Chapter Nineteen

The Dark Roses were scared. They were scared and worried and feeling very… lost. They didn't know exactly what had happened between Rogue, Remy and Chalice, but Michelle had nearly collapsed, and they had heard Rogue shout something about betrayal. Their leader, the person they all trusted and had faith in, was on the verge of losing her sanity, and they knew it.

Michele whimpered from where she was laying on the couch, a grimace of pain on her face, and Kar brushed her hair out of her face, trailing his fingers down her cheek. During the five minutes she'd been semi-unconscious, they had learned that touch helped ease whatever she was going through. Sure enough, the whimpers faded and a little of the pain vanished from her expression.

Footsteps on the stairs made them all tense and look at the doorway. Rogue appeared in the doorway, and none of them liked the quiet fury in her eyes.

"I'm going out, I'll be back sometime tonight. Remy is not to leave this house under any circumstances, but Cathryn can go to hell for all I care." She glanced at Michelle's prone body and something dark passed behind her eyes but all she said was, "Someone make sure there's aspirin handy for when she wakes up." Then she turned and left, the door not quite slamming behind her.

The Roses glanced at each other, not understanding the look of harsh anger on Rogue's face when she mentioned Cathryn. Jamie fetched a glass of water and a couple of aspirin from the kitchen, setting them down on the coffee table. Then she resumed her seat on the floor in front of the armchair, next to Alistor's legs. She looked at Selene, who just stared at her hands, a troubled frown creasing her brow.

"Something bad happened," she muttered, breaking the tense and confused silence.

Kar snorted. "No shit. Does anyone know what?"

Ivy shrugged from where she was leaning against the wall. "Something about betrayal, that's all I heard. Whatever it was, it was big. I've never seen Rogue so pissed."

"And why was she mad at Cathryn?" Envee wondered thoughtfully. "She's always been pretty close to Chal, trusts her more than anyone else. I didn't think anything could've made her hate her so much."

"Maybe Cathryn was the one to betray her," Jamie suggested quietly. The reaction was immediate, all the conscious Roses protesting that Cathryn wouldn't do that, even Alistor. They all loved Cathryn, and trusted her implicitly. The idea that she would betray Rogue was unthinkable. Jamie waited patiently for them to get over the shock and start to think about it. Doubt, worry, and realisation flowed across their faces and they stared at one another for a long time.

"We could ask," Selene suggested weakly, once again breaking the silence.

"Couldn't hurt," Kar agreed.

They all looked at each other, before Ivy sighed irritably and volunteered. Muttering about weak foolishness, she stalked upstairs and hesitated in the doorway to Rogue's bedroom.

Remy was lying on the bed, cradling Chalice against his body, stroking her back and running his hand through her thick auburn hair. His eyes were closed, and if it weren't for the sadness in his expression, he would almost have seemed peaceful. Cathryn, on the other hand, appeared anything but peaceful. She was shivering oh-so-slightly, and her hands were fisted tightly in Remy's shirt, her face buried in his shoulder.

"We need to know what's going on," Ivy said bluntly, walking into the room and leaning against the dresser. Remy opened his eyes and gave her a look that wasn't quite a glare but close. Ivy just raised an eyebrow and waited.

"Look, mate, I don't know if anyone's explained the situation to you, but Rogue is our leader. She's our general, our commander, and above all, our friend. She has given us all a home, a purpose, and most importantly she's given us a family. So we're kinda protective, and when we hear her yelling about betrayal and then tell us that one of her closest friends can go to hell for all she cares, we get worried. Now, either you tell me what happened voluntarily, or I pull the words from your throat by force."

Remy didn't look convinced that the slender girl in front of him could force him to do anything, but then he remembered that Chalice wasn't all that impressive-looking, and neither was Rogue for that matter.

He sighed and brushed Cathryn's hair out of her face, peering down into her wide, shame-filled eyes. She licked her dry lips and nodded. Remy stifled another sigh, and told Ivy what had happened.

Ivy listened to the story with a cold, hard expression, and when she spoke, her words were as hard as ice.

"We need you in this fight," she said quietly, glaring at Chalice. "So obviously we can't cut off all contact with you. But if you ever come near Rogue again, we will kill you." Her eyes shifted to Remy and she just looked at him for a moment before saying, "We've got orders that you are not to leave this house under any circumstances. I suggest you don't try to escape, because we will do whatever necessary to keep you here." Then she turned and walked out, closing the door behind her.

When Ivy retold the sad, bitter tale to the others, their reactions went through a whole cycle of emotions, from shock to disbelief to anger to homicidal. Kar's eyes turned purple and sparks danced along his skin; Selene's fingertips began to glow white; whispers of air streamed from Envee's fingers; even Jamie looked angry, her brown eyes filled with quiet outrage.

Michelle whimpered again, rolling onto her side and curling up into a tight ball. The sound and movement went unnoticed by the Roses, as they each contemplated exactly what they wanted to do to Chalice for hurting Rogue so badly.

Upstairs, Cathryn sat up and moved away from Remy, forcing herself to act like the mature, independent woman she was. She brushed at her cheeks, surprised but thankful to find them dry, and tugged the sleeves of her shirt back down, once again hiding the criss-crossing scars on her arms.

She looked at Remy, unsure of what to say but needing to say something. He was watching her with that eternal patience he always had with her, and she wondered if he was like that with Rogue. From Rogue's stories, she suspected he was often more mischievous and wicked around her, but the Southern girl hadn't been able to hide that little glint in her eyes that said she really valued her moments with Remy.

"You're staring, ma petite," Remy said quietly, and Chalice would have blushed if she was the blushing type. As it was, she just smiled feebly and stood up, stretching and working the kinks out of her back.

"You leavin'?"

"I'm not wanted here, Remy. I'm going back to the club."

"Want me to stay?"

"Yes. Keep an eye on Rogue for me."

"I'll keep both eyes on her."

Cathryn smiled again and walked out of the bedroom. She had the perverse desire to peek into the living room, but she wasn't a masochist and didn't fancy seeing the hard glares of the Roses, so she walked out of the door without looking once.

Above her, the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon, staining the sky with streaks of orange, gold and red. Chalice looked up at the brilliant sunset, closing her eyes as the last touches of warmth faded and left her skin chilled by night. It was oddly prophetic to her slightly melancholy mind-her friendship with Rogue, something she had valued and treasured greatly, had faded and left, and now she was alone.

No, she wasn't, she reminded herself firmly. She still had the club, she still had Remy, she still had friends. She still had dozens of people who needed her help.

But somehow, it wasn't the same.