falling asleep in the process.
***
Rogue began to wiggle in her sleep moaning slightly, a tell-tail sign that she was beginning to wake up. Never one to be a heavy sleeper, Scott stirred out of his sleep instantly. He jumped over to the side of Rogue's bed, wanting to be by her side as soon as her eyes opened.
Her eyes opened widely, then shut when the light in the room hit her eyes. Instead she squinted her eyes, making out the figure of a male in front of her.
"Rise and shine."
"It's mornin' already." She wined, with a hint of laughter. A sudden energy took over her body. Gotta love that ol' healing factor! She thought with a chuckle. Rogue sat up on the bed, looking past Scott's beaming face and seeing an empty room. She focused back on him with a frown. "Where is everyone? Ah almost died, you know."
"They went out for a pizza." He laughed at the sight of Rogue's scrunched up face. "Just kidding. Everyone was up half the night. When they knew for sure that you would be okay, they finally headed off to bed."
"Oh." Wolverine did say that everyone was really worried. She looked back to Scott, noticing that his smiling face was now filled with doom and gloom. Shit! He's goin' to go 'Leader' on me. Ah better stop him before he starts. "Ah know, Ah know. You don't have to say anythin'. Wolverine told me what happened when Ah saw him in mah mind."
"You gave us quite a scare."
"Ah didn't mean to." She spoke softly, fiddling with her bed sheet. "But it was mah fault. Ah should have read the booklet better."
"We all share part of the blame." He sat on the edge of her bed and took her gloved hand. "I spoke to Hank."
Her heart sank in her chest. "Oh, don't even say his name. Ah already feel so bad for what Ah did. Ah promised him Ah wouldn't use the device and Ah turned it on anyway."
"He is disappointed."
She nodded. "He should be."
He took a deep breath, unsure of how he would bring up the next part. "We had a long discussion earlier and we came to a decision."
"What kind of decision?" She asked cautiously, feeling that something bad would happen.
Here we go. "We think that it's best that I keep the bracelet until he or the professor returns to the mansion."
Clutching her wrist, she yanked her hand from his. "What?!"
"Rogue, let's not go through a whole thing about this. You have shown your irresponsibility, not by using the device, but by not reading the booklet before hand. We have your best interest at heart." His voice was firm, giving no sign of compromise. "Hand it over."
She knew that it wasn't a request, but a direct order. Reluctantly, she gave it to him, biting her tongue so she wouldn't say anything she might later regret. How can Ah be mad at Scott anyway? He's right. Ah was acting irresponsibly.
"Thank you. You will get it back, eventually." He slipped the bracelet into his side pocket. He could tell that she was upset with him and wanted to change the subject. "I just realized something. You used the bracelet twice without me knowing…and I never got that hug."
She reflected back on the day before when she ran into Scott in the hallway minutes after she first received the bracelet from Henry. He seem so happy that she would finally be able to touch others and agreed to hug him once the device was activated. She gave a half smile. "You're right, you never did get that hug. Ah guess Ah was jus' spendin' too much time hidin' from you to even think about it."
"I guess you were." He chuckled glancing down at his watch. Remembering that Remy and Bobby were just outside, he got up from the bed. "Right now there are two guys out there that are anxious to see you."
"And who might they be?" She asked playing dumb. "Bobby and Remy?"
"None other. It's probably best that you see them one at a time." And I bet I know whom she would want to see first. "Shall I send in Remy?"
Shaking her head adamantly she replied, "No, Ah want to see Bobby."
"Bobby?" He asked in complete shock.
"He's mad at me about somethin'. Ah jus' want to get everythin' cleared up."
"Not to step on your toes, but I really think you should see Remy." Seeing the reaction on her face, he decided to give more of an explanation. "Remy was a mess last night as he should have been. He was with you when you died. I'm sure he thinks that everything that happened is his fault."
"But that's not true."
"Rogue, you know how he is." He observed as she lowered her head as if she were deeply confused. Something doesn't seem quite right. "Is there another reason why you don't want to see him?"
Rogue couldn't help but be preoccupied with what the Remy in her mind had said to her, but she had no intention of explaining anything to Scott. "No, it's not that Ah don't want to see him…" Her voice trailed off, unable to think of a simple excuse. Finally, she gave up trying to think of anything. "You know what? Send him in…Ah'll talk to him first."
"Right away." He looked down on her with a genuine smile. "Glad to see you back to your old self again."
"Scott?" She called to him before he could turn to leave. She looked up at him with a shyness, topped off with a little nervousness. "You know, Ah don't have to be wearin' an active bracelet to get a hug."
He moved closer to her. "You're right…you don't." He could admit to himself that being so close to her was never his favorite thing to do. Just the thought of being sucked into her mind was too creepy for him to handle. However, he was never one to let his fears triumph over him—especially at a time when his friend needed a hug. He sat on the bed and awkwardly put his arms around her—careful not to touch her flesh—as she did the same. Gently, he pulled away. "I haven't lost an X-Men yet while on vacation, and I don't intend on it ever happening."
"Roger!"
He ruffled her hair and headed toward the door, calling out, "We still have a basketball game tomorrow."
"Ah'll be there." She answered as he left the room. After all, it's mandatory. Her lighthearted feeling evaporated once she remembered that soon she would have to deal with Remy…the real Remy.
*
Scott stepped into the waiting room, his eyes settling on the remaining two X-Men. Remy's head rested on his hands, his eyes closed. Bobby sat with his head facing the ceiling, snoring softly. Scott clapped his hand together; the sudden noise woke them. "She's up, sleepy heads!"
"Finally!" Bobby sighed, getting up from his seat. "Is she ready to see people?"
Scott stopped him before he had the chance to walk into the medical room. "Not so fast."
"What?"
"One at a time."
Bobby shrugged his shoulders, continuing to walk past his leader. "Fine."
Firmly, he held onto the younger man's shoulder. "She wants to speak with Remy first."
Bobby paused, taken aback by Scott's words. Remy? He to turned to face Remy, who gave no outward sign of emotion.
"Later, guys…behave yourselves." Scott walked past the men, disappearing through the sliding doors.
The two looked at each other in silence. Bobby was the first to speak. "I guess congratulations are in order…"
Remy listened intently, that being the first words Bobby had spoken to him directly in hours.
"…Rogue picked you." She must still be under the influence of alcohol.
He could tell how hurt Bobby was by looking deep into his blue eyes—he didn't need to rely on his empathy to figure out the obvious. Remy stepped closer to him and whispered, "I might be a while."
Bobby examined his tone of voice. He didn't pick up any hint of arrogance or mocking from Remy. All he heard was 'I might be a while', just someone who was stating a fact. Looking at Remy he nodded, "Take your time. I won't be here when you come out." Without another word he left the room in search of Scott.
He didn't even bother concern himself with what was going on with Bobby. His thoughts only centered around one person. Remy took a deep breath, before stepping into the medical lab, preparing to see his Rogue.
******
Author's Note: Yeah so it was Cannon who died. But who cares about him, right?!
Thanks for all the reviews, hopefully I'll never take that long to update again. My goal is to combine three chapters into one (this story could have been finished already!!!), so without giving too much away…
Next Time: Big scenes between Ororo/Logan, Remy/Rogue, Bobby/Scott, and Jean/Betsy. Bonus: Ororo/Remy and I haven't forgotten about the basketball game…