Okay, first off, I'd like to apologize. I know I said I would be updating a lot last week during my Fall Break, but two of my Profs decided that I needed two huge tests to study for over the break. :P Damn teachers. (Just kiddin'...I love my Profs...most of the time). Also, my manager was outta town so I had an extra workload too. (Not that I'm really complaining about that...I got a niiiice paycheck yesterday. :P)
Anyways, I have finally got the chance to sit down and type up Chapter 9. So here it is. Enjoy.
I love feedback. (positive and negative.) Any comments are welcome. Thanks. -Alyx
And again, thanks to my reviewers. You guys are the bestest!
Again with the disclaimer...
Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 9
Scott Summers stood in the shower, eyes closed, feet spread apart and his palms against the tiles. The water, that had long ago gone cold, ran down his muscled torso and hit the floor of the shower with an almost comforting regularity. Chill bumps had formed on this tanned skin and though he was uncomfortable standing under a rush of cold water, Scott was less tense than he had been in days. His discomfort allowed him a chance to realize that, yes, he was still human. Yes, humans make mistakes. And he needed to be reminded of that.
Sure, he enjoyed being Cyclops, leader of the X-Men. Hell, he relished it. But at times like this, when he felt like such a failure to his team, when he felt helpless, useless, Scott had trouble remembering that he was human, that he was allowed a mistake every now and then, that not everything is his fault.
He hadn't been there. There's nothing more he could have done to save Rogue, Bobby, or Gambit. His guilt was lessening some where Bobby was concerned now that Bobby had awakened and had been given a good prognosis. But guilt still coursed through him every time he looked at Rogue or Gambit. He didn't trust Gambit. That was no secret. But he admired him...to an extent. Not that he'd ever admit that to anyone.
As far as Rogue went, all he could think was 'what if'...
What if we had gotten to her just a moment sooner? What if I had gone with them to the cabin? What if Wolverine had smelled the soldiers sooner? What if---?
"Scott?"
It was Jean. His love. His wife. He reached down to turn off the water.
"In here," he called out the bathroom into their adjoining bedroom. He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his slim waist. He heard the heels of her black boots on the tile as she entered the bathroom.
"You okay?" she asked as she gave her husband an appreciative once-over.
"Yea," he slipped his visor over his eyes and opened them to look at his wife, "How is everyone?"
"Bobby's doing fine. He ate a few crackers a little while ago for breakfast and kept them down. He says he still feels sick to his stomach though. Hank gave him something for it. He's sleeping now. Gambit hasn't woken up today yet. Hank and Celia aren't comfortable with constantly sedating him, but given how he has reacted the first few times he woke up, I don't see any other option. He could seriously hurt himself."
Scott nodded as he brushed his teeth and listened to his wife's words. Gambit was a loose cannon, especially when it came to Rogue. He could hurt himself severely if he went off the deep end now. He was lucky to be alive, and pushing his luck wasn't a good idea.
"--and he flat lined twice during surgery," Jean was still talking. "It's a miracle he's alive. He wouldn't be if it weren't for our Shi'ar equipment." She was quiet for a moment. "It must be driving him insane."
"What?" Scott asked as he spread shaving cream across his jaw.
"Every time he wakes up he asks about Rogue. And we just keep putting him back to sleep without answering his questions..."
"We can only do so much. When Gambit has recovered, we'll tell him. Until then..."
Jean nodded. They were silent as Scott finished shaving. He rinsed his face and turned to look at his wife.
"Good morning, beautiful." he smiled at her.
"Good morning to you too, handsome," she smiled as he pulled her to his still damp body and gave her a small kiss on the lips. As she leaned into his strong embrace Jean couldn't help but feel a little more hopeful.
xxxx
Later that Week...
"Calm down, Cajun!" Wolverine yelled, struggling to keep Gambit still, "You ain't gonna be any help to Rogue if you kill yerself!"
Accepting that, Remy stopped struggling. Logan let go and stepped back, but stayed close enough to grab him again.
"Okay," he said finally, "I'm fine. Jus' tell me de rest. What did dey do to her?"
"We are not sure, Remy." Storm answered quietly.
He digested that.
Dieu, Chere...I'm so sorry...I tried to stop dem from taking you...I tried...I'm so sorry petite...
"The Professor, Jean, and Elizabeth are in there now trying to figure that out," Storm continued.
"Can I see her?"
Wolverine grunted, but gave no answer. He had seen her. Seen her right after that building had collapsed on top of her. Seen her after all the surgeries. Gambit really would go crazy if he saw the girl in her current state.
"After the Professor has finished with her," Ororo stated after a long quiet moment.
Remy nodded.
"Will you eat something, my friend?" Storm changed the subject, "You haven't eaten since Henry removed the feeding tube."
"I could eat...I goin' go wash off first. And shave," he absentmindedly fingered his small beard. He never let it grow this much. Then again, he hadn't shaved in over a week.
Cain't believe I been asleep dat long...O' course all dem drugs dey were slippin me helped...
It had pissed him off to no end when he found out that they had meaningfully kept him unconscious. Didn't they know how much Rogue needed him? How much he needed her?
He stood up and nearly hit the floor before Wolverine caught him.
"Easy, Remy," Logan held him up effortlessly.
He's lost some weight, Logan realized, helping Remy stand.
"You do remember you were shot through the gut, right?" Wolverine asked sarcastically as he helped Gambit stand.
"Oui," Gambit grunted, "Hard to forget when it hurts dis bad, eh?"
Storm watched her friend solemnly, "What would you like to eat Remy? I'll be happy to prepare it for you."
He almost laughed.
"Actually, Stormy...I could really go for some Mickey D's right now."
Logan laughed, "Guess yer tastes ain't as expensive as I thought. McDonald's, huh?"
"Oui," he smiled, "Some o' dem processed- non-chicken 'chicken' nuggets."
"You never cease to surprise me, Remy." Storm smiled, "Anything else?"
"Oui...maybe one o' dem McFlurry t'ings. Wit' Oreos."
"Here," Logan reached into the pocket of his dark jeans and pulled out a twenty dollar bill, "I'm buyin'. And ask the Popsicle if he wants anything."
Chuckling, Ororo left to get lunch for her friends.
"An' don' forget de fries!"
xxxx
Charles sighed as he looked at Jean and Betsy. They looked as exhausted as he felt. The three telepaths had just spent the last two hours scanning Rogue's mind. Or rather, trying to locate her mind in the mess that now occupied the psychic space, and it had been exhausting.
All three of the telepaths knew not to get their hopes up. They all sensed that Rogue's mind had been destroyed. Nothing, however prepared them for the carnage that greeted them.
Charles forced himself not to think of it. Instead he reached out mentally and offered comfort to his students. They replied gratefully to him psychically.
"Charles...?" Betsy spoke quietly, "When are we going to tell them?"
"Not 'we', Elizabeth. I don't expect you two to shoulder this burden. I'll tell them."
"What are you going to say, Charles?" Jean was having trouble keeping her emotions in check. Tears filled her dark green eyes.
Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door.
Beast entered carrying a tray of bandages and sterilizing medicines, "Time to change her bandages."
"Very well, Hank. We are finished here."
"Did you discover anything?"
After a moment of contemplation, Xavier spoke, "Jean, Elizabeth, assemble everyone in the War Room. I'll be there in a few moments."
The telepaths exited.
Hank was dressing Rogue's wounds when Charles finally spoke again.
xxxx
A few moments later, all the X-Men were assembled in the War Room. Cyclops looked around. He didn't remember ever seeing the War Room so full. He felt a slight swell of pride as he surveyed his team of X-Men, care-takers of Charles Xavier's dream. He looked over to his wife.
Marvel Girl.
That thought shocked him. He hadn't called her that in years. He figured the reason for it now was the look on her face. Not since the early days of the X-Men had he seen her look like this. So tired and so defeated. Since she had become Phoenix, Jean was a formidable power-house. Even when her powers got the better of her, she always bounced back quickly, more powerful than before. Back when she was Marvel Girl she was still learning her powers, still being used by them.
When she had come into the Game Room where he and Warren were playing a semi-distracting game of chess, he had practically bitten her head off, demanding to know what was going on. Why did she looked so fragile? She was finally able to calm him and assure him that in time, she would recover.
The trip through Rogue's consciousness was rough, Scott. That's all. I'll be fine.
I'll be fine, my ass, Scott thought. He had almost believed her until he saw Psylocke. She, too, wore the beaten, worn look on her own features. He continued stewing in his chair next to his wife as he waited for the Professor.
He wasn't the only one. Logan and Remy were equally uneasy. Logan could sense something was wrong. He could nearly smell it in the air. Gambit sensed it as well, but felt even more apprehension. He hadn't even been allowed to see Rogue yet and it was driving him crazy. Logan and Storm had explained to him what had happened, but he knew they were leaving something out. He knew she was...injured, though no one could offer him an explanation of how. How did this 'Carly' hurt the indestructible woman?
Before Gambit could torture himself further, Xavier entered.
The hushed talking became silent as the team looked to their leader.
"I apologize for the wait my X-Men. I was discussing Rogue's condition with Henry."
A few nodded, as Charles continued, "Jean, Psylocke and I have scanned Rogue's mind. Or at least, what is left of it."
Alarm and confusion shot through Remy.
"What de hell is goin' on?!" he asked the rest of the room, "What do you mean 'what's left o' it'?! What happened to her?!"
"Gambit," Storm placed a hand on his shoulder, "Please, let the Professor continue."
Gambit clinched his jaw, but said nothing more. Xavier cleared his throat and thought carefully about his next words.
"I am not saying it is irreversible, as Psylocke and I first suspected when we found her, but Rogue's mind is completely shattered. There is no way for us to know if or when she'll ever recover."
Several gasps erupted from the group. Gambit went completely white.
"I think it's only right that I tell you all this: Even if Rogue does wake up and make a full physical recovery, her mind, her personality may never be the same. She may never regain all, if any, of her memories and her relationships with all of you will be greatly affected," he looked over at Gambit when he said that. In fact everyone did.
His face was unreadable and it remained unnaturally white. He had not been prepared for this. A physical assault, sure. But this? To have her completely stolen from him like this?
The room was quiet. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts and confusion. Rogue is...was...invulnerable! How did this happen?
Finally after an eternity of silence, Gambit surprised everyone by speaking first. And with such a calm, quiet voice.
"Can I see her?"
"As soon as Beast finishes with her wounds, you may all go in and see her. I believe that hearing our voices constantly can help her regain consciousness sooner and perhaps heal her more efficiently. So make sure you talk to her. Let her know you are there."
"I agree," Hank stepped through the doorway, " Though I'm not sure if she can hear us, it cannot hurt. I finished with her wounds. She can receive visitors."
That was all the injured X-Man known as Gambit needed to hear.
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Okay guys, I have a French Exam Monday and a Biology Exam Friday...In other words, don't expect another update this week. I hate that I don't have more time to type up this story. I have it pretty much finished on paper, I just rarely have time to type it up...Anyways, if I need a break from studying ya'll can bet I'll be workin' on this. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I promise to update as soon as I can. -Alyx
