Sorry, that it took so long for this chapter to come up, but my computer crashed some time ago. Luckily I was able to get the data back, but it took a while :D - JoBO
2. Side Effects
Rogue jerked back in the seat as she felt a hand on her shoulder, but then immediately relaxed as she saw that it was Storm, who just had come back from Louisiana. Storm gave Rogue's shoulder a comforting squeeze before casting a worried glance over at man, who still was lying unconsciously in the bed.
"Is it really…?"
Rogue nodded as she stood up and walked over to the bed, where she took the man's hand. Inside she was split as one side of her wanted to shout out over the world with joy for having him back, but then the other side was so scared that maybe he was never going to wake up from the coma and she was going to lose him again.
"Yes, it's Remy… Remy LeBeau…"
She lovingly stroked the hair away from his forehead with her hand as a lonely tear felt down her cheek.
"…He has been kept in some kind of a medicinal induced coma for a very long time, so…"
She began to shake as she realized the consequences of her own words and once more the tears began to flow from her eyes.
"… so maybe he is never going to wake up again."
Storm recognized the black shadow that hang over her old friend's thoughts and laid her arm around Rogue's shoulders for support.
"You must only believe in the best and… that he has come back to us already shows that nothing is impossible."
Rogue nodded as she suddenly remembered why Storm hadn't come back until now.
"Storm, did you found anything?"
Storm shook her head as she walked over to the window, where she began to look out on the dark November sky.
"No, there wasn't much to go on. We tried to search the laboratory, but somebody had clearly stripped it for everything…"
She looked over at Rogue, who still was standing next to the bed with Gambit hand in hers. Storm sighted deeply before she continued because she knew it would be hard on her friend to know the truth.
"…Still I somehow managed find this behind a bookcase in a room next to where we found Gambit. I think that it had been use as some kin of office."
She took a piece of paper up from the folder in her hand and hesitantly gave it to Rogue, who hastily took it and began to read:
"Log 145 by Dr. Emina Lymstad.
Subject 72 seems to fight the treatment on an unconscious level even though the subject is still in a deep coma after the accident. The extent of this self-defence seems to grow with the subject's recovery and comes to expression as changes in the treatment. The subject seems unable to break the connection under a treatment, but this unconsciously self-defence system seems to take control over the treatment and force it away from it's goal…"
The rest of the paper had been torn away, but it said enough as Rogue cast a glance down on the bracelet, which she held in her hand as she clearly remembered how she herself had cut it off Gambit's wrist. She quickly dropped the bracelet like it had burned her hand and as it felt down on the floor could Storm clearly see number 72 on it. She looked up and met Rogue's eyes. Instantly Rogue knew that they were thinking the same thing, but somehow she felt that it had to get out in the open.
"What have they done to him?"
Storm was just about to say something, when suddenly she froze in the movement and starred with big eyes at the bed. Surprised Rogue followed her glance and saw that Gambit had opened his eyes and was looking up at them. Quickly she squeezed the hand that she still was holding even harder and she instantly lighted up in a big smile.
"Remy!"
He tried to say something, but his mouth was dry after being unconscious for so long. Rogue immediately held the glass of water from the bedside table up to his mouth, so he could drink, but she was shaking so violently of excitement that almost all the water landed on the bedding. Still he gratefully drank the water and afterwards he sent her a grateful glance as it still was too hard for him to smile.
"Thanks."
His voice was very weak, but for both Rogue and Storm it was like water in the desert since they just a few moments before had believed that maybe they were never going to hear it again.
"It's okay. I will make sure that nothing is going to hurt you anymore."
She so wished that she could kiss him, but she knew that her power in his present state would kill him instantly, so she only blew him a kiss as her heart almost left her chest. She waited impatiently to see a reaction, but still he looked up at her with the same empty eyes as before.
"Do I know you?"
Rogue felt how the doubt came up in her as she remembered and she was just about to say something, when Storm walked over to the other side of the bed and took his other hand.
"Welcome back, my friend, do you know who I am?"
For a second he looked like he was thinking, but then he nodded slightly.
"You name is Storm."
Now it became too much for Rogue, who with tears in her eyes ran out of the room. She wanted to get as far away from there as possible, but out in the hallway she ran into Scott, who was on his way to see how Gambit was doing. He saw the tears in her eyes at once and held her back.
"Is he…?"
She quickly wiped her eyes and tried to act naturally, but soon she couldn't hold it back anymore. Scott put his arms around her as she allowed the tears to flow. It was like all the pain that she had hidden for a month suddenly just wanted out. They stood like that with his arms around her for several minutes, before the flow slowly stopped and she only snuffled slightly.
"He can't remember me."
Scott, who had believed that Gambit had died due to Rogue's reaction, was surprised and pulled away from her.
"Is he awake? I thought…"
Only one look at Rogue made him stop as he recognized the look in her eyes, but Rogue, who was so far away in her thoughts, hadn't even heard him as she kept talking to herself.
"I know that I said he should forget that we ever had been a couple, but it was only because I was so angry…"
She looked up and met Scott's eyes, who at that moment for the first time saw how much she had evolved over the years, since he first had met her. She paused for a second as her thoughts slowly centred about one thing. She looked down before continued her sentence and a lonely tear felt down her cheek.
"…How can Storm be the only one that he remembers?"
-o-
The big grandfather clock out in the hallway began to strike as she walked down the staircase and over to the kitchen door. Normally the sudden noise would had scared her, but this night she was so far away in her own thoughts that she barely heard it. She walked into the kitchen without switching the light on and sat some water over for tea. Methodically she took the things out for the tea, before she sat down while she waited for the water to boil and her thoughts once more wandered away.
She was so far away in her thoughts that it was first when he switched the light on that he discovered him. Their eyes met as an uncomfortable silence hang between them, which luckily was broken by the kettle's whistle, which indicated that the water had boiled. Quickly she stood up and walked over to the stove, which meant that she had to turn her back at him, so it made it easier for her to talk.
"Shouldn't you stay in your bed?"
She could hear him nervously shifting his weight from one foot to another before answering the question.
"I couldn't sleep, so I wanted to get some water."
Her heart began to beat faster as she knew what she should say. She knew that it was the most naturally thing to ask in this situation, but somehow she still felt like the answer meant so much more that what just was on the surface.
"Do you want some tea? I always made enough for a least two people, so…"
She stumbled over the words as she tried to keep her hand for shaking, so she could make the tea.
"Thanks that would be nice."
She could hear that he sat down by the table behind her as she quickly made the tea and sat down oppositely to him.
They sat for a long time and drank the tea in silence, but then he suddenly sat the cup down on the table and looked her directly into her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Anna, but I only knew Storm's name because that you had just say it. Storm has told me that we used to be together as a couple …"
He looked down on his hands.
"… I just wanted you to know that it isn't only you that I can't remember… It's all just a black blur with small glints of something, but every time I try to concentrate about it, then it just disappears back into the dark."
Unconsciously she reached in over the table and took his hand, which immediately made him look up and meet her eyes. For a moment it was like no words were necessary and none of them wanted it to end, but then she remembered and took her hand back. She quickly stood up and took the empty cups from the table over to the kitchen sink, where she hastily washed them up. She paused as she finished and looked out on the dark night through the window over the sink.
"I better go back to bed or I would be too tired tomorrow."
She began to walk out of the kitchen, but then his voice stopped her.
"You know me or a least you know who I was."
She turned around and met his eyes once more, but since she didn't said anything he just continued.
"Did I… Do…"
He stumbled over the words.
"Did I ever get… nightmares… before?"
The look in his eyes almost torn her up inside and she wanted to comfort him, but somehow she wasn't able to move.
"What do you mean?"
He stood up and walked over to sink, where he placed a hand on each side of it as he leaned in over it in desperation.
"I only ask you, because I think that you are the only one, who maybe knows the answer. Even though Storm didn't say it, then I could read it between her lines that I'm not very open… I need to know, if this is some small part of my old life, which is coming back."
She walked closer to him as he still had his back turned towards her.
"I don't know. Remy… you never talked about it."
She stood so close behind him that she could reach out with her hand and was just about to lay it on his shoulder, when the big grandfather clock out in the hallway began to strike. Immediately she pulled her hand back and walked back over to the door.
"It's late. We should go to bed."
She turned around and walked out of the kitchen, but not before she had cast one last glance back at him, who still was standing by the sink. He looked up at the black window, which reflected his image due to the light in the kitchen, but still he couldn't recognize what he saw.
-o-
She opened the front door and was just about to walk out of it, when suddenly she heard someone call out her name behind her. She turned around and saw that Storm came out of the kitchen with Remy just right behind her. Storm looked clearly stressed as she came closer, but as she saw Rogue came some kind of peace slowly over her.
"Good that I found you, Rogue! Can you take Gambit down to the southern training field and help him get used to his powers again? I have already arranged it with Scott, but something has come up, so I can't do it myself."
Rogue was just about to say no, when her eyes wandered away from Storm and met Remy's. Suddenly something inside her immediately lighted up and she knew that maybe this was the second chance that she for the last week had wished for.
"Okay, but isn't Scott already training the freshmen down their?"
Storm nodded.
"Then there is also room for mistakes. You must have me excused, but I really have to run."
Storm quickly said goodbye to them as she almost ran out of the front door after getting her car keys, but then the uncomfortable silence once more came between them. Rogue began to walk over to the door to break the silence as she cast a glance back on Gambit.
"We should go down there and get it over."
He nodded and followed her out thought the front door, but then he stopped and took her hand, which forced her to turn around and meet his eyes.
"I'm sorry for this charade, Anna, but I simply had to speak with you. I thought this maybe was the only way, since you in the last couple of days in a way have avoided me."
She looked down, since it was exactly what she had done, but somehow she hadn't had the courage to face him. Suddenly she realized something and she met his eyes again.
"The emergency that Storm had to care of…. It was you!"
He slowly nodded as he broke the eye contact and began to walk down the path towards the southern training field. She felt how her heat missed a beat as she quickly followed him. With a few quick steps she was next to him and was just about to send him a smile, but froze as she saw how dark his face had turned. She instantly took his hand and forced him to stop.
"Remy, what is wrong?"
He didn't look at her, so she gently forced his head up with her hand while she repeated her question. She couldn't read his eyes, but it calmed her a little as he once more began to focus on her.
"What if I'm not Gambit?"
Her heart almost stopped as she understood truth of the words. He must have read her like an open book for immediately he began to stroke her comforting.
"Don't worry. I am Remy LeBeau. That I know that I am…"
He looked down in her eyes.
"… Otherwise how could I feel as I do about you?…"
He all too quickly broke the eye contact and began to walk down the path.
"… I just don't think that I want to be Gambit anymore:"
She almost had to run to be able to keep step with him.
"Why?"
Suddenly he stopped up, which almost made her walk into him.
"This wasn't what I wanted to talk with you about, so forget that I said it!"
Only one look into his eyes made her realize that she shouldn't ask more into it right now, so she allowed him to change subject as she quickly made a mentally remember that she need to ask him again.
"What wanted you to ask me about then?"
She tried to meet his eyes, but he looked away at once and began to walk down the path again. She followed him in silence as she could feel that he needed time. They were almost at the training field, when he suddenly stopped and turned around to face her.
"What happen that evening?"
She didn't need him to elaborate his question as the memories immediately came back to her. She wished with all her heart that she just could forget it, but then she met his eyes and she knew that it was his right to know. Still it was hard to remember and what if she was going to lose him… maybe this time for real…
"I'm sorry to rip up in this old thing, but I know that we had a row. Storm told me about that, but she couldn't tell me what it was about other that it had been really ugly and the next day I was gone. So I think that something very important must have happened."
He caressed her cheek as he talked, which for a second made her almost lie in other to keep him, but then she met his eyes. She pulled away from him and sat down on a bench, which had view over the training field, and he sat down next to her as she took a deep breath.
"It was a letter… a love letter…"
She hesitated, but then she saw the look on his face.
"…It was sent to you from someone called Talia, but somehow had I opened it by a mistake. First I just thought that it was a joke, so I gave it to you, but then you reacted so weird."
"How?"
She met his eyes.
"It was like you just had been caught cheating."
For a second he looked like he was clearly surprised, but then he shook his head in desperation and stood up as he was just about to walk away.
"I'm sorry, Rogue, but I shall not bother you anymore."
He would have walked away, if she hadn't stopped him by grapping his hand. She tried to meet his eyes, but ever time he looked away.
"Remy, you are changed!"
He didn't reacted, so she was just about to place her hand on his cheek to force him to look at her, when he grabbed her hand, but still he didn't said anything.
"Gambit?"
He let go of her hands and turned his back to her.
"Gambit doesn't exist anymore."
He began to walk back to the school, but was stopped by a scream from the training field, which immediately focused both their attention over to Cyclops, who was training the new students out on the field. Rogue saw the ice pike that had directly course towards Cyclops, who hadn't seen it yet, at once. She felt how her heat stopped beating as she realized how serious the situations was, but in the same moment she knew that there was nothing anyone could do to save him. The time was clearly too short. She hadn't even thought the thought before she saw Cyclops being pushed to the ground by someone and the ice pike exploded in a burst of flames over him.
Quickly Rogue ran over to Cyclops as all the others on the field to make sure that he wasn't hurt.
First she couldn't believe her own eyes as she recognized Remy under Cyclops. Even though she knew that it was impossible for a person to cover the distance, which were almost hundred meters, in so short a while, then she also could see that it must somehow had happen, because a few seconds before had Remy been standing just next to her and now he was clearly the one, who had saved Cyclops.
Cyclops stood up and helped Remy up as the gathering grew around them. Everyone was silently asking the same questions as Rogue push her way into the two key figures in the middle. She was almost at them and she quickly forgot all her wondering, when she saw how Remy suddenly felt to the ground.