Hi everyone :)
...I've run out of useless, random facts! O.o
Shaishe: Good :)
Gep: 13- Yes, yummy men like remy are protected species you know. However, sometimes even endangered species get into some trouble sometimes ( hint for this chapter)
14- Wow, that was a lot of compliments! Thank you very much for all of them, made me feel good about myself :)
15- Pitchforks are more traditional riot gear plus they're easy to get a-hold of; just gotta pop down the local garden centre. As for guns and stuff, you've gotta apply for a license and then you gotta fill out the permit and then you gotta wait for it all to be approved and then...Oh, well, you get the idea; it's just too much trouble.
16- Did Belle die at some point? I hope she did, that would be sweeeeeet :D And, even if she did die, she's alive in this :D
17: I hope you think they excellent work has been upheald in this chapter...Man, that made me sound really poncy :D
18: Hmm, interesting ideas. Are they correct though? I'm not saying, you'll have to read and find out :D
19: Well, if I was known all over the US I'd have to be majorly famous because I'm English :) Gotta conquere the British Isles before I take on the big USA
20: Wow...I, ah, I seriously have no idea what to say to that. I've never had such high praise before :) Makes me want to risk having my confidence shattered by submitting one of my original stories for publishing lol.
21- More huge compliments which make me smile :)
22- I'm glad you approve of where I stopped and that you also approve of my values. not many people have clear values nowadays which I think is a shame. Anyways, I don't mind ya asking my age: I'm 18 which you'll probably find out in a few chapters anyway because I dedicated a wholse chapter to my 18th birthday :D
30- You have a Hell of a lot more patience than I do. If I like a story a lot, I'm always anxious to read as much as possible. Screw saving some for later :D
ishandahalf: Yes, every good ROMY story should have a nice bit of Belle-crushing somewhere in it. It's the kind of thing which makes everyone smile :D
CalliopeMused: Might've been a short review but it was longer than most of the others I got so I'm not complaining. I'm sorry the beginning was a little confusing. I really couldn't be bothered to write out the full scenes so I thought I'd just write the dialogue out instead.
Lucy Wood: Yay for people liking last chapter :)
WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc: Yes, I know, it was a slowl update last time and a slow update this time but cut me some slack, the writer's block, she holds me back :(
Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Glad you thought everything was awsome and I'd just like to say that this reply is the first time ever that I've been able to type out your name without having to look at the review :D
firestorm13: I would feel sorry for Belle as well if she wasn't trying to force Remy into marrying her in the first place :D
coletterby: Or else what? Because if you do anything too bad to me, I won't be able to finish the story and then you'll never know what happens! (starts laughing maically, earning strange looks from my dad who's just walked in the room) O.o
Wiccangurl: Wow, it really must've been a good chapter; I've never made anyone swear before. Sweet :D
enchanterlight: Thank ya much, here's the update :)
LucreziaNoin86: Glad ya think so :)
IvyZoe: You miss Head Remy? You'll love this chapter then. Can you guess why? You probably can :D
Lyra Eyota: Yes, I quite liked that line as well :)
Anna: Thank ya for the information on the church stuff, I'll try and find the time to go and fix that. As for Belle's mutation, I'm not completely 100 sure what it is. In the original cartoon, she gives Remy a ring which she can activate to cause him pain whenever she wants and, at the end of the episode, it's revealed she's a mutant. Since that's the only display which could possibly be explained by mutant powers, I made it so.
So, to answer your question, "what is Belle's mutation?": I have absolutely no realy idea O.o
sakura5tar: Yes, the "drill" bit will be explained, next chapter in fact. And I hate it when authors just decide to give up on a story too. So inconsiderate to their readers -.-
RoackFee: 30 chapters in 2 hours?...Woah O.o
Black Sorceress: The best X-Men fic you've ever read? Wow, huge compliment there :) I'm so glad that you're enjoying everything so much.
Crazy4Cocopuffs: 29 - I must admit, I did wonder where you'd gone. I'm thinking that a few people must've got bored by now and wandered away because I don't hear from some of my old regulars anymore (sigh) but at least you've come back and that cheers me up :)
30 - Too personal? No, no, of course I'm not speaking from experience...(shifty eyes) For once, you're questions will be answered in either this chapter or the next. Hah! Bet ya never thought I'd say that :D And I'm sorry to hear that you were effected by the hurricanes. I hope things haven't been too bad for you.
Friend to All: 25- Yes, the boss is never around when you need them. The voices in our heads are not really the most reliable support in the world though, so what can you expect :D
26- Ah yes, the worserning, (I just made up a new word :D) headaches. Gonna get a lot worse ya know.
27- As you've already seen, I don't really give Logan much of a chance to torment Remy before he goes off in a sulk :D
28- Yeah, that Star Wars bit was a stroke of pure genius...Or insanity, I get them mixed up from time to time :D
29- Compliments make me blush and smile :)
30- So that's who you think the boss is then? Interesting...
Taij Zann Rung: New reviewing person! Many welcomes (bows) I'm glad you're craving more and I hope that this wait hasn't been too long. As for Belle's power, you didn't miss it, I never explained it 'cause I took it from the original cartoon series. If ya don't know the details of the original cartoon, could you read my reply to "Anna" since I see no pont of typing it all out again.
Freak87: YOU CAME BACK! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! (pulls you into a too tight hug) Anyways, yes, very much missed you :) Glad you liked the chapters you've read through now. And, I can't believe I'm actually saying this finally, the answers to all you questions will be revealed within the next two chapters :O
Musical Chaos: Glad ya loved it :)
dazzleduk: Yay, fellow Englander :D Glad you're liking the story. And you said grates! I'm the only person I know who uses the word grates on a regular basis :D
We're down to the last four chapters!
This is it people; the beginning of the end. Everything which Rogue has worked so hard to build up; the secrets she's kept, the half truths she's told, they all start to fall apart right about now :D I think this has to be the most serious chapter I've ever written. There's absolutely no comic relief in this chapter and it all gets quite grown up...Though, I suppose it's my way of getting all the severity out now before Chapter 33, (grins manically in anticipation for Chapter 33)
Pain. So much pain. Whaht, hot, blahndin' pain that stabs the brain continuously so that ya can't ignore it, ya have to react.
Hah long has it been? A day? Day and a half? Gahd, it seems lahke so much more. Ah almost killed Belle the other day and Ah can't remember one damn second of it. Kitty, Jubilee and Remy told me that the stupid bitch grabbed me 'round the neck. Ah tensed and then, apparantly, everthin' kicked ahff. Ah used every single power of every single person Ah've got in mah head and, when Ah had been close enough, Ah pinned that slut to the floor.
Ah don't remember though. Ah don't remember any of it. There was just darkness and pain; such intense pain...
Ah'm so scared...
Rogue whimpered miserably into the pillow she was cuddled against, her palms pressing into her eyes in an attempt to distract herself from the stabbing in her head. It was mid-afternoon and she hadn't moved from her bed all day; she hadn't been able to. Everytime she had tried to move, her headache just got even worse, hurting to the point that she had to cry out in some kind of relief.
Soon after the rescue of Remy, Rogue had started to feel the horribly familiar headache which told her she'd been doing too much. Taking the warning her body was obviously giving her, she'd wisely rested, going straight to bed upon their return to the school. However, the headache had steadily worsened to the intense, crippling degree it was at presantly.
Remy had been checking in on her at hourly intervals after they both realised that, curiously, the headache intensified when he was close. When the pain first started to get worse, Remy had gone to hold Rogue's gloved hand as a sign of comforting support. However, upon the contact, Rogue had cried out and yanked her hand away as if it had been burnt. It soon became obvious it was no fluke either and, eventually, they both admitted defeat and Remy reluctantly left her side.
None of the teachers or the Professor seemed to have any idea what was wrong with her and Rogue knew they were all really worried. Hell, she was really worried herself. Kitty had told her on a visit that Hank was practically living in the med-lab trying to find any little bit of information which might help her. Rogue had seriously started to consider telling the teachers about the extent of her abilities, Head Remy and all, and had even gone as far as attempting to tell the Professor. However, when the words tried to come out, different words came instead. It was frustrating and frightening all at once; it was her bloody head and she had no idea what the Hell was going on in it.
And another thing which was both worrying her and aggravating her at the same time; where the Hell was Head Remy? It had been weeks since he had last spoken to her. She knew he was still there, she could feel him tinkering about, but he wouldn't speak to her even if she tried to initiate the conversation. At one point, a week or two prior, she'd given up on trying to coax him out of whatever slump he'd got into, but that was all forgotten now. Rogue wanted relief, she wanted it right away and she knew for a fact that Head Remy could give it to her; he'd done so before.
She wailed his name silently, begging for his help, pleading for a response. Everytime she voiced a call though, the pain in her head stabbed. It was torture, pure and simple torture, but she was damned if she was going to give up anytime soon.
And her perserverance eventually paid off. After a particularly harsh stab which caused her to cry out loud softly, she heard a very faint, slightly muffled voice call her real name. She desperately clung to the achievement like a life-line and caled out once again.
"Remy? Remy, please!"
No reply and Rogue let out a frustrated sob. She was seriously starting to consider banging her head against the wall until she knocked herself out. Fortunately, before she got around to actually doing that, she got another faint reply along with another sharp pain:
"Marie...Can't...Let me..."
Rogue sobbed again and pulled her hair roughly, not actually feeling the pain from the abused follicles. The pain in her head was suddenly so much worse and now she couldn't even make vocal noises. Her mouth was held open in a continuous, silent scream and her hands continued to yank roughly at her hair.
Then, a more defined pain in the sea of fuzzy pain which consumed her and a shout which stung her ears even though it was inside her head: "She won't let me Marie!"
And that's when something inside her snapped.
An agonised scream managed to rip itself out of Rogue's throat and her whole body arched violently, her head thrown back quickly, jarring her neck painfully. She lost all sense of self; all she knew was pain.
She disappeared from her room with a familiar bamphf and left behind whisps of black smoke just as her bedroom door burst open.
"Any luck Charles?"
"No. I don't know what's happened. I can't find a trace of her mind anywhere. It's like she's not even here anymore."
"What do you think happened to her?"
"I don't know Hank, I honestly don't know."
"Professor?"
"Yes Jean?"
"I've found her, she's in the park."
It was raining; large heavy drops which pattered on every surface loudly. Deep puddles were forming in the dips of every un-even surface and turning the grass next to the path Jean was currently walking down into a slushy, muddy mess.
As Jean got closer to the children's play area, the haunting sound of a detatched voice murmuring a nusery rhyme reached her ears:
"Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb.
Mary had a little lamb, her fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went, May went, Mary went,
Everywhere that Mary went, that lamb was sure to go."
Upon reaching the gate of the fence which surrounded the play area, Jean stopped and simply watched. Sitting on the swings a few metres away was Rogue. Her lemon coloured cotton night shirt was soaked and plastered to her body, her hair was wet and limp, her head tilted back so she could stare up at the sky, her lips moving ever so slightly as she sang her song. Her skin had turned deathly paleand her bare feet looked like they were turning a frightening shade of blue. She seemed totally oblivious to the rain and the cold though and her eyes looked clouded, like she was looking but not really seeing.
Jean opened the gate, a small squeak emitting as she did so, just as Rogue finished her second rendition of "Mary had a Little Lamb" and started on "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". She approached the wet girl carefully, not exactly sure what to expect from her. When Jean had reached the swing set, and the point at which Rogue really should've acknowledged her presence, she stopped and spoke softly:
"Rogue?"
"The sky is falling and my dress is getting wet." Rogue mumbled in reply, still staring up at the clouded sky. Jean remained silent, noticing with some alarm that the girl had lost her accent. Rogue's head tilted to the side and she blinked slowly, her eyes moving onto Jean as she did. "Did Mama send you?"
"No." Jean answered simply, humouring the girl.
"It's nearly bed-time." Rogue told her quietly, turning away from Jean and back to the sky. "I can't go home though; Mama said she'd be mad if I got my dress wet."
Jean was totally speechless. She honestly had no idea what was going on or what to do. Something was obviously wrong, Rogue wasn't herself and apparantly did recognise her. Whatever it was that was wrong exactly though; that was a complete mystery. It was very upsetting to see the normally calm and collected teenager mumbling nonsense and huddled on a park swing like a lost little girl and Jean felt the beginnings of tears prick her eyes.
"You're the one They fight over." Rogue stated suddenly, breaking Jean's train of thought. The red-head looked to see Rogue was staring at her again again with dull, blank eyes.
"Who're "They" Rogue?" Jean inquired gently.
"Shadows." The girl answered quietly, her head turning back to the sky once again. "I can hear them now, yelling. But they all are now anyway. They want to go home but their mamas won't let them."
Now seriously concerned with this news that Rogue was obviously hearing things, she stepped towards the girl catiously, carefully reaching out to her as she did. "Rogue, we need to get you back to school; we need to get you out of the rain and into something warm and dry."
"School?" Rogue echoed, sounding confused. "What about Mama? She's gonna be mad at me..."
"She won't be there, I promise." Jean assured kindly, taking the final few steps towards the girl, bringing her amrs around her shoulders. "Come on, let's go back, I bet everyone else is really worried."
Rogue said nothing but allowed herself to be eased onto her feet and supported in a motherly embrace by the psychic. Slowly, they began to make their way out of the play area, on their way back to the school.
Oooooo, it's all getting very weird isn't it? And very intriguing O.o
Hope you all liked this chapter. I like the final section personally. I think it starts off a bit boring but then picks up in the final section. Anyways, that's just my opinion; you all probably think differently :) I am a bit disappointed with it's length though but I always am nowadays it seems.
Catch ya'll later.
Hugs
Dream