A/N: If I had known the Ultimate Annual AND The End would end the way they did, I would have changed this story. But, since I honestly had this written two months ago, there's not much I could do without a rewrite. It boggles my mind how similar it all was. Anyway, sorry for all the angst, but there's finally some fluff coming up:)
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Slowly, noise started to infiltrate the void. A deliberate, steady beeping somewhere behind was vaguely associated with a heart monitor. Voices coming from another room were barely intelligible at this distance. The ticking and dripping of a clock and IV respectively kept time to an unheard medley.
Bright light diffused by closed lids became evident next. A metallic taste and smell entered more clearly focused senses. Finally, the warmth and strong grip from a hand was recognizable with a familiar pressure.
More aware of her surroundings in what seemed like days, Rogue decided to let her eyes slide open to the concern centered on her. The last thing she remembered was being here, in the Intensive Care Module, except she wasn't the one lying on the medical bed. Other memories floated to the surface as she sifted through the emotions of finding out Kurt was her brother, relaxing with Remy in his room one lazy afternoon, and Jean's return after her believed death. More things rose up, but there was something strange about them. She couldn't quite place her finger on it, but Rogue had a distinct feeling that she and Logan had gotten together, Remy had been in a motorcycle accident, and she had been by his side as he died. But the memories just didn't feel like they had truly happened.
Looking to her side, she was greeted by the sight of Remy laying his forehead on the edge of her mattress. His hand was firmly clasping hers. He started to stir as if sensing her wakefulness and rose his head to meet his eyes with hers. Relief washed over his face when he saw her smile gently at him, knowing she would pull through the disaster. When she saw a rigid tension lift from his shoulders she couldn't help but raise her lips in a warm, familiar gesture.
More recollections floated through her head as she remembered the man at her side wasn't just someone who cared for her, but was much, much more beloved. Flashes of their wedding a year earlier reminded her that Remy was her husband and she was Marie LeBeau. Though they never wore their wedding rings into battle, the platinum band was safely positioned on her left ring finger as his sat in the similar spot on his hand. He must have replaced the precious tokens when they returned to the mansion.
"Hey, Marie. T'ought I'd never see dat smile 'gain."
Her grin grew wider at his admission. She wanted to speak, but found her voice didn't work after what must have been a long period of nonuse. Remy just smirked at her as he brushed a bit of opal mahogany hair away from her face.
"Shh. Y've been out fo' trois semaines. Don' push y'self too much, p'tit."
Trying a different approach and hoping it would work, Rogue mouthed a small phrase to him. Even though he couldn't read lips he understood her question.
"What happened? Well…"
Rogue nodded yes when he repeated her inquiry back to her. He didn't really get the opportunity to explain as Xavier and Hank entered the room.
"Perhaps I should explain, Remy."
The couple turned their attention to the wheel chaired man as he rolled closer to the medical bed. Hank stood at the foot, glancing between her chart and the various monitors surrounding her. Remy signaled for Xavier to give it a shot.
"Dr. McCoy is concerned about possible memory loss. If you could please tell us what you remember, Rogue, we can determine if his interest is valid. Do you recall going to the Manhattan division of Legion for Civilized Society?"
Rogue closed her eyes as she searched for anything triggered by that name. Visions of the mission briefing in the War Room flooded to the forefront as she began to remember exactly what happened. As she first began to speak, her voice was scratchy and broken. The more her vocal cords stretched, the further her speech improved.
"Yes. Storm went undercover to be our informant. The Legion claimed to be working on peaceful means to resolve conflicts between mutants and humans, but when she got there, Storm found out it was a group interested in obliterating baseline humans in order to civilize mutant society. They were planning on releasing a virus that caused immediate fatality to any baseline. When she discovered the location of the diseased vials, we stepped in to eliminate the threat."
"Meritorious recollection, Rogue, as well as vocal improvement. Perhaps my presentiments were unwarranted."
Smiling weakly at Hank, she tried to suppress the images floating through her mind of what they found in the subbasements. Several people were strapped to metal slabs, effectively immobilizing them. While the conditions were atrocious, it was the various states of degradation of their bodies that really affected each X-Man. The Legion even stooped as low as to experiment on children. The X-Men saved as many as they could, but the terrorist group had been alerted to their presence and started to systematically incinerate the wards with the most severe cases causing the fire to spread more rapidly due to the disease.
Xavier didn't need to push verbally or telepathically to understand the look on Rogue's face. The hollowness in her eyes, the knit in her brow, the furrow of her lips all told him that she perfectly recalled exactly what happened. Pursuing another course of discussion, the Professor continued with the examination.
"Once you left the building, what awaited you on the outside?"
"There was a group of mutants blocking our retreat to the X-Jet. Storm had identified them during our briefing as higher members in the Legion. Even though we covered the abilities of each person and went over who we would take out, we weren't expecting the intensity of their powers."
"Yes, from what Scott has described, they created a field that recognized only their specific mutant signatures and amplified their abilities tenfold. Even with Ororo's reconnaissance on the mechanics, there was no way to predict the actual effect of the device. It is a good thing the power grid was not strong enough to sustain the exertion placed upon it. Tell me, do you remember anything after?"
Try as she might Rogue couldn't pull any more to the surface. She shook her head no before one last image suddenly sprang to mind.
"Wait, I do remember fighting Fetid. He was a lot easier to take down than we had thought. His strength kept fading in and out, like he didn't have control. He got a good hit on me, but when his powers faded again, I knocked him out cold. That's the last thing I remember."
Beside her, Remy cringed slightly. The image of Toxic coming up behind her and nearly killing Rogue would never leave his mind. The whole reason they were on the same team was so one would be there to protect the other if anything should happen, yet he wasn't even able to come close to preventing the near murder of his wife.
"It seems a mutant going by the name of Toxic had joined the Legion during Storm's surveillance, but she was unsuccessful in acquiring information on her. It is only now, after the fact, that we were fully able to understand the effects of her mutation."
"But I don't even remember seeing her anywhere."
"Toxic's mutant ability allows her to alter the memories of anyone she touches. Once inside the mind, the memories are manipulated to cause immense pleasure or overwhelming pain. What makes her mutation so effective is the fact that she is able to completely conceal any evidence of her mind altering presence. Apparently, she viewed you as a threat that needed to be dispatched and used her powers in a malicious tactic."
"Okay, I get why she came after me, but when I woke up just now I remembered things that I know never happened."
Rogue looked furtively over to Remy. The memory of his motorcycle accident was all too fresh in her mind. She knew it couldn't possibly be real because he was sitting right beside her, but the emotions connected to such a horrific event were more genuine than Rogue ever wanted to encounter. The reflection made her realize that, in her altered memories, she experienced just a fraction of the worry Remy must have been going through over the past few weeks.
"A secondary ability to Toxic's mutation is her capability to create false memories in an attempt to make her victim go insane with an overload of emotion, most typically fear or grief. However, when she puts her attention into manufacturing fabrications her attention and focus slip, causing her to lose the complete domination she enforces when she is simply altering memories."
"So if she couldn't control me totally, why wasn't I able to break free?"
"Actually, Rogue, you did. Once you were safely aboard the X-Jet, Jean preliminarily scanned your mind to test your vitals. The wounds Toxic inflicted upon you were quite extensive and she feared you were going to arrest. While Hank stabilized your body, Jean steadied your mind. It was then that she first encountered the false memories. When you arrived at the Med Lab, she and I sifted through your mind to eradicate the damage Toxic had caused. We found several instances where her mental control had failed and you attempted to escape."
Taking in everything Xavier had told her so far helped Rogue to understand exactly what had happened and why her memories were bungled. However, even with this elaborate explanation, something still bothered her about the situation. The chronology of Toxic's manipulations began with Remy watching Rogue leave with Logan, causing him to drive recklessly and crash his motorcycle. If Toxic was able to alter Rogue's memories, why were these first few instances seen from Remy's point of view?
"So you got to see all the memories I saw?"
Sensing her unasked question, the Professor continued with more than a simple affirmation.
"Yes. Your mutation posed an particularly demanding hindrance for Toxic. With your mental control over the memories of those you have absorbed, you are able to repress each in a sort of psychological filing cabinet. Toxic did not have that same control, and when she first entered your mind, she encountered a manifestation of Gambit. Jean and I concur that she created memories from some of his greatest fears."
Even after four years of being together, Rogue still didn't completely know Remy. What exactly was his fear and how much of it was Toxic's creations? Quickly replaying the memories in her mind, she realized the common underlying theme in all the examples was him losing her.
Rogue glanced over to her left, trying to look in his eyes, but found he wouldn't meet hers. Did he really think Logan was any competition about which he needed to worry? Sure, she and Logan were close friends, but her heart belonged to Remy the first moment she laid eyes on him. Nothing, not even Toxic's alterations, would be able to change that fact. She would have to remind him just how much she was head over heels in love with him as soon as Hank released her from the Med Lab.
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R/R: Thank you to everyone who's reading! I hope you are enjoying it. Wanna be a Fix Feeder? Just hit the button! And to my Fix Feeders:
VinGirl: See, no funeral scenes because no one died:) And now you get the beginning of the happily ever after. So Remy and Rogue are going together, but they still have this situation to work out. Thanks for Feeding the Fix!
giggety giggety goo: Sorry. Didn't mean to confuse you. Wait, yes I did:) Anyway, I'm glad you are enjoying it and I hope that forlorn good-bye doesn't mean what I think it does. You can't die on me! I'll bring you back if you die. Thanks for Feeding the Fix!
MJK: Well, you were right to a point. Everything was in Rogue's head, but not by her doing. Although, I do like the idea of her being trapped in her mind and seeing alternate versions of her life. Maybe Toxic will make another appearance one day. :) And the explanation made perfect sense, at least, I think I got what you were trying to say. But I think I'll stay away from the nightmare within a nightmare, because that sounds way too confusing even for me! And as for what's actually real and what's fake, well that's in the next chapter. See, they're both alive, they're going to stay alive, and after this, they can have a happily ever after! Thanks for Feeding the Fix!
Prexistence: I know. You are pretty nice in your fics. Me, I'm evil and twisted and cruel. LOL! That cruel joke just keeps springing up around this fic! And no Remy dying. No Rogue dying. No anyone dying. We've had enough of that recently, so I don't see it happening any time in the future. Ooo, we're shaking in or boots/webbed feet/gelatinous goo! The Chipmunk Army led by ChipmunkDude is going to get us! We're so scared:) Well, since you've done a good job of Feeding the Fix (and Duckie, who is flying south for the winter, but don't tell the Fix), and since the fic is almost over, we'll over look this little rebellion this time. But don't think there won't be some Killer Tomato/Incredible Hulk-ness going on in the next one if there is even one mention of ChipmunkDude coming after us! We'll send him back in a green slimey goo, just like Slimer. Thanks for Feeding the Fix!
WolvGambitLeDiableBlanc: Yep, you got the whole last words thing. But see, I was right about him having to die. In the fake memories, it was imperative for him to die for Toxic to succeed in making Rogue go mad. But, as you see now, it didn't work. So, I may have been mean in saying that, but I was meaner when I didn't give you the context of his death. :) No worries, though. He's alive and well, as is Rogue, and they're on their way to a happily ever after. Thanks for Feeding the Fix!
ishandahalf: Yay! I got you on my twists and turns! I love that. :) And don't think they're going to stop anytime soon. The reason I get them is because I write stories backward - the middle, then the end, then the beginning. That way, when I actually sit down to write the beginning, I know what's going to happen and can manipulate it to my liking. My evil, devious liking. And yep, you got it right about Toxic causing the illusion. No dying Remy, no dying Rogue. As for Logan, well, I knew he would try to save her, since he did in the movie and all, so I knew I had to solve that little problem. One quick explanation later, and bam, no absorption of healing factor. And now that you have one set of explanations out of the way, you only have a little more to go to fully understand what's happening! Thanks for Feeding the Fix!